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spider-stark · 1 year ago

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LADY STRONG

Benjicot Blackwood x Velaryon/Strong!Reader

Summary - Stuck in the Riverland's on a marriage tour, you pretend to be Lady Strong when Benjicot Blackwood doesn't recognize you as the Princess of the Seven Kingdoms

Warnings - none except not edited!!

Word Count - 3.1k

!MINORS DNI!

// masterlist // send me your thoughts // comments & reblogs appreciated! //

As if the prospect of a marriage tour was not horrid enough, your first stop was proving to be positively dreadful.

You had imagined the lands surrounding the Trident to be beautiful. A lush, verdant landscape—filled with fragrant herbs and bright, blooming flowers, painting the Riverlands in rich, colorful hues. You pictured babbling streams and plush grass, stunning castles and, perhaps, some equally as stunning men.

What you hadn’t imagined, however, was the weather.

Even from within the confines of Riverrun—the ancestral castle of House Tully—you still feel the effects of the merciless heat beating down upon the sandstone walls.

Your handmaids had tried to dress you accordingly, stuffing you into your thinnest—and, consequently, your least regal—gown, in hopes that it might prevent sunstroke. Yet still, even as three of Lord Tully’s own servants try fanning you while you sulk in the dining hall, you feel as though every inch of your body is drenched in sticky sweat.

“This is miserable,” you groan to Ser Lorent, the Kingsguard who had been assigned to your tour. Flanking your right, you spare the knight a pitiful, sidelong glance. “I believe I would sooner die a spinster than be forced to live in this sweltering purgatory!”

The servants, haphazardly positioned around the table, remain utterly stone-faced, not letting on if they found your comment about their homelands to be humorous or offensive.

Ser Lorent merely laughs. “The Riverlands are known for their humid summers, princess.” With a wink, he adds, “If you ever bothered with your studies, you would know this.”

“I study!”

“With the blade, perhaps,” Ser Lorent muses, his teal eyes twinkling with lighthearted mockery. “But certainly not with books, princess.

Rolling your eyes, you slump further into your chair, your body practically melting into the upholstery. “Leave the geography lessons to Jace,” you tell him, waving an idle hand. “After all, he's the heir to the Iron Throne. I am merely the prized broodmare—” focusing on your plate, and the half-eaten lunch upon it, you try swallowing the bitter tang now filling your mouth—“a royal womb to be sold off to the highest bidder.”

And, at times, you aren’t even sure if that is considered an honest truth… You’ve certainly never felt royal.

Like your brothers, you were born extraordinarily plain-featured. With no silver hair or lilac eyes, you appear more like a common-born peasant than someone of prized Valyrian stock—and it didn’t help that, unlike your brothers, you had no dragon, either.

Ser Lorent watches as you absently push a piece of seared cod around your plate, sighing. “That isn’t true, my princess.” His words are tinged with sympathy. “You are being sold to no one. Your mother wishes for you to have a marriage born of love—not duty.”

“Ah, yes,” stabbing the fish with the prongs of your fork, you bring it to your lips, “which is why I’m being forced to spend my summer meeting with the haughty sons of fat country lords—for love.”

His tongue clicks with disapproval. “Your mother has given you a choice in selecting your own husband, princess; which is a luxury not granted to many women.”

Frowning, you pop the piece of fish into your mouth, turning his words over in your head.

Gods.

You hate it when he’s right.

“Fine,” you relent, still chewing. Turning sideways in your chair, you raise your fork to him in a mock threat, “But my earlier statement stands! If I must take a husband, then it certainly won’t be anyone from here—lest I become no more than a puddle of sweat.”

Ser Lorent cracks a smile at you. “Should you turn to a puddle, princess, then I vow to mop you from the floor.”

“How valiant of you, Ser Lorent,” you laugh. “I’m unsure of how I might ever repay you for such loyalty.”

“I’m not sure you have to worry about that, princess—I don’t believe that puddles are much concerned with matters of debt.”

Turning back to the table, another soft laugh spills from your lips. “I suppose you’re right, Ser.”

All too soon, however, your amusement begins to fade. A warm breeze blows in through the many open windows lining Riverrun’s dining hall, the stifling air only accentuating the stickiness of your skin.

Sucking in a deep, heavy breath, you ask, “How long do we have?”

Ser Lorent doesn’t ask for clarification, knowing almost at once what you were asking him. “We’re expected back in the Great Hall in a little under an hour, princess.”

You blow the breath out, groaning slightly.

An hour—that's all the time you had left before you would be forced back upon the dais, expected to once again smile and be cordial as men and boys from all across the Riverlands made their case for your hand.

How many of them could possibly be left? This morning alone you had met with dozens upon dozens of them, their voices all blurring into a monotonous hum as they spoke of the history of their Houses—if one can consider nonsensical legends from the ancient Age of Heroes as true history, that is.

Noticing the dreadful pall cast over you, Ser Lorent clamps a comforting hand on your shoulder. “How about a walk before we go back? It might help to clear your head,” he suggests. Then, with a wry grin, “Perhaps you might wish to think back on the men from this morning—see if any of them might make you change your tune about life in the Riverlands.”

You pin him with a playful scowl. “There’s not a man alive that could change that tune,” you vow. “But you’re right—a walk might be nice.”

Rising from your seat, the servants around you lower their fans, silently dismissing themselves.

“Will you be accepting my company on this walk?” Ser Lorent teases—though you know what he’s really asking is: will you be accepting my protection.

“After this morning, I believe I’ve had enough company for a lifetime.”

The knight’s brow draws tight, an apprehensive frown beginning to pull at the corners of his lips. You roll your eyes.

“Oh, don’t worry so much, Ser Lorent. It gives you wrinkles,” you tease. Adjusting the slit running along one side of your dress, you reveal the dagger holstered on your thigh. “I assure you that if any of these Riverlanders dare lay a hand on me, they’ll lose some fingers.”

Ser Lorent snorts, head shaking. “It’s not you I worry about, princess,” he jokingly admits. “Just stay close by, understand? Your mother will have my head if anything happens to you.”

“Yes, yes—understood,” you dramatically gripe, already walking past him to the exit.

“Oh, and princess?” He calls out just as the guards pull the doors open for you to leave. You glance over your shoulder at him, brows lifted. “At least try not to injure anyone.”

With one last roll of your eyes, bright with mischief, you shout on your way out, “No promises, Ser Lorent!”

Wandering through the outer yards of Riverrun, the blistering sun beating down upon your skin, you find yourself overwhelmed by a sudden ache in your chest.

You miss home. Desperately.

You miss Dragonstone’s near-constant cover of clouds, forever shielding you from the heat. You miss the cool breeze rolling in off the Blackwater, the air peppering your cheeks with salty kisses.

But even as you dream of a reprieve from the muggy Riverlands, you can’t help but miss your family—your brothers—most of all.

Perhaps it is that feeling that led you here, to the training yard, guided by the familiar lull of splintering wood and steel slicing through the air, the sound offering a much-needed remedy to the homesickness twisting in your gut.

Smaller than the one at Dragonstone, Riverrun’s yard was no more than a cramped stretch of dusty-dirt, lined with old training dummies and archery targets. Mostly encircled by the towering sun-bleached stones of the castles, only a small part of the yard remained open to the sprawling gardens beyond, sectioned off by ornate iron fencing.

Striding over the open gate, your attention falls upon the lone boy standing in the yard's center.

As the sunlight beats down overhead, long shadows dance around his feet as he glides through a set of movements—each step calculated, every strike deliberate.

You step closer, keeping your steps light as you approach. With his back turned to you, you watch as sweat drips down his neck, glistening. It soaks into his tunic, the thin black material clinging to his lean, muscled back.

He’s talented—you think, studying his form.

Talent is something you're familiar with—intimately. You were raised around warriors—trained by the Rogue Prince himself. Yet never before had you found yourself so utterly bewitched by a fighter.

He didn’t move like other boys.

He wasted no time on the flowery style displayed by so many summer children—the ones who thought of battle as a performance rather than a matter of life or death.

Instead, he moved with the lethal prowess of an apex predator—his blade cutting through the air with a controlled ferocity that, while lacking the flourish of other warriors, was undeniably impressive.

Dirt flies as he throws himself into another set of movements—a series of strikes and parries, executing with unbelievable precision. With every twist and pivot, muscles tense and shift beneath his tunic, his body as powerful a weapon as his sword.

He lunges forward—and wood cracks! as he slashes his blade along the belly of one of the dummies, a move that would have disemboweled a living opponent.

Cutting through the sudden stillness, you bring your hands up to your chest, filling the yard with a slow clap. Back still turned to you, the boy's spine goes ramrod straight at the unexpected sound.

“Impressive,” you muse, taking another step towards him. Mere feet remain between the two of you, now. “You move well—better than most, I’d say.”

The boy spins around to face you, his once elegant movements now blundering as he nearly trips over his own feet. Biting your tongue, you try to hold in a laugh.

Big, storm-cloud eyes meet your gaze, pinning you in place as he blinks, visibly thrown-off by your presence. “Sorry-” he stammers, out of breath. “I didn’t think anyone else would be coming out here-”

You lift a hand, cutting him off with a smile. “Oh, no—don’t apologize on my account! I enjoyed the show,” you tell him. “Seems that you have a real talent for swordplay.”

His cheeks flush, his lightly sun-kissed skin turning a stark crimson. “Thanks.” His laugh is a nervous, awkward thing—endearing, too. He sticks a hand out towards you, the other still limply holding his sword. “Benjicot. Blackwood,” he introduces himself, fumbling over his words, “but you can call me Ben or Benji—or anything, really.”

You take his hand, biting your lip to mask your amusement. “Pleasure to meet you, Benji.”

A beat of silence passes before confusion finally tugs at his features, his hand falling back to his side. “Uhm—” another sweet, awkward laugh— “and you are…?”

Realization dawns on you, leaving your brows to shoot up to your hairline.

Seven Hells. He doesn't know, does he?

A sudden speechlessness grabs hold of your tongue.

You suppose you shouldn’t be surprised—after all, you aren't what many expected of a Targaryen princess.

Plain-featured and dressed in thin, common clothes, you imagine you likely appear no different than the servants surrounding you at lunch, fanning you to keep the heat from going to your head.

Even so, it's rare that you met someone who doesn't know who you are. And, selfishly, after a morning filled with insincere compliments from haughty Lord’s, you like the idea of remaining nameless—titleless—for the first time in your life.

“Wow—sorry—that was thoughtless of me, wasn’t it?” Tapping a finger to your temple, you laugh. “I’m Mylissa,” you lie, stealing the name of one of your handmaidens. “Mylissa Strong.”

“Strong?” He echoes, brow furrowing. “Strange—you don’t sound like you’re from the Riverlands. Your accent is—”

“Southern?”

Benji nods.

“Well, I’ve spent the better part of my life in the Crownlands, so I suppose I’ve picked up their accent,” you explain. “I’m here with the princess, actually—as her lady-in-waiting.”

The mention of the princess—you—turns his skin a pasty white.

Keeping a tight leash on your curiosity, you try not to sound too intrigued when you ask, “And what about you? Raventree Hall is a decent ride from here, is it not?” On horseback, the ancestral seat of House Blackwood was two days away from Riverrun, if not three. “Are you here to meet with the princess?”

Benji shifts his weight, leaning from one foot to the other. “Supposed to,” he begins, his words tumbling out, “but I don’t know—I’m not so sure that I’ll go through with it.”

Your expression falters, disappointment washing over you like a cold wave, combatting the intolerable warmth of the sun.

“Why not?”

He shrugs—a timid, shy gesture that feels so unlike the predator you had snuck up on. “There are over a hundred men in there,” he waves an arm to the castle, to the Great Hall within, “all waiting for an opportunity to impress the princess—meanwhile, I can hardly get out a single sentence without choking on my own spit.”

Your laughter bubbles up involuntarily, a few giggles spilling past your lips. The Blackwood boy shoots you a playful glare from beneath long, dark lashes.

“Well,” you begin, absentmindedly toeing the dirt between you, “perhaps the princess might find it endearing, don’t you think?”

Benji scoffs. “Doubtful. I mean, think about it!—she’s a princess!”

Your eyes widen, glimmering with mock-offense. “And what is that supposed to mean?”

Once again, that crimson tinge returns to his skin, crawling up his neck, this time.

“I meant no offense,” he defends himself, mistaking your expression for one of a Lady meaning to defend her princess. “But what could I possibly offer a princess?”

