#ALSO ALSO. the fact that every single one of the songs fades into each other is so good

[infizero]

just finished listening to mammalian sighing reflex .

[ln444]

1D songs as f1 drivers prompts

included: lando norris, oscar piastri, charles leclerc, carlos sainz, lewis hamilton, george russell, max verstappen.

cw: slight angst.

note: i spent days making this omg 😭 i'm so glad it's finally out bc i'm a huge fan of one direction's songs (had my directioner era lol) i really hope you guys enjoy it ! also i was thinking about making it a serie, let me know if you're interested by any of the prompts !

click on the title to play the song!

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lando norris ☆ stole my heart (bestfriends in love)

“under the lights tonight, you turned around and you stole my heart with just one look, when i saw your face, i fell in love„

lando really tried. he attempted to bury his feelings as deeply as he could, but you make it so difficult. the way you're the only one who laughs at his silly jokes, the way you try not to miss any of his races (and send him a good luck text when you can't be there), the way you randomly smile down at him – he could talk about everything you do for hours because he loves and knows every single details about you. sometimes he hates how you make him feel because he just wants to say, 'fuck it,' and kiss you for hours and hours. he can't even count the number of times he's thought about kissing you or the countless times the three words almost slipped out of his mouth out of nowhere. but the thought of losing you forever hold him back everytime, he can't even imagine his life without you. he doesn't know how, but lando has fallen for you, really, really hard and it just keeps going, he just can't get enough of you.

oscar piastri ☆ 18 (teenage love)

“i have loved you since we were 18, long before we both thought the same thing, to be loved and to be in love„

oscar initially watched you from a distance, even memorizing your schedule to see you as often as possible. he'd daydream about finding excuses to start conversations with you, sometimes getting so lost in thought during class that he'd lose track of the lesson. then, one day, he finally gathered the courage to talk to you, pretending to need notes from a shared class. since that day, you began exchanging daily messages, making oscar dumbly smiling. you started having study sessions, eating lunch together, sitting together in your shared classes and he'd even wait to walk you home. and just like that, oscar start falling for you. he found himself daydreaming about you more often, imagining how it would feel to hold your hand and how your lips would feel on his. those thoughts would fluster him, but deep down, he hoped they might come true.

charles leclerc ☆ summer love

“you were my summer love, you'll always will be my summer love„

midnight swims, picnics, sneaking out to watch the stars, late-night talks, sharing earphones while lying on the beach, biking, taking pictures of each other with your old camera, whispering sweet words to each other when no one's watching. that's what makes summer your favorite season, because you get to be with charles. but why does being in love with charles have to be so complicated? why do you have to part ways when the summer ends? most importantly, what makes you hold onto this love, so complicated? maybe the fact that charles always promises to be there next summer and keep this promise — or the fact that you're madly in love with this boy—. the craziest part of all of this is how your love for each other never fades, to the point where charles promises to marry you and get a beach house where you can spend all your summers together when you grow up. charles always keeps his promises.

carlos sainz ☆ change your ticket (long distance)

“you should probably stay, probably stay a couple more days, come on let me change your ticket home, don't go, it's not the same when you go„

you never imagined that having an f1 driver as your boyfriend would be so challenging and that you'd have to spend half the year far from him. at first, it wasn't a big problem, and you got used to it quickly. but at times, it really tugged at your heart. carlos always makes sure to call you when he is free and send you texts at random times of the day to ask how's your day going and tell you how much he misses you, but it's not the same. carlos had asked you more than to join the venture, assuring you that his income would be more than enough for both of you. you thought about it—a lot—but the idea of making such significant changes held you back. now, when you think about it, you realize that losing carlos over a simple matter of distance would be a mistake, especially when there's a solution within reach. perhaps traveling the world with your f1 driver boyfriend isn't such a bad idea after all.

lewis hamilton ☆ heart attack (bestfriend's sister)

“got your voice in my head, sayin' «let's just be friends» [...] never thought it'd hurt so bad, getting over you„

lewis doesn't even know how he fell in love with you. perhaps it was the way your smile warms his heart or how you effortlessly make the most boring conversation so captivating. it seems so absurd that, out of all of the people, he fell for his bestfriend's sister. lewis never imagined that it will be this hard to fight his love for you and act like his mind is not filled with thoughts of you 24/7. how could he possibly get over you when just being in the same room as you drives him crazy? he thought about telling your brother, he really did but the thought of losing his long time friend and you along the way held him back. so he decided to bury his feelings deep in his heart and keep his thoughts in the back of his head. yet, with every echo of your laughter from the next room or just the sight of you, his heart would go crazy.

george russell ☆ loved you first

“i've been waiting all this time to finally say it but now i see your heart's been taken, and nothing could be worse, baby i loved you first„

george can't help but think about the stupid mistake he made a few months ago— not confessing his love for you. he had so many chances to do it, to tell you that he fell hard for you and he can't stop thinking about you. but the day he finally decided to do it, he didn't expect to find you arm in arm with another guy, totally breaking his heart. he just couldn't take it anymore, seeing you with him every day and acting like it was fine, as if the looks and smiles you gave him didn't warm his heart and make him want to take your hand and run as far as he could. because george, he's deeply in love, and it's getting deeper every single day. it's so unfair— he was there first, he loved you first. the worst part is that you know how george feels, and you might even feel the same way. george loved you first, and he's going to make sure that you know that.

max verstappen ☆ still the one (ex lovers)

“you're all i think about baby, i was so stupid for letting you go, you still the one„

max tried to date other girls, multiple times. however, it never felt the same. how is he supposed to move on when he's consumed by thoughts of you 24/7? he can't even engage in meaningful conversations with his dates because his mind always drifts back to you. he spends countless nights trying to erase you from his thoughts, to convince himself that it's truly over. yet, deep down, a flicker of hope for your love still lingers. max thought about the endless nights he's spent replaying your conversations and wondering what went wrong. he's haunted by the way your smile lit up his world and the warmth of your hand in his. even though he's tried to move forward, the heartache is still here, reminding him that sometimes, love refuses to fade.

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requests open!

[neouime]

Love Wins All: An Analysis

Here are my notes for the music video. I have more to say, but it's already two in the morning where I live, and I have been sitting here admiring and contemplating IU's artistry since four hours ago. My butt hurts. I will come here later once I let my thoughts marinate.

There's a cube object chasing after them. - The cube is obviously the antagonist of the story. I have no idea why they chose a cube rather than any other creature or shape. Maybe because the design is simple? I think a cube is a smart choice. It looks like human technology, something man-made. The cube may be an invention that was once intended for the benefit of humankind but ended up becoming an instrument for control. The shape of the cube with its equal sides can represent a system that demands conformity.

IU is mute/deaf (she uses sign language), and Taehyung is blind in one eye. - There is one reading by a Korean UAENA about how they represent people with disabilities. There is one cube targeting IU and Taehyung. No other people are shown, but by the end of the music video, we can see several floating cubes outside the building. We can deduce how the cubes may be specifically searching for individuals like them who are marginalized and in hiding.

There is a scene where IU performs on stage, and black figures point their fingers at her. - IU explicitly declared that the song is dedicated to her loved ones, including her fans. We can interpret the black figures as representing people who spread unnecessary hate (혐오) against artists like IU. (Regardless of context, pointing your fingers in Korean culture is considered rude. It is associated with assigning blame or picking out flaws.)

Both the cube and the people in black are forces that persecute and discriminate, respectively. - This reading stems from the fact that IU is a well-known personality in real life and that her character in the story has disabilities.

While there is a male and female lead, the story and the song are not exclusively romantic. LWA is a fan song. Taehyung represents UAENAs. 

While IU sings on stage, he gives her flowers and looks at her adoringly. - They are able to spend moments both happy and sad by each other's side. At the end of the story, Taehyung stands in front of IU to defend her from the cube and destroy it, while IU comforts him and covers his eyes as they're killed.

The camera and the pile of clothes are details prompting an intertextual reading. - This will be familiar to ARMY, but the pile of clothes is an installation by Christian Boltanski. This does not require further explanation since we can infer what it symbolizes from the story's outcome. On the other hand, the camera is something that is more important to the plot than it seems. It captures only the beautiful and healthy appearance of IU and Taehyung. The Korean UAENA I mentioned earlier said that the camera shows an existence where people with disabilities can live happily. 

The camera shuts down by the end of the music video. - Nothing is recorded, and the memories are lost. But then, how does "love win all?" Okay, we'll look at the lyrics. "찬찬히 너를 두 눈에 담아 한 번 더 편안히 웃어주렴 (With my eyes, I memorize you thoroughly. Let's laugh in peace once more.)

Artists like IU come and go. - For every single and album she releases, IU writes an introduction. For LWA, she sums up the story as a promise to "fade away together splendidly." Also, the lyrics "필연에게서 도망쳐 Run on" appear, which both mean to run away from (도망쳐, to escape) and to run towards the "inevitable." (Korean is not my first language so pardon me if I'm wrong, but I think there's a mistake with the translation provided in the music video. There, the lyrics say "run away from necessity, run on." They use the word necessity, but she's referring to an event that is certain to occur.)

Memories [of their music and their moments with fans] are all lost to history; what matters is to live in the moment. (You don't need a camera to prove that you existed and lived your life.) This aligns with her values as an artist. In her interviews, IU says her goal is to perform (creation rather than chart success).

You may say that the story is tragic because they both die in the end, but they were at peace since they were together. "일부러 나란히 길 잃은 우리 두 사람" (The two of us, side by side, gone astray on purpose). **Edit: IU Team StarCandy on Twitter translated the phrase 길 잃은 우리 as "[we] who took the road less travelled."

I love the lines "너와 슬퍼지고 싶어 My lover" (I want to be sad with you) and "부서지도록 나를 꼭 안아" (Crush me, wrap me tightly in your arms). It illustrates the relationship between IU as an artist and her fans. The song is a declaration of her intention to cherish the good and bad with us. She does not mind even if the pressure of our love sometimes feels intense. She believes love has the power to break you down, but instead, it builds you up. 

Additionally, the line "나와 함께 겁 없이," which is translated as "Will you courageously set with me?" actually more literally translates to "together with me, without fear." There is trust between IU and her lover. In other words, they may not know where the journey leads them, but they consciously choose to walk to it together.

A few more details from the music video that I loved are as follows. I like that the food (the macaron) is connected to memory and joy. It's the end of the world, but they haven't lost their imagination, hope, and ability to delight in each other's presence. In a way, food is crucial to survival in terms of sustenance and because it brings simple pleasure.

After taking a bite, they are transported to a less dreary setting. Their clothes are the same, but they're no longer tattered. Of course, things aren't perfect because while things are more clean, the people themselves remain evil. IU and Taehyung maintain their cheerful disposition even as the black figures appear and surround them.

IU and Taehyung choose to be happy. They dress up and dance around the room despite the reality that everything is still in ruins. (The photo booth is lit in bright, warm colors, while the room outside is cold and blue. Another piece of evidence for this interpretation is that while they're blissfully taking pictures, the strips come out showing Taehyung's milky eyes.)

I also like the alternative explanation for why IU is deaf, and Taehyung is partially blind. - IU performs happily in front of the crowd of black figures. It may mean that she either cannot hear or will not listen to their words of hate. As for Taehyung, he is partially blind to IU's faults. IU (the idol/artist) is the one leading them as they run while Taehyung (their fan) follows, their hands clasped in each other.

Moreover, neither of them speaks throughout the story. Whether IU is deaf or she signs to avoid making noise and risk their capture, I think it's beautiful that they can communicate through gestures. The relationship between fan and artist goes beyond the need for words (which is ironic, too, since we become fans of IU's music before the artist herself. Through her lyrics, we learn of her personality and how she sees the world).

I LOVE their acting. It's almost scarily good how IU can convey her love through her gaze. The smallest details too!! Her softly tapping Taehyung's shoulder to calm him while he tightly grips her hand as they face death? Chills.

Okay, I'm back. I just want to add this:

I said that the song is not exclusively romantic. However, the element of romance is indeed important to the plot. It elevates the story by depicting people (including those with disabilities) finding love even in the middle of hardship. - Their hardship is not the disability itself but rather the prejudices in the world that limit the possibilities they can enjoy.

IU and Taehyung know that the "end" is "inevitable" (she uses both words in her lyrics), and they know that they can only steal these short moments of happiness, but they still try to "look for the opposite of loneliness" (오랜 외로움 그 반대말을 찾아서).

Trivia: IU says that whenever she's stuck with writing a song, she uses the suggestion of a peer (Kim Eana) to look up the meaning of a word in the dictionary. Thus, giving birth to the idea love = opposite of feeling/being alone.

Love as an act of resistance - Viewing a brighter world through the camera, IU wearing the veil, and the pair teasing the black figures (IU sings on the stage despite their jeering and they run around the room) are acts of resistance. They may have a poor imagination (가난한 상상력), wherein they still desire to become "normal" and without their disabilities, but it is also thanks to their imagination that they are able to endure.

Note: The translations are mine. It's always difficult to think of how to word sentences that fully preserve the sentiment of the source, especially since they're song lyrics.

[kaicubus]

Robbers | Rue Bennett

warnings ✩° : angst. literally so much angst, numbness, crying, saying things you don't mean, break up?, drug mentions, toxic relationship, no happy ending...unless?

pairing ✩° : rue bennett x fem!reader

premise ✩° : dating someone who doesn't want to be fixed is difficult on its own, so when you're faced with the opportunity to leave for your own good, you can’t decide.

word count ✩° : 3.7k

authors note ✩° : i actually...did not want to write this LOL bc it hurts me so much.  i’m getting back into the swing of things so forgive me if it’s a little rough. also i’m writing this as i’m listening to the song and crying so a bit of yummy raw feelings here!!

now playing : Robbers by the 1975

Rue had a face straight out a magazine. Hell, she could even be a model if she wanted to.That’s one thing you knew all too well about your girlfriend, she was perfect. In the past, you remember how you would tie back her curly hair and style it in high ponytails and buns, loving the feeling of those stringy locks pressing into your skin and wrapping around your fingers. Though the memory is well faded way now, there was not much of that Rue left at all. On the surface, Rue looked as if she were on the verge of death either from exhaustion or overdose, and past the surface it wasn't much different.  You had done everything in your power to keep your girlfriend afloat, holding her hand through life no matter how much she used you or wrung you out.

Everybody around you saw how much being in a relationship with someone who shouldn't even be in one was severely taking a toll on you, but you stood by Rue and defended her. For the longest time you've been irrevocably in love with her, but your rose colored glasses would soon come off mistake after mistake after each time Rue would find a way to neglect you and refuse your help. It was hard to swallow the fact all your calls were either declined or ignored, and that all your texts were left on delivered or opened, but you told yourself all you had to do was be patient. After all, throughout your relationship with Rue, that’s all it was : being patient. There was no winning with her, and it took you 5 years for it to click in your mind.

Well now that you've got your gun It's much harder now the police have come.

