#things they collect

[adastrael]

Cod: mw ii characters and things they collect (pt.2)

Character(s): alejandro vargas, rodolfo "rudy" parra, valeria garza, kim "horangi" hong-jin, könig

Word Count: 1.5k

Warnings: mentions of gambling and anxiety

A/N: the second chapter is finally here! Hope you enjoy, as usual, don't be too afraid to share your thoughts :D

Alejandro Vargas

Alejandro is a sentimental man without a doubt, someone who likes to remember as much as he can from his past — be it the good or bad. A habit he has learned from his father when he was younger was purchasing a postcard and a coin or bill of the local currency whenever they visited foreign countries. It didn't happen often unfortunately, so this goal was a little difficult to accomplish, but with the years spent in the military and now as a Colonel, he gets more opportunities to visit places he has never been before. To this day, he still gets a card from every new city he goes to as a memory that he was there once.

Some things that tie back into his sentimental nature are the photographs he keeps. There is a box in his office back at home, heavy from all the pictures he has stacked into the available space. Some of them are very old, paper faded and jagged, but the people on them are still recognizable. These are from his younger years, a few go back even as far in time where he only just started hanging out with Rodolfo. Others are still shiny and new, a few even have that fresh scent the paper acquires when the picture is made. These are mostly of the team, 141 and other seemingly random sights Alejandro felt worthy enough to capture (this man is a sucker for sunsets, you can't change my mind).

Alejandro has a few keychains he has received during the years, mostly from distant relatives or members of Los Vaqueros. The key to his front door contains 90% of them, although he doesn't like when there are too many weights next to such important objects. His favorite is undeniably the little cowboy hat they bought together with Rudy once, just after Los Vaqueros became an official thing. It never fails to make him smile, and he has a saying that goes along the lines of "As long as I have this, Los Vaqueros will be a thing."

Rodolfo "Rudy" Parra

As a kid, Rodolfo was always looking for little trinkets to keep. From seashells, rocks, feathers and pretty leaves, if something caught his attention, it was going home with him in his pocket. His favorites were undeniably rocks though; there are still quite a lot of them he has kept from all the years and refuses to get rid of for one reason or another. As Alejandro teased him before, Rudy is like a crow in this regard — although it's not shiny things he collects, just rocks he finds fitting to join his heap.

Something that has always fascinated him was lego sets. As a kid he didn't have the chance to own any, but now that he has a healthy paycheck, nothing is stopping him from purchasing different sets for his own birthday and similar occasions. The model he loves the most is probably the Great Pyramid of Giza, which he built in a single afternoon when he was on medical leave once. Although most of them don't have enough space in his house, his favorite ones are displayed somewhere: either on his office table, or on a shelf in one of the rooms.

There is a habit he couldn't stop ever since he was little, but didn't really want to either to be fair. Like most kids, Rodolfo enjoyed getting stickers and sticking them somewhere he found fit, even when someone told him no. As he grew older, he didn't want to waste them anymore, knowing he wouldn't be able to make use of them again once you plastered them on a surface. That was the start of his collection — ever since, he doesn't like the idea of putting them anywhere, only collecting all the stickers he gets in one big folder. He gets way too emotionally attached to most of them and he knows, but Rodolfo tries his best. Besides, we all need something to be passionate about besides work, don't we?

Plus fun fact: Rudy often gifts his friends and family stickers. At first, most found it confusing and unnecessary, but now everyone just finds it adorable and thanks him earnestly when they receive any. It's an ongoing joke between the Vaqueros that you will know the Sergeant Major likes you if he gives you stickers. Not to mention, they consider you family and part of the team once you receive any. It's really great.

Valeria Garza

It's no secret that Valeria enjoys painting her nails; the brighter and more feminine, the better. During the years, she unintentionally started collecting nail polishes as one does: if she saw a color she liked, it was bought with little to no hesitation, no matter how many bottles she already had at home. Valeria makes good use of all of them though, her nails are always nicely done and the colors change almost week after week.

