#colonel drake

[ilovemesomevincentprice]

Vincent Price as Colonel Edward Drake

Born in Freedom; The Story of Colonel Drake (1954)

[deadgirlrolling]

Playstation all stars battle royale memes I made just cause

[icebearinacornfield]

Rating Alex Rider Villians on a scale of 1-10 on how supportive they'd be of me telling them I'm Agender:

[Just so we are clear, the concept for this came from a TikTok-er who does a good amount of Alex Rider content/analysis!)

Harod Sayle: 5/10 He's too focused on his own revenge plot against British school children to care and he wouldn't entirely understand it, but I get the vibe that he'd ask some follow-up questions about what I meant and then just be like "ok cool IG". He'd misgender me a lot, but it wouldn't be from a place of malice, it would just be because he forgot. He'd be quick to fix his mistake though. All in all, Harod Sayle's just too spiteful to have the energy to expend on being transphobic/enby-phobic/agender-phobic (I never know the right term to use, please send help!), so he simply wouldn't be. If I were British, however, he would be the most transphobic person on Earth to me!

Nadia Vole: 10/10 She'd ask for pronouns upon introduction and always make sure that she's using the right ones! If nothing else, Nadia Vole is a professional, and professionals use people's correct pronouns, names, and honorifics. I also get the vibe that she'd not put up with anyone's bullshit if they're intentionally going around not respecting other people's identities. She also just gives the energy that she's queer (especially in the graphic novel), but then again it might just be me projecting.

Mr. Grin: 5/10 Bro's literally just doing his job and couldn't give less of a fuck. He'd respect my pronouns and stuff, but it'd be out of total indifference to me. Just like, he doesn't have the energy to waste, so it wouldn't matter to him whatsoever.

Dr. Grief: -10/10 He's a racist/nazi/white supremacist/fascist jackass (probably a stronger word would be better suited for this, but I don't feel like putting it in), so going off of what we know already, I can make a very educated guess as to what his stance on me not fucking with gender would be...

Eva Stellenbosch: -10/10 Same with Dr. Grief. She'd also just straight-up hate crime me for fun, so there's that too.

Alexei Sarov: 8/10 He'd be a little confused/not know entirely what being agender meant, or even what it is for that matter, but after it was explained to him, he'd make an effort. He'd read up on the subject, he'd ask questions, he might mess up on pronouns and such pretty regularly, but there'd be an effort on his part and that's what matters!

Conrad: 1/10 He's a chaos gremlin of pure hatred and murder. He is alive solely out of bitterness and spite. He'd purposely misgender me/be actively transphobic just to feel something. Anything. Conrad just wants to watch the world burn and he's got the gasoline.

Damian Cray: 20/10 There was no heterosexual explanation for that man to begin with! I also can't see him being super big on gender in the first place. He'd be out there actively fighting transphobia and showing his support for all of the LGBTQIA+ community! He'd validate me and he'd be aggressively supportive as well!

Nikolai Drevin: 0/10 Y'all saw how he was to his son Paul Drevin. Paul has been head-cannoned/heavily implied to be gay and we all saw how THAT turned out... I just feel like Nikolai Drevin would not hesitate to force me to go to conversion therapy. That's it. Maybe he'd pretend to be supportive at first to lull me into a false sense of security so he could kidnap me for conversion therapy, but it'd be a complete and total act. Believe me, this man IS ABSOLUTELY NOT an ally!!! That being said, he wouldn't outright kill me/other type of hate crime me. Not that conversion therapy is ok or anything, but the bar is so low on this list at points and I'm forced to give credit where credit is due. He'd kill me because I beat him at something which is something he does with everyone else so it's an equal opportunity thing.

Desmond McCain: 3/10 He'd try and do an exorcism of me. not necessarily because of the whole agender thing (not that that would hurt his decision though), but just because of me as a person. I don't care if he's not that kind of religious, but that wouldn't matter to him. He'd become that type of religious. Desmond McCain would also try to talk me out of being agender (not that that's someone that can do) by telling me that "God didn't intend for you to reject your natural calling as a woman." which isn't something that I think that God would agree with because I just don't... Either way, he'd say that I was a sinful person and going to super-hell when I eventually and he'd mean it too even if he's just faking being a Christian.

Dominic Royce: 4/10 He'd be on the quiet side, but don't let that fool you! He'd actively be doing everything in his power to pass anti-trans laws even though legislating is not part of his job! He'd refuse to acknowledge my saying anything about being agender and say condescending shit like 'You're too young to know that!" or "It's just a phase!" and would be calling me "young lady" or "Ms./Miss" a lot which would just be super uncomfortable.

Owen Andrews: 2/10 Bro totally leaves Reddit comments about how being trans/non-binary/agender isn't real/is a mental illness or some bullshit like that in his free time for fun and probably believes it as well. That being said, however, I don't see him being super transphobic out loud to my face. He'd definitely misgender me every time and place he got, but I could probably beat him in a fight and he knows this.

Darcus Drake: 6/10 He'd use the right pronouns, he'd be respectful enough, but mostly he wouldn't be too bothered with any of it.

Dr. Raymond Feng: 5/10 He'd be skeptical about it, but he'd hear me out and just accept it. I get the sense that he'd be thinking 'oh is this internalized misogyny or childhood trauma or something?', but I stand by my statement saying that he'd ultimately be accepting and validating to me more or less. Not a strong ally, not a transphobe, just a man who presumably has a doctorate in psycology with no quams about imprisoning and interrogating a thoroghly traumatized child. And I for one think that's beautiful. (Not actually, I just wanted to put that last part down there.)

Dwain Garfield: 1/10 He's a Trump supporter. 'nuff said. Source? Trust me bro.

Vladimir Sharkovsky: -5/10 He'd hate crime me or, more accurately, have somebody else hate crime me for him.

Harry Bulman: 2/10 Bulman would've been out there writing transphobic AF articles LONG before meeting me. Harry Bulman would be writing articles about how being trans/non-binary/agender was the latest 'fad/trend', go out of his way to make fun of the trans experience, and spread misinformation about how "gender/women are under attack!". Now, I don't think that he'd actually believe what he's writing (except for the whole thing about it being a 'trend' or mental illness or whatever), he's just in it for the money/the clout. Not that this makes it any better, if anything that makes it worse. In any case, he'd laugh in my face when I say I use they/them pronouns and then tweet about it or whatever and call me a 'crazy, blue-haired liberal' or whatever despite me not having blue hair. In short, metaphorically (never literally) fuck Harry Bulman!

Colonel Aubrey Sykes: 1/10 He'd just call me a 'snowflake' and say that he identifies "as an attack helicopter" because like many transphobes, he hasn't evolved much since 2016-2017. Also, since I'm not a veteran or active service member of the military and an American, I just get the vibe that he'd already have had absolutely zero respect for me in the first place even if I was cis. Also, he just gives extremely misogynistic vibes too, so whether or not I was cis wouldn't change much.

[Probably going to do a separate list for SCORPIA members and the Nightshade board. The same goes for MI6/CIA/ASIS characters. It'll be fun maybe!]

[genderfluid-druid]

oh that sister is on the train for sure

[southernbluebellereader]

MASTERLIST

Who I write for: Call of Duty (Preferably MW2 and MW3); Star Trek (everything up to Enterprise + Strange New Worlds); Slashers (Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers); Jack Reacher (Alan Ritchson); SIX (coming soon)

REQUESTS: Closed | INBOX: Open | TAG LIST: Click Here | (*) = WIP

Last Update: December 29, 2023

{JACK REACHER}

| JACK REACHER (Alan Ritchson) |

General Headcanons

General Headcanons Part 2

X Fem! Southern Waitress

Peach Pie and Cream

{CALL OF DUTY}

| IMAGINES/HEADCANONS/REQUESTS |

Imagine Dancing with Alejandro Vargas and Rodolfo “Rudy” Parra

Imagine Dancing with John Price, Ghost, and Soap

Do They Know How to Take a Bra Off? (COD 141 + Alejandro, Rudy, & König)

Routines (Taskforce 141 x Southern Hairdresser Reader (PLATONIC))

Routines Part 2 (Taskforce 141 x Southern Hairdresser Reader (PLATONIC))

Tenderheart Bear (141 x People Pleaser F! Field Medic (PLATONIC))

