#mc: malia jones

[missameliep]

Twenty Seconds or Twenty Years

Book: Wake the Dead Characters: Angel Savage; Eli Sipes; Malia Jones (MC) and Troy Hassan. Pairing: Malia Jones (MC) x Troy Hassan. Rating: M (see notes bellow) Word count: 6.300k Summary: After getting separated from her friends during a scouting mission in a new city, Malia got injured and will struggle to survive against all odds. Is she going to make it on her own?

Notes:

English is not my first language;

Characters belong to Pixelberry and I’m borrowing them;

Post-WTD events;

This fic is rated M because of triggering subjects: swearing; mentions of death and violence compliant to canon; mentions of injuries and blood; mention to suicide; readers discretion advised

This fic was inspired by a prompt sent by the lovely @jerzwriter - It kinda took an unexpected turn from where I thought this fic would go! Thanks for sending the prompt and I apologise it took soooo long.

Running through unknown terrain is usually a bad idea and Malia would strongly advice against it, considering how easily one could stumble directly into the arms of the undead. However, given the circumstances, the only other option left is certain death if she tries to hold her ground and fight the ‘zombiefest’ on her own with an injured arm.  

So, she runs.  

Being chased triggered Malia’s brain in survival mode.  

Adrenaline and pure will make her muscles climb another set of stairs and the next one. No amount of exercise at the colony could have prepared her for this. 

Breathe, she reminds herself, breathe. 

Dashing up, Malia reaches the next flight of stairs, barely catching her breath and a glimpse of the number six lying on the floor. 

Six.  

That’s the number of arrows shot and undead put to rest for good before a blur in her peripheral vision obfuscated everything.  

The impact knocked the air out of her lungs. Stumbling back, her body landed on a pile of debris. A sharp pain on her arm didn’t stop her from kicking back, making the decayed corpse reel back, allowing enough space for the metal tip of the arrow sunk deep into an eye socket and exit through the back of the drone’s head.  

Her brain didn’t register getting up or running. Next thing she remembers is the bang of the heavy metal door against the wall when she dashed, hisses and snarls following too close...    

Heart pounding in her ears, almost muffling the sound of her own steps and those of her chasers, she climbs another set of stairs.  

Going three steps at once is not something manageable for much longer; however, slowing down is not an option either until being certain of the distance put between her and the pursuers... 

I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. The voices in her mind alternating between her own and Troy’s, that one cheerful tone he used when she was sparring with anyone other than him. You can do this, Malia. You’ve got this!  

Reaching the next flight of stairs, she slows down, pacing her run, and her trained ears capture the faint growls and dragging of feet echoing bellow. There is no need to turn around to know she’s gained on them. At least for now.   

Tenth floor. 

Ten.  

That’s how many days passed since they barely survived the surge. But with all the work tending the injured, the extensive damages to the lodge and deciding on a new place to settle Olympus, one could think it happened months ago... 

Using her good arm, she forces the fire exit door’s handle and pulls with all her strength in vain. 

An inhuman screech echoes.  

A fucking Scout! Just my luck! Every hibernating zombie in a mile will come here... 

She darts upward, hoping the upper floors won’t be packed with drones. 

On the wall, the numbers indicating she reached the sixteenth-floor conserve a faint glow despite the dust and spiderwebs. The fire exit door is also stuck, probably blocked from the inside. With a groan, she pushes and pulls harder, but it doesn’t budge.  

“Better try my luck with the next one,” she murmurs, “Seventeen might be my lucky number.” 

It wasn’t.  

But it doesn’t matter. When your goal is not becoming drone’s snack, you’ll find the strength to keep going.  

This building has at least forty floors... I’ll try the next one and the next one until I find one door unlocked or no more doors to bang on... 

Hope fuels her entire body.  

Twenty-two was her lucky number. 

Pulling at the large bar, she easily props open the fire door. A long and dark hallway stretches before her, the faintest light filtering through the furthest door on the left. 

From the stairs, the hisses are getting louder.  

As quiet as possible, she closes the door and turns on the flashlight, searching for anything to barricade it. Drones shouldn’t be able to grasp on door handles, but they shouldn’t talk or have a conscience either, but Malia knows how untrue those statements can be... 

A fire hose on the wall fits the purpose. Forcing the metal door open, she reels it out as best as she can with one hand, then rolls it around the bar to keep the door shut.  

She barely finished securing the door closed when the horde tested its resistance. Scratches, bangs and ungodly hisses echo. Startled, she takes a step back and the gun out of the shoulder holster. In the darkness, her attention split between the door in front of her and the long corridor behind, from where a drone could be lurking. 

Not daring make a sound, she stands completely still and holds her breath until most of the horde seems to continue the chase up the stairs. Only a few growls persist, but no signs they would manage to break in. 

Letting out an exhausted breath, every muscle on her body seems to give up at once. Her lungs ache. Her vision blurs. She bends over with pain in her side and leans against the closest wall. Her palm is tainted crimson with the blood soaking the t-shirt. 

“Fuck” she hisses and her body slides down. The muscles of her legs melting underneath her weight like frost when the sun comes up. 

The silence that settles is a good sign. If the commotion didn’t attract any zombie, then it’s almost safe to say she’s entered a zombie-free floor. 

Putting her backpack down, Malia takes a sip at the water from the flask and inhales deeply. Another sip at the liquid is not enough to wash the lingering taste of dust in her mouth, but she must save for later. 

Later. 

Eli’s words on the back of her mind reminding now’s the time to prepare for later. “Keep walking. Let your body decelerate. Sitting down is bad. Life is motion.” 

The pain urges her to ignore all the advice.  

There’s no strength left. Blood is pouring from the wound, soaking her t-shirt that has been shredded on the side by the drone’s tallons. Her left arm refuses to be ignored any longer. An acute pain irradiates through the entire limb. Her hand run over the thick fabric of the jacket, touching the bump caused by the bone sticking out... A fracture. 

“Just my luck,” she mutters. 

It’s unsafe to risk making any noise without securing the perimeter first. The fact there’s not a drone in her face, is no excuse to sit back and relax. But on the other hand, she cannot go on without tending to her injuries. 

Rubbing her hand against her face, wiping the sweat, she needs to rest. One more minute. Two more deep breaths. Her back rests against the wall while she inhales and exhales, her breathing becomes steadier and her pulse less erratic.  

From previous experience, if all the noise and the scent of her blood didn’t bring any drone here, she must be safe. For now. 

Her training comes back to mind, and her brain lists everything she needs: a less exposed place; a first aid kit, since the one Shannon insisted on sending with the party remained in the van; and then she’ll find an alternative exit.  

“I can do this,” she mutters like a mantra. “It’ll be fine.” 

When she’s back on her feet the flashlight trembles on her left hand, her fingers barely bending to hold it. Ignoring the pain, Malia tucks it under her arm and holds the revolver with her right hand.  

While she walks, the faint glow fights the darkness, the beam lingering on every closed door while her hearing trained to listen any minor noise. The first door is locked, and she leaves it be. The next one is some kind of storage room, with brooms and several containers with colourful liquids. A quick skim to make sure there’s something useful on the cramped shelves. If Angel were here, she’d probably fabricate an explosive with two of those bottles and a rag. Just in case, she picks up a small one with a highly flammable warning before closing the door and moving on to the next one.  

Pushing it open, she finds herself standing in a bathroom with several urinals, broken mirrors and signs of death everywhere, if the maroon splotches on the white floor tiles and the impression of a hand on the door are not part of the decoration. 

Ignoring the eerie sight and the pain, she takes one careful step after the other. The gun and backpack are placed over the counter next to the sink. She lets the jacket slide off her shoulder and down her arm, exposing the injuries in the mirror. Right beneath the ribs, there’s a gash in the t-shirt and a long cut wider than her index finger. It definitely doesn't need stitches, something undoable by herself. Fortunately, it’s also superficial and no ribs were broken by the collision. Taking a spare t-shirt from the backpack, she tears a piece of the cloth and press it to the wound and keeps the pressure on to stop the bleeding, all the while her gaze doesn’t avert from the bump on her arm. 

She takes a deep breath, preparing to examine it.  

Assisting Shannon while treating the injured taught her a thing or two, and she’s grateful for that. The fracture was right above the elbow and the bone didn’t pierce through the skin, which is a good thing, considering the risk of infection. It’s not the first time she breaks a bone, nor the second. She’s broken fingers and toes and a rib during trainings. But at the Tower you never had to deal with it alone, and if you were lucky enough, you’d even get a pill to ease the pain or some ice... 

