#Phoenix camera crew

[kazvha]

Hey!! hope you’re doing well! anyways, if you could do a val x fem or gn s/o and what their favorite part of or thing about them is? (doesn’t need to be nsfw or anything like that! whatever ur comfortable with!) sry if this doesn’t make any sense🥲

Summary: Their favorite thing about you

Including: Chamber, Yoru, Cypher, Sova, Omen, Phoenix, Gekko, Iso

Notes: I'm doing mostly alr & thanks for requesting<3 Let me know if I understood it correctly!

Chamber loves how accepting you are. You embrace all versions of him, the flirty Chamber, the serious Chamber, even the insecure Chamber he usually doesn't show to anybody. You don't judge him for his past mistakes. This makes him want to show the same amount of support for you.

Yoru's favorite thing about you is your competitiveness. He tried to tone his competitive streak down when you first met, but ever since you told him you didn't mind, you two compete in every. little. thing. The others think it's too much, but you two couldn't care less because it's fun.

Cypher loves your laugh. He's used to everyone being wary of him and his cameras, but then there's you, laughing heartily at his antics and his humor. It easily has become his favorite sound and it's so satisfying to hear.

Sova's favorite thing about you is your honesty. You always let him know your honest thoughts about everything and never hold back, even if the truth could hurt him. Because of that, he's able to trust you with his life.

Omen loves your hands. Whenever he feels cold and empty, which is all the time, your hands that softly caress his cheek and hold his fingers, bring back the warmth he has once felt. It comforts him and temporarily gives him inner peace.

Phoenix's favorite thing about you is your nose. He's a menace, he likes flicking it whenever he passes you and he thinks it's charming how it scrunches up in response every time. He also loves planting kisses on it.

Gekko loves your creativity and helpfulness. That you're offering to brainstorm with him whenever he has new ideas for strategies on how to use his crew in a battle or even for sketches for a new tattoo, means a lot to him.

Iso's favorite part is your eyes. Regardless of your eye color, he likes how bright your irises shine whenever you speak with him. It's a subtle sign of the affection you feel for him, which he also has for you.

[dashing-disaster]

Okay I either just had the best or the worst idea on the topic of Crash That Helicopter and someone else has probably already had the same thought just better but.

What if Tommy regains consciousness and realises he's trapped and his chopper is basically toast, including his comms. But his phone is miraculously okay. So he calls 911.

Meanwhile at dispatch, Maddie is having the Worst Time with morning sickness and runs to the toilet every 10 minutes until Josh decides to force her to go home. But she refuses at first because Kevin and Sarah are both out with the flu and Jessica unexpectedly quit last week to follow her boyfriend of 5 weeks to Australia and now they're short staffed. But Josh tells her it's fine they'll figure it out and pretty much throws her out. He has a small breakdown because they are seriously short staffed but luck just so has it that one of the long term dispatchers walks through the door right then (Debbie perhaps?) with her friend who used to work here but quit years ago and now lives in Phoenix (was it phoenix? I don't quite remember) buy she wanted to see the new dispatch centre and say hi to some people. And in walks no other than Abby Clark.

And Josh is still spiralling a little and she immediately offers to fill in for a few hours it's really no problem she still works in dispatch after all and she knows the systems and she'd love to help. And Josh, stressed but grateful accepts and ushers her towards a free desk. And Abby gets to work right away and she definitely still got it, she does one or two simple calls absolutely flawlessly and then in comes the third call and the voice is familiar.

And that's how Abby takes Tommy's 911 call, and immediately dispatches the best unit she knows because of course.

And of course he also immediately recognises her even though he's kinda dizzy and losing blood. They start talking. Not really about them but light things because Abby needs to keep Tommy awake and he's fading so she tries to keep his attention. So she tells him she's sent the 118, they're his old house right, but lots of new faces, actually she used to date his replacement and then broke his heart by walking away from him. And he laughs kinda pained. Actually, so did he. She pauses for a moment, then demands clarification so Tommy starts talking. And he tells the whole story for the first time since the break up, including the reasons. Some of them he doesn't even mention because it's Abby. Abby who maybe knows him best in the whole world because she's known him at his worst and somehow still loved him.

And Abby listens. And when he's finally done she let's out a long sigh and calls him a dumbass. And then she gets to setting his head straight. She gives him a proper dressing down and gets to the bottom of it. And finally she asks him if he regrets it. Yes. If he loves Buck. If course he does. If he wants him back.... Yeah. So she tells him to work for it, to fight for them. And when she's done giving him a passionate little monologue about love and relationships silence falls.

She calls his name. No answer, only sirens in the distance.

She calls his name again, more frantically and he's still not replying and now she's in tears because they can't both break Buck's heart like that, one of them has to fucking fix it!

Meanwhile the 118 has been racing towards the crash site, Buck antsy but determined and refusing to stay by the rig and let Eddie and Ravi handle it. Tommy needs him.

When they finally arrive it's a complete nightmare, debris and fire everywhere and they're taking far too long to cut Tommy out. Long enough for the TV crews to arrive and start broadcasting the whole thing live.

So Abby, still on the line with an unresponsive Tommy, hoping, praying, is watching Taylor Kelly report live from the crash site where the firefighter have started ripping through the remains of the helicopter. Until Bobby steps in front of the camera and forces them to shut it off because he has no idea what they're going to find there.

Which is also why he eventually makes the decision to pull Buck back after all. Between Eddie, Ravi, Hen and Chim there are enough hands already anyway, they've got him, Buck.

So that's how Taylor Kelly, who's still a bit pissed at Bobby for ruining her news piece, watches Buck disappear between the engine and the ladder truck looking like his world is collapsing and he might be her ex but of course she still cares. It's Buck, how can you not care about him? So she follows him and finds him just as he's breaking down. And she has no idea what's going on, she simply pulls him into a hug and let's him cry it out.

And when he csn breathe again he tells her. That's the love of his life there. His name is Tommy and he dumped him three months ago after he asked him to move in. And they both smile weakly before he continues.

He never told him. He only ever told her, and he didn't lie, he promises but it's never felt like this. And he never told him that he loved him.

Loves him.

And she says that maybe he should do that now then and nods at something behind him.

And there are Chim and Hen and Ravi and Eddie running towards the parked vehicles, pushing a gurney. And there's Bobby yelling for Buck to come get his ass into the ambulance, they have to leave right now.

And Taylor smiles and wipes his tears away and gives him a push. Go. Go and fight and tell him what you told me.

And he does.

[thecampfirescene]

therealjoelando: "Tacoma Washington 1989. Martha Plimpton, River Phoenix on guitar and Keanu Reeves always throwing rocks at me for some reason."

"In 1989 I had the opportunity of a lifetime to work on the movie I love you to death. Hired as a consultant, a pizza consultant... I also gave suggestions on the look of the pizzeria, and how the actors would operate in the kitchen together. I spent six weeks in Tacoma, working with some of the most talented people in the entertainment industry. What an honor it was to be there, I knew this was a special moment in my life and I captured as many images as I could with my old Nikon camera. Thank you to our Director Lawrence Kasdan for hiring me and to the cast and crew for so many great memories."

[blingblong55]

Money, Money, Money- 141 X F1

Part 1 is here

Based on a request:

Idk if i can put in two requests but please. PLEASE I fucking love f1 Give more cod x f1 I dont care who and what and where, i just need more fics like that Thx for everything bestie(Feel free to ignore)

--

GN!Reader, 141 x reader x f1

The four men continued to watch you, you smile and pass by them, as if they were never someone in your life. It was as if they truly had never met you. "R/N?" Soap called for you, making you stop in your tracks and turn around, a small smile on you. "Hey guys," the disappointment in your voice noticeable. They knew your parents were around but you wanted, no, you needed them around. Family is not just blood but a bond between a group of people and they had become your family.

"R/N, we're sorry-"

"Save it, I just had the best day ever and I dont need you to make it bitter sweet, night." You walked away, your team waiting for you. Soap and Gaz were distraught, you needed them but the need they had to be around you, to feel like for once they weren't trained killers was greater than you'll ever know. Gaz held a bracelet in his hands. Every deployment he did after meeting you, he brought a bracelet from that place and made you wear it for luck on your next race.

By the next day, as they walked the paddock, Price kept cursing himself, yes he had a job to do but why use your race as the perfect plan for his job? He knew how important this day was for you and he still lied and left you alone, the stress that you felt during qualifying, how he would make horrible dad jokes to ease the stress. Ghost felt the same, he cared for you like an older brother would and knowing he had disappointed you and not even cheer from the bleachers, was something he had to fix.

Soap didn't talk to anyone, he had told Price the mission was not even a major problem and that if you didn't know they were in the city, you wouldn't be mad. The four men watched as you walked passed them, the camera crew filming you, interviewer walking alongside you for questions. People stopping you to take pictures and get autographs. "Congrats in P1, R/N!" a fan yelled, others gave you their support and until then the men found out you in fact did get pole position. They never checked online, always wanted to listen to you gush over it.

Warm up lap began, the men in the garage, silent. Soon, as the lights went out, you took an impressive lead on the rest of the grid. Price got a call from Laswell, "We have to go-" Price said

"You can't be serious, Price, R/N is racing-"

"We have a job to do, we aren't here for them this time." it was cold but true, their mission was supposed to be accomplished yesterday but something came up. Gaz and Soap did their best to watch more as they walked away. Ghost left the bracelet Gaz wanted to give you by your spare set of Gloves in the garage.

The race had its ups and down but you like a phoenix in the sky prevail, the race won by you. You wanted to run to the four men, only to find out they weren't there. Your mechanics were so you ran to them and hugged them, jumping over the barricade and cheering. Cameras on you and the other drivers on the grid. Inside though, it was a rather weird feeling, you were happy but part of you knew this was the first broken glass in the friendship.

You got to the podium, drank and sprayed the champagne, confetti in the sky, all cheering you on. In that moment, you were on top of the world. Once the celebration and interviews were over, you looked for them in the garage, only to find a new bracelet. You take it and your eyes get teary, "they were here." you whisper to yourself. Your wrist coming in contact with it. "Mate?" Gaz spoke, you turn around and hug him. Soap knew that in that moment, he no longer was the one you held closer to your heart. Gaz smiles and touches the bracelet, "I told you, I'll...we'll always be here, every race, far or close."

Price and Ghost stayed quiet, they wanted to explain their absence, but what more can they say? They killed many men, blood on their hands once more, they had to leave you once more because of a stupid meeting that was made to look important but wasn't. Soap kept replying how you got off your car and as the cameras pointed at you, you scanned the area, looking for them but never finding them. "R/N, please, please look at me," Soap begged and before you looked at him, your team called for you.

"Go kid, we'll be waiting for you." Price reassured and you walked away. And they did, they stayed in that garage and waited until you came back because there sure is a lot of explaining to do. "You think R/N, will forgive us?" The hopeful sergeant spoke. Price sighs and shrugs, "who's to say."

Hours later, many apologies and lame excuses, Soap finally hugged you, an entire week of him being in the same place as you and this was the first hug he had given you.

A/N: Idk anymore...but I hope its a little okay

Tags: @ateandleftnocrumbz @aethelwyneleigh27 @agasawit

[kathlare]

everything as it should be

Lando Norris x Amelie Dayman

Summary: Amelie's tour comes to a triumphant end in Los Angeles, a night filled with celebration, nostalgia, and personal reflection. With Lando by her side, their connection deepens as they navigate the complexities of their demanding lives and rekindle the bond that once felt fragile. Through quiet moments and heartfelt conversations, they affirm their love for one another, finding comfort and strength in their shared journey while overlooking the glowing city that symbolizes both their chaos and calm.

Wordcount: 2.5 k

Warnings: fluff, smau

request over here!

November 18th, 2024 - Los Angeles, CA

The night was a whirlwind of lights, music, and flashing cameras as the final notes of Amelie’s set reverberated through the KIA Forum. The North American leg of her Short n' Sweet tour had come to an end. She stood on stage, the cheers of thousands of fans still ringing in her ears as she waved to the crowd. Her heart pounded, a mixture of excitement, exhaustion, and a sense of bittersweet finality settling in. The tour was over for now, but the memories, the highs and lows, the connections she'd made with her crew, fans, and family, would stay with her forever.

Lando stood in the back, watching her with a proud smile. He’d been by her side for the last few shows, from Phoenix to Los Angeles, a welcome presence as her tour came to a close. For the past few days, they had fallen into a rhythm, a mix of flirty banter, quiet moments, and the unspoken understanding that their relationship was something more than just two people casually dating. They had history, a friendship that turned into something more after a rocky past. And now, here they were, together again, this time for real.

As the crowd began to disperse, Amelie made her way offstage, her hair damp with sweat, her eyes sparkling with the afterglow of a successful show. She caught sight of Lando leaning against a pillar, a jean jacket draped casually over his shoulders. He held a bouquet of yellow tulips in one hand, a cheeky grin spreading across his face when he saw her approach.

—Aww, are those for me?— Amelie teased, her eyes lighting up as she looked at the flowers.

