#I thought it was a plane at first but my friend saw a tail and we were like oooohhh yeah that’s a shooting star

[jaegeraether]

Sunsets and footballers (Part 97)

Lucy Bronze x Reader (73) / Alexia Putellas x Character (49)

Masterlist (other parts here)

((4.1k))

ALEXIA POV

“Are we sure..?” Alexia asked.

The trio nodded. She clicked ‘post.’ It was a simple thing, an Instagram story with photos of their time away together. There was the plane with Alexia flying, the tiramisu featuring Ridley’s hands, the beach with their hut and both an almost naked Ridley and little Chiquito in the distance, Chiquito sitting on a table with this tail curled around over top of his paws, both of the photos of Alexia with the floating lanterns, and her kissing Ridley.

It was a post she’d never thought she’d get to put on social media, as much as she wanted to. And the only thing making her uncomfortable was the caption that was agreed on by Ridley, Duce and Beckett.

It was written in Spanish first, and then English.

*Our little paradise. London here we come.*

Her phone began buzzing almost immediately. Messages started flooding in. Comments. Likes. Support.

YFN liked your post.

Jenni Hermoso commented on your post: Whaaaat? I’m not sure which is more surprising, the girlfriend or the cat. Call me.

Mapi León liked your post.

Lucy Bronze MBE liked your post.

Lucy Bronze MBE commented on your post: Double date? *food emoji*

Ingrid Engen liked your post.

YFN commented on your post: Well this has just made my entire month *red heart emoji* love you both!

She couldn’t help but roll her eyes and smile as she put her phone down. She truly had amazing friends.

But in the back of her mind, it made her uneasy knowing that someone who wanted Ridley dead would read it. She tried to take the positive with the negative.

She and Ridley were now officially public. She’d been monitoring Ridley’s expression, worried she’d find regret, though there was none. Her expression seemed to reflect Alexia’s own. Happiness.

The plane journey was over ten hours so they ate dinner and shortly after, both Duce and Beckett fell asleep on the large couches in the main area. They seemed at peace for once. No one could hurt them in the sky. She saw their hands extended towards one enough and pondered at it. One look at Ridley’s expression and she confirmed that they were, in fact, a thing.

Ridley pulled blankets up over them and led Alexia to the bedroom. Immediately inside, her back hit the wall as Ridley’s mouth came down on hers.

“Fuck, Lee.” She moaned into her.

Where it came from, she didn’t know. But she wasn't complaining.

Ridley’s hand worked its way up her shirt and slide under her bra, her thumb stroking across her nipple. Alexia couldn’t help rocking her hips forwards into her. She bit her lip in return, tugging it.

“Lex.. I need something from you.” She managed to get out in between their hungry mouths.

Alexia returned them before she responded. She grabbed Ridley by the hair and pushed into her but god, was she strong.

“Anything…” she moaned. “Anything.”

They kissed more, their hands wandering and feeling as many things as possible. Alexia loved all of Ridley but in particular her back. Those strong shoulders. Her abs. And her goddamned face.

Ridley’s hands moved over Alexia’s footballer muscles that she loved so much. Alexia’s thighs, her ass, and also her neck.

“Alexia,” she murmured into her neck. Her breathing was a little distorted. Was Ridley nervous?

“Tell me…” Alexia said, taking her face between her hands. “Tell me what you need.”

“I need you to fuck me, Alexia.”

Alexia stopped dead, realising exactly what she was asking. It was not a new fact that Ridley was bisexual. She’d had sex with men before. She’d taken her fingers. But she’d never not been in control. Not since… an incident in high school where she’d not had a choice. A discussion they’d had on the island..

Their equal sex was different. Ridley had never been in a submissive position.

Right now, she was asking for that. She was asking for Alexia to be that dominant person she could be. La Reina.

“You want that?” She whispered.

“Only with you.”

The level of trust in her eyes melted Alexia. She wanted to cry. But that was superseded by that dominant side of her. She kissed her and nodded into her lips. “Stop me at any time.”

Ridley didn’t need to respond, but she knew she heard her. Alexia shoved her back against the opposite wall, hard. Her mouth landed on hers needily and Ridley just… accepted it.

Another wall lowered. Another piece of Ridley opening up to her.

Alexia pulled the shirt over her head, dragging her sports bra with it. She kissed her way down her neck, savouring her way down to her chest and took one of her nipples into her mouth, sucking. This was one of Ridley's favourite things.

Ridley groaned, her hand fisting the back of Alexia’s hair while her other, injured hand braced on the door. Alexia worked her like that until Ridley was fidgeting, and then lowered to her knees, dragging her remaining clothes down off her. This wasn’t new, as she was so used to and comfortable being naked. The new thing was the lack of decision making. The laying there and taking it. Alexia leant forward, kissing her core and rising, trailing her fingers up the insides of her thighs. When she reached her mouth, she dipped her fingers between her folds to that glorious warm, wetness as her lips parted on hers.

“Bed, Lee.”

Ridley wandered naked to the bed, Alexia admiring her ass before turning and ensuring the door was locked, placing her shoes in front of it.

Just like Ridley liked. It was peace of mind.

Nothing about their sex was generic or mechanical. Ridley needed to be comfortable and loved to be put into the position she was and be happy with it. And so, for what felt like hours, they rolled around, kissing and touching. Tasting and rubbing. Everything possible that was more than sex. It was intimacy.

Only when both she and Ridley were perfectly ready did Alexia slip the strap in. It’s something she’d said she would do to her before, though she never though she’d be able to like this.

Ridley was on her back, her legs raised slightly, head dropped back as Alexia’s hips moved between her legs. Her knees were braced like the many, many times she’d done it before, though now it was different. Ridley didn’t want to be fucked. She wanted to be loved. She needed to feel her there. Alexia knew that which is why she let her body slide along her as she moved with a steady pace.

She didn’t watch her. Didn’t assert dominance. Alexia simply placed her head on her shoulder and cherished the feel of their bodies slipping back and forth over each other as she fucked her.

Ridley is mine.

Ridley is mine.

She kissed her as she moved in her; kissing her neck, shoulder, jaw, wherever she could reach.

When the wet sound of Ridley’s body started to sound like they were tightening, she double her efforts, bracing and quickening the pace slightly. She didn’t need it fast; she’d realised over their times together. She just needed it reliably, and towards the end, hard.

God, the sound of Alexia’s hips slapping into Ridley would be something she’d never forget.

She didn’t make many sounds, though she hadn’t expected her to beyond the gasping in between thrusts.

“Please don’t stop.” Ridley begged in admission.

“Never. I love you.” Alexia responded, her mouth now against her ear. “I love you, Ridley. I’m not going anywhere. I love you.”

“Al…Ale. Lex. Fuck. Fuck me.”

Hearing Ridley beg broke her. She needed this. No one could give her this except Alexia.

Her body was burning, but she loved it. She’d never stop for anything. Never. The sounds of the strap fucking in and out of her. The rising sound of Ridley’s ragged breathing and gasping as she held on. The knowledge of the barrier that they’d just crossed.

A few more minutes of reliable fucking later, and Ridley was coming hard under her letting out a strangled cry. Alexia felt her body tensing shortly after at the sound of her alone.

Two bodies convulsing together.

Tightening together.

Coming down together.

She took the strap out as soon as she was able, knowing that’s what she would have wanted. Alexia dropped it to the floor and moved up the bed, pulling Ridley’s head to her chest.

She didn’t say anything, but she didn't have to.

Alexia kissed and stroked her hair as they fell asleep.

The feeling of fingertips stroking up and down her lat woke Alexia. She woke to realise that she was still holding Ridley’s head to her chest where she was lying silently, her eyes open and thinking. When she realised Alexia was awake, she tilted her head back to look at her.

She was worried for a second that she’d find regret or shame, but she found none of those. Instead, those favourite dark eyes of hers were… peaceful. Calm. Pondering over other things. Alexia tucked a strand of her dark hair behind her ear, the pad of her thumb trailing around the outside of it, over her piercings. Ridley loved her hair stroked like that. Her eyes fluttered closed when Alexia’s hand pulled back and stroked again through her hair, her nails dragging over her scalp and sending shivers down her spine. She did that a few more times until her body twitched itself like it did when she was always close to falling asleep.

“We’ll be landing… in an hour…” she managed to mumble out sleepily.

“We have time to sleep a little more…”

“Mmn.” Was the only response she got from the Australian. A few strokes later and she was back asleep, the worries that she was pondering were gone. Alexia kept stroking until she knew she was fast asleep, and then rested her cheek on her head, letting herself drift off as she held the person she loved most in the world.

After a sappy shower and they watched each other unfortunately put their clothes back on, they rejoined the others in the main cabin. Ridley took Alexia up into the cockpit to greet the pilots and showed her the cockpit setup, pointing out all of the differences and similarities to the other aircraft they’d flown together. After that, they settled down in their seats for landing.

Duce and Beckett were now awake and discussing the plan of attack for the second location with Chiquito waiting patiently on Ridley’s seat as if he was a part of the conversation. His sleepy expression gave away the fact that he had also been sleeping for the past few hours.

Alexia sat down and he jumped onto her lap. She cuddled into him and he into her, as she kissed him on his purring cheek.

“Is there not going to be lots of... people, who go by accident to the wrong location? It was posted wrong…” She queried.

“That’s exactly how we want it,” Duce said. “It wouldn’t exactly be believable if they arrived and no one was there. We’ll have the building covered by our team undercover as usual security, with one entrance poorly manned. When he’s in, we’ll go. Ridley will draw him all the way there.”

Alexia felt uneasy again. She knew it was what they did for a living. She knew that Ridley had been in this situation, and worse, many times over. The scars littering her body proved that. But still – it was an uncomfortable thought.

Ridley noticed her discomfort and leant over to kiss her softly on the cheek. Alexia closed her eyes and leant into it.

It was their first intimate moment in front of anyone.

They landed just after 1430 local time in London. A car was waiting for them at the airport, with an excited looking Lucy and Blau outside. She was now standing without crutches, and even walked her way over to them. Ridley and Alexia closed the gap quickly to ensure she wouldn’t move too far. Ridley caught Blau in her arms gently and lifted her.

“Hi, baby.”

“Hey Riddles. I really missed you.”

Lucy caught Alexia in a similar hug, and although it wasn’t usually their thing, it felt right.

“Hola capitana. Chiquito.”

Alexia rolled her eyes. “Hola Lucia.”

Lucy hugged her tightly before pulling back. Her eyes flicked from Ridley back to her. “Good holiday?”

“The best.”

“Oh, we saw your post.” Ridley put Blau down and turned to her, extending a hand. Lucy ignored it and pulled her into a hug instead.

“Ridley.”

“Bronze.”

“Been taking care of my girl?”

“My girl? Of course.”

Alexia and Blau shared a look, rolling their eyes. The Spaniard bent down and hugged the woman most precious to Ridley. Blau had become such a large part of her life as well, and she always had that calming, comfortable presence about her. The hug was no exception.

They both felt like they didn’t want to let go.

“Hola Ale.”

She smiled at the Spanish. “Hola, Blau.”

After a while, they let go and looked at each other. Blau touched her cheek. “You look…” she paused while she thought. “…happy. Really, really happy.”

“I am.” She admitted huskily.

They turned to their loud mouthed partners going at it.

“Don’t even try to lie, Bronze. I can fucking smell it on you.”

“What are you, the sex police?”

“Maybe I am.”

“You try to stop her getting what she wants.”

Ridley groaned and covered her ears.

“Oh don’t you start. You think I smell like sex? What about you two? I’m surprised you both didn’t come back pregnant.”

“You really do have a pregnancy kink, huh?”

Lucy groaned and looked over to Blau who was just enjoying the show.

Ridley turned to Alexia with a cheeky grin.

It was obviously a joke, yet something they hadn’t spoken about before. She made a note to do so.

“Come on you two, we need to get a lot done before the party tonight.” Blau said.

“Party?” Alexia asked.

“Just casual drinks. Leah and Jordan are having a joint engagement and Jordan’s birthday party tonight. Nothing too big!”

Ridley’s face went slightly more serious. Alexia knew why. She was pondering the safety of such an event.

“Are you two hungry?”

“We could eat,” Ridley replied. “But we do need to talk…”

Lucy and Blau held questions in their eyes until the figures of Duce and Beckett appeared.

It was an overwhelming sense of relief to be back in Ridley’s apartment. Ever since they stepped foot on the ground in London she’d felt on edge, but the apartment was different. It was safe. It was home. Chiquito himself was happier again, running around to ensure everything was the way they left it. Benjami and Richard were there and greeted them both with wide smiles.

“I’m so happy it worked out like I hoped…” Benjami had whispered to her in Catalan.

The couple took their belongings upstairs before they had a chance to argue against it. Ridley went upstairs to put her guitar in her studio while Alexia found herself in Ridley’s room, staring at the bed. Benjami and Richard had placed their luggage in the one room. Cheeky.

Two arms slid around her waist and she leant back into the warmth of Ridley. “Would you be more comfortable here or in the guest bedroom..?”

Alexia was surprised by the question and tensed.

“Let me rephrase that.” Ridley murmured, lips close to her ear and her voice dangerously low. “Would you be more comfortable for us to sleep in this room, or for us to sleep in the guest bedroom?”

Ah, that was better. She felt her body relax. “I’ve always liked this room. The bed is very comfortable too.”

A hesitation from Ridley made Alexia smile. “You… have been in this bed?”

Alexia turned and placed her hands on her. “I slept in your bed with Chiquito the night before we left London.”

She loved catching Ridley off guard. Her expression softened. “Our bed, Lex.” She kissed her softly just once. “Our bed. Our apartment. Okay?”

Alexia was worried how husky with emotion her voice would be if she spoke so instead, she nodded.

Ridley stepped back, her fingertips lightly gripping onto Alexia’s. “Come.”

Alexia followed her as she led them out of her bedroom, past the gym where they’d spent so much time, and to Ridley’s office. Once inside, she noticed where Ridley was looking. The portrait of Chiquito she’d painted for her. Benjami had put it up as she’d asked.

“I never got the chance to thank you for this… it’s beautiful. I was thinking we could redo half of the library across the hall into a studio for you, if you’d like?”

There was nothing that set of her emotions quite like talking about future plans, and changing the layout of an entire room was not a small thing.

Again, she nodded to avoid being too emotional. Ridley noticed, though. She always did. She smiled something genuine and reached out to touch the smiling sun on Alexia’s necklace.

“Happy?”

“Happy.” She whispered.

They all sat down to a late lunch and spoke of the plan to capture Bashir. Alexia was not only impressed by how professionally Lucy and Blau took it, but just how many in depth questions Blau had that Alexia hadn’t thought to ask. She was not only protecting her business, but her friends. And for every single one of her questions, Duce and Beckett had an answer.

Their plan wasn’t foolproof, and they knew that, but they had done this thousands of times successfully.

“The event won’t be affected?” Lucy asked.

“No. You should hear nothing at all. We’ll keep it as quiet as possible, and the most you should see is Ridley arriving at your event after we’ve detained him. This is a high end operation.”

“And the party tonight at the pub is okay…?”

“We’re handling the specifics now. The SAS are in contact with the pub and putting security measures in place as we speak.”

“So what now..?”

“Nothing changes for you all.” Duce confirmed.

“Now Luce,” Blau explained, putting her hand on hers and answering the actual question she knew her girlfriend was asking, “Riddles and I are going shopping for outfits for us all tomorrow. And you can go with Ale to kick around the football. You’ve been groaning about how long it’s been, and Ale is the best. We’ll all meet back here and go to the party.”

“And Duce and Beckett will be staying here with us until the situation is resolved.” Ridley added, looking to Alexia.

Duce kept working with her intelligence team over in the living room, sending messages and taking calls while Beckett was up and checking his gear. She’d never seen a gun in person before, and since meeting Ridley’s team, she’d now seen enough weapons for a lifetime.

Ridley leant over and kissed her on the temple. “Are you okay with me picking your outfit for tonight?”

Alexia was proud of her fashion sense, but even she admitted no one rivalled Ridley in that. “No one has ever chosen for me beyond my stylist…”

“Oh baby, I’m far better than your stylist.” She quipped cockily. “But if it makes you happy, I will liaise with her about that, and your makeup and hair.”

She disappeared then with Lucy to clear the table. Alexia could see Blau struggle to stand and helped her.

“Thank you. It’s really difficult when I have to keep this leg straight.”

“It is okay,” she chuckled with sympathy. “I understand you. My knee.. my ACL you call? It was the dark dark time for me. I know how hard it is but I never had this too.” She gestured to her sling and then looked at her jaw. “This is… better?”

Blau nodded. One thing Alexia loved about Blau was that she always understood her and never judged her English. “That’s better. The next thing off will be the knee brace, and then the sling. Lucy’s been amazing.”

She looked over to her and Alexia followed her gaze to see her talking to Ridley in the kitchen as they put the food away.

“Things are good?”

“Things are perfect,” she replied, happy as she always was. Lucy’s little positive ball of light. “And I’d ask the same but I can already see the answer…”

“Mmn. We are… we work on things together. We both want us.”

“And she’s opening up?”

“More than I think she would. We need to find way to make this works with all things.”

“Ah, yes. With you almost ready to start playing again and with Ridley and her company..”

“Sí.”

Blau paused, her face pondering. “Are you happy with her to keep doing her other job?”

Alexia followed her gaze to Duce and Beckett who were now both in the living room talking quietly.

“I… don’t… we have not talk about it.”

Blau didn’t respond to that. She simply looked at Alexia who understood what she was waiting for. She hadn’t answered the question. She looked over at Ridley. “I don’t want her to change. That is big part of who she is.”

“It is. It will always be. But it’s also okay to want your partner safe.”

Ridley looked over as if she knew what they were speaking about. “She will always come home to me.”

“Yes… I think you’re right about that.”

When they were finished putting away the food, Blau called across the room. “Come on, Riddles! I’m not going to be late for this party.”

Ridley rolled her eyes and the pair wandered over. Lucy leant down to kiss Blau.

“Don’t overdo it,” she warned her.

“Promise. Just some practice and some fun.” Lucy replied.

Ridley’s fingertips brushed against Alexia’s and she turned to catch her eyes. They were a little melancholy. It would be the first time they’d properly been apart since Ridley had left.

“We’ll be home soon. Take care of your knee, Lex.”

Alexia didn’t reply. She simply stepped forward and kissed her for the first time in front of their friends.

The party was more casual drinks with many footballers having much more alcohol than they should during season. Alexia didn’t mind. Ridley was by her side the entire night, her head on a swivel in the public area.

They caught up with many footballers who were gushing about Alexia’s post, though the most important was Leah and Jordan. They congratulated them both and the aura of pure happiness around them was contagious. They spoke about the engagement, the games, Ridley and Alexia’s holiday with the floating lanterns, and the Lumos event the next day. Blau had kept the event down to several high-profile footballers such as Alexia, Lucy, Leah, Jordan, Katie, Viv, Ellie, Wendie, Georgia, Lena as well as other popular players from other leagues who work with Lumos. The idea was the showcase the direction they were headed and to promote women’s football across the leagues. There would be many key stakeholders, their own media as well as other public news outlets, merchandise, sponsors etc to push Lumos into the spotlight.

“You said something about a big opening event next year?” Katie asked.

“Oh… yes. This is just a little event to help us gain traction for the rest of the season.” Blau explained. “But in six months, when we’re on our feet and running smoothly, we’ll have our big Welcome to Lumos event where we present our goals and ambitions.”

“One question. Will there be alcohol?”

“You really think I wouldn’t have alcohol for my favourite Irishwoman? Who am I, the Pope?”

Katie chuckled and excused herself as she went over to Caitlin who was calling her for a photo.

Suddenly, Alexia felt a pulling on her waist and followed Ridley as she bee-lined for a table in the corner where Duce and Beckett were.

“What’s going on?” Lucy asked as she and Blau joined them.

They looked at Duce who was silent, staring at an alert on her phone. Ridley knew her friend so well that she had noticed the change in her demeanour from across the pub.

