#also the eclipse shadows and the stretched shadows look so cool

[chocolatemilksmoothie]

Uhhhhhh

Please stop emotionally scarring the small child he's been through a LOT

#also the eclipse shadows and the stretched shadows look so cool #but at what cost #toh spoilers #toh #the owl house spoilers #king clawthorne #the owl house

[plzfeedmebread]

Resplendent

word count: 1220

Pairing: Neteyam Sully x Female! Metkayina! Na'vi Reader Tags/warnings: Fluff, angst, bittersweet, established relationship, adult reader, adult Neteyam, no smut Summary: Neteyam quietly watches you from the shore as you perform a ritual dance in the water, to the utter delight of your daughters.

Author's Note: Set some time after the big battle. Also moved those events further ahead. You and Neteyam are mated and have children before the RDA attacks the reef. Got inspired by the song~

Sa’nu - mum, mommy

Tahni - bioluminescent freckle

Close your eyes.

Deep breathes.

Remember the moves.

Remember the words...

Your heart thrums in your chest almost painfully. You take a deep, slow, calming breath; placing a hand over your heart.

“Sa’nu? Are you okay?”

You open your eyes, looking down to meet the gaze of your youngest daughter. The cool water of the sea comes up to her neck. Sweet thing. You told her, she and her sister could watch you from the shoreline. But they were persistent to be as close to you as possible. The water barely reaches your hips.

You offer a soft smile, reaching down and affectionately stroking her hair.

“I’m okay…Don’t worry my little star. Mommy’s just nervous.” The 5-year-old beams up at you with a toothy grin. Your 6-year-old beside her pats you on the arm.

“You practiced aaaaall the time! You got this.” She offers you her own encouraging smile. You give her an appreciative nod before facing the shoreline once more. You return your face to neutrality, closing your eyes once again.

You hear the disturbance of the water as your daughters move a bit to the side to give you more space to move.

With one final calming breath, you open your mouth and begin the song cord of your family.

---

Neteyam stands under the shade of a nearby tree on the shoreline. His arms are crossed as he watches the three of you.

The evening breeze carries your voice to him. He stands up straight when the sound hits his ears.

When you sing, it reminds him of the melody of birdsong in spring. No matter how many years may pass between you two, every time he hears you play the instrument of your heart, he feels like he could fall in love with you all over again.

He takes in your form as you start swaying in the water, admiring you from top to bottom.

Your hair, thick and long, reaching all the way down to your knees; you and your sisters spent what must have been hours, braiding it into the intricate patterns now adorning your head.

Even from this distance, he can still make out the faint markings of the tattoos framing your face. Though today you also have a thin line of white painting the centre of your face. You could have mud smeared all over and he would still find you to be the most beautiful woman; you have him convinced you are blessed by Eywa herself.

You arms move slow and with purpose through the air; attuned with the words as they fall from your lips.

Your soft lips.

How he wishes he could kiss you right now.

You dip down, submerging your arms into the water. In one fluid motion, you rise back up to your feet, the motion you perform with your hands and arms bring water up with you as you rose. Your arms are stretched out to your sides as you pirouette.

Neteyam’s heart skips a beat as he watches you, and it’s as if time itself slows, just so he can drink in the beauty of your very being.

With your back to eclipse, your front is cast in shadow.

The water falls around you in a shimmering curtain of rain. The last light of eclipse hits the smooth stones woven into the fabric on your chest; causing a cascade of colours to dance across your skin. And when the sun disappears, your tahni come to life like the brilliance of dawn.

It’s one of his most favourite parts of your body. Though you had the scattered stars as did all Na’vi, for reasons he attests only to being blessed by Eywa, you have thin bioluminescent swirls weaving itself around your arms, chest, and all down your legs. To him it’s like a faint galaxy glittering in the night.

He recalls fondly the memory of him knowing each and every star on your body intimately.

And in the fading light of the day do you shine before him. Resplendent as you are in the day, so too will you dazzle the world around you in the darkness of the approaching night.

His heart throbs something fierce when you open your eyes after dipping into the water once more. Even behind the curtain of water, or the netting of the fabric draped over your head, your eyes glow with a fierceness he knows all to well. It pierces his very soul, a warmth sweeping over him.

He drinks you in more as you bend your form this way and that. He wishes he knew the intricacies of your dance; understood what each fluid motion meant, the significance of each swish of your tail, or the ways you angle your hands and bend your fingers.

You close your eyes as you near the end of the cord song.

As you perform another twirl, you playfully swat the water with your thick tail, splashing your daughters.

Their uncontrollable gigging brings a smile to your face. You open your eyes as you continue to dance, giving them a loving look. They’re splashing each other with reckless abandon as they try to imitate your moves. You can’t help the unrestrained laughter their antics bring you.

Neteyam laughs quietly to himself as he watches his girls playfully flay about in the water. Every day since their birth he’s given thanks to both you and the Great Mother for blessing him with such miracles. He hadn’t thought it was possible to love something as much as he loved you.

He feels a stray tear fall down his cheek. But he doesn’t move to wipe it away. Instead he continues to smile as he watches your song and dance coming to its conclusion.

You turn to face the horizon, and his gaze drifts to his girls.

They’re singing something he can’t quite make out, but he loves the sound nonetheless.

And when their eyes meet his, finally noticing his presence, they wave at him wildly, giggling all over again.

His smile grows wider, and he offers them a small wave back.

---

One final pose, and you hold the final note of your song, eyes still closed. You hold that note until your lungs and throat burn.

You hear the excited cheers of your daughters as they shower you with praise. Your breathing is laboured as your heart pounds in your chest, but you offer them a bow and a small smile of gratitude.

You turn yourself to the horizon before you finally open your eyes. The ritual dance has come to and end.

You rub the cool ocean water on your cheeks, in your neck, and down your arms; all in an effort to cool you down from your laborious activity. You breath deep in from the nose, and slowly exhale through your mouth, calming your rapid heartbeat.

The girls still giggle beside you, resuming their unrefined dancing; now also singing their favourite lullaby in lieu of a songcord.

Sufficiently cooled off, you turn your head to your daughters to admire them in their silliness.

Your brow nits in slight confusion though, when you see them waving at something behind you, giggling all the while.

You turn around, curiosity in your eyes.

But the shoreline is just as empty as when you arrived.

---

Author's Notes: It was a private funeral dance 😢

#neteyam x reader #neteyam x metkayina!reader #neteyam sully x you #neteyam sully x reader #neteyam x na'vi!reader #neteyam sully x y/n #neteyam x y/n #metkayina reader #afab reader #avatar neteyam #reader insert #avatar way of water #avatar 2 #avatar fanfiction #neteyam fluff #dad neteyam #mom reader #hurt/comfort #no comfort #bittersweet #implied death #Spotify

[paddedlittleparadise]

Solar Eclipse Info, 2024

Hey, over the last few weeks I've seen a lot of curiosity about the upcoming solar eclipse. Here's a quick roundup of some common questions and answers that might help!

1. Da fuk is a solar eclipse, anyway?

The Moon goes in front of the Sun. Because they look about the same size from Earth - a very cool coincidence! - when they line up just right the entire disk of the Sun gets covered up, making it a total eclipse. On April 8, 2024, this only happens in a narrow band of North America: a thin ribbon stretching from Mexico to Canada, traced out by the Moon's shadow.

In most places, the Moon will be a bit too high or too low to cover the Sun right; here folks will only get to see a partial eclipse. Partial eclipses are kinda cool, but nothing like a total eclipse.

2. Hey – If the Sun is covered, won’t it get dark?

Yes and no. The Sun is stupidly bright, so even when most of it's covered, daylight doesn't look super different. Even during the last fifteen minutes or so before it's 100% covered, the light only gradually begins to dim. It's only once the Sun is entirely covered – what we call "totality" – that it really gets dark. (Not dark like midnight, but about as dark as twilight.) Also, because the Moon's shadow is constantly moving, this bit of darkness only lasts a few minutes, depending on where exactly you are.

3. Why are people telling me to wear eclipse glasses? Is it some stupid cash grab? Or are eclipses weirdly dangerous?

Eclipses themselves are not dangerous. The Sun is, though – because like I said, it's stupidly bright! The reason why scientists warn people about hurting their eyes during an eclipse is because that’s basically the only time millions of people will try staring directly into a giant dazzling ball of gas.

So YES - anytime even a tiny bit of the Sun is visible, use eclipse glasses or some other verified, proper filter to save your poor retinas. They’re the only ones you have! Only if and when the Sun is COMPLETELY covered should you take a look without a filter.

NOTE: Filters are even more necessary if you're using binoculars or a telescope! These things work by collecting and concentrating light, so when pointed at the Sun without a filter, the beam of light coming out of the eyepieces can literally melt holes through plastic. I've seen it myself. So please… use a dang filter, okay?

4. Da heck is that white stuff around the sun in the pictures? Do I need glasses to look at THAT?

That's the corona – the Sun's searingly hot outer atmosphere. Because the Sun is stupidly bright (besides being a deadly laser) the corona is usually invisible to us. So, yep – total solar eclipses are the only time you and I ordinarily get to see it!

And nope, the corona is pretty dim and totally safe to look at without glasses. Just DON'T get so focused staring at it that you forget to put your eclipse glasses back on when totality ends!

5. How rare are these things, anyway? And why?

As it moves through the sky, the Moon circles past the Sun literally every 29.5 days – it's just that usually it's too high or low to cover even a bit of it. Globally, solar eclipses do happen pretty frequently: about every 18 months on average. But because the Earth is a big place, they might occur anywhere: the south Pacific, Africa, even Antarctica. On top of that, the odds that you specifically will be somewhere in that thin band of totality is pretty darn rare. As far as North America goes, the last total solar eclipse was nearly seven years ago, in 2017. For the next one in North America? You'll have to wait until 2045.

6. Why are people so excited?

As someone who got to experience totality in 2017 (that's my own pic above), it's tough to explain. Many people, even folks who aren't particularly spiritual, have likened totality to a religious experience. There's something chillingly cool about standing still and feeling the sun slowly dim as the Moon's shadow sweeps toward you. It's a cosmic motion as inexorable as fate, and no one – not you, not the pope, not even Bruce Willis – can stop it.

Once totality hits, the temperature typically drops a few degrees. Wind sometimes picks up or dies down because of the temperature drop. Birds and other animals freak the heck out. The brighter stars come out, midday be damned. All around the horizon glows a 360-degree "sunset"… while overhead it's like the Sun has died and left us puny humanoids staring up open-mouthed at its ghostly shell.

THAT's why totality is a big deal. And why I, along with literally millions of others, will try my level best to go see it. All the while hoping like heck that it's not cloudy.

–––

To read a more in-depth and super-useful guide, check out NASA's official site. Great American Eclipse also has a lot of sweet resources and maps. And feel free to reply with any other questions!

#total solar eclipse #eclipse 2024 #solar eclipse #different from what I usually post but so what #i like star stuff okay?

[bomberqueen17]

ok if you start typing a post title and then backspace you lose the entire field to have a post title and there's no way to get it back, so here we are, untitled.

So I spent two weeks at the farm, and was trialing Adderall, and it was sort of impossible to make any judgements about the medication because when I'm at the farm there's such a routine and task lists and stuff it's easy to just follow along, which is part of the reason I go there. But now I'm home and after a three-minute video consulation that cost $210 after insurance I am just doing two more weeks of the same thing. So I'm going to try to conscientiously log symptoms and side effects and things, so that at my next $200+ consultation I can get like some actual advice maybe.

(Whatever. I have the money in my HSA I might as well.)

So I'll go on about that after the cut probably but first: Eclipse!

My niece and mom are coming to hang for the eclipse, and my mother-not-law will join us. We may end up hanging out at her house or at mine, I'm meant to be scouting locations-- there are many many events going on locally, some free and some not, but there is also an estimated tourist load of about three million excess people expected in the region, and I just feel like traffic is going to be so terrible. I don't want to go anywhere I have to drive to! And I don't want to be stuck sitting in a venue somewhere.

So I'm gonna come up with snacks and a couple of activities (probably involving cameras!) at my house or at M-N-L's if her view is better (she has a paved patio that faces south so I suspect it will be; my best vantage point is my unshaded concrete stoop, as my sunporch has a western view and is not totally unimpeded).

Ideas for snacks and activities welcome, my starter list below the cut.

Activities:

Beforehand, I will get either white or black t-shirts, and we can decorate them with dye or bleach, and make ourselves commemmorative shirts. I have everything I need for this but the shirts.

Set up a camera on a tripod to record the eclipse? Set up another one pointed at a white sheet to record shadows.

Have several objects prepared to cast shadows with. I probably can't get a leafy branch this time of year, but a couple of colanders, a grid or something, a stretch of lace, that kind of thing, mounted in embroidery hoops or whatever, to look at the cool shadow shapes.

Of course I have eclipse glasses.

Snacks: oh i can't put this one in bullet points thanks tumblr, no i don't want this to be a gigantic asterisk never mind

frosted cookies cheese plate we can pretend are in festive shapes, my ass is not going to bother with that vegetables lol

Anyway I'm still sorta brainstorming that. My niece is ten, so it's not like i need little-kid stuff, I just want things that will actually be cool to observe. I haven't researched this yet I just remember watching leaf shadows at the 2017 eclipse.

So that's that. Currently I'm tidying the house kinda lowkey, because it's in better shape than usual and also it's just BIL and niece stopping overnight, but it's a good trial run of the guest bedroom. I'm mostly there and am on a 15-min break just now. Still have to set up the guest bed which means moving shit out of the way in that room.

Now: Symptom log.

Adderall makes me very dehydrated. I drink and drink and drink until I can't stand water anymore, and I'm still sorta thirsty and I pee like. Twice a day at most. Kinda weird.

During the two weeks at the farm I had one incidence of a terrible 20-hour headache, and another incidence of vertigo, and I think both were just plain dehydration, because I was drinking water like a normal slightly thirsty person. No, I need to have a huge mug next to me at all times and just drink out of it every couple of minutes. it's intense.

I also sweat really easily. it doesn't seem to be affecting my actual stamina; I get overheated and kind of huff and puff with light activity, but once I'm moving I'm fine and can do a normal day's amount of work without undue fatigue. I'm not sweating enough to explain the dehydration, but I am sweating a whole lot more than normal for this time of year. I may have problems with this in the heat and am already preparing to give that some thought.

Insomnia: not really anything outside my normal. I've had problems for a few years where I'll not be able to sleep, or will wake ultra-early and have trouble returning to sleep, and I've continued with this but no more often than normal and have in fact had several *very* good nights of sleep. I also, the first or second day I took this stuff, had an *incredible* nap around 2pm when I think the dose wore off, and then slept fine that same night. So. I feel kind of lucky with that and will not complain.

But: what is the medication actually doing?? Is my concentration better?

Short answer: not that I've noticed. Hard to observe, at the farm; there's an external schedule there, and I've never had much trouble just getting on that. It's something I've done for years; I love hitching a ride on a household's schedule and then I don't miss meals or lose hours to accidental procrastination. "What's got to get done today? Here's the list, pick what you want and when to do it" has always been my ideal situation. I was able to accomplish more than the list most days, and my motivation was good, and as usual my limitation was not drive but physical pain. (Yes, the PT has helped my bad hip so much, but my "good" hip was a bastard the entire time, with the awful radiating nerve pain from my knee through my lower back. Don't like that, PT isn't fixing that nearly so well.)

So, now that I'm at home, I've had two days totally on my own schedule, and the results are uh. not good. I still don't know how to make my own to-do lists very well, still don't have any clear notion of what I can expect to achieve in a day, still don't really know how to break down tasks well, and super don't know how to initiate them. I fell back on my old junebugging ways, where you just say "ok go!" and do whatever pops into your mind in the order it occurs to you, and hope some of the things on your list get done, and that's got me through a fair bit of housecleaning and putting my stuff away and such.

But I've been having, the same as or more than usual, problems where I pause and then get stuck. I go to pee and wind up on my phone on the toilet scrolling some app or other until my leg falls asleep. I go in the kitchen intending to make lunch and wind up staring out the window a while. I set out to do the dishes and wind up cleaning every window I can reach.

So it's frustrating, I can't tell if this is better or worse than before, and I also think the medication wears off in the early afternoon so my effective window of testing is really short and not really getting me anywhere. But we'll see, I still have a week and a half so I will try some more non-medical frameworks to see if I can't prop the meds up into giving me some more function. And yes, I'm sorta recovering from the relocation, that's always an issue, so maybe the last two days being not ideal are inevitable and I just have to settle more into routine. But that's frustrating.

Anyway. OK. Off my ass and back to work.

#about the author #solar eclipse #adhd #idk

[temporalhiccup]

I AM THE DUNGEON

Week 4 January 16-22

So this was an interesting week! I pulled the Wheel of Fortune three days in a row, despite shuffling the cards well and such (these things do tend to happen, such is the way of it all).

I remember not liking what I was writing, but typing it up here, it's not that bad actually? Funny how that works.

I've also noticed that my writing is sharpening, and it's brought a nice sense of sharp poetry to my ttrpg design work in general. Very cool!

We're almost at the end of the month, and I'm pretty confident about continuing this creative habit. (PbtA23 is another story, but I'm pretty much caught up for now, and will be uploading those entries soon!)

Knight of Coins - She follows a path marked by light and shadow, and in the darkness her determination grows and becomes sharp golden.

A coin earned for every mile, and the miles have stretched and flowed on and on with no end in sight.

When I met the Knight, my love, she reminded me so much of you. Her scars of gold covered by rich fabric, her rough hands webbed within fine gloves. She wore her pain well, wore it proudly, like you my love.

Close your eyes that I may lay a coin on each them, a knight's journey across your face. Close your eyes, my love, and dream of the miles that wait for you.

10 of Coins - Treasure, spend Whispers to gain it

The room is full of cherished things lost to time. In the dazzling false light they refract and shift brilliantly, changing shape and context. Spend a Whisper and declare which recovered item changes within the shadows of your heart.

4 of Swords

There is nothing here. Miles of soft colorless light, the stream of becoming for a dream forms. A small gray bird looks at you and asks, "What of your life do you dream into existence?"

Knight of Wands - Obstacle: Birth, a Test of Intention.

The insides of your body give way, give birth, give form, to fire. The dance of creation moves you, demanding intention. What does your fire give birth to? What must burn away to awaken desire?

The High Priestess - Faction: Moon Seers

The High Priestess of the Eclipsed Moon attends to you, the dancing veil across his features shifting between shades of grey. What secrets do you offer in order to rewrite your perspective of reality?

Wheel of Fortune - Persona: The Reincarnated Self

Regain Whispers. You step through a door that refracts into countless spheres. In the flow of time - arced and never ending - you see an endless stream of iteration and refraction of yourself.

Wheel of Fortune (again)

Each version of you is drenched in color and motion, gender and identity coming apart like flowers caught in a storm. Who reaches out to you and pulls you into dance?

Wheel of Fortune (yes, again)

When the last of the dance shivers and aches into the stillness of solitude, what version of you is left?

#dungeon23 #indie ttrpg #ttrpg design #sword queen games #still cant believe I pulled the same card three days in a row but #it really do be like that sometimes #I too was going through a pretty big wheel of fortune around those days so #makes sense haha

[theteasetwrites]

The Beginning Is the End Is the Beginning

Chapter 18: A Mother's Blood

❧ Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Reader ❧ Era: Season 3 ❧ Pronouns: she/her ❧ Warnings: mild swearing, violence, Season 3 spoilers, character death ❧ Word Count: 5.3k

❧ In This Chapter: A walker attack leads to tragedy as Lori gives birth. Her baby is healthy, but all is not well, leading to Rick isolating himself from the others while Daryl works on finding formula for the newborn. With the new addition to the family, you have a confession to make to Daryl.

❧ A/N: Things are bittersweet this chapter. We get our first introduction to “Lil’ Asskicker,” but we also lose a few characters. We also see Reader fighting off a shitload of walkers by herself which is pretty cool, if I do say so myself. Dude, if I were in her position I’d probably just lay down and cry to be honest. Good thing I’m not living in a zombie apocalypse, I guess (though if Daryl was my boyfriend I feel like that would be a pretty good trade-off).

You were in your cell when you heard the alarms.

Everyone else was outside in the recreation area watching Hershel take his first steps using his crutches after his accident. You were just about to join after you’d tidied up the cell a bit, but that’s not how it happened.

“What is that?” you asked yourself, the incessant wailing of the alarm drowning your ears like a flash flood. You grabbed your ice axe and your gun before jogging down to the first floor of your cell block to meet the others outside.

You didn’t make it far before you were accosted by at least a dozen walkers pouring into the cell block from the common area you’d just eaten breakfast in with Carol not three hours ago.

“Shit!” you yelled, backing up while looping the tether of your axe around your belt and raising your gun to shoot. You kept walking backwards, trying to distance yourself from the jaws of death as much as possible while you shot round after round taking out six of the walkers with each bullet. Then you were out of ammo.

You’d thinned them down, but you could see more rounding the corner and following the others towards you. Panicked, you threw yourself into the nearest cell, pulling the gate closed and tying your belt around the connecting bars where it would’ve been locked if you had had the keys. All the while, that ear-piercing alarm kept going until your hearing became so muffled that the snarls of the walkers clawing at you sounded more like the ones you’d heard in your nightmares than in real life.

Gripping your axe, you started picking them off one by one from behind the bars, your belt being stretched beyond its capabilities all the while. You knew it was only a matter of time before it snapped from the pressure.

Plunging your axe into what seemed like hundreds of walker skulls, you went into a kind of adrenaline-induced killing spree. Every rain of blows from your axe felt like a fever dream, like you weren’t in control of yourself. It was all coming from some deep, inner primordial survivalist whose only mission was to get out of this alive. It was a strange feeling, as though most of your brain was turned off and darkened by the shadow of instinct eclipsing any other thought. It was the most you’d ever felt connected to whatever common ancestor was shared between humanity and barbarism.

No matter how many you killed, there were more closing in, pushing their body weight against the bars and stretching out their rotting arms to grab you. Looking between the monsters and the increasingly thinning belt, you knew the walkers would be flooding in soon. When the belt did snap, your killing kicked into overdrive as you thought of every person out there who might’ve needed your help. You had no idea if anyone else was alive considering the outside was probably being overrun with walkers too, but that was what kept you from letting them rip you to shreds. It was the thought of your friends, your family, out there.

The closest feeling you could compare it to was the night the quarry was attacked. You saw people you knew, people who’d helped you and allowed you to help them, be eaten alive by these grotesque abominations. Seeing that in your head now, coupled with your evolutionarily ingrained desire to stay alive, it fueled each swing of your axe.

The sudden absence of any more walkers in front of you was enough to turn the light on in the less primitive parts of your brain. You looked around as if in disbelief that it was over, that there was no alarm blaring in your ears anymore.

You became keenly aware of your senses again as you noticed that your throat was scratchy and acrid with the excessive amount of air going in and out of your lungs. You raised your free hand up to your hair and combed it back as your eyes scanned the knee-deep pile of rotten flesh pooling around you.

“Holy shit,” you huffed.

Suddenly, you heard the echoes of footsteps coming from the same direction the walkers had come from, but they moved too fast for walkers, and they had a gruff, comforting voice attached to them.

“(Y/N)!”

“Daryl!” you called out to him. You trudged over the bodies, careful not to get bit by any still hanging on for dear life. Emerging from your cell, you dropped your axe as Daryl came barreling towards you, dropping his own crossbow in the process.

He engulfed you in his arms so tightly that you lost all the breath you’d been trying to regain. You threw your arms around his neck and allowed yourself to take in his smell, so vital to you now that you were convinced just one whiff of him could raise you from the dead.

“What the hell happened?” you asked as Daryl pulled away from you just enough so he could look you over and check for any injuries or bites. “Where did all those walkers come from?”

He kept his hands locked on your hips as if afraid you’d fly away without him holding you there. “One of those prisoners, one we thought was dead…” he panted, “opened one of the gates… led ‘em in here.”

“And that alarm?”

“That was him too. He’s dead now.” He placed his hands on either side of your neck, his face still contorted in worry and drenched in sweat. “I had no idea where you were. Rick wouldn’t let me go after ya til we got the son of a bitch an’ stopped the alarm. I’m so sorry, baby.”

He brought you into him again, resting his chin on your shoulder. You rubbed his back up and down in attempt to calm him. “It’s okay, you did what you needed to do. I’m fine. Like you said, I can kill walkers myself now.”

