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reysdriver · 1 year

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Wife | S.B.

(part 1 to this fic) You and Sirius had been married in a wedding arranged by your pureblood parents, and he's the only one you think to go to after running away — sirius x fem!pureblood!reader hurt/comfort

warnings: abusive families (for both reader and Sirius), forced marriage, abuse, mentions of injury, angst

words: 2k

A frown sat still across your face while your mother tightly strung up the thin braids in your hair with bobby pins. You held back winces every time the metal poked into your already-pained scalp.

She fixed the last braid into the hairdo, then stood in front of you, judging coldly.

"Am I presentable, Mother?" You asked, snark laced in every word.

Normally, you would never dare speak to a relative like this, but today was your wedding day. Your bags were already packed for school in a week, so you wouldn't face her for a while. And, in two years, you were to graduate from Hogwarts and move in with the Blacks, so you really had nothing to lose when it came to your awful pureblood family.

"This attitude is exactly why your marriage prospects were so slim." She tells you.

They were slim, and your family had warned you several times while arranging the marriage that you would have to be with him forever. They said a divorce would be twice as shameful for your family name since you wouldn't be able to find a new husband. There was a limited dating pool for sacred twenty eight Gryffindor teens who were openly opposed to their family values.

You tried not to feel upset at the memory of all those times your family had called you a disgrace, claiming that's why you and Sirius Black were perfect for eachother.

"Well, there's nothing else we can do before the wedding, we should be on our way to the ceremony as soon as possible." Your mother announced curtly.

You stood up, your giant wedding dress feeling heavier than ever. You placed the veil over your face, the thin material clouding your vision slightly.

There was no turning back now. There was never any turning back since you had little say in the whole matter, but now there was really no escape.

Your mother surveyed your look one more time, lacking any visible emotion that should be present on one's daughter's wedding day.

"Don't slouch or speak without being spoken to. Don't embarrass our family name." She ordered.

Although you were young and had no intentions of really being married, you were counting down the days until you would be away from your family.

You said nothing in return as you started to walk towards the door. Your father was standing just outside, ready to walk you down the aisle.

He didn't say anything to you that wasn't already said by your mother, which made you want to roll your eyes harder than anything that day.

Once you started walking down the carpeted aisle, you felt as if all sound flushed from the room. It wasn't that the sounds had really stopped, it was just that you were so nervous, you couldn't process any noise.

Sirius looked handsome, to say the least. You felt slightly guilty for focusing on his looks, but you two were getting married. You were in the same classes at school and you had caught yourself gazing at him in the common room a few times, but never thought about marrying him before your parents set it up.

Your father let go of your arm, and you stepped up to the altar, parallel to Sirius. You looked into his captivating eyes and accepted your fate.

✦✧✦✧✦

Even though you were married, you barely spoke to Sirius. A few words during classes or in the common room, but that was it. You both thought it was best to push each other away and pretend everything was normal for as long as you could. A kiss at the wedding and a long conversation when you were together in his room after the wedding was all that had happened, and it was how you wanted to keep things for the time being.

Sirius was nowhere near the husband your parents had always wanted for you, but you were at a loss. You tried one last time to think of solutions as you stood on the Potters' porch. You knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer.

An older woman came to the door; you knew it was James' mother since you had seen her on Platform 9 ¾ several times before. She looked shocked at your appearance, and you couldn't blame her. Your eyes red and exhausted, multiple cuts on your face, and blotchy skin caused by a mix of snow and crying.

"Is Sirius here?" You asked with a sob before she could say anything.

"Oh dear, come inside, love. Quickly, you look like you've just been dragged here from across the country." The woman placed a hand on your shoulder, ushering you inside her house.

You let out another sob and more tears started falling down your face the moment she closed the door and you felt the house's heat. "I'm sorry." You mumbled.

"Don't be sorry, darling. Just come with me so I can make you a nice cup of hot tea."

While she walked you to the kitchen, she had introduced herself formally. She also recognised you, knowing your name and likely more about your family. It was rare for a person of pureblood status to not recognise you, so you weren't fazed by it.

You were sitting at her kitchen table, and she handed you a steaming teacup. You took a sip, ignoring how painfully hot it was against your tongue and your throat.

"Thank you." You sniffled, taking another scalding sip. "I don't mean to burden you, I just need to see Sirius. Please tell me he's here."

"He is, yes. May I ask why you need to see him?" She asked, standing up and walking towards a set of stairs.

You looked down shamefully, almost embarrassed to admit it.

"I'm his wife."

Euphemia's eyes widened, and although she had been nothing but sweet to you, you were afraid she was judging. You hoped she would understand as a fellow pureblood, but you knew that your families were vastly different and she likely chose her husband for love.

She opened her mouth, and you half-expected her to string insults at you and your family. Instead, she looked to the top of the stairs and called for Sirius. "There's a girl here who's asking for you."

You heard a laugh from James and Sirius, followed by two sets of footsteps coming down the stairs. When they reached Euphemia, she directed Sirius to you, telling him 'your wife is in the kitchen'.

Sirius walked into the room, and he looked heartbroken to see you. It took just barely a glance for him to understand what was happening. You were going through the same thing he was just a year ago.

Your head dropped, once again feeling a needless feeling of shame overtake you.

"I'm sorry." You mumbled as he walked towards you. You weren't quite expecting him to embrace you in a tight hug, but he did, and you weren't going to push him away. "I'm sorry, Sirius. I just had to get away from them. I didn't know where else to go."

He placed a gentle kiss on your hairline as he rubbed your back. "Don't be sorry, love. I understand. You made the right decision to come here."

He unwrapped his arms from around your torso and looked at your shaking figure. You could see he pitied you, and that felt awful. You had been raised to never let anyone take pity on you.

Euphemia stood at the other side of the room with a raised eyebrow. "Sirius Black, why didn't you say anything about being married?"

He turned to her, about to explain when you rushed to his defence. "It's not his fault, Mrs. Potter. We both just wanted to pretend it never happened for as long as possible. That was a decision we both made right away."

"We don't wear the rings at school, and we barely even talk to each other." He added.

"Well, that's a problem." Euphemia told him. "If you had shown you cared about this poor girl, maybe she could have escaped her family before it escalated to this! You could have taken her with you when you first came here."

Neither you or Sirius were going to argue with the woman. She walked towards you with concern in her eyes, then stopped to examine you just as Sirius had done a few seconds previous.

"We need to get you cleaned up, healed in any way we can, and into some warm clothes. You can stay for as long as you'd like."

You didn't want the family to go through any trouble for you. "No, I don't want to be a burden."

"Stop that, darling. You should stay here, we'll be more than happy to give you anything you need. And what you need first is to get healed, come with me. I can fix you up just fine."

You stood up, ready to go wherever she wanted to take you, but Sirius placed a gentle hand on your wrist that made you shift your attention to him.

"I can take care of her, Effie." He told her.

"Don't be ridiculous, Sirius. As much as you want to help, this is important and needs to be taken care of by someone with experience."

"I do have experience. I was in her place just a year ago. I know exactly what she's going through."

His hand kept its place on your wrist, but he loosened his grip. His eyes were soft and gentle. Both you and Euphemia could tell her really did want to help. He was almost pleading silently, and who were you to decline your husband of that?

Before you could accept his offer, Euphemia spoke up for you, not willing to argue any more as long as it helped you.

"Alright. I'll get James to make up a guest room for you, dear."

She walked ahead, instructing James to prepare a place for you to sleep while you and Sirius stayed back on the main floor.

Breaking the tense silence between you, Sirius apologised. "I'm sorry, she's right, I knew what your family was like and I left you there. I should have cared for you."

"Don't be sorry. You didn't need to do anything, I wasn't your responsibility."

"You're my wife." He said, soft desperation soaking that last word. "And I'm your husband."

"Sirius, we're strangers, classmates at best. We don't even speak at school, let alone invite each other to run away to safety together. Our laundry may have been mixed up before, but other than accidentally sharing ties, we're not close at all."

"I wish we could be. I always have."

You were shocked by the confession. For practically being strangers, that was quite an admittance of feelings. You could already feel the tears coming back to your eyes and you didn't quite know why they were so insistent on falling now.

He continued on. "I was too proud to admit it before. All because you were like me and our families chose us for each other. I've always watched you read in the common room and tried to muster up whatever I needed to ask you to be partners in class, but I was just so focused on going against my family to get close to you. I'm sorry."

"Again, you don't need to be sorry." You said. You weren't sure that was true, but you had thought the exact same thing about him a few times throughout the years, so you couldn't blame him at all. "I just want to go upstairs, and we can talk more later."

"Okay, let's get you fixed up, then."

He gave you another sweet kiss on the forehead, then he wrapped his arm around you while you walked upstairs together.

#sirius black #sirius black x reader #sirius x reader #sirius black x you #sirius black x y/n #sirius black imagine #sirius black fluff #sirius black angst #marauders fluff #marauders angst #hurt/comfort

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vettelsvee · 1 month

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MEETING | Sebastian Vettel

f1 masterlist | history series masterlist

summary: diana, after being accepted as a candidate for the toro rosso internship program, begins her not-so-wonderful journey in the world of formula 1 and meets her future husband, sebastian vettel, as well as her biggest nightmare, nico rosberg

word count: 5568

warnings: mentions of suicide, sexism.

taglist: [@theseerbetweenus @annewithaneofthegreengable] if you wanna be tagged in each part just tell me in the comments <3

¡! you can read the fanfic as diana or y/n, but the faceclaim will always be my girl emma stone :)

feedback is truly appreciated!

2023

"Diana, are you ready?"

The woman's attention was immediately captured when Mark Webber, who had offered, along with Jenson Button, directing the documentary, spoke to her. Quickly, she put her mobile phone in her blazer pocket and nodded at the former driver, indicating that she was ready to start filming.

"Alright," Mark announced. "Remember, Diana, just as we rehearsed with your husband during the script reading: you introduce yourself, talk a bit about what you're currently doing, and then we start talking about your childhood, just from when you were born until you were accepted into the Toro Rosso internship program," the Australian said.

The readhead swallowed, sat better and looked directly into the camera, that was already recording without the woman being conscious.

Immediately, as if she knew what was happening, she began to speak to it:

"My name's Diana Vettel, I'm 34 years old and, as you might already now, I'm wife to four-time Formula 1 World Champion, Sebastian Vettel. However," she clarified, "I prefer to be known as his race engineer for ten years, from 2012 to 2022 and, currently, I'm the co-director, alongside Susie Wolff, of the F1 Academy," she smiled proudly.

Sebastian entered the studio where the shootings were taking place, and when he saw his wife so self-assured, he couldn't feel anything but proud of her. There was no doubt that those sleepless nights, consoling her tears for not feeling enough in a male-dominated world, and the years of visits to her psychologist, which she still attended, had had an incredible effect on her.

"Well, wait!" Diana suddenly exclaimed. "We can't forget that I'm the reason behind Seb's first victory in Formula 1. Monza 2008, to be more precise," she confirmed, causing laughter from the ones around her.

"We already know quite a lot about Vettel's childhood, but now: what can you tell us a little bit about yours?" Button inquired, sitting next to Mark behind the cameramen.

Diana tensed up. It wasn't that she was afraid to recall her childhood, but she didn't consider it significant enough to be in the documentary. Moreover, talking about her private life... let's just say she didn't like it a lot.

The German knew his wife so well that he could vence how she was feeling at the moment. She had the urge to get up and give her a comforting hug, but he also knew that the recording couldn't be interrupted. For that reason, he simply smiled at her from his seat while giving her a thumbs up.

Diana, after seeing Sebastian doing that, laughed.

Since 2008, halfway through her second year as a Mechanical Engineering student and after joining the Toro Rosso internship program, she didn't know how the guy who initially seemed to be a jerk, ended up becoming her whole world.

"It's quite simple, Jenson: I was born in Linz, Austria, on April 27, 1988," began the woman. "My mum decided to end her life when I was 14, back in 2002, and that was the main reason why my dad took both my sister and I to Spain so we could start all over again."

Diana stared into the camera, beginning to ponder the impression people might have of her after that brief introduction.

Mark adjusted himself in his seat, ready to shift the conversation away from the glances Sebastian seemed to be directing at him. He had been fortunate to get to know the couple during his time at RedBull, and he had no doubt that both of them had changed a lot since then, especially the German.

“But every bad thing has something positive, right, Diana?” questioned Webber. “You always say that, and the fact that you’re here now is proof of it.”

“Exactly,” continued Jenson. “This might sound a bit bad, but if that didn’t happen, you wouldn’t have met Seb.”

Mrs. Vettel nodded.

“It was all because of my father actually, who couldn’t bear the stares from neighbors, his coworkers, and the harassment my sister and I faced at school too,” explained the woman, her tears slightly evident. “We did it without thinking: we packed our most important belongings, my father quit his job and, a few hours laters, I was on a plane all the way to Barcelona, with no knowledge of Spanish and no expectations about what could happen in my new life.”

That made Sebastian remember one of the first conversations he had with Diana, where the young woman told him she felt more Spanish than Austrian.

“This is the first time I speak publicly about my childhood,” said Diana, wiping away smeared makeup with a tissue given to her by production. “I’m sorry, really: I always try to think that I’ve overcome it, but the fact is that you never really overcome it.”

“Do you feel more comfortable now that you’ve shared this with the audience?” Webber inquired in an attempt to console the young woman.

The redhead looked at Sebastian, who was visibly concerned at that moment.

“No,” she replied, “quite the opposite, actually. I think I’m even more vulnerable now, and social media criticism is going to pour in, but I’m glad I did it because I’ve taken a weight off my shoulders,” she listed, “and I also know that many viewers will realize the importance of mental health, especially in those moments when everything seems fine when it’s actually the opposite.”

“Is that a hint, sweetheart?”

Vettel, who already knew the answer, sarcastically commented. Still, he needed his wife to confirm it on camera.

“Everyone knows that when I gained confidence in myself, I never beat around the bush; this wasn’t going to be an exception.”

“What do you think is the highlight of your sudden move to Spain?” Button asked Diana.

“Being accepted into the Toro Rosso internship program,” she replied. “That’s when my dream of years started to come true, although hell also made its presence felt.”

Sebastian smiled, remembering it all too well.

The best was about to begin.

“Those who know me well know that I’ve been a Formula 1 fan since I was a child. 1994 is the year I remember the most, especially when Michael became world champion,” explained the Austrian, reminiscing early memories as an enthusiast of the sport. “I was only six years old, but that image is engraved in my memory.”

“For that reason, I decided to study Mechanical Engineering at Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña,” the woman continued in perfect Spanish, surprising everyone in the room except Seb.

“And that was before she even met me,” Sebastian chimed in, causing laughter among those present. “That was a great bonus.”

Taking the documentary seriously was going to be difficult, but as the woman used to say, within all those hard times, a laugh made it all forgettable.

“I studied for years, trying to give my best to get the highest grades,” Diana continued, “and I did it after achieving an average score of 9.28 out of 10 in selectividad, the Spanish entrance exam you need to take in order to study a degree.”

“Tell them if you really needed such a high score, Di.”

The girl laughed at her husband’s comment. She already knew where he was going with that.

“In fact, no: the cutoff score was, I believe, around a five out of ten. I just pushed myself to the limit because I was ambitious and wanted to be the best, too,” she smiled, a slight blush appearing on her cheeks. “Well, and I still like to be the best.”

“See why we got along so well from the beginning?”

“That’s debatable, Sebastian,” remarked Webber, “bet let’s let the viewers hear your story little by little.”

“Indeed, Mark,” agreed Jenson Button with him, “let’s take it step by step. Diana, what made you join Toro Rosso?”

2007 December 3rd

Barcelona, Spain

The first semester of the second year of Diana being a university student seemed endless.

Final exams were approaching, bringing with them the submission of multiple papers, projects, and even some practical written tests. Adding to this, her father had recently lost his job just a few weeks ago. It was easy to understand why the Austrian, who had considered herself Spanish for years, was dozing off in one of the chairs in Room 7, even though it was time for one of her favorite classes: Fluid Mechanics.

As soon as Dr. Martínez stepped into the classroom, all the students stopped talking. Even Diana, who had closed her eyes for a few seconds to see if she could quell her sleep, opened them quickly. The woman, in her fifties, was one of the most beloved professors by students; at the same time, she was considered one of the strictest, and that's what made her one of the most wanted by universities not only in Spain but worldwide.

For this reason, and especially because she always fought for visibility of women in the scientific field, she was Wagner's favorite.

"Good morning, class," she greeted, positioning herself in the center of the platform where she usually lectured. A smile on her face appeared. "Before I start explaining the new topic, which I remind you is the last one for our January exam, I would like to share some news that I know will be interesting for most of you."

