#music from and inspired by mission impossible 2

[mitjalovse]

Some surprising soundtrack inclusions are not that way. A couple of them do make sense somehow, though they still seem a bit shocking. Check for instance Metallica's tune for Mission: Impossible II. Sure, they do fit the John Woo extravaganza that was tempered by Tom Cruise after his trip towards the auteur land, yet I don't recall them ever being in contention for any blockbuster before, which causes us to give us a pause, because they would be well at home there. Moreover, the piece finds them evolving what they did in the late 90's, though I see this as – don't laugh – their attempt at nu metal. Sure, the superstar band of the latter was also on the soundtrack, so I assume Metallica decided to show them how they should've been.

[klmwrites]

Where words fail, music speaks (a COD fanfic)

[Part 2]

During your time in the military so far, you have bore witnessed to many horrific things - interrogation, torture, dead bodies…all of which you viewed without batting an eyelid. But for some reason,  the sight of the dusty grand piano on the dilapidated wooden stage of the recital hall made your insides turn uncomfortably. As did every crunch of shrapnel and broken glass that was crushed below your feet as you made your way towards the thing of beauty. 

During a mission with Task Force 141,  a shootout ends up with you being separated from the boys and seeking refuge in what seems to be a former music conservatorium. 

“You did the impossible, Lass. You made a bunch of battle hardened men forget about allegiances and violence temporarily in favour of being united by music.”

Song that inspired this fic (highly recommend you listen as you read):

“After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.” - Aldous Huxley

“Private Y/N, how copy?”

The radio attached to your hip cackled to life as you shook your head in an attempt to be rid of the shrill incessant ringing in your ears. The culprit? A flashbang grenade the enemy threw not too far from your position. It caught you off guard, and it was thanks to that stupid thing that you were currently disorientated. 

You could hear Price swearing up and down when you failed to respond, so you quickly grabbed your walkie-talkie and pressed the microphone button as soon as you had maintained a safe distance from your pursuers.

“Private Y/N to Captain Price, reading you loud and clear.” You swallowed the dry lump in your throat, causing you to cough slightly. 

A visible sigh of relief could be heard from the other side. “Thank God, Private. We thought we lost you. Sit-rep?”

“I’m around 10 klicks from the safehouse. Am temporarily partially blinded thanks to a stupid flashbang but otherwise okay.”

“Sun’s gonna set soon, so see if you can seek refuge somewhere for the night. Activate your transponder once you do. Soap, Ghost and I are gonna come get you. Hang in there, love.”

“Will do, Cap.” The sounds of hunting dogs barking and the shouts from their handlers over your shoulder prompted you to pick up the pace. “I’m still being pursued, so will be going dark until I’m somewhere a tad quieter. Private Y/N out.”  

Switching off your radio with finality, you now found yourself at what seemed to be at the edge of the forest - the vast amount of bushland now giving way to what seemed to be signs of civilisation. Activating your night vision goggles, you made your way down the steep hill and in  the direction of what seemed to be a gothic style building and some townhouses. 

A sigh of relief left you as your boots touched concrete once more. You then make a beeline to the rows of houses ahead, praying that your pursuers have lost your scent - the last thing you want is to drag civilians into this whole mess. Luckily, that was something you didn’t need to think about - the whole place is a ghost town. Save the sound of cicadas and dogs barking, there was hardly anyone in sight. 

You sprinted your way across the town square, eyes and ears on alert as you watched the last of the sun’s orange rays set beyond the hills beyond. Under normal circumstances, you loved the winter night sky and the stars that would be visible especially this far from the city lights. But currently as a target? The sun setting at 5pm did you no favours at all. 

Through the fuzzy green lenses, you found yourself standing outside the very Gothic-styled building you spied on not too long ago. Finding the main door ajar, you took a risk and decided to enter the building. Every creak your boot made against the dusty wooden floor made you internally cringe, but you pressed on. You eventually managed to locate the breaker room and heaving a sigh of relief, flipped the switch back on. While the current room you are in still remained dark, you could hear the telltale sound of parts of the building whirring to life in addition to some of the lights on the switchboard mounted on the wall changing from red to green. It seemed that despite this place having been abandoned for quite some time now, there were parts of the building that were still functional. 

You walked out into the still darkened corridor and made your way to the upper floors, making sure to switch on your transponder as you did so. You made your way towards the emergency stairway, climbing up 3 flights of stairs before pushing the door open - according to the switchboard, this was the closest level to the breaker room which still had power. You were greeted to the sight of what seemed to be a foyer of some kind, and adjacent to said foyer were several pairs of crash bar doors. 

Curiosity took hold of you. If the outside was so gorgeous, then surely the inside must be as well. You had stumbled upon a hardcopy of the building's blueprints in the breaker room, and according to it this was the largest room in the entire compound. Based on the size alone you guessed it had to be some kind of a convention hall, or gathering area at the least. You were apprehensive but knew that in most likelihood, you were the sole occupant in this grand building. So in you went. 

What you saw next was indeed the treat of a lifetime. As soon as you walked through those doors the sight of the majestic, arched high ceiling made of stone - the style most commonly associated with gothic architecture - made you stop in your tracks. And you were only one foot in. Tracing your eyes along the ceiling, you were greeted by the sight of an intricately designed skylight in the ceiling’s centre; one that was made out entirely of stained glass. The soft moonlight that seeped through allowed you to view and admire the effort and meticulousness of the design. It was of a lady playing the harp, below her feet was an olive crown majestically spread out around the inner circumference of the skylight, in addition to the following Cyrillic words: Национальная консерватория музыки - the National Conservatory of Music.

In addition to the skylight, the moonlight also drew your attention to what seemed to be a grand Piano sitting innocuously centrestage in an almost picture-perfect location just below the proscenium arch with a layer of dust on its cover. At the sight you frowned. During your time in the military so far, you have bore witnessed to many horrific things - interrogation, torture, dead bodies…all of which you viewed without batting an eyelid. But for some reason, the sight of the dusty grand piano on the dilapidated wooden stage of the recital hall made your insides turn uncomfortably. As did every crunch of shrapnel and broken glass that was crushed below your feet as you made your way towards the thing of beauty. Clearly, the conservatorium had previously played an unwilling host to a shootout. It was truly a miracle that the place was still in one piece, as well as the skylight. 

The first thing you did was inspect the damage done. Clearly, the piano had not been used in quite a while. Probably abandoned when the townspeople evacuated to the nearest safe zone. But pianos are sturdy things, and you were determined to let it return to its former glory as much as possible in whatever way you could. Placing your two hands below the piano lid, you pulled upwards. At first, it barely moved an inch. But at the second go, the tell tale creaking sound of the lid being lifted reverberated around the hall as did the sound of debris sliding off it and making contact with the floor. 

Moving the stand below the lid to ensure that the latter does not close, you peered inside to inspect the damage done. Surprisingly, the strings were not as rusted as you had previously thought - the evacuation orders must have either been rather recent, or the piano is of a really sturdy kind. You now walked over to the piano bench, to where the black keylid was, and smiled when you lifted it and saw the still somewhat pristine, white ivory keys below. 

You gingerly moved a finger and pressed the “A” key. The sound that came caused you to mesh your teeth together - It was very out of tune. You now made your way backstage in hopes of finding a piano tuner because if there was anything worse than a broken piano, it was an untuned one. Fortunately, you didn’t need to look high and low - it sat in a cupboard in where you presumed was the music director's office.  Walking back out you now focused your attention onto the piano in front of you. Every tweak and string you wound up caused the piano to creak, the sound echoing obnoxiously. And every time your head would look up, scanning the non-existent audience to ensure there were no unwelcomed individuals around. You were still a soldier after all, and this place was still a battlefield - the bullet holes and shrapnel that littered this once beautiful recital hall is a clear reminder of that. 

Once you had deemed that enough tuning had been done, you moved back to the ivory keys and pressed down on the A key once more. It finally sounded right. But just to be sure, you pressed down two keys next - both were A keys, exactly an octave apart. The clear, crystal sound from both keys now filled the air. 

A small smirk graced your lips as you now allowed yourself to slide onto the piano bench, raising both hands in the proper position above the keys. It had been years since you had played, but the euphoric feeling had never left you since. You stalled for a moment, wondering if it was truly a good idea to play the piano under the circumstances you were currently in. A grand piano in itself was loud, and combined by the acoustics of the hall would make every sound coming from it absolutely phenomenal. The problem is that such a melody, as lovely as it would be, is the equivalent of lighting a bonfire when there is a hungry pack of wolves nearby - it is bound to attract attention. You had survived this long - was it truly worth it?

Your mind went back to the fact you were currently in the army. Everyone is sent onto the battlefield to die. Death is almost inevitable for someone in your position. The piano in front of you was like a drug, beckoning you to indulge in its sweet melody. The last time you had played the piano was 3 years ago, back when you were a student with faculty of fine arts 

Where did everything go wrong?

Shaking your head, you now dipped into your space between your tactical vest and pulled out a black A5 Journal. You opened the thing with trembling hands and placed it against the music desk. This was the most precious commodity you currently had in your possession, the only slice you had to your old life: A nondescript looking Journal filled with lines and lines of unfinished, unplayed melodies. Some of the pages were crumpled, even folded as you promised yourself to continue to composition as soon as you found the time to do so. 9 out of 10 times though, this never happened. 

Sitting here on the piano bench was enough to take you a journey through time, back to when you were a recruit in the academy. During the little free time you had you would be hunched over, a small desk lamp by your side as you meticulously used your plastic ruler to draw five lines across the paper with a ballpoint pen, followed by drawing the treble and bass clef on the left side. Sometimes, you added sharps or flats as you saw fit and always drew the time signature before you started the composition. You were constantly teased by your peers for it, and therefore you opted to keep this part of yourself hidden even when you joined task force 141. This was a side of you that was exclusive to you and you only. But despite all the adversity you had to go through, your love for music never waned. Even when the desk was occupied, you found yourself huddled in a corner, torchlight in your mouth as you lay on your stomach, hands busy jotting down the next string of notes that came to your head.

With your right hand, you smoothened out the composition before you. It was untitled, and was written during a tumultuous time in your life. Specifically, the day when you had learnt that you were to drop out of University in favour of Military school. It was a decision you did not take kindly to then. 

Your fingertips touched the ivory keys once more, but this time you shuddered at its coolness. Taking in a nervous deep breath, you pressed down onto the keys. The sound of the first chord and notes of this unnamed composition now filled the air. 

“Why do I need to drop out?”

“Being a musician is not a job, It’s an embarrassment. You either enrol into a course that would actually be useful for society, or you are going to military school.”

“But it’s my decision! And I won that scholarship!”

Your heartbeat picks up the pace by a notch as the unpleasant memories started to come back. Nevertheless, you played on. The piano would be your rock, it had to be.

“Anthony, I don’t see what is so wrong with them being a musician. As long as -”

Slap! The sound of your stepfather’s hand against your mother’s soft face was so hard it reverberated upstairs into the room in which you and your older brother once shared. He had moved out as soon as he was 18, wanting to escape this home that was the equivalent of a hellhole. His only regret being that he could not take you along with him. 

“I am the man of the house! You and your brats will do as I say!”

Why your mother ever married him, you will never understand. Sure, you were sad when father passed on, but it was preferable to…whatever this is. Life before Anthony was tolerable, but in the picture it was hell. Grief changes an individual, sometimes to the point that they ignore the red flags in favour of filling up the void of loss in their hearts.

You can hear your mother crying profusely downstairs and more unintelligible yelling from Anthony. It became so unbearable to the point you had to cover your ears and close your eyes, willing god or whatever higher entity to make Anthony disappear. It wasn’t fair that he controlled what you could and could not do, it wasn’t fair to your mother who had done nothing but protect you again and again from his wrath. 

For too long, she had paid the physical price. She had sacrificed so much for you, so what you were about to do was a small fraction of what she had done.

Your fingers now fly across the ivory keys in a precise manner that only an experienced pianist could. Tears threatened to spill from your eyes, but your hands were steadfast. You were grateful for the hours of practice you had put in back when your biological father had still been alive, in a household filled with love and encouragement. Unlike Anthony, your father actively encouraged you to play the piano, once even jokingly saying that he would love to see you play in Carnegie hall one day. He was stern, but loving. He was as great as a parent could ever be. 

A month after what had happened downstairs, you found yourself on a bus on the way to the military base where all recruits go for their basic military training. You had confronted Anthony the next day, promising to drop out in favour of military school as long as they stop hitting your mother. While you will never know if that sleazeball of a man would ever keep his promise, you knew that you allowed your mother a temporary breather from Anthony’s wrath. 

Military academy was a whole different ball game. Most of the recruits were so toxic, believing that being an “alpha” was the way to succeed in military school (this was mostly the male recruits, less so the females). You were constantly shouted at, shoved and berated for the smallest things. Eventually you acclimatised, but it didn’t make the situation any better. 

So imagine how surprised you were when you were assigned to Task Force 141 upon your promotion to Private, at the behest of Captain Price himself. Apparently, Price had seen your file, and upon reading of your top marks in sniping and stealth, had requested for your transfer as soon as you were available. In fact, this was your first mission with them and you were so new that you didn’t even have a callsign.

Your fingers slowed from a vivace to an adagio; the music from fortissimo to mezzo piano. You ended your song in a perfect fifth, before opening your eyes to the sheet music in front of you. It was only then you realised that like so many of your other compositions, this one was incomplete and that you had cooked up the rest of the melody on the spot. You now chewed your lip - what were the notes you had just played? You reached inside your vest once more and pulled out a tiny pencil. But just as you were about to draw the first note you heard the sound of something shifting in the audience. 

You whipped your head towards your right and the sight you saw next was…unbelievable in the very least. Downstage was Price, Soap and Ghost all seated in a neat little row looking up towards you. Towards the left and right along with the back area of the House were other armed men as well - whom you presume to be KONNI - all huddled near the majestic pillars, some seated and others leaning against said pillars looking entranced. 

