#hyping himself up the whole journey

[softsimulation]

cycl0n3 sw0rd & svynx

after a messy breakup with his first girlfriend, blair, cycl0n3 made the decision to get out of his comfort zone and leave sunset valley behind for a fresh start. initially he headed for san myshuno but being the socially anxious loner that he is, he couldn't handle the bustling crowds of people and constant noise. instead he found a small town just outside of san-my, got himself an "it'll do" apartment and used his computer smarts to get a job with a startup tech company where he has very little in person communication.

he did however get over his socially anxious tendencies just enough to go and adopt svynx from the local shelter.

(when i was a kid and only had base game, i thought cycl0n3 was a really evil sim because of his name so i wouldn’t let my sims interact with him EVER and the one time my sim did talk to him i deleted the save file 😭)

credit to @pugownedplaysthesims-blog on the gallery for creating svynx!

#i feel like he drove his beat up car all the way to san myshuno #hyping himself up the whole journey #took one look at the place and said “nope” LMAO #i’m kinda obsessed w him… #my save is a huge dumpster fire of all my favourite og townies #ts4 #s4 #simblr #ts4 cas #ts4 townie #show us your sims #my sims #personal save #*cas #*newcrest #*newcrest townies #*cycl0n3

[boldlyvoid]

Neighbourhood Beauty

Spencer Reid x Fem Reader

Summary: Penelope is hosting Christmas at her apartment this year, she invites everyone... Including her new neighbour, who is exactly Spencer's type.

Warnings: flirting, love at first sight, kissing, making out, teasing, drunk bau friends, food mentions, Baker!Reader

Word Count: 2.2k

She was sad the whole journey home from work knowing that Christmas was tomorrow and she was going to be alone. As she gets into her apartment complex, she runs into her neighbour at the mailbox. She’s got 3 packages in her hands while trying to figure out how to carry the last two, “do you want help?” 

“Oh, please?” She sounds so relieved. “What a blessing it is to see you today.” 

She smiles for the first time in a few hours, “Oh, anytime Penelope. Are these all gifts?” She asks as she takes the two packages in her hands. She’ll come down for her own mail later. Nothing interesting should be in there. 

Penelope nods, leading them towards the elevators. “I’m having a big holiday gathering tomorrow— wait, do you have plans, are you going home to see family?” 

“No,” she admits, sadly. “I couldn’t get a plane ticket, I tried but they’re so insanely expensive lately.” 

“Yeah, I know,” Penny sighs. “I haven’t gone out to see my brothers in years, they’re in California.” 

“It sucks… but you have lots of friends here, right? I’m sure they’re coming over tomorrow?” She asks, mostly so she can feel some sort of comfort if she isn’t doing anything tomorrow either. 

“I’m having Christmas here for the first time,” she shares. “Dinner starts at 6:30 but we’re having a little bit of everything for lunch around 2, if you want to stop by at any time?” 

“Oh no, I couldn’t—

“You can, and you will!” Penelope insists. “You don’t need to worry about gifts or bringing any food, just show up. I hate the thought of you being alone next door.” 

“Okay, I’ll come,” she gives in with a smile. “But I’m bringing a baked good… have you ever been to my bakery?” 

“You own the bakery?” She’s so flabbergasted. “I thought you just worked there?” 

She smiles, “I do… we do okay but I’m by no means rich enough to buy a plane ticket home.” 

“Well, maybe that’s a good thing cause now I can eat whatever you bring tomorrow!” 

—

She spends the whole night baking. She makes molasses cookies with powdered sugar on them in shakes of little Christmas trees and she makes chocolate croissants. One of which she brings to Penelope around 10 am so that she can have a nice breakfast before the party starts. 

She showers, picks a cute outfit and by 3pm she’s anxiously waiting by the door trying to hype herself up to go over. She only knows Penelope. They’ve lived beside each other for 3 years now. She’s seen her friends coming and going and heard them talking in the halls but she’s never talked to them. But if they like Penelope, they’ve gotta like her too. 

So she bucks up and heads over. 

She knocks and within seconds, a handsome man is throwing the door open. “You don’t have to— oh, hi?” 

“Hi… Penelope invited me? I’m her neighbour… Y/N,” she awkwardly introduces herself. 

He’s at a loss for words— and breath, for a moment and then shakes himself out of it. “Spencer… Reid. Doctor… Doctor Spencer Reid.” 

It makes her laugh, easing the anxiety out of her system. “Can I come in, Doctor Spencer Reid?” 

“Yeah, yes, come in,” he steps out of the way and extends his arm into the room for her to follow. He closes the door after she’s inside and smiles. “How do you know Penelope?” 

“I live next door.” 

“Really?” He can’t believe it. “How long?” 

“3 years now…” 

“And you’ve never come over?” He looks offended. 

She smiles, “Why, sad you haven’t known me longer?” She manages to tease him. She’s not always good at reading people but something about how he’s acting makes her think he likes her. 

He blushes but nods, “Well, welcome. It’s nice to finally meet you.” 

“You too,” she looks him up and down. He’s very handsome. And a doctor… “how do you know Penelope?” 

“We’ve worked together since I was 22…” 

“And you’re now…?”

“42,” he presses his lips together, awkwardly. “Old…” 

“No, no you’re not, I would’ve guessed 35 at the most,” she teases, stepping into his space, she places her hand on his arm. “You’re a very handsome 42.” 

“Are you doing anything for New Years?” He asks, removing all his fear and looking at her with hopeful eyes. 

She shakes her head, “no… I might be working but I can leave early, or you can come see me there?” 

“Where do you work?” 

“I own the bakery on 16th Avenue,” she smiles. “Penelope buys in donuts and things from me all the time, actually, I brought over baked goods this morning, they’re in the kitchen somewhere.” 

“Did you make those croissants?” He lights right up. 

She nods, “maybe I can teach you how to make some?” 

“I’d really like th—

“Y/N!” Penelope comes running from the kitchen and wraps her arms around her, “When did you get here?” 

“Just now,” she laughs. “Spencer’s been keeping me company.” 

“Ahh,” she pulls away with a smile. “Well, come eat, there’s lots of snacks in here.” 

She leads them into the kitchen where her other friends are around the table. “The ones with kids will be around later, they’re still putting batteries and things in their kid's gifts. But this is Rossi and Emily and Tara.” 

She reaches out to shake everyone's hand, realizing only now that she never shook Spencer's, but he doesn’t mind, he stays close to her. They sit side by side, he passes her things from the table that she wants to put on her plate and he gets up to get her a drink and everyone makes conversation while also watching him dote on her. It’s been 20 minutes but there’s something there… no man has shown her this level of interest or flattery before and not to quote Lana Del Rey but, when you know you know. 

They’re friendly as ever when there are people around them and they flirt like mad when they’re alone. She already has a date with him, but he’s just too cute and that shade of red he turns is starting to become her favourite colour. 

“You seriously used all the ice?” Penelope chastises Emily, who pretends she doesn’t know what she’s talking about. “Go get some more, we have guests coming who don’t drink alcohol they need ice for their sodas!” 

“I am far too drunk to walk down the street,” she counters and points to Dave. 

“Not me,” Dave touches his nose, he doesn’t volunteer to do anything and Tara does the same thing, she’s just as drunk as Emily. 

Spencer goes to get his coat with a sigh, “I’ve got it.” 

“I’ll come too,” she rushes to the door with him, putting on whatever coat fits her so that she can follow him down to the street for some extra alone time with him. 

She reaches for his hand on the street, “So, what’s it like at the FBI?” 

He holds her hand gladly, “it's… okay. I just teach now. Fieldwork put me in the hospital too many times and I like being alive.” 

“I’m glad you’re still here,” she bumps shoulders with him.

His smile is beautiful. “So, about that date?” 

“We could do anything you want,” she assures. “But my offer still stands.” 

“I think I’d like a baking lesson,” he nudges her back. “It's the one thing I’m not good at.” 

“So what are you good at?” 

“Rambling, falling over, getting shot,” he teases but she swats his arm, leaning into him with a laugh. “Okay, but seriously, I have a Ph.D. in Chemistry, Engineering and Math.” 

“Well luckily for you, baking is just science and a bit of math,” she teases. “You’ll catch on quickly, smarty pants.” 

He pulls her in, chest to chest, standing beside an empty store with all their lights off. He cups her face, “what’s sweeter? Your chocolate croissants or your kiss?” 

She can’t help but laugh, “you’ll have to tell me…” 

He pulls her in for a kiss and sparks fly behind her eyes. As if every atom in her being is on fire, she melts into him. Kissing him deeply, she holds his sides and the hand he has on her cheek goes into her hair as they begin to make out on the snow-covered street. 

She pulls back first, smiling softly, “so?” 

“You, it’s definitely you,” he teases. “But the croissants are a very close second.” 

She laughs, “Well, keep up the compliments and there will be lots more kisses and sweet treats coming your way.” 

“You’re the most beautiful woman in the neighbourhood,” he teases, leaning in for another kiss but she stops him. 

“Just the neighbourhood?” 

“The whole world,” he corrects, which is the right answer. She lets him lean in closer, stealing another kiss. 

She kisses him again and again, trying to pull back but he kisses her a third time, making her laugh. “We need to get that ice, we’re going to be late for dinner.” 

“do you want to hang out after dinner?” He asks, “I can walk you home?” 

“And stay for more kisses?” 

“Or croissants,” he shrugs. Happy with either. 

—

They’re pretty normal for the rest of the party, she meets the rest of his friends and all their kids. And they’re some cute kids. The youngest is his friend Matt's 2-year-old, she sits at the grown-up table with them and eats one of the chocolate croissants with the biggest smile on her face. Y/N can’t help but think about how much her own kids might like her baking one day… and Spencer sees the way she looks at the baby too. 

His friends are so lively, the the party goes on until well after midnight. The friends with kids head out early, Emily and Tara get a cab home, Dave is passed out on her couch and Spencer isn’t going to leave until she does. And she’s helping Penelope clean up. 

“You don’t have to stay,” Penelope assures her, drying off dishes while Spencer washes them. She’s been putting things in Tupperware containers and organizing the fridge. 

“I want to help, as a thank you,” she smiles at her. “This has been a lovely night.” 

“And not just because I introduced you to your new boyfriend?” She teases and Spencer drops a plate. 

She laughs, walking over to place her hand on Spencers arm, “I mean, meeting Spencer is the best present you could’ve given me.” 

Penelope swoons, “Okay that’s it, love birds. Get out of my kitchen, go home, go canoodle and get to know each other. I knew this was going to happen.” 

“Why didn’t you tell me in advance?” Spencer whines as he dries off his hands. “I would’ve worn something nicer?” 

“You look cute,” she teases. 

“See, that’s why,” Penelope points at her. “I knew she’d like you for you, she’s a baker and you love everything I buy from her bakery and she’s so kind and you need someone to love you the way I know you love people back. This is perfect.” 

She wraps her arm around his waist and leans into his space, “thank you penny, we’re going to go now.” 

“Thank you,” Spencer agrees, following her out of the kitchen and towards the door. 

Once they’re in the hallway, he asks, “Did you really mean that?” 

She nods, “of course?” 

He lunges for her, kissing her with her back pressed up against her apartment door. She reaches for the doorknob, twisting it open so that she can bring them inside and push him up against the closed door instead this time. He moans into her mouth at the feeling of his back colliding with the door and her hands are immediately roaming his shirt.

He’s such a good kisser, he is gentle and soft, and he isn’t overly eager and controlling. He lets her explore and slow it down as she presses in closer to him and his hands wander to her hips. 

“Couch?” She pants against his lips, wanting to lay down with him. 

“Show me?” He agrees, following her into her apartment and to the living space. 

She pushes him down against the couch and climbs on top of him. He wraps his arms around her, cradling her body like she’s the most delicate thing in the world. He kisses her just as soft and she moves her kiss to his cheek and his jaw up towards his ear, “you’re so handsome,” she whispers. 

“Thank you,” he gasps. “You’re absolutely stunning, I don’t know how I got so lucky.” 

She smirks against him, kissing down his neck, “You deserve good things, Spence.” 

“You’re too good to me,” he teases, hand slipping down to her ass. “How far are we taking this?” 

She hums, “I’m good just talking and kissing all night?” 

“All night?” 

She nods as she pulls back to look at him. “I kinda don’t want to let you go. I’m afraid you’re too good to be real.” 

“I’m not going anywhere,” he assures. “I’m yours as long as you want me.” 

General Taglist 

@ncsls0515 @stevesmunsons @reidsbookclub @sweetyyhippyy @manuosorioh @mrs-dr-reid @k-k0129 @squishyturtle @katsukis1wife @buckleyhans @mrs-ssa-hotch @ssavanessa22

#Spencer reid #Spencer reid smut #Spencer reid fanfiction #Spencer reid fanfic #Spencer reid imagine #Spencer reid x reader #Spencer reid x y/n #Spencer reid x you #Spencer reid self insert #Spencer reid request #criminal minds smut #criminal minds imagine

[x0x0josephinex0x0]

svt gym rat bf things

I am re-starting my fitness journey, and what better to motivate me than being a casual (worrying) level of obsessed with svt. So yeah once again no one asked for this but here we are, writing it anyway

Warnings: some slightly suggestive material, going to the gym/fitness/working out is the topic, meals and eating mentioned

seungcheol

-he is 100% using any gym time with you to show off/impress you/remind you he's ya man, the most overtly sexy of the gym bfs

-likes to hold eye contact while he does hip thrusts. if he's really feeling it he'll get the weights as close to your actual weight as possible, looking at you while he stacks them all up.

-the BELT FLICKS.......the belt flicks. he does it on purpose. and by god you’re grateful.

-shamelessly ogles you the whole time

-he will slap your butt after spotting you for squats and call it his boyfriend tax

-knows you think he's sexy when he works his arms or chest so he always calls you over to spot and then smirks when you get flustered

-but he doesn’t anticipate how desperately whipped he becomes watching you work out (the post lift cardio session is always of a very specific genre if u know what I mean)

-also is a sucker for you in gym clothes and buys you new gym fits every other week

jeonghan

-only wants to go if you're going (poor boy is tired)

-really good at spotting though, always there to help if you need

-easily impressed when you do anything even remotely cool or beat your pr

-spends most of the time talking to you while you work out

-gets flustered when you do something he finds attractive but will NEVER admit it and tries to play it cool

-when he does finally get to the workout you are disgusted by how much bigger his arms are than yours

-i just know he got a fire gym playlist with barbiecore songs bc they get him hyped

joshua

-subtle flirting in the gym is this man's love language

-meets eyes with you and winks across the squat rack, "accidentally" grabs the same weight and your hands touch and he looks up at you all dramatically, leans against the mirror to chat you up

-all smiles even when he's lifting something really heavy if you're there

-makes a plan beforehand for what you're both working that day and checks in with you periodically to see how you're doing

-does silly dances to his gym playlist to make you laugh

-gives you hugs no matter how sweaty you are

-makes sure you push yourself just enough but never too hard

-the gym selfie king -- and he knows all your best angles

jun

-working out with him is a hazard because he always makes you laugh mid lift and you nearly drop what you're holding

-big proponent of stretching but mostly because he likes to see how flexible you are because he is a heaux

-he is also pretty dedicated to his workouts and knows how to keep on task at the gym, but thinks it's cute if you're bouncing off the walls a little

-switches earbuds with you while working out and then judges you when half of it is music he's a featured artist in

-he will challenge you to fake dance battles

-sneaks lil kisses between sets

hoshi

-cannot contain himself because YOU CAME TO THE GYM WITH HIM, goes way too hard, and complains for the next four days about how sore he is

-"races" you on the treadmill

-takes his shirt off because "he got too sweaty" but then gets suspiciously excited when you stare at him or compliment him

-you catch him staring at you all the time

-does his squats RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOUR FACE and then looks over his shoulder at u like "what r u looking at? perv"

-will do every single gym couples challenge with you, sends you videos throughout the week being like "we should try this"

wonwoo:

-another tired boy, but he does plan what he's going to work out at the gym every time and appreciates you following his schedule with him to keep each other on track

-workouts are usually not aerobic heavy so there's a lot of eye contact with him too

-cannot keep a smile off his face when you hype him up while he lifts, which is almost reason enough for him to do it

-is also super encouraging -- when you're challenging yourself to do something you've never done or trying to break a pr he's always so supportive and sweet

-lets you pick out matching gym fits to wear and always loves how happy you get when he comes out in his

jihoon:

-this man is the ultimate gym buddy and personal trainer

-if u express even a vague interest in working out he will sit you down to discuss goals and expectations and then come to your first gym session with a written, illustrated schedule targeting your specific body type & goals

-meal preps for u :(:(:(:(

-THE BEST spotter and also why do i feel like he has weird amounts of chiropractic knowledge and will be able to help you stretch SO well

-you can ask him any question about any workout and he knows the answer

-for some reason being in the gym with jihoon is so romantic to me like??? i feel like he'd be spotting you while you lift and he'd just lightly touch your arms to steady you and you'd be a blushing mess and so would he and then you'd go make out after

-worried you’re gonna get hurt so it’s sometimes hard for him to complete his workouts bc he’s watching your form

seokmin:

-going to the gym with seokmin would be a disaster in the best way

-will you work out? yes

-will it mostly be your abs, from laughing at him the entire time? also yes

-he will do bicep curls at you AGGRESSIVELY while he blasts careless whisper over the gym speakers

-his squats are all excuses to throw it back/twerk into you

-is also down for a couples challenge or two

-would be very complimentary of your muscles even if you don't feel like they're that good

-counts down your reps in a silly voice

-he ALSO has really good belt flicks but kind of by accident, and when he catches you blushing he'll tease you about it

mingyu:

-another elite-level gym buddy bf

-does love shots with your preworkout & makes the BEST post-gym meals

-he would also totally be that guy who has you kneel on his feet when he does sit-ups or lay beneath him while he does pushups so he can kiss you every time

-he is also an ogler. he will stare shamelessly at your butt as you walk by

-you might try to do a couples challenge once, but he's clumsy af and it didn't end well so you vowed never to do it again

-he's just a big baby so every time you exclaim over how nice his body is he'll get all shy

-also of course this man is posting up in a backwards baseball cap, a black skintight shirt, and gray sweatpants ON PURPOSE but he'll pretend he doesn't know he's committing literal crimes

-enthusiastically encourages you “one more rep babe one more you got this YEAHHHHH”

minghao:

-i see him more as a yoga/barre guy than a lifting guy

-also very good at stretching you out

-gets embarrassed when you watch him push through a difficult workout bc you're practically drooling at how attractive it is

-but he's also surprisingly goofy in the gym with you and makes sure you’re both having a good time

-loves to do those couple yoga poses and couple stretches

-also is down to help you with boxing or jiu jitsu moves

-post-gym glow is real on minghao

-hard to keep ur hands off each other after you get home hehehehehehehe

seungkwan:

-leg day is every day. so many squats are being done

-he also makes you laugh a lot

-for any aerobic workouts you are either getting in the pool with the grannies for water aerobics or ur doing Zumba there is no in between

-takes you on runs to beautiful spots in the city

-gets competitive about working out with you so if you do more reps than him or run a lil faster he pushes himself too hard

-is always prepared: the night before, he’ll set out your gym clothes, fill your water bottle and put it in the fridge, portion out the preworkout, etc

vernon:

-wants to share gym playlists, so he has one earbud of yours in the gym at all times

-surprises himself with how much he’s staring at you because wow he likes you in that tight shirt and leggings

-I can see him being really methodical about working out, so he kinda gets lost in it and forgets you’re alive, until you do your little dances around him

-he loves it when you show off for him so he can compliment you bc he’s kind of shy to do it without a reason bc then he’d have to admit how much he’s forgetting to work out because he’s paying attention to you

-gives you kisses to congratulate you when you reach milestones

chan

-he would also be elite level gym buddy bf

-uses gentle hands to correct your form if he’s worried you’re gonna hurt yourself 🫠

-he is also goofy in the gym but he also knows exactly when to be serious

-almost more committed to your goals than you are and goes buck wild when you reach a goal of any sort bc he is AN ADORABLE CUTIEPIE

-it’s the little things for him — like when you hum along to the song in your ears when you’re re-racking the smaller weights, he’s just so smitten with you

-idk why but I feel that he would be so good to you when you’re feeling that post gym soreness. he’s on that draw you an epsom salt bath, give you a massage, bring you Gatorade type beat

#seventeen #svt #svt fluff #svt x reader #svt imagines #svt reactions #maybe it’s just me but this makes it really easy to tell who my bias is #gym rat svt supremacy

[lixiektty]

꒰ঌ cupid's cams : kang taehyun ໒꒱ — prev ▸ next

word count: 2.4k, warnings/kinks: dom!taehyun, camboy!taehyun, sub!reader, camgirl!reader, language, unprotected sex, terry has a monster cock, size kink, praise, degradation, objectification, spanking, breeding kink (no impregnation), creampie, bulging, pls feel free to let me know if i missed anything!!

taglist: @hyynee, @enha-cafe, @xiaoderrrr, @lethallyprotected

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ cupid's cams masterlist

"oh baby, fuck," taehyun grunted, doing everything in his power not to fuck up into you, hands latching onto your waist.

you sat on the head of his cock, wincing from the pain. this had been something you had struggled with since the start of your relationship—taehyun being too big to fit. it worried you constantly that he'd get bored because he couldn't fuck you correctly.

this didn't stop you two from having sex though, no. even with a small amount of his length being able to fit, you still tried to make the best of it. being able to feel his lips around your bud and his finger sinking into you instead of his cock. those made up for it, especially when he worked his tongue like a god.

taehyun could tell it was starting to bother you, noticing your small remarks you'd say under your breath when he'd try everything in his power to force himself in. he's never had anyone as tight or small as you so you could say it caused issues when you'd want to be intimate.

with others in your past, you could get right into it—having a quickie at any possible time but with taehyun, prepping you wasn't optional, he'd hate if he was the cause of your pain. it was nice though, being finger-fucked by him and all. long and slender fingers, veins protruding on the back of his hands. his hands quite literally had you in a chokehold. his easing and filthy words guiding you through, adding another digit as time goes by.

tonight, he was planning on fucking you to his full extent—it was like the two of you shared thought processes, getting even more eager to entirely feel one another. it kind of turned him on even more, you being so small his cock wouldn't even fit halfway. even when going down on him, he was so big in your hands, comparing the size to your head and sharing a laugh in the moment.

that's what got you started on the whole camming thing in the first place, taehyun began recording your progress throughout the months of you being together so he could see how much more you could fit each time you had sex— then the day he found out you get paid to do it for people live, changed everything.

and here you are, everyone was hyping up tonight because you announced that you and taehyun had agreed to try as hard as you could for him to fit even if that meant it'd take all night—impatient and desperate. it was kind of a big deal to them all, watching all this time throughout your journey and now you were finally going all in.

taehyun watched you, the more and more you sunk down and took him in the more pain you felt. you were basically suffocating him, sitting on-top of him for minutes that began feeling more like hours for taehyun, you are whining about 'not being able to take it' and just becoming more of a tease that it pissed him off.

you'd lean forward, chest pressed against taehyun's and would wiggle your ass, cunt full of only half his cock but it stretched you out so well.

taehyun was obsessed with the view, getting to see so much in front of him all at once—the monitor showing the state you two were in, cunt hugging him tightly and then the front view that only he got see, your face scrunched up from the slight pain you were experiencing, tits shoved in his face.

you bent down to suck at his neck gently, scattering little love bites all over the skin. your thighs were shaking trying to keep yourself upright. taehyun tried cooing to ease you, as well his thumb massaging your thighs lightly, but nothing was really helping.

