#that's why ''ohana means family. ohana means nobody gets left behind'' hits so hard. it's more than a sweet sentiment. it's how you survive

[snowshinobi]

adding zuccacore's comments bc they highlight how the villainous system was put in place via colonization

Lilo & Stitch is a great example of a story that has no villains. It has antagonists, sure, but most of them are well-meaning. The worst person in the film is that little shit Myrtle, but she’s not in the film that much anyway.

[tanoraqui]

because it hit my mind and i'm of the mood to share: Nie Brothers Lilo & Stitch AU. GO WILD

this has been sitting in my inbox for a week (or something; time is fake) because...I mean, is the cackling feral space alien construct Meng Yao, or Wei Wuxian?!? And who’s the mad scientist who created him in a lab, and who’s hte mosquito-obsessed government officer sent to keep him in line?

...I’ll tell you what also works: not to be predictable in my favorite relationships, but Jiang Cheng trying very hard to raise his nephew on his own, the rest of their family dead or presumed dead, and Jin Ling is tempermental and angsty so he doesn’t have a lot of friends...Jiang Cheng takes him to the pound to get a dog, because- because why not, okay, there’s no reason not to have a dog in the house (not for six years.)

Except instead of a dog, it’s a furry, blue red, six-legged...thing. Kinda rabbit-like? Mutant giant rabbit. There are ears. Jin Ling, being six, seven what its name is, and it kind of yowls something, almost like it understood the question, that Jin Ling decides was “A-Yuan.

As a dog, it’d be alarmingly intelligent, quickly mastering doors, the rabbit food container, lip syncing to Elvis, etc. As a giant mutant rabbit, it’s...something. A-Yuan is quiet, at least, usually (it whistles shrilly when excited), and obedient (it must be trained? To a...lot of random commands??), and it’s not chewing on the furniture or anything (though it does break into the cupboard, find a five-years-old bottle of ridiculously spicy sauce and tears it open with its teeth, drinking all the sauce and eating half the plastic bottle. Jiang Cheng loses his temper because it makes a mess and for no other reason.) But most importantly, it’s happy to play with Jin Ling, and Jin Ling is delighted to play with it.

(Meanwhile, watching them from behind a tree at the edge of the beach, an alien mad scientist tears at his own hair. “Why? Lan Zhan, why? Why does the universe hate me, why did A-Yuan need to be found by the one person who absolutely cannot see me?”

“Mn,” his partner/minder/husband (but that’s not revealed until the end of the movie) says sympathetically.

(Here’s what happened five years ago: after being raised by the Jiangs all his life, or at least, all his life that he cared to remember after the street, Wei Wuxian found out that he was actually an alien who could pass for human thanks to some instinctive mild shapeshifting. He found this out in the process of being attacked by government agents and/or other aliens, an attack in which his sister and her husband died.* With a combination of searing guilt and a desire to keep what little remained of his family safe, he went to space and never looked back, letting the world believe he, too, was dead.))

Ft. Nie Mingjue as Agent Cobra Bubbles (Lan Xichen is the one he once bullshitted to about mosquitos.)

EDIT: oh god, oh fuck, I just thought about the end of the movie and Wei Wuxian being like, “Well, time to...go back to space...because all the lies I’ve told and harm I’ve brought upon this family cannot be undone much less forgiven, and I’m - we’re - aliens so we don’t belong here...come on, A-Yuan...” with Lan Wangji standing behind him, a step or two closer to their ship, and Jin Ling (watching tearfully) and Jiang Cheng (aggressively not looking) on the other side of the clearing 

But A-Yuan (giant red upright six-legged bunny A-Yuan) plants himself in the middle of the clearing, one set of hands on his hips, and accusingly reminds his dad, “Ohana means family, and family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten.”

*wails softly* oh nooooo

*Idk about Jin Zixuan but Jiang Yanli is ALIVE in a government holding cell, has been all five years, on suspicion of being an alien!! We learn this in the sequel and bust her out, obviously.

[andinewton]

Healing the Hurt - Avengers Redemption Series - Part Two - Chapter 53 - Epilogue 1 Continued

Characters: Bucky Barnes, Amelia Richards (OFC), pretty much everyone from the MCU appears at some point!

Pairings: Bucky x Amelia (ofc)

Warnings:  Chronic pain, physical disability, implied smut, eventual smut, swearing, fertility issues, pregnancy, angst with a happy ending, Stark has a heart.

Word Count:  151372 (complete with additional epilogues added)

Summary: 
Everything is going well at Avengers Tower, Bucky is integrating into the team slowly but surely; he longs for his confidence back but knows it's going to be a long road, never more than when he meets the new secretary at his doctor's office.

Amelia Richards is a career SHIELD agent, recruited straight out of college into the "company" but now she finds herself passed around from department to department, her latest position as a secretary at Avengers Tower proving monotonous compared to her former life, but when James "Bucky" Barnes walks into her office one Friday evening everything changes…

Join Bucky as he rediscovers parts of himself he had thought long lost with someone who considered herself broken for a long time, helping one another heal in more ways than one…

Master List

Chapter 53 - Epilogue 1 continued

Summary:  Amelia and Tony mutually geek out, Bucky and Amelia go to lunch, Bucky still forgets how his mouth works...

By the time Bucky got home Amelia was asleep. She looked peaceful and her colour had returned, which he took as a good sign. He crawled into bed beside her and kissed her hair as she snuggled up to him instinctively. He had an early start in the morning, training starting at four, thanks to some bantering with Sam that got out of hand, but he would leave Amelia a note, letting her know he would pick her up for lunch at one. Amelia made sure she dressed pretty for today, normally it was pretty casual in Tony’s lab, jeans and t’s being ample in the air conditioned room, but instead she went for a red floral wrap dress with a belt and red heeled sandals. It didn’t go unnoticed by Tony when she arrived, she got a wolf whistle and he got the finger.

