#whether he had an accident or someone stuck him on purpose remains a mystery

[airandangels]

You can see the process of reconstructing this person from the ground up in the new Netflix documentary Secrets of the Neanderthals (I think that was the title) and, to sweeten the deal, it’s narrated by Patrick Stewart.

Or hey, given Captain Picard’s love of archaeology, you can just pretend it’s him.

every prehistoric human reconstruction has me thinking “I want to smoke weed with this bitch”

she looks like she would have been an awesome neighbor, like she would have loved menthols and called me baby

[skulljackxiii]

Total Dangan Island 

Contestant No. 7.5: Mechamaru Nidai

Week Challenge: 

(Funhouse Catacombs) Down to the Final 8, this week’s challenge is a “Race to Escape”. All Players are “placed” deep underground and must choose a path to escape before the time limit is up. Each path has a series of connected Escape Rooms (both physical or academic with random difficulty levels) that instantly traps Player(s) once steps inside with no way out and must be completed in order to move onto the next. 

Players must quickly run through every escape room because there’s only one correct route that leads to the outside whereas the rest leads to dead ends, so choosing a wrong path will waste more time. But don’t worry, once a Player enters and goes back from a dead end, that path will be automatically closed off in order to prevent Players from  becoming too lost or redoing that same Escape Room. 

Every 5 Escape Rooms on certain paths leads to one massive connected Safe Room where Players can relax and recuperate. With both teams merged, players will race and have to decide on whether to cooperate, compete, betray or sabotage another in order to clear this week’s challenge. In order to keep things fair, every item or possession that each Player carries that might give them an advantage will be confiscated. The only things that are allowed are the Monopads for communication purposes and the clothes on their backs.  Last one to escape will be automatically eliminated off the island.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Episode Summary: 

The next morning after resting up and ready for their next Challenge, everyone went ahead and met up at the lobby to have breakfast. But before anyone was able to sit and chow down, they were all knocked out by a mysterious gas. The next thing they saw when they opened their eyes was a rocky surface covering their entire surroundings. After a massive panic when they realized that they were trapped in a cave (mostly done by Kazuichi), everyone’s Monopad lit up and notified that Monokuma made an announcement for their newest Challenge. After explaining what this Week’s Challenge was, everyone quickly hopped in their first Escape Room and got started. 

The Challenge went on as intended without a hitch until the Players arrived at their first Safe Room. Upon arriving after an agonizing day went by, everyone was understandably exhausted and wanted rest, but noticed that there was something wrong. Absolute horror and shock appeared on everyone’s faces when they noticed that there was no food or water at sight, at that moment Monokuma was in a surprised panic (mostly due to possible drop in ratings if the challenge had to be called off) and suddenly realized what happened. 

After constructing the Escape Rooms, he was worried that his co-host Monomi would intervene with this week’s challenge and give out too many “hints” like she did prior. So he unintentionally used up the remaining funds for the week on heavy defenses and artillery to keep her out from meddling in the challenge until it was cleared instead of spending it on food and water for the Players. 

While Monokuma pondered on what to do, Monomi suddenly showed up and immediately understood the situation. Without hesitation, she grabbed the Master Remote Control to stop everything but Monokuma tried yanking it back and told her to wait until he made a decision. This tug of war continued back and forth until they accidently destroyed it together; now with no way to pause the challenge, get in to help, or even communicate to provide instructions, the Players are forced to continue the Challenge while battling hunger and dehydration. 

Days went by and the challenge has far exceeded its time limit, most of the Players are seen on the ground either passed out or barely conscious due to the pain of immense hunger and thirst. Everyone has given in to the situation and was waiting for the END, all except for two. The remaining Players that had enough will and strength to stand were Nekomaru and Gundham. 

Having seen their friends in such despair, both agreed on a temporary alliance and started to plan for a suicide mission. Both planned to sneak away and use up what little strength they had to complete the challenge and find the escape route to get help for everyone. Gundham decided for both of them to use the “cremated ashes of his enemies”(aka his eyeliner) to mark arrows to notify one another, if either of them got lost, on which way was correct and avoid any more unnecessary dead end paths.

Hours passed and both Players parted ways and reunited so many times, their minds were so blurry and their bodies were in ruins. On their next meetup they decided to stick together and  continued to march on, but they both knew that they couldn’t last any longer. There were moments when they wanted to give up, but Gundham would always remind the both of them that life is a gift and giving up on it is a sin. As they continued It was like an eternal agony for them who were practically empty husks with flickering lights in their eyes, that was until they felt a fresh air breeze pass their faces. Like a sudden jolt of energy they ran towards that direction and saw a light at the end of the cave. 

When arriving at the end, what they saw was Monokuma and Monomi teary-eyed jumping in joy with sacks of food and water behind them as they witnessed Gundham and Nekomaru running out of the exit. Both Players looked at each other in disbelief and started cheering in victory alongside the mascots, but all that came to a halt when Monokuma stared back in the cave and saw no one else behind them. Monokuma alone started to panic once more as everyone was baffled and confused by his actions.

He explained that since a Challenge is built in large scales and takes up so much space on the island, there needs to be room for the next one to be made. So after every challenge exceeds the time limit and almost a full week has passed, the entire course is set to self destruct and demolish itself in order to make room, and also to prevent any boring repetitive challenges from occurring. After mentioning that the demolition will occur and that there was no way to stop it due to the Master Remote Control being destroyed, Gundham was about to lunge at Monokuma in anger until all four of them felt abrupt shaking below their feets.

They knew that the self-destruction was commencing, so Nekomaru immediately jumped right back into the cave and ran to retrieve the others. Gundham raised his hand and whistled with all his strength, attempting to summon an army of Demon Beasts to help carry everyone else at once. But due his dire state he was only able to conjure one “Feral High-Leveled Demonic Beast” (aka a brown bear) to his side and followed pursuit after Nekomaru. Monomi wanted to help but the heavy defenses were still active, thus making her and Monokuma sit on the sidelines once more. 

Both of them dived into the cave trying to reach the others, while nearly avoiding the boulders and rocks crashing so close around them. Thanks to the markings that they made previously, they finally reached the others and got ready to leave. Shockingly, a revelation appeared when there wasn’t enough space to carry everyone on the bear and Nekomaru was only able to carry two people at a time in his state, meaning someone had to be left behind. While griping over the situation, Sonia woke up and requested them to get everyone out while she’ll stay behind and wait for their return. Before either Gundham or Nekomaru could argue with her, the cave shook violently again and more rubble started falling. With no other choice both of them left and ran as fast as they could, when they were no longer in sight, after using what little energy to stand, Sonia closed her eyes and collapsed once more. 

After avoiding everything and reaching the exit, Gundham threw everyone off the bear and onto Nekomaru in order to quickly ride back to get Sonia. Before Nekomaru could get the chance to follow, his legs went numb and fell to the ground with everyone laying beside him. From the far distance, Gundham screamed at the top of his lungs at Nekomaru that he alone is enough to retrieve Sonia and that he needed him to take care of the others and rest up. Begrudgingly, he had to accept his limits and screamed right back at him for both of their safe returns.

