#ATOL Help Help With ATOL

[aurelim]

Update (9/22/23)

hey, I've been writing Echo's info for the past thirty minutes, so I figured I should give some updates right now.

Unfortunately I have not started Chapter 2 yet. I'm still trying to figure out how to begin. I'm planning on beginning to write it in a few hours though, so wish me luck!

On the bright side, there are some new things to the demo. There is a light and dark mode, as well as a way to switch between three different fonts (Josefin Sans, Eczar, and Montserrat). I have made changes to the prologue as well as taking suggestions from fellow readers, editing different choice words.

I didn't upload it since there is nothing new and I figured you guys would think there is something new when there isn't.

But out of curiosity, would you want that?

And no, I'm not putting in an option that says "it's up to you!" because I honestly don't know :(

also hey, since I'll be here on Tumblr for a bit writing about Echo, send in some asks or song requests for writer's block or short prompt ideas because why not? It gives me a break too lol

[tanadrin]

Sometimes, Chris Hayes' podcast goes off on these weird tangents, and the most recent episode is one of them, quite explicitly. It's about the history of Polynesia, which is always a fascinating subject--the Polynesian expansion, and really the whole history of the Austronesian-speaking peoples, seems like one of those feats with rare equal in human history. It's one thing to roam over the vast steppes of Asia--it's quite another to take a canoe, stick some outriggers on it so it doesn't tip over, and start faring the open ocean.

One point his guest makes that I found interesting is that for the most part the atolls and little islands of the Pacific are a very harsh environment. Big volcanic archipelagoes like Hawaii and Aotearoa/New Zealand are rare. Atolls and other reef islands especially are functionally big limestone slabs, often without any source of fresh water, with no large mammals, and with few native plants you can eat. The weather is nice, sure (when there isn't a typhoon--and I can't help but think a typhoon on a little island must be terrifying indeed), but these are not inherently resource-rich places. That the Polynesian (and Micronesian and Melanesian!) peoples not only could travel those distances, but make permanent habitation on the islands they came across, is kind of crazy! You have to be really prepared, with a package of supplies and technologies that set you up for success. Long-distance trade is possible, but you're not gonna be running any kind of substantial import economy across hundreds or thousands of miles of ocean via catamarans.

The comparison that springs to mind to me isn't a historical one like the European age of exploration, which was overwhelmingly to places already peopled and productive, but to science fiction scenarios of space exploration. You'd have to have a little bit of the wild-eyed zealot to be the sort of person who ignores the cries of "there is no possible useful return on this investment" to settle most of these places. But they did! And they thrived for centuries!

[noaasanctuaries]

BREAKING NEWS

NOAA considers sanctuary in waters around Pacific Remote Islands

Today, NOAA announced it is starting the process to potentially designate a new national marine sanctuary in the Pacific Remote Islands area under the Biden-Harris Administration. The proposed area in the central Pacific Ocean includes marine areas within the existing Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, as well as currently unprotected submerged lands and waters, an area totaling about 770,000 square miles. 

A sanctuary designation would help conserve the atolls, shoals, seamounts, banks and reefs surrounding the Pacific Remote Islands. This area is home to some of the most diverse and remarkable tropical marine ecosystems on the planet, and provides a haven for a host of wildlife, including corals, sharks, fish, marine mammals, seabirds and invertebrates.

NOAA invites the public to comment on the proposed sanctuary designation through June 2, 2023.

[pinknipszz]

how do the avatar kids ask reader out on a date?? 🥹💞💞

this was a fun one! i only wrote for three characters, but there’s a bit more plot than i intended. i hope you like it :) and merry christmas!

avatar headcanons | he asks you out on a date

⋆✮↪ ao’nung, rotxo, and neteyam

ao’nung

he tries to set something up with the help of his friends, but fails. ao’nung’s original idea of a date would be something nice, cute, and simple. he wants to take you to the nearby atolls. maybe you can collect pretty little seashells while he hunts your favorite fish, before cooking it over a nice fire for you. however, when ao’nung shares this idea with his ragtag team of friends, he’s teased for “growing soft.” he’s obviously fucking pissed, but the damage is done. he becomes insecure and decides to go for something more rambunctious and less domestic, like a “body surfing date” (even you’re confused about what the hell that even is). long story short— you end up injured, he spirals badly, and you reassure him that anything he comes up with is special, so long as it comes from his heart and not his idiotic friends. when you’re finally healed up, he takes you to the atolls.

rotxo

he asks you out with the help of his spirit brother. the tulkun are intelligent creatures so, of course, rotxo seeks advice from his spirit brother. he doesn’t want to fumble his only chance with the most beautiful girl in the village! now, here’s the thing about rotxo’s spirit brother: he’s not exactly the youngest in the pack. his spirit brother is much older than other tulkun, which rotxo didn't mind when he first bonded with him. that aside, his spirit brother’s dating advice leans more towards tradition: gentle courting gifts, fleeting touches, and slow burn romance. he puts rotxo to work, insisting that he should cook your meals and braid your hair and such. he also patronizes him if he’s “rushing things.” mind you, he didn’t even ask you out yet! but when he does, he makes the sweetest promises, and you know damn well he’s keeping them.

neteyam

he makes a fool of himself, courtesy of his dad. neteyam doesn’t like to make mistakes. like rotxo, he doesn’t want to fumble his chances of dating you. he swears that you’re the most beautiful na’vi he's ever laid eyes on! it’d be the biggest mistake of his life if he messed up. this guy wants you so bad, but he doesn’t know where to start. so, he does what he always does and consults his old man. jake teases him like “having trouble getting the girl?” or something like that. neteyam is salty over it but he takes a few deep breaths to keep his composure. jake finally relents his teasing and shares a few tips that worked on earth. immediately, sirens go off in his head at the name of the tawtute planet, but neteyam brushes it off. jake also explains how things were with neytiri. hearing stories that felt more familiar put neteyam at ease, giving him a big boost of confidence. however, when he tries those cheap tricks like draping an arm over your shoulder or reciting cheesy “pick-up lines,” you take it upon yourself to ask the big question yourself. truly, for his sake and yours.

(masterlist)

[torukmaktoskxawng]

tsamsiyu ta'em - they're closing in

Masterlist - part eleven

Summary: Kayla receives an update on Spider's whereabouts. Everything is beginning to come to a head and the tension is thick in the air.

Pairing: Ronal/Tonowari/Original Female Character

Tag: #tsamsiyu ta'em fic

posted on ao3

Word Count: 7k+

Warnings: canon-compliant, mature language, slow burn, polyamory, found family, cool aunt agenda, time skips, I'm trying to hurry up and get to the good parts so bear with me, fluff, angst, etc.

Taglist (bold indicates "could not tag"): @motheroffae @undeniableadrenaline @mooniequeen @shit-i-say-shit-i-think @heart-an0n @amiets2 @slutforsmut4ever @yeosxxx​ @im-in-a-pansexual-panik @sucker4angstt @inolaphoenix @ilovechickenwings @tojisleftarm @andyfromku @ivysully

Seeing Neytiri laugh is now a rare sight and an honor if one is on the receiving end of it. Nowadays, the Na'vi woman struggles with smiling unless she's with her children, while her eyes cast over the sea far beyond the atoll wall, thinking of the forest and feeling immensely homesick. Living here, among the Metkayina, she's found herself going through the motions, day after day, wishing for nothing more than to find Quaritch and kill him so she and her family could go back home where they belong. Very rarely is she able to actually enjoy the beauty of Awa'atlu without aching for the familiarity of her home clan, but that is why her family helps at this low point in her life. 

Her mate and his sister are no exceptions. As a gentle storm falls over the village one afternoon, the Sully children find themselves running off with their new friends. Tsireya, Rotxo, and Ao'nung had promised to show them a network of pools deep within the jungle that rises into a larger, beautiful, bioluminescent lake when storms roll in. It was a well-known spot for reef kids to escape to when they had free time so of course, the former forest children wanted to see this small sanctuary for themselves. With the children gone, Neytiri, Jake, and Kayla find themselves alone together as dinner rolls around, practically stuck in the Sully marui as the storm continues to drop steady, soothing rain against the roof of their new home.

The storm muffled any noise outside and only accentuated Neytiri's laugh as it echoed throughout the marui. She was intently listening to a story Jake was telling about his and Makayla's childhood. Occasionally, Kayla would pitch in on the story to either correct her brother or to add to the silly tale. It was a story about the time a bunch of neighborhood kids gathered on the rooftops one night back on Earth, trading sugar sweets while trying to leap across rooftop to rooftop since the buildings perfectly lined up in a row down the street. Jake recounted this story as a fond memory, even smiling to himself as he told it, but Kayla teasingly reminded him that he and one other kid ended up breaking their arms pulling off such a stupid stunt and Tommy had never let him live it down.

Neytiri was fanning the flames of the hearth as she cooked dinner, in the middle of laughing at the bashful expression on her husband's face when a large figure came into view of the marui entrance, shadowed by the dark and heavy rain coming from outside. Almost immediately, Neytiri's smile fell and both Jake and Kayla had to turn around to see what she was staring at.

It was Tonowari, standing strong against the rain like it didn't even phase him, his flyaway hairs now stuck to his skin, curling around and framing his face. The olo'eyktan bore a solemn expression, his gaze heavy as his ears lowered faintly. Whatever thoughts running through his mind as he pointedly stared at all three of his guests, it was grim. He ducked back outside and waited there. Jake, Kayla, and Neytiri immediately stood and joined their new clan leader outside, the rain immediately greeting them as they stepped out of their pod.