—Of course,— Lando replied with a wink, offering the bouquet to her. —Wouldn’t be a proper night without them, would it?—

Amelie accepted the flowers, inhaling their sweet fragrance as she leaned in to kiss his cheek. —You’re the best,— she murmured, her voice soft.

—You’re the best,— he countered, placing a kiss on the top of her head as he pulled her into a hug. —Did I make you proud out there?—

She pulled back slightly, eyes sparkling. —Always. You were amazing.—

He smiled, but there was a hint of playfulness in his gaze. —You were the one who got the crowd screaming, Ames. I just showed up and stood there.—

Amelie laughed, rolling her eyes. —You and your modesty.— She wrapped an arm around his waist, leaning into him as they walked toward the exit. —What do you say we go to that after-party? I’m in the mood to get a little tipsy and celebrate.—

Lando’s eyes lit up. —You know I’m always down for that.—

The after-party was at a cozy bar in downtown Los Angeles, filled with the buzz of the tour crew, her family, and a few close friends. Music thumped in the background, and the energy was electric. Lando and Amelie were already a little tipsy, their laughter and teasing creating a bubble around them as they made their way through the crowd.

Amelie found herself standing close to Lando, their hands occasionally brushing against each other, a touch here, a lingering glance there. There was something intoxicating about the way they were together—so comfortable, so in sync. She could feel the tension in the air, the silent acknowledgment of the chemistry between them that had only grown since they’d reunited.

—Remember when we used to sneak around?— Amelie asked, leaning in slightly, her voice low and teasing.

Lando’s lips curved into a mischievous smile. —How could I forget? The whole ‘nobody knows we’re dating’ thing was a lot of fun.—

Amelie chuckled. —Yeah, until we were both miserable and avoided talking to each other for a year.—

—That wasn’t fun,— he agreed, his expression softening. —But I’m glad we fixed things, Ames. This— he gestured between them —this is worth the wait.—

—Mm,— she agreed, her eyes locking onto his. —I’m glad too. But…— She hesitated for a moment, a flicker of doubt crossing her face. —Are you sure about this? About us?—

Lando raised an eyebrow, his expression serious for a moment. —You know I am, Ames. I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t.— He took a step closer, his hand brushing the side of her arm. —Are you sure?—

She smiled, leaning up to kiss him lightly on the lips. —Yeah. I’m sure.— Her eyes softened, and she let out a quiet laugh. —Just making sure we’re on the same page.—

—You and me, always on the same page,— Lando murmured, kissing her forehead as they moved to the bar to grab a drink.

As the night wore on, the crowd at the bar grew rowdier, and Amelie found herself a little tipsier than she had anticipated. She leaned into Lando, her hand resting on his chest as she glanced at him mischievously.

—Let’s leave this place,— she said, her voice playful. —I don’t want to stay here any longer.—

Lando raised an eyebrow, intrigued. —Where do you want to go, then?—

—Somewhere quiet,— she said, tugging at his arm. —Let’s go to the Hollywood sign. There’s a viewpoint where you can see all of LA. I want to talk. Just you and me.—

Lando looked at her, his expression softening. —Alright. Let’s go.—

They slipped out of the bar, quietly making their way to the car. The drive to the Hollywood sign viewpoint was filled with easy conversation and laughter, but as they reached the spot, the world around them quieted. The city lights of Los Angeles twinkled beneath them, the vast expanse of the city stretching out into the horizon.

Amelie leaned against the railing, her hands gripping it tightly as she gazed out at the city. —It’s beautiful,— she murmured, her voice soft.

Lando stood beside her, his hand brushing against hers. —Yeah, it is,— he agreed, his tone serious. —It’s nice to get away from the chaos every now and then.—

Amelie looked at him, her eyes searching his face. —How are you feeling, Lan? With the championship and everything. You’ve got the Las Vegas race coming up, and Max is ahead again. That’s gotta be eating you alive.—

Lando exhaled slowly, his gaze distant as he looked out over the city. —Yeah, it’s tough. I’m giving it everything I’ve got, but sometimes I wonder if it’s enough. I’m fighting for something that feels just out of reach, and it’s hard not to think about what happens if I don’t win.—

Amelie reached over, gently placing her hand on his arm. —You’re doing everything you can, Lan. You’ve already come so far. You’ve made it this far for a reason. And even if it doesn’t happen this year, you’re still incredible. You know that, right?—

Lando looked down at her hand on his arm, then met her gaze. There was an almost imperceptible vulnerability in his eyes. He gave a small smile, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. —I know you think that, but it doesn’t stop the pressure. It doesn’t stop the feeling that I’m not enough, no matter how hard I try. Max is just... untouchable this season. It’s frustrating. You fight, you race, you put everything into it, but it still doesn’t feel like it’s ever quite enough, you know?—

Amelie nodded, her heart aching for him. She had seen him so focused, so determined, but she knew that self-doubt crept in, especially when things didn’t go as planned. She had her own battles, her own insecurities, but Lando was always so strong, so confident in everything he did. Seeing him like this made her want to shield him from the weight he carried.

—You don’t have to do it all alone, Lan,— she said softly, her fingers brushing gently against his arm. —You’ve got your team, your fans, and me. We all believe in you, and honestly? We all know how damn good you are. Whether you win this championship or not, you’ve already proven more than anyone ever expected. You’re not just a good driver; you’re one of the best. That’s what matters. You’re enough just as you are.—

Lando turned to face her fully now, his gaze intense. —I wish I could believe that, Ames. I really do. But with every race, I just feel like I’m not there yet. And then there’s all the noise, people doubting, the haters online. It gets under your skin, no matter how much you try to block it out. Every little mistake is magnified, every slip-up a potential disaster. And all I can think about is the feeling of losing again. I don’t know if I can handle that. Not after everything I’ve put into this season.—

Amelie reached up and cupped his face gently, forcing him to look her in the eye. —Listen to me, Lando. You’re not defined by the things you can’t control. You’re defined by how hard you fight. You’ve been through so much already. That drive, that passion, that’s what makes you incredible. The championship? It’s a result, not your worth. And as for the haters? Fuck them. You’ve got people who love you for who you are, for the person you’ve always been. No one else matters.—

Lando exhaled sharply, closing his eyes for a moment as he leaned into her touch. When he opened his eyes again, they were softer, more at ease. —You really are amazing, you know that? You always know exactly what to say to make me feel better.—

Amelie chuckled, lowering her hand. —It’s because I know you, Lan. I’ve always known you. And it’s not just me. You’ve got this. I’ve seen the way you race, the way you never give up. You’re going to be okay, no matter what happens. And hey, you’re still young. The championship will come for you. I’m sure of it.—

Lando smiled, a genuine, warm smile that reached his eyes this time. He reached out to take her hand in his, lacing their fingers together. —You always know how to pull me out of my own head. It’s like your superpower or something.—

Amelie laughed, the sound light and musical against the quiet backdrop of the night. —Well, someone has to keep you grounded, Mr. Formula 1 Superstar.— She nudged him playfully, her grin infectious.

—Oh, don’t start with that,— he groaned, his accent softening the words. —I get enough of that from everyone else.—

They both fell into a comfortable silence, staring out at the city. The lights of Los Angeles twinkled below, a sea of gold and silver that seemed endless. The moment felt intimate, the kind of quiet that didn’t demand words but carried a weight of understanding between them.

After a few minutes, Amelie spoke again, her voice quieter this time. —Can I tell you something?—

Lando glanced at her, his expression attentive. —Of course.—

She hesitated, chewing her bottom lip before continuing. —Sometimes, I feel like I’m not enough either. With my music, with the expectations people have of me... even with us. Like, I’m always trying to prove something, and no matter how much I do, it never feels like it’s enough.—

Lando’s grip on her hand tightened slightly, a comforting gesture. —Ames, you’re one of the most talented people I’ve ever met. Your music means so much to so many people. You’ve built something incredible, something real. And with us...— He paused, searching for the right words. —You don’t have to prove anything. You’re more than enough. You always have been.—

She looked at him, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. —Sometimes I worry that I’m too much for you. That my life, my schedule, my everything... that it’s too much for us to handle. And I know we’ve been through so much already, but it still scares me.—

Lando stepped closer, his free hand coming up to brush a strand of hair from her face. —Hey, listen to me. You’re not too much. If anything, you’re everything I want. Yeah, your life is crazy, and so is mine. But we’ve figured it out before, and we’ll keep figuring it out. I’m not going anywhere, Ames. I’m in this. With you. For you.—

Her breath hitched, and she let out a small, watery laugh. —You always know exactly what to say.—

—It’s because I mean it,— he said softly, leaning down to press a gentle kiss to her forehead.

She wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his chest as she took a deep breath. —I love you, you know that?—

Lando froze for a moment before his arms tightened around her. —I love you too, Ames. Always have.—

She pulled back slightly, looking up at him with a teasing smile. —Even when I was ignoring you and being a pain in the ass?—

He laughed, the sound echoing through the quiet night. —Especially then. You’re my pain in the ass, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.—

Amelie rolled her eyes but couldn’t hide her grin. —You’re impossible.—

—And you’re stuck with me,— he shot back, his smile playful.

They stood there for a while longer, the city below them and the stars above, wrapped in their own little world. They shared stories, laughed at old memories, and teased each other relentlessly. It felt easy, natural, like they were just two people who had found their way back to each other after everything.

When the chill of the night began to settle in, Lando draped his jacket over her shoulders, pulling her close as they made their way back to the car.

—So, the Hollywood sign, huh?— Lando said, glancing at her with a smirk as they climbed in.

—It’s romantic, isn’t it?— Amelie shot back, her tone mock-defensive.

—It’s definitely something,— he teased, starting the car.

She stuck her middle finger out at him, her laughter filling the car as they drove back toward the city.

And as they made their way through the quiet streets of Los Angeles, hands intertwined, hearts full, Amelie couldn’t help but feel that, for the first time in a long time, everything was exactly as it should be.

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

liked by stelladayman, arianagrande, and others

ameliedayman: That’s a wrap on the North American leg of the Short n’ Sweet tour!!!!! I have always dreamt of bringing this tour to life but it was even better than i could have imagined because of every crowd that showed up and gave 100% of their energy and time. best dressed crowds on the market. funniest signs l’ve ever seen. every lyric and background vocal sung to perfection. i could not ask for better fans💞i love you so so dearly

thank you to my hard working cast and crew that makes this show what it is. the attention to detail, the professionalism, and each and every personality on and off stage is what makes the SNS show so special.

cry because it’s over for now... but we can’t wait to see you in the new year Europe 💋💋💋

View all 19,324 comments

landonorris: Can confirm: best dressed crowd because the star of the show is the best dressed. Also, you’re hot. → ameliedayman: @landonorris Someone’s trying to distract me. Save it for later, Lan. 😏 → georgerussell63: @landonorris Bro, we’re all blushing. Chill. → alex_albon: @georgerussell63 Speak for yourself. I’m inspired.

claudiasulewski: I see why everyone’s obsessed. You’re magic, Amelie 🌟 → ameliedayman: @claudiasulewski Claudia! Your kind words = my entire week made 🫶

f1stanpage: OKAY BUT THE WAY SHE'S TAKING OVER THE WORLD RN 🫶

amelieupdates: ICONIC doesn’t even cover it. North America was blessed 🫶 → ameliefanpage: @amelieuodates Europe’s turn. Y’all better scream loud for our girl 💋

hayesgrier: Crying bc I didn’t get to see a show, but living through these pics 😭 → ameliedayman: @hayesgrier There’s always Europe… front row? 👀 → landonorris: @ameliedayman Save the front row for me, baby. Hayes can watch from the back. 😏

minniemills: YOU WERE EVERYTHING. The vocals, the fits, the VIBES. Obsessed, truly. 🫶 → ameliedayman: @minniemills Minnie, I love you more than life. Let me know when we’re brunching again.

emiliamernes: Esto fue arte puro, Amelie. Europa no sabe lo que le espera 😍💃🏼 → ameliedayman: @emiliamernes ¡Gracias, bella! Nos vemos pronto, espero 💋

[tip-top-cloud-surfer]

If You Met Me First (Part 2) - Rooster

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw / Warrant Officer!Reader (Callsign: Echo)

Word Count: 1.8k

This work, all my works, and my entire blog are 18+ Only

Warnings: Aftermath of 'In Love with Someone Already in a Relationship' Trope; Female Reader with Callsign (Echo)

Summary: Rooster isn't over Echo. But maybe fate will ease his pain.

Part 1

Master List

It had been exactly two hundred sixty-seven days since Echo left and Rooster still wasn’t over her.

He hadn’t reached out to her, save for texting her a simple birthday message. And she returned the favor when it came time. But that was about all of the contact that they had with each other since he watched her step down the tunnel at the airport. And yet, everywhere he walked, everywhere he looked, all that he could notice was the fact that she was missing from his life.

