#we just have this huge space body that we can see. up in the sky. all aglow in the middle of the night. but not all the time

[coquelicoq]

it's not that i think paul simon was on drugs when he wrote his songs. i wouldn't be surprised either way. but i do think that i would suddenly understand all his lyrics if i did even one teeny tiny little psychedelic.

[wenella]

Zhu Yilong: 36 Years Old, An Actor's Prime

EN translation of Zhu Yilong's Elle China October 2024 Cover Issue Feature Interview by wenella

The art museum is located at the northeastern part of the island. The huge floor-to-ceiling window and the corridor create a natural picture frame. The clear sea is in full view; small islands afar float beneath the white clouds and sea gulls occasionally sweep across the sky. Zhu Yilong steps into the frame and completes this lively picture. The tires, ropes, fishing nets, and buoys that are lying silently by the pier, come alive because of his presence. His complexion is much darker than before. During this period away from the public eye, Zhu Yilong has spent time in the scorching sun and sea breeze experiencing his new role.

The sunshine, ocean, and sea breeze have shaped the Zhu Yilong we see standing before us. He has constantly given his all for every performance and role; he does it not only by changing his appearance but also seeking breakthroughs inside out by experimenting with different acting methods.

Zhu Yilong loves acting. Immersing himself in acting allows him to dispel noise and eliminate worries. Each time his acting transforms, refines, and sublimates quotidian realities of life into artistic realities, the creative process invigorates his heart. An outstanding actor can derive energy from his acting continuously and accumulate courage and perseverance from this constant cycle.

01. Away From City Life For his new film project, Zhu Yilong has been living on a small island, which is part of the Zhoushan archipelago, for the past two months. The vast sea surrounds this small island. One must temporarily abandon the convenience of city life to fathom what living is like in this oceanic wilderness. For example, food deliveries, mobile signal, and measurements of urban time such as calendars and clocks. These items are meaningless to fishermen and sea creatures. Fishermen pay attention to sunrises, sunsets, and tidal changes, as these factors impact their lifestyles. This is the rhythm of nature.

Zhu Yilong has gotten used to life without mobile signal. This has enabled him to focus on the present. “It’s good to be isolated from the world. Everyone is talking about the film and their roles. No one checks their phones. Everyone is immersed in this creative atmosphere.�� Their accommodation has an open, communal space. After work, he would sit in this space and watch the sun set; the surrounding buildings would dim gradually and his heart would calm down as he listens to the rhythmic waves – feeling just like the sea beneath the moonlight, vast and quiet. Zhu Yilong may not be an extrovert, but this does not prevent him from interacting with others. Even if he only shares a few words occasionally, he enjoys the comfortable and relaxing atmosphere, just like a fish going with the flow of waves.

The life of an actor on the film set is like that of a fisherman. They work in the day and rest at night; life is orderly and follows a routine. Zhu Yilong feels that he is leading his ideal life now. If he had the luxury of taking a day off without the need to adhere to any restrictions, he would like to sleep, wake up naturally, and place a “crazy” order of food – preferably hotpot. The diet on this island has been relatively simple and monotonous. Besides, Zhu Yilong has been controlling his diet for his role for an extended period. His body fat has reached an ideal state due to his self-discipline, but this has also intensified his craving for delicious and spicy hotpot.

02. Enjoying the Moment of Epiphany Over the past two years, Zhu Yilong has received more scripts than ever. “My selection criteria differ yearly as my mood changes. It really depends on fate and the environment. If my mood resonates with a script at that moment, that’s it.”

To prepare for his new role, Zhu Yilong gradually tanned his skin and grew his hair and mustache. He also learnt free diving systematically on the set. He obtained his AOW (Advanced Open Water) diving license in Saipan as early as 2016, and showcased his diving skills when he filmed Reunion: The Sound of the Providence and Lost in the Stars. But free diving is different for him this time in Dongji Island as he needs to dive into deep waters without an oxygen tank. The main challenge of free diving is training the lungs. Beginners must learn to empty their lungs and stay underwater for a minute. Since breathing is basic human instinct, only those who have experienced this would understand how long and terrifying this minute could be. Being underwater without oxygen creates pressure on one’s body and mind. Imagine a fish that is taken out of water; it goes the same for humans. When one’s lungs are emptied for a few seconds, the diaphragm starts to spasm and the feeling of panic and near death would propel one out of the water.

“How to overcome this fear? By training, testing my limits, and telling myself to relax when my diaphragm starts to spasm,” Zhu Yilong said. When one is underwater, they are isolated from the outside world, and they can hear themselves very clearly. “The training process is like meditation. You need to use your will to force yourself to empty your brain. Once you are focused, time will pass very quickly. Now, I can complete two minutes of actions in a 9-meter-deep pool.”

To a certain extent, getting into character is like diving; both processes involve progressing from tension to relaxation. Zhu Yilong gets nervous easily whenever he prepares for a film. The more he prepares for the character, the more uneasy he becomes. “All prior work is done based on your imagination, your discussions with the crew, and your ideas of enriching the character. Before the character appears before the camera, there is absolutely no way to find out how he will turn out. You need to be in a specific setting, before a rolling camera, and suddenly one day, the moment of epiphany will strike and you get into character.” For Zhu Yilong, this process can last for several days – three to five days at the shortest, and nine to ten days at the longest. But when the moment occurs, he would feel immensely inspired and relaxed, as though embraced by warm ocean currents. There would be no need to think about other things. He just had to go with the flow and enjoy the simple pleasure of becoming his character.  

03. With Age comes Tolerance Zhu Yilong turned 36 this year, just like ELLE. Three decades. In his opinion, 36 is the prime time of an actor’s career. He is mature and energetic enough to play any character or try any genre. “The first decade in this industry involves training and learning. We had to act and accumulate experiences before we are noticed by directors. Over the past five years, I was able to leverage my experiences that I have accumulated and tried my best to create my characters. I had more opportunities to create different roles and I did not want to waste any of these opportunities that were given to me.”

Zhu Yilong is very expressive whenever he talks about acting. He said he wanted to make movies and try different genres and characters. He would love to take on more roles, but his schedule only permits him to take on two to three projects annually. Since college, Zhu Yilong has always admired Actor of a Thousand Faces - Daniel Day-Lewis. Till now, he still remembers the film My Left Foot (1989) recommended by his teacher and the moment when he saw the actor use his left foot to handle a roll of film skillfully. Subsequently, Zhu Yilong studied Daniel Day-Lewis’ films carefully, such as Gangs of New York (2002), There Will Be Blood (2007), and Lincoln (2012). He hopes that one day, his acting career would be like that of Daniel Day-Lewis’; every role that he creates would allow the audience to immerse themselves in the film and forget what he originally looked like.

For Zhu Yilong, seeking personal breakthroughs isn’t exactly daunting. This is something that can be accomplished any time. He hopes to receive roles that require a wider range of acting as that will excite him. “The greatest advantage that has come with age is my tolerance for mistakes.” Zhu Yilong said that during his first few years of filming, he was particularly afraid of making mistakes and hearing the director shout NG. He hoped that every scene could be done in one take and that he could meet the director's best imagination of the character accurately. However, he gained a better understanding of the art of acting over the past decade and gradually realized that making mistakes was perfectly normal. Most of the time, an actor's imagination of a scene does not necessarily translate into his performance. That is why actors should practise trial and error on the set and adjust their acting step by step to achieve an accurate performance. “Now, I’m no longer afraid of making mistakes. I won’t obsess over what the correct answer might be. I just think about the different possibilities and offer the director more choices.”

In a way, overcoming the fear of making mistakes demonstrates his psychological growth as an actor over an extended, arduous period. So, “does the desire to win become greater or lesser as you age?” In response, Zhu Yilong admits that his desire to win has never diminished. When he was young, his desire to win manifested on the basketball court. He wanted to score goals and points; he wanted to be better than his opponents. When he graduated and started his acting career, he wanted to do everything to the best of his ability and win the director’s approval. However, his concept of winning changed gradually after he turned 30. Winning the approval of others was no longer his priority. He sought personal breakthroughs, explored different options, and tried interesting projects. Cloudy Mountain, Lighting up the Stars, Lost in the Stars, The Volunteers: The Battle of Life and Death, Only the River Flows, Land of Broken Hearts, Dongji Island… “I choose a different genre each time I make a film as I want to test my limits.” Each time a film wraps, Zhu Yilong moves on and departs for a further destination, just like the ripples of waves that hit the shore, edging one another ahead.

**THE END** Post-translation note: Love how he is challenging himself and the boundaries of his acting. His interviews always serve as timely reminders for myself too. Do not be afraid of making mistakes. Do not make winning the approval of others your priority. Be comfortable in your own skin. Happy Monday reading. If you'd like to re-translate this, please DM me for permission + credit. Please do not repost this article. Thanks and good night.

[sassenach77yle]

||COUNTDOWN || SEASON 3 EPISODE 09 || THE DOLDRUMS ||

#83daysofoutlander☆

The moon rose huge and fast and golden, a great glowing disc that slid upward, out of the water and into the sky like a phoenix rising. The water was dark now, and the dolphins invisible, but I thought somehow that they were still there, keeping pace with the ship on her flight through the dark. It was a scene breathtaking enough even for the sailors, who had seen it a thousand times, to stop and sigh with pleasure at the sight, as the huge orb rose to hang just over the edge of the world, seeming almost near enough to touch. Jamie and I stood close together by the rail, admiring it. It seemed so close that we could make out with ease the dark spots and shadows on its surface.

It seems so close ye could speak to the Man in the Moon,” he said, smiling, and waved a hand in greeting to the dreaming golden face above.

“‘The weeping Pleiads wester / and the moon is under seas,’” I quoted.

“And look, it is, down there, too.” I pointed over the rail, to where the trail of moonlight deepened, glowing in the water as though a twin of the moon itself were sunken there. “When I left,” I said, “men were getting ready to fly to the moon. I wonder whether they’ll make it.” “Do the flying machines go so high, then?” Jamie asked. He squinted at the moon. “I should say it’s a great way, for all it looks so close just now. I read a book by an astronomer—he said it was perhaps three hundred leagues from the earth to the moon. Is he wrong, then, or is it only that the—airplanes, was it?—will fly so far?” “It takes a special kind, called a rocket,” I said. “Actually, it’s a lot farther than that to the moon, and once you get far away from the earth, there’s no air to breathe in space. They’ll have to carry air with them on the voyage, like food and water. They put it in sort of canisters.” “Really?” He gazed up, face full of light and wonder. “What will it look like there, I wonder?” “I know that,” I said. “I’ve seen pictures. It’s rocky, and barren, with no life at all—but very beautiful, with cliffs and mountains and craters—you can see the craters from here; the dark spots.” I nodded toward the smiling moon, then smiled at Jamie myself. “It’s not unlike Scotland—except that it isn’t green.” He laughed, then evidently reminded by the word “pictures,” reached into his coat and drew out the little packet of photographs. He was cautious about them, never taking them out where they might be seen by anyone, even Fergus, but we were alone back here, with little chance of interruption. The moon was bright enough to see Brianna’s face, glowing and mutable, as he thumbed slowly through the pictures. The edges were becoming frayed, I saw.

“Will she walk about on the moon, d’ye think?” he asked softly, pausing at a shot of Bree looking out a window, secretly dreaming, unaware of being photographed. He glanced up again at the orb above us, and I realized that for him, a voyage to the moon seemed very little more difficult or farfetched than the one in which we were engaged. The moon, after all, was only another distant, unknown place. “I don’t know,” I said, smiling a bit. He thumbed through the pictures slowly, absorbed as he always was by the sight of his daughter’s face, so like his own. I watched him quietly, sharing his silent joy at this promise of our immortality.

I thought briefly of that stone in Scotland, engraved with his name, and took comfort from its distance. Whenever our parting might come, chances were it would not be soon. And even when and where it did—Brianna would still be left of us. More of Housman’s lines drifted through my head—Halt by the headstone naming / The heart no longer stirred, / And say the lad that loved you / Was one that kept his word. I drew close to him, feeling the heat of his body through coat and shirt, and rested my head against his arm as he turned slowly through the small stack of photographs.

“She is beautiful,” he murmured, as he did every time he saw the pictures. “And clever, too, did ye not say?”

“Just like her father,” I told him, and felt him chuckle softly.

Cap 43~ VOYAGER

[magnoliabutters]

• YES MA’JAKE •

pairing: jake sully x reader (na’vi, they/them)

summary: bound together in front of ewya, there is just one last step to completing the omitikayan ritual.

warnings: 18+ content, mdni, adult language; possible avatar 2009 spoilers, smut smut city b*tch, oral (gn inexperienced receiving), semi-public, muffling moans, lack of proofreading, etc.

word count: ~2.4k

support your writer: reblogs for mr. sooolllllyyy 🤪💙

note: um... i haven't been able to get away from the jake sully tiktok edits, not that i've really been trying. this needed to come out for my health and sanity. following a bit of the og romance plot line with sexiness and a bit of what we wish we saw in the first one (minus neytiri unfortunately). i hope you enjoy!

There you sit, knees bent, and hands on your thighs. You slowly look up to see those beautiful yellow eyes staring back at you. The space is illuminated by the tree of souls, your greatest connection to Ewya. You have just tethered your bonds below the magnificent night sky. Jake and you.

You hate to admit it but something changed within the moment you spotted his avatar in the woods. His alien body frantically checking behind each tree. After months of training and endless amounts of effort, something changed between you two again. And you find yourself here. Mated for life. A thought so foreign, yet oddly familiar in your body.

As your mind rushes through endless possibilities, you note Jake’s eyes scan over your face. His hand shortly follows as he places it against your cheek. He has always been so gentle with you. You turn in to kiss his palm. His thumb tracing back and forth against your skin. “Are you okay, my love?” he asks, a smile pulling to his right side. “Yes, Ma’Jake," you weakly grin. "I'm nervous."

Jake’s smile withdrew into a worried furrowed brow. “Nervous, why?” he chuckles as his head tilts, looking over your face and body carefully. “I’ve never done this,” you say softly and slowly. His concerned expression gradually becomes a soft smile. “We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to,” he says as he reaches for your hands. Yours are so small compared to his.