At these last words, those present began to pay even more attention, readjusting in their seats curious about what the woman had to announce. Diana was no exception.

"Some companies in the field of engineering have started offering scholarships for students like you to work with them while continuing their studies. For the most talented, I must say," she added with certain authority in her voice.

Excitement and anticipation for the announcement filled the room, where some surprised noises and, in other cases, disappointment, were heard.

"These scholarships offer the opportunity to have a unique experience, allowing you to enter the workforce earlier than expected. At the same time, it will help you start applying everything you have learned during this brief year and a half, and see if you are suited to do the job."

Murmurs began to fill the class. It was a truly incredible opportunity, and it would be rare for someone not to want to be part of it.

Diana, whose mind was always one step ahead, was already wondering which companies would be part of it. For that reason, she decided to raise her hand to ask.

"Miss, I would like to know if you could share more information about the companies that are offering these scholarships."

The woman nodded, thankful for the question from her favorite student and pleased to see her interest once again.

"Of course, Diana. There are leading companies in the field of automotive engineering, aerospace engineering, and something related to renewable energies, which are becoming popular. Each one has a different focus, with a wide variety of projects and areas, so I'm sure there will be interests for each of you."

The young woman's mind began to process all the information, looking through the possibilities the woman had mentioned. While her dream was to work in the automotive world that she was so passionate about, and the path was proving extremely challenging, the possibility of being awarded a scholarship was what made her cling to a distressing hope.

"To apply in this sort of internship program, you will need to send your CV and a letter explaining to the company why you would like to join them," the teacher explained. "Then, some responsible figure of the respective companies will choose the most outstanding students, I guess."

During the remaining class time, Diana could barely pay attention to the explanation. She was excited, and she would dare say scared, about this kind of talk that was taking place. Her innate curiosity made her want to know more. Therefore, when the teacher announced that the class had ended, and her classmates began to leave the room, the twenty-year-old started to pack her things slowly, making sure no one else was there before speaking with her teacher.

"Dr. Martínez, do you mind if I ask you some questions about the internship program?"

"Of course," she replied as she gathered her documents. "Tell me what's on your mind, Diana."

The girl tried to disguise her nervousness, clearing her throat before speaking.

"I have doubts about whether to apply to any of the companies. Honestly, I don't think they'll choose me because I'm a woman. I sometimes struggle to talk to my classmates, so I can't imagine what it would be like for me to apply for a position like that."

Martínez raised her gaze to the redhead, now dyed blonde, full of understanding.

"Diana, I understand that you're worried," she began, placing her hands on her shoulders, "but I want you to know that you are one of the brightest students I have had in these months, and I would even venture to say in my entire teaching career," she explained sincerely, earning an excited smile from the girl. "Keep in mind that, whatever you do, your gender doesn't have to be an obstacle for you to fight for what you want."

Those last words resonated strongly in Diana's mind, who was quite moved at that point. That was exactly what the young woman needed to hear.

"Also, I’d like to tell you something I haven't mentioned in class because I only want you to know, given your interest in a certain topic," the woman continued, further catching the student's attention. "The Toro Rosso Formula 1 team is offering a single position as an assistant for a race engineer, but I don't know which driver in particular."

Diana's eyes widened, not believing what she had just heard from her teacher. The idea of working in Formula 1 was the reason why she was there, striving every day even when she felt like giving up everything.

"Do you think I should send them my application, then?" Wagner asked, intending to make sure before making a hasty decision.

"Absolutely," Dr. Martínez affirmed firmly. "You are an exceptional student, and you have demonstrated great skills in just a year and a half of your studies, which impresses me quite a bit, to be honest. You have the potential to do great things within Formula 1, and I know you will go far if you make it to the sport."

As Diana continued to listen to the woman speak, she couldn't believe there was a chance, even if it was minimal, that her dream would come true. What she didn't like so much was the fact that the woman spoke as if she were already inside the world, but she could do nothing but get excited.

If her application was denied…

“By the way, Diana, are you free during the next hour?”

“Yes. In fact, I was about to head home,” answered Diana, questioning the woman in front of her. “Do you need something?”

The woman affirmed, nodding slightly.

“Let's create your cover letter and resume so we can send it as soon as possible,” she said, taking the lead. “I'm sure many of my colleagues in the department know this information just like me.”

The young woman agreed, and immediately they headed towards Martínez's office, trying not to attract too much attention among the students and, above all, hurrying as much as possible. In those moments, time was of the essence.

Once there, the professor took a seat in front of the computer and offered Diana the seat opposite her. Before the redhead had even let go of her belongings, the teacher was already pulling a stack of papers and a couple of pens from one of the desk drawers.

"Your resume comes directly from our database, but the cover letter doesn't," she explained briskly. "I want you to write down whatever you feel is the reason why you need that position at Toro Rosso."

Having said that, Martínez put on her glasses and focused her gaze on the screen, ignoring Wagner. The girl didn't know what to do or say. Who was she supposed to write to, Franz Tost? No, she was sure team bosses weren't the ones in charge of reading those letters, if anyone read them at all.

"Try to make it as natural as possible," the woman commented to her student without looking at her. "Make them see that you have a passion for engineering, for the sport, and especially, make them miss you when they haven’t met you yet."

Make them miss you when they haven’t met you yet.

Diana took a deep breath and began to let her ideas transfer to paper, flowing without much thought.

Dear members of the Toro Rosso team, it is an honor to have the opportunity to apply for this internship position in your prestigious racing team. Since I was a child, I have always dreamed of being part of the wonderful world of Formula 1...

No, too fanciful and flattering. The young woman crossed everything out, and seeing that she was starting to feel confused, she crumpled up the paper and set it aside on the corner of the table.

Dear Mr. Tost and the rest of the Toro Rosso team: I would like to express my sincere interest in the position of race engineer intern. As a Mechanical Engineering student, I have acquired skills that I would like to develop professionally and, above all, apply them to the field I have been passionate about since I can remember.

Why was it so difficult to write something just to try to make your dream come true?

Pilar Martínez glanced at Diana and shocked her head. That girl who was showing so much insecurity at that moment, as happened in many classes, had the potential to become one of the greatest prodigies in motorsport.

"Don't overthink it, lady," she said affectionately. "Show your true personality and, if you need to, just take a little break before continuing."

The girl shook her head. She simply closed her eyes and imagined what she wanted most at that moment: her, sitting in front of a wall of screens, with headphones on, communicating with Michael Schumacher about what he should do in every turn and straight, when he should pit for a tire change, and even celebrating the occasional victory.

Who said Schumacher, said Alonso. She would even settle for one of the rookies, like that guy who joined Toro Rosso halfway through the previous season and she liked a little bit, Sebastian Vettel.

After several more attempts, she finally brought out everything she wanted to say. She had never felt so proud of any of her writings; not even with her graduation speech in high school, which made the entire teaching staff cry.

Dear members of the Toro Rosso team, With my heart filled with excitement and, especially, gratitude for the opportunity given to university students like me to be part of your team, I submit my application for the internship position as a race engineer. My name is Diana Wagner, I was born in Austria nineteen years ago, and my heart not only belongs to Spain, the country that welcomed me when I needed it the most, but also to the sport of which you are a part: Formula 1. My journey as a Mechanical Engineering student has been short, but I assure you, intense; at the same time, I have grown and learned a lot not only as a future professional but as a person. Throughout this year and a half, I have acquired a wealth of skills and knowledge thanks to the professionals from whom I am fortunate to receive instruction, and if it weren't for them, I wouldn't have the necessary preparation to face certain challenges—although, not deceiving you, I have a long way to go and much to learn. Every subject studied, project completed, and tear shed has been an opportunity to test and prove to myself that even the impossible is difficult. Beyond my knowledge as a student, I would also like to tell you about my passion for the world of motorsports, as I briefly mentioned before. Since I can remember, I have followed every free practice, qualifying, and race, as well as every press conference of each Grand Prix. The deafening sound of the engines, the suffocating speed of the single-seaters, and the passion that teams and drivers have shown have not only been my inspiration to pursue my studies and shape my future but also to grow as a person. In the darkest times of my life, Formula 1 became my light, and it still is. Like drivers work tirelessly to give their best, I also strive to overcome the limits imposed not only because I am a woman, but also because I am too hard-working. Therefore, I know that the opportunity to work alongside the professionals that make up your team would be an unparalleled honor, and I assure you that every day I would show you that I am capable of more. I deeply appreciate the time you have taken to read my cover letter. Although it may be hard to believe the words of a girl who, after all, is still a teenager trying to make her way in the adult world, I assure you that I have to prove much more than what you think.

Possibly, those last words were what made it possible for Diana Wagner to be the selected candidate as an intern at Toro Rosso among approximately two thousand of the best students from all over Europe.

2008 March 13th

Australian GP

“Sweetheart, are you sure you have everything with you?”

The bleached blonde was certain that she did, that she had everything she needed for her new job except for one detail and, surprisingly, the most important one: knowing where she had to go. In front of her was the entrance to Albert Park, and all she felt was a great overwhelm from the size of that circuit. She saw people coming in and out of the venue constantly, both walking and in vehicles that probably cost as much, or even more, than the flat she lived with her sister and father in Barcelona.

“Yes, of course,” she replied, trying to sound as calm as possible. “I'm waiting outside for someone to come and meet me."

“But didn't you say you had to go inside, and that someone would be waiting for you in the box?”

She hated how blunt Amelie was.

“I'm more lost than during my exams period when we first moved to Spain,” she joked. “Now I'll try to figure out what to do. There’s no need to worry about me.”

Bernhard started shouting something in German to his younger daughter, and immediately continued talking to Diana. It seemed surreal to the girl that her family was making a phone call with her at two in the morning in Spain.

“You better get in there, even if you have to jump over a fence!,” he shouted in German, a little annoyed. “And I don't care if you get caught or anything: you haven't traveled to the other damn end of the world and left me with your sister, all alone, just for you to stand there with your arms crossed.”

When Bernhard Wagner got angry, he did, and a lot.

“Yeah, Dad, I know,” she replied, a bit angry because her father seemed not to trust her. “In fact, I'm getting closer now, I have the pass they sent me by mail in my hand, and I'm going through the accreditation with this weird machine. I'll hang up, okay?”

It was a rhetorical question because Diana, before being able to hear an answer from her father, hung up the call. As she let out a long sigh, held in throughout the phone call, she passed her accreditation through the identification sensor, but the photo they asked her for months ago didn't appear.

Again, she tried, and nothing appeared on the screen. She kept trying over and over, which managed to attract the attention of more than one of those present, who did nothing to help the intern.

“Damn it…”

After that, Diana began to unleash a string of curses in German, some of which she had made up on the spot and made no sense at all. She couldn't believe that it would be more difficult than she had planned just to enter the venue and talk to whoever she had to talk to. She was a firm believer in destiny, and she knew that it meant she had to go back to Spain, to her natural hair color and to her university courses.

Frustration was taking over the Austrian, and she was sure that, if she hadn't heard a male voice in German beside her, she would have burst into tears like she never did before.

“Do you speak German too? Do you want me to help you with that?”

Diana nodded her head and looked up at the person who was talking to her. A blond guy, of medium height, who seemed to be a couple of years older than her, was the one who was talking to her. His face was somewhat familiar, although she still couldn't put a name to it.

Another mistake for the rookie Diana Wagner. Of course, if there were other interns besides her, she was sure she wouldn't win the Intern of the Year award, if such a thing existed.

“I tried to get my accreditation to work, but, as you can see” she began to explain, pointing at the card, “it doesn't want to let me into the paddock.”

“Do you mind giving it to me?”

The girl offered it to him without hesitation, feeling much more relaxed in the company of that driver, in case he was. He proceeded to clean it a bit with his shirt a couple of times and immediately passed it again through the scanner.

Her name, along with a photo of her with her newly dyed blonde hair, appeared on the screen.

“So... Diana Wagner, huh?,” the guy inquired, wanting to know more about her. “What brings you here?”

“As they told me a few months ago, I am Toro Rosso's new intern. Supposedly, I'll be subordinate to a track engineer or something like that, I'm not really sure what I'll end up doing.”

The girl answered him honestly, and to her surprise, the stranger seemed to understand something that had been on her mind for a long time, as if he already knew who she was.

“Vettel is going to be damn lucky to have you,” he said shamelessly, “and I would be delighted to have a girl like you by my side too.”

Diana felt her cheeks flush, and although deep down that comment had bothered her, she couldn't help but feel flattered in part.

“And are you supposed to be...?”

“Nico Rosberg,” he took the girl's hand and gave it a short kiss, “F1 driver for Williams. It's an honor to meet you, and let me tell you that, if you get bored with the other blond German, you have privileged access to my box whenever you want.”

Putting on his backpack and giving the girl a slight bow, he left without giving any explanation.

Diana was left bewildered by what she had just experienced. However, even more impressed was Sebastian, who began to feel sorry because he knew that, no matter how much that blonde-haired girl tried to give her best, they would only minimize her achievements.

[...]

After a couple of laps around the circuit, and some explanation of how Formula 1 Grand Prix weekends worked, Diana Wagner was already sitting at a long table with Franz Tost, Toro Rosso's team principal.

The man, despite showing a quite serious demeanor, maintaining composure at all times, had inspired enough confidence in the intern for her to open up a bit to him, especially talking about how her career was going; they also discussed how the blonde would balance her studies with her new job. All this while her supposed boss and the driver she would be subordinate to appeared.

A few knocks on the door startled her. Tost, as if he already knew about the imminent arrival, got up from his seat and headed to the door. As soon as he opened it, it revealed a man in his thirties accompanied by a boy who was already wearing the team's uniform.

Although he looked like Rosberg, at the same time, she could tell he was completely different: his face was longer, and his height seemed to be a few centimeters shorter. He had a big smile on his face, and as soon as he entered the room, he started making jokes that even made the girl laugh.

She barely knew that boy, and he already inspired trust in her.

“Alright, Diana,” announced Franz, causing her to stand up quickly: “this is Alex, who will be, let's say, your master in terms of track engineering,” he introduced the man, shaking his hand, “and this is Sebastian Vettel, one of the young promises we are lucky to have in our team.”

The blonde cheerfully extended his hand to the girl, who accepted it gladly.

“Please, Franz, don't say that,” joked Vettel, “I'm just a kid with incredible potential waiting to get a world title or something similar.”

The intern laughed, immediately regretting it. Her shyness was showing, and Sebastian noticed it, so that's why he decided to gently stroke her hand, slowly enough so that no one else, besides them, would know about that small gesture.

“See?,” said the German, now addressing his engineer, “I told you she was going to like me.”

2023

“That season was a mess,” said Sebastian, looking at the camera while fixing his hair. “The first four races ended in a DNF, and my motivation went down completely” explained the former driver. “The car was crap, but not finishing four damn races? Shit, I didn't want to say bad words…”

“What Seb means,” his wife stated, interrupting him, “is that he had much higher expectations in March 2008, and little by little, he started being conscious of reality. I went through the same thing: even though I thought I was going to do little, I ended up doing even less.”

The documentary directors recalled that information.

“The camera is yours, Mrs. Vettel,” one of the cameramen spoke over, receiving a thumbs up from the redhead.

“There's not much to say, really, except that I remember thinking about leaving because all I did was sit in front of the screens and watch the race just like I did from the TV in my house,” she expressed a bit angry, remembering everything all too well. “And of course, the comments and looks couldn't be missing. I felt like a Playboy model sometimes, I swear. They even mistook me for a grid girl one day entering the pit lane!”

“God, yes,” Seb agreed, joining his wife's monologue. “I don't know if you guys remember,” he pointed at Jenson and Mark, “but there were times when, I swear, it felt like it was more of a Jersey Shore-type show or something like that than a race weekend.”

Diana agreed with the German.

“I think, if I remember correctly, I received a total of forty-eight requests to go out for a drink from Friday to Sunday,” she tried to remember. “Well, a drink and a sex session after that, let's be honest.”

“And I'm glad to say that I wasn't part of that group of assholes,” he covered his mouth directly, receiving a reprimanding look from Webber. “But I had a reason not to.”

“Yes,” the redhead agreed, “although it's not the time to talk about that. Remember sunshine: let's go step by step.”

“It's not to stay on Sebastian’s side,” interrupted Button the couple's dialogue, “but since the moment he first met you, he had incredible respect for you, and I would even dare say admiration.” Vettel snorted, remembering some of the many rumors the girl he fought so much for had to face. He remembered more than once hearing her going to vent in Toro Rosso's bathroom, and even on more than one occasion, he heard her secretly talking to her father, asking him to please fake some illness or something to get out of that.

Ironically, it came true.

“I've been Diana Vettel's number 1 fan since the day I met her,” confessed Seb. “Since March 13, 2008, to be more precise.”

