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themadauthorshatter · 3 years

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Toppat!Charles Part 13(Final)

This is it. The big 13.

What a ride.

I'm not holding back on this.

Dramatic recap: Triple Threat has spent time reunited, though Charles has some trouble relaxing before their mission. Speaking of which, all goes well at firs, but Charles is recaptured by Right and Ellie is found by Toppats and Reginald, leaving Henry alone in the vents.

To catch up before this finale, here are all the previous parts:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 2 Deleted/Extended Scene

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Part 8 Preview

Part 8

Part 9

Part 10

Part 11

Part 12

I just really want to say thank you all for enjoying this series since it started. It means a lot to me. I never knew how 'big' this would get and I'm honestly really glad you all liked this. And for putting up with my nonsense 😅😂

Anyway, onto the finale!!!

If this was a tv special, the camera would do a glidey thing from the side of a vent to an open path, which Henry crawls through.

He's hot, very uncomfortable, and really hopes that Charles gets back to him and Ellie.

It probably doesn't help that he can't hear Ellie anymore. At all.

Alone, Henry sighs as he is left to follow a humming sound that he KNOWS has to be the core.

He's ditched a lot of his space gear and tied his hoodue around his hips, but he presses on, because he's really starting to hate the Toppat Clan right now.

CUT TO CHARLES!!!

Charles panics as he tries to break free from his binds, in a cell very much like the one Henry was locked in in the Free Man Ending. He's in pure panic mode and only knows that Right is leaning against the wall and he needs to get the hell out.

Charles is trying as much as he can, kicking up, trying to throw off the balance, even trying to go for the remote, which is where Right intervenes, taking it just as Charles is about to kick it.

After a few more minutes of kicking and flailing, Charles lets out a very loud scream.

"Are you done, kid?"

Charles breaks down and stops his struggling, keeping his gaze on the floor as he asks, "Why are you doing this? You already have your friend back."

"You're the one who came back, not me. Let me guess: the government didn't want you back?"

Charles keeps his head down, even as Right stops leaning on the wall and approaches him.

"Why're you really here?"

With a rush of adrenaline, Charles kicks Right, smirking at the fact that he'd managed to send him into the wall.

Right scowls and punches him in the face.

"Don't get cocky, or I'll send out into space," Right snarls as he points to a button on the remote. He keeps his thumb on this button, making sure Charles doesn't get any ideas. "Tell me why you're here, kid. What're you up to?"

Charles gulps and opens his mouth to explain, but is cut off by either Burt or Sven or any other toppat clan member.

"Sir, we've found someone in the ventilation system. He's heading to the core, now."

Charles freezes and Right turns to him, a 'gotcha' smile growing on his face.

CUT TO HENRY!

Henry has found the core and climbs out of the vent, bomb in hand; it has enough power to cause critical damage to the core and should give him and Ellie enough time to get back to Charles, and give the toppats time to evacuate and return to Earth, where they'll be arrested.

He walks along a ramp and gets ready to toss the bomb onto the core, near the middle where a lot of the power is.

His aim is heavily disrupted when he hears footsteps racing toward him.

As toppats approach, Henry runs to the other side of the core, tapping Morse into his earpiece to alert Ellie and Charles that he's been spotted.

He stops dead in his tracks when he sees two toppats holding Ellie back by her arms as she struggles, a little bruised and beaten, and sees Right holding Charles, who has his hands bound behind his back, by his hair.

"'Ello. 'Ere for something?"

Henry, after a quick glance to both Ellie and Charles, lowers the bomb and quickly draws his gun.

Which is shot out of his hand by from behind Reginald, who gives him a dainty wave.

Henry sneers at him before turning to Right.

"Seem familiar to you, 'Enry? One friend injured by toppats and the otjerneeding you to rescue 'im?"

The memory itself is like salt on a wound. Almost a year ago, they'd been trying to stop the rocket feom getting into orbit.

Now they're trying to blow the station to high Heaven, high water, Hell and back again.

"Don't listen to him," Charles hisses out, but Right slams his head on the railing and holds him on the other side of the railing by his neck.

Henry panics and sets down the bomb, much to the objection of Ellie, and holds his hands up.

Right merely scoffs at this. "You're good at making history repeat itself."

Charles is conscious enough to see this and feels his stomach drop, as Henry is possibly breaking his promise.

That's until he sees Henry sort of making a slight scissor motion with his middle and index fingers as subtly as he can, Morsing the following messages to Charles and Ellie:

'Bite their wrists. Kick someone's ahin and they're useless for a few minutes.

'Kick him. Kick him. Kick him. Kick him. Kick him.'

With a deep breath, Henry quickly drops for his gun as Ellie sort of reverse axe kicks one the toppat guard's shins and bites the other, making both let go of her.

Henry shoots Reginald in the foot, which gets Right to instinctively take a step forward and pull Charles closer, which leads to him getting in a really good kick to Right's jaw before he falls onto the platform.

Ellie headbutts one guard and punches the other before running to the bomb.

Charles covers himself as Right kicks him before the cyborg charges to Henry, who shoots him in the shoulder and goes to do it again, but is tackled by Reginald.

There's a lot of kicking and punching, but Ellie eventually knocks out one guard, only to be slammed into the wall by her hair and thrown down.

Before he can get any other hits in, he is shot and falls to the platform, clutching between his neck and shoulder.

Ellie looks to see Charles holdimg Henry's gun before he turns it on Henry, Reginald, and Right, using a couple shots to scare away Reginald.

Right, mad as all hell, beats the ever loving heebie jeebies out of Henry, smashing him into the platforming and daring, "You think you're some kind of hero, kid? You think just by taking us out, you're helping yourself!? All over some damned pilot and a rat you found!?"

Henry, very much offended and sick of all the salt, strikes Right with Reginald's gun, hitting the metal side of his head and even getting in an uppercut before Charles delivers a phenomenal kick that shatters Right's cybernetic eye.

Right falls back, knocked out cold from the hit.

Charles holds a hand out for Henry, who takes it with a clap and lets himself get picked up by Charles, though he does help.

"Good shot," Charles sighs. "And... thanks."

Henry hugs him, and Charles tenses before hugging back, crying as relief floods him. Relief that his friend actually kept his promise, which he totally knew he'd do, 100% without a doubt.

"Um, guys?" Ellie asks. "Shouldn't we...?"

Henry pats Charles and the two pull away, ready to blow this pop stand.

Without the detonator, they'll have to do this the risky-but-badass-if-this-works way.

Ellie throws the bomb onto the core and both Henry and Charles shoot it, making the bomb go off.

It knocks all three of them down, but don't worry they all come to.

They decide to take Right and Reginald, who got knocked out by the blast, and race to the escape pods, with guidance from Charles.

Henry fights a flashback of Valiant Hero before realizing Charles isn't leading them to the normal escape pods.

