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mileapo · 1 year ago

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Talk with MileApo and Pond about the new journey of Be On Cloud that shines more than before

What is each person interested in during this time, such as food, products, places, and activities in Thailand?

Apo: Personally, Po is obsessed with everything Thai. For example, when you see Thai fabric, you will really like it. and would like to be able to keep it My favorite food is Thai food. My favorite basic is scrambled eggs with basil. I can eat it every day. As for activities, I like to travel, the closest place is Phra Nakhon area. I feel like no matter how many times I go, it's like the first time every time. Because even though we go to the same place, the light, temperature, and weather have changed. The feeling has changed. It is a romantic place.

Pond: These two (Mile and Apo) they like the same thing, it's very funny. It's like going to meet in Phra Nakhon. Sometimes we go on appointments and don't make appointments very often. As for the things that are interesting to me during this period, I'm excited about how we can take what we believe in, what we love, and share it more readily.

Mile: During this time, it's still about the music. But it's going to be about the music from another angle. Being a producer, a collaborator, and a creator are different things.

Producers are finding new artists. Our perspective on listening to music will change. Including the perspective of looking for artists that we will work with. As for the collaborative perspective, like working with P' Stamp (Stamp Apiwat Authavornsuk) on the song, we felt that it would be interesting to see such a talented artist and then one day join Be On Cloud. Of course, there probably isn't just P'Stamp alone. There are probably others as well. And the final point of view is the creator. No matter how much we like music, one day we become producers and broadcasters, so it's a different feeling. Creating and consuming are different. That's what we've been interested in lately.

What was the most exciting thing about this year?

Apo: This year Po's look will change throughout the year and beyond. In fact, Po's favorite style is retro. Po likes things that look raw and edgy. Ever since I was a kid, I've been trying to grow a mustache for a long time. Until today, at age 30, my mustache has grown in full form (all 3 people laugh). Previously, my mustache grew in patches, but when I turned 30 it was just the right time. Along with the upcoming new work, he asked, "Does Po have a mustache?" Po said proudly. ��It's here.” (laughs) Po thinks it's the age when he's ready physically, mentally, and experientially. I think that the work that I have continued to do. It should be an indication of another part of our personality that has grown.

Pond: I would like to add that many people have asked if Be On Cloud sends actors to work with other people. The kind that we don't produce ourselves. No, I didn't send it. But if everything goes right, it's ready. The project that Po will join is a very big movie project. When we talked about it, it felt like it was very right. It couldn't be more accurate than this. It had to be done. Apo himself felt that he was absolutely right for this role. We sat and talked on that side, each choosing the other. Which doesn't count the series we announced today ( Chai Shine series )

Apo: And together with the director, the way he shoots, the storytelling is very much our own. He said everything was very natural.

When will the film project that Apo will star in take place?

Pond: There will probably be a project announcement this year. And starting filming soon, I think everyone will be wowed. Because this director is a director that all of us are fans of. When we got to know him deeply, we felt that he deserved to have so many works engraved. His ideas and methods of working are worth studying and doing. But we may not spoil the story yet, let's wait a little longer.

Mile: As for my excitement this year? I think it's a matter of us having a better balance between going abroad and being at home. Fans at home and abroad will feel that they enjoy everything together. For my perspective, whether it's the song part or the performance part that will be announced today (January 31) or something else, everything will be bigger and more rounded from the consumer's perspective. In the corner of the fan club And from the perspective of other people who just got to know Be On Cloud and myself.

Pond: As for me, as I said above, We are more together, our minds are more calm. Be more accepting of past mistakes, both pros and cons. It's like forgiving everything. At the same time, I admire everything as well. It is forgiveness of our past mistakes. Come back and start in a place where you are still and ready to grow.

Like I said, I've been through a hard life. We've never had a loner, but we admit that from the first time we made Be On Cloud to KinnPorsche The Series, this phenomenon brought everyone along without us realizing it. Before we knew it, there must have been an event to warn us. Luckily, we were still strong and our minds were still calm enough to know what we wanted to do in the end, so we pulled ourselves to the point where we were ready to accept and understand, 'We're not going to be that kind of person anymore.' The most important thing in entertainment work is that there must be no bias. If we have a lot of ego, it will be difficult to do good work. There is only a desire to do it, not a desire to have it. one. This year is an exciting year.

And another thing that we are going to do is grow and have more partners. It's called expanding the company to be bigger in terms of both investments. and the growth of various opportunities So we have to go back and look at what we should deal with. In order not to create even bigger problems in the future, we actually prepared for a while.

We will have adjustments. Our actors may not all continue together. Our method of caring for artists has changed. We've already talked to the team about that. We do not have a performer manager policy. Therefore, we are not actors' managers anymore. Whether we're going to follow you to do this one, execrise. read the script, get ready. We can train your skills. But we won't come to impose your discipline. And if our working attitude doesn't match ours? We are happy to let you grow in your own way. Because our manpower must be used appropriately in every part.

The most important thing when working here is to first ask what you want. When you say what you want We'll circle now. Your desire leads us. But if you say what you want to do That's what we want. It is certain that we will have fewer actors left. (???)

What is the surprise Big Project that will happen at this event? (Press conference on the cooperation of the Ministry of Commerce and Be On Cloud Company on January 31)

Pond: Actually, this story has been planned since the making of Mansuang . We have been working on it for a year. When making Mansuang, the intention was that there would be no relationship story at all. Because in the end, if you face life like that, you won't think about relationships. There are people killing each other every day. Not knowing who killed you and still being in a relationship is a little difficult, but today Man Suang is at peace. There were also transitions during the reign. It's the reign of King Rama IV, so it's time for us to talk about the relationships of the characters. But where will the relationship be? How do we feel about this one? We have to follow and see. Both Chat and Khem will grow in relationships and accept themselves in relationships. This story is a continuation of Mansuang , but we haven't told any stories about the original story. Because the matter is over. There are characters who continue from Mansuang , but not all of them will come.

This story is called Chai (Shine) because I have one belief. When we go to many countries, we will know that when it comes to gender diversity. Equal rights or identifying one's own gender, I think in Thailand we are very open, but we also close some parts. Which is very strange. But in the past everyone felt that it was suffering. But we feel that there will still be a group of people who have this kind of love that doesn't match what other people say, but they can live with. He found a way to survive. And he will have faith that one day it will be better. This is the key to this story.

Chai (Shine) is a story that will be told from the point of view that there is always hope and brightness. It's up to us how we choose to look at it. Let's say you are in a very dark place. You only have one matchstick and it can light up. It's up to you whether you choose to look at the darkness or look at the light there. People who watch this will feel good. Including a bright smile. And see the beauty of everything we set out to do because the team directed it. The selected team will definitely be a team that will 'Shine' together.

The atmosphere of this story is like something out of Man Suang , which looks dark and gloomy. Everything presses down on us. As for this matter, we will travel together. The team is the same. For our filming, the entire crew will be together almost all the time, like going on a camping trip. without anyone returning home. As for projects with the Ministry of Commerce, there will be no restrictions. We are not a camp that imposes anything or teaches people. Our main purpose is to entertain. But what can we insert into entertainment? It will stay smooth. That's why we're doing the project from today. In order to make the script as smooth as possible which we are about to start filming.

What is the starting point of the project that will be done with the Ministry of Commerce?

Pond: As I said, we actually talked all the time that we would have another series that talked about relationships. And we also like the beauty of that era. We worked on this for a while. Once that was finished, there was a point where I thought about the fact that we had so many community products that we felt like we could go on and make products that are already well known available for sale. If we look back now at the micro-economy, it is community products. Can we make it more popular? Through our abilities and this project

When this intention arose I was the one who came to talk to the Ministry of Commerce. Actually, at that time it was not about soft power at all. We see what everyone is doing. And at that time we had products that we were interested in. We care about trade. which also corresponds to that era Because the era of King Rama 3 and 4 was an era in which foreign trade was very prosperous. It matches exactly what we believe. Therefore, if you do business, do you have to talk to the Ministry of Commerce? So we came in to talk and explained to him. It was exciting when he saw the picture. I may have been a business person before, we were already trading. When we came to talk to the trading side, it was not difficult to understand each other and we were supportive. We told him that we had to do it in a new way, outside the box. Every adult was ready to go outside the box.

Today, there has been a joining of forces. Notice that it is not the Ministry of Commerce that hires Be On Cloud. We do it together, and even if there is no ministry, we will do it. But today, when there is a ministry, it has power and support. Because the Ministry of Commerce is the largest ministry in the country. There are approximately 5,000 personnel both in Thailand and abroad. He looks at trade, importing, exporting Thai products, whatever can be done to make Thai businesses trade well. Therefore, today we come to do it with him, it should be correct.

If we talk about people knowing about Thailand, there are a lot of people doing it, everyone knows about Thailand. But today we want to do more in terms of making Thai products and businesses expand further. Because we tried it with Man Suang and Song Wad and everything was really possible.

From the perspective of the three of them, what is the attraction of the government supporting the entertainment industry?

Mile: In my view, I think that the government will come and do joint venture activities with the private sector that actually produces content. A pattern like this has never been seen before. From the point of view of some people looking in, they may think that they will be forced. I think this conversation may not be in that form. Because when I came to see Pee Uan (Phoomtham Wechayachai), I saw youth, openness, and fun in him. And many staff members, so it means that the content that will be made If we do it together with a government that is open to this, it would be interesting.

Saying that soft power has to come tie-in, saying that we are going to sit and eat Thai food like this. People have always said it but it hasn't been done. Or it was done and it was never continued. I think the key to success in any industry is continuity. This starting point is one starting point that will allow you to see that.

Pond: As I said, this is a long-term project. and really develop together in many sectors Not just let's make a series. You have to admit first that the government is not good at doing everything. Suddenly the government tells you to create a series and people will laugh at it. Have you ever done this? You have never done it. Therefore, today we are producers with experience. There are works that make you not shy when talking about them. It is considered to be quite successful. But today, if we continue to do this We will cooperate in the matter of trading and making products. Of course we have to talk to people who are good at this. His network is full. His personnel are full. If I go to develop a product It's difficult to find products. It's better to fight for the government to help. They call it that people depend on each other. No one came to ask for anything.

Apo: Powa assumes that if you find good things in Thailand. We may definitely be less skilled than the Ministry of Commerce. Because he's watching all over the country. Including abroad and we are good at entertainment. We just come together. Take that stuff and put it in entertainment. It seems like these characters are used today. And when people around the world watch It's like telling him what this is. It will continue to spread. Because when it comes to entertainment, it stays with us forever. People can come back and watch at any time. And people still know and understand things. that the Ministry of Commerce found Then we enjoyed each other and passed each other on.

Like when Man Suang _ This is like the beginning of entertainment and passing on good things to the community. It will make the movement in the country more widespread. Instead of people coming to just Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, people are going to more provinces. to go see that thing Go see some really local things. Po said the country will grow up.

It's like when we watch foreign series. He kept putting it on. He's been doing it for a very long time. There is support from the government. When they keep promoting each other It becomes a memory that when you go to this country you have to eat this. must do this Poe is a good start.

Pond: I would like to add that when making Man Suang I didn't ask for sponsorship from anyone. And I didn't get any sponsorship from the store. We use the money to decorate the shop ourselves. But in the end, we will prove that it's like an advertising budget. But we use it that way. Once he did, his shop was successful. His drawing actually happened. So it's our case study that entertainment media, series or movies can really do it. It's more than just making people know what culture is. So we took this case study and turned it into a larger section with this project. They call it promoting a new dimension of the economy, but it's actually not new to other countries. New for our country

Apo: The team talked and we had a concept that we would make items that the characters use in their daily lives. That means we don't need a tie-in, we want him to use in everyday life. People will feel that this is what they should use in their daily life. It is not a matter of assuming that this is a good thing.

Pond: We definitely don't do that. Leave this quote: 'We haven't done tie-ins like that since time immemorial. Don't worry, don't worry, we've always been like this. We'll make it smooth on this one.' Please help support and give advice, don't worry. We don't like anything that isn't smooth either (laughs).

Lately, we have heard and seen people in the entertainment industry communicating in the same direction, something like “Our entertainment industry has come a long way. But we can go further if we get support from the government.” What do the three people think about this?

Pond: People say this word a lot. But just taking the government will not survive. The government has a duty to be a facilitator. No need to invest It doesn't have to be that much. In the end, the word that the government comes to support is all our tax money. But in the end, what the government has is What negotiating power does the private sector not have?

What we will help together is not just the government. That is, every sector must help each other. We as producers and our fans are influencers. One private sector Every store, even other private sectors We can support each other to make these things happen. It's like we've shown that today we have a government in Maine, but it's true that just Be On Cloud and the government alone are not enough. Every sector must help each other. Is that right, sir? (Smiles and turns to look at My)

Mile: Yes, we have to go together. From my point of view, I use the word creative production. It's probably better to compete to grow. From the government's point of view, he did not become an investor with us. He doesn't come to be a producer with us. In this sense, he is a tool, as P'Pond said. He is a support person on various occasions. that sometimes the private sector cannot really reach Whether in terms of finding content, various products, or exporting anything. Therefore, one must be a Co-Partner with a good government. And from the private sector's perspective, we must work together creatively.

Apo: A pova is a team walk. We are glad that P'Pond and Be On Cloud came to talk with the Ministry of Commerce team. At first we weren't sure. Because I've never seen the government do this big to entertainment. When we met, we felt that he had fun and cheerfulness even though he had grown up a lot. Makes you know that it's really Then it is about joining together and walking together as a team. It's not that anyone has to do more than anyone else. But as long as we have the same ideas, methods, and perspectives, then we come together.

Mile: When we say that the government comes to work with the private sector. Some groups of modern people may feel the Generation Gap, making them feel that the government never understands the private sector. In reality, this may not be the case. I think I might try and see how much better it will happen. But I believe it's definitely better. At least from this point or any other point.

In addition to receiving support from the Ministry of Commerce, do we really want the government to support anything else?

Pond: I feel like I didn't specify anything. Now what I want to happen is More pictures of all ministries working together. Because if the goal is the mouths of the people and the future of the country There is no need to separate who belongs to which ministry. Anyone who is good at anything, we are happy to work with everyone. As with Be On Cloud this year, there will be a new dimension after this where we can work with everyone even more. No matter what label you are, what channel, what platform. Therefore, the answer is the same for anyone. If we assume that our destination is the same, it drives the entertainment industry. Driving the country's industry And to make everything better, we are ready.

In addition to the Ministry of Commerce wanting to promote the upgrading of Thai products to the world market. There is also talk of supporting Thailand towards a society of gender equality. As a producer and actor, how do you think we can push for gender equality?

Pond: We talk about this all the time. You can notice it from KinnPorsche The Series or Mansruang. Whatever everyone feels is that this doesn't match gender, we have never crushed it. For example, KinnPorsche The Series, Porsche doesn't have a mother. But Porsche has Yok who is like a mother. We feel this is normal. Of course, what we do today, everything is normal

Today I feel that society is better. People are more easily accepted. But if sometimes you force yourself to think like this. There will be resistance immediately. Today we try to create entertainment so that people feel used to it. We make it feel like this is normal. The only thing that makes me more happy is that I believe that this year accepting oneself or whether these areas will be supported by law. Because there are many people who live together and they can't have the law to support them. This one is difficult. For example, you can't get a house loan together. One person dies, you cannot clear up inheritance matters. Or that one person is in the hospital and the other cannot sign. This law is important here.

It doesn't matter that my country already accepts such things. I think our country has accepted this for a long time. But this time we need laws that guarantee that this is 'Supported by law' is the correct way. The law really works. There is no need to look for gaps in the law.

Apo: Po says people don't have to ask themselves who I am today, what am I? Po says the question we really ask ourselves every day is, are we happy today? Do we have the strength to live today? Po is a question that all of us humans will ask. It depends on what we do. Or what kind of perspective we have? If we treat others or even ourselves fairly, this is equality.

Mile: From my point of view, I think the words lover and life partner are not the same. It means from now on the issue of equality. It must be seen as concrete in the legal sense. In terms of actually living life. As P'Pond said, when people love each other, they are stuck in a place where they can't get married, have to get a house loan, can't do certain transactions. Makes it impossible to live the real life that he is living. Which is not fair to those natural things.

Therefore, if these angles come together to promote each other and understand each other better on a wider scale, it would be good. And more than that, working with the government makes you see the charm of being open to the word Thai people. I think Thailand is a country that is open to not just love and liking, it's a matter of culture. What are the many things that are the charm of Thailand?

Pond: Thailand is very diverse.

Mile: Diversity is the cool thing about Thailand. This character is the strength of Thailand.

(translated by google)

#mileapo #mile phakphum #apo nattawin #the standard pop #interview #some parts are hard to understand so bear with me #i tired fixing some parts #pond also talked about 4minutes but i cut it out 😬

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the-sand-guardian · 3 months ago

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Whumptober Day 15: Painful Hug

A continuation of days 7, 13, and 14

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Cellbit had a rather restless night, but that was nothing new. You try sleeping next to a rather handsome man you know nothing about while your best friend is trying not to bleed out too much. Roier, however, seemed completely unbothered by the whole thing. Cellbit probably could have counted on one hand how many times he moved. When he did shift, Cellbit was able to pick up on a slight grimace each time. Other than that, he seemed so peaceful despite all that had happened that day. It made Cellbit almost sick to him so pleasantly content, but at the same time he was glad to see him holding up as well as he was. It wasn’t often you found a lone survivor still, well, surviving.

Cellbit had been that lone survivor at one point. It was closer to the beginning of the End, but he had stayed alone for the better part of three months. It was only when Felps had found him completely battered from a rough run-in that he relented and joined the camp. The more he thought about it, he hadn’t been entirely alone, since he had a few people looking out for him even if they weren’t in close proximity. Roier, however? It seemed like he truly had nobody. In the several hours they’d known each other, Cellbit couldn’t recall him actually mentioning any friends besides Mariana, but they hadn’t seemed like they’d seen each other in a while when they’d reunited.

He looked over at him now as the sun was beginning to creep over the horizon and the light danced across the back of his head, as he’d elected to sleep on his stomach. It looked rather uncomfortable, but if it worked it worked. As Cellbit lay next to him, contentedly listening to the dull snores of his friend a few feet away, he felt his own wave of relaxation wash over him. Despite it being so early in the morning, he knew someone had noticed their absence by now and would either have something small prepared for them to make sure everyone was alright or were already on their way to find them. As the sun reached higher and higher into the sky, the temperature around them began to increase.

Cellbit took another soft look at Roier before carefully getting up and starting the van. It was still rather cold, but the van’s heater would be able to at least supplement some of the warmth. He pulled his jacket a little tighter around himself as he peeked through the windows to try and get his bearings. He’d been on enough expeditions that he was mostly able to navigate the Wasteland by now, which proved useful in these situations. He ran through the motions of the previous night as well as he could before turning the vehicle around and starting in the direction they’d come from.

He drove in silence for several minutes before he heard rustling in the back. He slowed down a little and peeked back to see Roier sat upright and looking around. Cellbit would have loved to sit there and take in the domesticity, but he was driving a moving vehicle at 45 miles per hour (72 kilometers/hr) so he had to turn his eyes back to the landscape ahead of him. To his surprise (and perhaps joy, too), Roier, still wrapped in tarp, came and sat down in the passenger seat next to him.

“Sleep well?” Cellbit hummed, glancing over at him again. He was a mess. His hair stuck up at odd angles and his eyes still had that vacant look of sleep in them. It was beautiful.

Roier grumbled and flipped him off. Cute. Cell nodded a bit and looked back out the windshield.

Felps didn’t wake until they were back at the camp, but Cellbit hadn’t really expected anything else. His wound still needed a proper cleaning, and he’d honestly be more surprised if he didn’t wind up with an infection. It sucked, but it was their normal.

They pulled up to the camp as everyone was finally becoming properly awake. The two people keeping watch over the entrance wheeled aside the heavy gates that shielded the camp once Cellbit rolled down his window to show he wasn’t actually a Fed. He parked the van close to the group’s other vehicle and helped Roier get Felps out. Soon, Felps would have to head to the medical tent and get looked at by someone who actually knew what they were doing, but Cellbit wanted to get in a few last words with his friend before then.