Everyone was impressed by Sebastian's memory, including Diana.

“In addition to the announcement made during the German Grand Prix week, where it was finally revealed that you would join Red Bull the following year thanks to Coulthard's retirement, becoming my teammate,” Mark continued, laughing, “there was another event that marked you in 2008, shortly after.”

“It seemed like everything was going downhill for this lady here,” Sebastian pointed at Diana, “and for me, and that our effort was in vain.”

“But Monza changed everything because Sebastian and I discovered that, together, we could do great things,” continued the woman, trying not to kiss her husband, who had a huge smile on his face, in front of everyone.

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callsign-dexter · 11 months

Text

Safe and Sound

Request: Helloo dear 🥰 hope I can send you an idea as Im having such a shitty day :( so you're Mavericks adopted daughter and also a pilot but he always wants you safe and without danger. But he cannot protect you from falling in love with Rooster and he can't protect you when you get hurt during a mission. Both men stay by your side and Mavs heart blooms when he sees how careful and lovable rooster treats you, so he just knows he is the right for you. Just some angsty fluffy love if that's okay with you 🩷

Pairings: Maverick x Daughter!Reader, Bradley Bradshaw x Pilot!Reader

Callsign: Fearless

Warnings: angst, fluff, swearing, inaccurate military talk, plane crash

Masterlist

Y/N POV

"It's been an honor flying with you. Each one of you represents the best of the best. This is a very specific mission. My choice is a reflection of that and nothing more." My dad said while looking around the room and every now and then pausing to look over at me. I very quickly looked over at Bradley and he saw him looking at me, we nodded to each other and looked back to my dad. Despite everything that has happened from dad pulling his papers to Rooster not talking to him, we never stopped talking to each other. It drove my dad insane and he tried to keep us away but we loved each other and we fooled around here and there but never officially got together. I was so lost in thought that I almost jumped when Cyclone started to speak.

"Choose your two Foxtrot teams." Cyclone said in a loud demanding voice. Dad looked around and nodded and looked at Payback and Fanboy. My heart was speeding up each time he looked around the room.

"Payback and Fanboy." He said and Payback sighed and lowered his head and while closing his eyes and nodded. "Phoenix and Bob." He added Bob slowly looked at Phoenix and she looked back at him. I was happy they were going but also scared.

"And your wingman." Cyclone stated. I continued to stare straight ahead hoping and not hoping Rooster would be chosen. I looked over to Rooster and he had his head down and then I looked over to Hangman and his jaw ticked hoping he would be chosen.

"Rooster." Dad said and I watched Cyclone look over to Rooster and watched his head slowly come up.

"Since this is a dangerous mission I want you to pick a 5th Dagger for safety." Cyclone said. That threw us all off. Dad nodded.

"Fearless." Dad said and my heart stopped and made me jerk my head to the front. That can't be right. Why would he pick me?

"The rest of you will stand by on the carrier for any reserve role that's required. Dismissed." Cyclone said but I was so in shock that I almost missed what he had said.

I needed air once I practically rushed out of the room and into the salty sea air and walked to my jet. I wasn't hearing anything and just lost in my head. Before we left they brought us back and explained what we needed to do and how to execute the mission.

"This is what you've all been training for. Come home safely." Cyclone said we were dismissed again and I was walking to my jet not thinking of anything but the mission and why dad chose me when all he wanted to do was keep me safe. My jet was on the other side of Bradley's they couldn't see me and I could hear them talking.

"Sir." Rooster said the first time and didn't get dad's attention so he tried again "Sir?" which got my dad's attention. He turned and looked at him "I-" he started "I just wanted to say-" but was cut off by the announcement saying we were almost ready to go and people started to run around.

"We'll talk when we get back." Dad said and turned around to get into his jet. Rooster turned around to do the same when he spotted me and was started to quickly walk over to me when dad called out.

"Hey Bradley! Bradley!" He shouted and Bradley stopped "Hey you got this!" He finished. Bradley nodded and walked over to me.

"You be safe and remember I love you." Rooster said and kissed me which I returned.

"You be safe too and I love you too." I replied. What we didn't know was dad caught the whole thing and even though he didn't want us together and he voiced this several times. We parted and got into our jets I looked over at dad as the canopy slowly closed.

"Dagger One up and ready on catapult one." Dad said

"Dagger Spare standing by." Hangman said.

"Dagger Four up and ready." Payback said.

"Dagger Three up and readey." Phoenix announced.

"Dagger Two up and ready." Rooster said and I knew it was my turn.

"Dagger Five up and ready." I said feeling the nerves slowly starting to come a light but I couldn't show it.

In control room

"Support assets airborne. Strike package ready. Standing by for launch decision." The control center announced. Warlock looked over to Cyclone.

"Send them." Cyclone said.

Back to the Daggers

The next thing I knew everyone was catapulting off into the air one by one. We were flying when I heard my dad start speaking.

"Comanche Dagger One. Standby check in." I heard dad say.

"Comanche 11 set. Picture clean. Recommended Dagger continue." They said

"Copy. Daggers descending below radar." Dad said and we all looked at each other except Rooster, I could hear his breathing and was worried but knew he had this. "Here we go. Enemy territory up ahead. Feet dry. 60 seconds Comanche Dagger One. Picture." Dad continues.

"Comanche. Picture clean. Decision is yours." Comanche said.

"Copy." Dad said and looked over to Rooster than me. "Dagger attack." He replied. I looked up and saw the tomahawks fly past us and into the enemy airbase. There was no turning back now. "Daggers assume attack formation." Dad said and we all fell into line. Phoenix and Bob are behind dad, Rooster behind them, Payback and Fanboy are behind Rooster, and I behind them. "Dagger set. Proceeding to target. Two minutes and 30 seconds in three two one mark." He said.

"Two mark." Rooster said

"Three mark." Phoenix said

"Four mark." Payback said

"Five mark." I said

We started to go into the canyon. The twists and turns were hard and took my breath sometimes but this is what we trained for. Everything was running smoothly.

"First SAM site overhead." Dad said

"Looks like we're clear on radar Mav." Phoenix tells him.

"Let's not take it for granted." He replied.

We continued when suddenly Fanboy comes through.

"More SAMs! Three o'clock high!" And then Bob comes in.

"We got two minutes to target." Then Fanboy comes in.

"Copy. We're a few minutes behind Rooster, we've got to move." He was starting to concern me.

"Come on Rooster. You got this." I said over the coms so he could only hear me.

"Daggers, Comanche. We're picking up two bandits. Single group two contacts." Comanche said.

"Comanche what's their heading?" Phoenix asked.

"Bullseye 090 50 tacked southwest." Comanche said and Rooster after a long silence answered.

"They're headed away from us. They don't know we're here." He said.

"The second those Tomahawks hit the air base those bandits are gonna move to defend the target. We have to get there before they do. Increase speed." Dad answered. He increased his speed and so did Phoenix and Bob. I was prepared to increase speed but Rooster was still going the same speed which made Payback, Fanboy, and I fall behind.

"We got you Mav. Don't wait for me." Phoenix said.

"Don't wait on me either Mav. I'll be here when things get rough." I also said.

Comanche came on and said "Bandits are switching course to defend the target."

"Rooster where are you?" Dad asked

"Come in Rooster! Bandits are inbound. We got to make up time now. Let's turn and burn." Fanboy said.

"Come on Rooster you got this! Speed up." I pleaded.

"Heads up Phoenix." Dad said over the comms.

"Guys we're falling behind! We really got to move!" Fanboy exclaimed.

"If we don't increase our speed right now those bandits are gonna be waiting for us when we reach the target!" Payback added.

"Rooster listen we really do need to increase our speed. You can do this! We trained for this!" I said hoping to get through to him.

"Talk to me dad." I faintly heard him say.

"Come on kid you can do it. Don't think just do." I heard dad say and then Rooster, Payback, and Fanboy all increased their speed which made me increase mine.

"Jesus Rooster not that fast!" Payback said and I really wanted to tell him to shut up but restrained myself.

"That's it kid that's it. All right let's go." I heard dad say.

"Damn Rooster take it easy!" Fanboy exclaimed and again I wanted to say shut up but again restrained myself.

We were catching up to them. I was so proud of him. I heard dad say he was close to the target and asked Bob for the laser and he confirmed it but I was more focused on not crashing into the rear-end of Payback and Fanboy.

"Watch your heads!" Rooster said through the comms.

"Holy shit!" Fanboy exclaimed

"Payback you with me?" He asked

"Right behind you. Fearless you with us?" He answered and asked I didn't respond right away. "Fearless?" He asked again.

"Right behind you! My comms went out for a minute!" I said. Something wasn't right with my jet and it had been throughly checked over.

I heard dad talk to Phoenix but again I was focused on being on time and not crashing. My jet was starting to make a rattling noise but I ignored it. I heard Bob say they got a direct hit and was so happy about it but had no time to celebrate.

"Dagger two and five status." Dad asked.

"We're almost there Mav!" Rooster answered

"Right behind them!" I quickly answered

"Fanboy where is my laser?" Rooster asked him.

"Rooster there is something wrong with this laser! Shit deadeye, deadly, deadeye!" Fanboy exclaimed.

"Come one guys we're running out of time! Get it online!" Rooster exclaimed.

"I'm trying." He exclaimed.

"Rooster I can get it!" I said but Fanboy quickly answered.

"Nearly there! Nearly there!"

"Come on Fanboy get it online!" Payback said to his WSO.

"There's no time! I'm dropping in blind!" Rooster said.

"Rooster I said I can get it!" I said

"No time Fearless! I'm dropping in blind!" I clenched my teeth but didn't answer.

"Rooster I got this!" Fanboy came back.

"No time! Pull up!" Rooster said.

"Wait!" Fanboy said.

"Bombs away! Bombs away!" Rooster exclaimed. He released his bombs and thankfully they hit and we started to make the climb.

"We're not out of this yet! Here it comes!" Dad exclaimed. SAMs started to deploy. I could hear them talking and giving what positions they were at.

"Rooster, Fearless status." None of us answered.

"Oh my god." Rooster exclaimed and I was thinking the same thing. "Smoke in the air! Smoke in the air!" He exclaimed.

"Break right Payback!" Fanboy exclaimed to his pilot.

"Breaking right!" Payback exclaimed.

I tuned them out and gave them answers whenever I could but my comms were still going out. I was watching them and defending myself and them.

"SAMs at five o'clock, Fearless!" Rooster said

"Deploying countermeasures!" I said and hit the flares. Everything was chaotic and everyone was talking at once. Then my heart dropped when Rooster said he was out of flares and said that he couldn't shake them. I watched in horror when dad put on his breaks and let Rooster fly under him and take a hit.

"Mav! No!" Rooster exclaimed and then I couldn't hear anything my dad just went down. I couldn't hear what Rooster or anyone was saying afterwards. My hearing came to when Bob came through.

"Rooster he's gone." Bob said. No he couldn't be gone! My dad couldn't be gone. I needed to go back to the carrier my jet was not fit to fly anymore. I watched as Rooster disobeyed the orders and fly back for him. I wanted to but couldn't.

I started to fly back when all of a sudden my right engine stopped working. This was definitely not good. I had to let the others know.

"Guys go on without me. My right engine is down. I'll just slow you all down." I said.

"No way are we leaving you." Bob said. I loved that man but they needed to go on.

"No go on I'll meet you all there." I said and they go ahead this time. Next thing I knew I was by myself. I was just trying to get back to the carrier when all of a sudden a bandit popped up on my radar, this was not good.

"Dagger Five. This is Comanche. You have a bandit coming up on your two o'clock." Comanche said though I already knew that.

"Thank you, Comanche. I see them." I told them. The bandit was getting closer to me and was not being friendly I knew this was going into a dogfight. As I got closer it was clear that they wanted to fight. If this is to end how I think it is then I'll have 3 confirmed kills.

The bandit started to close in and start to get behind me. I couldn't let that happen. I jerked my jet to the left and started to evade and that started the dogfight. My jet was groaning with the turns and the twists. Smoke was coming out of my right engine.

"Come on Fearless, you're a Mitchell. You got this." I told myself. I didn't get to think long because the bandit started to shoot and it hit my right engine and I barely missed it but my plane was riddled with bullet holes.

"Control center. Dagger Five. My right engine is on fire and in a dogfight with a bandit." I let them know.

"Copy Dagger Five. We-" The command center replied but my comms went out as the bandit shot more and hit the left side of the jet, the left engine was starting to make noise as I moved to try and evade the bullets.

"Damn it." I said and tried to get my comms back up and trying to evade. Then I remembered that I was still carrying missiles. I pulled my jet up and got behind the bandit and shot the missile but they turned and it flew passed them. "Damn it, Mitchell. Get it together!" I yelled at myself. I continued to follow the bandit even tho my jet was protesting. I tried my comms again. "Command center this is Dagger Five. Do you copy?" I asked but all I got was static. Damn.

Every now and then I would shoot my gun and it would miss them and hit them. I must have them at least once because their jet was smoking. I was quickly running out of bullets. One last chance to take them down. I got behind them again and shot the missile again and it hit them and blew their jet up. There it is my 3rd confirmed kill. I tried the comms again and thankfully they were working again.

"Command center this Dagger Five. I'm coming back to the carrier." I said and then the adrenaline was wearing off and pain was radiating off of my left side and quickly looked down and saw dark red growing my flight suit. "I would also like to add that I'm hit and wounded and will need medical support." I said my voice shaky and growing weaker.

"Copy that Dagger Five. Medical support is waiting." They replied. I sighed thankfully and saw the carrier coming up but I was also growing tired and light-headed. I was able to put my tail hook down and the wheels and slowly guided the jet down. The jerk of the tail hook jeering my plane made me groan and start to blackout it came to a stop and I was able to open the canopy and then everything went black.

Third POV

The canopy opened and in an instant, the medical team was at her side getting her out and onto a stretcher. The entire carrier was silent. They could see her bullet-riddled jet and her engines were still smoking and a crew instantly put the fire out. They pulled her jet off the side where it was normally at.

In the medical wing, they were quickly getting her stabilized and unzipping her flight suit to find the bullet wound and no exit wound. The medical team was quick to hook her up to an IV and start to get the bullet out. Everything outside was blocked out and everyone had a grim look on their face.

Maverick and Rooster crashed landed onto the carrier and opened the canopy to get out everyone circled them and congratulated them but not as perky as they would have thought. What they noticed was weird was that Cyclone was there as well. He walked to them with a look on his face.

"Fearless is in the medical wing. It's not looking good." He told them. That's why everyone looked sad. Maverick and Rooster looked for her jet and when they found it they paled, it was riddled with holes. They both quickly rushed to the medical wing where they were just finishing up.

"She's stable but she'll need to go to the hospital quickly." One of the medical team said. They both nodded. Rooster went to Y/N and held her hand. Maverick looked on and couldn't help but see Goose and Carole in them. Cyclone comes in.

"Medical helicopter is here. You're both welcome to fly with her to the mainland. You both can debrief back at base." Cyclone said and walked away. The medical team comes and starts getting her ready to move.

Maverick's POV

I can't believe my daughter got hurt. I didn't want to pick her for the mission but she excelled in everything. I was proud of her and I knew Ice was too. I could tell she and Rooster loved each other. I didn't want them together because he was unstable and I wanted to protect her from everything but seeing them together was starting to change my opinion.

We walked with her to the medical helicopter. We both go in next to her. They refined us from touching her until on solid ground.

"She'll be out of it for a while until mainland. It'll help with the pain and the jolting around." The medic said. I nodded.

30 minutes later we were landing on the roof of the Navy Hospital and the hospital staff instantly took her out and right into the hospital to the OR. A nurse stayed back with us to take us to her room.

1 hour later they were bringing her into the room and set her up. The doctor explained what happened and what they did.

"She'll be out of it for a few minutes. Call when she wakes up." The nurse said and walked out of the room. Rooster went to her right and held her hand and sat down I stayed back a little but walked over and sat in the chair on the other side. He was so sweet to her, they were destined to be together. I was so lost in my thoughts looking between him and her. What jolted me out of thought was her groaning and moving around.

"Hey, sweetheart. You're ok." Rooster spoke to her. She opened her eyes and looked up at Rooster and smiled and then looked at me.

"I'll go and get the nurse." I told them. I stepped out of the room and went to the nurse's station and got the nurse. We walked back to the room where I stayed outside of the room they looked so happy together. The nurse walked out and smiled at me and I smiled back. I walked back into the room and they looked at me.

"Dad, I know you don't like us being together but I love Bradley and he loves me. I want to spend the rest of my life with him. I just hope you can accept that one day." Y/N said to me.

