Drew Breach just to practice! I didn’t mean to make her look older but it ended up looking a lot like how I imagine the adult Breach would look like. I think it works because in my mind she becomes a happier person after the show
I just found out its impossible for me to enter this account from my laptop because of the account breach and my e-mail being unaccesible… sooo i’m probably gonna have to make a new tumblr.
Things are still great, but things in the protocol keep moving forward.
~200 word excerpt below
Like most days now, Breach woke up with a weight on his chest. And like most mornings, he silently played a game of Sova or dog? He looked to his side and lifted his head to peer over the side of his bed and saw the sleeping form of Bamse on his dog bed. Sometimes, if Sova or Breach sprawled out too much, his smart puppy would get off the bed to go get his own bed and drag it over. So, as he gently ran his fingers through Sova’s hair, he smiled at his excellent deduction. Slowly, as if he were creeping around a sleeping bear, and truth be told, a grumpy, sleep deprived Sova was probably deadlier than a bear, he lifted Sova’s head so that he could remove his arm and instead let him rest on a pillow. The list of things he had to do only grew by the second but tearing himself away from Sova right now felt impossible. Eventually, his stomach growled, and he had to get up and move away from the masterpiece on his bed to start scavenging for food in the kitchen.
Just had a thought about Breach. If he is able to live out a long life (which, who knows given his favourite line of work), there will be a day in his older years where he’ll have to retire his arms right? What are they? Carbon steel w titanium plating? That’s likely pretty heavy considering he boasts about them being sturdy and unbreakable unlike Killjoy’s bots. His body would say no to more trouble before his mind does. He’ll take them off one last time and never put them back on. I don’t know if that’s something to be sad over but it would definitely be a huge change to his life.
Do you guys remember me getting excited abt this? Well, i’ve outlined my plot points now and i’ve started writing :))) Here’s my first draft of my prologue! Ultimately I went more AC with this and tried to incorporate more gameplay stuff than completely historically accurate. Also, I obviously played a little w relationships since it’s an AU and all, but I think the basic stuff is there. idk, lmk how you like it so far I’m in my early chapters rn
~500 words feat. Breach (ofc) and Skye!
“Why are you doing this? You don’t have to listen to him!”
Erik stormed past his sister who tried to cling onto his arm, but he withdrew his hand and walked past.
“I have until sunrise to leave. Are you with me or with him?”
“Erik, you have to—”
“My father took you in. He housed you. He raised you, and now he is gone. You heard his words, you saw the challenge, so who’s side are you on?” With every line, he took a step closer. He would never hurt her, no, but he needed to know who was loyal to him, and who was loyal to his brother. “Kirra, but you must choose.”
“It’s you. Of course, I choose you.”
“Good,” he ruffled her hair and smiled. “Then let’s get packed. Those who are loyal to me will meet us at the docks.”
“Where will you go? To the east? The Rus—”
“No. The east is poor this time of year, and my brother already has friends along the rivers and seas there.”
Swords, an axe, his shield, they were all a priority. They would have enough rations for a week’s worth of travel maybe. Erik searched under his desk and found his hidden chest of silver coins. There were other treasures and trinkets that he would’ve liked to bring had he had more time, but this was the lot that was drawn. He needed to get out.
“Erik Torsten. You haven’t answered me yet.”
He stood up straight and gave himself a second before turning to face his sister. “West. We go to the land of the Norse, get what supplies we’re still missing, then go west to England. There’ll be plenty of land, and my brother was never a fan of the warmer weather there. We’ll be safe.”
“Are you giving up on our home?”
There was pain in her voice that was echoed in his chest. This was their homeland. Their ancestors lived and died here. They knew every inch of their land like it was the back of their hand. Both had lived good lives here, full of memories and love that meant nothing the moment his brother turned on him. And if they left, it was unlikely they would come back.
“Yes. For now.”
“What if we reached out to our Norse allies?”