“I want to, but I don’t know how,” you share as the sides of your mouth tighten in embarrassment. “Can you teach me?” A huge smile emerges on Jake’s face. Excitement bursts through those gorgeous cheek bones. You nervously giggle. “What?” you ask with a giggle. He shakes his head side to side, his tongue to the roof of his mouth.

Jake’s deep voice booming, yet soft. “Remember what you told me the first time I rode a Pa’li?” he asks, trying to get your glance. His eyes humble and soothing. You nod, curious as to what his point is. “You listen to your body, just as I did with Pa’li,” he says. “Feel your heart beat,” he softly continues as he places his hand against your chest. His touch excites you. You breathe in. Your gaze remains on each other before you slowly close your eyes.

“Your breath,” Jake adds as he follows you in taking a deep breath in. His hand raises with your chest. “Your legs,” he murmurs. His other hand is gently placed against your thigh. It rides the line between inner and top of your thigh. The sensation shooting bursts of energy throughout your body. You begin to feel your heart race.

Jake smiles as he notices your change in body language. You are more open, inviting. The nerves almost completely gone. Your eyes remain closed, completely trusting your mate as you have done all along. “You are the only one who knows what you like,” he whispers. You jump and laugh as you suddenly feel his hot breath against your lips. “You have to guide me, love,” he murmurs. He places a soft kiss upon your lips. You naturally entangle your hands within his coarse hair. You hum against his lips in complete euphoria. You feel his mouth turn to a smile as it brushes against yours.

“I promise I won’t fall off this time,” Jake smirks. Your eyes open, as he slowly pulls from your grasp. You giggle alongside him. Him falling of that horse was the first time you saw him in a different light, different from a skxawng. For him, that was the first time he ever saw you smile and heard you laugh. “I will guide you, Ma’Jake,” you affirm as you bite your lip.

Jake grins as he closes the distance between you two. His lips gently press upon yours. He tastes like sugar. Your heart craves him. You feel your body ache for his touch, not just at your lips but every where. With a quick skip, you jump onto his lap and wrap your legs around him. His chin raises as he watches you tower over him. “You are so beautiful,” he whispers. You cannot help the smile that pulls across your face. Your tail squirming behind you in excitement.

With his arms wrapped around your waist, Jake leans in to plant sweet kisses upon your neck. Each kiss felt like butterflies - ticklish, pleasurable. You feel your heart race again. You must like this. One of your hands hold his back, pressing him deeper into your chest. Your other is gently behind his head. Your body releases a gasp and giggle as he kisses you deeper into your collarbone. His deep laugh booms against your skin.

As his kisses trail lower and lower, your heart racing faster and faster, you begin to feel a firmness underneath you. It presses against just the right parts, as your body reels over the endorphins seeping throughout. Without thinking, you tuck your thumb under his chin. Your fingers rest against his cheek. You pull his gaze towards you, watching as his slightly ajar mouth smiles.

You crash your lips against Jake, almost knocking him back. His grip around you tightens. His strength on your body hardening - a small twinge of pain, which incredulously leads to pleasure. He bites into your kiss. His fangs digging into your bottom lip. You pull him closer to you, onto you as your hips begin to move. This feels good too. You feel his tongue slowly slip past your lips. Trusting your body, your tongue meets his. “You taste so good, baby,” he mumbles against you.

Jake moans are rough and animalistic. You can feel his sit become imbalanced as he wishes to move. The firmness pressing against you again and again. Your breath begins to shake as you feel your body harden throughout. Abruptly, Jake moves a hand to your head and slowly guides you onto the warm dirt. You feel him all over you, exactly fulfilling your body’s desire. Your legs wrap tightly around him. Your hips begin to rut against him. The tops of your legs desperately seeking more. A feeling you have never felt before.

“Ma’Jake,” you whimper as your thighs clench around him. Jake places love bites at the crook of your neck, some deeper than others. His hands tight at your wrists, pinning you down. You enjoy being pinned down. “I see you, y/n,” he whispers into your ear. He places kisses down your cheek bones until he meets your lips. He pulls away to look at you, taking all of you in. A smile forming on his face. “I see you, Ma’Jake,” you whisper.

With a look of satisfaction and joy, Jake places another firm kiss upon your lips. He then travels down your neck and onto your collarbone. You feel as he pauses at your chest. You catch your breath as your torso raises towards him. His tongue swirls around your nipples, another sensation you have never felt before. Your legs begin to tense. Your hips having a mind of their own. What an odd thing to be in control of your body, but also just existing within its own automatic movements?

The moans that escape your throat are unfamiliar. However, you can feel Jake’s movements quicken, become more harsh and jagged, with each one. He enjoys it. You make note to allow every impulsive groan to escape your lips. You feel the sting of his teeth as he lightly bites onto your nipple. An involuntary hiss escapes your mouth, but is also met with a laugh.

Jake laughs with you as he raises his head back to meet yours. “What should I do?” he asks with a bite lip. His ears fluctuating from up and down in his excitement. His own automatic response. “Kiss me,” you murmur as you lean closer to him. “All of me.” His smile grows as your lips finally reach his. The passion you have only had a glimpse of between your trainings is fully on display now. Everything you had held back. Every feeling - is now placed into each kiss.

With power, Jake’s hands grab hold of your ass - surprising, yet lovely sensation in the heat of this moment. He hisses against your lips as you play with his bottom lip between his teeth. Occasional looks between you two leave you both shaking like balls of energy. He begins to trail down your body, with his lip still held back. He finally pulls away in excitement as a bit of blood rests on his inner lip.

“Mmmm,” you moan as your hand travels back to his head. You feel him bobbing back and forth with each peck on your skin. Little laughs leave your mouth as he kisses the ticklish parts. Your body closes in on him each time. He makes little snickers as he teasingly bites onto your lower stomach.

Jake’s eyes peer up at you. His kissing halted. You look down at him, curious. Confused as to what may come next. “I want to kiss you here,” he says as his hand slowly travels to your inner thigh. You feel vibrations of tingles as they spread up your left side and down your leg. You let out a sharp breath as you draw your eyes back to him. Another deep breath and you are able to muster the courage to say, “Yes, Ma’Jake.”

Without hesitation, Jake’s fingers hook into your clothes. He pulls at the string. It slowly rolls down your outer thighs. You are on full display, yet his eyes remain on yours. His encouraging smile soothes your soul. You place a hand to his cheek. He kisses your palm, as you did to his before. Your thighs close against his waist as your fingers runs through his hair.

Jake slowly positions himself between your legs. Nerves burst through the pit of your stomach. You place your hand there instinctually. He lowers himself on you enough that you cannot see those soothing eyes. You can just feel his hot breath against your most sensitive skin.

In one gentle and soft movement, Jake’s lips press against your heat. The feeling is nothing like you have felt before. Your body is on edge, almost like when you hunt. On the other hand, it is also dowsed with euphoria and overwhelming happiness. Despite this contradiction, your body screams for more - demands for more.

Your hand reaches down to hold the back of Jake’s head. “You taste incredible,” he murmurs against you. His tongue slowly laps against you. The sensation hits you like a train. Your head is now dug into the dirt. Your legs weak and unreliable. Your eyelids flutter as you lean into the pleasure.

“Mmm-Jake,” you whine as your thighs close around him. Your hand tilts as his head slowly raises. He watches as you writhe under his tongue. “That’s it, baby,” he says with excitement. He quickly tucks your knees over his shoulders. His mouth envelops you. You almost lose your breath. His hands grip harder against your outer thighs, leaving scratches. He begins to moan against your heat. The vibrations of his deep voice leave ripples of pleasure.

Your breathing is quick. Jake’s tongue quicker. You begin to feel lightheaded as your hands move from your torso, to your thighs, to his head. Always on the move as you struggle to maintain this sensation. Abruptly, his fingers begin to mesh with his tongue’s movements. It feels ínstense but oh so good. Your hips begin to rut, matching his rhythm. His touch quickens. Your body almost shaking as it embraces the impacting force.

Your legs tighten around him. Your body feels like a branch that’s about to be pulled to it’s breaking point. The euphoria bubbles throughout your limbs. “Jake,” you scream. Immediately, Jake’s movements stop. You feel his laughter against you. Your body continues to ride the high, but you are able to prop yourself onto your elbows. “Shh, my love,” he chuckles as he kisses your thighs. “What?” you laugh breathlessly. “There are other people here,” he smiles as his hand reaches the back of your neck and pulls you into a kiss.

Your head drops backwards as you laugh with him. You shake your hair out and pull your eyes back towards him. “I might need help,” you whisper with innocent eyes. Jake bites his lip as he leans into you once more. His hand crawls up your face. As he pulls away, it covers your mouth. A gentle force guiding you down into your back once more.

With that daring smile, his mouth envelops you once more. The sensation leaving you with a muffled gasp. It is almost as though you never stopped. His movements as quick, if not quicker. His body’s weight fully pressed between his legs. Your eyes roll back as your chest tightens. A pit in your stomach forms once again. Your toes begin to curl as your legs unbearably tighten. Your lightheadedness leaving you weak in your muscles. A weakness you would now welcome.

Your moans somehow feel better against his large hands. His grip tightens against your cheeks and jaw as your body ruts against his firm body. “Jake,” you whine as you feel yourself falling off a tipping point. The pleasure so intense that you are not sure what would come next. His mouth pulls from you as his hand continues to do its work. “Just let it out, baby,” he whispers as he places gentle kisses against your stomach. “Let it out for me.”

Before you knew it, a burst of electricity flows through your body. You let out another screaming moan, barely muffled against his hands. Your body crumples together, squeezing against Jake’s head. You feel a wet sensation between your thighs, smoothing out your delicate skin. His breath heavy against you as his eyes look down at what he’s done. A proud smile and breathless laugh falls from his mouth as he squeezes his grip on your thighs.

“You are incredible,” Jake says as he lowers your legs to his hips. He towers over you as you rest against the warm dirt. Your eyes still closed as your breathing finally slows. “Ma’Jake,” you say weakly as your eyes slowly open. “Yes, my love?” he asks. His hand reaches for yours. He places a gentle kiss against the back of your hand. “Show me more of what these Earth people do,” you murmur. You watch as a devilish smile appears on his immaculate face. “Yes, my love,” Jake whispers as he pounces onto you.

note: i hope you liked it and this post helped to fulfill your need to love this man! i give no apologies for wanting to fuck this gorgeous na’vi man. (you shouldn't either). okie bye.

part two here

✨don’t forget to reblog and/or comment lovelies!✨

• nav • no-no plagiarism • one shot • requests open •

[keerysfreckles]

saving you - peter parker

pairing: tom!peter x stark!reader

warnings: use of y/n, she/her, swearing, mentions of blood and fighting (scenes used from endgame)

a/n: i love peter parker sm i just HAD to write another blurb (also for my bexi boo mwah)

-

y/n never thought she'd fight a giant purple alien from space, let alone fighting him twice. five years ago she was on titan fighting the alien, then she blipped, alongside half of the world.

five years later she's on the same planet fighting the same purple asshole.

herself and others all came out of different sized portals created by doctor strange. y/n walked out with peter parker, her best friend. she looked around, seeing the army of avengers, ready to fight the battle.

her and peter, and everyone else, got in their positions as they heard steve, "avengers. assemble."

and with those two words, the team of most likely one hundred people ran towards thanos' army.

sam and valkyrie ended up in the sky at some point during the battle, while everyone else mostly stayed on the ground. scott turned huge again since the fight in germany, and immediately started stomping on the evil aliens.

the rest of the avengers started fighting the aliens that remained on the ground. bucky snd rocket shooting them together, with groot branching his arms through the aliens' bodies.

y/n and peter never left each others side as they ran towards the battle. the avengers' goal was to get tony's gaunlet away from thanos once it had all six infinity stones in it. all they had to do was get thanos' gaunlet, easy.

ten minutes pass and most of the avengers are injured while lying on the ground, the only few remaining are tony, steve, thor, peter, y/n, clint, valkyrie and pepper.

dealing with the team of eight they have, they create a plan to beat thanos.

"y/n, sweetheart i know you can fight and i know you can fight well," tony starts, placing his hands on his daughters shoulders, "but i need you to run away, i don't want you anywhere near here when we get the stones, capisce?"

a concerned look shows up on y/n's face, "what? dad, no, i'm not just leaving you guys here. let me he-"

y/n got cut off by tony hugging her, followed by pepper hugging her as well.

the family of three backed up from each other. tony looked back to the rest of the remaining avengers, giving y/n the signal to walk away.

yes, she was going to walk away from the problem, but as she saw her father, and peter start running towards thanos she knew she couldn't just watch.

taking out the ninja stars she has in her suit, she throws them at thanos' wrist to try and get his gaunlet off.

"what- y/n! i told you to run!" tony yells from inside his suit, while blasting thanos.

"i told you, i'm not just leaving you guys!" y/n yells.

tony backs away slightly, before finding clint with the red iron man gauntlet. tony takes it from him and passes it to peter. "peter run!" tony yells before going back to fight with thanos.

y/n watches as peter runs from thanos with her dad's gaunlet.

peter runs as fast as he can before he gets knocked down into a pile of rubble. a giant blue and yellow beam comes down in front of him.

"hi- hello," peter stutters to the blonde woman, "i'm peter parker."

"well peter parker," the woman starts, "you have something for me?"

peter nods as he hands her tony's gaunlet before she flies off.

peter stands up from the rubble, and watches in shock as y/n is on thanos' shoulders trying to fight him.

"y/n!" he yells as he watches thanos throw the poor girl at least 100 yards away. peter immediately runs after to look for her, "um- mr. stark, sir i'm going to try and find y/n."

"oh you better find my daughter alive parker," tony grumbles into the teams shared intercoms.

finally seeing the sight of y/n rolled over onto her side, holding her stomach, peter removes the nano-tech mask from his face.

he rolls y/n over to see the girl with dust and small marks of blood on her face. "hey, hey y/n you gotta wake up. your dad's gonna kill me if you don't," peter laughs, shaking the girl.

"cmon, please wake up."

tears brim peter's eyes, seeing the girl he's fallen in love with get hurt right in front of his eyes.

the only thought going through the boys mind was that he never got to tell her how he felt.

as he talked on his com, his voice was weak. "mr- mr stark i need help! she isn't waking up!"

tony's heart rate drops. disregarding the giant purple alien in front of him, he flies over to where he saw peter run off to. he flies down to the ground to be met with an unconscious y/n in peter's arms.