When she tries to push the bone back in place, an unbearable pain stops her from doing so. Gritting her teeth, she tries again. Her jaw tightened so much while she tried not to scream, she fears the teeth would just crumble to dust. Her eyes well with unshed tears when the bone seems to click in place. A string of curses is muttered under her breath while struggling to put the jacket back on. The rest of the spare t-shirt is converted into an improvised arm sling until she can treat it properly.  

Collecting her stuff, she returns to the corridor that remains completely silent. 

Ahead of her, the corridor takes a sharp turn to the left. Peeking from the corner, she observes how it widens near two elevators’ metallic doors, and she can almost picture it bustling with people in the old days.  

Two wide lift doors are sided by what once might have been ostentatious vases with palm trees like she’s seen in magazines. One is lying sideways, dark potting soil spread over the floor. Indications of a small fire and singed objects close to one of the many doors on the other side, painted the wall black all the way up to the ceiling.  

This corridor is also pitch black, except from a faint light emerging through one of the furthest doors.  

Her gaze fixes on that promising natural light.  

She crosses the remaining metres and walks into an ample and illuminated space. 

Judging by the disposition of the remnants of countless desks and what she assumes once were cubicles, she’s stepped into some kind of office. A much bigger version of the one at the Tower’s fourth floor. 

Walking carefully around piles of debris and tossed carcasses of metallic furniture, she finds no sign of drones. The floor is littered with paper and ragged pieces of what she can only assume once upon a time were someone’s clothes. One of the floor-to-ceiling windows is cracked in a spiderweb pattern and another was shattered, allowing the warm desert wind to blow inside. Next to them a chair lies tilted upside down. Tiny pieces of glass are scattered on the floor, glowing with the sunbeams. 

She cannot even imagine the chaos that might have followed an attack in such confined spaces. A shiver runs down her spine. Suddenly the rules imposed at the Tower to prevent infected to get in make too much sense. 

The flutter of wings startles her. She’s not expecting birds in a fucking building. Some of them fly across the room and out into the open space. She ducks in time to not get hit by one of them. There are feathers scattered on the ground and over the desks, droppings taint every surface and what she assumes are nests are hidden on the plaster above her head and into tubular lightings. She ignores them and moves forward.  

A crunching noise beneath her boots calls her attention.  

Lying at her feet, a frame with a broken glass. Despite the spiderweb-like shape of the crack, it was possible to see the picture. A smiling woman sitting on a porch’s stairs in the company of a child, a cat and a dog. A glimpse of what life used to be. Her jaw tightens at the sight of it.  

Life in this New World lacks pictures, pets and smiles like those.  

When the world spiralled into chaos, pictures were definitely the least of anyone’s concerns. Who would even stick some big-ass photo album on a backpack, considering you even had time to pack?  

However, if you survive the End of the World, it becomes one of those sentimentalities that nag at your mind. At days when it seems her fathers’ faces have fallen into an abyss in her mind, and Brynn’s face is dangerously starting to fade, she’d give anything to have at least one picture of them. Just one. It didn’t even have to be a flattering one, just good enough to keep some part of them alive... 

Pets were never allowed at the Tower. Too noisy, people said; and over the years she almost forgot about their existence entirely. Brynn, however, remembered the old retrievers from their home. Coco and Luna. According to her, they were soft, warm and loving, and you could bury your face in their caramel fur and forget bad days at school and boys who picked on you. Malia doesn’t remember them or the sound they made, but Brynn confirmed dogs were loud – even the old ones – and so were kids. That’s probably why so many disliked them at the Tower either and you won’t see a single kid with the Raiders...  

And for the smiles, it’s not exactly people don’t smile anymore...  

Malia certainly has smiled plenty of times and even laughed! And so have others... But it seems like everyone has worry lines, even the children. The constant looking over one’s shoulder might age people beyond their years, weighing down their expression, hardening it. The horror you cannot unsee becomes engraved in the skin, steals the brightness of the eyes little by little...  

Unlike those old pictures.  

At least not in the ones they’ve usually come across, hanging at houses and proudly displayed at stores. Only once she found something remarkably similar to the looks and smiles of people in the colonies. In a pile of detritus at one of Olympus’ rooms, she found this old magazine... The inner pages were filled with pictures of refugees of some war in a place she never heard of... Displaced, threatened, starving, separated from loved ones... Experiences most of the survivors know well by now.  

Could the woman and child have survived the first hordes? And the surges that followed every seven years? Were they separated from each other, never knowing what happened to the other or were they allowed the mercy to live and die together?  

The agony of not knowing is painfully familiar. 

Almost reverently, she places the frame over a desk and keeps moving, checking for zombies... It takes only a few minutes to cover the whole floor. Thankfully she’s alone. Unfortunately, there are no other exit or external fire escape for her to climb down from this side of the building.  

That’s a big complication, considering she cannot use the one she came from. With a broken arm, using the elevator’s shaft is too risky...

Standing by the floor to ceiling windows, she presses her forehead against the warm glass and gazes at the city bathed in the late afternoon sun. Long shadows stretch over the streets bellow. Maybe a hundred drones are hidden in those darkened alleys... Soon it will be completely dark. She takes a long deep breath and curses. 

She’s trapped – at least for the night – and alone. 

Getting separated from your companions on any mission can be bad.

Getting separated on a city you’re scouting for the first time is a nightmare.  

They haven’t mapped escape routes or ruled out hazards apart from drones. One never knows if you’ll meet other survivors and of which kind... 

Down below, one of the streets is partially blocked by abandoned vehicles. A small delivery truck hit a light pole that fell and smashed its hood and cabin. Other vehicles queued behind the truck, forming a long line with about twenty cars. Some of the doors were left wide open, reminders of the rush to escape and the chaos of those days. 

Two decades have gone by, and you can always feel it hanging in the air. The tragedy. The lives lost. The stories interrupted.  

Was there anybody left to tell their stories? Does anybody remember what happened here? All those people had names, lives, pets, jobs... All that’s left of their existence are abandoned cars and lost shoes...  

If one is gone and nobody remembers them, is it the same as never existing?  

When the last of her friends die, is it what will happen? Will they fade to nothingness? Should it even matter? 

Her mind drifts to them. Troy, Angel and Eli have no idea where she is. And she has no idea if she successfully drove the zombies away from the van... How are they faring? Did they get the supplies to the van? And more importantly: are they alive? 

Hopefully they are following the plan and will be leaving soon. 

Leaving her.  

That’s how it’s supposed to be, she reminds herself. If they’re safe, it was worth it. 

Her stomach growls. The last time she ate was this morning, before leaving Olympus. While rummaging through the content of the backpack to pick one of the apples, her fingers glide over the radio Angel put together. They tested it a few times back at the colony, and it only worked within a certain range. After 10 miles it was hard to capture the signal, and the communication was ineffective. She considers how much she ran through the park till the building.  

The object is heavy in her hands, like the decision she must make.  

If she contacts them, they could come after her, which is suicide, considering all the drones.  

If she doesn’t, they won’t know she’s fine and might be looking for her, wasting precious time and resources. Besides, the idea of them worrying unnecessarily is unpleasant. She’s been there and hated it. 

The radio cracks when she turns it on, and she calls her friends’ names in a low voice. One after the other. Like a mantra.   

“Hey? Can you hear me? Troy. Eli. Angel. If you guys can hear me, I’m fine. Don’t worry. Get back to the colony.” 

The radio crackled with the strangest of noises. Malia wanted to make something out of it, to believe there were voices, familiar voices, talking back to her. But there were none. Only static. 

The hopeful part of her brain assumes they are on their way back to Olympus, getting to safety and not staying outside after nightfall... That’s the logical thing to do – even if she’d never make that choice. 

Shoving the radio in the pocket of her cargo pants, she moves away from the window and keeps herself busy. The drones are not resting if the noises somewhere above this floor are any indication. 

If anything, life taught her the impermanence of things. There’s no safety.  

Life is motion.  

So, she moves. 

First, secure the perimeter.  

Pushing a heavy cabinet, she blocks the access to one smaller section of the office that has real walls and doors instead of the paper-like partitions that are everywhere else. A room with sturdier furniture and a two-seater sofa provides a good place to rest. Once inside, she shifts through the desks’ drawers and cabinets, finding a small hidden refrigerator.  

After the task is completed, she collected two scissors that might be useful, granola bars and chocolate fabricated in the year the world collapsed, three bottles of water and one half-full of decent whiskey, judging by the way it doesn’t burn her throat when she takes a swig at it. Troy will be thrilled about that discovery. Everything gets shoved inside her backpack. For her own enjoyment and the kids at the colony, she takes notepads and a handful of pens and pencils. 