How would the 141 react to you getting your nails done? (COD MW2) (Task Force 141 - Semi-NSFW)

(18) Request: Imagine Ghost & König with an anal vibrator

Request: 141 x Reader w/ Psoriasis & Vitiligo (SFW & Platonic)

Request: Taskforce 141 x Reader with rumors of being a slut

(18+) Request: Kvinlig Demon (141 x F! Reader w/ Womb Tattoo)

| CAPTAIN JOHN PRICE |

Requests

(18+) NSFW Price x Younger S/O & he is wrapped around your finger ;)

(18+) NSFW Daddy Price x Wife (this a little *spicy*)

Family Day (x Wife Reader; y'all and the 141 go to Disney World as a family)

Personal Nurse (x Nurse F! Reader)

Leg Warmers (x Reader w/ misaligned knee caps)

*Price begging - collar - sub!Price

X Female Escort Reader

[PART 1] Don’t Look At Me Like That (FLUFF/LITTLE ANGST)

[PART 2] Excitement in Patience (18+ MATURE)

[PART 3] Cup of Coffee (Kinda of a prequel)

X Female Wife Reader

Gray Hairs (FLUFF)

X Young Reader with Facial Scars

[PART 1] Bruised Apple (Platonic, Angst, Facial Scars, Mention of Violence)

[PART 2] Apple Slices (DITTO [Mention of Violence & Trauma])

[PART 3] Apple Pie (Platonic, going on slightly romantic, Angst, Fluffity Fluff)

X MILF Single Mom

Forbidden (Fluff, Innuendos, Brief mention of violence)

| LIEUTENANT SIMON “GHOST” RILEY |

Requests

Drake (x AFAB Teammate w/ Tattoo; Simon seeing their tattoo for the first time)

Turquesa (x AFAB Latinx Nurse Reader)

Midnight Dining (x AFAB Civilian Reader (leather jacket Ghost))

Emergency Snack Run (x AFAB Gas Station Clerk)

Personal Mechanic (Mechanic Ghost x AFAB Reader)

X Female Southern Cook

[PART 1] Midnight Snack (FLUFF & PLATONIC)

[PART 2] Tomato, Tom-ah-to (FLUFF & PLATONIC)

[PART 3] Bag of Peas (FLUFF & PLATONIC)

[PART 4] Hash Browns (FLUFF & MOSTLY PLATONIC)

[PART 5] Prickly Pear (FLUFF & DEF NOT PLATONIC ANYMORE)

[PART 6] Peaches and Cream (FLUFF, ANGST, LOVEY DOVEY)

[PART 7] Chicken and Dumplings (VERY ANGST, A LITTLE VIOLENCE)

[PART 8] Hot Links (FLUFFITY FLUFF FLUFF LOVEY DOVEY)

X Female Reader

(18+) Hot For Teacher (Simon's S/O gets a teacher costume for Halloween)

Being Chosen…By A Baby (Single Mom Reader)

| COLONEL ALEJANDRO VARGAS |

X Female Wife Reader

Forehead Kisses (FLUFF)

Alejandro and His Big Ol' Forehead - One, Two, Three, Four

| SERGEANT KEEGAN P. RUSS (COD GHOSTS) |

Fun and Games (x F! reader) (PLATONIC) - His name is said in a funny accent

| SERGEANT KYLE "GAZ" GARRICK |

Requests

A little nosy, aren't we? (x F! Reader gets caught looking at his social media)

(18+) Car Shenanigans (x F! Reader giving head/getting fingered)

Post-Mission Angst (x AFAB Reader)

X Female Signaler/Radiowoman Reader

Guardian Angel (bubbling relationship)

| KÖNIG |

How he likes to show affection by holding you close (xGN Reader)

| COMMANDER PHILLIP GRAVES |

X Pregnant Wife Reader

First Time Husband (first-time pregnancy; little angst, fluff)

| SERGEANT LOGAN WALKER (COD GHOSTS) |

Requests

Headcanons (Both SFW and NSFW)

What would Logan be like as a Father? (fuffity fluff fluff)

Headcanons Part 2 (Both SFW and NSFW)

| SOBIESŁAW "GROMSKO" KOŚCIUSZKO |

General Headcanons (SFW and NSFW)

Supportive Soft Friend (SFW Fluff)

| KATE LASWELL |

x Wife Reader

My Wife (fluffity fluff fluff)

| ALEX KELLER |

x F! New Yorker Medic Reader

Polar Opposites (Golden Retriever Alex, Black Cat Reader; Fluff)

| SERGEANT JOHNNY "SOAP" MACTAVISH |

Requests

*Dilf! Johnny x Babysitter

x F! Reader

Calling Him "Stud"

{STAR TREK}

| IMAGINES/HEADCANONS |

Kirk, Spock, & Bones x Southern Reader (SFW)

Do They Know How to Take Bra Off? (Kirk, Bones, Spock, Scotty, Chekov)

| DOCTOR LEONARD “BONES” MCCOY |

X Female Nurse Practitioner

Medical Couple (FLUFF LOVEY DOVEY; TOS/REBOOT MOVIES)

| FIRST COMMANDER SPOCK |

Requests

Pop of Color (x F! Betazoid Quartermaster/Seamstress; STRANGE NEW WORLDS)

{SLASHERS}

| JASON VOORHEES |

X Female Camp Counselor

Instinct (stalking)

{SIX}

| JOE "BEAR" GRAVES |

Requests

Request: Joe Graves X Younger Wife/GF Headcanons

[wintersoldierslover]

my fic recs masterlist

---

Bucky Barnes:

all bucky barnes

headcanon  -  blurb  -  one-shot  -  series

dbf!bucky  -  brothers bff  -  bff’s brother

neighbour  -  housewife reader

lumberjack  -  firefighter  -  bodyguard

priest bucky  -  college

football player  -  hockey player  -  boxer

professor  -  teacher  -  librarian/bookshop

coffee shop  -  soulmate  -  royal

other AUs  -  taboo

---

Stranger Things characters:

all eddie munson - all steve harrington

eddie and steve (x reader)

billy hargrove - jason carver - mike wheeler

dmitri enzo antonov - jim hopper

robin buckley - nancy wheeler

---

Outer Banks Characters:

all Rafe Cameron

all JJ Maybank

Rafe Cameron and JJ Maybank (x reader)

Pope Heyward - Topper Thorton

John B. - Sarah Cameron

Kiara Carrera

---

Marvel characters:

Wanda Maximoff  -   Kate Bishop

Natasha Romanoff  -  Yelena Belova

Peter Parker  -  Pietro Maximoff

Steve Rogers  -  Stephen Strange

Frank Castle  -  Matt Murdock 

Moon knight  -  Steven Grant

Joaqín Torres - Clint Barton

Loki Laufeyson - Druig

Eddie Brock - Miles Morales

Miguel O’hara - Hobie Brown

---

Harry Potter characters:

Sirius Black - Remus Lupin 

James Potter - Poly!Marauders

Lily potter -  Cedric Diggory

George Weasley - Fred Weasley

Severus Snape - Tom Riddle

Draco Malfoy

---

Avatar (James Cameron) charachters:

neteyam - aonung - lo’ak

rotxo - kiri - spider

jake sully - neytiri - tsu’tey

tonowari - ronal - colonel quaritch

---

Top Gun chracters:

Fanboy  -  Hangman  -  Rooster - Bob

Iceman

---

Wednesday characters:

Xavier Thorpe - Ajax Petropolus

Wednesday Addams - Divina

---

Bridgerton characters:

Anthony Bridgerton -  Benedict Bridgerton

Colin Bridgerton

---

Criminal Minds characters:

Spencer Reid  -  Aaron Hotchner

Derek Morgan

---

The Last of Us characters:

Joel Miller - Ellie Williams

Abby Anderson

---

The Devil All The Time characters:

Tommy Matson - Lee Bodecker

---

Uncharted characters:

Nate Drake - Sam Drake

---

Euphoria characters:

Elliot (Euphoria) - Fezco

---

On My Block characters:

Mario Martinez - Oscar Diaz

---

Modern Family characters:

Luke Dunphy - Alex Dunphy

---

Ted Lasso:

Roy Kent - Jamie Tartt

---

NHL players:

Matthew Ktachuk - Trevor Zegras

Nolan Patrick - Tyler Seguin

---

Actors:

Sebastian Stan - Joseph Quinn

Jamie Campbell Bower - Danny Ramirez

Drew Starkey - Rudy Pankow

Ben Hardy - Bella Ramsey

Jenna Ortega

---

Miscellaneous characters:

Eli ‘Hawk’ Moskowitz  -   Marcus Baker

Rodrick Heffley -  Hunter Sylvester

Lloyd Hansen - Ari Levinson

Nick Fowler -  Tangerine

Rhett Abbott - Hayden ‘Harvard Hottie’

Colin (Not Okay) -   Min Ho (Xo, Kitty)

Ash (No Exit) -  James Maguire (Derby Girls)

Jake Peralta - Nick Miller  - Brian O’conner

Anakin Skywalker - Bruno Madrigal

Tadashi Hamada - Kakashi Hatake

---

Miscellaneous real people:

Billie Eilish - AEW Hook

---

*Updated whenever there’s a new character <3

[callsign-rogueone]

the chess game - b.s.