“If you die, I’ll fucking kill you” Cellbit smiled and pat Felps’ back.

“I’m not dying, and if I were to, you wouldn’t get away from me that easily”

Both men let out a slight chuckle as Cellbit pulled Felps into a hug. Felps hissed a bit as he hugged his friend back, but he gave him a firm clap on the back before letting go and letting one of their other friends pull him back to the infirmary. Roier came up beside Cellbit once he’d walked away. He had his bandana back over his face, and Cellbit tried not to frown behind his respirator.

“You two seem close” He hummed, leaning against the van.

Cellbit shrugged. “Always have been, really. You and Mariana seem close too.”

Now Roier shrugged. “We used to be a lot closer. Back home, mostly, but it’s different now.”

Cellbit was quiet for a second as he chewed Roier’s words. “So you’ve really been out here on your own all this time?”

He nodded.

“How in the world did you survive like that?”

This time Roier took a pause as he looked down at his shoes. “It’s easier when you have someone out there you’re surviving for”

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Thank you for reading! I've also posted this to Ao3, where I'll be cataloguing all of my works for this month! I also have 3 other WIP fics, so if you enjoy my works please go show some love over there or feel free to shoot me an ask!

#whumptober2024 #no.15 #painful hug #qsmp #fic #eefspeaks #wowzaitseef #qsmp fic #whumptober #whumptober 2024 #spiderbit #guapoduo #and Felps!#genuinely just Not Happy with this one #not much actually happens but it's written #if i turn this into an actual fic like i want to i Will be fixing this

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petri808 · 1 year ago

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Day 1 @flufftober “I’ve got you” Nalu Drabble

“Aww, it’s been sooo looonnggg,” Lucy whines as she stretches her lower back and twists from side to side. “I can’t wait to get up this trail and take in that sweet clean air!”

Natsu chuckles as he finishes clicking the buckle of his backpack and checks to make sure the strap is nice and snug around his chest. “I wonder if we’ll see deer this time, that’d be cool.”

They work a lot of hours, Lucy as a crime journalist and him as a firefighter, so it’s hard to find a time when they’re both off on the same day. Now, it’s finally autumn, technically at least, with the heat index no longer in the triple digits to make hiking uncomfortable. Summer was truly miserable this year too, super dry conditions with no summer storms. For his job, that meant more fires than normal, often accidental like someone deciding to barbecue with coals over dead grass or kids burning trash in a barrel out of boredom.

She takes a swig of her water bottle before putting it away in her satchel. “Do you think it’ll be this dry up there too?” Lucy asks as she taps the dry grass with her foot causing a crunching sound.

“It’ll be dry, but probably not this dry once we get to about the 8,200 foot elevation and the forest is thicker.”

“8,200 feet?”

“Maybe two-thirds to three-fourths the way up the trail.”

“Oh, okay. It’s just kinda sad to see it like this.”

They’ve been on high alert, but his boss approved this time-off months in advance because in another week they will be saying “I do.” It may seem odd to be going hiking instead of using the time to solidify wedding plans, but relaxing is just as important for their sanity. And besides, he’s sure Lucy will agree when he says, that the wedding is just a formality at this point. Altogether, they’ve been close for 20 years, a couple for 13 of those years, and the marriage certificate signed 8 years ago. The only reason the ceremony took so long to take place is their busy careers.

Natsu walks over and puts his arm around her waist before kissing her temple. “I couldn’t agree more.”

The trail they’ve chosen is considered a moderate one in length and difficulty, two miles one way with an incline of about 8-12 degrees give-or-take. It’s a well worn and a well marked trail popular with locals, so the couple will have no difficulties scaling it. The forest is made up of a lot of needled tree varieties like pines, firs, and spruces as well as maples or hardy mahogany’s or an occasional mountain apple. There are also a spattering of berry options in the area that the deer and other wildlife eat like blackberry, mulberry, snowberries, and elderberry.

So many things to look at! And the smell… just a myriad of earthly scents in a dry air filling their lungs to replace what the city’s pollution left behind. They take their time as they traverse the dirt-packed trail, worn into a shallow groove from years of service, up the shallow incline of the mountain pass in a zig-zag. Every so often, they can hear the sounds of small creatures scampering through the leaf litter, through brush, or maybe a squirrel in it’s hollowed tree den high above. The birds too, add to the natural symphony with differing tweets and twittering chirps, or perhaps a call of warning when they see the two-legged creatures passing by. They were happy to see that while dry, once they got deeper into the tree line the flora appear to have weathered the summer sun just fine.

Eventually they reach the 8,000 foot elevation which is almost to the turning point in the trail. Here there is an opening in the tree line that allows the couple to peer down into the valley below that separates this mountain range into two. Maybe if you listen hard enough on a day with very little noise, it’s possible to hear the whooshing, burbling sounds of the river at it’s heart. Here the trail is around three feet wide. On the mountain side, there’s approximately four more feet of brush before you hit the wall, but on the other there is a sheer drop off the cliff side. Because of the trails worn out groove, it creates a sort of lip or raised berm before the cliff begins. Now, the cliff itself is deceiving because the cliff side is covered in low brush and bramble, and tops of trees that have taken root at a lower level. It makes it difficult to see just how steep it really is and camouflages the dangers.

Natsu takes off the pack and puts it on the ground so he can grab something to snack on and a drink. He then sits down on a large rock on the mountain side of the trail. It’s as good a time as any to take a break and appreciate the beautiful scenery. Lucy too accepts a small bag of trail mix from him before stepping near the edge of the berm. As she munches on finger-fulls of the treats, she takes a wide survey of the area. This isn’t the first time they’ve been here or stopped at this very spot before, so it’s nothing really new.

“Look!” Lucy points to some trees to their right near the entrance of the valley. “They’re starting to turn color! I bet if we came back in a month this whole area will be a multi-color sea of leaves!”

“Oh yeah?” Natsu responds. “That’ll make for some nice photos, maybe we should come back to take pics to turn into holiday cards?”

Finding the suggestion appealing, Lucy turns on her heel quickly to face him. “Oh, I love that idea!”

And that’s when he sees it. As Lucy spins around in her excitement, the dirt beam which is normally solid and compact, completely crumbles and breaks off the cliff’s edge. “LUCY!” Natsu screams as he pops up and tries to reach…

“Huh?” Lucy instantly looks down, but it’s already too late as she feels the ground below her feet give way. “OH! AHHH!” She cries out and her eyes blow up like saucers as she drops below the edge.

All Natsu can see as his hand grabs air is the love of his life disappearing from view, with her wide-eyed expression burning into his mind. “Lucy!!” He stumbles to his knees and peers over the edge.

“Natsu!!” She screams back.

‘Oh thank the stars!’ Natsu instantly lets out the air he’d been holding in when he sees that Lucy is about four feet down and has managed to grab onto a root. It’s still a precarious situation, evident by the continuously crumbling dirt around them. The root could give way or more of the cliff edge which would send Natsu down too. The abnormally hot and dry summer conditions have left the bare soil so dry that there’s little to keep it together. “Lucy! Don’t panic! Okay? Babe don’t move around too much, stay as still as you can okay?!”

“O-Okay,” Lucy sniffles, “p-please hurry!”

Natsu locks eyes with her and steadies his breathing as his emergency training kicks in. He knows better than most the importance of staying calm and appearing confident in these situations. “I got you! Lucy, you believe me right? I’m gonna get you out of there!”

A sense of ease rolls over when Lucy feels the cocksureness flowing from her man. She knows she can count on him, but to feel it is surreal. “I do! Y-Yeah, I do!”

He takes a quick assessment of the edges stability and notes he can’t put a lot of pressure on the dirt or it will break off again. That means if he tries to just reach for her and it gives way, they will both fall. Okay, the cliff face is at give or take a 55-65 degree angle, and no way to know if it turns into a sheer drop further down. There are several bushes doting the area though there’s no way to know how deeply rooted they are. Natsu can also see a many random divots on the cliff face created when rocks are likely dislodged due to weathering. He reaches down and yanks on a close-by bush to see how deeply rooted it is and it’s more solid than it looks. The edge is weak, but if he lays flat, and uses the rest of his body to counter and distribute his weight, he should be able to reach down maybe two feet. But that still means he’s two feet shy of reaching her.

“Okay, Lucy?”

“Y-yeah?”

“I’m gonna need you to trust me and do exactly what I say. Can you do that?”

“O-Okay…”

“You trust me right?”

“Of course, I trust you.”

“Do you see that bush just above your head? I want you to grab onto it at the base. Keep holding onto the root, but grab the bush with your other hand.”

“Okay…”

“And— but don’t looks down! There is a divot in the ground just below your left knee. I need you to use the bushes to help you pull yourself up until your foot can catch hold of the divot. Let your body drag along the ground not lift up while you do that. Once your foot feels like it’s solid in the divot, reach for the next two bushes above. You should feel another divot maybe another foot up to match. Can you do this? I should be able to reach you if you can get closer.”

“I-I’ll try.”

“Not try,” Natsu pushes her to think positive, “baby, you will!” He moves into position to where from his rib cage down it’s laying on the ground over the trail with the weight of the backpack anchoring his feet. He leans over the edge and extends his hand as far as it will reach. “Come on Lucy! Grab my hand!”

Tentatively, Lucy starts to make her move, first grabbing the base of the bush, then pulling up as her foot skims for the divot. Once it hits an indentation, she presses into it with her toes for stability. Just as she’s about to move to the next bushes, a couple of small rocks break free from the edge where Natsu is laying, causing her to look down.

Seeing how far up they are spooks her, and reminds her of the precariousness of the position. “I’m scared, Natsu…” Lucy whimpers. Why is this happening to them? It’s such a beautiful day, going on a hike which is something they enjoy. And right before the wedding ceremony. “It’s so high…”

“Look at me,” Natsu commands and Lucy instantly obeys. With her eyes transfixed, he responds as soothingly as he can muster. “It’s okay to be scared, but look’it, you already did the first step, just one more.” He flexes his fingers and smiles. “Take a deep breath and come to me Lucy!”

No verbal response, she just gives a shaky nod as she looks at her target and reaches for it. One bush grabbed onto, then two, and finally, her foot finds the divot.

“Now let go of one bush, and reach for my hand.”

With a trembling gulp, Lucy slowly reaches up, crawling her fingers up the cliff face as she aims for Natsu’s hand.

“Almost there…” He assures as he extends as far as he can as well. When he feels the tips of her fingers, “almost there…” Lucy stretches on tiptoe giving her the last bit of distance needed for Natsu to grab her left wrist. “Gotcha! Okay, I’m gonna start pulling, keep grabbing onto things too.”

“O-Okay.”

Little by little with him pulling and her reaching, they scale the cliff face. One foot conquered, two feet, each shift and movement triggering little cascades of dirt or rock causing Lucy to pause and lower her head to avoid them. Two more feet to go. “Grab onto my neck as soon as you can with one hand.” He lifts the few inches allowing her to do just that. “Okay…” Natsu tenses up his core and thighs, and presses down with his knees tensed to provide additional drag. After getting one arm around her back and side, with hand under Lucy’s right armpit, he uses everything his torso can offer, pulling up while using his knees to scoot backwards a few inches. Once her shoulders have cleared the edge, she wraps her other around his neck. Natsu changes positions quickly, still holding her tightly with his left, he uses his free hand to push off the ground while his legs shift and curl to the side and pulling her up and over. This brings his knees under him and allows him to use them as a lever for this final hurrah. With a straining grunt, Lucy is yanked over the edge, the momentum causing Natsu to fall onto his back and her onto his chest, immediately wrapping his other arm around her and scooting all the way back to the mountain side of the trail. He sits up and keeps her in his lap.

One would expect an immediate celebration, but such a physical and mental expenditure takes it’s toll. For half a minute they remain, wrapped tightly to each other in silence save for the natural symphony oblivious around them and the rise and fall of their chests while their breathing returns to normal. But soon, all the adrenaline that helped Natsu through, runs away, and all the emotions he’s tamped down explode to the surface. He’s been through tons of emergency rescues and battled hundreds of blazes, but never once has he felt this level of fear. Natsu keeps his head on Lucy’s shoulder, but adds pressure against her neck as a he speaks. “I thought I lost you…” his shaky words in a somber tone are just barely audible as if he’s too afraid to give it any more power.

Lucy reciprocates, tilting her head into the nape of his neck. “Me too…” She tightens her hug when she feels the moisture from his tears starting to soak the fabric of her shirt. His trembling frame speaks volumes. For as long as she’s known this man, she can’t think of a time when he’s shown this level of vulnerability. Always the protector worrying more about others than himself. “Natsu, I re—ally don’t know how you can handle death defying stuff so calmly, ‘cause that was fucking scary!”

“I’d rather do my job a hundred times over than go through this again.” Natsu mumbles. And he means it. They’re lives, their spirits are so entwined already that if he lost her, it’s like being dead too.”

They stay tangled for a little longer before getting to their feet and start heading back down the trail, but both are exhausted, so it takes a little longer than usual, stopping every so often for breaks. The air around Natsu feels heavy and yet light too. How can one feel both at the same time, well, it’s the only way he can explain it. As a trained emergency responder, it’s his job to be aware of anything dangerous and yet today he failed to notice the dry dirt or how close Lucy was getting to the edge. Perhaps this guilt is where the heaviness comes from and yet lightness stems from the same source. It’s because he is trained that he was able to save her life today and that has to feel good.

Sensing something amiss, Lucy squeezes the hand she’s holding and leans her head against his bicep. “Something bothering you?”

“Mmm,” Natsu throws on a genuine smile. Death always makes us think what if, but it’s time to let go. Lucy’s still here, smiling, and holding his hand as they walk along the trail. She’s not letting this experience hold her down. Plus, she’s tougher than she looks, and if he continues to feel sorry, it’s an afront to her inner strength. Sometimes… it’s a wonder who’s really the savior between them. “Nope,” Natsu smiles and kisses her temple area. “Not anymore.”

#flufftober 2023 #nalu #nalu fanfiction #fairy tail #natsu dragneel #lucy heartfilia #unedited

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perhaps-in-anotherdream · 2 years ago

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[CN] Victor’s Sea-circle Event (Chapter 4)

⌚ This post contains detailed spoilers for content yet to be released on the global server! ⌚

✧ mum’s smile || little gentleman || art and love || mum’s companionship || endearing thoughts

【Mum’s Companionship】

A journal recording Victor’s growth during the study tour program in France.

What she hid in here is not only memories but also her regrets for not being able to be there to constantly care for him and nag him during the time he was growing up.

[Note: Victor’s mum used to call him “Yan Yan,” which as always, I’ve translated as Vic-Vic~]

—

✧ DATE: 05/21

He safely arrived in France at noon today. Following the teacher’s instructions, I was waiting at the designated meeting point when I saw him getting off the bus with a big bouquet of carnations in his hands. The teacher said that when they were passing by a florist, Vic-Vic requested to stop briefly and wait for him; he then especially picked out those flowers for me. This adorable little gentleman… did he watch some French romantic movies!

—

✧ DATE: 05/21

Vic-Vic’s dad said he packed his luggage all by himself for this trip. And sure enough, Vic-Vic immediately opened his suitcase in the living room after we returned home today. Although this little grown-up didn’t say anything, I knew he was probably trying to attract my attention. So, I thought of teasing him a little and deliberately pretended to not see, going about my business as usual.

But to my surprise, Vic–Vic was extremely patient. He just sat there on the sofa and waited quietly. Before long, I couldn’t resist anymore and succumbed in my heart, promptly making up for it by rewarding him with the recognition he deserved. Vic-Vic took out a certificate from his suitcase and presented it to me, saying that he would bring an even better trophy next time. I knew he was trying to tell me through this gesture that he was studying diligently and growing up well. So I hugged him and told him he was truly amazing. But what I didn’t tell him was– “Actually, you are already outstanding in your mum’s heart, and you don’t need these awards as validation.”

—

✧ DATE: 05/25

We visited a vinyl record store, and I initially thought that at Vic-Vic’s age, he might find this type of music medium too old-fashioned. But he listened attentively to the teacher’s explanations throughout the visit. I asked him if he wanted to buy a vinyl record as a souvenir for himself, and he quickly nodded. Eventually, with the curator’s recommendation, we selected a collection of Miles Davis’ famous tracks.

Sticky Note:

As soon as we got home in the evening, Vic-Vic couldn’t wait to play the vinyl record. I was curious about why he was so interested, and he explained that the unique sound of vinyl records made him feel like he was traveling through time.

—

✧ DATE: 05/31

To my surprise, Vic-Vic helped me secure the tickets to the music concert that I had missed out on earlier through a knowledge quiz.

My son is truly amazing~

—

✧ DATE: 06/05

I still remember the first time I made pudding for Vic-Vic. With a frown on his little face, he peered at the kitchen countertop and asked me in an earnest tone if we needed to hire a professional cleaner to tidy it up? Just the thought of his deadly serious expression makes me somewhat unable to contain my laughter. I wonder if he will ask the same question again when he sees the kitchen in its current state after waking up?

—

✧ DATE: 06/05

…in the blink of an eye, you are already leaving for home today. There are many things Mum doesn’t know how to say to you face-to-face, so I’ll just write them down here silently.

As the person dearest to you, I’m truly sorry that Mum can’t always be by your side and witness you growing up. Seeing how sensible you are, Mum feels gratified, but my heart also aches at the same time. If I had been by your side all the time, perhaps you would have been able to be like the other kids, often acting coquettishly and being stubborn with Mum, wouldn’t you…

Regardless of anything, I hope that one day you will understand that no matter where you are, I will always be blessing you, watching over you, and loving you. And also, remember to smile a lot more. Mum absolutely loves the way that smile lights up your face~

P.S. The teacher said that this record needs to be submitted to the school, but Mum is really unwilling to part with these precious memories and give them to someone else. So I lied to the teacher and told them that I accidentally lost the journal…

After you leave, I’ll secretly hide it away. You can revisit these memories at your own pace when you grow up.

—

✧ next stop: endearing thoughts

—

#DAMMIT PG WHY DID YOU CHOOSE VIOLENCE ON THE 4TH DAY ALREADY ༼⁠;⁠´⁠༎ຶ⁠ ⁠۝ ⁠༎ຶ⁠༽#you can see how much impact his mom has on him despite her rare presence. his love for romantic French movies- collecting vinyl records...#the way he still brings her flowers every time he visits. the throwback to how she taught him to make pudding—#and remember how he said that MC resembles him mom strikingly?? you can feel their resemblance through these pages too—#both his mum and MC – “your existence itself is the grandest miracle.” and their quirks too— 😭👊#I JUST— I JUST— ITS ALMOST MIDNIGHT AND IM HERE FLAILING ARMS CLUTCHING MY CHEST ༼⁠;⁠´⁠༎ຶ⁠ ⁠۝ ⁠༎ຶ⁠༽#mlqc victor #mlqc li zeyan #mlqc #mr love victor #mr love queen's choice #恋与制作人 #李泽言 #love and producer #mlqc cn #mlqc spoilers #mlqc translations

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bethanydelleman · 1 year ago

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Northanger Abbey Readthrough, Ch 9

Part of what I love about Catherine is the way she bounces back from disappointment:

It appeared first in a general dissatisfaction with everybody about her, while she remained in the rooms, which speedily brought on considerable weariness and a violent desire to go home. This, on arriving in Pulteney Street, took the direction of extraordinary hunger, and when that was appeased, changed into an earnest longing to be in bed; such was the extreme point of her distress; for when there she immediately fell into a sound sleep which lasted nine hours, and from which she awoke perfectly revived, in excellent spirits, with fresh hopes and fresh schemes.

Her plan for the day is to meet Miss Tilney again, but alas! John Thorpe has showed up to take Catherine away in a carriage. He has many, many things to say about the carriage that James has hired, probably none of them the real truth:

We could not come before; the old devil of a coachmaker was such an eternity finding out a thing fit to be got into, and now it is ten thousand to one but they break down before we are out of the street.

“Break down! Oh, lord! Did you ever see such a little tittuppy thing in your life? There is not a sound piece of iron about it. The wheels have been fairly worn out these ten years at least—and as for the body! Upon my soul, you might shake it to pieces yourself with a touch. It is the most devilish little rickety business I ever beheld! Thank God! we have got a better. I would not be bound to go two miles in it for fifty thousand pounds.”

