#as i said.... maaaaany different ways this could go

[airenyah]

ohoooo spotify wrapped is here, let's see which gay thai drama song i listened to the most this year djdjdjfj

last year i was shocked to find khaotung's over the moon on #1, beating all the bbs ost songs (which immediately followed over the moon on no. 2-4). what surprises will spotify have in store for me this year 👀

[nimedhel09]

Other Fairy Tail headcanons noone asked for

Yes, I have more. Again, be prepared for the longest post, but also for probably some Frenchisms and inaccurate English.

- Human-hating-and-eating dragons existed long before the war, but they were few, as human meat wasn't that good for most draconic tastebuds... Most of the dragons preferred to just ignore humans, as they were seen as lesser beings by a big part of the dragon population.

- Dragonof and Montes Secreta are a rare show of dragon-human symbiosis. The dragons protect the territory from invading forces, be they human, dragon or otherwise, and the humans take care of the dragons and feed them.

- Dragons and dragon slayers hoard. What exactly depends on each individual's interests.

-> Natsu likes to hoard stuff that makes him think of his friends... or that belonged to his friends before he hoarded them.

-> Gajeel hoards metal (because food), comfy stuff (mostly cushions, pillows and sheets) and he began hoarding books when he began to form a friendship with Levy.

-> Erza, of course, hoards her armor and weapons. She has a very difficult time parting from any of her belongings, which is why she always over-prepares for quests. The slayers and herself realize the origin of her "problem" when her parentage is discovered.

-> Rogue collects frog stuff. He had a passion for frogs as a child (seems like a headcanon I share with @pencilofawesomeness hehe) that never really went away. So each time he goes on a quest and sees anything ressembling a frog? He buys it. Frosch has many maaaaany frog onesies, in all the colours imaginable, as they also share Rogue's love for frogs, but her favourite is the pink one (yes, in my head, Frosch is a girl).

-> Sting hoards jewellry and gems. He loves the colours and the sparkliness.

-> Laxus collects music. He does not realize he hoards it until he hears the other slayers talking about their hoards and realizes he has a lot of vinyls in his house.

-> Erik/Cobra hoards miscellaneous stuff that catches his eye for longer than 5 seconds. Usually, it's small and he got in the habit of hiding everything in places he marks to find later, since he never had the stability of having a nest/cave/territory that belongs to him until after he was pardonned with the rest of Crime Sorcière.

-> Wendy hoards tea sets. She loves them, she loves to look at them, and each time she can find one that calls to her, she'll buy it and add it to her hoard. She also has a special tea set for visitors. It is the only tea set that people other than her and Charle/Carla can use or touch. Noone outside of the slayers, exceeds and Levy know that.

- The god and demon slayers also have biological modifications to get closer to the creatures they have the ability to "slay". Gray has little horns that his hair hides, he has night vision, which makes his eyes reflective in the dark (something that has freaked out a few guild members and people he had to fight against) and his teeth are very SHARP, although they're smaller than dragon slayer fangs and narrower.

- Juvia has had a very stern talking to by Cana, Mira and Erza about her harassing of Gray. Gajeel was not happy to see her so despondent afterwards, but when she explained what happened, he gently told her that it was something she needed to hear, because her behaviour was not OK. She still struggles with obsessive behaviour, low self-esteem and anxiety, but she gets help from Mest.

- Gray and Juvia have a talk when Juvia realizes that she does not want to be that person, and they finally get to have a healthy friendship. No romance, though, as Juvia finally grows out of her unhealthy obsession with Gray and realizes that's not what love is supposed to be.

- As a coping mechanism for... everything, Juvia bakes. A LOT. And she offers her confections to everyone in the guild. You know she is having a bad time if she brings a lot of pastries, and if it lasts for more than a day, it's very bad. Mira and Gajeel have developed a system without meaning to when that happens. Mira works on getting Juvia to cheer up and Gajeel gets her to open up to him.

- Mest never turned Brandish against August. Nuh-uh. No sir, he definitely did NOT. Also no pedophilic thoughts about Wendy. He finds her warm and adorable and he loves her as a little sister, thank you very much. He was also head over heels about Lahar and it took years to get over his death. He is understandably very weary of falling in love. He also develops a crush for Macbeth/Midnight after Crime Sorcière was legalized and the members came to mingle with Fairy Tail more often.

- Most of the members of the younger generation, at least, are not heterosexual (because sexuality is a freaking continuum, people). I might expand on this at a later date if anyone is interested.

- Jellal and Erza have a very serious talk and both work on their Tower induced trauma for years before they decide they might want to try a romantic relationship. Jellal is the one that has the most difficulty healing from the past and seeing Erza as a person instead of his saviour/deliverance/light and stops putting her on a pedestal.

- Erik talks to Kinana about Cubellios and how he thinks she might be his lifelong friend. Since Kinana has bad amnesia, she asks Mest to help her retrieve her memories, and, although everything is still quite hazy, she remembers her attachment to Erik. They slowly work through her memories, but Erik is very respectful and does not push Kinana into anything, he just wants to know her, and, maybe, if that could happen, his friend back. They end up slowly falling in love.

- Juvia is like a little sister to Gajeel. He is very protective of her, and she is the only reason he joined Fairy Tail. They stay close through the years, and Juvia ends up being the godmother of Gajeel's and Levy's children. Juvia is understably over the moon and spoils the heck out of her nephew and niece.

- The original appearance of most of the Celestial spirits is quite different than what it is nowadays. Leo/Loke's original appearance is closer to his Eclipse Celestial Spirits ark than his current one. He is a fighting spirit, after all.

- As there are 88 (accepted) constellations in the sky, there are 88 keys. The silver and gold ones are the most known, but there is another set: the platinum keys. Those keys are as powerful as the gold keys, but not much is known about them.

- Since opening a key gate demands so much magic power, celestial wizards have slowly decreased in numbers. Celestial magic is coming closer to becoming a lost magic every year. It does not help that Celestial wizards are so often used by dark guilds as sacrifices for dark intents.

- Many civilians think that, because there are "light" guilds and "dark" guilds, some magic powers are considered dark and light too. Which, in turn, makes them afraid of any kinds of magic that is not in the accepted definitions of "light". That's one of the reasons why Freed, Mirajane and Bickslow hated their born magic for so long. It took them years or even decades to stop the self-hate, with the help of their friends and family.

- Since the awakening of his etherious nature, Natsu has been terrified of losing control. Which made him train harder and subtly distance himself from the guild. Of course, the other slayers, Erza, Gray and Lisanna saw right through him and Lisanna confronted him about it and he spilled the beans.

- NaLi is a thing. They're very cute together. Natsu is not interested by sex (yep, he's asexual), but he loves the proximity with Lisanna so sometimes they do have sexy time, but not often at all.

- Mira is a big gossip, and she does the shipping thing, and she does try to imagine ship-kids, but when someone tells her they're uncomfortable/they don't want kids or she sees that she makes them so, she stops and apologizes and never does it again. Because Mirajane is a respectful friend that does not push her friends and family to follow patriarcal societal rules, thank you very much.

- Gray inherited his devil slayer magic genetically. So he was born with it. But it was dormant or sealed until Silver awakened it (it makes more sense that way, in my mind).

- Fairies did exist, but they are extinct in Earthland. They do still survive in another dimension with other elf-like beings (because I said so and because I like the idea of a Sidh in-universe, because travelling to parallel universes is a thing, so there!)

- Talking about that, there's a difference between parallel universes (Edolas) and dimensions (the place where Angel's "angels" dwell). A parallel universe is a different kind of world on the same "wavelength" as the one Fairy Tail exists, and a different dimension is in the same universe, BUT on a different level (you know, the 2D, 3D and so on, and so forth). But because I do not want to go full-on-nerd-mode-that-will-never-stop-talking-about-the-thing, I'll stop here.

- Minerva and Rogue are a couple and you cannot tell me otherwise.

- Talking about the saberkitties, that guild desperately needed to heal after Jiemma. It took them a lot of work to get to a level where everyone began to trust in their guildmates and the guild itself. Minerva is the one that had the hardest time, as she was the daughter of the abusive jerk and his favoured and longest victim.

- She also had the hardest time after Tartaros, because it took months for her to have a human body again. Sting, Rogue, Orga and Rufus were there every step of the way for her. She loves them with all her shriveled little dark heart.

- She stays a badass with some violent and cruel tendencies, but she's mostly awkward, nowadays. She feels most comfortable with Rufus and Rogue because they're calm and quiet. She also adore Frosch.

- It took Yukino months to decide that she might possibly want to rejoin a guild. She goes to Sabertooth to confront her bad treatment and the trauma from her excommunication and has the longest talk with Sting, although she sees that he's far from his cocky, rambunctious, confident self (because Tartaros + losing his dad + Minvera stuff going on). They have a heart to heart and Sting apologizes profusely about how he acted until the Eclipse gate thing. She accepts his apology, but still hesitates to rejoing the guild. Noone pushes her, but Sting asks her to at least stay around for a few days so that the other guild members can see her. She does, and gets apologies from everyone. However, she does not see Minerva, and since she was one of the biggest offenders when it came to bullying in the guild, she really wanted to confront her, but the situation is explained to her. Yukino rejoins the guild after a few weeks of hard thinking, and patiently waits for her very needed conversation with Minerva, although she does not push for it when she knows that things must definitely not be easy for the spatial mage.

- Orga is half Fioran and half Encan. That's why he weats the clothes he does, and has the tatoos. The facial paint he has during the GMG is because of a warrior tradition from Enca. He goes to visit his maternal family at least once a year. Although noone outside of his friend circle (which was noone during Jiemma's tenure) knows of that tidbit about his background.

- Freed, Rufus and Lucy are all from high society, but they never mingled or even talked. Freed's father was very strict and rarely allowed him to go to parties because he was never good enough, and then when his magic realized itself, he was too ashamed of the creature that was his son to even consider it. Rufus, on the other hand, was too young, but he saw Lucy from afar. He just never talked to her. Freed only knew of Lucy's name, but Lucy wasn't aware of him at all, because she would do anything to not do a good impression.

- Talking about Lucy, she is very sensitive to any kinds of comments about her physical appearance due to a childhood with the pressure of having to look like a perfect breedable doll, due to her father's expectations and just high society. Because she was seen more as an asset than a human being. And even though she rebelled about all the expectations, she internalized them still. She still struggles about it.

- Another thing she struggles with is: independance and freedom. Two things she never really had until she decided to flee her home. That's one of the reasons she kind of lets Natsu drag her on adventures too, because making decisions for her life and having the responsibility of her own destiny freaks her out and gives her major anxiety. She even had panick attacks about those.

- Lisanna had a very hard time getting used to Edolas, but also getting used to being back to Earthland. Her siblings and close friends (aka Natsu and Happy)? Even more so. Lots of angst and not believing it to be true and stuff. Also, she had quite a bit of difficulty reconnecting her Earthland friendships. She tended to see the guild as their Edolas versions for a while. But now everything's fine.