Pulling away from you, he looked around at the damage you’d done. “Holy shit, (Y/N).”

You looked around too, not noticing at first the sheer multitude of walkers you killed.

“Guess librarians really are tougher than they look,” he said.

The two of you met up with Rick, Glenn, Axel, and Oscar in the tombs where you also found T-Dog’s remains as he was being feasted on by two ravenous walkers. Next to his corpse was the headscarf you’d seen Carol wearing only about an hour ago. You all assumed she was dead, too.

You were brought to tears by the sight, but you tried to keep them at bay. You were getting good at that now, pretending like you weren’t crying. It was hard, though, especially Carol. You were close to everyone in your group, but you had a special connection with her since she was the first person you met. In your heart of hearts, there was part of you that hoped she was alive somewhere in the prison, though you knew it wasn’t likely.

Emerging from the depths of the prison, you all met up with Hershel and Beth. You were relieved that at least they were all right. Beth even ran up to you and gave you a hug, a gesture by which you were first shocked, but then you quickly returned the favor.

Now, the only people missing were Maggie, Carl, and Lori. Apparently they’d split off from the rest of the group somewhere in the prison.

Rick was just about to organize a plan to go find them, but he was interrupted by a sound you hadn’t heard since the world fell: the cries of a baby.

There they stood, Carl and Maggie. In Maggie’s arms was a tiny newborn baby, its soft flesh still coated in blood and other fluids from the birth. Maggie’s lips quivered as she tried to speak to Rick, but no words were spoken.

“Where—where is—where is she?” he stuttered, pushing past Maggie’s shivering body before she could say anything.

“No, Rick—no!” Maggie cried.

That was when Rick broke down, looking at his son who just stared at the ground, his hands covered in what you could only assume to be his mother’s blood.

You weren’t able to hold back your tears anymore. They fell for them all—Lori, Carol, T-Dog. As if in shame, you hid yourself in the crook of Daryl’s neck. He wrapped his arm around your waist and allowed your tears absorb into his shirt. He hung his head and listened to the cries of yourself, Maggie, and Rick, whose sobs drowned out everything else.

You tried to be strong, you really did. You didn’t think it was weak to cry, but you felt like you didn’t deserve to cry because you hadn’t been there to save them. It wasn’t rational, they very well could’ve died anyway, but nothing about this world was rational. It was cruel and mean and hard, and yet someone had to live through it. That was you, and everyone else with you. That was the burden of living in this world, one that you could never quite accept, but not for lack of trying.

From that moment, Rick was not the same. Daryl had tried to get his attention, but he was unresponsive, at least until he picked up his axe and ran off into the prison. In his absence, Daryl stepped up to the plate, even organizing a quick run with Maggie for formula.

You volunteered to go with him, but he insisted upon you staying back and helping with the baby and clearing out the walker corpses from your cell block. That, and he already “thought he almost lost you.” It was sweet, but you knew you’d be worried sick until he came back, both about him and the baby.

You sat in the common area turned cafeteria in your cell block as you watched Carl hold the baby girl, crying incessantly while he tried to shush her. She was wrapped up loosely in his jacket, but you quickly scurried off to your cell to get a clean shirt to wrap her in. It was one of those plaid wool flannels you picked up on your travels. It kept you warm on so many cold nights, the least you could do is impart its warmth onto someone who needed it more than ever.

You jogged back into the room with your flannel in hand and spread it out on the table Carl was sat at. He looked up at you curiously, his young and yet so hardened face questioning you.

“Get rid of that jacket, lay her down on this.” You patted your hand on the soft wool fabric.

“Why?” he asked, discarding the old bloodied jacket.

“Because we just cleaned her, and if we keep her in that thing she’ll just get dirty again. Plus, this one’s warmer. Now put her down on the shirt.”

He did as you said, but still skeptical.

“Now, I’m gonna show you how to swaddle her, okay? It’s super simple.”

Usually, when you’d swaddled a baby in the past, you did it with a baby blanket that you could lay out in a diamond shape, but the shirt was the closest thing you had to a baby-sized blanket, so you’d have to make do.

“Take the right sleeve,” you instructed, performing the action as you did so the baby crying all the while, “fold it over her belly and tuck her in.” Next, you moved your hand down to the hem of the shirt, loose threads dangling from it after months of wear and tear. “Now you bring the bottom up over her feet, that way they don’t get cold. Then just take the other sleeve and pull it over tight and tuck it under her.” You mirrored the motions with your words, going slowly so Carl could pay attention to your precise movements. It wasn’t the best swaddle, but it would have to do. “And voilà. You’ve got yourself a swaddled baby.”

You picked her up and held her in your arms, but she was still crying. You rocked her back and forth, and that combined with the new swaddle seemed to calm her down til she wasn’t crying nearly as much.

You carefully handed the baby back to her brother, cooing at her in your baby voice (the one you usually used around your cat) as you did so.

“How do you know how to do that?” he asked.

You sat down next to him at the table. “I had this friend, Katie. She had a baby a few years back, and the guy she had the baby with was a real jerk.” He was also an abusive drug addict, but you didn’t feel the need to tell the young boy that. “He kicked them both out on the street when her little boy was just a few days old. That night, she knocked on my door needing a place to stay. They lived with me for about… six months before she found a new place. Had to learn a bit to help take care of him.”

Katie, you thought. Her little boy…

You hadn’t seen her since she moved out, but you talked to her over the phone every week to see how she was doing. You had a bad habit of thinking about people from the past and wondering how they were doing, if they were even alive. You hadn’t thought about her yet, about all the pain she went through. She was in love with an asshole who couldn’t give a shit about her, and you knew how that felt. In your hopeful mind, you chose to believe she was still out there, with her little boy, safe. It was what you had to believe.

“That was nice of you,” Carl said. “To let her in your house like that.”

“Well, she was a friend, and she was all alone. I found myself thinking about if I were in that situation, how would I feel?”

“It’s like in the Bible,” Beth chimed in from the other table where she sat with her father. “‘Do to others what you would have them do to you.’”

You smiled at her and nodded. “Yeah. Just like that.”

You weren’t a Christian, or religious in any sense of the word. That was your mother. When she wasn’t cooking or cleaning, she was watching Billy Graham sermons on TV or on the phone organizing Bible studies with the other local church ladies. As much as she tried to impart those beliefs onto you and your brother, neither of you could ever get into it like she did. By the time you went off to college, you didn’t believe anymore, and that was one of the reasons your relationship with her became sour.

You didn’t understand how anyone could still believe in God after what had happened in the world, but who were you to judge anyone on how they kept their hopes alive? Your hope was in the people you surrounded yourself with, and anything that provided someone else a little light in this dark world was okay in your book.

Your thoughts were dissipated when you heard the loud rumble of Daryl’s motorcycle followed by the rattling of the gates being opened.

“They’re back,” you sighed in relief. It was already dark out now, so if they had been any later you would’ve gone out looking for them yourself.

Only a few minutes later, you looked up from the crying baby in Carl’s arms to see Daryl and Maggie rushing in with formula and other baby supplies.

Daryl pulled off his poncho and dropped his crossbow before giving you a hug and a small kiss, then turned to Carl and the baby.

“How’s she doing?” he asked.

“Hungry,” you said.

He knelt down by Carl and took the baby in his arms while Maggie and Beth prepared the formula. You watched with amusement as he shushed the baby and held her tiny body in his arms. Standing up, he took the formula from Beth and began feeding her himself, cooing at her all the while.

“Come on, come on,” he said softly, encouraging the baby to drink from the bottle. “There.”

Her crying finally ceased completely as she drank. He chuckled a little and smiled at you as you stood beside him to watch the baby in all her cuteness (though, you did think Daryl was even cuter if you were being honest).

“She got a name yet?” he asked you.

You exchanged a look with Carl. “Not yet. Carl’s in charge of names.”

He looked back at Carl. “I was thinking… maybe Sophia," Carl said. You smiled at the sweet boy. “Then there’s Carol, too. And Andrea. Amy. Jacqui. Patricia.” Your smile faded as you remembered all those you lost, their names etching into your mind like old lovers’ initials on a tree. “Or… Lori. I don’t know.”

Daryl looked back down at the baby in his arms as he rocked her gently back and forth. It was so sweet you thought you’d die on the spot. He smiled the more she voraciously sucked on her bottle. “Yeah, you like that? Huh?” he asked softly, in what you could only assume was the closest he’d ever get to a baby voice. “Little ass-kicker.”

You scoffed and rolled your eyes. That’s my Daryl.

He looked up at you with a big smile. “Right?” You just snorted in amusement.

He looked around the room at the others. “That’s a good name, right?” You all laughed and nodded. It was as good a name as any. “Little ass-kicker,” he repeated, looking back down at her as she ate. “You like that, sweetheart?”

“Looks like someone’s got a new favorite uncle,” you said.

Daryl smiled with reddened cheeks and the others laughed some more, enjoying the peaceful moment and the sense of family between you all. Even the prisoners, Axel and Oscar, were sharing in the joy of watching the little baby have her first meal.

The day had been a tragedy, but at least there was one good, wholesome moment amongst all the death and despair. Life was constantly shifting between intense highs and even more intense lows, but the highs were worth enduring everything else, you thought.

Daryl didn’t have watch that night, so the two of you retired to your cell after the baby was put to bed. As you sat on your mattress, Daryl sat behind your shirtless body and changed the bandages on your gunshot wound with the utmost care and concentration.

“It’s not surgery, you know,” you told him.

“Jus’ don’t wanna mess up the stitches.”

Once he’d finished, he pressed a featherlight kiss to your bandage. You didn’t feel it, but you heard him make an exaggerated “mwah” sound as he did it. “There.”

You giggled and turned to face him, wrapping your arms around his neck. “Thanks, honey.”

He nodded. “Anytime.”

He handed you your nightshirt and helped you get it over your head and arms. Laying yourself down and snuggling under the covers, you watched as he stripped down to his underwear in preparation to sleep. He usually kept all his clothes on when he slept, but the added security of the prison made him a little more comfortable letting his guard down. Even so, the man could get dressed at the speed of lightning, so if he needed to get up and go he still could.

“You looked so cute with that baby earlier.” You didn’t mean to say that out loud, but it just kind of happened.

He scoffed as he joined you under the covers. “Should start chargin’ ya a quarter every time you say I’m cute. I’d be a rich man.” He wrapped his arm under you and pulled you in to rest your head on his chest.

“I mean it, Daryl. You’re a natural with babies.”

“Don’ know about that.” He absentmindedly played with your hair as he usually did.

“Uncle Daryl,” you laughed. “Has a nice ring to it.”

He let out a soft chuckle, its delightful lilt fading into a few moments of comfortable silence.

“Daryl, if I ask you something, do you promise not to get mad?”

He looked at you with furrowed brows. “Depends. What you gonna ask?”

You rolled your eyes. “You won’t get mad?” You felt like a little kid about to tell your dad you accidentally cracked the windshield of his 1959 Eldorado with a baseball (you knew the feeling from experience).

He sighed. “I won’t get mad.”

“Have you ever… thought about having a child?”

You knew this was uncharted territory in your relationship, so you were trying to tread carefully. What you did know about Daryl’s childhood was that he hated his own father, so if anything you were expecting him not to have any desire to be a father himself. Still, you were curious, and seeing the image of Daryl, the man you loved so much, holding that sweet, tiny baby in his arms… it got you thinking.

He was silent for a bit, but he hadn’t recoiled. You felt his muscles tense and his heartbeat speed up a little, too. You just hoped he would speak and save you from having to guess what he was thinking.

“Never thought about it,” he said simply.

You nodded. “I’m not saying I want to have a kid or anything,” you blurted out, “just that it’s good to know.”

He looked at your seriously. “Do you want a kid?”

You gulped nervously. Now you were the one tensing up. “I… I don’t know. I used to say I’d only have a kid if I ever met someone I’d want to have a kid with. I was fine with not ever having any if that’s how it ended up.”

“What about now?” he asked. You couldn’t believe he was still even talking to you. Daryl Dixon surprised you more and more everyday.

“Now… it’s a scary world to have a baby in.”

Daryl nodded in agreement. He couldn’t help but be curious about what you said about finding the right person to have a baby with, and wondering if he could be that person.

He never thought about having children. He’d never even been in a relationship before, how was he supposed to think about being a father? Now that he was thinking about it, the idea frightened him, but if he had to have a child with anyone, he knew it would be you.

“Couldn’t live with myself if—” he cut himself off.

“If what?” you asked.

He swallowed hard. “If what happened to Lori… happened to you.”

You were silent for a bit, a distant echo of Rick’s gut-wrenching sobs reverberating in your mind. “Hey,” you sat up to look him directly in the eyes. “I’m not saying I want to have a baby, I guess what I’m saying is… hypothetically speaking, you’re the man I’d want to have a baby with.”

His eyes widened, yet softened as he looked at you. “I’d uh, I’d wanna have a kid with you too… ya know, hypothetically speaking.”

You closed your eyes and smiled. “Thanks, Daryl.”

The night passed by without incident. When the morning came, you were one of the first ones up again (though Daryl had gotten up before you to clear out the generator room) so you made oatmeal for everyone again.

Rick was still acting strange, alienating himself from you all and not interacting at all with the baby or Carl. You hoped it was just his way of grieving and not a permanent state.

Later that day, Daryl, Carl, and Oscar cleared out the lower levels of the prison. You were feeding the baby in the common area when he came in with Carol in his arms.

“Oh my god,” you said, standing up to see if she was really there. “She’s alive?”

Daryl nodded as he hurriedly carried her into the cell block while you followed before handing the baby to Beth. “Barely. Think she’s dehydrated.”

“I’ll get her some water,” you said. It was a miracle. You hadn’t lost as much as you thought yesterday, so that was a relief.

The day wasn’t going too bad up until Rick and Carl came back into the prison with a woman you didn’t recognize.

She was injured, shot in her leg, and carrying a katana. You wondered why Rick had brought her into the prison, but then you realized: she was carrying a bag of baby formula.

Glenn and Maggie had gone out only a few hours earlier to find formula and ammo. The woman said she’d seen them get taken by “the same son of a bitch” who shot her. When they mentioned the prison, she figured it was where they came from.

“How do you know we can trust her?” Oscar asked as you all discussed your next move.

“We can’t,” you replied, “but we can’t take the risk of not believing her, either.”

“This is Maggie and Glenn. Why are we even debating?” Beth asked.

“We ain’t,” said Daryl. “I’ll go after ‘em.”

“Well, this place sounds pretty secure. You can’t go alone,” Rick retorted.

“I’ll go,” offered Beth.

“Me, too,” Axel chimed in.

“I’m in,” Oscar agreed.

“Well, if you all are going, I’m going, too,” you said. It would be a ragtag group, but it would have to do.

About twenty minutes later, you were in your cell getting ready to go. Daryl had given you a funny look when you said you were going to join in the rescue, but you brushed it aside. You knew he hated for you to go anywhere with a chance of danger, but you loved Maggie and Glenn, so getting them back was something you wanted to be a part of.

As you packed a few essentials for the journey, you heard Daryl swing open the squeaky gate to your cell. You felt him place his hands on your hips before spinning you around to face him.

You giggled at his sudden touch, but he just looked at you seriously as he chewed in the inside of his bottom lip. “You ain’t goin’, (Y/N).”

Your eyes widened and your smile faded. “Why not?”

“Too dangerous. We don’t even know if this girl’s tellin’ the truth. And if she is, these people got weapons, military-grade. I don’t want you anywhere near that.”

You forced his hands off of you and stepped away from him. “Are you shitting me?”

He looked at you surprised. “Nah, I ain’t.”

“So you don’t think I can fight? Or do anything useful around here?”

Daryl shook his head in frustration. “No, I ain’t sayin’ that. I’m sayin’ I don’t want you in any danger if I can help it.”

“But what about you?” you asked, your tone getting more and more irritated. “You go out there constantly, alone. You don’t think that worries me? Hell, when you went to get formula yesterday, all I could think about was every possible bad thing that could happen to you.”

Daryl lowered his head. “I know.”

“You know?!” you practically yelled. “I don’t think you do.”

“I do, (Y/N). Back when ya got shot, I wasn’t able to keep you safe. I don’t want anything like that to happen again. If you go with us, I can’t protect ya. It ain’t just one kid with a gun.” He tried to grab your hands but you smacked his away.

“Just go,” you said, turning around and rather petulantly knocking your pack to the floor. “You’ve made your point.”

“(Y/N), listen to me—”

“No, Daryl!” you yelled, turning back to face him and pointing your finger in his chest. “You listen to me. I’m tired of people treating me like I’m useless. I can fight, I can hold my own. I know I can, but you just think I can’t do anything!”

“Hey, that ain’t true!” he yelled back. “I know you can do it. Told ya, I just can’t lose you.”

“Well I can’t lose you either but I guess my feelings don’t matter. And in any case, if I told you you couldn’t go anywhere or do anything remotely reckless then you’d throw a tantrum! So I just suck it up and sit around worrying my ass off til you get back. That’s just how it works. What kind of double standard is that, you get to do whatever you want but when I want to do something it’s ‘too dangerous’?”

“Nah, you don’t get it.”

“I do get it, Daryl.” Your voice turned from boisterous with anger to quivering with sadness. “You’re the most important thing in the world to me, and you going out there alone, or even just not knowing if you’re going to come back… it kills me. But I deal with it because I love you.” You wiped your tears away, ashamed that you let yourself cry again. “So go, please.”

Daryl sighed. “I don’ wanna leave with you like this.”

You laughed. “Well that’s tough. You’re just going to have to deal with it. I guess I’ll just be here waiting for you,” you shrugged.

Daryl tentatively stepped closer to you, not wanting to leave with you being angry with him. “I love you, (Y/N).”

You looked down and away from him, your arms crossed and your tears still falling. “I love you, too. You just get under my skin.” You wiped away a few more tears.

“Next time,” he said.

You lifted your head. “What?”

“Next time, you can go with me. But I don’t have a good feelin’ about this, baby. I don’t want you gettin’ involved. Please, trust me.”

You lifted your head and rolled your eyes, now noticing Daryl was just an inch or so away from you. “I trust you blindly, Daryl. It’s my fatal flaw.”

He brought the back of his hand up to your cheek and wiped away a few more times. “No cryin’ for me. I’ll be back before you know it. Then you’ll wanna get rid o’ me again.”

You laughed. “Not possible. I can’t get enough of you.”

He smiled and leaned forward to give you a long, sweet kiss. “I love ya so much. Don’t ever change, sweet girl.”

He left shortly after that. You watched him, Rick, Oscar, and Michonne, the new woman who would lead them there, climb into the familiar sage green Hyundai. Standing next to Carol as she held the baby, she slipped her hand in yours and squeezed it tightly. “He’ll be back,” she said. “He’s strong.”

You nodded. “Too strong for his own good.”

You were still pissed at him, but you didn’t want him to think you were if he was going to go off and get himself killed. You put on a smiling face and the others waved them goodbye. Daryl stuck his head out of the passenger window and smiled at you, raising his hand to wave back.

You brought your hand to your mouth and blew him a kiss. Carol watched you and laughed, to which you elbowed her gently in her side.

Daryl tucked his head back in the car, then you watched as it went through the open gates and faded behind the trees that separated your world from the outside.

~

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[whatareyousearchingfordean]

Mile Six

Summary: The Kings, and Queens, of Con take on the Central Texas Tough Mudder Competition and have a good time doing it. 

Pairing: Jensen Ackles x Reader

Word Count: 2.3K+

Warnings: Language, suggestive themes

Author’s Note: So, this little thing was inspired by this post (x). I saw it and instantly went weak in the knees and thus this was born. I hope you enjoy my little musings. As always, I love to hear what you thought xo Alex.

Check out Alexandra’s Library for more works by yours truly!

Trees lined the wide expanse of the field, the grass below shimmering against the Texas sun that had settled high in the afternoon sky. A slight breeze blew across the space, rustling the edges of the leaves and sending a chill down the breadth of her wet body. 

“Your turn, Y/n,” the quirky voice of her team member had slipped past her consciousness as she watched the sun be eclipsed by a wisp of a cloud. “Y/n!” 

“Hmm, what?” The woman snapped her head back to the obstacle in front of her. 

“Go, Jensen’s gonna boost you,” Rob urged her forward with a hand on her shoulder. She shook off her daze, the exhaustion fogging not only her muscles but her brain as well. The team had officially hit the halfway point of the obstacle course and she knew that she was going to be sore for days. 

“Come on, baby,” Jensen smirked at her from where he was squatted against the tall wooden wall. He cupped his hands in front of himself and indicated for her to step one foot into his palms. Y/n halted in front of him as she placed her right foot in his hold and rested her hands against his broad shoulders. She glanced up at Jared and Rich sitting on the ledge, ready to help her in whatever way she needed. “You’ve got this.”

The mud-caked woman smirked back at the actor, who was still grinning from ear to ear. She rolled her eyes for effect but leaned in and pressed a quick peck to her husband’s lips before using her leverage on his shoulders to jump. Jensen responded easily, lifting her in one swift movement as if she weighed nothing and guiding her to step on his shoulder with her left foot. As soon as the ledge was in reach she wrapped her gloved hand around it and allowed Jared to take her other to assist. Every muscle in her body protested the action, but she pushed through until both legs were swung over the wall. She wasted no time in climbing down the other side just far enough that it was safe for her to jump the rest of the way. 

Cheers erupted from her team waiting on the other side, much like they had after every other obstacle they had overcome. Y/n ran straight into her best friend, Genevieve’s, arms and embraced her tight. Both of them knew they were kicking ass at this, having argued with their respective husbands about being able to keep up with the guys. They trained for months beforehand, building up their strength and nothing made them more gleeful than proving they deserved their spots on the team. 

The two relented their embrace as the three remaining team members clambered from the barrier.  They all exchanged high fives before setting off down the trail. It didn’t take long before they arrived at yet another pool of murky water directly in their path. The group wasted no time in heading straight into the muddy hurdle. Despite the rays of the early spring sun beating down unhindered, the water was bone-chilling slowly. A shiver ran up her spine as soon as it met her heated skin and she couldn’t be sure if it was refreshing or just shocking. Y/n could also feel her feet sinking into the thick mud at the bottom of the pit, making each step difficult and slowing their process through the course. 

Once on the other side, getting back out of the pit proved difficult, the sheer weight and stickiness of the surrounding sludge seeming to want to drag her back down with every advance. She finally made it out, running to the nearby grass to rub away what she could from her sneakers as her teammates joined her one by one. When everyone was back together, they once again continued on. 

They jogged a few hundred feet before the majority slowed down as the day began to wear on them. Rich pulled the recording camera from Osric’s head as he squeezed through the group. The spritely man stuck it in everyone’s faces, asking a myriad of questions.

“That footage is going to be hell to cut together in the end,” Gen turned to Y/n with a giggle. 

“I know that true,” she agreed before sending her only female counterpart a wink. “Watch this.” Y/n jogged ahead to be closer to the group and hollered. “Hey Speight, toss me the camera. I know what the fans are gonna want to see.” The guys all turned to look at her, confusion evident in their expressions. Rich frowned but obliged the woman’s request, who caught the small camera with ease. Her steps slowed to give the guys space, allowing her to fall back into stride with Genevieve. The woman rubbed the dried mud from the display as she steadied the recorder and pointed it at her target. Gen watched over her shoulder as her friend focused on the men’s backsides, one at a time. 

“This is the view Gen and I have had all day,” she narrated, emphasizing ‘all’ for her intended audience. As she came up behind her Texan husband, he peered over his shoulder at her, taking in where she had the lens directed. He rolled his eyes at her as she rounded the group and jogged to where Jared was leading a couple of yards ahead. 

“Now what are you doing?” Jensen furrowed his brow as she kept the camera pointed on them, now walking backward as the group continued to advance. 

“I’m getting ahead of you so I can get you all in the frame,” she explained, her eyes still trained on the display to ensure she was getting at least semi-quality footage. 

“You can see all of us, it’s a wide-angle lens,” Jensen retorted gruffly, earning a grimace from his wife. Her jaw dropped in offense to his comment, turning the lens on Jared. 

“Alright, I see Ackles got an attitude around mile six,” she huffed to the towering man who just shook his head with a grin. Y/n spun back around, now seeing the group gaining on her and Jared. 

“Turn it off, I’ll show you an attitude,” Jensen indicated the camera delicately balanced in her grip. His wife nearly choked on her breath, his unexpected words settling a heat deep in her belly.

