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A prompt for you to use however you see fit: "Leaving was not an option."

"Leaving was not an option." Chief says between bites of the third MRE of the hour. Everything he did was methodical, even eating during downtime. Even when recounting past hardships. The only time he wavered was when he reflected on what he saw as a personal failing. There was no harsher critic of the Master Chief than himself.

"That seems to be a recurring theme with you, big guy." Fernando gently chides.

It's just them in the pelican, and Chief has his helmet off to eat something after too many hours hiking the ring and helping marines. It's this small moment of vulnerability where the armor isn't there to hide him that lets Fernando see the frown tugging the corners of his mouth further down.

"Hey, we're only human, remember?" Fernando nudges Chief's arm with his own and fights the urge to do more. Chief seemed skittish with positive attention. Praise and too many eyes on them were the reason that they were dining in the dark troop bay.

Chief looks at the bay door, eyes boring a hole in it as he loses himself in thought.

"Hey," Fernando swallows as those blue eyes turn to him and lock on to his for a millisecond before staring at the offering in his hand. "Want my dessert?"

The wrapper crinkles as he lifts it closer to Chief. He's close enough he sees the Spartan's nostrils flare and the way his eyes track the movement. It's endearing.

"I don't-"

"Take it." Fernando doesn't know where the confidence comes from, but he knows it's fake. He is proud that his hands don't shake as he places the chocolate bar in Chief's hand and then makes his escape to the cockpit.

hurt/comfort prompt(s): "i know you're freaking out, but I've had worse" and/or "you're not fine!"

From this prompt list!

"Tom, remember to breathe. And if you're going to puke, aim somewhere else." Sarah says with all the concern she can muster. She's being incredibly patient about the whole thing and the fact she's got a medic and Tom in her face. It's not like she wanted to get shot, but it what the armor was for, what she was for. Damn thing hurt like a bitch, but at least it went all the way through. At least the military kept her up to date on all her shots. Tetanus on top of everything else happening would just make her mood worse.

He's holding her hand and squeezing hard enough she can notice it through the gauntlet. The error codes her HUD hasn't stopped throwing in her face now subside as the Mjolnir's sensors on her palms read his touch and read out to his IFF tag. They both look and feel like shit, but that makes sense. It's been months with very little progress. No word about anyone else. What is happening out there on the other fragments of this damn Halo?

Thinking about it soured her already dismal mood. Her adrenaline keeps fading and she grimaces at the mess of her shoulder. Missed shot. She huffs a laugh and explains to a bewildered Tom, "Don't let Halsey see, or she'll offer to make us match."

"You're joking? I guess I should be happy about that." He sighs and rubs at his temples. His smile dies a quick death on his face as he looks her over again.

She and the medic attending the weeping wound in her shoulder both side eye the captain who's looking a bit green as he eyes her in return. Well, her wound and the spike round lodged into the rock behind her.

Tom opens his mouth to argue, his bloodshot eyes meeting hers, but the medic finishes taping her and immobilizing her left arm before he can. They spout off basic care. Keep it clean, keep it dry, do not try to poke it - typical instructions for a S-IV. They nod and leave the commander and captain locked in a silent conversation.

When the medic is far enough away, Sarah beats him to the punch. "I know you're freaking out, but I've had worse."

"That doesn't help and you know it."

"You're concerned over nothing. We're built to take hits. It's most cauterized anyway." She's losing ground in the argument and she knows it. She used to silence his worries and deal with the puppy eyes he'd use instead of words. Now he's hovering and he won't stop talking. "Help me eat my lunch and I'll tell you how I saved an Admiral from a Chieftain and only got hit twice by someone not even in the fight."

"Sarah."

"Tom."

She scowls. If she had more energy she'd be pissed off, but these days it was harder and harder to hold onto anything that wasn't anger or revenge. Spite had fueled her a long time, but now there was hardly anything left. She and the armor had been running on empty. Her HUD squawks warnings and overdue updates. "I'm fine."

"You're not fine!" Tom bellows and it shocks her into silence. "Don't say it is. Don't lie. You know I can hear the warning, I can see you limping when the armor locks up. It's unpredictable but this all ends the same way."

He deflates, hand still locked in hers. "I hate seeing you in it and thinking about how it's going to be your coffin."

"Is that all?" She asks. Her voice only catches in her throat on the last word.

Tom's jaw flexes and he swallows hard. He's a mess. She can't really talk, but at least she's keeping up appearances.

"Then we do something about it. Like we always do." She pulls him closer, good arm wrapped over his shoulders. "Pry me out of the tin can and keep moving."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that."

For that one-word prompt: rain?

The jungle was creepy. He'd been to some weird places since they crashed on the Ring, but Bisenti wasn't sure why the hair was standing up on his arms. Bitching with Mendoza and the Sarge on the pelican did little to distract the primal fear and sense of wrongness about this place.

But orders were orders and the captain wanted to check it out. They need to control Halo before the Covenant.

