#just grounds you. lifes not that serious. none of us get out alive............

[eveledoze]

spoilers for ep7 ! things about N and Uzi i wanted to point out 2/?

I like that he smiled at Nori's words, as if he himself met his old friend. but in reality it's not that cool. he seemed familiar to her, so did she see him before? again thoughts that it was he who killed her body huh (while her heart remained alive)

Nori turned out to be not as silly and playful as we all thought (which is sad a lil bit), but on the other hand she is quite a badass and confident woman. and it makes me wonder more about what she saw in Khan... but hey, despite some time apart she calls him hunk! i hope that if she is reunited with him, she will find a new body for herself, since it will be awkward to meet only the heart of your wife-

hearing N say Khan's name, Nori becomes tense. what kind of friends does my daughter have huh

after Nori tells a little story, N acts sweet and friendly as always, clapping for her, and Nori throws a rock at him, telling him to stop. i love how much she looks like her daughter, she does things to make N stop doing stupid things btw it’s funny that she, being a small body, chained him, such a big one, to the wall with a pickaxe for safety

when she asks who is the host of the solver at the moment, N smiles slightly, saying "Uzi", despite the fact that the situation is tense

ok, I didn’t understand this moment right away, but now I understand. "which one (Doll or Uzi) tried to eat us right now?" he realizes that it is none of them

he says in such a joyful tone “she will fall when she finds out that I met her mother” :з but then Nori pinned him to the wall again, forcing him to remain silent about it. it's funny how she openly admits that she is the cause of all the nightmares in Uzi's life, so she thinks that if Uzi finds out she is alive, it will cause problems. N says in a decisive tone that he doesn't want to keep secrets from Uzi anymore, since he has already seen what this can lead to - a loss of trust. the moment from ep2 when he wanted to touch her shoulder, but she backed away, and when just recently he went to her, but she stepped back. seeing your loved one afraid of you and losing trust in you is a very painful thing

she presses the cross on him so hard that cracks appear on the ground, she is really serious

N promises, after which she looks a little surprised and as if grateful, but then she realizes that there will be some kind of catch

and she's not wrong. he got out of this situation so that he didn’t have to lie to Uzi and keep everything secret. Nori rolls her eye, realizing that it couldn’t have been otherwise and this guy wouldn’t be convinced and yeah she said THE LIINEEE

wild N oh........that's something I think Nori told N that there is a way to weaken the solver so that it does not cause problems. and since he guessed that Tessa knew about this, now her pressure for N to choose the universe and not the little drone sounds strange. if it is possible to weaken/ get rid of/ heal of the solver, then why kill Uzi? and Tessa had a clear desire to get rid of the Uzi. in essence, she gave him free rein, saying that he will make the choice, but at the same time she said that he would have to choose the universe

after which he cuts off her head, with an X on his visor. it was intense. the robot disobeyed his boss and a good friend. not fully understanding who the person you knew for a long time was. did you make the right choice

he immediately woke up from shock when he saw Uzi's hand on the cross and started helping her get up. his voice sounds pitiful, worried, but at the same time joyful, since he saw her again after what happened. N's voice trembles a little, but he still sounds sincere. he doesn't want to scare her off again

oh yeah and now that line is heartbreaking- he extends his hand to her, he needs her and emphasizes the word "you"

when watching the teaser his "together?..." at the end of the phrase sounded uncertain, pleading, as if he wasn’t sure that she would agree to solve everything together. but now, watching it, I hear in his “together?” hope and joy, as if he understands that it is with her that he can overcome everything and figure things out, and he is glad that he was able to find her and she did not reject him. at the words "to figure things out.." he sounds uncertain, lost and a little sad, but then he sees her placing her hand in his. his cross disappears and at the same time he blushes. she was able to calm him down from shock simply by touching his hand.

i know that before this I made a post “if a character blushes it doesn’t mean they're in love” and I’m a little embarrassed, but damn.. it really looks like that in here, right? we know that Uzi was the first one who started to fall in love with him and after some time he started to develop feelings for her. and at this point he may have accepted it

and should I mention that they immediately lace their fingers together, whereas the last time they held hands it was very awkward for them?

and then he smiles

[deadlymistletoe]

Fears and Bandages

Pairing: Thranduil x F!reader

Request: @frustrated-kitten asked: I thought maybe I could request a Thranduil x FemReader where she returns with several injuries after fighting a bunch of spiders with Legolas and some other elves? Some small wounds, some more serious, but in the end she survives and everything goes well?

A/N: I hope it’s what you wanted - I was going to make it more angsty but this is what came out and it stuck.

Genre: slight hurt/comfort

Description: Thranduil’s composure cracks as he waits for you to come home from battling the spiders. He’s only able to put his fears to rest once he’s bandaged you up himself.

Warnings: Mentions of blood/injuries. Stitches.

Word count: 1582

Thranduil’s foot tapped against the ground, fingers drumming impatiently against the armrest of his throne. Besides the two guards posted at the entrance to the room, the rest of his subjects were steering clear of him.

He didn’t blame them for avoiding him while he was like this - after all, had it been someone else fidgeting he would have been annoyed himself.

It was rare for the composed elvenking to fidget as he was, to betray any hint of apprehension, but today was the exception.

It was well known that there were two people on this earth that Thranduil would do absolutely anything to keep safe, and it just so happened that both of them had gone headfirst into a dangerous situation.

The first, his only son, Legolas. Since the elf had first looked up at him from his mother’s with those wide blue eyes Thranduil had known that he would do anything for him.

After his wife had died that feeling had only strengthened, as the meaning in his life centered around the elfling who was quickly becoming one of the realm's best archers.

For a long time, nothing had changed, until he met the second person he would come to care about more than he would have thought possible. You.

Thranduil had never even considered that he might love again after his wife passed, but then you’d come into his life and he’d found himself falling faster than should have. And he just knew that he couldn’t lose you too. History couldn’t repeat itself. He wouldn’t let it.

Of course, that was easier said than done since you, much like Legolas, continuously risked your safety to fight the spiders that continued to invade the Greenwood.

Thankfully for him, you’d stepped back from the danger once the two of you fell in love and you took to the role of Thranduil’s consort - soon-to-be-queen, but the latest nest was bigger than usual and the spiders began to get more bold so you’d insisted on joining Legolas for the raid.

So now Thranduil sat, fidgeting like an impatient elfling, waiting for news. 

He felt something he hadn’t felt in a very long time - helpless.

Yes, Legolas had promised to make sure you both came back in one piece, but Legolas was also known for saying he was ‘fine’ when he had a gaping wound - Valar forbid he find out what his son’s definition of ‘one piece’ was.

Thranduil let out a frustrated sigh. He knew better than to doubt the abilities of you and his son, but sometimes he just couldn’t help but worry. After all, the last time his son had left the palace with a mother-figure, only one of them had come back - granted, that was when Legolas was a child with none of the skills he had now. But still.

He immediately straightened up, movements freezing when Galion ran up the steps leading into the room. “They’re back, my lord.”

Thranduil wasted no time making his way down the steps, Galion rushing to keep up with him as they made their way to the front gates. “Is everyone okay?” Are they okay?

“Everyone’s alive.” Those words were less reassuring than they should be. The mirkwood elves had a habit of using the term ‘alive’ rather loosely.

When he reached the entrance, those gathered around instantly parted for him to make his way towards the glimpse of pale hair he’d noticed through the crowd.

None of the patrol had been completely spared, that was certain, as scratches adorned each of their complexions, the darker blood of the spiders splattered over their uniforms.

Healers had already dispersed amongst the warriors, vials of antidote in hand just in case, and he was relieved to see that Legolas had no obvious signs of injury as he drew closer.

Legolas saw him coming and turned to meet him, voice low as he spoke. “There were more than we expected. We weren’t prepared, a second lot ambushed us after the fight had already started.”

Thranduil placed a hand on his son’s shoulder, giving it a light squeeze - a show of affection that still kept a semblance of formality. “You did well.”

He hesitated, not wanting to brush his son off but at the same time needing to see you. Legolas saved him from asking, nodding towards where a healer was bent over a figure on a bench. You, he realized.

“She’s okay.” Legolas murmured. “Just a bit more cut up than the rest of us.” He rolled his eyes playfully. “I’ve been on guard to make sure she didn’t injure herself more running off to find you before the healers got to her.”

Thranduil’s lips twitched, holding back a smile as he made his way towards you, Legolas following behind.

It didn’t take long for you to look up at the familiar footsteps, a smile spreading across your lips despite the sting as the healer cleaned up a deep wound across your shoulder.

When the healer took her hands from you to rummage through her supplies you immediately took the chance to push yourself to your feet, moving around her and meeting Thranduil half way, his arms naturally finding their way around your waist as you stumbled slightly.

He smirked slightly looking over your shoulder. “I do believe Lothael is about to scold you for using her distraction to your advantage.”

Your healer, Lothael, had followed you, rolling her eyes. She gave Thranduil a wry look. “Yes, well, I can’t imagine that the king wants his queen-to-be to bleed out on the floor.”

Thranduil’s eyes quickly ran over your wounds, double-checking that you weren’t in imminent danger of bleeding out, and lingering on the deeper ones before looking back at Lothael. “I can take it from here, thank you.”

He knew that technically the healer had more better skills than him in the art, but at the same time, he also knew that the only way to completely reassure himself that you weren’t about to bleed out was if he did it himself - he needed to know that he’d checked and taken care of your wounds with his own hands.

It was only when the two of you had left the view of the other elves, leaving Legolas in charge, that you let yourself lean against the wall with a groan, the pain that had been throbbing in your leg since the adrenaline had worn off on the walk home forcing you to give it a break.

Thranduil, whose hand had been resting on your back, ready to steady you at any moment should you need it, gave you a worried look as you pulled away from him to use the wall as support.

“I’ll be fine,” You muttered, grimacing. “It’s just demanding a rest.”

Thranduil gave you a calculated look, and before you could say anything or even begin to wonder what he was thinking, he swept you off your feet, your arms automatically going around his neck as he carried you bridal-style down the hall.

You couldn’t help but let out a giggle, a smile crossing his own face at the sound. “What are you doing?”

He glanced down at you, a small smile dancing across his lips. “Why, I’m carrying to your chamber’s, my lady. Valar knows you’d collapse halfway there if I didn’t.”

You laughed before quieting down and leaning your head against his chest. “I’m tired, Thranduil.” You murmured, the toll today had taken on your body catching up to you.

He looked at you with a soft look reserved only for you. “I know, Meleth. You can rest soon.”

You sighed, staying silent as he reached your shared chambers and laid you on the bed, letting you sink into the silks and furs that covered the mattress.

You had started to drift off when you suddenly felt something cold seep into one of the deeper wounds, pressure keeping it there. You jerked away from the cold sting, but a hand held you in place, and you felt Thranduil’s silky hair brush against your skin as he lent over you to brush his lips against your forehead.

“I’m just cleaning them.” He murmured. “Relax.”

You let out a shuddering breath as he moved the cloth, a few tears slipping down the side of your face as he continued on to stitch the wound closed.

Your strong facade you’d kept up in the entrance and on the journey home hope had dissipated, as had your energy now that you were with the one you didn’t have to act strong for.

Thranduil whispered apologies and reassurances as he cleaned and bandaged the rest of your wounds with a gentleness that could only come from a lover’s hands, occasionally wiping the tears from your face and running his fingers through your hair at a particularly harsh sting.

It felt like hours later when the last wound was taken care of and you heard the quiet clink as Thranduil set the glass bottle of ointment aside.

He remained seated at your size, gentle fingers brushing over your face and hair as he gazed down at you, his own fears put aside now that he’d tended to you.

You held his gaze, relishing the cool touches until you felt your eyes begin to droop, and the last thing you were aware of was the feather-light lips that brushed against yours and the whispered, “Sleep, Meleth.” as you drifted off, Thranduil’s fingers soothingly carding through your hair.

Taglist:

@fizzyxcustard @bookworm-with-coffee

[shmolish]

*falls through your celling again*

I know you already did jealous shadow milk BUT I OFFER YOU THIS

Yandere shadow milk pls

Could be just hcs or sthm idc I JUST LOVE TUMBLRS DIFFERENT TAKES ON IT HCJDHDJFHF

AN: Yanderes <3 and I think this is before he got sealed, but after the corruption. (ALSO MY CEILING! FIRST MY DOOR, NOW THIS-)

Also, I'm def gonna make another one of these yan fics, just wait guys ♡

Yan! Shadow Milk Cookie x Reader

Oneshot (headcanons below)

Warnings: possessiveness, Manipulation, guilt tripping, toxic relationship, mentions of murder

-Only Me-

If only you could rewind time.

Back to the time where your lover wasn't crazy. Where he didn't have this unquenchable bloodlust, and where he didn't obsess over you.

The attention was nice at first, but it's long since become suffocating.

When will he finally let you breathe again?

Probably never. You'll die before he does, so this is probably going to go on until the day of your death.

What'll happen when you die? How will he handle it?

He can barely handle you leaving him for over an hour. There's no way he can handle you leaving forever, and to a place that, for once in his life, is unreachable to him.

He may still be alive after that, but maybe he'll finally stop 'living'.

He'll just exist.

"Dove, I'm back!" Called out an enthusiastic voice.

It would seem that Shadow Milk Cookie has finally returned.

You used to rejoice to the sound of his voice.

Where has all of the joy gone?

"Welcome back," you responded.

He wrapped an arm around your waist and placed a palm on your cheek, gazing with admiration towards your features.

"Oh dove, you truely are the only good in this rotten world~" He left a kiss on your forehead before returning to admiring you silently.

It would have felt nice.

This should have felt nice.

But it didn't.

"Um, I've been thinking about something, actually.." You'd bring up nervously.

"Yes?"

"Do you think I can maybe... leave this tower? Only for a little while?"

...

A silence filled the room before Shadow Milk Cookie started to snicker.

"Oh doll, you can't be serious! Why would you ever want to leave this place?" He gave you a condescending smile, hoping to feign even the slightest bit of ignorance or innocence.

"I've just been here for a long time. That's all.." You'd say.

"Don't be silly~ If you leave, then the outside world will destroy your perfect, delicate self. And you know I can't have my dolls breaking." He just kept staring at you with that sweet, sweet smile.

"But-"

"Oh, I get it. You're just leaving because you've gotten bored of me. Is that it?" His smile faded and was replaced with an uncaring glare.

"That's not what I meant.."

"You're so selfish, you know? I give you a nice place away from all of the chaos to keep you safe, I'm constantly giving you my attention, and now you want to leave me." He let go of you and looked away, a scowl present on his face.

"I never said I wanted to leave you!"

"If you loved me, you'd stay here with me, and not put up a fight about wanting to leave."

So that's how it is...