- The Raijinshuu bonded over their eye magic and their respect for Laxus, because he was the one to help them and make them join the guild.

- Laxus, under his not-approachable, cocky veneer, is just a very awkward sweetheart that has no idea how to interact with humans outside his three friends. He exudes big introvert energy and you cannot tell me otherwise.

- After the war, Laxus is lost. He does not know what to do without his grandpa. But the guild has to go on, so he tries to hide his grief and buries himself in work, because there is a lot to do. Of course his team sees it and with a lot of coaxing, he does properly mourn Makarov. He also goes to Porlyusica to talk about him and get help with his lungs (because there's scar tissue caused by the bane particles still there).

- For weeks on end, Erza and Laxus talk about who should be the next master, even though Laxus does not even want to take on the role anymore. And because no consensus is reached with just them, they decide to have a guild poll and let everyone choose their favoured candidates (could even be someone else, they do not care). In the end, poor Laxus still ends with the responsibility, and when he discovers all the paperwork his grandfather left, he nearly has a breakdown. Fortunately, Freed comes to the rescue, and when she hears about it, Lucy also helps. Lucy gets closer to the Raijinshuu and the new master that way and Freed, Laxus and her talk at length about their childhood, expectations and the verbal abuse they had to live through.

- When he discovers the amount of money that team Natsu makes the guild lose every single mission, and the destructiveness of most of the guild members, he decides to change that with the help of other guilds. The new Council, hearing this, jumps on the opportunity to try and get the guilds more involved because they do not want to keep on dealing with Fairy Tail nonesense. They have better things to do.

- Hisui gets more involved in the politics of the country and tries her best to make relations better with their neighbours Bosco and Seven. Since Bosco was hit the worst by the forces of Alvarez, she also organizes humanitarian missions that she sends to all the guilds in Fiore. Getting missions from the crown is a never seen before occurrence, but she thinks that it's a cause important enough to get involved. Her project pays, as relations with Bosco thrive after that.

- This also makes the population more curious about the other countries of Ishgar, as Fiore has always been mostly self-sufficent and autocratic.

- The Raijinshuu + Laxus (also, I hate that Laxus isn't officially part of the team and they're just his followers, come ooooon!) is actually the strongest team of the guild, but since they're not official, well... it's not official. Even without Laxus, the team is very efficient and rarely destructive. They have the advantage of all the members being quick thinkers and all of them are quite strategic, and if Freed tells them to do something, they do it without question. And even though Laxus is very powerful, he is also very analytic when he goes on missions, and even in fights. (Yes, I have a bone to pick with team Natsu when it comes with how they operate. Also, that particular way they work? Well, makes Lucy and Wendy not blend with them very well)

Ok, I think that's it for today. I might add to my list of headcanons, because I have MANY (too many to count).

Here's a little list of things I'd like to tackle at one point or another:

- where all the (time travelling) dragonslayers originated from and how they came into the care of their dragons

- Fairy Tail ships, sexualities and the why (aka, why I think nearly none of the characters are straight)

- Acnologia's backstory, but done in a way that does not make him one-dimensional, because the King of dragons deserves it, thank you very much

- Why I dislike the characterization of the cast, and what would have worked better from a narrative point of view (from my point of view as a reader, writer, someone who LOVES character development, but also maybe a bit someone who's actually studied literature in Uni)

- Maybe also ways for the magic system to actually have consequences? Because in the canon material, we've got nearly nothing for the main cast and I am annoyed.

- And probably some more worldbuilding, because you know I LOVE me some worldbuilding. I also think way too much about stuff, so yay?

[leemaht]

haikyuu!! headcanons

boyfriend scenarios

semi eita as your boyfriend

****************************************

warnings: none

pairings: semi eita x fem!reader

***************************************

semi

tsundere. refuses to acknowledge his crush until it is unbearable

like seriously. you thought he hated you.

you are the setter of the girls team of shiratorizawa and he met you at a mixed training of your teams.

he instantly was captured by both your beauty and behavior. your elegant form when you tossed the ball and how you kept your teammates in check without having to raise your voice, nice but intermediating.

he didn’t even notice he was staring at you until he felt the arm of his teammate around his shoulder

‘ohhh, does semisemi like what he sees?’

‘oh shut up tendou i was trying to learn how she sets her tosses.’

‘hmmm, why not learn first-hand then? HEY N/N!’ he called you over with a knowing smirk on his face. semi sure would have loved to kick him just now.

did i forget to mention that you are neighbors/friends with tendou? you are neighbors/friends with tendou.

‘yeah,what’s up satori?’ n/n? satori? he thought. you knew each other?

‘our pretty setter here was admiring your form. :3′

‘o shut up tendou, i was not.’ semi rolled his eyes earning a little chuckle from you.

‘hmmmmm?. i’ll leave you two to it then. i’ll walk with you home later alright?’ ‘sure’

semi was so confused. walking home together? were you friends? siblings or something? so he tried to initiate a conversation

‘so, how do you know tendou?’ 

‘i, uh, we are neighbors for 10 years now or something. we’ve known each other quite a long time so we are like siblings, i guess.’

semi just nodded. after a while the silence got uncomfortable and you gestured that you had to resume practice. ‘let’s talk another time’ 

you totally got his hopes up

he joined you and tendou on your walk home to which tendou teased the shit out of him. well he excused himself by saying that he needed to buy something for his mother.

he greeted you whenever he saw you on the hallways. you returned the greetings and his heart fluttered every time your face lit up when you did.

after a while he asked tendou for your number

‘aw. our little semisemi is in love~’ but he gave it to him anyways.

and he texted you whenever he could. this boy was so in love. but seriously? you thought the exact opposite. even though he internally screamed and felt butterflies whenever you talked, his expression was different.

he showed nearly no emotion and he called you names like idiot or dork and even though he didn’t mean tsundere it, it really hurt you

still you felt you feelings grow for him as well.

the confession? hm?

you walked by the gym once and overheard a chat between tendou and semi.... ouch

‘soooo you like n/n. right semisemi? if you wanna go out with her you should really get my permission first ~’

tendou’s playful expression fell when he looked past semi to see you standing in the entrance with tears in your eyes.

‘huh,why would i like her? are you nuts? you should really stop to stick your nose in stuff that's none of your concern. can't you guys just leave me alone?’

semi turned around in shock as he saw you run away crying. he felt so bad. why the hell did he say that? he didn’t mean it at all.

when he turned back to tendou he had the most serious look on his face ‘fix that. now.’

semi ran after you. after a while he found you sitting under a tree near the school grounds, still crying

before you acknowledged his presence he had you captured in a hug. you struggled but gave in after a while.

‘why are you doing this? after what you said...’ he looked you in the eyes and kissed you passionately. you were baffled but kissed back nearly instantly.

he apologized after for treating you so badly but ... well tsundere is his main character trait.

confessed to you right after and you kissed him again as answer.

tendou approved you two :3

you initiate most pda like hand holding and stuff and he just blushes and looks the other way

he takes lots of photos from you when you are not watching. he really appreciated your beauty.(you took many too ofc)

dates in cute cafes and study dates. he loves to teach you stuff to look clever in front of you but accepted your help as well.

tsundere in public but so soft and caring in private.

plays with your fingers and your hair randomly without really noticing and blushes madly when he does. but you tell him it is cute and you like it. blushes even worse and calls you dumbass.

you learned not to take his insults serious

very very very very jealous

when a guy just as much as talked to you he be sliding in. most of the times he just came up behind you,wrapping his arms around your waist as he stared them down but if that didn’t work he had no problems with dissing them until they left.

he once overheard you as a guy flirted with you and was so proud

‘come on sweet thing. i just want your number. what’s the harm?’

‘sorry, i have a boyfriend and i am pretty happy.’

‘i could make you so much happier.’

‘hm why would i go from a 12 to a 3.’ he was so proud and flattered at the same time.

you learned one or two things from him haha.

you, semi, tendou and wakatoshi became a squad. the 4 of you met nearly every weekend and practiced and stuff. you received maaaaany compliments from toshi. like that you tossed him better than semi and shirabu. rip semi

[agentrouka-blog]

What future do you see for Timett One-Eye? Do you think he'll cross paths with Sansa and be a stand-in for Jon, since Jon is probably going to lose an eye?

I definitely agree that Timett is likely one of the many stand-ins for Jon, but I also think he’s not going to be as prominent a figure as the Hound, or even Sansa’s cuddly cousin Sweetrobin or any of the maaaaany others. I don’ t think they would be a specific stand-in for Jon in a romantic context, or even touch on every context of their relationship. IF they meet, the devil will likely be in the details.

That said, Tyrion is given this little speech in ADWD: 

Tyrion cleared his throat. “You can talk of old times later … after I am done explaining why my head would be of more use to you upon my shoulders. You will find, Lord Plumm, that I can be very generous to my friends. If you doubt me, ask Bronn. Ask Shagga, son of Dolf. Ask Timett, son of Timett.” “And who would they be?” asked the man called Inkpots. “Good men who pledged me their swords and prospered greatly by that service.” He shrugged. “Oh, very well, I lied about the ‘good’ part. They’re bloodthirsty bastards, like you lot.” (ADWD, Tyrion XI)

A one-eyed, blood-thirsty bastard, a Burned Man (clan name). That’s pretty blatant. And considering he is specifically named and brought up, that’s another hint that Sansa may, in fact, encounter the mountain clans soon, and possibly make use of her marriage to Tyrion in that context. They have reason to remember him fondly. When Tyrion is informed that his mountain clan men are gone, we are given detail on Timett and another potential, ugly hint for Sansa:

“The Stone Crows are still in the kingswood. Shagga seems to have taken a fancy to the place. Timett led the Burned Men home, with all the plunder they took from Stannis’s camp after the fighting. Chella turned up with a dozen Black Ears at the River Gate one morning, but your father’s red cloaks chased them off while the Kingslanders threw dung and cheered.” Ingrates. The Black Ears died for them. Whilst Tyrion lay drugged and dreaming, his own blood had pulled his claws out, one by one. “I want you to go to my sister. Her precious son made it through the battle unscathed, so Cersei has no more need of a hostage. She swore to free Alayaya once—” “She did. Eight, nine days ago, after the whipping.” Tyrion shoved himself up higher, ignoring the sudden stab of pain through his shoulder. “Whipping?” “They tied her to a post in the yard and scourged her, then shoved her out the gate naked and bloody.” She was learning to read, Tyrion thought, absurdly. Across his face the scar stretched tight, and for a moment it felt as though his head would burst with rage. Alayaya was a whore, true enough, but a sweeter, braver, more innocent girl he had seldom met. Tyrion had never touched her; she had been no more than a veil, to hide Shae. In his carelessness, he had never thought what the role might cost her. (ASOS, Tyrion I)

No more than a veil. Veil, Vale. Bloody, Gate. Playing a role at great cost. Learning. Sweet, brave, innocent, never touched by Tyrion… That’s Sansa.

