#(i mean it was in a building so not like you could go sightseeing but STILL! ARGENTINA MENTIONED)

[vonlipvig]

spent the whole afternoon playing operation tango with my friend. imagine our surprise when the bad guy was revealed to be ARGENTINIAN.

DIVERSITY WIN! the evil hacker mastermind es argentooooo 🇦🇷.

[dazed-and-confused23]

Dear Hearts and Gentle People 6

Summary: There is only so much you can do for Cooper when the two of you are attacked, and the extra vials you carry are crushed. There is only so much you can do when Cooper’s stash runs out. The wasteland takes as much as much it gives.

Pairings: The Ghoul | Cooper Howard x Female Reader

Warnings. Pretty angst filled here. Plus some kissing.

Masterlist

Part 2 -> HERE

It's been a week, give or take a couple of hours, since the group of raiders had jumped Cooper and his trader. They'd been wandering through some ruins, sightseeing as you liked to call it, when they began to crawl out of the burnt out buildings like ants. You and Cooper had worked like a well-oiled machine, but that still didn't mean that either of you was perfect.

One of the raiders had gotten the drop on you, literally flinging herself from the second flood of a building and slamming into your back, and in turn, your backpack that carried your wares inside. You thrashed about, jerking back and crushing the woman against the concrete wall, trying to shake her off. You smacked her again against the wall, and finally, she lost her grip and fell to the floor.

Cooper had shot the raider before she had time to get up, gore splattering the wall, and then the fight was back on. The two of you were exhausted by the time the fighting was done, and after a bit of well deserved looting, Coop had made a small fire in one of the more preserved buildings and you began to sort through your wares.

While the ghoul sucked down a vial, you had found the crushed medical case, heart shattering when you'd opened it to reveal your sizeable stash of chems destroyed. Fear had gripped your heart, and you shifted through your shattered stockpile and found a single surviving tube.

You'd looked at your ghoul, who looked relaxed across the campfire. The two of you were deep in the wasteland. At least a two week journey to the next town, and it would be a gamble if they sold the chems Cooper would need. You'd swallowed harshly and called his name, voice cracking.

"Cooper. We've got a problem."

His gaze had sharpened, his eyes skating over your form and looking for any kind of injury. When he found nothing, he raised a brow, confused, but still weary of your fearful expression.

"What's wrong, Darlin'. You look right as rain to me," He rasped and reached for his canteen, taking a swig of water that he immediately choked on when you lifted up the single vial. He stands and crosses the fire, crouching down and shifting through the broken glass himself.

"When did this happen?" He demands, and you cast your mind back, thinking hard.

"That one raider. She jumped on my back. They were probably crushed in the fight," you say and hand him the surviving vial, "That's the only one I found."

Rage and fear war within his chest, and Cooper stands, kicking a rock as hard as he could, a snarl on his lips, "Fuck!"

Now, a week later, Cooper hardly had the strength to move. The caughing had started two days ago after he'd sucked down the last chem. He lagged behind you, shoulders drooping and hat covering much of his face as he focused on putting one boot in front of the other. The clinking of his spurs was your only comfort.

Another two days passed, and Cooper couldn't go on. His strength sapped from his bones as he lay across from you, posted up on an old bed in a dusty motel. You kneeled by his side, fingertips tracing his jaw and up his cheekbones. You sniffled heavily, and then leaned in to kiss his brow.

"Ain't gotta go cryin' over me, Darlin'," Cooper murmured and closed his eyes, wishing that he could feel the press of your lips against his flesh better. A tickle licked his throat, and he turned away from you to hack, spit flying and a wheeze echoing through the room when he flopped back in the bed.

You ignore his words and fish out a bottle of water to hand him. You watch, concern coating your features as he hand trembles, and Cooper ends up splashing himself. You hold it steady after he sighs heavily and hands the bottle back.

"Promise me that you'll still be here when I get back," you say after you've taken the water back and stowed it away. You've got a plan, and you'll be much faster by yourself, now it was the hard part, and that was leaving Cooper behind.

Your ghoul sighs and gives you a look. Coop thinks that the two of you have had a good run, and if this is how he's gotta go, then so be it. He just hates that the last thing he'll see is you crying.

"Baby girl. I can't make you a promise I can't keep," He rumbles and forces himself to sit up, giving his girl a weary grin and taking your hands in his own. He presses his lips to your knuckles, one at a time, "You can't let some old man like me slow you down."

You force back the tears that threaten to fall. Coop never liked it when you cried, and you would do your best not to now. You would save this stubborn bastard if it was the last thing you did. Using his hold on you, you tug him down and in for a kiss, so sweet and full of love that the ghoul's clutches you back before he has to pull away and cough harshly.

"I'll be back before you know it, Cowpoke," you say, and at this point, you don't know if it's to assure him or you. You push yourself to your feet and fix your pack, bending to kiss Cooper one last time, memorizing the rough feel of his lips against yours.

Cooper pushes you away after a moment, a fond smirk playing on his lips, "Get outta here, cowgirl. I'll stay right here."

You give a decisive nod and then march away from him, exiting the motel and starting in the direction of the closest town. You had a ghoul to save.

[harrysgal]

I DIG YOUR CINEMA (5)

harry styles x yn aspiring filmmaker — social media AU

About the smau: yn starts posting videos on youtube and is trying to build a career as a filmmaker. Things are going pretty well for her and she starts getting more attention when she creates content about shows she goes to. She’s also a fan of Harry’s music and some of his fans start getting suspicious when his team starts interacting with her.

Disclaimer: The story it’s set in 2021 and it will follow their relationship through the LOT leg in the US. Since this is nothing but fiction, I will be following some of the real timeline but also adding my own stuff. On top of that, I won’t be basing myself on Harry’s actual posts.

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PART 4 — THE VIDEO // MASTERLIST

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I DIG YOUR CINEMA (PART 5) — FROM SAN ANTONIO TO DALLAS

liked by bestfriend, sisterinlaw, cuteguy and 63,157 others 

yourinstagram sightseeing tonight 😍 getting to know these cities only gets better and better guys 

view all 9,105 comments

harryfan7 was this before or after dinner with harry? 😏

↳ harryfan3 stoppp. my heart cant take it ↳ harryfan11 no bc the idea of them walking together and stopping to take pictures it’s just so 🤏

lookitsnyoh 🦭 pillowpersonpp 🦥 anthonypham 🧸

↳ harryfan not the teddy bear!!! 

harryfan117 MISS SARAH JONES IS HERE user8 whats with all the emojis guys!! let me innnnn  user1 YOU’RE BACK 🥰 bestfriend its not the city its all you baby bc you light up the world like nobody else

↳ harryfan that was just… ↳ harryfan5 HEJAHDH NO YOU DIDNR ↳ yourinstagram ….  ↳ yourinstagram i dont even know how to react  ↳ bestfriend wish i could say im sorry or embarrassed but im actually not 

cuteguy Looks amazing!

Sep 10, 2021 •

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liked by user1, user4 and 517 others

cuteguy congrats darling ＠yourinstagram 

view all 75 comments 

harryfan60 see?? she isn’t dating Harry

↳ harryfan58 I fucking knew it  ↳ harryfan62 hope this pr nonsense stops 

user14 little sus but alright ig  randomguy cool bro  user44 dude there’s no way she hasn’t cheated on you lol user3 you guys are so fucking disrespectful can you pls leave this man alone???

↳ user26 I mean he’s the one who decided to go public so… 🤷‍♀️ ↳ user3 his ig being public doesn’t automatically mean you’re supposed to be rude tho. 

user36 Am I the only one who finds this picture adorable?

↳ user38 me too!! i was looking for a nice comment about it lol thanks! ↳ user36 I mean they definitely look like a couple and idk it’s a cute pic :( ❤️ liked by author 

Sep 10, 2021 •

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liked by annetwist, bestfriend, cuteguy and 63,879 others 

yourinstagram update time: went out for a run and my lungs got on fire. view was great though. zero complaints. also the show last night was INCREDIBLE. 

view all 13,719 comments

bestfriend shut up you actually went for a run?? 

↳ harrystyles I wouldn’t call that going for a “run”.  ↳ bestfriend okay that actually makes more sense now ↳ yourinstagram excuse me????? 

harryfan OMFG harry interacting with yourbff??? 

↳ harryfan5 I KNOW! where are you ＠bestfriend are you still alive???  ↳ bestfriend no  ↳ bestfriend but im pretending to be cool about it so 🤫 ↳ harryfan OMFHAJDHPAHDJ ILY

cuteguy 😍 user7 yessss! two days in a row!!!! thank you!!! user1 looks so prettyyyyyy! hope you’re doing okay <33

↳ yourinstagram i am!! thank you love <333 

yourbrother Won’t believe you’ve moved your ass to be healthy until I see it.  

↳ yourinstagram the fact that you dont believe me wont change the fact that it happened :D

harryfan15 harry is such a stalker. interacting with her posts when he doesn’t even follow her lol harryfan25 Anne started following her!!!  user10 Not to rush you, but are we getting more videos anytime soon? I was so used to getting one every week… :( user25 So… She’s officially dating that cuteguy, isn’t she? 

↳ user17 What? Who said that?  ↳ user25 TMZ updated that article of her and Harry having dinner with this picture of them ↳ user17 Oh… Where can I see this picture? ↳ user25 She’s tagged on it. ＠cuteguy posted it  ↳ user13 i wouldn’t believe (or read) TMZ guys ↳ harryfan68 funny how you won’t believe TMZ when it’s about this guy but you’ll believe them when it’s about harry ↳ user13 lmao I’m not in that fandom so I couldn’t care less about her dating harry or not. 

harryfan13 SO WE ARE ALL GOING TO IGNORE THE FACT THAT HARRY AND YN WENT OUT FOR A RUN TOGETHER?????

↳ harryfan60 Yes bc no one actually believes they did. Next. ↳ harryfan68 hahaha you ate this one 

Sep 10, 2021 •

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liked by harryfan, harryfan2, harryfan3 and 4,375 others 

harryupdates A fan met Harry in San Antonio today! 

According to the fan, Harry said he was on a tight schedule so couldn’t stay for a chat, but agreed to take a quick picture and thanked her for going to the show. 

view all 675 comments

fanwhometharry “Thank you so much I hope you enjoyed it”, those were his words exactly :’)

↳ harryfan27 OMG IT WAS YOU?? YOU’RE SO LUCKY ↳ fanwhometharry I know!! Thank you!!! ↳ harryfan24 was he alone??  ↳ fanwhometharry No, he was walking with his personal trainer and Yn ↳ harryfan52 his personal trainer also has a name btw and it’s Brad  ↳ fanwhometharry Sorry, I don’t keep up with his personal trainer 🤷 I only know Yn bc I watch her youtube videos ↳ harryfan9 don’t apologize they’re always finding something to complain about lol happy for you!!

harryfan72 How convenient… He always agrees to take pictures when Yn is around 🙄 

↳ harryfan68 right??? almost as if he WANTS people to spread the word… 

harryfan13 I KNEW I WAS RIGHT AND THEY WERE TOGETHER

Sep 10, 2021 •

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liked by annetwist, bestfriend, cuteguy and 61,574 others 

yourinstagram DALLAS! you are sooooo so pretty <3 we arrived yesterday and im already in love. it was a sunny afternoon so i went out for a walk, and as i was on my way to buy some flowers to myself (bc i wanted some so i got some) i had one of those surreal moments thinking about how lucky i am to be where i am right now. im always waiting for this feeling to eventually go away so i can come back to my “old life” and my “old self”, but now im kinda considering that as time goes by and i get to know more and more places, it will actually only grow bigger and bigger, right? :’) 

(in that case, feel free to unfollow me now bc the annoyance will only grow bigger and bigger as well — consider yourself warned.)

view all 14,102 comments

sisterinlaw The summer vibes are gorgeous! harryfan42 WAS HARRY WITH YOU????  user1 another post??? feels like going back to the old times im so happy!!! harryfan64 this girl won’t even post her face and she got like 4k new followers in one day 

↳ harrystyles82 It’s the Harry Styles effect  ↳ harryfan64 glad im not the only one who sees it 🤡

harryfan YN? DID YOU ACTUALLY JUST SAY I WANTED SOME SO I GOT SOME??? 

↳ harryfan5 i saw that too i was like… okay 😂 ↳ harryfan9 hahaha I hope she actually did get some tbh  ↳ harryfan13 ME TOO!! ↳ bestfriend yes. she 100% did ↳ harryfan9 😲 ↳ harryfan lmaoshuahsjbjh  ↳ harryfan17 wait ＠bestfriend she 100% say “i wanted some so i got some” or she 100% got some?  ↳ harryfan23 oh god i cant believe this is a real conversation you guys are having HAHAHA

user17 please keep feeding us with your random cute posts!! <3 i love them!! bestfriend fgs ＠yourinstagram have some manners  bestfriend i thought you didnt like exposing yourself like this  bestfriend also… your mom is on instagram so…  bestfriend PLEASE 

↳ yourinstagram omfg shut upppp ahusdhjahj ↳ yourinstagram stop encouraging the nonsense behavior??? ↳ yourinstagram you KNOW i meant the flowers ↳ yourinstagram i wanted some FLOWERS so i got some FLOWERS ↳ bestfriend yeah i know 💐 ↳ bestfriend sorry its just too funny sometimes 💋

loveynrry did anyone else notice yn hasn’t liked THAT picture yet? 👀

↳ user4 which one? ↳ loveynrry the one @/cuteguy posted ↳ user4 ohhhhhh 👀 ↳ user4 also did you notice yourbff doesn’t follow him ↳ user9 shit ＠user4 i hadn’t noticed that  ↳ loveynrry i did, yeah… thats why im sus about him ↳ user4 I mean, I trust yourbff judgement soooooo…… 

Sep 11, 2021  •

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— — — — — 

PART 6: soon!

— — — — — 

[saltydumplings]

hi, i love your writing!! could i request a stoic, oblivious Right Hand x a flirty, frustrated Villain/Supervillain? thank you! <3

Request #28

This one was fun, hehe...

"Looks like you and me are going on a little trip together, Right Hand," the villain purred, one hand trailing across their subordinate's shoulders as the other finished typing up their notes. "A nice vacation - just you, and me..."

"A mission," the right hand corrected.

The villain's left eye twitched. "Well, yes," they conceded. "But that doesn't mean you and I can't do a little sightseeing now, does it?"

They sat down upon the table their henchman was working at, delighting when the other's gaze turned up to look at them. For all of about one second.