You blinked at them owlishly. Had you been so entranced in your own music that you didn’t hear them come in? You had presumed that they would start fighting from the moment these men met each other, which would be the indicator to stop your lollygagging. So why hasn’t any of them done so?

Someone at the back clapped slowly, which slowly began to spread around the concert hall. Soon the room was filled with a thunderous applause with some throwing whistles your way. Stunned, you got up from your seat and did what a performer would have naturally done - you bowed. 

“That was one hell of a performance, Love.” Captain Price now said from his seat. “We didn’t want to disturb you, so we just sat here and watched.” He threw you a small smile. “Hate to admit but it’s been a while since I’ve heard something so soothing.”

“Sir, there are KONNI men behind you.” you now whispered rather fearfully, still keeping a cautious eye on them as you were unsure on what their next actions would be.

“I know, love. But they haven’t done anything yet so I’m willing to not shoot them if they don’t shoot us first.”

“You did the impossible, Lass. You made a bunch of battle hardened men forget about allegiances and violence temporarily in favour of being united by music.” Soap said as he got on the stage and hugged you. You were shocked by the man’s gesture, but welcomed it nevertheless. 

A member of the KONNI armed forces now approached your little group. Needless to say, Price, Soap and Ghost did not take his action too kindly. The man raised his hands to show that he was unarmed. “Our Commandant wants to have a truce with your men for the night - we want to hear more music.” he now gestures to you. Soap’s grip on you tightened. 

Price now looked in your direction and raised an eyebrow. Your call.

“As long as you promise not to kill us in our sleep, I’m happy to oblige.” The young man smiled before turning back and yelling something in Russian. A much older man now approached and stretched out his hand towards Price, which the latter shook upon.

Till this very day, the Conservatorium Truce remains one of the most fascinating and heartwarming events to have ever happened to Task Force 141, and it was how you left a huge impression on the three men.  Who knew that for everyone’s differences, music was the very medium needed to unite humanity as a whole, even from opposing sides? Unsurprisingly, it was that very night that your callsign was created.

“Price to Pianist, how copy?”

The sound of Price's voice drew you from your reverie. You chuckled as you flipped your radio on, and brought it close to your lips. 

“Pianist to Captain Price, reading you loud and clear.”

[pr4ktical]

Red Notice.

Notes - You are on a mission, trying to seduce one of your company's targets for a special file. Little did you know, you would run into someone that you know fairly well. Callsign is Cross. Inspired by my Red Notice fantasy.

Reader is wearing:

“Cross, What’s your status?”

You smooth out your sparkly, yet revealing dress out. “Just fine, I’m entering the party right now.” You smile warmly at your taxi driver before throwing him 10 bucks and leaving. You could feel eyes land on you as soon as you left the vehicle and started to walk up the staircase. Was this too much? You shake off your thoughts and place a captivating smile at the other guests. Your partner, Hangman, would be waiting for you in the house. He would be helping you out, following you around..ish..he was dressed as a waiter serving champagne. 

This party was one of “Sotto Voce”. He was famous for having/stealing the most beautiful artworks and souvenirs. You and Hangman were there for one called “El halcón.” It was a gorgeous piece from a famous Hispanic artist in the late 1800’s. Unfortunately, you and your company knew that your rivals would be there. Their names were Tangerine and Lemon, British assassins who were after the same as you tonight.

You walk through the grand doors as your face contorted. It was huge. There were long hallways galore with art scattered around. There was music blaring, you looked to the right and saw a live band. You eventually spotted Hangman in a clean white suit with a black bowtie. He also had a white facemask. You quickly went up to him, heels clicking against the cold, shiny floor with every step. You smiled warmly, nodding your head as you grabbed a bottle of champagne off of his trey. You started to walk a few inches away from him, “Check, check. What’s your 20, Cross?” You rolled your eyes as you heard Hangman’s stupid voice come from your earpiece. You tapped it 2 times, cringing as you still stood in front of him, back turned to him. “You don’t have to do that. I’m standing literally right next to you.” You took a swig of the champagne. He scoffed, “Let’s just do this. I’ll get the thumbprint, you get Sotto Voce’s phone.” He started walking away from you. 

You could hear the soft sound of a harp’s scales echoing through the ballroom. Eventually, a woman in all black started singing in Spanish. You went in the room next to it, walking around and admiring the art as you looked out for Sotto Voce. You kept walking before turning to your right and seeing him. Tangerine was here as well. Of course he was. You kept walking, seemingly unbothered by his presence. You slowly brought your hand to your ear. “We’ve got a party crasher.”

“Yeah, it’s no biggie. No biggie. We knew he’d be here. We are here for el halcón, not him.” His voice rang in your ear, he’d informed you that he was right next to Sotto Voce at this time.

“I think he’s coming up to me.”

“Well shit. That’s not part of the plan.”

“Plans change.”

You stood in front of a beautiful art piece in front of a window. It kind of looked like a mummy, but was full of beauty and artistry. You could hear the clicking of his dress shoes as he came up to you. “Beautiful.” You whipped your head to the British man next to you. You flicked your eyes up and down, he was wearing a navy blue lined suit with a dark tie on. He had his casual curls slicked back, and a nicely trimmed mustache. He also had silver earrings with a navy blue mask on. “The sculpture, I mean.” He smiled wickedly, flashing his sparkly white teeth, forcing a chuckle out of you. You turned your whole body to him now, your feathers on your dress and mask moving with you. “I’m sorry, do we know each other?” You smiled warmly at him, taking off your mask for him. Your dark, sparkly makeup shimmering in the dimmed light. “It’s just impossible for me to tell who you are with that mask on.” He slowly takes off the mask and shows his face to you. “How ‘bout now?” You gasp dramatically before turning back to him. “So it was you all along?” You smiled, stepping closer towards him. You shake your head with a cocky smirk. “Such a clever disguise.” Running a digit down his sharp jawline. You turn back to the sculpture before looking around once again. “Well, I suppose you and Lemon, wherever he is, are here to try to beat me to el halcón. Even the playing field?” You could hear a very quiet voice in his ear, probably Lemon telling him to deny your statement. “I’m not ‘ere for that, love. I’m ‘ere to clear my name which means all I need is you.”  You could feel yourself start to blush. There was a big bounty on your head, and obviously Tangerine wanted it.

“We both know that this ‘hole thing is gonna end with you in handcuffs.” 

“Promises, promises.” You circle around him before walking away confidently. You, in handcuffs? By a paid assassin! What is he trying to get at? You hear him have a good length away from you. You eventually speed up, making your way into the ballroom until you feel a strong hand grab your forearm. You let him take you close to his chest, putting you together in a waltz. “Careful now. We don’t wanna cause a scene.” He pushes you closer to himself, tightening his grip in your hands. “I’on’t care, love. I ain’t lettin’ you out of my sight.” He walks forward, making you walk backwards. He takes you in the middle of the room before spinning you out of one of his hands, looking around cautiously. “Oh, good, you’re dancing with him.” Hangman’s voice rang through your ear once again. He pulls you back in, making you smirk. “Not bad for a convict.” You walk forward, making him walk backwards this time. “Speaking of which,” He spins you once again before pulling you close again. “How’s it going with your partner in crime? Has he told you where Las Meninas is yet?” 

Las Meninas was another famous, expensive painting that you were after. Lemon knew where it was, but never told Tangerines company. 

“Well, if ‘e did, why would I tell you?” He stretches his arms and you follow through, he pulls you in before spinning you for a 3rd time. This time you land your arm on his shoulder, flicking your eyes to his then to his lips. “That’s a no. He must not trust you.” You smile before stretching your arm once again and spinning your body into his. He catches you and puts one hand behind your head and one on your waist. Your hands land on his shoulder and half buttoned down dress shirt. “Known him for this long and he still hasn’t told you?” You smirk, shaking your head.

“You trust your partner?” 

“What makes you think I have one?”

“Well, no one would be able to pull off the scores you have alone. T’s impossible.” You were now facing with your back against him, hand in his as you stretched it in front of you, the other one on your waist as he held it down. 

You kept dancing, many more spins, hip grabbing, and bodies pressing up against each other. “What are you gonna do? Turn me in, in front of all these criminals?” You circle around him before planting your arm around his neck and lifting your leg to his waist. “Is that your plan, Tangerine? Even when you're a paid assassin you’ll try to save the day?” You could feel his breath start to pick up as he looked down onto your lips. 

As you had your leg propped up onto him, you could feel the tent in his pants start to grow. You smiled with amusement, Tangerine noticing this. You left his grasp once again, just to go back to slam your ass onto his crotch, making him gasp out. “Someone’s enjoying this.” You purred out, Tangerine busting out a growl as you rolled your hips onto him. He eventually grips onto your waist to stop you from moving around anymore. A hand snuck it’s way to feel up your body.

“Why don’t we both..pause our missions for a little.. break.” 

“What about Lemon?”

“He’ll be fine, let's go.”

He led you to a room upstairs. He opened the door before you as he let you walk before him. He closed the door behind him as you made your way into the fancy room. Satin sheets, red, as the other stuff being white and gold. You heard a click, turning to Tangerine as he locked the door. He walked up to you briskly, “Ya know what, love? Ya keep your mouth shut when you're with me. I mean that.” He gripped your face and smiled wickedly. “Now listen ‘ere, doll. You’re gonna make real nice with whatever I ask or you’ll regret ever openin’ your slutty mouth in the first place.” You whimper slightly under his touch, he eventually let go of the tight grip on your jaw.

 “Now.” 

He steps even closer. 

“You be a good girl and you’ll get what you want. Now behave, yeah?” 

“Yes sir.”

“Good girl.” He caresses your cheek. “Now strip for me.” He smiled with ravenous eyes. He went to sit down on the bed, waiting for you. You couldn’t move, this was really happening. You were gonna sleep with your rival. You could get fired if anyone finds out. “Ya gonna do it? Or are ya gonna make me ‘ave to force you? I would hate to ruin that pretty lit’l dress.” He growled out and leaned forward, elbows on his spread out knees. “N-no sir. M’ sorry.” With shaky hands you unzipped your sparkly dress. You got it undone and started to slide it down your body. 

“Stop.” He held his pointer finger out. “Take out your earpiece as well. We wouldn’t want anyone interrupting us, right?” You slipped off the dress, then took off the disgusted earpiece. You then took off your skimpy panties and bra, throwing them to the side after. You heard a guttural groan from him as he licked his lips at the newfound sight. He gestured you to come closer towards him. You walk towards him, kicking off your heels as you walk. You get to him and drop to your knees, making his hands land onto your jaw. “Such an obedient lit’l slut, aren’t ya?” You shake your head and bite your lip. He leans down to you, pressing your lips against his in a hungry lust. He drew your lower lip between his teeth. His tongue explores your mouth and lips. Your hands went up to his hair, already messing it up and you tugged at it. He drew his lips back in a snarl. “Mmm c’mere.” He grabbed you by the hair, pulling you closer to his hard on. You could see it much more clearly now, painfully straining against the tight dress pants. “Look at what you do to me.” He angled your face to look back up at him, making your lip start to tremble. With his free hand, he started to unbuckle and unzip his pants, keeping heavy eye contact with you. The pants made their way to the floor, as well as his boxers. During this, he took off his vest and dress shirt as well. Your legs trembled under you, your cunt throbbing for some kind of touch. You could feel the slick start to coat the inside of your thighs. His cock was huge, long in size, not as big in width. But still, you couldn’t help but think if that would fit inside you. 

Tangerine held onto the back of your head as you sucked the head of his cock. He tightly held onto the smooth, soft satin sheets making his knuckles turn white. He shivered deliciously as your warm mouth engulfed his entire length, again, and again, deep throating. He tries his best from thrusting his hips up, though he does get a kick out of hearing you choke on his dick and seeing the string of pre-cum and saliva connect his soaked cock to your glistening, swollen lips. “Fuck.. your really good at this..” He groans, biting his bottom lip as you release his cock from your hot mouth with a loud pop. You smile cockily, looking up to him from beneath your eyelashes. “I know.”

Tangerines fingers dig into the sheets when you give him a few drawn out, yet firm pumps before latching your lips back onto his cock. His breath hitches, your pride swells up even more when he starts to whine. Was this the same man that was bossing you around 2 minutes ago?? 

He grabs your head forcefully, smiling cockily. You look up to him with pleading eyes. He smirks once again, and begins to thrust himself into your hot, wet throat. He started jerking himself off faster with your mouth, leaving bruises in the back of your throat. You whine, sending vibrations onto his cock as tears start to fall from your eyes. “F-fuck!!” Before you knew it, you felt hot ropes start to pour down your destroyed throat. He pulled out, and hastily hiked you up onto the bed.

You ended up with you on your back, Tangerines strong hands forcing your legs to be spread above your shoulders. He looked at you, making you furrow your brows with a lustful face. He spat on your throbbing core, making your hips buck. He breathed out shakily, sticking his tongue out and making minimal contact with your clit. You whimpered out when he pulled away, that alone would have made you come. “This pussy’s so pretty..” He growled, making minimal contact once again. “T’s gonna be even more when I’m done with it.”

Tangerine trailed light kisses up along your slit until he reached your aching clit once again. Your head falling back onto the bed as he sucked and nibbled onto you. “Mmm, yeah…right there…” You whined, pushing yourself further into his face and guiding him to where you needed him most. Your brows contort in pleasure as he laps up your pussy like a dog. He eventually adds his finger into the mix, quickly dipping it into you. He works on you like a madman, muffling into your folds about how good you taste, how good he’s gonna fuck you, and how your perfect for him. He worships your pussy as he kneads your ass, squeezing the soft flesh like he’s trying to distract himself from his painful hard on.

He eventually pulls away from in between your legs, leaving you so incredibly close to the edge. Your legs glistened when he pulled away, a mixture of his spit and your arousal was all over your legs. 

