#You can imagine any other ghost in Death's position as well

[madametamma]

Maddie has a near death experience when an invention blows up on her.  Her soul was suddenly thrust from her physical form and time slowed down to a snails pace as she watches her body very slowly being thrown across the lab.

Death appears to causally explain everything. 

“Don’t worry.  This isn’t the day I take you. I’m just here to walk you through your memories. This is just the whole ‘life flashing before your eyes’ bit. We’ll go over your human existence, a second will have gone by in the real world, and you’ll be right back in your body only remembering all of this in flashes. The general aim is that you’ll go back to your life with a different perspective on things”

They try to show Maddie her life ‘Ghost of Christmas past’ style but during the tour of memories Death slips and calls her Danny.

“Sorry” they respond.  “I’m used to dealing with THAT Fenton.”

Maddie wants to know what that’s supposed to mean but Death is casually illusive on the subject, constantly trying to bring the woman back on task, focusing on her own life

“Huh? Danny? He’s just a guy I know. Anyway...”

“Don’t worry about it.  Lot’s of people have near death experiences. Let’s stay on track.” 

“This is about you. Your turn this time, Maddie.  Focus.””

Maddie only becomes more and more concerned over her son, and Death just won’t give her a straight answer.  Whenever Danny is apart of the memory, she takes notice of her son’s depressed look, subtle injuries, and how frustrated she is watching her past self not react to anything off about her son at all even when it’s obvious something’s wrong.

Often Danny would wander off somewhere on his own and Maddie tries to follow him.

“You can’t do that.” Death explains. “We’re in YOUR past.  You can’t go off to see what he’s doing. You’re not apart of that. If you want to see what the kid is up to, it can only be through moments when you were together.”

At first Maddie tries to do things Death’s way, but it seems like Danny is only getting worse every time he reenters after going off somewhere, leaving her with more questions.

Eventually Maddie can’t take it anymore.  She tries to ditch Death and follow Danny.

“No!” Death Warns “If you stray too far, I can’t guarantee this will ONLY be a near death experience!”

[antimonyandthyme]

1k, prosenna

warnings: references to character death, grief/mourning

There were hands smoothing down the wrinkles in the sheets by his legs.

“Go away,” he said. “You are dead.”

Ayrton rolled his eyes. “Of course,” he said, and went back to adjusting the blanket.

Ludicrous. Ghost Ayrton was trying to tuck him in. Alain was losing his mind.

“So even in death, you seek to drive me mad.”

Ayrton pulled back, like that stung. Actually stung, physically. Which made no sense. Alain was talking to a shade his mind had cobbled up, in rejection of the reality. Some people had no business lying still. So, his imagination made them move.

“I’m trying to make you comfortable.”

“I am quite comfortable, thank you.”

“Then why can’t you sleep?” Ayrton said softly.

Alain stared down at his hands, tangled in the sheets by his waist. He had lost faith in the veins running along his body to carry blood. If he looked in the mirror, he knew what he’d find. Haunted eyes, and a tiredness that stuck to flesh like wet film. Why couldn’t he sleep?

“Because you left,” Alain said. “Without so much as a goodbye.”

Ayrton’s face seemed whiter than before, if that were even possible. Even now, when nothing between them mattered any more—even now, they hurt each other.

“I am trying,” Ayrton said, “to right this wrong, can you understand that?”

“Then let me sleep,” Alain said.

It was close to eleven when Alain awoke. His alarm had been switched off. He did not remember doing that. There was a hand on his shoulder, shaking him awake. Ayrton had not left.

“Now, to the shops,” Ayrton announced, sounding so much like it was the tallest order of the day. “Get dressed, Alain.”

“No,” Alain said. He had not left the house in—weeks. Since Imola.

Ayrton pursed his lips and squinted. It was all so familiar. He used to make that expression right before they argued. Alain could close his eyes and conjure it up, every frown line etched in its precise position. He supposed he was getting exceedingly good at recreating Ayrton from memory.

“Get dressed,” Ayrton said menacingly, “or I will dress you.”

Alain barked out a laugh. It grated against his ears like metal on metal, a crash on the track. He hadn’t heard himself in what seemed like eons. Fine, fine. He could humour Ayrton, if only because he had made him laugh.

Ayrton watched with satisfaction as Alain drew clean clothes on. It didn’t seem strange that Ayrton watched him while he changed, with something in his eyes Alain couldn’t quite place. Or rather, something Alain couldn’t bear to place, now that the something was no longer within reach.

They went to the market.

“Why can't they see you?”

Ayrton scoffed. “Why would I choose to appear to them?”

Alain shook his head. “Why would you choose to appear to me?”

Ayrton looked at him as if Alain were deliberately being obtuse. Which was just typical. And comforting enough for the crack in his heart to tear open and bleed freely.

The shopkeepers must certainly think him mad. He was holding up produce for Ayrton to inspect. He was holding them up to thin air.

“Pah,” Ayrton said. “You call those oranges?”

Alain inspected the offending fruit. “What would you call them?”

“Those are yellows at best. This is what you’ve been eating? No wonder you’ve grown so thin.”

The weather was crisp, and Alain’s lips cracked when he smiled. He poked his tongue out to get at the blood, and let himself be bullied into purchasing grapefruit instead.

There was a light drizzle when they were finally done. Alain kept his walking pace while Ayrton seethed behind him. By the grace of the universe, Alain had been spared an apparition that could touch. If Alain could imagine the feel of Ayrton against him, then. Well. He wouldn’t survive this.

“Walk faster,” Ayrton demanded. Every time he tried to push at Alain, his hands went clean through. “You are getting soaked.”

“I don’t mind,” Alain said. The chill of the air was refreshing, actually.

“I do,” Ayrton said. “Come on, your house is just around the corner.”

But Alain would not listen. He stood under the clouds as the sky opened up and mourned for Senna.

“Come in from the rain,” Ayrton pleaded with him.

Alain stayed, like a madman who would not be swayed. The immovable object to Ayrton’s now very stoppable force. The paper bag holding his groceries tore, and the grapefruit thudded to the ground, coming to rest in puddles. He was allowed to relish in the anguish he was inflicting upon Ayrton. In return for the sorrow that now bound his every waking moment.

“What would you have me do?” Ayrton was shouting now. The rain adhered to his cheeks like tears. “For you to come inside, Alain, what would you have me do?”

“Come back,” Alain said to the storm.

The rain kept falling. Alain did not know for how long. Could have been seconds. Or years. Alain was looking his grief right in the face. He was dimly aware that he was shivering wildly, that his teeth were chattering.

“I will never forgive you,” Ayrton said, his final attempt at moving Alain. “If you allowed this to break you, I will never forgive you. You will never see peace, Alain, for I will never leave you.”

“What if,” he said, sounding for all the world like a child, lost and pathetic, “I wanted that?”

“You are a fool,” Ayrton said harshly. His hands hovered a mere millimeter above Alain’s cheeks. He looked so much like he wanted to stroke Alain. It looked like pain, that he couldn’t. “Come in from the rain, Prost, and live.”

Alain looked up. The sky was clearing. The earth continued to spin, as she always did. Alain crouched down, and picked up his fallen fruit. He took his time. Dragged it out. Allowed himself the taste of longing. When he turned to go home, Ayrton was no longer there.

[alpaca-clouds]

Vampires - and the Curse of Immortality

Something I notice a lot in vampire-related fandoms is, how harshly my viewpoint on vampires differs from most other people within those fandoms. This might be, because I generally speaking see myself as part of the death positivity movement. And that is a big thing that often gets into conflict with the way how many see vampires.

See, in general vampires originally were horror not just because they drank blood, but because they were immortal. Sure, there was a big religious aspect to it. Because they were immortal and even if they died would automatically either (depending on the exact story) be doomed to wander as a ghost or go to hell, they were cursed to never be able to go to heaven. And that was an aspect of the horror.

But... Even going past it: Immortality is a curse. You do not want to be immortal, even if you think you do. Not even in some magical way in which you really do not suffer any ill consequences from it.

And I mean, vampires already suffer consequences in terms of not being able to go out into the sun and everything.

The reasons for that are quite a few.

For vampires there is just the fact that vampires are the few immortals among mortals. You will be surrounded by people who will die long before you. Live long enough and the world will be unrecognizable to you. You might actually see culture, you grew up in, crumble to dust.

Just imagine the world from the perspective of a vampire who grew up in any old culture. Be it ancient Greece, or ancient Rome, or the Vikings, or any culture outside of Europe, that ended up... well, collapsing in one way or another. Imagine how everything you grew up with is gone suddenly.

And if you live long enough you will see the same thing happening over and over again.

I am talking about this right now, because I have noticed how many people within the Castlevania fandom, do still hope that Lisa will be transformed into a vampire after the end of the series so that this time she is going to be immortal.

But the thing is: The series never answeres the question of why Lisa never became a vampire. But... I think it is pretty clear that the answer is, that she just does not want to be. Because she is intelligent and she knows the downsides of immortality. So, she simply does not want it. And because Dracula actually loves her, he accepts it.

There is probably a reason, too, why most of the vampires we see are rarely older than 500 years.

In Castlevania the only vampire we know to be older than that is Morana. And she is going to be old enough to not have seen one civilization fall, but several, given she is (according tie Katie Silva) a good 3000 years old. And just... imagine. Being so old. What you must've seen. It is going to be hard to not just go insane with all of that. (This is the reason why I write Morana so very weary of humans - she just has seen too much violence done by human hands.)

And while Olrox is just a mere 250 years old, you can also extend this onto him in a way. Given that he has seen his civilization be destroyed (even though his culture survived).

All of that is the reason why I have a tendency to let a lot of vampires die on the long term - or cure them of the vampirism. I mean, in my BG3 stuff, the end scenario is going to be for Astarion to be healed from the vampirism, because... Well, being an immortal vampire actually just sucks. (Doubly so in the DnD world, where it comes with even more drawbacks.)

I mean, all I am thinking is: Looking at some other vampire stories I know... What is the sense of living forever, if you are just miserable?

So, yeah: Unpopular opinion. Dying is okay. It might be preferable to being a vampire forever.

[mrzombielover]

soap nsfw alphabet

prepare for some more headcanons while i take some time to write actual fics :)

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

he strikes me as a guy that will just fucking conk out immediately after. if you want to clean up you gotta move fast before hes dead asleep and holding you in a death grip.

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

he’s pretty neutral about himself, not really insecure but not the most vain. i bet he likes his arms and hands, he’s a strong guy and likes his mooscles plus he enjoys being able to manhandle you. also proud of his leg gains

on you he likes your hair. he thinks it frames your face real prettily and loves how it smells. will start using your shampoo and conditioner to your dismay

other than that hes an ass man, so that’s probably high on his list too

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

doesn’t have a particular preference for where he should but one time he pulled out and came all over your thighs and ass and he’s not gonna let that image go any time soon.

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

chronic panty stealer. i cant really imagine him being ashamed of any kinks or anything but this is something you might not need to know about for a while. he kept a pair hidden in his barracks and freaked the fuck out when ghost almost found it. he returned them later that day

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

one of the more experienced of mw characters, he’s had a few girlfriends and random hookups once in a while but pretty standard

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

prefers intimate positions with lots of skin to skin contact and eye contact. you cant go wrong with classic missionary, but he’ll bend down with his face close to yours and hold you against him. also likes when you wrap your legs around his waist.

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

he def has the capability to be silly and goofy and perhaps a tad whimsical. to him, sex with his partner is about making you both feel good and he can be laid back and crack some jokes if the mood is light. not that he can’t be serious, but he likes laughing and not taking things super seriously

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

pretty hairy guy, he’s very clean and i imagine he’d keep things trimmed but i cant see him shaving lol. i bet he has a super sexy happy trail too. pubes are brown and curly like his hair

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

surprisingly romantic- in his own weird way. he can be traditionally romantic, too, if the situation calls for it like on an anniversary or smth.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

tends to quite often when you’re not there, he gets wound up very easily and uses it as a way to let off some steam, and relax before bed

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

usually p vanilla but there are times where he like to step it up. he’s def a switch so when you take the reigns it gets him all excited.

also likes blindfolds, on him and you. just thinks it’s sooo hot how it heightens your other senses and makes you extra sensitive.

the same can be said with temperature play- ice and wax. the different sensations get him so riled up and he loves the little gasps and whimpers it elicits.