"What would you like to see? If you tell me now I can book it all in advance."

Always so work orientated...It drove the villain mad beyond belief: how - how? - could a person possibly be so oblivious? They'd been hitting on the right hand for months and all the other ever did was warp their teasing words into a literal work task. The villain was going to do something rash soon. They could feel it; feel the itching need to just take matters into their own hands bubbling up within them by the second. The villain wasn't sure whether they'd kiss them or punch them but those were certainly the highest probabilities right now.

"Well, what would you like to see?" the villain questioned back. "We are going together after all."

The henchman paused, opening up a new tab on their laptop. "Are you asking for recommendations?"

The villain squinted down at them. "Sure. I guess..."

"The top result seems to be the Sagrada Familia which, of course, is pretty obvious. There's also--"

"No, I didn't ask what some stupid guide said to see: what do you want to see?"

The right hand shrugged. "It isn't my concern. My main focus will be the mission."

"This will happen after the mission," the villain said. "I want us to spend some time alone. Together."

They didn't think they could lay it on any thicker. Still, the henchman had the audacity to raise a brow at them.

"Like a team building exercise--?"

"NO!" the villain cried in an outburst. "Not like a team building exercise!"

The other blinked up at them at that, mildly startled. "Then what--?"

"Together, Right Hand," the villain repeated. "You and me, together."

Surely they'd understand now.

The right hand studied them for a long while, expression scrunching up slightly as they contemplated it. "If you're trying to repay me for the London fiasco, it isn't necessary. I was simply doing my job--"

"WHAT ABOUT THIS WORD DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND?" The villain had reached their breaking point. They were practically seeing red, hands curling into fists at their side. "TOGETHER, HENCHMAN. TOGETHER, TOGETHER, TOGETHER. LIKE - LIKE A...LIKE A...GAHH!"

They threw the other's laptop across the room and pulled them in by the collar of their shirt - the chair the other had been sat upon wheeling them forward with the force until they were situated perfectly between the villain's legs. The right hand blinked at the motion, staring up at them with wide eyes whilst the villain glared down, pinning their subordinate in place with a single look before finally yanking them up higher to smash their lips together.

It was the most satisfying action the villain had ever taken.

The henchman made a sound they'd never heard before: a small, startled thing in a far higher pitch than the villain knew them capable of. Their mouth opened in surprise and the villain took immediate advantage of it, sliding their tongue in passed the right hand's lips with a fierce determination and delighting in the way the other fumbled for a moment before holding onto their waist. The villain smiled and pulled them closer still, their one hand tangling into the henchman's hair whilst the other captured their chin, moving them until they got the exact angle that they wanted and keeping them that way.

Once they were satisfied, the villain pulled back with a smirk. Their right hand panted beneath them, face flushed a bright red as they turned to look up at them - the villain tightening the grip on their hair and adoring the shudder it invoked.

"Do you understand now?" they asked.

The henchman nodded.

"Good." Their thumb brushed over the other's lips, breath ghosting across their blushing cheeks. "Answer my question then: what would you like to see?"

For a second there was silence, the right hand swallowing before they made their response.

"P-Park Güell looks nice," they suggested. "A-And I know it's th-the, um, obvious choice b-but the Sagrada Familia really is beautiful - I-I like art so..."

From stoic to a stuttering mess. The villain liked this sudden change of tune.

"Sounds nice," they said. They leaned in to give the henchman one final kiss, nipping at their lower lip before pulling away entirely. "Book it. I want the itinerary on my desk by the end of the day, is that clear?"

"Y-Yes, Villain."

They dropped down from the table and moved away, turning back just before they left through the door. "Oh, and Right Hand?"

"Yes?"

The henchman seemed practically rooted to the spot, the shock of the moment still holding them captive.

"If I catch you being that oblivious again, you can expect far worse than a kiss," they warned. And then they waited. Waited the ten whole seconds it took the right hand to realise exactly what they meant, their blush turning an even darker shade of red once they did.

The villain was looking forward to this trip greatly...

[gyustarzzi]

ateez taking you on vacation

★ hongjoong

- Paris, France - takes you on an expensive date - will beg you to go on a night walk to see the beautiful lights, probably the most beautiful city you've ever seen - way too many photos for you to count - probably took a photo of you without you knowing and has it as his lock screen

" Isn't it beautiful tonight? "

☆ seonghwa

- Bora Bora, French Polynesia - the trip was originally for just the group but when he found out he could bring you along of course he couldn't say no - gets a two-bedroom premier beachfront villa estate (WHICH IS HUGE) - you guys go scuba diving and reef discovery with the other members - will dare you to do parasailing, which you both end up doing and let's just say it didn't end well. you get hit in the face by a bird

" I dare you to do the parasailing, if you do it then I'll do it "

★ yunho

- Rome, Italy - you guys go to a lot of historic tours through Rome (Colosseum, Roman Forum) and art-filled institutions (Vatican Museums, Galleria Borghese) - yunho takes way too many photos of you and him during your trip - you guys almost get lost in one of Roman's catacombs, but don't worry you guys get out soon...somehow - probably will go back next time you go on vacation

" Oh shit..I think we're lost Y/N '

☆ yeosang

- London, England - he probably would go back bc he loved the city so much - takes you everywhere and I mean EVERYWHERE (it's his only time to spend time with you all day) - can't stop fangirling over every photo you take of yourself - probably proposed to you at the top of The London Eye, if not then he would just kiss you

" Since you've been around I smile a lot more than I used to, and that's why I love you "

★ san

- Tokyo, Japan - goes to a lot of anime stores and buys way to much stuff - you guys not only go to Tokyo Disneyland but Tokyo Sea Lif Park!! - get to play with cats at Hogoneko Rafu Space and you guys end up adopting a ragdoll named mocha - not only do you get to spend time with San for a whole week, you also get to go home with a sweet kitty!

" She's perfect for us, let's adopt her! "

☆ mingi

- New Zealand - there are so many things to do in New Zealand so of course he would pick to go there - you guys would go to the glow worms cave, which you find so pretty but mingi is afraid they will fall on him (they won't) - you also get to take a tour around the Hobbiton movie set, mingi's treat - you do a lot of more fun stuff during the week you have together (Shotover River Extreme Jet Boat Ride in Queenstown, Waitomo Caves & Te Puia in Aucklund)

★ wooyoung

- New York City, United States - the members were on tour in america and one of their stops was new york city - you ended up flyng down there and surprising wooyoung at his hotel - you guys do a lot of sightseeing: the statue of liberty, summit one Vanderbilt, and you went on a cruise - at night you and the members would go out and have fun...maybe get drunk

" This view is amazing, it feels like I'm about to fall "

☆ jongho

- Sydney, Australia - you've always wanted to go to australia, so jongho decided to surprise you on your birthday - you spend a whole week there going shopping, sightseeing, playing in the water with jongho and having the best birthday ever (Darling Harbour, Queen Victoria Building, Sydney Opera House, etc.) - at the end of the week (your birthday) all the members, and your friends surprise you a birthday cake - you end up with the cake smashed into you face. wooyoung definitely didn't do it..

" You got a little something on your face "

[rookiesbookies]

Soap What if AU based on the new skin?

This is based on that new CoD skin where he has the funky face mask. Soap you sexy sexy lad I love you

Make sure to hit up my master list (pinned on profile) and my AU list (linked on master list) for more. The fic is under the cut-

And a quick thank you to my lovely mutuals @shotmrmiller and @ohmygraves - my dyslexic butt couldn’t do it without you both *MUAH*

Amidst the chaos of battle, a figure emerged from the smoke and dust. Clad in unfamiliar gear that glinted menacingly in the sunlight of the desert waste, a muzzle or mask of some sort over his nose and mouth. As the soldiers on the battlefield tensed, the world slowed, and for a moment the dust settled so they could lay eyes on the man.

The breaths of the soldiers Simon ‘Ghost’ Riley, Kyle ‘Gaz’ Garrick, and Captain John Price caught in their throats, and a chilling realization dawned upon them, slithering up their spines and making their skin crawl - it was John MacTavish, Johnny, or what seemed to be him.

The Soap had returned, but not as the valiant ally they once knew.

Simon, Kyle, and John stood frozen in disbelief, their eyes wide with shock and horror at the sight before them. They had seen Soap die. It was irrefutable. The hole in the head, blood seeping into the cracks of the cement. blank, dull eyes, so different from the usual vibrant feverish blue.

They had mourned his loss and buried his memory deep within their hearts, they had buried their brother in arms and brother at heart.

Yet, here he stood, wearing the insignia of the enemy, his blue gaze ice-cold and unrecognizable from the warm and bubbly Soap they once knew.

He was just how they had last seen him. Due to Scottish Highlander genetics, he had never been a scrawny kid, always broad and covered with coarse hair. He was still built like a rugby player, just as wide. The only difference was a dent in his temple, it was just large enough to see, and the ventilation face piece he was wearing drew attention away from it. Scarring had turned some of the hair over it white.

Unlike the wound on his head, his death was still fresh, even after over two years, in his teammates’ minds. Not a day would go without a somber moment for him, a memory making them all laugh. A team of four now cut down to just three. Like a table, if anyone put pressure on where the missing leg was it would fall- all having to take a moment and walk away from each other before quietly reconvening.

When he looks over the three of his past teammates, it’s as if they aren’t even human. To him, they are prey.

No witty remarks were leaving his mouth, not a quip or joke. Johnny just barked orders and raised his gun.

“Captain!” Simon quickly tackled Price out of the way, through a door, and into a side room of the building. “This isn’t a good time for sightseeing.”

Price barked an order at Ghost and Gaz, they quickly moved out of the building without what they came for. Now they’re directive changed.

They had to talk to Laswell.

“I brought his body back, it was recovered. Why is he out there now, alive, and against us?” Price yelled. He wasn’t yelling at Laswell, as much as he just happened to be emotional and yelling to express himself.

“We’re both asking the same question right now, John.” She said, calmly. “I sent out word and I’m running it up the flag pole as we speak.”

“I want to know who let someone else get ahold of his body. He should be buried and resting,” Price said, white knuckle gripping Laswell’s desk.

“And I agree, but we can’t change the past. We need to figure out what happened and what to do now.”

“I can’t kill him,” Price whispered, looking down at the desk, “even if it means letting him rest again if we can’t save him, I wouldn’t be able to do it.”

“That’s an incredible jump to a conclusion,” Laswell said, raising an eyebrow.

“He deserves to be at rest.”

“I never disagreed.”

“I-I know,” Price breathed out, before walking towards the door of her office, “let me know when you get answers.”

It was days before John Price heard from Kate Laswell.

“John, I think I have a lead,” she said quickly, the second he answered her call. “They outsourced the transportation of the body to a third party. When I looked into it, they were owned by a shell company with a suspicious name.”

John groaned. “What do we do with that information?”

“I think Grave’s Shadows got to him,” Kate said, her voice softer. “It’s not unthinkable that they could have done something to his mind.”

“He was dead,” Price spat, “I held his cold lifeless body on the heli ride back to base. No heartbeat, no breathing. We’ll talk about this later.”

When Price and Laswell were briefing the team on a new mission, however, was when things hit the fan.

“An unknown transmission,” Kate mumbled. “Think it’s our answer? It’s address looks like its coming out of an American base.”

“Well, let’s answer it,” Price said gruffly.

“Hey, old friend,” Graves’ accent sounded, invading Price’s ears. “I heard you had a run in with our latest advancement.”

Price noticed the background. The outline of Soap’s silhouette stood in the dark, back lit.

“Why don’t you say hi to our newest team member, Razor,” Graves says, waving Johnny forward.

John could practically hear Simon’s eyes roll at the code name they had given Soap. It was truly something Soap would have never been given or picked, a clear jab due to it being another bathroom supply. It was far from his personality and clearly Graves’ sense of humor.

“You know that’s not his code name,” Price practically growled.

Kate put a hand on Price’s shoulder, “what did you do to him?”

“Well I did nothing,” Graves said, “it’s amazing how far medical advancements have come, truly. The best part is, he’s the perfect soldier.” Graves hummed, “just perfect at following orders.”

Price couldn’t watch anymore, Johnny was like his son- the whole team was, but Johnny reminded him so much of his younger self. He closed his eyes, trying to calm his heart rate. He was amazed Simon had stayed silent this long, no quid or snippy banter, and he was sure Kyle didn’t even know how to react.

Price didn’t quite know how to react either. On one hand, Soap and more importantly Johnny was alive, he was healed. On the other hand, he was a shell of his former self and far from the witty and friendly sergeant he once served with.

Simon looked like an animal in a corner. He was coiled up in himself, his arms crossed, and Price could see his knotted eyebrows under the mask.

Price only wanted to hang up the call. To throw the computer out the window nearest to him and possibly a chair as well.

“I’d like my sergeant back, Graves.”

“Hmmm, I think he’s mine now. It was my medical services that brought him back, Price.” Graves spat back. “Well, I’m glad you’ve made your introductions!”

Graves hung up the call. Price stood up and walked out the door. Simon stewed in his anger. Kyle went to go get his mind off it. Kate had some calls to make.

————

Hoped all of my lovely readers loved this. Sorry it took so long, 1.2k is nothing to sneeze at. I’ll probably do a follow up part but if you’re a veteran of my page you know Imm really bad about part twos.

If you loved it: hit up my inbox, like, reblog, and leave me a sweet little love note in my comments for more all are available options.

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As stated up top- my door is always open, make sure to hit up my master list (pinned on profile) and my AU list (linked on master list) for more glimpses into my brain like this one. I love hearing what you want to see and I can only truly know that via comments and ESPECIALLY inbox messages

I love you all, be good, play nice, and keep reading on <3

[milaisreading]

Misunderstandings

Pairing: Itoshi Sae x Reader

Warnings ⚠️: none in particular. Reader uses she/her. Requests are open

⚽️Blue Lock belongs to:Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura⚽️

(Y/n) was in Japan for something Blue Lock related while her friends were still across Europe in their teams. The first few days were pretty uneventful with her doing some paperwork and preparing some documents to bring back to Germany. Well, today was the day in which her mundane stay in Japan would pretty much change. One moment (Y/n) was minding her business at the JFU building, waiting for Ego and Anri to finish their meeting, the other she was startled by a reporter, asking her weird and personal questions about Sae and herself. Questions like 'How did you two meet?' and 'How do you feel about being official?' flew around... Wait!

"What do you mean with official?" (Y/n) asked, obvious confusion laced her face as the reporter raised her eyebrow and took out her phone.

