#reach escape and rover

[lisenberry]

We drift in and out

Chapter 3: Did I find you, or you find me?

E/NSFW/MDNI

CW: Consensual Somno, Light Breeding, Canon-Typical Violence, Angst

6k (I know, I went nuts)

10k COMPLETE!

This whole fic started with one picture of a man with hairy arms holding a baby. Everything that came after was a fever dream.

Ch. 1 , Ch. 2, AO3

You had one last night together.  Eighteen short hours before a black Land Rover would pick him up and take him away.  Off to catch a plane to some forward operating base in a remote, foreign place.

He’d been home with you for four months, by far his longest leave yet.  With each day, you’d gotten more comfortable, wondering if maybe he’d become permanent.  That instead of just playing house, you were living something real.  Building something special together.

That your plans could change, and you could let the fearful part of you rest.  That doubtful voice that kept you always prepared.  Always on.  The survival mode that kept you moving forward but also stopped you from slowing down long enough to breathe.  To enjoy.

It was a skill that benefited you in your work.  The single-minded attention to detail and success.  And when you’d learned you were pregnant, it had kept you from giving into the panic of the unknown.  But once she was born, you didn’t have a choice, but to sit with it all.  The joy, and the exhaustion.  Slow, blissful days had become your routine.    

Now you were facing the plan again.  The one he wasn’t in.  You’d survive, of course, but the bleakness of it cut like a wound.  You should’ve known nothing so perfect could last forever.  Maybe you did know, deep down.  Maybe he did, too, and that’s why you kept each other just a bit out of reach. 

But you still had a little more time.  A few more memories to make before it came to an uncertain end.

You popped out to Marks & Sparks for supplies to make dinner.  It had become a little holiday for you in the last few months.  He’d stay home with the baby, and you’d put on real clothes and do your hair and escape for a few hours to squeeze the fruits and smell the cheeses.  Go aisle by aisle and daydream about new recipes to try.

Not this time.  This time you hurried through as fast as you could.  Wasted not a minute as you snatched up everything on your list and rushed to get back to them.

They weren’t in your apartment when got home, so you crossed the hall and knocked on the door to his. 

“It’s open!”  His voice rang from inside, as you tried the knob and walked in.

He had the baby’s highchair in the kitchen, and the dining room table set with fine china and candles.  Music crooned from some hidden speaker, something classical you’d never heard before.

“What’s all this?”  You asked, as you set down the bags of groceries on his counter. 

“I thought we could eat out tonight.  Something different.”  He stood with his hands at his hips, and a burp cloth strung over his shoulder.  A scheming smile that didn’t quite meet his eyes.  They didn’t crinkle at the edges the same way you’d gotten used to.

“You’re okay with me making a mess of your kitchen?”  You teased.  “You know I’ll use every pan and utensil at my disposal.”

Your place was lovely, but his side of the building had twice the space, and a balcony that overlooked Hyde Park.  During the few times you visited, it had felt like stepping into a different world.  Like a fancy hotel suite in a far-off country, in the way that it had visitors but never really felt lived in.  Sanitized into a blank slate, adaptable to anyone who crossed the threshold in search of an escape from their mundane reality.

Or like a museum, it was a place that existed outside of time. 

“You cook, I’ll clean up.”   He leaned his hips back against the granite and opened his arms to it welcomingly. 

It made sense that he’d want to spend his last night in his own home.  His own bed. 

“Suit yourself,” you plopped a smacking kiss on the baby’s downy head as she sat contentedly in her chair, chewing on a colorful toy.

When you turned your attention back to him, he waited patiently for his greeting.   The longing with which he first looked at you and your daughter the day you’d come home was back again.  It had seemed like the start of something then.

This time it felt like the end, as you pulled up on your tip toes and pressed a kiss to his lips.  Short and sweet.  If you hooked your arms around his neck and buried your face in his neck, like every corner of your soul was aching to do, you’d never let go.

The food would rot on the counter and the hard things would never get done. 

So, you settled back down and unpacked the bags in front of you. 

“Will you pick the wine?  I’m making your favorite.” 

In lifetimes past, you would’ve dressed up and gone to The Midland in King’s Cross for dinner.  Fed each other oysters and champagne.  Danced until the early hours of the morning and crashed wildly into bed.  Shared a cigar afterwards, naked but for the shelter of each other’s arms.

This time, you made roast beef with fingerling potatoes, minty peas, and glazed carrots.  Topped with gravy and with a side of Yorkshire pudding to sop it all up.

It’d be some time before the baby could join in on the feast, but she flailed with enthusiasm at the smells and the excitement with which the two of you ate.  Oblivious to how much her lukewarm cereal and the bottle that she could now almost hold on her own paled in comparison.

In place of a West End show, there were airplane spoons and milky sneezes to keep you laughing.  Something to focus on besides the future.  Besides each other. 

The chasm that was too deep and too far to cross, let alone name.

As if on cue, with the last sip of wine, she started to fuss.  Fisted her eyes and arched her back in surrender as John rose to soothe her.  You’d have many more nights to put her to bed, but who knew what awaited him.  You gave him the time alone as you collected the place settings and started the cleaning that he’d promised you.

The little one sighed so heavily against his chest as she curled into him, burying her fingers in his shirt.  You knew the feeling, ached for it as you silently cursed your ability to dirty so many dishes making a meal. 

He was gone long enough for you to handwash the china and fill the dishwasher, and you wondered if she fought sleep, or if he simply lingered a little longer.  Did he tell her a story, or share some secret that was just between them? 

The polished wood floorboards creaked under his weight when he finally returned to the kitchen.  There was a stiffness to his towering form, as if he was flexing under an invisible weight.

“Just in time.  Everything’s already done,” you chided, gently, as you dried your hands on a towel.    

“I set her up in the portable crib with the monitor.  In the bedroom next to mine.”

“Her first sleepover.”  You still couldn’t look at him.  You hadn’t yet, had you?  Not really.  Not since he got the call earlier that day.

Since you’d told him he was never meant to be a part of your life.  That you could live without him.

A lie that he’d surely seen through, but you needed to keep for yourself as you busied your hands and kept your back to him.

But he wouldn’t let you hide, as he stepped behind you and pulled you in. 

“Don’t pull away.  Please.  Not yet.”  He tucked his grizzled chin into the curve of your neck. 

“I’m trying.”  You let your head fall back against him, vaguely aware that the music was still playing.  Something sad and slow as you swayed to the beat of it.

His hands rested on your hips as he spun you around to face him.  If a kiss could fix everything, you gave it to him then.  Did your best as you fisted his hair and pulled him down to you, while his palms roamed lower to cup your ass and lift you onto the counter.

Like meat and wine, you savored his lips and his tongue as he delved even deeper.  Splitting you open and demanding more.  Demanding everything. 

Your shirt was over your head and his roughened fingers scratched along the skin of your back, massaging and kneading the sides of your spine while he unhooked your bra.  The same muscles you’d kept rigid all day he coaxed into pliancy with each stroke as a weak moan slipped past your lips.

“That’s a girl.  Be soft and sweet for me, will you?”  He started off slow at the tip of your ear, trailing light, tickling kisses down the shell and to where the lobe met your neck.    

It sent shivers down your arms, and your naked breasts budded to peaks as they grazed against the cool smoothness of his shirt.  You didn’t want cool, or smooth, just heat and texture as you pulled it off his shoulders and wrapped your legs around his hips.

He groaned at the contact, a fierce and hungry sound as he took one of your hands and slotted it between you.  Pressed your palm against the bulge in his pants and grinded against it, letting you feel the way it grew and hardened at your touch.

“Tell me you’ll miss me.  Fucking lie to me, just say it,” he grated out, against your collarbone.  Miss him?  Lie to him?  It would be a lie to say you wouldn’t.  “I need to hear you to say it.” 

“I miss you already,” you whined, as you slid your hands from his groin to his ass and anchored him closer to the dampening heat at your core.

“I’m right here.” 

“Then take me to bed.  And show me how much you’ll miss me.”  It was your turn to grind against him, rubbing the bud of your arousal greedily along the lip of his fly through your thin linen pants as your tits bobbed wantonly against his furry chest.

“Not going to last long if you keep doing that, love,” he growled, lifting you up again and carrying you down the hallway.  “I’d rather take my time.”

And he did, starting with his fingers, then his mouth.  Drawing out each sensation like he was mapping the stars.   Exploring the far reaches of your body and forging new paths until you were shaking and spent. 

You marked him in return.  Staked a claim on the meat of his pec with a dark red love bite as he came hard and hot inside your pulsating quim.  Filled you up with a contented smile on his face, as if there was no better feeling in the world.  No place he’d rather be.

“Be back before it fades, okay?”  You nuzzled the hair around the spot with your nose as you drifted off beside him, his fingers lazily circling your hole to push the leaky drops of his seed back in. 

Did he have hopes that it would take? 

Did you?

Later, a strangled sound, like a wounded animal woke you from a fitful sleep.  At some point, you must’ve turned to your side and faced away from him because he was behind you.  Pulling at your hips and burying his head between your shoulder blades.

“John?  What is it?”

“Just a dream.  A bad dream.” 

You felt the swell of his cock as he sought out the smooth shelter between your thighs.  Arching against him instinctively, you curved onto your back and parted your legs as he absently rutted around to find your opening.  Still brimming with the sticky spend from your last bout.

He’d always been a giver, but this one was just for him as he worked out his nightmare on your flesh, your insides, your soul.  It felt like a battle.  A whole damn war as he smothered you with his heavy, dead-weight body and took ground, pounding away at your sensitive, stimulated cunt.

You wondered if he was even awake, or if he was still in the dream, as he fucked into you roughly and muttered far away words.  Bit back his own tears as they mixed with the sweat on your skin.

“Mine...Fucking mine...Not letting you go...Not to anyone else...”

Deprived of oxygen from his bulk on your chest, you almost blacked out with the force of your climax, caught by surprise at the way the mound of hair at his base aroused your clit into bloom with each thrust.  A tenderness amidst the brutal onslaught.  A divine mercy. 

