#They're just amazing little things from the unknown side of the world

[random-doctor-on-the-internet]

Tired of gender? Try becoming a tardigrade today!

·They can't die from hypothermia!

·They survive without food or water!

·Actually, they're almost immortal

·And they can even survive without oxygen.

·Can the terfs do that? I don't think so.

·Also they're cute and everyone loves them. Especially people who study quantum physics.

See, being a tardigrade is the coolest shit ever. So why are you still hesitating to reject your mortal flesh?

[themushroomgoesyeet]

For the first installment of this series, let's start with something easy!

Arcana characters as Disney princesses/princes

Julian - Flynn Rider/Eugene

These two are so similar istg

Dashing, dramatic, swashbuckling rogues with dry humor and a secret, insecure soft side?

The only difference between them is one is ginger with an eye patch and the other isn't

Honestly Eugene would probably be a good pick for a voice hc tbh

Oh hey they're both orphans with big brother vibes too look at that

Asra - Elsa

White hair? Check. Water-related magic? Check. orphans? Check. Unconditional fashion style that doesn't really match everyone else but still looks drop-dead gorgeous regardless? Check

Both of them also have familial abandonment issues and feel the need to isolate themselves from the people they love instead of confronting the problem smh

I will admit their romantic interests are a bit different, with Asra being bisexual and Elsa either being a lesbian or aro/ace at best

Both of them have also been described to have seductive singing voices 👀

Nadia - Princess Jasmine

We👏stan👏 headstrong 👏 independent 👏 middle eastern- inspired👏queens👏here👏

Ngl Jasmine is one of my favorite Disney princesses & she & Nadia would definitely hit it off

Both feel stuck in their respective lives while also wanting to rule, and try to take action for themselves whenever they can

Also both of them would look absolutely stunning in an outfit swap

Muriel - Hercules

Honey you mean HUNK-ules

I know Hercules isn't technically a Disney prince but he fits Muriel too well

Big and strong but shy and genuine at heart? Hell yeah

Their reactions to fame are a little bit different but they are the same when it comes to falling in love; both are so gentle and genuinely caring, and can't stop gushing about their partner

Also amazing idols for how men are supposed to treat women - a.k.a with respect

Both have a heathy amount of respect for their partners modesty (even when said partner is trying to seduce them on purpose), as well as their partners autonomy to make their own decisions

Not to mention they both have estranged families that they didn't know about, and a supportive animal companion

Portia - Rapunzel

I know some of you might be thinking "why not Merida? They look so alike with their frizzy mop of ginger hair!" Well, dear chat, let me explain

While they may look similar, Portia and Merida do not act similar. Merida is rebellious, headstrong, and airheaded, fighting her loved ones on everything and doing what she wants regardless of the consequences until said consequences come back to bite her in the butt. Portia on the other hand, while also headstrong, is spunky, kind, and takes others feelings and opinions into account instead of doing the first daring thing that comes into her head

Which brings me to Rapunzel. Admittedly, Rapunzel is a lot more sheltered and inexperienced about the world than Portia was but they are still kindred spirits. Curious, spunky, headstrong, kind, compassionate, and unafraid to fight for themselves.

They're ready to take on the world even if they don't know enough about it

Both also have evil and manipulative family members (ik Mother Gothel isn't Rapunzel's family; she was still the one who raised Rapunzel & Rapunzel considered her family long enough for it to count in this situation)

Both also meet love interests who guide them through the part of the world that's unknown to them, be it magic for Portia or the world as a whole for Rapunzel

Lucio - Merida

remember all those traits I listed for Merida? Yeah Lucio fits those

Merida and Lucio may be hella good warriors, but boy are they stupid sometimes

Both also have mommy issues™

Both are also wildly inexperienced with magic and should really be more cautious about it

Both just go "oopsies" and expect everything to be fine because of their status when it's never fine

Can you tell yet that these two bother me lol

Both were brought up in a Scottish-sounding culture and you can't change my mind

[mamamittens]

How to (try to) escape a yandere in One Piece

Okay, so an old ask keeps popping up in my head so I might as well address it semi formally and out loud, yeah?

The problem with One Piece characters as yanderes is that the world is so batshit nearly every character could canonically be yandere as it stands. And you'd be fucked several times over a majority of the time.

Safest yanderes to escape from?

Your average civilians with little to no 'bigger' friends. I'm talking folks like Makino. Maybe they know someone that would be willing to help but the distance and relative difficulty getting a hold of them gives you an amazing headstart and without a lot of evidence you can safely assume you're getting away baring terrible luck. Average fishmen and mermaids, as well as minks or any other more exotic species counts here too with the added benefit that they can't afford to travel in certain areas without being sold as slaves (as terrible as it is).

Tricky but maybe not impossible?

Average marine and pirate. Your small fry background characters not imbued with special abilities or strong devil fruit powers. They could get a leg up by allying themselves with a stronger marine/pirate just sadistic/amused enough to entertain their crush to track you down but it's unlikely they'll put all their resources into it. Marines could put a bounty on your head, Which makes things more difficult, but unless they can get enough sway they're basically just getting you arrested and locked away out of their reach. Which if you ran away you probably won't see too much of a problem with. More well connected members of other species are also here as long as they're small fry that can't quite overpower more... Greedy interests.

Yikes my guy, I think you might be screwed here.

Smaller pirate crews/captains with a good amount of heft to their name but not really warlord or yonko status. As well as Marines under more unhinged superior officers that like them or can be convinced how important it is you're 'rescued'. Like, Coby or the Hearts pirates before they allied with Luffy and co. There are still options, they're probably busy with more pressing matters than the apple of one of their member's eyes (though the captain is another question) so you can probably get a good distance away. With enough dedication you might even succeed at disguising yourself forever. World's a big place but... If they spot you once it's unlikely you'll get the chance to run away again. So uh... Make it count yeah?

RIP to you, the clock is ticking and I hope brief freedom was worth it.

Uh, about any of the big pirate crews and I'd say warlords, admirals and up, as well as yonkos go here. This includes the Strawhats but double cause they're tenacious and very willing to help each other out with a lot of friends to help do it. While not... Strictly impossible to get away or even necessarily impossible to stay 'gone' you're going to need some big strings to pull it off. I'm talking fade away to obscurity on a random island in bum-fuck-nowhere-(insert random blue here) kinda gone. And travel in OP in a right bitch so you better be quick and determined. Or at least faster than your yanderes' fastest friend. Certainly don't run to known friends, unknown allies, or any family no matter how removed.

Possible escape routes? Deep and secretly with rival crews/organizations and hope they don't learn about it cause they won't give a shit about wrecking hell to get to you then. Amazon Lily if you're a woman and hope it doesn't get out cause unless Boa Hancock is also yandere for you, she likely won't risk her whole island your one person. And I wouldn't recommend it if your yandere is Luffy cause then you're either dead or just going right back to his side. If you're running from a marine, world noble, or celestial dragon the Revolutionary Army is a pretty good bet. Just hope tricky politics doesn't mean you get cut loose too (or an RA member gets a little too fond of you as well). Reverse if your yandere is part of the RA and hope they don't manage to track you down with their information network.

Are you sure you actually got away or is this just a game of cat and mouse for them?

If the yandere is strong and capable of independent travel under their own power they probably go here. Jinbe, Marco, Ace, (a few others with powers or devil fruits that make traversing the seas alone not only possible but a breeze) and probably highest ranking Marines. Even without using allies and friends your odds are getting dicey. How you escaped is a miracle and unlikely to happen twice. I'm not even sure you actually got away unnoticed to start with. This might be a 'game' to teach you how impossible it is to leave the yandere in question. The moment you're in danger (possibly just after it if they're sadistic) or exhausted and pathetic they'll sweep in and carry you back 'home'.

With an incredible amount of luck you could get away. But if they got this far in OP they're probably hella stubborn and determined. So even as the years go by, they won't forget you. But they'll sure as hell remember what you did. One wrong move... One bad stroke of luck... And that's it. If even a friend of a friend sees you and opens their mouth, you're liable to come back home to see them chilling in your living room scowling at the lackluster accommodations. They probably won't understand why you ran away.

But they'll certainly put in the work to make you understand why you never should have left.

The 'X' factor that may make it better or worse when you try and leave.

Naturally, depending on their temperament, they may take your leaving.... Better? A little? Delusional will convince themselves you were just so scared! You didn't understand! This of course adds a bit of desperation to their actions and may lead to more severe restrictions until you get it through your silly head that you're safer with them. It does mean that they won't check the more 'dangerous' escape routes first because there's no way you really know what you're doing... This train of thought won't last long though. More sadistic yanderes will relish the excuse for punishment--arguably its more important than ever that you disappear really well because retrieval won't be a gentle process. Level headed yanderes will likely think through your actions. Might even understand... But except for very rare circumstances, you're not likely to just be let go. They need you... Just like you need them (and you'll understand eventually that they're right).

One Piece is just the definition of 'the world feels a hell of a lot smaller when it counts'. The only real barriers are politics and the sea. So if they can bypass one or both your escape routes dwindle quickly. Lack of communication between islands only goes so far when there's a lot of movement between them. And a clever enough pirate can abuse the system to locate you faster than you think.

By all means you should strive for freedom but... It's better to be mindful about how far you'll need to go once you realize the situation you're in before acting recklessly. If you were caught once you can be caught again.

And if uh... You 'left' with something you better hope they didn't know about it beforehand. I don't see that going over well. Just... Add a little timer to your escape plan cause they probably had more eyes on you than you think.

[you-will-remain]

I'm 30!

My birthday was actually 2+ weeks ago. I've almost given up hope on moving up in my job. There are some ideas that I could do. Being a support manager might be fun.

Anyway. The D&D campaign is ready to start and my group is going to hopefully start in April! I'm very excited and honestly, there's not much more world-building I can do without starting the damn thing or risk just writing a book. I'm in love with my setting, my BBEG feels like they're breathing with how much work I've put into their whole story before the start of the game, and hopefully this can be a long, multi-arc campaign that the players will love just as much as I do!

I've taken ideas from a lot of my favorite forms of media. There's a little FMA mixed with the Magnus Archives, with the world feeling pretty Bloodborne (start of the industrial revolution, guns, etc), a smattering of cosmic horror that can suit the vibe of the world at-large, and an amazing twist/pull from the GOT S8 podcast that I absolutely fell in love with. Plus, the initial quest gives a gothic noire feel to everything.

The premise is that these players are working for the mayor of a fishing hamlet (city) that was the target of an attempted assassination/coup and their job if to find out who was responsible for it. If they succeed, the mayor will set them up in a refurbished building, gaining notoriety and having people from the city and the neighboring villages coming to them to attempt to side in whatever they're needing. A little Private Investigation team! They can work with the adventuring guild in that city or be their competition.

It will carry on with them doing these quests in the city and across the country until the entire continent is shown to them, whenever that opportunity arises. I've made it so this country is all that the citizens are aware of as it's masked by a magical fog that turns people away from the rest of the continent. The fog will be disrupted at some point and then it's up to them to decide what to do. But the mayor is playing a game 10 steps ahead of everything, either known or unknown to the PCs.

I don't really want to talk about work anymore if you've noticed. It's complicated and gross and I'm reworking my resume since nothing's come from being ready for 6 months now. The people I want to grow close to seem to keep me at arm's length and I don't know if I can keep trying to make the work friendship into true friendship. I feel alone here. And maybe I'm not being up front enough. I'll try a little more but there's only so much rejection I can take.

Jess was weird during the karaoke night. I need to figure out how they're doing. I know I upset them and they said it's cool but idk. I'll check in with them.

Maybe it's me. Maybe I'm not being myself. I've been so focused with work that is hard to find myself outside of it. I just feel like nothing I do is good enough for anyone anymore. Maybe I'm thinking about it too much. But maybe I'm the problem.

We'll see.

[aromantic-misguide-to-romance]

It would mean the world to me if you would indulge me in my request. We have quite a few "brothers react to ace!mc" but what about a drabble or a small fic where Levi (purely self indulgent, he's my favorite, but honestly any of the Obey Me brothers would be amazing) and ace!MC are like, making out bc they like kissing each other but they're both super content and fine with it not escalating? Just kissing, cuddly, sweet fluff and no expectations or pressure on either side to go further? 🥺🥺🥺

Sure thing! I'm though bad at writing such stuff, so kind of strayed a bit from the premise but I hipe you still like it!

Pairing: Levi/ace!MC

Levi's POV

The relationship was surprising.

Levi didn't have much experience in terms of relationships, but of course he had plenty of "education" thanks to his avid passion to human world anime.

He had some kind of idea how a relationship would go. There was going to be tension and electricity on every touch. There should be lingering glances and senseless passion.

So all these things that their friendship didn't have and all the things that would replace what they already had.

He was on MC's route, definitely, and thought that it'd be a level up, that that was how things go. Even if he didn't want to give up all the comfort and safety he was feeling around them, he didn't want to lose that private Lord of Shadow/Henry becoming canon in his life.

So MC coming out as asexual was honestly a relief - it took away all his worries about his lack of experience, about him being an unattractive otaku or unable to play his role right. He wasn't expected to fill a role anymore.

On the other hand, he lost a clear manual. He was entering a completely new world that he had no sources to get a hint.

Just one step at time, he let MC lead him even if they had similarly little idea where to go on this unknown land.

But the terra incognita turned out to be surprisingly familiar, cosy and welcoming. As if he found home.

As they held each other's hand, fingers entwined, there was no charge of electricity that'd disturb the sensation.

His nose brushed MC's, and it was already almost painfully intimate.

His hands ran over MC's back when they pulled him closer but there was no urge to slide his hands under their shirt.

His lips pecked MC's when he dared to lean in for a kiss, but then another kiss followed. MC nibbled on his lip and he was already feeling drunk from the sensual happiness.

It was overwhelming, in a good way.

And he liked it this way. Exactly this way.

Not the way an E fic would go. He and MC will just write a different story for themselves.

