#phillip isn't angry

[semperamans]

Ooh kinda angsty thought! No cause benny would kill for you... Literally

The first time he meets your folks your dad asks him what he would do if someone hurt you (like your protective!benny blurb!) and benny answers honestly, he'd kill them and your mum laughs awkwardly but benny gives your dad a look that confirms the worst, benny is trouble no matter how much he loves you! - ✨

for all of my “but daddy i love him” taylor swift girlies, this one is for you <3

your father's cool facade begins to crumble when he processes the name formed on your lips. he lowers the newspaper from his face, pushes his glasses back against the bridge of his nose. "you're asking if your momma and i will host benjamin cross for dinner?" "yes sir." and your father knew one day this would happen - well, not this necessarily; he knew you'd find a sweetheart and have aspirations of folding him into the family, but benjamin cross? he silently asks god what he did to deserve such punishment. the boy's reputation precedes him. 'course, everyone 'round town calls him benny and you call him benny and your father thinks that is better suited. benny sounds childish, less serious, and let's face it, the boy has nothing going for him. i mean, it was just weeks ago that your father and momma sat near the radio, heads bowed as they listened to news anchor john phillips recount benny's wild ride through town. seven traffic lights, he ran! the boy is a menace so no, your father doesn't want him in his house let alone his table and he has no on the tip of his tongue, but then he stops, looks at your face and where did your pigtails and missing front teeth go? the woman who stands before him is grown, not his little girl, and you've got this look on your face he's seen before but can't place. he's quiet. studying. where has he seen that look? then it hits him like a train because your momma used to look at him with the same bewitched twinkle you have in your eyes. dinner will be fine, he tells you. sunday at 3.

the boy isn't wearing that dreaded denim jacket and for a moment your father allows himself to think of benny as just a boy you met at school studying some highly regarded subject, a future career practically locked upon graduation. but no, the sleeve of his too-small dress shirt jumps upward as he reaches for the salt and your father sees the tattoos and the burns and the scars and your future laid bare before him. he has to stop eating, press his napkin to his mouth and he's thankful your momma. she is better at this. she actually talks to the two of you, asking benny questions, and he's quiet, but respectful. your father hadn't anticipated him to be so quiet and its deafening when your momma steps away to grab dessert. your father figures it's time to say something to the boy. anything. he tries to remember what it was like when he sat down at your momma's table for the first time, how her father had grilled him, made him sweat, and benny looks so cool it grates on his nerves. is this unimportant to him? how many girls has he sat beside, promising daddies that he'll take care of their little girls only to leave them heartbroken?

the answer is none. you're it for benny and that's why he's so anxious. his hands are trembling, fingers shuddering as he reaches out, grabs the glass of tea and takes a swig as your father begins to speak. "tell me, benny," and you know trouble is comin'. "you gotta job?" "i, uh, yeah. doug's garage on 43rd. work on bikes, cars, things like that." "grease monkey," your father folds his hands together, clearly unimpressed. "you plannin' on doing that long term?" "well yes sir. m'good at it." "and you think that's sustainable? gonna be able to take care of my daughter slingin' wrenches around?" it's a loaded question filled with contempt. "daddy," you warn, but your father plows forward. "you see, benny, she's my main concern." your father is pointing at you, elbows on the table. he's getting angry, face turning red, mouth open to continue, but benny cuts him off. "with all due respect, sir, she's mine too." and then nobody moves for what feels like a lifetime. you're sure time has stopped, your momma is likely stood frozen with an icing bag growing limp in her hands. it's the strangled huff from your father that sets the earth turning again. "s'that so?" he drops his hands, smiles, even. "s'that why you take her to that cesspool you call a clubhouse? throw her on the back of that piece of shit you park down the street?" your mother practically squawks when she reenters the room, quickly putting the cake dish down and hissing your fathers name, but he can't be stopped. "see my problem, benny, is that don't want my little girl anywhere around people like you, people who'll hurt her." "i'd never." benny's fists are tightening on his lap. his eyes locked on your father's face. "let’s say that i believe you, which i don’t, then what about one of your little buddies, eh? or their friends? what are they gonna do when you bring a pretty little thing like her around, huh?" "i'd kill anyone who hurts her." and it comes out so stone-cold matter-of-fact that a chill runs down your father's spine because there is no faking the conviction etched into benny's features or coating his words. “doesn't matter who. doesn't matter what happens to me. no one is messin' with her." benny hesistates for a moment, eyes dancing back and forth, gauging your father’s reaction. when he says nothing benny rises from the table. your father has no words, his bravado flying out the open window as he watches benny take your mother's hand in both of his, look her in the eyes and thank her earnestly for everything and she just nods, almost numb as you join his side. "where do you think you're going?" your father rasps. his voice is growing hoarse, nerves pinching his vocal cords just so. "with benny." your face is drawn, eyebrows pulled together. "i love him, daddy. whether you approve or not. i love benny. n'that's not gonna change."

and as your father stares down at his picked-over plate, the distant rumble of benny's bike rattles the china in the curio cabinet signifying your departure and tears well in his eyes. there is nothing he will ever be able to say or do to deter you from benny. he just hopes the boy keeps true to his word.

[luna-rainbow]

I do think about this whole sequence more frequently than what's good for me.

After the adrenaline has faded from trying to run from a burning factory, inevitably Bucky would learn of three facts:

Steve is the entirety of the rescue party

Steve disobeyed orders to rescue them

Steve isn't ready to leave the war

If Bucky (and the Howlies) weren't yet burned out by the war, I wonder if that was the moment Bucky became completely disillusioned and also deeply conflicted. In the bowels of the Hydra facility, no doubt one of the things that's kept prisoners going was the hope that their allies would come rescue them. That's part of the reason why Bucky was still doggedly repeating his number after days of torture.

But their allies had no plans to rescue them. They were meaningless numbers lost in the service of their country. The one person who did come was the person Bucky never wanted to see in the midst of war, and - while he wasn't surprised Steve chose to come - they had refused to give Steve any help for the mission. There were many ways Steve could have died on the way to Bucky's cell. There were many ways Steve could have had a fate worse than death, and Bucky already knows of fates worse than death.

Was Bucky angry or indignant? You can see the way he's tensing as Steve gets ready to face Phillips, and the steadying pat Steve has to give Bucky.

In that context, Bucky's shout isn't just a spur of the moment cheer. It legitimises Steve and his role as Captain America in a single moment. Steve, who the soldiers had mocked and Phillips had dismissed, had proven his worth with the prisoners he led back, and Bucky uses that moment to cement that change in opinion.

Steve is big and tough now, and his fights are bigger and tougher, and Bucky can no longer win Steve's battles for him. All Bucky can do is to ensure that Steve's words won't be ignored again by the likes of Phillips by making all the soldiers acknowledge him, that Steve would always have a trustworthy team behind him for his next mission by helping to recruit the Howlies, and that...as much as he tired of the war, he would be there for Steve. He'd lead the cheer for Captain America, but the one he's following is always Steve.

[freestyle-crocodile-trashpile]

A fate worse than death

Summary:Finding out why your call Death isn't as fun as hearing about it

Type:Scenario: 141 + Los Vaqueros X M!Reader

Version:Mw2

~

They were told that you could get your hands dirty. There's been jokes, about how to never mess with you. The people that knew you well watched their tongue and was extra careful around you then anyone else. The people that knew you well weren't scared of Ghost. Price was worried the first time you met Ghost. No one that knew how you fought would spar against you. They should have token the warning. The shadow company knew you, Shepherd knew you, Price, Graves, Alejandro, Laswell, All the leaders you've met. They knew you. Yet, with all that knowledge, knowing why you were called death they still fucked around and found out. Not Price or Alejandro or Laswell. But Graves. You were called Death, and when you hunted someone down people would tell them "A fate worse than death, is heading your way". You were labed as death and it'd be unfortunate to find out way first hand, not just hearing about it, cause when you hear about it, it's not as scary. It'll give you an imagine or a slight unsettling feeling stuck in your stomach for quite some time. A day. A month. Possibly a few minutes, or hours. Or even just a few seconds. But it never stayed long enough to make you permanently scared of someone, or something. So when watching you stand there, still, quiet, angry. It makes you wonder, what are you about to do. When your as well known as you are why would you just stand there. Some people slowly backed away, like Price and Alejandro. Ghost, Gaz, and Soap watched from their sniper positions. Rudy followed Alejandro, staying close behind. Laswall was trying to get insight of what's happening from Price. Graves was no where to be seen. But infront of you was a shadow company, holding his gun to your head, pressing to your head actually. You could see his shaking hands and all he could see were two eyes, that would probably be glowing red if they could. Your eyes said everything for you. You weren't happy, especially with a gun to your head. The shadow knew that he had a chance to run, to be safe away from you. But he didn't take the chance. He left it for his teammates who were long killed, him having no knowledge of that of course. Ghost had his scope on the man's head ready to shoot if needed, Gaz was watching a little closer with his sniper rifle same with Soap. Price didn't know exactly what was about to happen but he knew it wasn't gonna be pretty.