Clearing a large wooden desk, she sits atop of it with her legs crossed. The hunting knife is placed beside her, ready to use. Looking outside, she munches on one of the apples picked at the orchard. 

Even in the distance, the lines of vehicles on the roads exiting the town are visible. Decades spent in the same position, frozen in time. Living in a zombie apocalypse has taught her to see the horror beneath the quiet.  

From time to time, there’s beauty too.  

She picks up one of the notepads and takes a pencil to sketch the skyscape and hills in the yellowed pages. This is the first time she's drawn since leaving the Tower. It doesn’t matter if it’s a rough sketch. Her pencil moves quick to capture all the lines. She can better it later.  

And she must believe there’ll be a later. 

Without the sun, the sky darkens fast, and the notepad and pencil are shoved inside the backpack. She lies on her back in the couch, and stares at the ceiling. 

Waiting and doing nothing are not amongst her skills.  

Boredom turns the radio into a temptation, and she fishes the device. 

Contacting them, she tells herself, is nothing but a selfless gesture. In doing so, she puts them at ease about her whereabouts, they can stop worrying and move on... She’s not thinking about the ache in her gut of not knowing if they’re alive. It’s not about the hope of being rescued either and going back to the home they’ve built.  

In a world like theirs, why should she be so determined to survive? When their lives are basically navigating from a life-threatening situation to the next one? Isn’t it the strangest thing? To feel such helplessness and dismay daily and yet dread the possibility of an end? it makes so little sense sometimes all this effort... wouldn’t it be easier to cease to exist?  

The answer to that question she knows too well. Hope moves her. It might sound silly if she ever says it out loud... but it’s hope. It’s hope that makes her wake up every morning, work hard and take care of herself and loved ones. They live and die for one another. They survive and they hope. They work and they hope. And she hopes and hopes. For a good day. For love. For respite. For a future. For the day her toes will touch warm sands at a beach. For the cool waves swaying around her body.

This day might’ve thrown a shitload of touble at her, but she can get over it. She always does. She’ll find a way, even if now she only wishes to break down and cry. Giving up is not an option. Brynn sacrificed herself for her, and she has followed the example more than a handful of times – including this afternoon. A month ago she promised Troy to live a good life, and she’ll do exactly that.  

The memory makes her throat tighten.   

Without thinking, her hand runs over the bump and the fractured bone... and the pain settles her. Nothing much she can do now, she must wait until morning, when there’s a better chance of leaving this building unscathed... Until then, she must act. Life is motion. 

Time moves so slowly when you’re not doing chores; she remembers the times they got lockdown at the Tower and all the idle hours to fill. She and Brynn drank whatever crap beer one could get, played charades and word games, trained, and stayed silent for hours. Disrespecting the rules, Malia and Troy would often sneak into each other’s rooms, and spend some time together. Those were the best moments... The memories and the things left unsaid almost choke her. She’s faced zombies and more danger than her mind could’ve anticipated before leaving the Tower, and yet... the idea of telling him how much she loves him, how much she’s loved him for years is terrifying. 

A bitter laugh gets trapped in her throat, and it’s hard to breath. Her hand presses against the back of her neck, it rubs the muscles, trying to alleviate the tension. 

With each passing minute, fighting the idea of using the radio becomes harder. She wants them to pick up, to listen to their voices, even if it’s the last time.  

If they do pick up, it means they are close, when they should’ve left. And she can’t bear the thought of being the reason of them dying. 

What’s left unsaid, does it even matter now? If either of them does not see another day, do words change what they feel? Is it more bearable to hold it in, to not name what it is? Would the loss feel less devastating without the words weighting on it? 

“What a fucked up world,” she mutters under her breath. 

She fidgets with the radio, letting the static fill the silence for a few minutes. Then she speaks again. This time, she’s just calling Troy over and over. The minutes elapse, and she’s just rambling to the hissing device. 

“Troy... if you’re listening... it’s me... I... I’m... fine... Don’t worry. I’ll make it back to the colony when I can,” she pauses, considering who is she lying to. Even if she makes all the way down, there’s no guarantee she’ll ever make to the colony by herself.  

Another family lost. 

She sighs, and the truth pours out of her mouth like a river, “Troy, I’m hurt and trapped... but I’m safe for now... there’s no drones here... but the lower floors are packed with... I don’t know... a hundred of them, maybe... I cannot go back... I’m at the twenty-second floor... it’s insanely high! You’d love the view! I need to thank Eli for bugging me to run every morning or I wouldn’t have made this far... I can see most of the city... I’m at Baker Street... and I’ve got water... and food... but I’m... but... I’m so fucking scared. You can’t die. I promised to take care of you... but... I hope you’re... okay... all of you... there’s so much I wanted to tell you... damn... This is stupid! There’s nobody out there!” She growled with frustration, and the radio hissed. 

“Malia! I hear you! Can – Can you hear me?” Troy’s voice echoed before she turned the radio off, and it washed the tension off her body instantly. 

“Yes!” she cries, “I can hear you!”  

“We were so worried...” There’s a clear sign of relief in his tone the radio statics couldn’t hide. “The radio was cutting off... and you didn’t hear us. Are you okay?” 

Before she could answer, Angel asked, “Where are you exactly on Baker St.?” 

Apparently, they have been listening to her, but she couldn’t hear them.  

“Tell us exactly where you are, Angel’s starting the van. Just keep talking to me, Maly!” 

They are coming for her. They are coming. They are family. They are her people. They are not lost. They are not leaving her... They are coming to a building infested with a hundred drones. They’ll die because of her. Her heart tightens. A rush of emotions blurs her vision. 

“No!” She won’t let anybody else risk their lives to save hers. “You can’t!” 

“What? Of course we can!” Troy shouts, probably fearing what she’ll say. “We’re getting you out of there now.” 

“There are too many drones! And at least one scout. There’s no way I can go back down... they fucked up my arm...” 

“You got bitten?” Eli’s voice echoes louder than Troy’s.  

“My arm is broken... I can’t use the crossbow.” 

“What about your gun? Just shoot those z-bag right between the eyes!” 

“I got five bullets left... it’s useless with that many... and the noise would just draw even more... I’m staying here tonight... And you guys must go home... Save fuel and go back. I’ll be alright. I’ve supplies. Have you seen how many abandoned cars? I got my eyes on a convertible,” she says lightly, even though her throat is tightening and her vision blurred. 

The radio cracked, and there was a long silence before Eli spoke again. “We won’t leave you.”  

“Sure, you will,” Malia tasted the salt of the tears on her lips. “Go.” 

“No.” 

Wiping the tears streaming down her cheeks, her voice started to crack, “You know the rules, Eli... Just... do what must be done... keep everyone safe. It’s up to you now.” 

“Malia,” Eli’s voice was laced with a kind of pleading Malia never heard. “What about keeping you safe?” 

“Have I thanked you for training with me? You’d be proud. Twenty-two floors, Eli. A gazillion steps. And no zombie got even close...” A low chuckle lace her words and there’s only statics on the radio. Maybe they lost the signal. 

“Hey! Why does only he get a thank you? What about all that cardio we do together?” Troy’s voice cannot hide the uneasiness.  

They are stalling, expecting her to change her mind...   

“And Troy? I found the roller rink... It’s beside a comic book store, you just go past –”  

“Don’t just ruin the surprise!” he cuts her off but his voice is higher and wavering with emotion. “You’ll take me there. We’ll come find you and then I’ll dazzle you with my incredible moves!” 

When her reply doesn’t come, Troy calls her name softly at first and then with desperation, and Eli and Angel’s voices are almost muffled by the rumble of the van’s engine. She ignores them and the pang in her stomach. 

“Angel, floor it,” Malia whispers, turning the radio off to not hear their protests.  

Willing herself to stop crying, the tears are wiped in a brusque way against the fabric of her jacket.  

They’re alive, so why’s she crying? 

Crying is not the answer. It never is. If she starts to cry alone for all the losses and pain within, the things that have never been and never will be, all that’s left unsaid, she’ll probably never stop. And those are dangerous thoughts. The kind of thought that makes her touch her pocket... 

Biting the inside of her cheek until she tastes blood, she forces herself to focus on anything else, like the fact she’s still alive and that no amount of zombie or disappointment can shut up the growl of her stomach. She’s alive. She’ll endure. She always does. Maybe this time around, she’ll have to do it alone. It’s good. She likes a challenge. 

Munching on one the rest of the apple, she contemplates the stars peppering the sky over the desert hills outside the city. That’s one of her favorite things about being outside the Tower: looking at the sky and the stars. If there’s a full moon tonight, she might just fucking cry with happiness then. 

Complete darkness has engulfed the world.  

