#that big sky laser? feels great on the skin

[theramblingvoid]

During the winter I think "yeah, I'd move to the Neath, I don't like sunlight anyway I don't really see what the big deal is" and then May hits and I suddenly understand why all our characterguys are half mad and chugging laudanum by the bottle. like yeah I guess if I went year round without this I too would be running through the streets shouting about the sun

[youare7567]

So, Luke has a boyfriend now, huh?

transcript:

1. “Over here!” Reyé shouts back. That’s not very helpful, admittedly, but he’s been so helpful to me since I arrived on the base that I can hardly hold it against him. I can’t see it right now, but he does have a very nice smile. (Luke POV)

2. And there, six meters to my left—black combat boots; water-resistant pants in the same white material as his fur-trimmed parka; a dark beard over even darker skin; a standard-order helmet and goggles covering curly hair that the Force somehow tells me is very soft and smells very good—there he is. Sergeant Reyé Hollis, Alliance Special Forces. (Luke)

3. And it isn’t that I don’t like the guy. He seems fine. A little full of himself, in that head-in-the-stars kind of way. But he’s got great hair. Eyes real blue, too, like the sky over this icy rock on a clear day. It’s just that, in every story about them I’ve ever heard, Jedi are pointless and useless at best, and harmful and dangerous at worst, and there’s no need to bring that whole thing back. (Reyé)

4. “No.” I stared right in his dark and serious eyes and found a challenge waiting for me. “It didn’t go that way, not last time. But this time, it’s gonna be different. This time, you have me. And I won’t let you down.” (Luke)

5. “Whatever you do, don’t use your space magic at it,” I suggest, starting to feel around the icy walls for any gaps. “That’s probably what woke it up.”

I hear Luke let out something between a snort and an exhale behind me. “Oh, right. I’m sure it was the Force that woke it up, and not your giant ice lasers.”

“Giant ice lasers bring a lot of extinct animals back to life?” Do I feel air?

“Obviously not extinct!” Luke protests, grabbing the furry hood of my parka so he can trail me in the dark. “Because we just saw it! You know, I had a feeling, when I found that glacier fly….”

Another eye roll in the dark. “A feeling.” Yep, definitely air. Right through this little gap …

“Yes, a feeling,” Luke mocks me right back. “You should try having one sometime.”

Ugh. “Well, I’m feeling air,” I say, yanking my hood forward and dragging the flyboy with it. Even in this pit I can still smell his shampoo. It’s nice. Or whatever. “Put your hand here.” (Reyé)

6. I look down at our faintly glowing hands and then back up at Reyé. I wouldn’t say he looks happy; I don’t think the guy has looked happy a day in his life. There’s still some doubt in his eyes. But I will say—if I’m going easy on myself—that he looks impressed.

I flash the same big grin I gave him the first time I saw him. “See? Jedi aren’t all bad.”

He huffs, but I can see a little bit of humor in his eyes. “Solving the same problem you caused is supposed to make me like you?”

“You could have caused the problem, too, I’ll remind you.” He lets my hands go, and the glow fades slowly. But in the quickest flash, he’s on his feet and offering me his hand again. “It’s okay. I’ll work on you. I have a feeling we’re going to be on Hoth for a long, long time.”

Reyé laughs—actually laughs—as he hauls me to my feet, the dark in his eyes gleaming. “Gods, I hope not.” (Luke)

[titan-fodder]

Pyroclastic (Mike Zacharias x Reader)

Summary: Some would argue that the park is dead, but you know better; it’s livelier than it has been in hundreds of thousands of years, a shuddering, breathing monster finally rising to its feet after an eternity of slumber. Soon, it will open its mouth in an earth-shattering scream, and then, everyone will see.

Not dead; just waking up.

Rating: E (explicit)

Word Count: ~19.5K

Warnings: slow burn, friends to lovers, Eruri, implied Mobuhan, spelling Miche ‘Mike’, swearing, fighting, lots of nerdy shit, explicit sexual content, breeding kink

A/N: This is my contribution to the Smut Pile’s Apocalypse collab. I urge everyone to check out all the pieces on the masterlist. A big thanks to @pleasantanathema​ and @whats-her-quirk​ for being about as excited about this as I was, to @shadowworks​ for always encouraging me when I take on projects too big for my own good, and to @mindninjax​ who volunteered her husband’s expertise on this. I’m pretty proud of this piece and had a blast writing and researching for it. This is by no means scientifically accurate, but I did my best to make it realistic (as in I watched Supervolcano again and spent a lot of time on the USGS website). Also, I have been to Yellowstone exactly one (1) time in my life and was terrified the entire time which is where my fixation with it comes from. 

Enjoy~

GLOSSARY

Caldera - large basin-shaped volcanic depression with a diameter many times larger than its included volcanic vents; commonly formed when magma is withdrawn or erupted from a shallow, underground magma reservoir.*

Pyroclastic flow - A hot (typically >800 °C), chaotic mixture of rock fragments, gas, and ash that travels rapidly (tens of meters per second) away from a volcanic vent or collapsing flow front.*

Tephra -  pieces of all fragments of rock ejected into the air by an erupting volcano.

VEI - The Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) is a relative measure of the explosiveness of volcanic eruptions.*

*definitions taken from USGS website

4  Y E A R S  B E F O R E 

Levi looks pissed when he’s on screen. He looks pissed all the time, but he looks especially pissed when he’s made to stand in front of pointed cameras and outstretched microphones. 

You can’t blame him; it’s not actually his job to deal with the press, but some years ago, Erwin had twisted his arm this way and that and convinced Levi to take over conferences.

“They understand you better,” he’d said. “You enunciate better than me. We can’t have people misunderstanding me and panicking, can we?” The blond had purposely spoken with an accent thicker than usual, and Levi had called him every name under the sun, but in the end, he’d relented, and now…

“Dr. Ackermann! Dr. Ackermann! Is it true that this has been the largest earthquake in Yellowstone since Hebgen Lake?” 

Levi squints, actually cringes at the question, then waves one of his small, bony hands. “Hebgen Lake was a major quake—7.2 on the Richter scale. This was only a 5.3, and yeah, it’s been a while since the park has had a quake larger than a three, but that doesn’t mean—”

“So, should we be worried about a supereruption?” Another reporter asks, and you clamp a hand over your mouth to keep from laughing as the light leaves your colleague’s eyes. 

Levi’s jaw slides, and he pauses, no doubt to think about how to answer because this is a delicate question, one that the general public always reads extremely far into. He’s good at keeping his expression blank, at least, probably another reason Erwin requested he take over interviews. 

“Listen,” he starts off, slate eyes locking onto the largest camera in front of him. “Yellowstone is a hub of seismic energy. It wouldn’t be the park we know and love today if it wasn’t shaking and letting off steam like it usually does, right?” This gains a few relieved chuckles from the crowd of journalists. 

“Was this earthquake bigger than the ones we’re used to? Yes. Are we monitoring each and every tremor that we pick up? Also, yes. So, don’t make yourself sick worryin’ about sh—stuff you can’t control. We’ll let you know if it’s time to worry.” He sucks his teeth for a second, waiting for his advice to wash over everyone, then adds, “Keep a bug-out bag packed, though. Not because of the volcano or anything. Just because… The world is crazy and so are people, and it’s always good to be prepared.”

They take it as a joke, laugh a little louder as Levi steps down from the podium, but you’ve worked with him long enough to know he had made the comment with serious intent. It’s a lot easier to fly out of town at a moment’s notice when you already have the necessities packed, and though he won't tell them all the facts this early on, there’s a chance that they will eventually have to evacuate, yes. 

“I fucking hate that big, blond bastard,” is the first thing Levi tells you when he’s within earshot, much less well-spoken in casual situations than when his face is being broadcasted. “Voht iff they dunt understahnd me, Lebi?” He mimics your boss badly then pantomimes an uppercut with a dramatic grunt. 

“Why’d you make him sound Russian?”

“I was trying to make him sound stupid ‘cause that’s what he is.”

“I have four doctorates,” Erwin states as he falls into step with both of you, finally moving from his little hiding place behind one of the news trucks. “I’m not stupid. And, I do not sound like that.”

“That’s what you think,” Levi grumbles, doing his best to shrug away from the larger man when Erwin slings an arm around his shoulders. It doesn’t work, and Levi ends up stumbling to keep up with Erwin’s longer strides, which only serves to irritate him further. 

“You looked good up there. I mean, you sounded good. Sounded sure, comforting…” 

You shake your head at Erwin’s obvious struggle to just not be the big weirdo that he is, but it sure is painful to watch sometimes. 

Governor Zachary takes over the conference, leaving the three of you to make your way inside the lodge that the emergency broadcast was set up outside of. Levi and Erwin bicker through the lobby then through the back doors that lead you to the jeep that you all swing yourselves into. 

The sky is still a little dusty with shaken sediment, and some of the park rangers are setting up barricades at the mouths of a couple hiking trails leading to what is now a moderately large crevasse that’s opened up in the Biscuit Basin. 

Other than that, the park doesn’t feel much different as you ride through it on your way back to the lab. The Summer sun brings with it your favorite 70 degree days, and if it weren’t for Erwin’s questionable driving, you’d be tempted to hang half your body out the window just to feel the warmth better. The faint smell of sulfur in the air is soothing at this point—the smell of activity, the smell of science, the smell of home. Geysers are still shooting boiling water to the skies. The mud pots are still bubbling like ominous cauldrons. That earthquake couldn’t have shaken too much out of place if all the geothermal spots are still behaving as they normally do.

The tires kick up rocks and dust as Erwin brakes dramatically outside of the base, right behind another familiar jeep that makes Levi roll his eyes. 

“Great. The boy scout’s here.” 

“Oh, be nice, you little grump,” Erwin chastises him. “Mike’s been nothing but kind to us since he started working here.”

“Yeah, except for the time he misjudged the depth of that puddle and—”

“Splashed you with mud, yeah, yeah, we know, Levi,” you finish for him as you slide out of the vehicle. “You bring it up every time you see the guy. We know.”

“And, didn’t he apologize afterward?” Erwin prompts.

Levi doesn’t answer, but you respond for him: “Profusely. Drove him back to the lab, offered him his spare change of clothes—”

“Useless,” Levi hisses. “The dude’s a giant.”

“Not his fault he’s…” You try not to sound too giddy when you step through the door and see the man in question. “Enormous.” 

You don’t know Mike very well, one of the newer park rangers but with a background in geology which leads him to your neck of the woods very often. The few conversations you have had with him have all been pleasant. He’s soft-spoken but obviously intelligent with good instincts about both the park’s weather and wildlife. 

He’s also the only ranger you’ve seen actually pull off the dorky park uniform, but that could just be because the different shades of green look good against his tan skin and bring out his light eyes. Even taller than Erwin and a little broader too, M. Zacharias (as his little, metal name tag reads) is a slab of a man, and yet, when he grins, it’s almost boyish. 

“Hey, Mike, what’s up?” You greet.

He turns his head to look at you, flipping shaggy hair from his face, then offers one of the soft smiles you were hoping for. “Just came to drop off some samples for Hange.”

“Disgusting,” Levi mutters just for you to hear as he passes, and you shove him hard enough to make him stumble and flip you off. 

“How’d the press conference go?” Hange asks, tossing a small, corked flask of mud from hand to hand—what you assume to be the sample—while twirling in their computer chair. The last member of your team, Moblit Berner, glances away from the holographic model he’s studying to hear the answer. 

“I think it went well,” Erwin says. “Levi handled it like a champion, as always.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere, old man,” the brunet bites out, joining Moblit next to the expensive projection table in the middle of the lab. “What’re we lookin’ at?”

“I’m just running the numbers from today’s quake. The possible effects it had underground.”

“And?”

Moblit is quiet for a beat too long.

“Mobs, what is it?” 

You, Erwin, and Hange make your way over to the table, staring at the laser-lit park model and the chamber underneath it. 

“Well, in most of the scenarios, it’s fine,” Moblit tries. “Nothing to worry about.”

“And, in the others?” 

He looks to Erwin, as everyone does in times of concern. Thick eyebrows pinched together, your boss motions to the hologram. “Show us.”

Moblit punches a few things in on the app he uses to control the model, then takes a deep breath and lets it play out for everyone to see, including Mike who slowly makes his way over, curiosity apparently getting the best of him. 

At first, nothing looks to change, just a living, breathing reenactment of what you were seeing today—every geyser, every fumarole, every little rumble, every minute rise and fall of the ground sped up to be detected with the human eye. 

And then, it stops. 

“Why did it…”

“Just watch,” Moblit shushes you. 

The outline of the ground fractures in several different places, statistics for different earthquakes blinking above. The known vents of the park—every geyser, mudpot, and fumarole—are rendered inactive, and under it all, that massive chamber everyone is always so worried about begins to bulge upward and outward, growing larger and larger until…

The map shorts out, flickering then disappearing entirely, leaving the six of you staring at the space where it was shining just seconds ago. 

“Was that…” 

Erwin inhales deeply through his nose before exhaling the word that will eventually bring the nation to its knees.

"Supereruption."

3  Y E A R S  B E F O R E

Even through the thick headset, the whir of the helicopter blades is loud, a rhythm pulsing through the air strong enough to be felt in your chest right alongside your beating heart. 

Thankfully, Mike’s deep voice is loud and clear when he speaks, nodding his head to the right, “Look down at about two o’clock.”

You follow his command, tilting your head and peering down at an empty field. 

“I don’t see anything,” you say.

The microphone hanging in front of his mouth picks up his chuckle, and the sound of it echoes in your ears, making you grin albeit a little confused. 

“Exactly. That’s a big spot for bison this time of year.”

“Then why aren’t they here?”

Mike lets the chopper hover for a while, both hands still on their respective control levers. 

“Ground’s been moving too much,” he says after a few seconds of silent staring. You’d known the answer already but hearing the wildlife expert confirm it fills you with a little more dread than you’d originally harbored. “They feel things we don’t, the tiny quakes, the tremors. Stuff you only think the seismograph picks up—they feel all of it.”

“They know what’s coming,” you say more to yourself than to him. 

Mike offers you one of those charming, close-lipped smiles. “When in doubt, trust the animals.” 

A line you’ve heard him say a few times now. Mike loves everything that lives in the park, from all the common lake trout and sand cranes to the endangered grizzly bears and gray wolves. 

Trust the animals, he says. Because he trusts them. Because he loves them. 

“You wanna fly over the Grand Prismatic?” Mike asks, pulling you from your thoughts, and when you look over, you find your reflection in his mirrored aviators as he stares at you. 

His mouth quirks up at the corners, causing yours to do the same, and you nod. “Yeah, always.”

It’s your favorite view in the park, the colorful spring from up above. Mike had learned that a few months ago, and now whenever you ride in the chopper with him, he makes sure to pass over the beautiful attraction just for you.

Nearly 200° Fahrenheit with a pH of 8.7, the pool, while still dangerous due to its temperature, is one of the more moderate dangers of the national park, tame in comparison to the Norris Geyser Basin with temperatures up to 459° (a thousand meters below the surface, anyway) and a pH of about two. It’s dissolved bones—human bones. And, would claim even more if given the chance. 

You suppose that’s expected for a basin that’s sitting over a chamber of 1,500° molten magma. 

The Grand Prismatic is just as stunning today as it is every other. Its outer orange and yellow rings darken to greens and blues the further inward you look, thick steam rising from all over but more condensed over the middle. 

It was one of the park's biggest attractions, tourists flocking to the spring with their cameras, too stricken by the vivid chromaticism to listen or read about the temperatures and microbials that are responsible for the colors in the first place. 

As you hover above now, just to the side of the steam, your heart aches. There are no ignorant tourists to take pictures of the pool, the boardwalks and trails to these hot spots now blocked off once it became apparent that the earthquake that took place last year was not the last of its kind. Your team as well as the park rangers went to the park board as a unit and suggested that tourists needed to be kept away from as many geothermal features as possible, all of you with the same fear in mind: someone (or many someones) falling in. 

It's always been a risk, but now, with weekly rumblings, that risk has multiplied exponentially. All it takes is someone losing their footing on the boardwalk over the Norris Geyser Basin for serene sightseeing to turn into tragedy, and that's on a good day. Throw a 5.7 earthquake into the mix, and the park could lose an entire tour group to the heat and acid. 

It's just not a risk any of you are willing to take anymore. 

Most of the park remains open. Old Faithful continues to draw people in by the thousands. They sit and watch boiling water shoot into the sky every hour or so, clapping happily at the sight, unaware of the way you and your team hold your breath in wait, hoping for the geyser to go off on its usual schedule. 

One day it will stop. One day they'll all stop. And, then… 

"I can't believe it's all gonna be gone one day," you muse, blinking down at the prismatic pool for as long as Mike will let you. 

"Nah," the man disagrees. "Not gone. Buried, yeah, but not gone."

You snort, turn back to him with a grin and roll your eyes. "Yeah, no big deal. Just miles of pyroclast and ash, probably snow when we get thrust into another ice age 'cause of the crazy climate swing..."

"Alright, alright, I get it. The sun dimeth and the land sinketh."

"Gusheth forth steam and gutting fire," you continue grimly.

Mike turns the helicopter back toward the landing zone, saying nothing else and leaving you to take in the sights below. You're grateful for the silence; it's good for processing, for preparation. 

And, you're grateful for Mike, one of your best friends at this point—soft and kind despite his intimidating stature, smart as a whip, and just as stunning, if not more so, than the Grand Prismatic. 

"Any idea what you'll do afterward?" He asks, holding a hand out to you to help you from your seat in the chopper. 

"Not really. Survive, I guess." 

You land just a little too close to him, your face nearly coming in direct contact with his broad chest, but Mike steps back just in time, making you extend your arm, still connected at the fingers, before he drops your hand. 

"A feat all on its own," he says flatly, but he perks up as you both begin walking to the park ranger base. "Maybe you'll find another team to work on."

"I don't want to find another team," you tell him honestly. "This is my team. This is my home."

Mike hums, an understanding little sound, body warm when he gently bumps into you on the gravel pathway to the lodge. "Yeah, I know."

A geophysics major at UCLA with a specific interest in volcanology, getting to intern with the Erwin Smith at the Yellowstone supervolcano had been a dream come true. You'd expected to gain knowledge and experience—nothing more and nothing less. You'd lived out here for one summer during your graduate program, clocking the field experience you needed to get your degree and taking in everything you could. 

Back then, it felt like all you did was ask questions and get in the way. By the end of that summer, you knew every variation of Levi Ackermann's irritated sighs, every different pitch of Hange Zoe's shouts and how they correlated with their experiments. Moblit had been the newest permanent addition and was even more nervous than he is now, trying and failing to keep up with Hange (which he's much better at doing these days). 

They were all fantastic, but it had been the lead researcher who'd reeled you in. You'd never met anyone as passionate as Dr. Erwin Smith, captivated by the monster underneath the park and thrilled to share his brain with anyone willing to hold their hands out for it. Hell, he'd even helped you with your Master's thesis—hydrothermally altered mineralized systems and their seismic reflections. 

When you graduated, the Yellowstone team was the first you reached out to and the first you heard back from. Erwin said you'd been a perfect fit even as a student (which you hadn't exactly believed but definitely blushed at anyway). Mobs, Hange, and even Levi seemed happy to have you back. It was like you were meant to be here. In this park. With all of them. 

Studying the volcano and all of its properties has always been like breathing to you—natural and necessary. You move when it moves, every shake and tremor a heartbeat in your own chest, every shooting geyser like blood in your veins. The mudpots are your bubbling emotions, the fumaroles, your sense of building pressure and release.

You feel at home in the park because you trust it. Because you love it. 

You don't have room for another team in your heart, but as you walk inside the lodge next to Mike, watching as he takes off his sunglasses and grins at one of the other rangers, you think you at least have room for one more person. 

2  Y E A R S  B E F O R E

The lab has two extra bodies in it—two extra unwelcome bodies who keep getting in your way and touching things as they ask questions that no one has the answers to yet.

“When did you say this was going to happen?” The rotund state governor, Dhalis Zachary, asks for the second time since arriving, picking up a sample test tube that Moblit immediately plucks from his hand with a nervous smile.

“As I said before, it’s difficult to place a concrete timeline on an event like this,” Erwin tells the white-haired man. “We don’t exactly have in depth records of the last three eruptions, so all we have to go off of is the earth itself and our simulations.”

At the edge of the projection table, Nile Dok, FEMA director, cautiously waves a hand through the holographic model displayed in front of him. He obviously doesn’t think anyone is watching him because the slender man jumps in surprise when you snort at your desk, and his angular cheekbones take on a pink tint of embarrassment from having been caught.

He clears his throat, straightens the knot that sits over it, then turns to face Erwin and prompts, “Three eruptions before. One was a lot bigger than the others, though, right?”

Erwin nods. “Huckleberry Ridge. Over two million years ago.”

“We’re hoping—if a supereruption is to occur—it’ll be closer to the size of Mesa Falls,” you pipe up.

“Which one was that?” Zachary asks.

“One-point-three million years ago, two-hundred-and-eighty cubic kilometers of erupted materials…” Levi lists off as he makes his way over to the table with a sanitary wipe in hand. He doesn’t like people in his space, doesn’t like strangers in the lab, even (especially) government officials (“They leave fingerprints, and they breathe on everything, and they waste our fucking time.”).

“Two-hundred-and-eighty cubic kilometers… That’s the best-case scenario?” Zachary looks to Erwin, eyebrows raised high over his wire glasses.

Erwin stares at him for a moment, contemplating the best and easiest way to explain this to someone who has no real experience in the field. Eventually, he settles on, “Moblit, can you run some simulations for me?”

“Of course, sir,” the mousy scientist agrees, phone in hand and pulling up the app before the boss can even finish speaking.

Everyone gathers around the table except for Levi who steps away from it, grumbling under his breath about coming back to clean it later. He at least hits the lights, making the model easier to see as Erwin starts listing off numbers and scenarios.

“The best case, actually, is only one vent opening, maybe two. It would be something comparable to Mount St. Helen’s, though probably a bit bigger, say point-five cubic kilometers of material. It would be necessary to evacuate the park and this region of the state at the very least.”

Zachary hums, “And, how likely is that?”

Erwin shrugs. “Hard to say right now. As the earthquakes increase, though, the likelihood of a small eruption like that, uh, dwindles.”

“Small,” Nile scoffs.

Zachary makes a similar noise, slightly louder, a little more offended, then rattles off, “Mount St. Helen’s killed almost sixty people. The blast, the ash, the lahars—” as if you don’t all already know.

“No one’s discounting the damage of the eruption,” Levi cuts him off. “But, if you’re sweatin’ at those numbers, all due respect, Governor, I don’t know if you’re ready to stomach the rest of this little light show.”

The older man cuts his eyes at Levi who squints right back at him, only turn and shuffle over to his desk when Erwin waves him further away, a silent way of saying ‘keep your smart mouth away from the authority figures’.

“Moving on,” you cough, twirling a finger to get both Erwin and Mobs to continue.

“Yes,” Erwin nods. “So, any eruption is dependent on how much magma in the chamber is eruptible magma. Just because it’s there doesn’t mean it will come out.”

Moblit punches in a few numbers to show what a small-scale eruption would look like, first with one vent then with two.

“With just that amount, even with two vents, it isn’t enough to completely destabilize the chamber.”

“And, destabilizing it would be… bad…” Nile states more than asks, brown eyes lit up by the model in front of him.

“No shit,” everyone hears Levi grumble from his desk, and Erwin huffs and looks at you, expression a little exasperated as he jerks a thumb back toward the grumpy man in yet another one of his silent motions— a plea in this case—'go take care of him’ which you do.

Levi is slumped in his computer chair, arms crossed over his chest as he peers over his desktop at the four men gathered around the hologram.

“Should’a just gone with Hange and the boy scout to collect samples when I had the chance,” he mutters.

“You hate collecting samples, especially sulfur samples. Which is what they’re getting now.”

“Yeah, well I hate these guys even more.” He says it quietly enough so that they won’t be able to hear, and even if they could, both Governor Zachary and Nile are too invested in the information that the scientists are giving them to pay attention to anything else.

“What’d they ever do to you?” You push, curious now because sure, Levi has always been the surliest of the team, but it’s rare that he’s surly and loud about it.

“Nothing. They have done nothing because they don’t belong here. They have no idea—no fucking idea—what’s about to happen.” You can hear his frustration even through his whispers. “Best case scenarios? Why are we even going over those? We know damn well that we’re not looking at one or two vents. And, we’re not lookin’ at Mesa Falls either.”

Letting out a long breath, you lean against Levi’s desk, ignoring the way he grunts in protest.

“I know. I’m sure Erwin and Moblit will prep them for the worst case.”

“There’s no prepping for it,” Levi hisses, gray eyes flashing. “We’re talking about—"

“…A nationwide cataclysmic event.” Both of you register Erwin’s voice at the same time and glance at the other group to find them staring at the lit-up simulation of the Huckleberry Ridge eruption.

“Which would pretty quickly turn into a worldwide problem,” Moblit adds quietly.

“Worldwide?” You hear Nile question in a low but very alarmed tone. “Because of the ash?”

“Well, yes, but, it’s not just ash,” Erwin clarifies, diving into his explanation of tephra and how dangerous it is. He reminds the men how far it traveled after the Mount St. Helen’s eruption since they’ve apparently latched onto that one, then challenges, “Now imagine an eruption about… six hundred times that size.”

“Six…” Nile swallows, turning his entire, slender frame toward Erwin and repeating, “Six hundred times bigger? That’s what we’re expecting?”

In his little rolling chair, Levi’s chest puffs a bit, finally satisfied that the gravity of the situation is beginning to set in. “Maybe they aren’t as dumb as they look.”

Erwin is about to say something, right hand lifted with his index finger extended in a very matter-of-fact way, but before he can manage to get anything out, the door to the lab swings open and Hange walks in, Mike just behind them carrying all the collected samples in what almost looks like a lunchbox.

“We’re back—” Hange stops, taking in their surroundings, the lack of lights, the bright projection, the grim energy, then shouts, “Hey, get some Pink Floyd playing! Like a planetarium in here! Is there anybody in there? Just nod if you can hear me…”

“Dr. Zoe,” Moblit clears his throat. “We were just going over the utter devastation a supereruption could wreak on the country.”

“Oh, were you?” Hange pauses, brow rising, lips puckering into a sour expression. “My bad.”

Raising a hand to your forehead, you laugh to yourself for a few seconds before shaking the untimely amusement off and making your way over to Mike to take the sample kit from him.

“Careful,” he warns jokingly as he passes it off. “Got some very fragile gas and mud in there.”

“Yeah?” You tease. “So, I shouldn’t, like, shake it or anything?”

“Definitely should not shake it. Here, here, just—” He takes it back, grinning broadly as he tells you, “I think it’s best if you let a professional handle such dangerous compounds.”

All the doom-and-gloom you had been feeling mere seconds ago evaporates entirely, and you let out a frankly embarrassing giggle as you watch Mike very carefully set the samples down on Hange’s lab table, making a show of securing them and whispering a final, “Stay,” so that you clamp a hand over your mouth.

Levi groans in disgust, and, at the same time, Erwin mutters an apology to Zachary and Nile for, “… employing a team of children.”

Your face heats in embarrassment, but it doesn’t keep you from smiling at Mike when he saunters back over, looking rather sheepish himself.

“Lunchtime soon, right?”

“Yeah, in a bit—”

“Please go now, for the love of God,” Erwin sighs. “And, take Levi and Hange with you.”

None of you need telling twice, quickly grabbing wallets and home-packed meals before rushing from the lab before your boss decides to murder one or all of you.

Levi steers Hange toward his car, leaving you alone with Mike which you don’t mind in the slightest. You take most of your lunches with him anyway, some of your breakfasts and dinners too, so this is simply part of your daily routine.

“I’ve got some sandwiches packed already. Wanna hit Mount Haynes?” He suggests, sliding into the driver’s seat of his jeep.

You point a fingergun at him and nod. “I like the way you think, sir.”

He takes a very specific route, avoiding any damaged areas, having to veer off of the actual road at a certain point to take a safer path he and other rangers have made. You watch the mountains of the park grow closer and closer, what you know to be the ridge of Yellowstone’s caldera looming nearer.

Mike parks at the base of your intended destination then reaches into the backseat to grab the aforementioned lunch. You have no intentions of actually hiking to the top of the mountain—don’t have the time or the will, honestly—but as soon as the two of you have worked up a sweat and are at a decent enough elevation to look out on the park underneath, you drop to the dusty ground and take it all in.

Even from this distance, you can see some of the gases and steam in the air. That’s the only movement there is, though, save for the occasional ranger vehicle zipping along. The land seems almost barren at this point. The grass is still green. The sun is still bright as it is every Summer.

But, there are no animals, no tourists, no real life. Instead, it’s been replaced with cracks and crevasses, with barricades and warning signs.

Trail Closed

Road Closed

Danger: Keep Out

It’s been almost six months since the park decided to shut down to the public, and if you’re being honest, it should have closed its doors long before. It took people dying to bring the board to their senses, an earthquake that shook the ground for minutes, the crust of the earth splitting right under the historical lodge that so many loved.

Fourteen casualties. Twenty-nine injured.

That’s what it took.

You barely recognize the park now, feel like the last endangered species left within its boundaries. It’s just the research team, some of the rangers, and the occasional outside visitor (board members, government officials, or press that gets waved away).

Some would argue that the park is dead, but you know better; it’s livelier than it has been in hundreds of thousands of years, a shuddering, breathing monster finally rising to its feet after an eternity of slumber. Soon, it will open its mouth in an earth-shattering scream, and then, everyone will see.

Not dead; just waking up.

“You look tired.” Mike’s voice may as well be carried by the breeze, light and low, refreshing as it passes over you, and you flash him a smile while nodding.

“Exhausted.”

He grabs a sandwich from the lunchbox, and you fish hand sanitizer from one of the many pockets on your pants, squirting it into your hand first then holding it out to the man beside you.

“Seems like you spend more time here than at your apartment.”

“Oh, most definitely.” You unwrap what looks to be turkey and pepper-jack and try to ignore the way your stomach flips at the fact that it’s your favorite simple-sandwich-combo and that Mike remembered. “Lot to do in the lab. Obviously.” You take a bite—no mustard, only mayo—and feel some of the tension between your shoulder blades begin to unwind.

“Figure you wouldn’t want it any other way, though,” Mike comments before chomping into his own sandwich.

“Right you are. I mean, end of the world, potentially. Scary stuff, but also…” You swallow, lick your lips and stare out at the landscape in front of you as you grapple with words. “It’s like… I’m terrified, but I feel like I’m exactly where I need to be. Like…”

This is how I’m supposed to go out, you almost say, but you’re smart to keep it to yourself. That’s a thought for you and you alone, one you haven’t shared with anyone because nobody else would understand except maybe Erwin.

“This is what you’re meant to do,” Mike supplies, and you look over at him. “This is what you love. I get that.”

And, he’s right. But, the park and volcanology—those aren’t the only things you love.

Mike sits there, legs crossed like an overgrown kindergartener, shaggy hair blowing in the wind, light green eyes so, incredibly warm and bright, and it feels like you can’t breathe anymore, like your lungs and throat are already full of ash that hasn’t fallen yet, tight with dying declarations you can’t bring yourself to make.

“Have you ever heard of Katia and Maurice Krafft?” You ask, and yes, your voice does feel somewhat strangled, the space behind your eyes burning just a little hotter than usual.

Mike shakes his head, takes another bite, and gives you his undivided attention.

“They were these French volcanologists who got really famous for the pictures and footage they took of erupting volcanoes. The recordings they got for the community were—I mean, they were pioneers. They changed the game. There’s photos and videos of them just—” you gesture nebulously with both your hands, nearly flinging your sandwich off the side of the mountain and making Mike reach out and catch your wrist before you can.