The situation became more dire as the number of falling boulders increased and the path became more narrow, but against all odds and close encounters Gundham was able to reach the Safe Room. After securing Sonia onto the bear and was ready to leave, the largest tremor so far caused the ceiling above them to fall. Right before it landed, Gundham pushed Sonia and  the bear out of the way. When the dust cleared it’s shown that Sonia and the bear were safe, but Gundham unfortunately got his leg crushed and stuck underneath the rubble. After a couple attempts to escape, Gundham was silent and realized that there was no way out for him. Then after taking a quick glance at Sonia he unraveled his scarf and put it on her, once he was done he gave a gentle smile and forcibly commanded the bear to leave and head towards the exit. With a sad look on its face, the bear turned around and ran as quickly as it could without looking back. Shortly after seeing their silhouette disappear from the distance, Gundham finally gave into the pain that he had held back for so long and passed out, and on his face was a smile of a man who had no regrets. 

Back on the surface, everyone regained consciousness after eating and drinking to their fullest, but all of them were still extremely  anxious when waiting for the last of their friends to return. Then suddenly they saw the bear charging towards the exit and everyone started celebrating and cheering, but that immediately stopped when they only saw Sonia on the bear. With Gundham nowhere to be seen and Sonia wearing his scarf, only the worst case scenario ran through everyone’s head. Then with some strength returning to him, Nekomaru leaped off the ground and rushed back into the cave. Everyone was about to follow in pursuit, but after Nekomaru passed through first an immense tremor suddenly shook the ground that caused the exit to cave in and block it with piles of rocks in the way. 

Moments passed since the rubble first trapped Gundham, he’s still seen on the ground lying unconscious, but that was until some small debris landed on his head causing him to wake up. While both being shocked and amused that he was still alive, he felt a sharp pain not just from his leg that was just crushed but other parts of his body as well. When he looked down he saw that some rocks landed on his left arm, right shoulder, and his upper right thigh. Then he looked around and saw that the current situation was in a much worse state than it was before, all he could do was wonder if everyone else was okay. 

Another violent tremor occurred and Gundham saw that a large boulder above his head was about to fall on him. Seconds away from making contact, Gundham closed his eyes and accepted his fate. But then he heard a loud shriek coming from the tunnel and saw a large fist flying above him, crushing the boulder into pieces right on time. Who he saw was Nekomaru standing there and desperately trying to get him out from underneath the large rubble. He tried pushing, crushing, punching, and pulling but nothing worked. Though as he continued on, Gundham suddenly started yelling that he shouldn’t be here and that he should be with everyone else safely, but then Nekomaru yelled back and called him a hypocrite for giving up on life and explains that a team manager would never leave one of his star players out to dry alone. The two continued arguing back and forth like this for a while, and after a long pause; the both of them stared at each other, smiled, and agreed to resume with their temporary alliance until they both made it out alive. 

Gundham tried his best to pull his leg out as Nekomaru did his damndest to lift the rubble. The two Players kept at it as more and more of their surroundings started to fall apart. Then after a few more attempts, they could finally feel it being lifted and loosened up. But right when Gundham was about to be freed, everything around instantly fell into ruins and caved in,  everything just went black. 

As hours pass by, most of the remaining Players on the surface are seen to dig where the Challenge once stood. Kazuichi tried making tools for everyone to use from leftover parts from previous Challenges, but they would immediately break after a few uses since the materials were not the best quality. Even so, that did not stop everyone from trying, they would even use their bare hands if it meant reaching for their friends even faster.

After a while, Monokuma was finally able to receive a replacement for his Master Remote Control, along with some top tier excavation equipment from the show’s Executive Producers. Even though the gravity of the situation is dire, deep down Monomi is happy to see her co-host Monokuma, so worried about the well-being of the kids. Though in contrast the reason why he was in such a panic was because he knows that Gundham and Nekomaru are fan favorites and if they die under his watch then HIS ass would be on the line; endless amounts of lawsuits against him and the Producers, thus leading to the immediate termination of the series.

Once Monokuma quickly went cracking on excavating, along with everyone else’s help, they were finally able to make some progress in getting through all that rubble. After more time had passed, they were finally able to reach the Safe Room near the bottom of the challenge course. When they got rid of that first massive rubble in their way, they saw Gundham’s face through the cracks. When they saw him all beaten and bruised they saw him trying to say something, with a whimpering voice that was gasping for air, all he said when he saw everyone was “...Help”. Then everyone jumped in and started digging more rapidly than before. 

They kept on digging where Gundham was at and when they finally reached and were about to pull him out completely, he suddenly stopped them. Everyone was confused for a second, and then Gundham, gasping for more air, explained that what he was trying to say before was that they should leave him be and focus on getting help for him. As they got closer and dug him out completely, what they saw shocked them entirely. They saw Nekomaru’s unrecognizable  crushed body hovering over Gundams', knowing that he used himself as a shield in order to protect Gundham from meeting his end. After that revelation, they quickly got both of them out and sent them to the infirmary for immediate medical attention.

Later that night, almost everyone met up at the Elimination Site, with the exception of two people. Surprisingly, a casted Gundham was present whereas Nekomaru and Kazuichi were not. Monokuma explained that it's thanks to Nekomaru’s sacrifice that Gundham is still alive and able to (just barely) move around, but unfortunately the same couldn’t be said to him. He says that Nekomaru is in a critical state and that he assigned Kazuichi a special project to help him, thus giving the reasons why they're absent. 

Despite his explanation, everyone was still confused as to why they were there at the Elimination Site in the first place since the Challenge was incomplete. However, Monokuma interjected and said that there’ll still be an Elimination Ceremony tonight, he explained that it's contractually obligated that after every Challenge, no matter the conditions or reasons, that there must be an Elimination of a Player. So with his hand raised up and a dramatic pause, Monokuma dropped down his hand of judgement and pointed at the Player who’s going on the chopping block. As the camera pans over and everyone’s eyes directed their attention, who Monokuma pointed at was the one going home.

It was none other than Gundham Tanaka himself.

In an immediate fit of rage, nearly everyone was against Monokuma’s decision and argued that it should’ve been impossible since he and Nekomaru were the first ones out of the cave, at one point Sonia even interjected and said that she should be the one going since she was last to escape. But despite their pleas, Monokuma shook his head in disappointment as he said sarcastically that no one ever listens to him. He reminded everyone at the beginning of the Challenge that the last one out to escape will be immediately eliminated, he never said that you would be safe if you escaped before anyone else. So both Nekomaru and Gundham were technically tied for being last to escape, and since Nekomaru isn’t in any condition to attend the Elimination Ceremony Gundham was the only viable choice. 

After giving his explanation, everyone still didn’t accept the results and demanded Monokuma to take back his decision. The arguments continued on ceaselessly until someone finally shut everything down, the one that silenced everyone was Gundham himself. He had no qualms with Monokuma’s choice and explained to the others that he never regrets anything in his life and how he does so is by accepting any and all consequences that come from his actions. With such a determined look on his face, no one dared to say anymore and were forced to accept the outcome.

As Gundham packs up and was ready to leave on the Boat of Loserdom, he sees most of his friends lined up ready to say their goodbyes. One after another, Gundham parted words of endearment and acknowledgment to everyone (despite it being hard to understand and overly dramatic, ~ as usual). When he finally reached Sonia there was a brief silence and a long pause, the one to break it was her when she tried giving back his scarf. But before she could Gundham stopped her and says that she should hold onto it until their next meeting. 