He quickly grabbed your hips, flipped you around, then hoisted them up for your ass to be up in the air. You gripped onto the sheets in preparation. Tangerines strong hands coming up to your thighs again to force them apart from each other. You were practically dripping, and this drove Tangerine wild. He gripped onto the base of his cock, teasing you as he rubbed himself in between your drenched folds. Without any warning, he thrust himself into you making you gasp at the sudden burning sensation of him stretching you. Oh, did he stretch you out deliciously. “S-so fucking…tight..” He mumbled out as if your pussy was choking him. He kept still for a minute or so, then backing out just to thrust in even harder. He picked up the pace, ramming into you from behind. The room was full with grunts, moans, and the loud sound of wet skin on skin. 

“Ugh, you're taking me so well, babe.” His hands tightly digging into the soft flesh of your hips. You whimpered, gripping onto the sheets until your knuckles went white, mouth agape. You tightly clenched around him, earning a groan from him. 

“I-I’m..so close..”

“Mmm, yeah.. I know love, cmon.. Come for me..cum all over this cock..”

All that took was him praising you. You came all over his cock, and hard. Your legs spasming out as your pussy milked him for all that he was worth. He wasn’t far away from his release either, within a few thrusts he came. Shooting hot ropes of his cum into you, painting your walls white. You both sat there for a minute, him still inside you as you came down from your high. He pulled out within a few minutes, and he quickly put his hand onto your glistening cunt. You felt him shift behind you, his mouth was now right next to your ear. “You're gonna keep all of my cum inside of you, yeah?” You nod your head vigorously in agreement, earning you a small ‘good girl’, before he gives you a kiss to the temple.  He grabbed all of his clothes, putting them back on and smoothing out his hair. He turned to you once again, “Hopefully we run into each other again.” He shot you a quick wink before leaving the room.

[omeletcat]

ALLRIGHT so i got this character design based on Joost Klein if you didn't notices from his everything, but i have a problem

my original plan for his lore was this: He was a member and captain of a ship of the VOC and the son of a very important person, but he is RLY bad at being a captain, or just a VOC member. he doesn't do slaves and is generally a good person and just messed things up for the company, so his dad send him and his crew on an impossible mission so they die and never come back, However he saves his boat and crew but ends up in the spirit world where he gets frozen in ice until present day, there is he has a rivalry with a pirate crew the player becomes friends with.

my original vibe for him was like goofy evil villain and i inspired his design by Joost Klein cause 1 i love him and his music , and i first thought of him while listening to his music and he just kinda filled the gap.

BUT i have a few problems 1 idk if this is offensive to have him be a member (even ex member) of the VOC an actual slave trading company, even tho i say he didn't sell slaves and was a good person isn't it still kinda fucked up? and 2 isn't it kinda a dick move to make Joost the VOC guy? also to make his dad be evil in the lore of the character knowing Joost and all his stuff with his parents?

i rly like the character and the idea, but idk if it is acceptable, i RLY DONT wanna make some offensive game and especially not make Joost seem evil or make fun of him. SO

i need some advice, is this okay? would this be a dick move and should i change his lore so his father isn't involved and he just went on some impossible mission on his own? or that he is not involved with the VOC at all? what should i do PLSSSS help me out and comment what you think!!!!!

[black-arcana]

WITHIN TEMPTATION Shares Preview Of New Single 'A Fool's Parade'

On April 5, 2024, WITHIN TEMPTATION will release their brand-new song, "A Fool's Parade", which marks a collaboration with the talented Ukrainian producer Alex Yarmak. According to a press release from WITHIN TEMPTATION's publicist, "A Fool's Parade" "highlights Russia's pretense regarding the war, and condemns its lies, ongoing crimes and brutal intentions."

A preview of "A Fool's Parade" is available below.

The song, released as a harbinger of the much-anticipated "Bleed Out 2024 Tour", is a powerful expression of what the press release calls "WITHIN TEMPTATION's commitment to continue shedding light on the ongoing existential struggle that Ukraine is facing against Russia's cruel invasion."

For the recording of the accompanying music video for "A Fool's Parade", Sharon den Adel — the frontwoman of WITHIN TEMPTATION — traveled to Kyiv, Ukraine. The music video is being directed by renowned Ukrainian video director Indy Hait.

With involvement in initiatives such as the Ukraine Aid OPS foundation, WITHIN TEMPTATION aims to keep drawing attention to Europe's much-needed support for Ukraine's defense.

In a June 2023 interview with James Wilson-Taylor of Rock Sound, Den Adel spoke about the lyrical inspiration for WITHIN TEMPTATION's "Wireless" single: "When the war started in the Ukraine, we were in the studio writing songs, And it's one of the songs that we wrote. And it is about war, of course. It's about a soldier going to war and thinking he's going to liberate people, do good stuff and be a hero and everything, but then he finds out that he's been lied to by media but also government. And then he finds that he can't go back because he's already in his army gear, for instance. You can't go forward, you can't go backward because you have your buddies next to you and you'll all die in the field. And in front of you, you have a mission impossible almost."

The Dutch singer continued: "So that's what we try to do — maybe also shine a light on certain situations within the war. It's just we're storytellers — it's like amplifying a certain kind of emotion that people could feel in this situation."

Asked how she and her bandmates decided to use Russia's invasion of Ukraine as inspiration for one of their songs, Sharon said: "Well, from my point of view, it's not just their war. I really believe what some people are saying — it's really our war as well. Because it's next to us. They already said, they're not gonna stop at Ukraine; they're gonna go further. And a couple of hours flying from my home, it's already Kyiv. So it's also our war. I think we should be aware of the fact that this is a danger for all of us. They won't stop. And hopefully — we wanna keep this a little bit alive in our own small way by writing about it and talking about it and waving a flag on stage about it."

In March 2022, WITHIN TEMPTATION was one of the artists who took part in a telethon concert in support of Ukraine. "Save Ukraine - #StopWar" united more than 20 countries and bring together more than 50 participants. The marathon was broadcast from Warsaw on the Polish TV channel TVP. In addition, broadcasters from many countries around the world, including Estonia (EBR),Lithuania (LTR),the Czech Republic (ČT2),Georgia (GPB / First),Albania (RTSH 2),Montenegro, Slovenia, Latvia (LTV),Croatia (HRT),Slovakia (RTVS),Austria (Puls 4),Cyprus, Canada (OMNI) and others, rebroadcasted the marathon on their local channels.

In an interview with Greece's Rock Overdose, Den Adel stated about her band's participation in the event: "For us, it was an honor to be asked for it. I think as a band and as people, we really value freedom of speech and freedom and democracy. I think as a band, people sometimes say, 'Don't be so political,' people say, 'Don't be so expressive and don't take a side on things.' But as a musician, I think it's important to represent who you are, not just in music but really stand for what you make and what you are saying in your lyrics in a way. And things that are happening in the world inspire us to write music, and then you also have to take a stance and what side you are. I think when it's so obvious where there's an aggressor and where there is a country being violated, invaded, you should take a stance and then it makes it much easier even to be very clear about where you stand in this whole conflict. Of course, it's something that we are keeping ourselves updated with every day because we find it very sad to see that a country that wants to be a democracy is invaded this way. So we are very honored to be asked also to play for this event, this marathon, and happy to do it."

Released last October, WITHIN TEMPTATION's latest album, "Bleed Out", signifies a bold leap forward for the band. From contemporary, hard-hitting, and djenty riffs to soaring melodies displaying their symphonic roots, WITHIN TEMPTATION has created a sonic journey that fuses diverse musical styles and thought-provoking themes. This is an album that is as epic as it is unflinchingly outspoken, and now more than ever, this is a band who isn't afraid to make a stand on issues the members care about.

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, WITHIN TEMPTATION have shifted their focus from writing about personal emotions and societal subjects to tackling global injustices and reflecting the tumultuous state of the world in a way that other artists seem unable or unwilling to do.

While songs such as "Wireless" and "We Go To War" examine the authoritarian aggression on display in Ukraine and other warzones, the title track itself addresses the plight of women fighting for their rights in Iran after the murder of Mahsa Amini.

The album also grapples with the complex issues around a woman's right to choose in recent single "Don't Pray For Me" and throughout, this impassioned and political focus is reflected in the intensity and heaviness of the music. Embracing a new era of musical exploration and lyrical depth, WITHIN TEMPTATION have pushed boundaries and showcased their artistic evolution, delivering a fist-in-the-air proclamation of both their moral convictions and their fearless approach to music.

[grace--le--domas]

PJO- Some Show Recommendations for the showrunners if s2 is greenlit

Season 1 was kinda...boring? Honestly, that is the last thing I expected a PJO adaptation to be. The books aren't perfect, but they are fun! There is friendship, adventure, humour, all while still the characters grapple with some pretty serious stuff. The show (except for the first two episodes and the finale) feels stiff.

Show is too exposition-y, the pacing is off and it of course breaks the cardinal rule of show- don't -tell.

Thankfully, the concerns are easily remedied. Coming of age stories are a dime and dozen, and I think that the showrunners could actually learn from the TV shows and movies of past. So, I compiled some recommendations for them :) Read on if extensive analysis is your thing :)

Buffy The Vampire Slayer- Honestly, this is theee coming of age story. It follows Buffy (the chosen one), as she navigates high school, college and eventually adulthood, along with slaying vampires. And instead of a sullen main character, we as an audience are treated to a sassy, take-no-prisoners variant of the chosen one trope. There are so many similarities between Percy and Buffy- both are loyal to a fault, sarcastic and stubborn. They understand that they cannot escape their respective destinies, but they'll be damned if they don't see things through their own way. Both are brave to a fault, and adore their found families. The writers could take some inspiration from BTVS and Buffy's character arc (to an extent). Bonus- BTVS has great examples of melding humour in serious situations.

2. Mission Impossible Series- This one might be a bit controversial, but hear me out. I know most people consider the MI films popcorn flicks-and they are- but most the movies in the series are paced excellently. There is a sense of urgency in MI films- which was severely lacking in the PJO show. Have a deadline, let me feel anxious for these kids.

MI also has some excellent action scenes. And before you say, well PJO is not an action series, I would like to say that I agree- but the beauty of adaptating something is that you get to change things. Well paced action sequences, even if they are about a minute or so, are necessary break up the exposition dumps. It breaks the monotony. It makes you feel afraid for these kids, who are running from one dangerous situation/monster to another.

3. Dune (2023)- Thematically, Dune is vastly different from PJO. I am including it in this list for several reasons- editing, cinematography world building and sound editing.

To put it bluntly, I don't feel connected to the world of the PJO series at all- which is a shame because it is an incredible world! Greek mythological creatures co-existing with the modern world! Modern myths! Greek gods!. But it is all introduced in the most boring, exposition-y way possible.

The cinematography doesn't shine until the last episode. I want interesting shots, fluid camera movements- just anything that breaks the monotony of scenes. For example- I loved Poseidon's introduction, why wasn't this type of cinematography present in the rest of the series. Shoot the gods differently, make use of different camera compositions. Experiment a little for god's sake.

Coming to sound, yeah this one was the most disappointing of all. There are no memorable sound motifs, which is a shame because sound can convey so much more than words in certain scenes. I say Harry Potter music and you instantly think about the charcteristic symphony. This is missing sorely in the tv show.

Sidenote- I would have chosen Nathan Barr as the music composer (missed opportunity Disney). Look up his work, and you'll understand why I said this.

Coming to editing, yeah the editing is clunky at best. That is all I have to say about that for the moment.

Let me know if anyone wants a part 2 :)

[denimbex1986]

'Next week comes the strangest pairing at the multiplex we've seen in years. We're talking, of course, about Greta Gerwig's Barbie and Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer — together dubbed Barbenheimer — set to go toe-to-toe for box office dominance on 21 July. The former is a hot pink franchise comedy inspired by the iconic line of Mattel dolls, the latter a stylistically austere biopic about the invention of the atomic bomb. Such is the striking contrast at play, of course the internet (read: Twitter) was going to do what the internet does and meme the shit out of it: now, all anyone can talk about online is Barbenheimer, sucking attention away from other major summer releases like Mission: Impossible 7 and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

Though this clash of cinematic titans might've been elevated to event prominence by the internet's collective love of ironic memedom, it's hardly the first example of diametrically opposed movies dropping on the same day. Fifteen years ago in the US, on 18 July 2008, cinemas were similarly split into two queues: the Batman enthusiasts on one side, clamouring to get into The Dark Knight and usher in a new superhero movie age; on the other, ABBA stans awaited a trip to the sunny isles of a fictional Greek island in Mamma Mia!. Had the internet grown beyond its cringey 9gag nascency by then, it might've been the original Barbenheimer. The Dark Mamma, if you will.

After all, there are huge parallels between the duelling duos. The Dark Knight was the dark and dreary, terminally serious Christopher Nolan movie. Mamma Mia!, the fun-loving “chick flick”, a jukebox musical for the gays and girlies to let their hair down with campy, sun-kissed escapism. Say you did the double bill back then: you could spend two-and-a-half hours with Christian Bale growling gravely under the cape and cowl, then it'd be time for cocktails on the beach with Amanda Seyfried and Pierce Brosnan. With Barbenheimer, it's another pitch-black Nolan flick where its male lead does a lot of broody staring into the middle distance, contemplating the deep evils now ushered unto the world, paired against Barbie, where men are Just Ken. For both Mamma Mia! and Barbie, it's hard to think of more colourful chasers to stave off Post-Nolan Depression.