"It's true Mav. I love your daughter so much. I want to marry her one day and have kids with her. I've hated you for a long time but after what we've been through, I've forgiven you and I hope you allow us to be together." Rooster said and I knew he meant it. They both looked at me.

"Listen guys I didn't like you being together at the start but seeing how sweet, loving, and caring to each other. I have come to the conclusion that I can't stop you from being together. I see so much of Goose and Carole in you that I'm willing to put my differences aside with both of you and be happy with you being together. I just hope you can accept me to being back into your lives. I love you both." I said pouring my heart out to them.

"Of course dad. You're my father. I was never truly mad just disappointed." Y/N said to me.

"Of course Mav. I know you only did it to protect me but I love you anyways." Rooster said and I smiled. Y/N cleared her throat.

"Now you want to tell me what happened to you both?" She asked. Rooster and I looked at each other.

"It's a long story." We both said at the same time. We all laughed.

"We will tell you after you tell us what happened to you miss 3 confirmed kills." Rooster said and she blushed almost embarrassed.

"We got time." She smiled the smile I loved seeing.

So we began telling our stories to each other. Happy we were all safe and sound.

#daughter reader top gun #daughter!reader top gun #top gun imagine #bradley bradshaw x reader #rooster x reader #top gun fanfiction #top gun fan fiction #maverick x daughter!reader

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matan4il · 6 months

Text

To the anon who wrote me about the bodies...

If you have an issue with bodies being held hostage, you should hold accountable the party that introduced that element to the Israeli-Arab conflict. That would be Egypt, back in 1954. The Syrians have also followed suit since 1965.

Hamas and Hezbollah have taken this one step further, intentionally keeping Israel in the dark over whether those that these terrorists are holding hostage are alive or dead. Case in point, on Oct 7, 2000 Hezbollah murdered and kidnapped the bodies of 3 Israeli soldiers. The IDF was able to confirm by the next day that the soldiers were all at the very least wounded during the kidnapping. In June 2001, it turned out the UN had material about the kidnapping, that it did not share with Israel, despite its obligation to do so. On Oct 29, 2001 (a year after the kidnapping), Israel was able to announce the 3 soldiers had been murdered. Hezbollah continued to lie about it even after the confirmation. I don't remember at which point it was exactly, but I remember that Hezbollah released a pic that was supposed to be these soldiers alive. I remember that by this point, while the announcement that the soldiers are dead wasn't official yet, it was pretty clear they were, and I remember thinking how cruel Hezbollah was to intentionally torment the families with false hope. A similar thing happened again on Jul 12, 2006, when Hezbollah killed 5 Israeli soldiers, and then kidnapped the bodies of 2 of them. The terrorists lied about it. So imagine the shock and pain the families experienced, when a hostage deal was conducted in Jul 2008, and after two years of hoping and waiting, they got bodies instead of to be reunited with their living loved ones.

Currently, Hamas has been holding the bodies of Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul since 2014. For over 9 years. For over 9 years, their families can't hold a funeral, and they get no closure.

And this one's maybe the most important point regarding the part of my post you quoted. Hamas isn't just holding the bodies hostage. Israel and Hamas agreed on the release of women and kids, and Israel made it clear it will not make any hostage deals, before all the living women and children are back in Israel, safe and sound. Intel shows Hamas is still holding at least 19 living women that it could release. That's... taking into account that the Bibas family, with 4 years old Ariel, and baby Kfir, might have been killed. Even then, Hamas could easily stick to the deal, and release the women it's holding, who are alive. Hamas is intentionally trying to force Israel to take dead bodies instead, while having to release living convicted terrorists in exchange, based on the current deal, which was made to free living women and kids. We know that statistically speaking, roughly 60% of released Palestinian terrorists return to terrorist activity, and attempt to murder again. That means Hamas is trying to force Israel's hand, to put the lives of even more Israelis on the line, without even getting our living hostages in return.

Hadar Goldin:

Oron Shaul:

Hamas is now holding the bodies of at least 6 murdered Israeli civilians. Most are old men and women. Possibly the bodies of a child and a baby. They're not soldiers. They're def not terrorists, who chose to try and carry out the murder of civilians. Here are their faces:

And that's not counting the bodies of our soldiers. We know Hamas is holding the kidnapped bodies of at least 3 of them. I just wanna remind you, most Israeli soldiers do not choose the army as a career. Their service is mandatory, and is a result of the on going terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians, which started before there even was a State of Israel, when the terrorist attacks were simply on Jews. Our soldiers, are mostly young people, they're our 19 and 20 years old kids, called to defend our 3 and 10 and 12 years old kids.They're human beings, too. They deserve burial, and their families deserve closure as well.

So how would you suggest Israel deals with this kind of inhumane depravity? What is it that we're allowed to do, when we're trying to get back the bodies, restore the dignity of our dead, and stop the torment of our grieving families and friends?

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bananaofswifts · 1 year

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Whether she's breaking records or breaking Ticketmaster, Taylor Swift has proven time and again that she's one of the most powerful figures in modern music — and the Eras Tour is a manifestation of that.

By TAYLOR WEATHERBY

But after witnessing it in person, it's clear that Swift is not just delivering the tour of the year — it's the tour of her generation.

Sure, Beyoncé fans can't wait for her tour this summer; Harry Styles is about to embark on the final leg of his highly successful Love On Tour trek; BLACKPINK sold out stadiums around the country too. Yet, it's hard to imagine that any other tour this year will have a cultural impact as big as the Eras Tour — something that's wildly apparent whether or not you were there.

Even before Swift hit the stage for her first night at Nashville's Nissan Stadium on May 5, her influence was felt. Practically every fan of the 70,000 in attendance (a record for the venue — more on that later) was wearing some sort of reference to their favorite Swift era: a beloved lyric, or an iconic performance or music video look. While that's not necessarily a new trend in the Swiftie world, seeing all 10 of her eras represented throughout a stadium-sized crowd was equal parts meaningful and remarkable.

As someone who has been to hundreds of tours and most of Swift's — including the Reputation Tour, which I naively referred to as "the peak of her career" — I didn't think this one would feel much different than a typical stadium show. But even when Swift was just a few songs in of her impressive three-and-a-half hour set, a feeling came over me like I wasn't just watching one of music's greats — I was part of music history.

Below, here are five reasons why the Eras Tour will go down as one of the most iconic of Swift's generation.

It's Treated Like A Holiday

In the week leading up to the shows and over the weekend, Nashville was abundant with special events in Swift's honor. From Taylor-themed trivia nights to pre- and post-show dance parties to wine lists transformed into "eras," practically every place you went was commemorating her return (she last performed in Nashville in 2018).

While it's unclear whether this kind of takeover is happening in every city — after all, she does consider Nashville a hometown, as she said on stage — it's rare to see an artist have such a ripple effect by simply just coming to town.

During her May 5 show, Swift added to the excitement by sharing the highly anticipated news that Speak Now (Taylor's Version) was coming on July 7. Upon the announcement, three of Nashville's monuments — the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge, the Tennessee State Capitol and the Alliance Bernstein building downtown — were illuminated in purple, the album's color.

It's Breaking Records Left And Right

Though Swift is no stranger to breaking records, she continues to do so with the Eras Tour. After setting the all-time attendance record at Nissan Stadium on night one of her Nashville run, Swift topped herself (something has become accustomed to on the charts as well) with another attendance record on night two.

And despite the controversial ticketing frenzy the tour caused, Swift also broke a Ticketmaster record with more than 2.4 million tickets sold — the most by an artist in a single day — in the presale alone. If Swift announces an international leg of the tour, Pollstar projects that the Eras Tour could surpass $1 billion, which would add yet another first to her ever-growing list.

It's Spawned Parking Lot Parties

As if history-making attendance and record-breaking ticket sales aren't indication enough of Swift's power, the Eras Tour is so highly in-demand that fans are sitting outside of the venue to still be part of the show. Fans crowded barricades and camped out in the parking lot of Nissan Stadium, ready to watch (and sing along) Swift on the big screen — something that has seemingly been happening in every city.

It Can't Be Stopped By The Elements

Adding to the magnitude of the Eras Tour, Swift performs 45 songs across three and a half hours. And to make her last night in Nashville even more momentous, she did almost all of that in pouring rain.

Swift didn't get to take the stage until after 10 p.m. on May 7 because of storms in the area (she normally goes on around 7:50 local time), but that didn't mean she'd be shortening her set. Carrying on until after 1:30 a.m. — even through the "element of slippiness happening," as she joked — Swift made it clear that she's determined to give each show her all regardless of the weather.

It's Simply A Feel-Good Celebration

Perhaps it was the five-year gap between the last time she toured. Perhaps it was the four new albums of material. Perhaps it was the celebratory nature of the show. Whatever inspired the vibe of the Eras Tour, I've never seen Taylor Swift or her fans so alive. The passion was tangible, the energy was magnetic.

Though Swift has always been known as an artist with a very loyal following, it was still mind-blowing to hear 70,000 people belt out every word for three hours straight. There aren't many artists whose catalogs are as equally beloved as they are extensive, especially one who hasn't even seen her 34th birthday. No matter how many albums and tours are in Swift's future, the Eras Tour captures a special moment in time — and celebrates a legend in her prime.

#taylor swift #the eras tour #grammy

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flowerandblood · 1 year

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Flower and Blood (Oneshot)

[modern! • Aemond Targaryen x female]

[warnings: kissing, menstruation and bleeding, fluff]

[description: A small house party is organized in the Targaryen house, during which the siblings and their friends play board games. Helaena takes her friend who is having her first "women's days". At one point, she states with embarrassment, that she has bloodied her seat, and her in-game partner, Aemond, who has hardly spoken to her until now, tries to help her (Anon Request).]

* English is not my first language. Please, do not repost. Enjoy! *

_____

From the morning she felt that something bad was happening to her. She woke up all sore and without strength, she couldn't concentrate on anything during class, her stomach hurt.

It wasn't until she went to the toilet during a break and saw specks of blood on the panty liner that she realized she had gotten her period earlier than usual this month.

She sighed heavily when she saw this. Fortunately, she always carried a few sanitary napkins in her backpack, just in case, she or her friends often came in handy. Disheartened, she thought it was going to be a terrible day, and her friend Helaena invited her to her house. She said that her brother Aegon had the idea to do a game night, and since they both loved games like this she immediately agreed.

Now, without pills and with disaster looming, she didn't know what to do. When she told Helaena what was happening she looked at her understandingly, rummaged in her bag and took out a sheet of pills.

"Buy yourself a tea from the vending machine and swallow it. These are strong antispasmodics, you should feel better in a few minutes." She said gently. She wanted to kiss her hands for the help, her ovaries throbbing like crazy in pain.

Indeed, after an hour the pain in her lower abdomen had eased. She thought that aside from the constant, disgusting feeling of bleeding, she felt a little better. Their house was not far from her dormitory, so she decided that even if she felt worse during the party, she would just walk home.

When they entered their house, several people were already there. Aegon greeted them with a smile in the hallway, hugging her and his sister. The two had seen each other several times before.

She knew Aegon liked a good time, alcohol, and women. Sometimes too much. He seemed to know that neither of them were their type, and he didn't force himself on her. Instead, he brought three of his female friends, apparently from his year.

There were two other boys besides them - Criston, their longtime friend, and Aemond, the youngest of the siblings. She spoke to him the least, because he didn't speak much. She had seen how many times girls forced him to talk, and he looked away, desperate and bored.

She wasn't going to force herself on him. She liked him, because he was concrete and rather gentle in his manner, even though he communicated practically only in grunts.

She greeted everyone in turn. As she and Aemond embraced lightly, she smelled some nice male perfume that made her nose twitch. She looked at him with a smile at the thought. He released her, looking away, turning his attention to his sister.

After they determined that everyone was assembled, they entered the living room where boxes of games were spread on the floor and large, multi-colored, bright pillows on which they were apparently supposed to sit. She sat on one of them, right next to Helaena. Aegon's friend sat next to Aemond, Aegon, Criston and two other girls next to each other.

They started with Rummikub. The game was about arranging tiles with numbers, in a logical, mathematical sequence. They could be numbers in order, their multiples by multiplication, addition or subtraction as well as by colors.

She loved this game, it required a lot of cleverness and adapting to what others had already put together. She fought for the win with Criston, but finally fell.

Aegon announced that it's time for cartoon puns. He said that to make it easier to come up with something quickly they would pair up. He dropped two colored pawns for each team into the bag and shuffled them around, passing them to each of them.

She slid her hand inside, pausing there for a while, and pulled out a blue pawn. She looked around and saw that Aemond was spread out on his pillow, propped up on his elbow, staring at her intently, playing with a pawn of the same color between his fingers.

She smiled at him and got up from her seat, sitting cross-legged on the pillow next to him. After the draw, it turned out that two of Aegon's friends were in a group with each other, the third with Aegon himself, and Helaena and Criston were together. Aegon handed out all the small whiteboards and erasable markers as well as cards with slogans.

Aemond and she glanced at theirs and saw that "The Little Prince" was written on it. The password, of course, referred to the book of the same title. They looked at each other surprised.

"I know that book." She said quickly.

"Me too." He said low, rubbing his chin, she was surprised at how deep his voice was. "But I'm wondering how to present it so that they understand right away."

She twisted uneasily in place and jumped, pulling the cap off the marker. She began to draw a simple rose under a shade, with lots of smaller ones around it.

"Yeah, yeah, very good idea" He said suddenly, and she was amused to hear a note of excitement in his voice.

They had to wait their turn. First, Criston and Helaena showed their sign. A bouquet of flowers and a man with a palette were drawn on it.

"Vincent van Gogh?" She asked uncertainly aloud, and Helaena clapped her hands.

"Yes!" She said happily.

She smiled at Aemond and made a dash on the side of their slate to indicate that they had just scored one point. Then it was Aegon and his friend's turn. They turned the tablet over and for a moment everyone wondered what it represented.

"That thing next to this boy and girl is a dog?" Aemond asked uncertainly.

Aegon nodded. Seeing that no one came up with any idea, he drew something quickly for the boy in his drawing. Criston leaned closer, frowning.

"Why does he have such weird teeth? Isn't it about Twilight?" He asked, and Aegon jumped happily.

"Yes!!!" He said, erasing his drawing, he and his friend high fived each other.

It was her and Aemond's turn. She turned over their slate, and they all looked at her curiously.

"Beauty and the Beast?" Helaena asked, and she shook her head. She took the slate, quickly drawing a moon and a boy on it. She turned the board around to face them again.

"Dreamworks Studio?" Aegon asked. She and Aemond cursed under their breath, shaking their heads. They looked at each other, wondering what to do.

"Maybe draw Little Prince and a fox." Aemond suggested quietly.

She jumped in her seat, delighted with his idea, and nodded quickly, drawing a figure of Little Prince in his trademark cloak and fox. She turned the slate over and Helaena clapped her hands together, trying to remember something quickly.

"Wait, wait, what was the name of that book… The Little Prince!" She said finally.

"Yes, bravo!" She said cheerfully, proud of the fact that they managed to present such a non-obvious password and book. He and Aemond exchanged a satisfied look.

Now it was the turn of two of Aegon's friends. They showed their slate, but she couldn't concentrate, feeling something was wrong. She turned around, wondering what it was. She thought she felt an unpleasant wetness between her thighs, but that was normal during her period. She shifted slightly on her pillow and froze, looking down. She saw the blood.

She looked helplessly around the room and looked at Helaena, wanting to draw her gaze to herself. She was too busy guessing to see it. She felt her heart pounding, her cheeks flushed with shame. She felt like she was about to cry.

Helpless and unsure of what to do, she grabbed Aemond's sleeve. He looked at her surprised and seeing her expression raised his eyebrows.

"Everything's all right?" He asked softly and she shook her head. She pursed her lips.

"I think I just bled your pillow." She whispered in shame, her voice trembling slightly as she looked pleadingly at him. His pupils dilated and he looked down at her thighs.

"Fuck." He said quietly, glancing at everyone around, who was still trying to guess. He looked like he was thinking very hard right now.

"Get up as usual and go to the bathroom, I'll turn the pillow and then take care of it. Will you need something to change?" He asked quietly, and she nodded quickly, trying not to cry in front of him. Her expression caught Helaena's attention.

"Everything's all right?" She asked gently.

"Y-yes, thank you." She said, not wanting to draw more attention to herself than necessary.

She got up on shaky legs, wanting to move to the other room as quickly as possible, Aemond immediately grabbed a pillow. One of Aegon's friends, the one who had sat next to Aemond earlier, must have seen the bloodstain, because she said:

"Oh, someone here isn't pregnant. Let's drink to that!" She said cheerfully, holding up her beer.