“Oh, will you now?” The woman was quick to steady her composure and cocked a challenging eyebrow at the bowlegged man who now took up a majority of the display she was observing. The look set him off and he reached her in two swift strides, snatching the camera out of her hand and ducking to pull her over his shoulder before she could react to his movement. Y/n let out a shriek that faded into laughter as her husband gripped her legs against his body with both hands. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him quickly toss the camera to one of the guys, jetting off away from the path and the crowd. 

“Aw, come on, Ackles,” Jared’s voice faded as Jensen carried the woman to the nearby tree line. “Be quick!” 

Shade enclosed the two completely before he set her back on her feet. Jensen pushed her back a step until her body hit rough bark. He placed one hand on either side of her head, caging her against the oak. She took a deep breath now that her stomach was no longer restricted by his shoulder and looked up at her husband through her lashes her stomach fluttering as she took in his hooded gaze. 

“I feel like you want to say something.” A hint of a smile twitched at the corners of her lips which was instantly reciprocated by the actor. He raised a gloved hand, trailing his exposed fingertips light as a feather across her jaw and down her neck. His eyes were trained where his digit tucked into the collar of her destroyed tee and pulled it away from her skin. 

“You’re cold,” he noted, the smug upturn of one corner of his lips telling her he had noticed her condition a long while ago. Y/n followed his gaze, noting the faint outline of her nipples seeping through the sports bra. She cursed silently, having hoped the material would have done a better job at hiding her modesty throughout the day. 

“Maybe-”

“Maybe?” His eyes flickered up to hers, amusement hidden throughout the familiar verdant iris’ that she loved so much. Dragging out the moment, the woman chewed on her bottom lip and took the opportunity to enjoy the visage of her husband. His hair was a wild mess, pushed away from his face with a sweatband that matched the color of his shorts and tennis shoes. He was caked in mud from head to toe, much like she was. A lot of it had dried and caked to the skin of his face and his beard while his body was dripping with the foggy liquid and his sweat. Even through all of it, he was somehow still as beautiful as ever. Still Jensen Ackles. 

“Maybe I’ve just been enjoying the view,” she teased him, her hands gripping the stretched-out material of his shirt to pull his body flush against her own. He was warm and refreshingly cool at the same time. Y/n breathed in his musky scent, mixed with the fading aroma of his signature cologne. It was her favorite thing in the world, something reserved just for her and the times he spent ravaging her body. 

“I can’t take you anywhere can I?” The hot breath of his chuckle fanned over her face. He let go of his hold on her tee, the material shrinking slowly back against her wet skin. 

“Not when you are looking like a whole damn meal,” she purred before pushing up on her toes to press her lips to his. He froze at first, his brain taking a second to catch up to her before he responded in kind. His hands fell from the tree to cradle her head in place as he deepened the kiss. Y/n let her body relax against the wood as her husband sucked her tongue into his mouth, pulling a moan from inside her chest. He picked up the pace, devouring her in the shadows of the competition that was continuing around them. As her hands dropped to the elastic of his shorts, he begrudgingly pulled away and gripped her wrists to halt her movements. 

“Fuck, we can’t,” he whispered, resting his forehead against hers. His eyes were screwed shut as he breathed deeply. She exaggerated the pout on her face even though he wasn’t looking at her. 

“That’s unfortunate, considering your little problem there.” Y/n jutted her hips forward, coming in contact with the situation now in her husband’s pants. 

“Oh, I hate you so much right now,” Jensen pushed away from his wife, putting a respectable distance between the two of them. 

“Hey, you are not the only one suffering right now. Lucky for me, my panties were already soaked.” Before he could utter a word, she ducked away and back into the heat of the Texas sun. He watched her jog away, but not before she glanced back over her shoulder, a wide grin on her face. 

It didn’t take her long to catch up to the group, her and Jensen having not been gone as long as she thought. Her eyes scanned the crowd of people for Jared, knowing his tall frame would stick out to her first. And she was right, the mess of hair on top of his head towering over everyone else, guiding her to where they were huddled waiting for the group ahead to finish the next course. 

“Where’s Ackles?” Jared chirped as she moved through the people to come and stand with the Kings of Con. 

“He should be right behind me,” she snorted out the words in an attempt to hide the laughter bubbling up inside her. Jared narrowed his eyes at her as if he didn’t believe what she was telling him. Not that it mattered much, as her husband’s voice drifted towards them. 

“I’m here, I’m here,” he promised, only slightly out of breath from sprinting to meet up with them. “What’s next?” 

“‘Hold Your Wood’,” Jason answered as he turned to where a massive log was being placed in front of the lot of them. Y/n nearly fell over as the barely contained laughter spilled from her lips. She brought a hand to her face as the laughter turned silent and tears ran down her cheeks, the action muffling the squeals of delight that came with each breath. 

“Yes, it’s all very funny, babe,” Jensen frowned at his wife, the downturn of his lips only fueling the hysterics inside her. 

“What the hell is wrong with her?” Rich had the same look of concern on his face as the rest of the group. Even passersby were beginning to stare at Y/n where she stood shaking with laughter. 

“Wood,” was the only word she could force past her lips as she held up her hands, gesturing to indicate length. 

“Jensen had a boner,” Jared clarified for the group, ready to keep moving. 

“Dude!” Jensen smacked his friend upside the back of his head, sending his wife into further giggles. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Y/n finally was able to force a semi-coherent sentence. “Jay, you are just too easy.” 

“That’s what she said,” Rob and Rich shouted in tandem. 

Jensen rounded on Osric, who still had one of the action cameras attached to his head, and pointed at the lens. “You can cut that out.”

“No,” Y/n protested, grabbing her husband’s arms as he reached for the Go Pro. “Keep it in.” 

Forevers: @22sarah08​ @440mxs-wife​ @akshi8278​ @anathewierdo​ @asgoodasdancingqueen @atc74​ @awesome-badass-cafeteria-sauce​​ @briagallen​ @callmekda​ @dawnie1988​ @deandreamernp​ @deangirl93​ @deanwanddamons​ @ellewritesfix05​ @emoryhemsworth​ @foxyjwls007​ @hobby27​ @janicho88​ @jbsgirl4ever11​ @jensengirl83​ @lunarmoon8​ @lyarr24​ @mishacollins4evah​ @miss-nerd95​ @mrsjenniferwinchester​ @msmarvelouswinchester​ @polina-93​​ @sleepylunarwolf​ @squirrelnotsam​ @stiles-stilinski-24-dylan​ @suckmyapplejacks​ @supraveng​ @tatted-trina6​ @thoughts-and-funnies​ @traceyaudette​ @tranquility-or-chaos​​ @waywardbeanie​ @winchest09​ 

A line through your URL means Tumblr won’t let me tag you... sorry :/

#jensen ackles x reader #jensen ackles x you #jensen ackles fanfiction #jensen ackles fanfic #jensen ackles fic #jensen ackles #supernatural fanfiction #supernatural fanfic #supernatural fic #supernatural rpf #supernatural real person fiction #spn fanfic #spn fic #spn rpf #spn real person fiction #rpf #real person fiction #supernatural #spn #alex writes #mine

[tracingdreams]

“Zettai Nakasu” (I’ll definitely make them cry) - Translation: Part I

Miyuki/Kuramochi Unofficial Fanbook (Doujin) (2015 PIXIV/Kinakorondo)

As mentioned previously, this is a super cute doujin and as requested I am translating it (in parts) in text form :D

Disclaimer: Translation and thus all errors are my own. I do not have the capacity to scan the pages without damaging the book. I will include occasional images where I can get them to work, but this is a text translation.

This doujin translation and content is safe for work.

It is chiefly Kuramochi Miyuki but it is a shade bittersweet and also includes hints of Kuramochi Ryousuke, Miyuki-Chris and even maybe Chris-Sawamura vibes in it. 

Part I

Miyuki stands in the hallway of the school, looking awkward. A girl stands in front of him. She is crying. It seems like she has confessed to him, and he has rejected her. At the sight of her tears, he is troubled. “Ah. This is a problem.” He thinks.

The scene flips back in time to when Miyuki was at the Edogawa Dragons. The coach is reading out the team list for the next game.

“ Right, I’m going to announce the start list for the next game,” he says. “Catcher – Miyuki.”

Miyuki is really excited. The other kids turn and stare at him.

As he is walking home, humming to himself, they call him back, “Hey, Miyuki!”

There is the off-panel sound of him being hit, and then Miyuki is on the ground, glasses on the floor, a bruised cheek and his eyes closed. One of his peers looks anxiously on.

“You…If you weren’t there, then I’d be the catcher!” claims the senpai.

Miyuki’s eyes snap open at this.

“If it makes you feel better to hit me, then do so,” he says. The senpai is thrown off guard by this, looking dismayed. Miyuki wipes his face, then continues,

“But please make sure it’s not of a level enough to stop me from playing in the game. I’ll show you that I’m going to win the next game.”

Miyuki’s home, now. There’s a woman walking up the path to a house with a carrier bag. She knows Miyuki but I am not sure she’s his mother. She calls out to him.

“Kazuya-kun, welcome home!”

“I’m back!”

“What happened? You’re all injured!”

“I fell!” is Miyuki’s immediate reply.

The next day, at the practice ground, the senpai are talking.

“Is it okay, letting him be now?” one of them asks. The other, the antagonist in the earlier confrontation replies,

“Ah…mm. Yeah. Well, he didn’t cry even a little bit. It was boring. He seems completely unaffected by it. It’s kind of scary.”

There is a particular focus drawn here to the number ‘2’

***

For some reason, I’ve always had problems getting along with people.

Miyuki remembers an encounter with a girl at middle school, and she calls his name, asking if he wants to walk home with her. He looks at her, confused, then asks,

“Why? No thanks. More to the point, who are you, even? Didn’t you get the wrong person?”

The girl looks thunderstruck. There’s the sound of her slapping him.

At the game, later, a teammate notices the slap mark on his face and asks if he is all right. Miyuki agrees that he is.

It’s not entirely a bad thing. I just need to learn how to turn it into a weapon.

There is the sound of a bat hitting a ball far over the fence, then Miyuki, sitting on the bench in his Edogawa uniform after the game. He looks content.

“He rushed the contest and threw a soft ball. Lucky me!” he reflects to himself.

Baseball is so much fun that those strong emotions make me lose control of myself.

His cheek is bruised. It looks like he wipes his face, maybe his eyes. Perhaps those specks that fall around him are tears, but it’s not clearly shown for sure.

He reflects on other encounters with his peers. “Kazuya! Let’s go play soccer!” asks one. Miyuki looks unmoved. “But I’d rather play baseball,” he replies. “Why don’t you come to the amusement park with me sometime?” Asks a girl with her hair in bunches. Miyuki looks at her blankly, and refuses, saying, “I have baseball practice.”

It’s a school parent-teacher meeting, and Toku has been called in to talk to his teacher about his progress. The teacher leans across the desk.

“He’s a good lad, and capable of clearly stating his opinions,” he says frankly, “but he needs to take more interest in the other children.”

As he and his father walk home, Miyuki trotting behind Toku, there is silence. Then, Toku breaks the quiet.

“Baseball,” he states, and Miyuki looks up at him, surprised.

“Is it fun?” Toku asks. Miyuki smiles.

“Yes.” He says warmly. Toku replies,

“Then it’s fine.”

Dad and I, just the two of us. Anything I can do on my own, I am able to do just fine. I can cook, and go shopping, and do the cleaning, and the laundry. If you get used to it, it stops being a burden on you.

Someone’s hand is on his head – it’s not clear whose. Maybe it’s Toku’s. Miyuki’s big eyes look up at them, as they say, rather condescendingly,

“Kazuya-kun, you’re very impressive, able to do all these things.”

Because of that, perhaps, I’m allowed to go put my all into my baseball playing. Maybe I put all my feelings of loneliness into it, or played out the part of me that felt like I was lacking in freedom. Even though I never thought that way about it. I didn’t feel I could do baseball and give nothing in return. I’m trying to play it too cool…but I never complained about it.

It’s night, and Miyuki, in his pyjamas, walks along the hallway. He sees the door is a little open.

He never showed me any weaknesses either.

Glancing through he sees Toku, looking at the photo of him, his wife and his son. Standing in shadow, Miyuki observes his father, the only light coming from the room beyond. Toku has no idea he is there.

Love. Affection. I still don’t really understand those.

The timeline returns back to Seidou, and the girl who has confessed to him in the hallway.

“Well,” she says awkwardly, “will you at least shake my hand?”

Miyuki is confused, but he shakes her hand anyway.

I don’t want to think about anything that’s pointless.

***

It’s raining, and Miyuki’s in the second year classroom at Seidou. It’s autumn, pushing towards winter now. There’s a commotion coming from outside. It’s Sawamura. He’s got his hands pressed up against the window and he’s yelling. “What is this?! I hate rain! Today I felt like taking the tire and going for a run, since I haven’t done it in ages!”

Kanemaru is trying to get him under some kind of control.

“Stop yelling in the corridor! You’re embarrassing!” he protests.

Miyuki is watching from the end of the hall. His hand goes to his mouth and he stifles a snigger.

“He’s even noisy outside of practice,” he observes.

Some of the surrounding girls are whispering together about the disturbance.

“Ah,” says one, “I know that kid. He’s part of the baseball club. His name is Sawamura-kun.”

“Is he famous?” asks another.

“He was apparently awesome during the autumn tournament,” comes the reply.

“Ah, I wanted to see that! We won, didn’t we?”

“Yes! We did!”

Miyuki watches their conversation, but does not try to take part. The conversation then turns to him.

“The catcher, Miyuki-kun, was injured.”

“Yes.”

“He broke a bone or something in the previous game, apparently.”

“Really?”

“But he still played the whole game to the end. And, on top of that, he scored a run.”

“That’s pretty incredible.”

“It’s amazing, yeah, but maybe they just couldn’t swap him out.”

“Hrm, I wonder…”

“It was the final, after all. Maybe they didn’t have anyone who could replace him at the same skill level.”

“He’s the captain and the fourth batter. Maybe it was for the sake of the team.”

No.

Miyuki’s arms fold across his chest. His face is not visible, and he is surrounded by darkness.

It wasn’t that at all.

His hand goes to his side, twitching at it. Suddenly, Mei’s voice is echoing in his head.

“Kazuya”, says this hallucination of Mei. “It’s what I told you, isn’t it? Are you regretting it? Even now, do you want to come across to join us?”

Miyuki responds to him,

“I’ve never thought that, not even once. Not once that this team is weak…”

I made the choice myself. Which hand to choose.

His hand stretches out. Two other hands reach out towards his. There’s a figure, silhouetted in the light. Miyuki, his face like a child’s, stares after him. The figure comes into more focus. He’s wearing catching protectors. There’s a number 2 on his back.

The person turns, and Chris’ features come into view. He’s smiling. Smiling, but the light is getting brighter. It eclipses Chris’s body, till all that remains are his feet. Then there is nothing, and Miyuki stares, looking lost.

“Miyuki,” Someone calls his name. It is almost certainly not Chris.

They hold out their hand to him. Their sleeves are dark, maybe the uniform of Seidou’s team.

Which hand, more attractive than the rest…

This hand…

The hand slaps across his, and he jolts with surprise.

Someone is flicking at his forehead. His eyes shoot open in astonishment. He clutches his forehead, as someone calls his name again.

“How many times do you think I’ve called you?!” It’s Kuramochi. He looks pissed, and Miyuki stares at him blankly. “Next class we have to move rooms! Hurry up and wake up!”

“Hey, can’t you do that a bit more gently?” Miyuki protests.

“You didn’t wake up, so what else am I meant to do?” Kuramochi is unrepentant. “Just think that it’s better than me punching you.”

“Hahaha,” Miyuki laughs at this. “Sorry about that.”

Kuramochi eyes him carefully.

“Miyuki…you…did you have some kind of nice dream or something? Stop grinning like an idiot!”

Miyuki is indeed smiling broadly, his hand touching his bruised brow. There is a blush to his cheeks.

Kuramochi tsks, and tells him,

“I’m going now, anyway. Today, I have to organise giving the papers out or something, apparently.”

He leaves, Miyuki calls behind him.

“Wait up, Kuramochi!”

As they head down the hallway, Miyuki glances out of the window. The sun is shining. He smiles.

“Ah,” he says. “It’s brightened up.”

To be continued...

#Daiya no Ace #Ace of Diamond #Text Translation #Doujinshi #Doujin #Kuramochi #Miyuki #Kuramiyu #Kuraryou #MiyuChris #Translation by me #PIXIV 2015 #Zettai Nakasu #2.6

[metalotaku-da]

MerMay Shance

Prompts stolen from @justshance. all pieces are up for grabs if anyone wants to take them further or rework them. @shancemermay

7. Moonlit waters

Large blue whale mer lance visited by sea god shiro.

Shiro awoke with a yawn and a stretch. The eclipse giving him a short time to rest and recharge away from prying eyes of the mortals below. A short nap if you were. Many worshipped him on the earth, relying on his light to guide them. With his added boost of energy Shiro followed his glow to the sea surface, wanting to see those who worshipped him up close with the added energy, able to perform a few miracles for them should they need it. He headed first to a mer tribe who worshipped him steadily and had become his favorite from the moment a mother had lifted her newborns babe to the heavens for him to shine down upon. The babes scales a dark blue, the color of the empty sky he in habituated with a scattering of white twinkling like pearls scattered on the beach or diamonds on the land. And when the child had opened his eyes to gaze upon the moon god for the first time, shiro had been frozen at the sight of the ocean blue looking so mesmerized back at him. Shiro had been mesmerized back. And how bestowed gifts and favor upon the child. The child was very dutiful and loyal. Top contributor to the tribes shrine to Shiro and visitor. Shiro was not ashamed to say he enjoyed every minute watching the mer grow and become an even more beautiful adult full of life, joy, and kindness. His love for his pod and others they came across showed no bounds or limits. His acts of kindness always bringing a smile to his face.

That’s why the sight shiro came down to at the shrine caused him such confusion and fury. His favorite most beautiful follower was tied and bound to a tangle of flotsam. His skin marred with sunburns and his beautiful scales that had shiro’s attention at first sight dry and flaking. His breathing was shallow and only through his limited lungs. Eyes closed tight in pain, maybe even blindness from the sun. shiro feared his little starfish had died at first sight. Nearily sending shiro into a fury till he heard the labored breath from him. Just that little bit of air softer than an ocean breeze bring shiro to his side. He untangled the mer while lifting him delicately into his arms. “Oh lance. My little starfish please, can you speak to me? You don’t have to open your eyes. Just a word please. Let me know you are still here.”

“Shiro?” Lance rasped. His voice horse from being so dry. A twinge of a smile peaked at the corners of his mouth. A twinge brought itself to shiro heart at the sight. A shadow of the smiles lance always beamed at him when he hung in the sky. “You returned.”

“Of course I did. I always do. And I always will Lance, for you. You just need to hang on. I need to get you to Allura. She can heal you. You’ll be safe and well then.” Shiro felt his little starfish’s life force slowly leaking in his arms. The life goddess could stop it from flowing out.

Lance struggled but managed to open his eyes and gaze adoringly at the god. With the same look he had when he was just a guppy. “It’s ok.” lance coughed his body jerking in shiro’s arms. He carefully lowered lance’s head into the water so it could try to soothe his throat and wet his tightly clamped gills on his neck. “I just hoped to lay eyes on you once more. It was all worth it to quell your anger and see you return to us.”

“My little starfish i don’t understand. Who did this to you. I will make them pay dearly for harming you.” shiro said bring his head down to press his forehead to the mers. The coolness of the moon’s skin soothing to the burns maring his mer.

“No one harmed me. I volunteered.”

“You what?” shiro asked even more confused.

“The priest said we had angered you. That is why you fell away from the sky and hid your light from us the past night. And one must be sacrificed to make amends for wronging you. Someone you had shown favor to. So i volunteered, to save the others, to bring you back. To see you again. Everything would be ok if i saw you again. Was i good enough shiro? Did i please you?”

“Oh lance,” shiro closed his eyes as tear tracks flowed down his cheeks devastation flowing out of him darking the water where his light would have brightened it before. “Your life, your joy, your kindness always pleased me. Never your death. I was never prepared for it thinking you still had time. Knowing I was the cause is the furthest from pleasing.”

“I’m sorry I failed you shiro.” Lance said quietly tears beading at the corners of his eyes to dissolve into the water.

“You have not failed me little starfish. I have failed you.” Shiro kissed his head moving towards Allura’s domain with his devoted. “I was never mad. I was resting yesterday. You did nothing wrong.” Shiro turned away to try to hide his fury. “Your priest was jealous of your status in my eyes and manipulated you. You were favored and he was not, so he wished to remove you. But it will not gain him favor, he has done nothing but gain my wrath.”

“No, please. Do not confuse his ignorance with malice shiro. Many were confused and lost without your light. Please don’t punish those who strayed. I’m alright to pass. I got to see your beauty once more and it was all i wanted. And now i’m in your arms. It’s more than i could ever dream of.” Lance said his face stretching to extend his smile, eyes half opened to meet shiro’s gaze. Still just a fraction of his former self.

“No. i will not let you go so easily lance. Just stay with me a little longer. Try please.”

“I’d do anything for you shiro.” Lance answered softly. His eyes drifting closed. Shiro hastened his journey to Allura’s domain. Lance keeping his promise still clinging to life. However allura’s look of resignation once she placed her hand upon the mortal already answered shiro’s question before he could ask.

“I’m so sorry shiro. He doesn’t have enough life energy left for me to heal him.”

“No that can not be. I’m not ready to lose him. There has to be something. Allura please, i’d do anything to save him.” shiro pleaded with her brushing lance’s hair from his face and trying to sooth the mer discomfort in his injuries.

Allura bit her lip and turned to view where the sun was beginning to rise into his domain. Keith would be furious with her when he finds out what she is about to tell shiro. But she could feel the love and devotion from shiro and the mirror of it in the mortal. With it should could save him but at a cost. “There is something but it would require a sacrifice from both of you.”

“Yes please allura anything.” shiro pleaded once more.

“Very well the cost from you is half your life. Even though it is so long to feel never ending it does have an end. And you would be giving half of it to him. Once i transfer it you will both be connected to your domain. He will be tied to you for all the time you both have left. He will no longer be mortal, and will have the burden to see all he knows wither and die in cycle. For us we witness it for millennials. But for mortals it can be hard to process. He’d also not be able to penetrate the sea. Banished practically from all he has ever known. You’d have to make this choice for him. He is too weak. And quickly. Once his life force is gone. Not even that is an option.”

“Do it.” shiro said with no hesitation. “please . i do not want to continue without him. And he has always known me.”

“Very well.” allura said eyes glowing bright. “Let’s begin.” she placed a  hand to  both shiro and lance to perform the task.

Lance awoke to the gentle splash of tears on his cheeks. It surprised him how the salt of which no longer stung his skin. Nor did he feel in pain anymore. He felt full of energy and life like he had just partaken in a huge meal and they had touched a warm current. He carefully blinked open his eyes to the sight of the moon holding him still carefully in his arms. “Shiro? Why are you crying? Are you ok?”

“I’m just so happy. I thought i’d lost you my starfish. But you are safe now. Safe and well for as long as we are together.” Shiro answered. “Will you come with me my starfish? Stay with me for all our time in the sky? To shine down on the ocean and show others the way with me?”

Lance smiled wide and bright at shiro, just as he had the first time he had laid eyes on him. “Of course i will shiro. I’d want nothing more.” With those words shiro kissed his starfish and pulled both to the safety of his domain once more. Lance’s tail spreading out around them to blanket shiro with his love and devotion. His white scales glittering across the night sky to shine even when shiro needed to rest to light the way for those below.

#SHANCE #mermay #shancemermay #voltron #moon god shiro #merman lance #creation story #creation of the stars

[neverwatchedonepiece]

558-560: "The Noah Closing in! The Fish-Man Island Facing Destruction!", "Hurry up, Luffy! Shirahoshi's Life in Jeopardy!" and "The Fierce Fight Begins! Luffy vs. Hordy!"

This is like watching Hitler stab Elliot Roger. Can you even cheer for this?

I can’t because let’s just say I’m not the biggest fan of either of them. The most I could muster was a grim nod. “Yes, that’s brilliant. Now the other one needs to go.”