“Duce?” Beckett prompted. Duce’s jaw locked as she read.

“He’s disappeared. We’ve lost Bashir.”

[pixiesfz]

where’s the tent? s.c x child!reader

apart of sunshine series

plot: your first time at Matilda’s camp

warning: fluff, sunshine and Harper world domination

"Sunshine which toy do you want with you on the plane and which one do you want to put in your suitcase?" Steph asked you whilst holding two bears in front of you.

One was your teddy that Lara gave you and the other was a new Teddy that you had picked out with your new friend Harper when you went shopping with her and her mums.

You looked in between the two bears before pointing at Lara's "take on plane" you mumbled and Steph smiled "okay sunshine"

"Can we film doing hair again?" you ask as Steph zips up your suitcase "I want plaits" you smiled and put your hands on your pajama pants you were still in.

"We have to go soon Sunshine," Steph told you before picking you up and resting you on her hip "How bout we get changed and then we see if we can do hair, if not we can do it at the airport with Kyra and Caitlin"

"Caitlin can't do hair" you mumbled and Steph laughed "She's only used to pony tails"

It was early in the morning and you were still very tired but you weren't complaining as Steph told you that you were going to camp for the first time, the first time she went to camp since adopting you she didn't bring you.

You stayed at Auntie Leah's but you didn't like it, you threw a tantrum every night when you didn't have a Storytime with Stephy and you didn't like the accent Leah had.

Even if it was the same as yours, you still called yourself Australian and were trying to mimic Steph's voice.

Steph thought to take you this time but you didn't know how you would handle being in another country.

Steph dressed you in comfortable clothes and did put your hair in one plait before she drove you both to the airport where you met with Kyra and Caitlin.

"Ready for camp Sunshine?" Caitlin asked you and you nodded "You excited to see Harper?" Kyra chimed in and you jumped up and down from excitement.

"Harper my best friend"

The two girls nodded with smiles as Steph pulled out Lara's teddy and Caitlin and Kyra lined up for the plane "ready?" she asked and you nodded "hand please" you lifted your hand for Steph to take which she did.

On the plane you weren't too bad, more excited for the snack woman to come up and down as you gave Steph your 'puppy eyes' as the Aussie called them.

"You're too young for diet coke Sunshine"

"But when Kyra gave me some-"

"Kyra what"

Steph's eyes popped out of her sockets before she turned around to see a peacefully sleeping Kyra that was sat next to Caitlin who was on her phone before Steph texted her.

You watched as Caitlin slapped the younger girl awake.

You had fallen asleep not much longer and Steph was grateful for it, especially when people walking by would 'aw' at your cuteness.

When the plane landed you woke up and gripped on to Steph, asking her to hold you as a lot of people were walking around, you didn't want to get lost.

You finally got out and fell back asleep on Steph's shoulder as she grabbed all your luggage and made her way into the Uber that Matilda camp had ordered for the three Arsenal girls.

"C'mon Sunshine time to wake up" Steph nudged you awake before she entered the hotel, she wanted to make sure you were at least familiar with the setting before you woke up in the morning.

You were amazed by all the cool lights around you, pointing at little things that amazed you as Steph nodded and talked about them with you.

"Do we want to go to dinner or have a nap first?" Steph asked you and you looked around, more energized from your long naps "Harper" you answered and Steph put you down, her hand still in yours.

"Dinner it is"

When you saw your best friend in the Dinner room, you ran off in a sprint "Harper!" you yelled and the other little girl started running to you as well until you met each other in a hug, the media person catching it on video as the girls awed at the sight.

Katrina walked over to Steph "Sunshine was good on the plane?" she asked with a slight smirk and Steph breathed out "I was so happy".

You and Harper sat on the floor, inviting players down every now and then before your mums forced you to eat your dinners which they got for you.

"Where you talking to Teagan?" Steph asked and you nodded "Teagan's cool, want to see Corkey next" you said and she nodded "You like Courtney don't you, is she your favourite?" she asked and you looked at Steph "But you're my favourite"

Steph seemed to smile at your words and brought you into a hug "Thankyou Sunshine".

When you finished you ran over to Courtney who was with Mary and red hair Courtney "Corkeyyyy" you yelled out, still not very not good with her name.

The blonde raised her arms for you as you jumped up into her arms "Did you miss me?" she asked and you nodded "yes!"

You had only met Courtney a couple of times in London and you had seen pictures of her that Kyra had in her apartment as they used to go to school together.

You just babbled with words as you sat with the three younger girls as Harper played with Charli and Kyra.

Katrina and Steph just called it free babysitting.

When you arrived to your room with Steph you looked around confused and with furrowed eyebrows as your arms crossed over each other "What's wrong Sunshine?"

"Where's the tent?" you asked and Steph cocked her head, also confused "What do you mean Sunshine?"

"This is camp, why no tent?"

Steph just smiled warmly at your words before picking you and explaining to you that soccer camp is different before you fell asleep in her arms.

[mutantceri]

Research Note 251: Lines West

This may not pertain to our work directly, but it definitely pertains to how it affects our patients, so IMHO, it counts.

It's yearly conference time, and this year, I had to take the train home. I haven't done it in the last 3 years because I've carpooled. Well, all alone this year, planes are out of the question, and the cars in the shop. (I had a little oopsie with my tail's scales and the upholstery…)

Which brings me to my point. I never thought about how our patients would have to adapt to public transit until now. Once they're end of treatment, most would never have to take it again. But all through the process? Well, let's just use my experience and what I've observed.

So I get on the train at Penn Station. As is my new norm, I'm being stared at the entire time in the metro lounge (perks of spending my life savings on a bedroom on the train). When we go down to board, my hands have difficulty fitting the handrails to get in the car's door. I haven't grown much in height, but my 'paws' sure have.

I turn down the hall and, surprise, even with my little f'd up wings, I barely fit, sideways or frontways. I slammed my hand against the wall and frustratedly contorted myself through the door. I set down my two bags, and as I turn to sit, a cow passes behind me with her friend. A cow, at the end of her treatment. So, effectively, a cow. I poke my head back out the door and watch this poor girl try and make the turn in the hallway. Her friend ended up having to push her around the corner. Between the few words and angered moo's, I felt bad. All I had was a little discomfort, they had a whole experience. They ended up in the larger 'family' bedroom for… obvious reasons.

Once we got underway, I was able to actually enjoy the trip. The trees and towns passing by as the light flashed across my muzzle was nice. What wasn't nice, was trying to fit all 6'2" with 4ft of tail me inside this itty bitty bathroom when it was finally time. I really didn't want to know how it felt to be packaged like an action figure, but here we are. The day passed, and I started to feel a bit normal again. So, when dinner came, I decided to go eat in the dining car. I… figured out a way to sit in the booth, sideways. Due to space, everyone gets sat in every available space. The cow's friend sat across from me while she waited to take their food back to their room. They had decided to take one more trip before "they went off to live on a farm upstate." But actually, they were. That's where their end-of-care program was. A petting zoo upstate from where they lived. "Sounds perfect! So you can still go and hang out!" She excitedly nodded as her food came. "Pasta, and the double salad for my friend! Perfect!" She ran back down the car, as my steak came out. Unfortunately, I couldn't maneuver the silverware. I was really frustrated real fast, so the entire car got to watch me two-finger pinch the steak, and sling it down like a shot of whisky. Perks of having a long neck and sharp teefies. But, when the other dragon does it with fish, everyone gets hard. When I do it, I get "oh my god, what the hell?" and asked to leave. I enjoyed the night, being able to get lulled to sleep. I spread my wings out as best I could, and cuddled my tail as the red lights flashed by. Morning came too fast, and I awoke to rustling in the room beside me. The others were getting off way ahead of me. And trying to get a cow down the stairs… well… the conductor wasn't prepared for the endeavor. After shoving her out into the vestibule, they essentially had to push her back and down the stairs, holding her front hooves so her chin didn't smash the stairs. They finally got down, their bags collected, and clear of the train. They stopped to wave at the train leaving, and I really hope they saw me waving back. Even tried flapping my broken lil wing for the first time in a while. My leaving was a repeat of my entering the car. Bump here, bump there, squeeze out and nearly tripping down the stairs. But, it was worth the experience. I think we take for granted that the people who operate things like this work with therians, as we are a very fringe and unique case. Maybe one day, things will be more accessible. For most, the point is to get away from everything humans deal with, especially the discomforts of travel.

But for some, these discomforts are just as enjoyable as being themselves. And the compromise, well worth it. Maybe I'll take the train next year, too. -Ceri

(Story and character inspired by Penny and her Bovine HRT story! Find her here: https://www.tumblr.com/pennymations @pennymations https://x.com/pennscrypt)

[rays-of-fire-and-ice]

Returnal: Summer

Two Weeks of Hitsuhina 2024: Day 5 - Go with the Clouds / Hobbies

Rating: K/General

Setting: between the ten-year time-skip and No Breath from Hell oneshot.

Synopsis: While visiting a town in the World of the Living with Toshiro, Momo begins to have a strange feeling she’s been there before.

AN: this has been a stop-start fic since March of this year. It first came to me when I happened to be listening to World #07 Blues from the DiamondDust Rebellion OST (YT | Spotify) and looked at the clouds towering high in the sky on the horizon (in scientific terms, the formation is referred to as a cumulus congestus cloud… yes I looked it up in case anyone was curious XD). Since then, I was struggling to figure out what this fic was going to be about, because it felt like there was more to it than Momo and Toshiro have a day off int he World of the Living.

It didn’t really crystalise until I was thinking on the theme 'go with the clouds' and I figured out why Momo was feeling the way she was about the town.

A few notes before we begins:

In terms of what they’re wearing in this fic, imagine whatever you want, but I saw Toshiro in the Black Hole Disco attire (not with the headphones and wearing a pair of three quarter pants instead, but yes, he’s wearing the bucket hat), and Momo is in the outfit on the left here and her hair done up in a side ponytail

A shoutengai is a type of shopping district in Japan. It can be considered a market of sorts, where you can buy the usual things you’d find at marketplaces like groceries, meals and snacks, cosmetics, clothes, housewares and more. They vary in size from town to town, but regardless they can also host big social events like festivals. Most of my research for this came talking about them with a friend who’s been to Japan and from quick google searches. If I got anything inaccurate, please let me know so I can fix it.

The rats Hitsugaya mentions are the Ryukyu long-tailed giant rat. It’s a rodent native to Japan, specifically the Ryukyu Islands and it has long hairs that look like spikes.

The cup mentioned in this fic is here.

Momo is acting out of character at certain points, and is harsh at one point, This is deliberate, and I hope it makes sense why this is the case as you read along.

If I had to recommend any music to listen to, anything from the Clannad anime soundtrack will work.

I hope you all enjoy this one!

__________________________________

The sun bears down on the back of Hitsugaya’s neck. He tilts the brim of his hat back to shade it, and despite the heat, he’s not experiencing the usual sluggishness that comes with the summer weather.

Regardless, the action gets Hinamori's attention. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” he assures.

“It’s not far,” she encourages, gesturing to the buildings ahead of them on the horizon. “I wonder why the senkaimon dropped us off here? I thought it would be near one of the shrines.”

He shrugs. “It’s probably an old pathway. There might have been a shrine here once but it’s been lost to time. We’ll have to make a note to Twelfth Division when we get back”

She only nods, then continues towards the town. He doesn’t immediately follow.

The senkaimon had taken them to the outskirts, and he might have complained if not for the view and scenery it offers them. Aside from the sidewalks bordering either ride of the road, the powerlines coming down the hill and going into the town, there’s no other human-made structures out here. They’re on a flat plane in a valley, with flowers and tall grass on either side of the road. Bordering the area in far distance are hills and mountains, and towering high above them are clouds that slowly move across the sky.

Save for the few cars that have passed them, their shoes scraping along the footpath, and the swaying grass, it’s quiet. There’s a peacefulness here that is rare in most places he’s been to in the World of the Living.

He looks back to Hinamori, watching the ends of her skirt flutter in the wind and her cloth bag jostle around her shoulder. Out of everything, however, it the purposefulness in her strides that catches his attention the most.

“Why here?” he’d asked when she’d shown him pictures of the town on her denreishinki.

She’d given a small shrug, but her gaze never left the images. “I just thought it looks like a nice town to visit. I didn’t want to go somewhere too cold or hot, and I didn’t feel like going to a city. It's built up, but it also has a lot of nature. Maybe we could go for a walk there or do some shopping?"

There was something about her in that moment. She wasn’t being dishonest, but she hadn’t told him the whole truth, maybe even didn’t realise there was more to her choice than she knew. As if an unconscious force made her pick this place for their visit.

He brushes the thought aside for now, catching up to her and taking in the serenity around them.

_________________________________

It’s that feeling again. Something clinging to the edge of her heart, and fluttering at the back of her mind, hazy and out of reach.

Hinamori can’t decide if she should be perplexed by it or find it uncomfortable. It had started when she’d been searching for places she and Hitsugaya could visit for their day trip. More specifically, when this town showed up more than once as a recommended day trip destination.

The feeling intensifies now that they walk down the town’s main street. She tries to focus on her surroundings, taking in the architecture of the buildings around her. They’re mostly modern, but occasionally there’s a building that’s out of place, as if transported from another time. They’re well maintained, with obvious repaired having been made to their roofs or walls, but still maintaining their traditional look. They remind her of the buildings in the Junrinan’s business district.

There aren’t a lot of people around to considering it 'bustling', but there's enoguh to make her think the town isn't as small as one might assume based on the maps and pictures she'd seen. There’s a few residents that even have their pets with them, either carrying them or keeping them on leash.

“Look at that dog, Shiro-chan!” Hinamori quietly gushes when she spots a small, white Japanese Spitz with it’s owner across the street. “It’s so fluffy!”

Hitsugaya only snorts and watches the dog trot down the footpath.

“…You know, it kind of looks liked you.”

He lets out a strangled sound which briefly catches the attention of a few around them. “How?!”

“Well, it’s fur looks like your hair, it’s got a very determined stride, and…” She raises a hand to her lips, stifling a giggle and covering the teasing smile curling her lips.

He glares at her, even as blush faintly colors his cheeks. “We didn’t come here for you to compare me to a dog.”

“No, I suppose we didn’t.” She fishes out her denreishinki from her pocket, bringing up the map of the main and connecting streets. “Come on, lets go find the shoutengai.”

 There are a few in this town, but the one that’d been recommend on a several Human websites she’d browsed through was the biggest of them all. It’s home to the usual types of shops, like clothing and homeware stores, but also obscure places like a tiny café that has hedgehog-themed food and beverages, a bookstore selling rare novels and collectables, and a confectionery shop with candies in all sorts of shapes and sizes and flavors.

It's several minutes later when they come across it. It’s hard to miss with the crowd gathered within and the different colored lanterns swaying beneath the shoutengai sign.

Hinamori stops before they cross the street to it’s entrance. “You sure about this?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I know you’re not a fan crowds, so…”

He shrugs. “It's not like we're staying here the whole time."

She smiles in gratitude. “Okay.” Even so, she can’t help but offer, “After this, we can go wherever you want.”

“There's that walking trail you mentioned before, I guess.” Before she can agree to it, he walks past her. “Come on.”

Crossing the street, they manoeuvre their way through the crowds in front until they’re inside. When they enter, Hinamori has to stop to take it all in.

Above them is a semi-circular glass roof, and hanging from it and the beams dotted every several meters are lanterns. Beneath them are smaller signs for all the store and stall within the alleyway. Despite the crowds packing the district, there’s an airy feel to the place. Something lively and cheerful. She grins, finally knowing she made the right decision to come here.

She grabs Hitsugaya’s wrist, and while he lets out a surprised grunt, she points to the nearby candy store, “I saw that one in the blogs! Let’s go check it out.”

They didn’t stay in the store long, with Hinamori buying several bags of sweets for Women’s Association members – Nanao had been keen for everyone to get ideas for their next event, maybe making and selling sweets might inspire them, Hinamori reasoned to herself – and for her captain – he likely misses treats from the World of the Living, she further reasoned.

Hitsugaya stays close as they wonder from store to store. A part of her wishes he’d peel off and go look at something himself, but he’s never been much of a shopper.

From there, she peruses all the store fronts, ducking in when something catches her eye. When she comes upon the hedgehog-themed café, it takes everything in her – and Hitsugaya's small lecture about saving funds – to not buy several of the hedgehog-shaped foods or pay to pet one of the hedgehogs there.

“I’m surprised,” he mutters when they leave.

She lets out a nervous laugh. “At least I only got one thing.” Said thing is packet of two cookies, stowed away with the other candies.

“Not that.” He shakes his head. “Since when have you liked those sorts of creatures? You used to run from the spiny rats in the Junrinan.”

“That was different! Besides…I was younger then, I didn’t know they were harmless.” She turns back to the front windows of the café, watching the Humans hold and pet the tiny creatures. “Besides, those little guys wouldn’t hurt anyone.”

“They literally have spikes!”

“Sounds like you are the one scared of them, Shiro-chan.”

“I am not!”

She laughs at his outrage. “You know, I think they remind me of you too.”

With a loud grumble, he stalks ahead of her. “I’m going to the bookstore.”

"You mean the one we were in before?"

"No, the other one."

That makes her stop. “There was a bookstore?”

He spins on his heel, and when he notices her surprise, his embarrassment turns to teasing. “How did you miss it?”

“You should’ve pointed it out to me!”

He shrugs. “Well, I’m going there. You’ll have to find it yourself.”

She blinks at his audacity, then scrambles to catch up to him. “Hey, wait up!”

She avoids bumping into Humans while trying not to lose sight of him. When a couple comes in front, she has to skid to a stop.

“Ah, sorry!” she quickly apologises, before going around them. Hitsugaya is gone. She sighs wearily. Well, at least he decided to go somewhere on his own.

Deciding to join him later, Hinamori wonders from shop to shop. She comes to another homemade housewares store a few minutes later, browsing the shelves at the front packed with cutlery and ceramics, varying in shapes and designs. She thought to buy a new cup for herself, something different from what she typically found in the Soul Society. When her eyes fall on a black and blue cup, another idea comes to mind.

It’s not his birthday yet, she thinks, and I don’t really have an occasion to give this to him anytime soon. Still…

She picks the cup up, turning it around in her hands. It’s mostly black, but there’s a shiny sliver of the brown clay at the base and blue colors the inside and covers the rim, as if water were spilling out over the lip. It’s the perfect size for tea and light in weight despite the sturdy construction.

The price tag makes her purse her lips, but after a beat, she walks into the store and straight to the cashier before she changes her mind.

Maybe I can wait until his birthday? she wonders after coming out of the store, bag now a bit heavier with the boxed up purchase. It’s only five months away, it’s not too long of a wait, right? It’ll save me having too…

A painting displayed on an easel catches her eye. It makes her come to a complete stop in the middle of the arcade, with Humans wondering around her none the wiser to the shock that thrums through her. She can’t understand this reaction, and that feeling that’d been lingering rushes forward like a tidal wave crashing up against the walls of her mind.

With slow steps, she treads to the painting. She barely registers that it’s a part of a small stall belonging to an artist, with several other paintings on display. She only sees the landscape rendered in muted acrylic paints. There’s a forest, with trees to thin but so tall they obscure the clouded sky. At the base of the trunks is a rocky bank, with stones colored brown and grey, and a small ring of dirt separated it from the green grass and flora of flowers and shrubs. The lake lapping at the bank is a pale blue-grey.

However, she’s seen that lake with her own eyes so many times, knows that it's actually a brighter, more vibrant blue. But how can she?

 _________________________________

Hitsugaya walks out of the bookstore, a parcel in one hand and with his brow furrowed deeply. He’d expected Hinamori to follow him; she never misses the chance to visit a bookstore whenever they go out. Then again, she rarely gets to visit the World of the Living and she always gets caught up in the sights and sounds she’s never experienced before.

Hitsugaya will never admit he likes seeing her like this. This peace the Seireitei has been experiencing for the past eleven years allows her to be happy again without worry or restraint. Yes there had been the few strange moments before and during this trip, but seeing her in the stores gleefully browsing and picking up things to decide if she should buy them or not, even watching her debate whether or not she wanted to pet a hedgehog, it’s a balm for the part of him still unable to let go of what happened over ten years ago.