Valeria couldn't deny her love for house plants even if she tried. She would never let her men see the plant mom side of her, but Alejandro and Rodolfo had the chance to witness her home. The living room is filled with greens: different, often hand painted vases on the shelves, tall houseplants in front of the big windows and even some vine-like plants curling over her walls. She makes sure not to overdo them, but every room that isn't her bedroom has at least one little flower.

Something that understandably makes her even more intimidating is her enthusiasm for swords. Don't get the wrong idea, she can't handle one and isn't overly tempted to learn either, but she loves their beauty all the same. One of the rooms in her house is kind of like a calming area, her favorite plants, furniture and pictures all gathered in the same place. Above the door, there is a hanger with a sword replica on top of it, but it's only noticeable when you actually look for it. If she could, Valeria would buy a few real ones, but she doesn't see the need for them, above the fact that they look good and bring her some joy. In the future, she just might learn their tricks however.

Kim "Horangi" Hong-jin

It might be ironic considering his unlucky history with gambling, but Horangi likes to collect special and unique looking game tokens. Under this category he will never consider the non-physical ones like crypto and such, in-game ones are those he loves, the ones that are actually collectable. It's no surprise that poker tokens are his favorite to look for, there are even one or two custom made ones he has gotten as a gift from friends (König and other KorTac members). He won't ever consider getting back into gambling because he has learned his lesson, but it doesn't hurt to collect unique items related to the hobby.

Another thing that keeps him connected to games are cards. Sure, he's especially awful at card games, but there are a few decks that caught his eye during the years and just couldn't resist to leave. One of his biggest prizes is a deck with completely black cards that glow in the dark, and the numbers and designs are only visible then.

Call him a poser, but Horangi loves sunglasses. Of course, during missions he can't always wear them, but around base and usually even at home, there is one hiding his eyes from curious looks. It became a comfort thing very quickly for him, so the reason why he wears them everywhere isn't purely fashion motivated (honestly, none at all, only just when he is out as a civilian). Horangi doesn't own that many pairs, maybe around six or seven, and like three of them are regular black ones, but the rest are different; they help him blend in, not to mention that a few of them match his everyday clothes and just spice his outfits up a little.

König

As a kid, König loved reading comic books, especially if they were superhero ones. It isn't necessary to say he collected them, but the amount of stacks he used to have in his room would surely qualify as such. Financially, he wasn't much to deal with as a kid; he ate a lot, sure, and new clothes were constantly needed because of his fast growth, but he never asked for anything from his parents, only new comic books to read through. Most of them are still hidden somewhere in his childhood room, and one day he's sure to read them all over again when he has the time.

Another habit he started as a kid and somehow never really grew out of is collecting dinosaur figures. Don't think about the big ones people usually put on shelves as decoration, König was always enthusiastic about the small ones that came in packages, multiple dinos in one. He used to have a dinosaur phase back in grade school, and if you ask him about a species, he can probably still ramble about the topic for hours to no end.

Something that might seem a little strange to others, but is totally usual for him is the pocket sized magnets he carries with himself. König generally fidgets a lot, either from anxiety or just absently while thinking or doing something else, and magnets are easy and satisfying to connect and pull apart. The fact that he likes the noise doesn't hurt either, it usually helps him focus on the task at hand.

[unholyhymns]

still one of my favorite bits i ever got to commit was pretending not to know who jesus is when a street preacher was evangelizing to me. he was like "do you know who jesus is?" and i had so much time before my next bus and i wanted to know what would happen so i said no. and you know what. he had clearly never been told no to that question before because if i hadn't actually known who jesus was, his baffled and fumbling attempt sure wouldn't have told me. literally reversed the roles. now you get to stand here feeling very uncomfortable and wishing you could be somewhere else because guess what buddy, this is my bus stop, im early (and can catch like five other buses from this exact stop), and im now thoroughly invested in hearing about this mysterious jesus figure. you're locked in here with me. im eating the key as we speak. i will kill us both before i let you out of here.