"i c—can't," you whimpered into his neck, quietly.

"yes, you can baby, just a little more," taehyun replies.

you groan in response—not enjoying this as much as you were planning, having taehyun here to guide you would help make this enjoyable and it was just a matter of time until you were having the time of your life. didn't help that you were still so sensitive from earlier, taking taehyun's finger until you came more than once.

time goes by and everyone was flooding you two with tips. taehyun couldn't stop watching you take in more of him, further and further, the slightest bit stretching you wide.

"shit—that's so hot, baby look back," taehyun suggested, intrigued by your dripping essence running down his shaft that wasn't covered by you, "so wet you'd figure i would just slip in." he joked.

his fingers came down to toy at your clit, rubbing in fast circles, sure to have you moaning. your body shutters from the contact which soon causes it to completely give up and thighs melt into his. you both groan at the feeling of you falling onto him, pain traveled through you but in the best way possible.

your lock eyes when the man under you, his big and filled with lust. he was fully inside of you, so quick and it felt so good even with it hurting a bit—and though he knew you wanted to take it slow tonight, playing with you and causing you to give up, as you did, felt better than imagined.

"you did it baby," taehyun praises, kissing your cheek after your head fell onto his shoulder, while his hands caressed your back. you clenched tightly, fluttering around his length—taehyun's breaths turning heavy and fast pace.

he was trying. he was trying so fucking hard not to grab your hips and rail you into next week. with the slight wetness felt on taehyun's chest, he knew you crying.

"shh," he shushes you. he knew what you were capable of, so he knew he wasn't pushing you. it'd just take a some time.

the whole thing was pretty wholesome for it to be a stream for horny people to watch—but your viewers loved you both so much they enjoyed whatever you gave to them.

"hurts," you whisper, "can you help?"

"you sure angel?" he asks. you nod and that's all it took for taehyun to grab ahold of your hips and slightly pull them up.

you moan loud when he brings you back down, repeating this action until you relaxed. he was slow and gentle with each movement he made, but he could only think about ruining your body with his cock tearing you open.

his cock felt so good to you, you had it all and the pain slowly faded away as time went on. you had never felt such an sensational feeling before—it almost turned you completely dumb.

"taking it good, just like that," taehyun said in a low tone that caused you to clench around him again.

his hips began to move in sync with how he controlled yours, picking up his pace and loosing himself inside you. curses spilled from his lips, hickey-stained neck on display for you when he threw his head back.

you grab his head and force him to connect his lips with yours. the kiss was messy and hot, salvia most likely dripping from your mouths, but you really couldn't care less. you had waited for this moment the minute you found out taehyun wasn't like anyone else you've had before.

it was starting to feel like everything was going too slow and you couldn't take it, especially not after the pain left and only feeling pleasure now. you jerk your hips forward, taking them back into your own control and riding him while his hips still moved.

"jesus fuck—" taehyun groans, leaving your lips and throwing his head back again.

his hands fell from your hips, gripping onto the arm rests. he was dazed, he didn't know how much longer he could take this before he just picked you up and threw you onto you bed.

you look back, watching your movements closely. taehyun looked so good, you were drooling over just the way he was sitting, legs spread as you rode him. his tip brushed against your g-spot which forced out a sweet-sounding moan from you.

taehyun was already drunk off your pussy. he couldn't take this anymore, he needed to take over and show you how long he's been wanting to feel you like this.

you were shocked when you felt his hands on your hips again but this time, he held them tight in his big hands, keeping you still and lifting you until he almost fell from you. he thrusted up sloppily into your wet cunt, fast and not holding back from treating you like just a hole to fuck.

his pace was much different from yours; he turned you completely numb from how his cock hit every spot inside of you. he was probably moaning more than you, you thought.

you were still in shock from taehyun suddenly drilling into you from under, your moans were caught in your throat—only soft whines being heard from you while taehyun on the other hand groaned loud, didn't care how much louder he got.

he sat up to look behind you, your weak body falling limp onto his as you took everything he was giving to you, "fuck, my slut takes her cock so well."

his words affected you like no other. him referring to his cock as yours only weakened your body more. if fucking him meant it was going to be like this all the time, you'd let him fuck you stupid.

"you're s—so big, so good," you cry out.

taehyun moved faster, if that was even possible, the head of his cock hit your sweet spot until you were spasming around him. you sucked him in more and more, wondering how he kept this up.

truth is, taehyun was planning on fucking you until the sun came up, even after ending the stream—he wasn't going to stop. your cunt hugging him, full of his cock and dripping down onto his thighs. you tried sitting up again but lose your balance once your orgasm hit you, falling against your boyfriend again. this didn't stop him from fucking you until you were screaming from the top of your lungs.

he grabbed ahold of your ass, spreading it for the camera and showing his cock that was buried deep and shined with slick. his hand comes down hard to give a smack with a slight handprint left behind, causing you to jump. taehyun let out a growl like sound, hands exploring every part of you.

"so, so pretty baby," taehyun whispered in your ear, head resting on his shoulder.

his arms wrap tightly around your waist, pulling your body weight up along with his, pushing the chair out of frame and laying you down on the bed that sat behind it—still seen by the viewers.

"you can rest now, i'll do all the work," he says, kissing your forehead before pulling one of your legs up and throwing it over his shoulder. not that you did much work anyways.

he looked so good like this, hair messing and sticking to his forehead, fucked out eyes, sweaty abs clenching with every movement, it was ridiculous how seeing him like this was what woke up your body.

with him having more access and making it easier to fuck into you, he pulled out until only his tip was covered by your warmth—slamming back into you which felt like your soul had just completely left you. you claw up his arms until you find his biceps, gripping onto them for dear life.

"takin' me so fucking well," taehyun says before leaning down to kiss you endearingly.

you kiss back to the best of your ability, but his cock was so deep inside of you it made it hard for you to anything but moan. it almost felt unreal that this was finally happening.

"i'm close," taehyun grunts, pounding into you rougher, "sure you can take it all, darling? i don't want you to waste a single drop. fill you with my kids until you're leaking."

the realization that he finally got to fill you up to the brim with his cum was just now coming to you, and you could not wait. you so desperately needed to feel him.

"just gonna fuck it right back in. you're just too fucking addicting," and you could say the same about him. his mouth was so fucking filthy, matching with every single one of his actions at the moment.

he twitched inside of you, signaling that he was close—but he felt a new orgasm of yours approaching and he wanted you to cum before him. you clung onto him tightly as you felt yourself growing closer. taehyun had made you cum so many times tonight you had lost track, and you knew this wouldn't be the last time either.

"close, angel? cum for me, cream on my dick," his words pushed you further, clenching around him as you spasmed.

taehyun picked up the pace—hitting your g-spot with incredible force which only made you scream. his hands were holding you down, you could barely move, and it was hard for you not to when you were feeling so overstimulated. the sounds that were made by your connected bodies were so lewd, everyone watching had probably worried for your wellbeing.

small whimpers left the man's lips, groans caught in his throat and before you knew it you were feeling fuller than ever. taehyun's hips were jittering as he dumped his cum into you—the whole situation made your head dizzy.

"holy shit, tae—" your nails dug into the skin of his shoulders, dragging down his back, soon meeting his hips and trying to get them to stop.

he giggles, finding it so cute that you were a mess for him and you trying to stop him only made him go faster, the squelching sounds filling the room, cum dripping from your abused cunt and staining both yours and taehyun's skin.

"felt better than imagined, love," taehyun finally stops, your whines decreasing as well, "except, the dumb little cock whore thinks she's in control." he frowns while looking at you with heavy lidded eyes.

you whine, shuffling as you tried to get from under his weight. taehyun sits up straight and pins you down, looking at your bare body, small under him with a bulge in your belly—the cause being his load and thick-headed cock wanting to poke through.

"baby we aren't done," taehyun says, smirk on his face before leaning down and whispering in your ear, "i want to fuck you numb and make more tips while doing it."

#tomorrow x together smut #tomorrow x together imagines #txt smut #txt imagines #taehyun smut #taehyun imagines #kang taehyun smut #kang taehyun imagines #kpop smut #kpop imagines #smut #imagine #imagines

[wanderlust-in-my-soul]

Hi Josi 😊 For the Top 5 BL: Best Hug and / or Most Beloved Sidecouples ✨

Uuhhhh, two in one! Maxine, thank you for this ask ❤

I love a good hug. Seeing those feels like I get a hug (and sometimes it makes me feel really single). There are the hugs that you can feel through your screen, some of them you just want to look away, because this moment belongs only to the couple on screen, they are just so intimate and there are so ones where one wants to crawl into the other one and I am here for this kind of hug. This desperate need for each others closeness.

The start makes the oldest one on this list:

My School President

Their hugs just felt so good! I loved giffing those moments. They needed the other one physical close, they felt peace in those hugs and it was their way to show how much they cared for each other. I loved every single one of those hugs!

I just realised the next ones are all just some really desperate hugs... and I love them! I have a thing for them...

Kiseki: Dear To Me

This hug felt so good. Finally they were reunited again. Finally they could hold each other again. And damn this was such a beautiful hug! They hugged with their whole body and soul. Imagine holding the love of your life finally in your arms again after years of spending apart. I love it!

Tokyo In April Is...

There is no space for anything else between them. Kazuma made sure of that. He neeeded Ren to feel this hug, and for himself to feel this closeness again. Both are in love with each other, even though they couldn't tell each other yet, but for us viewers it was cristal clear. This hug alone made it clear for us. I love this hug so much!

Pit Babe

Yes Babe, cry because you're so happy to have Charlie back in your arms! Beautiful. I needed this, he needed this and Charlie needed this too! We all needed this! And I love Pavel's facial expressions in this moment.

I Feel You Linger I The Air

The most desperate hug after the most saddest fuck this year! Such a beautiful scene! They knew they didn't have much time left and just made love. They wanted and needed to feel every inch of each other, and it felt so intimate, I had the urge to look away and let them have this time alone in closeness and happiness and desperation.

And now after these beautiful scenes we go on to my favorite side couples 2023. I love a good side couple I can concentrate on and forget about the main couple 😅

The first couple is one of the most precious ones of this year. We knew them and we knew they had incredibly chemistry and could act really nice, but nevertheless they blew us away:

Heart and LiMing from Moonlight Chicken

Their story was so wholesome and important. Their journey was so good. LiMing's struggles with his mum and his uncle, the money and the fact that he wanted to see the world were so ordinary and felt so real it was so good. And Heart's problems with his parents and the urge to be more independent and to be seen felt so sad and Gemini was so good. Oh I love these two and their stories!

Next we have a show I didn't like that much, but I was in love with the side couple. They were the only reason why I kept up with this show.

Zeke and Fifth from My Story

They had an extreme intense chemistry. I loved them on screen and their journey to finally become a couple. I was hyped for their own show and was so let down. I couldn't watch it. It was too much cringe for me, but this is just personal preference. In My Story I adored them and this scene especially.

Next is the couple, that has the most entries in all of my Top 5s this year:

AiDi and ChenYi from Kiseki: Dear To Me

I love them. They stole the show and my heart. Their dynamic is so adorable after they finally become a thing. In the beginning I was a little put off. I didn't understand their relationship, but within a few episodes this changed I was rooting for them so much! I was so happy when ChenYi finally understood his feelings for AiDi and AiDi finally got what he wanted desperatley for years!

I don't know if the next one counts... The show has three couples and I guess one was the main couple. Well, I cared more about the other ones.

Love Class 2

Maru and Minwoo had the softest kiss this year in my opinion and Sungmin and Joohyuk had this lap-situation and everything else that came after. I really enjoyed their stories and their characters. The main couple was just not that interesting for me. But because of the side couples (or the other main couples) I enjoyed this series so much!

I close this list with a couple, that is a little bit problematic for me. I don't like the series that much, mostly because of the main couple and the bad writing for them. But the writing for this side couple was so much worse!

Jaab and Jane from Step By Step

I was so pissed with their ending! What was that? There was no real conclusion and I still don't know if they are happy together now. They had this huge cheating plot (and I like those tropes, but only with a good solution in the end) and before they could work on that Jane was never seen again. This was so sturpid, I was so angry. I wanted them to have their own stupid happily ever after, but no, we have some creepy stalker like behavior and some mystery... no thank you, but besides that I liked them so much and I wanted so much more of them!

Ask me Top 5 BL Anything from 2023

#asked #bl game #ask game #anything bl 2023 #bl drama #bl series #thank you so much for this ask 💙 #josi answers #my school president #kiseki: dear to me #tokyo in april is... #pit babe the series #i feel you linger in the air #moonlight chicken #my story #love class 2 #step by step

[always-is-always]

My initial thougts, on 3D.....

First of all, the whole package of song, video, colab choice, and hype is completely what I would "expect", given the market it is aimed at. The target is the Western/American market. That is a VERY different market from that of K-Pop. Everything is different.

Jungkookie has personally set a goal based upon his own desire to be a global star. Global meaning, Western. Make it BIG in the West and every other market falls into place eventually. A truly unfortunate truth.

With his goal of becoming BIG brings in a number of requirements, players, outsider opinions, culturally crafted visuals(to appeal to the Western market), songs in English, giving creative control to those who are the power-players in the West, and a host of other things. It is a huge goal and it requires a lot of different types of choices as well as a willingness to enter into a very different arena creatively.

Hence, the girls, girls, girls. Hence the allusion to hetero-sex. Hence the use of collabs with artists that really don't get Jeon Jungkook, and probably never ever listen to any of his previous music (solo or BTS). We are seeing Jungkookie attempt to enter into a very foreign world of Western Music in a way that isn't exactly in integrity with Who He Is, as an Artist, as well as a Human Being.

The Western Music Industry would eat him alive, if they could. There are a LOT of darkness-driven powerful people in the music industry and entertainment industry, here in the States. Thankfully, Jungkook has strong Guardian Angels to protect him. There's so much darkness in the music industry here in the US. (I digress!)

Regarding the song, it is what it is. I like it, yet don't love it. Nice beat, I do like his choreo (with Brian and his team), and don't mind the women included. It's catchy and I see the real JK in there.

As far as Jack goes, his lyrics and presence add nothing to the overall song or visual. There's no true energetic chemistry between him and Jungkookie. Jack is involved as a way to attract the US market, AND Jack is involved as a way for him to attract interest and make $$ from ARMYs. All Western high-level music moguls KNOW that any connection to BTS or a Member =$$$.

I'm reminded that any musician, singer, artist will evolve throughout their careers. It's the nature of being a Creative. AND, I'm probably not going to always like what a favorite Artist produces. The number of times my favorite bands or soloists released music I didn't love is a lot. It happens. How many videos have those bands or soloists released that I didn't like? Many.

So Jungkookie is exploring, doing, and navigating according to his own Inner Compass. Even if that means doing things that may not please everyone, including himself. He learns by doing. He won't know until he tries, and then learns from the experience. What matters is that he is taking steps forward on his Path, learning, growing, developing, and hopefully attaining some joy along the way. He's got to do what he's doing, as it is how he is wired in this life. This is a part of his Soul's Plan.

All of what we are seeing is temporary, as Jungkookie is also gearing up for his eventual enlistment. What we have now is all that we have. What we will have on the other side of enlistment will be a different version of Jeon Jungkook. That is important to remember. All of this is temporary, until MS is complete...

The most important thing in my opinion is to be supportive of Jungkook, even if his music isn't what one would want. It is just a piece of the journey, and it will evolve, just as Jeon Jungkook evolves.

Let's continue to love him and see him achieving his Highest and Best Life, as it is his life after all. Even if that entails choices that we don't particularly care for. Bottom line is that Jeon Jungkook will always be a changing and evolving Human. It's in his DNA. 💜

#jeon jungkook #jk #jungkook 3d #jungkook solo #jungkook evolving #love and support jungkook #not always going to like the music #life is like that #jk learns through doing

[raya-hunter01]

Lights, Camera, Action! Pt. 3

Lights, Camera, Action!

Jey Uso x Black Female OC! (Shantell)

Roman x Black Female OC! Tangela

Solo x Black Female OC! Sofia

Jimmy x Trin

Rating: 18+

Warning: Smut; oral, sex, fluff, defloration (Virginity) masturbation

Words: 7,215

Summary: How do you keep it together as Smackdown’s production director and navigate your life as the girlfriend of Mr. Main Event Jey Uso.  Follow Shantell as she navigates her life as a girlfriend, sister, and confidant to the bloodline. Follow her on her journey to self-discovery of love and happiness.

-----------------------

Jey's Guest House

Sofia’s POV

After setting up the room for Jey and Shan we opted to stay in Jey’s guest house as their mom was watching Cameron at our house for the night. After taking a nice walk on the beach Solo and I retreated back to the guest house to retire for the evening.

I couldn’t help but laugh, as I could hear Solo whispering, giving himself a pep talk as I sat on the end of the bed.

“Ok, ask about the doctor’s appointment to get some clues, you want tonight to be about her. Yo, ass can wait,” he says looking down at his dick. “Summerslam is upon us in four weeks. Do you know what that means?" he says, talking back to himself in the mirror.  “It means you can finally sink yourself balls deep inside yo fine ass wife; you got this boi. Gotta be strong,” he says to himself, shaking his head and hyping himself up.

Not even knowing at the moment that i'm I’m staring at him like he has gone insane. “Really, babe you trippin’,” I say shaking my head at his antics as he comes back into the bedroom kneeling in front of me “Yea, really,” he whispers, his eyes taking on a predatory look as he gently caresses my bare legs.

 “After last week in London, I’ve been thinking about that night non fucking stop,” Solo says kissing my bare legs. “What would you say if I tell you the doctor approved me for what we talked about the other night. I just have to be careful,” I say smirking at him as he licks his lips. “Really,” he asks as I nod pulling him in for a passionate kiss.

 “I’d say lay dat ass back, it’s been too long since I’ve tasted my wife,” he groans against my lips as I moan at the thought of him between my thighs again. His deep voice brings me out of my thoughts “I said Lay yo fine ass back, and enjoy the ride baby,” he whispers as he kisses me one last time before sinking on his knees between my thighs.

“My pussy so fat and wet, I can’t wait for her to cum,” he breathes against my pussy before using his tongue to taste me. “Solo, “I moaned in a strained whisper as he begins sucking on my sensitive clit.

Solo’s POV

"Yea, it’s me, baby.  What you want me to do?” I moan pushing back her wet folds, placing my mouth directly over her clit, before swirling my tongue around her sensitive area.  

Her hands immediately went around my head, interlocking her fingers as she began to thrust herself on my tongue gasping and silently cursing as I began slurping up all of her essence. I knew what she wanted, and fuck so did I.

“Mmmm, you wanna fuck daddy's face as his fat tongue eats dat pussy up, don’t you?” I boast, moaning pushing her legs apart, holding her in place as I pushed my whole face deeper between her thighs as I continued lapping her pussy up with my tongue.

“Yes! I want it daddy,” she screamed as she’s coming undone the by millisecond. “Then come get it then, use me baby,” I moan against her pussy as she began thrusting her hips faster on my mouth.

I relaxed my tongue and began licking and sucking on her clit as she continued to grind on my face shivering as I could feel she was close. My dick is hard as a rock, but I’m too concentrated on my wife, it’s all about her tonight.

“Baby, I’m close,” she whispers as her hands tightened in my hair even more, bringing me out of my thoughts. “Take control baby, cum for me,” I gasped, wanting to quench my thirst for her, as it had been too long.  She sped up her movements as I enclosed my mouth over her pussy sucking and licking even harder as she’s riding my face for her release.

Sofia’s Pov

This man and this fucking tongue, he knew what he was doing and I’m glad about it. I feel hot all over as his tongue is on another level tonight.  “

“Faster baby, I need to taste more of you” he encourages as I began swirling fast on his tongue racing for my release. “Baby!  Fuck, that tongue puttin’ in work!” I cry feeling that familiar tingle all over my body.

 “Mmmhmm, just for you. Give me my pussy baby,” he groans as I try to fight what’s coming, slowing my movements.

“Don’t fuckin’ stop, don’t you dare Sofia,” he growls as he continues his mission to make my world explode sucking and licking my clit like a mad man.  “Joesph! I love you!” I scream as I finally come undone as he holds my pussy in his mouth taking all I had to give.

My heart is beating so fast as I collapse on the bed exhausted. My C-section scar is sore but other than that I’m great. I feel the bed slightly dip beside me, “I love you too,” he whispers as he caresses my face.

 “You knew what you were doing,” I smile against his lips as he kissed me. “Sure did, you took care of me in London, I wanted to take care of you tonight. Now go to sleep, I know you are probably sore.” he sighs holding me close and pulling the covers over us.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Road Trip

Shantell’s POV

This week Joe was on vacation with Tangela, and prior to Trin resigning Jon had requested off to go support Trin at her upcoming TNA PPV and do a mini vacation. That left Jey and Solo to fend for themselves on the road and carry the bloodline story this week. I knew they would do fine, but it wasn’t stopping Jey’s nerves as we drove to Smackdown.

 “You always sell yourself short,” I say out of the blue as he shoots me a look. “What you talkin’ bout woman,” he says rolling his eyes at me before smiling trying to play off his fear.

“You’ve been deep in thought ever since Jimmy called and told you they approved his time to be off.” I say as I see his hand grip the steering wheel tighter.” I’ve probably been an ass to be around huh,” he says meekly glancing at me before turning his attention back to the road.

“No! I mean I had a wonderful birthday, and these last couple days with you have been amazing.” I blush just thinking about the places in that house he had me screaming in pleasure.

“Baby, pull over,” I say rubbing his leg feeling the tension, pulling into a rest stop. He finally took the time to take a few breaths as we sat in silence for a few minutes before he finally got his bearings to speak.

“I still don’t feel comfortable being out there alone,” he says staring at me with worried eyes as I take his hand in mine. “Nothing has changed babe; it just gives a chance for you and Solo to shine together.” I say feeling helpless that he’s doubting himself.

 “Man, this is a big step, am I ready to be a champion contender again?” He asks rubbing his hands over his face. “Baby, you have been putting in hard work for the last three years. Have you seen Smackdown’s ratings and views ya’ll are pulling in? Win, lose, or draw you’re all stars in this,” I say determined to get him to understand.

“What if the crowd tries to shake me,” he says as I offer him a warm smile. “So, ” I responded as shook his head at me. “What you mean?  They’ll eat my ass alive,” he says looking at a few fans that have now spotted us going back to their car. He waves as they causally wave and go about their day.

“Even if they try to shake you, you reel them back in and turn it around in your favor, “I say kissing his hand again as he smiles.

“Ok, since you are such a pro at this. How do you drop the focus off a “What” chant?” He challenges me with a smile as I shrugged my shoulders at him. “Easy, you keep adding on to your story bringing them on the ride with you, and they’re going to get excited, it makes them feel a part of the story,” I say with confidence.

   “How did I get so fuckin’ lucky,” he asks stealing a kiss before restarting the car. “I thought you was fine as hell,” I laughed as he shook his head at me. seriously, I fell in love with you because you’re an amazing man,” I say as he grabs my hand, puts it on his lap as we intertwine our fingers together and got back on the highway to finish our journey to the show.