Something tells me, Sansa’s time as Alayne will come to an uncomfortable end.

I don’t think she will be literally whipped. But her role as a bastard girl might leave her very vulnerable to some kind of retribution if Littlefinger’s power in the Vale is shaken. 

There may even be a dynamic at work that I like the call Small Vale Conspiracy, akin to the Grand Northern Conspiracy. Vale lords loyal to the Arryns may be hoping to oust Littlefinger, while Harry’s faction also has no desire to be controlled by him. We are given to understand Littlefinger has bought most of their support. But maybe not?

Sansa as his bastard way above her station, his co-conspirator, potentially as his rumored incestuous mistress, maybe accused of wearing the clothes or jewels of the late Lady Arryn (Like Grandpa Lannister’s mistress, who was made to do a walk of shame by Tywin), being gifted with things as extravagant as a giant lemon cake that required every last lemon in the Vale (look to Jon’s chapters to understand the importance of citrus fruit to combat scurvy in winter and you may understand how some could consider that baaaaad) and arranging fancy tourneys in a time of war... Plus, she lied about Lysa’s death.

It may come to nothing, but if suddenly a lot of people were to turn on Sansa the moment Littlefinger is considered ousted, GRRM would have given it ample set-up. Sansas is essentially Reek to Baelish’s Ramsey. (While also being young Griff, while also being ASOS-Jon with the wildlings, while also being AGOT-Dany with the Dothraki... Cycles, mirrors everywhere.)

It would fit into the pattern of everyone heading into major catastrophe before emerging momentarily triumphant. 

Sansa being humiliated and scorned might ultimately be her path to freedom, to the North.

Another hint:

His dream of selling Arya to Lady Arryn died there in the hills, though. "There's frost above us and snow in the high passes," the village elder said. "If you don't freeze or starve, the shadowcats will get you, or the cave bears. There's the clans as well. The Burned Men are fearless since Timett One-Eye came back from the war. And half a year ago, Gunthor son of Gurn led the Stone Crows down on a village not eight miles from here. They took every woman and every scrap of grain, and killed half the men. They have steel now, good swords and mail hauberks, and they watch the high road—the Stone Crows, the Milk Snakes, the Sons of the Mist, all of them. Might be you'd take a few with you, but in the end they'd kill you and make off with your daughter."

I'm not his daughter, Arya might have shouted, if she hadn't felt so tired. She was no one's daughter now. She was no one. Not Arya, not Weasel, not Nan nor Arry nor Squab, not even Lumpyhead. She was only some girl who ran with a dog by day, and dreamed of wolves by night. (ASOS, Arya XII)

Someone wants to “sell” a Stark Girl but will fail. Winter imagery. Running with a dog, i.e. some knight-like figure like the Hound, but dreaming of wolves. “I am not his daughter.” Could as well be Sansa.

If I’m wrong about Sansa taking a ship from Gulltown, she may actually make her way west through the mountains with a knight and encounter the mountain clans, and Timett. It would be a sweet parallel to whatever Dany is going to do to the Dothraki she encounters at the end of ADWD after fleeing Meereen (where she “played a role”) on Dragon back, and whatever Jon will be doing in the North that will likely involve the Wildlings, after returning from getting stabbed. 

If somehow Sansa enters recovers some power and dignity or at least gets the opportunity to politic her way North with the help of the Mountain Clans, I would love it. Timett would be a key figure to making it happen, through his Tyrion connection. 

If she eventually, perhaps even after reuniting with Jon, manages to broker some kind of peace between Clans and Vale, much like Jon did with Wildlings and Night’s Watch, I would love it even more. But that may be too much to ask? 

I’m not super-attached to this theory, but I could enjoy it. 

That’s the nice thing about TWOW. We already know Sansa will be big, crucial and heading home. So many different ways it may happen, though! 

[illegiblewords]

Emet-Selch: Illness and Accountability

I’ve seen some posts where people are trying to argue that no compassion/sympathy/remembrance should be paid to Emet-Selch because of the total annihilation of multiple worlds he participated in.

People gonna feel how they’re gonna feel lol, but my opinion has a bit more gray I think. Buttloads of analysis and some psychobabble under the cut, spoilers up the wazoo.

- Obviously causing apocalypses and encouraging the worst qualities in people to that end is evil, unacceptable, and had to be stopped. Imo even if that ends in his death. That level of tragedy is horrific.

- Amaurot’s tragedy is still immense, and the nature of Amaurotine society and the stunted nature of its inhabitants (being unequipped to deal with loss, their own/humanity’s evils, or other forms of suffering) only further ensured that the unsundered would not be mentally or emotionally capable of dealing with the aftermath of that loss. A regular person would have been devastated. Amaurotines were left with zero ability to cope.

- Tempering makes it SIGNIFICANTLY worse. Emet-Selch is pretty blasé about it yeah, but he is not a reliable source on this subject. Consider that when lesser primals like Ifrit, Leviathan, or Titan temper people they need to be killed without question. They often aren’t even considered themselves anymore. Zodiark is to them what the sun is to idk Mars. Wouldn’t go so far as Mercury but it’s still an insane difference in power, intensity, etc. Lahabrea shows indications of being more heavily effected than Emet-Selch and Elidibus but honestly the only reason they’re not going “your words are my bread” 24/7 as per Ifrit thralls is probably specifically because they’re unsundered Amaurotines. That doesn’t mean that they aren’t hugely warped.

- Imo Emet-Selch has absolutely been driven insane. Not hallucinations necessarily, but honestly he’s right at the brink of that level. He has the ability to more or less take things from his head and materialize them externally, and he’s gone full throttle with that for Amaurot. He has a fake place where he can make believe things are still okay and his friends are still alive and he still has a home to go to. He also vomited out his PTSD nightmares and sometimes subjects himself to that experience again. It would not surprise me even SLIGHTLY if pre-Scions showing up he’d used that dungeon to try and figure out from his memories if there was anything he could have done differently, anyone he could have saved. The whole area existing basically indicates he’s developed a level of masochism. He’s been doing this for at least several hundred years if not more, if the Ondo are to be believed. EDIT: I may have misremembered and have timeline questions about this now. Need to investigate further to determine how long fake-Amaurot existed and in what degree of completion. Emet-Selch might be good about covering this up in conversation for the most part, but that doesn’t make it any less real. My opinion on very specific kinds of insanity, this one included, is that responsibility is somewhat alleviated and it becomes more the product of the illness/situation rather than a person being horrible. None of that means that the results are less terrible or that the person shouldn’t be stopped by whatever means necessary. It just means that the personal judgment on the perpetrator is different from what it would be if they were in total control of their faculties.

- All of the above said, the posts circulating where fans call him a little bitch and fantasize about saying they won’t remember read a bit like kicking someone when they’re down to me. Fictional situations yeah, but honestly there is not a single person in the scenario who isn’t suffering in horrific ways and doing that helps none of them. To me it reads kind of like an extension of revenge fantasies that seem to be popular these days, and honestly the revenge mentality is something I’m pretty exhausted with. This probably comes a lot from me having seen more angry people around in-general (not mainly FFXIV), and it just kind of makes me sad. Seeing how many fans were able to find compassion and mercy in them for Emet-Selch was a huge relief for me in light of that. It’s probably in part because of how obvious it is that he’s depressed out of his mind and dealing with several millenias worth of PTSD. The sleeping thing screams it pretty loud in a way I suspect a lot of people recognized.

- I seriously, seriously think that part of what was going on with Emet-Selch was on some level being aware that he’d become a monster and what he was doing counted as murder. The reason his reaction at the Ladder was shown and important is because it exposes his process of recognizing the reality of sundered people still counting and needing to actively remind/convince himself otherwise. It is way too neat and convenient for him to know that the way to get his world and people back is to sacrifice countless sundered through rejoinings, but none of those people are real anyway so it’s not a difficult choice.

The reality is way more ugly and horrifying, and my theory is he’s unable to deal with the weight of it. Knowing that not only were all the lives he ended real, often innocent people--they were pieces of his own beloved people would 100% destroy him past functioning. If he doesn’t have that denial mechanism in place he isn’t going to be able to survive, much less save anyone.

Another fan explained it really brilliantly imo with:

He probably has a mantra he repeats to himself, every time he feels himself starting to form an attachment to one or more of these pitiful, ephemeral beings: "They aren't truly alive, they aren't real. Things will be better when they are whole - better for THEM, even. This is for the good of us all..." Especially NOW; the sunk cost fallacy is STRONG. To stop now would be unthinkable. Even if they were willing to acknowledge the murders they've committed, if they were to cut things off all those murders would have been in vain, cruel sacrifices for no purpose. Eight worlds full of life extinguished, and that doesn't even include the horrendous loss of life on the Source with each Rejoining. They may feel they OWE it to those lost to see things through - and each new murder is another obligation on the pile...

- Sometimes situations can just be fucking tragic and sad for all involved. Anger is usually easier because it feels powerful, directed, and simpler while sadness tends to come from a more helpless, hopeless, and uncertain place.

- Even if on the off chance that Emet-Selch was totally sane, not compromised, and just plain evil with zero gray involved that would warrant sympathy... the people of Amaurot were innocent. Why be like “I’m not gonna remember shit :)” on those people? Imo heroes should remember ALL of the innocents lost... and the villains who couldn’t be saved too. It’s tragic when it comes to loss like that. Necessary sometimes, but still tragic.

- Separate but slightly related, I am side-eyeing the people who try to go “X is a stand in for Y real world genocide group and if you have sympathy for X you support Y you monster” SO HARD YOU HAVE NO IDEA. Not every evil empire, even the totalitarian and fascist ones, are stand ins for specific real world regimes. Understanding doesn’t equal agreeing with or endorsing. Having sympathy for individual suffering, especially in fiction, also doesn’t mean that you support the person’s ideology and goals. As a society we desperately need to remember the difference between understandable versus justifiable. :/ And for what it’s worth, Garlemald specifically has bits and pieces of MAAAAANY different real world authoritarian governments using a range of strategies and positions.

Disclaimer I got no ill will toward people who been jumping on the “IDGAF” train but I disagree and needed to get my thoughts out haha. Didn’t want to go into full-debate with people who might not be looking for that in the post itself and don’t want to discourage others from exploring their own interpretations! Just figured airing my opinions this way might be aight. Like I alluded to I’m also coming from a place where I’ve dealt with really intense moral policing by fans in the past (not within FFXIV), so that definitely shapes my perspective some.

[madamebaggio]

Notes: I got super late with this because the internet sucks and the holidays suck the life out of me. I had a hard time focusing on a longer chapter, so the others will also be late, but I hope you like.

For those of you who might not remember, there was a poll this month and this is one of the ships that won a fuller post.