very highly recommend this bit if you can pull it off and if you have time to kill

[gatoiberico]

he has the ultimate power

✨ print ✨

[theonewhowails]

cult trait: good die young

[jupiter-and-teardrops]

the hardest lines ALWAYS come from ao3 fanfics and I stand by this

Mostly thanks to @emilyelizabethfowl (their reblog contains many of the fic links!! thank u sm) and a few deep dives into my ao3 history, the sources of the quotes have mostly all been recovered! I apologise for not posting them all with proper credit originally, I truly didn't think the post would blow up so much, but the lesson is very much learned :) enjoy!

- number 1 is from merthur fic called Destiny Ordered You To Die, But I Willed You To Live by ironfamjam

-number 2 is from a klance fic called reach out for you (break these walls) by Paladin-Pile (UserFromPluto)

- number 3 is a batman fic called Home (jason centered) by Daisybirb

- number 4 is a zukka fic by I'm Not Angry Anymore by team_avatars_eyebags

- numbers 5 and 9 are from The Art Of Burning by hella1975, an amazing ongoing atla following zuko

- number 6 is a hualian fic called No paths are bound by cataclysmic_calamity (originally a thread fic but also fully uploaded on ao3)

- number 7 is a merthur fic called tell me every terrible thing you ever did (and let me love you anyway) by Stardustwrites17 (the quote is also originally from a poem apparently)

- number 8 is from a batman fic called Nature and Nurture by lurkinglurkerwholurks

- number 10 is from a steddie fic called let me know (everythings alright) by bexiguess

ALSO there is now a part 2 !! (which I swear is better organized)

[serratedpens]

Sandra Lim, "A Walk Round The Park"

[my-autism-adhd-blog]

I can’t believe how accurate this is. I’ve had a rock collection since I was a kid, and I’m still collecting them to this day.

Do any of you relate to this? If so, what do you like to collect? It can be plushies, toys, whatever. :)

Neurodivergent Girl

[cheese-water]

he is the only funny person on the damn app

[lifeinpoetry]

The houses were not Hamas. The kids were not Hamas. Their clothes and toys were not Hamas. The neighborhood was not Hamas. The air was not Hamas. Our ears were not Hamas. Our eyes were not Hamas. The one who ordered the killing, the one who pressed the button thought only of Hamas.

— Mosab Abu Toha, from "The Wounds," Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear

[braxiatel]

Enough grumbo AUs where Mumbo is a diehard Ariana Griande fan. More grumbo AUs where global musical sensation Ariana Griande is absolutely obsessed with this little freak of a man she found under a rock one time

[queerdraws]

projecting on luffy again. get bited.

[adastrael]

Cod: mw ii characters and things they collect (pt.1)

Character(s): john "soap" mactavish, simon "ghost" riley, kyle "gaz" garrick, john price, kate laswell

Word Count: 2.3k

Warnings: mentions of lost teammates

A/N: here's a new series I just couldn't wait to post! Feel free to share your thoughts about it, I would be very happy to talk about the topic even more!

John "Soap" MacTavish

Often, Soap needs something in his hands to tinker with, be it equipment he has on person or something he's snatched during the day. One thing he rarely forgets to wear is a hair tie on his left wrist — so it doesn't get in the way since he is right handed — that he can easily fidget with without drawing too much attention to himself. He tends to take rubber bands he spots for most of the same reason, but also partly because they can be used out in the field too. You never know why and when you might need them, and Soap has a reputation for creating working explosives from the most unrelated objects.

One of the habits he started when he was younger was collecting bottle caps. This is something that stuck with him throughout the years and since it's not harmful in any way, he never really considered stopping. The team often visit pubs and similar places after missions to loosen up or drown their thoughts, and it's not unheard of that Soap keeps some of the caps, taking them home with him. He only ever does this with unique or interesting ones; if they are dull and just like the other ones, he doesn't even consider pocketing them. They aren't significant enough to be displayed or anything such, but he likes to occasionally rummage through the container he puts them in and see what kinds he has. Often, certain ones can remind him of very specific memories, which are fortunately rarely bittersweet or downright bad. Soap keeps the container at base in his quarters — the old ones are back at home of course — since the collection is basically evergrowing.

