#adventure of a lifetime: team destiny

[unmeisenshi]

Back when we first started/We had separate horizons/Sailed toward different dreams/Things have changed now/For together we found we look through the spyglass and see/And we know/That our hearts have brought us here/Where the compass points, our destiny/There's no looking back/Take the helm with me!

Bon voyage!/We cast off all our troubles/Forget the past/Though the future's unclear, we still can smile/We know we'll get there/No regrets!/Every tear that we've cried only helps our dreams come true/You and those dreams are precious in my life/A glimpse of the sun rising on a tomorrow!

- Brina Palencia, BON VOYAGE (BON-BON BLANCO cover)

[stellarsagittarius]

-Composite North Node through the Signs-

[P.s. Please follow me on Instagram! @/Stellar.Sagittarius I post even more astrology content on it and it's a business I'm trying to grow. Your presence means a lot to me ❤️.]

(Disclaimer: Don't be fixed on this reading! Always have an open mind because the Universe works the best when you have trusted and let go of expectations! Always remeber, the chart won't tell you the exact place, time or how you would feel about something, no one can do that. What it WILL tell, is the theme that can be the most prevalent during that event, and how the event can play out. There is no good and bad in astrology. Only growth oriented and easy going.)

Paid readings are ✨️OPEN✨️

◇◇◇

Composite North Node in Aries

Aries start things. With the Aries energy you will find people who have this childlike view of the world, where everything is like a blank canvas. This energy makes the native full of zest for adventure (no matter what kind). As a couple, your destiny is to do what feuls your relationship with passion and adventure. Go on adventures, whether it's going for bungee jumping or simply going out to have some ice cream. You both will find the most fulfillment in the process, than in the end goal. Enjoying little things together, being wild, free and passionate, speaking your mind with each other and not being 'afraid' that you would ruin the 'harmony'. Your destiny as a couple is to run wild, and do what fills the air with excitement. Engage with each other's passion and hobbies. Create a healthy space where you both can express yourself fully without being afraid of judgements from each other. You both will benefit from giving the relationship movement and momentum, in a sense, be physical with each other more and more. Smashing together will be pretty healing. Sports and working out together will bring plenty of positivity in the relationship. Don't strive to keep the peace in this relationship to the point that everything becomes a show, and no authenticity is left anymore.

Composite North Node in Taurus

Taurus rules the material realm. And Taurus is the type of energy that is so fixed on something, that if it wants that, it'll will make it happen for itself. It is sensual, earthy and natural. Taurus rules stability and your long term plans, because there is a great deal of patience that needs to be learnt with this energy. When couples share a Taurus North Node, their destiny in this lifetime together is to become this soild rock for each other. They need to learn how to depend on each other without getting codependent or manipulative. There is a need to create this stable foundation together, whether it's an actual home or a business or even a family. With Taurus North Node, you both will come together as a team to build something for the long term, something that is solid and will provide for you both. The Taurus energy will give you a sense of practicality and intelligence that will help you solve problems instead of dwelling on the intense emotions that emerge from the problems. Focus on having quality time together, where you both indulge in the five physical senses. Cooking together, taking a bath together, giving each a massage, working on your business plans together, taking a walk in the nature together, etc, will give you both a sense of fulfillment and calm in the relationship.

Composite North Node in Gemini

Gemini rules communication, information, the intellectual side of ourselves, etc. With the Gemini energy a person is quick! The mind is constantly working, there are ideas and thoughts in constant motion. Your guys' destiny as a couple is to engage with each other in a communicative way. Share your thoughts and ideas, tell each other the things that you have learned. When we gain so much knowledge and wisdom, we need to share it with the other, discuss about it together. The purpose is to go inwards. You both don't have a some 'grand' wisdom to achieve anymore with each other. It's now the time to actually use all that wisdom you have gained, and learn from it. Get interested in your relationship, talk with each other as much as you want, discuss topics that interests you, etc. Grow together intellectually! Take curiousity in the aspects of your relationship that you usually overlook thinking, "It's understandable anyway." You might find something new about your relationship! You both will benefit immensely with a healthy form of communication, by speaking the truth to each other, maybe even taking courses together. As a couple you focus shall be on creating a safe space for communication and to listen to each other without biases to actually brainstorm on the solution together. Encourage words of affirmation for each other!

Composite North Node in Cancer

Cancer is the energy that rules home, boundaries, emotions and intimacy. So a couple with their North Node in Cancer need to get closer to each other, whether it's about living in a home together, or simply building emotional intimacy. You both need to let go of the boundaries, and get comfortable with each other. This is very classic example that a couple is destined to have a loving home together. This is more about the cooperation and bonding part of "building" a home. It's not a house that you are trying to build, with bricks and cement, it's a home that you guys need to create with a genuine understanding of each others' needs and emotions. This relates to a space that can nurture your emotions, and gives you both the power to be intimate with each other. A Cancer north node also asks you to focus less on your individual plans and things like being overly ambitious about careers/achievement or constantly focused on winning the bread for the family to the point you forget to nature that family! Of course we all work and earn, but the focus is what matters. The focus with a Cancer north node shall be on creating a nurturing space for one another, where you don't feel the need to constantly prove yourself to each other. Step out of that father archetype energy and step into the mother archetype energy. This may also indicate that the more the feminine energy is, the easier and happier your relationship will feel.

Composite North Node in Leo

Leo is the energy of confidence, self expression, creativity, and at the same time wherever Leo is placed in a chart, the native tends to shine the brightest in that area of life. Leo energy is also about a warmth that feels generous and fills you up with this genuine strength. So when couples share Leo as their North Node, they are meant to shine as a couple. They are called to embrace their identity as a couple and become confident about each other. These two are meant to shine. They come across as the IT couple or the power couple, which is very true of them because in each other's presence they magnify the energy that exists between them. You both as a couple are destined to shine together. Your relationship will record it's most growth when you both work together on creative projects, and not hold each other back from shining the brightest. In this relationship seek to explore your talents, tell each other how amazing you did something. Encourage each other with praises and don't shy away from complimenting each other whenever they do something cool. With the Leo energy, the couple needs to become confident in themselves, so that they can become confident in the relationship. And this relationship actually will push you to shine, both individually and in the relationship. With that being said, frequent date nights, collaborating on hobbies, doing something creative together, will make this relationship tremendously positive! Make sure you appreciate and encourage each other.

Composite North Node in Virgo

With the Virgo energy a person tends to become super particular of details, super practical and efficient in the way they do their tasks. Virgo energy is that of a busybody, and the focus is on practicality, whether it is for completing tasks or achieving bigger goals. When two people share a Virgo north node, they need to ground themselves in this relationship. This relationship will give them a chance to focus on what is real and important. When they are at their highest self level, this couple will be seen as the one where they are particular of their routines, they do household things together, they like to solve their relationship issues through practical terms, etc. Because following the north node is challenging, since we are so well versed in the matters of our south node. In this relationship it is very important to have the sense of reality, and to not get lost in imaginations and fantasies about each other. The communication should result in a task being completed. Encourage each other to follow a routine, stick to focusing on your everyday life, focus on building a practical way to solve problems in the relationship. Virgo energy asks you to get out of the head and get in the now. Focus on how you both can divide duties between each other, what routines will help you both as a couple, how you can solve problems instead of daydreaming about the problems. Take action, and build such a life together that will result in productive days ahead.

Composite North Node in Libra

Libra energy is that of harmony and cooperation. When couples have Libra as their north node, there is a need to find fulfillment through establishing a healthy connection. Even if Libra rules things such as beauty and aesthetics, it is the sign of balance, partnerships and meaningful connections. This is a very vauge way of saying, 'destiny is to establish a healthy connection.' But with Libra, that's literally what it is all about. Whether it is through your communication, or through emotional needs or even physical needs, you both need to become intune with each other. Because in this relationship you both are coming from the 'me' mentality to 'us' mentality. Plus, there is a need to talk things out, to not be selfish, to hear out the other as well. In this relationship, you both will learn how to be in a relationship itself. Now the other side of Libra is about beauty, art and aesthetics. This could mean that you both as a couple will enjoy plenty of activities where you explore the artistic side of life, where strive to make the relationship a pleasant experience. Meaningful vacations, artistic endeavors, couple activities, collaborations, will help you both come together in a harmonious environment which will nuture the growth of this relationship. Try to spend as much time with each other as possible, because this relationship is all about being in a relationship. Explore and learn how to depend on each other in a healthy way and to create a bond that respects and serves both of you equally.

Composite North Node in Scorpio

When two people have their north node in the very intense and deep sign of Scorpio, the destiny of their relationship is to get REALLY deep into understanding each other. With the Scorpio energy, intimacy is an understatement. What the Scorpio energy carves, is a deep emotional bonding, a deep sense of knowing about the other person, because if it doesn't, then it won't open up to you. The couples with a Scorpio north node need to show each other their most vulnerable sides and the parts of themselves that are super private and almost secretive/taboo. Whether it's emotional, mental or physical, these couples need to bond with each other. Their focus should go away from constantly working and building their dreams to the point they got overly materialistic in the relationship. They need to dive hella deep in the issues, and discuss it thoroughly. Like don't leave anything unsaid or keep secrets from each other. Build such a strong emotional bond that whenever an issue arises, the first instinct is to listen well to each other, and think how it can be solved in the most private manner, and in a way that will honor your deepest emotional needs. Don't share your relationship business with others, keep it like a safe space between you both. You both as a couple will highly benefit from quality time together. Scorpio energy craves intimacy and bonding. Sex is something that will be extremely meaningful and healing in this connection. Slow down, get comfortable, and just completely immerse yourself in each other's presence. This is also a couple that tends to appear extremely private and lowkey.

Composite North Node in Sagittarius

This has to be my favorite north node placement! Sagittarius is about travel, expansion, philosophy, wisdom, learning, exploring different cultures/religions/traditions, spirituality (the moral/philosophical aspect), abundance and luck! I mean it's ruled by Jupiter, what can't go right? A couple with their north node in Sagittarius need to embrace the wisdom they will gain through this relationship. These two could very well be from different backgrounds or cultures (doesn't have to be, of course.) With the Sagittarius energy, there is this need to explore, whether it's the relationship itself or learning how to grow together. What knowledge/skills this couple gathers, it needs to be something that allows them both to grow in some way (because of Jupiter). The relationship will expand your horizons, it'll give you both an open mind. Travelling together, learning about other cultures and traditions, cultivating a sense of adventure in the relationship will bring plenty of joy and positivity in the connection. Try to get out with your partner and do something that you both have never done before. Challenge your minds, do the things that will make you both evolve spiritually as a couple. You both might connect over a certain philosophy or a religious belief. Expand, explore and experience together, whether it's small or big. Sagittarius energy will push you both to get out there and aim to experience the world in a completely different lens whenever you both are together. This relationship can end up being extremely meaningful and it will teach you a lot about life.

Composite North Node in Capricorn

Capricorn energy is that of ambition. And it doesn't matter what kind of ambition, whether it's a small thing or a big thing. Wherever Capricorn energy is in your chart, you will experience a sense of duty and responsibility. This can often times lead to a sense of, "I need to work the hardest or else I won't be able to do anything." Whichever house Capricorn is placed in, it teaches you maturity and limitations from a very early age in that area. So when couples have their north node in Capricorn, their destiny is to become a reliable and a responsible couple. These people will need to find a ground to build their relationship from. And often times, they need to learn to get out of constant codependency, overly emotional situations, and actually focus on giving each other a solid place to rely on. This couple will mature very quick. Their destiny is to have a solid foundation on which they can support their relationship. Yes you want to build a home, but you will need to be good at handling responsibilities. This is also a power couple energy! These two can work together, or have connections around their careers that will help both of them to build a sense of duty with each other. In this relationship it is very important to see eye to eye on what you both can work on, what is the best way to provide for in the relationship, how you can offer practical support to your partner, etc. This is the energy of getting out and supporting each other like two mature adults. Appreciating each other for their efforts, working on things together, encouraging each other to achieve the things they want, being a reliable partner for each other, these all will bring plenty of positivity in the relationship.

Composite North Node in Aquarius

Aquarius energy is all about being different. There are so many things that we can't quite fit into a label, all of that is Aquarius energy. This energy is wild and free. It craves freedom more than any other sign, and it's almost that it's the definition of freedom itself. Whether it's emotional, mental or physical, Aquarius is about detachment from all of it. So the couple with their composite north node in Aquarius, tend to grow to be in pretty unsual or not very common types of relationships. This might be the couple that lives off grid, or has a van life, or even doesn't get married because they think it's not a necessity. These couples tend to be the social barrier destroyer. And they might enjoy a pretty unique relationship where they can be best friends above anything else. This relationship might even start off as being friends. There is a need to value their individual identities in this relationship, and to not feel bound to their partner. This is a very fun relationship where both parties can express themselves freely and do whatever they want to do without feeling like they are being chained to one spot. These couples wouldn't care about validation or approval of others on their relationship. And most of the times, they will do everything in their power to defend the relationship in the most rational and logical manner. People will hardly see you both as the couple who cry about their issues and their relationship is a business of everybody. You both keep this relationship between yourselves, and try to solve the problems in most cool and level headed manner. Going out on frequent adventures, being each other's best friend, and respecting each other's individuality and uniqueness, will help you both bring plenty of joy in this relationship.

Composite North Node in Pisces

This straight up reminds me of the couple who in this life needs to become more and more spiritual and intune with each other in a way that will allow them to explore their own inner worlds. Pisces is about spiritualism, the inner world, creativity, intuition, reflection, etc. You will hardly see a Pisces native who won't be able to tell the sublte/intuitive hints in a situation. As a couple though, this relationship will pull you guys closer to explore the idea of your inner worlds. Get out of the mundane and go towards the fantastical. This is the type of couple that needs to listen deeper to the emotional nature of this relationship. You both might have the same dreams or fantasies. And you both are encouraged to move towards a life that allows you to explore the relationship in depth, to understand how beautiful love can be or what dreams can you both dream together. You both will become the couple who live a life that is very different than what is "acceptable", because Pisces energy is that of imagination and creativity. And Aquarius energy might be the unusual or unique one, but Pisces energy will be the most creative one. The thoughts, the emotions, the intuitive nature, will always end up with something super wonderful to look at. This relationship needs to be filled with plenty of room for imagination and creativity. There will be a need to relax and realise that you are working hard enough for this relationship, everything is in order, and now is the time to give out some moments for your inner child to shine. Frequent quality time, getaways, dates where you both do something creative together, will bring plenty of joy in the relationship.

-the end.

Stay tuned for more astrology content ✈️✨️!!

[gameproducer58]

SuperPower Book and Film Series: Unleash Your Extraordinary Abilities!

Synopsis: In the heart of bustling cities—New York City, London, and Paris—ordinary lives intersect with extraordinary destinies. Meet the SuperPower individuals, each harboring a unique talent. Some can defy gravity, their bodies lifting effortlessly into the air. Others can vanish from sight, slipping through the fabric of reality itself.

The Audacious Heist: Professor Steele, an enigmatic figure, gathers this eclectic group. Alongside his associate, the mysterious FA-King, he hatches a daring plan: a simultaneous heist across major art museums in the three cities. One night, one chance to steal priceless masterpieces—the Mona Lisa, Van Gogh’s Starry Night, and Monet’s Water Lilies. The stakes are astronomical, the thrill intoxicating.

The Canvas of Cities: As the team assembles, New York City’s skyscrapers, London’s historic landmarks, and Paris’s romantic streets become their canvas. They navigate security systems, laser grids, and pressure-sensitive floors. Their SuperPowers—whether flight or invisibility—shape their approach. But secrets simmer beneath the surface, and alliances are tested. Will their extraordinary abilities lead to triumph or unforeseen consequences?

The World Watches: The world holds its breath as the heist unfolds. Art lovers, detectives, and curious onlookers follow the trail of audacity and intrigue. Can the SuperPower team outwit the authorities? Will their abilities prove a blessing or a curse? And what lies beyond the stolen canvases—a revelation or a trap?

Prepare for a pulse-pounding adventure where art, mystery, and SuperPowers collide. The fate of masterpieces and the balance of power hang in the balance. As the clock ticks, the world wonders: Will they soar or vanish into the shadows?

BOOK PUBLISHED (PAPERBACK, eBOOK and AUDIOBOOK) AND FILM SCRIPT. *** Use flight effects from Blur Beetle and the invisibility effect of ghosts from Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.'

OPTION THE FILM SERIES TODAY at https://www.storyrocket.com/superpower-the-ability-to-fly-or-to-become-invisible-the-deal-of-the-art-book-1

BOOK PUBLISHED (PAPERBACK, eBOOK and AUDIOBOOK) AND FILM SCRIPT. Buy TODAY on Amazon, B&N.com, Google Play Store, Walmart and Target. THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE…MAKE THAT ONE, YOU!

SuperPower #Artwork #Masterpieces #ArtMuseums #Flight #Invisibility #NewYork #London #Paris #SciFiBook

DystopianSeries #ArtHeist #HumorousAdventure #TheDealOfTheArt #FlyOrBecomeInvisible

FIVE-STAR REVIEW Professor Steele has been working on a perfect plan to produce the ideal heist of all times. However, he still lacks a fundamental ingredient. The people to make it possible. He starts by recruiting one of the best art-conscious of our time, FA-King. Together, they start organizing, thinking, and planning how to turn this idea into reality. Suddenly, from nowhere and without any scientific explanation, SuperPower individuals become part of society. Ordinary individuals find out from one day to another that they have acquired the SuperPower to fly or become invisible. Civilization as we know it changes. Some turn to them, believing they are some type of god, while others accuse them of coming directly from hell to turn all life, as we know it, into their playground. No one understands anything, neither the SuperPower people nor anyone else. However, someone is smiling in the background. A mighty man, knowing he could turn the most angelical souls into demons if he wanted to. Is Professor Steel thinking about using the SuperPower people to work on his lifetime plan? Are they going to accept it? Can they be bought by the idea of becoming rich? Learn the answer on "The Ability to Fly or to Become Invisible: The Deal of the Art - Book 1" as you learn about art and accompany our heroes in their endeavors.

