#rain world quest (L) | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

mylyricpages · 2 years

Text

‘SONGS OF ALL OUR YESTERDAYS’ ( FULL LENGTH VERSION ) ( 2009 )

‘SONGS OF ALL OUR YESTERDAYS’

On this collection of lyrics I again wanted to push the envelope, and to push myself. I wanted to push for something more ambitious in both length and structure.

Similar to the departure on ‘Age Of The Restless Heart’ the songs are all told through a main character, from a first person perspective throughout. It tells the story of the central character, referred to simply as Son of the Streets, who is a homeless teenager living in the city of London, as well as Mother Revolution and St. Moses. The narrative focuses on Son of the Street’s struggles to conform to the rules of a world he believes has lost its way, which leads him on a quest for first cultural revolution, then later a quest for personal redemption.

In difference to the previous collection this collection was always intended to be a rock opera right from its beginnings. Without a doubt it’s a very different collection to what I’d planned. It was originally conceived as a direct follow up to ‘Age Of The Restless Heart’, but in the writing I realised it was becoming something quite different …

Hope you enjoy

James Ellis

ACT I

01. SONGS OF ALL OUR YESTERDAYS 02. REQUIEM FOR THE MODERN AGE I. MARCH OF THE DOGS II. DEAD SOLDIERS III. VALENTINES & BULLETS 03. DEARLY DEPARTED 04. MOTHER REVOLUTION / THE GUNS OF LONDON 05. WHILE YOU WAIT FOR YOUR LIFE 06. UNDERDOG INFERNO / EULOGY

ACT II

07. A LAMENT FOR THE UNSUNG HEROES 08. LIFE VS. DEATH / SONGS OF REDEMPTION I. TIME’S UP/ CHILDHOOD’S END II. US VS. THEM III. SPACES INBETWEEN 09. DEATH WILL NEVER CONQUER ALL 10. ARE WE THE DROWNING? July 2009 - September 2009

01. SONGS OF ALL OUR YESTERDAYS

( Sound of white noise/ tuning of a radio… )

( Sound of a heartbeat/ indistinct voices… )

When your heart stops beating And when you no longer believe Is it time, is it time to give up on the fight When your faith begins to fall apart And you no longer give a damn Is it time, is it time to give up on all you believed was right

Is this a time, is this a time to sing our songs out loud Is this a time, is this a time to sing out, our secret voices from the crowds Is this a time, is this a time to sing with the voices of the streets Is this a time, is this a time to sing out, to sing out with all the choirs of the abandoned ones Is this a time, is this a time to sing out, to sing out to reclaim the lives of the innocent ones

Is this a time, is this a time to sing out, to sing out again Is this a time, is this a time to rise up, to rise up again

When your heart stops beating And you lose all sense of belief Is it time, is it time to join up with the fallen out on the streets

When your soul begins to stop searching and you no longer give a damn Is it time, is it time to give up on the fire that burnt bright in our dreams Is this a time, is this a time to fight against this modern world Is this a time, is this a time for the quiet voices to finally be heard Is this a time, is this a time to rise up to rise up

Soldiers of the streets, sing out with the choir Sing, sing, the songs of all Our broken hearts

do we still give a damn if you don’t give a damn do we still give a damn if you don’t give a damn at all

02. REQUIEM FOR THE MODERN AGE

( I ) MARCH OF THE DOGS

I am the hallowed Son of the Streets bloodshot and deadbeat and full of pain I am the pawn of love and rage My belief trampled beneath My feet where I lost my faith In the rain

All I need is a small belief to believe in All I want is something to fight for

I am the prodigal that never returned battle scarred and burnt and full of self defeat I am the child of war and peace A son of a bitch revolutionary my heart lost to the modern disciples of these streets

All I need is a small belief to believe in All I want is something to fight for

Is this a time, is this a time For the dogs to march On the government halls Is this a time, is this a time For the abandoned sons to rise up for calls of the lost Is this a time, is this a time For us to question the punishment that you and I never deserved Is this a time, is this a time For the dogs to march On the government halls Is this a time, is this a time to reclaim all of our forgotten lives ( II )

DEAD SOLDIERS

tell my mama her son ain’t dead yet tell her, tell her, I ain’t gone yet I just got a war to fight On these streets of bitterness and regret tell her, tell her, I just gotta fight For something in these times When nobody fights for nothing

tell her, tell her, I just gotta fight fight for something on these streets tell her, tell her, I just gotta find find something to believe in again

tell her, tell her, I finally found a hymn for all the dead soldiers tell her, tell her, I finally found a song for all the fallen ones

And I can’t come home again And I can’t come home Again Until the last of their song Has been sung

I’ve heard, I’ve heard the sound of the soldiers lament On these streets I’ve heard, I’ve heard the voices Of the lost and the Innocent on these streets I’ve sung, I’ve sung out a warning to those that can hear me sing

And I can’t come home again And I can’t come home Again Until the last of their song Has been sung

If none of us care, will anybody care If nobody cares, do any of us care at all ( Sound of marching feet/ indistinct chants… )

( III )

VALENTINES & BULLETS

If you don’t give a damn do we still give a damn If you don’t give a damn do we still give a damn If you don’t give a damn do we still give a damn at all

All our lives we’ve been searching All our lives we’ve been waiting For a way out Slipping away, buried in our own self doubt losing a grip on our beliefs All our lives we’ve been searching All our lives we’ve been waiting For a way out All our lives, all our lives Show us, show us how to hold our heads high again We will be, we will be patiently waiting for a sign We will be, we will be patiently waiting for a revolution in our times All our lives we’ve been searching All our lives we’ve been waiting For a way out All our lives we’ve been thieves And we’ve been lovers All our lives it’s been us Us against them All our lives we’ve been waiting For a way out

All our lives, all our lives

All our lives we’ve been searching All our lives we’ve been waiting For a way out All our lives All of our lives

03. DEARLY DEPARTED

the heroes of this city used to be the saviours of the beaten and the forever damned the heroes of this city used to Shout out and Sound the alarm the heroes of this city used to fight, to fight for us all Where, where are all the heroes of this city Where, where are all the heroes we loved so very much Are they, are they, the ones With the dearly departed We miss so much

the heroes of this city used to be the saviours of the lost and the holy condemned the heroes of this city used to dream the dreams that we always dreamt the heroes of this city used to believe, to believe in us all

Where, where are all the heroes of this city Where, where are all the heroes we loved so very much Are they, are they, the ones With the dearly departed we miss so very much

Where, where are all the heroes We used to love so very much Where are all the heroes We loved so very much

Daddy put on the uniform Daddy went off to war Daddy went off to fight For us all Daddy never returned at all What for? What for? Daddy went off to fight For the government Daddy went off to fight For all of the innocent Daddy never returned at all What for? What for?

Is he, is he, one of the ones we lost Is he, is he, one of the ones we miss so very much

04. MOTHER REVOLUTION / THE GUNS OF LONDON

( A )

She’s a revolution, she’s a petrol bomb In the head, she’s enough to wake up the dead In us all She’s an angel, she’s a saint She’s a cause to fight for She’s a belief to even die for

She’s a revolution She’s a revolution In my heart

She’s a revolution, she’s a vigilante in the head, she’s enough to wake up the dead In us all She’s an angel, she’s a saint She’s a hand grenade to the heart She’s the depth charge to rip a life apart

She’s a revolution She’s a revolution In my heart

She’s a revolution, she’s a fire bomb In the head, she’s enough to wake up the dead In us all She’s an angel, she’s a saint She’s a kiss with a fist She’s the bitterest pill on the list She’s a revolution She’s a revolution In my heart

She’s a true believer She’s a true believer She gives me a reason to fight She’s a true believer She’s a true believer She lights up the endless night She’s a martyr, she’s martyr, she gives me a cause to fight for She ‘s a revolution She’s a revolution She’s a mother Of these streets She’s a revolution She’s a revolution She’s a mother Of these streets ( B )

St. Moses, coming down from Somewhere up above spreading a message of rage and love St. Moses, battered Priest of these streets show us a sign, show us a sign saviour of our shattered dreams

St. Moses, holy father to all the abandoned of these streets show us a sign, show us a sign preacher of war and peace St. Moses, holy voice for the unseen of these streets show us a sign, show us a sign, saviour of our lost beliefs

St. Moses, assassin for the damned a born here that doesn’t belong a travelled soul that refuses to give up on our song St. Moses, saviour of our lost beliefs a napalm angel in disguise upon these streets

who’s gonna save us who’s gonna save us now I hear you, I hear you shout out to me now

‘We are the Guns of London join us in the night We are the Guns of London join us in our fight Who else is gonna fight for those lost to the streets Who else is gonna fight for those that lost their belief

Welcome to heaven and hell Son of the Streets Wake up, wake up Son of the Streets it’s time, it’s time for the modern heroes to rise up off their feet’

05. WHILE YOU WAIT FOR YOUR LIFE

Hey you, it’s not worth it at all if it’s not worth the fight Hey you, it’s just another wall We have to climb Hey you, don’t let them cast a shadow onto the light

Hey you, if you can’t tell heaven from hell then there’s no hope at all Hey you, if together we fight then together we fall

Are we feeling lonely, feeling old Are the heroes we believed in now all ghosts

Hey you, while you wait for your life to begin it’s all gonna pass you by Hey you, we’re both walled up hands banging against the stone Hey you, there’s nothing to return to Hey you, there’s no more going home

Hey you, if you let them steal away our dreams then there’s no hope at all Hey you, if together we fight then together we fall

And no one sings the age old lullabies And no one says farewell or goodbye in these times anymore

Are we feeling lonely, feeling old Are the heroes we believed in now all ghosts Hey you, all you and I need Is a mother revolution to save us

Hey you, all you and I need Is someone to believe in us

Hey you, all you and I need Is someone to give us a sign

06. UNDERDOG INFERNO / EULOGY

( Sound of marching feet/ indistinct shouts… )

Nobody ever said that life was fair And nobody ever said We’d end up Nowhere Nobody ever said that life was fair And nobody ever said We’d get to live before our last breath Nobody ever said that our hearts Would beat until the day we died And nobody ever said Our dreams would disappear into the night

Nobody ever said that our voices would be heard Nobody ever said that our voices would be heard

We’re crying out loud we’re crying out loud Still there’s not a single voice that’s heard through these crowds

Wake up, wake up, wake up Fight, fight fight Our song is burning the flames are burning bright tonight Wake up, wake up, wake up Fight, fight fight

Our dreams are burning On the streets of London tonight Wake up, wake up, wake up Fight, fight fight Our dreams are burning On the streets of London tonight

So, rise up, rise up Guns of London And start this fight So, rise up, rise up Guns of London And march on into the night rise up, rise up, and march into the inferno rise up, rise up, and march into the inferno March on March on

( Sound of glass smashing/ indistinct chants / indistinct shouts / sound of two loud shots… )

they’re never gonna believe we’re the same And is it you and me that’s really to blame I just saw St. Moses Shot down dead on the streets today

these streets are never gonna be the same And is it you and me that’s really to blame I just saw our dreams go down in flames on the streets today

I guess I never saw that bullet until it brought me to the ground I guess I never saw it coming Never heard a sound

Is this how, how it all ends?

Is this how, how it all ends? ( Sound of police sirens/ indistinct shouts… )

07. A LAMENT FOR THE UNSUNG HEROES

( Sound of a heartbeat/ sounds of a hospital/ indistinct voices … )

“… gunshot to the chest, Dr. Waters…”

“… get him on the table…”

“… we’re losing him, we’re losing him…”

Is it time to sleep, is time to lay my head down Is it time to be a ghost In this world that’s always brought me down Is it time to dream is it time to rest my tired eyes Is it time to save my soul from this world that’s full of worn out lies

Summer’s gone and autumn finds me and once again I walk this lonely road And the memories of my life they still haunt me

I walk this road, I walk this road where the heroes and the innocents walked before me I walk this road, I walk this road where my father walked before me

And it’s coming closer and I’m feeling so far away

Oh father, father, there’s a light out ahead of me I’m not sure if it’s a sign there’s times and there’s places I thought I’d lost here in this great divide

Oh, father, father, I can hear your voice now It’s distant but oh so clear I hear it now I hear it now Oh, father, father, I can see all my life now It’s all flashing right before my eyes I see it now I see it now Oh, father, father, I see it so clear as I find myself here at death’s door now It shines through the shadows I understand now I understand now Oh, father, father, I hear that beautiful sad, sad song you used to sing that lament for all the unsung heroes I hear it now I hear it now

Oh, father, father, where am I gonna go from here? Where am I gonna go from here? “… patient is stabilized, but remains in a critical condition…” ( Sound of a heartbeat/ sound of an EPG machine… )

08. LIFE VS. DEATH / SONGS OF REDEMPTION

( I )

TIME’S UP/ CHILDHOOD’S END

( Sound of birds/ sound of distant traffic/ indistinct voices of children… )

time’s up, time’s up, let my heart have its rest time’s up, time’s up, let me lay down my weary head before I go before I go

time’s up, time’s up, this time goodbye will not be farewell time’s up, time’s up, is it too late for my soul to sell before I go before I go

time’s up, time’s up, in the world outside I’m fading fast upon a hospital bed time’s up, time’s up, now I won’t ever get a chance to live before my last breath before I go before I go

Oh, father, father, when last I spoke to you the things that should have been said were never said at all and now time’s up time’s up for me as well Mama, I’m leaving this place today Mama, I’m never coming home again Mama, goodbye is no longer farewell And I’m never coming home Mama, ‘cause no longer is this house my home We were good in our time but now that song has been sung the last time for us We were good in our time but now the sun has set upon us And we must continue on in our separate ways

Mama, I’m leaving this place today Mama, I’m never coming home again Mama, it’s the same old fears And it’s the same old show Mama, year after year chasing the same old ghosts We were good in our time but now it’s the same old doubts and the same old ground We were good in our time but what have you found now that you find you’re still here on your own

Mama, today I’m leaving for a very different view Mama, today I’m leaving you Mama, today goodbye Is no longer farewell today goodbye is no longer farewell

( II )

US VS. THEM

I don’t need no banner to fight for my cause in here, I don’t need to question What it’s all been for in here I don’t need to struggle for my breath in here I don’t need to question the right to be myself in here

And I’m feeling fine now I’m feeling fine, I’m floating

And it’s peaceful and it’s never lonely at all in here And there’s something beautiful about not feeling a thing in here And there’s no fight and no pain in here And there’s something beautiful about forgetting it all in here

And still I’m sure of at least one damned thing It’s always gonna be us And it’s always gonna be them

It’s always gonna be It’s always gonna be Us vs. them Us vs. them

And what it all comes down to in the end is it’s us against them

It’s us vs. them, it’s us vs. them Us is us, and them is them It’s a game of a game And it’s always the same and nothing ever really changes ( Sound of distant chants/ indistinct voice heard through megaphone… )

( III )

SPACES INBETWEEN

( Sound of a faint heartbeat/ indistinct voices… )

“… the patient appears to be in a deep coma state and is unresponsive…”

Hello, hello, I’m doing very well now I can’t feel the present Or even the past

Not sure if there’s anybody out there at all now there’s a deep mist spread upon the glass Mama, if you were here you would Not understand, mama, you’re not here now and for that I’m glad

Hello, hello, I’m doing very well now Isn’t this such a great place where I can’t feel a thing Not sure if there’s anybody Out there at all now there’s a storm growing ever distant now I’m happy in here Mama if you believe you can help then I don’t believe you should Mama, I’m so far away now And the way I feel is good

Mama, mother revolution has left me She sat at my bedside She whispered in my ear Mama, mother revolution has gone so far away from here Mama, am I all alone in here? Mama, am I all alone in here?

Mama, sometimes when I was a child I wanted to get lost inside my head Mama, sometimes when I was a child I wished the bloody bastards would just drop dead Mama, I’m so far away now I’m so far from home Mama, I’m so far away now I’m so far from home

Mama, I hear a sweet voice singing in my head Mama, is it you I can here? Mama, I hear a sweet voice singing softly out to me Mama, is it you? Mama, is it you? 09. DEATH WILL NEVER CONQUER ALL

( Sound of a music box/ sound of a storm- rain tapping… )

the blue skies are laughing at me and the sun refuses to shine upon the sea Mama, something’s not right in here at all feel as if I’m falling down down from the highest cloud memories rushing up toward me from the ground Mama, something’s not right in here at all

Mama, I want to come home again Mama, I want to come home again Mama, I want to get up off this bed of mine

Help me now, help me now No more songs of revolution now Help me now, help me now No more songs of revolution now Mama, I just want to come home again

Death will never conquer all Death will never reign over me Death will never conquer all Death will never conquer me

I’m not going to cry and fall crash to my knees and just simply crawl I refuse to see the writing upon the last wall Death will never conquer all Death will never reign over me Death will never conquer all

I’m gonna tear down tear down this wall of veils I’m gonna tear down tear down this wall of veils 10. ARE WE THE DROWNING?

Oh, father, father, I hear that beautiful sad, sad song you used to sing to me that lament for all the unsung heroes Oh father, father, I still hear it now Oh, I still hear it now

Oh father, father are we no longer still the lost and the drowning Are we no longer the swallowed by the sea Are we no longer the ones that always needed to fight for a reason to be

Oh father, father, are we no longer the lost and the confused with the song raging in our heads needing blood stained reminders of who we used to be as we lay in our beds? Oh father, father, are we no longer the stranded and the lost upon these long forgotten streets Are we no longer fighting the sadness that somehow slowly crept into all our dreams?

Are we no longer the ones that wanted to find something to fight for? Are we no longer the ones that wanted to find something to die for?

Oh, father, was all we needed just something to live for?

Was all we really needed just something to live for?

“… patient is showing positive responsive signs to stimulation…”

( Sound of a heartbeat getting louder/ sound of an EPG machine… )

“… Hello?…” ( Sound of a loud heartbeat/ sound of waves up to a dead stop… )

0 notes

ynainna · 3 years

Text

The Grave of Cecilias

synopsis: Despite it having been several hundred years since the end of the Archon War, Venti’s heart is still heavy with the grief of those he’s lost.

word count: 1,800

pairing: venti x f. reader

genre: angst

warnings: some spoilers from the recent last archon quest (aka the ver 1.1 story update), bad writing lol, angst (but not really I think?)

notes: look, originally my first fic was going to be a Diluc fic so it would be a perfect catalyst for my dumbass self but Venti is just perfect for some angsting time. Sorry in advance for my writing lmfao. I also think some of these facts are inaccurate but I’m a bit stupid and didn’t completely connect some dots from the wiki that I should’ve and due to the fact, ya know, p l o t. Feedback is also welcome but pls be nice about it. This is also extremely bad and I high key think this is horrible lmao. It’s so bad.

In the days of the Archons, years before the eruption of the Archon War, Gods roamed. Each God was responsible and represented different things, often symbolizing what their powers were. In which there was the God of Dust and the God of Blizzards. Gods had been abundant that it isn’t a surprise that there was once a Goddess of Flora.

It is no secret that gods gained their power from the worship of others. Due to the Goddess of Flora often being pushed aside to give way to the stronger gods, she had very little following from the people of Teyvat, making her one of the weaker gods. Instead of growing bitter at both her situation and her people, she had embraced her lower status. She was often heard saying, “It is better to be loved by a few who love you for yourself than to be loved by the whole for greed,” in response to them asking about it.

In her small following, there was a civilization that had worshipped her the most. The small civilization had been the ones responsible for the creation of the Cecilia Garden, their gift to the ancient god who had favored the common white flowers, Cecilias, as her favorite.

Cecilias, in the age of the Archon War, wasn’t a rarity and was often the cause of the white sea. The only traces left of the said white sea in the records were from the Cecilia Garden where it was said that it was such a common flower that it was written as “the sea of white flowers”.