The Dark Mamma, alas, never took off as Barbenheimer has. Indeed most people online, anecdotally, simply forgot that the two released on the same day, such was the broad surprise when viral tweets prompted by Barbenheimer brought new attention to the OG. (Here in the UK, they came out eleven days apart.) Little media coverage at the time pointed to the contrast, the most prominent article available on Google search being a Vulture piece from the week of release, the headline of which jokingly announced Mamma Mia! and The Dark Knight as battling “for the very soul of America.” Strikingly similar contrasts were zeroed in on: “Are you a happy person, or a sad one? Do you see the glass as half-full, or half-empty? Do you prefer your toast with strawberry jam, or do you like it sprinkled with shards of broken glass?” All ring true of Barbenheimer, too, only the question now isn't which, so much as which first. Shard sarnies, nevertheless, remain ill-advised.

Hollywood studios know exactly what they're doing with such stark counter-programming: the lack of demographic crossover suggests, on paper, that the movies won't eat into each other's profits, giving audiences a variety of options. In 2003, for example, X-2 was released into US cinemas on the same day as The Lizzie McGuire Movie, and in 2015, Mad Max: Fury Road roared onto screens simultaneous to Pitch Perfect 2. Barbenheimer is distinct in that we seldom get such a major clash of two big-budget summer blockbusters, nor a meme-propelled online movement spawning Etsy merch and Twitter stan rivalries. But that's the key thing, and the true movie-loving spirit of Barbenheimer: while we might joke about Nolan nuking Barbie's Malibu Dreamhouse, these aren't warring parties battling for audience supremacy. Much like The Dark Knight and Mamma Mia! — which went on to be the first and fifth-highest grossing movies of 2008 — early projections suggest that both Barbie and Oppenheimer will both do pretty well for themselves. And there's only one winner when that happens: the movies.'

[twistedroseytoesy]

Riddle- Queen of Broken Hearts by blackbear

Trey- Candyman by Christina Aguilera

Cater- What else can I do? from Encanto or Happy Face by Jagwar Twin

Ace- Troublemaker by Olly Murs

Deuce- Best of Me by Neffex

Leona- Be prepared from The Lion King

Ruggie- Last Surprise from Persona 5

Jack- Wolf by Siames

Azul- Deal with the Devil by Tia

Jade- Tangled Up by Caro Emerald

Floyd- I can't decide by Scissor Sisters

Kalim- Sunshine, Lollipops, Rainbows by Lesley Gore or Prince Ali from Aladdin

Jamil- Darkside by Neoni or Arabian Nights from Aladdin

Vil- Lucky by Britney Spears

Rook- Le Festin from Ratatouille

Epel- Try Everything from Zootopia

Idia- Blame by BB Cooper

Ortho- Hey Brother by Avicii

Malleus- No Friends by Cadmium

Silver- Once Upon A Dream from Sleeping Beauty

Sebek- Never Smile At A Crocodile From Peter Pan

Lilia- Life Is A Highway from Cars

Not sure if you agree with these because I just thought of which ones matches certain traits the characters have

first off thank you so much for so many ideas! After listening to the songs I’ve got a few things to say about how well it may or may not fit, I’m honestly happy to try any of these. Might take a while, but I’ll defenetly get quite a few of these done!

Riddle- I really do like the lyrics for this one, can envision overblot riddle singing it as he is overcome with the blot. the beat is pretty cool and I can already see some sort of nightmare that he may have, or I could try and write out an animatic base for the song with him. Very good song and I really like it! perfect first suggestion!

Trey- Would need to change a few lyrics here and there, fun jazzy song though! could have it so the MC is trying to ask him out by singing this. or another story with some other singing. Love the energy, just not into the innuendos in the song.

Cater- The song from Encanto is so, so, so good. Love that song and how it shows how crushing expectations can affect one's life. This definitely fits well with Cater's personality, having the mask of always being cheerful and bright, when in reality he's a bit cynical and hard on his true semi-introverted self.

The second song was deep, it has a wonderful beat and rhythm to it. The lyrics work super well to the deeper side that Cater has to his character, how he "puts on a happy face" despite his inner turmoil. could see this as an animatic writing piece, or the MC gets some sort of potion to get a look at the character's inner music. If I had to choose between the two songs, it would be this one first. Then maybe the Encanto song to help him realize he can be more than the face online.

Ace- Really fun song, with a good beat, and very fitting lyrics for the dumbass that is ace. Can definitely see MC singing this to him when he's pranked them. The energy is great! would change some lyrics here and there to fit him better.

Deuce- A very good song for deuce! very inspirational and shows how he wants to become better than he once was. "I've made mistakes but mistakes make you strong" had me really thinking about Deuce, and how he's become strong-willed due to his past. Despite the world against him, he's still here to become his best self. Another animatic-like thing that I could write. him talking with others and growing over the course of the story sharing what he knows with Epel, supporting the MC and the others, leading up to him getting his unique magic and proving he's better than he has ever been.

Leona- This one is pretty obvious, very fitting for Leona to sing Scars song. Very good idea for him to sing it too, using others to do the dirty work so he can be on top. Could have him sing this as he's scheming with the savanaclaw dorm to take out malleus and the other spelldrive leaders in book 2.

Ruggie- right off the bat the song sounds like something from mission impossible. interesting song, but not really feeling the Ruggie vibes for this one. seems too planned, Ruggie does plan but isn't cocky about how smart he is. I can see a few things in the lyrics but not enough to rewrite it. good suggestion but didn't vibe quite right.

Jack- Really nice beat and rhythm. nice vocals, and the lyrics are pretty good, but not quite the Jack I know. This version seems more obsessive, not really fitting for the standoffish wolf. Also, the first result for the song is a really intence and cool video.

Azul- The lyrics are very fitting for Azuls mindset and the way he does things with his contracts. The only downside is that the song is in another language... I can't really work with that as I'm american and only know english. Really cool song! im just incompitent when it comes to other languages 😭.

Jade- somewhat dark jazz kind of song, the lyrics aren't very fitting for Jade, The tangled-up main section of the song doesn't give his kind of vibe. It's a good song, just not quite Jade.

Floyd- Holy heck, this song definitely has Floyd vibes, with unnerving lyrics and crazed talking, with a jazzy upbeat song. But it's so good just on its own, I wouldn't know what to add or write for this! the only way I could possibly try and write this is by making some horrific dream sequence for him doing all kinds of horrific things to other students to get MC all to himself. amazing choice!

Kalim- Another perfect fit!! could absolutely write Kalim singing this as he and MC are dancing, could make it where he has a crush as he's singing this. Fun short and sweet song for the boy of sunshine!

Listened to both versions of the song, super fun and extravagant parade that Kalim 100% would do if he is able to. But it would be a bit too difficult to change up the words to be fitting to the ray of sunshine, super fun song, and happy to have the suggestion!

Jamil- very deep and booming low pop song. the vibe and lyrics are fitting for Jamil's inner turmoil as being under someone he knows he could be above. Being forced to hide his true better self because of his servitude to someone he hates. A very good and fitting song I could absolutely work with. maybe the potion of one's inner song could come for this one.

Another really good suggestion is Jamil introducing the dorm or the MC going over what happened in book 4. A perfect animatic-like sequence I could write out. The original song is fairly short so I would most likely go with the 2019 version of the song. Perfect suggestion!

Vil- Pretty good song for Vil! Shows how he is super popular and has just about everything a celebrity could want, yet he doubts something, he checks Mira so much and despises the results he gets to his question. Could do this song, but its already so perfect theres not much to adjust. and I cant really think up a scenario where this could be sung.

Rook- I love this song, so much, I just can't do much with it since I have no way to adjust a french song. I'm unable to use songs that use another language, but I can definitely see rook humming or singing this to himself as he watches his friends from afar. The lyrics when translated are pretty lonely and also about food cause of course. good suggestion, I just cant write it out.

Epel- I love this song, and the upbeat feeling it has. Not really an epel vibe though, he's very stubborn and brash at times. As good as this song is, it doesn't quite fit epel, or even someone else trying to help Epel. Good song, but not quite right for him though.

Idia- Really cool base-heavy song with electronic undertones that are very fitting to Idia. The lyrics are fairly fitting for him too, I just don't want to get stuff wrong about his backstory, but I'm trying to wait for the Ignihyde story to come out for us English players. Very good suggestion and song, I just don't know Idia well enough to do it justice.

Ortho- interesting choice but the country song doesn't seem very Ortho-like. The family vibes are good but It just doesn't fit him. sorry.

Malleus- First off and foremost is the title and giving it to malleus is a bit mean, if not fitting. The lyrics are very fitting to our lonely dragon boy... It hurts to say that this song is really him, just the pop rhythm doesn't really fit, but that's okay. Just wow.

Silver- Another character singing their inspirations song. Silver singing this would be very sweet as he probably is with his woodland friends. Maybe the Mc interrupts him similar to how the prince did with Arora all that time ago.

Sebek- HILARIOUS song, could be the first year's smack talking a bit about sebek. really good song, not very fitting of sebek himself but funny making fun of his croc like tendencies and attributes.

Lilia- Loving the meme song being one of Lilias. It's a good rock song that Lilia would love. Very fitting for Lilia's worldwide traveling and the adventures he's been on. The lyrics are fitting for his way of life and how he's happy to go have fun and make friends, helping others and his family. Perfect song for him to sing when he's practicing on his bass.

[cyarsk52-20]

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How God Hates Us All made Slayer great again

In 2001 Slayer re-established themselves as kings of metal with their church-baiting warcry God Hates Us All.

September 10, 2021Words:Ian Winwood

In the summer of 2001, Slayer took to the road in the United States as part of the Extreme Steel tour with Pantera. On a bill that also featured Morbid Angel, Static-X and Skrape, one day Kerry King played the Texan cowboys from hell a number of songs from his group’s as-yet-untitled new album. Responding to a line from the track Disciple, Kerry was told, “Man, God Hates All would look [great on] a shirt.” It would, he agreed, but it would work better still as the title for Slayer’s ninth studio LP. 

“How can you look at the world and think God doesn’t hate us?” wondered the guitarist. Kerry King was once asked to nominate his own superpower and answered that he would like to be able to set churches ablaze simply by walking past them. In Slayer World, this made him the band’s most qualified theologian.

“Wars, disease…” he said. “If we’re so perfect, why are we so fucked?”

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God appeared to agree. God Hates Us All was released on September 11, 2001, mere hours before passenger planes were flown into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the most Slayer-esque act of the modern age. Five years later, these atrocities would inspire Jihad, the band’s finest song of the 21st century. They would also throw the world into a state of flux for the next decade and more.

Ahead of the curve, the world of heavy music had been in turmoil for a number of years. The advent of nu-metal in the middle years of the 1990s saw the sound and look of metal change in remarkable and pliant ways. Tunings went down and guitar solos were eschewed. Long hair was no longer de rigueur. Baseball caps and vivid oversized sportswear became the wardrobe of the choice.

In truth, Slayer had endured a difficult decade anyway. Leaving aside the Seasons In The Abyss album, from 1990, the final 10 years of the 20th century had seen the band unveil just two further of albums of original material. Caught in a nu-metal storm, Diabolus In Musica, from 1998, provided a nod to these changing times. The Californian quartet’s most adventurous release – never again would they attempt to write songs as innovative as Stain Of Mind and Wicked – and by far their most intriguing, Slayer’s attempts to park their tank on a new cutting-edge lacked just one thing: an identity.

In this, the group were not alone. Iron Maidenslogged through a swathe of the 1990s with singer Blaze Bayley, a solid presence who lacked the charisma of his predecessor Bruce Dickinson. Even market leaders Metallica spent the second half of the decade attempting to escape the shadow of their 31-million selling Black Album. Between 1996 and 1999, the San Franciscans released four albums, only one of which – S&M – was met with anything approaching universal acclaim. The group did, though, start the 21st century in reassuring style, with the convincing I Disappear, from the 2000 summer blockbuster Mission: Impossible 2.

In the fullness of time, it would take Metallica a further eight years to re-establish their identity with the slightly-too-comfortable Death Magnetic album. Iron Maiden exorcised their recent past with ruthless efficiency by re-recruiting Bruce Dickinson and releasing Brave New World, in 2000, an LP that reassured listeners that normal service had been resumed. But it was Slayer who returned from their brief paddle into uncharted waters with the greatest sense of urgency and violent panache. 

As an album, God Hates Us All reassured its constituents that the band had come home to the thrash-tastic turf that would not exist without them. More than this, over the course of a further three studio albums this stall would budge not an inch in the years that elapsed until the group called it a night in 2019. In his own blunt style, Kerry King explained that, “I want us to be the AC/DC of thrash. I want people to know exactly what they’re going to get when they hear us.”

Which is not to say that the band’s first album of the new century was merely an exercise in nostalgia. Recorded in Vancouver, God Hates Us All was produced by Matt Hyde, whose subsequent credits would include Deftones and Parkway Drive. Accompanying this modern sound were lyrics that eschewed the Satanic and occult themes with which the group had established their identity in years past with songs such as Altar Of Sacrifice, Spill The Blood, and Born Of Fire. In its own quiet way, this too was a nod to metal’s unlikely march toward self-examination. 

“There’s no Satanic or supernatural elements to [the album],” Kerry King explained. “It’s just more about things that people can relate to. All our albums are angry, but this one is really pissed-off because it’s inward looking. I’m usually the Dungeons & Dragons spooky dude. On this record I made a conscious decision not to do that. I wanted to keep our dark themes, but also to write stuff that people can relate to. I tried to think about what pisses me off and why and how people could relate to that, rather than saying, ‘The Devil’s over there fucking your mother’, or something.”

Accompanied by a crisp music video for the song Bloodline – the band’s first since Dittohead, seven years earlier – God Hates Us All is not Slayer’s best album. But it is one of their most assured, and one which cemented their contemporary relevance to a new generation of metalhead. In 1991, the group capped off their first 10 years of active service with a live album titled Decade Of Aggression; yet the ’90s could have been called Decade Of Relative Uncertainty. But after years of laziness – only one track, the supreme Disorder, featuring Ice-T, breached the silence spanning 1990 and 1994 – and excursions such as the thrilling but contextually misguided punk-covers set Undisputed Attitude (1996), once again Slayer were back in a game of their own creation.