-------------------------------------------------------

Hawaii

Tangela’s POV

“Joe, I’m not doing it,” I say crossing my arms looking at my husband shaking my head. He’s stretched out in the middle of the bed already dressed smirking at me.

“That sundress doing some thangs to me,” he groans staring at me intently.  “Nope, we got the boat trip planned and it leaves in an hour,” I whine as my husband licks his lips ignoring my warnings.

“This won’t take an hour, you know that.  All it’s gon' take is bout 5 to 10 minutes tops if that,” he gloats as I blush. “Joe!” I exclaimed as he laughs at me. “I’ve gained some weight,” I start as he cuts me off. Bullshit, you said I could have anything I want. What I want is for you to sit on my face. You gon deny me what I want baby?” His sexy drawl fills the room.  

“No Daddy,” I gasped pulling my dress up slightly. “Mmmhmm, come on beautiful, come sit on daddy’s face baby. His sexy deep voice already has my pussy wanting to explode.

As I began to crawl across the bed to him his eyes lit up instantly like fire was dancing inside of them.

“Come on baby,” he says lifting up to pull his pants down a little to release his throbbing dick slowly stroking it as I climbed over him positioning his head between my legs. “Fuck you already dripping, you ready for your Tribal Chief ain’t you baby,” he moans as I can feel his beard rubbing against me.

“Yes!” I shout as his hands rub my hips as he kisses my pussy. “Mmmm you taste so good baby,” he praises as he slowly pulls me down lower on his mouth. “Put them hands on that headboard and ride the fuck outta my face. You understand me?” his low growl sent me into overdrive.

I followed his instructions as he opened his mouth and began suck and licking on my clit. “Wait, baby!” I scream caught off guard as he doesn’t let up his assault as I slightly move off of his tongue.

Joe’s POV

 I growled pulling her further on my mouth as I nipped at her clit swirling my tongue around her clit. “Yea, fuck my face baby,” I groan feeling her hips enclosing around my head as I work my mouth over her pussy as she’s chasing her orgasm. Her hips are moving faster as my mouth is attached to her pussy.

“Yes, baby,” she moans as her thrusts are more frantic as I feel her juices covering my beard. “Yea, I want it all Tang,” I moan moving my tongue faster savoring the taste of her. “My Tribal Chief!” she screams exploding in my mouth as I groan holding her over my mouth as she calmed.

Releasing her I closed my eyes catching my breath as I try to adjust to the light in the room as her thighs are no longer surrounding my head. “Ah, shit!” I groan in surprise as I feel Tang sinking down on my dick. “Mmhmm, who's dick is this?” she groans placing her hands on my chest as she uses them for leverage as she bounces on my dick hard and fast. “Shit, it’s yo dick Tang,” I growl smacking her ass as she moves even faster.

Tangela’s POV

“You so deep daddy,” I scream as he sits up taking me into a passionate kiss. “I love you,” he groans against my lips as I wrap my hands around his neck. “I love you more,” I moan as he begins to meet my thrusts.

“Yes, I’m close!" she shouts as our lips met in a desperate kiss before we rode our orgasm together. Heavy breathing is the only sound that can be heard throughout the honeymoon suite.

“See I knew you’d start some shit,” I moan against his lips as he laughs gently kissing me. “Nah, that was yo ass I just wanted to give you some head and you took advantage of me,” he says smirking catching his breath and running his fingers through my hair.  “Do you think we made a baby this week, he asks kissing my shoulder as I rest my head in his neck. “I think we’re on the right track handsome,” I sigh holding him tighter.

-----------------------------

Smackdown

Shantell’s POV

You’re going to do great baby,” I say kissing him as he takes a deep breath shaking loose the nerves. “Hey, give me your phone let’s shoot a short vid for your story on Instagram, feel the moment and do what you feel,” I advised him before recording.

Did it turn out good?” he asks leaning over to look. “It was great baby,” I say giving him back his phone. “Alright, you got this, I got to make sure we’re good, the show is about to start” I said as I gave him another hug before going to my station. “He good?” Paul asks as I was preparing the monitors. “He will be,” I responded slipping my headset on getting ready for the show.

Jey’s POV

Me and Jimmy I start slowly.

What!… the crowd starts with a low rumble

Damn, they are bout to chant “What” I fuckin jinxed it. Alright, get it together just go with that shit like Shan said. I looked around before I continued with my promo

“Inseparable,” I say leaning back to emphasize my point opening my arms.

What!

“I’m talking bout glue at the hip,” I say throwing arms out feeling my groove, I got’em now.

Shantell’s POV

“If he’s there…I’m there,” Jey says with conviction walking around for a few seconds to take the crowd in. “Get’em, Mr. Main Event,” I whisper looking at the monitor beaming with pride as the crowd cheered him.

“Hard camera, camera eleven, and camera four I need to pan in between you three for the rest of this in two seconds pans until Paul and Solo come out,” I announce in my headset. “I got a tight shot, Shan,” Kevin responded as I looked on at Jey discovering something in himself…He could do it.  The rest of the segment went by in a blur as I put my headset down and went to the curtain to meet them all during the commercial.

“Yay!” I scream jumping in Solo’s arms as he catches me. Now you know this looks weird to folks right,” he laughs hugging me as Paul Heyman joins in laughing. “Ya’ll were great,” I say reaching over to give Paul a quick hug as well.

“Thanks sis, I was nervous as hell,” Solo says shaking his head.  “Damn ya’ll got my girl wrapped up, I can’t get by,” Jey says smiling walking over to hug me. “You did so good baby,” I whisper in his ear as he nods his head holding me tighter.

“It’s because of you,” he says putting me down giving me a quick kiss. “No, because of yourself,” I say giving him another kiss before going back to work. “Iet me change and I’ll be back,” he says as I give him a thumbs up focusing back on my job.

Jey’s POV

Life couldn’t be any better as I walked the halls after changing, heading back to Gorilla to watch my girl do her thing.  I see her shoulders are tense as I see a figure sitting beside her. I recognized him as Timothy, the brother of Taraji, a Raw interviewer I had hooked up with a few times. She was a “look at who I’m dating type” and “what can you do for my career,”. Once I found that out, we broke up.  

“Tim, you know, Jey and I are together.  So, why do you keep asking me out? Why the slick comments?” I heard Shan grit her teeth as she was trying to finish the show.

“So, he’s the Tim that Paul hired as her production assistant,” Jey says to himself, starting to piece the puzzle together. “I know that I just don’t know why after all I’ve told you tonight,” he says as Shan looks at him frowning.

What does that suppose to mean and why should I believe you?” she says as she takes the show to commercial.

“It means he’s not good enough for you, I saw how he went out for your birthday and all.” He pauses trying to find the right words to say. “The dude has a history of hurting women who love him. My sister is a prime example, I told you that,” he says shrugging his shoulders.

“Look, I know your sister and Jey hooked up, but that was before me, so it doesn’t concern me?” Shan asks, looking at him strangely as he smiles. “I think you will feel differently soon enough,” he says touching her on the shoulder as she moves his hand away.

“Aye, you touch my woman again ima’ rip that arm out the fuckin socket,” I whispered seething.  Seeing straight red, he touched my Shan. "You speaking on shit you don’t know, you ain’t got no right approaching her,” I say as Paul wraps his hands around my shoulder steering me off.

"I don’t have time for this ya’ll, I’m working," she whispers as she turns to look at me. I feel gutted looking into her tear-filled pleading eyes.  What had he said to her before I walked up? I can tell she’s about to burst into tears at any moment.

 “I need camera ten on Charlotte now, she’s active with the crowd,” she says turning back to the monitors and shaking off the tears determined to finish her show.

“Hey! Fellas not here,” Paul says looking around to see if anyone was seeing what was going on, thankfully no one was there but them. “Ya’ll know we don’t bring personal issues to work. Let’s go talk fellas and let Shan work, “he says walking the guys to his office

________________________________________________________________

Office Confrontation

Jey’s POV

“Why were you harassing my girl!” I shouted in Tim’s face. “Hey, I’m just looking out for a beautiful lady,” he says as my anger is growing by the damn second.

“Cut the Shit. Tim, I just hired you and I can fire you, “Paul says angrily at how Tim himself. This is a fuckin’ mess.

“Tim, why are you here?” I mumble frustrated at the situation. “I wanted to tell you to call my sister, you know they one you left pregnant. Almost four months now actually,” He shoots back smartly.

“What the fuck you are talking bout?” I ask, looking back at Tim trying to restrain myself as I feel attacked. “She’s pregnant, she found out after you left her for Shan,” he says raising his voice slightly.

“Bullshit, I broke up with her because she is a user, it had nothing to do with Shan. How the hell you almost four months pregnant and ain’t told the so-called father?” I questioned trying to get my point across as Paul is looking between us utterly confused.

“Well, call my sister, you got a month before she goes to TMZ and every other outlet and ruins your ass.” Tim gloats as I’m trembling almost frothing at the mouth wanting to get my hands on his ass.  “Fuck you!” I yell as Paul steps in between us.   “Alright, Jey it isn’t worth it,” he says patting my shoulder.

“Imagine the headline “Popular WWE star abandons pregnant girlfriend”.  Even better “Pregnant, Deceived, and Alone.” He shrugs his shoulders before continuing, I wanna knock his head off his damn shoulders. “I mean think about it Jey, Shan’s face would be plastered everywhere; he smiles. “Don’t bring her into this,” I growl as Paul steps in between us.

“Ok, you need to leave Tim,” Paul says trying to defuse the situation. “My job here is done, I only applied for this job to keep an eye on what he was doing. I got all I need anyway, I quit,” he says smugly walking away as I’m pacing like a caged animal.

Jey, calm down and sit-down Paul says, sitting down himself.  “What the hell am I gonna do?” I asks my boss as he seems to be in deep thought.

“You tell Shan, lay it out on the table. I mean it happened before ya’ll got together, “he says rubbing his hand over his face.

“A scandal could derail my career, “I say taking a deep breath. “Look, it could, or it couldn’t but that’s chance you take. Paul says listening to my concerns.

 “Boss, you got a minute,” Solo says coming into the makeshift office, stopping in his tracks, seeing his brother with his head in his hands. “What’s wrong? Is it Mom, or Jimmy?" he asks rushing to his brother’s side.

“Nah, they good, mama gon kill me though. Taraji’s saying she’s pregnant, I whisper too afraid to say it out loud.

“Ah hell,” Solo mutters out loud, “Yea, no shit,” I respond taking a deep breath.

“You know you need to know for sure, you know mama ain’t gon’ play bout no illegitimate babies floating around. They believe in marriage before kids,” Solo says offering a comforting hug to his brother.

“I can’t lose Shan, I just got her man,” I say hugging my brother trying to get my thoughts together before I go see her.  “We gon get to the bottom of it, Uce. Solo says looking at Paul who nods in agreement. This is so messed up.

------------------------

 Hotel

Shantell’s POV

Tonight, was a fucking nightmare, I just grabbed my shit and caught a ride back with Nattie, and TJ. When she asked about Jey, I told her he had a meeting with Paul, and I was tired. I guess that could be true because they were still in his office when I left.

 I don’t know what to think or feel. Tim told me Jey got his sister pregnant and how I should cut my losses. Eventually, Jey would be with Taraji raising their child. How could this happen, so deep in my thoughts and relaxing under the hot water in the shower. I didn’t hear Jey come in. I gasped feeling his hands around my waist.

“Sorry baby, it’s just me” he whispers kissing my neck as I turn around in his arms looking at the worried tired look on his face. “Is it true?” I ask barely holding it together as the sounds of the water falling on us almost drowned out my tiny voice.

Jey’s POV

“She knew!” I panicked and didn’t know what to say, but I knew I had to be honest. “I don’t know, but I’m going to find out baby,” I assured her. Kissing her with everything inside me, trying to make every moment count. I know it’s selfish of me, but I need her right now. "I love you Shantell, always remember that," I say staring into her beautiful eyes.

“Why does it feel like you’re saying goodbye?" she sighs dropping her head sadly. “I’ll never say goodbye to you,” I say lifting her face to look at me. “Nothing is going to change,” I promised as I lifted her, wrapping her legs around my waist. As we shared a kiss, I entered her swiftly without warning.

“Josh!” She screams against my ear as I began thrusting slowly inside of her. “It’s us, always,” I moaned cherishing the feel of being inside her. “I love you,” she cries as I feel her arms tighten around my neck.

 “I love you more,” I say honestly taking her in a kiss as my thrusts are becoming more powerful as I feel her pussy tightening even more on my dick, almost taking the wind out of me the emotions I’m feeling. The world is going crazy around us but she’s my anchor, holding my mind, body and soul in her hands.

“Hold on baby,” I moan as I put one of my hands on the wall, bracing myself and the other on her hip going deeper as the seconds and minutes pass as our moans fill the air.

 “Yea, this my pussy belongs to me, you feel how it curves to my dick baby,” I claim as I swirl my hips thrusting even deeper inside her. “I’m yours,” she groans biting my neck. “You betta be, 'cause I’m yours,” I declare sucking on her neck as I can feel her scratching my back. “Josh, you feel so good, “she moans as I take in her beauty in this moment.

 Her writhing in ecstasy, with her forehead now pressed against mine. Kissing me slowly as her eyes never leave mine, she’s now moving with me harder trying to get her release biting her lip in anticipation. My hands go to her waist pulling her body into my thrusts.

 “Josh! I need it,” she whines as I’m taking her harder. “Fuck!" I shout feeling my legs weaken as she attacks my neck with her mouth. “Joshua,” she pants as I pull her into a hungry kiss “I love you,” I groan as she finally comes apart in my arms spiraling me into my own completion. “I love you too,” she gasps collapsing her head on my shoulder.

“I don’t want to lose you,” I whispered holding her tight she nodded her head against my shoulder “I don’t want to lose you either,” she says caressing her fingers across the nape of my neck. For many minutes no words were spoken, her legs still wrapped around me.

 “Please, don’t hurt me josh,” I hear her faintly whisper as I close my eyes praying that I don’t hurt the one person I’ve always loved.

-------------------------------

Meeting Taraji

Shantell’s POV

“Josh, I don’t think I should be here,” I say looking around for the guest of honor.

"Yes, you should, this involves you too,” he says holding my hand, leaning over to give me a kiss.

“Aww, ain’t yall sweet,” Taraji says sarcastically as I grit my teeth as she takes a seat.

“Hey Taraji, this is Shantell,” Jey say’s introducing us as I lean out my hand to shake hers, but she just stares at my hand. “I know her, she’s the talk of the town about how she has turned smackdown around,” she says smugly as I put my hand down. “Well I’ve heard about you as well,” I say trying to maintain my composure.

“Look no need to be rude, Shan ain’t did nothing to you,” Jey says looking over at me as I wave him off.

“I’m a big girl Josh, it’s ok. This just lets me know how to move accordingly,” I say smiling tightly.

“I mean, I think it’s obvious that we will be together since Josh’s parents are big on family. I’m sure they will encourage Josh to marry me, make an honest woman outta me. My eyes are getting wider by the second. Is this bitch serious as I turn to look at Jey who has a defeated look on his face.  I know you fuckin’ lyin right now this isn’t happening.  Shan get a grip don’t let her see you sweat.

“I mean we made this baby together; “she says grabbing my attention as she’s rubbing her stomach. I slightly cringe at her words, and the image as I’m staring a hole through this arrogant skank here.

“I need to see proof, “Jey finally says looking at her barley there stomach. “I need DNA, “he says tightly holding my hand. “They can do that it’s non-invasive and won’t hurt the baby,” I add as Taraji rolls her eyes.

 Oh! Well, my doctor says that’s too much of a risk, so we would have to wait until the baby is born,” Taraji says smirking at me.

“Interesting because I remember my cousin having to do a DNA test while she was pregnant because the dad was trippin’ and we were told it was harmless,” I say out loud as her face contorts into anger.

Well, for me it’s dangerous,” she says speaking fast, I can see some kinks in this story. I nod in understanding even though I know she’s full of shit.

Taking a deep breath, I looked at Josh and realized I needed to be strong for us both and ask the question we both wanted to ask.

“So, what do you want? “I ask staring a hole through her. “Oh, nothing much. I don’t want to alert the media to this scandal, you know being pregnant and abandoned.  It would really bring Jey’s stock down, like really damage his career. It could stop his push with all the bad media attention it would bring,” she says smiling at Jey.

“So, you basically want me to be with you and leave Shan,” he says staring a hole through her. “And our child,” she adds. I mean Shan would get a lot of backlash being labeled as a homewrecker and it would damage her career as well.

“I don’t give a damn what people think about me. I didn’t know about you, you happened before me so I’m not even mad at you. But that funky ass attitude of yours is less to be desired,” I say as she smirks at me.

I’m fighting the urge to bitch slap her ass. “Your trying to ruin his career, everything he’s busted his ass for,” I say whispering trying not to alert people to the conflict going on at the table.

“I ain’t ruining nothing, because after talking to his parents he’s going to make the right decision for us all. I mean he must protect the family name after all.” She says as Josh groans in response.

“I’m gon’ fucking vomit,” I retort leaving them alone at the table.

Jey’s POV

Shantell! Baby, wait! I shouted getting up to follow her.” I’ll give you a month to break it off Josh, or I’m going to the media,” Taraji says. I rub my beard and run my hand over my face irritated. “I heard you suppose to be winning the title at Summerslam.

I would hate for a little negative news coverage to change that outcome,” she smiles. “I’ll never love you, you ain’t her,” I say as her smile drops. “You will learn too baby. I’ll be transferred to interview duty on the smackdown brand starting next week,” she says as I groan in dread walking off to find Shantell.

I found her by the car on her cell. Trin, I could have socked that bitch,” she hissed as we locked eyes. “Let me call you back Jey’s staring a hole through me,” she says as I smile dropping my head.

“Ok let me have it,” I say looking at her as I can tell she wants to go off.  “I can’t even if I wanted to. Josh, she’s seriously threatening to ruin everything you’ve worked for,” Shan whispers looking around the parking lot trying to see if we were being watched. “Can we just go?" she asks as I grab her hand. "Yea, let's go home."

------------

Gym Talk & Realizations

"Man, you serious, Uce," Jimmy says listening to his brother's retelling of how the lunch from hell went. "I hate you let her meet Ma, and pops, sounds like she planned that shit,” Jimmy says frowning at his brother. “Yea, it seems,” Jey says moving to the weights.

“How you gon handle ma, you know she old school. She gon be trying to get you married and everything,” Jimmy says looking at the desperate face of his brother.

“She already has, Taraji sent me an ultrasound picture and I went by the house to see her. She wants me to try a relationship at least with Taraji until we can get the DNA test when the baby is born,” I say shivering at the thought.

 “Damn, what you gon do?" Jimmy asks spotting his brother.” I told Ma I would consider it,” I say avoiding his gaze. “Shit, that is like saying you’re gon’ do it. So, what about Shan?" Jimmy asks as I shake my head.

“I’m trying to hold on to her as long as I can. I got a month to break up with her before Taraji goes public.” I sigh as I see the disappointed look on his face.

So, did it occur to you to maybe stand up to ma, and be with the woman you love?” My brother asks frowning at me. When I didn’t answer he kept going. “I mean let her take that shit to the media, people co-parent every day. You can be a great dad without having to be in a relationship with her ass."Jimmy whispers trying to not draw attention to us. “What about my career Jimmy,” I say trying not to argue with my brother.   

“The worst thing that could happen is corporate doesn’t back you being champ, so you don’t take the strap. That means you’ll just win the title a little later on when everything blows over, Jimmy pleads to me as I’m tired of speaking on the subject.  

“I don’t know, Uce” I respond tiredly. “I can’t watch this train wreck, you gon break Shantell’s heart, cause yo ass can’t take a stand. Then you gon' be sick as fuck when she on another man's arm,” Jimmy sighs leaving his brother to his own stupidity. As across town, Shantell was about to be hit with another knockout punch.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Uso Family Home

Shantell's POV

“Hey mama Uce,” I say accepting her hug as she pulls me close. “Come on sit with me sweetie, I’m so glad you could come,” she says hugging me tight.

“It’s so beautiful here,” I say taking in the waves crashing and the beautiful scenery on their patio.

“I love this house and the view, my husband picked well.” She says looking around taking it all in herself. “I asked to see you because I’m sure you know about Joshua and Taraji,” she says with a sad smile.

Yes, ma’am, “I sadly smile. “We are trying to deal with it, and trying to decide what to do together,” I say honestly. “Well, sweetie this isn’t going away,” she says passing me the ultrasound picture. As I looked at the picture i couldn't;t stop the few tears that escaped from my eyes.

“I know you love my son, but he has responsibilities, and I would say the same thing if it were you in this situation.  He needs to be an in-home father to his child like his dad was,” she says reaching over touching my hand as I nodded. “I understand what you’re saying,” I start but she cuts me off.

“His career is going well, and I know you don’t want any negative attention on you guys. That press can make or break someone’s career. Do you really want to do that to him, or yourself?” She asks. I can’t find my words as each of her words are cutting me deep.

“He conflicted by his love for you, doing the right thing for his child and his career. Don’t make him choose,” she says wiping her tears.

“I would never do that,” I say choking back tears as my chest tightens, I feel as if my heart is about to explode.

“I love you Shantell, but please let my baby go,” she cries as by this point, I can’t stop my tears from flowing.

‘I don’t know how,” I whisper as she grabs my hand. Spend these next couple weeks with him, cherish your time, then let him go. It will be better for everyone involved,” she says wiping her tears going into the kitchen.

I had to leave, I felt like I couldn’t breathe. I got in Jey’s car, taking the short drive to Jimmy and Trin's, house crying the whole way. Cutting off the car I just had to take a moment before I went in, I couldn’t stop my tears, my life was falling apart.

Knocking on the window brings me back to the present as Jimmy opens my door. “Shan you ok, what happened?” He asks worried at my current state. Trying to catch my breath he grabs my hands. “Calm down, sis,” I weakly smile at him as he pulls me into his arms. “I’m losing him,” I whisper against his chest as he holds me tighter. “I got you, come on let’s go inside,” he says leading to the house.

As I told them what happened I could see Jimmy angrily bumping his knee and tapping his finger on the table. “Mama always dippin’ in shit that don’t concern her.” He says angry at his mom and the situation in general.” I’m so sorry Shantell, “Trin says hugging me. "She showed me the ultrasound pictures," I say looking down. “It’s gonna be ok,” she says holding me tighter.

“Jey just texted, he’s been trying to get you, he’s worried,” Jimmy says looking at me. “Just tell him I’ll be home in a bit, Trin and I are hanging out I say.” He nods typing his response, I talked to them for a few more minutes before back to Jey’s.

------------------------------------------------------

Jey’s Home

Shantell’s POV

“I was worried bout you,” Jey says as I join him in the kitchen. “I’m sorry, I made you worry,” I said giving him a kiss. “Uhhuh, see I missed those kisses,” he smiles brightly at me as I try to smile. “What’s wrong baby?” he asks as I contemplate telling him.

Hell, what else is there to lose. “Your mom called me to come over,” I answered taking a seat beside him. “What did she want?” He asked interested in the meeting. “She told me to let you go, because you didn’t need the stress of having to choose between the baby, your career, and me,” I say as my eyes meet his for a brief second before he looked down, taking deep breaths.

  “I told her I would never make you choose. She informed me how it would be best for everyone if I stepped aside,” I finished looking in his eyes for an answer finding none.