Also, remember that for the Crackship Fleet next month there’s still time to choose a prompt for your favorite ship. Some of them are already booked, but we still have maaaaany left. So check december’s post of your favorite ship and see if you’re interested in picking a prompt for them ;)

This follows this.

***

Fury was the most paranoid man Steve had ever met, and he was convinced that every step the Director took as carefully planned.

That was why he was surprised when Fury actually came to meet them at the ship.

Once the woman who introduced herself as Mera - eventually she told him her full name was Y'Mera Xebella Challa, and she was Xebellian princess, but she’d been the Queen of Atlantis’ protégeé - demanded that the weapons found be returned to her people, Steve had to call Fury.

He didn’t know what to think about this whole thing, and too many agents had heard this conversation; so he needed to make it official and call Fury in.

He told as much to the princess and that they’d have to wait. When she didn’t look happy with the suggestion, Steve explained to her that, if she chose not to wait, the only answer would be to fight everyone on that ship.

The thing was… For a moment, it seemed like she’d considered it. She ran her eyes over the ship, and he could almost hear the voice inside her head calculating and evaluating the risks.

“We shall wait.” She declared after a full minute, like she was granting him a favor.

Steve informed her it’d take a few hours at least for Fury to get there, since they were in the middle of the ocean and Fury had stayed back in DC.

She said it was no problem, she’d wait and give diplomacy a chance.

It wasn’t an encouraging choice of words.

She chose a spot on the ship where she could keep her eyes on everyone, but kept minimal contact, even when Steve did try to engage her in conversation.

He wasn’t really good at talking to women in general, and something about this one…

It took five hours for Fury to reach them -which did involved rappelling down from the quinjet followed by Agent Hill -but eventually he got there.

“Captain.” He nodded at Steve, then threw a look her way. “That’s her?”

“Yes, sir. Princess Mera.”

Fury gave him a flat look, before turning to her. “Your Highness.”

She threw him an assessing look. “Director Fury, I assume.”

“Yes. Captain Rogers says you want to claim those weapons.”

“They belong to my people. They were stolen by humans.” She pointed out. “I don’t wish to start something over this, and I don’t blame humans in general, but they belong to my people.” She insisted. “If I have to open a dispute about it…”

“I do not like threats.” Fury warned her.

“And I don’t like thieves.” She told him, unrelenting. “I came here in peace to recover weapons that should not be in human hands. The technology we have in Atlantis is nothing like you’ve ever dreamed about.”

“We’ve had dealings with Asgard.” Fury told her. “We understand of… Different technology.”

“If you know about Asgard, you know these are not things you want anyone getting their hands on.” Mera insisted. “This is something you can’t control. What happens if they get stolen from you?”

“Like they were from you?” Nick threw back dryly.

Mera gave him a flat look. “I waited in respect to your Captain.” She finally said. “I didn’t have to. We are in my territory; I don’t wish to start a battle, but I will. And then, I’ll have to do it again and again, because I know that what you have here, isn’t half of what’s been stolen. Which means there are other ships and other people. If you want, we can race to find those, and make every single minute a battle.” She sighed, like it pained her to say so. “Or we can work together.”

Fury just arched an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything. “We have the same end goal: to keep these out of the wrong hands.” She insisted. “This can be a battle, or it can be a partnership.”

Fury levelled her with a serious look, then seemed to have a whole telepathic conversation with Hill before turning to Steve. “What do you say, Captain?”

“I think she deserves a chance to say her piece, Director.” Steve told him honestly.

Fury sighed. “Have you ever been to a jet before?”

“I don’t leave the ocean very often.” She told him honestly.

“Then I guess this’ll be an adventure.” Fury said dryly. “We’re going to DC.”

***

After some debate, Mera agreed to leave some of her guards on the ship with the other agents, and go to the Triskelion. Steve didn’t know she had people with her until they started coming out of the water, but she assured him that they’d follow orders and wait. 

Fury, for his part, had conceded that it might at least be good to exchange information. He didn’t look happy when he realized Mera had people waiting as well, but he didn’t say a word. Hill, who seemed to always know what Fury was thinking, was the one talking to the agents and giving orders, since her boss was having a staring contest with the princess.

Mera hadn’t seemed sure about boarding the quinjet, but let Hill help her out the harness on and went up quietly.

Steve insisted on going along, mostly because he was curious about what she had to say. Atlantis, as far as he’d known his whole life, was just a fairy tale. The world just kept getting bigger and stranger…

Once he climbed aboard the quinjet, he was surprised to find Natasha there. “Agent Romanoff.”

The corner of her lip ticked up. “Captain.” She looked at Mera, who was already sitting. “What do you think?”

Steve sighed. “I miss the simpler days.”

Natasha arched an eyebrow at him. “Have we ever seen those?”

He chuckled. “I guess not.” He looked at Mera too. “I don’t know what she’s capable of.” He admitted. “I don’t know about her abilities, but if she’s to be believed… There’s an army down there.”

Natasha just hummed noncommittally, as the quinjet lurched forward.

***

Steve spent some time talking to Natasha, and only after noticed that Mera hadn’t moved from her spot, and her hand was resting on her stomach.

He walked closer, than sat next to her. “You’ve never flown before?”

“No.” She admitted. “It is… Different.”

“I imagine so.” He was quiet for a minute. “How is Atlantis?”

“Unique.” She responded immediately. “It’s like never you’ve ever seen before.”

“You don’t know what I’ve seen before.” He pointed out, a grin on his lips.

She looked mistrustful for a minute, as if she wasn’t sure if he was mocking her. “It doesn’t matter what you’ve seen before: nothing is like Atlantis.”

There was love in her eyes and voice when she spoke the name of her home. She was a proud woman, it was easy to see that, but now -looking closely -Steve could see royalty in her as well. He believed she was a princess, because there was something radiating from her that was clearly about that.

“And how does a princess become a soldier?” Steve asked.

She arched an eyebrow at him. “Why would one exclude the other?”

“Good point.”

They were silent for a minute. “Do you trust your Director?” She asked.

Steve wondered if he should lie and tell her what she wanted to hear, but he was a terrible liar and she deserved the truth.

“It’s more complicated than that.” He admitted. “I know that Fury is the man that will do whatever it takes to protect people. He believes in the fight he fights everyday, but… Whatever it takes means…”

“Whatever it takes.” She completed unnecessarily.

“Yes.”

She hummed her understanding. “But you still fight for him.”

“I fight for the things I believe in: freedom, justice, dignity. Fury just happens to be a man that I believe fights for the same reasons. We don’t always agree about method, though.”

“So how can I trust him?” She pushed back.

“The same way we can trust you; a leap of faith.”

She arched a brow at him. “Too early for that, don’t you think?”

“Perhaps.” He agreed with a rueful laughter. “But what else can we do? Fight over it?”

She pretendo to consider it, but there was a certain mirth in her eyes that betrayed her. “I’ll trust you then.”

“Me?” Steve asked surprised.

“There is something about you that makes me want to trust you.” She admitted, even though she didn’t look that happy about it. “In the few hours I’ve known you, you’ve kept your word, and that’s all I can ask of someone I’ve just met.”

“I guess.” Steve was grinning by then.

“I don’t want this to become a fight.” She told him, suddenly serious again. “I’m a princess and if something happens to me, there’ll be retribution. But I choose to believe you won’t let them put me into an aquarium.”

“I’ll do my best.” He assured her. “Does that mean we can work together?”

She tipped her chin up. “Let’s see how impressive that Triskelion is first.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Just Mera is fine.”

“I’m Steve.”

[tetrakys]

Memories lost, Memories found - Armin

This ended up being way longer than expected, and I am not sure I am ever going to write about Armin again, it’s painful and this took everything I had from me.

First, read the Intro here.

I looked around the square trying to get my bearings. This had probably been a stupid idea. After the longest and most uncomfortable bus trip ever, I didn’t even know Armin’s precise address. That night at the Snake Room Alexy had blurted out just the name of the town and neighbourhood. I looked at my phone biting my lower lip pensively… I had only two options, call Alexy and ask for his brother’s full address or give up and go back home.

I wasn’t sure Alexy was willing to talk though, after what had happened between him and Rosa I didn’t know where we stood. However, I was willing to beg. I knew exactly what was waiting for me back home, uncertainty and drama. I had been almost on the verge to offer my heart and body to someone just a couple of days ago, and now… now I wondered if there was anything left to offer at all. I had already given both to someone else a long time ago.

I was just about to look up Alexy’s number when something caught my eye. I stopped dead in my tracks in front of a gaming shop, a sign hanging on the door:

‘Last One Standing tournament TONIGHT!’

Armin loved this game. I remembered the hours spent playing together in his room, we both had a serious competitive streak. We could spend the whole day just playing and eating take out. Sometimes… well, many times, the passion we put in the game turned into something else and we ended up getting distracted for a while. Had there ever been happier days than those when all I needed was my laptop, a slice of cold pizza and him?

I pushed the door and walked into the shop. A brief conversation with the sales assistant confirmed that the competition was about to start but I was just in time to join the if I wished to. Mostly, he was probably surprised, usually there weren’t many hardcore girl players. At least not many respects to the sheer number of male players anyway. I payed my entrance fee and headed to the basement.

Of course the competition was in a basement, or rather the ‘gaming den’ as he had called it. The place was very dark, and each gaming-station, there were about fifty of them, had everything any geek could hope for: state of the art gaming gear, energy drinks, snacks… also everything was positioned in a way to guarantee each player their own privacy for maximal concentration.

I only had a few minutes to set me up and log in. I froze when I got to the choose-your-nickname section, memories rushing over me.

 —–o—–

“Why do you always choose the same nickname?” Armin asked me, turning around in his desk chair.

“You are not very original yourself” I pointed out from his bed, “yours is always one of the Ninja Turtle’s names.”

“At least I have four to choose from depending on my mood, and it totally makes sense, the TMNTs are my spirit animals” he replied “you can’t deny how much we have in common” he grinned pointing at the half empty pizza box and his small collection of nunchakus and sai on the walls.

“I do see a resemblance…” I said with a fake pensive tone of voice. He threw a pillow at me that I easily dodged.

“I am serious though, you always use either Tetraktys or a misspelled version of it, what does it even mean?”

“The Tetraktys was a sacred metaphysical symbol for Pythagoras and his disciples” I explained, “You can see it as a geometrical representation of the number 10 as the fourth triangular number. It has many meanings and embraces in itself the harmony of the cosmos and the divine. It was seen as the image of perfection and, well, of course, it reminds me to aim to perfection in everything I do.” I grinned “the misspelling part is my way of pointing out that something imperfect can be perfect in its own way.”

He just looked at me for a few moments, then joined me on the bed. Hovering over me, his hands at each side of my head, eyes staring into mine “You do are perfect, you even educate me on ancient philosophy.”

I cupped his face with my hands “Happy to oblige” my lips drawing closer and closer to his.