"You guys might not believe this, but this isn't just the room for the clan leader," Charles admits ehen they get to what used to be his room, which became Reginald's for a short time.

They load in and lock Right and Reginald in handcuffs, but Charles decides to pull one more card out of his sleeve: an 'override' feature that guides the escape pods to a certain location.

"Where dhould they go? The base or...?"

Henry and Ellie trade glances before Henry smirks and nods.

"The Wall," Ellie replies.

"You sure?"

'They gave us enough trouble, and they'll keep Dmitri off my back,' Henry signs as quickly as he can.

Charles sets the location and they leave just as the orbital station explodes.

All three take a sigh of relief, especially Charles.

"It's... It's over. We did it."

Ellie nods and puts a hand on his shoulder as Henry holds his hand on his other side and gives him a smile.

'It's all over.'

Charles rests his head on Henry's shoulder as Ellie moves to hold his hand as well, and lean on him as he lets himself cry.

CUT TO EARTH!!!!!

Galeforce paces back and forth at the base, waiting to hear a word from Henry, Ellie, and Charles.

Rupert has informed him that they have lost contact with the destroyer, which has been destroyed with the Toppat station.

Escape pods have been landing in The Wall, but there hasn't been a single report on Triple Threat.

Terrence sits in a chair with one leg folded over and doing that foot shake thing, because he's stressed.

Bill Bullet is also waiting, though he's keeping his eyes on the ground, and he's not talking about anything because Galeforce will kill him.

All three jump when they hear the sound of some sort of space craft landing near the base and rush to investigate with a lot of the soldiers.

They have to fight their way through as the door opens and Reginald and Right are thrown out.

Henry, Charles, and Ellie stumble out, their injuries having caught up to them, leaving them tired and needing some medical attention.

The soldiers are literally elated to see these three, even though Henry's shady, Ellie's also shady, and Charles is the youngest and best pilot. Some take Right and Reginald away to a cell before they're sent to The Wall, but the rest somewhat dogpile the trio, patting their backs, ruffling their hair, shaking their hands, and just celebrating the fact that they're all back on Earth and alright.

They make way for Galeforce, Terrence, and Bill, the corporal standing back as Terrence reunites with Henry and Ellie and Galeforce throws his arms around Charles.

After so much excitement, Charles passes out and is carried to the infirmary.

Through the crowd, Henry spots Bill, who gestures for him to follow, which he does.

Ellie sees this and also starts following, but Terrence stops her.

"Let's leave them be. Corporal kept saying he needed to talk to him alone."

Henry and Bill walk until they're a really good distance away and just stand in a clearing, watching the now clear sky that is missing the orbital station.

"Looks kinda empty without it, doesn't it?" Bill asks.

Henry shrugs, but nods all the same. 'When do I leave?' he signs instead.

Bill fights an eye roll and he pockets his sunglasses. "You know, I've seen a lot of crminals, but never ones that were selfish enough to do the right thing. Hell, I think I know a couple that would take over that orbital station instead of destroy it for someone they care about."

'They had it coming, after what happened.'

"If you say so." Bill passes the chaos readings to Henry, who reads them over as much as he can because he doesn't get a lot of it.

"You'd be surprised how much numbers matter. They go up when you're on your own, but they go down when you're surrounded by people to keep you in check, whether you know it or not. Call it whatever you want, strange, lucky, interesting."

Henry takes one more look at the readings before turning back to Bill, a smile growing on his face. 'You changed your mind?'

"As much of a good study you'd really be, yes, I have," Bill sighs. "Just do me a favor and don't make a habit of losing your friends, okay?"

Henry nods and returns the readings as he sprints bak to the base, almost running into Ellie.

"What'd he say?"

Henry smiles her and the message is clear:

He's not going anywhere.

The two hug and highfive, though they stop because they're sore and still a little injured.

They walk to the infirmary and are put in beds next to Charles, who's resting a little easier than they've seen him in a while.

"Fine work you three," Galeforce says as he joins them. "Just about every member of the Toppat Clan was sent to The Wall." He notices Charles stirring a little before resting again and gives a small smlie. "You three rest up now. You've earned it."

Galeforce leaves and both lie down, Charles opening his eyes and staring up at the ceiling.

"They're... really gone. We did it."

Neither speak as he continues.

"In my cell and when they made me the leader, I used to imagine destroying it myself. Just shooting it as much as I could before it all went up into smoke. I never thought we'd actually do it. I can't believe we did it."

From where they all lay, the three hold hands and fall asleep, the endeavor of the past year slipping away.

Henry in particular lets out a sigh as he drifts off, glad that all three of his friends are back and safe.

Outside the base, Terrence leans against the hood of a car and watches the sunset, and Reginald and a one armed Right be loaded into a van headed toward The Wall.

The two toppat leaders are not looking forward to their incarceration, but Reginald holds Right's human hand, which seems to at least simmer his temper a little bit.

"They make a cute couple, don't you think?"

"I'd say," Bill sighs as he types on a laptop on the ground; just an email to his workers and to Dmitri. "I'd be surprised if I heard there was a Wall wedding for the two of them."

"A wedding? WITHOUT me? And you call my son a criminal," Terrence gasps as he holds a hand on his chest.

Bill snickers and finishes up those emails. "Come on. We need to head back."

Terrence rolls his eye as Bill sets his laptop in the backseat.

"Do I have to stay in that same room all the time? Or can I have Henry's?"

Bill scowls at him.

"I like the idea of having a window, watching some sitcoms, and just keeping up a good appearance, sue me."

"Depends on how well we get along on the ride back."

Terrence watches Bill get in his seat and start the car and takes one last look at the base before he climbs into the passenger seat. "Hope you like country."

"Don't touch my damn car, Suave."

Terrence laughs as Bill fights a smirk, driving back to the CCC headquarters and leaving Triple Threat to rest and heal for future shenanigans and missions for the government.

#henry stickmin #charles calvin #toppat!charles #ellie rose #stickvin #finale #last part #right hand man #reginald copperbottom #terrence suave #gun tw #bomb tw #i don't know how to write action scenes that well

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punkpoemprose · 4 years

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The Love Talker- Chapter 4

Universe: Gancanagh/ Fae AU Rating: T (currently, expect M in time) Length: 1636

A/N: Same warnings. This is a dark fic. There’s light spots, it’s going to be mostly fluffy and good towards the ends, but the AU that this is requires a bit of darkness. Apologies! Also, this is unedited. Of course. I am me. So sorry for any messiness.

[Previous Chapter]

[Next Chapter]

[Master Post]

She’d awoken draped with a blanket. A note was on the floor at her side, hastily written in rough script.

Anna,

You’re safe here. I’ll return this evening to make good on our agreement. There is food here, you may have some. Sven is in the stable, you may spend time with him if you like.