Back at home, there is a box hidden in his room with an array of concert tickets and wristbands he kept throughout the years. When he was young, he went to a lot of concerts with one company or another, and it was always a habit of his to keep the things that served as an allowance as a good reminder. The tickets used to be pinned to a board on his wall that was facing his bed as a kid, but it wasn't long before he grew up and wanted to join the military. Hence, the board came down, and they were safely tucked into a box along with some other trinkets he had laying around. He pays attention to keep good care of them, although they're not something he looks at constantly or keeps track of (especially since he doesn't have access to them most of the time).

Quite similarly, there are a pack of movie tickets held together with a paperclip stacked into his bedside drawer at home. He liked to visit the cinema often with friends or family both, and it was nice keeping reminders of all the movies he has seen and liked. Sure, there were some that he didn't enjoy all that much, but he still kept the tickets out of habit and by the logic that there was nothing to lose by not throwing them away. Connected to the movies, Soap still has a few posters put away somewhere, although most of them were not even his to begin with. His siblings were always more interested in them than he was, but when there was one he really liked, they were usually understanding and lended some of the posters to him to put up in his room.

Something that's partly because of his enthusiasm for explosions, partly because he likes to fidget with them and the noise they make, is the liking he's taken for the lighters he has in his possession. The interesting thing is, none of them are ever simple and boring; some of them have jokes on them, others are see-through, and most have some kind of pattern on the outside. This is something Ghost has also joined in unintentionally later on, but that's hardly his fault really — it is, but it's not a bad thing so nobody minds.

Possibly, I could also imagine him as someone who collects gum wrappers and little charms, maybe even keychains that make a specific noise. In my mind he has raging ADHD even when he's on his prescribed medication, so there is always something in his hands to absently play with. Also you can't tell me this man wouldn't take those little umbrellas from drinks at bars.

Simon "Ghost" Riley

Ghost isn't one to collect things. He doesn't have many personal belongings, a book or old trinket here and there, and he doesn't really see the appeal in such things. Yet, there is no denying how many lighters he has stacked in his bedside drawer at base. It started as a joke really, with Soap gifting him one with a corny joke on the side, swearing Ghost's humor was just the same and he had to buy it for him. From then on, the others also went out their way to find him different lighters they thought he would like, and he didn't stop them. He knows he will never need that many in his life, one works for a month at least, but it feels nice to be remembered by his teammates — although he will never admit that out loud to them.

One thing he does collect though is knives. It's no secret how much Ghost loves weapons with blades, and if you start snooping in his room enough, you will find a whole arsenal carefully tucked away between some gear. Often, cleaning his equipment and keeping everything sharp and ready helps to take his mind off things, especially after missions, so Ghost doesn't see a problem with owning a little more above the amount that's considered normal. They are his favorite weapons to use in combat anyways, and they are much easier to hide and take with him than guns. Besides, it never hurts to be prepared for anything.

In the past, Ghost used to collect different posters as a kid. Movie, music it didn't really matter, he enjoyed putting them up, or just looking through them occasionally. That didn't last long for obvious reasons, but it still lives in the back of his mind as a somewhat pleasant memory.

Of course, we can't forget about the masks either. Obviously they are comfort items — well, most of them — and there are a few he only wears when he has to leave the safety of his apartment during assigned leaves. There are some of them nobody has ever seen (and probably never will), while there are others that the team even shared before (like during the Ghost Team mission). Despite all that, he actually doesn't own a lot of masks, but still more than someone would call a regular amount.

