#and refusing to get rid of the people causing issues

[sga-owns-my-soul]

wow made it three whole months at the new job before things went to absolute shit and i want to quit

[thekeeperof-thefandoms]

My girlfriend requested this

Hazbin men trying the period simulator. Somewhat of a follow up to my period post so this is based on the reader having severe period pain due to PCOS/ENDO

Lucifer

The man is sweating before you even attach the simulator. He knows he fucked up. He only agreed to this because he loves you a lot.

He handles the first 3 levels ok. You tell him very few women experience that little pain and that usually 4-6 is the average.

Those levels make him tense. He's uncomfortable, but still pretty able to work and do normal things. 5 has him pausing to do deep breaths every now and then. (If this is the canon timeline where he birthed Charlie he compares it to bad kicks).

6-8 he's pretty much doubled over. If you tell him that's the level you experience, he will cry. Literally begs forgiveness since again, period and labor pain is technically his fault. He is so sorry. If he didn't have issues with his Dad before he does now because this is fucked up. God's fucked up for doing this.

He doesn't make it to 10, he's crying by level 9. This is labor levels of pain. He gets why all you do is sleep. Treats your period like a sacred ritual after that. Preps for weeks. He goes full Bible, sheltering you for the duration of it so you can have peace and quiet. Please never hook him up to this again.

If you wear it at anything from an 8-10 and tell him "It's close, but I've hurt worse" he's gonna sob and then try and fight his Old Man again. He'll settle for offering to have your bits removed for you.

Vox

Once again this man hates admitting he was wrong. And yeah he knows your periods are really bad, especially now he's witnessed it. But it's still a huge knowledge gap for him and he doesn’t really take the time to think about it.

He handles 1-5 well. He's mildly uncomfortable by 5, but thinks that if this is the average experience, then it's not such a big deal. Tell him the statistics on how many people with periods actually experience 6-8 because that's actually the majority, and he's just confused. How is the average pain level not the most common?

6-8 has him gritting his teeth and glitching, but he refuses to stop and keeps trying to work. Is starting to wonder how you went so long working with this level of pain without him noticing.

He makes it to 10, but by then, he's unable to move, clutching his abdomen and sparking and glitching. Tells you it feels like his entire insides are being squeezed. The fact that he can feel it in his groin. He's kind of afraid of period sex with you after that because of how much he felt it. And you said it's caused cramps from your ribs to your knees. He's like... genuinely scared of your period and pain tolerance.

He's going to snuggle the fuck out of you afterwards and apologize for not appreciating how much you still do for him when you're not feeling good. How he didn't see how hurt you were. He does a lot of research after that and not only does he spoil you by buying whatever you need for your periods and giving you time off, he looks into treatment options. Even if that means chopping the useless fucking things out. Sinners can't have kids anyway so who needs ovaries and a uterus?

He's more convinced you should just be rid of the damn things when you wear it and 8-10 is "Yeah, this is close, but it doesn't really cover how much of my body hurts".

Valentino

Is only doing this because he was dared to by Velvette. Or if this an au where he's trying to be a less toxic person. But really I think it's also to prove that you're all being dramatic. It's a perfectly normal body function and his employees are just trying to get out of work.

He gets all the way to 6 before he starts to realize he may have fucked up. Especially when it's explained that this is what most people experience.

By 10 he's gritting his teeth, chain smoking, clawing at things. He refuses to give in, but he can count on one hand the number of things in his entire life and death as a pimp and a whore that he's experienced that come close to this level of pain.

No one told him his dick was gonna hurt. Sitting hurts. Breathing hurts. He doesn't even try to eat. He won't ever admit to being wrong, but he does behave more leniently with his actors when they're on their periods.

If you put it on (and lets say he actually cares about you) and setting 8-10 is "Yeah, this an average day for my cramps. My bad days are like..5 or 6 levels worse" it's gonna rearrange his brain a little. He might be a little afraid of you and some of the other actors with periods because your pain tolerances are so high. It threatens his ability to control you and them. But on the other hand, that's kinda hot???

Alastor

Has never once doubted that people who experience periods undergo serious struggle and has nothing but respect for women (and trans people he just associates it with women more because of the time period and his mama) who work through it.

He is actually the one who heard about the simulator through Rosie and asks you to show him your experience. Just to better understand you. He knows you're the type to try and function through the pain (probably because society ingrained into you that your pain doesn't matter).

Initially, he wants to skip the lower levels and just have you set it to your pain level. You tell him that's a bad idea, and to be honest, you're not sure if this thing goes that high. He asks you to check and you set it to the highest setting and say, "It's pretty close. It's been worse, but this is a rough idea," he's a little frustrated but still tries it.

You agree to set it to 4 and tell him 4-6 is what most people report feeling. He acknowledges it, registers it as unpleasant, but otherwise is fully capable.

7-9 has his ears flat, his smile is more a snarl. This is uncomfortable. Not what he considers painful but certainly irritating. It makes sitting, stretching, and eating feel much more difficult.

10. There's static visble around him. His teeth grind. Actually painful. Not the worst pain he's experienced, but he hates it. He hates the way he feels it in his back and hips as he walks. He hates the way taking deep breaths (which for someone as dramatic as he is and with the transatlantic accent, breathing technique and posture is important) stings. He hates the way it causes his stomach to cramp and churn. He hates the ache in his thighs and groin that make sitting feel stiff and ackward. He can only picture how blood loss would make this worse. Tired, losing nutrients, the headaches, the increased moodiness. It's no wonder you sleep, so much, but he wonders how the Hell you sleep like this? He's snappy and short tempered because of the pain (and again he gets why you would be if you weren't sleeping so much).

How does this affect how he treats you?

Not much. He still expects you to know your body and your limits. He would never dare to presume otherwise. He still helps prepare whatever you need for your time of the month and still meal plans for you, though he perhaps finds ways to ensure you get all the iron and vitamins you need without cooking steak and other big, heavy meals, since he now understands how bad your stomach hurts.

The only really noticeable change is how much more protective of you he is. Your time of the month hits, and Alastor hates being more than a few moments from you. He growls, pins his ears, and his antlers grow when people get too close to you. He's more prone to letting you snuggle with him when you want, trying to comfort you.

Angel Dust

Another who volunteered. His girl besties insist he doesn't have to do this, he's got the pass. He still wants to do it though, for solidarity.

He also starts on 4 and handles it well. He handles all of the levels pretty well, even 10. By 7 it's obvious he's sore, maybe a bit more withdrawn, exhausted, trying not to move too much or eat too much. Just trying to find a comfortable way to exist. The sad problem is, Angel already has to do this after rough nights at Val's.

He's used to sitting being uncomfortable and aches in his groin and thighs, cramps in his stomach from muscles clenching constantly. 10 is the only level where he's visibly ill, hunched over, lower arms curled around his midsection protectively.

He and the girlies all curl up together and nap and chat and snack on easy to digest junk food and granola bars. He's the first one to say "I bet it's even worse for you gals, but I tried".

He gets it. He's one of the girls. Honestly, kind of becomes a favorite when the ladies have period problems. (If you're dating any of the others and Angel is openly your favorite after this it is gonna cause a lot of dramatic pouting, posturing, and tantrum throwing.)

Husk

I'm going full balls to the wall on Veteran Husk. This man has seen some shit and dealt with his fair share of pain. Like Angel he takes it the best, with very little outward reaction. He's used to stiffness and nausea. The pain in his crotch is a little off putting, but it could be worse.

He's more cautious how he moves, rests more, occasionally a cramp causes his ears to pin back or a small hiss. Overall he takes it like a champ.

Offers you endless amounts of supportive words for dealing with this as well as you do, for days on end. Also is deeply sorry you even have to put up with this shit. Offers all sorts of tips on how to do stretches that help with easing cramps and stiffness without pulling something. Tips of foods/protein drinks to keep on hand to make sure you're maximizing how much nutrition you get. Man's a whole ass survival guide.

He only offers advice if you ask, though. He's not mansplaining how to handle your own body. He genuinely wants to help you, and that's the best way he knows how.

When you're on your period and just want something soft and warm he doesn't even bitch about it, he just settles on top of you and purrs, offers a massage, maybe offers a sly grin and a "no man left behind" joke as he helps you through these dark times.

BONUS:

ADAM

Would only do this if you challenged him, he has to prove his masculinity. He is definitely nervous as fuck though because he's seen yours. You and Lute already forced him to sit through a whole PowerPoint on women's anatomy and shit. He remembers how shitty he was to Eve, even if hers were in comparison, not that bad, just scary and new.

You forcing him to learn about and acknowledge female health is making him scared of pussy. This isn't gonna help.

3 and 4 make him whiney. He's uncomfortable. His groin feels weird. This sucks. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN THIS ISN'T EVEN THE AVERAGE?!"

By 5-7 he's actually on his knees, curled over his stomach. He tells you getting stabbed hurt less. This is making him re-evaluate his entire view on women (again he knows about trans people, but because of personal history equates periods to women. Wouldn't hate if a trans person had a period, it would just take his brain a second to process). He whines that you and Lute shouldn't be more badass than him.

"I thought men were supposed to be tougher and stronger. This pain tolerance horseshit is a lie. You guys suck."

He insists on going to 10 because quitting is for losers. He may actually throw up at 10 though. Every time the stupid simulators sends out a pulse and his stomach clenches, he groans. He's in the featal position, there are tears. One hand clenches his stomach the other is cupped around his groin. He's apologizing so much and he doesn't even remember what he's apologizing for. At one point its just "I'm sorry...oh fuck this...sorry about...ugh just...just men?! I guess. Fucking shit ass. Men suck. Women are...fucking great. Aces. You do this shit every month? For like 5 days....what the fuck. What the fuck what the fuck."