Jake already had a sinking feeling as to whatever news Tonowari might have, but he desperately clung to hope that it was something else, preferably that his sons were getting into trouble again. He couldn't voice this hope as the strength to do so left his words to sound soft and worried, "What's wrong?"

"Sky People," Tonowari glances away from the ocean to peer back at the forest Na'vi, "They're looking for you, Jakesully. South. They have a human boy who speaks Na'vi."

Jake turns his gaze to Kayla, who meets his eyes immediately as they share a voiceless thought. Kayla's eyes had hardened at the news, determination setting in like stone as the happiness she had previously felt while getting Neytiri to laugh quickly faded away.

Jake turned back to Tonowari, his own expression grim and resigned, "Did they kill anybody?"

"Not yet."

Toruk Makto visibly relaxes, inwardly relieved as he shares a knowing look with Neytiri. Tonowari glanced between the pair as he continued, "They threaten, but the villagers will not tell them where you are. By my order."

Movement out of Jake's peripheral drives his attention away from the village chief. Turning his head, the former marine watched his sister dart back into the marui without so much of a warning. Jake had enough manners to quickly thank Tonowari before ducking back into the pod, only to stop in the doorway at the sight of Kayla quickly gathering his own weapons and inspecting the ammo.

His ears flatten, "Woah, where are you going?"

"I'm going after them." She continues cataloging the weapons, even taking out Jake's rifle, and is pleasantly surprised that it's been routinely cleaned. Old habits really do die hard, even for Jake.

He makes a frustrated sound in the back of his throat before walking fully into the marui, "Alone? Against Quaritch? Are you crazy?"

Kayla, peers up at him, unphased, "Perfectly sane, why do you ask?"

"You can't take on a group of highly trained soldiers in avatar bodies all on your own. You have one gun and one banshee."

By now, Neytiri had walked back into the marui and Tonowari returned to his spot, looming over the doorway, though Neytiri had beckoned the chief to step further into her home to receive shelter from the storm. The Sully siblings have yet to even notice this exchange as they continue to argue back and forth.

"And Spider is just one kid, all alone, likely believing we abandoned him because we haven't rescued him after months of nothing!" Kayla snarled back.

"And how do we know Spider isn't willingly helping Quaritch?"

"And what if he isn't? Are you just going to let a child die based on assumptions? You've known Spider his whole life, far longer than I've known him. You tell me."

"It's a suicide mission, Kayla."

"The Recoms don't know me. They won't see me coming."

Tonowari watched as Jake struggled to come up with more arguments, but his mind visibly appeared as though it was running in circles, just behind his eyes as they were darting all over the place, trying to come up with a stronger rebuttal. Tonowari decided to aid the man he respected and took a step forward, even surprising Kayla enough to stop gathering weapons as he spoke, "You are not Metkayina yet. You don't know these waters and there are more dangers out there beyond the reef, not just the Sky People."

Her yellow eyes briefly widen as they peer up to meet the chieftain's blue ones, surprised that Tonowari was backing Jake up, then they shrink back and Kayla takes a moment to shift until her posture is straighter and her expression more formal. She nodded stiffly before finally opening her mouth to respond, and when she eventually did so, it was still a little more hesitant than she wanted it to be, "You're right. I'm not Metkayina. I'm not even Na'vi. So with all due respect, Tonowari, you are not ma olo'eyktan."

His lips tighten together as if from saying anything as she continues to stare him down, "I'm still a dreamwalker outcast who can come and go as she pleases. And I, for one, would rather not let your people risk their lives for our war. Maybe you can ask them to do so, but I can't. Spider is my responsibility. I owe that kid a lot and neither you nor anyone else can tell me to stand down and do nothing," something in her eyes changed and suddenly she had a hard time looking Tonowari in the eye, looking down and remembering the weapons in her hands before moving to pack things up, "So thank you for your hospitality. I owe you a lot, but I gotta go."

Jake steps back into her field of view, leveling her with a look of determination, "Don't make me set my kids on you, Kayla. Don't."

She scoffed, "Oh, please. If anything, they'd want to help me."

"Maybe, but I don't want to be the one to tell them that their aunt went out and got herself and Spider killed. Please don't make me do that."

The marui is reduced to silence, apart from the rain outside. All this Spider talk had rendered Neytiri mute, keeping her jaw tight to refrain from saying anything else that might drive Kayla away. All eyes are on Kayla and she physically feels her skin crawl knowing this. A battle is raging behind her gaze as she only manages to stare at Jake and no one else, before finally she gives in, her posture loosening into a sigh of defeat as she mutters, "... I'll link back to my consciousness tonight and let everyone know about Spider's whereabouts. There's no point in me going back to the forest now that I know the kid is close by. I'll continue my search here."

"Fine," Jake also relents while pointedly glaring at his sister, "But don't tell my kids that. They have enough on their plate. They don't need to go running off just because they know Spider might be closer than they think."

"You really think your kids are that reckless?" When Jake says nothing, Kayla exhales through her nose, "Of course, you do. Because deep down, even you know that they get it from you."

She leaves her brother's weapons where she found them before bidding Neytiri a goodnight. Jake's eyebrows furrow, "Where are you going now?"

"Back to my hammock. 'That okay with you?"

Jake doesn't challenge it, sensing when not to engage depending on the tone in his sister's voice. He let her brush past him without a fuss and didn't even watch her step out into the rain. Tonowari waits until she is out of view before turning back to Toruk Makto and his mate, "I apologize for interrupting your evening. I'll see that your sister returns to her campsite safely."

He leaves only when the pair nods with acknowledgment, gratitude bleeding from their eyes that continue to follow the olo'eyktan when he leaves. It wasn't hard to catch up with Makayla as she was keeping her steps slow to ensure she didn't slip from the drenched pathways. The chief didn't even have to quicken his usual stride, his legs longer than most Na'vi and able to reach Kayla within moments. They walk together silently at first, while Kayla doesn't even appear to realize he is next to her, but he carefully watches her shoulders stiffen to line with her spine and he knows she was aware of his presence, she just didn't care.

The anger was radiating off of her, and the urge to calm her emotions was palpable. As he does for all of his people who come to him for advice, he keeps his voice gentle, "If I had upset you back there--"

"Just--" Shock wasn't a normal emotion for Tonowari, but he found it difficult to ignore when Kayla snapped at him, her tone so harsh he could clearly hear it over the rain. Kayla paused in her steps, stopping in the middle of the beach, the treeline in view, and waving at her in greeting. But she couldn't walk away. Conflicted with her own thoughts, she forced herself to correct her mistake of snapping at Tonowari of all people. She exhaled heavily, her gaze matching the energy that left her body when she gazed back up at the Na'vi man. He sees the defeat from earlier, along with a brewing storm behind it.

Her words were short, "You had no business stepping in back there. Jake and I are fighting our own war with the Sky People, a war that has nothing to do with you and your people. So, please, with as much niceness as I can muster today... stay out of it," she moves her body away from Tonowari, before freezing again and turning back. Her eyes held a furious war of her own as she nearly spat out, "And don't ever try to stroke Jake's ego when he and I fight ever again."

He lowered his head down to meet her gaze, ever so slightly tilting off to the side. Kayla had learned not to be intimated by Tonowari and his towering height a while ago now, and the tilt of his head only told her that he was puzzled. She snarled, a little peeved at what looked like innocence and confusion nestled in the olo'eyktan's face. He clearly didn't deserve her anger, especially since he was chief of the village she currently resided in, and also because he clearly had no idea why she was cross with him. It didn't help that she used words and slang that were not of this world, and it only irritated her further that she wasn't being understood. Knowing that she was behaving like a child, she decided to walk away without another word, tail tucked between her legs, so to speak, and too angry to feel embarrassed just yet.