On the day that God Hates Us All was released, the Californians planned to fly to Europe to embark on the Tattoo The Planet tour, co-headlined by Pantera. Stranded in Dublin following the fall of the Twin Towers, the Texan group embarked on a row that would break their band apart forever. One week later, Kerry King and co. crossed the Atlantic and topped the bill unaided. In doing so, once more they stood alone as the kings of very, very, very heavy metal. 

Read this next:

The stories behind Slayer's 20 biggest songs

The 25 greatest thrash albums ever

South Of Heaven is the album where Slayer truly became evil

Check out more

Sent from my iPhone

[jules-has-notes]

The Sing-Off, s.4 ep.7 — Finale

And then there were three. But in the spirit of the holiday season, the show brought back all ten groups for one last hurrah. Most of this episode feels more like an old school variety show than a competition, but the individual performances from the three finalists are all excellent.

.

Group opener

It can be easy in the modern world to discount the impact that art has on people's lives. But in times of difficulty, we often turn to music for comfort and inspiration. If this version of Michael Jackson's classic anthem doesn't stir something inside you, I don't know what else to say.

Details:

title: Man in the Mirror

original performer: Michael Jackson

written by: Glen Ballard & Siedah Garrett

arranged by: The Sing-Off arrangers

air date: 23 December 2013

My favorite bits:

the gradual layering and building of complexity throughout the arrangement

featuring a few more soloists than previous opening numbers

the eliminated groups entering the upper stage-side boxes and from the audience aisles just in time for the big key change

alternating Emoni's gorgeous riffs and Austin's high "woo"s over the full chorus

ending the season as it began, with everyone together, and a well deserved standing ovation

Trivia:

Austin from Home Free was sick in the final days of the competition, and ended up whistling his vocal parts during rehearsals to preserve his singing voice for filming.

VoicePlay recorded their own version of this song eight years later, which ended up being their send-off video for J.None.

.

Order of performances

Nick Lachey & Jewel — "It Had To Be You"

AcoUstiKats — "Jingle Bell Rock" bumper

Ten & Shawn Stockman — "Joyful, Joyful" from Sister Act 2

Street Corner Renaissance — "White Christmas" bumper

The Filharmonic — "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" bumper

Pentatonix — "I Need Your Love" by Calvin Harris, feat. Ellie Goulding

Calle Sol — "Feliz Navidad" bumper

Home Free — "I Want Crazy" by Hunter Hayes

98 Degrees — "I'll Be Home For Christmas" by Bing Crosby

Princeton Footnotes — "Deck the Halls" bumper

Vocal Rush & Ben Folds — "Peace on Earth / Little Drummer Boy" by David Bowie & Bing Crosby

Element — "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" bumper

VoicePlay — "Jingle Bells" bumper

Ten — "Love On Top" by Beyoncé

Home Free & Jewel — "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" from Meet Me In St. Louis

a cappella 101 tutorial

five eliminated groups with Pat Benetar & Neil Giraldo — "We Belong"

Vocal Rush — "Roar" by Katy Perry

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VoicePlay performance

[h/t to voiceplay_randomnness on IG for archiving this clip]

Give these guys forty seconds and a chance to riff on a classic song, and they'll give you three different musical genres that will all have you grooving in your seat.

Details:

title: Jingle Bells (commercial bumper)

original song: traditional American carol, first published as "The One Horse Open Sleigh" (1857)

written by: James Lord Pierpont

arranged by: VoicePlay

air date: 23 December 2013

My favorite bits:

staying true to their name by playing with the beats and harmonies

their outfits — The wardrobe department clearly had so much fun dressing them for every episode, and this is no exception.

Trivia:

VoicePlay have never recorded a traditional version of this song, but they've done two mashups that include it – "Bollywood Jingle Bells" on their 2012 holiday album "Peppermint Winter", and "Mission: Jingle Bells" as a promotional tie-in for the home media release of "Mission Impossible: Fallout" in 2018.

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A Cappella 101 segment

Nick and the other judges may have poked fun at Ben for his vocabulary, but music does have a lot of specific technical terminology and jargon. (Props to Chris Rupp for actually offering one serious answer among the jokes.) A little wordplay never hurt anybody, though.

.

Tour announcement

I couldn't find a clip from the broadcast episode, but this promo video seems pretty legitimate.

.

Group performance

If there was one consistent theme for the whole season, it could be expressed by one line from this song: "We belong together." Dozens of talented singers coming together to create beautiful harmonies and rhythms are sure to brighten someone's day. This performance certainly puts a smile on my face.

Details:

title: We Belong

original performer: Pat Benetar

written by: David Eric Lowen & Dan Navarro

arranged by: The Sing-Off arrangers

air date: 23 December 2013

My favorite bits:

all five groups starting with traditional a cappella phonations that replicate instrumental sounds

building to a powerful backing chorus

the percussive stomping and clapping in the final section

everybody leaning in for hugs at the end

Trivia:

VoicePlay were a little starstruck performing with one of the biggest pop stars of their childhoods.

Several of the competitors joked on social media during the broadcast about Neil Giraldo bringing an instrument into an explicitly a cappella show.

.

And the winner is…

Congratulations, Home Free!

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With VoicePlay mostly being in the boxes or in the middle of big groups for this episode, we didn't get a great look at their full outfits, which is a shame. Luckily, they uploaded a bunch of backstage photos to their Facebook page.

VoicePlay's stalwart sound guy Paul and his mom were in the audience for the finale.

Vocal Rush's videographer shot some wandering videos of the post-finale party with competitors and crew members, as well as some friends and family. VoicePlay can be seen mostly in the background of the second video.

[stealth-worther]

my introduction post!

so excited to start my new blog on Tumblr!!!! I have been lurking around this place for quite some time, and I truly admire this platform's penchant for inclusivity of absolutely EVERYONE, regardless of race, age, sexual orientation, gender, ability, et cetera et cetera... not like the real world when discrimination is everywhere. like absolutely. as a way to give back to those around here, I figured, it might be worth sharing my slice of the world with this blog!

biography:

am neurodivergent in a fuck ton of ways - diagnosed with (low-medium support needs) ASD, likely ADHD, dyspraxia, probably dyslexia asw

suspecting C-PTSD because ABA is a bitch

suspecting fibromyalgia because i feel pain ALL THE TIME

gender: non-binary (they/them)

sexuality: pansexual

Minor. can tolerate NSFW content but if possible do it sparingly :)

East Asian. i am literally playing on impossible mode because that's how life is.

special interests:

taylor swift. her music covers every topic under the sun, and she's quite the expressive lyricist - her bridges are so good you could call her an engineer. feel free to ask me anything about her 1 2 3 LET'S GO BITCH

anime, esp spy x family, the storyline of this particular one is so very relatable, esp Loid Forger because of how he came back from his background and enjoyed the process of getting to his final mission

and the most important thing, that probably inspired me to make the blog in the first place:

mainly because of my dyspraxia weaving into my sensory overwhelm from autism, I would honestly really make do with a stroller / wheelchair in the future. I really hate having to bang and trip on things all the time, as well as general anxiety that comes from walking around. therefore, even if i'm mostly able bodied and can commit to large physical demands, i still think i could benefit from these mobility aids. however, i will still consider the needs of ACTUALLY disabled people as they've had enough shit thrown at them

as for how often and what i'll post, I don't really plan on posting / replying much as this is just something I'm doing on the side, but I'll log on somewhat often to post / respond etc. also, i'll occasionally share my opinion on anything really, especially stuff i mentioned here

I'm gonna dump most things in one blog because personally I feel my life is just one thing, one lifetime, one continuum; all my interests are related to each other

(DNI: general DNI criteria, your ableism, homophobia, transphobia, etc. special mention MUST be noted for BDSM-related blogs. this blog can easily be confused as one given my occasional mentions to human restraint, but such mentions are typically in reference to sensory needs, and has little to do with sexual kinks. BDSM blogs can fuck right off)

(Image ID: Loid Forger, the main lead in Spy x Family. The character is looking to the left of the image. He seems to be racially White in appearance, has a pointy nose, long black eyes, and has short golden hair, alongside a sharp face. In this picture, a shadow is seen across the left portion of his face with the eyes, nose, and mouth, whereas the right side with his ears appears to be brighter. / End ID)

[usagoodnews]

Selena Gomez Birthday Post: Celebrating 31 Years of Life and Music

Selena Gomez, the multi-talented artist and beloved public figure, turning 31 is a milestone worth cherishing. As she shared a heartfelt birthday post with her fans and followers, the world joined in commemorating her journey through life and music. In this article, we take a moment to honor Selena Gomez’s 31st birthday and reflect on her remarkable career and impact on the entertainment industry.

A Grateful Heart on Her 31st Birthday

A Heartfelt Birthday Post

A Message of Hope and Love

Selena’s birthday post conveyed a message of hope and self-love. She encouraged her followers to embrace their uniqueness and to be kind to themselves. Her words resonated deeply with her fans, who responded with an outpouring of love and admiration.

A Journey of Music and Artistry

Rising to Fame: A Young Sensation

Selena Gomez first captivated hearts as a young actress and singer, gaining widespread recognition for her role in the Disney Channel series “Wizards of Waverly Place.” Her infectious charm and undeniable talent quickly turned her into a teen sensation.

Embracing Music: From Selena Gomez & the Scene to Solo Success

https://usagoodnews.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Selenna.png

An Evolution of Artistry: Rare and Vulnerable

With each album, Selena Gomez showcased her growth as an artist. Her critically acclaimed album “Rare” was a testament to her vulnerability and authenticity as she openly addressed personal struggles. The album connected with fans on a deeply emotional level and solidified her place as a respected musician.

Empowering Through Advocacy

Using Her Platform for Good

Beyond her artistic endeavors, Selena Gomez has been an ardent advocate for various social causes. From mental health awareness to supporting underprivileged communities, she has used her platform to amplify important voices and make a positive impact on society.

Inspiring Resilience: Selena’s Journey with Health

Selena’s own journey with health challenges, including her battle with lupus, has inspired many. Her courage in sharing her experiences has helped break stigmas and foster conversations about health and well-being.

Diving into the essence of our creative endeavor, we find ourselves acquainted with the Rare Impact Fund and its noble cause. Gomez, a beacon of compassion and goodwill, has graciously linked the “Donate Now” page of the fund on her Instagram Story. She initiated this noble endeavor with a steadfast focus on addressing the intricate realm of mental health and self-acceptance.

Within the tapestry of description lies the true essence of Rare Impact – a profound aspiration to dismantle the stigma shrouding mental illness. It strives to extend a helping hand to individuals seeking support for their mental well-being. The benevolent fund acts as a catalyst, channeling its resources to organizations across the globe. These organizations strive to widen the access to crucial mental health services and impart invaluable education on this crucial subject.

Astoundingly, a mere one percent of all sales stemming from Gomez’s beauty brand cascade into the coffers of the Rare Impact Fund. A testimony to her dedication to the cause, this contribution solidifies her commitment to the welfare of humanity.

Read More Articles

Mission Impossible 7 – Tom Cruise’s Thrilling Ending Explained”

Joker 2: The Story of a Cinematographer’s Mysterious Encounter on the Sets

Selena Gomez’s 31st birthday is not just a celebration of another year in her life but a celebration of the positive impact she has had on millions of lives worldwide. Through her music, advocacy, and openness about her struggles, she has touched hearts and inspired countless individuals. As we wish her a happy birthday, we also thank her for being an extraordinary artist and human being.

[laresearchette]

Saturday, April 01, 2023 Canadian TV Listings (Times Eastern)

WHERE CAN I FIND THOSE PREMIERES?: LOVE IN THE MALDIVES (W Network) 8:00pm WHAT IS NOT PREMIERING IN CANADA TONIGHT? EVERY BREATH SHE TAKES (TBD - Lifetime Canada)

NEW TO AMAZON PRIME CANADA/CBC GEM/CRAVE TV/DISNEY + STAR/NETFLIX CANADA:

CBC GEM ESCAPE TO THE COUNTRY (Season 28b)

CRAVE TV JURASSIC WORLD: DOMINION MASTER LIAR (Episodes 1-3) RISKY BUSINESS

NETFLIX CANADA 10,000 B.C. CATWOMAN CLICK CRASH DR. SEUSS’ THE LORAX GIRLS TRIP HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2 JURASSIC PARK LAURENCE ANYWAYS LEGO NINJAGO: SEASON 4 CRYSTALLIZED – PART 2 LOUIS CYR, L’HOMME LE PLUS FORT DU MONDE THE MANY SAINTS OF NEWARK MIRACLES FROM HEAVEN MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – GHOST PROTOCOL MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – ROGUE NATION NEW YORK MINUTE SHARK TALE SOMETHING’S GOTTA GIVE SUPERBAD WILD WILD WEST YOU GOT SERVED ZATHURA: A SPACE ADVENTURE WEATHER

MLB BASEBALL (SN) 2:00pm: Jays vs. Cardinals (TSN2) 4:00pm: Orioles vs. Red Sox (SN Now) 8:30pm: Rockies vs. Padres

BKT TIRES & OK TIRE WORLD MEN’S CURLING CHAMPIONSHIP (TSN) 2:00pm: Canada vs. Switzerland (TSN) 7:00pm: Canada vs. Italy

NHL HOCKEY (TSN4) 4:00pm: Jets vs. Kings (SN1) 3:00pm: Bruins vs. Flyers (CBC/SN/APTN) 7:00pm: Leafs vs. Sens (City/SNEast) 7:00pm: Hurricanes vs. Habs (CBC/SN) 10:00pm: Ducks vs. Oilers

NCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL (TSN3) 6:00pm: Final Four (TSN/TSN4) 10:00pm: March Madness: Final Four

CANADIAN FILM FEST (Super Channel Fuse) 7:00pm: POLARIZED: An encounter between two young women exposes deep prejudices.But as the pair enjoy a growing friendship, they will have to break barriers that keep them apart, or risk settling for the lives their families have laid out for them.