You feel a little bad, but Lute is definitely filming this. Afterwards, he tells you you're a badass and any person shit talking people for bitching about period pain (Not that a lot of Winners do, but ya know, obviously they let some questionable people into Heaven if Adam and Lute got by) he's gonna beat the shit out of them. Like "Do you even fucking know, bitch? They're literally so much fucking better than you. Absolute queens. You try doing literally anything when it feels like your dick is falling off and your insides are trying to claw outside your body!"

[applebees4prez]

“it’s not fair” seems to be a theme of the season especially in how the people around the bad kids don’t seem to realize that it’s not fair for them either.

cassandra doesn’t realize it’s not fair to kristen that she’s a teenager with a life and other responsibilities who is the sole being keeping a god alive.

the rat grinders don’t realize that it’s not fair that they get to xp level with critters while the bad kids have to save the world. they don’t take into account how each of them have died before and/or watched their best friends die while coming extremely close to death. the bad kids have experienced so much pain and exhaustion and they don’t even get the special treatment that the rat grinders have accused them of.

porter straight up ignores how gorgug is going to struggle with a 400% courseload because he took a hit to his pride. he sees a student so passionate that he’s willing to do four years of school in one and doesn’t think to cut him a little bit of slack.

it’s not fair that adaine grew up with shitty parents and now has to work eight hours a day to pay for her equipment in exchange for getting rid of them. it’s not fair that kristen has to dedicate everything to a god at 16 years old when she has so much else she needs and wants to do. it’s not fair that gorgug has taken on a 400% courseload because of porter’s pride. it’s not fair that fig is cursed to be unlucky and has something going on that she doesn’t understand at all. it’s not fair that he has to work so much harder to get into college and has to manage his entire party because they aren’t as passionate about school as he is. it’s not fair that fabian was abandoned by his mother and is so, so goddamn lonely or that he had to kill his father.

and while everyone else is whining about how unfair everything is (except for cassandra who is valid in her concerns), the bad kids have taken everything in stride. they don’t complain to anyone even though they absolutely have the right to, not even each other.

adaine refused to tell her dad about the things she needed, despite the fact that he would have helped, and got a job. kristen takes the blame for hurting cassandra and keeps dropping the ball because she can’t handle everything and feels so guilty. gorgug took the courseload because he’s so passionate about the things he wants to do and is trying his goddamn best to keep up with it. fig hasn’t talked to anyone about her confusing situation until it caused major problems because she was going to suffer it in silence. riz plasters on a smile and takes everything that he can get in hopes of it impressing schools. fabian hints to his friends that he wants people at his house but never confides in them or questions his parents even though they both had so many issues.

it’s especially not fair that none of them feel like they’re allowed to say it’s not fair. that they take everything in stride until they will someday break down.

[idkfitememate]

little thought came into mine!

what if Otter!creator and Boar!creator meet each other?

Both of them will just be look at each and then nod, as if their understand each others exprience or or bonding with each other, I mean this is a other person! other person in your era/world, would anyone be wasting this? hell no, so yeah, Even tho theres two creators, mean doubles chaos and mischief, and their besties now. (Their kinda like Sun and Moon duo)

Otter anon🦦

Visiting a Friend

♡︎ « Next Part ⋙

૮꒰˶ᵔ ᗜ ᵔ˶꒱ა Pairings : GN! Boar Reader & GN! Otter Reader x Fontaine

૮꒰ྀི∩´ ᵕ `∩꒱ྀིა W.K. : 433

໒꒰ྀིᵔ ᵕ ᵔ ꒱ྀི১ Tags/CW&TW : fluff, crack

‘Damn Fontaine is nice.’

That was the only thing on the boars mind. Completely oblivious to the people rushing away from their painted form.

Just walking around… eating some flowers… drinking from fountains… having a good day.

Naturally this random boar in the city was causing some problems for the people, especially since the melusine and meka seemingly refused to attack or get rid of it at least.

Unfortunately, Furina and Neuvillette were the only ones available, and they didn’t want to leave their ˈbābē behind… so off they went.

“This is work unfit for a god!” “Of course.” “Why are there no guards on duty able to take care of this issue?” “I am unsure, Lady Furina.” “This is ridiculous.” “It is.” “I’m so sorry you are forced to see this, ma raison d’être.” “As am I, ma raison de vivre.”

This small back and forth banter continued until they reached the boar, which was sitting on its haunches watching Coppelia & Coppelius spin gracefully across the floor.

“Aha! There you are you scoundrel! How dare you desecrate the peace of my beautiful nation!” As Furina continued to rant on and on, Neuvillette noticed that the boar only stared at their darling otter.

And they continued to stare at them.

‘How come you got to be pampered!?’ - Boar

‘Cause I’m fucking adorable, look at me!~’ - Otter

‘That is such bullshit man…’ - Boar

‘Well, nice to know we’re not alone?’ - Otter

‘…. Yeah. It is.’ - Boar

‘ :3 ‘ - Otter

‘ :) ‘ - Boar

The otter jumped off their place from Neuvillette’s shoulder - causing both Sovereign and Archon to jump and make noises of shock - and ran to the boar, both nuzzling each other.

‘Yo you gotta leave tho cuz their gonna kill you’ - Otter

‘… I’m not shocked, talk to you later?’ - Boar

‘Hell yeah! Bye bye!’ - Otter

‘Bye dude!’ - Boar

After a couple of seconds of staring, the boar shook off their hilichurl mask and pushed it towards the shiny otter. Doing the same, the otter took off their hat and placed it on the painted boar’s head. The boar snorted before pressing their snout to the otters head, causing a giggle like chitter to erupt from their throat. The boar then wandered off, walking towards an exit from the city.

The otter picked up the mask and wandered back to a gobsmacked Neuvillette and Furina. Quickly being picked up by the dragon, both hydro users looked at each other as the otter snuggled in his grip with the mask.

“What… just happened?” “I am… unsure, Lady Furina.”

໒꒰ྀི˶˙Ⱉ˙˶꒱ྀིა Author’s note :

Boar!Creator 🤝 Otter!Creator

Chaos is the only true form of affection

They visit on weekends, and parents share custody. On weekends both are in Mond under Vento’s care and during the week they’re in Fontaine under Furina’s care. ꒰ᐢ. ̫ .ᐢ꒱

[vigilskeep]

Oooh could you elaborate on your feeling about Aveline? (Nobody really talks about her)

i think aveline is on paper really quite an interesting character because of her bizarre worldview, in which “rightfully stolen” property counts as a real claim, her guards are people she needs to protect rather than make protect others, and she truly believes herself to be the long-suffering lawful character when first thing after rolling up in kirkwall you can ask her to pull a knife on a merchant so you can get a job smuggling

however on a personal level i find her pretty grating, and her unshakeable belief that she is always in the right even more so. what doesn’t help is the lack of narrative consequences for her corruption (having failed to do her duty for the elves at the end of act 2 who were forced to turn to murder for justice and the qun for safety, because one of aveline’s guards went unpunished for raping their sister) or her inaction (openly making fun of emeric’s three-year investigation into quentin’s murders as soon as it caused her inconvenience, and asking hawke to get rid of the annoyance for her, while the murderer went on to kill hawke’s mother, for which aveline angrily refuses to take any responsibility). it’s almost impossible to make her leave the party at the end of the game, and the only way to really affect her state of mind is to not get her a husband, which in itself is a pretty sexist and dismissive thing for her story to be based around rather than the issues of morality and justice at hand, making her personal quests hard to engage with

sometimes i try to to take her around more, to learn more about her. but i find the entire experience pretty disheartening and usually give up quickly. frankly she’s very judgemental and i don’t like the way she talks to me or my friends

[yanderes-galore]

This is sort of a collab between me and @okchijt as we were discussing this on Discord while I was writing this. I'm in a watch party with them to watch Helluva Boss so... Here's some self indulgence about Blitzø :) Pacing is a bit everywhere due to our conversation process. Here's the pure brainrot!

Please Read Trigger Warnings For Mature Themes, The moment you click Read More you have consented to seeing this content.

Yandere! Blitzø Concept

Pairing: Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Stalking, Clingy behavior, Manipulation, Gaslighting/Blackmail, Trauma, Overprotective/Possessive behavior, Fear of attachment/vulnerability, Enabling behavior, Jealousy, Delusional behavior, Mentions of Death, Paranoia, Poor mental health, Swearing, Mature content, Secret picture taking, Violence/Murder, Forced date, Blood, Threats, Guilt-tripping, Mentions of intimacy/Sexual content but nothing too graphic, Intoxication, Forced/Dubious relationship.

Word Count: 1446 words.

Blitz is an obsessive stalker yandere who is fiercely protective/controlling of his obsession.

The moment you leave his sight, Blitz has a tendency to panic.

He needs to know where you are and only trusts a select few people with you.

Said people are Loona, Millie, and Moxxie.

This is most likely an AU after Stolas and Blitz "break up".

In that case, Blitz may not trust Stolas around you.

Speaking of Stolas, said Owl Prince may be jealous and condescending towards you due to Blitz trying to be with you.

I'm going to be honest, Blitz would be a mess as a yandere.

His whole life he's wanted that domestic sort of life with his obsession.

He craves connection, even if he originally tries to push you away.

But if you manage to stay despite what he says... then you have a clingy Imp on your hands.

He's known you for awhile, be that as one of his employees or a close friend who sticks around despite what he says.

