#but griffin is considered awful to the queen side of her family

[arrowverse-next-gen]

Oo 🍵 🐸. Why doesn't anyone approve of Oceans boyfriend? I remember Susan was annoying but, not so much a bad person.

Griffin is a nightmare because he's like if TMZ, Jake Ryan from Hannah Montana & Perez Hilton mutated into a single being. Like he's not a bad guy personality-wise, he's nice & cares about Ocean but he does have a priority to give real gossip & news to his job so when he gets dirt on vigilante stuff or Queen family drama he'll report on it.

Nadia doesn't like his work attitude and the fact that he's quick to climb up to her level in attitude to get what he wants. Anyone willing to meet Nadia eye to eye is looking for a fight in her opinion. the Queen, Harper & Merlyn kids hate him because of how much he's in their business. They disapprove of Ocean dating him because that gives him an auto invite to family events via +1 and he's already made it clear to Ocean that he can only keep so much of what he learns to himself and he has to come out with something or he'll lose credibility.

Ocean cares about what her family thinks but cares about Griffin too so they just keep things secret for as long as possible. Their only relationship drama while things are in secret is them making a common ground for what he can & cannot pass on as information for his work.

[mothermaidenclone-blog]

Godzilla: King of the Monsters or It’s All About That Queen Bee Though

Godzilla: King of the Monsters was a very cool movie. Yes, it was pretty stupid, but was it also a gloriously fun, utterly ridiculous romp? Definitely. Warner Bros. knew we wanted to watch a bunch of massive monsters beat the ever-loving shit out of each other, and they certainly delivered on that front. As with any Godzilla movie, the main problem was that they spent too much time on the tiny, insignificant people and not enough on the aforementioned battling titans. However, there were some notable ladies featured amongst the squishy humans.

*Godzilla: King of the Monsters spoilers follow*

The first on screen conversation takes place between two women, Dr. Emma Russell (Vera Farmiga) and her daughter Madison (Millie Bobby Brown). Dr. Russell is evidently an exceptional scientist, as she has invented a device to communicate with, and to some extent control, the titans. She is also portrayed as brave and compassionate, risking her life to run to the aid of Mothra with her ORCA device. In addition, she wants her daughter to be strong and to experience what life has to offer, helping her to stroke Mothra once it has calmed down. She then guides her through the horrors of being held captive with the advice, “Eyes straight ahead, deep breaths, just like we talked about.” She isn’t shielding Madison from what is happening, but trying to help her to cope with it on her own.

However, it soon turns out that Dr. Russell is one of the villains of the movie, as she approached the eco terrorist Jonah Alan (Charles Dance) rather than being abducted by him, as it first appeared. As such, she is responsible for countless deaths in the movie, regardless of whether or not she is acting for the greater good of the planet. On the other hand, she is unwavering in the defence of her decisions and ethics, and even after the movie has declared her a baddie she is still portrayed as rational and somewhat empathetic.  She justifies her actions as being for the benefit of her daughter, and perhaps her daughter’s whole generation: “I couldn’t be more sane and Madison couldn’t be stronger. At least now she has a fighting chance.” At least Dr. Russell is granted a redemptive end - she dies saving not only her family, but arguably the entire planet, from the destructive forces of Ghidorah. It’s still shitty that she dies, no two ways about it, but at least she is granted some agency. Once a film like this declares you a villain you don’t stand a chance - it’s a noble sacrifice on her part and she isn’t just squashed by a giant monster foot while delivering a monologue about how her plans were right all along.

One of Dr. Russell’s plans does come to fruition, and that is that Madison becomes an incredibly strong young woman. She goes from slyly flipping off Jonah at the start of the movie to literally standing down Ghidorah and screaming right back in his fucking face. Now, it could well be argued that these are not the most considered of actions, but it cannot be denied that Madison has some nerve. In addition to being categorically courageous, Madison is also intelligent and principled. When she sees that Ghidorah’s rampage is becoming uncontrollable, she not only steals the ORCA from under the nose of a group of highly organised armed terrorists and escapes their fortified secret base, taking the time to appropriately supply herself for her journey (like no one in movies ever does!), but she also figures out the most effective location to broadcast from and operates the ORCA independently. Kudos to Madison, she knows what she’s doing. She does end up having to be rescued by her parents but two things are worth remembering at this point: firstly, Madison has just done her bit to save the entire planet and secondly, she is still a child. She’s more than allowed to run scared for a moment when a three-headed, lightning-breathing dragon from space is trying to cause the end of days.

Dr. Vivienne Graham (Sally Hawkins) reprises her role from the first film, and we are treated to a brief reminder of what a competent, intrepid scientist and eloquent, fearless defender of Godzilla she is before she is unceremoniously felled by Ghidorah. I didn’t even notice her death, and while it’s true I might have been taking notes and missed it, I was informed by a small piece of text on a character’s computer screen, which seems like an unnecessarily dismissive way to end the life of such an intrinsic character to the series.

Perhaps in an attempt to compensate for the loss of Dr. Graham, several new named female characters were introduced, and credit where credit’s due, pretty much all of these women are immediately addressed by their name and title. This not only shows them the respect they are due, but saved me the kind of IMDB credits trawling I usually have to do when writing a review. We meet another of Monarch’s top scientists, Dr. Ilene Chen (Ziyi Zhang). She is notable not only for her scientific competency, but also for her heritage, as she reveals she is the direct descendant of one of the female founders of Monarch, and shows a selection of photos of completely badass looking explorers and scientists that make up her family, all of whom are women. Her twin sister, Dr. Ling (also Ziyi Zhang) also briefly features, although she is seemingly working for the terrorists. We don’t see much of her except for an appropriately awed look at the hatching of Mothra, but it’s safe to assume by her presence at the site that she is an equally accomplished scientist. Dr. Chen is also notable for being an advocate of not blowing Godzilla to smithereens, pointing out that, “slaying dragons is a western concept.”