9:00pm: WINTERTIDE: An isolated northern city battles a plague of depression that transforms its victims into zombie-like automatons; a woman discovers that the key to immunity lies within her dreams.

NLL LACROSSE (TSN5) 7:00pm: Bandits vs. Rock

W5 (CTV) 7:00pm (SEASON FINALE): The Cash Cows; Sounds Farm:  International students are the new cash cow for Canadian universities, but students say they're getting ripped off; an Ontario farmhouse creates the sounds you hear in hundreds of blockbuster Hollywood movies.

MONSTER FAMILY (Crave) 7:20pm: Dracula's spell turns a woman and her loved ones into a vampire, a mummy, a werewolf and Frankenstein's monster.

W666 (CTV ) 7:30pm (SERIES PREMIERE): A new spin-off for the long-running Canadian newsmagazine, but entirely from the Satanist perspective. Tonight, meet the creators the Toronto Transit Commission who toil in the bowls of Hell and a profile of Anne Murray.

MLS SOCCER (TSN4) 7:30pm: Toronto FC vs. Charlottte

THE PLOT TO KILL MY MOTHER (Lifetime Canada) 8:00pm:  A woman who unknowingly grew up under federal witness protection starts to question everything after her mother's murder. She decides to leave the program and find her mom's killer before he strikes again.

THE GOALIES (Slicely) 8:00pm (SERIES PREMIERE): Heather is looking for love, but in the Bachelor-esque dating series, she must determine who among 20 masked-men is an actual professional hockey goalie and who is just a guy named Gord from Moose Jaw.

KEY TO LOVE (Super Channel House & Home) 8:00pm: When bookstore owner Samantha Hill starts an antagonistic relationship with a book cover model Josh, they unknowingly find an antique key in a false book that starts to unlock their true romance.

IS THIS POUTINE? (Foodie Network North) 9:00pm (SERIES PREMIERE): Skilled chefs from around Canada fashion poutine to look like non-poutine items to try to fool contestants. It sounded better in the pitch meeting.

THE SPARKS BROTHERS (Movietime) 9:00pm:  Edgar Wright explores how one rock band can be successful, underrated, influential and criminally overlooked. A musical odyssey exploring five weird and wonderful decades with brothers Ron and Russell Mael, celebrating the inspiring legacy of Sparks.

JURASSIC WORLD DOMINION (Crave) 9:00pm: Four years after the destruction of Isla Nublar, dinosaurs now live and hunt alongside humans all over the world. This fragile balance will reshape the future and determine, once and for all, whether human beings are to remain the apex predators.

THE PRICE WE PAY (Starz Canada) 9:00pm:  After a pawn shop robbery goes wrong, two criminals take refuge at a remote farmhouse to let the heat die down and find something much more menacing.

MOTHERFUNKER (Super Channel Squish) 10:00pm (SERIES PREMIERE): In the continuing tradition of television series with names that sound like curse words, like “Schitt’s Creek” and “Son of a Critch” here comes “Motherfunker,” the story of a 1970's Edmonton funk band consisting of five brothers and their tour manager mom: the Motherfunker.

[dzthenerd490]

Tale: GATE part 2

.

Kaneki was quite surprised that everyone ended up taking up the offer of joining Hestia-2, from what he was told by the squad captain, Hestia-2 currently consisted of six teams each of 20-40 units all human and all with the purpose of searching for locals to obtain information and kill off any more potential hostiles in the area. Kaneki's squad had 20 units and happened to be captained by a Mexican named Xiomara, though she said to call her Xio. In any other circumstances Kaneki would have been surprised but the Foundation always had a strange way of uniting people who would normally never meet, it mainly helped that it was an International organization.

Once everyone was armed with the proper equipment and weapons, they went out in 5 vehicles, each being a Foundation MGDB-4. MGDB-4's being military vans that are large enough to fit 20 people if they forced it and are armed with A.I. guided turret miniguns. Their gear consisted of a translation collar, standard MTF Foundation helmets and bullet proof armor, Foundation assault rifles with AP rounds, missile grenades, and Foundation pistols with E rounds. Kaneki was kinda overwhelmed to have such gear like this, he was normally on security work and only occasionally on minor MTF operations that usually got dissolved rather quickly and without much happening. But now he was a part of a specialized MTF, and they were on their first ever mission. If things went well their MTF would be placed on the Foundation database so that Foundation directors and administrative staff will select them for specific tasks. The more missions they do, the more recognized they become, the more perks that become available. Sure, they don't get paid but with all the stuff they do get, it makes money seem pointless.

Once they got their helmets on a code name was displayed on their visors, Kaneki got H-2, meaning he was their squad leader's second in command. With everyone ready, they were driving out of Site-Gate and into the open lands. Their squad was going north while another was going northeast, northwest, southeast, southwest, and the last one going south. The drive started off quite at first, but Xio pulled out a CD from her bag while driving and put it into the stereo of the van. Kaneki didn't really say anything despite being in the front seat next to her and her turning up the volume high as Gimme Tha Power by Molotov started playing.

"Sorry rookie, but as Captain of this squad I get music privileges so don't expect me to turn it down!" Kaneki quickly turned on his translation collar so he could talk to Xio clearly. Unfortunately, his translator only responded to clear voices, so it was impossible to translate the lyrics through the speakers.

"... Uh, what is this song?"

"It's a song about telling the police to fuck off and the people are the ones who deserve the power."

"... oh..."

"Heh, yeah my dad played this song for me all the time when I was little, I guess it's what inspired me to become the woman I am." Xio raised her right hand, made a fist, and from under her wrist, a hidden blade came out. Kaneki was shocked to see this, though not confused as he knew exactly what that blade meant.

"You're an assassin?"

"Yup! Though originally I thought the Foundation was full of shit, so I didn't join, that's why I'm not in MTF Athena-1 or MTF Apollo-4. Instead, I actually became a form user for Parawatch. I thought the Foundation was corrupt, so I tried taking all their secrets and exposing it all to the world. I never got much info, but I was pretty damn good at getting away from them for a while; though, eventually they did catch me. But instead of making me a D-Class, they instead gave me a position at MTF Sigma-66. I was originally planning on working my way up through the ranks and once I got high enough, I would tear the whole system down. But as I learned more, I realized... if it wasn't for the Foundation life would suck for the normies, so I decided that they were right, Ignorance is bliss. But I still hate the O5 Council and most of the world's governments, especially Mexico's. so, I keep listening to the song, also it's just a damn good song. What about you, rookie? What's your story?"

"I was actually in Japan's Self Defense Force, more specifically in Special Forces. Most people called me a prodigy because of how quickly I made it into the Special Forces despite how young I am. Then the Japanese branch of the Foundation saw my potential and gave me the position I decided to take it because I thought I was talented for making it into Special Forces at an abnormally young age, but after getting into the Foundation I realized that I was basically a newborn grub in a hive full of wasps."

"Hahaha! Yeah, that's the Foundation alright! Bringing in the champions and freaks of the world! Welcome to the family, I guess? Hahaha!"

***

The drive continued for a while, Xio was driving joyfully while Kaneki was increasingly confused by her choice of music. Each one was from a different country and about a different topic. Xio had a few German sons, American sons, more Mexican sons, and even some Japanese songs. Though finally the drive came to an unexpected end when they saw a burned forest. The forest fire was too wild to ignore so they stopped at the very edge of it and saw nothing but charred stumps that used to be trees.

"Fuck! Not even a forest fire could cause this much damage." Just in time the other MGDB-4’s drove up so Xio got out her radio and called the other cars.

"Alright everyone, out of your cars and lock and load! For all we know this is the result of an SCP-457 instance or something much worse." Xio then moved forward with her rifle up while having four other units with her. Kaneki on the other handheld back with confusion on his face, though you couldn't see it with his helmet on, covering his face.

"I thought there was only one SCP-457?"

"Oh, there is only one, but I heard that it could split when it eats enough fuel. Now come on, let's see if the monsters in this world as fucked up as the ones in our world." The MTF unit talking to him cocked his rifle and raised it while following Xio, Kaneki sighed but did the same. They wandered through what used to be a forest for a while until they finally came across what looked like a scorched village. The buildings and trees in the area were completely destroyed leaving nothing but piles of bricks, ash, and black smoke. Kaneki was thankful for the basic air filtration installed within the helmets, this it was a basic model and as such he could mostly breathe but he still smelled and felt the scorching smoke.

"Aw! Damn it!" Kaneki then looked over to see one of his fellow MTF units standing on the stomach of a charred corpse.

"Fuck! Watch where you're stepping dumbass!"

"Ah fuck off, it's not like the dead fucker gives a shit."

"Shut your mouths will ya?! You damn idiots are too loud, and may I remind you that we might not-" As Xio was yelling at her subordinates she continued walking forward until she saw in front of her a group of JSDF soldiers.

"... be the only ones here." Xio, Kaneki, stared at the Japanese soldiers in silence while Itami and his group started at the MTF units in shock.

"Uh... Hi there!"

"Put your fucking hands up!"

"Weapons down and hands up!"

"Comply or you will be shot motherfucker!" Itami quickly ordered his soldiers to do as Xio and her squad ordered. Xio then gave the signal and Kaneki with a few others ran over to the Japanese soldiers and quickly ran over to check them for other weapons to confiscate. Xio made a small group take one of the Japanese Soldiers and have him lead them back to their vehicles. Meanwhile the others were left on their knees with their hands behind their heads. Xio was walking in front of them as Kaneki and the rest of her MTF units had their guns on the Japanese Soldiers to keep them down.

"You motherfuckers have a lot of explaining to do." Kaneki didn't really know why but when Xio talked using her translation collar she sounded like a man. It didn't help that her helmet concealed her face or how her chest plate hid her breast. Though Kaneki quickly shook that out of his head as that was not important right now. But to everyone's shock Itami quickly raised his hand to speak up, which both confused and annoyed Xio that he raised his hand like a kindergartener. Kaneki noticed it seemed to annoy the female Japanese Soldiers as well.

"Ugh, what do you want, dumbass?"

"Uh, well first off don't you think you're trying too hard?"

"... Excuse me?"

"Well, I mean all the swearing. Is it really necessary? Also, the get up too. Do you really need to go all out like that?" Kaneki could tell that Xio was beyond angry right now, she quickly walked up to Itami and kicked him in the stomach. This caused the Japanese Soldiers distress while the MTF units just started giggling and laughing at the sight while keeping their rifles raised.

"Do you think this is a fucking game asshole?! Do you have any idea how much trouble you are in right now?!"

"Ok! Ok, I'm sorry! I just, come on man we're on the same side here!"

"... Excuse me?"

"Uh... Well, I mean... ok look, I'm not really supposed to tell you this, but we were sent here on a private mission under orders by the prime minister. I mean I know you guys aren't JSDF but at the end of the day you are still with the government, right? So yeah, were on the same side." Xio just stood there quietly for a while, but then she crouched down so that her and Itami were face to face.

"... I am going to enjoy watching you get tortured to death. All of you!" Xio then got up and walked away from the JSDF units.

"Tie them up! I don't want these stupid motherfuckers causing any more shit! H-2! With me!" Kaneki looked at the Japanese Soldiers as they were getting tied up without resisting. Kaneki then followed Xio to the middle of the destroyed village where they found a well. Xio sat on the edge of the well and looked to the sky while having a deep sigh of annoyance.

"God fucking damn it, I like having a challenging mission, but this is fucked in all the wrong ways. How the fuck did these Japanese Military idiots even get in here?"

"Actually H-1, it's known as the Japanese Self-Defense Force." Xio then looked at Kaneki, he didn't need her to take off her helmet to know she was deeply annoyed with him. He lowered his head to show how deeply sorry he was.

"Ugh, look man, I know these are your people but don't go defending them or anything ok? They're not supposed to be here and frankly I should kill them just for breathing the same air as us."

"What will we do with them, H-1?"

"Bring them back to base, torture them for information, then get the assholes who arranged this shit. You know the usual."

"According to them it's the prime minister."

"Then the O5 Council is going to have a field day finding a replacement for him after his assassination." Kaneki couldn't help but stare at Xio in shock and fear. Xio looked at Kaneki, she couldn't see his facial expression with his helmet, but she had a good idea. She laughed and picked up a bucket that happened to be close by.

"Yeah, get used to it Rookie, this might make a layman have a heart attack but it's just another day at the Foundation for the rest of us." Xio then tossed the bucket behind her and into the well, expecting a splash. However, as she started to get up, she instead heard a Donk sound.

"Huh? Did it hit something?"

"Uh, maybe all the water is gone so it hit the ground." Xio walked back to the well and looked inside, after turning on night vision on her helmet she saw Tuka unconscious at the bottom.

"Oops, that probably knocked her out."

"Is that an elf? I've never seen one before!"

"All the more reason to get her out, if she's a survivor of this village then she'll have important info."

"But how do we get-"

"Relax, rookie I got this." Xio just blatantly jumped into the well, shocking Kaneki, it only took her a minute to crawl back out with Tuka on her shoulder. Xio got out of the well and gently placed Tuka on the ground.

"H-11 and H-12 get your asses over here, we got an elven girl that needs medical attention."

***

All the Hesia-2 units were back at the Foundation vans and H-13 through H-20 brought back the Japanese vehicles which turned out there were only three. They rounded up the Japanese soldiers who were all standing but tied up in rope preventing them from using their arms. Xio ordered that they all be lined up, side by side alongside the cars and that she would sort them out later.

"H-12 reporting! The Elven girl is fine, she's just unconscious. I think her vitals are stable though."

"You think?"

"Uh... ok I hope, mainly because I don't know what normal vitals for Elves are."

"Ugh, god damn it. Alright whatever, H-11, your coming with us in our car so you can continue to treat the girl. We can't afford to lose her."