SuperPower: The Ability to Fly or to Become Invisible: The Deal of the Art (Book #1) In a world where ordinary meets extraordinary, men and women discover their hidden talents: either the power to fly or the ability to become invisible. These SuperPower individuals join forces with the enigmatic Professor Steele and his associate, the FA-King, to orchestrate the world’s most audacious heist—a one-night raid on major art museums in New York City, London, and Paris. The stakes are high, the adrenaline surges and secrets unravel as they embark on this daring mission. As Professor Steele and FA-King assemble their team, New York City, London, and Paris become their canvas for audacious heists. Will they succeed, or will their SuperPowers lead to unexpected consequences? The world holds its breath as the plot unfolds! 🔥 Key Story Points:

Thrilling Heist: Imagine Ocean’s Eleven meets X-Men, with a dash of Da Vinci Code intrigue. Unique Abilities: Readers will be drawn to the fascinating choice between flight and invisibility. Global Adventure: From the Louvre to the Met, the action spans iconic art destinations. Character Depth: Dive into the lives, motivations, and vulnerabilities of SuperPower individuals.

SuperPower: The Ability to Fly or to Become Invisible: The Next Generation (Book #2) Fast-forward two decades. The twin sons of Diego and Carmen Martin now lead the DODGE (Department of Defense Genetically Engineered) Initiative. Alongside them stands Elijah Moses Jr., their formidable ally. Meanwhile, the Professor’s two nephews helm the ‘Golden Eagle’ organization. Both groups recruit SuperPower individuals for missions worldwide—some driven by riches, others by glory, and a few by humanitarian motives. As the DODGE initiative clashes with the Golden Eagle Organization, it’s SuperPower vs. SuperPower. The showdown hinges on everyone’s unique abilities.

🔥 Key Story Points:

Legacy and Conflict: The next generation grapples with their parents’ legacy and the world-changing consequences of their abilities. Organizational Rivalry: DODGE vs. Golden Eagle—a battle of ideologies, ethics, and power. Character Evolution: Witness growth, alliances, and betrayals as SuperPower individuals navigate a complex landscape.

Film series pitch:

“Unlock Your SuperPower!” This tagline is key across social media platforms. Author Q&A: Roger E. Pedersen shares insights into character creation and plot twists. Remember, whether you’re soaring through the skies or blending into shadows, SuperPower awaits!

FIVE-STAR REVIEW

Professor Steele has been working on a perfect plan to produce the ideal heist of all times. However, he still lacks a fundamental ingredient. The people to make it possible. He starts by recruiting one of the best art-conscious of our time, FA-King. Together, they start organizing, thinking, and planning how to turn this idea into reality. Suddenly, from nowhere and without any scientific explanation, SuperPower individuals become part of society. Ordinary individuals find out from one day to another that they have acquired the SuperPower to fly or become invisible. Civilization as we know it changes. Some turn to them, believing they are some type of god, while others accuse them of coming directly from hell to turn all life, as we know it, into their playground. No one understands anything, neither the SuperPower people nor anyone else. However, someone is smiling in the background. A mighty man, knowing he could turn the most angelical souls into demons if he wanted to. Is Professor Steel thinking about using the SuperPower people to work on his lifetime plan? Are they going to accept it? Can they be bought by the idea of becoming rich? Learn the answer on "The Ability to Fly or to Become Invisible: The Deal of the Art - Book 1" as you learn about art and accompany our heroes in their endeavors.

OPTION THE FILM SERIES TODAY at https://www.storyrocket.com/superpower-the-ability-to-fly-or-to-become-invisible-the-deal-of-the-art-book-1

BOOK PUBLISHED (PAPERBACK, eBOOK and AUDIOBOOK) AND FILM SCRIPT. Buy TODAY on Amazon, B&N.com, Google Play Store, Walmart and Target. THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE…MAKE THAT ONE, YOU!

SuperPower #Artwork #Masterpieces #ArtMuseums #Flight #Invisibility #NewYork #London #Paris #SciFiBook

DystopianSeries #ArtHeist #HumorousAdventure #TheDealOfTheArt #FlyOrBecomeInvisible

[kantorbola77]

Unlocking the World of Kantorbola77: A Journey Through the Ultimate Gaming Experience

Are you ready to delve into the thrilling realm of Kantorbola77? Imagine stepping into a virtual arena where excitement knows no bounds and challenges await at every turn. In this article, we'll embark on a journey to uncover the wonders of Kantorbola77, a platform that redefines online gaming. From its captivating features to its immersive gameplay, prepare to be captivated by the allure of this virtual universe.

What is Kantorbola77?

Kantorbola77 is not just your average online gaming platform—it's a gateway to boundless adventure and entertainment. Picture a vibrant marketplace bustling with gamers from all walks of life, each seeking their moment of glory. Whether you're a seasoned veteran or a newcomer eager to test your skills, Kantorbola77 welcomes you with open arms.

The Essence of Kantorbola77

At its core, Kantorbola77 is more than just a collection of games—it's a community united by a shared passion for gaming. Here, players can immerse themselves in a diverse array of gaming experiences, from adrenaline-pumping sports simulations to mind-bending strategy games. With a vast library of titles to explore, there's never a dull moment on Kantorbola77.

Breaking Boundaries

What sets Kantorbola77 apart from other gaming platforms is its unwavering commitment to innovation. Powered by cutting-edge technology, Kantorbola77 delivers graphics and gameplay that push the boundaries of what's possible in the world of online gaming. Whether you're exploring a sprawling open-world adventure or engaging in intense multiplayer battles, the immersive experience of Kantorbola77 is second to none.

The Thrill of the Game

Dive into Adventure

Are you ready to embark on an epic quest filled with danger and discovery? With Kantorbola77, the adventure begins the moment you log in. Traverse exotic landscapes, encounter mythical creatures, and uncover hidden treasures as you journey through immersive game worlds that are as vast as they are captivating.

Unleash Your Competitive Spirit

For those who thrive on competition, Kantorbola77 offers a plethora of multiplayer experiences that will put your skills to the test. Whether you're facing off against friends in a friendly match or competing against rivals from around the globe, the thrill of victory has never been more electrifying. With leaderboards, tournaments, and rewards awaiting the worthy, there's always a new challenge to conquer on Kantorbola77.

The Gateway to Glory

Forge Your Legacy

In the world of Kantorbola77, every decision you make shapes your destiny. Will you rise to become a legendary hero, celebrated and revered by all? Or will you carve your path as a cunning strategist, outsmarting foes and claiming victory against all odds? The choice is yours, and the journey to greatness begins now.

Connect and Conquer

Gaming is not just about playing—it's about forging connections and building friendships that last a lifetime. On Kantorbola77, you'll find a vibrant community of fellow gamers who share your passion and enthusiasm. Whether you're teaming up with allies to tackle epic challenges or engaging in friendly banter with rivals, the bonds you form on Kantorbola77 are as real as they are enduring.

Embrace the Future of Gaming

Seamless Accessibility

Gone are the days of being tethered to a gaming console or PC. With Kantorbola77, the world of gaming is at your fingertips, anytime, anywhere. Whether you're playing on a smartphone, tablet, or computer, the seamless cross-platform experience of Kantorbola77 ensures that you're always just a click away from adventure.

Endless Possibilities

What's next for Kantorbola77? With a team of visionary developers at the helm, the future is brimming with possibility. From new game modes and features to partnerships and collaborations, Kantorbola77 is constantly evolving to deliver the ultimate gaming experience. So strap in, fellow gamers, and get ready to embark on a journey unlike any other.

Conclusion: Enter the World of Kantorbola77

In conclusion, Kantorbola77 is more than just a gaming platform—it's a gateway to adventure, competition, and camaraderie. With its innovative features, immersive gameplay, and vibrant community, Kantorbola77 offers an experience that is truly unparalleled. So why wait? Join the ranks of millions of players worldwide and unlock the limitless potential of Kantorbola77 today. Your next great adventure awaits!

[ravensgyan]

The Brilliance Behind BYJU’S: Byju Raveendran’s Journey to Transform Education!

Byju Raveendran Brain Behind BYJU’S

Step into the extraordinary world of Byju Raveendran, the mastermind behind the edutech revolution sweeping across India and beyond! Hailing from a picturesque village, Azhikode, in Southern India, Byju’s passion for knowledge was ignited by his parents, both brilliant physics and math teachers. But little did they know that their son would rewrite the rules of education! Though a star student, Raveendran’s heart throbbed for something more profound than mere grades. After graduating as an engineer from the esteemed University of Kerala, he charted a different course, setting sail in the world of shipping. Yet, destiny had other plans, as his passion for teaching pulled him towards tutoring mathematics on the side. Who could have guessed that this side gig would pave the path to greatness? In a defining moment that changed the course of his life, Raveendran took on the ultimate challenge – the Common Admission Test (CAT). And guess what? He aced it with a jaw-dropping 100%! This eureka moment was the spark that ignited the fire within, inspiring him to embark on a remarkable entrepreneurial journey. In 2006, he unleashed his brainchild, Byju’s – a revolutionary platform that would forever alter the landscape of learning! Fast forward to today, and Byju’s stands tall as a mighty edutech giant, conquering the hearts and minds of over 33 million users worldwide! With 2.2 million devoted paid subscribers, their impact is a whopping $3.6 billion, and they’re just getting started! Byju’s arsenal boasts a powerful array of online learning tools: captivating video lectures, interactive exercises that make learning a delightful game, and practice tests that hone skills to perfection. From CAT, IIT-JEE, to NEET, they’ve got it all covered, empowering students to soar to new heights! Fueling this incredible success is the magnetic charisma and visionary genius of Byju Raveendran himself. He’s not just transforming education; he’s revolutionizing the entire learning experience! His audacious approach has turned the mundane into the extraordinary, engaging young minds with zest and zeal like never before. Byju’s isn’t just a platform; it’s a thrilling adventure that beckons students to embrace knowledge with open arms! But Raveendran’s ambition doesn’t stop there; it extends far beyond the classroom walls. He’s a heartwarming philanthropist, spreading the gift of education to the less fortunate. Millions of dollars have poured into educational causes, changing lives and illuminating futures with the light of knowledge. As if that weren’t enough, Byju’s went for a game-changing power move, snatching up the coveted Indian cricket team jersey rights in 2019. Talk about making a bold statement! This savvy move skyrocketed Byju’s visibility, placing them firmly in the spotlight as an edutech force to be reckoned with! Byju Raveendran’s journey isn’t just a rags-to-riches tale; it’s a dazzling symphony of dreams turned into reality! From humble beginnings to reshaping the future of education, his story echoes the boundless possibilities when passion meets purpose. Byju’s isn’t just a brand; it’s a beacon of brilliance guiding students toward a brighter, bolder tomorrow. In the ever-evolving landscape of education, Byju Raveendran stands as a guiding light, leading the charge toward a world where learning knows no bounds. So, hop on board this exhilarating educational rollercoaster and witness the magic of Byju’s – where brilliance finds its wings and students embrace the journey of a lifetime!

[dennou-translations]

Violet Evergarden: Booklet 2

Please feel free to message me about possible corrections. If you can, consider supporting the creators by purchasing the official releases. In case anyone is feeling generous, please consider donating to my Ko-fi or PayPal. ( ╹◡╹)っ’･*

← Previous || Index || Next →

I wanted that star. I wanted to be the person who would piece through that star.

   Leon Stephanotis and the First Star

   I had once seen a comet that only came around every two hundred years together with a girl.

It had happened years ago. That was one beautiful evening. Even now, I can still vividly recall the twinkling of the stars we watched on that day while our bodies shivered at the coldness of the nightly wind. Like jewels scattered over a dark canopy, the starry sky was enough to make one forget to even breathe. As it passed by, dragging its white tail, the meteor looked just like a fairy in flight with insect scales scattering about from her wings.

Whenever I looked at a beautiful night sky, I would think many times over, “Aah, now that I’ve branded this moment into my heart, I’d have no regrets if someone reaped my life away”. Should I lose my life, I wanted it to be on a starry night like that. I wanted to die with the memory of witnessing something stunning.

“May the night sky be a beautiful starry one on the day I die,” I wished.

But that one evening was a little bit different. Maybe because I had someone to watch the stars with me. Maybe because that was my first love.

She was a gorgeous person. Even more than the stars. Her hair looked like the Sun when shining under the moonlight and her blue eyes were like gemstones created from a mix of the sea and the sky. With her porcelain skin and skylark voice, the way she walked was just as that of a well-cared maiden. In reality, she was an orphaned ex-soldier, as well as an Auto-Memories Doll from a far-away southern country, so the saying “don’t judge a book by its cover” was pertinent when it came to her.

She was most likely an once-in-a-lifetime kind of person, one that you couldn’t know if you would ever get to meet.

My chest throbbed even at the sigh that leaked from her when she was peeking at the telescope. When she looked my way and smiled faintly, I experienced an impact as if I had been hit in the head, giving in to a love that made me feel like my whole body would melt and crumble down.

“Master, astronomical observations are quite a wonderful thing.”

If, by any chance, my body were to be crushed by a star in that moment, only on that day did I want to keep looking at something, even if for just one second more. I wanted to keep looking at her. Forever and ever, I wished. That was what I thought.

This encounter had changed my life and decided my fate. I didn’t mind if people laughed at that, calling me a romanticist. I, Leon Stephanotis, whose destiny had been altered, would always look back on it.

On the day that I had watched the stars with Violet Evergarden.

   “There was a sea of gold in his land” – who was it again that had sung the praises of a desert like this?

“I’m beat.”

When bookworms read too much, their head’s capacity would exceed the limit, so they would automatically forget the things they had read in their early phases. I had confidence in my memorization abilities and yet I couldn’t remember this, so it was surely a passage from an adventure novel or something of the sort that I had read in my childhood.

——What a beautiful comparison.

When I actually stood in the middle of a desert, my impressions were drawn to the temperatures, sunlight and other such things regarding the environment instead, so this poetic expression hadn’t crossed my mind. In the destinations of my travels, I often reminisced to a certain someone who was somewhere in this world, as well as the things she, who spoke words as beautiful as that, used to say, as if borrowing them.

“So pretty...”

I liked the color of gold. I could observe the grains of sand moving smoothly for all eternity.

“Everyone, you did well; the books we excavated will be brought back by another group. Meaning that we from the starting line-up are finally off for the first time in months.”

As I was spacing out, I didn’t hear the commander’s words very well. I was only staring at the ground, missing out on everything. When I raised my head, the happy-looking faces of my bearded and somewhat dirty colleagues entered my eyes. All I understood right away was that we would get a vacation.

“After we get twenty days off, we’ll regroup in Iustitia, at Shaher’s headquarters. After that, we’ll go to that place in the south where the reconnaissance team was sent. Next will be our turn to bring back the luggage. Don’t let your bodies get weak.”

“Roger that.” Once everybody gave an agreeable reply in unison, we disbanded from the spot.

Iustitia, Shaher’s headquarters. The main office of my occupation. I was previously in a section called the codex department, devotedly working on the deciphering of documents and copying manuscripts, but now I had been transferred to a completely different section. It sounded good when we were called the leading actors, but it was actually a group of reeking adventure rascals, the literature collecting department.

I put my heavy baggage sack on the ground and heaved a breath. Wiping the white folk clothes that I had been provided with on-site, I dusted the sand off them. This clothing called dola – a long robe secured by a waist belt – looked flappy and inflexible at first glance, but it was surprisingly easy to move around in. It was made of a rather velvety silk material, so there would normally not be so much sand sticking to it, but since I was caught in a sandstorm until just a moment ago, there was no helping it.

We had returned from a thorough search in the ruins of an abandoned castle, once the dominion of a royal clan whose name was eminent in the past. A book burning movement had taken place in this land at a certain point, but we had received information that a scholar from those times, out of fear towards the situation, had hidden valuable books in the forsaken palace. The information was apparently right, so after wandering around all over the deserted castle, we had found dozens of books. The books that would be taken to Shaher’s headquarters were to be made into written copies and spread to the world.

Made for protection purposes, Shaher’s literature collection was also well-reputed in other countries. It was difficult to negotiate with the locals responsible for the abandoned castle, but we were allowed entrance this time as well thanks to our achievements thus far. Just like that, someone’s story, studies and feelings, which were supposed to have disappeared, would breathe once again. The books we had been looking for would be delivered to other people and comfort them during long nights.

——What a wonderful thing.

The working environment was awful, but I was proud of my job.

I sat down on my luggage and gazed at the cityscape while drinking water from my canteen. In this desert-zone city, everyone’s clothes seemed harmonized no matter what color they wore.

“Senior Leon, what will you do on your days off?”

As a junior who had not yet left the spot called to me, I furrowed my brows and looked at his face. He was a young man of masculine facial traits, which was enviable to someone as baby-faced as me.

“Hey, Sir.”

A rarity amongst the members of our unit, the man had not been born in Iustitia. If I wasn’t mistaken, he was a rich kid who had been born in a southern country and entered Shaher through connections with the foundation executives.

Getting a job at the Shaher Observatory was a daunting task even for those who had studied astronomy. It was hard to make it without learning in a good environment from an early age. Since Iustitia, the capital of stargazing, was the best place to study in, it was natural that the ones hired were mostly the locals.

——Well, this guy had connections, so this has nothing to do with him.

I pondered an answer. “Nothing in particular.” For the time being, I decided to be cold, acting as nonchalant as ever.