"friday, read y/n's vitals," tony instructs his ai.

"vitals steady. oxegyn decreased 20%. heartbeat decreased 10%."

"shit," tony mumbles. "you stay with her kid, i have to beat this asshole," he gestures back to thanos. "keep her alive!" tony yells as he flies back to the main fight going on.

peter looks down at y/n again, still with tears threatening to spill over. "y/n," his voice cracks, "please don't leave me."

the tears mentioned before finally spill, leaving peter's cheeks hot and lips trembling. he leans down and presses his lips to hers, while holding her jaw in his hand.

"please, please, please," peter kept mumbling against her lips, tears not decreasing in pace.

peter notices y/n start breathing heavier, he starts shaking her again. "hey, hey cmon, y.n wake up. i cant lose you, i just can't y/n."

peter sighs, "i love you."

y/n starts coughing slightly, before rolling over onto her hands and knees and coughing more than before.

peter immediately starts rubbing his hand up and down her back, "hey, thatta girl," he laughs slightly, glad she's okay, "cough it all up."

"oh my god," y/n gasps, before sitting on her knees on the ground.

"are you okay?" peter asks, keeping his hand on her lower back. y/n only nods, while peter places a kiss on the top of the girls head.

"i love you too," y/n whispers after leaning her head against peter's shoulder.

breaking away from each other, the two teenagers turn around to see a giant multicolored beam shoot up into the sky, yet the two didn't see thanos with the gaunlet at all.

y/n gasps lightly, before running to where the others were. peter followed after, "no, no, no," y/n keeps mumbling to herself as they got closer to the rest of the team.

peter got in front of y/n, incase anything was a threat to them. y/n couldn't see what was going on, but she saw the group surrounding someone lying on the floor.

she looked around, not seeing her father anywhere. a thousand thoughts flooded the girls' mind.

she heard peter talk to someone, but his words were muffled as her brain wouldn't let her think the worst possible solution happened.

pepper holds peter in her arms, comforing the boy, which left a small pathway for y/n to go through.

"dad," y/n whispers, jogging to her father who was leaning against a piece of a broken ship. "dad hey, cmon, get up. we have to go back home."

y/n grabs his hand as she starts crying, she couldn't hold her tears back any longer.

tony looks up at his daughter weakly before placing his other hand on the side of her face, "tell parker he better take good care of you," tony says weakly, making y/n nod and smile softly.

tony leans up with the rest of the energy he has left and kisses y/n's cheek. y/n and the rest of the group watch as tony leans back against the broken ship, and see his arc reactor light dim.

"no, no, no, no," y/n keeps mumbling tapping on the arc reactor.

her heart drops when the light fully turns off. everything around her goes quiet as she leans her forehead on her fathers chest.

this was it. she'd never see him again. never talk to him again. never tell him how her first day of senior year was. never tell him how amazing her first date with peter went. nothing.

pepper lets go of peter to go bid tony a final goodbye. peter helps y/n up off of her father and immediately holds her head to his own chest.

he tries his best to calm her down by cooing to her.

"shhh."

"it'll all be okay."

"you're so strong, you're going to get through this."

"i'll always be here for you."

"i'll always protect you y/n."

y/n lifts her head to look peter in the eyes. "you better not leave me parker," y/n kisses his cheek.

"never in a million years," the boy replies, holding the girl close to him, kissing the top of her head again.

[deconstructivesurgery]

I'm on my like tri-monthly random Borderlands fixation tirade tonight, and one of the things I've really got kicking around in my head at the moment isn't a character- but rather, Helios station in its entirety.

A corporate satellite hub orbiting the moon of a major planet, the size of a city or larger- shaped like an H, the pinnacle of egotistical, over-the-top design. Too *good* to grace Elpis or Pandora's surface, keeping a cool professional distance from everything and everyone below it. Allowing the people on-board to monitor the lives of those below on both sides, and to oversee all of Hyperion's endeavors from a distance. Built to give Hyperion express access via moonshot to anything that falls within its Eye's field of vision. If the Eye can see it, Hyperion can send people to it- or annihilate it from a thousand miles away in space.

Hyperion does surveillance really well. It's not something they ever really emphasize throughout the series, to my awareness, but it's fascinating. The first major time we're introduced to the concept of an ECHOeye connected to a Hyperion database, it's through Rhys- a character who can use his eye to see all the bizarrely specific information Hyperion's database has held over the years. Hyperion knows the names, faces, and life details of a stunning amount of people, when you really think about it. (I know this is just because the ECHOeye thing is a fun info-gathering mechanic in Tales, but hey- if I think it's fun to assign it narrative meaning, I'm gonna do it.)

But that's a bit of a tangent. Asides from being an enormous eye in the sky and Hyperion's very own hand of God as far as terrestrial punishment is concerned, it's also fascinating on an internal level.

It's design allows for so many fascinating choices. It isn't a company building alone, it's a city with a PA system. There are rooms you walk into in the lines of the 'H' that are so tall vertically that the endless expanse above you as you walk almost registers to you as the sky. Lines of vegetation- fake or not is anyone's guess- and paved paths make regular hallways feel like courtyards. There are countless windows that face the night sky, and some of them have been given a holographic sheen that makes them resemble a blue sky. People don't commute from Helios to the celestial bodies below on either side- they live here, work here, buy here, and more. There are commercial centers, office districts, laboratories, and more. A person could spend their entire career- hell, their entire life up there, cloistered away from the unruly truth of life on the ground, inventing weapons to fuel the fire of constant conflict outside their company doors. It's fascinatingly huge and terrible, and I wish we'd gotten more time to explore its insides and find out more about what life on Helios really looked like for Hyperion employees.

What we do get that I love is the vaguely haunting (or maybe I'm just way too sentimental) experience of watching Helios rise and fall over the course of a few games. Chronologically, we look up at the sky in TPS and see the half-built skeleton of Helios' limbs, still spindly and unfinished, rattle as the station rains hell onto the moon below. We see it again, finished and pristine in 2- a constant presence on the horizon far above us, completely untouchable from where we stand. Even when we explore it in TPS, Helios feels mostly untouchable. We have to stop the people on it, we know- but we never get the sense that the station itself is fallible or will somehow beget its own destruction. It's as much a part of the Pandoran solar system as anything else.

And then Tales From The Borderlands hits after Jack's death, as we visit what remains of Hyperion in Jack's absence- still putting along in the corporate world despite their retreat from Pandora's surface proper. Nothing's changed much. Nothing does change much, until the Jack AI begets the place's destruction.

Only in that first sequence of TFTBL's Chapter 5 (such an amazing musical sequence, imo, still- I've always loved it) does our perception of Helios as a fixed point in space ever get challenged. Watching it peel up at the corners and spout rubble into Pandora's atmosphere- drawn by the planet's heavier gravity to fall endlessly away from the moon- was enough to make me feel mildly dizzy the first time I saw it. As a pathetically tiny number of safety shuttles make their way away from the collapsing body of a city-satellite down to uncertain fates, we're reminded once again that Helios is an entire city and then some- supporting how many people exactly, who are now being violently spat out into the void of space, or worse, carried down to earth in a flaming wreck? Suddenly this impossibly huge display of corporate self-sufficiency, this giant throne they built in the sky from which to survey the world beneath, seems like a fatally hubristic project. They're not above the violence, chaos, and uncertainty of the world below anymore.

And when all is said and done, its skeleton sits there like a monument to the downfall of an entire corporation- carried to the grave by one man's foiled plans and replaced by a dozen other hungry mouths vying to profit off of intercorporate wars and upheaval. You look up at the moon, or down at Pandora, and feel ever so slightly wrong- like there's a star on the horizon now missing.

In a game series that doesn't often take itself seriously for long enough to deliver meaningful world-altering change as a result of past actions (in a way that isn't hideously underplayed or broken up by irony or a lack of care), Helios is a really subtle major world alteration that means a lot to me. It's a whole corporation we've come to know and despise taken out of orbit for the last time. There's no magical Helios 2. We never see a character turn around and try and make light of the situation with some shitty action-movie quip, or a joke about how 'that could've gone better'. There's just a flaming pile of rubble on the ground where thousands of Hyperion employees died on impact, and the knowledge that the Borderlands corporate sphere has been permanently refaced.

I wish we'd seen more visible change in the world throughout the games like that. It would have been a lot of fun. It's the little things- like a familiar location permanently destroyed, or a character we love dying in a way that actually begets grief and meaningful introspection (rather than just a wuh-oh, they're gone now, what's the next plot point again?) that could have really made the story of these games have a bit more punch. Because it's my opinion that when Borderlands actually *tries* to hit hard, they don't miss quite as often.

[cherrylng]

Muse History Interview #02 [CROSSBEAT Special Edition - Muse (July 2010)]

"The limit of pushing your body to the limit using your emotions - some people may see it as "pain", but to me it's like "the ultimate sex"."

Interview in 2000, just after the completion of their second album "Origin of Symmetry", which showed "Muse's unique sound world" in many ways.

Interview by Akiko Mima

I wonder how deep this band is. Listening to the just-completed "Origin of Symmetry", I felt a sense of dread. They have stood out with their outstanding technique and sense since their debut album "Showbiz", but this album already has a "spirit" that can be called a style.

Hot, intense and dramatic. Just when you think they've hit you with a bold and aggressive guitar sound, the next moment a beautiful, heart-wrenching, sad melody is played. I'm confused as the two extreme emotions inside me rush in at the same time. But it's a pleasure to be at the mercy of this overwhelming sound! The band's sound has broadened even further, as they have cleverly incorporated the dynamism they have developed in their live shows, while also taking on more sedate blues numbers and progressive epics. This album is sure to be Muse's breakthrough, far surpassing the first album. Apparently all shows on this UK tour before the album's release were sold out (!), which shows how much people expect from Muse and want their sound, and I feel the same way. Undeterred, I flew to Manchester.

On April 6th, with a cold drizzling rain, the 2,000-seat venue was packed with a full audience, and the atmosphere was filled with heat. The front was so dense that it was disgusting. The large number of male fans is unique to Muse.

The band opens with "Micro Cuts", a song from their new album, which starts off with a roaring guitar performance. The dynamic sound pressure was so strong that it was hard to believe that it was just the three of them, and the venue was instantly filled with excitement. There was a chorus of familiar numbers, including "Unintended," stage dives at various points, and Matthew played the keyboard to huge applause, and the excitement rose to the sky.

The chorus of "Plug in Baby" was a chorus that the whole audience sang along to. It was the best. In the end, half of the entire set that day was from the new album, but the audience's enthusiasm was great on average. This was also a result of the band's solid musicianship and the gravitational pull of the performance. Good live, good album, a great band after all. Add to that the momentum of the "season" and Muse now seem almost invincible. How does frontman Matthew Bellamy view such a situation?

The show was great! I heard the whole tour is sold out. 「I'm just so happy. Especially in the early days, there were hardly any people coming. The audience was all students of our generation or older. But recently we've had a lot of younger people come, and the audience has expanded, so it's been fun.」

Your new album ‘Origin of Symmetry’ is also amazingly polished, isn't it? The quality and scale of the songs have improved dramatically. The songwriting process seems to have gone rather smoothly, but what was the most difficult part of the process? 「It was hard to decide on the equipment and how to record the songs. There were so many options. We ended up mostly with a simple three-piece band format, because we got confused with too many instruments and equipment. "Megalomania" and "Space Dementia" are big, heartfelt compositions, and we struggled to find a good way to recreate them with just three people. Especially as we did most of it on piano and the harmonies were quite complex.」

Yeah, yeah. This time around, you've tried something new in terms of sound-making, actively incorporating synths, piano, and strings. Is this because you don't want to stick to being a three-piece rock band, but want to broaden your sound? 「We want to break the limits of a three-piece band. Especially when I write songs, I'm half piano, half guitar, so I'm trying to incorporate that into the album somehow. Of course, I love bands like Ben Folds Five, but I want to show that a three-piece doesn't necessarily have to be guitar-oriented.」

The combination of the intense guitar sound on "Bliss," "Space Dementia," and "Plug in Baby" and your emotional vocals is impressive, but what is it that drives you to feel such intense emotions? 「Maybe it's that…… Uh, what's that? (laughs)…… Ah, yes. I think modern people have a stronger vague anxiety that "something is wrong with humanity" than people in the past. They have a premonition that fatal environmental destruction or disasters will occur in the next 100 or 200 years, right? In such a situation, young people are using various things as a medium to connect with others. I also have the feeling that I need to be more connected to the world, and I think I'm driven by that. I'm not very good at conveying messages, but one thing I can say is that using too many words can be intimidating. So I'd rather stimulate people with music than with words. I want to make people realise the connection between people through sound.」

But usually artists want to express themselves first. Is that a bit different from what you want to express? 「I don't think I can answer this clearly, but the name of the band "Muse" was also given with the intention of inspiring people in the world to do creative things…… Maybe (laughs). For me, music is a way of expressing what I can't communicate in my everyday life.」

What did you hope to achieve with this album? 「Well, it wasn't a very difficult idea. I just wanted to make life a bit better (laughs). Well, I just wanted to make a better album than the last one, that kind of thing. There's no big concept, it's just about constantly expanding our knowledge of what's going on around us. Especially making this album, I learnt a lot about music and myself. Touring and meeting new people has also been beneficial. Anyway, I just want to keep absorbing information.」

"I'm not very good at conveying messages, but one thing I can say is that too many words can be intimidating, so I'd rather stimulate people with music than with words, to remind them of the connections between people through music."