“Baby, I don’t know what to do,” he whispers as I feel this conversation is about to get even messier. “So, is being in the baby’s life, co-parenting, and riding out this scandal out even an option right now? I see his hands shaking as he’s ringing his together as I’ve seen him do so many times when he’s stressing.

“Are you going to try to be in a relationship with her for the baby’s sake?” I asked, looking at him waiting for his response. It was out in the open now, no turning back.  “I don’t want to hurt you,” he says looking at me. “Josh, I’m not made of glass what is it?” I demand.

“I think I’m going to try the relationship for my child’s sake, but I’m not proposing until I know if the baby is mine. I can’t have this scandal touching my family name,” he says with tears falling from his face.

I shook my head at him. “Thank you for telling me,” I say looking around the room, wiping my tears. “Well, I was preparing to go through this scandal with you, be a great stepmom to this baby and your number one supporter,” I whispered backing up slowly as Jey stood up moving towards me, bringing me into his arms, I can’t look at him.

 “Baby,” he starts as I cut him off, “don’t worry about me, I guess everything happens the way it’s supposed to,” I say wiping his tears, giving him a tender kiss before pulling away, going upstairs to pack. I couldn’t stay here; I can’t pretend everything is ok.

Jey’s POV

“Wait, where are you going?” I panic as I see her shuffling around my room packing her things. “I’m going to Jimmy’s or Solo’s I’m not staying here,” she says packing her suitcase. “We still got some time,” I say pulling some of her clothes back out.

“I don’t want time with you! You really think I wanna have sex with you for the next few weeks knowing you’re leaving me!” She screams at me as I wish the earth would open up and swallow me whole.  “You have lost yo fucking mind! She shouts as he I can’t move from the spot, I’m stuck in.

“Why are we prolonging this, you can’t stand up to your mom, you can’t stand up to Taraji, you can’t whether the storm with me because your concerned about your career, even though I have as much to lose as you do! “She yells no longer crying, the anger is pouring out of her now.

 “Shantell, I say trying to hold her as she pushes me away. “No! I get it! Having a perfect image is what you care about. You really would marry someone who is telling yo stuuuupid ass they using you," she yells as I’m standing here mad at myself not her. I feel my anger boiling over as I continue to watch her rant.

 “You don’t even know if she’s pregnant, or if it’s even yours with how you told me she threw her ass around!” She shouts, continuing to pack her things. “That shit ain’t fair, Shan!" I worked hard for all this shit I have! I’m not gon’ ruin it over y—," stopping myself from finishing the word that I knew not only I didn’t mean, but it would cut her even deeper.

This is why I hate arguing when arguing I’m mad or frustrated, I say shit that I don’t mean. “Nah, baby finish your thought,” she says walking up to me. “Over me right, you’re not going to jeopardize your career and your family name over me.” she whimpers nodding her head getting the wrong understanding, as I see new tears threatening to fall from her eyes. "Shantell, I didn’t mean it, I love you,” I say desperately trying to get her to believe me. Not even caring that my own tears are falling, all I care about is her knowing I didn't mean it.

 “Fuck, you Josh,” she says grabbing her suitcase, stormin' out of my house, but I hoped not out of my life.

“What the fuck just happened,” I say aloud looking around the room and seeing no reminisce of her anywhere to be found. The ruffled sheets are the only sign left of our lovemaking this morning.

“What the hell have I done? I muttered standing alone in this big house of memories listening to the waves of the ocean crashing on the shore.

@reci24 @southerngirl41 @vebner37 @jeyusos-girl

@melaninsugababy @romanreignkisser @bebesobrielo

@arination99

#jey uso fanfic #jey uso fanfiction #jey uso fic #jey uso imagine #jey uso smut #jey uso x fem reader #jey uso x oc #jey uso x reader #jimmy uso fanfiction #jimmy uso smut #roman reigns smut #roman reigns fanfiction #roman reigns x reader #wwe fanfiction #solo sikoa x reader #solo sikoa imagine #solo sikoa #solo sikoa fanfiction #solo sikoa smut #solo sikoa fic #roman reigins fanfiction

[idleorbitals]

favorite parts of today's episode of last twilight bc I'm still thinking about it hours later:

1. mohk swearing up and down that he hasn't told day he liked him. uh huh whatever you gotta do babe. you might not be lying but you're sure not truth telling. technicality at best At. Best.

2. gee instant journey from skeptic to shipper. get you a best friend who is ready to tear you down and hype you up in the same conversation tbh

3. this is actually like four things. a) i'm calling mohk all the way out on point 1 because he knows the kiss was tantamount to a confession because what he says is he /just wants day to know how he feels/ without saying anything further about his feelings I see you you little sneak b) this sad boy :((( who is going to Do The Right Thing Again and keep his feelings very thoughtfully to himself c) yeah i'm not actually mad at mohk at all and to be honest the reason is I'm sort of mad at day this whole episode. i know baby is in denial but i wish he would stop implying mohk is anything but the fuzziest softest boy

4. /i'm leaving. don't want to get chased away again/ /wait up. can you read to me?/ nong day take your head out of your ass o'clock. tend to your cold hearted bad boy you both want it and he is suffering

5. right after mohk agrees that he's the last person that fits the "warm and nice" description he warmly and nicely points out the location of the food he has just made for and served to day and warmly and nicely tells him to eat up while looking at him...you know what warmly and nicely do not do it here. with absolute adoration and tenderness

6. called tf out. porjai is so fucking funny. namtan's timing on the weighted glances here is fantastic. out of this world. no notes. i adore her

5. day telling mohk that he can feel rung's warmth in the house and mohk gazing back at him like this. softest! boy! alert!

...the real question is why are they still letting everyone talk about mohk like he's some sort of lean mean toughness machine. did they not know jimmy was going to make him into this? honestly that's my best guess bc visually impaired or not nobody in mohk's life could be this blind to his words and actions

6. so we're all in agreement that they're getting married before we put this thing to bed huh. fucking superb p'aof you funky little director. do us right

7. ok i /did/ think for a hot second that day was about to push mohk away romantically again and i was ready to be mad at him again and then WHAM angst drop. p'aof just can't help himself and you know what nor can i i eat this stuff Up. mohk visibly panicking as he strokes day's hair and uses his best gentle voice to calm him down i. eat it up i'm telling you

#listen i want them to be happy #but and #i do like my favorites to suffer a little on the way there #also long post cw sorry #i never think i'm going to have that much to say/write and then i start and well... #last twilight #mhokday #jimmysea

[thewertsearch]

Ask Comp 28/6

It's in the recs list! I'm very much looking forward to this one.

I've certainly enjoyed what I've read so far - it's been nice to get back to the story's original protagonists.

The main mood of Act 5.2 is one of anticipation. We've been getting glimpses of the kids' Grand Plan ever since the Act began, and it very much feels like it's all building up to something. If Homestuck sticks the landing, and the Act 5 finale lives up to all this hype, then this might end up my favorite part of the story so far.

Yeah it's a session tag - although a 'reading session' is a little ambiguously defined, especially when I stop posting for a few hours and return later in the day. How long a gap does it need to be before it qualifies as a new reading session?

I've just been tagging every post made in the same day as the same session. It's not a perfect solution, but it'll do.

Wow, it started in 2010? I could conceivably have been reading Paranatural in school - although I'm glad I came to it a little later, so I wasn't constantly waiting for updates.

Big red peepers. I'll admit I didn't really think of this as a reveal, but I suppose it is our first true peek behind Dave's shades.

Based on this, it's it's probably safe to assume that all the kids have eyes matching their text colors. Has Rose been blessed with the legendary mutation, Alexandria's Genesis?

A few people mentioned this Squiddles meme. I like it, it's very Trunk & The Grunks.

I've really gotta catch up on those albums at some point...

I did wonder if Bro's sword shenanigans were something to do with Dave's Quest - like, maybe he was bequeathing his anime sword to his brother, to accomplish some objective. Now that Dave has his own Quest sword, I think that interpretation is less likely.

Symbolically though, I do think it's notable that Bro's sword is intact, and Dave's is broken. It ties into how Dave sees himself as a worse version of Bro, on some level.

As far as Jack is concerned, I doubt the game intends for him to have anything to do with Dave's journey. The whole point is that he's ignoring the game's rules - so if anything, his antics might start to break the Quests.

It sounds like the style was supposed to take readers aback - although I didn't find it particularly jarring myself!

Homestuck's art style is constantly changing, with this, the Earthbound sprites, and Hero Mode, among other things. Honestly, I had just assumed that the comic's art just fluctuated depending on Hussie's mood.

I quite like the HussNasty panels, and I hope Hussie keeps experimenting with the comic's art. It sounds like this is the beginning of a more general trend, so I'm hopeful that it will continue.

Oh, so it just straight up is Excalibur.

New theory about his Quest, then. It's about worthiness, and Dave is being tasked to 'prove himself' as a hero, despite his insecurities. This ties neatly into the next set of asks below:

Anonymous asked: my headcanon (partially supported by the text, as you've seen from rose's conversation with jaspers) is that each quest is designed to help you self-improve, so that you can responsibly preside over an entire universe. whether you agree with the game about the ways you need to improve is another story.

I've speculated that the Quests are teaching the Players how to sculpt their universe. Building on from this idea, then, these asks speculate that Quests are also trying to improve the Players as people, so that the nascent universe will flourish under their care.

It's an interesting idea - although it does beg the question of why Sburb is creating such flawed Players in the first place. If it's looking for self-actualized custodians for its universe, why did it create Players like the trolls, who wanted to rule over their universe like tyrants?

I guess it's possible that a flawed Player who self-improves is actually more resilient than a flawless Player who never needed to change. The former would potentially be more resilient, capable of adapting to the changing circumstances of their universe as it grows and evolves.

I wish! That's more of an aspirational schedule, really. I should probably delink it, if it's causing confusion.

I'm not sure whether this is Karkat's canonical birthday - but if it is, I like the irony inherent in the fact that he's not even a Cancer.

Yes - although I don't blame you for forgetting, since I don't think I've referenced it since the literal first post of the liveblog!

Oh, god, messages from 2024? Is Tumblr using Trollian as a backend?

Bizarre. I assume, then, that the trickster code was cut as well. :(

If we assume that Sburb did evolve, then it makes sense that it works this way. However, if it was created by some intelligent being, then holding the Players hostage like this seems pretty malicious.

I mean, there are ways to ensure participation in the game that don't involve destroying an entire planet. No matter how clear you were about the risks, if you asked the population of Earth for volunteers, you'd be guaranteed millions of responses.

All that said, if Sburb worked this way, we'd have a very different story. I understand why Sburb works the way it does, in the context of Homestuck's themes.

Speaking of Kingdom Hearts, I'd kind of love for Sora to visit a Homestuck world. His Keyblade upgrade could be the Wrinklefucker - and he'd have to unlock Vriska as a summon, right?

Do it. I've been rereading GtN this week, and as far as I'm concerned, Alecto can't come fast enough.

It is she. The million dollar question, of course, is whether Taylor is ultimately more of a constructive or destructive character.

I mean, I have an opinion, but resurrecting The Great Taylor Hebert Debate on this blog would be an exercise in hubris.

@wickedsick asked: The typically accepted name for Girl Egbert is June, after that one time Vriska spelt John with 64 O's and Egbert said they read it as a really long "June". [...]

Oh man, imagine being trolled by Vriska was your trans awakening. How would you ever recover?

Jokes aside, I like June, It's cute. I feel like if John transitioned she'd choose another 4 letter J-name like that, or a name from one of her movies, like Dana or Janine.

Come on - I'd be shocked if Homestuck didn't end with the straight characters getting outnumbered at least twenty-to-one.

Looks fine to me, I think. I assume the website just hiccupped - wouldn't be the first time!

It blows my mind every time I remember that Undertale came out in 2015. The beginning of the Undertale Era feels like it started simultaneously six months ago, and twenty years ago.

You open the TYPHEUS web browser and direct it to what is indisputably the most amazing website ever created.

Au contraire, my friend - Typheus showed up way back in Act 1!

[ I can't send them yet because they'd tell you a lot about the aspects, but someone sent classpect headcanons for discworld characters and they're SO GOOD - C ]

Damn it, I can't wait. Just based on what I've recently learned, I am convinced Rincewind would be the Something of Light.

#asks #full liveblog #act 5.2

[zellink]

nearer, my god, to thee

a post-botw zelink fic. [ one-shot // 11k words // E-rated for sexual content ]

>> Read on AO3

Summary: Link finally understands that it isn’t him who has absorbed this kingdom into his bloodstream—it is the kingdom, it is her, and she is surrounding him, swallowing him whole. A tent in a forest, a summer night full of stars, and two people who have always been part of the wild.

Notes: Written as part of Zelink Hype Squad server's Hestu Gift Exchange 2023-24 for @spices28 ⭐️ Special thanks to @1up-girl and @mustardcheesedog for being such amazing betas. ✨

nearer, my god, to thee

Hyrule has always been a beautiful land.

Rolling hills that bleed into meadows. Verdant canopies of trees that shield and cover whatever creature that wanders beneath. Rivers that run wild into everywhere and nowhere, into seas that lead to places unknown. Mountains that seem to scratch the sky. Canyons that go so deep, one might think the core of the earth is visible from a bird’s eye view.

And Link, upon waking up from his long slumber, has laid his eyes on every inch of the land. Has seen it all through summer’s rage and winter’s wrath, underneath stone archways in front of mansions long gone, from behind overgrown vines that wrap around fallen citadels. He’s lost and found himself, time and time again, in the Lost Woods and the Hebra Mountains and the far-flung corners of Gerudo Desert. Has absorbed this land into his bloodstream until he becomes one with it, until he’s just another permanent fixture of the landscape—another mountain in Lanayru, perhaps. Or another river that flows through Faron.

But when all is finally said and done, and he has bled and bled in the bowels of the castle and in the field, and a golden light shines in the sky and descends gently onto the grass, he realizes, finds—

That there is just one more part of Hyrule that he hasn’t absorbed into himself at all.

And that part is living and breathing and sitting in the saddle atop her white stallion, riding alongside his brown mare. Her cheeks are flushed from the late summer’s heat. Her long blonde locks are blown back by the evening breeze, the top a little bit mussed up and the braids across her crown slightly loosened from the day’s hot journey eastward.

The urge to extend his arm outward and run his fingers through those tresses claws inside him.

He clenches at the reins a bit tighter instead.

They continue to ride.

To their right, Wetland Stable is all lit up for the night. Link has been there before, too. A few months ago, he slept in a cot underneath that very roof after he had chased down a particular landscape portrayed in an image on the Slate, hunting it all the way into the forest just across the river.

In the end, he had come out of it with a singed brow and an arm covered in burns—classic memento from the Guardians—and the haunting fragment of a memory from one hundred years ago, where the woman he ached to bring home had despaired and cried in his embrace, among the rainfall and the mud.

The woman’s voice is what slices through his thoughts.

“Gods, I’ve forgotten how muscles can ache from too much use,” Zelda says. “I think we should stop for the night and get some rest. What do you think?”

Link smiles at her. There is no mud nor rainfall on her face anymore—only a few beads of sweat that his fingers long to wipe away. “Yeah, I agree.”

“Shall we head to the stable, then?” she asks.

He turns his head to look at the stable again. It’s not especially crowded—Wetland Stable never is, unlike Riverside or Dueling Peaks—but he sees a few visitors sitting around the communal cook pot, sees some other patrons conversing with the stablemaster, and thinks that they’ve had their fair share of strangers’ eyes upon them for the past month in Hateno.

They’ll have more of that in their destination, too: Zora’s Domain is filled with people who know exactly who they are, beyond their unassuming appearance. People who know of the titles from their former lives, know of the hefty past that they carry upon their shoulders.

He wants to take her somewhere else. A place unknown to anyone else except for him. No prying eyes, no whispering mouths. Only boughs of trees overhead, the soft sloshing of water from leaping frogs, and the chirps of restless crickets.

Wants to share that piece of wilderness with her. Consume it together.

“There’s this spot in the cove of Crenel Peak,” Link says. “There’s a pond and a lot of trees and sometimes there are fireflies, too. We can pitch a tent and rest there.” He pauses. “If— if you want.”

Zelda’s lips curve into a smile—wide, dimpling her cheeks, and his heart twists and twists. “That sounds lovely, Link,” she replies. “Let’s go there, then.”

They change course, pulling at the reins to keep left on the dirt path, then turning at the intersection and heading a little further north. Past the quiet fields and open meadows and the unobstructed view to the castle—all black and gray and no wisps of crimson at all against the twilight sky—until they reach the base of Crenel Peak, where the hills part to reveal an opening to a tree-filled recess in the side of the mountain.

Link dismounts first, hitching his mare onto a trunk on the outskirts of the small forest before offering Zelda his hand—gloved palm facing up. He knows she’s more than capable of sliding off her stallion herself, but, well—he’d never pass up the opportunity to have her touch grace his skin. She takes it, and he feels her lean her weight onto his hand as she dismounts. Feels the warmth even through her glove, feels his blood rushing towards where their bare fingers meet.

When she lets him go to hitch her own steed, Link lets out a slow exhale through his mouth.

Blames his sudden breathlessness on the summer heat.

He unfastens their shared traveling pack and tent from their horses’ backs while Zelda takes the bedrolls. Lets muscle memory from a hundred years prior overtake his body because this—working together with her like clockwork, preparing themselves for a night in whatever pocket tucked away within the kingdom—is something even a long slumber can’t ever erase from him.

They walk further into the cove until they find a small clearing where the pond awaits, right at the base of the hill. He takes out the sheets of canvas and the poles, and begins pitching the tent. Assembles the poles, connects one end to another, then inserts each pole into its corresponding grommet. As he stakes the corners of the erected tent into the ground, he sees her build a fire in his periphery, steel against flint atop a bundle of wood. Orange sparks fly, and then their camp for the night is finally illuminated, ready for their rumbling stomachs and aching bodies.

And anything else that might unravel as the night progresses, a voice within him says, though he chides it, pushes it away.

Link unlaces the traveling pack and searches for some wooden plates and spoons. Fights off a smile from breaking across his face when his fingers brush over their tangled belongings—the clasp of his additional pair of pants catching the strap of her silk camisoles; her hairbrush that somehow got stuck to his robe.

Eventually, he finds those wooden plates and spoons.

He sets the utensils atop a nearby tree stump, places a cook pot on the fire, and says, “I think there’s plenty of mushrooms around. Do you want stew or skewers?”

Zelda purses her lips, mulling over his question, and something warm shoots through his nerves as if it’s the very first time he’s uttered such a question to her in this century. He supposes he should start getting used to this—asking mundane questions about nothing, about everything. Where to stay for the night, what to have for dinner.

“Skewers would be better, I think,” she replies as she settles on a fallen log in front of the fire. Gives her sweaty forehead a cursory wipe with the back of her hand. “It’s too hot for a stew, don’t you think?”

Oh, he really could get used to this.

“Yeah, skewers sound good.” He smiles at her.

So Link spends the next ten minutes foraging for Hylian mushrooms around the area, putting each that he has picked into a cloth bag Zelda had fashioned out of his worn shirt back in Hateno. In the end, he’s gathered enough mushrooms (and some Hyrule herbs, too) to feed six: one portion for her, three for him, and two for leftovers that can serve as a light lunch tomorrow for the rest of the journey to Zora’s Domain.

He returns to the cook pot, procures the jars of oil and crushed rock salt from their pack, and begins cooking their dinner. Pouring a little bit of oil, then hovers his hand above the pot, gauging the heat before pouring all the picked mushrooms into it. He stirs and stirs with a wooden spoon, trying his damndest not to look her way too much lest he makes a mistake and burns himself on the hot iron.

(But then any burn or cut is worth it when it’s for her.)

Once the mushrooms are cooked through, Link realizes that he doesn’t have the wood sticks, so he serves the food in the bowl and hands it to Zelda.

“This is just… a bowl of cooked mushrooms,” he says, bashful. “Don’t actually have the sticks to skewer them. Sorry.”

A laugh bursts from Zelda. “That’s no problem, Link,” she says, grinning. “I don’t think we would be eating the wood sticks anyway,” she adds, before reaching for the bowl from his hands. Covering his fingers with hers, pressing slightly before taking it away.

His breath becomes ragged in an instant, though he knows how to quickly regain his composure, because it has happened many, many times before. In Hateno, in their shared home and on the streets and every place in between. A lingering touch here and there, fire through his veins. The air turning heavy each time, but holding themselves back as they ride out the initial shock of being alive together in this century, as they parse through their grief and loss and shared wounds.

But now they are outside and there’s a certain lightness that percolates through him that he knows hasn’t been there in ages, and they are alone together—so alone—and he knows it will snap.

It’s just a matter of when.

So he shoots another smile at her and goes to serve a bowl for himself. Settles on the log next to her—the side of his thigh touching hers all the way to their knees. Feeling his skin sizzle even through the fabric of his breeches. Eats and eats with barely any words exchanged because their shared silence is as natural as breathing. When they break it, it’s for her to comment on his talent of making even just mushrooms seasoned with salt and herb taste good, and he replies with thanks and heat rising on his cheeks.

It doesn’t take long for them to finish their meals. It has been quite a long day, after all.

He takes the bowl from her and washes their dishes by the pond as she takes their pack inside the tent, fastens the flaps together, and changes into her sleepwear. With a rag he scrubs and scrubs the grime off the cook pot, averting his thoughts to anything else other than the sound of fabric rustling from beyond that layer of canvas, which proves futile anyway.

It’s painfully familiar, because he knows he’s been here before, regardless of the scantness of his memories. He’s felt this so often, if not always. A century ago, in other places, bearing skin with fewer scars but one that still aches to touch her all the same.

With everything cleaned, he sets them on the same nearby tree stump to dry. Takes a deep, deep breath, then takes his bedroll and pulls at the laces to unfurl it atop the grass, in front of the tent.

Link stares at it for a while, just as he has done for the past three weeks—the same bedroll set on the floor beside the bed in their home. Imagines two bodies atop it instead of just one, pictures two sets of limbs searching for one another and tangling and joining. Swallowing those images down his throat, where they sear until they settle inside his stomach, dormant and docile, before they come up into his mouth again the next night. Over and over and over, because he knows that they have all the time in the world now and all that’s left to do is wait.

And he intends to swallow them all down and wait again tonight, though something in his gut tells him that maybe, just maybe, the trees and the open sky overhead might catalyze a bolt from the blue.

There’s more rustling from inside the tent, so Link decides to distract himself by undoing his baldric and belts, taking off his gloves, carefully setting the Sword against a tree, and then sitting down and unfastening the leather vambrace from his right forearm. Then it’s the patterned strip of cloth that he peels off from his arms, unwrapping, unraveling, until he’s only in his Champion tunic with the cotton shirt underneath, his pants, and his boots.

As he sets his protective leathers aside, Zelda comes out from the tent with her cream-colored nightgown finally wrapped around her figure—loose and sleeveless, with the thin straps hanging on her shoulders and the hem falling down to her mid-calves.

The sight knocks all the air out of his lungs.

Then his eyes settle on her face and he notices the furrow between her brows.

“Why are you setting the bedroll outside?” Zelda asks.

Link gulps. “I’m here to keep guard.”

Funnily enough, even he can hear the slight question mark that follows that sentence.

Zelda actually appears surprised by his reply. “From what? Hot-footed frogs?”

“There were bears here before,” he feigns obliviousness. “When I found this place the first time around.”