[butteraway]

when time runs out | ii

⋆ summary:  A young girl has fallen deeply ill with an unknown disease in her, so with all her free time spent in an empty hospital room, she spends it online playing video games. That's until she meets her cousins friends, one spiking her interest with his extremely vulgare language.

pairing: bakugou katsuki x reader

word count: 2.1k

warnings: small mentions of suicide (I’ll put a star ‘⋆’ on top and below the paragraph so you can skip over it if your uncomfortable, you won’t miss anything too important so dont worry!)

"Bro, honestly I still can't believe that you of all people made it into the elite, number one hero school in the country."

"Waahh, I'm telling you! I'm the real deal Y/N!"

"So, how's your summer been? School's gonna be starting soon, are you excited?" Denki could only smile and sigh as his character was finally killed off.

Said girl chuckled as she heard Denki's voice rise through her headphones as they continued killing zombies in front of them. She grimaced as a zombie attacked her from behind her character. Geez, I never get a break in this game.

"Well, to be honest, nothing big really happened besides me getting my acceptance letter from U.A. Just me training and hanging with the fam." He laid back in the comfort of his bed, headphones still on in order to hear his cousin.

"Aah, already training, hero boy? That's why you haven't been visiting me lately." Y/N pouted and crossed her arms as her TV screen turned black, returning her to the main page of the game.

"Man, we suck at this game!" Denki laughed out loud as he saw how long they lasted in the last round. Y/N smiled and let out a small giggle of her own as she placed down her controller.

"Yeah, how long have we had this game for? It still feels like it's our first time playing this." Denki cracked a smile, even though Y/N couldn't see him.

"Hey, sorry for not being able to come to the hospital. Getting ready for U.A. is no joke, haha." Denki rubbed the nape of his neck, eyebrows scrunching up with regret. 

"Nah nah, it's fine! I understand that you have things to do. You have big plans for the future." Y/N brushed a strand of her hair away from her face, looking down at the needles that were plunged into her arms. Her eyes were clouded with an emotion she often felt when talking with Denki. She always felt guilty whenever the feeling came around.

"Must be nice to be able to achieve your dreams." Jealousy. She hated the feeling she got every now and then, but you couldn't really blame her. She lost everything in only a couple of months. Silence passed between the two teenagers, Y/N finally realizing what she said.

"Uh s-sorry about that! I didn't mean to say that alou-" Y/N was cut off by Denki's soft voice.

"Y/N, it's... okay to feel like that. I don't understand what you have been going through, but I know that you shouldn't bring yourself down for something you can't control. You're such an amazing person and to be honest. . ." Denki paused as Y/N's eyes began to glaze over.

"I'm doing this for me and you. You always encouraged me to take any opportunity by, as you like to say, the neck. I-I wanna make you proud, y'know? I wanna make it feel like you're a part of this crazy world, even if you're not really here, walking with me through it all."

Y/N’s lips wobbled as she let out a watery laugh. She hunched over, small tears falling down her face. To someone else, this would've boosted their ego, but to Y/N, those words meant the world to her. No one had ever said that to her before. She felt like she had a purpose in this wretched life of hers. She sniffles were heard by Denki

"H-hey! It's okay, p-please don't cry!" Y/N heard shuffling coming from Denki as he reassured her to not cry.

"I mean it. I only wish you could be there though, it would be so much cooler!" Denki smiled, trying to lighten up the mood. Y/N's sniffles slowly quieted down as she let out a soft laugh that made his heart swell with joy. At least he can make her laugh.

"I'm s-sorry, but no one has ever told me t-that." Small hiccups came from the girl as she calmed down, taking deep breaths to slow her heart rate. Won't want doctors to come rushing in just to see her crying over something so small.

⋆

"I-I'm just really happy you said that." Denki's heart clenched at those words, his chin trembling every now and then. He knew that Y/N wasn't happy with where she was. She had even admitted that she had urges to rip out the needles and slowly lose her life from there. Denki spent the rest of that night talking to her after. To say he was concerned was an understatement. He was terrified when she told him.

⋆

"I think us being able to play games together is already enough!" They both laughed and talked for a couple of minutes before deciding to to hang up. 

"Y/N, I mean it when I say I want you to be happy, okay? I hope you feel better tomorrow. Buh-bye!" Y/N said her goodbye to Denki, hanging up and closing the laptop that sat on a movable table. 

Her smile slowly left her face, leaving her staring blankly at the pure white wall and mirror in front of her. When visitors were gone, her window would turn to a mirror so no one would disturb her. Y/N took a good look at herself and only sighed. Despite being as healthy as she could get, she looked a bit on the thin side, this complimenting her skin. Running a hand through her hair, she untangled the little knots that had formed there.

"Geez, what happened to you girl? You look like a zombie." Y/N looked at the zombie game and cringed.

"Literally."  Just then the door to her room opened and shut quickly, the air filter turning on when a female doctor entered. Y/N watched her carefully as she checked the IV that connected to her arm. The protective suit never made Y/N feel better about her condition.

"Are you alright, Ms. L/N?" The light, stern voice rang through her ears as she looked at the woman in front of her. Y/N gave the doctor a grin.

"Never been better."

It had been an hour since the doctors had turned the lights off, but Y/N didn't feel the slightest bit of exhaustion. She had been sitting in the pitch black room for the time being and was really debating on turning on the TV.

"Ahh, fudge it." Instinctively reaching out for the remote, she turned on the TV and winced as the bright light hit her.

Looking back to the screen, she chose the option of going online and waited for other players to join. While waiting, a new character popped up next to her and she could only smirk at their username. Tapping on her mic, she decided to make conversation with them to see if they also had a mic.

"Now, what to play. What to play..." Y/N had settled for playing OverWatch since she didn't feel like playing any story type games. No cliffhangers tonight, Y/N thought. As the game loaded, she laid back and began thinking about cheesecake. When was the last I ate strawberry cheesecake? Great, now I want some. Thinking about eating cheesecake made her excited about the next day.

"Well hello, dear ol' '​​​​​King Explosion Murder_1.' Nice name you got there." Y/N chuckled as she said the name out loud, seeing another player enter.

"Hello 'Tape Dispenser?' What's with the wack name?" The girl’s eyes crinkled as she smiled at their name, hearing the user chuckle through her headphones. '​​​​​​King Explosion Murder' still had yet to reply, but that didn't bother her. They're either using the bathroom or don't have a mic. 

"The name was inspired by my quirk. But what's up with '_DeathGirl_', huh? You good?"  Y/N could only laugh at what he said. She should really send him a friend request.

"I’m honestly great, a little tired, but great! I just gotta make up a name, y'know? But your quirk has to do with tape? I don't know if that's wicked or useless." The boy laughed while Y/N laughed as well, losing her grip on her controller. That was until a gruff voice interrupted their laughing session.

"Shut the fuck up, your annoying ass voices are giving me a damn headache." Finally, after being silent, 'King Explosion Murder_1' spoke up.

"Aah, so you do talk. I don't know why you didn't say anything sooner Mr. Explosion Murder." The other player could only sneer at what she said, hitting his desk with his fist. Another player had joined, Y/N only noticing.

"Ah, hello 'Sleep Deprived Controller!'" Said player made their character wave, making Y/N chuckle. While they had their interaction, 'King Explosion Murder' was shouting at her, now realizing that she wasn't paying attention to what he was saying.

"Hey! Listen to me when I'm fucking talking to you, emo bitch!" Y/N’s eyes widened, soon rolling her eyes, watching the game load as they were placed into a match. What's his damn problem?

"Hey man, no need to go calling people names now." 'Tape Dispenser' nervously chuckled as he heard the other player growl. Y/N sported a shocked face as she heard this. What is he, a dog??? 

"Outta this conversation, extra!" Tape dude could only deadpan at what he was just called. Who calls people extras?? I’m not an extra, in fact I think I’m- 'Sleep Deprived Controller' listened with an annoyed expression on their face, wishing they could shut their shouting teammate up. Damn, wish I actually had a mic.

The game began as all the players separated, going their own way to kill their enemies. Everyone was in the zone, getting items and yelping every now and then if they were attacked. The first to go down was 'Tape Dispenser', then 'Sleep Deprived Controller', leaving both Y/N and 'King Explosion Murder' left on their team. Y/N smirked at their winning team, only one player was left on the other team. Just as the game was going to end, the opposing player shot down 'Explosion Murder', killing him.

"FUUUUUUUUUUUUU-" His mic cut off, causing the two players with mics in a cackling mess. Y/N calmed down, remembering she was still playing, trying to hunt down the last player. Finally, after many curses by a certain player and cheering from another, she located her enemy. 

"You better fucking win this or I'll kill you." Knowing he didn't mean that last part, she only focused on the first part. You better win this. Those words echoed through her head as she stopped aiming for the player. She hated being told what to do.

"Ah, so you're one of those people." Not knowing what she meant, they only watched with wide eyes at what she did. Y/N jumped down next to the enemy, shooting them twice with her weakest gun, signaling them that she was there. Quickly, the other player shot her character down, killing her. They lost the game.

"THE FUCK WAS THAT FOR?! WE COULD'VE FUCKING WON!" Explosion Murder wasn't taking defeat easily like the other two were. Y/N could only give a grunt of disapproval towards the loud player.

"Ha, why did you just give up right there? You could've easily killed him." Tape Dispenser was just as confused as the other two players, slightly disappointed at the loss. Y/N sighed as she rubbed her forehead.

"Sorry not sorry, but this dude really thought he could get away with telling me what to do. I'll make my move when I'm ready, sorry to disappoint you guys." She sighed as she rubbed her neck, ready to hear the disapprovals of her teammate. But what she heard and saw made her smile.

"Nah, it's fine. It can get a tiny bit annoying with Murder yelling in your ear." Tape Dispenser reassured her, with Sleep Deprived's character giving her a thumbs up. Though, the annoyed sigh caught her attention back to him. Her eyebrow twitched. What is it now?

"I'm done with this fucking sappy shit scene. I'm out." Those were Murder's last words before he disconnected, leaving them in an awkward silence before Y/N stifled a giggle.

"I have a feeling that won't be the last time I'm seeing him." Tape Dispenser chuckled while Sleep Deprived's character shook their head, making Y/N softly laugh. After sending friend requests to both people, she bid them both fair well and left.

Y/N turned off her console and tv, putting the controllers on the table near her. She laid down in the comfort of her bed, thinking about her interactions with the people she met. She smiled, closing her eyes and drifting into a dreamless slumber with only one thought in mind. 

King Explosion Murder is such a weird name.

[tiredspacedragon]

BIONICLE Retrospective

2001: Quest for the Masks

Part 3.2: Deep Into Darkness

Like Coming of the Toa before it, Deep Into Darkness is largely a character piece dedicated to establishing two of the Toa, this time Lewa and Gali. Gali's speed and agility are shown off in full, as are her intelligence and connection to the natural world, while Lewa's daredevil nature is emphasized along with his distaste for water and his early aversion to teamwork. The characterization isn't terribly complex, but it's important to remember that this comic was the first time these two received characterization of any kind outside the cursory interactions with them in MNOG. The purpose of this comic is to introduce the personalities of these two, not to deconstruct them, and it does a fine job of that. We see both Lewa and Gali in their comfort zones and in the opposite, in moments of calm and moments of danger. For a longtime fan who knows these characters well, Deep Into Darkness has little to offer, but for someone who is being newly introduced to them, the comic provides an excellent foundation for understanding what defines the Toa of Air and Water.

However, while characterization is the primary focus of Deep Into Darkness, I would argue it is also the least interesting part of it. The second comic contains several seemingly small details that do a great deal to add to the world of Bionicle. Most notably is the first mention of the Great Beings, the mysterious figures who are ultimately responsible for virtually every event in the Bionicle story. It's unclear exactly what role they were intended to serve at this point, though. They are mentioned to be the ones responsible for sending the Toa to Mata Nui, but beyond that they are left entirely unexplained. Whether they are seen by the Matoran as entities beyond the power of Mata Nui, subordinate to the Great Spirit, or separate entirely is, at least at this point, unknown.

Aside from the comparative narrative bomb of the Great Beings, there are also some smaller noteworthy points. The comic opens with the Turaga meeting at the Kini-Nui to discuss the arrival of the Toa and the events that have passed since, all of which having likely taken place over no more than a few days. Given that a similar meeting was seen at the end of Quest for the Toa, it's fair to assume that such meetings are a regular, if not frequent, occurrence, which explains how the Turaga always seemed to be up to date on the latest goings-on across the island as well as Takua's travels and the locations of the Toa in MNOG. It's a simple thing, perhaps, but I appreciate the simple explanation that they just talk to each other regularly, and it's nice to see that even though they all live in separate villages, the Turaga Metru maintain constant contact. They're still a team, even after 1000 years.

Furthermore, given that the events of the comic are presented as stories told by the Turaga to one another, Deep Into Darkness marks the first major instances of storytelling as a motif in Bionicle, apart from the handful of flashback scenes in MNOG. Conveying the story through in-universe storytelling will be a common thread throughout the franchise, only fitting for a series named Biological Chronicle.

In terms of art, Deep Into Darkness continues the level of quality established in Coming of the Toa. Carlos D'Anda continues to impress in his portrayal of the island of Mata Nui, with his art of the Toa particularly standing out. The mechanical aspect of the Toa is still obvious, but their posing is such that they look incredibly alive. They bend in curve in such natural ways, and they look like they truly belong amongst the vibrant nature of Mata Nui, even though their biology suggests otherwise. It's amazing what good posing can do.

Deep Into Darkness is a solid continuation of Coming of the Toa, continuing to flesh out the Toa as characters and show their side of the 2001 story. But, since it is free of the duties of introduction borne by its predecessor, it also has the freedom to explore the world of Bionicle in more interesting ways, touching on some background worldbuilding and adding dimension to the timeline. I wouldn't call it a standout comic by any means, and it's certainly never been a personal favourite of mine, but its role in developing key lore and characters deserves to be appreciated.

Anyway, 2 down, 1 to go.

