#love live secret santa 2017

[logansargey]

What are your favourite pieces of Maxiel and Piarles lore?

Oh anon, how I am so glad you asked me this. Okay so I'll start with Maxiel and then do Piarles. This may get long so buckle up

Maxiel lore

The vacation they went on with each other and refuse to say anything about or even talk about.

Zandvoort 2011 pic of young Max and older Daniel.

Singapore fruit challenge

The video of drunk Max on a plane, being clingy to Daniel

THE FUCKIN CHRISTMAS CHALLENGES ON THE SOFA

Malaysia 2016 podium

They have/had a secret handshake

They said they could picture themselves in 20 years hanging out on Daniels farm.

Max gifting Daniel a karaoke machine in secret Santa and Daniel instantly guessing Max "because he knows me"

Max gifting Daniel a fuel scented candle because he once said he loved the smell of diesel.

Two words: Monza 2021

2017 Hungarian Grand Prix

Max complimenting Dan's nose and smile all the time

KI KI AYY

They live(d) in the same apartment building.

Daniel mentioning Max's facial hair all the time.

"should we hold hands since this is the last time we're doing this"

The puppets and Max make them kiss while saying "I love you Daniel"

Daniel once saying in an interview that him and Max are no longer dating

That's it for Maxiel bc I want to hurry up and get on with Piarles.

Piarles lore

Meeting in 2005 and instantly clicking.

Both of their mom's names are Pascale

THE NICKNAME CALAMAR

Charles said in an interview that if anyone tried to come in between them, he'd tell them to fuck off.

Charles stayed with Pierre when races happened in France and Pierre stayed with Charles when one happened in Italy

They dreamed of being in F1 together.

THE BASKETBALL DATE (poor estie was a third wheel)

Said they may run a fashion company together when they are both done in F1

Played tennis with each other when they both couldn't sleep.

They have no clue what personal space is when they're together

Wearing each other's merch (GET UP!!)

Calling each other beautiful on insta

Said they want to be team mates in the future (pls God, no, we will not have another brocedes incident.

They try to go on at least one vacation together a year.

[klaineccfanficlibrary]

HI ALL! This is a weird one but do you know any stories where Mercedes is heavily in instead of Rachel? I always preferred that friendship and was disappointed in how that friendship changed on the show. I would love to read stories where Mercedes is Kurts best friend. (Bonus if Sam's in it too). Thank you in advance)

That's not a weird Ask - happy to find more Mercedes and Samcedes for you! ~Jen

Hey Mister DJ, Put a Record On By @honeysucklepink

It's Valentine's Day, and single coworkers Kurt and Blaine are stuck at the campus radio station playing sappy love songs and dedications. All the cheese is giving them indigestion, but who knows? Maybe by the end of their shift, they'll be humming a different tune...

~~~~~

My Heart, It Pounds, Yeah You Got Me by @nineofhearts4

Kurt gets drunk and records a TikTok entitled “Guys I Had A Crush On In High School”, in which he talks about, rates, and shows pictures of his various crushes— embarrassing, unrequited, and otherwise — thinking he set it to friends only or private. When he wakes up the next day, he has a flood of notifications that prove otherwise, a hangover, and a text from Blaine Anderson. The longest part of Kurt’s now viral video.

~~~~~

Like A Firework by beautifulunseen

Kurt, who has tried to stay away from the music industry, meets a beautiful stranger one night at a party and falls hard. The only problem is the beautiful stranger is Blaine Anderson, rockstar.

~~~~~

Regrets Collect Like Old Friends by Fearlessly

After the engagement gets called off, Kurt turns to Mercedes. Will she be able to help while she’s on her first national tour? This is a story about friendship and self-discovery.

~~~~~

Operation Secret Santa by @chasingkerouacwrites

Kurt can’t stop staring at the cute guy who comes by the coffee station near his desk every morning, but can never muster up the courage to say hello. Until the assignment for their office Secret Santa is revealed and his reads ‘Blaine Anderson’. Written in pieces for Klaine Advent 2017.

~~~~~

Soon by prettyskylark

Set during 4x21. Mercedes gives Kurt the talk during their double coffee date when the guys go get their coffee. Because someone must have told Kurt to pull his head out of his ass and finally open his eyes.

~~~~~ They are Unicorns By KillerQuen80

Kurt and Blaine let Sam and Rachel talk them into a bachelor party instead of the upscale dinner they'd originally planned. Which leads to them finding an unconventional centerpiece at the party.

~~~~~

Clinging to This Hating Game by notarelationship

Kurt and Blaine couldn’t stand each other in high school, maybe one was a jock/cheerleader and the other a nerd/glee clubber. Or they were bitter rivals for competition solos if they were both in glee club. Now they both live in NY and their friends set them up on a blind date, not knowing they went to the same high school.

~~~~~

Hiding in Plain Sight by @nineofhearts4

Blaine is famous and decides to take a break from it all by putting on a disguise and going “backpacking” through Europe with his best friend Sam. What happens when they run into fellow Americans, Kurt and Mercedes, at one of the hostels?