She huffed. It was unsigned. He still had more power over her than she had over him, and as such she thought it was perhaps unwise to bolt off and leave the place. He’d proven kind thus far, if not a bit tricky, but she didn’t know that directly disobeying him was a good plan for her wellbeing. She already had one man trying to kill her, she thought that it would be by and far her worst decision of all time to make it two.

She reread the note, lifting it off the floor to see that below it were her somewhat dirty, but in tact slippers. That at least was clear cut enough to be something she could accept openly, and she was grateful for their return.

As for the note, she wasn’t sure if faeries could lie in writing. She knew that they couldn’t speak lies, but she wasn’t about to take the chance on the food. Maybe the name curse was something she could escape, but eating faerie food was surely as poor of a plan today as it was yesterday. She thought that maybe once she’d heard something about it being dangerous to not accept fae hospitality, but the laws were a mass of contradictions and it was better to go with what she knew for sure, and he had seemed amused before by her knowledge of the rules, so perhaps that would be enough to save her here as well.

If not, better to have the gancanagh against her armed with a single weapon than have herself totally trapped by two. Maybe she could change her name?

She did take the letter up on it’s second offer and set out to see the reindeer. She was somewhat certain that it, at least, had no intentions of hurting her. The creature had been very gentle with her the day before, its fur keeping her warm as she rode on its back on their ascent up the mountain.

After the visit she intended to do some cleaning of the small cabin he’d taken her to. She wasn’t sure if that would be seen as a kindness or a criticism, but again the fae had seemed amenable enough to her conversation, so if she explained that it was an act completed out of appreciation, he might just be pleased with her. She wasn’t sure if he’d be pleased enough to let her go, but she would take what she could get.

***

He’d stayed out as long as he possibly could before knowing that she would be asleep when he returned. It had been intentional. He’d just been a short ways off, watching animals, smoking his pipe, doing what he fancied to keep himself away from her. She was too much of a temptation to stay around for any period of time, especially when she was awake. He wasn’t a beast. He should be by all accounts, but he wasn’t. She’d have to show some interest in him before he’d do anything to her, and she couldn’t show interest when she was asleep.

He couldn’t lie to her. He’d promised to come back in the evening. He just hoped that it would be as simple as arriving, asking her to stay in the cabin until her fiancé was dead, giving her his name and then taking off again. Nothing had ever really been “easy” for him though, not in a very long time.

Anna didn’t seem to want to make things easier for him either. When he walked into the cabin she was on his floor on her knees scrubbing at the boards with a rag and some water. He hadn’t really been sure of what to expect when he walked through the door but that hadn’t been it. He’d seen her home when he’d left town, it was much larger than the others in the village, and so he had assumed that she had all her housework done by some sort of serving staff. She had a proud air about her, but not in a pretentious way. He realized now that such a manner came from her belief in herself and in her abilities, which he found attractive, about as attractive as he found her on her hands and knees.

He cleared his throat, and scared her unintentionally. He watched her jump, knocking the bucket of water she’d been using splash across his floor as she did so.

When she looked at him and looked at the pail she looked horrified. He realized, with no small amount of disappointment, that she was still afraid of him. He’d really given her no reason not to be, and while it hurt to see her fear, he thought that perhaps it was for the best.

If she was afraid of him she’d stay away. If she kept herself at a distance he couldn’t touch her.

This thought conflicted with his actions. She was afraid and water was soaking into her thin dress, and he couldn’t help but to reach out to right the pail.

She all but skittered across the floor to get away from him, and he took three steps back at her reaction.

“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! I-”

He interrupted her with his own apology, “Anna I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…”

He was shocked when she laughed. It was a bit nervous and a bit relieved at the same time. He looked at her expression and relaxed somewhat. She looked less terrified and more tired. He’d forgotten how late it was, he’d forgotten that she’d stayed up waiting for him.

He smiled in return and took a slow step back towards the bucket, putting his hands in front of him cautiously, making sure she could see them as he approached the mess. He righted the bucket as she moved back towards him with the rag in hand to begin mopping up the water.

“It’s okay,” she said, “You didn’t mean…”

He nodded, “You don’t have to clean that up it’s…”

She shook her head, “No, I should have been more careful…”

He sighed, “No. I don’t want you to have to be careful here.”

It wasn’t exactly what he wanted to say to her, because while it was true, he didn’t want her to be afraid in a place he’d promised her she’d be safe, he did want her to be careful with him. He wouldn’t try to touch her. He knew what he was, and while it certainly had come in handy very, very recently, he’d spent more years than he’d like to admit doing his best to not give in to that nature, but he still didn’t trust himself totally. He also couldn’t say “you don’t have to be careful here” because that would be a lie, because he might still screw up phenomenally, especially if she even slightly wanted him to get close to her.

***

Anna was scared, but not so much as she knew she should be. He looked as nervous as she felt, which was strange as in all the fae in the stories she’d been told, especially the tales about gancanagh, they had been so self-assured. She did appreciate that he was keeping his distance for the most part, and she got the distinct impression that he didn’t want to touch her.

“You’re not going to touch me, are you?”

He looked at her like she had said something that he wasn’t sure how to answer. She figured that it was a fairly simple question, but then again nothing about their predicament was simple or easy. She’d been running from a man who intended to kill her, and straight into the presence of another who could do the same. The fact that he hadn’t entirely trapped her yet spoke to something reassuring though. He could have had her in any way he wanted, but he hadn’t. She wasn’t sure why, and she was secretly somewhat offended. She figured that she was at least pretty enough to be tempting, but it wasn’t something she was going to dwell on.

He sighed and she awaited his response anxiously, sopping cloth in hand, dripping on the floor once more and on the edge of her skirt.

“I can’t promise you I won’t touch you Anna.”

His words were terrifying but expected. If she hadn’t been able to go against her trusting nature, she could hardly expect him to go against his nature so entirely either.

“I can promise,” he added, her attention still entirely focused upon him, “that I won’t touch you skin to skin intentionally without your consent.”

She could trust him at his word, especially when he’d spent the time to so carefully word it. The loopholes was obvious. He might touch her in ways that wouldn’t addict her purposefully, and he might accidentally touch her in a way that would addict her to him. That was fair enough. The final bit though was the most concerning, because there was a part of her that still liked the idea of giving him the go ahead.

He was attractive and kind enough to be appealing to her without any fae addiction magic. She wondered if it was because of what he was, or if it was because of who he was. The difference wouldn’t mean much to most, but it did to her.

“Will you fulfill your other promise?” she asked, feeling bold.

He smiled then, “My name?”

“Yes, please.”

“Kristoff.”

#kristanna #the love talker #gancanagh au #fae au

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rebelromelle · 6 years

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Thoughts on VLD Season 6

I have so many thoughts! Most are good...

Ok right off the bat: the conclusion of so many character arcs and plot lines!