“Please, no feeding the park’s wildlife, ma’am,” he jokes easily, and you have to shove the sandwich into your mouth to keep from giggling like a schoolgirl. Mike shows the smallest of satisfied smiles, completely unaware of his own charm, and it’s maddening and intoxicating, and it’s all you can do to keep talking about the brave scientists.

“Anyway,” you continue. “Katia would get, like, within feet of lava flows. Just walkin’ right beside ‘em in her special heat suit. And, they’d wear protective helmets because of, you know—”

“Explosions. Falling rocks.”

 “Yeah, exactly. They were just there, documenting it all happening, nerves of fucking steel. Katia was usually the one gathering samples and stuff while Maurice recorded, but he was right in the thick of it too. This badass couple learning and adventuring together.”

Mike eventually questions, “What happened to them?” but you’re sure he knows the answer when you deflate a bit.

“Mount Unzen eruption—got caught in the pyroclastic flow. Died instantly.”

“At least they were doing what they loved,” he says, and you nod.

You’re silent for a while, neither of you eating but both of you staring. You think about the Kraffts often, especially now with Yellowstone’s imminent eruption. Doing what they loved… They died for their research, and though you never got the chance to meet them or even speak with anyone who has met them, you have a feeling they wouldn’t have wanted it to happen any other way.

“Just so you know,” Mike gets your attention, and when you look over at him, your heart swells.

The sun is reflected in his eyes, making light green glow with more than just warmth and sincerity, and god, you’re so in love with him, you can feel it in your bone marrow. You ache for him, you pine for him, and you want to live for him, but how…

“I’d film you walking next to a lava flow,” he tells you. Despite the little smile playing at his lips, you know he isn’t kidding.

Tears prick the corners of your eyes, and you have to look away before any actually fall, but your sniffle definitely gives you away. You swear internally, berating yourself for getting emotional in front of Mike, though you can’t say you’re too surprised. Your stress levels have been through the roof, working non-stop for months now, the government breathing down your neck. People have died and the park is literally fracturing before your eyes, and you’re not ready to see it end—to see everything as you know it come to an end.

“Pretty dusty up here,” Mike comments while nudging you. You find him holding out a handkerchief, letting you take it then turning his gaze forward again to allow you a little privacy to dab at your eyes.

Mike has senses beyond the normal human spectrum. He has a sense for weather unlike anyone you’ve ever seen before, from thunderstorms and tornadoes to record snowfall and, on a few occasions, earthquakes. You can still vividly remember being in the lab the day of the fatal quake that damaged the hotel, seeing Mike suddenly look at the seismogram seconds before it started picking up the first tremors. Levi had called it “freakish”, but you had called him “incredible”.

It’s not just the weather, though. Mike has a way with people and animals too, like he can gauge their emotions and act appropriately. It’s how he knows what days he can push Levi’s buttons and get away with it, how he knows when Hange is too busy and overwhelmed to gather samples themself, so he gathers some for them.

And, it’s how he knows exactly when he needs to pull you into a hug, like when the team realized the chances of a small to moderate eruption were next to nothing, like when he had told you how many of those hotel guests had gotten hurt and died and you’d stared at him with wide, watery eyes, and like right now, as you think about Katia and Maurice Krafft, the fate they met and how yours might not be any different.

Will you die doing what you love? Will you be able to welcome it as bravely as they did?

You rest your head on Mike’s shoulder, letting yourself melt into his side, his arm sturdy and grounding where it wraps around you, and as you look out over the sunlit grounds, one last question plagues your mind:

Does a pyroclastic flow burn as hot as the molten feelings inside of you?

You can’t imagine anything does.

1  Y E A R  B E F O R E

The message is broadcasted straight from the state capitol, Levi's expression grim as he reads off the paper hidden on the podium. 

"I know all of this sounds apocalyptic—the ash and blackouts and probable climate change, and it is scary, but we still have some time, so there's no reason to panic. We just urge that if you haven't already started preparing, now's the time. Please."

A couple steps behind him and a little to the right is Erwin, standing tall and nodding at everything Levi says as if he's providing some kind of credibility. 

"Considering we're looking at a VEI eight, the team of volcanologists at Yellowstone have recommended that all of Wyoming and its neighboring states evacuate, but I'll let Homeland Security go over all that."

As he turns to step back, the crowd of reporters and journalists begin shouting out questions, and Levi grimaces as he moves to stand next to Erwin who places a hand in his shoulder. 

You can't hear everything being asked from where you're watching at the lab, but you can't imagine it's anything good judging by the way Levi's frown just keeps growing. 

Fortunately, the vaguely familiar secretary of Homeland Security, Dot Pixis, takes the stand quickly, holding up wrinkled hands in an attempt to calm the crowd. 

"We have some more very important information to cover in this address, so if you'll allow me…" He clears his throat and straightens a stack of papers on the podium, no doubt a huge list of protocols that the public will only half listen to. 

You swivel back and forth in your chair as you watch the thin man on screen, his voice scratchy but strangely soothing as he outlines rationing, supply storage, and evacuation routes. 

"We're also negotiating with our neighboring countries about opening borders. Now, anyone seeking refuge would still be required to fill out an application for a temporary visa, but—"

"God, you know they gotta love that," you mumble to yourself. 

Hange, tinkering somewhere behind you, laughs and agrees, "Yeah, after decades of treating immigrants like trash, and now we're just knocking on their doors, asking for help. Ridiculous."

"Embarrassing, is what it is." 

It was for whichever government official had to make that call, anyway. You're positive that had been a hard pill to swallow. 

As far as you've heard, the foreign affairs part of this mess is actually going quite well. You'd accompanied Erwin to the big meeting with Canadian officials and watched him and Pixis plead a case for America, emphasizing just how bad the eruption will be "at home", then switched tactics at whiplash speed to go into how countries needed to work together since this wouldn't just be the US's problem in the long run. 

It turned into a rather inspiring speech, if you're being honest, prompted you to text Levi a short, how is E so damn charming all the time? to which he'd responded, Believe me, you're asking the wrong fuckin guy. 

With multiple government agencies now backing the states and setting plans in motion, the impending eruption seems even more real. You thought your stress levels were high before, that your sleep pattern left little to be desired, but oh, you had been wrong. 

Case in point being Mike walking into the lab with a brown paper bag and slightly unpleasant expression as he asks, "Have you eaten today?" 

Your glare has no real meaning as you grumble, "Had a granola bar this morning."

"It's nearly six," he groans, pushing you, chair and all, up to your desk and setting the bag in front of you. "Please eat something before you pass out."

"Okay, okay, Christ. You're more attentive than my mother."

"I met your mom last year, and you and I both know she would be hysterical if she knew how you've been treating yourself lately."

He has a point. In fact, you're glad Mike is naturally quiet and didn't bond too strongly with her, otherwise you have a feeling he would have called her by now to complain. 

The chicken salad sandwich you bite into must be imbued with some kind of magic, because you let out an honest to god moan when you swallow the first bite. 

"Oh my god, what did you put in this?" You ask as you blink up at your best friend. 

Mike snorts and rolls his eyes. "Uh, actual nutrients maybe? Weird how your body needs those."

Hands too busy shoving more food into your mouth, you headbutt him right at the hip, just hard enough to make him grunt and sway. He steadies himself, glances down at you like he's annoyed but ends up breaking into a grin when he catches what you assume to be a piece of chicken salad dotting the corner of your mouth. 

"What am I gonna do with you," he mumbles, wiping it with a gentle thumb. 

Your body warms with both embarrassment and affection, but you can't quite find a response even as your head clears for the first time in about two days. You really do need to start taking better care of yourself. 

The undeniable feeling of being watched makes your neck prickle, and you break Mike's gaze to find Hange staring at both of you, a not-so-subtle smile making their mouth curl mischievously. You have a pretty good idea of what they're thinking, and you're heart starts beating a little faster at the thought of them possibly speaking it out loud, but before they get a chance, Mike's phone rings. 

You catch a glimpse of the name displayed before he picks it up—Gelgar—recognize it and tease, "One of the doomsday preppers, right?" 

Because no matter how much Mike denies it, just like he does now— "They're not doomsday preppers—" you know that his friends are a little odd. Extremely well prepared, but odd. 

"Hey man, what's up?" He answers, stepping away from you. "Isn't it almost two there?" 

You don't try to listen in, just look back to Hange and shake your head when their smile grows. 

"Stop."

"What?" They giggle. "I'm not even doing anything!" 

"You're thinking things, though."

"Well yeah, I'm always thinking things. How else would I have gotten this smart?" They flip their ponytail for emphasis and toss a wink your way, but Hange's voice gets oddly sincere when they tell you, "Seriously, though. You guys should get while the getting's good. I don't know why you haven't jumped each other's bones yet."

You splutter, look around frantically to make sure Mike isn't within earshot, and thank god, he's in the next room over. 

"Hange!" 

"I'm just saying! It's like watching Erwin and Levi from a few years ago. God, that was a nightmare."

"How dare you. I am nothing like—"

"Yeah, yeah. When do they get back in anyway?" 

You both look to the TV that's still playing the live address, easily spotting your missing team members behind Secretary Pixis. 

"Probably not 'til later tonight. Levi's gonna try to talk Erwin into getting a hotel, I bet, but he's gonna wanna come back to the lab and check everything before he goes to bed."

"How do you know he wants to come back?" 

You show a sheepish grin, fishing the chips out of the paper sack Mike brought, then answer, "'Cause that’s what I’d wanna do."

*

It's late. Far too late to be at work, but being at home never feels right these days. It's too quiet, too still, too not the lab. The only time you genuinely enjoy being there is when friends are over for a movie or meal over the weekend. Other than that, you're not at all attached. 

Not the way you are here.

Almost midnight, you move from table to table, working, organizing, just keeping busy. You're very awake, still jittery from the quake that shook the park at around three that day. It lasted for almost three minutes, splitting the ground dangerously close to Old Faithful, and the geyser hasn't gone off since which is troubling. If too many of the geothermal spots stop releasing pressure, the eruption will take place sooner than anticipated. 

It's why you're here so late, pouring over the data, studying the numbers and possible effects. 

You're not alone, though. Erwin is also shuffling around the lab, but he's focused on something else, a project of sorts. 

"Can you come take a look at this?" He calls from the projection table, and you drop what you're doing to join him. 

The model isn't lit up as a hologram, surprisingly. Instead, Erwin has paper blueprints laid, curling at the edges from being rolled up. It takes you a second to realize what you're looking at, but when it comes together, you inhale sharply. 

It's a simple design, a square floorplan with a couple entrances. The only exit looks to lead upward, though, and it's easy to tell that means Erwin wants this to be underground. There are notes scribbled in the blank spaces, 4 meters down, bomb proof top, ventilation, generators, gasoline?, rations < 5yrs, medicine, vitamins, guns. The list goes on, handwriting sloppier and sloppier the more thoughts Erwin had at the time. 

"You think this would be ready in a year?"

Erwin shrugs. "With the right construction team, yes. That one bunker designer…" Erwin snaps, trying to think of the name, but it doesn't come to him. "Whoever—He built ten shelters in two years." 

You stick your hands in your back pockets as you lean over to look closer. It could just be your overworked brain, but it looks like a good design, something someone actually has a chance of surviving in. 

Hearing your name makes you look up again. Erwin has you pinned with one of his serious blue gazes. "No one else will understand, so please keep this plan to yourself."

You nod but venture to ask, "You haven't told Levi?" 

"No," he answers, mouth pulling downward. "It's… Going to be a fight."

"Understandably so. You're basically married to the volcano, though, Erwin."

"So are you."

His eyes are shining as your lips twist into a grimace. He's gotten to know you well over the years. You've always shared a certain bond over Yellowstone, one the other team members just don't have. To them, it's just a job, just science. 

To you and Erwin, though, it's a religion. You're in love with the park, all its secrets and eccentricities. It's your home; it's where you belong. 

"Assuming this does get built," Erwin starts, lifting a thick eyebrow in curiosity. "You would want to stay, right?" 

"You mean, ride out a supereruption? Be the first to see the zone-one damage?" 

Erwin doesn't answer, but he does smile, excitement dancing just below the surface of his stare. 

You feel it too, the urge to throw caution to the wind, to take a chance that could very possibly get you both killed. The Kraffts flash through your mind again, their failed attempt at escape.

A breathless, "Fuck yeah," tumbles from your mouth before you can dwell on the consequences for too long. 

It's time to either live it up or go down in ash and flames. 

6  M O N T H S  B E F O R E 

Yellowstone is unrecognizable. The ground is mostly made up of large crevasses and smaller cracks, debris from fallen buildings left in piles with no one to clean them up. 

The geysers are all inactive at this point, but steam is still rising from the springs, and the mudpots are still bubbling. It's the only thing that's keeping the volcano from erupting. 

The ground shakes multiple times a day, the lab seismographs constantly picking up activity. The little ones don't faze you anymore. You and Mike secure the glass samples to make sure they don't break while Erwin and Levi basically hug their computers. Yours was damaged in the quake that prompted Hange and Moblit to leave—a 6.7 that caused Hange to fall into their desk, breaking their collarbone in the process. After getting Hange pain meds and a sling, the two of them were on a plane to D.C. that same night. 

Every day is another risk taken. Now, it's just you, Erwin, Levi, and Mike. 

The latter two spend most of their days dropping hints about leaving soon as well. Mike has already made plans to fly to Norway and join his not-doomsday prepper friends and brings it up often.

"You should come. See the tulip fields while they're still around."

"Gel and Nana have done a great job setting up the ranch. They wanna let as many people stay as they can." 

"You'd really like them. They bicker like an old married couple, but they're good people."

Levi takes a different approach with Erwin, appeals to the other man's desire to help and protect. 

"We really should head to the homeland security office. They don't know what they're dealing with."

"Dok is an idiot. They need a bigger brain over there for guidance or whatever."

"Your long-term plan will be better than anything those government fucks will come up with anyway."

Every time, you and Erwin gently wave them off with promises of "soon" and "just a little longer." Neither of you breathe a word about staying. Despite the fact that construction on the bunker has not started and you're running out of time, both of you are dead set on the plan: go down with the park. 

You're found out before it can come to fruition, however. 

The remaining team is sitting in the lab, busy with their own little projects, when Mike looks up suddenly, takes a deep breath, then says, "Earthquake," just as the seismogram starts going wild. 

He pulls you from your chair quickly, dropping to the ground and bringing you with him to crawl under your desk. On your knees, your body curls in on itself and you lock your hands over the back of your neck as the floor beneath you starts to rumble violently. 

You can hear Levi cursing from somewhere as the sound of glass shattering rings throughout the lab. You think another computer falls, models and books flying from shelves. 

Mike huddles over you, one hand gripping the leg of the desk while the other protects your ribs. You want to tell him to shield himself, but you know there's no use. Besides, the weight and warmth is comforting even in the face of danger—his chest hot against your back, the epitome of a knight in shining armor. 

It lasts for several minutes. The power cuts off, windows crack, doors swing open only to slam shut again. You know the lab is going to be an absolute wreck when it's over. 

When the shaking finally settles, everyone crawls out of their hiding places. Levi warns, "Be ready for aftershocks," as if you don't know, and Erwin fumbles in his desk until he finds a flashlight. 

The ray of light illuminates the damage. Just as you suspected, the place looks like a tornado blew through. Glass litters the floor along with the far-flung books and park models. Both Levi and Erwin's computers fell and disconnected, and your stomach drops as you think about all the potentially lost information. 

"You okay?" Mike asks, pulling you up to your knees so he can look at your face. 

"I'm fine," you tell him, his hands on your cheeks making you flush, so you distract yourself. "E, Levi, you guys okay?" 

"Yes," Erwin answers first. 

Levi shows his face, a deep frown making his brow furrow, as he looks at his desktop. "I'm pissed but uninjured."

The four of you spend the next couple of hours cleaning up what you can, pausing and taking cover when the aftershocks hit, then starting over as the lab sustains more and more damage. 

Mike sweeps up the glass. Erwin focuses on getting the computers back on the desks safely then goes and checks the projection table. You and Levi collect the bigger items, setting books back on shelves. 

You don't think about the mistake before it's too late, when Levi is already pulling out the blueprints that were hidden behind the stack of encyclopedias. 

As he stills completely, you turn to look at him and find him staring down at the large, uncurled papers. Your instinct is to snatch them from his hands, but it's no use. He's already seen enough. 

"What the fuck is this?" His voice comes out like poison as he immediately looks at Erwin. 

The larger man glances at Levi, eyes trailing to what he's holding, then pales. 

"Levi..."

"Is this a god damn bunker? Are you planning on staying in this hellscape?" 

Erwin strides over to him and reaches for the prints, but Levi tugs them out of reach. 

"Answer me," he spits. "Is that your plan?"

"I—" Erwin swallows thickly before answering, "Yes."

It's silent for a long time, and the more it drags on, the tighter Levi's lips get, gray eyes shiny with quiet rage. 

This is what Erwin was trying to avoid, why he insisted on keeping the bunker a secret. 

But while Levi is glaring at Erwin, you feel another gaze on you. Skin crawling, you chance a glance up at Mike, stomach churning when he looks away quickly and bites his lips. He knows. Somehow without anyone saying anything, Mike knows you’re planning to stay too.

Heavy breathing and the distant sound of rumbling earth is all that can be heard, followed by backup generators roaring to life and restoring the overhead lights. 

"You too?" Mike finally speaks. “You wanna stay too?”

You chew on the inside of your cheek, unable to answer. He sounds so disappointed—defeated—and it makes you feel sick. 

"Do you guys know," Levi growls, "How fucking insane that is? This is the dumbest, most reckless, selfish fucking thing you could do! And, I know it's all your thinking!" He drops the blueprints in favor of shoving Erwin roughly, making him stumble back. 

"Hey," you step toward him, but the small man just turns to you and accuses, "And, you egged him on, yeah? Did you even think of us? How we would feel? Staying here is suicide!"

"I have a plan, Levi," Erwin says, raising both hands to his head and effectively disheveling his own hair. "If you just look at the plans. I know what we need to survive. I've done the math, I've studied the—"

"Jesus Christ, we're talking about an eight hundred degree pyroclastic flow! Tephra that will suffocate you. You really think being a few meters down during the eruption will be enough?" Levi is screaming now, his voice cracking, and you think you see tears at his waterline. 

It makes the spaces behind your eyes burn, but it’s only partly out of guilt. The other emotion that’s welling up in you is anger, a betrayal you can barely wrap your head around, but it comes tumbling out anyway.

“Do you even know us? You think we can actually leave the park behind?” Your voice rises to match Levi’s, gains his acidic attention once again. “I don’t even understand how you can run away, after everything you’ve put into this place! How can you just—” You let out a sound somewhere between a groan and a cry as you raise your hands to your face and shove your palms to your eyes. “I get Mike because he doesn’t have anything fucking left here. He’s just been helping out—”

“You think I don’t have anything left here?” He asks quietly from beside you, and when you look at him with a watery stare, you find him wounded. His jaw slides forward as he sucks on his teeth, and fuck, his eyes are getting glossy too. 

“See, this is exactly what I mean,” Levi gestures wildly at the two of you. “Mike and I have stayed because you guys won’t fucking leave, and now it comes out that you were never planning to. When were you gonna tell us? Would you have even given us enough time to get out?”

“Of course!” Erwin takes him by the shoulders, and Levi snarls up at him. “I was working up to it. I wasn’t ready to—to deal with this.”

“I can’t believe this. You really think a whole team of workers is gonna come out here to help build this? You wanna put their lives in jeopardy too?”

“We—”

“You haven’t even thought this through all the way! When did you come up with this? When you hadn’t slept or eaten in forty-eight hours? When your brain wasn’t fucking functioning at full capacity?”

Erwin stays quiet, and so do you because Levi has a point. Taking care of yourselves physically has not been high on either of your lists of priorities, and you’re sure your mental state has suffered for it. All the nights spent at the projection table, mapping out ideas, growing giddy over the idea of staying for the eruption. Was that just two people high off passion, becoming more and more unhinged with each passing day?

Quite possibly. 

You expect the fury to be enough to push Levi away, that he’ll simply give up, drag Mike out with him, and leave you and Erwin to hunker down like you’d planned.

But, that is not the case. 

Instead, he shoves a thin finger into Erwin’s chest, gritting out, “Pack your fucking bags so we can go to D.C. where they need you.”

Erwin takes a breath then slumps in defeat. Now, when faced with the obstacle that is his boyfriend, you figure he’s weighed the pros and cons and made a decision. Between his love for the park and his love for Levi, he’d rather salvage the latter. 

Mike shifts next to you, grumbles out a low, “You too,” that makes the tears finally fall from your eyes. “I’ll take you on one last ride to the springs, but then we’re leaving.”

He stays true to his word, and you cry the entire time you’re in the chopper, headset smushed against one ear as you rest your head on the window and look down at the Grand Prismatic, the steam rising from it. It’s beginning to grow discolored with all the activity, but it’s more stunning now than it’s ever been. 

Soon, it’ll be completely covered. All of it will. And, you could have been too, stuck underground for a couple of years only to be the first to step out into the pure destruction. 

That’s not an option anymore, though, not with Mike looking as grave as he does, not with the way he shadows you in your apartment as you gather the necessities, like he thinks you’re going to bolt and run back to the lab, not when the two of you meet back up with a still-fuming Levi and a despondent Erwin to head to the airport.

The tickets are outrageously priced at such short notice, but that doesn’t stop Levi and Mike from passing their credit cards over.

“Two for Washington D.C.”

“And, two for Bergen, Norway.”

Boarding passes in hand, the four of you walk through the bustling airport together for as long as you can before you have to inevitably split up. Levi glares at you but still pulls you into a tight hug, grunts into your ear, “You’re so stupid,” before letting go and turning to Mike. “Keep her safe, boy scout. I’m trusting you.”

Mike nods, and both of them clasp hands as you turn to look at Erwin. Tears and pathetic sniffles return when you walk into his open arms, clinging to him and mumbling, “‘M sorry, ‘m sorry. I would’ve followed you.”

“I know.” He rubs your back and heaves a sigh. “I know you would have.”

He eventually disentangles you to hold you at arm’s length, wipes the moisture from your face with his thumbs, then shows a sad smile. “See you in a few years, yes?”

“Yeah.”

One more squeeze, and everyone turns away to walk to their respective gate. Mike’s hand splays across your back, warm, guiding you in the right direction, keeping you steady. He’s always kept your feet planted firmly on the ground. You figure, if there’s one person you’d like to experience the downfall of society with—above ground—it’s him. 

S I X  W E E K S  B E F O R E

Norway is kind of incredible. It has a natural beauty that takes your breath away just like Yellowstone used to, but it’s vastly different. Everything is green, including the lights in the sky at night. You’re surrounded by rolling hills and mountains, and you just know it’ll be beautiful under thick layers of snow. 

The once rustic ranch, now restored, is made up of several small houses and a farm full of cows and goats. It’s sad to think about the fate they will eventually meet (slaughter then stomachs), but you know it’s necessary to prepare for the coming years.

And, the owners have definitely prepared. 

Gelgar and Nanaba are everything Mike described and more. Between taking care of the farm and setting up energy sources, they do their best to make you and the other arrivals feel at home. They’ve designed the ranch to house up to about thirty people, a commune of sorts (minus any cult-like vibes). Naturally, everyone pitches in and helps around the place. You find yourself cleaning a lot, but you don’t mind. It’s a nice, mindless task that keeps you from thinking too hard about everything you’ve left behind. 

You also like to join Nana outside, help with the animals and enjoy the sunshine while you still can. Of course, this subjects you to endless teasing especially today when she catches you staring into the distance at Mike who's helping Gelgar fix a solar panel. 

His shirt is starting to stick to his back from sweating, muscles straining under the damp cloth, and good lord, when did he get that broad? Sure, he's always been tall and fit, but working on the homestead has definitely made him more built. That along with the fact that his hair has gotten long enough to tie up in a bun has your mouth going a little dry. 

"Like what you see?" Nanaba asks, accent thick, voice full of amusement. 

You shoot her a look, face all scrunched up when you mumble, "Don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh?" She sticks her tongue out. "Don't be coy. I see the way you both look at each other."

"Tch." 

"And, how both of you volunteer to cook with the other when it's your turn to. You move around each other like you know exactly where the other is. Two halves of a whole."

You roll your eyes. "We've just worked together for a while. We make a good team."

She's not wrong, though. Since coming to Norway, you and Mike have grown even closer. There was a period of time when you could hardly look at him, too guilty for trying to stay at the park, guilty for hurting him, but eventually the two of you fell back into your normal dynamic—joking, laughing, touching just a little too much, smiling when you think no one's looking. You even spent an afternoon together in a nearby field of flowers, just like he'd promised. With a picnic basket full of food, and a blanket to lay on, you'd admired the clouds overhead while enjoying the rustling grass surrounding you. 

It's been your favorite day since coming here, had reminded you of the lunches you used to share on the mountain. 

You're not brave enough to make any sort of move, though. Mike is just so good. There's a chance his affections are simply based in friendship, and that's something you're scared to ruin. He means too much to you. 

"How long did you work together?"

"Like, four years, give or take a few months."

"And, you're still acting like nothing is there?" Nanaba tsks. "Ridiculous."

"How long did it take you and Gel to get together?" You ask, then quickly backtrack, "Not that that's what I want with Mike necessarily."

"Mhm," she smirks. "Gel and I did it backwards. Got pissed at a bar and fell into bed together. Then we started to get to know each other and found out we just worked."

Sounds about right, you think. The couple has an interesting back-and-forth, half bickering, half innuendo. You can always, always see the love in their eyes, though. That's what you want in life. That’s what you want with Mike. Even if you won't admit it out loud. 

You turn your gaze back to the roof he and Gelgar are on just in time to see him making his way down the ladder. Once on the ground, he and the other man start striding over to you. Mike's face is red, sweat beading at his hairline, and Gelgar's pompadour is beginning to fall. 

"Think we got it fixed up," Mike announces, lifting the bottom hem of his shirt to wipe his forehead. 

You stare at his toned stomach for just a little too long, the lines of his hip bones leading into the waistband of his jeans. 

Nanaba's words ring in your head again—fell into bed, fell into bed, fell into bed—and you fixate on the idea of you and Mike doing the same. To have him hovering over you, or maybe you over him, thighs on either side of those hips as his hands trail up your body—

You shake the thought from your head, letting your glazed eyes refocus on the men in front of you. 

"Alright, I'm gonna grab a shower before dinner. Who's cooking tonight?"

“I believe it's Lynne and Henning," Nana answers. 

Mike nods then heads toward the little house he's been living in, right next to yours, of course. He reaches out to let his hand brush yours as he passes, and it takes conscious effort not to grip onto one or two of his large fingers and follow him. 

"God, that's painful to watch," Gelgar snorts. 

Nana laughs and agrees, "I was just telling her the same thing."

"Oh, shut up. Ya' couple of meddlers."

*

A line forms every evening outside of the main house, the one Gelgar and Nanaba share. You and Mike stand together at the back, watching everyone in front of you. Some are families, some are couples, some are here alone. You figure, no matter their status, the ranch is a nice place to be—peaceful, home-y despite its size. So far, everyone gets along. 

Only the kids complain about chores, about seven of them constantly running around together, but that’s to be expected, and honestly, you don’t mind picking up their slack. Life is about to get very difficult for them. They should get to be children for a little while longer. 

Potato soup is poured into your bowl with a ladle, topped with shredded beef and green onions, then you and Mike retire back to your little cottage home to eat and watch TV. It stays on the same channel, world news, and there’s always a long segment that covers Yellowstone and what it’s doing. 

It is not uncommon at all to look up from your food and see Erwin or Levi’s face on screen, speaking with experts, sometimes in interview-like settings.

Tonight, they’re covering a problem that’s been going on for some time, but everyone figured would resolve itself: some people will not leave the most dangerous zones, and it’s because they simply do not believe an eruption will take place. 

Even with the evidence, the science backing it—even with actual federal authorities knocking on their doors and telling them to leave—there are many people who just want to stay put. It’s insane to you, makes your blood boil. Children have been taken from their homes to be placed in safer areas, which only causes the disbelievers to get angrier. They want to say “I told you so”, but that’s not going to happen. 

What’s going to happen is getting burned alive in the flow that pours from the volcano. They will die a painful death, get buried under meters of fallout, ash, snow. There’ll be nothing to recover except for petrified, charred corpses. 

Of course, the irony is not lost on you; you and Erwin were both willing to chance similar fates, but you still think the two of you would have been more prepared than these regular-Joes who think their front door is enough to stop a volcanic eruption. 

“In the end, there’s no reasoning with people like this,” Erwin says on camera, a soft, sad smile playing at his lips. “When a person is so, uh… Dead set on staying, it will take an unstoppable force to move them.”

In your case, that unstoppable force had been Levi screaming at you while holding back tears. 

“Unfortunately for them, this force is the eruption, and they won’t be able to leave when that occurs.”

“Because they’ll be dead,” the reporter states more than asks.

Erwin nods and answers with a grim, “Yes. Yes, they will be.”

They’re not trying to be subtle, obviously hoping that this will get through to the stubborn masses, but you doubt it will. They’re living on borrowed time at this point. Any day could be their last.

Mike is quieter than usual as he eats, barely even looking at the television screen, and you have a feeling he’s thinking about how close you were to staying alongside those stupid assholes. It’s still a touchy subject, one both of you do your best to avoid. You’re mostly happy to be in Europe, spending your days with Mike and his friends and everyone else running around here. 

But, there’s also a part of you, deep down inside, that aches, that misses the park, that still wants to be right in the middle of the destruction. Watching it blow from so far away is going to hurt. This massive monster you’ve fallen in love with over the years will never be the same, and your last good look at it was that tearful helicopter ride. 

You’re not resentful toward Mike or Levi for dragging you out of the lab that day, but you are grieving in a sense. 

The program ends with Erwin giving one last warning— “If you insist on staying, I’d advise bomb-proofing your home, stocking up on several years-worth of rations, and installing one hell of a ventilation system. Good luck.”

Mike clears his throat and stands, grabbing his empty bowl as well as yours, then heads into the kitchen to rinse them off. 

Sighing, you follow him, lean against the counter a couple feet away as you think of something to say that won’t sound too forced.

“Hey,” you start.

Mike gives a low, “Hm?” as he holds the dishes under hot water, finally glancing over when you gently nudge him in the side.

“Thanks for…” You take a deep breath, pinned by light green eyes, then try again. “Thanks for bringing me here.” He blinks but doesn’t say anything, so you continue. “It’s really nice. And, I’ve bonded or whatever with Nana.”

“But, you miss the park,” he says.

You shrug. “I mean, yeah. That park was my life, but… Probably dying in it was not one of my brighter ideas.”

He snorts, shuts off the water, then turns to you. Craning your neck, you take in his face—really take it in—the few strands of hair that hang freely past his jawline, the way his beard, no longer stubble but not exactly thick, forms around his mouth and connects with his sideburns, his strong, slightly curved nose, how his Adam’s apple bobs when he swallows. He’s so painfully handsome, especially all shaggy and rugged, and it makes your heart beat too hard and too fast in your chest. 

Mike dries his hands on a dish towel, looking down at them when he tells you, “I’m glad we were able to get you out of there. It’s not something I’ll ever feel bad about. Even if you hate me for it.”

“I don’t hate you,” you scoff. “Never could. You’re my best friend, Mike.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” you smile, then think of Nanaba earlier that day and laugh quietly. 

“What?”

You wave a hand, shake your head. “Nothing, nothing, just… Nana has… Ideas, or something.”