Another new female character is Colonel Diane Foster (Aisha Hinds), an extremely competent officer and woman of colour, who seems to be in charge of the military branch of Monarch’s operations. She continues to excel throughout the movie, surviving the attack that killed Dr. Graham and continuing to lead others safely through danger until the end. Foster is shown to be a strong leader as well as a distinguished field officer - she is a highly skilled sniper who cares deeply about saving innocent lives.

Black women continue to occupy positions of power, if not leading roles, in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, as further exemplified by Senator Williams (CCH Pounder), who presides over the Monarch hearing at the start of the film and appears to have the power to turn the whole organisation over to the military if she so chooses. Women do very much inhabit the world of this movie, with many women being present of all sides of the conflict as scientists, soldiers and terrorists alike. Although I’m not sure we hear all their names, many are credited, including Asaj (Tracy Garrison), one of Jonah’s team, First Lieutenant Griffin (Elizabeth Ludlow), Lieutenant Bottin (Natalie Shaheen), G-Team Officer Harryhausen (Shauna Rappold), Argo Officer Arvin (Skylar Denney), Argo Officer Cross (Kelli Garner) and a news anchor (Fiona Hardingham) who is one of the first voices we hear in the movie. The fact that two of these characters are named for practical effects superstars tells me that they held a special place in the hearts of the movie makers.

However wonderful all of these women are, let’s talk about the real leading lady of this movie - Mothra. Not only is she utterly radiant and resplendent, she can hold her own in a fight -  penetrating Rodan with her stinger - and apparently has the monumental power of the ability to resurrect Godzilla. In short, she’s amazing. She is also the only titan to be named as female, which makes it all the more shitty that she’s the only one - other than the big bad Ghidorah - to die. It seems even female kaiju aren’s safe from the played out and tired fate of dying for the benefit of their male counterparts. Now, my little brother (who is more of a Gozilla expert than me) texted me as soon as he knew I’d seen the movie to tell me not to worry and that Mothra is apparently immortal, because he knew I’d be so cross and sad about this. Thanks, baby bro. However, as this is not addressed in the movie, I have to stand by my initial assessment that Mothra’s death is pure garbage.

Overall, the women in Godzilla: King of the Monsters are incredibly strong and adept in a wide variety of fields ranging from science to combat, are without exception incredibly brave, and most of them hold to a high moral code. Furthermore, for a monster movie where presumably thousands of people are slaughtered, their mortality rate isn’t too bad. I think one more named male character dies than female, but this doesn’t make the loss of talented female scientists on screen any easier to swallow. Also, they killed Mothra, so I can never forgive them. Well, not until she comes back in a sequel and fucks up some even bigger bastards because you know I will watch another Godzilla movie, no hesitation. On balance, this is an absolutely ridiculous movie about giant dragons murdering each other, so I think we’re lucky that so many competent human women were featured at all.

And now for some asides:

Umm, excuse me, was that casually Atlantis? And did you blow it up?

Also did this movie low-key endorse hollow Earth theory?

Thank you, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, for the gift of someone ejector-seating straight into Rodan’s fiery maw. You truly know your audience.

[starletwriting]

Killervibe Fic Week Day Seven: Fairytale

Word Count: 7.3k

Notes: This is so late I’m not even sure if I can consider it a part of fic week anymore, but I worked way too hard on this to let it go to waste. It’s 21 pages on Google Docs. It’s my longest fic for fic week. I’ve been working on this one for a while, so I hope you guys enjoy!

Warnings: guns, bullets, description of a gunshot, bullet wound. Cisco says fuck. like. exactly one (1) time. It could be a PG-13 movie. 

