#and unity is kinda... heartbroken a little but

[rsanchezslut]

Yes this is a gorls support gorls page but I think meeting Unity only a couple months in to dating Rick would be SOOO wild. Like, of course you don't wanna be jealous of their history with him, and they're too... professional, per se, to be aggravated by you....

but Rick doing some rick type shit where he leaves you alone w/ them for a while and you just kinda sit there together in silence.........

They're like... "so. How much of his history do you know?

And you're like. "Um. How much do you know?"

And it's just so .... skjfhadkjsfha

(plus Morty being all nervous by the thought of you guys fighting... trying to placate you both.... LMFAO it's so. Morty. You're 14!!)

[mapsthewanderer]

Caleb speculations

Caleb and the MC —

Inspired by The story of Hou Yi and Chang’e?

Another reason why I believe Caleb’s upcoming memories and myths will be almost exclusively inspired by Chinese traditional folklore

(This is banter but also kinda serious)

Poetic Caleb, awwhh! I THINK NOT! Sir, you are speaking in riddles and I will crack ‘em like a walnut!

Lemme fill you in on some Chinese folklore

Chang’e and Hou Yi (嫦娥与后羿) – The Moon and the Earth

This is one of China’s most well-known tragic love stories, associated with the Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋节, Zhōngqiūjié).

Chang’e and Hou Yi are central figures in a tragic Chinese myth. In ancient times, there were ten suns in the sky, scorching the Earth. The hero Hou Yi, a great archer, shot down nine of the suns to save the world, leaving only one. As a reward, the Jade Emperor gave him a magical elixir of immortality. However, Hou Yi, not wanting to live forever without his wife Chang’e, kept the elixir for them both.

Not only is Caleb a ranged companion in battle, is also a friggin roboman. He’s basically immortal at this point (an overstatement but you get me, right?). And Caleb refers to the sun in the screen shots, like Hou Yi made it to be only one sun. LET ME also remind you on how every inch of his being is summer, sun and warmth.

Over time, Hou Yi’s power and ambition grew, and he became a king. His trusted apprentice, Peng Meng, tried to steal the elixir. To protect it, Chang’e drank it herself, inadvertently becoming immortal and ascending to the moon.

Sounds familiar right? Hello ambitious Colonel Caleb, where u at. The other part, tho. There isn’t a spec of me that doesn’t 100% acknowledge the MC as some kind of immortal being. But time will tell.

Hou Yi was heartbroken and spent every night gazing at the moon, longing for his beloved wife. In return, Chang’e looked down at Earth, forever separated but still in love.

Cough. See the screen shots I posted. I might be severely trippin’ but Caleb states how he and the MC should not end up chasing each other like the sun and the moon 🌕💔🌞

Their story symbolizes sacrifice, love, and the consequences of immortality, and it is celebrated during the Mid-Autumn Festival, where people honor Chang’e and admire the full moon. At the Mid-Autumn Festival, it is common to eat mooncakes, which symbolize the fullness and completeness of the moon, and by extension, the hope for family unity—a bittersweet reminder of Chang’e’s eternal longing and sacrifice.

That last part has me 💀 I’m calling it. We’ll get an event in Autumn that nods to this folklore. I bet ya we’ll be moon goddesses stuffing ourselfs with mooncakes LOL

The Apple Blossom and the Moon Goddess (Chang’e)

Just a lil something I also found while looking through all the tragic lovestories I could find in Chinese folklore:

One lesser-known folk tale links apple blossoms to Chang’e, the Moon Goddess. In some regional variations of her legend, after ascending to the moon, Chang’e was said to have created a celestial orchard where apple trees bloomed eternally. The blossoms in this version symbolize eternal beauty, love from afar, and the longing between separated lovers—similar to how Hou Yi and Chang’e are forever apart.

Guess who has apple blossoms as his flower? 👀 Ca-leb. The fuqin yearning losers are rooted in folklore imo

So to sum up my HUMBLE opinion:

I find it highly likely that we have already seen Infold’s inspiration from Chinese folklore. This doesn’t mean that every little detail has to be identical to the folklore, but the vibe, the inspiration and the morale will be deeply rooted in Chinese folklore/tradition and stories, imo.

Mind you, his trope is like the otome game trope, (aka the forbidden, yearning, soft yandere trope), but also a common trope in Chinese folklore (I should probably do a post on that at some point). Iow, I have kinda landed on the theory that:

CALEB IS INFOLD’S WAY TO PLEASE THE PLAYERS ASKING FOR MORE CHINESE INSPIRED THEMES RATHER THAN WESTERN

And people like me who is 100% addicted to Chinese folklore at this point. I swear to god.

Okey then, thank you for reading 💕

[defaulttwig]

An Unlikely Reunion

Darth Vader x gn!reader

Summary: Standing before the sith lord whose purpose is to wipe out the remnants of the Jedi, your time as one is put to the test.

Word Count: 2.2k

Warnings: angst?, lightsaber battle

A/N: this is mainly me practicing fight scenes - swordfighting specifically. Kinda plotless and just sprinkling random angst into this lol.

If you had pushed aside your emotions, if you had been a better Jedi, you would not be here. A shell of your past self, you still harbored the desire to do good. Even in the face of danger, at the likely possibility, you would die, you could not let that imperial stormtrooper strike down the poor, defenseless man in the street. You had given away your identity so carelessly to protect him, to fend off a group of white armored hounds. And in return, the people of this planet had given you up.

  The root of all the imbalance in the galaxy stood across from you. Alone, you stood your ground and mustered a glare. There used to be unity, light, and hope. He may not have been the sole source of uprooting the Republic, but he was the catalyst that ended the war. He took everything you cared for and reduced it to nothing.

  His cape billowed in the wind. The trees around your figures bristled as if nature itself tried to warn you of the danger. What little peace you had in your small abode away from the port had been disturbed by his presence. His being here was an omen of your shortcomings. Your time would soon come to an end.

  Accompanied by the collected sound of his respirator, his warped voice cut over nature’s quiet cry. “You know who I am.”

  “I’ve always known.”

  His hand curled into a fist at his side. “Obi-Wan...” He relaxed his hand. “You two were always close.”

  Bitterness bled through his words. You and the Jedi Master had a close relationship. He was the older brother you never had when you were a youngling. Always stood up for you, tutored you if he found time. His time for you grew slim when he gained a padawan, but that only meant your small circle grew one number whenever you did find each other in the temple. Obi-Wan was indeed the one who told you on that moon all those years ago, that things would never be the same. When you found him ten years later, he was the one who told you the tragedy of Anakin Skywalker, who he had become.

  “You are heartbroken.” His voice cut through your thoughts. The weight of his force presence lingered in your mind, reading your emotions like an open book. “A real Jedi should not be so attached to the past.”

  “You’re one to talk.” You moved your hand to the hilt of your lightsaber, clipped to your belt. He had a lot of nerve to say that, knowing how he was. Remarkably, he had not changed in the slightest - testing your patience without trying. “Considering what you’ve done.”

  Your cautious movement did not go unnoticed. “This is not a fight you can win.”

  You undid the clip, wrapping your hand around the hilt. Eyes narrowed, you watched for any sudden movements on his part. The pad of your thumb brushed the button, waiting. He remained still, almost conveying a calm countenance but you knew better. Through the Force, his signature lashed with every negative emotion conceivable, the foremost being resentment.

  “You being here doesn’t leave me much choice.” You took a fighting stance, broadening your shoulders as you did. “I know what you came here to do and it wasn’t for a reunion.”

  “Prepare to lose, then.”

  Prepare to lose.

Prepare…

  You froze, hearing the words repeat like clockwork in your mind. They took you to a time you had since buried in your heart. The wind picked up, pulling leaves from the branches above. They hovered and descended over your forms. As the leaves spun and danced, gracefully passing him, you blinked, and no longer did the embodiment of hatred stand before you.

  Anakin lowered himself into a fighting stance, the practice sword poised in front of him. He offered a cocky smile, his chin drawn down to appear smug. With a laugh, he awaited his master’s signal, but not before taunting you. “Prepare to lose.”

  Blinking again, a blurry form lunged at you. Your heart leaped to your throat, igniting your lightsaber. Rather than the blocky sound of wood clashing, a deep hum resonated as you blocked his attack. Red and green bounced off the surface of a black mask, its respiration getting lost in your flashback.

  Is that the best you got? From the recesses of your mind, laughter sprung forth. 

