#sky/rim

[thewolfnessphotography]

Grand Canyon

Arizona. US

[gummy-axolotl]

*frantic scribbling* THE VOICES!!!

[verefex]

where we droppin boys

[katnissdoesnotfollowback]

Featuring: The Rim of the Sky

Summary: It starts in the night, when the rim of the sky is pitch black, so dark that even the stars can’t touch it. Soldiers in orderly lines, wrapped in sleeping bags, huddled against the growing chill in the air. They aren’t really soldiers. Not like the enemy. And not like the ones leading them. The boy and the girl sleep beside each other for weeks. Months. Although he still doesn’t know her name.

Everlark in the Dark Days and the failed assault on the Capitol.

Rating: T+ for MAJOR CHARACTER DEATHS, violence, mild sexual content, child soldiers, blood mentions.

A/N: Now that I've gotten you all nice and cozy with several of my HEA Everlark fics, I now drag you waaaaaaaaay back to 2014 with the piece that really started to gain me notice as a writer in the fandom. It wasn't the first fanfic I shared but until I posted The Rim of the Sky, there were maybe a handful of super kind people reading my fics. I wrote The Rim of the Sky for Day One (Red) of Round 6 (Peeta's Paintbox) for promptsinpanem. I'd been lurking for five rounds of PiP already. I'd written pieces for at least one prompt every round but didn't work up the courage to finally post until Round 6. And this is what I chose to share. Why, you ask? I still don't really know. Long story, but this piece was a massive emotional dump of words. Please note the plural on that MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH S tag above. There is no HEA for this one.

Have I warned you all enough? Scared several of you off even trying to read it? While that saddens me because I still think it's one of my better pieces in terms of language and writing craft, I can understand people wanting to steer clear.

The Rim of the Sky on AO3

[flmboyz]

Not just a Ford Ranger but A Ford F$"kn Sky Ranger

[katywuethrich]

OUT OF THE WAY S’WITS I HAVE A SILTSTRIDER TO CATCH!!!

[shadow0-1]

Howdy. Your work is absolutely amazing. Immaculate. Indescribable. Do you think you could share some Blender lighting tricks? Absolutely ignore this if you don't want to answer, that is a-okay. I hope you have an amazing day/night/evening/morning.

Hey! Hard to really say for me personally, I just tend to do whatever looks good 💀but I do have some tutorials I've found that are helpful

3 point lighting Realism lighting 'hack' Cinematic lighting Power of lighting

[florbelles]

what if i made liv & aoife in bg3....haha just kidding.....unless.....

[rabbitcruiser]

Buck Canyon Overlook, Canyonlands National Park (No. 3)

The Ancestral Puebloans inhabited this area and some of their stone and mud dwellings are well-preserved, although the items and tools they used were mostly removed by looters. The Ancestral Puebloans also created rock art in the form of petroglyphs, most notably on Newspaper Rock along the Needles access road.

The Maze district is located west of the Colorado and Green rivers. The Maze is the least accessible section of the park, and one of the most remote and inaccessible areas of the United States.

A geographically detached section of the park located north of the Maze district, Horseshoe Canyon contains panels of rock art made by hunter-gatherers from the Late Archaic Period (2000-1000 BC) pre-dating the Ancestral Puebloans. Originally called Barrier Canyon, Horseshoe's artifacts, dwellings, pictographs, and murals are some of the oldest in America. The images depicting horses date from after 1540 AD, when the Spanish reintroduced horses to America.

Since the 1950s, scientists have been studying an area of 200 acres (81 ha) completely surrounded by cliffs. The cliffs have prevented cattle from ever grazing on the area's 62 acres (25 ha) of grassland. According to the scientists, the site may contain the largest undisturbed grassland in the Four Corners region. Studies have continued biannually since the mid-1990s. The area has been closed to the public since 1993 to maintain the nearly pristine environment.

​Source: Wikipedia

[airasilver]

Went through some of my books looking for my Pacific Rim ones and found all of this. Didn’t even realize I had some of these. Heck, I thought I got rid of my Twilight series!

[ghastimafrix]

every day i miss classic feralheart with all my being. take me back to the days of sparklewolves and legally-distinct lions and warrior cats roleplays in borderline liminal 3d worlds at 5am on a school night. i yearn for that comfort again

[aesfocus]

does magic border work for me in bg3 I ask myself? and the answer is yes

[requindeterre]

Scumplane Pacific Rim AU pt 4

[Pt. 1] [Pt. 3]

I forgot to post this here when I updated it on AO3. Oops

Returning to base after being so certain he would never see it again left Shen Qingqiu with mixed feelings. He had been fully ready to die for people who were at best, indifferent to him, at worst considered him a caustically unpleasant glory hound out to steal victories from 'worthier' pilot teams. Not that Shen Jiu ever put much stock in their opinions of him, changing a poor first opinion would take time and energy more effectively used to optimize training simulations based on the new data from each Breach. It would be an uphill battle and not one that he was at all interested in engaging in. 