  —–o—–

I shook my head to wake up from my daze, I didn’t have time to walk down memory lane. I wasn’t sure Armin was even in this room, but if he was I didn’t want to be too obvious. I wrote Tenn in the nickname space and chose my character. I picked Syberia, she was my favourite, very fast and perfect for long range shooting. The upside was that she usually wasn’t great for close quarters combats, but I knew her as the back of my hand and, in time, I had created my own fighting strategy.

Last One Standing was a game of strategy more than brute force. It consisted of three levels each one different but just as complicated as the others.

I waited for the first level to load. This part was about environment survival: the game loaded some kind of scenario for all players to face, it could be a jungle, an alien invasion, or something similar. Everyone had an hour to get to the safe zone, all players out of it at the end of the timer’s countdown were eliminated.

I stared at the screen, my heart beating fast, the list of players rolling in front of my eyes.

Tenn entered the area

Asterfox entered the area

Shaman entered the area

…

Other thirty or so names followed, then finally

Michelangelo entered the area

I knew it! It was him, it had to be him.

And now? It wasn’t like I had a proper plan, I had (possibly) found him which had been my goal all along, should I just get up and go talk to him? To say what? I wasn’t sure I would accomplish anything other than ruin his night.

I was still trying to figure out what to do, when the first level scenario loaded, and a very distinct memory came back to mind.

—–o—–

“Welcome to Zombie city, Candy” he said gesturing towards the screen, a few days after he had introduced me to the game for the first time.

“Yikes zombies! Disgusting things, I am going to kill them all!” I replied eagerly.

“You will do no such thing” his voice serious “the level starts with just a few of them here and there, but the longer it takes you to reach the safe zone, the more of them appear. At some point it’s going to get impossible to move forward unless you have incredible fire power, and even then, only reckless players or thrill seekers are going to choose that option. No, the smartest way to get to the safe zone is this.” He pointed to a specific route on the map that read ‘sewers’.

“You are kidding, right?” I replied dumbfounded.

“You don’t believe me?”

I shook my head. We teased each other half of the time, it wouldn’t be the first time he pulled something like this just to get a good laugh.

“Go on then, run through the city, collect weapons, try whatever you want and see how it goes.”

“You can be on it! It’s on!”

It was a disaster, I died in the first five minutes. The second time was even worse. Eventually, at some point, after many maaaaany attempts, I managed to get to the safe zone. But he was right, it wasn’t worth it, the fire power alone and the time it took was just too much.

“Fine!” I cried out, throwing the gamepad on the bed out of spite. “You were right, happy?”

“Immensely” he grinned with mischief “I do love the fact you spent most part of the night relentlessly trying until you made it though. I find it really sexy” he added with a glint in his eyes.

“How sexy?” I replied raising a highbrow, turning slowly towards him.

“Very.”

  —–o—–

I knew what to do.

As soon as the countdown started I headed straight for the sewers entrance. I could tell from the little red dots on the map that about seven other people had had the same idea. Once I got there I knew I had been right all along. The player called Michelangelo was there too, he had chosen Markus, a big tank who was great for hand to hand combat, but slightly slower than average without a boost. It was Armin’s favourite character and, if it wasn’t proof enough, he was wearing a blue beanie. The beanie was Armin’s good luck charm.

I stared at the screen like I was trying to drill a hole through it. We were together in the same room, but more than that we were in our element, playing together. I didn’t have time to dwell on the thought, we had to run, sewers were safer but not completely zombie-free.

My character was the fastest one in the group, so I was immediately in front of the pack. I was so focused on just running and surviving the first level that I didn’t notice the recess in the wall until the in-game chat lit up.

Michelangelo wrote: Watch out on your left!

I sidestepped the zombie at the very last moment, one millisecond later and it would have been on me. Given Syberia’s stats it would have been a real pain to get it off in such small quarters.

Tenn wrote: Thanks, it almost got me.

SpiderWeb wrote: Dude, shut up. Less competition in the final level.

Michelangelo wrote: Level 2 is team-up dumbass, any strong team needs a Syberia.

I knew how he felt about team stats, but I also knew that he was just a nice person. I was happy to see some things hadn’t changed.

SpiderWeb started replying obscenities, but dividing his attentions between two tasks was complicated. I chuckled between myself when I saw him being tackled by two zombies soon afterwards.

The next fifteen minutes became a frenzy of just running and dodging. I was a little rusty and risked getting caught a few other times. I hadn’t played in a while, now that I thought about it… I hadn’t played since our breakup. There wasn’t a specific reason why, I had loved the game in the past, but more than anything I had loved playing with him. At the end of the day it didn’t seem to make much sense to play without him. It just hurt.

After another couple of minutes, I managed to fall back into a familiar rhythm, I felt confident enough to start keeping an eye on Armin’s game. Markus wasn’t very fast without a boost, and there had been none to collect in the sewers to this point, so he couldn’t hope to dodge all the zombies like my character did, however he was very good at hand to hand combat. Also, Armin was a real pro at that, he could do miracles with just a pocket knife. I saw him pinning a zombie to the wall and stabbing it in the temple and, ten seconds later, kicking another one in the guts and stomping on its head.

Hot.

Soon after I reached the last turn, but stopped right before entering the safe zone. Level 2 was a co-op game, people who completed level 1 close to the same time ended up in the same group and had to survive it together. Groups were usually of around five or six players, so I had to be careful if I wanted to be sure to end up in the same group as Armin.

I had been chilling in front of the finish line for a couple of minutes when I saw him running towards it. When he crossed it, we did it together. A few seconds later my private chat lit up.

Michelangelo wrote: were you waiting for me?

Tenn wrote: I saw you playing back there, I wanted to make sure to team up with good players for the next round.

Michelangelo wrote: I’m flattered, I hope we end up in the same team, you’re not too bad yourself. Also, I’m partial to Syberia.

My heart skipped a beat, was it because the character reminded him of me?

—–o—–

“Come on Candy, are you ready? We don’t have the whole day.”

“Get in here if you are bored” I replied from the other side of the door, taking one last look at my reflection in the mirror. Tight brown leather trousers, dark green tank top that left part of my midriff exposed and knee-high military boots. I tied my long hair in a ponytail before setting aside the fake shotgun to open the changing room door and letting him in.

“Wow!” Armin looked me up and down with a glint in his eyes “you are every nerd’s wet dream. I’m not sure I should let you walk around Comicon dressed like this.”

“Please” I replied with a dismissive snort “there isn’t a single jealous bone in your body.” I turned back to the mirror and leaned forward to apply some lipstick. I should have probably been the one on the lookout, in that full military attire (bar the beanie) he made for a really dashing Markus.

He locked the door before coming to stand at my back, putting his hands on my hips.

“You’re the sexiest Syberia I have ever seen” he whispered in my ear “all those geeks on the other side of this wall can only dream abut touching you.” His hard chest pressed against my back, our eyes locked in the mirror. “But that’s the only thing they can do… dream.” Running his tongue from the bottom of my neck up to my ear, he caught my lob in his teeth.

“Armin…” I moaned “what are you doing… we don’t have time for this.”

His right hand came up to my breast, while his left one made its way down the hem of my pants.

“No one else can touch you Candy” he whispered, brushing against my sensitive spot, dragging a groan from deep in my throat. “Let me hear you say it.”

“No one can touch me” I shivered in his embrace, his fingers keeping their circling motion.

“Only me.”

“Only you.”

  —–o—–

Michelangelo wrote: I mean… It’s always useful to have a good sniper in your team.

Tenn wrote: Yes. Plus, Syberia is hot. Every nerd’s wet dream, right?

A part of me wanted to bait him, confuse him, make him wonder. I hadn’t talked to him in four years and now that we were finally here… I was kinda pissed. Fuck… was this my great plan? Catfish him?

Level 2 loaded, my plan had worked, Armin and I were on the same team. All players had been divided in small teams with randomly assigned names (we were The Eagles), and each had a mission that was either to protect a suitcase from another team or steal it from them. This time we were the protectors.

I smirked, I knew Armin would not be happy, he much preferred being on the offense side. I, on the other hand, was in my element and knew exactly what to do.

“Okay guys” un unknown voice spoke to my ear making me jump in my chair “let’s talk about this.”

Fuck… fuck fuck fuck!!! I had completely forgotten that this part of the game allowed for the players to communicate through their microphones. What was I going to do now? He was going to recognise me right away; four years wasn’t that long of a time to forget someone’s voice.

“Tenn should cover the area from the top of the building.” My heart skipped a beat, it was him! His voice… I would recognise it between thousands. “SpiderWeb should stay back and take out any enemy that manages to infiltrate the outpost. I am going to draw attention to myself at the entrance while GhostVoid and Silver take them out.”

I recognised the nicknames of some of the players who had been in the sewers with us. Damn… the idiot from before was here too.

“Who made you captain of the team, asshole?” SpiderWeb replied as expected.

“If you have a better idea I am all ears” Armin replied calmly.

“Yes I do, I don’t see why I should stay back and leave all the fun to you.”

“Michelangelo is right” a guy, Silver, replied. His character was Lilith, a little girl with pigtails and a huge axe. She was absolutely devastating but easily damageable, she needed a tank to take her hits and Markus was perfect. “Your character, Teslan, is a ninja assassin, he moves in the shadows and specialises in sneak attacks, he should stay inside and protect the target.”

“Teslan is also good for open attacks, let GhostVoid be at the back!”

“But it makes no sense!” GhostVoid cried “I’m a nuker!”

They fought about this for a while, in the end SpiderWeb begrudgingly accepted to wait inside.

“You haven’t said a word Tenn” Armin pointed out “are you okay with this strategy?”

Here it was, the moment of truth. I deepened my voice and replied. This was going to be a disaster.

“Syberia is a sniper so that’s fine with me.”

A few seconds went by.

“Wooooow are you a chick?!” Silver exclaimed.

“Great. A girl on the team. We are fucked.” SpiderWeb said in a monotone.

“Shut up idiot!” GhostVoid replied “I swear to God if we weren’t on the same team you would be dead by now.”

They kept bantering for a few more minutes while getting into position. The game started a few minutes later. I stood on the edge of our base rooftop, rifle in my hand, waiting for the attack.

“I’m sorry about SpiderWeb” Armin’s voice said to my ears on a private communication channel “he’s a real prick.”

“None taken, I’m used to idiots underestimating me because of my gender when I play” I smirked “It usually comes to bite them right in the ass.”

He laughed, the laugh I remembered so well and hit me in the heart. “I bet it does.”

Another pause. Everyone stood still and silent while we waited for the enemy’s arrival.

“You sound familiar Tenn… where are you from?”

I closed my eyes defeated… he was onto me, I knew it! When I opened them back I instantly noticed something that only I could, thanks to my higher vantage point.

“Guys at your back!”