"Shoot him soldier!"

The shadow company soldiers shoulder radio went off, it was commander Phillip Graves. Who currently was watching from another place. No where near where the soldier was.

"You have the shot, Take it!"

Graves yelled again that's when the shadow made a grave mistake(get it?) He let go of his gun with one of his hands to respond to his commander. You seen the flick of regret in his eyes as you grabbed his gun, that was now only held by his weaker hand, and yanked it away from him. Instead of shooting him, you smashed the gun as hard as possible in the cheek bone, completely shattering the said bone. He fell back abit grabbing his face, you took that opportunity to smash the gun down on the top of his head, causing the gun to slightly crash his skull, but not enough to damage him to bad. But you didn't stop there. If you did he could have recovered with minor injuries. But no. You continued to smash the gun against his head until he fell all the way to the ground. Now standing over him breathing heavily you gripped the gun and looked at his thigns. Most people would have just killed him, but you? Your like a sloth bear, you inflict the most damage possible instead of killing. You smirked devilishly before repeatedly bashing his thign bone in, his femur bone the most painful bone in your body to break, also one of the strongest. You beat his leg with the butt of his gun watching as it slowly tore itself apart, his bone breaking more and more with every hit, his blood hitting your clothes, skin, shoes, gun, everything. Price covered his mouth horrified at the sight of blood, even though he's been in the military since he was sixteen he's never seen something like this. Alejandro couldn't look away, he didn't want to but it was hard to look away, and Rudy he stood there, gun at his feet, wide eyed as he thought stared. The snipers on the other hand couldn't see what was happening very well. The shadows screams echoed every second across the trees and large rocks surrounding him. You sudden stopped beating one of his legs but kept the gun digged inside of the area where a bone use to be, you looked in the man's eyes and smiled before moving to the other leg. If he survived, he wouldn't live much longer. You repeated the same process to his other leg this time a bit slower, just so he could feel it more. The shadow could feel his bone caving in on the bottom of his thign, he couldn't feel his other leg but he could feel the cold air hitting the inside of both of his thigns. Feeling the butt of the gun repeatedly hit his thign felt way worse than he could even imagine, his leg was turning to mush as you beat it with the steel gun. If you looked at his thigns with any light you'd see the way his muscle, nerves, veins even have caved in, you could see the way his bone broke and shattered due to direct contact. His muscles just looked like raw, boneless, chicken. A slightly brighter pink, covered in dark red blood causing you to not be able to see the pink muscle. The nerves sticking to muscle and bone as it was beaten done and destroyed by you, his viens also latching on to muscle and bone, just thicker and more noticeable than the white thin nerves. You can't see how all the muscles connected due to it being red gooey muse now. The man was only alive due to the adrenaline and pain running through his body. You backed away a bit and dropped the gun, looking at your work you turned your head to look at the three behind you. Price was horrified, slightly shaking, his hand covered his month as a instant reaction. He was like a deer in headlights. Alejandro had to turn around and throw up a couple time due to the bloody sighting. So he was hunched around a pile of puke turning his best to not turn around or puke again. Rudy had snapped out of it due to Alejandro puking. He had to stay strong for Alejandro.

"P...Please"

You turned your head back to look at the man.

"P..please j...just let me-me go..."

You leaned down and grabbed his hair pulling him up to look at you. Tilting your head you looked the shadow dead in the eyes with a look that could scare the devil. And smirked

"And how would you do that? Mm?"

The man only whined in pain as you dropped him. Chuckling you pressed your foot to the shadows head.

"Aww it was fun, but now it's your turn to sleep tight"

You then lifted your foot, bringing it down at a fast paste, the man moved as fast as he could. Grabbing a throwing knife and jabbing it into the sole of your shoe and foot, you let out a scream and you slightly jumped away from the man, causing him to flip himself around and drag himself. Not caring that the grass, the dirt, and small insects along with bacteria was getting into his busted open thigns, getting on his bloodly, beaten muscles. He was basically rubbing the, still intact, muscles and fibers into the disgusting earth below him. Causing infections and sickness to weld up in his opened legs. He thought he was getting far with slowly dragging himself away, but he didn't know or see you yank the knife out of the bottom of your foot. Throwing the knife into the man's shoulder you grabbed the knife ripping it out causing him to stop and scream due go the sudden pain in his shoulder, head dropping into his arm he tried to contain himself, you had other plans. You dropped to your knees, having them planted on both sides of him. Digging the knife slowly into the top of his back, you slowly pulled the knife towards your pelvis. Cutting him open all the way down his back. Once his back was cut open you reached your hands into his and gripped his now open skin, the inside was still tight, feeling the organs pressed against your fingers and knuckles. As quickly and hard as you could you pulled your hands up ripping his skin away from the tightness it was in before. Dropping his heavy skin to the ground you reached both of your hands in and grabbed a rib, holding the base of the ribcage you started to break every. Single. One. Using his screams and crying out as motivation to keep going once you broke last rib you stood up and pulled his head up with your now bloody hand. Laughing hysterically at the pained look on his face as you could tell he was zoning in and out of reality. Dropping his dropped his head and picked your foot up and dropping it down, repeatedly. You crushed his head like a balloon, it popped and blood went everywhere, the surrounding around was covered in blood, in beaten organs, and hungry insects. When you finally stepped away from the body you limped over to the others not daring to look back at the mess you've made. As the bugs start to eat the man enjoying the fresh and large meal, the others couldn't look you in the eye.

"Shall we get going then?"

You asked with a slight smile as you patted Price's shoulder and Alejandro's back you continued on. You four met up with the snipers who were confused. They couldn't see what was happening since the trees and the other three were covering it, Ghost could kinda see what happened since he was higher up then the other two but still didn't really know. So seeing your cover head to toe in someone else blood, a shaky and wide eyed Price, Alejandro covered in his own puked and Rudy holding Alejandro up, being his own source of strength currently. They were confused, very confused.

"Oh my, what happened?!"

Gaz was very worried and alittle scared, hes never seen his Captain so scared before. Soap could only stare at the people who he thought could never be scared. And Ghost was quiet, he knew you did something, not necessarily to them but infront of them, he knew it was because of you.

"Don't worry about it, we all got a helicopter to catch don't we?"

You said with a slight laugh before limping past them to the helicopter lending zone. The snipers were left confused but either way everyone got to the helicopter on time and went back to the base. Meanwhile Graves was staring at a black screen stunned, quite, as white as a ghost. He couldn't believe what he just seen. No, he refused to believe what he seen. It was from that point on no one who was a witness to what you did could look at you without removing that day, you had scared the Captian shitless and was seen as, The fate worse than death.

~

[A/n:If I'm being honest it's not as gruesome as I wanted. I hoped you enjoyed]

[theghostofsoap]

No Force on this Earth (Could Keep Me From You)

Fandom: Call of Duty x Star Wars

Pairings: Simon "Ghost" Riley/John "Soap" MacTavish

Rating: Teen +

Tags: implied torture, force bonds, blood mention, angst, hurt/comfort

Notes: this fic was massively inspired by @felixeis003 and some lovely CoD x Star Wars art they did of Ghost and Soap <33 it truly got the hamster wheel in my mind going

(Check out the art here!!!)

Also now on Ao3!

Soap wasn't sure how long he'd been here. He and Gaz had been together on assignment to investigate a moon where a particularly strong force signature had pinged recently. There was suspicion that a Sith artifact was located there and they wanted to make sure it didn't fall into the wrong hands.