You tilt your head, pretending to think on his words. “Well, the Blackwoods do have a history of being valiant warriors, do they not? And you seem to be quite skilled yourself,” you say, daring to let your stare drift down to his arms, the short sleeves of his tunic revealing well-muscled, sweat-slick biceps.

He snorts. “I’m willing to guess that the princess would likely care naught for my skill with a sword.”

“Then you would guess wrong,” you retort, a faint, teasing smile on your lips. “Many say that the princess herself is quite skilled with a blade—I imagine she would quite like a boy that’s capable of challenging her.”

Benji’s eyes darken a shade, an unreadable expression crossing his features. “And what about you, Mylissa?”

The false name catches you off-guard, but you do your best to hide it.

“What of me?”

A bit nervous, he asks, “Would you like a boy that can challenge you?”

Your heart stutters in your chest—skipping several beats as his stare lowers, dipping past your waist and falling upon your thigh. On the dagger sheathed there, no doubt.

Heat begins to crawl up your neck, hotter even than the sun's blistering rays. “Oh—” You stutter, words lost upon you.

It’s true that you were used to the attention of men. After all, your morning has been filled with it, and soon enough the rest of your day will be, too.

But this was different.

Benji wasn’t giving you attention because you’re a princess, a mere royal womb to strengthen his House’s bloodline. Rather, he was doing it simply because he wanted to—a feeling that was utterly foreign to you.

Wiping a clammy hand on his sweaty tunic, Benji misreads your silence, taking a half-step back. “Apologies, my Lady—that was too forward and-”

You don’t let him finish his rambling. Taking a step forward, you close the gap he sought to create between you. “I’ll make you a deal.”

“A deal?”

You nod. “As you know, the princess will be in the Great Hall for the rest of the evening, holding court with the other Lord’s who’ve come for her hand. I'd like for you to meet with her.”

Benji cocks his head, confusion crinkling the corners of his eyes. “I truly mean no disrespect to your princess, my Lady, but I was asking if you might be interested in–”

“I know what you’re asking, Benji.” You lift one shoulder in a casual shrug. “And after you meet with the princess, if you still wish to inquire about my hand,” you say, placing a palm to your chest, “then I will happily hear you out.”

In the distance, a bell sounds out—signaling the time, you realize.

“If you’ll excuse me,” you start, already taking a few small half-steps backwards. “I’m expected inside.”

Letting his sword drop to the ground, Benji lunges forward to catch your wrist. “So you agree to meet with me after court, then?”

“If you’re still interested,” you muse, a tinge of anxiety laced through your tone, “then yes.”

The corners of his lips twitch into a bashful smile. “I give you my word that–”

You planned to interrupt him. To tell him not to make oaths he wasn’t certain he could keep, knowing that he may very well change his mind about you once he realizes who you are—that you’re not technically a Strong. But, before you can, another voice intervenes.

“Princess!” Ser Lorent calls out, exasperated, as he walks through the gate. “We must hurry, princess,” he continues, pausing only to give a wary glance at Benji’s hands wrapped around your wrist. “We’re late.”

Your pulse begins to pound, a surge of adrenaline coursing through your veins at being exposed as a liar by Ser Lorent.

Benji’s face goes blank—then his eyes go wide, big as saucers as you snag your wrist from his grip.

“Princess...” He utters, voice laden with disbelief. “Princess?!”

You can hardly bring yourself to do anything other than grin stupidly at him, nearly stumbling over yourself as you back-up to where Ser Lorent is waiting impatiently.

“It was lovely meeting you, Benji!”

You hope he can hear just how genuine your words are.

“I’ll see you in the Great Hall,” you call out over your shoulder, sparing him one last glance as Ser Lorent guides you to the gate, watching as he blinks in astonishment, still processing the revelation.

Walking back towards the inner-castle, Ser Lorent glances down at you with a knowing look. “You seem giddy.” There’s a teasing glint to his words that makes you roll your eyes, cheeks flushing. “So,” he continues, his brisk pace never faltering, “does this mean that your statement from lunch no longer stands? That, perhaps, this sweltering purgatory may yet grow on you?”

You bite your cheek, a permanent grin still etched onto your face.

“Let’s just say that I’ve decided it’s best to keep my options open, Ser Lorent.”

a/n - you may ask yourself: lainie, why would you refer to him as mostly BEN in the last fic and BENJI in this one??

and the answer? I have not ONE clue. my brain is rotting and benji is cute.

anyways, hope you guys enjoy this one! feel like I got to explore more of his personality here. additionally, I need HBO to know that if this boy ends up not being benjicot blackwood then I'm gonna fucking riot

benjicot blackwood tag list - @a-song-for-ages @ghostinvenus

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cherrycolaheartss · 3 months ago

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Your last assignment

MDNI !!!

summary: Professor!Spencer Reid x f!reader (student) smut, slight age gap because it's a college setting but nothing illegal

contents: teasing, praise, fingering, slight edging (f!recieving), slight bondage (f!recieving), p in v (unprotected), creampie, false sympathy

a/n: this is heavily inspired by my crush on my geography teacher lmfao

word count: 1.7k

Professor!Spencer Reid who pays a whole lot of attention to you in class. He's passionate about his subject, of course, and wants to make sure everyone understands it, but his eyes seem to linger on you for just a second longer when he asks questions to the class.

"Got it?" You swear he's looking right at you. You can almost feel his eyes move down from your neatly styled hair, down the open top buttons of your shirt, and trace your exposed legs. You readjust your position in your seat, trying to make the feeling in the bottom of your stomach disappear, and his gaze seems to lock onto your thighs. He clears his throat and looks away, continuing with his lesson.

Maybe you were just being delusional. After all, you did have little crush on him. Right as you were packing up your laptop and books, you hear his voice again. "Please stay after class, I have a question about your last assignment."

He must be talking to somebody else, you think, there's absolutely no way he wants to see me. But there he is, standing at the door, saying absent-minded goodbyes to the students as they leave the classroom, looking directly into your eyes.

Professor!Spencer Reid sits down at his desk as you approach him. You're not really sure how to act, as you'd never spoken to him one-on-one before. Whatever, you think, it's probably nothing.

"You... had a question about my assignment, sir?" You notice a tensing in his shoulders as the final word rolls off your tongue.

"No." You tilt your head in confusion.

"So why did you ask to see me?"

"Do you think it's appropriate to be turned on during class, miss?" Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck. You're wishing for the earth to open up and swallow you whole when he continues the conversation.

"Don't worry, I'm sure nobody else noticed. Back at the FBI, my job was literally to notice everything. Those skills don't just go away, you know?"

You don't know what to do with yourself other than to nod your head slightly, never looking up from your hands as you fidget with the hem of your plaid skirt.

His gaze settles on your hands, your skirt, and it continues roaming your body. You can't really tell if it's attraction or just behavioral analysis, until he speaks again.

"It's nothing to be nervous about, attraction is a natural human instinct. If it makes you feel better, I feel very attracted to you right now." He says it so matter-of-factly that you think it must be some kind of joke, your eyes shoot up to look at him and you simply can't help but laugh at the idea. He's probably just trying to ease your very apparent embarrassment.

Professor!Spencer Reid stands and walks towards you. He puts his hands onto the desk you're leaning against, pinning you to it. He notices you blushing and grins, looking down at you.

"How about this, sweetheart," your heart nearly explodes at the nickname, "I'll give you what you need, if you promise to stop distracting me during class. How's that sound?"

Need is an understatement for how you feel about this man. You nod your head once again, trying so so hard to keep eye contact.

"Use your words, pretty girl, come on." He doesn't move an inch, doesn't look away, doesn't say anything else.

"I promise, Mr. Reid." You look up at him and bite your lip. It feels like you're going to burn to death if he doesn't touch you soon.

"Oh fuck." He breathes out before wrapping an arm around your waist and kissing you. Softly at first, but it quickly turns into both of you letting out desperate breaths and groans as you tug at each other's clothes.

Professor!Spencer Reid who really takes his time pulling your panties down your legs, ignoring your whimpers and moans. He traces your thigh with his fingertips, slowing down when he gets closer to your pussy.

"Please, sir, I can't take it anymore–" You trail off when he finally brushes over your clit.

"I see you like me a lot, hm?" He teases as he rubs your clit in slow circles. You can't do much more than moan in response, nearly screaming when he pushes two fingers inside you.

He fingers you slowly, leaving bite marks and hickeys down your neck and chest. You're fairly certain this is what heaven feels like as you feel your orgasm building in your stomach.

Professor!Spencer Reid who pulls his fingers out right when you were about to cum, licking them clean before placing a gentle kiss on your lips.

"Aww it hurts, doesn't it? My poor girl." He pouts as you look for some type of friction on the smooth wood of his desk. You were so close, and now he's putting on this sympathy act as if it isn't his fault.

"Don't worry angel, I'll let you cum soon." He breathes out as he takes off his belt and ties it around your wrists in a swift movement.

It feels like minutes go by before he finally pushes his cock inside you and fuck, you're not sure this is going to last very long.

He groans out praises and swear words as he fucks you hard and slow. He lets go of the belt with one hand before moving it down between your legs, and when his thumb starts to circle your swollen clit, you feel like you're about to fall apart.

Professor!Spencer Reid who notices the way you tighten around him as your moans get louder. His name falls from your lips like a prayer and he fucking loves it.

"Fuck, baby, you're doing so good, let me feel you cum on my cock." How he's able to form a coherent sentence is beyond you. You can barely process his words when you finally reach your orgasm.

He cums too, not long after you, and the lust in his eyes almost increases as he watches his cum drip out of your still wet cunt.

He helps you get cleaned up and pull your underwear back up your shaky legs. You look up at him again through watery eyes, and he plants a gentle kiss on your lips.

"I don't think we're quite clear on that assignment yet. See me after my office hours on Monday?"

Your voice comes out coarse when you respond. "Mhm, I'll be there for sure."

#spencer reid #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid smut #spencer reid imagine #criminal minds #criminal minds fanfiction #criminal minds smut #x reader #spencer reid criminal minds #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid x you #spencer reid x female reader #professor spencer reid #age gap smut

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bloomzone · 7 months ago

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Feeling Overwhelmed? You're Not Alone. Let's Talk About It..

I know we all go through it. You’re balancing school, friends, family, and everything else, and suddenly, it feels like you're carrying the weight of the world. Lately, I've been feeling burned out, overwhelmed, and like everything is piling up at once. With school stress, exams, and the constant pressure to keep up, I sometimes feel like I can’t breathe. It's exhausting, and I'm sure some of you feel the same.

It’s so easy to get stuck in the cycle of trying to do everything perfectly. Every time you think you’ve got it under control, something else comes at you, and you’re back to square one and YES THIS IS ANNOYING!!!. It's like there’s a never-ending list of things to do, and no matter how hard you work, you never seem to catch a break.

And the worst part? The pressure from others. Whether it's friends, classmates, or even family, there's always someone asking you for help. Sometimes I feel like I’m the go-to person for everything—assignments, questions, last-minute requests. And don’t get me wrong, I want to be helpful, but it can get draining. Especially when you're trying to hold it together and just need a little space for yourself

For example:Today I couldn’t catch a break already stressed about exams, and in desperate need of rest. Just as I sat down to breathe, the calls and messages started.

One of my classmates began spamming me with messages, asking about a history and geography exam date that we ALL already knew. Then, another classmate began asking for English assignment answers. She wouldn’t stop. She kept sending, “Hi, hi, hi, hi…” over and over until I caved and responded.When I finally sent her the answers, her response? “Ahh, what would I do without you? You’re a lifesaver!” And while I know she meant it kindly, it felt so heavy I feel guilty. What about MY life? What about my peace?

In that moment, I realized how much I was giving to others and how little I was leaving for myself. I was pouring all my energy into helping everyone else while I was running on empty

And plus I’ve been in those moments when you’ve studied hard for an exam, thought you’re finally catching up, and then suddenly—a change happens. A test gets rescheduled, an assignment gets pushed to the last minute, and it feels like everything you worked for was just... wasted. I get it. And it’s okay to feel frustrated and angry about it. You’re allowed to feel this way. It doesn’t make you weak, it makes you human.

But here’s something I’ve been reminding myself lately: I am not responsible for everyone else's stress. It’s okay to say no, it’s okay to take a break, and it’s okay to not always have everything figured out. Taking care of yourself isn’t selfish; it’s necessary.

Here 5 Tips That Are Helping Me Cope with Stress and Burnout

1. Set Boundaries and Protect Your Energy: I’ve learned that it’s okay to say no. If someone’s asking for help, and you’re already feeling stretched thin, it’s okay to tell them, “I can’t right now.” You can’t pour from an empty cup, and you deserve your time and energy as much as anyone else does.