The obsession probably starts in this concept with you comforting him about Stolas.

He's scared to let you in at first, not wanting to look vulnerable.

However, push hard enough and be there for him?

Well now he can't let you go.

Like... LITERALLY.

Blitz is surprisingly affectionate towards you once he's attached, both verbally and physically.

Blitz would want his obsession to get along with Loona, his adopted daughter.

Speaking of which, Loona may be a subtle manipulator or step in if you decide to neglect to turn on Blitz.

Especially if it benefits her.

Moxxie would be concerned for the relationship between you two.

He may try to speak up about it, but the others would shut him down.

Which would cause him to just... stay quiet despite your feelings.

Although, Millie would enable everything, thinking the bond you have is cute.

When Blitz turns obsessive, Moxxie may be your only ally.

Moxxie tries to ease your worries, he genuinely wants to find a way to help both you and Blitz.

However... Blitz would be so UPSET if he saw you so close to Moxxie.

He has a fear of losing you, while he knows Moxxie won't steal you from him... he hates you being close with others.

As a result, Blitz may isolate you socially... or insert himself into everything you do with others.

For example, if you were clubbing... he's coming to.

Anywhere you go, he'll be there... be it out of sight or right by your side.

He's so obsessive with the idea of a "healthy" relationship, he completely forgets the fact he is actively messing up the only somewhat normal relationship he has again... since you've been with him through nearly everything already, he's blind to his actions.

What doesn't help is no one but Moxxie points out the issues.

Definitely bans any sort of mention of Stolas in I.M.P.

He doesn't want you or anyone bringing up his past relationships as he wants to move on with his new beloved.

He genuinely thinks you're his perfect match and refuses to hear anyone else out on it.

Blitz is normally really clingy and hard to get rid of, so he usually doesn't need to resort to kidnapping.

However, if he did, he'd lock you in his apartment with max security.

Going back to Loona, she'd pity you a bit but not actually help you.

In fact, she's literally the guard dog for Blitz.

You won't be able to leave as Loona can hear every movement you make.

If you're caught, she'll tell Blitz, or convince you to go back to bed beside Blitz on the couch.

It would be hard to even leave the couch as Blitz practically digs his claws into you and clings to you as he sleeps.

If you worked with him, you'd slowly be unable to go on missions since the job is so dangerous.

In fact, Blitz may keep you with Loona, it's unknown who's babysitting who though.

He may not care much about his own safety, but he cares a lot about you.

He'd probably break if you died on him.

Speaking of which, Blitz has already lost a ton of people in his life anyways.

If you, the only person who genuinely gave a shit, died on him?

You can bet he just... never recovers.

Not even the others can fix him.

Which is why he is so insistent on hiding you away.

Blitz would hate it if you neglected him affection, clinging to you like you're his only lifeline.

If you eventually caved and gave him affection, even out of pity, he'd break down in your arms.

That way he thinks you love him back... and he just wants to be loved.

Blitz would stalk you constantly, taking pictures and recordings along with following you wherever you go.

Human, Hellborn, Sinner, whatever... he'd follow you everywhere no matter where you went.

Be that another layer of Hell, or the human world, he just needs to be near you.

Your status and species of demon/human would change the dynamic between you and Blitz in some ways too.

He may even baby you, he isn't trying to be condescending, but he just...finds babying you cute.

Blitz is extremely manipulative, he may even be the type of yandere to gaslight or blackmail you into staying with him.

He'd guilt you into staying with him by saying "you're the only one that bothered to help him".

If he was drunk, he'd start rambling about how you helped him... essentially starting to trauma dump on you.

If you tried to point out the issues in your relationship with him, he'd act like there's nothing wrong.

If you tried to leave him and guilting doesn't work, he's find dirt on you and blackmail you into staying beside him.

Blitz would force you onto little dates (Like horse riding).

He's thinking you two are having fun, in reality you probably aren't.

Honestly, would it even be a Blitz concept if I didn't mention violence or murder in some way?

If you got hurt on a mission, Blitz would lose it.

No one would need to help him, he'd single handedly slaughter everyone around him.

By the time the bloodbath is over, he's covered in the stuff and immediately pulling you close.

He'd coo over you, telling you there's no need to worry... he took care of it.

That would most likely be when he'd pull you off missions, too.

If he ever lost you somewhere, he's threatening everyone for answers on your whereabouts.

You're so isolated with him there's barely any issue when it comes to "rivals".

Although, if he somehow sees you secretly speaking with someone other than him... he'd threaten them and if that doesn't work, he may attack them like some sort of feral cat.

Blitz would not blame his darling for anything, he's that delusional.

He thinks you could do no wrong and just blames those around you.

Obviously others are the problem, not him.

That includes Moxxie, as I can see him thinking Moxxie is trying to turn you against Blitz.

Ever seen scenes with Blitz being affectionate with Loona or the others?

Yeah, he's like that with you, but more intense.

He's practically all over you when it comes to affection.

Blitz sees everyone as a threat to his relationship with you.

Maybe not Millie or Loona, but that may include Moxxie.

It definitely includes Stolas due to his paranoia, he fears the prince will take you from him.

Striker would also count due to his motives.

I don't usually mention this in my concepts, but Blitz is sexually active.

He wouldn't force you into anything, but he's certainly needy when it comes to that.

Blitz wouldn't blame you too much if you called him Blitzo.

He'd calmly correct you, but treat it as a mistake and warn you not to do it again.

Blitz wants to know everything about his darling, both inside and out.

He may not say much about himself, but he'd nearly interrogate you about everything you like and dislike.

He wants to give the best gifts and foods for you since he adores you.

If someone ever hurt you in your past, or even the present, he'd just get revenge for you.

He'll make their fate slow.

Anything from a childhood bully or abuser, yeah they're gone.

Overall, Blitz comes off as a rather feral, intense, and clingy yandere.

You're stuck with him, like it or not, all so he can chase the companionship he never truly had in a long time.

[darlingshane]

Secret Ingredient / Part II

Michael Berzatto x F!Reader

Summary: Things are looking up for Michael. He has great hopes of making this work, and all he wants is to spend the rest of his life with you and Rhys. While you're still apprehensive about certain aspects of your relationship, there's nothing you'd love more than to figure it all out with him.

CW: 18+, explicit, smut, vaginal sex, shower sex, fluff, friends to lovers, complicated relationships, some angst.

Word Count: 2.4k

— Links: First Part // AO3.

A/N: Richie makes a guest appearance to question all of Michael's choices.

Six months later…

There’s nothing that hypes Michael more right now than going home after closing The Beef. Getting to hang out with you and squeeze some time with your baby when he’s awake has become the highlight of his day that he looks forward to every single night.

He still brings you food, or cooks you something when he gets home. Even if you don’t live together yet, the spark is there and has grown far brighter than he could ever imagine since you started dating, and he has no doubt it’ll happen at some point

His life was drastically changed that moment he stumbled onto you in the hallway when you moved into his building with Rhys in tow.

He didn’t know that day that you were exactly what he needed. It took him away from that familiar path that it was leading him to dangerous places and guided him toward a nice clearing instead.

Though he still struggles with a lot of shit about the business, he’s gained some leeway, and has learned there’s a better way of handling those issues. He’s also come to accept that if he wants to be in your life, he needs to follow through with his decisions. In both– business and life. Even if that means asking for help, which it doesn’t come naturally for him.

You are the biggest inspiration and supporter he has right now. He’s taken suggestions directly from you to improve the shop, like giving customers pre-order options, and offering delivery. It’s a work in progress, but he has hope it’ll work out.

Besides all that, watching you raise Rhys on your own in the past six months gave him the most courage to take that leap forward. Even if it was fucking scary. Even if there are still a few old demons he has to fight every night before closing his eyes.

It all has put him in a better mood too. People have noticed. He’s also gotten rid of a few bad habits and taken up jogging in the morning, before the city wakes up. Sometimes he takes Rhys with him. Usually in his stroller but sometimes the baby would refuse to let go of his arms and would have to use a carrier and trade his jog for a walk. He’s shown him all his favorite places around the city, the same places he’s taken you to as well. They sit at the dog park and look at the dogs play cause Rhys is completely taken away with them. It’s the first thing he’s shown a real interest in, besides mom of course. The baby would spread his arms and try calling to them with his cute unintelligible babble.

He had never seen himself as a dad until now. It was never on his plans. Figure his family was fucked enough that there was no need to bring more Berzattos into the world. But getting to know Rhys, care for him, watching grown and love him as much as he loves you has made him consider that maybe there’s still hope yet. He just has to make sure of not repeating all those same mistakes that haunt his past.

While everyone cleans up their station, Michael sits at his desk and goes over today's numbers before going home. For a change, they're not as bad as a year ago, which is something to take into account. Perhaps in a couple of months he’d be able to hire a couple of new guys to run deliveries. He keeps that pinned for when the right time comes.

Once he's done in the office, he wishes everyone goodnight as they part home.

When the lights are off and doors locked, he heads out last with Richie by his side, who needs a ride home.

Cousin lights up a cigarette before getting into the car while Michael unlocks the doors and slides into the driver's seat. On the passenger side, on the floor mat, rests a bag of groceries and a pack of diapers he left there earlier that he now moves to the backseat to make room for Richie.

“Mama's got you running errands like an asshole again,” Richie taunts, settling on his seat as Michael starts the engine.

“She ain't. I offered.” He scoffs. “What is it to you? Why are you so concerned about what I do?”

“I’m just looking out for you, Cousin.”