An enemy’s Teslan was sneaking behind my teammates to infiltrate our base. He was just about to strike Armin’s back with a fatal blow when I shot him right in the eyes and killed him instantly. Soon after all hell broke loose. The whole enemy’s team rushed to meet us on the open field.

“Thank you Tenn, a second later and I would have been a goner” Armin said in our private channel while shielding Silver and fighting the opposite team’s tank at the same time. I checked his game with admiration, he really was a force to be reckoned with. When we were together seeing him play had always turned me on a little. I kept shooting enemies whenever I had a chance, but in the crazy melee it was impossible to get another deadly shot. I managed, however, to make a few hits that saved GhostVoid and Silver in more than one occasion.

“You are great” Armin said after I hit the guy he was battling with, dropping his life span “I’m really happy I have you on my team.”

“Thanks…”

“You didn’t reply to my previous question, are you from around here?” he asked.

“Something like that…” I replied evasively.

“What’s your name?”

“So many questions… are you hitting on me?”

“What if I were… I do like hot girl gamers” he said with a hint of mischief in his voice.

“How do you even know I am hot?” I asked trying to hide my nervousness.

“Your game is too good.”

“This… doesn’t make sense at all.”

In that moment I spotted SpiderWeb jumping in the fight.

“Dude, what the fuck!” GhostVoid cried “who is protecting the target now?!”

“Fuck that” SpiderWeb replied “it was boring as hell just watching you all play”

“Guys… there is a missing player in the other team” I said and quickly scanned the map “fuck there is someone in our base… they had another Teslan!”

I left there my long-shot rifle and rushed into the building armed only with a gun. I was the closest one to the target. From the headphones I could hear the voices of my team members arguing and accusing SpiderWeb who was running back trying to make it into the base. I tuned everyone out while running the remaining two flights of stairs.

The moment I got into the target area a ghastly scene presented in front of my eyes, the enemy’s second Teslan had just grabbed our suitcase and was running out of the room. If he made it out of the building we were done for.

I run after him to the hall of the building, I was never going to make it, so I stopped and took aim. Right when he was about to make it through the threshold I hit him in the back of his head, killing him instantly. A second later SpiderWeb entered the area and I shot him in the chest, killing him as well.

“Fuck!” he cried “you killed me!”

“Sorry” I replied with zero conviction “I got confused between Teslans.”

“The hell you did, bitch! You did it on purpose!”

“Mind your words, you useless prick. Another breath and I am going to have you kicked out of this place forever.” Armin replied seemingly calm but with a very cold tone. “We have won, no thanks to you, just shut up and be grateful.”

I looked at the stats and saw that he was right, while I was dealing with the target the team had managed to take out all the remaining enemies. We had won. I sighed of relief and slumped in my chair, closing my eyes.

Now the final level… all against all… no complicated rules here, the game was called Last One Standing for a reason. Looking at the screen I saw that the other battles had also ended, there were three winning teams and, since all players of a winning team moved to the final stage, there were fifteen people left in the game. Which was starting again in five minutes.

“Nice shot” Armin’s voice said, coming from my headphones.

“Thank you, but I was also lucky, the guy was almost out of the base.”

“I am talking about the one that offed SpiderWeb, but the other one was great too” I could picture the smirk on his face.

“Well… he wasn’t wrong, I can really be a bitch sometimes.”

“He deserved it, and I like this ruthless mean streak of yours. Is that how you act in real life too?” he asked.

“Tsk tsk… why do you keep asking me so many questions?”

“I’m interested.” He was serious, no hint of laughter in his voice.

“You shouldn’t be” I murmured guiltily “I’m a mess.”

“I like a challenge” he said self-confident.

“Why don’t we make this more interesting?” he said after a pause “whoever wins this can ask the other one a question.”

“Why should I agree to this?” I asked with a snort.

“Think about it. Is there anything you want to ask me?”

I thought about it for a moment. There were so many things I wanted to know. What was his life now, if he ever thought about me… if he had moved on.

“Anything?”

“Anything.”

In that moment the game restarted and I run to take cover. “Deal” I said, before disappearing from the starting area. I run around for a little while deciding what to do.

There were 15 players, the best and safest option was to hide for a while and let them murder each other until there were just a few of them left. The setting was a post-apocalyptic city and, in a street, I found an abandoned building that looked promising. There was no map in this level and I couldn’t see where the everyone was, the only indication of the state of the game was the players count on the side of the screen and the announcement that appeared anytime a player was taken out and by whom.

I got in the building and ended up face to face with a someone right away. So much for the idea of the place being empty I thought. He must have been even more surprised than I was because, gun already in my hand, I managed to shoot him killing him immediately. The count went down by one and the message ‘Asterfox was killed by Tenn’ appeared on the right side of the screen.

I paused for a second, checking if anyone else was in the area and, when no one came out to kill me, I went upstairs and, laying on the rooftop, bracing my rifle, I waited while looking at the street below me. I had no intention of drawing attention to myself, so I was going to shoot only if I was sure I had a perfect chance for an instant-kill.

With that strategy I managed to take out another couple of players. After fifteen minutes there were only six left. Soon after the message ‘SpiderWeb was killed by Michelangelo’ appeared on the screen. I smirked, five to go.

“Where are you Tenn?” said Armin’s voice to my ear, our private channel still open.

“Like I am going to tell you” I snorted.

“Nah, that’s good. I like the chase” laughter in his voice, “some things are worth fighting for.”

I drew my breath feeling like I had been suckerpunched.

—–o—–

I was on the bed, laying on my side and hugging my knees to my chest. I was so tired… my eyes were red and swollen, having been crying for the past hour. Since our phone call.

“I am tired Armin” I had said “I don’t feel close to you anymore.”

Last time I had seen him had been three months before, when he had managed to visit me for a weekend.

“You are the one who left Candy. I am trying here, I really am. You are the one who is always busy either with school or new friends” he sounded defeated, we both were. This wasn’t the first time we were having that discussion. “Maybe some things are not meant to be and not worth fighting for.”

After those words I knew it was going to be the last.

  —–o—–

“What do you mean?” I asked him, my voice barely shaking.

“That I learned the hard way when it’s time to give up.”

Hot rage washed over me. In that moment I saw him running below my outpost and went for the kill. I really hadn’t thought it through because the position was completely off and I missed him by a long shot. That, however, had been enough to alert him of my position.

“Gotcha!” I saw him running towards my building. I had to leave the roof immediately.

I had just made it down the stairs when he barged into the building and, a moment later, we were both standing there, our guns pointed to each other.

“Well…” he said chuckling “isn’t this a classic case of Mexican standoff. Really funny.”

“Funny?” I barked “nothing funny about it.”

“Oh yes, very funny indeed, because whatever happens to this point on, I have already won.”

“W-what?”

“Yes, if I shoot and kill you, I can ask you whatever I want. If you kill me, you can ask me whatever you want, effectively achieving my goal of having a conversation face to face with you. So winning in the end doesn’t really matter anymore. I would love to be the one running the show though, so I am going to try to win this anyway.”

“Would you throw away the whole competition?” I replied with poison in my voice, “the moment you shoot me I am out of here, and you still have other three people to take before winning the game.”

“I don’t care. As I said, some things are worth fighting for.”

Picking up a stranger girl in a game yes, but me? Not me.

“Well, maybe there’s nothing worth for me here” I pointed my gun at my own temple. “Goodbye Armin” I said, and shoot.

The moment my screen went black I was gathering my things and running out of the shop as fast as I could.

I heard a “Shit!” at my back but didn’t bother turning around. I knew I had surprised him, no one had killed the other, I didn’t owe him any fucking conversation whatsoever.

I got drenched as soon as I stepped out of the shop, it was raining, almost storming. I didn’t know what to do or where to go, I just knew I had to make as much space between me and the man who had given up on me. The man who I loved and who hadn’t found me worth of his time since a long while ago.

“Candy, stop!”

And like a magic spell, I stopped dead in my tracks and turned around. We were at the opposite ends of a narrow alley, it was so dark and the rain so heavy that I could barely see two feet in front of me. But I could hear his steps while approaching me. A few moments later, I raised my head and saw him standing in front of me.

Armin was exactly like I remembered him, except well… wetter. Taller and broader than one would expect anyone spending most of his days sitting in front of a pc. His black thick hair was a little longer than before, and were now plastered down to his face by the rain, and his eyes… in the dark I couldn’t see their colour, but I could never forget that deep blue I had lost myself in so many times.

We just stared at each other for a moment.

“Why are you here, Candy?” he said breathless.

“Neither of us won, I don’t have to tell you anything” I replied trying to turn around and leave, but he grabbed my arm and pushed me closer to him.

“Why did you come here?” he repeated “Don’t run away again goddammit.”

“I didn’t run away in the first place, you were the one who gave up on us”, I started to cry, luckily the rain was masking my tears.

“We both did. You had your new life and I was standing in your way. I was in a bad place because of my family and my crazy hacking. I wasn’t strong enough… but I am now.”

I stood there in the rain, with no idea of what to do or what to say.

“Why are you here?”

“Because… I had to know.”

“Know what?”

“How I felt about you.”

“And…?”

“It doesn’t matter” I forced myself to reply, “it’s been four years, you never came back for me.”

“You didn’t either.”

“I just did!” I cried.

“So, you are here to get back together.”

I tried to reply in protest, but his mouth came onto mine with strength, he started kissing me with a passion and ardour I hadn’t felt in so many years. He pushed me against a wall and caged me between his strong arms. His chest pressing against mine.

“I knew it was you from the moment I heard your voice” he said in between kisses “I suspected it even before, the way you play… I could recognise you anywhere, behind any mask.”

He kept kissing me and I realised I hadn’t done anything to stop him.

“When I play that game… part of me does it to feel closer to you. I see you behind every Syberia, I remember all the times we played together, all times we were together…”

He grabbed me by the back of my thighs and raised me so that my eyes were now aligned to his, and my legs around his waist.

“You left but the memory of you never did. I love you Candy, I never stopped and never will.”

Now I was the one kissing him with all I got. I put my hands under his shirt, I had to feel his warmth, to feel him.

“I love you too.”

“There’s no going back from this Candy, you’re mine” he said serious.

“I’ve always been…” then added “And you are mine.”

“Forever” he replied, staring me right in the eye.

My hands on his cheeks I stared back at him, “Forever.”

Then I kissed him again, for what would be the first of many, many times.

-----------

Edit: After a prompt request I ended up writing a NSFW sequel for this, you can find it here

[purplesurveys]

627

How did you and your first love meet? We were officially introduced by mutual friends in Grade 7, but I’ve known her since we were in kinder. She’s a liiiiitle more unaware than I am so she only knew of me by around the time we were in Grade 5 or 6, though.

When did you realize you liked him/her? Junior year of high school. I slowly found her very pretty and was often looking over at her seat during class, and eventually I found myself wanting to hang out with her and listen to her stories, even though it was mostly about her fandoms that I knew nothing about.