Loosely based on the time Niall Horan apparently went backpacking in disguise in Asia

~~~~~

and one blaine mercedes friendship that could have been

The Roommate chronicles by killerqueen80

Living together is an eye opening experience in different ways for Blaine, Mercedes and Sam.

[lola-andheruniverse]

🎄 Caryl Fanfiction Rec - Christmas Edition 🎄

God bless tumblr gifmakers! 🤣 Merry Christmas, dear fellow carylers! I hope you are feeling happy, loved and well-fed, wherever you are! Our caryl fandom love this time of the year! There are dozens of great Christmas fics out there, so I had a hard time on selecting just a few to rec. I hope you like my little list just as much as I do. 🥰 Blue Christmas by @rhinozilla [ 9 Lives ] Summary: Daryl abided by her request to be left alone for two months. Maybe that time has changed both their minds. Anonymous prompt from Tumblr based on "Blue Christmas" cover by the Lumineers.  Rated: T / Teen and Up Audiences Published: December 13, 2016 Caroling Out in the Snow by @spanishrose2002 [ 9Lives | AO3 | FF.net ] Summary: Caryl, Caryl and Lydia.  ZA.  Oneshot.  Carol and Daryl sneak away to make their own Christmas traditions.  Rated: E /Explicit Published: December 07, 2019

Minding by @imorca [ 9Lives | AO3 | FF.net ] Summary: Traplines, the winter solstice, and missing the ability to imagine that comes with the "magical" time of year. Rated: G / General Audiences Published: December 13, 2014

Snickers by Fairies Masquerade [ 9Lives ] Summary: Daryl gets his first Christmas present. - My Caryl Secret Santa gift to grayhairedqueen on tumblr. Rated: G / General Audiences Published: December 26, 2014

The Perfect Gift by Trogdor19 [ 9Lives | FF.net ] Summary: Daryl finds Carol the smallest, most perfect Christmas gift of all, when the first post-apocalyptic Christmas finds Team Family holed up in a Payless Shoes. Between Season 2&3. Rated: G / General Audiences Published: December 25, 2017 

[juliedrawz]

Cancíon de Vida

Summary: Héctor's afterlife had been traversed by tragedies until one fateful night on Dia de los Muertos in the year 2017 changed it all. Not only his road to recovery begins. While Miguel is trying his best to bring justice to his great-great-grandfather, unknown mysteries start to unwrap themselves. Things that will not only impact and completely change Héctor's life forever. What if some things aren't quite the way they seem? And how do you pick up your existence after so much hurt?

Main Characters: Héctor, Imelda, Ernesto, Ceci, (Miguel)

Rating: M

A/N: A very special thanks to my besties who have been the first to support me, are regulary beta-reading and keeping up with the insane rollercoaster of emotions, which is this journey of writing that book. I love you guys ❤ - Will I keep tweaking? Perhaps? I don’t know ... before I print the thing I surely will but that’s in the future. (I will only print it for myself and a few special persons I will choose later on!)

                 ~ Prologue ~

With a cry and a twirl of glowing marigold petals, Miguel was gone.

The Rivera family stood frozen in shock, watching the scene in front of them with great sorrow. Each of them held their very own emotion deep inside. It was painful, all of it. Both, the newly found knowledge and the situation they were in. The man they had been told to hate and forget, had all along been innocent and was now about to fade away. It felt like a cruel joke, a sick twist of fate. Each of them wished that there would be something that they could do but there was nothing. Their only hope now was Miguel. If he would succeed, Héctor would live. But most likely, that was too late.

“Héctor!” Imelda clutched her husband’s hand tighter, voice heavy with desperation and panic, “Please hold on! You have to hold on! Don’t leave me again! I cannot li-”

“Imelda,” with the last strength he could bring up, he lifted his hand to her left cheekbone, “it’s ok!”

“No!” she choked, lips trembling, “nothing’s ok! You are fading and it’s my fault!”

“No! Don’t blame yourself! I ... I don’t want you to!”

“But it’s true!” she wailed, “all my life I’ve thought ... I’ve believed this lie and I should have known better! I should have known that you would never abandon me!”

Héctor managed a small smile. His eyes were filled with so much love, it drove daggers into her spiritual heart. How could he just forgive her that easily after all she’d done?

“I‘m so, so sorry Imelda!” He said. Deep regret and sadness in each of his words. “I should have never left Santa Cecilia, I - Augh!” Another painful seizure of orange, glowing light, shook him.

“Héctor!” Imelda cried, bending down further, “No! No, no, no, please!” tears welled up in her eyes. “Please! Please ... you have to hold on a bit longer! Miguel will-”

He turned his head back to her, taking deep, heavy, rattling breaths. “It was my dream to make music and share it with the world once. But I never left because I wanted fame. I left because I wanted to provide for my family. You and Coco!”

“I know! I know.” Imelda moved his hand to her lips, letting the first tears fall. Normally, she wasn’t the kind of woman who would cry easily, and usually, her pride would keep her from succumbing to it. But ever since her husband hadn’t returned, she had cried more than she had ever thought she could. All in secret. Even in the land of the dead. Never had she let her family catch her but now was different. Now she didn’t care anymore who saw her. “I ... I was so heartbroken a-and angry and blind!” She sobbed, “Oh Héctor, I should have listened to you earlier! If only I-”

“It doesn’t matter anymore. You’re here now!” Héctor tried to push himself to smile again but with each second, he felt weaker. He wanted to hide how bad he actually felt. Awfully tired and brittle. He knew he was seconds away from fading. He could feel it. Yes, he wished he could have seen his daughter one more time and spent more time with his beloved wife and family. Yes, he didn’t want to fade and yes, he was scared. But through it all, he also felt confident. He knew that everything would be fine, even with him gone. Who knew, eventually, whatever awaited him would one day reunite him and his wife, his soulmate, his one true love. “I love you, Imelda. More than anything! - Argh!” His body shook and glowed worse than all the times before and his face scrunched up in pain while the sun climbed higher and higher over the couple’s shoulders.

“No!” Imelda pushed her hands under her husband’s back, pulling him onto her lap. “I love you too! I’ve never and I will never stop loving you!”

The brightest smile Héctor had smiled in the past decades spread on his lips. “You ... you forgive me then?”

“I already have!” She leaned down to touch his forehead with hers. “Though there is nothing to forgive! You did everything right, mi amor!”