"I can help her!"

"Shut up bitch!" H-3 hit Kurokawa on the back of the head with the butt of his gun. She grunted in pain and glared at him in anger while he growled back at her. Meanwhile, H-5 did notice Kurata staring at Tuka while blushing and smiling like an idiot, H-5 quickly elbowed him in the stomach.

"Eyes to yourself creep!" Xio then sighed as she stood in front of everyone to give an announcement.

"Alright everyone! we got some special cargo including an elven girl, the first elf we've ever encountered in this world so she's top priority. That's the easy part, the hard part is that we also got to watch over these assholes as well." All the Hestia-2 units looked at the Japanese soldiers and each either growled or simply grunted in anger, making the Japanese sweat nervously.

"Here's how we're going to do this, we'll be taking the Japanese vehicles as well, with eight vehicles now in our control we'll have six vehicles, including the Japanese vehicles, driven by two units. The last two cars will just have four units with the car I'll be in guarding this elf girl. We'll divide the Japanese soldiers as evenly as possible among those vehicles and escort everyone back to Site-GATE. There these Japanese soldiers will have to deal with the interrogation team." Several Hestia-2 units started laughing while Kaneki was staring at the Japanese soldiers with sympathy.

"But before you start dividing them up, I'm going to take some myself, I'll take... that one... that one... and that one." Xio pointed at Kurokawa, Itami, and Kurata. This made Kurokawa look concerned, Itami groaned in disappointment, and Kurata started sweating in overwhelming fear.

"Alright load the rest of them up and get moving! H-2, H-3, and H-11, with me!" The Hestia-2 units then started pushing the Japanese soldiers to the vehicles. Two Hestia-2 units in particular faced Kuribayashi who smirked at them.

"Only two? You guys are seriously underestimating us." Suddenly one of them punched her hard in the face causing her nose to break and bleed instantly. The both of them looked at her in disappointment as she fell to the ground crying.

"Yeah, I seriously fucking doubt that."

"Argh! What the fuck?! How could you just punch a girl?! Especially one as pretty as me!"

"Quit your bitching and get up!"

"Argh, fucking assholes! I hope you never get married! Die alone you pricks!" The two MTF units looked at each other in confusion, not really considering Kuribayashi's words as insults. Instead, they just ignored her complaints and insults as they continued to push her toward any vehicle that was available. Kaneki was watching the entire time and couldn't help but sigh in disappointment. Though he honestly should have expected this, proper manners and consideration towards others are highly valued in Japan, but the same can't really be said for Foundation staff. Even the Japanese branch of the Foundation is filled with murderous assholes and cold-hearted scientists that value their work more than human life. It was terrible but there's nothing that can be done about it, or at least nothing Kaneki could do. So instead, he just got into the car with Xio, and they drove off.

Kaneki was in the back but right behind Itami who was in the front seat right next to Xio who was driving. Once again Xio was playing her random music from different places around the world, this time it was playing Magic Carpet Ride by Steppenwolf. The music left Kurokawa, Itami, and Kurata confused. Kaneki figured their confusion was because they thought she was a Japanese man which made sense due to the translation collar making her not only speak Japanese but also talk like a man.

"Uh... Interesting choice of music."

"Stop talking."

"... so, you got an elf huh?"

"Stop talking!"

"... It was a dragon that destroyed the village." Xio huffed in annoyance as she looked at Itami only for a second, she then pulled out her pistol and pointed it right at Itami, leaving him extremely scared.

"Keep talking."

"Duh-! We saw it burning the village a while back! We didn't know what it was doing so we didn't bother with it until after it was done destroying everything! It was only afterwards we entered the village and saw you guys! That's all I know I swear!" Xio sighed deeply in annoyance, as she turned on her radio on the vest of her armor.

Alright listen up everyone we got a possible dragon on the loose. According to one of the dumbasses here it was the culprit for the destruction of the elf village. Keep an eye out as we head back to Site-GATE."

"Uh boss? This is H-5."

"Go ahead H-5, what's up?"

"There's a village over the horizon, maybe we can get some more info about them there."

"Alright then, everyone, follow my lead. We're heading to the village."

"Wait, why are we going to a village?" This time Kurokawa was the one talking but that didn't quell Xio's annoyance in the slightest.

"Stop talking."

"Please just tell me-" Kaneki then pointed his rifle at Kurokawa.

"Stop. Talking." Kurokawa looked at Kaneki in disappointment and just turned her gaze away from him. Though Kurokawa did notice that Kaneki looked to the floor as if he was ashamed by all of this. Xio sighed in relaxation now that everyone was finally quiet.

***

Xio, H-3, and other units got out of the vehicles while Kaneki and the rest stayed in the cars to watch over the Japanese soldiers. Kaneki and H-11 were in the MGDB-4 along with Tuka, Itami, Kurokawa, and Kurata. Kaneki kneeled down to check on Tuka, he placed his hand on her forehead and sighed in relief knowing she didn't have a fever. However, on the visor of his helmet the computer displayed a warning in front of him that there was movement behind him. Though before he could react, H-11 raised his rifle and pointed it at Kurata.

"Ah! I was just stretching my legs I swear!" Kaneki faced him and grunted in anger but again, another warning appeared on his visor. This time he had time to point his pistol at Kurokawa's face, keeping her from ambushing him. She raised her hands in defeat while Kaneki sat back down in his seat. Kaneki then put his gun away and sighed in annoyance, he really didn't want to be watching over the prisoners.

"We need to get out of here."

"Stop talking." Itami then cleared his throat and started tapping on the metal, he was using morse code to say, "we need a plan". However, upon doing so Kaneki started tapping on his gun to say in morse code "no morse code either". Itama then sighed and sat on his seat in silence now officially out of ideas. He then saw Xio outside talking to the villagers, seemingly doing so with complete understanding of the language. Itami couldn't help but wonder how it was possible for them to perfectly incorporate a new language within a few months.

"Can you please help us?" However, before Itami could ponder anymore he was shocked to hear Kurokawa speaking.

"Stop talking!"

"Please! I saw how you were just as disgusted with their behavior! I know there's good in you!"

"If you don't stop talking, I will shoot you!"

"Then you'll be a murderer of innocent life."

"... Wouldn't be the first time. Now Shut up." Kurokawa was shocked by how casually Kaneki could admit he was a murderer. However, she then sighed in frustration, while the rest of them just sat in silence.

"Ok look-" H-11 grunted in anger as he pointed his rifle at Itami in one hand and then pointed his pistol at Kurokawa in case she decided to try to ambush him again.

"Ok! Ok! I get it you're angry and really want us to shut up but come on! You have to agree that this is messed up! Traveling to a whole fantasy world?! Kidnapping elf girls! Going to medieval villages with military weapons! You've already killed hundreds of innocent humans and demi-humans! I mean are you really ok with all this crazy nonsense?!" H-11 was about to fire but Kaneki raised his hand up to stop him. However Kaneki was just as annoyed and glared at Itami in anger before talking to him.

"... First of all, the fact that you don't understand anything about what we're doing is not only downright frustrating but also shows how talking to you is a complete waste of time! Second of all, stop talking! There's literally nothing you can do to stop this! Third of all, even if you could stop this it won't matter in the long run. This entire world is now SCP Foundation property and whether you like it or not so are you guys. You'll be lucky to be regulated to D-Class after we get you all to Site-GATE but the more chaos you three bring! The more disastrous it's going to be in the long run! So, for the love of whatever god you believe in, SHUT UP!" Kaneki then fixed himself back into his seat while clearly doing so in anger, meanwhile H-11 just huffed but did so out of amusement. Finally, Itami, Kurokawa, and Kurata just remained quiet as they now knew that no matter what they said their fates and the fates of the villagers were sealed. Then, Xio and H-3 got back into the car as the villagers started walking towards the military cars in their possession while others were getting their own carts.

"Uh, H-1 what's going on?" Xio raised her hand to signal to Kankei to be quiet for a second. She then turned the radio on her vest online so that everyone in Hestia-2 could hear her.

"Everyone, switch to English." Kaneki and everyone else did as Xio ordered.

"Alright, here's the deal." Itami, Kurokawa, and Kurata looked at Xio in shock as she was now speaking in perfect English. Before any of them tried to question it, H-3 and Kaneki raised their rifles at them to keep them quiet.

"These villagers are weary of the dragon, so they want to leave. They agreed to come back with us in exchange for providing information the moment we arrive at Site-GATE."

“Uh, H-8 here boss. Wouldn't the Council be pissed at allowing civilians into a Foundation site?"

"Let me worry about that, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Besides MTF High Commander Yōsai is a merciful guy who values protocols like 'Guardian Angel'. This will work out so long as we encounter him first and not Dr. Egao."

"Sounds like gambling."

"It's the best shot these people have. We either leave them here and let them get eaten by the fire dragon or get them to Site-Gate and hope that we don't encounter Dr. Egao, who we all know will order their immediate execution. At least at Site-GATE they have a 50/50 chance of survival."

"Better than nothing, huh boss?"

"Just another day on the job boys! Oh, and by the way keep an eye on the Japanese fuckers. Don't let the villagers get them out of the restraints or anything like that. Over and out!"

***

At first the evacuation was going well, especially with the first village they evacuated being small and having their own carts. However, they were taking a straight path back towards Site-GATE and this unfortunately led to them encountering other villages asking for help.

"Come on Boss! Let's just leave them!" Now the MTF units set their language back to Japanese and H-3 was getting fed up with helping villagers. 

"You wanna leave innocent people to die?"

"We're not humanitarians! Fuck civilians, maybe they should die for us for a fucking change." Itami, Kurokawa, and Kurata were especially shocked by what H-3 said, Kaneki was just annoyed, H-11 was indifferent, but Xio started laughing.

"Hahahaha! You cold hearted motherfucker! But no, we're not leaving these people behind. Especially since they are from other villages. We need as much info from as many different people as possible. The more different they are the better. Them being from different villages might mean they have a slightly different culture and therefore different yet valuable info."

"Kinda sounds like another gamble, boss."

"Look, we're doing this whether you like it or not, now quit your bitching and watch over the prisoners with H-11. H-2, on me." H-3 grunted in annoyance as he moved to the back to do as Xio ordered. Kaneki smiled under his helmet as he enjoyed Foundationist's like H-3 not getting their way. Though he did feel bad for Itami, Kurokawa, and Kurata as he and H-11 were most certainly not going to be as merciful as Kaneki or Xio was.

***

Now out of the vehicles Kaneki was following Xio's orders of helping people getting into their carts or escorting them.

"Sir, please, our cart broke down, we don't have time to rep-"

"Say no more Sir, H-5! Get this man's family into a vehicle."

"Hey, Sir, sorry to bug you but we were wondering if you could give us a pardon on allowing others to ride our cart."

"Sorry sir, you know the rules, if you have a working Cart and available space you can't travel alone."

"Ah, but kind sir! I have food in my cart. What if one of those rats tries to eat it while we travel to your Domain?"

"Then you better ration to them what they need to survive so they don’t take anything else. Besides it's alright Sir, we have plenty of food back at Site-GATE you and your family will be fine." The villager grunted in annoyance at Xio but then he seemingly got an idea and smirked deviously as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a pouch. He showed Xio the pouch to show it had silver and copper coins inside.

"This is the savings of my family through the generations. Keep these rats out of my cart and it's all yours!" Xio just huffed at the man and pushed the pouch back to him.

"Keep your bribes old man, I'm not a fucking capitalist. Now follow the rules and let some of these nice people ride your cart or else you'll be kicked out of our group and shot down if you try to follow us." The man was shocked that Xio wouldn't take the money but quickly put it back in his pocket and growled in anger as he went back to his cart. Xio sighed but she smiled under her helmet knowing she was helping these people. Or at least that's what she hoped the outcome would be, it all really depended on how the Council of Site-Gate reacted the moment they got back.

Kaneki was helping people out as well and enjoyed doing so, the Foundation normally helped humanity as a whole and did so in the shadows. Helping individuals in the daylight was rare for Foundation staff but when they did do it, Kaneki felt proud of his job. However, Kaneki's attention shifted when he heard a horse crying out only to immediately die later. Kaneki quickly went over to see the situation and saw a girl on the ground with a bleeding nose.

"H-12 come in! We have an injured civilian here! Possibly a concussion! Over!"

"Copy that, on my way!" Kaneki then went over to the girl and switched his translator to her native language.

"Hey ma'am! Can you hear me? Please open your eyes if you can."

"Be gentle with her, her condition is severe." Kaneki then looked up to see Lelei sitting beside the injured girl as well.

"Ah, excuse me ma'am, paramedics are already on their way, please vacate at once.”

"Para- med- icks?"

"Uh, ok look, we're professionals who know what we are doing. Please leave and let us do our job. We'll be able to help this girl."

"You are not Empire, nor are you native. I can tell by your armor, yet you're willing to help. Why?"

"Ugh, ma'am please just listen to me and- WATCH OUT!" Kaneki then raised his rifle and shot down a horse that was mere seconds from running over Lelei. Lelei jumped back in horror only to almost land on the injured girl, but Kaneki quickly grabbed her and gently carried her away from both the injured girl and the dead horse.

"Sorry about that, are you ok?" Kaneki was now holding Lelei in his arms and she was looking up at him with an emotionless expression.

"Yes, I am fine, thank you. But still. Why did you save me?" Kaneki then gently let her stand on her own.

"Isn't saving people just common sense?" Kaneki knew it was hypocritical of a Foundation MTF unit to say this but as far as Lelei knew the SCP Foundation didn't exist, so he didn't think it was a big deal.

"Alright I'm here!"