I think the vibrant and dynamic sound is the result of having performed live shows many times. Muse is a band that places great importance on live shows, but what is the stage like for you? 「It's a place where you can feel who I am. I'm also happy to be able to show that side of myself to so many people. Especially when you live in a city surrounded by a lot of people, you tend to become closed off, don't you? So it's fun to be able to expose myself freely on stage. Especially when you have friends close to the stage, you can be more honest with yourself. I think everyone does something similar in their own way.」

Yeah. And I think Muse's music is characterised by a ‘strangeness of contrast’. Movement and stillness, hope and despair, light and shadow, heat and cold all coexist in one song. When you write songs, are you always conscious of the duality or multifaceted nature of things? 「Maybe I am. I don't know if it's completely conscious or not. At least not intentionally. But I do think life is always about how to compromise between two extremes. In any case, for example, if I've been playing mellow songs for a while, I can't help but explode and do something heavy. Sometimes I mix mellow and heavy in the same song. If you keep doing the same thing, you get bored of it.」

I see. And one more thing. I think there is always pain behind the intensity of Muse's sound. 「It's not 'pain', it's me in an extreme state. It's the result of pushing my body to the limit with my emotions. Some people might see that as ‘pain’, but for me it's the greatest pleasure. Well, it's not so much pleasure as it is a great emotional experience. I can't say it well. No, I can say it, but I'm embarrassed. For example, let's say I'm having the ultimate sex (laughs). It's the greatest pleasure, but if a child who doesn't understand sex saw it, it would just appear as pain. For me, what is expressed in music is an extreme state that I can enjoy.」

Thinking back to when you first started playing music, how do you think you've changed as a songwriter? 「Hmmm. I think I've gradually become more open than before. I'm no longer ashamed of being honest. In the beginning, I was worried about whether what I was sending out was reaching listeners in a meaningful way, but now I'm more content with who I am.」

With the saturation of various technologies and methodologies, the concept of ‘rock’ is also changing, isn't it? Radiohead, for example, is a band that has found a new path for rock by dismantling the conventions of rock, what do you think of their kind of methodology? 「In the end, we're all human beings in the same way. Some of them use music as a tool to communicate their thoughts. But it doesn't matter what technology, equipment or style you use to communicate. What is important is the emotion in the music. People create different styles. Not only music, but also religions are very diverse. But the reality is that the world is now integrating so many different cultures that categorisation is becoming less and less meaningful. Whether you are a Christian or a Hindu, you are looking for the same thing. It's the same with music. Even if a band's style of music suddenly changes, you have to understand that it's still the same people who are making it.」

As for Muse, are you aiming to create a sound that will be ahead of its time? 「I'm still too afraid to talk about that. Hehehe. But if you say something as exaggerated as "I want to create a sound that will break new ground," any band will get ridiculed (laughs).」

But artists are obsessed with being ‘new’, aren't they? Rather than being bound by tradition, you want to keep evolving. 「I think that ‘newness’ is just a collection of old things, recreated in the modern age. Tomorrow, a new pianist might emerge and people might say that his style is innovative, but in fact it's a style that's been used for hundreds of years. Of course, it's important to keep learning new things and use them as fertiliser for yourself. But I don't think there can be anything genuinely new. I think we're always mixing things from the past, inheriting things from thousands of years ago somewhere. If you try to trace back to the source, though, that's when it gets chaotic.」

Translator’s Note: I struggled with this interview for some time, mainly because I’ve started to see that Crossbeat magazine has a strong tendency to edit the manuscript of their interview pieces. So I couldn’t use a previous version that I’ve already translated before, and given that this interview piece is put into a special issue covering Muse itself as part of the history section, then this meant that even this selected article was heavily edited too.

The extent of how much material was edited out of the manuscript is unknown. Even if I do find the original interview from the original issue release, there’s no doubt that the manuscript will look completely different to this. In short, it made for a frustrating effort to translate this.

In comparison, the interview articles that I translated from Rockin’On are more or less unchanged as a whole. So translating stuff from Rockin’On is relatively painless and smoother to handle with.

Please do support me with my ko-fi! ☕

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Silver, Idia: Believe in the Me that Believes in You

I’m not a huge fan of Silver, but his Broomquet Groovy is one of my favorites ^^ I really love the color of the sky and how the birdies have come to fly with him!

Silver talks about training with Lilia in this interview; I kept thinking of Mulan's training montage during it. He also mentions that Lilia pat his head for the first time in a while and told him he's grown into a fine young man so of course I had to make jokes about how "it'll be the final time" and "Lilia's finally booting Silver out of the house now that he's 18 so papa can fuck off to retirement"—

A Boy in Bloom, and his Flowering Future.

"How do you spend your days off?"

Idia looked up from his clipboard. H-Huh?! Do I really have to ask this?! I-Isn't it obvious what Silver-shi's answer will be? Obviously, an air-headed macho man like him's going to say...

“When possible, I work on my equestrian skills and horse handling technique. Otherwise, I train.”

“O-Oh… right…” Idia failed to curb his lack of enthusiasm.

See?! I totally predicted that!! He’s got zero brain cells upstairs, all the brain cells were beaten out of existence by his muscles! Now all that's left is a space-case!

Silver took one look at Idia’s bug-eyed stare, and a realization (the wrong realization) set in. “Are you curious about my regimen? I’m sorry, I will elaborate.

"As one of the young master's knights, it is my responsibility to protect him. This requires maintaining peak physical performance. To begin with, my regular warm-up involves stretching, then 100 sit ups, 100 push-ups, 100 squats, and a 10 kilometer run."

"B-B-BWEH?!" Idia practically choked on his own saliva. "D-Did you really just say all of THAT for a warm-up?! And you do that willingly? For FUN?!“

"Yes, that's right. It's very light and helps to wake my body up. After that is when the 'real' training begins. I do cardio and focus on different parts of the body depending on the day of the week."

"Wh-When do you find the time to take breaks?! J-Just listening to you describe your daily exercise is making my muscles cry..."

"Ah, you're wondering how I'm able to keep up with my routine."

Huh?! It's like this guy just button mashed his way past NPC dialogue and only got the gist of what I just said!! I didn't think it was possible to meet someone that runs on autopilot IRL!!

"From a young age, my father instilled in me the importance of staying active and fit." Silver smiled fondly at the thought, ignorant to Idia's woes. “He set up obstacles courses and would give me chores that built up my strength. I’d also play tag with the animals when I wasn’t chopping wood or fetching pails of water for us.

“Sometimes Sebek would join me. We’d have a lot of fun together braving spiked pits, climbing cliffs, and surviving in the wild with only the clothes on our backs. We came out of it stronger in body, mind, and heart—they were very valuable experiences for us.”

Serenity never parted from Silver’s face the entire time he described his hellish childhood. Meanwhile, his interviewer had progressively grown paler and paler. Now he was the exact hue of a fresh corpse.

“Hmm? You don’t look too good, Idia-senpai,” Silver noted. Worry suddenly marred his gentle beauty.

He jumped. “N-Nope! I-I'm fine, my health is at max!!"

A lie—the entire interview had been mentally draining for the introvert.

"Are you sure?" Silver stepped closer, his expression turning deadly serious. “If you’re feeling unwell…”

Idia gulped. He wasn’t certain if he was overheating from the scorching May day or if it was his nerves getting the better of him.

“… You should work out with me and Sebek. I’m sure he won’t mind the extra company.”

A freight train slammed into Idia’s gut. He staggered back, mouth hanging open at the audacity of Silver’s suggestion, the one million and one things wrong with it.

"A-Are you crazy or what?! Th-There's no way I'd survive!! The only exercise I do is waving light sticks around for idol concerts, I can't handle anything more than that! P-Plus, a shut-in otaku like me can't deal with being shouted at just for existing, I’ll instantly fold!!"

“I understand, Idia-senpai.”

For a moment, his hopes welled. “A-Alright, GG. We’re done with the interview then. You can get going on the birthday road now…”

But much to Idia’s horror, the birthday boy continued.

“I also told myself, ‘I can’t do this’ and, ‘I want to give up’ when I first started my fitness journey—but throughout all my doubts, my father was there to support me, and Sebek was my friend and rival, motivating me to improve.

“At NRC too… I’ve met people who support me. I can ride a horse as well as I can because Riddle instructed me. I won an arm wrestling contest because my classmates cheered me on. There are many things I was able to do only because others were there for me in my time of need.”

“Where… are you going with this shounen anime protag speech?” Idia asked warily.

“It’s hard to do it alone, but you’re not alone at all, senpai. I will be there to cheer you on, and we can work together to help you accomplish wellness goals.” Silver stated matter-of-factly. “I believe in you, so please believe in yourself!”

“E-Eh…? Seriously, what’s with you… Is everything I’m saying going in one ear and out the other?”

H-How can one person be a literal beacon of light and goodness in the world?! Is Silver-shi really the kind of person who tries to empathize with even the characters fandoms unanimously hate? Would he walk up to a broom and try to shake its hand?

A firm pat on the shoulder snapped Idia out of his spiraling thoughts. He found Silver staring him down, an encouraging smile on his lips.

"I need to head off on the birthday road now, but I want you to know that you're always welcome to my workout sessions, and I'll always be in your corner."

"W-Wait," Idia stammered meekly, "I never agreed to take you up on your offer... P-Please tell me you won’t show up unannounced in my dorm to drag me outside…!!”

WHOOSH!

The Ignihyde dorm leader was silenced by a powerful kickback of magic to the face. The fire of his hair flew around him—and when the flames cleared out of his sight, he saw that Silver was already a dot in the distance.

Petals danced upon the breeze, as white as the clouds stretched across the brilliantly cerulean sky. Night Raven College was drenched in golden sunlight, and spring come out in full force. The day was as picturesque as an image straight out of a storybook.

Thrilled song filled the sky as a procession of birds joined him in flight. Pink, green, blue—a flurry of colored feathers as they hurried to Silver’s side.

One planted a light peck on his cheek, another nibbled on the ribbon trailing from his bouquet. The third paved his way, trumpeting the arrival of a prince, pure of heart, with his beloved animal companions.

It was as though Mother Nature's messengers had come out to wish Silver a happy birthday.

Idia was almost mesmerized by the sight.

Almost.

“Silver-shi really does belong in a whole new world… far, far away from me!!”

[blue-slxt]

Two Can Play - Chapter 5

🔞Minors Do Not Interact🔞

A/N: We have finally reached the finale! I legit cannot thank you guys enough for all the love and support on this series. Especially since this is my first Lo'ak fic. Writing this really made me fall in love with him. Of course, like I say in every part, I have to give a HUGE thanks to @pandorxxx for inspiring me to write this fic. Her fic Search & Rescue was a big inspiration for the premise of this story. Two Can Play would not exist without her. So, I hope you guys enjoy the end of this fantastic journey. All characters are aged up.

Previous Part

Pairing: Lo'ak x Fem!Omatikaya!Reader

Warnings: This chapter contains potentially triggering content for suicidal ideation so please proceed with caution. Mentions of death, Angst, Dissociation, Depression, Smut, P in V, Creampie, Oral (M receiving), Mentions of scenting, I think that's it

Word Count: 5.1k

Summary: The aftermath of the incident plays out.

Staring up at the opening in your tent, the night stars bounce in your vision with each thrust given by Tenye above you. He holds on to your hips while he ruts into you. Clearly, he’s feeling good from all the sounds he’s making. You can’t really feel much right now. Your head is too far lost in the sky to be present enough to enjoy yourself. Your mind is back in that space where you’re not really in your body anymore. It’s as if you can actually see your own face peering up at the sky dead-eyed while you force moans from your own mouth to help him finish quickly.

“Ah…Gonna cum!” he says

‘About damn time’ you think to yourself.  You use your hand to push him out of you before he finishes and just pump him with your fist until he cums.

He lets out a dramatic groan when he finishes and doesn’t move an inch while he comes down from his high. Meanwhile, you immediately use a spare cloth to wipe your hand off with.

“Eywa, that was so good” he says between pants trying to catch his breath.

“Yeah…” you pick up his loincloth and toss it to him, “See you around.”

He stares stunned at you for a moment, “That’s it?”

“Yup, pretty much. Bye.”

Tenye scoffs at you and he mutters ‘bitch’ under his breath as he gets dressed and leaves.

It doesn’t even phase you at this point. Nothing phases you anymore. You don’t feel anything anymore. It’s been like this for 2 whole weeks now. You hid out in your tent and retreated into yourself. For the first few days, it felt like you never moved from the spot on the floor where you initially collapsed. You nearly dehydrated yourself from your tears. Ako came looking for you after you disappeared from the festival and the sight of you broke her heart.

And just when it felt like your mind was going to snap from all the overwhelming distress…it suddenly went dead quiet. Your mind and body ceased to process stimuli properly anymore. And before you knew it, you fell back into your old habits. Desperate to feel something—anything, you regressed into seeking comfort in sex. But that did nothing for you either. Not anymore. No matter what, the only person your body responded to was Lo’ak.

You found fault with just about every other male now. This one kissed too rough, that one came too quick, he used too many teeth when he ate you out, and he was too small. One after another, the disappointment seemed never-ending. Lo’ak had utterly ruined you for anyone else. None of them could hold a candle to him and how he knew your body.

And even worse, you still had his bracelet. The one that he made for you. You were too blinded by your rage to have the sense to throw it out that night with the rest of his things. But once you calmed down and registered that it was still on your wrist, it was like your fingers physically couldn’t take it off. As much as it pained you to look at it and remember, you couldn’t deny the comfort it also brought you. Fidgeting with the small beads day in and day out mindlessly.

You curl up on your hammock and fight to keep the tears at bay. But you fail today again just like every day since the incident. It doesn’t take anything to bring the sadness on at this point. It just sneaks up on you when you least expect it. Even with a totally blank mind, your subconscious still remembers every ounce of the pain that still lives there.

Another cold night of crying yourself to sleep.

…

Ako grew concerned about you over the passing weeks. She couldn’t believe the story you had told her about what you witnessed. It didn’t make sense. The way Lo’ak was with you, there was no way it was just an act. Lo’ak may have been a lot of things, but cruel wasn’t one of them. It didn’t add up in her mind. She struggled with whether or not she should go confront Lo’ak. On one hand, she felt like it wasn’t her place to get involved. She doesn’t insert herself into your relations. But on the other hand, watching your body and mind slowly wither away with each passing day was sinking her heart. She needed to find answers.

That’s why she’s currently dragging Lo’ak by his arm through the forest right now. She needs to get to the bottom of this so that she can know how to help you.

“Okay, you need to start talking and I mean right now” she says finally releasing his arm once they’re far enough out of the way.

“What are you talking about?”

“What the hell happened the night of the festival?” she nearly screams at him

“Nothing happened! I was set up!” he says doing his best to defend himself.

“That’s not how she described it” Ako retorts crossing her arms over her chest.

“Look, I know that it looked really bad from her perspective, but I swear I am telling the truth! Fea said her friend hurt herself in the forest and I went to help, but then she cornered me. But I pushed her off immediately. You’ve got to believe me.  I would never do something like that.” His voice is pleading and his eyes are sincere.