Who asked who out? Me, both times. She isn’t really the confronting type, so I approached her when I sensed that she and I knew it was time to talk about us and settle stuff.

When did it become official? The first time, it was November 7th, 2014. But the second time around, and which I’ll mostly use as a point of reference for this survey, was February 23rd, 2016.

Where did you guys go for your first date? We were very fresh out of high school and were nearly out of our school allowance lmao, so we kept it very simple and went to a Korean fast food joint, Bonchon. If I remember correctly, she also had a Subway sandwich that day. We spent the rest of the day browsing through Daiso and Booksale.

When did you realize you fell in love with him/her? Around August or September 2014. I started confiding in my close friends by September.

How long was the relationship? The first time lasted eight months, but nowadays we’re going to hit four years by next month.

What was the most memorable thing you remember doing together? I will always have a soft spot for that one Ayala Museum date we had maaaaany years ago, but other than that, our Tuesday date nights were also memorable. College schedules are very taxing, so we’ve mostly made it a point to reserve Tuesdays for each other. That’s not the case anymore these days (we’re both insanely busy in our senior year), but yeah we did make some great memories during those Tuesdays.

Who kissed who first? She did. I was too scared to initiate anything in the physical sense, so I let her lead the dance on that one.

Who said “I love you” first and how was the reaction? I genuinely have no idea. I think it was me when we first started dating, and it was her when we got back together.

What did you love about him/her? She made me feel warm, loved, appreciated, and listened to. I also liked listening to her because she’s amazingly intelligent and always has something to say about everything. I cannot deal with stupid people, so her intelligence was definitely a big green flag for me haha.

What did he/she did that made you fall in love? The way she spoke, and the things she has to say. She has also always been thoughtful and kind to me.

Describe his/her personality? Passionate, ambitious, goal-driven.

Why did the relationship end? The first time around, she was caught up with a couple of high positions in school (goal-driven!!!) and a relationship wasn’t her priority. When I asked her about this recently, she told me that it was actually because she got too overwhelmed thinking about our future and freaked out about how it was too early to be committed and over the possibility of us eventually wanting different things in life. She then wrote me a letter breaking up with me after she had avoided me completely for about three months.

Who broke up with who? She did.

How long did it take for the heartbreak to go away? It never did. That’s why we got back together hahaha.

Do you still miss the old times together? Like I said, we got back together so I don’t really yearn for the ~old times like how this survey phrases it.

Are you both still in touch? Why? I’ve been seeing her for four years now.

Will you ever date your first love again if you had chance? Welp.

After everything that has happened, what would you like to say to him/her for the last time or if you had the chance? I think we kinda needed that cool-off, and although I was angry in the past, I understand it now.

Do you miss him/her? Sure.

What do you think you or your partner could have done to not make the relationship fail? I dunno, I don’t think like this. In retrospect, she did the right thing. I wouldn’t have stopped her from attaining her goals in school and performing well, and I wouldn’t have wanted for her to stay in a relationship she was being suffocated in. We did all the right things to make it work, but the timing needed to wait for a few more months.

Did you see yourself with this person in the future? Yeah, I still do.

Will your first love always have a special place in your heart? Why? Yes. Because she is still my current love, lol. And because more than that, she’s my best friend in the world.

What did you like and dislike about him/her? I’ve already highlighted a lot of the traits I loved about her. I don’t like how she beats herself up about tiny mistakes/flaws, but being that we’re both perfectionists I can relate to an extent. I hate having to watch it, though.

Define your first love. The first time around, I’d definitely classify it as puppy love.

Do you still have something your first love gave you (e.g. cards, pictures, gifts etc.). If so, why do you still have it and what is it? Yeah, I have the first flower she gave me. I recently cut a piece from one of its petals and placed it in a locket that I gave to her for this Christmas. I keep stuff like it because I’m a very sentimental person and I looooove having keepsakes.

Did you ever date your first love twice? If so, why? Yes, that’s what we are doing now. We both still loved each other, to put it simply?

If you could change one thing about that relationship, what would you change? Nothing. It went the way it was supposed to.

Any regrets with your first love? I’m sorry I made her feel overwhelmed. Thinking about it now, I was quite straightforward about wanting to be with her and gave her little space to like breathe it all in.

Was he/she like your best friend? She was and is my best friend.

How did you or he/she broke up with you/them? What was your or their reason? She wrote me a letter or a palanca meant for my senior year retreat, which was supposed to be a week-long period of cleansing, clarity, and peace for me. Thank GOD that retreat was rescheduled much later in the year due to a typhoon, because I would have had the SHITTEST week in Baguio if I opened my envelope to read all about how this important person that I loved wanted to break up with me and listed down my undesirable traits. I’m not going to delve into the letter’s details because we both agreed we were going to forget about it but yeah. It wasn’t pretty. By the time my retreat did happen around five months later, we were able to patch things up, we salvaged our amazing friendship, and she wrote me a much better palanca which also included an apology for the former letter.

When did you realize the relationship was not going to work out? Around four months before it officially ended. I was stupid for not doing anything sooner, because in the end it was only me who suffered.

How did you know this person was your first love? Because she was the first person I ever had such feelings for, I guess? 

Any last words to say to her/him? Sorry I’ve been quiet, I’ll talk to you in a few days.

[news-mashable-yahoopartner-blog]

An in-depth history of the world's best bromance

Near, far, wherever they are, we believe that Barack Obama and Joe Biden's bromance does go on.

With inauguration day only hours away, it's time to look back on the laughter, the tears and the fierce brotherly love that made the Obama and Biden friendship the beloved First Bromance of America that it's been over these past eight years.

SEE ALSO: 10 inspiring moments from Barack Obama's presidency in GIFs

From ice-cream socials and grand birthday gestures to supportive speeches and financial assistance, ever since Barack and Joe won the 2008 election, they've had each other's backs, through thick and thin.

So before the boys try out the whole long-distance thing, let us reflect on some of the maaaaany times they raised the bar for #FriendshipGoals, in no particular order.

Casual hangouts

Even though they're two of the most important people on earth, Barack and Joe don't need to be surrounded by impressive architecture, fancy cuisine or famous friends to have a good time. Whether they're grabbing some ice cream, a few burgers or kicking it in the stands of a game, like true BFFs, they chill whenever and whenever.

Phil Schiliro, assistant to the President for legislative affairs, left, with President Obama and VP Biden bro-ing out at a Duke Georgetown NCAA college basketball game in 2010.

Image: Nick wass/ap photo

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden meeting with, from left, Aidin Sarabi, Abdullahi Mohamed, Meredith Upchurch and Antonio Byrd at a Shake Shack in Washington, Friday, May 16, 2014.

Image: MANUEL BALCE CENETA/ap photo

Back in August of 2008 before winning the election, Obama and Biden shared a laugh while ordering ice cream at the Windmill Ice Cream Shop in Aliquippa, Pa.

Image: Alex Brandon/ap photo

The BroHugs

Obama and Biden made sure to hug it out at every available opportunity. Though they've embraced every opportunity to embrace they could find, over the past eight years, one of the most memorable hugs came during a moment the two shared on stage after being re-elected for a second term in 2012.

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden embrace on stage after his victory speech on election night in 2012.

Image: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

That time they made a workout video together

After the dynamic duo was challenged by Michelle Obama to show us how they move, in support of FLOTUS's "Let's Move" campaign, BFFs Barack and Joe came together to do some jogging around the White House, a little stretching, and a lot of rehydrating, of course.

When Joe made sure Barack was in his first selfie

Normally, a first selfie is an iconic moment for you—and you alone. But when it came time for Joe Biden to snap his first selfie, he knew it'd be nothing without his best friend by his side. The legendary Instagram post (captioned: "Found a friend to join my first selfie on Instagram. Thanks for following and stay tuned. –VP") features the bros smiling ear-to-ear in the back of a presidential motorcade.

We wish we could be this cool.

Found a friend to join my first selfie on Instagram. Thanks for following and stay tuned. –VP

A photo posted by Vice President Joe Biden (@vp) on Apr 16, 2014 at 6:11pm PDT

In times of tragedy

When Joe Biden's eldest son, former Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden, passed away in May of 2015, Barack made sure he was right by our VP's side every step of the way.

After the news broke, Obama released a touching statement explaining, "Like his dad, Beau was a good, big-hearted, devoutly Catholic and deeply faithful man, who made a difference in the lives of all he touched—and he lives on in their hearts." 

He later gave a moving eulogy at Beau's funeral.

"We are here to grieve with you, but more importantly we are here because we love you," Obama addressed the Biden family before praising Beau's character. "Anyone can make a name for themselves in this reality TV age, but to make that name mean something, to have it associated with dignity and integrity—that is rare," he said. 

Before concluding his speech, Obama addressed his dear friend, reassuring him, "Joe, you are my brother."

Image: YURI GRIPAS/Ap photo

In an interview with CNN that aired in January 2016, Biden reflected on Obama's deeply supportive actions during the difficult time, and shared that POTUS offered him and his family financial help and heartfelt advice during his son's illness.

After Biden told Obama he was thinking of selling his family's Wilmington, Delaware home in order to care for Beau's family, Obama immediately took action. According to the VP, Obama "got up and he said, 'Don't sell that house. Promise me you won't sell the house.'" 

Biden told CNN's Gloria Borger, Obama said, "I'll give you the money. Whatever you need, I'll give you the money. Don't, Joe—promise me. Promise me."

.@VP: @POTUS offered financial help amid my son's illness https://t.co/9hQLocgkaA https://t.co/wAR3T0ueCV

— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) January 12, 2016

Post-Trump, but still tight

On Nov. 9, President Obama stood in the Rose Garden to deliver a statement on the election results following Hillary Clinton's loss. At a time when Americans were feeling a range of emotions, Obama and Biden did their best to keep things hopeful and lighthearted.

"I've lost elections before," Obama admitted before joking, "Joe hasn't, but you know."

Biden then graced Obama with one of his epic side hugs and recalled his own ill-fated presidential campaign in 2008, reminding his pal: "You beat me badly."

The presents

For President Obama's 55th birthday, Biden tweeted a photo of friendship bracelets made for the duo. 

Are. You. Kidding. Me.

The gesture was likely a throwback to a June BuzzFeed video, "5 Things that Are Harder than Registering to Vote," in which President Obama makes his very own "Barack" and "Joe" bracelets, but whatever the inspiration was, friendship bracelets are no joke. 

Happy 55th, Barack! A brother to me, a best friend forever. pic.twitter.com/uNsxouTKOO

— Vice President Biden (@VP) August 4, 2016

In case that gift wasn't heartfelt enough, Biden continued to woo Obama as his special day went on, bringing him delicious looking birthday cupcakes... WITH CANDLES.