"Now don't play stupid with us, the news of your relationship have been the main topic in Japan and Spain for days." (Y/n) chocked on her saliva as she looked at the screenshoted articles, varying from Japanese to Spanish ones, showing one specific picture of Sae and (Y/n).

'Not this one!' The girl thought as she remembered the incident. Well, it was nothing scandalous, but the media made a stupid twist of the whole situation.

Flashback...

'Bachira, Otoya please hurry up. I am so hungry.' (Y/n) yawned as she waited for her two friends. She was visiting Spain for the weekend and it just so happened that Barcha and Real played against each other. The game was fun to watch, (Y/n) loved seeing her friends on the field, seeing how much they developed and the great scores they made. She was also left in awe but not in surprise when Sae would show his skills, how fast he was and how well he reacted in every situation. The game ended in a tie and (Y/n) was left with a lot of adrenaline in her body, she really wanted to watch them play more.

"Why are you alone?" The girl turned around, surprised to find Sae approaching her, his stoic expression present as ever.

"Ah, Sae-san! That was a great game, it's always nice watching you play!" (Y/n) said, sending the redhead a smile. Sae's face turned red and he cleared his throat, nodding his head at the compliment.

"Thanks. I didn't know you would be here today. Did Bachira invite you?" The boy raised his eyebrow.

"Yes! Bachira and Otoya called me, since I am on a short visit here."

"How long are you staying in Spain?" Sae asked as an idea hit him.

"I am going back to Germany Monday morning, why?"

"Great. I will take you sightseeing Madrid tomorrow. It's my day off, anyways."

"Oh? That's really nice of you, Sae-san. But I already thought of a few places I could visit on my own-" (Y/n) cut herself off as she saw Sae shake his head and take something out of his pocket.

"And let you walk into tourist traps? I know Madrid very well and a lot of the more exciting parts are never recommended. We can exchange numbers, I will text you later about the plans." Sae said nonchalantly. Although he had a completely neutral face, on the inside he wasn't calm at all. His stomach was doing flips and heart was racing as (Y/n) finally gave in. She gave him her phone and she took his, then typed down her number.

"Thank you, I am sorry for the troubles-"

"It's not a trouble. Don't worry." Sae interrupted (Y/n) and gave her a small smile. The girl just nodded confusedly, wondering if the expression she was seeing was real or not.

Present time...

'This can't be for real!' (Y/n) shook her head and looked back at the reporter, shaking her head.

"T-this is a misunderstanding!" The girl defended, groaning when she saw the look on the reporter.

"Really, we are just good friends. Sae-San just offered-"

"I offered what?" The reporters eyes widened in delight and (Y/n)'s in horror as they turned to look at the said redhead walking up to them.

"Itoshi-san, it's so nice to see you back in Japan." The reporter greeted as (Y/n) just kept her mouth shut, face flushing up in embarrassment.

"Yeah, yeah." The older Itoshi nodded, focusing his attention on (Y/n).

"So, why did you mention me?" Sae wondered, standing next to (Y/n), who showed him the articles nervously. The player kept quiet as the girl calmed down a little. Knowing that Sae will deny it to brought her some peace.

"So? Is there any truth to the rumors, Itoshi-san?" The reporter asked.

Sae kept quiet as he returned the phone to her and shrugged his shoulders. (Y/n) jumped a little as the boy wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"I will let you decide that."

"What?!" (Y/n) yelled out as she saw his smirk, but Sae said nothing and started walking off with her.

"Excuse us." The boy said, leaving the reporter and (Y/n) flabbergasted for a moment.

"Wait! It's not true! Sae-san is just joking!" (Y/n) yelled at the reporter, internally crying when she saw the woman take a few pictures of them.

"Why didn't you say anything like 'no, it's not true'? Now everyone will think we are dating!" (Y/n) cried out as Sae kept quiet for a moment.

"Didn't feel like it."

The next day (Y/n) watched on in horror as the articles about her dating Sae were the hot topic for not just Spain and Japan, but in multiple other countries as well. She let out a small cry, knowing she will never hear the end of it from Kaiser once she returns to Germany.

'I need a refund in life!'

Bastard München...

"Eh? Noel,we have a small issue." One of the players approached their coach, looking terrified.

"What is it?" The man asked.

"Well... Kaiser broke his phone, Ness somehow got his hands on a knife, Kunigami broke one of our lockers-"

"What?" Noel asked in shock, but the player kept on going.

"That's not the worst part! Isagi keeps on glaring at everyone and Gagamaru is just throwing insults at anyone who keep approaching the goal. Yukimiya refuses to come out and play. Meanwhile Kurona and Hiori are just ignoring everyone. Kurona even tried to bite someone for approaching him."

"Why are they like this?" Noel facepalmed as he went to see the commotion himself.

PXG...

"So... (Y/n) will be your sister-in-law now, Rin?" The younger Itoshi spat out his water as he looked at Loki in horror. This caught Karasu and Shidou's attention as well, since they were nearby.

"What?! Why would she be my sister-in-law?" Rin asked in horror as Loki raised his eyebrow and fished out his phone.

'If anything, (Y/n) will be my wife.' Karasu and Shidou walked over, wanting to hear what was going on.

"What's the tea?" The tanner boy asked as Karasu leaned against Rin.

"Did our Rinnie make a scandal or something?" Karasu teased, earning a glare from the said boy.

"No, the whole of France is talking about Sae and (Y/n) dating tho. Some tabloids even said a wedding day might be revealed soon." Loki answered, scrolling through his phone.

"What? You are joking, right?" Shidou asked, feeling like throwing up all of a sudden. Karasu had a blank expression on his face as he looked through the articles Loki was showing them.

"Rin, you will be brotherless soon." Karasu threatened as the younger Itoshi said nothing. Rin looked blankly at the phone, feeling lightheaded all of a sudden.

'I am beating him up. I am done.'

Was the last thing Rin thought before fainting. Panicked Loki went to call a paramedic as Karasu laid him on the ground.

Barcha...

"This is a tragedy,this can't be for real. My sweet, cute (Y/n) would never date a barbarian like Sae. These have to be photoshopped." Otoya cried out as he fell to the floor. He just opened his phone to look something up, only to come across an article saying that wedding bells might be ringing for Sae and (Y/n). Bachira walked in on Otoya and had a confused expression at his behavior.

"What happened? We need to go, practice will start soon." Bachira said.

"Forget practice! How can I practice when my sweet (Y/n) is held hostage?!"

"What?! What happened?!" Bachira asked in worry as Otoya showed him his phone.

"(Y/n) has to be blackmailed or something, there is no way she would willingly go out with Sae of all people."

Bachira kept quiet as he read some parts, seeing the pictures of them together made something snap in him and he ran out of the locker room.

"Lavinho, can we cut practice short?! I need to visit Madrid!"

Ubers...

"Sae, you little piece of shit! How can you do this to your bro?! You know I like her." Oliver cried out on his phone as Sae picked up the call. The news of him and (Y/n) 'dating' hit the Italian sites today, leaving 4 players in particular in a foul mood.

"Give me that phone, Aiku. Sae, I am beating your ass for just touching her like this." Baro threatened as he tried to take Oliver's phone, which just caused a fight between the other two. Meanwhile Niko and Aryu were desperately trying to reach (Y/n), wanting to hear her side.

"Why isn't she picking up?! Do you think she is ok? Should we leave and go back to Japan?" Niko asked nervously as Aryu bit on his fingernails.

"I swear if one of Sae's crazed fangirls is harassing her, I will kick a football to his face. My dear, little (Y/n)... what sort of taste do you even have?" Aryu pouted as Niko fidgeted around nervously. Meanwhile Lorenzo and Snuffy were trying to stop the fight between Oliver and Baro.

Manshine...

"Forget it! I am not in the mood!" Chris sighed as Chigiri slammed the door shut. Ever since they arrived at the stadium, neither him, Reo or Nagi were in the mood to play. Right now, all three barricaded themselves in the locker room, not willing to gear anyone out.

"They will get over it... Ego, who did you even send me to play?" Chris cried as he cursed the said man out.

Meanwhile Reo was making calls to whoever he could, asking for a possible transfer so that (Y/n) could be their manager instead.

'Those incompetent losers couldn't keep Sae away, I knew leaving her with them was a mistake.' The purple-haired boy thought.

"(Y/n), please tell me that article of you dating Sae is a belated April fool's joke. I am so close to braking someone's jaw." Nagi said as (Y/n) finally answered her phone. The albino was stressed out over it all, sleep and games were the last things on his mind. He just wanted to hear from (Y/n) that none of it was true and that she just had eyes for him.

"Give her to me. I will talk some sense into her. That fake redhead is no good for her." Chigiri pouted, already making plans to fly her out to Britain.

[mariipun]

Adventures of Wally & The Gang (plus their Caretaker)

Adventures of Wally and the Gang (plus their Caretaker)

Associates Meeting (one-shot)

Warnings: None. Just fluff and funsies honestly; silly antics some of the cast members get themselves into. By no means are my interpretations in relation to Clown’s work, and therefore, not canonically based. Consider this an introduction to the whimsical one-shots to come with our dear Caretaker and the gang.

Word Count: 1,970

Brief Description: Set in the modern world, the Welcome Home cast is alive and aware, living alongside humans. And you have been contracted to be their Caretaker. [you are referred to by the puppets as “Caretaker” or “Care” for short.]

Dedication: @nonomives @kandavers

 *blows kiss* Wanted to give you both this as my debut. 

[I am open to constructive criticism, feedback and ideas! Please inbox me if you have any! I’m a bit rusty with writing, so I appreciate any insight]

In a world much like the Muppets, puppets co-exist with humans. Although the colorful ensemble of characters from the beloved children’s TV show portrays themselves as sweet, educational, fun-loving personas-- when they aren’t on the air, they happen to get themselves into quite a lot of mischief. And you, the lucky individual that you are, have been contracted as their Caretaker to ensure these chaotic puppet actors stay on schedule and don’t put themselves in situations that could cause bad publicity.

You walked off set after speaking to one of the producers as the show had wrapped up earlier than expected. This made it easier to schedule the upcoming appointments you had meticulously organized around the otherwise busy puppet’s schedules. With clipboard in hand, you made your way over to the break area, where most of the cast members were chatting with stagehands, makeup artists, or lounging in their deck chairs.

“All right everyone!” You clapped your hands together to garner the attention of the cast, all eyes turning to you except for Barnaby standing over the spread table, hungrily grabbing at the box of doughnuts one of the interns had placed out. You deadpan at him before shouting his name, earning an audible hmph?! as the blue mass turned to look at you, a sprinkled doughnut hanging from his mouth, with two others in hand.

“Okaaaay—now that I have everyone’s attention, we have an early flight to catch tomorrow for our meeting with our studio associates, which will take place later in the afternoon once we’ve arrived.” You scan the break area to ensure they’re still listening, amused by Julie and Sally as they respond with shared squeals, already chatting about plans to sightsee the area and meet their adoring fans. Their bubbly response caused you to grin momentarily, before turning serious.

“That means! You all need to be awake, packed, and ready to go at 6 A.M. sharp.” You say sternly, now earning loud groans from a few of the puppets.

“Okay, okay.” You waved your hand dismissively to the choir of complaints. You didn’t know why they were complaining, considering they usually wake up this early in the morning to start the show. Rolling your eyes, you let out a breath, mentally preparing for whatever shenanigans these puppets will pull on you later. “You guys have the rest of the day to relax since it’s only 2 P.M. right now. Just remember, we need to stick to the schedule. I don’t want to have to explain myself to the Manager if things derail.”

With a resounding “All right” from everyone, you went your parting ways and continued to work out the schedule’s details. “Also! Julie, you better pack light! We are only staying for two days, so don’t bring your whole wardrobe with you—again…” You called after her, ignoring her refusal to do so.

[Next Day: 5:41 A.M.]

You grabbed your duffle bag, slinging it over your shoulder before grabbing the briefcase on your way out of your small apartment. Before descending the stairs of the apartment building, you turn back in to grab your coffee, yawning in the process. “Ugh, gonna be a long day.” You murmur to yourself, the lingering drowsiness from slumber not yet leaving your body. You check the time on your phone as you take a gentle sip. You only lived a 7-minute walk away from the set, which you were grateful for since (1) You didn’t own a car and (2) The Studio provided you with lodging once you agreed to be the cast’s Caretaker. The pay was all right considering the added bonuses of what the Studio provided for you, although, it’s probably due in part to the various applicants that had been hired and then immediately quit due to their lack of ability to actually wrangle the cast from committing any sort of war crimes. (Guess the Studio needed to give some sort of incentive for someone to fill the role). Taking on the task was daunting at first since you quickly learned how eager the members were to push boundaries. You didn’t necessarily blame them for being curious since there was still so much of the world they wanted to learn about. Of course, this made your job more difficult to handle at times.

[5:53 A.M.]

You walked through the studio’s hallways, quietly greeting good mornings to other studio employees as you passed. The meeting location for everyone was in room 2A, usually reserved for auditions, but opened for you to ensure everyone came on time. Arriving at the room, you saw that most of the members had already arrived. Poppy, sitting comically large on one of the chairs and leaning against the wall as she continued to sleep. Barnaby and Wally both lazily tapping on their phones; Frank and Eddie who were both reading; Howdy who had just strolled in with a loud yawn, and…. Julie and Sally? Who weren’t even here yet. Of course, knowing them Sally would come in ‘dramatically’ late, as per usual, and Julie would usually stroll along. You greet those who were already there good morning, earning a few mumbled good mornings in return and a quiet snore from Poppy. You leaned against the wall next to the entrance, taking out your schedule:

6 A.M. - morning roll call

6:10 A.M.- arrive to cars

6:30 A.M. - board private jet

8:30 A.M. (projected arrival time)

9:00 A.M. – early check-in

-

-

-

1:30 P.M. – production meeting

-

-

-

5:30 P.M. – dinner reservation (for self)

-

-

You nod, everything was still on track for the most part… Sally would soon come in beaming and entered the room with a loud, sing-songy “I’m here!”, followed by the same response as the heaving Julie dragged an absurdly stuffed suitcase in tow. The sudden intrusion caused Poppy to jolt awake, everyone else looking over as the pair came in. You glanced at the time, 6:12 A.M.

“You’re late…and I told you to pack light--” You comment, shaking your head gently as the two tried to begin explaining. Raising a hand to stop them, you turned to everyone with a small smile, went over the plans for travel, and ushered them all to the awaiting cars outside.