He explained before, from previous other Challenges, that the “Clothe of Gehenna” (aka his scarf) is made up of the Strings of Fate that’s been woven by his Guardian Angel, thus allowing the wearer to bend destiny at their will. The point he’s making is that he wants to bestow some of his “power” to Sonia in order for her to protect herself and the others when things get dire once more, but more importantly he wants her to have it as a keepsake from him and as a reminder that he’ll be watching over her from now on. Just as he finished talking and headed towards the boat, Sonia grabbed Gundham by the collar of his jacket and gave him a final kiss goodbye. 

After seemingly over a minute pass by and suddenly realizing what she’s done, Sonia pulls back, says what was on her mind, and storms off all embarrassed. Gundham on the other hand dramatically turned around and said his final farewells to everyone once more in an eerie fashion, but in reality he turned around quickly in order to hide his face before anyone noticed how red he was.

After getting on and leaving the coast, he looked at the confessional camera on the boat to talk about his experience on the island. He gloats about the number of Demon Beasts that he tamed on the island and prattles on about how he could’ve demolished all the Challenges with ease if he used his true powers, but chose not to in order to make things interesting. Though most importantly, he talked mainly about the other Players and how much his opinion of them changed from the start of the competition. He continued on that the more he spent time with them, the more he was able to recognize them as something more special than mere mortals. He states that he would grant each of them high-ranked elite positions in his army of evil once he conquers the World and how each of them will be granted a country of their choosing as their rewards for serving him. 

Then before he could continue his grand gestures of world domination, at the corner of his eye he sees countless shadowy figures staring at him near the coast edge of the forest. What he saw was all the wild inhabitants of Dangan Island, facing down and looking all depressed as they saw Gundham drift away from the island. But before being taken too far away, he stood up in anger and proclaimed that they should never show any weakness as they are all part of the Tanaka Empire and that this whole thing was but a stepping stone for his plans to take over the world. He shouts that this will not be the last they see of him and until they do let the whole cosmos know the power of his minions. After that, Gundham let out a loud laughter that was soon accompanied with powerful cries and roars from the animals. 

As Monokuma did the show’s outro and said his farewells to the audience, all anyone could hear was the noises bellowing from deep in the forest, but the most distinctively sound that everyone could hear was Gundham’s laughter ringing and echoing all throughout the whole night. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bio/Extra info: (Read Previous Bio) With his body in ruins, Monokuma, since it was his fault, decided to allow Nekomaru to continue with the competition with aid and time to recuperate. He tasked Kazuichi and brought back Mikan (who was eliminated previously) to help bring Nekomaru back on his feet, in exchange he promised Mikan that she'll be compensated and Kazuichi will be given “Invincibility” for the next challenge if they both complete the task. While Mikan tended to his conditions, Kazuichi pondered to himself on what he could do. Then he suddenly remembered a post from long ago on an online forum that he often visits, of this perverted and weirdo inventor who just wanted to boast and brag about their latest schematics of an exo-suit that allows people to do everyday tasks while they sleep. With some modifications to the schematics and gathering materials from previous demolished Challenges, Kazuichi went to work. Now after a few tests and research with Mikan and Kazuichi, Nekomaru has now transformed into Mechamaru. Kazuichi explained to him that the suit is only made for rehabilitation purposes only, meaning that it allows him to move around with very little effort exerted while his real body is recovering. Thus he’s not able to perform at his peak or demonstrate monstrous feats like he did. He further explained the the diameter located on his mouth, measures the pain he feels and the condition of his body; any ranges of Green meant he was great or fine, Yellow or Orange meant that his body is in great pain and that he needs long periods of time to rest, but Red meant that he needed to stop whatever he’s going and seek out immediate medical treatment before he dies. Now despite the situation he’s in and explaining his limitations, that didn’t get him down. He was just so happy that he was alive and appreciated the effort that both of them showed him, he continued being his big ol’ Jolly and Passionate self (but more shiny~ XD).

Goal: (Read Previous Goal) Same as before but now wants to use the prize to help fix his entire body.

[sasorikigai]

aranyhíd + basorexia + chéngquán + ichariba chode + smultronställe ( for fire hubby, any verse of your choosing + bonus points for any Hanryou mentions :^) )

one word ideas for when you’re feeling stuck || @sonxflight || accepting

aranyhíd (hungarian, n) - “the golden bridge”; the reflection of the sun as it shines on water

basorexia (n.) - the overwhelming desire to kiss

chéngquán // 成全 (chinese, v.) - “to become whole”; to selflessly help someone achieve their aim

ichariba chode // 行逢りば兄弟 (japanese, phr.) - “though we meet but once, even by chance, we are friends for life”  

smultronställe (swedish, n.) - a special place discovered, treasured, returned to for solace and relaxation; a personal idyll free from stress or sadness  

▬▬ι═══════ﺤ 🔥 || As distant as his soul, as distant as a journey into the space of his soul, Hanzo Hasashi lets the year’s first warmer days present themselves in bliss, and amid all this sunshine, the chirping birds, and sprouting flora bringing scents of rejuvenation, the fog in his mind clears up and his nigh forgotten body switches from an ongoing state of depletion to a state of recharging; albeit by fits and starts. Verily, the spring in his mind has commenced, and Hanzo desperately wishes to frolic in these fields turning ever greener, to encompass the tendrils of his kunai set in celerity as the Scorpion’s sting continues to split and whirl the air, breaking the limitations of chiseled male human anatomy and his exemplary physicality to exemplify him from satisfactorily using it. 

Once, the triviality of his unnatural, unearthly life had been only matched by the insignificancies of the normal and vulgar; Scorpion’s wretched, wicked spirit laid beneath a layer of charcoal dust, tracing a blurred, grotesque lines between the squalor and meanness of his slaughtered human existence. A fragmented part of him will always stay as his kintsugi heart continues to heal in giant mosaic. Reassembled and understood in a way that the splendor of effulgent nature dances in his heart like a beautiful brushstroke on the canvas of his soul, as he would describe love as nothing to do with people, for it transcends the living or the dead. It’s something he feels to make himself whole; a part of a puzzle, but it doesn’t make the whole picture. 

It may take him to turns and dead ends, giving him peace, but other times, it just consumes him. It starts from his head, and goes to his heart and he cannot stop it. He cannot hold it, and somedays, Hanzo Hasashi would want it to stop, on the other days, he would simply beg it to race until the end. His love could never be just described as romantically; it’s emotionally, platonically, physically, and sexually overwhelming. 

Hanzo Hasashi and Ryou Sakai’s pain dwells not only inside the pink, gelatinous mass nestled deep in their chests, but past all the web of veins and arteries, past the bone and sinews. It remains somnolent in the space between love and grief, in the abstract and unreachable, because it is so present, yet so intangible. For Hanzo, it’s more like a metastasized tumor in his graceful, magnanimous kindness. He is convinced that he will be able to save people from all the excruciating throes of pain, as Ryou Sakai once had taken upo his fallen body and extinguished spirit and repurposed them in his solemn transmogrifying resurrection. Only then, the Shirai Ryu Grandmaster will find any meaning and purpose in this decorated and tormented life, if only he could. 

As the dusk flares its last dramatic rays upon the Earth, they are blinded by the light, as their footwork slowly subsides, beneath the rupture and splendor of saturated flames of their exertion. Multitudes of flurries are exchanged, and so does the vicious gracefulness of their crafts, for their bodies are arsenals of war as the malpractices of them and agony in which they both have shared continues to diminish beneath the bloating sense of onyx darkness. Despite the old tarnish memories resurfacing in the mirror of antiquity covered in cracks and sand, time worn, but astonishing in that it was once a moment for happiness and reflective perseverance upon his deep reminiscence.  