He scans the district, first to the left towards the exit, then to the right. He puts his hat back on and begins walking the way he’d come before leaving her. Worst case scenario, he can call her denreishinki and meet up at the strange café again. Proving to himself that she can be happy, that he can be happy, as times goes on.

He glances down at the parcel. It has string wrapped around it and tied off in a bow with a tag dangling from one of the ends.

She’s going to want to know about it. It’s rare for him to buy anything on any shopping venture he goes on. I could give it to her now and make the apology. He glances at the Humans around him. No, not here. When we go on the walk.

Through the crowds, Hinamori's profile into view. He makes his way to her, but the closer he approaches, the clearer her expression becomes and the quicker his steps get. She clutches the straps of her bag tightly, and her widened eyes stare at a painting. The furrow in her brow, something caught between distress and confusion, makes him surge forward, bumping into Humans without care.

Someone approaches her, however, knocking her out of this state. He forces himself to a stop, well within her view. Still, she focuses on the stranger as she raises her hand in reassurance and offers a wobbly smile. The Human – the artist of the painting, Hitsugaya assumes – bows her head, and again, Hinamori waves her hand and says something. They speak for a moment, and at one point Hinamori points a trembling hand at the painting.

He finally catches her eyes when he takes slower steps towards her. Hinamori visibly relaxes when their gazes meet.

“Ah, here’s my friend now. I better get going!” She bows to the artist. “Sorry again, I didn’t mean to cause a scene.”

“Oh, no, you didn’t! I was worried my painting had affected you somehow.”

“No, really, it was fine. Thank you for telling me about it.” Then, a bit too quickly, she leaves.

“What was that all –?” She walks past without so much as glancing at him. It only alarms him more. He catches up to her in a few steps and grabs her wrist, forcing her to stop. “Hinamori?”

She doesn’t look at him, staring ahead at the exit. After a shaky breath, she lowers her head, her bangs falling over her temples. “Can we leave? I need to get some air.”

He loosens his grip. “Yeah, sure.”

They make their way out, ending up on a quieter street. He lets her lead the way, taking a short walk through a park. He thinks to speak, to ask about what happened back there, but he waits, knowing she’ll bring up in her own time.

By the time they get to the other side of the park, where a road curves down a hill lined with building on their side and giving them a view of a forest sprawled out below. She opens her mouth, but closes it and presses her lips into a thin line.

“Looked like you were affected by that painting,” he offers.

Again she hesitates, but after a shake of her head, she says, “Yeah. It sounds crazy, but I’ve made a drawing of the place in that painting.”

His brow furrows. “Huh?"

“The thing is…I don’t know where that place is.”

“What?”

They’d been walking down the incline, and she brings them to a stop. “Remember when we were in the Junrinan I started drawing pictures of my past?”

He nods.

“I'm certain one of those drawings was of that place. By the time I was drawing it, I’d started to forget where it was and why I remembered it.”

“You're saying the place in that painting is from when you were a Human?"

"I think so..." She lets out a soft, choked sound. "But it might not be. Maybe it looks a lot like one of the places I drew, but it's not it."

Does this explain her strange behavior at certain points? Did something about this town resonate with long forgotten memories for her? Could this town even be...?

He’s out of his depth with this one. What can he say or do to make this better? “It’s not unheard of for a Shinigami to remember places from their past.”

Hinamori blinks. “Huh?”

“When I was a seated officer,” Hitsugaya continues. “I remember rumours among the officers too, about Shinigami acting strange when they were assigned to certain places, and as a result they needed to be transferred. I never paid it much mind, until one of my subordinates came back from a posting requesting to be transferred. He recognised certain buildings in a city he thought he’d never been too. He couldn’t understand it, and tried so hard to explain it to Matsumoto and I when he returned.” He tries to make his shrug casual, but it's too stiff. "That might be happening to you now."

“I guess. It was considered strange I remembered my past life for as long as you did when I arrived the Soul Society.” She sighs. “Sorry, our trip wasn’t supposed to be like this.”

“It’s fine, you couldn’t have known.” He steps closer to her. “Do you want to head back to the Soul Society?”

He expects her to either nod or say something to the effect of, ‘Not yet. I still need to make this a trip worth going on.’ He doesn’t expect the pursing of her lips or the balling of her hand into a tight fist around the straps of her bag.

“The thing is,” she says, “I asked that artist where that place was, and she said it’s here.”

The air around them changes, becoming thicker. It's all the confirmation he needs.

When a car rushes past, it jolts him to speak. “And you want to go looking for this place?”

She becomes rueful. “Yeah, I do.”

His eyes narrow slightly. “Are you sure that’s wise? Considering how you reacted before, it might not be a good idea.”

She vehemently shakes her head. “I need to find it! I don’t know how I know it, but if I go there, I’m certain I’ll understand.”

“But it’s from before your life in the Soul Society. What do you hope to gain from it?”

There’s a flicker in her gaze. “I don’t expect you to understand, and if you want to head back to the Seireitei, you can.” She turns and begins walking away. “She told me where I can find it, and I’m going there.”

He’s certain she meant no ill intention or malice behind her words, but he can’t help the pang that runs through his chest. He’s left speechless while watching her go. What’s gotten into her?

“As if I’m leaving,” he grumbles, rushing after her.

She doesn’t look back at him, her gaze searching for something around the town. They walk in tense silence until Hinamori points out a street sign for a shrine that's on the right. "She said to go left of this sign into the forest."

He doesn't like the grim determination in her eyes as they cross the road and walk between the tall trees. There's a dirt path winding around, leading from the flat they stand on down a gentle incline. "Then what?" he asks.

"Follow the path. At some point there's an old broken statue with white and purple flowers at the base."

She presses on, those purposeful strides back again. His hand balls into a fist at his side. "Oi."

She stops but only half turns back to him.

He sighs and folds his arms. "If we don't find anything in twenty minutes, I'm strongly advising we turn back."

She narrows her gaze at the ground.

"Hinamori."

She gives a curt nod. "Fine."

They continue on, walking in silence once more. He doesn't like this, and yet, he can see something softening in her. Is doubt creeping in? He finds he likes that even less.

But what would she want to get out of returning to something she can't remember? That causes her to act like this? He can't think of a similar experience, and even if he could, it's likely he still couldn't fully relate to what she's thinking and feeling right now.

He's certain they're comign up to the twenty minute mark. He pauses on the path to check his denreishinki, but something bothers him in his periphery. To his right, in the far distance, past the tree and shrubbery, there's something grey.

“Hey,” he says, tapping her shoulder, then pointing it out.

When they get closer, Hitsugaya still can’t make out what it is. It’s what was described to Hinamori, but it could be the base of a lantern or a statue, maybe even the broken remains of a pillar. Nothing in the area gives him any clues. As the painter had said, however, at it's base are white and purple flowers either swaying or trying to cling and snake their way by the stone surface.

He’s about to speak, but stops at Hinamori’s intense gaze. It’s like the one had with the painting, as if she were caught somewhere else.

“Hinamori?” When she doesn’t respond, he touches her shoulder. “Oi, you’re spacing out again.”

She jolts with a hitch of breath. “I…” Her head tilts up. “Do you hear that?”

Now that she mentioned it, there’s a sound, one that isn’t like the birds chirping or the rustling of leaves. “Sounds like water.” Lapping water, to be exact. “We must be getting close.”

She nods, but stops. She looks down, finds something, and her gaze scans further down the hill. He frowns, trying to see what she does. It’s several heartbeats later when he notices the path hidden amongst the grass and foliage. It hadn’t been trodden on in quite some time, maybe even decades.

He startles when she sudden runs away, sandaled feet scrapping on the path. He nearly drops his parcel when leaps into action and sprints after her.

_________________________________

She’s gone into a state between shock and something heartfelt. She can feel tears burning in the corners of her eyes, but she can’t understand why. Shrubs and grass scratch at her legs and skirt, but none of it stops her. She’s utterly compelled to keep running, following something she doesn’t understand. The feeling from before has gotten worse, clawing at her heart.

The sound of water, the stone ruin they’d come upon, it fired something old within her, like a muscle memory she hadn't used in a long time.

Through the trees, a lake glitters ahead, and it only makes her run faster. She hears Toshiro call out behind her, sounding alarmed and confused.

The trees and foliage thin out the closer she gets, until all she can see and hear is the waves lapping on the shore. The stony bank rushes up to greet her, and she comes a skidding, abrupt stop before she falls into the water.

“What’s gotten into you?!” Hitsugaya exclaims from behind her. “You can’t just run off like that!”

She ignores him, is too caught up in the sights and smells. The tree line, the rocky bank, and beyond them are the valley’s mountains. The lake is shaped like a tear drop, wide up one end and narrow down the other, likely leading to a river or some larger body of water. There’s a small pier on the wider end, and judging from the bleached patches of wood, it hasn’t been maintained. She looks beyond it, tracing along the tree line. There are pockets where there’s no flora, as if something had once been there but has since crumbled away, left to age and vanish with time.

Something had been there, something she knew.

She lets out shuddering breaths, inhaling in the fresh, floral air. The smell of several flowers, some dangling from the trees, others from the shrubs that are dotted within the forest. It’s the smell of a distant time.

“I know this place,” she says, breathless. “I’ve been…” She shakes her head, dislodging a tear from the corner of her eye. “But that’s impossible. I-I’ve never been here.”

Hitsugaya’s shoes crunch in the pebbled bank as he comes to her side. He watches her for a moment longer, a deep furrow in his brow, then looks around the area. “What makes you so sure?”

“I-I’ve never heard this town,” she insists. “I’ve never even had to come to this part of the World of the Living for missions! Yet, I know it. I drew it! I…” She sobs without tears. “I’m so confused.”

She’d hoped coming here would explain why she felt these strange emotions, why she had drawn a picture of this lake and forest. She doesn’t understand the ache in her heart or the threat of tears. Her head is light, bordering on spinning.

The gentle but firm grip around her forearm bring her back to her sense. She meets her friend’s concerned gaze. She’s mostly found him to be a calming presence, and looking his eyes and focusing on her breath, it’s no different now. "Shiro-chan..."

He doesn't react to nickname. She might've laughed if not for the situation.

She thinks back on what he’d said before about subordinate who also experienced the same emotions as her. It occurs to her again that Hitsugaya can’t fully understand what’s happening to her. His life has always been in the Soul Society. He had no Human life to forget.

Yet here he is, trying to understand, and how had she reacted? She bows her head and rests a hand on top of his. “I’m sorry. I said some harsh words to you before.”

“Forget about it.”

“No, it wasn’t right. I don’t know what possessed me to come here. I don’t know why I thought I’d know what this place is if I came here. If anything, it’s just made me more confused.” She shakes her head. “I took out my frustration on you, I shouldn’t have. And I shouldn’t have come here, either. I really am sorry."

Hitsugaya breaks his gaze away, staring off to the side. For a time, there’s just the lapping of water, the distant calls and chirping of birds, and a gentle breeze that sways the branches of the trees and flora.

“You filled our sketchbook with so many drawings of places and people I didn’t know.” The furrow in his brow deepens. "I felt...I wish I could..." he clenches his jaw, clearly frustrated he can't bring himself to fully express how he felt about it. Still, the fact he's trying warms her heart.

“I wouldn’t know anything from those drawings anymore.” She shakes her head. “I wish I knew more. I wish I knew why know this place. I don’t know what to do, Hitsugaya-kun.”

“Are you certain about that?”

Is she? On one hand, coming here had only left her with more questions and confusing emotions. On the other, it doesn’t feel right to leave yet, as if something keeps her tethered here.

“What would you do?” As soon as she asks the question, she wants to take it back. He isn’t like most Souls. He has no earthly connection of any kind; no ancestors or memories to forget from another world. For him, there is the older woman he calls ‘Baa-chan’. She has no bloodties to him, but she is family to him nevertheless.

She can tell he's weighing whether they should leave or stay. She lifts her hands off his and slips out of his grip. “Let’s just head back.”

He sighs. “It’s not what you want though, is it?”

She presses her lips together. “What good will staying here do?”

“You tell me.”

She can’t help but chuckle, and the small twitch in the corner of his lip only makes her smile involuntarily. “You’re not being fair right now.”

“I think I’m being very fair. This is your decision, Hinamori. You’ve clearly been to this place before in your past and returning to it is making you existential. What say do I have in that?”

"But you do! I feel like I'm dragging you into this."

"I'm not a child anymore, I chose to come here."

He’s right really, but she still expected him to try and convince her to leave. He can worry too much, after all. But then again, the eleven yearlong peace has also mellowed him out a little. What moves her more is that he’s willing to stay and see whichever choice she makes through to the end. He’s always been like that, but it never ceases to amaze her how kind and loyal he can be.

She looks to the pier. “Maybe we could walk over there? I don’t really know why, but…”

“All right.”

Before she sets for the pier, she gestures to the parcel he holds. “Do you want to put that in my bag? You shouldn’t have to carry that the whole time.”

She nearly frowns at his hesitation. Before she can ask, he leans towards her bag. “Sure.”

She opens it for him and he drops the parcel in. “I’ll give it back to you when we get return to the town.” It’s only then it occurs to her he’d actually bought something. She grins as she starts up the bank and he follows. “What is it, by the way?”

“A book.”

“Oh? Are you getting back into reading?”

“Something like that.”

She pouts at his vagueness. “Aw, come on, you can tell me.”

“I will later. In the meantime, lets get to the pier.”

She decides to let it go. It had been a small diversion from the tumult of emotions going through her. She finds, however, walking along the bank with only their food steps and the sounds of nature is somewhat calming. If it weren’t for how she is feelings, she could take in just how beautiful the area is. She had tried to draw it from memory, but if only she could sketch it now.

Does she want a memento of this place? That begs the question: what happens when she leaves? Will she long for this place for the rest of her days? The thought of that makes her clutch a hand to her chest. She’s dealt with far worse, but knowing this place could haunt her for decades to comes fill her with a dreadful anxiety.

“Hinamori?”

She shakes her head. “No, I’m fine.”

She senses he wants to ask more, but he says nothing. Again, she’s reminded of his kindness. She presses her lips together hard to ignore the burn of tears tingling at the backs of her eyes. She’ll have to make it up to him somehow. None of this was right, not when today was about having fun and relaxing together.

As they near the pier, her heart flutters anew. “Do you think it’s safe to walk on?”

“Only one way to find out.”

She raises a brow at him.

Hitsugaya shrugs. “It doesn’t look that old. Besides, the lake seems shallow, you'll barely get wet.”

Is he trying to lift her spirits again? It doesn’t quite work this time, but she still indulges him with a small smile.

They comes to a stop where the ground transaction between dirt and wooden planks. Hinamori twists slowly in all directions. Behind them is one of the patches without trees. To the untrained eye, there’s nothing to see here, but she notices the strange bumps in the dirt and the odd what a hedge is shaped. Moss and a shrub have completely overtaken a featureless stone sculptures – not unlike the one that saw before – and there’s raised lines running through the dirt and grass. The shrubbery had completely grown over something round and wooden propped against a tree; she can’t make out what it is.

“I don’t think anyone has been here for a long time,” she says.

“Given there’s no official path to here, yes,” Hitsugaya replies.

“I wonder why?”

He walks over to the strange shrub. “Some things are just left to be forgotten. The World of Living is not like ours. The Humans move on quicker.”

The flicker of sympathy in her chest almost makes her forget about why she’d come over here. Still, she offers, “But we do move on, for better or worse or without even realising.”

He looks over his shoulder at her. His expression unreadable, but his usual frown has softened away.

Swallowing against the growing tightness in her throat, she returns her attention to the pier. She places a careful step on to the wooden planks. At the next, there’s a groan. Still, it feels stable.

She treads the rest of the way slowly, coming to a stop near the end. The view is even more beautiful from here, giving her a vista that’s only the lake below, the trees in the middle, and the sky. The clouds have gotten taller since they first arrived.

Her heart seizes and the air is squeezed out of her lungs. A spark. No, a flash, like the afterimage of a lantern after she blinks – the form is there for a second, but quickly dissolves into something shapeless, and then into only colors that fade into nothing. Two hands, one smaller than the other – she’s certain hers is the bigger one – and the lake in the lower half, the line of trees and bank in the middle, and high above is the sky. The hands reach – no, one points – to the clouds towering over the forest and reflecting in the water. The arms are clad is yukata sleeves, here’s in white with Sakura blossoms, the other in yellow and white flowers. Is there a boat on the waters too? With a fishing net cast out on one side? There’s laughter, childish and high-pitched.

She’s held by the memory, unable to breathe for a second that seems to stretch on forever. There’s clouds, but they’re not from the memory. She’s back in the present, Hitsugaya standing at her side. She gasps, trying to catch her breath and hunches over.

“Hey!” He shifts to stand in front of her and holds her shoulders. “What’s going on?”

She wets her lips before she looks to him. “I think…I think I remembered something," she struggles to get out. “I think it’s of me and…a sister?”

She can’t explain how she knows the other hand belongs to a sibling, but saying it aloud makes tears suddenly form again. “I had a sister.”

Hitsugaya only nods, prompting her to keep going.

“I had a sister, and now…she’s gone. I had…parents too.” It’s so obvious, and yet it’s as if it’s only occurring to her now. She’s never had to think about since losing her memories. Her heart hammers against her chest and she’s struggling to regain her breath. “I died before them. I have no idea what happened to them. I could have seen or met them in the Soul Society and never even known it.” A more horrifying thought takes hold. “They might even be Shinigami right now and I’d never know it.”

“Hinamori.” Hitsugaya says her name more pressingly. “Slow down. Breathe.”

“I can’t I –" Tears blur in the corners of her eyes. "What can I do? They’re gone. What am I supposed to do?”

She grunts at the sudden cold pressed near the nape of her neck. Hitsugaya’s hands had left her shoulders and now hold the underside of her jaw. Her tears stop, her mouth agape, but her breath returns.

Seeing her calm down, Hitsugaya’s gaze turns apologetic and he sips his hands away. “You decide, and tell me what I can do."

She’s going in circles. How can she come to terms with all of this? The wind picks up, throwing her ponytail off her shoulder and billowing her skirt. Leaves and petals scatter in the air, some falling on the lake and others amongst the grass.

She takes one of his hands and squeezes it. “Thank you, Shiro-chan.”

Letting go, she walks off the pier and he follows. She goes to the ruins, coming to a stop in the middle of the raised lines. It feels right to stand here, she can’t explain it. “I think there used to be some kind of boat shed here. I’m guessing my… family would come here to fish.” She shrugs weakly. “I don’t know for sure, I’m only guessing.”

She looks to the strange shrub. When approaching it, she can’t explain the uncertainty that it evokes within her. There’s nothing threatening about it, but there’s nothing familiar or knowing about it either.

The shrubbery is more like vines, with branches winding around the tree trunk, and it’s leaves shiny and big. She pulls at a clump, breaking it apart with ease. She takes a few more handfuls while Hitsugaya comes to stand behind her. Again she expects him to voice his concern, but he remains silent.

When she brushes several branches aside, she can make out what’s beneath. The wheel of a cart. It’s so aged she’s certain even applying the tiniest bit of pressure to any part of it would reduce it to splinters beneath her fingertips. Yet it still had its shape.

She thinks about her sketchbooks, stored in the back of her closet and collecting dust. She hasn’t looked at her first ones in years, and she didn’t have any reason not to. But maybe, she was scared to look and remember a time when she had memories of another time. It shouldn’t matter to her, that life ended, had been gone for close to a century.

She wonders if she was blessed or cursed with remembering her old life when she came to the Soul Society. The desperation she’d had the time when trying to draw everything from that life tells it’s the latter, yet she can’t discount the former either. To know one has lived a life before this, no matter how short, to have experienced things – good and bad and somewhere in between – that they may be experienced only once or for the first time again.