Lotor and Allura’s relationship hit its quintessence fueled climax and left me completely devastated. Am I disappointed? Yes. Am I frustrated? Yes. Am I surprised? No. I was hoping Haggar/Honerva would ascend to her role as the ultimate-baddy this season but instead she has sunken back into the shadows, and God know’s where she’ll be headed next.

Lotor snapping was phenomenal, absolutely terrifying. He was definitely not in his normal mental state, fueled by quintessence and some combination of anger and fear. I feel bad for his character, but I feel bad for Allura too. Sincline assembled was top notch, and him piloting it? Top notch too.

ROMELLE! (More on her later)

I don’t even know where to begin with Haggar, or should I say Honerva? But I’m excited for what she has in store for us next.

Keith’s arc was so many things and more. The flashbacks the revelations, everything, every little detail, every little joke, it was euphoric to get those answers but it hurt so much at the same time. I’m so glad we got to see Keith grow and develop more, this is really what his character needed, and I was, actually ok with him piloting black? And taking charge?

What will never cease to get me is Krolia receiving the vision of Keith standing over his father’s grave. Just the body language itself hurts so much, like it confirmed what she had figured out but it still hurt, and you could tell. I also adored her interactions with Keith, as they both get to know and understand each other.

Operation Kuron’s conclusion!!! Most of it was me screaming incomprehensibly (@teamsincline can attest to that). It was animated so beautifully and it was so well written, Haggar-Controlled-Shiro’s acid words and probes at Keith, with them just rolling right off of him, which if this had happened earlier in the show, would have pushed the fight in Evil-Shiro’s favor, and seriously hurt Keith. A few scenes were so Star Wars-esque I loved it. The atmosphere for the fight and the voice acting were beyond words, but so immensely satisfying.

Shiro being stuck in the Black Lion has been something we’ve all been joking about since forever, and honestly I am so glad it played out the way it did. It was beautiful and poetic and I love white-haired Shiro wholeheartedly. I would also like to point out that Hunk and Pidge can build him a new prosthetic now! (If he wants)

Allura has come so far, using her powers to manipulate quintessence so beautifully! Her development was great this season and I am so glad the writers shifted focus to this aspect of her character! The scenes interacting with Lance made me both so proud of her and made the allurance shipper in me do a little happy dance.

Also??? Her being framed as Voltron in the fight against Lotor and Sincline??? I love it so much, not only was it almost DDP-esque, but it hails back to episode one where it is said that King Alfor tied her life force to the lions

Lance was everything this season needed. Was he comedic? Yes. Was it overwhelming or overbearing? Not at all! It was perfect, he was perfect. We got the line we’ve all been waiting for, him flourishing in his roll as emotional support, and him having a genuine and respectful crush on Allura. He’s matured so much and I am so excited to see where it takes us.

Hunk was so good, so good. He got some great development and was treated far less like the joke character this season. I loved it. He’s definitely growing as a character and I can’t wait for next season, where he’s really going to shine as he helps build a new Castle of Lions!

Pidge was once again, great this season. I knew she’d have contingency plans and I couldn’t have been happier. She had fun with her friends and shown in her most serious moments as well. The past seasons have been great for Pidge in terms of character and character growth. I hope we get to see the Paladins and everyone chilling at her house next season.

There was some great, and tragic world building this season, but I think everyone picked up on that.

OK SO: ROMELLE, I loved all of it. Drank it up. (Yes, her design is bland, and I am a little disappointed, but she is not an Allura clone, and her design is clearly homage to her original design, which is needed as she is not the most well known character. I want to cosplay her so bad regardless.) I have seen some griping about her backstory, and how she was “shoehorned into the plot” but honestly, her backstory gave her a direct reason to be incorporated into the plot, different than Sven (DOTU, DDP). Maybe it’s just because I’m that Romelle-stan but I do believe she’s going to become a recurring character and will have future significance, especially as she will seek to help her people, and grow close to Allura (a sister like relationship for them, with the emotional support they both need, Allura finding the unity under Altean culture she was looking for with Lotor in Romelle).

Ezor, Zethrid, and Axca, I have another post planned for them soon. This one is long enough.

I am so excited for next season! I am excited to see our alien members of team Voltron completely out of their comfort zones for once, and excited to see the paladins on their home turf. I’m excited to see what happens next with Haggar, and with Lotor (I can assure you he’s not gone for good)! I’m excited to see what happens with the remaining alteans. I’m excited to see what happens to the galra empire and at the Galaxy Garrison vehicle voltron or at least its characters please.And I’ll be surprised if there isn’t a significant time jump with newer character designs.

#jaded.txt #jaded.meta #vld.spoilers #vld s6 spoilers #i will not stay silent any longer; romelle #a darker shade of diplomacy; prince Lotor #pink paladin; princess Allura #black paladin; shirogane #galaxy garrison #so many more to tag blehhhhh

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upthenorthmountain · 7 years

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Wherever I’m With You - 1

So. So I had an idea about how Flatmates could have started slightly differently and gone in a different direction, and I shared the idea with @karis-the-fangirl and we giggled over it, then she said OH WAIT THIS WOULD MAKE IT WORSE and we giggled some more, and anyway I accidentally wrote the first part (of probably four). So here it is!

You probably don’t need to have read Flatmates to read this but if you have, it’s probably best to have read In Every Song as well.

Title is from ‘Home’ by Scouting For Girls. Rated T.

PART ONE

"You found someone for my room already?"

"Yes! A man from work."

"A man? Really?"

"Yes, really! His name's Kristoff, he works in IT, and don't worry, I spoke to his boss and she said he was perfectly respectable and everything. He lives with his friend at the moment but he's getting married - the friend, not Kristoff. But he has a girlfriend, he said. Kristoff has."

"A serious girlfriend? Why doesn't he live with her?"

"I couldn't ask that, could I! But yes, a serious girlfriend, he said they'd been together five years, nearly. Maria or something."

-----

Obviously Kristoff didn't move in with a pretty, single young woman just to spite his girlfriend. That would be childish, and petty, and he was better than that. And it was his own fault, anyway; too chicken to actually say, why don't I move in with you, Maria. She had her own place, Sven was kicking him out, it made perfect sense in every way, but Kristoff couldn't bring himself to do more than hint.

"We're young, we have fun, don't we?" is all Maria would ever say when he dared to talk about the future. Five years! Was he as much of an idiot as Sven seemed to think he was?

-----

"Doesn't she mind?"

Anna held the front door open for him as he carried in the last of his boxes. Kristoff dropped them in the bedroom that was apparently his and called back, "Sorry?"

"Your girlfriend. Doesn't she mind that you're living with me?"

Anna leant on the doorframe and watched him idly as he started to unpack.

"Why would she? She trusts me." Sort of. Ish.

"I'm not sure I'd want my boyfriend living with another woman."

"It's okay. I'm fairly sure I can resist you." Anna snorted. "And I thought you didn't have a boyfriend?"