“Unsafe! Oh, lord! What is there in that? They will only get a roll if it does break down; and there is plenty of dirt; it will be excellent falling. Oh, curse it! The carriage is safe enough, if a man knows how to drive it; a thing of that sort in good hands will last above twenty years after it is fairly worn out. Lord bless you! I would undertake for five pounds to drive it to York and back again, without losing a nail.”

Catherine listened with astonishment; she knew not how to reconcile two such very different accounts of the same thing

John Thorpe is just, the worst, but it's almost impressive how quickly he can produce bullshit...

Anyway, I encounter a lot of discussion online about propriety of the open carriage rides in both Northanger Abbey and Sense & Sensibility. It can quickly be noted that neither carriage ride ruins the girls reputation, and both times it's an open carriage, something like this:

With the obvious implication being that you can't get up to hijinks because everyone can see you, unlike a closed carriage. The issues laid out by Mr. Allen later and by Elinor Dashwood seem to be the fact that Willoughby and Marianne went alone and left the rest of the party (John and James always go out together) and going out to often with the same man. (We will set the visit to Allenham). So an open carriage ride with a young man is fine, but you should go in a group and not be seen with the same man all the time. This accords with basically everything else, like the fact that Elizabeth walks in the open with men occasionally and the rules around dancing. Don't be caught too often together, but it's not like a girl can never be alone with a gentleman.

Here we have the first vulgar hint of the Thorpe's true motives with Catherine:

“Old Allen is as rich as a Jew—is not he?” Catherine did not understand him—and he repeated his question, adding in explanation, “Old Allen, the man you are with.”

Thorpe then tries to discover if Catherine is the Allen's heir, which she does not in any way confirm, but to John Thorpe "to wish was to hope, and to hope was to expect. (Sense & Sensibility) clearly.

John Thorpe then suggests that everyone should be drinking a bottle of wine a day... just like the young Lucas boy in Pride & Prejudice:

I am sure of this—that if everybody was to drink their bottle a day, there would not be half the disorders in the world there are now. It would be a famous good thing for us all.

“If I were as rich as Mr. Darcy,” cried a young Lucas, who came with his sisters, “I should not care how proud I was. I would keep a pack of foxhounds, and drink a bottle of wine every day.”

“Then you would drink a great deal more than you ought,” said Mrs. Bennet; “and if I were to see you at it, I should take away your bottle directly.”

The boy protested that she should not; she continued to declare that she would; and the argument ended only with the visit.

Source

And Catherine discovers that there is indeed a good deal of drinking going on at Oxford. I love her conviction that her brother isn't drinking that much, I have my suspicions, Catherine!

Catherine's family just sounds great, if slightly boring:

Her own family were plain, matter-of-fact people who seldom aimed at wit of any kind; her father, at the utmost, being contented with a pun, and her mother with a proverb; they were not in the habit therefore of telling lies to increase their importance, or of asserting at one moment what they would contradict the next.

But we see that the wheels in Catherine's head are turning, she realizes that the truth cannot be obtained from John Thorpe. Also, this is just so funny:

He told her of horses which he had bought for a trifle and sold for incredible sums; of racing matches, in which his judgment had infallibly foretold the winner; of shooting parties, in which he had killed more birds (though without having one good shot) than all his companions together; and described to her some famous day’s sport, with the fox-hounds, in which his foresight and skill in directing the dogs had repaired the mistakes of the most experienced huntsman, and in which the boldness of his riding, though it had never endangered his own life for a moment, had been constantly leading others into difficulties, which he calmly concluded had broken the necks of many.

This man is sure... something.

Now it's interesting that Catherine really dislikes John but loves Isabella, when they both kind of do the same thing. I think what John is really lacking is the ability to flatter. He spends most of his time showing off, while Isabella spends far more time complimenting. They are both insincere, but I can see why she is far more endearing.

Here is a great video on Isabella's speech about time:

youtube

After this rather horrible carriage ride, Catherine must learn that, horror of horrors, Mrs. Allen did what Catherine was hoping to do herself and met Mr. and Miss Tilney. Then we have a hilarious conversation where Catherine cannot get any useful information out of Mrs. Allen, who really only cares about clothing. It reminds me a lot of the conversation between Marianne and Sir John about Willoughby in Sense & Sensibility:

But Marianne could no more satisfy him as to the colour of Mr. Willoughby’s pointer, than he could describe to her the shades of his mind.

Mr. Tilney's parents are either both dead or one is dead and he might be the eldest son, but maybe not? What Mrs. Allen is 100% sure of is that Miss Tilney had a very handsome spotted muslin. Catherine is left to regret the entire carriage ride and wish she had stayed home!

#northanger abbey readthrough #catherine morland #john thorpe #northanger abbey #open carriage

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cyandreamz · 4 months ago

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YEAH YEAH YEAH 2, 16, 17, 18

and 20 ! i like asking 20 (asks aren't open on your ace attorney sideblog btw)

(Oops maybe side blogs can't accept asks? Oh well I'll just have to answer them on my main blog instead of my ace attorney side blog then :P)

2: a headcanon you weren't sure about at first but have come to like!

Before playing aa4 and aa5 I wasn't sure about hcing Apollo as a trans male and Athena as a woman and austic. But once I finished both characters intro games I've come to adopt these hc's myself as I can see both of them socially transitioning as kids. Plus Athena having super sensitive ears and struggling more with that as a kid is very relatable as that's an austic trait I have (unfortunately it doesn't allow me to hear peoples emotions and just means I can't cope with vaccum cleaners and hand dryers (TT O TT)) so her backstory definitely led me to hc her as austic lol.

16: a tiny detail in canon that you want more people to appreciate

I think the visual choices for sure. From both Miles and Franziska mimicking Menfred in both design and sprite animations (with Miles doing it more as a rookie and Franziska doing it even more than Rookie Miles), to small details like Phoenix having slightly shorter hair in aa3's flashback case (which I don't think enough people notice and often draw "Feenie" with same hair length, probably because it's that length in every other design, including child design), Ema's adult outfit having references to highschool uniform even in SOJ but doesn't straight up look like a highschool uniform thank goodness, Klavier looking more like his brother at 24 than at 17, and the list can go on and on and on!

17: the thing in canon that everyone loves and that you also love

I think I've seen enough people talk about how much they love this for it to count as an answer :3. The diversity of relationships. I'm all for romantic and/or sexual ships (I am a mulishipper lol) but, I do appreciate that in canon we have so many positive and friendly relationships between siblings, co-workers and friends with no hint of needing to "take things further" because they don't need to! Even with huge age gaps, characters can and will get along as friends! Which in society is seen as strange (at least it's seemed that way to me growing up. I remember in primary school I once got in trouble for having a friend that was "too young" & was told I was weird as a teen for getting along with adults??? So strange).

An example of a fun interaction between characters imo is in case 5-3 is when Athena is talking to Phoenix early on the case (I think before the body was found, can't quite remember sorry) because he clearly see's her as both his young employee, but also as a friend, and Athena both looks up to him, and is also able to joke/jabs about him, like saying she thinks he probably looked scary in college XD

18: a fandom tag that you track

I don't follow tags, I've looked at a few tags and honestly don't enjoy using Tumblr like that. Much prefer to look at the for you and following tabs instead of going there the popular posts in a tag :P

20: your very first fandom!

So even though I've casually observed fandom spaces since I was 12 I never engaged in fandom spaces until my late teens. It's hard to pin point which was my first fandom since my early fandom experiences consisted of jointing a bunch of Facebook groups (which wasn't really fun as only one group didn't have consistent drama and infighting) but I think it's a tie between the Gorillaz fandom (as in the band, been a long time since I've listened to them lol) and The Sims fandom (which I'm still kinda apart of, Sim fans are definitely more chill on Tumblr, but I mostly stick with Sims 2 side of fandom).

thank you for sending this ask ✧⁠◝⁠(⁠⁰⁠▿⁠⁰⁠)⁠◜⁠✧ it was a lot of fun answering all the questions

Fandom asks post can be found here!

#ace attorney #cyanaa #cyantextpost #cyanasks #asks

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should-know-better · 5 months ago

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https://www.noisyroad.it/interviste/lincontro-con-baggio-e-i-progetti-con-calcutta-intervista-a-miles-kane_48589>

I Google translated this interview :

The meeting with Baggio and the projects with Calcutta: interview with Miles Kane

The news is one of those bombs, and it's Miles Kane himself who gave me the scoop during our interview in a Milanese hotel: he and Calcutta have already recorded a couple of songs together and a band formed by the two of them and Angelica is planned. In short, the dream of every Italian indie kid is about to come true. But the news doesn't end here, including updates on the status of the new long-awaited Last Shadow Puppets album and the story of his special day with Roberto Baggio (with a lot of shiny eyes as he talks about it). Miles is a river in flood, a One Man Band, to quote the title of his latest album, which marks a return to the origins for the English artist.

The last time I interviewed you was in the middle of the pandemic. You told me that the title of your previous album Change The Show came to your mind while you were watching TV and they were broadcasting a confrontation between Biden and Trump. The years go by, but it seems to me that it hasn't changed that much...

(Laughs, ed) Yes, you're absolutely right! We're on point!

Your last album, on the other hand, is a return to the origins: just you and your guitar, just like when you played in your bedroom as a kid. What made you look back?

I don't know, I suppose it's one of those spontaneous things that happen before you start making a new album. I wanted to go back to making heavier songs, and one day I wrote the song One Man Band and sent it to my cousin James (Skelly, frontman of Coral, ed), who then produced the entire album. We immediately realised that that piece had something special. That song had captured exactly the identity that the record would have, you know? And so once the first song was ready, the others cascaded. Every album I write is always very personal, but this one is even more so.

Often artists with a long career behind them when they want to make an album that sounds like their first fail, or in any case you feel that it is pale imitations, also because it is a difficult thing to do. In this case it is not so.

I like what you said: "it's hard to do". It's very true, especially after you've made some album it's hard to have the same kind of energy as the first album. But I think I succeeded with One Man Band, both in terms of energy and quality. I set the bar very high and now I intend to keep it there.

I was wondering: when you recorded the first auditions for the album, did you start playing the guitar of the songs you played when you started?

Yes, I started playing some old 60s pieces, beats, garage, surf guitar, guitars and vocals, with very personal lyrics, which have always been my highlight. I want to keep doing it and improve even more for the next album.

You have a special relationship with Italy: you have many friends here, as well as your biggest idol: Roberto Baggio. How was it to meet him in person?

It was the best day of my life! (His eyes light up, ed) He was fantastic, he welcomed me to his house with his wife and daughter, we sat down and drank wine together for a couple of hours. It was a really powerful meeting on a spiritual level, if you know what I mean. He was really nice to me and that afternoon he really did something to me: something like that will probably never happen to me again in my life and I feel very lucky and grateful for that. I remember very well when I was a 10-year-old boy and I was a big fan of his, then 20 years later you write a song about that and it happens that he listens to it and invites you to his house. It's an amazing story that includes my childhood, being a songwriter and meeting your hero. It's proof that if you really believe it, things come true in the end, even if it certainly doesn't happen often. It still leaves me speechless if I think about it.

Also because he is a very shy character, who has always lived away from the spotlight.

Exactly! And this makes what happened even more extraordinary. No one would have ever expected something like this to happen!

Next item on your to-do list: have Baggio see one of your shows.

Yes, absolutely, I would love to. I hope it really happens one day.

Moving on to English football, I know you're rooting for Liverpool now, but you used to cheer for Manchester United.

My uncle, peace to his soul, took me to watch the games and as a child I was crazy about Eric Cantona and all those players who had a style just like Cantona, Maradona, Baggio... There is something different in each of them compared to all the others, their style, their being totally out of the ordinary. I've always been attracted to characters of this type and I always gravitate to everything that is different from the norm, I don't know if I explain myself.

Are there still players like that today in your opinion?

I have to think about it... To be honest I'm a little out of football now (laughs, ed). Now I follow boxing a lot, that's my favourite sport. I still like soccer, but I'm not a diehard anymore.

The last time we talked, you told me that your dream in the drawer was to make a soundtrack for a movie. Where are we?

Well... it hasn't happened yet as you see (laughs, ed). Although in my side project Miles Kane And The Evils there are instrumental pieces to the Link Wray, Dick Dale, you know that kind of music to the Pulp Fiction soundtrack, surf music. That's a project I'll focus on very soon and it's very exciting.

In reviewing your latest album, our editor Enrico Baroni wrote that The Best is Yet To Come would be the perfect theme for the villain of a Guy Ritchie movie. Do you find yourself?

I like it! It would be a dream come true. I love Guy Ritchie! Have you seen his latest series on Netflix, The Gentlemen? She's gorgeous, as far as I'm concerned he can have all my songs he wants.

You also have many friends in Italy: last year you performed at Mi Ami with Angelica.

That's a great festival! I'd like to play there again next time, there was a really nice atmosphere, nice bands in the lineup.

On Instagram you don't hide your fixations for our country: you often share songs by Celentano, photos of your Bialetti mocha and so on.

(Laughs, ed) Yes! All real, all things that I like so much, I don't pretend!

I imagined! In fact, I think that many here are surprised that you have not yet decided to move to Italy.

(Laughs, ed) Right? I think that could seriously be the next phase of my life. Who knows, maybe the time has come for Miles to move to Milan!

You wouldn't be the first: your friend and colleague Nic Cester has been shuttleing between Milan and Melbourne for years now. By the way, where are you with the Jaded Hearts Club?

We've already written a couple of songs, but I'm sure we want to write more. For now it's all still quite in the air...

Speaking of things that are in the air, I have to ask you the question that everyone asks you.

Don't worry, shoot! Is it about The Last Shadow Puppets?

Bingo

Even there things are in the air! It's all inside the magic lamp, waiting for someone to rub it to let the genius out (laughs, ed).

So you won't be able to honour the 8-year interval for a new album.

It would have been nice to succeed and continue the tradition of 8 years, but unfortunately no, there is no material time.

But you already have ideas, have you talked about them?

You know me and Al (Alex Turner, ed) talk about it from time to time, remember what we did together and tell each other that we have to make a new album, but we have to start writing the songs first (laughs, ed).

There is no denying the impact that the Last Shadow Puppets have had on your respective careers. Influences that are also felt in your work or in the last 2 Arctic albums, for example.

You know it's probably something that's inside each of us and that's then reflected in the things we both do for our projects, whether it's the Arctic Monkeys for him or the solo career for me. There will always be that component, it's part of us. There will always be some Puppets influences in his discs, as there will be in mine, unless we start writing a dance or techno album. But the Puppets are what we really are. And I think it's a special thing.

A little while ago we mentioned Angelica. While I'm at it, I also wanted to ask about another Italian artist...

Calcutta! I love him.

When are you going to do something together?

We wrote a couple of songs together. And that's also another thing that's... there in the air (laughs, ed). There was the idea of making a small band with him, Angelica and me. We'll see.

You will sing in English and he in Italian?

We only did a couple of songs for the moment, and it was a bit one and a little the other: he sings in Italian and I in English, a sort of back and forth: it's an experiment but we both can't wait to finish it. We did demos here in Milan.

For this disc you wanted to remove all the strings and make it minimal and simple. In Heal I heard references to Michael Kiwanuka.

Oh wow, interesting!

Did you listen to it at that time?

Probably not specifically, but I'm a fan of his. I really liked his last album and so I take it as a compliment.

Historically there has always been a great connection between rock 'n' roll and fashion. You yourself have a close relationship with the fashion world and have been collaborating with Fred Perry for a long time. Are there other collaborations on the horizon?

Not at the moment, but there are always a couple of options. In the end I do everything by myself, I don't have a stylist, but I'm always open to things like that. The way I dress I want to always express my mood, whether it's with make-up or in a suit and tie or with a glittery glam jacket.

Last question: how do you see the new English scene? Is there really a lack of new working class daughter bands?

No, I think they're always out there. Of course, Brexit has made things more difficult, especially when it comes to tours in Europe. Now it's all much more expensive and therefore more complicated to play for emerging bands in places like France, Spain and Italy.

Do you have any names that you would like to recommend to our readers?

There are many... There's this guy I recorded with whom his name is Tom A. Smith, is a boy from the working class of Sunderland, and he is very good.

#miles kane #omb era

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theloniousbach · 11 months ago

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PILC/MOUTIN/HOENIG at SMALL’S JAZZ CLUB, 16-17 FEBRUARY 2024

Of course I was going to see all of this special band’s recent run at Small’s. I’m a little surprised that it’s taken me an 8 day week to see all four sets as I am not watching/listening/writing quite so compulsively. But throw in that I watched and wrote about the very first set along with the Marc Copland/Drew Gress/Billy Drummond set that happened at Mezzrow’s at the same time, then I guess I haven’t completely slacked off. Still, with this on my radar, I didn’t closely follow the regular goings on at these clubs for two weeks.

This is a magical and stunning band that intrigues me no end, a sleek sports car that can roar and whisper, floor it and turn on a dime. They de-, un-, re- construct trio dynamics in ways that make The Bad Plus or even (I may blaspheme here) Bill Evans/Scott LaFaro/Paul Motian experimentations with decentralization seem quite tame indeed. They actually hew very closely to standards, so, particularly this time around, I never felt lost which made what they were doing even more astounding. Keith Jarrett/Gary Peacock/Jack DeJohnette also are very very strong and do standards, but they too are tame. Maybe (but I’ll check) they play against expectations as Tony Williams exhorted Miles’ Second Great Quintet to do going into the Plugged Nickel gigs at the end of 1965. The term “anti-music” required lots of counter-intuitive explaining then and doesn’t fit P/M/H either. But it’s bracing and fresh.

I don’t know about how their internal expectations work, but they must have an intuitive sense about where each other is. There is constant mischief and trading instigators. My sense of Friday 7:30 it was FRANCOIS MOUTIN leading from the bass whereas JEAN-MICHEL PILC was Harpo throwing music in the air in the second set. The Saturday opener gave me the insight that the key to ARI HOENIG’s drumming—and I’ve listened to him here and with his own trio and with Billy Childs often and with great delight—is that he is always playing the song, its melody and harmony as well as the rhythm. Elbows into drum heads, tom toms with mallets and sticks and brushes, strategic strikes on cymbals and rims, the bass drum, handwork—all contribute to multidimensional sound as varied as any other instrument. I used to think Hoenig heard rhythms inside of rhythms—and he does—not simply as a drummer but as a horn or bass or piano. Indeed, the closing sets insight was that, although Pilc and Moutin started off tunes and then “led” them, Moutin and Hoenig always were having a conversation inside the discussion.

If Hoenig (with Pilc and Moutin) is always playing the song, what tunes they play. Monk teases and flat out tunes, Ellington (Caravan and a Don’t Mean a Thing tease for the Saturday second set closer), All Blues twice and Someday My Prince Will Come and My Funny Valentine to signal Miles, probably it was Afro Blue to check off the Coltrane box, The Song Is You (the title cut on their new album) immediately followed by On Green Dolphin Street (more Miles) in the Saturday 7:30 set as well as Dear Old Stockholm twice to make me extremely happy with particularly favorite tunes, The Way You Look Tonight, You and the Night and the Music, Someone To Watch Over Me. Chestnuts all but turned inside out and all the way around, but the touch points close enough to keep me oriented.

There will be Ari Hoenig’s trio to catch from time to time until they come back. Very special stuff.

#concert review #jazz #small’s live #small’s jazz club #livestream almost #2024

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rauhauser · 2 years ago

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Straight Into Nonlinearity

If you read the hardcore climate science news, say the stuff that appears on phys.org, you probably noticed the articles over the last few years that mentioned scientists fretting about things becoming “non-linear”. Last year seemed to me to be an inflection point; I began saying “2100 is here, 78 years early”. That was based on anecdotes piling up, things that had never happened before coming one after the other in quick succession. That graph is science.

We have to call it something. These are the early years of the Anthropocene, which could be conveniently dated to 1945, thanks to unnatural radioisotopes that started with the Trinity test. But these events of 2022/2023 have the same relationship to the Anthropocene that the Chixilub bolide had to the Paleogene. One is an event, the other a period of time.