  You stepped back and made the next move. Swiping your lightsaber at his right side, he blocked it. 

  This might actually be a short fight.

  Sweat beaded at your temple. You sent a flurry of attacks his way. Each expertly dodged and parried, ever the duelist. He clearly had not dropped his training, unlike you. Your moves came stiff, raw; your years in hiding numbed your ability. Muscle memory could only do so much for you. 

  You can do better than that.

  Your sparring partner from your padawan years laughed, sweat lining the hairline on his forehead. Chest heaving, you swung again. He let the fight go on, no desire to end it. With all the ability to make this swift and short, he would let it go on. It wasn't over until you tired yourself first. Dodging your next strike, you stumbled past him and let out a frustrated groan.

  “Your attachment to the past will be your undoing.”

  The jarring voice that did not belong to the young padawan broke you out of your stupor. Turning on your heel, you barely managed to raise your lightsaber and block. The heat of the red saber inched toward your shoulder as he pressed down. Your face pinched in stress, struggling with his weight. Putting all your force on your front foot, you pushed yourself forward and shoved him back.

  In an effort to create more distance, you took two steps back. Adjusting your grip on your hilt, you breathed laboriously. Your thoughts whirled throughout the fight, dreading the eventual loss. Anakin always won. On the brink of fatigue, you knew how the rest of the battle would play out. 

  Darth Vader stood straight, waiting for you to make a move. His lightsaber poised to the ground, he left himself completely open. A trap, you knew. He would not bait you.

  You took in a sharp breath, shaking your head. In the blink of an eye, Anakin took his place. He looked down at you and twirled his saber like it was second nature. Spun it around his back before repositioning himself into an unguarded stance and teasing you - goading you - into his final attack. He toyed with you, abiding his time.

  Just like all the spars before, when you knew you had little fight left in you, your thumb pressed the button on the hilt. The hum of the lightsaber silenced. You tossed the hilt aside into the underbrush around the trees and stared down what remained of Anakin.

  “I won’t fight you.”

  So be it, if you had to die. All you asked was that he made it swift. You held no regret, bittersweet to know you would die at his hand. Never did you hope to reunite with him, not this man, but…you could live your final moments knowing somewhere in him, Anakin remained.

  “You don’t want to avenge all that you lost?” For a question, his tone morphed it into a rather taunting statement.

  You shook your head. Your chest continued to rise and fall rapidly from the rush of a fight. It had been too long since you used a lightsaber. Especially on your partner. You looked into the lenses of his mask, willing some way for his eyes to reveal themselves to you. Your tone grew soft, bitter but accepting.

  “I still have you.”

  The underbrush to the side rustled and swayed. In a flash, a silver blur flew up from it and thrust itself at you. Just as you held out your hand to catch it, the green light ignited. You turned your face from Vader’s to it, eyes wide. Its searing heat hovered inches from your face.

  All too bright, so blindingly bright it gave you a headache, you closed your eyes. The loud hum buzzed its warning to you, alerting you that it was too close. It only needed a push and you would be dead. The bright light burned through your eyelids. Rooted to your spot, you sucked in a breath. Somewhere in the blur of light, you only saw Anakin’s smile.

  “That boy is dead,” Darth Vader sneered with venom. The brittle 'chk' of twigs and undergrowth beneath gave away his step toward you. “Take your weapon and fight me.”

  “Fight me,” Anakin taunted. He twirled his saber, gesturing to yours across the room. “I won’t attack if you’re unarmed.”

  “If he truly is gone,” you started and opened your eyes. The saber lowered from your voice, poised over your heart. Darth Vader’s hand shook in contempt as it stretched out, holding your own weapon to you. “Then, strike me down.”

  His fingers curled a minuscule amount, each word spoken in barely contained rage. “Take your weapon.”

  You saw it now. In Darth Vader, you saw Anakin. Angered that you would toss your weapon and throw the fight rather than see it to the end. To the end, he saw fit, anyhow. No good duelist would go down so quickly. You saw how his face morphed, the braid brushing against his clenched jaw as he ordered you to pick it up and take your loss the right way.

  “I won’t fight you.” You crossed your arms and raised your chin. Anakin disengaged his saber, dropping his stance to stand like a pouting child. Well, you were both being childish. “We both know you won. It’s over.”

  “You would rather die dishonorably.” The vocoded voice came across as more of a statement than a question.

  If you had been back at the temple, two young padawans would turn to the side to see a disappointed master cross his arms. Disapproving of the behavior of both padawans, regardless of who started it. If you could go back in time, you would see him shake his head at you both. Instead, you were alone with your opponent with no master to disappoint. Only accompanied by your sparring partner, aggravated by your lack of etiquette for a proper duel. Even knowing this would be your end, you found it funny in a rueful way, to annoy him one last time.

  “I don’t care if you’re tired. Pick it up.”

  “I don’t understand why you’re stalling.” You narrowed your eyes. “You can get it over with right now.”

  Anakin stormed up to you, whisking your lightsaber into his open palm. He held it out to you, his face screwed in annoyance. “Just once, I’d like to fight you properly.”

  The green light shrunk back into the hilt and the lightsaber dropped pathetically to the ground. You glanced from it to Vader, who clipped his saber to his belt. He raised his hand and a weight formed around your neck. You gasped, feet dragged through the dirt and kicked aside your saber as he pulled you to him. 

  In the reflection of his lenses, your disheveled, choked form met your eyes. Vader curled his fingers in and the grip tightened. Your mouth fell open, unable to breathe at all. Dots formed around the mask, darkness bleeding into your peripherals. 

  “You are weak. Always have been.”

  In the next instant, you dropped to the ground. The weight lifted from you and you took a large gulp of air, touching your throat lightly. You lifted your head up to the sith lord. He simply looked down at you while his cape billowed behind him. Disdain radiated off of him in waves.

  “Next time we meet, I will not show mercy.”

  Next time, you better give me a proper fight.

  Your eyes widened, shocked that Darth Vader himself would let you live. 

  Wordlessly, he turned on his heel and walked off. Your eyes locked onto his retreating form, headed toward the imperial speeder he took here. You slumped over, eyes glazing over with tears. His figure blurred and once again you saw Anakin. His robes rustled and his hair, longer in length, blew in the wind as he walked away from you.

  You stretched a hand out to him, desperate to cling to the man you knew. To bring him back to you and apologize. Instead, you watched with regret as he climbed onto the speeder and took off from your little corner of the galaxy. Your hand fell into the dirt your head hung low, biting back tears. So close, he was, and yet so far.

  “Next time we meet…”

  This was the last time you saw Anakin Skywalker and your one and only encounter with Darth Vader.

[tiramisiyu]

Tears of Themis: Xia Yan/Luke 2nd Birthday Event Translation

Translation Masterlist | Xia Yan Masterlist | Unsubbed Video | 2nd Birthday Phonecall 

Transcript below cut:

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

1.    Wish Checklist

Antiques Shop

MC: (Will Luke find it boring if I schedule out his birthday like this…)

MC: (Would it be better to see the exhibition first…)

Luke: What are you thinking about?

MC: You startled me! How did you not make a single sound?

Luke: It’s because you got too immersed in your thoughts and forgot that I’m still in the shop.

Luke: What’s up, is something bugging you? How about you tell me so I can help you think?

Luke sidled up with a tilted head, smiling at me.

I wavered slightly, on the verge of blurting out my whole plan.

But… if I tell him now, would it lose the whole surprise element?

I saw the exquisite hanging ornaments near the walls of the antiques shop in my periphery, and suddenly came up with an idea.

MC: It’s nothing, I just zoned out while staring at the hanging ornaments.

Luke: Then… are you busy these days?

I could hear a hint of Luke’s probing intentions in his voice, and couldn’t resist wanting to tease him a little.

MC: Yeah, of course. I have a whole bunch of case files to organize.

Luke: Busy with work…

Luke: Aw, I thought my girlfriend would be busying herself with my birthday. I never would’ve thought that I’d lose to work…

Luke’s brow wrinkled a little, his hand clasped at his heart in a “heartbroken” act.

Seeing how melodramatic he was being, I finally couldn’t hold back my laughter anymore.

MC: Kidding – of course I’m thinking about prepping for your birthday.

Luke: Heh heh – I knew it. How could you have forgotten me, after all?

Luke: Then... have you made any particular preparations this year?

MC: What kinda birthday person asks about their own birthday plans?!

MC: If I tell you beforehand, it’ll lose all its novelty.