The silence is deafening. This whole time, you've been at war inside your head, one side screaming at you to leave Rue and the other trying to beg and convince yourself to stay. You didn't admit it, but you were losing the battle with your own self. Rue hadn't even noticed you zone out and had instead been dragging long, listless breaths from a joint Fezco had gave her to ‘help with her withdrawal’ which was bullshit at its finest. You knew it was just an act to think you had Rue under your radar when really she was way out of the boundaries. It infuriated you how your own girlfriend played you like a fool; it was insulting in every possible way you'd look at it. She treated you like you were stupid and oblivious to drug use and anything of the sort, however thanks to her and Fez you know everything about it.

Rue flicks her lighter open and the warm light floods the midnight air and heats up the cold air around you both. You check your phone, 12:09 pm, it’s late and you're slowly getting tired but you still have something to say before the feeling of emptiness growing larger and larger swallows you whole. You just don't know how to bring it up. Even thinking about it was similar to that of slowly prying each and every single one of your fingernails off, you didn't even want to think of it. Thing is, right now, Rue looks so peaceful. Maybe its because all of her attention is glued onto the tight joint, rolled between her fingers and getting a clean breath of smoke in. She looked perfect.

That’s when you decide to break the silence, as comforting as it was, the feeling of descending dread resting on your shoulders is too much to handle and you just have to get it off your chest.

“Rue...”  your voice catches her attention and she gives you a quick side glance as an answer. Disappointment curls your lip and you realize this conversation might not go the way you want, but then again, what option do you have? This was far more than a normal conversation and far more than you ever had to deal with.

Despite her lack of answer, you continue, “Can we talk?” Its cliche but there's no better way to bring it up.

She mumbles in response. You can tell she doesn't have a care in the world to listen to you talk, that's one of the many reasons why you feel not seen or heard.

“Please, Rue. Its important.”

She parts her lips carelessly, “Fuck, Y/n I’m listening, ok? Go on.”

You back into a defensive posture and roll your shoulders back just enough for her to see your eyes, to even get a glimpse of your guilt or your hurt. But her lax tells you all you need to know. She wasn't going to care, just like everything, she didn't care about you at all. Just like that time where you had gotten an A on a test you really studied your ass of for and she didn't show any trace of enthusiasm, or the time you got your drivers license and she barley bat an eye, or the time she ignored you all night just to pay attention to anime Ramona Flowers Jules. You couldn't even remember the last time she was genuinely happy for you or interested in what you had to say.

But if you just take off your mask, You'd find out everything's gone wrong.

“I want to break up.”

...

“What?” she asks, hardly taking you seriously, “Break up?”

Instead of dismissing her like you usually would do, you nod, “Yeah.” You cant even bring yourself to look at her. This is new territory for both of you, so each approach couldn’t be guaranteed a positive or negative reaction; like a leap of faith, you just had to seize the chance.

Your eyes flicker into hers and almost immediately your heart sinks deep past the rest of your organs harbored in your chest. Almost as if she had looked at you in slow motion, time had thickened and the look in her eyes lingered deep inside your soul with her down turned brows speaking volumes.

“What?” her voice hushes into the night sky and suddenly you see your eyes glisten in the reflection of her wide eyes.

“I…” you try and speak but your throat closes up, “I…We…Rue…”

The light of her joint dims and lights up again, casting a warm shadow on Rue’s cold finger tips.

“Have you noticed, we don’t fit like we used to?” You ask.

Rue brings her knees close to her chin and kisses the raggedy denim of her jeans, “How far back are you saying?”

“The very start.”

“Well, the very start was a while ago, I don’t even remember that far.” She pushes her lips out in thought and does everything in her power to avoid your burning gaze. All she can think about is just how fucked she knows this conversation will end up. There’s no way out.

“I’ve been wanting to talk to you about this for a while. I don’t think there’s any good way to say it.” You let out a sigh and roll your head up to the starlit sky, “I want to break up with you.”

She stays silent and allows you to speak your mind, though you’d hope she’d interrupt and fight for her place as your girlfriend.

“These past few months have been really hard, and I don’t know what’s going on. You’re not talking to me and you’re not even answering my calls. I feel like a ghost, Rue. It’s like you don’t even care about me ever since Jules.”

That name alone made Rue shudder in disgust.

“I really wanted this to work. It’s been working so far. But, I cant even force myself to believe it’s working anymore. I feel like my whole life, I’ve been forced to look after you—like it was my identity.” you fidget your thumbs in circles, still hoping she’d interject to cut you off or something, “You’ve lied to me more times that I know, screamed bloody murder at me when I told you not to shove bottles of pills down your throat, you’ve even attempted to steal my own medication I need to get through my panic attacks to get high. But it didn’t matter because I loved you.” your eyes meet hers, “D-Did you even love me?”

She picks her head up from hiding in the safety of her kneecaps and looks at you, how your eyes are now well damp with tears sloshing over your waterline and how your lips are quivering in heartache.

“There wasn’t a moment in my life where I ever thought about not loving you, Y/n.”

“How?” you choke, “How can you say that and show me nothing to back yourself up with? What have you done for me besides make me hate myself? I thought I could help you get through your addiction but no matter what I tried, you pushed me away. Was I even good enough to be an outlet for you?”

Her legs fall back down to their original position and she uses her palms to push herself closer to you. Rue isn’t good at comforting people, she barley even knew how to comfort herself, but through the countless times you’ve done it, she wraps her arms around your shoulders and instinctively pulls you into a deep embrace.

Tears finally escape their confinement as the sudden force pushes you back just enough for them to spill out of your eyes. Just as suddenly, you find yourself crying; Sobbing, even. She doesn’t kiss you, though she wishes she could, maybe it would’ve soothed you, but hugging you is all she thinks to do.

Your choice was inevitable, the end of your relationship was bound to happen, but neither of you expected it to end the way that it does. Still. She hoped you’d give her one more time. Just one more fight.

“Why?” you mumble against her shoulder, “Why are you doing this? Why now?” grief clogs your throat and drowns your words in overwhelming dejection.

“I don’t know.” She says truthfully, “I don’t feel good about this either. I just, wanted you to stop crying.”

You sniffle and pull away, wiping your eyes, “Right. I’ve-Ive tried helping you Rue, you can’t say I haven’t.” silent tears glide down your cheeks.

“No, Y/n. You were always there, always.”

God only knows but you'll never leave her.

In an attempt to gather yourself, you rub the thin, red fabric of your sleeve across your eyes — smearing your cheap mascara you had put on haphazardly before you even came here with Rue. Clumps of black product feathers across your lashes and runs down your cheek that you hastily smear clean-ish.

“You’ve done more than anyone has.” she wipes her tears numbly, “I-I can’t even be mad at you right now because I seriously deserve this. I deserve to be punished after all the shit I put you through—I knew what I was doing and I knew you’d forgive me. But it all piled up and now, now its like--Fuck!” she sobs, “I’m sorry I’m crying, I can’t control it right now and if I could I wouldn't be because I want to have a normal conversation with you like a person but I —” she manages to choke on her own tears.

Your heart squeezes for her. All this time, Rue would only ever show her emotions to her bedroom ceiling; it was rare for you or even her sister Gia to see her most vulnerable side. But right in this very moment, seeing her shed her hard rock exterior, it baffles you that she could even be capable of such emotion. Whenever she was confronted about her behavior in her life, she reacted violently with rapid pacing and shoving, hitting and screaming. Maybe it was because of the weed, but when she looks at you with such soft eyes it reminds you of the Rue you've always known — the Rue who would never hurt you.

Anybody in a situation like yours would’ve given up, and one thing about that is true. For as long as you had struggled keeping your head afloat in the raging sea of Rue Bennett, your time had come and it was finally time to stop kicking and sink. As much as you didn’t want to, you couldn’t deny the weight of it all on your shoulders.

Her fingertips find her eye sockets and press into them as if she’s trying to dig out her tear ducts to stop them from crying and blurring her vision. “I’m sorry. ‘M sorry I’m such a bad girlfriend. I’ll try harder next time please — please let there be a next time, Y/n. I cant have this be like Jules.”

“This isn’t like Jules. Rue, what we have is NOT like what you had with her. Ok?” you gently rub her tears away and guide her hands into yours, “I love you, so fucking much. And you know how much it hurts me to see you so hurt over this…which is why I think we need this. You need this. I need this.”

Rue bites her lip and shakes her head, “No, please please please,” she sniffles, “Please, Y/n don’t leave me. I need you.”

You turn your head to the side, causing your tears to gloop to one side and slosh out, “I know you, Rue. You’re going to be fine.”

“Stay…” she says, finally able to slow down and catch her breath, “Stay, stay...”

“Rue…” you look down, “Can you promise me something?”

Rue’s tongue darts out to wet her lips and catch her tears free falling onto her cupid’s bow, “Y-Yeah?”

You stare directly at her and soften your eyes—as if they weren’t soft enough—and gently cup her cheek in the palm of your hand. The sensation was too familiar for Rue to ignore and suddenly she’s flashed back to the first time something like this happened. Back when everything was still new to the both of you. She had just finished screaming at you, and you had remained patient despite such horrible things being said, but you understood her feelings. She was like an open book to you back then. Rue had cried her eyes out and screamed her throat dry and once she was somewhat calm, you inched towards her slowly and held her face in your hands. Placing a gentle kiss on her forehead, you held her in your arms for what felt like hours and stayed still as still water after a storm. You were a tower of stability and light in the epicenter of the crashing waves of her ocean.

Now, as the tides pull in and push out, you’re faded and eroded by the salt water, but still holding on.

“Promise me you’ll keep on living.”

You give her a half crescent smile before sliding your hand off her face to the back of her head and hugging her face into your chest. Rue accepts the change and closes her eyes for a split moment.

You throat moves against her forehead as you attempt to swallow all the bubbling feelings in your chest. All you can think about is how you don’t want to leave, but you know this isn’t healthy for you or for her. The last thing you wanted to do in your relationship was be the bigger person and break up with her, but the circumstances were too much to shove aside. Not only were all your close friends telling you to break up with Rue, but you knew deep down that if she wasn’t able to change for not you but her, you couldn’t continue. There was only so much you could do, and you already drained yourself dry.

Rue hugs her arms around your waist slowly and rests her head against your stomach. She doesn’t know the next time she’ll be allowed to touch you like this again, so close and so tender. So she savors every bit of it. She revels in the silence and swims in the sounds of your heartbeat, embracing the softness of your clothes and silkiness of your skin. Rue found home whenever she hugged you. The nostalgic, sweet smell of your natural scent always soothed her no matter what but now that she knew you were going to leave her, it smelled so faint. Where did it go wrong? She couldn’t even remember a specific breaking point for you, and that’s exactly why, she realized. She’s always going to love you, she’s always going to wait. She just didn’t know if you were going to do the same thing. Even if you guys were miles apart, or right next to each other, the distance that was always between you will remain the same.

That’s when you comb your fingers through her frayed and knotted hair, brushing through the stiff parts. Something about the way you gently untangle her messy hair strikes her completely vulnerable and her shoulders fall to signal it. 

You pull away quickly, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to —” you hesitate, “I mean...I...”

"I don’t know how I’m supposed to live without you,” she presses her damp lips against your arm, “I can’t think of something like that. I want to promise you that I’ll do it.”

“Hey,” you hold her face, “Hey, look at me.” the softness in your voice only makes her cry harder, “You don’t have to, not now.” Her eyes dart into yours, searching for something to get her to stop crying but she can’t. Her sobs fill the air and with each struggling breath they get louder and louder; not even when you attempt to cushion her cries with your chest does she let up.

You press your lips together and blow, hushing her and cradling her tightly in your arms.

“I just want everything to be ok. Tell me, Y/n. T-Tell me everything's going to fine.” She sobs, “Tell me you're staying, tell me you love me still, you can play with my hair again like we used to — you can even tie it up in pigtails this time and put those stupid butterfly clips in it like you always wanted.”

You shake your head softly. 

“Y/n please — tell me we’re going to be fine!”

“Rue...”

“I know I screwed up, I know that. I always screw up. But not with you.”

You pull away and take the time to wipe her tears away, clearing her red and puffy eyes of the overflowing amount of wetness clinging onto her pretty, now kind of dirty face. Her cheek hugs your palm and she closes her eyes, releasing more droplets of saltwater.

“Y/n...” She mumbles, “Fuck...I’m sorry. ‘M so sorry...”

She runs her hands through your hair and scrapes her fingertips into your scalp, pulling your body closer to hers and pressing her forehead up to your own. All you can do is bite your lip to prevent any more necessary cries from escaping your throat. You can feel the way her thumbs stroke your neck and the raggedy pattern of her breathing declines into a steady pace as it fans across your skin.

Each little touch made her head reel back and forth, and a part of her hated you for it. She hated how much she felt around you and how much she was able to feel like her actions as well as her words meant something; it meant that everything she had been working towards numbing her pain was all for nothing. She didn't enjoy it one bit. Especially now that you were choosing to leave her? How could she ever cope and recover? There’s no way.

Or maybe there was?

With her eyes quickly flickering into yours, you're almost shocked at the sudden tense and direct eye contact. Even though Rue had been avoiding your stare in fear she’d break more than she already is, it seemed like now she was peering directly into your soul and trying to reach within the depths of Y/n.

Rue knew what she had to do. So she spoke,

“What if I went back?”

You blink, “Back? Back where?” Even though the answer seemed obvious, you didn't even for once think shed ever reconsider going back,

“To rehab. Therapy. Everything. For you.”

“For me? W-Why for me? Rue if you're going back to rehab it NEEDS to be for you —”

Rue brushes a section of her hair back and rubs her palms against her face, wiping her face fully dry now, “I like who I am with you, Y/n. You're probably the only person in this world who makes me feel like I have a chance no matter how hard or how much I screw up,” her voice closes in once she realizes how serious she needs to be, “So I’m going to take a chance that will grant me more chances.”

“Rue,” you say, not even sure what’s going to happen next. Luckily, she cuts you off before you could even get the chance to speak again.

“I know this is going to take time, I know we weren't perfect. I know that. But, when I get out of rehab again things will be.”

You feel your heart race in thick surges of hope. Maybe you didn't know things were going to ever change from how they were before. Maybe you weren't sure if anything would come of her words that could very much be empty promises in the moment. Maybe your trust had been severely damaged by all the lies and deceptions over the years. But that all didn't matter right now. Because right now, there was hope for something you've longed to see for all your life : A Rue who’s happy. 

Could this give her happiness? Knowing that you'll be there waiting for her with the same warm arms you've always given her? Would that even be enough for her? Your thoughts ran rampant as you stare into her cavernous yet gleaming eyes. 

“Promise.” Rue swallows, holding up her pinkie finger.

Without thinking, you hold up your pinkie as well.

“I promise,” she sniffles between her words, “I promise you, I’m going to get better for you and keep on living.”