“How? How are you looking out for me? All you’ve done is question and ridicule everything I do since I told you about her.”

“Because she’s using you. She has no baby daddy, and she’s just latched onto the first schmuck she met cause raising a baby is expensive.”

Michael shakes that frustration with a sharp tilt of his head as he veers the car out of the lot.

It’s not the first time he’s said something like that, but it’s starting to rub him the wrong way to see Richie thinking he knows better than him.

“What? You think she’s after my money now?” he can’t help but scoff. “She probably has more saved than you and me put together. Why are you being a fucking dick about it?”

“I don’t know… I just can’t wrap my head around you settling down and raising someone else’s baby. Now look at you, you don’t smoke, you don't drink, you don’t wanna hang out… it’s like you’re a totally different person.”

“Well, maybe that’s not a bad thing. It's called growing up. You should look it up, Cousin.”

“If she’s so important to you why haven’t you introduced her to the rest of the family, huh? Are you embarrassed of us or something? The only times you’ve brought her to the shop is when I wasn’t there. She’s met Tina, and Ebra and Gary… are the rest of us not worthy of her presence?”

“It’s not like that. We’re still trying to figure out how to do this. You’ll meet her when the time is right. And this is the last time we're having this conversation. I’m tired of you busting my balls every chance you get. I know what I’m doing.”

He ends that conversation hoping that his friend won’t bring that up again. As much as Richie has tried to convince him otherwise, there’s no doubt in Michael's heart that this is what he wants– just to be a part of your life.

After placing the bags on the counter, he goes around the apartment to find Rhys already sleeping in his crib. He has to fight the urge to pick him up and cuddle him, but he’d probably get to that in a couple of hours when he stirs awake in the middle of the night. So he just dips his head to print a gentle kiss on his forehead.

You’re taking a shower and when he sees the silhouette of your bare body behind the frosted glass he can't fight the need of having you in his hands.

He announces himself with a knock and watches your head poke out from the side of the sliding glass as he starts taking off his clothes.

“Hey, bear,” your face beams, beautifully covered on water beads.

“Hey, mind if I join you?”

“I’m almost done but come in if you want.”

He rushes out of his jeans and underwear, leaving his pile of clothes to pool by the sink to set his feet in the shower. From behind, he slides his palms along your sides to hug your torso as he prints a string of kisses along your neck and shoulders while you finish rinsing your body.

“How was your day, mama bear?”

“Good, they green-lit my project. We're starting next week.”

“That's my girl. You're gonna do great. We should do something to celebrate.”

“Aww, thank you.” Glancing over your shoulder, you tuck your arm back to caress his nape. “How's yours?”

“Same old, same old.”

“You always said that.”

“No. It was okay. It's just not as good as I'm with you.”

“Hm,” your lips curve up as they capture a soft kiss from his silver tongue.

“Say, you think we have time for a celebration quickie before the little bear wakes up?”

“He went down five minutes ago so we probably have like ten minutes tops.”

“That's more than enough for me,” his wandering hand travels down your abdomen toward your mound. “Do you wanna?”

Licking your lips, you nod your head as you wave your ass back against his dick that quickly jumps awake at the friction. It doesn't take you long to feel him swell to perfection. Same in your end. It took you a few months to get comfortable having sex with him but once you started you couldn't ever have enough of him. Feeling utterly wanted by Michael arouses you more than his fingers rounding your clit that makes your walls melt.

Once you're ready, you brace your hands on the tiled wall, bending slightly so he can properly slip into you from behind. The warm shower spray pours nicely on your back as Michael slips inside you. His hardness throbs against your walks when he’s fully sheathed inside. As he leans forwards to mouth at your neck, he blocks the spray of water. Your skin buzzes when his teeth scrape the surface of your skin as his hips start gaining some speed.

Your breath hitches, as he pounds your ass with dedicated passion. You move with him as the temperature rises, letting one of his hands tenderly massage your breasts as the other handles your clit as rough as his hips slam against you.

“You like it like that, sweetheart?” He sucks your earlobe between his lips.

“Fuck yeah.”

It’s quick, and hot, and utterly satisfying to end the day with him pushing inside you until you both come undone.

Allowing Michael to weave into your life so seamlessly fast wasn’t a decision you took lightly. Having a new little person to care for and at the same time figure out your feelings for Michael was quite challenging, to say the least. Scary comes to mind too if you really think about it. It took you a few months to warm up to the idea, but ultimately it was Michael’s unwavering attitude that put you more at ease. He was there from the get-go. He’s helped you in ways no one ever did. You never had to ask, he’d always show up, day after day. Seeing him caring for Rhys just as much really warmed you up to the idea that there might be some good guys yet. And though you’re aware he’s not perfect, he has one of the biggest hearts you’ve ever come across. He makes you feel loved and supported, always finds new ways to make you laugh but more importantly he’s won his place in your baby’s heart as well. Rhys adores him as much as you do. Sometimes it feels like even more. His little face lights up brightly when he sees Michael more than anyone. So, in a way it was watching them bond the thing that made you welcome him deeper into your life.

There are still a few things you have some reservations about, like moving in together. Though he’s been spending more and more time at your place in the past few weeks, and has been proven to be a good partner, making it official still makes you a little wary.

It doesn’t stop him from trying… Every other week, he’d suggest that maybe it is time to take the next step. It scares you how willing he is to do that, and it worries you that he might have not mulled it over enough. There are a lot of things that could potentially go wrong, and if it was just you, you’d jump right in, eyes closed. The key here is Rhys. Your son already has a deadbeat dad who went as far as signing away his parental rights. You don’t ever wanna give anyone the chance to break your baby’s heart like that ever again. No matter how much Michael loves the both of you, you need to be sure that if anything happens between you two, this is not going to affect Rhys.

Perhaps it’s the fact that you're in a good mood today or the way he’s holding the baby in his chest with both making eyes at you that you can’t resist but give in a little after dinner.

“What was that Rye Bread?” He says after the baby makes an undistinguishable noise behind his pacifier. “Oh, he says he’s taken a vote and that I should move in.”

“He didn’t say that,” you scoff, shaking your head. “He probably said– it’s time for a diaper change, and it should be you the one to deal with it for being so damn annoying.”

“Those are a lot of words for a none-talking baby.” You both laugh. “C’mon, I know you want to, sweetheart.” He changes voices to a funny pitch tone pretending it is Rhys talking then. “Yeah, mommy. Let Mikey move in. I need a buddy to play games and watch TV. Please?”

You can swear you’ve never met anyone crazier than Michael. Anyone in their right mind would take heed of a situation like this or just downright bolt in the other direction.

“Look, I have a lot of faults, but I promise if for some reason this doesn’t work, I’d never stop caring about this little guy here. I know that’s something that you’re really worried about.”

“Would you be willing to put that in writing? Officially?”

“Anytime. Where do I have to sign?”

“You’re crazy,” you shake your head, amused.

“Pretty crazy about you.” he smiles with his whole face. “This is the last time I’ll ask. What do you say? Do you want me to move in?”

“Okay.”

It feels easy to say and hard to admit that deep down–

This is what you always wanted.

[bonefall]

Do you think the clan cats having less kits per litter/less litters in general (they already have less kits than real cats) would fix the bloated cast issue? Because I look at Ginga and the cast is also bloated and only a few characters have offspring but the author keeps making other dogs join Ohu and refuses to kill the old as fuck dogs

I don't think there's any one particular "solution" for stopping bloat in series that manage large casts through generations like Ginga or WC, it's actually a few things

The #1 MOST important thing I think about bloat, though, is that it's about a ratio of quality to quantity. NOT raw size.

A long while back I made a couple of allegiance lists for certain eras. In spite of my Clans having the same (or even higher!) population as canon, I NEVER struggled with those lists being bloated. If anything, sometimes if a Clan's below 30, they look too small.

(I'm sure you can find those lists if you look, they're probably tagged BB!Allegiance, but they might be a bit out of date)

That's because in BB, there's dozens of HUGE cultural additions to Clan life. In "administration," alone, there's 3 new major divisions of skills (hunting, cooking, construction) ALL with their own "head" of that patrol, plus canon's leader, deputy, and Cleric. Not to mention subtitles like the Educator and maybe a Chaperone/Permaqueen!

So to bring it back to that "Ratio Theory," If our Clan is 30 cats, those 8 major roles immediately give at least a slight amount of character to a little over 25% of our group, with each role being something that the other 75% of cats can desire and compete for.

Canon's measly 3 is 10%, and you can ONLY vy for deputyship if you want any power. There's nothing else to BE ambitious about.

You can make the ratio higher by having hobbies, drama, skills, arts, etc. Basically; characterize background characters! Which should be obvious!! Give them traits that are useful and interesting and show the community being valuable.

It won't feel like "bloat," it has the sense of communities living their lives. Even if they go quiet for a while, when they return (just look at how much people like seeing Sedgecreek or Hallowflight mentioned lmao) it feels like meeting an old friend again.

WAYS TO MAKE BLOAT FEEL WORSE;

Giving too many "opportunities" to old characters.

Think of every relevant role a cat gets as a meal, and the bigger the role the more they've eaten. If you're only giving value to your old fanfavs, you're not doing much for them because they're already full while the rest of your cast starves.

Haphazardly killing off characters.

I actually strongly resent the "trend" where people conflate good storytelling with an author's willingness to suddenly kill characters off. I think it comes from the same place as needing to "outsmart" your audience.

If you kill off a character with VALUE, an unfinished arc, interesting connections, it's just unsatisfying. The Erins have this problem of killing background characters with some established lore or value (like Harelight and Briarlight) while leaving uninteresting background nobodies behind that they never build back up.