Ako takes a deep breath sitting on his explanation. That story does make more sense in her mind, but she knows it won’t be any simple task trying to convince you of its authenticity.

“Did you explain that to her?” she asks still somewhat skeptical.

“She threw me out before I could. She didn’t want to hear it.” The defeated tone in his voice doesn’t go unnoticed.

“I…I love her. I could never do that to her. But it’s over…she hates me now.” He slumps back against a tree letting his head fall forward.

“You need to go see her.”

Lo’ak looks up at Ako with doubt, “How? She doesn’t want me anywhere near her.”

“Don’t care. I don’t want to hear it. You haven’t seen her, Lo’ak. She’s a mess these days. She won’t eat or drink or leave her tent. She’s a shell. Even I’ve never seen her this bad before. She needs something more than I can give her. She needs you. Now, move your ass!” her arm stretches to point in the direction of your tent signaling him to get moving.

Lo’ak lets Ako’s words sink in. He wants nothing more than to come running to your side. Thinking about how much you were suffering was torturous to his mind. But how would he get through to you? How would he get you to listen?

“Now Lo’ak!” Ako pipes up breaking him out of his swirling thoughts.

He decided he was just going to have to figure it out on the way. If he wanted this—truly wanted to be with you, shouldn’t he fight for it? He rises from his slumped position against the tree and let his feet carry him to your tent.

He still has no idea what he’ll say or how you’ll receive it, but he just knows he has to try. He owes you that much.

Your tent comes into view in the distance and his pace slows as he feels his resolve starting to fade. Your last night together replays in his mind standing outside of your tent. The anger and suffering in your eyes and the way you shouted at him to get out. It was like he was reliving it again at this very moment. Standing in the same place he stood while he collected his discarded belongings that you had thrown out of your home. A home that he had started to feel like he belonged in too.

His family was wonderful and they loved him and he loved them too, but with you, the two of you had filled the space together. It was both of yours. Losing it was crushing. He wanted to come home. With one big breath, he finally builds the courage he needs to walk inside.

He closes his eyes while he waits for your angry tirade to hit his ears…but it doesn’t. He hears nothing. Cautiously, he opens his eyes to look around and for whatever reason, you’re not home. That’s odd. Ako said you hadn’t left since that night. So where would you go?

He gingerly walks around letting himself reminisce about all the blissful mornings and heated nights he would spend here with you. He makes his way over to your hammock and something catches his eye. It’s the bracelet he made for you.

You never took off this bracelet. Not for one second. Not when you slept, not when you bathed, not even when you kicked him out. He didn’t see it among his things and it brought him a small comfort to know that you held on to it. But now, his heart sinks to his feet. Lo’ak couldn’t quite place why, but he had this awful feeling deep in his gut. Something was wrong. He needed to find you immediately.

He storms out of your tent looking frantically around everyone in the area trying to find your face. But he doesn’t see you.

Ako is walking towards him, “So, what happened?”

He runs to her, “She’s not home.”

“What? Where did she go?” “I don’t know! She was gone when I got here! And she left her bracelet. She never takes this thing off. We need to find her. Now!” panic seeps in and takes over his mind.

“Okay okay, I’ll search through the west side of the forest, you hop on your ikran and look through the east.” Ako tries to stay calm so that Lo’ak doesn’t completely lose himself right now. What they needed right now was not to panic, but to make a plan.

He nods his head and takes off to call and mount his ikran. He’s so frayed, it effects how his ikran flies. Its movements are rough and choppy in the sky, but they take off, nonetheless.

…

What is the point? Why bother keeping this up anymore? Everything is just so heavy. The weight of the grief sitting on your chest is nothing short of devastating. First, your parents, then losing Lo’ak, and now you can’t even find solace in your one simple pleasure. You can only take so much.

You’re completely dissociated from reality while you walk through the forest. You let your body just wander aimlessly through the foliage, around trees, through bushes, and over creeks. The soft moss is a welcome feeling under your feet as you let yourself sink deeper and deeper into the unfamiliar path you’re on. You let the colors of the various flora surrounding you guide you through an untrekked trail.

You didn’t know where you were headed. You secretly wished that your body would take you back to the pond. The same place where you would visit so many nights with Lo’ak just floating until all the world’s problems seemed like nothing more than ripples in the water around you two. Where nothing else mattered but being with each other. If only you could go back in time and warn yourself. ‘Don’t fall for it’. ‘Stick to your gut’. ‘He’ll only break you’. ‘Do NOT fall in love with him’. But that was only a wish and real life is not so forgiving.

Reality is cruel and merciless and does not care for your pathetic wishes of things to be different.

You continue your aimless stroll through the dense forest watching your feet place themselves one in front of the other. Until…the green of the forest starts to slowly fade. The green under your feet gradually shifts into a hard, stony gray. And there is no more soft moss and grass, but now there is harsh, sharp edges of rocks poking and prodding the soles of your feet. Where were you?

You finally find the motivation to lift your head and find out where you had travelled. It was a mountain? No, it was a cliff. Why had your body been called here of all places? Fear gripped your chest suddenly realizing how high up you were. Frozen. Even though you were far from the edge of the cliff, your body stood completely still as if taking even one more movement would result in your tumbling over the edge. And instead of misery, you feel gratitude. You are thankful for the fear because it is better than the all-consuming nothingness you’ve been feeling for weeks now. You’re so desperate to feel absolutely anything that you push the envelope even more and, with shaky legs, you take several steps forward.

One step and then another. You slowly, but surely, bring yourself closer and closer until you can see over the edge of the cliff. Below is a body of water, no doubt with some sharp rocks just under the surface or a shallow bottom. If you fell, that would surely be the end of you.

But would that be so bad? Putting an end to all the misery? No more tears, no more emptiness, no more loneliness, no more suffering, just…peace. You could finally be with your family again and you wanted so badly to be with your parents again. But what would they think of you? If they knew who you had become since their passing, how disappointed would they be? How could you possibly face them again as you are?

But the urge to just put one foot over the edge is…enticing to say the least. Your hand reaches for your wrist only to be met with nothing. That’s right, you took off your bracelet finally and left it at home. You had grown so accustomed to playing with the small beads that not having it now left you feeling more exposed and lonely.

You turn your face up to the sky hoping to find some kind of sign or message from Eywa on what to do. When you drop your head again, a shadow passes over you. When you look up, you discover Lo’ak flying overhead on his ikran. Of course he would show up here right now. He lands blocking your path back into the forest. You’re trapped between him and the edge that you were dangerously close to.

“I’ve been looking all over for you! What are you doing up here? You shouldn’t be here!” Lo’ak calls out before he can even fully dismount his ikran. He starts walking towards you, but you take a step back. “Be careful! You’re too close! Just come over here, please!”

You shake your head casting your gaze down to the ground. This was the worst-case scenario right now. Lo’ak pauses and stays where he is so as to not push you any further back. “Listen to me. Please. I know you probably hate me and I can’t blame you. From what you saw, I know it looked bad, but—”

“Bad? Bad doesn’t even begin to cut it, Lo’ak! You had another girl all over you! And—”

“I know how it looked, but listen to me for fucks sake!” he cuts you off and you hold your tongue shocked. Lo’ak has never taken this tone with you, but it worked in getting you to be quiet long enough for him to explain his side.

“I know how it looked, but you have to believe me, I would never do that to you. It was a set up. She cornered me because she was jealous of you. She wanted what we have, but there’s no way I could give myself to her like I have with you.”

He cautiously takes a step forward and you don’t step back. You let his words flood your head and process. Of course, you want to believe him, but could you really trust that? It would make sense. Fea was always giving you death glares after you and Lo’ak had got together. But you can’t bear it if this was just a ploy to get you back.

“I could never feel the same way about anybody else. Love only feels like love with you.” He takes another stride your way.

Your knees start to tremble under your weight and tears fall directly from your eyes to the stone beneath you. Your heart called for him, it ached for him to hold you. But your mind was still doubtful. But were those doubts heavy enough to outweigh the love you still held for him?

“Sevin…” he’s careful with his tone while he continues to approach you in the same way one would approach an unpredictable, wild animal. “I love you. There’s nobody else I could ever want.”

With that, your body finally gives out and falls to the ground. Lo’ak runs towards you and catches you before you fully hit the stone. He quickly drags you back further from the edge. A swell of emotions rushes from your body as you quake in his grasp. He smooths his hand over your hair and shushes you quietly in your ear. “It’s okay now. I’ve got you. I’m so sorry.” Every word he utters brings a fresh wave of emotions in their wake. It’s too much. It shatters what little composure you were clinging to. You let yourself completely fall apart in his arms and bawl into the empty sky.

…

You finally come to late into the night. You’re back in your tent, tucked into your hammock. There was no memory of you coming home. As a matter of fact, you couldn’t remember anything after Lo’ak confronting you on the cliff. How did you make it home? You finally sit up and look around your home and on the floor next to you is a sleeping Lo’ak. His knees are tucked into his chest and his head is resting on his arms.

After you had crumpled in his arms earlier, Lo’ak had carried you to his ikran and held you while he flew you back home. He tenderly layed you back in your hammock and cleaned your face with a cloth and some cool water. He sat and waited with you while you rested. He had silently vowed to himself that he wouldn’t leave your side.

Your body relaxes in his presence the same way it always did. What are you to make of this situation? Just as soon as you had started to try and think of an answer, Lo’ak had started to stir awake.

He instantly looks to check on you and notices that you’re awake. “You’re up. Are you hungry?” He stands and walks across the room to pick up a bowl of fruit. “Ako dropped this off for you a while ago. We figured that you would need something to eat.” He brings the bowl over to you and hands you a piece of fruit.

You mutter a small ‘thank you’ and take the food. It was true that you were hungry, but you also didn’t have very much of an appetite.

Lo’ak watches you while you eat and sits in front of you cross-legged. “Can we actually talk now?”

You rake through your endless piles of thoughts trying to find a starting point. “Did you mean it?” He looks at you asking you to elaborate with his eyes. “When you said that you…l-love me.”

His ears drop at your doubt, but he couldn’t blame you for that. “Of course. And I’ll say it as many times as I have to until you believe me.” His hand rests on top of yours. You force yourself to not pull away.

“I…I love you too, Lo’ak. But I’m so scared.” Just when you think you couldn’t possibly have any more tears, new ones appear glossing over your eyes. “I can’t take another heartbreak. I don’t have it in me.”

Lo’ak’s hands hold either side of your face while he rises up to his knees. He presses warm, firm kisses to your forehead, “You won’t, tíyawn. I swear it. Never.”

Fresh tears hit your lap, but they aren’t yours. You angle your head up to look at him and now he had tears streaming down his own face. It’s truly a heart wrenching sight. You wipe his face with your thumbs and he leans his face into your touch. “I want to come home.”

A small smile breaks through on your face. ‘Home’. You try to swallow the lump in your throat so that you can actually speak words. But all you’re able to give him is the smallest nod of your head. His smile from your answer is blinding.

“Oh, before I forget.” He looks around on the floor in the spot where he was sleeping earlier and grabs your bracelet. “You left this behind.”

He grabs your wrist and ties the bracelet back on. Feeling the tiny weight on your arm again filled you with a sense of content.

“Can we go to sleep? I’m really tired.”

“Of course, sevin.” You missed hearing that.

You lie back down facing the wall and Lo’ak shifts behind you to settle into the hammock with you. His arm hesitantly rests over your waist. He still radiates that same warmth and safety that you missed, but your messy thoughts prevented you from ever fully falling asleep. Lo’ak noticed too. Every time you would stir in his arms or shift around, he would snap back to attention even if he was dozing off. He didn’t want you to be by yourself through the night. So, if you didn’t sleep, then he wouldn’t sleep.

…

A week had passed and you were slowly starting to come back into yourself. Lo’ak never left your side. He stayed with you through your whole recovery period and he loved you the whole way through. He never let a day go by without reminding you multiple times that he loved you. Some days were better than others. Some days, you looked and sounded like your normal self again. Other days, you could hardly get out of your hammock. Either way, he supported you in any and every way you needed.

You were cautious about opening back up to him. It didn’t come easy. It took a lot of heavy conversations and long sleepless nights. You still loved him and you believe that he loves you. What more could you really ask for? But your mind still torments you with the memory of what happened. You need to forget it. You want it ripped from your mind.

‘Fuck it’, you think. You’ve finally had just about as much as you can take of this.

You sit up from your hammock with a huff and look at Lo’ak who’s carving up more fruit for you on the floor.

“Lo’ak, I need you.”

He stops what he’s doing and sets down the fruit and knife. “What do you need ma txe’lan?” He comes over to you ready to attend to whatever you ask of him.

“Lie down.”

Confusion flashes across his face, but he complies anyways. You stand from your spot and kneel down between his legs. You quickly untie his loincloth and tear it off.

“W-what are you—”

“Shhhh…please don’t talk right now. I just need this, okay? Just let me do this.” You say already starting to stroke him. He gets hard almost immediately at your touch.

Lo’ak decides to not challenge you on this and let you have your way with him. You use your tongue to follow the vein on the underside of his shaft up to his tip and swirl your tongue around it.

He sucks in a sharp breath when you wrap your lips around his tip. You slide him all the way into your mouth and bob your head up and down while hollowing out your cheeks. All he can do is watch in amazement you while you go to work on him like your life depends on it. “Oh shit…” He can’t hold back the groans that escape his lips. It had felt like a lifetime since he last felt you and being in this moment right now was like heaven.

Every flash that comes across your mind just motivates you even more. You’ll keep going all night if that’s what it’ll take to finally wipe the memory from your mind.

The sounds that fill your tent are obscene, moans, curses, and slurping.

Lo’ak is slowly losing himself in the pleasure and the smell of your arousal thick in the air makes him that much more dizzy. Your body begged to be filled. You needed that pleasure that you had been deprived of for so long. More, more, more.

You use one of your hands to untie your own loincloth and pop Lo’ak out of your mouth. He barely has a chance to fully take a breath before you’re already on top of him and sinking him into your needy pussy.

“Fuck…” you breathe out as he reaches all the way into you. Your walls spasm around him getting reacquainted with the full feeling.

“Shit, wait wait” he tries to say, but it’s too late. His seed spills out into you and the heat spreads in your core. You stare down at Lo’ak with raised eyebrows and the embarrassment is clear on his face. “Shit. Sorry, sorry. It’s just been so long and between your mouth and the squeezing and—ughh” his hands cover his face trying to hide his shame. But you feel no shame or judgement towards him right now.