‘What are we all dressed up for, Angel?’ He asked as she plugged in her laptop. ‘Lunch date with Bucky.’ She replied. ‘And you’re trying to give him a heart attack?’ ‘I wanted to look nice.’ She frowned at his playful teasing. ‘You do that.’ He said as he passed her, picking up the envelope she brought with her as she did every morning. The time seemed to drag up until lunchtime and she was grateful what she now knew was morning sickness had been partially staved off by some more of the weird ginger tea Nat had introduced her to and some plain cookies. ‘Why don’t you leave early?’ Tony suggested as he ran his eyes over the data she had just decoded from a recent mission. ‘No point, I’m meeting Bucky at one.’ ‘Then take a long lunch, don’t come back until you’re ready.’ ‘You’re sure?’ ‘You work hard enough as it is, plus I have your password, so I can carry on, if you don’t mind?’ ‘You memorised it?’ She laughed, wondering if that was the case. She had only told him once and he had never mentioned it again since. ‘Sure, I think I worked all the references out.’ ‘Go on then.’ She sat back in her chair and folded her arms, interested to see if he was right. ‘Okay, forty-two, the ultimate question. Correct?’ ‘Correct.’ She nodded. ‘R2d2 is obvious, just have to remember where the upper and lower case is. Order 66, nasty that, lot of good jedi met their end.’ She chuckled as he offered her a blueberry which she refused. ‘Nine, members of the fellowship? Or your favourite doctor?’ ‘First one.’ She grinned. ‘Keep going, you’re on a roll.’ ‘Okay, this one I was stuck on. Nora? Or is it initials for something?’ ‘Lead female character in Pete’s Dragon.’ ‘Dammit, of course.’ He walked a small circle before coming back to face her. ‘3791; rings of power. Three for the elves, seven for the dwarves, nine for the men and one to rule them all.’ ‘You’re impressing me, Stark.’ ‘221B. Baker street. Easy. And ohana means family. Nobody gets left behind.’ ‘Or forgotten.’ She finished. ‘And?’ ‘And a one.’ He pulled a face. ‘That wasn’t just a random number to make it up to thirty characters?’ ‘Oh, Tony, you let me down.’ She said as she hopped off her chair and picked up her bag. ‘You going to tell me?’ He asked as she hit a few keys before turning back to him. ‘I will, but only because you impressed me so much working it out.’ She leant in and kissed his cheek. ‘There can be only one.’ She murmured against his skin and jumped when he yelled; ‘Dammit! Highlander! Seriously?’ ‘You were so close.’ She grinned as she went for the door. ‘I swear if you weren’t so attached to that super soldier you’d be my ideal date.’ ‘We have enough nerd nights as it is.’ She reminded him. ‘And if we tried dating I’d probably murder you in your sleep.’ ‘I’m not that bad.’ He complained. ‘That’s not what Pepper says at girls night!’ She called back.

Bucky had showered and thrown on fresh blue jeans and a white t-shirt. He hoped he looked good; freshly shaven and wearing the cologne Amelia had bought him for his birthday, he hadn’t wanted to overdress and give something away but equally he wanted her to…what, exactly? She loved him, he didn’t need to impress her, but he still wanted to. Wanted her to know he could polish up nicely for her. She loved him even in sweats, but he thought this deserved something of an effort. He spotted Amelia across the lobby, she was wearing the red dress he loved so much and he smiled as she waved, her phone pressed to her ear. ‘I promise I will let you know what he says as soon as I can!’ She said rapidly, knowing Nat had her on speaker so Wanda could hear too. ‘He’s here now. I have to go!’ She hung up before they could start picking at her with more questions and smiled as Bucky reached her, leaning in and kissing her softly. ‘How are you doing, sweetheart?’ He asked as his arm automatically wrapped around her. ‘Better than yesterday. How were the fireworks?’ ‘Not as beautiful as you.’ He started them walking towards the exit. ‘I watched from Nat’s balcony.’ She explained. ‘We could have done that together. From our balcony, I mean.’ ‘But it was Steve’s birthday and as he’s your bestie you stuck it out with him.’ She squeezed him to her. ‘He appreciated it.’ Bucky smiled. Angelo welcomed them to the restaurant, he was always pleased to see them and they had become regulars, even allowing them a large tab which they paid off monthly with a substantial tip, and as always, when they were seated, he brought them a single rose in a stem glass as though to help with the romantic atmosphere, not that they needed it. They still sat in the same seats they had the first time they came here together and laughed just as much. Amelia wanted to wait until after they had eaten to tell him, she wasn’t sure why, but it seemed the right thing to do, at least let him enjoy his meal before she broke it to him. She picked at her food, having chosen something simple and eating as much as she could before giving up, both mild nausea and nerves shaking her. Finally Angelo cleared their plates and she kept her hands in her lap even once they were alone again and she noted Bucky checked his pockets, possibly wanting to clear their tab as it was the beginning of a new month. ‘So, I kind of wanted us to have lunch so we could talk. About something.’ She said as he frowned. ‘Sure, darlin’, what’s up?’ He asked halfheartedly as his heart sank. Where the hell was his wallet? He had it when he was in the meeting, then he got showered and changed and…it was in his other pants. Shit! ‘The girls and I, we realised something yesterday, and it’s kind of big…are you okay?’ She frowned at his confused expression. ‘Forgot my wallet. No big deal, really.’ He leant on the table with his elbows giving her his full attention. He was annoyed at himself for forgetting but he would do it later, he would make sure of it. ‘I can settle the tab this month.’ She reminded him they took it in turns. ‘It’s all good. You were saying?’ ‘Oh, yeah.’ She sort of half laughed. ‘Well, something’s happened, and it’s rather unexpected, but I think it’s a good thing.’ Her voice was almost questioning, as though she wasn’t sure and that made him frown. ‘Is everything okay, doll?’ ‘Yeah, I think so, but, it turns out that blocked tubes are no match for super soldier sperm and the healing serum.’ He stared at her for a moment and swallowed, finally only able to say; ‘What?’ ‘Turns out I’m pregnant.’ She said quietly, unsure how he was taking the news. She was…they were going to have a baby? Holy shit! This was amazing, this was the best news he had ever had, this was…he had to propose, now. He needed that ring. Without saying another word he got up from the table and walked out of the restaurant, pulling his phone from his pocket as he reached the door and calling up Steve’s number. ‘What…just…happened?’ Amelia murmured to herself as she saw Bucky disappear out of sight in front of the building. Before she could even begin to get her head around it her phone in her bag beeped her message tone and she pulled it out, seeing Nat’s number and just one word; Well? She unlocked the phone and called Nat’s number, her heart sinking as what had happened took hold. ‘What did he say?’ Nat asked rapidly as soon as she answered. ‘Nothing.’ Amelia said simply, amazed by how empty her voice sounded. ‘Nothing, what do you mean nothing?’ Wanda’s voice came next. ‘I mean he got up and he walked out. Never said a thing.’ ‘He did…why that…’ A torrent of Russian curse words followed as Wanda evidently took the phone from the furious Nat. ‘You mean he left you there?’ Wanda asked. ‘Yep. Still sitting at the table like nobby-no-mates. Just a second.’ She waved Angelo over and handed him her credit card. ‘Angelo, can I settle up our tab, please?’ He took it and bustled off to the counter. ‘Wanda, what do I do?’ She asked in desperation. ‘She wants to know what to do.’ Wanda said to Nat and she snatched her phone back. ‘I’ll tell you what you do, you walk out of that restaurant with your head held high, you go around the corner and walk until you find that little deli we went to the first time we met. You wait there, we’ll pick you up, and if I see James Buchanan Barnes on the way so help him I will…’ ‘We’ll see you real soon.’ Wanda’s voice came back on the line then hung up. Walk to the deli. She could do that now. It wasn’t far and she wasn’t likely to bump into anyone she knew, she hoped. She got up, headed to the counter to add her tip and collect her card, then thanked Angelo for their food, all the while her stomach churning enough to make her wish she hadn’t eaten at all.