Next up: Triumph of the Toa

[xpeachesncream]

off the grid | four

summary: it was as simple as swapping places with a stranger from across the world to get away from everything back home. that is - until you meet Jimin. things become more complicated as he unfolds a new chapter in your life that you were initially trying to avoid.

pairing: reader x pjm

genre: post-college au, christmas/holiday au | angst, fluff, smut (to come)

words: 3.0k

chapter warnings: slight cussing, possible inaccurate depiction of transportation, events and whereabouts in South Korea since i only did my research thru the internet, flirty, sweet jiminie so pls tell your heart to be still

> series masterlist <

"Y/N." Jimin whined. "Just stay still for 2 more seconds, please." Jimin laughed at how much you were fidgeting as he rose his polaroid camera. He quickly snapped a photo of you sitting on the ground, in the middle of the white birch tree lane.

"I'm so happy I'm here!" You squealed as you stood up and dusted yourself off. Jimin had taken you to Nami Island for the day, being that you had talked all night about the infamous gingko trees and how beautiful they looked in pictures. Unfortunately, since it was winter, the trees barely had any leaves left, but you didn't mind. You were just happy to be there.

"Okay, come on. There's still so much more to see." He led the way with you following behind him. You continued to walk through the remaining tree lanes before heading over to the gardens and the petit french village.

"Wait, this is so pretty." You gasped, instantly posing in front of one of the colorful replica houses. Jimin snapped his picture before you decided to capture some footage for your instagram and snapchat stories.

"I'm really glad you're enjoying this."

"I hope you are too."

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because you've probably been here thousands of times. You must be tired of it." He shook his head and pouted.

"Nope." He chuckled. "Absolutely not."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Huh." You scratched your head. "Like Disneyland is a huge staple of LA but I'm tired of it." He shrugged.

"I don't know, this is probably a little different. We're not really waiting hours in line for rides in a super packed amusement park. Plus, waiting under the scorching hot sun? No thanks."

"Very true."

"I just enjoy being out and exploring, even if that means doing it over and over again with you. I don't mind." You smiled. The feeling you felt being around Jimin, the butterflies - you couldn't explain. It felt new, yet unreal, almost like you had to pinch yourself to remember this was actually reality. You were living it right at this moment. How could he exist as the pure, wholesome angel he was? You had no idea, and it caught you off guard every single time.

But you were scared, because when this is all over, what happens? You and Jimin go back to living life before you even knew the other existed? That'll suck.

Fuck that. You weren't trying to think of that now.

"I really do appreciate you taking me around."

"It's nothing." He flashes his pearly whites. Majority of the time, you're running to pose for the camera, already feeling completely comfortable in Jimin's presence. He took you through the village and through the gardens, where you strolled slowly side by side. His arm brushed against yours a couple of times, and you couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to experience a super affectionate and flirty Jimin. The thought kind of intrigued you. What if you were reading too deeply into this? What if he was just really nice and didn't have feelings for you like that? What if—"Y/N." You heard him call your name as he looked down at you and laughed. "Did I lose you?"

"No, sorry, I'm just taking it all in." You chuckled.

"No, that's okay. I was just saying that Jungkook fell into the bushes over there." He pointed at the shrubs.

"Wait, what?"

"He tripped and couldn't catch himself in time so he fell in there. It left an indent." He laughed.

"Are you guys always chaotic when you go out?"

"What, us? Never." He smirked. "Seriously, we aren't. But we do have our moments." His smile instantly fell when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. "Speaking of—" He quickly flashes you his phone, showing Taehyung's name on the screen. "Mind if I pick this up really quickly? Just in case the boys need me to bail them out."

"No, go for it." He smiled toothlessly before picking up the call. You both continued to walk slowly while he spoke to Taehyung on the phone. He began to laugh, his cheeks tinted with a rosy color. He rose his voice and groaned playfully, which was followed by a ton of 'okays,' 'shut ups,' and 'ughs' before finally telling Taehyung he had to go and that he would see them later. "Is everything okay?" You giggled.

"Yeah, they're just being a pain in the ass." He cleared his throat. Little did you know that Taehyung and Seokjin just spent the last couple of minutes teasing the hell out of him about you. "So, the guys wanna head to the ice skating rink tonight and told me to bring you along. Only if you wanna go, of course. No pressure."

"That sounds fun! I'll come. But, I have to warn you. I'm not very good at ice skating."

"It's okay, I'll be there. Taehyung isn't either, nor is Hoseok. I've had to hold them a couple of times." You laughed. "I'd definitely rather hold onto you than them." He quickly looked at you, realizing he let that slip out without catching himself. He felt his cheeks get hot due to the embarrassment that overcame him, but instantly felt relieved when he saw you smile and laugh at the statement. He definitely meant it though. 

"I'll be sure to not be a piece of work tonight."

"Ah, you'll be okay. I believe." The rest of the time at Nami Island was spent walking through the the rest of the garden and going through the Gapyeong Rail Park on a two-seater bike. The view was spectacular and you honestly couldn't picture doing this with anybody else. At the end of the ride, Jimin took you to get some hotteok, which was just the snack you needed after the activities and walking you had done on the island. Before leaving, you saw a musician singing at the entrance while playing his guitar. There was quite a crowd, so you gently pulled Jimin to your side to stand and watch with you.

"He's really good." You clapped quietly to yourself as he wrapped up a song. "You should go sing up there!"

"I don't sing, though."

"Really? So all those times I've heard you, you weren't singing?"

"Mmm, nope. Don't know what you're talking about."

"Please?" You pouted and clasped your hands together. Your pouty face was becoming a huge weakness for him, making it incredibly difficult to say no to you.

"Y/N, I-I don't even know if he's--" You rose your hand and dragged him to the front. You signaled to the musician that Jimin wanted to sing. Jimin politely asked if he could sing a song, which the musician happily stood aside to let him take over the mic. Jimin showed him a song on his phone and asked if he could somehow strum along to the tune. He began to sing We Don't Talk Anymore - Charlie Puth x Selena Gomez, which had your heart skipping a few beats. His voice was the most angelic thing you have ever heard and he looked so fucking good singing. At the end, he smiled sheepishly and thanked the crowd and musician before waddling back over to you. "I hope you feel special."

"Me?!"

"I obviously don't like to put my singing voice out there, but I knew it'd make you happy."

"Why not? You have such an amazing voice."

"I don't know, it's just a fun past time for me. Nothing serious."

"Well, I really like it and I wanna hear more of it." He chuckled and nodded.

"I'll see what I can do."

"Jimin." You whined.

"No promises, princess." He shrugged. "Race you to the car?" He flipped the switch and began to run off before you could even respond. You ran as much as you could because running definitely wasn't your thing, but eventually you made your way to the car, where Jimin was catching his breath.

"See, look at you. All tired from that unnecessary effort." You laugh.

"Good race." He high-fived you before unlocking the car. The ride back would be about 2 hours, so you both would be making it just in time to meet his friends at the ice skating rink. You had fallen asleep without realizing, with Jimin smiling and silently laughing to himself as he glanced over. He made sure the car was warm and comfortable enough for you, before taking one more glance at you. He didn't know how someone could be so effortlessly cute, and it's crazy, because before you came around, he was fine minding his own business. He wasn't looking for love. His last relationship ended a year ago, and he had just been taking it day by day with the boys. No negativity on his end, no bad blood, nothing.

Then, you came along. You came along and changed things for him. Quick, too. He couldn't even explain it, even if he tried. He just knew he had become undeniably attracted to everything about you and he didn't give a fuck about anyone or anything else.

"Y/N." Jimin gave you a gentle squeeze on the arm. "We're here. Are you still okay to ice skate?" You opened your eyes and fixed your position in the passenger's seat, catching his concerned facial expression.

"Yeah, I'm okay." You gave off a good stretch just to fully wake yourself up. "Shoot, I didn't even realize I fell asleep."

"That race to the car really did it to you." He laughed, making you playfully hit him on the arm. Getting out of the car, you both had to walk quite a bit before finally seeing the ice rink in view. The first person you spotted was Taehyung, but he was speaking to another tall gentleman, who was dressed in a plain white tee, light denim jacket, black distressed jeans and black chucks. He had on a black hat, where the brim covered his face pretty well.

"Jimin-ah!" The unknown gentleman yelled as he held his arms out, in which Jimin openly accepted. They hugged each other and patted each other on the back before Jimin turned to playfully smack Taehyung on the arm as his greeting.

"Hey Y/N! I'm glad you came along." Taehyung engulfed you into a hug.

"I can't miss out on ice skating!" You chuckled.

"Y/N, this is my Jin-hyung." Jimin stepped aside as Jin also held his arms out to hug you.

"Nice to meet you, Y/N." He caressed your back as you pulled away. "I'm surprised you're not sick of him yet." He tilted his head towards Jimin.

"Eh, he's not too bad." You joked, watching Jimin shake his head and bite onto his bottom lip. "Where's Jungkook?"

"Buying a snack with Hoseok." Jin replied as he dug his hands into his pockets. "Which reminds me, did you want to eat now or later Y/N?"

"It doesn't matter to me, whenever you guys want."

"Are you okay to hold off until after ice-skating?"

"Yeah!"

"Hey, why don't you ask us?" Taehyung nudged him, making him shake his head.

"It's simple. You guys don't matter. Only Y/N does." Jin winked at you.

"Stop flirting, hyung. It'll make Jimin ma--" Jimin grabbed Tae by the shirt and pushed him against the wall, pretending to beat him up. You bit your lip to prevent yourself from laughing and smiling too big, but you heard that for damn sure. As the two stopped playing and made their way back to you and Jin, Jungkook finally made it back with another gentleman dressed in a black beanie, black and white track pants, a black fitted hoodie, brown coat and sneakers. How in the hell were Jimin and all his friends so damn good looking?! You couldn't understand it for the life of you, but you sure as hell weren't complaining.

"Y/N! Jimin-ssi!" Jungkook yelled as he waddled over to you and hugged you before making his way to Jimin.

"He always calls me like that." Jimin murmured as Jungkook swung him around. Jin laughed and pointed at how ridiculous the two looked on the side.

"Y/N, Hoseok." Jin took the initiative to introduce you while Jungkook and Jimin continued to play around.

"Hi!" Hoseok waved and smiled sweetly. "You can call me Hobi."

"Nice to meet you." You tucked a strand of hair behind your ear.

"How was Nami Island?" Hoseok walked by your side as you followed the group to get your tickets and skate rentals.

"Fun! It's beautiful."

"Isn't it? I'm glad you were able to go with Jimin. It's definitely a must."

"Yeah, he's been taking me to a couple of places already. I appreciate him enough." Hoseok smirked.

"You two are cute."

"Need any help?" Before you could respond, Jimin interrupted as he walked over, already on his skates. You bent over to slip the skates on, doing your best to tighten the laces as you tied them.

"I think so." You tried to get up, but instantly stumbled on your own two feet, causing Jimin to hold your wrist.

"Woah there." He laughed and held your hands to help stabilize you as you tried to stand. "Good?"

"Yeah, I got this, no biggie." You chuckled nervously. You held onto his arm as he walked you into the rink, where Taehyung slowly took his time to try and get used to the feeling and Jungkook was already skating freely. Jin was accompanying Hobi on the side, giving him words of encouragement to get him to let go of the wall.

"Okay, take it slow and hold onto the wall until you get a feel for it." Jimin stayed by your side as you tried to get your two feet to work properly in the skates. It didn't feel too bad, but every time you got a little too excited, you squealed and clung onto the wall due to your skates betraying you. Jimin laughed and held out his hand. "Come on, you can do this Y/N." You grabbed his hand, your legs stiffening without the support of the wall.

"Ah, Jimin!" You yelped. "Please don't go too fast!"

"We're going a whopping 3 miles per hour. Maybe even less."

"I am not that slow!"

"Highly debatable." He laughed. "But it's cool because you'll become a pro in no time." He reassured you and pointed. "See! We're getting faster. Progress." You started to get the hang of it, releasing the stiffness as Jimin continued to coach you through alternating the movement with your legs. Sooner or later, you were feeling a little more comfortable as you held onto his hand and kept a solid, slow and steady pace.

"I got it!"

"Wanna try to go alone?" At this moment, Jungkook appeared in front of you, holding his hands out, signaling for you try and skate to him alone. He nodded and reassured you, watching as Jimin slowly released his hand from yours. You stood there in a slightly bent position, afraid to move an inch.

"Y/N, I promise you'll be okay! Come to me." Jungkook said. You practiced the movements you had just done not too long ago and quickly grabbed his hands as soon as it was in reach. Because of the abrupt movement to rush over, Kook had to hold onto you to make sure you wouldn't fall, making Jimin laugh.

"So cute." Jimin said as he bent over to grab his stomach while laughing. "Y/N you don't need to rush, we aren't going to leave you."

"I'm just scared!"

"You're doing great! Look at Hobi, he hasn't even left the wall. The kids are skating around him." You laughed as you began to slowly skate on your own, eyeing Hoseok and how frightened he looked while hugging the sides and damn near doing the splits trying to move from point A to point B. Jin had obviously given up on reassuring the guy, leaving him to do whatever he pleased to do at this point. You had gained more confidence as time went on, skating on your own with Jimin popping by your side every now and then. It made the hour and a half go by rather quickly, but you all were starving by the end of it.

The group decided to walk down the street to a nearby boba cafe that apparently also had really good rice bowls and snacks. The walk wasn't too bad, but your jacket wasn't thick enough to mask the cold. Jimin had taken notice of you shivering, peeling off his coat without hesitation to put on your shoulders.

"Here." He says as you grab the coat to wrap it around you tightly.

"Aren't you cold?"

"I have this cardigan on, I'll survive. I'm used to this." He smiled down at you. Entering the cafe, you all had ordered your food and drinks and sat on the barstools near the wall. Jimin stood in front of you, while Jungkook and Hoseok sat on the remaining stools next to you. Jin and Taehyung pulled up some chairs from a nearby table, and you all had faced each other to talk about the day and everyone's whereabouts. Not to mention, there was a whole Hoseok roasting session due to his performance on the ice today. Jin had discussed his plans for his late birthday celebration coming up and demanded ever so politely that you grace him with your presence.