Hanzo always falls hard and he falls fast - knowing his melancholic heart will eternally sing of sorrow from all the withered roses of his life, that will never shed enough thorns to be loved in their purest form. But his beloved had equated love with learning and learning with experience; and he has seen enough heartache in his willowed soul to know that he is not alone in this trials and tribulations. If Hanzo Hasashi could have held the Sun just long enough to outshine its burn, maybe Ryou would have held him past the breaking dawn, even in his grief-stricken, diabolical subjugation beneath the vengeful ire and destruction. 

Their unchoreographed, visceral music is their great uniter; an incredible force. Sometimes even the people who differ in their credo on certain facets of their lives could have so much in common. And he will never become ashamed to admit - that Hanzo Hasashi is an addict of physical attention, his preferred form of affection. Whether it is calloused hands bruising, crimson-streaked lips grazing, pierced flesh smacking and colliding, even tearing in the throes of familiar, long-accepted pain, he craves it all the same. Maybe he is not only just addicted to tension applied to his surface, and perhaps - it’s the pleasure. A solemn reminder, that he is still capable enough of feeling something radiant, despite his mind’s wretched indifference as the demon’s gaping maw and ravenous claws continue to threaten to overwhelm. 

This human body of Hanzo Hasashi’s sensitivity and sentimentality is immensely responsive, and this love is what keeps him sane and deeply anchored towards his sensibility and intuition, seeing and hearing the significant things, of paying attention at the right moments, of understanding and co-ordinating. And he will utilize this exceptionally developed gift for dealing with the accidents of existence, not the accidents themselves. By a happy dispensation of nature, he will possess the gift of experience in conjunction with that of expression; via his encompassing love that renders him raw and open, like a wirebrush against scarred skin, or flurries of katana slashes brushing against the sweat and blood saturated skin. 

The price of his pain is more than Ryou Sakai’s kiss - as solemn kombat between them will draw bridges to human connection that transcends their mere cordialities, coating themselves with a layer of fresh sanguine paint as the mysterious pull will always let his physicality enfold atop Ryou’s smaller one - knowing that he would be in the paradise, with savored breaths and sensation of throat-clawing ravenous, animalistic carnality, Hanzo would let himself be plunged deeper into the abyss of desperation, knowing that a beacon of light - both his purified, cleansed flames and Ryou’s solar radiance - would shine their dancing rays across the gray waves as he relinquishes without a sense of direction. ▬▬ι═══════ﺤ 🔥 || 

[popunktomlinson]

this is just the mess of all the fics that i read between december ‘19 and may ‘20 for my own reference but if you want to check any out there are stars next to my favorites! this is mostly drarry with some larry, scorbus, and one (1) wolfstar pairing.

Larry:

Missed Connection - kingsofeverything (3k)

Harry is absolutely clueless when it comes to figuring out if other guys are into him, so he enlists his friend Niall to assist. That may or may not be a mistake.

Like Candy In My Veins - littlelouishiccups (85k)

“Um…” Harry said slowly after a moment. “Okay. That’s… this is… Let me get this straight.” He lifted up a hand and swallowed. “You told your family that you have a boyfriend… and my name was the first one you thought of?”

(Basically the A/B/O, enemies to lovers, fake relationship, Christmas AU that nobody asked for.)

Forget the Silent Nights - LadyLondonderry (45k)

The last Christmas with the seven of them in that broken old house on Redwood all together was probably one of the most memorable holidays each of them had, what with the wedding and the the snowstorm and the raccoons in their attic…

And the baby they stole, of course.

Point. Drop. Call. - 4ureyesonly28 (2k)

Teenagers get bored on a hot summer day and decide to play a little game…Whoever loses has to call their crush, no matter who or where they are.

Drarry:

Written on the Heart - who_la_hoop (114k)

When he’s hit by an illegal love-spell though, Harry finds he has more to worry about than whether or not Blaise Zabini actually wants to be his friend. For if everyone affected has been blessed – or cursed, by the look on Malfoy’s face – with a magical tattoo revealing the name of their soulmate, what does it mean that Harry’s skin remains completely bare?

hello goodbye (’twas nice to know you) - tamerofdarkstars (5k)

Draco Malfoy thinks he might know whose thoughts are scrawling themselves on his skin, but that's crazy. Impossible, even. It has to be a mistake.

Self-indulgent soulmate AU where the thoughts of your soulmate inscribe themselves on your skin in a shifting magic tattoo

Hope Springs Eternal (But Love Springs in the Forrest, Unannounced) - lettered (12k)

Draco falls into a love spring. Harry saves him! And now they’re bonded for life. Draco is horrified. Harry thinks it’s kind of neat.

The Lesbian Muffin Debacle - abusing_sarcasm (7k)

Pansy and Ginny have a muffin-induced potions accident and Draco and Harry are stuck watching their love life from the sidelines - quite literally. Fortunately, they're able to give each other a hand.

✨The Owl Who Came for Christmas - dracogotgame (18k)

Draco has a debt to pay off, no matter what Potter thinks. And he has a Very Good Idea to go along with it. Things don't go as planned.

Strange Bathfellows - bixgirl1 (28k)

It started with a bath. Or a potions accident. Or maybe it started before that, but who can tell anymore.

Featuring: Uncomfortable wanking, more comfortable wanking, mutual wanking, bath sharing, inappropriate betting, secret shagging, those secrets at Hogwarts that everyone knows, and oblivious Harry who knows one thing: he's falling in love.

Something I Don’t Want to Stop - lq_traintracks (16k)

It's Harry and Draco's eighth year, the Houses have been all but demolished in favor of unity, and they're being forced to room together. How ever will they cope?

Psuedo - dysonrules (24k)

Draco runs into an interesting man during a drunken night out. Pansy slips the man Draco's address, not realising that he is actually Harry Potter in disguise.

Things get a bit out of hand after that.

Two Truths and all those Hidden Lies - keyflight790 (8k)

It didn’t matter whether Draco knew about the Polyjuice or not; nor did it matter what face Harry deigned to hide behind in the club. Draco could spot Potter a mile away.

The Other Side to Draco Malfoy - makingitwork (20k)

Draco Malfoy's best friend is Theodore Nott, the only person he trusts. So The Golden Trio decide to make Harry use Polyjuice Potion to see what Draco knows about the war.

The only problem is, while pretending to be Theodore Nott, Harry discovers another side to Draco. A better, lonelier side.

Right Hand Red - lq_traintracks (73k)

Harry felt Malfoy's breath on his lips as they came together over the bottle, hands firmly planted on the floor as though they each needed their familiar soil, refusing to cross into enemy territory.

Except that Malfoy no longer felt like his enemy.

Malfoy felt inevitable.

Good to Me (And I’d Be So Good to You) - AWickedMemory (9k)

Everyone returns to Hogwarts after the war, but nothing is quite the same. Harry's groupies are creepier than ever, Ron and Hermione are snogging all over the place, and the once-proud Draco is shuffling around like a kicked puppy. But that's okay: Harry's got a plan.

Good Company - Greenflares (8k)

With Hermione and Ron always together, Harry's return to Hogwarts to complete his education isn't exactly fun. Somehow, it's his unlikely friendship with Malfoy that keeps him sane.