And this was also the same as always, but the junior took no offense in my crude response – rather, he laughed at me, looking happy. “Then that means you’ve got no plans. I was thinking of going home. If you’d like, how about we go together? We have a villa by the lake... If I go now, the schedule will allow my family to join in.”

“No, why do I—”

“Last time we had a break, I told my little sisters about your cool adventure story and they wouldn’t shut up about how much they wanted to meet you. Hey, hey, how about it?”

I was baffled. I had no idea what was good about me to this junior but he would oddly flock to me. The reason why I hadn’t told him about my plans right away was that I felt he would follow me if I did so. Honestly, he was a bother. Up to now, we had acted as a group. I wanted to be alone even if a second sooner.

“I’m not going.”

“No way... My family’s all pretty boys and girls! Sir, you like beautiful things, don’t you?”

“Do they look like you?”

“They do.”

“Then they might be pretty, but won’t be my type.”

“Sir! You’re horrible!”

“So loud. If your family’s waiting for you, hurry and go.”

While I gestured with my hand as if shooing a dog, the junior made a puppy-like sad face. Even though he had a big body, he was amicable and his display of emotions was richer than most people, making him look all the more like a dog.

“Then, if you ever feel like coming to see me during your break...”

“I won’t.”

“...could you contact a hotel called Varona in Leidenschaftlich?”

“I won... uh?”

“It’s a first-class accommodation establishment. It’s under my uncle’s administration, so you can get a stay there immediately, and I can pick you up as soon as you give me my name. Oh, you’re making an interested face, huh? Want to come with me right now?”

What piqued my interest was the word “Leidenschaftlich” – that was all.

——That’s where the CH Postal Company is.

And it was also where my first love worked at.

“You were from Leidenschaftlich...?”

“That’s right. I did say it in my self-introduction when I joined the department.”

“Well, I don’t listen to people I have no interest in...”

As expected, my junior gave a happy-looking smile with his whole face. “Sir, I like that you’re equally unfriendly to everyone. People only got close to me because of my title... and my family’s social standing... but Sir, you’re cold, and that feels nice.”

“Your suffocating actions are a pain in the ass to me. Besides, hum...”

“What is it, Sir?”

“Hum, say... is the CH Postal Company well-known?”

“Do you know Violet Evergarden?” – the reason why I couldn’t ask this was a literal embodiment of how much I lacked guts, I thought.

With an “aah”, my junior immediately made a face like the name rang a bell. “I know them. It’s the company of that businessman, Claudia Hodgins, right? They’re popular. Shocking that the name of a company would come from you.”

“I’m an adult, after all. I’d know the name of one or two renowned businesses at least.”

“That’s a lie, ain’t it? I already know you don’t have interest in anything but stars. Erm... if I’m not wrong, all the postal companies of Leiden got sucked into it. They also succeeded in company split-ups. Their president is a celebrity too. The newspaper series where he talks to other entrepreneurs is a trend... It got adapted into a book just recently. There’s a chapter in the extra edition where he talks to his secretary and the president of an affiliated company, and it’s so fun. The book’s in my room at the headquarters, so you can take it with you and read it all you want.”

“Is there nothing about business in that book? Like, about the Auto-Memories Doll field... Hum, according to my research, there should be a rather famous Auto-Memories Doll in it... Don’t know if she’s still there, though.”

I timidly attempted to ask, yet it seemed my junior didn’t know the details. That was expected. The number of people who could hire Auto-Memories Dolls was limited, so hardly anybody would know even the name of a famed Doll unless it was someone marginally acquainted with them.

“I wonder. I do sorta know that they apparently have one real beauty of a Doll. But I also have a good-looking face... so I don’t yield to beauties from here and there.”

“Got it. Thanks for the info. And for the nice conversation. Go home.”

“Sir...! If you get bored of being alone, please remember me!”

Leaving behind my clingy junior, I took off from that place. I strutted with a hand in my pocket.

My junior wasn’t a bad guy. He had a high-handed personality but fit into the category of good person. He must have talked to me like that because he knew about my background as an orphan who had lost his parents and got a job at the astronomical observatory by way of assistance from Shaher. Meaning he was worried about his senior, who would be spending his vacation alone with no lover or family. The reason why he had invited me to a house where his family would be was probably that he was exposing his intentions in his own way.

——But to hell with that.

I wanted to be alone. To say that the people who thought I was pitiful were the actual pitiful ones was my essence. I had always enjoyed watching the stars by myself anyway, and I enjoyed books about stars too. Book reading wasn’t meant to be done with two people, right? I liked being alone. This was also because I had lived a life of accepting solitude for a long time, but if anything, it was harder for me to settle down when I was in someone’s company.

When I turned the street corner and confirmed that he finally wasn’t following me anymore, I let out a relieved sigh.

——Alone at last. Time and space just for me.

The times when I was by myself like this were the ones I felt most comfortable in, and while I did have some things to reflect upon in that regard, unfortunately, I didn’t have a family to pester me about having children, unlike the rest of society. Because I was alone.

——I get that it isn’t a good thing.

There were things that you couldn’t get used to or change, despite understanding why you should. I was equal parts as obstinate as I felt inferior to those who had families. Only one person had ever made me want to be with her for a little longer when I was in her company.

——Only one.

Our circumstances were similar and we were also alike in that we were burdened with loneliness, but it wasn’t as if I liked her because of the similarity. It was because she seemed like she would be all right even if she were on her own, so I had wished to stay by her side. To get close to her. I “liked” her in that way. It wasn’t as if I wanted her to do something for me. I was the one who wanted to do something for her. It was that kind of “like”.

It had happened a long time ago.

After we had spent a little time together, she left. When we were bidding our farewells, I stopped her and confessed.

“Violet.”

I told her I was in love with her. I didn’t ask her, “I like you, so what do you wanna do?” – I simply told her I liked her.

“I’m... I’m... in the codex department now, but... I actually wanted to be in the literature collecting department like my father.”

She gave me this answer: the way that she cherished me was different.

“I had my hopes up that maybe my mother would come home one day if I waited here, bringing my father back with her... so I kept shutting myself in until this age, without ever stepping off into the outside world. That was possible in this place and I wanted it myself. But... just now...”

But if we ever happened to meet again, she wanted to spend time with me.

“I’ve just made up my mind. I’ll go around the world like you.”

In that moment, the woman who had said that she couldn’t feel emotions...

“I might face danger. I might lose my life without anyone ever finding my body, just like my parents. But—But that’s okay. I’m thinking of choosing that path.”

...smiled at me like a normal girl, looking happy, and told me something.

“If I do that, I’m sure we might get to meet someday, somewhere, under a starry sky. We’re both gypsies. And if that happens, will you...”

——...watch the stars with me again?

“Yes, Master.”

She told me that. She said it. This alone was already enough for me. This alone gave me the courage to come out of the world that I had been secluding myself in. Even if my love wasn’t requited, even if we never saw each other again, I was so happy.

She.

Violet.

Violet Evergarden.

Just that – just the fact that she had promised to watch the stars with me – had made me happy to the point of changing my life.

I kept making transfer requests ever since that day, finally earned approval and ventured myself into the outside world. The world other than Iustitia that I saw for the first time was bustling with a dizzying variety of things, which made me regret secluding myself. But surely, if I hadn’t met her, I would have taken a lot longer to go outside. No, I might have never left that bird cage to begin with.

That environment where I was allowed to wallow was terribly indulgent. After all, everyone was awfully nice to me for not being able to stand up, just because I was sad.

I didn’t simply think that I would definitely get to see her at least once. The probability of an astronomer and an Auto-Memories Doll, who had spent time together at work, meeting even once was surely the same as the meteor we had seen that day – once every two hundred years.

I was being ridiculous. If I really wanted to see her, I should just go visit her postal company in Leiden. The reason why I didn’t do it was that I was scared. That maybe her words were just out of friendliness, and that, if we did meet, she wouldn’t even remember me and I would be rejected. On top of being terrified of this, I also had a dream.

That if we ever happened to reunite, I wanted us to meet again truly by coincidence, under a starry sky.

If something like that really were to happen, just what would I do? Would I smile? Cry? Or ask for her love again?

I nodded at a passerby who had almost collided with me and started walking again. I had no particular destination. I could also go back to the headquarters just like this and be an idle bookworm in my own room, but going sightseeing around this city for at least a little bit was also good.

——I won’t get to see Violet if I stay in that place.

I had no free time to spend money, so I could afford the luxury of staying at a remotely nice hotel. Having made up my mind, I went into the main street and began looking for accommodation in the desert capital.

   Local idioms were honestly my weak point. Even though it was a common language, it was hard to catch because of the many dialects. When I talked to elders, I was done for.

However, I could perfectly understand that the inn’s owner, an old gentleman, had treated me like a “young lady”. Of course, I told him he was mistaken, but he didn’t hear it. He led me to my room with a hand around my hips.

The room was quite a high-class one, so I let it slide. If it were my old self, I would have been as furious as a raging fire. But I had grown up. By holding back my anger, I would manage to spend the night in a proper bed, where it didn’t seem like bugs would show up, so becoming an adult was for the best. Even if my self-respect decreased a little.

While I was chilling in the room and writing my diary, the sun went down in a blink of eye and it was getting late into the evening.

   “Heave-ho.”

It was the dead of night. I put on warm clothes and prepared myself to go out.

I wanted to observe the desert’s starry sky at my own leisure. As our activities had been limited to daytime ever since we had arrived here, I was now finally getting to do the things that I actually felt like doing. I had watched it together with everyone else from the windows of the cheap inn that the literature collecting department’s personnel had stayed at, but as expected, I wanted to see it from a spacious place with no noise or anything of the sort. As a scholar born in the so-called “capital of stargazing”, I obviously was going to have my fill of the desert’s night sky.

Unable to contain my feelings of excitement, I left the room after my lips relaxed a bit. For the heck of it, I greeted the innkeeper and told him I was going to see the stars. When I did so, he made a worried-looking face.

Apparently, women were forbidden of wandering outside at night in these lands. He couldn’t stop me from going out since I wasn’t a local, but warned me not to get too close to men. It wasn’t as if there were many ruffians among the people who walked around at night, but simply that this city had this kind of culture, so if the men suddenly spotted a woman, they might think badly of it. I had grown up in a men’s dormitory watching a bunch of idiots, so I understood what he was trying to say.

I showed him the retractable cane I was holding, and while I was at it, I also demonstrated with one swing that a blade came out from the tip as well. It was not for killing anyone, but it sufficed for making the other party recoil and holding them back.

Receiving the innkeeper’s applause from behind, I ventured myself outside.

The temperature gaps between nighttime and daytime was extreme in the desert. Having been raised in a mountaintop astronomical observatory, I was used to areas where there was a discrepancy in temperatures between day and night, but even then, I could bring myself to deem it as comfortable due to differences in humidity. The instant I stepped outside, I shuddered with a “brr”.

However, I forgot the cold as soon as I saw the sight spreading overhead. Surely, God must have dropped His jewel box. The starry sky unfolded in a way that made even someone like me come up with such a poetic saying.

Due to the fact that it was nighttime, there were few people out, but it wasn’t as if nobody was wandering about the city. Just as the innkeeper had said, it seemed that someone with a womanly appearance (I wasn’t a woman at all, though) walking around did catch people’s eyes, as they called to me countless times. I put myself on guard in each of those instances, and everyone withdrew with the same caution as the innkeeper.

Not letting the women walk around late at night was also meant for protecting them.

I had heard that there was a place for stargazing aimed at tourists somewhere a little far from the city, so I headed there, for safety as well. Several tents were erected around the sparse green area. In addition to privately built tents, there were also merchant tents selling drinks and food.

After looking through the signboards with the prices of the alcohol and warm soups that people of this region consumed and were familiar with, I picked the alcohol. I was an adult now and on vacation, so I told myself that it was okay to drink today and gave myself permission.

I went for a cloudy-colored alcoholic drink simmered in a large pot called the witch’s cauldron. It was warm and sweet, with a slightly spicy aftertaste. It warmed your body when you drank it and was the best delicacy to savor in cold weather.

Some people invited me to enter their tents, but I refused and steadily began setting up by arranging the astronomical observation tools that I had prepared. I assembled a demountable astronomical telescope over the sheets.

Even though this was said to be a place for stargazing, not everyone seemed to be astronomy freaks like in Iustitia – most of them were lying on the ground, enjoying a conversation with their companions while relishing in the jewels of the night. Everyone other than myself had simple handheld telescopes, so a few locals started appearing fussily around me, looking greatly interested. If anything, there weren’t just tourists.

A young father who had a child with him shyly came to ask me, “How much is it for you to let us take a look?” Apparently, he had mistaken me for a merchant.

“I don’t take money for it. It’s something for me to enjoy myself.”

The young parent made a bewildered face at my blunt reply, but nervously stepped in front of the kid and said, “It’s okay even if it’s just for a little bit, couldn’t you let this child take a peek?”

“Sure, it’s fine.”

He was also surprised at my ready consent. As he asked one more time if I really wasn’t going to charge for it, I declared that I wasn’t, swearing by this land’s god.

I beckoned the child. Our heights didn’t match since he was too small, so I lifted him by the hips.

“Can you see them?”

“Just a tad higher.”

“This much?”

“Amaziiing.”

At the child’s delighted look, the father and I locked eyes with each other and laughed. Then, other people who had been surrounding us at a distance came over one after another, asking me to let them see next. Whenever I said that I wasn’t charging any fee, they would ask me back, “Are you a saint or what?”.

In a land where you could see such beautiful stars, astronomical telescopes weren’t wild-spread among locals, enjoyed only by tourists and outsiders. That was probably the case. For them, this was an expensive item brought by outsiders. The stars were beautiful enough at naked eye, so if I had to say it, telescopes weren’t necessary. But if there was something that would help them see better, there would obviously be people saying that they want to take a look.

——Guess I’m gonna contact Shaher’s donors and indicate this place as a potential donation site.

If this pleased so many people, maybe it would be nice to have a telescope that everyone could look into, just as there were benches where everyone could sit on along the streets. I liked stars, so it made me happy even if just one more person fell in love with them.

“Having fun?”

“We are! You’re so generous!”

The figure of an elderly man much older than myself smiling like a boy, looking extremely happy, struck home pretty hard. It wasn’t like I wanted to hang out with anyone or that I had a preference for getting along with everybody. That wasn’t the case at all.

“This thing’s pricey, ain’t it? You okay with people touchin’ it without a care?”

“It’s not made for decoration; it’s something to look at.”

But these kinds of moments were nice.

——Very nice.

If these once-in-a-lifetime encounters would increase the proportion of stargazing in someone’s life, nothing could make me happier.

——When I get old, I guess I’m gonna run a rent-a-telescope or something like that somewhere.

I decided to take a few steps back and let everyone enjoy themselves.

This sensation that the joy of the surroundings was becoming more and more contagious. This feeling that people were gathering there only out of curiosity and adventurous spirit, not for profit. It didn’t seem fitting of my usual self, but something like this was also conceivable every once in a while.

With nothing to do, I naturally started looking around. Wonderful night, wonderful atmosphere.

The figure of someone standing still amongst it all entered my field of vision even without me wanting to. Everyone else had a companion.

The person was clad in dola like me and had a veil covering her face. From her physique, I could somehow presume that she was probably a woman.

Hoping that no weirdos would go talk to her, I worried about and kept watch over the woman, just like people had done for me. If she got caught up by anybody, should I intervene?

I used to hate women, yet here I was, concerning myself with one. I might have a misconstrued sense of justice, but I at least had to care.

I was just looking at her for a little while simply for that reason, but the instant that the wind blew strongly, all of my nerves became her captive. Her veil came off. It came off just slightly and I could see her face.

Her golden hair fluttered leniently. Her shapely profile was exposed under the starry sky. This beauty that could be discerned even in the nightly darkness was breathtaking.

It was really just a few seconds’ time and she immediately fixed the veil back on tight, but I had already seen her, so I knew. I knew.

I knew who that was.

Distancing myself from the telescope, I walked unsteadily towards her. Like winged bugs that gathered up to light.

This person literally shone like a lantern in my life. It was fire that wouldn’t disappear, no matter how much time passed. Time only strengthened the flame’s vigor.

That was why, aah, I... I...

“Violet Evergarden... is that you?”

That was why I called to her at that moment, with a shrill voice. As she looked at me, her eyes slowly crinkled, the corners of her lips went up and she smiled at me.

I felt like tearing up at that.

“It has been a while, Master.”

I had dreamed of this.

“Is it really you?”

I had dreamed of this day.

“Yes, Master.”

Always had been.

“Stupid, I’m not your master anymore... I have a name too... You’ve probably forgotten about it, but I... My name is...”

I had dreamed of this day and had always been thinking about what to say if we ever got to meet again.

“Mr. Leon Stephanotis. Is ‘Mr. Leon’ all right?”

If it were under a starry sky with not a single cloud, we could talk about its bare beauty. If it were on a rainy day, we could discuss the mythology related to the constellations.

“Did I mistake it? I have confidence in my memorization skills, but...”

If it were on a night where a once-in-every-two-centuries meteor were to pass by, we could share stories of the past in which we had observed the sky together.

“No... you got it right. You got it... Just ‘Leon’ is fine... Violet, the time you spent with me was so long ago, and yet, you sure... managed to...”

I had dreamed of this. You had no idea, did you, Violet Evergarden?

“You sure managed to remember.”

You were my first love. The first person I fell for. That day was the first time I confessed to someone.

“Leon, do you recall the promise we made?”

I opened the door to courage. I opened it thinking it would be okay even if I got hurt. But instead of hurting me, you accepted it. You broke my love to pieces, but still acknowledged it.

“Yeah.”