Getting home later that night, you felt exhausted to the bone. But, you had a ton of fun and really enjoyed spending more time with Jimin and his friends. The loft was quiet, only bringing in sounds from the cars out on the nearby streets. You revisited your photos and videos from the day, smiling to yourself at the memories you were able to capture, especially of Jimin enjoying himself and having fun with you.

[Y/N] 11:38: I know I say this time and time again, but I really do appreciate everything you've been doing for me, Jimin.

[Jimin] 11:39pm: You're welcome, cutiepie. Glad you're enjoying yourself. Get a good night's rest for me. I'll see you tomorrow.

Alexa, play: Good Company x Mahalia

[echo-three-one]

Whatever It Takes

A sequel to "A Forgotten Memory"

Alex is once again tasked to continue his mission in pursuing the threat that had caused hundreds of missing persons turn up dazed the next day. But now he isn't alone, join him along with the elite Task Force 141 as they hunt down Nero, discover the secrets behind his plans and put an end to this memory erasing nightmare.

Chapter 1 to another story made by Ray (echo-three-one) Comments and Reviews appreciated! I hope you enjoy! Love you all ❤️

"Resurgence"

"Alex"

CIA Warcom

Boracay Island, Philippines

Alex basked himself on the warm sandy beaches of the Philippines. He wasn't able to enjoy his vacation after the Nero mission, because he was sent immediately to Urzikstan and Verdansk immediately followed. And now that all of those were over, he now laid down on a beach chair and let the ocean breeze blow on his relaxed state.

Philippines was a nice country, the people were hospitable, the food was delicious and unique and the scenery was beyond amazing. Despite his metal leg, people still looked up at him the way they look at tourists and he was all of the hospitality and attention from his fellow Americans who are also on vacation to locals who were just amazed on how the leg works.

It's been a lot of months ever since Samantha forgot him, but he couldn't shake the feeling that they'll meet again, that's why no matter many women try to show interest in him, he shrugs them off politely by pretending he has a girlfriend. A simple lie that he built for himself in hopes of a miracle of meeting her again.

He always brought her letter with him, some edges of it got burnt from the time he manually detonated a C4 explosive to destroy a gas factory, It was almost torn and faded, but he couldn't leave it somewhere safe. He wanted it to be with him wherever he goes. 

'Don't you dare forget about me'

His phone rang. He quickly fished it from a small pouch he bought that the locals made and immediately answered.

"This is Alex speaking." he chimed.

"I'm sorry to bother you at this time of day Alex, but I have a feeling you'd want to jump in on this." a British accent so familiar informed him over the other side of the line, It was none other than Captain John Price or Bravo Six, a comrade he once fought with back in Urzikstan.

"I'm all ears." he said, sitting up straight and letting his metal leg sink in the sand.

"Looks like your boy Nero is back on the grid. That Sneaky bastard kidnapped the Daughter of the Head of Defense, again." Price relayed.

Alex's heart thumped faster, his breathing became quick. He wished to meet her again but not like this. Not her being in harm's way all over again.

"Shit. Count me in. But.." he hesitated. He wanted to help but remembered he disobeyed CIA orders back in Urzikstan, making him unable to provide support.

"I've talked to Laswell. She's creating a special assignment for you."

"What does that mean?"

"It means welcome to the 141, Alex." Price said as he cut off the call, followed by a message regarding his departure to their base.

~

Alex can't help but worry about Samantha's condition. They've played with her memories multiple times and he thought that it would all be over after she decided to alter everything about them. Guess the enemy didn't know and they're still after her.

The soldier leaned on to the small circular glass pane as he looked at the clouds pass by. His hands were fidgeting each other while his non-metal foot bounced up and down at a fast rate. His seatmate, who happens to be a teenager, noticed his distracting leg movement but ignored it as rock music blasted from his ears. He was a completely different Alex right now and he believed that he'll be back to normal as soon as he sees Samantha safe and within his grasp.

When you have a heavy metal stick as a leg, customs is going to be the most annoying place in the world. Everyone looked at Alex as soon as he passes the metal detector and everyone else's eyes were on him. Of course with a few more safety checks and a whole lot of explaining, Alex was good to go. 

"So, you're the one they call Alex" the heavily British accented driver mused, breaking the silence of their ride to the 141 base. He was looking at him via the rearview mirror, chewing on what Alex hoped to be gum.

"Yep. That's me." he replied, turning to the view of the British streets which confused him a lot as it was the opposite of American or even Global streets.

"Heard they thought you were dead back there. In Georgia." he added. He was quite the chatterbox but CIA Agents are all about the information.

"Yeah. Tried to manually detonate the C4. After that… I just ran for my life." Alex answered, his head was realizing why he did it. What pushed him to think that he could make it out alive. Was it because it's for the greater good? The idea of freeing Farah's country from the harm of the gas? The idea of a chance to meet Samantha all over again? Or something he couldn't explain.

"Well, we're glad to have you back, Alex. But it's a shame it's no longer in the CIA." the driver waved as Alex opened the door and unloaded his stuff.

"As long as it's still about saving the world." he replied, making the driver smile. 

"That's what we do, right?" he agreed as he entered in his car leaving Alex in front a quiet gray building, the Task Force 141 Base, his new home.

Alex pushed the heavy doors open revealing a large hall, multiple round sofas were embedded to the ground and a huge staircase that split left and right greeted him. Multiple heads turned as he opened the said door and slowly walked his way to the nearest person who happened to be panting from exhaustion by the sofa. His metal leg clanked on his every step as the soldiers begin to recognize him. They smiled as soon as Alex's eyes met theirs and some even waved, Alex met them from several missions from the past, some were from the Demon Dogs and his previous designations, Delta Force.

"Where's the briefing room in this huge building?" he asked the soldier in a black t shirt drenched in sweat as he spun his towel trying to keep up with his breathing. He didn't speak but he nodded in acknowledgement and pointed to the hallway on the left. Alex left him a thanks and he walked his way to the direction where he pointed.

Just a few steps after the beginning of the hallway, the people from the main hall cheered and laughed, this made Alex turn around and he saw a young blonde man with spiky hair dash across him, he looked like he's on his way to your destination as well.

"Excuse me! Sir!" he yelled and Alex immediately halted. The young man panted in front of him and took a few seconds to breathe before he countinued his words.

"I'm Gary Sanderson, and I was supposed to guide you to the briefing room. You must be Alex." he reached out a hand and Alex shook it, quietly making your way to the room.

The huge door slid open and they found themselves in a dimly lit room, a huge screen loomed just by the wall and chairs were placed around a long circular table. Alex could spot a few familiar faces, faces he once saw and fought alongside with in Verdansk. There was the balaclava boy, Ghost, the Mohawk Man, Soap, their Captain, John Price and a few big heads from the United States. There were also new faces like Gary, who was now discussing something with another new soldier, a female soldier who sat by Price and a few new more who were already sitting on the chairs. There's also someone missing, Kyle Garrick, he pondered where he was.

The former CIA quickly saw Gary rush to Price's seat and whispered something causing him to lean on his chair, stand up and walk to his side. 

"Glad to see you back in the fight, Alex." he muttered, patting Alex's shoulder.

"I won't skip out on this mission, this one's close to home." he replied, patting his back in return.

"Yeah, heard this was your last mission before the Russian Gas." 

"Yeah. It's a loose end on my side." Alex nodded, crossing his arms.

"Good thing Shepherd had some sense in him. Not unlike your CIA heads, huh?" 

Alex nodded. He remembered he did an illegal thing against the CIA, and that was siding with Farah's forces, who were reclassified as global terror groups at that time. He silently thanked he could still step back in the fight along with the good guys even after that event.

"Yeah. I might have to thank him soon enough." Alex murmured and Price guided him to the briefing which was about to start in a few minutes.

~

"Before we start our mission briefing, I'd like to welcome each and everyone of you to the 141. A group of the most elite warriors from around the world tasked to eliminate terrorist threats lurking in the shadows. One of which, goes by the name Nero…" General Shepherd's voice was deep and serious, while the screen showed a photo of the guy they're after. His face looked punchable, as manifested by the way Alex clenched his fists while he stared at his soulless eyes.

"… whose goal is still unknown. He poses a threat as he has been out in American soil, which we believe is the one behind the multiple missing and reappearing person cases across the country." he continued, eyeing Alex. He knew a little bit about the case, maybe because he read his report.

"Since he poses no evidence of terrorist activity as of now, we are assigned to rescue and locate the daughter of Richard Coleman, America's Head of National Defense. We don't know why she was kidnapped but we believed it is or ransom or threatening purposes." The general explained, pacing back and forth, his shadow covered the screen.

Alex wanted to say something. Something about the details surrounding the case. It was written on his report. But then again, maybe the general already knew about the alteration, and since Samantha doesn't remember any IP Address, it was no longer worth noting.

Samantha's face was projected on the screen. Alex's heart began to beat faster, she looked different now, a little chubbier, longer hair and her smile felt happier. It was heartbreaking that she got caught in the crossfire again. After all those efforts of making her life normal.

'If our paths would cross again, I hope you'll remember me the way I remembered you before I take this operation, A good memory that's supposed to last forever. '

'Don't you dare forget about me.'

Her words echoed in his mind, using the same voice she had when they were together. 

"I will save you again if I had to.." he promised to her mentally, as he tightened the clench he was already doing.

"Our intel reports that twelve hours ago, local informants spotted an unknown flying vehicle just by the Georgian Border, local authorities confirmed that this wasn't one of their aircraft and we believe it could be the getaway vehicle of Samantha Coleman and her captors… We are still looking on to this so for the meantime I want each and one of you to be fully alert and ready for deployment."

Everyone else fell silent. It meant they agreed at what the high ranking official said. A few more words were exchanged such as new additions to the team, aside from Alex. He didn't seem to focus much on the second part of the brief as his mind worried a lot about Samantha. If his instincts were right, she's probably sedated once again, taking a trip down her own memory lane.

Chapter 2 : F.N.G.

[talas-starlight]

Scarred Spirits - Zuko x fem! reader (pt.5)

SUMMARY: y/n wakes up in an unfamiliar place and tries to find her way back to her mission (i suck at summaries LOL)

WORD COUNT: 2.3k

WARNINGS: swearing, fighting? kinda?

OTHER PARTS:  pt1   /   pt2 /   pt3 /   pt4 /   pt6

MASTERLIST: Here!

A/N: anddddd we’re back!!! hehe thank you to everyone who has been so so patient with me i am so greatful && hopefully youre just as excited as i am for this series heheh

Bricks. You felt as though you were just hit with a tonne of bricks. The idea of even opening your eyes to the harsh sunlight, which you could feel through your eyelids felt like the worst idea in the world. Your dry throat didn’t help at all either. Maybe if I just lay wherever the fuck I am, I’ll magically gain the energy to move again. Or better yet, maybe the ground will swallow me whole, and I can forget about this mission altogether.

Abruptly interrupting your painful stillness on the ground, there was a small kick into your left side. The sudden shock immediately sent your brain swirling into all the ways you could eliminate whoever disturbed your peace.

“Hey… I think she’s dead.”

Ah, the wonderful sound of an annoying, teenage boy. They’ll be easy to take out.

A second female voice emerged. “She's not dead Sokka! She's literally breathing!" Sokka? As in Hakodas son? Oh Spirits, you never fail to amaze me with how you choose to dictate my life. Hmmm, then that means the girl is Katara. Yay.

"Yeah?! Then why the hell hasn't she even moved a single inch since we found her!"

"Well, maybe she's protesting against your annoying poking!" Spirits they're annoying and loud.

A third voice attempted to intervene, "Guys…. Stop, she's fine. Trust me." Hmm, that's considerably younger. 10 years old perhaps? Or a bit older? 12 maybe? Male?

"Oh yeah? How can you be so sure Aang."

"Well Katara is right, she is breathing for one. But…. There's something else about her, I can feel it."

"What? Like an avatar thingy?"

"Yeah."

Wait the Avatar? Wasn't he on that dragon from when I was-

"Hmmm right, well what are we going to do with her?" At that statement, the annoying boy who seemed to be so confident that you were dead, kicked you again. Sick of his irritable presence, with as much strength you could muster, you took your right hand quickly snatching his ankle, and yanking it towards you, causing him to lose balance and ultimately backwards. Letting out a high-pitched yelp as he thudded onto the hard ground, you quickly rose to your knees. Taking the hand gripped around his ankle to tug him closer to you, you moved between his legs until you were able to straddle his waist, placing all of your weight on top of him. Finally, you grabbed both his arms, holding them above his head, completely hindering him from moving.

"If you kick me one more time, or even trying anything like that again, I WILL chop your legs off. Got it?"

Staring at you with pure horror in his eyes, he visibly gulped, nodding. "Yes! Yes! Hear it loud and clear. Totally got it! Just call me Sokka, the guy with perfect understanding."

Moving your right hand from his wrists, you firmly gripped his jaw, forcing him to keep eye contact with you. Taking in his scared features, you smirked even though he couldn't see it. "You sure about that, water boy?"

"YES! YES!", frantically nodding, you could tell that if you kept pressing on, he'd probably burst into tears soon. Bringing his voice down to a pathetic whimper, he let out, "please don't hurt me."

Finally lifting yourself off him, you let out a dry laugh, satisfied with his compliance. "Uh-huh. Right."

Turning your head to the people that belonged to the other two voices, you took in their stunned and weakly defensive stances. Chest heaving at your sudden physical movements, you nodded, acknowledging them. "Hey, Avatar. Katara. So, where am I?"

After a few moments of silence, the Avatar spoke up first. “You’re just outside of Omashu.”

Katara elbowed Aang, instantly alarmed at his calm nature towards you. “Aang! You can’t just say that. We don’t know who this person is or how she even knows my name! She could be with the Fire Nation for all we know!”