There’s no need to elaborate. Mike understands what you’re trying to say. He inhales then breathes out it out in a chuckle as he posts up against the counter next to you. “Yeah, Gelgar does too.”

“Guess they don’t know us very well.”

A silence hangs between the two of you, one that would normally be comfortable but is now a little thick given the subject matter of your conversation.

You and Mike. Just earlier that day you had been thinking about how scared you are to ruin the friendship, but the more you imagine, the more you get lost in the fantasy…

“Or maybe…” You glance over to see Mike nibbling on his bottom lip, eyes fixed on the ground as he continues, “Maybe they know us better than we know ourselves.”

He raises his head, gaze locking with yours, and you stop breathing. Because that stare is so hesitant, searching for something inside of you as if you have the answer, but you’re just as scared and confused as he is. Over four years of friendship—of good, meaningful friendship—is that worth risking just because you’re both curious? 

Or has it all been leading to this since the start? Since those first, short conversations, since the meals shared with one another, the affectionate gestures. Mike has always kept your head on straight, looked after you with even more care than he had with the park’s wildlife. 

You thought it’d all been one-sided pining, that he was just glad to have someone who understood him a little better than everyone else because you do. You understand his passion for the planet, you understand all his little fixations. You appreciate every eccentricity like he appreciates all your neuroses. 

“Maybe so…” 

Two very large hands are on your face, tilting upward, and your lungs begin to burn as Mike strokes just under your eyes with the pads of his thumbs. He has to lean down quite a bit, pauses just over your lips to let out a tiny huff of surprise, disbelief, awe maybe, then closes the rest of the miniscule distance. 

He is very warm and very firm against you—feels good, all the comfort of someone familiar but still so new. Your lips fit together perfectly, and at last, you’re able to breathe again, mouths moving in an experimental back and forth, feeling each other out until he runs the tip of his tongue along the seam of your lips. Gripping strong shoulders, you let the kiss deepen, opening your mouth for him, and Mike groans when he’s finally able to taste you. 

Hands fall from your face, moving down, down, down, brushing your ribs, settling at your hips, but his fingers are long enough to curl and dig into the meat of your ass, making you gasp and press harder against him.

Rolling his pelvis into yours, you very quickly find yourself pinned between Mike’s body and the counter. Your grasp travels to the back of his neck, pulling him closer—you just need him closer—and he must feel it too because he hoists you up and sets you on the countertop, making room for himself between your legs.

You feel too hot and too desperate, but it’s good, a release that’s needed to happen for far too long. All manner of geothermal metaphors swim through your mind, spurting geysers and boiling mudpots, and it makes you giggle against him, biting down on his bottom lip and smiling around the flesh as he lets out another one of those rumbling, satisfied noises. 

“What’re you laughin’ at?” Mike mumbles, and for some reason, it’s strange to hear his voice so close, so quiet, as you’re pressed together, breathing each other’s air. It’s intimate and different, but it’s right. 

“I’m just…” Another little laugh, “Thinking about the volcano.”

“When are you not thinking about the volcano?” You have a feeling he’s rolling his eyes, but he still grins and kisses you again.

“It’s all dirty things if that helps.”

Mike nods slowly, lips trailing from your mouth toward your neck. “Helps some.”

You tilt your head to give him better access and let out a little whine when you feel him bite down on a patch of skin just beneath the notch of your jaw, wrap your legs around his waist and do your best to rock into him because good god, you want him. 

Fingers tangling under his loosening bun, you tug him back to your mouth, slotting your lips against his and sliding your tongue between his teeth. He presses you closer with a hand on the small of your back, squeezing the air from your lungs so all you can breathe is him. 

“Mm, Mike, Mike,” you pant, barely breaking away only for him to chase after. You laugh, push his chest at the same time you gently tug at his hair, and he backs away just enough for you to get a good look at his half-lidded eyes and spit-slicked lips. 

Honestly, staring at him now, you can’t believe you made so long without ever making a pass at him. He’s gorgeous, built like a roman statue only larger, with sun-kissed skin and a startlingly light gaze that threatens to leave you boneless. 

“D’you wanna, maybe…” You swallow and blink up at him, too many questions suddenly invading your mind—is it too early for sex? Will he think you’re easy? What if it doesn’t actually work out? But, you bite the bullet anyway and finish, “Go to the bedroom?” 

Mike is silent for a few beats, leaving you to second guess yourself and brace for disappointment and embarrassment, but then he clicks his tongue and answers, “Uh, yeah. Yes, let’s do that,” in a voice a little higher than usual, and scoops you from the counter.

Every little house on the ranch is laid out the same, so it does not take him long to find your room. He sets you down at the threshold, and from there, it’s a flurry of discarded clothing and stumbling to the bed.

“How have we never done this before?” He huffs, crawling over you, leaving wet kisses in his wake. 

You’ve still got an arm covering your bare chest, but Mike doesn’t seem self-conscious in the slightest which comes as a surprise considering how reserved he typically is. Not that he has anything worth hiding—not the thin layer of hair that dances over his barrel chest, not the ridiculously cut abdominals or sharp ‘V’ of his hips, and definitely not the thick cock bobbing against his stomach as he moves. You would be intimidated if you didn’t know him as well as you do, but you’re sure that he’ll be gentle with you. Mike may be many things, but careless is not one of them.

He reaches your mouth, kisses you so deeply it makes you dizzy, and as he does, he very slowly pulls your arm from your chest, leaving you vulnerable—free for the taking. 

His touch is soft enough to tickle as he brushes over one of your nipples, making you exhale against him and arch your back like a silent plea for more. He traces around the bud, makes it pebble before carefully rolling it between two fingers.

Warmth spills into your gut, makes you squirm on the bed, and a moan makes its way from your throat as Mike gently tugs at the sensitive flesh. He lowers his head again, lavishing the same kind of attention on your other nipple with his mouth. He nibbles and licks and sucks, and you wriggle and whimper beneath him, one hand trailing down his body until you’re able to close your fingers around the head of his cock. 

Mike grunts, thrusts into your hand a couple times, enough to make precum drool from his tip, but before he can get too carried away, he says just above a whisper, “Let me get you ready,” then moves to lay between your spread legs.

Sliding his arms under your thighs, he locks them into place, and you release a shaky breath, feeling his eyes taking you in for several seconds before licking up your slit once then pushing deeper.

“Oh, fu—”

Both your hands shoot downward, one gripping the messy bun at the back of his head as you shudder at the sensation of his beard against your pussy. You’re wet in seconds, core pulsing as Mike uses his tongue to slowly open you up, then pulls back to flick over your clit. 

“Mike—Mike—”

He hums into you, shaking his head slowly back and forth, no doubt making a mess of his face and you. You don’t have anything to say, just feel your throat tightening like there are unspoken words that need to come out, but you can’t think straight, not when he’s doing what he’s doing, not when you feel the tips of his fingers reaching out to spread your lips. 

He is thorough bordering on methodical, makes sure you’re at the point of full body shakes before he gives you a break, and then, when your breathing returns to a normal rate, he starts all over again. There is a tightness in your gut that builds and builds then dissipates every time he stops, and he must know because when you whine in frustration, Mike just grins and kisses the inside of your thighs. 

The same pattern is repeated with his fingers, just one at first, massaging your walls perfectly, then a second that makes your eyes roll into the back of your head. He rubs over the swelling tissue inside of you, seems to enjoy every little gasp and noise you make, including the unsatisfied one you let out when he pulls his fingers from you. 

You can feel how damp the bedspread is underneath you, can see the evidence of your arousal on Mike’s face, and it makes you flush but doesn’t stop you from tugging him down for another messy kiss. 

“You ready?” He asks, sounding just as breathless as you feel, and you nod furiously, bending your knees and planting your feet on the mattress so that you can lift your hips to his. 

Mike chuckles, reaches down between the two of you to take hold of his length and taps your clit with his cockhead a couple times—simultaneously the most infuriating and most erotic thing you’ve ever experienced. Slowly, he lines himself up, just barely pushing forward, and when you bite your lip and squeeze your eyes shut, Mike tells you to, “Breathe, baby, open up for me.”

He already sounds wrecked, like he’s fighting the urge to just sheathe himself entirely, but he waits, giving you one inch at a time with periods of adjustment in between. You always sort of figured he was big, but this burning stretch is something you hadn’t imagined even in your lewdest of fantasies. You’re incredibly full, feel him in your gut and throat and everywhere, but it isn’t bad; it’s just a lot. 

“Okay,” you stroke the forearm next to your head and nod. “Okay, you can start moving more.”

Mike’s brow creases. “You’re sure?”

“About as sure as I can be with a monster cock inside m-me—” Your laugh turns to a moan as Mike begins to pull out, eyes trained on your face for any sign of real discomfort, but your mouth just drops open, your own eyebrows raising at the feeling of his length hitting every one of your most sensitive spots. 

“Holy…”

He pushes back in quickly, still mindful of what your body can take, and when all you do is cry his name and scratch down his back, Mike starts up a steady rhythm that has you seeing god. 

That tightness is back, hotter than before, threatening to burn you up entirely as your cunt flutters and spasms and leaks around Mike’s length. 

The sound of a hoarse groan makes you open your eyes, and you follow Mike’s line of vision to where you’re connected, see his cock sliding in and out of you, dripping slick and ringed in white cream toward the base. The sight makes you clench around him, and Mike swears under his breath then leans forward to gather you in his arms. Your head lolls back as he lifts you, sitting on his knees for just a second before falling onto his back and letting you drop onto him. 

You choke, and Mike pants, but his hands are tight at your hips, moving you up and down his length like a sleeve. His pupils are blown wide when you look down at him, hair nearly entirely out of its tie, bottom row of teeth exposed as his jaw slides almost primally. 

He looks completely lost in you, possessed as he fucks up into your pussy rougher than before. You bounce in his lap, whimpering his name with every thrust, growing in volume when you feel a finger press against your clit. 

“You gonna come for me?” Mike grits out, rubbing a circle over the swollen bundle as his eyes flick from your chest to your face. 

You nod, ignoring the burning in your thighs in favor of the sensation between your hips. “Yeah, I—I—Fuck, Mike—”

“Come on, baby, come on—wanted to see this for years, come all over my cock…”

You snap, legs shaking as your climax crashes through you. Your cunt pulses around Mike, coating him in more of your juices and making him groan and fuck you through it. You whine at the stimulation, swollen walls so sensitive yet taking everything he has to give you.

Every thrust to your g-spot makes you gush a little more, come a little longer, until all you can do is fall onto his chest and let him use you as he needs to. You leave marks on his pecs, bites and scratches, and Mike grunts at every one of them until he sits up and flips you once again.

“Where do you want me?”

“Anywhere, I don’t care, I don’t care,” you babble.

Mike inhales sharply then lets out a long groan as he pulls out and shoots his load onto your stomach. It’s warm and thick, some pooling in your belly button as Mike makes a trail down to your clit where he smears the last few drops. You twitch at the contact, hole clenching around nothing now, but you can already feel soreness settling into your muscles. 

Mike gives you two little pecks on the mouth, then one last, longer kiss before rolling to lay on the mattress beside you, chest rising and falling with deep breaths.

This silence doesn’t bother you. It gives you time to come back to your senses, to reflect, to remember everything that was said which leads you to ask, “You meant that—about wanting this for years?”

Mike turns his head and smiles so sincerely it almost brings tears to your eyes. 

“Well, yeah. Been in love with you pretty much since I started at the park.”

He says it so casually, like it’s the most natural thing in the world, and maybe it is, but it still makes your breath catch. 

“Seriously?” You turn to lay on your side, and Mike mimics the action, propping his head up with one hand while he lets the other settle on your waist. 

He lifts an eyebrow and questions, “Is that so hard to believe?” 

“No, I just… Thought it was one-sided on my end, I guess. Like, we were too good of friends.” Mike leans forward to gently headbutt you, and you snort to yourself, “Guess I was wrong.”

“We were both being stupid,” he mumbles. “But, we were also focused on other things, married to the job or whatever.”

Lifting your face makes him lift his, and you smile into another kiss, feeling happier and more balanced than you have in a very long time. 

Without much more discussion, you and Mike get up to rinse off, sharing more soft touches under the spray of the shower before crawling into bed together. Falling asleep feels like coming home.

You don’t even mind the smug grin on Nanaba’s face when she sees you and Mike leave your house together in the morning, nor the teasing jabs Gelgar throws your way over lunch. You don’t know if anything is capable of knocking you out of your perfect, peaceful little world on this perfect, peaceful little homestead.

Except maybe a supereruption, of course. 

E - D A Y 

It happens right in the middle of the morning news. You and Mike are sipping on coffee, expecting the same report you’ve gotten every day— “Nothing yet, closely monitoring, blah blah”—but as the English news anchor tries to introduce the meteorologist, he stops, holds a hand to the speaker in his ear, then looks at the camera with wide yes. 

“I’m—I’m getting news that the Yellowstone supervolcano has just begun to erupt, we’re cutting to the US address at Washington D.C. now—”

And just like that, Levi’s face is suddenly on screen, picking him up mid-sentence. 

“... One vent open at the present time, but more will open shortly. Stay indoors, ration your food. This is what we’ve been preparing for.” He looks tired, and when you do the math, you understand why: seven AM in Norway is one AM in D.C., meaning Levi was probably woken up to make the announcement. 

As always, you can make out Erwin’s figure behind him, hands clasped tight and shaking, and it isn’t until Mike puts a hand on your shoulder that you realize you are trembling right along with your old boss.

“Hey, it’s gonna be okay,” he reassures you. “We’re gonna be okay here.”

You nod and let him pull you closer to him as both of you look back to the screen and listen to what your old colleagues have to say.

The news stays on for the rest of the day. At around ten, the second vent opens up. Then another. Then another. Levi keeps track, expression never betraying the fear he must be feeling, even when he delivers the message that a full ring around the caldera has opened up. 

“Obviously, we can’t get in close enough to look, but we estimate at least two thousand four hundred and fifty cubic kilometers of eruptible magma will pour from the volcano. That’s the size of the eruption from around two million years ago, but it could be worse with the current number of vents…”

The journalists on site, usually so ready to ask questions and challenge Levi, are silent today, and you imagine they’re staring with eyes the size of saucers, not quite believing what they’re hearing because it’s happening. It’s finally happening. 

You eat a quiet, solemn lunch at Nanaba and Gelgar’s, no one knowing what to say. You feel nauseous, stunned, not unlike losing a loved one. You’re able to forget the absolute destruction taking place in the states for a few minutes at a time, but it always comes back to you, punching you in the gut with the same, brute force every time.

The park. The lab. The forests. The towns. Cities, states, homes, lives, all wiped off the map. 

Erwin takes Levi’s place as public speaker close to five, probably to let the other man get some sleep, and reports that the portable seismogram, still linked to the remaining seismographs located around the park, show that there are near continuous earthquakes taking place, “Which could either help should enough earth shift to block the magma chamber, or make things worse by disrupting it further.”

“E is not very good at keeping people’s hopes up,” you mutter, and Mike chuckles.

“Yeah, I see why he makes Levi do all the talking now.”

You both receive texts from the rest of the team, Levi’s coming at an appropriate time but the others reaching you at odd hours of the night when you’re nestled in Mike’s arms.

Neither of you sleep as reality sets in the rest of the way. That was it. The beginning of the end of everything you know. Everything is about to change.

You sniff, try to be as quiet as possible as the tears you’ve been holding back all day finally begin to fall, but Mike knows, feels your body stiffen as you curl into yourself. 

He hugs you close to him but doesn’t say anything, just rests his cheek against yours and holds your hand. 

There’s nothing anyone can say to make this better, no amount of optimism or determination that will make this any easier. Your home is covered in miles of pyroclastic flow, and as it hasn’t stopped yet, you know this is just the start. Soon, anything left alive will be suffocated by the tephra, people, animals, and vegetation alike. Though you won’t die where you are, everyone at the ranch will be feeling the effects soon enough.

Your mother calls from France where her and your dad decided to “vacation” for the next several years. She’s worked up about not being able to get through to you for almost an entire day, and even as you reassure her that you’re mostly fine, she hears the way your voice cracks and offers to fly to Norway.

“Mom, the airports are shut down by now,” you sigh. “We already talked about this. We can’t see each other for a while, but we’ll FaceTime until we can’t anymore.” Until the cell towers are knocked out, you don’t say.

“I just know my baby girl is hurting right now. I know how much you loved—”

“I know,” you cut her off, scared that hearing it from her mouth will just make you lose it again. “I know, but I’m okay here with Mike and everyone else.”

“You’re sure?” She sniffles, sounding a lot like you. “Cause your father and I will find a way to get to you if you need us.”

“I’m sure, Mom,” you tell her with a sad smile she can’t see. “Get some rest, okay?”

You share many calls like that, many ill-timed text messages until the eruption finally comes to an end six days later. The damage it’s done is incalculable—the entirety of the United states now covered in a cloud of ash that blocks out the sun. 

It doesn’t reach you for a few days, but every time you go outside, Mike sniffs the air and mumbles something like, “Smells like sulfur,” or “It’s getting closer”, but after another week, the entire globe is covered. 

1  M O N T H  A F T E R

Everything is an estimation. Everyone knows that a massive amount of magma erupted, but they don’t know how much. Everyone knows that a large number of people have died, but they don’t know how many. There are too many mysteries, and it’s nowhere near safe enough to send search crews out. 

Despite all the warnings, people are still trying to go outside—to see the ash, to review the damage, but even with cloth or medical grade masks, they’re breathing in the dangerous particles floating in the air, tiny minerals that turn to a cement-like substance in their lungs, and because of that, the death count is only rising. 

News reports cut in and out, as do phone calls. Some texts never get sent or received, so all you truly have is your little home and Mike. 

And, you cry, and you mourn, and you miss your friends and family—fuck, you don’t even know how you’ll survive so long without them—but you also revel in the fact that you’re safe. Not everyone can say that. The fact that you had almost willingly stayed in the most dangerous zone of the explosion is laughable now. There’s no way you and Erwin would have survived that, something he agrees with you on when you share a short phone call with him just to check how he and Levi are doing. 

They’ll be staying at the Homeland Security compound for the forseeable future, but he assures you they’re well-prepared to brave the years-long gray storm. 

Without any livestock to take care of, or mouths to feed other than yours and Mike’s, you find yourself with an abundance of free time. You still have power thanks to the solar panels and the couple of windmills set up around the ranch, but you don’t know how long that will last. 

You both read a lot, do puzzles together, fall into bed both out of desire and just because there’s not much better to do.

And, that part of your apocalyptic life is kind of great. Mike is great. He takes care of you both in and out of the bedroom, is gentle with you until you tell him not to be, and then he’s more than happy to succumb to your needs. He’d invested in a frankly absurd amount of condoms before the eruption so he wouldn’t have to worry about pulling out every time, but every once in a while you want him like you had him the first time—desperate and passionate and completely raw. 

That’s the feeling you’re experiencing tonight, staring at Mike from your place on the couch rather than at the book in your hands.

You see him smile before he actually looks at you, but when he does, he has a glint in his eyes you’ve gotten very familiar with over the last month. 

“Need something, baby?”

You bite your lip to keep from grinning too bashfully and glance back down at the open pages on your lap. “Nuh uh.”

“You sure?”

“Mhm,” you nod. 

“Really?” Mike puts down the wildlife magazine he’s perusing and leans closer to you. “’Cause it looks like you might want something.”

You cross your legs, flip a page you haven’t even read, and shake your head. 

It’s a dumb game you’ve both started to play, who can hold out the longest. Of course, the longest record is one you both hold—four years and some odd months—but other than that, you usually make it two or three days at most.

But it’s hard with him walking around looking like he does, and for someone so quiet, Mike is mischievous and handsy, knowing just how to rile you up only to walk away and leave you to whatever you were doing before. He whispers in your ear, he grabs your ass, sometimes he’ll just stand right behind you in the kitchen and inhale, trace his nose up your neck so that you shiver and break out in goosebumps, then mumble a shameless, “You smell nice.”

He’s troublingly good at driving you crazy, and you realize this is why it took you so long to actually get together. You can’t imagine being this wound up and wanton in the lab with everyone there to see. 

“You know,” Mike speaks again. You look at him from the corner of your eyes as he leans back against the cushions and nonchalantly kicks an ankle over his thigh. “A lot of people are dying. Like, thousands. Millions.”

Frowning, you nod. “Uh, yeah. Worldwide disaster taking place.”

“Yeah, it’s a shame,” he adds. His lips twitch upward for a second before he purses them, waiting for another couple seconds then stating, “Should probably start thinking about… Efforts to repopulate.”

Eyes widening, you tilt your head to the side in disbelief, a short, incredulous laugh bubbling from your throat.

“You should be ashamed of yourself, Mike Zacharias!” 

Reaching behind you, you grab a throw pillow and launch it at him. Mike shields himself easily, choking and chuckling as he tries to defend himself, “I’m just—saying! It’s something to keep in mind!”

“Trying to guilt me into sex—” You smack his forearms with the pillow again, “As if I’m not already easy for you—" smack, smack, “—by bringing up all the people dying out there. What is the matter with you?”

He gets a hold of the pillow and rips it from your hands then hugs it to his chest and stares at you with that uncharacteristically devious look. “Is it working?”

You scoff at him, gently kick at his thigh in one last act of defiance before responding, “I mean, kinda.”

And, that’s all he needs to hear before he’s throwing himself at you, pinning you to the couch even as you giggle and squirm, ridding you of the comfortable clothes you have on so that he can kiss and lick every part of you he can reach. He acts like he’s hungry for you, and you have to use all your strength to shove him off of you just so that you can work his pants off and return the favor. 

Mike is all grunts and curses as you work him over with your tongue, a hand on the back of your head heavy but not pressuring. He trembles as you take him deeper, his tip hitting the back of your throat and sliding just a little further. 

It always hurts your jaw, leaves it sore for a full twenty-four hours at least, but the way his jaw drops and his hands ball into fists make it worth it. 

You use one hand to stroke what your mouth can’t reach, the other settling between your own thighs to get you to where you need to be, and only when Mike is panting and you’re dripping slick into your curled palm do you pull off of him.

He helps you into his lap, lets you take your time sliding down his length, because even after as much practice as you’ve had, it hasn’t exactly gotten easier. He’s still massive, and you still have to will yourself to relax around him, but once your muscles have loosened enough, you begin to rock your hips. 

Mike lets you use him like that for a few minutes, knows he’s at the perfect angle to rub over your g-spot, so he just watches and leans forward to place teasing kisses around your open mouth. 

“Feel good, baby?” His voice drips like honey as he grips onto you to aid in your movement. 

Nodding, you dig your nails into his shoulders, then shift to start moving up and down his length. Mike takes it as his cue to take over completely, strong enough to lift and drop you as he pleases, and you both fall into a frenzy of motion, desperate to get off, to get each other off, to share that euphoria. 

“Do you actually want to?” You ask in a daze.

Mike cracks his eyes open to ask, “What?” and slows down enough to give you enough breathing room to speak. “Do I wanna what?”

Making lazy air quotes with your fingers, you mimic his deep voice, “Repopulate,” then elaborate, “Have kids. Do you want that?” 

Everything stops. Your hips still, as do Mike’s, and he stares at you, the lusty haze of his gaze clearing as he processes what you’re asking. 

Feeling completely exposed, you try to rationalize, “I know, I know, we’ve only been doing this for, like, a month, and it’s kind of a terrible time to actually bring new life into the world, but if I’m gonna do it with anyone—”

Mike fists both hands in the hair at the back of your head, pulls you to him to smash your lips together. When he starts bouncing you again, your muffled moan is still loud in the small living room, and Mike’s voice comes out somewhere between desperate and destroyed when he tells you, “Yeah, I want kids. Want you to have my kids.”

“Okay,” you breathe, matching his rhythm, then again, “Okay.”

A switch seems to flip in Mike’s head. You watch and experience him devolve into someone—something—primal. He fucks you like he never has before, long hair hanging in his face, lip caught between his teeth as he groans around it, pistoning into you quick and rough.

“You want it?” He growls, pausing to suck a mark at the swell of your breast. “You want me to come in this pussy?”

Your heart stutters, jaw dropping slightly because Mike isn’t a vulgar man, never has been, but now, the way he’s looking up at you with wild eyes, you know all he needs is the right push, and he’ll lose it completely. 

“Yeah, fuck, want you to fill me up, please,” you whine.

Your world tilts as he tosses you long ways on the couch, sliding back into you with ease and demanding, “Touch yourself.”

You grin slyly, “What, don’t have the focus?”

“Not really,” he admits, flicking sweaty hair from his eyes. 

Two of your fingers find your clit, massaging it the way you always do when you’re desperate for an orgasm. It makes you clamp tighter around Mike, and you tell him again—beg for him— “Please, baby, want you so bad.”

He comes quicker than usual, shooting line after line deep inside of you until it starts dripping out around his cock. 

He can’t stay inside you for long, unable to take the way you keep clenching and twitching from your own ministrations, so Mike pulls out and shimmies down your body so that his face is just above your cunt. At first, he just stares (like always), admiring your swollen folds and how messy you are, but soon he pushes a finger into you, attaching his mouth to your clit shortly after.

It doesn’t take you long. The thought of him fingerfucking his cum further into you paired with the actual sensation of it sends you over the edge within a few minutes, and the two of you are left sweaty and panting, too drunk off each other to really think about the gravity of what you’ve just done but enjoying it all the same. 

The feeling eventually returns to your legs, some of the fog in your brain dissipating as you run your hand through Mike’s hair, and when you find that you can, you voice, “Can we even handle a kid? Or like… Can a kid handle the world as it is?”

“Kids are weirdly resilient,” Mike speaks, face pressed against your stomach so that you can feel the vibrations. “And, maybe there’ll eventually be a race of super babies or something—have enhanced lungs to deal with ash. Darkvision and shit.”

You snort and shake your head. “Dummy.”

He retaliates by blowing a raspberry just above your belly-button, grins lopsidedly when you squeal. 

“But really, our kids’ll be fine. Volcanologist for a mom and an Eagle Scout for a dad? Doesn’t get much better than that.”

“Oh my god, you were actually in Boy Scouts? Does Levi know?”

Mike makes a little ‘pft’ sound and shoots you an unimpressed look. “Of course not. Like, I’d ever let that tiny, tiny man be right about anything.”

Your laugh is so deep and genuine, it makes your whole body shake. Mike raises his head to keep it from bouncing so much, but you can feel him staring for the duration of your giggle fit. Even through squinted, teary eyes, you can see his gaze is full of adoration, and you figure having two parents who love each other as much as the two of you do will at least make the hard life ahead of you a little easier for a child. 

4  Y E A R S  A F T E R

Heavy snow falls outside, adding to the thick layers on the ground and clouding the window you’re staring out of. The carrier is nicely heated, ensuring you and its other two occupants stay toasty as you keep eye out for incoming headlights. 

“Think that’s them,” Mike says, and you swivel to look out his driver’s side window to see two dull beams of light growing brighter and brighter. 

“Don’t know who else it would be,” you joke. “No one else is dumb enough to come back to this place.”

The only sign of your husband raising his eyebrows is the way his hat shifts slightly. “You’re right about that.”

Cinching fur-lined hoods tighter, you both slide out of the tram, boots crunching on ice and snow when you land on the ground. Mike circles to your side, opens the back door, then unbuckles and collects what looks to be a bundle of jackets in his arms. Two light eyes peer out between a beanie and a face mask, gloved hands reaching out and grabbing for you. 

“You want Mama?” Mike coos before passing your son to you.

You settle him on your hip, rub his shielded nose with yours, hoping your body heat will help keep him warm out here.

It’s been winter for… Years, now, the ash from the eruption having behaved exactly as you thought it would, blocking out the sun, and sending the planet hurtling into another ice age. It was something not everyone was prepared for—the intense cold, the food and water shortage, the isolation, but you were lucky. You had everything you needed.

The other snow vehicle stops a ways off, lights left on as two figures jump out, recognizable even when completely covered up. One is nearly as tall as Mike, the other considerably smaller even up close. 

Pulling his mask down, Erwin shows a brilliant smile as he stops in front of you and Mike, and Levi immediately protests— “Oi, cover your mouth, old man! You need it for more than just talking shit.”

Mike laughs, but still reprimands the other man with a pointed, “Levi,” and a nod toward the little boy you’re holding. 

“Fuck—I mean…” Levi takes in a deep breath then apologizes over the whistling wind and falling snow, “Sorry, Huck.”

Bouncing him on your hip, you peer at your son and prompt, “Huckleberry, you remember Levi and Erwin from the computer?” 

Though your team has seen him many times on Zoom and FaceTime, this is first time Huck is meeting any of them in the flesh.

Your son looks between them for a while, quiet as he sizes up both of the men, then he reaches out for Levi the same way he had for you just moments before. Levi makes a dissatisfied noise but still takes him from you, and once Huck is passed off, you shuffle to Erwin and wrap your arms around him, breathing into his chest and warming your face. 

Your boss squeezes you tightly, mutters a low, “I know, I missed you too.”

It isn’t enough to drown out Levi’s sing-song baby voice, and both you and Erwin glance over to find him with his forehead pressed to Huck’s as he teases, “Can’t believe your parents named you after a volcanic eruption. That was pretty dumb, right?”

Mike glides over, places one hand on Huck’s head and the other on Levi’s, then sighs. “Please don’t criticize my wife’s terrible taste in nam—”

“Hey! You agreed to it,” you shout, taking the little boy back from Levi and glaring at both the smiling men. “Better shut up before you give him a complex. He can understand things, you know. He’s three.”

“Huckleberry Pine Zacharias,” Levi scoffs. “I cannot stand you guys.”

“I think it’s a great name,” Erwin interjects, lightly tapping Huck’s nose under his mask. 

“Well, you have shit taste, too.”

“Obviously, if I married a little gremlin like you,” Erwin drawls easily, leaning into the punch that Levi throws into his arm.

“Anyway, we’re here for a reason, right? Other than freezing our asses off?”

“Yeah,” Mike nods, kicking at the snow on the ground like it’ll make a difference. 

All of you know that buried beneath all the white is dried pyroclast, but under that… 

Is what remains of Yellowstone.

“How do we even go about rebuilding?” Mike is the first to ask.

Erwin stares at his own feet, face scrunched up in thought for a while before looking back up and stating, “From the bottom. Everything starts with a good foundation.”

Levi just scoffs, but you and Mike lock eyes and share a hidden grin. 

You take Huck back from Levi, leaning in for a side hug as you do, then suggest to everyone, “Well, then, now that we’ve seen a little of what we’re working with, we should head back to the shelter and start making a plan.”

“Yeah,” Levi agrees. “Gotta start getting ready for the next eruption due in seven hundred thousand years, right?”

“Right.”

After splitting back up into the two separate carriers, Mike follows closely behind the other in order to make it to their newly built bunker without getting lost. It’s perpetually dark from the never ending snow and cloud coverage, hazardous even with the vehicle’s tracks, but you can’t find it in yourself to be scared. Not now, not when life finally feels to be returning to something close to normal. 

[maraudersftw]

Re: the prompts

Sweet, pink & satisfaction for jily please ♥️😊

Hi, anon! Thanks for this adorable prompt. Hope you enjoy this!

Treacle Tart

She’s a goddamned idiot.

A pathetic, dessert-hogging, goddamned idiot.

Lily sighs, staring down at the single slice of treacle tart that remains on the paper napkin in her hand, surrounded by evidence of crumbs that betray the fact that she’s devoured the rest. Licking her lips, she redirects her gaze onto the lone figure zipping across the sky, around the Quidditch posts.

Even from the dark distance, the diligence of his movements, the fluidity of his flying, sends something pleasant humming inside her veins, in her stomach.