I had dreamed of this. Of this moment. You didn’t have to remember it. You could have forgotten what you had said to me. But if nothing else, I wanted to have one more look at you before I died.

“Have you memorized...”

One more time.

“...the names of a few stars?”

I wanted to see you one more time.

Violet Evergarden. I – the sixteen-year-old Leon Stephanotis – was in love with you.

He was in love with you. So was my current self. Now that you were in front of me, I could tell as much, even if I didn’t want to.

The flame inside my chest was saying, “This woman is the one who started the fire.” It told me that you were the woman who burned me up. You had burned me, and you still were. You melted everything that I had locked up within ice. It told me that you were the woman of my fate.

Violet wordlessly nodded in agreement. She nodded like a child. She was happy that I remembered what she had told me – I could tell by the facial expression she was making.

——You used to be so expressionless and doll-like – who was it that changed you so much?

You weren’t a doll anymore now. More like a girl who had someone’s love. You didn’t look like anything but that in my eyes ever since you were with me, though. But now, surely you had someone. This someone had changed you to that point, right?

“Violet,” I said, suppressing the pain of my sweltering chest. “If you have some time, won’t you spend it with me?” I asked.

I was attempting to open the door to courage again. Regardless of what awaited me beyond it, even if I regretted opening it. I asked nevertheless.

You changed me. You made me who I was. You probably didn’t know that. You didn’t have to.

“Yes, by all means.”

And this beautiful woman in front of me, too.

“I had been waiting for a day to come when I inform you about the fruits of my studies.”

Surely, she had also been made by someone.

“Should we ever meet, I had wanted to report them to you, even if you did not remember.”

Envy, affection and attachment ran through my body.

“That is what I was thinking.”

My sixteen-year-old self was screaming. “I was in love with you. I was in love with you. I was in love with you. I’m in love with you. Even now, I still like you,” he shouted.

I no longer had any of the youth and recklessness of those days. However, regarding my love for her, the me from back when I confessed to her was still here.

“I’m sure what I’m gonna say now will trouble you. But would you listen?”

I was still here. That version of me was still inside me.

Violet Evergarden, you...

“You can laugh if you want; you see...”

...to me, you... a woman like you was...

“You were my first love.”

Violet Evergarden, you...

“I still like you. Forgive me.”

To me, you were a woman of the stars.

[monsoonblooms12]

In Sunshine & In Shadow: Chapter 1-Love & Laughs

Summary of the Series: Let's set out on the walk of life. Pack up for embarking on an adventure of a lifetime with our favourite residents. A series of love, friendship and travel. It is all about fuelling your wanderlust❤️

In this chapter: Pooja and Ethan spend some cute moments and the talk of the trip begins.

A/N: This has been sitting in my drafts for a long time as I figured out the storylines I wanted to do for the various pairings. Now that I have planned everything, I can finally start posting. This chapter is Poo & E. We meet the others in the next chapter💛

If you enjoyed the story, please like it, leave a comment or reblog. Your feedback keeps me going💕

Thank you so much @jamespotterthefirst for prereading. Love you💛💛

Pairing: Ethan Ramsey X f!MC (Dr. Pooja Sharma)

Word Count: around 2.2K

Rating: General

Prompt :- @choicesaprilchallenge2021 Day 6: Sonder

Derry Roasters was abuzz with enthusiasm, but it didn't seem to act on her. To her, it felt like someone had turned the hourglass of her life, let the sand flow and forgot to turn it back. Her time had stopped there on its tracks.

Around her, people rushed through their day, not waiting for anyone. She felt like the still picture amidst a fast-motion video. Sonder was the word Pooja would use to describe the way she felt. Sonder, for her, is Surprise and Wonder intertwined in a single word. Wonder, at how life changes every minute of every moment. And Surprise at how, even after so many afflictions, tribulations, one will find the happiness that destiny had in store for them.

The thoughts in her mind swirled and asked for all her cognizance. Transfixing her mind in them, she let her emotions engulf her with leaden steps.

Ting Ding Ding

Pooja's eyes tardily broke contact with the empty bone china coffee mug as she picked up her phone.

Brookline Rejuvenate sent you an email.

But for her, it manifested being a testament that all of it was happening.

That she was not tumbling around in an atrocious daydream, which would vanish the instant, she fluttered her orbs agape.

Yes.

Edenbrook, the nonpareil hospital in the entire States, was closing down.

Every day of operating there, felt like she was relishing in the will-o'-the-wisp of her aspirations.

The thoughts of Edenbrook made her mind travel to the day when it all began. The elegant calligraphy on the envelope with the Cerulean and Lime Green Logo that bore her name. The message that turned her life upside down forever.

Then the Diagnostics Team. The extreme cases they had solved. They saw its end too. They were working their free hours at the free clinic or in the ER. Everything, every day, seemed to rush around her.

The days seemed to fly past, and so did the time remaining for Edenbrook.

Everyone had started looking up places to carry on with their medical careers & residencies. But no one wanted to leave Edenbrook before it closed down. They wanted to cherish every day before the ticking clock struck midnight and supply the last of their best healthcare to as many people as possible.

The thought of leaving everything behind was painful for Pooja. You are taking away the most valuable of things, she convinced herself. You are taking away memories. Beautiful memories. Painful memories.

But there was another nagging thought that piqued her time and again.

The Gala was everything she ever imagined. But the most memorable of the moments was The Kiss. He had kissed her.

In front of everyone.

Her mind went to the embedding touches Ethan left on her that night.

Now, as Edenbrook's time came to an end, and she planned about the rest of her residency, she thought of her and Ethan's relationship.

Were they meant to be? Were all those feather-light touches, the kisses in the rain, the tears they shed together, going to end in vain? Were their lives only connected till here?

Was it the beginning of the end?

"You're here."

You will live a hundred years, Ethan Ramsey.

Tearing away from the colossal reticulation of her thoughts, she turned towards him. His summery blues, meeting her ambers.

"Hey You"

Ethan came over and sat in front of her.

"You didn't tell me you were coming here. I had to ask Alex and Sienna to know about your whereabouts."

Pooja let out a tiny laugh. "Whereabouts? You are making me feel like a criminal."

Ethan chuckled. "If so, then you would be the most beautiful criminal I have ever seen."

This made Pooja giggle harder. "You are talking as if you have met hundreds of criminals."

"I will never win any debate with you. So let's just...let it be?"

"Accepting Defeat, Dr. Ramsey?"

"If it makes you smile that, then I will always accept defeat for you."

A blush crept up her neck as she said, "Okay, too much. Now stop"

Ethan let out a last chuckle as his order arrived. A Vienna, a coffee and black forest cake for him and a butterscotch one for her.

Taking her piece in hand, Pooja said, "All I need is you."

"Hey, what about me?"

"Ah, you know you can never win the battle against this" She held up the cake.

"You're ridiculous."

A subtle tee-hee, and they were surrounded with a perfect silence as they got lost in each other's world.

A world where all the hustle-bustle inundating them evaporated. There were no questions asked, no side looks given, and no stops in the world of their love. In this world, their coffee, cake and their memories were their sole companions.

There were no catechisms, no side looks given, and no obstructions in the world of their love.

"So…umm..." Ethan began.

"Yeah?"

Oh, C'mon Ramsey, it is obvious that you have fallen real deep for her! Alex's usual tease came ringing in his ears.

Oh Lexandra, why don't you leave me alone?

But she is right.

Ugh! Since when did The Ethan Ramsey, the man who could make an intern tremble with fear, start to fumble?

He took a deep breath, centred himself and began again.

"Can we go on a tour? With all of your friends or the Invincibles as you all ridiculously like to call yourselves.

"Wait. You Remember That?"

"How can I forget when you are singing the name in front of me every 10 minutes or so?"

"Or maybe you need a membership to the Invincibles? Which, I should make clear, you are not getting."

"You are ridiculous-"

"-ly smart. Ya, I know, Thank you very much. And speaking of the trip, I would go on a trip at any time, anywhere, you don't need to ask. Just tell. I will be ready in 10 minutes."

"You know I am not talking about a trip from here to Brookline. We could go on, you know, an international tour. To a place of your choices."

Pooja's face became Stoic, expressionless. A sudden flurry of anxiousness spread through Ethan's Heart.

Then he remembered. A tip Alex had given him "free of cost" as she would like to say, a few days back.

"Anytime you are asking Poo to go on a trip to one of her favourite places, just count till five after placing your point."

"Five? Why?"

"Just do as I say, and you will see for yourself" Alex winked and left.

So he did.

One, He saw Pooja's eyes widen a bit.

Two, Her Amber eyes were full of joy and excitement.

Three, A light blush and the faint dimple on her left cheek appeared, adding a shimmer to her beauty.

Four, Her lips crept up in a faint smile.

Five, Her face and expression fully express-

"YAY! YAY! YAY!" Her cheer came along which earned her side-glances from the other customers. But who cares when it's an international trip you are talking about?

Of course, Ethan thought, Lexandra was right.

"That is a Thantastic idea!!!"

"I am sorry, but Thantastic?" Ethan couldn't help but chuckle. She was a source of his never-ending amusement.

"Gawd Thanie! Thantastic is just an Ethan version of Fantastic. Duh!"

She bent over the table.

Deceiving him to think that she was going to kiss him. In front of the entire coffee shop.

Only for her to smack his forehead lightly and comedically.

Since when did you become a sappy idiot like that? Ethan mentally ridiculed himself.

"Stop making a comedy show out of me in front of the entire coffee shop."

"Stop acting comedically, and I will stop too" Pooja shrugged and flashed that one dimpled smile that he had come to be a fan of

The things the girl does to me! And I thought love didn't exist. Even Ethan's mind was satirizing him.

The snap of two fingers brought him back from Ethan-land to the Derry Roasters, Boston, Massachusetts.

"I thought Ethan-land doesn't exist. Glad to be proven wrong." Pooja's mocking giggle was a melody he wanted to record on a vinyl and play on a record player time and again.

He thought of presenting a counter-argument.

You still won't win.

So instead of wasting his energy in vain, he decided to save it for later.

"Hmm. Coffee done. Now let's head home. We will ask them to pack the cakes."

"Buy a few more."

"Hmm?"

"You know trip planning? And I am pretty sure I said that you can bring along your fri-"

"I think you mean The Invincibles?" Pooja cut him off, cocking her right eyebrow.

"Whatever." Rolling his eyes, Ethan didn't let his amusement seep through his features.

They both got up. Ethan bought a bunch of cakes while Pooja giggled, nearly tripped and sprained her left ankle lightly, and finally succeeded in texting her mates to join them for trip-ing plan.

When Ethan came out of the coffee shop, hands full, he saw her slight limping as she walked towards their car.

Shaking his head, and having a mental peal of laughter because of her clumsiness, he went to the car. Opening the rear door, he kept all the goodies on the back seat.

Then he turned towards Pooja. She still had all of her attention transfixed in reading something fascinating on her phone. She didn't even notice him.

In a quick motion, he went up to her, and before she could process the whole thing, picked her up bridal style and seated her in the front passenger seat.

The next minute, he was behind the wheel and was driving them home. More specifically, The condo of the Invincibles.

Mental eye-roll.

"Ahem, Ahem"

Of Course. She was yet to speak something.

"So what are you now, Super Ramsey? Picking me up in the middle of the pathway?"

"You were limping, Poo."

"You know I can manage myself just fine."

He stopped the car. The condo was still a block away.

"Why did you stop? This is not where we live. You know that."

Ethan turned towards her and caressed her cheek softly.

She melted into his touch. Her eyes closed momentarily, her beautiful eyes and alluring shadowy eyelashes reflecting the serenity her heartfelt.

"Poo. I know you are a strong, independent woman. You like to be self-dependent."

He paused a short breath. Taking her hand in his and kissing the top of it, he continued,

"But I cannot see you hurt, be it a slight limp or a broken arm. I will always take care of you."

"I know you will. You always do. But a limp, a broken arm is faint compared to what I have been through. You don't need to worry about me all the time."

"I will always worry about you."

"Eth-"

He placed a finger on her lips. "No more ifs, or buts. It is something I wanna do. Not something I have to do."

And with a look of assurance and care, Ethan started to drive again. His features were calm, his blue eyes had hues of red and golden of the traffic in front of them.

The unsaid string of words that dangled between the two of them was what had tied them together so strongly. Which made him believe she was meant to be his and her to believe that he was meant to be hers.

Pooja waited for that day, impatiently, when he would be hers and she, his. Angst in fiction was her love, but angst in her real life? Not really. At least, not with Ethan Ramsey.

Stop being melodramatic.

She snapped at herself.

It took them an additional five minutes to reach the condo. Once there, Ethan was the first one to get out of the car. Pooja followed. She stood next to Ethan, who was now taking out the pastry boxes.

His senses called out to him, informed him of her presence. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the exact spot where she stood.

Then, as if it was a second nature to him, he swept her towards him by the waist and kissed her in four steps.

First, He kissed her dimpled cheek, earning a gasp from her.

Then, he kissed her forehead and left silent praises for her heart to hear.

Third, His suck on her neck felt like the touch of a feather to her.

And Lastly, His soft pink lips meet her rosy moist ones, full of passion and a love so pure that threatened to overpower their senses.

Slowly, he turned her around in the rhythm of a dance, and hugging her from the back, he sensually pulled at the tip of her ear as his soft words warmed her heart.

"Shall we?"

Not what she wanted to hear, but the feels in her heart didn't let her feel disappointed.

"Of Course." A reply she made with an unvoiced wish that the next time he kisses her like he did today, he says those words which will make her, his forever.

PS: Here's to hoping that this was not an utter mess and you enjoyed it. Thank you for reading and have a good day ahead🧡

Tags (Please let me know if you would like to be added or removed!) :@bbrandy2002 @whimsicallywayward15 @ohramsey  @nervoussaladsludgeopera @trrfanaddict @hopelessromanticmonie @ilikemenbutonlyethanramsey @lovablegranny @bellcat2010 @gkittylove99 @kingliam2019 @starrystarrytrouble @3riche @chetachisblog @zoehanji @withbeautyandrage  @drariellevalentine @mvalentine ​ @aestheticartsx ​@angela8754​ @schnitzelbutterfingers ​ @ao719 ​ @choicesstan1 @neotericthemis ​ @arnikki-2406 ​ @anotherbeingsworld @maurine07 @sophxwithers @twinkleallnight

[lesbiandanhowell]

taylor swift numerology dump

Life Path Number

indicator of what is important to you, how you act and react, and how you process life

a number that represents the path you are on in this lifetime

reveals the person you are destined to become and the challenges you may be faced with in order to learn and grow into that person

understanding its meaning helps you see why things happen the way they do and gives you the power to move through any situation with purpose and intention

Taylor = 7

purpose in exploring the mysteries of life; very inquisitive people with an insatiable need to delve into any topic in search of answers and truths; tend to be solitary creatures who have a lot to learn about relationships and vulnerability

born as natural detectives; gifted with a very keen sense of observation along with strong intuition assisting them in analyzing situations; great thinkers and can evaluate a situation accurately and with ease; efficient when it comes to work, almost to the degree of perfection; has high standards, yet affectionate and peaceful creatures but usually wary when it comes to others due to their ability to detect even the slightest hint of insincerity or deception quickly

usually a bit reserved, and some of them are loners which means they prefer spending time alone rather than surrounding themselves with others

Karlie = 5

life is an adventure; curious individuals who crave variety and thrive in upbeat social settings; need to learn commitment or need to change their situation may ultimately lead to an unfulfilling life

very progressive approach when it comes to life; always striving to look at everything from a perspective that is new with an overall goal to make this world a much better place; enjoy freedom, and they are adventurous and versatile, continually evolving and changing

associated with people that are incredibly devoted and loyal in their relationships; this number is also linked with restlessness

Compatibility of 5 and 7

5 people are incredibly social and adventurous and enjoy exploring everything that piques their curiosity; make exciting and adaptable partners, but relationships can be short-lived; needs variety and can't handle being tied down, so they tend to be unreliable and unable to commit.