“Katara it’s alright! Calm down.”

“Calm down?! She just attacked Sokka! I mean, rightfully so- but it’s a little suspicious. We don’t know who she is or her intentions.”

Sighing, you looked around, taking in your surroundings. It seemed that rocky mountains surrounded you with a small group of tents in the distance. Interesting… why are they all Earth Kingdom people, when Omashu is so close by?

Shifting your attention back towards the three, you decided against telling them who you were. “It doesn’t matter how I know any of your names. What matters is that I need to get back to my original mission.”

Sokka scoffed, moving to stand beside his sister. “Your mission? Let me guess; you’re here to kill Aang too.”

Raising an eyebrow, his eyes immediately widened in fear. “Trust me, water boy, if I wanted him dead, we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now. I’m here on… other confidential business.” Met with silence from all three of them you moved on, “so let me guess, you found Omashu invaded by the Fire Nation, and you three were the ones that helped that tiny camp of people over there escape from their rule. Interesting choice considering there are bigger things you should be worrying about. Yet, why are all of you still here? Surely the Avatar and his friends don’t need to train them in how to look after themselves.”

“We’re going back into Omashu. To make a trade for King Bumi and to give the governor his son back.” Why does he keep willingly give me information? Now that’s interesting. I can barely feel any fire within him either, it’s almost as if it's not there at all…

���Okay. I’ll accompany you all into Omashu, and once we arrive within the city, we’ll go our separate ways.”

“Sure!”

“NO!”

“NO!”

Bursting out into a fit of laughter, you shook your head at the water tribe siblings. “Naw, it’s sweet how you think you all have a choice in this. Don’t worry, nothing will happen to any of you, I’m just hitching a ride and you’ll never have to see me again. Regardless, Aang said yes, and considering he’s the Avatar and all, I think his choice overrules yours.”

Katara didn’t seem to like your suggestion that her and Sokka’s opinion didn’t matter. “No, it doesn’t work like that! We’re a family, and we make these decisions together! You can’t just wake up after who knows how long you were laying there for, and expect us to trust you immediately! For one, you attacked Sokka a little too easily without any bending, and you literally said that you were on a mission! If I’m honest, you sound like trouble, especially since we don’t even know your name! Or what you even look like!”

“Just as I said before, it doesn’t matter. It’s sweet you all care enough about each other’s safety, but I’m not here to cause any of you ‘trouble’. Get me inside Omashu, and we’ll never have to speak or interact ever again. If it means so much to you, I’ll let water boy tie me up, and watch me the entire journey there as reparations for my small attack against him. How does that sound?”

Aang more than satisfied with your offer let out a quick, “Yes!”.

Grumbling under her breath Katara shook her head, clearly understanding that this was as good as it was going it get. “Fine. But he ties you up now. If I see you even move an inch out of line, don’t think I’ll go easy on you. I am a waterbender after all.”

As if you being a waterbender would have stopped me. Holding your arms out and casting your attention towards the ground, you were ready for Sokka to bind your wrists together with some cloth, he tore off his clothing. Unknown to you, he seemed to notice that despite how tough you were, you were weak. All of the sudden movements and the argument with his sister clearly drained you physically.

“Hey… I don’t really like you since you threatened to kill me, but are you sure you’re ready to be travelling so soon? You’re breathing really heavily. You need some water and food.” Gently wrapping your wrists together, he tried and failed to make eye contact with you.

At the mention of water, you throat physically constricted in pain. “Nah, I’ll be alright. Just need to get to Omashu.”

“Doubt it. Let’s get you on Appa and I’ll nag Katara for something.”

Silently following him to the Sky Bison, you were grateful that your mask covered the wide smile that broke out onto your face. It’s beautiful.

Finally, parting ways with them, you let out a breath of relief. That was the most silent journey I have ever been on and I travel by myself… Spirits, I hope I never have to run into them again. I think I’m going to lose my mind if I ever do. What was Hakoda thinking?! I’d be an awful big sister to them, they already hate me! It didn’t help how much they kept bickering either. Argh, what a mess. Aang kept looking at me funny the entire time too! What was up with that? Do his Avatar powers allow him to see into my soul or something? Spirits, he’d probably wants to unleash his Avatar state on me for all of the lives I’ve taken. Yikes.

Before setting off to find Azula, you needed to take precautions to blend into the small kingdom. Stealing some clothes, you found you chose to duplicate you last disguise with the only main difference being that it was in green cloth instead of pink.

After securing your final blade underneath your robes, you knew there was no more time to waste and you needed to find Azula quick. You weren’t sure how much she has progressed in her mission to find Iroh and Zuko and the guilt of not helping them when they ran off the Fire Nation ship was already nagging you like an itch you couldn’t scratch.

This city is too big to wander around aimlessly.

Closing your eyes and letting out a deep breath, you chose to look for her the quickest way you knew how. By sensing her fire.

Come on y/n; you can do it. Unsure of how far your abilities would work, you grew worried that she may be too far away for you to even feel her.

After a few minutes, you started to feel irritated. Of course, you could sense fire, you felt so much of it. The city was crawling with Fire Nation after all, but it wasn’t hers. You emitted a few more deep breaths, trying to clear your head.

Suddenly a deep, familiar voice entered your mind. Inner peace. You need to find your inner peace y/n. That’s why you keep losing control; you need to find it.

Is this that dragon again? As if you didn’t have a random voice inside your head, you were met with silence.

Look you can’t just randomly enter my mind you know, and who in Spirits name transports me to some random mountainside?! I don’t know who you are, but I’ve been doing fine all of these years on my own. So kindly, get out of my head.

Letting out a small scream into your hands as the voice never came back, you closed your eyes again.

Stupid voice.

Stupid inner peace.

Breathing in and out, you wracked your brain for something that made you feel at peace. Come on, you can do it. Then after a few moments, it hit you. Not your inner peace, no. You’d have to find that another day. What did hit you was Azula’s fire, you felt it.

Immediately following the tugging feeling, you ran as fast as you could until you came to a tall piece of scaffolding. Even though you were so far below, you could still hear the fight that was occurring many levels up. Can’t she keep herself out of a battle for at least a day?! I bet it’s not even Zuko up there. Scowling, knowing that you can’t ignore her completely, you climbed up until you reached the fight but still remaining hidden.

By the time you reached the platform, you felt that Azula had already moved from this part of the fight. That didn’t mean that there weren’t pressing matters right in front of you, though.

“How are you going to fight without your bending?” A Fire Nation girl before you brought out her blades ready to attack Katara. Holding back a verbal groan, you knew you were going to have to help her.  

Quickly jumping in, you deflect Mai’s knife with your arm while simultaneously catching a boomerang that you spotted in the corner of your eye. As the flying bison approached your quickly dodged its tail as it sent the two fire nation girls flying back. Seeing a distraction between all parties, you threw the boomerang back to Sokka while running for the scaffolding, making your way into the shadows. So much for never having to see them again.

When you ran away from the scene, you knew your disguise was too recognisable considering the two girls saw you when you intervened. This left you to painstakingly have to find a new set of clothes, just to make babysitting Azula and her friends so much easier. Despite finally being back on track with your mission, it didn’t make it any less tedious as you followed from a distance in the shadows. “So, we’re tracking down your brother and uncle, huh?”

“It’ll be interesting seeing Zuko again, won’t it Mai?” Huh? Is that coal brains girlfriend or something?

Azula spoke up at that comment, “It’s not just Zuko and Iroh anymore. We have a third target now.” You have got to be fucking joking. I guess I better start finding my inner peace after all, you know, so I don’t blow her FUCKING BRAINS OUT!

a/n: hehe thank you so much for reading!!! what did you think?? hehe i know its been a while so im kinda rusty so pls let me know your thoughts or any feedback!! hehe i know this wasnt that juicy and kinda short but ive got a lot planned so dw hehe we’ll get there ;)

taglist: @slythergirlimagines​​ @mangoberry43​​ @eridanuswave​​ @whiskeywinter89​​​ @kaylove12​​ @simplyfandomish​​ @khaleesi-of-assassins​ @callums-keith​ @ilovespideyyy​ @calciumcow​ @blackhood5sos​ @nnon-it-up​ @lozzybowe​ @scarletemeterio​ @reclusive-chicken-nugget​ @simpinforsukka​ @chewymoustachio​ @tiffy119​ @spearbatty​ @sokkassuki​

[not-senpai]

This is that apocalypse story

Title-freaks

Well for starters this is your everyday basic apocalypse story. The origin is all the same: several big nuclear explosions around the world wipes out most of life, lowering the population to only a couple 100 million people which from how many there used to be that's not much. After the explosion several million “survivors” became these zombie-like creatures except they’re a little different. These ones have to kill you to turn you into one of them which is harsh, I know how it works, no clue and what do we call them well several different terms but the most common is definitely the freaks. So got the origin out of the way well hi i'm alex and this is my teenage apocalypse life.

Well since the explosion in my home town of fort smith canada which was already a really small town before the explosion i've been doing great. I was known as one of the smarter kids at my school, which is where I'm staying at with one of my best friends, Jonas. He isn't so bright just the other day he microwaved a fork to see what would happen. “ side note. Should've mentioned this earlier but some towns still have working power and I happened to get lucky.” Anyways i've been doing fine tho some close calls to becoming a freak that's probably because i refuse to use a gun so the thing is after some childhood trauma which we won't get into i refuse to ever touch a gun so i kinda fight with melee style weapons, jonas on the other hand is great with guns so he handles those weapons. Do i really have a goal for this whole thing not really i guess find some survivors you know make some more friends. Alright let's talk about my adventure.

Well it's been two months since the whole explosions around the world happened and i'm doing great on basic needs food, water ect. I've been staying at my highschool because it's the biggest safest place in town and well it wasn't occupied actually i dont think theres anyone else in my town other than me and jonas after the explosion the outside air is what turned you into the freaks but luckily i was inside mainly because i got stuck in the schools locker room two days later the air became safe to breathe and me being dumb i finally relized i could just go throuh the window im so smart anyways i got lucky. When i got outside i noticed the mass destruction from the explosion and well it wasn't good, i ran home to see if my parents were home and the worst is bad they ended up turning into freaks which was my first interaction with one and it wasn't pleasant at the time i didn't know what a freak was so i ran to hug them when my dad attacked me which was terrifying and with no hesitation i grabbed a bat and hit him over the head. I looked at my mom scared when she ran after me so I hit her over the head too. I left home that day and I have yet to return since then ve noticed things to tell who is a freak. It's funny but freaks are really blind so they kinda rely on sounds so if you're quiet and they don't see you that's how you know it's a freak.

After I left the house I decided to lock my parents in because I couldn't come to kill them or know they're dead i guess my true goal is to find some form of cure but even now that cure is unknown anyways after i left the house i started to search for ANY other survivors and well with my amazing luck i ran into my best friend jonas a little skeptical i hid but he saw me and yelled

“I'm not one of them, I'm normal.”

I hadn't heard one of those zombie-like things talk so with my bat raised I proceeded to walk towards him. He seemed normal so I calmed down and instantly started questioning things like how'd he survive, if his family is ok, and other things about his safety. Something I should've mentioned was he was wearing some swat-like looking outfit he was prepared for war. When I asked where he got it from he took me to the police station which I feel like right now is a good time to tell you about why I refuse to touch a gun.

Alright well when i was around 11 my dad took me hunting. He said it would make me maly since I'm always tucked away reading books and well my brother had jumped scared me to the point I accidentally pulled the trigger and killed him. Since then I've refused to touch a gun if i give any more detail ill probably kill myself from guilt.

Anyways he took me into the police station and nobody was in there seemed everyone either died or fled anyways jonas had grabbed several swat suits and weapons and well i started to explore and went into what i assume was someone's office and there it was the thing that will save me so many times a sword mounted to the wall.Me needing a better way to stay safe. I took it and when I walked outside there Jonas was with a wagon of many guns and several bullet proof vests, I didn't question it. I just said we should check the market next so we can see if anybody was there and stock up on food. So well that's what we did. Grabbing several shopping carts full of items and then we headed back to the school. At this point it was dark so we needed somewhere secure so we stayed in the locker rooms funny knowing that in the beginning i got locked in.

A restless night passed and when morning came we left to get valuables. We were playing this whole apocalypse thing smart. For starters we stopped at my house and well for starters my parents were gone but anyway we stopped at my house and grabbed essentials more food more drinks and well my dads car keys because well we need some way to carry this to the school we packed a tv and some other entertainment then we moved on to tools and helpful items. We did the same to several other houses and im convinced my town consist of no freaks but thats off topic we then stopped at a building being built and picked up several things to barricade then we went back to the school and did are thing we brought in all sources of entertainment and put clothing into the lockers. As well as set up our two beds into the locker room so at this point the locker room is a bedroom. After i then went to the nurses office to pick up medical supplies and that's when i saw what looked like one of the students she was in there but she didn't seem like a freak being skeptical i skipped by it but she yelled for me did she know i questioned i slowly opened the door to the nurses office and there she was it was my science lab partner her name was summer.she said she's been here since the explosion which was three days ago so we talked for a bit while i walked her to Jonas.

We made it to the lockers and I gave her some food. She talked to Jonas a bit. We kinda told her what we knew about the explosions and the freaks, Which still wasn't much.anyways we went back out that day to get her things and now we have a new member of our group. - no she wasn't in the same room as Jonas and I. well bye then it was already dark again we made some food with what we had then went to sleep. Come next morning we were just hanging out that day talking about how there's nothing on how we fantasized about it. We’re all scared but none of us will admit that this happened out of nowhere and we’re just in highschool none of us are ready. Anyways, enough of that we decided to play video games to take advantage of the power while we still have it. Luckily most streaming services worked so we watched tv too but then we had the idea of going to an online game to look for any other survivors yeah know our power works the internet… does not.so we've been just been doing life kinda depressed knowing everyone we loved is gone, that was until summer being a genius nah i'm kidding she just suggested we take the car out of town but we’re a town in the middle of nowhere nearest town is at least 50 miles away and the car could probably make it halfway there so obvious next step, we went the station and got gas while we were there us being children we got a bunch of junk food and drinks and looking back on it i regret it all 16 year old me was smart but was still a kid anyways on the way back to the school we found a trailer and well we went inside it was completely empty no counter no sink it looked like it was being used a storage unit so we attached to the truck and went back to the school got everything and took off to the nearest town. While on the road we must have made some wrong turn because we had been driving for an hour and a half and nothing, just a rest stop here and there and we stopped at all hoping for the best. We kept driving when Jonas shouted “OVER THERE!!!” while pointing at what looked like just two houses in the middle of the desert it was getting late so we stopped there.