“When Coco arrives ... tell her ... tell her I’m sorry! Tell her ... how much I love her!” He received a nod.

“I will! I promise you, I will!”

“I’m glad. At least I get to see you one last ... time.” With a deep breath, Héctor’s eyes closed, his smile faded, his body faltered and the markings on his skull started glowing faintly.

“No!” Imelda cried, “No!”

The sun had risen over their heads. Her warm, golden light stretched out over the horizon and illuminated the whole backstage.

“Héctor?” Imelda whispered hoarsely, “mi vida?”

He didn’t respond anymore and with the silence, Imelda felt a cold come over her that she had never felt before. A pain spread through her whole being, worse than any wound. Worse than any pain she had ever felt. A crushing sensation that took her breath away. It burned and choked her. She couldn’t bear to watch her true love fade, so she pulled him closer to her chest, hugged him tightly, and then let out a bone-chilling, heart-wrenching wail. A scream full of sorrow and grief. A cry that mirrored all her frustration, her anger, her bitterness, her hurt, her desperation, and her regret. But mostly, her pain of losing him.

Oscar and Felipe turned their heads away. It was too painful to watch their sister bawl over her, soon-to-be-gone, husband. Rosita and Victoria comforted each other by hugging while Julio just placed his hand on his daughter’s lower arm. There was nothing they could do or say.

By now the sun had risen entirely. Time passed and each second felt like an awful eternity. Imelda didn’t dare to move or look. Too strong were her grief and pain. There were no words that could describe how much she hated herself at that moment. How much she wanted to turn back time and reverse her mistakes. And if it only was for the time Héctor had first found her and aimed to explain himself.

He had been overjoyed to see her. He had run up to her, picked her up, and spun her around. And what had she done? Before he could even try to explain himself, she had smashed her boot into his face so hard, it had sent his head flying straight across the street. Then she had yelled at him and had called him all kinds of ugly names. Her heart had broken into yet another thousand pieces, even though she had believed it couldn’t break any further. Each time and each year she had chased him away. Oftentimes not only with her boot but with Pepita, and he was presistant. Deep down, she was well aware that she didn’t want to, but she couldn’t help herself. No matter how hard she had tried to suppress the feeling that something wasn’t right, she couldn’t. She had tried to ignore it, tried to forget it, forget him. She had tried to hate him with all her might but she never could. He was her amor verdadero, her true love. She could never hate nor forget him. But forgetting was just what was killing him a second time.

Imelda had also thought that she had time. That had been her biggest mistake up to this day. She had thought that she had enough time to eventually, one day, find the courage to jump over her pride and hear him out. That’s when Miguel had come. It had been a wink of fate. He had solved the problem and unveiled the whole truth and all that in one night. And now that she’d finally realized the truth, now that she had the chance to get her husband back, it was too late.

“Urgh ...”

Her thoughts got interrupted by a weak groan that came from below. Immediately Imelda’s eyes shot down, finding her husband still in her arms, leaning against her chest. He hadn’t faded? He was still here? Coco remembered? “Héctor?” She breathed, a glimmer of relief tingling in her chest as she blinked tears. “Héctor?”

The heads of her family turned back around, gaping in astonishment. Another groan followed and his eyes slowly opened.

“Héctor!” Imelda repeated, still in shock.

His eyes lifted, an expression of pure confusion followed, “Imelda? Am I dead? Is this heaven?”

“You are dead but ...” She blinked, confused herself, “not faded. Coco she ...”

“Remembered me!” Héctor beamed. “Our Miguelito made it!”

“He did!” She started beaming as well, laughing in relief.

Héctor’s eyes opened further. As he realized his position, they trailed down to his wife’s chest on which she had him pressed and he grinned. As soon as she noticed, she pushed him away with an offended gasp. That Fool. The nerve he had. There he had been at the edge of Nirvana and the first thing he did after surviving that, was boldly and shamelessly flirting with her. He didn't need words. And she hated herself for liking it.

“Ay!” he dropped down full force, bones clattering on the ground. 

“Dios, I’m sorry! Are you hurt?” Her gasp was drowned out by Héctor’s laughter, which got her angry again and at the same time filled her with indescribable happiness. “Stop laughing, tonto! You almost faded!” 

“I know!” He winced as she pushed his shoulder, causing her to flinch away and straight up apologize a second time. He chuckled once more before growing serious again. “I’m still here.”

“Sí.” she crossed her arms.

“Now what?” Lifting himself into a sitting position, he felt his chest and then looked at her expectantly.

Now what? His question caught her off guard, just as the loud cheering of her family behind them. Suddenly an overjoyed Dante came rushing toward them. Heckling, he leaped between the couple, licking Héctor’s skull and hands wildly.

“Ah! Dante, no! Stop it!” He laughed, trying to twist himself free. But Dante didn’t think of stopping. Instead, he turned around and ran his tongue over Imelda’s face next. She tried to push him off but to no avail.

“Augh! No, not me!” She groaned.

Dante wagged his tail back and front seemingly in lightspeed, causing funny sounds on the couple’s bones. He kept on licking Imelda until she was finally able to push him off. “Enough!” She told him strictly. Intimidated, he retreated to the side, causing her to topple forward, crashing onto her husband’s chest.

His laughing got exchanged with his goofy grin. “Still falling for me, eh?”

Imelda’s mouth opened, closed, opened, and closed again. She was certain that if she still had skin, she would have blushed furiously. That foolish grin that had made her fall in love with him in the first place all those years ago, made the tingling feeling in the area where her stomach had been, reappear. Then, as soon as the grin had come, it vanished again. Now his expression was entirely different. His pupils enlarged as he gave her a look of absolute adoration. It had been decades since she had looked that deep into his eyes. Quickly she shook herself out of her trance and scrambled away from him.