Such a shame that he could get you to obey him so easily.

Leading you on with your own love.

"Sorry, I won't ask about it again..." you looked towards the ground, a guilt seeping into your heart, even though none of this was really your fault.

"Say you love me, and only me."

...

"I love only you."

He placed a finger under your chin and made you look up to him.

The smile he always held was back, as if it never disappeared in the first place.

"Yep! Only me!"

《☆》 Fin

Headcanons

Obsessed.

That's really the only word to describe him

Burns down towns and kills people 'in your name'.

You've hinted that you don't appreciate the actions

He never gets the hint, and if he does, he ignores them

Uses your love for him against you

Guilt trips you into agreeing with him a lot of the time

Has come home covered in blood numerous times

Acts like it's insignificant

Loves seeing you cry

He thinks it's cute, but he'll still 'comfort' you in way

Will wipe his bloodied hands on your face and whisk your tears away

Holds you close to him, even when he's the problem

Never gives you space

Sometimes you wish the old him

You told him about it and he just laughed

Talks to everyone about you, but if they say your name, he kills them instantly

Thinks your name doesn't deserve to be spoken by people like them

If you ever died he'd probably lose it

You're his lifeline

It's... really not healthy.

[astarlow]

Characters: Mercy, D.Va Form: Mix Warning: none Synopsis: their favourite body part about you Word Count: 892 A/n: Requests are open again but don't expect to be answered any time soon, school's taking almost all of my free time so i have little to no time to write for pleasure. I hope y'all being doing great otherwise

Mercy - Chest

🕊️ Angela loves to place her head on your chest, just to be able to listen to your heartbeat. It means you're here, she's here and you're both alive. And that's something she knows she has to cherish before it's gone all too quickly. Sometimes, before leaving she'll place a hand on your chest, just above your sternum to give her support for a kiss.

🕊️ It's also watching you sound asleep, noticing your breathing pattern making your chest rise and fall. By now, she knows it by heart. Whether you take deep breaths or shallow ones, nothing escapes her trained eyes.

You just finished making coffee for your loved one, pouring it into a cup. You know she needs her caffeine to start the day in a good mood. You actually wonder if it's working as well as it used to because her intake increased throughout the years. You wouldn't be surprised if it did. There are some clicks on the ground and soon enough, Angela is entering the kitchen. She has her work outfit already on and you wonder if it's comfortable to wear.

"Heya Angel," you mutter. She places a soft kiss on your lips.

"Hello," she responds with sleepiness in her voice. You restrain yourself from chuckling, opting to hand her a cup of coffee.

"Here, to start the day." She sits down on a stool, taking it in her hands. She smells the aroma of the coffee and grins.

"Thank you Liebling." She takes a sip and she closes her eyes. "Just as I like it." She continues to enjoy her coffee while you watch her enjoy this simple cup. You've learned your way around making Angela's favourite coffee.

The beans, the right temperature to brew it, how to do it exactly, if any sweetener has been needed. It's been lots of trials and errors but you can confidently say you've learned how to perfectly make them for her. Before long, she has finished her cup and she's rinsing it. You accompany her to the door, kissing her forehead as to say goodbye.

She gently places her right hand right above your heart and she leans in to kiss you back on the cheek.

"Have a good day." She lingers a little bit more before breaking the kiss. She looks at you one last time, giving you a slight nod. Her hand leaves last.

"Thank you, have a great day as well."

D.Va - Arms

🐰 Hana loves it- LOVES it when you put your arms around her. She feels safe when she senses your warmth spreading to her body. Of course, please put your arms strategically or you'll be at the receiving end of Hana's shouts. It's better to do this when she's on the console rather than a PC because she has more freedom when she's with a controller. You almost have no opportunity to do this when she's on her PC (also no place to do so)

🐰 She bought a special couch to allow more space for the both of you to fit on one square of couch. Sometimes, when she's exhausted, she's going to doze off in your arms. You sense those days quite easily so you have blankets at the ready and at arm length.

🐰 When the day's been long and exhausting. When stress and anxiety seep in, please spoon her to sleep. She finds it easier when you have your arms around her but she has a hard time expressing it out loud.

"Oh come on, it's not that hard!" She watches you struggle to get to the next level while she sits in your lap, sipping from her drink. Your controller is on her lap as you wrapped your arms around her.

"Hey! It kinda is! You just have waaay more experience than me." You lose another life and you place a hand on your face to groan.

"Damn right I am! Lemme show you how it's done," she says playfully but you know she's serious. You hand her the controller and watch attentively her moves. And as she said, it's way more effective than what you were doing.

You know best than to bother her right now. She's well focused on her game. It's in the slight straightening of her spine, the little squint of her eyes, a controlled breathing pattern and of course, the sound of perfectly hit buttons at the right time. Still, you lightly increase the grasp of the hug and you see the concentration is broken for a little moment.

Her lips part away, enough to make it noticed by you but not enough to say something. Her stance relaxes once more and you feel she leans in your embrace. Once she defeats the boss you've been struggling to fight for the past hour, she hands you back the controller and it becomes chill again. The heavy atmosphere evaporates as it never existed to begin with. You continue the game but it's starting to get late and you're both quite tired.

One, more than the other. You hear her little snores and decide it's enough for today. You close the game and switches off the TV screen. You grab the two blankets behind the couch and place it on you two. You kiss the top of her head before closing your eyes as well.

"Goodnight Hana,"

[lewmagoo]

it's gonna break your heart one day | b. bradshaw

description: in which bradley bradshaw lives to fly another day

warnings: angst with a happy ending, flying accident, depictions of grief, mentions of death, severe injury, blood, hospital/medical talk, poor military/aviation knowledge

pairing/characters: bradley "rooster" bradshaw x fem!reader (she/her pronouns used, callsign is "recluse"), pete "maverick" mitchell

Losing him is going to hurt like hell. 

She couldn’t remember when she’d started telling herself that. Maybe it was when she realized she was falling in love with him. Maybe it was the first time he’d kissed her. Or maybe, it was the very first time she laid eyes on him. 

The when didn’t matter. The now did, however. The now was the crippling dread that threatened to consume her whole. The now was the constant replay of the events that had taken place mere hours before. The now was her pacing back and forth in her hospital room, agitated and demanding updates on the man she loved. The now was the realization that she might have lost him forever. 

And what was life without Bradley Bradshaw? He was her heart and soul. He was ingrained within the very marrow of her bones, and if she lost him, she knew part of herself would die along with him. 

Don’t you dare leave me, Bradshaw. Not after all we’ve been through. But he was already slipping away like sand through her fingers, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. 

She kept replaying it in her head on an endless loop. The terror in the pit of her stomach. The panic as she realized they were losing the jet and had to get out as fast as possible. Bradley’s voice, tight with urgency as he shouted over the roar of the damaged engine. “Eject, you hear me Recluse?! Eject, eject!”

She could still feel the violent jerk as she managed to free herself of the plane’s interior, parachute yanking her up as the wind caught hold of it. She felt the raging heat of the plane as it exploded into a brilliant flash of orange and yellow. But that wasn’t even the worst part of it all. 

She couldn’t see Bradley.

Had he been able to eject alongside her, or had he gotten stuck up there, unable to escape before the jet went up in flames? She prayed to God that he hadn’t. 

Her landing was rough. Yet again, the wind was knocked out of her. But she was alive, and that was all that mattered in the end. 

It took her a moment to reorient herself. She scrambled to undo her parachute, proceeding to check her body and outer extremities for any serious injuries. Remembering her training, she switched on her beacon, praying that a rescue team would come sooner than later. 

Adrenaline was still coursing through her, dulling the pain she would soon feel. For now, none of it mattered. What mattered was finding Rooster.

“Bradley?!” She shouted, her voice echoing around her. She was met with deafening silence, and it gripped at her like cold, icy fingers. Cupping her hands around her mouth, she yelled again. “Bradley! Answer me!”

She stumbled forward, eyes frantically searching her surroundings. Her chest heaved, and her hands shook, trembling as fear began to take over. Maybe he truly hadn’t made it out. Fighting to keep her breathing steady, she scanned for any sign of life. Any indication that she wasn’t alone. And then, she heard it. A low groan. Quiet, but unmistakable. 

She whipped around, holding her breath as she listened. There it was again, just north of where she was standing. She turned, feet carrying her swiftly as she searched for the source. Moments later, she found him. 

Her heart dropped within her chest, and it was as if her legs were moving of their own volition, pushing her forward as she ran to him. His body lay sprawled against the ground, and from her vantage point, it was clear that something was terribly, horribly wrong.

“Bradley!” She exclaimed, skidding to a halt, dirt kicking up around her as she fell to her knees beside him. She scanned his body, taking in the extent of his injuries, heart hammering against her ribcage. 

Again, he let out a pained groan, and he shifted, chest heaving as he fought to fill his lungs with oxygen. His breathing was shallow, and the sound alone sent a shudder of dread through her being. 

“M-my helmet,” he gritted out. “Take my helmet off.”

“Your neck might be broken, I don’t want to–”

“Take it off! Please!” He seemed to grow panicked then, and she jumped into action, pulling the helmet off as carefully as she could and casting it aside. 

“I’m here,” she told him as she moved to place his head in her lap. “I’m here.”

He looked up at her, and she knew it was bad. His face was pale, and sweat glistened on his brow. His expression was twisted into one of immense agony. Her hands shook as she lovingly held his face, trying desperately to hold in the sharp sob threatening to escape her throat.

Bradley closed his eyes, fighting to take a deep, unsteady breath. “I didn’t want it to end like this,” he wheezed. Bitter tears had already begun trailing down the side of his face.

“Stop,” she hushed. “Don’t talk like that. I bet you they’re sending a rescue chopper right now. Just hold on for me a little longer, baby.”

He shook his head, wincing at the pain that it caused. “I-I don’t know if I can hold on that long.”

“No! Bradley, you are not leaving me, okay?!” But she could see the crimson on his lips, staining his teeth. She was losing him.

“I love you,” he spoke with conviction. “I love you more than anything. And I–I want you to promise me you’ll be okay without me.”

A pained cry tore itself from the very depths of her chest. “I’m not promising you that, because you’re going to be fine.”

“Please,” he begged. “Promise me. I need you to promise me.” 

She knew that if she didn’t make that promise now, she would never forgive herself. So, she nodded, tears blurring her vision. “Okay. I promise.”

He managed a smile, though it quickly faded as his eyes screwed shut, whimper passing through his teeth as the all-consuming ache vibrated through him. 

“At least I’ll get to see my parents again.” He was trying to convince himself that death wouldn’t be so bad. It was an odd realization, and he felt a strange, cold sense of fear wash over him. Fear of the unknown. “I’m just s-sorry I have to leave you behi…behind.” 

She ran her fingers through his sweat-dampened hair, shaking her head as tears dripped from her face, onto his own. She didn’t know what to say. She wanted to scream, cry, beg him not to leave her, plead with him to hold on. But it appeared that Bradley was losing his resolve. He was growing faint within her arms. This big, strong, immovable force of a man was now wilting like a flower as he succumbed to his injuries, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. 

“I love you,” she managed to choke out, voice hardly above a whisper. It was all she could muster. “I love you, I love you, I love you. Fight for me, Bradley. Please, I’m begging you. You have to fight.” 

He lifted a trembling hand to place over her own. “I think…I th-think my fight ends here, kid.” His eyes weren’t focused on her anymore. They were glassy, staring up at the sky above. 

She was overcome with an unfamiliar sensation. The awful, gnawing realization that she was utterly powerless to stop this. Nothing she said or did could keep him from slipping away from her. And that thought was horrifying. 

She held him as he bled out, his life force ebbing from him with every passing second. And she sobbed. Deep, wretched sobs that violently ripped through her. 

His eyes grew heavy, and she watched as they began to fall shut. Panic gripped her, and she shook her head. “No! Stay with me! Don’t you dare leave!” 

But he was fading, and the last thing he heard before his eyes closed was her deep, pitiful wail. 

She didn’t remember much after that. It was all a blur. She held him in her arms, and when the rescue party came to intervene, she fell into a fit of hysterical sobs, begging them not to take him. They had to pry her away from him by force. 

The next thing she knew, she was waking up in the hospital. Bradley was nowhere in sight. 

And that’s where she found herself, pacing the floor of her room, ready to pull out her hair because no one was telling her anything. 

Later, she’d learn that it was a freak accident. A fluke. Something that never should have happened. She’d been flying as his WSO, and even she had no idea what had gone wrong. One minute, everything was fine, and the next, they were hurtling toward the ground, having barely escaped with their lives.

Her injuries weren’t major. The doctor had advised that she stay in the hospital overnight for observation. The only reason she agreed to do so was that it was her only way of staying close to Bradley. 

Every nurse that walked in was met with a demand to know how he was doing. But they’d only tell her that they weren’t at liberty to say, because she wasn’t immediate family. 

“Dammit! I am family! I’m his fucking girlfriend!” She finally exploded at one poor, unassuming nurse. She felt awful the second the outburst left her. “Oh,

god. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to yell.”

The nurse softened, shaking her head. “No, it’s okay. I understand,” she replied. “I’ve been in your position before. My husband’s a pilot, so I get it.”

Recluse sighed deeply, letting her head fall into her hands. “I’m just so worried about him. I thought…I thought I lost him.”

The other woman placed a gentle hand on her back,

considering the situation. “I’ll see if I can pull some strings and find out how he is,” she offered. 

Recluse could only nod, watching as the nurse made her way out of the room. When she was alone again, she let her emotions take over, and more tears began to stream down her cheeks. She was surprised she had any left to cry. 

However, her quiet moment was interrupted as the door to her room swung open, and in walked Maverick. She immediately stood up from the bed, eyes wide as she looked at him, gauging his expression. Was he here to tell her that Bradley was dead?

The man stepped toward her, and as he got closer, she could see the tears glimmering in his pale eyes. Her breathing quickened, and she held out a hand in front of her. 

“Mav, is he dead?” She croaked. 

“No. But…it doesn’t look good. They’ve got him in surgery right now. The doc told me that, uh, that there’s a very real possibility they might lose him on the operating table.” His voice shook with unbridled grief, a familiar, excruciating pain that ran thirty-plus years deep. He’d been here before, and he was here once more. It felt like losing Goose all over again. 

She stepped forward, careening into his arms, and Pete caught her with ease, holding her against his chest as she began to cry. 

“I can’t lose him. I just can’t,” she whimpered. It almost drove him to his knees, because it felt like holding Carole all over again as she wept over the death of her husband. 

In the middle of that sterile hospital room, Maverick and Recluse shared in each other’s grief. It threatened to swallow them alive, but at least they had each other. 

Quite some time passed. Eventually, they parted, and she took a seat on the edge of her bed. She didn’t know what to do with herself. She was filled with the urge to run out into the hall and start demanding answers. But that wouldn’t do any good, so she remained still. 