“Lo’ak…” you move his hands so that you can see his face, “It’s okay. We’ve got all night.” You smirk down at him and his blushing face. It’s almost comical how fast he gets hard again inside of you. “Think you can keep up?” you tease already starting to roll your hips into his.

“Yawne, you have no idea.” With one swift movement, he had flipped you over so that you were on your back and he was hovering over you. He meant every word too. Lo’ak hadn’t had any type of relief since the last time you two were together and he fully intended on making up for all the lost time.

Your hands guide his face down to yours to meet in a heated kiss. Lo’ak thrusts into you at a slow and steady pace. Every roll of his hips is deliberate and precise and it reaches the spot you need it to flawlessly. He pulls away from the kiss and holds you close to him while he whispers sweet words into your ear. “I love you”, “You are perfect”, “I need you”, “I am only yours”, and so on. You can feel him just pouring all of his love into you. You can’t quite name the feeling that comes over you, but whatever it is drives you to sink your teeth into Lo’ak’s shoulder.

There is an overwhelming, deep-rooted need to have him completely belong to you. A need to make it clear to anyone who laid eyes on him that he was already taken. Even if over time the mark would heal and fade, you’d mark him again and again for the rest of your life if you had to.

The twinge of pain in his shoulder fuels the pleasure and makes Lo’ak pick up speed. You let go of his shoulder and lick the small drips of blood that spill from the punctures you made. He sits up to his knees and holds your hips level with his while he continues to rut into you faster and harder being spurred on by the sight of your bouncing breasts and parted panting lips.

“I love you, Lo’ak.” Your words are breathy and broken, but he still hears you clearly.

“Say it again.”

“I love you, Lo’ak. I love you” you repeat it while you feel your high approaching. “Haah…Lo’ak, I’m going to cum.”

“Do it. Let go for me, sevin”

Your body immediately obeys his command for you and your head falls back while the knot in your body snaps. Lo’ak keeps fucking you through your orgasm, “Just like that.” He can’t stop moving feeling the way your pussy was gripping his dick as if you were trying to milk him for all he’s worth. “Fuck…so good…” his eyes roll in pleasure as he chases his own high. You can tell from how he twitches inside of you that he’s close. You’re desperate for it already.

“Give it to me, Lo’ak. I want all of it.”

That was all he needed to take him over the edge and spill everything he had into you. His hips stutter and slowly come to a halt.

You both take a few seconds to catch your breath before he finally pulls out of you and watches his cum drip out of you and down your ass. You look up at him, “Don’t tell me you’re done already.”

He flips your body over by your hips and says, “You wish.”

…

For the rest of that night, you and Lo’ak went at it nonstop until you both were barely hanging on to consciousness. Afterwards, you both clung to each other while you slept half the day away.

Ako came by to check on you and was beyond relieved to see that you were well. And from the scent burned into your skin, she could tell that you and Lo’ak had finally made up.

“So, who officially lost the bet?”

Simultaneously, you and Lo’ak point at each other and make the same shocked face when you realized.

“You totally lost. You’re the one that said, ‘fuck the bet’ remember?”

“Yeah, but that was after you fucked me, so you lost.” He says lightly poking your chest.

“After you said you wanted to kiss me!” you blush trying to defend yourself.

“Kissing doesn’t count. But if it does, then you definitely lost that night after you fell off that branch” he says with an arrogant smirk.

“W-well, no because….you…I d-didn’t mean to…” you search for a rebuttal, but he had you cornered. You look to Ako for some type of help, but she only raises her eyebrows at you. “Sounds like you lost to me” she teases in a singsong voice.

“Shut up” your blush deepens while they both laugh at your flustered face.

“Anyways, I was going to gather some food. You two think you can leave your love nest for long enough to come help me?”

“Sure thing. Some fresh air will be good.” Lo’ak answers.

The three of you leave your tent and you and Lo’ak walk hand-in-hand into the forest.

[keelt9]

Chapter 2

Amaranth

Masterlist

One of the most uncomfortable experiences in my whole life, talking with a complete stranger about me, knowing she is reading me like any kind of paper made my skin crawl every second.

“How do you meet Riley?” I stop breathing and I look straight at Dr. Jamie's eyes.

 “What?” She put both of her hands in her lap. “I love to hear the story of how you and Riley meet.” In her eyes I see compassion and really curiosity, not pity like everyone who asks me about him. “Take your time, I like to finish with this.”

“Am…well…Riley and I.” I take a deep breath in and smile at the memories. “We meet in our first assignment for the navy, we both were put in the USS Yorktown, we were selected to be partners, he was so funny, and I was so stubborn, well, I still am; at the beginning was hard to get a long our first flies were a mess, horrible, one of my worst…then everything changes.” I saw Jamie who was smiling, urging me to continue. “We had a mission of reconnaissance, we didn’t expect any kind of action in the air but also we don’t expect there were tracking weapons, I avoid every missile and took down one of them; we only had two options; retire and let them know our coordinates or end that weapons and take good information to the ship. He screamed at me when I suggested calling for backups.” I giggle. “At me, in the air, in the middle of enemy space, me the top of the class, the damn pilot, but it works. That day we received our first honor, later we knew that the information we took back helped to eliminate an important enemy reserve weapon.” I take my time to finish breathing in and out.

“We arrive at Pearl; we celebrate drinking beers on the beach at 4 am.” Jamie laughed. “That’s how our story begins.” Before my mood turns sad, she stops it. 

“All right Sky, let’s end here, I think you have a more tiring test ahead.” She stands up and walks with me to her door. “See you tomorrow.” I nod and walk away.

The physical test left my body smashed, when I finished it, I just lay in the concrete. “Good job Lieutenant.” I hear the officer say while he walks writing in their report. 

“Look what the wind brings.” I opened my eyes and Phoenix was bent to me. 

“It’s not the wind, it’s the storm.” She laughs and offers me a hand. 

“I hear, late by the way, you’re back on the track.” I stand and drink my bottle of water. 

“I didn’t say <back>, I mean, look at me, it seems like a truck passed over me, I…I don’t know, let’s wait until the end of the month.” She denies. 

“Sky, the only one who doubts about your pass this test, it’s you.” She passed his arm along my shoulders. “Trust me, if it is not like a friend, like your senior.” 

I met Natasha the second day in Marimar, she was already a proud Top Gun pilot, and I was just another girl who didn’t let intimidate by the huge amounts of testosterone. 

While Riley is helping to put a bag of ice in my hand for “accidentally” smashing my fist in one of my classmates face, which left me with a swollen wrist, as soon as she hears my story she smiles and pat my shoulder. The following times we met she always says hi to me and from time to time she joins Riley and me with a nice and teasing talk. 

The rest of the week passes by and brings me to the edge every time; but the simulator cracks me in a million pieces, I already know I wasn’t ready, but they insist, of course a big fail appears on the screen.

“AH!” I take the helmet over my head and hit the walls, my breathing faster than normal and my heart bumping like trying to get out of my chest. 

“Was a good one, Sky, take it easy.” Simpson says. 

“1 minute in the air, even a newbie can stay longer and take down at least 1 fighter.” I replied to him, he let a few seconds pass before speaking. 

“The first time in more than a year, it’s a good one, get out of there and rest a little bit.”

I walk out of the room and as take my first steps in the hallway, I see Jill and Barry waiting for me; Barry Holland (White Tiger) it’s Jill’s partner, everyone in our generation said they have a funny call signs, both of them in the ground are cute and funny as kittens. I tried to avoid them, but Barry saw me. “Don’t even try.” I stop and low my head. 

“It was a good Sky, believe it, just a tough scenario.” Jill continues. “You lasted more than me my first time, even with doubts, you're still kicking ass.” I scoff and walk away. 

“I need to rest guys, thanks.”

The rest of day passed smoothly, and when I left, I avoid everyone in the base, I just need time to get straight my mind one more time, I call a taxi but not for home, I asked him leaving me in the beach near to the a little store, where I bought a couple of beers and sit in the sand watching the waves come and go.

I receive a message from my parents asking me if I’m okay, of course they already know how bad those tests were. 

“Of course.” Was my only reply. When I put my phone in my bag, I found the little pendant that Riley gave me 4 years ago, a little F-14.

“An F-14, nice touch.” I heard someone speaking behind me, but I was too tired to turn around, so I drank my beer. 

“Yes, I know.”

 “Are you planning to get into the navy?” I scoff and laugh, but I remember I don’t have my uniform. 

“Well, you can say that.” Another sip. “But it isn’t getting easier.” I hear him moving but when I grab another can of beer, I realize he is sitting next to me, but I don’t mind looking at him just opening my next can of beer. 

“Drinking won’t help you.” I laugh and turn my head to look at him, what a surprise when in front of my eyes was the well-known famous. Bradly Bradshaw (Rooster). “And getting drunk maybe should be your last option.” He says to me, taking the can of my hands and putting along the 3 empty ones. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you.” I turned my head away, and suddenly I felt really shy. 

“No, no, it’s ok, sorry, today, well… it wasn’t my day.” My years, it hasn’t been my years. I remained silent because nothing good came to my head until he spoke one more time.

“How many times have you tried?” I bit my lips. “Get in.” 

I’m not in the mood for playing games. 

“I’m a pilot.” I say and stand up shaking the sand of my jeans, and I see him perplexing. “Are you?” He asks me, stand too, I grab my bag and put the empty cans inside. 

“I am.” He watches me with narrow eyes as he starts to apologize I cut him. “No, please, it’s ok, honestly lately I stopped feeling like one.” He keeps quiet then I feel my phone buzz. I look at the screen, my father is calling. “I have to go, but thanks for the advice.” I giggle and start to walk.

“Rooster!” He says before I can stop to hear him. “I think we have seen each other before, right?!” I turn not to stop walking and salute in a casual way, two fingers to the forehead to the sky. 

“I ask for a sign, Riley, not a potential problem.” I spoke with Riley while I left my trash in the container.

*Rooster POV*

“Rooster!” Phoenix shouted from top of her airplane. 

“Sorry, sorry, what do you say?” Phoenix shakes her head. “Are you ok?” I shake my head. 

“Yeah, fine.” She looks at me suspiciously but doesn't dig deeper.

The lonely pilot, in my mind, seems too fragile at that moment looking at the sea and grabbing her necklace like she is holding her life on it. I can bet my life I’ve seen her, but her name slips every time.

“Y/N, Skyhook!”

[moodymisty]

Anything involving wrecker cuddling probably watching a movie and cuddling with his partner 😊

Author's Note: Stamped, approved, etching it to stone because I am sold on this cuteness. It's been raining a ton recently and I love it, so time for rainy day cuddles. Wrecker would absolutely be the king of snuggles, both in body and mind <3

Relationships: Wrecker/Gn!Reader

Warnings: None, it's just pure fluff

Thunder cracks outside, the lightning having just flashed bright enough to light up the windows only moments ago.

This storm is intense, by far the most intense of the year, and it would be quite reasonable to say your plans to enjoy some time at a festival on one of the higher levels is, more than a little bit canceled. Raindrops smack against the window, streaking down so much it's distorting the colors of the brightly colored lights smattering the buildings you can see throughout the city.

Wrecker is not going to be fond of this news in the slightest; Especially since the two of you have been waiting for this for days now. Their 'estimate' for how long this current deployment would take had lined up perfectly, and you'd actually gone as far to pick out what you wanted to wear in advance, but now you'll more than likely end up putting it away for another, sunnier day.

Snatching your datapad off the table you decide to send him a message, to see if he's planet-side or not. If he is; Well, he'll be able to see himself why the festival is off.

-Hey Wreck, you on Coruscant yet?-

Wrecker rarely if ever has his datapad on him, it's faster often to message Tech than it is him; Though this time it doesn't seem to be the case. When you see he's finally responded to you it's impossible not to smile. Even just his written word makes your heart beat a little bit faster.

-Nah, we'll be there in a few hours though. Been counting each one.-

You've been too; Maybe it's a side effect of being so hopelessly in love.

-Well, I kinda got some bad news for when you get back...-

Wrecker responds to you almost instantly, sounding so obviously worried even if you can't hear his voice.

-Are you ok?! Nothing happened right?-

-No no! Nothing bad! I'm fine, big guy.- You really wish you'd worded that better in hindsight; You know he worries. Even if you find the idea of him doing so silly.

-It's been storming all day and it's supposed to go through to tomorrow. We're getting almost half of our usual rainfall in one night.

-So, needless to say; Festival's canceled.-

It's not the news you want to give since you've both been excited to for this, and to spend some time together outside of the Marauder, or the clone base when you manage to get a visitor's pass. But the weather has decided to be far less than friendly to your pursuit of a romantic time, much to both you and Wrecker's chagrin.

-Seriously? Aww come on, I was waiting for that all this time!-

You were too; More than a little bit.

But, there's an idea in your head that might be way better than walking through a tightly knit crowd all day. It just needs a little bit of setup, and since Wrecker is still a few hours out, you have some time to do so.

-Come over to my place once you're free. I think I have something way more fun that we can do instead. Tell Tech to land you all safe.-

Sitting your datapad back down you turn around and look at the room, debating how to best conquer the idea you have in your mind. All the while thunder cracks in the sky again as you decide to start with your couch, getting on your knees and giving it a good push. Once it's out of the way you do the same with anything else close by, until there's a giant open space in the middle of the room.

All you need now is to steal every pillow and blanket you can find, hauling them all over and making a huge nest out of it all on the floor.

It's a mess, a giant one, but it sure does look comfortable. You just need some food and drinks to go with it, grabbing them all and sitting them close by the pile. You and Wrecker can decide on what to watch when he gets here; But at least for now, the setup is complete.

You just have to wait, and hope he doesn't have any trouble getting up to your floor this time. The last time you almost got into a fight with the receptionist over not letting your abit, very loud, very large, and very upset clone past.

But maybe Tech landed them faster than usual, or perhaps he didn't get caught up in the side effects of some sort of bureaucratic nonsense, as it's less time than you'd expect before you hear his footsteps in the hall even before he knocks, and you're at the door just as he does so. There's barely a chance to even say hello before he is on you, arms around your waist and hauling you off the ground. He laughs at the way you yelp from suddenly being in the air, now at face level with him.