[8:32 A.M. Landing]

As the jet landed, everyone deplaned and entered the cars that would transport them to the hotel. Once you have all arrived at the hotel, you check everyone in, soon giving them each their own room keys on the same floor. You gave them all a nod of approval as you all entered the elevator and went up to the 14th floor. You all agreed to meet in the lobby after freshening up to discuss any further plans. As you waved to them, you entered your room and took in the welcoming atmosphere. Plush pillows, clean sheets, a stocked mini fridge, a desk, a great window view, and a bathroom full of high-quality amenities you would surely take back home. (No one’s going to miss a few small bottles of shampoo and conditioner anyway). You place your briefcase on the desk, plop the duffle bag on the chair, and throw yourself onto the inviting bed. With arms spread wide, you inhale sharply as you stretch, sighing in contentment for a moment. The temporary silence gave your much-needed overworked mind some peace, before going into the bathroom to get ready. You would soon greet everyone with a much chippier attitude as they had all been waiting for you in the lobby area. You took notice as more guests began to enter the hotel, some with young children excitedly pointing out Wally and the others, pleading to meet them as their tired parents tried to calm their resounding squeaks. It was times like these when you got a break, witnessing the excitement and wonder of fans felt endearing. You were with a group of celebrities after all. Trying to keep a low profile was, unfortunately, not an option in your field of work.

“So, what do you guys want to do?” Eddie inquires. Everyone began throwing out ideas, Julie insisting they go shopping; Frank, who commented on a museum exhibit; Sally wanting to check out the old (presumably haunted) theaters; Howdy and Poppy bouncing ideas about taking a tour downtown; and Barnaby mentioning an all-you-can-eat buffet. The overwhelming chatter droned out your thoughts as everyone turned to you, arguing that they “Should do this!”, “No, this—“, “Care, I want to—“. You tried hushing everyone as their voices became increasingly loud in volume, garnering more attention from the hotel guests as their rambunctious natures were disturbing the ease of the lobby.

“Hold on, hold on. We only really have three more hours before we go to the meeting, so we might not be able to do everything today—” You try to console everyone, your response not satisfying the puppets as they began bickering amongst themselves. You heard a few complaints that you were being too ‘strict’, too ‘uptight’, ‘just relax a bit will ya, we’ve got time’. You huff, knowing you needed them all together since they’d do ‘who knows what’ when apart from you. Maybe you should just ask to be promoted from Caretaker to Glorified Babysitter at this point, the title is more suitable. You attempted to hush them again, only to be met with more insistence that they do “this idea, or that”. You could barely put a word in as your eyes slowly fell on Wally, who in his usual laid-back manner, said nothing. Simply observing the conversations and locking eyes on you.

You could tell by his demeanor, mischievous grin on his face, he was brewing up a plan. Your eyes narrow, squinting at him as you both engaged in a stare-down. “Don’t—” You emphasized, everyone else taking notice and silently watching. “Wally. Do not—”

“Scatter.”

“I said-- Ah!--?!” Before you could protest, you were encased in oversized blue arms, Barnaby coming up to give you a hug from behind, his chuckles booming loudly in your ears. He picked you up slightly, your legs kicking as you tried yelling for them all to “Get back here!”. Both Sally and Julie bolted for the entrance, waving hello and goodbye to those they passed by; Howdy and Poppy scuttled away, continuing to chat; Frank and Eddie looked at each other before heading to the museum, as Wally sneakily exited stage left. You went limp in Barnaby’s arms, cheeks red with frustration as you slowly descended back onto your feet. He chuckled, patting your shoulder (insult to injury).

“You know kid, you should just take it easy. We finally have some downtime, just let ‘em go and have some fun. Same with you, see you in a bit.” He chimed, walking off to the hotel’s restaurant.

You stood there in defeat, running your hands up and down your face before pinching the bridge of your nose. As expected, it was gonna be a long day indeed.

[2:03 P.M. Associates Meeting]

“Shouldn’t they have been here already?”

“Yeah, I tried calling Care, but they hadn’t respo—”

You burst into the meeting room, hair disheveled, breathing heavy with Wally and Julie tucked under your arms while the rest of the members stood behind you with smiles and greetings. You stomped in, some of the associates just staring as you plopped the two in their seats as the others strolled in before settling down themselves. You said nothing, cheeks hot and nostrils flared before clearing your throat and smoothing your hair. You move off to the side, taking refuge in the seat placed against the wall. You finally slump, head tilted back and resting on the wall as the meeting began.

Yeah, you needed a promotion… and a raise.

[82mitsu]

{18Trip} <PROLOGUE SIDE-A: Still blank> 000-A07 Down memory lane

A translation of 18TRIP's PROLOGUE SIDE-A by 82mitsu. ENG proofreading by sasaranurude.

Headband boy: Anyway anyways, bet you can shoot the most craziest exciting footage of HAMA if you go up to the observation deck! I wanna do that so baaad~!

Kaede: You haven’t been there? To the Sky Garden.

Headband boy: Haven’t you heard? Right now it’s like, if you don't pass that strict annual income check you won’t get in, y’know? A total no go for normal people~

Kaede: That’s just ridiculous…

Headband boy: Back in the day anyone could hitch a ride up top with just 1000 yen, yeah? Shoulda grabbed my chance right there and then! What a waste!

Kaede: Yeah… still, my pocket money as an elementary schooler didn’t cut it last time I went, so I didn’t end up making it to the observation deck in the end.

Headband boy: No way. Gotta be stupidly disappointing, that right there.

Kaede: That’s why, instead, I went to a different place… If I remember right, there’s a building somewhere where you can get a view of HAMA’s port from the rooftop…

Kaede: …Huh? Where did I see that from again… It’s not coming back to me…!

Kaede: (That’s the place where Kafka might be right now, too…)

Headband boy: ……

Headband boy: Say say, what did it look like?

Kaede: Look like… you mean the view from the building?

Headband boy: Yup yup. Whatever was ‘round there will do. If ya tell me, I might be able to guess where that building is?

Kaede: Eh! Seriously!?

Headband boy: For sure! I’m like, aiming to become the best movie director in the whole universe! Which makes me the number one walking encyclopedia of all the cosmos when it comes to locations in HAMA!

Kaede: (Walking encyclopedia aside…) 

Kaede: Thank you! I’ll do my best to remember, and I’m so glad you’re helping me out!

Headband boy: Okies~! But, in exchange you gotta help me with filming. Next time, get everything on film properly, capiche?

Kaede: Ahaha… As long as it’s not in a location that will cause issues for other people, I’ll help out whenever.

Headband boy: Hell to the yeah! Pinky promise!

Headband boy: So? What kinda stuff was there?

Kaede: Let’s see… I’m pretty sure that building had a bento place on the first floor…

Kaede: It’s already evening…

Kafka: …

Kaede: Kafka, aren’t you tired?

Kafka: …I’m tired.

Kaede: Eh? Are you okay!?

Kaede: (Right… Kafka sat down right in front of that building.)

Kaede: Kafka, are you hungry? Wanna buy a bento?

Kafka: I’m fine.

Kaede: Then… a sip from your flask?

Kafka: Don’t need to.

Kaede: Kafka…

Kaede: (I was clueless about what I should do… and then I—)

Kaede: (I pulled on Kafka’s hand, took him up the stairs on the side of that bento place…)

Kaede: Aah… this is the place. Still the same as back then…

Kaede: (That also reminds me—eventually, I found out that Sakujiro-san had been following us from the shadows the entire time that day.) 

Kaede: (But, it’s without a doubt that going on a trip together with Kafka, experiencing that feeling of how a trip broadens your horizons for the first time… That made me fall in love with HAMA.)

Kaede: (This feeling of wanting to go far and beyond to make someone smile, just like when I was putting together this guide—it didn’t come to mind during any of my recent jobs…)

Kaede: Haha… these stairs, feels like it only takes a few steps when looking at them now. And yet back then, it was as if they stretched out higher, further.  

Kaede: (At that time too, I grasped onto the sightseeing guide as I did today… with the other hand holding Kafka’s firmly. I, no matter what it took…)

Kaede: I wanted to make Kafka smile.

Kaede: (That me from back then, is the same as… no, it’s the opposite, isn’t it.)

Kaede: (The memories of Kafka from that day, wanting to give “hospitality” to make someone smile, are what made me  the kind of person I am today. Isn’t that right—)

Kaede: —Kafka.

<<previous chapter / next chapter>>

prologue directory: A01 / A02 / A03 / A04 / A05 / A06 / A07 (x) / A08

[unabashednightmarepizza]

𝐻𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝐴 𝑀𝑢𝑟𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑟

Warnings: Heavy descriptions of death, Clickers, mentions of blood and trauma, Joel and reader being harsh to each other, implying on not being enough, mentions of SA

Series Masterlist | Next Chapter

“Look, all I'm saying that a boyfriend would be good for you Y/N! I didn't insult you or anything!”

“It's an insult for me, Tommy and since when are you a matchmaker?”

“Since my best friend decided that it was a good idea to spend her life alone in a shitty world!”

You chuckled under the mask at his playfullnes and shook your head in fake disappointment. Ever since he rescued you, he and Maria had been nothing but kind to you, even having you over their house almost all the time in the town they made, Jackson. You were grateful for the second chance given to you, and in exchange you wanted to keep the town and everyone living in it safe...

Therefore suggesting to take over an iron factory, and creating a weapon strong enough to kill whoever stood before you...

Who knew an anime would come true?

“Is it not heavy for you? We’ve been walking for quite some time...” he asked, eyeing the heavy weapon over your hips apprehensively, which caused you to raise a brow playfully.

“No, it’s not... I’m used to wearing them all the time Tommy, and besides I was meaning to ask you something.” He groaned at you not caring about what he said once again, dismissing the topic entirely but nodded nonetheless while cutting the plants that made it harder to move. It wasn’t like he wanted your bad, he just wanted you to be happy with someone who could understand you, be there for you...

But it seemed that your decision was made.

“You and Maria normally send me to further areas, you know close to bandits and Fireflies to kill them... Why are we patrolling a dead city?”

“Because... I don’t know, I just felt like there was gonna be something important...” he mumbled and looked to the back of the building you two were standing on, watching the area on a rooftop with guns ready. It wasn’t a good explaination, it wasn’t enough to convince you but you trusted him.

Besides it wouldn’t be too bad to go some sightseeing-

Seeing a movement in front of a building away, you squeezed your eyes to see it and cocked your gun out to zoom on them. Humans... Two humans, entering a building where there were probably a bunch of infected...

“Oh Jesus fuck..! Uhh, Tommy? I’m gonna say something but you aren’t gonna gasp and choke, okay?”

In the end, he did it anyways and you both ran to save whoever they were. Adrenaline pumped through you, getting slightly excited to kill an infected but you two rather found...

“Bandits... always popping out from somewhere...” you sneered angrily while ducking behind a wall, watching them taunt a little girl. You knew how bad those fuckers were and hurriedly made a plan. Tommy would circle behind them to get whatever you two needed while you dealed with them and later, you two would decide on what to do with the girl.

“Hello there~”

And in the end, they weren’t that strong to do any harm to you. All of them laid either dead or unconsccious, which was good enough for you turn and worry over the girl who had been watching you with wide eyes. She had never seen someone be so fast and strong, someone especially a woman make people shake in fear.

You were the first one she saw, after Joel...

“Hey, kid... Are you oka-“

“JOEL, DON’T!” Your body hit the ground harshly with a man on top of you, trying to attack you. The sight of a man above you brought unpleasant memories, resulting in your pulling your legs to yourself and kicking his stomach, knocking the air out of him. You brought your sword above your face as the man tried to hit you with one of his knives. You both grunted at the sheer force both sides applied and you widened your eyes at how the veins in his arms were popping.

Holy shit, just how strong is he-

“Joel, stop! She didn’t hurt me, she saved me!” Ellie screamed at Joel in fright, shaking off the ropes around her wrists to make him stop. The anger and adrenaline started to go away at hearing her voice and Joel was able to see what's in front of him...

A woman...

The red wore off and he got up on his feet while you jumped up and pointed yoyr sword to him, while he watched you warily with his hand above. “What the fuck you asshole? I saved your lives and this is the thanks?!”

Though you screamed, your face was still neutral with no hint of just how much you were scared a few minutes ago. “No one wanted your help, woman! Who the hell are you anyways?”

Before you could have opened your mouth, Tommy appeared from the door way and you instinctively tried to move closer to him...

But the sight of both men widening their eyes and slowly walking to each other made you and the young girl tilt your heads confused.

“Tommy?”

“Brother?”

Ain’t no way...

“For fucks sake, just when I think it couldn't be worse...” you sighed exasperatedly while swinging your sword around. Tommy chuckled and hugged Joel happily, seeing him well and alive had been one of his dreams and he never thought that the people they would be saving were them...

“It’s good to see you in one piece, brother.”

“It sure is, Tommy... God, I can’t believe- Where the hell were you?”

“I strayed a bit but then found a community, a safe place. I save the survivors and bring them there with her. You’re lucky that we have been patroling here and that she was here with me.” Joel eyes your form looking at Ellie’s wounds and helping her, still apprehensive of you. If the life he lived tought him something, it was to never trust anyone.

Especially ones who had such force with them, like you.

Seeing him look at you with pure bad intentions, non-trusting eyes, Tommy sighed and patted his shoulder. He knew that it would take a while for him to get used to you, with your snarky comments and his grumpy nature, but he hoped that you two would get along well. “ Look, I know what you’re thinking but she isn’t all that bad. You attacked her first and she did what any normal human would-“

“I can hear you two talking behind me, guys. I’m not deaf.” You pointed a knife to them carelessy while your back was turned and your crouched down to inspect her wound, to wrap a bandage around it.

“ Good, you were meant to...” You rolled your eyes at the man who stepped closer to you and looked at the girl closely for any injuries, and the ghost of a smile over his lips almost made you faint because holy shit, he actually smiles other than insulting!

“I don’t care if my brother trusts you, I don’t. And until I do, you aren’t getting close to us.”

“Oh yeah, and what were you planning to do with all the bandits and infected around?”

“What I have been doing for the past years, kid. Kill them. Something you clearly are bad at. Who do you think you are, just because you killed some men?”

“ Just a humble trash can trying to roll my way through life, old man. Who are you?” Normally you would have bit down your tongue and keep your sarcasm to yourself, especially in a situation like that. But all your comments always amused Tommy, and now Ellie too.

But not Joel.