[kay-elle-cee]

A song from the i'll be fine, i'll be good playlist came on when I was picking up dinner and I just got so fucking giddy thinking about Lily’s turning point in regards to Snape. (Spoilers for ibfibg chapter 5 below the cut)

The song is I don’t have one anymore by The Sonder Bombs and it really encapsulates the Snape/Lily fight at the apothecary. There's a few lyrics that really stuck out to me that made me put it in this particular spot on the playlist:

“You could help me (…) but I don’t buy it.”

This line is obviously in relation to Snape trying to recruit her to the Death Eaters, but the repetition of it to the point of like, screaming, I think is so indicative of Lily just finally losing her absolute shit and reaching her boiling point with every. single. thing she's had to deal with up to this point. Someone who once knew her better than anyone else, who she hasn't seen in almost two years, who she at one point hope she could save from darkness, who played such a significant part in her isolation throughout school...now coming to try and recruit her "for her own good" to a side in a war that wants to literally kill everyone like her? With that fucking same sense of superiority of knowing what's best for her just like he was "looking out for her" in school and manipulating their fading friendship and alliance to keep her alone? We know this confrontation leads to that duel in the street and her subsequent joining of the Order...which brings me to the next line.

"Moving forward from here I think you should stay clear of me" which upon repetition turns into "you should fear me."

I love that this is a line in the sand moment, and definitely her turning point in going from laying low to becoming an active participant in the war, BUT EVEN MORE THAN THAT, I love the framing of this as she's the danger to be feared. She doesn't need to avoid them, they need to avoid her. I think it's a powerful recontextualization of herself, especially with the fact that most of the times I've used The Sonder Bombs on this playlist has been in relation to Lily's inner struggles and also her external conflicts specifically with Severus.

And ultimately it's a fair warning because he should fear her, because she outsmarts him, in the end. Her confirmation of his status as a Death Eater sets in motion a plan that ends with him captured and her own knowledge and talent on the other side of the war ends up neutralizing the threat of his (super fucked up) potion. I fully believe Lily would've joined the Order without that visit from Snape, but his visit pissed her off enough to light a fire under her that wasn't going to die until she did something worthwhile for the war effort.

And then straying from that particular song for just a little end-of-essay tangent, in the playlist order it's followed up with another song from the same band literally called Play It By Fear that I've always interpreted as Lily wrestling up the courage to ask about the Order. Like, the line's been drawn, she's motivated and knows what she wants but there's still that little bit of residual shame, especially when it comes to James:

"I've always been a coward but that's just something everybody already knows."

But yeah I just really like the juxtaposition of "You should fear me" and then "Play It By Fear" next to each other 😅

And THEN again, just to wrap this all up....those are the last songs from this band on the playlist (there are 8! which is not an insignificant number!), as her inner turmoil settles with a clear purpose in front of her, as her interactions with Snape are behind her, as she makes new friends and mends old wounds.

I dunno, sorry for rambling, this story is still very much in my head 😅 Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

[pix3lplays]

Ramble about video games~

Also um spoilers for Chrono Trigger…game came out in 1995 but just in case-

Random but I was thinking about my favorite video game of all time today.

Who else played Chrono Trigger? I was a kid…and I remember watching a video where someone talked about a boss from the game and somehow that was enough for me to go and find it for myself and play it-

Love at FIRST SIGHT I’m TELLING YOU-

I don’t remember my exact age but something I did when I was little was name everything after myself haha, but I remember using the default names for this game. Random and unimportant but I thought it was funny lol. I had this How To Train Your Dragon game on my DS and all my dragons just. Had my name or the name of a random color because those were the only things I could spell haha, I was so young-

But yeah I used the default names for Chrono Trigger, though now every time I replay I tend to name Frog ‘Glenn’ and when I’m feeling extra angsty I’ll name Magus ‘Janus’ haha

BUT SERIOUSLY that game is so good the amount of DETAIL and EFFORT put into every little part of it??

I used to know like EVERY single secret and stuff haha but anyways-

My party was always Frog, Ayla, and Magus and I remember that quest where you upgrade the Masamune. Like the little details were INSANE- if you had Magus on your party he would look away when the Masamune upgraded-like I know it’s just a little thing but oh my gosh I was OBSESSED??

And the music was SO good. SO GOOD. So many of the songs are a PART of me now, and Magus Confronted/Battle with Magus?? I will STILL stand by that as one of the greatest boss themes ever made-also World Revolution and Last Battle but yeah

And also you could have Magus fight and kill his own horrible mother, and they had SPECIAL DIALOGUE WITH EACH OTHER?? I was ALL about that-actually if I remember correctly he has a monologue and his theme starts playing during it too-

And going to that little village…if you’re playing as Magus his cat will recognize you and follow you??? Yeah. That was cool.

I do talk about Magus a lot haha…and he was the one I wrote the most fanfiction for too, I think I have five different note tabs of Magus fanfiction haha…I WANTED him haha I ADMIT IT…but my favorite character is still Glenn. Magus is a VERY close second but…Glenn.

And I love how their stories are interwoven. I LOVED that scene on the cliff’s edge where you can choose revenge or mercy as Glenn.

(I restarted haha because I totally went revenge first and I killed Magus and then got sad when all that remained was his pendant…)

Honestly Glenn’s mercy dialogue?? I was INSPIRED, I was a KID and I was like how is he going to justify not taking revenge on Magus?? But then he DID and I just- :0

Also when the game wants to be funny it ACTUALLY is funny haha, Dalton getting mad when the music was wrong was so funny. Him throwing the fireball at you only for it to immediately deflect was funny. Him hitting you with “whoa look over there!” and it actually working on your entire party was FUNNY-

And Magus and his dry humor was immaculate. Have him on your party when you’re doing the Marle’s mother mission and he’ll be the first one to find the genuine, heartfelt letter from her mother and his immediate reaction is to turn to you and say, “shall we burn it?” What is WRONG with him I love him so much-

That one ending where you can get Glenn and the Queen together?? Thusly turning Marle part frog?? That is GENIUS and HILARIOUS-the fact that they even let you do that…

Ozzie being all haha you can’t beat me and making himself impervious to damage only for you to just…flip a lever and defeat him immediately. And also the whole sequence of going through Ozzie’s castle was great haha. You can walk into an obvious trap and he’ll laugh at you and fade into the shadows?? That was so funny.

That one boss fight that was afraid of heights and thusly wouldn’t attack you because you were high up-

Also there is so much to say about how complicated the characters were despite being a video game that came out in 1995-

Specifically referring to Glenn and Magus though I swear THOSE TWO were the main characters to me haha.

Glenn’s my favorite and his story is GREAT but MAGUS?

(Also I still remember those scenes where you find the monsters worshiping the Magus statues they were so ominous…)

He’s so complicated I love it. He’s mean he’s grouchy he threatens you all the time he’s prideful on the surface but he plays the part of the villain even though his goal is to LITERALLY save the world. That scene leading up to the confrontation?? With the fire?? Epic. YEAH he’s a bad mean cruel man but…his main goal is to save the ONE person who had ever showed him true genuine kindness. Him and Schala make me emotional-he just wants to save and protect his big sister-

Also I feel like I should mention it haha I DID play Chrono Cross too, purely because I wanted to see how it connected to Chrono Trigger and. Yeah it’s not a bad game by any means but it just wasn’t for me. I thought a lot of the character designs were pretty cool and I thought the story was interesting enough. But yeah it was not Chrono Trigger. I think I got about halfway through it before I just. Went back to replaying Chrono Trigger-

Also I know I’m not the only one-Magus’s sprites were lowkey kinda hot haha. Him adjusting his glove. His cool arm motions when he casts a spell. The way his hair flows when you run as him. His COOL attack animations-especially the critical hits. I’m about it. And then you open the menu to mess with your equipment and he just looks…so scary haha. I still love him I WOULD marry him and I say that CONFIDENTLY haha. It’s like still having feelings for your childhood love~

And okay the criticisms about Chrono Trigger are typically pretty fair but that doesn’t make it a bad video game at all.

In my opinion…10/10.

Also side note Earthbound is really really really good too also one of my favorites~ AND THE REVITALIZER?? FROM CHRONO TRIGGER?? MAKES AN APPEARANCE IN EARTHBOUND??? THANK YOU.

But yeah I love Chrono Trigger. I remember I even played a fan game that gave more of a backstory to Magus making himself look like a Prophet to Queen Zeal. Cool.

Thinking about my Magus x reader fanfics now. I have in my notes something about a fic I wanted to write where Magus lost his lover to Lavos, or the flow of time, because I’m just angsty that way. Wonder why I never did it.

Other stuff included headcanons about his physical appearance and stuff. I had things like he has “sharp nails” and such.

Quote random person in Antiquity: “The prophet’s aura is clouded with hatred and sorrow. If he does not free himself of those emotions, he’ll destroy himself and those he loves along with him.” And I thought about that WAY too much-like EXCUSE ME??

Also I love the way Magus talks. “Unimaginable is the power of Lavos! Before him, all are as leaves cast to the bitter black winds that howl about Death’s black wings.” Yeah SAY It KING.

Anyways I’m just sayin it’s not weird to have a crush on Magus you can tell me I won’t judge.

Please marry me, Magus.

And of course I have a bit about reader calling him “Janus” instead of Magus I thought I was on to something haha.

Also I JUST remembered him being all, “oh kiss any princesses lately?” when he encountered Glenn. That was FUNNY.

Anyways I meant for this to be more of a Chrono Trigger appreciation post and not so much a Magus appreciation post but um yeah that’s very in-character for me to get a little off focus.

I think I’ve literally only found a single Magus x reader fic online hmm maybe I’ll change that…

Would anyone read that?? Seriously tell me. I’m adding Magus to my writing list lol…

Anyways yeah play Chrono Trigger. It’s GOOD. I wanna play it right now but I know if I start it up again I’ll disappear completely for a few days haha. But if I disappear for a few days you’ll know what happened, I have NO self-control lol.

[vermutandherring]

No spoilers

It's funny that despite all my love for the game, I didn't have any inspiration to write a review. Because how can you put into words the feelings it causes? Yes, the gameplay is like an endless dance that flows and twists the player into its vortex. Yes, every second in this game is melodious like a song, cutscenes are apt like rhymes in poetry, and the outcome suffered in the battle with the last boss gives a feeling of exaltation. And although each work is a matter of taste and everyone sees something different in the game, it seems that the audience has finally matured to understand the genius of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance.

It's a bit unfortunate that the game is mostly recognized by memes, which makes its perception superficial and not serious. On the other hand, a meme can only be understood with full context, which requires playing through the game. The context, in turn, gives a deeper understanding of the work. And therefore, even such popularity can attract new fans of the series. I also think that the example of this game shows how much the game industry has in common with high culture, not mass culture. Most games acquire their meaning over time, rather than gaining popularity as a phenomenon of consumer culture, quickly fading into obscurity. So in this review I will try to explain why MGRR will remain a classic for generations of gamers to come.

I'm happy that Metal Gear Rising was my first MG game. It does not require extensive knowledge of the history of the franchise. Therefore, discovering the character of Raiden and the meaningful content of the game, you want to get to know this universe more closely to understand its essence.

There is a perception that MGRR is not Hideo Kojima's canonical Metal Gear, so you won't be able to touch his genius in this game. In fact, it is not quite so. Although at some point the project was given to PlatinumGames, its initial idea and main character remained in the spirit of the good old Metal Gears, which is felt if not in the combat system, then certainly in the ideas, narratives and used means of artistic expression inherent to Kojima. In the game we have some elements of stealth, expressive cutscenes with unexpected angles, the philosophical basis of the plot and, of course, the codec - Kojima's greatest invention in video games, in his own opinion. It is interesting to observe how his principles continue their life in subsequent projects, changing and adapting to the needs of the time and the content of the games. Yoji Shinkawa, an integral part of the tandem, also contributed to the creation of the game. So if you look at it from a certain angle, MGRR is pretty much canonical Metal Gear.

Yep. I spent 20 mins of my life to find Kojima and Shinkawa in credits. They both are present.

One of the key features of MGRR, inherent in the MG series in general, is its ability to combine very different and, at first glance, absurd things. The game constantly balances between philosophy and satire, cringe and seriousness, kitsch and incredible aesthetics. This feeling is very similar to the first experience of getting to know anime. To a person out of context, individual episodes of anime can seem strange and wild, and a single series can make the entire industry seem like low-level geek culture. In short, this cultural phenomenon is shrouded in a lot of prejudices and stereotypes, which is caused by a different cultural context than yours (unless you are Japanese).

MGRR feels very Japanese, even though the setting of the game (like all the games in the series) has nothing to do with Japan. The very first mission resembles a traditional Japanese engraving, on an endless sheet of which heroes from ancient myths confront each other. I love finding parallels between games and art forms. Vampyr similar to a theater play, L.A. Noire is to the detective film, and Mafia is to the noir novel. And although I have repeatedly emphasized that Kojima brought video games closer to cinema through MG, I want to go deeper in the search for aesthetic parallels in Rising. This game resembles a mythological epic with its inherent trope about the hero's journey, the endless fight against evil and, of course, the worldview of a particular people, its philosophy.

In many mythologies, events take place in 'eternal' space and stretch endlessly in time. A dark force always appears to destroy the world, a light force always accepts its challenge. After all, the world is maintained thanks to their balance, the delicate balance of yin and yang, which should not be disturbed in any way. That is why evil exists. And that's why good always wins it. In general, most games with a plot, having a certain literary basis, use this pattern. But in MGRR, this principle seems to be embodied literally, only the actors are changed: robots and cyborgs take the place of deities and spirits. Powerful forces converge in a predestined battle, but we know its outcome in advance. Therefore, the most interesting part of this whole action remains the confrontation process itself. What is heard on earth when the titans are fighting in the sky? What does the Dragon say when he meets the Tiger?

Doan (Yamada Yorikiyo), Japanese. Tiger and Dragon, ink on paper, around 1560. The Minneapolis Institute of Art. Source: https://www.roningallery.com/artists/Kuniyoshi

'RULES OF NATURE'

The rules of nature are one of the key elements of the game. The problem of the main character's struggle with the natural state of things and their phenomena is embodied in many details and in the mythological background in particular. In primitive beliefs, people of all cultures addressed the forces of nature that they could not directly change, but that they could influence and interact with. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why Raiden fights not with abstract thieves, but with destructive, unpredictable and dangerous natural phenomena. In the game, we have a group of Winds of Destruction - cold-blooded mercenaries who do dirty work. In the system of Japanese beliefs, in particular Shinto, spirits-deities called kami have a clearly defined good/bad characteristic. At the same time, they also have an opposite side to it. Therefore, people can interact with kami in different ways depending on their needs. Before his battles with the Winds, Raiden has moments of revelation with each of them, through which he discovers new truths. These conversations also show that if you judge the state of affairs from the point of view of the criminals themselves, their views also have a grain of rationality. They have come to choose their craft in a certain way, have their own beliefs and principles, and therefore it is difficult to call them unequivocally bad. Raiden himself is more like the Winds than he would like.