She looks back to Hitsugaya then. She’d experienced a lot with him, he makes up a lot of her childhood memories. In the first years of knowing him, the special and novelty of discovering a new world captivated her, but as both wore off, it made a part of her long for the place in her memories. She’d wanted to go back, until the memories went and she didn’t know what she could miss from her life as a Human.

Perhaps this is what all these emotions are, returning to her after all this time. The grief of a girl who wanted to go back, now has to find it’s all gone and the shame having forgotten about it.

It couldn’t be helped, was inevitable for every Soul. Hers. Her Human family too. The Soul Society is so vast that it’s incredibly rare for one to find their family from when they were a Human. She recalls rumors in the beginning of lieutenancy that Ikkaku had a younger sister he’d reunited after she became a Shinigami – despite how dismissive many were at the time, it turned out to be true.

However, in the event it old families found each other, it’s not always for the best. She’d heard whispers in her Academy days of Shinigami born in two very different districts, and finding each other again, only to resent each other for being born in a district higher or lower than each other. She even heard a story where an officer found their brother, only for them to die by his hands because he resented him for ‘leaving their family behind’. The validity of such stories is always contested, so rare is it for Shinigami to find old family members.

If she did meet her sister or parents again, she can’t say for certain how she will react. Would the memories of her previous life come flooding back to her? Would she simply just know it’s them but not remember a thing? Would they know who she is?

She stands, not breaking her gaze from Hitsugaya. She has this life to live, to be with him and everyone else. New family and friends to make and be with, and perhaps, one day even, someone to spend the rest of her life with until she’s reincarnated back to the World of the Living and starts that new life.

Hitsugaya opens his mouth, about to speak, but she stops him when she strides forward and pulls him into a hug. “I’m okay now,” she reassures. “I think I’ve figured it out.”

Hitsugaya is too stunned by her actions to speak at first. Eventually, he relaxes but doesn’t hug her back. “You have?”

She nods. “Thank you for coming here with me. I couldn’t have done this without you, really.”

Several heartbeats pass his arm come loosely around her shoulders and torso. She can sense his confusion, and why wouldn’t he be? It’s like the subordinate he mentioned: how can she express this experience in words? Could she even draw it?

She pulls back just far enough to meet his gaze. “I’m sorry again that I derailed our day.” She offers a rueful smile. “It’s hard to explain. I may never be able to –”

“It can’t be helped.” His words would sound cold if not for how soft his tone was. “So long as you’re all right, then it’s only for you to know.”

She blinks, stunned at first, then her smile widens into a grin. “Thank you.”

But it's not as simple as that. Not yet. Time would help it to make it that way. No, right now, it's too much. Her grin wavers, and that grief, that overwhelming shame, crashes over her like a wave. She bows her head, and the tears fall. "I'm..."

Hitsugaya isn't alarmed, doesn't even utter a word. He tugs on her arms, signalling her to return to the hug, and she does, sobbing into his shoulder.

If only he could've met her old family. If only her two lives could exist at once. If only she didn't know such feelings as these. It's life. It's hurt and relief. It's knowing he's here, has always been, even at her worst moments.

She stands with him for several minutes, coming up when she's certain there' s no tears left to shed. She wipes her face with the back of her arm and quietly apologies for wetting his shirt's shoulder. He says nothing, only raising a hand to catch the few stray tears clinging to the edge of her jaw.

After a beat, they watch the waves of the lake, the swaying of the flora and trees, and the slow migration of the clouds across the sky. Perhaps she should find a way to say goodbye to this place, to this old life. She can’t think of a way, and perhaps leaving with someone from her new life is fitting.

It feels like the right time to leave, but they remain for quite some time, even ending up sitting on the bank in companionable silence. In a moment of boldness, she rests her head on his shoulder, exhaustion slowly seeping into her. He doesn’t go rigid like she half expects.

“Will you come back?”

She glances at Hitsugaya, but he continues to stare out at the lake. He’s always had a striking appearance, but it’s in moment like these she questions if her feelings of friendship are something more.

“No,” she eventually answers. “I won’t.”

When she leaves, will the memories that led her to this place disappear again? Will she recall this day with fondness or melancholy? She doesn’t know, only time will tell.

An hour later, when they make their way back to the hidden path, she only looks back to the pier once. The feeling of rather than the visual of the memory burns in the back of her mind. It might be the last time she remembers it. It could be gone forever, buried like the wheel beneath the vines and flora. There will be no traces of it left in this world or in the Soul Society. She had already forgotten it once, and she will again.

It didn’t mean it didn’t happen or never mattered. So many things are forgotten, big and small, and yet, they live on in some way, consciously or not. She carries the memory and her old life in every step she takes into her new one without knowing. Every experience, remembered or not, has made her who she is.

________________________

Later, after coming through the senkaimon, giving her gigai back, and then parting ways with Hitsugaya, she returns to her room. Exhausted, she considers not joining everyone in the mess hall for dinner, but she’s hungry and it might concern them she isn’t there.

The clothes and bag she’d worn are her own, bought while on a mission in the World of Living just over a decade ago. She changes back into her uniform, ready to go down to the mess hall until she remembers her bag. She lifts it from her bed and takes out the boxed-up mug. She'd strongly considered giving it to him once they returned, another apology for how today turned out.

 She makes a mental note get wrapping paper tomorrow in her break before putting it in her closet. It’ll be there for a while, but at least she doesn’t have to worry about getting him a birthday present for this year.

She goes to take out the bags of candy and the hedge-hog shaped cookie, but halts at the parcel. I forgot to give it back to him! Taking it out, she drops her bag and makes for the door, intending to sprint to Tenth Division before going to dinner.

The tag on the parcel flips over, and the characters written on the back make her pause. It’s her name, and beneath it ‘Sorry it’s late’. She frowns. This is meant for me?

Thinking back to before they parted, Hitsugaya had stared at her bag for longer than she expected. She wouldn’t have needed to remind him of parcel, he knew it was still in there.

She walks backwards until the backs of her knees hit her bed and she sits down. What had he meant by ‘Sorry it’s late’? White day had been and gone, there wasn’t any special event where she was expecting anything from him. If only he were here so could ask. Shell have to ask him when he sees her next.

 She pulls on the string bow, then tears away the brown paper. A book. One she’s never heard of before. The cover shows a green valley and sky sparsely clouded. A woman stands in the foreground, back facing the reader, her head tilted upwards. The title, Gone with the Clouds, and the author’s name are high above the woman, making appear she’s looking at them.

She raises her head to the bookcase against her wall. There’s two rows of books, with a third starting to be occupied by the last three novels she’d gotten – one she bought earlier in the year, the other two collections of haiku poems from Izuru for her birthday. It contends with a purple vase that needs flowers in it and the gift from Hitsugaya and Rangiku for one of her birthdays of tiny figurines of a boy, short-haired and in a blue kimono, and a girl, pig-tailed and in a floral white and red kimono.

On other shelves are old copies of the Seireitei Communication that feature articles or creative contributions from her friends, a tea set she’d bought but has yet to use, the wooden box of color pencils given to her by Shinji last year for her birthday, the box of her colored and black charols, a stack of unused sketchbooks, a baking recipe book, a clay Chappy made by Ichika, a star plushies given by Kazui, a framed photo of her and then Women’s Association at their festival stall, the chest with her old hair accessories – her hair cloth, ribbon, clip, and a bandana given to her by Renji – and an lavender scented candle she’d last lit a few years ago.

She rises from her bed and goes over to slide the book in next to haiku collections.

A birthday gift. It’s a birthday gift.

She lets out a chuckle at the realisation. Honestly, he couldn’t have written it on the tag? This years had been like one of the few others where she didn’t get a gift from him, until today almost three weeks later. Maybe he’d intended to give it to her himself, but then her search for the past diverted things. In the end, she got a memento for this day, and there’d be no way to detach it from it. Not that she’d want to, because for better or worse, today happened.

She slides the book on to the shelf, becoming a part of everything she’d either brought herself or received from someone else. All from her life here.

[neptunes-curse]

Hey! I was wondering if you could do a Neteyam fic where the reader is from another clan (not omaticaya or metkayina) seeking refuge with the metkayina and they start to crush on each other and confess or something. The end can be up to you❣️

Secret Feelings

You were finding it hard to settle into the Metkayina Clan, but when some more newcomers came in seek of refuge you found it a little easier.

pairings: fem!reader x neteyam

warnings: brief mentions of fire and death

authors note: every couple business days i decide i want to start writing again and today is one of them. thank you so much for the request! it does so much for my writers block and motivation.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Leaving your clan in the forest was terrible. You can still remember it all so clearly. The sky people coming in and taking everything over, destroying your home and all the people in it. You watched as the evil sky people came in with their helicopters and planes. They burned down every thing that you used to call home. You couldn’t bear to watch it anymore, so, you hopped on your ikran and flew. You didn’t know how long you flew for, or how far.

You were numb, leaving everything you had ever known. Your family, your friends, everything taken from you by the cruel humans. They couldn’t take care of their home, so they were coming to yours and ruining it aswell. You flew for many days and nights before stumbling upon the Metkayina clan finally. You slowly landed your ikran on the rocks as some native Na’vi approached you.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

That was around two months ago, and now you had settled into Metkayina life slowly but surely. You were living with one of the kind families in the village. You had even made some friends. Tsireya, Aonung, and Rotxo had become your acquaintances, not without some teasing at first, though. They made fun of your skinny tail and arms and also your dark blue complexion. You had kept reminding them that you were from a different area then them, but Aonung and Rotxo were not having it. You felt kindove like an outsider, but that was until the family of Toruk Makto came to find refuge with the Metkayina aswell.

You decided to meet the family, as they were from a similar area to you and they could probably relate to your experiences. You helped them learn everything they needed to know, from riding the ilus to breathing longer underwater. You started spending more and more time with the Sully family, you felt comfort with them. Especially the eldest son, Neyetam.

He was protective over his siblings, something that made him stand out to you. He was kind and gentle, but also brave. It was no wonder you found yourself developing a crush on him. The two of you would go in walks on the beach, and talk about anything that crossed your minds. From heaveir topics to more trivial things, you agreed on almost every topic you discussed. He was funny, too. He made you laugh and smile. Something you hadn’t been able to do in a long time since leaving your clan.

One specific time, you and Neyetam came back from the beach and met Lo’ak and Kiri next to the pods. They were laughing about something, but you couldn’t tell what. “Hey guys, what’s so funny?” Neteyam questioned when you reached the pair. “Oh, nothing just talking about how in looooooove you are with y/n.” Lo’ak responded to Neteyam in a sarcastic tone. You immediately looked down, your skin flushing a light color. Neteyam saw your face, and he couldn’t help blushing aswell. Kiri was stifling her giggles, but you could tell she thought it was hilarious. “Stop it, you two. We’re just-“ You stopped in the middle of your words to glance at Neteyam. “Just friends. Nothing else.” You wished you could tell the truth and tell Neteyam you liked him. But he was too good of a friend to lose.

Lo’ak rolled his eyes and stood up, not believing any of it. “Tell me when you two finally get together.” Kiri followed, and she gave you a apologetic look as she walked away. “I’m sorry about them.” Neteyam said while still looking down. You lightly touched your hand to his jaw to get him to look at you. “It’s okay, ‘Teyam. I know they mean well.” You smiled at him and he smiled back. God, he had a beautiful smile. If only you could tell him that.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Another three weeks passed, and you felt your love for Neteyam grow. You found beauty in everything he did, from the way he walked to the way he talked. If only you knew he felt the same way towards you. One day, you were out late harvesting fruit for the clan when you felt two large hands cover his eyes. You gasped loudly and began to scramble, not knowing who the hands belonged to. “Hey, It’s only me.” You relaxed when you heard Neteyam’s voice. His hands traveled to your waist and he turned you around so you were facing him. You immediately sucked in a breathe, shocked by the presence of his cold hands on your skin.

“Didn’t mean to scare you.” He chuckled. You smiled, shaking your head. “I wasn’t scared, just shocked.” Your bodies were still painfully close. I’d not for the fruit basket leaning on your hip, you could probably touch fully. Oh how you wished that stupid fruit basket wasn’t there. Neither of you said anything, and you listened to his breathes. Deep and sudden. You swear you could hear his heartbeat, too. “Can I ask you something, y/n?” He suddenly asked. You nodded, curious as to what he was going to say.

“When my siblings were teasing us, did you mean that? That we were just friends?” Nothing could have prepared you for that. You wanted to answer truthfully, but your brain knew to protect itself. What if he rejected you? It would never be the same that way. But you were never one to trust your brain.

“No…no, I didn’t mean it.” You looked down shyly. You were terrified for his reaction. This could all be over in a minute. Or, he could say he likes you too. But that’s unlikely, right? You shut your eyes nervously waiting for him to say something. “Good. Because I think I like you Y/n. A lot.” You found the confidence to look up at him and smile. “Well I like you a lot to, ‘Teyam” The secret was out. And he liked you too. You were overjoyed, you were smiling so big you thought your body was glowing.

He used his finger to lift you face up slowly. His eyes were darting between your lips and back to your eyes. You were frozen in place, staring at him. At his eyes. His hair. The little freckles that dotted his face. Everything about him was beautiful. He was beautiful. And just like that, he closed the gap between the two of you. The kiss was light, delicate, and everything you expected it to be.

[blueberrypancakesworld]

The soldier comes back

Winston x girlfriend!reader

warning : fluff, comfort, ptsd (nightmares), emotional, kissing, wound

Summary : After the next deployment, she was supposed to go home for a long time - that was the promise she was given, a promise kept when she was able to embrace her beloved Winston again, but no one had told the young couple that the post-war period was worse than waiting for news and together they have to deal with what happened.

info : There is no single gif for Winston (maybe i'll try one) but have fun with this angst/fluff piece have fun and see you next time :)

ps : I have tried to get as much out of the movie as I can from him I hope he is good

masterlist

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A war destroyed people attacker and defender alike, a war left nothing but death, devastation, destruction and mountains of bodies and the aftermath was like a cloud of silent grief and suffering but no one wanted to admit to having started it so it always was.

While in the past wars lasted a few years at most, resources were not enough and weapons were not so well developed, the world was also very different not ruled by a greed that emerged in the twenty-first century and with this greed came war and more wars.

Young men and women were drawn in and died and prayed over until the mission, until the war was declared over or you won or lost whatever it was in the end it was an ugly affair with nothing to show for it but suffering and destruction.

A war in its beginnings broke families apart and tore them apart or was merciful and brought them back or brought them to a parting in a beginning spring that would bring the land into bloom, ,,I promise I'll be back who will Pringel cuddle with mhh?" he asked with a smile even though his voice was tinged with sadness and uncertainty as he held her hands and wiped away her tears.

The couple was one of the youngest at the airport many men and women had families already or brought grandparents who cared but they both, she a freshly started vet and he her sweet self-sacrificing friend a sniper drafted into a war they didn't know when it would ever end.

But his words even now made her smile as she thought of the bushy-tailed cat in her apartment who always needed a cuddle before sleep, ,,I-I think I can do it," she sniffled, wiping away the last of her tears as she looked into her friend's face, she was so unsure now to see him like this, as much as they had joked that the uniform suited him.

He would carry a gun, hide on roofs and other elevated positions and shoot, ,,Very good…I'll be back I promise darling I'll be back" was the last thing he said to her as the final call rang out and he pulled her into one last hug they both shared one last kiss and they had to break away as they boarded the plane to an uncertain future.

A future that would include the next few months of talking and video chatting as often as they could, mostly in the evenings, though the time difference sometimes caused a few problems, it was pure relief to see each other and hear his voice, ,,You really are my hope here," he admitted from time to time and she gave the screen a kiss before showing him Pringle snuggled on her lap, meowing as Winston kissed the animal and seemed to be happy to see such a personal picture of hope.

While he was just being the best he could be to her by not getting hurt or the worst happening, he told her about the sun and the heat, some new high scores on his console and his friends that it wasn't as bad as he thought.

The conversations she had with him distracted him, which always worked and she saw him smile and the exhaustion left him, at least for a moment, until they said goodbye to each other again and could hardly wait until they could see each other again.

The days and weeks went by and her work as a vet went well, the joy she saw on people's faces and animals that were no longer in pain gave her hope and the evenings were not so lonely with the cat and a few good movies and series but it was not the same when Winston was not there.

But they also talked about how they missed each other and how much they wanted to see each other again, at least holding hands, ,,We'll see each other soon, I promise it can't be that long" he said and even though she didn't want to bring it up she saw that he looked more tired than usual, she didn't know what the different times of deployment were like, how long you had to lie in wait in the dark but he was one of the new ones surely not that long was he?

Soldier wasn't a job you just did, it was a job with obligations and an uncertain end, even in times of war you were a hero if you survived and a hero if you died. A life that went on at any moment if the bullets didn't hit you and a life that could end in the blink of an eye if metal bored into your body.

It was a draining uncertainty. But that uncertainty came when she couldn't reach him one night and her fear made her try for hours to call the city's police station to see if they knew anything, but they turned her away until she finally got a signal in the early hours of the morning.

The flickering screen showed Winston, ,,What happened? Are you all right?" she asked, trying not to start crying with joy when she finally saw him, to be honest she had had a fear that had choked her throat but she couldn't help the sharp intake of air when she saw the plaster on his cheek and the background in which she recognized some medical equipment and her fingers tangled in her pyama pants.

It could have been a fall, a gunshot, a concussion, a blow, but all he said was ,,Graze it-I'm fine" such a short answer that almost made her laugh at his abusdity, she could just see his exhaustion in his dark eyes, the nervous bobbing of his leg, his fingers that were probably trembling otherwise the screen wouldn't be shaking like that - something else must have happened.

But she was careful not to go into it again, instead she believed him for that moment, trying to distract him as always with stories of cute baby animals and Pringle telling him she even managed to make him smile but the pain remained.

She could see that even with the bad connection, ,,I'll wait for you, I love you," she said, closing the screen of the device before leaning back against the couch with a sigh, unable to stop the tears from streaming down her cheeks.

Why was something like this happening to them? They were just normal people, a young couple who still had everything ahead of them and shouldn't be punished so harshly by life, should they?

She didn't know the answer, the only thing she knew and the only thing that counted for her was a week, in a week Winston and other slightly injured people would be sent home for how long they couldn't and wouldn't tell her, but the mark in the collar stood and every day she felt the excitement more and more.

She could feel how tense he was with every phone call he made, wanting to get back faster and faster but trying to pull himself together, ,,I'll hug you from here my love, see you tomorrow" he said goodbye to the last call.

It took hours for her to hear his voice as she stood at the airport almost throwing up she was so excited as she practically hopped from one leg to the other looking over her shoulders hoping to finally see her boy friend in the crowds.

Until the call came the voice announcing the nine landed flight and it was agonizing moments when she saw him walking towards him still wearing his unifrom but it didn't matter with tears they hugged each other and stayed like that for a moment.

,,See, I'm back, I promised," he murmured, kissing the top of her head and hugging her again as her hand came to rest on his cheek before the couple made their way to the car together and drove back to the apartment holding hands.

But just because something seemed okay at first didn't mean it was, she noticed that he kept checking his watch and waking up early when she kept leaving to see "buddies," as he called them, and she accompanied him to the veterans' home, a place she never thought he would be.

He didn't play video games with her either, and even Pringle sometimes left him alone. ,,I'm fine, really, just a little bit of getting used to," he always told her when she tried to talk to him about it, and she always gave him a kiss on the forehead until the night they both realized that everything was wrong.

They had spent the evening together watching a new movie, cuddling with Pringle and she lay in his arms when they both knew it was late enough and they should go to bed.

The couple lay down in the soft bed, a last gentle kiss was exchanged and a ,,Good night, love you" came from her before they both closed their eyes and fell asleep, it should have been that easy, it always seemed to have worked out that way before.

In the hours that followed as she slept peacefully she didn't realize the terror that was going on in his mind the images and sounds the deaths and screams and the pain that made him jerk awake and a scream left his lips that woke her up too.