Before killing a character, ask yourself what their role in the cast is, and their dynamic with others. Try not to axe them without a plan to fill that "role" and/or comment on their absence. Replace what you take.

EASY REPLACABILITY

This one is HUGE, this is why Ginga is so bad with this. If a bunch of dogs die, 100 random soldiers can replace them from somewhere. That is REALLY bad, because all the random influxes of new characters do not have a chance to replace what was lost.

It also makes death feel cheaper. Oh no! Background dog 7446 got eaten by the newest type of bear. This won't make battles harder to win or cause us to lose any valuable skills though. Also a new dog just walked in from offscreen.

Population Growth outpaces Death Rate

AKA your cast is growing too fast and you're not getting rid of old characters. This is what anon was asking about-- and it CAN help to make births less frequent and litters smaller. Make sure to pair with preventing lots of new, adult characters to casually wander in, too.

ALL of these tips have exceptions and places where they can (and should) be subverted and broken. But these are just things I think about

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for intentionally giving someone bedbugs?

So, a few years ago, I (17 at the time) got bedbugs. I'm still not sure where from because it was only me who had them. Maybe from visiting a friend's house, maybe from the hotel I went to for a convention, or maybe I was just unlucky and picked them up off someone in public. Regardless, I had bedbugs and was the only one in my house that did. Because of my relationship with my parents and a very intense fear of getting in trouble, I was convinced I'd be scolded for having them/seen as gross, so I didn't tell anyone I had them. I just killed them on sight and every other day used the vacuum on every side of my mattress.

Now, while this was happening, my parents were arranging for a family friend's daughter "K" (15 at the time) to move in with us. Her and I really didn't get along. She was generally rude to me, shittalked my little sister constantly. My friend had told her about something that happened between me and a family member where I was abused, something that I didn't tell the rest of our family, and K was threatening to tell them about it. The issue is this would cause a LOT of unrest and stress on my family that I thought would be worse than keeping the event a secret, so I told her not to. She said she wouldn't, and then went back on that and told my parents anyways. I barely managed to convince them she got it mixed up with something else that happened, and everything was mostly fine.

Anyways, point is, I REALLY did not like K. She was moving in with us because her parents are, frankly, terrible people and don't really take proper care of her. So, my parents wanted to give her a better environment for a little while. I wanted to give her a chance because I knew she didn't have the best background or anything, even if I didn't like her.

She got here and didn't have a bed get (we set up an air mattress and the plan was to get a new bed for me and give my old one to her since it was still a really good bed, but I was due for a new one because of growing). I was trying to figure out how to come clean about the bedbugs before the switch.

That is, until she started being a jerk while at our house. She was stealing from the fridge and then blaming it on me. She was lying to my parents and sneaking out. She was lying ABOUT me and my parents to hers, telling them and her friends that we were abusing and neglecting her. She cut the screen of the guest room window to sneak a boy into our house in the middle of the night. She refused to help me and my sister with chores, which got ALL of us into trouble when they didn't get done.

I don't know if it was just the cumulative stress of the situation, school, and the bedbugs or if I just really felt like being terrible, but I didn't tell anyone about the bedbugs.

Then, we put my old bed in the guest room, and I got a new bed after a while. She started getting bug bites and after maybe two weeks my parents found out about the bed bugs. We deep-cleaned the house and had to get rid of the whole bed set.

To this day, my family believes K brought the bedbugs because of her home situation. I have only told a few of my friends about this. In hindsight, I feel bad because bedbugs are terrible and I made it seem like she'd brought them herself. I'm conflicted because I generally feel guilty over lying about it, but I also feel a little justified for my little bit of revenge. AITA??

[spacelazarwolf]

hmmmmmmm i’m real fucking tired of jew haters lying abt me!

let's break this down, shall we?

white trans mascs like spacelazarwolf have no issue calling indigenous people "bone chillingly disturbing" for disagreeing with them.

actually i called what you said antisemitic, because it was. i called what i've witnessed from gentiles in general bone-chillingly disturbing and cruel, and that i've witnessed so much ignorance, hostility, and bloodlust from gentiles. because i keep seeing posts celebrating the massacre that happened on the 7th, and i keep getting anons that tell me "hitler missed one", "the world would be better off without your ilk", "we should have gotten rid of you all ages ago", "die zionists rats *nose emoji*", and a lot of very graphic descriptions of how they would like to rape and kill me. one user, blatantly on their blog, openly said that someone should kill me, and someone said they knew where i lived and could make that happen. that's not disagreeing with me. that is bloodlust.

they pretend to care about racism when trans women engage in it, but have zero issue jumping right to demonic stereotypes about indigenous people who dare to point out that their support of israel is supporting genocide.

hey asshole. I WASN'T TALKING ABOUT YOU.

also. I HAVE BEEN OPEN ABOUT MY CRITICISM OF ISRAEL, MY REFUSAL TO SUPPORT IT AS A STATE, AND MY BELIEF THAT WHAT THEY'RE DOING IS GENOCIDE. YOU FUCKING IDIOT.

literally just blatantly lying about a jew's opinion on israel so you can harass and demonize them is, i hate to tell you, antisemitic.

these so called "anti-semitic rants" were me saying jewish people can survive without israel and do not need to colonize or genocide another group of people to survive.

let's give some of the highlights of your posts:

"while you're here hand-wringing about the safety of israelis and spreading the white supremacist lie that they must be in israel to be safe, israel secured its continued existence by just now murdering 500+ parients and doctors under the excuse of 'well hamas is violent and is hiding in there"

'handwringing' do you mean mourning the deaths of peace activists and children? also if you've read literally any of my other posts on the matter, you know i literally talk about how zionists institutions and leadership use jewish safety and antisemitism in the diaspora to bolster support for a jewish state. pointing this out isn't agreeing with it when you do it, why is it when i do it? what could the difference possibly be??

also, there has been no confirmation on who caused the hospital bombing. there are many reports that it was a misfire by one of the groups in gaza, and those are still being investigated. regardless of who fired it, it's still a tragedy. it's still hundreds of innocent lives lost. and it does not change the fact that the lives lost on the 7th were also a tragedy. using this devastating loss of palestinian life as a bludgeon against a diaspora jew for having the audacity to mourn dead jews is disgusting.

"[you] only bring up jewish people of color to argue that israel is actually not a racist project because israel is the only thing stopping jewish people from being exterminated."

literally just lying.

"jewish people in israel are behaving as and acting as white supremacist colonizers of color"

thanks for literally just outright saying that you think the problem is jews, not the state of israel.

"colonizers globally are constantly killing kids"

and therefore the israeli children who died don't matter? are you expecting jewish people to choose between their nieces and nephews and innocent palestinian children who are killed in gaza?

"[spacelazarwolf has] ranted and raved that without israel existing, the jewish people would be genocided. he's appropriated the struggle of indigenous and black people abroad to cry that jewish people aren't welcome in countries like the us, despite living in the us and benefiting from his whiteness and the oppression of indigenous and black people as many other white jewish people do"

i think you've made it pretty clear you're totally fine lying about what i've actually said regarding israel, but the idea that jews are "appropriating the struggle of indigenous and black people abroad" when we talk about experiencing antisemitism in the countries we live in is so???????????? also you make it really clear in this snippet that your issue isn't with israel but with jews in general.

"white jewish people...have been able to exist in relative safety for decades in european countries"

are you actually fucking insane.

"israel's existence has made things more dangerous for jewish people in the middle east and north africa because these are areas that HISTORICALLY had co-existence between religious groups"

nice historical revisionism! swana was safer than christian countries for sure, but it's SO clear to me that you know absolutely nothing about the history of the jews of swana.

"he and israel supporters like him are constantly distracting from the war crimes and terrorism ISRAEL IS COMMITTING by handwringing perpetually about 'but violence is bad and hamas is bad for being violent, the only good palestinians are the ones that are quiet and don't fight back against us when we kill their kids"

sorry, who's "we"? are diaspora jews killing kids? or do you just equate every single jew in the diaspora to israel? also, yet more blatantly lying and claiming i support israel when i repeatedly have stated i haven't! but it's much more convenient to claim i have, because then you can say that i kill kids!

there's a bunch of other times you repeat the lie that i support israel and "advocate for the continued existence of a settler colonizer state and lying and claiming it's the only way for jewish people to be safe" but i won't include all of those bc this post would be VERY long.

"israel supporters are really out here arguing that palestinians need to hold hands with their genociders and forgive them and find peace - completely ignoring that for centuries there was peace between religious groups in the region and israel destroyed it"

goyim being embarrassingly ignorant of jewish history outside of a warped view of the holocaust? i am shocked!

"the supposed civilians attacked turned out to be iof soldiers so yeah actually it's fucked for you to say. they shouldn't attack people who colonize and massacre palestinian people for their day job"

blatantly supporting the massacre of 1,300 israelis, including children.

"all they can do is fight back or die, while israelis grab their passport and fly back to the us or some other european country and wait for israel to finish their genocide so they can go back"

feel like i don't need to explain why. this is conspiracy theory levels of antisemitic.

"the crying and bellyaching that if the jewish people don't have israel, they'll have to go back to countries that are hostile to them is not one i have sympathy for"

yeah we know you don't have sympathy for jews, that's very clear.

"jewish people, black people, and indigenous people all still live there and survive and fight back and thrive in solidarity together. and they DON'T participate in genocide against other groups of people"

yet again making the blatant assertion that it is JEWS who are committing genocide, and not the israeli government. also let's not pretend that. there's always been perfect solidarity between our communities. jews have not always been the best allies to indigenous people and black people, and vice versa.