Brennan Sorrengail x reader part four of Brennan and Duchess's story. words: 2.9k 🏷: IRON FLAME SPOILERS, she/her reader in established relationship with Brennan (Duchess!), some heavy-handed chess analogies (do they even have chess in Navarre?), Cat gets her own warning, canonical peril with the venin, tiny bit of angst between you but it’s resolved quickly, suggestive at the end, italic dialogue between reader and Bren is spoken in Tyrrish, proofread this with a migraine lol enjoy

Brennan’s breath catches as you begin your descent of the marble stairs. You’re the picture of a warrior princess; draped in fine black silk that trails to the floor, plates of silver armor resembling tiny dragon scales covering your bare shoulders, a sheathed longsword strapped down your spine. You’ve left your hair in its usual braids, but a spiky diadem sits atop them, silver engraved with runes of protection.

“Lieutenant Colonel,” you greet, surprised. “It is always a pleasure.”

He extends a gloved hand to help you down the last three steps. “The pleasure is mine, my Lady,” he replies, lowering his head in deference and pressing a featherlight kiss to the back of your hand. 

You suppress a shiver at the touch — one you’ve felt many times, but there is something new about it now that you’re out of Tyrrendor and nobody here knows who you are to one another. It almost feels scandalous.

“Allow me to introduce Captain Mira Sorrengail and Cadet Violet Sorrengail.” 

You dip your chin to them in acknowledgment, smiling warmly. “I must thank you both for all that you’ve done for our people,” you say with a look to Xaden. 

“It has been our honor, Lady,” Violet says, smiling back. 

Mira resists the urge to roll her eyes at the finery, instead eyeing your hosts with deep distaste and suspicion — she’s never been this close to a gryphon flier without trying to kill them.

Xaden and Violet are staring each other down, undoubtedly fighting across their bond — he’s mad that she showed up unannounced, and she’s mad about him leaving her in the dark about all of this.

Brennan watches you carefully, the two of you doing some silent communication of your own.

You have every piece you need to win this game. You just need to think three steps ahead of your opponent.

————————————————————————

The three Sorrengails clean up well.

You can only imagine the amount of coercion it took to get Mira into that dress, but it looks good on her. Violet wears a similar one, her hair down and flowing over her shoulders instead of her usual tight coronet, and Xaden can’t seem to pull his eyes away from the soft silver strands.

You can’t help but smile at Brennan. He must have packed the formal uniform himself, knowing the level of dress required at these types of dealings from the complaining you’d done every time you’d returned. 

It looks near-identical to the one he’d worn on your wedding day — that one now hangs in a closet in your parents’ estate in Lindell, beside your white silk dress, but that jacket did not have quite as many adornments; he’s earned a few more stripes in the last three years.

You may not be close to him now, forced to remain a professional distance away, but you take solace in the fact that your hands have been all over that uniform before — that you’d sewn on the Lieutenant Colonel’s insignia for him last year, that you’ve stripped that jacket off of him more than once.

The Viscount wastes no time making his first move. “Have you given any more thought to Drake’s proposal, Lady Lindell? He is quite eager to hear back from you.”

Your heart pounds against your ribs; you weren’t expecting to discuss this now. “I have, actually.”

Brennan has never been a jealous person, never quick to anger, but right now he looks like he’s going to break a bone in his hand from how hard he’s clenching it into a fist. 

You choose your words carefully, knowing that these negotiations may be over in seconds if you say the wrong thing.

“I must decline. Tyrrendor is still working to recover from the events of years past, and we are now being presented with new threats as well. It would be wrong to divert any attention from my people at a time when they need leadership most.”

“Always so noble, Lady,” Tecarus praises with a sly smile. “It is easy to see why he is so enamored with you, despite your differences. Perhaps the two of you could discuss it again after this matter is resolved.”

Of course he won’t take no for an answer. 

Brennan has relaxed, but he still looks upset, avoiding your gaze. 

You can’t seem to quell the bubbling fear in your chest. Does Brennan doubt your affection for him, your commitment to him? Surely he understands that this is strictly business, that you aren’t seriously entertaining the idea of leaving him for Drake Cordella.

“Do not take his distance to heart, royal one,” Ban says firmly. “He loved you through his dying breath, and he will continue to far beyond the next.”

She’s right. You’ve never given Brennan any reason to believe otherwise, and you’d probably feel the same, should he have received a marriage proposal from another.

You realize exactly why you’d doubted yourself — Cat is staring daggers at you from her uncle’s side.

“That’s not the real reason, is it?” She asks, and the discussion that you hadn’t really been listening to suddenly grinds to a halt. Every head turns toward her, then follows her burning gaze to you. 

If she wants to fight this fight, you’ll let her. There is no getting under your skin, under the crown you wear; you’ll play her game, and you’ll win.

“I had hoped the Viscount and I would continue this conversation privately, as it is not the focus of our gathering,” you reply in the cold tone you’d use to discipline a cadet. “There are multiple reasons for my declination, which I shall not discuss in present company, but the foremost is that I have already found the one I wish to share my title with, and it is not your cousin.”

Cat simmers with rage and embarrassment, clearly not done with you, but you revel in the look on her face nonetheless. 

You can feel Xaden’s eyes on you, burning into your skin, but you do not turn to look in his direction. You will not apologize for anything tonight. You will not retreat an inch.

“If she says another word, I’ll roast her and her bird,” Tairn purrs, making a rare appearance.

“Not until the luminary is secured,” his mate replies, almost playful — she’s just as sick of the girl as he is.

You build up the mental wall, but leave some gaps in the brick; enough to send a message, but not to block them out completely. They do not protest, leaving you to your business; likely headed off to sample Poromiel’s sheep.

The night air here is just as cold as in Tyrrendor, and you’re rather underdressed for the chill as you step out onto the balcony. You open the door of your father’s library just a crack, allowing yourself to draw a tiny fraction of Ban’s power to warm yourself, letting the gentle heat flow through you as you rub your palms over the exposed skin of your arms.

Brennan comes to stand at your right, maintaining a professional distance between you. 

You keep your eyes forward, surveying the arena, and speak quietly, even though nobody else here knows the language. “Have I ever told you how much I love seeing you in a proper officer’s uniform, Lieutenant Colonel?”

You can see him redden in your periphery — you’d found out after his latest promotion exactly how much he likes hearing you say that title.

“It does not hold a candle to you in that dress,” he deflects. “You’re always regal, even in flight leathers, but this…” he blows out a nervous breath, not daring to finish the sentence. 

“It took two ladies maids to do up all these clasps,” you say, a mischievous smile on your face. “I could use your help taking it off tonight — I know you’ve always been good with your hands.”

Xaden interrupts before Brennan can reply, the words coming out angular and unpolished. “Stop mind-fucking each other and focus.”

“That’s rich coming from you,” Brennan scoffs. “You’re always looking at my sister like you want to eat her.”

You shoot the younger man a glare of warning, already knowing what his next words would be. “Don’t.”

Xaden rolls his eyes in response, but stays quiet.

Mira and Violet head down the stairs, and you step forward, intent to join them.

“Ah-ah, lady. You don’t want to get too close,” the Viscount says, and two of his men tug you back by your upper arms.

The wall you’ve put up is starting to crack, the emotions behind it slipping through as you realize there’s a very real chance that whatever’s in that chest is going to kill them.