2. Don’t Overload Yourself—Take It One Step at a Time: Break your tasks into smaller, more manageable chunks. Don’t try to do everything at once—focus on one thing at a time. It makes the workload feel less daunting and more achievable. One task, one hour at a time.

3. Rest is Not a Luxury, It’s a Necessity: Sometimes we push ourselves too hard because we think we’ll get behind if we take a break. But if you don’t rest, you’ll burn out. Give yourself permission to step away, even for just 10 minutes. Watch a comforting youTube video, take a walk, or close your eyes. A little time for yourself can give you the energy to come back even stronger.

4. Talk About Your Feelings—Don't Bottle It Up: If you’re feeling overwhelmed, don’t keep it inside. Talk to someone, whether it’s a friendu trust family member, or even just writing in a journal like I do ..Putting your feelings into words can make a huge difference. It clears your mind and helps you see things from a new perspective.

5. Make Time for Self-Care: It’s easy to forget to take care of yourself when everything is going wrong. But self-care isn’t just about face masks and bubble baths (although that helps!). It’s about doing things that recharge you—reading, listening to music, or even just doing nothing. Find what makes you feel lighter and make time for it.

Let’s Take the Pressure Off Ourselves.

I know the world often tells us we have to be constantly productive, constantly moving forward. But the truth is, you don’t have to hustle all the time. It’s okay to slow down, take a breather, and focus on your well-being. The world will still be there when you're ready to take the next step. You are not a machine pookie. You are human, and you deserve peace.We’re not alone in this, even though it sometimes feels like we are. Everyone’s going through something, and sometimes just knowing that you’re not alone in your struggles can make a huge difference.Remember, it’s okay to not have it all together. It’s okay to be tired, to feel burnt out, to not always know what’s next. Life is hard, but you’re still here, still fighting, and that’s something to be proud of. I'm so proud of you

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bluemirrorangel · 10 months ago

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dead poets' society modern(ish) headcanons

Most of these are school related because I'm going back to college next week. (most of these are things my friends or I have done.)

Todd:

has definitely written fanfiction for his creative writing assignments in English.

definitely has a semi-popular poetry account on TikTok/tumblr

Enters his poetry/writing into competitions and stuff when he gets a little bit more confident

Loved by the dinner ladies

Eats the most heinous food combinations like beacon and fish finger sandwiches, just the most questionable foods.

Neil:

Has walked into the set during a show because he had to perform without his glasses.

His drama teacher's favourite student.

Most popular boy in the class

On the school newspaper

Kissed Todd for the first time during the intermission of one of his plays and was so flustered after he almost missed his cue.

Charlie:

Banned from the library

Ran against Cameron for school council/class president (they tied.)

Him and Cameron actively hate each other but outright refuse to be separated from each other.

Has been kicked out of Assembly multiple times.

Music is his best subject

Banned from giving people dares in truth or dare

Cameron

Debate team captain

On the track team

The kid teachers sit bad students next to, in hopes they behave.

He was sat next to Charlie in every lesson in year nine for that exact reason.

This quickly changed when Charlie started to influence Cameron instead of the other way round.

Goes to homework club.

Meeks

Almost flooded his bathroom after trying to see if he could use oil to plug his sink.

Can’t swim but can hold his breath underwater for 2 minutes

Hates sand

Taught himself and Pitts morse code.

Gets really competitive during kahoot

Loves halloween, plans his and Pitts duo costumes months in advance.

Pitts

Freakishly good at table tennis

Can solve a rubix cube in under a minute

Top set for science

Double jointed

Always being asked to help teachers get things because he's the tallest in his year.

Terrible at Geography, like could not locate Canada on a map to save his life.

Knox

Broke his arm doing a cartwheel for a dare.

Can’t tell the difference between admiration and romantic interest for the life of him

Fully had a crush on Charlie in year ten but just thought he REALLY wanted to be his friend.

Plays football

He tried out for rugby to impress Chris, it did NOT go well.

Gets detention for riding his bike to school without a helmet.

leave a ship or fandom suggestions and I’ll do headcanons for them if you want :)

#dead poets society #dps fandom #dps boys #dps headcanons #dps hcs #anderperry #todd anderson #neil perry #charlie dalton #Richard Cameron #steven meeks #gerard pitts #knox overstreet #knarlie #mitts #chameron

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mysterious-moonstruck-musings · 3 months ago

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Buried Secrets Chapter 3: So It Begins

Buried Secrets Masterlist || Main Masterlist

Summary: After the harrowing events in South America, Frankie and the guys have returned home and opened their own private security business. They're eventually approached by an archeologist, named Mya, who is requesting their specialized services for an archeological expedition in the Amazonian jungle of southeastern Peru, hours away from where they stashed Lorea's money just over the border in the mountains of northern Chile. Frankie is hesitant to accept the job, but with Pope's insistence this could be their cover to go back for the money, he relents. However, Frankie soon learns their new job assignment only further puts them and his new love interest in danger in an unexpected way as they set out to find the lost Incan city of Paititi.

Word Count: 8.5k

👉 Warnings: smut (MDNI), angst, mentions of mental health struggles and past drug use (it's Frankie), there are bad guys with weapons (gun violence, physical violence, death). Frankie Morales comes with his own warnings.

👉 Chapter Warnings: Frankie's ex sucks, the struggles of addiction recovery (it's Frankie), crude guy humor

Chapter Quote: “You’re the expert, I’ll let you strap me down properly.”

Frankie’s POV It had been almost a week since stopping by the gallery to see Mya, but we had been in touch several times to discuss plans and time tables so that she could draw up the contract. We agreed that I would take a small team down early to do a little recon on the area she was planning to explore. She was actually the one to suggest it, relying on me to choose the best place for camp and to plan security protocols based on the geography of the area.

Pope, Benny, Will, and I would be leaving in a matter of days to scout the area. We were also planning a small side mission of our own, hoping to secure Lorea’s money from the canyon we dropped it in nearly two years ago. The possibilities of all the things that could go wrong were weighing heavily on me, so much so that I could feel that old craving for escape prickling under my skin. I was working double time to keep myself distracted from the urge to give in.

The sun was setting over the distant horizon by the time I arrived home from the office. After pulling into the gravel driveway, I sat there for a beat, staring at the small creek that ran through my backyard and the tree limbs blowing in the breeze. I could feel the numbness beginning to set in. The same numbness that always hit before a deployment. I suppose it was my way of compartmentalizing things, my life from the job. It was something I needed to do so that I could focus. It would also make it easier for me to tie up loose ends before I left for an extended time - completely taking my emotions out of the equation.

When I finally got out of the truck, I made a beeline for the little shack that I called my garage, needing to keep my mind and hands busy until I couldn’t hold my eyes open any longer. I was in the midst of trying to remove a stuck spark plug when the roar of a motorcycle pulling into the driveway caught my attention. I moved to stand in the doorway as I wiped my hands on a stained and tattered rag, finding Mya kicking her leg over an old black Harley Davidson. The sight probably should have shocked me, but for some reason it didn’t. If anything, something about it felt more natural than her classier persona.

I couldn’t help admiring her curvy figure in tight black jeans and fitted biker jacket as she removed her helmet and shook her hair free around her shoulders. She gave me a small smile as she unzipped the jacket, revealing a tight black t-shirt that showed the slightest hint of midriff and hugged her breast just right before she removed her aviators and hooked them into the collar of her top. The straps from the small leather backpack she wore only seemed to emphasize her chest further, causing her shoulders to retract and back to straighten. Her thick rubber soled boots crunched across the gravel as she approached, her smile widening as she looked me up and down. I knew this version of her would probably haunt my dreams later.

“Hope you don’t mind that I stopped by…I have your documents ready,” she called out.

I huffed out a laugh, “It’s funny, I don’t remember telling you where I live…”

She shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal that she knew.

My brows pinched together, “You could at least act like you’re embarrassed about your creepy stalker ways, you know.”

She chuckled, “Why? What’s the point? I already told you I’d been watching you.”

She had no shame, which was somehow even hotter than if she did. I sighed and shook my head as I fought a smile, “Fair point…well, please step into my home office while I clean up.”

I moved aside, allowing her to enter the garage, watching as she appraised the old muscle car taking up most of the space. She walked around the front of it, raising an eyebrow in my direction. “70 Chevelle?” she asked. I nodded. Her lips tugged upward on one side, “Candy Pearl Apple is a nice color choice.”

She continued to surprise me. I didn’t take her for a muscle car aficionado. Then again, she was a fan of old relics, so maybe I shouldn’t have been shocked by it.

I nodded, “Yeah, it was my dad’s. I can’t take the credit for the color choice, but I do like it.”

Her hand slid up the curve of the fender as she peered underneath the open hood, “She run?”

I shrugged, “Depends on your definition of run…I’ve been trying to get her in working order. She spent years sitting with no attention, so she’s been a bit stubborn.”

She was looking at me through her lashes now with that smirk that was quickly becoming my weakness.

“You changing out the spark plugs?” she questioned as she motioned toward the pile that I had already removed.

I sighed, “Yeah, trying to. That last one’s stuck. I’ve sprayed half a can of penetrating oil on it and let it sit for 24 hours. Still no luck…”

She walked over to stand in front of me, tilting her chin upward in her defiant way. “You got a heat gun and socket wrench?”

I knew what she was about to suggest. It was my next step. I didn’t say anything though because I wanted to see where she took this. Instead, I pursed my lips and walked toward the workbench to get the items she asked for and held them up.

She gave me a toothy smile as she moved to tie her hair up, her shirt riding upward to show more skin that I couldn’t help staring at. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she removed her small backpack and leather jacket. She then reached over to snatch the heat gun from my hand, clearly having noticed my wandering gaze. I smiled nervously before turning my attention to the motor. She followed, stretching her torso to lean across the dirty metal to inspect the offending spark plug, causing her shirt to ride up further than it had a moment ago. It took everything in me not to stare at all the newly exposed skin, especially with the hint of a tattoo peeking out along the side of her rib cage. Fuck. Can she get any hotter?

Mya turned on the heat gun, pointing it at her target. Her eyes cut toward me, “If you heat up the cylinder head it’ll cause the metal to expand…then the plug should easily pop out.”

After a few minutes, she held her hand out for the socket wrench. I passed it to her without question, watching her work in silence. I had to put extra effort into focusing on the task at hand, because if I didn’t, my mind was going to wander to some dirty places that involved fucking her on the hood of the vehicle in question. My competency kink was definitely being activated by this.

With several turns of the wrench, the spark plug came loose. She turned toward me, rolling the offending hunk of metal in her fingers with a mischievous glint in her eye.

“You already knew how to do that, didn’t you.”

It was a statement, not a question. Busted.

I shrugged, “I did…but I wanted to see if you were actually gonna do it.”

She approached, seeming almost cocky as she came to a stop in front of me, “Frankie, Frankie. You have so much to learn about me. Whether I’ll do something isn’t the question you should be asking…”

I arched a brow as I crossed my arms over my chest, “Oh yeah? What should I be asking then?”

Her lips tugged upward on one side, “What I won’t do is a much shorter list…”

I couldn’t help the nervous chuckle that slipped out at her suggestive tone. Her eyes bore into me, so much so that I felt the need to divert my gaze.

She was testing me, and I was failing. The smirk that I both loved and hated was back on her lips as she held up the part she had just removed and offered it to me, “Here’s your plug. I guess this means you owe me one. I’ll have to think up something creative for my repayment…”

My brows arched as I reached out to take it from her, her fingers lingered against mine for a moment longer than they needed to. When I glanced up at her face, her eyes were focused on our hands, her brows furrowing ever so slightly as something sparked between us. I could feel the warmth from her skin spreading through my body, and for a brief moment, something told me she felt it too. She jerked her hand back, rolling her lips together before turning away.

“Looks like I got a little dirty, mind if I wash up?” she asked.

I shook my head as I watched her avoid my gaze, “Go for it.”

She moved over to the utility sink, taking her time to scrub her hands and wrist clean. When she was finished, she tore a paper towel off from a nearby roll to dry her hands before turning toward me, seeming perfectly at ease in her new environment.

“Well, now that problem is solved…” She reached for her backpack, digging through it before pulling out a thick envelope, “It’s time to get down to business. I have all of your documents ready to go, including the pickup information for our larger equipment that’s being shipped in.”

She paused, pulling out a map, then unfolding it to spread across the workbench. I walked over to stand next to her, feeling the heat of her body from head to toe. She leaned in closer as she moved to point out her plans as she spoke, “These are the centralized coordinates I’m looking at. If we can set up camp as close to here as possible, that would be ideal…but I know it’ll heavily depend on the terrain. So, I’ll need you guys to identify a spot. I plan to explore within a five mile radius of this area, so as time permits before we all get down there…I would like you in the air looking for anything out of the ordinary. It will at least give us a starting point if you see something worth checking out.”