Luffy should step up in the next couple of episodes, so I’m looking forward to watching Hordy Jones chow down on a generous slice of Karma pie. It’ll be old and moldy too because Hordy’s comeuppance is long overdue.

I get the feeling that the (literally) biggest problem facing the Strawhats right now, though, is neither Decken nor Hordy. It’s Noah: the massive ship that is currently floating just above Fishman Island.

How big is this ship?

I’ll let Franky sum it up.

Noah: The Ship of Promise

The shots of Noah drifting straight for Fishman Island were weirdly beautiful. I mean, I know this thing was close to killing an entire nation full of people plus the Strawhats, but the art was so good. Dat perspective. Dat chiaroscuro. Dat cool shot of the surface tension stretching the bubble. The seaweed strung chains alone were so huge they demolished buildings and minor geological features with ease. Toei did a good job escalating the sense of threat here.

Another interesting thing is that, for the first time, Neptune has really freaked out with fear. But not for himself. It’s for Noah. Apparently, the ship has a nickname: the ship of promise. Neptune was worried because that ship was Not To Be Used before the appointed time. He even freaked out about the possibility of it being damaged.

Hmmm... Intriguing. I guess this means Noah is culturally significant to Fishman Island (or at least to the Royal Family/Neptune who is the only one who clearly understands its significance, as the princes called it “a relic from the past”). What did he mean by “the appointed time?” Why was it built in the first place? Starting to think it’s not an ancient weapon. Maybe it was built to transport Fishmen to a better place? It has loads of windows. I guess I’ll find out soon. :)

But first, there is a villain to be dealt with!

Long-Distance Roasting

Luffy scrapping with Hordy in 558 was glorious. I’m enjoying watching the new tricks he’s learned over his two year stint with Rayleigh. I love how surprised Luffy was that Hordy staggered upright after being punched through a wall.

He used hardening haki to obliterate iron shields, landed a blistering hardened kick and smacked Hordy with a hardened fist. Faced with an opponent who was levels above him, Hordy panicked and fired off water arrows indiscriminately. Luffy’s observation haki pretty much ruined that half-baked plan. It was hilarious watching Hordy get his ass handed to him. It must have really ground Hordy’s gears hearing the islanders praising the strength of the world-renowned Strawhat pirate captain.

Unfortunately, Luffy couldn’t finish the job because it was about that time the Noah Eclipse moved across the island. At that point, even the Strawhats were thinking, “Shiiiiiiiiit.....”

One of the smaller shadows belonged to the Sea Bonze dude that worked for Decken. It grew rapidly as he plummeted to earth. When he shook himself off, he looked up and freaked out because the ship was sailing without him.

“Stop the ship!” he yelled. “I slipped and fell off. I don’t wanna die!”

You know, I thought for one moment that Decken’s one saving grace was that he at least cared about his crew.

Turns out he doesn’t even have that. He said straight up to his Sea Bonze buddy: “Yeah, I’m gonna need you to become a sacrifice along with the rest of Fishman Island.” What a guy.

I mean, you’ve got to be a proper piece of crap when Hordy Jones, of all people, is pissed off with the psychotic shit you keep pulling.

Like Mother, Like Daughter

But Decken’s deeply creepy breakdown spurred one of my favourite moments of the arc. 

When Decken made his appearance, he, of course, took the opportunity to harass Shirahoshi one last time. “SHIRAHOSHI, NO ONE CAN LOVE YOU LIKE ME! SO DROP DEAD ALONG WITH THE REST OF FISHMAN ISLAND.”

Logic? Nah. It’s in very short supply with this guy. Must have departed long ago with the last crumb of sanity.

When it became obvious that Decken was about to involve the entire island in his mad quest to “prove his love”, Shirahoshi did something very brave. Decken had thrown Noah towards his marked target, just like all the knives and axes before. Knowing this, Shirahoshi he put her life on the line and swam right up to the ship, stopping it from crashing into the island where she stood.

“If I am the only one who you want to kill, please do not harm the other people of Ryugu Kingdom.”

She was willing to endanger herself in order to protect her people. Shirahoshi is most definitely no coward. In fact, she’s as brave as Otohime, who threw herself in front of a bullet to stop a revenge killing.

Despite Decken upping the creep factor, “How beautiful you are, even your mind! You’re taking the matter into your own hands to save the country, aren’t you? You’re definitely eligible to become Vander Decken IX’s wife after all. You’d better die while you’re still beautiful and live in my heart forever.”

I have no words. Unfortunately, I know this is not unrealistic.

Decken hurled a dagger at Shirahoshi. But despite being injured, she still swam off and lured Decken - and most importantly, Noah - away from the island. She swam all the way to the open sea.

As far as I’m concerned, Shirahoshi deserves major props for quick thinking and saving everyone from being, as Robin said, smashed all at once. (lol)

Hordy Has a Little Moment

While this was going down, Hordy hauled himself upright and stood there like a lost lemon, grinding his teeth and raging at Decken’s “betrayal.” Hordy, the guy has several screws loose. If he is distracted by Shirahoshi in any way, he will drop whatever dumb scheme he’s involved in to pursue his main interest.

He watched Luffy be lauched after Noah by Sanji (that was cool, by the way. Sanji was about to join him, but Luffy pulled him back and said he had to take care of the plaza. Instead of insisting on running after the mermaid princess, Sanji agreed. Obviously the order from his captain, who he also respects as a friend, takes precedence. That’s much better, Sanji! :D) 

Only then did his rage move him to action. He decided to hijack Decken’s plan. He leapt onto the hanging chains, even shooting at the islanders (who tried to slow Noah’s progress because they were so worried for Shirahoshi). I kept thinking, Luffy, now is the time to knock that dumbass off the chain.

But he didn’t. Shirahoshi broke through the bubble and Luffy emerged into open water. He had to use the Bubbly Coral Jimbei handed him. But he couldn’t use the full stretch and strength of his power confined in the small bubble.

Then Hordy swam up behind him and had a little moment when the tables turned. “How inconvenient it must be to be a human!” he gloated, using all his old favourite slurs. “You act so tough on the ground but you couldn’t even win a fight with a Fishman child in the sea!”

Of course, he forgot Zoro beat him in the water before he snacked on a fistful of Roids, but such thoughts are inconvenient. Luffy couldn’t replicate the feat because, as a DF user, he was at a major disadvantage and was forced to fight in the bubble. Hordy was straight up too fast and the water arrows pierced the bubble.

If it wasn’t for Fukaboshi, Luffy would have been screwed. I actually cheered when he showed up. xD It was also nice when Luffy asked how he was. “Thanks for rescuing me. You got hurt earlier. You okay?” (and it was funny when Fukaboshi told him off for being impressed at how Hordy was “almost like Zoro in the water”.) At least they have come to an understanding now. Fukaboshi apologised for suspecting the Strawhats, and Luffy, in his usual way, said, “Don’t mention it.”

They didn’t have time for a drawn out apology-fest, anyway, because Luffy had a plan and he was in a hurry.

Bye, Bye, Decken?

Now, I’m not sure if Ryuboshi and Mamboshi (is that how you spell his name?) gave Shirahoshi the best advice. She was swimming out into open sea away from the island. Instead, they advised her to swim upwards. I guess they couldn’t have predicted Hordy would spear Decken and, once the Mark Mark power wore off, the ship would come crashing down on top of Fishman Island, but still.

The betrayal scene was cool. Decken is obviously so detached from reality he had no idea Hordy was seething with rage when he hopped on deck.

“O hai, pal!” he laughed. “What happened to Neptune? Did you kill him? I’ve been tormenting Shirahoshi with the Noah. What do you think? Good idea, right?”

“Oh, I have an idea,” the shadowy figure of Hordy leered. “If you die now... what’ll happen to this ship?”

Then he stabbed Decken through the chest with his trident. That wasn’t the end of it. Decken hauled himself off it, blood dripping, then accidentally touched Hordy in the process, leaving  a mark on him.

“I panicked a bit when Noah sailed over,” Hordy admitted. “But I can’t kill you yet. Then the Mark Mark power will be ineffective and the ship will fall onto Fishman Island and destroy everything. More than anything, I want the Strawhats gone. Thousands of my men will die too, but I can get as many human slaves as I want later.” Nice, Hordy. Thousands of your men will die, but it’s okay, they can be replaced with human slaves. What happened to Fishman supremacy, eh?

Decken told him to drop dead and threw a blade. I’m not quite sure what happened here, but Hordy either ducked or moved behind Decken and the blade sliced into Decken. Ohhhhhhh, the shot of that sweet, sweet long distance body fall. Decken landed right next to his rose axe (which is a bit suspicious, to be honest. As I have not yet seen a body, I bet he’ll use the axe to take revenge against Hordy. The mark has not yet been removed, so...) 

Of course, counter betrayal accomplished, Hordy pressed on with his plan to hijack Decken’s psycho scheme. He caught up with Shirahoshi and grabbed her by the hair. Luckily, Luffy and Fukaboshi arrived fresh from a strategy talk. I have no idea what move it was Luffy pulled on Hordy, the snake shot one, but it looked like his hands were on fire? At any rate, Luffy said it didn’t work properly because he needed a bigger bubble, but it definitely hit Hordy hard. Looking forward to seeing it on a proper, ass-kicking scale! :D

“A fool like you can’t protect anything!” Hordy jeered.

“No,” Luffy said, absolutely dead pan. “I will protect them all. That’s what I’ve worked for over the past two years.”

For all Luffy adopts a happy-go-lucky attitude, I’ll never forget how low he was post-Marineford. It’s obviously affected him and this is one of the times he lets it show. He will never let something like that happen ever again. If anything threatens his crew, his friends or anyone he loves, they will regret it.

And speaking of...

Meanwhile... Back in the Plaza

Zoro and Sanji are having a great time!

I can’t wait to see Zoro kick that drunken Fishman swordsman’s ass. That guy is such a liability. Imagine killing all your allies just because you love cutting people. Great hire there, Hordy.

Classic Robin. xD

#one piece #neverwatchedonepiece #nwop #never watched one piece #monkey d. luffy #fishman island #hordy jones #captain vander decken #princess shirahoshi #fukaboshi #jimbei #surume #roronoa zoro #sanji #franky #nico robin #nami #usopp #tony tony chopper #brook

[cutegirlmayra]

Commission Receipt  - Soler the Hedgehog

Commissions are open! http://cutegirlmayra.tumblr.com/commissions (If you have any questions, please feel free to message me!)

@solerwolf21 - Solar ‘Lunar Eclipse’ Story - Next Chapter (Sonic OC story)

Time: After a brief discussion of what was wanted, the cost willing to be given, and how many pages that would give, I took about a day or two to plan the plot and wrote about 60 some pages.

Amount paid: 28$, Page range agreed upon:  around 60-70.

Review: @solerwolf21  “So first, I wasn't prepared for the amount of feels you had in store for me. I teared up at least three separate times. Like, woah I wasn't prepared lol  Well, first, it was the right amount the pacing was great. Parts I teared up on I definitely got hit when he was leaving the village. That hurt but was so well done. It got me also when his PTSD would act up. I felt for my boy so much. You did so good on holding their characters like, woah. Soler and Luna felt so natural and how I imagined them, great job! Reading them in action felt soo good. Then Soler going to Sally felt like a natural progression for him. I enjoyed the ending with the song so much! Photography was definitely the right song to choose. All in all you outdid yourself with this one.

Product Preview: (By consent of the customer) - Please enjoy a sample of what I can offer. This is the product’s rough draft that is being kindly allowed for your viewing pleasure. I hope you consider commissioning me in the future! :Db

Lunar Ellipse

Commission of 60-70 pages for the amazing Solerwolf21

By: Cutegirlmayra

It’s been a long time since the Metal Sonic incident…

I’ve been carrying the weight of that day for a while now… I know it’s no good, so I’m trying to get my mind off of things and start something new.

At least, something new to think about…

That’s when I thought about Sally.

Soler held his medal close to himself, looking down forlorned as he continued his afternoon walk. It was getting late, as it usually does, but he missed his morning sulk so this was his best effort to stay on schedule.

“Heh,” He lightly laughed out loud at the thought. ‘Morning Sulk’ was a good name for it, but he liked the fresh air too. It was nice to get away from everyone’s busy work and all the fighting.

Time and time again… one fight after the other. But it was exhausting, you know? Then Eggman suddenly blipped off the radar. Everyone got anxious and confused, scared even. I went out on my own to do some recon and came back with to a nasty surprise. Apparently, I didn’t ask permission to go off on recon and the whole of the Freedom Fighters was about to send out a search party with Sally at the command.

After that, Sonic had told me to take it easy… but what does that mean?

Did everyone just suppose I was unstable? Maybe I wasn’t… maybe I really was.

I’ve thought a lot of things lately…

He stared at the ground as his shoes kicked the dirt off the path as he continued. The scent of pinewood and the weeds scrapping against his feet created a pleasant scenery. Not too many flowers, but just enough to catch the eye.

Mostly, I’ve thought a lot about Sally. But then…

He sighed, looking up as he let go of the medal and clasped the necklace instead.

“Luna… The moon’s about to come out soon.” He stopped a moment as he tried to remember which moon this would be.

When he realized he didn’t know, a sudden harsh sadness came on him. “Did I forget?” He seemed almost spooked. Feeling guilty, he quickly ran to try and see the moon over the hill he usually star-gazed on. He climbed a moment on all floors to regain some balance at his new quickened pace. It was a tad slippery from some rainfall, but Soler didn’t mind it. He was used to laying on this hill as fresh dew scattered across it. It was refreshing after the walk, and the sun warmed him while the earth cooled his sweaty back.

Things weren’t necessarily quiet back at camp… the Freedom Fighters had their fair share of Eggman busting to do. After he went dark, they were on high alert, finding rogue robots from his army and taking those down one by one. Sonic and Shadow both agreed I needed space and time to think, but qgain, what exactly does that mean? Were they really not gonna let me help? Just because of the Neo Metal Sonic incident… or because I went off on my own without telling anyone? It was confusing, to say the least… I felt bad about it, but I also hoped everyone had already put it passed them.

I guess I did give everyone quite a scare…

After racing to the top of the hill, he paused to look up, breathing hard in his worry. His emerald green eyes scanned the falling horizon, “… It’s not up yet.” He looked behind him and suddenly clutched his fists. “Dang it. I really can’t let go!” he slammed it into the hillside’s top, a full-blown swing as he slightly jumped and let it collide with the earth, bending and landing on his knees to reach the mark. This caused a small pound but none of his chaos energy was put into it, so his hand just hurt a little from the harsh hit.

“Huh?” He once again wondered what was going on. “My… my abilities?” he tried to see if he could do a Chaos Spear.

As practiced a thousand, no—millions of times with Shadow, he released a perfect set of spears that flew with a whistle out into the air and pierced sharply into the ground upon descending in an arrow’s arch. After a moment, they disappeared in a swiped flash and were no more.

“Phew… Why am I so paranoid?” he gripped his wrist, just massaging it a bit and wondering why he didn’t feel himself today.

Recently… I’ve been thinking too much.

He sat down, plopping on the tippy top of the hill as though not caring if he hurt himself in the process. Staring up, he vaguely saw the sun finally setting and dipping away.

It was his favorite thing. Waiting for the moon to come up. The Moonset, as he called it. However, he couldn’t bring himself to view the moon today, though he willed himself too. A pain slowly sank from his chest down into his heart and stomach. His mind raced again from the longings of his heart… his words following, unable to contain what lie inside his every thought.

“Luna…” He looked down at the necklace, waiting to see what the moon would be like today. “Luna… if I decided to love someone else… would you always know I still loved you?”

There was an unshakable silence.

---

“Soler! You’re falling behind!” The voice was so real, so tangible. It was soft and high, like a cloud against the moon. It was shrouded in utter fascination and mystery to Soler, so hard to describe, but so easily to recognize and pull again to mind.

“Ha…Ha… I’m trying, alright!?” Counter wise, his voice was husky from all the running, heavy breaths interrupted any sweet, playfulness it usually carried.

“Well, try harder!” she urged.

“You’re just as pushy as your dad!” He raised his head up, trying to keep up the pace.

“Haha! I take that as a compliment!” It was a typical day with the beautiful chief’s daughter, nothing in the world could ruin this memory for him.

Luna raced up the track that headed back to her village, looking behind her constantly to wave and encourage Soler on. “Come on! If you make it, I might just give you a hero’s kiss~” she taunted, winking and blowing him a tease.

Soler’s head shot up, “Huh?” It hadn’t been long since they confessed the buddings of romance to each other, but the thought of a kiss still brought a faint blush to his cheeks.

“What? Was that not motivation enough? Hehe!” she laughed as she bolted forward again.

How mischievous… But I don’t dislike that about her. In fact, it’s kinda fun and refreshing to see her tease me like this.

He smiled, his breathing seeming to find a rhythm in their jog now. She was quite a ways ahead, but he didn’t mind giving her the head start. He loved running. It was something he always did when exploring new places.

But… today was meant to be the day he was going to tell her he wanted to head out again. His nomadic ways hadn’t stopped so suddenly. It was a habit to find new places and people to serve, it was just his nature to acquaint himself with anyone who needed his help.

He wanted to leave for a while, but also wanted to promise her he’d come back and live there with her… he was still so young, they both were.

His eyes arched as he thought about it…

If I kiss her… will that make me change my mind?

He shook his head.

I’ll just let her win. Besides, she usually does, anyway.

“Slowpoke!”

“That does it.” He narrowed his eyes, smiling. “Here I come!” he had stored his energy long enough He burst forward with a high-speed velocity, but nothing compared to the rumored Fastest Thing Alive. His lungs pumped air in and out like a steam-train without any breaks, his legs like well-oiled wheels being pushed by a long gear to never quit or strain under the pressure. He felt an open smile as he breathed through his mouth and was charging up to the side of her at a rapid pace.

His heart had a goal in mind, but his mind didn’t have the heart to disappoint her.

He began to catch up swiftly, causing her to stop laughing and gasp in fright. Immediately, she began to run with all her effort—for real this time. Though, her curiosity and fright at his sudden bolt made her keep looking over her shoulder, slowing her speed down every time she looked back to see him continually picking up speed.

“Eeee..!” her mouth stretched far back, clearly nervous about the rewards at stake…

“Heh.” Here’s for trying to tempt me! He slid up next to her and grabbed her hand, “Need a boost?”

“Ah!” she blushed, while he looped her hand under his arm and passed the village gates—side by side.

Serves her right for upping the ante.

It was terribly romantic, too. A duo tie. However, if Soler knew anything about Luna, she would downplay his charms and pretend like she wasn’t smitten at all by it.

“Y-you’re pretty fast.” She didn’t move away from him as he slowed down to a stop, looking down at her ducking face.

He could still see the pink all over her muzzle though, so it was enough to make him smile.

There was heat on his cheeks too, but the fresh air and smell of food being cooked in the village cooled and stilled him off. He would probably eat something light with her to make up for all the lost energy.

He decided not to ask about the ‘reward’ but instead, poke at her nose. “I know you’re pretty fast yourself. Almost lost there if I didn’t think fast too.”

She giggled at his touched and looked up at him, shyly trying to disguise her fondness for him. That smile though… couldn’t even hide a secret…

“Did you have fun?” He found himself saying, finding his breathing had returned to a normal rhythm again. He was glad she didn’t pull away, it reassured him that this tie was a grand idea in the end. At least, she always seemed to enjoy his company, and this wasn’t exactly the first time he was trying to win her affections through a clever tactic. He was used to be bolder with her now, since they confessed. But it did leave him wondering if he should really leave or not…

“Y-yes.” She put her other hand to her chest and tried to still her racing heart again. “But I think my heart still thinks we’re in the race.”

“Well… who said we’re not?”

“H-huh?”

He leaned down and lightly pecked the side of her cheek, making sure to pull her lightly over to him with his arm that still held her hand in place.

“Ah! Stop it! Not in public!” she cutely moved away and shoved him off, causing him to wobble a bit before grinning happily and stepping away from her.

“Whatever you say, Luna.”

She covered her face, but then opened her hands enough to stick her tongue out at him.

“You offered first…” he mumbled as he folded his arms and looked away. He decided not to push it anymore, concluding that she probably was still a bit hesitant about it all.

“Actually,… Luna… I meant to ask you something.”

Luna stiffened a bit.

“I… I think I’d like to-“ He was about to address the subject when a familiar voice, like brass toned to a mature ring, echoed towards the two abruptly.

“Luna! Darling!” Suddenly, out of the blue, her father stepped in and worriedly embraced his daughter. “What have I told you about wandering too far from the village?! Ah, Soler!” he saw Soler and outstretched his palm to him. “Now I see! You were being protected! I’m glad then. But still, dear girl, don’t go running off like that!”

“But dad, I’m-“

“A big girl who still asks me to cook breakfast for her?” He raised a comical eyebrow as Soler covered his mouth to chuckle.

She blushed and looked to Soler, then her father. “Dad!”

At this point, Luna’s father had completely taken Soler in. It didn’t change the fact that he didn’t exactly know Soler and Luna’s relationship, but at the same time, Soler felt he wouldn’t mind much either.

But they were still… so young.

He looked back out of the gates of the village, feeling some left over thrill at running out and exploring what else could be out there again.

His powers…

He looked down at his hands with striped ‘X’s over his gloves. I also want to go somewhere safe to train… My combat skills are better than ever, so far. And I’m sure there are other villages out there that could use my help too.

He turned back to watch the antics of father and daughter play out a familiar scene. The Chief was a bit protective over her, but it made sense since she was slightly childish at times. Seeing Luna scold her father while he kept lovingly reminding her of her youth made Soler wish once again to have known more about where he came from, what family dynamics he might have had. It was too much of a blurry memory, hazy from years of being unable to recall it. Still… he considered this village a type of family, and wondered what they’d think of him taking off for a while…

“-And that one time you asked me to buy you that adorable hedgehog doll made out of hay. You painted it white, you know.”

“DAD, SERIOUSLY, STOP!” she kept jumping up to try and reach his mouth, hoping to slam a hand over it and shut him up. However, The Chief kept raising his head to avoid her, laughing at her attempts to reach his rather large height.

“Hahah! Even put cute, little pink blush-dots on the cheeks.”

“I’m so embarrassed!” Luna finally gave up and covered her face again, ducking as she raced off deeper into the village. “You’re the worst, Dad!”

“Haha. About time she gave up.” As though planning this, The Chief turned to Soler. Soler realized then that he was trying to embarrass her and have her run off. Soler gulped, wondering what The Chief was up too… “Now then, why don’t you and I have a talk, young man.”

Soler suddenly felt a whole planet had been dropped on him. A… A talk? Did he know!?

“Y-…Yes, sir.” He didn’t know why he was so nervous all of a sudden. He deeply respected The Chief, he was a good man, but the way he said that…

The two walked around the village, full of young and old life doing chores like hanging clothes out on lines or cooking for the village feast. They didn’t usually eat in families on weekends but had big parties to celebrate their happy village community.

Soler loved it here, but the atmosphere was something he wasn’t accustomed too. They had welcomed him with open arms, a little hesitant about his presence at first before saving them from a wild creature of sorts. Soler was sure it was something dark and possibly enraged by battling one of Eggman’s robots, evident by oil all over its hide. But whatever it was, it wasn’t natural. Soler had gotten injured and some of that darkness infected his injury, but Luna tended to him and his strange power had taken care of the rest. He was a bit uncomfortable with how sincerely grateful they were to him, always making him special in any social gathering, but he took it with a polite smile and awkward head nod.

Today, it seemed The Chief wanted to talk about manhood. He began to recite something that sounded recited, if that makes any sense. So although Soler listened intently to the chief’s speech on what a true, righteous man is… he was instantly bored of the topic and observing the life of the bustling village about him. He was constantly in awe at it, watching the children play outside their little straw houses or huts. So modest an abode, but then again, no one seemed to notice wealth or poverty. It was like they all shared and communicated freely, nothing was bought or sold, but exchanged and handed out without contracts or agreements. Just… in the spirit of being friendly and neighborly.

He knew it was very different from the outside world though, but when The Chief began to change his tone, Soler immediately started to pay more attention to his long monologue.

“Now, a lot of people ask what a young man like you would want to be when he grows up. A warrior? Simple farmer? But any of man can be a truly good, exemplary, benevolent man regardless of upbringing or birth.”