I’m glad that’s settled. Welcome to the Nonlinearity.

This is a recurring theme for me. First Dead Gods of Atacama in 2009, then Gamma Draconis Rising in 2017. They’re not precisely the dictionary definition of jeremiads, but I’m no Puritan.

The Book of Jeremiah prophesies the coming downfall of the Kingdom of Judah, and asserts that this is because its rulers have broken the covenant with the Lord. There’s a different covenant that forms the basis of my views – Thomas Covenant. His Wikipedia article describes him as “an embittered and cynical writer, afflicted with leprosy and shunned by society, and fated to become the heroic savior of the Land, an alternate world.”

I read the first two trilogies as they came out in junior high and high school. Donaldson took a twenty one year break between 1983’s White Gold Wielder and 2004’s The Runes of the Earth. Back in 2010 I read all 4,250 pages of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower over the summer. Given the condition of my reading queue I don’t see myself adding something the size of the final Covenent tetralogy, let alone revisiting the first two trilogies, and I wouldn’t read the tetralogy without that review.

Maybe it’s easier for you to sit and listen for a little over six minutes to a fifty year old song.

youtube

Some of them were angry At the way the earth was abused By the men who learned how to forge her beauty into power And they struggled to protect her from them Only to be confused By the magnitude of her fury in the final hour And when the sand was gone and the time arrived In the naked dawn only a few survived And in attempts to understand a thing So simple and so huge Believed that they were meant to live after the deluge

=================================

Twenty five years ago I stood on the fantail of a tour boat in Resurrection Bay, holding my infant son, watching a tower of ice a fifth of a mile tall come off the front of a tidewater glacier. More than half of the rest of the passengers were throwing up over the railings, having made the mistake of eating the smoked salmon on the buffet.

Today the salmon runs are fading and without the phosphorus they transported upstream the forests of the Pacific Northwest are nutrient starved. They'll burn, sooner rather than later, and the conditions under which they evolved are gone.

The tidewater glaciers of the Kenai Fjords still put on one of nature's greatest shows, but we stopped at the visitor center at the far end of the Turnigan Arm on our way to that cruise. The place where the visitors center stands was under a thousand feet of ice when my grandparents were born, right at the end of the 19th century.

I don't mention Last Of The Laurentide nearly so often as I do the other two essays I mentioned above, but today seems like a good time for that.

#ShallWePlayAGame #Youtube

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aurorawest · 2 years ago

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Reading update

Based on the cover, I was originally pretty skeptical of this book, but then I read all of Roan Parrish's other books and now she's one of my favorite authors. This is one of her earlier books (maybe her first? not sure) but it's really good. It's got my favorite things—complicated relationship with father and brothers + traumatized young man who doesn't know how to love himself. Also gay sex. Genuinely though, I really loved Daniel's and Rex's love story.

Now this one surprised me. This was an Illumicrate book which I fully expected to not enjoy, because the summary didn't sound very interesting. But it was GREAT. Listen, my opinion that will get me canceled is that I typically don't read books with female protagonists anymore, because they're so often written horribly. This book has wonderfully written women. The world is really unique and cool, and it was just generally an interesting take on the When is a monster not a monster? Oh, when you love it trope.

I read Young Mungo (Douglas Stuart's second novel) last year and loved it, so I snatched this book up when I found it used in my local bookstore. It was pretty much exactly what I expected: sad but lovely. I enjoyed Young Mungo more, but that's because I enjoy romance more than mother-son relationships. It's not a knock on this book at all, which is a devastating portrayal of a child trying to parent his alcoholic mother. Anyway yeah, read it. And read Young Mungo, too.

This was such a fun read! It doesn't break any new ground and it's completely predictable, but that's fine, it's an adorable YA romcom, and the point is to see the end coming from a mile away. I laughed out loud quite a few times as I was reading, and I was definitely rooting for Micah and Elliot. I also am always a sucker for stories that have an evils-of-fame storyline.

So this is a series that I used to love. It's very All Creatures Great and Small, only it's with human doctors and it takes place in Northern Ireland in the 1960s. I don't know if it's that my tastes have changed or if the series just isn't as good anymore, but I really didn't enjoy this book. At all. Patrick Taylor is...not actually a very good writer? Like he's constantly clumsily info-dumping and it drove me crazy in this book. The others must have been the same way but I probably overlooked it because I enjoyed them more.

The sequel to In the Middle of Somewhere, which follows Daniel's older brother Colin. Which was a brave fucking move on Parrish's part, because in In the Middle of Somewhere, Colin is a horrible asshole to Daniel. He's cruelly picked on Daniel ever since Daniel was a young teen, and without going into a lot of details, it was all pretty homophobic (to the point of a physical altercation). He's just a dick, basically.

Anyway, I guess I can't really talk about this one without spoiling the first one, but as it turns out, Colin is gay, has known it for many years, knew it when Daniel came out to him, and was still a dick for all that time. He is very very closeted and wants to please his father EVEN MORE than Daniel does in the first book. I actually like this one even more than the first book, because Parrish takes this character who is nasty and awful and turns the whole thing around. It's really a master class in unreliable narration (CS Pacat might be the only other author I can think of who pulls it off this well). Colin's and Rafael's love story is really beautiful, too.

Ginn Hale! Gay demons! Fantasy noir! Blood! Hurt/comfort! What's there not to like!

This is actually two novellas in one book. The first novella is from Belimai's (the demon's) POV, and is a mystery. The second is a sequel from Harper's (the detective's) POV and deals with the fallout from the first novella. I absolutely loved both but that's not saying anything because I love everything Ginn Hale writes.

This book was weird as hell but really good. The basic plot is, two young men help a goddess escape captivity, but that just like...does not do it justice. The beauty of this book is in its prose and its weirdness. And its slow burn romance. Highly recommended, but it's not light reading. Also isn't that cover gorgeous? I spent a lot of time just staring at it.

Like the cover says, the prequel to They Both Die at the End. It's not as good. And there was some really forced plot stuff that made me roll my eyes. Still a decent read, especially if you liked the first one.

I'm currently reading this one! I'm already loving how it's building on the events of the second book, and appreciated the wonderfully gory opening, haha.

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safetypinned · 6 months ago

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sam snorts a little laugh when tony outs himself the rest of the way. he had his sneaking suspicions. dean and him? often think they're the masters of disguise when, every now and then, that effort falls right through the cracks. usually when his older brother tells him his ideas are bad and they should go with HIS. which turns out? maybe sam's weren't so bad after all. that's besides the point. tony has a face that sam could recognize a million miles away. maybe he follows what the avengers do. maybe he's been enamored with the way they seem to work as a unit and have saved more people than those people they saved can count. maybe..he's just got one of those faces. a staple in sam's life ever since he can remember. probably all of that and more is why he picked up on that disguise of a ballcap and some sunglasses so easily. not quite much to see through...

not for someone used to seeing through things in order to live.

ah! there's tony's face. takes sam a second to process it up close and personal. he's handsome. even moreso in person. so often times the people you see on television and magazines are very different from what you see up close. the camera doesn't do the avenger justice. that's neither here nor there. his attention wanders towards the television. the same scene plays out on the screen that's been playing the entire day. a mess of a victory. kinda par for the course with the victors in question. "my definition of horrifying and strange are way different than most people..," he smiles wide enough that his teeth show, "but. yeah. it was something." sam wets his lips, picks up his coffee and takes a sip--nodding after. "yes. i'm with you, though. sorry to interrupt.." there's a budding sense of wonder in the younger winchester. why is tony approaching him about this? okay. well. only way to find out is to LISTEN. and he's damn good at that.

A quick cursory glance is taken around the crowded dinner as Tony sinks deeper into the leather seat after the younger man finished speaking. 'Present Company' referring to himself and his strange lifestyle indicates that he'd been recognized pretty much right away. Well shit, it had been all of five minutes being undercover and some guy had nailed him down immediately, this was why famous eccentric billionaires weren't also spies. Having one of the most well known faces in the world couldn't be hidden under a ballcap and a pair of cheap shades. "Your kind of weird and my kind of weird are probably completely different, unless of course you're buddies with aliens and gods too."

The Iron Avenger sheds his shoddy disguise and leans back with arms folded over his chest, for a moment his eyes land on the television on in the corner of the busy restaurant and the scene that Earth's Mightiest Heroes had left behind a few hours away from their current location that they'd escaped from. A large darkened hole left in the asphalt from an extradimensional weapon, burned trees that had been flattened and the charred remains of something unrecognizable. "So you know who I am, makes this a bit easier. Everything you say today was probably completely horrifying and strange so I'll start off by saying none of it was a hallucination. With me so far, kid?"

#featuring: tony stark (ironifiicd)#ironifiicd #verse pending tag

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no-droids · 4 years ago

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Ask Me Again Tomorrow

gif credit @pedros-pascal

Part Sixteen of the Rough Day Series

Rating: Explicit

Word Count: 16.3K

Warnings: SMUTTTTT, following/stalking, some fluffy moments but mostly just a lil action and interaction, I don’t think there’s any other warning besides language and the smut (comm sex WITH A TWIST YALLLLL) but if you happen to find something else that warrants a tag, please let me know and I will do so accordingly!

A/N: The response to this story has grown beyond anything I could’ve ever imagined and I genuinely thank you all from the bottom of my heart for the privilege of writing for you. Hope this one ends up being okay and I’ll get to work on the next chapter soon!

***

Headstart—12:17pm:

The sky is so pretty. There isn’t much to look at on the surface—rolling hills and plains, grassy but with dry bare spots breaking up the green stretches, but the sky. It’s an oil painting above you, pastel swishes of yellows and pinks and purples with an enormous ringed planet taking up half the horizon and another sizable moon hanging high.

You should probably be running. Like, for real sprinting, but you can’t push yourself to go faster than a brisk walk. It’s so… free out here, more hills springing up every time you get to the top of the next, warm air filling your lungs. Even though you know realistically that the beginning will likely be the hardest—where you need to focus most on running and putting distance between you instead of hiding—truth be told, you’re not foreseeing making it more than a full day. You’re going to try, obviously, but in the grand scheme, you wouldn’t be surprised in the least if he finds you tomorrow. So, instead of wasting all your energy going as fast as you physically can right out of the gate, you just decide to stroll and think for a little bit.

You know what your goal is. Obviously, to last as long as you can, but more specifically… well, if Din is going to chase after you, then he’s going to try to think like you. Anticipate your movements, if he can’t already see the tracks you leave plain as day. Very soon, he’ll be walking this same exact pathing, following the footprints you’re leaving behind, but if you’re ever able to shake him or throw him off course, he doesn’t have a tracking fob. He doesn’t have any mechanical device that points him in your direction—if you can lose him with the footprints, then he’ll have to rely solely on predicting you. Which means you need to think… exactly the opposite of yourself if you want to outsmart him.

That’s harder than it sounds though, because… is he going to predict you predicting him? At what point does it stop? You somehow have trouble seeing this as an advantage the way he said it would be—you almost wish you had someone else chasing you, someone you didn’t know and someone who didn’t know you if only so this paradox could end before it begins.

You’re walking for about ten minutes before spotting a dirt road in the distance. There’s a person following it in the direction of the sun—you don’t know this planet’s magnetic field but you do know it’s after noon and the sun would set on Arvala-7 in the west, so that’s what you’ll call it for now. You call out to them as soon as you’re in range, and the stranger turns to you.

“Excuse me!” It’s a woman, you see it as you get closer. “I’m so sorry to bother you, but can you tell me where this road leads?”

She removes a sheer yellow shawl covering her dark hair and gives you a friendly smile. “Hello,” the lady greets, before spinning around and pointing back the way she came. “Osiruu is a few hours that way. There’s not much there, but it will take you to G’ila, a transport hub with many opportunities for drifters, or Nariss, the capital. I’m on my way to Shabeth,” she points in the other direction. “It’s far—a day’s walk, but it’s a holy place and offers quite the view. I would be glad for the company, but I understand its lack of practical appeal.”

So this place is safe enough to be inviting strangers along on your travels, noted. You’re going to have to make the decision right now, then. Which path should you take?

Something deep inside you tells you that you want to see this holy place, and just from a few sentences, you already like this woman and feel safe with her. But then all of a sudden, you remember something.

Last known locations tell you a lot about a quarry, Din’s voice drifts back to you, sounding soft and distant from the dark forests of Naboo. Smart ones go to populated planets, planets like Coruscant, planets that make it nearly impossible to find people. Brave ones go to dangerous planets, suicidal ones try their luck in the Unknown Regions, idiots continue to go about their business on their homeworld without caring. But planets like this—like Naboo… those are the pacifists. The ones that don’t ever put up a fight.

You suppose you should decide what kind of quarry you want to be. Friendly company and a view is something you normally crave—it’s something your soul speaks to after going without it for so long during your previous life. You never pictured yourself as the fighting type. When Din first asked you, you told him you wouldn’t run from him if he was chasing you, and choosing to accompany this kind stranger to her destination is essentially just that. Sacrificing a chase for a pretty view.

“Does Shabeth have a sizable population?” You ask her, and she shakes her head.

“It’s the sight of an annual pilgrimage that happens in a few months, but it’s beautiful there and I like to go whenever I can,” she tells you with a soft smile. “But there’s nothing for miles outside it, I’m afraid.”

Your footprints will lead directly there. He’ll find you easily.

“It sounds very nice, but I need to find somewhere with a lot of people,” you give her an apologetic smile. Truly, you think she would’ve made for a nice friend. “Thank you for your help, though, and good luck with your journey! I hope we meet again.”

“Do you need any food or supplies?” She asks you, and you stop short of passing her by. “I don’t have much with me, but know what it’s like to be a newcomer to Sanctuary II. I’d be glad to help.”

Good Maker, is this how everybody is here or did you just hit the jackpot with this lady? She seems like… you, almost. Her voice is gentle, she looks like she’d give nice hugs. You’re about to politely turn her down, but then you realize the brilliant opportunity that’s presented itself in her image.

“Actually, this might sound like a really strange question, but…” you tell her, before looking down at her feet. “Wanna trade shoes with me?”

***

Headstart—6:12pm:

You don’t think it’ll work, but as you walk into a small settlement a few hours later in a unfamiliar and worn pair of sandals, you decide that you’ll need to do this as often as possible. You can’t come up with anything else that’ll throw him off your physical trail besides constantly switching shoes—is that bad? Are you just an idiot with no hope? You’ve had—you check your watch—like, five hours to think of a game plan, and all you’ve come up with is shoes? You’re screwed.

At least there’s food here. Plenty. There’s vendors stationed along the street, multiple people passing by and going about their business. Osiruu, that nice woman said—not much here, but you think she was wrong. There’s children giggling and jumping rope on the corner, a shopkeeper sweeping her storefront, a graying man with an empty cup plucking an unfamiliar melody on an unfamiliar instrument—and while your tummy growls and you know you should quickly buy supplies and be on your way, you still stop for just a few minutes to listen.

It’s a lovely tune. You drop a few credits in his cup after he finishes and find yourself humming it as you look at the plethora of goods being offered by the vendors. Water, food—you buy enough of everything to sustain you for at least a couple days, not wanting to go hungry but also feeling realistic over optimistic. The cuisine is foreign and you just point to things that look appetizing since you’re not sure about the name or pronunciation, but after paying and taking a bite into a rather large piece of purple fruit, your eyes nearly cross at how sweet and tasty it is. Holy Maker, that might just be the best thing you’ve ever tasted. You ask for two more after you finish the first, tucking one in your backpack next to your blaster and munching on the other as you keep browsing.

Suddenly you see shoes—yes. Fucking shoes, your salvation. You take a good look at all your options, of which, there aren’t many. Generic men's, women's, and children's, all in the same color and design. It’s good in a way—you see most people walking around in the same type of clothing here and you pray there’s not a way for him to track your gait or the whole thing is a bust, but truthfully, what you’re most worried about is the fact that you’ll create a brand new set of footprints wherever your old ones disappear. Unless you trade with someone else, you won’t ever have a back pathing, you know that Din will probably be able to easily spot it.

“Three pairs of these, please,” you point to the correct shoes and tell him your size, but then—“Oh wait, actually, can I actually have one of them that’s the next size up? And another that’s the same but in men's?”

The man behind the counter gives you an odd look but acquiesces, measuring the size of your preferred pair to multiple men’s shoes to find one that looks roughly the same—you doubt he’s ever had a request like this, but you’re also a generous tipper. His smile is grateful when you tell him to keep the change and then you’re stuffing the new shoes into your backpack and moving onward.

Would there be some kind of map here, you wonder? One that shows distance so you won’t waste time trying to reach a place you won’t be able to walk to? That lady said a transport hub and the capital are through this settlement, but she didn’t provide much information beyond that. You don’t want to be in the middle of nowhere when he finally catches up to you, you’ll need some place to hide.

When you stop to ask an elderly gentleman as he passes by, he freely provides you a basic gist. There’s a large forest beyond Osiruu—after it will be a road that passes through a few notable places, with a town called Sijua to the west that leads north to G’ila, and Devain to the east that leads northeast to Nariss. Both are within walking distance, though it may take a couple days to reach your destination.

Alright then. Through the forest, you suppose. You probably should’ve asked which way is east, but he’s already leaving and you don’t have the nerve to ask him to stop again. You have a finger point, that’s all you need. Making sure to use one of the small restrooms near the square before heading out, you eventually decide to make your way towards the direction he said this forest would be.

***

Headstart—6:58pm:

A bus.

You’re not going to take it, of course, but it’s the perfect solution to the problem you’ve been mulling over. It’s at the very edge of the small settlement, and you quickly speed up into a half-jog as soon as you hear its engine running.

“Last call for the seven o’clock!” A large man stationed near the doors yells as you approach. “Last bus to G’ila until tomorrow!”

The sun is setting and you have to extend your hand out in front of you to not be blinded by it. “Hello,” you give him a smile, before grabbing one of the handles on the side and stepping up onto the metal platform.

“Ah!” The man quickly stops you, moving to stand in front of the open doors. He’s as wide as he is tall, big enough that he blocks the entire exit. “That’ll be ten credits, miss.”

“Oh,” you say, patting your empty pockets and pulling your eyebrows inwards, trying not to move too much in case the sizable amount of credits you have stashed in your backpack happen to rattle. “Oh, no. I think I lost my wallet.”

He sighs. “Off the bus then please, miss. Come back tomorrow if you find it.”

You nod, leaning your forearm against the paneling and beginning to take your shoes off. “Will it be parked in the same place exactly?”

The driver looks curiously at you, clearly confused at both the strange question and your strange actions. “I’m sorry? Please—off the bus.”

“One second,” you tell him, now barefoot on the platform and digging into your backpack for the slightly larger sized shoes you bought earlier. The sound of credits clink against your blaster, but you hope he takes your lead in purposefully ignoring them. “Does the bus to G’ila park in this spot every single day?”

“Yes,” the man tells you impatiently, eyeing the way you’re stepping into the new pair with a subtle look of distaste. Everyone is polite here, it seems. “It will arrive back at seven am sharp with passengers from G’ila, in the same exact place. Please get off the bus.”

“Thank you, sir,” you tell him with a smile, watching him step to the side to allow you to drop down into the dirt again and continue on your way.

Brilliant, if you do say so your fucking self. Eliminate the need for a back pathing. All footprints facing this direction are going to be the first footprints, and all of them facing the opposite way are going to be the last; if Din manages to figure out you didn’t take the bus, then he won’t be able to tell which new set are yours and which belong to the other passengers. You pray the helmet can’t track gaits, but while you’re still paying enough attention, you make sure to keep your steps just slightly longer and even try placing more weight on the edges of your feet to make it look like you have a slightly higher arch than you actually do. You’d put a pebble inside of them or something, but you know you’re going to be walking through the night and you don’t want to commit to having your feet hurt more than you already know they’re going to.

Eventually the quaint shops and small houses disappear behind you, and the sun setting over the horizon turns the clouds above turn more dusty green and brown than yellow and pink. You hope Din opened up the ramp after you left. You want him to see the sky.

***

Headstart—9:34pm

The forest here is different from Naboo, too.