I nodded, taking mental notes of how all of this would fit into our plan to sneak off for Lorea’s money.

She pulled back to peer up at me, “I plan to come down with a small team several days after you guys so I can put them to work clearing the area for camp and cutting paths as needed. There's an old vehicle trail several miles out, but it’s in a poor state. So, I’m not sure how close the vehicles will actually be to camp. Because of that, I wanna make sure we do have the choppers nearby in the event a quick exit is needed…so keep that in mind when finding us a spot to set up.”

I smiled down at her, “I thought security and evac plans were my job…”

She shrugged, “You can’t do your job efficiently if you don’t have all the information.”

I chuckled, noting that her confidence was almost disarming. In all my years I couldn’t recall ever having met someone like her before. I knew that was part of her allure, stealthily sucking me in and awakening something inside me - a new craving that I didn’t understand and couldn’t describe if I tried.

We stared at each other in silence for a beat too long before she turned toward her backpack and began to rummage around in it. I could already tell she was going to make me crazy, I just didn’t know if the weird tension I was feeling between us was real, or purposefully being done by her to throw me off and manipulate me for whatever game I was sure she was playing.

She turned back toward me, waving something in her hand. “I got you a sat phone. I assume you know how to use these?”

I scoffed out a laugh and nodded, “Of course I do.”

She smiled, “Good, less I have to explain…Anyway, hopefully it won’t be confiscated when you land. I’ve preprogrammed my number and a few others in, but I’ve also included a list of them in your paperwork too...just in case.”

I nodded along, taking the phone from her.

“You got the choppers lined up? Everything good to go with your equipment?”

I cleared my throat, “Yeah, all is well. I ended up getting three choppers. Got a deal and thought it might be better since we’ll be doing aerial searches. I got a smaller one for that…it’ll use less fuel.”

That wasn’t something I had discussed with her, so I was curious to see how she would take me acting without her approval. Her brow twitched upward before she nodded, “Ok, that wasn’t a bad idea actually…”

I gave her a toothy grin, feeling like a dopey dog that was just told he was a “good boy”. I needed to rein it in before I let my loneliness take over and cause me to lose focus. This was a job, and I was working for her. It wasn’t an ideal situation to start anything even if I was in the headspace for it.

I sobered, then scratched at my beard, turning my attention back to the map laid out in front of me but not really seeing it. “Well, I’ll go through all of this tonight. I’ll text you if I have any questions.”

I could feel her eyes on me, the energy between us shifting - dissipating as I closed myself off. She seemed to pick up on the change, stepping away to put her jacket back on and collecting her backpack.

“Sounds good. I-I guess next time we see each other, we’ll be sweating our asses off in the middle of the Amazon.”

I smiled, but it didn’t reach my eyes as an uneasiness took over. “Yeah, can’t wait.”

Her eyes were on me, analyzing for the briefest moment before she tilted her chin upward as a means of saying goodbye. Then, she disappeared out the door.

I turned, leaning against the workbench with my arms crossed over my chest as I watched her through the window. After mounting the bike, she sat for a moment, staring toward the garage with a confused look before finally putting her helmet on. She shook her head from side to side as she started the bike, backing out of the driveway without a second glance in my direction.

I sighed, realizing this job was getting more and more complicated with each passing day. It was obvious this woman was about to test me in ways I didn’t even know possible.

The following morning, I awoke already dreading the day ahead. I needed to tell my ex, Maria, that I was leaving town for a job. Given her disdain for me, I knew this conversation wasn’t going to go well. I had to drag myself out of bed, rushing to get ready so I could pop in to see her at work while she was on her break.

When I pulled into the parking lot of the bank, where she now worked as the branch manager, I could feel my anxiety ramping up. I really didn’t want to do this, but I needed her to know that my kid was important to me, regardless of what she thought.

She spotted me as soon as I stepped inside, her purse already on her shoulder as she was on her way out to lunch. Her face tensed, lips setting into a tight line as she moved towards me. She walked past without a word, exiting to the parking lot.

The minute we were alone, she whirled on me, “What the hell are you doing here? Showing up without a warning…”

I expected this, holding my hands up in surrender before speaking. “I’m sorry, I just needed to let you know that I’m leaving town for a job…I’ll be gone for three months, but I’ll be back in time for our court date.”

She scoffed, “A job? Of course. Obviously not much has changed with you.”

I shook my head, “No, this is a legitimate security detail for an archeological dig. It’s not what you think…”

“Yeah, like I’m gonna believe that. I thought you weren’t doing field work anymore? That was obviously a lie, wasn’t it?” Her tone was clipped. Angry. She didn’t care what I had to say.

“I’m making an exception for this one. It’s a major account…a lot of money for our security firm…”

“Yeah, last time you fed me this line of bullshit, Tom came back in a body bag.”

My jaw clenched as I took a steady breath. She was trying her hardest to bait me into an argument already.

Her lips twisted into a smile, “You know what… why am I complaining? Maybe you’ll come back in the bag this time and I won’t have to deal with your shit anymore.”

This was typical for her. She really had turned into a cruel person these last couple of years.

I shook my head, attempting to ignore her latest verbal daggers. Instead, I focused on turning the conversation back to my reason for stopping by.

“Anyway, I just wanted to let you know I’ve transferred the next three months of child support to your account, plus a little extra. I wanted to see if you need anything else before I go and also give you a number to reach me if needed.”

Her eyes narrowed, I could already tell she was about to spew more vile.

“I don’t need your money, Frankie. Tony makes more than enough to take care of us.”

She said that, yet she didn’t have any problems spending it.

“Well, that’s great…really, but it’s not for you, it’s for my daughter. So, I don’t give a damn if YOU need it. Besides that, I’m not gonna do anything to jeopardize getting my visitation rights restored. So, you’re gonna take the damn money whether you like it or not.”

She snorted out a laugh, “Why can’t you just be an absent father? Life would be so much easier if I didn’t have to deal with your bullshit. Actually…I’m not even gonna argue with you. If you make it back this time, I’m sure you’ll lose your shit again and I won’t even have to worry about it because you’ll ruin it all yourself.”

I stood there, hands on my hips, staring at the pavement as I let her berate me. I didn’t even bother to fight back. Instead, I just nodded along, “Yeah, Ok. Well, I’ll make sure the money goes through before I leave. I’ll text you the number so you have it. If you call and I don’t answer, send a text because the signal may be spotty.”

Her cheeks flushed from anger over the fact she wasn’t getting the response out of me she had hoped for. I was done letting her provoke me. It was proof I had changed, which probably pissed her off further, if she was even willing to acknowledge it.

“I’ll let you get back to your lunch break. I’m sure Tony is waiting for you…”

I didn’t even bother to tell her goodbye, instead turning without another word to head toward my truck. I wasted no time starting the engine and pulling out of the lot. I sat at the red light, counting backwards from ten before taking deep breaths to calm my racing heart.

It didn’t matter how much I tried to mentally prepare myself to deal with Maria, it was never enough. She always knew exactly what to say to make it hurt. On some level, I knew that I probably did deserve some of her hatred, but she didn’t have to be so cruel.”

I could feel that familiar itch, that craving to dull the pain and slip off into oblivion so I could forget about my problems, if only for a short time. I let out a shaky breath, reaching for my phone to call Pope.

He answered on the second ring, sounding breathless and frustrated, “I really hope your interruption of what will probably be my last fuck for the next three months has purpose?”

I snorted out a laugh. That was exactly what I needed right now. His ridiculousness was always a good distraction. “You’ve got one hour to finish that up. Then I wanna get everyone together at my place to go over the plans one last time before we leave tomorrow.”

He sighed, “Fine. Fine. Can’t promise I won’t feed your ass to a jungle croc over this though…now fuck off. You’re wasting my time.”

I was chuckling as the line went dead. I shot off a quick text to Ben to let him and Will know while I waited in the drive thru at the nearest fast food joint, planning to gorge myself on a large chocolate shake and fries as a distraction and hopefully settle my cravings.

We did need to go over things one last time, but I also really needed a diversion after this morning. It forced me to focus on the mission ahead and nothing else. We ended up working late into the evening, planning our time table and going over our packing lists.

We were at Miami International Airport before the sun rose the next morning. After ten hours, we finally touched down in Lima, Peru for our three hour layover to Cusco. Thankfully the flight to Cusco was only an hour because we had to hit the ground running. There was no rest for the wicked after all.

The plan was to stop in Cusco to first pick up our vehicles, then stop at a storage warehouse for our equipment that had been shipped via ocean freight. Once we had everything on board, we finished out the last leg of our journey, which was a nine hour drive to Puerto Maldonado - the southern gateway to the Amazon jungle. After a brief stay at a rented compound to catch up on some rest, we made our way to a private heliport where our choppers awaited us.

Our first order of business was to check out the coordinates Mya had provided us with and find a place to set up camp so that I could report that information back to her. We had that out of the way fairly quickly, managing to find a small field near the coordinates. It would be just big enough to set the birds down. I surmised that we could set up camp around the outskirts under the tree canopy. As hot as it was, we definitely needed the shade.

The proposed area wasn’t too far away from the river and there appeared to be some small waterfalls nearby as well. I figured the water sources might come in handy since we would be there for such an extended period of time. The old road Mya mentioned was about 3 miles out from the location. However, with my view from above, I wasn’t sure how drivable the road was. It definitely didn’t look good. That wasn’t my problem to figure out though. She had guys coming to clear paths for the vehicles, so I would let them worry about it.

I had Pope make note of the coordinates and snap some aerial pictures to send over for Mya to share with her team so that they knew what to expect before they arrived. Once we had everything we needed, we headed back to the heliport to refuel. After calling Mya with the updates, we went off grid for our next adventure and hoped like hell that no one noticed us missing for the next forty-eight hours. As far as anyone was concerned, we were out doing recon on the area with a shitty signal.

It was a fourteen and half hour flight to the coordinates where we stashed Lorea’s money. I also had to find a place to sit the chopper down while we worked to retrieve our prize. Given that we had no idea what state the bags of money or the gorge were in, we didn’t have a good estimation on how much time it would take to retrieve the cash, but we gave ourselves a five hour window to work with.

Even with the auxiliary fuel tanks on board, we still needed to stop and refuel once on the way down and once on the way back. Pope had a contact who was helping with that to keep us off the grid. This contact was also responsible for getting Pope to St. John with our special cargo so that he could meet with the lawyer he had on retainer to set up the payouts from an LLC. If all went according to plan, he would be back with us before we met up with Mya and her team in Puerto Maldonado at the end of the week.

The plan seemed straightforward and fairly risk free. We looked at it from all angles and felt like we had planned for every contingency - or so we thought. Everything was going smoothly, we had a top of the line asset to get us to the location, the weather couldn't have been more perfect, and we were all in good spirits.

After finding a nearby place to land at the top of the mountain, we made our way down to the gorge where the money had been stashed nearly two years ago. Our excitement soon faded once we laid eyes on the area. Several large boulders had dislodged and fallen into the crevice, wedging between the walls and leaving only small openings to the floor below. We could just make out the shadow of the bags through the beams of light shining through the cracks.

Pope sank to his knees in defeat as he surveyed the area. “There has to be some higher power working against us,” he said with an exasperated sigh.

Benny brushed it off, “Naa, come on. There has to be some way around this. Maybe one of us can fit through one of those holes.”

I rubbed at the back of my neck, not having a lot of confidence in that idea as Will and I exchanged a worried glance. We moved, exploring the area to find an opening big enough that would allow one of us to slip through to retrieve the money hidden several hundred feet below. We spent about thirty minutes searching until Benny called out suddenly, excitement on his face as he insisted that he found a spot. We made our way over to have a look, hope blooming in my chest at the possibility.

We all stood around the opening staring at it. Will and I grimaced as Pope kneeled down for a better look.

“What ya think, Pope? Can you fit through that?” Benny asked.

Pope shrugged, “I dunno, maybe. It’s worth a shot. It’s the biggest opening I see. Let’s…uhh…yeah, let’s try it. Get out the harness and rope.”

We worked to get Pope rigged up and lowered him down about 10 feet to the opening. After several failed tries, anger got the best of him as he slung a handheld flashlight against the rock wall. He began muttering out a string of expletives in Spanish as he kicked at the boulder blocking his path. It didn’t budge of course. I huffed in frustration. This wasn’t how I saw this trip going.