“I’m gonna go see if I can get any answers,” Pete announced, after a long while of staring out the window at the fleeting daylight. He left before she could respond. 

Her mind wandered, and her hand came up to touch her neck, where she wore the locket Bradley had given her early on in their relationship. But when her fingers met her skin, she realized it was bare. 

A gasp left her as she stood abruptly. “No. No, no, no.” Her panicked eyes flitted around the room until they landed on a clear bag marked patient belongings, laid upon a chair near the bed. She scrambled forward, frantically yanking the bag open and rifling through its contents. 

She let out a sigh of relief when a glint of silver caught her eye. Carefully, she lifted the necklace out of the bag, and immediately moved to fasten it around her neck. Once it was in place, she closed her eyes, holding the little heart between her fingers. 

“Come back to me, Roos. I need you.” 

The next few hours were agonizing. Maverick still hadn’t returned to provide any updates, and she felt as if she was losing her sanity completely. The not knowing was almost more than she could bear. 

She was left to replay the events of the day on a loop in her mind. The way his body felt in her arms. The blood, so dark it was almost blue, that seemed to stain everything. His mouth. His flight suit. Her hands. The life that drained from his eyes. 

Not even the cruelest torture could measure up to any of it. She would never forget it as long as she lived. It would always be at the back of her mind, gnawing at her sanity like a hungry beast. And even more so if Bradley didn’t pull through. 

After what felt like an eternity, Maverick walked through the door again. She had just settled into her bed for the night. Although sleep wouldn’t come, she would at least have given her body some rest. But the second she saw him, every part of her went tense. 

She sat up, cold fear rushing through her veins like ice water. Her breathing quickened as the man wordlessly approached, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. Bradley’s gone. He’s dead. I’ve lost him. That’s what flashed through her mind. 

Pete’s hand came to rest over her own, and the words he spoke left her in disbelief. “He made it through surgery.”

“You mean…?”

“He’s alive. But he’s not out of the woods yet. They’ve got him in recovery right now, and they’ll be moving him to the ICU. At least for the time being, until he shows improvement. The doctor said it was a miracle he even survived.”

She was silent as she processed what he told her. He was alive. The relief she felt manifested itself in the form of sobs, and Pete was holding her again, letting her cry into his shirt for the second time that day. 

When she finally managed to pull herself together, she looked at him and asked, “when can I see him?”

“I’ll talk to some people. See if I can get you in to see him in the morning. So long as you promise me you’ll get some rest. You’ve been through a lot today.”

She sighed softly, nodding in response. “I’ll try.”

However, she hardly slept that night. She kept drifting in and out of consciousness. Every time she closed her eyes and allowed herself to succumb to her exhaustion, she was right back on the ground, holding her broken, bloodied lover in her arms. And each time, she’d jolt awake, tears pricking at her eyes as she fought to steady her breathing. 

She was grateful when the sun began to rise, filling her room with light and chasing away the darkness. She had the wherewithal to get herself into the shower, washing away the happenings of the day before. 

She found a slew of surface injuries on her body when she removed her hospital gown. Reminders of what she’d been through. But they were nothing compared to what Bradley had suffered. With that thought in mind, she made quick work of getting ready for the day, hoping she’d be given the green light to visit him. 

She planned on putting on the clothes she’d been wearing the day before, but as she stepped back into her room, she was pleasantly surprised to find a set of folded clothes on the bedside table, with a note written in familiar scrawl. 

Mav told me what happened. Thought you might need a change of clothes, so I sent these with him. Know that I’m thinking of you and your Rooster today. Hope he pulls through. - Penny

She held back tears at the kindness of her friend, thankful for Penny’s gesture. She’d have to thank her later. 

After she was dressed, as if on cue, a knock sounded at the door. Pete stepped in, and she locked eyes with him, anxiety bubbling within her chest. 

“You can see him now.”

She didn’t waste a single second. She sprang forward, rushing after Maverick as he led her down the hall. Her limbs felt numb, carrying her on autopilot. It was as if she wasn’t in control of her own body, standing on the sidelines, watching herself walk through the corridors. 

She hardly registered anything before stepping through the doorway of Bradley’s room, and laying eyes upon him for the first time since the accident. 

Her hand came up to cover her mouth, and her eyes filled with scorching tears as she took in his unconscious form. There was a cast on his left leg, and one on his left arm. His head was wrapped in a thick, white bandage, and so were other parts of his body. 

His skin was an unsettling pallor, decorated with black and blue bruises. His eyes were closed, and had it not been for the steady rise and fall of his chest, she might’ve thought he was dead. 

She approached his bedside on unsteady legs, knees threatening to give out. Pete helped her into the chair beside the bed, so she wouldn’t hit the floor. 

Immediately, she reached for Bradley’s hand, closing her fingers around his own. “I’m so sorry, baby,” she squeaked. “I’m so sorry.”

Seeing him like this was nearly too painful to bear. It felt as if someone had driven a razor-sharp knife into her chest, leaving her to bleed out to a slow, agonizing death. 

Bradley’s hand didn’t squeeze hers back. It remained unmoving under her grasp. But it was warm; a sign of life. Life he’d almost lost. 

She tuned out everything else, focusing only on him. She barely registered the nurses that came in to tend to him, or the doctor that came in to relay an update. All she could see was her Bradley. 

She wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but it must have been a lot, because suddenly, Maverick was trying to coax her to eat something. 

“You need to take care of yourself, too. You won’t do him any good if you’re not keeping your strength up,” he tried to reason. 

“I’m not hungry,” she mumbled. 

He went and grabbed her a few things from the cafeteria anyway. She picked at the food the rest of the day, but she managed to eat some, and that was good enough for Mav. 

By evening time, there was no change in Bradley’s condition. He remained unresponsive, and sitting in the midst of that room, machines beeping mechanically around her, felt indescribably eerie. 

She didn’t want to leave his side. However, nightfall soon came, and visiting hours ended. She thought for sure that she would be asked to leave, because she wasn’t family. But to her surprise, no one said anything as the evening rotation of nurses trickled through. 

Later, she’d find out that Pete had utilized that annoying ability to get his way, and had seen to it that she was allowed to stay put. 

She fell asleep at Bradley’s bedside, her body contorted uncomfortably in the vinyl upholstered hospital chair. Her hand never left his the entire night. 

She dreamed that he opened his eyes. That he came back to her, and all was right with the world. But as she shifted awake in the early morning hours, she realized that it was all in her head. There was still no change. 

There, just before dawn, and just before the morning shift of nurses came through, she sat in the solitude, and she softly spoke to her sweet Bradley. 

She leaned over the bed, holding his uninjured hand and pressing kisses to his knuckles. He didn’t respond. 

“Do you remember when I told you that I couldn’t believe I was falling in love with a pilot? I was so dead-set on not dating another pilot. I mean, most of us are arrogant and overconfident. But not you. You’ve always been sweet as pie to me. And that’s why I fell in love with you.”

She went quiet for a moment, swallowing back tears. “And after I told you that, you said, ‘honey, it’s gonna break your heart one day.’ You were only joking, and I laughed when you said it. But you were right. Falling for a pilot did break my heart. And here I was thinking my heart would be broken if we ever broke up. But I was wrong. Nothing could hurt as bad as this. I feel like…like someone ripped my heart out of my chest and started stomping on it as hard as they could.”

She let out a bitter, trembling laugh, wiping away her tears before she continued. “I thought I was prepared for this. I went over the scenario so many times in my head. How I would react the day I found out I lost you. But nothing could have prepared me for this.”

She bowed her head, closing her eyes as the tears fell in torrents. “I told you I’d be okay without you. But the truth is, I don’t know if I will be. I need you, Bradley. You’re my entire fucking universe, and I need you to pull through. Please, baby. Come back to me.”

If he heard her, he gave no indication. 

She tried to picture life without him. Tried to imagine going back to their shared apartment, void of his presence. Tried to fathom what it would be like to sleep in their bed, his side empty. The thought was agonizing. 

She didn’t have to dwell on those torturous thoughts for long, because soon, the morning shift began, and in walked a new nurse. 

Recluse faded into the background as she watched the woman go about her job. Not long after, Mav showed up. His presence was welcome, and the two embraced. 

“How you holding up?” He softly asked. 

She shook her head. “I feel like I’m losing my mind,” she whispered. 

He nodded in understanding. “I get it.” He folded his arms over his chest, eyes staring ahead at the boy who was the closest thing he had to a son. Seeing Bradley in such a state had opened a wound within himself that he thought time had healed. As it turned out, it hadn’t healed at all. 

“I can’t stay long, but do you want to head downstairs for some breakfast? Might do you some good to get out of this room.” 

She hesitated, clearly unwilling to leave him. But to Maverick’s surprise, she finally nodded. The two headed out of the room, the air between them somber as they took the elevator to the cafeteria. 

She went through the motions, grabbing a few breakfast items. A muffin, and a banana that was far too underripe to enjoy. They found a table close to the door, so they could make a run for it if there was any change in Bradley.

“I imagine this must be really hard for you,” Recluse murmured as she tore the top off her muffin. 

Pete sighed, offering a nod. “It’s brought back some pretty tough memories. And as you know, we, uh, we just reconciled things between us. And now I might lose the kid again after I barely got him back. For good, this time. It’s…it’s a hard pill to swallow.”

“Do you think he’ll pull through?” She wanted reassurance. Wanted him to tell her everything would be okay. But his mouth was pressed into a grim line, and the usual sparkle of mischief was gone from his eyes. 

“I don’t know. I just don’t know.”

They finished their breakfast in silence, and soon, they headed back upstairs together. But the moment the elevator doors slid open, it was clear that something was terribly wrong. There was a flurry of activity in the hall, and a code blue alert was in place.

At that very moment, her body went ice cold, and in what felt like slow motion, she turned her head, eyes locking with Maverick’s. They both rushed forward, sprinting down the hall as fast as they could. Sure enough, there was a slew of hospital personnel scrambling into Bradley’s room. 

She reached the doorway first, and stumbled back as if she’d been kicked in the chest. Pete caught her, keeping her steady as her legs threatened to give out. She turned her head, unable to watch.

“I’m losing him, Mav!” She sobbed against his chest, fingers clutching at the fabric of his shirt. “I’m losing him!”

He held her close, and although she’d hidden her face, he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the unfolding scene. His body was numb, his knees weak. It felt as if all the air had been sucked out of the atmosphere, and he was suffocating. 

“Please don’t take my boy from me.” He hadn’t realized he’d said it out loud. He didn’t even know who he was talking to. Nick? Carole? God Himself? All he knew was that Bradley was all he had left, and if he slipped away, all was lost.

It felt like forever, and like no time at all. Finally, the room settled down, and the steady beep of the heart monitor could be heard. 

Her cries quieted down. She lifted her head, peering into the room. She wanted to demand answers, but her voice failed her. 

Instead, Maverick stepped forward to speak with the doctor. Bradley had gone into cardiac arrest, but the situation was under control, and he was stable. 

“It’s very touch-and-go right now,” the doctor explained. “We’ll need to closely monitor him.”

“Are you saying he might not survive this?”

“Like I said, right now, he’s stable. But I have to be honest with you, there’s a possibility that he may not pull through.”

He bit the inside of his cheek, biting back more colorful words as he pointed his finger at the doctor. “You do everything you can to get my kid better,” he demanded. His tone was threatening, but there was a waver in it. In reality, he knew that there were things that were beyond the doctor’s control. But he was desperate for any shred of hope he could cling to. 

As the doctor retreated, Pete sighed deeply, scrubbing a hand down his face. He turned to reach for Recluse, and she took his hand. The two walked into the now quiet room, and she immediately found her way to Bradley’s bedside again, grasping his hand in her own. 

She didn’t say anything. She simply bowed her head and cried. 

That was the longest day. Even longer than the day before, or the hours after the accident. They had no answers. She wondered if she’d be planning a funeral soon. 

Maverick was able to apply for emergency leave. He needed to be there for the young couple. And he knew he’d never forgive himself if he wasn’t there to say goodbye to Bradley, if worse came to worst. 

The sterile white walls of the hospital became all too familiar. She hadn’t been outside since the day of the accident. She dreaded going home, though she knew it would soon get to the point where she had no choice but to go back. There were things that needed tending to. Thankfully, Penny was more than willing to help. She took care of the apartment, and sent more changes of clothes whenever necessary. 

Recluse had been given time off to recover from the accident, and she was grateful for that. She spent it all at Bradley’s side. She feared that if she left, he might slip away. 

She whispered silent prayers to whoever was listening. “Please bring him back to me. I can’t lose him.” However, it seemed that the powers that be had decided to turn a deaf ear to her pleas for the time being. 

It was maddening, sitting there watching the love of her life and not knowing whether he would pull through or not. She soon resigned herself to the thought, “if you’re going to take him from me, please just get it over with. I don’t want him to suffer any longer.”

One moment, she’d lost all hope, certain he’d die right in front of her. The next, she was hopeful that maybe, just maybe, he’d open his eyes, and all would be right with the world. It was a constant back-and-forth, an unbearable form of mental torture. 

The fourth day began like all the others. They still had no answers. Bradley remained unresponsive. At that point, the doctor wasn’t giving a very hopeful prognosis. Recluse felt like she was slowly losing her mind. Maverick was steeling himself for an agonizing goodbye. 

She’d resorted to telling Bradley stories. Recalling memories, such as when they’d first met, or their first I love you. 

“You couldn’t be like all the normal guys and just say, ‘I love you,’ could you?” She mused, faint smile playing on her lips despite herself. “You had to sit down and write me an entire song just to tell me how you felt.”

She leaned back in her chair, glancing at Mav. “Did I ever tell you that story?”

He shifted against his perch near the window. He looked tired. “No,” he hummed, shaking his head. 

“I got home one day, and he was sitting there at our keyboard. As soon as I walked in, he started playing. Said he wrote a song for me and wanted me to hear it. It was all about how he was in love with me. It…it was the prettiest song I’ve ever heard. I still have the lyrics, I framed them and hung them on my wall.” She went quiet for a moment, turning away as tears filled her eyes. Then, she said, “I’m never going to hear him sing again, am I?”

Maverick stepped forward, coming to her side. “Hey, shhh,” he soothed, placing his arm upon her shoulders. She leaned in, head resting against his abdomen. 

“This sucks,” she whimpered. It was the most fitting phrase she could think of. It wasn’t fair that this strong, beautiful, wonderful man was fighting for his life. It wasn’t fair that she was on the precipice of losing the one she loved most. So yes, it sucked. 

For once, Pete Mitchell was at a loss for words. He truly didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know how to comfort the grieving woman he held in his arms. He didn’t even know how to comfort himself. How could he, when he felt as if he was gravely wounded and bleeding out on the floor? 