He found himself fussing over how her replacement ordered papers in the files when it didn’t matter. He still packed an extra sweatshirt in his car when he went to hang out with the Dagger Squad late at night, as if she would be there and forget to bring one for herself. He bought her coffee order at least three times in the first two weeks without her, since he always used it as an excuse to see her earlier in the morning. And he had to delete all social media from his phone or else he’d spend a creepy amount of time scrolling through her photos and posts.  

And so, maybe an eight-month deployment on a carrier ship was good for him.

He couldn’t have his phone on him all day, so he wasn’t constantly checking it. There were plenty of distractions around the ship and he was never truly alone with his thoughts, though his roommate offered to give him some personal space if he needed it at least twenty thousand times. And it allowed him to refocus and get his emotions more under control.

“Happy to go back home?” Phoenix asked as they walked out onto the deck.

“It’s time,” Rooster replied with a shrug, slinging his bag over his shoulder. “It’ll be nice to see Mav again.”

“He picking you up?”

“If he doesn’t forget.”

Without too much fuss, they prepped their planes and soon they were flying over open water. They landed back in Miramar several hours later and Rooster was eager to get a homemade meal and sleep in his own bed. He didn’t really need much more than that to keep him content.

Cleaning up his station, Rooster gently pulled his photos off. He carefully tucked the old picture of him, his parents, and Mav into the front pocket of his flight suit before reaching for the second photo. It was of some of the Dagger Squad, but the real reason why he picked it was because Echo was up on his back, waving to the camera with her usual bright smile.

And, well, he had to pick a photo of her that he had a reasonable excuse for. Just in case.

Hopping out of his plane, Rooster thanked the ground crew before turning to the crowd of family and friends. There were already people running to greet the other pilots and wizzos but Rooster walked along calmly. Rooster shot Phoenix a wink and thumbs up when he saw her embracing her ‘good friend,’ and earned a middle finger in return. Chuckling to himself, Rooster looked through the crowd for Maverick.

But when he turned around and locked eyes with a different but so achingly familiar pair of eyes, his world stopped for a moment. The stars realigned, the clouds departed, and the sun moved to provide an ethereal backlighting to Echo’s figure as she stood at the back of the group of greeters.

She offered him a small smile but Rooster could tell by the way that she folded her arms behind her back and kept her chin down that she was nervous to see him. After a moment, she released her hands and started walking towards him, her confidence seeming to return with every step. And it was time for Rooster to start moving on his own.

Dropping his bag with an audible thump, Rooster turned and started walking towards Echo until his own eagerness to have her close took over and he started running. Echo let out a silent laugh when she spotted Rooster’s increased pace and moved faster too.

She let Rooster scoop her up and spin her around. Wrapping her arms around his broad shoulders, Echo held Rooster in a tight hug as he slowly stopped spinning her around. Rooster buried his face into her shoulder and kept his arms locked around her waist, holding her close. Hooking her ankles together around his back to steady herself, Echo sat up and smiled down at Rooster.

“Hey,” she greeted him, forcing herself to not run her thumb over his mustache.

“Hey,” he breathed out, still not sure if she was real or not.

“Hey,” she returned softly.

“You said that already,” Rooster pointed out, causing Echo to laugh sheepishly. Dropping her head against his shoulder, she curled her fingers into the fabric of his flight suit, familiarizing herself with the veins and lines of his back.

“I guess I did,” she mumbled out before picking her head up again. Reaching up to fix one of his curls, Echo added, “I missed you.”

What Rooster wanted to say was something along the lines of ‘do you have any idea of how many times I almost started driving after you? How many times my thumb hovered over your contact? How many times I bought something or watched something or listened to something simply because of the slight chance that you could be doing the exact same thing?’

But in the moment, staring at Echo, and feeling the weight of her in his arms, Rooster could only muster one simple phrase in return.

“I never stopped.”

Missing you, he implied.

Loving you, is what he actually meant.

Echo nodded slowly, offering him a small, enamored smile. She opened her mouth to respond, but thought better of the words that were threatening to spill out. Unlocking her ankles from around his back, Echo reached for the ground. Rooster released his hold under her thighs and reluctantly let her stand on her own two feet. Looking up at him from their usual height difference, Echo studied his expression for a moment.

“No injuries to report?” she asked quietly, trying to recenter herself.

“Not one,” Rooster assured her.

“Staying out of trouble?”

“Always.”

“That’s a lie,” Echo retorted, smiling up at him in a way that made Rooster desperate to kiss her.

“Maybe a little one,” Rooster agreed, chuckling to himself.

“I’m supposed to take you to the Hard Deck,” Echo stated, not moving to put any sort of physical space in between her and Rooster. Pulling out the keys to the Bronco from her pocket, she held them out to Rooster. “I’m under captain’s orders.”

“Alright,” Rooster replied, taking the keys and letting his touch linger on Echo’s hand.

Echo nodded and reluctantly took a step away. But before she got too far, he laced his fingers through her own, holding their hands together. Turning back to him with a questioning expression, Echo’s eyes widened a fraction as Rooster closed the space in between them again.

“But there’s something that I need to do first,” Rooster stated, causing Echo to nod, all the while she was pretty sure that she wasn’t breathing.

“What is it?” Echo asked softly.

“It depends on your answer.”

“My answer?” Echo mumbled, somewhat dumbly. “To what?”

“Can I kiss you?” Rooster questioned, causing Echo to suck in a sharp breath.

“You want to kiss me?”

“If you want, I can show you how much I want to kiss you.”

Echo let out a soft laugh, some of the tension leaving her body before gently resting her hand on Rooster’s cheek. Running her thumb over his mustache like she wanted to earlier, she then swiped her thumb over his lips, causing a groan to escape Rooster’s throat. Having teased him enough, Echo tilted her chin up to meet Rooster’s lips.

Chasing her lips like a starving man, Rooster wrapped his arms around Echo’s waist and pulled her impossibly closer. Smiling into the kiss as Rooster pulled her to her tiptoes, Echo cupped his face with her hand, trailing her fingers along his scars. Her heart was beating out of her chest and her cheeks warmed as Rooster drew her in for more.

Rooster thought that he was dreaming. He had to be dreaming. The tension that felt like it had made a permanent home in his stomach slowly uncoiled and he let himself finally relax again. To enjoy the moment. And he was going to enjoy the moment. Cupping the back of her head, Rooster slowly deepened the kiss, causing a gasp to escape Echo’s lips.

Dropping her other hand down his chest as they made out like a bunch of horny teenagers on an airstrip, Echo moved her hand around Rooster’s back and snuck a quick squeeze of his ass. Rooster suddenly pulled back with a shocked expression, causing Echo to grow incredibly embarrassed.

“Sorry! It just . . . I wanted to . . .”

Echo made some awkward grabbing motions with her hand before Rooster let out a laugh that made her collapse against his chest with a mix of embarrassment and urge to just soak up his presence again. Echo looked up at Rooster bashfully through her eyelashes, though she clearly didn’t regret it.

“You can squeeze mine to make it even,” she offered to him.

“Before you risk a public indecency charge,” Phoenix called, walking past them on her way out to the parking lot, “you coming to the Hard Deck with everyone else?”

Rooster looked over at Phoenix, not really sure about how to answer as Echo rested her head on his chest. For two people who had spent nearly a year apart from each other, they looked exceedingly comfortable together. Phoenix had a pretty good guess that both Echo and Rooster wouldn’t want to trade that comfort for much else.

Not tonight. Not ever.

“We’ll go . . . after a pit stop?” Echo asked, turning to look up at Rooster, who smirked.

“We need to make a pit stop?” he drawled.

“Well, the gas is low in the Bronco,” Echo lied, but she sounded so serious, Rooster instantly deflated.

“What?”

Echo nudged Rooster with her elbow, causing him to perk up again. Phoenix rolled her eyes and shot them a knowing expression before walking off with her own ‘friend.’

Now alone again, Rooster pulled Echo with him to grab his bag from the ground before making their way out into the parking lot. He tossed his bag into the back of the Bronco before climbing into the driver’s seat next to Echo.

“So, we should get going to the, uh . . . pit stop?”

“We can go to the Hard Deck instead, if you want,” Echo replied, causing Rooster to shake his head rapidly. Echo laughed loudly, tilting her head back as she smiled over at Rooster. “Then start driving, Lieutenant.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” Rooster returned with a wink before starting up the Bronco.

Putting it into drive, Rooster pulled out of the lot and started heading off base. As the wind whipped through their hair, Roostee slowly reached out and slid his hand under Echo’s until she threaded her fingers through his own. They shared a look and a smile before driving off into the sunset together.

[bonitanightmxres]

I Know || NATASHA 'PHOENIX' TRACE

PAIRING: Natasha "Phoenix" Trace x fem!reader

SYNOPSIS: Your growing crush on nat is hard to ignore, but everything changes after a little game.

WARNINGS: suggestiveness, dirty thoughts, smut, 18+ MDNI, fingering, sexual content, oral sex fem receiving, face-riding, language, alcohol, switch!phoenix

WORD COUNT: 3.2k

The crash of the waves against the rocks is peaceful, despite the loud hollers and laughter from the Dagger Squad. You all hold a pose for a group photo on the shore of the pacific in front of the Airbnb you all pitched in for. Nat’s arm hung around your neck, her fingers dangling freely off you, just barely brushing the exposed skin from your bikini top. You smiled at the camera, but held your breath—you found yourself doing that a lot lately when you were around Jake’s crew of friends. It was only days ago, however, that you realized that it wasn’t his friends who made you feel like you couldn’t breathe—it was Natasha. 

Being a longtime friend of Jake’s, he was the one to introduce you to them all many months ago, and it was him you blamed for getting you into this love-sick mess. If he hadn’t meddled in your social life—or your lack of one, you’d be at home right now. Alone, sure, but definitely not pining over a pilot who was definitely out of your league. It really wasn’t his fault, you knew that, but you wished it was. It wasn’t like you planned on falling for Natasha, it just happened over the course of getting to know her. Hell, you didn’t even have a crush on her the first day you’d met her–sure, she was pretty, there was no denying that. But you didn’t know her, know her.  

Not the way you do now.

Nat jogged over to the beachgoer she tasked with taking the photo, getting her phone back, while the rest scattered around the area you all claimed as your own and continued their game of dogfight football. She lifts her sunglasses up, and examines the photo in her camera roll. You watch as she rests a hand on her hip, swiping her finger on the homescreen, undoubtedly sending the picture out to everyone already. She made her way back to where you sat, walking ever so slowly, swaying her hips as she did so. You could swear she was doing it on purpose, but then, maybe you were just crazy. Black is definitely her color, you thought. The thin strings of her bikini top were tied together and held their position by nothing more than a whole lot of faith. The curve of her breasts is obvious, and the realization that you’re even thinking about her like this makes your cheeks heat up. God, it was like everything she did lately was sexual, like she knew what you were thinking. Innocently inviting you to go shopping, but picking the most sinful dress, or going to the beach and teasing you with the tiny pieces of fabric that barely covered her. It was the best kind of torture, but one that made you lose sleep—especially when her room was directly next to yours. 

“Careful, now.” Hangman's voice startled you as he came up from behind you, drink in hand.

“What?”

“Don’t ‘what’ me,” he says, a smirk on his face. “You’re practically drooling.”

You scoff, “Yeah, right. Am not.”

Hangman chuckles and leans in to whisper in your ear, “Y’know, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you had a bit of a crush.” 

Eyes going wide, you become tense, and laugh it off. “On Nat? No, no.”

Jake takes a long sip of his beer, narrowing his gaze on you, as if trying to search for the truth. But his smirk says it all. “I didn’t say anything about Phoenix.”

FUCK. 

“Wait a minute, I-”

Hangman walked away from you, toward the rest of the group, completely ignoring your pleas and desperate attempts to keep him from saying anything. Jesus fucking Christ, it’s like he can walk twice as fast now that he has something to hold against you, and your feet are suddenly made of bricks–no matter how fast you try to walk in sandals on the beach, all you manage to do is kick up sand and put more distance between you and him. When you finally catch up to him, Hangman’s already talking to the rest of the group—Nat included. She turns in your direction, flashing a smile.

“And here she is,” Hangman pats your shoulder. “We’re gonna play a little game. That is, if you can handle it.”

Oh god. 

—

Jake’s great idea of a game turned out to be nothing more than Truth or Dare or Shot–a stupid game you hadn’t played since college. It worked just like truth or dare, but you could pass on a dare or a question by taking a shot. Poor Bob took the brunt of it, nearly passing out after three shots; Fanboy nearly got caught skinny-dipping in the ocean and decided he’d be taking shots if he was dared to do something stupid again; Coyote and Payback had a mini competition going on against Rooster and Hangman, trying to see which pair could last the longest without taking a shot. Phoenix was fearless, completing every dare, and every truth, making you wonder how she made it all look so easy. You, on the other hand, were barely making it out alive. Answering the questions as vaguely as possible and managing to only take two shots when Rooster dared you to cliff jump and when Fanboy asked if you would ever date a pilot. Still, anxiety rushed through you every time Jake asked you a question or dared you. With a taunting look in his eyes, he enjoyed watching you squirm and die a little on the inside at the idea of coming forward with your little secret.