The entire time, Soler felt uneasy. He wasn’t much into justice or goodness. He just did what he felt was for the benefit of other’s safety. A man has his own soul to look after, but that doesn’t mean he can’t risk it save another’s. He wanted to ignore again and scan the silkworks for a sign of Luna, maybe find her gathering hay in a field and carrying it to the storehouse. Either way, anything would be better than being stuck with a rambling old man about traditional man values…

Why can’t I just be my own kind of man?

“-And so a true man has a heart that will never yield to injustice, but always fight for what is right. Regardless of this, he also obeys the laws the citizens have placed by their own will and hearts. So, what I’m saying is, the fifth quality of a true, righteous man is to respect the hearts of others, as well as the laws they give to govern themselves- ah… Soler?” The chief hit his staff a few times to the ground, causing Soler to snap out of his walking-sleep and shake his head a second.

He immediately realized he had been caught daydreaming, and apologetically scratched the back of his head.

“E…heh.” Opps.

“…Ehem.” The Chief cleared his throat, showing he was aware that Soler was dozing off while walking with him. Which… his eyes were wondering a lot, and after a moment,… maybe he did rest them without realizing noticing he was dozing off…

The Chief sighed, “One day, you will become a man. What, prey tell, kind of man do you want to be?”

Without hesitation, Soler opened his mouth-

And yawned.

“You aren’t very keen on thinking of the future, are you, boy?” The chief relaxed his tensed-up shoulders a moment, showing his caring eyes again that told Soler he was off the hook.

At least, for now.

“Honestly, Chief… I wanted to tell you and Luna what I’ve been thinking and feeling lately.”

“Oh?” The chief seemed interested, switching his staff to the other hand and waiting patiently for Soler to continue. “Go on.”

“I… There’s just a… big, whole world out there!” Soler spread his arms out. “I mean… don’t get me wrong, you must know how I feel about your village, but…”

“Emhmm…” the chief smiled, leaning down and giving Soler a look like he knew how he felt about a certain daughter of his too…

But Soler shook off the feeling and smiled sheepishly, continuing with his original thought. “B-but I can’t help and feel like I want to go out there and see what other things I can learn and do. I want to come back! Honest! I just…” he felt his animated arms suddenly slow and drop to his sides. “…I’m sorry. I have to see who else I can help. If I even have control enough to help them.” He felt his uncertainty bite down on his words, but he felt he could tell The Chief anything. Even his own heart…

“There, there, boy. You are a typical young man.” The Chief put his arm around Soler’s shoulders, since he was quite a large man. But clearly, The Chief was beyond his own youthful years now and couldn’t really defend the village himself. Hearing Solar speak these things… Soler wondered if he’d really be okay with his words. “You don’t want to be stuck in a fishbowl, spinning in circles inside the plot of space allotted to you. And although I wish I could just say, ‘off you go!’ I’m afraid my fear for my village is a little more prominent on this matter than I hoped.”… or not.

He gave a fatherly shake on Soler’s shoulders before letting go and walking on, shaking his head. “What will we do without you, Soler? Is your mind made up or are you still willing to consider staying here?” it was a kind plea, one that made it hard to respond too.

Soler felt his heart ache a moment. “You’re a good leader, Chief. Honest, you are! I just… I have to go.” Soler admitted, though it pained him to see the Chief look so downhearted.

The Chief took a moment, not speaking as he clearly was sad to hear this.

But after a moment, he nodded and sighed, walking off. “I have no say in your life, Soler… I just wish I could convince you somehow.”

Soler bowed in respect, “Thank you… Chief.” He stopped to show he wasn’t going to follow and speak with The Chief further. The Chief looked sorrowfully over his shoulder to Soler, his eyebrows showing the concern for not only Soler’s life, but the safety of his village. He was a good man, though. He was going to let Soler do as he wished.

Now all Soler had to do… was break the news to Luna.

He looked behind him, wondering how on earth he was going to tell her.

…Easier said than done…

---

The moon was high now, the stars not out yet, but the owls cooed on their sideline choirs. Soler opened his eyes, relaxing and having dozed off in a dream of his past for a moment.

He rubbed his eyes, placing his hands on his stomach. He yawned and pulled out the necklace.

“Hmm. So that’s the phase today.” He concluded, and let his head fall back to the soft grace he was resting on before.

He had matured so much since then… But his yawn still matched that boy from the dream… his past self. He had no idea what was in store to come.

Soler lowered his eyes,… remembering the horrors that would then ensnare Soler’s every step forward. The pity and the pain, the sorrow and the savagery.

“…Luna.” He began. He found that something new had slipped into the crevices of his broken heart.

“I want to ask Sally if she’d like to go on a walk with me.”

It wasn’t what he usually said to the moon, but it was just what popped out. He had conversations like this, out loud with the moon as the only witness, holding Luna’s necklace by his heart. The moon never responded, and neither did Luna.

But there was no silence this time. Crickets hopped with their strings creaking out into the night. The owls’ choir was still in full rehearsal for the dead of night, and the moon stayed motionless to observe the orchestra in the dark.

“Would you… feel betrayed if I did?” he felt the cold nip at his nose, causing him to shiver slightly. “You’re my long-lasting love, Luna… I appreciate you more than anything else in the world. You did so much for me… Will you let me get close to someone else? Move on? I’m just…” he turned on his side, “I’m just lonely again… feeling like I’m wanting a fishbowl… but denying it again and again.”

There was a swift wind that ruffled his quills on his back.

“Brr…” he felt the chill and got up, rubbing his arms and blowing some hot air into his hands. “It’s gonna be winter soon… I can’t come see the moon all the time like this. This isn’t a goodbye or anything… it’s kinda like…” he looked back up at the moon, shining as there wasn’t a cloud in the sky to dull its glow. “Permission.”

---

A pot crashed to the floor as the other girls in the storage room all stopped their cluttering chores and watched as Soler backed away from Luna.

She quickly turned around with glossy eyes, “Leaving..? Why? What’s wrong?”

“N-nothing’s wrong!” Soler shook his hands out, and then looked around at the people around him.

Shoot. She should have come with me to our tree… but she just had to decide that she’d finally listen to her father for once and not leave the village!

Luna opened her mouth to say something but stopped as she closed it tight.

She forced her eyes not to blink, and quickly grabbed Soler’s arm, dragging him out of the room so no one could see the very real threat of tears coming to her eyes. One blink, and she would be a mess in front of those who looked up to her family for guidance and leadership.

Soler felt bad about whispering the news into her ear, but she refused to come with him, what else could he have done?

They hiked in silence as Soler tried to explain himself but Luna shushed him every chance he got a word out.

Finally, they were at their tree, where he originally asked her to go. “Luna, say something!” He begged when she let him go and spun around.

“Soler… I don’t want you to go.” She admitted, her voice shaking a moment in her emotions.

“I know… I know that, okay?” He gently approached her, placing his hands on her arms. “Don’t cry, Luna… I’ll come back! I promise! I’ll bring you lots of things too. You’ll see, it’ll be like I never left.”

“…You don’t have to go, do you?” she looked up, and it broke his heart to see her so upset.

“…No.” he whispered, letting the word slip out of his mouth. “I want to go, though.”

“But why?” She moved away a second, “Am I not good enough?” she then raced back into his arms, hugging him tightly. “I thought you were going to protect this village!”

“I-…” he was losing it.

Why should I go?

He looked away.

Any guy would want to stay. Luna was amazing. Her father adored him. The village was just giddy to accept him into their family… so why?

He remembered.

“Luna, I have a power that is extremely dangerous, hidden inside of me.” He took her hands in his own, holding them together. “I do care about you, a whole awful lot, but…” he turned his head away from her, thinking carefully on his next words. “I also want to make sure that when I come back, I’m strong enough to protect more than just your village.” His eyes bore a witness of his love for her, but he worried she couldn’t understand. He had turned back to her, but she was still emotionally distraught, letting tears fall more willingly now that it was just the two of them.

That was Luna for you, always dropping her front for Soler. She only cared that he loved her, and the rest was meaningless.

But she clearly feared his words, and didn’t seem to understand why he was doing this.

Luna sniffed, looking at his nose and lightly moving her hand to drift a finger onto it, letting it slide down and reach his muzzle before continuing the stroke down to his mouth. “Just… stop talking, okay?”

He felt something flare up inside him, but he wasn’t sure what it was. The strange touch was hypnotic, it altered his thoughts a moment before her finger stopped at his mouth, and her words brought him back to reality. He hadn’t felt anything that powerful before, but he also chose to ignore it.

“Luna…” He looked down at her finger, feeling his lips move under its touch… He felt his whole body surrendering and he didn’t understand why. His will to continue to comfort and encourage her was the only thing keeping him talking. Reassuring her that he was coming home was the only thing that matter now. He had to make sure she understood him. That he would, honestly, come back!

“I said to stop… please…” she ducked her head into his chest fur, ruffling her face deeper inside it to rid herself of the tears and feel something warm and inviting again.

“I don’t care how powerful you are.” She spoke boldly now. “I don’t care! I love you!” she pulled out of his chest and lightly kissed him.

Now he was confused.

A moment ago, he was ready to pack up with a goal in mind. Hone his skills and help others, come back for Luna with gifts in hand, and live the rest of his life as a guardian over the little village.

But now..?

All he wanted to do was warp his arms around her thin waist, skim the skin of their lips over the other’s, and not think at all. Just feel.

He held her so close that there was nothing between them and brought her deeper into her misaimed kiss. It was rash and bold, and her inexperience led her to just dive and go for it. Thankfully, this didn’t deter his affections for her. He found where her lips were and started to kiss back, feeling her sudden strength falter and finally, she too surrendered her weight into him.

When air was required, the two parted and just hung in the moment, unable to separate feelings from reason.

“…How could I leave you?” his breathless confession gave her courage. “I’m madly in love with you, too…”

She went for another kiss, leaving him even more conflicted.

Nothing wanted to resist her, but everything in him knew he needed too.

She lured his resistance back down inside of him, pulling out a vulnerability he had never felt before. She lightly slid her hands down to his embracing arms, enticing him to follow her towards the side of their tree.

I have to stop this… if I don’t, she’ll never let me go.

His brain knew that, but his heart kept letting her lead.

Darn it! How is she so good at this!?

Though innocent to the ways of love, Luna seemed to have a knack for it. Whether she had been planning this for a while or just imagined it happening and played it out didn’t matter. Whatever it was, Luna was keeping him there, and that thought…

Scared him.

Luna leaned against the tree, pulling him close again as her fingers returned to the side of his face and brought his kiss deeper and deeper into her. When she moved away, he felt like the planet had shifted, opening his eyes and wondering what on earth was happening. It was great, but it was so sudden. What were we even talking about again?

“Then don’t go. Stay with me. Soler, don’t you want to stay?” it was so sweet, so inviting… he remembered once again what it was he had to do, what awful power lie inside of himself, and immediately took his hands away and placed them on the tree. They were on either side of her while he breathed a moment, shifting his eyes as he didn’t know now what to do. Give into his mind or his heart? What was the better option here?

“Please… don’t make this harder on me than it already is.” He was begging her to free him. Whatever entrapment she was casting on him, it was working all too well. “I don’t want to constantly have the fear that my power will burst out of me, hurt you or someone in your village.”

“Our village…” she cooed, moving towards his lips again.

Was this manipulation!? Should I care if it is or isn’t?! Luna… all I can think about is you now! Why is this so hard to bear…

In the middle of another passionate, but inexperienced kiss, he found his arms twitching to return to her sides… but he pulled away and placed them back on the tree’s trunk, resisting.

“No.” He had to side with his mind. Otherwise… otherwise… what horrors could happen to them if my powers whacked out and killed them all!?

“No, Luna…” He stated it again so faintly this time, she thought he had just been breathing.

She kissed his cheek and he pulled away once more, shaking his head but keeping his eyes shut. One look at her and he would be at her mercy again. He had to keep it together, somehow…

“Luna… Luna, I love you, but we’re so young.” It took every bit of him to fully move away, to think of her safety over the feelings she was tugging out of him. Like a tug-o-war, he kept fighting her gentle pulls and pulled back with his own. I have to win. For her safety. Why doesn’t she understand that!?

He shook his hand, rubbing the other hand through his quills as he moved away from their tree. I gotta calm down. If I don’t think clearly, I’ll disappoint The Chief… Or maybe… this is what The Chief meant by convincing me? No, no! They wouldn’t play me that way!

“Soler… I’m not a child anymore.” She asserted herself, stepping in front of him and cutting off his doubting thoughts. “It’s okay to kiss me. I don’t mind-“

“No, that’s not it! That kiss was amazing! Are you kidding me?!” His goofy side was coming out with his nerves, and she giggled at his response.

“Really..? It was my first…” she held her hands in front of herself, soaking in the praise and blushing with accomplishment. “But besides that… was it enough to make you stay?”

He froze, his hands still mid-motion running along the spikes on his head.

“…I just don’t think you’re listening to me.” He admitted, being honest. “I think all you hear is that I’m going away, but what you’re not hearing is that I’m coming back. For you, Luna. I’m going away and coming back for you.”

“You’re… leaving for me?” she decided not to argue about the ‘listening’ part, and instead, try and seek understanding.

“Yes!” he excitedly threw his hands up to his sides. “Yes! I want you safe! I want to make sure everyone is safe with me around! Do you understand, Luna? I want to stay, but I first have to make sure I’m safe.”

He put his hands to his heart, desperately hoping she’d understand now.

“You’ve seen my power before, haven’t you, Luna? Have you forgotten so quickly what I can do?”

“…You can… do incredible things.” She seemed to be understanding a bit more now, opening up to the idea more. This gave him strength in his resolve, but every fiber of his being wanted to reach for her cheek and pull her into another mutual kiss. He had to resist that urge though. He knew now he had to leave… tonight.

“But those things aren’t always incredibly good. They can also turn incredibly dangerous in seconds. I don’t have any control over it, Luna. What if one day—And I mean one day as in some day—I seriously hurt you beyond my current capabilities? What if, while I’m still growing up, my powers grow with me and I can’t take back what they do?”

Her face sunk into a look of hopelessness. “Do you really think it controls you?” she looked into his eyes.

“I have no idea what it is, or what it can do.” He admitted, moving up and finally letting his fingers curl around her cheek bones and place his forehead to hers. He closed his eyes, squinting them so hard he thought he’d burst into tears if he didn’t. “But I won’t let it happen. I’ll sharpen my powers. I’ll be someone who can save others. Not just on a fluke, but for real. I took a hit for you, remember? I really need you to take this one for me…”

He felt wrong pulling that out of the bag in such a way as he did. But it was his last resort. “Let me go, Luna?” he asked, so sincerely. “Let me go and be a good man.”

She gently… lifted her hand to his own and nodded, crying softly without words.

They stayed in the others embrace for a moment, holding one another as their emotions came back to a somewhat reasonable stability. After a moment of silence, Luna consoled herself and reserved her feelings. She looked back up at him, feeling him gently wipe her tears away with a soft smile on his face.

She finally spoke, “Okay.” She said lightly.

She held a long blink a moment, as if forcing herself to say it again. She opened her eyes and looked up into his again, “Okay…”

That night, Luna stood outside his small, roughly constructed hut the villagers had made for him as he gathered his things. He didn’t have much, but he needed supplies for a long journey. He didn’t give her a set time, not wanting to make any promises he couldn’t keep, but he did give her one last kiss. However, she pulled quickly out of it, not saying a word.

It lingered, that heartache from her silence and reserved attitude as he waved one last time down the track that lead to her home, the lively and pleasant village.

She didn’t wave back, she just winked with a forced smile.

“I’ll be back before you know it, Luna… Every time you see the sunrise-“ he pointed to the moon, “And every time I see the moon, I’ll be thinking of you.”

“…I’ll pray that the sun rises every day then.” She held her necklace tightly in her hand, holding in the words she really wanted to say. “Don’t go… don’t go…”

“I love you… I love you…” every time he wanted to look back, he took another step forward, uttering the words after her own silent pleadings.

She mouthed more of the same desperate longings for him to rush back into her arms, returning to her and forgetting everything he had said previously. But as he left earshot, heading off into the night, she could see each firm foot-fall at every step he dared to take. She knew then that he wouldn’t be tempted to turn back to her, and formed a strong face in the mist of her turmoil inside her heart.

She would be there when he returned, he just knew it.

He had to trust his gut.

But his gut was saying…

Don’t go.

---

Soler woke up with Sally hurriedly placing blankets on his head.

“H-huh?”

“Quick! Get me some hot water, anything to fight off the cold.”

“C-cold?”

“You idiot!” she saw he had awoken and placed her hands on her hips, stubbornly. “You fell asleep just before the winter night! Are you asking to get ill or something?”

He lifted a cold hand to his head, burning with a fever.

“Guess I was…” he joked, but Sally just rolled her eyes and then smiled at him.

“Well, how inconsiderate of you. Now we have to use precious medicine meant for emergencies on your slight fever.”

“Is it that bad?”

“I didn’t emphasize ‘slight’, did I?”

“No, you didn’t.”

“Then you’re not doing so hot.”

“Duly noted. Temperature?”

“What do you care? Your fever is your own doing. I’ll get a cold washcloth for your head, just don’t move from that spot, alright?” She was harsh, but there was always a loving touch behind each sarcastic jab.

I was almost thankful I got sick. Sally personally stayed by my side and nursed me. It was day two and she was making soup for me, waving off another freedom fighter from worrying about me. She said, “I’ll handle this one. You just make sure Nicole doesn’t overheat with all the decoding Tails and Rotor are making her do. Is Amy still with Sonic? Tell her he’s fine and he’s just being a baby. How about Shadow? You should tell him Soler’s fallen ill by his own accord. I don’t know, don’t ask me. We found him lying on a hill shivering in the absolute worst state last night. We would have never found him without Team Chaotix picking his signal up while searching for badniks.”

Soler smiled slightly, his eyes blinking a few times as he listened in on her voice while waking up to its worried tone, honing all his senses onto it.

Then she came in, making him nervous as he found he pulled the covers of the blankets up a bit before Sally saw he was awake.

With a kind smile, she put some food down and helped him sit up, “How are you feeling now? You gave us all quite a scare.” She slightly repeated herself, but this time, with a bit more care.

He didn’t really know how to tell her. It was on accident that he had fallen ill, but he was purposefully there to watch the moon…

“How’s the resistance?”

“The Freedom Fighters won’t give up, you know that. Much like how Sonic won’t quit complaining either.” She rolled her eyes before winking and leaning slightly closer to Soler, “At least you were knocked out before you could start whining, right?”

He snickered, “No one likes a cry-baby.”

“Ah, but everyone loves babies.” Sally joked again, “At least you’re being good. Anything hurt?”

“Nah, I’ll be fine.”

She surprised him by placing her hand on his forehead, checking his temperature and then comparing it with her own. She moved closer and lifted the hand away, placing it down for support as she placed her forehead up against his own. He wasn’t sure if it was the fever that made his cheeks feel warm or not, but she pulled her lips back into a fine line and ‘hmm’d at the results of her investigation into his temperature. “It’s going down, which is good.”

He stared at her for a moment, the closeness between them bringing a small pulse of joy to his soul. He had to be utterly still, worried if he moved, she would also move away.

“Sally…” he begins, but the second he says her name…

“Am I not good enough?”

“Ahgh…”

Soler was the one to pull away first, feeling himself falter as Luna’s voice pierced his mind from that profound memory he had dreamed again. He hated that he was the reason the closeness between him and Sally was unbreached, but couldn’t be disgruntled about it now.

“Soler?” Sally worriedly leaned back before reaching for him.

He raised a hand, gripping the other to his head. “I’m fine. I’m fine… Sorry.” He didn’t want to explain it, but it wasn’t the physical illness that was plaguing him.

All he wanted to do was ask her. Why did guilt grip at him so much?

He didn’t want to shame his memory of Luna, his first ever love. He didn’t know whether true love was a thing or not, but he didn’t want to believe he could never find it again either.

“…You don’t have to go, do you?” she looked up, and it broke his heart to see her so upset.

“…No.” he whispered, letting the word slip out of his mouth. “I want to go, though.”

I really want to go, Luna. Please…

“Soler… do you need some more medicine? Here, at least eat something.” She got the food and placed it in front of his ducked head. He nodded, slowly reaching for it as Sally went to get some pills, dipping them in some water as they sprang out into dust. She spun the cup around, letting the particles dissolve and seem to disappear in the water.

“It’s not gonna taste great.”

Anything to drown out the pain.

He took the cup and began to gulp it down, then ate at the warm soup and licked his lips at the lingering flavor.

He didn’t want to hurt Luna again… even if it was just the memory of her.

I’m sorry, Sally. He mentally scolded himself for listening to a memory. But he couldn’t… he couldn’t refuse her again.

“Let me go, Luna? Let me go and be a good man.”

“Hoo… if you ask me, we’ve all been overworked lately.” Sally sighed before sitting on a chair on the other side of the room, kicking a leg over her other and rubbing the bridge of her nose. “Everyone has been demanding so much of us… Eggman is relentless and Shadow and Sonic still haven’t made amends about their last ‘dispute’.” She looked a little strained… this would be the perfect moment.

“You need a vacation.” Soler politely stated with a hint of humor in his gruff voice, due to his condition.

“A beautiful girl like yourself shouldn’t be working day in and day out without some sort of afternoon walk.”

She looked up at him for a moment. After processing what he stated, she smiled and rested her chin on her hand, leaning on the armrest. “Yeah, and get a cold just like you? Becoming useless to everyone for two days..?” she teased with a friendly smile.

Were we… flirting?

“I couldn’t do a vacation, maybe a break though.”

This really was the perfect moment, but before he could try and push the memory of Luna aside, trying to delicately remind himself that she wasn’t even here… but was gone, he faded off into his fever. “Would be… kinda nice… to walk with… someone…again.” his eyes drooped and he finally receded back into his deep sleep.

“Soler? Soler, are you okay?” She stood up, “Soler!” She raced to his bedside, but he could feel the sleep coming on and knew the dream would only continue where it left off.

---

Fire.

Screams had already deafened out into silence.

Soler watched as Luna was killed right before his eyes, then a vile threat from the shadowed figure, unable to be identified through the haze of the smog from the village flames and the burning that blurred Soler’s eyes.

Why did I have to go?

After the terrible events, he held Luna’s body, desperate to sense life in it.

She was gone. Not a single word of goodbye or even a reunion from being gone so long.

His emotions couldn’t handle it. He just clutched her lifeless and bleeding body in his hands. The blood was hot on his hands, but he felt numb to it. The red only blurred in the sight of the massive fog moving like a carpet that smelled of burning flesh and wood.

His eyes were half open, squinting through the tears and stinging air. He could hardly breathe. His heart was smashed under the stress, not even wanting to beat anymore, but the adrenaline kept him alive.

Red… the sky soaked the world in an endless red.

Dawn.

When everything in him finally came back to reality, he carried Luna’s body through the ash-filled village; at least, what remained of it. He continued to walk as though a ghost passing through a memory. For a moment, the village was alive again. Young men and women walked at a leisurely pace to do their chores, and the elders of the village worked their wheels or cooked their meals safely tucked away in their little homes. Life was blissful and uneventful. Was that why I had to leave?

He was entranced in his vision before his eyes twitched when his foot bumped up against something.

Looking down, he noticed he had knocked a small doll to the side, but it slowly rolled back to look directly up at Soler. Its expression was singed with black soot. What have I done?

Of course it wasn’t Soler’s fault, but he fell to his knees, gripping Luna’s body and letting her blood dry on his white fur.

He crumbled in the center of the village, leaning forward all the way till his head rested just above her side, crying out a loud, grieving mourn.

His wailing chased the birds that came to eat the corpses away, cawing at his abruptness in the now stilled morning.

How long have I been like this? How much time has passed?

Crying out in such agonized pain, he felt his voice grow sore and losing itself.

More. I have to cry more. It’s not enough!

Some lasting flames still licked at the remaining and burnable woods, straws, and yarns that were all but dust by the time Soler had arrived.

Luna… Chief… the villagers…

Gone.

---

Soler flinched awake, gasping as he felt his breath fill with clean air again. Fresh, pine-smells from the forest outside blew from the window above his low-riding bed. The dews of the last rainfall lingered in the cool breeze as he tried to get his bearings again.

The heat of that morning… it was so vivid and tangible just a moment ago. It was immediately replaced by this… this peaceful and serene morning.

His sweat made him shiver, gripping the blankets and trying to rub them against his shoulders and arms.