Luke: Because I’m really looking forward to it. Even though I’ll like anything you prepare for me…

Luke: But this is our first birthday celebration after becoming a couple, so it’s… a little more special.

Luke’s voice gradually faded as he gently placed a hand on my shoulder. The warm feeling seemed to convey a different sort of emotion.

My cheeks gradually grew warmer as my rationality floated away…

MC: Of course I’ve given lots of thought to our first birthday celebration after becoming a couple…

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

[Flashback]

Home

MC: Watching movies? Nah… too basic.

MC: Going to a photography exhibition? Hm… this one’s decent. He’d probably like that.

My pen danced over the paper, circling some of the many ideas and crossing some out, finally deciding on a few activities that fit my intentions best.

MC: Next, how do I schedule things out…

MC: Hm… would there be too many people around this time period?

I referenced the calendar as I kept adjusting the event plans…

After revising innumerable versions, I finally had a rather detailed itinerary on my computer.

MC: I’m finally done!

MC: I bet Luke would never be able to figure out what sort of plan’s waiting for him.

As I imagined what it would be like, visiting the events with Luke, I opened the tutorial that I hadn’t finished reading…

The screen displayed a weaving tutorial video, with a quarter of its contents played through already.

MC: (Now that I’m done with the itinerary, it’s time for the gift…)

I had decided on the gift long before I’d settled on the troublesome birthday arrangements.

A red string bracelet that represented both peace and unity – those were the “intentions” I had prepared for Luke.

The traditional red string bracelet, woven with a diamond knot, represented peace and happiness.

If two lovers wore matching red strings, it also meant a promise between the two to stay together for all their lives.

MC: (No matter how you look at it, this gift really expresses my feelings to the fullest…)

A beep from the tutorial pulled my focus back, and my eyes turned back to the still-formless red string.

MC: (I should really stop letting my thoughts wander, and work on this already!)

MC: (After threading the gold string through here, I should loop it in front of the red string…)

MC: (Huh? How come my knot looks different from the one in the video?)

MC: (It looks so easy in the tutorial, so I didn’t realize it would actually be this complex…)

It wasn’t hard to finish one bracelet, but making it neat and pretty was not so quickly done.

Holding the golden beads and red string, I entered yet another weaving battle.

MC: (If Luke and I both wear the red strings…)

MC: (That would be a lifetime’s promise between us…)

[Flashback end]

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

As soon as I thought about wearing the matching red rope bracelets with Luke, I couldn’t help but smile.

Luke: With such a big grin on your face… did you prepare something nice for me?

MC: Not telling you.

Luke: Alright, alright. Guess I’ll just have to wait until the actual day of.

I couldn’t bear to see his slightly disappointed expression.

MC: …

After struggling through a mental battle, I decided to compromise with just a bit.

MC: Okay, fine, you win – I’ll tell you a tiny bit!

MC: I want to take you to some of our old places – maybe we’ll find some new surprises.

MC: Not just the ones from when we were young – I also want to go to some of my favourite places at university…

MC: If I had to decide on a theme, I’d call it “Revisit the past and face the future”!

Luke: Haha, sounds like the essays we used to write.

MC: Luke. Pearce!

Luke: Eh… I mean, it sounds like it’ll be unforgettable.

He wrapped his hand around mine tightly.

The clocks in the antiques shop ticked by, as Luke’s heartbeat mixed in, rapid and enthusiastic.

Luke: I’m sure that this birthday will be amazing.

MC: Don’t worry. You’ll never be able to forget it!

MC: (I will make sure that this birthday event becomes our treasured memory.)

  2.    Buying Decorations for the 2nd Floor

Little World

MC: No sneaking peeks!

Luke: Okay, okay, I won’t.

I circled behind Luke, got on my tiptoes, and covered his eyes like they did on TV.

Noticing my actions, he lowered his body, covering the back of my hand with his right hand…

Luke: I’m ready.

MC: Okay, I’m letting go.

As my hands spread outwards, Luke opened his eyes slowly. I walked beside him.

Luke: This is…

MC: What do you think? Our little world from before has changed!

MC: I pasted on new wallpaper, set down a new carpet, and adjusted the tent to our current sizes!

MC: Aren’t I amazing?

Luke: So we went to buy those materials before for this…

Luke: It’s beautiful… I never could’ve imagined that it could turn out like this.

He looked at me, his eyes seeming to glitter.

He then lowered his head, reaching out and caressing my fingertips.

Luke: Don’t take up all this rough work on yourself next time. Leave it to me.

MC: Yeah, I know, I’ll drag you along for sure next time.

As Luke wandered to observe the decorative details, I turned off all the lights in the room.

The only light came from the nighttime city outside the window.

Luke: Why’d you turn off the lights all of a sudden?

MC: Come on, lie down here, just like before.

Luke: …

Luke: Okay…

He fumbled over to me, and we laid down beside each other on the carpet, just like when we were younger.

Luke: We used to do this too – staring at the ceiling as we imagined some faraway fantasy kingdom…

MC: Yeah, and there were tons of cute fairies living in that kingdom…

As Luke spoke in a trance, I silently pressed down on the remote control I’d prepared beside me.

Specks of stars and magnificent constellations filled the space above us instantly. They shifted in a dreamy way along with the tender music.

Luke: …!

MC: It’s the star projection light we bought earlier – pretty, right?

Luke: It’s pretty. And… really romantic – I didn’t think that it could be used here, like this.

Luke: I’m starting to worry about what to do for your birthday now.

⊳ An even more romantic birthday ⊳ A relaxed birthday

MC: On my birthday, it’s gotta be even more romantic.

Luke: Okay, I promise – it’ll be more romantic.

⊳ An even more romantic birthday ⊳ A relaxed birthday

MC: It’s fine either way!

MC: As long as we’re together, it’s fine if it’s a bit more relaxed.

Luke: Now that you’ve said so, better not go back on your word.

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

 MC: Look, isn’t that Sagittarius, your zodiac constellation?

We reclined back, speaking freely as we watched the starry sky.

From the bits of our past, to us being a couple now, we had too much to say to each other about everything…

Enveloped in the night, amid our relaxed moods and bodily warmth, Luke and I fell asleep.

Only our hands remained entwined tightly…

Specks of stars shifted slowly, shining on our vivacious, sweet dreams…

  3.    The Taste of Sweet Congee

Orchidshine Street

MC: Guess what I brought you here for!  

Luke: This is the old-fashioned district… so we must be here for sightseeing.

MC: Wrong! One mark off. Detective Pearce, bring on your imagination and think it through.

Luke: Huh, I got it wrong?

Luke: Hmm… are we here to learn about past marriage customs?

MC: W-what are you talking about!

My face heated up, my cheeks flooding with warmth. I knew that he was teasing me, but for a moment, I couldn’t refute him.

Luke reached out, running the back of his finger over my nose in a quick movement, then fiddled with the stray hairs in front of my forehead.

Luke: Okay, okay, I’ll stop teasing you. The plans are all in your hands.

He held out his hand to me, his expression obedient and cooperative.

MC: …

MC: Come with me.

I pulled Luke beside a little stand, finding a somewhat clean table to sit at.

Not long after, steaming sweet congee and some delicious snacks were placed on the table.

MC: Luke, try it!

As I watched, Luke scooped up a spoonful of thick, fragrant sweet congee…

Luke: …!

Luke: Mm, it tastes like the one that the granny on that street before made.

Luke: Didn’t she move away after we entered high school? How…

Luke shot a glance at the busy shop owner.

Luke: Are they relatives? But they don’t look alike at all…

MC: I asked before – the owner and the granny aren’t related at all.

MC: But, doesn’t it taste a lot like that taste from before?

MC: It took me a lot of time to find this place.

MC: I spent the past while, taste-testing several tens of places to have you experience that taste from before…

MC: My poor wallet…

When he heard this, Luke’s spoon-holding hand paused…

He put down his bowl immediately, placed his hands on my shoulders, and looked me up and down.

Luke: Silly… what if you got a stomachache?

Luke: Don’t do this next time!

MC: I knew what I was doing – plus, Kiki was eating with me.

MC: Plus, how is it silly to do this for the person you like?

I pouted a little in “discontent”.

Luke: I get it. I get it all.

Luke: Of course you’re not silly for doing things for the one you like. But…

Luke: Promise me that I’ll be your taste-tester next time. You know that my food capacity’s more than enough to tackle that.

MC: Yep, I promise.

He leaned a bit closer to me, as our shadows on the ground clung together.