"there are other places to turn to if you had any interest in NOT participating in western hegemonic white supremacy. but instead of staying and fighting and existing and thriving with other marginalized people who are at HIGHER risk than you in these countries, you argue that somehow jewish people should be exempt from this work that every other marginalized community does"

shouldn't have to point out that i don't argue that, but also this is, again, conspiracy theory levels of fucked up.

"bonkers to watch israel-supporters screaming and crying that if they don't colonize and genocide palestinians then jewish people can't safely exist"

yikes.

"if it were remotely true, israelis wouldn't have pulled out their dual citizenship passports and gone back to europe and the us to wait at a distance for their government to finish the genocide they started in 1948"

again, yikes.

there is a choice outside colonization - you can just fucking leave and go back to your home countries that are welcoming you with open arms cuz you still have dual citizenship. you don't have to commit genocide colonize people to exist."

more yikes.

"spacelazarwolf really wants to try and argue that they can't stop colonizing palestine cuz if they do, they have to go back to - checks notes - countries where a ton of people still live"

who is "they"?

"for some reason [spacelazarwolf] thinks that to avoid going through [genocide], jewish people need to be allowed to commit genocide themselves and eradicate palestinians"

once again lying abt me, and also openly saying that they believe it is jews who are committing genocide.

"fucking bonkers that he thinks he somehow has the right to commit genocide and colonize to avoid the situation other jewish people, indigenous people, and black people worldwide find themselves in. cowardly bitch baby behavior actually. like i'm sorry lots of other groups of colonized people, who have been subject to genocide and violence, and racism and are still undergoing it, has managed to NOT colonize other groups of people for their own gain."

bc jews are just inherently more evil than other marginalized ppl, right? we're just more prone to being selfish and hurting people? we're just sniveling whiny bitch babies who will turn around and stab you in the back, right?

"screaming and crying that 'we need to be allowed to genocide palestinians or otherwise we have to go back to the us, where we as white jewish people never have to actually deal with the things indigenous and black people there do' is disgusting genocidal behavior. the thought of actually being in solidarity with colonized people is repulsive to people like spacelazarwolf - that's why they all seek to justify colonial projects instead."

again, conspiracy theory levels of fucked.

at no point do i engage in anti-semitism. all i ever criticize is israel.

don't feel like i need to point out that this is not true.

he has repeatedly stated that israel has to exist, otherwise jewish people have to go back to the us, where indigenous people are being genocided.

cool lie! also fucked up thing to say!

i've said nothing about jewish pain and trauma. in fact, i have said on numerous occasions that jewish pain and trauma are very real and that they DO NOT justify. colonization.

mmmmmmmmmm nah. "whiny little bitch babies" is not saying that "jewish pain and trauma are very real." also oops you accidentally did dual loyalty again.

but spacelazarwolf is so rabidly racist he immediately began fearmongering about the bloodlust savage knocking at his door trying to kill him.

i'm on desktop or i would include that mike wazowski standing meme bc genuinely what the fuck.

anyway, i have no doubt that their support palestinians is genuine. that's great. but it is also incredibly clear that they hate jews, and that is going to be a huge detriment to their activism for palestinians, and they're not the only one this is happening with. people need to figure that shit out on their own instead of harassing and lying about jews online and perpetuating this kind of violently antisemitic rhetoric. bc this is like beyond fucked. i am tired of gentiles blatantly lying abt me so they can get away with saying horrendously antisemitic things to and about me. get your fucking shit together.

[kenshimybeloved]

Hi!! Here’s a probably-too-long analysis of Kenshi and Johnny’s first scene together that’s probably just part 1 of a series where I over analyze every scene of these two!

In previous scenes, it’s made clear that Johnny is disappointed with the current trajectory of his life- his career is going downhill, he’s losing money, his wife is leaving him, and we see him drinking despite it being implied multiple times throughout the game that Johnny has had some kind of issue with alcohol/possibly substances of some kind. The nail in the coffin for his marriage is an argument not over just Johnnys spending in general, but the fact that he spent $3M on a sword that he refuses to get rid of. It’s not super clear initially why it is he feels so strongly about this particular sword- sure he doesn’t wanna get rid of anything Chris lists, but the sword seems to strike a nerve when she suggests reselling it. Why is it he’s so fascinated with its deep history? Are we to assume Johnny is a history nerd in this timeline? That’s what it seems to imply when you’re first playing this part of the game, but as it goes on we learn this is all Liu Kangs doing. Liu Kang admits to using Sento as a means to introduce Johnny and Kenshi to each other (this is confirmed through a fight intro with him and Kenshi), but since he also does his best not to interfere too much with free will, he leaves the meeting up to them.

[side note: I find it interesting that it’s confirmed Liu Kang had Johnny buy Sento so that Kenshi would eventually come looking for it, considering that Liu Kang also likely new this would be the demise of Johnnys marriage. Him meeting Kenshi this way was more important than his literal wife. Not that the marriage wouldn’t likely end eventually anyways- just interesting that he felt the need to speed up the process]

Immediately we see he’s extremely disappointed in them for fighting, but what honestly did he expect? And I don’t mean that sarcastically- legitimately, why would he expect anything different? To Kenshi, Sento is the key to freeing and leading his family out of the Yakuzas grasp- nothing else matters to him at this point. To Johnny, Sento is a prized possession- one so important he let it get in the way of his marriage. He very clearly isn’t ready to let go of his old life (as evident through him attempting to pitch movie ideas to uninterested producers and flirt with a wife who’s been emotionally detached for quite some time), and he’s not letting go of Sento either. Sento means far too much to the both of them for either of them to let it go without a fight. However, while normally this would cause a significant rift in the relationship between the two people fighting over an object, this time the object seems to be the very thing forcing them together. But more on that later when I eventually analyze the scenes of them at the Wu Shi Academy! Lastly, I’d like to point out that even this early on in their relationship, Johnny is very clearly infatuated with Kenshi as a person. I mean imagine spending $3M on a sword because you find the history of one of the first families in Japan incredibly fascinating, just so that one day a supposed member of that presumably dead family breaks into your home demanding the sword. But Kenshi is cold, closed off, and (seemingly) completely uninterested in Johnny. And to me, this is what really reels Johnny in. Kenshi being Taira clan was already enough to get Johnny hooked- but add onto that that Kenshi doesn’t give a flying fuck about him? That just leaves room for gay pining baby!

[fangsforiris]

How would the sakamaki brothers react if they find out that they were the sons of the same mother and that they're biologically brothers but karlheinz killed their real mother and separated them . (Btw i reaaally love your blog 💕💕)

Sakamaki Brothers’ Reaction to Being Blood Siblings Related by 1 Mother

——————————

Shū:

“We are blood related…? Seriously…? And here I thought I only had to deal with Reiji. …It seems as if that man will never rest. …That poor woman…”

• Shū wouldn’t be as shocked as compared to the others. He’s been used to Karlheinz’s plans for years longer than the others.

• However, he’d be more tired if anything. Like always, he can never be rid himself of his father and his constant need for his plans to succeed.

• I doubt his relationships with the brothers will change, since beyond this revelation, they are all still the same people. Within the same environment which conditions them to act within a hostile manner.

Reiji:

“Father… he… No. I refuse to believe such a sentiment. I already loathe being related to that deadbeat enough, but this? …What will become of us now?”

• He’d be the most in denial. As in, it would take Reiji the longest to accept that this was even a possibility in the cards.

• Reiji is known to idolize his father, so for this to occur? I think it would heavily confuse his loyalties.

• However, since he does have somewhat of a maternal instinct for his siblings, mainly younger, he’d use this as an opportunity to get closer to them and have more of a ‘close knitted family,’ in the way the Mukami’s do.

Ayato:

“Ehh!? What do you mean we all shared a mother?! That doesn’t even make sense…! We don’t even look alike? Gah… that old man has some explaining to do!”

• Most confused 100%

• Either he skipped a few biology lessons or fell asleep in them, but even he knows that it doesn’t add up as much as it’s supposed to.

• I think he’d use this as a way to perhaps become a bit closer to all of the brothers and in a sense, make amends for the past teasing/borderline bullying he participated in (mainly towards Subaru.)

• Since he is considered to be the most ‘humane’ out of the brothers, it isn’t as far off for him to have empathy and to want to start brand new.

Kanato:

“We… all share a mother? What do you mean? Am I not my mothers son? I don’t understand, Teddy. What are is he saying…? What are you saying!? This does not make any sense…!”

• I think he’d also be in denial, or mainly shocked beyond comprehension.

• It’ll take Kanato a bit to understand, especially since this will deeply impact his pre-established identity issues.

• He was heavily narcissistic about his hair due to it being almost exact to the late Cordelia’s, so for him to not have that connection, one that he founded his entire self-esteem on, it would be detrimental.

Laito:

“So it seems we were fooled, weren’t we? Fufu~ That man certainly knows how to cause a commotion. …That woman then is no mother to me…”

• Out of everyone, I think Laito would want to do further research into this woman and who she was.

• Due to his complicated relationship with his mother, and his pre-established self-loathing, I think this will make him wonder if in another life, he’d be able to have a healthy correlation with mother figures and sexual activity as a whole.

• Laito already does somewhat act as an ‘older brother’ towards Ayato, Kanato, and Subaru, but perhaps this would allow him to get away with more in the scope of caring and involvement.