The legends tell very few stories about the fate of the Sea of White, often only found in the debris and faded writings in the ruins of old. Cecilias of this day and age are often only found to grow in the high cliffs, specifically numerous on the infamous Starsnatch cliff.

Not many know the history of Starsnatch Cliff. Long before it was Starsnatch Cliff or the place where the last of the Cecilias grow, it was simply the plains.

Cecilias were abundant in the age of the Archons, never far from your sight at every turn. It is a wonder to a few on how a flower had only grown exclusive to one area.

While not many know the history of Starsnatch, the most one would have to know is it was where the end of a love story between two gods, torn apart by war, was.

Venti’s favorite flower is Cecilias. It’s not his favorite flower due to its simple beauty or even its rarity but due to its history. Prior to the Cecilias, his favorite had been the Dandelions, which was no surprise to others. He had only started to favor the Cecilias near the beginning of the Archon War and even then that was only due to you.

Starsnatch Cliff is many things but to Venti it had only been a reminder of his grief.

To Venti, it’s your grave.

Venti has lived for more than a thousand years so it’s a given that he would have a few missing memories of the past and a hesitance to recollect any memories from the age of the Archons. Despite it, there are a few he remembers very vividly.

He remembers your smile. It was a soft curve accompanied by cheeks tinged with a faint glow of pink. He remembers your eyes, twinkling, crinkling in the corners in your glee.

And while he remembers very few things now, he has always remembered every part and memory he has of you, good or not.

The last he has of you was near the beginning of the Archon War.

The first he has of you were at the end of Decarabian’s reign and the death of his dear friend.

He remembers, mourning his death, readying his burial when you appeared with your gentle hands and kind understanding smile. In your hands had been Cecilias, freshly picked.

With your hands you guided him to a place and helped him bury his friend, silence was the only thing between you. You were kind enough to ignore the tears and the sniffles. You finished at sunset. The only trace of you that was left was the picked Cecilias he had first seen you with. Despite his grief, Venti felt the corner of his lips tug up to a small smile.

He doesn’t ask until later on in your friendship about why you had given his friend the Cecilias. You only answer with a small smile at his question. To this day, he still doesn’t know why but he has a feeling.

He treasures the memories of him loving you and mourns the memories he retains of everything of the love lost between you.

The Archon War had not been kind to anyone, even to you and to him.

It is common knowledge that the Archon War had killed off a lot of gods, many of whom are buried under the grounds and some being sealed off. It was a time of turmoil, you don’t expect or hope to come out of it alive, you only fight and hope it is enough to survive another day.

You were the Goddess of Flora, responsible for the growth of the world’s vegetation. Due to such low status, your responsibilities were very little. The growth of vegetation, the worry for the changing of seasons, and your people had been the only things that were your responsibilities.

You had no desire for power nor anything more. You had only wished to care for your people to the utmost best of your abilities and to continue living the way you had lived.

But war does not discriminate.

It didn’t matter if you didn’t have the desire to fight others. You fight or you die. You, a god once often seen at the sidelines or invisible, was pushed into the fighting ring built by greed and arrogance.

While you may have not wanted to fight in the war, you had to, if not for you, for your people. In your death, your only thought had been about your people and Barbatos. It had only ever been them.

It’s raining. Venti thinks the world is laughing at them or maybe the God of Storms or Rain is mocking them for being weak, for falling in love at a time like this where it is a sign of weakness.

His hands are bloody and shaking as he holds you closer to his body. His sight is blurred by his tears that are blending in with the rain. Grief is clogging his throat and he can’t breathe. There’s not enough time for anyone to save you.

The previous battle had taken a toll on both of you and Venti. While Venti’s were only fatigue and mild injuries, yours were fatal. You had taken a wound to your gut and while it isn’t often a major injury to gods, your powers had been drained and the fatigue you feel is what makes it fatal. There’s nothing that can fix it.

You know it.

He knows it.

But despite this, logic can’t seem to get through Venti’s panic. His mind is going rampant and he can’t seem to know where to put his hands or what to fix.

You look at him with your heavy eyelids, lips quivering as you strain your body to move. With great difficulty, you bring your bloody and mangled hands towards Venti’s cheeks, landing heavily. Venti freezes, his eyes wide at the contact.

With a heavy heart, he turns his head towards you to meet your eyes. His hand slowly creeps up to the hand on his cheek. He feels his grief to come back up, scratching and clawing at his heart. When your eyes meet, you smile. Strained and quivering, but a smile nonetheless.

He feels his breath hitch at your smile. You smile like the sunset, the gradual end. The tears come up again, you had only ever smiled like the sunrise and to see it grow smaller, to see it fade is another type of pain.

“Love, no,” he whispers, throat dry as he looks at your eyes. “Don’t leave me. Hang on, please. You’ll be okay. Please. Please. Please...” Venti pleads, voice growing hoarse as the grief creeps back up with ravenous hunger.

“Barbatos...” you wheeze out, eyes slowly fluttering as you try to hold on for him, just for a few seconds, “I...I... I love...you. T-Thank you...for... for-for lo...ving me.”

“No love, stop. Stop trying to say goodbye, please, no. No. I love you. I love you so much so please don’t leave me. I can’t do this without you,” Venti heaves out with a raspy voice, clutching your hand with a harsh grip in hope of keeping you here, with him.

“Don’t leave me” he cries out.

Even with your injuries and numbness, the sight of his tears and grief caused a pang of pain to erupt.

“Love,” you rasp out, tears pouring out of your eyes, that were once glittering and now dull, “you have... to let me go.”

“NO!” he denies your pleas.

“Please... just give me more time with you... anything for you. Please.”

You cough, blood coming up and the cold hands of death creeping closer to you.

“I love you... so much. L-Live on for me... please.”

You don’t hear anything after that, not your lovers sobbing and pleading for you to come back, to hold on.

Not long after, you fade into a million different golden dust. No body left to bury.

In your death, the Cecilias slowly disappear from the world despite your followers trying their utmost best to keep it from dying away. But without their god and with no protection, even they eventually fell. With their fall, the Sea of White was no more.

In memory of you, the world created a grave for you.

Due to his love and memory of you, Venti caused the winds to only carry the Cecilias seeds to only fly around your grave and causing your grave to be the only place where Cecilias grew. Despite it having been several hundred years since the end of the Archon War, Venti’s heart is still heavy with the grief of those he’s lost.

History doesn’t write of the Goddess of Flora, there isn’t a lot of text written about her in fact. No hints about a possible connection with the Anemo God. And no one needs to know.

All who does is Venti. It’s all he has left of you that’s his and his alone.

In your death, the winds had howled and grew rough and sharp.

Long before Starsnatch Cliff was anything, it was your grave.

It was the Grave of Cecilias.

445 notes · View notes

lost-ends-found · 3 years

Text

More Alone

Where to start I just don't know

Had a life but watched it go

And emptiness began to take

The world I fiercely tried to make

Thrown around like something old

Hard to love and loathe to hold

Every day injects despair

Fighting hate but fail to care

Uncontrollable denial

Curbs my every future smile

Kept in silent solemn thought

Draining any strength I've got

Ostentatious loud defeat

Yesterday returns to beat

Over time and through my eyes

Undermines repeated tries

Knowing how to scrape the pain

Never easy on the brain

Often on mistakes I've made

With lessons through the nose I paid

And cowardly I stood no ground

Back to wall I made no sound

Opted for the easy path

Uniting fear with anger's wrath

Threw away what I once had

All the friends that made me sad

Life became a quest for death

Out to squeeze me of my breath

Nothing's clear and nothing's known

Every day I'm more alone

#alone #depression #sad #sadness #sad thoughts #sad poetry #thoughts #empty #lost #numb #broken #hurt #pain #poem #poetry #acrostic #writers #poets on tumblr #death #suicide

89 notes · View notes

kookie-doughs · 3 years

Text

Y/N L/N AND THE HALFBLOODS

Percy Jackson X Reader -Y/N L/N met Percy Jackson and everything was now ruined.

CHAPTER 10: The Wheels On The Bus Goes Skrt Skrt Skrt

It didn't take me long to pack. I didn't have anything at all, which left me only an extra change of clothes and a toothbrush to stuff in a backpack Grover had found for me and Percy. Both having nothing to carry we decided to share a bag. The camp store loaned us one hundred dollars in mortal money and twenty golden drachmas. These coins were as big as Girl Scout cookies and had images of various Greek gods stamped on one side and the Empire State Building on the other. The ancient mortal drachmas had been silver, Chiron told us, but Olympians never used less than pure gold. Chiron said the coins might come in handy for non-mortal transactions—whatever that meant. He gave Annabeth, Percy and I each a canteen of nectar and a Ziploc bag full of ambrosia squares, to be used only in emergencies, if we were seriously hurt. It was god food, Chiron reminded us. It would cure us of almost any injury, but it was lethal to mortals. Too much of it would make a half-blood very, very feverish. An overdose would burn us up, literally. Annabeth was bringing her magic Yankees cap, which she told us had been a twelfth-birthday present from her mom. She carried a book on famous classical architecture, written in Ancient Greek, to read when she got bored, and a long bronze knife, hidden in her shirt sleeve. I was sure the knife would get us busted the first time we went through a metal detector. Grover wore his fake feet and his pants to pass as human. He wore a green rasta-style cap, because when it rained his curly hair flattened and you could just see the tips of his horns. His bright orange backpack was full of scrap metal and apples to snack on. In his pocket was a set of reed pipes his daddy goat had carved for him, even though he only knew two songs: Mozart's Piano Concerto no. 12 and Hilary Duff's "So Yesterday," both of which sounded pretty bad on reed pipes. We waved good-bye to the other campees, took one last look at the strawberry fields, the ocean, and the Big House, then hiked up Half-Blood Hill to the tall pine tree that used to be Thalia, daughter of Zeus. Chiron was waiting for us in his wheelchair. Next to him stood a surfer looking dude. According to Grover, the guy was the camp's head of security. He supposedly had eyes all over his body so he could never be surprised. Today, though, he was wearing a chauffeur's uniform, so I could only see extra peepers on his hands, face and neck. "This is Argus," Chiron told us. "He will drive you into the city, and, er, well, keep an eye on things." I heard footsteps behind us. Luke came running up the hill, carrying a pair of basketball shoes. "Hey!" he panted. "Glad I caught you." Annabeth blushed, the way she always did when Luke was around. I looked at him with a frown. "Don't look at me like that. I had to find out from the others you're going on a quest." he glared. "So much for the option you won't die at." "I would've told you if you were at the cabin when I got back. Now what's with the shoes?" "Just wanted to say good luck," Luke told Percy. "And I thought... um, maybe you could use these." He handed him the sneakers, which looked pretty normal. They even smelled kind of normal. Luke said, "Maia!" White bird's wings sprouted out of the heels, startling me so much, Percy dropped them. The shoes flapped around on the ground until the wings folded up and disappeared. "Awesome!" Grover said. Luke smiled. "Those served me well when I was on my quest. Gift from Dad. Of course, I don't use them much these days...." His expression turned sad. I didn't know what to say. It was cool enough that Luke had come to say good-bye. But here he was giving Percy a magic gift.... It made me a bit jealous. "Hey, man," Percy said. "Thanks." "Listen, Percy..." Luke looked uncomfortable. "A lot of hopes are riding on you. So just... kill some monsters for me, okay?" They shook hands. Luke patted Grover's head between his horns, then gave a good-bye hug to Annabeth, who looked like she might pass out. The three went to Chiron about stuffs while Luke and I had a staring contest. "So Percy got a present and I only get an I don't know... a hug? Here I thought I was your favorite." "What made you think you are?" He laughed and ruffled my hair. "And no you don't get a hug." "Suddenly I'm not coming back." He smiled and from his back he pulled out a sheathed knife. "I meant to say you won't get only a hug. I noticed you're not a fan of swords. So, I made this my self. I am no Hephaestus child but hey..." He handed me the knife. The sheath was plain colored with a metal chap and locket, it had chains attached to the locket where I could probably put it on something to make sure I bring it with me. Pulling the knife out of the sheath, its knife was around 15 inches. On the blade, Ancient Greek was engraved on it. I think it's my name and the other side is his. "What is this?" I grinned. "I don't know. I ran out of good ideas! I swear I looked up some of Plato and Socrates for that." "And you settled for that?" I laughed. "I am going to take that back now." "Hey, that doesn't mean I don't like it. Thanks." "It's celestial bronze... Half of it at least." "Half?" "I'm sure Chiron won't appreciate it. It will harm both us and humans." "So... It'll hurt both side?" "Yup. And I'm not sure but according to a Hephaestus kid but it's supposed to glow when its near something." "Its not glowing now." "We never said no backsies. I'd like it back now." "I'll take good care of..." I stopped to think of a name and almost immediately remembered a perfect one, "Sting." "I would ask but I already know." Luke shook his head. "Be careful with Sting. It---" "He. Sting is a he, thank you very much." "HE, is lethal. He it can kill us, others close to our kind and normal humans." "Oops I accidentally stabbed myself." With a worried look he pulled me in a hug, "And whatever happens. Put your safety above all. No need to be the hero. If you die in this quest I will get the lord of the dead revive you or kill me." "Ew how sentimental." "Be careful... okay? All of you. Promise me that." "Fine, I promise. On the knife, I'll come back not dead, with everyone." After Luke was gone, I placed the knife on my waist. I went back to Percy. "Okay, that's extremely cool," I heard him say. "What's cool?" I grinned standing behind Percy overlooking his shoulder. "My new pen." He showed me his pen and uncapped it only to show a sword. "I can't loose it no matter what! Its called Riptide." "But what if a mortal sees you pulling out a sword?" Chiron smiled. "Mist is a powerful thing, Y/N." "Mist?" "I just keep hearing that over and over can someone finally explain?" "Yes. Read The Iliad. It's full of references to the stuff. Whenever divine or monstrous elements mix with the mortal world, they generate Mist, which obscures the vision of humans. You will see things just as they are, being a half-blood, but humans will interpret things quite differently. Remarkable, really, the lengths to which humans will go to fit things into their version of reality." Percy put Riptide back in his pocket. For the first time, the quest felt real. We was actually leaving Half-Blood Hill. We was heading west with no adult supervision, no backup plan, not even a cell phone. (Chiron said cell phones were traceable by monsters; if we used one, it would be worse than sending up a flare.) I had no weapon stronger than a knife to fight off monsters and reach the Land of the Dead. "Chiron..." I said. "When you say the gods are immortal... I mean, there was a time before them, right?" "Four ages before them, actually. The Time of the Titans was the Fourth Age, sometimes called the Golden Age, which is definitely a misnomer. This, the time of Western civilization and the rule of Zeus, is the Fifth Age." "So what was it like... before the gods?" Chiron pursed his lips. "Even I am not old enough to remember that, child, but I know it was a time of darkness and savagery for mortals. Kronos, the lord of the Titans, called his reign the Golden Age because men lived innocent and free of all knowledge. But that was mere propaganda. The Titan king cared nothing for your kind except as appetizers or a source of cheap entertainment. It was only in the early reign of Lord Zeus, when Prometheus the good Titan brought fire to mankind, that your species began to progress, and even then Prometheus was branded a radical thinker. Zeus punished him severely, as you may recall. Of course, eventually the gods warmed to humans, and Western civilization was born." "But the gods can't die now, right? I mean, as long as Western civilization is alive, they're alive. So... even if I failed, nothing could happen so bad it would mess up everything, right?" Chiron gave us a melancholy smile. "No one knows how long the Age of the West will last, Percy. The gods are immortal, yes. But then, so were the Titans. They still exist, locked away in their various prisons, forced to endure endless pain and punishment, reduced in power, but still very much alive. May the Fates forbid that the gods should ever suffer such a doom, or that we should ever return to the darkness and chaos of the past. All we can do, child, is follow our destiny." "Our destiny... assuming we know what that is." "Relax," Chiron told me. "Keep a clear head. And remember, you may be about to prevent the biggest war in human history." "Relax," Percy said. "I'm very relaxed." When we got to the bottom of the hill, I looked back. Under the pine tree that used to be Thalia, daughter of Zeus, Chiron was now standing in full horse-man form, holding his bow high in salute. Just your typical summer-camp send-off by your typical centaur. I took Percy's hand and we gave each other a reassuring nod. I wish us luck. Talking whilst at camp drained me. I apologize if I won't be much help. You have stamina? So you aren't a bigshot all powerful god? Without you and I as one. I am nothing. I have given you my everything.