"I'm currently between boyfriends. I'm resting."

"So your hypothetical boyfriend, you wouldn't let him live with another woman."

"Absolutely not. He'll live in the cupboard under the stairs, and like it."

"Kinky."

Anna snorted again, then twirled a piece of hair round her finger for a minute. "Tea?"

"Sure, thanks."

-----

Isn’t it late in the UK? Go to sleep, Anna

ugh I can’t kristoff and his girlfriend are going at it again

Lovely. Put your headphones in?

oh they’re not having sex! they’re having a row

they have a row then they’ll break up and he’ll be all sad puppy eyes for a couple of days

then she’ll turn up and beg him to take her back and he will because he’s an idiot

then everything is fine for a few weeks, then we’re back here, with her screaming at him

Oh dear that sounds difficult

the weird thing is he’s a really decent guy? he’s nice, he doesn’t do anything that deserves being screamed at on the reg as far as I can tell

he’s not shagging around or selling drugs or stealing from her purse

oh well none of my business I suppose

It is if you can’t sleep because of it

Can’t you say something to him? Not right now, obviously

his friend sven was over here the other day and I was talking to him and we agreed that maria must be really good at sex

like PHENOMENALLY good at it

oh god I can’t say anything, I feel bad for him

well I have expressed the opinion that he could do better but that didn’t go down well

he just said he loves her and that was apparently the end of the discussion

Well that doesn’t remind me of anyone I know

what?

look

that was a completely different situation

I DID love him and it WAS none of your business

-----

The door slammed behind Maria. After all this time, Kristoff knew better than to follow her. Following her just meant the argument continuing all the way down the street, as well as denying Maria her dramatic exit, and she did love a dramatic exit. This way she could leave, go home, ring all her friends and tell them everything, then eventually calm down, ring all her friends again, then finally come back to him.

Recognising the cycle didn’t make it any less exhausting. He couldn’t do arguments, he’d never been able to think quickly enough; he was always left flailing and trying to keep up, agreeing with her just so she’d stop.

It was only half ten. Maybe she wouldn’t go home, maybe she’d go out and drink and meet somebody and he couldn’t say anything, because they’d broken up, hadn’t they? She hadn’t cheated on him (oh my god, Kris, I can’t believe you’d even THINK that, you know I’d never cheat). But it rankled all the same.

She’d come back and it would be worth it. She always came back.

-----

Kristoff locked the front door, and turned to see Anna peeping out of her bedroom.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I guess you heard all that.”

“Kris,” she said, walking out of her room with her arms folded, “You know the old lady next door? She heard all that. And she has two hearing aids. And is visiting her sister this week. In Wales.”

“Sorry.”

He sounded so sad. “No, I’m sorry,” Anna said. “I definitely heard my name a couple of times there.”

“Goodness, it’s not your fault. Maria is just - a little bit insecure, sometimes.”

“Is that what that was.”

“I’m sorry you got dragged into it.”

“Come with me, Kristofer,” Anna said, leading him into the living room. “You look like you could use a drink.”

“That’s not my name,” he said, sitting on the sofa as Anna brought through a bottle of wine and two glasses from the kitchen.

“I know. And ‘brazen hussy’ isn’t mine.” She poured out two glasses and handed him one.

“Oh, god, I’m sorry. She dumped me, if that makes you feel any better. Because I told her not to call you names.”

“She dumped you? How many times is that now?”

“After the first dozen you stop counting.”

They drank in silence for a while. Anna refilled their glasses.

“Kris, can I say something?”

“Of course.”

“Just that - I’ve been there. You know? Not just the being dumped part, but….oh, I don’t know. Relationships are hard. Why was she so upset? She thinks we’ve got something going on?”

“No. She thinks I fancy you.”

“Really? Why does she think that? I mean, you don’t.”

Kristoff looked at his glass. It seemed to be empty again. “I do, though,” he said.

“What?”

“Didn’t tell her that, of course. Maybe I should have done. Got dumped anyway. Is that bottle empty?”

“You fancy me?”

She looked genuinely surprised.

“‘Course I do. You’re gorgeous.”

He couldn’t read the expression on her face now. She put her glass down, then looked at him again.

“Sorry,” he said. “Shouldn’t’ve said anything. Obviously I wasn’t going to, or do anything, because we live together and I don’t want you to be uncomfortable, and I have a girlfriend - well, I suppose I’m single right now -”

Anna took the glass out of his hand and put it on the coffee table. Then she put her hands on either side of his face and kissed him full on the lips.

#fanfic #fanfiction #not flatmates #modern au #kristanna #wherever I'm with you

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rememberthattime · 7 years

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Chapter 27. The Honeymoon

The week leading up to your wedding is supposed to be one of the most stressful of your life. …That said, the week following is supposed to be one of the most relaxing.

Hidden away on a secluded island in the Maldives, Chelsay and I found this statement especially true on our honeymoon.

Having the honeymoon immediately following the wedding is a blessing and a curse. On one hand, the honeymoon feels more meaningful when it closely follows the wedding. You’re newlyweds, there’s a buzz, and for about two weeks following the ceremony, anything you do feels like a party.

On the other hand, there are too many good things happening at once. It’s impossible to truly appreciate each experience when things just keep getting better and better. Even two days after the ceremony, at the airport in Paris, I remember telling Chelsay that I wasn’t ready to move from “wedding” to “honeymoon”. I was still replaying September 2 through September 5, and there was A LOT to replay! The reunion, the Welcome Dinner, the Rehearsal, the Chapelle, Le Meurice, the First Dance, Piano Man… There were so many highlights, and without enough time to process, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to fully appreciate what an amazing few days it had been.

Still, the most important factor for our honeymoon was that it needed feel different than our other trips. Our other trips have been incredible, but they just don’t have the same weight as a honeymoon. Unfortunately, waiting would take away some of that meaningfulness… You can’t leave work on a Friday and then head to the airport for your honeymoon… You’re tired or frazzled, and it just doesn’t have the same excitement. Simply put, there’s more romance in doing the honeymoon immediately, so to remember everything, we’d just have to take really good notes.

Picking up right where the last post left off: flight day! I already wrote about Chelsay’s question at the airport: what are our lives going to be like now that we aren’t planning a wedding? Although my sentimental written response was better, in reality, I just said that we’d finally have time to relax… starting with the honeymoon.

The total travel time from Paris was about 15 hours, so we’d get to experience A LOT of relaxation time right from the start. We were taking Turkish Air all the way to the Maldives, with a brief layover in Istanbul. The first leg was great (like, surprising really great from Turkish Air). I shockingly and thankfully slept the entire second leg.

The layover in between was actually really interesting though. Ataturk Airport is one of the busiest in the world, and if Istanbul is the city where Europe meets Asia, Ataturk is the front door. Over 1,000 flights go in and out of Ataturk each day, with passengers coming in from Beijing or Berlin, and heading out to Kenya or Kabul. The international terminal has to be one of the most diverse in the world. It’s a cultural circus… different wardrobes, different appearances, different languages, different paces to life. It was like a layover in “It’s a Small World”.