“Which I’m sure you’ve dealt with since I don’t see or hear them anywhere,” she says. There’s something fond in those emeralds of hers, like she understands exactly the predicament he’s found himself in because she’s in the thick of it, too—in the knowing and not-knowing, wanting to end it in the most perfect way possible—softly, gently.

“I’d like to keep watch with you, too, then.” A shy smile forms on her lips. “If you need the additional set of eyes, that is.”

Link knows she isn’t talking about bears anymore, knows that she knows he doesn’t need the additional set of eyes, because protecting her comes as natural as the blinking of his eyes, as inherent as his fingers around the indigo hilt of the Sword.

He doesn’t need the extra guard; he just needs her.

“Of course,” Link replies.

>> Continue reading on AO3

#now off i go to lose my mind working on my longfic #my fic #zelink #botw zelink #zelink fic #zelink fanfiction #botw fic #botw

[venusacrossthestars]

one is the loneliest number

A/N- This fic is my baby and is the longest thing I have ever written. I want to give a special thank you to @arieslost​ she hyped me up the entire time and was my wonderful beta reader. this is a slow burn, so there will be a part 2. 

Summary- Y/n ‘Condor’ L/n trust very few and works with even fewer, but when Laswell and Price send her to Mexico to work with the Mexican Special Forces and members of the 141. She realizes that her and a certain mask wearing individual aren’t so different and that maybe trusting people isn’t so bad. 

Pairing- Simon ‘Ghost’ Riley x fem!reader

Word Count- 14.1k

Warings- guns, knives, blood, gore, injuries, death.

The smell starts to grow on you after the first hour. The amount of mosquito bites you’ve acquired has reached the double digits by the second. And by the third, the little creatures throughout the valley seem to welcome you as one of their own.

“Condor do you copy?”

“Yes sir, in position.”

“Go ahead and come on down, target is rerouting.”

With a sigh you shift up to your knees, stretching your arms above your head working out the knots and kinks that have developed from spending the past three and a half hours on your stomach. “On my way down now Captain.” You reply as you descend back to base. 

“Aye, make it quick, Laswell wants us.”

“Uh-oh Price, what’d you do this time,” you taunt with a smirk.

“Not me. She specifically asked for you, I just happened to say I’d be accompanying you.” 

“You’re not taking me down with you, y’know that right?”

“Not everything is a plan to take you down, Condor. You got to trust me.”

“I do Captain, but you know how it is.” 

“Just get your ass back to base.”

“Copy that, Condor out.”

What would normally be an hour journey back to base was nearly cut in half. Once back, you made your way to where you knew Captain Price would be held up waiting for you. With a slight tremble you knock on the door and a gruff  “Come in,” meets you in response. Opening the door you walk in the room, and are greeted with the familiar face of the one and only Kate Laswell. 

Giving a curt nod, you address the older woman, “Laswell, to what do I owe the pleasure.” 

“Hassan,” she replies curtly, “but you can personally thank him when you’re in Mexico.”

“Mexico ma’am?”

“Correct. After a failed apprehension of Hassan in Al Mazrah, we found American-made ballistic missiles in his possession. A recon mission revealed that Hassan hasn’t been working alone, he has allied himself with Las Almas Cartel in Mexico. We alerted Mexican Special Forces of Hassans’ presences but unfortunately the Mexican Special Forces was unable to apprehend him as well. You will be going to Mexico to assist members of task force 14,1 along with Colonel Alejandro Vargas, in the capture of Major Hassan Zyani.” 

“All due respect ma’am, I don’t think I’m the best candidate.”

“And why is that?” 

“Well, I don’t exactly have the best track record regarding working with a team.” 

“I know that. However, I am not looking at your past, I am looking at your skills– skills I need for this mission to succeed.”

“Ma’am–” before you can continue, Laswell interrupts, “You are a fighter and a survivor Condor, I wouldn’t be asking if I didn’t think you could handle it.”

“What about Price and Gaz,” you ask looking towards the Captain who looks rather impartial to the whole predicament at hand. 

“I have another assignment for them. I need them there in order to aid your efforts in Mexico.”

You sigh. Knowing fully well that you weren’t going to win this argument against the Kate Laswell, you bow your head in defeat, “Yes ma’am.”

“You leave at fourteen hundred hours, until then you are dismissed.”

“Yes ma’am,” with that you rush quickly out of the room. You don’t happen to make it far when you hear Price’s voice. 

“L/N, slow down.”

You come to a stop and face Price with an unamused look.“This isn’t going to end well, Price.”

“You need to stop being such a negative nancy, everything will be fine.”

“The last time I worked with a team it endly horrifically, I am not looking for a repeat of that.”

“Aye, what are Gaz and I then? Chopped liver?” 

“That’s different and you know it.” You give him a pointed look.

“Listen," he places his hands on your shoulders, "I know these guys and I trust them. If you trust me, trust my judgment. Ghost and Soap won’t let you down.” 

“What kind of name is Soap?”

“You’ll find out.” Price says with a laugh. 

The time spent on the ride to Mexico was used unwisely. Instead of prepping gear and mentally preparing for what was about to come, your mind moves to memories of the last time you worked with a team. 

“My position has been compromised, requesting backup.”

“Negative Condor. Ground troop has priority.”

“Enemy is moving to my position, moving from position.”

“Negative Condor, stay there and wait for the Target.”

An explosion behind you encourages you to move your ass faster away from your previous position. “No can do Commander, Condor on the move.”

“Condor, get your ass back to your position NOW!”

The rough landing on the heli-pad reminds you that you’re in the present, not the past. Gathering your things, you hop onto solid ground and glance around, looking for your welcoming party. 

“Sergeant L/N!” You hear from across the yard.

You spot two men off to the side, by a KrAZ-6322, you quickly make your way over to them. “Colonel Alejandro Vargas ma’am,” the older of the two introduces himself, then jabs his thumb to his right, “and this is my second in command Sergeant Major Rudy Parra. Welcome to Las Almas.”

“Thank you gentlemen,” you respond as you shake their hands, you glance around the base to see where the other men Price and Laswell had mentioned. “Where are the others?”

“It seems that you have arrived before your comrades.”

“Technically they aren't my comrades, this is your first time meeting them as well as mine.” 

“I see, we shall then wait for them together!” 

“So,” you begin, attempting to make whatever small talk you could, “what exactly happened with Hassan? My debrief told me that he has connections with the Las Almas Cartel and that Hassan evaded capture.”

“Si, it is true. Hassan was brought to Mexico so the cartel could smuggle him across the border. We failed to apprehend him before he crossed, and once we caught up to him and his men it was quite a fire fight and I mean that most literally. I had to pull Rudy out of a burning building.” 

“Sorry to hear that, I hope you’re alright,” you direct towards Rudy. 

“Lucky to be out with my life, many others aren’t and I am grateful for that.”

“Amen.”

It isn’t much longer before a transport lands on the runway and opens to reveal two men. One with a mohawk and the other clad in a skeleton mask; you had a feeling you knew who was who.

“Alejandro!” The one you presume to be Soap shouts out. 

“Sergeant MacTavish,” Alejandro greets as he walks to met the men in the middle.

“Please call me Soap.” He insists while shaking Alejandro’s hand. Ding Ding Ding, right on the money. 

“Lieutenant,” Alejandro begins, “Laswell says they call you Ghost.”

Soap quickly buts in, “Actually, I believe he prefers to be called–”

“That’ll do,” Ghost quickly cuts him off, surprisingly with a heavy accent. You’re left staring at the man. “Problem?” He addresses you. 

“None sir, wasn’t expecting an accent that’s all.” As soon as the words leave your mouth it causes Soap to turn to you. 

“And who might you be lass?” 

“Condor. Laswell sent me.”

“Condor, like the bird?” Soap puzzles with a raise of his brow.

“Soap, like the cleaning product?” You quip back, smiling at his expression.

“That’s enough from you two,” Ghost interrupts, silencing the two of you, “Why didn’t Laswell inform us about you?”

“A last minute assignment, she insisted that I be here.” You answer with a shrug of your shoulders. You turn to face Alejandro, however you can still feel his eyes in the back of your head.

“Welcome to the ‘City of Souls’ mi amigos,” Alejandro says with widened arms.

The four of you walk back towards the trucks when Soap speaks up, “I’ve never been to Mexico.”

“This isn’t Mexico, this is Las Almas.” Alejandro points out as if it is the most obvious fact in the world. 

“Shepherd’s contractors are inbound to reinforce. They’re bringing hardware, they’ll need room,” Ghost informs the Colonel. 

You read some of the mission brief on the way here, admittedly less than you should have. However you were well informed that Shepherd was sending his own personal lap dog. Information that brought no comfort. Shepherd was a man who got stuff done and you respected that, you had to. However, it was how he went about getting said things done that you didn’t agree with. War isn’t pretty, you’ve experienced enough of it first hand to know. But Shepherd and his Shadows were a completely different story and Phillip Graves was a whole nother genre. Previous encounters have shown that he is willing to do the unthinkable in the sake of a so-called win. 

“-safe house, ten clicks from here,” is all you hear Alejandro say as you climb into the back of the truck. 

Sandwiched uncomfortably between two men in the Mexican heat in a truck with no A.C. is not how one would imagine their time in Mexico. Looking out the window you take in Las Almas. On the outside it seems like a lively town full of street vendors, families, and children playing and laughing. But, it runs deeper than that, you can see it in the shadows where the men with guns linger, you can see it in those who walk around wearing a skull mask. This causes you to glance at Ghost who also seems to be taking in the abundance of skull masks on the streets. 

“With your mask you’ll fit in well here Ghost,” Rudy jabs. 

Noticing the writings on one of the buildings, you speak up. “El Sin Nombre, The Nameless.”

“Si senora. The leader of the Las Almas cartel. The one who buys off the corrupt cops and causes the good ones to disappear.”

“Well, where can we find him?” Soap asks while shifting up in his seat.

“You can’t. No one knows who he is, but he is everywhere. The cartel is hiding Hassan in the village across the river, let's pray he’s still there.”

You approach the outskirts of the town of where Hassan is supposedly hiding. The five of you exit the truck and start prepping. Grabbing your Signal 50, you give it a quick once over. You then carefully check that your pistols are in their holsters, and that your knife is sheathed on your left side. Lastly, you grab as much ammunition as your vest allows you to. Doing one last pat down you ask Alejandro, “Where are they holding Hassan?” 

He points at the white building towards the back of the town, “There.”

Nodding at his answer the company moves out towards the entrance of town. You are huddled off to the side as Alejandro counts down and Ghost opens the gate leading into a seemingly empty town. 

“Civilians?” Soap questions over the radio. 

“Gone. Cartel took over. This place is a hideout now.” 

Quickly arriving at the next gate, you hear the panicked shouts of what could only be members of the cartel. Ghost opens the gate and Alejandro moves in dropping two cartel members before they have the chance to fire. You quickly follow behind and carefully scope the roofs and ledges for any potential threats. 

Two more cartel members rush out from the left corner of a house; with their lack of armor it only takes one of your shots to the chest to drop him, Soap quickly taking the other. Moving to the corner of the house you quickly peer around seeing another cartel member taking shots from behind a half wall. Soap quickly drops him with a head shot. 

“Nice shot Sergeant,” Soap responds with a quick head dip.  

The others must sense that contact has been made as more and more cartel members round the corner, dropping one after another. Moving further in the town, you move house through house clearing room after room. Alejandro orders his men to set off a smoke deploy so all of you can move safely towards the house where Hassan was supposedly being held at. 

Breaching the door you are met with bullets of the Cartel members. After making quick work of them, Alejandro radios that there is no Hassan on the first level. You quickly move to regroup with Soap so the two of you can clear the second floor. Slowly creeping up the stairs, Soap throws a flashbang and you tell him to clear the room while you cover him. Alejandro and Ghost are greeted with the sight of you, Soap, two dead cartel members and more importantly, no Hassan. 

While Ghost, Soap, and Alejandro look around the room looking for hints to where the cartel might have moved Hassan too. You take up a position at the window, moving back and forth keeping an eye on the horizon for any movement. A glare catches your eye and you spot a group of armored vehicles heading to your position. “Guys, I think we have company.” You announce. The three of them move to the window to see exactly what you're seeing. 

“The Mexican army,” Alejandro blatantly states. 

“We got reinforcements,” Soap adds. 

“Negative, remember what I told you about corrupt cops,” Soap nods his head, “that applies to army as well.” Alejandro starts barking orders to his men to fall back. 

“What’re we doing?” Ghost asks as he takes cover behind the wall.

“We're covering my men, once they are clear we fall back.” Alejandro states. That is all it takes for you to drop down by the wall and perch your rifle on the edge of the window sill at an angle, silently tracking the Mexican Army’s movement. 

“You want us to engage the fucking Mexican Army?” Soap deadpans. 

“These troops are paid by the cartel, they are here to help the cartel protect Hassan.” 

“Fucking hell,” you whisper out. 

“Hold your fire,” Alejandro says, “We’ll dig in until my men are clear.” 

You watch as multiple vehicles surround your position, with even more men exiting them. You take notice of their light armor as Alejandro orders to hold your fire until they get closer. You slowly shift yourself to see even more men with riot shields. 

“Weapons free,” Alejandro shouts.

The first few shots crack the window until glass is shattered across the room. Quickly you start picking off the ones without the shields. Taking a moment to reload your rifle, you notice Ghost taking glances in your direction. You shrug them off. 

Alejandro informs everyone that the weak spot in their armor is their helmets. Soap and Ghost start throwing grenades into the oncoming soldiers hoping to take out the ones with riot shields and confuse the others. Quickly taking advantage of the situation, you and the others make quick work of the remaining soldiers. 

“The way is clear, we need to fall back,” Alejandro orders. He quickly leads you out the window of the former safehouse into the backyard that backs up to a mountain valley. Following Alejandro down the hill you continuously take glances back over your shoulder. “We’ll lose them in the mountains.” 

“Army’s right behind us!” Soap informs. 

“Fan out and stay close, we’re going to the bridge!” Alejandro barks. 

“Copy that,” you reply, taking the right sticking close to all the trees and rocks for at least some cover. 

“Army’s on us!” Soap shouts as bullets are rained down upon the company. 

Taking cover you try your best to take out the snipers, “God I hate not having the high-ground,” you say aloud. Soap chuckles from somewhere beside you. Dropping to your stomach you army crawl towards a rock that provides you a clearer vantage point where you are then able to take more accurate shots. 

“We have to move now!” Alejandro shouts as he moves down the trail. 

You hear Ghost over the radio, “We can’t hold off an army. We need extraction.”

“Affirmative, Rodriguez call for extract.” As you move further down the trail the smooth descent shifts into ledges that you are forced to hop down. “Rodriguez what is the status on extract?” 

“Nothing, sir. We lost comms.”

“Puta, lets keep it moving,” Alejandro stops waving you all through a more narrow path, “Hurry, through here. The mountain is blocking the comms.”

“Your man get the call out?” Ghost asks. 

“Lets hope so.” 

“And if they didn’t?”

“God help us.” 

“Contact! RPG.” You hear someone shout. 

“Condor! Take it down now!” Quickly scanning the soldiers you finally get sights on the one holding the RPG, lining up your shot you quickly exhale then fire. 

Bullseye. The man drops to the ground while his fellow soldiers scatter around his body. 

“Lets move it!” Alejandro yells. You all follow him to the narrow ledges that surround the outside of the mountain. “Watch your footing, this part of the mountain is unstable.” You follow Alejandro through the twist and turns of the mountains until you reach what seems like a dead end. 

Apparently you aren’t the only one when Ghost says, “Looks like you lead us to a dead end, mate.”

“We jump from here.” With no time to process what Alejandro just said he jumps. Following his lead, not waiting for the others, you jump right after. Keeping your rifle close to your chest you feel the harsh impact of the skill water, the air leaving your lungs.

Coming to the surface you hear Alejandro asking everyone if they are alright, with a quick “I’ll live,” you begin swimming towards the direction of the bridge. The radio strapped to your chest comes to life with static of the familiar voice of Phillip Graves. 

“Radio is picking up something,” Ghost says. 

“Sounds American,” Alejandro replies. “Just keep swimming, use the rocks as cover, the further out we get the better the signal.”

As the water shallows you are met with more of the Mexican army. Using the rocks for cover, you reload your gun and readjust your scope. Once again you and the Mexican army are playing a deadlier version of peek-a-boo– the one who loses gets a bullet through their skull. 

You encounter and take out more of the Mexican army as you push up-river. The water continues to get shallower until you see the bridge lined with vehicles. “Those aren’t ours!” You shout out as you take cover. “We aren’t going to be able to do shit against that armor,” you snip out. Soaked in a river with nowhere to go was far off from how you wanted this day to go. 

“This is Shadow-one. Engaging the bridge north of your position. Danger close.” 

“Who was that?” Alejandro questions. 

“That’s Commander Graves,” you state, “he’s with them,” nudging your head in the direction of Ghost and Soap. Graves and his Shadows quickly unleash hellfire upon the bridge, you can faintly hear Ghost telling them that their shots are good. You watch as the bridge gives way and the Mexican Army along with it. 

“No enemy movement detected, all clear. It’s good to see you guys.” You hear Graves say. 

With a roll of your eyes you quietly say, “Sure it is.” 

You must’ve not said it as quietly as you thought because Ghost looks back at you as he radios Graves, “Likewise, mate.”

You learn from Graves that there is a possible hit on Hassan only two klicks north. Ghost is quick to commandeer a vehicle and you all file in. The ride there is filled mostly with silence other than everyone’s labored breathing until Ghost speaks up. “Nice shooting back there Condor.” 

A little startled from the random compliment you quickly thank him. 

“Hey Lt., how come you never compliment me?” Soap complains. 

Ghost doesn’t miss a beat, “I will when you give me something to complement Johnny.” The only response Soap gives is a quiet scoff and a shake of his head. 

“If you know Laswell, how come I don’t know you?” Ghost continues his line of questioning from early. 

“I prefer to work alone,” you reply, “it’s as simple as that.” 

“Well how do I know if I can trust you?” Trust. What a stupid five letter word, means so little but yet so much. Trusting people has bitten you in the ass one too many times. Being alone was the only way to ensure your safety, but yet here you are in Mexico surrounded by people you didn’t even know existed until yesterday. 

“Besides me just helping you guys and going against a nation’s army, I don’t know. But, I can say the same for you. Price told me that I could trust you but who knows.” 

Ghost doesn’t say anything to that, instead he tells Graves to be on standby. After a quick agreement Graves and the Shadows will be assisting in the sky. 

You quickly approach the target. Getting out of the truck, the four of you spread out and Soap is quick to mark your position for Graves. 

It hurts to say but with the air support from Graves and the Shadows cornering Hassan was a lot easier than before. Air support’s rounds took most of the heat off of the outside while the four of you cleared the buildings. Graves informed you all that the army’s convoy was only 3 clicks out as you entered the compound. 

“Positive ID on Hassan, he’s moving to the second floor,” Ghost comms. 

You and Soap are quick to go up the stairs after Hassan as he scurries along the roof like the rat he is. Hassan runs into a room on the second, you and Soap continue to follow. Slowly you peer around the door frame and take out Hassan’s armed guard. The man himself is currently unarmed, everyone rushes in barking Hassan to get down. The only words the man can get out is “Who the fuck are you?” 

With exfil only two minutes out, you quickly move Hassan out of the compound towards the rendezvous while the Shadows take care of the Mexican convoy. By the time you make it to the rendezvous Rudy is already there waiting for you. You move Hassan around back and shove him in the trunk, the rest of you file into the car. 

“Shadow-One package is secure, we’re RTB,” You radio to Graves.

A moment of silence passes by before you try again, “Shadow-One do you copy.” 

“Affirmative Condor.” Graves pauses before continuing, “Shepard didn’t say anything about you being stationed out here, so let's just say you surprised me.” 

“I’m sure I did.” You say with a humorless chuckle. 

Waiting for Graves to arrive was easily the most boring part of your day and rightfully so. All you wanted to do was take a shower, stretch, eat something, and feel the sweet release of sleep. 

“Condor,” Alejandro pulls you aside, snapping you out of your blissful daydream, "I want you positioned in the field before we pull Hassan out in case he tries anything stupid. He gets loose or anything you have my permission to shoot, understood?”

“Yes sir,” you respond, grabbing your gear and heading towards the tall grass that you spotted when you first arrived. Laying down on your stomach, you position the butt of your rifle against your right shoulder and press your cheek against, it using your eye to peer through the scope. You follow along with Alejandro's movements as he drags Hassan around.

The meeting unfolds rather quickly and while you can only make out a few words you can tell that Hassan has no plans on telling where the other two missiles are. After a few minutes the bag is placed back over Hassan’s head and he is thrown back into the trunk. You prop yourself up and emerge from the grass and come face to face with the man who left you for dead. 

Graves meets your eyes and for the first time, and even though the two of you spoke earlier his face pales, “Looks like you’ve seen a ghost commander,” you taunt. 

“Yeah one’s over here,” you hear Soap say behind you. While Ghost doesn’t verbally respond, a grunt from Soap means there definitely was a physical one.  

“I wasn’t expecting you,” he gestures around, “well, here of all places.” 

“Yeah, I bet you were expecting me dead.” There’s no need to sugar coat it. Commander Graves, Shadow-one, Shepherd's personal lap dog had left you to die. 

“Condor, come on. You know what happened, you know the truth. You’ll have to trust me when I say it was not my call.” There’s that fucking word again. Trust. 

“Of course Commander, all water under the bridge,” you say with gritted teeth. 

Graves pats you on the back, “Glad to hear it. We better get back to cut Hassan loose. Hopefully Laswell gets what she’s looking for.” He passes by you towards his truck while you make your way over to where Alejandro, Ghost and Soap stand. 

On the drive back to the base after disposing of Hassan, you could tell that everyone is eager to ask a question that plagues their mind. A few more moments of tension filled silence pass before Soap speaks up, “Fine I’ll bite. You and Graves know each other. And he left you for dead, like dead dead.” 

“You have suds in your ears there Soap? Yes, dead dead.” you begin, “I was assigned a mission in cold ass Russia with the rest of the Shadows. I’m out there for several hours, having taken out Russian forces one after another. Finally, the Russians find my location and I am requesting back-up and I am denied. With no other choice I radio in that I am moving and that fuck tells me to stay put to take out the target. So I do, trusting my Commander. The fighting dies down, I am radioing in for extraction and he tells me there is nothing he can do for me at the moment. That he has been ordered to retreat.”

Soap cuts in, “He said there was nothing he could do. He was ordered.” 

“Happened to be complete and utter horse shit. He made the call. And we all know better than anyone that we don’t leave any of our own behind.” You glance over at Ghost who has been staring at you this entire time. You can almost see a glimpse of understanding in his normally cold, empty eyes. You finish off still looking at Ghost, “I don’t trust him.” This seemingly snaps him back into reality and he turns his head to face the back of Alejandro's seat. 

The rest of the journey back to base is quiet, everyone exhausted from a long day of work. Once at a stop you basically fall out of the car, stumbling to a stand. Alejandro and the others wish everyone a good night. You are on your way to the barracks when all of a sudden a rough hand grabs you by the shoulder and pushes you against a truck. A forearm is quickly shoved across your chest keeping you pinned. You don’t even have to look up to know who it is. 

“Ghost, what are you doing?” You asked unphased, finally looking into the eyes of the man who towers you. 