Now, he decided, that was about to change. 

“Alright, Phoenix,” Hangman speaks to her, but his eyes are on you. Normally you’d think you were safe, but the way he says her name has you thinking otherwise. “I dare you to kiss the hottest person in the room.” 

She scoffs like it’s no big deal, “That’s the best you got?”

Nat stands from her seat, walking in a circle around the rest of you in your chairs, making you all wonder where she was gonna stop. At this point you don’t know if you hate Jake for that or what. Really, it can go one of two ways–either he forces the secret out of you, or she kisses one of the guys. You weren’t sure which was worse. Weaving in between the seats, Nat brushes her fingers along the chairs, sometimes touching the shoulders of the one everyone thinks she’s going to kiss. Hangman and Rooster sat on either side of you, and you could easily say with confidence that she would end up kissing one of them–they had a flirty friendship like that.

Before you can even process what’s going on, Nat is straddling you in your seat, taking everyone by surprise. The buzzing laughter and conversations come to a stop, but Nat just grins–she knows exactly what she’s doing. Her hands snake around your neck and her touch feels just as electrifying as when you posed for the photo. Nat’s dark hair is loose, hanging just off her shoulders as she tilts her head, and you can smell the saltwater on her. It’s both intoxicating and addicting, making you forget all about the nervous feelings you had for her. She grabs your hands, placing them on her waist, leaning into you so much that her boobs are practically in your face, teasing you. 

Nat makes direct eye contact with you, enjoying the way you try and evade it, as if her ass isn’t using your thighs as a seat. Leaning into your ear, she whispers, “I know.” 

This grabs your attention, your eyes go wide—exactly like she planned, and using your weakness to her advantage, she presses her lips softly against yours. As if you weren’t already totally under her command, you’re absolutely fucked now. Her lips are soft, and you melt like putty against her, accidentally letting out a noise of approval when she flicks her tongue at your bottom lip. You taste a mixture of the alcohol and her chapstick and it’s overwhelming, taking over your senses.

The only thing that makes you come back is the scattered “coughs” from the guys who sat around you. 

“I said kiss the hottest person, not start a porno in front of everyone.” Jake says as his Phoenix climbs off of you. 

“What? Did we make you hard, Bagman?” Phoenix retorted, winking at you before she sat back down at her own seat. 

Jake didn’t even know what to say, and there was no answer that was going to be good enough—he could say no, but then there was the truth…

— 

When you lay down for bed, you can’t sleep. How could you? All you can think about is the fact that Nat knows. She knows. All those months of getting to know each other, spending time together, looking back on it, your crush is pretty obvious. It really couldn’t be as bad as you were thinking right? The girl you’d had a crush on for months literally just kissed you. She’d practically made out with you in front of everyone, and needless to say, your ego took a much needed boost. The feeling of Nat’s soft skin under your grip was imprinted into your mind, and if you closed your eyes and thought hard enough, it was like you could feel her lips against yours again. Just thinking about her makes you press your thighs together and squirm in bed. Sliding your hand down the waistband of your sleeping shorts, your fingers draw light circles around your throbbing clit through the dampening fabric, sending a shiver throughout your body. Your breath quickens as your fingers roam up and down your pussy, but before you can do anything more, there’s a light knock at your door. More than likely, it was Jake, back to tease you again about Nat—he’d already made cryptic comments before you all decided it was time to call it a night. You turn on a dim lamp on the desk, before making your way to the door, “I swear if you’re here to just bother me, I-” 

Oh. It’s not Jake at the door, but Nat. 

“Sorry, did I wake you? I can go.” She says. 

“N-no! No, sorry, I thought you were Hangman.” 

“And why would Hangman be coming to visit you at three in the morning?” Nat crosses her arms, intrigued, and you can’t help but notice the outline of her nipples through the tank top. She walks past you and into your room, closing the door behind her. “Better question, what are you still doing awake?” 

“I-uh, I can’t sleep.” It’s not a total lie, but were you really gonna admit you’d been lying there, trying to get off at the thought of her? No. 

“Funny,” she circles back to where you still stand by the closed door. “I can’t either. All I keep thinking about is our hot little make out earlier tonight.” Nat smirks, knowing how heated your cheeks must feel right now.

To say you’re speechless is a fucking understatement, you can’t even breathe when she’s barely inches away from you, taunting you to make the first move. . 

Nat lets out a small chuckle, “C’mon, I know you loved it, babygirl. I know I make you wet.” The air exhaled from her lips is warm against your face. Her hand ghosts over your arm, making your skin tingle as she slides her hand lower and lower, ever so slightly tugging off your shorts and grazing her fingertips over your clothed pussy. “See,” her fingers are warm as she slips them down your panties, rubbing up and down the wetness that pools between your thighs. “You’re soaking.”

Biting back a moan, you close your eyes, throwing your head back against the door, but the moan escapes anyways, “Fuck, Nat.” You’d dreamt of this for so long, and now you could barely tell if it was real life or just another dream. But the way she curls her fingers inside your cunt and teases your mouth with her tongue proves that it's your sweet reality. 

“I think we need to finish what we started,” Nat is slow to pull the tank top off her body, revealing her breasts and hardening nipples all to you. Completely on display, she reaches for the hem of your own shirt and slips it over your head, “What do you think about that?” You don’t even need to answer her–the moan that escapes your lips as she presses hot kisses to your neck says it all. Guiding her to your bed, you kiss her feverishly, like somehow she would disappear if you didn’t. Nat moans loudly as you explore her mouth, making you grin against her. Never in a million years would you have thought that you could elicit moans out of Phoenix of all people. She was a confident pilot and an even more confident woman, and she was coming undone at your touch right under you. Using your thumbs to massage her breasts, you take one into your mouth, sucking it ever so slightly. The light and gentle nature of your mouth spurs Nat, “C’mon, babygirl, more.” She brings your hand down from her breast and onto her pussy instead, arching her back as your middle and ring fingers inch their way in. It’s something you never thought you’d see, but it’s a sight you never want to forget. Phoenix is completely and utterly under your control at this moment, and it’s all the courage you need to keep going, to keep fucking her. She bites your bottom lip as you kiss her sloppily, and whines when she can’t feel you inside her anymore. Nat looks beautiful under the dim light, totally at your will. 

Trailing kisses down her abdomen, your mouth stopping at her entrance, licking a stripe in between her folds. “You’re so wet for me, Nat. You sure you weren’t thinking about this just as much as I have?” 

“G-God, you have no idea.” Phoenix bucks her hips, desperate for more friction, “I can’t stop th-thinking about you.” Her words are breathy as she tries her hardest to make complete sentences. “S-should’ve fucked you in front of e-everyone.” 

You let out a small laugh, “I don’t think Jake would’ve minded.”

He really wouldn’t have, you know that and keep it in the back of your head.

Nat’s legs shake as you swirl your tongue and suck on her clit, “F-Fuck, I-I’m, I’m not gonna last.”

“C’mon, Nat, cum for me.” The encouragement combined with the expert motions of your tongue is all she needs to let go. Her breath is hot and fast as she reaches her high, and it doesn’t take long before the pleasure leaks out of her pussy and onto your tongue, dripping like heaven. Using her elbows to prop herself up, Nat tries to catch her breath, but you’re quick to kiss her. The mixture of saliva and cum is nearly too much to handle all at once, the sweet sounds of you moaning in each other’s mouths is damn near XXX-rated. She grabs your neck, and flips you under her with such strength—a total contrast than the submissive nature of before, that you’d almost forgotten that she was in the best shape of her life and could easily do what she wanted with you. 

Phoenix throws her legs over your waist, straddling you like earlier, but the bare skin on skin contact feels even better than the tease of bikinis and denim shorts. She grabs your wrists tightly, pinning them over your head, her breasts only a kiss away. When you move forward, however, she refuses to let you take any part of her in your mouth without her say. “Nuh-uh, it’s my turn to take care of you. Get up.” 

“What?”

“Get up,” she demands, and lays on her back as you move off to the side. “Okay, come here.” You’re on autopilot, your body moves at her command before you even have time to argue or think about it. Phoenix guides you on top of her, “I want you to ride my face.” She’s nonchalant, as if this is the millionth time she’s told you to do so–in reality, it’s probably like the millionth time she’s thought about it. “C’mon, I want to taste you.”

Suddenly butterflies fill your stomach, and you feel sheepish. Nobody could blame you, though, you had never ridden a girl’s face before and you were afraid that somehow you’d suffocate her, totally ruining what you had going on with her right now. “I-I don’t know, Nat, I–”

“Don’t get shy on me now,” she says. “Were you shy when you were facedown in my cunt? Or when you moaned my name when I teased your pretty little pussy?” 

No, no you weren’t.

Alright, fuck it. 

You slide your body up, gripping the headboard of the bed for support while Phoenix’s lips meet your wet cunt. Her arms wrap on either side of your waist and press into the meat of your thighs, surely leaving bruises there later. Phoenix starts off slow, almost painfully slow, letting you relish in the feeling of ecstasy. Her tongue warm against your core, and she moans in approval, “Oh, babygirl, you taste so fucking amazing.” 

Finding your rhythm isn’t hard–grinding yourself back and forth against her mouth takes you to a new high you didn’t even think you could find. “Fucking hell, Nat. I-I-Fuck,” Your words are breathless as Phoenix’s tongue worked like magic, flicking between your slick folds and noisily sucking on your throbbing, sensitive clit. The rich sounds of her mouth smacking against your folds are nothing short of perfection. Her hands reach up and pinch your nipples, making you cry out as she sends you into a state of newfound pleasure and pain, and it’s almost too much. “God, I-I’m gonna cum.” 

“That’s it, babygirl,” she coaxes. “If you cum for me, I’ll let you suck on my tits. Can you do that for me? Can you cum on my face?”  Phoenix’s voice is sultry and demanding, like there’s some kind of drug that fills your ears as she speaks. But you don’t need much convincing. You pick up the pace, riding Nat’s face faster and she fucking loves it. It turns her on even more to see you so desperate to cum, so desperate to chase that high, but she loves the taste of it even more. Her face and tongue are slick and wet from your release as your riding comes to a stop. Grabbing her by the shoulders, you take her up on her offer, sucking on the mound of flesh and grazing your teeth on her nipple. Leaving purple marks around the valley of her breasts and her collarbone, you move to press a longing kiss onto Phoenix’s lips. She moves her hand around your neck, pulling you down and deepening the kiss. 

You and Phoenix lay beside one another, legs entangled and arms wrapped around each other’s bodies, so that not even air separates you two. The room is quiet, except for soft breathing, where you could faintly hear the ocean’s waves. 

“So how long have you known? About my crush on you?” You ask as she tenderly rubs your arm.

Phoenix smiles in the dim light, chuckling softly. “A long time.” 

---

a/n: credit to @angelic-dreams13 for giving me ideas and yelling at me to write it jejeje 🫶🏼

[sanjuwrites]

wip wednesday

thanks to @inkweedandlizards, @heartstringsduet, @alrightbuckaroo, @carlos-in-glasses and @theghostofashton for the tag!

getting two for the price of one today!

agent reyes

“It’s not like I haven’t stolen from the British museum before, I don’t think the security schematics are going to be that different this time around, at least in terms of the security cameras and alarm systems. Guards and extraneous security for the jewelry? Now that’s a different story, we need your friend Alex for that. So tell him to not bother with blueprints, but for extraneous security for the diamonds. I heard that the prince is going to be there, so there’s definitely some extra people.”

Carlos’ expression twitches at the mention of Alex’s husband, before smoothing back out.

Carlos frowns, processing what TK said, “Wait, what the hell did you steal from The British Museum? Your dossier – which I put together, by the way – has nothing stolen from the British Museum. You’ve never set foot in the museum, as far as we know.”

Mateo lets out a snort, and Marjan – which, what the hell, she’s quiet – laughs a little. 

“I’m sorry, am I missing something?” Carlos frowns, looking around. 

“No, sorry, it’s just that Paul said that the CIA never made the connection, but I didn’t realize that you literally have no idea, not even an inkling. This is so much more complicated to explain, Jesus.” TK thuds his head against the dining table, a silent scream leaving him. 

“Spit it out, TK.” Carlos feels his impatience and anxiety rising in tandem.

“I was also the Shadow Thief.”

Carlos blinks. “What?”

“I stole under a different alias from 2013 to mid-2016, until…” TK clears his throat, “until my mother died. I flew off the rails a little after that, and then I came back as the Phoenix. There’s a couple jobs you didn’t catch as the Phoenix, before some of the other crews gave me the nickname. I forged the coins to drop around the jobs after that, as a little calling card and homage to the crews that helped me …rise back up, so to speak.”

untitled house run - rwrb

Alex sits back in his desk chair, blowing out a breath. 

At thirty-four, he can safely say that this was never in his plan anymore, not after everything that happened with him and Henry. 

God, he needed to talk to Henry.