If you had air, you’d have screamed at the intensity of it.  Spotty flashes of light broke the darkness as you felt the last of your spurting aftershocks flutter around him, soaking you both and easing the incinerating friction from the stretch of him. 

You could only clench your teeth and your walls as he shuddered with the strength of his own fresh release.  With his face buried in your shoulder, you knew he didn’t smile this time.  The sorrow of it hit you like a blow to your heart as you felt him stiffen with awareness, the fog of sleep clearing from his consciousness.

“I’m yours.  There’s no one else, John,” you panted, begged, as he eased up onto to his elbows to give you enough space to take a breath.  “Only you.”

********

Before you knew it, the black Land Rover was waiting like a harbinger along the street below.

“Here’s the keys to the truck, and to my place.  Just in case.”  He tossed a set into the bowl you kept on the sideboard.  “I know how much you’re dying to go spying in my cupboards.”  He raised a amused eyebrow to match the gentle hitch in his mustache.

“I wouldn’t do that.”  Except you totally would.  At the first opportunity.

“Afraid of what you’ll find?”

“An expired box of Earl Grey in the kitchen, perfectly sorted socks in the bedroom.  Stinky smelling beard oil in the bathroom.”  You flashed a cheeky grin at the last, in an effort to keep the tone light. 

If he could be strong, so could you.  You wouldn’t be the one to break.  No matter what you felt like on the inside.  You’d save it for when he was gone.

“Beard oil?  This is all natural.”  As if you’d insulted his manhood, he smoothed his mustache down with two hands, in a way you’d seen him do a thousand times.  He’d trained any willfulness from his facial hair with nothing but nose grease and perseverance.  Molded by time and patience, like marble cliffs and silt-shined creek beds.

“But I was right about the socks though, wasn’t I?”

“And the tea.”  He hitched his mouth into a smile and turned his focus to the gurgling baby perched on his hip, yapping and cooing like she was in on the conversation.

The way he looked at her gave you hope that he’d call it all off.  He’d sit back down on the couch and turn on the football.  Put his heavy feet up on your table and let his flight leave without him.

“I’m sure we can find some priceless antiques in there she can teeth on.”  They would start coming in soon.  Another change he’d miss.

“Look, you don’t have to wait.”  He paused to clear the words he was looking for from his throat.  “I understand if you—”

“I just got you, John,” you cut him off, saving him from the self-sacrificing speech, and looked down at her chubby fist wrapped in a white-knuckle grip around his finger.  “You’re not getting rid of us yet.”

Don’t let go, sweetheart.  Don’t let him go.  You willed it into her with your own thoughts.

Your world had gotten so small since she was born.  You’d gone from having a job that needed you, coworkers and clients with a network of responsibilities, down to having just one job. 

One person who needed you.

But it would’ve been a lot smaller without him.  How lonely would you have been without someone to share it all with?  How much of him had seeped into your life, and your heart?

“Be nice to your mum,” he whispered against her soft head, as he kissed her cheek and passed her back to you quickly.  Looking everywhere but at you.  “You have Kate’s number?  In case you need anything?”

You pulled him closer with your free hand to his waist, forcing him to see you.  Eyes wide and blue, he looked scared.  For the first time.

Anything more than a kiss to the forehead would have broken you both.  You’d already said your goodbyes the night before, and again that morning.  So, you simply tilted your head up to him, your own eyes kind and trusting, and felt his beard graze your skin one last time.

And then you watched him go.

********

By the third week, nothing in your apartment smelled like him anymore.  Everything had been washed, and the windows had been left open too long to let in the cool fall breeze.  Looking around, you realized that nothing in your home was his.

He’d come through your life with a force and left no trace behind, as if he was never even there.  It wasn’t right.  You wished with renewed clarity that you’d taken more pictures of him.  That you’d recorded every moment. 

Something to show your daughter, someday, if she ever questioned whether or not she was loved.  Something you could show yourself, when your mind tricked you into believing it was just a dream.

It was the need to seek out that connection, that comfort, that had you unlocking the door to his flat and letting yourself inside.  It was dark, and too quiet.  Cold and cavernous, like he was the one who heated it and gave it light. 

With the baby bouncing on your hip, you explored from room to room.  Three bedrooms and four bathrooms.  And still, you couldn’t find a trace of him anywhere there either.

His sheets had been washed since you’d spent the night.  His bathroom scrubbed of any lingering soap by the cleaning company that came once a month to keep it free of dust and spiders while he was away.

Trapped in time until the next visitor passed through.

Your grief and frustration sprung anew as you moved into his office.  Surely it would have something.  The indent of his body in a leather seat, or the half-burnt end of a forgotten cigar.

But his chair was too firm to leave a crease, and his ashtray was clean.   

There were no medals or honors hung along the walls, and the top of his desk was empty, except for one framed photo.  It was exactly what you were looking for, but at the same time, something you never expected.

It was from four years before, when he’d talked you into running a marathon together for a charity for wounded veterans.  You remembered the day clearly but never knew someone had taken a picture.  It must’ve been at the end, because you were both dewy-faced and soaked in sweat, smiling like mad.

His arm was around your shoulder and yours was at his waist.  You looked like a couple.  Like you were in love.  Was that how you always looked when you were together? 

Was this what you’d been missing out on all this time?

Surely, there were others.  You’d open a drawer and find photos of him with other people.  His parents, his friends.  Other women.

But as you pulled them apart one by one, you only found files of old bank statements and tax forms.  Until you got to the bottom.  A lone manila envelope, padded and thick.

With your name written in the wonky, hurried strokes of his hand.

Your own hands shook as you turned it over to find it sealed.  He must’ve wanted you to see what was inside, or else it wouldn’t have your name on it.

Right?

It felt like paper, documents of some kind, but with something else to give it bulk.  You shouldn’t have seen it, shouldn’t have gone digging through his stuff.  But he’d known you were going to snoop.  Had practically dared you to, didn’t he?

You tucked it back in where you’d found it.  Whatever it was, he could give it to you when he came back.  You’d promised him that you’d wait, and you would.

However long it took.

Just as you shut the drawer, your phone began to buzz in your pocket, jolting you guiltily as if you’d been caught.  You took it out, expecting it to be just another spam call, but paused in immediate horror at the name across the screen. 

(John’s) Kate

He’d saved the contact in your phone in case you needed to get in touch with him.  You couldn’t think of a situation where you’d be justified in pulling his attention away from a job, but you could only think of one reason she’d be calling you.

“Hello,” you answered.

*******

Two hours later, your apartment was full.  Well, there were only four guests gathered around your coffee table and perched with varying degrees of curiosity and tension along your couch and side chairs, but it felt overcrowded considering their size.

Three men that you’d never seen before, and then there was Kate.  Somehow, she took up just as much space as they did.  She carried herself with an air of authority that made your spine straighten reflexively. 

“He didn’t tell us he had a family.”  The clean cut one in the ball cap, who’d introduced himself as Kyle, spoke first as you poured him a cup of tea.  “We all wanted to express our support in person.”

“There wasn’t much to tell until recently,” you smiled, slightly, trying to be a good hostess despite the circumstances.

“You’ve been his emergency contact for the last five years,” Kate added as she declined your offer of milk and sugar.

“I didn’t know that.”  That was as long as you’d known each other.  Did he really not have anyone else? 

“He’s a very private man.”  She did you the favor of talking about him as if he wasn’t gone.  As if there was still hope.

“How did you know about it?”  MacTavish, the stocky Scot with the close-cut mohawk intoned back to her, with a bristling hostility you couldn’t miss.

“I’m CIA.  It’s my job to know everyone’s secrets.” 

You thought maybe she was trying to make a joke, but her face was dead serious. 

“We never would have let him—” He looked regretfully from you to your baby as the blond one with the black surgical mask cut him off with a supportive hand to his knee.

“Have any of you ever successfully talked him out of something once he’d put his mind to it?”  You looked around at the faces of the men staring back at you.  The people he spent all his time with when he wasn’t with you.  “I’m sure that’s why he didn’t tell you.  Afraid you’d treat him differently if he was a real person.”

Perhaps for the same reason he’d never told you how he felt.  Afraid to make it something real.  Something it would hurt to lose.

“Why don’t you tell me what happened, please,” you continued, bracing for the worst.

“A massive fuck up from the beginning, is what it was—”  Kyle interjected, heatedly, before he was interrupted by a pointed look from Kate.

“It’s mostly classified, of course.  So, we can’t go into details.  But John requested an indefinite leave of absence about four months ago.  In the interim, his team was assigned to assist another task force in a sensitive operation.”  She spoke evenly as if reciting a sequence of events before a committee.

And you listened, all the while searching for the bits she left unsaid.  The parts that she hid behind her narrative. 

Phrases like, ‘severe loss of life’, ‘pinned down in hostile territory’, and ‘unable to ascertain status’, were cold, calculated ways of saying something went horribly wrong.

You weren’t a naïve civilian who devoured sound bites at face value.  You worked with government contracts all the time.  American, British.  They were all the same.  ‘Cover your ass,’ was their collective motto.

When she finished, you had more questions than answers.  But one thing stood out in your mind.  He hadn’t been home for so long by accident.  He’d chosen to stay.  He’d given up his team, indefinitely, to be with you. 

“So, if I understand correctly, it was a massive fuck up.  You him called away, despite his clear wishes to be left alone, to save your ass and theirs.”  You turned your attention from Kate over to the team.  “And he got you out.  And you left him behind?” 

He’d quit for you.  But he’d gone back for them. 

“Not willingly.”  The one in the mask, Lieutenant Riley, spoke up for the first time.  His eerily dark eyes shot daggers at Kate, as if the fault was hers.

“He knew what he was doing.  We needed to reassess the objective and regroup.  And I’m available to discuss it at length with you another time, Lieutenant.”

��We know he’s alive.”  MacTavish reassured you.  “If he was dead, they’d be broadcasting his body and celebrating all over the dark web.” 

Oh, what a relief.  The visual turned up bile your throat.

“And if he’s been taken prisoner or something?”