Bucky ran down the sidewalk as he called Steve, knowing he was on The Avengers floor, and the second he picked up he spoke. ‘Punk, I left my wallet in my black jeans, you have to get it. Now!’ ‘You’re a forgetful son of a bitch, I swear.’ Steve laughed. ‘How far did you get? Down on one knee?’ ‘Shut up, jerk! Just hurry!’ Bucky snapped, in no mood for Steve’s teasing, and that concerned his friend. ‘What happened?’ Steve asked as he rushed to Amelia and Bucky’s room, letting himself in and searching for Bucky’s jeans, which he thankfully had left on the bed. ‘She just told me she’s pregnant!’ Bucky sputtered. ‘Holy shit!’ ‘That’s what I thought!’ Bucky ran his hand into his hair. ‘That’s…amazing! What did you say to her?’ ‘What did I what?’ Bucky said as he began to realise what he had done. ‘What did you say?’ ‘I didn’t say anything.’ ‘You didn’t say anything?’ Steve repeated as he palmed the wallet and headed back out the door. ‘So what did you do? Just leave her sitting in Angelo’s?’ ‘Uh…kinda.’ Bucky said hesitantly as he turned back towards the restaurant. ‘You, my friend, are an asshole, as Sigyn would say. Get your butt back in there now! I’ll bring the wallet!’ ‘Right!’ Bucky said and hung up, running back down the street. What the hell had he been thinking? She needed some kind of response! He got in the door in time to see a waitress clearing the rest of their table, no sign of Amelia there or at the counter. He spotted Angelo among the tables and went straight to him. ‘Hey, Angelo, is Amelia in the bathroom?’ ‘She left, about two minutes after you did.’ The old man said in confusion. It was unlike them to leave separately. ‘Damn. Thanks.’ He headed back to the door and pulled his phone back out, calling Steve again. ‘She’s gone.’ ‘What did you expect? Her to sit there and wait for you to pull your head out of your ass? Ask FRIDAY to locate her Stark Phone.’ ‘Right.’ Bucky hung up and did as Steve suggested, standing out in the street and asking the interface to locate her. ‘Sorry, Tin Man, Amelia has turned off the tracker in her phone.’ ‘I didn’t think that was possible.’ He groaned as he saw Steve coming towards him. ‘It’s not meant to be.’ The AI replied. ‘Great, can you ask Tony to try reenable it for me?’ ‘Sure thing.’ He shoved the phone back in his pocket and sighed as he rubbed his hand over his jaw. ‘You’re a fucking idiot.’ Steve said as he slapped the wallet against his chest. ‘Yeah, yeah. I know.’ ‘Any luck with FRIDAY?’ ‘You know Amelia.’ ‘She shut off the tracker.’ Steve said knowingly. ‘I asked FRIDAY to see if Tony can reenable it. If anyone can, he can.’ ‘If she didn’t lock him out too. Girl's a genius, remember.’ Steve said. ‘She didn’t pass you on the street?’ ‘I don’t think so.’ He turned a circle and couldn’t see a sign of her, and in that red dress he thought he should be able to. ‘You lost your girl. Literally.’ ‘Shit.’ ‘You can say that again.’

Nat and Wanda picked Amelia up in one of the unmarked SHIELD SUV’s at the deli and drove away without a word. It was only when they reached the interstate that Nat spoke, asking exactly what happened. Amelia explained it all emotionlessly, her voice empty, as though she couldn’t quite process it, and only when they pulled up into the grounds of the compound that she realised where they were. ‘What are we doing here?’ She asked as they got out and headed towards the door. ‘You have clothes here, everything you might need. You can pack some things and go wherever you want to, if you need some time away. And it will give me a chance to hunt that bastard down and…’ ‘Natasha!’ Wanda said harshly as they went up the stairs. ‘Just to give you some thinking space.’ ‘That’d be good.’ Amelia said quietly. They walked in silence to her room and she looked around, Bucky’s denim jacket still hanging on the back of the desk chair, and it smelled of his cologne. That did it. That broke the dam she had tried to build around herself at what was happening, and she dropped to her knees as a sob choked her. ‘Oh, Milly.’ Nat dropped down and wrapped her arms around her. ‘He’s an idiot, if he can’t see what he’s losing, and I will personally make him pay for this.’ Amelia shook her head. ‘No, Nat, it’s okay. He wasn’t expecting this. I can’t blame him for being mad. I can’t.’ ‘You can blame him for being insensitive.’ Wanda added where she leant on the door frame. ‘That was a dick move.’ Amelia sniffed a laugh at the uncharacteristic comment from Wanda. ‘It was, wasn’t it?’ ‘It really was.’ Nat wiped at her cheek. Amelia swallowed, forcing back the tears she knew would soon engulf her again. ‘Can we go somewhere else? I don’t want to be here.’ She looked around the room at all the little things that made it their room, that made it belong to both of them. ‘Get a few things. Sleepover in my room.’ Nat said as they got to their feet. ‘We can figure out where you want to be later.’ ‘Sounds good.’ Amelia gave her a watery smile, her mind already whirring as to what she might do next.