Speak of the angel, and he shall appear, Alex thinks wryly. Henry leans against the doorway, smiling at him softly, holding a glass of red wine. “Hey love. I called you five times to come down for dinner, but you didn’t answer. Is everything okay?”

Alex smiles at Henry, and if it looks fake, Henry doesn’t call him on it, just walks over to him, pressing a kiss to his temple, sitting on the edge of the desk. “I’m okay, baby, just busy with this trial coming up for the firm. My associate has been out for a week with appendicitis, so I’m also doing a lot of prep work for it too. Is that,” Alex says, nodding at the glass, “for me?”

Henry nods, handing the glass off. “Do you want me to bring dinner up, love?”

Alex closes his laptop, shaking his head. “No, this can wait till tomorrow. For now, I just want to enjoy the night with my husband, if that works for you? Or do you have some prettier man to sneak off to?” Alex has the most shit-eating grin on his face, and Henry rolls his eyes. 

“Yes, Alex, I sneak out every night as I require the sexual rigor of a twenty-five year old to keep my appetite satiated,” he says in a deadpan, making Alex laugh as he brackets Henry’s hips against the desk, leaning down to kiss him once, twice, thrice.

“Let me show you ‘sexual rigor,’ baby,” he murmurs against Henry’s jaw before sucking the skin into his mouth. Henry lets out a breathy laugh as he lets himself be pushed down onto the desk, wine glass and all thoughts of dinner abandoned as they lose themselves in each other.

i'm gonna tag @bonheur-cafe, @cold-blooded-jelly-doughnut, @birdclowns, @liminalmemories21, @reyesstrand, @lightningboltreader, and @strandnreyes!

[rorimoon9597]

"Paladin Cadets, please report to the briefing room." Artemis looked up from her homework, confused. She moved anyway, marking where she was and standing.

She made her way to the briefing room, wondering what she was needed for.

She entered the room when she got there, nodding to Curtis and the other Bridge Officers when they filed out from the meeting they were in.

She was the first to arrive, unsurprisingly. Leo constantly had things he was working on, and was always researching something or looking through old scientific papers. Rex spent his time baking, Alex was probably coming from the training deck, and Sava was probably coming from where she was helping in the engine room.

Her parents, Lance and Keith Kogane, were there already, and they smiled as she walked in.

"Hey, mija. I hope you weren't too busy," Lance said. Artemis shook her head.

"No, I wasn't. I was working on some math homework," she replied. Kosmo teleported up to her, begging for pets. She caved in.

"Man, I suck at math," Lance commented.

"You do," Keith agreed. Lance gave him an indignant look. "What? You came to my room after we found Kuro and tried to work out how many Paladins we had even though it's the simplest thing in the universe." Lance huffed.

"I was struggling that day." Artemis chose to sit in her seat, ignoring her parents.

Leo came not too long after she did, Alex, Sava and Rex right behind him.

"Are we late?" He asked. Shiro shook his head.

"No, you're just in time," he said.

"Alright." The other four sat down.

"What did you need us for?" Alex, ever the leader, asked.

"There has been a request for help from a Coalition planet," Shiro began. He smiled at the confused looks that were shared around. "I'll hand this to you, Lance."

"Thank you, Shiro," Lance replied. He stood at the front of the table, screen behind him clear to see. An image of a planet appeared on the screen behind him. "Shaatull is a planet that's relatively new to the Coalition. Their culture is based around crystals, and they have some really interesting theories about Quintessence and relationships."

"You can talk about it later on, okay?" Keith said, a reminder. Not dismissing him entirely, an invitation to talk as much as he wanted to when they had time to talk about it.

"Right. Anyway, Shaatull has certain creatures. None of them are insanely dangerous, because it's not a death world like Earth, or New Altea or New Daibazaal. Recently the head of Shaatull, Lady Ravra, reached out to us and requested our help with a creature that has been terrorizing the planet. Or, that's what they say about it."

"What does this creature look like?" Leo asked, genuinely curious about this creature.

"This is what it looks like." The image of the planet disappeared, replaced with a few images that looked like it came from a security camera. Not the best quality, but it was enough to give them an idea of the creature. "This is the creature that has been causing so much panic." Pidge rested her head on her joined hands.

"It looks like some sort of cross between a cat, a fox, and a phoenix or something," she observed. Artemis looked closer at one of the clearest pictures and noted that she was right.

It was nothing like what Artemis had seen, and she'd seen a lot. Her dad had a cosmic teleporting wolf as a pet, her grandmother was Galra, and she was training to become a proper Paladin of Voltron.

The creature, from what she could see, was gorgeous. Its fur was and amber colour, and it had a white muzzle from what she could see. The white went from the muzzle to somewhere around it's stomach. The tail was only slightly bushy, almost as if it were a combination between a fox and a cat tail. It's paws, which were like a cat's paws, had white socks. It had wings, which went from the same amber as its fur where the wings were connected to an off white colour.

"It's beautiful," she commented.

"It is," Lance agreed.

"The Atlas crew is working on finding where it comes from. While we are working on that, you five are to go to Shaatull and trap the creature. Do not harm it. When we know where it comes from, we will release it and figure out ways to stop this from happening again, to protect the creature's species, and the ecosystems of other planets," Shiro said.

"Yessir!" The five Paladin Cadets said, in sync. Determination showed on their faces.

"This is your first mission. We will set up check-in times to keep updated on your progress and to help you wherever you may need it. However, apart from that, you will only have each other to depend on." The thought made Artemis... nervous.

"We'll go pack as soon as we can," Alex said.

"Go do that now. We will sort out the check-in times," Allura encouraged.

"I agree with Allura there," Shiro said.

Clearly dismissed, the five of them stood up and went to their quarters.

"This is so exciting!" Sava said. Leo shook his head.

"It might be tough but..."

"How long do you think it might take for us to be able to trap the creature?" Rex asked, nervous.

"Patience yields focus," Leo reminded them. It was something that Shiro told all of the children he knew - Keith, all of the Paladins, the first MFEs, and now them, the Paladin Cadets, and the MFE Cadets.

They split up, going to their individual ways to their rooms.

Artemis cast one look at her homework, still on her desk. She turned away from it to grab a duffle bag.

She set out to pack it, grabbing underwear, a couple of hoodies, some jeans and spare shirts. She grabbed her toothbrush and toothpaste too, as well as her hairbrush, some basic skincare products, and her shampoo and conditioner.

She grabbed some of her electronics, too. Her phone, headphones, and a tablet and the pen that went with it, as well as the chargers for those things.

She didn't over pack, fortunately. And she remembered to put in her pajamas, too.

Her phone pinged. She grabbed it and checked the notification that appeared on the screen.

MISSION ALERT - PALADIN CADETS TO PLANET SHAATULL TO ASSIST WITH FORGEN CREATURE. DEPATURE DATE & TIME: 20/4 1300. REPORT TO LIONS IN ARMOR.

Artemis checked the time, noting that she was set to leave that afternoon after lunch. She double checked her bag, making sure she had everything then triple-checked it. Once she was satisfied that she had everything she needed, she left her room and went to the Lion hangar.

When she was younger, her parents would take her and Alex around the ship, showing them all of the different places. She was four or five when they first did that, and she still remembered how it felt to be around the lions.

They radiated power, each and everyone of them. Black radiated power that told anyone and everyone that she was in charge, that she could zap them all if she wanted but chose not to. Green radiated the sort of power that came with scientists; smart, desiring knowledge, and using what they had to do their part.

Blue radiated the same sort of power that came from the ocean. Calm, playful, even, but with deadly currents and the ability to go from calm to raging quickly. Yellow radiated kindness, a solid rock to lean on when needed, and dependent.

Red had always stuck out to her, though. The lion was known to be fierce, unpredictable and dangerous to those who didn't know her. Hotheaded and reckless. Yet when Artemis first looked at Red, the only thing she felt from the lion was protectiveness, warmth like what one expected from a fire on a cold night, or a campfire. She was an observer, observing and making moves that no one could predict when she needed to. A gentle fire that would flair up when it needed to, often in the heat of battle.

Despite that though, Red was still rather stubborn.

"Hey, girl. We're going on a mission! I thought that I'd bring my stuff here now so that I don't have to worry about it later," Artemis said. Red's particle barrier went down, and she bent down, her jaws opening to grant Artemis access.

"Mission?" Red asked.

"Yep. We're being sent out to trap this creature from a planet known as Shaatull. It's not meant to be there, you see, so we have to figure out where it comes from and get it back to its home," Artemis explained. She placed her bag down and made sure that it would be secure.

"When?"

"After I have some lunch," Artemis replied. She stepped out of Red's mouth and onto the floor of the hangar. She turned to press a hand to Red's nose. "You won't be doing much except for flying to Shaatull and back. Sorry, girl."

"It fine." Artemis nodded.

Apparently, as her bond with Red grew, the lion would be able to speak in complete sentences. The fact that she was able to even hear simple sentences from Red was nothing short of an achievement. Not even Leo, the technological genius of the team, could hear simple words. He could only hear Green's growls and purrs and understand how they were meant to be taken.

Artemis walked to the cafeteria and grabbed some lunch. Looking around, she could see Leo, Sakura, and Shiro and Adam sitting together. Artemis got the hit and went to find her family.

It was easy, considering the fact that the red and black of both of her parents uniforms stood out among the sea of orange.

She slid into the seat next to Alex.

"I'm kind of nervous," Alex said. He was picking at his food.

"Hey, it's okay, mijo. At least you won't mess up your first mission as badly as your dad did when he first became the Black Paladin."

"Hey, I was mourning the loss of my brother," Keith shot back.

"I know. At least I was there to reign you in, eh?"

"Gay," Pidge said as she passed, a tray of food in her hands.

"That's glaringly obvious, Pidgeon!" Lance replied, a grin on his face. Artemis looked towards her twin and sniggered. No one else in the cafeteria bothered to look up. The Paladin's close relationship was normal, now.

Silvio slid into the seat next to Alex.

"I heard about the mission," he said nonchalantly, biting into the garlic knot he grabbed.

"It's nerve-wracking," Alex said.

"Our mission to free Shay's Balmera was super nerve-wracking," Lance reminisced. "So much so that we teased Hunk about his obvious crush on Shay." Keith snorted.

"I very clearly remember the way Pidge called Shay his girlfriend," he said. Lance barked out a laugh.

"Man, those times were... much better than the rest of the war." A grimaced passed both of her parent's faces.

"The problem I have right now is what we're going to do to trap the creature," Artemis said, pulling both of her parents out of their thoughts before they got too far.

"Simple. Get its trust, then trap it in a cage," Lance told her.

"But it won't trust us after that," Artemis said, pouting.

"It'll be fine, Arti. We'll have to break its trust to get it safe." Artemis nodded.

They ate in silence after that. Then, as one, the Paladin Cadets got up and put their trays back. They left the cafeteria and went to the armory, where the Paladin armor was sitting, already out for all of them.

Artemis grabbed the red armor and the accompanying undersuit. Sava grabbed the blue one, Alex the black, Leo the green, and Rex the yellow.

They ducked into the changing rooms, changing out of their Cadet uniforms and into their armor. Artemis grabbed the red pin and put it into a hidden pocket.

She went back to the armory and grabbed the red bayard. She threw the black one to Alex, who caught it and stored it away in his storage bars. They handed the others their bayards, too.

Now fully ready, they walked to the lion hangar.

"Mijo, mija," Lance said. He walked up to them and wrapped them both up into a hug. She returned it.

"Alex, Artemis." Both twins pulled away to face their dad. He handed them something. "Your grandma left these with me last time." Alex and Artemis gasped when they realised what their dad was offering them.

Two Luxite blades, like the ones the Blade of Marmora carried. One had a black grip. It stood out against the blueish colour of the blade. The other one had a red grip.

"What-"

"They're both linked to your life forces. The red one is linked to Alex's life force, the black one is linked to Artemis'. I was waiting for your first mission to give these to you."

"He's had them for years, since you were babies. He decided to give them to you when you turned eighteen, but then you were both chosen by one of the lions, so he decided to give them to you before you went on your first mission," Lance explained. Artemis reached out and took the red blade.

It was perfect in her hand, the red grip comfortable in her hands. The symbol of the Blades glowed with Alex's life force, his Quintessence. She pulled it out of the sheath and turned it this way and that in the light. She put it back into the sheath and hugged her dad. Alex joined her.

"Thank you," she murmured.

"Anything for my children," Keith replied. Lance joined them.

Artemis waved goodbye to her parents from Red's jaw, then stepped inside. She sat in the pilot's seat and, when the doors opened, shot off into space just behind Black. A wormhole opened, and she flew through, right to Shaatull's solar system, and far away from the Atlas and her parents.

Shaatull, though, was a pretty planet from space. There was pink, and some green, and yellow, too.

"The pink is land, the green is water," Leo informed them.

"Alright. I've got the landing coordinates here, I'll send them to you guys," Alex said. His face went from the nervous look to focused. Artemis, knowing Alex like she knew the back of her hand, could see the nerves still there, in his eyes. "Everyone got them?"