“He’s an exceptionally valuable hostage.  We’ll have a few weeks at least, while they interrogate him, before he’s ransomed.”

Tortured, she meant.  The bile turned to acid, and you forced yourself not to be sick. 

“So, what now?”  You were in a daze.  Kate’s firm, rational, voice grounded you and kept you present when all you wanted to do was breakdown.  To scream and cry and pound your fists against their chests to get back out there and find him.

Her position demanded it, you imagined.  Judging by the tension flowing between the team, they ached to do just that.  It was as if they were held back by some invisible muzzle.  Reined in by years of service.  One strong woman was all that kept them from charging off to take matters into their own hands.

“We’ll keep you updated as soon as we have news,” Kate answered, softer than before.  Perhaps aware that her words alone held little comfort.  That they were as grim as hollow condolences.  “But here, standard protocol.  We had it stripped of anything sensitive.  There’s only a few pictures and text messages left.  It’s unlocked.” 

She handed you his battered old phone.  The screen was scratched up, and the case was cracked enough to be useless protection.  You didn’t think they even supported this model anymore.  You couldn’t help but smile when you saw it. 

‘It’s busted to bloody hell, but still hanging on’, he’d said about it once with a proud laugh.  You prayed that he was the same, wherever he was.

“Thank you.  It was nice to meet you all,” you replied, politely, suddenly anxious to be alone.  To fall apart in peace.  “I wish it was under better circumstances.  Maybe next time we can have a drink and a proper laugh.  When he’s home.” 

“We’ll get him back, Mrs. Price.”  It was Kyle who pulled you into a hug, as if you were family.  “I promise.”

It was the first time anyone had called you that, and you didn’t correct him.  In the moment, it was a comfort.  A universal truth that you longed to hear from someone else’s lips. 

The others followed suit with their goodbyes, but their warmth and concern were a shallow replacement for the man you were missing.  Kate settled for a stoic handshake before you closed the door on them all and set your back against it for support.

The phone in your hand was heavy as you pulled it up to see his text messages, looking for any possible clue or something to keep hope alive.  There were a few off color jokes between him and his mates.   Notes to you about what was for dinner, and silly photos he’d taken of the baby.

One single text exchange with Kate.  As if he’d deleted them as soon as they came in.  Or perhaps Kate had wiped them as part of her pruning.  It was from four months prior. 

I hope you know what you’re doing.

Never more certain in my life.

Were they talking about you?  Of his choice to leave?  It reminded you of something else he’d left behind.  Something you’d forgotten in the whirlwind of the last few hours.

When you held the envelope again in your hands, you didn’t think twice about ripping through the seal.  Inside was a stack of handwritten letters, all dated and signed with his name.

You focused on the one on top, from the day before he’d left.

Hey love,

If you’re reading this, then something must’ve happened to me.  Or your curious nature got the best of you, and you went snooping around my desk.

I hope it’s the latter because it’s time you knew, and who knows when I’ll get the courage to tell you myself.  But if it’s the former, then I’m sorry.

I can’t say I’m surprised, though.  There’s only so many times I can dare death to find me before it wins.  You just have to know that I did my best, for whatever it’s worth.

I never felt like I could have a family.  I didn’t deserve that sort of peace after the things I’ve done.  I’ve taken too many lives to have any chance at a happy one.  Killed too many sons to be entitled to any of my own.

It’s been my purpose.  What I’m good at.  And I never wanted to bring that burden home to anyone else.

Then I saw you again after I made myself a promise to stay away from you this time.  You were so fearless and calm.  I just wanted to be near you.  Close enough that you might scare away the darkness in me.  

If someone like you, and her, could trust me and see any good in me, then maybe I’m not such a monster after all. 

You made me believe in fate.  In something bigger that was beyond my control.  I just hope that it’s not done with me yet.  That it’s not done with us. 

If this is the end, then I just want to say thank you and leave you with everything.  Everything that I have, and everything that I left unsaid.

These letters are from all the other times I’ve done this.  The other missions that called me away since we met, in the event that I didn’t come back.  You were the only thing worth coming home to, and I’m sorry I didn’t share them sooner. 

If you’re just being nosy, and I’m already warm in our bed with the baby drooling on my chest, I hope I’ve already told you a thousand times how much I love you.  How lucky I am to have known your love in return.

And I hope you’re already wearing one of these rings.  I couldn’t decide which one, so I’ll let you choose.  They’ve been in my family for ages.  All yours now.

All my heart, John.

The pages were flooded with salty tears by the time the jingle at the bottom of the envelope caught your attention.  Five different rings.  Yellow and white gold, glistening diamonds, emeralds, and sapphires.  Old and new.

But not yet.  You didn’t dare to touch them yet.  Didn’t choose.  You believed in fate, too.  He wasn’t gone, and it wasn’t the end. 

*******

The next days passed by in a blur, waiting by the phone.  You were thankful for the baby, as she didn’t let you wallow or crumble the way you wanted to.  There were still diapers to change, and bottles to fill.  Smiles to fake and colic to soothe.

You wondered if she missed him, too.  If she even noticed he was gone.

It was three in the morning when you got the call, and you shot up in bed, sleep quickly forgotten when you answered.  You didn’t even bother to look at the caller ID.

“John!”

“Hiya, darling.”  His voice was a faint groan of relief. 

“Where are you?”  You held the phone away from your face just long enough to see the long, foreign number with a country code you couldn’t place.  “Does Kate know where you are?”

“I don’t have a lot of time.  I’m in the blind.  I just wanted to hear your voice.”

You flung off your covers and rushed to your computer.  He was in trouble.    

“I’m here.  Are you hurt?” 

“Not bad.”  You could hear him smiling, the way the words huffed out through pained lips.  It was definitely bad.

You had to keep him talking, to stay on the line long enough for you to work.  The laptop took forever to start up.  You hadn’t used it since you’d left your employment, and it must’ve needed a hundred updates.  But you didn’t have time as your fingers trembled anxiously over the keys.

This was what you did.  This was your job.  You designed software that could find people.  Find targets.  Needles in the giant haystack that was the world.

You set the phone to speaker mode and plugged it in to your program.

“Whose phone is this, John?”  It would be encrypted, you presumed.  You wouldn’t be lucky enough to have its location turned on. 

“An old friend.  I’d put him on, but he’s not with us anymore, I’m afraid.  Poor fellow took a fall.”  Another gurgled laugh.  “But his name was Makarov.  When you talk to Kate, tell her the mission’s complete.”

“You can tell her yourself.  You’re going to be fine.  Just keep talking to me.”

You buzzed through lines of code, searching for the one you needed. 

“How’s the poppet?  Is she being a good girl?”

“She’s sleeping.  She’s okay.  Misses you.  Can’t wait to see you.”

Got it!  You broke through the encryption and pinned his location using satellite GPS.

“It’s not looking good, love.”

“Do you believe in fate, John?”  You asked, as you used your laptop’s connection to call Kate.

There was a reason you’d met each other.  You were certain now that nothing had been by chance.  You were meant to find him.  You were meant to find each other.

“Ah, went pawing through my drawers, did you?  Which ring did you pick?” 

“I’ll show you when you get home,” you promised as the line finally connected.  “Kate!  I know where John is.  You have to hurry.”

You sent her the coordinates to the exact centimeter.  He was deep underground, in some kind of a bunker.  Or an old mineshaft.  To her credit, Kate didn’t argue or ask where you got your intel.

Two hours later, you were still on the phone with him.  The light began to creep slowly through the curtains, bringing with it a brand new day.  But his breath had slowed, and his words came thicker from his throat.

“Just a little longer, okay?”  You didn’t let him sense your fear as you quietly willed your life into him, to keep him hanging on. 

Where the fuck were they?

The line had gone too quiet when you heard the blast. 

“John!  John, what was that?”  You prayed it was the team, and not a fresh wave of enemy combatants come to finish the job.

“In here!”  John’s voice, with a renewed strength. 

“Bravo-7 to Watcher.  Eyes on Bravo-6.  We’ve got him.”  You heard Lieutenant Riley’s unmistakable accent breakthrough as he got closer to the phone.  “Have med-evac waiting topside.  He’s in rough shape.”  He switched from his comms to John.  “Can you walk, Cap?”

“Well, you aren’t fucking carrying me, Ghost.  That’s for bloody sure.”

“Please don’t leave me.”  The tears that you finally let fall were of release.  Of relief.  You didn’t know if he still held the phone, or if it lay forgotten on the ground as they carried him away.

“Careful what you wish for, darling.”

[kissitbttr]

omg can i ask for reader and miguel’s baby turning 1, and they celebrate the birthday, like how kylie jenner did for her precious babygirl stormi🥹 like miguel getting his precious daughter large toys, lots of performers, large bouncy houses, blasting spanish music, and cutting the cake, i really hope u see this ask🥹🥹

side note: ur like my fav tumblr fanfic writer rn, you’re so gorgeous and i hope you have a good day🩷🩷

AAA THIS IS A VERY CUTE IDEA ANONNNN

my note: i am?? *gasps* you're so sweet!! i am so honored my lovieeee!! thank you so much🥺

-

one thing. she has only asked miguel for one thing and he just dismissed her like that!

the two of them had previously discussed in matters of their baby girl's upcoming birthday, and she had told--no-- threatened him to keep things simple and baby-proof,

guess, she should've known that he was prone to never really listen

"you are so. dead, o'hara" she grumbles, scanning over the party decorations in their backyard. the twenty-ish big pink presents put neatly in the corner, a princess castle bouncy house, a DJ deck, and food catering?

there are already people stopping by and busying themselves at the party, she finds a couple familiar faces like peter, jess, even the kids gwen and miles.

he puts his hands up in defense, staring at her with a playful smile. "I know I know I went a little bit overboard--"

"a little?!"

"but querida, come on" he snakes his hands around her waist, tugging her closer but her eyes aren't even on him. "it's our baby girl's first birthday-- I had to give her all"

"what would a baby need a DJ deck for anyway?" she asks with a frown,

''we can set it aside and use it for a band.. i already have two ready for the party"

her jaw drops open. "a band?!"