If she knew he was watching her until she had vanished completely behind the trees, she would never admit it. Even with the trees and shrubbery hiding her away from view, she could still feel his eyes, calculating and burning into her back. She stubbornly kept her gaze forward, head held high despite the cold rain... just in case that man could still somehow see her.

~~~~~~~~~

Going to bed cold, wet, and alone didn't exactly help with Kayla's attitude, and waking up like that only made it worse.

If Jake had the energy to tease her, -not after the night before, there's no way he'd poke that bear- he'd comment playfully that someone must have woken up on the wrong side of the bed. It would be a human phrase that he'd have to explain to his children once they'd overhear him, but alas, it wasn't needed when neither Jake nor Kayla spoke to each other the next day and no teasing happened. Kayla felt a little grateful that her arguments with her brother usually left her in blissful silence for at least a short while, but to be left alone was to be left with one's thoughts.

Despite her grumpy start, Kayla's head was still spinning from yesterday's news. Spider was close, closer than she could've ever hoped for. He could be on a ship, circling the islands at this very moment. Max and Norm looked so concerned when she returned to High Camp last night to tell them when she had learned, and it only fueled the fire in her gut. Kayla could easily grab Thena and fly to Spider's rescue... if it wasn't for her brother's words bouncing back in her head and the clear order to stand down like they were still marines. That and Tonowari's warning also loomed over her like a storm cloud, his tight lip only fueling her guilt when she played back all she had said to him out of anger against Jake. By the time she had made it back to her campsite last night, she immediately wanted to turn back around and seek the olo'eyktan out to apologize. She was an adult. It should be easy.

She scoffed to herself when she thought that. Yeah, it should be easy. But not when you're a Sully. Instead of overthinking it anymore, Kayla returned to sharpening arrows. After sharing a mid-day meal with the other Sullys, she decided to find some alone time on the warm rocks peeking out of the water, looming just over the reef. She took this time to inspect the bow and arrows she was trying to create out of whatever supplies she had. While warriors of the Omatikaya make their bows out of the wood of Hometree, Kayla didn't have that here on the island, so she made do with what she had at her disposal. She found the perfect tree, made out of wood that bent easily to her will, but not enough to snap under pressure. For her first attempt at making her own weapon, Kayla was quite proud, and it was enough of a distraction that she didn't have to think too hard about her situation.

First and foremost, saving Spider was her top priority. That kid had already been away from his home and friends for far too long, and with a military mind, Kayla could only imagine what the teenager might be going through right now. Hence why she needed to save him, and to do that she needed to hurry up with her Iknimaya and stop distracting herself with pretty Metkayina leaders with tattoos.

However, Ronal proves this to be difficult when she, yet again, seeks Kayla out. The Metkayina woman easily rose up to stand behind Kayla on her rock, unbothered by the height nor her rounded belly. And, as blunt as ever, she didn't waste either woman's time in beating around the bush, "You had upset my mate."

The cloud metaphorically above Kayla's head darkened, but she didn't address it, "He shouldn't have interfered with family matters."

It honestly surprised Ronal that Kayla was speaking so boldly in front of the tsahik without any fear of repercussions. The demon woman's manners and patience must be wearing thin after the news of the Sky People closing in on the Sullys' location. Kayla didn't bother to turn around, already aware of those narrowed, suspicious eyes that always seemed permanent on Ronal's face, angry with the urge to lash out at someone who had insulted Tonowari. But, if Kayla had bothered to turn around, she would've instead seen Ronal watching her as if she was analyzing her, trying to piece together the same puzzle her mate no doubt was trying to solve the night before.

"Perhaps you are right," she doesn't get the reaction she was expecting. Whenever Ronal tends to agree with Kayla or compliment her, it usually drives the avatar woman speechless, eyes wide and mouth usually left open. Now, Kayla barely moves other than to continue her task, back still turned to Ronal. The tsahik's upper lip twitched in annoyance, deciding on a different blunt question, "Why do you care so much about the Sky People?"

That earns her a pause, the silence lingering before Kayla continues sharpening her arrows, "I don't."

"And yet you care about..." She thinks back to what her mate had told her when he returned to their marui last night, her distaste still evident on her tongue, "I believe you call him Spider?"

Pricks of irritation rise all over Kayla's skin, and the same words that she's been repeating in her head and to others fall from her lips like a broken record, "That kid is more Na'vi than even me. He was born and raised here, unlike my brother and I, and he learned how to become Na'vi among the Omatikaya, playing and learning and growing up alongside my nieces and nephews. The only reason he doesn't have his own ikran is that he doesn't have the means to bond with one, otherwise, he would have a long time ago. That boy knows the language and culture of the Na'vi far more than I can ever hope to learn... and seeing this place through his eyes helped me learn to love it just as much as he does."

Ronal listened closely, attempting to grasp what Kayla was trying to say. It was hard to picture a demon boy who loved and cherished Eywa and all her creations. There were very few Sky People who respect this world and those who do tend to hide their true faces behind false Na'vi, such as Makayla and Toruk Makto, and those particular Sky People only live among the Omatikaya. Their kind was uncommon anywhere else. Either the Omatikaya didn't have enough spine to turn their chosen Sky People away, or the Forest People saw something worth saving under the watchful eye of the Great Mother.

As the spiritual leader of her clan, Ronal had to believe it was the latter option, but she wasn't as all-knowing as Eywa. Ronal wishes she had the gift of seeing what her goddess saw in humans. Maybe the demons had potential and she had yet to see it.

Only one way to find out. The tsahik turns to walk away, "Come. I have a large fishing net that requires mending."

Kayla sucks in a sharp breath of air, holding it for a moment before slowly exhaling, willing herself to calm down and be mindful. Grabbing her bow and whatever arrows she had managed to make, she did her best to keep her movements loose and relaxed as she willingly followed Ronal back to the village, not wanting to expose how irritated she felt.

They walk through the village and Kayla pointedly keeps her eyes forward, hearing some whispers in Na'vi whenever they pass by any Metkayina. Kayla bit her tongue, translating the language in her head and doing her best not to react in case the Metkayina realized she had heard them, purposely only staring at the back of Ronal's head. She relaxes a little, busying her troubled mind with admiring the texture of the Na'vi woman's hair, and before she knew it, they were at the beach. The fishing net in question was definitely large, stretching out the same width as a tsurak's wingspan. Tonowari was kneeling in the sand, leaning back on the heels of his feet as he worked away at mending said net.

Ah, so that's why Ronal had brought her here. To apologize. Suddenly it was becoming more difficult not to visibly appear irritated with everyone around Kayla who was treating her like a child. Still, she didn't hesitate to humor the tsahik for her hidden agenda and when the chieftain looked up at the sound of footsteps, Kayla flicked her alien fingers from her brow to Tonowari's direction, "I apologize for my temper yesterday, olo'eyktan. I was out of line and disrespectful."

She clenched her other fist when her voice still came out stiff. She kept still while Tonowari's eyes raked up and down her figure, analyzing Kayla while keeping his expression neutral, lips sealed shut and making her nervous as the silence lingered. Even she could admit she deserved the awkwardness after her hostility toward him, but it still unnerved her.

Once she visibly squirms under his gaze, the chief looks away and continues his task, "I will not fault you for simply reacting to the dire news I provided. You are frustrated at the idea of a boy in danger. Children are sacred to Eywa. We would not blame you for simply trying to protect a child."

Ronal clears her throat and Tonowari's ears fall ever so slightly before returning to normal. Kayla felt as though she was having a fucking aneurysm as she witnessed the olo'eyktan of the Metkayina shyly smile up at the avatar as if he didn't have the power to kick her out of the village. To appease his wife, he simply adds, "But you are forgiven."

Satisfied, Ronal lowers to her knees, using a hand on Tonowari's shoulder to help keep her balance before making herself comfortable and placing the net over her lap like a blanket, "Come, Makayla te Suli. Join us."

She felt less irritated by the demand this time, her head still reeling about a mighty clan leader who managed to look less intimidating with just a sheepish smile. Tonowari hums in approval when Kayla finally kneels down to join them, "It's a good day to sit down with some simple work and let your mind relax."

Kayla could clearly hear what the pair was trying to say to her without plainly spelling it out. Deeply sighing through her nose again, she let the scent of the ocean take over her senses and her muscles visibly loosen up under her blue skin. The wind gently caresses her face, the beads in her braided hair moving in tandem like a dance. She takes a part of the fishing net and gets to work, letting her fingers mindlessly weave and mend like she had been taught in the past, clearing her mind.

The three of them work in silence as they often do nowadays, basking in the sun while listening to the sounds of ocean life all around them. Kayla listened to children playing in the shallow water, adult Na'vi indulging in casual chatter that is often drowned out by the occasional splash and the chortle of an ilu. Occasionally, Kayla would spare a glance in her company's direction, and for the most part, Tonowari and Ronal remained silent, eyes glued to their task. There was a time or two, however, when one or both of them looked her way and Kayla could feel the corners of her lips twitch into a faint smile. A pleasant warmth spreads through her body when she receives a smile in kind, even from Ronal. Once the tsahik smiled, Kayla was thrown back to the first time she witnessed such a sight, back when the tulkun returned and Ronal was conversing with her Spirit Sister. Kayla had tried committing that smile to memory given that Ronal had never done so before, but now it was directed at Kayla, and the avatar was struggling to look away from it.

Their peace is interrupted by the sound of a group of ilu approaching the dock nearest to the beach, chattering among themselves and causing a small ruckus. Looking up, Kayla spotted a group of teenagers, and as they walked closer she realized that two of those teenagers belonged to her. Neteyam and Lo'ak were walking with Tsireya, Rotxo, and Ao'nung, each of the teens looking elated or nervous by something.

Neteyam was the first to see Kayla and eagerly waved as they walked up to her, "Auntie! You will not believe what Lo'ak just did."

Kayla snorts in amusement, rising to meet him, net forgotten, "I can believe a lot of things. Hit me."

The boy pauses in his footsteps, sheepishly smiling up at his aunt, "Not seriously though, right?"

She laughed, the rest of her gloomy clouds finally disappearing, "It's just a saying, kiddo. What did he do?"

"He bonded with a tulkun! Can you believe it?" Neteyam reached over and gripped Lo'ak's shoulder, the younger boy looking slightly unsure by the praise, "My baby brother, bonded with the great and mighty tulkun, Payakan!"

"What?!" Ronal roared, getting up faster than Kayla could turn her head.

All teenagers are suddenly frozen to their spots, ears lowered in fear when they remember that Kayla wasn't alone. Ao'nung immediately stepped back at the sight of his parents rising to their full heights, fishing net fully forgotten, while Tsireya tried to play damage control, "Sa'nok, it is not what you might--"

"You look me in the eyes, maite, and tell me exactly what happened," Ronal eyed her daughter down, stepping close until they nearly touched, "Now."

Tsireya shrank in on herself, her eyes darting between her parents, Lo'ak, and then back again, "... We followed Lo'ak beyond the reef. We saw it happen. He... bonded with Payakan."