The Lip-Lock Jinx - Casis Luna (20k)

The Lip-Lock Jinx, a jinx that renders the victim mute that can only be undone in two ways: if the caster reverses the spell on the victim, or if the victim serves the purpose of the jinx and kisses the person that they desire. It’s just Harry’s luck that he gets jinxed by Ginny Weasley and he’s in love with Draco Malfoy.

Like Diamonds We Are Cut With Our Own Dust - raitala (11k)

Draco has borne the mark of the Dark Lord for over ten years. It is familiar to him, but he pays the price for it every day, and Harry has noticed.

Burning the Ground - lq_traintracks (10k)

"Strap him down," someone said, and Harry felt the rage thicken inside him -- the viscous fear.

Magical bindings pulled taut around his wrists . . . He felt a wand touch his arm and then a sharp bite as something punctured the skin, and a sweet, cool tonic rushed his veins.

His breathing slowed. His eyelids drooped. The ceiling went grey and dark. And then he heard a woman's voice sigh, "Someone, get Healer Malfoy."

✨Turn - Saras_Girl (307k)

One good turn always deserves another. Apparently.

Around You Moves -ignatiustrout (30k)

Harry knew Draco was gay when he invited him to move in. He’s never had a problem with this. So why does he feel so weird about Draco bringing men home all of a sudden?

Who Else But You - jeni_andtheafterthought (6k)

Draco loses his soulmate before he understands what that means. Then, it happens again. Quite the anomaly, Draco is encouraged to keep a journal following the experience. Finding his soulmate, solving the mystery surrounding his soulmate bond may be more than he bargained for.

you’ve got the antidote for me - Kanadakicksass (21k)

When Harry Potter unintentionally severs their soulbond before it can fully form, Draco Malfoy resigns himself to a slow death and decides not to burden Harry with a soulmate he's made it very clear he doesn't want.

✨Grounds For Divorce - Tepre (122k)

Malfoy finds a coin. Harry finds a letter.

A story about histories, a story about families. A story about a lemon tree somewhere in Upper Egypt.

Symbiosis - fireflavored (20k)

sym·bi·o·sis (sĩm'bē-ō'sĩs) n. Biology A close, prolonged association between two or more different organisms of different species that may, but does not necessarily, benefit each member.

Through The Looking Glass and What Draco Found There - magpie_fngrl (17k)

Draco discovers the Mirror of Erised is a portal and he enters an alternate reality where your deepest desires come true. Or how Draco found himself in the world of his dreams and Potter had to come and ruin it.

Bond - AnnaFugazzi (173k)

I started to write this before HBP came out, and crossed my fingers that HBP wouldn't make it totally non-canon. No such luck, I'm afraid. This, therefore, is an AU story, where (SPOILER) still teaches (SPOILER), (SPOILER) didn't try to (SPOILER), (SPOILER) didn't succeed in (SPOILER), (SPOILER) never dated (SPOILER), and most importantly, (MAJOR ENDING SPOILERS) never happened.

Two Wands Make a Right - dannyfranx (21k)

Harry's wand is playing up and Hermione thinks she knows the answer, but why does she have to be right all the time, why does Draco Malfoy have to be so god damn difficult and why is he wearing his tie backwards?

Running on Air - eleventy7 (75k)

Draco Malfoy has been missing for three years. Harry is assigned the cold case and finds himself slowly falling in love with the memories he collects.

You Send Me (Honest You Do) - firethesound (37k)

As far as potion accidents go in general, and deaging incidents go in particular, Draco knew this could have been so much worse. Harry only lost about ten years, and all his memories are still intact. But the sight of him looking as if he’s stepped straight out of Draco’s Hogwarts memories has dredged up a whole mess of complicated feelings Draco thought he’d buried years ago, and Draco really doesn’t know what to do with any of it.

✨What We Pretend We Can’t See - gyzym (131k) ✨

Seven years out from the war, Harry learns the hard truth of old history: it’s never quite as far behind you as you thought.

Eternity - TheFiestyRogue (1k)

On one's 21st birthday, one's soul mark is burnt into one's skin. It could be anything; a name, a number, a symbol.

Technicolor Beat - fortunate_cookie (5k)

"H-Harry, you..I don’t-understand...", the blonde said breathlessly looking to the equally as breathless Gryffindor.

"Yeah. I...yeah...", Harry replied intelligently.

or the one where harry and draco are soulmates and there's a chase involved.

such a softer sin - therewascourfeyrac (16k)

After Draco meets Harry Potter, he's left with two tattoos, one on each wrist. One for a soul mate, one for his enemy. He's never known any one else who has the same name on both wrists.

Just The Two Of Us - Hekatee, Pierian (3k)

Harry finally meets his soulmate. Except his soulmate has been given a heavy dose of morphine and has no idea that his drugged-up rambling includes the words that change Harry's life forever.

Timer - JulietsEmoPhase (2k)

“If a clock could count down to the moment you meet your soul mate, would you want to know?” Of course, Harry had to miss the moment his clock ran out.

Two Weeks - shiftylinguini (22k)

If Harry had to guess which out of he or his Auror Partner, and tentative new friend, Draco Malfoy, would turn out to have Veela ancestry, his answer would be: neither, because that is ridiculous. Finding out the answer is actually him, and that his Veela heritage is wreaking havoc on his ability to work, sleep, and above all be in the same room as Malfoy, is a surprise to say the least. But this is fine. Harry’s been through worse, and he can just sit this one out, regardless of how much his body is screaming for the one person he doesn’t want to ask for help. Can’t he?

A Convenient Impracticality - firethesound (39k)

Somehow Harry ends up agreeing to a fake relationship with his ex-nemesis-turned-friendly-acquaintance-with-benefits, except for some reason it involves an awful lot of actual dating and, sadly, not much sex. Confused? Harry is too, but when has anything with Draco Malfoy ever been as straightforward as it seems?

Precious Memories - ravenclawsquill (18k)

When Harry’s Pensieve breaks with a very important memory trapped inside, he has no choice but to hire an expert to repair it. Then Draco Malfoy steps out of his Floo, and Harry isn’t sure what to expect. He certainly isn’t anticipating tea, biscuits and gold-rimmed glasses.

Helix - Saras_Girl (93k)

Seven months after the end of the war, Harry is feeling lost. Fortunately, he is about to be offered an unexpected and sparkling chance to find himself again.

Temptation on the Warfront - alizarincrimson (180k)

Draco Malfoy is forced into hiding with the Golden Trio and dragged into their search for horcruxes. What ensues is a journey of redemption, unexpected friendships and an unwanted, turbulent romance with Harry Potter. Warnings for swearing, sexual content, and dark themes.

Scorbus:

re-read:

The Unicorn Incident - who_la_hoop (18k)

Growing up is hard to do, especially in the shadow of your father's reputation. Scorpius Malfoy has a tough time keeping his resolution to be the best Slytherin he can be when schoolboy games, unicorns, incompetent friends and a beloved enemy all conspire to teach him something different – and rather wonderful – about himself.

Scorpius Malfoy’s Future Wife - josephinestone (2k)

Albus Potter and Rose Weasley's parents have a bet on who Scorpius Malfoy is going to marry. If it's Lily, they will be just like Ginny and Harry; If it is Rose, they'll be just like Ron and Hermione. Harry witnesses the answer.

Never Trust A Slytherin - who_la_hoop (12k)

Al grinned. It would be the crowning glory of his final year – the one thing that would prove, once and for all, that he was not his dad in any way, shape or form. He would seduce a Slytherin – the son of his father's great enemy – and prove to Scorpius Malfoy his perfect trust in him. How hard could it be?