"Yep," Artemis replied. She entered them into Red's system.

"Ditto," Rex said.

"I've got them," Leo confirmed.

"Me too," Sava piped up. Alex nodded.

"Alright, team, let's go." Black sped up, heading to the planet. Artemis urged Red forwards, matching the speed that her brother set for them. She could see Blue on her right, just behind her.

They entered Shaatull's atmosphere. The grass and the leaves of the trees were all different shades of pink, and the sky was a similar blur hue as Earth's sky was. There were clusters of something sparkling in clusters on the ground.

"This kind of reminds me of Barbie Land from that twenty twenty-three Barbie movie," Sava commented. There was laughter through the comms.

"Let's not let the Shaatullians hear that," Alex suggested.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Sava replied.

They landed in the designated landing area. A group of Shaatullians were waiting for them, ready to greet them.

"Alright, the atmosphere is safe for all of us to breathe. We can leave our helmets behind," Leo said.

"Let's do that, then," Alex agreed. Artemis stood up and took off her helmet, leaving it on her seat. She walked out of Red and onto the ground, falling in step just behind Alex.

The Shaatullians were an interesting people. They were mostly humanoid, but they weren't entirely so. They were tinted dark colours that contrasted with the landscape, and came in all different colours. Artemis counted four fingers on each hand. They wore loose clothing, like robes that people in the Middle East would wear, which were pale in contrast to their skin. They had long hair that was tied back, and they were decorated in crystals.

Alex led them up to a Shaatullian who was a deep purple. A pink crystal hung around their neck, glowing slightly.

"Paladin Cadets, it is an honor and a relief to have you on our planet," the Shaatullian, who Artemis guessed was Lady Ravra, greeted them.

"Lady Ravra, it is an honor to meet you as well. I do wish that the circumstances were much better than this, though," Alex said.

"As do I. Now come, follow me, we must discuss our options." Lady Ravra turned around and led them through an estate that was huge.

The walls and floors were made out of a marble-like material, and there were crystals everywhere. In the chandeliers, in the artworks and arches of the hallways. Crystal statues, and crystal columns. Artemis looked around in awe, unable to tear her eyes away from anything in fear of missing anything.

"You can explore later," Leo reminded her. She nodded, and turned to face the front.

They came to a room that housed a crystal table made of some sort of brown crystal. The chairs, thankfully, were made of wood.

"Please, have a seat," Lady Ravra said. They sat down at the rounded table, Artemis on Alex's right, Sava on her right. Leo and Rex were on Alex's left.

Lady Ravra introduced them to her councilors, all of whom nodded in reply. In turn, Alex introduced each of them.

"So, about this creature?" Alex prompted. Lady Ravra nodded.

"Yes. This creature came on a trade ship. We have made sure that the people who have brought it to our planet have paid their fine for doing such a thing, but no one knows where the creature came from," Lady Ravra said. Alex nodded.

"Fortunately, the Atlas' scientific crew is searching for the creature's home. If all goes well, then we will be able to trap the creature and take it back to it's home planet," he explained.

"How do you plan on trapping it?" A councilor asked.

"We'll have to get the creature to trust us, which will take some time. We have a cage that we can trap the creature in when we get to that part, though it will be a while until we can do that," Artemis explained.

"So you wish to release it in its home world?" Lady Ravra asked.

"Precisely. And, with the information we receive about the creature, we can properly document it and enforce rules and regulations surrounding it to keep something like this from happening again," Leo added on to Artemis' explanation. There were murmurs as the plan was discussed by the councilors and Lady Ravra. Finally, she stood up.

"Paladin Cadets," she said. Her voice was clear, with a hint of a sound that was like crystals clinking against each other. "We will provide you with anything you may need in order to capture the creature. We trust that you will be sure to capture it." Alex stood up.

"We promise to help with this issue, and bring your planet back to stability," he said, using his Black Paladin voice. Authoritative, sure and steady.

This declaration closed the meeting, and the five of them were led to the rooms that they would be staying in. Someone had gone in and grabbed their things, because Artemis' things were at the end of her bed. Sava's things were at the end of another bed, right next to the one that Artemis had been given.

As soon as she was inside of their room, Artemis stripped off the armor. She didn't throw it anywhere, instead choosing to piled it up into a corner. She grabbed her spare clothes and put them on. She could hear Sava doing the same as her. Once they were done, they sat on their respective beds. Sava scanned the platter of food left for them.

"Safe for us to eat," she said. She grabbed a strawberry looking thing. Artemis grabbed a pastry thing. It was sweet when she bit into it, perfectly satisfying her giant sweet tooth that she'd inherited from her dad.

There was a knock on the door.

"Arti? Sav?" Leo called through the wood.

"Come in," Artemis said. Leo opened the door and walked in, followed by Alex and Rex. Leo sat on a chair while Alex joined Artemis on her bed, and Rex sat on the floor.

"You can sit on a chair, you know," Sava pointed out to him. Rex shrugged.

"The floor's comfortable," he replied.

"Check-in time, let's go," Leo said. He set up the communicator, they all crowded around it.

A holographic screen appeared, showing the faces of the Paladins. Artemis watched as worry disappeared from her parent's faces like ripples in water.

"How's it going?" Shiro asked. Right to the point.

"We came out of a meeting with Lady Ravra and her council not too long ago. They explained that the creature came in on a trade ship, though no one's sure when it got on," Alex reported. There were nods.

"The team is researching on where it comes from, but so far it's proved to be fruitless," Pidge told them. "Coran has been sent the images of the creature, and he has a team looking into it. Hopefully, with our combined efforts, we will be able to figure this out."

"We'll start searching for the creature in the morning," Alex said. Looking out the window, Artemis saw that the sun was setting.

"That's a good idea," Lance agreed, also eyeing the window that he could see.

They talked a bit more before signing off. The boys retreated to their room, and Artemis climbed into her bed.

"G'night," she mumbled.

"Night," Sava replied.

____________

The next morning, when she woke up, Artemis stretched and went to the bathroom. She showered and changed, threw her hair up into a ponytail and let Sava use the bathroom after her.

They were given breakfast by a servant. Artemis ate her fill, and left the rest for Sava, who ate her own fill after she came out of the bathroom wearing casual clothing as well.

They went to meet up with the boys afterwards.

"The best thing for us to do is to split up and search for the creature. It'll give us a better chance at spotting it," Alex said. He was typing something out on his phone, probably a message to the Atlas about what they were doing. "The creature has been spotted here multiple times, trying to steal food, so that's where we're going to start our search. Feel free to buy yourselves something while we're here."

"Alright," Leo said. They were standing not too far from where the market was, and even from here, Artemis could see all of the people milling around. Mothers with babies strapped to their backs, children chasing each other, and men talking to each other.

It was so interesting, and Artemis had always been one to learn about culture. Exploring a market place was perfect for learning about the Shaatullian culture.

"Lady Ravra gave me some maps. There's enough for all of us to have one each. Artemis, you take this area. Leo, you take this part. Rex, you take this one. Sava, you take this one. I'll search here." Alex pointed out each part. Artemis took one of the paper maps from her brother and a pen from her backpack and outlined her area. The others did the same on their maps, handing the pen back to her once they were done. "Meet back here before dinner time. Lady Ravra has invited us to eat with her."

"Copy that," the four of them said in unison.

They split up after that and went to find their areas. Once Artemis found the start of her area from where she'd entered, she started to explore and search for the creature.

The Shaatullians were rather fond of bright colours, she noticed. All of the stalls sold things like jewelry and scarves and clothing all in different shades, as well as some food. Curious about the culture, Artemis bought some candy. The candy tasted good, and they were in the shape of crystals.

Papa wasn't lying when he said that the Shaatullians find crystals important, she thought as she watched a mother buy her child their first piece of jewelry. Artemis couldn't help but smile at the child's happy expression as their mother helped them put it on. The vendor smiled as well.

"Come and get Soul Crystals here! Perfect gift for married couples and parents!" One of the vendors shouted. Artemis stopped, thinking about it. She was... intrigued, to say the least. And her papa would love to have a souvenir from this planet.

Artemis turned and walked to the booth.

The booth was covered in those simple crystal necklaces that Artemis had noticed everyone wearing, all of which glowed slightly, like Lady Ravra's. None of these ones glowed, though they came in all different kinds of colours. Pink, purple, blue, green, red and many others. The vendor grinned when they saw her.

"Well, hello there, traveler! May I interest you in a Soul Crystal for your significant other? Or perhaps as a gift for your parents?"

"What do they do?" She asked, eyes roving over the crystals.

"Well, these are an ancient tradition among our people. They are linked to two people's Quintessence. It allows for couples to feel each other's emotions, as well as acts as a compass of sorts for them, so that they always know where each other are, and how they are feeling."

"Is that why they glow?" She questioned. The vendor nodded.

"Precisely," they said.

"How much would it be to get a couple for my parents?"

"Fifty VIC," the vendor replied.

I have a few hundred VIC in my wallet, she thought.

"Buy. Lance like," Red said.

"Keep it a secret from him," Artemis said.

"Yes. Secret. Surprise." Artemis pulled out her wallet and pulled out a 100 VIC note.

"Here," she said, handing the money over.

The vendor took the note.

"Now, just close your eyes, and search for the crystals that match your parents. It's easier for those who have Quintessence sensitivity." Artemis closed her eyes, feeling for something that matched her parents. She opened her eyes and looked at the crystals her Quintessence sensitivity helped her zero in on.

"Those two, that blue one with white swirls and that red one that has gold in it, those match perfectly," she said, pointing to the crystals. They were on a basic black string. The blue one looked like the ocean, while the red one looked like fire.

The vendor boxed them up and tied the boxes with a ribbon without question.

"I wish your parents wonderful and fulfilling life, Young One," the vendor said. Artemis nodded.

She left the vendor after that and wandered around some more. The crystals she bought were in her bag, waiting to be given to her parents.

She continued around the market. She bought some fresh meat and some fruit for the creature to eat when she came across it. Part of gaining its trust was to give it food, which was a universal sign of 'I'm not here to fuck you up' with all species, not just people.

There was a commotion. Artemis looked over to see it.

The creature, which was the size of a cat that was somewhere between being an adult and a kitten still. It was trying to get some meat, but was being chased off by a vendor.

Artemis leapt into action. She ran after the creature, following along as it flew through the air and ran on buildings. She never took her eyes off of it, which caused quite a few close calls with other people.

"Hey, watch it!" One yelled.

"Sorry, gotta chase this creature," she shouted.

She ran around a corner, using her arm to turn more accurately. She used the momentum to keep going.

She followed the creature out of the market and to a dilapidated house on the outskirts of the city. It flew in, and Artemis followed, slowing down do not scare it.

The house was made of the same stone as the other houses were, but the crystals that adorned them were missing. Artemis stepped over a chunk of rock that had fallen from the ceiling and into the room. Dust and rocks covered the ground. Artemis saw the creature in a corner. It yowled at her, wings and fur puffed up to make it look larger.

"Hey, it's okay, I don't want to hurt you," she said. She crouched down and sat on the floor, making herself smaller, less intimidating as much as she could. "You're hungry, aren't you? That's why you were trying to take that meat from that guy."

The creature growled at her, still untrusting. Slowly and clearly, so that the creature could see what she was doing, she pulled out the meat from the bag the vendor had given her. She held up a chunk of the slightly green meat - the colour reminded her of the description of dragon meat or whatever it was Hagrid has used as an ice pack in The Order of the Phoenix.

"Here, I got this especially for you," she said. She chucked it to the creature, as far as she could. The creature crept forward and sniffed the meat. It took it and went back to its corner, chewing on the meat. Artemis took out her phone and snapped a picture, sending it to the others and the Paladins and Shiro.

Artemis: I've found the creature. Artemis: It eats meat. Artemis: Click to see image.

Shiro: Good job. We'll pass on the picture and the information.

Pidge: It's even prettier than the security pictures show.

Alex: Save the location of where it's staying so that you can find it later. Alex: It'll be better for you to be the one to capture it in the end.

Artemis: Already on it.

She saved the location on her phone and looked up. She saw that the creature was looking at her, having eaten the meat she gave to it.

"Here, have some more. You need to eat all you can so that you don't starve. I'd rather be able to take you back to your home than have you die," she said. She grabbed more meat and chucked it over to the creature. It grabbed that meat, too. Artemis chucked over the rest of the meat and stayed there. She stayed there until an hour and a half before dinner.

The creature watched her with wary eyes.

"I'll be back with more food tomorrow, and a bowl. I'll be able to give you water without having to force you to get too close if you don't want to." She turned to leave. Before she was our from under the door, she turned back to smile at the creature. "Bye." She walked away from the house.

____________

True to her word, she set out to the house that the creature lived in the next day. She packed her electronics into her backpack along with some lunch and some meat and water, then set out. She went and bought a couple wooden bowls, and made her way back to the house.

The creature was still there. It growled softly, a warning to not come any closer.