All the things, all the deaths happened in front of him and all the stress came out like tide waves. Even a man like him had a limit and unfortunately, you were the one who was at the reciveing end.Both Tommy and and Ellie yelled at him when he cornered you against a wall, sneering at you but you didn’t phase. Men, no longer scared you. Especially those who were like Joel.

“Listen, if you think you can win me over with those sarcasm,  think again. I have seen and experineced more than you, lost more than you-“

“Oh yeah? I didn’t know your mind was amongst what you lost but here is the drill: You’re calling me selfish and mighty, but look at you, thinking your pain is worse than anyone. Let me tell you something quick, motherhugger,” you said, pointing your knife that always stood hidden to his stomach which caused him to step away from you and put a distance while he watched you with angry eyes, shocked to see such passion from you while Tommy tried to stop you from potentially killing him or saying anything you might regret later.

Because he knew that you would be offending him in the most dangerous way.

“ Maybe you lost someone dear to yourself, but trust me everyone in this room lost everything they had! We all faced death, and no one acts like the apocalypse only hit them! So, stop thinking with your dick above your head and let go of-“

The first rule of a zombie apocalypse was to be always careful for any movement around you...

The second one was to be silent...

And guess which one you didn’t apply?

The only sound that would stop an entire room and go silent in this world, was the sound of a Clicker.

And the only thing that would be able to scare Tommy, was four of them standing right before your group.

Joel thought that you would scream or trash around while he had to be the one handling the situation, but to his surprise you went silent and unmoving as a corpse, eyes strictly trained on the Clickers, watching them lurk deeper inside the building. Your eyes turned to Tommy who was keeping Ellie silent, and he shook his head agressively at what your eyes told him. Rolling your eyes at him, you nudged your head towards Joel and signed to him.

Tell your brother to let me go and deal with them before more of them comes...

“You can’t do that... There are so many of them, they never lurk alone...” he whispered angrily before you made a face that made him shut up.

“Cut the shit, Tommy... I’m the only one with the gear and you know of the things I did with this. So, Joel, move your ass so that I can save your asses.”

Lightly shoving him away from you, Joel made a move to stop you from getting yourself killed when Tommy stopped him with a shake of his head and he stayed back while you slowly moved away from them, an eye on the ground looking at the soil while Ellie nudged Tommy to ask what you were doing and he silently whispered to not alert anymore of them.

“ The infected are connected through soil, like a hive. One movement on the part where they are connected and a thousand of them would come... She is looking out so that she wouldn’t alert any...”

Joel nodded in amazement, his anger from before dying out and watching you walk cautiously. He didn’t expect someone to know that much, and probably that was one of the reasons you survived...

She wouldn’t be a bad partner... I guess...

It is odd, you thought while looking over the walls that had many fungi attached to it. When there were four of them here, now none could be seen except the ones glued to the wall at the corners in an odd shape.

They couldn’t have died that soon, right?

“Holy mother of rectangles...” Tommy and Joel turned to each other at your voice from the other side and followed the same path as you. When they entered they saw you closely looking at one of the infected with an amazed look and an unknown protective side made Joel run to you and snatch you away, not caring you utter in shock and amazement.

“Don’t come here! Those things spread spores like shit, you could get infected...” you held a spare mask out to him, urging him to take while he looked at you a bit baffled but accepted nonetheless. He took his lighter over his shoulder to put it on, and didn’t hold back from asking. “Why are being worried about me? Thought you wanted me dead?”

“Just because I'm helping you doesn't mean I care. Your death would be a minor inconvenience in my end but a major one on his. That’s all.” You said, pointing to where Tommy and Ellie were looking to find something while him and you were crouched down next to the body on the ground. What his brother said raked through Joel’s mind, that you knew a lot and that was one of the reasons you survived for so long, and at first he didn’t believe like any sane man. You didn’t look much older than 40, and you would have been a 20 something when the Outbreak happened...

But his curiousity got the best of him.

“You’re lookin’ at the body as if you had been doing that for a long time...”

“Do what exactly?”

“Inspecting bodies, analyzing, that type of shit.”

Snorting slightly at him and how he said all of those, probably understanding no shit, and how unfazed he was even after you telling him that you were fine with leaving him dead- though you didn’t really mean it- you bit your lip and got up while dusting yourself. “I used to do science when I was younger, anotomy always fascinated me... Too bad that... I can’t...” your voice slowly died down and Joel shook his head in question why you did so suddenly when his lighter found the two Clickers standing behind you and his eyes widened in fear...

What would have been a worry for his life only, now has spread to your life too... And it scared him more than the Clicker before him.

You looked ahead, not moving an inch, fearing that they might caught you and looked over to Tommy to see him with wide, scared eyes and a terrified Ellie. It was no wonder, Tommy had been your best friend for so long and Ellie was just a kid...

But what caught you off guard was that Joel having the same expression on his handsome face-

Wait, did I think of him as handsome or...

You squeezed your eyes momentarily and re-opened them, feeling their disgusting breath on your neck while the clicking sounds they made sent shivers down your spine. Your hand twitched, tingled to get a hold of your weapon and kill them...

And that was what you will be doing.

The swishing sound of a sword being pulled out alerted them and they ran to get to where the voice came from and Joel yelled curses at you while Tommy knew what was gonna happen in a few minutes.

Joel and Ellie watched you with shock as you swinged your swords to your back while the four Clicker from before came closer and killed them with one, clear cut, sending their head flying away. Unfortunately,  one of them hit the connection while dropping and the body you were inspecting before suddenly came back to life...

And Joel was its closest prey.

With a pounding heart, you readied yourself to throw the sword to him but a Runner came from nowhere and sent you tumbling down. It went straight to your neck, trying to bite on you but your sword stopped it from getting any close and with a kick to its body, it went away from you but not enough.

It’s not a big deal, that’s enough distance...

Taking out the axe you kept on your back, you cut its neck and it limped before going down and choking on its blood. You huffed out in relief, not having a zombie all over you when a gluttural growl made you turn swiftly to see that two more of them tried to attack Joel, Ellie And Tommy, the last one dropping his gun and being cornered alongside the other two. Not stopping to think even for a second before throwing both swords right at the back of the two Clickers, you sent them into the sweet embrace of death.

Tommy slumped back in relief and for a second, you thought the older male had heart attack when he snapped his neck up and scolded you angrily.

“If I die, I'm haunting you first, you crazy woman! Stop giving me scares all the god damn time! I’m old...” you giggled at him and pulled him up while Ellie did the same and pulled him to the exit with a deep heave.

“Oh, don’t be ridiculous Tommy! At least your ghost would be stuck with a chick like me!”

Ellie, now shaking with amazement and a slight, barely-there fright let out a curse and you turned to look at her while pulling the swords out from the bodies and cleaning them for now.

“Whatever possessed you to do that should possess you more often... You just went woosh, and they went bam!” you smiled sweetly at the girl, kinda starting to have an impression how she was. She had the mouth of a sailor, that one was for sure. She was witty, and snarky much like you but still, there was a sweetness that coated her that you just wanted to hug her...

Not in your current state though.

Joel grumbled under his breath, and you bit your lips hard at hearing it. It seemed that no matter what you did, he would still hate you. And you didn’t see, but Tommy gave him dead stare for what he said, for causing slight tears to appear in your eyes.

“yeah it came a bit late... No wonder people died on her...”

“That’s it! What’s your problem with me, huh?” you took fast steps to him, panting angrily and feeling your hands go cold in fight or flight mode. Chest to chest while he looked down on you and chuckled humorlessly...

And spat his poison unmercilessly.

“ My problem is your saviour complex, honey. You act all smart and strong but I can see your true shit. You are a little girl who wasn’t able to do shit before, and thinks she is at the top of the world because she saved three people now...”

Snap...

Something snapped inside, heart breaking inside. You didn’t have to be reminded of your failures, of the count of how many people you had lost and how much blood you had on your hand Right at that moment, looking inside his brown eyes, all you wanted was to hurt him. Make him feel the same kind of pain he inflicted on you...

“You know what? You’re right... But at least I don’t act like I’m a saint when I killed people willingly. I worked my ass off to save them, to protect them when you only shed blood of others because your little heart was hurting. At least I got to save people, when you couldn’t save any...”

And with that, you slipped away and to the car outside to drive back to Jackson while Tommy and Joel had a scuffle with Tommy stopping Joel and defending you, calling out to how shitty he behaved and how he had to get along with you if he was gonna live in the city.

Damn, it’s gonna be one hell of a journey with them, right?

“Hey...”

“Hey.”

You watched the girl you saved alongside the man earlier, Ellie and Joel, you learnt later, sat down in front of you with a cautious yet noncholant face which made you raise a brow at her in question. For someone who had been chased by a Clicker, she seemed like she didn't care and was rather interested in your guns and fighting skills. Ever since you brought them to the safe zone you had helped Tommy and Maria build and protect, she always asked you questions about the “Tactical Gear” you had made which was the same gear the people in an anime you used to watch when young.

Happy, unaware of the future and your only worry being getting good grades...

But those days were no more.

Now all there was is blood, chaos and death in the apocalyptic world. Busses that once drove kids to school was now left to wither, the memories of the good days now a distant memory. Buildings that was once the sign of how strong the human kind was crushed under the heavy smell of death...

Mother Nature, in the end, took her sweet revenge in the most deadly way possible and you had no one to blame except yourself, and other humans.

The only part where you felt like crawling into your bed and cry like a little kid, was the children. So many times you crossed paths with them, and so many times there was nothing to do for them.

Except granting them a quick death.

It wasn’t by shooting, but a kind of poison to put them in a deep sleep, one that they could never wake up from...

One that you made back when you weren’t in Jackson, one that you used all of your scientific knowledges....

“So, uh... Ellie, right?” she nodded at you happilly and looked at you as if you were a star which made you chuckle slightly. You liked the girl for the smart-ass she was, and hearing her roast Joel was way funny to you.

And you guessed that they were both hungry and Tommy couldn’t cook anything to save his life. “I believe you’re hungry, as well as Joel. Do you like chicken?”

And if there was any reasons to not like you for Ellie, there was absolutely none, now that you offered the best looking full course of meal to her. “Holy shit, you made all these?!”

“Hmm, Jackson is far larger and bigger than you think it is. We have a healthy farm, and clean soil to grow food. The weather is fine here, too.”

“You are my second favourite person from now on, gosh this tastes amazing!” you smiled warmly at the blush on her cheeks and how happy she trully looked. It has been a while since I saw a kid genuinely happy in this shithole, you couldn’t help but think and sat down before her with a hum and a groan at the bruise forming on your back after being thrown away by one of the fuckers you saved them from.” Well, I guess it’s a good thing but who is the first one for you hmm?”

“Joel, of course. He found me and saved me first and you did for the second place.”  She didn’t lie when she said that, surprised that you actually thought of the man who insulted you, riduculed you right in front of them. You actually didn’t do it for his own good, buth for the sake of Tommy and it showed in the way your face twisted angrily.

Ah, that pain in the ass of a man...

You couldn’t help but let a scowl appear on your face, lips snarling and eyes burning. Ellie let out a “opps” and gulped down the last bit of her water hurriedly. “So, uh I know you and him don’t get along, after that exchange...”

She remembered how you went back and forth between throwing snarky comments at each other while walking back to the cars... With you not giving him a fuck which annoyed him more.

“Are you even listening, woman?!”

“Yes, it just takes some time for me to process all the stupidity all at once!”

Or that when time when you killed a horde of infected as cool as a cucumber that this time, it was him who couldn’t keep his tongue. “ She is crazy! It’s been a few hours that I knew her and I started to think I reached the bottom of it... Seems like there is a whole underground city there!”

Or that time when neither she nor Tommy understood whether you and Joel were flirting or fighting...

“ Are you clinically insane or incredibly annoying, you newborn baby?!”

“Nah, darling but probably both...”

Ellie knew that he was both irritated and impressed by you, but apparently the only thing you felt for the man was... anger, by the angry scrubbing ot the plate as expected. Normally, she would boost whoever was making fun of him or having an argument but through time, she came to love him like a father, knew his soft side whenever he would shield her or give her the warm place to sleep.

So, she wanted you to see that side too.

“You know... Even though he doesn’t talk much, I know that Joel only talked like that because of the pain. He lost many people.”

“I know that Ellie, trust me. Even if he sees me some kind of a kid when I’m a whole ass adult.” You sighed exasperatedly and continued with cleaning around the kitchen while the girl watched you with keen eyes. Ever since you found them, she had been watching you, observing you. You mostly kept to yourself, never giving more than a few curt answers to them while walking ahead of the group, eyes careful for the slight noise that would alert you.

But deep down, she knew that you had a good, kind heart. She saw how you tried to give the quickest blow on those who were infected so that they wouldn’t hurt any longer than they already did, how you helped around the people around the safe zone...

You reminded her of how Joel was, she knew that he was amazed by you even though he said you were being stupid, and even though she heard Tommy talk about how Joel was at the first year of the outbreak... He still had enough goodness to help her and do what he was doing now.

Save as many as possible.

While she pouted at the thoughts running through her mind, she flinched when she heard the harsh thud of your hand on the counter and saw you bent over it while panting hard.

Anger, it was anger coursing through you.

It wasn’t like you hated his guts, no. You understood why he was the way he was, harsh and even rude, and for the sake of Tommy, you didn’t say anything but his behaviour...

He was acting like he was the only one who lost everything.

And he had no right for that.

“ I can understand the pain he went through Ellie, really. But you can’t tell me that he is the only one. Fred, Dina, Eric, everyone! Even Gustavo, the ever cheerful man, lost someone!” your chest heaved up and down, harsh breaths leaving you while memories of your past life resurfaced.

Blood, screams, tears, more blood...

Ellie was, for once, left speechless as you burst out. She had seen some people do that, not in front of her though, and thought of you to be that invincible woman.

But the dangling bracelet said otherwise.

She felt her heart pound at her chest, breaking a little as the single tear that ran down your cheek and scooted closer to your form on the chair sitting defeatedly, playing with that red string your sisters gave to you before they...

“I used to have a family too, despite what might people think...” She gasped silently at the words, realizing you wanted to tell her your story, unaware of the man standing behind you.

“You know the kind where they annoyed each other but loved everyone so much? Yeah, that was my life. My only worry was to get high grades, graduate and do what I love. I would occasionally take care of my two sisters, who were in my opinion little gremlins, who wouldn’t leave me alone.” Ellie smiled at that, even though she didn’t know what you were talking about. But she understood that they were your family, people to be always there for you and... she knew that feeling.