He felt better physically, but there was still a fever deep in his memory… a fever of Neo Metal Sonic… a recalling of past events that were now, eternally, seared into his mind.

He hadn’t had that real of a nightmare for a while. He thought—maybe, his PTSD had finally passed. He wondered for a long time while taking his walks, reading his books, training in the forest, and on the mountain sides that perhaps he could live a normal life again.

That apparently wasn’t the case.

“Aughh…” he rubbed his head, wiping his nose on his glove and looking himself over. “I need a bath.” He stuck his tongue out, disgusted at the idea of him being asleep for so many days in the same, now sweat-soaked bed.

He flipped the sheets over and began to walk towards the bathroom. Gripping the hose from atop the makeshift shower, he washed himself down and cleaned his clothes the old-fashion way. All he had were his shoes and gloves anyway, he wasn’t as lazy and inconsiderate of other people’s time as some would have supposed.

After that… he just got up and went to look for something to do. If his mind was occupied, maybe his heart would be too.

Tails and Rotor… Sally had mentioned they were getting Nicole to work on some things. He wasn’t really tech savvy, but he could hold his own in a conversation if needs be.

He decided to head over there first, and wasn’t surprised to see Sonic and Shadow peering with different expressions at the results flying through the computer screen.

Yikes… Shadow looks concerned.

He was probably the only person alive who would read Shadow’s multiple frowns. Where one may say he’s angry, Soler would say he’s just thinking. Someone could accuse Shadow of being condescending, and Soler would politely suggest he’s just showing some tough love.

Amy once thought Shadow was being rude, but Soler calmly explained he was attempting humor.

Sonic would battle with Shadow through wit and brawns, but Soler just knew that’s how they got along.

So when he saw Shadow’s face, he knew he wasn’t ticked off by Sonic’s grin, but simply worried about the results he was reading.

“You’re being too rash, Sonic.” Shadow almost growled the words out, but there was a refined elegance to his stance. He pivoted a foot toward him, removing his folded arms to gesture one out to him. This action forced Sonic to look at the movement and pay attention to his words, which made Soler smile, because Shadow seemed to also have an understanding of how Sonic worked. “If we try an all-out, frontal attack with these numbers… Some of our people may not be coming back.” He tightened his fist, showing his resolve in not losing anymore comrades.

Soler tightened the line of his mouth, not sure what he thought of that statement. If Shadow’s concerned, then this next raid must be a big deal…

“What’s to worry about?” Sonic shrugged, still happy-go-lucky as ever. “We’ve got Nicole to figure out all the possibilities and she’s already confirmed what we need is in there. We just have to use some sneak and distraction to get it out.” He wiggled his fingers down and moved them swiftly to the side, as though stating the ‘distraction’ part would be a walk in the park.

Soler decided to lean on the door post, listen for further clues before possibly saying anything.

“…Nicole.”

The voice freaked him out a moment, leaning up again from his relaxed stance and turning to see Sally stride forward, placing herself between Shadow and Sonic. She really did look regal, positioning herself right between the two different opinions of these powerful men.

“Is that machine you found really worth all this trouble?”

Sonic put a hand to his hip, tilting his head to Sally as though hoping she would side with him, but looked up to see Nicole’s answer instead.

“… I’m so sorry, Sally. But if Eggman really does complete the framework and design that Tails and Rotor showed me… it would be devastating for the entire Freedom Fighting cause. Not only would he be trying to mass-robotize whole continents with this device, but the level of fire-power in these system outlines also concludes a possible, massive war-weapon.”

“Is he that desperate to know our location?” Shadow countered, but Sonic snickered a reply as quick as blue lightning.

“Nah, he’s through trying to find our many stashed bases all over Mobius. He’s ready to just blow it all sky-high and rebuild later!” Sonic’s attitude rubbed Soler the wrong way, and he finally stepped forward.

“You should be taking this a bit more seriously, Sonic.” Defending Shadow’s end, Soler watched as Sonic and the others turned to address him.

“Well, well. If it isn’t the moon-watcher.” Sonic smiled, raising an eyebrow. “You done with your ‘light cold’ yet?”

Soler knew he was teasing him, but he still felt a little insulted. His eyelids dropped halfway to show his unamused expression as Sonic twitched at his serious response.

“Geez, you usually love my quips.” He pfft’d. “Someone’s been hanging out with Mr. Grumpy Quills too much.” He looked to Shadow. “Your boy’s up.”

“He’s not a boy, nor mine.” Shadow glared to Sonic but stepped up to Soler. “Your timing couldn’t be more perfect. We’ve got an ideal mission for your abilities. We need someone to endure Eggman’s offenses while we storm his fortress. We’re after that.” He pointed back to the screen as Nicole showed the massive fighter ship, still under construction in some areas.

Nicole then materialized in front of Sonic and Sally, stepping boldly to Shadow and Soler. “Is this really a clear plan?” She questioned, looking sheepishly scared at Shadow’s suggestion. “He’s an able fighter, but…”

“What Nicole is trying to say,” Sally about-faced, moving over to Shadow and Nicole. “Is that Soler is inexperienced and can get a little emotional when coming to his full power.”

Soler looked down, a little embarrassed she was speaking this way about him.

“Then I haven’t trained him enough.” Shadow quickly looked back at him, a true teacher’s anger as Soler felt fear spike up his spine.

Shadow gripped the top of Soler’s head, “If your last little outburst didn’t teach you patience and reason, then I have no choice but to put you through the ringer…” he started to drag Soler out the door, and knowing how awful Shadow’s routines could be, Soler knew his struggles wouldn’t be enough to satisfy Shadow’s perfectionist views this time.

“Wait-!” Sally outstretched her hand.

Oh, thank Chaos!

Sally looked kindly to Soler, “…He just recovered. I’ll talk to him. I’m the leader of the Freedom Fighters after all. I’ll judge whether he’s really ready or not.”

Shadow gave her a stern look as he slowly released Soler’s head from his firm, killer death grip.

“Very well… but if he doesn’t amount to your expectations…” He folded his arms, glaring down at Soler, as if to say- Don’t disappoint me a second time.

Soler gulped. Even after all these years, Shadow still saw him as a hopeless child.

Sonic clutched his stomach and laughed, walking over and swinging an arm around Soler. “Man! You should have seen the look on your face!”

Soler pouted, “It’s not like you haven’t had a time where Sally’s saved your butt either, Blue.”

“Hahahahaha-Watch it.” Almost as if a tick on a clock’s hand, Sonic’s charming ways shifted to a serious look of humiliation.

“Heh. Men will be boys.” Sally shook her head and then waved for Soler to follow her. “Come on, Soler. I’m ready for that ‘walk’ now.”

Soler could feel a gentle but heated blush on his face, but Sonic leaned toward his cheek with a suspicious side glance, leering on the colorful pink of his face…

“Now, what’s this..?”

 “Ah! G-got to go! Can’t keep a princess waiting!” Soler quickly leaned away and dashed. Not wanting to be found out, he charged to Sally’s side.

Sonic seemed confused, but only thought about it for a moment before growing bored and shrugging it off.

Shadow walked the opposite direction away from the two, and Sally sighed after seeing him out of ear-shot. “That was close.” Sally breathed out.

“Huh?” Soler looked back at her, seeing her face light up with a short giggle.

“What do you mean, ‘huh’?” she lightly nudged his shoulder, “I mean I just saved you from Shadow, the drill sergeant.” She laughed a little more boldly now that the two of them were heading into the thick of the forest.

She touched her head and arched her arm in, really letting herself enjoy the feeling. “Man, I haven’t laughed that good in a while!”

He smiled, seeing her happy made him feel good, even if that laughter was directed at an odd circumstance…

“Hehe… What’s gotten into you, anyway? I thought you wanted to take a walk and not get involved in war affairs for a while.” She looked onward, but Soler just kept staring at her.

“That’s…” he finally looked away, uncomfortable about mentioning Sonic’s words.

“What? You really think I don’t know you well enough?” She raised a playful eyebrow, and for a moment, he realized she thought he was going to say something else.

“N-no, no. That’s not-“ Before he could say anything more, she suddenly quieted down and smiled. She closed her eyes and put her hands behind her back.

“…Hmm… Maybe I only imagine the parts of you I don’t know.” She looked up at the sky, lingering there as Soler was completely captured in how she looked. Her brown fur in the morning light made a blonde line around her body. Her red hair glistened and waved like grass along the hillside.

She finally positioned her gaze forward towards the continuing dirt path, a sorrowful expression taking root in her eyes. “I often think you’re this poor, misunderstood softie who just has a pretty hard-knock past… who doesn’t? But then I see you lose control like that… and I begin to see why Shadow takes you so seriously.”

He felt his mouth grow dry, nerves at what she was saying sinking in.

“I’m…” He looked away from her. “Dangerous, I know.”

“No, not that.” She quickly spoke out, but then corrected herself, “I mean, by all accounts, each member of the Freedom Fighters is possibly dangerous. Maybe you are destructive, but… So are the rest of us. In one way or another.” Her comforting, yet completely brash words made him slowly turn back to her.

“You’re not afraid?”

“I’m only afraid of what Eggman knows, and what I don’t know about what he knows.” She tightened her stare to a deeper resolve, and he knew he touched a nerve then.

“S-sorry.” He looked forward, realizing he should drop that subject…

She grew serious then, ducking her head down, walking with more precision and a stronger stride. “I have to be everything this resistance needs me to be… I can’t afford to be afraid. Only cautious and wise.”

Soler nodded, “I think I understand that.” He then saw the awfulness of war in her face, the sweet girl that had to pull everything back to be a vicious warrior who couldn’t pay the price of defeat.

He felt his hand reach for her, but withdrew it back to his side, rubbing his arm.

A pair of lips mouthed ‘Don’t go’ in his mind’s eye.

His eyes quaked and he froze a moment, shaking his head and gripping it to try and rid himself of the jarring memory.

“Soler?” Sally stopped walking and turned back to him, looking concerned. “Is something wrong? Was it something I said?”

He looked to her kind and compassionate expression.

…How could I leave you?

“Augh!”

Soler turned away from her, gripping his head with more force now. “Stop it!”

Sally looked confused, but carefully walked towards him with her arms out. “Soler… what’s going on? Are you hurt?”

I’m madly in love with you, too…

“Soler?”

“I’m… It’s a memory!”

“A memory?” Sally stopped, letting her foot delicately land in front of her for a second as she processed what he was saying. “Is this..?”

…Was it enough to make you stay?

“Augh…” he fell to his knees. “Luna… let me go. Let me be a good man… let me… move on.” He found himself curling up, his quills sticking out and shaking.

Sally waited a moment, but couldn’t stand watching him suffer like this.

“Soler.” She firmly stated, tightening a fist, “This isn’t real.”

His tearing eyes burst open, looking up at Sally who morphed with Luna’s image, coming towards him.

“It’s just a memory, right? It can’t hurt you, Soler… You’re not alone.” She gently sat beside him and then…

He could feel her touch.

He breathed hard, hunched over as he was, while she gently glided her fingers with a stroke against his back, lovingly calming and comforting him. “This must be a side I don’t know about you, yet.” She concluded, letting her fingers weave through his standing quills and gently encourage them to lower back down.

“I’ve seen Sonic in a cold-sweat, waking in a frenzy and heard him say it was all just PTSD from losing his uncle… But he got his uncle back… and those nightmares ended. I had almost forgotten that not all people are as fortunate.”

He looked up, and gasped when he saw a tear streaming down her face.

It was like a goddess weeping, her look of serenity. “I had to let my father and mother go, too… I often forget that feeling. It was like freedom and remorse all crammed into one, big heart.” She smiled gently as she blinked her eyes open, showing more tears falling from her strong, sweet presence.

He couldn’t help but stare, like a welcomed angel to help him through his grief.

He felt so embarrassed, having such a huge episode in front of her. He squished his face against the earth and rubbed himself into it deeper and deeper, wishing he could just barrow away and be left to his miserable self.

“I don’t deserve this.” Soler admitted, “… I deserved to die instead of-“ He found himself choking to say her name in front of Sally.

Sally seemed to understand that he didn’t want to discuss it, and removed her hand from his back, nodding with empathy. “Let’s not talk further about it then.”

She helped him up, letting him get his balance again before smiling up at him, “We can still have a nice walk after this, right?”

He was grateful for her humor, and nodded. “Please,… don’t end the journey on my account.”

She thought that funny too. “Journey? I suppose in many ways, it is.” She began to walk beside him again, just letting him catch his breath.

“…Soler, I want you to know…” she gently took his arm, seeing him stagger a moment. “I’m here if you need anything.” She looked up at him again. “Anything at all.”

For a moment, he could see a whole different world in her eyes. A world where there wasn’t death and mourning; a world where a beautiful woman and distraught man could walk through the woods and feel at peace by one another’s sides.

Then, there was a loud explosion.

The two turned immediately back to base, hearing shouting as they looked up.

Sally cried out, “Eggman! He’s already found us!”

A squadron of Eggbots and more elite soldiers suddenly dropped from the sky like metallic rain. They crashed into huts and homes, buildings and gardens, sparing nothing as they continued their onslaught.

“The plans must have been old. He’s already created his war ship!”

Soler’s eyes scanned the blasts from the robot army’s arm-canons and lasers sparking fires everywhere. The screams…

Everyone running around in horror…

He went to grip his head but stopped himself, shaking as his muscles twitched with rage and rising vengeance.

His eyes slowly narrowed down. He bolted forward, summoning his power within him and charging back to the hideout.

“Soler!” Sally wasn’t trying to stop him, only alerting him to her presence close behind him.

“Eeeevvvillll day, citizens!” A voice spoke through a speaker, ringing through the sky and to the ground. The EggCarrier was a fierce looking blimp with Eggman’s nose as its point, and his mustache as its sharp and spiked wings.

“Whohooho! Weren’t expecting company now, were you?!” Eggman’s booming voice fueled the emotions inside of Soler. He definitely didn’t care if his power was stable inside him at the moment. All Soler cared about was getting to that ship fast enough!

Suddenly, as if summoned by his desire to fight, Tails and Sonic were seen soaring at an angle in the X-Tornado. Seizing his opportunity, Soler pushed off and grabbed the tip of its wing.

“Woah!” Sonic looked to the side of him, seeing Soler.

A moment of unspoken resolve was sent across the space between them, and Sonic paused a moment to register the sheer determination in Soler’s eyes.

There was unfinished business. He needed to vent and he needed this fight. Now.

Sonic smiled, understanding the look in his eyes and lowering a hand down to him. “Well, come on then.” He spoke out calmly as Soler nodded, lifting an arm up to grip the wing better and grab Sonic’s hand.

He climbed aboard the wing next to Sonic and hung on with one hand tightly clasped down on the front edge of the wing.

He looked down to Sally, slowing her run as she gapped at his feat.

“…I’m sorry.” He lightly spoke out, but he saw her nod as though she understood the look in his eyes as well, and raced to help the village of Freedom Fighters.

“You tagging along, too?” Tails looked up and to the side, raising an eyebrow at the sudden appearance of Soler.

Sonic chuckled, looking back at Soler as he smirked.

He gave Tails a thumbs-up, “More like a stowaway. You don’t mind, do you?”

“Not at all!” Tails looked just as fired up, but maybe in a different way. He had been cooped up with Rotor and Nicole for so long… he probably needed to let out steam and give his head a break.

“Although, this is rather a tedious mission… You sure you can keep your powers under control?” Tails inquired, but Sonic quickly interjected for Soler.

“Shadow’s his teacher, right? I’m sure he’ll be fine. I’ve fought by Soler’s side plenty of times. He’s a bro!” Sonic winked and then looked to Soler, showing some confidence in the youth. “Let me ask you something.” He said this with a humorous tone in his voice, but also with one of sincerity. “That machine we were talking about before… the massive Robotizer… Think you can use that chaos of yours to good use?”

Soler thought about it a moment. He wanted to say, ‘Absolutely!’ but he was somewhat unsure.

After all this time, he was still scared of his abilities. But now, he wanted to take courage. He wanted to be more than his nightmares.

He glared towards the EggCarrier. “Leave it to me.”

“We need something strong and sure. You ready for this?”

“…I will be.” Soler felt every fiber of his being fill with chaos power. It was almost as if the power inside of him knew how desperately he needed to prove himself. He wasn’t a ghost of his past, he was still alive. He could still fight.

Tails began to warn them, turning the plane at a sharp right to have the plane perfectly adjacent to a loading dock where some of the robots were falling from.

“Jump off here! I’ll take some out before they hit the ground!” Tails hollered out.

“Good thinking, Tails!” Sonic looked to Soler. “Ladies first.”

Soler rolled his eyes and jumped. While Sonic chuckled and jump below him, Soler smirked and grabbed Sonic’s top quill. “Then,” he spun in the air to throw Sonic into a horde of marching robots that were about to fall below. “After you!” His tactical swing was so strong that Soler forced Sonic to instinctively spin into a ball, taking out the lines of robots like a bowling ball on the loading dock.

Sonic created a path as Soler began to punch and round-house kick stragglers who managed to dodge Sonic’s attack.

Sonic kept spin-dashing, coming back to homing attack any robots aiming for Soler as Soler let out a few Chaos Spears and then showered the area inside with a Chaos Hailstorm. “HAAAAAA!!!”

The robots were stabbed through and misfired, hitting the loading dock as its side became detached.

“W-woah!” Sonic unspun and put a hand to the unstable metal, seeing the dock slide off one hinge and begin to dangle a moment from the EggCarrier.

“Soler!” he cried out, grabbing his hand and swinging him up inside the blimp.

Soler slid inside, seeing a few robots fire at him and dodged as best he could while still on the ground and holding Sonic’s hand.

“Take… this!” with his torso straining, he flung Sonic up from the edge before the boarding dock detached and began falling towards the village. Luckily, the X-Tornado took out the falling debris to be less dangerous, and Sonic spun into more of the large army.

Soler felt a laser glaze his shoulder and another fire into his side.

“Awk!” He fell to a knee, not sure which area to grab first. “S…Sonic, get out of the way!” he felt his power charging. His fingers twitched. He was going for the machine…

The machine had just started to descend, a large panel on the blimp’s floor opened in a spiral as the robots were flung out of the blimp from the powerful winds.

“Hmmm!? And what are you planning to do!?” Eggman’s voice blasted in his ears.

“I’m going to…” Soler stopped speaking a moment, looking below as the wind began to scoot his feet towards the opened hole. “Grrk…” he gritted his teeth, trying to stay upright and not get sucked into the wind tunnel.

Sonic grabbed a bar near him and looked to Soler, straining to stay upright as well. “How much time you need?”

“I…” Soler felt himself faltering. The chaos power began to rage inside of him. What was he fighting for? He just wanted to get rid of all these feelings. It was too much on him.

What am I fighting for? Luna’s memory? A future for the Freedom Fighters? Why can’t I make up my mind?

Almost at once, he saw the machine turn on, wheeling two giant gears as the beam charged.

“Soler!” Sonic cried out, “NOW!”

He heard… but he couldn’t move.

His eyes shook.

Luna…

Chief…

Shadow…

Sonic…

Sally…

He closed his fist, then his eyes, and ducked his head. The power around him was growing in unusual strength.

“You didn’t have to do that…” she commented, fixing him up before tightening the bandages as he held in another painful cry, puffing his cheeks up with air. ‘Mercy…’ he thought to himself. She smiled at his cute attempt to swallow the air back down but knew what it all meant. “But I’m very grateful you did.” she held him in a stare for a moment, but it felt like a long while to him. Looking into her eyes… was like watching a constellation go by…

She turned with a blush, “So is my father-!” she chimed in, clearing her throat at her obvious nerves that spiked as he didn’t look away from her. “A-and my village! We’re all in debt to your sacrifice and-and…”

He shook his head, a softer side coming out of him as his face turned to one of hope.

“As long as you’re alright, that’s all that matters.”

“…Thank you.”

He could see the memory, but the voice was his own. He knew now. He knew what he was fighting for.

“Please… think of the real people around you… think of the hero you want to be… the one Luna saw in you… that day you saved her life.” Amy said.

His eyes flexed and his pupils dilated. He recounted taking that bullet for her.

His hand twitched, the light in it slowly fading away…

“Life is worth saving, Soler… Don’t throw your life away for one victory… that needlessly leads to further suffering and pain. We’d all miss you, Soler… we all love and need you so much…” she lowered her head, crying into his chest as the warm tears cooled his boiling rage…

“This isn’t a redemption anymore.” Soler smiled, looking up with a relief he hadn’t found in years. “I have people to protect again. I have a me I want to be. I’m not meant to mope around or sob over lost stories…”

“What?” Sonic looked a little weirded out at his spoken narrative. “Look, I’m all for redemption arcs, b-but… is now really the time!?”

“I had my repentance… I had my redemption… it’s time… to save everyone like Luna and her village! Those who don’t have anyone! I’m not as useless as I used to be! I’m strong now! I’m strong enough to save everyone!” He jumped, feeling the wind take him into the line of fire.

“S-…Soler!?!?” Sonic’s eyes widened, “What the… Soler!” thinking the worst, Sonic let go and dived for him.

He didn’t make it in time.

“It’s time for my origin to end… and my new beginning… to start.” Soler smiled, thinking back on the happy times, the good moments from his past and his present. The future… never looked more beautiful.

He saw Sally in his mind’s eye, he saw Luna next to her, happily cheering him on and then looking to Sally, smiling to her and then back to Soler.

“Thank you… Luna.” He let the power soar through him, “I’ll never stop loving you… but thank you for letting me love more than I ever thought possible.”

The laser blasted out its robotic chemical beam, but as the metal began to engulf his being, losing his will…

His chaos reversed, blasting out a Chaos Canon as he shoved his half-metallic arms up at the machine, crying out just before losing all feeling in his body. “CHAOS CANNNOOONN!!!”

A huge surge of a synergy burst spread throughout the blimp, the beam was cut off from reaching the ground.

Immediately, the machine began to be coated in an extra layer of metal, as though the chaos power reverted the effects onto itself, and the machine began to malfunction and finally…

KA-KA-KABBBOOOMMMM……!!!!!!!

The sound wave sent Sonic flying back to the side of the ship. “Offph!” he slammed against the wall, but refused to give up. Thinking his friend was in need of him, he got himself off the wall and pushed off, fighting the wind-force that was continually funneling him away instead of inside the gapping hole in the middle of the EggCarrier, the exact opposite of before.

Soler felt the metal slowly chip off his skin, being revived to his normal colors from the roboticization process. He had reversed the effects… this could be huge, but he didn’t have enough strength to dwell on it further.

He could feel something launch into himself and pull him out of the blast of the crippled machine, falling in pieces, being blown off and toppling through the sky, shot into dust by the X-Tornado.

His ears were ringing with deafness. His eyes glazed as the steel-like sight returned to normal and Sonic landed on the X-Tornado.

Everyone below… are they okay? I hear… cheering… Sonic… Did you save me?

As he came too, he thought he could see a Silver-quilled hedgehog. He reached for her, seeing only Luna.

“….You did well, Soler. I’m so proud of you. Thank you… for saving everyone.”

“L…Luna…”

“Hehe! You silly, hedgehog! I’m glad you’re not hurt. Do me a favor, okay? Don’t forget what you said… I won’t.”

“I… I will protect them… Luna. For you… and for all those… I care about.”

“Good. Don’t let me down, mister!” ”Soler!”

Sally’s voice broke the trance as he saw the image fade and Sally’s blurry image race through it, falling down to his side.

Was I already on the ground? We landed safely?

“Sonic! What did you let him do!?”

“Me?! Why is it always me?! I saved his life! He was about to die in the line of fire!” animatedly, Sonic looked a bit offended but let Soler down to the ground as carefully as he could. “Hmph, it’s not like you ever worry this much about me.”

“You don’t have cosmic power that could kill you!” she gave him a side glare.

Sonic sweat-dropped a moment and awkwardly shrugged, “But I got a willful soul to worry about…”

“Impulsive, impractical-!”

“S…Sally.” Feeling bad for Sonic, Soler redirected those beautiful blue eyes back to him again.

“Soler… Are you okay? What were you thinking? You could have been robotized or worse!”

“Heh,… Good to … see you too.”

She threw her arms around him, thankful as she tried to hold her emotions within herself. “I was so worried… that you would have become… another painful memory…”

This time, there wasn’t any flashback that would pull him away from her now.

He struggled to lean up, but he willed his body to do so, tucking an arm around her and holding her closer to himself. He rested his head next to hers, hearing her light gasp as she felt his presence more strongly now.