When our gazes met, they were filled with only each other’s reflections.

Time halted right then, as our hearts grew nearer…

  4.    Return to Campus and Attend a Public Class

Stellis University Lecture Hall

Professor Chen changed to a new slide, listing the cases in the lesson, and proceeded to explain their applicable legal clauses.

The students earnestly copied down the key points, their pencil tips scratching against the paper.

I saw Luke looking utterly confused and felt a little defeated.

MC: (Maybe I shouldn’t have taken him to Professor Chen’s public class…)

I poked Luke gently with my elbow.

He shot me a perplexed look. I lowered my voice, gesturing at him with my hands.

MC: Luke, do you maybe find this boring?

MC: If you find it uninteresting, we can just leave through the back door.

Luke: …?

Professor Chen: Next, please discuss this case among yourselves freely. We will continue after a ten-minute break.

Right after he spoke, the students and external audience members all started to talk, filling the lecture room with heated discussion.  

MC: (We can finally talk normally.)

MC: Luke, do you find this boring? How about we leave first?

Luke: Not at all, I think it’s really interesting.

Luke: I’ve dealt with a decent amount of legal information, but an actual law class like this is more interesting.

MC: Really? You looked so confused earlier, so I thought…

Luke: Nah, I just kinda didn’t get the clauses that Professor Chen mentioned.

MC: Huh, so there’s stuff that even you don’t get.

Luke: Just kind of!

Luke: Oh right, why did you want to take me to class all of a sudden?

MC: Oh, a lot of my time is spent at school. Even though I work now, I come back often.

MC: So I wanted to take you here today to see where I learned…

MC: How does it feel, being a law student?

Luke: Hm… though I feel like there’s a lot of laws you have to memorize, the part where you analyze cases and court debates is a nice challenge. I like that.

Luke: Even more importantly, I got to sit at the same desk as you in university.

MC: Yep, my new deskmate!

MC: Although, I was really serious during school. I never chatted.

Luke: If you were this serious, I’ve got to be a good student too.

Luke: What do you think about the case that the professor mentioned?

MC: I’m pretty sure that this was an actual case from several months back. That being so…

Luke and I started to discuss the legal articles that Professor Chen had mentioned.

When I saw how serious he appeared, as if we’d gone to the same university and taken the same elective…

If we had really gone to the same university, what would’ve happened after?

I looked at his smiling face and zoned out unwittingly, coming back to my senses only when he tapped my shoulder.

Luke: What are you thinking about?

MC: I accidentally zoned out.

Professor Chen: Students, time’s up. I’ll have some of you talk about your thoughts on this.

The classroom settled down at once. Luke and I adjusted our postures, quietly looking towards the podium.

As I fell immersed, someone bumped gently against my knee.

Luke: Look – here.

As Luke mouthed at me, he slid a paper strip in front of me.

He raised an eyebrow as the corners of his mouth pulled up slightly, indicating for me to open it and see.

MC: Oh… this is…

I opened up the paper and almost laughed aloud.

A guy and a girl were drawn on it – obviously, Luke and me.

Too bad his art skills were subpar, such that the people drawn were cute in an uncomely way.

MC: (Seriously, could you make me look a bit nicer?)

I picked up the pen, adding onto the drawing.

With only the slightest of changes, I handed the paper back to him.

Right then, the end-of-class bell rung as the public class came to an end.

Luke: Hey, I caught this student here zoning out.

He held up his hand, waving the paper that he was holding.

MC: If you don’t like it, give it back.

Luke: No way! You gave it to me, so it’s mine.

The sun shone through the windows, onto his collar. The boyishly-faced Luke looked even more like a new student then.

On the paper clamped tight in his hand, I had drawn on a red heart…

 5.  See a Photography Exhibition

Modern Photography Exhibition Hall

The photographic works on the walls were arranged in a sort of irregular order. Luke and I fell immersed as we observed them arm-in-arm.

Those black-and-white photos vividly recorded the sceneries and the people of the world several decades ago…

MC: It’s absolutely amazing. These photos almost seem to have souls in them.

Luke: Yeah, that’s probably the charm found in photography.

Luke: And Anne Winston’s experiences are an irreplicable legend.

Luke: She quietly served as a care worker for several decades, but she still kept tens of thousands of films.

Luke: Someone without a strong passion for this wouldn’t have been able to persist with this their whole lives.

MC: A whole lifetime… just how many people would be able to do that?

Luke: We just might be one of them.

Luke leaned towards me and quietly took my hand, interlacing our fingers.

I met his gaze with a smile in response.

Luke: Are there any unique parts about today’s photography exhibition?

Luke: I haven’t really seen you bring paper and pen to these exhibitions before.

MC: I just wanted to learn…

Luke: Learn?

Luke: You’re planning to become a photographer?

MC: As if!

MC: I just wanted to figure out how to arrange the photos aesthetically!

MC: Right, which out of all the works we’ve seen do you like…?

Luke: They’re all pretty great.

MC: That’s way too general of an answer… could you get more specific?

MC: Hmm… like, what about the axial setup we saw earlier? Was it too severe-looking?

Luke’s eyes had a hint of uncertainty in them. He obviously hadn’t drawn any connection between the photography exhibition and photo arrangements.

Luke: Why… are you suddenly so into photo arrangement methods?

MC: I want to set up a photo wall at your place!

MC: Since we’re living together in the future, I’d like to make it comfier…

The secret I’d been keeping unwittingly popped out. I turned my face away, wanting to hide my scarlet face.

Luke held my hand tight, his cheeks also tinged with a happy blush.

Luke: I… think the combo at the beginning works well.

Luke: It’s full of vitality, and I think that it both goes well with the decorations at home and suits us two well.

He responded to my question earnestly, the blush on his ears gradually deepening.

MC: I see.

MC: Let’s keep looking, then.

I was about to pull Luke towards the exhibition rooms from earlier when he tugged me to a stop.

He shook his head at me gently, his eyes full of an emotion that I’d never seen before.

Luke: You said that we’d be living together in the future…

He caught my right hand, forcing us to face each other.

Luke: Though it was just a simple sentence, I’ll start looking forward to it now.

Luke: I’m sure that we, too, will be able to live normal and happy lives.

As I stared into Luke’s sparkling eyes, I knew that he was the sun of my heart.

I couldn’t resist stepping up to him, my lips pulling up into a smile.

MC: We definitely will!

Luke: Yeah, definitely.

Luke: Let’s work on making our home even comfier together!

MC: Yeah!

He waved our intertwined hands, his eyes shining with smiles.

I, too, looked forward to the day when the little parts of our lives would fill that photo wall…

 6.  Ride a Swan Boat

Nature Park

The swaying swan boat floated into the middle of the lake, becoming a sole white dot on the lake surface.

The crystalline, sparkling surface reflected the stretches of clouds in the sky. A breeze blew past, lifting elegant ripples in the water.

MC: We finally got to the centre!

Luke: If I didn’t adjust our direction in time, we’d probably still be spinning circles back at the start point.

MC: …

I couldn’t help feeling somewhat embarrassed when I thought about my big talk when we’d just gotten on the boat.

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

[Flashback]

MC: Luke, stay there. I can do this myself!

Luke: You sure? Let me know if you need help – I don’t mind.

MC: I. Won’t. Need. It!

I eagerly stepped on the pedal as I placed one hand on the steering wheel.

It was my first try, but I was pretty confident in myself.

But the swan boat didn’t move forward like I’d imagined…

MC: (Huh? W-why’s it spinning in one spot?!)

MC: (That can’t be right. I’ve turned on the orientation control button already… it shouldn’t be like this…)

MC: (Crap, I didn’t get unlucky during boat selection with a faulty one, did I?!)

Distressed, I wanted to get up and check – but the shift in centre of gravity combined with the unstable rocking of the boat made me fall hard into Luke’s arms.

Luke: Careful! Sit still first.

Luke stabilized our orientation in one movement, then helped me sit back down.

He put our maneuvering into reverse, indicating for me to not step on the pedal yet, until the swan boat returned to its starting state…

He looked me over for injuries, then examined the boat.

Luke: Are you alright?

MC: I’m fine. Good thing you were here.

Luke: As long as you’re fine. You might’ve ended up drenched otherwise…

MC: I know I turned on the orientation control button earlier and was holding the steering wheel, but it still spun around…

MC: Maybe my luck’s so bad that I ended up choosing a faulty boat?

Luke shook his head and patted my back.