Sighing, she got up, holding out a hand for Héctor to take. He hesitated for a moment, searched in her eyes if it was really ok, and then took her hand, letting himself get pulled up. Suddenly shy and bashful again both looked away. Héctor‘s brow-bones furrowed and his right hand grabbed his left arm like he always used to do when he became flustered. Imelda on the other hand pressed her lips together and wrung her hands. Words itching to be spoken but left in silence.

Felipe and Óscar both wanted nothing more than to run to them and hug them but they kept themselves from doing so. It was still weird after all those years. They had never truly believed that Héctor had left their sister on purpose but running up to him now seemed inappropriate. Rosita and Victoria just as much as Julio kept away as well. None of them dared to come too close to the couple. Or Héctor for that matter.

Héctor thought. He wondered how things were now between him and his wife. They had somewhat reconciled but that was because both had thought that he was about to vanish to dust. Now he was alive. Well, as alive as one could call it.

“Erm ...” he dared a glance to the side, finding his wife looking just as emotionally conflicted as he himself. “Imelda?” His voice was reduced to an unsure whisper.

Just as she was about to say something, Pepita came flying back above their heads. Circling for a moment, she landed right next to her master. Her big head instantly turned to Héctor, her pupils became slits and she lowered herself down, stalking towards him just like she had moments ago with Ernesto.

Gritting his teeth, Héctor slowly walked backward, lifting his hands in defense. “Uh, Pepita? You’re not angry with me anymore, are you? Nice kitty! ... Good kitty? Please don’t eat me!” He lifted his arms to shield himself.

“Pepita! Déjalo ser!” Imelda demanded but this time her alebrije didn’t listen. She kept walking until she stood right in front of Héctor, who grimaced and leaned away.

Fearful he closed his eyes and waited for the biggest, most rough, and wet tongue to swoop over his whole head. Wait ... tongue? Pepita licked Héctor with so much force, it lifted him a few inches from the ground, a deep, loud purr erupting in her chest as she looked at her owner’s mate with great satisfaction. Her lick had ruffled his, already messy hair and caused it to now stand in each possible direction. 

Imelda couldn’t help but snort a laugh at her husband’s expression. A mixture of dumbstruck surprise and disgust. “Ay, mi amado tonto,” She said, still with amusement in her voice. “Vámonos a casa!”

[katblu42]

Signals

A (Kagaku Ninja Tai) Gatchaman fic written for the Secret Santa gift exchange in 2017. The prompt I was given tasked me with giving Joe and Jun a moment alone, lost on an island with time to reflect on their hopes and fears, and a possibility of romance between them.

I hope there is an audience for this fic here. I loved writing this, and the challenge of shipping these two (who I'd never really considered would end up together) pushed me to write something I was quite proud of.

It is fairly long at just over 14000 words, so this is just the first part. Rated G Minor injury Minor character death budding romance (I've tagged with Battle of the Planets as some fans may recognise enough familiar content to follow the story.)

Signals (link to AO3)

Four birdlike shadows flashed across the stainless steel wall of the compound. Two streaked left and disappeared behind pallets piled high with boxes, while the other two headed right and vanished into the darkness between the dimly lit doorways.

“This doesn’t look like the stolen electronics components,” Ken whispered.

“No,” Jun agreed, “it seems more like catering supplies.”

“I guess even Galactor have to eat.”

“Hey, kid, what’d you see?” Joe prompted Jinpei after a brief reconnoitre.

“First door leads to bathrooms, second one looks like kitchens,” the youngster responded. “You?”

“Last door looks like it leads to living quarters. Door three’s the winner – stairs leading down.” He grinned a mirthless grin, then spoke into his bracelet. “G2 to G1. I think we’ve found the way in.” There was no response.

“Aniki?” Jinpei tried whispering into his own communicator. “Should we go in?”

“Comms are down. They must be jamming us,” Joe surmised. “Go see if you can find them. I’ll stay here.”

“What’s taking Joe and Jinpei so long?” wondered Jun. “We should have heard something by now.”

“G1 to G2. Found anything? . . . Joe?” Ken waited but received no answer. “No response. Do you think they could be jamming us?”

“Yep!” Jinpei popped his head around the corner of the stack of boxes, then continued as he joined his teammates. “That’s what Joe thinks too. There’s a way down over there. Come on!”

“Hold on,” Ken grabbed the young swallow’s cowl and held him back. “We need to try contacting Ryu before we get any deeper into the base.”

“Are you kidding?” Jinpei turned to Jun. “Does he really expect to be able contact to Ryu out there in the God Phoenix when we can’t even get a signal in here?”

“G5, this is G1. Do you copy?” Ken spoke into his bracelet. “G5, do you read?”

“He’s not expecting an answer, but you know we have to try,” Jun reminded him. “It’s procedure. And the God Phoenix has signal boosters.”

Just then Joe dropped down from the top of one of the taller stacks to join the others.

“I guess we can’t call in the cavalry?” Joe’s question was answered by a shake of Ken’s head. “The jamming device must be somewhere in the base. Last time we contacted Ryu we were less than a hundred meters away from where we are now.”

“Maybe I can find a way to detect the device,” Jun suggested as she opened her bracelet’s faceplate.

“Good idea,” Ken agreed. “We get in, Jinpei and I will find the stolen equipment, you and Joe find and neutralise the jamming device. Twenty minute time limit – if communications haven’t been restored by then we get out and blow the base.”

“We won’t have that long if we go now,” Joe said, ominously. “There’s a lot of activity over there now. Change of shift, meal time or something.”

A five minute wait allowed the foot traffic around the stairs to die down while Jun found a signal that could be the jamming device, and a way to track its location.

The four ninjas made it down the long flight of stairs without needing to deal with more than a half dozen Galactor infantry. The staircase opened out to a wide intersection of corridors. They’d seen similar layouts before and could make educated guesses as to which direction to head in to find what they were looking for.

“Signal seems strongest this way.” Jun indicated the corridor leading straight ahead of the stairs.

“Twenty minutes,” Ken reminded them, then took off down the corridor on the left with Jinpei close behind.