Again both of these can be done on him or you this guy is the biggest switch ever.

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

prefers classic bedroom, it’s private, comfortable, and you can really go all out without worry. unfortunately, neither of you are home very often, so the showers or barracks are the most common places.

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

honestly everything you do. it doesn’t take much to get him going, he has a pretty high sex drive. watching you concentrate on something just gives him the insane urge to annoy you and ruin your concentration, and even more so if you’re actually doing work. especially working with your hands in some way

watching you get ready is another one, smth abt the contrast between how you look in your gear vs all dolled up really does it for him.

basically anything you do

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

hes a very clean guy, hence the nickname. not into piss or blood or a ton of dirt and grime. granted he might find it hot if you’re all sweaty and nasty from a workout or mission but that’s a very specific circumstance. this makes shower sex fair game.

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

likes giving and receiving, again sex and making eachother feel good is very important to him in relationships. he can give very enthusiastic head but he’s def not gonna turn down a bj

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

tends to go pretty hard. hes a strong, big guy who can manhandle you and hold you down if needed, and usually goes at a pretty deep and rough pace. can always slow down if you need it tho hes so sweet at the same time

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

though he likes the convenience, especially as you’re both busy people, he much prefers when he can take his time with you and properly go multiple rounds

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

he can be real cheeky and smug, loves teasing you in semi-public situations. he’s down to experiment, mostly to have fun. doesn’t mind doing it if there’s a slight risk but wouldn’t wanna do it like in public

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

absolutely insane. from how much he works out to his relatively clean diet to his high test levels he can go for a while. tends to bust a little prematurely but he makes up for it in how many rounds he can go

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

doesn’t use them a ton but he def sees them as an ally, not a threat. prefers using them on you but he’s not opposed to them being used on himself aswell

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

very much so, but he also enjoys being teased. if you’re in a meeting he’ll love to have a hand on your thigh trailing dangerously high while you’re talking, trying his hardest to break your focus and embarrass you

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

he’s def on the louder side, not afraid to be whimpering, groaning and grunting all in your ear and it’s so fuckinf sexy he reminds me of those memes like “other dudes be afraid to moan in bed but i’m in my girls ear like”

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

has threesome/gangbang fantasies with you and the guys from 141, but he would literally never say anything to any of the guys nor you cause he’s worried about making things awkward with them. he could maybe maybe consider asking ghost

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

oooh do i have thoughts abt this 😭😭

so very thick and long. not the biggest (my man könig) but it’s very substantial. 6-7 inches hard and if the length doesn’t get you then the width WILL it feels like you’re getting SPLIT. base color #a95840 with a slightly lighter and redder tip

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

very. it doesn’t take a lot to get him going and on a good day he can go 3 rounds. whenever you’re in the mood, he’s in the mood and ready to go.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

as previously stated after he busts you got like 2 minutes before he’s knocked the fuck out and probably pinning you down with him. he can’t help it he’s so content and warm and he’s just gonna wanna take a nap

+ i plan on doing the rest of 141 and könig versions too :)

[fhangtom]

Can I get uhhhhh your own nsfw headcanons about Dan pls? I like seeing everyone's different visions about him

HI & YES , i have many thoughts on this fine ass ghoul 😩 unfortunately i only did a few cause i was worried abt making the post too long . i hope u like them & ty for requesting pookie < 3

☠︎︎ ⋆₊ ⊹ dan phantom nsfw hcs

( nsfw , fem!human! reader , 18 + only )

cw : mentions of penetrative sex , cunnilingus , hair pulling , & facials

dan phantom , who is an ass man . goes feral for a nice ass . loves to slap it , loves to grope it no matter where you are , & is annoyingly good at making it look subtle so he can get away with it in public . & of course , with a man that loves ass comes a man equally obsessed with backshots ; one hand on your hip & the other on the center of your back , forcing you to arch for him . dan damn near gets hypnotized , watching with hungry , predatory eyes how your ass moves in time with his thrusts .

dan phantom , who eats pussy like a mf champ . feeling you needily rut into his mouth for more when he's already sucking on your clit & his chin is practically soaked with your juices has him wanting to stay between your thighs for eternity . while he's busy driving you crazy with his mouth , he's got 2 fingers in your pussy , fucking you nice & slow . after a bit , he'll switch & replace his fingers with his tongue so he can lap up your wetness . dan is unrelenting in his affection too , only taking tiny breaks so he can tell you how good you taste & how messy you're getting .

p.s : sit on his face . pls , just do it .

dan phantom , who's favorite position is a mating press . he's just so .. massive , dan can fold you in half with ease . he favors this position because he gets a perfect view of how your cunt greedily takes him , as well as your blissed out face when he's fucking you .

dan phantom , who loooves having his hair played with . run your fingers through his silver locks or gently scratch at his scalp while y'all are making out & the phantom is purring in your mouth at the stimulation . & god , if you pull it ? it's like he gets kicked into horny overdrive , groaning for you to " do that again . harder . " it turns him on so much . pull on his hair as he's eating you out & he'll moan so loud ( albeit , muffled ) , grinding his hips into the mattress to get off on how good it feels .

dan phantom , who will go for hours if you let him . seriously , that ghost stamina is no joke . one rounds turns into two , & eventually blurs to five or six – who knows ? you lost count . he’s brought you to many orgasms by then , any more & you're certain you'll actually die ( honestly , death by carnal ghost lust doesn't sound too bad until you imagine it on your obituary ) .

dan phantom , who has the most sensitive ears . his ears are his sweet spot & he has a love - hate relationship with how weak it makes him when you pay them attention during intimacy . nip or stroke the tip of his ear to tease him & he's putty , shuddering under your touch . he glares at you like you've committed some kind of atrocity against him , but it's not so intimidating when you consider how flustered he becomes . if you want to take a more dominating role , his ears are your best bet at getting dan to submit , though he will get you back when the post nut clarity hits .

dan phantom , who loves to paint your face . you're beautiful always , but dan thinks you're especially beautiful when you've got the messy white streaks of his cum sticking to your lashes & decorating your flushed cheeks after you've just sucked him off . he's possessive , so having you covered in his mess just scratches a certain perverted in itch in his brain that finishing in your throat can't top .

[iblameashley]

Crosshairs, Bullets and Affections

Military | Male | Gay

5,300 words Content: Alternate universe, longing, angst, cursing, injury / wounds, mention / depiction of blood, captivity / imprisonment, military level violence, mention of torture, gun violence, death, some German, poorly edited Gay Stuff, Love, Fluff

Inspiration for this fic

König | Kyle 'Gaz' Garrick | Kaz?

!!!SFW!!!

In the heat of battle, König saves the life of enemy soldier Gaz, leading to his capture and disavowal from KorTac. Struggling with his feelings, König faces suspicion and hostility from the 141. Assigned to integrate him, Gaz is put at the forefront of König's awkward attempts at romance, while Ghost and Soap watch from the sidelines. König asks himself the age old question, 'do you believe love can bloom even on a battlefield?'

Consequences

König sat in a surprisingly well-lit cell. The concrete walls and steel bars a clear reminder of the new reality he found himself in. The space felt cramped, but then again, Konig remembered that he's not an average sized man; his legs hanging over the small bed that he rested on.

Upon being brought to the one-four-one base, he was promptly stripped of all his tactical gear and tossed in this cell. Captain Price had been generous enough to allow Konig to keep his hood – a source of amusement for the rotation of guards – and was left to his long-sleeved shirt and pants. Though they had also taken his boots and replaced his with slippers, nothing that could be used as a weapon was left, but at least he was relatively warm and comfortable.

His eyes flickered to the calendar on the wall outside the cell. June sixteenth. Six month and - he had to think about it - four days since his confinement started.

Originally, Konig had been in earshot of some of the more creative suggestions from the members of the one-four-one relating to any information he had. Ghost, ever the pragmatic man, had advocated for a ruthless approach. He had argued that the Colonel was too seasoned to be susceptible to typical tactics, and suggested a tried and true method, according to him; jumper cables and a car battery.

Soap on the other hand, saw no value in interrogating Konig regardless. He saw the giant of a man as too big a threat to keep around and had instead suggested the use of some C4. Most of the team had assumed he was joking. They were really hoping he was joking, but his mate Gaz had been injured and emotions were running high.

Price however, understood the gravity of the situation and the delicate balance of power at play. He saw the value in Konig as an asset, and a chance to gain insight into the inner workings of a known military threat. Besides, Konig had saved Gaz's life on the battlefield, and that alone had piqued Prices interest in the man. Saving an enemy combatant and allowing yourself to be captured in the process? What the fuck had the man been thinking?

The cell door opened and snapped Konig out of his thoughts. His eyes wandered up to see Price standing there. He dragged a metal chair into the cell and the guard closed the door behind him, though stayed close; his hand on his holster, ready to make a move if Konig tired anything.

König's jaw clenched under his sniper hood as he met Prices gaze, his walls coming back up.

“I can't imagine this has been easy for you.” Price began, clearing his throat. He leaned back in the chair and crossed one leg over the other. He tried to appear relaxed by resting his hands on his knee.

“I've seen worse.” Konig fired back with feigned disregard, his accent thick and his voice raspy. “...Just another obstacle.”

Price nodded, he understood the position Konig was facing. “I understand your reluctance to speak to me -to anyone- since you were brought in, but I really need to understand what brought you here.”

Konig narrowed his eyes. Though Price couldn't see it, his lips were pressed into a thin line.

“I had my reasons.” He replied flatly. “Reasons that don't concern you.”

“I would argue that they concern me greatly, Colonel.” Price tapped at his knee, staring Konig down with curiosity. “You aided one of my men on the battlefield. Why?”

In a fleeting moment, König's eyes betrayed him, and a glimpse of vulnerability flicked between the two men.

Price raised a brow, noting the reaction and realizing there was much more to this than Konig was letting on.

“...You had the chance to run. You didn't.... and now, here you are.”

König's body tensed and he gripped at the think mattress below him. “Sometimes the cost of doing what's right is higher than we anticipate.” He replied.

“I wasn't aware KorTac knew what doing 'what's right' was.” Price said, the irony not entirely lost on him.

König sat there quietly, what was the point of replying to that particular comment?

Price let out a sigh, waving a hand apologetically.

“We don't have to be enemies, Colonel.”

“König.” König corrected.

“König.” Price smiled, “Help us, and I promise you, there will be a place for you in this task force.”

“We'll see.”

With that, the conversation had lapsed into silence. Knowing that König was unwilling to speak to him any further, Price stood up and grabbed the chair. The door to the cell opened and he left the holding area.

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

Actions

Amidst the gunfire and explosions, König has spotted someone who shouldn't have been there. Kyle 'Gaz' Garrick. He'd recognize that man anywhere, though he would have noticed sooner, had the man been hanging upside down from a helicopter.

Somehow, the one-four-one had gotten involved in this particular conflict and now there were fights to be hand on two fronts.

It had happened quickly, as so many things do on the battlefield. Gaz had been stuck by enemy fire, a bullet tearing through his shoulder and sending him tumbling backwards. He landed hard on the ground and yelped out in pain.

König's instincts had kicked in before his brain could stop him, and he sprinted across the battlefield until he hovered over Gaz's prone form. He crouched down as gunfire whizzed past them, and he quickly assessed the extent of the injury.

Gaz was going to bleed out if nothing was done, so Konig grabbed the man like a sack of potatoes and hauled him to cover. He worked frantically to stem the bleeding, ripping the shirt to get a better view of the wound.

“That's my favourite shirt, mate...” Gaz had mumbled. He was too unfocused to realize who was tending to him.

“I will buy you a new one, gutaussehend.” König replied as he began to tend to the wound.