''ay okay stop with the dramatic expressions, princesa" he chuckles, kissing her forehead.

shaking her head, she replies "you already got her two barbie houses, a pink range rover for kids, brand new stuffed animals that look like they escaped from the damn zoo, Disneyland tickets and a cinderella's carriage baby crib... you spoil her too much"

he shrugs, "like i told you... she's my baby"

"and how much have you spent for all of that, hm?"

he envelopes her hands between his, kissing the knuckles to ease her. "don't worry about that. got too much money in my bank account and I will use it to spoil the fuck out of both of you."

a light smile spreads across her face. "she wouldn't even remember half of this miggy, you know that?"

"we'll record it and everything" he shrugs, looking around the party feeling proud of his work. "I want her to have the best birthday ever. not just this but the next one and the next one and the next"

she can't help but feel her heart soften. he is so full of love every time he talks about their baby, an ultimate girl dad.

"i can't imagine what you will do for her quinceanera"

he winces at that, head shaking at the thought. "don't remind me. i want our baby girl to stay little forever"

she chuckles at that, standing on her tippy toes to kiss his chin. "what an amazing father you are, my love"

his cheeks warm at the compliment, glancing down at her to give her a grateful smile. one that speaks how glad he is to have her by his side, to call her his, to hear those words coming from her lips.

the sound of a precious giggle distracts them both, craning their heads toward the source of the sound and seeing jess holding their baby girl in her arms. dressed in a pretty pink dress with tiara on top

y/n reaches out to make grabby hands at jess. "hello pretty girl! gimme gimme" picking sofia from jess's grip, earning a cute giggle from her,

"she couldn't stop pulling at peter's hair-- your baby's got quite a grip" she mentions before walking away with a smile,

miguel snorts at that, silently patting himself on the back for what his baby had done,

cradling her closer to her chest, y/n fakes a gasp. "eso hizo, no es asi? uncle peter probably deserved it"

sofia babbles more, clapping her chubby hands at the two of them. miguel chuckles at the baby's cute antics and the way his wife talks in a baby voice,

a lucky bastard he is,

"daddy did this all for you, mamas-- aren't you happy? yeah?" she coos once more, bringing sofia closer to Miguel,

''come here pretty girl" miguel's hands move to grab her tiny body, picking her from his wife's grip. a sigh of contentment escapes from his lips. "my little princess... aren't you the prettiest baby I have ever seen, hm? you got that from your mami"

y/n eyes the interaction between the two of them, her finger moves to sofia's hand which she grips it.

"she is so fluffy.. we have a chunky baby"

miguel frowns, feigning a fake offensive look. "you calling our baby fat, mi amor?"

rolling your eyes, you scoff at him. "she's cute like this... i like it..." she gives a loud smooch on her baby's cheek making her giggle more,

miguel bobs sofia lightly in his embrace, inhaling the scent of her shampoo while keeping his eyes on y/n.

none of this was ever planned. miguel had no clue that being married and having a baby would be on his bucket list. if someone would've told him four years ago that he would eventually settle down and have a family, he would tell that person to fuck off and how crazy that idea sounds. because marriage wasn't his thing,

but now? he would kill the entire universe for his girls

"what are you thinking, papi?" she asks, head tilting in curiosity when his eyes won't move away from her,

he stays silent for a moment, pressing his cheek against sofia's head as she toys with the collar of his shirt,

"vamos a tener a otro bebe" [let's have another baby]

-

i hope this is okay!! xx

[soft-and-bitter]

Not for the first time, you realize just how badly you need to escape from Steve. You have to, before he decides to turn a passing comment into reality and you’ll be trapped with him forever.

The Cure & The Cause

Mafia!Steve x Captive!Reader

Word Count: ~2k

Notes/warning(s): some sexual content, coercion, Steve is sweet but a little psycho, no plot just vibes. Reader’s been kidnapped by Steve and is being held captive for a bit before story begins. Part of the same universe that Failed Bargaining belongs to.

If you enjoyed this, please consider reblogging or leaving some feedback, thanks! ❤

When the car rolls up to the curb and a member of Steve’s unit opens the door, Sharon exits first before it’s your turn. You’ve barely stepped out of the black Range Rover before several bodyguards usher you towards the entrance of the multi-storied boutique, but the small stretch of sidewalk you cross is simply not enough for you to attempt an escape. Figures.

You’ve only ever gone shopping for a wedding dress once, when you had accompanied your best friend in search of hers. But with the costs of her traditional wedding adding up quickly, Lisa had been forced to make some concessions where her dress was concerned. Her final choice was still lovely, in the end, though admittedly it wasn’t perfect in every capacity that she’d envisioned.

As soon as you step foot into the bridal boutique, you realize right away that whatever financial concerns Lisa had during her own wedding planning, Sharon will not have. Money is, quite frankly, the least of her worries. For starters, Sharon is one of Steve’s highest-ranking, and she’s getting married to Sam, so it’s no surprise that all the stops have been pulled out. This upscale boutique is apparently one of many salons she has in mind to visit, but already it’s proving to be the most impressive. 

“We have the whole place to ourselves,” Sharon mentions with uncharacteristic giddiness, just as you and the rest of the group settle into plush white sofas. You thought that that in itself spoke to Steve’s influence and wealth, but when the senior manager in her stylish black dress and six-inch heels pops open a bottle of Dom Perignon circa 1996, you’re left wondering how much of Steve’s largesse these people are truly hoping for. 

Together with the champagne, the store’s personnel offer you and the others an assortment of French pastries while Sharon gets into her first dress. A collection of them has already been set aside for her based on previous consultations, but today is when she gets to try them on. You’re already reaching for your second flute when you think that for just a second, you want to imagine that this is all a normal picture, that these women you’re here with—Sharon, Nat, Wanda and Sarah—are in fact your girlfriends, rather than accomplices to your captivity. That without him present, you might just be able to subscribe to the illusion. Combined with the right amount of ridiculously expensive champagne, it’s more than possible. 

This scares you more than you want to admit. Mostly because you’re stuck realizing how lonely you’ve been up to this point, even before Steve decided to take you, but also how your perception of your captivity is beginning to morph into something less depraved, a jagged picture where the edges are becoming dulled. 

You swallow down another bit of champagne in response, and then a little bit more; the next thing you know, time is flying by and your reaction at every dress Sharon steps out in gets more expressive, louder. Somewhere along the way you even end up in Nat’s lap, arms flung over her shoulder, the both of you choking on laughter at a snide comment Sharon’s made about the gown that Wanda—yes, her—has chosen to try on. It’s the very portrait of idealized friendship, of closeness and devotion and support. Of course you want to believe all this, even if only for a minute.

“It looks like you ladies have gone through most of the champagne I sent,” says a low, timbrous voice that slices through the racket of laughter and loud talk.

You, together with everyone else, process Steve’s sudden presence in the salon at the same moment, only your reaction is nowhere near as positive. Amongst the wild cheers and drunken shrieks that the other women let out, you merely stare at him with your mouth agape, blinking at the sight of him in the doorway, Bucky lingering not so far behind. Rather than disappointment, your brain can only process how fucking handsome this man is, how the top of his head nearly grazes the lintel as he enters, every step full of confidence. You’re completely out of his league, your brain foggily reminds you, though you know that—just like you know what’s beneath the gray suit he’s wearing, the one tailored to perfection. 

More treacherous thoughts, you realize, just like most of them today.  

“It feels like I’ve stepped into a party,” Steve says, rounding a sofa to enter the fray. His blue eyes cut to you, take in your place on Nat’s lap and the way you’re holding on to her, but he says nothing. 

“That’s because it is a party,” Sharon insists, a little too loudly, the tendrils of her hair dancing along the sides of her face. “What are you doing here, anyway?”

“We were driving through the district and I thought I’d drop in,” he says, still hovering over them. Bucky’s leaning against the doorway with his arms folded across his body and a look of mild amusement on his face, but he doesn’t attempt to intrude any further.

With his hands poised on his hips, Steve looks over at Wanda standing before the wall-to-wall mirrors. “Last time I checked, you’re not getting married. What’s happening here?” 

“Nobody says you have to be a bride to try on a pretty dress,” Nat explains beneath you, one arm still loosely wrapped around your waist. “Sharon needed a breather, actually, so we’ve decided to take turns modeling now. Right, babe?” 

She knocks a shoulder against one of yours.

When Steve swivels his head to look down at the both of you, there’s a smirk tugging at one corner of his mouth. “In that case, it’s your turn,” he commands, eyes fixed squarely on you. “Now that I think about it, I'm curious to know how you’d look in a wedding dress. And you want to please me, don’t you?”

You blink at him, letting his words wash over you. You remain sitting on Nat’s lap, even though you’re still not sure how you ended up there in the first place, and you can’t quite believe that Steve’s here too, but reality is starting to sink back in, your little fantasy cracking at the edges. These women around you aren’t your friends, and this isn’t some typical shopping excursion at a designer bridal house.  

When you respond, you’re only vaguely aware how much the champagne you’ve been knocking back has emboldened you. His champagne, no less.

“Forget it,” you say, shaking your head. “I don’t want to.”

You think you may be imagining it, but the room suddenly feels quieter. Steve, though, is still looking down at you, his face still set in a calm expression.

“Find a dress, sweetheart, or I’ll choose one and get you into it myself.” He sinks into the plush sofa adjacent to yours, the sole occupant. “Knowing your tastes, you won’t like what I have in mind for you.”

You know that Steve’s not messing around, because he’s made good on a similar threat before. Worst of all, none of the women around you dissent on your behalf, not even Nat, sitting so close to you. You should feel betrayed by their silence, but it’s partly your fault you helped craft the illusion you so badly wanted to believe in. 

“Come on beautiful, let’s go find you something,” Nat says gently, nudging you to stand. Maybe it’s the hurt you’re feeling, but this time around you don’t object as you follow a sales consultant, Nat trailing close behind. You pass by Bucky as you leave the private room; he throws you a look akin to mild sympathy before he joins the rest.