Malia decided to keep the flashlight off to save the batteries and to not give away her location. The darkness and silence left her too long with her own thoughts. But there's nothing else to do... 

Besides the five bullets in the cylinder, there’s one inside her jacket pocket – the same one she’s keeping there since the night Brynn supposedly died at Eli’s cabin. 

If it comes to it, she’d rather die than let them have a piece of her... It’s not that she’s eager to die or anything. Especially not now when, despite the chaos  and losses, she is finally living. She’s got a taste of what life is supposed to be like beyond surviving: planning a future and basking in the sun and eating a piece of ripe fruit... and waking up and seeing Troy’s face first thing every morning...  

Her heart tightens. Troy helped her feel alive after Brynn died, he reignited her hope... and she hasn’t said she loves him... It’s a silly thought. Do words really matter? Would it make a difference if she said and died the next day, not keeping the promise to go back to him? 

The bullet is cold against her fingers.  

One for herself, if it comes to this. Dying is not the worst thing when turning into a zombie is a real threat.  

Somewhere in the building, a loud screech resounds, chilling the blood in her veins.  

She hugs herself, reminding herself if she keeps quiet, she'll be safe. Finally, she let sleep take over.  

Something heavy thumps outside.

Then a soft voice calls her name, the whisper breaks into her dreamless sleep. Her eyes flutter open. It’s still dark outside. She’s still all alone. The radio is silent. 

“Malia.” 

It's definitely her name and sounds like Troy. Maybe she’s hallucinating. 

There’s a flash of light underneath the door.  

She gets up and crosses the room to stand closer to the cabinet blocking the doors, and listens.  

“Malia. Where are you?” 

This time she hears it clearly. It’s Troy. She must be dreaming. 

“Troy?” she whispers, “Is that you?”  

The sound of footsteps halt. Her voice is enough to summon him straight to where she is standing.   

Pushing the cabinet aside, she cracks the door open, and the flashlight almost blinds her. The white light travels from her face to her feet. The flashlight hits the ground when his cold hands raise to cup her cheeks. 

“It’s you! It’s really you...” Troy’s voice is barely a whisper, and his gaze softens at the sight of her.  

“What are you doing here?” 

“Saving you, if my dramatic entrance didn’t make it abundantly clear...”  

With one arm around her waist, carefully avoiding her injured arm, he pulls her closer and buries his face in her neck, breathing out his relief. 

“Why would you risk coming for me?” she whispers against his ear. “I told you to go!” 

He raises his head to face her, a slow winning smile stretches his lips. “Baby, in case you haven’t noticed, that’s what I do! I always come back for you. I did at those zombie-infested woods, at the amusement park... I'll always come to you... You’re my best friend. My person. My family. I love you. I don’t think I ever loved anyone like I love you... How could I go on living knowing that – ” 

Once her brain processed the three words and what he’s saying, Malia doesn’t let him finish, kissing his lips with unusual gentleness. The kiss is unrushed, and the same words are whispered against his lips.  

“Say it again,” he pleads amongst soft kisses placed against the corner of her mouth. 

“I love you, Troy.”

Her hand caresses his cheek, and her thumb brushes against his lower lip, tracing his smile.

“It’s a shame now were both turning into zombie food...” 

“Where’s your optimism?” 

“I probably dropped it during my escape...” 

His mouth stretches with a grin, and he reluctantly steps away from her. 

“You certainly underestimate me. Do you think I’d come without a rescue plan?”

His eyebrows raised and even in the dim light she knows his eyes are sparkling with mischief. Kneeling, he grabbed the flashlight from the place it was lying next to their feet and went to the windows. His hands swirled, drawing the darkness with the light.  

As if on cue, the roar of an engine resounded somewhere below, followed by a honk she’d recognize even in her sleep. 

On the street, the van’s tyres screeched when swerved around the corner, allowing them a glimpse of Angel driving and screaming at the top of her lungs what she can only assume is a string of swearing at those fucking drones.  

“What’s she doing?” Malia mumbles.  

“You’ll see.” 

A swarm of zombies poured out of the building, shattering the remaining glasses of the lobby on their way out of the building to follow the noise. 

Swerving to the left, the van disappears.  

“What the hell! Have you guys lost –” 

“Wait. Almost there...” 

A few minutes pass, before loud music blasts in the distance.  

Troy points at an illuminated point in the far left. 

“The stadium.”  

Malia’s eyes identified the place right before the explosion. The glowing red lighted the darkness for an instant before being replaced by a column of thick smoke like tendrils on their way to reach the moon. 

“Fuck me!” 

“Oh! I will, but not here. We're on a tight schedule.” He chuckled, turning around to face her. “Impressed?” 

“Are you trying to impress me, Hassan?” 

Troy’s arm wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her to a sideways embrace. “We’re living on borrowed time, Maly... and it doesn’t matter if I have twenty seconds or twenty years... I want to spend them all with you... So, no, I’m not trying to impress you. I’m trying to take you home. It sounds nice, doesn’t it? Home.” 

“It sounds perfect.”

She kisses him one last time, and they move on with the plan.

[choicesficwriterscreations]

Meet Our MCs and OCs: J - O

@jamespotterthefirst

Open Heart F!MC: Lilac Allende

@jerzwriter

Crimes of Passion F!MC Carolina Miosotys Rose  🏳️‍🌈 (Featured: October 2023)

Open Heart (LI: Tobias Carrick) F!MC: Casey MacTavish Carrick  🏳️‍🌈 (Featured: June 2023)

Open Heart (LI: Ethan Ramsey) F!MC: Kaycee MacClennan  🏳️‍🌈

Open Heart M!OC: Tobias Carrick 

Open Heart (LI: Ethan Ramsey in T/C World) F!OC: Eva Mendoza

Open Heart F!OC: Jessica Phillips  🏳️‍🌈

Open Heart F!OC: Vivian Carrick  (Featured: September 2023)

Veil of Secrets F!MC: Astrid Vega ��‍🌈

Wake the Dead F!MC: Zoe Rivera

@julia-highstorms

Open Heart F!MC: Rei Sato

Wake the Dead F!MC: Kiera Tomoe  🏳️‍🌈 (Featured: March 2023)

@justyourusualash

Veil of Secrets: Ananya D’Souza 

@karahalloway 

The Royal Romance F!OC: Harper Gale   (Featured: July 2023 & September 2023 - special edition)

@khoicesbyk

The Royal Romance MC: Queen Shanelle Miller-Rys 

@korgbelmont

It Lives Within M!MC: Nick Taylor 

@kyra75

Open Heart MC: Anya Webber

@ladylamrian

Blades of Light and Shadow: Astrid Bloom

Nightbound: Alex Clarissa Fontaine (Featured: September 2023)

@lem-20

Open Heart F!MC: Cecilia Gibson

@liaromancewriter

Open Heart F!MC: Cassie Valentine (Featured: February 2024)

Open Heart F!OC: Sienna Trinh

Open Heart M!OC: Max Valentine  

@lizzybeth1986

Perfect Match: Basil Park  🏳️‍🌈

Perfect Match: Hazel Park  🏳️‍🌈

Perfect Match:  Nilukshi Sigera

The Royal Romance: Esther Noelle DuPont

@lorirwritesfanfic

Bloodbound MC: Samantha Holden

Desire & Decorum MC: Daphne Wang

Open Heart F!MC: Evelyn Bennington

Perfect Match F!MC: Natasha Park

Ride Or Die MC: Carla Mendoza

@lover-also-fighter-also

The Elementalists F!MC: Anitah Russell 🏳‍🌈

High School Story F!MC: Ria Monero 🏳‍🌈 (Featured: September 2024)

High School Story: Class Act F!MC: Mila Delgado 🏳‍🌈

Open Heart M!MC: Harshith Sharma 🏳‍🌈

Veil of Secrets F!MC: Tanya Sharma

@lupinobi

The Crown & The Flame OC: Amira Castleroy

@lucy-268

Crimes of Passion F!MC: Claire Rose

Open Heart (LI: Ethan Ramsey) F!MC: Charley Valentine

Open Heart (LI: Tobias Carrick) F!MC: Samantha Carlson

@mercedesdecorazon

Immortal Desires F!MC: Mary Lawrence

@missameliep

Blades of Light and Shadow F!MC:  Arwen of House Nightbloom

Desire & Decorum F!OC: Elizabeth Foredale

Wake the Dead: Malia Jones

@mm2305

Open Heart F!MC: Olivia Alexandra Valentine

@moominofthevalley

Crimes of Passion F!MC: Emily Rose  🏳️‍🌈

@mydemonsdrivealimo

Foreign Affairs M!MC: Kennedy Grant  🏳️‍🌈 (Featured: September 2023)

Open Heart M!MC: Jensen Valentine  🏳️‍🌈 (Featured: August 2023)

@niaellariious

Blades of Light & Shadow M!MC: Raine 

Laws of Attraction M!MC: Michael Quint 

@oh-so-youre-a-nerd​ 

The Elementalists M!MC: Dayin Torres 🏳️‍🌈 (Featured: August 2024)

Laws of Attraction: Julian Wind Velez 🏳️‍🌈

Open Heart:  A'Aek Vilaidara  🏳️‍🌈

Return to Main Masterlist

[that-autsitic-girl]

I thought of posting this for a while just to get closer to my people in different fandoms, these are

Hills(ships) I'm willing to die on

This list will get longer everytime I rewatch or remember a ship of course

Drop a fanfic name or better link if we match in a ship...