If only he weren’t hell-bent on torturing her.

She’d gone down to the Great Hall for dinner with Mary earlier in the evening, only to find out that James had decided to forgo a meal in exchange for a fly around the pitch. This didn’t phase her at first, given that it was a ritual he practised every week before a match, and the upcoming one—between Gryffindor and Slytherin—was certainly a big one.

But she’d just finished her plate and reached for the dessert when the idiocy kicked in. “We have treacle tart today?”

“Brilliant, isn’t it?” Sirius had grinned, dripping golden syrup as he bit into his slice.

Lily had looked around at the Marauders with a frown. “Well, yeah, but—it’s James’s favourite.”

“Oh.” Remus had set down his glass of pumpkin juice, face blank but eyes dancing with amusement. “Didn’t know you still hated him so much, Lily. You can still eat food that’s James’s favourite, y’know. We won’t tell him.”

“Shut up,” she’d groaned, ignoring the laughter that had tittered around. “I only mean that he’s been craving it for ages. And now that the house-elves have finally made them, it’d be a pity for him to miss out.”

“Aw, it’s sickening how much you care about Potter,” Mary had cooed from her left, earning a glare.

“I’m only saying.”

“Well, I’m sure Prongs would appreciate it very much if you took some out for him to the pitch, Evans,” Sirius had suggested, grin rampant on his face. “He might even give you a snog in exchange.”

Before she could’ve brought her flaming face under control, Peter had piped in. “But can’t we just get some from the kitchen later?”

“No, Pete, we can’t,” Sirius had barked. “Because I’m gonna eat everything that’s here, and then there’ll be nothing left for Prongs.”

And then, as if to prove the truth behind the threat, he’d reached out and starting piling everything onto his plate. Immediate chaos had erupted around the table as multiple hands struggled to stop him, rushing to grab the dessert at a pace faster than the food was able to replenish.

Lily, amongst the shouts of madness, had managed to wrangle a few pieces for James, and hightailed it out of the hall. And even though it’d been evident that Sirius had staged the entire thing to get her to do just that, somehow, none of it’d mattered as she headed out to the Quidditch pitch, thrill lodged in her throat.

That had been over an hour ago.

Now, as she sits, waiting for James to finish his practice, or at least notice her—which he hasn’t done due to that laser-focus attention of his—she wonders if she’s not making a complete fool of herself. Over the last few weeks, she’s been entirely unsubtle in her flirting with him, and James, never one to take anything sitting down, has given back as well as he’s gotten.

And yet, they’ve remained at that stalemate; never really moving forward; never really doing anything.

As the days wear on, Lily’s quickly starting to think that James presents her with his charming banter because he’s just that—charming, no matter who the recipient of said charm may be.

But when she shows up with bloody treacle tart for him, when he’s not even made a move in literal years, that makes her look…well, pathetic.

A sigh drops, and she moves to pinch off another bite—

“Oi, stop right there!”

Lily jolts, both at the voice and at the shadow that falls over her, leaving crumbs to rain over her lap.

James is suddenly hovering in the air in front of the stands, hazel eyes narrowed on the food in her hands. He looks up. “Is that treacle tart?”

“No.”

“I don’t believe you,” he says, and then swiftly hops off from the broom, right next to her. “Give it here, then.”

Lily watches him, an eyebrow cocked. He’s sweating something atrocious, face pink from the wind, hair the wildest it can get. And yet, the bright hazel of his eyes, the barely suppressed smirk on his lips, and the satisfaction that plays openly on his face send her heart pounding.

“Fine,” she says, passes over the napkin with much drama. “But only because I’m very nice.”

“Oh, the nicest,” he agrees easily, eyelids fluttering shut on a moan with his first bite. Lily feels the sound in places sounds shouldn’t be felt in, especially not so pleasantly. “Seriously, Evans, you’re fucking perfect. Getting me treacle tart all the way out here? You must really love me.”

“Firstly, I didn’t get that for you,” she lies, cheeks instantly warm, pulse mad. “And secondly—did you just inhale the whole thing? There was only one left. You should’ve savoured it.”

“If only someone hadn’t eaten the rest.”

“What?” she scoffs. “What’re you talking about?”

But James doesn’t reply, simply stares at her with a look that positively strips off her skin with its intensity. And then he’s stepping closer, a grin crawling over his face. “You really wanna know?”

“Um.”

He nods, as if she’s given an actual answer, and leans down, his mouth a slow drag at the corner of her lips. Lily freezes, eyes wide, completely unmoving, even when she feels him flick his tongue there, even when an unrestrained whimper escapes her at the warm wetness.

“Sweet,” he whispers, pulling back, voice strangely husky. Her lips have parted now, heart in her throat. And then she spots it: a strange nervousness in James’s glance despite the outward confidence of his words. “You had some leftover there. Thought I’d help out. Couldn’t let any go to waste, could I?”

Lily blinks, steps forward, and promptly grabs the front of his robes, dragging him back to her. “Better be thorough,” she gets out, before fitting her mouth against his.

Treacle tart has never tasted better.

[amethystpath-writes]

A Cage of Moonlight and Magic:

You guys asked for a collab so here’s collab number one, with the one and only @nightfrostshadow ! We had a blast writing this and bouncing ideas off one another, so sit back and enjoy :)

******

“Listen to me carefully,” Supervillain held Villain’s chin, slid his hand so casually near his circus pet’s neck- his throat. “Those water and ice crystals are not yours at all. They are mine, you hear me? They are the audience’s. You exist only to provide entertainment, to provide glory. But you are neither of these things without your powers.” He stepped back, peering at his subject with a glimmer in his eyes.

“I’ll kill you,” Villain promised. “Someday when you least expect it, I will do it.” He’d said this before, many times- with many bouts of frustration, confidence, and determination.

Supervillain laughed. “With water?”

“Haven’t you ever heard of being swept away by a current?” For once, Villain allowed a smile to curve upon his lips.  Something wicked enraptured his thoughts- more than just murder; it was torture. “When the water is so fast, so strong, that your head never breaks surface ever again. You drown.”

The hand near Villain’s throat faltered, but ultimately tightened. “Don’t forget who you are speaking to.” And that was the end of that.

***

“I think it’s fun,” Hero said, “when the little kids’ faces curve into shining smiles. And the adults, too. I wonder how many grandparents have made our show their last one. What an honour, isn’t it, Villain? That we may be the last magic someone sees?”

Villain who had been gloomily forming a little water tornado in his palm looked up at Hero. “Absolutely not,” he scoffed, and the swirling water fell to the ground.

“Does it not bother you that we are nothing but tools to Supervillain?” Villain asked. “Meant to forever use our powers in such a pathetic way, to entertain people? Would you not rather be the one in power of your own life? To live free…free to do whatever we want with our powers instead of what Supervillain wants!” What a magnificent fantasy Villain let reel in his mind.

He shifted his body, knees dragging in the dirt- in his bed. “I’m reduced to having to put up waterwork shows. Waterworks can you believe it? Out of all the things I can do?”

A spritz of water in Hero’s direction. “And you.” He waited for Hero to meet his eyes. “With your stars and fireworks…you could do so much more. We could do so much more, Hero. Yet here we are, the famous opening act for Supervillain.”

Hero pondered over this as she thoughtfully looked down at her own hands, making little stars and sparkles erupt from her fingers, thus illuminating the surroundings. Such a great contrast to the darkening sky, she thought before answering Villain. “We bring light to the people watching, you know?” Literally, in Hero’s case.

“You could bring heat to them as well.” Villain was watching the little sparks in his co-worker’s hands as she’d spoken. Darkly, he thought, She could set the world ablaze if she wished. “Don’t you understand that we are animals to them? They think we are tamed.” He expected a response- anything besides Hero’s plain face. “That fact doesn’t bother you at all?” Villain’s voice pitched, incredulous.

Hero smiled slightly as she sent out a shower of sparkles raining down on them with a flick of her fingers and met Villain’s eyes as she spoke “I try not to think about it, you know? I just think of the good in every situation. It helps me be happy and peaceful. Besides, we’ve been here long enough; it’s not like we can leave so I just find the wonder in everything we do…it warms my heart to see the joy in people’s eyes as they watch us perform. You should try it, too, Villain.” She looked at him earnestly.

Villain stared at her in disbelief as he smiled bitterly,” There is nothing that can warm my heart here. Looking at the joy in peoples’ eyes as they don’t even care about us? Looking at them angers me even more. All they care about is watching the magic show in front of them. What has there been for us to celebrate in these past years?” Villain took a deep breath. “Nothing. I haven’t felt happiness in ages, Hero…and my heart?” He formed ice at the tips of his fingers as if to demonstrate- “It’s frozen.”

He sighed as he laid down on his bed- if you could even call it that. Once again he longed for the blanket he desperately needed, yet was never given on the cold winter nights.

***

“Up and at them, monsters.” Supervillain casted his light throughout the tent room, illuminating every square inch, every shadow hiding in every nook and cranny. He seemed to ignore his own monstrous ability.

Perhaps moonlight wasn’t such a devious subject to some, but to the magis, it was the cruellest of all magics- a searing light close to a large pane of lasers. The light hurt. And Supervillain was fond of using it every day, using it to wake his subjects up, to force them into the confines of a life hardly worth living. A circus like what they performed was better than the pain, but the pain was inescapable.

“We have a big show tonight. Some very esteemed guests will be making an appearance. You will all be expected to put on your best performance.”

As eyes creeped open, and quiet gasps and shouts of pain sounded around the dirt room, Supervillain’s lips curved into a bow. He did love the sounds and movements they made under his power- something incapable of being shown to an audience, per say, but something most definitely to be used behind closed curtains. He was thankful there was no expected sizzle to come from the burning skin of his subjects. The audience might hear that, and then what would his show be?

Villain rolled over onto his stomach, pushing himself up onto his knees and collapsing in on himself to form a ball. The moonlight burned, as usual, but it was worse on this late night. He felt the light in all places, even those not accessible- hence the tight position he held himself in, a form of self-defence. Moonlight poured between his lips, filling his mouth in a pain that could only be expressed through blood-curdling screams.

Knowing Supervillain and his antics, Villain had the sense to guard the sounds he made in a self-made bubble. Should anyone outside this room hear his screams, they would become concerned; they might try to break into the performers’ room. Supervillain would do worse than let the moonlight flow inside Villain’s body, then.

“It feels like drowning, doesn’t it?” Supervillain asked, so suddenly knelt on the ground beside Villain’s bubble of muteness. “Do you regret your words from yesterday yet? Will you behave today?”

As experimental as Villain was with his powers, he never once tried to purposefully experience the feeling of drowning. Right now, though, he could imagine this burning inside his body must be what it felt like to breathe in water. He didn’t have gills despite many people’s beliefs. He knew the feeling of water shooting up one’s nose, of coughing and gagging on it with the ever-present idea of never breathing again. Water was scary, even he would admit.

It was in this moment that his bubble fell. Villain swallowed his screams, clenching every muscle in his body to prevent the sounds of continued pain. “I’m sorry,” he managed to say, if only to stop Supervillain’s act of revenge. “Won’t- won’t threaten you again.” But, of course, he would. The fight, the defiance, was in his blood.

Esteemed guests, he said? Villain focused on his thoughts as the moonlight slowly escaped his body. I’ll be sure to give them a show, then.

***

It hadn’t taken long for Hero’s eyes to widen with surprise as she’d watched Supervillain slowly stride on over to Villain with a look of admiration in his eyes. Meanwhile, Villain had been writhing in what was undoubtedly pain. She could just barely hear his agonized screams through the water he trapped himself in. It was as if she had been listening to him beneath the water surface of a pool- goodness she missed those. Her jaw, which had apparently been opened, snapped shut in a desperate moment to withhold an empathetic cry.

Hero thought back on the conversation she shared with Villain earlier that morning- about how horrible this life was.

Yes. Yes, she could agree that certain aspects of it weren’t preferable, but…well, Villain did this to himself, didn’t he? He pushed and prodded- he poked the bear if you would. Albeit horrible, Villain’s treatment was somewhat deserved.

This didn’t mean that Hero didn’t find the treatment absolutely gut-wrenching. Sometimes she had nightmares about the same pain coursing throughout her own body. Fortunately, they were dreams and she only knew the pain existed within them because of her unconscious hollers.

Either way, Hero knew she could never exist in that amount of pain. She might very well pass out, and then what use would she be to the show? What use would she be to herself? Those bright, smiling faces in the audiences warmed her in a way her powers never could. They kept her going. They kept her alive.

So, she would withstand those slight waves of pain every day. She would endure because any alternative was too frightening, too dooming.

“Five minutes!” Supervillain announced, and with that, he stepped out, flaps of the tent room snapping shut behind him.

Not wasting a moment, Hero crawled over to Villain, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. “You’re okay?”

His response was a glare. He shrugged her off. “Get ready,” he said simply. “We have a great show tonight and little time to prepare.”

What Hero didn’t see was the vengeance pooling in Villain’s stomach, much like the moonlight Supervillain had placed there just a minute ago.

***

Villain smirked as he stood in position with Hero, ready to open the show, waiting for the curtains to rise. In three, two…

The curtain rose and as the audience stared, no doubt waiting, excited to see what the show had in store for them, the cue was given and Hero prepared to do her part, hands twirling with both anticipation and preparation.

Watching Villain, she faltered, one hand clumsily colliding with the other…all because she noticed something unordinary. Villain was not performing with her, and he had a look in his eyes, a- a gleam which Hero had never seen before. This can’t be good. Not only did Villain have such a mischievous glimmer, but he had not moved from his initial position.

With eyes now closed, Villain summoned all the water he could. Opening them once again, he sent his arms forward- a fast motion which released wave upon wave, crashing into the audience.

He laughed darkly as he sprinkled a whirlpool here, a current there, and a water tornado- which served as an escape, a path of destruction that cleared the way of all the chairs, as well as the audience members themselves.

Just as Hero had faltered before, Villain did in that very moment- a familiar pain blossoming in his body. He gritted his teeth.

Supervillain had begun fighting him more quickly than expected. Clearly, the waves that had engulfed him, therefore knocking him over, and the shards of ice Villain had aimed towards his chest, hadn’t been enough.

But he couldn’t stop clearing the path- the only path that could ensure him life- ensure him freedom. His motivation to succeed tonight enraptured his every move…because if he failed…well…he didn’t want to think of the consequences.

The adrenaline which Villain possessed now helped him more easily bear the once excruciating pain. Now, it was only a dull throb, a throb that allowed Villain to continue concentrating on clearing the path of obstacles, for anyone in his way would regret it.

Villain’s body ached, having never spent so much energy on his powers. Especially not at the same time as Supervillain using his own powers so strongly against him.

Struggling to hold on as he started to feel the pain sharper than ever, Villain focused on the path- his salvation- ahead. Supervillain was no match for the determination manifesting in Villain’s veins.

***

Hero was lost in the literal sea of madness. A part of her was grateful to only feel the sprinkle of swirling water around her, yet another quaked at the sight before her- of the people she so graciously served being tossed like ragdolls.

What was worse: the sight of Villain captured in his cage of moonlight, or seeing the audience so helplessly being…being drowned? For once, she decided on the latter. Hero never imagined a day would pass that Supervillain’s power wasn’t the most terrifying thing in existence. Seeing what Villain did now, though? It was horrible- excruciating.

On another hand…Hero understood. Villain endured so much pain, so often, who else wouldn’t lose their mind- wouldn’t wreak havoc if it meant being free of the torture? Clearly, this life wasn’t meant for him. And he was stubborn enough that fighting for such freedom was all he’d ever know.

Seeing as Supervillain was just as strong-willed, he’d never stop torturing- never stop trying to break Villain. Making an escape was Villain’s greatest hope.

Who was Hero to try and stop him?

******

*insert cliffhanger* Mwahaha 😈

Part two here

[damnlance]

Number 3 for the klnace prompts please 🥺

Klangst Prompt #3:

“Can you please just.. hold me..?”

Summary: Lance has been having a hard time accepting his altean marks. Luckily, Keith arrives and is there to help him.

-

It’s been two years. two whole years since the war ended and the paladins made it back home to earth. two whole years since their lions took off in the middle of the night and never came back. and two whole years since Allura..

Since Allura died sacrificed herself to save the universe.

It would be an understatement to say that everyone came back home fine, because that was not the case. Coming back home meant bringing along nightmares that kept you up all night, unwanted, out-of-the-blue flashbacks in the middle of the day, jumping out of your skin at any sound louder than a whisper, and much more. So, so much more.

For Lance, coming back home meant he could be with his family again, but leaving Allura behind was never part of the plan.

And Lance is reminded of her every single time he looks into the mirror.

It’s a blessing and a curse. A blessing because at least he has a little part of her that he can see and touch and feel. But a curse because the part of her that he can see and touch and feel.. isn’t her.

He’s gotten used to his Altean markings since Allura gave them to him but even after two years, it’s still hard. Sometimes he goes an entire day without noticing them, forgetting they’re even there on his cheeks. But one tiny hint of emotion and boom.

They’re glowing.

Most of the time it's just a dim glow, a grayish light blue that’s only visible from his peripheral view. But on certain occasions, when he’s really up in his head and he can’t come down, they’re bright. They’re bright and buzzing and loud and blinding right there on his face for the entire world to see.

It’s rare, though.

And in the few times that it's happened, Lance always has the same feeling deep down in the trenches of his gut, with the same question burning in the back of his mind.

“Why me?”

For the longest time after the war, he shut everyone out. He hated being the center of attention, hated having all eyes on him, everyone looking at him like he was some fragile vase and if you said one thing that might trigger him, he’d break into a thousand pieces. He especially hated when his friends and family stopped looking him in the eyes when they spoke to him, their eyes glued to his markings which had them apologizing right after when he caught them, pushing him to continue with whatever he was saying.

It was too much..

He stopped going out in public or where there were people, and eventually locked himself in his room at all times. But he knew that that was a bad thing to do. Because it was just him all alone. Him and his markings. And that always made the thoughts in his mind and the feelings in the gut of his stomach come back to the surface of his health and spin him completely out of control.

Lance felt like he was on autopilot. He tried everything to cover his markings; hats, sunglasses, makeup, even stickers from his niece and nephew’s sticker books. It still did nothing to hide the fact that they were actually there.

And when times got drastic, he tried to take them off of his face. Literally.

When his family began to notice his distant behavior, they didn’t question it or push him to talk. They could never know what he went through in space, or how deeply he cared for Allura. But one family member in particular was really worried.

Veronica. She could read him like the back of her hand and when the other members of his family were too scared to confront the former Paladin, not knowing how he would react, Veronica stepped up to the plate.

She tried her best to be subtle and at first it worked. Her checking on him by helping him around the farm instead of being at work on the Atlas, tending to his every need when he asked, even guilt tripping him to going out to the store only to conveniently run into Hunk or Pidge or Shiro. And Lance knew all her little games of course, he just.. didn’t care.

So Veronica decided to call a distant friend.

That distant friend being the one person who knows Lance almost as well as she does.

The one and only Keith Kogane.

She called him in confidence and they talked a couple of times here and there. About the universe, his job with The Blade, and importantly, about Lance and his well-being. And it’s not like Veronica didn’t try to contact any of Lance’s other friends like Hunk, Pidge, or Shiro. She did. And he found out when they took him out for bowling and laser tag and he overheard them talking about it.

Yeah, let’s just say his marks were really glowing that night he confronted her about meddling in his life again.

But Keith was different. He was special. Veronica knew how strongly Lance felt about him and after a couple of different attempts to get Lance out of his room, or to talk about what was going on, she had no choice but to bring in the big guns.

Aka Keith.

It wasn’t easy, begging asking Keith to fly back to earth and take some time away from working with The Blade to comfort his sad friend who he hasn’t seen or talked to in months. But who else could get inside of Lance’s head like Keith?

So they made a plan. Keith would arrive back on Earth in two weeks on the Saturday before the McClain family dinner they have every Sunday night. And to make sure things wouldn't be too weird or staged, Veronica would also invite Hunk, Shiro and Curtis, and Pidge and Matt as well. It would be great for everyone to be together again anyway.

Saturday Evening.

The day was winding down to something calm and peaceful. Lance decided to get up and spend his day tending to the farm. He cleaned out the barn, fed the chickens, gathered some eggs, milked Kaltenecker and even gave her a nice bath. His family was gone, out for the day running errands, and the quiet wasn’t too loud or suffocating for once. It was surprisingly nice. After the chores were finished, Lance plucked some fresh juniberry flowers for the vase in his room and headed back up the hill to his home.

What he was expecting to see is maybe his family’s truck parked over by the big oak tree just outside his house.

But what he got instead, was a cruiser.

A galra cruiser.

And leaning against said galra cruiser with his arms crossed and a warm smile on his face is the one and only Keith Kogane.

Lance stops breathing as he stares at his old friend. He can’t believe Keith is even here right now, standing 50 feet away. Is this some kind of trick of the sunset? Lance rubs his eyes. Nope. It’s real. A small smile graces Lance’s lips as he takes a deep breath and makes his way over.

As he gets closer, Keith pushes himself off of the cruiser to meet Lance halfway. “Hey there, sharpshooter,” are the first words out of his mouth, his deep voice sending a chill down Lance’s spine.

“K-Keith,” Lance sputters, confusion and excitement pouring through his voice. They’re bodies meet together in a big, warm hug that has the hairs on Lance’s arms standing on end. Keith hugs him like he hasn’t seen him in a long time. And he hasn't. It’s been six and a half months since they last saw each other, or even spoke. Things with The Blade have been so busy that Keith rarely gets a chance to stop by to say hello or even stay a few nights. Of course, communication works both ways and Lance has spoken to him. He’s written Keith a letter for every other day. Yep. They’re all underneath his pillow in his room, ready to be opened and read by Keith eyes. That’s besides the point, he just can’t believe that Keith is HERE!

Lance pulls away, confusion still plastered on his face. Keith pats his shoulder and smiles that genuine, beautiful, once in a full moon smile that has Lance’s heart hammering inside his chest.

“Surprised?” Keith asks, folding his arms over his chest.

Lance reaches out and punches the half galran in his left pec, sending him stumbling back a bit. “Hell yeah I am, dude! W-what are you doing here!?”

“What,” Keith’s smile doesn’t falter as he shrugs. “Can’t a guy come back to earth to see his friends once in a while?”

Lance scoffs. “Uh, once in a while would be like every other week, not six and a half months!”

Keith’s eyes widen. “Shit, has it been that long??”

“Yeah, man.” Lance nods, rubbing the back of his neck. “I mean, I would know.. been subconsciously counting down the days or.. w-whatever..” A light blush decorates his cheeks and ears as Keith continues to stare at him. Then, he smiles again and weakly punches Lance’s arm. Lance takes a good look at him; tall, muscular, visible stubble decorating his chin and upper lip, dark hair pulled back into a messy ponytail that reaches his shoulder blades. He looks.. good.

“Why don’t we catch up then?” Keith asks with a softness in his voice that has Lance’s already hammering heart going haywire.

“S-sure thing.” Lance can barely meet Keith’s violet eyes as they begin their ascend up the hill to Lance’s home.

They talk on the porch swing until the sun goes down and the bright stars in the sky come up. Keith tells Lance all about how he and The Blade are doing amazing at fulfilling their mission as a humanitarian relief organization and all the planets they’ve helped. Lance listens thoroughly as Keith goes on and on, something about the way Keith’s eyes shine as he talks about his adventures up in space with his mother and Kolivan. It’s almost enough to lull Lance to sleep but he wouldn’t dare miss a second of Keith’s stories. After a while, Lance offers Keith some sandwiches and a few beers, to which he happily accepts, and they eat together in a nice comfortable silence.

“So,” Keith says after a small sip of his beer, “Enough about me. What’s been going on with you?”

Lance picks at his half eaten sandwich and shrugs. “Nothing as amazing as what you’re doing, that’s for sure.”

“Ah, come on,” Keith nudges him gently, “Tell me all about what’s been going on around here? The juniberry’s are looking nice.” He gestures to the open field and Lance exhales a small chuckle.

“Thanks.. I mean, I’ve been.. a-alright..”

Keith studies his face with a slight frown but doesn’t move to say anything as he senses Lance isn’t finished.

“But..” Lance lets out a sigh and rubs the back of his neck. A cool night breeze runs through his hair and he shivers a bit before turning his body to Keith.

“Yeah?” Keith answers, mirroring Lance’s body language.

“It’s been..” Lance stares at his sandwich, “Hard. Still.. like everywhere I look, I expect her to be there but.. she isn’t.. and I feel so..”

Keith watches as Lance sits there, looking down at his hands. He clenches them into fists and then..

He laughs.

A shaky, breathy laugh that has Keith confused as to what is funny.

Lance sniffs and then looks up to meet Keith’s eyes, shaking his head.

“I’m good, man.” He says instead. But the wavering in his voice says otherwise. Keith bites his bottom lip and tries to think of a way to say what he wants without it coming out as something that could push Lance away. Then he remembers all of the stuff Veronica told him about Lance’s health and mental state. Keith does a once over to really look at Lance this time, under the dim porch light. He looks like how Veronica says he might be feeling. Sad. Tired. Lonely. Although he does look good, the chores and things needed to be done around the farm toning up his physique, Keith finally sees the wear and tear the after effects of war has put him through. And it’s not much different than how Keith looks. Or Shiro. Or Hunk or Pidge and even Matt and Coran.

Keith ponders this for a while and then lets out a small breath. “Lance?” He says, voice soft and full of compassion.

Lance looks up and meets him, his hard gaze searching for something in Keith’s irises. Keith smiles shyly and reaches out to grab a hold of Lance’s slender hands. Lance looks down at their hands, studying their similarities and their differences. Keith’s got giant hands that are paler in comparison, but just as callous as Lance’s. They bring him a weird sense of comfort and as he looks up to meet Keith’s eyes once more, tears fill his own.

Panic rises in Keith’s features and he holds Lance’s hands tighter. “Hey, hey,” he says, “W-What's wrong??”

“Nothing, nothing,” Lance shakes his head, exhaling another laugh. “It’s just..” He sniffs, trying his hardest to blink away his tears. “You.”

“Me??” Keith shakes his head. “What did I-”

“You being here,” Lance cuts him off, looking up to stare into Keith’s eyes. “I’m really happy.. happiest I’ve been in a while.. I know that things got super busy and we have our own lives now, but I’m sorry that we kinda.. fell off. I’ve missed you. I do.. miss you.”

Keith’s pulse jumps as his ears eat Lance’s words, syllable by syllable. Those watery blue eyes are boring into Keith so hard, Keith feels like he could sink into them and would be totally okay with it. So he reaches forward and cups Lance’s cheek, moving closer to his face. He presses his forehead to Lance’s and very quietly breathes-

“I’ve missed you too, Lance,” He smiles, “So much. I think of you everyday and the one thing that keeps me going is you.”

“What, little ole’ me?” Lance says in a horrible southern accent that has the both of them giggling. Keith nods and rubs his thumb over Lance’s Altean mark.

“All of you,” Keith whispers, leaning forward to place a small, chaste kiss to Lance’s mark. It has Lance blushing like crazy and his Altean markings glowing bright between them. His emotions get the better of him and he lets his tears fall down his cheeks as he nuzzles his forehead against Keith’s, swallowing a sob threatening to pour out of his throat.

“Can you please just.. hold me..?” Lance asks, watery eyes locked with Keith’s.

And Keith damn near melts. “Of course.” He answers as Lance moves closer to his opened arms. He lays his head on Keith’s shoulder, slotting it perfectly in the junction of where Keith’s shoulder and neck meet, and sighs blissfully.

“I’m so tired.” He whispers.

“Sleep, Lance,” Keith whispers back, kissing his head. “Sleep.”

Lance nods, closing his eyes. “Guess this means you’re staying for dinner tomorrow night?”

“Don’t forget breakfast and lunch, too,” Keith says, leaning over to place a chaste kiss on Lance's temple. “If you’ll have me.”

“I would love that.” And when Lance finally drifts off to a peaceful sleep, his eyes catch sight of the light that bounces off of his cheeks. It’ll take a while but for tonight, he doesn’t mind the bright, buzzing, tingling feeling of his Altean markings. Not anymore.

-END-

(send me a klangst prompt!)

[nightfrostshadow]

A Cage Of Moonlight And Magic

Ahhh guess what?! I collaborated with the wonderful @amethystpath-writes ! :D <3  It was so much fun to write this together ahaha it was a wonderful experience and especially the fact that the first collab I did was with you is amazing ! My first friend on Tumblr :’)  :D <3

This has a continuation - Part 2

***

“Listen to me carefully,” Supervillain held Villain’s chin, slid his hand so casually near his circus pet’s neck- his throat. “Those water and ice crystals are not yours at all. They are mine, you hear me? They are the audience’s. You exist only to provide entertainment, to provide glory. But you are neither of these things without your powers.” He stepped back, peering at his subject with a glimmer in his eyes.

“I’ll kill you,” Villain promised. “Someday when you least expect it, I will do it.” He’d said this before, many times- with many bouts of frustration, confidence, and determination.

Supervillain laughed. “With water?”

“Haven’t you ever heard of being swept away by a current?” For once, Villain allowed a smile to curve upon his lips.  Something wicked enraptured his thoughts- more than just murder; it was torture. “When the water is so fast, so strong, that your head never breaks surface ever again. You drown.”

The hand near Villain’s throat faltered, but ultimately tightened. “Don’t forget who you are speaking to.” And that was the end of that.

***

“I think it’s fun,” Hero said, “when the little kids’ faces curve into shining smiles. And the adults, too. I wonder how many grandparents have made our show their last one. What an honour, isn’t it, Villain? That we may be the last magic someone sees?”

Villain who had been gloomily forming a little water tornado in his palm looked up at Hero. “Absolutely not,” he scoffed, and the swirling water fell to the ground.

“Does it not bother you that we are nothing but tools to Supervillain?” Villain asked. “Meant to forever use our powers in such a pathetic way, to entertain people? Would you not rather be the one in power of your own life? To live free…free to do whatever we want with our powers instead of what Supervillain wants!” What a magnificent fantasy Villain let reel in his mind.

He shifted his body, knees dragging in the dirt- in his bed. “I’m reduced to having to put up waterwork shows. Waterworks can you believe it? Out of all the things I can do?”

A spritz of water in Hero’s direction. “And you.” He waited for Hero to meet his eyes. “With your stars and fireworks…you could do so much more. We could do so much more, Hero. Yet here we are, the famous opening act for Supervillain.”

Hero pondered over this as she thoughtfully looked down at her own hands, making little stars and sparkles erupt from her fingers, thus illuminating the surroundings. Such a great contrast to the darkening sky, she thought before answering Villain. “We bring light to the people watching, you know?” Literally, in Hero’s case.

“You could bring heat to them as well.” Villain was watching the little sparks in his co-worker’s hands as she’d spoken. Darkly, he thought, She could set the world ablaze if she wished. “Don’t you understand that we are animals to them? They think we are tamed.” He expected a response- anything besides Hero’s plain face. “That fact doesn’t bother you at all?” Villain’s voice pitched, incredulous.

Hero smiled slightly as she sent out a shower of sparkles raining down on them with a flick of her fingers and met Villain’s eyes as she spoke “I try not to think about it, you know? I just think of the good in every situation. It helps me be happy and peaceful. Besides, we’ve been here long enough; it’s not like we can leave so I just find the wonder in everything we do…it warms my heart to see the joy in people’s eyes as they watch us perform. You should try it, too, Villain.” She looked at him earnestly.