The guards tighten their grip on you, likely instructed to keep you out of harm's way until this is over. You don’t struggle, focusing on your breathing, trying to reinforce the wall, to maintain the mask you need to wear tonight.

“Say the word, and we bring the castle down,” Ban growls.

“Not until we’ve made a deal,” you snap back.

It must be obvious to Xaden that you’re losing your grip. “He wants me to tell you two not to do anything stupid,” Sgaeyl forwards, sounding like she’s rolling her eyes. 

You don’t respond, don’t look to the boy to reply; you can’t tear your eyes from the lawn below you, where a living, breathing venin is standing less than fifty yards away from the two Sorrengail girls.

The wall crumbles in its entirety, rage and fear flooding through you. The guards pull their hands back, hissing in pain — you’ve scalded their palms.

Brennan is already heading down the stairs.

“Take this,” you call, finally able to form words. He turns, and you unsheath your sword in one quick movement, tossing it to him over the edge of the balcony.

You pray he won’t need to use it, but there’s nothing else you can do; even if you ran down there right now, it’s raining too hard for you to create a shield of fire around them, or to burn the thing to a crisp yourself.

All you can do is watch as the three siblings press themselves together, Mira screaming as she uses everything she has to shield them from the wave of decay.

“Incoming!”

Tairn is the first to arrive, swooping down into the arena to lift Violet up as lightning strikes the soaked grass -- electrocuting the venin. It crumples to the ground, dead.

The other four dragons weren’t far behind. They perch on the stone edge of the arena, eyeing your hosts with contempt. Ban appears to debate whether or not she’s hungry enough to polish off a whole gryphon, Sgaeyl looking like she wants to torch the gaggle of Poromish nobles that had appeared to watch Violet wield.

Relief floods your body, but it’s quickly replaced by anger -- anger that Tecarus would dare to risk Violet’s life in this way, to risk everyone’s lives by releasing a venin on his lawn.

Xaden is already on it; you turn back to see shadows curled around the man’s throat, his feet six inches off the ground as Cat pleads with him to release the man. There must be some silent communication between him and Violet, as he unhands him soon enough, sending him straight to the floor rather unceremoniously.

Mira still looks a little pale, but she’s standing on her own. You rest a hand on her arm, the other on Brennan’s, sending a soft wave of warmth to each of them; they’re both soaked to the bone and shivering.

Brennan motions for you to turn, sheathing the sword at your back. His fingertips brush your spine gently, both a soft gesture of thanks and a reminder that he is still here, despite the events of the last five minutes.

You take a breath, willing yourself to relax and building the wall back up. The game is nowhere near over.

————————————————————————

You wait in steely silence as the four other riders change back into dry flight leathers, your gaze not leaving the two guards who had restrained you earlier. They eye you with a healthy dose of fear, keeping their distance from you and your fellow riders.

You take this chance to rearrange your pieces, taking a different seat than you’d been assigned earlier. The other four fall into place silently; a united front of the Aretian leaders in the middle, a Sorrengail sister at each end. You sit eye to eye with Tecarus, Violet with Cat — both intentional choices. 

Everything you’ve done tonight has been a message, a statement, and you are barring no holds, taking no prisoners after he’d put your family in mortal danger.

You are not the ranking officer at this table, nor the ranking royal, but they let you make the call; it is obvious to them that you’re enraged. 

You keep your composure, letting the anger smolder as you speak. “I believe we have upheld our end of this deal, Viscount. We will-”

Tecarus cuts you off. “I’m afraid you are no longer in a position to be bargaining here, Lady.”

What?

“That’s ridiculous,” Brennan argues. “You won’t help us protect this entire continent, because she won’t marry your nephew?”

Your heart swells at Brennan’s unwavering defense of you, but you quickly realize what he’s done — and so does the Viscount.

“The fair knight is always ready to protect his queen,” Tecarus muses, a sly smile on his face. “But he isn’t just a knight to you, is he, Lady?”

You do not hesitate for a second, ready to put this business to bed, to finally be done with Drake Cordella’s advances and his uncle’s ceaseless meddling.

You turn to Brennan, your eyes not leaving his as you speak. “He is not just a knight. He is my husband, and when the day comes, he will stand beside me and take the title of Duke Consort of Lindell. We cannot be separated, even by death, and he is the one thing I will not compromise on.”

Brennan gives you a soft smile; after three years, you’ve finally told someone about the two of you, someone who wasn’t immediate family and hadn’t attended your wedding.

He reaches for your hand under the table. You take it, intertwining your fingers and lifting your clasped hands, resting them on the smooth wood for all to see, your rings now on full display.

You look back to Tecarus, who is uncharacteristically silent.

Brennan takes a turn to speak. “I will remind you that she is the one who has been weaving the runes embedded in those daggers my Lieutenants have given you. Should you continue to disrespect her, you will soon find yourself defenseless against a force beyond your comprehension.”

Check.

The Viscount smiles, though the expression doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “Very well. In that case, I would like to change my terms.”

You nod, giving him permission to speak at his own table.

“I have taken in a hundred flier cadets and their leadership following the destruction of their academy. Take them with you back to Aretia, and train them to fight the venin, and the luminary is yours.”

You don’t bother to look to Xaden or Brennan to confer; it’s clear that everyone absolutely despises this idea.

“Fine,” you respond. “This threat is a threat to us all, and we will be stronger together than we will be separate. We will house and educate your cadets alongside our own, but it would behoove them to tread carefully. Riders and fliers have been enemies for centuries, and many aren’t quite so tolerant as us.”

You don’t need to look at Cat while you say it; she knows the message is directed to her.

“Then we have an accord,” Tecarus says, rising from his chair. “The fliers will be prepared to leave tomorrow at first light.”

“As will we,” you respond. You do not deign to thank him, watching in silence as he and his advisors file out of the room.

“If Drake so much as looks at you…” Brennan huffs, likely imagining the man with a broken nose.

You laugh, resting your ringed hand over his heart. “He can look all he wants, but I will gladly let you defend my honor if he tries anything else — you’re the only one allowed to touch.”

He groans in half-hearted complaint. “You can’t say things like that to me when we’re-”

“Your Grace,” Mira interrupts, bowing exaggeratedly.

“Cut it out,” her brother scolds, embarrassed.

You giggle. “I have a feeling she isn’t going to let that go any time soon, my love.”

“Nope,” Violet agrees, grinning from ear to ear.

“Need I remind you that you are in a very similar situation, sister?”

“You do not,” Xaden answers, stepping up behind her and wrapping an arm around her waist.

Mira nearly gags at the sight, still unused to seeing her sister with the Riorson boy.

You smile, looking at your family for a moment. “Excellent work, all of you. Now get some rest; we have a long flight home in the morning.”

You don’t need to tell them to stay on their guard — they know that this castle has eyes and ears everywhere, and that not everyone in it can be trusted.

The three of them nod, turning to head up the stairs.

You gasp softly as you feel one of the many buttons at the back of your dress come undone, your hand flying up to hold the fabric to your chest.

“I was never assigned a room,” Brennan murmurs, his warm breath ghosting over your neck. “Mind if we share?”

[leastdatablebracket]

Here's the bracket for round 1! I intend to start posting matches tomorrow.