“I promise you, too, Sally… I will be a living memory of how merciful the world can be.”

Sally’s eyes couldn’t hold back the tears.

“Sorry to worry you.”

Sonic stepped back a moment, seeing the two’s interaction, he began to look a little worried himself…

“Is it just me… or did you two get a little… close all of a sudden?” He seemed a bit apprehensive.

Sally glared up at him, “At least he can openly talk deep with me. Unlike some boys I’ve dated.”

“Hey!”

It wasn’t long after that, when Soler finally found a safebox that he hand-painted himself, and put Luna’s necklace in it. He dug a pretty good hole near the hill he star-gazed and admired the moon on, placing the box in it and marking it as a much needed grave for her.

With her body so burnt up, there wasn’t much too bury last time… this was much more peaceful and freeing for him.

So many bodies… at least this was a proper farewell.

This is the least I can do for you… Luna.

He gently bent down and kissed the ground he had just thrown over the box. Leaning up, he looked at the sky, seeing no moon tonight…

“Sleep well… Luna.” He wiped a tear from his eye and walked back to town, hoping to help out in repairing the damages.

Getting back, he hoisted a log with others over his shoulder and began to carry it to its designated site… Then Sally caught his attention.

She seemed to be giving directions and orders, holding a clipboard and checking it often before giving anymore feedback.

He smiled, it gave him strength.

On the way back to get some more lumber, he noticed her wipe her forehead and sit down by a stump, looking exhausted.

It’s time.

He took a deep breath, shaking off the thought of how sweaty and gross he was from lifting and moving large logs all day. He approached her and offered her his hand.

She noticed the crossed black stripes that made an ‘X’ in his glove and looked up.

“I think it’s time for that vacation now.” He charmingly stated.

She smiled, accepting his hand and getting up. “You know… it’s been hard since I left Sonic, but… You’re different, Soler. I feel different with you. In a lot of good ways, n-nothing bad! Ohh…” she hid behind a hand, and the cute retreat from the comment made him blush with an even bigger grin.

“You just… You let emotion sit with you and carry you to new discoveries, Soler. It’s one of the most powerful things about you, your quality of just… surviving through the strength you receive from your past. I know it must be painful, but I admire your strength so much…”

She saw that as strength!?

He was in complete awe at her words.

“I’ve noticed… how much you try and help. How dedicated you are to not losing another friend or fight. You always get up. You never just sink down so far that you can’t find yourself again… sometimes… I feel that’s exactly what I do.” She removed her hand and balled it up, looking away.

Soler then realized that maybe Sally was hurting in a different way from himself. His was a lot more physically affecting his life. Maybe… Sally’s was deeper inside, something that she would never let close to the surface.

His empathy for her skyrocketed, he couldn’t help but pull her a bit closer, move her hand from her face and have her turn to him.

She was amazed at his bold move, but it didn’t seem to miss its point…

“Sally… I don’t want you to suffer. Especially alone… Just like you told me, you can talk to me, too. You can rely on me. I’ve learned the hard way how to hold something in for so long, letting it fester and grow into something ugly and tragic… and I want to help you break out of that habit. It’s so easy to slip into despair… but the people we love don’t want us to feel despair. They want us to be liberated from the pains we hold onto. They want us to remember their best selves…” his voice was full of honest experience, of good intent, and of wisdom beyond his years.

Sally let out a soft sigh, lowering her eyes and letting a small, pleading smile escape her composure. “I like this about you, too… The side of you that lets people feel and experience pain… but also offering yourself to be apart of that pain so they can release it. I’ve seen you help others, but never help yourself. I wanted to help you, I just… didn’t know how.”

He looked to her hand, his around her wrist, and slowly… begins to bring his fingers up to hers and gently, sweetly… enticing them to let go of their tension and uncurl, letting him in.

“Sally… May I ask you on a date?”

She giggled, but looked to their hands intertwining.

“Yes. I’m excited to see what I say.” She teased, and Soler couldn’t help but let out a nervous chuckle. He was falling in love again, and it was different, just like Sally said.

But it was also very reassuring… and very… relieving.

“I’m excited to see where this new path takes me.” He holds her hand tenderly, and the two of them start to walk off together.

I’m so thankful… That I can now share my emotions with others. Because I have had this pain, I can understand them more than ever before. I can love more deeply, care more sincerely, and cherish those things that I’m allowed to keep. I can hold them close, closer to my heart than I was ever willing to do before. I won’t leave the places where I belong, or desert the hearts I have sworn to protect.

The two seemed very happy with their new relationship, watching it take form over the time they’ve shared together. Soler looked up at the spot where the moon would be again.

Luna, I will thank you till I have no breath left to utter, no thought left to think. You’ve shown me a better path and how to truly care about people. I’m sorry for what happened, but I will never be sorry for meeting you, the Chief, and your village. You helped me open up to the world, meet amazing people, like those that could teach me and those who could support me. They’re all such great people, you would have love them.

This time, He gripped Sally’s hand more, pulling his head towards her as she returned the kind gesture by letting her nose lightly bump against his own. A faint blush formed on both their muzzles. I’ll protect the things and people I love… under your watchful, relaxed, night sky’s eye…

The next day, the moon returned. It’s dark grey shapes shifted to look as though a smiling face…

( Here’s the song I’ll be referencing for this little wrap up >//w//< https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgmXPCX4VzU Photograph by Ed Sheeran)

Loving can hurt, loving can hurt sometimes

Luna is walking behind Sally and Soler, her hands happily behind her back, laced together as she giddily follows them and then stops. She lifts a leg a little bit, swaying as she lets them walk off,… alone. But it's the only thing that I know… When it gets hard, you know it can get hard sometimes It is the only thing makes us feel alive

Flashback to Soler having his nightmares, but he gets up and walks out to the hallways and knocks on Sally’s door. She opens it and immediately touches his head. It’s pounding and she lovingly kisses it, closing her door and holding his hand, walking out with him and cheerfully trying to take his mind off things to avoid further PTSD.

We keep this love in a photograph We made these memories for ourselves

Luna’s necklace still glows in the buried box, showing many shapes of the moon, time going by. Where our eyes are never closing Hearts are never broken And time's forever frozen still

A memory is shown with Soler, much younger, sitting on a hill next to Luna. Their two heads turn into each other, as if the village never burned and no one ever died.

So you can keep me Inside the pocket of your ripped jeans Holding me closer 'til our eyes meet You won't ever be alone,…

wait for me to come home

There’s a flash of light and Soler is heading off down the road, he holds onto her necklace, he turns and sees Luna trying to keep face. He waves, and puts her necklace in his gloves. As he does, the world shifts to a blazing fire behind him, his eyes red from tears, his gloves dirtied from the many graves he had to dig…

Loving can heal, loving can mend your soul And it's the only thing that I know, know

It’s modern day again, Sally and Soler are laughing and enjoying a meal together. She holds up something for him to eat and he goes to get it with his mouth, but she pulls the fork away, playfully laughing as he pouts. I swear it will get easier Remember that with every piece of you Hmm, and it's the only thing we take with us when we die

He offers her the gesture, when she goes for it, he withdraws the food and kisses her. She embarrassingly flings back and then starts to playfully whack and throw food at him. He laughs and the food fight continues. Then there’s a shift to another time, the two sitting beside one another as their loved ones start to resurface as faded images behind them.

Hmm, we keep this love in this photograph We made these memories for ourselves Where our eyes are never closing Hearts were never broken And time's forever frozen still

The images show Sally as a child, with her loving parents and other friends she’s made and lost along the cruel way towards freedom. Soler has the Chief and Luna, along with many other faces of cheery people he met on his travels. A time where they never knew loss or heartache… but the memories are all pleasant, not a single one is sad or upsetting.

So you can keep me Inside the pocket of your ripped jeans Holding me closer 'til our eyes meet You won't ever be alone

Soler helps Sally put her jacket on, she thanks him and takes up Nicole’s portable device. She turns to him and leans up on her tippity-toes. He does the same and she sighs, frustrated before they briefly kiss and she goes on a mission. He gets antsy, bouncing a bit before charging after her, swooping her up and rushing off on the mission with her.

And if you hurt me That's okay baby, only words bleed Inside these pages you just hold me And I won’t ever let you go

There’s a flash where Soler is holding Luna’s lifeless body, then suddenly he’s reaching for a wounded Sally… She reaches back to him, struggling to breathe as he shifts his chaos energy and blasts the area. Sally is unharmed as he picks her up. She smiles and touches her hand to his cheek, a single stream of tears starts down one of his cheeks, glad to see she’ll be okay. Wait for me to come home Wait for me to come home

Luna is playing hide and seek, peeking over a tree’s trunk as Soler chases after her. Wait for me to come home Wait for me to come home

Instead of Luna, Sally emerges to lean up against the tree, being caught by Soler as he slows the pace down and moves up to her, watching as she presses her back to the tree. He studies her eyes and then her mouth… leaning forward and closing his eyes…

Oh, you can fit me Inside the necklace you got when you were sixteen Next to your heartbeat where I should be Keep it deep within your soul

Luna’s necklace is around Soler’s neck, he’s holding Luna’s hand, she takes her necklace back and kisses him, putting it on herself and holding it close to herself. It means the world to her. He nods, letting her keep it.

And if you hurt me Well, that's okay baby, only words bleed Inside these pages you just hold me And I won’t ever let you go

Soler wakes up from a nap on the same hill, star-gazing when he sees the bright full moon. He then looks over, worriedly for a moment, when he relaxes at seeing Sally sleeping silently beside him, just resting by him as well.

When I'm away, I will remember how you kissed me

His memory takes him to Luna, but it rapidly flashes to Sally, sticking there. Under the lamppost back on Sixth  street

The two close the gap between each other, holding hands. Hearing you whisper through the phone

Sally chickens out and shakes her head, laughing and holding her hands to her cheeks. Soler tries to get in for one last kiss goodnight but she shakes a finger at him and starts to run off. He snaps his fingers, rushing after her back to the hideout. "Wait for me to come home"

His ear flicks, as if hearing something and turns to see the moon appearing to sit on the hill. Its shadow looks like a figure of a girl, Luna..?

Sally calls for him and he turns back around, sorrowfully deciding not to look back, but knowing time will heal the wounds left in his heart. He smiles and lovingly takes Sally’s hand as they walk back to the hideout. He kisses her hand and she lightly hits his shoulder, bumping her hip into his as though shy. He looks forward, unafraid and undaunted by the moon behind him.

He knew it was only saying goodnight to him.

FIN

#soler the hedgehog #commission receipt #cutegirlmayra #solerwolf21 #commission stories #commission

[austennerdita2533]

A/N: Okay, so. I couldn't stop thinking about time and how it could affect how Klaus and Caroline would relate to both themselves and each other prior to/after his near-death in 5x13. (Near-death because I reject canon in all forms. Self-care at its finest!) And this is what came out. (Post-TO Finale AU + Light angst + Fluff)

**Disclaimer: The first half of this is literary in nature. It’s written in a more removed POV, and while I usually save that kind of experimentation for my original writing, that's what wanted to come out. I also couldn’t seem to shut OFF the poeticism. So I went with it.**

GOD HELP US ALL BECAUSE THIS IS SO MUCH WORSE THAN I WANTED IT TO BE BUT I’M OVER IT. 

Kudos to anyone who can guess which famous work/author I punned for my title, btw! Happy reading!

(A03) (FF.net)

xx Ashlee Bree

For When The Clock Chimes

The hands of time continued to turn because they could, because they brokered no resistance from anything in physics or grimoire magic. At least not to anyone’s knowledge.

It’s how they functioned. They existed to move, to tock away in subsequence. Their only purpose was to track the moments that the rest of the world took for granted or disregarded completely.

And so many people did: squandering each one with the flutter of an eyelash, or an exhale of the lungs that wouldn’t keep, couldn’t stay, their voices rubbing against the edge of a thought before they let the words fade into letters the mouth couldn’t spell or name out loud because it was too soon, too late, not right or so wrong. The look on someone’s face making a person swallow them all back down where they didn’t belong, and never could since the stomach refused to digest omissive lies in any shape, any form. They’d spurn back up to the surface with a rough lurch so it hurt. Scraping at silence until it stung. They’d burn the esophagus into disrepair the whole way like a warning that wouldn’t ground down or away. “Admit it or else, admit it or else.” Screaming bile into blisters because the truth shouldn’t cower in corners forever, and it wouldn’t. It’d always crawl back out because time waited for nothing. And no one.

Time wouldn’t wait for decisions to be made or listen to a voice as it begged “slow down, slow down; please, please, please won’t you slow down.” Wonderful things fluttered past in the same cadence as the awful, the sad, the loving, the wrenching, or as the missed opportunities which were impossible to reel backwards for someone who’d let them skip past like rocks already.

People probably always would overlook these moments. Waste them, too. So few of them wanted to hear how many more ticks they had left before the quality of everything in their lives diminished, or worse, ended altogether. Killing the future in ways that couldn’t be resurrected.

After all, who could bear to tally all the seconds as they fell? As they died?

Why would anyone want to capture the Before? Catching it, wrestling it into trapped silence with thumbs, knees blackening and blueing from too much squirming on top of it merely to preserve the faint sputters of oxygen it expended. As if such a thing could be rewound or duplicated so that Before’s clockwork stores were always full of hours one could revisit with a blank slate, a new page, yet would never need to be scribbled through with chipping chalk or passed by with a feeling of what could’ve been instead.

Only, that’s not how it worked. The past could not be rewritten. It could not be recalculated for a redo, either.

Why would anyone try to cling to this dream when the dust from the After was bound to choke a person with its grittiness again and again regardless of the promises it’d made to keep the throat clear and dry? Free of regret. Unspoiled by grief. Untainted by all those nasty ‘if’s’ that tasted like tarred feathers on the tongue.

Who would care to listen to each beautifully fleeting moment as it gusted away like a dandelion wish on the end of a swollen green stem? Who wanted the pleasure, the pain of cataloguing them?

How long before each second started to sound less like a soprano note in the fabric of infinity and more like static burnt deep into eardrums? Krshhhing with the noise that all middles made as they neared their endings.

When was it wrong to count the stones of time like precious particles no one wanted to throw away? When was it right to grasp them tight, not letting go? Not giving up. Never, never surrendering to bruises or the fight for more un-lived life.

What happened if someone didn’t? Wouldn’t. If one refused to pay out time in elapsing dividends because it was unfair, because the future currency one was already contracted was about to be stolen from out of pockets before it could be spent.

What happened, for instance, to a girl with a woefully devoted, often under appreciated heart which had been taken, broken, or disappointed one too many times to be able to forget how it felt to be denied - what ruin it wrought inside of her when something or someone left her alone again or far behind in a place where she couldn’t follow so that she was the only one who was missing out on everything she wanted? Everything she almost got, almost loved, but might not receive.

What did it mean when she clung to each peal over her head because a part of her was terrified this was the last bell of extraordinary she was meant to hear? To want. To almost reach out and touch. To nearly have it in the palm of her hands, obscured, but lost in a way that was about to be found. Making her feel strong and certain in herself at last - in them, too - her heart open, adrenalized, embracive of the teethy edges which were to chomp through one of her deepest chambers soon, not long from now. Marking her with a brand of unapologetic readiness, of confidence she owed to the creature she was today.

This girl didn’t need extraordinary on her own - not all on her own - but she desired it with this man here before her. She knew that without a doubt now. Just as he was set to disappear.

The only problem was this: she wanted him out there somewhere still living. Still existing like the constant he was, or came to be over these uncountable years. She needed him to stay a fragment of light that’d never fade, that’d never fall from its spot in the sky so she could see it always - with her eyes closed, soul stretched through every shadow or curve of darkness - so she could chase it with feet one day knowing he’d be there waiting for her on the other side.

It was imperative that his coming seconds continued to stretch. Bend. Twist. Multiply. Endure.

But what happened if the hands of time stopped revolving because they intended to sweep the constant of him away for good? How did she feel to know it was nearly over between them? The end? Their last moment? This goodbye becoming the most rotten she’d ever tasted on dry lips since they still thirsted for the hope of another kiss.

It might be the end of every possibility…

The dropping curtain….

The final eclipse…

The threads of a vanishing eternity plunging into a hole that would fray its edges like the snap of a coffin lid…

So what became of her? Of him? Of them and this nearly-something which never came fully to fruition?

What next? What happened after the clock froze with a loud ding to assault their ears, catching their hearts off guard when it resounded out loud into the night with one last chime? Because if they couldn’t reverse the ding above their heads at midnight, if this fate was impossible to prevent, then how come those clock hands halted like lungs holding in a breath before a sigh?

Pssst, let me let you in on a little secret:

Out of time is not where their story ended.

It’s where it stopped—

then started all over again.

Caroline loved to cycle through the city. Preferred it, really. Given the option, she always chose a spontaneous ride over an aimless or idle stroll through the streets when a wandering mood struck her, as one often did. Restlessness dug into her as deeply as fangs anymore; or had, more specifically, for the past three decades or so.

“You’ll hear no complaints from me over it. Wanderlust leads where it wants, where it must,” her companion often said before they kicked off from the curb near their home. “I’ve embraced it myself many times over the years, to be sure, so I have no qualms about following wherever it is it drives you next.”

“Good,” she’d nod, releasing the kickstand. “It’s comforting to know you intend to try and keep up for once, Lance Armstrong. Instead of, you know, tailgating my backside a few tire revolutions away. Like a creep.”

“What can I say? I’m fond of a good chase, especially one with as lovely a view as you.”

“You always were, weren’t you? Fond of chasing me, I mean,” she’d reply with an arched smile, the words soon blurring into an echoed look-back over her shoulder.

“And I will continue to be,” would come the un-ironic answer from somewhere close behind, “thanks to you.”

“Thanks to me, Bonnie, and a few Japanese grimoire spells, you mean,” Caroline would correct in that chirpy, heart-of-the-matter way of hers.

“Certainly. Whatever you say.”

Then off they’d jet together without another word: no particular direction or destination in mind.

As it was, kinetic motion made Caroline more comfortable with her place in the world seeing as how she could travel anywhere inside of it. And she longed to see everything now -  every town, city, country, continent; each day or night; the kinds of things nobody could dare to forget when one fought to remain aware. Alive.

She yearned to be everywhere and nowhere all at once these days, and cycling, she was. It’s why she loved it so much.

There was something about the feel of pedals flat against her soles, the bikey breeze cooling her skin before it blew tendrils loose onto the nape of her neck, the wheels beneath her spinning, screeching smoothly with speed as they weaved along windy, bus-trafficked roads or twiggy park pathways to gain that rush of adrenaline that clattered her teeth with joy. With freedom. Or maybe it was the way in which her butt bumped up and down on the triangular seat while a midsummer dusk descended with a multilingual hush over boats, which were docked bow-to-stern in the stilled green canals to her left, the day’s end cresting beyond the architectural diadem of the Tower Bridge as she continued her odyssey, then later, peaking atop the hedged copses and lush treetops in St. James’s Park to illuminate a family of ducklings as they paddled through the golden ripples. Or maybe it was how the moonlight reflected off rows of bricked homes in the borough of Bermondsey as her tires crunched gravel and debris to dust without slowing. It was in how everything whizzed by her in an indecipherable rush of buildings, cathedrals, faces, vibrated conversation, smogged tedium and bustle. Alerting her to the blended chaos of it all. Her ears buzzing with the familiar novelty of progression, of diversified populace and soon-to-be-digitized antiquity.

Caroline was hastened forward through the city, through a still-untapped eternity, by wonder. Diversion. Exploration. Temptation. Love. Each second tickling the hair in her nostrils as it passed before, then behind her.

The moving world around her became an anomalous combination of fast and slow, and the dichotomy thrilled her. It was something she could race alongside or immerse herself in by grasping the handlebar breaks - hopping off her bike with a swing of her leg to trot into a shop, a pub, an outdoor theater; dawdling along the choppy waves of the Thames with this man’s arm wrapped around her waist like it belonged there (and who’s to say it didn’t?) - but also something which she’d never be able to catch fully no matter how hard she tried. And Caroline was okay with that. She didn’t mind.

The truth was she relished a camaraderie with the world no one else besides the man next to her sensed, or understood, so it gave her the luxury to simply be. Feel. To open herself up to the unvaried rhythm of time as it carried them around every bend in this labryinth’d metropolis. Allowing her to bask in London’s steady changeability wherever she rode.

Caroline adored the taste of life rolling by her as her legs rounded harder, faster. Muscles burning with exertion. Slickened with sweat beneath her jeans, taut against her hamstrings.

She inhaled with eyes closed, breathing it all in without stopping: all the honking cars and laughter, the alcohol mixed with blood many tourists smelled of as they paused by some monument to snap a few Instagram photos, the clink of the Tube rails, applause within the Globe Theater, multicultural cuisine, fresh cheeses huddled within market stalls for selling, couples of all ages, pints of beer drunk in crowded avenues, the lift of a cyclist’s arm as she signaled to turn right, a full moon tacked to a twilight sky, music, tea and crumpets, a gentleman’s eye lingering on her legs too long to be accidental, the pruned sidewalk trees. Most of all, though, she reveled in Klaus’s easy proximity. His pride and contentment to be here, to be with her still (even if that meant flanking her rear sometimes), was more tangible than the kiss he left on her mouth at the last stoplight in Parliament Sqaure.

“How do you do that?” she said as they waited at the intersection with their foreheads still pressed together.

“Do what, love?” he asked.

“Make me want each new moment we share together to last forever.”

“My kisses are that potent? How lovely. I didn’t realize,” Klaus smirked.

Caroline shoved against his chest playfully, “Cut it out, I’m serious!”

“Say it again then.”

“No.”

“Come on, say it. Say it…please?”

Shaking her head, “You’re such a glutton for flattery, you know that? It’s exhausting. Seriously,” Caroline teased.

“Ah, but only when it comes from you, sweetheart. No one else. And just so we’re clear—” Reaching out with his hand to stroke her cheek then, his expression liquified, his irises gleaming with an affectionate blue blaze she’d come to recognize as hers, and hers alone. Klaus’s voice was deep, so much barer in emotion than he ordinarily liked to betray, “I’d gladly surrender it all to live in one such a moment of forever with you. I could pick but one, were it required. However, I‘m greedy so only if forced,” he added with a languid stroke down her spine.

“As could I, no doubt,” she smiled softly in answer, her lips poised near his ear and her fingers tangled in the necklaces at his throat. “Still, I’m glad we don’t need to choose.”

“Oh? Why’s that?”

“Limitations suck, o’hybrid of mine. They leave us feeling stunted and starving to surpass them.”

“True, too true…”

“Plus, I’d rather have all of time ahead and behind us like we do now,” she said just as the cycle light changed to GO. “Wouldn’t you?”

“Truth be told, love, I just want us. This. You.” With a thumb hooked through one of her belt loops, Klaus shrugged while Caroline listened, “To hell with all the rest,” he said.

“And you’ll have me, okay? You absolutely will. I know it.”

“How?”

“Because we happen to have forever, you and I. We won back time, we got a second chance to sample everything the world still has to offer,” Caroline said with meaning before she leaned in to kiss him. “And there’s nobody dead or alive I’d rather spend it with…than you.”

After drawing away from his mouth then and settling herself onto her bike once more with a turn of the pedals, Caroline giggled because Big Ben cut in with its midnight song from Elizabeth Tower right as they disappeared back into the London night in unison, the clock hands illuminated almost in omen, or like a reminder gilded in moments that rang out with the words don’t waste me, don’t waste me. Which they didn’t, and never could again.

In fact, if the chimes of the near-death past had taught these two lovers anything, it was that they needed to chase and cherish every year, day, hour, minute, and second of eternity they were gifted because it wasn’t a given in this life no matter how “unkillable” or White-Oak-stake-prone one pertained to be. So chase and cherish is what Klaus and Caroline did. It’s how they chose to spend their passionate, nomadic existence for however long it coiled forward into the future. They loved it minute-by-minute, chime-after-chime…

Together.

#klaroline #klaroline drabbles #klaroline fanfiction #half agony half hope #ashlee bree's writing endeavors #i've been stewing in-hate with this #for a week-and-a-half #because there should be more to this #more places; more dialogue #more examination of where they are or where they've been in the interim #how they've grown together and when #but the ambiguity isn't necessarily a bad thing #plus i couldn't bear to edit it any longer #so i *sings: let it go; let it goooo*

[royalbluehues]

Redamancy

(Major Infinity War Spoilers!)