Argus drove us out of the countryside and into western Long Island. It felt weird to be on a highway again, Annabeth and Percy was sitting next to me as if we were normal carpoolers. After two weeks at Half-Blood Hill, the real world seemed like a fantasy. I found myself staring at every McDonald's, every kid in the back of his parents' car, every billboard and shopping mall. "So far so good," Percy said. "Ten miles and not a single monster." She gave him an irritated look. "It's bad luck to talk that way, seaweed brain." "Remind me again—why do you hate me so much?" "I don't hate you." "Could've fooled me." She folded her cap of invisibility. "Look... we're just not supposed to get along, okay? Our parents are rivals." "Why?" She sighed. "How many reasons do you want? One time my mom caught Poseidon with his girlfriend in Athena's temple, which is hugely disrespectful. Another time, Athena and Poseidon competed to be the patron god for the city of Athens. Your dad created some stupid saltwater spring for his gift. My mom created the olive tree. The people saw that her gift was better, so they named the city after her." "They must really like olives." I interjected. "Not you too! You know what? Forget it." "Now, if she'd invented pizza—that I could understand." "I said, forget it!" In the front seat, Argus smiled. He didn't say anything, but one blue eye on the back of his neck winked at me. Traffic slowed us down in Queens. By the time we got into Manhattan it was sunset and starting to rain. Argus dropped us at the Greyhound Station on the Upper East Side, Percy and I didn't let go. Taped to a mailbox was a soggy flyer with Percy's picture on it: HAVE YOU SEEN THIS BOY? He ripped it down before Annabeth and Grover could notice. "They could've at least gotten a better picture." I smirked which caused him to roll his eyes. Argus unloaded our bags, made sure we got our bus tickets, then drove away, the eye on the back of his hand opening to watch us as he pulled out of the parking lot. Grover shouldered his backpack. He gazed down the street in the direction Percy was looking. "You want to know why she married him, Percy?" I stared at Percy then at Grover. "Were you reading my mind or something?" "Just your emotions." He shrugged. "Guess I forgot to tell you satyrs can do that. You were thinking about your mom and your stepdad, right?" Percy nodded. I missed my parents of course, but I had Luke and Grover to talk to which made me less lonely. Percy became an outcast when we got to camp and had no one to talk to. I squeezed his hand and gave him a smile. "Your mom married Gabe for you," Grover told him. "You call him 'Smelly,' but you've got no idea. The guy has this aura.... Yuck. I can smell him from here. I can smell traces of him on you, and you haven't been near him for a week." "Thanks," Percy said. "Where's the nearest shower?" "You should be grateful, Percy. Your stepfather smells so repulsively human he could mask the presence of any demigod. As soon as I took a whiff inside his Camaro, I knew: Gabe has been covering your scent for years. If you hadn't lived with him every summer, you probably would've been found by monsters a long time ago. Your mom stayed with him to protect you. She was a smart lady. She must've loved you a lot to put up with that guy—if that makes you feel any better." I knew what Percy was thinking. He was thinking of the fact we'll get his mom and my parents. How we'll save them all. We got restless waiting for the bus and decided to play some Hacky Sack with one of Grover's apples. Annabeth was unbelievable. She could bounce the apple off her knee, her elbow, her shoulder, whatever. I wasn't too bad myself. The game ended when I tossed the apple toward Grover and it got too close to his mouth. In one mega goat bite, our Hacky Sack disappeared—core, stem, and all. Grover blushed. He tried to apologize, but we were too busy cracking up. Percy pulled me to a corner, after excusing ourselves for a bathroom break. "You finally going to tell me about this quest?" "The truth is," He started. "I don't care about retrieving Zeus's lightning bolt, or saving the world, or even helping my father out of trouble." I gave him a look that reassured him to continue. "The more I thought about it, I resented my father for never visiting me, never helping my mom, never even sending a lousy child-support check. He'd only claimed me because he needed a job done. All I cared about was you and my mom. The underworld god had taken her unfairly, and he is going to give her back." "Percy, we don't even know what's going on. Yeah, he might have her. But what is there's another reason? We don't exactly know anything. I don't even think my parents are with him." "Well, no matter where they are. We will get them back. The least I could do is get them back." He rested his head on my shoulder. "Don't "You will be betrayed by one who calls you a friend," "What?" I froze. "Percy... I would never---" "You will fail to save what matters most in the end." "What are you talking about?" The rain kept coming down. "The rest of the prophecy. Y/N, I don't want you to betray me. Please... don't." I could hear his voice breaking. "Of course I won't. We'll get this quest done. We won't loose anyone and we'll get our parents. Don't worry." I hugged him. "I will stay with you. I won't leave and I won't betray you." "Hey Bonnie and Clyde, we need to go." Finally the bus came. As we stood in line to board, Grover started looking around, sniffing the air. "What is it?" I asked. "I don't know," he said tensely. "Maybe it's nothing." But I could tell it wasn't nothing. I took Percy's hand and started looking over my shoulder, too. I was relieved when we finally got on board and found seats together in the back of the bus. We stowed our backpacks. Annabeth kept slapping her Yankees cap nervously against her thigh. As the last passengers got on, I immediately clamped my hand onto Percy's knee. "Percy." It was Mrs. Dodds. Older, more withered, but definitely the same evil face. I scrunched down in my seat. Behind her came two more old ladies: one in a green hat, one in a purple hat. Otherwise they looked exactly like Mrs. Dodds—same gnarled hands, paisley handbags, wrinkled velvet dresses. Triplet demon grandmothers. And I was now sure, Mrs. Rudolph was one of them. They sat in the front row, right behind the driver. The two on the aisle crossed their legs over the walkway, making an X. It was casual enough, but it sent a clear message: nobody leaves. The bus pulled out of the station, and we headed through the slick streets of Manhattan. "She didn't stay dead long," Percy said, "I thought you said they could be dispelled for a lifetime." "I said if you're lucky," Annabeth said. "You're obviously not." "All three of them," Grover whimpered. "Di immortales!" "Who knows maybe they just want to play?" I said nervously. Annabeth gave me a look of irritation, "Not now," she said, obviously thinking hard. "The Furies. The three worst monsters from the Underworld. No problem. No problem. We'll just slip out the windows." "They don't open," Grover moaned. "A back exit?" she suggested. There wasn't one. Even if there had been, it wouldn't have helped. By that time, we were on Ninth Avenue, heading for the Lincoln Tunnel. "Maybe a nice chat would help?" "They won't attack us with witnesses around," Percy said. "Will they?" "Mortals don't have good eyes," Annabeth reminded him. "Their brains can only process what they see through the Mist." "They'll see three old ladies killing us, won't they?" She thought about it. "Hard to say. But we can't count on mortals for help. Maybe an emergency exit in the roof... ?" We hit the Lincoln Tunnel, and the bus went dark except for the running lights down the aisle. It was eerily quiet without the sound of the rain. Mrs. Dodds got up. In a flat voice, as if she'd rehearsed it, she announced to the whole bus: "I need to use the rest-room." "So do I," said the second sister. "So do I," said the third sister. They all started coming down the aisle. "I've got it," Annabeth said. "Percy, take my hat." "What?" "You're the one they want. Turn invisible and go up the aisle. Let them pass you. Maybe you can get to the front and get away." "But you guys—" "There's an outside chance they might not notice us," Annabeth said. "You're a son of one of the Big Three. Your smell might be overpowering." "I can't just leave Y-- you guys!" "Don't worry about us," I assured him. "Go!" His hands were trembling. But I took the Yankees cap and put it on. And he simply vanished. Mrs. Dodds stopped, sniffing, and looked straight at a spot. My heart was pounding. Apparently she didn't see anything. She and her sisters kept going. "Maybe if they approach us, I could try talking? I really was Mrs. Rudolph's favorite..." I stammered. "Yeah stage is yours." Annabeth answered. The old ladies were not old ladies anymore. Their faces were still the same—I guess those couldn't get any uglier— but their bodies had shriveled into leathery brown hag bodies with bat's wings and hands and feet like gargoyle claws. Their handbags had turned into fiery whips. The Furies surrounded us, lashing their whips, hissing: "Where is it? Where?" The other people on the bus were screaming, cowering in their seats. They saw something, all right. "He's not here!" Annabeth yelled. "He's gone!" The Furies raised their whips. "Don't!" I stepped in front of them shaking. "H-Hi Mrs. Rudolph. W-What could you need?" Annabeth drew her bronze knife. Grover grabbed a tin can from his snack bag and prepared to throw it. To our surprise the bus jerked to the right. Everybody howled as we were thrown to the right, and I heard what I hoped was the sound of three Furies smashing against the windows. "Hey!" the driver yelled. "Hey—whoa!" The bus slammed against the side of the tunnel, grinding metal, throwing sparks a mile behind us. We careened out of the Lincoln Tunnel and back into the rainstorm, people and monsters tossed around the bus, cars plowed aside like bowling pins. Somehow the driver found an exit. We shot off the highway, through half a dozen traffic lights, and ended up barreling down one of those New Jersey rural roads where you can't believe there's so much nothing right across the river from New York. There were woods to our left, the Hudson River to our right, and the driver seemed to be veering toward the river. The bus wailed, spun a full circle on the wet asphalt, and crashed into the trees. The emergency lights came on. The door flew open. The bus driver was the first one out, the passengers yelling as they stampeded after him. The Furies regained their balance. They lashed their whips at Annabeth while she waved her knife and yelled in Ancient Greek, telling them to back off. Grover threw tin cans. It was as if I didn't exist which was kinda offensive. "Hey! I'm also here!" I yelled pulling out my now glowing knife and helped Grover. "Hey!" A voice from the door way echoed. "Percy you idiot! Run!" I yelled. The Furies turned, baring their yellow fangs at him. Mrs. Dodds stalked up the aisle. Every time she flicked her whip, red flames danced along the barbed leather. Her two ugly sisters hopped on top of the seats on either side of her and crawled toward him like huge nasty lizards. I don't know how but I managed to parkour my way to avoid them and get to Percy in no trouble. I raised my knife and stood in between of them. "Perseus Jackson," Mrs. Dodds said, in an accent that was definitely from somewhere farther south than Georgia. "You have offended the gods. You shall die. I suggest you step away from him Y/N L/N." "I liked you better as a math teacher," he told her. She growled. Annabeth and Grover moved up behind the Furies cautiously, looking for an opening. Percy took the ballpoint pen out of his pocket and uncapped it. Riptide elongated into a shimmering double-edged sword. The Furies hesitated. Mrs. Dodds had felt Riptide's blade before. She obviously didn't like seeing it again. "Submit now," she hissed. "And you will not suffer eternal torment." "Nice try," I told her. "Percy, look out!" Annabeth cried. Mrs. Dodds lashed her whip around my sword hand while the Furies on the either side lunged at him. I managed to keep one of them and parried with her using my knife., which turned out to be Mrs. Rudolph. "I hate to admit it but you were my favorite teacher. Why go mean now?!" I struck with the hilt of my knife against her, sending her toppling backward into a seat. I turned to see Percy had sliced the Fury on his right. As soon as the blade connected with her neck, she screamed and exploded into dust. Annabeth got Mrs. Dodds in a wrestler's hold and yanked her backward while Grover ripped the whip out of her hands. "Ow!" he yelled. "Ow! Hot! Hot!" Mrs. Rudolph came at me again, talons ready, but I dove in and got in range to swing Sting at her and she broke open like a piñata. Mrs. Dodds was trying to get Annabeth off her back. She kicked, clawed, hissed and bit, but Annabeth held on while Grover got Mrs. Dodds's legs tied up in her own whip. Finally they both shoved her backward into the aisle. Mrs. Dodds tried to get up, but she didn't have room to flap her bat wings, so she kept falling down. "Zeus will destroy you!" she promised. "Hades will have your soul!" "Braccas meas vescimini!" Percy yelled. I wasn't sure where the Latin came from. I think it meant "Eat my pants!" Thunder shook the bus. The hair rose on the back of my neck. "Get out!" Annabeth yelled at us. "Now!" I didn't need any encouragement. Taking Percy's hand, we rushed outside and found the other passengers wandering around in a daze, arguing with the driver, or running around in circles yelling, "We're going to die!" A Hawaiian-shirted tourist with a camera snapped my photograph before I could recap my sword. "Our bags!" Grover realized. "We left our—" BOOOOOM! The windows of the bus exploded as the passengers ran for cover. Lightning shredded a huge crater in the roof, but an angry wail from inside told me Mrs. Dodds was not yet dead. "Run!" Annabeth said. "She's calling for reinforcements! We have to get out of here!" We plunged into the woods as the rain poured down, the bus in flames behind us, and nothing but darkness ahead.

Previous | Masterlist | Next

UwU Haha this is what the knife looks like since I'm not sure if I describe it that well... Omg I just realized my brother changed the chapter title lmao -kookie-doughs

Just imagine it has your name on the blade.

Taglist?

@gayer-than-the-gayest-gay @the-natureofme @booknerd-3000

#Percy Jackson #Percy Jackson X Reader #Percy Jackson X Y/N #percy jackon and the olympians #luke castellan #Luke castellan x reader #Lightning thief #Y/N L/N #Y/N L/N and the halfbloods #pjo #X Reader #Book 1 #Chapter 10 #Fanfiction #fanfictions

51 notes · View notes

cheri-translates · 4 years

Text

mains - dates

✧ dates from season two can be found after-hours.

🥧 pies // gavin.

hearty and filling, these pies are packed with wholesome organic ingredients and baked to perfection. cut into it slowly and savour its simple sweetness that will bring you back to the nostalgia of home.

✧ basketball court （球场之约）

✧ misunderstandings （误会之约）

✧ mark （印记之约）

✧ ski （滑雪之约）

✧ reflection of beauty （惊鸿照影来）

✧ delightful search （觅趣之约）

✧ private photoshoot （私影之约）

✧ gardening （园艺之约）

✧ flower season （花期之约）

✧ galloping （驰骋之约）

✧ surprise （奇袭之约）

✧ late autumn（秋深之约）

✧ 2020 birthday r&s

✧ old haunt （故地之约）

✧ same path （同途之约）

✧ qixi event

✧ location scouting (prologue) （堪景之约）

✧ returning from afar （远归之约）

✧ deep longing （心驰之约）

✧ special invitation （特邀之约）

✧ challenge （挑战之约）

✧ mind’s quest: obsession （执迷）

✧ mind’s quest: when the galaxy falls （星河欲坠时）

✧ sky （云霄之约）

✧ blessings （祝福之约）

✧ wind and waves (风浪之约）

✧ long journey (长旅之约)

✧ 2021 birthday r&s

✧ spreading wings (展翼之约)

✧ car repair （修车之约）

✧ fragrant traces （香影之约）

✧ mind’s quest: deep sleep with the moonlight (与月色沉眠）

✧ divination (占卜之约)

✧ winning the championship (夺冠之约)

✧ judgment (审判之约)

✧ training (训练之约）

✧ assistance (助力之约)

✧ beautiful time (锦时之约)

✧ gym (健身房之约)

✧ cure (治愈之约）

✧ mind’s quest: moon beyond the curtain（帘外月胧明)

✧ multitude of light (黎光之约)

✧ refining (试炼之约)

✧ torrential (激流之约)

✧ arrest ((抓捕之约)

✧ fishing (海钓之约)

✧ fashion show (秀场之约)

✧ 2022 birthday prologue

✧ opportunities (逢辰之约) l birthday r&s

✧ moon (合月之约)

✧ cheering (prologue) (呐喊之约)

✧ field training (拉练之约)

- west moon au

✧ fated with the world of the living （浮世之缘）

✧ journeying together （同行之约）

✧ late autumn (秋阑之约）

✧ lighten burdens (减负之约) (summary)

🥞 pancakes // kiro.

soft and fluffy, our stack of pancakes are an amazing way to start the day, or if you just want irresistibly soft sponginess in your mouth. drizzle some chocolate or maple syrup if you want, though... it’s sweet on its own.

✧ greenhouse （花房之约）

✧ poetry and wine （诗酒趁年华）

✧ entwining （缠绕之约）

✧ village （晚寨之约）

✧ treasure （藏宝之约）

✧ colourful （缤纷之约）

✧ dessert （甜点之约）

✧ variety show（综艺之约）

✧ qixi event

✧ memories of summer （忆夏之约）

✧ inspiration （灵感之约）

✧ echo （回响之约）

✧ winter tour （冬游之约）

🥐 croissants and strudels // lucien.

our puff pastries are made fresh every morning with exactly 700 layers folded into the dough. crisp and light on the outside, bite through the outer layer to taste the intense flavour inside.

✧ fireworks （烟花之约）

✧ a love not in vain (by @redqueen-hypothesis) （不负相思意）

✧ warm morning （暖晨之约）

✧ whimsical （奇想之约）

✧ ordinary （平淡之约）

✧ revelation （启秘之约）

✧ seminar （讲座之约）

✧ mirror painting* （镜面之约）

✧ reading （品读之约）

✧ noble virtue (by @redqueen-hypothesis) （幽芳之约）

✧ qixi event

✧ theatre （剧场之约）

✧ radio broadcast (电台之约)

✧ fantasy book (幻书之约）

🍩 bagels // shaw.

soft and chewy, bagels and donuts have always been an ideal afternoon snack for when you’re busy and need something on the go. our bagels are spiced with a secret mix and are sure to give you the kick you need.

✧ tide of emotions （心潮之约）

✧ 2020 birthday r&s

✧ summer night （夏夜之约）

✧ exorcism (by @redqueen-hypothesis) （除崇之约）

✧ qixi event

✧ accompanying （陪伴之约）

✧ 2021 birthday r&s

✧ summer solstice （夏至之约）

✧ freedom (自由之约）

✧ hot summer syndrome (热夏症候群)

✧ staying at home (居家之约)

🧁 cakes // victor.

baked with the finest ingredients, everything from cream to sugar is of the highest quality and completely handmade from scratch. we have some class, you know.

✧ delicacy （美食之约）

✧ encounter （偶遇之约）

✧ phantom （魅影之约）

✧ remembrance （铭心之约）

✧ understanding the human world （遍阅人间色）

✧ magnificent （鬼厉之约）

✧ return home（归家之约）

✧ colours of rain （夜色之约）

✧ night dream （夜梦之约）

✧ cherry blossom （晚樱之约）

✧ warm （温暖之约）

✧ tennis (prologue) （网球之约）

✧ sleepless night （灯火夜无眠）

✧ patio （庭院之约）

✧ qixi event

✧ tender regards （心意之约）

✧ night meeting （夜会之约）

✧ exhibition (by @redqueen-hypothesis) （观展之约）

✧ perfect （完美之约）

✧ 2021 birthday r&s

✧ belonging （归属之约）

✧ advice （讨教之约）

✧ sand and sea （砂海之约）

✧ leaving traces （留痕之约）

✧ re-enactment (演绎之约）

✧ business exhibition (企展之约）

✧ to the horizon (prologue) (至地平线之约)

🍒 return to the menu 🍒

231 notes · View notes

stimwyrms · 11 months

Photo

Teeming with life, the impact of the ancients lessens in every moment, and this place is evidence of that. Eventually, they will be forgotten, but for now, their memory persists in structures you make your home within, and the faltering memories of ancient gods. It’s impressive, really, that they’ve made such a long-standing impact.

Rain World Locations: Undergrowth

credit:

🛢️ 🌿 🛢️

🌿 🎋 🌿

🛢️ 🌿 🛢️

23 notes · View notes

quazartranslates · 3 years

Text

Welcome to the Nightmare Game - CH61

**This is an edited machine translation. For more information, please [click here]**

[<<< Previous Chapter | Table of Contents | Next Chapter >>>]

-----

Chapter 61: Witchcraft Sacrifice (XXX)

There was a loud roar, and the whole underground palace shook. Originally, because Qi Leren collapsed from the continuous loading, he sat down on the ground with soft legs. The pendant that Ning Zhou dropped was by his hand. He struggled to command his arm to pick up the pendant and climbed to the corner and sat down.

Not far away the situation had heated up, and the frost had spread to his feet at a terrifying speed, covering the surrounding walls and ground with a layer of frost and snow, while the light on Ning Zhou's short knife was waving into a silvery satin at an extremely fast speed, and the wall where it passed was cracked and destroyed. Among the dust and ashes, Qi Leren suddenly saw the illusion of a huge blazing angel, holy and majestic, just like when they were in the underground lake…

This time, it was a close battle. As for whether they could win... Qi Leren suddenly felt relief.

If they lose, just bury him here quietly, and let him slumber with Ning Zhou in this quiet underground palace.

The metal pendant held in his hand exuded coolness, and Qi Leren brought it before his eyes. He remembered that it was this pendant that released the Barrier of the Holy Spirit and gave the two of them time to breathe.

The round pendant had been broken, and it was opened with a slight movement of his finger, revealing a small photo of the woman with dazzling blonde hair and blue eyes almost identical to Ning Zhou.

Was it her? The blonde woman praying under the cross in the Barrier of the Holy Spirit, who was she?

Judging from their looks, she was definitely related to Ning Zhou. Was it her sister? But this looked like an NPC, didn't it …

His body was getting colder and colder, and tired. He had never loaded the file three times in a row. Qi Leren still underestimated the overdraft of using this skill continuously. His head was getting heavier and more painful, and he could no longer think, slipping in and out of consciousness.

The battle in the distance became more and more fierce, and the whole underground palace seemed to be destroyed. There was constantly fine dust and gravel falling from overhead. Qi Leren barely raised his head and opened his eyes. The stone dome overhead had cracked, and more fragments fell down, the dust floating all around.

Qi Leren knew he should avoid it, but he couldn't move at all.

The head of the flagstone was crumbling, with a ferocious shattering, shocking crack running more and more deeply, soon to hit him.

[Rain-Day Laundry: At present, the remaining sensing frequency is 0/3, and the cooling countdown is 23:59:59.]

Move quickly! Move!

Qi Leren wanted to scramble away a little, even if it was just a little, just to avoid the life-threatening one…

But don't even talk about moving his limbs, even blinking seemed to burn away his last strength.

His line of sight became blurred, and the voices became distant. He stared at the slate above his head that was like a slow sinking ship, falling a little into the abyss of death. There was another loud noise in the distance, and the overburdened joint finally broke completely. The slate flipped and fell from over his head, about to hit the immobilized Qi Leren.

Sometimes, sudden death is so unreasonable... Qi Leren smiled bitterly in his heart and closed his eyes.

One second, two seconds, three seconds... The expected pain did not come. Qi Leren opened his eyes slightly, and his sight was blurred. He could only faintly see two white figures, holding hands and standing in front of him.

The slate that almost took his life was lifted into the air by incredible power, and was driven to float slowly to the nearby place, and then fell to the ground with a crash.

What was this... What was going on?

Qi Leren blinked hard, trying to see more clearly. The white figures holding hands turned their heads and their faces were blurred like a fog. But Qi Leren just felt that they smiled at him. Then, hand in hand, they disappeared in front of his eyes.