One of the most magical and, at the same time, one of the most dangerous and destructive forces of nature is embodied in the image of Raiden. In Japanese mythology, Raijin is the god of lightning. A variant of Raiden-sama's name can literally be translated as Mr. Lightening Bolt. But the most interesting thing is not that. According to the tradition of Japanese Buddhism, Raijin and his brother, the wind god Fujin, were originally evil demons who fought bitterly with the Buddha. As a result of the battle between the Buddha's heavenly army and the demons, Fujin and Raijin were captured, repented and now serve good as Buddha's guardian deities. To say how brilliantly accurate this tribute is - is to say nothing. Like Raijin, in the MG series, Jack went from a punishing dark force to a protective light force. At the same time, he does not depart from his original nature of destroyer and killer, but only directs energy in the right direction.

Folding screen depicting Raijin (left) and Fūjin (right). Tawaraya Sōtatsu, 17 century. Raiden-sama usually depicted as white demon, which also resonates with one of Jack's names - White Devil.

One could say that such a similarity between the fates of Raijin and Jack was only a coincidence. After all, this is where Joseph Campbell's theory of the monomyth, laid out in his 1949 book The Hero with a Thousand Faces, takes place. Campbell, researching the myths, fairy tales and legends of the peoples of the world, came to the conclusion that most of these stories rely on a common plot structure, which he called the monomyth. Since the modern literary tradition is drawn from the oldest literary forms, it still retains the most common and established models, albeit in modified forms. And therefore, the similarity of the paths of heroes in myths or literary works is only a consequence of an established tradition.

But Metal Gear wouldn't be Metal Gear if it weren't for its attention to details. As we know, in myths, things are rarely clear-cut. Raijin often fights with his brother Fujin. He is also depicted in the company of Raiju, a thunder beast or thunder demon that also acts as his animal totem, usually appearing in the form of a dog or wolf. Does this remind you of anyone? Another minor but interesting detail is that Raijin has a son, Raitaro, who is another deity of thunder.

Although Raiju is a companion of Raijin, it can act independently. During thunderstorms, Raiju descend from the sky, accompanying lightning to strike at trees and houses, causing disasters. Thus, Raiju attacks were also believed to be a form of divine punishment: those whose homes were struck by lightning were “suffering the wrath of the Raiju”.

The dystopian environment of MGRR tries to imitate the natural state of things and imitate nature itself not only at the expense of the mythological core. There are more direct allusions embedded directly in the design of robots and cyborgs. The most obvious is the already mentioned Blade Wolf, in which the prototype of the dog is easily guessed. Amphibians and insects, dinosaurs and birds, ungulates and predators inhabit the unexplored hostile spaces of MGRR. It is noteworthy that some of the mechs in the game are present in the MG series not for the first time. Even in previous games, you could find numerous modifications of Metal Gear RAY, Gekko or canine-like robots. The entire MG series in one way or another introduces allusions to the animal world into the design of the characters. On the one hand, this is a fairly obvious design approach. On the other hand, it adds more depth to the game's lore. The concept of human imitation of nature is a red thread through all Metal Gear, opening a kind of philosophical questions, and also conveys the idea of "naturalness" of those changes taking place in the alternate reality of the game.

Animal traits are evident in robots' behavior and appearance, such as design elements, mannerisms, sounds, etc. It would seem that this is enough to give the player information about what they are dealing with. But the designers give a deeper explanation of how these mechanisms work. They are endowed not only with the features of living beings. They have a similar 'body structure' and even blood likeness. From a practical point of view, most of these details do not make any sense.

From the perspective of game design, this is one of those elements that works on a subconscious level with the player's imagination. Blazing his way through enemy valleys, Raiden destroys more than just robots. They bleed, suffer and make shrill sounds like living animals. They seem to embody the next, albeit artificially created by man, stage of evolution. They are only a part of the usual state of things, where "wind blows, rain falls, and the strong prey upon the weak". Obviously Raiden is a predator in this story. Kill or be killed. At the same time, he is a victim. A victim of his own beliefs and memes, obeying them, he tries to change the natural order, to destroy long-established truths for the sake of the highest good. But, as we found out, good and evil will always exist side by side. Because as one little-known philosopher once said,

About memes, honor and war in the next part of the review~

Credits:

Japanese Tiger and Dragon. Minneapolis Institute of Art

2. RAIJU: The Thunder Beast Yokai

3. Gekko. Metal Gear Wiki

4. Raijin. Wikipedia

[murdereddoubt]

Sleep Token: A Mesmerizing Discography of Harmony and Depth

In an era where musical cohesion and thematic storytelling within albums seem to have taken a backseat, Sleep Token emerges as a breath of fresh air. Their discography, consisting of "One," "Two," "Sundowning," "This Place Will Be Your Tomb," and "Take Me Back to Eden," stands as a testament to the band's unwavering commitment to crafting aural experiences that transcend the ordinary.

The journey through Sleep Token's discography is akin to embarking on a profound spiritual odyssey. From the hauntingly ethereal "One" to the enigmatic "Two," the groundwork for their sonic universe is laid. However, it's in the final trilogy – the awe-inspiring progression from "Sundowning" to "This Place Will Be Your Tomb" and culminating in "Take Me Back to Eden" – that the band's genius truly shines.

It's an experience like no other to listen to this trilogy in succession. The albums are woven with a meticulous thread, each song seamlessly transitioning into the next, creating a coherent narrative that's both immersive and captivating. It's a rarity in today's music landscape to find albums that not only possess individual standouts but also present a holistic journey where each track complements the others, all working together to amplify the overarching theme.

At the heart of Sleep Token's captivating allure lies the extraordinary songwriting prowess of their enigmatic lead singer, Vessel. With an uncanny ability to delve deep into the recesses of human emotion, Vessel crafts lyrics that resonate on a profoundly personal level. His songwriting transcends conventional boundaries, exploring themes of spirituality, vulnerability, and the human experience with a poetic eloquence that leaves an indelible mark. The lyrical tapestries he weaves evoke a sense of introspection, drawing listeners into a world of intricate narratives and haunting melodies. Vessel's gift for storytelling, coupled with his literal emotive delivery, results in songs that not only captivate the ear but also touch the soul, leaving a lasting imprint that lingers long after the music fades.

An integral facet that elevates Sleep Token's discography to unparalleled heights is the impeccable music production and audio engineering work contributed by the talents of Carl Brown from Treehouse Studios and George Lever of G1 Productions. Their collaborative efforts have played a pivotal role in bringing the band's vision to life, with every note and nuance meticulously crafted. The albums bear testament to their skilful touch, as each instrument resonates with clarity, and every whisper of Vessel's vocals is imbued with raw emotion. Brown and Lever's expertise acts as the invisible hand that guides the listener through the intricacies of Sleep Token's ethereal soundscapes, making the auditory journey as enchanting as it is immersive.

When it comes to translating their studio brilliance into live performances, Sleep Token is nothing short of exceptional. The band's stage presence is mesmerizing, drawing the audience into their spellbinding world. Perhaps even more astonishing is the fact that Vessel's vocals remain untouched by the heavy hand of autotune or vocal correction software. His voice, heard live, is a mirror image of what you've come to adore from their recordings, showcasing the band's authenticity and musicianship.

A noteworthy aspect of Sleep Token's artistry is their visual identity, thoughtfully brought to life recently by Alex Tillbrook Design. The graphics for their albums and merchandise resonate harmoniously with their musical essence. The attention to detail is evident, reflecting the band's commitment to a holistic experience that extends beyond just the auditory realm.

In a musical landscape dominated by singles and fleeting trends, Sleep Token's discography stands as a masterpiece of cohesion, depth, and unadulterated passion. Their commitment to crafting albums that weave a seamless tapestry of themes and emotions harks back to a time when the 90s music scene was known for its dedication to storytelling through albums.

I am deeply enamoured by the captivating allure of Sleep Token's enigmatic anonymity, a sentiment beautifully encapsulated in their profound statement, "Our identities are unimportant. Music is marketed on who is or isn't in a band; it's pushed, prodded, and molded into something it isn't. Vessel endeavours to keep the focus on His offerings." Within the realm of Sleep Token's music, the conventional fixation on individual personas is gracefully set aside, allowing the divine essence of their artistry to take center stage.

This intentional detachment from personal identities enables a pure connection with their music, permitting listeners like yourself and myself to be swept away by the ethereal melodies without the distractions of the mundane world. As I immerse myself in the mystique of Sleep Token, I find solace in the idea that their music is an offering, a sacred creation meant to transcend the limitations of the known, inviting us to experience a profound and unifying journey guided solely by the resonating notes and unspoken emotions.

As a dedicated listener, I can't help but yearn for the day when I can witness Sleep Token's magic on stage in person. The anticipation of their live performance is enough to send shivers down the spine. And as the music world eagerly awaits their future creations, there's a sense of excitement and curiosity about where their artistic journey will lead. Here's to hoping for a chance to witness Sleep Token's live magic and to eagerly awaiting the next chapter in their evolving musical saga 🥂.

(All images taken from their facebook page and, my guess, by their touring photographer Adam Rossi)

If you made it this far, thank you for reading. Hope I can produce an album of this magnitude some day. - worship - Murdered Doubt

[justoneofthoseghosts]

Hello! Here's some bonus content for Once Upon a December. This was originally going to be part of the last chapter but I was hitting a wall. Please enjoy the belated Christmas treat! ☺️🎄

Three years later

“What about this one?”

Matt turns towards the tree Sylvie was pointing to.  It was around six feet tall.  He tilts his head to the side, examining it.

“It could work,” he tells his wife.

“Do you think we can get it into the living room?”  Sylvie asks.

He laughs.  Last year, they agreed on a much larger tree except that when they got back to their house, they found that they couldn’t get it past the foyer.  They ended up having to saw off some of the branches and a bit of the base.

“I think so.  If not, we’ll bust out the circular saw again,” he mentions jokingly.

She rolls her eyes at him before shaking her head.

Buying a tree had been one of their many Christmas traditions since two years ago.  Decorating it was always fun, Matt had to admit.  Last year, Violet, Griffin and Ben helped out, turning their tree into a very interesting one to say the least.

It had character was what Sylvie said after the kids were done.

They do end up buying the handsome Douglas fir tree.  Matt thanks the guy as he helps load it onto the truck, cranking up the heat as they got int the cab of the truck.

When they get home, they start to unearth the bins of Christmas decorations.  Sylvie grins as she finds the first set of ornaments she bought Matt at the Christmas market, showing them to him.

“Maybe we can go back next week and see if they have more of these.  They’ll look great on the tree,” she tells him, holding up a wooden snowflake.

He grins at her.  Over the years, Sylvie’s love for Christmas never faded and she had somehow managed to influence Matt.  They took turns planning wonderful Christmas activities for each other - two years ago, on their first anniversary, Matt surprised her with a weekend ski trip to a resort in Wisconsin.  Sylvie got him little presents corresponding to the twelve days of Christmas in return. There were weird presents like a can of pears but Matt loved them all the same. He loved the idea so much that when he proposed last year, he took a page from her book, this time giving her gifts based on the song 'Santa Baby'. He had to admit, he looked forward to Christmas because of her and her unending enthusiasm.

Even as she jams a Santa hat on top of his head to match the pair of reindeer ears she just put on, gazing at him innocently.

“You want some hot chocolate?”  He asks.

She beams at him and his heart just soars.

It’s that God damn smile that gets him every single time.

“Of course I do,” she states, “your hot chocolate is the best in Chicago.”

She says it as if it’s a widely known fact but he’s happy nonetheless at her sweeping statement.  It’s a big compliment coming from Sylvie, who loved anything that had chocolate in it.

When he gets back from the kitchen, Sylvie’s made much work of organizing the bins, arranging them based on the contents - Christmas lights, Christmas balls, other ornaments.  There’s even a bin for Christmas stockings that Sylvie’s family had gotten them last year, one for the each of them.

He hands her a mug, which was also Christmas themed, of course.

“Thanks,” she says before taking a sip and sighing.

He grins, taking a sip from his own mug.

“Anything you need help with?”  Matt inquires, looking around the room.

“Can you hang the Christmas stockings please?”

There’s a twinkle in her eye, like she’s in on some secret he isn’t but he doesn’t question it nor does he question the fact that the stockings were usually hung last - right before they lit the fire and cuddled up on the couch watching one of Sylvie’s many favorite holiday movies.  He grabs the first stocking, hanging it on the hook over the fireplace before grabbing the other one and doing the same.  He’s about to close the bin but something red catches his eye.

He stares at it for what feels like ages because somehow his brain could not comprehend what he was seeing.

It’s a tiny sock, like those for babies.

But they didn’t have a baby yet.  They had been trying for a couple of months.

Did this mean what he thought it did?  He told her when she agreed to marry him that he was making all his dreams come true.  This one was like adding an annex to that dream, to the longstanding one he’s had since he could remember.

“You okay, hon?”  comes Sylvie’s sweet yet tentative voice, her hand on his shoulder.

He turns to face her, opening his mouth, waiting for words to form.

“I, uh, we -”

She patiently waits for him to get there, eyes bright, gnawing on her bottom lip.

“We’re having a baby?”  He finally manages to ask.

She nods slowly before confirming, “we’re having a baby.”

He launches himself at her, pulling her in for a fierce hug, spinning her around.  Her laughter is in his ear, musical almost.

“We’re having a baby,” he repeats in wonder.

“Merry Christmas, Matt.” she whispers, cupping his cheek tenderly.

He smiles back, “Merry Christmas, Sylvie.”

He sets her down, the two of them swaying, slow dancing in their living room while snow fell out side.

Matt holds Sylvie closer, still reeling from the news.

He glances outside, unable to keep himself from reminiscing about this cheerful paramedic who dropped by his firehouse.  He smiles at how far they’ve come.

To think, it all started one random day in December which turned out to be one to remember forever.

[thesinglesjukebox]

(G)I-DLE - "QUEENCARD"

Time to find out once and for all -- like, for real this time -- who hates fun!