Luke: It’s not your fault. I checked – this swan boat’s a special model, with different operating methods from your typical boat.

Luke: Look, there’s an auxiliary direction lever in the middle here. It’s probably used for more precise directional adjustments.

I followed the direction that he was pointing in and saw a joystick below the seat.

Luke: It’s really hard for a single person to get a handle on this sort of boat without some practice.

MC: I didn’t realize that riding a swan boat needed so many complex operations… that’s all on me.

Luke: Looks like I’ll have to take the lead, just like in the past.

Luke: I’ll control our direction, and then we’ll pedal forward slowly, alright?

MC: Sure!

[Flashback end]

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

MC: It was my first time on these, after all…

MC: I didn’t know that it had that many models.

Luke: Yeah, the adults all refused to let us when we wanted to ride boats on our own when we were kids.

MC: We were just way too young back then, and we weren’t even as tall as the boats. Making the boats move forward would’ve pretty much been impossible.

Luke: Now that we’re older, how about we make up for those past regrets?

Luke looked at me with a tilted head, a thin layer of sweat on his nose.

I took out a tissue and self-consciously wiped it for him.

MC: That’s not the only reason. Wanna guess?

I stuffed the tissue into his hand and shook my head mysteriously.

Luke: …

Luke: I know!

Luke: Swans are part of the avian genus Cygnus, who mate for life – something that’s rare among animals.

Luke: They always eat and rest in pairs.

Luke: So within human value systems, swans represent fidelity and eternal love.

Luke: Are you trying to tell me that we’re like swans?

MC: …

MC: This is the downside of having a boyfriend who knows too much. You just finished saying everything before I could.

Honk – honk –

Loud, resonant cries sounded from nearby. Luke and I immediately turned around to look.

A pair of white swans descended on the water, then started to comb out their feathers with lowered necks.

MC: Over there, Luke – swans!

Luke: It’s my first time seeing those here.

MC: I thought that the swans would’ve all migrated already – what a miracle.

Luke: You know, there’s a mysterious legend to this park.

Luke: If you encounter swans while riding a swan boat, you’ll receive the swans’ blessing.

Luke: If a pair of lovers encounter the swans, the lovers will stay together for their whole lives.

MC: Huh, there’s even an urban legend when it comes to swan boats? You… didn’t make this up, did you?

Luke: It’s real, of course. When have I ever lied to you?

MC: That’s awesome – did those swans come specifically to bless us?

Luke: They must have. We’ve received the favour of the swans – that is, fidelity and eternal companionship.

MC: Yeah… fidelity and eternal companionship.

Luke and I faced each other. At some point, our fingers had already intertwined together.

He lowered his head, placing it against my forehead and rubbing against the tip of my nose.

I couldn’t help smiling from that tickly feeling.

The sun shone gently. On the glittering lake surface, a pair of swans intertwined their necks in a tender moment…

  7.  Celebrate His Birthday

 Luke’s Bedroom

Luke: Here, ahh- open up.

MC: Ahh-

Luke sent a full spoonful of cake right into my mouth. The taste of the luscious cream and the slightly sour and sweet fruits flooded my tastebuds…

He looked satisfiedly at me, his smile deepening.

MC: My turn to feed you – open up.

Luke had said before that he wanted to eat a cake made by me, but considering the lousy kitchen skills either of us had…

To fulfill his wishes, we could only compromise by feeding each other cake.

Luke: Ahh-

Luke opened his mouth slightly, waiting for me to feed him.

Seeing him look so unsuspecting in his eyes-closed state, a restless desire to play a prank on him popped into my mind…

Unlike what he wanted, I swiped a bit of cream on his face.

MC: Hahaha, you’ve turned into a big tabby cat!

Note: What’s literally translated as “tabby cat” is used in general when someone’s face is a mess (e.g. when one has been crying).

Luke: …!

Two fingerprints were wiped on my face before I could react.

Luke: We’ve got two tabby cats here, now.

MC: !!!

Luke: The little tabby cat can’t just have whiskers on one side, right? There should be some on the other.

Luke scooped up some cream from the plate again, aiming for the finishing blow.

Realizing that I was at a disadvantage, I waved my hands for a cease-fire.

MC: Temporary truce! Let’s not waste the cake, or else we’ll have ordered it for nothing.

Luke: Hey, don’t try to back out now – or else, who knows where the rest of the cake will end up.

MC: Don’t you go launching sneak attacks now!

After reaching a cease-fire agreement, Luke and I wiped down the cream on each other with wet paper towels.

He pinched at a corner of the paper towel as he carefully wiped my cheeks.

I instead started cleaning from his fingers, moving upwards as I went along.

Our eyes met after we finished cleaning, and we couldn’t help but laugh at how we’d looked earlier.

MC: (I should’ve taken a commemorative photo.)

Luke: Wait.

MC: …?

Luke lifted my left hand up to him and lowered his head.

And I felt a hot, wet feeling on my finger joint…

MC: Huh?!

The tip of his tongue gently brushed over my skin. The suction-like feeling was slightly tingly.

My mind went blank for a moment, as I met his slightly misty, fawnlike eyes…

My cheeks surged with heat, and I didn’t know how to respond for a while.

Luke: Oh… there was cream… cream on there, so I…

MC: …

Before I could respond, Luke fled to the sink.

I couldn’t see his expression, but I could just barely catch a glimpse of his scarlet ears.

Luke: Uh… I’m going to wash my face!

MC: O-oh, okay.

That damp feeling… that… warm mark left on my skin…

When I recalled what had just happened, even my palms started to heat up.

My heart pounded furiously, as both tender feelings and embarrassment intertwined…

MC: (Should I wash my face too…)

✼ ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ ✼

Night descended. The lights in the room brightened, the atmosphere comfortable and sweet.

MC: Happy birthday, Luke!

Luke: Thank you.

Luke and I stood facing each other. I carefully took out the present I’d prepared for him from my pocket.

He opened the little gift box. There was a pair of red rope bracelets inside.

Diamond knots were braided beside the gold beads. The red and gold string intertwined, forming a perfectly symmetrical pattern.

This pair was the prettiest that I’d been able to make after many tries…

Luke: You made this…

Luke’s gaze became even softer after seeing the pair of red bracelets.

He gently brushed his hand over the bracelets, like he was admiring an incomparable treasure.

MC: (How did he know with just one glance…)

MC: Yeah… I… I tried for a long while.

MC: Red string represents peace and safety, so of course you need one, with your special identity.

Luke: …

Luke wrapped his hand around mine, holding onto it gently.

Luke: Aside from peace and safety, the red rope also represents…

Luke: A promise with me for your whole life.

MC: …

MC: How did you know?

Luke awkwardly felt his hair, his cheeks tinged red.

Luke: I did want to make something as a love commemoration present for you before…

Luke: Looks like we were thinking the same thing.

Luke: So, are you willing to make this lifetime’s promise with me?

Luke held up the other red rope bracelet, putting it on me solemnly.

His eyes rippled with emotion – tenderness, but with even more of a wordless vow.

MC: Of course I am.

Luke’s body warmth seemed to cling to the red rope, such that it even heated up the skin that it touched.

As he looked on expectantly, I picked up the red rope bracelet that was for him and slowly put it on him…

MC: You… are also my one and only.

MC: So you have to take care of yourself.

MC: The birthday celebration I’ve prepared this time wasn’t just to represent the past and present. It’s also for the future.

MC: We have a long road ahead of us…

Perhaps because he was too concerned with me, or because he had encountered too much danger…

He always protected me well and left the rest to himself…

But I didn’t want to be the girl who could only be protected by him. I wanted to stand by his side and walk forward with him.

We were partners and lovers – companions who would support and stay with each other for our whole lives.

I faced Luke, staring straight into his eyes. He stood in place without a sound.

Luke: You…

Luke reached out, his fingertips brushing gently over my cheeks.

His voice grew even more tender as he came nearer.

Luke: My Watson… my lover…

Luke: You are my future…

I closed my eyes. My heart pounded unrestrainedly as I looped my arms around his waist.

I felt his softness on my lips, tinged with cool wetness…

He pulled me in even tighter. His burning body heat seemed to light tiny fires in me.

That pair of interlaced red bracelets linked Luke and me together…

For this lifetime, never to separate…

[sometimesrosy]

The 100 s5 rewatch: Pandora’s Box

This is my longest one this season. 2500 words or so. I end up doing a bit of editorializing and i noticed a few things in regards to plot and themes and such.