“My god, look at you,” he breathes, slowly rising from the plush white sofa. “My sweet, sweet girl, all dressed up to get married.”

You’d chosen a dress that made you think of a suit of armor. But by the way Steve studies you, his gaze sharp enough to pierce through any material, you just feel vulnerable. Exposed. Ironic, because your first and final choice felt the most conservative compared to all the dresses that Sharon and the others had come out in. Nat had coaxed you into wearing a veil, too, completing the whole look. 

The champagne keeps your fiery spirit afloat, your tongue looser than normal. “I'm never getting married,” you say.

Steve lifts an eyebrow, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "Never?"

"Never," you parrot.

“Well that's too bad, 'cause that won't be a decision you get to make. Now come here.”

You think about ignoring him for a second, just turn right back where you’d shuffled from as your own quiet brand of fuck you. But there’s a look of expectancy on his face, and at his full height, Steve isn’t one to spar with. 

His hands are already on your waist when you turn to the expanse of mirrors. You weren’t wrong when you deemed this dress less eye-catching than the others, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less lovely. 

“What do you think?” he asks. You can feel his fingers playing with the veil that waterfalls behind you, the way his knuckles ghost along your back.

“It's . . . fine, I guess,” you say, staring at yourself in the mirror.

“Oh, I think it’s more than fine,” he insists. “Stunning, in fact. Should I buy it?”

He doesn’t mean it, you convince yourself, but it’s not enough to clamp down on the panic rising within you. Didn’t he just hear what you’d said a second earlier?

Until now, Steve has never mentioned marriage or anything of the like. But since when did you know how his mind worked? You wouldn’t be here if you did. 

“Well?”

You shake your head. “Don’t. I can’t wear white to another bride’s wedding,”

Steve chuckles as he gently draws back the veil and your hair away, sweeping both over your left shoulder. “In that case, you can wear it at home, just for me. And you’ll make sure not to wear anything underneath, won’t you?”

Goosebumps dance along your skin. His hands on your waist have you trapped in place, body pressed against his. To your alarm, you feel him hardening against your back, a threat and a promise.

" I liked it more when it was on the rack," you say hastily, trying to ignore his growing desire, "now that I'm in it, I'm having second thoughts."

In the mirror, you can see Steve shaking his head. "No, you're absolutely radiant in this. It's perfect . . . and it's just so you."

He acts without warning. You inhale sharply as his tongue trails up your neck, slow and hot. Steve was licking you—licking you—in front of everyone, without an ounce of shame. It reminds you all too well of the other night, when he had spread you out across his desk and eaten you out while he'd taken a call on speaker. He'd taken his damned time too, keeping you on the very precipice while the caller spewed all this babel your mind couldn't comprehend, all thanks to the desperate state you were in. And when he finally let you come, it had been with his hand shoved against your mouth.

Not for the first time, you realize just how badly you need to escape from Steve. You have to, before he decides to turn a passing comment into reality and you’ll be trapped with him forever.

Yeah I have no idea what this is lol; it was such a basic and simple premise that really didn’t need to be 2k plus words long, but here we are I guess. Graphics by me.

[glitterguts13]

Yandere Scar stalking pregnant Male Rover after finding out where he escaped to.

I wasn't going to do any WuWa requests until I finished the current main story but this has my brain all riled up so I'm breaking my own rule this one time. SIDE NOTE: do the male and female Rovers have official names like the Trailblazer and Travel do, or are we just calling them Rover?

TW: YANDERE(!) SCAR, DUB-CON BORRDERING NON-CON (No actual sex happens but it's still nonconsensual touching)

The night is silent, only the distant sound of wildlife filling the air. Nestled down inside the shack a few miles outside the city limits, Rover is finally allowed a chance to rest.

The last months have been filled with uncertainty and danger. Everywhere they turned, everywhere they ran, that man kept appearing. It seemed that there was no place safe enough for Rover to rest his head until Yangyang had finally secured a safe house for him.

Nothing about the shack looked remotely interesting, nothing about it suggested anyone would ever live inside, and Rover was certain, this time, he was safe.

Closing his eyes and letting his head settle against his pillow, Rover allowed his hands to roam under the blankets and over his swollen belly. With the chaos of the last few months and a loss of memories, he can't even be certain who this baby belonged to. It was all gone, vanished, whatever had happened before lost to time.

The baby rolls under his palm, kicking into his open hand. Despite it all, they were alive, healthy and strong. His sweet little one, the one true connection he had to his past, and hopefully, a brighter future.

The floor creaks, and before Rover has time to even sit up and check what the noise has come from, a large hand is covering his mouth.

"Finally! Who knew you'd be hiding out in this run-down little shack," he screams, but it's muffled behind the hand clamped over his mouth. Crouching over him, Scar smiles, eyes dead and lifeless.

"You really had me worried for a second there, I lost track of you for three whole days! Can you believe that? Ah, well, no matter, I've got you now, and I'm not letting you go again."

Rover punches out, catching Scar across the cheek. He lets go of the smaller male's face, but it does little more, the man instantly lowering his body weight down into his belly. Grinning wickedly as Rover cried out in pain.

"Stop, stop, get off!" Rover begs, putting his hands onto Scar's chest and pushing. Scar does lift himself up, letting Rover take in a gasp of air before peeling back the blankets covering his form. Hungry eyes trail down along the man's body, hands trembling with excitement run along the swollen curve of Rover's belly.

"You look awful pretty like this," Scar drawls, yanking up Rover's shirt and licking his lips, "I think I'm gonna have to keep you like this. Being knocked up suits you real nice. Whatcha think? Once you pop this brat out I keep you filled with mine?"

"Don't- Don't hurt my baby, please, I'll give you whatever you want just, don't hurt them-"

Scar laughs, giving Rover's belly a slap.

"Hey now, I'm not a monster you know, I've got no interest in this brat. I'll tell you what, in exchange for being a good pet, I'll hand it over to those little friends of yours? Deal?" Rover swallows thickly, eyeing Scar's cock straining through his pants.

"Promise? You'll hand my baby to them? Alive?"

"Cross my heart and hope to die." Scar chuckles, reaching down and peeling away the black strip of fabric and letting his cock spring free. He leans in, running the weeping head against Rover's bloated gut, shuttering.

"Fuck. Fuck I'm gonna keep you filled with my babies, this is just what you're made for. Damn, why did you run from me for so long? Can't you see what you do to me? What I'll do for you?"

Rover blinks back a few tears, gripping the sheets below himself tightly.

[okiecookie20]

EXO theory Dftf

In this post I will try to point out and decode clues. I made some conclusions to arrange the eras in order. Let's start by analyzing the main theme.

• EXO was travelling to Exoplanet as seen in the dftf teaser pictures.

The word HISTORY is shown in several languages in the starting. The setting is similar to what we see in History mvs:

Exo evacuate EXOPLANET with the help of a spaceship. I believe that History, chronologically, happens before Dftf.

Here is Exo's Kcon Australia 2017 vcr which depicts their spacecraft was going to crash land.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by EXOPLANET (@wearexolina_)

The bright Exo logo at the end might be a symbolic representation of exoplanet. The spacecraft crash lands on one of the other extra terrestrial planets on which Power takes place. Notice how the exos don't have their powers in dftf which they acquire in the form of orbs in Power mv. Hence, Power happens after Dftf.

Now I'll talk about two main theories which lead to different conclusions for this section of the storyline:–

#1 The Emergency landing promo pics show them on different planets each representing the 6 members' (no Yixing🥲) powers. The album logo shows a radar locating the 9 members. It is also present in the vcr above. As part of their promotions, they released a game called EXO Ship Saga in which each mem has a different planet. The theme seems pretty straightforward: they travelled to different planets, maybe used escape-pods because they were going to crash land in the vcr above.

This theory might be able to explain the story of parallel universes as well as the ending of Power with Baek falling in an ocean.

#2 After reaching the planet shown in Power, they were scattered to different cities on Earth (Pathcodes) as comets seen in the beginning of Dftf. As of now, many of us are confused which of these happen in the chronology (they land in cities or on planets). They must have tried to evacuate it since the Red Force has come to know they are all together and have acquired their orbs. Let's go with the second theory: I believe Pathcode comes after Power.

Why? Proof: in Tao's pathcode, he was reading a newspaper and it said that 10 comets were visible near earth (ot10 era) hence they landed in different locations in Pathcodes.

The comet Kyungsoo saw in Dftf mv could be the one appearing in Let me In and explains their isolation in Sing For You.

At the end of Dftf mv, they approach a portal and there is falling snow in space?! This could be another hint that Sing For You comes later in the story and not before Dftf.

• In Ep 02. One giant leap teaser video, Kyungsoo is the only one who looks back with a robotic sound. Also, he is the only member emersed in green light in the concept pics of Dftf. Smth definitely seems off but we'll leave it at that for now.

From 2:56, they dance in the spaceship with some blinking red lights behind. These could be cctvs as I pointed out in Rover (mini theory) and Obsession. In this era too they are under surveillance.

• SM included easter eggs from previous releases (code numbers) which means a lot as the group has matured artistically alongwith more involvement in production and shares a great bond with their fans (releasing this album for EXO-Ls with Yixing🐑 during the drought❣️).

There were other things I wanted to discuss but due to the confusing timeline I tried my best understanding plot holes. This mv is undoubtedly connected to many others and with the possibility of parallel universes, it has become complex.

Of course I asked more questions than solving them hehe but I love Exo. Do share your thoughts & THANKS FOR READING! Also, missing SeKai😭❣️

[peachesvanilla]

kisses #2

pairing: Jongin x reader

genres: pure fluff, friends to lovers (and this is plain make out)

inspiration: his new vlog and slidin' song

“Are you sure about this?” Jongin asks a millionth time, pointing the remote at the television screen. A ghost crawling on the ground picture illuminates his room enough that I see the concern written all over his face in the dark. “You don't have to force yourself because of me.” He presses my thigh once. 

“Got it. Now play.” I fold my legs under my thighs readying myself for the two hour movie. “You are here. I’ll just hold onto you.” I mumble pulling my (Jongin’s) long tee so that my bare legs are tucked under it. Not getting any reply from him I look at his side. 