The corridor Jun and Joe needed to take appeared to be a main artery through the base. It was wide with a high ceiling and doors leading off either side at regular intervals. A suspended catwalk allowing access to the corridor lights and air ducts ran above the centre of the corridor. Joe suggested they’d encounter less goons if he and Jun traversed the catwalk. Progress was slightly cautious to prevent the suspended lights from swinging as they walked. All the while the signal Jun was following became stronger. The end of the corridor brought them to a large set of interlocking, sliding steel doors.

“Whatever we’re looking for is through there,” Jun whispered.

“Looks like it has a keypad lock, that’ll mean we need a code.” Joe groaned at the prospect. “That door will be too thick to drill through or torch – it’ll take too long.”

“Maybe we’ll get lucky,” Jun smiled and nodded towards a pair of Galactor soldiers approaching the doors.

Sure enough, they stopped at the doors and the taller of the two punched a series of numbers into the keypad. As the huge doors slid apart the two men started to walk through, and Jun and Joe swooped. Quick as a flash, a streak of pink and another of blue descended from the catwalk and flew through the doors. The two Galactor goons never knew what hit them – both were out of action before the double doors had closed again.

Jun and Joe found themselves inside a large hangar. Technicians and mechanics in Galactor uniforms, and small service vehicles moved about the vast space. An enormous, somewhat bird-shaped aircraft occupied the centre of the domed area. A kind of mezzanine level jutted three meters out of the side walls about ten meters above floor level, extending three quarters of the way around the room, leaving a semi-circular hangar door at the far end.

After dragging the hapless goons out of sight, Joe and Jun crouched beside equipment racks against the side wall and took stock of their surroundings.

“What is that?” Joe asked, indicating the massive, blue-ish metal aircraft with a nasty looking long, thin, slightly curved beak. “Some kind of wading bird?”

“I don’t know,” Jun replied distractedly, “but the jamming device is probably somewhere on board.”

At that moment an alarm started blaring.

“Jinpei and Ken!” Jun gasped.

“. . . can take care of themselves,” Joe reassured her. “But if I’m not mistaken, we’re gonna have to hurry this up.”

The amount of activity in the hangar (and by the sound of it, on the mezzanine level above them) began to increase as uniformed soldiers began responding to the alarm. Orders were being barked, weapons collected and readied for action, and likely locations for the intruders suggested; “The Command Centre!” . . . “the plant room” . . . “The power generator!”

“Do you think they found the stolen components?” Jun whispered.

“I think they found trouble.”

“Then maybe we should go and help them.”

“The best way for us to help would be to get inside that . . . thing and find the jamming device.” Joe studied her expression for a moment. He hoped his own concern for Ken and Jinpei was not as obvious, but he could also see determination behind that golden visor. She nodded, doing her best to put aside her unease.

There were now less technicians and mechanics in the hangar, but there was still some activity audible above them. Guards could be seen posted at entrances on the mezzanine, but they were focussing their attention away from the hangar floor.

“Looks like now’s our best chance,” Joe suggested before heading off in a blue streak across the hangar and concealing himself behind one of the long, folded metal legs of the giant bird. Jun quickly followed.

The main hatch and ramp was closed, but a small opening in the bird’s hull, designed to allow maintenance access, had been left open in the rush to respond to the alarm. The ladder had been removed, but a five meter, near-vertical leap was no challenge for the two ninjas.

Just as Joe made his landing inside the iron bird, and Jun was preparing to jump, the vibrations and muffled sounds of an explosion somewhere within the base shook them. Jun fought the urge to look for the source of the detonation and instead focussed her energy into her leap, and soon joined Joe in a narrow space running uphill towards the bird’s left wing. They couldn’t fit side by side, and Joe had to stoop to keep from hitting his head. The tunnel was designed to give maintenance crews access to control cables, electrical circuits and crawl spaces between mechanical sections.

Another, slightly louder explosion and the sound of distant gunfire reached their ears.

“We need to hurry,” Joe grumbled and began making his way up the access tunnel.

“I wish I knew what was going on,” Jun complained.

“Then we’d better find this thing and disable it so we can get hold of Ken and ask him!” Joe shot back as he continued up the tunnel, leaving Jun little choice but to follow.

They had made about ten meters of steady progress when another alarm began to sound. A different tone from the earlier one. The maintenance hatch Jun and Joe had entered through clanged shut below and behind them. Sounds of running feet and voices made their way nearer and the loud, mechanical cacophony of the main belly hatch mechanism clunked to life, culminating in the gritty clang and grind of the ramp hitting the hangar floor.

Jun took a breath to steady her pounding heart, and consulted her bracelet to try and get a fix on the location of the jamming device. They had to be pretty close.

“We need to make our way up and to the right,” she stated in a far less panicky tone than she felt.

“Then we’ll need to check out these side shafts,” Joe suggested.

Footsteps and voices were now evident both inside and outside the mecha. A distinctly metallic screeching sound indicated the opening of the main hangar doors. Servos began clicking as the mecha’s systems started to come online, engines whined into their warm-up sequence. Preparations for take-off had begun.

“Okay,” Joe backed out of one of the side shafts. “Not that way! By the sound of it, that leads to an engine.”

“This one!” Jun exclaimed from another shaft a little further up.

The side tunnel she had found led a short distance into a small room lined with shelves and racks stocked with tools and spare parts. Joe crawled through into the room and stood at his full height for the first time since they’d entered the mecha, then strode straight over to the door at the other end of the room and listened.

“. . . base is compromised, Lord Katse has set the self-destruct. As soon as he is aboard we’ll take off . . .”

As he turned to face Jun he saw her expression change to one of alarm and Joe realised his own expression was a mix of surprise and concern. He relayed the overheard information to her.

“Then we need to get out of here,” she responded. “We have to warn Ken and Jinpei!”