Wolfstar:

The Electric Fizzing Prick Pistols, or Whatever - whitmans_kiss (4k)

Everyone is born with Words on their arm that connect them to their Soulmate. James finds his, Sirius had everything figured out back in First Year, Peter doesn’t talk to girls anyway, and Remus thinks he’d very much just like to put his earmuffs back on and disappear.

[f-l-writes]

Even In Death

Warnings: Major Character Death

Word Count: 3.2 K

To: @wxngyxkhei

Hope you enjoy and feel free to request!

Things always happened in unpredictable and mysterious ways. Perhaps the keys you lost and didn’t find until after an accident happened on your route to work were signs from some sort of higher power. Or maybe it was just the subconscious. Either way, it was something that showed that there’s always something watching over you, be it yourself or whatever God that you believe in.

Or maybe it was someone who died who looked over you. Someone who cared so much about you in life that they couldn’t bear the thought of dying and leaving you alone to deal with it on your own. That little thump in the night might not be the house or a monster in the closet at all. Maybe it was your great-grandfather or a friend. Maybe it was someone older than that just looking over you because they followed the line of their grandchildren and so on.

We don’t always realize the things that stop us from getting hurt or even stop us from getting into little mishaps. We don’t always realize that there may be something there and, for the case of one, there is this failure to realize that she is never alone.

Haley had been at the site of the crash her boyfriend, Aaron, was a part of. At first, she hadn’t known who was in either of the vehicles but she had been far too shocked to move as the large, dark blue Ford truck came barreling through the intersections and into the smaller silver Maxima. Honestly, if the crash hadn’t been so horrific, the crumpling of the front half of the Maxima would have been almost cartoonish.

However, that wasn’t the case. It was obvious that whoever was in the smaller car wasn’t going to make it. There was no way in hell anyone in a car like that would survive that crash. It just wasn’t feasible.

When the ambulance arrived, Haley was still at the scene of the crash, her mind going a thousand miles a minute as she watched them recover the body from the car. What she saw broke her heart into a thousand pieces. Pulled from the wreckage was Aaron’s mangled body.

There were shards of glass in this face, neck, and arms. He was cut up nearly beyond recognition. He was clearly not breathing and his body was completely limp. It wasn’t until they had produced the body bag that her body sprung into action and she was by the ambulance in an instant, staring down at the body of her now-deceased boyfriend.

As one would expect, tears were falling, some dropping from the bottom of her jaw while others snaked down her cheeks and throat, leaving their temporary stain behind. Her mind was blank except with the grief that had swelled inside her.

This shouldn’t have happened to him. It wasn’t fair. He didn’t deserve this! If there was some otherworldly force, why the fuck did it allow this to happen to him? He was at the peak in his life! He was loved and he loved many. He wasn’t that old and he was happy. Above it all, he was happy. Despite the hardships he and his group had gone through throughout the years, despite the years of training, despite the arguments that arose between him and Haley, he was happy.

So why did this happen to him? What could he have possibly done in his life that would lead him to such a grisly death? He didn’t deserve it! His friends and family didn’t deserve to deal with the news of it! He had so much more to live for… but it was all cut short because some jackass couldn’t just fucking wait at a stop light.

Haley hadn’t even noticed the paramedics who had pulled her away from the body of Aaron, talking to her in that voice that mimicked empathy but, on the inside, she knew they didn’t care. This was just another day in their lives. For her, this was crushing but they could never understand that, could they? They would never have to see the one they loved get brutally killed in a crash or, for lack of a better thought, murdered by some reckless asshole.

All Aaron knew when he came to was that he had been driving down the road and now he was in Haley’s house, sitting on the couch. The world didn’t seem completely there and, if he was going to be honest, he didn’t feel completely there either. Everything seemed fuzzy from the noise of the barking dog to the sound of the T.V that had been left on.

Standing from the couch, which the feel of leather had also been muted, he shut it off. It had really become a habit at this point. He knew how often it happened and he was usually the one to turn the device off when Haley forgot to. Aaron couldn’t help but smile at the thought, a warmth that he recognized as love towards the woman filling him.

However, when she came walking through the door of her home sobbing, that feeling faded into concern, his heart-shattering at the thought of something so horrible happening that it would leave her this way.

Walking over, Aaron wrapped an arm around her, hoping to comfort her a bit only for her to tug her jacket against herself tighter and walk to her room. Frowning, the male followed behind her, pushing the slightly closed door open so he could try to figure out what was wrong with her.

Just when he had thought he had finally been recognized, based on her look of mild shock, he was just as quickly shut out as she stood and walked through him to close the door. He had felt her shiver in cold as she passed through him both times and the sudden realization had hit him. He wasn’t alive.

Panic had struck him like a freight train and he wasn’t sure how to deal with the information. A memory of the crash had broken through but otherwise, he was left in the dark about whether or not he died on impact or at a hospital.

In any case, he was confused about why he was here in Haley’s room now. Wasn’t there supposed to be some afterlife other than remaining on Earth? Or had it been with his sheer want of hoping to see Haley day in and day out that had kept him around, making him, in a way, her guardian spirit? Either way, the spirit of Aaron knew that he was going to do everything in his power to make sure that she was able to live a full and happy life with himself no longer being in the picture.

While Aaron knew that she would one day move on to find someone else to live out her life with, he also knew that he would remain around until the end of her days. Maybe that was going to be his purpose in the end. Maybe he wasn’t supposed to die so soon and he was meant to at least live out a decent portion of the rest of her life watching over her.

Watching Haley cry made him want to go to her, to comfort her. But he knew better. He would just be a gust of chilly wind, looked over until he could find the energy to become a visible figure. He knew that he would just become a bump in the night for her but, for him, he knew that he would be trying to show that he was still there with her, forever and always.

With a knock at the front door, Aaron moved out of Haley’s way before following her to the door, only to see the rest of his group mates, including Min Hyun, standing there. Each one had eyes as red and puffy as her own and it was clear that they were there to try and comfort her as well as themselves.

Aaron truly felt horrible for the whole ordeal, a slight feeling of guilt entering him as he watched them filter into the woman’s home before surrounding her in a large hug, an attempt at comfort. Had it been him who hadn’t been paying attention or had it been the other driver? If it had been him, he knew he wasn’t going to be able to forgive himself for as long as he was just a hovering spirit.

The now-deceased member of NU’EST stepped aside as his friends began to filter farther into the house. He dimly heard them talking about trying to get Haley’s mind off of the death of her boyfriend while preparations for his funeral would take place over the next week or so.

Aaron shuddered at the thought of being able to see himself going into the ground, wondering how his body would look dressed up, skin paler than ever and his chest failing to rise and fall. Would his parents request his body to be buried back in California or would they leave him to be buried in Korea?

He had no doubt that after a period of mourning, his group would have to continue their promotional activities and, on a far more unfortunate note, Haley would be left to deal with losing the man she had spent the last four years of her life with.

Deciding to leave the group alone, Aaron wandered off to the guest bedroom that he used to stay in during the beginning of their relationship. He didn’t quite want to hover and possibly cause a feeling of discomfort, so what better place to go than to where he used to spend a lot of time? It almost felt cliche to go there, as though he really wasn’t anything more than your resident haunter.