"Hello, pretty. How are you today?" The creature growled again. Artemis nodded. "Fair enough. I've brought some bowls with me, so I can put your food in there as well as some water. You don't have to worry about coming too close to me anymore." As she told the creature about the bowls, she pulled them out, and poured some water in one. She set it on the ground, not too far from the creature, not too close. She then took the meat and put it into the other bowl. She set that down next to the water bowl.

She walked to the opposite side of the the room compared to the creature, the bowls halfway between them. She got herself comfortable and put on some music, using her headphones. She started to draw on her tablet.

She sketched out the creature, capturing it's beauty on a canvas. It moved forward to sniff the bowls. It realised that she wasn't trying to kill it and watched her. Artemis watched it herself, and smiled as the creature ate the meat and drank some of the water before hopping up onto it's perch.

She grabbed her phone and opened the voice recordings.

"Day two of taming the... creature. We don't know what it is still, but it's beautiful. I'd say that it's the same as a kitten that's nearing the same size as a fully grown cat from Earth. I've given it some meat, and some water. They're both in a bowl so that it doesn't have to come too close to me if it doesn't want to. I'll continue to do this until I can get close to it without it panicking and trying to murder me."

She went back to her drawing when she finished the log.

Pidge: We've found out what the creature is. Pidge: It's called a Refr, and it's from Hvalba, which is an extremely new planet, only having sentient life within the last 357 years.

Artemis: Seems like a cool place tho.

Pidge: It is.

____________

"Day twenty of taming the Refr, who I have discovered in a girl. She's friendly now, and she has let the others get close to her. That's as long as I'm here, though. No one can get close to her without her trying to maim them if I'm not around. She trusts me enough to keep her safe from danger if it ever arises. That's... that's the same level of trust Dad and Kosmo have. I don't know if we're going to be able to actually release her onto Hvalba, but it's worth a shot." She finished the log and looked at the Refr.

"Mrow?" The Refr asked. Artemis smiled.

"I'm going to go now, girl. I have to get back to my friends before it's too dark," she said. She stood up and packed her things into her bag and then set off for Lady Ravra's estate.

She was barely walking for five minutes before she heard the telltale signs of something following her. She looked back to see the Refr landing on a building.

Artemis grabbed her phone and took a picture of it.

Artemis: I don't think we need to trap it. Artemis: And I think I have a pet now.

Keith: That's fine.

Lance: At least it's safe. Lance: Don't worry, I give you my full permission to keep the Refr if you want to.

Allura: We can still create rules and regulations surrounding the Refrs to keep something like this from happening again.

Artemis: Alright. Artemis: She'll only let people near her if I'm around tho.

Alex: That's some Dad and Kosmo level trust.

Lance: It is.

Artemis put her phone away and turned the Refr, who was still there.

"Come on, girl. I'll take you to Red, she's a safe space for you to stay," she told it. The Refr tilted her head.

Artemis started her walk again, path engraved in her mind. She could hear the Refr following her, all the way to Red, who bent down to let Artemis in. The Refr followed.

"You'll be safe here," Artemis said. She offered her hand to the Refr, who pushed its face into it. "You need a name." She thought through all of the names. "How about... Amber?" The Refr purred at the name. "Amber it is."

Artemis had to leave Amber in Red, which was simple enough. She went back to her room, where Sava was waiting.

"So you have a pet now, huh?"

"Yup. I've named her Amber," Artemis replied. She grabbed her pajamas and went into the bathroom and changed.

"Amber's a nice name," Sava commented when she walked back out.

"Yup. And we've finished the mission, so we can leave soon."

"Thank quiznack. I miss Hunk's cooking," Sava said.

"I miss Dad and Papa," Artemis said. She climbed onto the bed and under the covers.

The next day, the five of them climbed into their lions and departed Shaatull. Amber sat on one of the consoles, staring out at space. Artemis flew Red through the wormhole that appeared and into the Lion hangar, landing her expertly.

"Let's go, girl," she said to Amber. The Refr meowed again and followed her out of red. Artemis went and hugged her parents when she saw them, leaving Amber to watch with curious eyes.

"This is the Refr," Lance said when he pulled away. He knelt down and offered Amber a hand.

"Yeah. Her name's Amber," Artemis replied. She watched as Amber readily accepted pets from Lance.

"You guys have to debrief. Bring Amber with you," Keith said.

"I will," Artemis agreed.

Ten minutes later, and she was in the briefing room for the mission debrief. Amber laid on the table, watching everyone. Artemis' hand on Amber's head kept her calm.

"Why do we have to do a debrief?" Alex asked.

"Protocol," Adam answered.

"Adam's right. This is protocol, and the Garrison will have my head if I don't do this," Shiro said with a sigh. "Trust me, I hate debriefs too. I don't even know why I'm still the captain of the Atlas."

"Let's not question life choices now, otosan," Leo said.

"Alright. Let's get through this."

It was... surprisingly quick. Amber willingly got up and went to meet everyone in the room that she didn't know, including Kosmo, who touched his nose to Amber's nose in greeting. After sniffing each other, they curled up on the ground together.

"That's cute," Alex commented.

"Yeah, it is," Artemis agreed.

"I didn't expect for you to end up with a pet after all of this," Leo said.

"Shut up," Artemis shot back. Leo stuck his tongue out at her. Artemis returned it.

"It's good to have you guys back," Shiro said.

"You're a sap," Adam said. Everyone laughed at that, causing Amber to look up from where she was lying on top of Kosmo.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

RICHARD LARDNER AND BILL BARROW at AP:

OPELIKA, Ala. (AP) — On the second floor of a single-family home in a sprawling suburban development, a three-member production crew sat behind banks of computer monitors and guided the conservative Right Side Broadcasting Network’s coverage of a recent Donald Trump rally. RSBN’s show director, whispering into a microphoned headset, instructed the camera operators and on-air correspondent how to shoot the scenes as Trump basked in the crowd’s adoration. Otherwise, the room was quiet. The screens, all muted, were playing live footage of Trump pointing, waving and gesticulating. There was no need for sound — the director and producers have covered so many Trump rallies they seem to instinctively know what he’s going to say.

“If you’ve heard Trump’s speeches as often as we have, he does not need to be blaring,” said Joe Seales, RSBN’s founder and CEO. In less than a decade, RSBN has gone from an upstart internet broadcaster to a major player in Trump’s MAGA universe, amassing more than 2 million subscribers on its YouTube channel and on Rumble, an alternative video-sharing platform. As Trump’s loyal herald, carrying his message like a marathoner, live and unfiltered, RSBN has allowed the former Republican president to bypass traditional media and inject his vision for America directly into the veins of his diehard supporters. The positive coverage has made RSBN a Trump favorite and a destination for his MAGA movement, a reference to the ex-president’s “Make America Great Again” slogan. Out of all the conservative news outlets Trump had to choose from, he picked RSBN to host a special in March from his Mar-a-Lago estate on the day before Super Tuesday, when presidential primary voters in 16 states cast their ballots.

[...]

A BRAINSTORM

Seales was a stay-at-home father in 2015 and was growing annoyed with the coverage of Trump’s first run for the White House. The big news networks, he said, refused Trump’s pleas to show the size of the crowds he was pulling in. He became convinced there was a sizable audience hungry for a steady diet of Trump’s rallies, town halls and other events. Seales and his wife, a former Navy physician’s assistant who co-owns RSBN, started small, with a single camera at a Trump rally in Phoenix. Over the years, they turned a shoestring operation into one with 10 full-time employees and a house full of sophisticated computer and video gear. Like other broadcasters, most of RSBN’s revenue comes from selling ads. The commercials that run on Seales’ channel skew to attract consumers of a conservative political inclination.

[...]

A PROPAGANDA VIBE

RSBN’s broadcasts have the vibe of a state-run propaganda program. But Seales denied the channel acts as a surrogate for Trump or his presidential campaign. “We aren’t affiliated with them,” Seales said. “We just cover Donald Trump. Our goal has never been to be an extension or a cheerleader for the Trump campaign. I just saw a void that I thought needed to be filled in coverage for him as a candidate. And we try to cover him as fairly and accurately as possible.” RSBN is also not going to challenge the former president. The channel’s mantra is to let Trump be Trump. If he mangles the facts or ignores them altogether, which he does often, Seales said there are other news sites and sources where viewers can fact-check him. “I don’t really feel it’s our place to call anyone out,” he said. “I like to let people make that decision on their own and to research the facts.”

[...]

HOME AWAY FROM HOME

The Opelika house hasn’t always been RSBN’s headquarters. Seales moved there for safety and privacy. He asked the AP not to disclose its precise location or to record video of the home. [...]

Seales has embraced the new location. In recent months, he has turned a bedroom into a studio to record podcasts. A news anchor’s desk, teleprompter and professional lighting have been installed in another bedroom. But Seales said he isn’t sure how much longer he’ll run RSBN. He’s considering selling the company. Politics, he said, has become too vitriolic and has “taken enough of our life and our time.” RSBN also faces an uncertain future. If Trump’s comeback bid for the White House fails, the channel’s main attraction will no longer be running for office. Should he win, RSBN’s status as the hub for wall-to-wall Trump coverage will be diminished as a global press corps tracks his every move. “We have based our entire business model,” he said, “around one man doing one thing.”

AP takes a look on how a far-right pro-Trump propaganda network called Right Side Broadcasting Network (RSBN) rose to be a major player in the MAGA-verse. It started in 2015, when Joe Seales was frustrated with the major media outlets' coverage of Donald Trump and his indoctrination rallies being not deferential enough to Trump and his supporters. RSBN

[flipperdipper10]

Project Sekai AU where:

A landslide/some disaster hits Phoenix x Wonderland forcing the cast and crew to evacuate. However, as the days past by Saki notices that her brother, Tsukasa, is still missing. And it’s not just him. All of the Wonderlands x Showtime cast are still among the missing. Anxious of the state of her brother, she decides to take matters into her own hands and search the park herself to see if she can find any clues of his whereabouts. However, it isn’t just her who is on the hunt. Kohane is discouraged by Emu’s disappearance. The two of them form the “Miya Girls Search and Rescue Squad” (The club being technically unofficial), and run into Mafuyu who is noticing Ichika’s worry at Nene’s disappearance. Wanting to help her junior, she joins the group as the token adult figure and the three head to Pheonix x Wonderland at a bright and chipper 11pm. But as they arrive at the park they notice someone else had the same idea. Mizuki is there as well! And they want to get to the bottom of Rui’s disappearance. The four band together and step into the park to explore. As they explore they find some minor wreckage of attractions, scattered trash, and also strange robots that have been following the four since they came into the park. Wait what? Four strange robots mimicking the appearance of Tsukasa, Emu, Nene, and Rui are prowling the park at night, and they don’t take kindly to trespassers. They chase the group (possibly injuring one of them) around until Saki & crew locate a security office with closable doors to protect themselves from the humanoid robots. The robots don’t seem to recognize Saki and the others, mayhaps it’s too dark outside? The office has cameras all over the park that are still functional, and the group uses these to defer the robots until 6AM when all the robots seemingly retreat back to where they came from.

Saki thinks this is incredibly strange. Why hasn’t anyone noticed this before? She wants to get to the bottom of this, and the others agree. They return to the park every night for the span of a week, thus starting the week of Five Nights at Pheonix x Wonderland.

[power-chords]

Christian Slater is an inspired choice. I really liked his work on Mr. Robot, and would like to have seen his version of Ricky Roma in the London production some years back

Thank you! His work in Mr. Robot was my prime consideration, in fact, although True Romance, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, The Name of the Rose, and Interview with the Vampire lend plenty of pertinent meta (not to mention his friendship with River Phoenix). What a phenomenal show that was. I was lucky to catch a glimpse of him in person while they were shooting the final season in Grand Central. It was the dead of summer, and my mom and I saw throngs of people milling around the concourse dressed in down jackets and carrying Christmas-themed shopping bags. We were incredibly confused until the camera crews came into view. Glanced over our heads and there he was on the Vanderbilt Hall balcony.

P.S. he played Ricky Roma in London?! Holy shit. I was unaware of this piece of Mamet lore, I somehow missed that entirely. Would have killed to see his take on it. And beyond that, how a Mancunian director interpreted such a profoundly American script/story.

[icarus-suraki]

Meme asks: 🙃 and 🦉

🙃 What’s a weird fact that you know?

Where do I start??? All I know are weird facts. Like, give me a topic or an area and I can start pulling out weird facts. Trivia fills my brain. And I've gotten a lot of it from this fucking blue hellsite. Gosh.

🦉 Are you a morning person or a night owl?

Night owl, absolutely. And I always have been. And so's my dad. I can remember that he and I stayed up so late once in the summer watching The Flight of the Phoenix (1965) because he hadn't seen it in years and I'd never seen it and it's an odd movie--kind of. I guess the strangest part is how the crew really built an airplane out of junk and got a stunt pilot, Paul Mantz, to fly it. He had been doing touch-and-go landings for the cameras and then the plane crashed and the pilot was killed. So on the one hand, yes, they managed to create a plane out of junk as happens in the script and original novel, but it was not such a success as it was in fiction.