“They will have figured it out by now,” Joe reassured her. “They’ll find a way out of the base. Right now our best chance of escape is to stay aboard this mecha. If Katse is using it as a lifeboat then it’s a guaranteed safe ride out.”

“Then what? Our comms are still down. The others won’t know where we are.”

“We stick to the plan – find the jamming device and disable it. Then we can contact the others and . . .” he trailed off in thought. “Maybe we can track Katse back to Galactor’s headquarters.”

“And what if we can’t disable it? Or if we can’t find it? Or if we’re discovered and . . .”

“Then we blow this thing to pieces and hope for a soft landing.”

Just then the engine noise increased and the mecha lurched as it moved into take-off position. The belly hatch ramp could be heard retracting and closing. There was a large explosion somewhere close by, perhaps even within the hangar. Another change in engine note and a sudden jolt accompanied the take off. The bird mecha barely cleared the hangar entrance as a massive fiery explosion blasted out of the base. The shockwave and turbulence sent the aircraft lurching and rocking, causing badly restrained equipment to fly in all directions about the storeroom. A large tool chest began to topple.

“Jun!” Joe warned as he staggered and struggled to stay upright amid the aircraft’s erratic movements.

Jun tried to leap clear of the heavy chest as it fell, but she was off balance and struggling to find her footing. As she jumped the mecha pitched sideways violently and her right ankle buckled beneath her. The tool chest crashed to the floor, narrowly missing her feet on its way down and her way up. She landed heavily in a half-kneeling position next to Joe with a grunt and a grimace of pain.

They rode out the rest of the turbulence in silence, concentrating on staying balanced and clear of further falling objects. Then as the mecha’s flight began to level out into clear air, Joe reached out to help Jun to her feet.

“You okay?”

Jun kept hold of Joe’s arm as she tested her weight on her right foot.

“Aaaaah!” She hopped a little on her left foot. “No! I don’t think anything’s broken, but I can’t put much weight on it.”

“Okay,” he said, slowly, “so, you stay here. Show me how to track this jamming device and I’ll go find it. Then I’ll come back here and we’ll get out the way we came in. Moving through these tunnels is too slow for my liking, but it’s a more discreet option than using the main corridors.”

She considered his plan for a moment. She didn’t much like the idea of sitting around helplessly, wondering if Joe was having any luck. The chances of him finding it without drawing unwanted attention were too slim.

“No,” she asserted, a look of steely determination in her emerald eyes as she fixed them on his. “Let’s go with Plan B – blow this thing to pieces!”

He held her gaze a while, discerning how much of this was pain talking and how much was about wanting to know if Jinpei and Ken were okay. He could see that she wanted this over quickly, but she was looking at the options. If they destroyed the mecha it might destroy the jamming device as well.

“Alright,” Joe sighed and gave a nod. “What kind of charges have you got?”

He and Jun took stock of their combined stash of explosives and timing devices, discussed what little they knew so far of the mecha’s structure, propulsion system and dimensions, and came up with a plan of action. Joe would need to leave Jun on her own for a while, but there was little chance of either of them being detected while he was gone. Jun handed over the two small, but powerful devices she’d assembled. All Joe would need to do was place them and set the timers.

Joe returned to the maintenance tunnel and followed it upward, looking for a lateral corridor that would cross over to the other side. Just as Jun had predicted a cramped tunnel, presumably somewhere close to the bird’s shoulders provided access to a central power cell which supplied most of the ship’s critical systems. It was likely the path he had just travelled would be mirrored on the other side of the ship.

It took only a few minutes for Joe to secure the explosive device directly to the power cell, set the timer and make his way back to Jun. Together they made their way back through the maintenance tunnel toward the small hatch in the hull where they had come in. On the way Joe ducked into the side shaft he’d found earlier and set the second explosive device close to the engine, this one on a shorter timer.

They were delayed slightly by the seal on the exit hatch. Jun used a small charge to blow the electronic lock and they were able to drop through and freefall clear of the giant metal bird, just as the timer on the first explosive reached zero.

As two sets of Birdstyle wings unfurled the dull crump and thud of the first explosion caused the steel bird to buckle outwards between the metal wings. Joe began to ride the air currents, searching for a place to land on one of the small islands dotting the Pacific Ocean below them. He spotted a likely candidate and looked back to check that Jun was following as he directed his glide towards it. The second explosive detonated, causing a fireball and black smoke to belch from the engine behind the mecha’s left wing. The ugly steel bird was losing altitude, breaking apart and beginning to tumble as further explosions flashed across its body. The spindly legs were among the first large pieces to break away, along with large sheets of the outer casing and smaller pieces of flaming debris.

The long, narrow curved beak detached and plunged into the ocean as the spherical head launched away from the elongated neck and steered up and away. It had to be Katse’s escape vessel.

Checking over his shoulder at regular intervals to watch for debris, and to ensure Jun was still close by, Joe glided above the wooded area of the island and started descending toward a long stretch of beach. Dodging various jagged pieces of hot metal jutting out of the sand, he touched down gently in the soft, white sand close to the trees. Knowing Jun would find landing difficult with an injured ankle, he immediately turned to check her position. Following her trajectory, he ran along the beach to meet her at her landing point.

Jun glided in to land, seeing Joe waiting to assist. She touched her left foot down and allowed her momentum to take her forward towards Joe’s waiting arms so that she didn’t have to put weight on her right foot as she put the toe of her boot onto the sand. She held Joe’s right forearm and left shoulder as she steadied herself, and looked up to meet his concerned gaze.

“Thanks, Joe”