Best matches: 1, 3, 7

7 people tend to live in their minds and are not afraid to explore the depths of life; curious and have many interests but aren't especially social creatures; may find it hard to meet new people and can tend to hide who they really are, making it difficult to forge authentic partnerships

Best matches: 4, 5, 7

In Numerology, Life Path number 7 and Life Path number 5 form a combo that is not only one of the most ideal for long-lasting relationships, but also a match that promises growth for both partners

two numbers feed each other on a spiritual plane (many famous intellectual and artistic couples were 5 and 7s); greater than the sum of their parts: 5 has a quick, flexible mind spiced with a wicked sense of humor; 7 has a dry sense of humor and a deep way of thinking

problems if 5's tastes seem too over-the-top or shallow, or if 7 becomes too hung up on spiritual concepts but 5 and 7 have such a powerful, positive influence on each other that these disagreements rarely kill the relationship; the 5 keeps the 7 loose and able to enjoy life, while the 7 is able to show the 5 a deep, serious thirst for knowledge.

attract events and circumstances related to expression of a personal sense of freedom and interest in the workings of science and the spiritual realm; a lot of compatibility there, as energies of both numbers are highly interested in experience: type of experiences are somewhat at odds, one being for experience and the other for learning

Expression/ Destiny Number

influences your personal strengths and also your challenges; helps you identify what you're best at and where you struggle, so you know where to focus your energies

Taylor = 4

organized, down-to-earth, and hardworking, the 4 Expression gives you skills that make you incredibly capable and constructive; master at managing projects and teams and others rely on you because you follow everything through to completion; honest, patient, and loyal (to a fault); carries a stubborn, rigid energy that can make you so fixed in your ways unable to grasp new, better ways of thinking, doing, and interacting

leave behind something that is valuable and others will find to be beneficial in day-to-day life; focused on building things that offer lasting value

could include a family of their own, an enterprise or a business; all about security and stability; hard workers and the pillar of a community and very successful in business; ability to become stellar business or marriage partners; life purpose revolves around hard work and practicality; keep order and thrive on security and stability

Karlie is also 4

Compatibility of 4 and 4

partners tend to have characteristics related to a practical point of view and solving problems with proven methods; energy represented by the number 4 tends to do things that have worked for similar goals in the past; situations are likely to relate to building or maintaining security for the future

Personality Number

side of yourself that you show to the world is reflected by your Numerology Personality number; similar to Ascendant in Astrology; doesn't represent every aspect of your personality, but the traits that you choose to share with others; reveals the type of first impression you make and how other people perceive you

Taylor = 8 with y/ 1 without y

(8) very successful when it comes to business when success is reliant on a time-frame which allows these things to unfold; can see the “bigger picture” and trends and ride waves to their most significant gains; also know when to retract from an engagement, and their sense gives them an insight into cyclical natures of events and things

Karlie is interestingly also 8

Heart’s Desire/ Soul Urge Number

what your heart yearns for and what motivates your ideals, your decisions, and your dreams; Soul Urge is something closer to your heart that you share only with those who are worthy

in numerology one primary desire; govern our purpose and help to direct individuals to their true motivations and intentions; direct influence on all that we do; able to give us essential clues when it comes to shapes and themes of each person’s life

Taylor = 3 with y/ 5 without y

(3) the number three’s have the desires to express themselves through their passions, their creativity and what they stand for; very positive people and usually, have a very active social life; deep emotions and thoughts and finding the right outlet will always be beneficial for this personality type; tend to be driven when they feel inspired, yet in some instances, their energy can become scattered, and this is when they find it challenging to remain directed; one purposes of the three’s is to express their emotions through work and personal relationships

(5) love adventure in every aspect of your life; always yearning for excitement and freedom; don’t enjoy routines for very long, and continuously need change to make sure they stay interested; versatile, adaptable, and have active imaginations: trait that makes these people highly creative and fast thinkers; can struggle when it comes to responsibility along with order; purpose while on this earth involves learning to find the freedom you crave through the things you are committed to

Karlie is also number 5 which I think fits her more than Taylor

Birthday Number

carries energy that influences a person's natural gifts; can tell you about a certain talent you are blessed with that is of great benefit to yourself and the world; gift meant to help you on your life path

Taylor = 13

you are a conscientious worker with a knack for coming up with creative ideas and turning them into something real; optimistic but practical outlook keeps you determined and on track as you work steadily toward your goals

Name Numerology

Cornerstone

first letter of first name; represents your approach to life;  it reveals your overall outlook and the ways you react to both opportunities and upsets

Capstone

last letter of first name;  how you find closure and follow through on projects and commitments; together, the Cornerstone and Capstone show your ability to both embark on and accomplish your goals

first vowel

represents the essence of your soul and what you hold most dearly; it's a part of you that you wear on the inside and that most others will never see; reveals the real, personal reason behind all your motivations

Cornerstone T

sensitive energies, highlights importance of harmony in relationships and teamwork

Capstone R

hardworking energy dedicated to supporting and uplifting humanity; represents great power to do great things

first vowel A

represents confidence, independence and proactivity, influences people with both motivation and leadership

[wlntrsldler]

Maybe (Bucky Barnes Roses Series)

Prompt: Bucky tells Y/N he’s the Winter Soldier. The next day, he’s taken by the government and that’s the last Y/N sees of him... until they cross paths again. But what if Bucky doesn’t remember her? 

ROSES MASTERLIST

ROSES | SAFE INSIDE | MAYBE

-

I don't know what's going on

Where you came from and why you took so long

All I know is that I feel it

Like it's the realest thing, I mean it

Since that day, you and Bucky reconnected. It was like the two of you were getting to know each other all over again. To him, it was exactly that. To you, it was like re-visiting your favorite memories and making new ones all at the same time. At first, he was apprehensive with you and you couldn’t really blame him. 

The way he started to remember things came to him at first in one huge wave. He told you one day he woke up and he swore he felt you leaning against his chest, deep in sleep. Then like a wave, all of these memories of you two drinking wine from paper cups, dancing to terrible pop music, cooking together, being intimate, just flooded his memories. It was overwhelming. He said he went to your work the following day, wanting to make sense of the memories he started to recall.

After that sudden revelation, his memory started to trickle in little by little. You would get calls from him, sometimes during the most ungodly hours of the day, and on the other side of the line, would be a sheepish Bucky, whispering the details of the memory that popped into his dreams that night.

One time was at 3 in the morning, you woke up to the special ringtone that you set up for Bucky. 

“Hello?” You asked groggily.

“Hi, Y/N,” Bucky whispered. You could picture the blush on his cheeks. He would always apologize for waking you but he was too afraid that he’d forget what he remembered. He was tired of not knowing his past. He was tired of not knowing you. “’M sorry for waking you but I remembered something.”

You chuckled, “No worries, Buck. What did you remember, sweetheart?”

“We were in my old apartment, the one you talked to me about... and we were just watching a movie, it was a cartoon. Disney, I think? I don’t know, it was like a girl with long hair and she had this lizard pet? She was blonde-”

“Tangled.” You cut him off. You thought about the memory, fondly. He would always be muttering something about how his hair looks so much better but her hair had the ability to heal, so it wasn’t fair. “It was your favorite.”

“Really?” He laughed. You heard his sheets rustle over the phone. He was trying to get comfortable again. “Can we watch it next time you come over, doll?”

“Of course, Buck.” You sat up, knowing that you won’t be able to go back to bed after this. It always happened, but you didn’t mind. You enjoyed talking to Bucky and as much as your body hates you for never getting proper rest, Bucky made sure to make it up to you by bringing you coffees and giving you massages. “Now, continue.”

“Oh right,” He trailed off. “So, we were watching Tangled, right? And there’s this knock on the door and it’s this old lady and she just smiles at me once I open the door. She goes, “Just in case you and your lady haven’t had any supper yet, sonny.” Do you remember that?”

“I do,” You giggled, bringing yourself back to that day. “We were sitting on your couch and we didn’t want to get up. We were convinced that it was the most comfortable place in the world. We were about ready to starve to death. Then, Mrs. Ruddminski, she was your neighbor. She looked after you, you know. But anyway, she stopped by and gave us a home cooked meal. We ended up eating out of the pot she gave us, still on the couch. We fell asleep like that.”

“That sounds nice.”

You could sense his smile through the phone. You knew just how much those little memories meant to him. It’s the details that he was chasing after. He wanted to stop and look at the smaller parts of the big picture. He wanted to remember what you two shared. You kept thinking back to the times before everything happened. For such a long time, you deprived yourself from even thinking about him, fearing for his safety. And now here he was, safe and with you, and now he brought the key to unlock the memories you tried so hard to forget. 

“Y/N.” His voice snapped you out of your thoughts.

“Oh, sorry. Yes, Bucky?”

“I said, I won’t keep you up any longer.” He repeated. “Goodnight, Y/N. Thank you again.”

You whispered a “goodnight” and waited to hear the click of the line before you confessed, again, your love for him to nobody on the other end.

Something changed when I saw you

Oh, my eyes can't lie

You said, "They're so damn blue

And I love how you're so forward

Is it too soon to say I'm falling?”

It wasn’t unusual for you to spend much of your days in the tower with the team. They knew that you were an essential part to Bucky’s recovery and truthfully, the team grew fond of you. You were always pleasant to be around, never complaining about the team’s bickering, no matter how annoying and how often it happened. And you were patient. 

“I don’t know how you do it, Y/N,” Tony confessed to you one day after Bucky’s session. “You must be getting tired of this.”

“Not at all.” You smiled fondly, watching Bucky emerge from the other room. “For him, I’d wait a lifetime.”

Here you were, sitting closely beside Bucky, watching Tangled for the first time since. He would exclaim how he remembered some parts of the movie and curse himself for remembering more of the movie than the time you two spent watching the movie. You just reminded him that you didn’t mind that he didn’t remember because you were gonna stick around to remind him. 

“Thank you, Y/N.”

“No problem, Buck.” You replied, beaming at him. You redirected your attention back to the screen, seeing that the scene with the lanterns was about to happen. “Look, it’s your favorite part.”

You felt him shift his eyes from you to the screen. You took this opportunity to sneak a glance at him. Bucky’s eyes lit up as the music started to play. The glow of the screen reflected beautifully on his blue eyes, immediately taking you back to those many times that you two watched it in his small apartment. His eyes flickered to look at you, his Adam’s apple bobbing harshly. His hand inched closer to yours, your breath suddenly getting stuck in your throat.

He hasn’t touched you since he first remembered and yes, you were yearning for the day you would feel his arms around you again, but you also knew that he needed to take his time to fully recover. So when his hand touched yours, just for a brief second, your eyes welled up with tears. His hands were just as soft as you remembered and his touch was just as warm as you imagined. Bucky saw the single tear rolling down your cheek, his reflexes too fast for you to hide your reaction. 

“What’s wrong?” He removed his hand quickly, feeling like he did something wrong. “Is everything okay?”

You wiped the tear from your cheek, “Everything’s good, Bucky.”

“Then why are you crying doll?”

“You haven’t touched me in so long.” You whispered, giving him a soft smile. You hoped your eyes could convey the love you had for him because you knew that there were no words in the world that could even touch what you wanted to say. 

Bucky hesitated for a moment before intertwining his fingers with yours. He sighed at the familiarity of it all. It felt right. “I’ve wanted to for so long, in the most innocent way but I’m afraid of hurting you.”

You stared at the way his thumb rubbed across the back of your hand tenderly. Your heartbeat accelerated at the simple gesture. You raised your intertwined hands and placed a light, feathery, kiss to his, “You could never hurt me.”

So maybe

Maybe we were always meant to meet

Like this was all our destiny

Like you already know

Your heart will never be broken by me

Since the day Bucky held your hand, he started to show more affection towards you. He still held himself back from touching you with his metal arm but his flesh arm always found its way to the small of your back or back to your hand. And every single time his hand touched your skin, there was a burning sensation there. It was like your body reacted that way to show you that it’s all real. He’s real. He’s actually beside you. 

You were at work, finishing up a shift, when you heard the sound of his Steve’s voice talking to the hostess. You clocked out and rushed to the front of the restaurant to find a distraught Steve. 

The blond man’s eyes widened when he finally saw you. “Y/N, thank God! You have to come with me right now. It’s an emergency.”

Those words were all it took to take you back to the time you lost Bucky, all those years ago. Your head started to spin and your mouth got dry. You couldn’t even form a coherent sentence, you just nodded furiously and followed Steve out of the restaurant. 

During the ride to the tower, Steve explained the situation to you but you’d be lying if you said you were paying attention. The words that left his lips entered your brain in jumbled chunks. “Bucky... hurt... bad... mission.. HYDRA.” Those were the only words you comprehended in the twenty minute car ride. 

When you arrived at the tower, you left Steve behind, rushing to get to the medical wing. You’d been there a handful of times getting patched up after incidents in your silly adventures with Bucky. A few times from slipping in the kitchen due to your failed baking attempts turned to food fights. Another few from nights you spent throwing up trying to outdrink the super-soldier duo. 

You saw Bucky. And it hit you. 

There was no way you were about to lose him, not again, not ever. He was making tremendous progress, according to Tony. He was starting to remove himself from the Winter Soldier, his trigger words almost falling short. It would only take a few more sessions to completely remove it from him. 

Now, he laid there, broken and bruised on the hospital bed with tubes and ties attached to him. His metal arm was gone, the ragged edges of it showing that it wasn’t removed voluntarily. You raced to be by his side, not knowing or caring, if he even felt your presence. You took a hold of his hand, leaning against it to silent your sobs. 

Steve arrived at the medical wing not too long after you. Wanda and Nat looked at the scene in front of them, sadly. Wanda took a step forward, almost opening the door to Bucky’s room to comfort you, but Steve stopped her. 

“Give her some time.”

The young girl nodded, looking at Nat as their cue to leave you alone. The trained assassin followed Wanda as she exited the medical wing, giving Steve’s shoulder a comforting squeeze. 

So is it crazy

For you to tell your friends to go on home?

So we can be here all alone

Fall in love tonight

And spend the rest of our lives as one

“Y/N, you shouldn’t waste your talents by working as a waitress.” Tony said, as you handed him the tools to fix up Bucky’s new arm.

“I need the money, Stark.” You sighed, looking over the sketches you designed for Bucky. “Not everyone has an inheritance they can fall back on.”

“I just got a billion dollar idea,” He dropped the tool on the table and faced you. You cocked an eyebrow, urging him to continue. “Work for me.”

You scoffed, “Yeah, right.”

“I’m dead serious, Y/N.” He pointed at the millions of papers on the table. “You designed this. You’re talented, kid. What do you say?”

You pretended to ponder it for a minute, but you knew deep down it wasn’t really a question. “I guess I’ll put in my two-weeks notice tomorrow.”

Tony let out an overly-excited “Yay.” before returning to work on the arm. 

You continued to help Tony on the arm until late into the night. All you could think about was how excited Bucky would be when you tell him you now work in the tower. You kept looking at his room, hoping to see some changes. It’s been two weeks since the incident and Bucky still hasn’t woken up. 

Although the team would never say it out loud, you could tell they were starting to lose hope. The HYDRA attack was strong, so strong that it was able to take down a super-soldier. Sitting in on the medical reports made your heart sink to your stomach. You knew the doctors were trying their best to tiptoe around the fact that Bucky had a small chance of waking up. The only people who shared your optimism were Steve and Tony. 

Steve was just as in denial as you. Bucky is his best friend and he wouldn’t know what he would do if he lost him again. Especially after the loss of Peggy, Steve knew the loss of Bucky would internally kill him. And Tony refused to believe that Bucky’s demise would be caused by HYDRA. “Bucky’s too strong for that, he’ll pull through.” He said, everyday. Sometimes you started to feel like the words were losing their meaning. 

It was 12:37AM when Tony called it a night. The arm was finally starting to take shape and you were excited to see the final product. Tony bid you a tired goodnight and retreated to his room. You, on the other hand, made your way to Bucky’s hospital room, as you did the past two weeks. You first slept on the couch the first three days but after you got back from work on the fourth day, there was a small bed installed in the corner of the room. You knew it was Tony and Steve’s doing, they didn’t have to own up to it. You appreciated it, to say the least.

“Hey, Buck,” You whispered, like you did every night. “The arm’s looking good. I can’t wait for you to try it out. I designed it, you know. I hope you like it.”

“I’m quitting Olive Garden, by the way. Tony managed to convince me to take a job here. Crazy, right? I don’t know how I’ll handle working for Stark but I’ll make do. Plus, I’ll be seeing you more often so it makes it all worth it.” You continued, placing your hand above his. “It’s been two weeks, Buck. I’m going insane here. Maybe you can pull off another miracle and come back to me one more time?”

You used your other hand to wipe the tears off your face, “I don’t care how long it takes but just come back to me, yeah? I lived without you once and I don’t think I ever wanna do it again... Goodnight, sweetheart. I have many more stories to tell you when you wake up.”

I should take your hand and make you come with me

Away from all this noise and impurity

'Cause I feel like you're too perfect

And I don't mean just on the surface

“His injuries are severe, Y/N.” The doctor reiterated sadly. “I don’t think I can confidently advise you to keep him in this state.”

“So what do you suggest, huh?” You spat, your lips trembling. “You wanna pull the fucking plug? You wanna give up on him, is that it?”

“Y/N,” Steve held your forearm, trying to calm you. You looked back at Steve. He looked defeated, tired, worn out. “It’s been a month and a half and no progress. Maybe we should start thinking of other options.”

“Like what, Steve?” You asked, your anger bubbling up inside you. “You wanna give up on him too?”

“No, never,” He assured you. “But we need to do something other than waiting.”

“The only other option is to trigger the Winter Soldier inside him again to enhance his body systems again.”

“I know, Y/N, but he would be able to live.” 

“He’d live in agony again, Steve.” You stated, sitting back down in your seat. “He worked so hard to remove that from himself. It’s the one thing that destroyed him the most. Nothing that destroys someone can ever be the way they’re fixed again.”

Steve nodded, knowing that you were right. “Alright, so what do we do? Let’s come up with a plan.”

That entire day was spent with Steve, Bruce, and Tony, trying to figure out a way to trigger the Winter Soldier’s abilities without actually triggering the Winter Soldier. To your dismay, the cure wasn’t found that day but you weren’t about to give up. And you tried your hardest to ignore the sympathetic looks from everyone as you said, “Let’s reconvene and figure this out tomorrow.” You weren’t giving up on Bucky.

You slid into the covers of the bed inside Bucky’s room. Tony brought some of Bucky’s pillows from his room for you to use. It was a week ago when he first gave it to you and his scent was slowly starting to fade. You laid on your back, eyes screwed shut. It wasn’t supposed to be this hard, was it? Especially not for Bucky. He had already gone through so much. When will life finally say enough is enough? If there was anyone in the world who needed a break, it was Bucky. 

You waited for sleep to take over your body in the eerie silence. The only noise was the hissing of the machines and the sheets rustling under your body as you moved around. 

“Y/N?” A hoarse voice croaked out. 

Your eyes shot open. You immediately sat up, “F.R.I.D.A.Y, turn on the lights please.”

When the lights flickered on, your eyes met the blue ones that you never thought you’d see again. 

So don't be scared, I am too

'Cause this chemistry between me and you

Is too much to just ignore it

So I'll admit it now, I'm falling

“How are you feeling, Bucky?” Clint asked, patting him on the back as he leaned back on the couch. 