Benny snorted, “Well, maybe if he didn’t have an ass the size of a small country, he would fit.”

“Fuck you, Benny,” Pope called out from below us. “Lemme see your giant hulking body make it this far in you fucking troll.”

Pope’s words rolled off Benny as he chuckled at our friend.

“Fish, you think you can fit?” Pope called out to ask.

I leaned over the edge of the cliff, peering down at him and shaking my head. “If you’re not fitting through, I’m definitely not.”

“Yeah, big dick Morales ain’t fitting through that,” Benny said through laughter.

I gave him an admonishing look, “First of all, what the actual fuck? Second, stop being an asshole. I know that’s how you cope with stressful situations but it ain’t helping.”

I heard Will snort out a laugh behind me for calling out his brother.

I sighed, “Alright, let’s pull him up. This obviously isn’t working.”

Once Pope was topside, we stood staring at each other. Frustration was clear on everyone’s face.

“We got any explosives?” Benny asked.

Will shook his head, “That’s too risky. Obviously, we don’t wanna chance all these large rocks falling on top of the money.”

“What if we chisel out the side of the boulder to make the opening bigger?” Pope asked.

Will gave me a questioning look as I grimaced, “I don’t know about that. We don’t fully have eyes on how that thing is being held up. One wrong chip and it could fall down.”

“This is such fucking bullshit…” Pope shouted as he slung the harness he had just removed to the ground.

Benny looked at Pope, “Yeah…too bad your girlfriend and her brother disappeared. I’d bet one of them could fit through that hole.”

“I wish you would shut the fuck up about her,” Pope seethed.

Will stepped between them, “Guys, chill the fuck out. Stop bickering like an old married couple. It’s not solving anything.”

I looked at my watch, we were short on time and we still had to hike back to the chopper.

“We’re running out of time…no more dicking around. We need to figure this out now or go,” I stated matter-of-factly.

Will shook his head, “I’ve got nothing.”

I looked to Pope and Benny, they both shook their heads along with Will.

I huffed out a quiet, “Fuck.”

We spent some more time checking the area for a larger opening before finally giving up. We hiked back to the chopper in silence. I couldn’t help thinking this was our penance for all of the chaos and pain that resulted from the last time we attempted to get this money. The money was cursed, never meant to be ours and destined to rot away in the Andes Mountains.

We were halfway to our refueling point when Pope finally spoke, “We’ve got three months down here. Surely, we can get something figured out before we have to go back.”

I puffed air out of my cheeks, “Yeah, maybe.”

The rest of our trip was quiet as we all stewed in our thoughts. By the time we landed in Puerto Maldonado, I was ready to switch gears and put that disaster out of my mind before I drove myself crazy.

I called Mya that evening to check in, lying my ass off by saying I hadn’t found any areas of interest yet when the truth was we hadn’t been out to look. I wasn’t too worried though, I still had two days to check things out. I wasn’t completely convinced I would find anything anyway. The forest canopy was too thick, making it seem like a wasted effort. She didn’t seem upset or shocked by my response, only replying that she was bringing in some equipment that might help solve that issue.

Before hanging up with Mya, I confirmed her arrival time, which was Friday - two days away. The thought of it caused butterflies to form in my stomach. We were about to be in each other’s vicinity for the next three months in the middle of the fucking Amazon jungle. It was making me feel on edge and anxious. I knew that I would really have to put in the effort to keep things professional. I also needed to make sure the rest of the team did as well.

Early Friday morning, we gathered at the heliport, going over checklists and making sure we had the first wave of needed supplies that Mya requested be flown to the campsite along with our equipment. We had just finished up and were preparing to load everything when Mya and her small team arrived. They were soon followed by five of my team members, including one of the other pilots, who had flown in early to begin their security detail for the small group. We took advantage of the extra muscle and put them to work loading the choppers while Mya and I touched base.

As I listened to Mya make small talk about their trip down, I couldn’t help noticing her more laid back appearance. Her silky dark hair was up in a messy pile on top of her head. Bits of stray strands stuck to the moisture beading on her neck and forehead from the heat. She wasn’t wearing any makeup, and I realized that I liked her better without it. The fitted tank top that she was wearing showed just a hint of cleavage, which was only emphasized by the sweat sliding between her breasts. For the first time since we arrived, I wasn’t mad about the high temperatures because of the way it was making her skin glisten in the sun. Her dark fitted cargo pants tucked into her lace up boots further emphasized the curve of her hips and ass in a way that was completely distracting as she walked a few steps in front of me toward the bundles of cargo to be loaded. Everything about her was drawing me in and making my mind go fuzzy.

Her presence quickly became overwhelming, causing me to tune out her words. I snapped back to focus when I noticed the scowling man with greased back hair lurking nearby - the same guy that had interrupted our meeting at the gallery. Mya noticed me eyeing him as I listened to her plans, causing her to pause, her lips curling upward as she waved him over to us.

“Mr. Morales, this is Comandante Veracruz. He’s here as a representative for one of our benefactors supporting the expedition.”

My eyebrow arched at the mention of a benefactor, but I didn’t say anything. The look she gave almost begged me not to.

I smiled, shaking the Comandante’s hand, squeezing a little harder than really necessary. He seemed to do the same as he gave me a smarmy smile.

“Veracruz, this is Frankie Morales. He’ll be in charge of safety and security. He’s also the pilot who’ll be helping me with the aerial searches.”

I released his hand, allowing him to move it to rest on the small of Mya’s back as his eyes scanned over me. His thick Spanish accent and low voice sounded almost threatening when he finally spoke, “Well, it sounds like we will all be spending a lot of time together. Mya and I look forward to working with you.”

My gaze flicked to Mya just in time to catch her eye roll. It didn’t escape my notice (or Mya’s apparently) the way he talked about her, as if they were a unit. His body language was almost possessive, claiming her as his. Mya’s eyes drifted over to meet mine, now trying to read me. It was probably obvious to her that my hackles were raised. Everything about this guy screamed - threat.

I gave Veracruz a tight smile as my gaze moved back to him, “Yeah, I can’t wait to get started. I think it’s definitely gonna be an adventure.”

Adventure definitely wasn’t the word I wanted to use. I could tell this guy was going to be a pain in my ass. I was already hoping he would fall in the river and get eaten by a croc or some other jungle predator.

Mya asked if she could hitch a ride with us to the campsite on the chopper rather than riding in the vehicles and hiking in. I obliged of course, not realizing that meant Veracruz was a package deal. I was half tempted to tell him I couldn’t take both and stick him on the other bird, but I refrained.

Once all of the cargo was loaded, I boarded to begin my preflight ritual. I could hear the guys moving around in the back as they got settled in. Just as I was about to put my headset on, Benny appeared in the cockpit with a toothy grin on his face and holding his arm out as if presenting the open seat next to me.

“Given that the boss lady is ridin’ with us, I think she gets shotgun, don’t you Catfish?”

He leaned back, allowing Mya to squeeze past him so she could sit down. She smirked up at him, “Thanks, Benny.”

He nodded, then turned, shooting me a suggestive wink and smacking my shoulder as he made his way to the back. I sat frozen as I watched his retreating form. I really could have punched him in his pretty boy face for that. My attention turned to Mya, watching as she strapped herself in. She didn’t seem to have any issue figuring out the harness, but she left it too loose.

I nodded toward the buckles, “That’s not secure. You need to tighten it up or else you’ll slip out if we crash.”

I be damned if she didn’t lean back into the seat, causing her chest to stick out further as she held her arms up out of the way. Her lips twitched upward, “You’re the expert, I’ll let you strap me down properly.”

I turned forward, staring out the window for a beat and puffing air out of my cheeks before looking down to unbuckle my harness. I stood, leaning over to tighten her straps. I could feel heat rising up my neck as my fingers grazed over parts of her midsection and chest. I could feel her eyes on me as I worked. When I dared to glance up, I found her staring at my face without blinking. Our eyes locked as I pulled the last strap tighter than it really needed to be. I grabbed the harness with both hands just above her chest, giving it a strong tug to make sure it was buckled securely. Her eyebrow twitched upward just as I felt my jaw tighten. Without a word, I returned to my seat and buckled back in.

Behind me, I could hear the guys laughing about something. I was silently cursing myself knowing they had probably been watching that entire interaction go down. I could already tell, they were not going to make this easy for me.

Once we were in the air, I stayed focused on the controls. I could feel Mya’s eyes on me off and on - more than that, I could just feel her. It was like there was a weird energy humming between us the whole way. I felt a sense of relief when the clearing where we were touching down came into view, but it was only temporary. We wouldn’t be stuck together in an enclosed space for the rest of the day, but I would still be with her - near her. We would be sleeping feet from each other and having meals together. Beyond that, we would be roaming the Amazon jungle, working closely so that I could keep her safe. I sighed, realizing that I needed to focus and get my shit together.

After landing, some of Mya’s team that rode in the other chopper immediately got to work, clearing space and setting up tents and whatever else they had brought along while my team worked on getting the security measures in place. Mya and I were dancing around each other as we handed out orders and worked with our respective groups to get things set up. Though I was busy, I was aware of where she was at all times. I refused to let her out of my sight, at least until I felt better about the security around camp.

Everything was in place by nightfall. We were running through our final equipment checks when Mya approached the small tent with all our surveillance equipment setup inside. She stood by silently, listening to me on the radio with my team as we tested the motion sensing cameras that were strategically placed around the perimeter of camp. Just as I finished up, Veracruz joined us, making his presence known as he leaned in to look at the monitors in front of me along with all the equipment laid out on the folding tables. I wasn’t really in the mood to deal with him.

“Is there something I can help you with?” I asked him in a clipped tone as he picked up a spare motion sensor and began to fiddle with it.

I could see Mya in my periphery, fighting a smile as she turned her head, suddenly becoming interested in something on one of the monitors.

“Are you really relying on a bunch of technology for security in the middle of the jungle?” he asked with a judgmental tone.

I snorted out a laugh, “No. I’m not. I’ve got guys on watch 24 hours a day…walking the perimeter with weapons and on comms. They’ve got night vision too.”

Veracruz nodded, then pointed at the monitors. “How are you running all of this?”

I tried to bite back my condescending laugh. This guy clearly lacked common sense. “Satellites, blue tooth, solar panels…and auxiliary batteries and generators when needed. We’ve got high def cameras with night vision and infrared sensors surrounding the area in addition to all of the hidden motion sensors too. It’s gonna be hard for any person or animal to get through without us knowing.”

Veracruz turned, pausing to stare at the monitors as they cycled through all the camera feeds. That bothered me for some reason. I moved to stand in front of him, blocking his view as I crossed my arms over my chest. “Any more questions I can answer or does that cover it?”

He gave me a tight lipped smile, “I think that covers it.” He moved to leave, pausing to look over at Mya, “You coming?”

She shook her head, “No, actually. I need to talk to Mr. Morales about our plans for tomorrow.”

I could tell he didn’t want to leave her with me as he stood silently for a moment, evaluating his options. He finally nodded, then stalked away toward his tent.

Mya let out a quiet sigh as she watched his retreating form. I wanted to ask her what the deal was with him. Were they together? I didn’t really understand their dynamic. All I knew was I didn’t like the guy or trust him. I figured she wouldn’t tell me the truth if I asked anyway.

I leaned back against the table, meeting Mya’s gaze. “So, how are you feeling about everything now that we’re here?”

I watched as she reached for a folding chair and plopped down into it, raking her hands down her face as she puffed air out of her cheeks.

“It’s…overwhelming and I’m already fucking exhausted.”

I huffed out a laugh, “I can’t argue with that. At least you don’t have to share a tent with three dudes. I’m already banking on not getting any sleep for the next three months.”

She chuckled, “Yeah, you’ve probably got it worse than me.”

Her eyes drifted to the monitor behind me. She nodded toward it with a smirk, “So, you have a camera pointed at my tent?”

I pursed my lips, turning to look at the monitor. I feigned ignorance and shrugged knowing I had placed that one myself. I wanted eyes on her at all times. “We have cameras on several of the tents. Our tent is in the frame too.”

She was giving me a look that said she thought I was full of shit, but I ignored it and changed the subject. “So, what’s on the agenda for tomorrow? Are we taking the bird up?”

She nodded, “I’d like to. I know you said the canopy is too thick to see through, so I think before we go up…we need to install some equipment. I got us a LiDAR pod. It’ll give us 3D images of the forest floor...”

I snorted out a laugh, “I know what LiDAR is.”

She shrugged, “I don’t wanna make any assumptions about your knowledge on laser imaging technology.”