“You say to not trust Graves, but why should I trust you?” He questions, “Supposedly Shepherd doesn’t know anything about you being here and yet you told us Laswell sent you.” 

“Laswell did send me. I don’t know what she tells Shepherd, and I sure as hell don’t know what Shepherd tells Graves. Go ahead and ask Price then if you have reason to doubt me. He was there the entire meeting and it seems that he sure knows you.” 

“Why didn’t Kate send Price instead?” He asks, dropping his arm back down to his side. 

“I asked her the same thing. She said that she had a mission already planned for him and Gaz. You don’t have to believe me Ghost, however I think you should heed my advice and listen.” 

Ghost backs away slowly, “I’ll think about it.” 

“You know Ghost,” you call after the man, “you and I aren’t so different. You don’t trust me, and I don’t trust you.” 

With that you turn from the man and walk away.

The following evening you, Alejandro, Ghost, Soap, and Graves stand on a bridge overlooking a house that resides one of the Las Almas lieutenants. A quick debrief informs you that the members of the cartel are holding a meeting about none other than your little company. You needed to get in there and learn how the cartel was helping Hassan and where those other two missiles were. How? The only plan you could all seemingly agree on which didn’t automatically end in a blood bath was to send someone in as bait. “I’ll do it,” Soap volunteers.

“Are you sure hermano?” Alejandro asks. “The cartel, they don’t play by anyone's rules other than their own.”

“I’m sure. We came here to stop those missiles. I’ll offer up any information they want in exchange for a meeting with El Sin Nombre.” 

“It’s a bold move,” you begin, "ultimately a stupid one, but bold.” 

“Condor and I will take overwatch,” Ghost states, “Graves and the Shadows will circle the target in a helo.”

After preparing Soap for his intel extraction you all move to your positions. Ghost on the south side of the house while you remain on the north. “Ghost, do you copy?”

“Affirmative Condor. Lost sight on Soap. Do you have a visual?”

“Negative. He entered an elevator and there’s been no activity on the other floors. They most likely took him to a basement or cellar.” 

“Copy that. Keep your eyes peeled.”

“Copy that.”

You and Ghost spend the next ten minutes in silence, watching the house looking for any sign of Soap or Alejandro until he speaks up, “How?”

“Come again?”

“You said that we’re not so different, how so?”

“Curiosity killed the cat.” 

Before Ghost can say anything else, Soap comes through on the comms. He confirms that El Sin Nombre is on the third floor penthouse, but in order to get up there he needs a keycard. A keycard that only the drug lord's lieutenant carries.  

“Soap,” you begin, “there is roof access to the second and third floor. However, it's swarming with guards. Or you can get that keycard either way I can pick them off, keep us informed.”

“Going for second floor via roof access.” 

“Use the air conditioning unit to your left to get on the roof, all other access points on the north are blocked.” 

“What about the keycard?” 

“Your call. You could use the trellis to climb onto the third floor.” 

“Trellis it is. Too many bodies surrounding Diego, would catch too much heat to take them out.” 

“Multiple Cartel. Ghost, you and I will have to clear it. Soap, stay low.”

“Copy that Condor.” 

Shifting the butt of your rifle against your shoulder, you line up your first shot. The member closest to Soap. With a pull of the trigger the first cartel member is down in a second. Reloading the chamber, you and Ghost make quick work of the Cartel members in Soap’s path. 

“Amazing precision Condor.” 

“Well I’m not called Condor for nothing.” 

“Why do they call you Condor?” 

“Focus on the task at hand, Sergeant.” You shake your head at Soap even though he can’t see it. 

“Well, you’re no fun.”  

Soap and Alejandro eventually make their way to the penthouse where they engage El Sin Nombre. You can barely make out who is who through the windows of the penthouse. 

“I have no clear visual on any targets in the penthouse, sorry but you boys are on your own.” 

“Copy that Condor. The Shadows and I can handle it,” a familiar voice comes over your walkie. 

El Sin Nombre is quickly taken into custody and brought back to the base for ‘questioning’. You learn that El Sin Nombre, whose real name is Valeria, and Alejandro once served in the military together. Graves didn’t seem to really care for the not so friendly reunion nor why she does what she does. 

You could tell that it really got under his skin when she insisted that he and her were more alike than they think. Your mind immediately goes to what you told Ghost; your eyes shift over to the man only to see that he is already looking back at you. Turning your attention back to Valeria and Graves, he no longer seems to care what she has to say about her profession, instead shifting his questioning towards the missiles. 

“You need me, you won’t find them without my help.” Valeria says, staring directly at Alejandro. She’s trying to get under his skin, and from where you stand you can tell it’s clearly working. 

“No, I’m not going to do this. We can find those missiles without your help.” 

“It doesn’t change anything,” Soap interjects. 

This causes Alejandro to stop in his tracks, only seconds away from storming out the door, “ No, that’s where you're wrong. It changes everything. If you make a deal with her, it won’t end well.” He opens the door but before he leaves he takes one last look at Valeria and says, “You’re a disgrace.” 

A slam resonates throughout the storage container that the so-called ‘interrogation room’ is in and it is quiet for a moment before Graves speaks his list of demands. To which Valeria responds with hers, and like the fool Graves is, he accepts. 

Shepard’s debrief gives the following information: there is an abandoned oil rig 400 nautical miles off the shore of the Gulf of Mexico. 500 meters northeast from said oil rig is an anchored cargo ship. The rig is said to hold a container similar to the one found in Al Mazrah. Splitting into 2 groups, Graves, Soap, Alejandro, and a team of Shadows are to board the rig and disarm the missile. Ghost is to lead an assault team on the cargo ship that is made up of yourself and another team of Shadows. 

The rain felt like needles against your skin as the boat sped across the water. While the storm didn’t provide ideal boating conditions, it works in your favor to conceal you from the enemy. Your boat breaks off towards the cargo ship while boats Alpha and Bravo head towards the rig.

After getting confirmation that both Alpha and Bravo team have made contact the Shadows secure a line to the deck of the boat. Hoisting yourself over the rail, you land as lightly as you can on the deck and crouch towards the nearest container for cover. As everyone else takes their positions, you notice that the rain mixed with the rough waters is enough to cause the shipping containers to slide easily around the deck of the ship. “Keep an eye on those containers. Try not to get crushed by them.” You advise. From the corner of your eye you spot the familiar reddish flame of a flare. “Well shit.”

“Ghost, Condor. They are signaling the ship. They are going to launch that missile.” Soap comms. After hearing more commotion over the radio, it is clear that the controls are not on the rig with the missile but are here on the ship. 

“Ghost we need to clear out as many as we can so Graves can get to that control panel.” You shout over the sound of the rain. Ghost moves from his position, driving forward while you take out some of the shooters on the second and third levels. 

Ghost doesn’t notice that a cartel member is behind him on his six; quickly you take aim and pull the trigger. The cartel member drops forward and this is enough to catch Ghost’s attention as he looks down at the dead cartel member then up at you. The only response you give to his stare is a slight nod. 

You eventually move up on Ghost’s position. “We wait here for Graves and Soap, we’ll draw out the fire and then storm the bridge once they reach our position,” he tells you. 

“Copy that.” 

Graves and Soap finally make it to the shipping container that you and Ghost have been using as cover. “The bridge is where the controls are. Watch for the shipping containers and watch your footing.” You tell the two men. “Oh and Soap, try not to turn into bubbles.”

“Condor, now is not the time.” Graves reprimands. 

With an eye roll, the four of you move out towards the bridge. In hindsight, you should’ve taken your own advice as you lose your footing on the slippery floor. While you don’t fall it causes you to lose your balance and in that time trying to recover you fail to notice the shipping container coming your way. A rough hand on your bicep pulls you forward away from the sliding container. 

Not knowing who pulled you away from basically becoming a squashed bug, you quickly wind up to punch the person who still grips your arm, only to stop when you see the familiar white skull mask staring back at you. 

“Thanks Lieutenant,” you gruff out shaking your arm from his grip. 

“Graves and Soap have made it to the bridge, I’m going in for reinforcements. You stay here and keep the deck clear.”

“Yes sir.” 

Ghost quickly leaves for the bridge. Moments pass and after taking out the occasional cartel member you hear Graves in your ear, “Get ready for a firework show everyone.” You look up into the sky towards the rig only to see the missile launching up then turning back around to target the rig. The missile hits the rig, and you brace yourself against one of the tied down containers. You tuck your head in between your legs and cover the exposed parts with your hands. Debris and ash rains down on you. The heavier, larger pieces seem to stick to where the outside of the rig once was. 

“Condor, you alright down there lass?” 

“Affirmative Soap, just a little banged up. Nothing a good shower and night’s sleep can’t fix.”

If there was one word to describe what you were feeling on the way back to base the word you would use would be tense. Instead of feeling relief of finding another one of those damned missiles all the Shadows seemed on edge. This caused an immediate edge to wash over you. 

Reaching the gates of the base, the truck slowly rolled to a stop, confusing everyone in the truck, yourself included. Stepping out of the truck you weren’t met with the familiar sight of Alejandro’s men, instead the full black outfits of the Shadows. 

On high alert you step around to where Soap and Alejandro stand. “What the fuck is this!” Alejandro shouts gesturing at all the Shadows. 

“This is the future. Now step away from the gate,” Graves says. You take a look around, noticing how all the Shadows are ready for a fight. Taking a quick glance at Ghost on the other side of the truck you can tell he notices the same thing. 

“This is my base,” Alejandro points out. 

“No, this is a sizable covert facility and I admire it, so I’m taking it. Thank you for your service, you have been relieved, go take a nice vacation and don’t worry yourselves about this.” 

“You son of a bitch,” you say aloud. 

“I’m calling Shepard,” Soap interjects. 

“General Shepard sends his regards. He said you wouldn’t take this lightly.” 

“You’re out of line.” You say as you take a step towards Graves, “But I think you know that.”

“No, n-n-no. Don’t do that,” Graves points and waves his finger at the lot of you. “Don’t do that. No one needs to get hurt here.” 

“Is that a threat?” 

“Oh y/n, you weren’t even supposed to be here.” 

“You have no right to call me that,” you say as you take a step forward, but as you do so the Shadows behind Graves. Soap grabs you by the shoulder, stopping you from moving any closer to the man you want to throttle. 

“You’re right I don’t, not after I left you there to die in Russia.” 

“Oh you motherfucker!” But before you can move forward Alejandro steps in front of you. 

“I don’t take orders from you gringo.” 

“Let’s not do this, soldiers. Shepard put me in control of this operation from here on out. So stand down.”

This only pisses off Alejandro more, “Who the fuck do you think you are? My men are inside!” 

“Your men have been… detained.” Graves says with a smirk. 

All hell breaks loose as Alejandro lunges towards Graves but is quickly thrown against the side of the truck and detained. For the Shadows this must be their green light because the one next to you is quick to raise his gun. You quickly elbow the top of the gun down; the dumbass must’ve not been expecting it because it slips from his hand. Your moment of glory is short lived as you are then shoved into the side of a different truck which you head whips against. 

Briefly stunned, the Shadow pulls out his knife and you can only contort your body enough to where it lodges itself in your upper arm. Hearing the commotion around you could only mean that Soap and Ghost were giving the Shadows the same exact trouble you were. 

Using all your strength you push the Shadow off of you and step behind him while twisting his arm around his neck. As you force him to choke himself, you grab your own knife and sink it into his neck repeatedly. 

Shots go off and you use him as a human shield. You can faintly hear Ghost telling you and Johnny, which if you were more in it you could put together that it was Soap, to get out of here. Moving to the cement barriers you drop the Shadow’s body and hop over into the woods that surround the base. 

Quickly weaving in and out of the dense forest you make your way into the city. You briefly  bunker down in an alleyway to remove the knife from your arm. With what minimal supplies you have in your med pack, you quickly disinfect the stab wound and bandage it as tightly as you can. Checking your head and neck you pull your fingers away noting the blood that coats them. A definite head wound and with the stars you’re seeing, a definite concussion. 

Flipping through the channels the only thing you hear is Graves and the Shadows. You continue flipping until you hear, “-in the blind. How copy?”

“Soap?” you question. 

“Condor. Thank Jesus.” 

“Heard from Ghost?” 

“Negative.” 

“Are you alright?”

“Been better. Gunshot wound to the shoulder. How ‘bout you?” 

“Stab wound to the arm, head wound, and definite concussion.” 

“Condor?” A familiar accent asks. 

“And Soap.” Soap scoffs. 

“I’m here,” you pauses as you hear a cluster of footsteps in the distance. You quickly respond to Ghost and Soap telling them that you hear something.” Moving from your seated position you quickly hide behind a dumpster. “I have Shadows trailing me, Condor out.” 

Having lost your rifle in the whole ordeal you are left with only your pistol, your knife, and the knife you pulled out of your arm. Looking around you spot an empty bottle, quickly you pick it up and chuck it in the opposite direction. 

Using the distraction you sneak back around the corner and into a random side shop. Seemingly empty you sneak up the stairs to see if you can get a better look through a window. And what you can see makes you sick. 

The streets of Las Almas are littered with bodies. Death in war wasn’t uncommon, you’ve seen your fair share and participated in far more. But these people weren’t at war with Graves and the Shadows. Graves might have thought that way but these people were just trying to survive. While their means of survival weren’t technically legal or just, who were you to judge? Tuning back into the channel you hear Soap, “Graves and Shadows are on a killing spree.” 

“Sick fucks.” You respond. 

“Condor what is your location?” Ghost asks.

“Second floor of a random shop.” 

“Can you see the Church?” 

“Affirmative.” 

“Rendezvous there. Then we’ll figure a way out of this.”

“I have four very important words. I. Told. You. So.” You’re fuming; if this was a cartoon there would be, without a doubt, plums of smoke coming from your ears. 

“We will discuss Graves’s actions once we are all out of here together, is that understood?” 

“Loud and Clear Lt.” 

“Copy that.” With your response the comms once again become silent. Moving back downstairs you hear someone come through the front door. Glancing from the stairwell you see a Shadow. Slowly you move from the stairwell to behind the kitchen island. You wait for the Shadow to pass you before you grab his legs and drag him to the ground behind the island. Taking your hand you quickly press it against his mouth and with your knife you slice his throat.

You move house through house occasionally checking in with Soap and Ghost. A dozen Shadows later you are only a block away from the Church in what once was a small eatery. With your knife drawn you quickly set about clearing the place. Entrance way, clear. Dining room, clear. As you open the door to the kitchen, an arm wraps around your neck. Quickly you pry your hands in between your neck and the attacker’s arm, then you drop to your knees and muster whatever strength you have left to fling the man over your right shoulder. Moving quickly you straddle the man and prop your knife against his throat before realizing this isn’t any ordinary man, this is Ghost 

“I have two lists Ghost, a short one and a long one. And I strongly recommend that you pick the short one,” you say without lifting the knife. You’re not dumb, if Ghost wanted you dead you would have been flippled over and have bled out by now. 

“What’s the difference?” He seems unphased by the ordeal. 

“One is of people I trust, one isn’t. I have the feeling you know which is which.” You say moving off of him. “Church is only a block away, I say we make a break for it.” 

Before you can continue, Soap’s voice cuts through your earpiece. “I’m in the Coffee shop.” 

“Get me a tea,” Ghost responds. 

“I could use a couple shots of espresso if ya don’t mind.” 

“You two owe me for this.” 

“For what.” 

“We’re fixing each other’s problems.” 

“What’s my problem?” Ghost deadpans. 

“Your mask, take it off.” 

“Show my face.” 

“Yes, sir.” 

“Negative.” 

“Are you ugly?” Soap teases. 

“Quite the opposite.” 

You turn to Ghost, raising an eyebrow before you hop in on the conversation, “Am I interrupting something? Because if so I can give you the room Ghost.” 

“You’re with Ghost?” Soap asks. 

“Affirmative.” 

“So much for no man left behind.” 

“No,” you say. “We’re not leaving you. I know that feeling and it’s not happening on my watch.” 

“That brings me to you.” 

“Me for what?” 

“Your problem.” 

“My problem?” 

“Yeah Condor. Tell us about yourself. We know nothing other than your name.”

You’re silent for a moment, Ghost looks at you and you stare back at him before answering Soap. “Y/n. My name is Y/n L/n. I graduated top of my class and quickly made my name Condor. It isn’t uncommon for us snipes to pick call signs after birds, seeing that we are known for our sharp eyes. However, the Condor is a bird of prey. They are one of the more inquisitive and intelligent birds of prey. To my first team I the perfect embodiment of one, I could stay in my positions for hours, I seemed to figure out everything before them.” You take a long pause breathing in and out but you don’t break eye contact with Ghost. “Until we got ambushed. I failed them. I didn’t see the incoming enemy troops. My one fucking job. Got them all killed, myself captured. After I was rescued I was told it wasn’t my fault. But it seemed that I was being punished for my failure because every team I was assigned to, it ended horrifically. You already know about Graves but there were others. Eventually I took it as a sign and figured I should stay true to my name. Seeing as condors are solidarity birds, I decided to work by myself. It was like that until I met Price and Gaz. They are the only ones I trust other than Laswell.” 

“I’m sorry Condor.” Soap says apologetically, “Even if we don’t know the whole story, I’m sure you weren’t at fault. Survivor’s guilt is a real bitch, right Lt.?” 

At the mention of his rank Ghost snaps out of his trance, “Of course.” 

“Why’d you tell us all that?” Soap asks. 

With a shrug of your shoulders you respond, “You asked, and besides I’m adding you to a very short list.”

“What list?” Soap questions. 

“The list of people I trust.” You look at Ghost and you hope he understands why you did what you did. 

“Soap. Condor and I are only a block away from the Church, hurry your ass up.”

“Yes sir. Soap out.” 

Breaking the heavy silence you ask Ghost, “Shall we get a move on Lieutenant?”  

“Lets go.” 

The two of you somehow run into no trouble on your way to the Church. You make your way in, safely barricading yourselves from the Shadows outside. All the adrenaline seems to be wearing off as the pain in your head becomes stronger. Wincing, you reach up to touch the tender spot. 

“Are you alright?” Ghost asks. 

“Yeah. At the gate with Graves one of the Shadows pushed me against the hinge of the truck door. Bleeding hasn’t stopped.” 

Carefully you watch with surprise as Ghost moves from his position in front of you to behind you. What surprises you more is when he parts your hair to get a better look at the wound, his fingers feel warm on your cold, damp skull. “It’s definitely going to need stitches. Concussion?”

“Think so, vision’s been spotty. Not seeing double, however, been getting those little lights that go in and out of my vision.” There is nothing you can do for your head at the moment instead you and Ghost wait in silence for Soap, every so often scoping the outside of the Church. 

Soap is in the tunnels and is almost at the Church when your vision gets worse. Black dots move in and out as you start to sway side to side. This doesn’t go unnoticed by Ghost who keeps glancing back at you. 

“Soap is making his way through the shops, he’s almost here. We’ll commandeer a vehicle from there.” Ghost says as he takes positions at one of the windows looking for signs of movement. Hearing a shot ring out you assume that a Shadow was close. 

“Condor was that you?” You hear Soap question. 

“Negative Sergeant, concussion has left me out of commission.” 

“Just get to the Church Johnny.”

“Roger that Lt.”

With Ghost’s shot the Shadows finally take notice of the Church, getting up you move from your position you move to the ground floor. “Soap we got company. Lets just say they aren’t coming in for forgiveness.” Ghost radios in to Soap. With that, the barricade you and Ghost had assembled early in the night gives way and multiple shadows move through. You and Ghost move the front steps of the Church. On the other side of the fence you are met with the familiar sight of Soap. 

You hop the fence shortly followed by Ghost, your balance waivers a bit but then you are quickly uprighted by Soap who holds you by both of your shoulders. “You alright there Condor?”

“I’ll be better once we’re out of here.” 

“We need a vehicle,” Ghost shouts, “cover me.” You and Soap follow the man as he weaves throughout the trashed square. The Shadows know that you’re all here and it won’t be long until they move in on your position. 

Finally Soap notices an abandoned pick up truck with the lights still on. Making your way to it you try your best to take out as many Shadows as you can with your pistol, aim slightly off but well enough. 

With you once again squished in the middle of the two men, Ghost starts the truck. Before he can hit the gas bullets hail down on the pick-up. Roughly Soap pushes your shoulder down so that you are bent in half staring at your knees. You feel the pick-up reverse and feel as it collides with two solid objects, Shadows you assume. 

“Can you drive a little smoother?” You turn to ask Ghost who seems hell bent on hitting every object in his path. The only response you earn is a grunt. 

The sun begins to break the darkness and the rain has finally stopped as you pull up to an abandoned barn. “What is this place?” Soap asks. 

You shrug your shoulders as Ghost replies, “Alejandro’s safe house. He gave me the location just after Condor told us about Graves.” 

This halts you to a complete stop, “Wait does that mean I have to take back my I told you so?”

Soap chuckles out, “Oh no, I think that was well deserved.” 

Moving to the window Soap enters first but you quickly tell him not to move as a familiar red laser of a rifle scope trains his way onto his back. Ghost quickly follows by throwing a knife to where the glow originated from. 

“Who’s there?” the voice of Rudy fills the air. 

“Rudy!” You exclaim. “You’re alive.”

“My surprise goes to you as well, it’s good to see you again.”

“Same to you.” You respond. 

“Where were you guys?” 

“On the run.” Ghost says.

“Well Condor and I were on the run, Ghost waited for us.” Soap interjects. 

“Of course, no?” Rudy says. You detect an edge in his voice although you can’t exactly tell why.

“No.” Soap says, you whip your eyes in his direction and tilt your head, surprised by his answers. 

However it’s Ghost’s response which shocks you more, “Yes, all of us are a team. This happened on my watch. And I need your help to fix it.” 

“No one fights alone,” You tell Ghost.

You fill in Rudy to the best of your ability, some questions still remain unanswered. The main one- why Graves turned. 

“As of right now, General Shepherd, Laswell, along with anyone else outside this room is considered a hostile, with the exception of Alejandro.” Ghost declares.

“Laswell?” You question.

“We don’t know her connection with Shepherd, she sent you here without telling him, something is up.” 

“I really hope you aren’t saying you’re considering me a hostile Ghost.” You say putting more distance between you and the man. 

Soap, sensing your tension butts in, “I think what Ghost is trying to say is that we have no contact with Laswell, therefore we have to err on the side of caution and assume that whoever isn’t here is a threat.” Sighing you raise your hands in the air, surrendering to the idea that at the end of all this your list will be a few names shorter. 

The focus shifts from Laswell onto getting Alejandro back. Rudy leads the three of you over to a table that contains a map of the black site prison where Graves is holding Alejandro and his men. The four of you come up with a plan, that for the most part goes over well with you up until it is suggested you stay back at the safehouse.

“Are you fucking kidding me,” you say looking at the three men, “you want to leave me here?” 

“Listen Condor. I mean this in the nicest way possible, you look like shit,” Soap says. You roll your eyes as he continues. “We’ll come back for ya, we’re a team remember?” 

“You also can’t shoot for shit,” Ghost adds, causing you to look at the man. “I saw you trying to take out those Shadows before we got to the pick-up, you missed quite a bit.” 

Your guts tells you to fight this, to not let them leave you alone in the middle of nowhere with no way out. “Fine,” you gruff out. “But if any of you leave me I will find you and I will put a bullet between your eyes,” you point at each man individually. 