6.29

Kayla Beardslee: Dumb bitches assemble (affectionate). "Queencard" is kind of embarrassing to defend (you're going to bat for the boob and booty hot song? really?), but if you listen to it enough, it becomes impossible to deny that it's also kind of a banger. It would be a different matter if the production and topline weren't pulling their weight, but that bassline rips, and those line-to-line handoffs between all five members in the first verse get me every time. It also helps that this song comes from by far the best album (G)I-DLE has ever put out: when "Queencard" is placed next to the beautiful, dreamy B-side "Paradise" or the sinister-sexy "Lucid," its goofiness seems less like actual vapidity and more like Soyeon intentionally fucking around because she knows it's good to have a little fun and gas yourself up sometimes. Like, look me in the eyes and tell me it's not high performance art to release "Tomboy" and "Queencard" (and "Nxde"!) within a year of one another. I can get on board with a bit of silliness in exchange for the album I've been waiting for (G)I-DLE to make since I first discovered them -- which, as it happens, was when the Jukebox covered "Uh Oh" back in 2019. What a lovely and emotionally nuanced full-circle moment. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go back to twerking on the runway. [8]

Crystal Leww: MY BOOB AND BUTT IS HOT MY BOOB AND BUTT IS HOT MY BOOB AND BUTT IS HOT MY BOOB AND BUTT IS HOT MY BOOB AND BUTT IS HOT [8]

Katherine St Asaph: Vintage Fergie. [3]

Harlan Talib Ockey: Ridiculous. [7]

Tara Hillegeist: As an object lesson in one of pop music's golden rules -- "unfuckwithable production can save unforgivable lyrics every time" -- "Queencard" ticks all the bases. Embarrassing lines like "twerking on the runway" and "sexy like Kim Kardashian" that not even Meghan Trainor could've written with a straight face completely fail to dent that supple bassline and synth-bleep driven stomp of a beat. There isn't a single word of this song worth dignifying with a sincere analysis; there isn't a single word of this song that matters while the squelched-alarm bubble and squeak of a melody and irrepressible line delivery are still making the brain jiggle like so much excited jelly under their sonic assault. This is a missive from the same school of thought that produced "Song 2": a heady slab of music so thoroughly stupid yet sneeringly self-confident about it, hearing it excites the listener enough to mistake it for the work of a frustrated genius, instead. I cannot take its message seriously without taking insult. I can't stop pressing repeat. [7]

Will Adams: So many delightfully dumb lines, it's hard to choose a favorite. I wish the music had been equally as silly, as opposed to whatever Jonas Brothers purgatory it currently exists in. [5]

Alfred Soto: Elements from Pussycat Dolls and Meghan Trainor drift and fade with the attention span. [4]

Daniel Montesinos-Donaghy: This quintet's energy is infectious enough to take "Queencard" (great title) to the finish line, but there's no getting past the backing track. Envision every Black Friday/post-Christmas/commercial on TV, strip the jaunty musical beds from their flatscreen-deal context, then paste them one after the other. I'm sorry, but GO TO PRISON!!! [2]

Nortey Dowuona: Pop rock as an aesthetic is actually a good thing to be pilfering from. It's not novel or boundary pushing in the slightest, but after the last decade of everything stealing from rap -- the structures, the adlibs, the flows, the kicks, snares, hi-hats and percussion, the poses, the clothing -- and miserably failing to even slightly capture the same lightning strike... maybe don't be bothered to try. I've been listening to What Had Happened Was with Questlove, and at each turn I grow more frustrated by the fact that neither he nor Black Thought ever cottoned on to the giant possibilities of being an actual band, only producing musical phrases to be looped in the least interactive or vivid way. And this song, which is a solid approximation of 2005 pop rock and 2011 piss-take raps, just frustrates me cuz it feels like Jeon So-yeon, the group's Questlove, has the same problem; being able to make poppy Shafiq Husayn records and settling for Max Martin throwaways. [5]

Joshua Minsoo Kim: How long has it been since we've had an honest-to-god hook song? You could blame it on shifting musical trends, but ever since K-pop made it big in the West, lyrics have had to start making sense. This means we've been deprived of the joy that comes with wonky English. The lyrics are especially camp on "Queencard," but it goes beyond that: it's the total surrendering of a topline to phrasing and rhythm. Case in point: "My boob and booty" has syllabic parallels with "I'm top" and "twerking." There's also a slick maneuvering between English and Korean here, with (G)I-DLE selecting the words that sound best -- "ppoppo" is way more fun than "kiss," and "I'm cute" can be delivered with more sass than the same phrase in Korean. "Queencard" may not be a term the average American knows, but it doesn't matter: it's the sort of nonsense word that you can repeat incessantly, much like we all did with "gee" 14 years ago. To top it off, (G)I-DLE actually sound like they're enjoying themselves instead of delivering a Serious Message. We may never get a song like this again. [7]

David Moore: There's boob and booty and twerking in this one, sure, but the most exhilarating part of the whole thing is when the phrase "I'm a queencard" in the chorus devolves into uncanny syllables, like Jell-O starting to go runny in the sun, in a way doesn't just tell you what a queencard is, but really points to it -- this is a queencard. I'm reminded that K-pop isn't just multilingual, but often meta-lingual in the way that so much (all?) good pop is, refusing to let words get by as mere signifiers and forcing us to reckon with words at the phonemic, molecular level. How wild is it that the entire basis of our civilization is built on these funky noises we make with our mouths and tongues and lungs and noses and throats? I think that's neat. [8]

Kat Stevens: I worry that she's going to lose a lot of money at poker. [6]

Michael Hong: Look, Soyeon's English lyrics are often questionable, and it doesn't help that each member seems to drop syllables. She's exaggerated her "rapping" voice to be sharper and more piercing, and the lyric "look so cool, look so sexy like Kim Kardashian (uh) / look so cute, look so pretty like Ariana" fits awkwardly in the meter and is a bit reductive of each (but also your bad if you expected a nuanced feminist take from the group that brought you "Nxde"). And the entire thing is just a Valley Girl rip of "Song 2" by Blur. And yet, 4 + 4 is still: [8]

Brad Shoup: The pre-chorus is really interesting, how it teeters on the rim of Meghan Trainor maltshop-pop without ever falling in. It's a nice break from the spy-theme slink that dominates this. [5]

Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: Referencing Ariana Grande directly feels like giving away the game -- this is some real Dangerous Woman shit, a maximalist pop barrage that seems to operate on the principle that if you make enough baffling aesthetic and lyrical decisions it'll loop back to sense eventually. Joke's on me -- they're right! This sounds like how I imagine getting shot out of a T-shirt cannon would feel. [7]

Michelle Myers: Shuhua is a queencard. Soyeon is squeak-rapping like she's HyunA's daughter. Minnie is hosting a blue champagne party and doing her best Debbie Harry impression. Miyeon hard carries the pre-chorus. Yuqi is jamming the phrase "sexy like Kim Kardashian" into five syllables. She's top. She's twerking on the runway. [8]

Anna Katrina Lockwood: "I'm twerking on the runway" has got to be in the top five greatest stunt English lines in K-pop history. (G)I-DLE have always had oodles of talent and charisma, but "Queencard," like last year's "Tomboy," has the confidence of maturity and a rare sense of unfettered enjoyment. Nobody's had such a good time in a music video since GD and TOP went to the club. Speaking of YG party songs, of course this is reminiscent of that format---though as others have pointed out, it lacks the true YG party chorus to close. There are a few better precedents in Cube's own history, which are combined effectively with a vaguely punk rock sound and a sensitive handful of blog house references. Part of the magic has to be the judicious editing Soyeon has applied here -- "Queencard" is a blisteringly tight 2:41, far from the bloat often befalling her earlier compositions. It's fun, you can shout along to it, there's a funny little dance, there are at least three melodies I've had stuck in my head--it's some good fucking K-pop. [9]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox ]

[moody4world]

okay so i was thinking

singer reader surprises Jack on tour , they had gotten into an argument but he questions the status of their relationship. so she sings him a song to let him know that she forgives him and still loves him

( idk if you watched victorious but that song " youre the reason" would be perfect )

hi hon!! i changed it up a little bit but i hope you still enjoy it!!<3

You’re the reason

A/N(?): i am !!NOT!! a writer, everything i write and post is simply for fun and not to be taken seriously

You’ve been in the spotlight for almost your entire life. From being on Disney at the ripe age of 10 to appearing on the big screen with A-listers at only 17. You were not only an actress but also a singer. You had become one of the youngest female R&B artists on the charts at just 20 years old and you couldn’t be more proud of yourself.

Your parents never forced you because it’s always been what you wanted and they were your number one supporters and nobody could argue with that. Nobody except for Jack. Jack claimed that he has always been your number one fan and he would die on that hill. His words though not yours, he couldn’t believe that he was dating his childhood crush. The first time you met Clay he didn’t hesitate to embarrass his brother by telling you how Jack always fought him for the tv remote when he knew you were going to be on their tv screen.

Jack was proud to call you his and he would turn all his social media accounts to fan accounts dedicated to you if he could.

The two of you met at the MET gala two years ago and ever since then its been a down low friendship, to dating and now relationship. Jack always kept his celebrity connections as private as possible and you were no different. You were also proud of Jack and the fact that he was your boyfriend. Only problem was that you haven’t gone public with a relationship since your last very public and dramatic breakup in 2018, something that took a huge toll on you for a couple months. Once you finally got over that situation you told yourself it’d be best to keep future relationships private.

Jack understood this because he also agreed but he always told you private doesn’t have to be secret. You knew he was right but you were still scared of your relationship with Jack falling apart the way your last one did. You were so in love with him that you refused to let anything to ruin what the two of you have.

Unfortunately this topic was the main cause of your current argument. Jack has been touring for the past few weeks and the two of you have been facetiming every single day like you were doing right now. “Look at youuu all snuggled up into my hoodie” He had the biggest smile on his face as he always did when he looked at you. “It’s so comfy, thanks for leaving my favorite ones by the way” “It’s nothing baby” “I really want to post a screenshot of this right now” your smile faded with worry and Jack didn’t miss it “Y/n it wouldn’t kill us to post each other every now and then baby we’ve been over this.” “I know but I just don’t want to risk anything Jack, we’ve been over that too haven’t we?”

“At first I got it but now i’m starting to think you just don’t want to be seen with me y/n.” “Oh come on Jack you know it’s not that” “Then what else is it huh? Cause if you’re scared to even mention me to people or let me just post an innocent photo of us what am I supposed to think?” “Now all of a sudden i’m the bad guy for wanting to protect our relationship?” “This shit doesn’t need any protection y/n, you’re sinking this ship with your overthinking. I’m trying here baby but you gotta help me too.” Jack made valid points but in that moment you were too butt hurt to acknowledge any of that.

You shut down like you always did during moments like this, you didn’t want to talk about it anymore and just wanted to hang up. “Okay well I have a performance later so i’m gonna go get some rest. We’ll talk later, okay?”

You didn’t even want to make eye contact with him anymore because you knew you’d let some tears slip if you did. “Y/n you’re not hanging up on me like this. Talk to me baby tell me how you really feel. I’m sorry I got a bit heated. I just want you to let go of that fear, i’m nothing like him and you know how much I love you. Crazy fans and fake articles are the last thing you should be worried about. I want to show you off cause it’s what you deserve. We both know that.” You couldn’t say a single thing. His words had felt like a soft and warm hug of reassurance and safety. It was hard to express how you were feeling so you simply said an “I love you” and hung up.

Jack thought he had hurt your feelings because of the way you hung up. If it was up to him he would blow up your notifications with apologies and i love yous but knew that when you got like this he simply had to give you space. It was insane to you how loving and supportive of a boyfriend Jack was to you. But It was something completely new for you which made it slightly overwhelming in moments like these. You decided to get some rest before your performance of the night and once you woke up you were certain of one thing.

Which was, you were tired of keeping him a secret. You wanted everyone to know that you’ve found a man that treats you how every girlfriend or boyfriend should be treated. Loved how anyone in a relationship should be loved.

That night at your concert you surprised the crowd with a new unreleased love song you had written specially for Jack. You told your friends that it was a song you wrote for a very special person in your life that you would tell them about soon.

Your cousin had recorded the whole thing and sent it to Jack. To say Jack was surprised when he saw the video was an understatement. You had never mentioned that you were writing a song about him. He knows it must’ve been hard for you to keep that from him because he was the first one to know every thought process you had for any song you were writing or any show or movie you were casted in.

The song was called “You’re the reason” and the lyrics explained how he’s the reason you’ve become so much more confident in yourself and your career after such a hard time. He’s the reason for the huge genuine smile you’ve had for the past year and a half. When news of the performance got out everyone was curious to know who the special person could possibly be. You haven’t been spotted with anyone for a long time unless it was a co-star from the same movie.

That same night you and Jack decided to post a photo of the two of you announcing your relationship to everyone else.

y/n ☑️

Liked by neelamthadhani and 503.856 others

y/n very few of you guys guessed it right, “You’re the reason is about jack!!! i’m gonna keep this caption short so i don’t simp on the main but just know i l*ve this guy

y/ngotcake queen is this white man bothering you🤨

user1 I KNEW IT AND NONE OF YOU BELIEVED ME

jackharlow ☑️

Liked by urbanwyatt and 489.677 others

jackharlow Always been her #1 fan and i’ll die on that hill. Love her forever🤞🏻

user2 First tom holland gets his celebrity crush and now jack too?! i really gotta start manifesting

druski ☑️ Aw shit we done lost another one man somebody better call dr. umar

y/n @ druski stop it😭

[erelvoras]

See You Again.

“May-May. Don’t tell me you’re falling asleep.” a soft nudge on Mayael’s shoulder roused her from her dream like meditation. She squinted as the dimming daylight flooded her eyes. It took a moment to orient herself to her surroundings. She was still sitting upright, her back pressed against a towering tree with its wide roots dipped deep into the algae-tinged lake below. Another nudge sent a wave of consciousness through her. 

“Time to join the world of the living, May.” the deep disembodied voice chimed. Mayael lazily moved her head to meet the grinning face of her brother, Reede. “I was worried I’d have to sing the rising song.”, he smirked.  A grin spread across Mayael’s face. “But could you sing it like mother did?”   

Reede wrinkled his nose and let out a hearty laugh, “No one could sing it like mother. The woman could petrify even the most fearsome Cocatrice with that warbling.”   The pair chuckled in unison; their laugh tailed by an almost melancholy sigh. 

Mayael  extended her arms into the air in a drawn out stretch as if expelling all notions of sleep from her mind and limbs simultaneously, sinking softly back into her relaxed position. 

They sat silently for a moment, lost in a bittersweet memory of days gone by. Reede turned his gaze across the still lake, his smile faded into a grave expression, his amber eyes growing slightly darker. 

Mother had been returned to the land two years prior while Reede had been away fulfilling his duty. Mayael couldn’t tell whether her passing had any effect on him. Most men were fine to sever their familial bonds upon being chosen, but not Reede. It seemed no matter how strong his sacred bond to the Green Word was, he would never forsake nor forget his kin. 

Growing up, it seemed like the pair had an inextricable link between them. They seemed to know each other’s every thought without as much as an utterance between them as if their very mist was entwined in the womb they once shared. 

His thoughts were becoming increasingly harder to read with every return cycle. Many years in the wood had undoubtedly changed him as it did with all men. Mayael had heard many of the stories of hardship and horrors the men would face in the wood and wondered what likeness Reede had encountered to make his eyes darken so.  

She shook the thoughts of Reede’s suffering from her mind. Dwelling on it did nothing to change his demeanor and would only cause her undue distress. Instead, she thought only that he was there. Still alive.  

Mayael dipped her bare toes into the warm lake, watching the ripples spread and eventually disappear into stillness again. Despite the setting sun, the air was still hot and thick. Night was always a blessing that time of year, even a windless one like that one was sure to bring a welcomed respite from the heat. 

“Do you know who you’re going to choose?” Mayael broke the eternal silence between them.  

Reede kept his gaze fixed on the still lake; his expression unchanged. The only indication her voice broke through his thoughts was the slightest twitch of his ear. 

“Kiet seems the obvious choice.” He paused, stroking the wiry hairs that lined his chin. 