I laughed, “I’m sorry, I should appreciate how thorough you are with everything. It has made things easier on my end…”

Her lips curled upward as she peered up at me through her lashes, “I aim to please.”

Fucking hell. Is she doing this shit on purpose? I had to look away. “So… what time would you like to get started?”

She sighed, “As early as possible, I guess. I have a feeling we won’t be able to sleep in even if we wanted to…between the heat and sounds of the jungle…so probably as soon as the sun rises.”

I nodded in agreement, “I assume you know where the LiDAR pod is?”

It was her turn to nod, “Yeah, it’s in the supplies tent…to the right, in a crate. I can help you with it in the morning.”

I huffed out a laugh, “I can handle it.”

She rolled her eyes and held up her hands, “Fine. Whatever.”

That action had some sort of primal feeling bubbling up inside of me that I didn’t really understand. “You really giving me an attitude right now?”

She bit into her bottom lip as she relaxed back against the seat, “Yeah and you better get used to it.”

I could hear my heart pounding in my ears as my eyes focused on her mouth. I wasn’t sure if I was aroused or annoyed. Maybe both? I chewed on the inside of my cheek as my eyes narrowed on hers. She stood from the chair with the hint of a smile playing on her lips as she approached me, “And with that, I’ll leave you.”

Her hand came up to rest on my shoulder as she leaned in closer. I couldn’t look at her, instead choosing to stare at a pile of waterproof equipment cases stacked in the corner as she spoke in a low voice, “Don’t stay up too late. You and I have got a looong day tomorrow. Goodnight, Frankie.”

I gave her a small nod of acknowledgement, before she sauntered off toward her tent. I turned, watching her retreating form as I puffed air out of my cheeks. I really couldn’t figure this woman out.

I grabbed the chair Mya had just vacated, pulling it over in front of the monitors to sit down. The monitor in front of me cycled through to the camera facing her tent. My fingers moved of their own volition to zoom in. My eyes were drawn to the opening. She had zipped the netting closed, but not the cover. I could see her moving around inside, pacing as she flipped through what looked like the worn leather journal I had seen in her office. She chewed on her thumb nail as she scanned the pages, eventually closing it and sighing heavily before tossing it onto a nearby table. She reached for the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head revealing her black bra straps hugging her back as she moved through the curtain that divided her tent into another section.

I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding and switched to another camera view of the jungle. I shouldn’t be watching her like that. It was wrong and was one hundred percent egging on the hungry animal inside of me that was begging to be let out. I was so fucked.

About an hour later, one of my team members came to relieve me of my duties in our little security headquarters so I could get some rest. Our tent sat next to Mya’s. I couldn’t help staring toward it as I walked, noting that it was now completely dark. I sighed to myself as I stepped into our home away from home.

Our living quarters were not that bad. We had lived in worse conditions when we were in the military. The tent as a whole was completely enclosed, with a tarp-like bottom that was attached to the walls so no animals or insects could get inside. It was fairly sizable with one large room where we had cots lined down the sides of it. We had a folding table and some chairs in the far corner and a few smaller folding tables we used as night stands. We had made it as homey as we could. There was a separate smaller room that we used to store our personal items, equipment, and weapons. We also used it for privacy when needed.

I found the guys already passed out in their cots. Benny and Will were both snoring loudly. Pope was lying on his stomach with a pillow over his head. I rolled my eyes at the sight, not even bothering to be quiet as I moved around to prepare for bed.

I lay in my cot, listening to the sounds of the jungle outside. As our little camp compound grew quiet, the animals grew louder. Loud enough, it almost blocked out the sound of the snores beside me. I tried to focus on the sounds of the frogs and insects and allow them to lull me to sleep, but my mind kept wandering to thoughts of Mya. I wondered if the jungle sounds would keep her awake or if she was sleeping through it. I thought about the way she had looked at me today. I thought of how soft the skin of her back looked when she pulled her shirt over her head.

I could already feel myself getting hard with the path my thoughts were taking. After letting out a measured breath, I turned to my side. The firmness of the cot and the way it curved upward quickly took my mind off Mya as my shoulder began to ache from the odd angle. I huffed and turned onto my back again. At that point, I somehow managed to shut my mind off and drift to sleep with the sounds of the Amazon rainforest playing in the background, now completely drowning out my snoring roommates.

Chapter 4: X Never Marks the Spot

A/N: Happy Monday, my lovelies! I hope you enjoyed the latest installment. Things are really going to start picking up next chapter now that the gang is all together. Mya is pretty stuck in her defiant ways and it absolutely drives Frankie insane as they set out to explore some interesting readings on the LiDAR scans. Veracruz will be Veracruzing hard. There will also be lots of complaining and jokes from the guys too.

As for this chapter's discussion...

Mya is really laying it on thick with Frankie. How much of her behavior is just fucking with him and how much of it is wanting to fuck him do we think?

Frankie is obviously attracted to her, but he's fighting it. Do we think he will break first? Or will she?

How we feeling about Frankie's ex?

The guys have run into a bit of a problem with getting that money. How do you think they will solve it? If only Pope didn't have an ass the size of a small country...😂

How much hell you think the guys are going to give Frankie over Mya? Benny has clearly already started.😏

Veracruz is already staking his claim. How do you think things are going to play out with him and Frankie?

And just an honorable mention, something about nerdy tech savvy Frankie is kind of hot, right?

Lastly, I felt it important to emphasize how loud the jungle is at night. Especially when everyone has their tents so close together...just keep that in mind for later.😆

Until next time, 💜Mysty

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#pedro pascal #pedro pascal fanfiction #pedro pascal characters #frankie morales #triple frontier #new chapter #frankie goes on an adventure #and gets his fucking money

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ash5monster01 · 2 months ago

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Hellouuuu can i request a maybe something a Neil x fem! reader, like they are already dating and let’s say Welton is co-ed and reader looooves Neil in his full uniform (blazer, V-cut sweater HIS GLASSES) and she is like waiting until it’s the end of the day so she can spend time with him and they have like a good makeout session 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️ love yaaaaa

Addicted

Pairing: Neil Perry x FemReader

Warnings: fluff, no use of y/n, heavy attraction, some teasing, quick makeout, nothing too much they're just cute

Summary: Somedays it's pure torture being around your boyfriend when he looks so good all day, so you’re quick to get him all to yourself as soon as you can.

word count: 1.2k

Masterlist

Classes had been dreadful all day. It wasn't just from the boring lessons or mountains of homework you had received, but it was the gorgeous brunette boy in all of your classes. There was just something about him today in his uniformed blazer and sweater, the glasses perched on his nose while he worked on his assignments. It had to be some form of torture to have to be near him all day while he looked like that and you couldn't do anything about it. Having a cute boyfriend in a co-ed school, one slip up away from removing girls, had to be one of the worst fates and yet one of the most thrilling.

Of course your luck of having anytime alone with him today also became slim. His friends, boys you loved, seemed to have some sort of attachment issues. You hadn’t walked a hall alone or studied without at least one of them. So when Charlie and Meeks join the two of you in the library that afternoon, your head is buzzing with annoyance, and any chance of finishing your homework is gone. Letting out another heavy sigh you set your pencil down and look at the boy beside you.

“Neil? Would you mind helping me find a book quickly?” you ask sweetly, trying to save face in front of his friends but of course Charlie still smirks, insinuating there was no book involved. Little did he know there wasn’t but you were also used to ignoring your boyfriend's eccentric best friend.

“Sure hun,” he smiles at you and you both lift from your seats and disappear into the stacks and out of sight of your friends. Neil follows innocently behind you, not even questioning how you weave through the rows, disappearing into a dark corner of the library that no one ever visits. It’s only when he spots the geographic section does he realize you were not looking for any old book. You hated Geography and also weren’t even taking it.

“You sure it was a book you needed help with?” he asks, chuckling softly as he pulls the glasses from his nose and tucks them in his pocket. He had left his blazer at the table but still looked just as gorgeous in the uniform sweater in front of you.

“Not exactly, I just wanted some alone time. Even if it was just for a minute,” you reason, gliding towards him slowly. Neil smiles at you before beckoning you closer, your uniform skirt swishing around your legs. Slowly his arms snaked around your waist and you did the same to his neck, enjoying his embrace and the way he invaded your senses.

“Someone must miss me,” he grins at you, forehead moving to rest against your own and you relax into his arms.

“Yes, sometimes even when we’re together I feel so far apart. This damn school a wedge when we could be like regular teenagers going for a drive and sneaking off too parties,” you had lived that lifestyle once, before Welton had become co-ed and allowed female admittance Your parents didn't waste a second pulling you from the public school you had attended your whole life and dropping you off here. The change had made your head spin but amongst all the chaos, at least you had found him.

“I know, but we make it work and it won’t be much longer until we’re free from this place,” he reminds you and you smile at him, not only a handsome but a kind boyfriend. You had been so lucky already, even if this place felt like a prison sometimes.

“Yeah, and it doesn’t help when someone looks so damn good all day,” you tell him, chin tipping closer to him. You’re desperate to kiss him, feel his body against your own, and be reminded that he is all yours. The cutest and nicest guy in school, all to yourself.

“Oh yeah, you think so?” he asks in a teasing manner and you roll your eyes before pulling his lips against your own. He doesn’t hesitate to kiss back, a hand cradling your head as he draws you close. He tasted like mint and smelled like the pine trees outside. He was addictive in a way that could never let you get your fix.

You don’t let him pull away, instead pushing him against the bookshelf and kissing him deeper. You had been anticipating this all day, desperate to feel and taste him when he looked this damn good. No other boy in this entire school could quite pull off the uniform like he did. It was almost ironic how much he fit the role here considering how badly the both of you wanted to escape. You at least enjoyed it while you could, him especially considering you didn’t have much longer until you had to return to studying.

“You’re going to be the death of me,” he mutters against your lips, drawing you in with a breath as both his hands reach to tangle in your hair. You can practically hear a teasing remark from Charlie already but you’d risk the frizzy hair if Neil kept kissing you like this.

“I’d say that was the other way around,” you told him as his lips started along your jaw and he chuckled before sealing a kiss to your neck. A perfect moment meant just for the two of you and you would lock it up in your heart and cherish it forever. It didn’t matter that reality would slowly seep in and that another student or teacher could discover either of you at any moment. Right now the only thing that mattered was the two of you.

“So what I’m hearing is I should wear my full uniform more often,” Neil says as he pulls away, tucking some of your hair over your shoulder. You grin despite the way you roll your eyes at him.

“Maybe, you never know what could happen,” you tease as you blindly grab a book off the shelf behind him. He matches your smile as you nod your head back to the table where your friends wait. He follows you, love sick and a little desperate to kiss you some more. When you return both boys look at you with suspicious expressions.

“The rise and fall of the Roman Empire?” Meeks questions and you finally look at the book in your hands, a heavy blush covering your cheeks as you give them all a sheepish look.

“It’s for personal use,” you offer a lame excuse as you settle into your previously abandoned seat and Charlie snorts.

“More like Neil is,” Charlie mutters and you shoot him a glare while all the boys snicker. Neil just gives you a reassuring smile before tugging your chair closer to him.

“Don’t mind him, he’s just jealous,” he tells you, kissing you swiftly before any teachers notice and it makes you smile that he can still love you openly, even in front of his friends. A little less embarrassed you finally turn back to Charlie with a smirk.

“Don’t worry, you’ll find someone someday, maybe.”

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heartilywrites · 1 year ago

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hello!! can I request a kuvira x fem!r where reader worked for kuvira but was apart of team avatar like bolin and a prompt "I know that this is not what you want to hear..." thank you!!

،، 𝓐lways Forever ; Kuvira

resume: where you were Kuvira's right hand but... are you really?

content warning: Kuvira x metalbender and fem!reader ; s4 set ; baatar jr jumpscare (i don't like him, sorry-) ; no use of y/n

wc: 3.2k

a/n: HI HELLO 👋🏼 i feel that I'm missing stuff in here, but at the same time i think it's good how it is??? HOPE YOU ENJOY :D

“ Don't make me cry, though I still got love for you and haven't got over you yet.

Hands covered with white gloves moved around the map to corroborate your binnacle.

Northwest, near Zigan Village... wait, didn't the military already helped that village...? No, you would've registered it when—

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “HEY, MISS GEOGRAPHY!” Bolin screamed walking to you, giving you a tiny heart attack. “Watcha doin'?”

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Fucking spirits, Bolin...” you said out of breath, turning fully his way. “Do you need something?”

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ "The boss wants us all reunited, we are close to the town." your friend let his arm rest on your shoulders. "Should we go reunite with Mako and Asami while we are there?"

