#arrive

[quotelr]

Don’t just exist; do something meaningful with your life. Discover a problem and fix it.Don’t just fit in; make it a point to brighten your corner. Decide to resolve your challenges. Don’t just manage; go extra mile and win your race. Never give up the fight. You will win.Don’t just be able; always make sure you are available. Be present to make a change.Don’t just be alive; once you have arrived, find the reason why and make that reason accomplished.Don’t just wish; be passionate about what you wish to see happen. Rise up and make it happen.Don’t just create; create to change; change to improve; improve to increase. Aspire to inspire.Don’t just be making a living; make a life and leave an indelible footstep wherever you step.I want to meet you and many others on the top. Don’t be left out!

Israelmore Ayivor, Become a Better You

[opelman]

Display Hornet by Treflyn Lloyd-Roberts Via Flickr: RCAF CF-18 Hornet 188774 taxis at Fairford having arrived to take part in the 2024 Royal International Air Tattoo. One of the themes of the show was the RCAF's centenary, with the air arm contributing significantly to the flying and static displays. Aircraft: Royal Canadian Air Force McDonnell Douglas CF-188A Hornet 188774. Location: RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire.

[viacursecasting]

Damn This Heart. ♬

An Ivy Drabble

Summary: Desperate for solace on a night where thoughts of heartbreak won't leave her alone, Ivy seeks help from her mentor, her silver lining...

The moon. The fog. The light through the leaves.

Normally the arachnid would take her time admiring the scenery of the forest clearing, the melody of cicadas, the breeze of the evening... a place of solitude under the stars where she could meditate, could calm her storm of a mind. But tonight was different.

Memories surfaced, bathed in a warm light in her mind's eye. He would gaze at her like no one else existed. Peck her fingers with his lips. Breathe her name against her ear.

But was she thinking about Arte...

Or him?

She vigorously shook her head as if she could purge the memories to no avail. She sighed, clutching her damn heart that she wished she could rip out. She could handle physical pain. At least she could mend it. At least it was tangible. But this overbearing emptiness—feeling everything and nothing all at once, akin to phantom pain of the heart—was all she was left with after giving her soul, her trust, every fiber of her being to someone she thought was The One...

She couldn't fall in love. Not again.

She clawed at her head of snow white hair, on the verge of yanking it out. She didn't know whether to scream or cry or both.

If she disappeared, would the pain cease?

Normally she would bottle up these feelings, tuck them away like a love letter never meant to be sent.

But desperate times called for desperate measures...

~

The arachnid stood on the patio of her mentor's abode, her knuckles hovering over the oak door. The psychokinetic who helped keep her umbrakinesis in check insisted she could contact him whenever she needed. After all, time was on his side. Plus with powers like theirs, it was important for them to be in tune with their emotions. However, she never actually took him up on his offer. Did he truly mean it?

She took a deep breath to muster up her courage, but then retracted her hand. Perhaps she shouldn't wake him—

Suddenly the door creaked open, casting a sliver of candlelight on her face. "Come in," she heard a voice chime.

Ivy stepped inside as the door, engulfed in a cyan aura, closed behind her. "How did you know I was here?"

"I felt a disturbance," said the silvery hedgehog, looking up from his novel as he sat in a lounge chair by the fireplace. Then he gave a cheeky grin as he held up his communicator. "Just kidding. I got a notification from my doorbell camera."

Ivy bowed her head. "Apologies for the intrusion."

Silver waved her concern away, gesturing for her to take a seat. "It's a bit late for one of our training sessions. What's on your mind?"

Ivy did so, wasting no time. "Have you ever been in love?"

Silver reddened. "P-Pardon?"

Ivy enunciated, "Have you ever. Been in love?"

Silver rubbed his neck bashfully. "I... don't know if I would call it that."

"What do you mean?"

He sighed, setting his book down. "It was... complicated. I... cared a lot about him," he explained, careful not to use the L-word. "But it wasn't the place nor time." He laughed, a hollow thing. "Literally."

Ivy surmised, "Time travel kept you away from him?"

Silver nodded solemnly. "He always waited for me but I felt that was unfair to him. I loved him so much that I wanted him to be free."