Maybe it was because you only saw it while you were in crisis-mode, but that forest seemed much scarier and darker than this one. The vegetation there was thick and overgrowing, but these trees look like they’ve never had leaves on them at all. No twigs or small branches that sprout from the trunks—the branches are all thick and gnarly, criss-crossing with each other with how close they’ve grown together. You bet their roots are practically one at this point, stretching for miles and miles but all sharing the same system.

Because there aren’t any leaves, there's nothing to block the moonlight shining clear and crystalline through the twisting maze of branches. Sanctuary II appears to have a sister moon—Sanctuary I, perhaps?—that’s likely a similar size, because it’s the same one you've seen all day and it’s barely moved a few degrees that you can tell. It must orbit incredibly close and be tidal-locked with this one then. Two massive satellites swinging around each other as they circle a ringed gas giant, but it makes a stunning view and reflects more than enough light to see.

The sky is deep blue and maroon and you’ve been walking in a straight line for hours, using the stationary moon overhead as your guide. The only issue with this plan that you’ve been able to come up with is that there’s no widely traveled path through the trees—even you can see your footprints and the clear trail you’re leaving behind. You’ve been trying for a while to figure out another clever evasion tactic, but it’s harder than it sounds. Can’t just change shoes again, that’ll be a dead giveaway. How do you lose him?

You stop for a second, reaching into your bag to grab some water and stay hydrated. Looking up once more at the beauty of the swirling colors peeking through the branches above you, you find yourself pausing after returning the bottle to your pack. There are… an atrocious number of branches up there, and all of them are long and tangled and thick. Sturdy.

You’ve… never climbed a tree before.

Without thinking much beyond that, you decide to bend your knees and jump, grabbing hold of one of the strong wooden tubes over your head and then swinging your legs up. Ouch—the bark scrapes against your palms and you have to hold on tight with your thighs while you shimmy yourself upwards, but at least the wood is solid as fuck. It takes you a minute or two, but you’re eventually able to shuffle yourself around so you’re straddling the thick branch, and then you look out to see the large collection of them criss-crossing in every direction around you.

Oof, this is dangerous. You know it even before you start. The gaps leading to the ground are bigger and more numerous than your potential pathing forward, but the only thing that gives you reassurance is how thick the wood is—you’re almost certain the branches aren’t going to break as long as you’re careful.

Okay. Shoes, these are too big for the kind of dexterity you’re going to need. You take them off slowly, being extra careful not to drop them, and then exchange them with the better-fitting pair you bought earlier, making a mental note that the sandals and the larger shoes are the two you’ve already worn. If your pursuer manages to catch on to the multiple footprint changes, your most recent ones should ideally just… disappear right there, shouldn’t they?

You grin, before struggling into a low crouch and looking around your wooden cage for a safe way forwards.

***

Headstart—11:37pm:

Water.

A blessing, and not because you’re thirsty. You have clean water in your bag and decades of habits formed in the desert to ensure you’re taking breaks and drinking enough—what you need is a way to disguise your footprints once you get back on the ground again. This was good; scuttling your way along thick and twisting branches for as long as you have was time-consuming and exhausting, but it allowed you to avoid touching the ground for at least a mile or so, which means he’ll have to comb that entire radius to look for your drop.

And it was fun.

You even found yourself giggling as you ducked and scooted, ignoring the bark scraping your skin and your panting breaths, the way your face got sweaty and hot. You had to do some brave maneuvers at tricky spots—jumping, balancing, hugging—but it almost just felt like an exciting little obstacle course for you and you’re honestly having a fucking blast right now.

Water, though. Water is an unexpected beauty, even more than you’ve always considered it to be. Water is an eroder. Not only powerful enough to smooth down the rough edges of strong elements over time, but it will hide your footprints as soon as you create them and leave no indication that you were ever there.

Eventually you see it—a babbling stream cutting a considerably wide line through the trees. You creep forward and hang tight to a branch above you to make sure you won’t fall, wiping the sweat on your brow with your other hand as you study the terrain. The water is… a considerable distance below you, maybe about ten or so feet, and there’s quite a few branches on either side that extend and hang out over it. You could probably find your way to the other side somehow, but something tells you to avoid the road beyond the forest if you can. It leads to multiple places, it would be better to follow the stream until you can eventually merge with it later.

That means you’re… fuck. You’re going to have to jump, aren’t you?

It’s the only way—you can’t leave footprints which means you’re going to need to land in the water. The trees clear too far from the shoreline, so you can’t shimmy down the trunk of one for a shorter fall. You’re going to have to climb out on one of those long branches until you’re suspended over the stream, and then you’re going to have to lower yourself as far as you can and then let go. With your height already accounting for at least half the distance plus the length of your arms as you hang, you should only have to drop two or three feet before reaching water, and then maybe another two feet to the floor under it. It looks forgiving enough—the moonlight shines and the stream is clear and you can mainly just see sand at the bottom, no sharp rocks or other potential dangers to be found. This… this is doable.

Okay. If you pull this off, you’re a badass. If you don’t break any bones or seriously injure yourself in any way, you deserve some kind of commendation. This is probably kiddie shit to Din, who keeps literal rockets strapped to his back and jumps out of ships flying thousands of feet above the ground, but this is a challenge for you and you’re feeling just excited enough to be up to it.

You’re eventually able to climb onto the thickest, sturdiest branch you can see that happens to hang over the water, straddling it and beginning to scoot. Your thighs are killing you at this point but you’re holding deathly tight to the wood, your movements becoming more and more cautious the further away from the trunk you get.

You’re directly above the water now, but you need to go out a little further. Aim for right in the middle so you don’t accidentally leave any tracks or prints on the shoreline if you need to catch yourself. The unfamiliar wood in this forest is admittedly sturdy, but the branch begins to subtly sag with your weight as you keep slowly scooting forward, and you’re just about to the correct spot when—

Day 1–12:00am:

“Sweet girl.”

—You nearly fucking fall.

“Maker,” you gasp, suddenly scrambling to catch yourself on the branch before you can plummet. It creaks and groans under your weight but supports you nonetheless, and when you’re one hundred percent certain it isn’t going to break, you jerk your head down to the communicator and see that it’s midnight, on the dot.

Shit.

Your heart slams against your ribs and your arms shake with adrenaline while you study it for just a moment longer, trying to calm the fuck down.

“Hey,” Din’s voice comes sharply from your wrist, crackling and tinny through the comm, nearly scaring you again. “Answer me.”

You don’t want to sacrifice your grip right now, but you have no doubt he’ll fly the Crest out to you if you don’t respond. So you quickly let go to press a button on the front face and then latch onto the branch tight once more, raising your voice because you can’t risk bringing your wrist up to your mouth to speak. You hope he’ll be able to hear without the microphone picking up the sound of the stream below. “Uh. Ahem. Hello. Yes?”

“You’re too quiet,” Din’s disembodied voice immediately informs you. “Or something on your side is too loud. There’s an earpiece built into the side of the communicator, take it out and use it instead.”

You study the wrist brace without moving, until you finally see what he’s talking about. It’s a small, wireless piece of machinery hidden on the left side of the electronic display, and you quickly pop it out and stuff it into your ear just in time to hear the sound of hydraulics clanging through the speaker as you clutch the branch again. You’d know that sound anywhere, it’s the ramp of the hull closing.

“Are you already on the move?” You ask him incredulously, your thighs starting to go numb with how deathly tight you’ve been squeezing this tree.

“Can’t sleep,” Din murmurs, sounding so much closer and deeper than before. Does he have his earpiece on under the helmet or something? Stars, is that why his voice sounds that good? It’s like it’s coming from inside your own head, bassy and rough. “Ready or not.”

You huff, your tummy going warm. Of course he can’t sleep, of course he’s going to look for you as soon as he’s allowed to. If he waited until morning, you’d probably be slightly offended. You try to slow your heart rate into something acceptable, but being this far above water and hearing his baritone murmur directly in your ear make it difficult. “But I’m… sleepy.”

“You’re always sleepy,” he tells you, and though you can’t actually hear him walking, the sound of his footsteps shake through his voice just slightly as he speaks.

“Hang on,” you huff, ducking your head to drag it against your shoulder, keeping the sweat from your eyes without using your hands, “you’re gonna make me stay up all night just because you do? This isn’t fair—”

“Fair wasn’t part of the rules.”

Well. Fair.

Stars, you can’t stay here. You don’t know how long he wants to check-in for, but you’re also not confident with this branch’s ability to hold you for an extended time when you’re this far out from the trunk. You need to get in that stream one way or another, but now that he’s here, you have an extra problem. Din is going to hear you no matter what.

“Um. Can you give me a second?” You ask him, glancing around to make sure there’s no better way of doing this. Nope, you realize very quickly—this is the best idea you’ve got, and you don’t really know what that says about the quality of all your other ideas.

“What?” Din grunts shortly, but you just clear your throat.

“I need to… mute myself. Give me like… five minutes.”

“What are you talking abou—”

“You of all people cannot be upset about asking for five minutes of quiet,” you return testily, looking down at the distance to the stream once more. That’s a long way. You… you can’t swim obviously, but again, the water doesn’t look too deep. Just a couple feet likely, shouldn’t go past your knees.

It’s fitting that he doesn’t say anything, which you eventually take as disgruntled acceptance, so you quickly press the proper button on your wrist to silence the mic and then take a few deep breaths. You have a time limit now, you have to do this.

With incredible patience and precision, you eventually slide until you’re clutching the branch upside down like an only slightly quicker and less coordinated sloth, before slowly dropping your legs and hanging over the water.

It’s… admittedly a bit further down than you anticipated, or maybe that’s just you making things worse than they actually are, but you’re committed at this point and there’s no going back.

You close your eyes, count to three, and then you let go.

The sandy floor meets your feet with considerable force and you make a hell of a splash doing it, nearly falling but just barely managing to keep yourself balanced and upright at the last second. The water is cool and comes up just over your knees, your backpack miraculously didn’t get wet and all your limbs remain shaky but unbroken.

Okay. Okay, fucking success. It feels… thrilling, accomplishing a dangerous feat, and you quickly let out a loud whoop before clearing your throat, trying to sound normal as you press a button on the communicator’s face once more.

“Mando?” You ask, slightly out of breath. “Sorry about that, I’m back.”

Okay, now which way do you go? Downstream seems like the easier path after getting in so much unexpected exercise, so that’s the one you go with. As soon as you lift your foot from the sand bed, you watch your footprint almost immediately disappear through the moonlit water, and you bite your lip at just how well everything turned out for you.

After a moment though, you realize he hasn’t answered you. You look down at the communicator again to make sure you pressed the right thing. “Hello? Shiny?”

“Did you trade shoes with someone?” Din’s voice suddenly comes through the earpiece, sounding absolutely incredulous.

“Shit,” you tell him, trying not to smile. “Hoped that was gonna buy me more time.”

“It… might’ve, if you kept walking in the same direction as they were,” he informs you after a moment. “Your shoes went south, but this other pair got all the way out here just to turn back around again? Good idea, but the execution needs work.”

Maker, he’s smart. It was the first attempt at a footprint change so you weren’t thinking much beyond tricking the tracking mechanism in his helmet, you ignored his logic completely. Essentially, the exact opposite of what he told you to do. You like to think you’re getting better at it by this point, thinking beyond just the original exchange, and you’re hoping you’ll be able to trick him with at least one of the other fifty times you changed shoes today. You’ll have to see tomorrow night, if you can make it that long.

Also, the road you were on apparently goes north-south, that’s important information you make sure to take note of. The man in Osiruu said Devain and Nariss are to the east, and that Sijua and G’ila are westward, right? Remembering that you thought south was west earlier, you do some quick calculating and immediately come to a stop in the moving water as soon as you figure out your positioning, turning around and walking upstream instead.

You want to go to Nariss. The capital, and the biggest city in walking distance. Smart quarry go to populated places, places that make it nearly impossible to find people.

“Alright. Mando: one, Me: zero,” you finally acknowledge, swinging your backpack around and unzipping it to dig inside for another piece of fruit. You’ve been hungry for hours but had to use both hands to stay safe and far above the ground, it’s the perfect time to eat. “How’s the baby? Behaving himself?”

“He kept trying to follow you after you left,” comes Din’s response, and you stop with just your teeth piercing the flesh, wondering if you heard him right. You actually open your jaw and pull the fruit away with just a bite mark in it.

“You’re joking.” No fucking way, not that little demon.

“Wish I was,” he tells you solemnly. “Made a fuss, tried to open the ramp a few times. Didn’t cause any trouble after, just… pouted.”

That’s… that’s exactly how he responded the very first time Din left the kid on the ship with you instead of bringing him along. He threw a fit, tried to ditch you for his dad multiple times, and then ultimately just looked cute and mopey with his limp ears until Din came back. Do you think it’s just him rebelling against change? That has to be it, right?

“He better not be giving you any hints about where I am,” you warn his father. “I’d tell you to put him on but I don’t want the earpiece getting lost forever.”

You hear it. The softest laugh—barely a breath, coming after years of learning to make it just quiet enough not to be registered by the helmet. It gets picked up by the communicator in all its understated beauty when normally it’d be silent, and it’s just jarring enough to make you careless.

On your next step, you accidentally lift your foot too high and make a splash, and you already know you fucked up before he can say a single word.

“What’s that sound?”

You immediately stop moving, allowing the cool water to move as silently as possible past your stationary knees. Shit. “Uh. What sound?”

You think he purposefully doesn’t say anything. Probably because it feels a little like cheating, doesn’t it? It’s to your disadvantage, having him be able to catch hints from your environment when he’s the one who made check-ins mandatory, but then again… how smart do you think he is? Something tells you that he might not need to track you at all—what are the chances he stumbles upon this little stream and just naturally assumes you were clever enough to use it to hide your trail? Did you waste time trying to engineer a vanishing act when it’s not going to matter regardless?

Oh well, too late now. You quickly decide to change the subject.

“You should try the big purple fruit that one vendor sells when you get into Osiruu, by the way,” you tell him pleasantly, taking a big chomp out of it and then letting out an extended hum of delight that only really fucking good food or sex causes a person to make. “I’m eating one right now, it’s so good. Be the best thing you’ve ever tasted.”

“Mm. Doubt it,” immediately comes his low response. Fucking immediately.

“Mando,” you gasp, scandalized and giddy enough that juice dribbles down your chin a bit.

“Are you having fun?” Din asks, instead of pushing the conversation any further in that direction. You don’t know if you’re thankful or disappointed with how quickly he decided to abort, but you take a moment to consider his question while swallowing and wiping your mouth. Not the answer, you know the answer—but why he bothered to ask. Did he know you were going to enjoy yourself as much as you have? Your only possible lament is how you’re talking to him through a communicator instead of having him next to you.

“I am,” you say warmly. “Be… be better if you were here, though.”

“Give me your coordinates,” Din proposes, and his voice is just low and rumbly enough to make you pause.

You’re really, really proud of yourself for only considering it for a few seconds before scoffing. “Psh. Nice try.”

“Was worth a shot,” he sighs through the earpiece, and you smile, taking another bite of fruit.

“Ask me again tomorrow,” you offer, grinning at the implication.

“We’ll see,” you hear him return, and though his tone doesn’t really change, you know he’s probably rolling his eyes. He won’t have to ask for your coordinates because he’ll already be there, but it’s nice to pretend for a while longer.

And then you both walk all through the night, sharing casual banter with each other for hours. He never once implies he wants to disconnect, even when you hit him with more nonsensical questions—

“What’s your favorite food?” (“I don’t have one.”)

“Okay, well what about just a food that you like?” (“I don’t like food that much.”)

“What do you mean? Everyone loves food.” (“Not me.”)

“Alright, well um. What’s your favorite color, then?” (“I don’t have one, either.”)

“Come on, you must have some kind of color you like.” (“What’s your favorite color?”)

“…Brown.” (“Then that’s my favorite, too.”)

—until the sun rises and you both say your goodbyes.

***

Day 1–6:15am:

You resolve to waiting until you see another person to allow your feet to touch dry land, figuring the longer you stay untraceable, the better off you’ll be. Your toes are wrinkly and your pantlegs and shoes have been drenched for hours, but then you finally spot a few fishermen standing upstream with their backs to you, speaking to each other in the dawning light. Two look to be full-grown, but there’s a smaller one in the middle, maybe a teenage boy, and you pause for a second, looking at the riverbank next to them. All their valuables—water, food, bait, extra rods, but also… their shoes.

Quietly, you reach into your backpack and remove the pair of men’s shoes you bought earlier. The ones closest to you on the shore seem to be the smallest, so you sneak over as silent as possible and rapidly make an exchange, fitting the new ones on your wet feet before allowing yourself to touch dry land and then speed walking away.

The ones you left him are newer and roughly the same size anyways—yikes, maybe slightly smaller now that you’re thinking about it—but at least you have a back pathing. If that kid decides to take your offering and the shoes fit, Din will follow him, and if he decides to go barefoot instead, he should still follow him, right? You’re not really aiming to trick him outright, mostly you just want him to waste more and more time. This likely wouldn’t work if there wasn’t a time limit attached to this hunt, but you’re going to do everything you can to disappear while he’s still far enough behind you.

***

Day 1–7:06am:

You get to Devain remarkably quickly after finding the correct road. The pit stop is much bigger than Osiruu, big enough to call an actual town instead of just a settlement, but still not large enough to feel concealed. You want a city. This place at least has cars and ships moving about and overhead respectively, but you’re looking for somewhere with lines. Somewhere that feels as cramped and busy as possible.

Still, you find a restroom to use and then decide to grab some more food for your trip, happily spotting your new favorite purple fruit in one of the shop windows. As you’re reaching out to hand the storekeeper the appropriate amount of credits, Din’s gruff voice comes through the earpiece so suddenly that you jump, nearly dropping them all on the counter. “Hey.”

“Holy shit, what?” You gasp, earning a confused look from the lady in front of you. You quickly shake your head at her and mouth an apology while Din grumbles in vexation.

“You were supposed to stay on foot.”

Ah. So he got to the bus, then. Okay.

“Oh,” you answer ambiguously, exchanging the money for your bag of food and giving her a polite smile. Din stays completely mute while you grab your snack, stuffing the rest of the goods in your backpack and then turning to leave—mute for so long that you have to double check you didn’t accidentally do it yourself.

“…Smart girl,” you finally hear him say. Quietly muttered under his breath, half proud of you and half frustrated for making his job more difficult. “Which one of these is yours then?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” you announce, before taking a large bite as you leave the establishment and talking with your mouth full. “You really gotta try the purple fruit, it’s great.”

The communicator abruptly clicks to silence on his end without anything else and you laugh so unexpectedly that a few pieces of it fly out of your mouth.

***

Day 1–1:32pm:

Somewhere miles away from you, Din jerks to a halt in the middle of a forest.

He looks around the dirt floor, walks a few paces and hears the kid coo gently from his cradle. Behind the visor, the red footprints he’s circling are the last ones around for hundreds of meters, as far as his display can read.

His helmet slowly tilts upwards, and follows the endless maze of thick branches overhead.

With the beskar hiding his face, no one can see the way he slowly breaks into a beautiful grin.

***

Day 1–9:51pm:

Oh. Oh stars, you’re tired.

You’ve been walking all day without really seeing anything, not having any place to disguise your tracks in the wide open plains. You could’ve stuck to the road, but you started to feel the exhaustion creep in during the early afternoon and you wanted to be far away from other travelers and potential danger if you needed to rest. You knew this would be a long journey when you left Devain earlier—over a day’s walk, a group of children told you—you even tried skipping or jogging a bit to see if that would inspire more energy in you, but it didn’t help much.

The large cup of caf you bought while in town was drained hours ago and it didn’t help much either, probably because your exhaustion is more physical and not necessarily mental. It just felt like a sweet warm drink to sip before you go to sleep, that’s how much the caf helped. Still, you kept walking, kept moving forward even as you squinted in the setting sun, your feet aching from traveling for this long wearing unfamiliar shoes. The last time you changed them was hours ago, pulling another bus maneuver but with an air shuttle instead. Still, you don’t think it’ll be enough. You don’t even know where Din is but you already feel like you’re losing ground just knowing that he’s the one in pursuit.