He is staring at me, eyes roaming from my bare shoulder as his tee sleeve drops off my shoulder to my feet tucked beneath me. He licks his lips once, closes his eyes and shakes his head. “I’m starting it. No backing down now.” He mumbles under his breath, clicking on the play button. 

I hum. The movie starts out with a couple moving to an isolated house which I never understand. Don’t they know it’s the start of everything doomed? I put my feet down on the floor, feeling numb from staying in the same position for a period of time. The couple finds an old rusted diary with weird symbols and scribbles. I lean into the screen trying to get a better view of the symbols. Jongin shifts in his seat, he is feeling the horror too, doesn’t he? I snort. So much for saying he isn’t scared of anything. 

A loud bang from the movie startles the hell out of me, my heart hammering against the ribcage. I reach out to his idle hand, holding onto it for my dear life. He groans. There’s blood everywhere on the screen, someone was slaughtered and the couple are trying to figure out whose dead body it is. I don’t think I can take the visuals anymore. I turn to Jongin to tell him to stop the movie when he crashes his lips on mine. 

He sucks my lower lip, slowly taking his own time. I curl my hand around his nape, slipping my fingers into his hair. He pauses, his eyes on the wetness of my lips. Pushing me back onto the couch he hovers over me. His knee wedged between my thighs, dangerously closer to the area aching for him, where no one ever laid hands and all I want is him taking it and owning it. 

His breath hits my lips, his eyes rover across my face, a growl escaping from his plump lips as he ducks down to my chest, kissing the swell of my breast. My tee slid down my shoulder, baring my cleavage to his eyes. His lips run across the visible bare skin to my neck. 

I pull on his hair, squirming under him, suffocating heat spreading across my body and I can’t find relief. He claims my lips again, now deepening it. His tongue penetrates into my mouth, I clamp my legs shut with his thigh in between. 

The urgency in the kiss increases once I rub myself on his thigh seeking the relief I am desperate for. He slips his hand under my tee, trailing his fingers in a caress. He unhook my bra clip, pressing his thigh closer making me moan. 

His fingers slide across the side of my breast, a shiver runs down my body in response. He breaks our kiss, a string of saliva connecting our lips. His dark eyes blown out, under a haze. 

I pant catching my breath, closing my eyes in ecstasy as I rub myself off on his thigh. 

“Fuck.” His voice breaks me out of my reverie. He squeezes my breast, I moan out his name loud. He groans, dropping his head on to my shoulder. 

A loud scream from the movie startles us, breaking away the moment when I’m about to seek my relief. I blink at him with wide eyes, realizing what I have been doing. My face burns in embarrassment. 

Jongin chuckles, pressing light kisses on my lips, slipping his hands away from my tee. “I’m dying to do this to you.” He whispers. “And god,” he smiles, “isn’t the wait worth it.” He leans down biting on my lower lip once before letting me off the hook. 

[synergysilhouette]

Wolverine and the X-Men remake (Part 2)

I wish I could've put this all in one post, but lemme know your thoughts, as well as if you want me to post the costumes I imagine the team wearing.

"Breakdown"--since Emma went over some of Cyclops' memories in "Operation Recruit," Cyclops is starting to get closure, possibly gaining feelings for Emma. However, as she continues to probe his mind, they realize she's been inhabited by the Phoenix around the middle of the episode. Kid Omega is around during this and sees that Emma had some involvement in the destruction of the mansion, and she renders him unconscious, kidnapping him and escaping the mansion which leaves everyone to believe they've both been kidnapped. Meanwhile, Jean's powers are slowly becoming more and more powerful, and her memories of the X-Men (particularly Cyclops) slowly returning.

"Rover"--While most of the episode plays the same, Professor X flashbacks to the Phoenix personality sealed inside of Jean's mind, as well as revealing members of the Hellfire Club. They chastise Emma for bringing Quinton with her, though they help her in keeping him unconscious. She states it's better he's under their supervision rather than aid the X-Men, hoping to alter his mind to erase his suspicions of her and restore his admiration for her. Unbeknownst to Emma, they reveal that due to Quinton's untapped potential, if things "go south," Kid Omega will be their next candidate to possess the phoenix

"Aces & Eights"--Sees Daken going to take Magneto's helmet, though with reservations given the events of "Stolen Lives." Using his pheromone control, he manipulates Polaris into helping him, though frequently flashbacks to Bobby. Other than that, it's the same--though since Gambit isn't involved, maybe call the episode "Metal vs. Metal"? I do like the idea of a B-story with Manifold, Iceman, Jubilee, Shadowcat, and Nightcrawler trying to have a normal day, albeit contemplating what the future holds and what that means for them, with Shadowcat, Nightcrawler, and Iceman lamenting relationships that may never get the chance to grow. (Shadowcat has a crush on Colossus, but being in Russia, they haven't gotten to talk much).

"Shades of Grey"--Wolverine, Cyclops, and Storm track down Jean following the psychic wave she emitted (that thankfully didn't reach them). Emma leaves to kidnap her, though is intercepted by Angel. They battle each other while Storm manages to momentarily cause Warren to pause. Emma, realizing no one suspects her of betrayal, goes with the X-Men to bring Jean back to the mansion, letting the HC know. Wolverine is suspicious of Emma, and while the two are distracted, Angel causes the car to crash and kidnaps Cyclops and Jean. Similar to the OG version, the X-Men defeat Sinister's crones and Emma captures Jean in the end, though she feels guilt after seeing how relieved Cyclops was that Emma had returned.

"Foresight (Part 1)"--plays out similarly, though Emma feigns being kidnapped along with Jean. Quinton wakes up, and despite having some of his power being unlocked by Selene and the Stepford Cuckoos, subdues them before the phoenix force within Jean renders him unconscious. Other than that, it plays out the same.

"Foresight (Part 2)"--no notes, except that Kid Omega helps to battle the HC alongside Emma and Cyclops.

"Foresight (Part 3)"--Plays out the same, though there's a battle where Quinton absorbs some of the phoenix force and battles the Stepford Cuckoos before the power overwhelms all six of them. Along with this, Daken formally leaves Kelly's employment. If I ever do a season 2, I may retcon Emma's death.

[beardedmrbean]

India has unveiled four Air Force pilots who have been shortlisted to travel on the country's maiden space flight scheduled for next year.

The Gaganyaan mission aims to send three astronauts to an orbit of 400km and bring them back after three days.

India's space agency Isro has been carrying out a number of tests to prepare for the flight.

In October, a key test demonstrated that the crew could safely escape the rocket in case it malfunctioned.

After its success, Isro said a test flight would take a robot into space in 2024, before astronauts are sent into space in 2025.

At a function at the Isro centre in the southern city of Thiruvananthapuram (formerly Trivandrum) on Tuesday, the four astronaut-designates were described as "dreamers, adventurers and valiant men preparing to go into space".

The officers, chosen from the Indian Air Force, were introduced as Group Captain Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, Group Captain Ajit Krishnan, Group Captain Angad Pratap and Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Isro chief S Somanath pinned badges with golden wings onto their shirts and Mr Modi described them as "India's pride".

"These are not just four names or four people. They are four powers who will carry the aspirations of 1.4 billion Indians to space. I congratulate and wish them all the best," he said.

Officials said the men were selected from a pool of Air Force pilots and had undergone extensive physical and psychological tests before being shortlisted.

They have undergone rigorous training for 13 months in Russia and are now carrying on with their gruelling schedule back home. A video screened at the event showed them working out in the gym, swimming and doing yoga.

On Tuesday, Isro also showed a glimpse of Vyommitra - Sanskrit word for "space friend" - the female humanoid that will be sent into space later this year.

The Gaganyaan Mission is India's first human space flight programme for which extensive preparations are underway at various Isro centres.

Named after the Sanskrit word for craft or vehicle to the sky, the Gaganyaan project has been developed at the cost of 90bn rupees ($1bn; £897m).

If it succeeds, India will become only the fourth country to send a human into space after the Soviet Union, the US and China.

Gaganyaan has generated a lot of interest in India, although it's coming decades after Soviet Union and the US started making trips to the low Earth orbit. Both have been in space since 1961. China became the third country to reach space in October 2003 when a Chinese mission spent 21 hours and orbited Earth 14 times. And the US and China have fully operational space stations in low Earth orbit.

An Indian astronaut also went to space as early as in 1984 when Rakesh Sharma spent nearly eight days on a Russian spacecraft.

How important are India's Moon mission findings?

What has India's rover been up to on the Moon?

Last year, India made major forays into space. The country made history by becoming the first to land near the Moon's south pole in August 2023.

Just weeks later, scientists launched Aditya-L1, India's first observation mission to the Sun which is now in orbit, keeping an eye on our solar system's most important and volatile star.

India has also announced ambitious new plans for space, saying it would aim to set up a space station by 2035 and send an astronaut to the Moon by 2040.

[optikes]

Apollo

1 artist unknown, Roman copy (c120CE) of a Greek bronze after Leochares (c350BCE) marble 224cm

2 Marcantonio Raimondi (1470/82-1534) Italian The Apollo Belvedere from the Vatican his left hand resting on the tree trunk around which coils a python (c1510–27) engraving

3 Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) German Adam and Eve (1507) oil on panel, each 209x81cm

A    metmuseum.org    The Apollo Belvedere was discovered near Rome in the late fifteenth century. Possibly a second-century marble copy of a bronze original by the Greek sculptor Leochares, the statue was immediately appreciated as a masterpiece and showered with praise. Probably once in the private collection of Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere (later Pope Julius II, r. 1503–13), it was moved to the Vatican in 1509 and placed, in 1511, in the Cortile del Belvedere, from which it derives its name. Raimondi's print became an important vehicle through which knowledge of the statue was transmitted far beyond the Vatican. He is famous for his many engravings after the designs of Raphael, including images such as the Judgment of Paris (19.74.1), scenes that, like the Apollo, illustrate Renaissance interest in classical antiquity and mythology. Here, Raimondi's mastery for replicating the effects of light on marble produces a convincing impression of the statue's form. Many artists incorporated the Apollo's much-lauded pose into their own work. Albrecht Dürer reverses the position of the figure's limbs and Apollo becomes Adam, reaching for the fruited branch offered by Eve in the 1504 engraving . A similar figure of Apollo, whose outstretched arm grasps—too late—a fleeing nymph, appears in the 1625 marble group Apollo and Daphne by the Roman Baroque sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598–1680).