"Love."

His ears perked. "Hm?"

"You said 'love' that time," Ivy observed.

Interestingly, Silver didn't feel embarrassed. He actually felt... relief. "I guess I did."

Ivy looked downcast. "I think I'm going through something similar."

The hedgehog leaned forward, attentive. It prompted Ivy to continue. "There's someone I want to pursue but... circumstances... are holding me back."

"What kind of circumstances?"

Ivy gripped her core as if that could ease the agony. "I'm afraid I can't move on from the past. Does time really heal all? And if so, how much time?"

"Ivy," Silver said with the utmost sincerity, "time does heal all. I would know better than anyone. But how much time, you ask? I used to wonder the same thing. I still do."

He scrutinized his hands, knowing the power he held. "When I cut ties with my partner, I wondered how long it would take for me to get over it. I traveled through time for weeks. Months. Even centuries.

"The thing is," he continued, "even though so much time had passed, the heartbreak remained as if it had been yesterday."

He clawed at his chest, reliving the hurt. "It was then I realized I had to physically let the time pass. No shortcuts. No loopholes. Only then did I heal."

Ivy was afraid he would say that. "If that's so, then it wouldn't be fair to make him wait."

"Are you talking about Arte?"

Ivy's breath hitched as she quickly averted her gaze.

Silver let out a soft chuckle. "Listen. I haven't met him personally, but based on what Blaze says about him as her student, I know he's a man of his word."

"But that's the problem!" Ivy cried. "He claims he'd wait an eternity for me, but he shouldn't waste his youth waiting for someone who..." She swallowed, trying to contain the crack in her voice. "Who can't bear another broken heart."

Deep in thought, Silver rubbed his chin. "If you live in fear of the past," he pondered, "are you truly living?"

Ivy's eyes stung with tears. "It's all I have." Sudden thoughts of the jackal swarmed her mind like a fervent tornado. His searing touch. His tempting voice. His lustful gaze. "He—was all—!"

The void in her chest was all too real, and she felt herself being swallowed, her sanity taking a nosedive into the abyss as the dam of her tears broke.

The hedgehog swiftly but gently placed his palm on her forehead, emitting a calming aura to ease her racing mind, to steady her erratic breathing. He encouraged her to take a few deep breaths with him, and after some time, she mellowed, and the world seemed to slow down again.

Silver sat back, offering a handkerchief to his pupil as they embraced the silence, save for the crackling fire.

Eventually he said, "You know... the sun must set in order to rise."

Ivy wiped her tears. "Is this another one of your cryptic lessons?"

Silver laughed. "What I mean is, this will pass. Take some time to heal. To find yourself. As long as you communicate with that special someone, what's 'fair' or not doesn't matter. He should get to decide if he wants to wait," he advised, giving her a reassuring wink.

Ivy let out an amused huff behind her mask. "Perhaps you should take your own advice."

Silver smiled, gazing fondly at a portrait of him with his arm around a blushing magenta chameleon. "Yeah...

"Perhaps I will."

[afza147]

Ep6 when the phone rings(4)

They arrived at the top together☺️

[daily-spanish-word]

to arrive llegar

We are waiting for the arrival of the members of the league. Yes, we’re awaiting the leaguers.

If you know French: think of arriving at ‘the station’: la gare.

The train arrived at the station at eleven. El tren llegó a la estación a las once.

Picture by Pat Loika on Flickr

[albertayebisackey]

"Happiness is not a state to arrive at, but a manner of traveling." - Margaret Lee Runbeck

[ernestoednrec]

I believe i can fly

[postcard-from-the-past]

An automobile about to arrive in El Oued, Algeria

French vintage postcard

[runningfromadream]

If you don't forgive yourself, tomorrow will still arrive. So you might as well forgive yourself.

Victoria Chang

[dudydoodie]

D. (1)

[officialelectric]

[1introvertedsage]

Arrive

As I arrive upon the cavern I feel a tempest angst to go inside. I'm nervous but not afraid. I've been here before. Something inside me has it's heels firmly dug in the sand refusing to step foot within. I feel like this is a fight I don't want but I need. What stops her from entering being seen by the All. The Great Mother has been here. This pride and this shame is not our own. But she clings to it as all she's known.