Summer made us some food and we got ready to rest for the night. As we all slowly dozed off i wake up to a loud childish scream i jumped out of the bed it was a little girl no older than 9 then running behind her comes what i could only assume was her father but he looked not angry more like satisfied calming down the little girl he ask what we are doing in his house and that's when jonas chimed in saying “ the door was unlocked and we needed somewhere safe for the night also nobody was home so we decided to sleep here for the night” the man facial expression change very quickly he looked very aggravated he started to charge at me then summer hit him over the head with a lamp and we ran to the car and took off. Luckily we didn't bring anything in so we didn't lose anything. We drove a few miles then found a station and slept in the trailer for the rest of the night. The next morning we just kept driving until i spotted the border to america we figured f**k it why not go we kept going stopped at a station,refilled and went on. Until finally we came to a bigger town which i assumed was in washington but i don't know we stopped at the town and it was trashed which i wasn't too surprised something i found funny is one of the buildings in better shape were the bigger stores. Summer Jonas and I all agreed we would stay at one of the smaller stores like one of the corner stores and that's what we did. We instantly gave up on our searching for survivors' plans and just went to our surviving stage.

Step one safety we sent Jonas off to go get fence us off while summer and I started cleaning the inside of the shop which had all empty shelves which meant people had to have been here anyways the coolers still had power so we stored the cold foods there and put everything else up on the shelves about an hour later we were all set up and Jonas had just come back with what looked like actual barbed wire fences which work we spent the rest of the day making our “territory” safer. We pulled the truck and trailer on our side of the fence and locked up for the day. We left our beds in the trailer well because of warmth and safety. Next day comes and we set up the tv and other entertainment things and chilled the rest of the day. The same cycle repeated for a few days until we all agreed to go look around town now that we've been settled in for a few days so the next day that's what we did.

We strolled around for a bit. Nobody there were freaks here and there but nothing interesting happened. I started convincing myself we were the last few people alive. We went back home and just I don't live the best you can in an apocalypse….

… spoke to soon since, then everything went to sh*t

[someone-worth-racing-for]

Me after looking at carlos' shoes - he still keeps the mclaren part closer to him and he misses lando ahhhh and can someone write a carlando wedding fic where they're exchanging vows and they're remembering how it parallels alot with their helmet swapping

..because I just couldn’t resist by this one 😉 read the story below or on AO3

Also, can someone please tell me/prove me that the shoes he has worn by Ferrari yesterday are McLaren teamwear and not just some random shoes? I need to know for sure to rub it under my boyfriend’s nose 😉 thanks!

Muppets getting married

While Carlos stood there and waited, he had to think back about their long journey, about the story of their lives, about the way that had finally brought them to here. Here into this little church somewhere in Spain next to a coast of the endless ocean.

This time it wasn’t him, who had been a little late, but still he didn’t get nervous, while he waited for his fiancé, his future husband, to finally appear. With a smile and a chuckle Carlos imagined the younger one running through the room he got ready inside all desperately and hysterical, because his curls once again didn’t want the way he wanted.

Or maybe he was late, because he had to share these last moments of his freedom, like he used to call it to tease his becoming husband a little with it, with his Twitch fandom. Carlos rolled his eyes, just imagine his boyfriend being live, while his mother tried to pluck his suit into the right way and everyone around him being all nervous and stressed, because they were already late anyway and he was still streaming.

And then suddenly the doors opened and through the bright light coming from the beautiful summer afternoon outside the cool walls of the church stepped the young man of his dreams, who did owe his heart since already such a long time.

With his usual cheeky smile over both of his ears, his wild curls in the same cute mess like always, with those sexy suspenders, like Carlos had to admit, he was wearing and with one hand in his pocked Lando was walking down the way to the altar all cool and casual, even when at the same time his boyfriend exactly knew how excited he must be. Because the Spaniard was the same mess since hours as well.

But the second the younger one was finally right next to his side, where he did belong, all the tension and nervousness was gone. Instead they both began to shine because of pure happiness and anticipation.

“Sorry, I couldn’t find my bow.” Lando apologized instantly about his delay, but like always Carlos just couldn’t be mad at him, at least not for too long. It was okay, because in the end he finally still stood here next to him and usual it was the Spaniard himself, who was always late, so it was alright. He would actually wait for Lando forever.

When Carlos reached over then to bring his boyfriend’s black bow, which made him look even cuter than usual, into the right way, Lando looked up at him through his lashes in affection and admiration. Carlos eyes filled with tears instantly, when he looked down in awe at his soon husband.

“You look amazing, carino.” The Spaniard complemented him and even when the two of them were already together since such a long time, Lando still hadn’t got used to his sweet and at the same time also honest compliments, so his cheeks blushed lightly into that cute pink colour.

“You look pretty handsome as well.” Lando gave that compliment back to him with a wink, while he checked his fiancé out. “No, no. No tears, Carlos. You have promised me. At least not now. You know, I also have to join you when you cry. So please hold it back, at least for some longer.”

The younger one tried to prevent the older one to share the first tears already now. Carlos tried his best, swallowed down the knot in his throat and blinked a few times to finally see the sweet, young man in front of him all clear again.

Both breathed deep inside for one more time, not stopping their connection, while they looked right into each other’s souls. “Ready?” Carlos finally whispered and his heart jumped all overjoyed inside his chest, when Lando nodded wildly agreeing his head and answered determined “Ready.”

With the brightest smile he ever had, the Spaniard leaned down to kiss the younger one’s cheek for one last time being only boyfriends, engaged. The next time they will kiss, they will be finally married. “I have thought we aren’t allowed to kiss anymore.” Lando protested half-hearted, because they both knew how much he actually loved Carlos’ attention and affection, especially when he was lightly nervous.

The older one only shrugged his shoulders in unknown, before he whispered down to him “I don’t care if we are allowed to or not. I’m just the happiest man on this world at the moment.” Now also Lando had tears swimming in his eyes, because Carlos knew that he was feeling the exact same way.

When it was finally time for their vows, the older one had to admit, that he got a little nervous again. But once again that panic was gone, when he turned over to his soon husband, their eyes connected and it was only the two of them anymore. All those guests around them were kind of forgotten. Only Lando did matter anymore, when he began to speak

“Lando. My little muppet.” He spoke all softly and gently, but still a giggle escaped the younger one’s lips and also from all those people around them. “I still remember the first day I have seen you. You were so incredible shy and nervous. I still tell myself it was because of me and not about McLaren or about you becoming a Formula One driver. But since the very first second, you have wrapped me around your little finger so easily with your cheeky, cute way. Since that moment my life wasn’t the same anymore and if I’m serious, I don’t remember anymore how it has been without you. You are my everything, you exactly know that. You made me to a better version of myself, you made my life brighter with you just being you, you light up every single day of my life and I can’t thank you enough for it. And I know things weren’t always easy for us, especially when we turned into a long-distance relationship, but in the end it only brought us even closer and finally to here, right where we are standing at the moment. I promise, I will keep on taking care of you as best as I can and I also promise to make sure you won’t burn down the house while you try to cook once again, for the rest of my life. I try to be there for you whenever you need me. I will love you until the very end, mi amor. You will always stay the centre of my life, no matter what will happen. Soy lago.”

By those last two words, Lando had to chuckle once again, even when those tears waving in his eyes were very shortly before falling over the edge from his very touching speech. Everyone inside this little church knew what those two, simple and actual not-having-any-sense words did mean for the two of them. It was their way to say I love you.

From the corner of his eyes, Carlos could see some of their families and friends wiping the corner of their eyes as well. But not only the guests were pretty emotional, also Lando seemed to be on the edge of breaking down into tears, so the Spaniard quickly reached for his hand to squeeze it softly and remember him so about that he also had to keep his promise. Because if he will start to cry, Carlos will follow him instantly and they would both end up being a total mess then.

Lando bit down onto his lip, while at the same time he beamed up at his fiancé and tried to smile back at him. The older one then pictured his boyfriend sitting with crossed legs on the floor of his gaming room with a notepad and a pen in his hand, thinking about what he wanted to say in his vow. Just like back then, on their last day being team mates, when they swiped helmets and he sat there on the floor like the little, cute boy he was and thought all hard about what to write on his friend’s visor.

By that thought Carlos’ smirk only grew even bigger, because he didn’t know what he had ever done to deserve this lively, sweet man in front of him. After Lando had cleared his throat, had breathed deeply in, exhaled long and had taken Carlos’ hand even tighter into his, his eyes met his again and their connection didn’t stop for one second, while the younger one told him his heart.

“Carlos aka my Spanish muppet.” Once again everyone chuckled, including the mentioned Spaniard. “I knew you would mention our first day, because yes, I was scared and nervous like hell and if I’m serious you didn’t make it any easier for me that day, even when you were so nice to me like we weren’t two complete strangers to each other, but I will also remember this day forever. Because it has also changed my life completely from that moment on and if you would have told me back then, that we will both end up here right where we are, I wouldn’t have believed you. I still really can’t thank you enough for everything you have ever done for me. No matter if it’s in Formula One or helping me to develop and become the man I am today. I’m sure I wouldn’t have made it without you and your always present support and your none existing exhaustion to motivate me and cheer me up. I enjoyed just every moment we have shared together, every fun we ever had, also our little arguments from time to time, because I exactly know you can never be mad at me for too long and yes, maybe I also take advantage of it sometimes. But it’s still the best feeling ever to know that no matter what will happen, in the end of the day you still hold me in your arms all tightly and I know nothing will ever happen to me as long as I’m with you. And if I’m serious, I really can’t wait to find out what the future brings for us. And I also don’t want to promise too much, but I will try, I will really try my best to become at least a as half as good husband as you already are. I also promise to finally take some cooking lessons from you, to play a little less on my PC every day and I also promise to finally learn at least some words in Spanish. And one day I will also finally beat you in golf, you will see. Soy lago.”

This time it was Carlos, who giggled with tears in his eyes, because he knew those words came right from his boyfriend’s heart and like always he had made it to make him all blissfully happy. Soft laughers, but also sobs were audible coming from their guests as well, while the couple still only had eyes for each other.

When it was finally time for them to exchange rings, it once again felt like back then, when they were swapping helmets on their last day being together at McLaren. But this right here wasn’t their last day together, it actually almost felt like it was just the very first day. The beginning of something new, of something even better 🤍

[dreamingyouth]

[Darth Maul x Bookworm!Reader] Part 3 - The most beautiful gift

New to this series? Please do check out part 1 and part 2 as well ! And if you want to read what's next, you can find part 4 here !

Word count : 2356

Warnings : None, except fluff !

"Do you think my reading speed has increased?"

Maul looked at you without a word. You didn't know for sure if he was thinking or waiting for you to continue; taking a bet on the latter at his silence, you explained yourself.

"No matter if they're just as big as the last ones, it seems like new books don't last me as long. I have a pretty big pile of books I want to read, but it's getting smaller! It never happened before."

The soft wind of late summer caressed your confused features, your light scarf sitting on your crossed legs as if preparing for the upcoming autumn temperatures. You have known the Dathomirian for months now, yet the daily habits were never forgotten; no matter the weather, you would see each other, either under the tree where you first met or at your house when it was too unbearable to stay outside. You were grateful to have him, and he was grateful to have you: he expected this time away from any mission to be excruciatingly long, but you made the time fly faster than it ever had.

You sighed. The answer to your interrogation left unknown, you scooted closer to the male, his arm wrapping around you out of habit as you relaxed against his side. You just finished another book and didn't plan any other to begin, leaving you without anything to do- which you didn't mind: after all, you were in good company.

"There were days I wondered if I'd have enough of a life to read all the books available here, but the more time goes on, the more I begin to wonder if I'll have enough stories to read at all. I devour them in a heartbeat.

- You must be the only one in the galaxy to ever say this kind of thing."

His remark made you laugh a little. Of course, there were a lot of places in the galaxy you could go to and try to get new books from; you could learn another language and find untranslated stories, little gems only a few could enjoy. However, wealth was not on your side: you lived simply and happily, yet you were unable to travel anywhere else. Getting to another city on this planet was already a luxury you couldn't afford every day.

"Hey, Maul... Have you ever been to one of those big libraries in the Core worlds? I heard they had thousands and thousands of books to choose from.

- Indeed, I have been to some of them. Sometimes I had to go to another planet or system to get the book I was looking for, so I never settled with one. They are all very different from each other, some are specialized, others have almost everything you could ever ask for... but I'm convinced you'd like them all.

- Really? Ah... I wish I could visit at least one before I die. It would be amazing."

You looked up at your Zabrak friend, a gentle smile growing on your face as he returned your gaze. His eyes had their usual fire-like glow; though you noticed something different about them. Where there once was a fiery passion raging behind the bright colors, all you could see was the warmth of genuine care, a liking you felt but never noticed so clearly before. It was overwhelming, how someone who was so mysterious and distant from you could grow so close and... attached? He enjoyed your company, of this you were sure, but you didn't know if he cherished you the way you did him. Maybe proximity was a usual thing for his kind, after all. This might as well be nothing but a mix of your imagination and fantasies from the love stories you read.

Yet, it felt so right.