Villain stared at her in disbelief as he smiled bitterly,” There is nothing that can warm my heart here. Looking at the joy in peoples’ eyes as they don’t even care about us? Looking at them angers me even more. All they care about is watching the magic show in front of them. What has there been for us to celebrate in these past years?” Villain took a deep breath. “Nothing. I haven’t felt happiness in ages, Hero…and my heart?” He formed ice at the tips of his fingers as if to demonstrate- “It’s frozen.”

He sighed as he laid down on his bed- if you could even call it that. Once again he longed for the blanket he desperately needed, yet was never given on the cold winter nights.

***

“Up and at them, monsters.” Supervillain casted his light throughout the tent room, illuminating every square inch, every shadow hiding in every nook and cranny. He seemed to ignore his own monstrous ability.

Perhaps moonlight wasn’t such a devious subject to some, but to the magis, it was the cruellest of all magics- a searing light close to a large pane of lasers. The light hurt. And Supervillain was fond of using it every day, using it to wake his subjects up, to force them into the confines of a life hardly worth living. A circus like what they performed was better than the pain, but the pain was inescapable.

“We have a big show tonight. Some very esteemed guests will be making an appearance. You will all be expected to put on your best performance.”

As eyes creeped open, and quiet gasps and shouts of pain sounded around the dirt room, Supervillain’s lips curved into a bow. He did love the sounds and movements they made under his power- something incapable of being shown to an audience, per say, but something most definitely to be used behind closed curtains. He was thankful there was no expected sizzle to come from the burning skin of his subjects. The audience might hear that, and then what would his show be?

Villain rolled over onto his stomach, pushing himself up onto his knees and collapsing in on himself to form a ball. The moonlight burned, as usual, but it was worse on this late night. He felt the light in all places, even those not accessible- hence the tight position he held himself in, a form of self-defence. Moonlight poured between his lips, filling his mouth in a pain that could only be expressed through blood-curdling screams.

Knowing Supervillain and his antics, Villain had the sense to guard the sounds he made in a self-made bubble. Should anyone outside this room hear his screams, they would become concerned; they might try to break into the performers’ room. Supervillain would do worse than let the moonlight flow inside Villain’s body, then.

“It feels like drowning, doesn’t it?” Supervillain asked, so suddenly knelt on the ground beside Villain’s bubble of muteness. “Do you regret your words from yesterday yet? Will you behave today?”

As experimental as Villain was with his powers, he never once tried to purposefully experience the feeling of drowning. Right now, though, he could imagine this burning inside his body must be what it felt like to breathe in water. He didn’t have gills despite many people’s beliefs. He knew the feeling of water shooting up one’s nose, of coughing and gagging on it with the ever-present idea of never breathing again. Water was scary, even he would admit.

It was in this moment that his bubble fell. Villain swallowed his screams, clenching every muscle in his body to prevent the sounds of continued pain. “I’m sorry,” he managed to say, if only to stop Supervillain’s act of revenge. “Won’t- won’t threaten you again.” But, of course, he would. The fight, the defiance, was in his blood.

Esteemed guests, he said? Villain focused on his thoughts as the moonlight slowly escaped his body. I’ll be sure to give them a show, then.

***

It hadn’t taken long for Hero’s eyes to widen with surprise as she’d watched Supervillain slowly stride on over to Villain with a look of admiration in his eyes. Meanwhile, Villain had been writhing in what was undoubtedly pain. She could just barely hear his agonized screams through the water he trapped himself in. It was as if she had been listening to him beneath the water surface of a pool- goodness she missed those. Her jaw, which had apparently been opened, snapped shut in a desperate moment to withhold an empathetic cry.

Hero thought back on the conversation she shared with Villain earlier that morning- about how horrible this life was.

Yes. Yes, she could agree that certain aspects of it weren’t preferable, but…well, Villain did this to himself, didn’t he? He pushed and prodded- he poked the bear if you would. Albeit horrible, Villain’s treatment was somewhat deserved.

This didn’t mean that Hero didn’t find the treatment absolutely gut-wrenching. Sometimes she had nightmares about the same pain coursing throughout her own body. Fortunately, they were dreams and she only knew the pain existed within them because of her unconscious hollers.

Either way, Hero knew she could never exist in that amount of pain. She might very well pass out, and then what use would she be to the show? What use would she be to herself? Those bright, smiling faces in the audiences warmed her in a way her powers never could. They kept her going. They kept her alive.

So, she would withstand those slight waves of pain every day. She would endure because any alternative was too frightening, too dooming.

“Five minutes!” Supervillain announced, and with that, he stepped out, flaps of the tent room snapping shut behind him.

Not wasting a moment, Hero crawled over to Villain, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. “You’re okay?”

His response was a glare. He shrugged her off. “Get ready,” he said simply. “We have a great show tonight and little time to prepare.”

What Hero didn’t see was the vengeance pooling in Villain’s stomach, much like the moonlight Supervillain had placed there just a minute ago.

***

Villain smirked as he stood in position with Hero, ready to open the show, waiting for the curtains to rise. In three, two…

The curtain rose and as the audience stared, no doubt waiting, excited to see what the show had in store for them, the cue was given and Hero prepared to do her part, hands twirling with both anticipation and preparation.

Watching Villain, she faltered, one hand clumsily colliding with the other…all because she noticed something unordinary. Villain was not performing with her, and he had a look in his eyes, a- a gleam which Hero had never seen before. This can’t be good. Not only did Villain have such a mischievous glimmer, but he had not moved from his initial position.

With eyes now closed, Villain summoned all the water he could. Opening them once again, he sent his arms forward- a fast motion which released wave upon wave, crashing into the audience.

He laughed darkly as he sprinkled a whirlpool here, a current there, and a water tornado- which served as an escape, a path of destruction that cleared the way of all the chairs, as well as the audience members themselves.

Just as Hero had faltered before, Villain did in that very moment- a familiar pain blossoming in his body. He gritted his teeth.

Supervillain had begun fighting him more quickly than expected. Clearly, the waves that had engulfed him, therefore knocking him over, and the shards of ice Villain had aimed towards his chest, hadn’t been enough.

But he couldn’t stop clearing the path- the only path that could ensure him life- ensure him freedom. His motivation to succeed tonight enraptured his every move…because if he failed…well…he didn’t want to think of the consequences.

The adrenaline which Villain possessed now helped him more easily bear the once excruciating pain. Now, it was only a dull throb, a throb that allowed Villain to continue concentrating on clearing the path of obstacles, for anyone in his way would regret it.

Villain’s body ached, having never spent so much energy on his powers. Especially not at the same time as Supervillain using his own powers so strongly against him.

Struggling to hold on as he started to feel the pain sharper than ever, Villain focused on the path- his salvation- ahead. Supervillain was no match for the determination manifesting in Villain’s veins.

***

Hero was lost in the literal sea of madness. A part of her was grateful to only feel the sprinkle of swirling water around her, yet another quaked at the sight before her- of the people she so graciously served being tossed like ragdolls.

What was worse: the sight of Villain captured in his cage of moonlight, or seeing the audience so helplessly being…being drowned? For once, she decided on the latter. Hero never imagined a day would pass that Supervillain’s power wasn’t the most terrifying thing in existence. Seeing what Villain did now, though? It was horrible- excruciating.

On another hand…Hero understood. Villain endured so much pain, so often, who else wouldn’t lose their mind- wouldn’t wreak havoc if it meant being free of the torture? Clearly, this life wasn’t meant for him. And he was stubborn enough that fighting for such freedom was all he’d ever know.

Seeing as Supervillain was just as strong-willed, he’d never stop torturing- never stop trying to break Villain. Making an escape was Villain’s greatest hope.

Who was Hero to try and stop him?

[tyrantisterror]

I did a four part series of trivia posts when ATOM Volume 1: Tyrantis Walks Among Us! came out, and that was pretty fun!  You can see that set of trivia posts here if you’d like.  I thought it’d be fun to do another now that ATOM Volume 2: Tyrantis Roams the Earth! is out - just one this time, because a lot of the trivia I talked about with Volume 1 still applies.

I’m gonna divide this into two sections: non-spoiler trivia, for things that really don’t give a lot of plot points away, and spoiler trivia, for things that DO give away major plot points.  I recommend not reading the spoiler trivia until after you’ve read Tyrantis Roams the Earth!, for obvious reasons, and will put the spoiler trivia under a cut.

Ok, let’s go!

- So if you read ATOM Volume 1, you probably noticed that the book is split not only into chapters, but “episodes,” which consist of four chapters a piece.  It’s kind of a nod to how the series owes a great deal of its DNA to various monster of the week shows, with Godzilla: the Series and The Godzilla Power Hour being obvious influences.  It also allowed me to pepper in some illustrations and cheesy b-movie style titles into each volume.

- The first “episode” of Volume 2, Tyrantis in Tokyo, pays explicit homage to the giant monster movies of Japan, perhaps even moreso than the chapters that came before it.  Given how much Japanese media influenced ATOM - from tokusatsu like the Godzilla, Gamera, and Ultraman franchises to anime like Digimon and Evangelion (hell, the title of this episode itself is a tip of the hat to Tenchi Muyo by way of one of its spinoffs) - it kind of felt obligatory that Tyrantis visit Japan and pay his respects.

- Tyrantis in Tokyo also fits in a tribute to another staple of Atomic Age pop culture: Rock and Roll.

- Kutulusca, the giant cephalopod that appears in Tyrantis in Tokyo, is one of the oldest kaiju in this series, dating back to the first iteration of Tyrantis’s story that I put to paper back in 2001 or so.  It’s changed a lot since then, but its fight with Tyrantis goes more or less the way it originally did.

- Old Meg, the giant placoderm/shark, and Nastadyne, the bipedal beetle, both owe their existence directly to Deviantart’s Godzilla fandom.  Old Meg originated as a dunkleosteus monster I submitted to a “create a Godzilla kaiju” contest held by Matt Frank, while Nastadyne is based on a Megalon redesign I made during the “redesign all the Godzilla kaiju” phase of DA’s kaiju fandom.

- The second episode, Tyrantis vs. the Red Menace, gets dark as we visit the USSR, which had enough REAL horror with atomic power in its history to make creature features seem a bit defanged by comparison.  It’s probably the episode with the strongest horror elements - ATOM’s always been influenced by Resident Evil, and this is probably where that influence shows the most strongly.

- It also features the first fully robotic mecha in the series, the mighty Herakoschei!  Its name is a combination of “Heracles” and “Koschei the Deathless,” with the former part being added by its Russian creators to make it seem a bit more international as they offer it to the U.N. in hopes of gaining aid for a very extreme kaiju problem they’ve developed.

- Most of Tyrantis vs. the Red Menace takes place in the Siberian Monster Zone.  Its name is a reference to the Lawless Monster Zone in Ultraman, which is such a cool fucking name I wish that I wish I could go back in time and steal it.

- The next episode, Tyrantis’s Revenge, is... full of spoilers, so we’ll move on for now.

- The penultimate episode, Tyrantis vs. the Martian Monsters, is a love letter to MANY different sci-fi stories that involve life on Mars, though the most prominent of them is of course The War of The Worlds (one of my top 3 favorite books) and its various adaptations.  From its tentacles sapient martians, the tripodal leader of the titular monsters whose name includes the word “ulla” which is uttered by said sapient martians, the plant monster made of red vines, the cylinder-shaped spacecraft the Martian monsters are sent to earth on, the copper-skinned stingray-esque flying martian who shoots lasers from its tail, and the fact that every chapter title in this episode is a quote from the book, the H.G. Wells influence is STRONG.

- The final episode, Invasion from Beyond!, is shamelessly inspired by Destroy All Monsters, although there’s a dash of “To Serve Men,” Godzilla vs. Monster Zero, and The Day the Earth Stood Still mixed in as well.  It’s also sort of a tribute to my first “published” bit of a kaiju fiction - a rewrite of Destroy All Monsters that included EVERY Godzilla monster that had appeared at the time, which my middle school self wrote back in 2002 or so for Kaiju Headquarters, a kaiju fansite I’m not sure exists anymore.  Invasion from Beyond! is just as ambitious (but hopefully better executed) as my DAM Remake, with dozens upon dozens of different kaiju duking it out, earthlings vs. aliens.

- There were three different documents I made to outline the final battle of Invasion from Beyond!  It’s the largest episode of the series so far and more than half of it is that fucking fight.  My inner child is pleased, though, so hopefully you will be too.

Ok, that’s all I can share without spoilers.  READER BEWARE WHAT FOLLOWS BELOW THE CUT!

JUST MAKING SURE you know that SPOILERS will follow from here on out.  Read at your own peril!  YOU WERE WARNED!

(I’m gonna start with lighter ones just in case you scrolled too far and want to turn back)

- There’s a number of explicit Spielberg homages in ATOM Volume 2, from a “we need a bigger boat” joke during a chase with a giant shark to the fact that Invasion from Beyond! opens with a group of people flying to an island of monsters to review whether or not it should get more funding.

- When Tyrantis appears in the first chapter, I snuck in modified lyrics of The Godzilla Power Hour’s theme song.  “Up from the depths”... “several stories high”... “breathing fire”... “its head in the sky”... Tyrantis!  Tyrantis!  Tyrantis!

- The two rock bands in Tyrantis in Tokyo have real life inspirations ala Gwen Valentine, albeit a bit more muddled than hers.  The Cashews are inspired by The Peanuts (see what I did there), while The Thunder Lizards are a mix of The Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Buddy Holly, and the Big Bopper.  I wanted The Thunder Lizards to be more akin to the myth of a famous rock and roll band than the reality - less the real Beatles and more the Yellow Submarine cartoon version of them.

- The song The Thunder Lizards write for Tyrantis was written to fit the tune of “The Godzilla March” from Godzilla vs. Gigan, though ideally if someone made an actual song of it it would be its own song.  I got the idea from Over the Garden Wall, which used the Christmas song “O Holy Night” as a a starting point for “Come Wayward Souls.”

- Perry Martin, UNNO reporter and peer of Henry Robertson, is a nod to Raymond Burr, with his name being a combination of two of Burr’s most famous roles: Perry Mason, and Steve Martin from Godzilla King of the Monsters (1956).

- Dr. Rinko Tsuburaya is a few homages in one.  Her name comes from Rinko Kikuchi (who played Mako Mori in Pacific Rim), while her last name is obviously in homage of Eiji Tsuburaya.  Her being the daughter of an esteemed scientist is inspired by Emiko Yamane from the original Gojira.

- Nastadyne’s Burning Justice mode is named after a similar super mode from various Transformers cartoons, though it’s more directly inspired by the Shining/Burning Finger super move from G Gundam.

- Martians sending kaiju to different planets via shooting them out of cannons (with or without cylinder spaceships around them) is another War of the Worlds shoutout.  So is martians living on Venus after their homeworld was made uninhabitable, actually.

- Kurokame’s vocalizations are described as wails in explicit homage to Gamera.  His name can be translated as either “black tortoise” (a reference to the mythical guardian beast Genbu, which can also be construed as a Gamera reference thanks to Gamera: Advent of Irys implying Gamera and Genbu are one and the same) or a portmanteau of the Japanese words for crocodile and turtle - “crocturtle.”

- Burodon’s name is just a mangling of “burrow down.”  It also sounds vaguely like Baragon, who Burodon is loosely inspired by.  AND, since Burodon is sort of a knockoff/modified Baragon, that kinda makes him a reference to various monsters in Ultraman!

- The final battle of Tyrantis in Tokyo is sort of a hybrid of the finales of Ghidorah the 3 Headed Monster and Destroy All Monsters.  

- The Japanese kaiju teaching Tyrantis the art of throwing rocks at your enemies is both a joke on the prominence of rock throwing in Japanese kaiju fights AND the tired trope of an American hero learning secret martial arts from a Japanese mentor ala Batman, Iron Fist, etc.  In this case, the secret martial art is throwing rocks at people.

- When introduced to Herakoschei and its pilot, we are told that the strain of piloting this early mecha is so intense that many pilots have died in the process, with the current one passing out on more than few occasions.  This is of course a Pacific Rim homage - sadly, no one invents drifting.

- Herakoschei’s design is a loose homage to Robby the Robot and Cherno Alpha, because big boxy robots are cool.

- The Writhing Flesh and ESPECIALLY Pathogen are both hugely influenced by Resident Evil and The Thing.  Giant body horror piles of raw flesh, tendrils, mismatched mouths and limbs may be a bit outside the main era of monster design ATOM homages, but they fit the themes and bring a nice contrast.

- I came up with Pathogen long before Corona but MAN it definitely feels different in 2021 to have a giant monster whose name is a synonym for disease driving other creatures crazy in a quarantine zone than it did when I plotted out the story in 2016.

- The chapter title “Hello, Old Foes” is a riff on “Goodbye, Old Friend”

- Minerva, the kaiju-fied clone of Dr. Lerna, is meant to be an homage to Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, which is a genuinely good giant monster flick.  I am sure many of you will also believe I included her because I’m a pervert whose into tall women, but you’d be wrong!  I included the seven foot tall Russian mecha pilot Ludmilla Portnova because I’m a pervert whose into tall women.  Minerva’s inclusion was just coincidental, I swear!

- Since Promythigor is a play on the archetypal ape kaiju to contrast Tyrantis as a play on the archetypal fire-breathing reptile kaiju, their fight has a lot of nods to King Kong movies.  Promythigor attempts the famous jaw-snap maneuver of Kong (with less success), J.C. Clark paraphrases the “brute force vs. a thinking animal” line from the King Kong vs. Godzilla American cut, and Tyrantis slides down a mountain to knock Promythigor off his feet in a reversal of Kong doing the same in King Kong vs. Godzilla.

- Tyrantis sliding down a mountain on his tail doubles as a Godzilla vs. Megalon homage.

- Though Promythigor is the archetypal Ape and Tyrantis the archetypal Fire-Breathing Reptile, I think it’s fun to note that in some ways, Promythigor is the Godzilla equivalent in their matchup, and Tyrantis the Kong.  Promythigor has a slight size advantage, was scarred by humans performing unethical weapons technology, and is associated with violent explosions.  Tyrantis is a good-at-heart prehistoric beast who humanized in part by his unlikely friendship with a human woman.

- Of course, in the context of the famous quote from the American cut of King Kong vs. Godzilla, they remain in their archetypal lanes.  Promythigor is the more intelligent of the two (though not necessarily wiser), and Tyrantis is in many ways a brute reptile.  Their battle is a rebuttal of sorts to the assertion that Kong is the “better” animal because he is closer to human.  Promythigor’s near human creativity and emotions don’t make him the kinder/more benevolent monster, but instead fuel a very self-centered and destructive attitude that makes him the far more dangerous threat.  On the other hand, Tyrantis, who is less intelligent, limited in communication with others by his reptilian mindset and instincts, and simple in his thoughts and desires, is nonetheless a sweet creature that is easily dealt with when others consider his animal needs and mindset.  There’s a quote from Hellboy I love that probably sums up all of my writing thus far: “To be other than human does not mean the same as being less,” and that’s what the matchup between these two in particular tries to illustrate: the “less” human Tyrantis is nonetheless more benign than the “more” human Promythigor.

- Kraydi the psychic lizard began life as a soft sculpture I made of the Canyon Krayt Dragon from The Wildlife of Star Wars.  The sculpture didn’t look much like the illustration, but I liked how it came out, and so I made it an original monster named Kraydi (see what I did there).  Figuring out an explanation for that name in ATOM’s world was possibly the most difficult kaiju naming task in the series, but it worked out in the end.

- Kraydi and Promythigor having psychic powers is a result of my time on Godzilla fan forums in my middle school years.  Most of the forums had OC kaiju battle tournaments, and SO many of those kaiju had a wide array of beam weapons and psychic powers just to win the tournaments by beam-spamming and mind controlling their foes into oblivion.  There’s a special kind of rage you get when your original creation is beaten by “Fire Godzilla” because he has a genius level intellect and the power of unstoppable telekinesis.  Kraydi began as (and still is I suppose) my attempt to do a psychic kaiju well, while Promythigor’s villainy being tied to psychic powers being forced on him is sort of my passive aggressive commentary on people foisting powers on a monster without any real thematic reason for them.

- Henry Robertson and Dr. Praetorius chewing out the laziness of people giving kaiju completely unaltered names of mythic beasts will probably be seen as a jab at the Monsterverse and/or the numerous writers in the kaiju OC scene who do the same, but it’s ACTUALLY a jab at my past self, who had DOZENS of kaiju whose names were just Greek mythological figures verbatim.  There are dozens of kaiju named Hydra, Scylla, Charybdis, Chimera, etc., past me, try to make the names stand out!  Oh wait you did.  I mean, don’t pat yourself on the back too much, you still went with “Mothmanud” as a canon name and never came up with something better, but, like, good on ya for trying I guess.

- Dr. Praetorius takes his name from the evil mad scientis in Bride of Frankenstein, who basically has all the wicked traits that Universal’s Frankenstein downplayed in their take on Dr. Frankenstein.  Ironically, ATOM’s Dr. Praetorius is a bit less evil than his fellow mad scientists in ATOM.  I really like how his character turned out, he surprised me.

- Isaac Rossum, the pilot of the USA mecha Atomoton, is named for Isaac Aasimov, whose robot stories are to robot fiction what Lord of the Rings is to high fantasy.  His last name is a reference to Rossum’s Universal Robots, which is where the word “robot” came from.

- The unfortunate pilots of MechaTyrantis in ATOM Volumes 1 and 2 are all nods to Jurassic Park.  John Ludlow = John Hammond and Peter Ludlow, Ian Grant = Ian Malcolm and Alan Grant, Dennis Dodgson = Dennis Nedry and Lewis Dodgson.

- A good way to pitch Invasion from Beyond! would be “what if the staff and monsters were able to fight back when the Kilaaks tried to take over Monsterland?”

- Ok, here’s a fun joke that no one will get but me because it requires a very specific chain of logic based on some obscure and loosely connected nerd bullshit.  There’s a rocker in ATOM’s universe named Sebastian Haff, right?  One of his songs, “Darling Let’s Shimmy,” is referenced right before a mothmanud larva emerges from the ground in both ATOM Vol. 1 and 2.  Ok, so, in the Bubba Hotep, an aging Elvis impersonator named Sebastian Haff claims he is actually the real Elvis Presley, having changed places with the real Sebastian Haff as a sort of Prince and the Pauper deal that went wrong.  Got that?  Ok, so, in UFO folklore, a common joke is the theory that Elvis didn’t die, but was rather abducted by aliens (or he actually WAS an alien the whole time - the whole “Elvis didn’t die, he just went home” joke in Men in Black is a good example of this).  Ok?  Ok.  So, in ATOM’s universe, we can surmise that their equivalent of Elvis, whose name is Sebastian Haff, WAS abducted by aliens, and that his song “Darling Let’s Shimmy” is subconsciously influenced by his repressed memories from his time aboard the Beyonder spaceships, which is why it accidentally awoke a Mothmanud larva in Volume 1.  There’s a lot of bullshit jokes I put into ATOM, but this is perhaps the bullshittiest of them all.

- One of the most common bits of feedback on ATOM Volume 1 I got was “I kept waiting for something to eat Brick Rockwell, he’s such an asshole.”  And I had to smile and go, “Oh, yeah, guess he never got his, huh?” the whole time without letting on that he was going to die here all along!

- Dr. Lerna and Brick Rockwell’s nature as foils to each other is probably most apparent in Invasion from Beyond!, where both are given fairly similar situations - a nonhuman approaches them with a solution to a global crisis - and react to it very differently.  I worry that some people may think they both made the same choice and got different results, and that that’s hypocrisy on my part, but I hope I wrote it so you can see how their choices and situations actually differ in key ways, and why their decisions, while similar on the surface, are ultimately very different, and thus result in almost opposite outcomes.

- So, when I planned out this book in 2016, I swear I didn’t know about the Orca from 2019′s Godzilla King of the Monsters.  Having the plot hang around Dr. Lerna deciding whether or not to use a sonic device to rouse all the kaiju to save the earth was not INTENDED to be a Monsterverse reference - it came about from me looking at Pathfinder’s take on kaiju, who are all explicitly influenceable by music, and thinking, “Oh, wow, music and songs DO have a major connection with kaiju in a lot of media, I should do something with that.”  Whem KOTM came out a few days after Volume 1 came out I realized I was kinda fucked here, because the comparison was definitely going to be made, but I’d also set this all up already and you can’t just change suddenly to avoid looking like a copy cat and make a good story, so... I dunno, I leaned into it a bit, but it is what it is.

- While most people will probably think they’re a reference to the Reptoids of UFO folklore, the Reptodites are more inspired by the Dinosapien of speculative evolution fame and, even morso, by the Reptites from Chrono Trigger.  Me wanting to avoid the “lizard people control the government” conspiracy theory trope is one of the main reasons why Reptodites have this non-interference clause with humanity.

- Lieutenant Gray is a bunch of different humanoid aliens rolled into one - a little Hopskinville goblin, a little classic gray, a little this one weird alien with five-fingered zygodactyl hands, etc.

- There’s some Beyonder Mecha in this volume that are basically kaiju-fied versions of the Flatwoods Monster.  The species that built them ALSO engineered the Mothmanuds, because connecting Mothman and the Flatwoods Monster is fun!

- Pleprah is, obviously, a one-eyed one-horned flying purple people eater.

- Tyrantis’s brush with death, in addition to being so very anime, was inspired by my dad outlining how mythic heroes often have to travel to the underworld/land of the dead before they can finish their journey.  It’s one of the plot points that I’ve had planned for this series since middle school.

- I’m sure some will view it as hackneyed and corny, but as a person who’s battled with depression for decades, having Tyrantis’s choice to live be the big heroic turn of the finale was very important to me.  Tyrantis incorporates elements of a lot of imaginary friends I made as a kid, and in many ways he’s kind of the face of my more positive side in my head.  He’s been telling me to choose to live for a while, and while maybe to an outsider it may seem hackneyed, it’s just... very Tyrantis.  He chooses life and kindness in the face of pain and struggle.  That’s Tyrantis.

- Tyrantis’s powered up form is called “Hyper Mode,” which is another Gundam reference.  Originally it was a lot gaudier and involved him turning gold like a fuckin’ Super Saiyan.  I opted for something a little more toned down here.  

- Also, speaking of KOTM references, I decided to make Hyper Mode Tyrantis’s final duel with Pathogen be a sort of foil to Burning Godzilla’s final bout with Ghidorah in KOTM.  Instead of ravaging the city, Hyper Tyrantis’s pulse of energy rejuvenates his fallen allies, and as a result he is “crowned” not out of fear for his supremacy in the wake of killing a powerful enemy, but in gratitude for his kindness.  See?  Leaning into it!

- And now I can finally reveal that Yamaneon is ATOM’s equivalent of The Monolith Monsters - that is, a kaiju that is also a mineral.  I took the “strange continuously growing rock” thing in a very different direction, though, as unlike The Monolith Monsters, Yamaneon is actually alive.

- At various points in the pre-writing process, either Promythigor, MechaTyrantis, or both were going to die fighting Pathogen.  I ultimately decided to let them both live, with MechaTyrantis even getting his flesh and blood body back, because I think it’s more interesting and thematically consistent that way.  They get a chance to heal their wounds by changing their ways.

- The Great Beyonder and Dorazor both almost didn’t make the cut, as I felt they didn’t have the same pull as villains that Pathogen, Promythigor, and MechaTyrantis did.  But then I thought that could actually be the gag - build them up as the final boss, only to have Pathogen take their crown.  I want to explore post-face turn Dorazor a bit more, though.  We’ll have to see about that in a later volume.

- Volumes 1 and 2 make up what I call “The Ballad of Tyrantis Arc” for ATOM.  I call it that because Tyrantis’s storyline in these two volumes was patterend after Chivalric ballads like Yvain the Knight of the Lion.  Tyrantis, a heroic warrior who is kind but dumb of ass, learns of strange goings on outside his home and investigates.  During his journey into the unknown he falls in love with a powerful woman, whose favor he tries to win.  Through happenstance he is separated from his love and, distraught, wanders around fighting various foes to prove his worth, before finally returning to his love a better hero.  Invasion from Beyond! could even be seen as a sort of Morte d’Artur, with Tyrantis and a bunch of other kaiju heroes (including Nastadyne and Kemlasulla, who are built up as Hero Kaiju of Another Story) take part in a huge battle that threatens their idealic kingdom (of monsters).

- Volume 2 isn’t the end of ATOM, but it’s designed to work as an ending if you want to tap out here.  As a reader I feel a definitive ending is important, but as a writer I’m always tempted to revisit my beloved characters, so I feel giving closure while leaving a few doors open for possible future adventures is a good compromise between these positions.  There will be more ATOM stories, some (but not all!) following Tyrantis and Dr. Lerna, but if you want to know that Tyrantis and Dr. Lerna get an ending and the resolution to their arcs such a thing promises, here you go.  An ending, if not THE END.

[dafukdidiwatch]

I’m actually pissed that this is a decent movie.

<A lot of spoilers>

Overview: Arctic Researchers/Scientists stumble on Nazis who live in the center of the earth who have survived by replacing their dying tissue for living ones in a bid for immortality.

And in order for me to talk about this film, I have to talk about this:

Fucking Sky Sharks.

I hate that movie.

I hate it So Much.

I bought it from a Walmart for $10 so what a waste of movie.

The first like, 10 minutes was the movie dragging on showing everyone in the plane in the worst way possible. An old swedish man watching shitty CGI sci-fi porn. A weird gang turn priest man which I for sure might have been the main character but had the weirdest backstory that goes no where and does nothing. Some drunk guy wanting to flirt with a stewardess and the joke is that she wasn’t a super model 20 something. So after going On and ON THEN the sharks come in to show how epic they are.

And they also suck ass. I couldn’t give a shit about the CGI this is a movie about nazi sky sharks I walked in not expecting quality.

Oh yeah, Nazi’s. Forgot to mention the Nazis. Because, you know, they made the sharks. And are also zombies who rose again to take over the world. And our first look is a female blond haired officer killing people in the longest and dullest way possible. Like, there is only so many ways you can decapicate a bunch of people with wires.

After that, move into the “plot” with random ass girl #1 and random ass girl #2 where girl #1 is also in the Antarctic (shocker) and finds a boat, goes in by herself without help/backup, finds out the zombies are not only in there, but also shark tanks because this is where they were raising the sharks.

So to recap: In the COLD NEGATIVE FROSTBITING SNOW COVERED DREADNAUGHT the nazis are not only alive and NOT freezing, but the great white sharks are also alive and NOT freezing. You can say bs science, I say bs movie.

Oh and you know what the sharks feed on?

Misogyny.

God this movie hates women so much. First, multiple porn shots/sexual harassment jokes on just the plane alone (again, first 10 minutes). Then the “sexy” female zombie commander because that’s what was in the Nazi Military: Women. Not saying shit about history or anything, just saying that I know a fetish when I see one. And the Random Ass Girl #1? The reason why she was at the boat in the first place is because she was on a solo rescue mission to help some researchers who found the boat. A Guy and A Girl. The Guy was like, killed normally or shot or something I couldn’t give a shit about. The Girl was stripped naked, hung upside-down by her foot, bare naked ass shown to us, as she is fed to the shark tank.

Yeah, real women friendly.

It also doesn’t help that when Random Ass Girl #1 gets stabbed with, I guess zombie venom for ReAsOnS, she has a shower scene where it shows her being affected and poisoned under her skin....but also how Hot she is by having it shot on her boobs, check, body stretching and curling to show ALL of her body. While under a show that’s in the middle of the fucking room like it’s Hannibal Lector’s bathroom.

And you that that would be the reason I hate this movie but it isn’t dammit. The movie was dull as hell. I’m only talking about the Misogyny for so long because it was the only thing that was actually worth mentioning. I didn’t give a shit about anything else!