“They would never make an enemy in a different land, and they would never support a coward—”
Kirra scowled and protested his words, “You are no coward!”
“We may know that, but according to our traditions… That is what I am. Now, let’s go.”
He put his arm around his sister and led her out to the waiting longship. There were others that looked to be ready to leave with him – enough to fill another longship, but they were still a minority. These were the ones who would believe in his leadership. The rest who stayed were either too afraid to leave their home, or on the side calling him a coward. Either way, as he looked at the darkness over his town, torches flickering in the chilly air, he knew that this was not the last time he would set foot here. But until then, Erik would need to say goodbye.
They get a chance to finish up that talk and start their relationship on the right foot… with a bet of sorts. Some NSFW stuff in the chapter. Excerpt below as always :))
~200 word excerpt
It was quick to just scrawl his signature on the line then shove the paper back towards Brimstone. For how difficult the months were leading up to their stupid little confession at Sova’s bedside, everything after felt easy. Brimstone approved quite easily with certain stipulations, such as not being on the same missions as Sova and keeping their relationship under wraps. But he was free that evening to spend time in Sova’s room, doting on him almost like a mother with their injured child. Sometimes more like a mother than he’d like.
“We’re not having any fucking drinks. You’re recovering, and no matter what you try to convince me with, I know that a hangover does not speed up the healing process.”
“It is one drink, Breach,” Sova sighed. “There is no harm.”
If Breach were being more honest, he’d admit that he was worried that one drink would lead to more and eventually end with them fucking again. He’s never had a real relationship before. He’s had one-night stands, friends with benefits, and he’s been someone’s rebound, but he’s never built a healthy relationship for himself, and he might’ve been too old to learn, but better late than never. The look in his eye though, told him that Sova wanted a little something earlier that day, and turning him down would be hard.
“Why do you want one drink then?” Breach asked. “One isn’t enough to get you drunk, and it can’t be for the taste…”
Finally, some good fucking communication… kinda :p
~100 word excerpt
When Sova woke up in medbay of the Valorant Protocol, he vaguely remembered what happened after the second electrical strike. He remembered warmth, he remembered saying unhelpful things that would make him blush now, he remembered waking up next to Breach, smiling at him and his raised brows, then purposefully snuggling up to him and going back to dreaming. He was shameless again, with no self control and it felt good. Which was terrible to think.
“You really do make your thoughts obvious on your face, hm?” Breach was sitting next to him in a chair, leaned back and arms folded over his chest. Sova pursed his lips as he thought about what Breach must’ve thought just watching him go through his inner monologue.
“Not always,” Sova protested. He tried to relax, and soon enough Breach conceded the point.
sage x breach could be one of those opposites attract dynamics where he teaches her to take more risks and she teaches him to slow down and appreciate life more but the world may not be ready for that talk yet
So I just had an idea :p
There’s no editing here, I just straight went for it.
~800 words under the keep reading lol. Nothing super shippy (yet?)
“Just me and Breach?” Sage asked, looking at the mission details. “I’m sure I can manage.”
Brimstone shrugged at her. “I’d go with you, but I leave in an hour with the other team.”
She knew what he was saying. In something as potentially risky as this, he would’ve liked to put himself on the mission. But given his abilities and the contents of the other mission, he would be unavailable. His go to partners for her such as Sova and Neon were also gone, some mission elsewhere requiring their abilities. So, he had no choice but to pair her with Breach. A man who had all the experience and abilities that would be nice to have on this job, but the personality behind those skills was… distasteful to say the least.
That sentiment was echoed in Breach’s voice when she sat by Brimstone as he handed the same briefing over to the large man.
“You’re kidding. Why just the two of us? Let me take Raze—”
“Not for this. I don’t need more collateral damage. You’re already bad enough there.”
“It will be done, Brimstone,” Sage spoke up. “There is no need to worry. We can handle it.”