If his inevitable burn out had been the price to pay for the safety of the only place he had reasonably called home in his miserable life, it was a minuscule cost in the face of the debt he owed after being given a chance to make something of himself - even if he had to fight tooth and nail to get there. Tactically speaking, using him as a sacrificial piece on the board to secure a broader victory was a sound strategy. A lone pilot was a liability - but, the mind nestled with his like chickens in a coop was a reminder that he could no longer claim status as a lone pilot. He reached out to brush Shang Qinghua's mind, reassuring himself that he wasn't alone. 

They were both exhausted and clinging to the last dregs of victory to finish the mission by the time Shen Qingqiu finally docked Xiu Ya in its transport. In the quiet of the con pod he curled his mind protectively around Shang Qinghua's, the closest contact he had allowed himself since separating from Qi-ge all those years ago, while the transport ferried them the rest of the way back to base. 

What an odd little surprise to have been hidden in plain sight. Whether Shen Qingqiu had netted himself an unstable pilot pair, laughably appropriate given his own downslide, remained to be seen. The flashes of strange memories had been intriguing but there hadn't been time to chase R.A.B.I.Ts while clearing out the drones. Drones, offspring - whatever they were, they were new and Shen Qingqiu couldn’t say that he much cared for the precedent it potentially set. He made a mental note to follow up on the new Kaiju data during his upcoming stay in Qian Cao's care. Regardless, the fact that Shang Qinghua had already been aware of the broad strokes of the…unpleasantness of his past even if the details Shang Qinghua's mind provided aligned in a strange way, a historical fantasy setting of all things, would be cause for concern if not for the persistent ideation that 'Airplane' was a transmigrator. He added another mental note to casually suggest a psych evaluation for his new partner to the medical staff. That got a distracted grumble from Shang Qinghua's mind. Interesting. 

Before Shen Qingqiu could pick apart the puzzle further, Shang Qinghua's mind began to fade away from his, grains of sand pouring out of a broken hourglass. Something was wrong, something was wrong, something was wrong- instinctual fear gripped him and he latched on, unwilling and unable to let go of the mind meld slipping through his fingers. The hours of academy training about the psychological effects of dropping out of a paired drift were far from Shen Qingqiu’s mind. There was no muscle memory for this, no well of experience to draw from, just the fear of the gift he’d been given being stolen away from him. He set his teeth and clung. It didn’t work. Every ounce of stubbornness in him and it still didn’t work. The connection between them oozed like honey, drop by drop the ties binding them together spun thinner and thinner - then snapped. The part of Shen Jiu that had never truly left the Qiu cried out. Don’t go, stay, don’t leave me here alone again but there was no one else to hear him anymore. 

By the time the techs opened the con pod to retrieve him, Shen Qingqiu was already lurching through the port at speed slowing just enough to rip the helmet from his head. The staff pulled back in alarm for a moment, had Shen Qingqiu actually died on the battlefield and they’d  transported back a fierce corpse? He toppled to the grating of the gangplank halfway between Jaeger and platform, no longer able to stay upright of his own power but determined to drag himself if he had to, and the Qian Cao medics on standby swooped into action. One of the technicians who had opened the door made eye contact as Shen Qingqiu was loaded onto the stretcher. Every time he'd come out of the pod previously he had been cool, calm, and collected as he followed the Qian Cao personnel to receive treatment. Never a hair out of place. Whatever had happened this time had left him shaky and pale as blood poured from his nose. With his wild hair, frantically darting pupils, and fervent soundless whispers, maybe the initial designation of fierce corpse hadn’t been far off after all. Shen Qingqiu continued trying to speak as the stretcher lifted off the ground. It took a moment of carefully watching his lips for the tech to piece together what he was saying. “Where is Shang Qinghua,” over and over and over again.

Shen Qingqiu’s question spread through the dome like wildfire. The last anyone could reliably remember seeing Shang Qinghua was in the Command Room, remotely troubleshooting a buggy bit of code that misread the fuel tanks of Cheng Luan’s secondary thrusters as empty despite a full refuel before deployment. That had been hours ago by this point, before contact had been made. Their clue came forty five minutes into the search from a pair of Shen Qingqiu’s students. “Shang Shishu? Wasn’t he heading toward the labs?” Ning Yingying turned to Ming Fan hovering at her elbow. 