I recall we did the same thing once with Close Encounters of the Third Kind when it was on television, which is a movie I feel a lot of weird affection for, and I think my brother tried to hang with us that time and just fell asleep. Weak.

Anyway, it's been like this for ages: I'd stay awake at night as a kid, I'd stay awake and play on the internet and watch Adult Swim in college, I'd stay up and play LJRPs in grad school, and I've been staying up too late and playing on Tumblr since 2011. I mean, I'll just hang out online until 2 or 3 in the morning like, fuck it, whatever, I'm not tired.

My mom and my brother are morning people. Can't relate.

Ask game with emojis!

[chcrrybcmbs]

delivery for : phoenix . ( closed ) location : sound nightclub in downtown los angeles .

she'd  had  a  long  day  .  although  ,  the  amount  of  hours  she'd  spent  tucked  away  behind  a  desk  had  prompted  the  camera  crew  to  give  her  the  day  to  herself  .  assumption  that  nothing  too  interesting  would  be  taking  place  ,  nothing  tv  worthy  ,  atleast  .  a  soft  chuckle  coming  from  her  as  she'd  watched  them  file  out  ,  almost  instantly  setting  her  busy  work  to  the  side  and  calling  for  valet  to  bring  her  vehicle  around  .  a  short  drive  away  from  the  club  ,  she  hands  off  her  keys  ,  ignoring  the  flashes  she'd  grown  far  too  accustomed  to  over  the  years  as  she  made  her  way  through  the  entrance  .  blue  eyes  scanning  the  area  until  they  land  on  the  target  .  leaned  up  against  the  bar  ,  the  guy  behind  it  already  starting  to  shake  up  her  usual  cocktail  .  once  her  presence  is  noted  by  phoenix  ,  a  slight  motion  of  her  head  is  all  she  expects  it'll  take  for  him  to  make  his  way  over  .           ( @elxctrics ) 

[slifarianhawk]

CHAPTER 21: Dearly Departed (normal P.O.V)

Run ..... that was what permeated throughout my mind. I didn't know where to but something deep inside told me I'd be safe. The day washed over me as I tread through the forest.

Escaping the base was easy from speeding the camera's frame rate to jumping through the closing vehicle bay door. I knew the place was designed to escape. Spencer's choice was just in case the Simmons family decided to poke their heads into Umbrella's private affairs.

I was running as fast as I could. My sprint caused the wind to roar in my ears. Fear rippling throughout my actions. What ifs playing on a constant loop?

What if Albert just wanted me dead for betraying him or what if he wanted to inject me with an incomplete Uroboros and use me as an experiment? I doubt he'd just let me off with a slap on the wrist and a kiss on the cheek.

I slowly came to a stop having reached my destination. Alistar's memorial was in shambles. Nature took back what was hers. I could have the maintenance crew come out and repair the statues; however, that would reveal my secret place to my workers. Ugh, I could easily come out here and trim the vines and rampant weeds but that wouldn't fix the statuary.

I had to use my powers to repair the statue of my daughter's angel. I was sure that my mutations were still unstable after the combat with Albert earlier. The pressure to fix the statuary was massive I could hear Surgei's voice mocking me. Telling me if I had just chosen him how my baby girl would still be alive.

I gripped my head and shouted in agony. Sergei's voice stayed either mocking or laughing maniacally. As the voices steadily got louder and louder. The sounds started to merge into this horrible ringing. I dropped to the ground and curled up with my hands gripping my head tighter.

My daughter... why did I fail so badly in keeping her safe? She didn't deserve to die at the hands of surgei. She didn't deserve to have the family that raised her taken by Umbrella. She doesn't deserve to have her final resting place be that hell hole where we were treated like mice.

I closed my eyes and sobbed. After about thirty minutes of the deafening ringing, I felt something warm wrap around me and pull me into an embrace.

"Quiet now, my dear little lotus," Albert said, "Is this the memorial you built for her, my dear?"

Upon hearing him call me his lotus I knew I wasn't in any danger; however, I didn't stop crying. My eyes wouldn't stop letting the salty tears spill from them. When I tried to speak my voice shook and cracked, "yes".

"It is time you let go my dearheart. Her death is on Sergei and although I never actually met her she was still my daughter. I will help you properly mourn." He spoke pulling me closer to his chest and taking off his sunglasses," you have her original files, I am guessing? Not the ones you presented to me."

I pulled out my PDA and logged into the database stored in White Queen. I sighed as I pulled up her original files and handed the pad to him. I tried to pull away but he held me tight.

On the screen was a young woman just over twenty-one. She had gorgeous long warm blonde hair that matched her father's and a womanly body similar to her mother's. Her eyes were a stormy grey from the imperfect bonding with the Angelis virus.

I heard Wesk choke back a single sob, "her personality was a lot like your's Albert, cold and stoic; however, once she cared about someone she'd guard or help them any way she could."

Albert stared at the pda reading her back story and how she was highly resistant to all of the progenitor-based viruses. How Sergei killed her for bringing me a new umf system that was locked from the red queen and all Umbrella officials.

"These files, she got them to you. Did she not? The system that runs the Phoenix Corps is the U.M.F. 014?" Albert asked adjusting his sunglasses and now looking down.

"Yes, the white queen ai as well. Alistar was a wiz with technology and was a hell of a shot." I was choking back my sobs again, "Chris helped me bury her."

(FLASHBACK)[ ⚠️  trigger warning  ⚠️ blood]

"H..Y.......HEY......... WAKE UP!!!" I heard through the cold darkness.

"Ughhhh." I let out a long drawn-out moan.

"AGENT REDFIELD AGENT VALENTINE!!! WE HAVE AN ALIVE ONE!!!" A loud male voice said lifting my torso.

"Who are you? And why did you say my maiden name?" I asked blood dripping down my mouth and eyes closed.

"My name is Clive O'Brian I'm with an anti-bio weapon organization. What's your full name miss?"

"It is t..t..tab"

"TABITHA!!!" Jill shouted and I heard a gunpoint and click.

"Jill..... and I guess that means Chris is here too then?" I asked tears falling down my cheeks.

Three people who I all care about today two want to kill me and the one I loved the most practically did.

"Open your eyes, T...!!! I want to see your  eyes!!!" Chris demanded.

"As you wish little brother and I'm sorry about this Mr. O'Brian, I know you do not deserve this" I jumped out of his arms and grabbed Clive's knife.

"Don't move Tabitha!" Jill shouted turning off her guns safely.

I slowly opened my eyes revealing the deep blue and sliver viper eyes that they are, blood trickling down from the semi-fresh bullet wounds in my chest.

"Jill doesn't! look she has already been shot! Who did this? If you tell me Tabitha and I'll get you medical assistance." Mr. O'Brian said standing up unharmed.

I gritted my teeth and fell to my knees. My mouth moved to utter his name. Chris walked up close in annoyance. He was fuming.

"Clive asked nicely so speak up!" Chris shouted pointing his gun at me now.

In fear, I screamed, "ALBERT DID!!! i,  I was in a mutated state from the virus I'm infected with. He didn't even believe me when I told him who I was. All he said was 'my wife died in Raccoon city! All he saw was a B.O.W. who needed to be put down. Nothing but a monster. that's all I am after all. I couldn't even save my daughter from Umbrella.  Now all I have is gone they beat me."

Chris lowered his gun and yelled right at me, "what daughter? Who beat you? Why are your eyes like Wesker's? Is it due to a virus? Why didn't you contact me if you were in trouble?!"

I stared at Chris. His concern surprised me. I was suddenly fuming, "HOW COULD I CONTACT YOU IF I  HAVE BEEN UMBRELLAS EXPERIMENT FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS! MORE IMPORTANTLY WHY WOULD I IF THE LAST THING YOU TOLD ME, YOUR BIG SISTER WAS THAT I WAS A MONSTER AND YOU NEVER WANTED TO SEE ME AGAIN!".

I strained my voice and started coughing blood flying over the floor in front of me. I started to fall backward but Chris raced forward and pulled me into his chest, "I just had to make sure it was you, T. I saw the news conference regarding who brought forth the vaccine and anti-virus and the UN had pardoned her. That person was you albeit they thought you we dead but since you were not things will be ok."

Crying I spilled everything of the past forty-eight hours, from Alistar my student, and my daughter being killed by Vladimir to wesker shooting me in the chest five times and the fact I knew I would be fine due to the Angelis virus healing me. that the wound was still rather fresh.

They left for awhile while I dash to my containment cell and quickly gathered my hard drive and data sticks for my plan against Spencer. Running outside I noticed Albert leaving the base.

"I'm going to find you, Wesk. Now that I know you're still alive." I said pulling out Alistar's frozen corpse from the pile of snow by the door holding her bridal style.

"We'll find him, T," Chris said, "she looks so much like her father. I'm sorry I never got the chance to meet you Alistar."

"Come on let's get her buried," I said holding back tears.

(End of flashback end of trigger warning)

"We buried her where you jumped out of the base.  She will always be stuck to Umbrella,  the least I can do is give our dearly departed daughter her Guardian angels." I said.

"I will have Arjuna replace the statuary in the morning. We have much to talk about with each other, but I think we should go to bed first." Albert said picking me up bridal style," and do not fret dear little lotus I will be by your side the entire time.

[bekolxeram]

I recall shortly before the S8 premiere, someone wished me an enjoyable viewing experience, even though the aviation inaccuracies would probably be painful for me. Well, I'm happy to report, quite the opposite! I was pleasantly surprised by the good balance between visuals, storytelling and accuracy. So here I am, saying my gratitude to the writers and consultants.

Fuck yes! I've never been subtle about my dislike for the Airport film series. I can absolutely overlook the aviation inaccuracies or gravity defying physics, but the most grating sound for me in Airport 1975 is Mr. chief flight instructor calling Nancy the flight attendant "honey", over and over again.

Sure, they're romantically involved, but at one point even the air traffic controller calls her honey. The men in this film also generally treat Nancy like she's dumb and talk to her like a baby, even though she manages to slowly figure out how to rudimentarily keep the plane flying, without any former training. I'm glad 9-1-1 calls out this era specific sexism in its first scene of the season. I want to hug the writers.

You, sir, should stay in the 70s.

I mentioned here that since the 80s, we have systems in place to prevent mid-air collisions. We can see both of them in action here. The air traffic controller has an alert pop up on her radar, she warns the Beechcraft pilot of incoming traffic just as she's trained to, and she instructs the pilot to make an immediate right turn. The Airbus on the other hand also has an independent avoidance system.(Mandatory on all commercial jet airliners with 30+ passenger seats per FAA) When it detects possible conflicting aircraft nearby, it gives the flight crew an audible advice to resolve the conflict. In this case, to climb. Unfortunately, even the most well-designed safety net can't stop a dumbass.

Just like the helicopter pilots in The Swarm (1978), Mr. rich asshole here sees a weird cloud, so he decides to fly straight into it. Those turn out to be angry bees and they're pouring into the plane through an air vent, so what will he do to get himself down on the the group ASAP? Request vectors to the nearest airfield for an emergency landing? Oh no, he takes off his headset, so that the bees can attack his ears too. Then he twists his yoke around like he's driving a go-kart. No wonder the TCAS onboard the Airbus can't predict what the hell this guy is doing.

Oh, this is not related to aviation. I just think Athena looks like a boss here.

Flying from Phoenix to Los Angeles only takes 1.5 hours, so it's usually done with a narrow body, single-aisle aircraft, in spite of the demand. Yet, Athena is definitely on a wide body, twin-aisle plane. (Honestly the wide body set looks so much better on camera than a cramped 737) The writers can simply leave it be, like many shows before them. It's not like a lot of viewers can tell the difference, unless you're a weirdo like me. Surprisingly, the wide body short hop to LAX turns out to be a plot point.

Someone is going after Dennis Jenkins, so Athena has to get themselves onto another flight. They're apparently in such a hurry that the only one available actually goes to Honolulu, with a stopover at LAX, so technically a long haul flight. 10/10 perfection.

Ahh, the cockpit. It's good enough? It's an A320 cockpit set with an A330 cabin, but no one's gonna be able to tell or mind. Yes, an A320 cockpit is smaller and narrower, but it basically has the same control panels and instruments as the A330, maybe with a screen or two fewer. (Also the circuit breakers are located in different places, but who cares lol) The important thing is, it looks gorgeous and modern.

Also, wonderful hole placement. (heh) The flight computers are situated in the avionics compartment underneath the cockpit, so a hole on top is much better than a hole from under. It also looks like it manages to just avoid the overhead panel. Some wires seem to be exposed to the element, but most of the buttons are still lit up, so still connected to the power supply. The Otto Pilot autopilot seems to have survived as well.

Looks good enough to me. The Primary Flight Display and the Navigation Display are flipped, but it's basically unnoticeable to the untrained eye. If you do recognize it, then you'll know it's already pretty good for a TV show.

Let's play a game, what do you think the instrument in the middle is?