Kyle "Gaz" Garrick

Back in high school, Gaz was what you might consider a theater kid. He wasn't the typical definition of the phrase really; he wasn't in the theater club and didn't take up the acting course at school, and he didn't exactly advertise his love for musicals and acts. Despite that, Kyle had a few things on display that indicated his interest towards those things, and he showed them off openly, not one to hide such about himself in fear of being criticized. One of these were all the different pins he had on his bag, specifically the backpack he only wore to school since it was perfect for his books. The buttons were very diverse: some of them were indeed theater related (his favorite was the Hamilton one), others were connected to sports or music. After finishing high school, Gaz forgot about the bag for a while, but when he found it again he was more than ready to take the pins off. That didn't end up happening though, since he didn't have the heart to ruin something that used to hold so much value to him before. So, the bag is still in the same state it used to be, lost somewhere in the back of his closet.

Something that also ties back to his school years is the stack of old notebooks he has in his room. After a while, he intended to throw them out since there was no need for them anymore, but his sentimental nature didn't allow him to do so. When he's home and remembers to organize and clean his room thoroughly, Gaz finds them sometimes and usually ends up sitting for hours and reading his old notes. It's nice looking back at them and remembering all the stuff he did during those years.

For a while, Gaz was collecting the train tickets he purchased. In the UK you have the opportunity to travel by train quite a lot, and for a time period he had to take a route where it was the easiest form of transport. He doesn't have a reason why he kept them, or at least not any he could figure out by himself, but they are nice reminders of a life he once lived. Sometimes they put a smile on his face and that's enough reason for him to continue keeping them.

It's a well known fact how much Gaz loves wearing baseball caps, even during missions (just like Price with his godforsaken bucket hats, but one would argue his choice is more practical than the Captain's). He doesn't know exactly when he started wearing them so often, but after a while they just became his trademark. There are probably around 4 different ones he keeps at base, in case they get lost or he's not in the mood to wear one specific one, but back at his flat he has a whole bunch of more. Some of them were gifts by friends or family, others are a unique brand or just random caps he spotted somewhere and couldn't leave without.

John Price

The Captain isn't one for trinkets, that much is well known. Sure, he has photographs, mementos and such things just like everyone else, but there isn't anything he outright collects. The others argue that the display of books he has at home is considered a collection already, but he refuses to let them be right. He likes to read in his free time a lot, and getting new books when he has the chance isn't a crime. 

There is something even Price himself admits is turning into a habit of collecting though, and it's the amount of pens he has in his possession. At his office, there are probably about ten pens shoved into one of those mesh pencil holders on his desk, although only five or so are likely to be actually working. He has a habit of not throwing the ones that run out of ink away and just putting them back with the rest. He also just can't help but always take those free sample pens whenever they offer them somewhere, swearing it's going to come in handy. He does have to write reports by hand most of the time, that's true, but just a few pens would perfectly suffice.

And naturally, there are the hats. Most of the ones he owns are really similar to each other, the others usually don't even notice when he changes them. He doesn't have a big reason for having them, Price just likes to cover his head with hats and even beanies from time to time. He can and will argue with any member of his team about the fashion aspect of them, defending his choices with vigor.

There are some things he doesn't want to talk about, and they are the dog tags of all of his lost friends and team members that he kept. Price doesn't want to forget about the people he had the chance to meet and get to know, and it would feel disrespectful to get rid of their memory and all that's left of them. There are only a few people who know about this, and he intends to keep it that way; this is something private he wants to carry alone.

Kate Laswell

When it comes to collecting things, Laswell isn't interested in the slightest. Naturally she has a few photos, cards or little gifts that she doesn't want to give away, but she doesn't see the appeal to get a bunch of specific things stacked at home. If anything she does could be considered collecting, it would be those expensive bottles of wines she keeps buying in her basement. There aren't a lot, maybe around ten or fifteen, but she keeps most of them for special occasions, such as anniversaries with her wife or birthdays. Kate isn't that big of a fan actually, but she learned to appreciate the taste of some brands since her wife loves wine.