"Ellie, Aisha..." Qi Leren silently read out their names. In fact, he hadn’t done anything for these sad sisters, but they still remembered his insignificant help after their deaths.

Thank you, thank you.

Darkness and tiredness hung over him, and Qi Leren held the pendant, with the farther and farther sound of struggle in his ears, and his consciousness sank into the barren abyss.

In his lethargy, Qi Leren felt as if he was lying on a small boat, and the surroundings were calm. Only slight waves brought about the shaking of the hull, and the regular rocking made his consciousness more lazy, and he wandered in the dream freely without scruple. He felt as if he had forgotten something important.

What was it…

It seemed that... it was an important person.

Ning Zhou!

Qi Leren woke up from a trance, and for a moment he thought he had been lying in the grave for hundreds of years, so tired and cold.

Ning Zhou was cradling him, her long hair messy, and a few strands of hair even grazing gently on his cheek, causing slight itching. She looked down at him with gentle eyes.

"Ning Zhou?" Qi Leren called out her name, and his voice was hoarse as if he had not spoken for several years.

"Are you awake? How are you?" Isabel's voice sounded from the other side, and Qi Leren turned to look at her with difficulty. She looked at him with some trepidation and finally breathed a sigh of relief when he woke up. "You don't know how scary Ning Zhou's expression was when she saw that the corridor had collapsed just now. Fortunately, after digging through the stones, she found you safe and sound, which is really great."

Qi Leren blinked his dry eyes and looked at Ning Zhou. Some of her embarrassment appeared on her face, and her earlobes were slightly red.

His tired body was suddenly injected with an incredible force, Qi Leren couldn't help laughing, and his smile was a bit silly.

"We won?" He asked confidently.

"Hmm," Ning Zhou hummed gently. After the end of the battle, she could finally stop worrying about the influence of skills and start talking.

The happiness of the surviving swept through Qi Leren’s whole body. He came down from Ning Zhou's arms. His legs were still a little weak, he didn't even have the strength to walk. With the help of Ning Zhou, he walked forward step by step.

The front was a mess, full of collapsed stone and destroyed sculptures. At the end of the corridor in the distance, it was supposed to be a closed dead end, but now it had become a huge altar. It stood tall there, and there were two rows of stone carvings lined up on the way to it. Each one was a young girl, and their appearance was fixed in their last moment before death.

The relaxed mood suddenly disappeared, especially when he saw the stone carving of the Ellie sisters -- he didn't even know where the sisters had died in the underground palace.

"If we finish the sacrifice, we can finish the quest right? Who will do it?" Qi Leren asked.

Ning Zhou shook er head, and her deep and sweet voice was like a graceful cello: "I will not give in to the devil."

Qi Leren recalled the ethereal and holy sanctuary in the Barrier of the Holy Spirit, and vaguely felt that Ning Zhou should be a person of great adventure and should belong to the Vatican.

"Then why don't I try..." Qi Leren decided to try whether S/L skills could fool the system.

"I'll do it." Isabel stood up. She looked sad but determined. "Now I can't go back to the village. None of the girls who were sent as sacrifices have ever returned. If I go back, they’ll definitely send me back. After all, I’m already a demon’s witch in their eyes.

"And... if I serve the devil and get strength, maybe I can see my sister again... I want to see her again.

"Thank you, if it weren't for you, I'm afraid I'd be dead now, not to mention if I would have found my memories from that year, thank you." Isabel smiled and calmly said goodbye to them.

"Have you considered it clearly?" Qi Leren asked her.

Isabel nodded: "Serving the devil may not be as bad as I thought. If I become stronger, I can protect the people I want to protect, my parents, my relatives and my friends. I don't want to see anyone die again... I want to give it a try anyway."

Isabel's mind has been made up, and Qi Leren has not said anything. If he were Isabel now, he would probably make the same decision. In this Nightmare World, ordinary human beings were too weak. If there was a chance to change their destiny, even if they became demons, there would be countless people willing to try.

"Good luck to you," Qi Leren blessed her.

The silent Ning Zhou also said: "Remember your heart."

Isabel's expression froze slightly, and then she smiled: "My heart has never changed."

As Isabel stepped onto the altar step by step, a light beam rose from the top of the altar, and an illusory figure could be faintly seen in the light. Ning Zhou's expression suddenly became solemn and her hand pressed on the handle of her knife.

Who was that? The Devil of Fraud?

Isabel had come to the front of the light beam, and though the figure shrouded in light and looked illusory, she easily associated her with the beautiful woman from three years ago.

The figure gave an inaudible chuckle, and the words were full of bewitching power: "Good girl, come to me."

Isabel's face showed a trace of fanaticism. She looked at the beautiful image with longing, and murmured like one bewitched: "I can finally come to you... Although I’m not the most beautiful and powerful one, I still won."

She walked into the beam and never looked back.

Almost at the same time, the system prompt appeared.

[ Player Qi Leren has completed the Witchcraft Sacrifice task. Mission completion is 50%. ]

[ A reward of 30 survival days has been given, and the coefficient of task completion is 1.5 times. Completed hidden task: Dusty Past. Reward for survival days is 10 days. Total reward for survival days is 55 days. ]

[ Data synchronization countdown, ten, nine...]

"Ning Zhou, when we’re back in the Village of Dusk, let's meet!" Time was short, and Qi Leren spoke quickly.

Ning Zhou's figure has been wrapped in the transmition beam, together with the blackbird on her shoulder: "Mm."

Qi Leren laughed happily: "The steel bridge on Sunset Island."

"OK."

[ ... Three, two, one, synchronization completion. ]

The teleportation was completed, which was different from the first time he came to the Village of Dusk. This time, Qi Leren was directly sent back to his home on Sunset Island.

During the mission in the main world, although his survival days would be frozen, other people's time was moving. Including the time he took to go to Makah Village, he had actually left the Village of Dusk for more than a week, and a thin layer of dust had formed in his home.

Qi Leren immediately rushed to the bathroom, reflecting his familiar face in the mirror. Not the girl in the quest, but himself.

He suddenly became uneasy. Would Ning Zhou be disappointed when he saw the real him? Could she accept it?

This uncertainty made Qi Leren anxious. After washing his face, he smoothed his hair nervously, and even fussed over a small section of cocked hair.

Tidying up his clothes and taking a deep breath, Qi Leren stood in the entryway and opened the door.

The setting sun suddenly came into view, and the familiar air with oil and the salty sea breeze entered his nose, bringing a familiar taste and a strange longing.

He began to walk to the steel bridge.

At the twilit seaside, seagulls hunted in groups along the coast, making a loud singing sound.

The sea breeze blew his hair tips and his heart.

Qi Leren felt uneasy and happy, thinking about all kinds of things Ning Zhou had done in the quest. The hidden happiness made him eager to share it with someone. After meeting Ning Zhou, he would have to talk to Dr. Lu and tell him that he was leaving the club!

With every step, the excitement was unbearable. Qi Leren's pace became faster and faster, and more and more urgent.

Every point and every drop of memory was sweet, even if it was that he was scared and flustered, even wandering on the edge of life and death, but everything was worth it, because in the end he got Ning Zhou's heart.

Recalling Ning Zhou's tears and kisses in the Barrier of the Holy Spirit, Qi Leren blushed unconsciously.

At that time, he had forgotten to feel it at all, but it didn't matter. There must be a chance in the future…

Without realizing, he had changed from fast walking to trotting, and finally he simply ran. The Sunset Island shrouded by the sunset and the shadows stretched by the setting sun retreated rapidly in his field of vision, and it was difficult for him to control this excitement as he ran towards his destination.

The steel bridge was just around the corner, and Qi Leren finally stopped, panting and scrambling to tidy up his clothes and hair, surrounded by people coming and going, and no one noticed that he was so nervous that he was about to explode in this lively place.

Ning Zhou probably hasn’t come yet, right? Qi Leren said to himself, looking anxiously in all directions, looking for Ning Zhou.

Sure enough, she hadn't come yet.

Qi Leren couldn't be said to be glad or sad. He raised his foot and walked from this end of the steel bridge to the highest point of the arch. He wanted to stand there and find Ning Zhou first.

At the top of the bridge, a tall man in a black trenchcoat stood there with his arms crossed, his back turned to him, as if he were looking out at the estuary connected by the river.

Qi Leren stood on the other side. The trenchcoat on the man looked very similar to the coat lent to him by Ning Zhou, which made Qi Leren slightly uncomfortable, and he couldn't help but look at the man’s back.

People came and went from one end of the bridge to the other, some talking and laughing, and some alone. This ordinary secular picture finally made Qi Leren feel like he was living in reality, instead of being bound by the cold and horrible underground palace like those dead witches.

Ning Zhou would come soon. How would he greet her? As he waited, Qi Leren had already thought about the scene when they met, until…

The sound of flapping wings sounded in his ear. Qi Leren looked up and saw the familiar big blackbird falling from the sky. It landed on his shoulder and shouted to him cheerfully: "The delicious food, the delicious food!"

There it is! The Goddess is here!

Qi Leren ignored the bird and looked nervously in all directions.

At the moment he looked up, the man in the black trenchcoat turned his body and looked at him in amazement.

Those familiar blue eyes suddenly crashed into Qi Leren’s.

Sharp outline, handsome face, and blue eyes that he would never forget until he died…

Qi Leren just looked at him, with the comings and goings of people laughing and passing between them, together in the happy mood. In this moment, all kinds of strange things he ignored in the quest emerged one by one, mocking him mercilessly.

At this moment, the two people on the verge of collapse asked the same question in astonishment: "You’re a man?"

-----

The author has something to say:

PS: To tell you coolly, Qi Leren and Ning Zhou are both straight men, lol. The very straight type. True love is a long road. You need to work hard to bend them from the straight road.

-----

Editor’s Note: BMBL, how do you expect to convince us that Ning Zhou’s straight when you’ve already established that he dual wields?

The art I’ve included here (as well as everything used in the blog theme) was done by coffeefox33 for the audio drama! Isn’t it pretty?

This is the end of the Witchcraft Sacrifice arc! We have a small interlude in the overworld, then it’s on to the next quest! Please look forward to it! （ʃƪ＾3＾）

-----

[<<< Previous Chapter | Table of Contents | Next Chapter >>>]

#Welcome to the Nightmare Game #欢迎来到噩梦游戏 #danmei

56 notes · View notes

danger-xylophones · 4 years

Text

Family Reunion (Darth Maul x reader) Pt. 5 An Old Love

Story summary: Reader and Darth Maul reunite for the first time in twelve years...and the ex-sith lord gets a strange surprise.

Warnings: Some angsty moments, Maul and reader fight, kind of a filler chapter

Notes: Female pronouns, an OC child

{masterlist}

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 , current read, Part 6

You could feel some of the tension leave your shoulders after you spotted the outline of the ship. The storm was still raging on which greatly hindered any progress you, Savage, and Maul could make as you were being pelted by acid rain. Why none of you bothered to take shelter was beyond you. Regardless, you voiced no complaint but, instead, wordlessly grabbed some wood to hold over your head. Savage had followed your lead and grabbed a piece of metal to protect himself and Maul who was carefully plodding along beside you. You had elected to take the lead and Savage was bringing up the rear both to protect your flank from any junkers looking for a fight and to make sure Maul stayed close. Given his current state, it was unclear if he’d stay put if something spooked him. Most likely he would if you were going by the way he would occasionally reach out and grab at your tunic or your arm or even your belt. The action assured you that if he did get spooked, most likely Maul would resort to wrapping around you like some spider-snake hybrid before attacking whatever it was that had startled him in the first place. Strangely, it was almost like he was back to normal. Whenever he was near you, his priority became to protect-whether it was from an outside threat or even himself.

..............................................

“Maul?” Your voice rang unnaturally through the trees of the forest Maul had led you into. “Maul, where are you taking me?” You weren’t nervous, per se, but Maul had a pension for attracting trouble wherever he went; you were certain he was cursed. So, even if all he sought was a little jaunt around the homing districts of some unimportant core world, it was almost guaranteed something would go wrong. You had learned to always memorize the path you walked when you were with him as a result.

“Patience, (Y/n).” The rogue scolded softly as his grip on your hand tightened. Despite the fact you could not see his face, you were certain he was smiling.

You scoffed at his words. “Ironic to hear you speak of patience, Master I-can’t-be-bothered-to-wait-for-you-to-be-done-with-training-so-let-me-sneak-into-the-Jedi-temple-while-you’re-away-and-risk-getting-us-both-found.” A small chuckle fell from Maul at your longwinded ‘insult’.

“And it’s ironic to hear you scold me for that, Padawan I-snuck-away-from-my-master-during-a-mission-just-to-comm-you-about-two-tookas-I-saw-that-had-the-cutest-little-ones.” Maul’s deep voice teased back, eliciting an eye roll from you aimed at the back of his head.

“That was valid, Maul.” You contested and placed a light kick to his leg.

Maul simply chuckled as he came to a stop. “Whatever you say, (Y/n).” He kicked back, a little harder than you had which pulled a surprised yelp from you. You opened your mouth to rebuke him but Maul cut in. “Close your eyes.”

“What?” You asked, startled, as your friend turned around to face you, warm saffron to scarlet eyes locking with your almost plain in comparison (e/c).

“You heard me. Close your eyes.” Maul ordered again, releasing your hand in favor of crossing his arms. “What, do you not trust me?”

You tutted. “I was taught never to trust a rogue.”

“Yet you followed me into the forest.”

“...Fair point.” You hummed and let your eyes slide shut, hands coming up to cover your face for good measure. “Alright, now what?”

“Now...now I need you to keep your eyes closed until I tell you to open them.” His voice was unsteady.

“Alright.”

“And I need you to keep silent unless I ask you something, are you comfortable with that?”

His words struck you as a bit odd but you decided to agree to his terms. “Yes, I am.”

A whispered ‘thank you’ graced your ears before you heard Maul take a deep breath in. He released it in a heavy sigh and you could feel his hands gently wrap around your wrists so he could pull your hands from your face. Next, you felt him move till he was holding your hands in his, grip light indicating that if you felt the need to pull away, you could. “Padawan learner (Y/n) (L/n), apprentice to Jedi Master Ki-Adi Mundi and the first person brave enough to...to befriend me, I cannot tell you how many ways I imagined this moment. You have done some...confusing things to me, (Y/n). When I am with you, I do not feel the need to prove my worth. I do not feel as though I must be on guard. I do not feel like a monster.” You couldn’t help but swallow as your mind brought up the few ways this monologue could go. You weren’t certain you could handle any of the foreseeable outcomes with the grace and dignity and, more importantly, gentility your training demanded of you as a peacekeeper. What was peace if out of two in a conversation, one was fraught with turmoil? “And I regret the notion that I am unable to say this while looking in your eyes but I fear that if I did, I would not be able to say what needs to be said. However, if we are to continue seeing each other like this, I feel that I must be honest with you as you have been nothing but honest with me.” Maul took another deep breath and stepped closer to you. You could feel the warmth radiating off of his skin and you would be a liar if you denied that his proximity prompted certain thoughts to threaten a reemergence. “I fear that I am falling for you, (Y/n). Despite what your code ordains and despite what I am, I feel a great longing in my being that is only satiated by you.” Maul’s hands moved again, you could feel him lift your arms just slightly and a moment after, his lips dusted over your knuckles. Your breathing hitched at the sensation that shot up your arms. Like lightning, it surged straight to the center of your chest to lay a heavy stone in the middle of it. The weight of his words settled swiftly, leaving you with an ache you had tried time and time again to quell. Tears began to form and you prayed that they wouldn’t slip from your eyes. Maker, you wanted him but you knew you would have to reject him-the code demanded it and you had already broken your master’s trust by sneaking behind his back like this; you couldn’t break it further by also disregarding the code that had guided you for so long.

“And, although I know you’ve already made your choice, I have to tell you that I have never felt for anyone, ever. Not in any way-people are nothing but pawns but you...you, (Y/n), you make me feel alive and free and I feel for you so deeply it frightens me.” His breath hiccuped and you startled. Was he crying? Quickly you tried to sense for what he was feeling and you were immediately hit with a wave of emotion. Anger, desperation, hate, heartache, and longing invaded your senses and cracked your resolve in an instant ensuring the tears you had kept at bay fell freely. Maul gasped and released one of your hands in favor of wiping your tears with his thumb. “(Y/n), please, please don’t cry for me. I am not worth your tears.” His words only served to worsen the guilt that now plagued your heart. Seamlessly, Maul moved to pull you into an embrace. Although you had never so much as hugged, being embraced by Maul felt like the most natural thing in the galaxy. The action felt so familiar that you would not be surprised if someone alerted you that you and Maul had done this countless times in previous lives. You were still for what felt like an eternity as the galaxy seemed to begin collapsing inward around the two of you, the knowledge that this could be the last time you saw Maul only working to strengthen the brokenness growing in you. How cruel was it that the first time Maul was this open with you would be the last time you spoke? You couldn’t see him after this because you knew you couldn’t accept his feelings for you, no matter what you felt for him in return. The risk of falling to the dark side was too great.

Eventually, you managed to dull the sting of raw emotion enough to become aware of the rhythmic caress of your back. Maul’s touch was soothing as his hand smoothed up and down. “M-Maul…” Your voice broke and Maul quickly shushed you.

“Don’t speak, (Y/n).” A soft kiss landed on your crown and the tears began anew. “I know the guilt of denying me for my feelings alone would crush you so…” Maul softly pushed you away and you instinctively flicked your eyes open to meet his gaze. If he had indeed been crying, it was impossible to tell. His eyes which smoldered like dying embers hid a heavy resignation that you feared the worst of. Maul’s hands moved to your face, one remaining under your chin as he used the other to trace over the layout, it seemed like he was trying to memorize it. You found yourself reaching up to do the same. Maul’s eyelids fluttered at the touch as a strange buzz left his chest. You couldn’t help but smile when you realized he was purring. Sadly though, the moment ended and Maul pulled away. “I need to show you what I am, (Y/n). Close your eyes and hold out your hands.” Swiftly wiping away any of your tears, you nodded and did as he instructed all whilst trying to ignore the fear his words ignited.

A heavy, round, metal object was laid across your open palms and your mind immediately pieced together that Maul had handed you a lightsaber. Presumably, it was the one that he always kept clipped to his belt: the one he never used. “Open your eyes, (Y/n).” Maul’s voice was fragile and you feel his gaze boring into the weapon he had set in your grasp. You were correct in your assessment of which lightsaber it was and you couldn’t help but admire the sleek design (which you thought complimented the appearance of its owner). Although, you were perplexed by why it was so long-it seemed rather cumbersome in comparison to your own dual lightsabers. Questioningly, you lifted your gaze to Maul. There was a strange sadness that seemed to haunt his eyes, making him look far older than the twenty-year-old man you knew him as. “Activate it.”

How two simple words could shake you so violently you would never understand but you obliged despite the twist in your gut. It was then as you sought out the button which would ignite the blade that you noticed that the hilt had two ends. Which meant that it was a double-bladed lightsaber. You had heard of double-blades before, in fact, you recalled hearing about a Besalisk padawan who was fond of using them but something felt off about this one as your thumb hovered over one of the buttons. You pressed down.

Immediately, the blade ignited and you felt your heart stop as the warm glow of the red saber burned into your eyes. “Maul...Maul, what is this?” It felt like someone was steadily crushing your chest. “What is this?” Your voice started to raise as the panic grew in you, your mind was already jumping through hoops on its way to a conclusion you refused to entertain.

“You know what it is, (Y/n).” Maul explained quietly, his gaze trained on your face. “You know what I am.” Suddenly, his strange but entrancing eyes began to make sense to you; there was a reason no one else had eyes like him with the exception of only one other being.