Both leaders stiffen at the confession, eyes darkening to the point where they made Kayla's attitude from earlier look like sunshine and rainbows. Tonowari was grim, great clouds storming in his eyes as he pointedly stared directly at every teenager, "Come with me. Immediately."

"Rotxo. Go and fetch Toruk Makto and his mate." Ronal demands.

The reef boy runs off the moment he is excused. Since Kayla wasn't dismissed or sent to get her brother, she assumed she was also supposed to follow the clan leaders and so opted to stay in the back of the line, behind the children as they all walked in shame, sticking close to Ronal and Tonowari.

The windchimes dangling outside their marui jingle in greeting as the group approaches, no one saying a word as Ronal beckons them all inside. Tonowari steps up into the pod and the rest of them follow, the children all gathering around the olo'eyktan while Kayla stays toward the back, leaning against the entranceway.

Ronal storms into the marui last and is the first to speak, directing her anger at both of her children while pointing at Lo'ak, "You allowed this! You allowed him to bond with the outcast!"

Tsireya breathes shakily, avoiding eye contact as her father slowly approaches her. Kayla sees movement out of the corner of her eye and notices Jake and Neytiri approaching the marui, hand in hand, their eyes instantly darting to her and then their sons, silently asking her what was happening. Kayla simply shook her head at their wordless question.

"Tsireya."

The poor girl's ears lowered in response to the chief hissing her name, her eyes on the verge of crying as she peered up at her father. Tonowari was relentless in this light, his voice didn't need to be loud and strong to sound so harsh as he muttered, "You disappoint me, daughter."

Tonowari ignores the hurt in Tsireya's expression while he turns to address Lo'ak at the same time he notices Jake and Neytiri finally arrive, pointing to the man who now stands behind the forest boy, "And you, son of a great warrior who has been taught better."

"Payakan saved my life, sir. You don't know him." Lo'ak quickly defends.

"No, Lo'ak." Tsireya gently intervenes.

Her father, quietly enraged and perplexed, gathers his thoughts and motions to Lo'ak, "Sit. Sit," Lo'ak slowly follows the demand, kneeling down across from the chief. When no one else follows suit, Tonowari abruptly shouts, "Sit down!"

Tsireya whimpers, quick to obey her father while Neteyam and Ao'nung slowly follow suit, scared to move too fast as if trying to avoid the wrath of a palulukan. Even Jake and Neytiri lowered themselves into a crouch, just outside the marui, looking in. Once the children are gathered around him, the chief blows sharply, fanning his arms out. It looked as though he was trying to expel whatever demon inside him had encouraged his wrath, collecting himself before he spoke in a more level tone, pointing at Lo'ak, "Hear my words, boy. In the days of the First Songs, tulkun fought amongst themselves," Ronal begins to pace in the background, hand on her heart as if to carry the weight of this story. Kayla, the only one other than Ronal who didn't sit, carefully watches the tsahik while listening to the olo'eyktan's words, "For territory and for revenge. But they came to believe that killing, no matter how justified, only brings more killing. So all killing was forbidden. This is the Tulkun Way. Payakan is a killer, so, he is outcast."

"I'm sorry, sir," Lo'ak exclaimed, "But you're wrong."

"Lo'ak," Neytiri hushed her son, wishing to reach out to him, "You speak to Olo'eyktan!"

"I know what I--"

"That's enough!" Jake roared, driving both Lo'ak and Neteyam to flinch. Even Kayla's heart was ambushed by a small wave of fear, the hair on her skin rising before she quickly stomped the fear down in her gut, letting hidden anger take over as she glared daggers at her brother.

Jake doesn't appear to notice Kayla, and Lo'ak bravely speaks up regardless of the consequences, "I know what I know."

Ronal snarls, displaying her fangs in distaste while Jake quickly moves, his shadow falling over Lo'ak as the boy curls in on himself and refuses to meet anyone's eyes. Jake loomed over his youngest son, teeth bared in barely contained rage, "That's enough," he then looked to Tonowari, "I'll deal with this one."

Without another word, Toruk Makto roughly grabs Lo'ak by the arm and pulls the boy to his feet, dragging him away while Neytiri quietly follows. Kayla considered this lecture over, pushing off the doorway of the marui and turning her head to the remaining forest boy present, "'Teyam."

"Coming." Neteyam rises to full height, respectfully gesturing to Tonowari and Ronal before moving to his aunt, his eyes still wary of them.

Kayla waits until Neteyam joins her side before leaving, holding her gaze on the two clan leaders as she steps outside the pod. Both Ronal and Tonowari stare her down, eyes searching for something in hers, likely seeing where she stood in all of this. She felt apprehensive and it showed on her face, ears lowered as she faintly nodded to the clan leaders before parting, her hand cupping the back of her oldest nephew's neck as she led him away, following their other family members.

She purposely keeps her steps slow and stalls for as long as possible, not wanting Neteyam and herself to walk in on Jake lecturing Lo'ak. Instead, Kayla has Neteyam tell her his side of the story as they walk through the village, trying her best to focus on her nephew's story instead of the pointed stares and hushed whispers she has now become accustomed to hearing. Now that her Na'vi tongue was stronger, she could finally hear what bystanders were saying, and she could faintly see the way Neteyam's ears drooped, only confirming that he had heard the whispers, too. But either for his or his aunt's sake, he didn't say anything about it and instead bravely continued his story. 

Once Neteyam finished explaining everything, starting from when Payakan first saved Lo'ak's life and ending on the events of today, the aunt and nephew return to the pathway leading home and brave themselves for whatever they might face. When they returned to the Sully marui, it appeared as though Jake had just gotten done lecturing Lo'ak and likely grounded him. The second son of Toruk Makto looked like he had just received terrible news, ears pinned back and eyes cast down to his feet, his tail tucked between his legs.

Neytiri and Jake both look up at the sound of Kayla and Neteyam entering the pod, both parents' arms crossed in front of them and tails both waving in annoyance. Jake takes one look at his sister and sees a storm brewing in her eyes, Kayla's gaze subtly flicking to Jake and then Lo'ak. Deciding he needed to get this over with and argue with someone who wasn't afraid to argue back, he steps away from Lo'ak and points to Neteyam, "Your mother will have a talk with you. I'm gonna walk your aunt home." 

Without another word, Jake marched out of the pod and led Kayla back out. They start walking down the pathway and Jake can already feel her eyes on the back of his head. He snarls with irritation, "What?"

"Was that really necessary?"

"He disrespected the olo'eyktan, Kayla," he tilts his head to eye her down with a knowing expression, "You can't disrespect Tonowari, not while he's letting us stay here in good faith."

Kayla rolled her eyes, "Relax. I already apologized about last night and I can see to it that Lo'ak does the same. But I didn't see it as Lo'ak disrespecting an elder. It sounded like he was explaining himself and his actions. Or at least he was trying to whenever you weren't interrupting him."

"It's clear that the Metkayina praise and respect the tulkun and their customs. Not only was Lo'ak outside the reef but he was bonding with a tulkun not even the Metkayina interact with."

"Why does this matter so much to you? Lo'ak is an outcast who bonded with an outcast--"

"He's not an outcast," Jake snapped, "He's Metkayina now and he needs to respect the rules the Metkayina set in place--"

"How could he have known? I was there, Jake. I was listening. Tonowari spoke down on his daughter for not properly informing Lo'ak or stopping him from bonding with Payakan," she snarled, "Not that you would've known that since you were too busy believing that your son was fully to blame. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought your family was only staying here as guests, not permanent residents. Since when did you become Metkayina?"

"It's hard to explain--"

"--Something that isn't true? Yeah, I gathered," Kayla was quick to interrupt, distaste ever prominent on her tongue, "You've been trying to explain that to me back when you said you were Na'vi and not human."

He sighs, resigned and tired by the circle he and Kayla keep going around in, "We already talked about this. I know you think it's easy to juggle two worlds and two different ways of life, but it's not. You'll learn this the longer you stay here."

There it is again. Another comment and another person talking down to her like she was a child. Kayla's only anger returns, flaring up until her own tail betrayed her inner thoughts, the appendage waving erratically behind her. "You can move to different planets, change how you look and how you speak, and move to different clans but that can never change who you are," Jake doesn't respond, instead keeping his eyes forward, focused on the jungle slowly getting closer. Kayla sneered at the clear ploy he was using to try and ignore her, "And sometimes... these people like to remind me. Do you know what the Na'vi call us and your children behind our backs? Vrrtep Mesmuk."

He briefly paused, playing the words in his head before turning his head toward his sister and spelling them out, "Demon Siblings. Who exactly is saying this?"

She shrugged, looking around as they continued to walk, not wanting to see his reaction, "I heard some Metkayina say it when I first arrived, and then once or twice while walking through the village. They're not like the Omatikaya. They don't know you as well as the Forest People do. You might be respected as Toruk Makto, but not as an individual. And neither are your children."

It was clear in his expression that he didn't fully believe her, "I thought we were past you being suspicious of everyone. I thought you trusted the Na'vi."

"Jake, I get I'm not the greatest in speaking Na'vi, but I understand insults when I hear them, even when I'm not meant to understand them. I don't trust people who openly judge me and my family without even knowing us. You've seen what they're capable of if they think we're lesser than them. Your own son got freaking hazed for God's sake! He could've died because of the chief's son's arrogance. Why should I trust someone like that?"

"Are you saying you'd rather be with the Sky People?"

"I don't trust them either!" She shouted back in self-defense, "The only people we can trust are the ones in this family. Trust no one but each other. That's what you and Tommy taught me!"

Jake winced, the words painful and a constant reminder of a troubled past, one that Kayla wouldn't let him easily forget. She continued to drill into him, "These people have done well to remind us that we're demons and nothing more. And unless you expect your son to grow fins overnight, he is Omatikaya and has the right to speak as one of them. Today I noticed how even though he has the right to speak as Omatikaya, you didn't allow him to."

Jake suddenly rears back, spinning around like lightning as his anger flares up again. He glares Kayla down as if he was able to set her on fire with just one look, "Don't tell me how to parent my son until you become a parent yourself. Until then, don't pretend to know what it's like."

Kayla's eyes widen, mouth still open in retort but no sound comes out. When the words sink in, her expression shifts, quickly becoming stone, unreadable, and dark. She stares blankly back at Jake, something vanishing as quickly as it appeared behind her eyes like something was nearly about to burst out but she carefully pulls it back. 

She chooses her next words cautiously like she's about to set off a landmine, "I know enough just by watching you fail. If I ended up having kids tomorrow, I'd already be a better parent because I learned what not to do as I watched you react the way you did today. You tried to parent me once, and you ended up abandoning me. And even though you didn't abandon your children, you still abandoned Spider. Forgive me if I don't believe you have the best track record for ace parenting."

Yet again, her words hit close to home and cut deep into Jake's chest, her words spit like acid now seeping into his skin. She held her ground and kept her gaze on him until he couldn't bear it any longer as if he was staring directly at a blazing sun. Jake breaks the exchange and returns down the path they came from without another word, leaving his sister just along the line of the jungle. His thoughts were a little childish and petty as he begrudgingly stated to himself that she could find the rest of her way back to her camp alone.