At that moment the largest remaining section of the bird mecha, which had only remained in the air this long through the sheer determination of a small Galactor flight crew who were desperately hoping against all hope that they may somehow survive this catastrophe, finally succumbed to its fate and crashed into the ocean in a dramatic and bright ball of flame. Joe closed his eyes and turned his head against the irritation of the flash of light. Jun turned to study the colour and shape of the flames and smoke on the horizon, analysing the probable cause of the aircraft exploding on impact the way it did.

The bright flash faded to an orange glow and began to disappear as the smoke billowed, rose and dissipated. Joe, no longer irritated by the light, turned back towards the crash site.

“I guess that’s it. Now we’ll never figure out what it was meant to be.”

“I think it was an ibis,” Jun informed him, “although I’m not sure why they decided to paint it blue.” She shifted her position slightly with an awkward pivot and a limping half step.

“Here, let me take a look at that ankle.” Joe indicated a nearby fallen tree trunk and gently guided Jun over to it, lending a hand to help her sit. Kneeling at her feet, he took her right foot in his hands. “This isn’t going to be easy, but we need to get this boot off.”

“It’ll be easier if I transform out of Birdstyle,” Jun offered.

“Check your communicator,” Joe suggested. “Can you contact the others?”

“What? Why?” Jun responded with appropriate confusion, raising her bracelet to follow Joe’s instruction.

“Just try it.” Joe had that look that said he was thinking two steps ahead and waiting for her to catch up.

“G3 to G1. Do you read me, Commander? . . . Jinpei? Ryu? Do you copy?” There was no response.

“Comms are still jammed. That means the device is still active and somewhere nearby.” Joe watched Jun as she concentrated on where this train of thought was going. “There is a chance that there are survivors from the crash who could also be monitoring our transformation frequency. It’s a slim chance, but do you want to risk it?”

Since Galactor had gained the knowledge of the team’s transformation frequency some months back Dr Nambu had cautioned them all to be even more careful of when and where they transformed.

“No,” Jun conceded. “But how did you know our communications were still down?”

“I know Ken,” Joe grinned. “As soon as that jamming device is out of action we’ll hear him chirp.” The grin faded as Joe began to concentrate on the job at hand. “Okay, you ready?”

Jun gave a nod and manoeuvred her foot as best she could while Joe gently eased the long, white boot off, revealing her reddened, swollen ankle. She found herself marvelling at the gentle touch of his hands, the tender care he took as he had her test the range of movement, and that mixture of calm, controlled confidence, and pure concern in his eyes each time he looked up at her to ask a question. It didn’t take long to determine the injury was most likely to be a sprain, albeit a nasty one. Joe reached into a pouch on his belt and brought out a compression bandage. She watched in silence as those hands that she knew could be deadly when necessary expertly wound the bandage around her ankle with such gentleness.

“You’re good at that,” she remarked as he finished pinning the bandage in place. He gave her a bemused look. “The first-aid thing. You have excellent field dressing skills.”

He found himself unsure of how to react, so he smirked, shrugged and adopted his best doctor-ish voice. “Well, without ice to bring the swelling down you will have to make sure you rest and elevate that ankle.”

“I’ll rest it when we get back to the God Phoenix.” Jun’s expression changed to one of resolve as she reached for her boot. “Right now we need to find that jamming device.”

(Read the rest on AO3)

[ceallaigheirinn]

Ten lines tagging meme

Thank you to the lovely @politicalmamaduck for the tag!

Rules: share the first lines of ten of your most recent fanfics and tag ten people. If you have written less than ten, don’t be shy and share anyway❤️

1. “It was late, well into the small hours of the night by the time their shuttle reached planetfall and descended toward the surface below.” HANDFAST. A Reylo canon-divergent forced marriage fic for the 2023 Valentines Exchange.

2. “It had been a little over a standard month since she touched down on Tatooine.” GRIMTASH. A Reylo post canon reunion fic for the 2023 RFFA Valentine Exchange.

3. “The sun descended over the Silver Sea as it did every evening.” HEATHENS. A Reylo soft BDSM kink fic. Wanted to write outside my comfort zone.

4. “The sun was just beginning to set on the horizon on the Silver Sea as Rey entered her small apartment on the outskirts of Hanna City.” I WILL ALWAYS BE WITH YOU. A Reylo Dark Rey origin story/Reylo baby fic for the 2021 RFFA Valentine Exchange. Really need to reexplore this universe and write a sequel.

5. “Tatooine summers always meant sandstorms.” UNSTUCK IN TIME. A Reylo Bring Ben Back fic for the 2020 RFFA Anthology. Biggest work I’ve written. Post-canon. Wanted to prove I could bring back while being 100% canon compliant. Take that, Abrams!! Time travel!

6. “The springtime monsoon season had come to Batuu and for the seventeenth day straight, sheets of unrelenting rain pelted down from the sky.” WHAT WAS LOST IS NOW FOUND. Amnesia trope Reylo fic for the 2020 RFFA Valentine Exchange.

7. “It wasn’t their bed on Chandrila, but this one in the Millennium Falcon’s captain’s quarters was the next best thing.” THE WEIGHT OF A SOUL. A Reylo fic for the 2019 RFFA Anthology. Vengeance demons with a bit borrowed from Ammit mythology.

8. “The first thing Rey noted when she touched down in Coronet City was the complete absence of color.” SERENDIPITY. A Reylo canon-divergent dystopian fic written for the 2019 RFFA New Years Fic Exchange.

9. “Kylo Ren wakes with a strangled gasp as he sits bolt upright in his bed.” TOUCH. Nightmares, Forcebond. Quiet Reylo moment for the 2017 Underrated Reylo Secret Santa Exchange. Was going to be bigger, but I like the simplicity of one chapter.

10. “Ben Solo awoke with a gasp.” SPILLIKIN. Exiled Reylo canonverse for the 2017 RFFA Anthology. Wherein Ben honors his parents and tries to forgive himself.

You get a bonus, because fic because I’m really proud of fic 11. Set in the same universe as Serendipity. Wrote it in a day. Only time that has ever happened.

11. “Ben Solo had been the sole human residing on Maluhia for a little over a year.” SOLITUDE INTERRUPTED. A Reylo fic I wrote the day Carrie Fisher died. Ben Solo lost his mother that day, and I’ve struggled to write a living Leia since then.

Will tag a few. No obligation to participate, but I’d love to revisit and discover fic!

@checktheholonet @briarlily @the-reylo-void @anopendoor @whatceliawrites

[drama-suggestions]

Rom-Com Dramas

Extraordinary attorney Woo (2022) (16 episodes)

9/10 rating on MyDramaList and 8.7/10 on IMDb