Bucky looked over his shoulder, the black metal of his new arm in his peripheral vision, “Feeling like i’m not a day over 100.”

Clint laughed at his joke, mumbling a, “Good to have you back.” before disappearing into the crowd of people. Tony decided that after a coma, Bucky needed nothing less than a gathering of his favorite people.

“My favorite people?” Bucky cocked his head to the side, confused. “A party with just Steve and Y/N?”

Tony glared at him, “Ouch. I’m gonna pretend you didn’t say that.”

Alas, despite his refusal, Tony threw him a party. It wasn’t Stark-sized, which Bucky was thankful for, but it was a significantly larger crowd than he was used to. There were 30 people in total but the one he was looking for was nowhere to be found. 

“Looking for someone?”

Bucky turned around and saw you, smirking at him. He instantly smiled, getting up to wrap his arms around you. You snuggled into his chest, loving the feeling of him against your body. After Bucky healed, he was no longer shy with his affection. The night he woke up, he kissed you the second you were close enough to his face.

“I heard you, you know.” He confessed, breathless after you pulled away. “I was screaming trying to tell you that I wanted to come back to you and that I would do everything in my power to. I can’t leave my best girl again.”

“Bucky...” You cried, your hands cupping his face. “I love you.”

“I love you, Y/N.” He replied. Your heart bursted in your chest. He loves you. “Hearing you talk and knowing you were by my side through it all made me realize that my biggest fear is losing you. So for the time that I’ll have you, I’m making sure I use it wisely.” 

Wisely, he did. He kissed you at every chance he got, took you out on dates the minute he got cleared, and always reminded you how much he loved and adored you. 

“Wanna dance, soldier?” You asked, pointing to the dance floor. 

Bucky extended his hand for you to take and you obliged. He pulled you close to his chest as the soft melody swayed your bodies back and forth. He breathed in your scent, sighing in contentment when he felt your lips ghost over his jaw. 

“I never stopped loving you, even through those years.” You said, lifting your head from his chest to look at him. 

“You made me fall in love, twice.” He said. “And somehow, I’m still falling for you more and more everyday.”

So maybe

Maybe we were always meant to meet

Like this was all our destiny

Like you already know

Your heart will never be broken by me

[theredhairedmonkey]

Callum—A Hero’s Journey

Some of you may be familiar with the concept of the “monomyth,” also called the Hero’s Journey. In comparative literature and mythology, the Hero’s Journey is a common template for a wide variety of tales that involve a hero who goes on a decisive quest, triumphs over their foe, and finally returns home changed or transformed. The concept of the Hero’s Journey was popularized by Joseph Campbell in The Hero with a Thousand Faces, so much of what I will quote below comes from this work.

The Hero’s Journey is seen everywhere in pop culture—the Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Harry Potter, ATLA…and also in the Dragon Prince.

But often in these stories, only a privileged few become heroes. Often they are born to a royal bloodline (like Ezran), have innate special powers (like Rayla), or become a knight in shining armor (like Soren). Their journeys are imbued with cosmic purpose; they follow a hero’s journey because they were destined to.

Very rarely are these stories about someone like Callum, an ordinary person with few talents, who has no bloodline, no destiny to speak of, and no assigned place in the grand scheme of things. Yet his storyline, up through the end of Season 3, has followed the “monomyth” precisely. This could mean that Callum is actually the true hero of our story.

Let’s break down the steps of the Hero’s Journey and apply them to Callum’s arc:

The Ordinary World

Every hero's story begins in the ordinary world. Without this introduction to the hero's life before the adventure begins, there would be no character arc that shows how the hero has changed by the end. During this stage, we find our hero in a state of rest, home in their safe place. They are oblivious to any adventures to come. In this stage, we learn details about our hero, their outlook on life, their true nature and capabilities. We see our hero as human, relatable to ourselves. Identifying with our hero in this stage allows us to empathize with them later.

After a short prologue, the Dragon Prince opens with Callum, the step-child of King Harrow. We are introduced to Callum as a sheltered and bookish prince. He’s fairly awkward, and apart from art, he is shown to be terrible at most other tasks he tries. Nonetheless, he lives a normal life before the Moonshadow assassins arrived. We learn of his love of sketching. We learn that he is, for the most part, good-hearted. We learn that he is just a child, like we all once were.

The Call to Adventure

As Campbell writes, the hero is called to venture “forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder.” Here, this “call” comes as Rayla chases him across the castle, followed by Ezran showing his discovery—the egg of the Dragon Prince.

The revelation that the egg survived is the call to adventure.

Rayla: This changes everything…I can’t believe it. If the egg lives…

Callum: Maybe it could stop the war.

The egg must be brought back to Xadia, a region of supernatural wonder. Callum is being called to this world, reminiscent of what Campbell describes as “…a fateful region of both treasure and danger.” 

Crossing the First Threshold

This is the point at which the hero decides to embark on the adventure and cross over into the unknown, leaving their ordinary world behind. And in spite of having the option to go back for his father with Rayla, Callum decides saving the Dragon Prince is what matters most:

Callum: “It’s up to us now. We have to return this egg. We have to keep it safe and carry it to Xadia.”

However, here the “crossing of the threshold” takes place very gradually; Team Zym spends most of the first two seasons in the Human Kingdoms, and it’s only in 2x09 that Callum and Rayla finally make it to Xadia. But from the moment that Callum leaves Katolis Castle, he has left his ordinary world behind and entered into the adventure beyond.

Supernatural Aid/Meeting the Mentor

Once the hero has committed to the quest, help arrives either in the form of an artifact…

…or help arrives in the form of a person who may present the hero with gifts or important advice. This person has been to the unknown and understands what the hero is up against.

The Road of Trials

The Road of Trials is a series of tests the hero must face to begin the transformation. Here, Callum is tested when:

He must choose whether to sacrifice his newfound power (and sense of self-worth) so that Zym could be born.

He must decide whether to reject the temptation of Dark Magic, and that his life is bound to any destiny.

He must choose whether to take Ibis’ advice to leave the Storm Spire.

And he must choose whether to take the leap and try to save Rayla’s life, knowing he himself could very well die too.

In addition, there are several smaller tests as well, including, among others: Whether Callum should tell Amaya the truth about Rayla; whether he should trust Rayla with the egg; executing a plan for the journey up the Cursed Caldera; the hardship of learning his stepfather had died and deciding whether to continue the mission; journeying through Xadia, the Midnight Desert, and up the Storm Spire; and using his magic and emotional openess to help Rayla find closure with her parents.

But in the process, the hero will fail many of these tests.

Refusal of the Call

Even though it’s more common in modern stories for the hero to jump at the chance for adventure, traditionally they refuse to continue, or even begin, the quest. The hero has fears that need overcoming, second thoughts, or perhaps deep personal doubts as to whether or not they are up to the challenge. When first called a mage by Rayla, Callum’s first reaction is doubt and skepticism (“Who, me? No, I’m...I’m not really anything”).

Later, Callum has a moment when, due to his feeling inadequate, he flatly rejects his place in the story. Fear and self-doubt prevent him from continuing his journey.

The Woman as Temptress

This is the stage in which the hero faces temptation that will distract them from the ultimate quest. The temptation doesn't have to come in the form of a woman. It can be anything material that distracts the hero from what they have set out to accomplish. And here, Callum faces the same temptation that every human mage has had to face:

Atonement with the Hero’s Father

As with the metaphor of being tempted by a woman, this step also represents a metaphor of facing the one who holds power over the hero. In some stories, this could be a literal father (such as with Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader), but in many cases, the person who holds the most power over the hero…is the hero himself. 

The hero confronts that which holds power over them and defeats it. Here, Callum confronts his darker self and takes aim at the idea that his “destiny is already written.”

The Belly of the Whale

At this point on the Hero's Journey, the hero, “instead of conquering or conciliating the power of the threshold, is swallowed into the unknown and would appear to have died.” 

After resolving to be the author of his own destiny, Callum continues his fever dream, voyaging into his “own heart and mind” on a ship where he is the sail. Eventually, instead of being able to brace the storm in his own subconscious, his ship is smashed to pieces and Callum sinks below the waves and begins to drown.

Meeting with the Goddess

This stage doesn't have to have a goddess, per se, but rather a significant power that gives unconditional love and strength to the hero. Here, on the verge of suffocating, there’s one person that Callum turns to for love and strength.

The meeting with the goddess “is the final test of the talent of the hero to win the boon of love, which is life itself enjoyed as the encasement of eternity.” And it is here, in the presence of his mother, that Callum finally learns the secret of the Sky Primal.

Callum: I just have to breathe?

Sarai: To know something truly and deeply, you must know it with your head, hand, and heart. Mind, body, and spirit.

Apotheosis

This is the point of realization in which a greater understanding is achieved. Armed with this new knowledge and perception, the hero is resolved and ready for the more difficult part of the adventure.

And it is at this point that Callum, awakened and enlightened, becomes the first human in countless lifetimes to make a connection to a Primal Source.

The Ultimate Boon

This is the final  stage of the Hero's Journey in which the hero achieves their goal. Here, Callum finally masters Sky Magic, represented by the one ability which we most associate with dominion over the sky:

Flight

Everything that happened prior to this was to test and purify the hero to get him to this place. And just as Callum completes his transformation into a powerful mage, the Dragon Prince is finally returned to his mother, greeted by a group of humans and elves, in a gesture that signals the end of the millennia-long conflict.

[unmeisenshi]

Let's do it again you know what I mean baby/No one can make my dream come true/Don't you feel it? I really don't know what is/Something is testing me everyday/(Hey, let's go) Let's fly away/I know I never wanna come back here/(Hey, let's go) Let's fly away/The great unknown there are no rules

Standing up, blow it up; My dream is getting wilder/I'm not afraid, beat me, hit me, I will never turn around, oh/Another day, another chance, you know it's never too late/If I can do it so can you!/Only winner!/(We gotta go together, baby, glory road)

Standing up, gearing up the future's coming soon/So inspiring you're my best friend and my rival forever, oh/Don't look down, never give up, the dream will take you forward/We're gonna be the champions/Go to the top!/(We gotta go together, baby, glory road)

(Fight!) It's my life, it's your life/Fighting for tomorrow; Go get what you really want/I want more and you want more, come on open up the door/(Here we go!) It's my life, it's your life/Run like the wind; Jump higher, yeah, I know you're strong/Believe you can achieve your goal/Let's keep on going, rolling/(Fight!) It's my life, it's your life/Fighting for your rights, tell the world what you really want/I want more and you want more, come on open up the gate/(Here we go!) It's my life, it's your life/Shine like a star, dream bigger, yeah, I know you're strong/Trust that you can achieve your best/Let's keep on going/Hard knock days

- GENERATIONS from EXILE TRIBE, Hard Knock Days (English ver.)

[aion-rsa]

15 Best Final Fantasy Characters

https://ift.tt/3rHgcZn

While the list of things that Final Fantasy has gifted the gaming world is much longer than the one we’re bringing you today, one of the most consistently incredible aspects of this legendary RPG franchise is the quality of its casts of characters.

Even if you’ve only played one or two Final Fantasy games in your lifetime (or perhaps even just absorbed elements of the series through its prominent place in gaming culture) you likely know and have strong feelings about at least one Final Fantasy character. No matter how fantastical these games get, their heart will always be found in the heroes, villains, and even NPCs that drive some of the greatest adventures in RPG history.

Which Final Fantasy character is the best of them all, though? That’s a question fans will never find a universally approved answer to, but I’m willing to be most personal shortlists include at least a few of these incredible characters that have become icons of this franchise, the genre, and gaming.

15. Bartz Klauser (Final Fantasy 5)

Many Final Fantasy protagonists are tortured souls burdened by destiny and circumstances. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that type of character (we’re actually going to honor a few of those tortured souls later in this list), but too much of that kind of personality can really wear you down.

That’s what makes Bartz Klauser such a breath of fresh air. As a young man just trying to honor his father’s dying wish to go out and explore the world, Bartz didn’t ask to get caught up in an epic battle or grand adventure. Yet, he handles the incredible events that befall him with positivity, humor, and constant support for his friends and allies. 

14. Squall Leonhart (Final Fantasy 8)

There was a time when it felt like Squall’s place somewhere at the bottom of any list of Final Fantasy protagonists was all but reserved. There are still more than a few Final Fantasy fans who passionately hate him, and it’s easy to understand why. He’s angsty, he’s sometimes derivative of other characters, and he’s even sometimes cruel to people who should be his closest allies.

Yet, there’s just something about Squall. His looks and gunblade certainly make him memorable from a design perspective, but there’s also something to be said for how we get to watch Squall grow throughout Final Fantasy 8 in a way that few franchise protagonists get to grow across the course of their own adventures. Squall is the surprisingly grounded heart of a Final Fantasy game that reaches all-time high levels of weirdness.

13. Zidane Tribal (Final Fantasy 9)

I’ll always have a soft spot for Final Fantasy 7 and 8’s more somber protagonists, but like many fans at the time, I was more than ready to embrace Final Fantasy 9’s return to medieval fantasy as well as its returns to slightly more upbeat lead characters. 

Zidane is a fantastic example of a more lighthearted Final Fantasy protagonist, but he is no mere throwback to a simpler time. There’s plenty of darkness in Zidane’s surprisingly deep backstory, which makes his attempts to become a better person and a better leader (as well as his insistence on enjoying life whenever possible) that much more interesting. 

12. Cidolfus Orlandeau (Final Fantasy Tactics)

Some version of Cid pretty much had to be on this list, but which Cid is the best of them all? Well, there’s certainly an argument to be made for Final Fantasy 7’s Cid, Final Fantasy 14’s Cid, and Final Fantasy 9’s Cid, but my vote for the best Cid goes to a somewhat outside the box version of this recurring character. 

It’s interesting enough that Final Fantasy Tactics’ Cidolfus Orlandeau is a warrior when so many other versions of Cid are engineers, mentors, or even political leaders, but what makes Orlandeau really stand apart is how powerful he is. This is one of the most overpowered characters in Final Fantasy Tactics in terms of both lore and in-game abilities. Actually, his incredible power kind of feels like a love letter to the entire Cid “lineage.”

11. Zack Fair (Final Fantasy 7)

It may seem like Zack Fair’s popularity only started to grow in more recent years, but the truth of the matter is that many Final Fantasy 7 fans have always loved Zack and just weren’t able to properly share their love for this previously minor character prior to the modern internet age. 

Before Zack Fair finally got to star in his own game (the largely underrated PSP title, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII), he won the hearts of millions with his optimism, friendly nature, and unwavering belief that he can fight to make the world a better place. He is, in many ways, what we think of when we think of heroes. 

10. Celes Chere (Final Fantasy 6)

Final Fantasy 6 certainly isn’t lacking in memorable protagonists (or villains), which really makes it that much more impressive that Celes Chere has arguably become the game’s unofficial lead all these years later. 

Celes initially comes across as a standoffish enemy general who is only helping the player’s party because they’re temporarily united against a common threat. By the time we reach this game’s legendary opera scene, though, we understand who Celes really is and even start to sympathize with what we previously believed were her greatest flaws. Celes was one of the first Final Fantasy characters that properly showcased the storytelling potential of this franchise and gaming.

9. Lightning (Final Fantasy 13)

Final Fantasy 13 honestly deserves a lot of the criticism it regularly receives, but it’s always been a shame that the game’s divisive (often negative) legacy means Lightning is sometimes denied the status she so rightfully deserves. 

Lightning’s backstory isn’t the most complicated in Final Fantasy history, but that actually proves to be one of the character’s strongest qualities. Lightning is mostly interested in protecting her sister, which turns out to be all the motivation as she needs to embark upon an epic journey as well as all the motivation we need to sympathize with the incredible things she does along the way. Lightning is fearless, strong, determined, and the kind of person many of us like to think we would become in her situation. 

8. Balthier (Final Fantasy 12)

It’s certainly easy to understand why so many Final Fantasy fans have compared Balthier to Han Solo over the years. Balthier is, after all, a sarcastic yet suave sky pirate who gets caught up in a war. You don’t have to break your brain to see the similarities.

However, that doesn’t make Balthier any less of a compelling character. Balthier believes he’s the real protagonist of Final Fantasy 12’s all-time great story, which is honestly hard to argue against when you consider that he’s the most consistently compelling character in the game and one of the most consistently entertaining characters in the history of this franchise.

Read more

Games

25 Best RPGs Ever Made

By Matthew Byrd

Games

Why Final Fantasy 14 Is Stealing So Many World of Warcraft Players

By Matthew Byrd

7. Tifa Lockhart (Final Fantasy 7)

What is it about Tifa that’s made her one of the most popular characters in Final Fantasy history? Is it her warmth? Is it her combat abilities? Is it the ways that she’s able to so easily pivot between leader and supporter based on what the situation calls for? 

The answer is “yes.” Tifa is capable in ways that the best playable video game characters sometimes need to be, but she’s still vulnerable, conflicted, and sometimes scared in the ways that any of us would be if we were in her situation. She’s a truly well-rounded character who is more than worthy of her fan-favorite status. 

6. Auron (Final Fantasy 10)

On the surface, Auron is everything that you’d expect to see in a “cool” Final Fantasy character. With his giant sword, samurai-like philosophies and lifestyle, and mysterious vibes, you could even argue that Auron represents some of the “tropes” we sometimes associate with this franchise’s most notable warriors.

Yet, Auron is so much more than the (admittedly badass) warrior he first seems to be. As we learn Auron’s backstory, we also learn more about the Final Fantasy X universe and this game’s wonderfully weird and surprisingly complicated storyline. Auron is undoubtedly cool, but it’s the sweet and sorrowful details of his backstory that elevate him above some notable competition. 