The sleep was torn from her, her heart skipped a beat, afraid that something had happened, a break-in or something else, but instead all she heard was the flickering of the bedside lamp that had been pulled down, loud breathing and someone sitting against the wall holding his side, ,,Winston? What's wrong?" she asked as she slowly got out of bed, seeing him in half-shadow due to the lack of light, but the trembling was clearly visible.

She didn't get an answer until she slowly sat down on the floor with him and he backed away, almost seeming afraid that he would ever hurt her, ,,I-I didn't mean to…it-I-it was an order," he managed to get out and she slowly put a hand on his arm, only slowly truly understanding what he meant, what it apparently really meant what he had done.

She waited for him to let her though as she slowly pulled him into his arms just holding him for a moment as she saw the silent tears streaming down his cheeks, ,,Blood and death it was horrible after not even two weeks I wanted to go home" he uttered the sentence and he seemed to see something on his hands as he brushed them against his oyjama pants and she imagined what it was.

Blood was on his hands, orders given to kill when he had to if he deemed it necessary and he had done so to protect his fellow soldiers, to protect himself and to protect them in the end.

,,It's over Winston you see you're here with me, my arms are holding you, my voice is with you and-and I'm not leaving you, the orders are over" she said choosing her words carefully to give him the best she could in the situation pulling him closer only to immediately hear a painful hiss and feel something soft at his side, a compress that seemed to be holding something larger.

She didn't ask just used her fingers to slowly pull his shirt up and felt her heart tighten painfully it was Winston holding her now his head leaning against hers, ,,It's not so bad…taking meds…for pain and stuff" he mumbled finally admitting he was hurt more than just a graze it had gotten him.

It must have hurt like hell and he was still in pain a bullet that had hit him had spared his face but when she took off the compresses and bandages she would find the gaping stitched bullet wound, it was the reason why he could go home earlier and also explained why he turned away from her more than once and not just physically.

The fact brought tears to her eyes that she tried to blink away as she tried to think clearly and not give in to grief and do the right thing.

She looked around in the semi-darkness but saw the previously overlooked pillbox of painkillers and she briefly detached herself from him, feeling him tighten up again until she hurriedly returned with a glass of water and a pill, handing it to him and taking a blanket to lay over his and her lap.

Winston put his arm around her and stroked her wrist as she laid her head against his and the two of them stood in silence, ,,Thank you for everything, for staying here, for not leaving me, for looking after Pringle and for just being my support," he said as she felt him slowly relax, his voice no longer so full of huskiness and he gave her a kiss on the temple as she returned his gaze, the moment interrupted only by a meow.

Pringel came in through the door that wasn't closed and lay down on the blanket to offer his owners comfort as the cat stared at them both with his reflective eyes and only began to purr when they both relaxed and stroked the animal's fur.