"Wrecker! I missed you!" Your hands cup the sides of his face, pressing your lips against his own in an eager, sloppy kiss. When he pulls back, you feel the stubble on his jaw rub against your palms.

"Not as much as I missed you. Didn't even get into any trouble this time so I could get here early."

Who'd of thunk it; Wrecker, going down the straight and narrow. Even just for a little bit. You're sure he'll be back to blowing up way more blasting material than he's allotted in no time.

"But what's all this?" Wrecker says, as he gently puts your feet back on the floor.

He looks over the mess you've created, a big smile still plastered on his face. You move aside and close the door, and also throw a hand at your creation.

"Since it's so stormy outside and the festival is canceled, how about we just hunker down and watch some holofilms? I got snacks and everything." Wrecker is an energetic man, but you know he enjoys a good long while of relaxation even more than you do.

"Mind if I clean up and get out of this junk first?" He gestures to his armor, and you're more than happy to oblige his request.

More, than happy. You love this man more than anything; But gods does deployment make him smell less than flowery.

"Have at it; The place is yours." His helmet has been in his hand this whole time as he steals another kiss from your lips, before walking past you as he begins pulling at the seams of his armor. It'll all get piled somewhere, left to be dealt with later as he disappears into your refresher.

You hear the sound of the shower kicking on, not long after you sit down on your giant pile of blankets and steal a small bite of one of the snacks you'd put out while you wait for him.

Wrecker has a small spot in your closet of clothes you've mostly bought him; Largely casual clothes like sweatpants and long sleeve shirts. He had originally complained about you buying them, even if they'd barely costed anything; And well worth him being a little more comfortable in something other than his GAR standard body glove. He also seems to like them, as more than once he's worn them back to the Marauder; And also has had to fight to keep one of his brothers from stealing them when he's in his armor and his back is turned.

Wrecker comes back out of your refresher wearing some casual sweatpants and a shirt, quickly noticing you're already comfortable and waiting for him. He makes a quick line right for you, sitting down as close to you as he possibly can.

His skin is still warm from the hot water; He smells like fresh soap and uniquely 'Wrecker' instead of like soot and dirt.

Resting his back against the edge of the couch, you feel him pull you into his side, his arm wrapped tightly over your shoulders.

"Comfy?" He jokes, feeling you squeeze yourself deeper into his side and a hand against his stomach.

"Yep." He laughs when you say it so casually, enunciating the p with a soft pop of your lips. Now you just have to decide what to watch, and everything will be perfect.

Tugging a blanket overtop of your legs, and with Wrecker right here you're warm and content; The storm now seeming more like a blessing that a curse.

Join the taglist here: @seriowan @starborncyare @simp-legend @nekotaetae @chad-something @coffeyorky @merkitty49 @lokigirlszendaya @totesnothere04 @get-wr3ckered @rebel-finn

[moonlightazriel]

Son of the Darkness X /// Azriel X F!Reader

Summary: Hidden for so long The court of shadows thrived, and things were great until the high lord's death, now the next in line should assume the crown of high lord of shadows, will he accept his duties?

Warnings: Some slut shaming cuz males suck

Word Count: 1,5K

Notes: Aaaaaaaaaaaa chapter 10, i couldn't be happier.

Son of the Darkness Masterlist

Main Masterlist

Azriel walked around, the lights illuminating the night, children ran, throwing flowers around, people were laughing and the whole thing seemed magical, it was the first day of the festival, and he had never seen something like this, the moon was bright in the sky, the music sounded everywhere, faes played corded instruments, everyone singing, celebration everywhere. Since Eva was busy, Rhys and his family would only be able to come on the next day, they were still figuring out how to teleport people without needing the witches every time. 

Y/N was leading the way to the park, where they would participate in some public feast, he couldn’t be any more excited for that, all the way to the park, people would wave at him, smiling at him and greeting him, he liked that warm feeling in his chest whenever someone did that. 

The shades of green, silver, and red, to honor nature and the moon, were everywhere, including on Azriel, he was wearing a white button shirt, with a red blazer and red pants, and the crown atop his head was silver, glowing in the moonlight. Y/N's hair was braided, with small red flowers in between the hair, she was wearing light makeup, and the glittery shade made her look almost angelic in the night, she was wearing a green corset with flowers sewn onto it, with linen white pants. 

As they arrived, various tables were waiting for them, people chatted and some danced, he immediately recognized the males waving and calling Y/N, the other commanders from the army, he had met them in the camps, and as they approached, some drunkenly bowed to him. 

“Good to see you all, hope you are having a good time.” Azriel spoke and the males smiled. 

“The celebration in the camp is amazing, but nothing can compare to Thera.” Luther, the commander of the north division spoke, he was a huge male, and some scars marred the skin of his arms. His eyes were glued on Y/N, she had stopped to talk to a few people, Azriel noticed how he eyed her up and down, licking his lips as he did so. Azriel felt his body go rigid, the slight flaring of his wings and the weird feeling in his chest, he stretched his wings a little bit, the thick membrane covering her figure, Luther looked down and he had to hold back a smirk.

“Yeah, nothing can compare to Thera.” He agreed, sipping from the goblet in his hands, the wine sweet on his lips. He shivered, feeling someone touching his wing with the tips of their fingers.

“They are always impressive.” Her voice sounded and he closed his wings, giving space to her, she greeted the others at the table, smiling. “You still have to take me flying someday, I would love to see Thera from up there.” She looked at the sky and Azriel’s heart skipped a beat, she still wanted to go on a ride with him. 

“I can take you anytime, you just need to ask.” He spoke closer to her ear, her whole body shivered, she pressed her lips in a thin line, remembering that he was talking about taking her flying and not something else. 

“Do you want to dance Y/N?” Luther asked and she looked at him, his hand extended to her, she placed hers on top of his and he pulled her away from Azriel, he stood there, watching as the male placed his hand on her hips and she placed her arms around his neck, a much slower song started playing, the pang of jealousy in his chest stronger than ever. 

“You two are very close huh?” The male asked, Y/N lifted her gaze to him, his blue eyes piercing into her soul.

“Well, I work directly with him, it would be weird if we weren’t. Why do you ask?” She tried to brush him off, but something about this conversation made her uneasy. 

“Well, I’m just worried about you.” His voice was lower now like he was going to tell her a secret. She raised an eyebrow, confused. “You don’t want people thinking you two are together, you know how mean they can be.” Her mouth fell open, this couldn’t be happening.

“What?”

“Some are saying you’re warming his sheets for more power and status in court. I’m just warning you as your friend since no one else would tell you this, you have to stop whatever this is.” His tone, so “friendly”, made her stomach twist, she blinked a few times, her heart dropping to her stomach as she remembered how people would say the same thing about her mother. 

“You’re lying.” 

“Of course not, no one else is going to say a thing, they are afraid of you. Maybe you’re just following your mother’s footsteps.” She was keeping herself together by a thread, as his words reached her ears, that thread, so fragile ripped, making her lose her temper, she reached for her dagger, the cold blade pressed against his neck in seconds. 

“Don’t you fucking dare talk about my mother like this, not if you value your life.” He swallowed thickly against her blade. “What i have  or don’t have with him is none of anyone’s business, I made my name without him, and I don’t need a man to give me power.” The black mist started to leak from her hand, one by one, his senses were taken away from him, except his hearing. “I was born powerful.” 

“I think he learned his lesson.” Azriel's voice sounded behind her, his hand resting on her shoulder, making her calm down, she retrieved her shadows, and Luther fell to his knees, gasping for air. “We should go.” He guided her away, people stared at them, and he opened his wings again, shielding them from the curious eyes. 

He walked them to a more secluded place, almost in the woods, he sat them in front of a lake, the moonlight reflected on her teary eyes.

“Do you want to talk about it?” He offered, his shadows stood by her side, like guard dogs, ready to attack whoever hurt her. 

“Luther has always been an asshole. He’s Illipetor's nephew, and just like his uncle, he thinks he’s better than everyone and he should be nominated General of the Night Fall, ever since, he’s been trying to make my life a living hell, I don’t care about what he has to say about me, but using that dirty mouth to talk about my mother? I’m sorry, for causing a scene and making you miss the feast.” She apologized, she seemed so vulnerable at that moment that all Azriel thought to do was to pull her closer and hug her, she released a shaky breath and rested her head on his chest. 

“When my mother died, my stepbrothers would say terrible things about her, I was too little to defend her or myself, but no matter what they said about her, none of that was true and I knew it. I know your mother was an amazing woman, just like mine was, and she would be so proud of you.” She raised her head, the tears glistening on her cheeks, he wiped her face with his thumb.

“Do you think so?” 

“I know so, she would be just as proud of you as I am.” She then smiled at him, the sight melting his heart.

“Thank you, Az.”

“You don’t need to thank me, at least not for this.” She giggled.

“For what then?” She inquired.

“You are getting a private flying session tonight, and for that, you’re welcome.” She got up, looking excited but slightly scared.

“Like right now?” He nodded and she looked at him, nervously smiling. “What if we fall?”

 “Do you trust me?” He asked, extending a hand to her, she looked at it for a second, grabbing it and letting him pull her closer to his chest. “I will never let anything happen to you.” His hands grabbed her waist and she held onto his neck, closing her eyes she heard the sound of wings flapping when she opened her eyes again, they were high in the sky, almost touching the moon, it was a beautiful vision.  

He flew them around for a while, enjoying how she would surprisingly gasp sometimes, she enjoyed the sensation of having her in his arms, his heart yearning to be like this every day, to hold her and look at her in those beautiful eyes, to tell her how brave she was, how her beauty was so unbelievable that she could just be blessed by the cauldron and the Mother herself. He wanted to be hers and wanted her to be his, his heart so filled with happiness and love that it almost burst out of his chest, he didn’t care what others would say, he was willing to chase what his heart wanted for once, and he wanted her.

⋆˙⟡☾𖤓☽ ⟡˙⋆

Taglist: @allison-rosewood-maximoff @devilsfoodcake22 @fieldofdaisiies @valeridarkness @brekkershadowsinger @margssstuff

[nifflering]

Part two Beware spoilers for life on mars series one and two

Hello, hello, hello (some brainrotted fellows will understand this reference) Welcome to another edition of

*me rambling at you about life on mars (the UK version)*

Most important thing: this is my interpretation/analysis.

So, these are my personal, quite uneducated opinions. Also: I bought the series on DVD. No one will be safe.

Today, we'll be talking about the usage of colours in lom in general. If I do start and finish a rewatch and find some interesting scenes – I will add my commentary on them.

Like I already said many times before – there aren’t really many scenes in 2006/2007.

The shooting script of the first episode (I found it while floundering around on the waybackmachine) originally includes a scene in Sam and Maya’s appartement. (Context my beloved: Sammy boy is being kind of an ass, too busy with his job to solve his issues with Maya. She attempts talking to him but fails. I don’t know why they deleted it, because it would have really provided more context to their relationship and – most importantly, for my cause, a sneak peek of their apartment – I imagine it as very clean and kind of impersonal, a few personal touches, Maya’s attempt to brighten up the place. I think they’re both really busy, they started decorating but then Sam became DCI and he got too busy to use the apartment for anything except for sleeping. #Overwhelmed king)

Anyway, let’s take a look at.... a shot that to me represents a big theme of the show and some ✨️colors✨️.

After Sam gets hit by the car , he wakes up in this construction site with a poster of the soon to come high way. An image of the Future.

There’s a really distinct difference between the colour palates. The “future” sky is a nice light-blue, not a cloud to be seen, with some touches of orange and green. Everything is all white, clean and perfect – and it’s all coming soon(er or later).

Of course, it’s a very idealized version of the future. Because it’s how Sam perceives it – at this point in time, he’s very desperate to return.

(Just look at the scene where he first gets contacted through the math programme through the TV. The way Sam crawls towards the TV….. SIR, YOUR ACTING CHOICES. PLEAAASEEE.)

But it’s still surprisingly accurate. However, the idealistic picture of the future is quickly shattered, if you consider that – let’s squint our eyes - to see little Sam’s limp body lying on the ground. Surprisingly, in the 1970s we don’t really see a person being hit by a car (as far as I can remember - except Sam ofc)- But – let’s be honest in 1973 the streets are just every ground that is remotely driveable on.

The past still contains traces of those colours, mostly orange as seen in the dirty underneath the bridge. The air is heavy and greyish, trash and building material is littered on the ground.

The only bits of white are the high-flats in the background, but they are far far away.

Those buildings and streets are still being built – everything’s in flux. Things can change. But, should they? Sam is generally really unsure in that whole department but that’s the thing about it:

We never actually find out, (side note: I haven’t yet seen ashes to ashes) if Sam’s choices actually make an impact in the present. It certainly gives you the impression – his father staying away, his mentor teaching him those lessons, Maya’s birth, etc. etc.. But does it really matter in the end?

Or is it just all in his head? Is he still Sam Tyler in a hospital bed in 2006 or is he an amnesiac Sam Williams in 1973 on an undercover operation?

In the past, there are several buildings – bound to Sam Tyler’s identity, and which I will be further explaining in another ramble.

Let’s get back to colours. Two examples where a similar concept applies: The interrogation room and the general office space of the police department.

The room is flooded with light – courtesy of the huge windows (side note: privacy??? What’s that?). The situation is very transparent as the interrogation is literally being recorded. The person being interrogated has their whole support team with them, including lawyer, social worker and psychiatrist. This scenario is as by the books as you can get it.

I also really like that little shot of Sam adjusting the pens, character go brr.

Same thing in the general offices – a 2010s fever dream with all those clunky computers – which school computer lab have you magically transported me to?

Imagine the absolute horror that Sam feels when he sees the past police department.

Look at it

Without considering the lighting and furniture, the room looks sort of modern – it has a lot of windows and could be causing the same effect as the interrogation room on a visitor.

The officers are working diligently and carefully through every case and issue – investigating every clue and they never rest until they catch the perpetrator.

But that’s wishful thinking - In reality (at least in the past)the room is tinged with brownish yellow lighting, there’s no order to the tables, paper strewn all over the desks and even spending a second in this room will lead you to smelling like smoke for the next 55 years. I would faint. And I’m not even talking about the consequences of not being a white straight guy….

This police department doesn’t even have an interrogation room, they also rarely record any interrogations (leaving a lot of room for interpretation or using some creativity to catch the suspect or get an important lead) and mishandle, don't notice or even collect crucial evidence.