Tags: @thatkillervibe @shakesqueer-writes @narniasfinestavengingsociopath

~~~

They call her Killer Frost.

Cisco had heard the stories since he was a child. They told of a woman who was supposedly born from the ice, her body as old as the Earth itself, her immortal feet walking amongst the dirt and snow since the dawn of time. Her eyes have seen humanity rise and fall, her ears have heard the sobs of mankind, her fingers could either bless or curse with just one touch. She wasn’t a god, for people did not worship her. Rather, she was nature. She was the beauty of the snowy forests in which she lived. She was the harshness of blizzards and the delicacy of snowflakes. She was the calm before the storm, and the damage left behind once it’s gone.

Growing up, Cisco and his brother Dante would always ask to hear those stories again. Killer Frost fascinated them. Their mother would tell them the same story each night before bed, and each night they fell asleep in complete awe of the mysterious ice queen. 

Both boys grew up wanting to be an adventurer. They played with sticks in their backyard and pretended to be fending off any danger that might arise. Dante got a children’s adventuring kit from his parents for his birthday one year, much to his younger brother’s dismay. Cisco stole that kit from him so many times that it became partly his, despite Dante complaining each time. The brothers once found a stray cat in the woods behind their house, and they imagined it as a magical creature they had stumbled upon in their travels. They ended up befriending and adopting the cat, and Dante later brought the cat along with him when he moved out. 

When Dante started his first ever expedition, his parents were overwhelmed in their support for their son. They told everyone that would listen about what a great adventurer Dante would be, and how they simply couldn’t wait to hear about all the amazing things he’d find. And their pride wasn’t misplaced. Dante Ramon became a remarkable adventurer, admired by many, and the well-deserved winner of a few awards. He was the first person to get close to Bigfoot. He discovered a ring of faeries and brought back pictures to show it. He befriended some dwarves in Russia. He slayed a hostile vampire and saved a city in the process. 

It seemed that Dante’s great achievements became the topic of all of Cisco’s conversations with his parents. His brother did this, his brother did that. Dante’s name was his mother’s favorite word. She and Cisco’s father were bursting with pride and affection for their older son, while their younger son was lost in his brother’s shadow. The longer it went on, the more Cisco became aware of the fundamental truth: Dante could do no wrong, whereas he could do no right. 

Dante got married to a beautiful girl named Melinda Torres. His mother cried upon receiving the news of their engagement, his father patted him on the back in congratulations. Cisco was best man, and he gave a speech in front of everyone, looking back on past memories he shared with Dante and commemorating how far he’s come to become the man he is today. Cisco was happy to be by his brother’s side on his big day, but he couldn’t help but feel a lingering feeling of jealousy deep down. Not because of the marriage itself, but because it was just one more event with his brother’s name in lights. One more gathering in which everybody was looking at Dante Ramon, adventurer extraordinaire. It was just one more opportunity for Dante to outshine him.

But then, two years later, they received the news that changed everything. 

Dante had been killed by a pack of werewolves while on an expedition. His family had been told first, but the press found out in a matter of days. He had a funeral immediately. His family members, no matter how distantly related, came to say goodbye to the boy they had known and whose blood they had shared. 

While Dante’s family weren’t the only ones mourning his loss, Cisco mourned the most out of them all. He looked back on his childhood memories and remembered all the good times the two of them had shared. Every laugh, every playfight, every smile. The hours they spent playing together as kids. Cisco even looked back on their childish bickering fondly. He had lost his only brother, his childhood playmate, his partner in crime, his best friend. 

Except… Cisco lost those things a long time ago. They were all victims of his jealousy. Cisco not only mourned the loss of his brother, but he also beared the weight of his regret. He regretted letting his spite get in the way of his relationship with his brother. It was never Dante’s fault. Dante didn’t ask to be the favorite. He rightfully earned his praise. Now Dante was gone and Cisco was out of opportunities to reconnect with his brother, all because Cisco refused to let go of his childish envy when he had the chance. 

Two months after Dante’s death, Cisco got a call from his mother asking him to meet her at his childhood home. When he got there, he found her sitting in one of the wooden chairs surrounding the dining room table, with a cardboard packing box on the table in front of her.

“Come, sit.” 

Cisco sat in the chair opposite her. 

He had about a million questions. Why did she want to meet him here? Why did she want to meet at all? What was the purpose of talking to him now, after all those years of not caring? 

Despite all his questions, he only voiced one. “What’s in the box?”

“Open it.” She said. “See for yourself.” 

Cisco did so. Upon opening the box, Cisco gasped, and took out its contents to hold it in his hands ever-so-gently. 

“Dante’s adventuring kit. I haven’t seen this since we were kids.” Cisco said. “Where’d you find it?”

“It was in his room.” Mrs. Ramon spoke delicately, as if she was trying her best to stay strong despite her mourning. “Your father and I were going through his stuff and we found it. I thought it would be best to give it to you.” 

He went through its contents. A cheaply made pair of toy binoculars, a cheaply made flashlight that ran out of batteries years ago and never got a replacement, a handbook on the many different kinds of fantastical creatures out there.

“I want you to have it.” 

Cisco met his mother’s eyes with an incredulous expression, as if asking if she was sure. “You do?” 

She nodded. “You loved that kit as a kid. You and Dante, always playing in the backyard, always asking me for more stories about noble adventurers. You should have it.” 

“I couldn’t. It’s Dante’s.” 

“He isn’t here, mijo.” Her gentle voice reflected her own pain on the topic, but still she stayed strong. “Look, I know I haven’t been the best about encouraging your own aspirations like I did Dante’s. I’m sorry about that.” 

The apology took Cisco off guard. He wasn’t sure how to respond at first. Does he tell her “It’s okay”, even when it’s not? Does he tell her about all the times in his youth he cried into his pillow because he knew he would always be second-best? Did it take Dante dying for his parents to remember they had a second son? 

He decided against it, telling himself that his mother apologizing was a good thing, because it means that maybe the future will be different. So, instead he simply smiled. 

“Thank you.” He said. “I appreciate the apology.” 

“Are you still planning on becoming an adventurer?” 

Cisco shook his head. “That was a long time ago.” 

“You should.” She said. “It was your dream. You and Dante alike. Don’t give up on that now.” 

“I dunno,” He sighed. “I don’t want to steal Dante’s spotlight.” 