A sound of consideration vibrated in your throat while your face made an expression of thinking. “I don't think they can, Bo, Mako is occupied being a detective and Asami has a whole company to run, remember?”

You felt how your friend got discouraged after that, a small sigh left his lips.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Maybe you're right..” he said in a small voice.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “But maybe we can reunite with them after the coronation. Who knows? Korra could be back in the city by now too.” you tried to encourage the lavabender back, poking his side. He smiled.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Oh! I wish! She hasn't answer any of my letters to her, you know? And I wrote to her with dedication.” Bolin ranted making you laugh.

After the avatar left Republic City to heal in the Southern Water Tribe, Bolin had found out Kuvira's plan to save the Earth Kingdom from chaos herself and he decided to walk in the team as he really wanted to have his and his father's nation back to peace. One week later, he came to you talking you into joining too, assuring it would be to have the nation united until the new king took possession of his place.

You did take a couple days to consider his proposal and ended up showing to the train with your stuff, being met with a big hug from your friend and a welcome speech from the leader.

The team was small when you joined, so you had the honor to see Kuvira recruit more people for the good cause... At least that was what she made everyone believe, even you.

You were able to take a good position in Kuvira's circle, you managed the villages reports for her and that made you be close to her. She remembered you from the team's visit to Zaofu where you would be kind to everyone, she taught you some new metalbending moves you didn't know and that was also part of the reason you joined: Kuvira herself.

Having to be almost every single hour of the day by her side gave you the opportunity to meet her in more depth than how it happened back in the metal clan's city and in a blink of an eye, there wasn't a way anyone could see one without the other. Everyone started to notice how important you began to be for the young leader. Unofficially, you were her right hand, but even with such a high rank there were stuff Kuvira kept from you.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Everyone has a room assigned, we'll take the presidential suite.” Kuvira informed, pointing at you and then back at her. “We'll meet outside before the event.”

Baatar looked at you with narrow eyes before walking behind his new roommate Bolin. The metalbender and you made your way to the suite and began to settle; since the presidential suite had two connecting rooms she took the principal one and you the small one.

After leaving your stuff, you walked to her room and sat on the bed while she was getting ready for the coronation.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Are you sure to go on with your plan?” you asked after a small talk took place about the room being pretty, her sharp eyes looked at you from the mirror.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Of course, this new little king they want on the throne is nothing but a buffoon.” she answered, her eyes went back to her reflection. “And the Kingdom needs someone strong and respected to keep it together.”

You sighed and nodded with a little 'I guess' coming out of your mouth. The black haired walked to you, sitting by your side she took one of your hands.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Trust me, this is for the best. The new Empire will be stronger and far better than the previous Earth Kingdom.” her eyes searched for yours and when they met, her gaze softened. “You trust me, don't you?”

A sweet smile began to creep in your face, your head nodded once more. “I do, I trust you blindly.” your free hand reached for her cheek to leave caresses on it.

The door opened without any warning and the engineer walked, freezing after seeing you two close. He cleared his throat making the two sets of eyes turn his way. “All set, we need to go.” and he left.

You looked back at Kuvira with a funny smile, she shook her head. “Let's go, new leader.” A quick kiss on her cheek was left before distancing from the girl and walking to the exit.

At the coronation, everything went like you thought it would: People opposing, people showing support and Wu looking defeated at the border of a tantrum.

Bolin looked at you confused and you shrugged a little bit, like saying he needed to talk to her directly about it and that's what he planned to do after the ceremony.

When you came back to the room after having lunch with some of the soldiers to make time, you saw Suyin leaving the same, she looked at you and shook her head almost with disappointment before continuing her way.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Hey, what happened? I saw Suyin leave.” you asked directly coming in, Kuvira was standing with her arms crossed.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “We are leaving to Zaofu.” she limited to say, going to her room for her stuff.

You knew what was going to happen, she have been thinking about getting Zaofu into the new Empire for quite some time now, it was almost all she spoke about while talking about not letting the king rule.

Near the city, Bolin was called and told to be of company to both her and Bataar in a negotiation reunion with the matriarch of the city and her family, you were requested to stay on camp to keep working and that's what you did.

While looking through some paperwork that you knew got mixed up with Bataar's in his tent, you found blueprints for weapons you've never seen before, notes on the weapons about them being deadly and how each one could help in different areas. Your brow frowned and then, the dots connected.

Trying to look calmed you took your papers and walked back out like nothing. Bolin was also walking out of Kuvira's tent with a pale face, when he spotted you his feet almost ran your direction and took you by the shoulders.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Kuvira is not what we think she is!” he screamed in a whisper, your eyebrows raised, he knew too.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “What? Why–” he pulled you to your tent so you could talk. “What are you talking about, Bolin?”

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “She just threatened me,” your eyes widened. “She wants to take the city by force, that's what we have been doing all this time! Taking cities by force and apparently making them work like slaves too!”

You blinked to all of the information. “Holy fuck, so that's why...” your sentence stopped, now you understood why there were documents with censored information being delivered to you instead of the official ones.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Yeah, holy fuck that's why!” he backed up, pulling down his face. “We need to do something, there's no way we'll leave it like this.”

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Let me... Let me talk to her, you need to go for Varrick, I know he can help us, he was captured because of the vines I heard.” you said, spaced out on your spot, you looked back at him. “Try to get out of here with him and talk to the team, I know they can help us, Korra will help us.”

The guy nodded before going out like a man on a mission, you stayed to clear your thoughts and try to come with a way to persuade her. After collecting a couple of documents that needed approval, you made your way to her tent, Baatar was there.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “You can leave.” she said to him, the man left with a grimace, you rolled your eyes at him. “Hey, I was about to look for you, want to eat dinner?”

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Oh, sure.” you smiled, standing still with your folder, Kuvira raised an eyebrow.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Is... something wrong? Something happened with the reports?” she asked meticulously, almost like fearing any discoveries you had made.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ "No, sorry, I just... I feel tired." you walked to her and handed the folder. "I need your approvals here so I can send these."

The girl nodded and took the paperwork to start the process, you bit your bottom lip before breathing in deep.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ "Listen, I talked to Bolin..." her hand stopped and she froze. "Kuvira, I know you want to have the whole Kingdom united, but taking the city by force is not a good idea."

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ "Sometimes you need to do whatever it takes to make a greater good." her response left a bad mouth taste, she looked back up at you. "I know this is something you don't want to hear, but we need to make them join to our cause so we can move forward as a nation together. I'm doing this for us."

You stood in silence, that was definitely a different Kuvira talking and it scared you a little bit.

It took you that conversation to come up with a plan, you'd stay with her to try and stop everything from the inside and fortunately you weren't alone. Zhu Li had a similar idea with the canyon they were building and so you relied on her, both had meetings from time to time to discuss progress, but it was until the Beifongs were freed and she left with them for her safety that you were all alone. You trusted she would tell everything to the team.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ "Okay, you can look now." your own hands moved from your eyes, confused you looked up to see a giant robot and now both eyes were wide open. "Do you like it? It's to take Republic City back."

Your blood froze in your veins at the view you were having, it was not only the giant robot, it was the fact that you could see a canyon on its right arm. "I thought... I thought we were going to do a big canyon."

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ "That was the first plan, but Baatar came up with this new model and it would be easier to mobilize around the city." you nodded still hypnotized by the weapon.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ "I think this is going to be such a great idea." you said what she wanted to hear, Kuvira smiled satisfied. "What will I do?"

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ "You will be with me on the main control room." your mind was running miles trying to devise a plan to let the team know.

With the luck against you, you found yourself at the control room without being able to warn anyone about anything. Horrified at the sight of the canyon destroying everything in just seconds, you were grieving silently what had been your home for all those years alive. When the president surrendered the city, you felt your soul fall to your feet, but her instructions to them gave you an idea.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ "I'll go!" you almost screamed at her, she turned your way confused. "With Baatar, Korra is my friend, she trusts me, I know she won't try anything with me there. You'll have the city, the army and the avatar." You nervousness made your hands twitch a little bit, you hid them in your back.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ "Okay," she said after a few seconds of silence, Kuvira walked up to you and cupped your face in her hands.‍ "Be careful, I'll wait for you so we can rule together." She left a kiss close to the corner of your lips.

A soft smile was your response while your eyes scanned her face one last time, trying to burn the image of her in your brain and after that, you left to meet the engineer.

The first half of the journey was quiet, both of you were walking towards his office, but with healthy distance between the two.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ "She likes you, you know?" he spoke out of the blue, catching your attention, you looked up from the floor and back at him for a second.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ "What...?"

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ "Kuvira, she likes you." he continued, you stopped a second in your steps, confused.‍ "We were trying something at the beginning of all of this, but after Bolin got you on the team she had been distant to me and this morning she said we needed to talk after this is over, I know she likes you, I've seen the way she looks at you."

You blinked in awe to what was said, that explained why he always looked at you with some type of resentment, you laughed a little bit to the thought of him hating you for ruinning his 'chance' with the leader.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ "The destiny is such a funny thing." you murmured, it was almost relieving to know that maybe you did had your chance with the metalbender, you wished the situation was different so you could maybe be with her dispite all, but now you had one mission: stop her.

Once at the door, you unlocked it and walked in, as soon as Baatar walked you heard him grumble. In an automatic way, you adopted a defensive position, however when the avatar looked at you, a smile as big appeared on your face.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ "Korra!" you exclaimed walking towards her to embrace a hug, she giggled.‍ "I'm so glad to see you here."

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ "I'm glad to see you too," she said smiling, a couple seconds later, she distanced herself.‍ "Zhu Li told us everything, we're taking Baatar, are you coming with us?"

Without a second thought you nodded and followed the girl out of the airship.

Once at Asami's factory you greeted everyone with joy, feeling like a weight was lifted up your shoulders and when you saw Bolin your eyes watered a little bit.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ "I thought you did die!" you said while hugging him with a little strength, he was giggling with pauses.‍ "I didn't have any way to communicate and then Zhu Li left and I was all alone."

The older woman patted your back with a comprehensive smile, while everything went down you stood at the back with your friend, waiting for a conclusion. When the engineer talked to her, your stomach felt fumbling and it didn't get better listening to her answer him. She asked for you and the man told her that you were with him, they had taken you too.

Seeing how the leader shoot at the factory without considering if any of you two would make it out alive somehow made you feel sad, but there wasn't time for any of that as everyone got to action trying to stop her. Lin had given metal string for you to move around and a quick tutorial on how to use it, it took you a couple of falls for you to have the transportation managed.

The fight was intense, there were times were you thought you would not make it alive in one piece. All your muscles were aching in pain at the overwork with your bending, sweat was dripping off your face, but when everyone got into the suit you took the time to rest a little bit with Asami by your side when you went to look for her after she was ejected from the hummingbird suit. Your arms were around her, giving her comfort in her now grieving time.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ "I hope they can defeat her." she said, resting her head in your shoulder. You looked to the robot's way and saw fire reflecting, a tiny smile appear.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ "I'm sure they will." you said back.‍ "I just wish things were different... I don't recognize Kuvira anymore."

Asami was attentive to you, she gave you a comprehensive gaze.‍ "Things happen for a reason."

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ "I know that, but-" your talk was interrupted by an explosion, Asami and you covered your head with your hands and looked up afterwards.

The giant robot was halved by the vines power, with no time to waste, you ran to the scene. Before you both arrived, another explosion took place, Asami was quick to pull you to a train entrance for cover. When that one settle, your eyes shined with the new spirit portal in the heart of the city.

A small call for Kuvira left your mouth unconsciously, so you joined the rest of the group to look for the avatar while also you looked for the leader. Your mind was going a thousand per second until you saw the southerner walk out of the portal with the metalbender by her side, you sighed.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ "Wait," you called to the Beifongs before they could take her farther.‍ "Can I... talk to her? It will be quick."

Lin and Suyin took just a step back, always vigilant to the leader.‍ "I'm sorry," she started, not allowing you to say anything.‍ "For everything, I'm so sorry for making you go through all of this."

One of your hands look to get one of hers, a melancholic smile was drawn in your face. "You'll do better from now on, I can feel it."

Kuvira let a couple of tears fall from her eyes, you took a step closer to her and your lips met hers in a delicate kiss. The leader was shocked, but tried to reciprocate as fast as she could. You could hear a couple of gasps at your back, but that wasn't your main focus at the moment.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ "I'll wait for you." you told her, trying to sound calm. Kuvira's eyes shined with concern.‍ "Just know, I have always loved you... Always."

She smile a little bit and murmur a little 'I love you too' before she was taken away. Turning around to your friends, they all had a shocked face.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ "So! Korra saved the city!" you tried to sound as happy as possible for your friend, Bolin gave you back up and cheered for the avatar.