Extraordinary Attorney Woo is the story of Woo Young-woo, an autistic lawyer raised by her single father. She graduates at the top of her law school class and obtains her first job at Hanbada, a large Seoul law firm. Her intelligence and photographic memory help her become an excellent lawyer, but her communication is initially seen as odd and awkward. She also encounters people who are prejudiced against her and others with disabilities, such as her fellow colleague Kwon Min-woo, who often tries to sabotage her. Her approach is often unique and helps resolve cases in unexpected ways.

2. Business Proposal (2022) (12 episodes)

8.7/10 rating on MyDramaList and 8.1/10 rating on IMDb

Shin Ha-ri goes on a blind date with Kang Tae-moo, CEO of Go Food, but it goes awry when her date turns out to be Kang Da-goo, the chairman of Go Foods parent company. Young-seo tricks Ha-ri into meeting Tae-moo at his request. Ha-ri lies to Tae-moo and bribes him into pretending to be his fiancée in exchange for 800,000 won per date. Despite feeling betrayed, Tae-moo still loves Ha-ri and they become a couple. Young-seo moves out of her father's house and finds out that she is now Sung-hoon's neighbor. Sung-hoon is upset with her for deceiving his boss, but eventually realizes his growing affections for Young-seo and they get together.

3. Crash Course in Romance (2023) (16 episodes)

8.5/10 rating on MyDramaList and 7.8/10 on IMDb

Nam Haeng Sun, a former national athlete, now owns a side dish store and is attracted to Choi Chi Yeol, a popular and hardworking private instructor known as the "1 Billion Won Man". Despite his reputation, Choi Chi Yeol has become increasingly aloof and irritable due to his growing success. Nam Haeng Sun embarks on a new career in the private education field and discovers a deeper connection with Choi Chi Yeol. However, their relationship is not without challenges, as they must learn to confront their own shortcomings and trust in each other's strengths. It has a satisfying ending that resolves the issues of the characters.

4. I’m not a Robot (2017) (16 episodes)

8.4/10 rating on MyDramaList and 8/10 on IMDb

Kim Min-kyu lives a luxurious but isolated life due to a severe allergy to physical contact with other human beings. Jo Ji-ah is trying to create businesses based on her inventions. KM Financial owns the Santa Maria team headed by professor Hong Baek-gyun, who has secretly created an advanced humanoid robot called AG3. To convince Min-kyu not to sell the team, Baek-gyun sends the robot to him as a demonstration, but it short-circuits and Baek-gyun asks Ji-ah to pose as the robot, giving the team time to repair Aji 3. Ji-ah impersonates Aji 3 and Min-kyu falls in love with her, believing she is the robot. He is disturbed by this and "reboots" her, erasing the robot's memory. Baek-gyun then replaces Ji-ah with the real Aji 3, and Min-kyu discovers Ji-ah's deception and nearly kills him. Ji-ah confesses her love to Min-kyu and they rediscover their love. Aji 3's secret cache is hacked, revealing Min-kyu's illness, which is used to attempt a take-over of KM Financial and complete the sale of the Santa Maria team and Aji 3. Min-kyu manages to thwart the attempt and restores Aji 3 to the Santa Maria team. 2 years later, the Santa Maria team successfully launches a new robot and Min-kyu and Ji-ah are happily living their changed lives.

5. True Beauty (2020) (16 episodes)

 8.3/10 rating on MyDramaList and 8.5 on IMDb

Lim Ju-Kyung is a high school student who has been discriminated against by her family and bullied by her peers in previous school due to being perceived as ugly. She masters wearing makeup and quickly rises to fame. Su-ho is a student of Class 2-5 in Saebom High School who is popular for his handsome looks and being the top of his class. His dysfunctional family and a tragic incident from a year ago have turned him into an ice-cold boy who hates being the center of attention. He is formerly best friends with Seo-Jun and shares Ju-Kyung's penchant for horror comic books. This series, which has an entertaining bromance, explores Ju-Kyung's life and her aspiration to become a cosmetologist.

[gyupremacy]

it took me some time to come to terms that i have more than one bts bias. when that happened i just gave in and became taekook biased, but it worked itself out since taekook is also my all time favorite ship

interesting enough though vernon is my only bias in svt and people probably think i’m weird like there’s so many of them and you only have one. what can i say? i fell in love when i saw vernon or chwe hansol

i think it’s cool that you love both groups equally! they all have different vibes and sounds so it keeps it interesting

now that i got the basics out of the way, let’s get to more secret santa related questions. do you like snow and live in a place that gets a lot of it?

- chocolate

When it came to bts, they are one of the few groups I listen to where my bias never switched. There were eras where another member started grabbing my attention, like Jin with Butter.

It's interesting that you mentioned Vernon because I was first introduced to Seventeen from seeing a clip of that fancall on my feed (iykyk 💀).

That's how I feel about groups, too! There's different things I appreciate for both.

I like snow, but it never snows here. The last time it did was 2017/18, and this was the first time it had snowed in 7-8 years.

[satsuha]

merry christmas @die-i-mean-hi !! youmaru in their UR pair was so perfect for christmas i had to draw them ,, hope you have an amazing christmas!

for @lovelivesecretsanta2017

[riko-takami]

My @lovelivesecretsanta2017 gift for @curechika!!!! Hope you like the gift ;v;

It was really fun to work on, and it was really cool being your secret santa. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!

[bmpmp3]

I’m @animeender ‘s love live secret santa~

yohariko is very good and i like it a lot here’s a yoshiko and riko dressed in vague dog/wolf costumes, I kind of want a pure dog themed set now with these two as the URs qwq

little sketchy smooch comic as well

merrrrrrry christmas!

[nokchadraws-archive]

Happy Holidays @fruity-cat! I’m your LL secret santa this year :) I hope you like the picture and have a great rest of the year!

[bunyehz]

(please view in new tab for full quality)

Happy Holidays @doyoulikehomestuck ! I was your Secret Santa for the @lovelivesecretsanta2017 event!! i hope your having a great holiday season! if not i hope things chin up for you, but either way heres a youriko, on the house!

[squidryder]

@8coloursart I’m your Love Live Secret Santa!!! 

Hope you have a great holiday! 

[ashuu-yuutas]

❆ Happy late holidays, @cand0ria! I hope you had a great holiday season and I hope that these girls bless you throughout the new year! ❆

[seraphily]

my @lovelivesecretsanta2017 gift for @minty-angel !!  the first years and i hope you had a great christmas ☆☆☆