As the three of them leave you make your way to where Rudy was when you first entered the safe house. Being high up brings a wave of familiarity and it is warmly welcomed. You replay the past couple of days in your head, going back to when Laswell first told you about this mission. You should have argued more with her and Price, this had taken so much out of you. But at the same time you can’t find yourself to be mad, this is the first time in a long time that you have felt comfortable in the company of people who weren’t Price and Gaz. Figuring that the rescue could take awhile, you position yourself to be as comfortable as you can and shut your eyes.

The sound of multiple trucks is what awakes you. Panicking you quickly adjust the borrowed rifle not willing to go down without a fight. 

“Tweety-bird where ya at?” You hear the unmistakable voice of Price. You pop up from above the rafters and Price is already looking right at you. “Not surprising, come on down.” 

“Tweety-bird, how did I not think of that sooner,” Soap exclaims. 

“Don’t get any ideas there Soap, I’ll break your fingers,” you point at him. Your response causes Soap to rub his fingers. 

“She’s all bark no bite, don’t worry about it Sergeant.” Price reassures Soap with a pat on the back. 

You make your way down to where Price stands accompanied by the rest of the 141 and Los Vaqueros stand. “Good to see you Captain, you as well Gaz,” you give a small smile. “What are you doing here?”

“Came as soon as Laswell told us Shepherd went dark.” 

“Laswell’s still solid, good.” You nod, relieved. 

“Now when I heard that you stayed back, alone, I thought to myself. Who is this and what have they done to Condor?”

“Well Captain let’s just say I added a few.” 

“I see, well it’s good to see you in one piece, could’ve used your skills out there.” 

“Let’s just say my brain is a little like scrambled eggs at the moment.” Pausing you continue, “What happened? Why did Shepherd burn us?” You ask, desperate for the truth.

“It’s a long story,” Price begins pinching the bridge of his nose, “A couple months ago Laswell uncovered information regarding a black bag operation. Shepherd and his Shadows were completing a transaction with allied forces in the Middle East to fend off the Russians. They were ambushed by the Russians, they executed the entire squad and got a hold of the comms. The Russians found out that Shepherd was behind it, so they gave the missiles to Hassan. The entire shipment was an illegal transaction, Shepherd didn’t have any bad intentions but everything was off the books.” You nod following along. Price continues, “He and Graves covered it up, so when Kate learned that Hassan was out here she sent Gaz and I out for a recon where we learned that he was moving the missiles to Mexico. She sent you knowing that you really didn’t care for Shepherd and more importantly you didn’t trust Graves. She kept this a secret from Shepherd until Graves informed him that she had sent you. We all got too close and Shepherd decided he couldn’t let that happen.” 

“Now what?” You ask looking at Price, “Only two of the missiles have been found, we’re still missing the third.” 

“We take back my base,” Alejandro interjects, “we see if Valeria is still alive and if she knows the position of the third missile. If not, we can at least get Graves.” 

“I’m going to be the one to put a bullet in that motherfuckers head.” You point out. “Especially after he admitted to leaving me for dead.” This catches Price’s attention. 

“That bastard admitted it?”

“Yup,” you say, popping the P. 

“It’s settled then, but first lets see if we can get a meeting with the big dog himself.” 

It takes a while, but Prince finally sets up a laptop with a stable enough connection to patch him through to Shepherd. “You hid this, but why?” He asks the General. 

“We all keep secrets Captain.” 

“Why wasn’t I informed?”

“You can consider yourself informed now, John.” 

“Well consider it a day late and a missile short,” Price snaps. 

“Then find it and fix it.”

“Yeah and who the hell fixes you?” You pipe up while walking around to stand behind Price, you lean over his shoulder coming face to face with Shepherd. 

“Watch your tone soldier. I am a patriot protecting my country. I don’t need fixing.” 

“The only thing you’re protecting is your own ass.” You say in a matter of fact tone. 

“No one holds me down with a roll of red tape, it looks like you’ve forgotten what you’re fighting for.” 

“I’m going to find that lap dog of yours General and put him down like the rabid dog he is.” 

“Is that a threat?” 

“No, it’s a fucking promise,” you say walking out of frame. 

“I got my own promise to make as well General, after she finishes him off, I’m coming for you.” Price says then slams the computer shut.  

“Alright,” Alejandro claps his hands together, breaking the silence, “time for a team meeting.” 

You all follow Alejandro into the garage of the safehouse where he calls the attention of all his men. You all crowd the table that has a map of the base. “All right everyone listen up, we’re getting your HQ back,” Price begins, “We are getting your prisoner and killing Commander Graves.” This brings a slight smile to your face. “We are not 141, Los Vaqueros, and Condor on this, we’re a team,” Price pauses as Ghost picks up his duffle bag and spills the contents.

You stare down at the skull masks that litter the table, eyes shifting back up to meet the eyes of Ghost. Without breaking eye contact, Ghost pulls his mask over his head and tosses it onto the table. “Ghost Team,” Price finishes off. However you are too busy paying attention to the man behind the mask to fully register Price. Ghost stares back at you and you receive his silent message, trust. Ghost showing his face was the same as you spilling your guts to him and Soap. Blinking yourself out of your trance, you nod your head at him in a silent thank you. 

“Good to see you again Simon.” Price says breaking the silence. This causes Ghost to finally break your unspoken staring contest and look at Price as he continues with his speech, “If you’re in, take a mask. If not, don’t.” Reaching for a mask, you take the closest one to you and slip it over your head. As you adjust it so it fits comfortably you look around seeing who else has decided to don a mask. You catch one last glance of Ghosts’ uncovered face before it is once more covered. Though this mask covers less than his other one, it’s a shame he wears one at all.

Alejandro reviews the intel, he and his men know their facility better than anyone. He splits you up into two separate ghost teams. Price, Gaz, Alejandro and a pilot are ghost-one, their mission- use the tunnels that run under the base to sneak onto the tarmac and commandeer a helo and secure Valeria. Your team, ghost -two which consist of Ghost, Soap, Rudy, yourself, and Los Vaqueros are to stand by until Price and the pilot fire upon the entry gate. You are then tasked to locate Graves and neutralize him. 

You and the rest of ghost-two are inbound to the gate, Rudy informs you that Graves is most likely held up in the HQ and that it is best to split up. “With Price’s air support the Shadows will be on the run, we use that to find Graves and kill him,” Ghost states, he moves his stare from Rudy to you, “if the opportunity presents itself get Condor to take the shot.” 

“Understood Lieutenant. All Ghosts stand by.” 

Soap takes the designator and starts to mark the targets for Price, the van you occupy slows to a stop at the gate. Still not at 100%, Soap takes charge of using the spotter scope only to inform you that he sees multiple Shadows moving in. 

Price moves in and takes out the entire front gate while Soap polishes off the few straggling Shadows, your driver quickly takes off into the now opened gates and comes to a stop at the entrance. The four of you rush out of the van and make contact with the Shadows. Building through building you move while Soap marks targets for Price to hit. 

With the help of Price and the helo you all make quick work of the Shadows on the outskirts of the base. While you aren’t at your best, you still make decent work of the Shadows, this time you have a team to pick up your slack.  

After a while you eventually make it to the locked doors of the HQ. Knowing Graves he wasn’t the type of man to leave the front doors wide open so you could storm in. You dig around in your pack for your little surprise, “Breacher Charges,” you say with a grin although no one can see it. You hook them up to the door and hand Rudy the denotator. “Figured it’s your base, you should be the one to do the honors.”

“Clear to engage all threats. If you see Graves, drop him.” Ghost says looking at Soap. 

“With pleasure Lieutenant.” You say as you take your position besides Rudy. Shifting your body, you hear Rudy countdown and feel the heat of the explosion. Waiting a second for the dust to settle you all move in. You catch movement on the second floor, “Eyes on Graves, he’s on the move.” You tell your team before shouting out, “I’m coming for you Graves!” 

Rushing up the flight of stairs you order for Soap and Rudy to cover you, you take out the Shadows that have barricaded themselves in a conference room. When their fire becomes too much you plaster yourself against a pillar. 

Rudy shouts over the gunfire, “Graves. He’s getting away.” 

“He won’t get far,” you say reloading your rifle, “He’ll dig in somewhere.” 

Over your ear piece you hear Price, “All units be advised Graves went over the wall.” You look out the window of the control room that you have entered only a moment before to see the wall in question. However, you can only focus on the helo that Price was in as it gets hit and spirals out of control. Before you can stop yourself you are yelling over the comms for Price. 

Your team rushes out towards the wall and towards where the helo went down. Rudy and Soap already sit upon the wall while you and Ghost stand at the base. “You guys coming?” Soap asks.

You look at Ghost before glancing back up at Soap and Rudy. Unable to make up your mind fast enough, Ghost speaks up, “Go get Graves, I can take care of Price and the pilot myself. Finish this Condor.” 

You nod at his response. "Help me up,” waving Ghost closer to the wall. He sets his gun down and interlocks his hands. You step up on his hands as he pushes you up towards Soap and Rudy’s awaiting hands. However, too much force was exerted from each party causing you to fall off the side of the wall and land on the hard, unforgiving ground. 

“Condor you alright down there?” Soap asks. 

The pain that you have experienced in your head from the past day and a half was nothing to what you were feeling now. Hands fly to both sides as you cradle your head. Moving to your knees, nausea washes through you and you empty whatever was in your stomach into a nearby bush. “Yeah, I’ll survive, definitely didn’t make the concussion any better.” you say waving them off.

“She’s alright Lt.” You hear Soap relay to the man on the other side of the wall. Soap and Rudy are fast to follow you in a more graceful manner. Soap helps you to your feet, but the sudden movement causes the world to spin even more. You hold both your hands out in front of you in order to steady yourself. 

“That’s not ours!” Rudy shouts as a tank approaches your position.

Moving out of the way, you aren’t exactly surprised that Graves has managed to find himself a tank to drive around in. Speaking of the devil you hear Graves’ voice throughout the training yard, “Looks like the hunters have become the hunted. Isn’t that a kick in the ass?” 

“We’ll need something stronger to take out Graves,” you tell the two men. “This is a training yard right?” Rudy nods at you. “There has to be something around here, look for explosives. We each break off, Graves may be in a tank but he can’t chase all three of us at the same time.” 

“Are you sure you’ll be alright,” Soap asks, concern lacing his features. 

“Don’t worry about me Sergeant, I’ve been through worse, just take out Graves.”

With the three of you each on your own it is harder for Graves and his stupid tank. Moving wall from wall you keep your eyes peeled for any crates that may contain any C-4. “Oh little birdie, where are you?” Graves taunts as you plant a few things of C-4 in his path. 

“Now where’s the fun in that Graves?” 

“You know you and your friends really messed things up.” 

“Well how about you come out of that tank and we have a heart to heart conversation about it?”

“Do you think this is a fucking game? We are in a war and it seems that you simply don’t understand.”

“Graves? Do you know what they say about men who drive tanks?”

“I’m going to kill you.”

“You haven’t been able to succeed the first two times, what makes you think you’ll succeed on the third?” You know you struck a nerve when you don’t hear a reply. You see Soap on the second floor of some random training building chucking C-4 at the tank. He gets one good shot right in front of the tanks tracks which results in an explosion. You rush to where Soap and Rudy stand, watching the tank with guns raised. The top of the tank opens to reveal a bloody, broken Graves. You motion of the two men to hold their fire. 

You walk up to where Graves struggles from out of the tank. Ignoring the burning metal you pull the man to the ground as you unholster your pistol. “I told you I was going to kill you,” you say, staring at the man, “I want to be the last thing you see before you die.” You rip the skull mask of your head and continue, “You’re a failure Graves, and I am the living proof. I’ll see you in hell you bitch.” You push the head of your pistol into his forehead and pull the trigger, ending his life. 

“You did it,” Soap says as a matter of fact. 

“No we did it, as a team,” you say with a weak smile. 

“I can’t believe we brought guns to a tank fight,” Rudy says with a chuckle. 

Soap radios in to Ghost informing him that Graves has been killed in action. 

“What about Price?” You ask. 

“He’s alright, lost a good cigar in the crash.” Ghost informs you.

“Tell him I’ll buy him a new one.” 

During your short conversation, Rudy speaks with Alejandro informing him of your success and that you are on your way to him and Gaz. 

Valeria looks surprised to see you all alive but is quick to begin a spat with Alejandro. The two of them bicker back and forth before Price cuts in, “You knew there were 3 missiles, where is the third one and where is Hassan?” 

“I didn’t count them, I have people for that,” Valeria states as it is the most obvious thing in the room. 

“Where is the missile and Hassan?” Ghost demands, looking back over towards the man you see that he is back to his regular skull mask. 

“Chicago. I said I’d tell you where he and his missiles were, not that I’d stop him.”

“See, I told you that this would happen.” Alejandro tells you. 

“I have a business to run gentlemen, I must grow or I will die. Now get the fuck out of Las Almas and don’t ever come back.” 

Price looks at Alejandro before saying, “She’s all yours for now,” his eyes move back down to where Valeria sits, “but hear me when I say we’ll be back.”

You and Price are last to leave the room as he calls for Soap to prep a transport and to get Laswell. “We’ll get you medical on the way to Chicago.” 

“What?” you say. 

“Geez kid, how many times did you hit your head? I said we’re going to get you medical on the way to Chicago.”

“No I heard you sir, but why am I going to Chicago?” 

“To help take down Hassan and that missile, why else? Come on, lets get a move on.” 

Alejandro thanks you personally and you tell him he’s made a very exclusive list which leaves him confused; you only offer a wave and a smile before you load onto the transport. You are then ushered to a seat where a medic checks you over as you wait for the rest of the 141 to board. The medic flushes and disinfects the gash on the back of your head, stitching it up before going through basic concussion procedure and deems you unfit for combat. 

“What do you mean she isn’t fit?” Price argues with the medic. 

“Price I have been bashed in the head two separate times in the past 36 hours, I think that’s enough to warrant caution.” 

“Well do you feel fit for combat?”

“Price, I can barely hit a headshot at the moment.”

“You said barely, not that you couldn’t. I won’t force you but if you think that you could be any help in Chicago please don’t bail.” 

“Let’s see if Laswell agrees and if she gives the okay then I’ll do it.” 

Soap finally gets a connection to Laswell and you all inform her of what the past few days have entailed. In response, she fills you in on what Hassan has been up to, that the missile along with Hassan and his men have been smuggled through a port on Lake Michigan. While no one knows the location of the missile or what its target is, Laswell knows that Hassan was taken to a building in downtown Chicago that is owned by a shell company of the Las Almas cartel. Laswell has the local police blocking off the streets surrounding the building. All the local police know is they are looking for a stolen shipping container, not a missile. 

“We believe Hassan is held up in a server room on the 54th floor, I will be on the ground working to locate the missile. Before I give you your assignments I was told that Condor hasn’t been cleared for combat.” 

“Yes ma’am that’s correct.” 

“I shouldn’t even be considering this but if you feel you are able to aid on this mission I will give you the green light.” 

“I’ll be alright Laswell.” 

“Look at you being a team player, it’s settled then. Ghost and Condor will be armed overwatch and will be stationed across from the objective. Gaz will infiltrate with the Marines via the Chicago river. Price and Soap will take one helo and touch down on the target building, another helo doing the same with a troop of Marines. I will be working with the police on the main level. Gaz and the Marines will push up the building while Price, Soap, and the Marines work their way down. Soap will be repelling to the server floor, hopefully pinching Hassan right in the middle. Main objective is to find and disarm the missile, however you have execute authority to kill Hassan, any questions?” No one dares to move, “Alright then, you have your assignments. Lets wrap this up.” 

The helo rider to the building was silent, but you didn’t expect anything else from the man sitting next to you. Instead you take in the Chicago skyline admiring its beauty. 

The helo finally drops you and Ghost off at your building across from the target. Prices’ voice fills your ear, “Ghost, Condor. We’re all set. Are you in position.” 

“Affirmative,” you respond, “we are eyes on, Ghost is flashing now, I repeat Ghost is flashing now.” You say as Ghost pulls out his light and flashes to Price and Soap.

“Copy visual,” you hear Soap say, “Lt., what you got?”

“Civilians.” 

“Hostages,” you correct him, “Hassan’s buying time.”

“Reposition if you need Johnny, two x-rays below,” Ghost starts as Soap begins his descent, “you are clear to engage.” 

You watch through your scope as Soap climbs down the building, you and Ghost instructing him on which floors he needs to be careful of and where there are hostages. Soap drops target after target and makes it safely to the server floor. Soap and Price breach the server room when Laswell informs them that the missile has been activated. 

Losing visual on both Price and Soap, there is nothing else you can do other than scope out the remaining floors and wait. With no active updates from any of the teams you mutter to yourself, “A lot of people are going to owe me a lot of drinks when this is over.” 

“Say that again, Condor?” Shit, with how silent this man is you forgot for just a second he was here. 

“I said that a lot of people are going to owe me a lot of drinks. Gaz, Price, and Laswell specifically.” 

“You didn’t have to come, you could’ve used your concussion as an out.” 

“Do I look like someone who would take an out?” You ask but you don’t wait for his reply. “No, I follow through on everything I do. I didn’t want to go to Mexico but here I am sitting on a rooftop in Chicago with your spooky ass.” 

Your concussion might be worse than you thought because you swear you hear Ghost chuckle, “Did you just laugh, Lieutenant?” 

Instead of answering you, Ghost asks his own question, “How many drinks do I owe you?”

“One,” you answer in a heartbeat.

“Just one?” 

“Yeah, you did try to choke me out at that eatery in Las Almas so I figured you kind of owe me one.” 

“Oh,” Ghost says quietly. 

“However, I recommend you use it wisely. I am a lightweight and I have a feeling Price, Gaz, and Laswell will buy me all three at once so they can get rid of me faster. And I have been told one drink me is far more entertaining than three drink me.”

“I’ll keep it in mind, how about Soap?” 

“That man owes me at least two, maybe three after tonight, and I’ll be sending my bill to Alejandro and Rudy because those two combined owe me at least six.” 

“You were right,” Ghost speaks out into the open air. 

“About what?” 

“About us not being so different.”

You don’t respond to it and you feel as if you don’t need to. You spoke your history, your identity as an olive branch to the two men who you were on the run with, and in exchange Ghost showed you a part of himself that, judging by Price’s reaction, many people don’t get to see. They always say eyes are the windows to the soul, and when looking into the eyes of Ghost you can briefly see a man who has experienced the same things you have. 

Before you can get lost in deeper thought, Gaz breaks through the comms saying that Price has been W.I.A, but Soap has made contact with Hassan who happens to hold the missile’s control pad. 

“Missile has been destroyed,” you sigh in relief at Lasswell's voice, “but we’ve lost contact with Soap. We can only assume that he has been captured by Hassan. Watch those windows you two and take Hassan out.” 

Rubbing your eyes, you try to clear your vision as best as you can. So far there is no movement and no sign of Soap through the windows. Seconds pass and from the corner of your eye, you see the back of a man who appears to be dragging an unconscious Soap behind him.

Whistling you get Ghost’s attention, you quickly motion to the 52nd floor where Hassan and Soap reside. Soap briefly comms in asking the two of you to watch the window. Ghost moves to next to your position and lines up his rifle. 

You watch as Hassan uses a charge to blow the window out and picks Soap up by his tactical vest. Hassan drags Soap towards the window but before he has the chance to move any closer you pull the trigger. 

Hassan’s skull explodes and his body drops to the floor, Soap falling to his knees next to him. You radio in, “You alright there Sergeant?” 

“I think I owe you a drink Lt.” 

“Not me, you owe Condor one, or as she tells me three.” 

“You let the sniper with a concussion take the shot?”

“Hey that sniper just saved your life, and besides that was the clearest shot I’ve had during this entire fiasco.” 

“Let’s go home.”

“You could say that again.”

The official report was that it was a power surge and some “severe wind” bullshit that caused all those explosions downtown. How people believed this, you haven’t the slightest clue. And frankly you didn’t care if they believed it or not. 

You sit with Laswell and Price in some random downtown bar watching the news coverage unfold with their respective owed drinks in front of you, “I will say that is some creative writing.” 

“It’s all CIA shit,” Price mutters. 

“I just can’t wrap my head around all of it,” you say. 

“Well, that’s probably the concussions.” 

“You know you should be nicer to me, especially since you want me to join that task force of yours.”

“You’d be a great asset Y/n,” Laswell joins in. 

“Remember, I work alone.” 

“What just happened proves otherwise.” 

“Just because I happen to trust them doesn’t mean I’m ready to be on a task force again,” you down your second drink and turn to look at Price, “John Price don’t you dare give me puppy eyes because I will punch you. Besides, you didn’t let me finish. While I won’t join your task force, I will offer my service when you need it. This does not mean for every mission. I get the final say in whether I go or not. You are not allowed to pull me out of any current mission or recon. These are my terms.” 

Price and Laswell just stare at you as if you have grown another head. Price is quick to regain himself as he sticks out his hand, “It seems we have a deal.” 

“It seems we do.” You smile, shaking his hand. 

“Well in that case, are you ready to hear our next mission?” 

“Lay it on me Captain.”

two can be as bad as one- coming soon

#simon riley #simon ghost riley #simon riley x reader #simon ghost riley x reader #simon riley imagine #simon ghost riley imagine #cod:mw #ghost x reader #ghost x fem!reader #one is the loneliest number

[katzkinder]

Misdirection

Doing some rereading to get back into the swing of things, and the chapter I happened to start with immediately gave me some very interesting, juicy pieces

From Volume 8, chapter 38, "The Method Called Me"

This sequence of panels caught my attention immediately because initially my first reaction was to go "Lily you FUCKING liar" (understandable lel)

But then Mahiru's portion happened on the next page and I realized that Lily never actually said what question Tsubaki asked him. Mahiru merely assumes he knows what it was, and through him, we readers are ALSO certain that the question Lily was asked was, of course, the same one posed to him and Kuro.

And then immediately after this, while Misono is wracking his brain about how it should have been impossible for Tsubaki to make the journey from between the Alicein grounds and the hotel in such a short period of time, Tetsu interrupts his thoughts to ask Tsubaki "Do you know what happened to Hugh?"

And, well

Tsubaki misleads him. Never does he actually SAY that that is Hugh, as other characters later realize when the trick is revealed. A trick which is very similar, in practice, to the one Belkia used to get Hugh away from them in the first place. I'm going to place the whole next page, both because I find the effects given to the page, what with its smoke and obscuring scribbles (the attention here is flawless btw. Reading back over this scene it's riddled with such clear visual clues that the whole conversation is cluttered and obscured with tricks befitting Tsubaki's animal form, a kitsune, and that we the readers should have been more wary)

The other reason I'm sharing the whole page is because L M A O Strike is the funniest person on earth y'all, they must have been giggling and heehee'ing SO MUCH when putting this scene together. I would not have the patience to hold off on revealing the joke for as long as they did god bless. The joke, of course, being that Hugh and Tetsu's relationship is one built entirely on lies.

The way Tsubaki directs the conversation is also pretty masterful, as every doubt Misono raises is quickly dealt with, reassuring the readers that every seeming mystery we're being presented with has an adequate explanation at hand. Tsubaki himself being an illusion as well is just icing on the cake.

My god though, this panel of the fox obscuring Misono's vision is just mEAN knowing what we do now.