Group 1 (Matches 1-16)

Sam Wayne (Scarlet Hollow) VS Penny (Stardew Valley)

Joy Johnson-Johjima (Monster Prom) VS Vladamir (Moonlight Lovers)

P.S. Elle (Romancelvania) VS Saint Germain (Code: Realize)

Bram Galeborn (Tales of the Wild) VS Jumin Han (Mystic Messenger)

Edgar Morton (To Love & Protect) VS Zen (Mystic Messenger)

Nowi (Fire Emblem Awakening) VS Elise (Fire Emblem Fates)

Maison Talo (House Hunted) VS Sam (Stardew Valley)

Akihiko Sanada (Persona 3 Portable) VS Sam Dalton (Choices - The Nanny Affair)

Ota Kisaki (Kissed by the Baddest Bidder) VS Casavir (Neverwinter Nights 2)

Anna (Fire Emblem Engage) VS Yang (Piofiore Fated Memories)

Isabela (Dragon Age 2) VS Shuu Iwamine (Hatoful Boyfriend)

Liam de Lioncourt (Monster Prom) VS Sunder (Boyfriend Dungeon)

Cassandra Pentaghast (Dragon Age Inquisition) VS Curie (Fallout 4)

Cliff (Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town) VS Sylvain Jose Gautier (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)

Hanatsubaki Gorō (Tokimeki Memorial Girl’s First Love) VS Leliana (Dragon Age Origins)

Barbatos (Obey Me) VS Solas (Dragon Age Inquisition)

Group 2 (Matches 17-32)

Nightowl (Blooming Panic: Full Bloom Edition) VS Isako Toriumi (Persona 3)

Adam/Ava du Mortain (Wayhaven Chronicles) VS Drake Walker (Choices - The Royal Romance)

Taro Majima (Tokimeki Memorial Girl’s Side 2nd Season) VS Vace (I Was a Teenage Exocolonist)

Yoosung Kim (Mystic Messenger) VS Siren Head (Siren Head Dating Sim)

Rick (Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town) VS V (Mystic Messenger)

Ken Amada (Persona 3 Portable) VS Lorenz Hellman Gloucester (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)

Bigfoot (Dialtown) VS Damien Ramsey (Magical Diary)

Merrill (Dragon Age 2) VS Landon (High School Dreams Best Friends Forever)

Vyn Richter (Tears of Themis) VS Sumire Yoshizawa (Persona 5 Royal)

Sebastian (Stardew Valley) VS Triss Merigold (Witcher 3)

Rock (Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life) VS Morrigan (Dragon Age Origins)

Gray (Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town) VS Calculester Hewlett-Packard (Monster Prom)

Harry Choi (The Ssum) VS Ichiko Ohya (Persona 5)

Sadayo Kawakami (Persona 5) VS Randy Jade (Dialtown)

Kevan (Long Live the Queen) VS Camellia (Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous)

Ace (Heart no Kuni no Alice) VS Rhea (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)

Group 3 (Matches 33-48)

Ilessa (Romancelvania) VS Dolce (Rune Factory 4)

Sothis (Fire Emblem: Three Houses) VS Laito Sakamaki (Diabolik Lovers)

Cameron Conner (Wylde Flowers) VS Sera (Dragon Age Inquisition)

Elliott (Stardew Valley) VS Shane (Stardew Valley)

Mikah Hudson (Save Me, Sherlock) VS Harvey (Stardew Valley)

Towa Wakasa (Sweet Fuse: At Your Side) VS Shiloh Fields (XOXO Droplets)

Arsene Lupin (Code: Realize) VS Blackwall (Dragon Age Inquisition)

Vere (Touchstarved) VS Shiki (Togainu no Chi)

Sebastian Vael (Dragon Age 2) VS Toma (Amnesia: Memories)

Sakura (Fire Emblem Fates) VS Ethan Ramsey (Choices - Open Heart)

Warren (Life is Strange) VS Ryoma (Fire Emblem Fates)

Katherine (Catherine) VS Jonah (Boyfriend Dungeon)

Anders (Dragon Age 2) VS Dorian Grey (OZMAFIA!!)

Skye (Harvest Moon DS Cute) VS Tammy (I Was a Teenage Exocolonist)

Fenris (Dragon Age 2) VS Dys (I Was a Teenage Exocolonist)

Peter King (Your Boyfriend Game) VS Eisuke Ichinomiya (Kissed by the Baddest Bidder)

Group 4 (Matches 49-64)

Tharja (Fire Emblem Awakening) VS Jacob Taylor (Mass Effect 2)

Elanee (Neverwinter Nights 2) VS Megaricus (Kaichu - The Kaiju Dating Sim)

Joseph Christiansen (Dream Daddy) VS Naoto Shirogane (Persona 4)

Mr. Pages (Mask of the Rose) VS Soleil (Fire Emblem Fates)

Baxter Ward (Our Life: Beginnings & Always) VS Ryouta Kazama (Tokimeki Memorial Girl’s Side 4)

Colonel Sanders (I Love You, Colonel Sanders!) VS Kappa (Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town)

Andy (Romance Club) VS Micah Yujin (Error143)

Anomen Delryn (Baldur’s Gate 2) VS Koolie Sterling (Tentador Leches)

Canus Espada (Cafe Enchante) VS Nah (Fire Emblem Awakening)

Doctor (Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town) VS Lucy (Your Boyfriend Game)

Amber (Rune Factory 4) VS Marco (Lovelink)

Alfani (OZMAFIA!!) VS Makoto Niijima (Persona 5)

Haley (Stardew Valley) VS Azura (Fire Emblem Fates)

Zevran Arainai (Dragon Age Origins) VS Kai (Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town)

Yuri (Doki Doki Literature Club) VS The Red Prince (Divinity: Original Sin 2)

Lucio Morgasson (The Arcana) VS Cullen Rutherford (Dragon Age Inquisition)

[lieutenantabrudas]

"well i haven't drawn in a long time so i'll start with something simple," i said. "maybe some headshots," i said.

obviously my return to drawing is going to dive headfirst into the jar of blorbos so obscure they don't even have canon appearances. this is my design for primarch fedorian, the primarch who's killed off-screen in me3 during the reaper war so victus can be in charge. in my writing, his first name is elaphus, and he was a colonel on shanxi under command of general desolas arterius. the incident on shanxi that resulted in his scars and eyepatch also earned him his general's stars, plus some fun medals (including the star of palaven!) and later even helped boost him in the rankings to eventually become primarch of palaven. he's very highly respected by both his own people and aliens, and even gets the bow of approval from his former CO himself; even aliens who aren't generally keen on turians tend to admit fedorian is a good'un.

he's also frequently high on turian gossip rag empire weekly's list of top most desirable drakes in the empire, because look at him. he's tragically straight and devoted to his wife but hey celebrity crushes ain't a crime

[yutopia-eleftheria]

Criminal Case Inkember 2023

Day 4/30 : Rachel Priest (Truth) / (Vérité)

WARNING ! :

Contains blood / Gore !

"Kill me if you want, Alden. But one day, the World will see for who you truly are !"

Those were Rachel Priest's last words before she was injected with the superhuman serum by Alden Greene with the help of Colonel James Marshall... They knew very well what the serum was gonna do to her. Her bones will be so much enlarged that her skin will literally shreds into pieces...

They killed her in cold blood because she learned the truth about their experiments, with the help of one of their victims : Drake Ribbs. A soldier that was turned into a monster by those guys, with this exact same superhuman serum...

"Dead men tell no tales."

They say...

So I guess it works the same for women...

The truth is revealed in her "eyes" as well as the other "holes" in her skeleton's face : Famous people that were considered as heroes, in that case Alden Greene and James Marshall, turns out to be pure Monsters...

It can't imagine the pain she must have felt before they, you know, explodes... May you rest in peace, Rachel... We love you...♥

[footprintsinthesxnd]

Merry Christmas Kate

Oh Kate you are one of my favourite people ever! You are the funniest, sweetest, most loveable person. I can’t think of a time talking to you where I haven’t been laughing my head off. I’m so glad to have met you and without our random chats we’d have never made the discord chat where I met even more amazing people. I’m forever in your debt Kate. I love you so much. I hope you have an amazing Christmas and enjoy this little snippet of Kate and Lois from ‘Loving Her Was Red’ and the little introduction of Kate’s love interest.

You can find Kate and the other characters moodboard from the link here

Lois’ fingers drummed impatiently against the hard wooden desk, her eyes scanning over the officers as they waited to start the meeting. Dick gave her a sympathetic smile from his seat next to Nixon that she didn’t reciprocate, her mind too focused on the embarrassment of her friend's lateness.

Colonel Sink, noticing the anxiety in the room spoke up, “Captain Drake, could we start the meeting without Sergeant Blythe?”

Lois sighed, “I apologise for my friend's tardiness but she will be here, I assure you.”

Right on time the door flew open with a loud bang, ricocheting on its hinges. Kate burst into the room, her hair loose from its normally neat curls and her lipstick a little smudged at the corner of her mouth.

“Kate Blythe,” Lois stood up, hastily making her way over to her friend, “It’s nice of you to join us.”

“Sorry, I’m late,” Kate mumbled, her eyes glancing over the officers, sending Dick a quick grin.

“I’m so sorry for this gentlemen but could we reconvene in ten minutes?” She pushed Kate out of the doorway.

“Kate, what the hell is going on?” Lois demanded, her hard stare boring into Kate, causing Kate to shrink away a little.