“You aren’t.” Mrs. Ramon met his eyes with a sincerity that he couldn’t explain. “Honor your brother by becoming an adventurer. Carry out his legacy. Finish what he started.” 

Cisco furrowed his brow. “What do you mean?” 

“What was the one legend that you and Dante always admired? The one that Dante dreamed of finding for himself, but never did?” 

His eyes grew as the realization dawned on him.

“Killer Frost.” The words came out as a soft exhale. 

Mrs. Ramon nodded. “Continue Dante’s life’s work. Find Killer Frost. Be an adventurer not in spite of Dante, but to remember him.” 

“Are you sure I’ll have what it takes?” 

“Of course you will. You’re my son.” She said. “The Ramon family needs an adventurer. I may not have supported you as much as I should’ve, but that changes now. I will encourage you every step of the way.”  

A smile grew on Cisco’s face. 

“Thank you.” 

Mrs. Ramon walked around the table to brush Cisco’s hair behind his ear and place a soft, motherly kiss to his forehead. 

“I believe in you, mijo. Go show the world what you’re made of.”

And so, with that, Cisco started his career as an adventurer. He started off small and built his way up. In the first year, he searched forests for elves and faeries, ventured out into the sea in hopes of finding mermaids, visited Nessie’s lake, and even found a wild griffin. Meanwhile, on the side he researched as much as he could about Killer Frost. He visited libraries and read ancient books about her. He discussed the myths with locals who live near places she’s supposedly been sighted. He’s looked up everything he can about every alleged sighting. The most recent alleged sighting happened about ten years ago and was told by a man named Bartholomew Henry Allen. Cisco grimaced. That’s an unfortunate name. He looked up Bartholomew in hopes of interviewing him for more information, only to discover that Bartholomew had died a few years back. He was killed by a man named Eobard Thawne. Cisco grimaced again. That’s an even more unfortunate name. 

It wasn’t until the December of Cisco’s second year being an adventurer that he decided he was ready to start tracking down Killer Frost. 

He gathered information from various alleged sightings in hopes of pinpointing possible places Frost could be. She stayed in snowy biomes, ones with thick forestation, natural wildlife, and high elevation. There was one place that had all of those things. Far up north were taigas covered in snow, with high steeps of rock in which many natural caves could be found. He figured that was his best bet.

So he camped. He packed his travel backpack with all the compact packing methods he had taught himself growing up, so that he could fit everything he needed into one large backpack. He bought a compact tent that folded itself into the size of a small purse, and he attached that to the bottom of his backpack. He knew a trick to fold entire outfits into compact rolls as to fit more into smaller spaces. He was sure to pack lots of winter clothes as well as miniature heaters and heating pads to prepare him for the biome. He brought food that wouldn’t go bad and that he could prepare easily without any extra equipment. He carried a knife for self-defense, and so that he could hunt animals in the case that he ran out of food. He made sure to wear silver jewelry to protect him from werewolves. After losing his brother to them, he wanted to be safe. 

With that, Cisco embarked on the expedition that would change everything. 

Days and nights blurred together. Cisco brought along a handheld notebook and a miniature pencil, and he logged each day he spent in the forest, or else he would’ve lost track. He adjusted to his camping life after his first week, and it got easier from there. When Dante was alive, he would tell Cisco stories of his expeditions, and he’d talk about how hard it was to live out in the wilderness for long periods of time. The past year had been consisted of a ton of time in the wilderness for Cisco, so now he finally understood what he meant. 

One morning, Cisco was inside his tent when he heard foosteps outside. He reminded himself to stay calm, and assured himself that it was probably just a deer. He grabbed his knife and held it out defensively, and prepared to open the tent flap and run out. He purposefully kept his breathing calm and slow, so that the animal outside couldn’t hear it. He ensured that he was still wearing his rings of silver and a silver chain around his neck, and then he opened the flap. 

The second he did, he screamed. 

It wasn’t a deer. It wasn’t werewolves or a bear, either. It was a woman.

Her hair was white as snow. Her lips were frozen and pale. She had no blood running through her veins, no heartbeat to keep her alive. Her skin was a ghostly color with a light blue undertone, like ice personified. Her eyes were a piercing white, as intense as the eyes of hawks but with the harsh cold of the Antarctic Ocean. And yet, they were staring at Cisco with fear and surprise and intrigue, all at once. 

There she was. 

The lady from the myths, the woman Cisco had longed to see in the flesh, the reason for this entire expedition, standing right before him. 

Killer Frost.

In Cisco’s head, the moment he saw Killer Frost, he’d be gasping in awe at her beauty, recording this incredible sighting down in his notebook, never to forget it. He definitely didn’t imagine himself holding the tent flap open with one hand, holding his knife in the other, staring her in the eyes, and screaming his head off. 

Cisco’s scream startled Frost, who was already greatly on edge. She started screaming as well, and she held her hands up defensively, her palms facing Cisco, conveying that she was ready to shoot ice blasts at Cisco at any given moment. 

Cisco never thought his greatest achievement would be standing in front of one of Earth’s most majestic myths while they were both screaming at the top of their lungs. 

Once Cisco registered that it was Killer Frost and not some scary werewolf, he shut his mouth and cut off his scream, but his mouth was only shut for a second before he opened it again, this time gaping at her in surprise. It was Killer Frost. The Killer Frost. The very being he had hoped to see.

He dropped his knife and it clattered to the ground. He didn’t mean her any harm. His mind was still processing. The wheels in his head turned as he stared at her, half-expecting it to all be a dream. 

For an ice queen, she was gorgeous. 

“What’re you doing here?!” She snapped. Her voice didn’t sound human. It sounded like ice and wind and harsh blizzards and deadly winters.

“I, uh-” Great. Cisco’s first words to the great legend Killer Frost and he stammers. “I came here to see you. I had heard the stories about Killer Frost and I wanted to see you for myself.” 

“I see.” She glared at him, as if she hadn’t just been screaming with him a moment earlier. “Leave now, and I will spare you.”

“I don’t mean you any harm.” Cisco raised his hands in surrender. “I promise.”

She scoffed. “You humans are so alike. You all say the same things, and they’re all lies.”

“I’m not lying.” Cisco assured her. “Here, I’ll show you.”

He gently kicked his knife out of the tent and it landed softly on the snow next to her feet. 

“That’s my only weapon.” He said. “Now it’s over by you. If I were to reach for it, you could stop me.”

Frost slid the knife behind her using her foot. “That was reckless. What’s to stop me from killing you?” 

There was a certain smug twinkle in his eyes. “Trust.” 

She raised an eyebrow at him. 

“You’re a very strange human.” 

Cisco laughed. “Believe it or not, I get that a lot.”