~~~~~~~~~

It was only after Jake left that Kayla decided to sever her link and slip back into her human form for the night. Returning to her campsite, she climbs up the tree and secures herself inside her nivi, her eyes slowly slipping shut as she drifts off.

She woke up in her human form lying on her back inside her link gurney. When she opened the gurney and glanced around, Max looked up from his clipboard as he stood beside her link bay, staring with concern through his glasses, "Back again? You do remember that you were just here last night, right?"

"I know, I know. I just..." She slowly sat up, rubbing her forehead, "Have you heard anything?"

"Honestly?" The scientist sighed, setting the clipboard down and rubbing his tired eyes, glasses pushing up to his forehead, "It's... too quiet. Radio silence. RDA channels don't appear to be active and even before you told us about the Recoms and Spider's whereabouts, we didn't hear anything about ships being sent out to the islands. Whatever is happening over there... Ardmore is keeping it top secret. She clearly doesn't want us to know about it even if there wasn't the off chance we couldn't hack their radio chatter."

Kayla simply nodded, hopping off the gurney and grabbing a sweatshirt she had thrown off to the side the night before, slipping her arm through it and then the other, "Okay."

Max peers back at her, hearing the exhaustion and defeat in her voice, "What is it?"

"I have a bad feeling."

He perks up, immediately thinking it had something to do with the neural link, "Nausea?"

"No, I mean... I think something bad is about to happen. Instead of getting further from trouble, Jake's family is now closer than ever."

Max notes the way Kayla's voice is distant and doesn't include herself in her equation about Jake's family, but the scientist wisely doesn't address it, "I know. Keep us updated as often as possible, alright? We won't be able to help if we don't know what's going on."

"Yeah. Have you seen Norm?"

"He volunteered for patrol tonight," she flashes a skeptical expression to which he explains, "Tarsem isn't taking any chances and has ordered double the security. He also thinks something is up."

"Alright. Let 'im know I'll be in my shack when he gets back."

"You got it."

After slipping on a mask and stepping out of the lab, Kayla zips up her sweatshirt and heads in the direction of her bunk, hands in her pockets and shoulders scrunched up, trying to look small and not someone who would be easy to approach and talk to. Luckily, she didn't have a problem getting to the Site 26 shack alone and slipped inside, taking off her mask and getting comfortable sitting at the table, pulling out Norm's whiskey that he now hid from Max by leaving it among Kayla's belongings.

There are more pictures decorating the fridge compared to when Kayla first moved into this place, newer than the ones she brought and the ones that were left behind sixteen years ago. Skimming through the new and recent pictures, she smiled to herself while inspecting one photo that had all of her nieces and nephews surrounding her human self, smiling at the camera together. Another picture had Lo'ak, Kiri, and Spider positioned close together and scrunched in front of the camera like they were taking a selfie, either making faces or in the middle of laughing. Another picture was of Kayla, in her avatar form, posed with Neytiri and Neteyam, all smiling. Kayla likes to put that photo next to another one, an older one, one that Kayla wasn't even a part of. It was a picture of Grace Augustine, in her avatar, holding Na'vi children close to her as they all smiled at the camera. Two of those Na'vi children happen to be a young Neytiri and her sister, Sylwanin. Kayla liked to put her photo and Grace's photo side by side to compare the similarities and differences in Neytiri throughout the years, starting from her eyes, smile, and change of fashion and jewelry.

The hiss of the decompression chamber interrupts Kayla's peace and she straightens up in her chair, pouring two glasses of whiskey just as Norm walks through the door, mask in hand while looking around until he spots her, "Hey, Max said you'd be here. Everything alright? You hear anything from Spider?"

She grimaced, "I doubt he has the means to call me himself, so..."

Norm sucked in a sharp breath and winced, stepping forward and sitting down across from her, "Right. So what's the plan?"

She slides a glass of whiskey to him, "Plan?"

He gratefully accepts the drink, taking a sip before responding, "Well, Max mentioned the Sky People are likely closing in on Jake's location. Are you gonna suggest that you guys move back home?"

Kayla scoffed, taking a sip of her own drink and rolling her lips, "Anything I say to Jake will just go in one ear and out the other, just like everything else I tell him."

"Hm," Norm sombers up, "I take it talking to him isn't going well then."

"It's like talking to a wall. He makes me feel like a broken record sometimes."

"He'll have to listen to you eventually. Maybe after you finish your rites of passage?"

"Which ones?" She asked sarcastically, "My Omatikaya trials or Metkayina?"

He tries his best to playfully smile, "Hey, the best of both worlds wouldn't hurt, right?"

She smiles bitterly. After all, isn't that the exact same thing she's been trying to tell Jake? She tilts her head back until she's able to finish off her whiskey in one gulp, feeling the pleasant burn slowly go down her throat and warm her stomach. Norm decided to fill in the void by talking about his day, telling Kayla how his patrol went and what he had been up to in longer and better detail than when she had initially asked the night before when she last visited. 

Whether it was the whiskey or the friendly chatter, Kayla visibly began to relax, her nerves from before vanishing as she pretended that, just for a moment, everything was at peace in the world-- maybe even the entire universe, "Thanks, Norm. I needed this."

"Anytime. Or at least until the whiskey runs out."

A/N: If you haven't seen it, here's an edit I made for this fic! If you have edits of your own or if you have fanart, please tag me in them I would love to see it!

Let me know either in the comments or in my inbox if you would like to be in the taglist! It's all about to go down in the next chapter so make sure you're the first to know about it 😎

[probablyasocialecologist]

While home interiors depicted a blissful atomic future, their occupants lived in an age of revanchist conservatism. American society had become increasingly atomized and patriarchal during this time. Women were important contributors to wartime atomic science: Maria Goeppert-Mayer worked on the Manhattan project, and was awarded a Nobel Prize for her contributions to science by 1963; Leona Woods Marshall Libby worked in Enrico Fermi’s lab at the University of Chicago, where she demonstrated the first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction. When men returned from war, many women were discouraged from continuing their careers as scientists, technologists, and academics. As mainly white working women became wives in picket-fenced suburbia, they turned to the domestic affairs of the home to regain some control. As such, the demand for Atomic Age style was created by these women’s purchasing decisions. Atomic aesthetics in the home eventually served to “feminize” the atom, further domesticating its image.

[...]

Beauty queens and pin-up girls proliferated after World War II. The new vogue for radioactivity reached pageantry, with new beauty contests celebrating all things nuclear. From Miss Atomic Blast to Miss Atomic Bomb, this cheerful embodiment of lethal nukes has been described variously as commercializing, feminizing, and disarming the atom. By 1955, atomic pageantry had diversified to celebrate and normalize uranium mining and nuclear energy, as Colorado and Utah became home to expansive uranium mining programs. In a contest sponsored by the Uranium Ore Producers Association and the Grand Junction Chamber of Commerce to celebrate Colorado’s uranium mining boom, the winning Miss Atomic Energy was rewarded with a truckload of uranium ore worth approximately $5000 in today’s money — and a trophy in the shape of Rutherford’s iconic atomic model. The bikini bathing suit debuted in 1946, taking its name from Bikini Atoll, where the U.S. undertook its first nuclear weapon detonations since Hiroshima. Louis Réard’sdesignwas itself derived from a less revealing French design created by Jacques Heim, known as “L’atome.” Both garments played with the semiotics of nuclear warfare. Models were initially scandalized by the bikini’s skimpiness and refused to wear it. By 1951, however, a bikini round had been integrated into the annual Miss World competition, further linking the atom with ideals of feminine beauty. 

[frociaggine]

has something from a tlt fic ever become headcanon to you? i ask because i find this happening to me all the damn time with this fandom but not others

OK SO, my tlt headcanons are like schrodinger's cat, they explicitly contradict each other sometimes and all of them exist at the same time in different quantum states of canon. So in that sense I've never read a fic and thought, okay, THIS is my canon from now on.

But I've read so so many fics that burst my third eye wide open and made me consider different perspectives on a character / dynamic, or helped me shape some I already had. A few favourites:

the soul that seeketh him by bittybelle — missing scene pre NtN ft. John and Kiriona. Wherein John Gaius meets his daughter, remembers the women he left behind, and deals poorly with being the male god of a universe in which the divine is essentially feminine.

AO3 user LesbianJesusLovesYou gave me Big Feelings about Gideon's childhood on the Ninth and her relationship with Harrow, Aiglamene, Ortus and Crux

believing in everything (and knowing nothing at all) — A series of childhood memories from the Ninth

when i call, will you come to me? — “My Lady,” Ortus wheezed, shifting uncomfortably. “I only thought you should know… Gideon Nav was flogged before the congregation.”