I also do a bit of NOT shipping murven, so beware murven fans, I do express why I don’t ship them romantically but I see why you do. And I’m a little pissy at Raven. I love her, but I’m not going to pretend that she doesn’t have real flaws because of it. I am REALLY waiting for her character development next season. I think this season they gave the focus to Murphy, so next season will be Raven.

@alightinadarkland   @irisouy  @noodlesthehedgehog  @emmyisgrey  @ezraewrites @starboybellamy  @jeanie205  @kickthatassgirl  @levivlio  @kizo2703  @captainwilldameron 

Let’s begin with Kane in the gladiator pit. Octavia as icy as can be. Their code of strength, unity and honor. Now they’ll honor death before the fight. All of me for all of us. Kane is glaring at Octavia while the others fight, no he picks up a shield and is knocked to the ground. One dude is impaled. The other is wailing on him and all he has is the shield but the other dude kills the chick and now Kane has to fight the big guy. While Jackson asks where Abby is and Abby’s pleading, saying he doesn’t deserve to die and it was her.

Kane is sliced by his gladiator and grabs an axe. Wow. Just eviscerates him.And wails on him. And the audience turns on him. I’m still not sure why, if the only rule is to survive, why it matters if Blodreina thinks he has earned his freedom or if the crowd is happy with it. And now she says he fights again tomorrow and the crowd cheers. I don’t get it.

Cut to Bellamy, threats and negotiations.  Shaw confirms his story. As long as they can make a deal. McCreary of course wants to kill him now. But Bellamy wants them to open the bunker. Split the valley, coexist. McCreary chuckles.

Clarke! She turns to see Bellamy and doesn’t look like she believes it’s him. She can’t even sit up. He helps her. WOW that music changes. Hopeful, romantic, dreamy. Clarke you saved us all. And now you’re home. And they hug.

Okay. This scene is so short. It is literally 1 minute before they pull back to the hall, and Clarke remembers where she is. But it’s so close. So soft. And so intimate. There’s not much dialogue, either. Mostly touching and looking and soft gasps. Then it pulls back to this symmetrical hall shot, all arrowing down on the two of them in the doorway. Actually on her. She’s the center. And he doesn’t really pull back from her.

Bellamy made a deal with Diyoza to open the bunker and  it’s like the light appears. There’s Raven, breaking into the files to find out about Diyoza, the war hero, who became a terrorist. Of note. She bombed DC. AKA TonDC. She was terrorizing the ancestors of Trikru. I never noticed. Metro suicide bombings. Like IN the tunnels that we’ve seen them take shelter in. Wow. And now they’re worried about facing the most wanted criminal of her time. It’s so funny. Murphy will literally take her down with a thrown rock. But they don’t know that yet. They just think she’s the biggest badass. They forgot who they are.

Bellamy calls. Murphy says “we’re not bad people” because Diyoza is listening, and Bellamy is like, Raven if Diyoza does ANYTHING outside of the agreement, kill all her people. BUT someone wants to say hello.

Raven’s face when she hears Clarke’s voice is heartbroken, “I don’t believe it.”. Murphy’’s is happy, as if he knew it all along, ‘and they call me the cockroach.” Raven thanks her for saving their lives. And Clarke says she misses them both. That is their last contact until near the end. :(

McCreary calls Shaw “the Girl Scout.” McCreary doesn’t trust Diyoza so she explains that she has plans to kill the hostage taker and his girlfriend and take the doctor. McCreary is kinda dumb. Diyoza is not. Shaw isn’t either. He heard that plan.

Wonkru. Trigedasleng singer got a spot in the bunker. Octavia tells Kane that he lost the crowd when he showed weakness. I still don’t understand, because that has nothing to do with keeping them together. No. It’s the drama. The gladiator thing. The show. Grounders always liked the show.

She says she’s giving him a second chance. Give up the drug thief, because she knows he didn’t do it, but she’s not there for a philosophy lesson. He doesn’t really care. “You lost your way. We all have. I’ve been quiet too long. You think the arena delivers justice.

“I know it does.”

“Your mother was floated for having a second child for having you. I was a party to that and so much more. We have a chance to do so much better here and we’re throwing it away. Please Octavia. Strength without mercy is nothing. It’s nothing. Bu you can end it. You can save us. It’s not too late.”

“Tell me who stole the medicine Kane…. So be it.”

Remember in season 3 when Kane gave up on Bellamy as his student because he disappointed him? Because he was doing it for Octavia not because it was right? But the lessons TOOK with Bellamy. He’s the one with mercy AND strength. Octavia refused the lessons, and she’s gone so much farther down into the darkness than Bellamy ever did in season 3. With Bellamy it was only a few weeks, with Octavia it’s been 6 years of getting darker and darker.

Indra won’t talk him out of it, but she brings him to Abby and tries to get her to do it. Because he’s refusing to fight. Abby confesses. She’s an addict. She doesn’t want him to die because of what she did. And Indra is like, he was right to have you locked up. “The only way to save you both is to have him win. Talk to him.”  Indra knew about Abby I think. Or she suspected.

“Abby what have we done?”

“What we had to do to survive.”

“That’s what we say to justify the horror we inflict upon each other.”

That’s super important. That is THE POINT of this whole show. Or one of them. The lesson. That’s why Bellamy’s famous words, “who we are and what we do to survive are not the same thing” (or whatever it was) are not supposed to be taken as WISDOM. They’re supposed to be taken as the starting point for how they ALL pardon themselves for their crimes, in the name of survival. What they’ll do for their people. Because Bellamy does not believe that anymore. He believes you have to make the right choices now. BE the good guy.

“I lost myself.” Kane says. I think Kane is the personified representation of humanity, in a way similar to Octavia. But Kane is the father-humanity and Octavia is the child-humanity. Kane is where they came from and Octavia is the result. And he wants to refuse to fight, to stop it, but the momentum of the actions set in place before he was born are too much for him. He can’t stop it.

He also tries to make sure Abby doesn’t confess after he’s gone because then his sacrifice is worth nothing. A lot of them have this concept. That their sacrifices have to have a pay off. Bellamy had that with Clarke, in praimfaya. Kane here with Abby. Later we’ll see it with Octavia who thinks they DESERVE Eden because they sacrificed themselves, or SHE sacrificed herself to be blodreina, and the gladiator pits and the dark year. How does it go from, I have to do this to make her sacrifice worth it, to I DESERVE this because I sacrificed?  And Abby says she’ll give up the pills, but come on, not really.

Eligius. Soccer ball. We’ll see that later. Murphy is trying to lighten things up joking about their possible genocide and Raven is not amused. She does not like being in the position that Clarke and Bellamy were once in. She’s discovered the Eligius files. But we don’t know what Eligius 3 did. ENCRYPTED and even she can’t get into it. Oh but Shaw is hacking. Murphy wants to pull the plug. These are the rules. If they break the rules, they’re supposed to pull the plug. Murphy wants to tell Bellamy. Murphy is following the rules. And Raven stops him. She says she’s got this. “I got this.”

Murphy’s not so sure. And he’s not talking about the technical ability or genius. “Look Raven I understand not wanting to kill 300 people in their sleep but—“ (oh interesting. Isn’t that what people say happened with Hakeldama? It’s not, not really, they had watches and defenses and were armed warriors and they woke up, but that’s interesting.)

“I said I can do this. Ok? So why don’t you just go play with your ball and I’ll do the rest like always.” And that HURT him. It wasn’t cute or justified or funny. He was right.

Y’all really need to stop acting like Raven is some sweet cupcake. This is the girl who was ok with torture. Okay with blowing grounders up. Figures out what people’s biggest insecurities are and uses them to HURT them and get them to do what she wants. She’s done it to Clarke, to Bellamy and now to Murphy. We already know he feels useless. Worthless. We’ve had this discussion. SHE’S had the discussion with him. When she calls him cockroach, it’s not in admiration. It’s not pride in his survivor’s nature. It’s because she’s calling him trash. Sorry, murven fans. I get their chemistry, and I can see it happening down the line maybe if they develop more. But I can’t ship this. I don’t think being mean is love. I would never let someone treat me like that. And Murphy doesn’t have enough self esteem to stand up for himself, so he’s just going to turn it inwards and believe her. And her self esteem? It’s overcompensation for her own insecurity. She DID NOT get them back to earth. She did NOT do her job. And that hurts her but she won’t admit it.