You shook your head frantically as you sheathed the blade. “No...no, they’re extinct. You can’t…” your hand tightened around the weapon as your voice faded away. “You can’t be a-a…” you knew what you had to do. Without warning, you threw the saber back at Maul who still caught it with ease despite the shock evident on his face. With a strangled yell, you grabbed your own lightsaber and attacked the traitor in front of you. Maul met your blow with infuriating ease and flicked you off of him. It didn’t deter you as you came at him full force once again. Your strikes were sloppy and far too loose for someone of your training but your mind was too drowned in foreign emotion to calculate your moves. Maul, on the other hand, seemed to have no trouble at all.

“You can’t beat me, (Y/n).” The...Maul explained in a soft voice as he blocked every one of your blows-never even moving to attack you.

“I don’t care.” You seethed as you pushed against him From behind his blade, Maul sighed and swiftly snagged his calf around yours before pulling you off balance. You landed with an undignified thump and scrambled to grab your saber which had fallen next to you. Before you could, Maul pulled it to himself and clasped in his left hand.

“You should care, (Y/n).” Maul silenced you as he picked you up using the force and suspended you before him with an invisible grip around your waist. “Your rage has unbalanced you. Were I actually here to harm you, I would have had no trouble. You need to focus your anger if you ever want to defeat me.”

“Why-” You wriggled in the air despite knowing you were held up through the force. “Why are you trying to teach me? Just kill me and be done with it.”

Maul’s face fell at your bitter words. “I’m trying to teach you because I do not want to see you hurt. I’ve hurt you enough.”

..........................................

The rapping of Savage’s knuckles on the closed ramp of the ship was what brought you out of your thoughts. With a shake of your head, you looked up to see Savage moving over to the viewport to wave at Wild, signaling him that you were back. Maul was still at your side, having found some form of solace in latching his hand around yours. His nails dug into your skin from the incredibly tight grip he kept but you dared not to voice a complaint. He was calm right now and you needed him to stay calm while you got on the ship. The number of tricks you had to use on Maul to keep him at peace was alarmingly similar to the amount you used to use on Wild when he was a tot.

Presumably having gotten Wild’s attention, Savage came stalking back towards you and Maul. “We don’t tell Wild what Maul is-in regards to the relation.” You commanded the second he was within earshot. “At least not until we’ve...fixed him.” Savage was given no chance to argue as the ramp was already descending. Wild emerged from the cockpit just as Savage unceremoniously shoved Maul onto the ship as he had tried to run.

“What the kriff is that?” The boy exclaimed in shock.

You whipped your head around in an instant. “Language.”

“Sorry, mother, may I be granted knowledge regarding what the kriff is the creature you have brought aboard?” Wild shot back. You pulled a face at him but were unable to fault him for the sass he’d undoubtedly picked up from you. Your son knew this and thus stuck out his tongue to further taunt you.

“To answer your question, Wild, this is Darth Maul.” You explained as Savage ushered Maul into a little alcove of boxes that would most likely act as his impromptu home till the three of you could figure out what you were going to do.

“That’s Savage’s brother?” Wild asked in disbelief, hesitantly approaching the other two zabraks. Maul was occupying himself by watching you as you sorted through the crates for some blankets. “What happened to him?”

A nervous laugh fell from you as you briefly glanced at the two adult males“It’s...a long story.” You sighed and met Wild’s gold eyes-very aware of the matching pair still fixated on you.

........................................................

“Why are you trying to teach me? Just kill me and be done with it.” You spat at the Sith before you.

“I’m trying to teach you because I do not want to see you hurt. Not after I’ve hurt you enough.” Maul answered evenly though you could hear the barely concealed remorse etched into his voice. Slowly, Maul lowered you to the ground and released his hold on you which left you both in a standoff. The zabrak male was staring at the ground in front of your feet, looking as though he wishes the ground would open up to swallow him.

You stepped forward but stopped short. Maul was a sith you had to take him down and alert the council. Your feelings on the issue did not matter. His compassion was a farce as were his feelings. Were you really going to let him use you? Your body answered when your heart remained silent. You snagged your second lightsaber from your belt and ignited it, blue light filtering into the area around you. “Your words are a lie, Sith. I am a Jedi who fears neither pain nor death.” You took a deep breath in, eyes trained on the light of the blade you held in front of you. “If I am to be cut down by you, then I must abide by the will of the force but I will not go down without a fight.”

“(Y/n)...” Maul tried once more but you weren’t having it. You ran for him again, more focused now that you had a clear goal. Maul activated one side of his double-bladed lightsaber and immediately went on the defensive which infuriated you to no end. You had sparred with Maul before and he was merciless in his attacks then: always on the offensive. He was always trying to push you harder than your current training did. He had worked on teaching you how to embrace and utilize your emotions. You realized now that he was only trying to corrupt you. “You are leading with your right, try to hide that.” Maul instructed calmly as he flicked the tip of your blade away. You gritted your teeth at his remark but you did take care to disguise your dominant side a bit more thoroughly. “Your grip is a bit too tight-if you loosen it a little you will be able to maneuver the blade more fluidly.”

“Stop it.” You spat at him, drawing back. With a spin, you brought your blade over your head and down on Maul who greatly underestimated the strength in that strike. He stumbled back and dropped on his knee.

“Good, (Y/n), like that-channel your anger.” Maul commended warmly, your eye twitched in response. You pressed down against the red sith blade as hard as you could, willing yourself to overpower the man you had thought so highly of mere minutes ago.

“Would you shut up?! I’m trying to fight you!” You yelled at him, not realizing what you had fallen for. Maul fell back and swiftly planted his feet on your torso. Your face paled as you realized what was about to happen but by then, it was too late, he had launched you into the air. You twisted around to prepare yourself to land on the ground but your feet never met it.

“And that is why I am talking, (Y/n).” Maul explained quietly, one hand outstretched towards you. “I do not want to fight you.”

“Then what do you want, Maul? What else could you possibly want? You lied to me, you made me fall for you, and you lied to me what else is there for you to want? Me to beg for my life, groveling in submission at your feet?” You were screaming, wildly clawing at the air as if that would help you. You were upset and you wanted to leave.

“I want you.” Maul’s words made you freeze. “I want you to come with me, to leave the Jedi order behind and to be mine. I want you to be free, (Y/n).” The zabrak was speaking softly and padding towards you as he set your feet on the ground, lightsaber returned to the clip on his belt.

You couldn’t even meet his gaze. “I can’t, Maul...the code-” “Damn the code, (Y/n), you’ve already broken it.” Maul exclaimed, cutting you off entirely. “I know you feel the same as I do-you ache for me as I long for you. Please, forsake the Jedi.” He drew closer with every step, his desperation evident until he could reach forward to take your face in his hands. “Come with me.”

You stared at his chest, contemplating the mess that this evening had become. “Maul...I…” You looked up at him. “Is everything you said true?”

“Every word of it.” He moved closer so you were nose to nose. “I’ve fallen for you, (Y/n), and all I want is to fall farther.”

<- Previous | Next ->

#clone wars #star wars #tcw #danger-xylophones #Family Reunion series

132 notes · View notes

magictaverntranscripts · 3 years

Text

Episode 6 - The Vermilion Minotaur

[static] Mysterious Man: The following podcast is not real. But it is really sponsored by Field Notes Brand. USA-made memo books and other products, including seasonal limited editions. Visit fieldnotesbrand.com, or 400 North May. [static] [theme music] Arnie: Hello From the Magic Tavern! [trill] Arnie: A weekly podcast from the magical land of Foon. I'm your host, Arnie Niekamp, I'm from Chicago. If you haven't listened to the podcast before, here's a real quick explanation of what's happened. A few weeks ago, about a month ago, I fell through a dimensional rift behind a Burger King, into this magical land called Foon. Luckily, I'm still getting a slight wifi signal from the Burger King, I guess through the dimensional rift. And so I'm hosting a weekly podcast from a tavern in Foon. The tavern is called the vermilion Minotaur, and I'm actually very excited this week that I've been able to talk the tavern owner into being a guest on the podcast. And we'll get to you in a second, but first I want to, uh, introduce my...mostly weekly co-host, Chunt, the talking badger.