The rain was heavy and the air hot and humid. It made his breath stick in his throat and his uniform cling to his skin. Clammy and cold, hot and flushed with adrenaline. This mission sucked shit.

At least he wasn't Jenkins at the rear, marching through the churned up mud the rest of them caused.

There was a structure in the distance. Their goal and hopefully a chance for shelter and respite. Alien architecture loomed, at odds with the organic landscape threatening to swallow it. It felt like a haunted house or maybe a mausoleum. Spooky stone and shit meant to be condemned and forgotten.

He had a bad feeling about this.

When I think about your writing, it always comes back to the way your descriptions feel so effortless and communicate so much immersion. It doesn't matter if I'm familiar with the backdrop or not, I always feel like I'm actually there.

Thank you! That's so kind of you to say. I always worry I put in too much lore or check the wiki too much worrying about details that bog down the meat of the story, so this is really nice to hear!

Most recent ask game: 5, 7, 23 and 27!

5. first sentence of the fifth paragraph of an unpublished WIP

It was hard to keep things light when the distress calls started pouring in after Cortana's announcement.

I still have to finish the whump thing I said I'd do. oops.

7. your preferred writing fonts

System Monospace - the default font on writer.bighugelabs.com who is my best friend. Courier New and Constantia are what I'm using in Scrivener rn.

23. pick three keywords that describe your writing - answered here!

27. your favorite part of the writing process

The frantic energy of getting a good idea rolling and getting words down. I feel like manic and zen are too oppositional but there's a zone I get in when I feel like I'm going somewhere. Also the planning and research, making the puzzles fit.

🎭 🟥 🏡 and 🌷 for the writer ask game!

🎭What genre of writing comes easiest to you?

I want to say comedy, but also tragedy? They temper each other into sharper blades and make the words hit more. I love writing banter, but also tragedy is so fun in storytelling, especially when the characters can't escape it. It's baked into their souls and the setting. :o)

🟥How long do you spend in edits?

Until I give up and want it out. Sometimes it's a quick look-over and others it's me chewing on it for a while, especially if it's been on the recycle shelf. Usually I sleep on it and just throw it like a grenade, edits can come after posting too.

🏡What is your perfect writing environment?

In bed, on a working laptop, it's 1am and no one needs anything from me until 8am. That's only half a joke but now that Scrivener has opened my eyes, the perfect writing environment is at my desk, music playing, some low risk task hanging over me to motivate/stress me just enough, and no one knocking on my door for an hour. It never aligns perfectly but I almost came close.

🌷What's one of your fics that isn't as popular, but you hold dear?

Can I say all of them? [JOKE] I adore the tags people leave me and the fact they took time to read anything I made. It's just very funny to Chief/Esparza fic number skyrocket vs anything else I write.

Making the Most of it deserves more love and attention. It's just funny seeing numbers go up on my non-halo fics in alive fandoms. It's not much but it's honest work, someone has to add to the tags, and I'm having fun.

WIP ask: 🌍 🤔 and 🤡

🌍What tags or warnings will your / one of your wip(s) need if you intend to share it? - The usual, canon typical violence, or AI Nonsense. I am going have to tag for piss stuff in the body sharing fic. It's not the focus but I don't want to jumpscare the 5 people who read my stuff. That one has the working title "Mind Games" and has been elevated from the miller/roland bodysharing thing. Guys being dudes and all that.

🤔What’s a story you’d love to write but haven’t even started yet? - so many. my discord tells me recent 2am ideas are AI POV of flying in space vs "feeling" atmosphere and the ship as a body. And then all the knightposting has me thinking of one for Master Chief and being a figure, an ideal that can never be achieved but him thinking about how many have been changed and have died in his name. Something about marines and other Spartans striving to look and he him. The King that dying knights never meet, that sons and father die trying to achieve.

I also want to write a cute aquarium fic! I can cover many tones at whiplash inducing speeds

🤡How many Wips are you actively working on?

hey now :o) - probablyyyyyyyyyy less than 10

ones i will say are Mission Parameters, the MRE fic, Morbid Curiosity, and a friend attack are the active ones. plus anything marked incomplete on ao3 is on the back burner but not abandoned.

I did just finish the art trade Mjolnir Syndrome and the goofy R&R fic in the last week so everyone clap.

writer ask game! 🛼 🔪 🥐

🛼 ⇢ describe your latest wip with five emojis

💙🤦‍♀️🎥🍽️🧍‍♂️

🔪 ⇢ what's the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project?

Weirdest topic... WWII flightsuits, geography of Mars, Lists of birds in Greece, Brain stuff for Brain Bleed/ Morbid Curiosity. I always end up researching more than I use. Spike weaponry and puncture wounds, cross checking people's claims and running into no citations or lore :( I can't think of the weirdest one right now but I have spent some time on wikipedia and halopedia comparing notes.

🥐 ⇢ name one internet reference that will always make you laugh

"Do you think they would just do that? Go on the internet and tell lies?" and anything that's easily quotable.