Sorry, I love Raven, I do, and I want to see her grow as a person, and I think she will, but I’m not going to say she’s a cupcake or has never done anything wrong, and I feel like we act like that too much. With whoever our favorites are.

Well onto Wonkru. Octavia sentencing Kane to fight. Weird freaky death cult. He’s not going to fight either and the crowd is angry. The guy tries to force him to fight and Kane— “I will not fight this man. Somehow we allowed justice to become vengeance and vengeance to become sport and I allowed that that darkness to rise, but my complicity ends today.”

“You are wonkru or you are the enemy of wonkru. Choose.” Octavia

“I already have.” He says. Octavia grabs a sword and kicks him to the ground

“Come on Kane, where are your survival instincts”

“Saving my people is about more than keeping them alive. It’s not too late.”

“For you it is.”

AND THERE GOES THE CEILING.

AND HERE COMES THE LIGHT.

Octavia wants to fight the light. Light? No.

ITS BELLAMY!!!!!!

First person he sees is Octavia coming out of the darkness jumping into his arm. “I knew you’d come.” Down comes Clarke and Octavia…. Greets her as a comrade, not a friend. The lovely music becomes ominous as Clarke and Bellamy look around at the crowd.

Eligius come down. “Who are they?”

“We’re here to rescue you.”

Bellamy says they have an understanding and Clarke wants to see abby.  Bellamy introduces Diyoza and Octavia. “Love the warpaint, by the way.” Diyoza says she’ll take them out two at a time and they don’t move until Octavia tells them to. Bellamy is worried. Diyoza is too.

Bellamy thinks it’s 1200 people, and Octavia says 814.

Shaw is still locked out. “Whoever this girl is, she’s good.” She sends him a Raven. Flipping the bird. “Real cute.”

Murphy’s hanging out with the cryosleepers. He makes a joke “what are you doing here? Coming to hang out with all the people you might have to kill?” She doesn’t like that and gets upset. And Murphy smacks himself in the head. Raven apologizes for being a bitch before. You were babe. Glad you noticed. She was just afraid she won’t be able to pull the plug.

And Murphy tells her thats ‘why he’s gonna do it. He thought he was staying behind to impress Emori, but now that he thinks about it…”I mean why do you always have to be the one to sacrifice.” I get why people would ship this. But I don’t like their relationship yet. As friends yes, there’s room for the spikiness. As a romance, no. Not my thing.

Indra brings Clarke to Abby. Indra gives Abby a chance to get Marcus away from Octavia. “I’ll get him to the ground, after that, it’s up to you.”

Octavia rises into the air and Gaia says weird cult things. “From the ashes we will rise.” The weird cult repeats. Now they’re chanting it. That’s some weird shit and Bellamy, Diyoza and McCreary all agree.

Octavia sees the destruction of Polis. And the Eligius ship. Rubble everywhere.

Bellamy brings Miller up out of the hole, and they hug. Miller thanks him, Bellamy gives him a big smile and finds the gun. Tells Octavia no weapons and she says she never made that deal.

“Blodreina, the red queen. Tell me about the fighting pit. How did that happen? Because it looks like someone read Ovid too much.”

Kane hugs Clarke. Indra gives him the key and tells him to wait for night. Second Abby and Clarke hug and there’s Diyoza watching her doctor.

“Snug as criminally insane bugs in hermetically sealed rugs.” Diyoza pulls a Clarke and has Shaw open the docking bay doors.

Raven and Murphy playing soccer. They’re cute. Oh that’s over. Alarms. Raven says pull the plug. Murphy pulls a counter Clarke. And he opens the cry pods so that they would survive. Murphy wins.

Diyoza calls Raven Shaw’s friend, and a coward. Shaw says, “a live coward.”

Polis. Night. McCreepy is watching Clarke.

Clarke is trying to take Kane and Abby away, Abby says they can’t talk to Octavia and Clarke says that’s tomorrow’s problem. Diyoza booms the fountain, Bellamy comes in and is like “hey now…” But Raven and Murphy are taken. The deal is off.

Octavia figures out that Diyoza wants Abby. Abby’s like— Yes. Take me. Only with Kane, though.

“I see where your daughter gets it.”

Clarke is like WTH mom? Diyoza takes the valley. She’s got Raven and Murphy as insurance.

One idiot who wanted to fight Diyoza shoots at Octavia but her cultists jump in front of her. Now they’re at war. Diyoza says they have to end it now and kill all the people. Shaw is like. There are 1500 people left on earth. We need people. And then he puts in an invalid launch code. Blames Raven for it. We knew it was you. And McCreepy shoots the guy who shot the rocket. Also the one who wanted to stage a coup against diyoza, coincidentally.

Now Octavia blames BELLAMY for what Diyoza’s people. Seriously child. What is WRONG with you?

[dailyaudiobible]

08/04/2021 DAB Transcript

2 Chronicles 35:1-36:23, 1 Corinthians 1:1-17, Psalms 27:1-6, Proverbs 20:20-21

Today is the 4th day of August welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian and it is a joy and a privilege and an honor to be here with you today around this Global Campfire as we take our next step forward together through the Scriptures and through the year. And…yeah…a year of our life together in the Bible changes an awful lot. So, let's take that next step forward. We’re reading from the book of second Chronicles, and we’ll actually be concluding the book of second Chronicles with our reading today. And then we get to the New Testament because we concluded the letter to the Romans yesterday we’ll be moving into some new territory. And we’ll talk about that when we get there. But first, second Chronicles chapters 35 and 36.

Introduction to 1 Corinthians:

Okay. So, now we’re turning into some new territory in the New Testament, another letter. We’ll actually be kind of camping out in Paul's letters for a while, but this newsletter was a letter written to the church in Corinth and those people were known as the Corinthians. And, so, this is…this letter is called Corinthians and it's the first one in the New Testament. And, so, this is called first Corinthians. And, so, just kinda of getting the lay of the land, Corinth wasn't like a little village, a little hamlet out in the hills in the sticks somewhere. This is like one of the largest cities in the whole Roman Empire. So, pretty influential city in the empire, kind of a hotspot, definitely a hub for commerce and trade and negotiation and business. And, so, it is a large polytheistic Roman Empire city where worship of lots of gods are happening, but it's also a very secular city, very secularized society. Same as we would experience in any large city pretty much in the world today. If there are a lot of people and they’re from a lot of places then you have a melting pot of a lot of ideas. So, there's a church there in Corinth, a Christian fellowship of people that Paul was in association with, and this letter is…is really written responding to some of the things he had been asked and some of the things that he had been hearing that were going on in the church there. And fundamentally he's encouraging unity. And they may have needed that encouragement. Obviously, they needed that encouragement but even though they’re a couple thousand years in the future…man that…that theme of getting on the same page and working and walking together in unity is no less poignant, no less needed today. And as we were going through Romans, you know, we came across passages of Scripture that are very famous like “the wages of sin are death, but the gift of God is eternal”, like all of these things in Romans. So, we recognize a lot of passages that are…that are famous. And we will notice the same thing in first Corinthians. There are themes and passages that are very famous like the theme of seeing through a glass darkly or that when I was a child I spoke as a child but when I…when I became a man I put away childish things. These are in first Corinthians. Then, of course, when we get to the 13th chapter of Corinthians, that…that is known as the love chapter and its very famous and very quotable. So, this is some of the territory that we are steering into. And, so, let's dive into Paul's first letter to the Corinthians. And today we will read chapter 1 verses 1 through 17.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word and we thank You each and every day for the way that it…it comes into our hearts and into our lives and informs us and challenges us and moves us forward and we are so deeply grateful. And today we had an ending and a beginning. And, so, we’re ending territory in the Old Testament, we’re beginning territory, another of Paul's letters and we invite Your Holy Spirit to speak clearly that we might hear what You're saying and obey where You are leading. We invite Your Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth. As we continue to live into this faith, this journey, this adventure of life together with You. Come Holy Spirit we pray and to all of this and all that we will encounter in the Scriptures in the days ahead we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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And that's it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hi this is Paul from Ohio been listening for about 14 years off and on. I'm calling today to say some prayer for Susie from Colorado who called in as she's feeling weary after 27 years of taking care of orphans in Haiti. You deserve to feel weary. Jesus felt weary several times. In John 4, 5, and six is said He was tired in the well near Samaria. In Matthew 5:23-24 He slept through the storm he was so weary. Elijah was allowed to sleep. In King's 19 he slept in the cave under the broom tree and God fed him and he fell back asleep and was OK. Jesus said come to me all you are weary, and I will give you rest. It is totally understandable, and I pray that you get the help that you need, and I pray that you'll see in scriptures not the verses that talk about you being lazy or not doing enough. You are doing plenty and you have to take care of yourself to be able to take care of the rest of the…those orphans many with disabilities. Just like on an airplane when they tell you to put your oxygen mask on first so that you can help the others, you gotta put your oxygen mask on. Give yourself a break. Ask for help. It will make you be a better caregiver and better able to do God's work on this earth. And I think that is what your goal is. You've already done so much. So, I pray for all these things for you. Amen.