Chunt: And your roommate. Hey, how's it going, Arnie? Arnie: And my roommate, exactly. You've been very kind to let me stay with you. Chunt: No worries, yeah, no worries. Arnie: I've been there for almo-, over a month. Chunt: Yeah. It's flown by. Arnie: And uh, Usidore the wizard is here... Chunt: Do you have sarcasm in...your world? Arnie: [laughs] Yes, yes. Chunt: Oh, 'cause I said, "It's flown by" but I...was [trailing off] being sarcastic. Arnie: You were being sarcastic. Chunt: Yeah. Arnie: Okay. I'm sorry. Chunt: No, I was- Arnie: Do you want me to not...have I been staying there too long? Chunt: I'd rather you- I'd rather know that you're with me and safe, then out somewhere else wandering around, but... Arnie: I w-, 'Cause I have like, nothing. I have no money- Otok: We have plenty of open rooms. Arnie: You have plenty of open rooms here? Otok: We do! Arnie: Well, why don't we go ahead and introduce our guest. Otok: Oh, sorry. Arnie: Our guest, uh, why don't you introduce yourself? Otok: Uh...[sighs as Usidore's voice gets increasingly louder in the background] Arnie: Oh, I'm sorry... Usidore: [eventually shouting]...and Shadow, Manipulator of Magical Delights, Devourer of Chaos, Champion of the Great Halls of Terr'akkas. The elves know me as Fi’ang Yalok! The dwarves know me as Zoenen Hoogastangs. Arnie: [somewhat sadly] Hoobastank. Usidore: And I am known in the Northeast as Gaismunēnas Meistar. You...[fades out again] Arnie: U- Otok: Uh- Arnie: Usidore is here, he's just wandering ar- I think he's drunk. I think he's wandering around trying- Chunt: Mm-hmm. Arnie: -to get people on his quest. Otok: Fi'ang Yalok is here nearly every night of the week. Arnie: Oh, so you refer to h- you know him as Fi'ang Yalok? Otok: Oh, I'm sorry yeah, well, I'm half. Half, half-elf. Arnie: Oh, you're half-elf? Otok: Right. Arnie: Wow, okay, all right, I'm sorry- Otok: So it's just habit. Arnie: Please introduce yourself. Otok: Um, I'm sorry. Otok Barleyfoot, owner and operator of the Vermilion Minotaur. Chunt: Mm-hmm. Otok: It's a family-run business. Arnie: I'm so excited to have you on. 'Cause I've been hosting this podcast every week since I've gotten here. I love the vermilion Minotaur, it's a cool- Otok: Thank you. Arnie: -tavern, and lots of adventurers and different people come through here. Otok: I hope you've tried our spiced potatoes! Arnie: I hav- I haven't. I haven't tried the spiced potatoes. Otok: [sighs] Okay. Arnie: I'm not a big...I'm not a big starch guy? Otok: All right. Chunt: If I were to look at you, I'd say you're a big starch guy. [laughs] Arnie: [laughs] Chunt, are you okay? I feel like maybe I'm upsetting you. Chunt: I'm a little high st-, I'm a little high-strung, okay? I'm a little high-strung. I just came from a session. I had a- Arnie: You- Chunt: Do you- Are you familiar with fetishes? Do you know what fetishes are? Arnie: Yes. Chunt: I make a little- whenever I change into a new animal, I'm currently a badger, I've been a badger for a little while. Uh...there's a group of people who will pay me to pose... Arnie: Uh-huh. Chunt: For a fetish, and I- they have me, I"ll like grubs or something, and they'll watch me eat grubs, or- Arnie: Uh-huh. Chunt: I'll wear just like, a wet t-shirt that says like, uh, "Kiss the Chunt" or something like that. Arnie: Oh... Otok: It's the underbelly of... Chunt: Yeah. Otok: Hogsface. Arnie: Yeah, there's a- Chunt: "Got Chunt", so I mean it's just- Arnie: Got Chu- oh, yeah. Chunt: There's a certain select group who are into watching me in whatever state I'm in do...certain deeds. Arnie: Yeah, I guess that explains why that explains why that one day, you came home with a wet t-shirt that said, "Chunt Hardly Wait"... Chunt: [laughs] Arnie: [laughs] Chunt: Yeah, I don't know why I wrote that, I don't know what was coming into my mind, but, "Chunt Hardly Wait". Arnie: But I'm sorry, I'd like to get back to our guest. So, I love the vermilion Minotaur- Otok: Thank you. Arnie: So tell me a little bit about the establishment. Otok: Well, as you can see, it's um, it's carved out of the base of a barleywood tree. Arnie: Ooo. Otok: Right at the edge of McShingleshane forest. Arnie: [laughing] Uh-huh. Otok: It was carved out- Arnie: I was wondering what the name of that forest was. Otok: Oh, McShingleshane. Arnie: Yeah. Otok: And so, my family took it over right from the beginning- Arnie: Uh-huh. Otok: -Called it the Vermilion Minotaur because of the old vermilion minotaur legend. Arnie: Wh- what is the Legend of the Vermilion Minotaur? Chunt: Ooo, let me...I'm gonna' blow out some candles here. Arnie: Ooo, wow, it's spooky! Chunt: Set the mood, I'm gonna' set the mood. Otok: Thank you. Thank you, Chunt. Chunt used to work here, so we have a pretty good- Arnie: I did not know that! Otok: -relationship. Chunt: Yep. Otok: Yeah. Chunt: Every once in a while I'll bounce here. Depending on the size of the animal, I'll be a bouncer. Arnie: Wow. Chunt: But if I'm [chuckles] if I'm a caterpillar or something, I'll probably just...[laughs] stay inside. Arnie: [laughs] Otok: Back in the kitchen. Chunt: Yeah. Arnie: Is it safe for a caterpillar in the kitchen? Chunt: I usually just wrap a cocoon around myself. Otok: Yeah. Arnie: So, the Vermilion Minot- the, uh- Otok: The Vermilion Minot-, ah yes, the Legend of the Vermilion Minotaur, um, is of course the old story when the, um, the...countess' baby, um, was trapped in the forest. And eight vermilion minotaurs invited the baby into their labyrinth. Arnie: Uh-huh. Otok: And then, the heavens rained down, and then...the horses came... Arnie and Chunt: [laughing quietly] Arnie: This is a very- I'm having a- Otok: I'm not a good- You know- Arnie: It's hard to parse this, this legend! Chunt: It's, well there's, it's told a few ways- Arnie: It sounds like it's like a fever dream! Chunt: I think it's open- Otok: Uh, it might be me. My wife was the storyteller. Um- Arnie: Are you okay? Otok: Yeah, um. I'm sorry. I just...it's a story I used to tell my daughter. Arnie: I don't think I've met your daughter. Or your wife. Otok: Well, my wife...my wife passed some years ago. Arnie: Oh, I'm sor- I'm very sorry. Otok: She was crushed by a barleywood tree. Arnie: Oh... Otok: And my daughter, um, she ran away. She wanted to be a warrior. Arnie: Uh-huh? Otok: And she joined the um, the Falsetto Marauders. Arnie: The Falsetto Marauders? Otok: And I haven't seen her in...two Blunders. Arnie: I'm so sorry to hear about...the tragedies in your family. Otok: Right. Arnie: I don't know if you want to talk about it, or we could change the subject...we could talk about the- Otok: No, it's fine. I uh- and in fact...quite frankly I'm looking for, I'm looking for some adventurers to um- Arnie: Mm-hmm? Otok: -to aid me in getting my daughter back. Arnie: [astonished] Really? So you have your own quest that you wanna' go on? Otok: Yeah. Fi’ang Yalok, I've spoken to him about it, um, he seems distracted- Arnie: Yeah. Otok: -with something else. Um, but you know, ideally I'd get some help. Arnie: Yeah, I mean- Otok: Getting her back. Arnie: I have to stay here, because this is pretty important communication- Otok: Right. Arnie: Explain this world to our world. Otok: Well, y- Chunt: And I was like, Arnie's got a similar situation where, kinda similar, where he's left his wife and daughter behind? Arnie: [laughs] I'm not- Chunt: And he's done nothing to search for them. Otok: Ooooh. Arnie: No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Otok: You chose to leave them behind? Arnie: No, that is absolutely not true. I, I have a w- a wife and a newborn, uh, child at home, and I am heartbroken that I am not with them, and I worry, and think about it every day. Uh, I did not intentionally come here, I'm really just trying to make the best out of it, and trying to do important work with this podcast, but I, like you, am very heartbroken. Otok: You seem pretty jovial. Arnie: No I- [laughs] Otok: And- [laughs] Could we get-? Chunt: Could we get some spicy potatoes over here? Otok: Yes, please, the spiced...[clears throat] Arnie: So- okay, so you're trying to get adventurers together. Otok: Right. Arnie: Your daughter went off to, with the Falsetto Marauders? Is that what you said? Otok: Yes. That is correct. They're a mercenary group of warriors. They're always looking for young, young trainees. Arnie: And do they sing? Chunt: No, it's- you know when they're near, because you hear like a [breathy, high pitched whine]. Like a "Whaa" Otok: Warrior call. Chunt: Yeah. Usidore: [off-mic far in background, unintelligible] Arnie: And so, is she in any partic- Like, I mean, first of all you should go after her, but...it seems like she chose to go off... Otok: The Falsetto Marauders are the worst kind of people on the face of Foon! I mean, they're disgusting animals! Arnie: What, what horrible things have they done? Otok: They killed off all of the, the sheep... [long pause] Arnie and Otok: [laughing] Chunt: [scoffs] All- I mean we don't have sh-, we used to have sheep, we don't have any more. I know when my cousin was a baby, they walked by and just like, smacked him. Arnie: I gotta' say- Chunt: Across the face. Like, a baby. Arnie: Look, I'm not saying, I'm not saying that those things aren't [laughing] I'm not saying that those- Chunt: Are you laughing at my cousin getting smacked? Arnie: [still laughing] I'm so sorry... Otok: And that's not the only- Chunt: In the f- Otok: -baby they've smacked, either. Arnie: Sure. Look, I'm not saying- Otok: When they, when you hear that sound coming into town- Usidore: [off-mic, much louder] -SUPPOSE YOU CAN [unintelligible] WEST WITH SPINTAX THE GREEN, THEN! [unintelligible, angry] USIDORE SHALL NOT STAND FOR IT! [more unintelligible, angry shouting, growing quieter as if leaving] Chunt: Wizard fight! [laughs] Arnie: Oh... Otok: Ooo. [yelling] Not in here, boys! Arnie: Look, I'm not saying that- I just that like, killing sheep and smacking babies, on the scale- Otok: Every last sheep. Arnie: On the scale of the kind of awful things you could do in this land, the stuff I've kinda' heard about, this seems, pretty small scale stuff. Otok: Would you want your daughter, your abandoned daughter, to join a- Arnie: Not ab- Abandoned is an exaggeration. Otok: -a group of angry, baby-slapping, sheep-killing marauders? Arnie: No, of course. I'm just saying like, if this is what she wants to be doing with her life...? Otok: Activia had a beautiful voice. Arnie: Activia? Otok: My daughter. Arnie: Her name was Activia? Chunt: Mm-hmm. Otok: That's correct. Chunt: We used to, uh, any time we'd see her around town we'd kind-of sing it? [singing to the tune of the Activia yogurt jingle] Ac-ti-via... Arnie: Okay, well you know what? Let's take a quick break. Usidore: [off-mic, much closer than before] Augh! I'm caught in my robe! I'm caught in my robe! Otok: [sighs] Arnie: Um, we gotta' help Usidore. Otok: We can't have this. Arnie: We're gonna' take a quick break, refresh our drinks, and help Usidore, and we'll be right back with more tales from the Vermilion Minotaur. [Ad Music] Usidore: [off-mic] I think this will be a wonderful opportunity for you. [clears throat] To get out of Hogsface and learn a little bit more about the world around you! Well it turns out that there is evil in this world- Unknown voice: [yelling angrily] Shut up! Usidore: Take up arms against it for it is each ourouururrrururrrururrruh our duty to decide when it is time, for we can no longer stand for the evil- Unknown voice: [still yelling] This is horsh- Shut up! Usidore: To invade our lives. Unknown voice: [anguished groan] Usidore: This is your- this is your last chance! I won't ask YOU AGAIN! THIS IS, I WON'T ASK FOR YOU TO COME ALONG WITH ME ON MY WONDERFUL JOURNEY! SO MUCH GOLD AND HONOR AND PRESTIGE TO BE WON! [Ad music ends] Arnie: Welcome back! All right, so we, I guess we've helped Usidore, at least as much as we possibly can. I wanna' talk a little bit more about the, the tavern itself. Otok: Well, it's a place to, to meet friends. Arnie: Mm-hmm. Otok: To have good conversation. Arnie: Yeah? Otok: We've got some, sort of out of, out of bar activities we do? Arnie: Uh-huh. Otok: We've got a mittens team. And in fact, we're down a guy...if...all right, well we'll talk later. Arnie: Ah, I don't- I'm not very athletic myself. I know Usidore has been really wanting to get into playing mittens. Otok: ...Yeah. [sighs] Yeah, he's mentioned that. Arnie: ...Not- Okay, that's fine. Otok: Yeah, we don't- Arnie: I, I get it. You don't even- Otok: We've got a w-wizard. Chunt: [chuckles] Arnie: [laughs] That's not a big- Otok: [mutters] So we don't really need another one... Arnie: That's not a big deal. What's it like running a tavern in a magical land? Is it dangerous? I mean, I know we're on, what is it? This big, through-fare road, you probably get a lot of strange creatures and adventurers coming in all the time. Otok: Right, well, they always come in here. I mean, where do you think they get their rumors and their gossip? They come here, to the Vermilion Minotaur. Our barkeeps are more than happy to supply it. Arnie: Yeah. Otok: But it can be dangerous, I mean, I mean I already told you how my daughter is gone- Arnie: Yeah. Otok: And my wife was crushed, so- Arnie: I know, I know, we talked- [laughs] Otok: It's weird that you're leading me to more- Chunt: [singing] Ac-ti-via! Arnie: That's really bringing the podca- let's not talk so much about that anymore. So, the bartenders being kind-of rumor mongers, are they trained to do that? Usidore: [muttering incoherently far in the background] Otok: Well, it just comes naturally. I mean, people come for, they're looking for work, they're looking for adventure, and they ask the barkeep. Arnie: Are you, do you collect rumors yourself? Like are there any juicy rumors floating around lately? Otok: [tisks] I mean, I've got a couple. I mean, I don't know if I wanna' spread it. You know, I'll give you one. Arnie: Great! Otok: I'll give you one. Um, so the, the Raven's Crew? Um, you know- Arnie: I don't know what that is. Otok: Oh, well they're, um, they kind-of kidnap children? Arnie: Uh-huh. Otok: Yeah. The Raven's Crew? Chunt: They don't smack 'em though. They kidnap 'em. Arnie: They just- Usidore: [far in the background]...all of Foon will... Otok: No, they don't smack 'em. Chunt: They don't smack 'em or slap 'em- Usidore: [in background, suddenly louder] darkness! [Continues, unintelligible] Otok: Right, they're just a kidnapping of children g- it's a religious cult. Arnie: Oh, I see. Otok: The Raven's Crew, they're very um, and so they kidnap children, they bring them to their palace, and um, brainwash them. Usidore: [continuing to recruit in the background, mostly unintelligible] Arnie: Yeah. Otok: Anyway, there's a rumor that one of them is working um, at the, uh, cobbler. Arnie: Really? Otok: Yeah. I don't know if it's a former Raven's Crew member or a current, but- Usidore: [Getting steadily louder] he shall sit upon a chair, a trophy of his...a lost man... Otok: -it's just one little rumor I heard. Chunt: Yeah, I heard that one. Arnie: [laughs] You heard that one as well? No one tells me- Chunt: I heard, I heard he's also uh, I heard he's gay. [pause, Usidore still talking in the background] Chunt: [laughs] Arnie: That's...fine. Otok: Yeah. Chunt: No, it's fine, I've had sex with, with male animals, it's just...it's something to talk about. Arnie: Sure, of course. Otok: Usually you have to buy a second ale to get that extra rumor. Arnie: Ah, I see! So it's kind-of an unsp- Chunt: I'm sorry, I blew his wad- Otok: It's all right! No, Chunt, it's, don't worry about it. Arnie: It's like an unspoken menu item. Otok: Right. You know, it's like, "Ah, I'll have another ale from the barkeep" well- Chunt: Let me be clear, Chunt doesn't care about homosexuality, it's just...it's just fun to talk about. Arnie: It's just fun to talk about. Chunt: Everyone loves to talk about sexuality, right? Arnie: Sure, of course! Yeah! Chunt: Do you ha-, I mean, in your world do you talk about who's gay and who's not? Arnie: Yeah, I suppose we do, to some extent. Chunt: Yeah, but it's not in like a nasty way, it's just like, "Oh, that's fun." Arnie: I mean, unfortunately some people do talk about it in a nasty way. But then, also, people, I guess people do just generally gossip. I mean, especially if you're not sure, or surprised... Chunt: Yeah. Arnie: Or w-, like uh, it switches? Chunt: Chunt accepts all. Otok: Foon is a pretty accepting place. Arnie: It seems like it. It does! It really does. And there's so many, and there's so many things to kind of be accepting of, like, you know, people who have sex with animals and then turn into those animals! Otok: Right. Chunt: Right, thank you. Can I ask you something real quick? Usidore: [laughing uproariously, much closer] Yes! My friend Chunt is a shapeshifter! Say- Chunt! Wave! Chunt: Hello! Usidore: Hello! That's Chunt! Arnie: Usidore, if you're going to try to engage us, I wish you would be on the podcast. Usidore: I'm sorry? Arnie: If you're going to try to engage us, I wish you would be on the podcast. Usidore: I'm trying- Arnie: Do you reali- you know every week, you've been on this podcast! Usidore: I know, but I'm, I'm...I'm working hard this week, Arnold. I'm going to recruit some adventurers to defeat the Dark Lord! Arnie: Okay. Usidore: I'm re-committed! [laughs] Unknown voice: [annoyed] I'm trying to study! Arnie: All right. Otok: Ah, yeah. Chunt: I feel like two more drinks and he'll be in the wizard state, so... Arnie: Oh god, I hate the wizard state, so much. Chunt: It can be a blessing. Arnie: Yeah. Do you have any, like, what's like, so what are the perks of being a tavern owner? Otok: Well, like I said, everybody kinda' comes to me. Arnie: Yeah. Otok: You know and I've known people since they were young, y'know. Arnie: Sure! Otok: We've been here. I've billed their fathers, and their father's fathers. We also do a good deal of charity work. Arnie: Really? Otok: And if you could- Arnie: That's fantastic Otok: -if you're going to be around, it'd be great if you would, y'know, chip in. Arnie: Uhh, yeah, if I have time. What, like w- w- Chunt: If you have time? To give money? [laughs] Arnie: I- first of all I don't have any money. Otok: Are you working? Chunt: He didn't ask for a time commitment, he asked for mon- for a donation. Arnie: Oh, I thought he was suggesting that I do some charity work. Chunt: Oh, I thought you were suggesting a donation. Otok: Well, I was suggesting a donation, but we also have our Vermilion Minotaur March coming up. And if you march around the outskirts of the town with us, that would also- Arnie: And what does, what are we raising money for? Otok: Um, for an extension for the Vermilion Minotaur… Arnie: [incredulous laughter] That does not- wait, for- hold on, that's not charity. That's not charity! Otok: We- uh, did you know that we house eight unwed mothers? Arnie: I did not know that. Otok: Well now you do. Arnie: So, becau- [laughs] is this because of like your wife and that, y'know, your child, that- Otok: I thought you didn't want to talk about that. Arnie: I really, I guess I don't but it just seems so...Chunt, right, doesn't it seem...that seems like probably why? Chunt: Do you think he slept with those women? Arnie: No! [laughing] I'm not! Chunt: You think he's the father of those- Arnie: I'm- Otok: How dare you? Arnie: I'm not accusing you of anything! Otok: And even if I did, I'm a- I'm a widower! My wife died- Arnie: That's true! You were, I mean- Otok: She would want- Arnie: You can have sex with as many people as you want! Otok: Okay. I haven't though. Chunt: Can I ask you something? Can I ask you something direct? Because you seem...real...in a not real hurry to get home. Are you gay? Do you have a wife and kids, or are you gay? Arnie: I'm not gay! I have, I- I love my wife and my child, and I really do want to get home to them, I'm just, y'know, while I'm here I'm trying to make the most of it. Otok: You should know that there are a couple rumors about you. Arnie: There are rumors about me? Otok: Mm-hm. Chunt: I spread most of them. Otok: Yeah. Arnie: Oh, Chunt. Well, what are the rumors? Otok: Well, there's one that you're gay. [Arnie laughs] Chunt: Which you can't be upset with, right? Arnie: I'm not upset! Chunt: Because you said- Arnie: No I'm not! Here's the thing, I'm not having sex with anybody here. I, I guess I can understand why people, y;know, I haven't immediately sidled up to a wench here, so I guess I'm...that means I'm gay, but I'm not! Otok: We don't call them wenches. Arnie: I'm too faithful! I'm sorry, what do you call them? Otok: [pause] Barmaids. Arnie: Barmaids? [laughs] Fair, fair, fair enough. All right, what's another rumor about me? Otok: I don't know if you're gonna want to hear it. Arnie: Is it really that bad? Chunt: I told people that you poop standing up. [chuckles] Arnie: Yeah, one time! Otok: And in Foon that's the sign of a...that's the Dark sign. I mean, one of the Dark signs. Arnie: That, that means I'm evil? Chunt: Mm-hmm. Otok: Mm-hmm. Arnie: I didn't know- Look, first of all, the plumbing here is weird. There's no really good- I mean, in my world, going to the bathroom is very like, much more of a convenient situation. And so I was just trying to figure out the least grotesque way to kind of like poop in the arrangement here, and I was standing up, trying something out, Chunt walked in on me, it was embarrassing. It was really embarrassing. Otok: Do you use something- Usidore: [in the background] I know I've asked you before Otok: -besides a poop pot and a thistle brush? Where you come from? Usidore: [in the background] Make your children proud, pick up a sword! Yea, unwed mothers, come with me on this quest to defeat the Dark Lord! Arnie: Oh no. Otok: Oh no, stay away from them. [to Usidore] Fi’ang Yalok! Usidore: [in the background] Please, I beg of you! Stop- Don't go to your day jobs! Arnie: Don't- What kind of adventure is he going to have with a bunch of unwed mothers? Otok: You're sick. Chunt: You're bringing this down. Arnie: I really- I was so excited to have- I feel like this has really taken a horrible turn. Y'know, I love the Vermilion Minotaur, I'm so excited to have you on as a guest, I'm sorry if I've offended you. And Chunt, I've clearly upset you as well. Chunt: No, I told you, I had a long day of being fetishized, so it's just- Arnie: Okay- Chunt: -it's that. Arnie: Well, what are some things coming up with the Vermilion Minotaur? People listening to this, in my world, if they can somehow come though that dimensional rift, if they find themselves in Foon- Otok: Sure- Arnie: -like things they could expect if they come to the Vermilion Minotaur. Otok: Well, um, we have Open Mike Night. Arnie: Wha, really? Otok: Once a week, absolutely. Arnie: That's so strange, because before I came here, you guys didn't even know what microphones were. [pause] Otok: Microphone? Chunt: What are- Microphone? Arnie: What is, what is Open Mic Night? Chunt: We have a guy named Mike, and he'll split himself open. Arnie: [laughing] Oh god! Chunt: He's an inside-outer. Otok: Yeah. Chunt: Which means he can exist either with his skin intact or sort-of popped out. Arnie: Eugh. Chunt: And then he'll do like 2 to 3 minutes of standup. [laughter] Otok: It's...it gets pretty crowded here...on Open Mike Nights. Arnie: What- I'm gonna- What night, what night of the week is Open Mike Night? Otok: Flenday. Arnie: [laughs] Flenday? All right, here's what I' m gonna' do. I'm gonna' figure out what day Flenday is, I'm gonna kinda' try to make it a point not to come on Flenday. And I'm sorry, I was just- Chunt: Come on, I was testing out some new material! I told you about this the other day, I said, 'Come support my new material.' Arnie: Aah- I didn't know- Otok: Chunt's performing, yeah. Chunt: Chunt's- Chunt's observations! Arnie: All right Chunt, sure, show us some of your new material. Chunt: Ah, don't make me be funny on the spot! Arnie: All right, well how about this- Chunt: Have you ever been walking...next to a tree...and a leaf will fall? And you're like, "Chunt's up with that?" Otok: [laughs] Chunt: That's my catchphrase, it's "Chunt's up with that" Arnie: "Chunt's up with that?" Ok. That's- that's pretty good. Chunt: I don't want any feedback from you. Otok: And that's just one thing going on. And then there's Chunt's Night. Arnie: There's Chunt's- there's a lot of Chunt-centric nights here. Chunt: I'm uh, I mean, I've been here since I was a kid I've been running around here. Otok's been like a, like a father to me. Otok: Aw, little Chunt, you should have known Chunt when he was a little, little guy. Arnie: What was he like? Otok: Well, he went through different phases. When he was different animals. Arnie: What has been your favorite form that Chunt has been in? Otok: Otter. Arnie: Otter? Chunt: Mm-hmm. Arnie: Otters are pretty adorable. Otok: Yep. Chunt: I used to come in here, just lay on my back and crack open clams on my tummy. Arnie: Oh, that's pretty...that's pretty cute. Otok: And then he'd have sex with a caterpillar. Chunt: Yeah. Otok: Head to the kitchen- Chunt: [simultaneous] Yeah, 'See you in three months!' Otok: [simultaneous] Fry him up. Chunt: Yeah. [laughter] [trill] Arnie: Otok, thank you so much for agreeing to be a guest on Hello From the Magic Tavern. I love the Vermilion Minotaur, I'm glad that people get a little bit more of a sense of this place we've been podcasting from every week. Otok: Using my best booth. Arnie: Yes! And please, I mean, I know you're often very busy running the place, but if you ever want to sit in on the podcast please, please do. Otok: Thank you. Arnie: And maybe we can get out word about your missing daughter… Otok: Activia. Arnie: About Activia. I mean, we won't dwell on it too much because it's kind of depressing but… Usidore: [in the background, singing]Ac-ti-vi-a! Otok: All right. All right, Usidore. Arnie: Um, as always, please, if you enjoy this podcast, go to iTunes, give us a review, give us five stars. And just let people know. This is a major discovery, and I'm sure most of earth is really going crazy about it right now. But on the off chance that it isn't major news, please get the word out there. Also, you can email us your questions about Foon at [email protected]. I swear it's a real email address, it's all I could get, there's some weird firewall with the Burger King WiFi- it's not worth going into. But, uh, we got an email from Joshua Bright, who asks: "Is there an amusement park in Foon? If so, what are its mascots and assorted attractions?" I don't even know if you would even know what an amusement park is. It's just like a...a large, like a fair? Otok: Sure. Arnie: Or a festival that's just always there, and you go, and there are rides, and people dressed up in weird costumes. Chunt: Oohh, we have uh, there's Topple Land. Otok: Yeah. Chunt: And it's uh, you basically climb up to the top of a tree, and they'll, somebody will knock over the tree, and you just uh- It's where you go to die. Arnie: Oh, god! Chunt: It's when you're ready to die, yeah. Arnie: I feel like that would be- Chunt: So we don't have the term Amusement Park- Arnie: Let's not talk about that, in front of- Chunt: Oh okay. We call them Death Parks. Arnie: I know, but his wife was killed by a tree. Otok: Chunt knows. Chunt: Yeah, I mean, we have that rapport so… Otok: Right, at the Death Parks the trees aren't doing it intentionally, it's...part of the ritual. Arnie: I see. Is it common for people to go and kill themselves at this...Topple Park? Chunt: I mean if uh, a tree topples in the forest, does anyone hear it? [pause] Chunt: It's pretty common. Arnie: Chunt's up with that? Otok: Chunt's up with that? [theme music] [static] Mysterious Man: Well, what another wondrous array of imaginings in a fantastical world that isn't real, because it's fake. Chunt the Badger was brought to glorious life by the human Adal Rafai. Usidore the Wizard was played by Matt Young. Special guest Otok Barleyfoot was played by Nick Baer. He would agree with me that assembling an army of robots powered by the souls of children is no easy task. You can follow Nick on Twitter @nbaer. Don't be terrified by the unconventional spelling. ANd Evan Jacover was in there somewhere, yelling in the background. Produced by Evan Jacover and Ryan DiGiorgi. Edited by Ryan DeGiorgi. Music by Andy Poland. Hello From the Magic Tavern Logo by Allard Leban. Learn more about the show, and the fantastical world we've haphazardly assembled, at hellofromthemagictavern.com. Or follow us on Twitter @magictavern. This wonderous ball of lies was brought to you by Field Notes, with the help of the Chicago Podcast Cooperative. Learn more about Field Notes at fieldnotesbrand.com, and the Chicago Podcast Cooperative at chicagopodcastcoop.com. [static] [theme song end]

#HFTMT #Arnie #Chunt #Usidore #Otok Barleyfoot #first mention: Activia #First mention: Open Mike Night #First mention: Chunt's Night #First mention: unwed mothers #S1E6

7 notes · View notes

thejollyroger-writer · 4 years

Text

THE WASTELAND - Chapter Two: THE HOSPITAL, Part 2

Some triggers: this story is rated TEEN, mostly for violence. It takes place during wartime, and some of the characters go through some violence and torture. If you need more information about this, please just message me!

SUMMARY: In a world that has been saturated in war for as long as anyone can remember, Emma Swan has rebuilt her life as far away from the chaos as possible, opening her own maternity hospital after spending too many years in makeshift battlefield aid stations. But one night, a bloodied and battered soldier finds her hospital trying to get away from an enemy with a penchant for torture and a personal vendetta against him. With the help of Emma’s childhood friend Prince David and a motley collection of humans and magic-wielders, the quest to save Killian Jones’ life from the poison used by the enemy takes them to places even beyond the known world.

Header by the lovely @spartanguard -- special thanks to @cssns for making this monster happen!

Prologue on AO3 // Prologue on Tumblr

Chapter One // (ART by @spartanguard)

Chapter Two on AO3 // ART by @spartanguard

CHAPTER TWO: THE HOSPITAL, PART TWO

“My god, Emma, he looks terrible.” If Emma’s eyes weren’t focused so intensely on Killian’s face, on his wounds, she would have seen the flash of recognition that passed across David’s face, paired with a small smile towards the man in the makeshift bed, when she let him into the safe room.

But she doesn’t.

“He still has the fever?” he asks after a moment. Neither of them move their gaze off of the wounded man, David’s eyes wide as Emma begins to change some of his bandages, revealing some of the worst of the wounds.

Some of the worst, but not yet the worst one, which she has covered carefully with gauze and rags to try to keep debris out of it, since she has not yet discovered a way to close it.

“I think that’s what’s causing the nightmares, and I feel like if I can bring that down, he’ll stop re-opening his wounds when he thrashes around and may actually start to heal.”

“Is that what’s stopping him from healing?” Emma knows the question he is trying to ask without asking it. It’s something she’s been trying not to think about, an idea that she’s been holding in since the first time she saw the wound on his chest.