She felt her face turn pale, humiliated, all eyes were suddenly turned her way. Criston and Aegon looked at her sympathetically, clearly understanding the complexity and unfortunateness of these women's affairs. Helaena stood up quickly, terrified.

"Poor thing! Come to the bathroom, quickly!" She said, grabbing her hand and leading her towards the toilet. Only when Helaena left to bring her a pair of clean underwear and pants did she cry quietly, hiding her face in her hands.

She thought everyone would be staring at her for the rest of the day, and she ruined their pillow. She thought it was disgusting and cursed herself for not going to change her sanitary napkin sooner. Helaena handed her clothes through the gap in the door and closed it behind her. She washed herself quickly with cold water, dried herself with paper, and put on clean underwear, a sanitary napkin, and pants.

She looked at herself in the reflection, all red and swollen with tears. She thought she looked terrible and wanted to go home. She flinched as she heard a soft knock on the door.

"I'll be right back, Helaena, thank you very much." She said in a slightly broken voice, wiping her runny nose.

"May I came in?" She heard the same low voice as before. A shudder of pain and embarrassment ran through her. She looked at the sink, sighing softly.

"Y-yes, of course." She said, trying to stay calm.

She smiled weakly at him as he stepped inside, his gaze soft and calm. He looked at her with a hint of what she might call concern and sympathy. She thought that was the last thing she needed. They stood in silence for a moment.

"Are you okay? This chick's comment was unnecessary." He added, looking away, frustration evident in his voice. She pursed her lips at his words, closing her eyes. Thinking about it made her want to cry again, so she decided not to say anything.

"I already put the pillowcase in the washing machine, the insert itself didn't get dirty, so it will be like new. Don't worry." He said softly, looking at her expectantly. She smiled gratefully at him, appreciating the way he was treating her.

"Thank you and I'm sorry for the trouble. I'm so ashamed." She said embarrassed, wrapping her arms around herself.

"No problem." He said, taking a step closer to her. She looked at him surprised. "I know I'm not a good conversationalist. Like a fox, I can't relate to anyone who doesn't tame me."

She stared at him in shock, wiping her nose again. She blinked, wondering what he meant. She smiled understandingly at him.

"To tame someone, you have to give them space." She said calmly. Aemond pursed his lips.

"Exactly." He said softly. She felt her heart beat faster at the way he said the word. "That's why you made it."

She swallowed hard, staring at him in surprise. She thought she had only exchanged a few full sentences with him in the course of her acquaintance with him. Never dragging him out, never forcing him, never getting any closer to him than he wanted. She flinched as he took a step closer. They stood in front of each other, their faces a few inches apart.

"So if I say don't worry, then do so." He said softly. She blinked, feeling her lips tremble, wanting to cry again, but this time for a different reason.

"I want you to tame me."

She saw him smile at her words. She had never seen such a warm expression on his face before. She didn't pull away as he touched her cheek, his large hand brushing over her warm, still wet skin. Her lips parted invitingly, and he inhaled softly.

"May I?" He asked quietly. She nodded, and in a moment his lips were pressed against hers, soft, moist and warm, caressing her sensitive skin. Their fleshy lips brushed and pressed together with the sticky, wet click of their saliva. They broke apart, staring at each other with hazy eyes.

"My Rose." He whispered.

_____

A story at the request of one of the Anons Request, who mentioned that such a situation happened to her, unfortunately in less pleasant circumstances. 😓

It happened to me once at school too, but I figured it out quickly, no one noticed and I was wearing black jeans, so all I had to do was spray it with water and I somehow survived until the end of the day. 😵

Don't worry if this happens to you, it's normal!!! 💖💖💖

Aemond Taglist:

(bold means I couldn’t tag you)

@its-actually-minicika @notnormalthings-blog @avgdusterfan @nikstrange @zenka69 @bellaisasleep @k-y-r-a-1 @random-ocity @g-cf2020 @melsunshine @opheliaas-stuff @chainsawsangel @iiamthehybrid @tinykryptonitewerewolf @namoreno @snh96 @malfoytargaryens @qyburnsghost @aemondsdelight @persephonerinyes

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pretty-idol-hell · 1 month

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youtube

The PriPara 10th Anniversary video and Tweet is up again! I believe this information wasn't supposed to be released until after the concert, but someone released it early. Oops.

I also noticed that the official Idol Land Twitter name and avatar has been changed. The name of the Twitter is now "Idol Land PriPara and PriPara 10th Anniversary", the new avatar features the 10th Anniversary logo, and the description explains that this account will be covering both Idol Land and the 10th Anniversary while it is ongoing.

(It's hard to imagine Idol Land ending during the 10th Anniversary, but having the official account being used for something else and the lack of a season 2 announcement today is a little concerning I have to admit.)

Okay, so about the actual announcement:

There will be a PriPara exhibition held this August 9th-25th 2024 in Tokyo, specifically Shibuya. They are also planning to bring the exhibition to Fukuoka and Osaka as well.

Having been to the Rainbow Live 10th Anniversary exhibition this past March, this honestly sounds very similar. They mention displaying PriPara's chronology (the Rainbow Live one had an episode-by-episode guide on the wall) and photo spots of Making Dramas and other scenes (same, we got a Prism Jump and Prism Stone shop as well as a bunch of mini ones), as well as stage costumes (well, we didn't get that at the RL one, instead we got merch and a guitar). The Rainbow Live one was cute, but very small. I was curious if this one might be bigger since they are taking it on tour but looking up the venue (地下1階, where it says "Event Space") this one looks equally small. So, perhaps not worth flying to Japan for, but be sure to check it out if you'll already be there!

Now, she's already made the rounds but the video also announced a brand new character. Not just for the 10th Anniversary, but the 1000th Anniversary!

Laalulu! She is a transfer student from the future, come to study about PriPara at the exhibition.

So... This is very funny for several reasons.

First of all, celebrating the 1000th Anniversary at the same time as the 10th is very on brand for PriPara considering it's long been canon that PriPara has existed for thousands of years, so why wouldn't it exist for thousands more?

And of course, although they don't acknowledge it directly, Laalulu is very clearly a fusion of Laala and Falulu.

Thus suggesting that Laala and Falulu's families become... intertwined at some point, somehow.

But at the same time, they are safeguarding themselves from suggesting she's a direct descendant since she's from so ridiculously far in the future. Yes, I know that vocal dolls, if she is one, can live for thousands of years. But, if she was already a thousand years old, why would she need to study PriPara in our age? So, I think she must be relatively young.

Or is she even a vocal doll at all? Because... not sure how that would be possible either.

My personal headcanon on this would be that perhaps Falulu or a Falulu clone becomes a real girl at some point, and meets up with a descendant of Laala.

Which, if true, would mean that they not only stole @moonlit-angel-serenity 's OC but mine as well, since that's what happens to Hinode in my canon LOL.

Haha, who knows. I'm pretty sure they will never explain it.

But, it seems to me this character is a character specifically made for the exhibition (especially since the logo features Laala and Falulu). Unless a voice actress is announced for her soon, I don't think they will be doing much of anything else with this character.

(In the video, Laala speaks to her and Laalulu replies back with text only, so it seems that she does not have one at this point.)

#Youtube #idol land pripara #pripara

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elionwriter · 1 year

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Sherlock Holmes the Awakened: a Review

(SPOILERS AHEAD)

Sorry, sorry, sorry, but I just NEED to talk about this game! I have been a Frogwares Holmes fan since the very beginning and 'The Awakened' was always among my favourite titles. Not to mention one of the games that had scared the wits out of me. So I have to speak about the Remake now.

First and foremost, I think it needs to be reiterated that this game was made DURING THE FU****G INVASION OF UKRAINE! During such dark times, the team kept working on this. I would have supported this game even just for this reason alone.

Now, let's be honest: Frogwares never had the most marvelous graphics nor the most polished of gameplays and this entry is not an exception. I still feel the map system is a bit difficult to navigate (I may be an idiot, but I had the same issue with Chapter 1) but I really appreciated the added help the game gives you when you're recreating a scene, letting you know which passage you got wrong. Last game I found myself changing everything trying to hit the right combination so I really liked this fix.

This needs to be said: the game doesn't feel under any shape or form a product for a new fan. Everything from dialogues to game mechanics sort of take for granted that you've at least played 'chapter one'. Honestly? I'm ok with this, I hate having to always go through nearly identical tutorial stages for games I know inside out (like Pokémon) and I believe that most of not all people who are going to get this game ARE old fans!

I wasn't originally a big fan of the new Holmes and Watson models when the last game came out but....I dunno, they have grown on me. I find myself liking them now for, I suppose, no other reason than 'they are very expressive' and 'I've gotten used to them'. I think it's gotten to the point that these might be my favourite models of the two to date. Please ignore how fickle I am! (In honesty, just to draw a similar parallel, when Roger Craig Smith was first announced as Sonic's voice I hated it and now he's my fav Sonic v. actor)

This game has something.....compared to its predecessor, that makes it less scary. I can't really put my finger on it, but I distinctly remember the feeling of claustrophobia building in me when I was in the Black Edelweiss. Or the sheer jumpscare I got when the sacrificed American detective on the altar had tentacles coming out of it and severing his head making it roll to the ground. I remember almost not wanting to paddle the rowboat under the tree of hanging men in the Bayou. I remember how viscerally sick I felt at the lighthouse by all the gore and blood depicted. This time round.....I just didn't. I'm honestly not sure why this didn't hit me nearly as hard as its 2006 predecessor did!

And talking about comparisons, one thing I'm a bit disappointed they didn't grab the chance to do in this remake was fix the loose ends that were left hanging in the 2006 version. I mean....they still abandoned completely the search for that one Maori servant, what happened to all the people they managed to rescue? Who hired the private American detective that was killed? Why give out the cheap pendants? I know I'm a bit dumb and need extra explaining than what is necessarily needed but...I can't be the only one right? Sometimes you want to be told just a bit more.

Now, getting into the really good bits, that make all of it worth it!

'Chapter One' acted as a 'de facto' reboot of the Frogwares Holmes series, and I honestly think that was for the best. I don't really see where they could have gone with things after 'Devil's Daughter' and their Holmes had changed too much to be the same guy from 'The Silver Earring'...let alone Watson. But like this? They have a fresh, clean slate to start off from and they can rebuild the two mains' relashionship and lore from the ground up in a more strictly consequential manner. And the way they are doing it? I think it's state of the art!

The fact that they poke fun at themselves on certain points like Watson stating: "What about when you used to roll up only one of your sleeves? Did you get bored halfway through?!" I think the Devs themselves realized this was a cringe design choice and I like that they said so out loud.

The meta-conversation they wrote in towards the end, 'because yes, this HAS Happened before and the story still has the same outcome', is brilliant. I don't think I've ever seen another remake that acknowledges that it is a remake, and in the general madness that is mounting in the narrative this makes perfect sense! It adds one more layer of horror and inexplicable to the tale. The villain's warning 'that the Final Problem is coming and Sherlock will fall in the abyss too' is such a powerful way to use Canon. The prophecy is only made more real and dreadful by the fact that this person is aware of what has already happen in a similar but different scenario!

Also, not them using that one quote from 'The Valley of Fear' novel which happens to be one of my all time favourites!

I say, Watson,’ he whispered, ‘would you be afraid to sleep in the same room as a lunatic, a man with softening of the brain, an idiot whose mind has lost its grip?’ ‘Not in the least,’ I answered in astonishment. 'Ah, that’s lucky,’ he said, and not another word would he utter.

I think the thing that has most benefited from the Remake is Watson's character. Compared to the 2006 version, this Watson is a truly compelling character in his own right and this time round he's not just along for the ride. In this version, you simply cannot imagine how Holmes would have done it on his own. Watson was in every way a key component to the solution of the problem and the reason why Holmes didn't drown in madness. That point is driven home by Rochester asking 'How did you defeat me?' and Holmes answering 'I made a friend!'

Much of the narrative in the game was focused on Holmes truly learning to accept Watson's friendship and him as a person when he was still clinging so much to his old imaginary friend. You can see how, at first, Holmes refuses to be honest with the Doctor about what he thinks and feels and it's only as they move forward in the adventure that they both open up to each other. You can see as the adventure progresses that Holmes shifts his desperate cries from 'Jon' to 'Watson' to 'John' and the Doctor goes more and more often from 'Holmes' to 'Sherlock'. Mycroft also points this out when he says that Sherlock 'went from one Jon to another'. But this one, John Watson, is real and there to stay. In the context of a story that happens mostly in the detective's mind, Watson's friendship is really what turns the situation around!

I could add of little tid bits which were so random and on the nose that somehow worked, like the possessed 'Heidi' doll or the fact that you had to actually 'Kill Holmes' with the booby traps instead of avoiding them.

Also, "The director Guygax was randomly killed.....by a doll?!????!?!?! Yeah, let's just walk out of here no questions asked. That's too deep a wormhole even for this f***d up Adventure to go down. I'm sure nobody is gonna ask us questions, suspect or stop us as we go out the main doors!" 😃 -Holmes, probably.

So, yeah, I loved this game despite it not being perfect and my love and support goes to Frogwares more that ever!

#sherlock Holmes the awakened #sherlock holmes chapter one #sherlock holmes #john watson #frogwares holmes #sherlock holmes devil's daughter #holmes x watson #sherlock x john #sherlock and jon #jon #mycroft holmes #chtulhu #eldrich horror #lovecrafian

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folklcv4r · 4 days

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Atychiphobia (Fear of Failure)

Tw: Anxiety, panic attacks, fair of failure and stage fright, english is not my first language.

Summary: After your last presentation was a failure, you are afraid it will happen again but your boyfriend is there to calm you down.

☆if you are reading this and you have a presentation close I send you all my good wishes and a hug from Remus, everything will be fine<3

I've got this anxious feeling…

Your leg is shaking when the professor announces that your group will be the first to pass in the next class, you feel Remus putting his hand in your leg trying to calm you down, and giving you a soft smile.

You try to focus on sometime else but your thoughts takes you back to that day, that fuckin day when your chest began to ache and your tears blocked your view and you simply ran away leaving the class confused, you didn't know why you felt this way, you always felt nervous during your presentation but it was never that bad until that one.

When the class is over your boyfriend is holding your hand so tight because he knows you so well, and because he always is there no matter what, Remus was the first person to run after you that day, you remember his worried voice when he found you in the bathrooms sobbing so bad and saying that you couldn't breathe.

“Are you okay” he asks

“Yes” No, “Why do you ask?” You say and give him a fake smile.

“Don’t lie to me, you know you can trust me” You know that, you really do, but there is a lump in your throat that prevents you from saying what you feel, you don't want to be a burden more than you already are.

“I’m okay, you know how I get whenever I have a presentation”

“Thtas why I’m asking, I want to know what's going on in that pretty little head” He says sweetly tapping your forehead and giving you that smile that gets you drunk.

You smile but don't say anything else and just squeeze his hand tighter, he looks at you worried but keeps walking not wanting to push you.

When you get to his room you are lucky that none of their friends are in there, you lie down on his bed and let out a groan.

“It wasn't even supposed to happen this week, the date was set for two weeks from now, but no, now I have to do it tomorrow and humiliate myself again” You know he was waiting for this moment, no matter how much you try to keep things to yourself, there is always something that makes you end up doing it anyway.

“Somehow all the professors found out what happened and tomorrow he will give me the typical speech that if you studied you shouldn't feel so nervous, but no matter if I study I will still fail as always, I’m a failure” Your eyes are closed but you feel the bed sinking in next to you.

“Don't talk about my girlfriend that way, she's the smartest person I've ever met”

“I’m not smart”

“Yes you are, do I have to remind you that after what happened you still came back and finishe your presentation?”

“I couldn't even speak well, I just wanted a good grade”

“But you did it, you stood up there and did your best as you always do, you have to stop focusing on everything wrong and start looking at what you do right, which is too many things. Look at me honey” You raise your eyes and lose yourself in his gaze and his words.

“You are so talented and it hurts me to know that you see yourself as a failure, you give everything you have to achieve what you want and sometimes you go too far, you will never be a failure because you try, no matter what happens you always wipe your tears and do it again and if you didn't try it would be ok too, there are things that are not for us but there will always be something waiting for us with the door open, but sometimes it's good enough to be good, you don't have to be great all the time” You look at him with tears in your eyes and hug him tightly.

“What did I do to deserve you?”

“Being you is enough”

But it goes away for a minute when I'm with you, breathing.