President Obama blows out candles on birthday cupcakes brought to him by VP Joe Biden, Aug. 4 - Pete Souza pic.twitter.com/aNQncMkXzd

— GoldenCouple (@TRH_WandC) August 5, 2016

In September, Obama returned the love to Biden on his special day, offering him birthday wishes in the form of an adorable tweet where he referred to Joe as the "best VP and friend."

Happy birthday, Joe! The best @VP and friend I could have had alongside me these past eight years. pic.twitter.com/kWH3L5uSFC

— President Obama (@POTUS) November 20, 2016

The meme of all memes

When America needed it most, Barack and Joe's friendship was there.

Following Donald Trump's election, the bromance inspired the brilliant people of the internet to create a coping meme, which consisted of charming photographs of POTUS and VP accompanied by Biden's fictional and menacing intentions of ways to mess with Trump.

Obama: "Joe, why are you still holding my hand?" Biden: "I wanna freak Mike Pence out" Obama: "But why?" Biden: "Just roll with it" pic.twitter.com/o5KZZ0Ysgz

— thomas moore (@Thomas_A_Moore) November 12, 2016

biden: cmon you gotta print a fake birth certificate, put it in an envelope labeled "SECRET" and leave it in the oval office desk obama: joe pic.twitter.com/UTtv1JkE5o

— jomny sun (@jonnysun) November 11, 2016

Joe: Okay so we sneak in one night around February, steal his shoes Obama: Joe Joe: And then dump legos all over the floor pic.twitter.com/2KCU7LbciV

— Jacqueline (@jacquelinehey) November 13, 2016

The "Biden plotting against Trump" memes will live in glorious infamy and forever remind us of the intimate and humorous relationship Barack and Biden shared in the White House.

Barack's goodbyes

On Jan. 10, President Obama delivered his emotional farewell address to the American people.

Towards the end of the speech, he turned to Vice President Joe Biden, whom he of course called a "brother."

"To Joe Biden, the scrappy kid from Scranton who became Delaware’s favorite son," Obama said. "You were the first choice I made as a nominee, and the best. Not just because you have been a great vice president, but because in the bargain, I gained a brother."

*blinks back tears*

"We love you and Jill like family, and your friendship has been one of the great joys of our life," Obama concluded before he and Joe exchanged a legendary finger guns exchange.

Joe's big surprise

After watching the video below—which documents the ultimate display of bromantic affection—you'll be hard pressed not to be weepy.

On Jan. 12 President Obama surprised Biden with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and Americans watched through blurry eyes as the VP broke down in tears.

Biden and Obama both took the mic to praise one another and share some insight on their friendship.

One final meme

As Obama praised Biden's accomplishments and character before presenting him with the Medal of Freedom, he straight up acknowledged the bromance.

"This also gives the internet one last chance to talk about our bromance." pic.twitter.com/aQnsUyH293

— Mashable GIF (@mashablegif) January 12, 2017

Not only did the internet talk about their bromance once again, but of course, made one final meme of the two pals before they left the White House.

To help us survive inauguration week, the  touching moment when Obama presented Biden with the Presidential Medal of Freedom was transformed into a joke sesh.

biden: i am one with the force, the force is with me obama: what? biden: nothing pic.twitter.com/xAlcWBPM4M

— Colin Jones (@colinjones) January 14, 2017

Biden: am i an avenger now? Obama: sure Joe Biden: pic.twitter.com/fNAy5Xwte2

— Ally Gator (@notacroc) January 13, 2017

"but i thought the old lady dropped it into the ocean in the end" "well baby, i went down and got it for you" "aw, you shouldn't have" pic.twitter.com/GfhnGsXFIW

— ((Julia Reinstein)) (@juliareinstein) January 13, 2017

Biden: wow this is like a black belt huh Obama: no it's the presidential medal of free- ya know what, yeah joe, it's like a black belt pic.twitter.com/2WfFJ2Wn7c

— rudy mustang (@roostermustache) January 12, 2017

Excuse us, while we try to find a friendship this true.

BONUS: History of Obama / Biden bromance

[ruthlessbookfish]

Until Sunrise by Sarah O’Rourke

April 4

BLOG TOUR

My Review

Luka and Michelle’s first meeting put a smile on my face. Luka’s full steam ahead, and Michelle’s duck and move, kept it there. I enjoyed the heck out of Until Sunrise. *I read an Arc

    Until Sunrise by: Sarah O’Rourke

Part of Aurora Rose Reynolds’ Happily Ever Alpha Kindle World

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Release Date: April 3rd, 2018

Cover Design: Sarah O’Rourke

  Michelle Buchanan wasn't looking for the perfect man to fill her life.  She'd settle for Mr. Right Now to fill the empty spot in her bed - just someone that could help her with the little problem of her lingering virginity.  But when Luka Templeton invaded her blind date and suddenly begins taking over her every waking thought, she realizes that she is in way too deep with the confident alpha male currently wreaking havoc on her life.  

  Join us on this romantic comedy romp as Chelle and Luka find their way to happily ever after!           

                                                                        Romantic comedy.  Releases on April 3 as part of Aurora Rose Reynold's Happily Ever After Kindle World.  (And if you've read Aurora's Until series, you'll know Chelle from Until Ashlyn!)

      Available exclusively in Kindle Unlimited!

  AMAZON US     

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    How did the two of you begin writing together?

  We met in an online writing group, found out that we were writing similar type stories and plotlines, and soon became fast friends!   After a few months, we started beta reading for each other, and that soon morphed into “Ummmm, just help me out with this one paragraph, ‘kay?”    Needless to say, it grew into much more than just a paragraph or two when we started writing whole stories together. That was over 9 years ago...and wow!  Life has surely changed so much during that time. We call ourselves Crazy One and Crazy Two -- for VERY obvious reasons!

        2.  Where did the concept for Until Sunrise come from?

  Until Sunrise is based in the Happily Ever Alpha Kindle World (Aurora Rose Reynolds.)  Our characters were very briefly mentioned in ARR’s book Until Ashlyn. We had the great pleasure of giving a romantic (and funny!) backstory to Michelle and Luke that we hope does justice to ARR’s amazing world!

        3. What is your favourite type of book to read?  

  Romance.  Romance. And MORE Romance!!!  

        4. Out of all the books you’ve written, do you have a favourite?  

  Oh, we’re not supposed to have favorites, right?  Well, don’t tell the other little book children, but we are both exceedingly fond of Man of Honor.   Zeke is the ultimate hero that we just love to pieces!

         5. What is your writing process?

  Our process usually starts with a few glasses of wine and a 4-hour phone call.Crazy One usually  has some wild-ass idea for an off-the-wall story, so we start with 30 minutes of Crazy Two trying to talk Crazy One out of the latest adventure. It seldom works. Then, Crazy Two resigns herself to 4-6 months of writing hell. (FYI: In case you’re wondering, Crazy Two knows the battle has been lost when Crazy One lets out a war cry of "Bitch, let's do this thing!”)

  At the beginning, we usually talk and talk and talk about plotlines, settings, characters, etc. before the first word is written. Do NOT underestimate the amount of talking that we do. We then make sure that all of our crazy meds are filled and available at a moment's notice. Then Crazy One will start writing – and after an inordinate amount of bitching, whining, and complaining, she sends the chapters to Crazy Two for review. Crazy Two then drinks a few bottles of wine, puts on her football helmet, and goes to battle with Crazy One over any changes. This can get bloody.

  When the book is finished, Crazy Two then edits and rewrites...and sends it back to Crazy One, who has her Momma and the Crazy Crew Street Team read it while simultaneously yelling about the ridiculous and wicked cuts that were made to her precious manuscript. Momma, who obviously was a Grammar Nazi in a previous life, then lectures both Crazies on their lack of knowledge concerning basic English language structure. (Ignore Momma...she’s a little bitter about all those dollars spent on Crazy One’s college education. Hi, Momma!)

  In the end, Crazy Two prepares the covers (which usually sends Crazy One into hiding because Crazy Two becomes slightly psychotic during design time. It’s not her fault...no one appreciates how much she SUFFERS for her art!)  Then we publish the book and pray. And drink. A lot. There ya go! Does that sound confusing? Imagine how we feel!

      6. If you could meet one author, who would it be and why?

  Well, we’ve been blessed to meet so maaaaany of our idols recently. BUT...if we were able to turn back the clock, we’d want to meet Margaret Mitchell...hands down.  In our opinion, that woman wrote the best alpha male ever to grace the pages of a book. We would love to just have 5 tiny, short minutes with her to pick her brain and find out what motivated her to write Gone With the Wind and how she managed to develop such amazing characters!  (And we’re both born and raised in the South...)

      7. Where does your inspiration come from?

  There’s an old saying that recommends that you “Write what you know.”  We’ve taken that to heart, and most of our books are set in the South (southern United States) and are about Southern belles and their kick-ass alphas.  Since both of us were born and raised in the South, we’re pretty well-versed in how romance works down here, and we often find ourselves including scenes or dialogue that we have heard or actually said!

      8. What are your favourite things about signings?  Do you get nervous at them?

  Oh, Crazy One is our signing guru.  She loves to interact with our current readers and meet new readers!  Signings are also a time for to be fangirls and get to meet the other authors that we love and admire!

      9. What inspired you to become writers?

  We each started for different reasons but ALMOST at the same time.  Crazy One started writing in order to deal with her husband’s military deployment.  Crazy Two began writing in order to relax from work issues.

      10. What are your next upcoming releases?  

  We’re currently working on Copy Cat, which will be a companion story to our paranormal shifter romance Cat Scratch Fever.  Then, we’ll be working on Maggie and Ice’s story (from our Passion in Paradise series.) We’re not quite sure on the title yet, but we do have it narrowed down to two choices! That’s progress for us!

    No Excuses (Your Momma Raised You Better Than That) - Meghan Trainor

Perfect - Ed Sheeran

I Feel a Sin Coming On - Pistol Annies

Whatever It Takes - Imagine Dragon

What Lovers Do - Maroon 5

Heart in Your Hand - Plant and Page

Do You Want to Know a Secret - The Beatles

She's with Me - High Valley

Marry Me - Thomas Rhett

    Michelle Buchanan - a younger Rachel McAdamsLuka Templeton - Joe ManganielloAshlyn Mayson – Kate HudsonAmelia Templeton – Diane KeatonEd Templeton  - Tommy Lee JonesAlan Sandfeldt -  Jack McBrayer

  Please visit Sarah O’Rourke’s author page here to enter an exclusive giveaway!

  Sarah O'Rourke is actually TWO besties who live three states apart and write at all hours of the day and night! Born and raised in the Southern United States, they are overly attached to their one-click accounts, can’t make it through the day without copious doses of caffeine, and spend way too much time on the phone with each other.

  Between them, they have four children and twenty-plus years of marriage...one to a retired super soldier and the other to egomaniac engineer. They hate empty chocolate wrappers and writer’s block, love to talk to readers...and oh, by the way, they write about strong, kick-ass women and hot alpha heroes!

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