You feel it—the hair standing up on your neck, the tingles in your hands, the stirring of your tummy—whatever the incessant gogogo that your instincts happen to scream when you’re in first place but you know the person behind you is quickly closing in. It’s day fucking one, it’s day one and you feel him in the wind as it brushes through your hair, you can’t even pause to rest because nobody knows better than you that he’s an absolute fucking machine when he wants to be. The kid may have powers beyond that which can be explained by the laws of nature, but Din is a force all his own. He drives you forward when everything inside you is telling you to stop. He keeps you awake and determined when you just desperately need to rest.

But that only goes so far. You’re bordering on two full days without sleep, and though you’d normally be able to suffer through, the constant movement is just brutal after being confined to a stationary ship for so long.

There’s a lone tree in the distance, you think. It’s hard to see. Not because it’s dark—well it is, just a bit darker tonight compared to last, but mostly because your eyelids have grown heavier and more burdensome than the bag around your shoulders. That looks like a good place to just sit for a second, right? Maybe eat some more food, try and wake yourself up? Yeah, that’s a good idea, you’ll head towards the tree and just… sit…

***

Day 2–12:00am:

Completely dead to the galaxy and sitting on your ass with your back against rough bark, the comm clicks and Din’s voice comes through the earpiece.

“Wake up.”

It startles you enough to make you lurch forward and jerk your head around in a panic, looking for any flash of beskar so you can instantly break opposite to it. You scramble on all fours to look around but you don’t see anything, not even behind the trunk when you crawl, and then you take a deep breath and use the bone of your wrists to rub your eyes vigorously after a moment, knowing your hands are filthy. “Fuck, how’d you—”

“You’re always sleepy,” Din repeats, and you collapse back into the tree with an exhausted groan, not entertained but not even having the energy to get mad about it.

“I… I gotta sleep,” you tell him, already feeling your body let go of its tension and search for the darkness of unconsciousness once more. “Shit. How d’you… mm. Stay awake all the time…”

“Sleep,” Din encourages, you can still hear him walking. “You need rest. I’ll see you soon.”

No—

“No,” you whine like a child, moaning and shoving yourself upright. Maker, you’re trying to focus, but asking that of yourself is almost impossible right now. Everything swims—you were dreaming, you think, but you can’t remember and it’s not important other than to emphasize how woozy you are. Things still feel like a dream, somehow.

You think he can hear your struggling through the comm, because the sound of his footsteps pause. “Go to sleep.”

“You go to sleep,” you tell him bluntly, giving your head a violent shake to try and wake you up. You want to slap your own cheek but you don’t want him to hear it. “I can’t sleep if you don’t.”

“I’ve have at least a couple more days in me before that happens,” Din murmurs, and you bet he knows exactly what the fuck he’s doing to you. You start to slouch, hearing the voice he uses when he’s curled around your body in the darkness of the hull. So warm, so gentle. If you use your imagination, you can feel his fingers drawing slow circles on your back, the vibration of his low voice rumbling against your ear as you lay your head on his chest. “If I hunt you the way I’d hunt a quarry, I’m going to find you before you wake up.”

“Then I’ll jus’ have to… not let tha’ happen,” you slur. Even this close to unconsciousness, you try your best to throw in a misdirect. “Already… paid for the bed an’ everything.”

“Sure you did. You in another tree?”

You immediately frown even as your eyes drop closed, too tired to fight but still managing to sound upset. “You makin’ fun of me?” You ask him with a harumph. Genuinely, you’re not smart enough to figure it out right now.

“Not hardly,” Din sighs, sounding… you don’t know. Is that displeasure or not? It’s not immediately clear. Does it sound that way because you’re just dumb stupid right now? Or because Din can’t actually decide how he feels about it? “Lucky I heard water over the comm last night, I would’ve wasted hours in that forest.”

“Noooo,” you whine in response, trying to push yourself off the tree but tipping sideways in the process, “that’s not fair—”

“Fair wasn’t part of the rules,” he repeats himself again and… nope, you don’t even have the energy to snark something back. You just grumble your best imitation of him while you do everything you can to heave yourself upright. It’s pitiful, you lose your balance not even halfway through and just plop on the grass for a second and groan.

“Stop,” Din eventually orders through the earpiece, tired of it. “What’s sixteen times itself?”

You’re loopy to the point where you don’t even question why he decided to ask you that. You just furrow your brows for a second and try to think about it, before suddenly realizing you… don’t know, you can’t remember. Multiplication tables and squares up to twenty are elementary to you, you know them by heart. Sixteen times sixteen. One forty-four. No… no that doesn’t sound right, is that twelv—

You take way too long answering what would’ve been an immediate response two days ago.

“I’ll stop here for tonight,” Din tells you with a resolved sigh. “I won’t move until you wake up. Go to sleep. You’re putting yourself in danger, you can’t even do the basics.”

Later, this moment will come back to you. That problem isn’t basic, not many adults would be able to tell you very quickly that the answer is two fifty-six. You don’t even think Din would. You would, though. On Naboo, you used rapidly applied trigonometry in your head to find his location, and that was barely two minutes after waking up. You should know this. And he knows you.

But for right now, you don’t pay it a single lick of attention.

“You promise?” You ask quietly, voice incredibly small as your head tilts back towards the sky, already feeling yourself beginning to fall back into the darkness again.

“I promise,” he vows in return, gentle but a promise nonetheless. He doesn’t have to do this. You wouldn’t be able to keep going even if he didn’t offer up this temporary truce, but knowing he isn’t currently gaining ground on you makes the idea of sleep so much more welcoming, something you want to seek out instead of fight.

“Will you, um…” your expression furrows. How do you say this? You sigh, giving up before even trying to figure it out. “I’m… not in a bed. I’m outside.”

Din doesn’t say anything when you pause, and even through the haze wanting to take over, you know it’s going to sound needy. You want him to stay. Even in the midst of an adventure, you want him to stay, you want to hear him breathe as you rest, but there’s not really an integrous way to ask.

You don’t need to ask.

“I’ll keep the comm open and wake you when the sun rises,” comes his lulling baritone before you can elaborate anymore, enveloping you in comfort in this dreadfully uncomfortable bed of grass and dirt. “Sleep, sweet girl. I’m right here.”

***

Day 2–5:34am:

The sun shines over the hills and you lift your head up to squint your eyes at it, confused as fuck. Looking down at your wrist to check the time in the warm rays, hands and clothes dirty from laying on the ground that long—you stay groggy and clueless for just a moment longer, before your heart lurches when you remember Din’s promise to you.

You open your mouth to address him but then catch yourself just in time. Wait. Don’t panic. Listen.

Breathing. Slow and relaxed through the earpiece, a rhythm now branded into your memory from months of nights spent in pitch black. He’s… asleep.

Din is asleep? Seriously?

You can count like… twice that this has happened, and one of those was because he got you to touch him just right after closing up a wound on his back, and his body couldn’t handle the strain and passed out. You’re never awake when he’s asleep—you’re just not, it doesn’t happen. Din… sleeps like it’s just a choice for him, he doesn’t ever really need it. Almost like how he used to eat before he started sharing meals with you, he said he doesn’t even like food that much. You think he just severed all of those things long ago, things that are basic fundamentals of survival and operated like a bounty droid that lost its voice box. It’s… nice, feeling like you’re somehow giving back some of the things he lost. Unintentionally encouraging him to find sleep again. Making sure he eats more, listening to him speak.

You struggle to your feet as quietly as possible, hearing him continue to breathe slow and relaxed through the communicator. This isn’t purposeful, you don’t think he actually allowed it. He promised you, and Din doesn’t take shit back. If he tells you he’ll do something and he doesn’t follow through, it’s either out of his control or a mistake, it’s never been purposeful. He didn’t mean to fall asleep.

And, in other circumstances, you most definitely would not find some way to take advantage of this. You’d let him sleep and do other things in the meantime—make some food for you and the kid, find something on the Crest that isn’t spotless and clean until it is, or just… lay there next to him until he woke up. But… these circumstances are their own. You have to capitalize now, this is your chance. You passed out last night around… ten pm, you think it was, and then he promised to stop at midnight. That means you have to walk at least two hours before he wakes up if you want to prevent any loss of ground—you don’t know where he stopped, he could be a few miles back even.

You have to find Nariss—you have to. It’s your only option, if you keep trying to run, it’s just going to make it so much easier for him. Now is the time to hide. You know it hasn’t been long, it’s barely been two days since you first left the Crest but it feels like you’re already in endgame, already making moves in self-defense instead of actually planning your maneuvers ahead of time.

The capital should be half a day’s walk from here, then. As long as you get there, you think you’ll be okay.

***

Day 2–8:28am:

Din’s groan suddenly comes through your ear.

You immediately stop, seeing a busy road in the distance and glad you haven’t quite made it there yet, before trying to disguise your voice as drowsy. “Mm?”

“Shit,” he breathes, and you hear him get up, the sound of beskar moving as he grunts.

“Mpph,” you groan back, squinting your eyes to see if that’ll help sell the act. “I thought you… Mando, fuck, y’said you’d wake me when the sun came up.”

“I… fell asleep,” he admits, voice rough with it, sounding just as confused as you felt earlier.

“You said you had days in you before that happened,” you murmur, taking a deep breath and stretching your arms up above your head. Stars, your back hurts, how does he possibly manage to carry a fucking jet pack around all the time?

“Yeah, I…” He pauses for a moment and you bite your lip, not liking the quiet as soon as you hear it. “How long have you been up?”

Op. Not good. “Wha?”

He’s not falling for it. “How long?”

How in Maker’s name? This is impossible. How can you hope to hide from him when you can’t even manage to hide the smallest fucking truth from him? Can you salvage this somehow? “…Like ten minutes.”

“Least a few hours, then,” he sighs, and you get ready to hit him with the same line he used when you complained about his leg-up, opening your mouth as soon as you hear him speak. “That was smar—”

“Fair wasn’t part of—”

Oh. Well. Apparently you didn’t have a reason to feel shitty about deciding to haul ass while he was passed out even though you kind of ended up doing so anyways. There was no agreement besides that he wouldn’t move until you woke up. Reason is on your side, but it still feels a bit like you fucked him over. Is that valid or are you just so used to being nice that putting yourself first feels like a wrong you’ve committed?

“Don’t feel bad,” Din tells you, and you hear a soft coo in the background. It makes you smile the smallest bit, your shoulders relaxing even as they ache from carrying your pack around. “You should feel bad about stealing that poor kid’s shoes, though. He walked home barefoot.”

You smack your forehead. “It was just….”

“Yeah,” he scoffs when you don’t finish your sentence, and you can’t keep back a giggle. “Alright, I’m up now. See you when you get here.”

And then the communicator clicks, and you’re…

Uh. What the fuck was that?

No. Nope, you’re not going to get played. That was a brilliant attempt at fucking with you, but you’re not falling for it this time. You’ve grown since that night on Canto Bight, you know him, he can’t just say shit to fuck with your head and then smile at your flailing response from under the helmet anymore. You normally would stew in that last comment until it got to you, made you make a mistake most likely, but the more you think about it, the more certain you are that he has nothing. He was just trying to see if you’ll abandon your entire plan just by implying he already knows it. That’s beginner shit, you’re not falling for it. Din wanted to leave the conversation with the upper-hand since you gained at least an hour of extra ground while he slept. You’re certain of it.

***

Day 2–12:35pm:

Nariss is big. Nowhere near the size of Coruscanti sectors of course, where billions of people are packed from surface to exosphere and require oxygen recirculation towers to breathe at the very top, but just slightly bigger than you expected. It’s bustling and you haven’t even made it through the city gates yet—you’re approaching them and the large number of people waiting in line, seeing buildings stretch out for miles in front of you and grinning. Yes, this will work nicely.

As you peek over shoulders in the sizable crowd, you see only two or three people allowing people to enter one at a time… is that a biometric scanner?

Oh. That looks good and it also doesn’t look good at the same time. If Din’s safety meant nothing to you, you’d have no trouble whatsoever getting in line and waiting to do a retinal scan, but you immediately pause and consider the potential consequences.

Your dumb ass almost weighs the option of clicking the communicator on and asking his opinion. You’d give away your location in a heartbeat (if he doesn’t know it already) just because you’re worried he’d… what, exactly? Stand in line for an hour, take his helmet off in front of a crowd of people, have the system ping his scan, and then hang out and wait for New Republic reinforcements to show? You have to stop worrying about him. He’s not a baby, he can handle himself and you need to stop considering the possibility of taking a loss just so he doesn’t have to, even if the self-destructive sentiment feels ingrained in your nature to do so.

So you wait in line, moving at a slow pace but at least moving. While you’re standing there quietly, a man in front of you decides to strike up a conversation. You don’t come from a place with an excess of people, but the ones in your sector were friendly and did this kind of thing often, so perhaps for that reason, you decide to chat.

“Do you have some place to stay?” He asks at one point. So far the conversation has revolved around him—every time he asks about you, you deflect. He doesn’t need to know. “Nariss isn’t kind to drifters.”

This catches your attention, though. This is relevant. “What does that mean?”

“It’s expensive?” He scratches his blonde hair, giving you a soft smile. “Food, housing, all of it is way out of my price-range. I stay with my uncle and work overnights at the eastern docks. It’s not much, but it’s enough to keep a roof over our heads. We used to live in Gibrath, but then we moved to the city because he’s a good architect and they’re always expanding. It’s nice, of course, but really expensive.”

He’s handsome, you think… in kind of a boyish, charming way. Blonde hair, sparkly blue eyes. He doesn’t look much older than you, and maybe in another lifetime you would’ve found him appealing, but… you like darker features, you think. Someone a little less expressive. This guy… talks a lot.

“I thought this moon was a safe world for people displaced by the Empire,” you offer, taking a step forward as the entire crowd shifts.

“Sanctuary II is,” he comments. “The capital is safe, too—what, with all the orangies walking around,” he tilts his head to two jumpsuited guards trying to organize the glob of people so the line can move faster, rolling his eyes as if they’re some kind of joke. “But not… welcoming, not if you’re looking for a place to settle. You would’ve been better off in G’ila.”

“Is there anywhere you know that would take me for free?” You ask. You have quite a few credits left, but you don’t think it’s a good idea to stay in an inn. It’ll be the first place Din checks.

“Are you a virgin?” He returns, and you immediately pull back at the unexpected question, your heart thudding at the possibility of danger. The man’s sandy eyebrows shoot up at your response and he quickly apologizes—“Heavens, I’m so sorry to ask like that! It’s just… the only place I know is the Holy Keja Orphanage on the northern outskirts. Their signs say they only house children and teenagers, but I’ve heard from other girls your age that they’ll accept any woman as long as they’ve stayed pure in the eyes of the Maker.”

“Oh,” you say after a moment, leaning sideways to see just a few people standing in front of him. Good, this is almost over. “Um. Yep. That’s me.”

He smiles at you once more, giving you a nod. “When you get to the city, just go straight through. It’s about a mile outside of the gates, no more than a day’s walk from this side of town.”

Okay, that’s… interesting. You think about it while you thank him and begin to exchange polite goodbyes, moving up another step until he’s next in line. That might actually be a good move. Din could spend a long time in the city without ever finding you. Smart quarry go to populated places, but… smarter quarry defy the expectations placed upon them, right? He knows you’re smart, and even though you’re confident his “See you when you get here” was purely psychological fuckery, that also implies… at the very least, that he’s assuming there is a here to get to. Meaning, he knows you’re not going into the wilderness to evade him. He’s not going to comb the outskirts when there are so many places to hide within the city gates, with an entire perimeter of New Republic guards stationed around it. Even if he does, the signs will say only children and teenagers—categories you do not fall into.

The unnamed man is soon ushered forward but you stop him quickly. “Oh, by the way. I doubt this will happen, but if a man in a big metal suit with a tiny green baby happen to ask you the same thing, please don’t tell him what you just told me.”

He furrows his eyebrows at you and cocks his head, but smiles and agrees nonetheless.

***

Day 2–5:43pm:

You have an idea.

You’ve been working on it all afternoon, but you were hit with it the second you were looking for another pair of shoes to buy and find a clever way of putting on.

The cheapest ones were ridiculously overpriced, blonde dude was right. You blinked down at the tag and asked the salesman where the cheapest shoes in this part of town were, and then he just wrinkled his nose at you and shooed you out of the store. Granted, you slept in dirt and spent two days walking—you bet you reek, but he didn’t have to be like that.

Though, the man’s displeasure with you had an upside. You were holding a possible pair of pants and a shirt to buy when he threw you out, not yet having checked the atrocious pricetag on them, but it appeared as if he’d rather let you have them for free than rip them from your… admittedly, pretty filthy arms. Oh well, you weren’t complaining. Fancy clothes for free, score.

But now you’re here, and you have the best idea. You don’t need to change shoes, not yet. Why? Because you’ve figured out how to turn your incessant detriment into an advantage.

You’re in the middle of downtown, you think, maybe just some random crowded square, and there’s an inn in front of you. It’s fucking enormous, and you already know it’s gotta be incredibly expensive just looking at the sheer number of stories. It’s an eyesore, it sticks out. But that’s okay, because you’re only planning on staying for a night.

It’s also… right next to New Republic headquarters. Or fuck, at least a station of some sort, because they’re swarming in and out of the constant crowd, passing by the valet doors.

At first you naturally wanted to steer away from the jumpsuits, since you know they’re bad news for Din, but then you remember what he said before you left. I’m only telling you so that you’ll know your advantage and find a way to exploit it. I can’t be seen by any officers, or they might arrest me.

It’s to your advantage, he said so himself. Everything lines up perfectly—the street is bustling, the inn is well protected, it’s nice—it’s everything you’re looking for.

And there’s another upside, see. An omnipresent, omniscient ghost in the form of a communicator clipped to your wrist right now. If Din is always going to be able to predict you, he’s always going to know when you’re lying, always be able to read you… then you’ll just have to let him.

Let him know. Let him know exactly where you are. Right in the middle of the most populated street you’ve seen thus far, a constant barrage of people walking by and New Republic officers patrolling. If you were planning on staying in the city, this would probably be your best option to hide. He could waste days here if you’re smart about it.

The concierge doesn’t appear too pleased with your lack of cleanliness and neither do you, honestly, but at least he allows you to book a suite for the night. It’s… not as bad as you were originally assuming, credits-wise, but it’s worth more than half your stash and you’re going to have to conserve from this point on. It shouldn’t be too bad—your destination is a holy orphanage, you’re sure they’ll have some extra food and a bed for you even if it won’t be ideal. Still, you think you’re going to enjoy some lavish experiences for once in your life before you go.

***

Day 2–11:54pm:

Alright, so this was the best idea ever. This is the shit.

You’re leaning back against a fluffy stack of pillows, squeaky clean from an absolutely glorious bath and watching the flickering drama on the large holonet display in front of you. You don’t have any idea what’s going on, as it’s being broadcast in Rodian, but you haven’t been able to change the frequency because it’s so fucking intense—somebody’s sister is their mother, you think? No, that must be a mistranslation, right?

You’re also in a robe. Yes, there is a motherfucking robe in here. And… and slippers, it’s like a dream. Do people normally wear slippers in bed? You do. Hell, maybe you should stay here, screw the credits and the chase. This mattress is even better than the one on Naboo and you’re basking in the luxury after being outdoors for so long.

The lights are off other than that and you’ve opened the drapes wide, knowing you’re on something like the fifteenth floor and nobody would be able to see you anyways. You just like being able to turn your head and look out at the sky. Violent and periwinkle tonight. You wonder if he’s looking, too.

Luckily, you snap yourself back out of it and glance down at the time on your communicator, quickly pressing a button on the remote to mute the Rodian show and then opening the line the moment the hour changes.

Day 3–12:00am:

“Hiya, Shiny,” you say before anything else, laying back and running a few fingers through your damp hair. Your eyes close against the flickering light, taking a slow, relaxed breath. Maker, this feels nice.

“You sound happy,” Din comments. Astute, you feel happy. Well… you’d obviously feel happier if he was here. Your eyes flick over to the open bathroom door, still steamy from your bubble bath earlier, imagining him walking through it completely naked and then climbing over you on the covers. You can only really picture it from the neck down—no, hang on… you can see his shaggy brown curls, that one spot on his forehead you know, how his facial hair would be dark and frame his mouth. No face, though. Missing just one fraction of him from your imagination, feeling incomplete but also somehow… complete in a way.