~I.S.~

[opelman]

Phantom Phighter by Treflyn Lloyd-Roberts Via Flickr: Turkish F-4 73-1023 taxis at Fairford with its drag chute deployed having arrived to take part in the static display at the 2023 Royal International Air Tattoo. The aircraft wears a "Tribute to Old Phantom Phighters" special tail scheme. Aircraft: Türk Hava Kuvvetleri (Turkish Air Force) McDonnell Douglas F-4E-2020 Phantom II 73-1023/023 from 111 Filo. Location: RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire.

[viacursecasting]

Chasing Dreams.

An Arte X Ivy Drabble

Arte’s piercing cry cut through the stillness of the night as he shot upright in bed, his breath ragged, his body covered in a cold sweat. He swallowed, his throat tightening with the remnants of the panic.

He blinked rapidly, disoriented, trying to rid himself of the lingering sense of vertigo. His icy fingers trembled as he clutched his chest to steady the pounding of his heart, but the motion only constricted his lungs. The walls of the room seemed to press in, the air suddenly too thick. It was just a dream, he tried to reassure himself.

But the shadows of his imagination still clung to him—the dizzying heights, the sharp drop below, the endless freefall that left him gasping for air.

The fear nearly consumed him until a voice, calm and steady, broke through his storm of a mind:

“Kingsley.”

His breath hitched, and now his heart raced for a different reason.

Ivy.

The sight of her at the doorway was like an anchor, pulling him back to reality.

"I… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you," Arte managed to say, his voice hoarse, like he’d just run a marathon.

Silent as ever, Ivy approached him with measured steps, her sharp amber eyes unwavering. Because of her mask, one might assume she wore a composed expression. However, the slight furrow between her brows hinted at the concern she always tried to hide.

She had fought beside him, seen him face countless enemies, a confident grin on his face. But now, seeing him vulnerable—unarmed against his own fears—she felt an unexpected tug in her chest. She was able to protect him from physical harm…

But could she protect him from his mind?

"It's fine, Kingsley," she said, her voice steady as stone. Her use of his last name was intentional, keeping the distance, keeping their relationship professional. But there was something feathery in the way she said it, an unspoken acknowledgment of his distress.

Arte looked longingly at her, the haze of fear still clouding his gaze. His mouth opened to say something, but the words didn’t come right away. “I just… kept falling. I couldn't breathe. It felt so real.”

She stepped closer, her eyes softening in quiet understanding. After all, he had suffered a near-fatal fall as a child, one that almost paralyzed him. It was the reason she was hired in the first place, to keep a close watch on him.

She sat beside him at the edge of the bed, her movements graceful but deliberate. Then, almost ceremoniously, she revealed her porcelain face by pulling down her mask; she didn't need it as the feline was immune.

Her beauty took his breath away every time.

Her voice was steady yet laced with an unexpected tenderness. “Nightmares often steal us from ourselves. They are not to be taken lightly.”

Arte felt her quiet strength enveloping him, and he longed for more than mere words of solace. He had always admired the spider’s composure in battle, her laser-focus and unshakeable resolve. But this—seeing her so near, sensing the tension thrumming between them—felt like a battle of a different kind. The intimacy of the moment crushed him with an overwhelming urge to reach for her.

Before he could do so, her dainty fingers traced the air between them, summoning ebony threads of web. Her spiderwebs were an extension of her—stained ink black by her Infection—and she moved with practiced grace. She weaved an intricate pattern, making it look effortless, as the quiet hum of energy filled the silence.

Arte watched her, still a bit dazed, his eyes flickering with uncertainty as he tried to gather himself. He was used to Ivy’s unshakeable composure, the cool distance she always maintained. That's how it was meant to be—after all, she was his bodyguard. But now, seeing her focus on consoling him with such quiet intensity, he didn't just feel protected.

He felt… cared for.

Finally, deliberately, Ivy guided the last thread into place, the strands coming together in a pattern that felt both delicate and unyielding, in a symbol of protection, of strength.

The fine threads shimmered in the dark room, catching the moonlight through the large windows. With mouth slightly agape, Arte stared at the web. His eyes traced every intricate line, every silky detail of the ethereal creation that seemed to pulse with energy.