His gaze leaving yours took you out of your daydream and you felt pressed closer to his chest. It quickly became your favorite place to be: you didn't waste much time, your eyes closing as your face found its spot in the crook of Maul's neck, your hands gently grabbing the fabric of his black cloak. He got the habit of resting his head on yours, always careful not to harm you with his horns; at times, they reminded you of a crown, making him the King of a faraway land.

"Someday, I'll take you to all the libraries and bookstores you wish to visit. I promise."

You couldn't help but feel your heart race. It wasn't much in the words he spoke, even if they held a thrilling promise: it was his tone, quiet, gentle, almost like a feather's touch on your very soul. It had an intimate feel to it, which only the two of you could understand. There was something more. A connection neither of you could deny.

***

With each day, you grew closer to the Dathomirian, to a point where you would wonder if you were still only friends. You tried not to think about this too much: you didn't want to get your hopes up or misunderstand any of his actions, but the way he held you against him and how his gaze softened when he looked at you spoke volumes. If you weren't more, you definitely were very, very close friends, at least.

Both of you had decided on a walk on this sunny, slightly windy afternoon. A light jacket on your shoulders, you took in the fresh air while enjoying the comfortable silence which settled earlier. This was something you cherished in your relationship with him: how you would enjoy talking as much as being in each other's presence without a word, how you would keep busy with separate things or find any activity to do together.

Remembering the tender moments between the two of you gifted you with a sense of bravery you never had until now. You glanced at the male from the corner of your eyes, your hand reaching out and gently holding his own- almost hesitantly, but you did, and this was something to be proud of. Even if you averted your eyes, you knew his gaze was on you. He was surprised, to say the least; he was always the one to initiate such intimacy. He chose to stay silent to keep you from further embarrassment and decided to answer the sweet touch by lacing your fingers together, his hand holding yours more firmly. If you weren't so unsure about the nature of your relationship, you would say the strength in his grasp was proof of a certain possessiveness towards you. 

You really should stop daydreaming.

"I'm guessing books are not a priority good for companies to deliver here, from what you told me."

His sudden attempt at a conversation took you off guard. After a second to gather your thoughts, you nodded, instinctively walking closer to him as you kept your hand in his.

"Yes... We barely get anything new around here, except what's coming from other cities. But it ends up always being the same... It's not like we have many authors on this planet if any author at all."

A soft sigh escaped your lips at your own words. Not living on a highly developed planet had its perks, like quiet and lovely green spaces, but this was one of the cons you wished would change; readers seemed to be few where you lived, which didn't help. However, you were ready to accept your fate if it allowed you to keep the Dathomirian by your side. You liked his company as much as your books, if not more, and you couldn't remember it having happened to you before. You were willing to live a life without new books. Not without Maul.

***

Your favorite big tree never looked so lonely. Your companion warned you he wouldn't be there until dusk, having errands of some sort to run. What was he up to? Was he alright? Was he thinking about you? You shook your head at the last question popping in your mind. Why would he think about you? He was busy. The truth was, you were missing him, terribly so. Although the days became shorter as autumn went by, the afternoon felt like days, weeks even, without him.

You went through your book, page after page. Now that you were used to his presence, to read alone under your tree felt odd. Your thoughts drifted away from time to time, distracted from the story at hand to wander and wonder about the man whose image never left you. You could recall every detail of him: how his eyes were like a bright, never-ending fire, how his red skin was marked by intricate, symmetrical black tattoos, how his horns formed a perfect crown on his head, how the black cloak he always wore seemed to float around him at each of his steps. You remembered the feeling of his arms around you, his strong chest, the way he looked at you or held your hand whenever he had the chance.

You never wanted him to leave you again.

As if hearing your wish, a familiar figure stepped out of the line of trees to walk toward you. You were quick to lift your head and, as your eyes met with his, a wide smile spread on your face. Your favorite bookmark found its way to the page where you stopped reading, the book in your hands carefully placed on the grass as you stood up.

"You came!

- I told you I would be here by dusk. Here I am."

You took some steps to close the distance between the two of you, your arms finding their way around him in a gentle hug. One of his arms wrapped around you in return; after passing by so slowly, the time had stopped, and you were enjoying it to the fullest. After a long, silent embrace, he finally released you- not without keeping your hand in his, of course.

"I went around the system today."

You wished you could do the same. You have always wondered what it would be like to fly away from your native planet, which worlds you would be able to discover; after all, you only knew them through your books, and it wasn't enough.

As you came back to the present, you noticed Maul looking for something in his cloak. What was he doing?

"And I got you something.

- You... got me something?"

The heat rushing to your face was unmistakable. Not only he kept his promise to come back before the sun would set, but he also brought you a gift. You felt so lucky. 

 Taking the paper bag from him with a shy 'thank you so much', you soon focused on opening your present- only to discover it with wide eyes. It was a book of your favorite genre, one many recommended, also one which was unavailable not only on your planet but on several others as well. It was, so to speak, one of your dream books. You never thought you'd have the opportunity to hold it in your hands, let alone own it.

And he went out of his way to get it for you.

"Maul, this... How did you know? Where did you find it? I'm so happy, I love you- it!! I mean 'it', I love it- not that I don't love you, of course I do, but I mean that's not the point and uhm-"

It dawned on you a second too late. You tried your best to get yourself out of this embarrassing situation without running away but you went deeper and deeper instead, which resulted in you hiding shyly behind the book you just received from Maul. How could you have been so carefree?

"I really should stop rambling, it makes me look even more like an idiot...

- A lovely idiot, then."

You felt his hands get a gentle hold of your wrists, slowly lowering your book away from your face. You were convinced it was at least as red as his at this point. You couldn't bring yourself to look at him in the eye, instead glancing at him every so often; you've missed him, after all, and you were dying to find comfort in the warmth of his gaze.

Knowing it was no use trying to talk about what you said, the Dathomirian came closer to you, one of his hand sliding up your arm to rest on your cheek.

It was the very first time he did anything of the sort. This was a new level of intimacy, and you longed for more. How many times have you dreamed about such proximity with him? About him actually returning your feelings? About him choosing you of all other existing beings to give his heart to?

You were living in a dream. This dream felt too real for you to be asleep, but how could this ever happen? You needed something to make sure this wasn't just a fantasy; and as if reading your thoughts, he provided it without hesitation, leaning towards you before pressing his lips against yours in a careful and tender kiss.

Your first kiss.

This felt just as wonderful as you've read. The loving intimacy in the gentle contact of your lips, how it carried the affection you both had for each other, everything seemed to fall back into place as you found the one you were destined to be with. You weren't just the weird, book-loving person next door; you were the guardian of his heart, and he was the king of yours.

"I never knew..."

Your words, barely audible, lost themselves against Maul's tattooed lips as you kissed again. Were you becoming addicted to it? Probably. At least, this was what the butterflies in your stomach suggested. As you finally parted, you smiled, his hand caressing your cheek a welcomed comfort.

"The book was an incredible present, but this is the most precious gift I've ever been given."

And this was the first time you saw him smile so genuinely.

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

THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING SO PATIENT !! I had unexpected problems this week and I didn’t have time to write, but part 3 is up at last ! I hope you’ll like it. I stayed up until 2am to finish it haha, I felt like I owed it to you guys !

I love you all and if you liked it and want to be in the tag list, please let me know ! xo

Tags : @maulieber, @gooseyhouse, @gczanetti1​, @noiralei, @catsnkooks, @brilliantbutbatty, @mother-0f-monsters

[katsukiboom]

How about some hcs for kaminari, shinsou, bakugou, and todoroki wih a fem!s/o with low self esteem and is a bit chubby? Like, they're about to do the dirty, but she stops them because she hasn't ever shown her body before because she doesn't like her stomach (biggest insecurity). Sorry if this is so specific.

hey my dude, here you go! i’m so used to writing chubby reader things and honestly it’s quite cathartic being a chubby girl myself lol - i hope you enjoy this! <3

Ko-Fi || Commissions

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Kaminari Denki

This boy right here is completely static about finally having some time alone with the love of his life aka you

You were in his bedroom and you had even been the one to initiate the action that night, feeling confident enough to actually go further than ever before though you found it hard to keep silent as he worked wonders on your skin with his mouth and tongue

It was only as he begun to lift your shirt and caressing your bare thighs that the little voices inside your head started eating away at you again

Why are you letting him do that? He’s going to see you. He’ll see everything and leave.

You breathed in before pushing away gently, quickly rolling around and covering yourself again – “is everything alright, babygirl?” he asked, placing a hand on your back and rubbing circles as a way to soothe you

As the voices grew louder, you bit your lip to avoid letting the tears fall as you quickly told him it would be okay if he wanted to wait, that he didn’t have to go through it because you wanted to

Unfortunately for you, Denki can read you as clearly as he reads new Reddit memes

Letting you sit up and face him again, he reaches out and fixes your clothes and hair before placing a soft kiss on your forehead, making you blush at the contact as you dried the few tears that had escaped

“We can take as much time as you want if it will help you feel more comfortable with this,” he whispered as his hands roamed up and down your arms. “I just want you to know you’re still the most beautiful girl I’ve ever known and that I still don’t know how you ended up with a dunce like me. I love you so much it doesn’t feel enough to say it like that.”

Leaning against his touch, you allowed his words to seep into your mind though you knew the voices would still be there – you hoped to drown them as you once again got close to your boyfriend, lying down on his chest with his arms wrapped around you

 Shinsou Hitoshi

Sex isn’t particularly a necessary part of your relationship to him though he never completely disregarded the idea – he wanted to make you feel comfortable enough first

One particular night after four months of dating, the dreaded talk came up and he was surprised when you agreed to try and see what would happen

Hitoshi would be lying if he said he ever put any thought on your shape – he liked you for you, and there was no denying  he saw you as the most precious work of art

He was amazed at how soft you felt under his touch though he tried to be as careful as he could

Unfazed by whatever marks your skin had or anything else, he relished every part of you and tried his best to make you feel good

That was until you stopped him, putting a hand on his chest yet not pushing away – “Are you okay? Did I hurt you, kitten?”

He was a blushing mess out of plain embarrassment, making you giggle before you explain that you just didn’t want to expose yourself yet as it made you feel uncomfortable with how you looked

Hitoshi felt mortified because he felt like you might’ve tried to do it because he had brought it up earlier, so he quickly pulled back and apologized, but you cupped his face with both hands

“It’s not your fault babe,” you said with a soft tone, making him look up at you with a sorrowful gaze. “I trust you enough to come this far, even if it’s not enough for you”

He smiled weakly and wrapped his arms around you, whispering in your ear time and time again that you were perfect and deserved the world, and that he’d be there to let you know that until you believed it yourself

 Bakugou Katsuki

Now, Katsuki isn’t exactly tactful so he’s pretty straightforward to ask you if you’d like to fool around one evening his parents weren’t home yet and you’d come by to spend time together

You both were on the living room just casually sitting on his couch opposite to each other and you felt your whole body turn red at his words

Truth be told you were kind of afraid you’d miss the chance if you said no and you didn’t want to risk him getting the wrong idea either, so you thought it would be good to try and see where it would lead

Even knowing your own insecurities, you risked it by crawling over to his side before he grabbed your arm and gently led you forward until you were sitting on his lap

His arms snaked around your waist as his lips found yours, starting out with short soft kisses before deepening it

You were lost in him and his taste, so lost you almost didn’t notice the way his hands wandered around your back and sides over your shirt and your mind kicked in, making sure you remembered where he’d touch eventually

You pulled away from him just as he was kissing his way down to his neck and the puzzled expression on his face made you feel even worse -          “What’s going on?” he asked, though his voice wasn’t as rough as you were used to

When you explained, you couldn’t help but feel embarrassed as you unconsciously hugged your tummy as an attempt to hide it from him

Cupping your face with one hand and putting another on your lower back, he made you look up at him again; “Maybe I’m awful with words,” he started, “but I’m sure you’re fucking beautiful and no matter what you’ll always be the most beautiful girl I know; we don’t have to do this, I’m in no hurry. I’d wait forever to see that damn gorgeous body of yours”

You playfully punched his arm and buried your face on his neck as he hugged you tight, happy that he still understood what you felt and was willing to wait

 Todoroki Shouto

There’s only one word to describe Shouto – attentive

You were in your dorm room at midnight; you sneaked him in after waking up from a nightmare and were now being spooned by your boyfriend as he hummed an unknown song to you

The sole idea of being so intimate with someone would’ve scared you but with Shouto, it felt different, as if he didn’t even notice the imperfections you worked so hard to hide from everybody else

Then, his hand tentatively wandered a bit further down until it reached your hip, and you turned around just a little bit to be able to look at him – his cheeks were red but his eyes were clear, and your heart started racing as he leaned forward to place a gentle kiss on your lips

You were on top with your legs to each side of his hips as you kissed him vigorously, and when you moved to his neck and started licking and sucking he let out a soft whimper which surprised but didn’t stop you

You thought that would be the night when it would finally happen for you, but when his hands tried to move up your shirt you recoiled and sat up on his thighs much to his shock

It had been an instinctive reaction though it left him very, very confused

Your eyes watered at everything and you got off his lap, curling up on the sheets and covering your face with both hands; you felt nervous and scared all at once, yet when his warm hand snaked around your waist you looked back at him and tried to stop him, but his profound stare made you freeze

“I don’t know what shit might’ve happened to you before (Y/N),” he said in a calm tone, “but I do know that I love you, and that whatever you see in yourself is not an impediment for me to feel the way I do. You’re still gorgeous in my eyes, and you know I don’t fucking lie”

With his arm still wrapped around you, you turned around again but scooted closer to him, his hand squeezing your tummy over your shirt ever so slightly as he whispered sweet nothings into your ear until you fell asleep

[ravenclaw-headcanons]

Hi! do you have any recommendations for books with a fairytale/high fantasy vibe? Even if they're super cliche?