Back in high school, Laswell was the girl who used different highlighters for her notes. She has never overdone it really, but the titles, names and important information were always emphasized by colorful lines. Often, others wanted to borrow her notes because her handwriting has always been good and readable, but as she grew older, her notes got messier too. Laswell was still organized of course, always has been, but her handwriting gradually became more chaotic — like when you remember how your mother helped you practice letters when you were little, then tried to read her note for the teacher and miserably failed. These days, she just scribbles down whatever she needs really, it doesn't matter too much. Often, signatures are the only valuable thing that need to be readable, the rest of her work is done on the computers.

Now, her wife is a different topic. The living room and bedroom are never missing a scent candle, and there is always a good chance the other rooms in the house will get one too. By extension, she could be considered a collector herself, since there were several times when she bought candles or rearranged them inside the house without giving it a deeper thought. Often she just buys them automatically, not even realizing how many they already have at home.

[infinite-orangepeel]

i don’t want a ‘career’ ! i want to write sexy fanfiction for my internet friends <3

[schnuckiputz]

something something about rockstar eddie on tour telling everyone left and right about his sweetheart, his stevie, the light of his life, his sweet lil baby. getting more and more excited about when he's going to see his sweetheart at a concert soon.

the roadies and techs are kinda excited about it - placing bets on what kind of girl could have big bad rockstar eddie munson this starry eyed. with the way eddie is going on they are absolutely convinced that she's some tiny little slip of a girl that wears pastel pink everywhere and has never ever done anything bad in her life.

the big day arrives, everyone is excited to meet eddie's lil princess...but instead "sweet little babygirl stevie" is some big jock dude in a polo shirt and lightwash jeans who carries around equipment like it weighs nothing and who swears like a sailor when someone nearly drops an amp on his foot.

[monty-glasses-roxy]

HALLOWEEN GAME TIME!!! WE'RE GOING TRICK OR TREATING!!!

ON THE DAY OF HALLOWEEN ask me or anyone else that's reblogged this, "trick or treat" and you shall recieve a random thing in your trick or treater bucket! What thing?

THAT'S UP TO WHO'S BLOG DOOR YOU'RE KNOCKING ON!!

A little doodle of their blorbo? An incorrect quote? A drawing of a little cat? A fun fact about bees? A little drabble (100 words I mean but do as you will) for a random thing? A photo of their pet dog? A headcanon? A fic recommendation? A random meme? An OC? A link to their current favourite song? A nice, virtual slap in the face? A trick? A treat? WHO KNOWS!!! NOT YOU OR ME THAT'S FOR SURE!!! (Just no screamers or shit like that of course lets not forget that lmao)

Why am I saying this now instead of on the day of the game? So anyone else that wants to play has plenty of time to prepare a little handful of things for the trick or treaters!!

Remember, it doesn't have to be anything big!!! You can be the blog that's giving everyone images of rotisserrie chicken you found on google, or you can be the blog that's giving everyone pictures of your cat if you want!! This is a low spoons and low stress game so do whatever you want to do that's easy for you!! Be a mix of everything or just give a 'hi!' it doesn't matter, it's all in good fun!! And we can trick or treat each other too, of course. Not as fun if you can't get any tricks or treats too, right? Anyone can trick or treat and anyone can be trick or treated!

I recommend making/queueing a post on the day so everyone knows you're playing btw (anyone that reblogs this post will get one off me too if they don't say otherwise in tags and if I remember I said this)

FOR TRICK OR TREATERS!!!

All you gotta do is send an ask with 'trick or treat' in it on Halloween! Halloween day!! 31st of October!! Day of spooky!! That's it!! (And if you go on anon no one will know if you come back again but I didn't tell you that lmao) I'll be answering any I get when it's Halloween in my timezone and I'm sure I won't be the only one so if you ask earlier, hang tight! It's probably not Halloween yet or they don't have time just yet cause it's a Tuesday! I believe that's everything so...

Have fun guys!!

[expired-chlorine]