A few fics set right after NtN that really stayed with me:

never hear the sound of someone calling me home by @corpsesoldier — Kiriona Gaia returns to the House of the Ninth.

One More Son by captainpeggy — After Nona, Pyrrha Dve walks the Ninth.

two old broads split a cigarette by @forjodssake — Aiglamene/Pyrrha. “sometimes the girl you like becomes one person w her soulmate and you have to jack off about it”

Post HtN missing scenes:

Death in its season by @ancientannoyance — John holds Mercymorn's 24 minutes funeral

recognize them by their fruits by @ceruleanvulpine — John and Ianthe emerge out of the River

Other stuff that Stuck With Me

so I open the window to hear sounds of people by @sunderedstar — post NtN flashbacks. John and Alecto are the only two beings on earth, and he starts working on the Resurrection. This is harrowing and I'm absolutely obsessed with the implications in this fic of WHY John removed everyone's memory.

and they were roommates by @herenortherenearnorfar — pre Resurrection Mercy and Cristabel, from their first meeting onwards and it just really burrowed a hole in my brain and grew roots and sprouts and everything. Latin American nun Cristabel it's all I can see now, and YES they met working with climate refugees when M— was a bright eyed idealistic doctor. It also lines up great with the Asian Mercy headcanon that exist in my head (I have a whole elaborate backstory about M— aged 12 proclaiming to her Filipino Catholic family that she's an atheist now). Anyway, it's just a lovely, gorgeous fic. I think about it every day.

John 25:12 by @halfeatenmoon — pre-Resurrection, John and his friends escape the cow fortress to spend Christmas Day at the beach. With beer, salads, pavlova, and the corpses of a million fish killed by nuclear weapons testing. Ft. Southern hemisphere holidays in Mururoa Atol and 100% canon. To me.

Operation: The Most Honorable Man by @cadmean — Augustine has a proposal for the Saint of Duty (Dios Apate. That's the proposal)

lowkey cheating but I can't choose — absolutely anything AO3 user Raxheim has posted has been SOO up my alley. Every time I read one of their fics I feel like I'm enlightened by some never-before-considered detail. And mean ANYTHING, from Harrow Nova to Wake to Cytherea and the Lyctors to the Universe's #1 Sadgirl Gideon

[amethystfairy1]

For TT, can we have a bit more info about mer culture and where Scott is coming from before he ended up on the old continent? I absolutely love the way you write hybrids, and how much effort you put into the world building of their background and cultures and behaviours. Oooh also, while I'm asking questions, do the hybrids in TT have courtship the way they do in TTSBC? Because that one is somewhat relevant for a few of them.

Oooooooo ok sure!

Let's break down Mer Culture in Traveling Thieves yayyyy!

First of all, the Mer Kingdom and Mer culture is matriarchal! Scott is the son of the Queen of the Mer and one of her concubines/performers. The Queen and other powerful women of noble standing typically have multiple husbands and also there is a very strong courtly culture of performance, and the role of the concubine is very influential in this society. However, this is where the sort of stigma against Siren Spells comes from! Scott inherited his abilities for water magic from his Mom, the magic of the royal bloodline is very powerful which is why Scott is also very powerful and natural with water magic! He inherited his ability to use Siren Spells from his Dad, but Siren Spells are seen as something only used by concubines/performers...it's not something befitting of a royal child, even an illegitimate one like Scott.

Speaking of! If we're talking about Scott and his upbringing, I want to get rid of any notions I'm sure people are assuming that because he was an illegitimate child he was treated poorly, he wasn't! He had a lot of half-siblings and all of them got along decently well, and his parents also had a reasonably healthy and cooperative relationship! Scott was still excluded sometimes, for example he wasn't allowed to show his face at courtly proceedings or performances, but some of his older siblings would occasionally help him hide in the curtains or something so he could watch his Dad perform!

Scott wasn't allowed to practice Siren Spells, because his Mom raised him, as she did all of her male children, to eventually be married off or take up political posts, and both of Scott's parents agreed it would be better for his prospects if no one ever knew that he was capable of using Siren Spells. That doesn't stop him from sneaking off to practice them in secluded areas, but he never received any official training so that's why he's pretty bad with them.

Also also! I wanna describe the Mer Kingdom a bit! Because while I do plan to do some flashbacks from Scott's POV I'm not entirely sure if we'll ever actually go there within the timeline of Traveling Thieves.

Basically think Lizzie's Empires S1 base 😆

AND BEFORE YOU ASK NO LIZZIE IS NOT THE OCEAN QUEEN IN THIS SHE IS NOT SCOTTS MOM NO WE AREN'T DOING THAT 😭

It's just that her base inspires how I think of the Mer Kingdom, like a bunch of towers that emerge from the water but are constructed both above and below water. Also it is within a series of atolls and coral reefs so lots of small islands are all around too. While the Mer can breathe underwater all of their homes and such are watertight and so while they swim place to place when they're inside it's dry and they breathe air, so it's not like Atlantis-style or anything. A lot of buildings are also on top of the islands or build from the shallower ocean shelf and then rising up out of the water. With the Royal Palace being right in the middle of the largest atoll of course!

Scott, as you might've been able to guess, perhaps, from what he said when Jimmy said he was in love with him, was running away from an arranged marriage. And the sad part was it wasn't even technically a marriage. Again, Scott is an illegitimate child, he's the son of the Queen, yes, but he's not a prince. He was raised like one, educated like one, and more or less treated like one with a few exceptions (like how he couldn't attend court) but he is not a prince.

That means by Mer societal convention he can't marry high-class nobility. So the noblewoman he's arranged with, he's technically meant to go be one of her concubines, similar to how his own Father is to his Mother. That doesn't necessarily mean anything sexual by default, but it does basically relegate him to being passed around for his pretty face and his bloodline. It would be a pretty luxurious life, all things considered, and he was also raised fairly spoiled all his life, but even still...Scott's not the type who would just pliantly go along with being a pawn for his Mother to use politically. Plus it really pisses him off because after all these years of being told to hide the fact he could use Siren Spells like his Father and not being allowed to practice them, or learn how to perform like his Father does, all of a sudden his Mother decides to give him away as a concubine instead of marrying him to someone within the mid-tier of courtly society whom Scott would actually be allowed to wed. Scott in this AU really looks up to his Dad, and he also looks very very similar to him, much more so than his Mother, which is also why he's desired for his beauty even amongst Mer. His Dad is the Queen's favorite performer, so you can imagine he's gorgeous as well, and yet after living his whole life being told he had to distance himself from being seen as similar to his Father, all of a sudden he's expected to become a concubine just like him? Without any of the training or practice or skills that his Father has? That's ridiculous! So yeah, Scott was furious and he and his mother had it out in a terrible fight.

Last thing on this! I wanna make it clear that this doesn't mean Scott hates his mother or even has a bad relationship with her! He was actually on very good terms with her, which made the news that he was going to be given away as a concubine all the more shocking. So he took off in the middle of the night after this fight with nothing but the clothes on his back...he wasn't necessarily planning on running away for good, he was just upset and trying to get away and get some space to collect this thoughts, but he went a little too close to the mainland shore, to close to the waters where humans trawl, and...well, we know what happened to him from there.

As for courting ritual, they don't have them in Traveling Thieves the way that they do in TTSBC! It's more that they have certain things that require a level of intimacy, not necessarily romantic obviously, so if a hybrid lets you do it, it's a strong sign that they trust you and believe you care about them. Examples of this being: Preening Avians wings or brushing a dog hybrids hair!

Hope this was fun for ya! Sorry for the long turn-around on this ask, I wanted to really think about it and make sure I gave ya a good response that was lined up with the AU! 💖

[life-on-our-planet]

At 2994 meters on a never-before-surveyed seamount north of Johnston Atoll, the team made a thrilling discovery — the chance to examine an animal spotted for the very first time in the Pacific Ocean! The sea pen, a colonial cnidarian, had a single large feeding polyp with pinnate (barbed) tentacles stretching over 40 cm from its 2-meter-long stalk.

Solumbellula monocephalus is the only described species in the genus and until this sighting was only known to live in the North and South Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Before this discovery of the colony, the animal had never been seen in the Pacific Ocean. Further review of the footage and this sample will help experts determine if this is the first Pacific S.monocephalus or potentially a new species in this ocean basin.

Enjoy some beautiful close-ups of this coral relative that astounded our team with a detailed view of its stinging feeding tentacles that capture marine snow and food particles drifting by its home on an underwater mountain sedimented saddle. Two individuals were spotted on this dive, confirming a population within the protection of the Johnston Unit of Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument. This huge range expansion of Solumbellula in the Pacific Ocean reminds us how important ocean exploration efforts are to understanding this diversity of our planet!

Learn more about this expedition funded by NOAA Ocean Exploration via the Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute

🎥video here🎥

[cosmicwhoreo]

Childhood Home (WRITING DRABBLE)

Takes place a little after the events of "A Mermaid's Tale" where Crimson Coral Cookie has been leading her people and sisters across the ocean in search of a new home. But the trip has been long and arduous for them and they need a safe place to rest for a day... All the while the tired leader tries not to reflect on the events too hard... ____________________________________________________________ The seahorse huffed a small plume of bubbles, annoyed. A stark difference compared to the amused giggles of the little mermaid precariously riding atop it’s forehead. A little mermaid who had been there for well over half the trip because quote; “her fins were tired…!”.

It’s anger was only being just slightly quelled by the reassuring pats from its true rider. "Just a little longer, my friend… be patient with them."