“He’s already much better than he was when he got here a week ago, you should have seen him then. I haven’t seen anything that bad since we—” The words stop dead in her throat, memories of a time when she was still on the battlefield flashing in her mind before she can wish the nightmares away.

But she doesn’t have to say anything more; David already knows exactly what she is talking about, the thought that's been camping in back of her mind but has not yet come to the forefront. Because if that’s the case…

If that’s the case, there’s no way to heal him. All she would be able to do is watch his condition worsen before her eyes until he —

“The magic-inflicted wounds aren’t helping much, either. They’re bad, David. Definitely the worst I’ve ever seen.” Worse than before , she thinks, knowing that David is experiencing the same memories she is. “He told me that they’re from an interrogation, people trying to get information from him, but I think he’s too afraid to tell me anything more, and I don’t blame him. He keeps calling out three names: Liam, Milah, and David. It’s a stretch, I know, but I was hoping you may know something, maybe you recognize him.”

This time, Emma turns to the Prince as the flash of a smile passes across his face, the memories there no longer from bloody battlefield hospitals, but from somewhere with perhaps a little more hope. “I do, actually, I know him personally, and—”

Before David gets the chance to say more, Killian groans on the makeshift bed, his eyes flying open. For a moment, they are only filled with terror, most likely from another nightmare. But then he begins to focus on the room around him, first on Emma for the moment it takes to remember where he is before moving to David.

A wide smile spreads across his face — one David mirrors.

"Your highness," Killian says, holding his hand out towards David.

Taking it in one of his own, they share a laugh. "Please, Jones, I've told you a million times, it's David."

Emma is beyond confused, to say the least. "How do you two—?" she starts, but Killian is already asking a question of his own, his attention turned to her.

"So, wait, you know the Prince?"

She can't help herself, and she slings her arm over David's shoulder. "David and l have quite a history, we go way back."

"You and I have that in common, it seems, love."

"I hate to break it to you, Jones, but Emma outdates you by quite a lot."

Emma punches his arm. "Are you calling me old?"

He just scoffs. "I would never."

After the room goes silent for a moment, David turns to Killian, all the laughter drained from his face. “Alright, Jones, now that you know we’re all on the same side here, can you tell us what happened?”

Killian nods, but doesn’t speak right away. A pained look crosses his face even though he has not moved, and Emma knows this can’t be easy for him. She’s never been inside the war zones that she’s only heard about, but she’s seen her fair share of the aftermath of them in hospitals and on transports — and the fact that Killian’s wounds are by far the worst she’s ever witnessed can only mean that what he went through is far beyond what anyone should have to endure.

Killian is sitting at the table, a well-worn map spread out in front of him. They have been laying low for a few months now, taking advantage of the silence that the Prince promised the last time they saw him. There was a plan somewhere in his imagination, they could all tell, but it wasn’t time for them to learn it yet, either for their own protection or because he did not yet feel confident enough in it.

Either way, the six of them were thankful for the opportunity to have a few weeks to recuperate before they’re needed again.

It’s far from anywhere Killian ever pictured his life taking him, working with an elite group of soldiers hand-picked by the Prince of the Gale, going on secret missions and working closely with the man who was once his enemy — before Killian lost everything and was saved by the Prince himself, pulled from the water moments before he was ready to give up.

It’s far from anything he pictured, but there's nowhere else he would rather be.

All he has ever wanted to be is an honorable man, someone his brother would be proud of, and the day he learned that it meant rebelling against Gold and Nephilysis — the day he lost his brother, the only friend he ever had — was the day everything changed. But these men, the men that he has been working with for almost four years now, are some of the most honorable men he has ever known, and he is proud to count himself among their ranks, only hoping that they feel the same way about him.

The house is almost silent, four of them out hunting and gathering supplies, leaving just Killian and Phillip, with Phillip puttering around the kitchen. Every once in a while, the sound of a pot or pan, or Phillip muttering to himself, makes its way to Killian in the living room.

But other than that, silence.

And then, suddenly, it is no longer silent, the door slamming open followed by the obvious bang of gunfire taking out Phillip as someone comes around to where he is sitting. In the time it takes Killian to turn towards the ruckus, it is over, the tendrils of dark magic coming from the fingers of the man — only referred to as such because Killian’s dealt with him before, a monster in the body of a young boy — wrapping around his limbs, chilling him to the bone. It’s a feeling that he’s tried to forget over the last ten years, once that’s haunted his nightmares along with the screams from that fateful day.

“Well, well, well, look who I’ve found,” he says, his voice as clear and emotionless as he remembers.

(As he’s tried to forget every night for the last ten years.)

“If it isn’t our friend the wanna-be pirate captain.”

With those words, Killian immediately knows what he’s up against, knows exactly who is still standing in the kitchen.

Pan squeezes his hand, the tendrils of black magic wrapping tighter around his body.

And then everything goes black.

When he wakes, it’s raining. He’s laying in the mud, feels it seeping into every crevice of his clothing, already caking against his skin. He’s been there for a while. When he goes to move, he realizes that he has been chained to the side of the building, his chains shimmering with what he knows is dark magic. He’s also fairly sure he’s been drugged, with the world moving slowly and groggily around him.

Slowly, the memory of what happened to him comes back: sitting at the table with the map, Phillip in the kitchen, the intruders. He never even got the chance to see if Phillip was alive — though, given who the intruders were, he highly doubts it. He wonders if they also found the rest of the men who were staying in the cottage out in the woods, if they killed each of them as quickly as they killed Phillip; or perhaps some of them are here with him, caught off guard and abducted just as he was and are chained to other parts of the building, or other buildings.

He hopes not. He hopes, deep down, that if they were not lucky enough to be left alone, that they were lucky enough to find their ends quickly and not waiting for what can only become an excruciating end at the hands of the enemy.

Especially this enemy in particular.

It’s impossible, he knows it, but there’s something inside of him that wants to believe escape is possible. He’s been through his fair share of hardships, has fought and snuck his way out of camps before, but never under the nose of powerful dark magic. The cold rain begins to restore his focus, the grogginess of whatever he was drugged with wearing off, and he closes his eyes to focus on a few slow, deep breaths. Before long, he feels more like himself again, and begins to test his luck: seeing just how tightly the chains are wound around his arms, trying to turn and see how the chains are attached to the building.

“You’re not getting out of this one that easily, Jones,” a voice says, moving through the rain. “You see, I’ve been told that you have something I need.” He knows the voice is familiar, the memory buried somewhere deep inside him, but between his exhaustion and the haze of Pan's magic, it doesn’t come back to him until the figure appears through the sheets of rain and leans against the building beside him, the tail end of a still-lit cigarette held between his teeth.

Killian says nothing. Baelfire, he has learned, is the most spiteful being he's ever met — not completely surprising, given his father is Gold the Elder, both the most powerful and most corrupt leader the world has ever seen; and he has ended up powerless, a scientific anomaly in a completely magical line. So, while the questions come to him all at once, barraging his mind — are any of the other men alive? What did you do to Phillip? Why are you working with Pan? — he says none of them.

"My father has given me a mission, sending some of the most powerful members of his army under my command, and we only need one thing. One thing that I've been told you could be the key to finding. Imagine my surprise when I heard your name again, through the lips of one of my informants, after all these years: the man I thought I killed when I sent him falling through the air and into the icy waters of the Northern Mountains. So, Killian Jones, the pirate who apparently can't be killed, this is the first and only time I'm going to ask you nicely: where is Prince David?"

Anything else, and Killian probably would have answered immediately, having already escaped the grasp of Baelfire once before, and having seen first hand the damage Pan can do without even lifting a finger. But this is a question that he really does not have the answer to, and he feels his heart sink, the last bit of hope he held out diminished.

"I haven't seen the Prince for almost a year. I swear to you, that is the truth."

Baelfire smiles, and it cuts through Killian's chest like a blade of ice. He says nothing, though, and Pan appears through the sheets of rain, a matching smile spread across his face.

"My apologies, Captain, but I'm afraid that's not the right answer."

Ariel bursts through the doors to the safe room, fear obvious on her expressive face, and Killian's recounting of the story stops. "Emma, we need you upstairs. Now."

But David jumps from his seat first, hand on the pistol he keeps at his side. "What's the problem, Miss Fisher?"

"There's an enemy patrol here."

“What do you mean enemy patrol , Ariel?” Emma asks very slowly.

“Two of Gold’s men are here, and I’m pretty sure they’re looking for the runaway.”

Ariel and Emma both turn towards Killian, but David is already moving towards the stairs.

“Ruby is talking to them right now, but I don’t know how well she can hold them off. They seemed pretty set on searching the whole building, and one of them is a tracker, so I don’t—”

“David, I think you should stay here,” Emma calls out to him, stopping him on the other side of the door to the safe room, and stopping Ariel’s words before she can spiral into a rambling mess.

He whips around. “What?”

“This is a maternity hospital. We’re not on one side of the war or the other, and coming up to a patrol from Gold with the Prince of the Gale by my side isn’t really the best way to show that.”

After a moment, David nods, backtracking the few steps into the safe room, and Emma passes him to the other side of the doorway. “Fine, okay.”

“And I’m going to close the door behind me.”

David nods again.

“I’ll be right back,” she says, herding Ariel out of the room, as well, before closing the door on the two men.

When Emma pushes through the doors into the main room, Ruby is standing in the open doorway, her body completely shielding the two patrolmen from entering the hospital.

“If you have nothing to hide, why are you keeping us from entering?” one of them asks, his voice higher than she expected, almost like that of a child, and the words come out slowly and drawn out.

“This is a hospital. A maternity hospital, full of women staying here because your war took their husbands away without as much of a second thought about how it would affect them. All you will find here, sir, is a dozen women who curse your existence in the first place.”

“We’ve heard word of some of King George’s men coming here, bringing supplies.”

Emma speaks up, rushing down the aisle before Ruby can argue with them any longer. “We get supplies from anyone who is willing to offer them.”

The two guards look past Ruby, who is still blocking the doorway. “Who are you?” the other man asks.

“My name is Emma Swan. This is my hospital.”

“Alright, Emma Swan,” the first one says, and Ruby moves to the side to turn to face her, allowing Emma to see him for the first time. His face looks just as young as his voice sounds, save a thick, ragged scar running down his cheek. “If you have nothing to hide, where were you?”

Emma and Ruby share a glance, but it’s not necessary; Emma already knows where Ruby told the men she was, if she told them anything. “It’s a slow day here, so I was in the basement making a list of supplies that we need.”

“I don’t think you understand just how dire this situation is, Miss Swan. My tracker here followed the scent of a man who went missing from our camp to this hospital.”

Emma knows that there is no sense in trying to deny the fact that he was here if the tracker followed his scent, so she thinks quickly to come up with something. “I did bring a man in here a few days back who I found bleeding out not far from here. I tried to heal him, but his wounds were too severe and he didn’t make it.”

“What did you do with him?”

“I took him to the local battlefield hospital for them to bury him. We deal with life here, and not death.”

“If you’re lying to us, if you’re hiding him from us, that makes you an enemy of Nephilysis, an enemy of Prince Baelfire.”

“Just as we’re on no one’s side, we are also no one’s enemy. Why would I hide someone here?”

“Deception.”

“I have no reason to deceive you.”

“Then you won’t mind if we take a look around.”

Shaking her head, Emma puts her hand on Ruby’s shoulder, pulling her further away from the door. “All I ask is that you leave the women in the beds alone.”

The silent tracker leads the way down the aisle, stopping momentarily at the beds that currently have women in them. Every eye in the room follows the two Nephilim soldiers down the aisle, but the tracker raises no alarms. Emma has given him a reason for Killian’s blood to be here, and she can only hope that Ruby covered his scent beyond the office well enough to deceive the enemy tracker.

Her breath is heavy in her chest, watching the tracker work his way around her office. The cabinets, her desk, the cot that he spent the first night on — everywhere that makes sense for the tracker to find Killian’s scent. And then he steps out of the office again, turning the opposite direction from the main room, towards the stairs to the basement.

Takes a few steps in that direction.

Stands up a little straighter.

“Did the man go down this hallway?” the tracker asks, his voice much deeper than Emma expected it to be.

Emma has to think quickly on her feet, needs to think faster than the weight that she is quickly feeling in her chest. She nods. “We took him down to one of the cots in the basement because of the care that he needed, plus to keep a better watch on him since we didn’t know if he was hostile or not.”

The tracker nods. “And we can go down there?”

Emma tries to keep her fear off her face. “Yeah, sure.”

She uses the biometric lock to open the door, leading the two soldiers down the steps with Ruby bringing up the rear. But she moves to the side when they reach the bottom to stand beside her friend. Ruby looks just as nervous as she is, her hands kept behind her back only to be that much closer to the pistol concealed there.

The tracker moves slowly through the large room, serpentining around the rows of shelves, stopping every once in a while in front of the items they use the most, where she assumes he picks up the most scents and movements.

But Emma knows none of them are Killian's.

He reaches the far end of the room, moving along the wall that contains the secret door to the safe room, though his focus still seems to be on the shelves. She can feel her heart pounding in her chest as he moves closer to the spot in the wall that contains her biometric lock, every inch of her body on edge. In this moment, for the first time in a while, she wishes she was carrying the pistol David gifted her when she opened the hospital, wishes she had something other than the small dagger sitting at her hip to protect herself should the need arise — though she wishes even harder that the need never arise in the first place.

She can tell something is amiss almost immediately, the tracker's eyebrows landing low on his forehead.

"Is there another room down here?"

All she does is shake her head, knowing that if she were to speak, her voice would probably falter.

He doesn't believe her. He does an about-face, placing his hands against the wall, right around the spot where the door is. Bangs on the wall with his fist. Moves down a little further before banging on it again. And then turns around again, though this time to his companion and not to Emma.

"There's something here."

They both turn to Emma, who is doing all she can to hide the shaking of her hands.

"There's nothing there," Ruby says. Loudly. Defensively.

"If this man says there's another room there, then I believe him. Open the door."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Before Emma really realizes what is happening, the door bursts open on its own, slamming outward to knock the tracker off his feet.

There's a deafening gunshot, so close to Emma that she can feel the reverberation of the shot through every inch of her body.

And another.

She can't move, suddenly paralyzed from shock or fear or —

No —

And then —

Silence.

Slowly, she lets out her breath, her heart pounding in her chest. She thought she got away from all this, from the gunfire and the fighting and the death , only to have it follow her back to her very hospital.

Someone is talking behind her, Ruby, she thinks, though it sounds like she is talking through water, and Emma is most definitely drowning.

The body of the tracker lays before her on the ground, a single gunshot in his chest slowly bleeding out onto the concrete floor.

(That's never going to come clean , she thinks, trying to focus on anything except what just happened to her.

Anything except death.)

"We have to leave. Now." This time, the voice is David's, a little bit clearer. But the message is as clear as day as Ruby wraps her arm around Emma's waist, leading her through the basement. "Jones, do you think you can walk?"

"No," Emma tries to argue, turning away from Ruby's grip on her. "No, he can't move, not in the state he's in."

"He has to, Emma. We can't stay here."

"He needs constant care, morphine and blood and — and —"

"Magic," David finishes, trying to prop Killian against his side while carrying a pile of supplies in his hand. "He needs Regina."

"I can't lose this one," Emma says, trying to wipe the memories of what happened the last time from her mind. She's back in that battalion hospital, back in the dirt and the dust trying to figure out how the hell she is supposed to cure something like that , staring down at —

"Emma, babe, you gotta stay with me here," Ruby says, her voice far away again, and Emma tries to shake herself back to reality.

Back to Killian.

Back to action.

She snaps back, just like that, her mind moving a mile a minute as she focuses on helping get Killian out of the basement and ready to move. "Alright, let me — let me help you, David. Rubes, can you get these supplies? I'm also — shit , I'm going to need to come back down here for more once we get him loaded into the truck."

"That's good, because I have to call Mary Margaret before we leave and tell her to meet us at Regina's and not here."

"Oh, she's going to love that," Emma jokes, and David smiles, helping her hoist Killian's good arm over her shoulder, keeping both the wound from his amputation and the one seeping black magic close to his own body. "Now, Killian, this isn't going to be easy, but once we're back in the truck I'll do what I can to ease your pain so that you're able to sleep for most of the ride back to the Gale, okay?"

It's a side of her that he hasn't seen in the few days he's spent under her care, the side that she thought she left out in the Wasteland when she decided to turn in her uniform and turn to bringing life into the world instead of being surrounded by death.

(A life that, in the most mundane moments of her current reality, she sometimes allows herself to admit that she misses: the adrenaline, the ability to give hope to a wounded soldier, and sometimes even the danger of it all. What she doesn't miss, though, is exactly what has haunted her, and what has turned up on her own doorstep now: death, destruction, the type of hatred that is responsible for the kinds of wounds Killian now has to go the rest of his life with.)

She's right, though. Once he's loaded into the back seat of David's truck, sprawled across the bench seat as much as he can manage, whatever she injects into his arm, paired with the small amount of magic she works as it takes effect, eases his pain enough that everything goes dark, his pain subsided for the time being, and he has drifted into a light sleep before they even make it on the road.

TAGS: @shireness-says @cssns @kmomof4 @thisonesatellite @teamhook @darkcolinodonorgasm @cocohook38 @ultraluckycatnd @facesiousbutton82 @hollyethecurious @stahlop @tiguanasummertree @angellifedeath @pepperpottss @mariakov81 @scientificapricot @kday426 @xarandomdreamx @ohmightydevviepuu @xhookswenchx @nikkiemms @carpedzem @superchocovian @resident-of-storybrooke @snowbellewells @courtorderedcake @captain-emmajones @killian-whump @officerrogers – want to be added or removed? let me know!

#cssns #captain swan #cs ff #cs fics #my writing #wordsbymeganmichael #slow burn #really really slow burn

29 notes · View notes

suffering-and-happy-about-it · 4 years

Text

Nicole’s rambling: The Watch Dogs Problem

Hey, welcome to my TedX talk about one of the most ambitious games Ubisoft had ever released... And which, for most of the parts, flopped majestically - yet still has players who love it. One such player am I as well. (And I’m not coming back to the game because Raymond Kenney is my first VG crush, shut the hell up.)

I won't be dipping into the side activities (digital trips) and online mode, because I never clicked with it and I don't know much about these parts. And I don't wanna throw shit at the game because of something I don't know a single thing about. Here are my three biggest negatives in the game and the three biggest positives you should play it for.

Also: remember, this is my opinion and my opinion only. It's sure biased, non-professional, but I've played WD more than five times. FIVE. So it's not just blatant nitpicking, because, in its core, WD Is a game I love dearly.

@march-moon, here you go! :)

Let’s sort out the negatives first so we can later praise the game for what it did well:

1. Predictable and dull AI of enemies (aka going John Wick mode).

Sure, the variety of said enemies is impressive, but... When you get a grenade launcher and some good shotgun, which you can do in the first hour of gameplay if you already know your way with the ctOS bank account system (LOOP IS WHERE THE MONEY'S AT), you're more or less untouchable for the rest of the game. Most conveniently, you're starting with a silenced gun and when you know around your way with the stealth system and focus, which slows time big time for those who might not know, you can clear out Rossi Fremont under two minutes. Why? Because the AI is just dumb and stupid most of the time.

Like, sure, the big-armed guys can be a pain in the ass for the first few encounters, but when you realize all you have to do is throw two grenades at them and fire as many bullets as you have at your disposal, they are dead immediately. And the same goes for the car chases. Until you unlock the almighty power of raising the bridges and blowing up the steampipes, these are just pain in the ass.

The first few ctOS scans and police chases, as well as the enemy chases, are fun. But when ctOS finds you after ten minutes of driving around like a mad man to dodge the shit, sending you off on a ten-minutes lasting chase which simply repeats itself. Let alone that you kill half of the city's population because you fuck up to turn your car.