Subaru:

“He… killed her…? That damned old man! He’s selfish to the core, not one ounce of feeling to be found in him…! That’s all we are… just pawns…”

• Subaru already hated his father due to what he did to his mother and himself. So to find out that he shared an actual blood bond with his brothers, and not just a half-bond would be almost incomprehensible to him.

• He’s always wondered what it’d be like to share a fully-blooded sibling, so to find out it was always here… is bittersweet. Especially since the pre-established relationships between him and the rest of them are sour, and based on tearing down his self-esteem.

• He’d feel the most bad for the woman, and whatever alternate universe could’ve arised from him having a good parent that didn’t project all of their emotional turmoil onto him.

[kurogxrix]

All Of My Love ( V. )

(Series Masterlist)

Neteyam x Avatar!reader

IN WHICH Neteyam’s mother and clan disapproves of your relationship, because you’re a dreamwalker. When you both advance in your relationship, the clan cannot help but attempt to ruin things for the both of you.

WC: 14k (wow)

Based on All My Love by Led Zeppelin

Warnings: mommy issues, finally awaited FLUFF, kissing and making up, slightly suggestive. this is rushed, the ending is rushed THE EDITING IS RUSHED.

The blinding lights of the lab reflected off the shiny protective glass that shielded your avatar from the human air. You brought a hand up to hide your eyes from the sudden gleam of light that blinded you, before moving yourself to resume your staring. You couldn’t really tell how long it had been since you had been full on just fixated on your avatar, but you had failed to hear the sound of someone entering the room. 

“Looks like you’ve finally decided to drop that fake body of yours,” you heard a feminine voice say from behind you. You dreaded the moment when you’d have to turn around, because you knew exactly who this voice belonged to. You didn’t even want to look at the glassy material anymore, because you knew that you’d eventually spot her in the reflection. 

Her stiletto heels clicked against the floor at every step and you could hear them getting closer and closer at every click. You didn’t even flinch when she reached a hand upon your shoulder, only turning around to meet the woman that stood at your height. The room was already loud from the outside noises of people loudly talking. 

She had to agree that you had grown greatly, no longer being the troublesome little girl that used to hold Norm’s tail at every opportunity given. You were a young adult now and she knew that. “Thought I made it clear that you must knock before entering?” your question went waltzing into the tense air as you looked down at your shoes, your mother completely ignoring you. 

Your eyes couldn’t help but survey her work outfit, one that seemed a little out of place, or even inappropriate for a workplace. She wore a tight pencil skirt that seemed okay just on its behalf, but she had ridden up to rest just above her round thighs. Her blouse was just as skin-tight as her skirt, and you were sure that many eyes of the lone soldiers must’ve been attracted to her charm. 

“That alien family of yours left you?” she chuckled slightly, not wanting to seem too hostile because you were still her kid. Even if somewhat back then she had managed to get rid of you while you were still developing in her womb, or when she had abandoned you with the other scientist after your birth to drown in her own sorrows, you would always be her daughter whether she liked it or not. 

You rolled your eyes involuntarily at her comment, but somewhere in your heart did it truly hurt. “That alien family was more present in my life then you ever were,” you mumbled, moving your focus to the stash of paperwork on the office that was next to you. It was not your work to do, but you’d rather complete some rando’s work then talk to your mother. 

“Don’t think that i’m an incompetent person now,” she replied, little to no worries for your sorrows. Everything about this conversation somewhat made you angry. For one, you could never understand her feelings, because she was always so closed off towards you. 

Your mother sighed as you refused to look at her once more. She brought a hand up to undo the first two buttons of her blouse, the tight material suffocating her more than the tension in the room. She contemplated putting a hand down on your forearm, but she knew that you’d only repulse from her touch. 

“Don’t resent me because I haven’t been there for every step that you took, I couldn’t always be there at your side,” 

“You were never even there!” you snapped at her, hands firmly holding you up on the metallic table. Your rings clashed against the table at your outburst, causing a loud ringing to chime throughout the lab. You brought a hand up to soothe your temples in frustration because of the woman that stood besides you. She was as silent as a grave and the only noise that came from the both of you was the sound of you shuffling with the nearby files. 

Your mother watched you with woe as you tried not to snap at her again just for being in the same room as her. 

“Why were you never there?” you grumbled, 

“I-“ you cut her off from whatever she was about to tell you. “When you could’ve been.” you turn your head towards her, a desperate glimpse in your eyes. There was something more than want in your eyes, there was need. You needed to know why she had never been around to watch you grow, maybe to soothe your inner child that awaited for those answers every single day. 

“You’ve never really…,” she paused, hesitating at what she was going to tell you. You looked expectantly at her, anticipating the words that she was failing to express. “You’ve never really had a father.” her eyebrows creased together, and her eyes just couldn’t help but peer at anything but at your upset form. 

You deadpanned at her, that was her reasoning? Because of her failed hookups, you had to be the victim of her neglect? The look that you gave her made her bones shudder in discomfort and she felt intimidated under your unruly eyes. She felt as though you judged her from every aspect of her life, but she knew that you were somewhat right if you did.

“It’s not that I’ve never had any company, lord, kind of the opposite actually,” she boasted, and you internally gagged at her over sharing of personal information. Matter of fact, you didn’t need to know how your mother used to get regularly pounded on this early Monday morning. Her mere presence had already ruined your day, now she was tripling that with her odd storytelling. 

“And I was always safe every time, so there was no way that it was any of them!” she said, now frustrated as she failed to understand the story that she herself was revealing to you. 

“You’ve never had a father, Y/N” she called out for your name, trying to make you understand what she couldn’t voice out audibly. The irritating feeling had completely faltered by now, and you couldn’t really understand where you mentally stood now. The feeling of disbelief was all you could feel for now, because her story made little to no sense. 

You were not that oblivious to the stories that came from your mother’s land. The story of their saviour and the same god that was preached amongst something that they called religions. Unlike the na’vi, the humans praised a man that harboured 3 forms of which were physical and spiritual. They believed that their god had formed the earth, and everything that lay upon. You had heard of the story of the Virgin Mary, and your mother’s tale was getting a little too similar to this. 

“I had to carry the burden of bearing an unwanted child, so you have no right to resent me for not being in the life of a daughter that I've never wanted!” your mother quavered, her lips trembling as she spoke to you. You couldn’t find it in yourself to retort, to disprove the tears that trickled past her waterline. Despite not understanding your own birth story still, you couldn’t find it in yourself to resent the woman no more. 

For, it was because of you that your mother would never be the same ever again, no matter how much you would pray to the Great Mother. She had changed drastically after your birth, ignoring the presence of both Norm and Max as they grew closer to you. Matter of fact you had been practically raised by both men, and the other avatars that worked in the program. 

Was it so wrong for you to wish that she was present at the moment? You were so confused with everything, with Neteyam, with Neytiri, with the omaticaya, with yourself. You pushed those feelings away though, because there was no one else that you could blame but yourself for her detachment. You had seen pictures of when she was happy, when she was younger and free. 

You were the reason as to why she was so distant nowadays but you were also the lost kid that needed a mother’s reconfort at the moment. 

You watched quietly as the older woman recomposed herself, passing a hand over her already-straightened blouse in an attempt to appear less awkward. Her stiletto heels clicked against the floor once more, though this time the sound was getting further away from your hearing at each step. Soon enough, the obnoxious sound had completely dissipated from your hearing range, leaving you to bask in the deserted silence of the lab room. 

-

Neteyam was the only thing that your mind would present to you on replay. He was everything that your heart wanted and at times you only wished to rip the organ out yourself to cease this feeling. He was in everything, like the feather that dangled from your chest piece. The same one that swayed with the wind each time that the cool breeze would brush over you. 

Sometimes you wondered if you should just fall out of love with the na’vi boy, but you wondered if you’d even be able to. You would most likely end up falling in love with him again, and you couldn’t afford more heartbreaks than you had already acquired. Your admiration for Neteyam was like a thread of an endless yarn ball, on which only a blade can cut through. 

So here you found yourself again, in the midst of the forest. That was the only place you seemed to find inner peace at within the past few weeks. You felt a strong connection to the nature around you. You felt oftentimes as though the animals spoke specifically to you, but you failed to understand because of the language barrier. You felt like the trees were your true home, not the ton of metal that was called a lab. 

Perhaps it was not the best of ideas to be jumping from tree to tree in your short human body. The forest na’vi body was built for those long and dangerous leaps unlike your small and frail current body. The thrill was what motivated you to keep moving, and exceptionally that one berry that hung from the complete top of the tree. It shone through the rays of sun that poked through the heavy leaves and it attracted you to no end. Like some shiny jewel to a robber, you couldn’t help but make it your personal mission to retrieve it.

You had to admit that the first few minutes of climbing were literal hell. Through the scratches and numerous times that you had nearly fallen, it seemed like Eywa herself was telling your stupid ass to just give up and go home. Thought you were no loser, so you would get that berry one way or the other. You ignored the way your arms ached as you encircled them around the thick bark of the tall tree, your feet digging into whatever spot they could find in the log. 

To your misfortune, Eywa had really seemed to want you to descend from that tree. You had trusted your instincts a little too much, like a natural predator trusted his own instincts. Though you were just a human woman and no palulukan. You brought your foot up, trying to lodge it into the next hole or branch that presented itself before you. Though before you knew it, your right foot had met with the solid and moist grassy feeling of moss, and you had slipped before your brain could even register it.