Nightfall came again. The hospital was quiet, almost eerily so. She was exhausted, but she didn’t sleep. She couldn’t, not when she could close her eyes and he might slip away. 

She resorted to laying her head upon the mattress, both of her hands resting on his forearm. She watched the rise and fall of his chest. It was the only thing that gave her hope. 

Well into the night, she spoke to him again. “Baby, I need you to listen to me,” she began, voice raw. “If…if you need to let go, I want you to do it. Don’t hold on for me. If it’s time for you to go, then it’s okay. I just…I don’t want you to be in pain anymore.”

Silence. 

“If you need to be with your momma and daddy, then you go join them.”

She wasn’t sure what she was expecting. His breathing to stop? The machine to flatline? But her words changed nothing. And she thought, maybe, she wasn’t going to lose him after all. 

When there was no change, she lowered her head again, this time resting it upon his chest. She could hear his heartbeat, slow and steady. His life force, keeping him tethered to her. She felt his breath, and the warmth of his skin. 

For a moment, she let it lull her to a place of peace, her eyes growing heavy as she succumbed to the exhaustion. Maybe, if she just rested her eyes for a moment…

She wasn’t sure how much time had passed. It could have been minutes, it could have been hours. All she knew was that something was different. Her body went still against his, her eyes snapping open. 

There it was; the smallest intake of breath, different from the pattern with which he’d been breathing. She lifted her head, gaze focused on his face. 

She stood to her feet, hovering over him. “Bradley?” 

Another, deeper inhale. Then, his eyes fluttered. She grabbed his hand, holding it to her chest. “Baby, I’m here,” she assured him. Her heart was racing. 

Behind her, Maverick sprang to his feet, coming to her side. “What is it?” He asked, frantic eyes scanning Bradley’s form. 

She didn’t answer. She was too focused on her love. A small groan sounded from deep within his chest, and then, his eyes slowly opened. 

Her own filled with tears. “Can you hear me, Roos?” 

He didn’t respond. His brow furrowed in confusion, and as his vision came into focus, he found two very concerned faces staring back at him. 

His mind raced as he tried to orient himself. Sudden flashes of excruciating pain filled his mind. The heat of an explosion. The taste of iron. The view of the blue sky above, hidden by her face hovering over his own. Water dripping onto his skin, from the tears that fell from her eyes. 

I should be dead right now. I’m dead, right?

He didn’t realize the words had audibly left his mouth until she was cradling his face in her hand. “No, baby. You’re alive. You’re here in the hospital, with me and Mav.”

“Hey, kid. You scared the shit out of us.”

Bradley’s eyes flickered over to Pete. He saw the glimmer of tears in his eyes. Then, his gaze flickered up, taking in his surroundings. White walls. Fluorescent lights. The whirs and beeps of machines. The smell of what could only be described as hospital. 

“How long have I been out?”

“Four days,” she said. 

He looked down, lifting his hands. One arm sported a cast up to his elbow. He remembered what had happened. An accident. Something has gone wrong with the plane. They’d had to eject. That had to be a good sign, he thought. It didn’t seem that his memory was damaged. 

“Is it bad?” He asked, referring to the extent of his injuries. All sorts of scenarios filled his mind. Maybe he’d been paralyzed. Maybe he’d never fly again. 

“I-I don’t know. We’ll get a doctor in here to check you out,” she truthfully replied. Still clutching his hand, she lifted her free hand to hit the nurse call button.

The spell of their quiet reunion was soon broken when a nurse came rushing in. Then, there was a flurry of activity. She called the doctor. More nurses came in. Voices filled the room. 

Recluse stepped back, giving the professionals space. Dropping Bradley’s hand felt like tearing her heart out of her chest. She didn’t want to let him go. Thankfully, Maverick was there, and she leaned on him for support as she watched them tend to the love of her life. 

After a thorough examination, the doctor turned to the concerned pair, a look of pleasant disbelief on his face. “You two have a miracle on your hands. I honestly wasn’t sure if he would come out of this. But he appears to be totally lucid and has all his faculties about him, from what I can tell. We’ll continue to monitor him, and I’ll put in for a few tests just to make sure there’s no lasting damage to his brain or other parts of the body.” 

“So he’s going to be okay?” She asked, eyes hopeful. 

“From what I can tell just from examining him, yes. But again, we’ll run some tests and make sure.” He turned to leave. “I’ll leave you to it for a bit, I’m sure you have some catching up to do.”

Finally, the room fell quiet again, and it was just the three of them. She rushed forward, taking her place back at his bedside. Bradley seemed a little more present, and the fog had begun to fade from his mind. 

He looked at her, and he offered a small smile. “I guess you can’t get rid of me that easily.”

She smiled back, but it soon faded as a soft sob left her mouth. “I really thought I was going to lose you. You almost died, twice. I…I’ve never been so scared in my life.” 

“You didn’t lose me. I’m still here,” he feebly tried to assure her, lifting his hand to brush against her tear-dampened cheek. 

She let her head fall, resting it against his shoulder. He looked up, meeting Maverick’s gaze. He wasn’t used to seeing him look so…bleak. It was clear that this ordeal had shaken him to the core, and Bradley understood why. 

“I could feel him with me. My dad,” he murmured. “He was watching out for me.” And it was the truth. It was the only way Bradley could explain surviving such a horrific accident. Goose had been by his side the entire time. 

Mav grasped the younger man’s hand, too verklempt to utter a reply. And that was okay. No words were needed. 

Bradley realized then just how much Pete cared for him. He could see it on his face. It was an unconditional love, the kind that could only be shared between a father and son. 

The trio fell into a comfortable silence after that. Recluse and Maverick soaked up every moment with their Bradley, still in disbelief that he was back with them. She never wanted to let him out of her sight, fearing that if she did, she might find that it was all a dream. 

She pinched herself a few times, just to be certain. 

Later on, after Maverick had stepped out of the room for a few moments, she opened her heart up to Bradley. 

“Before you went under, you made me promise something. Do you remember that?”

He was quiet for a moment, searching his mind. To his surprise, it was the one thing he didn’t remember. He’d been too delirious from blood loss and pain. “I don’t.” 

She sighed softly, looking down at their interlaced hands. “You made me promise you that I would be okay after you were gone. And I didn’t want to say no, because I knew I’d never forgive myself if you died, and I didn’t make the promise. So I did. But the truth is, I won’t be okay, if I ever lose you. How can…how can I be okay when the one person who means more to me than anything is gone?”

He blinked back tears at her confession. “You’re the strongest, most determined woman I know. You would be okay without me.”

But she shook her head. “Would you be okay without me?”

Bradley fell silent for a moment as he considered her question. What if the roles were reversed, and he was in her position? He tried to picture a life without her, but the thought was too painful to bear. “You’re right,” he replied, voice wavering with emotion. “I don’t know what I would do if I lost you.”

“Guess that puts us in a sticky situation then, huh?” The comment might’ve been intended to be humorous, but there was no mirth in her voice. 

“Are we cut out for this?” He asked, meeting her gaze. “Or are we just doomed to choose singleness and no attachment for the rest of our lives because we’re afraid of dying and leaving the other person behind?”

She stared at him for a moment before she spoke. “I made a promise to you in the beginning of our relationship. I told you that, no matter what came our way, I would always be by your side. And I won’t leave, no matter how hard life gets. Even if death comes knocking on our door again. I’m with you ‘til the end, Bradley Bradshaw.”

“Then I’m with you, too.” 

“But just so we’re clear,” she added, this time with a smile pulling at her mouth, “don’t you ever scare me like that again.”

He managed a smile of his own. “Yes ma’am,” he said. 

They knew in reality that danger was inevitable. But they were clinging to any form of comfort and reassurance that they could after such a terrifying ordeal. 

But there was light at the end of the tunnel, and for the time being, everything was going to be alright.

Not long after that, Bradley was moved out of the ICU and into a normal room. His fellow teammates and friends came to visit him. They brought flowers, cards, balloons, and more snacks than he could ever even eat. The outpouring of love and support was overwhelming, but welcome. 

He spent several more days in the hospital, and was eventually cleared to go home. He still had a long road to recovery, but he was going to be just fine, and that was what was most important. 

The day he was released, Penny and Maverick came to see him off. It was a joyous moment, and tears were shed. 

The last few minutes in the hospital room were quiet, shared between him and Recluse. She was lovingly fussing over him, making sure he had everything he needed, and that he was comfortable in the wheelchair they’d seated him in. 

“Baby, I’m fine,” he assured her. 

“I know, I just want to make sure,” she sighed, offering a sheepish smile. 

“Hey.” He reached for her hand, bringing it to his lips as he pressed a soft kiss to her knuckles. “We’re gonna be okay.”

She nodded, reaching up to run her fingers through his sandy hair. It had grown during his stay, no longer the close cut it once had been. “We are,” she agreed. 

“I love you.” He said it with conviction. He wasn’t sure of many things in life, but one thing he was certain of, was his love for her. That was unwavering. 

“I love you too, Roos.”

The intimate moment was soon interrupted by a knock on the door. The pair looked up to see Penny and Mav in the doorway. 

“Hey you two,” he said. “Ready to get outta here?”

“Am I ever,” Rooster huffed with a good-natured smile. 

The group headed out in the hallway, with Recluse pushing the wheelchair, and the other couple just behind them, hand in hand. They hung back a little, watching as she softly spoke to Bradley while she wheeled him down the hall, attentive to his every need.

She showed such tenderness to her precious love, and it was clear to all that could see, just how much she cared for him. 

“He’s in good hands,” Penny softly remarked, nudging Mav with her shoulder. 

He nodded in agreement. “Yeah, she’ll take good care of him.”

Maverick looked on with fondness at the young couple. All the grief and fear that had been experienced before this seemed to fade into the background, replaced by a soft, comforting glow. For once, the story had a happy ending. He didn’t have to say goodbye to the only connection to Nick and Carole he had left. He didn’t have to bury the closest thing to a son that he had. Bradley was still here, and still very much alive. 

“Thanks for looking out for him,” Mav whispered. This time, he was speaking to Goose. 

And as he continued down the hall, Penny tucked against his side, he swore he heard, “I always will.” 

[slyandthefamilybook]

hey, just wanted to say I have some serious respect for your genuine… neutrality I think is the wrong word. nuance, maybe? about Israel/Palestine stuff.

everything I see tells me you just want peace and comfort for people, and that you’ve managed to stay vocal and hold your ground despite attempts to the contrary by parties on both ends of the issue.

is there some pro-israel bias in what you do? maybe. id have to spend a lot more time getting a sense of how you operate to know. but ive seen enough antisemitism go unchallenged in pro-Palestine conversations that I think tumblr needs a bit of that pulling in the other direction.

if I ever start being politically active online outside of just reblogging stuff I think I would use your work here as an example, and id be quite satisfied if I lived up to it.

This is...extremely flattering, thank you. I'm honored to be held up as a standard of reasonability.

I think "pro-Israel bias" is tricky to define. A lot of people will accuse me of being pro-Israel, or at best neutral (which would be pro-Israel anyways, as they have the majority of the power). The problem is, the worse things get the harder people will fight. And the harder people fight, the further they want to go. Things keep escalating as both sides leapfrog to the greatest extreme, until neither one will accept anything less than total domination. I believe that in this rhetorical arms race, my position has remained steadfastly reasonable.

I believe first and foremost that human life is inherently valuable, and that we must do everything we can to protect it. But I'm not an idiot. I know that the world is complicated and that waters are often muddied. I'm an anarcho-communist, but I'm not going to let my political ideals blind me to reality. So if I support freedom from suffering for Palestinians, then the Zionists hate me, and that's fine. And if I support the Israelis who were taken from their homes, then the tankies hate me, and that's fine. I'm comfortable knowing I'm sticking to my principles. When Emma Lazarus said "until we are all free, we are none of us free" she was speaking out against sectarianism. Against the idea that we should only care for our own. I believe in doing things that help people. Bibi and Sinwar are helping no one but themselves with their endless assaults on civilians. War and revenge help no one except the people at the top. Far-right religious fundamentalism helps no one except the people at the top

It may sound trite, but war is not about one side versus another; it's about death versus life. There are people who are alive, and people who are not. Living people have the potential to do so much good. Dead people have the potential to decompose under 6 feet of earth. We must choose to create more life, not more death

[anachronisims]

Get to know you: Sims Style

thanks @eulaliasims !

What’s your favorite Sims death?

What a macabre start to the survey lol… I hardly ever let my sims die, so kind of none, but my least least-favorite is probably dying of fright.

Alpha CC or Maxis Match?

Club Crimson and GoS foreverrrrrr (but I'll take whatever's out there, I really don't care tbh)

Do you cheat your sims weight?

Lol you can tell they wrote this survey for TS4 players… yes, sometimes the game makes them not-fat anymore and I'm like… no, really, that's not how this sim's metabolism works thanks

Do you move objects?

…do you NOT?

Favorite Mod?

There are a lot of new good ones but hands-down my ultimate all-time favorite is the Community Time mod by crammyboy, as later tweaked by Chris Hatch. I cannot live without this mod and it is 50% of the reason I hate playing TS4. Why is it suddenly an ISBI anytime someone leaves the house? Who wants to play that game??

First Expansion/Game Pack/Stuff Pack?

Livin' Large

Do you pronounce live mode like aLIVE or LIVing?

(a)LIVE Mode wtf do you also pronounce gif like the peanut butter?

Who’s your favorite sim that you’ve made?

Any of my Meraki founders, they are my forever darlings

Have you made a simself?

Not since 2009

Which is your favorite EA hair color?

Ew, gross. Natural: Shrapnel (which is BROWN), and Unnatural: HMX

Favorite EA hair?

Again… gross? #hideeverything

Favorite life stage?

Child, probably

Are you a builder or are you in it for the gameplay?

The eternal question, isn't it?

Are you a CC creator?

I'm a CC adapter.

Do you have any Simblr friends or a Sim Squad?

I'd like to think so! Shout-out to @niamh-sims, @fireflowersims, @fracturedmoonlight, and @gayars

Do you have any sims merch?

No but there is a plumbob tshirt on my Christmas list

Do you have a YouTube for sims?

Technically yes, but I never posted my swimmable pond tutorial there because #adhd

How has your “Sims style” changed throughout your years of playing?

I was definitely a casual player/serious CC collector for most of the first decade of the game. I was probably one of the first people to experience pink flashing from overloading dense, urban neighborhoods, and the game never being able to handle my dreams (in aLIVE mode) limited my actual playtime substantially. I took a couple years off and then in 2016 or 2017 came back enraptured with the Test of Time challenge (and modifying the ToT challenge rules as much as anything). Meraki is my third iteration of that, working past neighborhood corruption (1ST attempt; 4th gen) and founder fatigue (2nd attempt; barely got off the ground, it was just too weird trying again). Now (lately) I'm back to regular modern play (which means CC collecting and neighborhood setup, apparently).