"About time, H-12! The girl is here." Lelei just continued watching them, she made sure to observe them treating this girl with her injuries. First H-12 laid down his Portable Foundation Medical Case, opened it, and put the medical arm bracelet on the injured girl to check her vitals. Lelei quickly went behind H-12 to see what was on the case and was amazed to see all the medicines and medical equipment inside as well as the Foundation Laptop inside. While H-12 was carefully placing the right medicines at the right dosages Lelei was observing closely trying to absorb it all into her head. However, it was quickly getting to the point that H-12 could feel her close presence behind her and was getting uncomfortable.

"Uh, ma'am can you please go away? I'm trying to work here."

"I apologize; however, I would like to keep observing to understand what you're doing."

"Uh, ok but can you please do so while farther away from me so I can keep this girl from dying." Lelei nodded and backed away but made sure to keep watching H-12 work.

***

A day had passed, and they were finally heading to Site-Gate after getting all the local villages ready to evacuate. However due to their massive numbers they were moving quite slowly to ensure that no one was left behind. Though the carriages and carts were naturally slow anyways and thus the MGDB-4's and Japanese jeeps had to drive slowly. 

"Ugh god this is taking forever!" Itami was now in the driver's seat slowly driving the MGDB-4 with H-3 behind his seat pointing his gun at him to keep him driving.

"Quit your bitching, it's not like complaining is going to make us go faster anyways." Suddenly the front door opened and Xio entered the passenger seat of the MGDB-4 with a baby in her arms.

"What the hell? Where did you get that thing?" Itami was confused to hear H-3 call an infant a ‘thing’ rather than a baby, though Xio wasn’t since she knew H-3 was a Foundationist.

"From a couple that got abandoned after their cart broke down. They were begging everyone else to take their kid so that at least it could live. Gonna have a fucking field day telling my wife about this once we get back."

"Uh, congratulations Sir." Xio just growled at Itami as he spoke.

"I don't want to hear that from you, just shut up and drive dumbass." Because they were low on hands Xio made the tough call of letting the Japanese go so that they could help care for the villagers and keep them in line as everyone went back to Site-GATE. Xio told them that if they complied, they would receive pardons when they got back, which was a lie. However, to her surprise they were surprisingly willing to help and started doing so almost immediately.

The villagers were equally grateful to the MTF units and JSDF soldiers but even they could see the tension between the two groups. The JSDF soldiers were still afraid and often disgusted by the MTF's callous attitudes, while the MTF units were still annoyed they had to deal with the JSDF soldiers in the first place.

"Boss, this is H-19. Over."

"Go ahead H-19, what's up?"

"We got another situation; one cart is stuck in the mud, and another is completely busted, the wheels are practically rotting by the second."

"God damn it, not another one. Alright get it out of the mud as soon as possible and for the busted one… damn, we already got everything packed so tell them to keep the essentials only, if you can spread them out to the other carts after that, burn the busted one."

***

"Copy that, over and out boss." H-5 sighed in disappointment as he saw the villagers who owned the cart stuck in the mud, trying in vain to get it out. About four JSDF soldiers ran over to help get the cart out but even they were struggling to get it out. H-5 wasn't sure about letting them go at first but now he was actually glad they were here. Obviously, he could get that cart out himself but right now it was probably better to let them take care of it while he took care of the other task.

"Please chief! How am I supposed to live without my belongings?!"

"Here waits only death, you can always start again so long as you have your life. Please continue with only what you can carry."

"Ugh, ah! You there, the soldier in black armor! Please help me and my wife! Can't you take our belongings and place them into your magical carriages like some of your comrades did for the others?"

"I'm sorry Sir, all the carts and vehicles are already packed. We don't have room for anything else. Please listen to the chief and take what you can carry in your arms, nothing else."

"But- But-"

"Now, now, don't trouble these fine soldiers anymore. They showed us more mercy than the Empire ever would. If you trouble them further, then even the gods won't forgive you."

"Ugh... I understand... sorry to trouble you, soldier in black armor."

"It's quite alright, now please get away from the cart as I'll have to burn it to keep the fire dragon off our backs."

***

Itami, Kaneki, Xio, and Kurokawa, Kurata and H-11 remained quiet for a little while as their MGDB-4 drove slowly. Suddenly Tuka started moving and she opened her eyes and looked around.

"Ah, Boss, the elven girl is regaining consciousness though she's still weak."

"Good, she should be in a better state by the time we get back to Site-GATE."

"I could help you know." H-11 looked at Kurokawa, glaring at her in annoyance.

"I highly doubt that."

"I'm a field medic of the JSDF, you know."

"Oh congratulations, you're officially more pathetic than a highschooler. that deserves praise, right?"

"The JSDF isn't useless you know." H-11 and Kurokawa looked back at Kaneki in shock, however H-11 was quickly filled with anger and annoyance.

"Tell you what, dipshit. How about you tell me more when I start giving a fuck, how does that sound?"

"Can you please stop with all the cursing? For goodness's sake there's a young girl in front of you."

"Oh, sorry I forgot my fucking manners at home, you shitty cunt!" Kurokawa looked at H-11 in shock but her shock quickly turned to anger. However before either of them could do anything, the baby Xio was holding started crying and she quickly started rocking her arms to lull it back to sleep.

"H-11, I'm going to assume that wasn't a sexist comment, because if it was that would be in direct violation of Protocol "United We Stand". As such I would have to report you and I think we both know what happens to assholes who violate that protocol since the O5 take such matters very seriously. So, I suggest you do your damn job by making sure that girl stays alive and maybe learn to shut the fuck up while you're doing it." H-11 started sweating in his helmet and fearfully nodded. Kurokawa then looked at Xio, but she quickly turned her head away in disappointment.

"I didn't need your help for the record."

"Wasn't doing it for you, bitch." Kurokawa's cheeks started turning red with anger, everything the MTF units did only angered her more and more. She had never met such vile human beings before. However, her attention shifted when she looked out the back window of the MGDB-4 to see H-19 using a flamethrower to torch a cart.

"Um, excuse me, uh boss? Why are they burning the carts?"

"You don't have to call me boss since you technically don't work for me. But anyways, their torching the damaged carts to keep the damn dragon off our backs. The Village Chief told me that the dragon sets wildfires to remind itself where it has attacked and where it hasn't. So, if we keep burning the old carts while heading to Site-GATE then it will think it already came this way and have no reason to follow us."

"But what about the people who need those carts?"

"We're only burning the carts that have broken down, these carts are old and weak so they can break down at any moment. Unfortunately, these people weren't expecting to be moving so suddenly so they didn't get new carts in advance. As such some of them are breaking down, the muddy trail isn't helping either. So, if we have to abandon them then we might as well use them to get the Dragon off of our backs. It's only because of the dragon that these villagers agreed to come with us in the first place, might as well do what we can to put them at ease."

"I suppose that makes sense, but why not just call in more vehicles since we're already spread pretty thin."

"Kurokawa-chan, they can't do that." Xio was surprised and so was Kaneki and H-11 since now it was Itami speaking on their behalf. Xio was angry at Itami, but she decided to allow him to talk since it seemed like he was finally taking something seriously rather than being goofy like he was earlier.

"It's quite obvious that these guys were originally on a recon mission, however they ended up having to put it all down when an unfortunate encounter ruined everything. That unfortunate encounter is actually us by the way. Now they have to deal with getting us back to their home base to sort everything out with our governments. Though I think it's safe to say our superiors lied to us by saying that our own recon mission exploring the special region was protected and approved by the prime minister himself. And I think it's also safe to say that these soldiers are actually from the UN." Xio looked at Itami only for a second before looking away.

"Hm, didn't hit the nail huh? Well anyways from a military organization much more powerful and more covert than the Japanese government so probably on the same level as the UN. Anyways they just established a base here in the special region, got a recon mission only for it to be screwed up by us. Then there's the worst part of trying to get the villagers to safety as well in hostile territory filled with monsters and fire dragons. Do you really think their superiors would be happy if they called all this in and told them to send in more cars?"

"Ah... well of course I already figured all this out First Lieutenant, I'm just asking how we can make it better."

"You didn't figure that out, you idiot. God, you suck at pretending to be smart." Kurokawa was now furious at H-11, but Itami talked again to focus her attention off of him.

"Look Kurokawa, the point is that their hands are already tied enough as it is, calling in reinforcements is only going to make it worse for them. All we can do is help with what we got and hope for the best from there." Kurokawa just sighed in disappointment, she still didn't accept it but at least knew that nothing she said would make things better. Xio on the other hand was impressed with Itami, she thought he was a mumbling idiot at first but now he seemed like a guy that was easy to depend on.

"... The SCP Foundation..."

"What?"

"We're from the SCP Foundation, it's a secret organization dedicated to containing anomalies around the world to keep humanity and its innocents safe."

"Ah, Boss! Is it really ok to tell these fuckers that?"

"Calm down, it's not like they're going to tell anyone, especially since they're our prisoners now. Figured since their being so useful might as well tell them the situation."

"Ok so this SCP Foundation is an organization funded by the UN?"

"Hell no! We're much higher than the UN, in fact our superiors ordered the Japanese Prime Minister to help keep civilians out of this place. Which is why it's weird that you guys are here under his orders." Itami, Kurokawa, and Kurata were now looking at Xio in shock when she said they were above the United Nations.

"Higher than the UN… That's impossible."

"Nothing's impossible, just difficult." Itami didn't really have anything left to say, instead everyone in the vehicle just remained quiet.

.

Part 3

Part 1

.

SCP: HMF - Tales Hub

[worldrankmusic]

As humans, we have always been fascinated by the mysteries of outer space. The vastness and sheer beauty of the universe often leave us awe-struck. Music has always been a way to convey emotions and feelings that are hard to put into words. When these two come together, the result is a truly magical experience. Music inspired by space can take listeners on a journey through the cosmos, evoking images of stars, galaxies, and black holes. Here is a guide to some of the best space music tracks. 1. Also Sprach Zarathustra by Richard Strauss - The iconic opening theme from Stanley Kubrick's movie 2001: A Space Odyssey is a powerful and haunting piece that sets the scene for the entire film. Its use of brass instruments creates a strong sense of awe and majesty, as if we are witnessing something truly extraordinary. 2. Starman by David Bowie - A classic from the Thin White Duke himself, Starman is a beautiful and uplifting song about space travel and the wonder of the universe. With its soaring chorus and Bowie's distinctive vocals, it's impossible not to feel a sense of joy and optimism. 3. Space Oddity by David Bowie - Another Bowie classic, Space Oddity tells the story of Major Tom, a fictional astronaut who embarks on a space mission that goes horribly wrong. With its dreamy, melancholic melody and haunting lyrics, it's a perfect anthem for anyone who's ever gazed up at the stars and wondered what lies beyond. 4. Interstellar Theme by Hans Zimmer - The soundtrack to Christopher Nolan's epic sci-fi movie Interstellar is a masterpiece of orchestral music. The main theme, composed by Hans Zimmer, is a haunting and powerful piece that captures the sense of wonder and awe that the movie conveys. 5. Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber - Originally written for a string quartet, Adagio for Strings is a poignant and emotional piece that has been used in various space-related media, such as the documentary movie The Farthest. Its sweeping, mournful melody is perfect for capturing the majesty and loneliness of space. 6. Mars, the Bringer of War by Gustav Holst - Part of Holst's famous orchestral suite The Planets, Mars, the Bringer of War is a dramatic and intense piece that portrays the violence and aggression of the planet Mars. Its repetitive, pounding rhythm and dramatic crescendos make it a thrilling listening experience. 7. Contact by Daft Punk - The French electronic duo's soundtrack for the movie Tron: Legacy is a futuristic and atmospheric work that perfectly captures the sense of being in a computerized world. Contact, the album's closing track, is a soaring and epic piece that sounds like it was created in a distant galaxy. Listening to space music can be a transformative experience. It can help us appreciate the beauty of the universe and remind us of our own place in it. Whether you're looking for something haunting and melancholic or uplifting and joyous, there's a space music track out there that's right for you. So put on some headphones, close your eyes, and blast off to the stars. Out of this World: A Guide to the Best Space Music Tracks

[ao3feed--reylo]

Sing To Me

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/pHhAwfz

by ReyAndor19

Reeling from the battle on Tython, Din and his new crew are picking themselves back up and searching for a way to rescue Grogu from Moff Gideon’s clutches— a seemingly impossible task, but then again, they face the impossible almost daily. But when Gideon strikes a reluctant deal with them, they may have another way to get Grogu back. How hard can it be to track down a few force-sensitives?

Displaced from their own time, Rey, Ben, and their little family have no idea how they ended up 20 years in the past. Determined to find a way back to their own time, they scour the galaxy for any possible time-traveling options. But in a past where force-sensitives are as valuable as precious metals or exotic pets, they’ve got a whole new set of problems: a crew of bounty hunters is close on their heels, and they must find a way home before they’re captured by the Empire.

Words: 613, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, The Mandalorian (TV), Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M, Gen

Characters: Rey (Star Wars), Din Djarin, Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Cara Dune, Boba Fett, Fennec Shand, Moff Gideon (Star Wars), Grogu | Baby Yoda, Temiri Blagg, Arashell Sar, Oniho Zaya, Jyn Erso, Cassian Andor

Relationships: Cassian Andor/Jyn Erso, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Din Djarin & Grogu | Baby Yoda, Din Djarin & Cara Dune, Din Djarin & Cara Dune & Boba Fett & Fennec Shand

Additional Tags: Time Travel, Alternate Universe, Din Djarin Needs a Hug, Protective Din Djarin, Parents Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey Needs A Hug (Star Wars), Redeemed Ben Solo, POV Rey (Star Wars), Jyn Erso Lives, Cassian Andor Lives, Parents Cassian Andor/Jyn Erso, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Post-Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Planet Lah'mu (Star Wars), Rogue One Fix-It, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Fix-It, not really a mandalorian fix it i actually made that one more angsty, Family Fluff, Family, Angst, The Mandalorian (TV) Season 2, Angst with a Happy Ending, Missions Gone Wrong, Song: Sing To Me (MISSIO), Inspired by Music

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/pHhAwfz