Privately, the An Ding disciple thought that the speed the boy’s head bobbed in his haste to agree with his companion was a rather passable impression of a chicken. But, a lead was a lead and the labs seemed as likely a place for the missing officer to be as any at this point, despite his tendency to avoid the labs after a breach like the plague until an upcoming briefing forced him back to work. Later, an additional allotment of shore leave would find its way to the pair of disciples. No one looked too closely at the strange system error in their favor.

Things moved quickly after Shang Qinghua’s return to consciousness. In tried and true fashion, Shen Qingqiu bullied his way into sharing Shang Qinghua's hospital room, commandeering the second bed and becoming selectively deaf when the staff tried to coax him back to his own room. Older staff were already well-used to his antics and bullheadedness and accepted the change without comment, bringing both sets of medications when making their rounds unasked.

The first time they were left truly alone together, Shang Qinghua flinched whenever Shen Qingqiu opened his mouth, bracing for the interrogation he felt certain was coming. The fifth time it happened Shen Qingqiu’s jaw clamped shut and he pinched the bridge of his nose to stave off the building irritation. Enough was enough. He was still unsteady on his feet as he slid out of bed, grabbing the cane at the bedside to make his way to the chair beside his rabbit-hearted partner. Shang Qinghua attempted to scramble off the bed but hadn’t accounted for Shen Jiu’s longer reach, scruffing him by the neck of the Qian Cao issued hospital gown. “Get back in bed, you’re still recovering from your hare-brained rescue operation. And breathe would you?  I can still feel you, your anxiety is making both of our blood pressures rise.” Shen Qingqiu sighed heavily through his nose. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

Slowly, watching Shen Qingqiu carefully, Shang Qinghua eased back into bed. When that elicited nothing but a raised eyebrow and a stare that sent disciples fleeing, Shang Qinghua rubbed his nose and sheepishly chuckled. He knew that, he did, and it wasn’t like there was any animosity or ill-intent coming through their link. And wow was that weird to think about, a whole other person being beaming directly into his brain. A lot had happened - was still happening and there was so much to take in and process. They’d never ever had a real conversation, it was always Shen Qingqiu barging into R&D with his usual tirade of ‘Xiu Ya this, drivesuit that, where is my AI co-pilot Shang Qinghua?’ What was a guy supposed to do with that??? Ah, really shixiong, have mercy on your shidi, he was only trying to do the right thing! He saved Shen Qingqiu and was saved in turn according to Mu Qingfang. So, they were even now - no need to make a big deal about it, water under the bridge! They could go back to going their separate ways, this didn’t have to be anything more than a blip!

A wave of sullen resistance passed through Shang Qinghua before a cool hand folded over his, entwining their fingers. The skin to skin contact echoed between them, each feeling both sides of the contact. That - that was a thing, a thing that Shang Qinghua would definitely not be examining the implications of right now, no, nope, absolutely not. He could feel his ears and cheeks heating as an amused huff sounded near his ear. When did Shen Qingqiu get so close? 

Shang Qinghua was saved by one of the nurses entering. As she started in on badgering Shen Qingqiu about being out of bed, he tilted away from her to roll his eyes. When it became clear she wouldn’t leave until she’d taken both of their vitals, from their own beds, he complied begrudgingly but didn't relinquish Shang Qinghua's hand until distance forced the issue, reluctant to the last curl of his fingertips. The phantom touched lingered in Shang Qinghua's mind that night as he traced his fingers in the dark. After their discharge, Shang Qinghua's living quarters were the next target of prolonged contact. Shen Qingqiu had shown up at his door with boxes unannounced and proceeded to make himself at home. A brief wordless battle of confusion and insistence ensued - ending in Shang Qinghua's bachelor pad becoming a shared space like a secondary office or lounge. Airplane couldn't make any sense of it. Why was Shen Qingqiu suddenly taking an interest in him after years of only acknowledging him when Shen Qingqiu needed something from R&D? He was constantly popping up for seemingly no reason and getting under foot. Shen-shixiong, this shidi promised he wouldn't disappear if unobserved for five minutes, really! Being watched like a hawk would be less of an issue if he didn't need to submit a report to Mobei Jun in the pressingly near future. At this rate Shang Qinghua was going to miss a check in and that would go over about as well as the "ribs" served in the mess hall - which was to say, not well at all. 