5. Cloud Strife (Final Fantasy 7)

It’s sometimes hard to look at Cloud and not see a collection of what we now think of as cliches for both Final Fantasy protagonists and JRPG characters. Even if you want to push aside the fact that Cloud helped introduce (or at least arguably perfected) some of those cliches, you can still make a compelling argument for the character’s all-time great status on the basis of some of his qualities that don’t get talked about quite as often as they should. 

Cloud is a much deeper and more mysterious character than he often gets credit for. Given that we learn more about him as we learn more about Final Fantasy 7’s plot, world, and emotional stakes, he’s also one of the best (if initially less obvious) player surrogates in the history of RPGs. 

4. Sephiroth (Final Fantasy 7)

Like so many of Final Fantasy’s other great characters, you could make an argument for Sephiroth’s “best” credentials on the basis of his design alone. Any character that looks this cool and has a theme song as incredible as “One-Winged Angel” is destined to steal some hearts. 

What’s most impressive about Sephiroth, though, are the ways that the Final Fantasy team has revisited this character and grown him over the years. Sephiroth is a tragic character in many ways, but you won’t find many who are willing to shed a tear for him or the ways he’s used his personal tragedies to internally justify unforgivable acts. 

3. Yuna (Final Fantasy 10)

While I don’t hate Tidus as much as some people do, I have to admit that I’ve always seen Yuna as the real protagonist of Final Fantasy 10 as well as one of the series’ best characters ever.

Yuna’s incredible empathy and compassion are appropriate character traits for a summoner who is so willing to complete what is generally considered to be a suicide mission. Yuna believes in the role she plays in this world, but she’s not so committed to her duties that she becomes this one-track protagonist that doesn’t get to develop a personality. Indeed, it’s Yuna’s likability that inspires so many Final Fantasy 10 players to see her complete her quest, whatever the cost may be. 

2. Kefka Palazzo (Final Fantasy 6)

When people are praising Kefka as a villain (which is obviously something that happens quite often), the line you’re almost always guaranteed to hear is that Kefka is one of the few villains in any medium who achieves their seemingly absurd plans for world domination. His almost unrivaled success as a villain has rightfully become the defining part of his legacy.

As a character, though, Kefka stands apart through the almost horror movie-like nature of his design (he’s somewhere between Pennywise and the Joker) as well as for the way he goes from court jester to world-destroying diety so convincingly. He is, at the very least, the best Final Fantasy villain ever. 

1. Vivi Ornitier (Final Fantasy 9)

Vivi’s short lifespan and the fact he was ignored and dismissed for so many of the few days he had to live should make him one of the most tragic characters in Final Fantasy history. Indeed, many aspects of Vivi’s life are a tragedy and a pretty compelling tragedy at that. 

Yet, there’s a reason that simply hearing the name “Vivi” puts a smile on so many Final Fantasy players’ faces. Vivi may discover the sorrowful truth of his existence in Final Fantasy 9, but he also learns the joys of friendship, confidence, and adventure. In many ways, the character’s final words represent how we all feel whenever we have to leave our favorite Final Fantasy characters:

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

“I’m so happy I met everyone… I wish we could’ve gone on more adventures. But I guess we all have to say goodbye someday.”

The post 15 Best Final Fantasy Characters appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3BXMWCk

[echotovalley]

hello i am very much here for your klance + blue lion meta ☕

I cannot believe my browser crashed the first time I typed this up and nothing was saved. I tried my best to remember what I could - there are parts that I know are missing that can’t remember right and it’s so frustrating because I was really proud of them. nonetheless -

okay, everyone get comfortable because this is gonna get lengthy

I’ve always been interested in episode one, when everyone is standing in front of Keith’s conspiracy board and Keith is talking about hearing/feeling something calling him out into the desert, that’s it’s the Blue lion. He has no idea what it could be, but it’s all encompassing and he can’t ignore it.

Just this voice that’s maybe not even a voice in its completed form, the whisper of something that wants him to find it. He probably hopes against hope that it’s something about the Kerberos mission attempted to be covered up by the Garrison, something that will link him to finding Shiro.

He’s always gone with his instincts.

((there was a great transition between these bits that is forever lost to the sands of time and I weep))

Dial back 18 or 19 years (maybe even more), when Unnamed Kogane and Krolia find the Blue lion and even though they can’t interact with or enter her, they decide to protect her together. She’s the key to peace and protection for more worlds than could be counted and of course they’re going to do everything they can. The form a bond with her that way - words aren’t always needed.

You can tear Keith’s dad and Krolia showing Blue bby Keef from my cold, dead hands. But I think the Blue Lion knew what was up. Perhaps when she stood guard behind her shield and they made the pact to protect her. But definitely the second she saw this shock of dark hair peeking out from a big blanket, she knew. There’s the familiar curl of warmth she hasn’t felt in so long, a small spark in this new life. The flicker of the spirit of an old friend, Red.

The Galra are tearing apart galaxies and this tiny baby is the bridge between worlds and he doesn’t even know how special he is. How so loved he will be as a paladin. What Krolia and Keith’s dad know for sure is that they would in time teach Keith to look out for her too.

But things don’t always go as planned, do they? Thing have a way of coming apart at the seams and no matter how much restitching you do, it never comes back the same way it did before.

Krolia leaves - to protect the Blue lion and keep the Galra away from earth, away from the family she has made (something she possibly never thought of having because of her career withing the Blade). In an effort to not ruin the work they’ve put in to keep the Blue lion safe and to protect their son, Keith’s dad stops taking Keith to the cave. Maybe stops going all together. His son is his shadow and follows behind him even when he’s specifically told not to.

Besides, he trusts and believes in Krolia to keep the Blue lion and them safe.

So, Keith would have no memory of the Blue lion or her location.

Wouldn’t have the faintest idea that it’s a 10k+ year old sentient lion from outerspace that never forgot him and knew the someday they were meant to see each other again was fast approaching.

I have a separate headcanon that Krolia thinks about being selfish, she should have brought Keith’s dad and Keith with her and hidden them on a safe planet where Keith would grow up knowing he had a mother that loved him more than words. If Keith was always meant to be part of the war she fought so hard to keep away from him, then she could have taken that chance. Maybe his father would still be alive, but if he wasn’t meant to live in this timeline, then at least she could be there for Keith.

But if he was with her, then he never would have met his team the way he did.

Now Keith wasn’t the sole person to bring everyone together, the universe put a lot on this boy just from being born, but everyone had their part in bringing each other together featuring the seven degrees of separation between the Kerberos crew and the Garrison trio.

Pidge had her suspicions, broke into places for documents and created an entirely new identity to infiltrate the Garrison to get the answers and the proof and find her family.

It just so happens that she winds up on assignment with Lance.

Lance who is nosy and wants to figure out what’s going on in that funky, little dude’s head to have him breaking curfew and sneaking out into the desert in the middle of the night with enough tech and equipment on his back to trap a ghost.

And because Pidge isn’t the only Garrison cadet Lance is trying to figure out - their destiny is spelled out the second Lance recognizes Keith also breaking curfew and government laws to infiltrate the pop-up tent of lies.

Things start to fall into place

Lance only knew Pidge as Pidge, he had no idea that his new teammate was the direct family of Sam and Matt Holt undercover. He and Hunk didn’t have a reason to question the fate of the Kerberos crew and the official ruling of the Garrison. It didn’t occur to him to suspect that there was something bigger going on.

Now we’re going to get into the promised klance part.

The lore of the lions is unquestionable and will not be rewritten or overridden. They’re sentient beings whose purpose is to bring peace and protection through means that surpass race and species and time. They won’t let just anyone into their world, into the pilot chairs of giants.

The connection between a lion and their paladin is definite and all-in.

Isn’t it interesting that the Blue lion called out to Keith?

Or that he felt her presence, whichever way you want to look at it.

I will take A:TLA’s ‘friendships can last more than one lifetime’ everywhere I go. Add to that, season one was very deliberate and concise in it’s storytelling, there weren’t coincidences. I’m not saying the Lions are psychic, but I think they know who would be destined to be their paladin. Maybe they didn’t have names or a solid time frame locked down, but there would be the sense of that person on the edge of their conscious - a blip of light down the path of their future.

Maybe she knew Lance wasn’t ready to answer if she tried to reach out to him. But she knew Red.

She trusted Red, as varied and nuanced as their connection could be, to bring her paladin to her.

Of course it would be in an unconventional manner and never so straight-forward.

Not to be that guy, but the reveal in later seasons that the bond between a lion and their paladin transcends space - literally and figuratively - didn’t surprise me. The importance of that connection and how it’s built up episode by episode just makes it obvious that they would have some kind of homing beacon that wasn’t bound by a particular radius. If Keith could sense a lion that wasn’t his then, that tether between the color coordinating paladins and lions would be immeasurably magnified.

When the team entered that cave and approached the Blue lion, she reacted instantaneously to Lance and invited him in with zero hesitation. That was her paladin. This big moment of ‘Oh, there you are.’

Whether any of the other lions would have called out to Keith, we don’t know. Since the team split up to find the other lions and those timeframes were wholly dedicated to the paladin and lion connection to sync up, we don’t know if the others would have felt the lions too. Once the team all has their lions and they begin the adventure of mindmelding, 100% they could feel the presence of the other lions as they felt each other.

Pidge had the data anomalies, hacking into encrypted files and studying radiowaves. And bringing it all together to hone the information Keith had collected.

Keith felt and heard the disturbance in the force, if you will.

The Blue lion and its paladin aren’t just the guardians of water, they’re the glue that holds the team together. Who else other than Lance could bring so many different people together? 

I wasn’t super into The Great Lion Switch, but all of this still applies to that. When Lance’s role changed, it didn’t mean the Blue lion stopped having a connection with him. It was a mutual acceptance that his place on the team evolved and who else but Red to trust with her paladin? She acknowledged how much he cared about Keith.

This leans heavily on the ‘friendships last more than one lifetime’ - despite times and species, race, and age, this team would have always found its way together and the relationship of trust and respect and care between the Red lion and Blue lion were always there and would always level itself out.

Even if their paladins don’t know it yet.

Thanks for coming to my TED talk.

**I don’t really talk about Shiro or Hunk but they are also very, very important and I love them dearly.

[padme-amitabha]

All I wanted is for Luke to see Force ghost Anakin again and then Luke and Leia to visit to Naboo so they know about Padme in the sequels. But nooo cuz Dis/ney wants to please the toxic masculine audience, so they ignore the prequels. I'm just so BITTER rn.

Yeah that was terrible. Reminds me of a clip I saw where Anakin’s force ghost was originally in TLJ instead of Yoda. Now while they did Hayden dirty by deleting his scene at the last moment, I’m personally glad they didn’t keep the scene for different reasons. Sorry because this turned out to be a rant. 

Apparently Anakin’s ghost was supposed to take Yoda’s place in TLJ but Rian felt Luke’s connection was with Vader not Anakin so Yoda saying would be more impactful since he was Luke’s teacher. For once I have to agree with him. Putting Yoda in this scene was much better than bringing back Anakin. Anakin telling Luke not to leave Jedi order would be such a hypocritical thing to say considering he himself planned to leave the order himself once. I don’t really think he would have been in any position to lecture Luke on failing people.

Seeing Anakin act like Yoda/Obi-Wan would make no sense to make. Anakin was not a perfect Jedi or a perfect Sith. The Jedi were right in one sense that Anakin was not worthy of being a master yet. He was still hot headed and dangerously unstable as he would later prove to be. He really wasn’t ready. He didn’t have the other masters’ wisdom. BUT when he died Jedi chose to accept him back despite his mistakes. Because after he lived his whole life he as an old man IS worthy of being a Jedi master that’s why when he stands with Yoda and old Ben he no longer feels out of place. He earned it after a life on both sides of the force and being mature enough to realize his mistakes, repent for it and learn to forgive himself too. I think that’s true wisdom - something Luke learned quickly but Anakin learned much later. I really believe that’s why he didn’t go to force hell like other Sith Lords. Which is also why I feel Anakin’s young force ghost reduces his character depth because it implies Vader was not Anakin and also I feel his arc was incomplete in ROTS because he still had so much flaws and so much more to realize.

Honestly I think if Luke met him later after Kyle or maybe Jacen let him down and he was frustrated and on exile and asked for Anakin’s guidance, Anakin would just smile at him and be supportive of Luke’s decisiom. I don’t think he would be a hypocrite and act like he’s Yoda all of a sudden or excuse his grandson for dark deeds. He would have been a true neutral. And stay out of it all. Because he knows both sides and neither saint. That’s what I believe anyway. He would have been the supporting father he himself never had and desperately wanted in his lifetime and be that because he couldn’t be for Luke in his lifetime. I think Anakin’s biggest role in Luke’s life as a ghost would be as the father figure and a confidant. Not an IDOL and not an enemy. Just his dad. Because Luke idiolized his father and realized he was no saint in ESB but again realized he’s just as human as anyone else in ROTJ.

Why would Anakin vouch for the Jedi after they technically ruined his early life? By that, I mean with it’s lifestyle and code. For whatever reasons his grandson turned he would relate in one sense as to WHY they might leave or hate Jedi. But also realize being in the dark is no true solution either as he himself saw and that it makes you more miserable. So he would have been the best neutral figure tbh.  Episode 6 is called Return of the Jedi and yeah Anakin a Jedi again in a sense he was not in force hell but I think still possible to stay neutral. 

He would have a good life if he stopped using force altogether and lived normal life and that would’ve suited him. Maybe it wouldn’t be satisfying because of his desire for glory and adventure and ambition but a happier life. Pretty sure as a ghost he would see that too. So Anakin supporting the Jedi makes no sense. Like why would he just forget they were okay with letting Padmé (and his mom) die? Anakin may be “good” again but he ain’t gonna stop loving them or kids right? So it makes no sense. Anakin would always choose love over the Jedi and Sith. The Jedi didn’t save him nor did the Sith - it was love that saved him. 

Still, I think if Luke ever needed assistance from the force ghosts he had Yoda and Obi-Wan. I honestly think Anakin would just smile at him and wish him well but stay out of it all as I feel he would have enough of using the Force for a lifetime. He had completed his destiny as the Chosen One - probably the reason why he was conceived by the Force in the first place. I’m sure Luke would have understood too. Just let him live ffs. 

In any case, I think using force ghosts to fight Palpatine is stupid. Where were Obi Wan and Yoda then when Luke and Vader were dueling in ROTJ? Why couldn’t they just stop by so they could help fight Palpatine?? I think force ghost abilities should be limited to giving advice to other force users. They shouldn’t HAVE powers. Their lives are done and as Qui-Gon said they can retain their consciousness after death. That’s it. They are dead and should be powerless but wise and experienced enough to guide a new generation as people.

The idea that Anakin would be “Team Jedi” all over again sounds terrible to me. Has he learned NOTHING from his own lifetime? The Jedi made him feel trapped and forced him to go insane. The Sith made him miserable and filled him with self hatred and misery. Why would he pick any side when both sides were cruel to him? 

[twoidiotwriters1]

Home- Chapter 13 (Kylo Ren/ Ben Solo x F!Oc)

Words: 2,206

Mastelist:

Chapter 12 / Chapter 14

Ben’s POV

From the moment I saw her in the Jedi temple, I knew that girl would bring me trouble and time only made me confirm it. The fights with the other students were constant, they always found some way to bother me, my nose, my ears, my freckles, my hair…

My parents expected me to make friends, I always listened to their great adventures together with my uncle Luke and I must admit that I always wanted to have something like that. As a child, I wanted to be like my father, I wanted to drive the Milenium Falcon, but I also wanted to help my mother with those political issues that she always tried to explain to me. But all of that was gone when Luke offered to train me away from them.

At first I was upset, I thought they were getting rid of me, but they made me understand that, if I wanted to control the force, I’d have to go with my uncle. I finally agreed, not knowing that could be my downfall.

When Kiara arrived, things were a little strange. I wasn’t thinking about making friends, but with her, I didn’t even try. The conversations were very varied, she could be talking about training and suddenly change the subject and talk about the stars. Without waiting for it, when we had to separate, I always hoped to see her again. After the cliff incident, our relationship improved and the connection grew stronger.

I felt like I could tell her absolutely everything and she knew she could do the same with me. I told her about the voices, the nightmares, when the dark side promised me all the power I ever imagined I could have and she always managed to say the right thing.

The years passed, we both grew and I noticed details of her that simply fascinated me; her subtle freckles, her eyes, her hair, lips, voice, laughter, hugs, her sweet words… Despite having a strong character, she always managed to return to her noble side, especially when she was with me. We defended ourselves against anyone who’d try something bad, we did together some missions, they were almost always good and we were a great team.

Without realizing it, little by little I fell in love with her and she with me, although at first I wanted to deny it, I didn’t last long, once I kissed her, there was no going back. We knew the risks, the Jedi code. I still remember the time he discovered us…

"You know the rules.”

"We don't want to do any harm, it just happened!” She said with tears.

I feel a pain in my chest just seeing her in that state, I would do anything to prevent her from being like this.

"Whatever punishment it is, I must be the one to face it, she’s not to blame for anything," I say in front of my uncle.

"No, this is about us," she complains.

Luke stare at us, I don't know if he's angry or not. For the first time, I can't see what he thinks.

Suddenly he sighs and looks at the sky for a few seconds until he returns to us.

"I won’t give you any punishment,” He says lowly. "I spoke to your mother about this,” I look at him surprised. "And she's right,” He laughs, "I don't know how I didn't see it coming from the beginning…”

Kiara takes my arm and I can see how she blushes.

“So..?”

"I can't force you to separate, that would make things worse, right?" We both wait, “I'll only ask you to be discreet, I don’t want displays of affection in public and I don’t want to surprise you in the other's cabin, you’re still young."