I'll add the fics at separate post and link it to every ships name

LOKI : Loki & Sylvie

SHERLOCK : Sherlock & Molly

ONCE UPON A TIME : Regina Mills & Robin Hood

ONCE UPON A TIME : Emma Swan & killian Jones

THE VAMPIRE DIARIES : Bonnie Bennett & Lorenzo (Enzo) St. John

THE ORIGINALS : Hayley Marshall & Elijah Mikaelson

LEGACIES : Lizze Saltzman & Sebastian

THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY : Diego Hargreaves & Lila

TEEN WOLF : Stiles & Malia

TEEN WOLF : Alison & Isaac

BRIDGERTON : Kate & Anthony

Special Place for my Choices : Visual Novel people

THE ROYAL ROMANCE : Drake Walker & MC

THE ROYAL MASQUERADE : Kayden Vescovi & MC

IMMORTAL DERSIRES : Cas Halow & MC

RIDE OR DIE : Logan & MC

THE ELEMENTALISTS : Beckett Harrington & MC

CRIMES OF PASSION : Tyrstan Thorne & MC

I know it's a single love choice, even if it was multiple, there's no option other than Prince Thorne

[imaginingyourfandom]

christmas prompts masterlist.

1. “Merry Christmas bitch” - Dean Winchester (Supernatural)

2. “How many Christmas lights does one person need?” - Kevin Atwater (Chicago PD)

3. “Shut up! Santa is real” - Chris Halliwell (Charmed)

4. “Why does the house smell like Santa threw up?” - Stiles Stilinski (Teen Wolf)

5. “Roses are red, violets are blue, merry Christmas bitch, I love you” - Jay Halstead (Chicago PD)

6. “Oh my god I haven’t got you a present!” - Kenny Crosby (FBI Most Wanted)

7. “It’s Christmas today?!” - Reggie (Julie and The Phantoms)

8. “No seriously I swear I saw Santa” - OA Zidan (FBI)

9. “Omg it’s a fucking reindeer” - Prince Caspian (Narnia)

10. “This tree’s bigger than my future” - Oliver Wood (Harry Potter)

11. “Why do you have playlist with just ‘all I want for Christmas is you’ and ‘last Christmas I gave you my heart’?” - Miguel Galindo (Mayans MC)

12. “No you don’t understand I need a picture with Santa!” - Michael ‘Riz’ Ariza (Mayans MC)

13. “I can’t reach the top of the tree to put the star on.” - Sam Winchester (Supernatural)

14. “Oh how convenient, some mistletoe” - Isaac Lahey (Teen Wolf)

15. “Let’s binge watch Christmas movies!” - Connor Rhodes (Chicago Med)

16. “I can’t believe we’re going to A&E on Christmas Eve” - Charles Xavier (X-men)

17. “Do you wanna build a sno-“ “no don’t you dare finish that” - Angel Reyes (Mayans MC)

18. “SNOW BALL FIGHT!” - Dean Winchester (Supernatural)

19. “You murdered my snowman” - Five (The Umbrella Academy)

20. “I don’t like hot chocolate” - Minho (The Maze Runner)

21. “Christmas isn’t just about the presents” - Angus Macgyver (Macgyver)

22. “You look like this ginger bread man” - Wendall Bray (Bones)

23. “Go to sleep, Santa isn’t real” - Evan ‘Buck’ Buckley (9-1-1)

24. “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas” - Matt Simmons (Criminal Minds)

25. “Did you just put fake antlers on the dog?” - Matt Simmons (Criminal Minds)

26. “I love Christmas more then anything” “what even more then me?” - Steve Mcgarrett (Hawaii Five 0)

27. “It’s official I hate Christmas shopping” - Derek Hale (Teen Wolf)

28. “I can’t ice skate I’ll break all my bones” - Conrad Hawkins (The Resident)

29. “Don’t you dare buy me that” - Adam Ruzek (Chicago PD)

30. “Stop smashing my ornaments” - Charlie Baker (Cheaper By The Dozen)

31. “That is the ugliest decoration I’ve ever seen” - Jace Wayland (Shadowhunters)

32. “You’ve burnt the turkey?!” - Kelly Severide ( Chicago Fire)

33. “Thoughts on Brussels sprouts?” - Ezekiel Jones (The Librarians)

34. “Fuck it let’s just get drunk” - Kelly Severide ( Chicago Fire)

35. “I don’t know how to wrap presents” - Malia Tate (Teen Wolf)

36. “This is the worse and best Christmas ever” - Prince Caspian (Narnia)

37. “Honey, where is my Santa suite?” - Bruce Banner (Avengers)

38. “I don’t think we can fight Santa” - Brooke Davis (One Tree Hill)

39. “What no that’s not daddy, that’s Santa” - Stiles Stilinski (Teen Wolf)

40. “Oh so we’re putting beer out for Santa now?” - Steve Mcgarrett ( Hawaii Five 0)

41. “I can not believe our car broke down in the middle of nowhere 3 hours before it’s officially Christmas.” - Jennifer Jareau & Her Kids (Criminals Minds)

42. “I hate work Christmas parties” - Adam Ruzek (Chicago PD)

43. “What do you mean you’re working on Christmas?!” - Matt Simmons (Criminal Minds)

44. “Babies can’t eat mince pies” - Geralt (The Witcher)

45. “You look like an elf” - Jim Street (S.W.A.T)

46. “The babies crying, the foods burning, the dogs are fighting and your calling me to see what time my family’s coming at?” - Eddie Diaz (9-1-1)

47. “I don’t like spending time with your family at Christmas” - Josh Matthews (Girl Meets World)

48. “I refuse to have a baby on Christmas” - Matt Casey (Chicago Fire)

49. “How many advent calendars does one person need?” - Bill Weasley (Harry Potter)

50. “I’m freezing, you’re warm. Hug me” - Thomas Magnum (Magnum PI)

[diegoshargreevs]

i voted for 'veronicaslodges' btw how did you get it? it's so perfect ♡ (i'm currently working with some details for the theme and mobile theme, so it's not really finished)

thanks, someone was an absolute angel and gave it to me!

url: 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | VERONICA LODGE icon:  0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | SCOTT MCCALLtheme:  0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | TRISH WALKERupdates tab: 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | JUGHEAD JONES posts:  0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | MALIA TATEoverall:  0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | STEVE HARRINGTON following:  no but ily yes | forever and everextra comment: your icons are so GORGEOUS, I’m in love

[drbobbimorse]

I was tagged by the wonderful @peplumsandpitches (thanks!!!) to answer these ‘get to know me’ questions

Nickname: MC2 (squared), MC, Murry, Typhoid Mary, MC Morticia

Star Sign: Capricorn

Height: 5′6″

Last Thing I Googled: I was job hunting (been woefully unemployed since mid-September)

Favorite Musicians: Too many to name honestly. I adore Adele, Florence + the Machine, P!nk, OneRepublic, Safetysuit, Nicki Minaj, Billy Joel, Mumford & Sons, Bon Jovi; all of them are probably the only artists I’d actually pay to see in concert (seen two of them, actually). I like a lot of genres, too. Give me anything but screamo-death metal, most country and some rap and I’m good

Song Stuck in My Head: “You’re Welcome” by Jordan Fisher & Lin-Manuel Miranda -- I LOVE THIS MOVIE AND THIS VERSION OF THE SONG, DO NOT JUDGE ME!!!

Last Movie I Watched: Either Moana or Rogue One

Last TV Show I Watched: Man in the High Castle -- do yourself a favor and go watch it right now!!!