Unfortunately, the entire thing had been a trap. He was pretty sure Gaz had managed to make it out when he'd dove into a swarm of droids. The last thing he remembered was seeing the familiar face of Count Dooku before falling unconscious.

Ever since then, he'd been kept in a cell. A few times he'd been poked and prodded. He wasn't sure what they wanted with him, but the combination of minimal food and the Force suppression collar around his neck was making the time tick by like molasses. Most of the time he meditated while trying to overhear any speck of information that he could, which wasn't much.

The sheer emptiness of it all was almost worse. Maybe they were trying to drive him mad with silence and isolation.

He just had to hope that Gaz was coming back with a rescue party. He wasn't even 100% sure if he was still on the same moon. The only thing he could see from his confinement was the metal-lined hallway and the empty cells beside him.

During his fourth rest cycle, he heard footsteps down the hallway. He did his best to keep calm, taking in slow, steadying breaths. The person who came around the corner was a face he hadn't seen in a while.

The dark cloak swished out behind them as they came to a halt. The smirk on their face was the same one Soap remembered from the few times they were in lessons together.

"Well Phillip, you certainly weren't who I was expecting to see today." He drawled.

"After all these years and they couldn't quite beat the snark out of you could they? And that's Darth Gravis to you," Phillip replied.

Soap snorted. "Really? Darth Gravis? I'm sorry, but I'm nae gonna take you very seriously when I still remember you tripping into the fountain during our forms."

Phillip's eyebrow ticked, but otherwise he kept his face a mixture of arrogant and angry. "When I heard they'd gotten their hands on you, I told them isolation wasn't going to work. But I needed time to get here and I wanted to make sure I was the first one to get my hands on you John." He tilted his head and two droids opened up the cell. The smirk on his face grew as he took a step forward. Soap just stayed in his lotus position.

"By the time I'm done with you, we'll see how seriously you take me."

It had started simple, things Soap had expected. His ribs were bruised and each breath came out with a slight wheeze, but he could take it.

The harder part was the intrusions. Being cut off from the force while feeling someone else's slimy, icher of a presence oozing through his thoughts and tearing down his walls was agonizing. He held in his screams the best he could, making his tongue bleed in the process.

"All those feelings and you're still in the precious Order, huh? Do you think that big bastard actually cares for you that way?" Gravis drawled one time as Soap was hunched over on the floor, trying to catch his breath as blood trickled out of his nose. 

"I watched the footage, you know. We keep most footage of the 'important experiments.' It'd be almost admirable that he isn't dark if it weren't for the fact that he's just so weak. You should've seen him. Pathetic honestly the way he-"

Not many things had gotten to Soap, but with his shields already low and his emotions in fray, hearing him talk about him that way made Soap snap. He lunged forward, slamming himself into Gravis's legs. With his hands still bound behind him, there wasn't much he could do before the droids grabbed him and threw him back against the other wall.

Gravis laughed as he stood up and dusted himself off. "My my, got you riled up didn't I?" He spit to the side. "Let's see if you're just as pathetic as he is."

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

Ghost hadn't felt Soap in 5 days. While he didn't constantly check on their force bond, he didn't realize how much he felt it until it suddenly shut off.

He can remember the moment it happened with stark clarity. He'd been helping around at the town he was currently staying in, carrying some supplies to help rebuild a health center that had collapsed, when it was like everything went silent.

He froze mid step as he rapidly tried to figure out what on earth had just happened. He couldn't even pinpoint what was wrong or why everything felt slightly off until he assessed his bonds... and realized he couldn't feel Soap.

Ghost didn't have many force bonds still. The ones he had with his old master weren't the strongest and the ones that had been almost forced upon him during-

Well, he didn't have many force bonds anymore for a reason. Soap was about the only one, though Price had one too.

Ghost didn't know what to do. He'd immediately tried to reach out to Soap's comms to no success. The last thing they'd talked about was that he was going to be away on a mission with Garrick-

His comm rang. 

He answered without hesitation. Maybe it was Soap from a different-

"Soap's gone."

It was Garrick. Ghost clenched his comm unit as he stared at the holographic form of the other Jedi, who seemed just fine-

"Where."

"We were on a moon in the Pelgrin sector. It was a trap and he was taken." Garrick said, getting straight to the point.

Ghost immediately started walking back to where he was staying. He had a small ship. It would take him at least 3 days to make it that far. He was already plotting his course when he realized Garrick was still talking.

"-ooku but I don't know if he's still on that moon. Ghost. The Order is going to want to try and go after him too but they won't just storm in. I don't- You know why I'm calling you, right?" 

Ghost grunted. Of course he did. The Order wouldn't be as efficient as he could be, with their bureaucratic tape. There were very few things he missed about the Order, but the political ties that had developed over the recent decades wasn't one of them. 

"I'm on my way. If you get any updates, contact me." He said, disconnecting the call before Garrick could say anything else.

His ship already had rations on it, but he made sure to gather a few more as well as a few additional medical supplies before leaving, despite wanting to peel out as soon as possible. When he punched in the route, he cursed under his breath at the time. Every moment felt like one too many, and he couldn't even be certain that they'd still be there when he arrived.

But he'd have time to make some calls along the way, put some feelers out. He knew who he could trust with this information.

As it was nearing the last day of his trek, he'd gotten word back that Soap was likely not far from where he'd been taken. A ship had been spotted briefly in orbit tucked behind a nearby asteroid. One wouldn't easily spot it if they didn't know what they were looking for.

Ghost took in a deep breath as he started to make a plan. The main thing he had to do was get in, but once that happened-

Well, he wasn't worried too much about whatever might be between him and Soap. It wouldn't be there long.

-----------

They didn't move him afterwards. He was left lying in a cooling pile of his own blood. His forehead was up against the metal floor as he tried to take slow breaths despite his protesting lungs which were both sore and burning as he stretched the cauterized wounds across his chest.

"I'm one with the force and the force is with me." He whispered to himself softly. He took in a slow breath through his nose but it was interrupted by a cough he tried to suppress. He spit up some blood and groaned, trying to take better note of his body.

It felt like half of him was offline, a combination of numbness and tingling stretching across his system. He worked slowly, wiggling each individual finger before he finally felt like he might be able to lift himself up to a seated position.

That's when he heard the gunshots.

He froze, uncertain at first where they were coming from. That's when he realized they were deeper in the building.

... Was someone here for him finally?

He felt a stronger wave of renewed motivation flow through him as he managed to get back to a seated position with only minimal groans and winces of pain. 

"I'm one with the force and the force is with me." He said again, slightly firmer as he tried to calm the ringing in his ears so he could take better stock of where the fighting was happening.

It sounded like it was closer. Was it getting closer?

Suddenly the door down the hall opened, but the gunshots didn't get louder. Instead, he heard the familiar thrum of a lightsaber igniting.

"Well, well, what did I tell them? I knew he'd come for you." Gravis said as he stepped into the cell Soap was in. His red saber crackled angrily as he slowly lifted it, coming to a stop just under Soap's chin.

Soap took in a shaky breath as he looked up at Gravis, holding his chin as steady as he could.

"Sidious has been wanting him back, for another test run. He's certain he can break him this time." Gravis drawled. "I'm not sure why he wants that pathetic thing, but you were just bait." He smirked. "Don't worry, your usefulness hasn't run out yet. I think it'd be more impactful if you were around during the conditioning this time. Toy with his mind a bit. Or maybe we can make him kill you himself, hm? See if we can turn that rage the right direction-"

Another door opened and this time the gunshots were next to none. "Darth Gravis! The force user, he's-" a droid started to say when suddenly the sound of metal hitting the floor rang through the hall.

"My my, took you long enough to get here Simon," Gravis said, looking over but not moving his saber an inch. "Go on Johnny, say hello to him. It's only polite."

Ghost's eyes snapped over to where he was seated on the floor. Despite not being able to feel their force bond like he usually could, Soap could still catalog the emotions running across his face. Ghost's eyes went from him to the puddle of the blood on the floor and back up to the lightsaber at his throat.

Soap saw his hands tighten on the grip of his saber.

"You're just as feeble as I remember Gravis," Ghost rumbled, "Could never pick a fair fight because you knew you'd lose. Beating up on someone who's chained up and disconnected from the force? Does that make you feel stronger?"