The memory always makes me smile, we fulfill what he asked for, only that sometimes she did go to my cabin or I to hers. At that time I was happy, I never thought I could be.

 I imagined a lifetime at her side. That was what I’d planned to do, but I caused our downfall myself. I kept hearing the voices getting louder and louder and I couldn't control it.

They promised me power, to control the entire galaxy, they made me see all the obstacles of the Jedi, they also helped me to see the truth; They wouldn't allow my life with Kiara, somehow that was still forbidden and if I didn't join them I would lose her forever. I saw my future, on the throne with her by my side, ruling all the planets. That became my goal, but I still resisted.

Until Luke tried to murder me, that only confirmed everything Snoke was telling me about my teacher, the light side became weak in my body, I destroyed everything and only accepted those who surrendered to the dark side, only my other half was missing.

I didn't think I was capable of hurting her, that was never my intention, but the power blinded me and for many years, my nightmares were about that moment; her cries, when her heart stopped, when I lost all connection to her. I didn't measure the consequences until later.

I heard the story of my grandfather and how love led him to destruction. Snoke taught me that what I did had been the right thing to do after all, if she didn't understand my fate, she was just a distraction. That's what he told me every time I woke up crying for her loss.

But now, as always, she turns my whole plan around, she managed to distract me from my goal, but I also allowed it. Our connection only grew stronger.

I asked my grandfather for help and tried to relate his story to mine. My frustration only grew with each day she was still on my ship. I tried to train her, somehow, even if I didn't want to admit it, I was hoping that she would move to the dark side and my vision still stands. But all of this only led to further conflict. I could feel the light side strength with every word Rey and Kiara said to me.

I caused massive damage throughout the galaxy and although not everyone fled upon seeing my mask, they managed to destroy it and see beyond my soul. I can't with that much pressure, I want power, but not this way. The thoughts I had when I was young come back strongly.

But I'm not a teenager anymore, and although Snoke taught me all about the dark side and Luke tried to explain the light side to me, I've already created my own side. No more Sith or Jedi. I have to decide.

 Omniscient narrator

As Ben reasons the decisions he’s made in a long time, the first order prepares for another attack with its new overlord, awaiting directions. Snoke's death took allies of the first order by surprise, but the target still stands. Conquering the entire galaxy and fighting the resistance will always be the goal.

The debate within Ben Solo continues, however, his new position forces him to continue and continue investigating his destiny. Kylo Ren travels the planets in search of a map to find a Sith temple and destroy whoever stands on his way until he succeeds.

Holding the map in his hands, he wastes no time and arrives at the temple on the planet Exegol where he meets one of the most powerful leaders and receives orders that he must decide whether to obey or ignore.

————————————————————

Kiara’s POV

I can't believe these old books keep working. A map… blah blah blah… Sith… Jedi blah blah blah…

So many words and symbols, everything is so complicated.

"Something new?" The female voice makes me jump and I accidentally hit my eye with my hand. I grunt. "Sorry, I didn't want to scare you,” says Rey sitting next to me.

"Doesn't matter,” I settle in my place. "Answering your question, no. We continue with the same.”

"You're good?" She says pointing to my eye.

"Yeah, it's not that easy to get used to having a robotic hand," She nods. I pass her the book I was reading.

"How was the training?" Now she sighs.

"I was distracted, it’s inevitable.”

"I can imagine.”

Sorry my star…

"I feel like we’re missing something... something that’s clearly in these books," She says with frustration.

"I know.”

In that, a pilot calls us.

"Kiara, Rey, the Falcon returned!"

We run to the landing area. Rey steps forward and meets Poe, while I’m shocked to see the Milenium Falcon on fire.

Poe and Rey start arguing, after a few minutes, I go over to them and give Poe a hard hit on the shoulder.

"And why is that?" He complains looking at me angry.

“You're supposed to be the best pilot– I entrusted you with the Falcon, and this is what I get? What did you do to my ship, Dameron?”

"Oh, come on. Are you going to scold me too?”

“It's my ship!”

"You didn’t take care of BB-8 as I asked you!” He defends.

"What?" I look at the droid, who has a few rough places. "What happened to him?"

"AHA!" Poe exclaims. At that Finn arrives and the three argue again.

In the distance I hear Chewie's roars.

"I know that, buddy! We'll fix it,” I look sadly at the ship, but I know it’ll be fine.

"Is there a spy or not?" I hear Rey ask Poe.

Poe and Finn's mission was to receive a message from an alleged spy on the first order. Rey and Poe continue arguing and Finn tries to calm them down without success. Poe’s in a bad mood, I suppose he has very good reasons, we’re all very tense and I can understand it.

"No, you’re both here, training, for what?" Poe says. "You’re the best fighters we have. We need you there, not here!”

"It's true," adds Finn. I feel very guilty for not helping, but this is somehow complicated. The two men leave and Rey watches me.

"I know, but I won’t say something stupid like ‘you wouldn’t understand it’ is not fair to them,” I say letting out a sigh.

We both follow them. Poe and Finn gather all of the resistance to say the spy's message: The first order is still moving and everyone is surprised when Poe mentions that Emperor Palpatine has returned.

I remember the stories about him, Luke told us everything that happened along with Darth Vader. It sounds crazy, but everyone thinks of a possibility. The dark side always has its tricks.

"He planned his revenge. His followers have been building something for years,” Poe continues. "The largest fleet the galaxy has ever known. He calls it the Final Order.”

The fleet will destroy everything in its path, but it’s contained on one planet: Exegol. That name sounds familiar to me. Among the ancient books, Luke knew about this planet and tried to find it, or at least the Sith counselor.

Rey and I share a look and I nod as she goes through the book that can help us find the planet.

After a few minutes, Rey prepares the Falcon, ready to face her fate.

I walk to the Falcon, where Finn, Poe, Rey, Chewie, BB8 and C3PO are. They convince Rey that she cannot go alone on such a dangerous mission.

"If you think you’ll go without me, you are very wrong.”

"Are you sure you can do it?" She says eyeing me up, I smile at her.

"I'll be fine.”

Everyone says goodbye, and we prepare things. I wait for Rey to finish talking to Leia to get closer.

"I feel a conflict in you, darling,” I shrug.

"I honestly don't know what to expect from this anymore."

“That's part of the adventure. It's what Han always thought,” I bite my lip. "I'm sure he’s proud of you, Kiara," I smile, "And so am I.”

I bend down a little to hug her.

“You were always like a mother to me. Thank you.”

As we parted, she touches my cheek.

"We still have a lot to talk about. When you come back.”

—————————————————————————

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Poe asks when we walk.

"These are the coordinates that Master Luke found," answers C3PO.

Just as we get closer, the music plays and a stage full of colors, dust, and decorations strikes us.

“The Acky Acky Festival of Ancestors. This only happens every 42 years,” reports the droid.

I smile at the big celebration.

"It seems fun!"

"We're not here to have fun," says Poe, pushing my shoulder as he passes. I sigh and we all walk separately among the people, looking for some clue to what Luke was looking for.

I observe amazed at the great culture and party that the locals have. Families dance and have fun.

My star…

I turn to look everywhere when I hear his voice, but I don't find anything, that until my gaze finds Rey's. Her eyes are fearful.

"It's Ren. He knows where we are, we won't last long in this place.”

“Great.”

Taglist:

 @oopsiedoopsie23​

@blackheartedspider​

@fandomshit6000

@thewinterschildren178​

[another-sonic-blog]

Stages: Short Memories

Stages: Casual Friends Pt.1: Short Memories (Chapter 6)

Pairing: ShadAmy (Friends to lovers, SLOW BURN)

2K500

Previous:  https://another-sonic-blog.tumblr.com/post/190409928125/stages-the-deal

.

Shadow couldn't get a wink of sleep. It's been at least a month since he last saw Amy.

Not like he cares too much now since he knew that he won't be seeing Amy for some time.

"Would you like to go away with me? You know, go into different adventures together?"

"I'll think about it."

Shadow remembers their conversation clearly. Right after they got back home from their mission he was going to The Resistance to go and try to apologize to Amy and stumbled upon their conversation.

That was enough for him. He knew Amy would eventually say yes and leave this city with her beloved.

So, why did he still have a small hope that she will stay?

The mission turned out to be fine. The village was attacked again by mercenaries just as Amy predicted but it wasn't anything they couldn't handle.

Tails make it out alright. The cure made out from the flowers Amy picked up made effect the next day. When he woke up, he admitted that he didn't remember anything. Just like Sonic, he remembers walking through the forest and the next thing he knows, he woke up in a room where Team Dark and Sonic were with him.

They tried to investigate but no one came up with any logical conclusions. What happened to them, would be a mystery that maybe solve later.

Shadow stood up from his bed, maybe taking a midnight ride with DR will clear his mind.

DR was the name he put to the bike Amy gave him. Dark Rose, because ... Why not?

Of course, he wasn't going to tell anyone the meaning behind the name.

He rode his bike for miles, just enjoying the view of the city. Cars passed as he kept riding and he found himself in a stop sign. It seemed like it took forever for the red light to change to green. He sighed as he heard thunder and felt rain touch his nose.

In a second, he was completely wet from head to toes.

He sighed, the light finally turned green.

And he kept ongoing.

.

"Shadow? This is Rouge."

 Shadow was driving back to his apartment already, driving with heavy rain was very unsafe, even for a professional motorcycle rider like him.

"Shadow here." He said as he talked through his wrist communicator to Rouge.

"Are you driving? It's horrible outside." Rouge said.

"I am going back to my apartment,"

"Oh, nevermind then."

"What is the problem?" Shadow said as he finally spotted his apartment building.

"I wanted to see if you could check up on Amy? She gets out of work late and she usually doesn't have an umbrella. I would it myself but I can't fly in the rain." Rouge added, "It's alright tho, I am sure she will be fine. I'll check on her tomorrow."

Shadow didn't even think for a second, he turned around, and headed to Amy's workplace.

.

He knew it was a bad idea to drive one of his favorite motorcycles during a thunderstorm. He crashed on a light pole as he made a turn, the tires were already old and there wasn't enough friction.

He probably broke his right arm, it hurt him greatly but at least he was close to Amy's workplace already.

Right now, Shadow was on the hard concrete, his back against the cold path. Letting himself getting poured by the rain.

This moment felt slightly familiar. A far memory that he wanted to forget.

A painful one indeed.

.

"Hey, Shadow~"

Shadow turned around to look at the girl calling his name.

"Would you lend me your bike?", she asked.

"BB? Yeah, just be careful." Shadow added, "It looks like it might rain ... Here, take my G.U.N. jacket."

"You are giving me your jacket?"

"No, I am just lending it to you," Shadow said, smirking.

"Yeah, right." The girl teased him and winked at him clearly flirting. "I'll see you tonight."

Shadow watched the girl he was secretly crushing on leave the office. He had to admit, that his jacket looked better on her and even better when his name was at the back of his jacket.

"My detector says: Shadow's hormones are rising," Omega said from the other side of the office.

"I am still not used to see you smile," Rouge added, "But it goes well with you."

"I am not smiling," Shadow replied.

"Yes, you are."

Alright, Shadow had to admit it. He did have a small smile on his face.

.

Shadow began to worry when his teammate wasn't arriving at his apartment. She texted him that she was on her way but it was already 45 minutes and she hasn't arrived yet.

It began to rain really hard, a storm was coming and Shadow decided to take one of his bikes and look for his girl.

Well, not his girl... yet.

Shadow drove around the places where she might be. He wasn't wearing any protection since he wasn't a fan of it. He could only think of her as she wouldn't answer his calls either.

He was so worried that he promised himself that he will tell her how he feels about her if he finds her.

He looked around for two hours until he found her.

While still riding his bike, Shadow saw the girl he liked kissing someone else, under an umbrella they both shared. Then they both got on top of BB and began to ride away.

Him riding the motorcycle, and her, behind, placing her arms around him.

And then, Shadow crashed. He got distracted and didn't notice he was heading straight into a light pole.

A few broken bones, and deep wounds, Shadow pulled out his phone and called the girl once again.

The call was denied but he received a text message that read:

'Sorry, I am at the office doing paperwork. I'll see you tomorrow, love you.'

Shadow let go of his phone and let the rain pour all of its force on him. He took a big sigh, his body hurt.

But his heart the must.

Was this what it felt like to be heartbroken?

Was this what happened when you let people get close to you?

Shadow didn't want this, he didn't want any of this. Not now not ever. He made a terrible choice by letting himself get idiotic ideas. For thinking, he was worthy of having something as trivial as love.

He felt like he was going to faint, he was losing to much blood but at the moment he didn't care. He will be fine in the morning. Right now, he only wanted to close his eyes and let his feelings go.

"Shadow?"

He heard a soft voice fade softly.  

The rain was no more as a figure approached him, holding an umbrella above him. Beautiful green eyes looked at his ruby ones as he began to close his eyes slowly.

"Don't worry. Everything will be fine. I am here for you."

.

Shadow's memory was fuzzy and doesn't remember what happened afterward. He remembers waking up the next day in the hospital with Rouge and Omega next to him. He just concluded that it must be them the ones who brought him to the hospital.

But too much of that already, he needed to get to Amy now.

He finally arrived, it was a few streets from where he had crashed.

He looked through the glass window and noticed that Amy wasn't alone at all.

Sonic and Amy were peacefully drinking a cup of coffee, they were alone as the restaurant was already closed.

Shadow hid under the window as he tried to listen to the couple with his good hearing abilities, being the ultimate life forms came with its perks.

"So ... What... Do ...You ...Say... A lifetime... full of adventures?" said Sonic, "Come ... With...Me?"

Shadow tried his best to hear, but the rain was so horrible that it almost made it impossible.

He waited for Amy to answer. It all depended on her.

"I... Know...Yes," said Amy.

That's all it took.

Nobody needed him, and that included Amy.

Shadow stood up and moved quickly from the sight of the pink and blue one.

Sad, disappointed and with a broken arm. Shadow walked away, in pain. It only didn't pain him in his arm, but in his heart as well.

.

Shadow felt better after he got back home. His broken arm was still healing but since he was the ultimate life form, he knew that the broken arm will be good to go by tomorrow. Some of the scars he got from crashing were still healing as well, overall he was looking better.

He sat down in front of his chimney, he closed his eyes as he wanted to forget all about Amy and concentrate on healing.

But destiny had other things in mind,

He heard intense knocking coming from the outside, he heavily sighed as he stood up and walked towards the door.

"WHO THE HELL IS KNOCKING-" Shadow said as he opened the door but his waves of anger went away immediately. "Amy? What are you doing here?"

"What do you think?! I saw the motorcycle I gave you crashed a few streets away from the restaurant!" Amy added, "I came to check if you were alright!"

Shadow looked at Amy up and down. She was drench, water dripping from her clothes, dirty, and out of breath.

"And Sonic?" He asked.

"I am asking about you! Are you good? What happened?"

Shadow was conflicted. He imaged Amy, running all the way from the restaurant to his apartment ... Just to find out if he was alright.

"Why?" Shadow said as he looked at the ground, not wanting to make eye contact with her.

"Uh?"

"Why do you worry about me? After I treated you so badly?"

"What do you mean?" Amy asked.

"I treated you so bad! I said horrible things to you and you still worry about me?"

Finally, Amy was able to catch her breath and was surprised to see Shadow in such manner.

" I know you are the type that pushes people away because you are afraid to lose them ... or you are afraid that they will leave you," Amy added.

"You promised I was never going to see you again ... and here you are."

"And I will stay away... until you really want me in your life."

Shadow's hands trembled. He was saying things he never thought he will say again.

"Whenever I get too close to someone ... I hurt them ... Or they leave me." Shadow added, "You will leave me too. You are going away with Sonic, won't you?"

"Of course not! Yes, Sonic asked me to go away with him but, I decided to stay."

"Why? Don't you love him?"

"Yes, I do. But I still have things to do here." Amy added, "And I wouldn't be able to leave, because I would miss my friends too much."

Amy looked at Shadow, letting her feelings be known to the black hedgehog. She held his strong arms in her delicate ones as she took a moment to appreciate his red eyes soften at the gesture.

"How can you forgive me so easily?"

"That's what friends do."

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

A/N: We entering a new arc, (Casual Friends Arc) full of discoveries. As you may all notice, the identity of Shadow's previous love interest is still a mystery but more things will be revealed as the story progresses.

A would like to add a few clarifications:

-Shadow is not a jerk, he just had a horrible and traumatizing experience and due to it, he is just not the best at communicating with people. In the firsts chapters, we can see that he is actually nice when he meets people but as soon as he starts to get attached, he pushes them away. The reason why would be explained later on.

-Amy understands that Shadow has been through a lot and he is just a hard guy to deal with. Besides, Rouge and Omega, Amy has been the only one who has taken the time to try and understand him. I feel like it's on Amy's character to try and help everyone in every possible way she can and the way she helps Shadow is by giving him her friendship and unconditional support.

-Now, Shadow is not the only one with problems. We also have Amy who even though she has friends that are willing to help her wholeheartedly, she denies their help. Amy is obsessed with success and doesn't want anyone to help her get there. She likes to do things her way and lacks self-confidence sometimes. She puts others before herself and she can't say no to anyone.

Do you see what I am trying to get here? Their characteristics can make up for some really good dynamic stories and I am really excited to write and explore it.

Their dynamic can lead to something bigger: Self-growth.

They will help each other become the best person they can and with this, their relationship will develop.

This is a ShadAmy story, but just like in all my other stories, I will take time to develop their relationship. So, don't expect any romance too soon, that will probably happen around chapter 12/13 of the story.

I have nothing else to say as of right now. I hope everyone who is reading this is enjoying it. Thank you for reading! Until the next chapter!

Thanks!

Next: https://another-sonic-blog.tumblr.com/post/190433272465/stages-the-favor