The acting is bad and just monotone across the board. Apparently RAG#1 and #2 are like, rich spies from a super rich family corporation which took me a full as 20 minutes to realize. And they have no idea how the fuck to plot a movie! Finding out the sky sharks were because of Dear Old Granddad, results in THREE! SEPERATE! FLASHBACKS! EACH MORE BORING THAN THE LAST!!! I have no idea how you made working with NAZIS dull as shit but this movie found a way. Instead of having the history set in the beginning of nazis doing shit as a teaser to explain later, he just tells his fucking life story of how making Sky Sharks would save the Third Reich. And I Couldn’t Give A Shit.

It got so dull and bored that I literally fast forward through the entire movie to find interesting parts. Spoiler: there was none. Not even with more sharks like eating the world could it entertain me. I just fast forwarded to the very end, and only watched 30 minutes of a 90 minute movie. God I hate Sky Sharks.

So WHY am I bringing it up? Well, it really did set expectations and a bar for Nazis at the Center of the Earth. They both have rediculous titles that you can’t take seriously or expect “great things” from. They both deal with nazis, zombie-ish nazis, genetic research, scientists in the Arctic, and Nazi’s hiding in the Arctic. That is a lot, and I just watched Sky Sharks like 2 weeks before so this was very recent and absolutely in my head.

Which is WHY this movie was a very pleasant surprise.

We start with seeing Nazis doing action pact Nazi shit escaping for science! It even has that Wilhelm scream, but the movie has plot and vision. It didn’t make the nazis seem any more than being just army soldierd and has decent action and sets expectation for the rest of the movie.

And that’s like the big difference between this and Sky Sharks: The Treatment of the Nazis. The nazis here were treated, in my view, as powerful and dangerous. They are meticulous, uncaring, cold and distant. The head Nazi is actually Dr. Mengele, he is in this movie, and he is just so apathetic to everyone.

All the Nazi’s faces were covered in mask so you couldn’t see their faces, making them inhuman. And the first Nazi face we do see is Dr. Mengele as he just, slowly cuts the face off of a person. Methodically. Meticulously. He doesn’t even talk, doesn’t react as the person begs. Just does it. And was going to do it to the girl as well but because she kept talking science, he allowed her to live.

But it was close.

In the beginning it feels like two different movies because it cuts from two researchers who got kidnapped by Nazis surviving their own horror movie trying to escape, and the rest of the researchers being in a Survival Rescue Movie trying to find them. I honestly wanted to see more of the Nazi part because that was the more engaging section. It was filmed, framed, shot as a tense horror movie, where you don’t know if she will live or die.

I also want to approve of the lack of misogyny. Like, first, the Nazis are equal treatment terrible to everyone. They shot one of the researchers who wandered in because he was Jewish. (”I’m non-practicing” lol love that line). Second, the scenes that they did were filmed in a way to highlight the horror but not the sexiness of it. The guy and girl strapped to the table, they are both naked. We don’t see the whole naked body, just enough to establish it while censoring the rest. You see Dr. Mengele looking over them, but there isn’t sign of lust. He is viewing them both as just experiments (which also adds to the horror aspect but I digress). One of the girls ends up being thrown to the Nazi Officers to be raped and killed, but we don’t see that. She doesn’t have a shirt, but it isn’t films as a “sexy” moment, the camera doesn’t move or linger on her body. It is just a straight shot, where she tries to cover herself up. When they close in on her, crawling towards her, the camera focuses more on their approach than on her while at a distance. This is scary, but it isn’t sexualized. Which I approve and is a WAY PLUS from Sky Sharks.

This movie has an odd budget too. There is a lot of CGI. And it isn’t good. Not at all. It works to show things happening like CGI tanks...CGI snow/ice. CGI Robots and lasers. They don’t hide it at all. But then, they also have amazing makeup budget because the “ripping face scene” was amazing physical effects it looked so real. The Nazis are obviously frankenstein stitched up monsters, but they are well done in makeup and design. Like all the close up shit is amazing to look at.

Overall: It was an Alright Movie. Yes, there is plot. There is tension. There is fear trying to survive with the nazi. Bad CGI, and a bit campy at the end, but nothing to detract from the actual movie. It was a fun movie.

[miraculousladyb]

Battles

Happy holidays, @leviaana! I’m your Secret Santa for @mlsecretsanta this year! I wrote you this fanfic, and I really hope you enjoy it! 

Title: Battles Summary: The events of Chat Blanc are still weighing heavily on Marinette’s mind.  Themes: Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Romance Words: 3,121 Warnings: Very mild violence, spoilers for Season 3 including the episodes Chat Blanc and Miracle Queen

It was a blustery autumn afternoon in Paris. The trees had lost most of their foliage now, orange scattered the pavements as the leaves danced down the streets. A grey overcast sky hung dauntingly over the French capital, the top of the Eiffel Tower was no longer visible as it had been swallowed by the clouds. The temperature had dropped dramatically over the past couple of weeks, but it wasn't going to deter Marinette from sketching. The bitter breeze kissed her cheeks as she lay back in her balcony deck chair, absentmindedly scribbling away her latest dress design. 

With all the new responsibilities that came with being the Guardian, Marinette found herself needing the distraction of designing more than ever. Her teenage years seemed to have suddenly dissipated with the arrival of the oversized, ladybug patterned cylinder that contained all the Miraculous. Thankfully once she was home and detransformed the box had changed into what looked like a big sewing kit with lots of little compartments. Even though it was in her bedroom drawer locked away most of the time the everlasting burden constantly weighed on her shoulders. 

 Her distraction didn't last too long as the skylight to her window burst open dramatically. 

 "Girl, I have got to show you these pics I got of Ladybug and Chat Noir last night, the Ladyblog is blowing up!” Alya said as she climbed through the skylight, immediately reaching for her phone in her back pocket. 

“And hello to you too,” Marinette said, a sarcastic smirk across her lips. She closed her sketchbook and held it on her lap, knowing her best friend would require her full attention if she was fangirling.

 “Nino and I were walking home from the cinema last night and I saw them! They have to be a couple, look how close they are!”

 Marinette peered over her friend’s shoulder to see the photo in question and she couldn’t help the small smile that crept onto her face. She saw her alter ego and her partner sat on the edge of a random rooftop near the Louvre. Ever since she’d become the guardian, Chat had been worried about her. She noticed he started making a lot more effort during akuma fights; he saved the flirting and puns until the fight was over and instead focused on capturing the akuma as quickly as possible. It was a welcome change and took some of the weight from Marinette’s shoulders, but he was still concerned. In the photo in question, Chat had been quizzing her, asking how she was, how civilian life was going, was she coping with the stress. She’d smiled, hugged his arm and rested her head on his shoulder. 

“As long as I’ve got you, kitty, everything will be okay.” 

He’d blushed, placed a gentle kiss to her head, then rested his own head against hers.

 Returning her gaze to Alya, Marinette said, “Nah, I don’t think they’re into each other like that.”

 Alya scoffed.

 ***

Later that night, Tikki was awoken as her chosen shot up suddenly in bed, panting frantically, her breathing erratic. 

“Marinette, are you okay?” the kwami asked as she floated over, placing her tiny paws on Marinette’s cheek. “Did you have another nightmare?” 

Marinette nodded, still breathing heavily. She shut her eyes tightly as tears rolled down her cheeks, dampening Tikki’s paws. 

“You really need to tell Chat about this,” Tikki said, gently. “You shouldn’t be facing this alone.” 

“I’m not telling him,” Marinette said. “He’ll blame himself, even though whatever happened that caused him to get akumatised was clearly my fault!”

 Tikki sighed gently. “Marinette, you don’t know that.”

“‘Our love caused this,’ is what he said, Tikki,” Marinette sighed, placing a hand to her chest as she tried to steady her heart rate. “I just keep seeing the way he looked at me before he Cataclysmed the beam I was standing on.” 

Tikki folded her arms and tilted her head at her chosen sympathetically. “I still think you should talk to him. He cares about you, Marinette.” 

“I’ll be fine, Tikki, let’s just go back to sleep. I’m sorry I woke you up,” Marinette said, before rolling over in bed to face away from her kwami. Tikki sighed softly, placing a gentle kiss in Marinette’s hair, before she returned to her spot on the pillow to return to sleep.

 ***

 Despite what she’d said, Marinette didn’t get back to sleep that night. She’d cuddled her Chat Noir doll close to her chest and spent hours wondering what she’d done to hurt her partner so badly. 

Naturally, she was late to school that morning. She mumbled a half-hearted apology to Miss Bustier as she slid into her seat beside Alya. She realised she must look a mess this morning, because Adrien was eyeing her over his shoulder, concern drowning in his eyes. She was trying hard to let her feelings for Adrien go, having learnt he couldn’t be trusted with her identity after what happened prior to Chat Blanc, she knew it was a ship that was never going to sail.

“You okay, M? You look like you haven’t slept in weeks,” Alya whispered as Miss Bustier began reading out the daily announcements.

 “I’m fine,” Marinette said, forcing a smile. “I just didn’t sleep great. I’ll have a nap during lunch break.”

Miss Bustier dismissed them to their first class a few minutes later and as Marinette went to grab her bag it flipped upside down, most of the contents spilling out across the classroom floor. She groaned and bent down to pick up her things, ignoring Chloe’s sarcastic comment as she did so. She went to grab her pencil case, but another hand beat her to it. She looked up to see Adrien bent down too, helping her collect her belongings. He flashed her a gorgeous, gentle smile that made her begrudgingly melt inside. 

“You okay? You’ve not been yourself lately,” Adrien said, placing a hand on her shoulder. 

Marinette snorted. “I’m still as clumsy as ever, don’t worry.” 

They carried on picking up her things, but Adrien’s focus was on the girl beside him. “You know I don’t mean that. You’ve been really tired and distracted for weeks now… You know you can talk to me about anything right?” 

Her heart snapped, because she knew that wasn’t true, even if he did want to mean it. She forced a smile regardless. 

“I know, Adrien, thank you. I’ve just not been sleeping well, don’t worry about me.” 

He finished collected her things and handed her bag. “Thank you for helping me, I’m such a klutz,” Marinette said with a sigh. 

Adrien chuckled lightly. “You’re perfect just the way you are. Can I walk you to our next class?” 

She took his arm gratefully. “You can, but I won’t promise I won’t fall asleep on you again.”

***

Marinette cursed Hawkmoth using several different swear words as a collective of screams sounded in the distance. She was across the street from her home, ready for her lunch break nap, when the akuma alarm began to blur across the streets. Diving into a nearby alleyway, she shared a mutual look of disdain with Tikki before calling for her kwami to transform her.

Soon enough she was running across the rooftops towards the sound of the screaming, Chat Noir by her side seconds later. 

“Hey, LB, you know anything about the akuma?” her partner asked. She shook her head. 

“No, surprisingly it seems Hawkmoth hasn’t chosen a target from the local high school for once,” she said with an eye-roll. 

Chat snorted. “Yeah, it seems like the akuma’s near the Eiffel Tower. She’s shot a few people with her laser beam according to the news but no-one’s truly sure what her power is yet.” 

Ladybug sighed. “Guess we’ll just have to stay away from those laser beams then.” 

The pair landed near the Eiffel Tower, the akuma not too far in the distance. She called herself Sherry Holmes, a Sherlock Holmes pun that even made Chat Noir groan.   

“Sherry Holmes? What is she solving murder mysteries as a power?” Chat shook his head with a sigh, scanning the area. Ladybug furrowed her eyes, watching for any change in people as they got hit.

 “I still sleep with my teddy bear!” 

“I spend my Saturday nights watching Sex and the City!” 

“I’m in love with my best friend’s wife!” 

The superhero pair shared a look. “Well, fair to say this akuma is weird,” Ladybug replied. 

“Ah, Ladybug and Chat Noir!” the akuma shouted, rushing over to them, shooting laser beams as she went. Marinette didn’t usually approve of Hawkmoth’s akuma designs, but this one was quite cute. She had the classic supervillain pale skin and dark eyes, but a plaid detective hat rested on her head with a matching bowtie around her neck and a beige trench coat encircling her. In her hand was a magnifying glass that she was shooting laser beams from. “So nice of you to join us, why don’t you tell us your darkest secrets?”

Panic flashed across Ladybug’s face as a laser beam came hurtling toward her. She dived out of the way just in time, Chat Noir following in her wake. 

“Do you think the akuma’s in her magnifying glass?” Chat asked, scanning over her as he dodged the laser beams. 

“I’m not sure, that or she has something in her trench coat pockets,” Ladybug replied. 

“Good thinking, I’ll bet you’re- ahhh!” Chat cried out as a laser beam hit him, suddenly standing frozen to the stop. Ladybug gasped as she rushed to his side. “My name is A-” 

Terrified, Ladybug did the only thing she could to do to silence her partner and pressed her mouth against his, capturing his confession with her lips. He didn’t have time to react once the beam’s effects had worn off as she quickly pulled away, dragging him with her, to avoid getting hit by another laser beam. 

“You okay, kitty?” Ladybug asked. Chat nodded, dazed, as he’d landed on top of her. 

“Yeah, no more confessions ready to slip out, m’Lady.” 

They rolled out the way to avoid another laser beam. Chat shook his head, his mind was whirling at a hundred miles an hour after his kiss from Ladybug, but he had to focus.

They separated again, running on opposite sides of the street. Chat’s eyes darted around the villain, trying to work out where the akuma was. Glancing at his partner he could tell she was doing the same, but something in her gaze was distracted. Suddenly, she tripped, and taking her stumble to her advantage, Sherry Holmes took aim. 

The beam hit her and she felt herself frozen to the spot. Chat, on the other side of the road, looked at her with sheer panic. She could feel the words bubbling up her throat but she couldn't stop them, she couldn't move anything except her mouth. 

"I'm in love with you!" 

The words left her lips as he reached half a foot away from her. Her eyes went wide and she smacked her palms against her mouth as if she could somehow smother the confession back in. 

She had been sure that when Chat had been akumatised and had looked at her with pure hatred that nothing could hurt her more. But the way he looked at her in that moment, his eyes wide with shock and hurt, his mouth gaping in confusion, she was sure she could feel her heart breaking in her chest.   

"Oh god," she breathed. "Chat..." 

Sherry Holmes, meanwhile, looked very unimpressed. "Wow, like I need to be a detective to work that one out. Guess I need to hit you again to find out your identity!" 

Still stunned, Ladybug didn't even flinch as a beam hurtled toward her. Chat grabbed her and pulled her away just in time.  

"Call your Lucky Charm," he instructed calmly, refusing to meet her eyes. "I'll distract her." 

He didn't give her chance to reply before he bounded off, swiping left and right at Sherry Holmes with his baton as he dodged her attacks. It took a few seconds but Ladybug shook herself out of her stunned stance.  

"Lucky Charm!" she yelled to sky, as she pulled her trademark pose. A handheld mirror materialised above her and landed in her hand. She ducked as a beam suddenly went shooting over her head. "Wow, Tikki, you really gave me a simple one today. Guess you can tell my brain is fried."  

The heroine stormed toward the akuma, smirking as she did. 

"Hey Shezza, I'm right here, just try and hit me!" she taunted. 

The akuma snarled, swiping Chat Noir aside so she could take aim at the bug. Just as the beam was about to hit her, Ladybug held the mirror in front of her, deflecting the beam back at Sherry Holmes. She couldn't react quick enough and the beam struck her.  

"The akuma is hiding in my trench coat pocket!" she announced, her face horrified.  

"How kind of you to share," Chat grinned, reaching into her pocket to reveal a mobile phone. He smashed it the ground as Ladybug opened her yoyo.  

"Bye bye, little butterfly," Ladybug sighed, watching as it flew off into the distance. The akuma victim returned to her human form; a petite brunette with deep brown eyes and a pink floral dress, covered by a similar trench coat she'd had as an akuma.  

Chat Noir was about to walk over to her when a hand on his arm stopped him.  

"Chat," Ladybug said softly, her voice breaking. A heavy tension held between them as their eyes met. Ladybug felt her legs shake with anxiety as her heart pounded against her ribcage, her chest feeling so tight she could barely remember how to breathe. "Please let me explain."  

Chat glanced at the akuma victim before returning his gaze to his partner.  

"Go and recharge and I'll make sure she's okay. I'll meet you at our usual spot," he replied. His tone wasn't necessarily cold but it held a horrible sense of formality that didn't sit well with Ladybug. She hadn't missed how he'd avoided their usual victory routine either.  

She nodded, dropping her hand from his shoulder and her eyes to the ground as she blinked back tears.  

With one last glance back the cat superhero, who was now knelt down next to the akuma victim with a comforting hand on her shoulder, she dashed off to find a place to recharge.  

Half an hour later, Ladybug found Chat waiting for her on 'their' rooftop; it was actually some random Parisians' rooftop, but it their favourite place to meet up, it was secluded but still gave a great view of the city.  

His legs were hanging off the edge of the rooftop, his hands resting on the guttering. She approached him slowly, taking tentative steps across the rooftops as though they might crumble beneath her feet. His head suddenly turned in her direction and she jumped in surprise, but quickly composed herself as she brought herself to stand behind him. She was surprised again when he spoke first.  

"The akuma victim, her name is Amy, had suspicions her boyfriend was cheating on her but he always denied it. She was convinced he was gaslighting her, so she investigated and found out he had been sleeping with someone from work. Then she got akumatised." 

"That's awful. Was she okay?" Ladybug asked softly, refusing to meet his eyes. 

"No, but she will be. I waited with her until her friend came to meet her." 

"That's because you're one of the sweetest people on the planet," she said gently. She looked up when Chat scoffed, standing up to face her. "What? It's true." 

"If it's true, why are you so ashamed to have feelings for me?" Chat spat. "Why is that your darkest secret? Not your identity but the fact," he paused as his voice cracked. He broke eye contact for a moment and when his gaze returned his eyes were brimming with tears. "That you’re in love with me. That's your darkest secret..." 

"Because I can't love you," she shouted, tears rolling down her mask. Her words echoed across the rooftops surrounding them. “Our love could cause the end of the world!” 

Chat blinked, taking a step back in surprise. “What… What do you mean?” 

Ladybug took a shaky breath, her voice barely a whisper. “A few months ago, Bunnix grabbed me and took me to the future. She wouldn’t tell me anything about the context, obviously, but the world was in pieces. Paris was destroyed. The only one left was you; you’d been akumatised…” she closed her eyes, blinking back more tears. “You told me it was because of me, because of us…” 

Chat sighed gently. He walked toward her and wrapped his arms around her tightly. "Why didn't you tell me this?" he murmured into her hair. 

"Because you'd blame yourself, I know you." 

"You mean like you're doing right now? Bug, you've got enough going on with the guardianship. You need to tell me if somethings bothering you." 

She nodded into his chest. “I know, thank you,” she murmured before she paused. “There’s more.” 

“Go on.” 

“You knew who I was. I was transformed and you called me my civilian name.” 

There was a long pause at that. “Oh,” Chat said softly. “Wow. Um, did you know who I was?” 

“I don’t know, but I think so? I think we were together.” 

Another long pause, Ladybug laughed ironically. 

“A lot to take in, right?” 

Chat chuckled lightly. “Knowing I had everything I’ve dreamed of but someone took it away, yeah, just a bit…” 

“I took it away,” Ladybug whispered and he held her tighter. 

“You did no such thing, I don’t care what akumatised me from another timeline told you, but there has to be more to it than us being in love…” he paused, his cheeks flushing. “After all, we’re in love now, aren’t we?” 

She looked up to meet his eyes, sadness drowning her blue irises. “Chat, we can’t. Not until Hawkmoth is defeated, at least…” 

Chat’s ears perked up at that. “So, after we defeat Hawkmoth, I can take you on a date?” 

Ladybug giggled, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. “Silly kitty… I guess you can.” 

Chat smiled, releasing her from his arms. Taking a few steps forward he paused. He reached his hand out to her, his loving expression making her stomach flip. 

“Well then, you and me against the entire world, right?” 

She smiled, taking his hand and entwining their fingers. “Always.” 

Hawkmoth never stood a chance.

[scaredofheroin]

Captain N - Chapter 3: It’s Dangerous To Go Alone

Pushing the large doors of Peach's Castle open, Captain N feels a new invigoration within him as he looks over the horizon. The sunlight on his face and the breeze brushing across his skin felt new in no way these senses ever had before. The rolling green hills, the almost cloudless blue sky, the hills in the distance formed in the shape of upside-down U's, the few birds flying around through the open air, the small mushroom-shaped houses. A completely new, unknown world packed to the brim with adventure and discovery. For the first time in his life, Captain N felt truly alien. By his side is a bird-pilot, a winged angel wielding a bow, and a magic Princess from a faraway kingdom. Behind the grand, wooden doors he just exited are currently a stern, stone-faced God of thunder, a gentle, angelic Goddess of light, and a bright and pink Princess of this kingdom. And the vehicles! While on his home world, Captain N's species have been limited mainly to cars and trucks, but within fifteen minutes of his arrival, he's seen a spaceship a fraction of the space shuttles of Earth, and mighty airships carrying immeasurably powerful armaments. Within a couple hours, Captain N has seen more impossibilities made possible than ever before in his entire, eighteen-year life. And to top it all off: the prophecy. This great revelation planted a swirling storm of emotions deep inside the newly dubbed hero. While he's finally achieved the level of greatness and importance he's desired for so long, it came packaged with more responsibility than he's ever held before. From hereon out, the lives of countless innocent men, women and children are counting on Captain N triumphing over an evil force he's only just been introduced to. Bowser, King K. Rool and King Dedede, and the armies they command. Gazing into the distance, Captain N imagines what else he could discover in this strange, new world named Yamajiro. Adventure will lurk around every corner, as will danger. He'll be thrust into more life-threatening situations than ever before, more risk than he could ever have imagined he would ever be trapped in. But at least he won't be alone. Looking to his three newfound allies, Pit radiated a positive determination to save the day, Falco seemed slightly bitter and ready to face the evils of Yamajiro head-on, and Princess Zelda displays a readiness to escape the confines of the castle and help in changing the world for the better.

"Are you ready, Captain?" Zelda asked, snapping Captain N's wandering mind back to the present.

"Ready as I'll ever be." He responded, fearing his nervousness seeping out of his words.

"Right, first stop: The warp zone!" Pit announced, pointing to a nonspecific point in the distance.

Captain N could hear Falco grumble about not being able to get to New Leaf Town in his trusty Arwing, but fortunately didn't complain to the group. Pit didn't seem to notice, however, and led the group on with determination. Zelda and Falco followed directly behind Pit, with Captain N in the back, still taking in the foreign scenery. Few conversation was shared as the group trekked through the grassy plains, eventually going through a small town of mushroom-shaped houses. Looking back, it concerned Captain N a slight bit more to see Peach's Castle, a symbol of fortitude and currently occupied by the two powerful deities Palutena and Raiden, shrink further into the distance. Not wanting to sink further into worry, he turned his attention to the strange houses. Some of the houses were only a single story, with the roof replaced with a red mushroom cap with white dots, while other houses were two stories tall. As Pit led the group through the town center, a small marketplace could be seen, but what was noticeably absent from the entire town were actual townspeople.

"So... what happened to everyone?" Captain N asked, breaking the silence.

Zelda sighed forlornly before turning to answer him.

"Once the airship raids began, the Toad people were evacuated to other, safer places, from New Donk City to the Kanto region. Fortunately, only the castle was targeted by the airships, but panic ensued nonetheless." She explain to Captain N, the slight waver in her voice illuminating that the memory is still a sore spot for her.

"Some of the braver Toads stayed behind to help Princess Peach, Raiden and Lady Palutena in any way they could." Pit added on, his voice more chipper in comparison. "Falco, Princess Zelda and I would do what we could, as well, but now that you're here, we could do a lot more good than wait around and wait for Bowser and crew to show their ugly faces!"

"Hey, uh, that reminds me: ...who are you all?" Captain N nervously asked, addressing the elephant in the room. With the group realizing that this was a good question to ask, the three turned to face him.

"Well, you already know that my name's Pit, but I'm also the captain of Lady Palutena's royal guard!" Pit announced, taking pride in his title. It did sting Captain N a little that Pit actually earned the title of captain, rather than taking it because it sounds cool. "I mainly use this here bow, but I'm proficient with pretty much any other weapon out there!"

"Name's Falco, currently the best pilot on this whole planet and I used to be with Star Fox squadron before they... vanished. Now I've just got my Arwing, my blaster, and my wits." Falco spoke up, leaning against a nearby light post. "You've got us too, you know!" Pit noted eagerly. Falco simply shrugged and responded with "Yeah, I guess so.". Zelda rolled her eyes a bit before introducing herself.

"And I am Zelda, Princess of the kingdom of Hyrule and ancestor of the mortal incarnation of the Goddess Hylia." Zelda introduced herself in a very curt and proper manner. With everyone properly introduced and their importance made known, Captain N felt even more out of place. His footing suddenly felt uneasy as the three pairs of eyes turned to him. "Why don't you introduce yourself to us?" Zelda suggested. Captain N's mouth felt dry, trying to figure out what best to say to make himself sound worthy of the prophecy.

"Well... my name's Peter Lavancha, and, uh... I'm... Captain N." was the best he could do, adding a slight shrug to the end of his sentence. Falco snickered to himself, Pit raised an eyebrow and Zelda seemed more confused to anything else. "...Is that it?" Zelda asked, prodding further. "...Kind of, yeah." Captain N meekly replied. "That can't be it! You're the chosen one for a reason! Are you good at fighting or good with weapons?" Pit asked, hoping to alleviate the awkwardness. This failed however, as Captain N shook his head in response. "You some kinda tech whiz, or know how to pilot? You had that weird car back there." Falco noted, referring to Captain N's currently wrecked car. "Not really, everyone my age can do that." He replied, with slight shame in his voice. "Perhaps you're a dedicated leader? Someone who can inspire people towards a common goal?" Zelda asked, eliciting only a "No, sorry" from Captain N. "Have you at least been in a fight?" Falco asked Captain N. In response, all he got was an embarrassed "...No". Falco leered at Pit, silently saying "THIS guy's gonna save the planet?". But before Falco could verbally make a snarky comment, Zelda spoke up once more.

"Well, then, if you're not currently a warrior, then surely you could become one along your journey. The weapon you're holding means you're the one who can defeat Bowser, Dedede and K. Rool." Zelda insisted, motioning to the laser pistol Captain N was holding. He wasn't feeling brave enough to stick it in his pocket yet. Captain N nodded in agreement, eyeing the pistol. "...Yeah, destiny can't be wrong, can it?" He replied, feeling a bit more upbeat. "That's the spirit!" Pit cheered, grateful the mood's lightened. Captain N eyed a road sign a good distance away from him before getting an idea. "I should get comfortable with using this thing, right?" He noted, raising the pistol and aiming at the sign. Holding his breath, he closed his left eye, looked down the sights, pulled the trigger, and a flash of light later, there was a small blast mark singed on the upper right corner, not the center he was aiming for. Captain N felt thrown off by the complete lack of recoil when he shot the pistol, due to there being no kinetic force involved in shooting lasers.

"Well, I'm sure you'll get plenty of time to practice soon." Falco noted, unimpressed with Captain N's lack of marksmanship. "For sure!" Pit added. Captain N only sighed to himself, hoping he'd do a little better. Turning back to the group, he examined the pistol further. "I think I'll call it the Zapper." He declared, admiring how the sun gleamed on its shiny surface. "You can name it whatever you want, but we really should be getting to New Leaf Town." Falco reminded him. Hastily nodding, Captain N joined Falco and Zelda in following Pit to the warp zone.

The group hike continued past the town and through the same green hills, with Captain N being too preoccupied taking in the scenery to converse with his teammates, as well as still feeling too out of place to consider them more than co-workers. Eventually, a group of large, green pipes sticking out of the ground came into view, with a vacant tollbooth in front of the pipes and signs next to each pipe. "Here we are!" Pit announced, turning back to the three others. "So... what do these do?" Captain N asked Pit. "Oh, right! It's simple, you just jump into one of them and it'll take you to where you want to go!" Pit explained. "...That's it?" Captain N asked. "That's it! Simple as that!" Pit answered.

Zelda walked over to the pipes, reading the signs. Falco idly looked inside the tollbooth, finding nothing of note. Captain N followed Zelda, getting a better look at the pipes. Despite how closely he looked, they were just big, green pipes. Apart from their sheer size, nothing stood out about them. They were smooth to the touch, so either they're made of some tough material or they get cleaned regularly. "Found it! Come here!" Zelda announced, motioning towards a specific pipe. Pit, Captain N and Falco quickly gathered, where Captain N noticed the sign read "To New Leaf Town". "I'll go first!" Pit declared, shooting up in the air and diving down into the pipe before anyone could object. A strange gulping sound accompanied Pit descending into the pipe, which made Captain N even more uneasy. "Looks like Cap here's got some cold feet, so I'll get going." Falco stated, climbing up the pipe and then diving down into it, the same gulping sound coming from the pipe. Captain N was left awkwardly standing with Zelda, wanting to go ahead, but not so sure about it. "...I'll go next." Captain N eventually spoke up, still standing in place. Zelda moved to look Captain N in the eyes, clearly concerned. "I completely understand your situation, Peter. I can't imagine how lost and alone you must feel, but I assure you we will be here to guide you on this quest." She spoke, sympathizing with him. Captain N nodded, climbed up the pipe, summoned the nerve to stick the Zapper in his right pocket, and after saying a silent prayer to himself, he jumped down.

The descent down into the warp pipe was incredibly rapid, and soon Captain N's view was pitch-black. The gulping sound only repeated three times, and after that the only sound to accompany the venture through the pipe was the air rushing past his ears. The further down he went, the colder the air around him became. He tried not to panic, being trapped in this seemingly never-ending pipe. Captain N closed his eyes and tried to send his mind to a more pleasant place. But before he could decide to focus on either his Middle School graduation or his last trip to the beach, the air around him suddenly became much warmer, the three gulping sounds ringed once more, and Captain N shot out of the pipe, falling on the dirt in front of the pipe. Thankfully, the Zapper had remained in his pocket throughout his little expedition, and hadn't been shot either. Taking a moment to adjust his eyes to the sudden sunlight and making sure which direction was down, Captain N carefully stood up, finding Falco and Pit standing close by.

"I'd give that a 3, what do you think, Pit?" Falco remarked. Pit shook his head, frowning at Falco.

"It was his first time using a warp pipe, I think he did great!" Pit shot back.

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah! He could've vomited!"

Before they could keep going, Zelda emerged from the pipe, landing much more gracefully than Captain N. "That wasn't so bad, now was it?" She asked Captain N. In response, he mulled over the overall experience briefly before concluding that, yes, all things considered, it could have been worse. Nodding in agreement, Captain N removed the Zapper from his pocket and joined Zelda, Pit and Falco on the small hill nearby. The view from the grassy hill revealed a steep decline, with a small town visible in the distance. "That's New Leaf Town, we'll find Simon Belmont there." Zelda informed Captain N.

"Wait, so who's Simon Belmont and how do we know he's here?" Captain N asked the group.

"Simon Belmont is a famous vampire hunter, who's defeated Dracula tons of times before!" Pit replied eagerly, turning to face Captain N.

"Dracula? Really?" Captain N asked, surprised by hearing a familiar name for the first time since arriving.

"Yup! Why, is he in your home world too?"

"...Kind of. Back where I'm from, he's a fictional book character."

"Well, here he's the real deal, so you better watch yourself." Falco warned.

"As for how we know he's here, Simon is a common visitor to New Leaf Town, and his arrival is commonly followed with a delivery of copious amounts of steak. Deliveries to New Leaf Town must pass through the Mushroom Kingdom first, and we found a large amount of raw steak in the most recent delivery, a few days ago." Zelda further explained. "How can Dracula be defeated more than once? I'm really confused." Captain N asked further. "Dracula can be revived after a period of time, so it's likely we'' run into him in Castlevania if we're not careful. Now, Castlevania's exact location can be difficult to determine, but again, it will be made simpler with Simon's aid." Zelda answered. Falco was leaning against a nearby tree, clearly impatient to keep going and get to town.