Chapter 54

[cwritesstuff]

Klangst week day 6 - Voltron

Or: The true meaning of Voltron

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 

Keith, Hunk and Pidge each took a seat on the blank floor of Keith’s bedroom, forming a triangle in the center of the room. Keith stared at the ceiling, while Pidge stared at Keith, while Hunk stared at the floor. For several beats no one spoke. Then Pidge heaved a sigh.

“So… Lance.” Hunk and Keith looked at her, anticipating more. Once Pidge had a thought and started rolling with it, she didn’t typically stop. Pidge took another deep breath and continued. “I just wanted to say that this has been such an awful time. Matt and my dad were bad enough, but now Shiro too? And Lance isn’t gone, thanks to Keith, but he could have been. He was so close to leaving us. That straight up terrifies me. Nothing feels safe or permanent anymore. Voltron was like family to me, and now this one is falling apart too.” Pidge took off her glasses and wiped her eyes. Hunk rested a hand on her shoulder.

“Yeah, I get that. I mean, I don’t know what it’s like to lose my first family, but man, watching Voltron fall apart feels like I’m losing my family. You and me and Lance - I felt so close to you guys at the Garrison.” Pidge smiled tightly.  Hunk went on. “And then, when we met Shiro and Keith, and then Allura and Coran, everything just felt right. Sure, we don’t all get along all the time, especially a certain duo.” Keith rolled his eyes, but couldn’t hold back a grin. “But we’ve all got each other’s backs, y’know? When it counts. That’s not something I want to see end, what we’ve got on this ship and with Voltron.” Keith’s guests looked at him, waiting for his speech. Keith suddenly felt very small, and very sad. But they’d gone first - it was only fair that he spilled his too.

To tell it properly, they needed to know everything, from the beginning.

“So, my history of, uh, things falling apart goes back pretty far.” Keith spent who knew how long on the details of his childhood: the dead dad, the missing mom, being passed from home to home, never truly knowing family for most of his life. Being seen but not cared about at the Garrison. Being kicked out and focusing on Shiro to deal with it. It was going surprisingly well until he got to Voltron.

“Honestly, it’s like Hunk said. We started out a little rough-“ Pidge giggled.

“I’ll say, Cheer Captain.” Keith rolled his eyes at her and continued.

“Anyway, we started out as not the best, but over time, we learned to function as a team. And as I spent more time with everybody, I…” Keith trailed off. It was hard to put it into words. Voltron was everything he had. He’d found family and a purpose here. Now, that family and purpose were jeopardy, and Keith had no idea how to fix it. He looked up at the faces of his fellow paladins. They looked concerned, but also empathetic. They of all people knew what Keith was talking about. Hunk nodded.

“You realized you liked us, which you weren’t expecting. Am I right?”

“Yeah, that’s exactly right.” Pidge’s face took on an impish expression.

“Bet you really weren’t expecting Lance, huh?” Keith flushed again, and Hunk gave a Pidge a chastising tap on the arm.

“C’mon, Pidge.” Pidge crossed her arms and scowled playfully at Hunk.

“What? This is a part of the whole emotions deal. He’s gotta talk about this, too!” Keith cleared his throat and the other two fell silent.

“Pidge is right, I guess. You’re right: these feelings I have for Lance came totally out of the left field. Before this, I’d never felt this way about anybody - which I know everybody says about the person they, ah, like. But it’s true. Before Lance, the only person I’d ever like was this guy at the Garrison…” Keith paused. Man, he was about to get it for this.

“Do we… know this boy?” Pidge leaned forward, eyes gleaming with interest. Keith put his head in his hands.

“Don’t fucking judge me, but my stupid brain decided on Liam Dresden.” Pidge whooped with delight, and Hunk’s jaw dropped, absolutely scandalized.

“Liam DRESDEN? As in, the cocky jerk who swaggered around the Garrison like he owned the place?”

“Yes, Hunk, THAT Liam. Not. My. Idea.” Pidge snickered.

“Well, Liam probably kind of did, seeing as his dad makes frequent donations to the Garrison. Smarmy idiot could probably buy out everyone there. And Keith liiiiiiked him!”

“It wasn’t the same, though. It was purely about his looks - I knew his personality was terrible. Lance, shockingly, isn’t like Liam.” clarified Keith.

“So, you like Lance for his personality?” asked Hunk. Keith shrugged bashfully, feeling his ears getting warm once again.

“Yeah, actually. Lance can be stubborn, and a bit of a diva, but he’s brave. He has our backs when we need him. And he works so hard to be his best.”

“And he’s cute, right?” prodded Pidge. Keith sighed and stared at the ceiling.

“Remind me why I decided to talk to you two again.” Pidge full on belly laughed, and Hunk chuckled and shook his head at her. Keith looked back at them and felt a warm glow in his chest. Why had he separated himself from these people for so long? “Fine, Lance is… cute, I suppose. I’m pretty worried about him, though. Coran says he’ll live, but he’s in rough shape.” Pidge tilted her head curiously.

“After we made the wormhole jump, Hunk and I went to see Lance, but Coran wouldn’t let us. Keith, just how bad is he?” Keith bit his lip. This would be hard, but they deserved to know.