“I feel better after sleeping last night,” you tell him, purposefully leaving out the softness of the sheets underneath you, the sheer comfort of all this extravagance. You don’t need it, you’ll never need it, but it feels nice to have for once.

“I do, too,” he replies quietly, and your eyes flutter closed. You… miss him. This mattress would feel softer with him next to you. He’d probably be able to translate this show for you, even though you already know he’d fucking hate it. You can imagine it—you with your eyes closed, him propped up on an elbow next to you and grumbling vague descriptions of the nonsense happening on screen just to hear your chuckles. Adventures are great, but maybe they aren’t as great by yourself, you think.

“You should sleep tonight, too,” you encourage, but he scoffs.

“Not a chance,” Din mutters. “Oh, before I forget, we need to charge the communicators today.”

“How am I supposed to do that?” You ask him, glancing at all the multiple wireless charging outlets stationed around you. “I’m in the middle of nowhere.”

He doesn’t even take a fucking second before responding. “Good one.”

You grin up at the ceiling, warmth flooding you. You love him. Literally every single time, he just knows. Your curiosity is too overwhelming after this happening so often. Your plan to distract him relies on him being able to read you, but that doesn’t prevent you from wondering how he does it so accurately, time and time again. “How do you know?”

“You slept outside last night,” he immediately tells you, like that should mean anything to you.

Does he… does he truly know you well enough to know how much your back and shoulders hurt today? How much you were aching for a shower and clean clothes? A bed to sleep on that isn’t dirt or metal? You give into the accurate prediction with shameless honesty, not caring if he knows it’s the truth.

“This bed is soft,” you murmur gently, dragging your hand across the mattress next to you. “You should be here. I’d make you feel good.”

Admittedly, your comfort is making you a bit drowsy and you said it in the easiest way possible, but you didn’t necessarily mean it sexually. Well… you sort of did—you’d make him feel so good in this bed—but what you meant was more… comforting. He could take a bath, or a shower, and get all the grime off him. He could feel clean and unburdened, take a break instead of constantly moving around. The baby could have a whole bed to himself if he wanted, though you know he’d probably want to be on this one instead. You could all look at the sky together.

Din is quiet for a little bit, before his voice comes back through the earpiece. “Are you in an inn?”

“No,” you say, a little too quickly. Perfect, that sounded just right for a lie. You are lying, you absolutely are in an inn, the only difference is that you want him to catch on that it’s a lie, so… why does he take way too long before responding?

“Hm.”

What the fuck—why… how is it even physically possible? He read you that deeply from one single word? You’re not sure if he’s somehow psychic and figured the whole fucking thing out or if he just knows there’s something off, but it’s still enough to blow you away.

“Are you doing this on purpose?” You blurt without thinking.

“Doing what?” He grunts, sounding like he’s stepping over something, his breath changing intensity as he walks.

“If I look out this window right now, am I gonna see you standing out there just messing with me?” You don’t even know what to believe anymore. How do you beat this? If you don’t want him to know the truth, he’ll figure it out, and if you do want him to know the truth, he’ll still figure it out. His perception is unbelievable.

After a moment of silence, he murmurs gently through the comm. “I thought you said you were in the middle of nowhere.” It sounds like he’s smiling.

“I…” your eyes shift around awkwardly, “am…”

Din lets out a deep sigh. He’s right, that was bad, even for you. “I found your bed a few hours ago,” he admits. You close your eyes as you listen to him make his way closer to you, step by step. “I’m nowhere near the city yet. You have time to sleep.”

Your expression furrows and you frown. “Why are you helping me?”

“Why do you want me to think you’re in an inn?” He tosses back, and you huff.

“Because I’m trying to outsmart you but you make it really fucking difficult,” you grumble, not happy about him catching on so quick.

“You’ve also gained about four hours on me since we started.” His voice is gruff. You don’t know if he thinks it’s a good thing or a bad thing. “You should give yourself more credit. I thought I would’ve found you by now, never expected you to get all the way to Nariss. It’s… not good for me.”

The honesty creeping in makes you go soft. It makes you want to reciprocate, even if it’s dumb and you haven’t thought it all the way through. “Wanna know a secret?”

“Tell me.” His voice is a bed all its own, deep and gentle and safe.

You say it before you lose the nerve. “I might just turn around and walk back.”

His footsteps stop and you hear a small sound in the background, a quiet little baby noise that suddenly makes your heart ache. You’re comfortable but incredibly aware of how alone you are. People pass by on the streets below, cars and hoverbikes honk in the distance and you’re by yourself. For the first time in over a year, like you have been for years, you’re by yourself.

“Sweet girl,” Din sighs, and all of a sudden… you can feel his arms around you with it. You feel so… known, somehow. Every sentiment you could’ve possibly given in your last sentence, he relays his understanding back with his. He makes you feel loved with it. “Never wants to run.”

You don’t say anything, because you suddenly realize you’re totally fucking whipped, up down and sideways for his metal ass and the little floating grimlin that follows him around, and you would throw away the fifth quarry, adventure, the sky—literally everything if you could be with the both of them right now.

But again. You don’t have to say anything, he already knows. “Give me your coordinates.”

Your eyes pop open and you bite your lip. Oh, stars. You hate that you do genuinely consider it. He could be here, and very soon. With the jet pack, both of them could be here in less than an hour, probably. He could take a shower. Watch these stupid shows with you all night without needing to be on the move, help you build a bed of pillows for the kid on top of this one. You could be with both of them again, even if it’s only for a little while.

“Ask me again tomorrow,” you finally whisper, looking down at the soft white fabric of your robe, the way one of your slippers is falling off your foot as the holonet program continues to play on mute.

Din’s footsteps eventually start up again, and you both relax in silence together. You, squinting at the screen because your eyes are getting heavy; him, continuing to travel step by step and gain ground on you. Let him come. You’ll be long gone by the time he even makes it to the gates.

It’s been about ten minutes of shared, quiet existence before you hear him bite into something and chew, and your face suddenly lights up.

“Are you eating the purple fruit?” You ask, your slipper falling off with excitement. You don’t know why, but it’s like… you’re stoked for him. Just as proud of him for doing normal things as he does when you step out of your own comfort zone. You like to think you’re both better that way. Balanced.

“Mm,” Din replies with his mouth full, and you grin down at your bare legs peeking through the robe while he swallows.

“Is it not the best thing you’ve ever tasted?” Your voice goes a little breathless with it, and you hear his footsteps stop once more.

“Close,” Din murmurs lowly, sending a small shudder through you. It suddenly feels a bit warm in here, doesn’t it? This morning was one of the rare times you were awake while he was asleep… it’s almost always the other way around, and just from the implication in his tone, you’re reminded of the thing he likes doing most when you’re resting. Maybe he’ll let you do it to him, next time around. The thought gets you hot enough to warrant the other slipper falling to the floor.

“You’re alone, right?” You whisper, knowing he must’ve pulled the helmet up to take a bite of the fruit. He must still be following your path through the hillside, then, not yet reaching the road.

“The kid is awake,” Din tells you, sounding like he’s trying to stop everything before anything starts. His words are short and clear in their meaning, but…

This has a very small chance of success, you already know. “…Do you want to—”

“No,” he responds quickly, already way ahead of you. “We can’t.”

Something in his voice… you don’t know, there’s just something there that makes you feel just a little reckless. Should you push it? You’re by yourself in this suite, what can go wrong?

“You can’t,” you correct him quietly, shifting around on the bed just a bit and biting your lip. It’s a thrill—being able to tease him without having him in front of you, drive him crazy knowing you’re just out of his reach. “But I can do whatever I want, can’t I?”

There’s a pause, a tense and knowing silence suspended between you before he eventually speaks.

“I’d be real careful,” Din mutters low in warning, but what is he gonna do?

“What are you gonna do?” You whisper to him devilishly. Quiet and breathy, beginning to snake your hand down. Stars, your heart is already pounding. You’d only likely mouth off like this in person just to see how hard he’d fuck you, but this feels extra dangerous for some reason. He’s stuck, he can’t do anything about it right now, and you know it’s playing with fire. “You could hang up if you don’t want to hear me. Or you could find me before I’m finished. Come make me stop.”

Din doesn’t say anything but he very much does not hang up, nor does he come busting into your room like you imagine he’d like to. The sheer fact that your door is still closed and locked tells you for sure that he isn’t just hanging out in the hallway, just letting you have your fun.

You start pressing your fingers against your robe at the apex of your thighs, humming at how nice the pressure feels. You don’t even spread your legs or push the fabric away, you just sigh into it and wiggle your hips a bit, pressing hard against your clit and listening to him breathe.

“Do you want to listen?” You ask quietly after a moment, and Din still doesn’t respond. Likely because there’s not a real answer, both yes and no would imply the wrong thing. “I’ll talk.”

Still, nothing from him. Dead silence through the comm. You’re starting to understand. For two days, you’ve felt like he could read your every thought just by the cadence of your voice. He’s staying quiet so you can’t even attempt to do the same to him—if he doesn’t talk, you can’t find a weakness and pounce on it, you can’t feel any more confident or reassured about your own ability to read him.

You’ll just have to push a little harder, then.

“Hm. If only this fancy communicator could…” you pause to look down at your wrist for a second, studying the menu. You don’t think you’ve ever really looked at it, you never had the time.

Din’s growl is sudden and sharp through the earpiece. “No, don’t even think—”

“Ah,” you smile, tapping the face and immediately finding the correct screen. “Take pictures.”

He’s deadly quiet for a moment, and you bite your lip with excitement. When he does speak, his voice is a pure threat, chilling you to the bone as much as it burns deep in your tummy. “…You wouldn’t.”

Ignoring him, you suddenly locate a menu option that sounds phenomenal right now. “Oh shit, does this holocall? Or is it a video option?”

“Holo,” he says very seriously while you study the lack of complexity of the built-in camera in skepticism, “and the kid is awake, so you can’t—”

“Oh, it’s definitely a video,” you unclip it from your wrist and he curses as you sit up, and then you press a button and wait impatiently for him. “Pick up.”

Din takes forever before responding, and you hear the continuous beeps as it attempts to connect, before his quiet baritone rumbles in your ear. “What if I don’t?”

You feel your mouth pull down at the corners, not so much frowning as you are dubious. He’s going to turn down the opportunity to see you and your surroundings when his whole goal is locating you? Really?

“You sure?” You ask softly, raising an eyebrow. “You’d get to see me, where I am. What I’m…” your eyes dip down to the loose robe riding your curves, your skin glowing against the white fabric, “…wearing.”

The beeps continue on for a few more seconds, until they finally stop. You frown down at the black screen of the communicator, not seeing anything at all. Did he decline the transmission request? No… there’s a little red light next to the small lens that wasn’t there before. Why can’t you see him?

“Why can’t I see you?” You ask. You want to look at him looking at you, you don’t want to always be stuck on the other side of a one-way mirror.

“I… have it linked to my helmet, but it only has a front-facing camera,” Din tells you after a moment, and he sounds… slightly out of breath. “Easier to see, the watch is useless now besides the controls.”

Wait, does that mean you’re… being shown on the inner-display of his helmet instead of his wrist? Right in front of his eyes, as if he were actually here with you?

“Nobody can see me but you?” You clarify, and when he doesn’t respond, you bite your lip and lean back into the pillows. You lift the watch up slightly, extending your arm out until you can get the angle as wide as possible. “Can you see… this?” You ask softly, before hooking your fingers in the collar of your white robe and slowly pulling it open for him.

“Where are you?” Din asks instead, and you hear his footsteps through the earpiece, as if he’s walking away from something very quickly.

You don’t answer him, parting the soft fabric until your breasts are completely exposed and you sigh, closing your eyes and snuggling back into the pillows once more. “I’ll tell you where I am if you keep watching me.”

“Why?” Din grits in frustration, coming back around to the same dangerous question he had earlier. “Why would you do that?”

“I don’t know.” You slowly tilt the camera down until you can spread your legs and the robe falls open with the movement, letting him see your pussy peeking through in the flickering light of the muted screen in front of your bed. “Can you see that?”

“Yeah,” he says shakily on the end of a breath, and you feel yourself get wet. Fuck, he sounds so fucking tempted, the sight making his voice come without any of the self-assuredness as it usually has, but… he could also just be saying that. How do you know he’s telling you the truth?

“What am I doing?” You test him, lifting your knee just the slightest bit so you really give him something to look at.

“Spreading your legs for a camera,” Din responds without hesitation, voice scraping against your ear, making you shiver and your nipples harden. Fuck, the way he says it, like it’s wrong and bad even though he’s the only one who can see or hear you do it… it makes you feel even more naughty and emboldened.

You bite your lip and reach your hand down to spread your lips for him, too, hearing his breath immediately catch on the other end. Already your pussy makes your fingers slick against your soft skin, the sash of your robe still holding the fabric together on your body but also loose enough to allow it to part in the right places and reveal everything you want him to see.

“I am in an inn,” you whisper teasingly, letting your finger drop to brush against your clit and then sighing in soft delight. Oh stars, that feels nice, it feels so good to treat yourself after being completely nomadic for two days, getting to be clean and soft and comfortable while you feel this pleasure, and Din’s voice growls through your communicator like you’re doing something painful to him.

“Fuck,” his breathing picks up while you begin circling your clit. “Where?”

“Nariss,” comes your quiet moan, turning your head on the pillow to blink slowly at the camera. Wanting him to see your eyes as well as your finger slowly dip into where you’re the hottest, caressing the sensitive skin there knowing he’s watching.

“Where in Nariss?” Din’s voice is as pleading as it is sharp, desperately trying to keep either you or himself on track.

“I don’t know,” you say again. Truthfully, you don’t—you don’t know the cross streets, you don’t know the part of town, you don’t know much of anything at all besides physical descriptors. You quickly move the camera to the side as far as you can hold it and let him see you from a different angle with the window as a backdrop. “But the window is open. And there are lots of people outside.”

“Can they see you?” Din immediately challenges. Of course they can’t, you’re fifteen stories up and the room is darker than it is outside with all the city lights and swirling colors of the sky, but you suppose he doesn’t know that. You think he just needs to relax—if this is what he’s always like during hunts, you now know exactly why he comes back to you all riled up and tense.

“I don’t know,” you murmur back, starting to rub your clit a little faster, trying to make it feel like him. It doesn’t—your fingers aren’t large or strong enough to give you those perfect circles; you just feel like you’re meandering yourself towards ecstasy instead of picking you up and hauling your ass there like he does, but it’s okay. Hearing Din’s rough breathing come through the earpiece, knowing his hands are probably clenched tight into fists, wondering if he’s hard yet… all of it culminates into a power trip unlike any you’ve experienced recently. It makes you bold, tells you to open your mouth. “Does it matter? I’d still let you fuck me against it if you were here.”

“Stop it,” comes his growl, but what is he gonna do?

Your leg lifts a little wider so you can slowly slide your fingers down and push two of them inside yourself, and Din swears as you moan, “Come find me.”

“Give me your coordinates—”

“Are you giving up?” You offer breathlessly, lifting your eyebrows and your hips up slightly at the question, but you’re… not expecting the extended silence following. You assumed a growled no would immediately come next, or just another empty threat said with enough force to make you tremble with excitement, but not… nothing.

The response makes you pause just for a second, easing your fingers out and dragging them across your thigh to clean some of the wetness off before extending your arm out towards the communicator. Din stays quiet while you navigate through the menu with trembling fingers, eventually finding your coordinates and hovering over the unchecked share location box.

You wait with your lip bit, confident he knows what you’re doing and you don’t have to narrate or repeat yourself. Fuck, you knew you were considering abandoning this entire adventure just to be next to him again, but you had no idea. No fucking idea that it could ever be a thought in his own mind as well. You… assumed he likes this, hunting is what he does for a living and he’s the one who conceived of the idea in the first place. Is he just that aroused by you? Or is there something more?

“No,” Din eventually murmurs, and you immediately navigate out of the menu so you don’t accidentally press anything catastrophic, before pulling your hand away from the communicator with a resolved hum and settling back into the pillows again. Making sure to look directly into the lens even if your eyelids are heavy with heat and desire, you slowly lick your fingers and then reach down once more.

His deep, shaky breath is so telling. Exhausted after all this, but still not hanging up, still doing his hardest to tough it out when he’s only miles away from you and has jets attached to his back. You don’t want to drag it out but you also do, you want to be kind but something about Din makes you also want to be as formidable as possible. You’ll never be able to threaten like he does, you’ll never have anyone cower just because you walked into the room, you’ll never be as powerful or strong as he is, but you can still put up a fucking fight against him in your own way.

You whimper softly, your breathing beginning to find a quicker pace as surely as your fingers do. It begins to spark and build, a red hot flame being kindled by the knowledge that he’s as close as possible without actually being close, right here with you when he always seems so far away.

“Mando,” you whisper, though your expression pulls inwards just slightly because it… in a scenario as sensual and intimate as this, it almost doesn’t sound righ—

“Din,” he whispers back, so quiet you almost don’t hear it, like he almost doesn’t want to but has to anyways, and then you just start to fucking burn.

“D-Din,” you whisper instead, trying to keep your voice as quiet as possible through the rising swell. He’ll be able to see it, you think. The way your tummy and chest start to heave, how your body begins to brace for it—and yeah, Maker, he sees it, because his voice suddenly changes.

“Stop,” Din growls roughly, knowing exactly how you cum—knowing exactly what it looks like, the way it sounds in your breathing, what it tastes like, how it feels on the inside. It’s been so long since you’ve touched bliss without him, months and months since you brought yourself to completion on the floor of the Crest by yourself, and though he’s rarely ever denied you, your own high on newfound control causes it to slip. He barks your name and tells you to stop once more, but it’s too late.

“I’m gonna cum, Din,” you breathe out—

“Don’t—”

It tears through you, rapid and surging, and he snarls a curse, something loud snapping and thudding and… did he just punch something? You can’t think, it’s delicious and hard as fuck and everything you needed after two days of near constant movement and thought with little rest, and you bite your lip to keep quiet but a pained whimper still shoves its way out of your tense vocal cords regardless. It sounds like it hurts because it does hurt; the orgasm shatters your body into pieces and you’re left trembling by yourself on this soft bed, wishing he was with you on a metal one.

You sink into the mattress in the moments following, sluggish and exhausted and just conscious enough to keep the watch facing you. You bet the camerawork was terrible, shaky at best, but you can’t find it in yourself to care right now. You just lay there and listen to his harsh breathing while you work to slow your heart rate, reveling in the filthy little show you just gave him and wanting to finish it out properly.

“Come find me,” you breathe out once more, lazing soft and naked for him, blinking dazedly at the watch as you pan it over you. Your thighs are still twitching and there’s a thin sheen of sweat clinging to you, but you drag a finger through your swollen lips and carefully wipe the wetness across one of your nipples. “Clean me up.”

“Fuck,” Din suddenly spits through the earpiece, furious. “You think—y-you think—”

“What?” You hum, basking in the afterglow and so, so curious. Truly, you’re dumb as fuck, you have no clue what you’re thinking, but if anybody would be able to tell you, it’s him.

There’s a moment where his breathing stops. It’s completely silent on the line, before you hear another few heavy footsteps on his end pick up and then halt just as quickly.

“You think you can taunt me?” He murmurs, dangerous and deadly quiet. “Show me exactly where you are, disappear and then make me waste forever trying to get there? You think that’s gonna work?”

Your eyebrow lifts, considering. He… may or may not have predicted your strategy perfectly, but his insight has stopped surprising you by now. “Maybe…”

“Maybe you shouldn’t fall asleep tonight.”

Ooh. That one sends goosebumps down your arms, but you’ve gained four hours on top of a twelve hour headstart. He can’t scare you with that tone, not when you’re still woozy with pleasure and he isn’t right in front of you. Instead of wilting beneath the hard threat, you just blink gently at the communicator, finding strength in being the only one to get him this mad when he’s always so composed, this talkative when he barely says a word. “Maybe I’ll just stay here then?”