Soap saw Gravis's expression flare with anger. The saber was immediately withdrawn and directed towards Ghost.

"You were all but scraped off the floor when you 'escaped.' You know he LET you go right? Someone as simple as you could never have made it out on your own." Gravis snarled. "I've seen the tapes. You're not even worth his time!"

Ghost slid into a fighting stance, not breaking eye contact with Gravis. "And yet he's taking his time trying to lure me back, when he's got a lap dog already drooling to do as he says. Do you feel replaceable yet mutt?"

Gravis snarled louder and immediately launched himself towards Ghost, who blocked him flawlessly. Where Gravis's attacks were fury and erratic, Ghost was as steady and smooth as ever. He looked like he was hardly breaking a sweat as Gravis danced around him.

"Face it Gravis, you were always meant to beg for scraps. If you were truly good enough you wouldn't be the one running errands to try to lure in another apprentice would you?"

This made Gravis lunge, but it was exactly what Ghost wanted to happen. He quickly grabbed Gravis by the shoulder, blocking his saber and throwing him to the floor. He stomped onto the hand that was holding his saber and Gravis shouted as he dropped it. 

Ghost stared down at him for a moment. 

Gravis glared, reaching up a hand, clearly about to use the force, when Ghost's expression finally broke. He curled his upper lip before gripping the air in front of him, easily lifting up Gravis from the floor before quickly slamming him back into it.

Ghost only looked at his limp form for a moment more before he immediately spun and sprinted over to Soap.

Soap looked up at him, cracking a small smile, though he was sure the blood covering his gums wasn't helping. "Hey Ghostie."

The brooding man dropped to his knees and quickly reached around Soap's neck. Soap felt the collar's latch release before he heard it, as the feeling of the Force flooded back into him. 

It was like taking a deep breath after being underwater for too long.

"Oh Force," he breathed.

Immediately the next thing he felt was the cacophony of emotions flooding off of Ghost. "Ghost, I-"

"Don't move Johnny," Ghost said, his tone gruffer than normal. Johnny held still as Ghost deftly cut through the cuffs keeping his hands behind his back. When his hands were free, he slowly moved them around to his front, rubbing his wrists gently. 

"Thank you," he said, realizing how fucked his voice sounded. He's sure it wasn't helping the growing concern Ghost was expressing.

"How broken are you?" Ghost asked.

"Ah, it looks worse than i' is," Soap said, but his point was a bit ruined when he had a coughing fit at the end that left him light headed.

Suddenly, the world around him shifted. He yelped and his position adjusted. Soap blinked and realized how close he was to Ghost's face now, the strong arms wrapped around him. 

Ghost didn't look down at him, taking long strides back through the facility, completely ignoring the graveyard of droids around him. "I have medical supplies on the ship. I'm going to put you there before I come back and... finish what needs to be done in here."

"Ah've seen my share of death before Ghost, you didn' have'ta shield me from that."

Ghost let out a slow breath but didn't reply. 

"Aye, you can' ignore me when I'm this close'ta your face," Soap said.

Finally he saw the hint of a smile under Ghost's usual face scarf. "Mm, I could try."

"Ah you could, but I don' think you traveled all the way here to save me because you don' like me."

Ghost glanced down at him, his brown eyes showing just as much as their force bond revealed. "... Johnny."

Johnny reached up a hand and cupped Ghost's face. "Thank you for comin' for me."

"My head's too quiet without you in it," he replied, pausing for a moment. "... I'll always come for ya Johnny."

There was a joke on the tip of his tongue, but his heart was too happy to make it at the moment. "I know you would Simon."

[icarustypicalfall]

Right now

drabble, describing cod men in one word.

warnings: fluff, slight angst, not fully proofread bcz m tired:(

note: tysm for all your sweet wishes, ilysm. this one for you. i know i wasn't here much. srry about that.

masterpost • ao3 •

<3

Simon Ghost Riley

tired.

he is tired. Ghost, a mere void, a lost soul trying to find it's purpose again. despite the flame and the determination, he still holds a deep gush from the past nothing can ease. Nonetheless, he doesn't let it affect him. Everyday, he shoves the thoughts to the back of his mind, deciding to rethink them all one day.

He thought that day won't come till he met you. It would take some time, the healing path is long. Might as well hold his hand tightly.

Gaz

underrated.

He is never enough. No matter how much he puts in the work, there is always a tid missing. It consumes his sanity and leaves him countless nights hopeless. The dark circles he earned are from late workout sessions, long training outside the field. He thought he'd end up being the best, he was left to nothing.

You picked him up, dusted off his clothes and shared with him a cup of tea. He didn't say much, though his silence was louder than any words. He was grateful.

John Price

old?

It didn't affect him much, people's words were nothing to him, yet he wished he met you when he was younger. He knows he isn't exactly old. But he isn't young neither.

This absurdity left him in a foolish state. Sometimes, he'd even push you away, before crawling again in your arms. Whispering apologies mixed with meloncholy. You hugged him tightly, promising to be there till the end.

Soap

Peaceful.

He might've be unserious sometimes, but at heart, he has a dream. He reminded himself of that purpose consistently, trying his best to fullfil his desire for peace. How funny, a soldier wishing for peace? He thought about it for years, slowly realizing it was impossible for him.

You proved to him peace isn't about your surroundings, but about your heart.

He never felt more seren than after he slid that ring in your finger, in front of all his friends and family.

Alejandro Vargas

Passionate.

He loves, and when he does, he commits; Holly, utterly, with his very being. But, it hurts when he puts his trust in the wrong person. He was hurt, bruised, betrayed countless times. The scars on his body and the wounds in his heart a proof to the pain he held all those years.

It was until he met you, he realized what love is. The colonel fell to his knees, shedding tears of unspoken woe he held. You were there to ease his pain.

Rudy Parra

Quiet.

He is silence, a peaceful madness, an angry ocean, a loud thunder striking. He never lets his anger blind him. He was silent, collected, counting every step he takes. Silence was sometimes too loud. Sometimes, he wished he could vanish, dissaper in a beat and never come back. When his time comes, he wishes to be buried in your smile, where he can find eternal peace.

Phillip Graves

Vulnerable.

He never knew how to be, he thought being a commander means he should be collected, stoic. He buried his feelings, fears and doubts inside. Letting them accumulate till it overflew, leaving him in disaster. He shattered after a failed mission. And, for the first time, he let you pick up the pieces, putting him together like a broken vase. You looked upon his baby blues, letting peace wash over him.

[alchemistc]

Thinking thoughts about the things season one Buck didn't think he was ready for in a relationship and now I'm giving myself some pain bc what if Tommy's trauma isn't helicopter crash. What if Tommy's dad is all alone in a hell of his own making and he gets diagnosed with something terminal and Tommy is the only one around to take care of him. What if Tommy hasn't talked to his dad in a decade but when he needs help there's just. No one else available. What if Tommy has to take on this burden that he doesn't want and his father hates it as much as he does but it's the only option for either of them.

And what if Buck is just there to support Tommy. What if he knows the burden, knows how much time it takes up, knows things will go awry. What if he understands that Tommy doesn't want to reconcile with the man but he's there for all the difficult moments where Tommy is so fucking angry and trying to reel it in.

What if Tommy's dad has a moment of clarity with Buck and it doesn't matter, it's too late, Tommy can't find it in him to forgive his dad. What if Buck gets that.

What if Tommy's dad passes without the closure you'd expect from 911 and that's just part of the story. It's part of Tommy's story, and Buck's now too, and all this talk of living dads and dead dads and bad examples of what it means to be a man and good examples of what it means to be a man are just there, and we have to deal with that.

What if Buck is sitting with Tommy in the aftermath, and Tommy is just so sorry Buck had to deal with all of his bullshit while he had so much of his own shit going on, and Buck is just like Hey, I'm not in this for pretty arm candy. This is a real thing, and real life throws you in the blender sometimes and shakes you out different.

And maybe resolution comes in the Gerrard arc somehow, or a Bobby arc, or a Phillip arc, or maybe it just doesn't come at all. Maybe life is just messy sometimes and we have to push our way through it.