It wasn't pretty by any means, but it would do. The bleeding had been stopped, some fragments of the bullet removed and it was disinfected. König had used most of his gauze to bandage the area.

König had barely had a moment to sigh in relief when he felt a gun at the back of his head. “Move away from my mate, nice and slow you slag.” The gravelly British voice commanded him.

“Ja.” König nodded.

He moved with an impressive grace away from Gaz before slowly standing up; his hands raised in surrender.

Ghost kept his weapon trained on König as he peered down to Gaz. A mixture of shock and confusion washed over him as he saw that bandages wrapped around Gaz's arm.

“The fuck is this, mate?” Ghost grunted as he returned his full attention to König.

“I... I don't know.” It was honest. König's own mind was racing with questions about what he had just done. His heart was racing, and if it weren't for the sniper hood over his face, Ghost would have clearly seen the grimace adorning his face.

“Don't play fucking games with me. I should put a bullet in your fucking head...” Ghost snarled. His finger moved towards the trigger, but he thought better of it. Price and Soap were on the way, so there was no need to shoot the man dead. Yet. “Drop all your weapons nice and slow. And kick them away.” He commanded.

König complied and removed his pistols and combat knives, setting them gently down on the ground and kicking them out of reach one by one.

“Step back.” Ghost commanded him once more, flicking the barrel of his gun and Konig.

“Ja.” König nodded.

He took a step back. And then another until he was several feet away from Ghost, Gaz and his weapons. Ghost would have plenty of time to shoot him if he made any stupid moves.

“He will be okay if he gets proper treatment.” König explained calmly to Ghost. He was trying to diffuse the situation as best he could.

“Didn't ask your opinion, slag. Keep quiet.” Ghost hissed, though his attention was split between König and Gaz who was passed out and breathing a bit heavy.

It felt like hours had passed before Price and Soap finally made their way to Ghosts location.

“Steamin' Jesus!” Soap exclaimed as he came to an abrupt halt. He took in the scene with shock and awe.

“Guten tag.” König said a bit more cheerfully than a man with a gun aimed at him should have.

“The fuck happened here?” Price questioned Ghost as he pulled up behind Soap.

“Our German friend here wanted to play medic with out Sergeant.” Ghost nodded in Gaz's direction.

Price moved to Gaz to inspect his situation and Soap pulled his firearm and aimed it at König.

“I got yer back, LT.” Soap reassured Ghost. “I think yer the best man tae cuff the bastard.”

With that, Ghost roughly bound König's hands, his gaze lingering on the captive soldier with a mix of distrust and disdain. As they made their way to the exfil location.

The same question was on everyone's mind; “Why had an enemy soldier helped one of their own?” Not that that question would be answered anytime soon. Even as König was loaded onto the helo, he simply stared into the abyss of uncertainty.

“Scheiße” König cursed himself silently. He knew he had fucked up, but there was something that pulled at his heart, knowing that Gaz would be okay. Though he probably couldn't say the same for himself.

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Feelings

It was early in the morning when the lights flickered on and illuminated the cell, stirring König from his uncomfortable slumber. He muttered something in German, his voice tinged with annoyance until he saw Gaz standing outside his cell.

He swallowed hard and sat up on the cot. “Guten tag, Sergeant.” He croaked out.

König yawned as he leaned back against the cold concrete wall.

“Gaz. Just Gaz is fine.” Gaz advised as the door to the cell opened.

He entered slowly, and like Price had, dragged a metal chair in with him. His presence seems to fill the room with warmth. König's heart fluttered, and he began to fidget as he tried to hold Gaz's gaze.

“How are you holding up?” Gaz asked as he made himself comfortable.

“It is a holding cell, so it holds me well.” König joked. Attempted to joke. He wanted to hang himself as the stupidity of it washed over him.

Gaz chuckled and shook his head. “Okay, then...”

König's throat was dry as he struggled to find his voice a second time. His fingers seemed to dance on his knees as he gathered his thoughts.

“I am... fine.” He finally replied with a faint shrug. “Trying to make the best of this situation.”

Gaze smiled at him and nodded. “I can imagine you've been a bit bored being cooped up in here all these months.” His voice, his accent was smooth as it wormed its way into König's ear. “But you're still alive and in one piece.”

König's eyes fell to Gaz's shoulder. His arm was no longer in a sling like he has seen a few months back, and he must be healed by now.

“As are you.” He replied nervously.

“Mmm.” Gaz nodded again. “Because of you, I kept my arm and my life.”

There was an unspoken hint of gratitude to Gaz's words, but he was a bit too prideful to outright say the words 'thank you', at least right now.

“Still going through physical therapy. Still can't aim straight with it, but I'm getting there.” His jaw clenched shut and his brow furrowed as he wondered why he had admitted that to König.

“You will recover. You are still young and strong.” König smiled under his hood, he eyes softening as he spoke.

König couldn't shake the feeling of unease that gnawed at him. He didn't understand this attachment he felt towards Gaz, but he knew it was dangerous for a few reasons. Aside from the fact that he had never felt this way about another man, if he allowed himself to explore these feelings, he'd solidify his desertion.

But as he looked into Gaz's pretty brown eyes -only slightly more enticing than his pretty lips- he could help but let a flicker of hope course through him.

“There... was one other reason I stopped by...” Gaz mentioned in a casual tone, though his eyes were downcast as he said it.

“Hmm?” König tilted his head like a puppy. “Tell me, mein freund.”

Gaz hesitated for a moment, but quickly decided it was best to just be honest. “You've been disavowed.” He spoke the words slow and calmly. “Since the one-four-one never made any demands to exchange you for anyone or anything, and because you were seen willingly helping me, and surrendering to Ghost, KorTac has officially cut their losses with you. We received the news last night.” Gaz explained.

König's heart sank like a stone into the cold depths of the ocean. 'Disavowed'. The word echoed in his mind. All because he had done what he had thought was right.

He shook his head. No, this was all his fault for sure. He had helped the enemy, of course he was disavowed. He was a traitor, and he would have done the same to anyone else on his team.

He grappled with the thought of never seeing Austria again. His friends or family. Everything about his life now lay shattered at his feet, an a storm of emotions began to rage within him.

“I understand.” Was all he managed to mutter out.

And that was that. The conversation was over and Gaz knew it. So with a nod of his head he got up and left König to his thoughts.

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Decisions

There was no choice but to start integrating König into the one-four-one. Well, Ghost had vehemently opposed the idea, stating that König could never be trusted. Price had understood the concern, but also wasn't planning on sending König on missions anytime soon, let alone giving him access to restricted areas or information. Soap had also voiced his concern; first in Scottish Gaelic and then in English.

“I don't fuckin' trust him, Price.” Ghost voiced his disapproval once again.

Price rubbed at the bridge of his nose, clearly exasperated by this circular conversation.

“I understand your concerns, Ghost, but we need to make use of him--”

“It just doesn't sit right with us.” Soap interjected.

That was the last straw for Price. It had been two weeks of this conversation happening again and again, and now his own subordinate was cutting him off mid sentence.

Price was a patient man, and more than happy to entertain the thoughts and concerns of them men under him, but enough was enough.

He stood up from his chair and placed his hands on his desk. He took a deep breath and glared at both men.

“Listen to me very carefully.” His voice was low and seething with rage. “If either of you twats bring this subject up again, or if you ever interrupt me again, I will kick your asses out of the one-four-one. Now, the next thing I better hear from either of your mouths is 'yes sir' before you leave my office and fuck off. Do you understand me?” He hissed.

There was no room for black and white in Prices words, the look in his eyes conveyed his seriousness about the situation, and Ghost of all people knew how fucked he'd be without his job on the task force or Price to have his back.

Ghost and Soap nodded. “Yes sir.”

They promptly left Prices office.

Gaz had been sitting off to the side reviewing some documents as this exchange occurred. To be fair, Ghost and Soap had burst into the room uninvited, and Gaz had been working with Price at that time. He had felt no need to stand or engage as Prices limit had been reached.

And now, he sat there flipping through pages with a smirk on his face.

“Feel better, sir?” He chuckled as Price straightened himself out and took his seat again.

“Fuck off, Kyle.” Price gave him the side eye, but even his beard and tone couldn't hide the amusement.

“I have a job for you.” Price said after a long moment of silence. He reached into a box and retrieved a cigar. He took his time lighting it and enjoyed several long puffs before he continued. “This is a delicate situation, but I believe König has potential beyond information.”

Gaz's brow furrowed slightly, concern crossing his face as he processed Prices words.

“The man has been here what, seven months now? Almost eight? He hasn't once tried to make an escape, and he's been even more docile since you gave him the 'bad news' as it were.” Price puffed on. “I say we give him a real chance, and if he fucks up, we put a bullet in his head.”

Price shrugged and tapped some ashes into a nearby tray.

“I want you to take point on this, Gaz. He seems to like you, so might be easier for you to help integrate him into the force. Obviously I want you to keep a close eye on him, and you won't be alone, but you'll be in charge.”

Gaz's jaw clenched. He took his time thinking about it, but figured he would agree without protest. This was an opportunity to learn why König had helped him all those months ago. And he couldn't deny the joy he would take in superseding even Ghosts authority on this 'project'.

“What I say goes?” Gaz asked. “Outside of your final decision, that is?” He clarified.

“Your say goes.”

“Consider it done, sir.” Gaz agreed. “When do I begin.”

“Now. Why not take out lumbering German to the mess for some lunch.” Price laughed before taking a drag from the cigar.

“...yes sir.”

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Targets

König stood at the firing range stall waiting for Gaz. His nerves were frayed to say the least as he looked around the room to see Ghost and Soap off in the distance; glaring and judging him. Ghost had a hand on his pistol, still ready to put him down at a moments notice.

“Alright, big guy...” Gaz's words snapped Konig out of his daze and he looked down at the man. Into those big, brown eyes. “Let's see what ya' got, yeah?” He beamed.

König nodded and swallowed hard. He wanted to do right by the one-four-one, he wanted to earn the trust of this whole team, and he'd be lying if he said he didn't want to impress the handsome young man handing over a rifle to him.

König took the rifle and stepped into the stall -which was way too small for him- and, in an attempt to break the tension decided to tell Gaz a joke.

“Hey, Gaz...” König began, already grinning under his hood, “why did the soldier bring a ladder to training?” He asked as he inspected the weapon.

Gaz gave König a quizzical look and tilted his head slightly as he thought about it.

“No idea, why?” He finally asked.

“To reach new heights!”

There was a deafening silence in the range as Gaz, Ghost and Soap processed the joke. The moment only broke by Ghost snorting in reply and looking away.

“Fuckin hell... that was bad...” He murmured as his shoulders shook.

“That's... certainly a new one.” Gaz replied to König, trying to distract the man from Ghosts reaction. He cleared his throat and extended a hand to guide König to the targets down the range, “Alright, lets focus on the targets now.”

König felt his cheeks redden with embarrassment, but he couldn't help it, his heart fluttered when Gaz was around. Without another word, he turned to the targets and readied his rifle.

Pop, pop, pop.

He fired several rounds from the first rifle and his targets. Several head shots and a few straight through the heart.

Next up was a pistol. He was equally skilled with that.

Gaz recognized his skill, and had read in his file that König had always wanted to be a sniper, so he decided 'what the hell' and wanted to give the man a chance. As he guided König to the sniper range -with their shadows in tow- the giant spoke up once more.

“Why did the soldier cross the road?” He asked, smirking like an idiot under his hood.

“I dunno, mate,” Gaz shrugged, already shaking his head. “Why?”

“To get to your side.”

“Christ...” Ghost sighed.

Gaz legitimately laughed at the joke and gave König a pat on the back. “If I didn't know better, I'd think you were trying to sweet-talk me.”

“This is painful.” Soap whispered to Ghost as they finally made it to the sniping range.

“Mmm. But entertaining in its own way.” Ghost replied as the two men watched Gaz and König set up.

“Just take your time, mate.” Gaz reassured him as he stepped away and left Konig to his practice.