#remus lupin #remus lupin x reader #marauders #x reader #harry potter #taylor swift #academic validation #the neighbourhood #fangirl #im just a girl #remus lupin fic #rory gilmore #hermione granger

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teenytinyjimin · 1 month

Text

je ne sais pas (j. hoseok)

dans mon esprit tout divague, (in my mind everything goes wild)

je me perds dans tes yeux (i lose myself in your eyes)

je me noie dans la vague de ton regard amoureux (i drown myself in the wave of your loving gaze)

je ne veux que ton âme divaguant sur ma peau (i only want your soul going wild on my skin)

summary: in which two strangers spend an unforgettable day together without actually getting to verbally understand each other.

pairing: hoseok x reader

word count: 2.8k

tags: fluff, language barrier, idol!hoseok, quebecois!reader, strangers to lovers, im bad at this tagging stuff

warnings: none, just enjoy some sweet hoseok fluff <3

author’s note: im really excited about this one yall 😭 i love the idea of language barrier romance because just think about it... u love someone so much that talking to them doesn't matter as much as the memories u create with them.. god ok ill stop speaking please please enjoy!

── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──

The province of Quebec is often quite peaceful for about 85% of the year, with the exceptions typically being one of two things. First, there's always the typical influx of tourists that happens during peak times of the year like summer, Christmas, things like that. However the second exception is typically related to whatever artist is in Montreal for the Canadian leg of their world tour. It wasn't uncommon for there to be a little bit of buzz around the famous singer in question, however no one seemed to go harder than kpop fans when their group or soloist of choice was coming for a show or two.

You weren't really a fan of kpop in the way that many of your friends were. Sure, you've listened to some songs before, but you never felt the desire to get invested in any of the artists or the lore that came with them. It would be nice to hear your friends babble on about a new song that was released or a new tour that was announced, however you were absolutely not expecting the absolute freakout that was to come when BTS announced that they'd be doing a show in Montreal.

"Can you believe it?" One friend asked you with excitement. Yes, you could. They were famous. Of course they were going to come to Canada for a world tour. It's not that you weren't excited for your friends, who called themselves 'Army', but you just weren't as invested so it didn't mean as much to you. It also didn't help that a lot of their discussions with fellow fans and the things they'd post relating to BTS on their social media profiles were in English.

The majority of Quebecois people were able to communicate in English as well as their native language of French, but for some reason your family lived under a rock and you didn't learn anything beyond basic greetings and conversations in English. You felt rather left out because it felt like you were behind your friends and everyone else around you, however as you grew older you tended to not let it bother you that much. Since French is a prominent language in Quebec, you weren't bothered about language barriers and knew you could get around and live life normally without worry.

Since your friends were much deeper down the Bangtan rabbit hole, they were able to secure floor tickets to their Montreal show and were extremely busy completely overthinking the event and what they wanted to wear. It was now the day before the show and they were last-minute panicking, roaming the stores of downtown Montreal to put together outfits that were both cute and appropriate for the vibe of the concert.

Given that they were rather busy with this, you decided that this would be a weekend to yourself where you could peacefully do whatever you wanted. The quaint cafe you work at full-time decided to close for the weekend given the occasion (apparently the owner was also an Army), so it was a perfect opportunity for you to go down to the local park and do some reading on a bench.

And that's exactly what you did. You found yourself parked on the lawn of Mount Royal Park, right next to the lake. You brought some light reading with you, a small romance novel that involved the typical coffee shop trope, prepared to do some reading but also some people watching in between. It was absolutely perfect, and you couldn't have asked for a better way to spend the weekend. As you peacefully read your cliche novel, cup of iced coffee from a local coffee shop in-hand, you thought the day couldn't get any better. Until it did.

"Hey, excuse me, can you help me?" You looked up from your book to see a boy standing a short distance away from you. He had the warmest smile on his face and his eyes were bright with cheer. You tilted your head slightly, not too sure what he was asking. After a minute of silence, his smile dropped slightly.

"Uh... E-English?" He asked. It was clear that he was struggling with his words as well, even though you didn't speak the language. You shook your head, a slight frown on your face. "Français?" You ask in response, to which he mirrors you and shakes his head in return. The boy looks down for a second, clearly stumped as to what to do at this point. Part of you thought that he was about to walk away, however his feet didn't move from where he was standing.

After a second, he looked back up, his sweet smile once again appearing on his face. With his phone in hand, he pointed at it, then pointed at himself, then pointed at you. Was he asking for your number? Raising an eyebrow, you started to shake your head, however you watched as his smile dropped again and he shook his head rapidly. "No! No!" He said frantically, before mimicking the act of taking a photo, making a little 'click click' noise. He wanted a photo!

Finally understanding what he was saying, you grin and nod, causing him to squeal in delight. He approached you briefly to hand you his phone before backing up toward the lake a little more. You start to turn his phone landscape before he shakes his head and lets out a little yelp, indicating that he wanted the photo to be in portrait mode. You giggle at his antics as he attempts to pose in the way he wants, admiring his efforts to not only have a good photo but also to communicate with you.

Once it seems like he's ready for you to take the photo, you begin clicking the photo button and watch as he begins to move a little bit to hit different styles of poses. And wow, this man was incredible at modeling. You watched in wonder as he effortlessly moved his body in all kinds of directions, going from casual to silly to cute and back to casual. He was absolutely gorgeous, there was no denying that. A ten in a world of fives.

After a couple minutes, he stops posing and giddily bounces back over to you. When he takes his phone back to look at all the photos, he makes a couple of 'woaaahhhh' noises, clearly impressed with your photography skills. You turn away as a blush creeps to your cheeks, flattered that he's happy with the photos. When you look back you watch him slightly bow to you in thanks before pointing to himself. "Hoseok," He says, making sure to enunciate each part of his name in the correct way so that you know how to say it.

You smile and nod, offering your name back to him, to which his smile grows into one of the most beautiful smiles you have ever seen. If it weren't for your impeccable self-control, you probably would have fainted the very first time he smiled at you, given how absolutely charming he was. However, this most recent smile made you a little weak on your feet. You were able to tough it out and stay strong, but God, he was just stunning.

You go to sit back down on your spot in the grass, but before you get the chance to you feel a gentle hand grasp your wrist. Face hot with shyness, you peer back over to him and notice his smile has dropped. You watch as he points toward the exit of the park and into the main city, and gives you a 'come on' motion, indicating that he wanted you to come with him. If this would have happened a few minutes ago when he first approached you, you might not have taken the offer. But now that you've gotten to somewhat know this breathtaking stranger, it was an offer you couldn't turn down. Grabbing your book and iced coffee from off the ground, you decide to follow him out of the park.

As you step back onto the streets of Montreal, walking with this random man, you watch as he turns to you and thinks for a second. You can tell he was trying to figure out how to communicate his next thought, so you remain silent and patient. After a second, he points at his eyes, and then gives this huge gesture with his arms, almost like he's expressing something blowing up. Letting out a soft giggle, you tilt your head slightly, resulting in a laugh coming from his own mouth. His laugh was so loud, sweet, and full of joy, and it was like pure honey dripping from his tongue. He retries his previous charades, now acting like he is looking at something with his hand above both of his eyes. He then goes 'woahh!!' and gives an amazed look, and you realize that he's asking to see some of the highlights of the city. With a soft nod, you take his hand, watching a soft blush creep to his cheeks as you pull him along the street and show him everything he needs to see in your beautiful city.

˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗

After spending hours with Hoseok, showing him about everything in Montreal and taking a picture of him with it, you found yourselves once again back in the park where you first met. It was a rather chaotic day, pulling the boy around and watching his face light up at absolutely everything, but what seemed to be weirder was the fact that multiple times during your tour you guys received a few looks and even whispers. Every time that it happened, Hoseok would indicate to you that he wanted to move on and go to the next spot while also pulling up the light scarf that he had around his neck to cover his mouth and nose. You thought that it was rather bizarre but dismissed it as people being disrespectful since he was a rather loud and excited tourist.

Now, though, it was just you and him, sitting in the grass in front of the lake as you ate a late lunch/early dinner. He asked you to go with him to a local store where he went around and picked out a bunch of ready-made food as well as a bottle of champagne, paying for it all and implying that he wanted to eat it with you back at the park. Considering this stranger was doing more than anyone had ever done for you in the last twenty-something years of your life, you were beyond flattered and at this point you were hardcore swooning for him.

You half expected your meal to be quiet and consist of you guys looking at the lake, looking at each other, and silently eating your meal. But this was Hoseok, the man you had learned was anything but quiet. Even though he couldn't speak your language and you couldn't speak his, he was telling you all kinds of stories through the power of charades and sound effects. For most of the time, he had you in tears, laughing at his impeccable sense of humor and all-around silliness. But he also provided you with moments of peace so you could eat without choking, which was rather respectful of him, you thought.

After a while of fun storytelling, you two fell silent. You gazed over at the lake, watching as the sun made the water shimmer, and let out a sigh. When you looked back over to Hoseok, you caught him staring at you, causing a blush to creep to your cheeks. Raising an eyebrow, you nudged him as a way to ask 'what are you looking at?'. Shaking his head, he hesitantly stretched out his arm to wrap it around your waist. Just by looking at him you could tell he was internally freaking out, his eyes wide with nervousness. You smiled softly and inched your way closer to him, accepting his embrace as you rested your head on his shoulder.

There was something about this man that was so much different from anyone else that you had ever met. His charisma, his kindness, his energy – all of it was so attractive. It was the fact that he wasn't just a pretty face, he was a pretty human. You could tell he was raised right with a heart of gold and you felt beyond lucky to have ever met him in the first place. For him to have asked you of all the people in Montreal to take a picture of him made you feel extremely lucky, because had he not approached you, the two of you would have never met.

He pulled back a little bit to prompt you to remove your head and look at him. You watched as he pointed at himself, then cleared his throat before singing a little bit of a song. His singing voice was as sweet as can be, and you were about to just sit there and admire him, until you realized that the song he was singing was familiar. You didn't quite know what the name of the song was, and he wasn't singing it in quite the right tone, but you knew it was by BTS. The kpop group that was currently in Montreal and about to perform the following day.

Your mouth gaped open as you realized what was happening. You didn't even realize that you had been spending the entire day with a member of BTS. The people looking and whispering throughout were probably people who recognized him, not people who were judging him. And he was hiding his face because he didn't want to be recognized. He just wanted to spend the day with a beautiful girl and feel like a normal human being. You didn't blame him for not telling you sooner, though. It's not like you're a diehard fan of his group, but you probably wouldn't have looked at him the same way had he told you immediately.

After processing what was happening, you closed your mouth and smiled, giving him a vigorous nod. Once he gave you a smile in return, you went back to resting your head on his shoulder and grabbing your glass of champagne to hold. You wanted to show him that it was cool, everything was fine, and things weren't going to change. You liked him as Hoseok, the boy he introduced himself as when he eagerly asked you for a picture earlier. Not the kpop idol that stands in front of thousands on a stage and performs for them.

As time continued to pass and the sun got to a point where the day started to become sunset, you two sat in blissful silence while enjoying one another's presence. After a while Hoseok once again nudged you, causing you to look up at him. You watched as he once again admired your face, a blush creeping to your cheeks as you became shy from the eye contact. Just as you were about to look away he reached his hand over to brush a strand of hair behind your ear, and then rested that hand against your cheek.

At this point there was no need for charades because all you needed to do was look into his eyes and he told you absolutely everything you needed to know. He dipped his head down slightly as you both pulled each other in for a kiss, his sweet lips meeting yours in absolute harmony. Your stomach did about five thousand backflips as adrenaline coursed through your veins and your brain went fuzzy. Whether you wanted to admit it or not, this was a moment that you were waiting for practically all day. Little did you know, however, this was a moment that he had been anticipating even before he spoke to you for the first time. It all started when he saw you from a distance and his heart almost beat out of his chest because he was so enamored by your beauty.

As you both pulled away from the kiss, you watched as his mouth curled into the sweetest heart smile and he leaned in once again to peck the tip of your nose. You knew that today was going to be absolutely perfect, but your new romance made it about ten times better than perfect if that was even possible.

It's safe to say that the next day you were at barricade at the biggest concert of the year in Montreal, courtesy of BTS' resident rapper and dancer, J-Hope. Or, as you knew him, your smiley Hoseok.

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cjstheshethey · 9 months

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I really wanna talk about Blue Beetle and why it's so important to me. SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT!

Ever since this movie was announced, I was excited because I have familiarized myself with the character of Jaime Reyes for over a decade now. My sister introduced to me to the character when we had our late night Young Justice marathons during a vacation in Mexico back in 2013. Eventually, we got to season 2, where Jaime was introduced. I remember when he would speak Spanish, I would say "Hey he speaks Spanish like us!" And sometimes my non-English speaking cousins would join us watching the show, and when he spoke Spanish, they were able to understand him. As time went on I kinda forgot about DC for a while since I was gaining other interests until Young Justice came back for its 3rd and 4th seasons(This is also your subtle sign that if you haven't watched Young Justice you should do that). Naturally, Jaime is still one of my favorite characters in the show. While I was still in my Young Justice hyperfixation, It was announced that a Blue Beetle movie was happening and even had some concept art shown. Me being the superhero loving Mexican nerd that I am, I was already hyped, and we hadn't even gotten a trailer yet. Then, on April 3rd of this year, the first trailer came out, and I was so excited. DC has been one of my special interests since literally as long as I can remember no joke one of the first shows I ever remember seeing was the original Teen Titans and so combine one of my special interests with one of the most important parts of my identity(my ethnicity) and an excuse to go to the movies? I was stoked. And so I finally saw it a couple of days ago, and I LOVED it. From the family dynamic to the music choices(La Chona in the beginning where Rudy was introduced was the most Mexican introduction ever and I love it.) and even a few references to Mexican culture I didn't expect, Blue Beetle was everything to me. Finally a movie centered around a Mexican family that wasn't afraid to go into topics like immigration and straight up racism towards Mexicans and those topics not taking up the whole story while also not stereotyping any of these characters and treating them like real people. These guys did their research, and it showed. During the part where Jaime comes back to Earth and starts saying something in Spanish, he's saying a prayer. I used to say that particular prayer a lot back when I was a kid, which is a good thing they added that in there because it makes relatable to someone like me. I really wanna make note of one of my favorite scenes from the movie. So after Jaime gets the Scarab and it attaches itself to him, he tries to find a way to get it off him. Once they go to Ted Kords' hidden lab and find out he can't get rid of it safely, he angerly walks out. His uncle Rudy follows him up to the roof. Rudy asks if Jaimes ok and Jaime apologizes for yelling at Rudy. Rudy then starts giving a really good talk about the family and how resilient they are. Then he says this. "I mean, look at your old man. He brought me here from Sonora....when I was 10." No joke, just ask @alextric-overload(Hey dude 😁) and my other friends who came with me, I legitimately gasped in that theater. Why? Because that's where my family is from. Never before did I ever imagine Sonora would even be mentioned in any media let alone a big screen superhero movie but I am so glad it was and I've said it before and I'll say it again: Never in my life have I felt so seen and so represented. The moment those credits rolled, I legit said word for word, "This! This is how you do representation. MORE. OF. THIS. PLEASE." This is why representation is so important because if we continue to make movies like this, more people like me can see themselves in media and feel the way I did. REPRESENTATION MATTERS! So please go support this movie if you haven't already, it's so worth it!

#blue beetle #blue beetle spoilers #dc #teen titans #young justice #jaime reyes

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notafraidofredyellowandblue · 4 months

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Puts out a new nice poem and then releases music video with assault scene in it during thia not so good for him times... Till really is something else.

what follows is my personal opinion, so feel free to disagree entirely:

With regards to the video i'm withholding judgment until i've seen the entire thing in context. Ofcourse the one scene they put in the teaser is there to provoke, and i'd say he succeeded. But remember Rammstein's Deutschland video when the one bit that was used as teaser was of the WWII prisoners and loads of people were ready to critique them of being insensitive (at best) (and i'm sure some still do), but in the context of the complete video i would say it was actually a real honest depiction of German history and showed a vital part of that (and even more interesting, it showed that people were inprisoned or killed for various reasons, which is the raw truth, although a truth that Germany has had a difficult time to come to terms with, and Rammstein hit the sore spot).

We know the dreadlock hairdo from photos Till's friend accidently (?) leaked at the time, and that was before the allegations stuff, but in theory it is possible that a video was shot at the time, but that it was reshot more recently to change the narrative (maybe as a reaction to the allegations), and unless we see the whole thing, we don't know the message it wants to convey.

The poem is interesting to me, because, apart from art being open to interpretation, and we don't have (and probably won't get) Till's own comment on what he intended with it. But at some points during the last months i may have had the feeling that Till wasn't bothered or had a 'FU' attitude to what happened. At the very least during the few bits i had seen from his tour (but as you may know, Till's imagery in his solowork is not my thing) he seemed to continue in the same vein as before and possibly provocatively announcing holding after-parties etc; again, it could be interpreted as a FU...