[littlespoonevan]

what's the unpopular opinion about the diaz parents?

i'm putting this under a cut because i genuinely do not think anyone agrees with me like i have seen NO ONE share this opinion askdjfh

but basically

when i was watching the ep my main thought was 'wow this is pretty much the first time eddie's parents have been somewhat understanding and supportive' and then i came online and all i saw was 'eVIL HELENA LOOKED GLEEFUL TAKING CHRIS AWAY!!!11!!!1' and that was just.............not how i interpreted it At All?????

like okay. should there have been more of a discussion??? absolutely. should there have been a set time frame for chris' trip to texas instead of it being indefinite? 100%. (though i would honestly put that down to tim leaning into the drama as opposed to it being like, a character decision) do i think a part of helena still believe she knows better than eddie when it comes to chris? yes. i'm not disagreeing with any of those facts!!!

BUT. i do think this was the first time we didn't see helena belittling eddie or criticising his ability as a parent. when ramon repeats what chris told them she literally says 'which obviously isn't true' like she believes eddie!!!! and she only seems sympathetic when eddie shows her the picture of kim rather than angry. when i saw the stills before the ep i expected a huge blowout argument and what we got couldn't have been further from that.

i honestly think their role in this ep was supposed to show that they're trying with eddie. and that while things aren't perfect still, they are improving. it reminded me a lot of the buckleys' during the lightning strike where they were obviously trying to tell us their relationship had improved even if we didn't have much to support that.

but tbh this felt more believable to me just bc of what we've gotten between eddie and ramon since 5x17 and because i have always believed helena and ramon loved eddie beneath all their awfulness (they smothered and stifled him whereas margaret and phillip did the opposite by ignoring and dismissing buck)

overall i just really don't buy that this was some secret evil ploy to take back custody of chris or that they'll fight eddie when chris is ready to come home. i think it was tim minear asking 'what is the most dramatic way eddie could hit rock bottom?' and then taking the idea and running with it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[spaghettificationandpretzels]

Hello! Sorry I never did any requests before and not sure how to do it… If it's ok, can I request Smut #4 and Angst #2 together for Graves, please? I think it could be fun 😅 thank you🙏💖

When Things Go Wrong

Masterlist

Contains: Smut, Dom Phillip Graves, spanking, fingering, subdrop angst, fluff, aftercare.

971 words

Comment if you want to be tagged or follow #sp's 150 fanfic celebration for more fics.

Phillip has to leave for work at the worst time.

Phillip knew he shouldn't laugh, that would only encourage you but as you geared up to run away from him after flicking powdered sugar at the face, he couldn't help himself. You took off, and he followed hot on your heels, reaching his long arms out as you dodged away from him. "Come here now, you little brat."

You looked behind you and stuck out your tongue. "Nope."

You took off up the stairs, doing your best to evade him as he grew closer. He finally grabbed you just as you tried to enter the bedroom. He grinned and pressed his lips to your ear. "Be good for me and I won't spank you too hard, unless you want me to." You struggled, knowing you wouldn't be able to break free, and he walked you to the bed. "That is what you want, isn't it?"

You nipped his hand, not hard enough to hurt but hard enough to let him know the game was still on, and he chuckled as he threw you over his knee. "Alright then, you're asking for it."

The pause before he ripped your pants down let you know he was waiting for you to consent. "Yes, I am."

Your skin erupted in goosebumps as the cool air hit it, and his hand came down in a solid smack. "Like that, or softer or harder?"

He gave you another one at the same force, and you felt heat spread through your core. "Like that."

His hand came down twice again, once on each cheek, before his hand rubbed your skin soothingly. "Ok, Darlin', I hear you loud and clear.

The hits kept coming until you were limp and panting on his lap and his hand slid slowly from where it was calming the skin on your ass to your core. "Fucking shit you're wet." His fingers moved through the mess between your legs before his thumb found your clit as he pushed two of his thick fingers inside you.

Your brain was so fuzzy you could barely moan, and not even the sound of his phone ringing broke you from the haze as you started to climb the peak. The hand on your back left you while his fingers stayed between your legs. "What the fuck do you want? I'm very busy right now with something important."

The authority in his tone only served to make things worse, and he felt a huff when he felt you clench around his fingers. He wasn't giving the voice on the other end time to reply, and he was getting more and more angry as they spoke. "For fucks sake, I'll be there but whoever let this happen is in so much shit they're going to wish I shot them."

He hung up the phone, and his fingers slowed before he finally pulled his hand away and helped you sit up. His hand was on your cheek, stroking softly as he brought you back to earth, but you were already halfway there with the sudden change. You blinked and took in a shuddering breath. "Is everything alright?"

He ground his jaw and pressed his lips together to stop himself from swearing. "Shit's gone sideways at work and they need me there." He pressed his forehead to yours as you leaned your weight onto him. "I hate leaving you like this y/n but I gotta go. I'll be home as soon as I can."

You nodded. "It's ok, I understand. I'll be fine."

He smiled softly and gave you a gentle kiss. "Ok, I text you as much as I can."

You kissed him back and did your best to collect yourself. "Alrighty then. I'll be fine, don't worry. I love you."

He pecked you quickly as he moved away from you. "Love you too."

His hand lingered on your cheek as he got up and left, and with another breath, you went downstairs to clean the mess you had left in the kitchen.

As the afternoon went on, you only felt worse, a bone deep tiredness settling into your bones as your emotions grew more and more unpleasant. You did your best to fix it. You had something to eat and drink, went on a walk and took a nap, but nothing helped, and by the time Phillip had returned, you could feel a shake starting in your hands.

The dam finally broke when you laid eyes on him, and panic stole the breath from your chest as he rushed over. "Hey, hey, what's going on."

You tried to take a deep breath and gestured to your throat, and he placed both hands on your face as he looked into your eyes. "You're having a panic attack." His jaw clenched he took a deep breath to stop himself from losing his temper. "I'm not surprised with how I left you."

He took your hand and placed it on his chest, taking a deep breath before speaking. "Breathe with me Darlin, just try and match me." Your chest heaved, and he smiled softly. "Just like that, good girl."

It didn't take long for you to calm down and he took you into his arms as you started to cry. "I'm sorry, I'm being silly."

He stiffened, and his voice turned stern. "Hey, I never want to hear that again. This was my fault, and the last thing you're being is silly." You buried your head in his chest as he rubbed his hand up and down your back.

"Thank you." Aside from feeling like you could sleep for a year, you were starting to feel like yourself again.

He pressed a kiss to the top of your head and helped you stand up. "How about a nice hot bath?"

You nodded. "I'd like that."

He smiled and took your hand. "Great."

Fin

[aew-kun-age-regression]

GUESS WHO FINALLY WROTE THESE 💀 Sorry it took a hot minute to finish these- I got distracted, on another note there's gonna be some small Ghost Headcannons soon lmao. AAA it's nearly half 1 in the morning- I need to go to sleeppp

Regressor!Phillip Graves Headcannons

He's just small kiddo bless him, 0-4 age range.

He denies that he needs to regress/that he does. "I'm a man I don't need stupid stuff like that to cope." (Yes. Yes he does.)

So emotional. Anything and everything can and will set him off.

^ Gets so emotional when alone. He needs a Caregiver to help ground him because he's just too small, he needs cuddles and to be held and told that he isn't bad.

He's a biter. This goes for clothes, toys, and even people. Clothes and toys are normally just because of his young age however people tend to be when he's upset about everything. He doesn't want to hurt anyone or be bad he just gets overwhelmed quickly and if someone is there it normally make that worse, his default reaction is to do something that will get them to leave. (Chances are no he doesn't actually want them to leave, he just needs support.) It's made so much worse by Graves knowing that he shouldn't, it's instinct. He doesn't know why he bites the hand that feeds him. He is in constant need of reassurance that he shouldn't have done it but no one is angry at him for it, no one hates him for a reaction that he couldn't control at the moment. He can't tell the difference between the hand that wants to help him and the hand that wants to hurt him..

He has a duffle bag that he keeps his little gear in. He also stores an oversized hoodie, the hoodie is large and makes him feel small, it's plain black and very comfortable, therefore it's very discreet. It's only real purpose is to initially hide his regression gear if the bag is opened.

Graves is terrified that people won't want to be around him anymore. He gets these thoughts at random and it will completely consume his thoughts until he's reassured otherwise.