Sniping is a game of patience, and König had been denied his sniping career for two reasons. The first was his size; he made a better battering ram than a sniper, and the second was his need to fidget when bored. But he was determined to prove to Gaz he had what it took.

He took aim and steadied his breathing. His hands were steady and after judging the distance, he fired.

“Fuck...” he hissed under his breath. He had hit the target, but not where he had wanted.

He aimed again. He focused. He fired.

“Der mist!” He grumbled a bit louder this time.

He took one last shot and at least his something vital on the target.

With a resigned sigh, he put the safety back on and moved himself into a sitting position on the floor as the target came swooping in for Gaz's examination; and Ghosts whispered ridicule.

Gaz took time to examine the target, and was overall impressed with König's shots. Only one would have likely been fatal, had it been a person, but the other two could certainly be crippling to an enemy combatant.

“Not bad, not bad.” He nodded as he looked down to König. “Guess we'll just need to set up some more practice time for you.”

König's mood perked up at the idea of spending more time with Gaz and quickly stood up, towering over Gaz in the small box of the sniping range. “Ja, I would like that!” He exclaimed.

He looked over to Ghost and Soap and and then back at Gaz, lowering his voice. “Hey Gaz, what would be your perfect date?” He asked.

Without missing a beat, Gaz grinned and replied, “April twenty-fifth, its not too hot, not too cold, all you need is a light jacket.”

He was so fucking proud of this reply, and loved watching the gears turn in König's head.

The dumbfounded look in König's eyes tipped Soap over the edge and he buried his face in Ghosts arm, snickering at the custerfuck that was this interaction.

“O-oh... okay.” Konig replied still confused.

He handed over the sniper rifle and turned to leave the booth, in a bit of a hurry at that, and slammed his head into the top of the door frame as he attempted to re-enter the base.

“Gottverdammt!” He yelled, felling the rage build inside him. He had fucked up his sniper practice, Gaz wasn't into him, Ghost and Soap were making a mockery of everything and now his head was hurting like a motherfucker.

“You alright there, big guy?” Gaz asked in a soft, sincere voice. He placed a hand on König's arm and turned him around. He could easily tell what König was feeling.

“Yeah...” König grunted, rubbing his head. He took a moment to breath and calm himself down before continuing. “Gotta watch out for door frames, they sneak up on you...” he tried to downplay the embarrassment. “Well... maybe not you...” He added in a deadpanned tone.

Gaz let out a deep laugh, not realizing that König hadn't been joking, just stating a fact.

“Aye, Gaz here is a shorty.” I Soap joked as he and Ghost moved past the two and entered the base.

“Hey, Soap... get fucked.” Gaz laughed.

“I wouldn't talk, mate... you're shorter than Gaz.” Ghost reminded Soap before giving one last glare at König. The meaning was clear; fuck with or hurt Gaz and Ghost would ensure König disappeared without a trace.

“Fuck, never thought I'd see a man flounder so hard. Big mans got it bad.” Soap remarked as he and Ghost made their way down the corridor.

“Better than anything on the telly, though.” Ghost reported. “Four pints says he completely blows it.” He added, staring down at Soap.

“Deal.” Soap grinned.

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Secured

It was late in the afternoon, and the sun was starting its drop towards the horizon. Long shadows were cast over the ground as the ruins of of the enemy stronghold smouldered in just below. The task force was wrapping up a mission and were currently attempting to regroup back at exfil.

König had been brought along, but he had not been authorized to partake in the mission proper. Price had relegated him to extraction duty alongside two other soldiers.

There was an unsettling silence that washed over the land just after Soap had radioed in that the mission was complete and they were heading back. Maybe it was soldiers intuition, but König had a bad feeling.

Sure enough, and only moments later, the sound of gunfire echoed in the distance as Ghost, Soap and Gaz dashed from the foliage and into the open field.

Bullets whizzed by them as they ran, and they fired back sporadically as enemy soldiers burst through the cover of the trees.

“Give me a weapon.” König commanded one of his chaperones.

“Negative.” The man replied as he reached for his assault rifle. “You don't have authorization. Stand down and let us handle this.”

König wasn't asking.

Faster than the soldier could react, König slammed his hand into the mans throat, dropping him to the ground, gasping and panicking as he fought for air.

“I'm sorry mein freund.” He said as he walked away and unlatched the container that stored a sniper rifle.

He worked quickly to assemble the weapon, making sure to give it one last look before using his towering height to climb onto the roof of the truck. The other soldier finally noticed him, and the look König flashed him was warning enough. Do not try me.

The soldier nodded and returned his attention to his comrades charging in their direction.

König laid down on the roof and set up the rifle.

He licked his lips as he peered through the scope and acquired his first target. He flicked the safety off and calmed himself -as difficult as that was, seeing Gaz in danger again- before placing a finger over the trigger.

“That's it, maus... run into my trap.” He smirked as his finger pulled the trigger.

The rifle discharged with a sharp crack, the thunderous roar echoing across the landscape. It struck the target like a bolt of lightening dropping the man instantly.

“Pop.” König commented, proud of himself.

Several more booms erupted from the barrel as König took down enemy after enemy until his team was in the clear and there were no more soldiers pursuing them.

He flicked the safety back on and hopped down from the truck as Gaz, Soap and Ghost came to a halt.

“You weren't authorized to use that.” Ghost grunted, trying to suppress the need to catch his breath.

“Lay off the man, he saved our arses.” Soap huffed, punching Ghost in the side of the arm.

He walked past König and gave him a pat on the shoulder, “Thanks for the assist, chum.” He smiled.

König's eyes lit up with excitement as he turned his attention to Gaz. He extended his arms and walked with a confident swagger towards him.

“Mine freund!” He exclaimed as Gaz looked up at him, his chest still heaving and sweat dripping down his brow, “Did you see that! I got them all!” His voice boomed with pride.

Gaz just grinned and shook his head. “I can't say I saw it, but I knew you were helping us when the gunfire behind us stopped.” He joked as he took one last, deep breath. “You did good, König.”

The adrenaline was still coursing through his veins when out of nowhere he leaned down and wrapped his large arms around Gaz and pulled him into a tight hug.

“Thank you, liebling!” He was beaming under his hood.

He picked Gaz up off the ground and held him at face level.

“It's all thanks to you. It's all thanks to your trust in me.” König continued as he squeezed Gaz a bit tighter.

“Okay, okay!” Gaz laughed, patting König on the shoulder. “Put me down!”

“Nein!” König replied in a surprisingly playful tone.

Truth be told, he never wanted to let Gaz go. Fuck, he'd never have touched Gaz if it hadn't happened by impulse. That and Gaz smelled so goddamn good.

“Guys!” Gaz called out to Ghost and Soap, “Guys!” He called again with a huge grin on his face, “This dudes great, can we keep him?” He laughed loudly.

König was looking at Gaz with heart eyes, and it didn't go unnoticed by the man wrapped in his arms. How could it? He was wrapped in the mans arms!

“Make you a deal, big guy...” Gaz said in a quiet voice, slipping his hand under König's hood to ghost his fingers over the back of his neck. “Put me down, and you can take me out for a few drinks. Just the two of us. How's that sound?”

König's heart nearly gave out at the thought.

“A date?” König asked, needing desperately to know this wasn't just drinks between friends.

“A date.” Gaz confirmed with a confident nod.

“Ja.” König said as he lowered Gaz back down to the ground. “A date sounds wonderful, liebling.”

“Jesus fucking Christ!” Ghost yelled with a rage Gaz and Soap had last heard when a rookie tried to touch his mask. “Konig you walking Sequoia tree, what the fuck?!”

König's eyes widened. The soldier he attacked.

“Fuck.” He grunted, knowing he was about to face Ghosts wrath, and likely Prices when they got back to base.

Gaz bit his lower lip and shook his head. He gave König a slap on the ass and walked away, “Well have that date after you get out of solitary.” He winked at the large man and give him a finger gun.

König lowered his head and began his march to a probable death. “Es tut mir leid, Ghost!” He called out as he disappeared to the other side of the truck.

[madarasminx]

Rant 01: Madara wasn't an evil soul as one would think.

Madara Uchiha.

A man who was misunderstood and viewed as a power-hungry villain over the decades. He was a truer man than most in the anime and spoke what he thought and felt on a profound level of intelligence. As a Capricorn, he doesn't sugar-coat. He is a leader, a bit rude but you can understand his perspective once u get to know his upbringing and background.

He wasn't an evil person.

Yes, he was a gentle and kind-hearted man in the Warring Era in his younger years but the light of his heart was chipped away little by little the more he lost what he held dear. His brothers, his friends, children amongst his generation, his baby brother, the clan, and lastly his hope which was betrayed by the one he trusted most. Hashirama.

Can you imagine trying to stay positive after everything you give your slivers of chance to are snatched from your very eyes? How can he be viewed as evil? What, because of his idea of total control of the shinobi world? If it were you, could you still view the world as "peaceful, thriving, and harmonious"?

Just like any other human species, he experienced a number of emotions he masked very well for the sake of battle and his clan. As strong as he is and the image he was portrayed to be is the ego from these emotions: neglect, loss, depression, isolation, dissociation, paranoia, hatred, agony, and betrayal. Could you have gone through all those psychological shifts and remain sane?

Hm, definitely not. I think most of us would become mental after a couple of losses. He lost MANY things.

Just like in the anime, he is viewed as someone for control, dominance, and power. (This behavior is rooted in parental alienation of childhood where his father found it mandatory for Madara to be a "weapon instead of a child at a young age which is what he was raised upon the teachings of his father). Those very goals are manifested from a life-changing loss and deep-seated hatred.

Remember when Hashirama was speaking to him in the Uchiha Shrine and he began to go into a spiral while articulating his "true dream"? Ideally, some would say he is crazy or not listening to reason.

Ask yourself this though: How can someone CHOOSE to lose their sanity after experiencing a MYRIAD of mental and physiological spikes and dives?

Then after his first "death" he was LITERALLY a wandering ghost. As the namesake, The Ghost of the Uchiha. Over the decades his name was spoken with an energy of power and intimation even in his death. A soul with malice and all negative forces and karma attached to its name.

So yeah... He did what he thought was right with good intentions but his wired mind from his era drove him into doing maddening things to achieve what he couldnt before. His worldview was distorted, guys...

His actual evolving death and conversation with Edo Hashirama at the end proves this.

And that's it for this rant.

[yonemurishiroku]

(tags via @smartichokes) In light of new addition to my Luke & Nico replacement post, I have so much to say about this.

Firstly, there is a fanfic in which Kronos switched to Nico as his host halfway through the series. I said fic, Nico went to Tartarus wayyyyy sooner than he should (which is sometime right after TTC I think?), and got captured by Kronos' force. The Titan considered seizing him, so Luke left the Titan Army and returned to the light side.

With that being said, the Nico in said fic didn't become the host, as Luke (and Ethan) got him out before the taking-over.

In another fic, which is about Nico's apotheosis, It is established that Kronos has been taunting Hades to become his host since he is his eldest child, and as a result, Nico would suffer the same fate should he become a God. Nico didn't, of course, but we can see that he can be a great candidate for the position of Kronos’ host Due to the potential he possesses as a child of Hades. I have talked so much about how powerful he is so I suppose this goes without saying.

On the other hand, the child of the prophecy was supposed to be the son of an eldest god, so let's imagine: Nico is a child of an elder god and now is basically One of the main factors that dictate their fate being the central of Kronos' power. Can you imagine the thrill of having both the antagonist and the protagonist a child of the big three, knowing both of them have the power to change the flow of the story? Nico might as well be the child of the prophecy and now he is in the hands of the big bad villain? Who is to say he wouldn't choose to raze the Olympic to the ground? Please, I cannot be the only one seeing the thrill of second-guessing yourself and watching Percy second-guessing himself, page by page.

Back to our AU.

- Absolutely invested in Nico with Kronos' golden eyes.