B   Johann Winckelmann (1717-68) Germany     Of all the works of antiquity that have escaped destruction, the statue of Apollo represents the highest ideal of art. (1755)

[queen-scribbles]

"Being cute cannot save you from everything." from the teasing prompts for whoever it fits best :D

THAT'S a Cam/Liam prompt if I ever heard one, so the ME:A babes are back, being entirely too cute. It's their brand, what can I say? ☺

----

Liam didn’t have a specific plan in mind as he headed for Ryder’s cabin. Just general knowledge they had a couple hours free before they reached Eos, and a short list of suggestion on how to occupy that time. If she wanted. She usually came looking for him to chat or spend time together, he figured he could take the initiative for once.

His steps slowed as a muffled voice filtered out her cabin door. Sounded like she was talking to someone.  There was no second voice in the pauses, but she could be on comms. Liam hesitated, not wanting to interrupt. A thud and what sounded suspiciously like cursing got him over it and he hit the door controls.

“-cute can’t save you from everything!!” Cam was standing on her bed, the words hollered seemingly toward the (empty) wall. Her gaze snapped toward him.  “Kosta, close the door!!”

She lunged in his direction, and Liam’s surprise slowed his reaction enough they hit the button at the same time.

Just in time to block the chittering blue pyjack trying to make his escape. SJ let out a screech at being stymied and scrambled up a bookshelf to cling near the ceiling. He held one arm curled in protectively to his chest.

“Stole my precision welder,” Cam explained, huffing loose hair out of her eyes and glaring at the pyjack. “I need it to finish upgrading Rover, and I don’t want the little bastard to hurt himself.” She turned a pleading glance toward Liam.  “Help me catch him? Please?”

He laughed and gave what remained of her ponytail a teasing tweak.  “Sure, but you’ll owe me.”

“I can live with that,” Cam winked.

Even working together, it took another half hour to catch SJ, as well as several very strategic pincer moves and the destruction of a model ship Liam promised to help her fix. Cam gave a bark of triumph as she pulled the tool from SJ’s grip. She unceremoniously dumped him outside her cabin--”Go bother Vetra or something”--and closed the door. She shot Liam a grateful grin. “Thanks. That’s the last time I let the little mischief maker in here while I’m working.”

Liam chuckled as he helped her start straightening up. “Yeah, you’re welcome. But whaddid you expect, namin’ him after your brother?”

Cam paused to fix her ponytail, then tossed a pillow at him, striated blue and green like the sky over Voeld. “Shut up, Kosta.” The rest of her pillows went back on the bed without care how they landed.

Liam grinned as he caught the pillow and winged it back at her.

She dodged, snatched another off the bed, and arched a brow at him as she readied to throw. “Sure you wanna do that? Pillow fight with a sniper? I have very good aim.”

He crossed his arms and arched a brow right back. “Bring it, Ryder.”

The pillow hit him square in the face.

The second one caught his shoulder thanks to how hard she was laughing. Liam grabbed one up in each hand and charged toward her.

“Liam, no-!” Ryder’s protest dissolved into a giggle-fit as she made a half-hearted attempt to whack him again and fend off his attack. Liam bopped her once with each pillow, then wrapped her in a bear hug as they tumbled onto the bed. They lay there laughing themselves breathless, wrestling for the pillows until Cam gave up.

Liam pushed up to brace on his forearms, grinning down at her. “Just like your pyjack, being cute can’t save you from everything,” he teased. 

“No?” Cam shot him a mischievous smirk, eyes dancing. She snaked an arm around the back of his neck and pulled herself up to kiss him full on the mouth.  “How ‘bout that?”

Liam huffed a laugh, just managing to keep himself from falling on top of her with both the pleasant shock of the kiss and the weight of a whole-ass person hanging off his neck. “That’ll do it for me, but I dunno if you wanna try it with the kett or ahdi or anything.”

She giggled--God, he loved her laugh--and dropped back on the bed as she held his gaze. “You don’t, huh?”

“For starters, your boyfriend might get jealous,” he deadpanned, unable to hold back a snicker. She was so damn cute when she was being smug.

“Can’t have that,” Cam said playfully. She grabbed a fistful of his shirt and pulled him down for another kiss. “You know you’re my one and only, Kosta,” she murmured, resting one hand along his jaw.

Liam grinned and lightly bumped his nose to hers. “Ditto, Ryder.” He kissed her again, for the hell of it.

“So,” she murmured, holding him close enough their foreheads brushed,  “assuming you don’t have precog abilities to know about my pyjack problems, was there a reason you were lookin’ for me?”

“Had some ideas for how t’ pass the trip to Eos if you weren’t busy-”

“Shit, Rover,” Cam muttered, but grabbed Liam‘s arm when he started to roll away. “It can wait.” Wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’d much rather do this.”

He chuckled. “Aye, aye, boss.”

She whacked him with the green and blue pillow again, both laughing as they went in for another kiss. The rest of the trip passed way too quickly.

----

(Yes, Cam named her pyjack Scott Jr and is surprised he's a troublemaker. Scott is very proud of his "nephew".)

[yesterdanereviews]

Crater (2023)

Film review #572

Director: Kyle Patrick Alvarez

SYNOPSIS: In a mining colony on the moon, Caleb Channing is about to be shipped to the new colony of Omega, after his Father dies in a mining accident, and he is allowed to go. However, this means leaving his friends behind, which he does not want to do. Caleb also wants to fulfil his Dad's last wish and go to a crater outside of the colony, so they decide to steal a lunar rover and head out on a road trip across the moon...

THOUGHTS/ANALYSIS: Crater is a 2023 sci-film. The film takes place in 2257 on a mining colony on the Moon, where teenager Caleb Channing is about to be transported to the colony planet Omega, after his Father died in an accident and as a result his family is allowed to take the seventy five year trip in cryostasis to reach the new planet. However, Caleb doesn't want to go and leave his friends behind. Alongside this, his father told him his dying wish was for him to visit a crater outside of the colony on the lunar surface to see something. To this end, Caleb and his friends plan to steal a lunar rover and travel outside the colony to see the crater before he has to go away forever. The film is a sci-fi twist on the classic teen coming of age adventure, such as The Goonies and Stand by Me. It follows the formula well, and has all the necessary beats to fulfil it's objective. The sci-fi setting gives it an interesting twist, although at it's core it focuses on the characters and their adventure: the setting is simple enough to understand and follow, and doesn't interfere with that. There's a lot of convenient coincidences that make everything possible, such as a meteor shower happening when they are planning to escape so that means no one can go after them, but you can overlook that for the most part. There's times where the film feels a bit too on-the-rails for an adventure, as it doesn't have the capacity to deviate too much from it's destination (being in a lunar rover, they can't really just wander off and find anything new on the Moon), and the flashback narration from Caleb's dad sometimes is a bit overbearing in hammering home what this trip is supposed to be does seem to be a bit counterproductive in celebrating these kid's freedom, but is not a huge problem, and the film stands on it's own for the most part.

The cast of Caleb and his friends are diverse and interesting enough, and give strong performances throughout, which creates a good connection between the characters. Each of them has their own issues and outlooks that bring something to the trip, and there's some conflict between the characters, but it's very minimal. We don't learn everything about the characters, and that's fine, because we're just enjoying this journey with them. There's a message about environmentalism and worker's rights that runs throughout the film, but it keeps it subtle, letting it play off a little more in the finale when the journey is over. The ending is a jump, but one that doesn't diminish or write off the impact of what it does, and gives just enough to keep things hopeful.

The film looks pretty good, with a consistent sci-fi aesthetic that feels used and worn, without it looking too cheap or hokey. The CG isn't top notch, but again, that's just a small thing you can overlook. All in all, Crater is a decent adventure that takes it's subject matter seriously, although this might be a bit too serious for it's target audience. The adventure is fun and easy to follow, the performances are pretty good, and while there are some issues with the film, they are mostly easily overlooked, and don't detract from the experience.

[jonnysinsectcatalogue]

Devil's Coach Horse Beetle - Ocypus olens

With a name like that, this Beetle has to be dangerous, right? Well, yes, but only if you happen to be one of the creatures on this hunter’s menu. And yes, I said Beetle, but that may be hard to believe at a first glance. If anything, this specimen looks like a more heavily built, dark Earwig that lost its cerci with an Ant-like head (with fearsome jaws to match). A mish-mash of the insects orders, and most devastatingly, it claims to be a Beetle yet it lacks armored elytra! Does it even have wings? Will it sting by arching its abdomen? Allow me to share what details I can. This unusual creature is in fact a Beetle, belonging to the family Staphylinidae, or Rove Beetles. The most well known “Rovers” share the elongated, unarmored, large-headed form that the Devil’s Coach Horse has. They aren’t flattened, but are able to wriggle into out of reach places and hide under rocks or fallen logs. Their primary means of travel are their legs, and they can sprint very quickly if they need to. Case in point, I have several Rover specimens to share, but many of the pictures are blurry. In terms of movement speed, think of common Ground Beetles, but not the sudden starting and stopping of Tiger Beetles. Ground Beetles might actually be the best point of comparison to Rove Beetles, as like them, Rovers case down other creatures and seize them in their front mandibles to have at them. 