“When that laser punched through Black’s head - and this would’ve been a powerful fucking laser to do that - Lance didn’t take a direct hit. However, he was close enough that the heat from the laser partially melted his chest plate.” Hunk and Pidge’s eyes went huge. “The chest plate gave him some nasty burns, which thankfully weren’t as bad as they could’ve been, thanks to the insulating layer beneath the metal. But his shoulder got the worst of it, and he also has some bruising from when Black forcefully ejected him from his seat. So, yeah. He’s pretty lucky to be alive, but I really don’t know if his shoulder will ever heal right.” His eyes burned and he pulled his knees up to his chest. The thought of anything permanent happening to Lance frightened Keith more than a entire fleet of Galran warships. Worst of all, Lance did it for him, the idiot.

To his surprise, Pidge scooted over to him and wriggled her arms through Keith’s and around his waist. A little stunned, Keith put a stiff arm around her shoulder. Hunk followed suit from the other side, putting his own arm around Keith’s shoulders and pulling him close. Keith swallowed the lump in his throat and spoke.

“Uh, guys? I’m not falling apart right here and now.” said Keith hoarsely, even though he realized that he kind of was. Hunk scoffed.

“Please, tough guy. You don’t have to be okay around us. Your role model disappeared, and now the guy you like is basically on life support. Just accept our brotherly slash sisterly love.” Keith snorted, but somehow he didn’t feel like pulling away. Maybe group hugs were nice, every once in a while. He leaned against Hunk’s shoulder and shut his eyes, soaking in the warmth. After several doboshes, Pidge lifted her head and spoke.

“I’m about to get mushy, so you boys had better not laugh. You two ever seen Lilo and Stitch?” Keith and Hunk looked at each other and nodded to her. “Remember what Lilo and Nani’s family motto is?”

“‘Ohana means family. And family means no one gets left behind or forgotten,’” recited Hunk. “I watch a lot of kids’ movies with my little sisters.”

“I think we can all agree that that’s what Voltron means. We don’t leave each other behind. When somebody gets hurt or goes missing, we look out for them. And nobody ever gets forgotten, even when they go all emo and don’t talk to anybody for weeks and live at the training arena.” Pidge smiled at Keith. “So don’t even think about it, pal. You’re stuck with us.” Well fuck. If Keith hadn’t been crying before, he was now. He wiped his cheeks and felt his face forming a silly grin.

“Thanks, you mushy losers.”

“Oh, you’re one to talk, emo boy!” retaliated Pidge. Hunk’s grip on both of them tightened.

“So you’ll talk to us next time you feel down, right Keith?” Keith slowly nodded.

“Thanks Hunk. You too, Pidge. I’ll at least try next time. But, you know, us emo kids find it hard to talk about our feelings. We prefer writing them into poems that use the words “black” and “cold” a lot, and taking out our inner rage on our eye makeup.” All three of them laughed out loud, a jumble of three giddy kids holding on tight.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Keith untangled himself from his friends’ limbs and went to open the door. Staring him in the face was an exhausted Coran.

“Keith, Lance woke up right as he was about enter stasis. We need you to calm him down - now.”

[stardust-squish-blog]

fairy tale ♡

it was chan’s birthday yesterday so here’s a little something i wrote

member: lee chan / dino

genre: fluff with the tiniest bit of angst

11 . 02 . 17 

the first good thing about today was not missing her alarm. she had woken up precisely at 08:15, when the sun had risen and the birds were chirping and there was stardust in her room. the air smelled nice, too. she had no idea why.

the ‘ding’ that came from the device on the nightstand gave a clue.

reminder: chan’s birthday ♡

her eyes found the little brown bag and balloon by the door and instantly, a smile blossomed. today was a special day. 

on the eleventh of february, nineteen years ago, a boy named lee chan was born.

today, he was going to turn nineteen.

and today, she had things to do.

09 : 19

“alright, guys, have a quick break. we’ll resume practice soon.”

choruses of groans and ‘thank you’s’ echoed throughout the practice room as thirteen bodies flopped to the floor, cheeks squished against the cool surface. for a while there was no movement, just contented sighs coupled together with the gentle whirring of fans. 

then the oldest boy sat up. “good job guys.” carding a hand through his hair, seungcheol flashed a reassuring smile. “it isn’t easy, but let’s work hard. we’ll get there.”

his comment elicited a snort from the chinese boy lying on his tummy. minghao snorted, “what do you mean? that wasn’t good at all. did you see mingyu? he totally sucked.”

a gasp rose from the accused, who immediately shot up, hands clasped over his chest. “how could you say that? that hurt my heart. and besides,” mingyu pouted while glancing distastefully at the other boys, “i wasn’t the only one who screwed up. why, chan kept on messing up that part! vernon was the one who got scolded by our choreographer the most! an-and jeonghan-hyu—ow! hyung!"

jeonghan leisurely stood back up, dusted his hands on his hoodie and shot mingyu a glare. “you dare to insult an angel? know your place, gyu.”

“chan!” 

all eyes instantly focused on the figure sitting in a corner of the room. the boy in question lifted his head, mumbling a reply with a quiet “yes?”

“come here. let’s practice that part again.” a sigh left their choreographer’s lips as she adjusted the music. “focus, okay? this part has to be perfect.”

but not matter how hard he tried or how many times he practiced, chan could not get it right. the other boys watched as the duo danced, again, and again, and again. no longer than ten minutes had passed and their choreographer was at the end of her tether.

“gosh, chan, what’s wrong with you today?” 

twelve minds thought of twelve answers, all exactly the same.

twelve lips shared twelve hidden smiles.

out of the thirteen boys, all knew. all, but one.

“i-i don’t know. i think i’m just tired. i’m sorry, i’ll work harder.”

09 : 31

jeonghan watched the boy leave the room, dollar bills poking out from his fist. poor kid. he thinks we forgot. he sighed as he chuckled to himself. that’s good, it’s all going according to plan. 

soonyoung sidled up to him. “hyung,” he whispered, nearly scaring the elder boy out of his wits, “is she here yet? when’s she gonna come?” his eyes sparkled with excitement and anticipation. “hyung, i can’t wait to see his reaction!”