“Maybe you wanted me to know you’re in an inn because you already found someplace to hide that isn’t one,” Din reasons very, very adeptly. Stars, your heart subtly begins to pick up, your legs continuing to tremble as the small red light next to the lens stares you down. “Can’t be planning to stay with someone you just met because you’d already be there, can’t be going to a hostel because you found the one city on this moon built for commerce and not aid. Not staying in another inn, you can’t afford it—the view looks high up, that robe is expensive, and you already bought food and at least five pairs of shoes in two days. I don’t think the place you found is even in Nariss. You think you can outsmart me, sweet girl?”

The chill down your spine doesn’t reach your eyes, you won’t let it. You just feel yourself smile, tilting your head at him and licking your lips while your finger brushes one of your nipples, but Din doesn’t accept your silence the way you’ve always accepted his. He wants an answer from you, right now, and it’s clear in the dark rumble of his voice, the danger slowly brewing beyond what you originally planned for.

“Tell me,” he orders, unamused and leaving no room to disobey. “How long do you think you can keep running?”

Your eyelashes flutter, suddenly deciding… why not? What have you got to lose? Nothing that you didn’t already go into this situation completely expecting to lose anyways. What’s the worst he can do? Find you?

You close your eyes, pinching one of your nipples and wondering if you might just go for another one since he’s still here. “Ask me again tomorrow.”

But then, instead of immediately responding, you just hear Din’s footsteps suddenly pick up, faster than any pace you’ve been able to keep over the past few days. You don’t think it sounds like a run necessarily, but you know that his legs and strides are far longer than yours and it’s probably pretty much equivalent to a run for you. You hear the rhythm of your demise speeding up, coming closer and closer, and everything in you both fears it and welcomes it.

“We’ll see,” he tells you, and then the red light vanishes and your earpiece clicks to silence.

***

Day 3—2:23am:

Even though it takes you much longer to do so than it normally would on a bed so large and comfortable, after such an exciting interaction and not being used to flickering light when you try to sleep but wanting to experience the rarity anyways, you’re eventually able to pass out.

But, not even a few minutes into a restless dream, you turn over and accidentally knock your communicator off the wireless charging station on the side table. It blinks with four percent battery life.

***

To be continued!!

#the mandalorian x you #the mandalorian x reader #din djarin x reader #din djarin x you #mando x reader #mando x you #the mandalorian #smut #reader insert #fanfic #rough day #no-droids #tw: stalking

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mercurytrinemoon · 4 years ago

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Another post on Moon signs you can drag me for

Before we get into the actual thing, I'd like to say this post initially started as something else but ultimately, what I tried to put across is, sometimes Moon signs aren’t that easy to decipher. It’s easy to grasp overall characteristics of the signs and then learn how to identify their specific traits. But what people seem to forget it that Moon represents the deepest side of us & our inner world - it’s uncommon to really see someone’s side of it unless you really pay attention. Sometimes I’m surprised to see what someone’s Moon sign is even if I know this person well. Meaning, people usually hide that part of them - or they just simply process it internally and others can’t see their emotional reactions. It’s also uncommon for folks these days to fully express their emotional needs so it gets even trickier to pin-point their Moon characteristics. I don't think I have to mention this but, of course, your entire chart should be taken into account, as well as house placement, aspects. Personally, I like to also look at Moon's dispositor.

Let’s start from my friends, Gemini Moons, who, I feel, get a bad rep for not showing their feelings and scanning every emotion like an AI. Nah-ah. I know this one Gemini Moon whose immediate emotional reactions aren’t very cerebral in the sense of processing everything in the mind and intellectualizing it aka, what people like to label as being un-emotional. Instead her reactions are often fast (air energy) but physically expressed through Mercury (Gemini Moon’s dispositor) and Sun (overall identity) – she has them both in Aries. She’s a crybaby who can burst into tears in a matter of seconds. So she’s not something that would stereotypically be assigned to a Gemini Moon. But what I did notice is that all Gemini Moons tend to have this weird look on their face when they’re processing stuff. As if they were about to have a brain malfunction; they stop and have that specific worried look. They also like to either gossip or tell stories (either real or made up lol); they’re great with words - they can talk for hours if they feel comfortable with you. They just crave interaction and mental stimulation. Their quick reactions tend to make them effortlessly witty. Even if they’re a withdrawn Gemini type, they make up for it through social media and technology or just a quiet exploration. My shy Cancer pal with Moon in Gemini is now a brand/website designer and an instagram queen who travels the world. This is great energy for content creators in general. And don’t forget that Geminis need to have their fingers in many pies. It’s because they always have a backup plan… and they get bored easily so they need that chaos around them to feel at home. They like to have options in everything, which is kind of funny cause it’s hard for them to make up their minds and actually choose something. And they store a lot of information in their brains… I feel like it must be exhausting, no?

On the other side of the axis, whenever I see someone with a Sagittarius Moon, I can immediately say “yup, a Sag Moon indeed” (probably thanks to my Sag stellium), meaning, they all seem the same to me. Sag Moons often find comfort in exploration - best if it’s literal travel. They always seem to need to free themselves from their surroundings, family, roots or their own culture to discover something new and exciting, even if it’s only in the imaginary words - through books, movies and other medias. Their happiness always lies somewhere else from where they currently are. Like, I think all Sagittarius Moons that I know have left their parents and went their own paths early on. And they have this yolo attitude. Just like Sagittarius Suns, they’re massive dorks, probably also obnoxious… sometimes in a REALLY annoying way. They’re either a) very wise and curious b) lil preachy and stuck up c) just plain dumb clowns with no filter. But they’re all funny. And they take things lightly, with a natural ease. This means sometimes they may offend other people just because they assume everyone’s as chill as they are; „relax! I was just kidding!” - that’s a phrase you’ll hear from them often… I mean, unless you’re a jokester yourself and you’re unmoved by their sarcastic or teasing words. They have somewhat spiritual or philosophical nature so besides making you laugh, be prepared for deep monologues. They want to believe everything will eventually fall into place. It’s also hard to bring them down - or I should say, it’s hard to make them acknowledge that they're feeling down - they always try to distract or cover it up with a joke, usually a self-depricating one. If Sagittarius Moon (or Sagittarius in general tbh) is telling you that they’re unhappy, then it’s serious.

I’ve noticed there comes a point in life for a Libra Moon where they just have enough. They’re too nice for everyone and one day they wake up and yell about how they have to do everything for everyone and everyone wants something from them and bLah bLah. Makes me think of when Bieber was this overly nice kid and then he was like “I’M NOT TAKING PICTURES WITH FANS ANYMOREEEE AAGhJFJFUWIUq”. Yup, a Libra Moon, everyone. They know how to charm and appeal to people, I think overall they’re easily liked by others. Sometimes it’s simply because they like to kiss people’s ass just to avoid being rejected. That’d be a Libra Moon’s nightmare. They like other people’s company too much. And they thrive in relationships and in a big circle of friends. What they hate is confrontations (like every other Libra placement omg). They may be good mediators when it comes to other people but if they’re involved in an argument they get sooooo passive aggressive. They just don’t know how to handle conflicts - it’s as if their nervous system wasn’t designed for emotional outbursts (because, you know, everything needs to be peaceful and harmonious Venus-style). A fussy or angry Libra Moon will suddenly get loud as they blame someone for something… and then they’ll leave the room cause they’re scared to even hear the other side of the argument. Or, alternatively, they’ll make a doormat out of themselves just to stay quiet and avoid causing any rift. And making decisions? I think it’s common for them to have two different romantic interests and feeling so dramatically torned between them *Alexa play Agony from Into the Woods*. Then when they decide, they have problems breaking the bad news to one of them.

On the other end we have Aries Moons. *deep breath* Listen, I think I’ve said enough about having Moon in Aries (or rather purely dissing it) but last time it made a bit of controversy so why not wreak even more havoc. I have a good description for this one: I will punch you but be gentle with me cause it’s easy to break my fragile heart. So basically, imagine putting Buttercup and Bubbles into one person. And honestly, I need to say this, women with this placement are just hot badasses, look at friggin Angelina Jolie. The queen of badass. The queen of hot. People say because Aries folks move quickly (literally and figuratively lol), they often get bored with whatever got them excited last week... or yesterday. Ha, yeah, right. You get their heart to open up and they’re going to have their eyes for you ONLY, like a lil puppy. Give us treats and we’ll build our world around you. But NOT in a clingy way by any means, we need our space and independence after all. My lil niece is an Aries Moon and ever since I started playing guitar with her, she became my #1 fan or something. That’s the energy. But we get easily bored with day-to-day stuff so yeah, there’s that. Innocent and clumsy yet raw in their emotions - so there’s potential to make mistakes sometimes (or a lot of times) or having this tunnel vision, like „I want this and I don’t care about anything else!”. And then excusing it with some „but the heart wants what it wants” crap (looking @ ya, Selena Gomez). They experience constant inner movement and turbulence that needs a physical outlet in order to feel satisfied. WE NEED PASSION IN OUR LIVES, OKAY?!?!?? now leave me alone

Aquarius Moons aren’t as cold as you might think. People like to describe them as if their Moons actually disappeared from their charts: dEtaCheD, uNeMotiOnaL, tHey fEeL nOtHinG. It’s just they don’t sit and dwell on things, they find solutions to the problems. If something doesn’t make them feel right, they just leave that situation. They do care about other people’s well-being, they’re very sensitive in that regard, they’re humanitarians after all. Yeah, they detach, but from their own emotions - in order to make sense of them. They may seem like snow queens sometimes (and this comes from an Aqua rising) but they’re really friendly and if you pique Aqua Moon’s interest, they’re going to be curious about you. They like new exciting things so if you’re cool enough, you have their attention. Usually they’re pretty progressive as well and can’t stand injustice. That’s why you’ll see them standing up for those who are in need. Uranian energy gives them a specific type of sharp intuition and wit. Idk they’re just cute in a quirky way. But this buzzing, fast energy is a great recipe for anxiety, over-thinking and frequent changes of heart. Similarly to Sadges, they need constant exploration and stimuli. Intelligent, people-oriented (but not people-pleasing! Look to Libras for that), individualistic. They definitely need their own space and independence. Their decision-making is fast and it’s easy for them to just say „screw it, I’m doing this”. My Aquarius Moon friend just casually decided that she’s moving to Turkey cause nothing in our city (or even country) seems interesting or helping her expand… So she was like, see ya suckers, I’m leaving.

Leo Moons shine from within. You’ll spot them from a mile away even if they’re on the shyer side. They’re all lil stars no matter their profession. Very expressive people & easily excitable. Art galleries, live shows, theater - they love a creative environment even if they don’t pursue that lifestyle themselves... One of my Leo Moon friends is an art junkie – suggest taking her to an obscure play at the local bar, a music festival, a weird museum – she’ll say yes in the blink of an eye. And she loves discussing these things. A Leo Moon may not see themselves as artistically inclined, but usually sooner or later they at least try dipping their toes in music, arts, acting, dancing... you name it. They’ll learn a simple 3-chord song on a ukulele and then play it to you in excitement. Imagine a lil kid making you a puff piece and being super proud of it. Sometimes they just need some encouragement. Remember, Leos feed off of praise, that’s their fuel. Doesn’t mean they’re all proud, egotistical people but what it does mean is that they need a lil assurance to gain their self-confidence. I lived with a Leo Sun/Moon for almost 15 years (who’s a musician btw so yeah, a classic creative Leo type) - he did have some issues lol but ego wasn’t one of them. Drama followed him everywhere but I’m pretty sure he disliked it himself. BUT, with that being said, I feel like Leo Moons tend to dramatize themselves internally. People say it’s something Virgos or Geminis would do - because of their tendency to overthink, but Leos can just go straight to a worst-case scenario in their heads simply because they exaggerate everything. So don’t be surprised to see a Leo Moon feeling down and anxious. On the bright side, be their cheerleader and they’ll give that to you in return. They need sparks and dullness kills their upbeat spirit. They need to feel their own heartbeat so the feeling of excitement is crucial for their well-being. Romantic, giving and kind. They’re fixed fire so once they’re set on something or someone, they give their all and are rather loyal.

I feel like my chart low-key tells me I should dislike Taurus Moons but I just want to melt in their arms and just stay there? Like, forever? Low maintenance but a bit slow-moving and stubborn. They won’t settle easily, at least not officially, so you need to have a lot of patience with them. They need 3 things to feel secure and at peace: physical stimuli, time and a stable place they know they can always come back to. And it’s not like all of them are total lazy homebodies, they may be active spirits & travellers but they are going to have a reallyyyyy nice cosy flat somewhere near their childhood place (gotta be be close to their moms, you know). Not necessary materialistic but they may have one thing that they collect throughout their entire life and they won’t. ever. get. rid. of. it. There needs to be at least one constant in their life - like you know when Elton John decided to go to therapy but one thing he stuck to was shopaholism? Very Taurus Moon of him. Also, they’re very affectionate. In fact, may have issues differentiating between affection and passion - this is actually something Taurus Moon and Aries Moon have in common. Pro tip - and this is in regard to all Taurus placements - don’t smell bad when you’re around them (I mean, don't smell bad in general, no one likes stinky people lol). They have a sensitive smell. Doesn’t help that they like to smell everything. EVERYTHING. I swear, Taurus, stop sticking your nose in every single thing!!! You don't need to know how that piece of utensil smells like. Jeez.

Scorpio Moon (shoutout to those who remember me accidentally calling them sporpio last time I made a post on Moons lol). I honestly don’t know what to tell you... I feel like all you hear about Scorpio Moon is 100% true, there’s nothing to debunk here. It’s the Moon of extremes. Prone to jealousy and surpressing emotions; severe trust issues; they’re instigators. I was low-key bullied by a few Scorpio Moons when I was in school so there’s that. Very secretive and private. Scorpio Moon will be like “I’m in control of the situation!!!!” and you’ll just look at them and think, yeah, right, looks like the situation is controlling you. But keep being in denial, sure. Like, don’t get me wrong, Scorpios in general can be TOTAL SWEETHEARTS OMG but ya’ll have issues. Even celebrities who have this placements... Think Beyonce or Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus... I feel like they have issues lol, especially with control and the need for everything to be perfectly the way they want it to be. To be fair, that’s probably why they’re all so influential and high status: it’s either their way or highway. They need constant reinvention; they’re the ones to wake up one day and decide they’re going through a spiritual awakening blah blah. They also like to talk about dark and shocking topics while having casual lunch with you... So like, be warned that you may end up with a depressed mood after talking to them for 10 minutes. And their mood swings... don’t even get me started on that.

I don't know where to start with Virgo Moons... I feel like they're very calculated and nit-picky but they're a lot warmer than Virgo Suns. I think I called them softies in my last Moon post. Very sweet people but prone to anxiety. You gotta experience seeing them having a heart attack over someone mixing bananas with milk or messing with their stuff that’s been put in a perfect arrangement. I saw a Virgo Moon once literally squealing shouting "YOU'RE GONNA RUIN YOUR LAPTOP WITH THAT SUPERGLUE!!!" Highly entertaining to watch, not gonna lie. Gordon Ramsay has his Moon in Virgo - it’s conjunct Uranus and Pluto so that’s an extreme but I think him being fed up with people over small inconsistencies in their food prep is a perfect example of this energy (btw his chart is hilarious, it literally explains EVERYTHING). They're VERY picky with their food as well, just as Virgo Suns tend to be. Like, they’ll only have a specific type of single origin coffee or they’ll be vegan or something. Self-critical over their work, which is a plus... except for when finishing a simple task takes them a few hours because they want to make it perfect. They take everything seriously. This of course doesn't mean they're total bores - on the contrary, Mercurial energy gives them witty approach and a talent for choosing the right words at the right time. Tho they can be a bit awkward or shy with it. Can be as bubbly as Gemini but the grounded earthy energy gives them more practical and almost nurturing nature - earth signs are providers after all and Virgo is the sign of service - helping others is like their second nature. I’ve noticed they often find comfort in devoting themselves to a choosen task - this is why if they pursue something, they’re really good at it. They’re also very likely to dissect their emotions.

I’m not a fan of water Moons in general but Pisces Moon is the best water Moon in my opinion. Maybe because I like Pisces overall. I think it’s like a tweaked Sagittarius Moon - just more internalized, withdrawn & gloomy. But unlike Sag, who has a tendency to be an adventurous optimist, Pisces likes to focus on the negatives instead. Obviously, they can be very upbeat, they’re Jupiter-ruled after all, but there’s somehing whiny about them lol. Just like Sadges, they dream big and have their standards put up sooo high but if there's not much active energy in their charts, they’re often too passive to actually fullfill any of that - or I should say, they’re stuck daydreaming about it, believing it’ll just magically manifest for them... OR they do everything with an apathetic approach. What I do like about them is that they’re funny. And really chill - sometimes to the point of coming off as confused or hazy. I feel like a lot of them would just love to sleep all day... or sit by the lake and just think about the world. Most of them are also compassionate folks - again, maybe a bit too much. Hey Pisces, you don’t have to take everything to heart, it’s okay. On the bright side, they have big imagination and the ability to disconnect and just create. I have a few Pisces Moons in the family: one’s that sleepy artistic type with grand visions, one is an asshole-ish but funny entrepreneur with a questionable work ethic and one is a witty IT guy who’s actually a workaholic and likes to shut in his own world of computers and numbers or whatever he does there... So there’s this factor of tunnel vision, escapism and, on the more negative side, being kinda iffy and almost addicted to the way they want things to be. Once they set their eyes on something it’s done deal…

My issue with Capricorn Moons is that they're often trying to be sooooo mature omg, like, loosen up a bit. It usually starts when they're in their later teens... They can be the most rebellious kid that likes to have fun and suddenly they'll be like "I'm too old for this ugh grow up" *judgmental stare*. My 18-year old niece once literally roasted my sister that she's in her 30s and still doesn't have her own place (well so do I so I guess she also indirectly roasted me as well???). And she was SO deadpan with it. Because she herself wants to be independent and start a family before turning 25. This is classic Capricorn Moon energy. They suck out joy out of everything lol. Of course, OF COURSE, it depends on the whole chart but I feel like worst-case scenario is that at one point in their life (or maybe even a few times throughout it) they go through a massive shake-up that makes them change their attitude and re-evaluate their structures. There's this multi-instrumentalist Yvette Young - she's a sweet, funny Cancer/Leo mix but her Moon is in Capricorn. She used to be a competitive pianist but the pressure that was put on her has led her to severe health issues. Like yes, she’s now an extremely talented musician - thanks to family’s expectations & a rigid schooling system (Saturn) but it did cost her a lot. She has recovered since then but I think it's a perfect example of this energy. It’s very ambitious and hardworking but emotionally demanding in the sense that you have to actually put your emotions aside in order to deal with the rest. Another thing, because Moon can be associated with family, there's often a weird dynamic surrounding this topic. I don't think I've met a Capricorn Moon that had a completely healthy and happy relationship with their fam or one of the family members. Or, alternatively, there can be a strong bond between one of them but usually created in the atmosphere of hardships.

Last but not least, Cancer Moons. I had three school friends with this placement and all of them made this sad, whiny face as they said „oh I don’t knoooow anymoreee” when they were feeling torned or frustrated. To be fair, two of them are water Suns so for them, it added to the mushyness. All Cancer Moons I know are family people or better yet, baby people. One of those school friends is now a guidance counsellor, working with kids; the other turned her instagram into a gallery of her own child after she gave birth. So much kid content, omg. There’s also something very indecisive about them… or I should say, hesitant. They’re not very fast at making decisions. Also, what’s interesting, they’re kind of like walking libraries, they remember a lot – so they store a lot of information in their brains just like air signs but they process it in a completely different way – emotional, obviously. I think this also makes them hold grudges a lot. For them it’s more of a question of „how does it make me feel?” rather than „how valid is it?”. There’s certain stubborness in them in that regard because they don’t keep their minds open. It’s also hard for them to walk away from people and situations, like a crab pinching you with its claws – it won’t let go. Sensitive but not easy to open up; very protective of themselves and their loved ones & they tend to shut down in their crab shells. But they may crave connection and the feeling of belonging. Also very caring and with a big imagination. They’re very receptive of their environment so mood swings are a thing for them.

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