A/N: Here is the second part to Ineffable. To those of you who said I made the last one sad, I don’t think I made this one any sweeter. There are still spoilers, so, again, beware. It’s also my birthday tomorrow! Gonna be a legal adult!

Title: Redamancy, (Ineffable Part 2)

Author: royalbluehues

Warnings: Spoilers. Whatever you deem sad.

Pairings: Loki Laufeyson x Reader

Part 1: Ineffable

“I will love you with the dust of who I was,

With the skin I am now,

and with the bones that will one day decorate my tomb.”

-Christopher Poindexter

Redamancy

(noun) the act of loving the one who loves you; a love returned in full.

It was blissful. The sun shone down on you, keeping you warm from the breeze that had stirred you. The breeze that hit you smelled pleasant. Clean.

You breathed in deeply, your fingers twitching slightly under you.

What was under you? Grain? Sand?

Does it matter?

No, you supposed it didn’t; so you stayed put, enjoying not having to think. You haven’t felt as relaxed as you did in that movement.

After a while, your eyelids fluttered open, and the world was tilted. You were looking at the sea, the waves crashed rhythmically, the water the seeped forward touched the tips of your fingers, even coming as near as your nose. Your brows furrowed, and you slowly sat up, blinking as you watched the water droplets fall from the length of your hair.

Your body and hands left imprints in the wet sand, and you could taste the salt water on your lips. You moved on your stomach, propping yourself up on your elbows. When you pushed yourself upwards, you flinched for your abdomen was extremely sore.

The sky was dusky, and there were distant planets in the horizon, and the sun was partly eclipsed by a moon.

Around you was nothing but miles and miles of stretched out sea and sand. Hardly anything else.

“It’s much more suitable than Valhalla. At least I think so personally. The idea of old men in a hall for the rest of eternity has never peaked my fancy.”

You let out a startled gasp, and you twisted your torso to the sound of the voice. “Loki?”

He sat just a few feet away from you, with one leg tucked under him and the other bent upward. He was wearing a dark green tunic, with his black pants and his boots.

Then you remembered everything: You remembered his blood shot eyes and the discoloration around his skin. You remembered how blood had leaked from his nose, how glossy his eyes had been.

You remembered how he kissed the crown of your neck, how hot the room was, you remembered the bitter taste in your mouth, the mixture of emotions.

“But you’re dead?” It came out more as a question than a statement, the words even bringing a bit of nausea to you once more, “I saw you.”

He frowned, “I wish you hadn’t.”

“Where are we?” you asked, looking around you.

“We are in the limbo between life and death.” He replied airily, but he avoided making eye contact with you.

You stood, and your legs wobbled beneath you. He quickly stood, his arms ready to catch you. He held you to him, and the angle allowed you to view his neck. It was still purple. It appeared to be still bruised, with broken veins and splotches of red and blue.

You lifted a hand to hover the wound, and a frown pulled at your face. Your throat tightened, your tears watered, and your face puckered.

He brought his hand up to cup your cheek, “Don’t cry.”

The pads of his fingers rubbed your skin, brushing away the stray tears.

“Why did you do it?” You croaked, “You-I-” A sob escaped your mouth, and you stepped back to place your face into your hands. “I’m sorry,” you cried, “I’m sorry I couldn’t stop it- if I hadn’t had been held back I could have saved you- I could have done something-”

“Nothing would have been able to stop him.”

“But I could have! I should have step forward sooner, I should have stopped you. And your brother, by the Norns, your brother.” Your chest raised up and down, and you felt the anxiety return to you, “Loki what will he do?”

“I do not know. I am certain he did not pass. Thor will find a way to conquer, that I am sure of.”

Loki’s hands reached out to you once more, because you could feel them sit on top of your hips. “They stabbed you.”

You slowly set yours hands down, sniffling as you looked where he was looking.

You faltered as you looked down at your dress. It was the very one you had worn centuries ago that night in the ballroom. It stuck to your skin, but it was a much cleaner feeling than from the one you wore on the ship. It wasn’t blood and sweat that made your dress stick, rather it was the salt water that made it cling.

However, there was a tear just above your abdomen, and a pink scar outlined with red greeted you. You blinked once, twice, before looking up at Loki, whose face was set into a grimace. You felt as his fingers brushed it, watched as his nose twitched, as he gritted his teeth.

You bit your bottom lip as your eyes memorized his features, your brows pulled toward one another, and your vision becoming blurry.

“When did they do it?” He asked angrily, kneeling on the sand so that his eyes were eyelevel with your wound.

You blinked. “Not long after he broke your neck,” you whispered brittly at your words.

You felt the water touch your bare heels, the coolness brushing over your skin. The prince kneeling in front of you gave out a bitter laugh. “You ask me for forgiveness for the actions I chose, and yet you do not blame me for your death.” He leaned his head against your stomach. “I should be the one asking for forgiveness. I should be meeting Hela at this very moment. I would meet each punishment, not matter how torturous,” he gripped your hips tighter, “with eagerness if it meant taking the pain and the hurt I caused you.”

You combed his wet hair back with your fingers as your chin trembled, and he slowly looked up, his eyes glossy with tears and his mouth parted. “I’ve already forgiven you.”

He look at you in disbelief, “Then you are a fool.”

You smiled sadly, “And it seems that I will be even in death.”

“Such viridity,” his expression hardened, shaking his head, “such a naive woman you are.”

“I’m sorry.”

He raised an eyebrow at you, “What are you apologizing to me now for?”

“I wish I could have given you more. I wish we had more time,” an ache in your chest made you look away from his hard eyes, “I would have made you happy,” you croaked, “if only we had more time.”

Loki moved to stand, and he gripped your chin with his thumb and forefinger. “Look at me. Now.”

You didn’t listen, you only offered more tears in turn. “I’ve had the privilege of knowing you for more than fourteen hundred years. Each second I spent with you was never a dull moment. Every fleeting second made me the happiest man.”

He then crashed his lips with yours, his free arm snaking around you to pull you flush against him. You closed your eyes, gripping his tunic to pull him closer to you.

Your nerves flared, every particle of your being electrifying under his touch. He tilted his head to the left to gain more access, and your lips danced along with his.

It was a head spinning kiss, with an undertone of urgency, and your cheeks were wet and so were his. When he pulled away, you looked into his green eyes that were no longer hard, but soft with so many feelings left unsaid. “Our time together was stolen, and it was largely due to my affairs. I should have married you. Long ago. I should have given you the children that you wanted. That I will forever regret.”

He took your hand and rested it where his heart laid, but where there once was a strong pulse, now soundless and hollow. “But know that my heart beated for you. Even in death, I live to love you.”

Your tears were hot and he leaned in to kiss them away.

“I’ve always wanted to see the beaches,” you whispered quietly, the sound of the ocean nearly making it hard to hear you.

“And you’ve always wanted a little cottage somewhere quiet.” He added, leaning into your touch when you stroked his cheek.

“You’ve brought it to me, the sea,” you listened as the waves crashed against the rocks, “And they’ve brought me you. If I had to die, I’m glad that the Norns allowed me to do so by your side.” A few water droplets from your hair fell from your shoulders and down the length of your arms.  “Perhaps the fates are allowing me a second chance to fully devote myself to you.”

“It will never be enough,” He murmured, bringing his hand back down to your scar, “Darling, forgive me. For every single thing that I have done.”

“I already have,” You whispered, bringing his lips down to yours where you kissed him tenderly, passionately, and gently.  

A shadow fell over the two of you, and you turned to look at the eclipse that sat starkly in the sunset sky.

“Time is running out.” he whispered. He cupped your cheek, and his eyes grazed over your face.

Your throat became tight once again, “Where will we go?”

“To the stars,” he replied, looking up at where the first few stars appeared. “There has never been a Valhalla. Only the realm of souls that decorate the sky.”

“I don’t want to lose you again,” you said in a panic, “please don’t leave me, Loki. I can’t bare the thought of it.”

“I won’t leave you, and you won’t be leaving me. Our souls are already intertwined. We will rest together.” Again, he brushed the hot tears that had spilled from the corners of your eyes.

You let out a strangled sound, and like rain on a dusty pane, your tears fell and fell. You nodded, as you leaned your forehead on his shoulder. “I love you.”

He then led you by your hand into the shallow shore. He sat, looking up at you silently and instructing you to do the same with his eyes. When you sat, he slowly reclined, and you followed his movements, the water flowing over both your bodies.

This was it. The last moments you would see your physical forms.

If only we had more time, you thought to yourself. You turned to your side, and he turned his head towards you.

His green eyes reminded you of what emeralds must have looked like after they were submerged in water.

He was beautiful. He reached to take your hand, your hand looking so small compared to his. He kissed your knuckles, and then placed it once again on the area where his heart had beated. There was a prickling that started at your feet, and then slowly moved up your body. It was calming. It was serene. It was blissful.

The vision around your eyes blurred, but you continued staring into his eyes. The water slowly rose, and it clogged your ears, and you watched as it clogged his.

And then he spoke. Reciting the line of a poem he read to you in the castle library centuries ago, “‘We were together, I forget the rest.’”

Part 1: Ineffable

Masterlist

#loki x reader #loki laufeyson #loki #infinity war fanfic #loki fanfic #loki (marvel) #loki au #thor au #sorry #ineffable part 2 #royalbluehues

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

Eclipse 2017: Science from the Moon’s Shadow On Dec. 11, 2017, six researchers discussed initial findings based on observations of the Sun and on Earth gathered during the solar eclipse that stretched across North America on Aug. 21, 2017. Ranging from new information about the way the Sun’s atmosphere generates heat, to how the dip in solar energy affected Earth’s atmosphere, and even how to protect against contaminating other planets with bacteria, the researchers shared their results at the fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union, in New Orleans. “This eclipse gave us an opportunity to cement the idea of the Sun-Earth connection,” said Lika Guhathakurta, who headed up NASA’s science efforts for the Aug. 21 eclipse. “A variety of new observations, instruments and observational platforms were enabled by this eclipse. It will be fascinating to watch how these develop into new research plans and new technology for future use.” A moment in the Sun’s atmosphere While total solar eclipses happen about once every 18 months somewhere on Earth, the August eclipse was rare in its long path over land: The total eclipse lasted about 90 minutes total, from the time it first reached the Oregon coast to when it left the North American mainland in South Carolina. This long, uninterrupted path over land provided scientists with a rare change to investigate the Sun and its influence on Earth in ways that aren’t usually possible. During the few moments of a total solar eclipse, the Sun’s corona — otherwise too dim to see next to its bright face — is visible from Earth. We study the corona from space with instruments called coronagraphs, which create artificial eclipses by using a metal disk to block out the Sun’s face. But the innermost regions of the Sun’s corona in white light are only visible during total solar eclipses. Because of a property of light called diffraction, the disk of a coronagraph must block out both the Sun’s surface and a large part of the corona in order to get crisp pictures. But because the Moon is so far away from Earth — about 230,000 miles away during the August eclipse — diffraction isn’t an issue, and scientists are able to measure the lower corona in great detail. Two scientists spoke at the press briefing about their research on the corona: Amir Caspi, a space scientist at the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado, and Matt Penn, of the National Solar Observatory. Studying our Sun’s corona provides an opportunity both to understand what drives its intense heat as well as to improve our ability to forecast when the Sun could erupt with giant explosions of solar material known as coronal mass ejections, which can affect our space environment and — when intense — impact satellites. As Caspi explained: Depending on location on the ground, someone studying the Sun during the Aug. 21 eclipse could collect up to 2 minutes and 42 seconds’ worth of data. But Caspi’s project, funded by NASA, took inspiration from past eclipse studies to stretch that time even further. Using a pair of NASA WB-57 jets, Caspi and his team had an uninterrupted view of the solar corona for just over seven and a half minutes. Though they were originally designed to help monitor space shuttle launches, the telescopes — and the jets on which they were mounted — were a surprising boon for solar science. “These instruments were not built for science; they were repurposed for science,” said Caspi. “This was the first airborne astronomy project on the WB-57 platform.” This retrofitted science makes data analysis all the more challenging, as the images must be processed and calibrated carefully to reveal key details about the Sun’s magnetic waves and their relationship to the extraordinarily high temperatures in the solar corona. Matt Penn also took advantage of the eclipse’s path over land to get a unique set of observations. The Citizen CATE project — short for Continental-America Telescopic Eclipse — comprised of 68 identical small telescopes spread across the path of totality and operated by citizen and student scientists. “As the Moon’s shadow left one of our telescopes, it covered the next one in our network,” said Penn. “Instead of observing for two and a half minutes, we could observe for 93 minutes.” During the eclipse, 61 of the project’s 68 telescopes managed to capture coronal images, amounting to 82 minutes of total observing time out of the 93 minutes that the total solar eclipse was over land. This success means that there’s a huge amount of data for the team to analyze — though Penn says they were able to capture detailed images of the solar features they were most interested in: Fast solar wind flows near the Sun’s north and south poles. Exploring the Sun-Earth connection Other scientists at the briefing presented results about the eclipse’s impact closer to home. High in Earth’s upper atmosphere, above the ozone layer, the Sun’s intense radiation creates a layer of electrified particles called the ionosphere. This region of the atmosphere reacts to changes from both Earth below and space above. Such changes in the lower atmosphere or space weather can manifest as disruptions in the ionosphere that can interfere with communication and navigation signals. Greg Earle, from Virginia Tech, used the eclipse as a natural laboratory to test models of the ionosphere’s effects on these communications signals. Earle and his team used computer models to estimate how the eclipse would affect radio signals — primarily, how far they could travel through the atmosphere before petering out. They predicted that the eclipse would extend the range of radio signals because of a drop in the number of energized particles in the ionosphere, similar to what happens at night. And they were right. “The data were a confirmation that our modeling was on the right track,” said Earle. “During the eclipse, radio signals propagated much, much farther than they do on a normal day.” Earle and his team used a litany of radio transmitters and receivers to test the range of radio signals during the eclipse: Two pre-existing radar stations, four custom-constructed antenna sites, and reports from thousands of ham radio operators from around North America, who volunteered their observations as part of a contest organized in conjunction with the American Radio Relay League. Validating this model of the ionosphere is a step towards understanding less predictable changes in the ionosphere that can impact the reliability of our communications and navigation signals. Angela Des Jardins of Montana State University spoke at the briefing about the Eclipse Ballooning Project, which flew balloons through Earth’s lower atmosphere during the eclipse. If you watched the eclipse online on Aug. 21, some of the live footage you saw may have come from these balloons. The balloons — flown to more than 100,000 feet by 55 teams of college and high school students — provided the first-ever live footage of an eclipse from this region of the atmosphere. Beyond providing great views, they also enabled unique science. The project incorporated weather balloon flights from a dozen locations to form a picture of how Earth’s lower atmosphere — the part we interact with and which directly affects our weather — reacted to the eclipse. These data revealed that the planetary boundary layer, the lowest part of Earth’s atmosphere, dropped down nearly to its nighttime altitude during the eclipse. Several dozen of the eclipse balloons also flew cards containing harmless bacteria to help us understand potential planetary contamination issues. “We don’t want to contaminate other planets when we send robots — or even humans — so we need to understand if microscopic life, like bacteria, could survive on Mars,” said Des Jardins. In many ways, Earth’s stratosphere is similar to the environment on the surface of Mars, with one primary exception: the amount of sunlight. But during the eclipse, the level of sunlight dropped to something closer to what you might expect to see on Mars, providing the perfect environment to test the hardiness of these potential Mars invaders. Scientists are looking at data from this experiment, and hope to have results to publish within the next few months. Jay Herman, EPIC lead scientist at NASA Goddard, presented on how the August 21 event gave scientists the opportunity to study the effects of the eclipse blocking some of the sunlight reaching Earth. This is a step in more accurately measuring the role of clouds in regulating how much solar energy reaches Earth’s surface, and how much is reflected back into space. Computer programs can estimate the impact of different types of clouds on Earth’s energy budget, and an event like the eclipse — where the Moon acts as a giant, impenetrable cloud — can improve those programs. The Deep Space Climate Observatory — a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration spacecraft that orbits 1 million miles from Earth and is always positioned between Earth and the Sun — provided a unique platform to view the eclipse and its impact. It carries an NASA instrument called the Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera, or EPIC, which measures different wavelengths of light reflected off of Earth. When Herman and his colleagues measured how much light was reflected during the eclipse, they found that it was reduced by 10 percent across the globe. Regular, non-eclipse days typically vary by less than 1 percent, in comparison. And more… Many other scientists – with NASA support – took advantage of the eclipse to conduct novel studies of the Sun and Earth on Aug. 21. Solar Research A NASA-funded group led by Shadia Habbal at the University of Hawaii found atypically cool material in the corona above an area where a coronal mass ejection had just erupted on the surface, prior to the eclipse. This finding is helping scientists understand the physics of dynamic plasmas in the corona. In Madras, Oregon, a team of NASA scientists led by Nat Gopalswamy from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, pointed a new, specialized polarization camera at the corona, taking 50 images at four different wavelengths in just over two minutes. The images captured data on the temperature and speed of solar material in the corona. Typical coronagraphs use a polarizer filter in a mechanism that turns through three angles, one after the other, for each wavelength filter. The new camera was designed to eliminate this time-consuming process, by incorporating thousands of tiny polarization filters to read light polarized in different directions simultaneously. The team’s results were consistent with those of previous eclipses observed by the older, clunkier polarization cameras — successfully demonstrating that the instrument can be used to obtain accurate measurements without a polarization wheel. With further testing and development, the group’s camera will eventually mature into an instrument destined for spaceflight. Paul Bryans, a scientist at UCAR, led another NASA-funded project to study the Sun during August’s eclipse. They were able to capture a spectrum of the Sun’s corona at wavelengths stretching from about 1 to 5 microns, much longer wavelengths than those that make up the types of light our eyes can see. This spectrum is a measurement not often made, and Bryans and his team are hopeful that it will reveal interesting features about the Sun’s atmosphere. Bryans’ team also focused on capturing images of the chromosphere — the part of the Sun’s atmosphere below the corona — just before and after totality, when it would be visible beyond the Moon’s edge without being overwhelmed by the Sun’s bright face. “One of the interesting things we’ve done so far is compare results with some other eclipse experiments,” said Bryans. In particular, by comparing their data with that gathered by an airborne National Science Foundation experiment, they can pinpoint what parts of the solar spectrum are promising for future ground-based studies. “One of the things we need to know is exactly which wavelengths the air absorbs — if Earth’s atmosphere absorbs the light you’re looking for, there’s no point.” Philip Judge, also from the High Altitude Observatory, led a team in close concert with Bryans’ to study the Sun’s corona and chromosphere with spectrographs — instruments that categorize light by its component wavelengths — to see the fingerprints left by the Sun’s magnetic field. This chromospheric flash spectrum, recorded with unprecedented time resolution, enables the team to study the chromosphere as a function of height at scales down to just a few kilometers. Analysis of these data is underway. Judge also coordinated with Smithsonian’s Airborne Infrared Spectrometer experiment. Preliminary results from this project show two previously unseen emission lines from the corona. These data were also cross-calibrated with ground-based coronagraphs used daily outside the eclipse and are giving researchers a clear understanding of the relationship between the corona’s emission and the light that Earth’s atmosphere absorbs. Working alongside the Citizen CATE project at two telescope sites, Padma Yanamandra-Fisher and her team used the August eclipse to measure polarized light from the inner solar corona, which can only be observed from the ground during a total solar eclipse. Studying the Sun’s inner corona in polarized light helps scientists track the signatures of solar activity that may help explain the corona’s extraordinarily high temperatures. Initial analysis shows the polarization was greatest along the Sun’s equator, showing where free electrons were more abundant, as well as other features in the corona. They also found a structure of ejected material — a prominence — was very weakly polarized. Yanamandra-Fisher’s team will also combine their data with that from Citizen CATE to help shed light on the short-period variability in the solar corona, which occurs on the timescale of just a few hours. “The data set we acquired from one of our two sites is one of the best data sets of visible polarization of the inner corona available right now, because we had a pristine observing site in Tetonia, Idaho, and a great example of professional and amateur observer collaboration,” said Yanamandra-Fisher. Ionospheric Research As the shadow moved across the country, cutting off the ionosphere’s usual source of ionizing radiation, a team led by Phil Erickson of Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Haystack Observatory observed circular bow waves — disturbances in the region’s electron density, named for their similarity to the waves a boat makes as it courses through water. These waves sped along the path of totality at 300 miles per second. Traveling ionospheric disturbances are sometimes responsible for space weather patterns in the upper atmosphere, and are often linked to atmospheric gravity waves. “Our ionospheric measurements during the August 2017 eclipse went extremely well. The high-power ionospheric radar at Millstone Hill in eastern Massachusetts performed perfectly for five days around the eclipse, measuring ionospheric density, temperature, and velocity overhead and also in different directions on the East Coast,” said Erickson. “In addition, our GPS-based total electron content software produced wide coverage maps of ionospheric response over the entire North American continent. Both of these data sets have many fascinating features, some of which were unexpected.” Bob Marshall and his team, from the University of Colorado Boulder, probed the response of the ionosphere’s D-region to the eclipse with very low frequency, or VLF, radio signals. This is the lowest and least dense part of the ionosphere — and because of that, the least understood. Data collection went well, Marshall said, and the group got all the data they were hoping for. The team collected VLF transmitter signals traveling across the path of totality in Boulder; Bear Lake, Utah; and Elginfield, Ontario, Canada. All the observations showed clear signatures of the eclipse, as well as an unexpected solar flare. “We are continuing to put the model simulations together to validate these VLF observations of the eclipse,” Marshall said. “The model is quite involved and complex, but we’re making great progress.”

#space #science #Astronomy #astrophysics #Sun #eclipse #physics

[bleucheesy]

Sunlight

My submission of @hanceomeweek Day 2~♥

Day 2, January 8: Animals - Weapons - Sunlight  Also available on AO3.

A sudden, soft golden glow in the usually cool dimness of Lance’s room roused him from his slumber. He stretched languidly, lifting his arms high above his head, the tips of his fingers brushing the cool metal of the wall as he stifled a yawn. He blinked his eyes open, squinting against the light filtering in through the quartz glass of his window – or the Altean equivalent, he supposed.

No wonder the room seemed so bright. They were passing very closely by a sun. Well, not so close as would be dangerous, but closer than usual. It was rare to look out the window and see anything but billions and billions of stars. So, the warm sunlight on his face was a welcome change.

He closed his eyes, feeling nostalgic. This sun reminded him of Earth’s. And if he tried hard enough, he could imagine that the gentle whirring of the ship in its night cycle was the sound of distant waves sloshing.

A moment later, a shadow fell over him. He opened his eyes to find the sun eclipsed by a nearby planet. Lance sighed, missing the warmth already. Artificial light just wasn’t the same.

There was a stirring behind him, followed by two arms, thick and warm, wrapping themselves around his waist. “Lance?” Hunk croaked, his voice raspy from sleep. “Wassamatter?”

Lance smiled and turned around in his boyfriend’s embrace, burying his face in the juncture of his neck and shoulder. “Just stargazing,” he breathed against his skin, reveling in the heat of it.

“Oh yeah?” Hunk murmured, the sound making his throat vibrate under Lance’s nose, tickling it.

“Mhm,” he replied, burrowing closer. Just then, the ship pulled past the planet and the room was filled once more with golden sunlight.

“Wow,” Hunk whispered in awe. “Lance, you’ve got to see this.”

Chuckling against Hunk’s neck, Lance pulled back and glanced over his shoulder. When he turned to face Hunk again, his breath caught in his throat. The warm beams were cascading onto Hunk’s skin, illuminating it. Even his eyes shined like molten gold. And, not for the first time, Lance thought his boyfriend looked absolutely gorgeous.

How had he gotten so lucky? Even in the dark, stillness of space, he’d somehow found his own ray of sunshine. Though, that cliché thought made his cheeks burn with embarrassment. Perhaps he’d keep that little tidbit to himself for now.

Hunk was still looking out the window, his features soft as a fond smile curved his lips. “It reminds you of home, doesn’t it?”

And Lance, whose gaze hadn’t left his boyfriend’s face, smiled in return. “Yeah,” he sighed, moving to lean his head on Hunk’s shoulder. “It does.”

So soft. My boys...

#hance #lance #hunk #hanceomeweek #fic #drabble #long post #too short to bother with a cut i think #soft #vld