Punishments really just can't be done, it triggers him. He needs someone to talk through whatever he's 'in trouble' for and explain.

He cannot be put into timeout he will hyperventilate and has got to the point of passing out before.

On a bit of a happier note he is the utter cutest just curiously toddling around, taking in his surroundings like it's the first time he's ever seen it. (Even if he's seen it a million times before)

When he's deep in his headspace he finds himself scared of Ghost. (It's the mask.)

He had a freakout once and the others (Soap, Gaz and Ghost) were in the room. They were all regressed and no-one knew what to do without a Caregiver there to help out, helping Graves was always hard but Gaz wanted to try and do something. Gaz gets hit a few times in the process of getting close to him but he is eventually able to calm Graves down, running his hands in the younger boys hair.

When it comes to hanging out with other Regressors Gaz is definitely his favourite to be around, he just knows how to calm him down.

Colouring in >>>

If Price or Ghost cradle and/or rock him like a baby it's game over. He's asleep within 10 minutes. ❤️

[mackdizzy]

[my gift for @thecooleraveragejamm , for @mcyt-valentines !]

Okay, so!

My giftee was interested in c!Technoblade and a playlist, so I made a little song cycle! The cycle is in 8 parts (acts) with 7 songs each, and the whole thing will take just under 3 hours to listen to, with each individual act being 20-25 minutes. I'm posting the graphics, song lists, and spotify playlists (there are 8 separate playlists) in order, but if spotify isn't your jam, isn't accessible, or if you'd rather all in one go, at the end of this post (along with some more info about the cycle) is a youtube playlist that contains all 56 songs all at once!

Act 1: World Conqueror • I'm Born to Run (American Authors) • Taking Over the World (Coyote Theory) • Aulon Raid (The Mountain Goats) • Renegades (X Ambassadors) • Ends of the Earth (Lord Huron) • Everybody Wants to Rule the World (Lorde) • Immortals (Fall out Boy)

Act 2: (We Have) The Blade • The Horror and the Wild (The Amazing Devil) • Revolution (The Score) • Riot (Hollywood Undead) • Legend (The Score) • The Phoenix (Fall Out Boy) • Raging Fire (Phillip Phillips) • Unstoppable (The Score)

Act 3: Interlude; Peer Pressure • Borderline (Tame Impala) • Angry Too (Lola Blanc) • Victorious (Panic! at the Disco) • Blood (End Credits) (My Chemical Romance) • Bang! (AJR) • Sinners (Barns Courtney) • Never Going Back (The Score)

Act 4: Die Like One • Pale White Horse (The Oh Hellos) • Point of No Return (Starset) • Let's Kill Tonight (Panic! at the Disco) • Rebels (Call Me Karizma) • Enemies (The Score) • Born Ready (Zayde Wolf) • This is it (Oh The Larceny)

Act 5: Retirement or; • Thousand Eyes (Of Monsters and Men) • People I Don't Like (UPSAHL) • Whatever it Takes (Imagine Dragons) • Under the Pressure (The Score) • Another Way Out (Hollywood Undead) • Monster (Willyecho) • Ghost (Confetti)

Act 6: Welcome Home Theseus (Minor Acts of Terrorism) • Play Dirty (Kevin McAllister [SEBELL]) • Emperor's New Clothes (Panic! at the Disco) • Wrecking Ball (Mother Mother) • Glory and Gore (Lorde) • Bang Bang (Hippo Campus) • Allies or Enemies (The Crane Wives) • Novocaine (Fall Out Boy)

Act 7: It Ends Today (I'm a Person) • Roots (Imagine Dragons) • Wolves (Sam Tinnesz, Silverberg) • My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light 'Em Up) (Fall out Boy) • Fire (Barns Courtney) • Wine Red (The Hush Sound) • Take Me To War (The Crane Wives) • Ready Set Let's Go (Sam Tinnesz)

Act 8: Sic Semper Tyrannis • Bit by Bit (Mother Mother) • Up The Wolves (The Mountain Goats) • Creature (Half • Alive ) • Kings (Tribe Society) • Run Like A Rebel (The Score) • The Ballad of the Broken Bones (The Low Anthem) • Hieroglyphs (The Oh Hellos) ━━━ ➼ ━━━━

I tried to pick music that aesthetically, musically, and lyrically matched c!Techno's vibes--the playlist follows his story from pre-DSMP to post-Doomsday (so not the whole thing, but a nice, peaceful ending point). The intention is for you to follow c!Techno's journey as you listen, and I think this playlist has a rather nice message about finding yourself and finding peace through rather hostile circumstances and worldviews. It gave me a lot of peace and joy to make, and I hope you enjoy, giftee and anyone else, and have fun listening! Youtube Link

[thekatebridgerton]

So I love @sea-owl Philip and Penelope friendship aus and I just thought of a very funny scene for a modern take based on something that happened to me today lol

So this is a reverse stuck in the elevator trope but with a Philip and Penelope misunderstanding

Philip is in the elevator getting ready to go pick up his kids from a playdate at Daphne's penthouse, and Penelope runs in the elevator Absolutely in a rush, because she's trying to get away from the rain outside, she happens to be wearing a wool dress that's evidently absorbed all the water of the storm because she got caught in the storm without an umbrella and is desperate to get to Daphne's and change before she catches a cold.

so she gets in the elevator with Philip and the elevator malfunctions and stops working, after a few minutes shivering in her dripping dresss Penelope let's go of her pride and asks Philip if he wouldn't happened to have a shirt lying around in his suitcase and Phillip, who knows Penelope is a friend Marina's, being the nice person he is who obviously wants to help her, seeing she's obviously so cold decides on an emergency solution.

Meaning he doesn't think it trough and takes off his jacket to offer Penelope his own oversized Polo Shirt, because the elevator is broken and who knows how long they'll be stuck there. He'd rather she be a bit dry, even if it leaves him in his undershirt, Phillip goes as far as offering Penelope his pants too, but she respectfully declines, seeing as his shirt is long enough to be used as a dress if needs to be. Penelope is so desperate to get dry she accepts his help.

Phillip turns around, closes his eyes and Penelope changes from her drenched dress into his oversized shirt. But just as Phillip is about to put on his jacket again and Penelope is trying make herself presentable: the elevator starts working again

And before our two protagonist can do much about it, the doors of the elevator open.... Right Infront a shocked Colin Bridgerton and his sister Eloise

Colin looks at Penelope Dressed in Phillip's shirt, he also looks at Phillip without his jacket, dressed only in his undershirt and his pants half undone, Penelope visibly disheveled and starts seeing red, while Eloise just stares at the half undressed Phillip. Too shocked for words, but also seriously angry

Colin is seething. Eloise starts going on a tirade

Meanwhile Penelope and Phillip are like "We swear this isn't what it looks like!"

Looking like this, nobody is going to believe they're perfect strangers to each other

[sunflowerdigs]

Spec about Buck's arc in s8

I had some speculation about what might be in store for Buck in s8 that I left in a comment over on Reddit and figured I'd post here as well (the thread is contested, so it may not survive). I'm anticipating him having some kind of emotional arc from 8x04/8x05 - 8x08/8x09.

I'm thinking that, if Bobby gets back in 8x03, 8x04 will likely be the first chance Buck gets to talk to him about his attempting to retire without telling the 118. I doubt Bobby will want to go into how he was suicidal with Buck, and so it could be that the main takeaway that he leaves Buck with is simply that he won't always be around and Buck needs to plan for that eventuality. Additionally, if Bobby admits to Amir's part in his decision, it could give Buck a subconscious reminder that his father figure isn't perfect but is deserving of love anyway, which obviously connects to Buck's own central issue ("love me anyway"), and may be key to his eventual self-acceptance.

Anyway, I'm thinking this could all kick off an arc about Buck's abandonment issues, one where Buck is forced to confront his low self-worth and sense that he is expendable to the people who love him. Especially if Buck has realized his feelings for Eddie at this point (or is in the process of doing so), he'll have to think about why he misidentified them in the first place, and what drove him to get so angry that he hurt Eddie in order to get him to look at him. Yes, obviously some of it was confusion about his sexuality, but a lot of the jealousy also stemmed from Buck's constant assumption that once people find a "better" option, they'll leave him because he isn't as important to them as they are to him.