Even without looking, she could feel the frustration radiating off him like heat waves and hear the upset sighs. She did her best to put up with it though, reminding herself of what she was expected to do, and of her duties. If that happened to involve putting up with Breach’s anger, then that was fine. Or so she thought. She didn’t expect him to let that attitude carry onto the battlefield where missteps and petulance could get someone killed. When he outright disobeyed her order to stand down and let their enemies pass them by in their temporary hiding spot, that was enough.
When the last enemy was on the ground, and they were once again tucked away to wait until the sun came back up, she knew they had to address their issues. Breach had taken a serious hit to his thigh which she was able to heal easily enough, but mistakes like that could quickly lead to worse situations.
“Why must you disobey me every time?” she demanded.
“I’m doing what’s right. It’s not my fault your call was wrong.”
“What about my call? If we let them pass, we can take the advantage and surprise them when they aren’t looking. That way, you wouldn’t have been injured! If it was anyone else with you, you would be in trouble because no one else could heal you so quickly!”
He rolled his eyes. “Why is everything about hiding with you? Your walls, your ice fields. Why sit back when you know we have the skill to overpower them?”
“Because I will not risk our lives for something that can be handled in a more secure manner. On sites, we can defend and wait until we have our reinforcements. On the field like this, it means picking a good spot to fight so that we take on the least risk as possible.”
“If you wanted safe, you shouldn’t have joined the Protocol,” Breach muttered.
“If you wanted a fight, there are plenty of petty street fights or sports that would give you what you want.”
“I came from those ‘petty street fights’, so I don’t want to be preached about it by you. I was brought here to get the job done. That’s what I’m doing now.”
“Why are you forcing risks then? You know how dangerous these situations can be.”
“Because I also know that you always want to be the one to hit first. And if you aren’t, you better fucking hit back before they think they can walk all over you. Even Brimstone agrees with that second part. That’s that the portal is for, isn’t it? Hitting back?”
Sage frowned at him while he finished up the rest of his rations.
“Isn’t there a move where you feign one way to take your opponent off guard?”
Breach lifted his gaze from the table between them up to her eyes. “The only time I gave up space by falling back, I lost a good friend of mine. Not everyone restrains themselves like you think. Some will just keep taking.”
“The only time I forced a solution, I put the ones I loved most in the line of fire,” she said. “There are some battles not worth taking.”
He didn’t seem to expect that. Everything, his posture, his facial expression, even his breathing softened. Perhaps she overshared, or perhaps she didn’t share enough, it was hard to gauge now that they were both in a new position. They had never had this moment of peace between them because even in silence, there was a layer of judgement in the tensions between them.
“So we lived through two different paths then. To be expected.”
“But I am the lead on this mission.” Maybe she shouldn’t have brought it back to business so quickly because his eyes looked like they always did again, cold and with some hidden contempt in their depths. “Whatever I say, will go.”
He shrugged, but this was already leaps and bounds better than his open defiance earlier. There was still room to grow with him.
Sometimes things just go downhill. What can you do about it?
~150 word excerpt
There was a moment of focus that Breach only achieved when he was at his lowest. It alerted him to everything, the beads of sweat currently running down his face, the scrapes along his shin, the dull words that echoed from a life already lived in the past.
“I don’t want anything to do with him. Do I need to explain why? You, darling, are beautiful, worth every star in the sky. He’s only…”
“Only what?”
He was worthless. That’s what his father said about him, unaware that he was listening through the cracks at the door. Not that it mattered when he was in jail for the rest of his life, and Breach had both made a name and a fortune for himself. It was all done without his father, so why did that word still bother him so much? Breach kicked the bag one last time and winced as the chain broke and the bag thudded to the ground in a cloud of dust and sand before flopping over.