After a while, he noted the closing of the front door and the steps that were coming up the stairs, prompting him to slip into her room, hoping that he may be able to garner enough energy to show himself to Haley, even if it was just once while he stuck around. As he watched her lie down in bed and curl over onto her side, he wondered just how to do pull energy from the electronics around him.

Closing his eyes, he set his focus on that and, after a minute, the light in the room had gone off. With it came the expected what the fuck? from Haley as she stood to go turn on the light again. Aaron kept at pulling energy from the surrounding electronics until he felt confident that he had collected enough to show himself to her, even if it was only by talking.

Taking a deep breath, Aaron projected the energy out with a sigh, hoping that this wasn’t for naught.

As Haley turned away from the light switch after jiggling it a few times in annoyance, she jumped as she heard an all-too-familiar voice in the darkness. Nothing was really there, she was able to convince herself that much, but the voice was so… real.

Look, I know this is crazy and I don’t have long to say this but I just want you to know that I’m here. I’m always here with you, Haley. No matter what.

Like that, the voice was gone. She may have been able to put it off as nothing more than her imagination but it seemed too real, alongside the freezing cold that seemed to envelop the room as well.

Shaking her head, she gave the light switch one last flick and watched as the light came on, flooding the room with a much-needed brightness after being scared almost out of her skin. Walking back over to her bed, she huddled under the blankets, trying to ignore what happened. The coldness had increased since she had settled herself into bed and, in the back of her mind, she could believe that it was Aaron. However, the logical part of her just had to assume that it was the AC acting up rather than some paranormal force.

Closing her eyes, Haley let herself fall into a fitful rest, her dreams plagued by what had happened earlier. She had woken several times throughout the night before going back to sleep. The chill had remained steadily through the night, only to leave when morning came. It was almost a disappointing feeling but she was glad that she was no longer freezing her ass off when it came time to get up and get ready for the day.

“I could call off work,” she muttered to herself, “but I need the cash and no amount of grief can stop me from lessening my hours.”

Sure, it wasn’t the best thing to do. After all, grieving properly is a good thing as well as getting things off of one’s chest after such a horrific event but wouldn’t it be better to just deal with it? After all, death of all sorts was simply a part of life. Why bother being sad over something inevitable when there were other things to worry about?

As she finished getting ready, she accepted the cold chill that had come back into her room, ignoring it as best as she could before grabbing her keys and getting out of the house, leaving her unknown and ignored spirit behind her.

Aaron was more than elated to realize that he could leave the house to follow Haley. However, for this day, he wanted to leave her alone. He felt that there wouldn’t be anything that would remotely be dangerous that day and, if anything, he would only make things worse. He knew that, eventually, he would have to prevent her from going out one of these days but today was not that day.

Letting out a sigh, Aaron wandered around the house, wondering just what he could do. He had no idea if he could visit the dorms or not and, if he could, would he just stumble in on his former group mates mourning? Or would they have made like Haley and just pushed themselves through it?

Whatever it was, Aaron wanted to find out his limits as a spirit.

Amazingly, he found, he was able to go back to the NU’EST dorms. Upon entering, he was greeted with the sight of them sitting on the couches in silence, no one looking at the other and rather just basking in the tense silence. Walking over to where Jong Hyun was seated, he stood beside the man, mildly aware of how cold he had made the room with his presence.

“You guys are so dull,” he muttered to himself, knowing they wouldn’t be able to hear him.

“I get I’m dead but damn, lighten up.”

It was almost nice to be able to talk to them without them hearing. He would pretty much always be able to vent if he needed to and no one would be able to hear him. Definitely a plus to being an invisible being.

“Can one of you guys turn on the heat?” Dong Ho questioned, looking over to the others.

“Why don’t you do it if you’re so cold,” Min Ki scowled, lowering himself into the couch.

Dong Ho visibly rolled his eyes before standing, walking over to the thermostat, turning it up a bit in an attempt to soothe the chill in the air.

Aaron was amazed at the fact that they had all become so cold towards one another with the untimely death of one of their friends. Sure it wasn’t the greatest thing to have happened to them, especially considering they just got Min Hyun back from Wanna One, but it was still shocking that they weren’t consoling one another and rather bottling their feelings and snapping at one another.

Shaking his head, Aaron turned to walk out before Min Hyun spoke up, speaking the deceased’s name.

“I really don’t think Aaron would like us acting like this, guys. I get it’s hard but… shouldn’t we be trying to talk to one another? About future things? Helping Haley? Helping ourselves?”

“What does it matter? Everything will fall back into place. She’ll move on. We’ll continue with our activities, he’ll just be a skeleton in the ground.”

“Jackass!” Aaron spoke aloud, looking over at Dong Ho, the man who had spoken.

“Still, shouldn’t we at least try to do things to remember him how he was in life?” Min Hyun shot back, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Alright fine, what do you suggest we do then, Min Hyun?” Dong Ho’s voice was dripping with sarcasm and the younger male’s face dropped as he turned away from the elder, falling silent.

Aaron scowled as he looked at Dong Ho before picking up, successfully may I add, a pencil from the table and throwing it at Dong Ho. The eraser end struck his chest and the others all looked to the center of the room like they had just physically seen Aaron.

“What the hell…”

“Do you think…?”

“No, that’s not possible. There shouldn’t just be souls wandering around…”

With that, Aaron tried to pick something else up, only to find it near impossible. Instead, he opted to roll something across the table instead.

“We need out of the house,” Min Ki suggested, standing quickly.

The others followed suit after, each one quickly making a leave while a mass of cold air followed them out the door, only to disappear as Aaron decided to make his way back to Haley’s awaiting her return from work.

Haley had only dealt with the cold spots for the weeks following up to the funeral and the two weeks after it. However, it had all quickly changed after getting dressed one night to get ready for bed and making her way into her room, only to see the near transparent figure of Aaron sitting on her bed, looking at his hands.

Almost as though he had sensed her presence, he looked up and gave her a ghostly smile before gesturing her over. Cautiously, the woman moved closer, eyeing the spirit before her and wondering if this was real or not.

When he spoke, however, that question had been put to rest.

I know this insane, but trust me. It’s me. Like I said before, I’ll always be here. I need you to believe that because if you don’t, then my reason to be here would be next to useless. I’m acting like a guardian angel until your own death… I don’t know when that will be but I’ll be by your side throughout it all. You can count on me.

With that, the figure of the man faded, though the cold spot was still there, signaling his presence and prompting Haley to speak, though her voice was the slightest bit shaky at seeing the non-mutilated version of her boyfriend once again.

“Aaron, I… Thanks for sticking around. You could be living with a much better afterlife than watching over me but I appreciate it. I really do. I couldn’t have asked for a better boyfriend- neither in life, nor death. So thank you.”

With that, the woman went to go lay down, the cold spot only moving over in her bed, almost as though Aaron had decided to lie down with her, much like he had when he was alive.

Although Aaron was no longer alive, he was still there. And, like he had said, he had remained until Haley died. Once he was sure she would no longer be in danger, he finally felt comfortable enough to pass on and meet her in the forever ambiguous afterlife.

[voltronlegendaryboyfriends]

VLD S2 theories and drabbles: On Keith, Antok, and the  Mystery Galra Soldier from S2E09

Antok….There’s something special about him. The weird stares he shares with Keith, his lurking presence in many scenes and unexplained significance as Kolivan’s number two? Why was he so important to the Blade of Marmora to the point where he accompanied Kolivan on his mission to the castle, but his identity is completely shrouded in mystery? S2 Spoilers and SUPER long post under the cut. 