~~~

The sun was beginning to set along the west horizon. A fire crackled and danced before them, putting on a show of red and orange, burning the wood underneath it and forming a thin stream of smoke above it. They heard calls from a distant owl, but they couldn’t see where it was hiding. At one point, Cisco saw a white hare jump into a bush, and he smiled and commented on how adorable it was.

Cisco had invited Frost to stay at his campsite. She didn’t respond, but the fact that she still remained even hours later gave Cisco his answer. After Cisco had gone through so much to find her, the last thing he wanted was for her to leave. Plus, she made surprisingly good company. 

“You hurt yourself.” 

“What?” Cisco furrowed his brow. 

Frost pointed to a spot on his ankle, just above his shoe, where he had a few scrapes. They were enough to draw blood, but still, hardly an injury. They were already starting to heal. 

“Oh, that.” Cisco waved his hand dismissively. “I walked too close to a thorn bush this morning and it scraped my ankle.” 

She laughed. Her laugh was icy and inhuman, and yet at the same time, surprisingly warm and genuine. “Humans are so fragile.” 

“I guess we are.” He shrugged. “I never really thought about it. What about you, then? Do you not get injured?” 

Frost shook her head. 

“Huh.” He said. “That must be nice.” 

Cisco reached over and grabbed his backpack, and started rummaging through it. He pulled out a whole bag of granola, and started eating fistfuls of it straight out of the bag. Frost watched him with a raised eyebrow, her piercing eyes studying him up and down with an inquisitive look. 

“What’s that?” 

“Granola.” Cisco tilted the bag in her direction. “Want some?” 

She shook her head. “I don’t eat.” 

“Can you?” 

Frost furrowed her brow. “What do you mean?” 

“If you chose to eat, would you be able to?” 

“I… guess so.” She said. “Why?” 

“Do you want to try?” 

Still a bit startled from the offer, she hesitantly took a handful of granola and placed it in her mouth and began to chew. She made a face of disgust a few moments later, and spit it out onto the snow. 

Cisco couldn’t help but laugh. “Not a fan, huh?” 

“It tastes bad.” 

“Well, not all foods taste the same. If it’s the taste you don’t like, then you can try something else.” Cisco reached into his bag and pulled out some beef jerky he brought. “Here, try this.” 

She took the piece that he offered her and bit into it. She chewed it hesitantly at first, then slowly warmed up to chewing it at a faster pace, then swallowed. She ate the rest of the strip in a matter of seconds. 

“Yeah, that’s way better.” She said. “What’s it called?” 

“Beef jerky.” 

“Huh.” She blinked. “Eating is kinda fun. What else do you have?” 

“I have lots.” Cisco zipped his bag open completely and started rummaging through the contents. “I have apples, raisins, dried peaches, cereal, energy bars, instant noodles, instant rice-” He cut himself off when he accidentally knocked his wallet out of his backpack. “Oops.” 

Frost picked his wallet up off of the snow and brushed it off. “What’s this?” 

“My wallet.” He zipped up his backpack. “It holds money and other important stuff.”

She opened it out of sheer curiosity, and pointed to the picture on the inner flap. “Who’s that?”

“My brother, Dante.” Cisco said. “He died about two years ago. I’ve kept his picture in my wallet ever since. It’s my way of remembering him. Well, that, and becoming an adventurer.” 

“You became an adventurer to remember your brother?”

He nodded. “Dante was an adventurer. I’m continuing his legacy.” 

“Legacies.” Killer Frost scoffed. “I never understood that about you humans. Live your own life, not your brother’s.” 

Cisco faltered, unable to think of a reply. She hadn’t said much, and yet her words carried meaning. Cisco recalled a saying he heard once, “a life lived for someone else is a life wasted”. Frost’s words reminded him of that saying.

“Has anyone ever told you you’re very wise?” 

“I don’t exactly socialize with humans much.” 

“Right, of course.” Cisco said. “Have you ever had conversations, like this, with a human before?” 

She didn’t respond. It wasn’t the first time Frost had stayed quiet when Cisco asked her a question she didn’t want to answer. She was selective, one moment she’d answer any question Cisco asked, and then, radio silence. He didn’t necessarily blame her, but it was a bit frustrating with how unpredictable it was. 

“It’s getting late.” She said. “Doesn’t your body require sleep to function?” 

Cisco nodded. “It’s the curse of being mortal.” 

“Get some rest, then.” Frost stood up. “It’s time I left anyways.” 

“Hey, Frost?” 

She turned to face him.

“I’m glad you spent the day with me.” 

Frost met his eyes with a certain… regret. Worry. She hesitated for a moment before simply nodding and walking off without saying anything. 

~~~

The next day, the sun shined bright as Cisco walked across the padded snow, calling Frost’s name at the top of his lungs. He had ventured into the woods trying to find her, to no avail. 

A white weasel heard Cisco’s voice and dashed into a bush. 

“Hm.” Cisco stopped walking and turned to stare at the trail of footprints he had left behind him. “If I were a beautiful immortal ice queen, where would I hide out?” 

He decided to search for caves. He walked along large rock precipices, searching for any openings he could find. 

Eventually, he found one. It was a smaller cave, maybe about seven feet in height and eight in width. It was dark, and the pathway stretched around the corner, so if Frost was there, he couldn’t see her. 

“Frooooost?” 

The word echoed.

He walked further into the cave, and turned around the bend. He didn’t have to walk far. Right past the bend was a smaller round portion of the cave, about the size of a small hut. There she was, sitting with her back to the rock. She saw Cisco and her eyes widened to twice their size. 

“Hey, Frost.” He held up his bag of beef jerky. “I brought some beef jerky.” 

“What’re you doing here?” Her voice rebounded against the cave walls. Cisco could’ve sworn he felt the cave shake. “Go away!” 

The harshness in her tone took Cisco off-guard. All he could do for a second was stand and blink. “Oh, I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude-” 

She flicked her hand and a wall of ice grew in between her and Cisco. 

“Leave.” Her words were muffled from the ice, and yet still powerful. “Now.” 

He did so. 