- Idk if you have noticed, but there are a number of people who would very much be delighted to see Nico joining the Titan Army - so that's a plus. Though we haven't thought as far as putting him directly in Luke's place, this is such a fun territory to play with.

On the other hand, we should have thought about that lmao what's with Minos having done exactly like this in the canon. The King did manipulate Nico in order to accelerate his uprising (tho Rick wasn't unhinged enough to give the Underworld ghosts the benefit of possessing living things except for the eidolons).

Minos failed ofc. But surely the scenario is there. Furthermore, a big reason that hindered Minos was Nico's true control over him, which returned to him upon his enlightenment, thus breaking the fake power balance. But Nico didn't have any control over Kronos. Once he's in, there's no way out. Kronos is on another level compared to Minos. Luke had one way out and that was his death. Who to say the arms of Hades wouldn't be Nico's ending should he succumb to Kronos anw.

- I like the way you mention Percy - because as it turns out, Nico can perfectly mirror Luke regarding how Percy's fatal flaw is portrayed.

Percy's fatal flaw can be summed up in one sentence - "You would sacrifice the world to save a friend". Now, for Luke, it was thanks to the guy's friendly facade at the start that Percy had trouble deeming him as the enemy at first. For Nico, that's a little different. It's not friendship - bc surely Percy didn't consider 'friend' at that time. So what could it be?

The guilt. And the Loyalty from which it sprouted.

But loyalty to what?

To Bianca's promise.

And this varies between perspectives, but I suspect this can be much, much worse than what transpired with Luke if you know how to play it right. Why? Because it weighs on Percy's kindness, his conscience, his loyalty, his morals. It feels heavier. For Luke, it was a personal betrayal. For Nico, it would be a repeated failure that resulted in two deaths.

And I doubt Percy is fond of failures and deaths.

Do you know the saying that we tend to remember bad things rather than good memories? That. Failures stuck with us, whilst success paled in comparison (Not to mention the vague depiction of Percy's lost self-esteem, but I digress).

For Luke, it might be easier: the guy's now an enemy, Percy just had to put him down - straight and clear. For Nico, it's a little bit different. The kid's obviously an enemy - but he's also that: a kid. Whose sister died in front of Percy, whom he blamed still. You can tell that the setup itself might make it harder for Percy to just straight-up consider Nico an enemy - because as it was, Nico could very well be a victim of Percy's broken promise. Percy is half a reason he fell into the hands of Kronos - as you've said.

And Percy isn't evil. He's a protagonist and he's kind. His morals would prevent him from seeing Nico as an enemy that must be taken out - not before trying restlessly to bring the kid back.

- Percy aside, Hades’ support - and all the little benefits gained from Nico's side quest - should also be taken into account. Without Nico, there wouldn't be the Curse of Achilles. Without Nico, there would be no undead army rushing to save them in the last minute in the last Olympian, but rather a flock of unbeatable enemies that would persist like Nico’s grief for Bianca.

I wouldn't say that guarantees their failure but you have to admit that it would make things hella more difficult for them to win this war.

So that is for the advantages. Now let's talk about the drawbacks. Because obviously things wouldn't be so fun if everything goes that smoothly. 👍

The most noticeable difference between Luke and Nico is their ages, and further, their experiences. At the time he was chosen, Luke has lived until his 17, 18 as a demigod, has seen the mythological world more than Nico ever did. He would know better how to navigate the system, which would benefit Kronos more than a clueless Nico. You can argue that Kronos can properly train him as Minos did, but the fact remains that Luke has experiences that can only be gained through living, aging, and seeing.

On the same topic, after losing his sister, Nico was just a rage-driven, angry, lost 11-12-year-old kid. He could barely take care of himself. He obviously cannot govern and command an entire army. Luke, on the other hand, has many skills required to be a leader. I have talked about this once. He has the tongue, he has his charms, he's manipulative enough. As a tool and a weapon, Luke proves to be a better choice to be the pioneer of Kronos' revolution.

Of course, unless you need a puppet, in which case Nico proves to be a better choice. He was naive .he didn't know better. Luke try to resist because he saw how devastating his actions were/ would be. It should be much easier to fool a kid like Nico rather than an adult, thus limiting the chances of rebuke. I cannot recall exactly what Kronos was trying to do though, so I'll just leave this here.

The best method is of course to keep Luke while getting Nico ready, however, it would put kronos plans back a few years and I'm not really sure the guy would be that patient provided that he has been waiting thousand years to make a come back. So we will just leave it like that.

All in all, it's fun to think about a scenario in which the one whose contribution directly leads to their victory in the original series now becomes the main antagonist, the main reason they will likely fail. Thank you @smartichokes for the delightful idea!! 🥺🥺🥺

[oblivious-idiot]

Hi your Lockwood fics are amazing honestly- could you do a Lockwood x reader where she’s the older sister of Kipps? The rest is up to you though thanks :) ❤️

Now that I’m grown (I’m scared of ghosts)

AN: Lockwood is aged up in this so there wasn't a 5+ age gap haha! I also don't explicitly say how old any of the characters are since I wasn't sure on the age gap between Lockwood and Kipps anyways, but they're all around early 20s.

This is quite a hefty one, I had the idea to make the reader a DEPRAC officer to fit with being an older sister of Kipps, so I hope you like it!

Warnings: Reader is slightly older than Lockwood, disappointed Barnes, flirty Lockwood, mild hurt/comfort, fluff, aged up Lockwood and Co

Word count: 2k

Pairing: Anthony Lockwood x fem!Reader

You and Anthony Lockwood had a tendency of bumping into each other on cases, or should you say that you had a habit of finding him at the crack of dawn after destroying a house or causing some sort of disturbance. You used to be one of the more 'senior' members of Fittes' agency and one of top supervisors the country had - well, before your (slightly younger) brother Quill took over. You ultimately decided to move on and work for DEPRAC since your Talent began to fade, which helped you to begin to get to grips with adulthood. You'd began to like it at DEPRAC, already at the position of Sergeant after a couple of years, but that also meant that you had to be ready whenever Inspector Barnes needed you.

Where were you? Ah yes, Anthony Lockwood. You swore that guy had a death wish as he loved blowing things up and getting into trouble, you'd think he was some new hotshot agent if you hadn't known him for such a long time and he wasn't basically an adult himself. Regardless of his quarrels with your brother, he always seemed to love to charm you in those early hours of the mornings, somehow always covered in either soot or silver, or both. You had to stay professional of course, you were working and Quill would kill you if he saw you "fraternising with the enemy" as he would always say, but you would always notice little things about Lockwood - like how he tousled his hair when he walked over to you or how he'd grown into his stupid coat.

One morning - supposedly your day off, you were woken by the loud ringing of the telephone by your bed, you let out a knowing sigh as it could only be one person at this time of day. "Barnes, what pleasure do I owe you on this fine morning?" you ask him as you look to your window to see a darkness, then to your bedside clock showing 4:30am. It wasn't even sunrise yet. "Sorry, I know it's your day off. We're to head to an old country house in Greenwich. I believe Lockwood and Co are already there, reaping havoc as per usual" "Oh fantastic, he's gonna love seeing us just drop by for a helping hand. I'll call Quill and tell him to get ready incase we need backup." "Perfect, I'll pick you up in 15." You hung up and let out a soft chuckle, already imagining Lockwood's disgruntled expression as he sees Barnes arrive with both his most and least favourite Kipps sibling and a team of agents.

You and Barnes arrived at the country house just as Lockwood and his fellow agents emerged from the building, the windows leaking with smoke and the agents covered in soot. "Anthony Lockwood, do I need to start detaining you every time you set fire to a house?" Barnes growled out, though it did make you chuckle. "What can I say Inspector? Wouldn't you prefer to see a bunch of agents still alive over another building riddled with Visitors?" Lockwood held up his hands in defence before flashing you one of his cocky, devilish smiles "Morning Kipps, looking as radiant as ever. That green turtleneck really brings out your eyes." "Feeling like I just crawled out of a grave, but thanks Tony" It wasn't your voice that replied, but that of your brother Quill's who had suddenly appeared next to you.

Lockwood's face, oh what a picture that was, he looked like he had just eaten a lemon when Quill had appeared. Although he never said it to you personally, you were almost positive that Quill had said something to Lockwood about flirting with you, although that never stopped him. If you knew Anthony Lockwood at all from the five plus years while you'd been an agent, it's that he would do almost anything to piss off your brother. It made you laugh really, saying as you were older than both of them by at least a year or so.

You pulled Lockwood aside to a secluded spot for questioning as a mix of DEPRAC and Fittes agents swarmed the building as they made it safe and put out any fires. "We really must stop meeting like this y/n" Lockwood said to you as you finished questioning him on the case "Hmm, it's funny that isn't it, since our jobs correlate with each other." You say to him as you give him a slight smirk and put away your notepad. "Alright, you got me. I'm simply suggesting that we should... maybe see each other outside of work" Anthony's eyes sparkled amongst the soot that covered his face and he held out his hands as if in question. You crossed your arms and met his eyes "As if Quill would let you even attempt at the idea-" "When has Quill Kipps ever been the boss of you? A young lady like yourself doesn't need his approval, and regardless, here I am 'attempting'" his wide toothy grin spread across his face as he saw your cheeks flush a little pink and a smile tug at your lips "I'm going to take that as a yes, I await your call Sergeant!" Before you knew it, he was strolling his away back to George and Lucy who were waiting for him, and the group of them exited the scene.

Although you had thought about calling Lockwood, you had his number from the DEPRAC database, you got so caught up in all your current case work that it wasn't your biggest priority. You almost called him once after work and realised it was a ridiculous time of day and thought he'd either be sleeping or on a case himself. That didn't stop him from eventually getting back in your line of sight though.

A few weeks later when you arrived at work one early morning, Barnes called you to let you know that there was another disturbance overnight and it needed a look over. You sighed - were you disappointed or happy it was Lockwood? You weren't sure, but you knew you were gonna kick his ass when you saw him. Once you arrived at the house everything seemed normal, no officers or agents were outside, the building seemed quiet, it was very strange. You slowly opened the door and stepped inside, it was freezing and you could see the clouds of your breath in front of you. Suddenly there was a loud crash and crackling of salt bombs up ahead of you in another room "Lockwood? Are you in here?" you called out into the dark hall, your hands burying into your pockets - one grasping onto a salt bombs you kept incase of need and the other fiddling with a compact silver net. You never used to be scared of ghosts, but now you were older and couldn't see them as well, it was hard to keep your heart from racing.

You headed towards the room where the noise originated from and called out again "Lockwood? Carlyle? It's Sergeant Kipps." You opened the door, noticing the handle was icy to the touch, and crept inside. "Kipps!? Move out the way!" George almost shouted as he saw you, iron chain in his hand and stood next to Lucy with her rapier raised. But you couldn't move and you couldn't see the Visitor either, but you could feel it as it buried its eyes into you - you were Ghost Locked. You looked around the room in search for Lockwood, your body frozen on the spot, before seeing him in the corner of the room clutching his side as he looked for the Source. You willed everything in your body to feel something again, to unclasp yourself from the control the apparition had on you. You slowly began to move your hand out of your pocket, salt bomb in your grasp "Is it directly in front of me?" you asked "Yep. So close you cannot miss it" Lucy replied, slowly moving George out of your line of fire. You finally mustered the willpower and threw the salt bomb, knowing it had collided with the Visitor when it snapped and banged and you finally felt like you could breathe again.

"I've got the Source! Someone throw me a Seal" Lockwood called out. George tossed you a large silver net as you made your way over to where Lockwood was and handed it to him. He covered the Source and you could hear everyone in the room collectively let out a breath. Slowly you helped Lockwood out of the building while the others cleared the house, setting him down on the front steps of the house as he clutched his side. "Do you mind if I take a look at that?" he heaved out of chuckle and grinned at you "You'll only call DEPRAC to deal with it-" "I'll only call them if I deem it necessary. If I think you're gonna die on me, you bet your ass I'm going to call them." You let out a reassuring smile and he agreed to your help - it only appeared to be some heavy bruising so you were relieved. "You know, I think you're right. We really should stop meeting like this" you say to him, the both of you chuckling to each other as your foreheads rested gently together, fingers interwoven.