“she’ll be here when we end,” jeonghan’s eyes settled on the wall clock of the practice room. “about an hour more.”

the notification that popped up on his phone told him otherwise though.

baby’s baby: i’m here :>

jeonghan’s eyebrows shot up. she’s here?

over his shoulder, soonyoung’s eyes expanded to the size of  saucers. “hyung, take the stairs. it’s faster.”

“i’ll be back.”

angel: already? hold on 

as he sprinted down, taking the stairs three at a time with a hand running through his hair, jeonghan’s mumbling got increasingly heated. 

“did she have to come an hour earlier? what if he sees her? then everything would be ruined! everything we worked so hard for would be ruined! why are kids so inconsiderate?” the adrenaline pulsed through his veins and the fire burned in his blood as he vehemently spat, “sometimes i just want to slap some consideration into them!” 

the second good thing about today was her mood.

she liked the way she dressed today. yes, it was her usual style, and yes, it was honestly nothing special, but she was in a good mood today. she left the house smiling, she didn’t forget anything and she looked pretty nice. 

was it magic? days like this were rare.

the walk to pledis was good too. people smiled at her. middle-aged aunties tending to flowers, young couples with hands intertwined, businessmen in suits and ties. their lips curved up when she passed them by, with a lilt in her steps that was never there. it was as if they knew where she was going, what she was doing and why she was doing it.

who could blame them, really, when her dreamy expression and the balloon in her hand made it all too obvious.

she was early too. maybe a little too early. sighing as she tucked her hair behind one shoulder, she sent a quick text to a certain self-proclaimed angel.

while awaiting his response, her hand found its way to her head, making sure no hair was out of place, and then she was dusting fluff off her skirt, adjusting her bag strap—she almost burst out laughing at the ridiculousness of it all. why was she being like this? she was hardly ever this concerned about her appearance.

perhaps it was the excitement of surprising the person you love.

yeah, that was probably it.

a million thoughts raced through his mind as he saw her standing there. when did chan grow up? he now has a little lady friend to call his own. everyone expected jun to be first. wow, my baby is growing up :’). i can’t accept this. why is he growing up so quickly? what has he been eating? i need to kn—

the calling of his name brought him back to earth. she appeared in front of him, balloon nearly hitting him on the head. smiling sheepishly, she tugged it closer to her and looked up at him expectantly.

“you’re an hour early.”

cue the increase in size of said sheepish smile. “i know. i’m sorry. i just didn’t want to be late.”

jeonghan sighed as they made their way to the lifts. “it’s alright. it’s good to be early, but an hour early? are you nuts?” then with the biggest shit-eating grin plastered on his face, “or is this perhaps something only couples understand?”

at his comment, she turned pink. as pink as jihoon’s hair. 

well.

chan blushed too when he got teased.

“gosh, you’re just like him. but what would i, an innocent who has never experienced such a feeling, know, right?” he smirked as the hue on her cheeks deepened. 

attempting to change the subject, she held up the paper bag in her hands. 

“i have the cake.”

jeonghan nodded approvingly. “good good. you’re officially accepted to be my daughter-in-law.” they shared a laugh, both knowing the possibilities, before he continued, tone a little more serious. 

“you know where to go right?” at the nod of her head, he continued, “i don’t know how you’re going to entertain yourself, but i suppose you can do up the room a little more. rearrange stuff, add stuff, remove stuff, whatever floats your boat. set up the cake and banner. knock yourself out.” she nodded once more, and the lift doors opened. 

“i have to go practice now. good luck!”

she smiled back. “good luck!”

10 : 25 

back pressed against the wall, she admired her work. presents nicely arranged, balloons and streamers framing the mirror, the birthday banner, the lovely cake—and she didn’t smell bad.

well, what could she say? today was a really good day. 

the minute hand ticked closer and closer to six. hurriedly, she stood up and brushed herself off. they should be here by now. 

as if on cue, eleven boys started to file in, all whispering in hushed tones. 

“get into position, idiots. hurry!” 

“ooh, it’s jeonghan’s other baby. hello.” 

“hi.” 

“did you do all this?” 

“yeah.” 

“wow. very nice.” 

seungcheol’s command ceased the chatter. “alright guys, shh!” 

there were a few seconds of silence. then a giggle broke it. 

“i can hear him,” soonyoung wheezed. “he’s grumbling because we left him behind.” 

seungkwan whacked him on the head. “i can hear his footsteps. shut up!” 

“remember, shout ‘happy birthday’ when he walks in,” seungcheol whispered as the door knob turned. the countdown silently began. 

3. 

2. 

1…

10 : 29

the 19-year-old boy trudged along the deserted corridor, drink cans clutched tightly in his hands. his eyes brimmed with tears as he recalled his hyungs’ behaviour this morning. 

“did they really forget?” chan mumbled, taking small and heavy steps towards the practice room. a sigh escaped his lips. could he tell their choreographer that he wasn’t feeling well? the morning without birthday wishes or claps on the backs or hugs and kisses was enough to make chan feel sick. 

they had left him behind too. making him go and buy drinks from the vending machine two floors down and ditching him at a different practice room because of a “blackout”?

what an absolute load of nonsense. 

it was because he couldn’t perfect that one part, wasn’t it?

but it wasn’t his fault. they were the reasons why.

maybe it was true that nobody cared about the youngest ones. chan’s bottom lip trembled as the tears threatened to spill. maybe he was just insignificant in seventeen. they didn’t even tell him where they had shifted to. he had to ask one of the cleaners if they had seen twelve rowdy boys leaving practice room A.

no. that can’t be. we’re family, right? the small voice in his head repeated the quote that joshua always said. ohana means family, and family means no one gets left behind. 

but even his own girlfriend did not send him a birthday greeting whatsoever. no text message, no video message, no snow story, no skype call or face time. did she know how long he had waited for his phone to light up? for the notification that read from: my love ♡  to pop up on the screen? 

a lone tear dropped onto his palm, shaking chan back to reality. it’s okay, chan. you’re strong. you aren’t going to let them see you cry, right? it hurts, but mum’s gonna send you something later. it’ll be alright. with a final swipe of his hand across his face, chan took a deep breath, held his head high and pushed the door open. 