We weren’t at the airport for too long though, and soon departed for our honeymoon destination: the Maldives, a collection of nearly 2,000 islands located in the middle of the Indian Ocean.

A few facts: the Maldives is the shortest country in the world (the Chelsay of countries), with its tallest point reaching just 8 feet above sea level. Because it’s located on an oceanic shelf, the lowest depth is similarly shallow, so only a thin, turquoise layer of water surrounds the many islands.

After our flight from Istanbul landed in Male, the country’s capital, we still had a short trip to our resort island, Constance Moofushi. We splurged a bit with honeymoon accommodations (YOHO), so the resort actually arranged a sea plane to speed up the final leg of our journey.

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This was a pretty cool perk, and it established four themes for the next few days. First, Chelsay and I had a sea plane to ourselves: luxurious privacy. Second, our pilot was flying barefoot and in shorts: casual. Third, from our altitude, we could see the effect of the Maldives’ shallow depth: tiny green dots surrounded by clear, turquoise waters. Breath-taking beauty. Fourth, as we exited the plane onto the resort’s jetty, a large sign read “No shoes, no news.” This was the most important theme: unplug and relax.

The concierge gave us a brief tour of the island while Chelsay and I tried to keep our cool. This place was exactly what we were looking for: sand, sun, beach, palm trees, privacy, activities, all-inclusive. That last sentence could actually sum up the next seven days on Moofushi, but with the goal of completely capturing our honeymoon memories, I’ll expand a bit more… Plus I need to post our videos somewhere.

After the tour, Chelsay and I settled into our over-water villa. The villa is held above the turquoise waters by stilts, with fish and sharks routinely swimming underneath. To maximize privacy, Chelsay and I strategically asked for a room as far down the jetty as possible.

When considering honeymoon locations, we really thought hard about returning to Santorini or Amalfi. Although beautiful, our only hesitation was that they were slightly busy when we’d visited. Our honeymoon was about absolute relaxation, and a Maldivian over-water villa certainly provided this. …It also provided a large patio for sun-bathing, an outdoor bathtub for star-gazing, an all-inclusive stock of snacks and drinks, and a staircase leading directly into the Indian Ocean.

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The next seven days followed a rhythmic routine: breakfast, activity, relax, lunch, activity, relax, dinner, relax, repeat. Note that there are two activities per day… I keep saying that the theme was relaxation, but I’m too active of a person to just sit around all day (Chelsay knows what she signed up for). Although privacy was the biggest factor for our honeymoon destination, activities were at least a consideration, and Moofushi had plenty to keep us (me) entertained.

Having arrived in the afternoon, Chelsay and I’s first activity after settling into our villa was a sunset yoga class. It was a perfect way to follow ~15 hours of travel, and I knew we’d gotten off to a peaceful start when Chelsay fell asleep during a breathing exercises.

We somehow built up enough energy for dinner at the resort’s phenomenal restaurant, one of the many highlights of the week. For breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Chelsay and I would make the barefoot walk down the jetty and through the palm jungle to the thatched-roof, open-air restaurant.

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This place was like a massive tiki hut, which is how I’ll refer to it for the remainder of the post. Considering its size and the few other guests, Chelsay and I never had to worry about sitting next to (on top of) loud neighbors like in London. Instead, we settled into our secluded table overlooking the water, sinking our toes into the sandy beach below.

At each meal, our well-traveled sommelier, Nash, would introduce us to a new wine: one bottle from Italy, one from South Africa, New Zealand, Argentina, etc. One of the resort managers, Rifkhan, would always stop by our table to ensure everything was perfect: from the meal, to the room, to our day’s activities. Finally, our friendly sous-chef, Sven, would swing by to provide a rundown of the day’s options, tailoring to Chelsay and I’s preferences throughout the week (…Sven thinks we’re fat asses).

For Night #1, the kitchen’s theme was oriental, and Chelsay and I enjoy tasty Peking duck and plum sauce wraps, with vanilla ice cream and a warm apple crumble for dessert. Closing our first day in paradise, we fell asleep on our outdoor patio while star-gazing and listening to the waves below.

Given the afternoon arrival, day one was actually fairly brief. Day two was our real first day, and we adjusted to our new island lifestyle quite easily. We started with breakfast on our patio, sipping coffee while overlooking the pristine turquoise water. We then descended our villa’s steps into the ocean for our first snorkel in Moofushi’s house reef. I’d been snorkelling before, but never in a place like this… Everyone told me the Maldives is one of the best diving spots in the world. The problem is that I didn’t even know what “good” diving was, so I wasn’t sure what to expect…

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After a short swim out from our villa, a few fish started to appear. One or two, then five or ten. Coral clusters popped up every ten feet, then five feet, then more and more often. Pretty soon, we were in an aquarium, with thousands of fish curiously swimming around us in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Coral covered the entire lagoon floor beneath us with bizarre, alien-shaped coral formations, going right up to the oceanic cliff at the edge of deeper water.

Chelsay and I settled at the surface and observed the frenzy beneath us: large basher fish that would ram the reef to loosen a meal, skittish schools of smaller fish panicking at the slightest hint of a danger, creepy coral stretching and swaying with the current. This was just activity in the shallow water too! Sea life gets weirder the further you go, and through diving later in the week, Chelsay and I would go deeper and deeper.

We returned for lunch at the tiki hut (salad appetizers, penne bolognese, and chocolate chip cookies) before relaxing on the beach. We played the week’s first round of bocce (Chelsay took the W in a back and forth 13-12 battle), before she caught crabs in the sand. …That sounded weird. I’ll try again: Chelsay earned the nickname “Critter Catchin’ Chelsay”. …Ugh, weird again. We chased hermit crabs around the beach. …Maybe this was just a weird thing for us to be doing.

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Anyway, we followed our beach time with another snorkel. This time we saw sea turtles (Righteous! Righteous!) and several needlefish, which look like tiny eels swimming around the coral.

That evening was Mediterranean night at the tiki hut, and Chelsay and I agreed the chicken shawarma with garlic sauce was the best dinner of the week. Something funny happened on the way to dinner though. We usually left the villa around 7:30, so the sun had already set. It would be dark out, but the jetty has lighting along the path so you can watch your step. As Chelsay and I were walking along, we heard a woman’s panicked yell from behind us. We turned around, but in the darkness, all we could make out was the jetty’s light and a cell phone light… which was at a much lower height than the jetty…

This lady fell off!

We heard the husband trying to help the woman up and everything looked okay, so not wanting to embarrass them, we scurried off to dinner. We’re terrible people for doing this, but we laughed as we theorized what happened, and kept our eyes peeled for any guests with a limp.