Aside from insects, worms, gastropods and anything else that’s small and soft is suitable. I was tempted at first glance to call them detritivores given where they tend to be found, but in reality they are active hunters of the woods and green environments. Quite bold considering they lack thick armor for protection and (seemingly) wings to escape. Of course, in the Beetle world, strange forms mean stranger defense and surprises. Like the large Oil Beetles (which are thick-bodied without armor and cannot fly), the Devil’s Coach Horse can employ a noxious chemical defense from its rear to defend itself if it feels threatened by an onlooker or photographer. This is the reason it arches its tail and becomes motionless, ready to fire back! In front, the jaws are open (hard to tell here, but online resources suggest this), ready to press. It’s a battle stance that’s very scorpion-like, but it’s still an insect and we can only appreciate the similarities. To bring this description back full-circle, though the elytra of this Rove Beetle are reduced and flattened (like their Earwig look-a-likes), there are functional wings folded underneath! Flight is a possibility, but it’s very rare. If you find a Rover with extended wings, that’s a picture worth taking immediately!

Pictures were taken on May 19, 2019 near Kleinburg village with a Samsung Galaxy S4. Next week, we’ll revisit this Beetle family with a similar specimen and flesh out this branch a bit more. 

[glitterguts13]

Stalker Ex Boyfriend Scar finds HIS Rover after 9 1/2 months.

Then Scar hears a baby cry and is seething, thinking that Rober would have the gall to carry another man’s child.

Rover is pleading for Scar to not hurt his baby until Scar sees that the baby looks similar to him, and the rage dies down to joyous obsession.

I love the stalker ex-boyfriend troup, so good so good.

TW: toxic relationship and abuse

The chase at been fun, at first. Tailing Rover around the city, laughing at how unaware he was. Not a clue in the world that he was being followed, his every move written down and his routine memorized like a prayer.

Scar knew he'd come back, he always did. Rover was nothing is not predictable, it was one of the many things he loved so much about him. They'd fight, break up, and before long, Rover would be back, and they'd make up like nothing had happened.

Except, this time, one month became two, and two became three, and suddenly, Rover vanished.

His apartment was empty, his job opened up for another, and all his usual haunts left not a trace to be found.

A piece of Scar died that day, and what little of his sanity remained did as well.

Really, he was a bit impressed. Sweet little Rover, finally managed to give him the slip, and not just for a few days, but almost seven months. It was too long, the separation was too much, and Scar felt himself spiraling further and further each day he wasn't with his Rover.

Finally, he gets the call he was waiting for.

A friend of a friend who worked with a cousin at a coffee shop owned by a neighbor of the landlord who was housing Rover gave him the address he was looking for.

Best money Scar ever spent.

It's nearly five towns over, nestled in a quaint part of the countryside. Bum-fuck-nowhere, with barely any cell reception. This was no place for Rover to be living, in a rat-run shack connected to a barn of all things.

Scar's boots click against the stone walkway, his smile dropping as he moves closer to the door.

That sound.

Swallowing thickly, he feels his fingers twitch.

A baby?

Rover...has a baby.

"Son of a bitch." his heel makes contact with the locked door, breaking the flimsy chain with ease. The sound of the crying newborn fills his ears, and he's shaking, violently from rage.

No wonder Rover vanished.

What a secret to hide, what a pathetic, no good, sick, disgusting sack of shit-

"Scar?" Rover is there, just as he was promised, a bundle cradled tightly to his chest, "Scar, Scar, please, just go, don't do this-" the fear in his voice only edges him on further, the vitriolic hate burning in his chest flaring up.

"You cheated on me?" he slams the door behind himself, causing the baby to wail louder, "Fucking whore, you cheated on me and got knocked up? What the fuck? We were only broken up for a few weeks- was it before? Did you meet them before we broke up? Eh? Who was it? That guy from work? The red-head? Or the security guard-"

"Scar I didn't-"

A shrill shriek escaped Rover's lips as his baby is yanked from his arms.

"SCAR DON'T HURT HIM!"

Opening his mouth, Scar shuts it again just as fast.

The baby was wailing away, tiny fists waving in the air as Scar blinked in confusion. Whispy white hair, pale skin, and bright red eyes.

"Scar, please, give me back my baby-"

"Our baby," Scar corrects him, a smile starting to form on his face, "Rover why didn't you tell me?" gently, he rubs his finger against the infants cheek, cooing down at him.

"Did you think I'd be mad?" he can't take his eyes off the baby, heart swelling with pride, "Rover, darling, you could have told me. I'd have been there in a second," baby tucked in one arm, Scar reaches out, brushing his hand across Rover's cheek, "You didn't have to do this alone."

Tears dripping down his face, Rover forces a smile, trembling,

"Y...yes...I was...worried you'd be angry...that's....what it was."

A kiss is pressed to his lips,

"Don't be scared Darling, I'll never let you go again."

[okiecookie20]

EXO "Lucky One" theory!

The mv is heavily lore-based as we know. Okay I'll try my best to point out clues I found were significant.

𝐓hey are being taken by the nurses in red visors (unmistakeably agents of RF) on stretchers to a unit. The boys are bound and show resistance. Some of them have very prominent dark blue eyes presumably after being drugged:

(their visuals shine even in poor quality of the video — tf sm doing bare minimum for our boys)

Suho said that the members lose their powers in Lucky One. The make-up and overall look exos have in the mv signifies how they're being experimented on with the color drained from their cheeks. also EXO being glass skin ambassadors in this vid

They have been kidnapped and have lost their powers. (I read this somewhere that Exo came on TV in the June ep of Music Video Bank and explained the main story of Lucky One; Baekhyun emphasized on while the other members use their powers, Kai dances when he is cornered 😭😭).

•We see Lay's dream - since his eye is in focus — how the members use their powers but I think Kai is unable to first see where he wants to teleport since that's how this stuff works.

•Kyungsoo sees Lay being carried out of the room and he uses his power - Force to shatter the glass panes. This might be an action which made them realise the danger they were in and make their escape. He is unmoved and appears with a blank expression most of the time (so do the others).

In the end he seemingly makes it out but we see how he has reached the centre of the maze very similar to Overdose mv. The agents are tracking the boys and only Kyunsoo's location doesn't glow??! We have 12 lines that might mean he tricked the RF.

It is important to mention that I think Overdose is probably the sequel to Lucky One. I also find it interesting how kyungsoo is the only one who is alone obviously they're 9 but why is it always HIM? I have thought about making a separate post on how Kyungsoo interacts in the mvs and his role in the story.

•Another clue we get at the end is that the hues change and appear similar to the aesthetic of 'Kokobop'. The same colors appear when Baekhyun is drugged.

This is one clue that Ko ko bop happens after Lucky One! The second clue I found is the drug the nurses inject in Baekhyun (and probably everyone else). In Kokobop also the members appear dazed and sleep in weird places, they are drugged and imagining stuff like giant burgers.

•Ohkay so our H2O buddies Suho and Xiumin are seen trapped in white chambers.

But we have to remember it's all in BnW. And they are the ones who combined their powers to make 🧊 and glasses (Xiumin) of water (Suho) for themselves, maybe to overcome the effects of the drugs

Oh! I just found out how they were the ones banging on the walls of the Overdose maze in the mv!! They are also known as counterparts in the lore. So this similarity and interaction is definitely not a coincidence. It's interesting how their role is significant in the overall concept they have and maybe I'll talk about them separately in a different post!

Now I want to mention some ~clues~ which I don't have much interpretations for, at least yet:

We see how Baekhyun encourages(?) Chanyeol to use his powers — as they enter a room — while he himself is not shown to use his in the mv.

Lastly I wanna mention, because I can't think anymore my brain is clouded with so much info & finding clues; is that Chanyeol's Red hair (he looks fire oml) is not just an aesthetic but matches the concept. In a way it explains his role in Power and Obsession (I'll try to explain some other things in another post!) Also, shoutout to @faakeid on Mind Dissociation theory!

Other theories: Obsession Theory | KAI Rover

Thank You so much for reading!❤️😭 I would really appreciate it if you share your POV🌺 *I'm new to Tumblr, joined this month🙂

[maximuswolf]

Can you do better than AI?

Can you do better than AI? I asked Gemini to imagine a sci-fi game made by Rockstar and this is what it came up with… what would you change to make it better? :)Title: Horizon's EdgeSetting: 2142, a terraformed Mars, where humanity has established a fragile colony amidst harsh environmental conditions and political unrest.Protagonist: Jax, a former Earth military pilot turned independent cargo hauler, struggling to survive in the unforgiving Martian landscape.Antagonist: A powerful mining corporation, "Red Mesa," which exploits Martian resources and suppresses dissent among the colonists.Plot Points:Introduction: Jax is introduced as a skilled pilot, navigating treacherous Martian storms and delivering vital supplies across the colony.Conflict: Jax becomes embroiled in a conflict involving Red Mesa's illegal mining operations and their suppression of a local uprising.Investigation: Jax uncovers evidence of Red Mesa's environmental destruction and their exploitation of the Martian colonists.Confrontation: Jax must choose a side in the conflict, leading to a series of intense encounters with Red Mesa's security forces and their advanced ground vehicles.Climax: A final showdown against Red Mesa's forces, culminating in a daring escape from the Martian colony.Resolution: Jax escapes to the outer reaches of the Martian system, leaving the fate of the colony uncertain.Gameplay Elements:Open-World Exploration: A vast and detailed Martian landscape to explore, featuring canyons, deserts, and abandoned mining settlements.Vehicle Combat: Intense vehicular combat using a variety of hovercrafts, rovers, and combat drones.Space Combat: Dogfights in atmospheric and space environments using advanced spacecraft.Survival Mechanics: Managing resource consumption (oxygen, food, water) and adapting to the harsh Martian environment.Trading: Trading goods and information across the Martian colony, negotiating with various factions and individuals.Character Customization: Customize Jax's appearance and equip different gear and weapons.Rockstar-Inspired Elements:Moral Ambiguity: Players must navigate complex moral dilemmas and make difficult choices with lasting consequences.Black Humor: A dark and cynical sense of humor that reflects the harsh realities of life on Mars.Side Missions: A variety of side missions that offer additional challenges, rewards, and stories.World-Building: A rich and detailed world with a believable and immersive atmosphere.This concept aims to offer a unique and distinct sci-fi experience while retaining the core elements of a classic Rockstar game. Submitted December 13, 2024 at 06:45AM by BrukPlays https://ift.tt/uUqFl0m via /r/gaming