When Did You Create Your Blog?: 2013

What Kind of Stuff Do I Post: A little bit of everything. Mostly fandom related (all fandoms listed on my blog) and a lot of stuff for my characters/fics, some of my own edits or edits that friends are nice enough to make of my characters or include in their own edits

Do You Have Any Other Blogs?: Nope. I mean, I have 2 other urls saved but they’ll just link back to my regular blog

Do You Get Asks Regularly?: Not at all. It hurts the heart. If I’m bored and post an ask game, y’all should just be nice and play with me

Why Did You Choose Your URL?: Cause the MCU seemed to forget that Bobbi Morse has a fucking PhD on top of being an elite specialist spy and I needed to remind everyone that my girl is just an all-around brilliant badass who deserves some damn respect from the MCU and the fandom that vilifies her

Gender: Female

Hogwarts House: SLYTHERIN AND PROUD, HISS HISS MUTHERFUCKAS!!!

Pokemon Team: Mystic

Fave Color: Green. This was my favorite before I even knew about HP or knew I was a Slytherin, so it really worked out in my favor lmao

Average Hours of Sleep: It varies. It depends. I guess 7 is my usual

Lucky Number: Don’t have one but I like to think 7, 13 and 23 are my lucky numbers lol

Favorite Characters: Okay, well this is just impossible to answer. Bobbi Morse (obviously), Lorna Dane, Scott Summers, Charles Xavier, Zatanna Zatara, Janet Van Dyne, Kamala Khan, Miles Morales, Dinah/Laurel Lance, Ray Palmer, Kendra Saunders, Rip Hunter, Elektra Natachios, Karen Page, Frank Castle, Barbara Gordon, Edward Nygma, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Shades, Melinda May, Elijah Mikaelson, Hayley Marshall, Vincent Griffith, Rebekah Mikaelson, Mike Johnson, Olaf Johnson, Abbie Mills, Faith Lehane, Willow Rosenberg, Wesley Wyndam-Prince, Ruper Giles, Gwen Raiden, Annie Sawyer, George Sands, John Mitchell, Piper Halliwell, Phoebe Halliwell, Rose Tyler, Martha Jones, Donna Noble, Captain Jack Harkness, Joan Watson, Isabella of Valencia, Arianne Martell, the REAL Sand Snakes, Sansa Stark, Robb Stark, Davos Seaworth, Shireen Baratheon, Hermione Granger, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, James Wilson, Peggy Olsen, Frank Frink, Nobusuke Tagomi, Khutulun, Mei Lin, Lily Frankenstein/Brona Croft, Sam Merlotte, Lafayette Reynolds, Tara Thornton, Pam Ravenscroft, Alec Hardison, Parker, Eliot Spencer, Veronica Fisher, Mickey Bricks, Juice Ortiz, Chibs/Filip, Malia Tate, Scott McCall, Sam Winchester, Jo & Ellen Harvelle, Gabriel/Trickster, Lagertha, Athelstan, Rick Grimes, Carl Grimes, Andrea Harrison, Glenn Rhee, Rosita Espinosa, Morgan Jones, the Sense8 cluster, literally the entire cast of Z-Nation, Lost Girl, Firefly/Serenity, H2GAWM and FDTD. I’m gonna stop here, cause we’ll be here all day otherwise

How Many Blankets Do You Sleep With?: Usually 2 or 3, depends on the season and the temp the house is

Dream Job: Anything in theater or film tbh

tagging: @yeahthatotheronewhatshername, @papermoon262, @darknightfrombeyond, @deadletterpoets, @cosmic-wanda, @kisaageckos, @lydamartin, @sicklyscribe and I guess anyone else that’s interested

[missameliep]

Stargazing

This absolutely stunning artwork is my first Wake the Dead fanart, and it's Troy Hassan and my MC Malia Jones stargazing. The awesome @rosefuckinggenius is the talented artist responsible for bringing this idea to life! Thank you! And this was only possible because the lovely @jerzwriter hosted an end of the year give away and I was one of the winners. So, thank you, Elsa, for your kindness and generosity with the fandom. I'm absolutely in love with this piece, and I hope you like seeing Malia and Troy too!

[missameliep]

Hii 🥰

So in honor of World Yoga Day. I wanted to ask do your MC‘s and or OC‘s practice any type of sports?

If yes which one and why?

Hi! Thank you so much for your ask!

That's such a good question. Most of my MCs and OCs take care of their health and exercise, but the ones who actually enjoy sports are Elizabeth Foredale (OC/Desire & Decorum AU), who swims and jogs regularly and will learn how to surf with Hamid; and Malia Jones (MC/Wake the Dead), who practices combat sports, like boxing and other martial arts, which are survival skills in the post-apocalyptic world she lives in, and when the group settles in the new colony, she'll definitely enjoy the free time taking advantage of the mountain skiing or snowboarding, and playing games like soccer or basketball.

[missameliep]

Meet My MC - Malia Jones (Wake the Dead)

You can learn more about this MC and her relationship with Troy in the tags Malia Jones and Malia x Troy HC get to know her in the fics she's featured:

Not without you (one-shot)

The Next Chapter (one-shot)

Safe (miniseries; complete)

Tagging a few of you who might enjoy this character profile:

@princess-geek @lilyoffandoms @robintora @aallotarenunelma @jerzwriter @storyofmychoices

[missameliep]

What are your MCs favorite holidays?

That’s such an interesting question, Anon! For some of my MC and OCs I have considered this subject before and even written something, but not for all of them.

Elizabeth Foredale (OC/Desire and Decorum AU!) - For Elizabeth it’s definitely Christmas. She loves everything about this holiday, from the family gatherings to decorating the tree (in the one-shot A Dash of Christmas Magic I wrote a little about her impressions about the holiday and how she used to decorate the tree with her mother growing up and how this tradition brought her joy, they would create the most fun and extravagant decorations for their home, like a Hello Kitty themed tree, which she loved it!, and in this fic Hamid helps her find the same joy again). Choosing gifts for her loved ones is also something she adores. Even though she misses her mother, the season is still very special to her and definitely the favorite holiday.

After she starts dating Hamid, she'll become fond of New Year's too, because he loves it and there's a lot of fun traditions and in his home it involves delicious meals with his family and parties with his friends, and he's always so happy that the holiday grows on her.

Olivia and Kai Park (MC/Perfect Match) – both my MCs Olivia and Kai love Christmas! For them it's the season of joy and they walk around like they were living in a Hallmark movie even without taking a plane to a small winter Christmas town. I wrote one fic showing Kai and Nadia Park's passion about the holidays and their traditions in a fic called The Most Wonderful Time of the Year (Or Maybe Not). While the Parks love the holiday, the grumpy Detective Damien is on the opposite spectrum...

Malia Jones (MC/Wake the Dead) – Malia grew up in a post-apocalyptique world where many of those things that bring us together were lost, not to mention the Tower is the kind of colony where survival was the most important thing and old world's traditions were not appreciated. So I HC they haven’t preserved most of the holidays from the Old World, maybe just celebrating the 4th of July in some kind of tradition to honour the founding fathers or something like that, or maybe created some holiday to celebrate their leader or the colony's endurance. I don't think Malia and her rebellious and anti-authoritarian spirit would appreciate this sort of celebration. But if she learned about the Old World's holidays and traditions, I have a feeling she would love most of it, but specially Valentine’s Day, a holiday to tell people you love and appreciate them is something she totally relates to, and would think this should be celebrated monthly at least because when you're always risking your life and losing people you shouldn't wait a moment to tell them that. She’d like the romantic aspects of V-day too, of course, and would not mind at all if there could be gifts and nice meals involved, and if Troy prepared something to surprise her, but the fraternal and platonic loves would resonate much more with her.

And New Year would also be a favorite! To celebrate you survived another year and think about the future means hope. And that’s something that moves her and is essential when you're leaving after the world ended.

And at Olympus and the new colonies, they'd probably create their own celebrations and she’ll definitely be the most enthusiastic celebrator of all.

Arwen (MC/Blades) – Probably all of them! I think in their universe, most of the holidays are related to crops and the changing of seasons, and Arwen would love all the happy ones filled with music and dance and drinking. She’s an optimistic and overall happy Elf and she loves to celebrate. She’ll have no problem in joining Tyril for the elven celebrations at Undermount too, specially if they involve food and dancing and fancy clothes. After the ball at Undermount, she discovered she really likes dressing up. In our world Halloween would be the kind of holiday that would have her sooooo excited!

Zoey (MC/Ride or Die) – before her mother died, Zoey loved all the holidays and celebrate them with her family, she has plenty of memories of 4th of July barbecues, dressing in matching costumes with her mother and father for Halloween, stuffing herself with her mother's famous pumpkin pie and all the traditions before Christmas and during the entire season... But after that, she lost interest in most of them. It was bittersweet and her father had no interest in celebrations either. Probably she’ll manage to find new meaning for them when she gets older and create new memories for them, but for now, I think during college years Halloween and New Year’s Eve would be favorites.