And yet, even with Crimson Coral Cookie's naturally strong voice, both the seahorse and the little clownfish mermaid could hear just how tired their leader sounded.

The pod had been migrating for a long time now with little to no rest, all working diligently to keep in formation. Crimson Coral Cookie and her soldiers working extra hard to defend the remaining mermaids of their fallen kingdom from any predators or fishing nets.

But, even they were doing all they could just to stay awake.

Her brows furrowed, an uncomfortable weight forming in her stomach at the pitiful sight of her once proud people. Her soldiers… Her sisters…

How could she let this happen…?

"Crimson Coral Cookie…?"

Her attention was drawn back to the small mermaid, now fully facing her with a concerned expression.

The older mermaid's eyes softened to try and help reassure the child. "Do not fret over me, I am fine..."

This didn't seem to really convince them, but they thought better than to press the issue. "Okay, umm… then do we know exactly where we are going?"

Crimson Coral finally allowed herself to smile at the tiny question, feeling a small sense of playfulness push through the gloom. "You mean you don't recognize this path? Surely it hasn't been that long for you."

The clownfish tilted her head like a confused puppy, before deciding to take a moment to actually take in their surroundings.

It was currently night time, so their general view wasn't the best. But, what she could make out were these impossibly bright bits of coral and seaweed poking out amidst the sandy terrain that seemed to get taller and taller around them. Gradually forming large, protective walls around the traveling pod the further they went in.

The chasm itself flourished with vibrant colors and busy marine life, to the point it nearly became overwhelming to the mermaids after the long travel of empty underwater sand dunes and deadly trenches.

The little mermaid gasped, her eyes lighting up with the scenery.

"Are we in–!?"

"-Yes, yes we are." Crimson Coral Cookie finished, amused at the giddy guppy who was now shaking their fins in poorly contained excitement. "So I ask that you behave yourself and treat our great Grand Reef Cookie with respect."

Her words seemed to echo throughout the halls of the colorful crevasse, a low murmur beginning to pick up amongst the mermaids and even a few of her soldiers behind her.

Some were happy to be back, ecstatic even. To so much as see something they recognized still intact despite everything they've all been through.

Others had felt it might be rude and disrespectful to intrude in such large quantities into this sacred atoll. Some even argued that it was borderline sacrilegious.

And the rest were far too tired to care about either… Just wanting to finally rest their fins somewhere safe after the long trip…

Crimson Coral Cookie couldn't help but relate to all parties in one way or another… but, she doubted their host would really be at all upset with the company. Quite the opposite, in fact.

The sound of her horse whinnying in annoyance at the clownfish practically using it’s head as a springboard drew her attention back to the front of the pod.

"GRAND REEF COOKIE!!" The child squealed. Soon followed by three other little ones zipping past Crimson Coral Cookie to practically tackle the large figure passively waiting by the undersea entrance to the reef.

He likely would've been found imposing in size, had he not had the colors of rainbow sherbet and the disposition of a manatee. His large arms, speckled in gold barnacles, swallowing up the little ones in an impressive hug as they all giggled.

"Ohoho! My, and how long has it been since I've seen you four, hmm?" Grand Reef Cookie chuckled, looking like he was struggling to properly greet the group as they all clung to him like remoras. "Haven't been giving your pod any trouble, have you?" He playfully raised an eyebrow, a faux stern expression that he struggled to keep as the children only continued to giggle. Sputtering out little "no"s and "maybe"s as Crimson Coral Cookie approached the group.

She bowed to him, greeting the large cookie with as much royal professionalism as if to a king "Great Grand Reef Cookie, I apologize for intruding unannounced and with no forewarning. But we all needed a safe place to rest and recuperate before we can continue to travel again."

He immediately perked up at this, pleasantly surprised to see the red mermaid. And he likely would've greeted his child in a much more different and friendly manner had he not paused for a moment, confused by her wording.

"Recuperate?" He echoed, before finally looking behind her. 

The sight brought a deep, painful frown onto his face. His children have all come home, but they were worn, some injured. A few had looked away from the large sea cookie in embarrassment or shame at his expression.

"Oh dear."

One more observant look down at the little ones cuddled up in his arms showed him just how tired they all were, one having already fallen asleep.

"Please," he said quietly, gently beckoning them to follow as he turned to walk back into the reef. "Come in, everyone." _____________________________________________________________

Ye, I wanted to write a bit of an idea of a pre-oilspill Grand Reef Cookie interacting with the mermaids... I mean, I got more idears for the specific "story" but I'll just leave you with this little spit of an intro for the time being that I wrote while bored. Maybe I'll write more, maybe not idk

[bluizu]

Favorite country? What are three facts about favorite country?

AJEJWJD

ASHSHAS OMG OMG okay um sorry. um. autism moment.

my favorite country is tuvalu!

fact 1: tuvalu, despite Valu meaning Four in Tuvaluan, is an island nation consisting of nine islands. Tuvalu is most likely the first nation to completely sink due to climate change, with the international community doing little to nothing. if you want to help, go to Tuvalu.tv, and the website will help you from there.

fact 2: there are ca. 13 000 people living in tuvalu, with ca. half of which living on the Funafuti atoll. most of them are English speakers, with tuvalu being a part of the former British colony of the ellice Islands (although that's kinda like calling the US the former 13 colonies), but the main language is Tuvaluan, also known as just Tuvalu.

fact 3: Tuvalu is the country with the least tourists in the world, based on 2021 data. this is likely due to how difficult it is to get there, with it being a country in the middle of the ocean, in the middle of New Zealand and Hawaii. The only planes that go to their singular airport (said airport doubles as a football field) come from Fiji, which is YET ANOTHER island nation!

Bonus fact, because i think this is the funniest shit ever. Basically, after colonization, Tuvalu was kind of low on money, but they still wanted to join the UN. but, with the rise of the internet happening at the time, every country was getting assigned a domain (.se for sweden, .fi for finland, etc). what did Tuvalu get? .tv. so, when different companies (e.g twitch) wanted .tv for their streaming services they have to pay Tuvalu. they used this money to get into the UN. it was honestly dumb luck that they got this domain, but im really happy they did.

edit: sorry, it consists of NINE islands! it's been fixed.

thank you so much for the ask! Tōfa!

[mickimomo]

Attuma with the babies - part 2

Based in the Sun & the Sky AU

My thoughts:

When it was time for the twins to get their shots, Attuma was not allowed to be in the building. The first time one of the twins got poked with a needle and bursted into tears, Attuma had his hands on the poor doctor within half a heartbeat. The nurses had to get Okoye to pry him off of the dazed woman, and walk him out.

After that incident, he was forced to stay outside until everything was done. He was livid. Especially since Okoye was bawling her eyes out as she held the twins. But thankfully, he was allowed back in to comfort his family once all the shots had been given.

He was kinda pissed that he had to apologize to the doctor to be allowed back in, but he did it. (The things this man would do for his wife and sons. 🤧)

Attuma always looked forward to feeding the twins. He'd prepare a bottle of breast milk Okoye had pumped in a bag and tossed in the freezer and fed them while humming a soft tune. Once they were done, he'd burp them and hold them close on the sofa.

Then the twins would dose off, and he would feel obligated to stay still until they woke up. That typically led to him taking a nap with them.

Okoye would sometimes come home for lunch and find her husband knocked out with two tiny babies resting peacefully in his arms.

And she would take a picture every single time before placing a soft kiss on all of their heads.

Attuma was even more excited when the twins could finally start eating homemade baby food. He had been looking forward to the day they could start weening off of breast milk and enjoy the softer foods of Wakanda and Talokan.

Sure, they were a bit huffy, and the tears often made him run to the freezer to appease him, but Attuma slowly won them over with mashed up fruit and spoonfuls of thickened atole. He'd imitate dolphins and whales as he fed them and wipe their hands and mouths clean once they were done.

What he wasn't ready for was when their teeth started coming in. The wailing was endless, and all of the remedies only provided temporary relief.

He had finally settled on giving them frozen breast milk and tiny pieces of cold watermelon to soothe their aching mouths in the day. At night, he'd sing them a melody that washed away the pain. Long nights of singing led to long mornings of sleeping. Where he dropped the ball, Okoye picked it up. After a month, it became obvious that he was getting worn out.

Even he felt useless and inadequate sometimes. This was all he could do to satiate them. They despised numbing gels and would scream whenever they tried anything else. All he wanted to do was close his eyes and get an ounce of shut eye. But he loved his family too much to break down now.

Okoye could tell he was struggling and changed her working schedule to pull him out of the storm he was sitting in. He was such a kind and loving husband. He was an amazing father, too. But he was also human (although slightly mutated), and humans need breaks, too.

She'd often find him laid out in exhaustion, struggling to get a moment of peace but too stubborn to let Namora or Shuri or Aneka watch the twins. Okoye knew how much pride he took in taking care of their sons. Asking for help in his mind made him feel inadequate.

Some days, Okoye would hand the babies off to their aunties while he was sleeping. Leaving a note and a home-cooked meal on the counter, so that he could have the day to himself without any worries.

Other days, she'd put the twins down for a nap and hug him tight. She'd rub his back or brush his hair. Shower him in kisses and force him to go out and get some fresh air while she took care of the twins.

He always took care of her, so she'd take care of him. It was like they poured into one another to keep both of their cups full.

He was grateful and appreciated having such an attentive wife. And he was relieved when the tooth growing pains were over.

Attuma's heart soared when their twin sons began to walk. I mean, every milestone made him happy (minus the teething era). But this was just the cherry on top.