 “I may also take Osk, though he may not be fully ready.” His voice rumbled in a flat tone. 

In a single swift movement, Mayael leapt from her position, resting on her knees. “I must have looked at your face a dozen times today and not once did I recall seeing this!” Mayael tugged at her brother’s wispy chin hair.  “When did my baby brother grow up?” She couldn’t help but tease. 

Reede shoved her hand away, clearly taken off guard by this annoyance. “Don’t think I won’t toss you in. In fact, you smell like you need a bath.”  Reede lunged but quickly paused. 

“What’s this?” He looped his finger around a golden chain which dangled around Mayael’s neck, pulling gently to better inspect the bright red flower pendant attached. 

Mayael quickly snatched the necklace from her brother's grasp. “Just a token of gratitude. That’s all.”   

“Looks like I’m not the only one who’s grown. And who would this ‘token of gratitude’ be from?”  Whatever dour thoughts her brother had been brooding over had been banished for the time being and the light had returned to his eyes. 

Mayael could feel her cheeks grow hot with embarrassment. She manipulated the pendant between her fingers, hoping for some distraction that would change the subject. When it was clear none would come, she braced herself for the teasing that was bound to follow. 

“Just Aulvo. We’ve been trading back and forth for a while now.” her mind briefly trailed off to the moment Aulvo had presented her with the gift. Try as she might, she couldn’t help but smile in a way that would welcome no small amount of harassment from Reede.  

When only silence came, Mayael unlocked her gaze from her prized possession. Reede’s face was once more enveloped in quiet contemplation, though it seemed his thoughts remained in the brighter recesses of his mind for the time being. He gripped his sprouting hair once more and gave a thoughtful grunt as if agreeing with whatever thought had crossed his mind.  

Mayael squinted hard, trying desperately to peer into his thoughts, finding only futility. 

After what seemed like a lifetime Reede shifted his position, no longer imitating a silent statue. 

“Seems like he’s keen to pair with you.” His eyes shifted to the pendant still pinched between Mayael’s fingertips. His face melted back into a boyish smile. 

“Good thing too. Otherwise only a blind jack would have you with that face.” Reede pressed his palm into Mayael’s nose. 

Mayael grasped his palm with both her hands, briefly aware of how small hers were compared to his. She successfully shoved his hand away, though he offered no resistance. 

“You forget we both shared ‘this face’ until we reached thirteen years.”  Mayael retorted. 

“Yes, and I grew out of it. Can’t say the same for you.” He struck back without missing a beat. 

Mayael opened her mouth to quip back but was suddenly silenced by Reede’s outstretched hand. He smelled the air for a moment. “It’s time.” He said in a near whisper. 

She could see the light in his eyes set along with the sun. Their borrowed time was spent, there wouldn’t be another day like this for another five years.  

Mayael had spent the better part of the day preparing herself for their parting and had convinced herself that she would be content to let him go without protest this time around. He had come back many times before and the next would be no different.  

The pair made it home by dusk, the large pyre in the middle of the village raged and gave off the smoky aroma of some recently cooked beast which grew thicker the closer they approached. 

Mayael’s feet stopped as they neared the entrance to their village. ‘If we don’t go in, he doesn’t have to leave.’ the childish voice in her head reasoned. Reede, who was walking a few paces ahead, stopped simultaneously as if her own movements had been predicted. His shoulders rose and fell as he gave a silent sigh. Turning to her motionless frame, he smiled softly out of the corner of his mouth.  

“May-May.” His voice was soft and free of any frustration he may have felt at that moment. 

He cupped her lowered chin in the palms of his hands and gently raised her face to meet his. He peered into her eyes and for a second, she was angry that he could still read her so well after all these years while she struggled. 

He pressed his forehead against hers and held her close, the dams she had built up in her mind all day threatened to burst into a raging flood of tears.   

“See you again.” He whispered and gave her a light kiss on the forehead.  

As if the words were magic incantations, the waters that threatened to overwhelm her receded. Those three words that always seemed to inexplicably banish every creeping fear and assure her that he would be safe as he had so many times before.  

Sensing her relief, Reede released his embrace and gestured silently with his head toward the village. For once, this was a signal she could easily decipher.   

They slipped unnoticed into their appropriate places, Mayael among the women and Reede joining the line of jacks who stood waiting to announce their chosen charges.  

The moonless sky was black as ink, the only light to be seen was that emanating from the raging pyre. Mayael looked on as each male called forth their chosen and unceremoniously ventured forth into the darkness. The man that stood in her brother’s place no longer looked familiar to her in the light of the fire. His features were stiff and pronounced with no hint of emotion.  

The numbers of uncalled dwindled down to a few boys who looked eager, scared, or some combination. It was finally Reede’s turn. He took a deep breath and called forth with a confident rumble, “Kiet.” 

Mayael’s mouth twitched into a brief smile of approval that Reede had gone with his first instinct. The boy, Kiet puffed out his scrawny chest ever so slightly in a gesture of bravery and confidently strode to his new master. Reede laid his hand on the boy’s shoulder, guiding him away. Neither of them looked back, as was the custom. It didn’t stop Mayael’s heart from sinking beneath the waves of sadness once more, but she offered what silent prayer she could that the wood would provide as it always did.  

“See you again.” she whispered as she watched the darkness swallow them whole, perhaps for the final time. 

[arachnidiots-a]

ROXY FIELDS . across the alt verses !

"Oh, come on. You're Roxy and Liam. Liam and Roxy. Separating the two of you would probably make the universe implode at this point." — Peter Parker, SPIDERS issue #53

overwatch : spinning the spider web

roxy works at the lab that liam is accepted to, and the two become co-researchers in the development of silk armor. roxy had her own research that she did for years, independent of liam, with her own unique and vital findings.

when the two start working together, they struggle to get along and truly compromise or work together on the research.

the lab gets broken into and liam and roxy both have the same thought: suit up and save the research. synesilk is seldom seen without websurfer in the skies.

ted lasso : brains and footballs

roxy played on the us women's u-20 team alongside liam as a midfielder. they met there and often would get into awkward scuffles. all the time training together brought them closer eventually and they'd stay in touch even while back in their respective homes and playing for collegiate teams.

roxy played u23 when no longer eligible for u20, and just two years later, around the time liam quit, roxy got a call up for the national team. roxy currently plays for the portland thorns as their forward.

the two still keep in touch and roxy is entirely to credit for getting liam back into the sport.

roxy knows liam doesn't really want to hear it, or sees it for themself but every once in a while they can't help but ask: do you think you're ever gonna come home? roxy misses her

liam hopes to be called up one day to the national team for obvious professional reasons and desires, but also just to play alongside roxy fields one more time

9-1-1 : hero at heart

liam and roxy were paired together in their masters program at ucla. the two of them were caught in a horrific explosion at the lab and together attempted to evacuate others from the building. they get trapped together after a couple of successful attempts to help others, and ultimately it changes both of their career paths.

roxy finishes school and then immediately sets out to become a paramedic. she does pretty brilliantly in the career, with a somewhat nervous start.

at the end of the harder days, the two manage to be there for each other, and look forward to coffee outings and bumping into each other on the scenes.

9-1-1 lone star : heart found in austin

liam and roxy meet in their undergrad years in new york and are caught in an explosion at the lab. liam speed runs the rest of their time in college, but roxy finishes out the whole year

roxy's girlfriend brooke gets an offer to play in an austin based soccer league and together they decide to move to austin. liam probably would've followed if it weren't for the fact they were already in the fire academy

roxy sets out to become a parameddic and eventually goes on to work with ems 63

when liam finally moves out to texas, roxy and brooke welcome them with open arms and help them get settled

musician : color crescendo

roxy plays the drums in liam's band and while roxy might be content fading into the background, liam constantly wants their best friend to shine. roxy helps to write many of liam's songs and often most things are made with just the two of them in a small room.

eventually, liam and roxy have a couple duo demos which leads to their band the web, and an album further down the road which they both are lead singer for.

roxy has a single of her own at some point.

[dearsydney]

March 13th

Dear K, the person who's once ever be my summer sun. It's been a really long time since i wrote you a letter like this, but i can't hold the urge to write this letter because these days every single things makes me look back to the windows of our love.

How's life? Does life giving you the glee? Well, my life's never been better than this. Except, once in a time, i'm missing you.

Do you really wanna know where I was March 14th? Well, actually, you can find me on the usual place. But, one thing changed—I actually able to steer clear of your presence for once. And, don't get me wrong, I'm not doing "revenge" with the exact behavior you've done. Merely, I'm just putting my boundaries on a pedestal so i couldn't get hurt over again.

Yesterday, i poured all my heart out because i keep yearning of you. So, i read all of our old-ass-texts just to get rid of my yearning and my uncertain feeling about how you feel about me back then. Your questionable and cruel behavior towards me after breakup left me questioning, "Do you even ever love me from the first place? Do you always been like this? Is something we had before even real?". Well, the answer to the questions are something I'll never know and will remain be fathomless.

Therefore, things i know are we both evolving and outgrowing each other's life like any human kinds do—so much bittersweet, precisely, by how world always paint us blue but also given us limbo thereafter. And for me, one of my way to get me evolved is by you making me fall down to pieces just so i could put myself up. But, no worries! I'm not gonna put all the blame on you, it's also kind of my fault for having zero boundaries, having low self-esteem and letting you held my lifeless frame back then. I do believe things happens for the best. Because, I mean, you only get stronger by taking adversity by the horns, right? So, i must thank you for made me myself today.

A best-friend of mine told me, the feeling i held nowadays is caused by the mercury retrograde. Is it true? Or is it just May being May? Because, every now and then, the month May always brings back the "would've, could've, should've" thoughts like any previous years—about you being my lost twin-flame; i could feel your tenderness for the second time; you kept your heartfelt promises; karaoke with your mom; took your little sister to play on the playground; binge-watch any genre of series/movies; us living in a big old city; cooked you a meal because you're a picky eater; listening to Taylor Swift's songs in a car; spending the nights stargazing; playing Fortnite, Apex legend, and Valorant because you love them—in spite of the fact i hate FPS so much; us evolving together like i always wanted to. But, as a matter of fact, it's just some distant dreams of mine.

This feeling won't last longer. This feeling would fade away again any sooner. I'll miss you once again later. I'll write letters about you again someday. The lingering hope of our connection will be released. Even so, may everything we had before lives in our mind as a memories we would hold forever. May the memories reminds you whenever you feel lost; whenever the city you're in makes you cold; wherever life has taken you—remember that the love i gave you is the one real thing you've ever had. Perhaps, one day, our paths will cross again, and there won't be any grievances or complaints in our hearts, or maybe the path will only remain as a broken cobblestone.

—21.34, written by Sydney

[bokettochild]

request: sometimes time likes to be alone underwater. with his iron boots and zora helmet, it's easy to just take a stroll at the bottom of a deep enough lake, away from the rest of the world. he did not expect, however, to find legend relaxing inside a small hole in the stone. Mer Legend.

Oh boy! I was vibing with this one for a while, I just wanted to make it perfect!

I'm pretty happy with what I made too, but man is it long!

(I hope this makes you happy, anon!)

When he and Malon have kids, he hopes they don't have this many.

Nayru knows he loves his boys, but they can get a bit much sometimes. They can get loud and overwhelming, and as a man who’s used to traveling primarily alone, with maybe a fairy trailing behind him or his trusted mount, it’s a bit overwhelming. He’s not used to being around people so much, Malon and Talon are his only consistent company and even then, the work they share means that often times it’s only him and his thoughts as he mucks, mends and tends things around the ranch.

Sometimes, when the boys get especially rowdy and playful, it’s just nice to get a moment of quiet to himself. Between Sky and Twilight he knows that nothing overly chaotic will go down, and he trusts the boys to keep each other in check.

So, when they come to the Pup’s Hyrule, their battle in this world over and most of their number restless as they wait for the next portal to arrive and whisk them away, Time allows his boys their space, and with a quick exchange with the only two he can trust to not burn something down (at least while the younger ones can still see them) he heads off into the forest to get a little space to himself.

Of course, he can’t really go far, not if he needs to hurry back, but he doesn’t really need to. His destination is Lake Hylia, which is only a short distance from their camp, maybe ten or fifteen minutes, and, when he gets there, he allows himself to actually breathe for once.

Wild, Warriors and Wind had been locked in a game of cards when last he left, the champion soundly beating the other two both at cribbage while Wars bemoans his poor luck, and Twilight and Sky were discussing wood carving with Hyrule, with the occasional comment from the smithy, who is only too happy to throw in something related every so often as he looks up from his book. That leaves himself and Legend, and he’s long since learned that the vet was one to disappear for his own space when possible.

He’s not overly worried. Legend has items and experience that far outmatch most of their group, and if he runs into trouble Time has little doubt that he’ll be able to get himself out of it to at least gather reinforcements, if not handle the issue by himself.

A deep breath of relief escapes him as the eldest of the heroes pulls a few items from his own bag. The boots are a familiar if not welcome weight as he slips out of his armor and dons the tunic and cap of the Zora, his breath bubbling softly as he steps into the lake before him with a contented sigh.

The cool water floods over the top of him, tugging at his hair and bubbling in his lungs, but it’s doesn’t burn the way that it should. He breathes easily beneath the rippling surface of Lake Hylia, the Zora tunic granting him freedom beneath the waves.

There is little sound beneath, only the muffled noise from above the surface, the flow of the water and-

Time’s ears prick forwards as a single blue eye turns to search the space around him.

Someone is singing.

It’s a haunting sort of melody, one that draws you in and makes you dazed, and Time finds himself stumbling over his own feet as he searches for the source. It is not a Cursed song, nor anything powerful from what he can recall, in fact, it’s almost familiar. It sounds similar to something he hears hummed about their camp at night while the boys take watch. He’d never been able to place which of the young heroes hummed the lilting melody, but he’s let it carry him off to sleep many a time before. Only this song, the one that twines about his head and whispers in his ears and makes his feet trek closer and closer to its source, this song is different, it’s haunted and Broken, and it is sung in a Voice.

Not a voice like most of those above the surface have, but a Voice like a fairy or spirit might have. One that pulls at your very soul and sings in your mind, un-hampered by wind or waves, able to carry across miles to be heard by those that it Sings too.

Heavy feet trod faster.

He’s under no spell, but he is a Link, and by now he has learned that all of their kind are blessed or cursed with courage and curiosity both, and to be without the latter is simply unthinkable for the young-at-heart hero. Something –the forest imp in him maybe- tells him to find the Voice, find the Singer.

He’s only made it part of the way across the lake, hasn’t even left the shoreline properly, when the song stops. Unease creeps over him as he looks around, alert and ready for trouble, only to see nothing but the peaceful stillness of the lake bottom around him.

There! His mind supplies as something pink flits in the corner of his vision, and he’s whipping around to come face to face with-

Long tangled hair drifts in the waves as glistening scales reflect the light pouring down through the waves. Too deep, too dark eyes stare at him in shock for a brief moment, and then-

The creature, the thing, is gone in an instant. Whipping away as it’s glimmer fades into the waves around him, speed no doubt granted by the brilliant tail of the thing sending it rocketing out of his grasp before he even has a chance to speak.