Perhaps the terror was still there inside him, the fear of losing him still in her but together it showed them that they had survived this night arm in arm with a trust and love for each other that told them they could survive and overcome such terrors no matter what and together.

~~~~~~~~~~

@angelsanarchy , @starry-eyed-wild-child

[guinea-pig16]

Something Better || Chapter 3: New Member

Ghost x Reader x Soap

Fic is below the cut!! This is a chapter of series, so please read the previous chapter here if you haven't already !! Enjoy !!

______________________________________________________________

Word Count: 2,800+

Warnings: Mentions of blood, guns and gunfire

______________________________________________________________

All four of them stood there on the blacktop, waiting for the plane to arrive with Laswell and the new member of the team. Soap shuffled slightly where he stood. He checked his watch. The plane should be there within 10 minutes. He glanced at Price and Gaz, who were standing on his right. Gaz straightened his shirt slightly, and Price adjusted his hat. He then looked to Ghost who was standing on his left. He was statuesque, stoic as ever. At least one of them wasn’t nervous. He thought.

“...So… What do you think they’ll be like?” Said Gaz, breaking the silence. All three of them looked at him.

“From whit I’ve heard, they’re quite a force te be reckoned with.” Said Soap. “Heard they’ve ‘ad no casualties from any of the teams they’ve worked with.”

“They’re damn good at what they do.” Price said. “Laswell herself trained them.” Now that was news to them. Gaz and Soap looked at Price, wide-eyed.

“Yer kiddin’...”

“No way…”

“You know, I also heard they used to be a part of task force 441.” Gaz said, looking at Soap.

“No way, yer jokin’.” 

The team had heard of task force 441 before. They were about as legendary as their own team. Deadly, efficient, arriving and leaving without a trace. But they disbanded over a year ago after their last mission when tails up. No one knows the real reason they disbanded, just that the team members had collectively decided to quit. Damn shame, too. Soap thought. He would’ve loved to have met them, possibly work alongside them.

“Heard they were a sniper.” Ghost finally piped up, adding to the gossip. “A damn good one at that…” 

Soap nudged Ghost. “Aw, ye’ll be wantin’ some shootin’ lessons with them, aye?” Gaz and Price chuckled quietly. Ghost rolled his eyes behind his mask.

“Shut it, Johnny…” 

“Look alive, plane’s incoming.” Said Price. All four of them straightened, hands behind their backs. They watched as the plane touched down and gently rolled in front of them. They all collectively held their breaths as the door opened.

What are they gonna look like? Are they tall? Are they strong? Are they covered in battle scars? Are they like Laswell? Or are they more casual? These thoughts swarmed around in Soap’s head as he waited on bated breath for them to exit the plane. 

Laswell stepped out first, and gave the team a smile. She walked down the steps and then looked back at the exit. The team watched intently. Then, they saw them.

A short person with a cane stepped through the exit. They slowly walked down the steps in order to not fall. The team noticed their limp as they stepped down. 

Oh. Soap thought. That’s not at all who he thought was going to walk out of the plane. He glanced around him to see his team’s reaction. If they were surprised, they didn’t show it. 

You stood next to Laswell, eyeing the team nervously. Damn, they’re a lot taller than I thought they’d be… Especially him… You glance at Ghost, who was already looking at you. You look away. 

“Everyone, this is Officer Y/N L/N. They’ll be a part of the team from this day forward.” Laswell stated. The team gave her a nod. 

Laswell motioned towards Price, who stepped forward. “This is Captain Price, an excellent leader and one of my good friends.” He jutted out his hand and you took it. He gave you a warm handshake, a smile on his face.

“Welcome to the team, Officer L/N. We’re very pleased to have you here.” You’re slightly shocked. Out of all the task forces you’ve worked with, this Captain was by far the nicest to you. 

“Pleasure to meet you, Captain. I’ve heard very good things about you.” You reply, returning his smile. Price lets out a small chuckle.

“I would hope you’ve had. We’ve heard some very good things about you as well! Let me introduce you to the rest of the team.” He places a hand on your shoulder and gently guides you closer to the team.

“This is Sergeant Garrick.” Gaz gives you a warm handshake.

“Pleased to meet you, Officer L/N! You can call me Gaz!” He smiled happily at you. You couldn’t help but return the grin. He seems like a real sweetheart.

“Please, you can call me Y/N, pleasures all mine, Sergeant.” You reply. 

“Here we have Sergeant Mactavish, try not to let him get on your nerves too much.” Price gestured to the man standing next to Gaz.

Soap stepped forward, and gave you a hearty handshake. “Call me Soap! Heard yer a bloody good strategist. No casualties ta date, aye?” He gave you a grin.

You smiled back. “None at all, Sergeant. I’d like to keep it that way too, so you better not go and ruin my perfect streak.” Soap let out a deep chuckle at that. He liked you already.

“And finally, we have our favorite Lieutenant Riley!” Said Price. Ghost stared down at you as you looked up at him. He stiffly stuck his hand out and you took it. He gave you a single handshake. He scanned you from head to toe, and you felt as though he could see right through you.

You swallowed quietly. “I hear they call you Ghost, am I correct?” Ghost gave you a single nod in response. 

You give him a genuine smile, despite your nerves. “I’ve heard incredible things about you, Lieutenant, I look forward to working with you.” Ghost stares at you for a moment.

“Looking forward to it as well, Officer.” He says quietly. Just from looking at you, he can tell you’ve been through hell. A limp like that doesn’t just come from nowhere, and a soldier like you doesn’t just up and quit one day. You must’ve been injured quite seriously and forced to retire. He admires that you’ve kept such a good attitude despite it. You smile at him once more.

“Alright, I’ll go and help L/N get settled. We all meet back up in the meeting room by 1400 for debrief, got it?” Said Laswell. The team nodded.

You and Laswell walked into the base, Price and Gaz trailing behind, Gaz already peppering you with questions about your work. Soap and Ghost lagged behind.

“...Whit d’ye think happened to their leg?” Soap asked quietly. Ghost shrugged.

“Dunno, none of our business frankly. I wouldn’t ask them if I were you. They’ll talk if they want to.” Soap nodded, agreeing. Then a sly grin spread across his face.

“...So yer lookin’ forward to workin’ with them, aye?” He didn’t have to look at Ghost to know he rolled his eyes. 

“Shut up…”

“They seem nice enough, bet if ye were ta ask ‘em for shootin’ lessons they’d happily oblige.”

“Johnny….”

“Though, I doubt anythin’ they teach you would get through that big head of yers…”

Ghost sighed. “I hate you.”

Soap smiled. “Love you too, Lt.” 

Ghost huffs, but Soap knows there’s a grin under that mask.

_________________________________

“Bravo 0-6, this is Harbinger, what’s your status? Over.” You say into the radio. You watch the body cam footage intently, Laswell by your side watching street cam footage. It was about 10 at night. You and Laswell went over the mission with them earlier that day. You were pleased to see that they actually listened to you when you spoke. You also hadn’t seen their gaze linger on your limp either. 

The mission was relatively simple. A fugitive of the States had tried to escape his crimes by fleeing to Greece. His crimes? Setting off bombs at important government buildings across several states. No one was injured, but the higher ups want him back in the U.S. before he gets the chance to escape further into Europe. He had managed to make a deal with the Greek Mafia for protection. And now it was up to you and task force 141 to get his ass back. Alive. You always found missions where the target was needed alive the most interesting.

“We’ve got visual on the house. Seeing two guards sitting out on the front porch. Requesting a check for others.” Price said quietly. He, Gaz, Ghost, and Soap were leaned against a parked car, looking over the corner at the house. Soap looked around and let out a sigh. He hoped this wouldn’t get ugly, this was a neighborhood with families in it.

“Copy, stand by.” Soap heard you say through the comms. He thought you were doing an excellent job so far. Makes sense though, He thought. Bein’ trained by Laswell will make anyone a pro.

“All clear, you’re good to proceed.” You say after a minute.

“Roger that, moving on.” Says Price. 

“Gaz, with me. You take the one on the left, I’ll take the right.” Price aims his silenced sniper rifle at one of the guards, Gaz doing the same. Price looks over at Ghost and Soap. “Once they’re down, you two move and enter the house, copy?” Ghost and Soap nod.

Price and Gaz shoot the two guards, and he motions for them to go forward. Guns up, they approach the house and crouch on either side of the front door. Soap grabs his radio.

“Harbinger, this is Bravo 7-1, requestin’ green light to enter house, how copy?” He whispers.

“You’re good to go. Recommend you boys use your blades, we don’t want to alert our friend that we’ve found him. He should be upstairs in the second bedroom.” You reply. “There should be a handful of guards on the bottom floor. Be careful and try not to make too much noise.” Soap looks at Ghost, and nods in agreement. 

“Good call, Harbinger, entering the house now.” Replies Soap. He and Ghost put away their guns and take out their knives. 

You watch on the body cams as Soap knocks on the door. One of the guards opens it. Ghost throws a knife into his head and the two of them rush inside. In less than a minute, the floor is littered with bodies, blood pooling onto the ground. It brings back memories of one of your first missions, where you were armed with only a knife and a pistol. You could still feel the blood of your enemies soaking your glove as you sliced their throats. You shook your head. Now's not the time for reminiscing. 

“Moving upstairs.” You heard Ghost say through the comms. 

“Copy, be careful Lieutenant.” You say.

Soap inches up the stairwell, Ghost close behind. Soap peeks his head around the corner just enough to see. It seemed clear. He took another step and-

“JOHNNY!” Ghost yells, yanking him back by his collar and into his chest. Bullets flew down the hall into the wall, right where Soap had been standing.

“YOU’RE NOT GOING TO TAKE ME ALIVE, YOU BASTARDS!” Yelled the bomber from down the hall. 

“Ghost, Soap, what’s your status?” You say quickly, intently watching their cam footage.

“...Solid.” Soap replies, a little shaky from the adrenaline rush. He gently pats Ghost's arm, which is tightly wrapped around his middle, keeping him to his chest. Ghost hesitates slightly. then releases him.

You stand there a moment, thinking. You hear Laswell curse next to you.

“Shit, we’re going to get some company, fellas. Neighbors heard the gunshots and called the police. They’ll be arriving in about 5 minutes.” Says Laswell in the comms. You curse under your breath. Police getting involved always made the situation worse.

An idea struck you. “Soap, Ghost.” You say. They both reply in the comms, curious.

“Take one of the bodies from downstairs and use it as a shield. You have permission to injure the target in order to get him down, got it?” Soap glances at Ghost, and grins. 

“Sounds like a plan, Harbinger.” Soap replies, before taking off downstairs and lifting a body. He holds the body in front of him by the collar. Going back to the stairs, he nods to Ghost. Ghost nods back and grips his knife. 

Clutching the body, Soap begins charging down the hall, the corpse taking all of the gunfire, Ghost hot on his tail. Halfway there, Ghost throws his knife, it sinking into the bomber's thigh. He cries out, and lowers his gun, clutching his leg. Soap tosses the body and quickly disarms him. He pulls the bomber to ground and cuffs his hands behind his back. Ghost rips out his knife, causing the bomber to cry out, and puts a bag over his head.

“Nice throw, Lieutenant.” You comment, a smile on your face. 

Ghost is silent for a moment. “Thanks…” Soap grins at him, lifting the bomber up.

“Looks like ye got yerself a fan of yer handiwork.” 

“Shut up…” 

“Ghost, Soap, this is Price, how copy?” Ghost grabbed his radio.

“Target secured, heading out now.” 

“Good. Gaz and I have the vehicle parked in front of the house. I suggest you two haul ass, the police are just 2 minutes out.” Price said.

“Copy.” Said Ghost and Soap. Soap pushed the bomber down the hall, his hand firmly gripping his upper arm as he led him down the stairs. The three of them stepped outside and Ghost shoved the bomber into the back seat of the car. Soap, Ghost, Gaz, and Priced hopped into the car and sped off back to base.

_________________________________

“Good work gentlemen. The fugitive will be sent back to the states by 0900 tomorrow.” Said Laswell, a slight smile on her face. The bomber was handed off to the operators of the base when they returned. You smiled. The mission went really well, it barely took an hour to complete.

“You all did an excellent job tonight, that was one hell of a capture.” You said, smiling at them. Soap smiles back.

“It was all thanks to yer quick thinkin’. Usin’ one of the bodies as a shield was down right genius.” He said. You waved your hand.

“Ah, it’s nothing. I’ve had to do that too once or twice during my time.” You replied. Soap stopped himself from asking you to elaborate. He was dying to know more about you. You were about as big of a mystery as Ghost.

“It’s late, you all should get some rest. I’ve already notified the General of your success. He’s decided to reward you all with a week off. Enjoy it, you deserve it.” Says Laswell. The team looks at each other, grins on their faces (except Ghost, who just stands there). 

“Come on, L/N, we’ve still got some work to do before we retire for the night.” Laswell says, walking off. You give the team a nod and walk after her, your cane clacking against the pavement.

Gaz lets out a long yawn. “Right, I’m going to bed. See you lot tomorrow.” He pats Soap on the shoulder and walks off. Price checks his watch.

“I better be going too. It’s almost midnight.” Soap rolls his eyes.

“Ye’ll be needin’ yer beauty sleep, then?” Price chuckles and turns.

“It takes a lot to stay looking this good, son.” He begins to walk off, but Soap stops him.

“Sir… I’ve got a question.” Price looks at him curiously, Ghost turns and eyes Soap curiously as well.

“D’ye… D’ye know anythin’ about L/N? Like whit they used ta do?” Price’s face settles into a small grimace.

“...It’s not my business to tell.” Soap nods, looking at the ground.

“Right. Sorry sir… ‘M jus’ curious is all.” Price stands there a moment, before letting out a sigh.

“All I can really tell you is they got into a bad accident during their last mission. Fucked up their back real bad, giving them that limp of theirs. They were in the hospital for several months before Laswell recruited them. She said they… they weren’t doing well for a while…” Soap clings onto every word. With that, Price patted his shoulder and bade the two of them goodnight.

Ghost looks at Soap for a minute.

“Why’d you ask that?”

Soap looks back at him. “I dunno… He seems ta know mor’en me.” He looks back to where you walked to. “Haven’t ‘ad a new member of the team in awhile.” He pats Ghost's shoulder.

“Ye know, they’re gonna make ye run fer yer money, Simon. They’re ‘bout as mysterious as ye are.” Ghost lets out a huff and brushes off his hand.

“Shut it, Johnny.” Soap cracks a grin, and the two of them begin heading back into the base.

Ghost did have to admit, he was also curious about you. He wanted to know about your history, your time in the forces. But he could tell you weren’t one to talk easily. So he left it be. He glanced behind him at the direction you went. 

Maybe the new member was more interesting than he thought.

______________________________________________________________

Hello !!! Thank you so much for reading!! This series so far has been really fun to work on!! Im so excited to continue it! People can still be added to the taglist !! By the way, this fic is also uploaded on ao3!! You can find the link to my ao3 on my masterlist! So give it some love there! Thanks for your support !! Ciao !!! <3 <3

XOXOXOX <3

tagged people:

@sucka2me @deltottoro 

[pro-logue-epi-logue]

RANDOM DEVIL'S NIGHT THOUGHTS

~NUMBER 11~

Summary of those 9 years. What must have happened with Emory. How Emory lived in those years?

PART - 2

( This is my thinking taking in consideration of Emory's character and how different events unfolded, but if you have any thoughts to add, then do it, i will love to know what other think of those 9 years). And do comment i would live to know what you thought of this.

I didn't add timelines but if you want let me know! ( it can make it easier for you to understand )

2. Emory in College and after that uptil Nightfall

Emory moved into college early than other students, earlier than official move in day (as Rika mentions in corrupt that Em was "excited" to move into college and moved when she got her letter, obviously Rika didn't knew the real reason), when Emmy was sitting at the airport to leave thunder bay she was in a hurry to leave this place that gave her pain, and to finally make sure martin was out of her life and never following her. But when she was in the plane, she was overwhelmed and had this bitter sweet feeling that she left everything behind, the place where she grew up, her Gazeboo, her Grandma, Will, Theater everything. She was nervous of the life awaiting her. Will she be able to make it?. But a fear that one slip up will throw her back into Martin's way always present at the back of her mind. She looked around the flight people, ALL STRANGERS!! and here she was all alone, like she always was. She was nervous of the new life. When the plane landes she got off the plane, came out of the airport, got in a cab and went to UC Berkeley. She arrived at the cames and saw two- three other students with bags, like her, to move in. There weren't many just a few. She went to sign on the arrival form, the desk person looked at her and asked her if there is someone with her, she said no and she saw the hint of saddness if the eyes of that person very clearly. Not wanting any pity she got her keys and made her way to her room. But she couldn't help it, em looked down at herself in her old converse shoes and plain jeans,with two suitcases and a backpack she thought "EMORY SCOTT CAME ALONE, WITHOUT ANYONE". She went inside her room, looked at the two bed, two study desks and the window inside the room. She loved the window and how you can see the view outside easily. She opened the window, cold wind blowing in her face, a small smile tugged at her lips. The wind reminded her of her grandmere and how she was always so stubborn to "have her wind" because it was her last. She chuckled missing her most now, Will crossed her mind, what will he be doing? How was his first day? She shook her head and pulled out her phone and called the home where her grandmere was staying requesting them to let her talk to her on video call. They talked for an hour but had to cut it short because it was time for grandmere to take her medicines. The bags caught Emmy's eyes and she decided to put them in the wardrobe. "But i can't choose any wardrobe i like, what if my roommate, if i have any wants this one? And same with the bed." Em thought. But she ended up choosing one she liked "if my roommate liked this one we can just switch", she emptied her suitcases, arranged all her clothes in the wardrobe, arranged her study desk. But it was the Godzilla plushie that made her stop, she looked at it not knowing where to keep it, on her bed near her? Or just stack it back in the wardrobe? She took it with her when she left thunder bay, one of the only thing of will's she had, no way she was leaving it behind she loved it. She looked at its fangs and spikes on its tail remembering the day of the LOCK IN when Will put it inside her locker and how he and his friends pranked her, and how he forced her in his sleeping bag, she smiled thinking of him, no matter what she did or how she tried to not think of him, he somehow always came to her mind ALWAYS!. She thought how she had a great time in that chemistry lab even though she was mad annoyed at him that night. She ended up setting the Godzilla plushie at her desk. After making her side of the room she sat on the bed a little confused what to do now? She left her room went to look around the campus, the library, the buildings where her classes are going to be. After having dinner at one of the halls she came back to her empty room and went to sleep as she was so tired after the activities of the day. The next few days were same where she toured outside of campus, how far is the nearest movie theater? And checked her internship status.

TO BE CONTINUED...

I have been working on this for like a week and now my mind is all over the place, there are so many things i think happened but i don't k ow how to put them in sentences. SPOILER ALERT!! I AM NOT A WRITER!! So this is not a fanfic or anything i am just trying to fill the blank of those 9 years by thinking how em reacted in other instances.

I have ideas and i know you do too, so feel free to add them here.

And honestly your reviews about my writing or anything will be greatly appreciated. Even if its a bad thing or good thing doesn't matter, if you have anything to say feel free to do it.

AND I WILL TRY TO FINISH IT AS SOON AS I CAN, I STILL HAVE LIKE 7 YEARS LEFT

[yellowocaballero]

I think Go Straight at the Cul-de-Sac was my actual real first yellowocaballero fic so I'm pretty interested in Untitled Document number scarvio dlc! Got any tidbits?

Yes! It's actually a fic I've tried several times to write lol. There's a very scrappy ScarVio fic with my ScarVio protaganist, and honestly the pla fic sequel became a vehicle to depict the scarvio protaganist.

But, come on. Adaman's descendent showing up in the ScarVio DLC? How could I NOT?

I don't know if this'll ever fully get written, or written as it is now, so most of what I have under the cut.

Perrin was waiting for me at the airport, fiddling anxiously with a camera and scanning the crowd for somebody else. The airport itself was nostalgic. All rural Sinnoh airports boasted two landing strips, a polite and peeling building, and a tattered stack of brochures welcoming you to our humble abode. Kitakimi was legally a Johto territory, liberated from Sinnoh in some war fifty years ago, but I didn’t have the impression anybody here remembered being a territory of anybody. That was rural life: your problems were your own. And your neighbor’s, if they were interesting enough.

There were only twenty other passengers on the plane, so I shouldn’t have been hard to find. We were unceremoniously shuttled straight from the plane to the ground, showcasing the great efficacy of rural life. Perrin was sitting on the hood of her rinky little car, scanning the disembarking group for somebody who probably looked very old and important. Maybe she walked with a withered cane and carried an air of great gravitas. I was at the advantage, knowing perfectly well what she looked like - her grandmother had assailed me with roughly two dozen family photographs - and I began walking towards her immediately. 

She noticed me, and I saw her mental journey clearly. Was she walking towards me? Am I meeting a secret second person, who I hadn’t known about? Was this the person I was meeting? Granny didn’t say anything about - wait, no, shit, she totally did.

I waved. Perrin probably thought she did a great job hiding her shock. She really didn’t.

“Elder - uh, Warden!” Perrin quickly hopped off the car as I approached, holding out her hand for a handshake. I stared at the hand for an embarrassing few confused seconds before I remembered the concept of handshakes. Perrin interpreted the silence as a shameful faux-pas and quickly bowed at the waist instead. “Thank you for coming!”

“I’m not a Warden.” I bowed back at a shallow angle. Perrin visually wondered if she was supposed to call a woman probably six or seven years her junior ‘Elder’. It was maybe the most accurate term but we would simultaneously die of embarrassment if she did. Unfortunately, her grandmother would hit her on the head with a stick if she used my name. “But you can call me that. Thank you for hosting me.”

“Thank Kitakami,” Perrin said wryly. “They’re the ones providing our rooms. Here, let me take your bag. I hope you aren’t already motion sick from the plane - these roads are pretty bumpy.”

Nothing was as bad as carts. Seriously, nothing. “How long’s the ride?”

“Only thirty minutes, so buckle in.” Perrin accepted my bag and opened the sedan door. She whistled, waving the bag around and ushering an expectant and eagerly barking Pokemon further into the car. “C’mon, bud, leave space for our guest. And no chewing! Do not bring eternal shame unto my family!”

I poked my head around Perrin’s shoulder and saw a fluffy Sinnoh Forme Growlithe wagging his tail so hard his entire body was swaying. He barked again, shuffling backwards as Perrin wedged my bag underneath the seat, and promptly began sniffing the bag for drugs and/or Growlithe treats. 

I couldn’t help but smile. I moved forward and crouched in front of the Growlithe, holding out my hand and letting him sniff my wrist. He barely needed the introduction - he immediately began barking even louder in exorbitant delight, facing down the prospect of a new friend. 

“The shade of his ruff is light,” I remarked. Lighter than I was accustomed to, anyway. It took ages to even grow accustomed to the sight of these things in cars. And, you know, not trying to maul me. “He’s bred well. Did the breeder select for the light ruff?”

“Ah, yeah! His breeder’s an old friend of the family. Apparently they’ve been specialized purebred Sinnoh Growlithe breeders for, like, a hundred years. They said that lighter fur helps prevent them from overheating in hotter climates. I spend most of my time in hotter climates than Sinnoh, so I asked for that trait specifically.” Conscientious and thoughtful. Somebody who looked after her Pokemon well. “Sinnoh Forme Growlithes are supposed to be lucky. Is that true?”

I scratched the Growlithe’s ruff, and his tail beat heavy thumps against the scratched seat. “Their luck’s changed for the better.”

“That’s…pretty cryptic.” Perrin just sounded impressed. “Grandma was on the money about you.”

I looked back and squinted at Perrin. “What else did she say about me?”

“Wow, look at the time, let’s get going!”

Fair. I wouldn’t really want to meet me either. 

*

Believe it or not, Perrin had actually asked for help. 

I know. Hold the shock. I gave Kai heart attacks every time I walked into the room for four straight months, and I still made her nervous. A Slakoth could give Kai a heart attack and I liked to think we were friends these days, but I knew that I was socially your great-great-great grandmother at best and the fastidious clan kids were perpetually on their best behavior around me. I was used to people being afraid of me for my impressive ability to use their bones as toothpicks for my Garchomp, but a young person’s fear of disappointing their family was arguably more powerful. When you had family like Kai and Perrin had family, the fear was absolutely crippling. 

Personally, I lived in a state of constant embarrassment. A few months ago I tried to blow out a flashlight. Seriously. 

According to the world’s most trusted source, Perrin was the pride of the new generation of their family. They had a strong artistic tradition, and Perrin’s photography had won national awards and hefty grants since she was a child. Her favorite subjects had always been her culture and traditions, and her work had been frequently praised for its spiritual gravity and respect for ancient tradition. As an adult she had shifted to nature photography. Then the conversation diverged to bragging about Perrin’s cousins (veterinarian, miko, miko, successful traditional painter, Can You Believe He Moved To Hoenn!, miko-who-just-had-a-baby, Potter Who Married A Woman Good For Her!, trainer-with-five-badges-and-counting) before eventually circling back around to Perrin’s greatest flaws as a human being. Namely, that she never came home and had missed New Year’s two years in a row. And She Never Called Either!

Perrin had called the clan (For The First Time In Months Can You Believe It!) two weeks ago excitedly spilling an entire tale of a cursed Ursaluna roaming the thick forests of a small island that hadn’t belonged to Sinnoh for years. It wasn’t idle gossip: Ursalunas were sacred Pokemon, and a cursed Ursaluna was dangerously bad luck. Cursed sacred Pokemon could wither nature, starve local Pokemon, bring monsoons and thunderstorms, and shame the clans for neglecting their duties as caretakers. I wasn’t so sure about all of that, but I knew from long experience that a cursed sacred Pokemon basically amounted to a very powerful rabid Pokemon that endangered everything and everyone around it. These days there were probably people other than me who could put that Pokemon down, but - well, traditions were meaningful. 

A certain somebody was ludicrously famous for her talents in subduing cursed Pokemon. They had given me a lot of medicinal bags, which had somehow become traditional. I hadn’t known how to break it to them that I was just going to beat the curse out of the Pokemon. Always worked. 

Apparently all of Perrin’s cousins called her and harassed her about bringing cryptid stories to Grandmother and sending the clan into a tizzy. Her miko cousins threatened to strangle her if she had dragged the Hero of Hisui out to the middle of nowhere to vanquish a hoax. Perrin obviously hadn’t expected her clan to send the Hero of Hisui out into the middle of nowhere to vanquish what may-or-may-not be a hoax. She probably hadn’t intended to turn a little problem into an entire religious and legendary production, but that was the way rocks slid. 