“I’m so sorry, Lois. I lost track of time,” Kate apologised, but knew that she needed to grovel more than that to have Lois forgive her.

“What were you doing?”

“Well… it’s more like ‘who’ I was doing…” Kate trailed off, an amused smirk on her lips as she gauged Lois’ reaction.

“Who you were doing? Kate!”

“What? I just couldn’t help myself. He was handsome and charming. You can’t talk anyway…”

Lois placed her finger against her lips, silencing her mid-sentence before she said anything more about Dick Winters.

“At least tell me his name. Is he from Easy Company?” Lois folded her arms but a smile graced her crimson lips. She was happy for Kate really. While Lois had a more reserved outlook on life and wanted to protect her heart, Kate was a free spirit, she loved life and intended to live it to the fullest.

“Yes, he’s a Sergeant from Easy Company, his name is Donald Malarkey.”

“Donald?”

“Yes, but everyone calls him Don. Oh, he’s wonderful Lois. You will have to meet him,” Kate continued to sing Malarkey’s praises and Lois laughed.

“Well, I’m pleased for you and I would definitely love to meet him, but first can we get through this staff meeting.”

Kate nodded enthusiastically, “I’m meeting him again tonight, you should come along. Bring Dick with you.”

Lois laughed, nodding in agreement, “I’ll see what I can do.”

Tags: @malarkgirlypop @georgieluz @iceman-kazansky @yeahcurrahhe-e @lieutenant-speirs @sharpshootershifty @liberteuniteegalite @msmercury84 @mayhem24-7forever @blvestxr @dustyjumpwjngs @theflyingfin @jump-wings @kafka-ohdear @kmc1989 @mads-weasley @docroesmorphine @liptonsbabe @lena-basilone @sweetxvanixlla @hesbuckcompton-baby @ronsparky @allthingsimagines @whollyjoly @bucky32557038ww2 @panzershrike-pretz @xxluckystrike @hanniewinnix

[writebackatya]

Confessions

Rant about anything

Confession: I don't think Villain Louie would be the powerful mastermind that so many in the fandom would paint him. To me, Villain Louie would a mixture of Mark Beaks and Doofus Drake since he would no longer have his family to guide him

Rant: Okay, let me rant about the most confusing crossover/cameo in the history of fictional crossovers and cameos. The time when Colonel Klink from Hogan's Heroes appeared on Batman

I'm sure an explanation is needed before I get into the rant so here it goes:

Batman is a DC superhero that is alter ego of billionaire Bruce Wayne who witnessed his parents die in front of him at a young age thus beginning a his path to use what he has to make sure no one went through the tragedy that he witnessed. He had an intentionally campy tv show in the 60s where he and his trusty ward Dick Grayson protect Gotham City as the Dynamic Duo, Batman & Robin, from the villain of the week. The show was known for having cameos by various celebrities as well as characters from other tv shows

Hogan's Heroes was a sitcom from the same era of television about a group of POW Allies that are held prisoner at Stalag 13, a POW camp in Nazi Germany that holds the record of never having a successful escape despite being run by the incompetent Colonel Klink with his first officer, the cowardly "sees nothing" (and honestly is more of a neutral than a Nazi) Sergeant Shultz. The reason why there is no escape because the prisoners, lead by the charming wise-ass American Colonel Hogan, have their own underground base underneath the POW camp where they have contact with other Allies in London, around Germany, etc. and often work with other Allies to get people out of Germany, blow up bridges, spy on the nazis, etc. Hogan and his men have accomplished many things such as hiding and restoring an Ally Officer's plane from within the camp, convinced a bunch a Nazi officers (including a member of the Gestapo) into thinking the war was over, gone to France so many goddamn times, started an avalanche while chained up in an inn, hid an entire tank in one of the barracks, had a very small role info about the Manhattan Project away from the Nazis, made a pizza to convince an Italian officer to join the Allies (that same officer returns in a later episode and is played by a different actor btw), and invented the gonculator. OH and did I mention that this WWII show had a laughtrack? Because it did because it's a sitcom

So I ask you dear reader. HOW THE HELL DOES COLONEL KLINK, A NAZI OFFICER FROM WWII KNOW BATMAN, A HERO WHOSE SHOW TAKES PLACE IN THE 60S!!!??

There are so many questions here. How did these two meet? Colonel Klink pretty much spent his life in Germany. He has avoided combat. If it's the 60s, why Colonel Klink still in the Nazi party. The dude would surrender to the Allies with his hands up and be like "Colonel Hogan is my best friend and I'm on your side!" the second WWII ended. Batman and Robin also clearly know Colonel Hogan, so they must know about their operation right? I mean how could they not? Both Americans, both I HOPE are against the ideals of the Nazis, yet they are concerned about Klink's safety. Why doesn't Batman do more to help out the allies of WWII? Do Hogan and his men know Batman's true identity? Probably not. Strangely enough I can Kinch from Hogan's Heroes communicating with Batman via and that's how Hogan and his men communicate with Gotham's protector, but also Colonel Klink does too? Do they talk on the phone? Does Batman also have a similar relationship with Klink like Hogan does where like they're sorta friends but using Klink's incompetence/status/connections to help benefit the Allies? Has Batman ever been to Stalag 13? Like in his costume and all? There are just so many questions I have from this less than minute of television history.

[deadgirlrolling]

Playstation all stars battle royale incorrect quotes pt.2

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

Sly Cooper : Have you heard of Murphy’s law? The one where if something can go wrong, it will go wrong?

Nathan drake : Yeah, I have.

Sly Cooper : Have you heard of Cole’s law?

Nathan drake : Is this a joke about coleslaw?

Sly Cooper : …maybe

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

Fat princess : Can I go to the pool?

Evil coal : Sure, we’ll go as soon as I’m free.

Fat princess : No, can I go by myself?

Evil coal : You don’t want to go with me?

Fat princess : You just go around challenging random people to cannonball contests.

Evil coal : It’s the only way to establish dominance.

_______________________________________

Sweettooth : Kratos , you're my best friend.

Kratos : Best friend? BEST friend?! Bitch, I'm your only friend.

Kratos : I'M THE ONLY ONE CAPABLE OF TOLERATING YOUR DUMB ASS!

_______________________________________

Sir Daniel : Guys, there’s a monster under my bed and it’s really ugly.

Colonel radec , on the bottom bunk: Honestly, fuck you.

_______________________________________

Parappa , entering the room: *Sees Spike and leaves*

Spike , watching Parappa leave: There’s my monthly dose of Parappa …

_______________________________________

Big daddy : Sackboy, what are you doing?

Sackboy: *shaking a cat shaped piggy bank* I’m just trying to figure out how much change I have inside.

Big daddy : You could always take it out and count it.

Sackboy: Where’s the fun in that?

_______________________________________

This is just the Shenanigans I think they would get into if they were stuck in the crystal dimensions but they already defeated Polygon Man they're just stuck their lol

[paladin-of-nerd-fandom65]

Batfamily AU: Second World War

For any curious fanfic writers either on here for AO3, I present to you this prompt and the following scenarios to inspire some ideas. Ages of the characters involved will be played around with for the purposes of the prompt. So without further ado;

Bruce Wayne is a decorated Colonel within the US Marine Corps, haunted still by his experiences as an expeditionary force Medic during both the First World War and the Russian Civil War. He knows firsthand the damage and carnage that lies in the battlefields and it does upon the men who fight in them. As such, he drills and trains his troops with precision and bluntness out of a deep desire to ensure their security and survival as he’ll be leading them into combat. Among his ranks though would be one particular recruit who lied about his age, being actually a mere 15 years old, who goes by the name of Jason Peter Todd .

With Jason by his side, Bruce and his platoon would be deployed to the Pacific Islands as part of the US’ island hopping campaign against the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy. He will fight tooth and nail to protect his men and Jason especially and nothing would stop him from any means necessary to do so, maybe even disobeying orders from his superiors and attacking the enemy garrison at nighttime with a certain black and grey cowl, cape and mask. A living shadow that sows terror and fear in the Hearst of even the strongest men.