They both stumbled from his arms to Okoye's open ones with shaky little legs and happy giggles and squeaks of excitement.

The joy only dwindled slightly when they learned how to run and get into things. It felt like they were everywhere and getting into everything, every time he blinked or stepped away to do something.

Whenever they were getting into too much, he'd scoop them up, get one of the patterned wraps, and wear them until they dozed off.

Okoye always found it funny how their babies would fall asleep whenever he did this. She figured it had something to do with how much he did it when they were younger.

Sometimes, Okoye would doubt herself. Maybe she wasn't a phenomenal mother because the twins- aht aht. Attuma never let her finish those thoughts. He'd always kiss her and remind her that she was a good mother. And the twins solidified that when they spoke their first words.

To everyone's surprise, they boys' first word was K'iin and then Na'. Well, everyone but Attuma. Attuma had been gushing to their sons about Okoye everyday in the most wholesome of ways. Always reminding them of the mayan equivalent to each English word, Sun and Mom. Always reminding them of how amazing she was. Sometimes he'd bring them to watch Okoye spar and train with Aneka, so they could see their mother in action.

"This is how K'iin stole my heart." He whispered to the two babies settled on his lap as he sat on a bench. "The first time I met Na', she threatened to kill me and took out all of my soldiers. Then she cut my cheek." He chuckled softly at the memory as one of the twins attempted to bite his hand, and the other leaned against him drowsily. "To think we have you now. Chaac and Bast must have planned it all."

So imagine his surprise when the third word they spoke was Baba. Apparently, Okoye had been coaching them and teaching them xhosa while he was away. He didn't realize she was gushing about him too.

In short, he was all over Okoye that night, after the twins went to sleep.

Both of the twins are similar to Namor, in the sense that they are fine on land but seem to be stronger and heal faster when exposed to water. Although, they have to be exposed to water for long periods of time. They can also breathe through their skin like the god king.

This was discovered when the 3-year-old boys had fallen ill one summer. No one really knew what was wrong with them, and Okoye was panicking seeing them so lethargic. They were extremely restless and miserable, and it broke her heart seeing them like this.

Attuma asked the priest and herbalists of Talokan for assistance, and they had them bring the twins to the river.

Okoye was reluctant at first, but with a bit of assurance, she agreed. Both of their hearts nearly stopped when the twins were pulled underwater. The only reason everyone's head was still connected to their neck was the fsct the twins were flourishing. They had taken to water like fish. Apparently, they had spent too much time playing in the sun and needed more time in the water on hotter days.

Now that their parents were aware, the twins were allowed to play in the water with supervision. A few people were terrified at first because of the hammerhead sharks that would occasionally swim through. But, you know, Pakal and the squad had to come see the babies.

The twins loved Pakal. (So much that Namora made them shark plushies.) Attuma would help them pet the shark's side and watch them giggle as he nudged their floating toys.

The most curious thing was how much the shark would stay by Okoye.

Pakal had always favored Okoye to Attuma, but he seemed more restless than usual.

Almost as if he was guarding something, but Okoye would only whisper to the shark and shoo him away.

A few weeks later, Okoye shyly revealed that she was pregnant and Attuma was over the moon.

He was a little hurt she had tried to hide it, but the surprise she had thrown erased his pout.

Another bundle of joy!?!

Sign him the fuck up!

and that concludes Part 2 ♡

[spongebob-connoisseur]

Slappy meets Peter Lorre

Ohhh! This'll be interesting! The Peter Lorre fish meeting THE Peter Lorre human. I wonder how that'll go. For some reason I can't help but imagine it'll go similarly to Hilary Cummings reacted to the Hand™ 🔪 🔪 🔪 🔪 

I mean, it must be disturbing to see a fucked up zombie fish creature that managed to escape containment from the recently radiated waters surrounding Bikini Atoll. Slappy was already a weirdo amongst his kind, imagine putting him amongst humans! That must be even more disturbing.

As for Slappy, what's he doing on the surface? Was he even born then? Idk but let's pretend he was and already an adult and freshly undead.

You know how sometimes in SpongeBob the characters sometimes watch stuff on TV and for some reason they show a lot of black and white clips? I remember Kaz making a joke that the fish of Bikini Bottom collect stuff that sinks from the surface (books and whatever) and that's how they're exposed to human culture. Anyways I'm going to build off of that. Maybe that's hiw Slappy was introduced to Peter Lorre? A ship carrying movie reels accidentally sank and the fish of Bikini Bottom collected and distributed it. Slappy collected a great deal of horror film reels to watch and he sees Lorre in them and is like "wow! that guy is just like me fr". He becomes so enamored that he just HAS to meet the guy! So he goes on his own lil trip to the surface world. Don't worry about him needing water, he's undead after all. Tho I can see him driving a little aquariam type car-thing, similar to the aquariam bus Rube drove in Spongebob's Big Birthday Blowout.

So he makes his lil trip, ends up in Hollywood in search of his hero. Eventually encountering the Peter Lorre human and tugs at his pant leg to get his attention.

Lorre looks down and sees this THING™ that looks like came of a Looney Tunes production and is rightfully horrified.

Slappy on the other hand would be like a shy fan girl meeting his hero. he'd fidget with his fins and tell Lorre that he's such a big fan of his. He loooves watching him in the pictures, he has such fabulous death scenes! He especially loves the movie where he gets stabbed in the neck <3 Slappy would ask very sheepishly to extract a tooth for his collection. But you see, with Lorre that's not exactly possible because he lacks the facilities. I think he'd give some hair instead.

I think all in all, as much as Lorre is horrified by Slaps, I think he'd accept him. He is an animal lover after all, and Slappy slithers like a snake, crawls like a bug, has the intelligence of an orange cat, and is literally a fish so it works out in the end 👍

Extra: I think Lorre wouod take Slappy to see The Three Stooges and watch the Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry shorts together. Slappy LOVES violent Slapstick after all, that's why he loves The Patrick Show so much, so this is all up his alley. Imagibe how he'd react when he'd sees a fellow in Hair Raising Hare that looks just like him <3

[psycholuvrgirl]

hale masterlist [ON HOLD]

hale [noun] the hawaiian word meaning home

someone from jake's past helps the sully family navigate their stay with the metkayina clan. one of the sully boys takes a particular interest in the strange girl.

part one

the sully family arrives at the pandora atolls and they’re met with an important figure from jake’s past.

part two

tompa takes on the task of teaching the older sully boy how to ride an ilu, but the night doesn’t quite end how they expect.

part three

kiri grows suspicious of srewtompa.

part four

a fight breaks out on the beach and tompa spends some alone time with neteyam.

part five

things heat up between neteyam and srewtompa, and lo'ak goes missing.

part six

tompa helps teyam calm down and helps lo’ak get closer with payakan.

[noaasanctuaries]

Webinar Alert

Thursday, May 18 at 12 pm Hawaiʻi / 3 pm Pacific / 6 pm Eastern

Hawaiian monk seals, ʻīlioholoikauaua, are the world's only tropical seal and one of the most endangered marine mammals. These unique seals are native to, and only live in the Hawaiian Archipelago. The biggest segment of their population resides in the remote islands and atolls of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. NOAA’s Hawaiian Monk Seal Research Program works throughout the populated main Hawaiian Islands and the Monument to understand the biology of monk seals, what they need to survive, what threatens their survival, and how to help. Join one of the program's ecologists, Dr. Stacie Robinson, as she shares the latest status updates and research.

Register:

[sloshed-cinema]

Godzilla Minus One [ゴジラ-1.0（マイナスワン）] (2023)

If this is a Spielbergian heart-on-its-sleeve blockbuster, it bears no closer resemblance to any other than Jaws. The opening hews closer to Jurassic, the first appearance of Godzilla visceral and frightening. This is a remorseless creature that will crush and bite, depicted unflinchingly. Godzilla Minus One communicates the mythos of the kaiju in cogent, simple fashion: initially a large dinosaur-like creature, the nuclear test detonations at Bikini Atoll cause it to grow and mutate, becoming a force to be reckoned with. Through these changes, Godzilla itself becomes a symbol of the external forces which continue to weigh on Japan. The United States caused this problem, but remains strictly non-interventionist due to concerns over provoking the USSR, and instead allow Japan to suffer the brunt of the onslaught alone. In the film’s most shocking scene, after carving a swath of destruction through Ginza in Tokyo, Godzilla essentially nukes the district, his atomic breath unleashing a mushroom cloud of a fireball and a devastating shockwave. Black rain falls from the sky. It’s a jarring moment, indicating the very real and dire stakes. When Godzilla is out and stomping around, that impact can be seen and felt. But it causes unseen pressure as well. As with Jaws, the kaiju is largely hidden from view in action sequences at sea, or appears merely as dorsal scales protruding from the waterline. Lobbing mines at Godzilla in an early encounter and later seeing a ring of flotation devices surface feel like a nod to the Spielberg film, but also show how potent it can be to watch characters observing more so than direct action itself. Leave that to the imagination.

But also helping this impact is its effect on the characters we’ve come to love over the early stretch of the film: disgraced kamikaze pilot Shikishima is finally able to start to try and forgive himself as he starts to carve out a new life with another survivor Noriko and the baby she found. But all of this is gone in an instant. We are joined by a motley crew of characters who all have simple drives but feel whole nonetheless. This is a fight for life over death after a long and destructive campaign during the war treated bodies like nothing more than fodder.

THE RULES

SIP

Someone says 'Shikishima'.

Godzilla roars.

Shirō wishes he had served in the war.

BIG DRINK

The classic '54 Godzilla theme kicks in.

Newsreel footage begins.

Direct visual homage to the Honda original film.