Who’s your favorite CC creator?

Today, Jacky93sims lol. ATS for longevity. Adele for details. HS for the infinitely useful Arizona sofa lol

How long have you had Simblr?

Probably… 2018-2019? I think I got the idea for Meraki around the time of my honeymoon and that's when I came up with the name 'anachronisims,' and my prior tumblr was just a general purpose thought repository.

What expansion/gamepack is your favorite?

Seasons. In any game. Seasons.

impossible to keep track of who's done these already especially since i can't keep a close eye on my dash so i assume these folks have already done it BUT i tag: @fireflowersims @fracturedmoonlight @moocha-muses @frauhupfner

[shadowsandshapes]

A Quick Job (Dabi/GN!Reader) PART 2 | The Return

Summary: You return from the job Dabi had assigned to find him waiting. He seems far too pleased with you. He has another proposition for you -- isn't he just full of great ideas? Rated: I Wouldn't Read This In Public, But You Can Contains: Suggestive language and mention of a potential sexual encounter, use of the nickname 'babe' and 'precious' PART 1: [HERE]

[900 words]

"D'you get what I asked for?"

It was hardly surprising to see Dabi awaiting your return to the safe house. He was draped against the door opening to the living room, arms crossed over his chest casually. Almost as if he had been there ever since you left. You let out a sigh and removed your hood, then fished into their pockets to procure the encrypted hard drive. 

"The Hero Commission, huh?" You recalled, grimacing at the memory of having to sneak past their ridiculously tight defenses just hours earlier. 30-minute job, my ass. "I don't know why you had me break into literally the most dangerous place for a villain to get caught but," you paused, briefly taunting Dabi by moving your hand as he eagerly grabbed for the device, "--yeah...I got it." A little payback for earlier. The man narrowed his eyes at your sly grin as you finally relented, giving him the hard drive. 

He turned it over in his hands, then pocketed it. "Nodody saw you?"

"Please," you said, rolling your eyes, "you think I'd be here if they did? I'm not an amateur." Getting caught by the Commission didn't get you life imprisonment in Tartarus, it meant a bullet in the head and a long nap in an unmarked grave. You were sure he already knew this and it didn’t take him long to confirm your suspicions. 

"Yeah, I know," Dabi nodded. "It's why I asked you, after all. None of these other schmucks would have made it out alive." Huh, rare praise from the man himself. Then again, he did phrase it as a matter of fact – rather than direct praise. Still, something felt different about his demeanor. His bright blue eyes stared at you intently -- predatory. You knew this look at it made you reel. It was...satisfaction. And when Dabi was satisfied, that meant bad things were on the horizon. You suddenly found it difficult to hold his gaze, and so your eyes darted behind him -- a fact that Dabi found extremely gratifying. 

"Can you move?" You sighed out, glancing at the ratty old sofa you called home. He was still body blocking your escape towards relaxation. "My back is killing me from carrying your wild schemes all by myself."

The man, however, didn't budge. In fact, he simply smirked and nestled himself against one side of the hardwood opening. As you moved to shove past him, Dabi slammed his hand against the door frame in front of you. "Oh c'mon now, babe," he teased. "Don't I owe you a reward?"

The implications of the statement were not lost on you, but you decided to play dumb anyway. Dabi liked playing games and reacting to his offer in any way would only make matters worse. Besides, there was no way he was being serious. He just wanted to get a rise out of you, right? "You can send me the dirt you have on that hero later, just let me pass," you mumbled, making an attempt to pull his arm away from the door. 

As soon as you touched, Dabi used the opening to grab your wrists and pin them to his chest, pulling you close. "Not so fast, precious." He laughed as you squirmed, finding your back pressed against the door frame. "You think playing stupid works on me? You know damn well what I want."

"Can't say that I do, actually," you insisted, struggling to find something to focus on that wasn’t Dabi himself. Your eyes darted from his vibrant blue ones to the ground, then to his chest firmly pressing against yours. Fuck, there was nowhere to go, was there? He had you trapped, his insane body heat alone enough to bring a blush to your cheeks. Why was he so hot? Literally.

"Fine," Dabi said, his tongue swiping across his bottom lip in anticipation. "I'll spell it out for you, brat."

How about you don't? You thought. Don't say it, I won't be able to say no. Not convincingly anyway.

His fingers curled beneath your chin, pulling your head up to face him. "We. should. fuck. Like animals."

Restraint. Hold back. He's bad news. You tried telling yourself all of these things. But the truth was you had considered it more than once. It was a risk. In this line of work, you couldn’t afford to get attached. Just play dumb. "...Pardon?" Passable effort – terrible execution. As soon as your voice rang out, you could see Dabi wasn't buying it. 

"C'mon, babe." His grin widened. "I want you. Don't you dare start acting all innocent now. You've been thinking about it too, haven't you?" As he spoke, Dabi's hands ran down your arms, coming to rest on your hips -- and squeezed. "Just you and me fucking on that couch...no feelings, no bullshit --" His lips landed on your neck, sucking on your exposed skin with a satisfied hum. You weren't pushing him away, Dabi noticed. Good.

That did sound enticing. You leaned into him, back arching at his touch. Dabi locked his arms around your waist, never once stopping his trail of bites down your throat and neck. Eventually, he managed to coax a meek moan from your lips. That was all he wanted. "So," he grunted against your skin. "That a 'yes' then?"

What do you have to lose? It’s just a bit of fun.

"...fuck it," you huffed, pulling Dabi's snappy little teeth away from your sensitive skin by yanking his head back. He seemed far too pleased with himself, even as your fingers tangled in his hair. "Come and get me, bastard."

[xalygatorx]

Worthy (2015) | Chapter 26, "Reunion"

Disappearing sporadically in public spaces quickly becomes Cora Dempsey's least concerning problem when suddenly she captures the attention of the forming Avengers Initiative, the World Security Council, and Asgard's fallen prince all in one week. And the universe is only just getting started with her.

Worthy is a slow-burn SFW Marvelverse (films) romance between Loki and a female OC. For additional details on what canon is used, see the Prologue post.

Summary: Thor ponders killing Loki himself at discovering his brother is alive again. Cora and Loki fill in Thor, Jane, and their companions and leave them to inform the Avengers. Cora and Loki then travel to Jotunheim to retrieve the Cask of Ancient Winters.

Pairing: Loki x Fem!OC

Warnings: None

Word Count: 3k

It was only twenty minutes later that the pair had run two blocks and edged along multiple expanses of sidewalks—a couple more than once—to find Jane's flat. Loki and Cora had run up a flight of stairs after that and Cora was muttering the number for the door under her breath on repeat until she came upon the door, her fist raised to knock just as the door opened and her hand smacked into Thor's chest plate instead. "Ow, holy—," she started to say, only to be silenced by the look on Thor's face.

His eyes were directed above her head, the hard glaze of concentration over his crystal blue eyes. His brow was creased by equal parts focus and what appeared to be pain, his jaw set harshly. For the first time since she'd met him, Thor seriously looked like the vengeful Norse god of legends and she was pretty sure that wasn't good at all.

Cora had just locked eyes with Jane, who was standing a few steps behind Thor, barely seen behind his large frame taking up the doorway, when the great golden-haired Avenger spoke. "What is the meaning of this," he demanded tightly, a tempest under his tone. Cora waited for Loki to explain, but he didn't, and when she looked back at him, his features were as stoic as Thor's. "Was it all naught but façade?"

"None of it was façade, do you—"

Thor surged forward and Cora shouted as she ended up pinned between them, Loki's back hitting the wall behind her as Thor bore down on both of them. "Do not lie to me, brother! I have fallen a fool for your tricks before, was this another?!"

Cora felt sheer adrenaline pumping through her veins at the intensity of the situation and she heard Jane nearby telling Thor to calm down, all while feeling Loki try to push her out from between them, actually rearing up a bit, himself. She held her ground though, more or less out of the knowledge that she might be the only thing keeping Thor from pummeling Loki at present. Loki snarled slightly, giving up on edging her away. "You've not given me more than a few seconds' chance to lie, you oaf, and yet you throw me under the ax so soon!"

"I mourned you again, I thought you dead!" Thor roared.

"I thought myself dead!" Loki yelled back and the both of them stood there afterward, breathing heavily and staring the other down like beasts.

"Not that I'm not having the time of my life down here," Cora commented with slightly breathless sarcasm, causing both hulking gods to glance down for the first time since their arrival. "But we have more serious issues to attend to right now."

Thor glanced from her to Loki before sighing wearily and taking a step back, letting Jane take him back into the flat. She looked back at Loki and Cora, nodding for them to follow. They walked in and closed the door behind them before walking down the hall. Cora noticed with a faint smirk that Mjolnir was hanging neatly with the coats before she went to sit at the small dining table, finding three other people already there instead. "Oh… Hi," she said with some surprise as Jane returned to the room.

"Hm, right," Jane said with a nod. "Cora, this is my research partner and friend, Dr. Erik Selv—really, no pants? Again?"

"Interesting name," Cora smirked, causing the only other girl present to laugh quietly.

"Dr. Erik Selvig," Jane corrected as Cora stuck out her hand to shake his. "My intern, Darcy Lewis, and my intern's intern, Ian." They all jumped when Erik suddenly leapt from his seat, tighty-whiteys in full view. "What's wrong?"

"You…" He squinted past Cora and muttered, "You all see him, too, right?"

Cora and Jane turned around to find Loki standing at Cora's right shoulder. "Hm, bad spaceman," Darcy commented offhand, earning a withering look from Loki. "Yeah, we see him, Erik. Thought you were dead."

Loki shook his head in negation to that and walked with Cora and Jane to the couch, two armchairs flanking either side; Jane took one and Cora plopped down on the couch, Loki sitting in the other couch space. Thor soon joined them rather begrudgingly, easing his huge body into the other armchair, which Cora was sure would break with his weight. "So, first thing's first," Jane said, all business. "What's wrong now?"

Cora glanced to Loki, who drew a slow breath before beginning to explain, "Thanos has catalyzed the Ragnarök."

"The end of realms?" Dr. Selvig asked from the table, standing up, much to everyone's regret. "That old myth is true as well?"

"Indeed," Loki murmured, glancing at Thor, who now wore a grave expression on his chiseled features.

"Thanos?" Thor repeated at last and when Loki nodded once, he sighed heavily. "What has been done?"

"Lady Sif and Volstagg have returned to the Collector's keep to reclaim the Aether," Loki said slowly, "and Fandral has gone to find the Orb. Thanos has taken the Tesseract from the vaults, so he will be moving forward to collect the others. We came to warn you and…the others."

Cora gave a halfhearted smirk. He meant the Avengers and those at SHIELD and, despite her situation of being put on ice by orders of the Council, she was somewhat looking forward to seeing them again.

Thor gave a firm nod. "And then what?"

"I will be taking Cora with me to Jotunheim to collect the Cask of Ancient Winters." Cora noticed Thor's features tighten a little at that, but didn't know why.

"And the Ka Stone?"

"Sif and Volstagg's destination after their attempt on the Aether."

Thor pursed his lips before nodding slightly. "And what am I to tell the Midgardian protectors?" he wondered quietly to himself. "I will accompany you to Jotunheim."

Cora was listening when she was startled by Jane touching her shoulder. "Jotunheim's the ice realm, right? The one you told me about?" she murmured and when Cora nodded, Jane motioned for her to stand. "Then you'll need some warmer clothes. Darcy's left a lot of stuff here over the years, her stuff will probably fit you. That okay, Darce?"

"Sure thing, Jan," Darcy said with a smile and a thumbs-up, causing Jane to grimace a little. "What, you're the only one that can do the cute name-shorteningy-thing?"

"Apparently," Jane quipped as she pulled Cora away from the brothers, who were now arguing over where Thor would be going; Thor declared that it would be best for him to join Loki and Cora for backup protection, but Loki was arguing the opposite. "So, what happened? How did he just show up again after being declared dead?" she asked once they were in her bedroom.

"He was disguised as Odin," Cora explained as Jane dug through her closet, throwing some garments out on the bed as she listened. "He called me down and then told me the truth. Then Thanos showed up and staying disguised became less of a priority…"

"He was just going to take Odin's place?" she asked, poking her head out for a moment to look at Cora. "But then what happened to—"

"I'm not sure where Odin is, I just know he's alive."

Her eyes narrowed slightly with suspicion. "You saw him alive or Loki told you he was alive?"

Cora sighed. "I didn't see him, but Loki wouldn't kill him. Not now."

"And you know that, how?"

"Because Thor would be devastated and would never trust him again," Cora said quietly.

Jane thought about that, remembering how Loki had made such strides to protect both of them in Svartalfheim. She slowly nodded and it was clear to Cora that she was choosing to believe in him now, even if it felt chancy. "Okay," she said at last. "Here, try this." She gestured to an outfit she'd laid out on the bed and Cora nudged the door closed before disrobing from her Asgardian gown and putting on some more familiar clothes.

"Thanks," Cora said as she slid on the winter jacket, which felt doubly lined inside. It was a stuffy outfit to wear in the current temperature, but she knew once she revisited the frosty Jotun realm, she'd be thankful for it. It was incredibly likely that the only reason she'd not broken down in shivers on her first trip into Jotunheim was because she'd already been frozen over in the capsule. This wasn't something she was looking forward to, but she didn't want to stay behind in Midgard either.

"Pretty darn close," she commented once Cora had the extra clothes on. She'd put on the SHIELD uniform she'd had on when she was placed in the capsule for insulation, figuring it would keep her warmer than the jeans and T-shirt she'd had on when she'd gotten to the agency base in the first place. "You're a bit taller than her, so good thing you had some stuff of your own."

"The jacket's great though. And so are the boots… I think I left mine in Asgard," Cora said thoughtfully.

"Cora?" Jane said quietly.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think they can stop him?" Cora looked at the other woman and frowned faintly, seeing the distress on her face. "The Ragnarök is the end of everything. It's a rebooting of the universe. If it follows the mythology, the realms will fall to ruin. Odin will die, Loki will die, and Thor…" Her voice caught.

"Jane," Cora sighed, tugging the smaller woman into a hug. "I don't know what's going to happen. But I don't believe in absolute anything when it comes to the future. It's changeable. Prophecies are written in one era and the entire world could be changed by the time it's supposed to happen. Whatever was supposed to cause them in the first place may not even exist anymore." She looked down at Jane. "But the biggest point is that freaking out about something won't change the outcome. It'll just make you lose focus on what you can do to help. And I bet SHIELD could use brains like yours and Selvig's right about now."