“hyungs! here’s the drin—” 

but chan was blown away by the shout of “HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHAN!” and suddenly the whole room erupted into hoots and balloons and faces and everything was blurring together into one big, happy, sparkly and beautiful mess.

“aw look! he’s crying!” soonyoung ruffled chan’s hair affectionately. this was followed by a bear hug, courtesy of minghao, who yelled, “jeonghan-hyung, your cliché blackout story actually worked!“ 

junhui pinched chan’s cheeks. “you’re so cute. you really thought we forgot, huh?”

jihoon laughed. “fat chance of that happening. we’re family, remember?” 

that made it even worse. chan was now straight up bawling into jeonghan’s chest. how could he have ever doubted them? they were right.

joshua was right.

seventeen was family.

and he knew they would never leave him behind.

seungcheol’s gentle hand coaxed him away from jeonghan’s embrace. “come here chan, let’s sing the birthday song. there’s someone whom you want to see and who wants to see you too.” 

and there she was. shining brighter than the nineteen candles sitting atop the cake. chan’s eyes curved into crescents. she, out of all people, would never forget a date like today. 

aish, i ought to hit myself. i am so so so stupid. the youngest in seventeen and also the dumbest. 

she looked so pretty right there and then. as they ended the birthday song with cheers and claps, chan found himself gravitating towards her and capturing her in a cuddle. 

“you’re here too.” he breathed her in. she smelt like flowers and warmth and home. he liked it. 

she giggled. “of course i’m here. i would never miss your birthday, you know.“ 

"i know.” chan sighed and closed his eyes. what was this feeling? was it bliss? happiness? he didn’t know. maybe one of his hyungs would. he’d make sure to ask later.

but there was one thing he did know: he loved everybody in the room. so, so, very much. 

the voice of their choreographer cut through the cheerful atmosphere. "come here everybody, gather round, i’ll help you take pictures.” she tutted as she reached for the camera. "wow, this looks really nice. like something out of a storybook. look here everyone! say ‘happy birthday chan’! 1, 2, 3!" 

23 : 05

she got one polaroid as a momento. "here,” their choreographer had said, “you’re his girlfriend. i picked the best one for you. go home and display it somewhere. if chan comes over and sees it, he’ll be very happy." 

as she tucked herself into bed that night, she rolled over to face her study table. the polaroid hung from a string strung across the cork board above her desk. and when sleep lulled her into dreamland, the only thing she remembered was how lovely the picture looked, with sparkles, streamers, happy faces and so full of love. oh, and how the stars twinkled so bright tonight. 

today, was indeed a fairy tale.

11 . 02 . 17 ♡ happy birthday, chan ♡

[agent-7-at-your-service]

Future Plot: Syer’s Rebellion - Chapter 12

((Sandra, Pyrrhus, Telemachus  Kitzeh, James and Market Splatoon, and President Howe belongs to me

Camille belongs to @inklingleesquidly

Nebula belongs to @agenttwo and @myzzy

Marina and Wish belong to @inklingleesquidly@agenttwo and @myzzy; designs are made by @teamuntyblue  / @ryan-sign-guy

Vix belongs to @teamuntyblue / @ryan-sign-guy

Beaker Jr belongs to @askvincent and @scrushling

Emerald and Sapphire belong to @son-of-joy and @twelvetailedkitsune

Suzy belongs to @son-of-joy

Mysteeri belongs to @dreadangel

Celeste belongs to @alpinesquid ))

((Insert opening: https://youtu.be/IBF9XEsnvJI ))

In the Splat-tacular Conclusion of Syer's Rebellion:

The Revolution are advancing on Washington D.C. Splat-Coats, Steamhulks, Little Soldiers, Ichabods, drones called Sparrows, Frontiersmen, and Firemen were poured into the Capital for the last stand along with two new Inkomaton kinds.

All 50 states are now in favor of the Revolution, reversing the reforms President Howe and her administration has made to weaken the people. Inkopolis and Holy Byzantium finally got involved, supporting Telemachus, Celeste, and Kitzeh with the blockades formed by the Neo-Squidbeak Fleet.

Sandra, James and Market Splatoon (One of their members, Abraham, had to stay behind to help his brother), Camille, Nebula, Emerald, Sapphire, and Mysteeri are ready to march into the white house and overthrow President Howe. Beaker Jr, Vix, Marina Squidly, and Wish are back on the Shinkiro, leading a blockade in the Potomac River.

White House, Washington D.C. United States of America - 6:25 PM

The Revolution took President's Howe's forces in less than 3 hours, turning the defenses and the inkomatons against them. And every minute, one small section in the Capital is left covered in ink; and every second, the Splat-Coats are losing morale to the point of the light infantries abandoning the Capital and end up captured. The stronger infantries of Howe's forces remained, falling back to the White House for the last stand. President Howe has already dismissed various security units stations at the White House and locked herself in her office.

The group that Sandra now called the Argonauts, are already making their way into the White House with the Rebels left to face the remaining Splatcoats in the South Lawn and President's Park. Mysteeri, Camille, and Nebula checked the left buildings; Emerald and Sapphire checked the right building. Sandra, James, and Market Splatoon remained in the main building to search for the President like a king their throne room.

Blueroom, The White House - Washington D.C., United States of America - 7:50 PM

The doors were opened for Sandra, James, and Market Splatoon, and they poured into office with weapons armed. The room was sort of dark and its furniture was left neat and tight, but near the windows of the oval room, President Howe has her back turned to her enemies. Sandra and her party stepped closer.

"President Howe..." No response. Sandra decided to call her by her full name. "President Evelyn 'Georgia III' Howe, I am placing you under the Section 4 of Article 2 of the US Constitution--"

"And why would a foreign alien have the right to apprehend me under those words?" As President Howe turned to face them, steam came out of President Howe's back as ink vapors of greyish yellow; something sprouts from her back: mechanical wings. Sandra's party is not phased. "I know who you are, and I know your parents as simple revolutionaries with -- by race -- no right to say my reforms are unconstitutional."