The first because it’s a moment to pretend being someone else, use costumes, dance and party and she can relieve a bit her days with the crew, and the second because a brand new year ahead is something that gives hope, and she’s hopeful to find her way and become the woman she’s suppose to be. And lists. Zoey is obsessed with lists and organization and she’ll dedicate a long time writing the resolutions for the new year (it’s also a way she finds to honour her mother’s memory, since it was something they did together).

Again, thanks for the ask! ☺️

[missameliep]

Hii 🥰

What is something you love about your MC / OC? You can create and share anything you’d like 😍 HC‘s, moodboards, edits or drabbles. Have fun and gush about your MC / OC 🥰

Also what made you create your MC /OC what was your inspiration?

thank you so much for the ask, dear! what a lovely idea 😍

I'll share about Elizabeth Foredale (f!OC / Desire and Decorum Modern AU!), who is my favorite character to write ever (I have so many stories and AUs in my drafts you wouldn't believe!), and Malia Jones (f!MC / Wake the Dead), who allows me to explore so many interesting themes.

First, what made me create my MC /OC and what was my inspiration?

The reason behind the creation of Elizabeth Foredale (OC) was the fact I was not pleased with PBs take on Brazilian characters (there was Marisa Pires and the whole party-girl vibe and then Rafael Aveiro). Back in 2018, I think, there were talks with a few of my mutuals about (mis)representation of non-USA characters in most books and it sparkled the idea to create an OC who was Brazilian like myself without the usual stereotypes seen in media: loud and sexy Latina, party-girl, always dancing samba or other sexy genre and overexposing her body and things like that. Elizabeth is the opposite of it all: she's shy and introverted, dresses more modestly and is not comfortable with partying and clubbing and prefers a nice walk at the park or a picnic... and her general development fits with the narrative in Desire & Decorum about the illegitimate daughter and other social issues that are superficially addressed in the narrative. With her character, I could talk about stereotypical things that obviously do not apply to an entire population of a country, and can be truly hurtful when reinforced, and racism, since she is the daughter of a black Brazilian woman. And it's always a pleasure to write stories about her and the way she's slowly growing into the woman she aspires to be.

For Malia Jones, she is not an OC, but a MC whose personality is closer to the book, but with a little more nuances and a backstory I have been crafting while writing the miniseries Safe and the one-shots I have posted so far. I really loved Wake the Dead and the post-apocalyptic world gave me so many ideas and themes to explore, so I'm just going along while developing many aspects about her backstory, especially after arriving with her sister at The Tower, and about her life after the end of the book. I recently decided on a FC for her: the actress Keke Palmer (specially in the images I've seen from her part in the movie Nope, her outfits would fit Malia very well). The actress has a beautiful smile, one that I think Troy Hassan would definitely fall in love with.

Why I love this MC / OC ?

Neither is a self insert, even though I see some aspects of myself in Elizabeth, but they are complex and nuanced characters. And even though Malia and Elizabeth seem so different at first, living in completely different worlds, in one Malia faces death, despair and zombies, while Elizabeth lives a privileged and sheltered life, however, in her sheltered life she's reached by tragedy - she loses in the spam of months her mother and brother and her life completely changes with going to a new country and starting a new life, which is also a sentiment familiar to Malia.

So, both of their stories have aspects in common, and it is a pleasure to explore them.

I'll share some edits for Elizabeth and of her friendship with Prince Hamid Second Chances that I have saved in my drafts forever and I think I've never posted before

Elizabeth Foredale FC - Débora Nascimento Hamid Osmanoglu - Sukru Ozyildiz

_____________________________________________

Tagging a few of you who might enjoy reading this:

@princess-geek @noesapphic @lorirwritesfanfic @lilyoffandoms @aallotarenunelma @jerzwriter

[missameliep]

OTP Asks for Troy and Malia ❤

3) Most common argument 7) What’s the first thing that changes when they realize they have feelings for the other? 17) Who says I love you first? 20) What do their family/friends think of their relationship?

Thank you! :)

Hi, dear! Thanks for the ask. ☺️

3) Most common argument

The most common and frequent arguments between Malia and Troy revolve around Malia wanting Troy to exercise and practice combat skills - all things that displeased him entirely since they lived at the Tower, if not for the opportunity of meeting Malia during trainings he wouldn't even be there at all. After losing her sister Brynn, Malia gets overprotective with people she cares about - Troy mostly but she also worries about May and their friends - and that can be overwhelming, especially for Troy, since there's a whole world worth exploring and he wants to try new things. It is hard for her to express in words that worry and that she needs to be sure he won't hurt himself or get killed. She is so scared of losing him that it physically hurts sometimes.

In spite of arguing, however, they never stay mad long at each other. And Troy has a very "special" way to convince Malia to forgive him when he makes her mad with his shenanigans.

7) What’s the first thing that changes when they realize they have feelings for the other? In the space of a few years, when they were teens, both realized they had more than the usual siblings' attachment and love for each other; but living after the world ended and in such a disturbing environment like the Tower was, where having a strong friendship like theirs was a privilege, neither wanted to risk it or bringing upon themselves Brynn's rage, since she was the elder sister and the one always looking after her younger sister and "adoptive" brother.

Malia realized the nature of her feelings first, by the time she was eleven, she felt a pang in her stomach whenever she knew Troy was spending quality time with older teenagers in kissing games around the Tower and since she wasn't in fact ill, like a few trips to the infirmary proved, she was probably smitten - which was much much worse in her point of view and a total bummer, since she had no interest in boys, dating and had no idea what falling in love actually meant in a world like that, where people constantly died and nothing lasts forever... So, to Malia, what actually changed was the way she dealt with her feelings for him and boys in general. She fought the feelings, which was a tough battle, specially the older she got and the more attractive Troy became, but with some effort, she managed to keep it cool and not let him know about the flutter in her stomach and the way her heart raced every time he moved too close... She stopped sharing a bed with him, for instance, and draw invisible lines to keep her personal space as far away from his as humanly possible, since she was sure there was no way they could ever be more than what they were. Being vocal about her feelings was never easy, so avoiding romantic subjects around him and hiding her attraction for other guys over the years was not that hard. Until she was eighteen, Troy believed she had never even kissed or felt attraction for anybody.

It took Troy a bit longer to be sure of what he actually felt for Malia. Like her, he had no idea what love and dating and all those Old-World concepts actually meant. He cared for her like the sister he wished and prayed for in many lonely nights at the Tower, but later, the hormones made him acutely aware that Malia did bring much more to the game than just being someone he could play tag, jest with, and challenge him in the most stupid and dangerous ways... she made his heart accelerate and his palms sweat even when they were not running around or practicing combat... and he wanted to kiss her so badly it ached! What changed? Troy became afraid of her realizing he liked her in a different way and hating the idea and hating him and shutting him out completely. How could he lose Malia and Brynn? That was too much. So he hid his feelings behind too many jokes, bad pickup lines that made her cackle in the way that he adored, and kept himself busy with other "prospects" too many a nights.

Losing their home, losing Brynn, would be a game-changing moment for both of them. Facing their mortality so crudely made it impossible to keep bottling up their feelings for longer.

17) Who says I love you first?

They never said they loved each other in a sibling/platonic way a not even as a joke/teasing over the years they knew each other. Saying "I love you" was a foreign concept... Malia never knew love outside her relationship with her sister - who rarely used the world herself -, she has no recollection of being loved by her fathers or anybody else, and the word love was so many times used in stratagems and deceiving ways by people who wanted to take advantage from you, keep you obedient or make you work harder, that sometimes she thought falling in love was an impossible thing in a world like theirs. Troy on the other hand, believed love was real, but not something he was worth of. He believed being in love a couple of times while coming down from his ecstasy and having a lover's arms wrapped around himself; but that feeling didn't quite stick afterwards. He appreciated kindness and good company, but he expected love to be accompanied by all those great gestures the elderly at the Tower sometimes talked about and overwhelming feelings that make you do crazy things... Curiously, being in love with Malia was nothing like that, not loud as fireworks, but soothing as lying on the grass and stargazing, like something that grew inside of him like those ivy's that cover some abandoned buildings until there was so much green and unexpected beauty inside and it was surprising in a way, but at the same time, it felt like, "hey, it's you. of course it's you. you made a home here." When they talked about their feelings many months after escaping the Tower, it became clear that Troy articulated the words inside of his mind first, however, the first time the words were said out loud in a non-platonic way with all the implications it carries was by an hesitant Malia, when she thought Troy had fell asleep and was not listening to her. But he heard, and he said it right back to her, and she punched him because he made her cry like a child.