"I just got him back," she said quietly after a moment. "I don't want to freak out, it's just happening… But you're right. We'll head back to the States as soon as possible. Maybe Thor can work something out with them."

"Exactly," Cora encouraged just before hearing Loki from the living room call for her. She and Jane left the bedroom and found the brothers standing, both wearing grim, tired expressions. "What's up?"

"We should go," Loki told her. "Thanos will not stop moving and neither can we."

"I know," she murmured with a nod, slinging her bag back over her shoulder and tugging on some gloves she'd found in the jacket pockets.

Loki watched her for a moment before nodding as well, walking past Thor to go to the door. Thor watched him go, only looking down when Cora paused in front of him. "He's trying," she said so softly only Thor could hear her and he sighed, nodding. "I'm just not sure he knows quite what to do."

"I am afraid I am just as uncertain, little sister," he admitted quietly. "But with your aid, perhaps we will both understand in time."

She smiled, glancing over when she heard Loki call her again. "Good luck," Cora told him before hurrying out to the door, rolling her eyes at Loki's bored, impatient expression. "Oh, come off it, let's get out of here."

Loki smirked a little before following her back outside. They walked down a back alley to an abandoned parking lot before stopping for Heimdall to send them to Jotunheim, Cora muttering, "Beam me up, Scotty," just before the golden pillar of light hit them and they were once again pulled into the tunnel of the BiFrost's energy.

Seconds later, they landed in feet of snow crusted over by ice, which made a loud cracking sound when they sunk into it. "The gatekeeper is Heimdall, not 'Scotty'," Loki grumbled with an arched brow.

He earned a disapproving look from Cora for that one. "Remind me to show you Star Trek at some point." Before he could ask what it was, she waved her hand a bit, "Nevermind, we'll get to it eventually. Where are we going?"

"A hidden chamber nearby. Heimdall was kind enough to place us very near the Cask's resting place," Loki told her, glancing around the area before starting to move forward. Cora ambled awkwardly behind, wishing her legs were as long as Loki's in that moment. After a few moments, he noticed that she was having trouble—or his amusement at her uncoordinated movements wore thin—and he stopped, kneeling down and muttering, "Come on."

Cora's brow rose, but she made one last hop in the snow and looped her arms around his neck from behind. He braced his hands under her thighs and scooped her up piggyback-style before continuing through the snow. "Why did Fandral say you were probably the best one to get this Infinity Stone?" she asked.

Loki took a moment's hesitation before replying over the slight whoosh of the wintry breeze, "Because I was born here."

Cora's brow rose. "This is where you're from?" she wondered thoughtfully, looking around. "Then, your birthparents?"

"I know naught of my mother, though I now suspect she may have been Asgardian," he said calmly. "I killed my father before I met you."

"Why?"

"To prove my worth, I suppose. And save Odin in the process," Loki said honestly.

Cora rested her chin against his shoulder, squinting faintly against the blowing snow and wincing whenever his hair blew into her face. He walked a while longer before his foot caught on something beneath the snow, causing him to jolt a little. "There you are," he murmured, wedging his boot in the groove and turning, triggering a mechanism underground to come to life and lower the stone plank beneath the frost into a ramp.

Cora's eyes widened and she watched curiously as Loki moved toward the edge. She expected him to walk down, but instead he turned his heel and slid down the icy surface, causing Cora to instinctively clutch onto him. He skidded to an easy stop at the bottom and laughed at her panic, a mischievous smirk decorating his face. "Not funny," she protested with a grumble as she scrambled to get down.

"I beg to differ." He let her go, but kept her close as he glanced over the cavern, his hand on her shoulder as he pondered the possibility of traps or extra paths meant to cause intruders to lose their way. Loki ventured forward into the tunnels with care, his vibrant green eyes always scanning the corridors as he led the way.

"Any idea where we're heading?" Cora asked hopefully after a few turns and Loki could feel her shaking next to him from the stark cold of the chamber.

"Vaguely," he murmured back, steering them left.

"Comforting as always," she murmured sarcastically.

When a blue glow began to highlight the frosty stones of the underground labyrinth, Loki walked forward with more confidence and they eventually arrived at one last stretch of pathway. At its end rested the Cask upon a pedestal of ice.

"Stay here," he told her softly, knowing the cold would be the worst down this passage. Cora stayed behind as Loki ventured forward, grimacing at the Cask of Ancient Winters and the memories it brought forward. When he reached it, deja vu set in and he remembered the last time he'd plucked it up. The moment his life had changed forever.

Loki glared down at the Cask, but gripped the handles anyway. He felt the chill of raw power seep through his palms and into his body, and he watched his skin gradually turn to a vivid cerulean, the pallor spreading throughout his body. He knew the markings of a darker hue that would be etched upon his face and the bloody red his eyes would become and he was loath to turn around and let her see him like this. However, he did so anyway.

Cora watched him go down the passage and pick up the Cask, just thinking she was glad they were in possession of at least one of the Infinity Stones when Loki turned around. Her eyes widened at the sight of him, entirely enveloped in blue and red-eyed, looking the part of an alien for once. At first, she was a little afraid, wondering if something had gone wrong and he'd been taken over by the Cask or something else. However, she saw the apprehension in the crease between his brows and knew this was just his true form.

She offered him a slight smile and nodded her head to the side. "Time to go," she said easily and watched the surprise form in his eyes. Composure quickly wiped away the traces of relief as he neared her again and they walked out of the cavern with surprising ease. Cora put the Cask in her bag so he could help her over the snow again and she held close, watching as his skin started to pale to fleshy tones again.

"It didn't bother you… Did it," Loki murmured pensively and Cora almost wondered if it had been directed at her at all.

"What? Your face?" she asked, giving a slight shrug. "No more than usual." For that, he dropped her back into the snow and she shrieked, nearly submerged in the stuff on impact. "Loki, get your blue ass back here right now!"

He laughed mirthfully at the look on her face and the fire in her fury, stepping forward and plucking the poor snow-dusted girl out of the snow and cradling her in his arms as they walked back to where they'd started. When they reached that point, Loki murmured a simple, "To Midgard," and the pillar of light plunged down again, taking the pair into the vortex once more.

Next chapter: Chapter 27, "The Welcome Wagon"

Main story posts will resume 12/26/23. Time for some xmas fluff.

[children-of-epiales]

A Better Purpose

Word Count: 1.1k

2014

     She hears him panting before she hears the footsteps. Dulcie’s head falls into the palms of her hands, she runs her fingers through her hair and they fold, resting on the nape of her neck. “...Can’t be fucking serious, can’t I be alone for five fucking minutes?!”

“ Not while I’m fucking alive-” Jett’s hands shoot up beside him as the brunette shoots up and gets in his face, “-it was a joke, it was just a joke! Sheesh!” 

Dulcie remains, staring into the man’s eyes--straight into his soul--searching for something Jett knows she won’t find; he doesn’t know what she’s looking for, just that he doesn’t have it. “ I wasn’t tryna bust your balls, but you gotta realize we’re all here for a reason, Black. Looking to pick a fight with someone? This ain’t the place.”

The words earn him an uneasy glare. “ Yeah, that’s what they tell us.” She backs up then, her expression going lax with sudden disinterest and she squats back down in her spot. “ The one I want to fight is long gone-I don’t give a shit about anyone here.” She corrects the fellow. “ I’m here for the same reason everyone else is.”

“ Oh so you’re trying to get away from your family too?” 

Dulcie looks up at the dark-haired man, her head tilted curiously. “  Seems that wasn’t what you were talking about, I guess.” Jett grins, showing off his tooth gap while his hands find his belt and hang off of it. “ That’s why I’m here, Black. See how easy that was?” Seemingly trying to keep his hands busy, he digs into his back pocket and takes out a cigarette and a pack of matches. 

When offered a cigarette, Dulcie waves her hand in rejection. “ I don’t know how your girlfriend’s able to kiss you when your mouth probably tastes like those things.” 

“ Maybe because none of us knows when we’re gonna die-” Jett mutters back as he lights his cigarette with a match, “-so she kisses me because it’s possibly the last kiss we’ll ever share.” 

“ Yeah, you’re a fucking loser.”

The private laughs, his voice rough from however many packs of cigarettes he’s smoked in his life thus far. “ That’s one of the nicest compliments I’ve ever heard.” Jett shakes his head, he watches the brunette wave her hand in front of her and cover her nose. 

“ Goddamnit-Brooks, you need to give me some space! Fucking go!” She waves at him the same way a cat scratches at something it doesn’t like. “ That shit stinks!” 

Another laugh escapes the other private, he finally takes the cigarette out of his mouth and throws it on the ground. “ You know-people like you don’t last very long here,” Jett tosses his cigarette on the ground and steps on it. 

“ What the hell are you going on about now? Why wouldn’t I last long here?”

“ It isn’t you specifically, Black…” Jett corrects her, his smile dying down like a fire. A solemnity takes over his expression, and Dulcie thinks he could almost be sad now. “ It’s the mystery you’re trying to create-you don’t want anyone but the government to know who you are. You’re not the only one who’s tried. But you’re a human being like everyone else, and one of two things will happen as a result of your efforts.” 

When she doesn’t respond, the dark-haired man continues. He holds up one finger. “ You’ll be successful, but you won’t be human anymore-you’ll be something in between alive and dead.” Jett then holds up another finger, “ Or you will get killed.”

2021

     “ What do they call you?” 

Dulcie blinks, she shuts her eyes and opens them again. This is happening way too fast. “ Staff Sergeant-” She tries to answer the masked man. 

“ That’s not what I asked.” 

“ Dulcie Black-” The soldier tries again, flexing her bloodied fingers as a reminder that this is real. This is happening. Jett is lying on his back with a bullet hole in his head and her gun has one less bullet in it’s cartridge. “ My name is Dulcie Black.” 

The masked man lets out a noise--he’s chuckling at her--before turning on his heels. “ We’ll think of something good to call you, soldier.” He assures her as he squats down next to her comrade’s body. “ Nice shot by the way…” 

She watches him clear the body of whatever he desires, remaining plastered to the wall with some sort of sorry hope for something to happen. Something that might bring Jett back, that the whole event might be reversed and he might have changed his mind about following through with their lieutenants orders. 

Dulcie’s snapped out of her thoughts by the stranger when he steps in front of her, towering over the frozen soldier with his rifle in his arms. “ You made a decision of your own free will, soldier-if you stay here they’ll punish you for it.” He informs her in an almost pitiful tone. “ You’re a ranger, aren’t you? You didn’t like it when they gave you your orders before they shipped you off, did you? But you swallowed your arguments and did as you were told-he didn’t.” The masked man jerks his head in Jett’s direction. 

“ He was gonna report to the lieutenant-” Dulcie finally speaks, “-I busted my ass to become a ranger, but I didn’t do it just to murder people! If I wanted to do that, I wouldn’t have joined the military! I-I-” She swallows, looks down, then upward at the ceiling. “ But I didn’t have to shoot him…” 

“ If you hadn’t, this scene would look worse than it does now.” The stranger shifts his gun to one arm and extends his hand out to Dulcie. “ Call me Mace. I know your struggle, soldier. I will help you find your way and give you a better purpose than the United States’ army has.” 

The brunette squints at the hand, she glances back at Mace. “ What am I…Who are you? Do you really think I’m gonna trust you?”

 Mace chuckles again, sending a chill up the sergeant’s spine. “ I would have killed you the moment I entered this building, soldier.” He responds, “ You don’t have to join me, but once I’m gone-you will be on your own. Come.” Mace turns away then, he steps over Jett’s body as he leaves. 

Dulcie takes a moment to look over Jett’s body: how his eyes are still wide open, the small trail of blood and saliva that escaped through the corner of his mouth, the way his fingers remained firmly curled around his radio. It had to be done, she thinks, finally finding the strength to step away from the wall. 

The brunette steps over the body and follows Mace outside.

Tagging: @shegetsburned @voidika @poisonedtruth @scentedcandleibex @jinfromyarikawa

[astronomical-bagel]

Whats your monkie kid au about?

YIPPEEEEEEEEEEEEEE IM SO GLAD YOU ASKED!!!!! IVE BEEN WORKING ON A POKEMON AU!!!!!!!

(idk when the cutoff will be, but warning for a very long infodump XD)

okay listen i cannot emphasize how much thought has been put into this, i have backstories for each of the pokemon, i know how all of them met their trainers, ive designated the serious trainers with a specific type of pokemon they train, like. listen to me. i have put SO much thought into this and how pokemon would fit into the lmk universe and canon. im going insane.

anyways, heres some of the pokemon/trainer lineups. ive done..... a large majority of the important cast? i havent gone into azure's whole group, but i think thats all im missing. i've done a lot.

ANYWAYS take the traffic light trio, they were the first ones i did!

And heres how they met each pokemon! (I havent named any of them yet LMAO, but i will!)

MK

No specialty

Whimsicott

it flew into his face on a breeze when he was a kid (like ten), he begged to keep it. It evolves before canon starts while theyre playing together :)

Monferno

found during “A hero is born”, when climbing down the mountain (it kind of just followed him for a while until he noticed it and went :D!!). it evolved in s4 “the emperor’s wrath” against azure (when he fully accepted his monkey form)

Kubfu 

“Impossible delivery”, He runs into it (literally) on the way home down the mountain, and he keeps it bc why not

Mei

Dragon/Electric

Rayquaza 

Passed down through the family, kinda fucks off until mei calls upon it (mei can still turn into a dragon, needs to learn to work together with him and do JOINT ATTACKS)

Vibrava

Chosen at a store with her parents before canon, evolved when she used the dragon blade

Boltund

“The great wall race”, evolved during the training in s2 “this is the end”

Pawmi

Found in s3 special “this imperfect world” during training with redson, helped her conceptualize the storing and release of energy of the Samadhi fire and stuff

Red Son

Fire

Ponyta

Chosen w parents as a child

Tauros

Inherited from his father after he was trapped (the other pokemon didnt make it)

Salandit

Caught before his father was released, found in volcano 

Sizzlepede

Found in volcano cave (different one, still before dbk was released) and it tried to eat him and he was Delighted

Fletchling 

Found sometime around “revenge of the spider queen”. It was injured (fell out of nest? Hurt leg? hmm) but still tried to attack him and defend its territory, so he deemed it strong enough to become his teammate 

okay okay some notes:

Pigsy didn't want MK having too many pokemon, partially because of mess/healthcode violations, and also because of money reasons. he had just the one pokemon the for the majority of his life, and after 'A Hero Is Born' pigsy was 1. so glad that MK was alive that he didn't care and 2. mk promised to keep it away from the kitchen and pay for all of its needs itself and ect ect. it was very much a 'PLEAAAASEEE can I keep it 🥺' kind of thing. The Kubfu mainly stays at the training ground (its very dedicated), so that wasn't an issue.