“ Before the shit went down, they came barging in my room in the middle of studying and begged me to close my eyes, putting the bracelet around my wrist happily. They said that even if they annoyed me, it was because they loved me and that I was the best big sister ever... And then, the infection happened, everything went to south and now we were trying to survive while protecting our mental health.” Looking at the almost worn out bracelet in thought, your heart clenched painfuly at your chest and you brought a hand to where your heart was, rubbing it for some comfort while Joel watched you with wide eyes and guilt crawling inside him like a spider.

Never in his long life would he think that someone so stern, rude and cold would endure all of these... Endure what happened to him. He felt the sharp pricks of guilt hit him heavily and after 20 years, he felt like a total douche for treating you with nothing but harshness. He remembered how he said that it was normal for people to die on you, as if you weren’t capable enough to protect and fight...

And how it affected you...

But, a part of him wanted to listen more, hear more about you and your story. He felt like you wouldn’t be this vulnerable with anyone, let alone him after asking about you around the town only to receive shrugs, and this was his one chance at understanding you and he shuffled closer to the door when you spoke again.

“ It was first my mom, who got infected. My dad, the man I thought that wouldn’t break, couldn’t kill her and after securing my sisters, he gave me his gun and told me to kill both of them... I was just 16-17 or something, I didn’t understand why he was doing it. But soon got my answers when he let her bite him and he too became one of them. That was my first two kills, to protect my sisters. Even to this day I still blame my dad for everything that happened but a part of me understood why. He just didn’t want to be without her, knowing that he was her killer... But wanted me to live as their killer.”

“You aren’t their killer, I’m sure that they also know it. Humans had done far worse things than that and I dunno, I just feel like they are happy you did that because if you didn’t, someone else would and you would be both dead.”

“Maybe, you’re right... Still doesn’t help though. Anyways after that, I did anything, anything to protect them. I became the shell of the girl I was, killed mercilessly, trained non-stop and became one of the most feared woman. I raised two girls when I was a child, protected them from the insane part of humans...” you spat the last sentence disgusted and both Joel and Ellie tilted their heads at the meaning behind it.

“What do you mean by that?”

Chuckling humorlessly, you faced the girl with a sad stare. You didn’t want her to know everything, but she too was a girl and the world that waited her wasn’t good anymore.

It was her destiny.

“You don’t know, but the way women and children were treated when this shit didn’t happen was bad. Women was raped, children was kidnapped, there were pedophiles who raped or assaulted kids... And those all happened even when there were laws and governments. No punishment was given, and police wouldn’t do anything about it... What do you think would happen to them in a world like this?”

Joel clenched his hands angrily at what you said, knowing how bad it was. He remembered how many times he watched them on the breaking news, how Tommy and Sarah would look in disgust and worry...

No wonder you had been that cold to him, and was able to knock the air out of him when he jumped on you, thinking of you another bandit, fear evident on your orbs for a second.

His heart softened at everything he learnt, how similar your lives were. Your sisters are lucky to have you, they would be good friends with Ellie- Seriously, where are they? The house seems empty-

“I’m... I’m sorry.” Ellie seriously didn’t know what she should think. She wasn’t stupid by any means, she understood  what you meant and felt envy. She never had a person like that in her life, no one was there to protect her until Joel and she couldn’t help but wonder if you would do the same for her.

But a part of her, a part of humanity and child, wanted to meet them and see how amazing they were. Were they like you? Better? Where were they?

“Your sisters must be proud of you so much! I really want to meet them, where are-“

“I hope you never do, Ellie...” you smiled at her obvious innocence and squeezed your chest as if you were in pain at how she reminded you of them. Ellie tilted her head curiously, not understanding why you suddenly became 10 times older and why you didn’t want her to meet them...

But Joel did.

“No, don’t say that...”

“Because they are dead, Ellie... I killed her.”

Her mouth was left open at shock, not expecting that much to happen to you. She knew that a lot happened to you, that you did pretty unimaginable things... But this was too much even for a grown-up.

“How did it...” she asked unsure, her mind slowly realizing that you were no hero but a real human.

“The older one begged to come with me and I let her, she was 15 at the time. It was a simple mission but there were a bunch Clickers and one suddenly jumped at us. I was able to move away but... she wasn’t. It bit her and she begged me to kill her so that she wouldn’t turn to them. I had to do it and... well, she died between my arms.” You shrugged your shoulder as if it didn’t bother you anymore but in reality, you were crushing under it.

The way your sister screamed at you in anguish to kill her..

Sister, please! I don’t wanna be like them!

“And what about the other one?”

“The fuckers who hated me waited so that I would leave, they killed the man I trusted the youngest one with and kidnapped her... I searched everywhere, every place but... I guess she is also dead too... For days, I wasn’t able to wash off her blood and for months after that, the only thing I saw was blood of them...and the hands of a murderer...”

Silence welcomed you, Ellie was heartbroken for all the things that happened to you and even more amazed at how you still had that good side in you. She always wanted to be a strong woman, but now that an amazing role model was sitting down before her, she knew what her next goal was.

You gave a soft smile at the girl who was already worming inside your heart and got up, slapping your knees playfully and trying to ease the sad vibes.

“And that’s the story of how I became that cold bitch around here! I’m sorry I dumped my trauma at you but I guess, I kinda needed-“ your voice died down at the shocked man standing beside your door, hands crossed in front of his chest while he stood frozen, not expecting you to turn around so fast. Your face went pale at the realization, knowing that he heard everything. Clenching your hands thighter on your sides, Ellie’s curse went to deaf ear by both adults who were busy looking at each other.

And you were surprised to see a tear sitting at the corner of his eyes.

Joel wasn’t  a stranger to self-loathing, to hate himself more than anyone in this world. He, too killed people and most of the times, he didn‘t care. Maybe, that was one of the reasons he got angry at you for pointing that out.

Because you were right

The first night it all happened, he saw how humanity would go berserk with one little thing and how government would do anything to protect their power.

How they would kill without a reason and decided that why couldn’t he do that too, if the worl wanted him to?

But looking at you, he trully never believed you to be a murderer, even when his tongue betrayed him. Not because of your smaller form but for the way you still had compassion, saved people to get them to a safe zone. He was shocked to see many of town’s folk greeting you happily while children horded around you and jow sweetly you smiled at them even when you were dead tired. And for the first time ever since meeting you, he trully looked at you for you and saw how kind and nice you were. How authoritative you were but gentle enough to pat the heads of the children and selfless enough when one of the younger teen in your squead came rushing to you with a happy frin and whispered something in your ear that made you grin at the young boy.

He would never say it to your face, but he found you to be slightly annoying and pretty much impressing. The brutal force you used required to be trained all the time and your agility and stealth was not to be messed with.

It was enough for him to not realize that you sneaked upon him with him noticing.

He cursed at himself for being an asshole to you, especially after learning why you were the way you were. Tommy’s words rang in his mind and for once, he wished that he wasn’t right, that he wasn’t fucked up and needed to apologize...

You don’t know her story, Joel... You two are more alike than you realize...

Too bad that he only stood like a dumb young boy there, umable to form words which only fueled your anger.

You scoffed at him, even though he didn’t do anything bad particularly. But protecting your dignity was more important at that time and that was what you did.

“Wow you are really a douche enough to barge in my home and listen, huh? Didn’t expected that low from you, Miller.” You said, disappointed and tired while slipping away and into the street with Ellie running after you, worrying meanwhile Joel tried to find a way to do something he hadn’t done in a long time.

Apologize.

But for now, you didn’t want any apologies. You didn’t want to see people, and their pity.

You just needed air.

[thetaekookcloset]

Hello! So I'm a little nervous about sending this in because I don't generally like using the anon option as I stand behind my opinions, but I also recongize that means I'm opening this up to all your followers, as a jikooker who runs a jikook focused blog myself. So I'm sending this in with respect and just as a "opinions from the other side" type of deal. And I hope that even though everyone who follows you won't agree with me, the respect and courtesy will be returned. Kindness costs nothing!

A few days ago you posted this ask and reposnse about GCF in Toyko. Both the anon sender and yourself mentioned not seeing GCFT as romantic or non plantonic or understanding necessarily why jikookers say what they say about it. You both did so fairly respectfully, which I fully appreciate. I'm not trying to change minds at all. I'm all good on disagreeing about viewpoints here. None of us know anything for sure and everyone bases their own opinions off their own life experiences and biases. We are all only guessing here. Lol just figured I'd try to answer the question over what "we" see in it. So apologies for all the explanations over why I am here, and for the essay in your ask box. I write long ass posts all the time on my own blog and it's just how I work now 😂 You don't have to feel obligated to post or respond to this either if you don't want to.

GCF in Toyko is not the make it or break it "piece of evidence" for jikookers in thinking that Jimin and Jungkook could be in a romantic relationship. It's just one in the many things that build on top of each other that is their bond that jkkrs see as likely being romantic in nature. Its one of the things that had many jkkrs, including myself, looking back on previous interactions and on future ones with perhaps a more questioning eye. It's also something that I've seen non armys and non jkkrs raise eyebrows over. I introduced my friend to BTS before and they watched Jungkook's GCFs with me (in order, all of them) before she even knew all their names (we were introducing her to the members one by one and JK caught her eye first so we watched his videos and music before the others) and she asked while watching "is the blonde in the video his boyfriend?" And I explained that it was actually Jimin, who was in the same band and as far as the fandom and we all know, no they are just best friends. And she said "well that's some friend then!" And we moved on to the next GCF in Osaka. Or how often i see clips of Jimin from GCFT in armys "pov: you are on a date with jimin" tweets. Lol But it does show that's its not always just the jkkr bias that makes us think the video has some romantic inclinations.

I have... a lot of posts on my own blog that talk about their Toyko Trip and GCFT as well too, but I'm not going to link them or anything because they are definitely written with the assumption that my views and guesses over their relationship is correct and they are boyfriends, which is not what I'm wanting to do here necessarily. But for a lot of jkkrs, the importance placed on the trip comes from the importance placed on it by Jimin and JK themselves. They talked about that trip constantly since it happened, even in interviews in 2020, as well as expressed interest in doing it again. It was how they went through that trip wearing matching fits on their personal time, went sightseeing and went to Disney and had a good time. How JK filmed a video about Toyko, but Jimin ended up being basically the only focus. The intentional choice of the song because he had to pay copyrights for it and the way he matched movements of the video to lyrics on the song, including during the lyrics "love is a road that goes both ways" with a cut scene of them driving down the road and you get flashes of both a rainbow lights ferris wheel and a regular one. Which felt fairly intentionally queer coded, in a video that starred Jimin that Jungkook made.

Jimin also had no idea that the video would even be made at all. So it gave the idea that the Jimin we were seeing, was the Jimin that Jungkook sees all the time. Goofy, happy, having fun, treated well, etc. All that, paired with the music, paired with how they talk about it, paired with how it was edited, paired with the trip itself, paired with JK surprising Jimin over it all, paired with JK telling us he used inspiration videos from a video editor YouTuber called "making a video for your boyfriend or girlfriend," gives off romance vibes (to me).

Your post also mentioned JK being camera shy during the trip, but I disagree. Being camera shy and preferring to be behind the camera don't have to be one in the same. JK made it into a few shots of the whole video, included starting it off with a shot of his feet on the airplane too. I think it just shows that for Jungkook, the point of the trip and the point of the video wasn't about him, or even about them, but about Jimin. Which also feels romantic to me.

You guys (you and anon) also mentioned how you can see two friends making the exact same type of video about a trip they took and were excited about. I disagree, but this could just be life experiences bias coming into play for all 3 of us. I think a good example that could show the difference in what I think would be a normal vlog video between a friend trip and a "could be something more" trip would be Jimin's toyko vlog that he shared. I did a post about the differences there too on my blog, but rather than get into ALL of that. I'll just highlight my points about how JMs video showed JK ALOT, so he wasn't camera shy, he just wasn't in his own video. Jimins video highlighted more of their activies done, them being goofy together, paired with fun music and cute transition slides. For me, this doesnt disprove a possible romantic relationship between them either, it just is what you would expect from a video about two best friends who went on a vacation together. JKs video was a totally different vibe all together. In my opinion. So the completely different vibe as well as everything else about the trip all put together made the video seem more than just plantonic.

https://youtu.be/5TbIyRhvIBQ

^ Jimins Toyko Vlog, with English Subtitles included for anyone who wants to see it if they perhaps haven't. And if you weren't in the fandom long, or aren't a Jimin bias, it doesn't get mentioned a lot. Lol plently of jkkrs also don't even know about it for a while! He posted it originally to Twitter in 2 parts, this army just combined them for us for convenience 💜

https://youtu.be/XrTNLkqGrlc

^ GCFT if I'm here linking things, JK always deserves more streams.

Lastly, his following GCFs were mentioned in your post as well and while all the members do feature in them, Jimin always appears to be highlighted in them. In Osaka, JK cuts the song out completely to highlight Jimins laughter 3 times. In Saipan, Jimin has not only the most screen time, but he also he paired Jimin with the same specific lyrics time and time again which were the more romantically inclined lines. In Helsinki, the colors changed from black to white when Jimin came on screen. Jimin is also the only member to appear in every single GCF video from his first to the last one we have so far. Jimin joking about being the model doesn't just come from no where. Lol but no jkkrs should be claiming (at least I'm not) that app GCFs are indicative of a romantic relationship between jikook or JK and any member. And one or more can be considered romantic while others aren't, or however anyone sees them. Not all GCFs are trying to give the exact same message. At least I personally didn't see them that way.

But again, I'm not here to try and argue really. Or change anyone's mind. I fully recongize how my biases can be influencing my opinions and vice versa for yall and every "shipper" as well. I dont mind if people disagree. I just saw the post and saw the confusion over how/why jkkrs see GCFT specifically in the way that they (we) do and figured I'd offer my perspective as a jkkr who is active in a blogger space. And I think I said all (probably more) that I can say over this topic in one ask. Lol so if you read all of this, thanks for taking the time to read an opinion that differs. Hope you all have a good week!

~ Storm

Hey Storm!

This is really interesting! I'm going to present it mostly without comment and treat it as basically a guest post from a differing perspective.

One thing I just want to clarify about my own feelings on GCFT specifically is that even though I don't really get romantic vibes from it myself, I do get why people see it that way. I get why it might be a big "maybe" moment for Jikookers, and I know that it has definitely piqued the curiosity of non-shippers too, and I understand why. I just don't see it as inherently romantic, or like something that can only be interpreted in a romantic way, and that's why there are plenty of people who come away from it without getting that impression too.  That being said though, I definitely see the argument.