“I hadn’t expected them to send you, obviously.” Perrin hadn’t been exaggerating about the bumpy road. My necklace thumped against my sternum as I fought the urge to grip the sides of the seats. Perrin was happily chatting away with one hand on the wheel, which didn’t ease my anxiety. “I honestly just thought Grandma was going to mail me some medicine and tell me to purify it myself. Like, I had full miko training before I was twelve, I could have done it just fine. But now you’re here, and - well, it could be an opportunity! I mean, it’s obviously an honor. It’s an honor first. I’m very honored.”

The Growlithe barked agreement regarding the importance of my august spiritual presence. “I’ll tell your grandmother you said that first.”

“Thank you so much. I was just wondering if I could interview you, or something like that? Maybe we can pray together. Religion used to be such a source of inspiration for me, and I’ve been thinking about going back to those basics. Start from the ground up. And if you can’t connect me with my heritage - like, who could?”

Artists. Changed a lot and yet never changed. “Returning home to Celestic City sounds like the first step.”

“Home’s not the right vibe,” Perrin said. And she said I was cryptic. “I need something new. But old. I need the right vibe. Maybe this will - like, realign my energies.”

Was I purifying a cursed sacred Pokemon or was I playing sidekick to a photographer’s artistic journey? I felt as if I should say something disapproving about how this was serious business. If the Bloodmoon Beast was actually real, then the entire forest could be cursed. It could have been cursed by a legendary Pokemon - and I had just finished kicking Darkrai out of Hearthome City yet again. This wasn’t a field trip.

Adaman would be laughing his ass off. He had always wanted to fight the man and ignore work. Probably would have, if he wasn’t ‘the man’ and work hadn’t involved protecting his people from extinction. He would have approved of this - all of it.

“Hope I can help,” I said diplomatically. “Is that a bus stop?”

“The bus smells terrible, be glad I saved you from it.” Perrin gestured grandly at the rising swell of homes and packed dirt streets rising before us. Growlithe poked his head out of the window, panting excitedly. “Welcome to Kitakami! Home of a lot of past and not a lot of present.”

“I’m pretty used to that.”

Maybe this trip would be nostalgic after all - no, that was certain. The only thing up for debate was whether it would be my nostalgia, Perrin’s, or Sinnoh’s itself.

I closed my eyes and grasped the Pokeball swinging from my necklace. May this journey end in only the typical amount of disaster. 

Maybe I’d even get lucky this time.

*

 Mossui Town. Population: small. Inn: none, but we have a community center with rooms! Store: one, but it sells handmade wool socks! Mood: very honored to meet you! 

“I am truly sorry for the humble welcome.” The Town Head Mr. Kobayashi was very distraught by this. If he had given me a non-humble welcome I would have shot myself. “Every hand is on deck preparing for the festival. You should have seen my face when the Diamond Clan Head called me herself about your arrival - I must have looked like the ogre itself! And about the Bloodmoon Beast, too! I thought that was merely a child’s rumor.” Obviously realizing how that sounded, he quickly added, “We are honored to host you, of course. Your arrival during our very own festival week - it must be the hand of our ancestors. Why, my own clan had close ties to the Pearl clan for hundreds of years.”

I could tell. Mr. Kobayashi had already given us a quick tour of the village, which had taken a pleasant fifteen minutes. The only building constructed in the last thirty years was the community center, and it was Mr. Kobayashi’s current pride and joy. The village had obviously been built by Johto immigrants to Sinnoh - the unique cultural blend was distinctive. Probably why Johto and Sinnoh had been in a lukewarm tug-of-war over it for a few decades. 

Perrin and I glanced at each other. She grimaced in a slight apology. I twitched an eyebrow. This meant nothing to her. 

I had to do this way too often. “Don’t worry about it.” I gave Mr. Kobayashi my best polite smile. I had been reliably told that it was utterly inscrutable, but that was their problem. “We’ll be unobtrusive. You…seem to have enough on your plate.”

A child ran past us, pursued by a waddling Sentret, screaming. We watched him pass. Another child and a Ninetails pursued the Sentret, also screaming.

“We’re quite busy, yes.”

Perrin leaned towards me, stage whispering. “There’s a school trip.”

That explained the surprising quantity of children. Normally places like this had ten kids max. I had counted at least fifteen already, and most of which were wearing some dorky uniform. The school uniform kids seemed distinctly overwhelmed.

Mr. Kobayashi smiled, about as authentically as a Mr. Mime. “It’s our honor to teach a new generation of…very foreign children about our sacred traditions.”

“Paladeans are weird and rude,” Perrin whispered, even louder.

Mr. Kobayashi’s eye twitched. “Boisterous.”

“One of them doesn’t blink.”

“Please let one of us know if our children bother you,” Mr. Kobayashi said. “It’s quite unacceptable behavior to interrupt you in your important work. When - if a child does so, please send them towards me or their teacher Ms. Briar.”

“I think they’re funny,” Perrin confided in me. “They all have lisps. Apparently they’re walking into the houses with their shoes on. Baby criminals.”

“In my day we executed rude children,” I agreed.

Nobody who knew me as a child was around to contradict me. Such freedom.

Mr. Kobayashi muttered something that may have been ‘if only’. Perrin snickered.

Westerners. Fantastic.

I deposited my suitcase and bag in the obviously hastily cleaned and emptied room on the top floor of the community center. I could already hear the sound of children laughing and running through the halls. Perrin was staying to my right, but the rest of the visiting schoolchildren must be living on the other side and across the hall. I had to sympathize with Mr. Kobayashi - nobody wanted to expose my august personage to children left unsupervised on a field trip in a foreign country they’re probably already interpreting as their playground. Judging from the sight of a Pokemon battle in the courtyard already visible from my window, they were from a training academy too. Training academy kids these days were the worst. My students had been so much politer. Granted, teaching back then had involved a lot more whacking with sticks then teaching these days. And training under me had been a bit of a ‘best of the best’, ‘send our top child from our small clan to do us proud’ type of thing. 

The community center had a small cafeteria, and Perrin and I descended upon the food like ravenous Luxrays. I only had to remind myself every five minutes to use table manners. This was a fantastic improvement from last year, where I had to remind myself every five seconds. Diamond and Pearl ate with their hands or straight from the bowl. The Jubilife crew hadn’t, but I had relatively few memories of ever sharing a meal with my friends in Jubilife.

After an embarrassingly short period of time I stood up and pushed my chair in, taking my tray. “I need to go exercise my Pokemon and survey the area. Let’s meet up again this evening during the festival. Are any of the Pokemon species on this island endangered?”

Perrin stared at me, mouth full of fruit salad. “I’m pretty sure not. Why?”

“Just double checking.”

Two hours of being escorted around a new area was two hours more than I was used to. I was itching to explore this place myself. I was definitely a hypocrite - I was here for a holy mission, but most of my mind was on having fun too. Maybe that was just human nature. We always found a way to have fun no matter the difficulties. Anything that mitigated the damage.

There was civilization to explore, but that always came last. I bought a map from The Shop and consulted the nice lady on the most isolated part of the island, which was apparently a thicket of woods that was too dangerous for most people to enter. I headed straight there, obviously. 

When I entered the wild area I withdrew the first Pokeball on my belt and tossed it onto the ground. The ball flared white and a bolt of light struck the ground, coalescing into an adorable and petite Leafeon. She immediately sat down and meowed politely at me.

“Just exploring today,” I told her. She rose immediately, bright green tail waving excitedly. “Which makes this a good opportunity to work on your form. Remember: the Leaf Blade should dazzle.”

Leafeon meowed in a specific timbre that I knew she had picked up from everybody else. It was an extremely distinctive ‘yes, sir!’ sound. The new learned it from the old. A Pokemon composed of sentient rocks could make that sound. 

The first thing I noticed about the island was the impeccable biodiversity. The conservation laws passed two hundred years ago and strengthened fifty years later must have been well-enforced and respected. I had been wondering how an Ursaluna had ended up here, of all places, but the answer was quickly obvious: the island had Pokemon far, far outside of the Sinnoh ‘dex. Even the Johto ‘dex. It had Pokemon from everywhere. It was absolutely fascinating. 

They were also ridiculously strong. I had to pull Leafeon back and substitute in Rampardos or Milotic several times. Staraptor escaped its ball and tried to chase down likely looking prey about three different times, again, and the entire trip ground to a halt when I found a waterfall and began practicing light refraction with Milotic. We had gotten second place in our last contest, which was frankly embarrassing. We had to step up our game. 

I did contests now. It was a long story. Byron asked me if this meant I would be more ladylike now and I almost bit his head off. 

With power came precision, and I trained my contest Pokemon in battling for strength and show. This was an unexpectedly great training ground. This team had recently reached the level where most wild Pokemon didn’t pose a big challenge. Leafeon was already sweating up a storm, leaf flexing in the humid forest air.

The strength of these Pokemon meant that this was probably the kind of town where people didn’t venture far into nature too often. I noticed two Ace Rangers immediately, which tracked - the province government usually stationed a few eight-badge trainers in high-danger areas like these as protection for the populace. In towns like this the people and Pokemon had learned to co-exist a long time ago, and they rarely bothered each other, but there was always some idiot kid or tourist that triggered a fatal stampede. Or a Bloodmoon Beast. 

Around inhabited areas, Pokemon tended to attack Pokemon of a similar level. A kid running around Hearthome City with a level five could reliably find other pests and bugs to battle. I was willing to bet that the local kids ran around and battled around the center of the island. At the top of that mountain and the depths of these woods, however - anything went.

I had expected to be completely alone. I definitely wasn’t expecting any of the schoolkids to wander out here. But when I finally reached the mouth of the forest, bypassing five different warning signs without a glance, I saw a small group of kids already clustered at the end of the path. They were fervently arguing about something. Alright, time to walk away and hop a fence. 

“ - go with you!”

“Why are you stalking us? We aren’t even doing anything! Go home and help Gramps chop wood or something.”

“But I’m supposed to be the one showing her around!”

“Yeah, and you did! Great job!” The older girl’s tone was incredibly sarcastic. She had to be the younger boy’s older sister. Only a sister cut to the bone like that. “Now we’re going to have fun bonding time for two beautiful and powerful women in these dangerous woods. You can have fun kiddo bonding time tomorrow. Okay? Now shoo, we’re busy.”

As I approached, I got a better look at the kids. One of them was an older teenage girl - who, actually, was probably only a few years younger than me. In Hisui she’d probably be married by now. In Hisui her auntie would tell her that her sharp tongue and unkind face would mean she would never marry. The recipient of her sharp tongue and unkind face was a mousy boy hunched over in a defensive slouch, who was probably fourteen or fifteen. Standing with them was a pale girl with white hair, who watched the proceedings stoically. She was small and thin, and was probably fourteen at best. A Gardevoir hovered behind her, eyes flashing softly in the dim lighting. Leafeon, trotting at my feet, meowed curiously. 

The two siblings jumped, whirling around to see me standing on the path in front of them. The pale girl saw them move and turned to face me too. The siblings scowled, but the pale girl just looked at the Gardevoir. The Gardevoir hummed, and the girl nodded back.

“More outsiders?” the sister cried, enraged. “Who are you supposed to be?”

“Another visitor?” the boy said, flinching back in pure shock. “What’s with all of the visitors lately…?”

The pale girl squinted at Leafeon. Leafeon tilted her head. The pale girl tilted her head back.

“Yeah, we normally get, like, one a year.” the girl folded her arms, previously high levels of aggression jumped towards unprecedented heights. “Now we got a billion! This dumb school trip! Some crazy important million year old Warden from Sinnoh curing our bad juju! Gramps said he’ll chop our heads off if we’re rude to him? And now you!”

This really wasn’t any of my business, but the well-being of village children was everybody’s business. There was nothing kids loved more than pulling off dangerous stunts and almost getting gored on a Rhyhorn horn ten times in a row, and near-death experiences were important for childhood development, but surviving was important for childhood development too. I wasn’t about to escort them anywhere, but I should at least baby gate this thing.

“That forest is supposed to be pretty dangerous.” I nodded at the high fence and the three different ‘abandon all hope etc’ signs plastered around it. The girl stared at the Gardevoir, whose horns glowed lightly. “Are your Pokemon capable of defending you?”

That incensed the girl. She practically growled, stamping her foot. “Who the hell are you to tell me where to go on my own island? Of course my Pokemon are strong enough! Are you my mom?”

The boy hunched his shoulders, staring miserably at his sister. “Mom did tell us never to go in there…”

“Yeah, Kieran, when we were babies. We’re plenty strong enough now.”

“I dunno, Carmine…”

I looked at the pale girl. Her belt was half Ultra balls. She might be fine. But the two siblings had only Poke balls on their belt, and I wasn’t so sure. 

Ugh. Time to do the responsible adult thing. I reached around my belt, unhooking a miniature Apricorn ball from the back and expanding it. Hisuian balls were fragile, and I had recaptured everybody in the ‘modern’ Apricorn balls before leaving. They were still antiques, but they held up well enough. “For safety reasons, I’ll have to ask that one of you battle me before going inside.”

“What are you, a cop!” Carmine grabbed a Pokeball off her belt, expanding it immediately. “You’re so on, you wanna-be adult!”

Kieren blanched. “You left your main team back at the Academy, Carmine!”

“Yeah, and I don’t need my award winning team to fight this narc.” Carmine halted for the first time, glancing to her right and looking at the pale girl. “Unless you wanna go for it, I guess.”

The pale girl blinked at her.

“Oh, right.” Carmine cleared her throat, turning to face her completely. Then she spoke way, way too loudly, almost yelling. I instinctively flinched and scanned the area for lurking predator pokemon. “Do you want to fight this lady?”

The pale girl’s eyes narrowed, and she finally spoke. Her accent was strange, her mouth forming the sounds clunkily, but she did have a bizarre lisp. Despite her jinbei, she must be one of the exchange students. “I told you not to shout.”

“Ah, sorry.” Carmine briefly looked a little embarrassed. “You - uh, picked up on all of that?” Gardevoir hummed, horns glowing. “Right! Thanks, Gardevoir! Anyway, do you want to fight her? I want to fight her, so don’t say yes.”

The pale girl turned her head towards me, and for the first time I saw a large white hearing aid on one ear. That explained a bit. She narrowed her eyes and stared at me. I allowed myself to be stared at. She checked out my Pokeballs - all Pokeballs, since my team now was raised from scratch. She glanced at the polite Leafeon. Then she turned back to Carmine, visibly dismissing me. 

“She doesn’t look strong, so I don’t want to bother. Go ahead.”

[hyperfixatingonsonicsohard]

Live Blogging: Knuckles Episode 1

SPOILERS

Awwwww Tails has a plane bed while the others have car beds thats so cute!!

Knuckles just YOINK’d! those workers OMG!

I want to drop kick that girl-scout so bad

Omg cheif guy ghost!!!

Wait if Ghosts are cannon in this universe does that mean in Sonic 3 we might see a Maria Ghost?!

I need to see lil’ knuckles now

I love how he’s gonna train a HUMAN to continue the echidna tribe legacy/culture

I can imagine wade teaching his kids too lol

Speaking of which i NEED to see more echidna culture other than the warrior-ing

Wait GUN is in London? I thought it was a totally USA thing?

YO WHO ARE THESE TWO AGENTS

AND WHO IS THIS GUY?! AND WHEN DID HE CROSS PATHS WITH KNUCKLES?!

Omg this cinematography is beautiful wtf its a bowling alley and yet i feel like im a ballerina on stage

Aww i love this story about wade’s dad! Like its making fun of the kinda tropes like “my dad taught me everything i know” kinda thing but its also so much more realistic

FUCKING TJ-MAX

WTF WADES DAD

Wade im glad bowling makes you feel like ur dads back but he abandoned you in a fucking TJ-MAX! I wouldnt want him to be back goddamn

I BELIVE IN YOU TOO WADE!!!!

Damn I wish i was as good at Bowling as Wade and Knuckles

imagine crossing the ring for a major battle and you end up in a bowling alley lol

I love how Wade is like “oh right he was grounded i wont get in the parent’s way”

I mean, wade knows knuckles and the fam have alein government shit stuff going on. Its not a stretch to assume these two governments looking agents are an already established part of the parenting system

Theyre not but i get it wade i’d assume the same

ITS THE BIT FROM THE TRAILERS!

I saw a behind the scenes that this was this lady’s first time doing her own ‘stunts’. Honestly she looks like she’s having a blast lol(Pun not intended)

Oop! Maybe it was! Yikes!!

Yes Wade! Help your teacher!

Wade giving himself high-five as if it was what he always does made me laugh out loud

And its actually kinda sad now that i think about it :(

YO BLASTING THE GUN TO LAUNCH HERSELF THATS SO COOL

“I told you this was a battle feild!” HA!

YOO A RING GUN THATS SO COOL

They must have looked all through the Siberian snow for them wow

OH NO KNUCKLES!

“I have to-I have to-I have….an incredibly dumb idea” MOOD

Yo these credits are so cool!

Awwwww the “My Friends” CD and the Band CD?! So cute!

[nicsnort]

Trial by Fire (part 56)

A Nightcrawler/Fem!OC romance, drama, and mystery fanfic, with lots of Quicksilver thrown in for fun and even more drama.

Intro (with link to full Ao3 story) First Previous

Bedelia held onto Kurt’s hand during the flight. Her mind was receding in on itself as it often did in stressful situations. She was writing, though with Xavier in the jet; it wasn’t as private as usual.

The Xavier School for Gifted Children is an idyllic campus. Sprawling gardens, spacious and well-kept rooms, excellent dining services, and rigorous classes. This small private school also hides a secret - it is a school for mutant children. For years there have been rumors among mutants that there was a school for young mutants to grow and learn among their own kind, free of fear from humans. I, dear readers, was lucky enough to find myself on this campus. I cannot speak of the circumstances of my arrival.

‘And not of this school, Miss Hayes,’ Xavier commented softly in her head. ‘Though you do have an excellent turn of phrase.’

Bedelia’s eyes widened slightly, and she looked at Xavier, still flying the plane. ‘Pretending to write helps to calm me. I won’t write about the school, as I promised...unless you give your permission, of course.’ That’s how she could respond, right? Mentally? He could hear her?

‘Yes, I can hear you...and we shall see. You did have a good point yesterday morning. The X-men are perhaps too insulated and should reach out to mutants more directly.’

Out of sheer awkwardness, Bedelia did not try to mentally write during the rest of the 10-minute flight. They arrived over the large open fields of a park, and the jet slowly lowered. As it touched down out of the front windows, Bedelia saw 4 figures appear across from them. The forms of Magneto, Frost, Quicksilver, and Azazel were unmistakable. Bedelia’s hand tightened on Kurt’s once again as the X-men, Trance, and Bedelia left the jet.

Kurt had squeezed Bedelia’s hand but released it as they left the X-jet. To his knowledge, the Brotherhood didn’t know about them, and, on some level, he felt that was safer. Still, he kept near her, mindful of any tricks Quicksilver might attempt. A simple twitch of his tail around her arm and they’d be gone.

The two groups closed the distance between each other. They stopped a good ten feet away from each other. Magneto stepped forward, and Xavier moved up, closing the distance to a comfortable speaking range. They all could hear what was being said, however. 

“Erik.” Xavier greeted Magneto and then gave a small nod to the others.

“Xavier,” Magneto greeted in return. It would have been better if this had been in private, just the two of them.

The Brotherhood had been instructed to stay back, Quicksilver in particular. If the negotiations were against the Brotherhood, Quicksilver would grab the journalist and take her while Azazel stopped his son from following them. All they were waiting for was a sign from Magneto. His eyes met with the journalist’s. Bedelia lifted her chin at this, but Magneto could still see the fear in her eyes. She acted much braver with the X-men beside her, but she still knew the proper amount of fear.

Using the steel orbs he kept on him at all times, Magneto fashioned a platform for him to sit on. Level with Xavier. An equal playing field. “We want our journalist returned, Xavier. She agreed to write for the Brotherhood; you had no right to take her from me.”

Having been Erik’s friend and more for a few decades, Xavier knew very well that patience was required with him. The patience of a saint, as Hank was fond of reminding him from time to time, but patience nonetheless. He caught the quiet, subtle gesture and thought, not for the first time, how it would be nice to have them be on the same side...or at least alone. 

But he returned his focus, mindful of the volatile situation. “Erik, she does not belong to anyone. Ms. Hayes is an individual who deserves freedom as much as the next person. It is possible for Ms. Hayes to fulfill her writing contract for the mutant cause while maintaining that personal space.” He insisted. “To be completely frank, she has been safer with us than she has been in your own house. Even if the problem is currently in Alaska.”

“And she freely chose to work for the Brotherhood,” Erik told Xavier in a neutral tone. “We were willing to give her space until she tested the bounds of our trust.” The mention of how Pyro had attempted to harm her made his mouth tighten. 

“What happened with Pyro is unfortunate, and he has been dealt with. She is more than safe with us so long as she does not break our agreement.” The silent agreement that not a word she wrote would negatively affect the Brotherhood. That she would not betray or work against the Brotherhood. “What we did was merely give her an inside look at the story. Far more detail and evidence than any other person could hope to have. We give her special access and protection during engagements, and the truth is told.”

Near Kurt, Bedelia's hand curled into a fist, her nails biting into her palm. She hated not having a say, but something told her the time was not right for her to intervene. One of them would ask her about something she was sure...and if they didn’t, the moment would present itself. Right now, they were testing one another. Still, it was difficult to watch.

“It is neither safe nor healthy to have her working in an environment with an axe above her head, Erik,” Xavier said calmly. He had caught the flicker of an expression on his face at Pyro. He decided to press on that. “Would you truly have the quality of her work be at risk by having her not only a prisoner but be in the same area as the one she had been attacked in by your own?” Quality. Wasn’t that the part and purpose of her work, the purpose, and quality? 

Erik begrudgingly had to admit that Xavier had a good point. He did not want the quality of the journalist’s work to suffer. She was only useful to the Brotherhood because of the quality of her work. Any journalist they wanted to take off the street could write about the Brotherhood. Even Pyro had worked in journalism before joining, but it was the quality, the reliability, and the clout that she had that mattered.

Kurt took a slow, steady breath. He thought back to how he had grabbed Bedelia not too long ago, how the building shook and shuddered under them. His eyes moved from the Professor to Quicksilver -- he wasn’t oblivious to his heavy gaze on him -- then to Azazel. He didn’t like this. 

Xavier added quieter this time, but his words were still sharp, “And forgive me, Erik, but who precisely saved Ms. Hayes from a building collapse that was triggered by another one of your own? I do not see how that could qualify as proper protection.” 

At the mention of how the journalist - no, not just the journalist, but Trance and nearly Mystique and Frost - had been close to dying due to Avalanche, Magneto had the first true give. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “Avalanche has been greatly punished for that. Perhaps if you had not shown up and interrupted our work, the journalist would not have been in danger.”

“If you were not keeping her hostage, we would not have needed to save her. You cannot say she was with you completely willingly. Even if she wants to pursue her stories, you cannot threaten her to write them…help me find a middle ground, Eric.”

Erik kept Xavier’s gaze with the answer to the next question. “A middle ground, Xavier? I am unsure I can provide one as I do not know where you stand. What do you want of the journalist?”

Still, the journalist. He was referring to Bedelia solely as the utility she had to him. Bedelia picked up on this. When she had been with the Brotherhood, she had needed them to see her humanity. Make them see her as a person. She was able to do that with Quicksilver, Wanda, Trance, hell even Toad, but the most important had been Magneto. In that, she had failed.

Xavier leaned back in his chair just a bit as if they were all having a cup of tea rather than meeting at a field. “I want Ms. Hayes to be both free and safe to continue her work for the cause of mutants -- or any other work she feels the need to pursue.” He said with honesty. There was one tidbit that Magneto hadn’t been informed about. And, for a split second, Xavier wondered why he hadn’t been.

Sometimes Erik cursed Xavier’s way with words. Perhaps that was why he was so invested in this human. Her and his old friend shared a similar skill in wordsmithing. Continue her work? Magneto could do that. Safe? Magneto agreed. Free? That is where they ran into difficulty. Erik was about to comment on that to start the talk of “middle ground” when Xavier continued.

“There is another topic in which both Ms. Hayes and the X-men will be looking into. If it is what we fear, we will have to act swiftly in turning the public attention to it and bring them to our side -- a task that Ms. Hayes can assist in only if she can provide quality work in a safe environment.” Xavier insisted. He didn’t want to give, not just yet, but he knew Erik wouldn’t let her stay with the X-men -- nor should she. She was a grown woman with her own life before and, God willing, after the Brotherhood. “Perhaps the middle ground is not, for once, metaphorical, but something more concrete.” 

As always, Xavier knew him well enough that Erik had to take the bait.

“A new threat? Greater than Genosha,” Erik asked - it was not quite a scoff, but it was disbelieving. What could be a more pressing issue than Genosha? Were the humans making plans for extermination already? The middle ground Xavier was requesting was unexpected...was he suggesting they may need to work together? Was he conceding that Erik was right?

He breathed out heavily. “As she was previously, the journalist does not need to stay inside our hideout so long as she is also not going to be at the school.” It was the first concession. Erik wanted to know what Xavier was talking about. “There will be a constant guard on her. We do not need her running off to the human governments and telling them all our secrets. The school would be in danger as much as the Brotherhood.”

Bedelia’s nose flared at the insult. Did he not believe that she wouldn’t give up her sources? If Frost was going to rape her mind for memories, could she not have convinced Magneto of that?! Turning on any of the mutants here was the furthest thing from Bedelia’s mind. All she was after was the truth! It wasn’t even the idea of a “guard” that she was mad about; it was the implication that she would turn on her sources! Bedelia’s other hand curled up in a fist as well with anger.