Is he really some red shirt that was designed solely to die? If so, why not use one of the nondescript Galra soldiers standing by Kolivan’s side when he’s first shown instead of spending time giving Antok a specific look and feel very distinct character design. 

Antok is one of the first members of the Blade of Marmora that we see (other than Ulaz and the nondescript solider shown here on the left).

Already it’s clear that he is not your typical soldier. He is larger in size and bulkier, he has a distinct large middle eye on his mask, pouches on his hip and calf, and what stuck out the most to me the second time watching this was what appears to be a tail (though it could be something else, like Kolivan’s necklace-looking garment that turned out to be a braid that he draped around his neck when wearing his mask.)

Although he is merely identified as “Guard” by the subtitles at this point, when it is discovered that Keith has brought a Marmoran blade with him, it is Antok that tackles him, takes his knife, accuses Keith of stealing it.   He also calls him a liar when he claims that he’s had it all his life.

When Antok is at last addressed by name, it is in the form of instructions by Kolivan to return the blade to Keith so that he may attempt the trials.  He holds the knife a bit longer as Keith is taking it from him, and the two exchange a lingering glare….

Then these foreshadowing words:

Later on when Keith is undergoing the trials of Marmora, a point is made to show Antok beside Kolivan and Shiro:

However, it is unclear whether he is in the room for the next trial, where Keith sees “Shiro.” Kolivan says this about the suit being worn, but does not specify who is in the suit:

A point is not made, as it is in other scenes, to make Antok’s presence known here. So it is possible that he is wearing the suit that causes Keith to see “Shiro.” It is possible that he is the one to antagonize him once again, to introduce doubt and conflict. It is possible that this is what he meant when he told Keith that they would meet again in that menacing tone.

Once “Shiro” disappears, and Keith begins to hallucinate that he is in his desert shack with his father, it is shown that Keith is alone, and Antok is once again shown to be in the room with Shiro and Kolivan, as shown when the Red Lion begins attacking their base:

A quick tangent here to talk about that hallucination that Keith experiences. The hallucination in general is a clear message that he has to sacrifice self-fulfillment to complete the mission for which he is needed.

 It is also a reminder of what Kolivan said before: “Sometimes the greatest challenge is knowing when to stop.” 

But think about this: Keith doesn’t give up the blade in the face of personal pain, personal struggle.  He perseveres, until it is shown that others will suffer from this choice.  He is shown that his desire to learn about his past will lead to their demise.  Keith knows when to persevere, knows how to find creative solutions to his personal struggles, but he also knows when to stop.  And that is more than likely the challenge that was set before him. The same theme is mirrored in the final showdown, when (guess who!) Antok becomes the aggressor, the catalyst if you will, once again:

As their base is besieged, he demands that Keith surrender his blade, draws his weapon, and charges them.

Shiro defends him. It is literally a showdown between the person who has been worrying over him this whole time, the person Keith “desperately wants to see,” and this masked galra who has primarily been the aggressor towards Keith.  Also, a symbolic clash between his past and his future.

Keith interrupts them immediately, surrendering the knife when someone else is put in danger for his sake.  He will endure anything, but he will not allow his desires to cause harm to Shiro, or to anyone else for that matter.  Keith no longer questions his past. He says, “I know who I am.  We all need to work together to defeat Zarkon. If that means I give up this knife, fine. Take it.”  He is sacrificing his own self-discovery in order to pursue universal salvation, and that is “knowing when to stop.” That is why the blade awakens for him.  It is because Antok pushed him to the point where he could no longer ignore the impact of his personal decisions on other people.

Antok may have been instrumental in Keith awakening his galra blade.  More on Antok later….

For now, what about the foreboding message his “father” said?

At first I thought maybe his mother might have been Haggar, because it was odd that she interrogated Thace, claiming that she would know if he lied.  Either she overestimated her abilities, felt that he was lying but needed more evidence to back up her theory, or she was also an accomplice in the resistance against Zarkon.  If she was part of the resistance it is possible that she left the blade to Keith.  However, it is later revealed that she is Altean, not Galran. She also disarms Antok in the season finale, allowing him to be dispatched by another follower of Zarkon.   So I do not believe it to be her to whom Keith’s ‘father’ is referring. 

This show doesn’t do things on accident.  Everything is shown to have meaning and they don’t foreshadow lightly.  Things we may overlook now might be pertinent later.  Take for example, the Mystery Galran Soldier that Keith rescues in S2E09 “The Belly of the Weblum.” 

Although he is wary of this soldier and disarms them immediately, he does not take action to harm them.  Later, when the soldier reclaims their weapon, they also do not act to harm Keith. They actually protect him:

They even work together to defend each other:

His explanation to Hunk?

It would be a huge coincidence but what if this individual was his mother? She could be working with the Blade of Marmora as an undercover soldier, and may have been trapped in the Weblum while attempting to collect scaultrite to create or repair her own teludav.  That would explain her motives for being there in the first place and why she skedaddles once she gets what she came for.  She also is not likely to have been able to travel far with just her jetpack, so it’s likely that another party is waiting for her or a larger ship (like the castle) is hiding or cloaked nearby awaiting her return.    

It’s possible that this Galran soldier was a one-episode character designed to make limited if no appearances later on, and that their purpose was simply to introduce more drama into the episode and to give Keith more interactions with the Galra.  But we know that more detail is typically given to the characterization and the design of these one-episode filler characters as seen in previous episodes (the rescued prisoners, the Balmerans, Rolo and Nyma, the underwater mermaid creatures from S2E02, etc.) because they need to make a greater impact in a shorter time. (This was also why I felt we’d have more explanation on the character of Antok, so for him to die while his identity remains unexplained is peculiar.)

Alternatively, this could be a different important character, such as Lotor, who is mentioned in the series finale by Haggar (the ramifications of which would also be fun to explore!).  Either way, It is likely that we will see this character reappear in S3 in a significant role.  

Returning now to Antok, I wasn’t sure why his death took me by such surprise, and kind of made me really sad.  He was a character of few words, but of great impact, I believe.  At first, I thought it possible that he was Keith’s father.  The pouches that he wears do resemble those that Keith wears, but then Kolivan has those as well, so it could just be a coincidence, or maybe Galran gear that Keith inherited. The fact that he plays such a foreboding role in the Blade of Marmora episode, the strange, challenging vibe he has towards Keith and Shiro.  But now I don’t really believe that anymore - I’m not sure what to think!

 His presence definitely means something.  It’s no accident that he’s constantly seen at the side of Kolivan.  

Of course he is near Kolivan because he is his soldier, and it is clear that he his right-hand man.  But his death was given too much screentime, seemed to be too much of consequence, for a character whose sole purpose was to die unimportantly.  But even if he was just designed to die for the symbolic meaning - maybe he was a previous Paladin of Voltron? Maybe he was the RED paladin.  That would explain his aggression towards Keith, and the jolting significance of his death, and the deeper meaning of his pervasive yet quiet presence in the planning and execution of their huge battle.

Also, it’s possible due to his size and the fact that he has a tail (??? Maybe?) that he is not Galra at all. Maybe he was Altean in disguise? Or some other species that we’ve yet to see.

Anyway, his death means something important. I just don’t know what.  And I’m sure we’ll see more of that Galran Soldier from S2E09.

I’d love to hear other peoples’ theories and thoughts on all of this.  What do you guys think?