"I'm sorry if I'm asking a lot of questions." Captain N apologized meekly. "Hey, no worries! This is all new to you! It's good you're with us!" Pit interjected, with Zelda nodding in agreement. "Besides, there has to be a point where you're not asking questions." Falco snarked over his shoulder. "Save your comments, Lombardi." Zelda shot at him. "Whatever, let's just get going." Falco shrugged, turning back to New Leaf Town. After being joined by Zelda, Captain N and Pit at the tree, the four carefully make their way down the steep hill towards New Leaf Town.

[lovelytonys]

100 great things about megamind

basically i just watched megamind and wrote down everything that made me go “hey that’s good”

1. The opening monologue slaps I literally do not care about your “cliches” it’s GOOD

2. “8 days old and still living with my parents...pathetic right?”

3. The idea that Megamind is inherently good since his origin story should have been his dad saying he’s destined for “greatness” but the greatness got cut off uwu

4. Literally just the fact that Megamind was about to go to the Rich Nice House and his destiny changed at the last second,,,everything about this movie makes it a cinematic masterpiece

5. “A baby! How thoughtful!” “yes yes I saw it and thought of you”

6. “While they were learning the itsy bitsy spider I was learning how to dehydrate objects and rehydrate them at will”

7. When you hear the Bad to the Bone guitar riff kick in,,,,,,heck yeah babey!!

8. J.K Simmons is here! yeah!

9. Will Ferrell’s voice acting is literally SO darn good like even just from the beginning,,, the funny affectation of whatever kind of accent that is,,,,,the expressiveness of literally everything he says,,,,,I’m not actively a fan of Will Ferrell or anything but he just did a good job ok

10. “His heart is an ocean inside a bigger ocean”

11. Idk why but I just love the phrase “you fantastic fish you”

12. Metro Man is such a fun character. Like. A hero who shouldn’t be a hero, but he just….is one? Someone who’s idol-worshipped and, despite his grandeur, doesn’t exactly deserve it?

13. MEGAMIND’S CHARACTER DESIGN IS LITERALLY SO GOOD like the vivid colors of his skin and eyes? His COSTUME? His hilarious proportions, between the giant head and the skinny & scrawny everything else? Superb, you funky little alien

14. All dialogue between Megamind and Minion is god tier by default

15. The twist on “damsel in distress” where yeah the girl gets kidnapped but she is so not distressed and has the intellectual power in the situation as she roasts Megamind at every turn and he can’t combat anything she says

16. “Oh potato tomato potato tomato”

17. “I’m shaking in my BABY SEAL LEATHER BOOTS”

18. THE ENTIRE EXCHANGE BETWEEN MEGAMIND AND METRO MAN ABOUT JUSTICE AND REVENGE AND THE MICROWAVE OF EVIL AND WARRANTIES

19. “Can someone stamp my frequent kidnapping card” “You of all people know that we discontinued that”

20. The way this movie manages to SO effectively establish character while diving right into the action and keeping with a fun, fast pace? The world & characters are set up incredibly well AND the start of the journey/ “break into the new world” hits at a brisk 20 minutes? Lovely work, Dreamworks

21. When Highway to Hell kicks in with the lasers and Megamind dancing at the police,,,,,this is nothing short of priceless

22. “Imagine the most horrible terrifying evil thing you could possibly think of and multiply it…..BY SIX”

23. When you’re a supervillain who takes over the city and you say “let’s just have fun with this” to the citizens

24. *whispering behind the door* “now slam the door really hard!” *snickering like a 12 year old girl* “move they can still see you”

25. “Did you think this day would come?” “No, no not in a million years, not ever...I mean yes”

26. “That’s called a window, sir. All the kids are looking through them”

27. Crazy Train is SUCH a nice touch, the fade into Alone Again Naturally is great. The use of music in this movie is absolutely A+, MEGAMIND DID IT FIRST AND GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY AIN’T SPECIAL (jk gotg you’re so special ily)

28. The images of Megamind’s destruction & deterioration of the city are so creative and funny

29. *to a desk toy bird* “What’s your vacuum like?”  

30. “GOING OFF THE RAILS ON A CRAZY TRAIN SIR”

31. Haven’t yet mentioned how lovely the animation of Megamind’s face is! Every single frame, he’s so expressive

32. Mispronunciation of words like “school”, “Metro City”, and “melancholy”

33. This voice cast in general is so good like it’s not just big names phoning it in for an animated movie, they’re fully into it

34. Real Bernard doesn’t get much screen time but he’s hilarious

35. “Typhoon Cheese”, whatever that was gonna be

36. The juxtaposition in body language & facial expression between Real Bernard and Megamind Bernard,,,,,actually just the way Megamind’s physicality is transferred to the other characters he disguises himself as. Great stuff

37. Megamind’s off-the-walls high energy is so fun and electric

38. “This is a bad idea” “yes, a good idea for the greater good of bad” “maybe it seems good from your bad perception but from a good perception it’s just plain bad” “oh you don’t know what’s good for bad”

39. Ollo? Oh, hello

40. “I’m just yelling at my…..mother’s urn”

41. Megamind and Minion just saying “code” before things that aren’t in code. This movie is so good with its running gags, they don’t feel like “oh haha they used that joke again!” they feel like inside jokes between the characters I love it

42. Megamind fighting himself as Bernard while complimenting himself, COMEDY GOLD

43. The various occurrences of random life-altering things happening on a whim to the wrong people, like Hal getting the superpowers and earlier Metro Man being molded into a hero and Megamind landing in prison as a baby

44. The forget me stick

45. Space Dad and Space Stepmom

46. Every character Megamind inhabits always retains Megamind’s eyes

47. MR BLUE SKY PLAYING OVER HAL’S DISASTROUS TRAINING SEQUENCE AND THE FALLING IN LOVE SEQUENCE THAT INCLUDES DONKEY KONG AND MEGAMIND WEIRDLY TEXTING ON A FLIP PHONE (gotgv2 who? Don’t know her)

48. Roxanne’s positive influence making Megamind genuinely want to make the city better uwu

49. ROXANNE AND METRO MAN WERE NEVER A COUPLE! Lovely trope subversion

50. Tropes in this movie in general are so fun. This isn’t some uninspired genre parody. They don’t just subvert tropes in the exact way that you’d expect. I feel like the way that this movie plays with the superhero genre often feels unique and creative

51. Bernard’s character design kind of slaps tbh. The turtleneck, the hair, the glasses, all very nice

52. When Hal calls Roxanne “a really good looking one I’ve got my eye on” like she’s meat or something as opposed to Megamind valuing her personality…..makes ya think u know

53. T h e  b l a c k  m a m b a a a a a

54. “Maybe I don’t want to be the bad guy anymore!” and Megamind & Minion’s subsequent falling out that served as a precursor to the disastrous date with Roxanne- it happens pretty much exactly halfway through the movie. Some people look down upon following structure to a T, but sometimes it’s satisfying when a movie perfectly follows structure and this movie’s structure is flawless

55. “Good luck on your date” “I will” “That doesn’t even make any sense” “I know”

56. Right after fighting w Minion when Megamind looks in a cracked mirror and frowns at his reflection but then changes into someone else, into Bernard, and then smiles? THE CINNAMON TOGROPHY, THE STORYTELLING

57. When Hal is just an incel whose feeling of entitlement is framed as disgusting and he’s not supposed to be sympathetic and Roxanne’s rejection of him is not framed as evil but rather completely justified? VERY epic of them, this movie would have SMASHED the pop culture scene if it came out today

58. The GRAVITY of the part when Roxanne accidentally reveals Megamind in the restaurant is so powerful that I can STILL barely watch it even though I’ve seen it so many times

59. The part that immediately follows where Roxanne shuts down Megamind is SO well done. Roxanne is giving out some harsh words to our dear protagonist, but she is not framed as the bad guy. The great thing about this scene is that they let Roxanne call out Megamind on how he’s been a jerk and she gets to be RIGHT. How very cash money of them! The emotion here isn’t anger at Roxanne because she’s ~being mean~ to Megamind. It’s a sting over the fact that she’s right, and the heartbreak over the dramatic irony of us knowing that Megamind is becoming a better person and Roxanne having no idea. Now Megamind is left with a decision that will show who he truly is on the inside: he could either retreat back into safe, evil ways for the rest of time because it’s easier to be bad because then no one expects anything from him and rejection is easier to handle, or he could ultimately choose to grow from this and recognize how he was wrong and how he has to change. The execution of this midpoint is exemplary.

60. “Do you really think I’d ever be with you?” “....no” the delivery of those lines is so good

61. “You were right! I was….less right!”

62. The Black Mamba is a god tier costume and the fact that it has its own theme song in the score makes it at least 6x better

63. WHEN BACK IN BLACK KICKS IN YEAAAHHHH (Iron Man who? Don’t know her) (Iron Man was already out at this point but how fun is it that this movie used TWO iconic mcu songs)

64. Megamind in the giant suit playing with cars

65. Hal SUCKS I love how much the movie wants you to hate him

66. The difference between Megamind and Hal/Titan/Tighten is so interesting to watch. How Megamind is the self-proclaimed “bad guy” but he’s not even out to do serious damage & it’s just a game to him, while Hal is out for blood but was created to be a hero

67. “Now it’s time for witty banter” “AAAAAAAAA” “I’m not really sure where to go with that”

68. “I’M CALLING A TIME OUT”

69. Twisting the Kryptonite trope by having Metro Man make up the copper weakness

70. “Does he have a hideout? A cave? A solitary fortress?” lol I understood that reference

71. “OW! MY GIANT BLUE HEAD!”

72. Metro Man’s confession scene is so good. Really, how often do you get a hero who feels that he was forced into being a hero? That’s usually a villain trope. Does the hero ever realize he doesn’t want to be a hero….and actually quit FOR GOOD? Again, the trope subversion is awesome

73. “I have eyes that can see right through leaaaaaaaad” that’s my favorite song

74. “You left the city to HIM! No offense” “no I’m with you”

75. “There’s a yin for every yang. If there’s bad, good will rise up against it.”

76. “I say we just go all GANGSTA on him” ms tina fey i would die for you

77. Megamind turns himself in to the police, the fact that he willingly submits himself to the punishment of being a villain at this point is a lovely and stirring way of showing the sense of justice he has deep down and showing his character development

78. When Roxanne gives Megamind a desperate & compassionate pep talk over live tv no matter what it means for her reputation :*))

79. When Megamind has 88 life sentences

80. “I. Am. Sorry!” *dramatically slides down door*

81. Megamind’s heartfelt and regretful admission of all his mistakes that brings his character arc to a head? Lovely

82. “Good luck” “WE’RE GONNA D I E! Hahahaha!”

83. “There is no Easter bunny, there is no tooth fairy, and there is no queen of England.”

84. MEGAMIND’S EPIC ENTRANCE BY COMING OUT OF HIS OWN MOUTH

85. “Oh you’re a villain alright. Just not a super one.” “Oh yeah? What’s the difference?”

86. P R E S E N T A T I O N

87. METRO MAN THUNDER CALVES

88. Again with the green eyes continuity! Love that!

89. “Going somewhere? Besides jail?” *flies in a fancy pose*

90. When Megamind is ready to let everyone think Metro Man is back but Roxanne wants to see the real hero :*))

91. “This is the last time you make a fool out of me!” “I made you a hero, you did the fool thing all by yourself” SICK BURN

92. “There’s a benefit to losing. You get to learn from your mistakes”

93. WHEN THE DEHYDRATION GUN COMES IN CLUTCH

94. Minion being a drama queen lol comedy peaked in 2010

95. Minion’s Little Face

96. “GET BACK YOU SAVAGES” “Sorry he’s just not used to positive feedback!”

97. “Destiny is not the path given to us but the path we choose for ourselves”

98. When Megamind gets to parallel Metro Man’s entrance from the beginning of the movie and everyone cheers for him :*)) and he adds his own fun little twist by making a villain joke

99. “Megamind, defender of Metro City” “you know? I like the sound of that!”

100. Name a better villain to hero story. YOU CANNOT. Cinematic excellence. I am never disappointed.

[confictura2517]

Without the Void - part one

Started a small fanfic inspired by my idea that Umbra and his Operator would spare in the transference room. Not sure where I’m going with this, but we’ll see lol. Hope it’s good! 

(Sorry for the crap picture quality)

Transference happed in a bright flash of light and energy, as Berylian leapt out upon the battle ground in a wave of void energy. He landed running, black boots drumming, as he sprinted for cover. Gunfire cracked in the dry air, giving it a foreign, yet familiar, scent one he was unaccustomed to directly inhaling. The wind touched his face, paired with the splash of water drops from the small water hole to his right. Berylian slid behind a large rock, looking back as he straightened. Sliding behind cover, he straightened and looked back.

Behind, a blast of energy announced the flight of radial javelins rippling outwards, impaling the closest assailants. Their guttural growls and dialect were lost in pain filled screams as the missiles sliced through Grineer armor unhindered. The smell of blood joined the other scents.

Berylian held his breath at the scent of blood, feeling how it made his stomach twist up in knots. He centered himself, swallowing down the discomfort, and turned upon the Vomvalysts that had drawn him out. They winged past him, small energy bolts shooting towards him. Berylian slid aside and aimed, sending a stream of void energy in one’s direction. The Vomvalyst briefly quaked, then turned white, before vanishing.

The soft plop of a sentient core landing in the dirt was Berylian’s reward, and he turned upon the second.

Around him still came the sounds of fighting and dying. Close by, the grey form of Umbra leapt elegantly passed, bullets sparing through the air where he’d been seconds before.

The second Vomvalyst vanished, core dropping, and Berylian hurried to collect both. He scanned the trees growing up to the left of the watering hole. A small flash of dark metal, hovering away in the foliage, made him turn and race after it. The glimpse had been nearly lost in the fading daylight, as the sun slipped behind the horizon over the plains. Berylian loved to watch the sunrise over Eidelon, hence their arrival upon its plains sometime earlier. He’d similarly needed to visit Old Man Suumbat for several gems.

Upon leaving the large gates, ones that Berylian couldn’t look at without recalling flashes of the Orokin, they’d only travelled a short distance before being set upon by a Grineer patrol. Even from the transference room, Berylian had been able to feel the anger which instantly encapsulated Excalibur Umbra. Berylian relaxed the transference, allowing Umbra to more freely rampage after the Grineer, moving like a great righteous hurricane with his swift Skiajati. Sudden laser bolts slamming into Umbra’s back, and the unexpected pain that came with it, had made Berylian to flinch as he felt the impact through his frame. Umbra turned, allowing Berylian to spot the incoming Vomvalysts. In the moment of distraction, a Grineer opened fire, bullets piercing into Umbra’s shoulders, with the sickening thunk Berylian so hated.

Reacting upon instinct, Berylian transferred from Umbra and set upon the Vomvalysts., allowing Umbra the freedom to hunt the remaining Grineer, without the pesky sentient’s harassing him.

Now, Berylian dodged into the trees, moving light on his feet. He slid around roots and rocks, ever keeping the bobbing Vomvalyst in his sight. The cool of the wind felt alien on his exposed face, and the sound of crickets and rustling leaves was so much louder than when he was one with a frame. Brown, dried grass brushed against his legs. The sensations bordered on offsetting, but he centered himself quickly to remain on task.

Ahead, the Vomvalyst suddenly paused, releasing several shots. Berylian slid to the left and responded in kind.

Suddenly, there was a rumble. Beneath Berylian’s heel, the dirt crumbled away. He lost his balance and stumbled backwards. Something big and cold, made of living flesh and armor, impacted the rear of his shoulders. The contact was so unexpected that Berylian twisted, blindly releasing a blast of void energy. The force knocked both himself and the other thing backwards several strides.

The ghostly white Vomvalyst burst away, escaping into the night.

Berylian caught his breath as he turned and laid eyes upon the thing which had so suddenly materialized.

Not materialized. He realized with a jolt. Burrowed.

Rising to its mangled legs from the eidolon soil was a Ghoul. Its fleshy body seemed to glisten, twisted metal armoring and weapons gleaming in the dying sunlight. With a torrent of guttural shrieks, it flew at Berylian.

Berylian sent a beam of void energy straight at the thing’s head. The Ghoul did not waiver in tis attack and swung one knotty arm at him. Berylian ducked. The edge of the Ghoul’s forearm plating clipped him in the head. The headpiece Berylian wore dug painfully into his skin. Startled by the impact, he released a second blast.

The Ghoul dropped its sword. Both mutant hands rushed for Berylian’s throat. He aimed his amp, but no energy answered.

Mutated fingers clawed around Berylian’s neck, power of them knocking his slighter body backwards. Stars filled his vision, and not ones from the quickly darkening sky overhead, as he was slammed painfully against the ground. Small rocks and scratchy grass dug into the back of his suit. The Ghoul leered over him; its foul breath hot on Berylian’s face. His elbow hit the forgotten Grineer sword hilt, and he looked at it wildly, but hesitated. His fingers clutched the burly wrists connected to the hands suffocating him.

Berylian had felt the sensation of choking before. The memory was sharp and painful, the panic that came with it like fire in his blood. His vision fragmented between seeing the stalker looming over him, and the reality of the ghoul. No! Berylian would have screamed if he could breathe.

A paralyzingly howl split the plain around them. The energy it caused made the air feel like electricity. Berylian saw white light from the deafening sound. Before him, the ghoul was sent careening over Berylian’s head and it hit the ground. The impact jolted the Ghoul’s hands from his throat. Cold air slapped Berylian as he choked in several breaths. The stars dotting his vision began to clear. He gasped, staring up at the now dark sky overhead. Storm clouds were gathering. Moonlight escaped through a thin spot and edged the overcast in silvery light which illuminated the sparse trees surrounding the short area. Rocks looked like glass, the nearby watering hole like Fortuna coolant.

Coughing made Berylian roll to his knees, hand touching his throat. His jacket had protected his skin from damage. Suddenly, there was a sharp zing of flesh being cleaved, and warm drops splattered across Berylian’s face. He jerked at the unexpected contact, realizing it was hot, Ghoul blood running down his cheek. The understanding twisted his stomach into a thousand knots. This, and the shock from memory of the stalker, made him heave.

Cool, bone-breaking strong fingers, ones that were now impossibly gentle, gripped Berylian’s shoulders. Wiping his mouth upon his sleeve, Berylian turned to meet the angry, concerned tilt of Umbra’s helm as the Warframe studied him.

“I’m fine,” Berylian coughed.

Unconvinced, Umbra’s hands quickly patted down Berylian’s arms and chest, ascertaining himself in his own way that the Operator was telling the truth.

“I promise,” Berylian added, but didn’t stop Umbra.

Upon finding no injury, Umbra abruptly scooped Berylian into his arms and began to walk with long, swift strides to the water hole. He paused, gently setting Berylian down on his feet, and stooped to dip his cupped hands in the water. Lifting a handful of water, he washed the blood from the Operator’s face.

Berylian held his breath as Umbra did, willing himself to not hurl again in front of the Warframe. Normally he had better control over the reaction to blood, but the sensation of the Ghoul’s blood seemed to burn his skin. The cold water helped, but his skin still seemed to be pulsing where the substance had dripped. He glanced back into the trees and saw the remains of the Ghoul now gutted and strewn across the dry grass. The cleaves clearly delivered by Umbra’s Skiajati.

Umbra finished his self-appointed task and gripped Berylian’s shoulder. Berylian looked up into the expressionless helm, and swore he saw anger and concern written across it more plainly than any frown of lips or crease of a brow could convey.

“I promise,” Berylian replied. “I’m fine. I didn’t have any energy for a void beam.”

Umbra nodded once and let go. Berylian felt gentle pressure in his mind, originating from the sensation of the transference link. Realizing what Umbra wanted, he obliged, vanishing in a burst of energy and light. Umbra stood alone now upon the plains, surrounded by the wreckage of the attack. He silently summoned the archwing. It appeared above, adhering to his body as he leapt skywards. The thrusters roared as he streaked back across the plains towards Cetus. The cold air washed across his armor, sending river lets of Grineer blood streaking across his dark body. They reached Cetus quickly, and Umbra boarded the drop ship to return to the orbiter.

Siting within the Transference room, Berylian frowned at the unexpected action, but did not raise protest. Instead, he severed the link and stepped from the pod.

“Operator, is everything – is that blood?” Ordis’s voice spiked aggressively.

Berylian looked down, realizing Ghoul blood streaked his jacket. “No,” he quickly replied and hurried to the personal quarters to change. Ordis began ranting about safety, words which Berylian hardly heard as he quickly shrugged out of the jacket and pulled on a fresh one.

“ – What madness might have possessed you to put yourself in harm’s way – I will slaughter the Grineer who – I am so sorry, though, I do say that the Grineer – Must pay for trying to harm the Operator – “

“Ordis I’m fine,” Berylian quickly interrupted. He was about to continue when he felt the unmistakable shudder of the Orbiter’s plating as the drop ship reattached. Moments later, the entrance to the personal quarters folded back and Umbra strode in.

Instantly Ordis’s voice filled the room with sharp reprimands, interrupting himself with angry threats, at the sight of the Warframe. Grineer blood made red trails across the dark armor, smeared by the wind of the archwing. Burns marked the impact sights of bullets and lasers alike. The bioflesh making up Umbra’s body was already starting to form small ridges and bumps where bullets had penetrated. Soon, Berylian knew, the bullets would be forced back out of his flesh as the wounds automatically knit themselves closed. Blood had soaked into the grey scarf wrapped snuggly around Umbra’s neck.

“ – How could you allow the operator to be placed in harm’s way?” Ordis was screeching. “He might have been lost again - you useless - ”

A formidable growl, rising in ire, rippled out of Umbra, silencing Ordis’s insults instantly. The cephalon made several scratching noises, like a tape resetting, as his demeanor became reserved once more.

Umbra gently brushed past Berylian to the somachord station. He lifted a small screen lying there and turned around, typing out words across it, before holding it out to Berylian.

Accepting it, Berylian read it.

What happened?

Feeling suddenly sheepish in light of the incident, Berylian explained.

Umbra took the screen back, erased the question, and wrote a new one.

Why did you not utilize the Ghoul’s discarded weapon?

Berylian frowned, thoughts rushing back to the moment, and recalled the fallen sword. He gave a helpless shrug. “The Orokin they…they only taught us with weapons used by the warframes.”

The tilt of Umbra’s helm betrayed surprise, mixed with a sudden loathing. A soft growl left him and he typed aggressively upon the screen.

You do not know how to use weapons yourself?

“I understand the theory, the application of them,” Berylian explained guiltily. “But – no – the Orokin were only interested in us learning to control the warframes. We can use the void; they never saw a need to give us weapons.”

Umbra was shaking his head and typing before Berylian finished. Just as my void abilities, yours require energy. Were you being drained of such energy; how would you survive? If cut off from your Warframes, from me, how would you defend yourself without energy?

Berylian could only manage another shrug of the shoulders. But he swallowed, implication of Umbra’s statement sinking in. Even Ordis seemed silenced for once.

After a pause, one during which it seemed Umbra felt his point had been made, he typed again.

Does any weapon in the arsenal catch your eye?

There was a tongue-tied pause. Berylian sucked on his cheek, considering the question. “The Skana?” he looked up. “Every tenno’s first Warframe used one. That or a bowstaff.”

A dash of humor was exposed in the hold of Umbra’s shoulders. A bowstaff would be too much too soon. You are not tall enough to effectively wield one. The Skana is a sound choice. It is a light and quick blade, and not too large, yet effective. You must learn to wield it.

“You’re going to teach me?”

Umbra’s demeanor almost seemed offended that the Operator had to ask. He held up the screen after a moment of pointed typing.

Yes. I will fetch the Skana.

“Wait, now?” Berylian jumped to lay a hand on Umbra’s arm as the Warframe turned to leave. “But you’re injured.”

The regal angle to Umbra’s helm announced he considered himself to be fine.

A glance at the still bloody exterior of Umbra’s body, and the ridges forming where his flesh sought to force out the bullets, made Berylian quickly lie; “I’m tired. Can we not start upon the morrow?”

“Yes,” Ordis bustled. “The operator requires rest.”

Umbra hesitated, angle of his jaw showing reluctance to stand down.

Berylian pretended to yawn.

Demeanor clearly stating that he saw through the façade clear as glass, Umbra nodded once. Tomorrow.

[cruddyborderlandstheories]

“So Happy Together” Analysis

i don’t sleep

tl;dr: tbh not much to go off on about. i think we see a new skin for Iron Bear, one with some stripes. amara smiles, i do talk a little bit about little sisters in bioshock but tbh i think this was all just a stylistic choice lol. oh and handsome jack’s masks- probably Mount Jackmore. i don’t want to get to freaked out over jack returning, but damn gearbox lol u had me there for a second. im pretty sure it’s just a reused cut quest from bl2 that they never got to implement. 

EDIT: here’s all the cut content in bl2 (plus all the non-cut content as well for funsies). you can go to the cut quests and see the audio files for claptrap’s jackmore quest

holy shit can i just vomit all my emotions rn, they’re all good so imma do that so im rational when i start analyzing stuff okay? okay! 

holy shit that was fucking great and im really glad i tempered my expectations to something smaller than i thought because i feel bad for people expecting something huge, i was under the assumption we’d be getting a new mechanic that was like ‘choose ur +1 and they’ll be able to play the game with you if you’re both online even if they don’t have the game’ which was what someone said on reddit. altho im sure the poor company is gonna get spammed now with hate like ‘WTF YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE BUILT THIS UP AAAA’. not to lie, i was slightly disappointed it wasn’t a longer stream, but i mean if they’ve got nothing to announce, they’ve got nothing to announce and HEY! new trailer!!! gonna be combing thru on the assumption this has some easter eggs like the MoM trailer did, just in case. i thought it was a cute trailer, gearbox never explicitly said what it was gonna be, a lot people all just assumed what was gonna happen was a demo/beta which sucks so i hope this doesn’t negatively impact people’s perspective of the game. im staying off reddit for now bc when i first checked it people were pretty pissed and i dun need that negativity lmao

okay! emotions are LOCKED behind closed doors. i am shifting into study mode. here we go boys/girls/those of us who know better. haven’t done one of these in a while, let’s see if im rusty at all.

claptrap! and the skull on the chair which reminds me of tyreen’s “favorite skull”. 

tv says “we are under attack, please stand by”

and afaik claptrap is near the beginning of the game, you can see part of the recruitment center behind him when the camera pans.

im thinking there might be something in the roses, specifically the hand-drawn roses later on in the trailer. will be keeping an eye open for that.

this is specifically a jakobs brand chest. i really like the see-through aesthetic of it

intro area of the game again. possible hint to the opening cutscene? tbh i was worried that’s what we were about to get because i haven’t finished the roughs of my mock up lol

so what i didn’t notice my first time through is that you can then see claptrap, also being shown in the chest

waving up at the camera. that’s not trippy at all or anything lol

this car in the foreground (with no one driving it, mind you)

randomly combusts, looking quite like elpis in that one shot of the claptrap presents pandora trailer. wonder if that means it’s gonna ‘splode.

ohhh it spins. please no spin imma get motion sick blech

shot of some cultists. one appears to have a jetpack near the bottom right there

another explosion to the beat

the shock wave!!!! that’s awesome

shock nomads cultists are back. f in chat for our shields

another cultist seconds before he gets blown to bits

it cuts to black for a secco as it moves thru said explosion

another cultist, i assume a psycho

finally some good fucking angles

heh.

idk what i expected from someone who’s first action skill line i ever heard was them shouting MAGIC WALL!!! TAAAADAAAAAAAAH

as a side note

who is shooting those lasers

we see them coming from behind the VHs, but

there’s nothing there

SPOOKY~

they’re coming from... the wall???

tfw u shot urself in the foot on accident

amara is not amused

`is this some human custom i don’t understand yet`

also i hate that i’ve done this exact dance before when i took dance classes as a kid

with less style of course, i was like 7

moze is into it, hell yeah

this reminds me a lot of Kingsman. where all the blood is like fireworks and stuff. i wonder if that has anything to do with the psycho brainwashing. like little sisters in bioshock. they see roses instead of blood, right? maybe there’s something like that going on with the psychos

i’d certainly hope our vault hunters aren’t brainwashed, anyway.

this dude looking SHOCKED to see that tho, lmfao

i relate to this man on a spiritual level i stg

man he looks pissed

omfg lol

“um”

“i guess this is okay”

the body language in this is gold i am just having the time of my life

adsfdgfhgjhgfk

this is so cute

also in retrospect, i think this is one of the turrets we see on promethea. i wonder what it’s doing here!

moze u ok?

oh nvm she’s into it, look at her! she’s dancing! She’s Dancin’!

oooo one of the robots from the we are mayhem trailer! okay you can totally see why i think they’re jakobs, RIGHT???

iirc this is a maliwan soldier

man this is a crossover event, isn’t it?

i get it now. togetherness. i gotchu gearbox.

some maliwan ships in the sky. possibly sanc-iii on the right? or a ship of the same model as sanc-iii!

this is a magitek dropship, change my mind

eh, they both start with M, fuck it.

no idea what fl4k is doing here

mayyyybe shielding themselves from the ‘firework’/confetti shower

i like that the confetti explosions are backed up by purple, you know like eridium/slag/siren powers. seriously, maybe this is just how to cultists see us Vault Hunters and the mass murder.

at the very least, the psychos.

fl4k’s into it. i wish we knew the name of their skag, if it has one. i hope it does.

well now the lasers are coming from the other side! what the hell

moving on

i think this is the HBC from the speakers, plus im pretty sure that skull and the stained glass are the entrance to mouthpiece’s arena

we also get a different colored explosion. im paranoid jack is somehow making a return (please god no), so i’ll just note it’s the same color as his eyes.

AND the chests are vomiting out gold guns, which i think, gold-plated gear, is the cult’s way of signifying standing. which im sure is a tongue-in-cheek commentary as gearbox gives out a gold weapon pack as a pre-order bonus. no, like, it even shows up as an ad on the video

smh gearbox lmao

oh, also, the cultists are doing fuckin flying impressions

im not saying its a reference to the cultist with rakk wings on the cover, buuuut

bitch it might be lol

it’s an upside-down vault symbol! ive been trying to figure out what that is in those screens for the longest time!

back on promethea and we get to see fl4k’s spiderant in action

their skag, too, of course

the jabbermon in the back there, too! i wonder if they’re going to be shock or cryo. i would imagine shock given how they’re glowing

also i love the way the flowers look in contrast to the character models

moze is so happy aw

i love the way fl4k’s skag comes flying in and slides to a stop. such a good doggo ;-;

this is beautiful, i want it as a wallpaper

moze skipping? holy shit

100% verified the best thing i’ve ever seen

i lied. this is.

is this the fast travel station effect?

also! IB is looking a bit different

i wonder if this is a redesign or if IB is wearing a new skin moze picked out

pan over to zane who clearly doesn’t notice the being of darkness and horror in the doorway

oh also, we’re on eden-6 now. which would explain the fast travel effect

psychos dancing on the rooftops lol

oh god my eyes

nothing to really say here, i just like this screenshot

pink shields booyah

this is so fucking cute

we also get a better look at that one facility on eden-6

is that... red i see? >w> i won’t say it i won’t i won’t say it i swear i just- ATLAS

fuck

i like that zane’s clone spawns with his melee attachment

not AS excited as the real life version though

GB pls let this be a zane emote

is that a varkid? on eden-6?

wtf is a varkid doing on eden-6???

more shots of the facility btw. reminds me a lot of sanc-iii so maybe this actually is the supamax mfg construction facility like i originally thought. hmmmmmmm

ah yes, of course

holy shit what is this a reference to?

im told it’s the sex pistols

the back of the bullet turns into Athenas

pans in

amara!

enemy with a top hat on. some variation of/upgraded gravedigger? it’s like a psycho but recolored with blue pants and a top hat. you can see it fall off when amara shoots him

y’know, these guys

some rakk in the background

i am hoping bc this is a celebration of togetherness we’re seeing all enemies everywhere, not that the planets don’t have their own unique fauna.

she’s so happy omfg

oh, you want some?