The whole team did a group hug as a celebration, knowing you could also need a hug from them, things will get better with time.

#the legend of korra #the legend of korra x reader #kuvira x reader #kuvira x fem!reader #kuvira x you #kuvira #fanfic #one shot

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cherrygummybears · 2 months ago

Text

at last here it is!! the piece i wrote about mash for my final project for my geography class. i originally made this on arcgis and the site is being super annoying. i’m not able to post a link to the piece in its original form without doxxing myself, so i’m just going to put the text and photos directly in the post. (under a cut of course).

essentially, american media has a tendency to depict other countries in a very ignorant and inaccurate way, and while mash does have its own issues with this, I thought it would make a very interesting case study of the larger issue in hollywood because it’s an example where the writers were trying to get things right and trying to be genuinely progressive. based on that i made some conclusions about american individualism and how i think it affects our interactions with the rest of the world.

a few asides: some photos from the original version are removed because i’m unsure about copyright. i also had interactive maps embedded in the original which i unfortunately cannot transfer to a tumblr post. i changed the wording of a few spots to remove unnecessary geography terminology that i included to meet assignment requirements. im also really sorry if the writing is a little janky or if I got anything wrong! I made this entire project from start to finish (including research stages) in the span of probably about 48 hours. and i was very sleep deprived the whole time but I tried very hard to make it the best I could in spite of the time crunch I was under!

(also, i don’t know them and we aren’t mutuals so i feel too awkward to tag them outright, but huge thank you to tumblr user mashhistorian. i would not have been able to pull this piece together without the information i found on their website.)

anyways! full piece below the cut :)

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On February 28, 1983, roughly 106 million Americans tuned in to CBS to watch the finale of the 1970s sitcom M*A*S*H, cementing the 2.5 hour special as the most viewed episode of a television series in American history (a record which still has not been surpassed today). Not only did the show eventually help blueprint the AB plot structure and the dramedy genre, but it also promoted a strong anti-war stance to a large audience. Set in a fictional Mobile Army Surgical Hospital unit in the Korean War, taking place near Uijeongbu, South Korea, and debuting in 1972, M*A*S*H began airing on television at a time when the US military was still directly involved in the Vietnam War. This involvement ended only a year after M*A*S*H began, but the overall unpopularity of the Vietnam War in the years leading up to the show’s debut heavily motivated its anti-war position.

Though this message became the centerpiece far more often in seasons 6 through 11, the writers and cast always had the goal of emphasizing the tragedy and uselessness of war. Given the large audience that M*A*S*H quickly grew, this was a powerful position to take, and a rather unusual one at the time. Other shows that were airing during the same time period as M*A*S*H were usually comedies, and did not make such direct commentary on relevant political issues. However, although this message was very well intentioned, it was not always executed perfectly, and incongruities and inaccuracies sometimes arose. American movies and television shows are not strangers to inaccurate depictions of foreign countries, and in line with this issue, one criticism of M*A*S*H was its general inaccuracy in portrayals of Korean people and Korea itself. Given the way M*A*S*H subverted its own initial comedic structure and consistently made commentary which rebelled against the traditional politics of mainstream American television networks, the show’s depiction of Korea makes for a remarkably unique case study of the shortcomings of American media when portraying foreign countries.

(A modern photo of Uijeongbu, South Korea)

Today, as a result of significant urbanization, the city of Uijeongbu has become a satellite community of Seoul with a population of roughly 460,000 people. Information on the size of the city at the time of the Korean War is very limited, but it seems that during those years Uijeongbu was likely a small village. However, M*A*S*H was not actually filmed anywhere near Korea, or even southeast Asia. Rather, it was filmed entirely in Southern California. The show had an indoor set at 20th Century Fox Studios, and an outdoor set located in Fox Ranch, now called Malibu Creek State Park. The producers actually chose the location for the outdoor set because they felt that it bore a resemblance to Korea. In some ways, this choice worked in the show’s favor when it comes to the physical geography of its canon location. Uijeongbu is surrounded on multiple sides by a mountainous landscape, and Malibu Creek State Park also boasts a mountainous backdrop.

(A modern photo of Malibu Creek State Park. It has noticeably more yellow tones in its greenery than the modern photo of Uijeongbu.)

At the same time, however, the southern California filming location does not align quite so well with the setting of Uijeongbu. Southern California is warmer than northern South Korea, and has far less variance in temperature, with the Malibu area rarely having temperatures outside the range of 40-90 degrees Fahrenheit at any time during the year. In contrast to this, Korea has significantly more differentiation in the weather between seasons, with Uijeongbu sitting in the 20 and 30 degree range in winter and the 70 and 80 degree range in the summer. It is difficult to find information on how the Korean climate may have been different at the time of the Korean war, but based on the accounts of some former soldiers, it seems the winter weather could reach far below this range. While this would align with the numerous M*A*S*H winter episodes which emphasized the biting, windy cold, current information about Uijeongbu’s climate matches up less well.

In terms of greenery, the two locations seem relatively similar, though Uijeongbu is greener today than Malibu Creek State Park. It is hard to find photos of what Uijeongbu’s landscape looked like during the Korean War, but based on the photos available, along with photos of nearby Seoul at the time, it was likely less green than it looks today, partly because of the destruction caused by the war. If anything, this probably would have made it more similar in greenery to Malibu Creek State Park because of the combined greenery and desert-like landscapes that make up many areas of southern California.

The camera and television quality that was available at the time of the show’s production also likely plays into things, as the same locations within Malibu Creek State Park look different when photographed with less grainy cameras, and the show itself likely looked different when broadcasted onto the much smaller television screens of the 1970s. Overall, based on this information, the climate differences between Korea and California did not seem to cause major issues with M*A*S*H’s portrayal of Korea. Most likely, any noticeable discrepancies in the landscape and weather are attributable to older technology and mild dramatization typical of American television (although the fact that domestic landscapes are not treated with this same dramatization is still something which should be discussed).

(A comparison of the M*A*S*H filming location from the time of filming to now. The grainier camera quality of the 1970s causes the colors to appear more brown than they are in reality.)

M*A*S*H’s biggest issue in its depiction of Korea lies in its portrayal of Korean people. There were no regular Korean characters, and a limited number of recurring ones. The majority of Korean characters on the show were one time characters, and were also rarely played by Korean actors (rather, they were frequently played by Japanese or Chinese actors instead). There was also the supposed issue of the language and accent being spoken inaccurately, and the one dimensional and cultureless way with which Koreans on the show were portrayed. Although M*A*S*H’s producers Larry Gelbart and Gene Reynolds actually went to South Korea to ensure greater accuracy in the show, their visit focused very heavily on the experiences of American doctors and nurses in the former 8055th MASH unit, a real MASH unit which existed during and after the Korean war and was instrumental in inspiring the show. In documentation of a 1974 news article on this topic, there is nothing indicating that Gelbart or Reynolds spent any of their interviewing and touring time with any Korean people (instead indicating they spent the entirety of the trip at the 8055th MASH).

(Korean actor Soon-Tek Oh playing Mr. Kwang in an episode of M*A*S*H. He was one of only three Korean actors involved with the show (the other two being Philip Anh and Richard Lee-Sung. Each of these actors played a number of different Korean characters.))

Interestingly, this article also notes that Gelbart went to Korea once before in 1951. It is highly likely that this previous visit influenced the writing of Korean characters. At the time of Gelbart’s apparent visit in 1951, the Korean War would have been underway, which means that he likely saw a disaster-struck version of the country due to the destructive effects of the war. This is supported by a 1997 article in Las Vegas Sun which discusses M*A*S*H’s less than accurate depiction of Korean people from a more Korean-focused perspective. In the article, Gelbart says that he saw significant wreckage and destruction during his first visit to Korea, likely referring to his trip in 1951. It seems that the suffering and damage Gelbart witnessed upon his first visit to Korea informed the way he wrote Korean characters. But by focusing on the disasters Korean civilians faced, the rich culture they carried with them was neglected in M*A*S*H’s characterizations. The lack of dimension given to Korean characters leaves them with little in the way of individuality, so they end up defined largely by the tragedies they go through rather than by their culture or personality, an issue which the main cast of American characters on the show notably did not experience in the same way.

(A photo of Seoul in 1950, damaged as a result of the war. This is the sort of destruction Gelbart would have seen on his trip in 1951, and given that he visited a year into the war, it's possible the destruction had worsened from what this image shows.)

Ultimately, M*A*S*H targeted an American audience, and the intent was to present this audience with a very anti-war message. It is clear that a lot of effort went into accurately portraying life in a MASH unit for American doctors and soldiers. However, the show’s extremely heavy focus on American experiences in the war, while effective for advocating the futility of war to an American audience, neglected the experiences and lives of Korean people. The fact that the show began as a thinly veiled allegory for the war in Vietnam likely only amplified the problem. It is clear that the unpopularity of the Vietnam war among the American population helped drive the desire to speak out against the war in the show, but because of the political volatility of the issue at the time, the Korean War made for a backdrop that CBS would find more acceptable. This was particularly because it allowed for the anti-war stance to be phrased in a more generalized manner, which slightly softened the blow of its political intentions.

However, the intense focus on this stance centered the experiences of Americans, and its broader generalization only further pushed Korean experiences to the wayside. In a very unfortunate way, this effect in itself is somewhat of an unintentional commentary on American involvement in wars. M*A*S*H, with its American writers, characters, and audience, aimed to send a message about the useless tragedy of war, using Korea as a means. But because the goal of the show was so centered in American politics, the events of the show centered American experiences as well. This often left Korean people misrepresented to the American population in the process, the same way foreign countries are frequently misrepresented to the American public when America enters a war in order to further some political or economic doctrine.

(Nurses from the 8055th MASH unit in the Korean War. A surgeon from this unit wrote the original book which inspired the M*A*S*H movie and later also the TV series. On their trip to South Korea, Larry Gelbart and Gene Reynolds visited the unit and spoke with its members. They also spoke with some former members of the unit in the US to use their experiences as inspiration for episode plot lines.)

Furthermore, while M*A*S*H does have a number of episodes which tackle the issue of racism, they generally feature a domestically American brand of it. This was remarkably progressive for its time and place, but it was also American-centric, focusing on America’s issues with racism domestically while forgetting how those issues impact America’s interactions with other countries. Overall, M*A*S*H was remarkably progressive in the context of domestic American politics, but outside of that context, it was noticeably less so. The way the show’s characterization is frequently brilliant with American characters while falling short with Korean ones, as well as the American-centric political motivations that influenced the show, are indicative of a larger pattern of self-centeredness which has long permeated American society.

As globalization and cultural exchange become increasingly widespread in our world, it is important to recognize that historically this exchange has not happened in an equitable or balanced fashion. As Americans, we often expect people in foreign countries to have a certain level of knowledge about our culture while insisting that it should be acceptable for us to have a far more limited knowledge of theirs. The performatively individualized nature of our society causes us to lack community and fall into traps of self absorbed thinking, and as a result we do not hold ourselves to the same expectations for cultural understanding that we frequently level at others. Even when we try to have progressive political discussions, our focus on domestic political issues often blinds us to the impact our political problems can have on the rest of the world. Even if American pop culture was not as widespread as it is, it would still be important to make sure we put the same effort into depicting other people around the world as we do into depicting ourselves, for the sake of being respectful and building a more open minded world. But particularly because of the influence that American pop culture often has, it is not only disrespectful but irresponsible to misrepresent other cultures in our media.

In the case of M*A*S*H, Korean culture was relatively unknown in America at the time the show was on air. Today, because of the Korean Wave and the rise in popularity of K-pop music in America, awareness of Korean culture among the American public has likely increased from what it was when M*A*S*H was airing on television. Of course the offensiveness of poorly done depictions of other cultures are reason enough that we need to correct these mistakes, and of course we should not rely on television and movies to inform our perspectives. But the influence American media has on our mental mapping of other countries makes it even more important to get things right. In a world where cultures are being shared with increasing frequency and openness, giving foreign characters the same effort and accuracy we give American ones is the least we can do to start making this exchange more balanced.

#cherry speaks #m*a*s*h #mashblr #I need to be packing to move out of my dorm but instead please have this #i pulled an all nighter getting it done this past weekend lol #i’m massively second guessing myself on the quality of this and worrying i got everything wrong but in my defense #in my defense. i wrote the majority of this in the wee hours of the morning on saturday and sunday #also i am american. and a mash fan. so please keep that in mind bc i know it shaped my opinion #but i was going about this in good faith

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