The tender moment between you and Lockwood was suddenly broken when you heard the crunch of footsteps on the gravel driveway up ahead, and of course it was Barnes and your brother Quill. The both of you hurriedly rose to your feet, patting down the dust off your coat as the officer and agent both gave you stern looks "You know Sergeant, when I send you out to check on a disturbance, I expect to be updated on the scene so I don't have to call out agents to save your ass." "Sorry sir, the scene was awfully quiet and I was concerned for the safety of-" your chest was tight as you felt eyes from both the Inspector and your brother bore into your skull, but Barnes cut you off before you could continue. "I do not care about the safety of your boyfriend, you do not have Talent anymore and you put yourself in serious danger." His voice was harsh but steady, Lockwood slowly making his way to your side as he finished talking "Inspector, Kipps, if I may add, if it wasn't for the Sergeant here we would've been in serious trouble. She ensured the safety of my entire team and helped keep the Visitor at bay even without seeing it."

Quill's face was so stern and tense that you pulled him aside once Barnes finished with his disapproving warnings, leaving him with Lockwood. "You shouldn't have gone in there y/n, you should've called for backup." "Hey, Quill, look at me. I'm totally fine, nothing happened." you held your brothers hands in your own, rubbing your thumbs in a soothing pattern "If I hadn't gone in there, Anthony and his team could've been seriously injured or worse, you know I couldn't just ignore that." He let out a long sigh and met your eyes "You really like him, don't you?" "I hate to disappoint brother, but it was kind of inevitable" Quill chuckled and nodded to you, and you returned a smile to him.

Your brother finally let you go over to Lockwood, both your eyes meeting when you arrived by his side. "Finally convinced the spoilsport to let me take you out?" he joked and you couldn't help but smile. “Stop burning houses down Anthony, and I’ll think about it".

[warden-melli]

I got to thinking, since Melli is all the way up at the top of the mountain then not much people will be able to visit him. A lot of strange things must happen up there, ghosts(not pokemon) might be up there due to people dying to the dangerous environment. What if people aren't really allowed up there is because some start to become insane? What if Melli starts to become insane?

I like to think of this whenever I want to imagine a Evil Melli AU :) also I'm tired at the moment so i apologize for any mistakes in my grammar.

Moonview Arena is also right next to a graveyard, on a mountain littered with ancient ruins 👀

A ghost/haunting/possession story with Melli, set up on the mountain sounds like it could be a really cool idea! I personally would just be a bit careful using words like “insane” as a synonym/analogy for being “evil”, because it could reinforce the harmful stereotype that people living with certain mental illnesses (particularly psychosocial disabilities) are dangerous or violent. But I think if handled respectfully this could be a really cool au, and I’d be interested to hear more about it ^^

My own personal headcanon is that Melli, in addition to being a Warden, is also tasked with being the caretaker of the mountain graveyard, and that he inherited the position (as well as the Electrode Warden job) from his uncle after he passed away. I kinda imagine his whole family having a bit of a spooky vibe, filling roles associated with death within their community. At least on his mothers side. In my version of Hisui, Melli’s grandmother is the Diamond Clans death doula, providing care and spiritual guidance to people who are dying, and performing the clans mourning/death rituals after someone has passed. She has an ancient Skuntank companion, whose poisons are used as medicines to help ease the pain of those suffering during their final days. His mother is a jeweller/artisan, crafting memento mori and shrines/memorials so that people can remember/honour those that have passed. As I mentioned earlier his late uncle (in addition to being Lord Electrodes previous warden) would also care for the graves, assisted by his beloved Hisuian Typhlosion partner. With Melli’s design/outsider status and his association with poison/dark types, it felt natural to pair him with darker roles/themes when I first began to imagine what my interpretation of his backstory/family might be like.

I agree with you that due to the location of his job, Melli would spend a lot of time isolated up on the mountain. (Another personal headcanon - his isolation also plays a part in his lack of social skills). Anything could happen so far away from other humans. In a place like Hisui where ghost pokemon roam the land, as well as implied/confirmed encounters with human spirits (Vessa) being a reality, I think your idea is very compelling. I imagine Hisui and it’s clans to have rich and spiritual cultures, including many different myths, legends and superstitions surrounding the supernatural, and it would make sense that some of those stories are cautionary tales about people becoming possessed when travelling alone in the mountains. It would be very cool to imagine what would happen if those stories came true :)

[ghostssweetgirl]

crazy over you ~ simon ghost riley x reader slow burn/enemies to lovers

description: y/n gets transferred to task force 141 and quickly becomes friends with soap and gaz, but her and ghost "hate" each other for the first part. warnings: mentions of violence and death (duh), alcohol intake, smoking (at some point), nsfw (at some point), subtle flirting with soap. i'm new to writing? so don't expect this to be the greatest. this is not in line with the game campaigns or missions. the only characters i included are y/n, soap, gaz, price, & ghost. i have no knowledge of the military this is just creativity disclaimer: i do not own modern warfare or any of its characters.

chapters: next [mission successful] last

You wake up allowing yourself time to shower and fully prepare, physically and mentally. You pack your bag with everything you may need, not knowing how long this mission will take. This is not the time to make any mistakes, you have to prove yourself. Finally, you head down to the kitchen to hydrate with several glasses of water to see everyone else in the same room as well.

"Morning, Diamond," Price said.

"Morning!" you murmured with a tired voice.

Price orders everyone to head to the conference room since everyone was already up, figuring to go ahead and get started.

As he goes over the details, you learn you're being paired with fucking Ghost to keep a set of eyes on Soap while he retrieves a USB that contains data full of intel while Price and Gaz talk to the leaders.

You fight yourself internally, telling yourself that you will not allow yourself to fail just because you're going to be with Ghost. He'll get used to your presence; you're not going anywhere. It can't possibly go wrong. How much simpler could it be? If anything, you were thankful this was your first mission. You will be able to get used to seeing how the Task Force handles their selves, and how you can conform your abilities to fit in best. You're relieved they're not sending you to retrieve this data.

--

After gathering weapons, and equipment. Everyone gets in the helo, and you sit in the furthest corner, to cherish the time to yourself before getting this mission over with. You notice how everyone else is cutting up and laughing, and you smirk at their optimism.

Your loneliness was interrupted by the Captain, who came over to check on you.

"Hey," he groaned while he sat down. "Damn these old bones... Listen, you're gonna do fine, kid. Ya nervous?"

"Little bit, I guess," you shrug and reposition yourself. "Guess I'm just scared of rejection or failure. I don't know... but thank you, sir."

"What about your old base and the missions you used to do there, huh?" he questioned.

"Yeah, well, I was good but not as good as them," you gesture to the group of men. "We did some crazy things, and even lost some people. But after reading the files, I can't imagine what they've gone through, yet they're not nervous."

He nods and stands up, "Shit'll grow on ya, y/l/n. We do the dirty work that keeps the world clean... 'n rid the world of filth. Chin up."

--

Everyone gets dropped off in their respective areas securely. When you and the Lieutenant finally arrive at the site, he breaks the awkward silence, though not nicely.

"Don't fuck this up, y/n," he instructs. "Don't fire unless Price or I order you to. That simple."

"Yes, sir," you nod, getting into position. Yeah, no shit. You glance over and see Price and Gaz conversing with a group of men, then back on the floor Soap's on.

Soap comes through on the comms, "Got eyes on the file, Ghost."

"Easy, MacTavish. Watch your six, two men coming up behind."

Soap takes notice, and in 4 quick moves, takes down the enemies with expertise. New enemies approaching him on either side, you and Ghost nod at each other.

"I got the one on the right," you nodded at Ghost as he understood.

Steadying your aim, you shoot the guy in his jugular, causing blood to squirt out as he collapses. You see the other enemy hit right between the eyes.

"Nice shot, soldier," Ghost called. You smile, quite proud of yourself, and weirdly happy Ghost acknowledges your success, for now.

"Soap, how copy?"

"Solid. Got the USB."

"Head up to the rooftop for an exit," Ghost rasped.

You look over at Ghost who was already looking at you, "Get in the chopper, wait for me."

You obey and get in, leaning against the wall. Your heart almost steadies as you think the mission is over. Ghost gets in after you, and when you head over to collect Soap, to your surprise, he's surrounded by 10 men, making him drop his weapons. Fuck, you complain.

"Price, Soap is surrounded," you speak over comms. 

"Shit. Distract them. Take 'em down," Price ordered, surprisingly calmly.

Your eyes widen when you have to think of a way to distract them on the spot, so, you leave your rifle and holster your pistol, hoping that if there's a God up above, he'll certainly help you at this moment.

As the helicopter approaches the building, the squad of men points their guns at you while you hop down, holding your hands up. "Hi, boys," you smirk, praying this will work. You walk around a generator, letting them focus on you so Ghost can get out and sneak up on them. "What're we doing out here? Whatcha got? Or who do you have here?"

"Oh, relax, I'm not going to do anything!" you lie, hands still up, smiling at them as they look at each other in confusion. You slowly step closer, carefully observing the surroundings, watching Ghost creep up and take one out silently, stabbing him 5 times in his carotid. Then another... and another. Damn, he is good at his job.

The chopper flies away, letting you guys' sort this out.

"Ugggh," you groan. "You guys are no fun! Not going to invite me to the party?"

You had no fucking clue what you were doing but it was confusing them, too as they were speaking another language, trying to figure out what the fuck you were doing. You're surprised they haven't shot you yet.

You figure this is it, Ghost has taken out 3 men without them noticing, and you don't know how. You and Soap make eye contact and nod at each other - mentally understanding. You and Soap move in unison as he grabs his pistol that was kicked to the side, and fires it at the enemy, and while the one in front of you looks behind themselves, holding their gun up, you take the opportunity to grab your knife and puncture it through one's neck, blood splattering all over you.

5 down, 3 to go.

Ghost is lucky you didn't feel him staring at you for a quick second. The sight ahead of him, you covered in blood, did something to him.

You felt a gun staring at you, but before it could go off, Ghost body slammed him and sliced his throat, Soap fist fighting one, and that leaves the last one to you. He must have gotten his gun knocked out of his hands because he runs at you with a knife, and you move out of the way quick enough to let him fall. You tower over him from behind, pick his head up from his hair and slit his throat with ease.

Well, the mission was successful after all.

"Captain, we got 'em. Ready for pickup," Ghost declared, out of breath.

Soap walks up to you, patting your shoulder, "Good job, lass, didn't think that was working. Hi, boys!" he mocks you in a higher-pitched tone, literally giggling.

"Shut up, I didn't know what else to do to distract them," you chortled.

"It worked," Ghost chimed in. "Fortunately."

"Aye, she did nice."

"I did most of the work," Ghost hissed. You scoff internally. You really can't please this man. You forgot about him as you couldn't wait to eat, you were starving. Glad the mission took less time than you expected, you silently pat yourself on the back for surviving.

[harwood-pmc-official]

SWOONED 😈

(@is-the-battlemech-cool-or-not)

The war was supposed to be over.

They signed a fucking treaty.

But that didn't matter much when Tomas was bleeding out in his arms, did it?

"Hey, stay with me, buddy. I need my wingman." Robert knew his voice wasn't steady. He didn't care. He was scared. Tomas couldn't die, it just couldn't happen.

"MEDIC!" he screamed above the chaos, knowing full well that no one was coming.

"Tailspin..." Tomas tried to speak, but his words trailed off into a wet wheeze. Robert shushed him, smoothing Tomas' hair out of his eyes.

"Shh. Save your strength. Help is on its way." They both knew that it wasn't true, that the medics had bigger problems right then.

By the terms of the treaty, the Capellan forces were supposed to be in full withdrawal from this world. The war was supposed to be over. And yet, in the middle of the night, they'd turned the airbase into hell on earth with every munition imaginable.