Uhhh then there’s THIS sequence

they’re doing the flying thing again lmao

there’s also whatever that black blob is on the left. a spaceship maybe?

car wheel

all their eyes started glowing red. uh oh gamers

also another fast travel effect

hmmmm... zarpedon is that you??

back on pandora.

“super 87 racetrack”, maybe this is near that motorcade fast travel we saw?

huzzah! rainbows!

i do believe that’s sanctuary-iii

another ship. drop ship?

elpis is looking nice this time of year. definitely not explode-y. yet.

pret-ty sure that’s iron bear. moze is standing atop the tower lmao

also! back to it’s old paint scheme. looks like moze was using a skin or smth

we also have this. are my eyes failing me or is that a big cross on the left? could be where jack was buried. 

also i know there was cut content in bl2 about Mount Jackmore! and this looks like a Mount Jackmore to me. it’s a cut quest where claptrap asks you to basically ruin the thing. but since the quest was cut, it’s still here in bl3. maybe they’ll reintegrate the quest lol

i can’t imagine it being roland’s gravesite. because it looks like the below.

i do know we’re going to roland’s grave in bl3, but the statues don’t really match up. maybe it is and the statues were broken, or ruined or something and replaced by a cross. could be then that the gravesite was defaced with, well, the guy that killed him. 

im really hoping jack doesn’t make a return. im fine with dealing with what he set in motion, and his influence, and probably even some ECHO logs and movie trailers, but please, for the love of god, don’t actually bring him back, AI or otherwise. im really excited for the calypso twins, i’d really hate to see the focus shift back to that guy. he’s had his fingers in every borderlands game. it’s time to let him go.

idk what this is exactly. it looks like maybe that weird eye bot troy stands next to in the intro for the behind closed doors panel?

goodbye mr magical jakobs chest, it’s been real

the RC now has red drapes going down it. have those always been there? i don’t remember those

hmmmmmmmmm maybe we’re looking at it from the back 🤔

anyway, that’s all she wrote. i haven’t see any hidden morse code messages or anything yet, but if something surfaces, i’ll be sure to add it here.

[another-fallout-blog]

First kiss thing but for fallout 4 companions?x

(Sure! Lets do this. X6 was hard to write for since hes so emotionless, but I think I made it work. Sorry for the length! Hope it makes it worth the wait atleast)

Hancock:  Sole stopped Hancock after a difficult mission. “Your thoughts?”

Hancock held back a smile and began speaking “A ghoul walks into a bar, the bartender stops him and says “Hey we don’t serve ghouls here. The ghoul says “That's okay, is the human fresh?” “Sole giggled slightly and smiled as they sat down behind some broken cover. 

“You know that's not what I meant Hancock.” Sole says looking up at the sky. 

“Alright alright let me put on my serious hat.” Hancock says, tightening his hat. “I guess all I’m thinking is that this stuff is gettin harder. I’m worried you won’t be able to keep up with me.” Hancock says with a smile.

“I’ll be fine as long as you are Hancock. Your a good man to have at my back, and I’ll make sure I can protect yours too.”

“Well as much as I love hearing about how good I am, you might want to find better partners eventually. A chem hitting ghoul isn’t exactly the best companion, even one with a mug as handsome as mine. If anything in the end of it I’ll just get in the way.” Hancock suddenly felt Sole grab his hand as they leaned close.

“Hancock, you won’t get in the way. You’ve been a very good friend of mine since we met, and I care about you. I’m so glad your a part of my life, I want you to know that. Okay?” Hancock didn’t know what to say, looking into Soles caring eyes he knew Sole wasn’t lieing. So, Hancock just followed his gut and leaned in for a kiss. Whether it was all the jet in his system or just being so close to Sole, he didn’t want to stop kissing them either. He held onto the side of their face as Sole leaned into it. They stayed like this until finally a distant gunshot reminded them of where they were and they seperated. Soles face was red as fire from blushing. Hancock, always being the wise one, spoke first.

“Well, you sure how to make a ghoul feel human.”

Preston:  Preston sat at the edge of sanctuary, looking out at some of the plants they had farmed. This community can thrive with the generals help. He missed being with them, but he understood that they had bigger fish to fry sometimes. Suddenly, he heared their voice call out. “I need a little help here!”

Preston looked over and saw Sole limping towards the settlement, and Preston ran over and sat them down, reading his laser musket in case something came to surprise them. “General! What happened to you out there?”

“I went out, and a settlement got attacked by super mutants. I held them off but I had to get back here, they had so little supplies I didn’t want them to use em on me when they had much better stuff to use em for.”

“General… You could have gotten yourself killed like that. Your lucky your injuries are only minor. You need to be more careful.”

“Its okay Preston, I promise. I’m sure if something happens to me you’ll be more than able to keep things going.” Sole said, looking out at the settlement.

“Gen- … Sole, They need you. I need you. Your the best thing that ever happened to this wasteland, and the best thing that ever happened to me. You can’t throw that all away. The minutemen need you. The commonwealth needs you.”

“Preston…” Sole suddenly leaned in and kissed Preston gently, and pulled away after a second, resting their forehead against Prestons. “What did I ever do to deserve you?”

Preston, heart racing responded quietly. “I’ve been asking myself that about you for a long time.”

Piper:  Piper sat with a cigarette hanging out of her mouth as Sole loaded some of their weapons to prepare for oncoming battles. Night had come, and the stars hung over them like diamonds in the sky.   But tonight the stars didn’t seem so great. She couldn’t get something out of her head. She turned to Sole. “Hey Sole what do you think of Nat?”

“They’re like you, strong and dedicated. I’m sure she’ll be great when she grows up.” Sole said, continuing to work on their weapons.

“That’s what I’m afraid of.” Piper said, looking down. “What if she ends up like me? I can handle this dangerous life, but what if… What if she gets hurt? And it’s all my fault? I don’t want her to be like me, I’m…” Piper looks down at the ground, flicking her cigarette away. “…nothing good.”

Sole pat Piper on the shoulder “That’s not true Piper, your wonderful. You work hard to save the city and the commonwealth, even when its dangerous for you. You keep going when no one else wants too, even when people tell you to stop you keep working for the better good. The commonwealth could use a few more of you.”

“Thanks Blue, you always seem to know what to say.” Piper said, looking into Soles eyes. They stayed like this for a moment, and suddenly Sole went in for a kiss. Pipers face got immediately red but she didn’t stop it at first. Finally, she pulled away. “W-w-wow Blue y-you really k-know how to m-make me feel better,” Piper said, heart and mind racing.

[Nick, Curie, Deacon, MacCready, Danse, X6 and Cait in keep reading link/under cut!]

Nick:  Nick sat in his office, reading the newspaper. He hadn’t seen Sole in a while after they took down Kellogg and got the lead of wheres Soles son was, they left Nick behind to pursue their son. He didn’t blame Sole, they had a big mission ahead of them. Although he did miss their antics and banter. He leaned back in his chair and continued reading, until suddenly he heard his door open and he saw Soles head come in as they walked through the door and sat on the floor, leaning against the wall. Nick lowered his paper and looked at Sole, and got up. “What’s wrong?”

“My son he’s….” Sole looked down. “…I wouldn’t even know where to begin.” Sole was clearly in a state, whether it was sad or confused or… a mix of everything Nick wasn’t sure. But he was sure Sole needed them. Nick sat down next to them. 

“Well, at least you found him. Or found some answers. That’s better than most people around here get. And your strong for getting this far, especially after all you’ve been through.” Nick said, looking at Sole. Sole nodded and leaned their head on Nicks shoulder.

“I’ve met so many new people, found so many friends but… at the same time I feel so alone in the world.” Sole said quietly. Nick sighed and kissed Sole on top of the head.

“I’m here for you Sole, don’t forget that.” Sole looked up at Nick and gave them a small kiss. It wasn’t a kiss of romance, but it was a kiss of a great connection. Of togetherness. One they both needed.

Curie: Curie stood up, examing her new body. Everything was so different! So new! So… amazing! She felt her heart beating in her chest, she could feel her hair on her head, the soft skin on her cheeks. Everything was so much more… Real. She looked up and saw Sole, who was smiling. Curie felt her heart start racing. “This is all so… new and wonderful! I don’t know how humans can be like this their whole lives and not smile forever!” Curie said, feeling her clothes.

Sole laughed slightly and Curie looked up. Sole was so happy. “I’m glad you like your new body  Curie. I’m so relieved you like it.”

Curie smiled, and gave Sole a hug. Every since Sole came into their life, everything has been so much more vibrant. They let her see the night sky, the irradiated birds and the bees. Now Sole has given Curie a chance to feel and see all these things like a human. She looked up at Sole who smiled down at her.  Curie couldn’t help it, she kissed Sole. It made her heart beat more, like it could explode in her heart. Both of them could hardly stop smiling and laughing while they kissed. For once, the wasteland didn’t seem so bad.

Deacon: Sole and Deacon sat on the small ledge inside the railroad hideout. It had been a long week full of saving synths and protecting the innocent. Neither of them would have had it any other way though. But Deacon saw there was something wrong today, something wrong with Sole. They stared at the ground, their eyes half opened as if they were thinking sad thoughts. Deacon finally spoke. “That ground is really vibrant aye?” Deacon joked, acting like he was staring at the ground as well. Sole rolled her eyes, smiling slightly for a moment. “What is it Sole? Somethings the matter, and were a team. So maybe you should let a team mate help you out.”

Sole looked up at Deacon, and then looked back at the wall. “Thats the problem Deacon, We’ve been a team for so long but I still don’t seem to know you at all. You lie to me all the time, play tricks on me by purposely telling me things that aren’t true. I know part of it is so no one knows who you are when our undercover but at the same time…” Sole looked away. “I’m not even sure what your real feelings for anything or anyone are.” 

Deacon looked down at his hands for a moment. Its true, he had been doing those things to Sole. Of course they’d be upset, why didn’t he consider that sooner?  He sighed and after a moment of gathering the words in his head, he spoke. “I know I lie a lot, and sometimes I don’t always act the handsome gentleman I look like. But theres one thing  I will never lie about to you Sole.” He placed his hand on Soles. And they looked each other in the eyes. “So listen to me when I say it please. I care about you, and no matter what I say afterward nothing will change how I feel about you.” Sole looked down for a moment. 

“Thank you Deacon, that really does mean a lot to me.”  Sole said. “I’m sorry I doubted you, its just… Well being a team really made me care about you too. And I wanted to make sure that we weren’t gonna fall apart one day.” Deacon leaned in suddenly, and carefully kissed Sole. It was gentle, but it helped reassure Sole that this team wouldn’t ever fall apart. 

MacCready: MacCready rushed through the sewers, he saw the dead feral ghouls but knew there was more up ahead. How did he let himself get separated from Sole? How could he let another person he care about slip out of his hands? First Lucy, now Sole…  Finally, he saw them with their pip boy light illuminating the dark tunnels. They were fighting off the last few feral ghouls, Sole covered in blood that was a mix of their own and the ghouls. He shot down the rest of the ghouls quickly and ran over to Sole grabbing their shoulders. He had to make sure they were alive, he had to make sure they were real. “Sole are you okay? I’m so sorry I left you behind, I got distracted. I’ll never do it again I swear, please tell me your okay!” MacCready yelled desperately.

“Yes! Yes I’m okay MacCready. Why-” Sole looked around at the ghouls and realized what was wrong. Their voice got softer. “I’m okay MacCready, were alive.” MacCready looked into Soles eyes and suddenly kissed them, pulling them close. He kept them close, he wanted to keep this feeling. This feeling of togetherness, asssured him that they were both still alive. And they they could stay alive.  Which was all he wanted at that moment.

Danse: Danse shot down the oncoming enemies quickly and easily. These raiders and ghouls were no match for his powerful weaponry and power armor. And he knew Sole had his back, or atleast he thought he knew that. The battle was almost over as he felt hands suddenly grabbing the back of his power armor. He turned and knocked away the feral ghouls that had come behind him and shot them down. Where had Sole gone? Danse finished off the last few and looked around once more, now having a better chance to examine the area for his lost ally. Then he realized they were still behind him, although now they were laying on the ground wheezing slightly. Danse picked them up quickly. “Are you alright soldier? What happened?”

“S-sorry… Danse… guess I’m still not used to this hard combat yet am I? I did my best to protect you… but I failed.  Like I fail to protect everyone I care about..” Danse saw Sole look weak and dissapointed in themselves in his arms. Sole had kept with Danse for so long, and kept reassuring him of his importance. He never realized that Sole was having a hard time reassuring themselves.

“Soldier… Sole, look I shouldn’t have expected so much of you. But you continue to exceed expectations. You fought as good as any soldier with power armor and a gattling laser with your normal armor and weaponary. You should be proud. You protected me to the best of your strength, and I could not ask for more than that. And I hope in future, you will tell me when you need me to carry you before you fall.” Danse spoke in his strong voice, but it had a caring tone to it as he looked at Sole in his arms. Sole smiled.

“What did I ever do to deserve you Danse?”  

“You deserve alot better than me.” Danse said, looking away. Sole leaned up and kissed Danse gently. They were both strong, but for a moment they were weak.

Cait: Cait chucked another thing of jet into the ocean, trying to see how far she could get it to go. She heard Soles footsteps come up onto the dock behind her. “Cait? Whats going on?”

“I want to make sure I never get addicted ever again. So I’m throwin it away where I can’t get it without drownin.” Cait said, chucking another thing of jet. Sole stood next to them for a moment, and then began helping them toss the drugs out into the ocean.Cait smiled but then held one of the drugs in her hand, and looked at Sole.  Sole had done so much for her, and yet she would never have a way to repay her. Sole always said that they didn’t need to be repaid, but… “You don’t have to do this with me. I know how sorry I must look.”

“I want to help you with this Cait.”

“Thats the problem! Ya keep helping me but I can’t help ya back, I can’t make you feel about me how I feel about you! I can’t repay you, I can’t make you feel warm inside. I can’t make you feel good, yet you keep doing things for me!” Cait yelled and threw another jet high into the air and letting it splash into the water.

Sole put their hand on Caits shoulder.  “Cait, thats not true. Helping you and being with you is the best gift you could ever give me. I love being with you, I love helping you, I love you Cait!” Sole said, not thinking their words through.

“Y-you… You love me?” Cait whispered. Sole realized what they said and their face went red. “You really do?”

“Of course Cait, but… If you don’t feel the same way I won’t blame you. Don’t feel like-” Sole was interuppted by Cait kissing them. Sole was surprised and Cait said something both jokingly and filled with happiness.

“You talk to much.” Cait whispered and kissed Sole again.

X6-88: X6 scanned the area. Him and Sole had split up to cover more ground, and he could tell that Sole had gone through the area since the hostile targets had been disposed of. But he still couldn’t find them, perhaps they had found a place to rest. Or maybe they were waiting for him to find them, he accepted the challenge. He continued his searched until he pushed open a door thad had various objects stacked on the other side. Inside the previously barricaded rooom was Sole, on the ground and with a huge wound in their side. It looked like they had tried various things to treat it, but failed.

X6 felt something. Which made him confused. He already felt awful seeing his leader and companion injured on the ground. But why did he feel something so strange? He wasn’t suppoed to feel. But he was. He went over quickly to Sole, and put pressure on their wound. “What happened? Can you walk?” X6 asked, keeping his voice robotic.

“Damned raider pushed me into a trap. I got him but the trap got me before I got him. I set up a barricade incase more came and have been trying to get this wound to stop hurting. And… Yeah I think I’ll be able to walk now. I might need a little help if you don’t mind X6.” Sole said, holding their side.

“Of course not.” X6, attempting to help Sole to their feet. But Sole fell again, letting out a pained yelp. X6 didn’t understand, he didn’t feel pain like humans did. He wasn’t supposed to feel anything. But he was feeling something. What was it? He scanned his memory, trying to figure out what emotion this could be. He needed to report this to the Insitute so it could be repaired. As he scanned his memory, he went on his knees next to Sole. 

“S-sorry I failed you X6. I failed you and the Institute. I failed my son… I failed everyone…” Sole said, looking down. X6 knew these patterns. Weakness, paling of skin, admitting mistakes. Sole was dieing. He realized his emotions, desperation. He could let Sole go. 

“Sole you must stay alive. Father needs you, the Institute needs you.” X6 struggled to say it. How could he? It went against everything he was made for, everything he believed he was. But he wasn’t emotionless. Atleast, not entirely. “I need you.”

Sole wrapped their arms around X6.  “I’ll… I’ll try X6.” Sole was so close. They looked up at X6.  What was he supposed to do? Maybe this was a new code he just hadn’t encoutered before. Yes, he assured himself, he was simply coded to be able to comfort and give Sole affection and emotions to be a better companion. Nothing more. So he let himself embrance himself for a moment, and kissed Sole. They were both surprised. 

“Sorry. I hope that made you feel a bit better.” X6 assured himself that it was the only reason he did it. To make Sole feel better. Nothing more.

“Y-yeah… It did. Lets… Lets go X6.”

[perseusky]

Taking a Risk. (NOT FINISHED!!!)

Paring: Peter Parker x Dom! Fem! Alpha Reader

Words: unknown

Warnings:Smut, Dom/Sub, oral, biting, scratching, orgasm denial, In heat.

Summary: peter never got that many chances out of his hero life to experience thrilling risks and feelings, that is until he met you. A vinx, a beauty, who showed him more than how to have fun. Maybe you’ll even find out each other’s secret identities.;)

Peter was never one to take risks,

Or at least ones that didn’t seem too drastic. He never took risks that involved his identity, or doing things he’d get in MAJOR trouble for in school, since he wanted to go to college and get a great job (other than being a superhero and saving the day) to help his aunt!

Peter was always so stressed with hero work and regular school and life work. Helping aunt may as much as he could with bills and any chores. Getting great grades in school, and keeping his neighborhood safe.

You could say peter never really had time for himself.

That’s what he always went by, “save the day without too many risks. Also help aunt may.”

That was, until he met you.

A cunning, ambitious, brave, tactical, sarcastic beauty. A girl who took no ones shit! A girl who had a title, and not a bad one at that. More of a, fitting name for someone as you.

That title, known around big neighborhood, but small school was, Alpha Female. Which didn’t really make sense, since he didn’t know what it stood for, along with how you got the title.

“Peter, come on. You’re gonna be late for school! Again!”

The voice of his aunt disrupted his train of thoughts filled with you.

Groggily, he took a moment to process what his aunt had just said, until he strained his neck to the side, over to look at his clock on his night stan.

He shot out of bed with wide eyes, after seeing how late he was. Quickly, he ran over to a pile of clean (or dirty, he doesn’t know) clothes on the floor next to his door.

Picking out a random shirt and jeans, along with a pair of shoes. He brushed his hair in his mirror, and after making his hair a bit more presentable, he ran down his apartment stairs, jumping off the last step. He took ahold of his backpack straps to steady his labored breaths and to calm down his rising anxiety. Saying a quick “Bye aunt may, love you!” And running out the door before hearing a reply, knowing his aunt would yell at him to leave already before he’s late even more.

Now, alone with the chilling fall breeze, he put in his old and broken ear phones. They still worked perfectly, since peter knew how to fix them when needed, but also knew how to take care of things more than others since he had less than them.

Choosing a happy song, he couldn’t help but smile. This song was his favorite, since it reminded him of you!

She's a Killer Queen

Gunpowder, gelatine

Dynamite with a laser beam

Guaranteed to blow your mind

Anytime

Suddenly feeling a sensation of some force sucking him into a gravity defying state.

Knowing that he would fall from such a force and make a fool of himself, he quickly shut his eyes.

He could have caught himself, but peters so used to not being able too, he forgot!

Than he felt something comforting wrap around him like a warm blanket. Warm and inviting.

Peter slowly opened his closed shut eyes, only to see the blue awakening sky.

He felt at peace for a moment, out of the stressful morning and day to come.

That was all ruined when that sudden defying gravity feeling, shouted at him.

“EH!”

Peter yelled out at the sudden disturbance, looking up. From the cover of his eyes he could see tresses of (h/c) floating around his face.

This certainly caught his attention, since there was only one person who had that type of hair.

Well, from what he remembered anyways. (This will sound dumb if you have brunette/brown/black or any regular hair color, but I have to add people with colored hair dont I?)

With sudden realization of what happened during his daze, he jerked his head towards you.

Which startled you since you thought he fainted, only to feel him move and stare at you with a surprised look. In your moment of shock, you didn’t realize that you dropped his body.

Which resulted in him groaning and holding his ribs in pain.

“Ughhhh...” Peter has just went up against one of his enemies last night (of course, without aunt may knowing).

That’s why he was so sore.

And also because he may or may not have jerked off to your Instagram picture, where you wore only a tight and small fitted bikini.

Thinking back on it, he couldn’t help the blush rising up from his neck all the way up towards his already rosy cheeks.

As you helped him up after your little out of space moment, you couldn’t help but blush at feeling his arms.

Realizing he wasn’t just a dork, but a dork with muscles. You groped his upper biceps, liking the feeling of them in your hand.

‘So strong and soft...’ your blush darkened as you soon realized you were caught groping the poor boys arm.

“Hehe, sorry. Um, it’s just that you have really nice biceps. For a nerd that is.” Your confidence soon coming back to you towards the end of your sentence, all nervousness and bashfulness pushed away.

Peter could only blush at your statement, but the tiny little smile he had soon fell after hearing the rest of what you said. Did you not think a nerd could have muscles? Is that how you thought of him?

At the thought of you thinking of him as a weak person, with only a brain made his blood boil, he’s eyes narrow, and a low growl emitted from his throat.

You weren’t paying attention enough to see his reaction and hear his growl, as you were scolding yourself mentally and what you just said.

‘Great! Now he thinks you’re a total bitch! Way to go (y/n)!’ With a sigh you look back at peter, only to meet him dead in the eyes. Which, you weren’t gonna lie, kinda creeped you out; but as you look at them longer, you could see the beautiful mix of green and blue circling around the irieses.

Peter, was, and foremost, one of the cutest boys you’ve ever met. It’s not that hard to see why, I mean his personality just made him even more innocent and adorable. He was irresistible to you, and you’ll make him yours one way or another.

Now it was your turn to growl, but this time, the other did hear it. You didn’t care if you just met this boy, or if he even wanted to be with you, you’ll protect him no matter what!

Peter, hearing your growl, only made his blood boil even more! He didn’t know why, but he felt this sudden attraction towards you. The sun hit you just right across the face, and made your angelic skin glow a soft gold. Almost as if you were shining. He wanted to be yours, and for you to be his. He wanted to hug you, and never let go. To take you, and bend you over a school desk to fell the thrill he’s never had experience ever before. To feel your warm slick wall, wrap around his thic-

The television of a nearby store loudly showed the news, and what was seen was a picture of the new hero, She-Wolf. Pete- I mean Spider-Man’s new nemesis.

“Today, the new hero, She-Wolf, has been spotted last night, saving yet another woman from a horrible fate. Will she be the end of Spider-Man, or will the team up? Stay tuned for more information on our new and rising hero!”

The news anchor soon finished what she needed to say, and a commercial soon came on afterwards.

Peter could only scoff at the last question.

‘Yeah right, like I’ll ever team up with someone who purposely wanted to save people only for the fame.’ St that thought, peter would soon explode if his blood boiled even more than it already is.

(Y/n) couldn’t help but smirk st what she had just seen and heard, she was becoming a super hero. Her goal would soon be reached; but it would’ve been resched sooner if it weren’t for that retched Spider-Man. Oh, how she hated him and how he humiliated her on her first mission.

-Flashback-

Putting on the last of her costume, (y/n) soon got ready for her first mission. To say she was nervous was an understatement! She felt her body tingle with excitement and rise with goosebumps from the night chills as she opened her apartment window with carful movement, as to not wake up her sleeping parents.

She braced her legs, ready for the impact she might take from the three story high fall. With an exhale, she jumped, as she did, she could hear the whistle and screeches of the wind flying past her ears. She could also hear nearby gasps and yells from passerby’s seeing (y/n) “fall”.

(Y/n) could only smirk at the now forming crowd, as she descended towards the ground faster.

Just as she was about to hit the ground, she pressed her knees to her chest and held onto her legs, letting her body tumble and roll as it hit the cement.

A little dazed, she got up, earning claps and yells of amazement. Her smile could be seen, but only her smile since she had a mask that covered her eyes.

Stepping towards the crowd, (y/n) made sure to not bump into anyone as she made her way out of the now leaving crowd.

All of a sudden, she heard a heaps of gunshots, ringing across her sensitive ears.

(Y/n) winced as her eyes still ringed at the loud noises that came from a nearby bank. And already knowing what was going on, she cautiously ran over to the scene.

Moving towards a shattered window, she peaked in. Seeing at least 3 robbers, she closely listened with all her might and remaining strength from her ears, to hear if there were anymore robbers in the area.

Not hearing any other heartbeats than a couple hostages, knowing this by the smell of their fear, and the three robbers.

You’ve been in this situation once, when you were three.

As a child you were reckless, not that you aren’t today, but it was much worse. And it cost the life of your sister figure, Linda Jennings. (Sorry if that’s your name! You can change it)

From that day on, you knew you had to get your shit together. Well, not completely, you still had to have fun!

Shaking the memories away, you squat down and started crawling over to a nearby huddled group of hostages.

Making sure the robbers were in another room, you stalked over to the nearest hostage. Who almost screamed if you hadn’t put your hand over their mouth before they could.

Sighing in relief, you looked into their eyes, yours turning a burning red, glowing in the shadows of the bank walls.

“I want you to take as many hostages out of here, and go somewhere safe. I’ll distract the robbers.” Letting go of their mouth, you could see their eyes glaze over into an orange hue.

The man, who you compelled, simply nodded and took off. Taking other hostages with him.

You knew they would be safe, you could hear the nearing sirens.

Turning around, only to stop dead in your tracks as you see one of the robbers having caught you sneaking around.

At first you both blinked owlishly at each other, but soon the man, or woman, quickly regained posture and control of their body. Aiming their deadly weapon to your face.

Taking a shaky breath, you slowly raised your hands over your head, as a sign of surrender.

“A-alright, now keep your hands in the air. D-don’t move, I don’t wanna hurt anyone!”, the young boy had yelled out nervously, also shakily grasping the deadly weapon.

‘He’s probably 16 or something. Who would bring a child into this mess? I need to get that gun away from him, or someone could get hurt, even could potentially hurt himself.’ Your thoughts were soon interrupted by a sudden yell and a loud bang.

Jumping up, you look over to the boy, only too see his limp, unmoving body. On the ground, as blood spilled from his back, where the bullet hole must be.

You quickly kneeled next to the boy and took of his mask.

You gasped in horror, this isn’t real! NO! IT....

The boy’s dead eyes stared back at you, as if finally dawned on you.

This boy wasn’t 16.

But 14. You’d heard of him going missing on the news. And now you knew where he went, and what had happened to him. Poor boy was just trying to live a happy life.

‘What the fuck! No! Who would do this?!’ Your visión soon clouded with red, flickering. You brain grew unsteady, your inner wolf scratching to break free once again, and reek havoc.

Your breaths grew labored, your lungs burned with rage, and intensity. So much so that your powers grew visible, as a dark sheet of black wrapped around your body.

A growl resonated from deep within your throat and core, shaking anyone nearby, to their very soul.

The ringing in your ears having stopped long ago, only for the room to be silent.

You could hear your raging heart, and heavy breaths.

Until clapping was heard in front of you.

Looking up, you saw a man, in his late 30’s perhaps. He clapped and smirked at what he saw in front of him. He clapped because a boy died, his comrade. A child!

You look at him through your eyelashes, eyes turning to slits. Slowly, you stood up, not looking at the Man, but at the body of the young boy in front of you.

Having already shut his eyes, making him look peaceful. To which he was probably far from.

Now, finally staring at the man, face to face. You stalked over.

“What a wonderful scene that was. Did you know him? I didn’t, I just chose him at an old, burned down orphanage. He was a worthless child until I taught him some of the things I knew. But even than, he was still never going to amount to anything. He was too weak, too soft. It’s a good thing I killed him.” He laughed as he looked at the boy, than at you.

Finishing his own sentence, “and now, it’s your turn darling.”

Being called that by such a killer, made your blood boil. How dare he talk to an innocent child that way, HOW DARE HE DO THIS TO ANYONE!

‘I’ll make sure you have a special place in hell, buddy.’

The only thing running through your mind before you rip this man apart, was that this kid and many others he’s hurt, needed Justice!

You stepping closer to the man, with heavy grunts and growls. He looked at you, confused at what you were going to do next.

He smirked, he didn’t know what was to come, “what are you going to do? Bite my leg? Hahah” he mocked you, as he kicked the poor boys face.

That was enough to snap the tight, thin rope keeping you from ending him right than and there.

After you felt it snap and you suddenly charged at the man, soon enough, everything turned red. You couldn’t see anything or feel anything. Your wolf instincts must have taken over, leaving you in a cold, black wide mindset. The dark abyss had swallowed you and your human conscious. Leaving only an angry, and feral wolf in control, which was dangerous to anyone around, and yourself.

As you floated into nothingness, you felt as if you could move your limbs again, you soon regained control of your body.

Feeling a tight substance like thingy, move across your body, you felt it restrain you. Shaking your head to get rid of the drowsiness, you slowly look at your surroundings after your eyes adjust to the light shining into your sensitive eyes.

Looking down at your body, you could see that your black leather costume was ripped terribly around the mid section, giving you the idea that this sociopath, had actually got a good hit on you. Although, thanks to your wolf like abilities, you were able to heal, what looked like a big knife gash running down from your left hip, up to your right rib.

Shivering, at the thought of being conscious and not having this healing factor, scared you beyond belief. You were thankful for your powers, and thankful it wasn’t an innocent and helpless passerby in your place. If it had happened to be a passerby, they would’ve surely died immediately after the knife cut deep and firm into their fagile skin.

Taking one more look at your body, you suddenly noticed why you couldn’t move your limbs, it was because of a gooey and ripe-like substance. You strained your hand up, and moved the strong rope onto your upper-arm instead of it being under your elbow. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, you touched this unknown gooey thing.

It felt like slime, really sticky slime. Along with a mixture of something else, you just couldn’t think of what at the moment.

“So, you’re the new hero Everyones been taking about.”, suddenly you heard a boy-ish voice behind your concentrated figure. This sudden intrusion to your thoughts had made the hairs at the back of your skin stick up in alert, and you had moved down towards your thigh, where you had your knife.

Only to feel nothing, it was gone. “Yeah, I took your knife. Didn’t know if you were bad or not.”, now you were getting angry at this boy, who was possibly way younger than you from the sounds of it, for taking your knife.

Turning, you were surprised to see another new hero there, Spider-Man.

Of course you’ve heard of the well known spider around town. You were basically his shadow to the world. Only very few knew of you, until your sudden appearance on Captain America’s team against iron man.

Yes that was you, and yes, you may have caused major damage to Stark’s suit, and yes, you were almost sued if it wasn’t for Steve helping you, but besides that, you now have a good relationship with all avengers.