Xavier smiled gently. Good, he knew he could trust Erik to be sensible about this. “Believe me, Erik, the government is likely to be the last group to turn to at this moment in time -- not that she would. Perhaps, then, it would be best for Ms. Hayes to be left at her home...with someone from the X-men nearby as well.” If he insisted on a ‘guard,’ then Xavier would provide the same -- not that he thought  Kurt would allow anything less. 

Some of Bedelia’s anger was cooled by Xavier's defense of her and her “loyalty.” A guard from the X-men and Brotherhood? That could go so horribly wrong so quickly. At least at the same time. Kurt would be her guard, and if Quicksilver was the other...she might not have a home anymore.

Erik looked over Xavier at the suggestion of an X-man guard trying to read the other man. The government was the last group she would turn to, so this involved the US government. “I do not believe either of us has two members that would get along well enough to guard her together. They will trade weeks. Quicksilver will be her guard for the Brotherhood, with Scarlet Witch as an alternate when necessary.”

“So long as it is only those two for your side, I think that would work. Should there need to be a...substitute, I think it would only be appropriate to inquire with Ms. Hayes about her next preference. Nightcrawler and Wolverine will be the X-men responsible for keeping Ms. Hayes safe.” Not secure, not maintained, not detained, but safe . Kurt, because it was unlikely the lad would agree to stay away, and Logan...well, should the worse occur, Logan would provide a fierce level of protection and distraction if need be. 

Xavier gently brushed past Bedelia’s mind. I am afraid this is the best that could be done, Ms. Hayes. Is there anything else ? 

‘This is acceptable, thank you,’ was there anything else? Yes. But right when she was about to tell him, Magneto spoke up with the exact thing she was concerned about.

“Her work will need to be monitored closely and reviewed by myself before publication. I will not have her writing anything against the Brotherhood, or that is anti-mutant.”

That was the tipping point for Bedelia. Her temper flared up again, and she was unable to restrain herself. “I am not your propagandist. I will write the truth and nothing less!”

If there was anyone in the group who was taken aback by the Irish woman’s outburst, they clearly didn’t know her... at all . Xavier knew this wasn’t exactly the sort of temper that would charge Erik’s, but he knew it could be the starting point to a powder keg if he let it. “I do not think that necessary, Erik; after all, didn’t Ms. Hayes write two excellent articles on the Brotherhood and Genosha?” Even with all the blood spilling she witnessed , it went unsaid.

“Two excellent articles under Brotherhood supervision.” But, Erik did have to concede that he had not required her to change any aspect of the articles. She had done as she said she would and delivered an unbiased article. He hated how much he was giving away here. Magneto’s eyes shot to Bedelia. The fire in them was admirable, as was her skill - a shame she was a human - but even with all her bravado, Magneto felt her quell under his steely gaze. Good, she still knew her place.

Xavier seemed to be of a similar mind. “If that can be agreed upon, Erik, then Trance can return with you, and we will settle Ms. Hayes in her home.” Once, they did a sweep of the area. The news of Essex would be spoken to Erik in private -- not quite the level of privacy that he wanted, but the sort of privacy that they were only afforded being on such different lines like this.

“Very well, Xavier,” Erik finally said. “We are in agreement, but Ms. Hayes is not to leave until you have told me what this new threat is. Release Trance and tell me, then she may settle down at home.”

A small victory in some way. Magneto had finally used her name. That was progress, right? And Bedelia was the expert on Essex. She knew the information inside and out. ‘I can stay for this. I know it best,’ She thought aloud in her head, hoping to get to Xavier though realizing that Frost probably heard as well.

“Of course.” Xavier agreed, hearing Bedelia’s thoughts loud and clear. The way that Frost looked at her told him she had as well. That would be something they would work on, he thought, to limit any potential issues in the future. He turned to look at Beast and Trance.

Trance turned to her left to Beast and held her hand out. “Thank you, Blue.” She said softly, for his ears more than anything. “I look forward to our future shared interests.” 

Hank handed off the bag and inclined his head to Trance. “Of course,” he replied in a low tone. Stepping back, Hank walked a few paces away with the rest of the X-men. Across the line, Azazel saw the Beast step back. The moment he was out of arm's reach of Trance, Azazel teleported to her before immediately teleporting back to the appropriate distance.

Looking across at the X-men, he smirked. It would have been that easy to take her before. It would have been that easy to take the journalist. His eyes met Hank’s, and the smirk grew just a hint. Azazel’s hand had not been removed from Trance’s shoulder. “ Izvinite,” sorry, he spoke to no one in particular.

Erik smirked as well, though more at how the X-men had been put on edge.

_____

Next

Fanfic Masterlist

[katielovably]

Corporal Larson! He heard the lieutenant call.

In here, lieutenant. He called, and the cavity of the plane's tail echoed, making his voice louder than he meant.

He soon heard the lieutenant's boots go from walking on metal walking to them.

There's a whole ass... sorry, kid. Lieutenant Håvard starts TJ looking up at him with curiosity.

You make it sound like he doesn't say the worst things. Tord said.

He doesn't need to know that. TJ said, folding his arms as Tord rolled his eyes.

I don't know what this is besides the big nuclear symbol and the warning it's nuclear and handle with care. He said as TJ went back to piggybacking on Tord's back with a yawn.

We'll take this whole thing back to base. Good job, Corporal. lieutenant said, patting his back

Hey, I located and found it the crashed plane. He only found this! Don't take all the credit. TJ said.

Good job, TJ. Now take your boy back to the hotel to get some rest. Lieutenant Håvard said.

Thank you, Lieutenant. But I just want to check if friends of mine are alright. Tord said.

Alright, be careful, my boy. Key the little one close. Oh, maybe help me move this barrel to my vehicle. I'll take it to base tonight, so you might be alone for tonight. Lieutenant Håvard said.

I'll put TJ in the car. Tord said before realizing the zombies entering.

Oh, God dammit. Tord said, getting his gun and firing the first few..

Get away from the barrel if you're sho... Lieutenant Sørensen said, seeing the zombies.

Oh, right. Tord said, trading the gun for a switch blad and a pipe setting TJ behind boxes. Tord used the pipe and blade to take out the zombies.

That was fun. Come on, TJ. Tord said.

The lieutenant was horrified by what she saw, watching as the 5 year old who watched it all paddle out from hiding to his father.

I'll be back, Lieutenant. Tord said.

Bye, Lieutenant Sørensen. TJ's said from Tord's shoulders.

Bye, TJ. Lieutenant Sørensen said.

That family, I swear. The lieutenant muttered, trying to move the barrel himself.

Are you sure you didn't get a bite? I don't want you dying or turning. TJ said.

I'm a skilled fighter, I'm fine. Tord said as he walked through the forest.

Eh, I would check just in case. TJ said.

Will you ever stop giving me a hard time. Tord sighed.

Not until I'm back to myself, asshole. TJ said.

You sound like it was me who changed you into a baby... also, you sacrifice yourself for me. He said.

Yeah, you were supposed to get out of London without me not taking me away from my friends. And now an evil Tord is doing shit! If i hadn't stopped, this wouldn't be happening! TJ said, hitting him and pulling his hair.

Ow! stop! Tord said, grabbing the toddler and holding TJ up, getting glared at by the kid.

Look, it's nobodies fault. Just stop and calm down. Honestly, I thought you would have forgotten that since then, but no, I get this every time. Here's your toy and book. I'll be back. Tord said after buckling him in.

TJ blew raspberries at him as he shut the door.

My greatest Foe, my three-year-old "son." Tord muttered, then sighed he's just tired. it's past his bedtime. Tord said as he walked. He could still hear those guys shooting in the distance.

They need an army, not just three people. He said then thought about what TJ said about an "evil Tord." The leader did look like him. He had hated the clones. They caused him trouble people saying they saw him in place he went or never go.

He faintly remembered TJ before this in an old vehicle of theirs they managed to get running and living out of it. He remembered watching them course Edd though it was weird and dragged him to do things around the house or the couch to watch Telly/ play video games... Kicking Tom's ass in video games was Tord's favorite part of those times.

He looked down. This is how missing them feels like. It hurts. He likes his job, but he hadn't noticed the pain of missing them since he was busy, or maybe he made himself busy to distract himself, portending that all is fine. *growling coming from stomach* Did he eat supper? He forgot to make food for himself and TJ.

TORD! Hurry up, I need help! Lieutenant Sørensen call.

Coming, Lieutenant. Tord said, "Now running

They managed to get the barrel into the back of the lieutenant's vehicle. After insuring it would move, Tord got the key for the hotel. They said their goodbye.

It was late, but he still drove past the house. They add a second level to the house (would have been handy when four people were living there, but. Tord did have to share a room with Tom when he moved in before Tord got annoyed by Tom's... everything and made a closet they weren't using and put his stuff in there. Yes, it was small, but he didn't care it's not his room.

Of course, the lights were on at almost midnight (the three men were still shooting at Zombies) , and Tord could see the three playing video games.

Five years, and they still haven't changed.

Tord looked back at the sleeping five-year-old. He couldn't leave him.

Tord the a breath and slipped out. Carrying TJ, who stirred and looked around.

Hey, buddy. We're just seeing some friends of mine, ok? You can still sleep or sleep in my old room. Tord said to TJ, who groaned. Then we'll go to bed. He said softly, kissing the child's forehead.

Are they still at it? TJ said sleepily as more shots were heard.

Sadly. Tord said with a sigh before knocking.

As usual, Edd was heard saying, "Tom, can you get the door?"

Tom's going to slam the door in our face, though. Tord muttered as he got a toddler backpack.

How tragic. TJ said as Tord tilted his head at the green house next door that's new.

Tom opened the door.

Hey, Tom. Tord said, and Tom sighed, rolling his eyes and shutting the door.

Told you. He never changes.... At least they're ok. Tord said.

Good thing you didn't bet on him shutting the door. I have nothing to bet except for fruit snacks... which I didn't have much of. TJ said as he looked up as the clouded sky became full of stars (well, enough stars you can see in the city) before seeing the numbers of zombies coming their way

(2 of ???)

[imtheghostinsidemyhead]

the cycle

My entire life I secretly knew that I was gay, I would shove my feelings down deep and I always had this ongoing spiral of guilt in my heart. My mom would never forgive me if she knew. One day I decided to play a game with God, heads I’m straight, and tails I’m gay. The coin landed on heads but I already knew the truth.

 An old friend, ______ texted me for the first time in a year.  She was a deeply tragic figure, full of melancholy, mystery, and an emptiness in her eyes. She had run off to Minnesota on our winter break without even notifying the school. She wanted me to break up with her long distance boyfriend at our school for her. After that moment I was head over heels for her, but I never let myself feel that. We were both extremely depressed, unknown to our mothers. My grief was known by no one and all of ______’s were known by me. I continued this until my inboxes were full of self harm scars and suicide attempts. It all came to a head when she disappeared for a month after a suicide attempt. When she reemerged she came with the vice of sexting adult men online.

After getting relentlessly bullied in eighth grade, my dad paid for me to fly up to see ______ for two weeks. On the plane ride my brain was consumed with kissing her. I didn’t know what these feelings meant and I was scared of them. My body was filled with feelings I never had before. We were listening to Come On Eileen lying face to face cuddling closer together. I went in and kissed her I had never felt anything as wonderful as that kiss in my entire life. But to my dismay, she didn’t feel the same. But she didn’t tell me, she just resented me after that. I remember that Fourth of July 2017 like a bad dream, we just sat in silence lighting fireworks on an empty suburban street. She wouldn’t look at me, but I didn’t realize I’d hurt her. She’d lie, trying not to lose another friend the only way she knew how. 

It was my fifteenth birthday when ______ blocked me. There was a man, Jayden who was grooming ______. She found him through my need to validate myself through suicide prevention. And through their love of suicide, they began to e-date. On my birthday I opened my phone to a crudely drawn dick pick from Jayden asking for nudes. In a way I was relieved, I finally had a reason to block him. But she didn’t feel the same way, she defended him.

The aftermath of ______ caused me to ruin my life, it ruined the way I saw love, friends, self-worth, and the way I viewed my sexuality, I wanted to be someone who would’ve never kissed her. Someone who would’ve been that real friend that she needed. So I got into a long-term boyfriend immediately after, even though I wasn’t into men. I was scared of my body and thoughts. I separated myself from them. This cycle almost happened again, except this time I had a choice, I could repeat what happened before, or I could reevaluate why it was happening. After six years of living through punishing myself. I’m not putting my worth into saving people anymore. I’m now trying to save myself.  I forgive my past, so I can move on, and I hope ______ has too. I hope she’s having a wonderful twenty-first birthday tonight, whoever she is.

[reeia]

10 thoughts about Japan (Osaka to be Specific)

WARNING: there are too much amazement here!

                                               Garden Koko-en, Himeji

They don't really know how to express their care to the foreigners verbally but with their facilities, you’ll see, they care BIG TIME! First of all they made the AC centralized! Haha.. It was 8degrees when the plane landed at Kansai International airport. Woah! I only got two jackets, I wasn’t expecting Japan to be that cold, I’ve checked the weather beforehand but still I’ve never experienced that before...It was summer in the Philippines (March 25, 2017) yet it’s so cold in Japan. I guess it is called tail of winter and early spring though. I was really not prepared; in fact I have brought a flip flops & citronella lotion. Hahah (summery feels!) Apparently I wasn’t able to use those. It’s too cold for those mosquitos to fly around Japan, they can’t because they have thick jackets as well, but the truth is they all died!

 Still about the facilities, let’s talk about the comfort rooms. Toilet bowls have buttons for washing uranus, haha..really designed for pooping and as I have seen, mall toilets seemed like wifi connected cause there’s a wifi symbol on screen. So high tech! I couldn’t miss the experience so I tried it! hahah 😊 😊 😊 The comfort room will definitely give you comfort!

                                                  at Piole Mall Himeji

3. Wide sidewalks, it’s obvious that they prioritized safety for the pedestrians and drivers inside their vehicles are courteous, when green lights turn they wait few seconds before they go. (Now imagine that situation in Manila, some drivers are just so impatient and rude). Okay too much of comparing, bad vibes are starting to cover up my feel good mood right now for this Japan review. Hihi. I’d loved to mention I did not experience traffic congestion at all on my stay there.

4. Vendo capital. You’ll find vendo machines on almost every side of roads and railroads. You will never get thirsty; you’ll find variety of drinks from water to juices to sodas, (vendo kaya ng mga uhaw sa pag ibig meron?) LOL. Fare for train, vendo. Fare for buses, vendo. Open parking spaces, vendo, they don’t hire guards.

5. Safe place. Even if I had put my wallet in the front pocket of my bag pack, there’s no thief. My friend’s bag’s zip tends to open most of the time, I just told myself "great that we are not in Manila.". Houses have small gates or none, Japanese’ knows they’re safe.

                                                       Hyogo, Kobe

6. Super clean environment and disciplined locals. There are trash bins for bottles, papers, some for left overs and for other garbages. No one’s littering. After eating at a restaurant people will dispose or bring back to the counter what they’ve used (utensils), so a crew will just have to wipe the tables. :) At the streets I saw some dogs being walked, one pooped, but the owner has a plastic bag on his hand and grabbed it. 😅

                                                         Dotonburi

7.  Cool architecture. House exteriors are so cute, simple and ideal. Buildings have PVC exterior walls, I’ve knocked on to curiosity, interiors are plywood, I think those are assembled house, only stairs and roof deck were made of concrete, well I believe columns and beams as well. Even comfort rooms, toilet, wall, tub and floor were built altogether, so they would just install them quick. I loved the accordion door at the apartment I stayed in it made me want to take that home. 😂 Also I had time to go to a children playground, I’ve notice even the high storey houses have PVC exteriors but looks like concrete. Cool!

8. Fashion city. I think I belong there, it seemed like every street is a runway, they don’t care about what people may say, whatever outfits they wear they never run out of fashion sense, skirt over leggings, long skirts, loose jeans, boots, knee high socks, hair dresses. From babies to oldies, they soooo cute!!!! ♥

9. FOODS! I loveeet!!! Sushi, grilled eel, oyster, takoyaki, chocolates, ice creams, all that I’ve eaten there were sooo oishi! Worth the expensiveness! 😂 😂

                                                   Matcha X Sakura

10. The spending. Japan has a high cost of living, as shown on their bodies because they choose to walk and bike. I spent more on foods and transportations, well those were the things I’ve only got to spend onto. My train fare ranges from 160-970yen (x .44 for php), taxi costs 1000yen and above.

11. Oops I am making it 11 because this is the one thing I’ve really liked about experiencing the country. You'll hear "arigato" everywhere; I didn’t even heard one uttered "bakero". Japanese' are always grateful that’s why they are successful. Beautiful people. ❤️ Try to walk around the streets of Philippines, what are you hearing?

two of my goals there, to have a picture with a pure Japanese and to see a cherry blossom. Too bad I wasn't able to prepare a good camera. I have borrowed my friend's phone but she sent the pics through facebook and quality diminished. :(

BUT I am probably coming back! ❤️ 🌸

[aliencrystals]

Hello! I have some paranormal stories to add to your catalogue.

But first, for context, I am a firm skeptic. Of course, I'm still fascinated by the paranormal, but I tend to take everything I read and see with a huge grain of salt. As much as I'd like to believe that my sightings are concrete proof of paranormal phenomenon, I still believe that these were all likely tricks of the light, or misidentification. All of these stories occurred two or more years ago, so the details may have been obscured.

That being said, here are my stories:

Sighting one: The Ghost (?)

A few years ago, I went to a summer camp that took place on an old family farm. If I remember correctly, they used to have much more crops and livestock, but now only had smaller things like raspberries, carrots, and a few chickens. In the center of the farm, there was an old farmhouse. It used to belong to the farm's previous owner, and it was very clear that it had been loved over the years.

Along with the farm house, there was another small house that bordered the woods.

I only found out afterwards that people had seen a woman-shaped figure drift back and forth by the window.

One day, our camp group went out to the woods to play Eagle eye. (for context, Eagle eye is essentially stationary hide and seek. You take turns standing in place and finding people hiding in front of you). After a few rounds, it was my turn. I was finding people as usual, until I thought I had seen someone hiding behind a tree. One of the rules in our game was that if you'd found someone hiding and you didn't know who you were, you would simply say something like "Person in the red shirt!" and point in their general location. I thought I had maybe seen the sleeve of a black shirt, and possibly even a bit of dark black hair peeking out from behind a tree. I said "Person in the black shirt!" and pointed in the direction of the mystery person. Nobody responded, so the staff members checked behind the tree to make sure nobody was trying to cheat the game. But nope, nobody was there, the staff confirmed it. That was a bit odd to me, as the shape was fairly clear. It moved like a human, even shying away when I looked in it's direction. After the game, I came back to check behind the tree. I must've missed something, right? Maybe one of my friends was trying to prank me, I thought. But a thick blackberry bramble surrounded the back of the tree. If there was anyone hiding there, they would have had to stand knee-deep in a sharp cluster of blackberry vines. I would've just shrugged this encounter off as just my active imagination, but my friend described the exact same thing to me. Same figure, same black silhouette, same location, too.

Sighting two: The UFO/UAP

One time, I was in the Drive-thru of a local fast food place. Fairly anticlimactic, I know. But the thing that makes this event memorable is what I saw that day. While I was waiting in the car, I saw a little white tic-tac like shape in the sky. It was sleek & white, with no lights, wings, or visable tail fins. I watched it as it hovered for a moment, before quickly zooming upwards, and then downwards. It appeared much too fast to be a plane.

And that concludes my stories! I hope these were as entertaining for you to read as they were for me to witness them :]

OK BUT These are such cool stories IDK WHICH ONE IS MORE CREEPY. the fact your friend also saw the same apparition is just weird. You never know what kind of locations have some kind of spiritual energy!

The ufo story is even more interesting! I’ve always wanted to see one for myself. Ngl I occasionally look up into the sky hoping to see somethin crazy. 👁👁

I was so thrilled to get this ask n read your stories, thank you for sharing! 👽🍄🌈🛸

[nataliesnews]

Dubai 6.3.2023

I have not yet come right from the trip. There is so much I have to catch up on, translations and all the demonstrations which are going on. My South African friends and family, how can you say....ek kan nie my draai kry nie. I feel like a dog running after its tail. So that is also why this letter is so disjointed. I have all these deep thoughts after the trip about what people enjoy, how the rich live and I am so good at finding the words to show how intellectual I am!!!

First of all let me make it clear I am not  sorry I went even though there were things that I found disappointing in the trip which were a bit too laid back for me. It was good to get out of Israel, to be with people and to see something which was so different. It was good to have two friends with me, Shosh from Haifa and Pnina who is from Jerusalem. When I find it I will send you a picture of the three of us with our sticks. Shosh only needed one for one day and luckily I had taken an extra along. Avishai said  that when he saw me with my two he was worried but after the first hour he saw it would be fine and the group never had to wait for me.  I am not good alone in a group.Though I am thinking again of going to Egypt. By the way, in this letter if you read it there is mainly a repetition of what I wrote on Whatsapp which is how I made notes. Now I am trying to get my mind around the whole trip. What I enjoyed were the people from all over the world and the dresses and costumes. Very different from the tourists here. Colourful. We also noticed traditional Moslem couples even when the woman was wearing a hijab but the couple walked hand in hand. By the way when we got off the plane at the passport I saw this lane.

  Maybe I have to get used to the fact that I am now going on trips with people who want an easier time. The group was very pleasant and Rivka, who had put it all together, was lovely and her nephew, Avishai, who was the guide, also a very nice fellow. I was however surprised that, though he has been there several times, he had no answers for two of the questions which interested me. The people you meet with are mainly tourists such as we were or foreign workers from all over the world. There was no problem with English. But what interested me was how the latter  are treated and where they live. Not in all those amazing buildings we saw , that is for sure. And I was also interested as in the hotel where we were were groups of soldiers from all over the world. So as I understood that the local population is the most wealthy one can imagine, I wanted to know about the army and, as there is  no conscription, were there volunteers from amongst the elite. In both cases he did not know although he was most diligent coming back to me with facts which he had gathered.  But I would think that as a guide all these aspects should interest him. Especially in such an unreal world. Evidently the army is composed of all the emirates..... I think. But one of my friends back here said that in many groups people are more interested in what they can see  than in everyday issues. One  hears almost no Arabic. I am sure there must be locals but if so they are well hidden. Malls all over the show....and for the most part so uninteresting to me. The only thing I really wanted were all sorts of small souvenirs to bring back to the workers here at Nofim. I did find some great saffron biscuits for Irit and Yaakov and there Avishai saved me as he said ...never agree to the price at once...and got me two boxes for the price of one. And a book for my great greats in the Museum of the Future..An emotional Menagerie from A-Z for children which is very funny even though it is for later years. But other than that, unless you like shopping, it's not for me. The print here is very small but I hope you can read it. How to describe it....a plastic world, a giant Disneyland, 1984, unreal....as Rivka put it.....nothing to get excited about....no waterfalls and even the desert is just dunes and not very impressive ones with none of the wonderful canyons and mountains of Sinai. I felt as if I were in a movie of beautiful people of the future. And again I say I am glad I went and experienced it. From what my friend, Anita, told me, I think that  many career people are  brought there by being offered a wonderful life and many of them stay on. So I guess I am missing something. Everyone was so friendly and helpful....unlike Israel where you can walk alone on a path and say good morning and the person will look at you as if you committed a crime. It was a pleasure. I was very impressed in the toilets that everywhere there was an attendant who when she saw me would call me and take me to the handicapped toilet which is kept locked. And as soon as you exit, they are cleaning. Of course, plenty of workers. The entire place, even where there are many people, is so clean. Of course, the Dubaits....is that what one would call them  can afford the labour. I found myself more and more wondering about how such rich people live. There are enormously rich people in Israel too but somehow there it seems to be much more tangible .....and again I have no real information to go on...but maybe because of these enormously high buildings ....I feel as if they must be completely divorced from the ordinary people. I was talking about it to Rivka. When you are so rich, what excites you? A new yacht, a diamond bracelet......and if you had only grown up in such an environment and you should lose your money, will you have the guts  to start again. There were enormously long lines everywhere. When we went to Burj Khalifa, the world"s tallest building, there were long lines and at one place there was a sign to say that there would be a wait of 45 minutes....and there was to the minute. Looking back on the day I thought to myself was it really worth it to stand so high and look down on buildings which on the ground looked as if they were reaching to the sky. And again I say that I was glad for the experience of this weird place.There was a skywalk there and I was reminded of the Grand Canyon where you could see people were terrified of walking on it. I personally did not try as I was scared I would get busy but you could see people holding someone's hand as they got onto it. Here again I could not help comparing it to the Grand Canyon which was amazing when you looked down on all the canyons, etc. below. By the way, we did not get to the top which is residential. I can only imagine what the flats there...if one dares to use such a common word for such prestigious homes...must look like. I cannot resist one political picture which I found so funny. " My mother always say I am a terrorist"   (We the demonstrators are constantly being called terrorists and traitors by Netanyahu and his friends.