“A… dreamcatcher?” he asked.

Ivy nodded. "To keep the nightmares at bay."

Despite the coldness that always lingered on Arte’s skin due to his cryokinesis, warmth spread through him. The fear that had gripped him moments before began to ebb, slowly being replaced by something else—something that felt like quiet comfort.

Without thinking, he reached out a hand, lightly brushing the gossamer web. "It's… beautiful," he said, his voice low, almost reverent. But as he said the last word, he looked at her.

Ivy lowered her gaze, her expression mostly unreadable. “Just doing my job.”

Arte’s heart clenched at her words, at the way she said them, as if she truly believed it. He had seen the arachnid in battle—her unwavering confidence, her cold resolve. But now, seeing this side of her, the patience in the way she moved, the serenity in her voice, it made him feel something—something that was dangerously close to admiration. Something that made his pulse quicken.

Arte shook his head. “It's much more than that. You're always looking out for me. And I greatly appreciate it. I appreciate… you.”

He heard her breath hitch. Before he could think better of it, he leaned in. Her rosy scent made him drunk. His heart raced—no doubt she could hear it—and for the first time in what felt like forever, he didn’t feel quite so certain of his own control. He could feel her warmth, the intoxicating pull of her presence, the softness of her gaze. Her parted lips seemed to draw him in like a magnet, just a breath away—

But then, just as quickly, he stopped himself. His eyes flickered to hers, and he pulled back, his heart thudding in his aching ears. The tension that hung heavy in the air was unbearable, but he knew better than to act on it.

“Apologies,” he murmured, his voice shaky with the weight of his own conflicted emotions. “I shouldn’t have—”

Ivy raised her hand to halt him, the slightest flicker of disappointment in her eyes. She spoke almost to herself, her voice colder now, the walls she had so carefully built rising again. “Just disregard it.”

Arte watched her for a moment, wishing for something more, but what they had was fragile—a bond forged in battle and trust, now tinged with an undeniable pull neither of them could ignore.

"I didn’t mean to cross a line," he said quietly, his words sincere. “It’s just… you’ve always been so…”

“So what?” Ivy's voice was light but firm, an edge creeping into her tone.

He searched her eyes, seeing the guarded vulnerability beneath her stoic exterior. “So strong,” he finished simply. “And right now… it’s hard not to want to be closer to that.”

She didn’t respond immediately. Instead, she placed the dreamcatcher, as strong yet fragile as their bond, in his hands. Then she put her mask back on before she straightened toward the door, her back to him. The words she spoke were not harsh, just distant.

"You should rest, Kingsley. Tomorrow is another day."

As she left, Arte couldn’t help but watch her, his heart heavy. He had known the rules. He had always known the rules. But in that moment, the silent distance between them felt more like an aching divide than a boundary.

And Ivy, as cold and composed as ever, didn’t look back, even as a part of her—the part she kept locked away—wondered just how far the line between them had already blurred.

[thepiedsniper]

I'm from Australia and I ADORE the Virginia Opossum and constantly bemoan the fact that he lives on a whole other continent. I've looked into whether he is in any Aussie zoos (no and for bio security reasons he never will be), what zoos he is in anywhere (there used to be a blind opossum named Heidi in a German zoo but she died), I fantasy plan my trip to America Just To See An Opossum (seems like you guys just have them turn up on your verandah randomly, which is very cool but logistically unhelpful for tourists) verandah=porch) (there's an opossum named Hazel in Chicago who lives at a bug museum, so she's a promising bet if I can get there soon). Like, I would personally kill to see one of your beautiful marsupials. I will swap you a whole kangaroo if you just let me onto your porch while the fluffy little guy is there. Please.

Sometimes I see some variety of North American Little Guy (opossum, raccoon, etc. ) and I’m like “okay”

BUT THEN I start thinking about how excited somebody from not-North-America would be to see this Guy. Like, would an Australian be excited to see the only marsupial not from their country? Are there raccoons in zoos on the other side of the world that are regarded as unique and exotic creatures? Idk but it’s made me more excited to see Guys in my area.