Then, there’s Dick Grayson, or at least that’s what how he’ll be called had he lived in the US. In this AU, the 10 1/2 year old acrobat lives with his parents within their traveling circus, having performances across what are to day the modern day boundaries of Ukraine. Unfortunately though, during a long string performances at the city of Kyiv, Operation Barbarossa had begun. The German Wermacht quickly made their way to occupy the city and in the chaos of the takeover, Dick’s parents were captured, taken away no doubt to labor camps. After making a run for his own safety on his Mother’s order and reaching the outskirts of the city, Dick was shortly picked up by a small detachment of the Soviet Red Army.

During the first few weeks of fending off the German advance into their lands, Dick’s platoon would stumble across one of the many other cities decimated by their Axis foes, reduced to a smoldering rubble with any to all citizens who resisted or caught in the crossfire summarily executed. Within the ruins was one particular small 6 year old child whom was actually among those who watched Dick’s family perform once prior to the invasion. Had he been raised in America, he would be named Timothy Drake. As of the time Dick finds him, Tim has only a mother left as his father was among those executed by the Germans and his Mother was also captured as a war prize. With Tim by his side, his acrobatics, his desire for justice and hoping to find their mothers by the time this war finally ends, Dick begins his long, strange and painful journey with one single mission in his mind, the common mission for all who resist these invaders to their Motherland: Not One Step Backwards.

Now then Fanfic Writers, This prompt is yours. The ball is in your court

[angelasscribbles]

Royal Retribution Chapter 8: Subversion

Series: Royal Retribution

Fandom: The Royal Romance

Pairings: Liam x Riley x Drake

Rating: MA

Warnings: mature themes, language

Word Count: 1,654

A/N: I've been trying to catch up on some of the series that have been left hanging. My only series written in first person from Liam's POV.

My other stuff: Master List.

“If you’re going to fire me, boy, go ahead and do it!”

“Oh, I’m not firing you, Bas.”

If I fired him, I couldn’t court-martial him.

“That’s what I thought.” He smirked as he turned to go.

Drake moved to block his exit.

“What the hell, Drake? Move!”

“I don’t think so.” Drake’s voice betrayed no emotion as he stood between his former mentor and the door.

Oh, this part was going to be fun.

“I didn’t say you were free to go.” I leaned back in my chair and watched with satisfaction as he turned back toward me in confusion.

“I don’t understand….if I’m not fired, then why can’t I leave?”

I paused for a few seconds to give my next words plenty of weight, “You’re not being fired, Bas, you’re being detained.”

“Detained?” He spluttered, “For what?”

“Disobeying a direct order of the crown for starters,” I told him, “I believe I gave you a direct order not to alert my father to the fact that Riley wasn’t on that plane.”

Bastien shook his head, “You have no proof that I did! Any of the other guards could have told him!”

“So you admit you’ve lost control of your command?”

“What? No!”

“You just confessed that any of your men could have been responsible for an egregious security leak.”

“No, that’s not what I meant! You’re twisting my words!”

“At the very least, it’s gross incompetence. I trusted you to vet your men better than that. In light of your admission, I have no choice but to put every man under your command on suspension pending a formal review.”

“That’s ludicrous! You can’t just suspend the entire King’s Guard! Who will guard you?”

“The same men that have been guarding me! Effective immediately Alexandros Eliades is promoted to head of the King’s Guard and Drake Walker is promoted to head of the Royal Guard. You are relieved of your command pending a court martial. Drake will escort you to a cell.”

Drake grabbed the older man by his arm and pulled him toward the door.

On the way out he managed to slam Bas’s head into the doorframe.

“Ow! Fuck! What the hell was that for?” Bastien grimaced as he rubbed his forehead.

Drake leaned in toward him with a smirk as he said, “For calling your king boy. Now let’s go!”

While Drake was gone, I called the men I trusted implicitly to my office.

By the time he returned I had Alexandros aka Alec, Jason Toussaint, Lorenzo Romano, Damon Christopoulos, and Luke Zika in my office.

“Now that Captain Walker is back, I can tell you why I’ve called you all here today,” I said, “I’ll get right to the point. You’re in this room because I trust you, and I need men I can trust right now.”

I paused as I looked at each face to gauge their reactions. It was crucial that they understood what was at stake.

I continued, “As you know, I was crowned king last night. That means that the chain of command ends with me now. My father no longer holds a position of authority in Cordonia. It is imperative that his network be dismantled and replaced with one I can trust.”

“Sir,” Alec looked more serious than I had ever seen him, “Are you saying that there are members of the guard we can’t trust?”

“Unfortunately, that may be the case.” I replied, “Colonel Bastien Lykel has been suspended from duty and detained in the cells.”

I waited a moment for everyone to absorb that.

Alec asked the question, “But then who-“

“You.” I interrupted him, “As of this moment you’re the head of the new King’s Guard, which you will have to assemble. Captain Walker is the new head of the Royal Guard, it’s time for Captain Blake to retire anyway. Damon, you’ll head up the new Queen’s Guard, which you will also have to assemble.”

“What about the current members of the King’s and Queen’s guard?” Damon asked.

“They can all reapply. They will need to be thoroughly vetted. We can’t be sure it was done correctly the first time. Lie detector tests, background checks, that’s where you come in Jason, do deep dives on all of them. Financials too, I want to know if anyone is on the take.”

“Yes, sir,” Jason responded.

“Lorenzo, you’ll be heading up the special task force to investigate allegations that there are members of the guard leaking classified information and actively subverting the crown.”

“Those are very serious allegations,” Lorenzo said, “That’s treason. May I ask who made those allegations?”

Ah, yes, the coup de grace to root out any men harboring notions of loyalty to Bastien, “Bastien Lykel has made the allegations in his confession to try and save himself. Schedule interviews with every man and woman that was under his command immediately and make sure they know where the allegations came from.”

“Yes, sir,” he replied, “That’s brilliant, sir.”

“I know.” My plan was to let them think their commander threw them under the bus and watch how quickly they turned on each other, “You’re the new head of the CID.”

The CID, or criminal investigation department was basically internal affairs for the guard.

“Luke, you’re promoted to head of covert security.”

“Sir?” He looked startled, “We don’t have a covert security division.”

“We do now, and you’re the head of it.” I said, “I want an intelligence network to rival the CIA and Mossad. I need to infiltrate and dismantle my father’s network. Get on it. You have a blank check!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

“Jason, you’ve been exemplary in your position as head of cyber security, now I want you to take over as head of the entire cyber division. In addition to the defensive nature of cyber security, I want you to work hand in hand with Luke on the cyber portion of the new spy network.”

Jason inclined his head in agreement.

I drew in a deep breath then addressed the group as a whole, “I know it’s asking a lot, rebuilding from the ground up and with no notice, but I think you’re all up to the task. If I didn’t, you wouldn’t be here. The six of you are now my chiefs of defense. That will come with promotions in rank, higher security clearances, and increased salaries. It will also come with increased responsibilities, more stress, and longer hours. If any of you can’t handle that or don’t want to, tell me now.”

Everyone agreed they were up for the task, as I had known they would.

I had been paying attention for years, and I’d had Drake’s insider insights about the culture and structure of the Cordonian Guard.

“Drake, Alec, Damon, you’ll be restructuring all three divisions of the Cordonian Guard, King’s Guard, Queen’s Guard, and Royal Guard. Start with the men you already know and trust. I trust your judgment, but we have to verify. So get me a shortlist by the end of today of men you want in key positions in your command, and we’ll start with them. Extensive background checks, including financials, lie detectors, interviews, references, the whole nine yards.”

We needed to hit the ground running.

“You too, Luke, I’ll need a short list from you of enlisted men with qualifications and dispositions that make them likely candidates to work undercover. Start recruiting maids, butlers, drivers, etc. as confidential informants.”

“The four of you will coordinate with Jason and Lorenzo to get the interviews scheduled and background checks done.”

The new structure would have Drake as head of the Royal Guard, Alec as head of the King’s Guard, Damon as head of the Queen’s Guard, Jason as head of the Cyber Ops, Luke as head of the Covert Forces and Lorenzo as head of the Criminal Investigation Department.

Marco and Bruno would stay with Riley on an off-the-books, undisclosed special assignment.

“I need at least a skeleton crew of trusted people in new positions by the end of the week before we announce the changes.”

I wanted the element of surprise.

I wanted my enemies scattered, confused, and taken unaware.

But first I needed to know who they were.

After the rest of the men had left I put in a call to Rashad, secure in the knowledge Drake had swept the room for bugs prior to questioning Bastien.