To close this point, it gets repetitive, especially with the gang hideouts fuckery.

2. Ubisoft lying not only about the game features, but also about the overall graphics.

This point kinda explains itself, doesn't it? It's a known fact that studios have tendencies to change their games/movies for marketing purposes - for example, Disney and Infinity War or Naughty Dog's 'The Last of Us (Part 2)'. But this being a usual marketing tactic doesn't mean that the consumer should keep their mouth shut when they don't agree with it.

Most noticeable Watch Dogs' fuck-up was an overall graphic downgrade, which, sure, is completely understandable when you have such a huge open-world game, but... Ubisoft showed you a potato mash and all you got was the potato (The biggest point that is made fun of are the trees - those who played the games know what I'm talking about.).

Also, the enhanced graphics ARE coded in the game, but are not used due to something signed off as ‘playable compatibility’ as far as I can understand, so??

But... They did lie about the in-game features too. They promised a lot more than they delivered, like the bounty hunts and stuff... Where did that go, Ubisoft?

3. The side missions and the story.

Don't take it as such... In my opinion, some of the side missions are fun - at the start. We've talked about gang hideouts, but you have fixer-car-related gigs as well and the first ten of them is very immersive since you don't already know which type of the mission you're up to. Will you be pressured by the time limit? Will you have to race through the city in a car that you can't destroy too much, otherwise it can't be sold on the black market? Will you be a decoy for some other bad people doing bad things? But when you get through this phase... It's the same game system again and again, for 46 times, I think? And the villain convoys... Well. These are fun and refreshing each time, I have to say.

Every time, you can choose a different tactic to toy around with - will you catch up with the baddies sooner, turning this mission into an intense, tight chase experience? Or will you wait for them further on the road, toying around with explosives and guns? Sometimes, they slip past you, which leads to a chase around the city, sometimes you blow up all of the cars perfectly on time, A+. But... You mastered 1/3 types of side mission content.

As for the story, it's not the worst, but it isn't something super-memorable, lifechanging. I am not talking about the idea behind the story (the utopia of having the whole city lead by a system, which enables the corporation to control people's lives without them even knowing), I am talking about the Damien-Aiden-Lena revenge story. It's your daily revenge plot based on Aiden's niece dying in a car crashed after the car being shot at because of a failed job.

The first story mission is mind-blowing. You're thrown into the game and the first thing you have to do is to infiltrate a whole-ass stadium, which feels good, not gonna lie. And the 'prison-break sequence' is also memorable as well. But other than that, it gets real repetitive real fast. 'Follow this person', 'hack this thingy', 'kill this guy', 'tilly that person' and so on is present in every act of the story, which makes things kinda come across as boring after some time. It is what it is.

There are exciting in-game moments, like when Defalt is introduced to the bunch and hacks into the Bunker base, stealing all of your data. But sadly, these story masterpieces tend to be overlooked and not acted on, which takes off some of the immersion potentials. (I know that Defalt's story was saved for the DLC, so it's not the best proof.)

! BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT THE STORY DOESN'T HAVE GOOD BEATS !

Now, the well-made things for which you should DEFINITELY play this game:

1. Chicago being a videogame city that is alive and the 'collectibles' are extra fun.

Okay, okay, let me explain. Sure, Watch Dogs' Chicago isn't the best area ever constructed in an open-world game. But... The city feels alive, it is changing around you, it never stops. You can find people making out, talking bad about their friend who is not there, you can look into their day-to-day life via something called 'privacy invasion', where you just hack into a camera and... You hear mommy calming down her kid who is crying, you can watch two girls playing Wii, presumably, and many other every day encounters.

NPCs are answering to you being into the city - asking questions on the range from 'Is that the guy from the news?' to straightaway call the cops because you are a mass murderer probably. When you stand in the middle of a road, they honk at you; when you accidentally bump into them, they call you names. It's amazing... And profiling them is even more fun. You can find profiles ranging from 'author of poetry' to 'clinically confirmed pyromaniac' and 'searches for 'feet' on the internet'. This shit is just ridiculous.

But... It's the smallest details you'll fall in love with. You can get on the "L" and it takes you on a ride. You can ride in it for the whole day, or you can get off on the next stop. When you're in the Wards or near Rossi Fremont, you can find dudes just listening to rap, chatting. Some guys force flyers into other people's hands. You can have coffee. The rain somehow feels real, and the nighttime just steals your breath away - and so do the sunsets. There's a part of the city called 'Hobotown', where the local hobos live, there are secret poker tournaments.

Chicago in Watch Dogs is a city with so many minor details that you cant find each of them in one gameplay. In each gameplay, you'll find something new, something that just makes you chuckle - but it's so thoughtful of the developers to even put it in their game. These small details are the ones that make you feel as if you were inside the game, convincing you that the Chicago you're looking at is, indeed, alive.

Then, there are the 'collectibles'. I didn't know how to call it other than that, so bear with me for a minute. There are minor 'side-missions' - for example, you're going after a killer, who is leaving you audios on the places he left one of his victims. There are QR coded which unlock audios that talk about the DedSec hacktivists. In the small 'hack 5 routers in a time limit' quests, you are unlocking one of the Blume's employees audios (Angela Balik's), talking about the files Raymond Kenney had hidden in the code back in the day, talking about the uprising of the Bellwether 'crime' prediction system.

The collectibles aren't everyone's thing, of course, and it won't take any of the Chicago experience when you don't listen to the voicemails or if you simply don't collect them. But, they can immerse you in the game world even more. And to be honest, this is one of the few games that had my ass shook about collecting the additional thingies.

2. The character cast.

Let's be honest, Aiden Pearce on his own isn't the best protagonist in the world. Don't get me bad, I like this game a lot, but he can come across as boring at times. And that's exactly when the character cast comes in to balance Aiden's character. Most of the cast has some sort of an attribute which compels to Aiden's personality very well, completes him in some way.

You have Raymond Kenney, who is a paranoid, rowdy, alcoholic genius who helped with creating ctOS - but has remorse about his history, because he caused the Northeast blackout 2003, killing eleven people. Which can show Aiden how bad can the power over the ctOS system be.

There's Jordi Chin, a prestigious assassin/fixer, who uses the game's darkest humor. Every fucking second Jordi is on screen, it's captivating, immersive and you'll find yourself chuckling at Jordi's jokes, which are definitely out of place. But he still keeps reminding you that he's in for the money, which, in the end, turns against Aiden in a way.

Clara Lille, otherwise known as BadBoy17, is a hacktivist working for the rebellious DedSec who are rebelling against Blume, the company behind ctOS. She seems to be innocent of the violence of getting revenge, but later in the game, Aiden discovers how deeply she was invested in the whole story about Lena.

Each of the characters has a personal connection to Aiden, widening his personality in various ways. Which is funny to watch throughout the story - and there's a ton of other characters I didn't even get into, like Lucky Quinn, Nicky, Jackson, Bed Bug... The characters are simply terrific.

3. The overall soundtrack.

Hear me out, this point is kinda tricky, yeah? I am not talking about the official soundtrack. The radio has some blasts I fell in love throughout playing the game - whether it introduced me to song 'Ms. Crumby' by the Audition, or made me fall in love with the Vampire Weekend, Kid Cudi, or The Vindictives. Yet, in the case of the radio, I tend to sort out a playlist consisting of 4-6 songs (YES? YOU CAN MAKE PLAYLIST INSIDE THE GAME???) which I play on repeat throughout the game.

There's also this masterful thing about the soundtrack sometimes 'forcing' itself into your gameplay, maybe more like 'self-inserting' into the game if you will. The two most memorable encounters of this are when: a) when you're helping Ray Kenney leave the junkyard and Pawnee behind and the 'ring ding piety pow' hardcore metal song plays throughout the final encounter (Jesus Built My Hotrod by Ministry) and b) when you enter Rossi Fremont, the whole time you're going through the building, the rap/hip-hop is playing, making you feel gangsta. (I think it's a song by Wu-Tang Clan, not sure tho).

But... Then it hits you. The in-game hidden soundtrack that sadly wasn't released. At least not officially. It has a reason, worry not - this in-game soundtrack reacts to the player's progress throughout the missions, so it basically plays on a loop. Which is understandable.

The most standing out instance I can talk about is when you enter the small island where the old Blume secret place is hidden on. You and Clara are on a mission searching for legendary sacred place (at least for the hackers) called 'The Bunker'. And my friends... This is when it hits you. The soundtrack feels familiar even when you're playing the game for the first time. This piece just hits differently than any other soundtrack I've heard. Not even Time by Hanz Zimmer has this effect on me, and I LOVE the Inception.

And there's more - the piece of the soundtrack which plays when you're going after Jackson is probably another great example.

BONUS ROUND: 4. The Bad Blood (DLC)

Okay, this had a lot to do with my love for Raymond Kenney and I am not worried to say it out loud. But this DLC is truly a DLC. It only uses the WD world, which was set up in the OG game, as its base - but it isn't its main focus at all. This DLC introduces us to new characters as well as to some we knew already we knew.

In the OG game, Tobias is the mad hobo who sells us cool thingies to play with - and in they managed to show Tobias' full potential, showing us how smart and hilarious, as well as paranoid, this guy is in reality. It deepened Ray's character, revealed Defalt's motivations and the history that tied both of them to the Northeast blackout.

There are also new areas to explore, new things to play with and even if the DLC doesn't do anything too revolutionary with the game's world, it's the best DLC I've played. And I may have enjoyed it more than Aiden's story. But again, I'm pro-Kenney biased, so that's kinda expected of me, ain't it?

PS: I hate Sitara or whatever her name is.

23 notes · View notes

sayitaliano · 4 years

Video

youtube

RANCORE & DJ MYKE - S.U.N.S.H.I.N.E.

Bonus (Palmiro Togliatti’s speech at the beginning of the video): “...il ritmo del lavoro nelle officine è diventato così intenso che esaurisce un uomo nel corso di non molti anni. Ma è accaduto come per le api dell’amaro verso col quale Virgilio accusava i profittatori dell’opera sua: ‘Ricordate, voi fate il miele, o api, ma sono altri che lo colgono'”. “The rhythm of work in the workshops has become so intense that exhausts a man in a time span of not so many years. It has happened as for the bees of the painful (bitter) verse with which Virgil had accused the freeloaders of his work: ‘Remember, you make the honey, dear bees, but others are the ones who grab it’”.

Iniziare non vuol dire che dovrai finire To start (something) it doesn’t mean you’ll have to finish (it) Non mi dire che tu sai predire l'avvenire Don’t tell me you can tell the future L'universo è già nero non si può annerire The Universe is already black it can’t turn black Stupidi quando ci risiamo ad avvilire Stupids when we’re at it again to depress E pure quanta merda devi odorare, un mare And also how much shit you have to smell, a sea Quante piccole bugie devi aderire How many little lies you have to endorse Al fine di adorare nuovi soli To worship new suns Appassiti di luce Faded of light Manichini per chi cuce vestiti da ballerine Mannequins for those who sew dancers’ dresses Fate ridere, belle rime You make (me) laugh, nice rhymes Ma quand'è che inizi a scrivere But when are you going to start writing? Anche quando incidi è difficile decidere di uccidere Even when you’re recording it’s hard to decide to kill Con le parole anche se fai omicidi With words even if you make murders Difficile che un suono come questo possa vivere It’s difficult that a sound like this can live Se non lo vedi come una cosa sola e lo dividi If you don’t see it as a one thing and you split it Ridi, forza, ridi Laugh, come on, laugh Ma c'è chi quando guarda il cielo vede pioggia di meteoriti But there are those that, when they watch the sky, see a one hit wonders’ (meteors’) rain Cerca nella tua testa quella follia Search in your head for that insanity Senza ipocrisia nel richiamo della foresta Without hypocrisy in the call of the wild Densa questa tendenza questa mania Thick this trend this mania Di supremazia Of supremacy Qui nessuno ne vive senza Here nobody lives without it Morti, siamo rinati Dead, we’re born again Nel tempo di una sigaretta In a cigarette’s time (in the same amount of time you need to smoke a cigarette) Siamo tornati, c'era la messa We’re back, there was Mass Essere belli come il sole non serve To be as beautiful as the sun isn’t necessary Se non brilli più di luce riflessa, perché If you don’t ride someone’s coattails (lit.=to shine of reflected light), because

Dopo essere stati in luoghi ormai devastati After having been in now devastated places Dove non senti i piedi dove non batte neanche il sole Where you don’t feel your feet where not even the sun shines Dove devi generare un sole che sennò non vedi where you have to create a sun that you cannot see otherwise Essere nati, essere programmati, essere schiavi To be born, to be programmed, to be slaves Rasserenati dall'amare il sole, Cheered up by the love for the sun Tu non devi venerare il sole ma la luce che vedi You don’t have to idolize the sun but the light you see Luce tu curi i mali di chi lo vuole Light you cure the sufferings of those who want that Conduci nei tuoi viali finchè si muore You lead (us) in your boulevards until we die Ti arrampichi all'orizzonte fai scavalcare il sole, You climb up you let the horizon (future) climb over the sun Oltre questi pianeti Beyond these planets Tanto per quanta forza è nella tua voce Still for how much strenght it’s in your voice è lenta la luce ha fretta ed è più veloce it’s slow the light is in a hurry it is faster

Chiedi alla luce di spingere il sole oltre queste pareti Ask the light to push the sun beyond these planets

Basta un interruttore che vedi un sole You just need a switch to see a sun Ma chiuso dentro le stanze della città But closed inside the rooms of the city Tanto per quanta fretta hanno le persone qua Still for how much in a hurry are the people here Basterà pure un sole fatto a metà It will be enough also a sun half made Troppa la depressione Too much (is) the depression Attento prima che ti butti, meglio che smetti, per carità Careful before you throw yourself, it’s better if you stop, God forbid Forse ultimamente è drogato anche l'amore Maybe lately even love is drugged Davanti a tutti si fa It takes drugs in front of everybody (slang “farsi” = to take drugs) Case, chiusi in case eppure aumenta l'insicurezza Houses, closed inside homes yet insecurity grows E si ruba l'identità And it steals (your) identity Sai ogni frase gira seguento un onda You know each sentence runs following a wave Che tornerà perché il mondo è rotondità That will come back because the world is roundedness Dai come vivi senza colpevolezza Come on how do you live without awareness Se hai consapevolezza della realtà If you are aware of reality Mike dammi una base che io ci scrivo un’altezza, Mike give me a base so I will write a pitch on it Li colpiremo in profondità We’ll hit them in the deep (base/altezza/profondità as in geometry base/height/depth) Scappo nel bene, nuoto tra le balene I run away in the good, I swim among whales Tappo il naso, in verità che nota ha la libertà I plug my nose, in truth what is the note of freedom Tanto viene come viene questa vita si sa Still whatever happens (lit.=comes as it comes) in this life we know Poi con l'età supererà la superficialità Then by aging we’ll overcome superficiality Meglio non vivere una super felicità It’s better not to live a super happiness Se ti controllano come un computer con facilità If they control you as a computer with ease I nostri veri padri chi ce li ridà Who will give us back our real fathers Meglio nulla che ereditare aridità It’s better to inherit nothing than aridity Urla non è musica per questo volare Shout it’s not music for this fly Nella fase del problema cardiovascolare In the cardiovascular problem’s stage Questa musica ci fa sgolare This music makes us hoarse La metrica è la verità The metric is the truth E la tua numerica rapidità And your numerical speed Se le idee non necessitano avidità If ideas don’t need greed Ed un sole non è certo avido di luminosità And a sun is not hungry for brilliance for sure

Sembriamo frutto di attentati dall'aldilà We look like the outcome of aggressions from the afterworld Quasi tutti modificati nel DNA Almost everyone modified in the DNA

Tanto per quanta forza è nella tua voce Still for how much strenght it’s in your voice è lenta la luce ha fretta ed è più veloce it’s slow the light is in a hurry it is faster Chiedi alla luce di spingere il sole oltre queste pareti Ask the light to push the sun beyond these planets

Iniziare non vuol dire che dovrai finire To start (something) it doesn’t mean you’ll have to finish (it) Non mi dire che tu sai predire l'avvenire Don’t tell me you can tell the future Solo sangue, scende il cielo nero vinile mentre Only blood, the black vinyl sky descends while Una biro collegata sputa la bile A connected biro spits bile E sognare non vuol dire che stai li a dormire and dreaming doesn’t mean you’re (laying) there sleeping Essere per strada non è stare in un cortile To be on the road it’s not like staying in a courtyard In fondo noi siamo bravi a farci capire after all we’re good at letting others understand us Tu continua a guardare l'artista e non quanto è abile You keep watching the artist and not how much s/he’s good A usare puntine e pu-pu-puntare alle rime at using stylus and a-a-aiming for rhymes Che è come uccidere ma non essere mai condannabile that is like killing but never be condemnable Fino alla fine, per questo fino alla fine la musica sarà il gonfiabile Until the end, for this reason until the end music will be the inflatable Noi il gas infiammabile We (will be) the inflammable gas Fuoco oltre le linee cosa divide un confine cosa deprime le nostre vite Fire beyond the lines what does splits a border what does depresses our lives È un gioco con due dischi potrà sembrarti poco It’s a game with two disks it might not look like much to you Ma ti porterà in un altro luogo But it will take you somewhere else Dite quello che dite Say what you say Viviamo come in una giungla di deficienti sempre più folta We live like in a jungle of idiots everyday more dense Da quando la lista dei tuoi sogni è diventata più lunga Since when the list of your dreams has become longer Qui la lista della spesa è più corta Here the list of the grocery shop is shorter

Ride la gente ride, non ascolta Laugh people laugh, they don’t listen Cercano una penombra che nasconda They search for a dim light that hides (them) Si alzano i gradi, la testa è sgombra Levels grow, the head (mind) is clear Ma è pronta per una protesta per te But it is ready for a protest for you

Ghiaccio, sui tetti di questo villaggio Ice, on the roofs of this village Adagio si scioglie non ne resterà un stralcio Slowly it melts not even a shred will stay Squarcio tra nuvole e poi sbuca un raggio Laceration between the clouds and then a ray appears Assumo coraggio per stare qua giù I take on courage to stay down here Ghiaccio, sui tetti di questo villaggio Ice, on the roofs of this village Adagio si scioglie non ne resterà un stralcio Slowly it melts not even a shred will stay Squarcio tra nuvole e poi sbuca un raggio Laceration between the clouds and then a ray appears Assumo coraggio per stare qua giù I take on courage to stay down here Giù giù... per stare qua giù Down down... to stay down here Tanto per quanta forza è nella tua voce (per stare qua giù) Still for how much strenght it’s in your voice (to stay down here) Conta la luce ha fretta ed è più veloce (per stare qua giù) Consider the light is in a hurry and it’s faster (to stay down here) Luce che curi i mali di chi lo vuole (per stare qua giù) Light that cure the sufferings of those who want that (to stay down here) Porti nei tuoi viali finche si muore (per stare qua giù) You carry (us) in your boulevards until we die (to stay down here) Tanto per quanta forza è nella tua voce (per stare qua giù) Still for how much strenght it’s in your voice (to stay down here) Conta la luce ha fretta ed è più veloce (per stare qua giù) Consider the light is in a hurry and it’s faster (to stay down here) Giù giù... per stare qua giù Down down... to stay down here Per stare qua giù To stay down here

#it #italian #italiano #language #traduzioni #langblr #italian langblr #italian language #musica #music #italian music #musica italiana #canzoni songs #i tried #you know rap it's not so easy to translate #if you see any mistake just drop a note #and sorry #typos might be anywhere anyway meeeh

14 notes · View notes