Anyway, back to what I said before, about how Tsubaki uses words in a similar way to how a magician misleads an audience to perform a vanishing act. If you've ever seen someone perform sleight of hand or seen a stage show, you'll know immediately what I'm talking about. Magicians make use of misdirection and lies of omission, of making you focus elsewhere or not telling you the whole truth, in order to perform their tricks. When an audience is hyped up with excitement and eager to watch the magician perform, they will easily follow commands, hoping to catch the moment of the "trick," or else follow along with how the magician is moving without meaning to. In a similar fashion, Tsubaki leads the conversation, not allowing the other characters to think too deeply about things in a situation that is already extremely high tension, given that he has hold of Lawless's Item.

Which brings me to the final page, and something that if not an outright lie, potentially paints a sobering picture of how Tsubaki's views himself

If the only "person" who can create a Servamp is Germaine, and Tsubaki intends to revive him, then either Germaine will not be brought back as a Servamp, or...

Tsubaki doesn't see himself as a "person".

This view of his seems to be further reinforced with how he speaks in volume 15, chapter 87, "If you are going to leave me behind"

When he speaks of Servamps and their distance limit, he predicates his words with "To the instruments in this world, to the systems" and speaks of how he believes the distance limit is a prayer to never be apart again. Earlier in the chapter, he also claims that he believes his purpose for existing, the reason he was created, is to make Kuro "complete."

He wasn't born for himself, but for the sake of another.

Doesn't that just... Sound too sad?

#servamp #kat's katerwauling #servamp tsubaki #WHOOO FELT GOOD TO DO THIS PROPERLY AGAIN

[soulman133]

So the other night i watched BB and BB2K back to back and my thoughts just keep going back to Elwood and his journey kind of throughout everything…i don’t know, i might be projecting, but, i don’t know, i’ve just been Thinking. And getting sad.

Like it’s no secret that Jake was the extroverted one and Elwood mostly just kept to himself apart from his brother. There’s snapshots of this in BB: Private, but we also see it in BB, how Elwood lost touch with the rest of the guys in the band, the most he has is “the last known address of Tom ‘Bones’ Malone and blue Lou Marini,” and literally nothing else. What did Elwood do without him when he’s in prison? Did he try to keep things going with the band? If he did, it’s obviously not worked. In contrast, it would be very different if it had been Elwood in prison for three years and Jake on the outside, the band probably would have stayed together. Because Jake, outgoing and charismatic Jake, is the glue that holds these relationships together.

But! Even apart from the band, the two brothers have such a tight bond, they did their whole lives. Case in point: that line in BB: Private, that when Elwood is afraid, he runs to his brother. Jake being in prison for those three years must have been so hard on Elwood. The smile he has when he sees his brother out and free is disguised by his sunglasses, but under those shades is a true smile! If you zoom in, you can see the happiness and relief on his face! Obviously they’re a dynamic duo with their musical skills and comedy, but these two are true brothers, they’re there for each other, they always have the other one’s back. And okay, i might be projecting here, but also, i can’t help but see the way that Jake brings Elwood out of his shell. He always has. And to have that kind of bond with your brother, whether biological or blood brother? Growing up together, always there for each other, continuing that bond as adults, there is just Nothing like it. And being that introverted, very quiet, very autistic person, but your brother was always your best friend and your own personal hype man, he’s been the one you can run to, he helps you to be able to get out of that shell, well, how do you cope when he’s gone for three years? And how do you cope when he’s *gone* gone?

#i dont know just some random bb ramblings #elwood and i are just gonna go sit down and be sad about our brothers together

[tiptapricot]

Moon Knight City of the Dead Issue 1… why…?

So. New MK side run has begun, the hyped up full on debut of Layla/new Scarlet Scarab in the comics, with a premise that most writers would twist into an epic and breathtaking journey.

We don’t get that here.

And I have a lot of thoughts on why and how I feel so frustrated with what we got. There’s pieces of something awesome, potential to go to some really fascinating places, and yet it is held back in almost every aspect, creating something messy and clunky that makes me mad to read.

(This is long btw)

First off though, some things I did enjoy!

I really love the art and coloring of this issue. The anatomy and movement and shadows, the stylization of character’s faces and costumes, the sprawling city with its deep reds and blues that feel saturated and weighty. It’s great. Besides a few moments that it comes out of left field with some bad stuff (Layla’s whole face at the end or the MK mask w teeth during the memory slideshow like whaTtt is that), it’s super solid and made for a very enjoyable looking comic.

It was also really fun to see Badr for a little. I think it would’ve been cool to get more, and the pacing of things as I’ll get to later sapped his importance in the story for me some, making him feel more like a prop or a plot device to get it going, but overall it was lovely to see him again. And it was cool to see him being a doctor as well, as we haven’t seen that as recently in MacKay! Always a joy my dear sir please come back soon.

The story in concept. Going to the underworld, detaching a headmate supernaturally to journey to a different plane of reality to save one life, and meeting a dead ally along the way is fascinating stuff, an idea that inspires me to want to explore it myself.

Because (and now it’s time to get into the stuff I didn’t like) the writing doesn’t do this idea justice at all.

This is not the worst MK comic ever rn, not their worst writing. It’s not as violently ableist or antisemitic as things like Bemis or making a joke out of MK like some others, but it’s just stupid, and what it glosses over or gets wrong is weird and uncomfortable and harmful in its own right.

To start this isn’t my Marc. His guilt is not one of punishment for penance, of believing he’s sinned and needs to be washed clean by pain. He is a man stuck in bad coping mechanisms and trying to pretend he’s not. He’s a man who hates himself and uses violence as what I would describe as a form of self harm. But it is not with the goal of erasing his past.

Yes, he runs from the person of Marc Spector, he runs from the idea and the responsibility, but Marc doesn’t try to forget. He holds onto things with a vice grip and never lets himself drop it. He believes in his own mythos and is grappling with his complicated and traumatized history to remember he can love and care and trust people again, that the work of making his life better is not solely on his shoulders. That’s what MacKay’s been dealing with.

MacKay Marc is guilty and self flagellating but in a way he tries not to think about, that he brushes over. He puts on an air of confident collectedness and has more hate for Marc as a concept then specifically his actions, and he’s still able to move forward and find a type of momentum and bravado in the MK suit.

Or in simpler terms: yes Marc has guilt. He does not have this kind of guilt.

The first few pages read so strangely, just this over dramatic spiel that feels more like daredevil than moon knight, like a rehashed dramatic intro to a moody sad 90s comic. And not in a good way. It’s not deep it’s just annoying and tedious and the prose is clunky and again, extremely off in its vibes and message. I think it could’ve been alright, if some of the talk of his guilt had been shifted and the narration hadn’t continued constantly throughout the rest of the issue (which I’ll get to later), but as is in its full context it’s just… weird.

In addition to the weird guilt vibes, there’s further issues with the Khonshu religiosity in this.

Khonshu isn’t something Marc worships, he’s something he uses for his own means. He’ll call on him or talk about being the priest of the mission, but that’s because Khonshu doesn’t have oversight, he’s a tool and form of direction and theming, and at the story’s core Marc is the priest for his mission, not this god’s.

At points in this issue he genuinely sounds dedicated though, and it shifts the flavor of earlier pieces more in line with his usual monologuing to seeming more like strange spiritual devotion. Especially calling Khonshu the greatest of great gods, or saying that him being in the underworld is Khonshu’s mission. It changes his actions from that of Marc to that of a real Khonshu follower and its…. Just weird. It’s all just weird and very ooc.

On top of that, there’s no mention or interrogation or even presence of discussing Judaism alongside all of this. I’m not Jewish myself but have had multiple convos around the topic w those who are n who have made their own posts discussing it and can add on more nuance n info to this should they like (bc more thoughts for discussion are always awesome), but just on a surface level it’s strange. It’s strange to have a plot revolving around going to another belief system’s afterlife and not at all bringing up how it clashes or relates to Jewish beliefs. Yes Marc isn’t really actively practicing anymore but I’d hazard Jake probably is, and Marc has still talked about his connection to his faith and how it’s impacted his time as moon knight and serving Khonshu.

The text treats the Egyptian pantheon belief system as the True and Accepted default here, with Marc not even discussing anything about going to an afterlife he doesn’t belong in (and shouldn’t even have) as a Jewish man, or even thinking about how Badr discussing Ka conflicts with Jewish beliefs on the soul and how Neshamah differ.

And yes, Marc works regularly with the very real Egyptian pantheon and mystical systems but it’s in a different way, and under a different context and understanding by readers of his acceptance of it.

A whole other layer of depth, conflict, and exploration could’ve been added by really digging into the theological implications of this plot, of a Jewish soul in the Egyptian afterlife, and yet it’s not brought up at all, not referenced or mentioned and it makes it all feel weirdly out of place, or like stuff is being glossed over.

That, on top of Jake and Steven (not to mention the entire rest of the main mission cast) being completely absent in mention, consultation, presence, or anything just feeds into this strange sense of Pepose wanting Marc to be the idea he has of him in his head, this guilty, sad, and violent merc serving a moon god with not a ton else. And yes again those are all aspects of Marc, but there is nuance to each of those aspects and treating him as a singlet with no thoughts on the conflicts in faith of his present is… just weird.

I don’t know if he’ll be treated as a singlet the whole run, but the fact that the body’s soul being sent into the afterlife has not already brought in any system conflict at all is an issue. Is it their collective soul? Is it just Marc’s? How does this comic understand alter soul distinction? Has it thought about it at all? I mean the answer is no but the thing is it should’ve.

That’s where so many of my issues with this come from though: choices just being… not good. Not thought out or in line with the characters and world. The writing is off and out of place and gOD THE CONSTANT NARRATION IS GRATING!!

I don’t know why it was chosen for Marc to novel write his thoughts and observations the whole issue but it’s bad. It goes past introducing plots or observations that can’t be shown in text to either:

1. Filling space that doesn’t need to be filled

2. Restating what has just been said or shown in a panel (“we have the power of the four horsemen” “wow they just got the power of the four horsemen”)

3. At worst, telling us stuff that was not indicated at all by anything else (“oh I know something is wrong here even though I have not been given enough reason to pique that suspicion” “oh I reunite with Layla and hold her and take her in but haha you don’t see that ig”)

It’s annoying and makes reading things difficult because he’s blabbering on the whole time in places he DOESNT NEED TO!! And it makes the action and emotional movement feel awkward and forced. I don’t need to know every second of Marc’s thoughts Pepose I can parse out things with my eyes I promise you that. Also can he stop talking about penance for TWO SECONDS!!!

The worst part is narration works when done well! When it highlights things that can’t be shown in art or gives some bits of exploration into feelings or exposition, but we don’t need it in every panel. It actually confused some parts of where to look for me by telling me what was about to happen before it did. Stop being like “I thought it was over but—“ JUST LET US SEE ITS NOT OVER!!

Another moment (similar ish to the start) where the narration would’ve worked for me (if it was not surrounded by just more constant narrating monologue) is when Marc first arrives in the Duat. The prose is pretty, it’s vibrant, it describes things the audience wouldn’t be able to pick up from static pictures and helps to set the scene. The only issue is that it doesn’t stand on its own, it’s not an interjection of observations and thoughts, it’s another entry in the never ending cycle of Marc just talking. And it loses some of its luster because of that.

There’s also just a handful of pieces of either dialogue or thoughts that (in the context of Steven and Jake being absent at the moment despite not being absent at the point in time this should be taking place) make me feel very uncomfortable with Pepose’s vibes on their mental health. Some lines that rubbed me the wrong way in context include “The rage fills within me—and suddenly I have a plan. That said, it would help if my plan wasn’t dangerously insane.” “You know me Badr, mental discipline is my middle name.” And a few similar ones I don’t want to reread again for.

They’re just unnecessary man. We don’t need vaguely or directly ableist vibes in words with MK anymore. It works if it feels like it’s coming from Marc’s internalized ableism IE when he was talking about being called crazy during the discussion with Steven and Jake and Jake called him out for it, but when it’s obvious it’s just how the author sees things it sucks!

Stop using insane, stop using crazy, stop being like “oh I’m so good at keeping myself in check,” WE DONT NEED IT!! ALSO THEY R AT A GENERAL POINT OF SYSTEM COMMUNICATION N HARMONY RN!!

Which also just… man this feels like it’s trying to introduce MK instead of continuing an already established and well under way arc. Yea, this isn’t MacKay writing it, but it’s still in the continuity and set up for his run and like… sorry not sorry but I think you should take that context into account if you’re going to be working within it???

Instead the story props itself up by trying to introduce everything at once and Marc feels like he’s starting from the bottom of development.

And speaking of introducing everything at once! Oh boy the pacing!

No one besides Badr is consulted before Marc goes into the Duat, Badr just. Sends him there. There’s no real build up for why there’s a need go that far, for what the threat is or why Marc would go to these lengths so suddenly. Like yeah I know he wants to save a kid who’s a traveler of the night, but like… Others have died or almost died on his watch and he’s never gone to this point before, even though it seems like it’s always something they’ve had as an option. Like… ok ig if Soldier hadn’t been vamped he would just be dead lmao (though also hey! Why and how do souls end up in this afterlife? Do they have to believe in the gods? Do they have to be in some way tied to the pantheon? Is it just where souls go if they’re near moon knight lmaO? If you want to have your afterlife plot you have to do the worldbuilding for it)

And while yes, a lot of this is because This Plot Wasnt Thought Up During Earlier Parts Of Mackay, it also isn’t introduced in a way that feels natural or makes sense.

Events just Happen. Mysteries or drives are just Said without a good basis for why they’re there. Again, this cult was talked about as just kinda a sadistic gang but then they’re a big deal? And oh the kid is dying and oh he’s worth going to the afterlife for and OH WERE JUST HERE NOW and “oh there’s a conspiracy I’ve decided with no real evidence” and HEY FOUND THE GUY and—Suddenly a whole lot of what is happening. God heart full on cult horsemen of the apocalypse memory flashback and BOMBS NOW APPARENTLY and LAYLA and MK BIG PAST BADDIES BOSS FIGHT INCOMING!!

Like ohhhh my god stuff is so rushed and happens so inorganically and with no time to really understand what’s happening. It’s a type of story where my suspension of disbelief isn’t there and it fully just feels like seeing the writer trying to get to the end goal of what they want to write about (moon knight fighting old villains) as quickly as possible. And it SUCKS! Like this genuinely should’ve been more than one issue, there should’ve been at least sOme more build up to gEtting to the city of the dead in the first place, no matter additionally uncovering a plot of some sort happening and Layla turning up.

It’s just…. It’s so rushed and strange and forced and it didn’t have to be and IT MAKES ME MAD IT IS and it’s just not enjoyable to read. It all feels so shallow and stilted and weird, all while having this underlying idea with so much weight, some generally gorgeous art, some moments that could’ve been really awesome, and last but not least…. Literally a good reference to doing a Duat plot well.

This whole mini run is for MCU synergy, bringing Layla in, exploring the Duat and it’s lore, and again yes, the run isn’t done, but it just…. Compared to the MCU plot for the Duat this feels so…. GraaggHhggh. Especially when it comes to system interaction and exploring different painful memories that effect headmates in different ways.

It’s just. It was an extremely frustrating read from both a technical writing standpoint and a character exploration standpoint, and it worries me and doesn’t excite me at all for future issues. Like we’ll sEe but goddamn this is not a good start no matter how it plays out and it doesn’t give me confidence if it turns out I have to read several more issues of this kind of stuff.

Petty nitpicks speed run because there wasn’t enough enjoyable padding for them to not stand out!

I don’t know if Pepose could’ve specified or not but Marc’s not drinking vodka in the opening scene, it looks more like whiskey or something similar by the bottle, again nailing home how strangely off this Marc is from the Marc he’s meant to be with how Mackay has built him up.

Why do they use Duat and City of the Dead like they’re interchangeable titles it’s just the Duat like I get calling it “the city of the dead” since it is that but like. Let that just b the run title they shouldn’t be calling it that like it’s a final name.

They misspell Dr. Alraune’s name lmao

How did the kid get… hurt..? The only point in the opening fight I can think he maybe got hit was with the gunfire but it didn’t seem like that was aimed towards him and there wasn’t any moment of having a detail in the background showing him get injured. And he wasn’t lethally injured at the start so ???

What… is the continuity between the Hydra vs Karnak Cowboys fight we see in MacKay and the flashback here. They were on an empty road there when they crashed? And now they’re in the heart of the city? AlsO bOMBS???

Anyway all I’ll wrap it up with is when the only thing I genuinely smile at is the cameo and namedrop of Apocalypse you know something is wrong with your story lmaO

#moon knight #moon knight comics #moon knight city of the dead #the fruit is talking again #marc spector #mikes mk meta

[a-dream-bookmark]

a dream bookmark presents: AUG 2023

social media (noun)

websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking

Welcome to A Social Bookmark, our August 2023 recommendations list with a theme around social media aus. From the start of the month, we have compiled a list of fics the community has given and prepared to give to you. We would like to provide our biggest appreciation to the people contributing to the making of this list. Thank you so much and we will announce the theme for September 2023 soon!

Do you want to know more about us? Check this out!

The list is below the cut!

MEMBER'S RECS

ENHYPEN

|| hype boy by @onlyjaeyun | requested by @writingmochi

Pairing: sim jaeyun x fem!reader

Genre: single parent!AU (he's raising his brother), neighbors/strangers to lovers!AU, college!AU; angst, fluff, (future) smut

Synopsis: after years of hiding himself in the responsibility of raising his youngest brother, jaeyun finally finds himself falling head over heels for the sweet college student from next door...

What they said about the fic: i mentioned before that i don't really read smaus and this was the first one i even asked to be added to the taglist. the dynamic between the two brothers is so beautiful and the journey between the three is something you also will enjoy

TXT

|| be The LO♡︎ER to this LO$ER by @prodtrouver | requested by @writingmochi

Pairing: choi beomgyu x reader

Genre: social media au, parallel universe au, fluff, humor, angst, university/college au

Synopsis: beomgyu is an online streamer who streams to escape from his painful life — that was until he was humiliated that brought more chaos into his life. with nothing else to do, he destroys the things he considered his life until he finds a mysterious phone number under a vinyl. with not knowing whose number it is, he would be messaging someone from a parallel universe.

What they said about the fic: an innovation in smaus if you asked me! the storyline is outside of what you think a smau usually has, like what do you mean this is a parallel universe story?? i even made a diagram to connect the dots. a very great read!

COMMUNITY'S RECS

ENHYPEN

|| love error by @hanniluvi | requested by @itz-yerin

Pairing: stranger!sunoo x fem!reader

Genre: social media au, strangers to lovers, slowburn (kinda), high school au, fluff, crack

Synopsis: known as the owner of running a popular confession account, sunoo has gotten plenty of people together. monthly, love news holds an event where anonymous people gets a chance to confess. of course, sunoo is just doing his job — starting relationships. but what he didn’t expect was someone dming him on twitter asking if he was the one behind a confession … who knew a small error can cause him to think about his love life for once?

What they said about the fic: i love how lighthearted and overall fluffy this smau is. i am really enjoying this one <3

TXT

|| create a sim(p) by @gyumibear | requested by Anonymous

Pairing: choi beomgyu x fem!reader

Genre: fake dating, youtuber!au

Synopsis: after stupidly claiming on stream that you’ve been dating popular youtuber choi beomgyu in secret after accidentally creating an identically looking sim, you beg him not to reveal your lie to the public when it goes viral. weirdly, he agrees and you two begin to fool the public. can your lie become the truth or will it eventually catch up with you?

What they said about the fic: literally the best smau i have read so far, it was a whole rollercoaster but! thats exactly why i like it sm 😵‍💫

Navigation | Collections

#kpop imagines #enhypen imagines #txt imagines #enhypen fic recs #txt fic recs #bookmark: collection

[hahahahawk]

The Wretch

(Way of Kings re-read)

((Between re-reads I forget how slow Shallan’s story is in this book. Why isn’t she poisoned yet?))

Storms, how on the nose is it that Kaladin is climbing down into a dark chasm rn? 🤣

As soon as Teft says “journey before destination” I tear up. This is re-read behavior, but it’s the same corny rush of feeling as when someone in a movie or TV show says the name of whatever you’re watching. “AH! We’ve reached the thesis!”

Sigzil brings the whole litany, but it’s Teft that kicks it off. The subtlety is incredible. I’m over here getting swept up in the emotion of knowing everything this unlocks, and Bridge Four is swept up discussing the legends of the lost Radiants, and Teft is playing innocent (“I didn’t bring them up, I just heard this saying once”).

In the moment you completely overlook TEFT FUCKING KNEW WHAT HE WAS DOING. Fucking firemoss addict leaving BREADCRUMBS for his dense-as-mud bridge leader.

Teft’s patience is legendary. Motherfucking ice king. He’s using trickle-truth for good‽‽

I’m sure some of his caution is uncertainty, but I think most of it is knowing that Kaladin has to find Radiance in himself, rather than having Radiance thrust upon him.

Syl, on the other hand, I believe that when she says “I like that [journey before destination] saying” doesn’t quite remember that it’s part of her.

Kal stumbles into the darkness with only a sliver of sky visible overhead. It’s nice that it’s described as a ribbon, calling up a connection to one of the forms Syl takes.

One more important bit, then some random reactions under the cut.

In her talk with Kaladin in the dark, Syl counters one of his despairing thoughts with “maybe you’re right. so what?”

That technique is something I’ve found very important with my own mental health struggles over the years. Even before discovering the Cosmere, I adopted a similar form of self-talk to help me with the burden of my own existence. It has helped to reframe thoughts such as “nobody cares about me” from having the subtext of “so why should I do anything?” to the more positive subtext of “so I can do what I want without worrying what others think of me”

I’ve adopted “so what?” into a form of mental judo that lifts the burden of my thought patterns from being negative to being neutral. I stop trying to contradict my internal bully—not to internalize what it’s saying—just stop arguing, save my energy. It lets me spend more time and attention on the things I can accomplish. Moving forward, step by step. Or just giving myself the grace to rest.

Other notes from this chapter—

+ it’s interesting to me that Kal still hyped his spear skills up so much. In my experience, a self-pity loop of despair usually comes with devaluing one’s own abilities. This reader doth project too much?

+ Syl “choosing” the moment of climbing the ladder down into the chasm to have such clear memories of both her past and Kaladin’s. I know it’s her bond with him that brings back her self-ness, but there’s something about his (metaphorical) dark place that seems to urge her to focus, get more concentrated and *real* as she chases him.

+ Teft is the first to light his torch when Bridge Four reaches the chasm floor, and Kaladin lights his torch from Teft’s. 🥹 I’m sure this is another case of “it’s not foreshadowing, it’s just practical”, but Teft having what Kal needs twice in this chapter is hard to overlook.

+ I lol’d when in a chapter called “the wretch”, someone throws up, and Sando says “wretched”. As if that was the turning point.

+ Lopen’s absence is conspicuous, but understandable. Rock is plenty of comic relief for this chapter. Or do they not make a one armed Herdazian climb up and down a ladder?

+ Scar: Should we just let the voidbringers steal our hearts? Maybe they’re just misunderstood

Me: (💖Rlain 💖)

+ I really like that Kaladin finds a rock, then “tangentially” thinks about Tien, leaving it up to the reader to remember Tien’s love for rocks. It also allows Kal to drop the rock (realistic) instead of clinging to it and trying to make it a symbol (melodramatic)

#cosmere #way of kings reread #stormlight archive #mental health