“I moved some things around early this morning,” he told me, “You said discretion was of utmost importance, so instead of taking out large sums of money from your accounts, I took it out of several of mine and will replace it from yours slowly over the course of several weeks.”

“Oh, wow, that’s brilliant!”

“I know. It’s why you pay me the big bucks.” He chuckled.

My next call was to Leo.

“Yes, it’s done, all of it. I’ve hired the best P.I. I could find and I’ve got my plane ticket.”

“When does your flight leave?”

“In an hour, I’m at the airport now. I’ll be in Paris by morning, Rivala by lunch.”

I glanced up at Drake.

He nodded, “Tell him I’ll meet him at a place called The Clam and the Pearl. It’s a bar, not upscale enough for him to be recognized by his peers, not sketchy enough for him to be mugged for his Rolex.”

“You’ll take backup with you?” I asked nervously. I couldn’t risk anything happening to him and I couldn’t go with him for obvious reasons.

My father was on the warpath. I had to put in an appearance, and act like I had fallen into line. I needed to make sure Hana was okay, check in with Riley and Liv, and generally keep all the balls in the air until it was time to deploy the plans we had painstakingly spent the day making.

My father’s reign of terror was about to end. He was going to pay for everything.

[logi1974]

Südengland 2024 - Tag 25

Ladies and Gentlemen!

Für uns geht es heute nach Burley. Das Dorf ist von der offenen Heidelandschaft des New Forest umgeben, die einen Komplex aus Wald-, Heide- und saurem Grasland, Sträuchern und Talmooren enthält, die eine reiche und vielfältige Tierwelt beherbergen.

Der Ort praktiziert noch immer die alte Tradition des Commoning , bei der Tiere im offenen Wald grasen dürfen.

Ein Dorf, in dem Wildpferde und Wildesel den Verkehr manchmal zum Erliegen bringen, weil sie einfach mitten auf der Straße stehenbleiben und nur widerwillig den Weg frei machen.

Ständig wurden wir auf Schildern davor gewarnt, dass die Unfallgefahr auf diesen Straßen besonders hoch ist, da Tag und Nacht Tiere die Fahrbahn kreuzen.

Auf den Straßen sind überall Geschwindigkeitsbegrenzungen von 40 Meilen pro Stunde (ca. 65 km/h) vorgeschrieben und die sind auch sinnvoll, denn die Tiere bewegen sich oft in Fahrbahnnähe und wenn dann auch noch Jungtiere unterwegs sind, ist die Kollisionsgefahr noch größer.

Im New Forest begegnen dem Autofahrer aber nicht nur Wildpferde, auch Rotwild, Esel, Schweine und Schafe laufen hier frei durchs Gelände.

Besonders nachts ist die Gefahr groß, mit einem der Tiere zu kollidieren, da sind selbst 40 mph noch zu schnell. Deshalb heißt hier der Slogan: "Twenty is plenty!"

Einige Ponies wurden mit einem reflektierenden Halsband versehen, wodurch sie im Dunkeln besser zu erkennen sind, aber den Großteil der Wildtiere bemerkt man nachts erst im letzten Augenblick.

Burley strahlt den Charme der alten Zeit aus, mit Ponys und Rindern, die durch das Dorf streunen, und hübschen strohgedeckten Cottages. In Burley ist die Zeit stehen geblieben. 

Wenn man durch die wenigen Straßen des Dorfes geht oder fährt, fallen einem sofort die Läden auf, die mit ungewöhnlichen Gegenständen handeln, die alle mit Hexerei im weitesten Sinne des Worte zu tun haben. Über dem ganzen Dorf hängt irgendwie ein Hauch des Mystischen.

Eine weiße Hexe namens Sybil Leek lebte in den 1950er Jahren in Burley und konnte oft im Dorf gesehen werden, gekleidet in einen langen schwarzen Umhang, mit einer Dohle als Haustier auf ihrer Schulter. Die Einheimischen reagierten nicht gerade positiv auf ihre Anwesenheit und sie zog schließlich in die USA, wo sie mehr als 60 Bücher über Okkultismus und Hexerei veröffentlichte.

Sie war offenbar eine ziemliche Berühmtheit und war Gastgeberin einer Reihe bemerkenswerter Persönlichkeiten der damaligen Zeit, darunter der Autor HG Wells und angeblich Aleister Crowley.

In Burley Village gibt es mehrere Souvenirläden, die sich mit dem Thema Hexerei befassen, und einer davon ist ihr gewidmet und auch nach ihr benannt.

Überall hat sich diesbezüglich eine illustre Schar an mehr oder minder mystischen Profiteuren niedergelassen und verkauft Amulette, Getränke und „täglichen Bedarf“ an Hexenartikeln von Kesseln bis zu Besenstielen! 

Zeit für eine magische Stärkung! Und so wollten wir uns im altehrwürdigen Burley Manor einen magischen Afternoon Tea auf den Tisch zaubern lassen.

Der erste urkundlich erwähnte Besitzer von Burley Manor war, bereits im Jahr 1212 ,der Förster Roger de Burley, bevor die Ländereien an die Krone fielen.

Das beeindruckende Herrenhaus im Baronialstil wurde 1852 von Colonel William Clement Drake Esdaile einem Verderer – einem Verwalter des New Forest – erbaut und versprüht einfach durch und durch alten Charme.

Anschließend durchlief das Herrenhaus viele Besitzer, bevor das nächste Kapitel seiner Geschichte begann und diese historische Schönheit wieder in neuem Glanz erstrahlte.

Im Jahr 1935 wurde das Herrenhaus in ein Hotel umgewandelt und beherbergt seitdem Gäste, abgesehen von einer kurzen Zeit als Militärhauptquartier, als es während des Zweiten Weltkrieges von Lord Montgomery beschlagnahmt wurde.

Im Dezember 2015 wurde eine 1,8 Millionen Pfund teure Renovierung abgeschlossen und Burley Manor neu als "adults only" eröffnet.

Das Burley Manor Hotel bezeichnet sich selbst als „Restaurant mit Zimmern“, ein Konzept, das offenbar mehr und mehr von vielen britischen Landhotels übernommen wird. 

Das Hotel liegt zwar nur auf acht Hektar Land, sieht aber nach viel mehr aus, denn direkt davor liegt die grüne Fläche des Burley Park, einem Schutzgebiet für Rothirsche.

Das dunkle, klassische Farbschema trägt dazu bei, ein luxuriöses Gefühl zu schaffen, während Stühle, die mit Wildtiermotiven bedruckt sind, dem Dekor einen Hauch von Jagdhütten-Chic verleihen.

Schön, dass das Hotel trotzdem viele seiner traditionellen Merkmale beibehalten hat und nicht nur die denkmalgeschützte Außenfassade.

Zum Beispiel das offene Feuer in der Eingangshalle, die 164 Jahre alte geschnitzte Holztreppe und den kunstvollen Schriftzug an der Vorderseite des Backsteingebäudes.

​Der Afternoon Tea wird im viktorianischen Wintergarten serviert. Sehr befremdlich fanden wir schon die online Reservierung, bei der vorab eine vollständige Bezahlung eingefordert wurde.

Das schlechte Gefühl setzte sich weiter fort, als wir zu unserem Tisch geführt wurden. Die Bestuhlung hatte wahrlich schon bessere Tage gesehen. Aufgeplatzte Nähte, abgewetzte und fleckige Sitzflächen.

Leider gab es hier wieder einmal überhaupt keine Teekarte und die Bedienung fragte lediglich: Coffee or Tea? Trabte ab und kam tatsächlich mit einer Kanne Tee, in der 2 Teebeutel der Sorte Breakfast Tee herum schwammen, wieder.

Die anschließend servierte Etagere sah nur optisch gut aus. Tatsächlich war das Gebote ein absolutes Desaster. Nichts davon war frisch, alles nur billigste und übelste Ware aus dem Supermarkt um die Ecke.

Grauenhaft und ungenießbar. Was für eine Unverschämtheit! Dafür gibt es von und die schöne Note 6 plus. Das "Plus" gibt es für die Stoffservietten. Hier werden wir nie wieder einkehren.

Für uns geht es zurück in unsere fabelhafte Unterkunft.

Good Night!

Angie, Micha und Mister Bunnybear (Hasenbär)