Well the poem, to me, shows that it does bother him, and that it gets to him. Maybe the fact that people again painted slogans somewhere in his neighbourhood recently, still not letting go of the allegations and now he got back to Berlin after the tour and saw it with his own eyes, was the proverbial 'final straw' that prompted him to write the poem... maybe he already made the poem months ago...don't know.

What is interesting to me too, is that the allegations stuff is often attributed to politically speaking 'left-wing' inclined people; and slogans that are used are usually targetted at 'right-wing' others. But we know for a fact that Rammstein as a whole and Till too are, well, officially political, but if we would *have* to 'label' them, it would be decidedly 'left-wing'. I've felt more than once, that actually the phrases used and actions done by the accusers (and their hangers-on) are going to extremes that actually tend to loop back towards the other end of the political spectrum. The accusations without proof, the cancel culture...isn't it really the same as silencing people because of their beliefs or way of life that happens in Right-wing society? If everything in life is a circle, if you go to the extreme left, don't you run the risk of unintentionally becoming extreme right yourself?

The phrase in the poem"Rot wird braun" (Red becomes brown) reminds me a lot of Left-wing (often represented with color red) turning into Right-wing (especially in 1930/1940's Germany the color of Right wing politics)...and although it is just my interpretation, i wouldn't be surprised if Till made that connection too.

Of all of Till's solowork, i appreciate his poetry the most, and this is no exception.

And the poem sparked my interest in the video more than before i read it, so it will be interesting to see the whole 🌺

#till's poem #till's solo work #a long reply #till lindemann

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kiliinstinct · 7 months

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Chapter 23

Rating: R Pairing: Nalu FF.Net || AO3 [Ch: 1] ||| [Prev] | [Next] - Special Announcement: I'm going "dark" during November to participate in NaNoWriMo. (National Novel Writing Month.) I'm using this challenge as a way to work more on Flame's Desire, but the next update may not happen during this time. If it does, it will be a surprise! So, with that in mind- the next "planned" update will be: Dec 16th. See you then! I hope you enjoy the chapter!

It was three, fretful days before Natsu blearily opened his eyes again.

Another four days and Porylusica declared him stable. With him no longer at the risk of keeling over, she was ready to throw him out of her hut; which is exactly what she did. She claimed the worst was over, ordering him bed rest in his own home (rather than taking up space in her own) and demanded he talk as little as possible.

“In fact,” she had mumbled, almost absentmindedly, “It would be best if you didn't speak at all. Or moved.”

“- but...!” Natsu attempted with a croak.

“No buts and shut up!”

How did she expect him to do nothing? From the moment he first awoke with the scent of Lucy on his pillow, but nowhere to be seen, he wanted nothing more than to escape the healer's house and be updated on everything he'd missed.

Was she safe? Was Kage captured -or better yet, dead? Did the festival continue without him? The fire caused by his battle hadn't damaged more of the forest, had it?

There were too many questions and very little answers given. Only withering glares met his curiosity accompanied by a sharp slap to the wrist and another threat to keep his lips shut. When he tried again, she held up a needle, the silent threat of sewing his lips shut obvious.

“I'm in no mood to explain any of this to you. Just stay still until Makarov comes to fill you in.” Was the only answer she’d give.

Porylusica was not the greatest for information. It was hard to tell whether she truly wasn’t aware or just didn’t care enough to tell him anything. She was, however, true to her word of Makarov's visit. The chief did his due diligence enough to visit him while he rested, but even he was annoyingly tight-lipped with the truth.

“You'll know when you've healed.” Makarov tried to explain, a comforting hand resting lightly on Natsu’s arm despite the other’s stubborn scowl. He patiently sat by Natsu’s bedside as he picked away at the feathers poking through his pillow.

(”Stop damaging my furniture!“ Porly had shouted minutes later. The draconis ignored it until she smacked his fidgeting hands with a ladle.)

His throat stung at the slightest movement. It was a constant ache he now dealt with every shaky breath despite Wendy’s best efforts to lessen it. It was easier to keep his sentences clipped and to the point, if he spoke at all, when even swallowing jolted his nerves and pricked his eyes with hot tears. He didn't want to admit the severity of the pain, but it was too poignant to be ignored. Even so, that wasn't enough to stifle his impulsive need to growl out his frustration at Makarov's unwillingness to provide information.

The choked whine that escaped was more embarrassing than anything and the chief had left without giving him a chance to argue. He only offered Natsu an apologetic smile that didn’t reach his tired eyes.

He’d grown restless. Once returned to his own home, its walls began to feel like a prison the longer he stayed put. He’d yet to see Lucy since he awoke, (“She's helping with cleanup.” Warren had told him the second day when he garbled through his blazing throat to ask. “I'm sure she'll visit as soon as she's able.” That hadn't made him feel better.) He still didn't know what happened to Kage. (A fact that told him the bastard was probably still alive, damnit.) And he hadn't seen a hair of Erza's redhead since waking up. (He was positive she would have checked in on him at LEAST once!)

None of it added up and he was tired of waiting. So what if he was wounded. He deserved to know as much as everyone else, didn't he? Hell he was the one who tangled with Kage! He deserves to know way more than everyone else!

He was done waiting around for answers. First he would head straight for the old man and stare him down until he coughed up whatever truths he was hiding. Natsu nodded to himself, the plan set in his mind as he rose to his feet. With eyes trained on his door his determination was anchored into the depths of his soul.

And he took his first confident step towards his door.

Well, actually, he limped. His body still felt like it was on fire from aftershocks of lightning and refused to cooperate. In fact, he was certain his back was littered in spider web scars though he only caught the tail ends of the scarring that trailed along the side of his ribs, peeking out from under the bandages. Laxus truly did a number on him, but he persisted, intending to get the answers he sought for himself. He twisted the handle and shoved the door open with a grunt.

Unfortunately, he’d taken only one step through the doorway when his body was locked in place against his will.

Red light sparked at his feet and lit up the area around him as magic tendrils snaked their way around his ankles to keep him rooted in place and a literal bell dinged incessantly beside him.

His current keeper, Freed, stood to the left, a sympathetic grin on his face as he clicked his tongue and rested the bell lightly against his palm. “Sorry, but it's back to bed with you.”

Natsu sputtered, eyes wide and fury rising, ”What the-,“ His voice cracked and he winced, “... What... are. you. doing. here.” He took a deep breath, ”Freed?!“

It was weird, punctuating his every word with a pause to avoid as much pain as he could, but the serpentine hiss that pushed through his teeth couldn't be mistaken for anything else.

”I’m making sure you,“ Freed jabbed the bell accusingly at Natsu's chest and stifled a yawn, ”don't do something very unwise.“

'Shouldn't you still be sleeping?' He wanted to ask, the retort sharp on his tongue but his throat had already begun to clam up under the strain, crackling at any attempt to utter a sound. Frustrated, he wildly gestured to the red glow beneath his feet, that he now saw were enchanted runes etched around his front door and curved around his hut out of sight, most likely wrapping around his entire home. Bringing his attention back to Freed, he returned the accusing jab and quickly pantomimed his best impression of a person falling asleep.

Considering how exhausted he felt, it wasn't a hard act to do. Freed watched the display with a keen, amused interest and after a few, confused seconds, snickered behind his hand.

“I'm simply giving Warren a break and then I'll be back on bedrest myself.“ He conceded with a tilt of his head, long green hair slipping past his face to reveal he hadn't bothered to tie it up that morning. ”Makarov wants us to be on rotation after all.“

The draconis motioned once more to the enchantment beneath his feet and grunted, which spurred Freed to laugh again, louder this time. The grunt turned into a deep frown as his face burned in shame. ”My magic was all but drained when Kage attacked, but a simple circle such as this won't hurt me.“

If Natsu hadn't been so annoyed he may have felt relieved to know that. He'd only caught brief conversations over the last few days. Those visiting his keepers or passing by his window during idle talk that managed to reach his ears. It was never enough to know the full picture, but mentions of Freed's health had made the rounds enough for him to feel some concern.

Before he could start considering the strength of Freed's spell (or how long it would last), the other took the initiative to explain further, pushing himself up to quickly usher Natsu back into his home. The bell, Natsu noticed, was left behind.

”It's a preventative measure, meant to hold you still just long enough for anyone who hears it to come get you.“ He explained, hands surprisingly firm even as they gently guided the impatient draconis back into the soft furs of his bed, mindful of his many bandages. ”Everyone knows to listen for it, so I imagine, if it weren't me watching, someone else would have come running already.“

Natsu couldn't resist talking through what felt like a ball in his throat, ”Then... why ring the- “ and was immediately cut off by a fit of hacking coughs that doubled him over in pain.

Setting him down, Freed tried to give his back a soothing pat on instinct. White hot pain seared through his nerves and blinded him. The shock lit up every wound from a dull throb to a blazing fire. Seething through his gritted teeth, Natsu curled in on himself further, biting back a loud, pitiful whine. The humiliation was getting worse by the minute, but Freed jumped back at his error, apologies spewing from his mouth quicker than Natsu could pick them up.

”Of course... Laxus' magic must have...“ Freed began, looking just as flustered as Natsu felt over his own weakness, ”I apologize.“

He didn't bother with a reply, choosing to stubbornly look to the wall instead, arms crossed and ears burning. Taking his silence as a sign, the enchanter readjusted the collar of his shirt and brushed the hair from his eyes, blinking wearily. Uttering a meek farewell, he shuffled away, back to his post, gaze glancing at everything but the pouting draconis behind him.

He wavered at the door with his hand resting lightly over the handle. Whistling, he stole Natsu’s attention from the wall, who turned his shamed glare back at him. Freed met the gaze over his shoulder, one eyebrow raised into the fringe of his hair. “When you have a moment, I'd suggest cleaning up a little before Lucy convinces Makarov to let her join the rotation.”

He swept his hand through the room towards the organized mess of old knick knacks and clothes scattered haphazardly about. Mixed among them was ashen stems and half burnt flowers. He coughed into his fist, “Unless you want her to put it together so soon.”

Natsu didn't resist flinging his pillow with as much force as he could muster, mentally cursing when Freed shut the door in time for the pillow to bounce harmlessly off. His chuckle, however, reached the draconis' ears with ease, raising his ire further.

His place wasn’t that messy! He squinted at the floor, taking in every stray sandal thrown about and a crumpled shirt with broken buds caught in the folds.

Natsu pouted. And so what if it was? That was none of Freed's business. Besides whenever Lucy showed up he doubted she would-...

He blinked, eyes widening at the realization that struck him. His eyes zeroed in on a stray, dried petal and he cursed. He’d have to thank Freed later for the subtle information he’d just passed along.

And chuck a pillow at Makarov too, it seemed. Great. He'd bide his time with that one.

A decision that greatly undermined just how impatient he truly was. Within the hour, he was already attempting to leave once again. Though he belatedly realized Freed had switched places with Mirajane without his notice. The barrier hadn’t a chance to activate when she descended on him as soon as the door cracked. She brandished the bell in her hand like a when she forced him right back to bed with a sweetly menacing smile.

It would be two more days before anything new happened.

Two, long days of being pricked and prodded by Wendy during her check ins, moving mechanically as she wrapped fresh bandages around him.

Two extra long days of half hearted ‘cleaning’ whenever he was up, shoving away evidence under stray clothes and kicking things out of sight. His eyes narrowed, the enchanted barrier was proving harder to trick than the village’s night guards.

He didn’t know the ins and outs of Freed’s magic, but he felt its presence whenever he tried to leave. The barrier wasn’t all that strong. If he was at full strength he could break out just fine. It made him wonder if all he needed to do was give it a further push of power, despite his injuries. The harder the better, right?

If not for that damn bell.

It was more frustrating than the barrier. No matter the force used, it rang faster than he could reach it, bringing anyone in the vicinity his way to reprimand him. He hated it. Each escape attempt foiled by an incessant ringing that rang constantly in his sensitive ears. And it was always annoying out of reach despite Natsu’s best efforts. It would take only one slip up. Of someone absentmindedly leaving it just close enough for him to melt it. When the opportunity came, Natsu knew he’d enjoy the action far too much.

What little patience and self-preservation he had dispersed in a fit of manic clarity that had Natsu chastising himself. How could he be so stupid?

The window. He should have thought of it earlier.

Just small enough to be looked over. It was a shining beacon of victory. Surely there would be a chink in Freed’s barrier somewhere, and if he squirmed just enough, he could escape his house long enough to find it. It made perfect sense- and no one would have a chance to ring the stupid bell! The plan was foolproof.

Hoisting himself with more effort than he’d like to admit, he slipped one leg through the frame while the other feebly balanced him on his bed. With careful, slow movements, he began to pull himself through, grunting quietly from the effort. If there was a pinch in his nerves, or the shock of pain, he bit his lip harshly as he willed himself to stay silent. He could just feel the light echoing tug of the barrier, but no runes or magic coiled around him. It tickled the edge of his senses but moved no further.

Natsu smirked: I knew it.

But a sudden, familiar voice rang loudly in his ears and he froze, attention quickly turning towards the front of his home as the sounds of conversation floated his way.

”I know my leg isn't completely healed,“ Lucy argued. Mirth laced her words and he felt every muscle in his body seize up, ”but I know I can handle this. It's not that hard to ring a bell. Even then I doubt if he'd try and fight me to escape.“

He snorted, but was unsure if it was because of Lucy's lack of awareness towards his impulsivity or the fact she was right.

It took his leg buckling in on itself for him to realize he was still partially out his own window. Biting back a surprised yelp, he clung to the window frame frantically to hold himself up and missed the next part of conversation.

Freed had already hinted the chief wasn't allowing Lucy to watch over him, so the discussion outside was one that grabbed his interest, but once he'd finally settled himself, Lucy's emphatic urging had ended with a tense silence between her and the chief.

The draconis shamelessly strained his ears to pick up any further sound and considered throwing the door open to speak on her behalf if he could.

”All right then.“ Makarov agreed, throwing that plan out the window that Natsu's leg still dangled through, ”but don't hesitate to call on us if anything happens!“

”I won't!“ Lucy cheerily replied while the Chief grumbled a reply so low Natsu couldn’t make it out. His words faded behind the crunching of gravel down the path as he left as quickly as he came. He almost laughed at Lucy’s all too giddy squeal, and watched the door handle jiggle in growing excitement.

She was all right after all! That truth eased the worried pang that dug at him for days. What’s more, she could tell him exactly what had been going on while he was out. This would fix everything-

It was at that moment, Natsu became all too aware of the chipped wooden sill he was still halfway over as the door handle clicked.

Shit!

Many things happened all at once in the seconds it took for Lucy to entire his home. He scrambled to right himself, stepping back in with a rush that dizzied him. His weak leg, already struggling to hold him up, buckled under him, giving away in the tangle of his bed covers. In the struggle to free himself, he (and the blankets) crashed to the floor. The resounding thud not only shook the hovel, but brought down an array of knick knacks and other random things that hung on his walls.

The blanket - now forever labeled a traitor in his mind- snagged on everything nearby as its weight brought no comfort as it shielded his aching body from view.

And when the door swung open, Lucy’s shriek was the first thing he heard, “Natsu?!” The panic in her voice was palpable and her steps were quick. Before he could process his position, she was at his side, pulling the fabric from his face as small, brilliantly colored stones, scattered across the floor. (He would later realize his rock collection was no longer on the shelves above his bed and dutifully recollect every single pebble.)

”Oh my gods, Natsu, what are you doing on the floor?!” Her panicked cries were shrill and made his ears ring, but she worked swiftly, pulling the blanket from his person to toss it behind her.

In that moment, Natsu wanted to console her, but all he managed was sheepish blinking as she grasped his cheeks tightly to look him over, eyes wide and face pale. If he wasn't so dazed from his earlier tumble, he may have attempted to crawl back and bring space between them. Instead, he stared dopily into her brown eyes and gulped, ignoring the reflexive cough that tried to force its way out of him.

Worry knitted her brow as she tilted his head to the side, and there was a darkness under her eyes that was new to him. His entire body was ablaze, wounds screaming out for his attention but they barely mattered.

She was here. And she was safe. That was more important.

Relief flooded into his bones and an exhaustion he wasn't aware of pulled at his eyes. Dazedly, he followed her as she directed him back to the comfort of his bed. Subconsciously, he noted she was stronger than her frame appeared, and she wasted no time in checking him over, tsk'ing at the sight of bandages that had loosened during his less than graceful fall.

“What were you even doing to be on the floor like that?” She muttered, not waiting for an answer as she sat him down and began to fix the bandages along his arms.

Her movements were jerky with inexperience and felt too tight in places, but Natsu didn't mind it. He watched on in silence as she continued to fuss over him, unaware of the draconis' careful examinations, focused on her as much as she was him.