Afterwards, as we walked back to the villa, we pulled out our cell phone lights near where the woman had fallen. We focused our search at the fork in the jetty: the point where the jetty splits in two. One path going right, one going left.

There we saw it… The evidence was damning, and unimaginably clear. Lying untouched in the sand… a perfect outline of a woman. She must have been looking at her phone and, when she hit the fork, just kept going and belly-flopped hard off the jetty.

Needless to say, relaxation was working for Chelsay and I. It was only our second day, and we were already losing it over this poor woman falling… This was a just a reflection of how loose we were though. On so many of our trips, Chelsay and I have a thing we want to do or a place we want to see. To be clear: that’s our choice, and how we like to travel. Vacations are more about excitement and adventure for us, and we’ve had amazing experiences because of our approach.

For the honeymoon though, this peaceful pace suited us. We didn’t have a worry in the world… which was a shocking turn from the previous weeks. We’d been so absorbed by wedding planning, and work, and traveling. Over those seven days though, we didn’t think about a single thing happening outside of that remote island in the Indian Ocean.

We slept very easily that trip, and every day started with the pleasant sounds of waves shifting beneath the villa. By day three, we’d settled into our routine: breakfast, snorkel, relax, lunch, bocce (I took round two to tie the series 1-1).

For our afternoon snorkel, we decided to venture into a new part of the house reef. The water was especially shallow at low tide, so Chelsay and I had to avoid kicking or paddling into the coral. We were essentially just lying flat on the surface, but there were so many fish that we had to stay.

With such shallow water and little room to swim, the tide pushed and pulled us without our control. I started filming the current pushing us along: fish, fish, coral, fish, coral, fish, fish, SHARK!

In the below video, you can tell the moment I first see the shark… It wasn’t a big one, but it surprised the hell out of me. For the record, I wasn’t scared, which you can see by me chasing after it.

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One second later, Chelsay grabbed my arm like it was the last bag of sour straws at Tesco! Apparently there were two sharks, and the other one had swam right next to her. We quickly kicked and paddled (coral be damned) and popped out of the water with two very different reactions.

These were 4 or 5 foot reef sharks that wanted nothing to do with us, so I was just really excited to see them. Chelsay, on the other hand, hates open water. This was described in the Azores post when we swam with dolphins (she wouldn’t leave the side of the boat). With her big eyes though, these sharks must have looked huge!

I’d mentioned that the Maldives is one of the best diving spots in the world, but because of her open water fear, I still had to desperately convince Chelsay to sign up for an “Introduction to Scuba” class with me. After this shark encounter, Chelsay was 1000000% out.

All hope wasn’t lost yet though: our dive wasn’t until the next day, so I still had a few hours to convince her. We spent the rest of the day getting back to the main theme of the week: relaxation. We laid out on our patio, soaking in the sunshine with coconut water from the most organic source you can find: an actual coconut.

When the afternoon showers rolled in, Chelsay and I crept under the covered area of the patio. There’s something really nice about being outdoors but covered and dry when it’s raining. I’ve always liked it, ever since my dad and I would watch storms come in from our garage in Texas. …It was also pretty cool to watch from our villa patio in the Maldives.

We grabbed dinner at the tiki hut later, and I’m not sure if this was caused by our shark scare earlier, but Chelsay and I hit the all-inclusive drinks hard that night.

It’s just so easy. Nash would come by and recommend a particular wine: okay, great, let’s get a bottle. Half way into the bottle, we felt like having a more tropical drink: daiquiris *index finger spin* (Wedding Crashers reference). Later, we wanted to bring some wine back to the room… but our bottle from earlier wasn’t chilled anymore. Whatever, they’ll bring us a new one. It’s all-inclusive.

Also, I said earlier that “Chelsay and I hit the all-inclusive drinks hard that night”, but I need to clarify. “We” hit the drinks hard that night, but Chelsay was taking advantage all week. There’s nothing wrong with a little buzz and she was never drunk, but I’d say we certainly got our money’s worth. We met a British couple while we were at the resort, and I swear Chelsay had a glass with her every time we saw them. They thought she was an alcoholic.

Anyway, the next morning was our “Introduction to Scuba” course. I don’t even know what day it was… third? Fourth? We were so disconnected from the world that I never really knew what day it was.

Chelsay had a decision to make though: in or out? …She told me she thought about bailing right up until we dove in, but ultimately decided there was no better place to try than the Maldives. She was probably still buzzed from the night before.

Our instructor’s name was Paolo Belloni (pronounced like the meat “bologna”) – great instructor, great guy, great name. It sounds like someone panicked when asked to make up an Italian sounding name: “Uhhh… Paolo… Bologna?” I shouldn’t make fun though – he really is a great guy, but he just reminds me of Luigi: I kept picturing him saying “Wah-ha!”

Paolo taught us the basic hand signals, etc before helping us gear up. Chelsay was still very apprehensive as we jumped into the water…

45 minutes later, when we popped back up again, she immediately pulled her mask off and shouted: “I love it!”

I loved it too, and because this was our first dive, everything was new. Obviously the fish and coral were mesmerizing, but the feeling of weightlessness was the biggest surprise. I felt like an astronaut as we slowly floated around our alien surroundings. We loved it so much that we signed up for a five-dive course: five hours of open water instruction that would make us certified scuba divers.

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We couldn’t wait for our next dive either, so we scheduled it for that afternoon. To pass the time in between, we played our third round of bocce (another 13-12 nail-biter that fell my way: 2-1 Mike), sipped refreshing iced teas over lunch, and indulged in an Oreo ice cream snack on the beach.

The day passed quickly though, and it was soon time for our second dive of the day. Our first dive was just an introduction covering the basics of how to breathe through a regulator, how to equalize, etc. This second dive was more of a skills test though, and the first step to certification.

Our first skill was to hover up and down using only your breath, and you have to criss-ross your legs so you don’t cheat. As you breathe in, your lungs fill with air (which is lighter than water) and you float upwards. As you exhale, you release that air and sink back down. At 6’2”, my lungs are relatively large so I floated up and down fairly easily. At 5’2”, Chelsay’s rise and fell was less obvious. With her legs crossed, it looked like she was just meditating in mid-air. Either way, Paolo thought she’d done enough so she passed the test.

The next skill was clearing your mask after water leaks in. To pass this test, you have to take your mask all the way off your head, put it back on, and then clear it by blowing your nose. Keep in mind you’re doing all of this 30 feet under the surface.

I went first without any issues, so Chelsay was up next. For some reason, even underwater, she can’t resist breathing through her nose! Every time she took her mask off, she’d instinctively try to breathe through her nose and suck in a bunch of salt water. She’d have to quickly ascend to cough it all out, and eventually, we just went to a shallow depth to make it easier to surface.