~~~

Cisco stared at the roof of his tent. He had put up a small camping lantern the night before, and although he had turned it off, he hadn’t bothered it to take it down, even though it was morning and the tent’s walls were thin enough to let the natural sunlight through. He had wrapped himself up in a thick heat blanket and zipped up his sleeping bag so that it completely covered him, and yet he was still cold. He was eating from a bag of almonds, and was simply dropping them into his mouth from above. He missed a few times, and they fell onto his pillow instead. 

He had been awake for over an hour. He had moved around and gotten dressed and started his day, but he came back to his sleeping bag when he got cold.

Although he tried not to, he couldn’t stop thinking about his last interaction with Killer Frost. The fear in her eyes, the anger in her tone. The wall of ice between them.

Did he just blow his chances of ever seeing her again? Does she hate him now? 

Cisco shivered, despite the three layers he was wearing. He pulled the blanket closer to his face and curled up for extra warmth.

“Cisco?” 

The voice came from outside his tent, but it was not the location of the voice that got Cisco’s attention, but the person it belonged to. Her voice sounded icy and yet soft, inhuman and yet gentle. There was only one person it could be. 

Cisco crawled out of his sleeping bag and unzipped the tent. 

“Frost?” 

She was looking at him with a level of awkwardness that he never would’ve expected from a majestic immortal being. It was almost off-putting. 

“Can I come in?” She asked. 

He nodded, and so she did. Cisco zipped the tent back up, and Frost sat down with her hands in her lap. Unfortunately, her presence only made Cisco’s tent colder, so he got the blanket and wrapped it around his body again. 

Frost opened her mouth to speak, but a few seconds of hesitation passed before words came. “I got you these.” 

She opened her hand and revealed a few berries. They were coated in a thin layer of frost, but edible. 

“They’re Fayeberries.”

“Whoa.” Cisco gently plucked them from her palm and held them in his hand. “I’ve only heard about these in books. Do they really taste like your favorite meal?”

Frost nodded.

Cisco let the frost thaw and plopped one in his mouth. “They taste like my mother’s enchiladas. Cool.”

“I wanted to apologize.” She looked as if the words for difficult for her to say, but she spoke them anyways. “For how I acted.” 

“I just want to know why.” Cisco kept his voice even. “Did I do something wrong?” 

“No.” Frost shook her head. “No, not at all. It’s not you.” 

“Then what is it?” 

“You’re human.” She sighed, frustrated with herself. “And I didn’t want to make the same mistake twice.” 

Cisco furrowed his brow. “What does that mean?” 

She hesitated. “Do you remember when you asked me if I had known a human before?” 

He nodded. 

“The answer is yes.” Frost said. “It was about a hundred years ago, give or take. His name was Hunter Zolomon. He came into this forest, plentiful as it was back then, and he found me. We talked, and for a moment, I was starting to care for him.”

“What happened?” 

“The next thing I knew, there were fifty humans crowding the forest trying to find me and take me away from this forest.” Frost said. “Hunter had told them where I was. He didn’t care about me, he only wanted recognition amongst the other humans.” 

“That’s awful,” Cisco’s words came out as a soft whisper. 

“After that, I was convinced that humans were liars.” She said. “When I met you, I was hesitant. But you, you’re different. Honestly, the moment you tossed me your knife and made yourself vulnerable… that’s when I knew you weren’t Hunter.” 

“I’m not here to hurt you.” Cisco said. “And that’s a promise. I know some humans are awful, but I’m good on my word, I swear.” 

“I realize that.” Frost said. “You’re a very strange human, Cisco. And I want to get to know you.” 

Cisco couldn’t help the grin that was forming.

“In return, I promise to stop holding stuff back.” She said. “You can ask me anything.” 

“Alright,” Cisco thought for a second. “Do you have a name? I mean, besides Killer Frost.” 

“No.” Killer Frost said. “Names are a human concept. I am nature. The humans have come up with several names for me over the years. Killer Frost is just one of many things they’ve called me. The Greeks called me Khione. I was quite fond of that one.” 

“I read about that.” Cisco said. “The name ‘Killer Frost’ came from harsh winters.” 

Frost nodded. “I am everything ice is. The beauty of it, and the danger.”

“Did you used to be human?” Cisco asked. “Like in Greek mythology, when humans were turned into gods?” 

She shook her head. “I was never really born in the way you humans mean it. I was formed from icicles. I’ve always been like this. I don’t age, I just am.” 

“Alright, one last question.” Cisco said. “Does this jacket make me look cute?” 

Frost erupted into icy laughter.

“You’re cute for a human, Cisco.” 

Cisco found himself blushing. Why was he blushing? 

~~~

Frost frequented Cisco’s campsite often after that day. They talked daily, as they were the only ones keeping each other company in the vast icy forest. She invited him into her cave, and they could sit and talk, away from the biting cold of the forest. They would light a fire for when Cisco got too cold. Frost had no need for warmth, but she liked admiring the bright colors as the flames danced back and forth. 

“One of my favorite memories from when I was a kid is sitting by the fire on a cold winter day and drinking hot cocoa that my mom made.” Cisco said. “Campfires kinda remind me of that.” 

“What’s it like, growing up?”

“Uh, I don’t really know how to explain it.” Cisco scratched the back of his neck. “It’s something so normal that you kinda take it for granted. You can look back on your memories from when you were younger, but you can’t remember things from when you were super young. Like, no one remembers anything from when they were a baby.” 

“Why not?” 

Cisco shrugged. “Your longterm memory doesn’t start until you’re two or three or so.” 

“Humans are such a weird species. You need to eat and sleep to live, you grow up, and you don’t even retain all your memories.” 

He laughed. “I guess it’s weird, when you put it like that.” 

“I’ve been alive since the start of humanity.” Frost said. “Humans have such short lives compared to that.” 

“Well,” A smug-yet-silly grin grew on Cisco’s face. “You don’t look a day over 30.” 

“Huh?” Frost furrowed her brow. 

“Nothing,” He shrugged it off. “It’s a joke.” 

She smiled. 

“Sometimes I wonder what it’s like to be human.” She admitted. “I wish I could experience that, even just for a day. I get curious too, after all.” 

“Maybe you can.” 

Frost furrowed her brow. “What do you mean?” 

“I have a hat and a scarf in my backpack. I could give you my bushy coat.” Cisco said. “We could disguise you enough to pass you off as human. Then maybe we could find a local town. Explore a bit.” 

“Really?” A smile started to grow on her face. “You think it would work?” 

Cisco nodded. 

“There’s a town not too far from here.” Frost said. “If we leave in the morning, we could walk there.” 

“Then it’s a plan.” Cisco met her eyes with an uplifting smile. “Tomorrow, you get to be human for a day.” 