Hi this is Kelly in Greensboro NC, and this is for Loving Heart in Saint Louis. I just heard your prayer my dear sweet sister in Christ over your precious daughter who has anorexia and I just wanted to lift you and your husband and your precious child up to the Lord for healing and I just wanted to pray some scripture over her. Psalm 30 verse 2, I cry out to the Lord and heals me. Psalm 103:3 the Lord forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. Psalm 107:20, He sends His word and heals me and rescues me from the pit and destruction. Isaiah 58:8, My light shall break forth like the morning and My healing shall spring forth speedily. Jeremiah 17:14, heal me O Lord and I shall be healed, save me and I shall be saved for You are my praise. And then Jeremiah 30:17, the Lord has declared that He will restore me to health and heal my wounds. Lord we just pray that if there are any untapped resources that this precious family has not been made aware of that You will bring them into their lives father. And we just lift up this daughter to You, we lift up this mother and father who are heartbroken to see the health of their daughter deteriorate father. And Lord we just pray for complete and total healing of her mind and her body and in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Hey DAB family this is D in Tampa and I called in a couple of…well maybe a week ago or so…a couple weeks ago feeling down and sad from some losses I've had over the last five years. And the prayer request I have for today…and by the way thank you so much to those who did pray. The prayer request I have today is to ask that people, my family on here, my DAB brothers and sisters would pray for the Holy Spirit's intervention over my mental health. I suffer from PTSD, OCD, ADHD, and depression, anxiety along with physical illness. Anyway, my time is running short, and I just want to say we need Christians to stand around each other and not shame each other about mental health issues. And I just want to ask for your prayers over me and I thank you in advance and God bless you guys. Thank you.

Good morning Daily Audio family I just wanted to speak to the person, the gentleman who was wanted to pray for the son’s girlfriend with the __ and everything. I just want to say right now in the name of Jesus, by the blood of Jesus she is being healed and is healed. So, I'm in agreement for full healing and that the Holy Spirit will be able to heal her give her peace and be able to speak to her and draw her closer to God to the Father and also to Jesus. So, I'm in agreement with that and right now I believe in the name of Jesus that she is going to be healed, that it’s gonna be a speedy recovery and healing in Jesus’ name. We love you family.

Good morning DABbers this is God's chosen one from Georgia. I am standing in need of prayer this morning. I have been dealing with multiple myeloma for a while. The pain is deep. The aches are unbearable, but I could use your prayer this morning. It's a new month and so I believe that God will do something new. That our God will move with might and power and restore me to health. I pray that this morning as we enter into this new month of August His mercy will prevail and that His loving kindness will speak life into me. I pray for healing, completeness, wholeness. I pray for complete restoration. I pray as I believe by faith that He is more than able. [singing starts] it's me it's me oh Lord standing in the need of prayer. It's me it's me oh Lord standing in the need of prayer. It's not my brother not my sister but it's me oh Lord standing in the need of prayer, not my father or my mother, but it's me oh Lord standing in the need of prayer [singing stops].

[shadowhuntersimagines]

Stardust - Starset

Words: 1090 A/N: Fuck sorry guys. I really need to get a fucking grip man, wtf. Hope you like it. I was not familiar with this song, so it was kinda hard to write it, but I think I turned out really cute so yeah. Hope you like my interpretation of Stardust. Love you guys. xx 

Stardust In you and in me Fuse us Into unity Primeval We're coupled Born from the universe Farewell The void is calling Don't fear For futures and dreams They're fleeting, retreating It's ok I promise

You sat in the center of the institute, starring at Alec sending orders to shadowhunters going on missions, or location demons at the big map. Sometimes it felt like you couldn’t breath around him. Every time he looked at you, he took your breath away. He had admitted to you that he was in love with you, and you knew too, that you were in love with him. But you didn’t have the guts to tell.

I don't know what to say But I'm going to want you till the stars evaporate We're only here for just a moment in the light One day it shines for us the next we're in the night So say the word and I'll be running back to find you A thousand armies won't stop me I'll break through I'll soar the endless skies for only one sight Of your starlight 

Your mind was everywhere. Only once before you had had a boyfriend, who you have been head over heels for, believing you would end up getting married. But he turned out the be the biggest douche on the earth, leaving you heartbroken. Now your heart had been closed for such a long time, you didn’t know if you could really love again. Alec would never break your heart, and you knew that, but inside of you this little thorn still sat deep in your heart, keeping you from loving, keeping you from the future, you knew Alec could give you. You wanted so bad to tell him, that your where in love with him too. You hadn’t pushed him away when he got to close, and now only he could hurt you as bad as the first one did.

Tell me Just tell me to stay I'll turn I won't look away I'll stay here I'll never go but you don't feel the same Farewell Farewell and godspeed Light years Between you and me I'm fading Your beauty conquers the darkness

A few days had passed, and you were still in to minds of what to do. As normal you sat in the center, but as Alec was done for the morning, he didn’t leave for his office, he came to you. “Hey Y/N.” Alec sent you one of his smiles, and automatically sent him one back. “Hey Alec. Done for the morning?” He scratched the back of his head, and fixed his hair quickly. “Yeah, I am. Actually, I wanted to ask you something. You know I would really like, if you wanted to go on a date with me? It’s also fine if it’s too soon, but yeah..” You could clearly see how nervous he was. And it broke your heart, because know you got to be the one, who was hurting people. Tears started to blur your eyes. “I can’t Alec, I’m sorry. I know you really like me, and believe me, I like you too. But I’m not ready to open my heart yet. I’m not..” You quickly dried the tears out of your eyes. Alec was looking sadly at the floor. “It’s fine Y/N, I know. Just… tell me when you’re ready then..” With that Alec turned his back to you, walking towards his office, leaving you feeling even worse than before. Just like the little thorn in your heart, grew a little bit bigger.

At night the earth will rise And I'll think of you each time I watch from distant skies Whenever stars go down and galaxies ignite I'll think of you each time they wash me in their light And I'll fall in love with you again I will find you A thousand armies won't stop me I'll break through I'll soar the endless skies for only one sight of your starlight Don't leave me lost here forever Show me your starlight and pull me through Don't leave me lost here forever I need your starlight and pull me through Bring me back to you

Ever since that day, you and Alec hadn’t really spoken together. You felt literally like shit. You didn’t sleep well at night. It was like you heart had been open for Alec only, but because you had been feeling sad for such a long time, you had forgotten what it felt like to love. It kept you up at night, why you had dumped him, that day he asked you out. What if that date with Alec, would have showed you that you actually were able to love again. But now you had jettison it all. You couldn’t be sure Alec would say yes, this time. What if he wasn’t ready now, because he had gotten hurt. You starred at the picture of you and Alec at your nightstand. “You will not know, if you don’t ask.” Your little pep talk sent you on your legs towards Alec’s office. Your heart was racing, what if.. what if.. what if… You took a deep breath and softly knocked on the door. “Come in.” You closed your eyes and took yet again a deep breath. You slowly opened the door and went in. “I’m ready now… Alec.” You starred right at him, surprised of yourself, of how easy it was to say out loud. You went to stand in front of his desk. “I need to get this of my chest Alec, and I just need you to listen, even though I know I hurt you. But these passed weeks have been even worse, than when he broke up with me. I… I…” You took a deep breath, and laid your hands on the desk, so they wouldn’t fiddle in you lap. ”I am pretty sure, I’m in love with you. But I wasn’t aware because I have forgotten what it feels like. So please forgive me Alec, I am ready now.” The silence after you little speech was thick. “Okay. Then lets go on that date, Y/N.” You looked a bit shocked at Alec. “I said I would wait for you to get ready, and now you are.” He stood up, and went to your side of the desk. He gave your forehead a loving kiss, before taking your hand. “It will be now, and we are getting brunch.” A big smile grew on both of your faces. The thorn had grown to a warm rose.