She didn’t have her cane, he noted curiously, and his gaze subtly dropped to the lengthy skirt that kept the old injury out of sight. She wasn’t in pain was she? He had to know, but he didn't dare try to pull her dress up just to see her knee. He wasn't THAT stupid.

A few seconds more of consideration and he threw caution to the wind, reaching over to rap his knuckle lightly against her leg instead.

She froze. He did too. Was that the wrong move? Had he hurt her?

“... if you weren't injured, I'd return the favor,” She muttered, tying his next bandage into a tiny bow, “but I'm fine, Natsu. It's sore, but manageable. Worry about yourself for two seconds. You’re lucky you don’t have a concussion after that fall…”

He didn’t even attempt to resist the urge to rasp out a cheeky response, “ ...Got an answer out of ya at least.”

“What?“ Lucy asked, puzzled, but clamped a hand over his mouth when he tried to respond, ”No, no, no! You should not be talking, Mister!“

Rolling his eyes, Natsu now had an altogether different urge to resist. He remembered, vaguely, many months ago, he'd done the exact same to her, and her response had been to bite him. He wondered if he should do the same...

Instead, he licked her. The cry of disgust when she retracted her hand was more than worth it.

”That’s disgusting!“

He waggled his brows, grinning.

Definitely worth it.

Natsu was a handful while wounded. This was a fact that hardly surprised Lucy. On any other day, he was often seen darting from place to place, his focus shifting as easily as the wind changed. She was no longer a stranger to him running off at the drop of a hat to return just quickly to do god knows what else.

The fiery draconis was simply the type of person who had to always be on the go one way or another.

Which is exactly what made watching him so difficult.

Makarov had given her plenty of warnings about his flightiness when ill and so had everyone else when she pleaded to be let on the rotation. She had expected it, but the guilt still gnawed at her bones as she watched his discomfort play out before her.

Restlessly he fidgeted under his blankets. He couldn’t sleep. When he sat up, he’d cast a longing stare at the door only to hide the expression moments later. She noticed every change in his expression and it attacked her resolve every single time. Any attempt to talk led to her shushing him, fearing his pain and any chance of his healing being interrupted. Each time, he’d throw himself under the covers in defeat, but the pouting lasted a few seconds before he was shifting yet again. His discomfort and inability to sit still was obvious.

He wanted to leave and Lucy hated that she couldn’t let him.

Her mind wandered back to her conversations with Makarov. Asides from the general warnings to his want to escape, Lucy was baffled to learn he was still in the dark over what happened after his battle. All knowledge of Kage and Erza's chase had been purposefully hidden: even her own whereabouts had been kept from him. And for what reason?

Makarov had grunted when she asked, having the self-awareness to look guilty, ”He deserves to know. And will. In due time, but I know this boy. The moment he learns of the truth he’ll take off, no matter the condition he’s in. I’d rather he give chase when he’s not wobbling where he stands.”

Lucy had to begrudgingly admit that the Chief was onto something with that thought. It was easy to imagine Natsu throwing caution to the wind to summon his fire in order to escape Freed's barrier. (The enchanter assured everyone that it would take a lot more than that to break it down, but Lucy wasn't so sure. How much of his abilities could he hold after the mass amount of magic he'd lost?) Then it wouldn't be a shock to find him dashing off into the woods, using his excellent sense of smell to track the others.

But handling another fight in his condition? Lucy dreaded the thought, and dutifully nodded when she was asked to keep the truth hidden as well.

As she surveyed Natsu now, however, she regretted that decision. His restless energy came from more than just a need to be busy. Looking back in her memories, Lucy felt it was much the same as her own feelings when she'd been asked to endure being locked away.

She hated being in the dark, and some of that was still hidden from her. Of course Natsu would hate it as well.

”You'll never get any rest if you keep moving like that,“ She gently chided, fingers moving to straighten his blanket and swipe his pink fringe from his eyes.

Natsu was quicker than she expected despite the injuries. Before the romni could pull away his hand snapped upward, grasping her wrist as he looked at her. His face was set in a careful mask but she could still see the frustration leaking through in the tightness of his jaw and how it thinned his lips.

But his eyes were so tired. Dulled without the usual spark of mischief that was always there.

It stabbed at her heart.

This was all because of her. His pain now, and back then, bleeding out on the ground motionless with breath barely rattling in his chest; screaming in Porlyusica’s hut as he desperately clung to life, crying out for a man she didn’t know as the healer stitched him back together. It was all for her sake while she could only stand by, useless.

The healer's sharp words echoed loudly in her mind, that she should respect his sacrifice. She felt the embarrassing prickle of tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

She had no right to cry.

Too many things weighed her down and here she was, crying. She came here to help, but instead she felt as if things were only worse.

“Natsu?“ Her voice fell to a soft whisper as she blinked back tears, “Just try to rest, please? I know you want to go out and see everything for yourself, but you're too hurt right now. I just..” What? What was she trying to say? Even though she wasn't sure, the words fell helplessly from her lips like stones before her mind had a chance to lock them up.

“You don't know how scary it was to see you like that. Please don't make me see it again….”

For a second, his grip tightened, brows knitting together as he processed her words.

As the pressure began to cut off circulation, his hand loosened just as fast, a silent apology marring the features of his face. Her vision blurred and Lucy realized her thoughts began to escape through her eyes and she quickly moved to wipe them before any tears could fall.

“Sorry, I shouldn't be putting this on you,” She began, hastily turning her attention to the rest of the room. It was a mess. “You were protecting me after all. I shouldn't make you feel any worse than you probably do-”

The words jammed themselves in her throat when he moved his hand again, bandaged fingers moving to clumsily entangle with her own as a comforting heat emanated from his palm. Surprise caused two drops to fall before she could catch them.

“... don't cry.”

His voice was quiet, meek almost, in an attempt to keep the pain of his throat at bay, but the hoarse rasp sent a shiver down her spine.

If Natsu hadn't blocked Kage's attacks, would she be the same as he was right now? No, Lucy shook the thought away, he’d needed her alive after all. It wouldn't make sense to mortally wound her.

When Natsu squeezed her hand again, pulling her from her thoughts, she coughed on a wet laugh. The way he looked at her now spoke volumes: quit thinking so much!

“All right, all right,” She conceded, giving his hand a returning squeeze. “Can you let me go? I think I have something we can do. There’s a quill and parchment in my bag. I think we can talk easier with that. Will that work for you?“

If his disgruntled pout was anything to go by, Natsu would accept this, but grumble about it the entire time. He was slow to ease himself back into a sitting position, scooting to rest his back against the wall for support.

He pouted the entire time she rifled through her pack, carefully stepping over fallen keepsakes and baubles that decorated the floors. It was still there when she turned back thim with prizes in hand. His eyes narrowed childishly at the papers while he drew a pillow onto his lap to serve as a frumpy table. Only her laughter at his expense filled the empty spaces. Though his own, pale attempts at chuckling joined hers when she tripped over and knick knack or two.

“Someone should really clean up in here,” she muttered, casting him a sidelong glance. His answering shrug was all she'd get on the matter for now, but with careful sweeps of her legs, she managed to clear a path back to him with minimal effort.

His gaze never left her leg the entire time, but she waved the stack of acquired parchment in his face to reclaim his attention. “Hey, I said it's fine, Natsu, so quit worrying about it!”

Had he always been this attentive to her leg? She'd pin that thought for later perusal. He scrunched his nose as the edges of the stack tickled it and with a snort, the edges curled back towards her in a flimsy show.

Hoping to prevent any further distractions, Lucy dropped the papers to his pillow and held her quill and ink between the fingers of her spare hand, excitement curling the edges of her smile. “Let's see how good your penmanship is, shall we?”

Natsu huffed, snatching the quill from her without a fight. She didn't expect anything special out of this arrangement. Writing with an ink well over a pillow wasn't the smartest of methods, but Lucy wanted to keep him resting as long as possible. She'd rather a few holes poked through her paper and spilled ink over him hurting himself to sit at the table any day.

But his handwriting was chicken scratch. Or barely a step up from that. Lucy was certain she wouldn’t be able to read it even if he had a stable platform to write on. Seconds turned to minutes as Lucy's earlier excitement shifted to utter bafflement.

Many in the village couldn't write, but she'd seen enough to know that those who traveled learned out of necessity, but how did Natsu get by with this sort of illegibility?

She bit her lip, tilting the paper from side to side as her nose twitched in consternation. No matter how she observed the thick and thin lines that scrawled along the paper, she couldn't make heads or tails of it.

”Whoever taught you how to write needs to give you another lesson,“ She muttered. Natsu's answering response was to scrawl a single letter over the paper, large enough that no amount of chicken scratch could hide its secrets from her: a large E.

Before she could respond with the obvious answer, he quickly scratched over the letter and shook his head frantically, lips thinning as he frowned. In larger letters, he added two more words that Lucy translated to, 'never again!'

She laughed so hard ink sloshed onto her fingers and dripped onto the paper, seeping into the pillow fabric beneath. A subconscious part of her realized she'd have to help acquire him cleaner bedding later if this kept up.

”Fine. No Erza to teach you. Let's try again... slower this time.” Lucy sighed, wiping her fingers on the hem of her dress, “maybe I can understand it then.“

Natsu crumbled the paper under his hand and flicked it into her face, grinning maniacally as she quickly tossed it back which he smugly dodged, and watched it sail by his ear to bounce off the back wall. More laughter ensued and even Natsu managed a chuckle, grunting from the strain.

It wasn’t perfect, and the mess of ink spread out of control, but it was enough to keep him occupied in the following hours while Lucy learned to translate the language he wrote in. It failed to get better under her tutelage, so the chicken scratch remained.

Lucy hoped it was enough to distract him from the burning questions that still hung in the air.

'I hope Erza comes back soon,' She thought, glancing out the window as Natsu, with quill held in the opposite hand, prepared another message for her. 'Maybe then I can give Natsu all the answers he deserves without any problems...'

Though, another more ominous thought struck her pulling a grimace across her face. 'at least then we'll know she's safe. Please let her be safe.'

Unbeknownst to Lucy, in the far off reaches of the forest, Erza still followed the tracks of a man half-dead. Her armor was stained, streaked with mud that dulled its pristine gleam as she tore through the trees with a blade in each hand, hacking a clear path with mounting fury.

Thin scrapes adorned her face from stray undergrowth and dust thrown into her eyes countless times. She’d had him in her grasp too many times and still he eluded her. Their last struggle had him inches beneath the tip of her sword, only for the sharp steel to sink uselessly into a tree trunk. His shadows protected him far too easily, giving him multiple chances to slip away not a moment too soon. Melting away from her sight, the chase would begin once more. It was infuriating.

He was weakening, and he knew it. But Erza was like a bloodhound, following him with a tenacity that matched the ones he'd fought before. Kage could admit to himself, as he struggled to move through the thick, spring bushes, that he'd sorely underestimated the members of the Fairies with Tails.

Escaping the fire and flames of an angry dragon while the bellow of lightning struck from above was nothing short of a miracle. He could boast it was skill and great timing, but the truth of the matter was far less a triumph. He'd panicked, called the shadows back into himself and desperately prayed he could shift his form into the ground and escape before his body failed him. His wounds were far too great to handle such a strike head on and the memory of the fanged smile snarling above him. It was inhuman and bordering on insanity with manic glee. The expression had bored itself into Kage’s memories and he was certain it would haunt his nightmares.

Swallowing back a cough he rubbed his aching throat where scale shaped bruises painted the skin in dark shades of purple. Not for the first time, he considered the draconis he battled a monster.

Battling a Draconis was something he never wanted to do again.

Even now, his body cried as he moved, but adrenaline and survival instincts served him well. What little magic he had left was used to aid covering his footprints and trails of blood or made to cloak him during the night as he sought what little rest he could. If he made one mistake. One misstep. Or lost the ability to draw the shadows around him, he'd be caught.

There was only one choice: find Jose. His own clan should be waiting for him. Kage was certain of this fact. All he had to do was survive long enough to find them and then... then..

He stumbled through a rather dense thicket of trees, and Kage almost wished he was tucked away back in his cell counting the cracks in the wall and taunting whatever guard he had for the day.

At least there he had a warm blanket and fresh food to eat. His stomach, empty, growled in tandem with the thought. Already he could imagine the fresh meals he'd taste once he'd made it safely home.

He paused for breath under a wide canopy and wiped the sweat from his eyes. His hair was dripping and his limbs shook signaling the need for another break. It was near impossible to resist the siren song for rest. The temptation to slide to the ground and lay his back against a sturdy tree trunk to slip off to sleep, but he managed to lock his knees in place as he listened to the natural sounds of the woods. It took a few minutes of sorting through the spring call of birds and buzzing bees to hear what he was looking for.

A restlessness in the trees that came from the source of a higher power, encapsulating a magic that had yet to be unleashed. Erza was still on his trail despite all his earlier escape attempts, and she was closing in once more. Cursing, Kage looked inside himself, eyes sliding shut as he felt for the remaining vestiges of shadows that still clung to his being.

“Just a little more,” he thought, “a little more and I'll be home free.”

The magic answered the call, thrumming softly beneath his finger tips before dark tendrils drilled into the mossy earth to settle in. A little surprise to buy him more time. If he was lucky, the shadows sprouting from the ground would hit Erza's feet and render her incapable of walking without excruciating pain.

He forced himself to move and Kage prayed the diversion would be enough. When the cover of leaves no longer barred his vision, he surveyed the sky to regain his sense of direction when he glimpsed the faint wisps of something hopeful.

A sick, satisfied smile curled his lips. Smoke, no doubt curling away from a campfire further along the hills. The wispy smoke beckoned to Kage and he saw no reason to ignore it. His allies would be more than enough to handle one warrior after all and then the others could finish what he could not. And he could rest.

Pushing through the pain, Kage continued his escape, ignoring the way his eyes swam in and out of focus as another drop of his magic faded away.

Time was unknown to Kage. All he knew was the steps he took. Counting them in his head as he motivated himself to keep moving forward. Eyes trained on the ever thickening smoke trail in the sky as he neared his target.

Just one more step.

And another.

When his trap is triggered, he barely senses it. The last dredges of his magic were too far from his body to strike his senses as they once would.

He was almost there. Just a little further. Feeling exhilarated by his soon to be triumph, Kage pushed passed twigs and leaves as large as his own head and the muscles in his face began to hurt from his relieved smile. Just a little bit further and...

When he stepped into the camp, he stumbled over a tree root and hit the ground, nose crunching against the hard ground. His mind whirled from the pain, curses and exhausted gasps escaping in short intervals as he struggled to reorient himself. He was there. He could smell the burning wood and the thick smoke. This HAD to be where Jose was. Already he could hear a whirl of movement, a clan mate he thinks with a lucid grin, rushing to help him -

”How the fuck did you get here?“ A voice snarled in a deep timbre. Kage stilled instantly, eyes widening as he realized his mistake.

This wasn't Jose's camp. This was-

Calloused hands bunched the thin fabric of Kage's shirt, hoisting him up to his feet as the world spun in dizzying circles. The movements were rough and calculated as an iron gauntlet struck his ear when the hands owners moved away. He barely had time to hiss from the smarting pain before his eyes swam back into focus to see angry, deep red ones glaring back at him.

-The camp of a man he'd been told to avoid at all costs.

“...Gajeel?” He breathlessly asked, laughing hoarsely, “I didn't know you'd be here. W-what a...” Kage swallowed, thinking of the correct words, “What a coincidence!”

A man known to be Jose's right hand when it came to information and trudging through the most dangerous of enemy camps. That was Gajeel. Gleaming iron studs dotted his brow and nose, speaking to a heritage many failed to understand, but the twisted smirk that gnarled his features was an echoing reminder of another deranged grin.

Kage was jolted from his memories when Gajeel drew him up higher, feet dangling uselessly above the forest floor. He shouldn't be here, Kage realized. Whenever Gajeel was sent out, carnage was sure to follow. Something jammed itself in his throat, cutting off his words as his eyes wildly scanned the area for an exit.

“You gonna keep staring or give me an answer, shadow runt?” He pulled Kage's attention back to him, dark amusement running through his impatient words, ”I ain't here all day.“

Was this another lion's den ready to consume him? Or a blessing in disguise? Kage honestly didn't know.

“Point me to Jose's camp,” He begged, words falling from his mouth like water, “I'm being followed by one of the fairies, you can't let them get me. I've- I've got information on their village!“

Hopefully his plea wouldn't land on deaf ears.

#Ft Fanfiction #Fairy Tail Fanfiction #Nalu Fanfiction #NatsuxLucy #Nalu #Natsu Dragneel #Lucy Heartfilia #Fairy Tail #Flame's Desire #My Writing #My Fanfiction

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