Erik Torsten was exiled from his homeland by his brother, and forced to make a new home elsewhere. On that night, as he was gathering allies and resources to leave with him, he swore that he would come back stronger and with more allies. Perhaps that vow was what clouded his judgement when he suggested to the Brimstone King that he take one of his children as a partner, and start an alliance between their people. And what’s more, is that perhaps that vow was why he took the stubborn, proud, yet extremely talented Prince Aleksander instead of the princess. Now, on top of being in a new land, trying to survive, and plotting to return home to take down his brother, he has to also contend with an unwilling husband who fights him at every turn. He has seen the strings of the Nornir though, so he knows this is all possible. He just needs to find a way to break all his problems down in the hopes to one day build up stronger.
Explanation/rules of the world below the keep reading!
So, first thing’s first, Breach’s arms are not prosthetics in this world. I understand that it was what led to a lot of his Valorant character development with the crime and whatnot, but from what I learned from the VA interviews was that he is a softie which feels unfitting for a criminal, so I leaned into that as a character conflict considering the very masculine/barbaric view of Vikings.
The reason why I called it the AC Viking AU was because I planned to put in a little bit of AC fiction, like when you dodge an attack how time slows for a second, or basic eagle vision. The actual presence of Eivor or hidden ones won’t have an impact on this story.
I messed w geography as well. Obv, Valo is not a real English Kingdom, but I didn’t really want to bring in the wars with the real English Kingdoms so the conflicts exist and whatnot, but this story exists adjacent to those events so they’ll have an impact on the events but no characters will take an active part in that (as unrealistic as that may seem).
Lastly, I don’t intend for homophobia to be a part of this story. Obv I understand that it was not allowed in those times amongst Christians, and even the Vikings kinda just ignored it? From my reserach, it was allowed as long as you weren’t the bottom and you still had a wife and kids? So yeah, no. In this story, it’s uncommon, but acceptable. People are just going to look at them and think ok, so don’t expect any drama from that.
But yeah that’s about it. I’d be down to explain further as needed, but that’s about it. Hope you guys will enjoy it :))
Where we discuss if Sova’s self preservation instinct is real :)) As promised, update today, then resume regular schedule on saturday! Also, for everyone expecting the worst… It’s not that bad this time, right?
~150 word excerpt follows
Normally, when he reported a successful mission, Brimstone had his next task at hand, and he was sent off as pissed as ever. He wasn’t allowed to celebrate because Brimstone liked keeping him down just as much as Breach liked pissing him off. It was the push and pull of their relationship. When one was happy, the other wasn’t. Breach liked pushing all of Brimstone’s buttons, and Brimstone liked keeping Breach tied to his contract and his work. As long as they got the job done, they could posture against one another again and again, always right at the line but never crossing it.
“Sova’s out on a mission. Thought I’d take it easy on you.”
He scoffed. “I’m not some child who needs my mother. I can be fine without Sova.”
“A mission with an unknown timeline. I don’t know how long it’ll take. It’s between him and Cypher.”
I am posting this a day early in the case that I can’t tomorrow. I have my driving test and it’s a long drive so :p
Anyways, some nsfw but all in the name of making up.
~100 word excerpt below
Sova wanted to but didn’t end up leaving. He slept with his back towards Breach, staring with his one eye at the string that looped over his back and connected to Breach. If they were fated, if this was supposed to be easy, why did it feel so hard now? When he closed his eyes, he was taken back to that day in the forest with Breach’s arm around his shoulders and a lazy walk back towards his car, where Sova was allowed to stare out the passenger window while Breach hummed along with the quiet metal music that Sova had already turned down many times.
Thinking abt how Breach doesn’t have to do arm workouts and instead probably compensates w more time everywhere else. Might be the strongest human in the Protocol.
And I bet Sova would love to trace his fingertips over all the defined muscle on his back and chest. Maybe gets a little nervous around his thighs because being squeezed even during fun times can be kinda tight lol. Def would feed into Breach’s vanity/confidence. Just a little :p
This beautiful large subadult female (measured with stereo cameras @ 4.17m) preferred to cruise up at the surface, while other sharks we experience seem to hug the ocean floor and are seen better with our deep submersible cage.