And that goes all the way back to Daniel. I wonder whether Tommy saying "your father is alive" in 7x10 (in a scene meant to foreshadow parts of s8) could be a hint that Phillip Buckley is going to die this season. And Buck may have to deal with/inevitably conflate the loss of his biological father with the near-loss of his father figure and spiral about it in some way. It would be a way to give us Buck's feelings about Bobby's near death/the inevitable loss of him without hurting Bobby again in some way.

Idk. Thoughts? I'm mostly just spitballing here.

[sea-owl]

I love the idea of Eloise having a wild night and waking up married.

Add in her being afraid of commitment.

Her family discovering her marriage.

Her discovering her new husband has 2 rambunctious children.

It would make for a pretty interesting hangover.

How do you think it would all shake out?

Anon asked:

I remember you writing a scenario where Eloise and Phillip woke up married.

I love the accidentally married trope.

I would love to see Eloise find out phillip was not only her husband but the father of Two lil' shits. Instant marriage and instant motherhood.

I have to go find it but I think I remember. It was like one of two scenarios and this one was philoise waking up married. But I got you. Let me think of something fun.

I got an idea.

Phillip did not appreciate the pounding headache when he woke up that morning. Nor did he remember how he got back in his own bed. God he was gonna kill Michael. That hellion used the excuse that it was his birthday yesterday to get Phillip and Penelope to join him in getting utterly wasted at the bar. Michael had said something about them getting the sticks out of their asses and . . .letting go?

Phillip would roll his eyes if he could open them. The last time he followed Michael's definition of letting go, it ended with him becoming a father to twins after a one night stand with Penelope's cousin. So yeah, Phillip made it a rule to keep the drinking to a minimum in public.

A feminine moan was heard next to Phillip.

Phillip shot his eyes open, and hissed as the light hit them. Damn headache, damn Michael. Turning on his side he was not expecting to see a pretty brunette sleeping in the same bed as him. Oh no. Not again!

Phillip is gonna kill Michael.

Detangling himself from the sheets Phillip walked to the adjoining bathroom to find himself some aspirin and get this god awful taste out of his mouth. He has to find Penelope and Michael. He prays one of them remembers what happened, and one of them can keep Oliver and Amanda distracted while Phillip deals with the mystery woman in his bed.

Leaving a glass of water and an aspirin on the nightstand Phillip noticed a ring on her left finger.

No, no, no, no! Please don't be a one night stand. Please don't let it be a one night stand! He really needs to find Michael or Penelope so they can tell him he did not have a one night stand with a married woman!

Rushing out of his room Phillip followed the scent of breakfast down to the kitchen where he found his best friends. Michael was whistling while making waffles, eggs, bacon, and toast. Penelope was nursing one of those sugary caffeine monstrosities she keeps in his fridge. No sign of the twins though.

"Where are Oliver and Amanda?" Phillip asked.

"Their room," Penelope yawned. "I told them one of us would get them when breakfast was ready."

Phillip nodded. Good the twins didn't need to overhear this conversation. "Do either of you remember what happened last night?"

Penelope squinted, her lips slightly pouted. "Nothing much after arriving to the bar. We wished Michael a happy birthday. Maybe some dancing?"

Michael laughed. "You found yourself a pretty little lady to dance with Pip."

"Anything after?" Phillip asked.

Both Michael and Penelope shook their heads. Phillip groaned, face palming. Great neither of them are aware of the potential bomb up in his bed.

Penelope's sweet voice brought him back. "Pip? Are you okay?"

"Not really," Phillip sighed. "There's a strange woman in my bed currently, and she is potentially married."

Penelope's jaw dropped, Michael started to giggle. Both Phillip and Penelope sent their friend a glare.

"Michael this isn't funny! Phillip can't afford to have any more kids from one night stands! He's already got the twins!"

"And if she is married then we got an angry husband to deal with too," Phillip added on.

"Yeah but Pip, are you sure you aren't the husband?" Michael pointed to Phillip's left hand.

Phillip looked down. On his left ring finger was a ring. It wasn't the classic gold band but one of those cheap plastic ones one would win as some sort of prize at a festival.

Dear god what did he do last night?

"Who are you?"

All three friends froze. Shit that was the twins. Which means the mystery lady was up.

Rushing towards the dinning room where they heard the twins they came to the sight of Oliver and Amanda staring down Phillip's mystery lady.

The brunette looked towards the other adults. "Michael?"

Phillip caught sight of her left hand. Now in the light the ring looked just as cheap and plastic as the one on Phillip's hand. Actually it looked like it would work as a set with the one on Phillip's hand.

"Eloise?!" Michael exclaimed. He looked from the brunette to Phillip before bursting out laughing. "Oh Pip! This is the best birthday gift you could have given me!"

[winters8child]

It´s been a long, long time

Chapter 15

The two days without Bucky passed in a blur; I barely ate or left the bed. When it was time to go to Camp Lehigh, I met up with Steve and took a cab to New Jersey. A woman in uniform, who introduced herself as "Agent Carter," led us to a small office where she told us to wait for someone named "General Phillips." Steve nervously tapped his foot, and I fidgeted in my seat, unsure of what to expect. Dr. Erskine hadn't told us much, only that he could help us do our part. After five minutes, the door opened, and a grumpy-looking older man sat down opposite us, carrying two files—Steve's and mine, I assumed.

He looked at one of the files, read "Steve Rogers" aloud, and settled his gaze on Steve. "That's you, I presume... I don't know what Dr. Erskine sees in you, but I've been told to inform you that you are now officially part of the US Army. But let me tell you, even if you look like the smallest wind could blow you away, you will need to go through the same training as everybody else. Don't expect any special treatment just because you are Dr. Erskine's protégé," he said gruffly. Steve didn't look intimidated; quite the opposite, he sat up straight and said, "Yes, sir."

The general switched files and looked me up and down. "There isn't much information here about you... I've been told you're our new nurse in this camp. I don't know why Dr. Erskine specifically requested you, but that's above my pay grade, I guess." Unsure how to respond, I asked, "So Dr. Erskine hasn't told you what we can expect here?" He didn't seem to like my question. "This is an army camp, not a knitting circle. We're preparing for war, lady. What do you think we're doing?" He slammed the file on the table and told us to wait outside, not explaining why.

This felt like a rough start to a journey whose destination I didn't know. Steve and I waited outside, unsure of what to do. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Steve watching Agent Carter. She seemed stern and capable, yet feminine in her own way. Steve was smitten; he couldn't take his eyes off her. "She's pretty, isn't she?" I poked him in the ribs and smiled. Steve started coughing. "What? No... I mean yes, but it's not like that... I would never..." I patted him on the back. "It's alright, Steve. You're right, she is very pretty." That just made him blush even more.

After a few minutes, a young private approached us with two uniforms in hand—a standard army uniform for Steve and a nurse uniform for me. "Rogers, you join Agent Carter over there. And you, ma'am, come with me. I'll show you the infirmary," he said, motioning for me to follow him.

I waved to Steve and followed the young soldier to my new workplace. It was bigger than I had expected, a large hall full of cots with a desk in the corner holding all the supplies I would need. All the beds were empty for now; I hoped it would stay that way. The private left, so I stood around, unsure of what to do. I walked closer to the window and saw Steve standing in a row with the other soldiers. He was already wearing his uniform, which looked good on him, even though he was shorter and skinnier than the other guys. Agent Carter looked angry as she approached one of the men and promptly punched him in the face. I was flabbergasted; where I came from, women were told to be meek and elegant. Not that she wasn't elegant, but she definitely wasn't meek—she was strong and confident. I was impressed.

Suddenly, I heard someone clear their throat behind me. I flinched and turned around, not expecting anyone. It was Dr. Erskine. "Excuse me, ma'am, I didn't mean to scare you," he said, sitting down on one of the beds. "It's alright, I'm easy to scare," I replied, sitting down opposite him. He flipped through what looked like my file and settled on a page with a photo of me. "So, miss... why are you here? Considering you are easy to scare, I'm not sure if this is the right environment for you," he asked. "I just want to help, sir," I answered, nervous that they might send me back home. He didn't seem convinced. "You could have helped the war effort by working in the factories like all the other women. So, I'm asking you again, why are you here?" I saw no point in lying. "My best friends are here—Steve Rogers, as you know, and Sergeant James Barnes, who is already on the front lines. I couldn't stay behind, and it seemed like this could be my opportunity, although I'm still not sure what your offer is exactly," I explained.