Uprooted by Naomi Novik: High fantasy inspired by eastern european fairytales. Agnieszka lives in a village on the edge of a forest filled with dark and evil magic. The only thing protecting the village from being swallowed whole by the forest is the protection of a reclusive wizard known as The Dragon. The Dragon doesn’t ask for much in terms of payments, he just comes down from his tower every few years and takes one of the local girls back to help him with his chores. The only problem: the girls never come back. And tomorrow is choosing day. Honestly I loved this story- it has all the familiarity of a fairy tale but manages to stay exciting and fresh. Definitely eastern european vibes but also reminds me a lot of Howl’s Moving Castle

Naomi Novik has also written Spinning Silver which I haven’t read yet but it looks amazing!

The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani: Fairytale vibes abound. Sophie and Agatha live in a village where, every few years, two children are kidnapped and taken to the school for good or the school for evil which are essentially like Hogwarts for kids training to be fairytale heroes and villains. Sophie is the blonde, blue eyed princess whereas Agatha is a moody little emo child but PLOT TWIST, Sophie ends up at the school for evil and Agatha at the school for good. Will they survive their classes? Will they be able to switch back? Was it maybe not a mistake after all??? I’ll be honest I liked the premise of this one more than the execution- the pacing was a little off and tbh 500 pages is a lot for the first book of the series. I enjoyed it, not enough to continue with the series, but a lot of people love it so I’d say it’s worth giving it a shot!

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E.Schwab: lmao sorry I recommend this book all the time but I’m rereading the series at the moment and it’s just SO GOOD! So… London. Great city amiright? What if I told you there wasn’t just one London, but four? Grey London in our own mundane world, Red London where the river flows like a beating heart of magic, White London that’s become ashen with magic’s corrupting power, and Black London which magic consumed and destroyed many years ago. Kell is one of the last powerful magicians with the ability to travel between worlds and technically acts as the royal messenger, but he’s also got a sneaky side hustle smuggling magical objects across the borders. Eventually Kell’s rule breaking catches up with him and it’s down to him and cross-dressing pickpocket Delilah Bard to stop his mistakes from destroying the world... all four of them

I’ve only read Howl’s Moving Castle and The Ogre Downstairs but honestly any Diana Wynne Jones is probably great! Neither of the above are technically high fantasy but they have such an enchanting feel to them and definitely give me fairytale vibes. They’re just a lot of fun, cute, and easy to read

Stardust by Neil Gaiman: Tristran is in love (awww) and lucky for him, the girl he’s besotted with has promised that she’ll marry him if he can bring her back a fallen star. Easy, right? Only problem is the star fell on the other side of The Wall which separates Tristran’s village from the faerie world beyond. But Tristran’s a brave lad and makes the journey over The Wall into the unknown world beyond, but a star is a precious thing and he soon discovers he’s not the only one who’ll do whatever it takes to find it. Great book, great movie, immersive fairytale atmosphere, and overflowing with imagination

[etlunainmorte]

***

"I'm home, V." You told him as you held him close with the warmest of embraces. "My love."

"My love!" The man answered as he lifted you and twirled you around like a princess. He, then, put you down and pressed his lips against your forehead. "I can't believe it! You're here! With me!"

"Yes!" You answered as your arms went around his neck. "Finally! If this is truly Heaven, I don't ever want to leave! I want to stay here with you. Forever!"

"I love you, (Y/N)."

"I love you, too, V."

"Welcome home, dearest."

For a time, you knew nothing but peace, and calmness,...

... and above all,...

... love.

For the harsh hammer of death in the form of a storm that was brought down upon this land opened a new door of hope for the two of you.

And thus, in this so - called stormy hammer of death, the lovers were finally reunited.

He no longer greeted you, nor led you to that same old worn - down bench, nor read poetry to you.

You did,...

... so much more.

For the not - so good things that occurred in the past has granted you so much more access to this utopia that the man so lovingly took care of for a very long time.

Who knew there was a little forest of golden trees not far from that white gazebo? Who knew that, on that forest of golden trees, there were very peculiar, very curious little species of flowers that grew nowhere else but there? Who knew that, along with those very peculiar, very curious little species of flowers, there were some kinds of magnificent plants that glowed and sparkled and showed the way to lost travelers during nighttime? Who knew that, deep within that forest, there was a bubbling brook that reflected all kinds of colors like a real prism?

Who knew that anyone could explore these wonders, as much as they could, and never get tired of them?

For a time, you knew nothing but peace, and calmness,...

... and above all,...

... love.

Hand in hand, you explored all the places, both known and unknown, that your feet could reach without getting tired. As promised, you enjoyed the nice and peaceful night sky with him as you walked.

And as he so lovingly declared to you, he was able to hold you the way he would want to.

You loved him, and he loved you.

Everything,...

... was perfect.

Everything,...

... was,...

... perfect.

Then, there came a time in that eternal utopia when being together felt,... somehow lonesome.

Empty.

Yes, you loved each other. You swore to never leave each other's side. You promised to stay with each other until the end of time but,...

... somehow,...

... something,...

... felt missing.

For a time, you knew nothing but peace, and calmness,...

... and above all,...

... love.

However,...

... you,...

... nor the man you loved above all else,...

... could never stop the force that was coming swiftly upon this little utopia of hope.

For it was stronger than the hammer of death, the storm that could end everything within mere moments.

It was called,...

... the winter of emptiness.

And this emptiness, this strange power that was taking a hold of your own heart,...

... has forced you to open your eyes to the truth of this world.

On the seventh night of this harsh winter, the man found you sitting on that same old worn - down bench where he used to greet and read poetry to you.

As always, for the man, you looked beautiful.

The most beautiful woman in all of creation.

And yet,...

... you looked so sorrowful, and lonely.

He found you clutching your abdomen.

"My love." The man called you as he sat down next to you.

"My love." You answered, your eyes still locked onto the vast, white, empty horizon before you.

"Are you,... in pain?"

Your eyes wide open, you turned to look at his worried face and cupped his cheeks, hoping that your simple gesture would reassure him.

"Dearest, no!" You replied. "No."

But, the man would not believe your words. "Please, talk to me. Tell me what's been bothering you. I'll do anything I can,... anything,... to make you feel alright again."

With a weak smile, you pulled the man close to your heart, not wanting to let him go.

"V," You began. " ... forgive me. Please."

"What? Why? There is nothing to apologize for! My love, tell me what's wrong,... please,... "

And with one simple gesture, he finally realized.

With his hand that you put on your abdomen, his eyes, and mind, were finally opened.

He knew, right then and there,...

... the root of the emptiness that was suffocating you.

"I'm so sorry, V!" The man heard you cry, your delicate body trembling against his own. "I can't! I - i c - can't give you,... everything!"

The man, although having a hard time accepting this sad truth, only shook his head and pulled you into his arms even closer.

"As I've told you, there is nothing to apologize for. What matters the most is I love you! I love you, (Y/N). I,... love you. And nothing could change that. Nothing." He, then, cupped your cheeks and made you look at him as he brushed those tears from your face. "So, please, smile. Seeing you happy,... is the only thing that keeps me going,... please."

For a time, you knew nothing but peace, and calmness,...

... and above all,...

... love.

Despite this long period of harsh winter, you pulled through. He helped you with everything.

He helped you,...

... despite your weakness.

And above all, he stayed with you. He made good on his promises.

He,...

... never left you.

And as the reign of this winter of emptiness finally started to diminish, you both knew,...

Spring,...

... that much awaited spring of hope,...

... was coming.

And with it, the voice, that mysterious voice, that kept calling you in the night.

And you knew what it meant.

You knew.

And you're fully aware that it would only make him sorrowful and lonely even more.

"V, did you hear that?" You asked him one morning as you watched how the snow melted, showing the first signs of the early spring bloom.

"Hear what, my love?"

"That voice. It's calling me." Turning towards him with such torn emotions of both happiness and sorrow, you began confessing to him. "It's time, V."

"What time? What do you me - ?"

And you did not give him enough time to finish his sentence. Pulling him into a hug and keeping him there locked into your arms, you spoke. "I know you know what I mean. They're calling me,... back to the surface. I'm given,... another chance to live."

Of course, he knew. Of course.

He just didn't expect it to be this soon.

Yes, he wanted to be with you. To keep you close everyday of his life. To lovingly hold you forever.

But, he knew you have so much more to give.

You deserved,…

… another chance at life.

And for that,…

… he must let you go.

He must let,…

… the woman he loved go.

"Then, go." He whispered, his voice shaking, his eyes getting blurry, his chest hurting with so much pain.

Of course, he wanted you to live. He wanted you to be happy. And he's willing to let you go.

It's just,...

... why,...

... does it hurt so,… so much?

"Go,... and live the life you choose."

"I will." You answered. "And I will find you."

Eyes wide with surprise and brows knitted in confusion, he watched you as you took out something from the pocket of your immaculate white skirt.

It was,...

... a simple red string.

You carefully tied it around his wrist as you spoke. As tears fell from your own eyes. 

"I do believe that someday, in this lifetime or maybe the next, or even after that, if we're truly meant for each other, our separated souls would surely find their way back home, and we'll finally meet. I don't care how long,... I'll wait for as long as it takes. And when that happens, I would know. 

"By this red string of fate, I would know. 

"Even if we have different names or different preferences, or even if we're born in different places, I would know it's you. I would know, because both the heart and soul knows. We would surely meet,... someday."

"But,... what if I never get the chance to live again? I'm tainted. I'm full of sin! My past,... is too dark to behold. What if I never see you again?"

"Then, I will beg the gods to give you another chance! I don't care if you say you're tainted, or full of sin, or your past is too dark! I love you! I love you, V! I,... love you!

"And that's all that matters.

“We will see each other again. I know.

“I swear,…”

And with one last passionate kiss,...

... and one last embrace,...

... you proved to him,...

... everything you've said.

You will find him, and that's a promise.

For a time, you knew nothing but peace, and calmness,...

... and above all,...

... love.

And with the remnants of the winter of emptiness, you were taken away from him.

Leaving him alone in this world,...

... once more.

***

"See you tomorrow, Avery!"

"Yeah!"

Laughing and shaking your head, you waved goodbye to your friend after a hard day's work. You considered inviting her for a nice cup of tea from your favorite cafe' in the heart of the city but, you knew she would refuse. She has a date with her amazing boyfriend, Roman, after all.

And you? You're just happy. Happily employed, happily living your own life,...

... and single,...

" ... and on Valentine's." You said to yourself with a deep sigh, gaining the attention of the couple sitting right next to your table in that favorite cafe' of yours. 

Sipping your earl grey and ignoring the young college couple as they started whispering about you, you took out your phone from your (B/C) bag and checked for some notifications.

They're just the usual boring stuff: Ebag online shopping e - mails, MeTube video notifications, some tumbler updates from your favorite fanfiction writers and artists, and a few messages from your local telecommunications company. Nothing,... really new.

However, one, sudden call caught your attention. It was from one of your online friends, Nicoletta, and she sounded hyped.

"Hey, hon!" She screamed at the phone. "Outta work?"

With a little laugh, you replied, "Yeah why?"

"Dude! Vitale is there!"

"Vitale? You mean your pal from that agency? What is it again? Devil May Weep?"

"Yeah, yeah! Him! And that's Devil May CRY!"

Huh, you thought as her words finally sank into your head. You've known this Vitale for almost a year now. In fact, you've known him from Nico and this strange dude named Griffon that she always called, birdbrain, or little chickie. Said you and the guy had a lot of similarities. That you both liked tea, video games, art, reading, yes, reading,... a lot. And above all, he, like you, claimed to remember a bit of his past life. You both claimed to remember,… something about an endless garden, a field of beautiful white roses, and a certain red string bracelet. They actually said that the guy was interested into getting to know you more because of those things.

So, shit happens. You exchanged anonymous messenger user names, introduced yourselves to each other, and talked, or chatted.

And to make the long story short, the two of you got along with each other quite well.

However, your friendly relationship with him remained stagnant like that. You were just too far, the both of you living away from each other, across the other sides of the globe, in fact. Not to mention the time zones killing the both of you and your sleep schedules. And,... you couldn't really invest in a long - distance relationship like that.

And now,...

"Wait a sec," You answered. "What's he doing here, anyway?"

"Devil hunting mission. Mr. Lovesick guy actually volunteered to hunt it down after knowin’ that the Demon went straight across the sea towards where ya are right now."

Mr. Lovesick guy?! "Wait, I don't understand. A Demon? Right here in the city?"

"Yeah."

Grabbing your bag and standing up, you lowered your voice as you spoke. "Should I be scared with that? I thought you're just joking when you told me you run a Devil Hunting agency there!"

"I'm not joking! And don't ya worry about a thing, V's got yer pretty little ass."

"Oh, shut up, you!" You almost yelled at the phone. "And he's called V now?"

"Yeah! He says he prefers it like that instead of his full name. Anyway, be goin' now! Kyrie's losin' her mind with the orphans. Have a fun Valentine's with the poet, hon!"

"Wait! Nico, wait!"

And before you could even say anything else, the woman hung up.

Sighing and swearing under your breath, you hid your phone back to your bag and waved at barista behind the counter.

"See you tomorrow, (Y/N)!" The friendly Italian barista said.

"See ya, Cagliostro!" You replied. You were about to leave the cafe' when the Italian called the name of the customer who ordered the cup of tea he was holding.

"V! One earl grey for V!"

Eyes wide open with surprise, hands terribly sweaty and  trembling in anticipation, you turned back, and saw him,...

Shoulder – length, jet – black hair, a metal cane in one hand, a very distinct posture, that familiar way of walking,…

… and those deep green eyes,…

Yes, those deep green eyes,…

Finally.

...

...

You remembered,...

... everything,...

...

Everything.

...

...

"V?" You called his name.

The man heard your voice, and when he finally laid his eyes on you, he finally remembered.

The endless garden, the field of those beautiful white roses, the red string bracelet,…

… and the beautiful woman,…

… who wore it to his wrist.

As the lips of the mysterious man called V curved up in a smile that made your heart ache and jump in gladness, he finally spoke.

“My,… love,…”

***

“We don’t meet people by accident. They are meant to cross our path for a reason.”

***

~ THE END ~

***