He tried to follow it. He does! But quite soon the adult part of his mind is reminding him how dangerous the thing could be, and that he still has his boys to return to back on the surface. It’s been exactly thirty-two minutes and thirteen seconds since he left them at their camp, and by now they usually would have sent someone to check and make sure that whatever member of their party had strayed off was alright.

Removing his boots is all it takes to float to the surface, despite the fact that he still holds the things in his hands, and it’s with no small amount of relief that he realizes that the bank of the lake is free of other heroes.

Time gathers his things together, wringing out his hair and clothes before returning to his normal gear and heading back to the camp.

Smiles and chuckles greet him as the young heroes tease.

“Go for a swim, Old Man?” Legend quirks a brow, staring up from his place by the fire.

Time doesn’t answer him, but he does shake his head violently enough to spray the younger heroes with water, earning shouts and shrieks from them as they try and shield themselves from the wet. “Seriously, Time?” Warriors moans, wiping lake water from his face. “What are you, a dog?”

Time smirks at the captain and, to everyone's surprise (which produces no small amount of delight for him), he barks.

“What sorts of people have you met in your adventures?” Sky asks a couple of days later, head cocked to the side as he watches his brothers. “You all talk about so many races, but I don’t think I've heard of most of them.”

“Well,” Wild smiles, there’s a glint in his gaze that isn’t quite mischief, but it’s a warning to be wary anyway, because they all know what a crack-pot their cook can be at times. “There’s Hylians, of course, and Sheikah, Yiga, Gerudo, Rito, Gorons, Zora and koroks! You’ve probably already met the Sheikah, since you mentioned knowing an Impa during your journey, and the Yiga are an offshoot of that group.”

Twilight blinks and stares, Warriors furrowing his brow as he two older heroes stare at the younger, but Wild seem entirely unaffected.

“Gerudo are a desert people. They’re really tall, and extremely strong! Most of their race have long red hair and slightly darker skin than the people around Hyrule. They are a society of all woman, with only one man being born to them every hundred years. They worship the goddess Din for the most part, and live out of an opulent city set in the desert where they specialize in the crafting of weapons and jewelry, and the farming of exotic plants.” The champion then proceeds to run down traits and knowledge about the other races, matter-of-factly, as if the details he is sharing are things that everyone from the surface knows.

“Wow.” Sky laughs as Wild finishes. “I had no idea.”

“There’s also the minish.” Four adds. “And the Wind Tribe, who are sky people, of course.”

Sky looks curious, but Four says nothing more, instead gesturing to the other heroes to share their thoughts, which they do.

“Terminans.” Time offers. “Very similar to Hylians.”

“Ordonians.” Twilight adds with a fond smile. No explanation is needed.

The others all nod along, but Legend rolls his eyes. “Humans, like, non-Hylian humans, Shifters,” The vet stares upwards with a light scowl as he ticks the races off of his fingers. “Technically they’re humans too, but Wild counted the Sheikah and Gerudo, so there’s also the Lorulians, Labrynninians, Holodrumese folks, Hytopians, Drablanders, Subrosians, Catalians-” Legend frowns. “I could swear there are more but I can’t really recall.”

Time, for whatever reason, he can’t really say why, cocks his head. “Any water people other than Zora?”

The vet snaps his fingers. “Mer-folk! Thank you, Time. I guess fae and animal folk count on that note.”

There’s a scoff and Warriors is leaning forwards with a smirk. “Fairies and animals, sure, but mer? Seriously, Legend? Have you even met a mer before?”

“Many times.” The veteran drawls, cocking a brow in the captain’s direction. “On multiple adventures. What about you, cap? Jealous you couldn’t snag one for your guild of brides?”

Warriors blusters about indignantly, earning laughter from the others as Legend smirks, but the man recovers quickly enough. “I do not have a guild of brides! That is- that is utterly disgusting!”

“Could have fooled me.” Legend teases, sipping some water from a flask.

“Give him a break.” Twilight snickers, shoving the vet playfully.

The unfortunate thing about Twilight’s shoves though is that the ranch hand doesn’t seem to know his own strength, and Legend is small enough that the light push is enough to send him scrabbling to not hit the ground. More laughter rings about their camp, but this time at the vet's expense, as Legend topples over into the dirt, spilling his drink and failing his arms as he goes.

“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up.” Legend huffs, pulling himself back up and dusts off his clothes, scowling at the water spilled on him. “Great.”

“Oh, come on, you came back soaked to the skin earlier, what’s a bit of water going to hurt you, huh, vet?” Warriors ribs, smirking.

Legend shoots him a half-hearted glare.

“Legend,” Time starts slowly. “How would you describe the mer?”

The vet pauses, gaze resting maybe a moment too long as his hands as he brushes off the hem of his tunic. He’s already done so and there’s really no reason for him to do it again, but he does anyway. “What you’d expect.” He shrugs haltingly. “Hylian on top, fish beneath. Tail, long hair, that sort of thing.”

The old man hums. Legends ears twitch, nose shivering slightly as violet eyes flit over their group. “Care to expand on your sky people story, Four?”

“I’m good.” The smithy replies lazily.

Time would pass it off as a strange one-time thing, he would, but there are... other factors at play.

They’ve traveled to Four’s time, fighting off monsters and solving puzzles the same as they’ve always done. The boys are taking some downtime, playing hide and seek, and just like the last time, Time takes himself down to the river they’ve made camp ear and dons his Zora gear.

He isn’t expecting to see the creature, the mer, again, much less hear them singing -after all, this is a Hyrule far before his Pup’s- but there the creature is. It- or they- frolic in the water, chasing fish and singing softly. The tune is lighter than the last one he heard, a different song entirely, but there is no denying that it is the same mer.

Gold flecked, petal pink scales shimmer beneath the twisted lights that invade the water, hair of the same colors flowing in the current as long fingers, tipped with pointed claws, reach out to swipe at the fish swimming wildly away. They don’t catch anything, but Time hears it giggle anyways, the tune of its voice bubbling in merriment as it rolls like and otter and turns to explore some other part of the river bed.

The cursed curiosity of a hero niggles in Time’s mind. How is the same mer from before in this timeline, ages before Twilight would even be born? And why do they play and explore as if they’ve never seen this river bed before in their life?

Long claws pull through sand, and although their hair blocks their face from his view, he can still hear the warble of delight as the creature removes something sparkling and bright from the river bed. The mer floats in place, turning the item over in their hands curiously before whisking it out of sight and returning to their search.

A mer that likes treasure, huh? Why is he unsurprised?

His own soft laugh startles them, and for a half of a moment, golden ringed, violet eyes, wide and bright and full of shock, meet his own.

The mer is gone before he can make a move.

He asks Legend about it the next day. As they travel along the path towards the nearest town, Time falls back to ask the vet more about mer.

“Do mer like treasure?”

Legend starts, eyes wide as they meet his own, and something in the back of his mind is nagging him that the look in the vet’s eyes is somehow familiar. “What?”

“Do mer like treasure?” He repeats himself.

Legend stares at him, blinking slowly as they continue along the path, but eventually the vet shakes his head and answers. “Depends on the mer. They’re people too, Time, they can have varying interests and hobbies. There is no standard for mer. None.”

“Don’t they all swim at least?”

Legend’s gaze is flat. “There are disabled Hylians aren’t there? Not all Hylians can walk, and not Mer can swim. Some just choose not to because they don’t like it!”

Time frowns. How does the vet know so much about mer culture? “How do you know this?”

The vet shrugs, eyes darting away. “I’ve been a lot of places and met a lot of people. Mer are no exception.”

“I thought you hated swimming and the water?” Wind breaks in, falling back to join the two of them with an odd look on his face. He looks like a puppy and it’s killing Time not to ruffle the kid’s hair.

“Didn’t always.” Legend returns, smiling wryly down at the sailor. “But enough of that. The real question here is if you’ve ever met one, sailor.”

“A mer?” Wind furrows his brow, looking away with a soft sigh. “The water in my world isn’t safe for the people who lived in it. There’s hardly even any fish in most places. The Zora in my time had to adapt to the air instead in order to survive.”

Awkward silence falls over them, the vet looking guilty for a half a moment before he settles a hand on the kid’s shoulder. “The goddesses aren’t always fair, Maliit, it’s not your fault.

Time hums his agreement, heart aching for yet another young hero and a world that suffered for Time’s failure to have properly saved it.

He sees the mer again. Not just when he’s in the water himself, but when he’s keeping watch during the night or on occasion when he goes fishing with Twilight. The Pup says nothing about seeing gold and pink beneath the water, but Time finds himself watching it all the same.

It darts beneath the dock they’re fishing on one time, and when Twilight’s line gets a tug, the rancher pulls it up only to find the one of his boots dangling from the other end.

Time can’t help it, he laughs.

So, this mer is a prankster, huh?

He takes to seeking them out, trying to catch their attention or try to talk to them, but nothing works. The minute that gold and violet eyes meet his own, petal pink scales flick deftly in the waves and the mer is swimming away.

But Time isn’t dumb.

He knows that the same mer cannot reasonably exist across all of time, not with all the changes that come to the world with each hero. He knows that this being is somehow following them, and h’s got a rather good idea exactly how it’s happening.

It’s a long shot, but he knows for a fact that Legend is always gone from camp before he sees the creature, and enough times startling the vet when asking about mer has taught him that the expressions between the two are the same. All he knows on the mer’s face is shock, but the vet’s eyes glimmer the same shade of violet, even if they are different in size and shape, and the petal pink hair that the vet comes out of the forest with one evening after their group was separated is uncannily similar to the shade of the mer.

They’ve made camp again, and rather than climbing into the water when he catches a moment alone, Time settles on the shore, not in the mood to be in the water but in need of its calming song. The air has been tense the past few days, and Time welcomes a brief moment to relax, forcing himself not to think of the gaping wound in his Pup’s side or the ragged breath that wheezes between the rancher’s lips.

Twilight will be fine, he reminds himself. Hyrule and Warriors had worked together to tend the wound and while it would definitely leave a scar, the danger of losing their beloved friend and brother (and maybe son?) is not so high anymore.

He welcomes a free breath, away from the hurt gazes of his boys as they try and process that their beloved canine friend and the rancher are one and the same. A chance to think without having to stop those who were out of the know from bombarding those who were in it with questions.

He’s glad to be free of the questions himself.

Legend seems to be too, if the glint of pink beneath the waves is to be believed.

He doesn’t approach this time, doesn’t try entering the water to speak. He’s tired and he wants his spae, and he imagines Legend would like his own too. So, instead, he sits on the bank, feet trailing in the water and ocarina on his lips as he plays softly.

The tune is a sweet one, one he’d written himself that lilts and dips softly, very nearly perfect for a dance, but far more suited to a night by a fire or watching the sunset. And sunset it is, fading light stretching out across the water, glinting of the surface and reflecting off of gold and pink-

He stops, eye wide as he turns towards the flash in his vision.

Gold and violet stare back at him, framed in curling pink as Legend freeze half-way through pulling on his tunic again.

Gold fades just as the scales dissapear and leave the vet siting on the shore, tunic still bunched around his shoudlers and violet eyes wide with fear as he regards his leader.

“I won’t tell.” Time forces, turning away his gaze and returning his focus to the instrument in his hand. He doesn’t play, but he doesn’t look up either.

“It’s an item.” Legend forces, strained. His voice is still tainted with whatever power had shifted him between forms, and it’s sweeter and more melodious than normal. “I found it on my third adventure. Got cursed.”

“Like the rancher?” Time hums softly, not having to look up to know that Legend is shifting nervously, foot tapping madly at the ground beneath him.

“Yeah.” Legend huffs.

“Okay.” And he does look up them, calm and as open as he can make himself seem as he meets the vet’s gaze.

“Just okay?” One brow cocks as Legend crosses his arms.

“Just okay. It’s your secret, Legend. I can’t change what I’ve seen, but I won’t tell the others either.”

Legend nods, wary bit willing to accept the words, if only for now. “If you say so.”

They’re on their way back to camp, Legend carrying an armload of fish and Time carrying both of their bags when the vet stops and glares at him. “I don’t want to hear any jokes, alright? I get enough of those from Twilight and Sky.”

“They know?” The old man tilts his head in question.

Legend flushes, ducking his head and setting off again at a speed some might label a scurry. “No. Hurry up, these fish are gonna rot!”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Waves lap around his head and it’s all Time can do to break the surface, coughing and hacking as he struggles to remain above the water.

The portal had come at the worst time ever, and no one had been ready to be dropped into the center of the ocean.

Lightning crackles overhead as waves swirl and crash about him. The ocean rages and Time is again reminded how small Hylian’s are in the face of Mother Earth herself.

“Boys!” The shout rasps from his throat as he spins to look about, praying to every deity he knows that he’ll find the rest of them safe and sound, or at the very least together. Never mind that Twilight still can’t walk, much less swim. Never mind the smithy’s shattered arm and Wild’s fear of the water. He can’t panic about those right now, he has to find them!

“Over here!” Sky’s voice answers him. The Chosen Hero clings to the shivering form of the smithy, both are soaked and trembling, but they’re managing to stay above the waves.

“My Hyrule!” Wind calls out as Time strikes out towards them, and the sailor continues once he’s close enough to see that at least five of his boys are safe. “We’re near land,” Wind nods in a random direction and Time wonders briefly how the sailor even knows that. “It could be a challenge in these waves, but we can make it. Have you seen the others?”

Hyrule looks up at him hopefully, the water-logged traveler fighting madly to stay above the water but succeeding despite the waves. Time reminds himself to help the boy learn to swim more effectively later, and more importantly how to properly tread water, but for now he focuses on answering Wind. “You're the firsts. We’ll have to hope the others are alright, getting y’all to safety is my first concern.

“But Wild!” Hyrule splutters, choking on some water as Time swims over to give the traveler someone to cling to. Freezing fingers latch ahold of his armor as teeth chatter, the waves are neither kind nor warm and with their health as it is he’s certain someone is going to end up with a cold when this is all over. “And Twilight! A-and Legend and Wars! They’re out there somewhere!”

“We have to hope Legend and Warriors can elp the other two. We can’t do them any good if we’re fighting to stay above ourselves.” He tries to same calm, but his own mind and heart scream with the same message that Hyrule’s voice does, and its all he can do to push it down.

Thunder rolls overhead and waves beneath as they push off towards the shore, each of the older heroes aiding a younger one as Wind guides them all towrads the supposed island.

Time hs never been so relieved to see sand in his life, and as Hyrule pulls himself up the bach and Wind helps Sky to settle Four, Time can only pray that he’ll find his way back again. “I’m going to look for the otehrs. Wind, stay and help Sky.” The sailor looks as if he wants to hesitate, but he knows better than anyone how a small body can be lost to the waves much easier than an adult. “Make a fire, warm up as best you can. Keep an eyes out. I’ll come back if- when I find the others.”