He listened attentively, slowly nodding. "So, loyalty above all? Is that what drives you?" he asked. "Yes, sir. I would do anything for my friends," I stated. He closed my file. "Interesting," he remarked as he got up. I stood up with him. He left me with more questions than answers.

The following two weeks were spent attending to scratches, mostly Steve's. He told me he was trying hard, but some of the other soldiers were hazing him. I reminded him why he was doing this and that it would pay off in the end. Occasionally, other soldiers would come in, some of them flirting with me—a new experience for me. Usually, other guys ignored me; I wondered if Bucky being around me most of the time had deterred them.

One day, Steve visited me in the infirmary, and I got my utensils ready, but looking at him, I couldn't find anything to treat. He was beaming with joy, a welcome sight after all the times he had come in with a sullen expression. He told me about the march he had to go through but was allowed to ride back in the truck with Agent Carter. I was happy for him, but there was a nagging feeling I couldn't define, so I pushed it to the back of my mind.

Next Chapter

[zahri-melitor]

Future State:

So this is a qualified opinion based on the fact I have only read the Bat-related titles and have not yet read the Bat book storylines subsequent to this, but my first impression of this is that you are just fine to skip anything in Future State that you don't want to read.

It does contain 'who is the Magistrate'. The Magistrate are a paramilitary force paid for by Mayor Nakano to hunt down 'masks' in Gotham (both capes and rogues). Their major members are called 'Peacekeepers'. If you literally just substitute the current cape-hunting paramilitary force of Peacemakers commanded by Amanda Waller in your mind, you've got the entire effect without needing to read any of it (Also Gotham is indulging in its neon futurism aesthetic, so think Batman: Gotham Knights the game, or just Bladerunner).

I only have time to read one title: Future State: Dark Detective. The A story in this title follows Bruce working undercover to find a way to reveal what's going on inside the Magistrate. The creative team is Mariko Tamaki, Dan Mora and Jordie Bellaire. One of the only stories in the entire set where I would confidently say this was still a solid yarn even out of context.

I'm interested in John Ridley's Fox Family Drama: read the A story of Future State: The Next Batman. Tam's had a relapse (because nobody can track whether or not Tam is supposed to be better or not), Luke's literally at a loose end because of plotting changes, you meet Jace, Tiffany has been aged up by the time jump to effectively be the age she was back pre-Flashpoint, Tanya is angry at the world because reasons (Tam) and Lucius is making bad decisions because ???.

What else do you think is a fun story? Future State: Catwoman is a train heist story with neon futurism aesthetics, which is busy indulging in re-education camp/concentration camp themes with more than a dash of Hunger Games references. Creative team is Ram V and Otto Schmidt (no prizes for guessing why it's a good story hey). Worth it just for Selina and Talia working at slight cross purposes but acknowledging the other has her own goals.

The E plot of Future State: The Next Batman (the Gotham City Sirens) has Ivy, Selina and slave android named Dee-Dee who has broken from her creator. This is fun for me personally because it is the rare concept where Ivy and Selina are bouncing off each other and Harley is nowhere in sight. The characterisation is at best fine, but the GCS vibes are there and fun.

The rare 'look I don't want to read this but it's well written' award: Future State: Harley Quinn. I deeply, deeply do not care about Harley, but if more of Harley's books were written like this, I think I would enjoy her far more as a character. So, recommendation for the 2021 run of Harley Quinn under Stephanie Phillips, I suppose (I am not planning on reading it).

The rest: look, the biggest issue with basically all of the Future State titles is due to being set in media res of an altered future, there's an awful lot of characters with changed personalities and no clear connections as to why they're acting OOC. And I'm a full believer in 'if you show me how the character got there, it's not OOC', but the whole concept of this is we don't get to see how the characters got there. So you're stuck going "why is Jefferson Davis currently a being of pure lightning, this isn't Jakeem Thunder". "has this writer read a single Stephanie Brown story not written by Bryan Q. Miller? (Vita Ayala I have been anticipating getting to your Wonder Woman stuff but wow you can't write Cass or Steph)". "I really wish this story where Dick is based in the bowels of an abandoned Arkham Asylum was leaning more into the Batman RIP/Reborn era storytelling around Dick and Arkham Asylum" and so on.

Characters don't fully track in their storylines between titles. Who's imprisoned when? Who are Two-Face and Croc working with? What hero titles are Cass, Steph, Barbara and Tim using? What costumes are people using? And so on and so forth.

You can really tell it's worked up from existing plots that got some surgery to rewrite them from the initial concept. Damian is Sir Not Appearing for the entire set of Bat titles, which makes sense on one level (given this is based out of scrapped 5G material) but makes absolutely no sense on another. Talia al Ghul is running around the background of at least two stories helping out the Bats, with no explanation given, but Damian can't be thrown into the art of group scenes because???

Like, read Mariko Tamaki, Ram V and maybe John Ridley because they can actually write solid stories and know (or are busy creating narratives for) the characters they're working with. Ridley's busy retconning a huge amount of existing Fox family stories but as it is he's setting up what will be their default for the ongoing future. Skip everything else unless you're feeling completionist (or interested in the Jason Todd-based alternate future title that spins out of this in Future State: Gotham).

[delicateseraphs]

spoilers! do not read if you're not willing to read potential spoilers about s&r.

i just wanted to get my thoughts out about exactly why i chose to create charlotte. she's a direct response to what the show did and didn't do.

the show talked a lot about hope being klaus' chance at redemption because he would finally have a child to love unconditionally and would love him in return. great story. except, their execution sucked and marcel was right there!!! what's even more important is that he's a SON, too. the themes the show had about klaus trying to overcome the difficult relationship with fatherhood from both sides should've been done with marcel. because he's not his son by blood, just like klaus wasn't mikael's son by blood either. (hope as a whole concept was a nonsense retcon to justify creating the originals and looping in hayley.) people don't talk about how much of marcel is moulded in klaus' image, except marcel began working on himself and healing much earlier than his sire. a lot of that way klaus raised marcel paralleled the way mikael raised him; that expectation of indomitable strength, that unwillingness to lose, the relentlessness. he even speaks like mikael when he's angry at marcel. it's a lot of toxic masculinity, but it wasn't always bad which was why marcel was helpless in the fact he loved klaus. he was much more protective of marcel and he clearly treasured him. he was also possessive of marcel's respect and love, the way he always is. you can see a lot klaus within marcel's character, which is exactly why charlotte is important in s&r.

i created charlotte to contrast marcel and klaus. there's a poem called this be the verse by phillip larkin and i think that's extremely relevant to klaus and marcel's dynamic. what i wanted to show was that this isn't always the case because marcel chose to break the cycle. he's pulling away from what's been taught to him and he's re-learning about what he wants in life. i hope everyone saw that when marcel didn't object to charlotte getting close to the mikaelsons because he knows he has a special place in her life. he doesn't need her to only have him. he's healed from his childhood wounds, but klaus hasn't.

i wanted to pose these questions with charlotte's existence: would klaus have given up power and riches for marcel? would he have placed himself in danger for him? would he have altered his entire life for him? would he have placed marcel above himself? (the latter is a no, but not consciously, because klaus always placed himself above marcel in terms of emotional safety. see his reaction to elijah and marcel being close in the latter's childhood.)

another thing is that i wanted to challenge the show's confusing thesis on family. they presented mikael as a monster for abusing klaus and justifying it because he was an affair baby unrelated to him by blood. how does that differ from how they treated marcel who they claim as family but isn't related via blood? because he evidently was treated worse compared to the blood relations. i think the show should've went the route of 'yes, family is important, but family is not always the people you're related to by blood, but also the people you choose to love and who choose to love you in return' and they should've done that with marcel's story line in regards to redeeming klaus. because he could've broken the cycle in which his 'father' inflicted upon him (even more relevant is that marcel was abused by his biological dad because he was his affair baby. their scenarios are inverted, which is potentially the incorrect word, but hopefully you understand what i'm saying.)

in s&r, marcel is doing all of that for charlotte which is important to the story... i think.