It wasn't that Shang Qinghua hadn't tried to give his new sort of roommate the slip. He did! He really did! It was just that everytime he thought Shen Jiu was off doing what he was supposed to be like teaching the next generation, Shang Qinghua would spot him through the lab’s reinforced glass wall overlooking the Jaegar bays below - conveniently taking Qing Jing disciples for a tour or walking into the mess hall after Shang Qinghua had just started eating and had no plausible reason to flee. Without fail, Shen Qingqiu’s gaze found him like a heat seeking missile. And each time, the slightest quirk of Shen Qingqiu's lips seemed to say, found you. It wasn't good for Shang Qinghua's heart. 

Just like it wasn’t good for his heart the way Shen Jiu kept touching him when they were in proximity. It was never inappropriate - brushing off metal shavings clinging to the shoulder of his jumpsuit, a tug on his sleeve to redirect him out of the flow of on-coming foot traffic while he talked his way through a problem, and one memorable time crouching down to retie the laces of his boot while his hands were full of an unwieldy crate. That one had thankfully been in a rarely traveled maintenance corridor. Tongues were already wagging about how Shen Qingqiu’s well-documented avoidance of others had been thrown out the window after Xiu Ya’s return and Airplane would vastly prefer to be privy to gossip rather than the source of it.

“It’s because they have nothing better to do with their time,” Shen Jiu mused from their couch without looking up from his book one evening.

In the kitchenette the cheery yellow kettle clicked off and Shang Qinghua absently began pouring water for their tea, talking over his shoulder. 

“For as busy as the rest of us are, you’d think they’d have found something better to talk about by now. Like how that group of Ku Xing kids are always sneaking over to Zui Xian after curfew. They’re not exactly subtle when coming back but not a single disciplinary - Ah, Shit!”

Shen Jiu’s head popped up over the back of the couch immediately to assess the situation. Shang Qinghua’s tendency toward flapping about while speaking had come back to bite him. Or burn him in this case. The kettle had been set down in favor of holding his burnt hand to blow on it.

Cute. Airplane shot an accusatory pout toward the couch.

“No, don’t you dare. You’re the one who insisted on tea in the first place!”

Still fondly amused, Shen Jiu rose from his elegant sprawl to guide the injured hand under cool water. His grip was gentle as he held Airplane’s wrist in one hand and cradled the other palm to palm, rotating their joined hands slowly so none of the burn was missed. Shang Qinghua looked up at him through slightly teary lashes. Noticing the attention, Shen Jiu turned with a hum and an unguarded smile. And wow, it’s not like Airplane had never noticed Shen Jiu’s looks - cold, mean, and pretty was his type after all - but this, this was different. Touchable. The warm light softened the sharp planes of his face and this close Shang Qinghua could see the faint scattering of  faded freckles across his cheeks normally well camouflaged beneath a thin layer of powder.

Whatever was coming through their heightened bond darkened Shen Jiu’s eyes, lids lowering to half mast as he touched their foreheads together.

“Breathe little rabbit.”

The tips of their noses touched, slid along each other as the angles shifted close enough to share a breath between them. A heartbeat, two, drumming between them as the bridge closed.

Only to jump apart as an all-too familiar siren rang through the dome. Another Breach.

[limiteditionly]

@limiteditionly

Still po pimpin

[andruail]

Have you ever read the Ravenloft novels? I just slammed 3 books about strahd 2 good one cringe and idk what to do now lol.

i sure have 😌 i, strahd, war against azalin and vampire of the mists. i always recommend elrod’s books to people though because they were used for strahd / barovia from 2e up until 4e (think the latest i found was a 4e one-shot from 2012—keeping in mind CoS came out in 2016—where strahd enlists the help of the players to hunt down leo dilisnya who, as we know, previously murdered all the wedding guests. kasimir and patrina were introduced in this too with the rest of the dusk elves) before they rebooted everything with 5e curse of strahd.

while they still reference i, strahd in the current module, so much has obviously changed. it’s why i’m a 5e hater because i prefer the previous incarnations of strahd and the domains / the core and the dark powers.

which ones have you read so far? because elrod has written three strahd stories.

[rabbitcruiser]

Green River Overlook, Canyonlands National Park (No. 3)

Drought Tolerators

Drought tolerators are able to withstand losing much of their total body water content, in some cases up to 92 percent (e.g. rotifers, tadpole and fairy shrimp eggs). This process is known as cryptobiosis. Remarkably, many cryptobiotic species can be rehydrated and become fully functional in as little as half an hour. Cryptobiosis is accomplished by a command center in the organism that remains hydrated. Throughout the rest of the organism, water is replaced by sugar molecules. Changing water to sugar helps the organism’s cells keep shape. Many species are only tolerant during one stage in their life cycle (e.g. egg, larva) and will die if a pool dries up during another life cycle stage.

Source