I re-watched all of the GCFs after reading this and I definitely noticed some new-to-me things. It's so fascinating how we can watch the same material and take different interpretations and details away from it. If anyone hasn't watched the GCFs, or hasn't seen them recently but read through this whole post, I'd definitely recommend revisiting them.

Also, I'm sure it goes without saying, but please everyone be respectful. I'm glad that we can talk about differing opinions in this space, that's something that's valuable to me.

Thank you for taking the time to share your perspective, Storm! You put a lot of work into this, and I really appreciate the clarity and attention to detail.  I hope you're doing well!

[mewintheflesh-2]

Core Bridge - Mikeytale AU [short fic]

Summary: Fuse tries to fuck everything up, Nikey fucks him up a little in return. (Aka, Nikey cusses to much and sounds like a little bit of a fool)

Fic under the cut

“Just how far does this thing go?” GB spoke, peering over the blue metal bridge and into the endless white void beneath.

“Seems endless to me.” Mikey responded, doing the same.

“We probably shouldn’t be this close to the edge, huh.” GB nervously continued to look down into the void.

Nightsky looked at the void as well, keeping a safe distance from the edge unlike the other two. He was also keeping distance so he could keep a decent eye on Fuse, who was hovering about. “Will you two stop gawking and get up already? We’re not here for sightseeing.”

“Guess you’re right. It’s just so weird though. How’d they even build this place if it’s on top of a void?”

“We’re not here to get answers to their architectural wonders, we’re here to leave. Now come on-.”

Nightsky was interrupted by Fuse coming dangerously close to GB and lifting a foot to his back.

“GB. Look out!-“ Nightsky yelled as he charged towards Fuse, who looked up at him like an angry deer in headlights. Fuse quickly pushed his foot into GB’s back, causing him to fall over and nearly fall completely off of the bridge.

He was caught by something. Mikey had managed to grab him by the scruff of his shirt right before he could fall out of reach. Nightsky rammed his side into Fuse, causing him to fall on his back painfully. He stomped one leg onto Fuse’s chest and leaned in close, pulling him closer by the ropes binding him, pulling the rope they were using to shut Fuse up out of his mouth. ”If you don’t stop trying to fucking kill us, I’ll slit your goddamn throat and watch you bleed.” Nightsky growled, staring daggers directly into the man’s eyes.

Mikey slowly managed to pull GB up to safety, straining his arms as he did. GB barely moved himself.

Fuse smiled wickedly, looking up at Nightsky through half-lidded eyes. “Sounds like a fun time.”

Nightsky looked at him bewildered, he furrowed his brow and grit his teeth before letting his grip of the ropes go, letting Fuse’s head hit the hard metal floors. “Shut up.” Nightsky straightened and stomped on Fuse’s chest again, causing him to cough painfully. He leaned down again briefly and grabbed Fuse by the ropes binding him, hoisting him back upwards onto his feet. Fuse choked, stumbling as he tried to regain his balance.

GB, just freshly saved from certain death, tried to regulate his heavy breathing as Mikey helped him stand upright, silently offering to be a crutch for him. He refused the offer.

There was a brief moment of silence only interrupted by Fuse’s violent coughing.

“… I think we should get going now.” Mikey looked between Fuse and Nightsky briefly and awkwardly.

“Yeah…” GB spoke quietly as he turned around and began moving forward again. Mikey followed right behind him, catching up quickly and walking by his side, putting a hand on his back. They were fast walkers, so they ended up far outpacing the other two men.

Fuse and Nightsky walked beside eachother as well, trailing far behind GB and Mikey. Even as the other two went a room ahead of them, they didn’t try to catch up with them.

They were alone now. The air was thick.

“You’re a goddamn freak, you know that?” Nightsky said, walking side by side with Fuse. “You take so much joy in watching people suffer, watching people die. All for what? Your own enjoyment?”

“We’re one and the same in that regard.” Fuse looked at him and smiled.

“What the hell’s that supposed to mean.” Nightsky furrowed his brow.

“You’ve killed thousands, if not millions to reach where you are now, didn’t you? All those people you’ve made suffer, just so you could live out your fantasies of being ruler of the world. You took enjoyment in watching them plead for your mercy, didn’t you? How different are we really?” Fuse smiled wickedly.

“No, no. I did not enjoy what I had to do. I had a purpose, I needed to do what I did, or else I wouldn’t have succeeded.”

“And look where that got you. You don’t have a purpose any more, do you? All alone in a world you don’t belong to, none to love you, nowhere to call home. You’re useless now. Wouldn’t you agree-“

Nightsky interrupted him by shoving him off the bridge they walked on, only catching him by the hem of his lab coat, dangling him over the endless white void beneath.

“You shut your goddamn mouth before I shut it for you.” Nightsky hissed between his teeth, glaring into Fuse’s piercing red eyes.

Fuse was unfazed even after being threatened with death the second time that hour. “Do it then.” He smiled.

Nightsky growled, using his other hand to shove the rope back into his mouth and throwing him back on to the bridge floor, causing him to fall on his face. Nightsky smiled.

Mikey popped back into the room from the end of the long hall. “Hey, can you two hurry up? We’re gonna be stuck forever at this rate-“

Mikey looked at the situation and quickly got a decent gauge of what happened after seeing Fuse shuffling on the ground, groaning as he slowly tried to get up. “…What happened here?”

Nightsky grabbed Fuse by the ropes again and hoisted him upright, causing Fuse to stumble backward for balance. Nightsky made an extremely obvious fake smile at Mikey. “Nothing. We were just having a friendly little chat.” He spoke through his gritted teeth.

“Doesn’t look very friendly to me.” Mikey squinted at him for a second. “Well whatever, we gotta get a move on. Come on!” Mikey yelled as he disappeared into the room ahead. Nightsky dragged Fuse along, not even wanting to look at his face.

[saikourobyn]

Japan 2020 - Day 5

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Our continuing Tokyo travels take us to a dark warehouse, an abandoned museum and some tasty beverages.

Friday 28th February 2020

Tokyo

Today was out last day staying with Hiroshi and Aiko, they were getting married on Saturday and we needed to get out of their way.

Aomi, Koto City

We headed out early to catch the train to Aomi (青海) an area of reclaimed land in Tokyo Bay. To get there we travelled across the Rainbow Bridge which is 798m long! At night the towers that support the bridge are lit up in rainbow colours.

After getting off the train we enter an area known as Palette Town (not to be confused with Pallet Town from Pokémon) we walk between two buildings, into the circular area in the bottom right of the picture above, the VenusFort Venice-themed mall on the left and the Toyota City Showcase on the right. We were meeting up with Oli's parents, they had just gotten back to Tokyo from sightseeing elsewhere in the country.

We had some time to kill so we had a quick look at what shops and eateries the mall had to offer but decided to head in to the Toyota City Showcase, I'm not really in to cars but they did have some interesting exhibits of what they though cars might look like in the future (with jet packs... what do you mean I already made this joke 🤫) You can see more about it here.

We walked through the Toyota City Showcase and on the other side we found the Daikanransha (大観覧車) Ferris Wheel, Oli suggested we ride it, I was initially hesitate because it seemed expensive but I realised that I was on Holiday and I should try and experience things if I can.

We opted for one of the smaller 360­­° view cars and got some lovely views, the sky was nice and clear and it did the job of killing some time while we waited.

When Oli's parents arrived we headed in to teamLab Borderless, I won't be able to do it justice here, it's a visual and auditory experience, when you enter you get lost in a giant maze and lose track of time much like Ikea.

It's mostly dark except for projectors shining lights and imagery on to the walls, in other areas LED strips hang from the ceiling, these were controlled by the visitors from an app, to add a bit of interactivity.

On the left is a sign showing different kanji's and the pictographs and on the right the corresponding symbols appear in the app.

This is a great place to come and take some beautiful selfies, though beware some areas feature a mirrored floor, so skirts may not be the best choice of clothing. Although these areas are often in side rooms so you don't have to go in if you don't want to.

We had been in here for awhile and I was starting to get hungry, I left Oli and his parents and decided to head over to the food court of the mall next door. I didn't take any pictures here, it looks just like a mall food court with Venice theming and lots of Japanese food.

Just a short walk from the mall in Palette Town is the Unicorn Gundam Statue (実物大ユニコーンガンダム立像) I don't anything about Gundam but it was impressive to see such a big structure just standing outside I had to stop by to admire it.

II had hoped to visit The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (日本科学未来館) but unfortunately it was closed from today until 17th March 2020, I'm sure it'll all have blown over by then.

I met back up with Oli and we headed back to Hiroshi and Aiko's place, we had to change at Tokyo station so took the opportunity to stop off at the Pokémon Center Tokyo DX (ポケモンセンタートウキョーDX) here I picked up an squishy Oddish and a Snivy plushie. There's also a café where you can enjoy cute Pokémon themed food and drinks, but we didn't try it this time.

It took until the last day we were staying with Hiroshi and Aiko for me to check out their nearest BookOff, it was a short walk away from the station, practically on the way to their apartment. There I purchased a Wii Remote, the idea being I could use it with the Wii U I had bought to test out the Taiko no Tatsujin Drum Controller before I took it home.

Hiroshi and Aiko kindly let us store some luggage at their place so we could carry on our journey across Japan with just one suitcase each, before we left they took us out to a local restaurant.

We met up with Oli's parents again and visited Junpei (じゅん平) for some okonomiyaki, Hiroshi took care of ordering for us all which was nice not to have to worry about. After the meal Hiroshi and Aiko left as they had a busy day tomorrow. We stayed in the restaurant for another drink, Oli's dad wanted Sake 🍶 but was having some trouble communicating with the waitress, I watched her trying to work out what drink he wanted for a moment. She was asking questions which didn't seem to relate to sake, I suddenly remembered that the word Sake just means alcohol and that in the west the drink we know as Sake is called Nihonshu (日本酒) with this information we were now able to narrow down the choices from alcohol to a specific beverage.

After our drinks we hopped on the train to Shibuya, the station was being renovated and it was quite confusing to navigate after escaping we then found road works blocking our way so it took us a little longer to get to our AirBNB.

Once there we then had the confusion of working out how to get in to the building, but Oli found the code for the door and we got inside. The small apartment featured two sofa beds, a small kitchen, a washing machine a small shower room and an even smaller room with the toilet. While seated on the toilet you could reach out and touch the wall in front of you.

Tomorrow was the big day for Hiroshi and Aiko, I was invited to the wedding reception in the evening, so I had big plans to explore Akihabara on my own.

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[ladylucksrogue]

Road Trip Day 6: Destination Las Vegas

I will go ahead and admit I had never been to Vegas before, I wasn't really sure what to expect. That being said, it made it onto the list because I got a really good deal on a hotel like months ago when I was planning this whole thing.

But first, getting there...

The drive up into Sequoia National Forest was much worse than back down the mountains. I was kind of dreading it, considering how the roads were the night before. Then again, I was over-tired and frustrated and cranky. People being inconsiderate pricks really got to me. I really wanted to just pull over and refuse to drive further. Obviously I didn't. The lodge was definately worth the drive but we definately didn't have enough time to really explore the area, which is a shame. The drive down the mountains and seeing the landscape become more and more steppe then desert was amazingly cool.

We wanted to drive through Death Valley on the way to Vegas, but the hurricane three weeks ago ripped up the roads so bad, the park has been closed ever since. We took the more typical route, via the I-15, skating the edge of the Mojave, which was really cool to see. I expected it to be much hotter but it was only about 90 degrees. As we got closer to Nevada, there were more and more rock formations. Crossing into Nevada was exciting, it was a new state for me. There is pretty much nothing between the border and Vegas, just a few gas stations, and a casino at every one. I mean there are a few like that in California and Arizona too, but they are all on reservations.

Vegas...I was kind of surprised at the size of the city, its bigger than I thought. We were staying at the Mandalay Bay, like I said, I got this really good deal. It was crazy overwhelming, the size of the building, the parking garage. We were just so lost. The place is like a city.

I mean we saw the size of the thing, but when the lady handed us the keys for a room on the 57th floor it was like what? Surreal, we could see the whole city from our room.

We went to dinner and a show at the Excalibur, two hotels down. It was so amazing, the show was called the King's Tournament and was basically a jousting tournament with a bit of a story. After that we walked down the Strip and did a little sightseeing. Vegas is something alright, and it is worth seeing once but literally everything costs money, and is expensive, which was a bit annoying.

We got back to the hotel late, just to find out that the opening times for the pool, in Vegas mind you, are 9 AM - 6:30 PM. That was really annoying, we didnt even get to use the pool once. Gamblings 24/7 though, you know. Hubs and I each threw about $5 into slot machines there and won absolutely zero. That was to be expected.

My kid liked Vegas, it was loud and flashy and exciting. My facit, it's ok for like a weekend but meh. Definately not my top 5.

[mlwritersguild]

Sent Back in Time, by @halcyyonn

AO3 link; Time Travel, Historical

Summary:

After an akuma battle, Ladybug and Chat Noir find themselves thrown back in time with no idea how to get home.

From the prompt: "Chat Noir and Ladybug are misplaced in time-- meaning Marinette and Adrien are in the past, and another pair are in their place.”

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

The first sign that something was wrong that Ladybug noticed was that the buildings surrounding them didn’t look like that five minutes ago. And then, that the bus that had been thrown at her and Chat Noir during their akuma fight was completely gone, rather than just set back in its normal place. All around them, things were different to how they had been only a few minutes ago.

The second sign was that both of their suits had changed. Gone were the skin-tight outfits, replaced with corsetry, bustles, and suits that Marinette would usually have squealed about for their historical accuracy. Even now, the only thing stopping her from examining her new outfit was the fact that she and Chat might have been lost in time. They might even have ended up in a completely wrong era, which would be an issue.

For starters, who was protecting their Paris? Had the heroes they were currently replacing in the modern era, dealing with yo-yo phones and cameras everywhere? And how were they going to get back to their time?

“Are you seeing this as well?” Chat walked over to Ladybug, flipping his hands over to look at the sleeves of his new suit. And it was a suit, quite literally. Instead of a gold bell and a tail, Chat was sporting a golden bowtie and a black tailcoat. It made sense, at least.

“Yeah. I don’t know what happened. The magic ladybugs should have reset everything that was damaged in the akuma fight, not send us back in time. It doesn’t make sense.”