Sandra ignored those words and continued, taking a one step closer with her dualies, Lewis and Clark, aim at President Howe. "Under Section 4 of Article 2 of the United States Constitution, the Revolution is removing you from office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of Treason toward your own people of this very nation."

James aims a Steampunk Custom Splattershot at Howe. "And Congress and the Justices are dissolved thanks to you, and there's no one else to defend you."

"And who wins? The people I've been trying to protect, or those I consider unfit and unworthy to be in this union?" President Howe paced back and forth. "Are you really sure this revolution will assure a new reform?"

"Innocent men in my rebellion died, and even the ones that were just following your orders and working for you died, fearing for their lives." James lowered his splattershot. "And I'll see you hanged for all this. You'll pay for what you've done!"

"I will not surrender! They see me as the only person to lead! Arrest me and kill me, and you'll bring America to ruin!" Evelyn Howe picks two weapons up, some kind of halberd and a custom ink musket acting as some kind of blaster.  "As god as my witness, call me Columbia! I am America!" Her mechanical wings spread and stirred up a gust to break the windows behind her. She stepped out and flew up.

"James, Sandra, get to the rooftops," Elizabeth suggested.

"We'll be occupying the main building here," Henri added, "We can handle the Splat-Coats here!"

Sandra goes off, but she stopped at the doorway to wait for James who went over to Elizabeth to give a kiss before he went.  Sandra smirked, having a hard time imagining her brother with Elizabeth.

((Narration at this point of the chapter is narrated by Sandra.))

James and I made our way to the roof for a final showdown. Somehow the chargers used by security are still there; it could be some use to us to shoot Howe down.

The President crowning herself as some angel of America named Columbia is already getting on my nerves. I bet Camille was this angry when Howe sent her to Manzanar. I hope the other guys are okay.

The President was in mid-air, looking down on us with hostility and what-not.

"The thing is, I still have men loyal to me who will counter this revolution!" She yelled. "I will be avenged no matter what you do to me!"

And I replied, "We're putting an end to your reign!"

"And when we reveal the truth about your reforms to those still loyal, they will never see you or any of your administration in the White House!" James agreed.

"I will not give in!!!" She replied before swooping down.

James and I move out of the way and almost left drops of ink dripping off the mechanical wings. Then James realized something about the wings; they were powers by ink, both from a certain supply and from the inkling's body. That was bad.

"If she uses too much, she going to kill herself." James knew we can let her dies like that. "We need to shoot her down and detach the wings off. Let's start with the prosthetic legs first!"

Both of us picked up a charger and loaded them up with ink.

"I'll take the right," I ordered, "You take the left."

We sprung into action and watched the movement patterns of President Howe. All the President was doing was doing a few somersaults to avoid getting hit and a few glides to cover some turf on the roof. At times she would sometimes swoop down to attack either me or James. We need her to get close enough for us to shoot her. So when she does swoop down, one of us will be there to shoot her legs, and then her wings.

Howe swooped down point her halberd at me. James made the first shot, breaking off a leg prosthetic. Howe swooped down again, this time at James. It was my turn, breaking off the other.

"My reign has just begun!" Howe refused, disposing of the splattershot. She relied on her halberd now. "I will pierce your foul hearts with my lance of justice!"

She was no longer flying around too much, but she did use her wings to get up close and deliver some swings and thrusts at me and James. The halberd broke the chargers, so we relied back on our original ink weapons.

James and I had to keep out distance, but we still had to deal with the wings. We decided to swim around and have Howe swing her halberd around until exhaustion. When Howe exhausted most of her ink and her energy, James and I jumped out of the ink puddles and shot at the wings, breaking the joints and disabling Howe her ability to fly.

Howe would collapse and try to crawl away, ignoring the opposing in that's stinging her. When now ex-president reached the edge of the roof, we stepped closer and aimed our weapons at her. She was badly injured and close to splatting, but at least she recovered.

"It's over..." Sandra stated.

((End of Narration))

Hours later James and I would be sitting at the edge of the White House's roof. President Howe was already is sent to a prison to await a fair trial. My brother and I now didn't know what else to do. The Revolution is over, The United States has reunited again, but what next?

"I want you to come back with me to Inkopolis," Sandra requested, "And maybe once we're old enough, we can return to Seychelles and live back in our old home--"

"I want to stay here for now," James interrupted.

Hearing him say that made Sandra's heart sink. After all the things she did to find her family, she's already denied the future of seeing them together.

"But why?" Sandra quickly gets up and look at him with tears. "You already realize how much I did to find my family!"

"But you abandoned one back in Inkopolis." James got up and took off his glasses to clean them. "Agent 7 and Aunt Circe adopted you for a reason." He knows Circe as an aunt figure like Sandra. "And even if they understand what you're doing, they've either supported your choice, or they sent someone to try and reason with you."

"And abandoning them was worth it now that I--" Sandra again is interrupted.

"Sandra, Mom, and Dad won't approve of that, and you know how they value family." James sighed. "Jamal told me a thing call Ohana, and it meant family, meaning nobody gets left behind. You can leave that family, but never forget what they did for you."

"But..." Sandra has no argument against that idea.

"Looks at me, when Mom and Dad died, I rebuilt my life and made a new family with the people I've met whether they're a friend or not." James puts his glasses back on. "But I never forgot our parents."

Sandra then looked down, remember all the things Agent 7 did as a father to make her comfortable in Inkopolis. And despite Circe not being like her mom, Sandra saw some comfort in the love and care that she provided. Then there are the siblings, Telemachus, Iruka, and Kitzeh, and they were good to her from the time she came to the city in Japan. Camille, Nebula, Celeste, Beaker, Vix, Emerald, Sapphire, and all those other squids, octopi, and others could count as her family too -- a new family to fill the void.

"Do you think Jade and John found each other like a family?" Sandra asked, looking up.

"Maybe." James looked up as well.

The stars were out.

"At least I know you're okay, James," Sandra confessed.

"And at least I know you're okay, too, Sandra," James replied.