He stops only to shed his armor and don his Zora gear, but a single dive beneath the water is enough to tell him that it’s for naught. Wind wasn’t joking about his water being toxic, and a single breath of the stuff leaves Time heaving as soon as he breaks the surface.

His chances of finding the boys have lowered considerably.

Nayru above, don’t let anyone have sunk beneath!

Time swims for all he is worth, pushing past weariness as he battles each and every wave. And he’s just beginning to lose hope when he catches sight of something silver reflecting in the water as lighting flashes above.

“Time!”

Blue whips around to meet its twins as Warriors comes to swim beside him. “Have you found any of the others?”

“Wind, Sky, Hyrule and Four.” he breathes back. “You?”

The captian looks rueful but nods to his side. “Legend.”

Time can’t help but start as Legend’s eyes peek above the surface. Golden and violet are glassy in the pale ace of the vet, but they’re there and that means that Legend is alive.

“I’ve officially met my first mer.” Warriors sighs, but there’s worry in the captains voice and face both.

“Split up.” Legend’s voice rasps, and there none of the melodic song that Time is used to hearing from this form of the vet.

Legend is pale, far too pale.

“What’s-”

“Wind’s world.” Warriors tells him. “Water here is toxic.”

The water is toxic. The water, which mer have to breath to stay alive, is toxic.

Time’s gaze shoots to the vet but there’s only a flick of gold and pink as he disappears beneath the waves. Warriors groans.  “He keeps doing that! I swear, I have no way of knowing if he’s even still there, but he still insists on disappearing like the little shit he is.”

Usually, Time would scold his brother for such a tone, but he knows that Warriors is just sacred. He’s terrified, and it leaks into his voice and his actions, and the only way that the soldier knows how to hide the fear is by biting back with venom, not dissimilar to the vet’s own actions.

They swim together, searching and calling out for the two missing heroes. Hope is beginning to fade and Time can feel a gnawing fear eating away at his heart as he thinks of the gaping wound in his Pup’s side and the likelihood that Twilight would even be able to swim with it.

His pup’s chances aren’t high.

“Look!” Warriors shouts over the storm, jerking him from his thoughts as his eyes follow the captain’s pointing hand.

Pink bobs on the surface, backed by bedraggled and soaked black fur as Legend hauls Twilight’s limp form through the water.

“Pup!”

He’s taking the lad from Legend as soon as they’re in reach, and Legend seems to sag in relief as the weight is removed from his shoulder. “Was with Wild. Bring him to-” The vet wheezes and ducks beneath the water for a moment, coming up with a pained expression on his face. “Bring to shore. I’ll get Wild.” He gives them no time to respond, tail flicking as he disappears beneath the waves again.

Time and Warriors exchange a glance and head back to shore, supporting the weight of the rancher between them.

Wind and Sky have managed to get a virtual bonfire going on the shore, and the sailor has laid what blankets and bed-rolls he’s found of their equipment in front of it, allowing their dampened things to ry as he and the other three heroes bundle together for warmth.

It’s with a cheer that they al; greet Time and Warriors as the two emerge from the ocean, and Time can’t help but smile a bit in relief at seeing them all safe again. Only a little longer and Legend will be back with Wild, and then he can rest easy knowing they’re all out of the storm.

Rain still patters against already soaked skin and cloth, but with the fire flickering before them Time can’t bring himself to care over much.

Hyrule’s fingers shiver as they slide over the wound in Twilight’s side, cleansing it from the poisonous water that has soaked into the bandages, and while Twilight grits his teeth and winces, he’s at least conscious enough to do so, and that alone brings some peace to the others.

Warriors informs the others of the whereabouts of their two missing brothers, and Time helps to settle Twilight on one of the warming bedrolls. It made still be wet, but it’s better than getting sand in the pup’s wound.

They wait in tense silence, bundled together to share heat as nervous gazes watch the shore. Wind hasn’t stopped muttering under his breath and Four isn’t doing much better with his half formed sentences and steady murmurs.

It’s only when Wild’s golden hair can be seen on the shore that they all release a breath of air.

Cornflower blue is wide and glazed, likely from shock, but it doesn’t stop the champion from reaching back into the waves to pull out his companion.

Legend is a mess.

The veteran gasps and splutters for breath once he’s free, skin a sickly shade of white and eyes just as glazes as Wild's own as the two clings to each other, and when the two stand together Legend is leaning heavily against the shaking champion, and it’s only through sheer luck that Time and Sky get there in time to catch them before the duo collapses back into the waves.

Wild curls against Time’s chest, fingers shaking and eyes blank as the man carries him back to the fire. Legend doesn’t even stir, lying limp in Sky’s hold as the Skyloftian bustles back to join the other heroes.

Nothing is said about the glistening tail that fades into legs once Legend is warmed and dried, and even if anyone had dared the stern gaze of the first of their number would have been enough to silence them.

Violet blinks hazy and distant beneath the warmed fabric of Sky’s sailcloth, but they are all safe. They are all safe and they are alive.

“Thanks to Legend.” Wild whispers when he comes back, head resting against Times collar bone. “Without him I would have never got Twi back to shore.”

“Three cheers for the vet.” Wars forces a smile, and while the cheers are heartfelt and thankful, they do nothing to lighten the mood.

Legend doesn’t even seem to hear them.

[lipstickstainz]

mismatched socks - s. r.

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Reader

Request: Spencer's girlfriend (reader, FBI agent too) always wears mismatched socks and when they have their first night together at his apartment he notices, and his brain goes to mush, and falls in love with her even more

Warnings: fluff, some talk about Spencer being insecure Word Count: 2.2k A/N: thanks for the request, love! I really enjoyed writing it! requests are open guys! hope you enjoy. gif not mine.

Spencer had always known he was different. He had always been the smartest in school, which could be attributed to his eidetic memory. He wasn't invited to birthday parties because he liked to tell facts that were funny to him, but that no one else found funny. And he had been rather an oddball in other ways, too.

All his life this fact had made him insecure. He thought of himself as too skinny, too unathletic-especially when he compared himself to Derek, which was pretty stupid, of course-and his hair always lay funny, no matter how hard he tried to tame it. He wore cardigans over shirts-the watch over the cardigan, of course-which was pretty weird, but he wore Converse with them and two different socks every day. He loved magic and physics jokes. Spencer couldn't talk about the latest episode of Greys Anatomy, and he wasn't sure what Team Stefan and Team Damon were. Spencer didn't fit in perfectly anywhere and it had taken him time to accept that. He also never imagined anyone would find in attractive, or even want to be with him.

Until you came along.

On your first day at BAU, he immediately noticed three things about you. First, you walked incredibly fast, actually too fast to just walk from one office to the next. It seemed to her as if you were flying. Second, you tucked your hair behind your ears every few minutes, even when it wasn't falling in your face. He wondered why you didn't use a pin or a scrunchie. But it was a habit that didn't bother him in the least. From the moment he first saw you, he found you irresistibly pretty, and he was glad your hair didn't cover your face. And third, you could write ambidextrously. As the team sat in the conference room and you scribbled something in your case file - also something he noticed, you seemed to prefer paper as much as he did - you reached for your coffee cup with your right hand and continued to write undisturbed with your left, until the entire team looked at you as if you were from another star. It was a look Spencer knew all too well.

He had never met anyone like you.

Spencer liked you from the first moment he saw you. He liked that you took your backpack on both shoulders and that you preferred cocoa to coffee. He liked the way you smiled at him when he brought you one from the office kitchen and set it on your desk. And he liked the way your skin felt on his when you reached under the desk for his hand when you noticed a change in his demeanor. You then squeezed his hand twice. Once for "It's all right" and once for "I'm here, with you."

In your presence, everything seemed as easy as breathing. You listened to him when he blathered on about a subject you didn't understand, because you liked his intelligence and the way he explained things without looking down on others. You even asked when he had to explain something to you, which had surprised him so much the first few times that he had completely forgotten what your conversation was about. He had stared at you and the blush had come to his face. One feature that didn't escape you, but made him even more attractive to you.

When you went to his table one morning and told him that you had seen Star Trek for the first time the previous night, and now wondered how realistic the physics in the movie were, he could hardly stand it. You were beautiful and intelligent and interested in Star Trek? And when you asked him if he could explain something from the movie to you, he was sure his dream girl was standing right in front of him.

"I need your help", he told Derek that very day as they stood together in the kitchen. "How do I ask a girl out?"

Derek nearly choked on his coffee before turning to Spencer. "Since when do you want to date?" He noticed Spencer's gaze, which wasn't on him, but slid past him and lingered on you.You sat at your desk and tucked your hair behind your ears before looking up and over at Spencer's desk.  Derek could see your gaze wander around the office and then linger on Spencer before you smiled and got back to work. With a grin, Derek looked at Spencer. "You're going to ask Y/N out on a date? Oh boy, it's about time you finally do. I already said to Penelope that -"

"Please, Morgan. I just want to know how to ask her out”, Spencer interrupted him, looking at his friend.

Derek's grin gave way to an honest, friendly smile. "Don't make a big deal out of it. Just ask her directly."

"And if she says no?", asked Spencer uncertainly, his mouth twisting into a thin line. He couldn't imagine you going on a date with him, but he couldn't stay in the dark any longer either. He had to at least try.

"She won't”, Derek assured him. The whole team felt that Spencer and you would be perfect for each other, but he didn't tell him that. Spencer should learn to walk before he starts running. "I can see the way she looks at you. And if she does say no, she's not as smart as I thought."

Spencer trusted Derek's words and took it upon himself to ask you out on a date that very day. He had phrased the question countless times in his head, even encouraging himself in the mirror in the men's room, but every time he stood in front of you and looked at your beautiful face, he couldn't get a single word out. They got stuck in his throat and he was so embarrassed that he fled from you several times. By the third time, he had red marks on his neck, which you noticed immediately, and you wondered how you had made him so uncomfortable without having really done anything. When he said nothing again, you put your hand on his forearm.

"Are you okay, Spencer?", you asked, and he just nodded. It's now or never.

"Wouldyougooutwithme?" He almost mumbled, but you had understood him perfectly. "If you don't want to, that's fine, and we'll pretend I never asked. We'll just keep being friends and -"

"Spencer," you interrupted, smiling up at him, "I'd love to go out with you," you replied, and he was able to breathe deeply again. The marks on his neck faded as you tucked your hair behind your ear.

He had done it. Spencer had asked you and you had agreed, but where was he going to take you? Nothing seemed good enough for him. Going out to eat was nice, but you didn't seem like someone who needed to talk the whole time. He thought movie theaters were dumb because you couldn't talk there at all. After two days he had thought of something and he wouldn't have minded if you thought the idea was stupid, but when he presented his idea to you, you smiled at him excitedly.

"I can't wait."

You spent your first date in Spencer's favorite library, surrounded by knowledge and stories. You walked the aisles together, telling stories of books you had read and found to be good, and books you had abandoned because they were so bad you couldn't finish them. As you walked through each aisle, which had actually taken an entire afternoon, Spencer didn't want the date to end. He was going to suggest something else, but you beat him to it.

"There's a couch over there. Shall we sit there? Then you can read me something from your favorite book."

You would be the death of him.

A few weeks later, you had arranged to go for a walk. The weather was nice, not too hot and not too cool, so you strolled hand in hand along the paths. He liked the fact that you worked together but couldn't just talk about the job. You were explaining to him why a certain Matt Donavan from a vampire series was incredibly annoying when someone stopped in front of you.

"Y/N! How nice to see you!", the young woman said, unceremoniously wrapping her arms around you. When she broke away from you, you looked at Spencer.

"Spencer, this is Lisa, my college roommate. Lisa, this is Spencer, my boyfriend”, you explained before you could think about what you had just said. You chatted briefly before going your separate ways again. You noticed a change in Spencer's behavior and feared you had misinterpreted everything. When you couldn't take it anymore, you stopped.

"Look, I'm sorry I called you my boyfriend”, you said, looking down at the ground in shame. "We've never talked about what exactly we are, but it feels like you're my boyfriend and I wish you were, so I -"

"Y/N”, he interrupted you and tenderly reached for your hand. A smile spread across his face. He couldn't believe himself that he would ask you that. "Would you like to be my girlfriend?"

The bar was crowded and the later it got, the more crowded you felt. The team had been in the mood to celebrate after a difficult case, so everyone had gathered in the regular bar. Penelope was putting on some dance moves on the dance floor while Emily and JJ were bawling out the song, which neither Spencer nor you knew. He had his arm around your waist and pulled you tightly to his side, which you enjoyed very much. He didn't fit in here with his shirt and cardigan, but he fit you, you were one hundred percent sure of that.

As you stifled a yawn, he looked down at you. "Shall we go? You seem tired and I'm getting ready to go to bed too”, he suggested and you nodded. Outside, he hailed you a cab and as you got in, you gave the driver Spencer's address.

"We're going to my place?", asked Spencer, looking at you in confusion as you nestled into his side.

"Yeah, I hope that's okay”, you replied, "If it's too soon for you for us to sleep together, then you just have to say so. I won't be mad at you."

How could he be mad at you? You wanted to spend the night with him. You wanted to fall asleep next to him and wake up next to him. He had hit the jackpot.

"Would you like to drink something?", he asked as you sat down on the couch and kicked off your shoes. It wasn't the first time you'd been in his apartment, but you'd never entered his bedroom before and you didn't want to take the step without him. It was still his apartment and his privacy and you respected that.

"Just water, please”, you replied, pulling your legs up so he could sit next to you. He handed you the glass and you took a big gulp.

In your presence, Spencer had never felt like an oddball. You never made him feel like he was different or weird. You didn't laugh at him, you laughed with him, and you had assured him many times how incredibly attractive he was to you, even if he couldn't see it. He wasn't too skinny or too unathletic for you. He dressed askew, but it suited him like a glove and you had imagined more than once what he would look like without clothes. It didn't bother you in the least that he wasn't interested in the technology of today. For you, he was just right. For you, he was perfect.

Even though you often assured him how much you liked him and how happy you were with him, he was still insecure from time to time. But as you sat there together on the couch and you put your legs on his thighs, he was one hundred percent sure that he didn't need to be insecure. On your left foot was a green sock, while on your right dangled an orange sock.

You wore the socks like he did. Two different ones. Had you seen this on him and copied it or had you always worn socks like this? A question that could be answered later. His heart stopped for a second, his brain turned to mush, which is why he couldn't control his following words either. "I think I love you."

Surprised, you looked to him and noticed that his gaze lingered on your socks. "You see my socks and then say you love me? Maybe something isn't going right in that clever head of yours”, you grinned and leaned towards him. Blushes shot up his face. "I love you too, Spencer."

Gently, you placed your lips on his. The kiss was tender, hesitant, but Spencer saw his chance and gently pulled you onto his lap before wrapping his arms around you and holding you close. His heart threatened to overflow with love. As he placed his hands on your butt, you moaned softly into his mouth. He smiled.

In your presence, he didn't feel like he was different.