20) What do their family/friends think of their relationship?

Even those who didn't knew them from back at the Tower thought they took their sweet time to come forward and do something about that. It was clear to those who observed them just a little more closely and knew what love looked like, like Shannon and Eli, that they were in love with capital L even before Malia or Troy were ready to admit that to themselves. The new friends and people at the colony think they are a perfect match and make each other better, which is something precious and to be treasured for as long as possible.

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Again, thank you so much for the ask and for allowing me to babble about this OTP of mine 😍

[missameliep]

Hii 🥰

Would your MC(s) / OC(s) ever play a game of who knows who better? And if so what would be the questions / answers?

And who would know who better?

Hi, sweetie! Thanks for the ask ☺️

They would definitely play this kind of game! Some out of sheer competitiveness, others to prove their partners they know them better lol

I'll answer it for five of the couples I write for: Elizabeth and Hamid, Arwen and Tyril, Malia and Troy, Zoe and Colt, and Olivia and Damien.

1. Elizabeth and Hamid (Desire and Decorum AU!/Second Chances)

If we're considering the beginning of the relationship, I think since it's that stage when you're getting to know your partner that it would be a balanced dispute. They would both nail the questions about each other's favorite food, songs, movies and color, the other's dream vacation and something that makes the other laugh, for instance, but probably would be lost when it comes to questions about favorite childhood memory, first kisses and so on, these are the sort of question they would have trouble answering since they don't know each other very long like some of the other pairings in this list. And from time to time, I believe, depending on the question, Hamid would just reveal something completely out of the top that Liz would never imagine, like if someone asked about an embarrassing moment and he would just casually drop the most absurd tale about trespassing or crashing into an Arab sheik party or befriending someone absurdly famous totally unexpected and in the most absurd way possible; and end the story with "but it went well and we became friends as close as siblings" or "and now he invites me every year to his birthday" and Liz would be like 😯

2. Arwen and Tyril (Blades)

Tyril would only play this game or any other if certain conditions were met, primarily having had a good amount of wine in his system, cozy rainy evenings and Arwen reminding him if he beats her in the game, he could ask anything as prize. Sometimes he wins, sometimes she does. They have had time to learn about each other, and as elves they are really perceptive and catch on the smallest things, and so many of his questions would be about favourite weapons or worst adversary in battle, while hers would lean to embarrassing stuff or deep philosophical questions like if one of them turned into a worm what would the other do.

3. Malia and Troy (Wake the Dead)

These two know each other deeply. Twenty years of friendship and spending a lot of time together does that. Either the question is about favourite passtimes or pet peeves, or deep meaningful questions about hopes and dreams, they would definitely nail it. I think the only things they wouldn't know about each other were about the secret love they kept from each other for so long, and since Malia never told Troy about past relationships he's totally in the dark there. I think the only times Troy would be at disadvantage is if they would be playing with another couple who was really into zombie killing, let's say @jerzwriter 's Zoe and Eli 😉 I can see the questions suddenly being all about favorite weapons or best time to face drones, and Troy would be like "well," *head scratching* "crossbow? You even sleep with one close..." and "best time? never?" and Malia would just explain about the advantages of a machete or something, and "Oh! Blades" she would ramble about swords forged at Ironmount and in the end she gives up saying she can't actually pick one and Eli and Zoe would join that conversation about best weapons to each terrain and somehow one of them would suggest they could try some axe throwing... And Troy would sigh *these people can't have fun* and drink his beer 🙄 though on a second though drunk axe throwing does sound like fun. He could make a wager on who would hit the target while blindfolded.

4. Zoe and Colt (Ride or Die)

They would totally suck at this game. Colt specially, most of his assumptions are absolutely wrong about Zoe. They don't know each other's favorite subject at school or best childhood friend's name, but they say they know each other in what matters. The game usually helps them find out things they didn't know about each other, and even if Colt say it's lame, they enjoy playing it only the two of them.

5. Olivia and Damien (Perfect Match)

They absolutely nail this game. They know each other, they learned about each other profoundly over the years even with Damien being so closed off, plus they are too competitive to lose. If they play with other couples like Nadia and Steve, they are absolutely invested in the game like that one Will and Grace episode and equally obnoxious about being so knowledgeable about the other. They like the games, but they love winning more.

Thanks for the ask! It was really fun ☺️

[missameliep]

Hey love! twenty seconds or twenty years? for Malia x Troy - I miss them! But only if you feel up to it! No pressure at all! 💗

Hi, Elsa! Thank you so much for this ask! 💗 I always feel up to writing more Malia x Troy. These two live rent free in my head lol I adored the prompt and have been working on and off for months and had such a different idea when I first started... I hope you enjoy it! (Sorry it took me this long!)

[missameliep]

WIP Wednesday

Thanks for tagging me @lorirwritesfanfic ☺️ and please ignore how long it took for me to reply Your WIPs are so amazing! I can't wait to read them!

I'm sharing two WIPs of mine:

1. Untitled Wake the Dead one-shot based on a prompt sent by @jerzwriter - pairing: Malia Jones (MC) x Troy Hassan

Being chased triggered Malia’s brain in survival mode.   Adrenaline and pure will make her muscles climb another set of stairs and the next one. No amount of exercise at the colony could have prepared her for this.  Breathe, she reminds herself, breathe.  Dashing up, Malia reaches the next flight of stairs, barely catching a glimpse of the number six lying on the floor.  Six. That’s the number of arrows shot and undead put to rest for good before a blur in her peripheral vision obfuscated everything. The impact knocked the air out of her lungs and her body landed on a pile of debris. A sharp pain on her right arm didn’t stop her from kicking it back, making the decayed corpse reel back, and allowing enough space for the metal tip of the arrow to sunk deep into an eye socket and exit through the back of the drone’s head. Her brain didn’t register getting up or running. Next thing she remembers is the bang of the heavy metal door against the wall when she dashed, hisses and snarls following too close...    Heart pounding in her ears, almost muffling the sound of her own steps and those of her chasers, she climbs another set of stairs. She can’t keep going three steps at once, but slowing down in not an option either...  Faint growls and dragging of feet echo bellow. There is no need to turn around to know she’s gained on them and is out of reach of the horde. At least for now.   Tenth floor.  Ten.   That’s how many days passed since they barely survived the surge.

2. Stargaze (working title) - Wake the Dead oneshot / pre-book's events

After skipping classes and playing dares half the day, they found themselves lurking in the hallway, trying to catch glimpses of the small room the guards lounged between their shifts.  “You sure that’s the key?” Troy pointed at a large key dangling from one of the key holders at the back wall.  “Positive,” Malia whispered. “I saw De Luca taking that one.”  “Ok.” He watched the movement inside for another moment and motioned for her to retreat.  Leaning his back against the wall, Troy tipped his head up, looking at a flickering lamp while contemplating a plan. Just a few inches away, Malia did the same, mimicking his position.   Without looking at her, he instructed, “I’ll sneak in there and you stay here.”  “Of course. It’s my dare, you got to work for it.”  “Why you want this anyway?”  She chewed on her lower lips, then smiled. “Stars.”  “What?” His eyes darted to her face, and she averted her gaze, suddenly interested in her worn sneakers decorated with many colorful doodles.  “I want to see the real stars. And the observation deck in the top is… perfect for that.”  “And what’s in there for me, Jones?”

Tagging: @princess-geek @noesapphic @aallotarenunelma @jerzwriter @lilyoffandoms (feel free to ignore)

[missameliep]

Hii 🥰

Has your MC / OC or Li ever been sent to the principals office? And if yes why?

If not themselves have their kids ever been sent to the principals office? If so why?

Thank you for the ask! And the answer is yes, at least one of my MC and her LI have been sent to the principal's office (or the closest thing to it).

Malia Jones, my WtD MC has always been the kind to get into trouble either because of her big mouth (it's canon MC cannot shut her mouth and will question everyone and anything that doesn't feel right) or because staying in her classes growing up was just too boring to a teenager living after the end of the world. So, it was very frequent that she would be sent to the equivalent of a principal's office in the Tower due to her behaviour and questioning things and asking about the Old World in classes or due to skipping classes to play dares and getting into trouble with Troy.

And, Troy, who later becomes Malia's LI, also used to be sent there for the skipping classes with Malia (in the occasions they'd get caught) or lazying around. Unlike Malia, he learned quickly when and where to voice his dissatisfations and wouldn't say his every thought aloud at school no matter how tempting messing with some of their teachers was (he tried to teach Malia that, but one cannot say the lesson was learned).