"Tailspi-" Robert cut him off, keeping one hand pressed to the bloodied rags pressed against the man's stomach.

"Headcase, buddy. I need you to save your strength for me, okay? I need you to live."

I can't let you die, he didn't say. I don't know what to do without you.

"Tails- no, Robert." Tomas said, drawing his attention immediately. "I'm not gonna make it. We both know it."

No, no, no, no.

"You're going to be just fin-" Tomas cut him off.

"JUST- just shut up and listen, okay?" He struggled the words out. "I need you to know, before I go-" this time, it was Robert's turn to interrupt.

"No. You're going to make it out of here. We're going to get you help, and you can tell me all of this lat-" He didn't even get to finish before Tomas erupted, using what little remained of his strength to smack Robert in the head, as he shouted:

"Goddamnit you pig-headed bastard, I'm trying to say I love you!"

The world seemed to stop, the chaos and the fire and the death slowing to an infinite instant.

At any other time, Robert might have been happy to hear those words. Would have welcomed them. Instead, he got to hear them as the man he loved died from a sucking gut wound.

"You don't have to say it back. I doubt you feel the same-" Robert was furious.

"Don't you dare!" He shouted, hands still gentle despite his anger. "Don't you dare drop that shit on me and die, you asshole!" Robert once again screamed for a medic, feeling his throat go dry and crack, until his voice was little more than a hoarse whisper.

Looking down at Tomas, he saw droplets of water running down the man's face. For a moment, he tried to find the source, until he realized he'd been crying. He let out a long, shaky breath.

"Goddamnit, Tomas," He said. "This wasn't how it was supposed to go." However, Tomas just smiled, sadly.

"No." He said, "I guess it wasn't. Will you hold me, until I go?" Without a second thought, Robert did it, carefully positioning him so that Tomas was in his lap, laying his head on Robert's shoulder, wrapping the man in his arms as he lay dying.

They stayed like that for a long time. Too long, until Tomas' breaths got more and more shallow, and Robert couldn't even feel the ghost of breath on his cheek.

"I love you too." He said to the body of his best friend. "I love you too."

[inevitablemoment]

Can you tell us more about the OC Martha, that you made for Ray Stantz?

Oh, yes! Very much so!

Now, she kinda popped into my head and she wasn't initially apart of my plans for the Cathleen Lives 'verse, but as I started putting together ideas and outlining the series, the

First, her full name is Martha Genevieve Ryan.

She is first introduced as the nurse at the school that Tiyah was substitute teaching at.

She was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, but she spent most of her childhood in San Francisco. She moved to New York for college, and lived there for ten years before she met Ray and the guys.

Her faceclaim is Donna Dixon (not just because she and Dan Aykroyd were married, but because I couldn't imagine anyone else as Martha)

No joke, this is how Ray sees her when they first meet.

She wanted to be a doctor, but her father-- whose approval she grew up needing-- convinced her to get a degree in nursing instead. She couldn't find any open nursing jobs in New York hospitals, so she took an open position as a school nurse.

But, in 1983, she made the decision to begin saving to attend medical school with plans on going into internal medicine.

Her medical expertise comes in handy for the Ghostbusters, and she is offered a position as an unofficial medic, occasionally helping with research as well.

She and Ray begin dating shortly after her hiring, and Ray falls head over heels for her.

However, he senses some hesitancy in her when it comes to their relationship.

She confesses to him that she was previously engaged during her college days, but her fiancee died in a car crash when she was taking him to meet her parents. She also confesses that, as she was the one driving the car that day, she feels personally responsible.

Ray is very understanding of her trepidation, and tries his best not to make her feel as if they're moving too quickly for her liking.

After Ray, Egon, Peter, and Winston are taken by the Collectors, Martha becomes an official Ghostbuster along with Janine, Dana, and Tiyah, under Cathleen's leadership.

During those three months, Martha begins being plagued with nightmares, and starts to hear this voice goading her.

She also takes on her new responsibility as a Ghostbuster with a soldier-like attitude. She becomes short with the others, and she shoots her proton stream when a ghost has a civilian hostage.

She is relieved when she is reunited with Ray, but she continues to have nightmares and hear that voice.

She is Ray's date to Winston and Tiyah's wedding in the spring of 1987, but she declines Tiyah's request for her to be a bridesmaid.

During the reception, she has a vision of blood raining down outside.

About a year later, the visions have persisted.

She soon learns that Tiamat has selected her as an emissary/warrior for her.

Under Tiamat's control, she poisons Dana and Egon-- Dana is forced to relive the experience of being possessed by Zuul, and Egon is trapped in a dream world in which Cathleen never lost their first baby.

Martha is able to free herself from Tiamat, but she can't stop her from erasing all but Winston's memories of his marriage to Tiyah.

During her recovery, Martha tells Ray that she has applied to a medical school in Paris, and that she accepted.

She tells him that she knows that everyone-- even him-- will never look at her the same after what she's done and after she kept the visions from him, and that she was wrong to try to rush into a relationship when she obviously hadn't fully grieved her fiancee's death.

They make the decision to break up, and she leaves for Paris as soon as she can.

Ray reveals to Cathleen that he had bought an engagement ring and was planning to propose to Martha, but throws the ring into the Hudson River out of anger.

His break-up with Martha is a cause of depression for Ray for a while, compounded by the fact that all of the lawsuits finally caught up with the Ghostbusters and the business was shut down soon afterward.

It also keeps him from wanting to date-- whether casually or to look for a long-term commitment-- despite his longing to get married and start a family.

Soon after the defeat of Vigo the Carpathian, Cathleen introduces him to Willow Olson.

Ray and Willow marry on Halloween 1990 after a whirlwind courtship.

Martha and Cathleen sporadically communicate, but they eventually fall out of touch.

The last concrete mention of Martha is when she sends a postcard congratulating Cathleen and Egon on the birth of their second daughter, Marie Rae.

[venkidu]

Master Detective Archives: Revival Code

Summary: You awaken in an unknown location with a splitting headache, no memories, and a fuzzy blue ghost who calls himself "Yakou Furio”. What the actual hell is going on?

Rated M for language and canon-typical violence

Cross-posted on Ao3

*CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR ALL OF "MASTER DETECTIVE ARCHIVES: RAIN CODE" AND ITS ACCOMPANYING DLC*

Chapter 0, Part A

It hurts.

Everything hurts.

Your stomach. Your limbs. Your back. Your head.

Pain.

You don’t even want to open your eyes, but you hear a voice, a male voice, coming from above you.

“When the contractee awakens, they may be physically and mentally disoriented. This may cause them to feel overwhelming panic, sadness, or in some cases, anger…yeah, I’d be feeling all of that too…”

You crack one eye open, as slowly and as slightly as possible. You can’t locate who the voice belongs to, but it appears you’re indoors somewhere, judging by the presence of a lighting fixture directly above you.

“Be sure to re-introduce yourself and explain your position as soon as your contractee is awake. Be patient, as their memories may be extremely foggy, even those that they were meant to keep. For tips on aiding your contractee in identifying themselves, turn to page 356…geez, this manual is bigger than I expected.”

You sigh inwardly. All this talk of memories and manuals and contracts has admittedly has you curious, so you sit up and open your eyes.

You regret it immediately.

Standing (floating?!) in front of you is a blue…ghost?!

At least you think it’s a ghost. Whatever it is, you can see right through it.

You had originally wanted to give yourself time to evaluate the situation before whoever possessed the voice you had been hearing noticed you were awake, but you’re way too freaked out by the presence of A GHOST, AN ACTUAL FUCKING GHOST, to maintain any semblance of calm.

You let out a surprised yell and sit up, immediately trying to scramble backwards and away from the figure in front of you.

“Oh, hey, Master! You’re awake! My name is- whoa!”

The ghost floats toward you until you whip the book laying next to you at it.

It passes right through it.

“Stop screaming, I’m really not gonna-ACK!”

The bag you found passes right through the ghost as well.

“Okay, I have an idea!” the blue blob zooms over to the corner furthest from you. “I’ll stay right over here where you can see me, and we can start again! Sound good?”

You pause. Being stuck in a location that you don’t know, with potentially limited memories, and a ghost doesn’t “sound good” but, it doesn’t seem like you have any other options.

You take a deep breath in and slowly exhale, trying to get the tension to leave your shoulders. “Okay,” you nod.

“Great! Well, Master, my name is Yakou Furio!” the ghost announces, pointing to himself.

“Yakou…Furio…” you repeat back.

“Yep! Former detective, current Death God!”

“A Death God?!” Oh, this is worse, this is SO MUCH WORSE than you imagined.

“Actually…Death-God-in-training,” he chuckles nervously, rubbing the back of his…head? Body?

His form is oval-shaped and blue, with a wispy, fluttery tail; small horns protrude from the top of his head, where a small, black crown is also perched. They’re faint, but it looks like Yakou’s wearing some type of round, blue eye-wear. His outline has a vaguely fuzzy look to it. A ghostly cigarette sticks out from his mouth.

“Do all Death Gods look this…?” you ask, scooting slightly closer to take a better look despite your anxiety.

He appears to shrug. “Probably. I’ve only ever met one other Death God. I have another form too, but I’m not sure you’ll get to see it, which is a shame, I’m quite handsome,” he chuckles with a wink.

You laugh weakly.

“Enough about me though, Master, tell me about you!”

He starts to float around you, but maintains a respectable distance.

“Uhm, well, my name is…uh…”

“Aw geez,” he sighs, rubbing the back of his head. “You don’t remember your name? I’m really sorry, it was my first time performing a pact on my own, I probably screwed it up.”

“I-it’s okay!” you say, waving your hands in front of you. “I heard you reading a manual and the manual said this might happen!”

“True, it did say that was a possibility. Boy, you sure are awfully calm right now,” he observes.

“Well, what good would freaking out do? Plus, you…don’t seem so scary for a Death God.”

“In training,” Yakou adds.

“Right.”

“So, your name? You don’t remember it?”

You shake your head.

Yakou holds a hand up to where you assume his chin would be. His tail begins to twitch, almost like a foot tapping.

“Oh! That bag you threw at me! Maybe that’s yours!” he zooms over to where the satchel was chucked in the corner and moves to pick it up.

“Oh, right,” he mumbles, staring at his translucent hands.

You can’t help but giggle. “I appreciate the effort. Is it hard, being a Death God?” you ask, shakily pushing yourself up and shuffling over to the bag.

“In training! But I’m not really sure yet. I haven’t done any godly things so far. I still struggle with the whole ‘ghost’ aspect of it though.”

He takes a swing at a nearby shelf, as if to showcase his arm passing through the structure.

“Understandable, that’d probably freak me out too,” you mutter as you dig through the bag.

You pull out a wallet and find some sort of identification card sitting in the front pocket.

“Does this look like me?” you ask, holding the card out for Yakou to inspect once you’ve studied it.

Yakou leans in and takes a drag from his ethereal cigarette.

“I think so? Looks like you’ve grown your hair out a bit since this photo was taken, but nothing else really stands out to me.”

“So that’s my name, this is me,” you mutter, staring at the card again.

“Is there anything else you remember?”

You scrunch up your face in concentration.

Think.

THINK.

…

“Nope, not a thing,” you sigh.

You stretch the bag open even further and peer into it. Chapstick, some granola bars, a half-drunk bottle of water. Nothing that is remotely helpful to figuring out your identity, but potentially helpful in your current physical situation.

You sit back on your heels and sigh.

“Nothing?” Yakou asks.

“Nothing,” you confirm.

You take a look at the room around you. Metal shelves line the walls, crammed with all sorts of things - crates of cleaning supplies, boxes piled high with garments, luggage, you think you even see an actual robot.

But nothing that hints at your identity or where you are or how you ended up here in the first place.

“Damn, I didn’t think the effects of the contract would hit you this hard,” Yakou mumbles, rubbing the back of his head.

“You keep mentioning a contract,” you inquire. “What did I sign exactly?”

Yakou sighs and turns away from you. “I wish I could tell you, Master, but, that would be a major rule violation.”