For Mei, she chose the trapinch (the preevolution of the vibrava) at the pokemon equivalent of a pet store bc its a tradition in the family to get a dragon-type pokemon when they turn twelve. her parents showed her a bunch of options and she thought the final evolution looked epic. The Boltund is known for chasing fast things, including vehicles. it chased her until the finish line and she was delighted to have attracted such a fast pokemon. the pawmi was just a little guy that she was secretly messing with instead of paying attention to red son XD

okay there's not too much extrapolation i have to go into for red son, BUT. the fact that none of his pokemon have evolved was/is a major sore point for him, and his parents often were critical on whether they (and by proxy, red son) were strong enough. Now he and his parents are more normal about it, and ironically its the lack of stress and pressure that's going to make it easy for them to evolve now. smth smth friendship is an important part of a pokemon's health, its like a whole character arc for him.

AND THATS NOT ALL. I wanted to go over like... specifically why i chose some of these pokemon!! like, for MK, his pokemon represent different parts of him, like, narratively!

the whimscott is playful, loves pranks, and its kind of a metaphor for the more childish side of him? Which is why i made it his first pokemon! (I also chose it because it reminded me of the monkey kings cloud, which i feel like his younger self would have wanted sooo bad LMAO)

the monferno is obviously related to his connection to the monkey king, but most importantly it hangs in packs, and THEREFORE represents his love for his friends bc obviously that's a huge part of him, yk? (I also really like this pokemon for him bc it matches his color scheme XD)

And for the Kubfu, the episode it was found on is very important! the kubfu is known for how dedicated it is to its training both its body and its mind, as well as its "fighting spirit". Sooo obviously it represents MK's sense of duty and his want to train to be better! He and his kubfu train a LOT in season 2, when he's trying to prepare for the LBD. (Fun Fact: this was almost Wukong's pokemon, but i couldnt stop drawing connections to MK when looking at it because its got the little bandana and everything, and i thought it was too similar to him to be wukongs pokemon. i mean, if he already mentored that pokemon, that would make the fact that he's mentoring MK way less meaningful, yk?)

OKAY OKAY IM FINALLY DONE, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE ASK AND LETTING ME RAMBLE. PLEASE SEND ME MORE ASKS, I HAVE PUT JUST AS MUCH THOUGHT INTO EVERY OTHER CHARACTER'S POKEMON, AND I HAVE SO MUCH TO SAY ON EVERYTHING. I AM NOT EXAGERATING IN THE SLIGHTEST MY GOOGLE DOCS FOR THIS IS ALREADY SO LARGE. IF YOU WANT YOU CAN ASK FOR SPECIFIC CHARACTERS OR GROUPS AND I CAN GIVE YOU ALL THE POKEMON THEY HAVE AND STUFF.

[general-kalani]

Drabbled mini fic about the extermination event of werewolves in Hope County

Prompt: None

Viewpoint is from a camera so if it's fucky dw about it LMFAO first time doing this kinda viewpoint-

"Jerome the fuck you got a camcorder for?"

"Hey I got this for my birthday lemme use it without some dipshit responses from you Barry."

"Keep it down the pair'a ya. Barry, let him record. Jerome make sure ye get my good side."

A jostling on the cameras holding had it point away from the man who was holding it to down the back of the truck to the last person who spoke.

That was Jacob, who was grinning as soon as it got turned to him.

"Ey I said good side. The fuck's this?"

"All due respect, you don't have any!"

Laughter from, surprisingly, everyone. Even a chuckle from Jacob with a shake of the head.

And then a sudden fake seriousness. "Yer on washing duties fer a month."

"WHAT! Aw man."

"Hey Jakey, what's the mission we got out here? I hate road trips I'd rather be in the air."

A hum from Jacob as he leaned back in his seat. "Las' I heard from Joseph we're dealin' with a li'l rebellion'a sorts. All I fuckin' know."

A scoff from Barry. "Sounds so fuckin' bland sir. No offense. But I'd rather be back at base cracking open a cold one."

A shrug from Jacob but the grin on his face said the same thing without him speaking it. "I'd rather be in bed falling asleep t'the sound'a the mountainside."

"Heh, always been difficult to take you away from the mountain itself."

A glare from Jacob before another shake of the head.

The truck rolled to a stop finally. Jacob couldn't help an audible sigh of relief. "Fuckin' finally. A'right, I want trigger disciplines. Tony watch that flamethrower I don' wan' this mountainside burnin'. Y'got that?"

"Yes sir, standard shit you tell me all the time. Don't waste ammunition, don't set fire to unnecessary targets. Usual procedure."

"Anyone got questions before we leave the truck?"

Silence before Jacob nodded, opening up the back of the truck. His trusty red rifle in hand as he left.

Then stopped as he stared. Confusion written on his face.

"What's wrong, sir?"

Jerome got outside next, the recorder moved from Jacob to where the destination was.

... That wasn't a Resistance base or some kind of rebellion.

"These are fuckin' civvies. The fuck was Joseph talkin' 'bout?"

Although it was muttered from Jacob too quietly for anyone to have noticed, but the camcorder picked it up.

"Jacob what the fuck are we gon' do? I didn't join up to... Do this."

"We can't disobey Joseph but this... Maybe he got the location wrong. Stiles, scope in on 'em. Don't fuckin' fire jus'... Maybe I'm missin' somethin'. See if ye can find a weapon in one'a those homes."

"Absolutely can do!"

At least someone was happy. ~`~ Although the recording ended there for a short time as the next time it started recording again, Joseph was there with Jacob arguing. Away from the rest of the group the recorder was in the bushes hiding from sight.

"Joseph these are civilians I didn't come back here to kill innocents!"

"Jacob. Are you trying to be a disappointment to me again?"

"What- no. No... But I have fucking morals and these people don't... They don't deserve to have their life stolen from them because you talk to some fucking God-"

"Jacob." Now the tone was serious. Just barely hiding the anger as his hands clenched and unclenched. "You will do as I say. They are a plight upon this land. They are cursed just as you are. You will free their souls from their confines. And you will leave none alive. This is how you can atone for your curse given to you by the devil. That's what you want, isn't it? Now go, do as I've asked."

Jacob clearly hesitated but he turned nonetheless to leave. To follow these orders.

"Jacob, don't disappoint me."

"Of course, Joseph." ~`~ Once more the recording had been shut off before turning back on again. And the village that was once before so serene was in devastation.

Fire was nearly everywhere, blood paved the ground... The man holding the camera wasn't assisting in the destruction as it moved over the bodies. Varying ages. Some as young as babies weren't spared. It was gruesome. It was atrocious.

And the camera panned over to Jacob, who sat on the ground on his knees with his hands over his face muttering to himself. It was getting to him, he was regretting it.

And yet he wasn't stopping the destruction.

And Joseph was walking over to Jacob. Was he aware of the camera as he placed a hand on Jacob's shoulder, or did he not care when he spoke next?

"Now feast, Jacob."

"What?"

"Eating their flesh shall prevent the release of the beast within your soul. Devour these people."

Once more, Jacob didn't refuse despite how atrocious of a crime this is.

The camera closed once more and didn't record again of the incident after Jacob took the first bite.

[tomwaterbabies]

ok. here's a list of things. im trying not to go too in-depth with my ranting here. firstly because i would literally just much rather gush about the og than spend MORE time on this trash, and secondly because my friends and i are already ranting about it lol

(keep in mind this is still VERY LONG. my actual full thoughts would be pages long if you could believe that)

but here we go. spoilers for the disney live-action pinocchio if that matters

the cgi is bad. as expected. immediately you see a lack of warmth and coziness in geppetto's workshop. and in place of the whimsical and creative clocks of the original, geppetto's workshop not only is a bad cgi set but contains 2 (TWO) scenes of... disney references... the clocks are a bunch of disney character references..................

weirdly emphasizes his love for his clocks. this is hammered throughout the film (i will come back to this)

geppetto has a previous dead son.

the fairy shoots a beam of light that bounces off the dead son's picture frame and into pinocchio. i think the implication here is that he has some of the son's spirit. this is never addressed further

the scene of him coming to life is the most awkward fucking imagery ever. they play up the comedy and the sense of wonder is just... lost (might have to go in-depth with this scene later when i compare some scenes from the og and this one)

she sings when you wish upon a star for some reason

the pacing, in general, is so terrible

there is a montage of pinocchio and geppetto living together. it's badly paced and awkward and i think they did it because of the cinema-sins level nitpicking that people do where they ask why geppetto sent him off to school on his first day of being alive

he has some weird super speed ability of being able to move his arms and legs super fast? this is used multiple times and i really dont understand why they made him like that

he does end up going to school but quickly gets kicked out for being a puppet. i dont really think this scene adds anything. there's a shot where he's on the ground super sad and upset while the teacher yells at him for being a puppet or whatever and the kids laugh... which i would definitely be into in a better movie. this will not be the first time a good concept is in this bad movie

he is less naive but they don't really do anything to fill out his personality. it feels like pinocchio is missing something. which he is

his voice acting is weird. not a bad voice but the actual line delivery is just... not always... good. kind of awkward. same with geppetto. most of the characters actually

btw jiminy is definitely more helpful here, but it isnt worth it

ive got no strings was such an insulting segment of trash and uninspired disrespect my brother and i started crying (another scene i would just have to breakdown)

this is where the love interest comes in. shes a little girl who controls a ballerina puppet. there isnt much to say. she doesnt do anything but give a lot of pointless dialogue. they dont get together at the end (she goes off to run her own puppet show after she gets stromboli arrested). im serious this added nothing

multiple new songs btw. they are not good

ok let me break down pleasure island in a few points

him going back to his house and then scooped up into pleasure island nonsense is quite literally a blink-and-you'll-miss-it transition

pleasure island is now more akin to a SUPER extravagant theme park. massive buildings, bright lights, and high-tech systems. and none of the original bite

no drinking, no smoking. this is not inherently bad if you have him experience something equally as terrible. but they dont. he drinks root beer (lmao???) and that's about it

so lampwick... a character representation of pleasure island as a whole tbh. he is not nearly as impactful as the og and is just. kind of There. less bite, more stupid dialogue to tell us what the characters are doing

The Donkey Scene. completely hollow. the visceral and harrowing experience of the original is completely gone. shots like lampwick's hands turning into hooves as he desperately claws at pinocchio is just Not There. laughable

the faceless dudes working at pleasure island are now vapor monsters. i think they did this to avoid the controversy of racism but holy shit what the fuck is this. just make them dudes...

not a big deal but he also gets wooden donkey ears and tail?? im not sure why they did that other than "haha he's made of wood" and it kind of goes against what i think helps the story when it's flesh/fur ears/tail like the rest of the human boys

ok moving on from pleasure island

so they find the empty house of geppetto. they learn that he sold all his clocks that he loved oh so much in order to buy a boat and look for pinocchio. this scene is so stupid. it's just characters going on and on about how much geppetto cares about pinocchio instead of just like... showing us that? why do they NEED to emphasize to pinocchio that geppetto loves him this much like just SHOW ME THROUGH ACTIONS

monstro looks stupid as hell lol

remember the original monstro? the gorgeous painting-like animation? thats nice. its not like that btw

the reunion with his father contains TWO SEPERATE MOMENTS of a possible tender moment but they trade BOTH out for comedy. there is no heartwarming reunion there's no profound forgiveness of geppetto it's just HaHa Funny!!! Funny Look!!! geppetto does mention he forgives him im just saying it was NOT done in a profound or emotional way

THE ENDING SCENE.

where to fucking begin with this. i suppose breaking it down works

so pinocchio Does Not Die. they escape monstro and instead geppetto is the one knocked out (i dont THINK hes dead like pinocchio was but im unsure). this is a stupid change because it is pinocchio's own sacrifice that makes it so profound

pinocchio... starts sadly humming/singing a tearful when you wish upon a star????????????????????? and this pissed me off because it dared try to use it for an emotional moment when they didnt do shit with the song in the first place. the message of this song is NONEXISTENT in this movie so having it here just feels so hollow and therefore insulting lol

and finally. finally. finally. we get to what is the best (worst?) example of "great concept in a bad movie" ive seen in all these pinocchio adaptions

pinocchio remains a wooden boy.

ah... You Are Mother Fucker. not only this but the scene... the dialogue... the message... the acting/animations/actions throughout it (even small gestures) are all things i so genuinely desire in a GOOD MOVIE

geppetto accidentally tells pinocchio in a moment of pride that a "real boy" couldnt do what he did. pinocchio's expression falls and geppetto immediately realizes what he said. he apologizes and tells him that if he made it seem like he wanted something more than him in the beginning that it wasnt like that at all. he tells him how much he loves him and that no matter what, he will always be his real boy.

the movie ends not at geppetto's home, but pinocchio and geppetto walking away from the sea. jiminy's narration comes on and he tells us that pinocchio may have been transformed physically, that it's up to interpretation, but that it doesnt really matter. because who he is inside is what counts, THAT is what makes him real.

(im summing it up and missing a few dialogue/acting moments but yeah)

screaming. crying. trashing around. i need to make it CLEAR that the only reason this whole ending is like this and is here is that they are taking what was presented in the og movie and expanding on it. i would LOVE this in the original movie yes, because i truly think that's where it belongs. but this fucking movie does nothing to be anything remotely as passionate and full of love as the original movie. it is heartbreaking to see this here

IN CONCLUSION:

disney remakes at the end of the day are about greed first. some will be worst than others. there are common trends that appear in various remakes, though not all trends appear in every single one. this movie has every single one of those trends. truthfully the worst ive seen and ive watched a remake that blatantly wrote a mental disorder that i have in the most offensive depiction ive seen of it (personally)

there is just no passion here. no love. the most i can say is that it does have sweet/good moments- specifically with small pieces of character acting and animation. but i cannot stress enough how minimal that is. it has a few good concepts but poorly utilizes them

it feels like it was relying on these moments to carry them through. but small moments like a genuinely sad/happy/loving pinocchio, as touching as that can be, will not actually mean anything or work when the story itself just isnt good. when so much of this movie is badly put together in every aspect. from writing to editing to animation to music to All Of It... terrible. disney doesnt care. not even about the history and art THEY made

tbh it's up to other people to keep the art alive. currently im working on my animated short (traditionally animated) and even enjoy my OWN work with pinocchio. including a sequel/continuation story idea that expands on the original's themes without being a piece of shit movie. if disney wont do it, we will just do it ourselves and/or find the people who still have the deep love and passion and All Of That for this piece of Art and Magic

[cheemers-writing-archive]

Estrangement (Spike x FtM!Reader)

Cw for gender dysphoria and breakups. Enjoy!