After a few attempts though, it looked like she’d gotten it. She took her mask off, placed it back on, and then Paolo and I watched as the water level in her mask dropped from her forehead to her eyes to her nose and, finally, it was empty. Bravo! High-fives!

The only weird part was that there weren’t any bubbles… You clear your mask by blowing air our through your nose, which then fills the mask and pushes the water out, which creates bubbles. She technically cleared her mask, so she passed the test, but why weren’t there bubbles? After the dive, she admitted that she just sucked all the salt water in through her nose!

Tough lady, but she did what she needed to pass the skills test. She’d earned the tasty wine that evening… if only just to clear the taste in her mouth.

The next morning was our second skills dive, but not before a delicious breakfast at the tiki hut. We actually had back-to-back dives that morning, so we needed energy. We loaded up on coffee and eggs benedict (with ham, which is rare in a Muslim country).

We suited ourselves up for this third dive, and easily passed a few questionable skills tests: grab the end of your fin? Who can’t do that??

Anyway, the benefit of passing the tests quickly was that we could use the rest of our tank to explore. As I dove around (left, right, up, down, over, below), Chelsay took a more methodical, almost investigative, approach. At one point, she’d been staring at a reef for so long that Paolo thought she’d passed out. …He rushed over but was put at ease when he saw her eyes still open. They looked even bigger behind the bend of the scuba mask.

Each of these first three dives were near the island, staying in Moofushi’s colorful house reef. For our second dive of the back-to-back morning though (fourth overall), we’d be taking the boat our for an open water dive. We’d also be going to a depth of 20 meters (60 feet), which was the deepest we’d gone.

At that depth, there’s a compounding pressure when compared to the surface: 26 pounds per square inch, or three times the pressure your body would feel on land. The volume of air in your body condenses under this pressure, which means that it actually takes more air to fill your lungs.This is why you have to pass a few skills test before you can go deeper and in open water.

It was totally worth it though. I mentioned that sea life gets weirder the deeper you go, and this dive was proof. Experienced divers can certainly go further than 60 feet, but there was some strange shit even at this depth. Watch the first video CLOSELY as this chameleon fish appears, and then disappears when I look away! I only noticed this when I watched the video afterwards! Pause at 5 seconds and then play if you don’t see it.

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After our alien exploration (and two straight hours under water), Chelsay and I resurfaced in the rain. It was a really weird feeling. At 60 feet, we had no idea it was raining: it was silent and still. Then the minute you hit the surface, there’s rain and wind and waves. …I already missed the peacefulness of diving.

The stormy weather calmed down as we took the boat back to the island, and Chelsay and I enjoyed a lighter lunch upon our return: lentil wraps and sweet potato hummus. We got our fourth bocce game in (13-4 Mike; 3-1 series), but based on the lopsided score, decided it would be our last.

Exhausted from our dive, I took a nap (ME! A NAP!) on the patio while Chelsay studied up for our certification exam. We must’ve been on some relaxation bender, because we followed relaxing afternoon with a 90 minute massage.

The couple’s massage room was actually a cool set up. It’s a thatched-roof tiki hut hidden behind the island’s thick vegetation, and has doors that open to the ocean breeze. As you’re lying on the bed, you face down at a glass floor with a view of the turquoise water below. Small fish swim by to pick at the coral placed within your sight-line and, while Chelsay and I were in therapeutic bliss, we each watched as sharks slithered by.

Later that night, we followed our sous-chef friend’s recommendation to see even more sea life. Off of one of the island’s docks, the resort keeps a light on that shines into the water. For some reason, fish are attracted to the light, and the fish attract sharks and stingrays and other bizarre creatures. Chelsay and I brought a bottle of wine from dinner and hunted the island for the dock Sven recommended. Once we found the right one, we hung our bare feet (I don’t think I wore shoes once this week) off the dock as hundreds of fish swam below. Over the course of the next hour, we saw several black tip sharks swim through and a massive stingray crawl across the ocean floor.

The next morning was our last dive of the five-part course. After this (and passing our written exam…which Paolo administered…), Chelsay & I would be certified scuba divers!

That’s pretty shocking considering Chelsay’s fear of the ocean. We certainly didn’t come to the Maldives looking for a new hobby, but we left with plans to visit Malta, Mexico, and the Philippines specifically for diving. Maybe someday I’ll write a post about a whale shark we tailed, or underwater cave we explored, or sunken WWII ship we came across.

Back to present day though. This was our last dive and, because there were no remaining skill tests (we were experts by then), this dive was entirely exploratory. We spent it floating through thousands of fish, around swaying anemone, past frightened Nemos, and alongside righteous turtles.

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After resurfacing, we still had a full day left and would have easily signed up for another dive. There’s a law against diving too close to a flight though, so the rest of our sea exploration would have to be done via snorkel.

With our underwater skills now perfected, our snorkelling in those last 24 hours was actually more successful than any time earlier in the week. Our last few adventures were a perfect summary of all the sea life we’d seen throughout the week: tons of fish, creepy eels, chilled out turtles, and even more sharks.

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Alas, after seven days in paradise, it was eventually time for Chelsay and I to return to London. We packed up (and threw some extra Twix and chilled Haribos in our bags), thanked our friends at the dive shop (who started calling Chelsay “Khaleesi”), and waved goodbye to the island as our seaplane flew away.

Our drop-off at the Male airport was a jarring return to reality. The resort had provided a concierge to escort us all the way to security, carrying our documents and rolling our bags. But from there, it was all us.

I know rolling your own bag through the airport isn’t a burden, but it felt weird. For the past week, Chelsay and I hadn’t lifted a finger. We hadn’t carried our bags. We didn’t bring our wallets anywhere. We didn’t have any appointments or places to be. We didn’t even wear shoes!

The sign when you first step onto Moofushi reads, “No news, no shoes.” This was absolutely Chelsay and I’s experience. We were in absolute bliss the whole time, and all of this immediately followed our wedding, the best day of our lives.

For seven days, we didn’t think about work or money… or wedding planning! We had enough time to reflect on the wedding (at least enough for me to write 10,000 words in my last post), but we also rarely thought about anything outside of that island. I can’t remember a time I’ve been that checked out since high school.

We landed back in the UK on a Thursday, so at least we still had a few days off before returning to work. It was fall in London by then, so we saw the leaves changing in Hampstead and visited the stags in Richmond. Back in the buzzing city for the first time in two weeks though, we also had to re-adjust.

Although the harsh reality was that this “ended” our wedding and honeymoon, there was also relief in knowing that we were just “starting” something. In the wedding post, I already wrote about what Chelsay and I’s lives would be like now that we aren’t wedding planning. I wrote about how we’d finally have free time, and more sentimentally how we’d explore together, and start a family together, and have five dogs together, and laugh and cry together…

In our happy, busy, adventurous, wonderful future though, it might be hard for us to find a quiet moment…

If nothing else, the honeymoon gave Chelsay and I one week to relax together.

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