“I’m sure we’ll find a way to fix everything. We always do. We’re the cat and bug dream team of Paris!” Chat posed dramatically, drawing the eyes of some of the people walking nearby. The past Ladybug and Chat Noir must not have acted this way. They would have to be more careful to blend in until they could get back to the future.

Ladybug looked around, trying to work out where they could go. Staying out in the street was out of the question, but she didn’t have a clue where this Ladybug lived or who she was beneath the mask. Her earrings beeped, a warning that her transformation was going to wear off soon. “We should find somewhere to transform back. I’m running out of time.”

Chat offered his arm, copying the way others around them were walking. “Where should we go first? I don’t think either of our houses will exist yet.”

“Anywhere with food for our kwamis. If our miraculous got us here, they might be the only thing that can send us back.” Everything would be fine. She and Chat had gotten out of worse, and they would probably face worse in the future. Being sent back in time with no idea how it had happened didn’t mean they were stuck here forever, just that they were here for a little while. It was like they were sightseeing; they were just doing so a century and a half in the past.

There was no reason to panic. Nothing at all. Just the fact that she had no idea where to begin to fix this problem, and she was about to lose her transformation, and she didn’t know where she could hide, or get food for Tikki. On top of that, she didn’t know how this Ladybug lived, and the Ladybug in her place didn’t know about Marinette’s life. Either of them could do something wrong and reveal their identities, or let their miraculous fall into the wrong hands, or just about anything else could go wrong.

The thought almost stopped her in her tracks. She and Chat had no idea who they were fighting here. Was there an equivalent of Hawk Moth, or was someone using another miraculous for evil? Neither of them had actually seen an akuma, so they couldn’t be sure. “Who do you think this Ladybug and Chat Noir were fighting before we arrived?”

“I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough if we stick around.” As they walked, people on both sides of the street stopped to look at them, some whispering between themselves. Did they realise that their normal heroes had been replaced with strangers? Were the people in their time doing the same?

“We should try to get back as quickly as possible. We don’t know what’s happening in our Paris, and this could have something to do with Hawk Moth.” The stares were beginning to get unsettling. While she was used to people watching her fight akumas, this was something else. Every stare felt like they were judging her as Ladybug. There was no way she was staying here longer than absolutely necessary.

“I agree. The longer we’re here, the longer Hawk Moth has to send out new akumas. Do you have any ideas about how to fix this?”

“Maybe if I use my Lucky Charm, I can call the magic ladybugs and everything will go back to normal.” Her earrings beeped again. They were running out of time. “But we need to find someone to transform back before I can do anything.”

“There.” Chat pointed to a small shop, wedged between two much fancier buildings. It wasn’t much to look at, but it had the same symbol as the boxes their miraculous had come in. “Maybe that’s the Guardian for this era.”

Ladybug nodded and the heroes crossed the street. A bell chimed when they walked into the shop, and an old woman looked up from where she worked behind a counter.

“You are not Ladybug and Chat Noir.” Ah. It was obvious, then.

“No, we are, we’re just from the future. We don’t know how we got here, but we need some help.” Ladybug didn’t like the suspicion in the woman’s eyes.

“And a place to transform back because we’re almost out of time.”

“That too, if you don’t mind.”

The woman sighed, standing up and leading them through a door behind her. The small room had another two doors leading off it. “Use those rooms. I assume your kwamis eat the same food in the future, and we’re going to need them to get you back to where you belong.”

Ladybug and Chat thanked the woman and rushed into the rooms, the last beeps signalling their transformations loud in the quiet room. The doors were barely closed behind them when their suits disappeared, leaving normal civilians behind.

A knock came a few seconds later, and the woman handed a small plate to each hero, full of food that their kwamis quickly devoured.

“Do you know how to get home, Tikki?”

Tikki shook her head. “I’ve never seen anything like this. Maybe something on this side caused it.”

“Maybe. Ready to transform again?”

A few minutes later, both Ladybug and Chat Noir were standing in front of the old woman as she looked them up and down. “You look similar to our heroes, but not quite exact copies. Regardless, I’m sure you want to be getting back.”

“Do you have any idea about how we got here? I called for the magical ladybugs to clean up after a fight in our time, but when they cleared, we were here.”

“There was an akuma here that was sending people back and forth through time. I think he sent our heroes forward, which sent you back as a replacement. The timing just happened to be perfect enough that your magical ladybugs fixed everything here, including the akuma.”

The heroes nodded, but Chat spoke first. “Shouldn’t the ladybugs have sent us back, as well?”

“I don’t have an explanation for that, but calling the magical ladybugs again is worth trying.”

“Lucky Charm!” Ladybug threw her yo-yo into the air. A clock dropped from the air, its hands slowly ticking backwards. “That’s weird.”

Chat looked over at the clock. “Maybe that’s a sign that the akuma messed time up.”

“Maybe.” Shifting the clock in her hand, Ladybug tossed it up into the air. “Miraculous Ladybug!”

As the ladybugs surrounded them, everything began to shift and blur. Chat yelled a quick ‘thank you for your help’ before everything around them changed.

The first sign that they were back was the sound of cars in the background, a marked difference from the quiet of a shop’s backroom.

The second sign was the flashing cameras surrounding them, accompanied by journalists yelling questions about where they had been and who the mysterious replacements were. Unfortunately, all of their questions would have to go unanswered because neither hero knew for sure what had happened. They were just glad to be home.

[umichenginabroad]

Week 2-1: In and Around Reykjavik

Welcome back to more of my adventures in Iceland. This week has been a lot to say the least. We decided to adventure outside of Reykjavik and it was the Icelandic national day. There’s a lot to talk about, so without further ado let’s get right into it. 

Becoming Icelandic

I know I haven’t really talked too much about Icelandic culture or cuisine in earnest yet (I swear I’ll get around to it), but I became Icelandic this past week! On Thursday after class we went to a 60 minute comedy show called How to Become Icelandic in 60 Minutes in which we learned how to truly become Icelandic. Some key takeaways from how to be Icelandic are as follows.

Think BIG, Iceland is a massive and important nation and is atop many charts (per capita) and thus we must think big.

Always think that we are correct, it’s important that we argue over everything as we are superior and we think bigger.

Wash yourself, especially before going into the pools, or else they will come and help you wash yourself for you.

Most importantly of all, you must walk like an Icelandic person. Which inherently just means slouched over and sad. This comes from the extremely harsh and unpredictable weather of Iceland forcing your head down to put you into this position.

Becoming Icelandic in what was actually 66 minutes

After our Icelandic show we had a 4 day weekend from Friday to Monday. With such an opportunity there were many great things for us to achieve. So what did I do on Friday? I cooked, slept in, and shopped. Of course I did more than that. I also explored more of Reykjavik. I went to a bakery and got a fresh cinnamon roll (more later) from this place called Braud & co. We also found out that laundry is insanely expensive here with our building’s laundry being $7 a wash and $7 a dry so it’s insane. 

CINNAMON ROLL WOOO!!!

The Golden Circle

Honestly Friday was a bit of a lounge day, but to balance that out was the absolute crazy fiasco that was Saturday. Saturday we decided to go on a tour of the Golden Circle which is an 8 hour tour outside of Reykjavik that lets us see all the famous tourist locations and get our fair share of sightseeing in. We all took so many pictures that I feel we could recreate an entire 3d model of these places just out of the pictures we took. 

​​Me inside of Kerið, a massive volcanic crater.

The first stop on our journey was Kerið, a gigantic volcanic crater. The water is this really pretty copper( like teal) blue from all the copper that’s inside of it. There’s also these red rocks in and around the crater that are caused by the metal inside of the rocks (from the volcanic eruption) having rusted, giving it a red color. The view from both the top of the crater and inside of the crater was insane, and while we didn’t get to spend much time here it was amazing nonetheless. I loved just sitting at the bottom of the crater and looking over the horizon wondering how it was that I managed to end up here of all places.

The view of the crater from the top of the crater.

After the crater we went to Gullfoss which is “the golden waterfall”. In fact, this is the namesake by which the golden circle derives its name from. I can say it did not disappoint. This was a beautiful waterfall. Rather than just being a single falling point where you are quite far away from the edge and are forced to just look on from afar, we were up close to the waterfall. We could feel the water and mist from even the small falls on us and it was truly beautiful. It honestly just helps put in perspective some of the amazing things in the world that happen in places different from our home.

Me standing in front of one of the low falls, the rapids before the big fall.

The actual golden waterfall.

Next up on our itinerary was Geysir the geyser. This is an area of high geothermal activity with an active geyser that we were able to see. While it might not sound impressive, seeing hot water get blasted out of the ground dozens of feet into the air is really cool. It’s like a high pressure water gun formed by nature and the fact that it is not only active but really consistent (every 6-8 minutes) is really nice. We stayed and were able to see a few eruptions.

Geysir erupting (this was one of the smaller eruptions).

Our last stop on the golden circle was Þingvellir National Park. A little history lesson before we continue, this was the location of the Icelandic parliament until 1800. It was also where you could challenge someone to a duel legally. Also, during a parliament meeting violence was illegal (which was followed). Thus this was a location of peace, beauty, and violence. Now cutting back into modern age and it definitely lives up to its legacy of peace and beauty (although the violence is lacking). It’s a massive valley carved between two massive hills (volcanos?) and it was beautiful. I feel like it deserves a whole day just to itself. I would love to come back to Þingvellir and just spend an entire day exploring all the different parts of the park and seeing all the history along the way.

Me on one of the cliff faces of Þingvellir posing dramatically. 

SUNDAY:

Like come on, there always has to be a nothing day. I’m also doing a linear algebra course at Washtenaw community college and so I had to get work done for that course today.

... OR SO YOU THOUGHT, SUNDAY WAS AMAZING. I did actually get work done. But, I also went to my first ever concert, in Iceland nonetheless. It was a Jacob Collier concert and it was fantastic. He is a British artist who utilizes the audience in his performances, playing them like a choir. As a music nerd I find it so neat and I love it. It was also funnily enough his mother’s birthday so we got to sing happy birthday to his mother who is a professional violinist who performed with him. This was a truly fantastic concert and honestly I am so happy that it was a really good coincidence that I happened to be in Iceland during the concert. 

Happy Birthday Susan Collier!!

The gang who went to the concert! (it was only 5 of us).

Icelandic National Day:

Monday was Icelandic National Day, in another sense their 4th of July. Although, according to them they were also independent and this was just the day that they decided to become a nation. This was the 80th birthday of Iceland as a nation and so we spent the day going around Downtown Reykjavik and enjoying all of the festivities. The first stop on our list was the 8000 cupcakes. Do I know where this tradition started? No! But will I gladly eat some free cupcakes? YES PLEASE!

THE 8000 CUPCAKES (or at least a small part of them)

After our delicious cupcake tasting we went to the park to enjoy more Icelandic festivities. We quickly found out that these were generally made for kids to keep them entertained while the adults talked and celebrated. There were dozens of bouncy castles and things for little kids to do, but the event was advertised to those of all ages. We found that there was a little zip line thing and so we ended up getting in line for it and a few of us decided to ride it. It was more fun than you’d think, but disappointing given I wanted so much more. Still was fun in the end. 

Me on the child zip line going zoooooom.

After our zip line adventures our group kind of split off for a little bit to explore. I ended up going and listening to the band's performance (small band). As a music nerd I enjoy these things and so I followed the noise to them. Honestly, it was a really impressive performance and I enjoyed it a lot. I also went and talked to one of the musicians afterwards and he got a bit confused about what my instrument that I play was because of the European name for a bassoon. But overall they were really cool people. I thoroughly enjoyed the festival and it’s a very different way to celebrate something like becoming a nation.

Me talking to the some of the band musicians after their performance.

Alex’s Food Corner:

Back at it again with more food this time. There is a lot of food to talk about so let’s get right into it. 

Special Eggs: 

There in reality isn’t much special about them. They are just scrambled eggs, potatoes, and onions. But they are so good and they are something that my grandma makes for me and they are delicious. I made them Friday morning and honestly they came out so good with my fresh bread 9/10.

Kufta v2 electric boogaloo:

Now you might be wondering why this is on here again. While this might be closely related to something from last week there is one key difference this time that honestly brings them up an entire point. I FOUND PICKLES. You don’t understand my pain. There are only sweet pickles in Iceland. The closest I found to normal pickles are salt brine pickles, which don’t use vinegar. The pickles single handedly raised us to a 7.5/10 and I was so happy.

Iceland Birthday Cupcakes:

I’m personally not the biggest fan of cupcakes but these were good. The frosting wasn’t overwhelming and disgusting and actually tasted good. I had 2 cupcakes. They were so good. 8/10

Lentil Soup:

I was really craving some soup. There’s a Turkish place near our apartment and so I went and got some lentil soup. It wasn’t bad but it was also disappointing. It was very watery compared to what I’m used to and the bread was cold and sad. Overall though, the flavor was good. 5/10

RAMEN:

Ok, I know I’m in a foreign country and so I should be eating the cuisine from the place that I’m in but I was REALLY in a soup mood these past few days. I went to the first ramen place in Iceland called Ramen Momo. It was really quaint and had this nice homely feeling to it. It was in the heart of Downtown Reykjavik and it was really good ramen. The broth was nice and hearty and all the vegetables were well cooked. My only complaint is that the noodles were just kind of bland and were the worst part of the ramen. Overall though, 8/10.

Salami Sandwich:

I ran out of food and needed to pack a quick lunch for class. It was good, I grilled the salami so it was nice and crispy. 5/10 

Yellow Rice with Ground Beef:

I like my rice ok. I made more rice but this time I also made the thing that goes with them. The rice didn’t come out quite as yellow ( i didn’t put enough seasoning) but it was still good. I ate the rice with middle eastern Kema, or ground beef. It is ground beef, onions, and parsley. It’s really good and mixes really well with rice. I ate some for lunch today. For my first time making Kema it came out really good. 8.5/10

Now that’s all the cool food I made and ate this week. I hope you enjoyed my totally not biased takes. Now, if you did make it this far I do have to include a small update or addendum so to speak as to last week. I bought spam while I was at Costco, which I used to make the Spammich. Turns out I can’t read numbers (nor could the other person who bought spam) and we ended up paying $7 for a can of spam and we each bought a 6 pack of spam. I will use all this spam and claim that it is economical but hey, it’s good spam. 

See you all for another post in a few days about the studying part of being abroad,

Alex Shamoun

Robotics 

IPE: Engineering in Reykjavik