Three weeks. That’s how long it had been since Spike found out Julia was alive and cut ties with you. You’ve averted your gaze whenever Spike comes through the door, avoided the rooms he uses the most, and even stopped eating with the rest of the group, for three whole weeks.

The breakup itself wasn’t even the worst part. The worst part was that you were the only man Spike had ever fallen for, and although he constantly reassured you that he saw you as a man, there was a twinge of dysphoria that flooded over once you two were over. As soon as he could, he went back to his girlier ex, your inner thoughts told you. I was just the girliest he could find at the moment.

“You don’t look so good,” Faye said. She had snuck up behind you sulking on the couch and placed her elbows on your shoulders. “Still thinking about Spike?”

You slowly nodded, still facing away.

Faye chuckled. “I know you know that he’s a good-for-nothing flirt, but I understand it still hurts. Lucky for you, everyone else in this ship has the emotional intelligence to actually help you. Besides Ed, of course.”

You nodded your head again.

“That means you can tell me anything, and I can give you great advice on how to deal with it!” Faye leapt over the back of the couch, then cast an arm over your shoulder as she sat next to you. “Come on, I’ve dealt with an ex who betrayed me, too. We’re in the same boat here.”

“Leave him alone, Faye,” Jet said as he entered through the door in front of you. “If he doesn’t want to talk, then he doesn’t have to.”

Faye grunted, but rose from her seat.

“Anyway, dinner is ready, so go eat up.” Jet pointed behind him, and Faye started walking that way. You pulled yourself up from the couch and started trudging along behind your teammates, when Jet slowed down to whisper something to you.

“You know, I’ve seen Spike show interest in guys before.” he said. You turned to look at him. “I know you’re probably feeling a little insecure about being his first boyfriend, but just because he hasn’t ever gotten serious with a dude before you doesn’t mean that he hasn’t felt something looking at a man before.”

You nodded. “Thanks,” was all that could really come out.

“One more thing. That Julia… she’s more of an addiction than a lover to Spike. If he can leave Julia behind, that shows that he’s really left his past life behind, as well. But you and I both know better than to believe that could happen.”

Jet’s comment let out the first hint of a laugh from you in a while.

“Look, don’t feel too bad. What Faye said is kind of right. He is a good-for-nothing flirt, who just so happens to be relapsing. It’s not your job to fix him, nor is it your job to be there for him. You just have to do what’s best for you.”

With a little more confidence, you looked up to Jet, then smiled the slightest bit. “Okay.”

Jet responded with a smile twice as big, then ruffled your hair. “Just take your time,” he chuckled. “You don’t have to rush getting better.”

Just as you were about to turn into the kitchen, you heard someone else teetering into the hallway. Looking back, you saw none other than Spike, covered with blood, sweat, and tears. Before the two of you made eye contact, you looked away, and continued walking.

“Julia’s dead,” was all he said.

You stopped, and stayed silent for a short moment. “What does that have to do with me?” you asked. “She’s your girlfriend, isn’t she?” You bit your tongue before you blurted out, Well, she was your girlfriend.

Spike sighed. “I want you back.”

Before you could stop yourself, you laughed, and turned your head towards him. “Are you kidding? After you dumped me for an ex of yours? Hell no.”

“Look, I know I shouldn’t have done that,” he continued. “And I know that I don’t deserve you back, either.”

“Damn right, you don’t.”

“But what I’m trying to say is… I’ll do better this time, I promise. I should’ve seen earlier that you grounded me. Kept me not just alive, but sane. For the past few years, I’ve been living in a dream that I never wake up from, but you finally started waking me up. You don’t have to say yes, and I won’t blame you if you don’t, but please… just one more chance.”

The room was silent for a good few seconds, before Jet announced he was going to call Ed in for dinner and Faye said she would go with him. That left just you and Spike.

Jet’s words echoed in your mind. Julia is more of an addiction than a lover to Spike, but it’s not your job to fix him.

Well, what do you want me to do, Jet? you yelled at the voice in your head. Forgive him for abandoning me or not?

You just have to do what’s best for you.

Those words cleared everything up for you. Jet wasn’t trying to sway me one way or another, you told yourself. He wanted me to choose for myself.

You looked back up at Spike, tears falling down your eyes. “I’m not ready,” you finally said. “Part of me wants to just leap back into your arms, but the other part of me wants to slap you and run away crying. I just need some time to sort out what I need at the moment.”

Spike sighed. “I had a feeling you’d say that.” He walked forward, but slipped right past you. “Well, let’s not waste any more time bickering about something that won’t get solved right now. I’m starving.”

As Spike grabbed a plate, you continued to just stand there, taking in the moment. After a while, you let out a laugh and turned back to the food. “Yeah, you’re right,” you said, a smile beaming on your face. “Let’s get some grub!”

[savvythepirate]

Battle Wounds

Pairing: Hector Barbossa x reader

Warnings: None

Requested by: @personlovinganime

The Request:

Hello! It's me again, I've been gone for a while. Can I ask for an order? “Please, (Y/n)… open the door.” with Barbossa?

Prompt #38

***

Some would you’ve committed reckless manslaughter just from the way they watched you slay the man.

You have more compassion then many ever care to have any at all, including to those you know and love, such as your friends and family. This event unfolded before you as felt that Barbossa’s life was on the line, the man holding out a ten inch knife and pointed it directly at Barbossa, making it a threat. He started after Barbossa just as you feared, and that’s what had you thinking you ought to step in to save his life.

Barbossa’s life was saved in the end, and better yet, everyone had come out of this unscheduled battle alive, with minor injuries just as you would. You were still fairly new to Barbossa’s team, as you were the newest recruit and had yourself focusing on how you can prove that you really do belong on his team and you had hoped up with this battle to show it. You were one of those who walked out with injuries, but you would soon realize just how much more serious it was then some and had you deciding you were going to keep this from Barbossa, fearing he would think of you as weak if you start talking about it more then the fact of you saving his life. Once you had made it back on the ship you called home, Barbossa pulls you aside and begins scolding you, just as you feared. It was almost as if he can’t remember that you had just saved his life, and was too blind to see it that way. That dumped more hurt on you and you were determined to make him understand why you did what you did.

As you let him continue scolding, you had forgotten about your gaping wound until he placed a grip with his hand, unknowingly squeezing it, causing you to hiss. Of course, this had him release his grip on you and to grow a concerned look on his face. What happened was after stepping in between Barbossa and the enemy, you used your arm to shield and protect your face from receiving any devastating injuries and got your upper arm sliced as you were doing so. As part of his cause in releasing you, he tried to get a closer look to see what was bothering you enough to make you hiss like that. But you quickly pull away before he could see and went straight to your sleeping quarters, shutting the door behind you and locking it.

Once there, you slowly slide down to the ground as you check over your wound, now causing you distress just as soon as you see how severe it was. It almost looked life threatening, and it probably was, having you to get scared. A wound like this could bring the average person death if they didn’t get it taken care of right away. In the meantime, before Barbossa started after you, he suddenly feels a strange sense of liquid imprinted on his hand and it didn’t take him long to understand that this was your blood. Just as he held his hand out for a better look, it made him gasp lightly as he realizes that you were badly injured and didn’t go to him about it. The sight of your blood made his stomach churn as he went to go join you in your quarters with hope that you would allow him to help you out.

Worry grew and Barbossa then starts after you, feeling very uneasy while making his way to your sleeping quarters, the most obvious place you could be found by anyone. But as he turns the knob on your door once he made it, he discovers it to be locked and begins knocking followed by his pleads to let him inside. The first knock made you jump as you were set focused on how you were going to get this wound taken care of without being noticed. Instead of going to respond to Barbossa’s company, you remain sitting on the floor as the now second knock came in.

Again, followed by Barbossa’s voice as he continues to plea.

“Please, (Y/n)… open the door. Please open the door and let me in, I just need to see you for a minute.”

You didn’t allow this to go any further as you did the first time. While making your way to let Barbossa in, you made several last minute attempts to cover your wound in hopes he wouldn’t notice. But the more your attempts had become a failure, the more you realize it would just be best to be truthful with Barbossa, and that was a little nerve whacking to say the least. Finally accepting the fact that Barbossa was about to see it, now opening the door to let him in.

You both stare at each other before Barbossa speaks up.

“Are you alright, (Y/n)? You sort of just ran to your room.”

“I’m fine, just tired is all.”

“Is that so?”

You nod in confidence, but the confidence was quickly washed away when Barbossa points something out that you had clearly missed.

“Can you explain how that got there?” Barbossa challenges, gesturing behind you.

Turning to a trail of blood and noticing that it starts from where you were sitting on the floor and seeing how it followed behind to where you currently remain. Knowing you were stuck and would have been unable to talk your way out of this one, you decided to take the opportunity to be up front honest with him.

You start by making it look like a lie.

“Just a scratch you say bluntly.

“Oh, where?”

You reluctantly reveal the part of your skin which help the wound open, it was a shoulder wound and as it comes into view, all Barbossa could do was to stand there in shock before taking action in taking care of you, his mouth opening slightly agape before he asks for your story.

Much to his delight, you agreed to allow for him to help you, and during the care, the subject of saving comes up once again. Only this time, it wasn’t to scold you, rather it was his opportunity to take in and thank you for it. Not long after, Barbossa promotes you as second hand in command, so this was huge for you and probably the most exciting thing to occur in your life.

It was the experience of a lifetime. Barbossa was pleased to have been informed that you had chose to take him up on his offer and you never once regretted it. These chain of events helped you to feel like you truly had purpose, that this was where you were meant to be. You were still a fairly new recruit and Barbossa was going easy on you, wanting to help you adjust to your surroundings.

“You’re welcome.”

Barbossa at times, will take any time of opportunity to tease you, and this is one of those times.

The teasing was never intentional, and Barbossa had never meant any of it to be mean or to possibly cross the line. He tries to keep it low in a playful manner when it comes to teasing you. Teasing you had become one of his favorite hobbies. You don’t like playing favorite, but you soon find out that you were his favorite person among your crew mates.

Being his favorite person made you feel good, but you didn’t want to dwell on that.

It would only bring you karma.

***

Requests: OPEN

@savvythepirate @princessofthornsandroses

[timetravelingmilkshake]

Okay but like we HAVE to talk about M-Roc and how he had a CHOKEHOLD on the tone of the story. I know we all know he dictated the tone, but I really haven't seen anyone go in depth on it and I haven't been able to stop thinking about this since I finished the show (god it hurt to finish the show). Spoilers for the entirety of Wyndburg High, but particularly the end of season 2 onwards!

Starting off, I think it was genius to not include him in the first two episodes. Apparently on the writing end it was because M-Roc was a late addition to the core cast and they didn't know how to rework the pilot with his inclusion, but I think there's something to be said about WHY he doesn't fit in the first two episodes which makes his absence brilliant. M-Roc is, to his core, a goofy character. I can think of two moments he's a little more serious (with Lux outside the hospital and talking to his sister before the election) but otherwise he's just not at all a serious person or character. In trying to establish everyone else (god, I still daydream about that opening montage), there's no space to show him as he is while also getting an idea of the others' lives.

Like, can you really picture cutting off of Lux getting home from her run to see M-Roc snorting a line of coke before moving onto Citrinus feeding her rats?? It's definitely funny and I think that does happen late in the first season, but it's too in your face, especially for a pilot, it can wait until later. The pilot is trying it best to establish the world as grounded and placed as firmly in reality as a fantasy high type setting can be which is a really important foundation for later. It makes M-Roc feel a little out of place at the beginning, but I can forgive the show for taking a moment to find it's footing.

Then M-Roc is introduced, thrown into the group and he's this over the top caricature of a person that everyone else treats as a totally normal occurrence. The others (particularly Ashbel) treat him like some amusing freak that none of them have glanced at twice. The rampant drug use is implied for almost half a season and when it is confirmed, it's just a joke. It's funny that this little halfling is doing coke in the bathroom before going to an adventure nutrition class, everyone from his classmates to his teachers treat it as a joke. Even Jolene playfully scolds him for being unhealthy, but there's no real concern about it. This continues for the entire time M-Roc is alive. Even when the mayoral corruption is introduced and the whole school watches a man get torn to pieces by a chimera in the middle of an assembly, it's kind of a joke? It's incredibly bloody for something the characters all start joking about soon after. Everything is super dark textually, but the tone is still fairly light. Even Ashbel pushing a woman down the stairs and killing her was treated like no big deal (which we all know very quickly stopped being no big deal in season 3). The literal actions were treated like a silly children's monster-of-the-week activity like it wasn't actively ruining all their lives.

I think the change starts with the street fight with M-Roc, Isaac, and Cecil. Isaac gets shot and hospitalized, Ashbel is hospitalized because of the chimera from the night before, Lux starts her arc of getting worse, Citrinus is being Citrinus, and M-Roc has this very real confrontation with death. I'd argue all the others only begin having the bad time they are because M-Roc has his existential crisis. He's very suddenly disillusioned by his life, the violence that surrounds him is very real and very dangerous and out of nowhere the idea that he might not live to see his graduation is scary rather than a running joke. His panic is the trigger that allows the others the tonal space to realise their own lives are going off the deep end. A few days later it's Milton who comes to school and they almost don't recognise him actually wearing their uniform.

It doesn't last long, but when it's Milton around? Everyone is scrambling and not sure how to react. The first time Lux is ever in a background shot having a cigarette is during this time too, as is Citrinus dissassociating. It's fine though, because M-Roc is back and everything is fine, the tone lightens again and it feels like the show tries to make you ignore the horrors you're watching. This doesn't work though. The show can pretend everything is still fine, but we got a peak behind the curtain and we can't forget the darkness lingering there.

But M-Roc is fine and silly and goofy so don't worry about that, haha, aren't grenades so funny? Look at Cecil yell about Isaac, isn't it funny how they all make quips about him and toss out witty one liners? Isn't it silly how Cecil interrupted what is clearly some sort of moment between Ashbel and Lux? It doesn't work entirely though, there are still hints. I will still die on the hill it looks like Citrinus had been crying when it cut to her and Lux's apartment in the background of the shots there had a good dozen pill bottles on the nightstand before she closes the door.

Then it happens. M-Roc dies. Horrifically, at that. The dead silence with slowly growing sirens as Lux and Ashbel arrive at the park still haunts me a little. He's dead and with him goes the tone of the show, six feet under. His funeral is heartbreaking and things are only treated with the horror they deserve after he's gone. Lux's addictions, Citrinus' mental health, Ashbel's parents, literally everything with Isaac, it's not genuinely bad to any of them until M-Roc dies and their comic relief is gone. No one fills that role, they all just ache with the void he left behind. Suddenly they're all teenagers trying to understand that death is real and could take any of them.

You can argue all you want about who holds the heart of the show, but M-Roc held the tone so tightly he took it to the grave.