In the lost and found

Even asking for a lawyer – leads to being laughed at and insulted by the literal governor of the department. It’s quite dark and very cramped – it’s quite private – so no one will notice you beating up an innocent person….

But I still feel the office feels very lived in.

There’s a giant dart board, random trophies, dirty dishes strewn about… Good luck getting your case solved. Where’s the evidence that could solve your murder? It’s probably buried under some spicy magazines and a bunch of cigarette buds.

For all the time the police spend at the office, they sure do know when to stop and start going to the pub.

One scene in the later seasons – in the episode about the false imprisonment of the teenager who murdered his younger girlfriend, Gene Hunt is determined to catch her killer for good. He’s made a promise to her father and he’s willing to do almost everything to make his city a safer place (any means necessary). He urges the police men to do anything they can, work day and night and not sleep a wink until they’ve put the right person in prison.

And then, he peeks at his watch and drops everything because they need to get drunk in the pub.

and that's it, hope you enjoyed :)

BONUS: have some cinematic shots

For u @roxannepolice <3

featuring: desperation, isolation and crippling loneliness

lom 1

lom 2

[sassenach77yle]

The moon rose huge and fast and golden, a great glowing disc that slid upward, out of the water and into the sky like a phoenix rising. The water was dark now, and the dolphins invisible, but I thought somehow that they were still there, keeping pace with the ship on her flight through the dark. It was a scene breathtaking enough even for the sailors, who had seen it a thousand times, to stop and sigh with pleasure at the sight, as the huge orb rose to hang just over the edge of the world, seeming almost near enough to touch. Jamie and I stood close together by the rail, admiring it. It seemed so close that we could make out with ease the dark spots and shadows on its surface.

It seems so close ye could speak to the Man in the Moon,” he said, smiling, and waved a hand in greeting to the dreaming golden face above. “‘The weeping Pleiads wester / and the moon is under seas,’” I quoted. “And look, it is, down there, too.” I pointed over the rail, to where the trail of moonlight deepened, glowing in the water as though a twin of the moon itself were sunken there. “When I left,” I said, “men were getting ready to fly to the moon. I wonder whether they’ll make it.” “Do the flying machines go so high, then?” Jamie asked. He squinted at the moon. “I should say it’s a great way, for all it looks so close just now. I read a book by an astronomer—he said it was perhaps three hundred leagues from the earth to the moon. Is he wrong, then, or is it only that the—airplanes, was it?—will fly so far?” “It takes a special kind, called a rocket,” I said. “Actually, it’s a lot farther than that to the moon, and once you get far away from the earth, there’s no air to breathe in space. They’ll have to carry air with them on the voyage, like food and water. They put it in sort of canisters.” “Really?” He gazed up, face full of light and wonder. “What will it look like there, I wonder?” “I know that,” I said. “I’ve seen pictures. It’s rocky, and barren, with no life at all—but very beautiful, with cliffs and mountains and craters—you can see the craters from here; the dark spots.” I nodded toward the smiling moon, then smiled at Jamie myself. “It’s not unlike Scotland—except that it isn’t green.” He laughed, then evidently reminded by the word “pictures,” reached into his coat and drew out the little packet of photographs. He was cautious about them, never taking them out where they might be seen by anyone, even Fergus, but we were alone back here, with little chance of interruption. The moon was bright enough to see Brianna’s face, glowing and mutable, as he thumbed slowly through the pictures. The edges were becoming frayed, I saw.

“Will she walk about on the moon, d’ye think?” he asked softly, pausing at a shot of Bree looking out a window, secretly dreaming, unaware of being photographed. He glanced up again at the orb above us, and I realized that for him, a voyage to the moon seemed very little more difficult or farfetched than the one in which we were engaged. The moon, after all, was only another distant, unknown place. “I don’t know,” I said, smiling a bit. He thumbed through the pictures slowly, absorbed as he always was by the sight of his daughter’s face, so like his own. I watched him quietly, sharing his silent joy at this promise of our immortality.

I thought briefly of that stone in Scotland, engraved with his name, and took comfort from its distance. Whenever our parting might come, chances were it would not be soon. And even when and where it did—Brianna would still be left of us. More of Housman’s lines drifted through my head—Halt by the headstone naming / The heart no longer stirred, / And say the lad that loved you / Was one that kept his word. I drew close to him, feeling the heat of his body through coat and shirt, and rested my head against his arm as he turned slowly through the small stack of photographs.

“She is beautiful,” he murmured, as he did every time he saw the pictures. “And clever, too, did ye not say?”

“Just like her father,” I told him, and felt him chuckle softly.

Cap 43~ VOYAGER

[lexithequeenofgay]

Ninjago Dragons Rising OC-Insert AU One-Shot: A Meeting of Four

(This story takes place right after The Merge, so the kids are like… I wanna say 10-11? Maybe 12?)

Izumi groaned as she woke up, rubbing her head and checking for any bumps or bruises on her body. She was surprisingly unhurt, just disoriented and dizzy (and her clothes were a little dirty and torn as well). She looked around to figure out where she was, and saw a city in the near distance. She got up and started walking towards it.

Izumi’s Thoughts: *Where in the 16 Realms am I?*

Her mind raced with the possibilities. Was she dead? Did she get transported to another realm? What if she couldn't find her way home? What if she didn't want to go home? What if-

Her thoughts were suddenly cut off by the sight of two people running along the sand towards her. She stopped in her tracks and narrowed her eyes to try to get a better look.

The two people also stopped, staring at her. Confused and a little worried. One of them had pink hair tied in neat space buns, and the other had short, auburn hair.

Izumi: “Hello? Who are you? Where am I?”

She called out to them nervously. They weren't close enough for her to make out distinct facial details, but they must have heard her as they were coming closer.

But neither of them said anything for a while. Clearly they were both a little nervous. The pink-haired girl spoke 1st.

Sora: “I'm An- um… Sora, and this is my friend, Kiara. You're in the deserts of Imperium”

Kiara looked at Sora curiously, but said nothing, just nodding along. Izumi glanced behind them, seeing the large city teaming with energy.

Izumi: “Imperium? Isn't that the realm with incredibly advanced tech? Looks impressive.”

Sora: “Trust me, it's anything but impressive. We left to get away from that awful place. We saw that city behind you. What's it called?”

Izumi looked behind her, seeing the large buildings that she somehow missed. She recognized the place as a place she's heard many stories about. Stories that she'd read over and over.

Izumi: “Oh, that's Ninjago.”

****

Arin stared at the fallen porch swing of his house. He stared At the sky, hoping that his parents would just be there, waiting for him. But nothing. He looked at the Green Ninja's mask in his hands, and his eyes started to sting with the hint of tears. He collapsed onto his knees, the ground beneath him started to soak as the tears fell down his face with a quiet drip. He pulled himself up, sniffling, and sat on the swing, clutching the mask tightly.

He looked up and saw three figures walking towards him in the distance. He suddenly shot up and ran towards them, hoping with all his heart that they would be his parents and the Green Ninja. But unfortunately, when he got closer, that hope vanished.

Izumi: “Woah, hello. Bit eager to meet new people, huh?”

Arin: “Sorry, I… I thought you were someone else.”

Arin turned away, and started walking back towards the porch swing. The curly haired girl put a hand on his shoulder and spoke softly to him.

Izumi: “I know we aren't who you were hoping for, but maybe we could help? I'm Izumi, and this is Sora and Kiara.”

Izumi pointed at the other two girls behind her who both waved and smiled sheepishly. Arin waved back.

Arin: “I don't know if you can help. The Ninja were trying to save my parents when that huge portal exploded and… I haven't seen any of them since.”

Something suddenly flicked on in Izumi's head and suddenly nothing else mattered except…

Izumi: “Wait, you met the Ninja? As in, THE Ninja of Ninjago?”

Izumi's eyes glittered with interest, and Arin was a little thrown off by her reaction, but decided he might as well make conversation.

Arin: “Yeah, I did. They saved me when I got sucked up into that storm.”

Izumi: “Wow… I can't believe you actually got to meet them. They're like, the coolest people ever.”

Arin smiled, happy that there was someone else who shared his interest in the Ninja. They've been his heroes for as long as he could remember. Talking with Izumi managed to pull him out of his thoughts for a while.

****

The four of them walked through the streets of what once was Arin's hometown. There were houses missing, cars flipped over, trees uprooted, but the most noticeable part was that it was almost completely abandoned, save for the people that the Ninja managed to save before disappearing.

They noticed some people stuck underneath branches or stuck in their cars, and they decided to help them. It felt good helping the people in need.

Eventually they entered a completely deserted area void of any people, houses, or anything. It was eerily empty. They all looked around to find nothing anywhere.

Izumi: “We should probably go back. Maybe we can make a camp near where you said your house was, Arin.”

Arin: “That seems like a good idea. Let's split up and find supplies.”

They all nodded and separated. Well, except Kiara, she went with Sora. It was odd feeling such a connection to people they just met, but they could all tell they'd become close friends the more they got to know each other. Plus, it's good to have allies in a crisis.

@darkstalker1247

[aprilblee]

When Cavetown saw the meteor shower

let's talk about Cavetown's song 'Meteor Shower', and let's break down the lyrics if you haven't listened to this masterpiece, it is time to give it a try, it is a song with comforting lyrics and soothing vocals of Robin Skinner known as cavetown, this song is from his album 'cavetown' released in 2015.

Here I will specifically talk about my interpretation of the song, and what I felt after listening to the song. this song sounds like an amusement park ride, a slow ride, you can hear lots of instruments making up a very exciting melody best instrument is the voice of Robin [ my favorite] okay, let's take a look at the lyrics…

verse 1 "I've got miles of regrets and confusing friends But perhaps it's just my stupid head in the end Thinking should I wait here or make my way home? You said, "Go" (you said, "Go")"

In this verse cavetown is talking about the habit of overthinking humans have, which leads us to the point where we collect regrets and lose the ability to understand anything, he says "it is just my stupid head in the end" pointing to the problem that is inside not the outside, but we can't stop it, the line " Should I wait here or make my way home " I think it is about a decision he wants to make but he has a confusing mind, waiting is better but just doing it without giving it a thought is a louder inner voice.

verse 2 "Making up problems that don't exist Why do I let myself dream like this? We're floating away, my body's in space We are going home"

"Making up problems that don't exist," I think we all can relate to him, everything is a problem if your heart is not happy if your soul is shattered.

"Why do I let myself dream like this" I think he wonders if one is afraid of impossibilities then why does they make themself feel lost by wanting something that does not seem possible? but everyone still dreams, as if "we're floating away, my body's in space"[singer wrote something that seems like a dream], but he knows inside where he wants to go or whatever he wants, is the only place he feels at home, that's why he continues "We are going home." now he wants to let the overthinking go, "we are going home" he conveys his desire of 'not stopping himself' to his part who is afraid to take the first step.

[chorus] "Missing pieces of my skull I'll sew on patches of my own soul There's nothing you or I can do so let the stars fall 'Cause from up here the sky's my thoughts and we're all so small"

"Missing pieces of my skull " it could represent the feeling of missing something either inside you or outside of you. "I'll sew on patches of my own soul. " this is something that will lead him to something he wants to achieve or maybe the singer's trying to fill the gaps or missing parts inside but there are things that we can't stop from happening. so, he continues singing "There is nothing you or I can do so let the stars fall. " " Cause from up here the sky is my thoughts" Maybe he is saying that his thoughts are so huge like the sky, and we are so small, that we can't do everything we want, we can interpret that he is calling "us" the stars saying we can't help falling so let it happen, hearing these lines makes the listener connect with the singer and gives them comfort.

[Verse 3] "Meteor shower, quick take cover But the hues in our hair complement one another I'd sell my own bones for sapphire stones 'Cause blue's your favorite color"

"Meteor shower, quick take cover " it can be symbolic; he is talking about the beauty of burning ashes. he is telling me to quickly take cover or maybe he is telling me not to because it is pretty, or maybe he is imagining seeing a meteor shower, it is pretty but dangerous.

" but the hues in our hair complement each other" we all know about complimentary colors [ if colored light is shown on an object and a white light is shown on its opposite side we perceive the shadow as the colors complement] so maybe the one he is talking to is his shadow or the person that makes him complete, 'color of hair' is making it sound so humanly thing his writing is so simple or effective normally we compliment each others hair color but imagining the colors complimenting each other is such a creative approach [ love it ]

" I'd sell my own bones for sapphire stones cause blue is your favorite color." this is such a strong and impactful line it shows his love for his lover or his friend or something that completes him maybe himself, he uses colors so beautifully in his lyrics he is more of a painter.

[Bridge ] "My heart and the earth share the same rule It starts with love and it ends with you But don't go outside, it's dangerous tonight Without me right here by your side Take it slow, you'll know Which way to go Sew up your skull Take your time And we'll be just fine"

" My heart and the earth share the same rule, it starts with "love" and it ends with "you. " " in these lines, he confesses his love for the person or maybe himself or maybe he thought of this line, and it looked cool it is cool.

" But don't go outside it's dangerous tonight, without me right here by your side. " it conveys the feeling of reliability he has within himself so he wants to wait until he is ready, he does not want to rush anything, and everything will be fine just saying this, makes us feel relaxed.

so, he continues "Take it slow, you'll know which way to go"? he is again talking about something he wants to do but he is afraid so taking time to be ready is fine, the roads will be open someday.

" Sew up your skull take your time "Maybe sewing up the skull is the healing process or a process to be ready for what's ahead maybe it is a first step, or an action of getting up after falling.

and " we will be fine "Being optimistic is the key.

we can assume many things, but we get the emotion he wants to convey, we cannot say ' This means this ' we cannot find the exact what they are talking about, maybe there are parts in the song that he thought of randomly, it all makes sense only to him, but we can feel exactly what he wants to convey.

this song is such a warm hug, he tells the listener, that everyone is afraid in this world nobody knows what is coming so it is okay to wait for a bit, the way he uses natural elements like stars, meteors, earth, colors, skull, soul, etc. it makes it feel more creative or comforting, I love how his lines are so simple or easy to understand but really impactful, the melody and the whole sound of the song is calm and the ukulele sound in the beginning, make people engage from the start, cavetown is a comfort person for many people for a reason.

Go, explore cavetown's music now!

thanks for reading <3