“Death gods have rules?”

“Yeah, especially when they’re going through training - and I’m gonna be upfront with you, Master: my boss terrifies me to my very core. I’d hate to have you deal with her, especially if I did something stupid that caused her to feel the need to appear.” He appears to shudder.

“Well, is there anything you can tell me?”

Yakou takes another drag from his cigarette.

“All I can say is that in order to gain access to my powers, you had to give up something of value. And as I’m sure you can tell by the state of that bag you’re holding, you don’t have a lot of physical possessions, if you catch my drift.”

You glance at the bag and something clicks inside your mind. You slowly raise your unoccupied hand up to the side of your head.

“Yakou…did…did I trade my memories for your power?”

He nods. He looks like he feels sorry for you.

You feel your eyes begin to water as you stare down at the floor.

Breathe. Breathe. Why can’t you breathe?! You feel your whole body shaking as you sink down onto your knees and dig your nails into your thighs in an attempt to ground yourself.

Yakou looks down at you sadly.

You remind him of someone…someone he thinks he maybe knew a long time ago…you have the same eyes as them, eyes full of fear.

He gently reaches out. He knows what he is. And he knows he can’t touch you.

But he’s going to try anyways.

His spectral hand reaches up and pets your head.

You flinch at feeling…something…brush against your hair.

You look up.

Yakou gives you a cheerful grin as he strokes your hair.

“I know this all seems really scary, but you have a detective-turned-Death God on your side, Master! Who better to keep you safe and help you figure all of this out?!”

You take a deep breath.

In.

And out.

And despite the lack of memories and full situational awareness, there’s something about Yakou that makes you believe in what he’s telling you.

You manage to return Yakou’s smile.

“Okay, Yakou. I trust you.”

His spectral smile grows even bigger, and you can’t help but laugh as he does a little mid-air loop-de-loop as well.

“Well, I guess we should figure out where we are right now,” you suggest.

You slowly push yourself up and off the floor and head towards the door.

“Oh, wait! Grab the book!” Yakou calls out to you. He’s pointing to a corner of the room where the book you chucked at him now lays.

You walk over to where he’s pointing and pick up the thick tome - the cover is made of a well-worn purple leather with gold embellishments. A large pink gem is embedded in the center of the cover and a leather strap with a tarnished yellow clasp holds the book shut.

“Is this mine?” you ask, turning the book over in your hands.

“Sort of. That book is where my boss and I reside until someone calls on us. And since you and I have entered a service pact, you could argue that the book is now technically yours for the time being.”

“Fascinating,” you reply. You go to tuck the book into your bag when a piece of white paper flutters out from in between the pages.

“What’s this?” you ask, bending down to grab it.

Yakou hovers over your shoulder as you study the piece of paper.

A logo of some kind is printed in red in the top left-hand corner. Stretching across the top of the page is a banner that reads “AMATERASU EXPRESS”.

Underneath the banner, in plain black text, are the words “Amaterasu Express Ticket - One Way - Express Service - Kanai Ward”.

“What does any of this mean?” you mutter. “What is Kanai Ward?”

You turn to look at Yakou. His mouth is slightly open, and his white, pupil-less are wide.

“Yakou?” you ask. “Are you okay?”

“I…I think I know Kanai Ward,” he gasps. “I think I’m from Kanai Ward.”

“Oh, it’s a place? Wait, hold on, you think you’re from there? Did our pact take your memories too?!”

Yakou shakes his head (body). “No, our pact has nothing to do with my memories, just yours.”

You gently chew on your thumb nail as you ponder this revelation. “You mentioned that you used to be a detective. And you confidently recited what I’m assuming is a first and a last name. I wonder if that all comes from a past life, from before you became a Death God! Do you remember anything else?!”

Yakou once again lifts his hand to his chin and twitches his tail rhythmically.

After a moment, he shrugs sadly. “Not a thing. I don’t even remember dying. I just remember meeting Boss-Lady.”

You resume your study of the ticket. “Well, if this ticket to Kanai Ward came from a book that I had in my possession when we made our pact, and you think you lived in Kanai Ward, maybe we’ll both recover our memories if we go there!” you suggest.

“That’s not a bad idea!” Yakou replies.

“Then let’s go!” you finally push the door open and glance behind you as you pass through the doorway.

“Oh, it’s a lost-and-found,” you observe, noticing the plaque on the wall. “That explains all of the random junk in there. Not sure how I ended up in there, though. I don’t suppose you could fill in that blank for me?” you ask Yakou hopefully.

“No can do, sorry,” the blue blob replies, exhaling a small cloud of smoke.

“Attention passengers departing this station direct to Kanai Ward aboard the Amaterasu Express,” a robotic voice rings out from above. “Please board immediately. The train will depart soon.”

You glance at Yakou in alarm.

“Run!” he yells.

And you do.

[idril-la-wiccan]

Mermay 2023 - 3rd Week

Day 15 - Horror

"The Siren" is a Void Being, a creature born in the absence of what we conceive as Existence.

She sings a tune that feels like greiving, yet is recomforting to listen to. But no matter how alluring she sounds, one shall not follow her, as a fate worse than death awaits the preys of this Void Being.

Day 16 - Celebrity // feat. Sayu

I wasn't interesded in making a real celebrity into a merfolk (which I assume is what most people did for this prompt), so I looked at celebrities in fiction instead.

And Sayu from "No Straight Roads" matches already pretty well with the prompt ! A virtual idol not unlike Hatsune Miku, but with all the charm of a "cutesy-wootsy pink mermaid <3" !

As for her outfit in this drawing, it happens that I got inspired to make her with a "Glamrock" aesthetic after seeing what were the prompts in the previous years. The prompt "Superstar" is what inspired me.

"Glamrock", "Superstar", I think some of you have already understood where I got the association of the two words. =)

Day 17 - Emotion

What if... the others learned... about your past ?

About the monster you used to be ?...

About the monster... you may still be ?

You... You don't... You don't want to...

You don't want it to happen again.

There... won't be any fixes if it does...

You don't want to hurt them.

You hate yourself.

You monster.

You feel...

Basically, just because Humphrey will become a merman in Out of the Abyss doesn't mean he'll be immune to The Angst™. Far from it !

Day 18 - Deep Sea // feat. Black Pearl Cookie

No one enters the Duskgloom Sea with impunity...

Day 19 - Sunrise

Yeah, the sun is very weird in Shichi's dreams. She herself isn't sure if there is some sort of meaning behind what comes out of it.

Day 20 - Music For A Sushi Restaurant

Ok, firstly : I only know Harry Styles from name. So for this prompt, I went and listened to the song. It's good.

But the video clip, holy heck ! O_O The first and last moments give me anxieties ! (which probably was the point, so good job.)

I already felt it would take this direction just from the title alone, so I can't say I was surprised either. But watching the clip made me think : "yeah, that's DEFINITELY the kind of nightmare Shichi is likely to have !"

Day 21 - Body Positivity

Honestly, it's a good prompt to exercise yourself a making as many varied characters as you can ! And I had plans to make additional characters for the future acts of Out of the Abyss.

Aside from Leviathan and the little dumbo octopus, all of the characters here were imagined on the spot as I made this drawing ! I don't even have names for every one yet. So let's present every one from right to left :

Leviathan, based on the blue whale, is the tallest of them all ! He has scars left by wounds caused by fishermen. To say he's proud of them would be incorrect, but he certainly isn't ashamed of them either. To him, they're a reminder of why he wants to protect his village.

The dolphin merman is skinny, and some could think he is unwell, but not at all. He's just built like that.

Just like the oarfish mermaid in fact. She herself is naturally chubby. (Though unfortunately, I feel like it's not really visible on this drawing. But if we consider that it's the first time I drew her, I'll still be able to improve that the next times I draw her.)

The dumbo octopus merfolk, that I call "Mahu" for now, is indeed an adult. They're specifically based on the "pacman ghost" octopus, which if I'm not mistake is the smallest of all the dumbo octopi. And believe me that dispite their size, they're well respected as the spiritual chief of the village.

The sea turtle mermaid is a kind old lady who has vitiligo. Even if it's possible she might have worried about it in her youth, at her current age now, what does it matter to her if her skin has its whims ?

And finally, the twin sharks. It is indeed impossible to tell they're based on sharks due to their position on the image, but it is the case. And their names are Ka'ahupahau and Kahi'uka. Yes, they are inspired by the hawaiian myth of still-born twins who were resurected into sharks and now protect the seas.

I made Ka'ahu into an albino, which means she is very sensitive to sunlight and has to protect herself from it whenever she goes to the surface. Which is why the wears a cloak (usually traditionally worn by men) on top of the fact "Ka'ahupahau" could mean "Well-cared for feather cloak". (Truth be told, I suppose making her an albino was to justify her wearing a cloak.)

'Uka is very protective of his sister, and this is why he's missing an arm (and has a magic prosthetic) "Kahi'uka" meaning "The smiting tail", it seemed only natural to give him a protective personality, and also based on what I vaguely remember reading about the myth itself.

*****

*~ Second week || Fourth week ~*

Buy me a coffee ?

[septembersghost]

i know actors need jobs but ana wasn't struggling. she took this role because she's well aware of how iconic marilyn is and she didn't care about the fact that this fictionalized take of her life is pure and simple torture porn. she should be ashamed. not only of that but actually saying that marilyns ghost approved of this shit

i was just reading a thread earlier where someone brought this exact topic up. i was trying to give ana some leeway, until the full scope of what this movie contains was revealed, plus her own comments, and, even more damningly, the director's. because she worked on the film with this man. he shaped and guided the whole process - and he has NO respect for marilyn as a human being whatsoever, and has made it abundantly clear that he wanted to make a sensationalized, gratuitously graphic film to do nothing but abuse marilyn to death. he said he doesn't see anything positive in the story. he's not only narrowed her down to her suffering and death, and decided that's all there was to her, he heaped fictional horrors onto her. what exactly was he providing on that set other than to encourage this exploitation?

and ana, with full cognizance, read this script, and thought, sure. did she really think it was somehow honoring her? it's what's said in this post after some of ana's comments:

she apparently didn't know much of anything about marilyn when she took the role, but then threw herself into researching her, which honestly makes it worse for me, because i don't know how you can read anything marilyn ever said or wrote, read about anything she dealt with, and still go through with portraying her like this. idc if she though it'd be acclaimed awards bait, exploring one single interview with marilyn should have been enough to tell her how disrespectful this is. then, to go to marilyn's grave (the resting place she didn't even want) and ask "permission" to desecrate her, to invoke marilyn's ghost and say she in any way would've approved and been with them on set, to have the audacity to say she's upset the nude/assault scenes will be taken out of context when she knew what they were doing and didn't give that respect to the subject? girl, what?

furthermore, and this is the part of the movie i've been avoiding discussing, but, there's zero evidence that marilyn ever had an abortion, though there's ample evidence of her miscarriages and her ectopic pregnancy (which itself could've killed her), how much she longed to be a mother, and how not being able to have a baby broke her heart. they took this, twisted it in the most vile way possible, fabricated a forced abortion, putting the camera in the pov of her cervix, depersonalizing her body and in essence assaulting her via the camera lens, having a fetus not only speak to her from her womb, but continue to haunt her in the film. in the year when roe v wade was overturned and women are fighting for their reproductive rights, and they release this. she really had no second thoughts about this? didn't grasp its implications at all? didn't see how invasive it is? how socially tone deaf in a broader sense?

from the nyt:

as you said, it's basically torture p*rn, a dramatized snuff film exploiting a real woman who was exploited more than enough when she lived, and it also has some of the creepiest misogynistic undertones imaginable, pretending to be symbolism. ana knew precisely what it was and signed on anyway, then tried to excuse it with mystical approval that does not, and would never, exist. much as my anger and disgust goes to the director, producers, and jco, i find it difficult to have any sympathy for her at this point either. what's shocking to me is that no one involved in this entire production ever seemed to consider its two prongs - the social commentary, and the humanity of its protagonist. so what value does it even have?