~~~

They had tied up all of Frost’s hair in Cisco’s beanie. Cisco had gotten the thickest scarf he had brought on the trip and wrapped it around her neck, propping it up so that it covered the bottom half of her face. He had an extra bulky coat which he had her wear, partly to cover the paleness of her skin, and partly because it would be suspicious to not wear a coat in this weather. 

“Here, I have contacts.” Cisco dug into his bag and brought out a box of them. “They’re the disposable kind, so you can wear them.” 

Frost held them in her hand. “What do you do with these?” 

“Put them on your eyes.” Cisco said. “It’s always tricky to do it for the first time. Here. Hold your eyes open.” 

He took the contacts and gently placed them on her eyes for her. 

“There you go.” He said. “I don’t have a mirror, or else I would show you how human you look right now.”

“Wow.” Frost exhaled, creating a soft puff of swirling snow. “We’re really doing this.” 

“We’re really doing this.” Cisco nodded. “Just don’t be suspicious, and don’t let anyone look at you too closely, and you’ll be fine. I’ll be with you the whole time in case you need me to cover for you.” 

“Thank you, Cisco.” Her eyes practically melted with gratitude. “It means a lot that you’d be willing to do this for me.” 

“Of course!” He said. “We will, however, need a fake name for you. I can’t exactly call you Frost when we’re in the town.” 

“Do you have any ideas?” 

Cisco thought for a moment. “Caitlin.” 

She laughed. “Why Caitlin?” 

He shrugged. “I dunno. It was just the first thing I thought of. Besides, I’ve always liked the name Caitlin.”

“Alright then.” She said. “Caitlin. It’s a nice name.” 

“Caitlin Snow.” He decided. “Because you represent ice and snow.” 

“Wouldn’t that be obvious?” 

He shook his head. “Nah.”

When it was time for them to head out, Cisco put on a thick coat of his own and gave Frost a pair of gloves from his bag to hide her hands. 

The walk didn’t seem like long, not to Cisco. They say time flies when you’re having fun. Sure, logically, the town was quite a ways away from Cisco’s campsite or Frost’s cave, but Cisco got caught up in telling Frost about his childhood memories that he didn’t even notice. He would tell her funny things that Dante used to do in middle school, and Frost would laugh in that way she always does, the laugh that always made Cisco’s heartbeat race. 

“There it is,” He spoke when they were close enough to see buildings. “Here’s your shot at being human for a day.” 

It was a pretty small town. The buildings were old and plain, and overall unimpressive. Wooden signs hung above the doors in order to differentiate one building from the next, because otherwise they were identical. Snow blanketed all the rooftops in the town, including the small well in the town’s center. Windows showed families inside, cuddled up next to the fire. Women were knitting, men were drinking, children were playing. 

“So this is humanity.”

“This is a very, very small slice of humanity.” Cisco said. “But, yes. It’s humanity.” 

They walked further into the town and discovered a snowman outside one of the homes. It had children’s gloves as its hands, implying that a child made it, maybe on their own, maybe with the help of a parent or two. Its coal smile seemed to be welcoming them into its home. 

“What’s that?” Frost asked. 

“That’s a snowman.” Cisco said. “Have you never made a snowman before?” 

Frost shook her head. 

“Huh, imagine that.” Cisco whistled. “You literally are snow, or at least the embodiment of it, and you’ve never made a snowman. Here, we need to rectify that.” 

Cisco pulled Frost off to a corner of the town away from the buildings, and started packing up snow to roll in a ball. 

“See, you get something like this…” He rolled it along the snow on the ground, demonstrating it for Frost. “And then you roll it until it’s big enough to be your base.” 

“Or you could do it the easy way.” 

Frost waved her hand, and a flurry of snow emerged from her fingertips and wrapped itself around Cisco’s attempt at a snowman base. It grew, and grew, and grew, until it was about the size of the base they saw on the other snowman, and oh-so-perfectly round. She made the torso and the head with two more perfect circles, and the buttons and facial features were made out of chunks of ice. It was the most flawless snowman Cisco had ever seen. 

“That works too!” 

She shrugged. “Magic makes things convenient.” 

“Y’know,” Cisco said. “Since I’m holding snow anyways, there is another time-honored tradition for having fun in the snow.

“What is it?” 

Cisco tossed the lump of snow at her.

“Snowball fights.” 

The snow erupted across her face, causing her to explode into her usual icy laughter. 

“Yeah?” She asked, still laughing. “How about this?”

She twirled her finger and created her own snowball from scratch, which she grabbed and held in her hand. She made playful eye contact with Cisco and smirked. There was a mischievous glint in her piercing white eyes as she threw the snowball at him. 

“You got it!” Cisco grinned, brushing the snow out of his hair. “That’s the essence of snowball fights.”

“Humans have so much fun.”

“Really?” Cisco asked, confidence twinkling in his eyes. “Then how come I have the most fun when I’m around you?”

Frost blushed a shade of light blue. 

“Here,” He fixed Frost’s scarf for her. “Let’s go see what this town has to offer.” 

They found a pub nearby, indicated by a worn-down wooden sign with faded letters that were hardly readable anymore. Cisco held the door open for Frost, and the two of them walked in. 

The pub was full of townsfolk. There were big, burly men with brown beards drinking beer at the far end of the bar, and they all turned to look at Frost and Cisco when they walked in. Frost gulped and stared at her feet. Cisco laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder. 

Cisco sat at the bar and gestured for Frost to take the seat next to him. 

“Do you want a beer?”

Frost furrowed her brows. “What’s that?” 

“It’s a human drink. It tastes awful and it messes with your brain, so you legally have to be 21 to drink it.” 

“Then why do people drink it?”

Cisco shrugged. “No idea.” 

He ordered a beer for himself. 

“I get the feeling that people are staring at me.” Frost muttered. “I’m not used to it, and I don’t care for it.” 

“Trust me, I’ve been there.” Cisco said. “Frankly, I haven’t seen a single person in this town that isn’t white, and that isn’t a very good look.” 

“Do you think they can tell that I’m not human?” 

“Nah. Humans are very good at seeing what they want to see. They’re just staring because we’re not townsfolk.” Cisco said. “And besides, whatever happens, I’ll be right by your side.” 

“Thank you.”  

Soon enough, the bartender slid Cisco’s beer to him. He took a few sips and turned to Frost.

“You wanna try some?” He offered. 

“Um… okay.” 

She took it from him and held it in her hands ever-so-delicately. The stares of the townsfolk sent chills down her spine. Closing her eyes as to tune them out, she hesitantly raised the glass to her mouth and went to take a sip. 

“Oh, no.” 

The dread in Cisco’s voice concerned Frost. She opened her eyes, and gasped. 

As soon as her lips had touched the liquid, it had turned to ice. And the whole pub saw. 

She turned to Cisco. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to-”

Cisco didn’t have time to reply. The men who had been sitting at the other end of the bar were now drilling holes in Frost’s spine with their glares. They packed a lot of hate in one look. Frost looked more terrified than Cisco had ever seen her before. They stood up, and grabbed guns from holsters at their waists that Cisco and Frost hadn’t noticed previously.

“Fuck.” Cisco muttered. “Run.” 

They scrambled out the door. Cisco grabbed onto Frost’s wrist and kept running. He turned behind him and saw the men from the pub following behind them. 

He felt his heart pounding in his chest. “Oh, god.”  

Not fast enough. An ear-splitting gunshot sounded in the air, and Cisco felt dread sink in his chest. The bullet flew through the air and perfectly hit Frost’s chest… then it kept going, leaving Frost unharmed. It was as if the bullet had gone through a cloud. 

“You’re immune to bullets.” 

She nodded. 

He let out a sigh of relief.

“Thank god.” Cisco said. “Okay, let’s get out of here before-”

Too late. By the time they heard the gunshot, the damage had already been done. Cisco’s breath hitched, cutting off his words as he fell onto his knees, clutching his now-bloody gut.

“Cisco!” 

More bullets flew through her head as she bent down to Cisco’s side. He was still breathing, but he was badly injured. She picked him up, flicked her hand and created a wall of ice between her and the men, and ran as fast as she could. 

She ran far away from the town, all the way back into the woods. She surrounded herself with trees and bushes, and every so often she tossed ice blasts behind her with one hand to ensure she wasn’t being followed. The further she ran, the more her fear solidified, and the more her eyes welled up with tears. They streamed down her face, but she didn’t care. When she was sure she was far enough away from the town, she collapsed onto her knees, and laid Cisco down in front of her. 

“I’m so sorry, this is all my fault, I wanted to go to the town, I blew my cover, I- I- I’m so sorry-”

“Hey,” Even when he was fighting the pain in his gut, he still managed to look at Frost as if she was the only thing that mattered in his life. “Don’t be sorry. I’m glad-” He winced. “I’m glad I met you. You… you gave my life meaning.” 

“No, no, no-” If she had a heartbeat, it would be pounding. “This can’t be the end, it can’t be-”

An idea popped into Frost’s mind. Her eyes widened, and she looked at Cisco with newfound hope. 

“I can save you.” She said. “I can make you immortal. Like me. But you have to be okay with it. There’s no going back. There’s no going back to your human life once I do it.” 

Fighting the pain, he reached out and grabbed her hand.

“Do it.” 

She nodded. 

Frost leaned down and softly, lovingly placed a kiss on Cisco’s lips. The moment the contact happened, Cisco’s lips froze over and turned a shade of blue. His hair transformed from its usual black into a white that matched the snow his head laid on. His bullet wound froze over and healed instantly. He let out a soft exhale, the last breath he would ever need to take. His heartbeat stopped in his chest, and his body heat dropped to freezing temperatures. He wasn’t alive anymore, but he wasn’t dead, either. 

He opened his chilling white eyes and sat up. 

~~~

They call him Frostbite. 

Children heard the stories. They told of a human who won over Killer Frost’s favor enough for her to make him immortal in the last second of his life. He walks with Frost side-by-side, hand-in-hand. They are equals, they are lovers, they are partners in crime. They were not gods, for people did not worship them. Rather, they were nature. They were the beauty of the snowy forests in which they lived. They were the harshness of blizzards and the delicacy of snowflakes. They were the calm before the storm, and the damage left behind once it’s gone. 

They were not married, for their bond was much stronger than marriage. They were soulmates, through and through. And, as long as snow and ice existed on the Earth, so would their eternal love.