It would be a funny scene for any na’vi passing, the fresh view of a sky person falling from leaf to leaf while cascading down the top of a tree. You let out the most ground breaking yell as you broke through the branches, body hitting with what felt like every single branch in this damned forest. You groaned as your foot set caught in the last branch of the tree, saving you from what could have been a fatal fall. You would’ve loved to laugh at yourself in any other situation if it hadn’t been for your near death.

You could practically hear your own heart beating as you came down from your fright, and you were sure that creatures from miles away could hear it pulsating way faster than it should as well. Cold sweat ran down your neck onto your hair because of your upside down position, and your exopack was irritating you ten times more than usual.

Your uncomfortable positions made your growing bruises throb as the branch applied pressure everywhere it shouldn’t. You felt dizzy from the blood flowing down to your head, but you knew that you couldn’t let your guard down, because the forest was like a huge death trap for a human of your size. Your ears picked up on the sound of footsteps, eyes darting all over the place as a hurried way of searching for its owner. 

Much to your fortune, the intruder seemed to be a na’vi. You called out for them, waving your hands in the air like a maniac as you tried to make a call for the blue alien. 

She ignored you and your desperate cries for help and you felt as though you were being more and more suffocated as time passed by. You could see that she heard you from the way her ears twitched irritably at each of your yells and soon enough, she had turned to you with a stern gaze.

Neytiri’s judgemental eyes stared right through you as you could not even do much to hide yourself from her gaze. Great, now you were both upside down and extremely humiliated as you stood stupidly before your ex-lover’s mother. You brought both of your hands to your face in a goofy attempt to rescue your decency from this pure humiliation and the woman only rolled her eyes at your antics. 

She kept on eyeing you from the side, clearly hesitant about something that you could not know what for now. Neytiri tried to distract herself by picking her herbs in the sheer silence, but her nerves only aggravated things, making her accidently rip the fresh stem of the flower that she was picking. 

“As much as I don't like you, my son refuses to speak to me because of you.” Neytiri spoke sternly as she kept her back turned away from your prying eyes. Her slim fingers pulled at herbs from the ground, unrooting them from the fresh soil as she stored them in her basket. “So we must come to even terms,” 

Your heart did backflips at her words, multiple backflips at that. Neytiri, THE Neytiri, was finally accepting you? In some way. 

You couldn’t believe it, visually because you beamed at her comment, bringing your body forward as you seemed shocked at her confession. Your body swayed at your actions, unwillingly unlatching your legs from the branch. Your body hit the floor with a loud thud and the groan that left your mouth indicated that it was no light fall. 

Neytiri wasn’t looking at you when it had happened, and you prayed your thanks to the Great-Mother. She turned around suddenly at your loud noise, shaking her head in disappointment when she found you face to face with the moist soil. Well not really face to face because of the mask that was binded to your face. She felt a tiny bit of worry at first, worried that your mask had injured you during your fall. Though you praised the Great-Mother once more for blessing you with the quick ability to have been able to move your arms in order to protect your masked face from the fall. 

Was this really who her son was so in love with? You reminded her so much of Jake’s old self at the moment, and she could only be happy for Neteyam acquiring her patience. 

She continued to look at you through unimpressed eyes as you put your hand up in the air, flashing her a thumbs up that you were sure she must’ve understood with Jake being around. Neytiri moved towards you, rolling you over on your back since you were still pretty much making out with the dirt beneath you. Dirt specks covered your mask but you were too dazed to even care at the moment. 

You groaned once more at the new position, feeling every single rock digging into the flesh of your back. Neytiri raised an eyebrow bone at your suffering, clearly amused by your human body’s fragile state. Her ears rose up in the air at her obvious hilarity and you swallowed back the raging need of rolling your eyes at her. 

“I’m not saying that i’m accepting you in my family,” and there it was, the huge rock that came and crushed all of your hopes that you had built up for yourself. 

“For now…” 

You raised your hand for them to rest besides your face, body being sprawled out like a starfish as you grunted satisfyingly at the soothing position. You wanted so badly to sit up and crack the tense muscles in your neck, but this would do for now. 

You thought about what Neytiri had told you, how she was willing to make an effort for the sake of her eldest son. But things don’t always go the way we intend to and she was about to learn it the hard way. “It will never work out,” 

she looked at you curiously now, abandoning her previous activity of staring at the nature that surrounded you. She tilted her head to the side in confusion as she looked at you expectedly, awaiting an answer from you. 

“We are not together anymore, I'm pretty sure that Eywa herself is separating us at this point!” you laughed dryly, and the downturned smile that graced your face could tell Neytiri everything that she needed to know. Her ears piqued down as she now knew why Neteyam had been so upset with her. She had thought that maybe it was simply because she was trying to keep them from being together, but now she knew that it was more than that. Her own son’s heart had been wounded because of her selfishness, her first child that she had vowed to protect from any wrong of this cruel world.

She moved to sit next to your sprawled out form, crossing her legs gracefully besides you. Your neck hurt too much to even bother looking at her, so the tall trees were what you’d be observing as she spoke to you. “If Eywa has a plan for the both of you, then nothing is really over.” she looked up to the trees as you did, leaving you to contemplate what she had just told you.

“You are resilient, hardheaded and always going back to my son even after I threaten you!” Neytiri snarled, though it was more playful than the usual venomous tone she held when she used to speak to you. You allowed yourself to snicker at her teasing, before she started again. “So what’s different now? Why did you give up on my son so early?” 

Neytiri always had this hardness in her tone when she spoke to people that she wasn’t necessarily fond of, but you knew not to take it at heart. She sighed at the silence that you granted her, standing up on her feet as she brushed off the dirt that stuck to the back of her legs. You had so many things that you wanted to say to her, like how it was all different now. Though her words had you thinking deeply, so deep that you fell deaf upon her retreating footsteps. 

You were left with your own questioning self and the racking thoughts that ran throughout your head. Your body still stuck to the depths of the forest floors as the pain resurfaced once more. You forced yourself to stand up, your body urging you to tend all of your tense muscles as you walked yourself back to the lab. 

-

You peeled the sweaty top from your drenched body, sweat from your previous fall still rolling off of your skin. Drops of sweat ran from your neck and drenched the delicate fabric of your clothes. It was complicated to do with your mask still on, but you pushed through either way. Your top was also wet due to your impulsive decision of jumping in the lake still fully clothed. 

Courtesy of the scorching sun affecting your brain capacity, or so you said. The detour that you had made at a nearby pond seemed almost crucial, because you cringed at the thought of going back to the lab all covered up in dirt and dust. The scenery around you was beautiful, as much as it should’ve scared you. The fish that swan around in the natural pond were humongous compared to the pond fish on earth. Though you wouldn’t know of them, it made obvious sense that they were bigger than the earth ones when a fish as big as your upper thigh brushed past you.

You thanked Eywa for their gentle minds as you twisted your top to remove the excess water. You had just managed to strain the water out but it seemed as though something was coming for you. Lord may it not be a man, because you were clad in nothing but your bra and underwear. You brought your hands back under water as the sounds got closer and closer, drenching the clothes that you were once trying to wring.

Out of nowhere, a tall and blue na’vi jumped out from behind the bushes, startling you. Well, jumping out wasn't really the term that you could use to describe it, more like ‘they peacefully walked out from behind of the bushes but it scared me and I nearly pissed myself.’ 

What was with people running up on you while you were trying to have some alone time today?

You panicked for a minute, scared that it was a male na’vi that was going for a little swim and that was about to walk in on you half naked. So by reflex, you threw whatever you had in hand and onto them. Though you only had your wet clothes, and the wet sound of your clothes sploshing against their face resonated throughout the whole area.

You winced audibly at the force that you had sent your wet clothes, feeling a little bad for whoever was behind the wet stack of woollen clothes. Your guilt only tripled when you looked down at the na’vi, the obvious pair of breasts behind the feathers that hid them indicated to you that it was no man. You stayed in your spot for a second as the victim of your accidental assault brought a hand up to their face, sliding the mess off of their face. 

Your eyes widened like saucers when you were met with the sight of your old best friend. The voice box that resided in your throat failed you for what seems like the 6th time today as you opened your mouth to tell her something, remaining voiceless like a fish out of water. Zeppi seemed obviously shocked as well, her ears raised and her pupils dilated as she stared at you. 

She couldn’t help the loud resonating of her laughter as she replayed the scene in her head. The sight of your terrified face as you first spotted you, before her vision got engulfed by an uncomfortable darkness. You wanted to laugh too, but the feeling of embarrassment and discomfort was too overwhelming. There was no need to say that the scene was truly funny, but you also couldn’t deny that the person that stood besides you had lied to you, despite being the only person you could rely on back then. 

Zeppi noticed the obvious switch in your mood as she stood on the dry grass. She quickly fiddled with her own clothes, leaving them dry unlike yours on the shore. You knew that you couldn’t just keep on staring into her yellow eyes until someone decided to make a move, so you decided to be the bigger person and apologize first. 

“I’m sorry for,” you brought your hands up as they splash water slightly around, turning your hands in front of your own face to mimic what you wanted to say. “Whatever just happened…” your voice faltered, dying of embarrassment. Zeppi only laughed at your antics, showing you that she didn’t take it to heart. 

“You don’t have to apologize for anything, matter of fact you could’ve thought that I was a big bad predator!” she brought her hands towards her mouth, making some weird sound as she mimicked fangs that she already did have. You groaned at her attempt to tease you, snickering slightly after. 

“If anyone should be apologizing, then it should be me,” she trailed off, shame written all over her face. She knew that you turning your face away from her should've discouraged her, but she was too resilient to even think of giving up. “I should’ve never kept that from you, it should’ve never even been a secret in the first place!” 

You sighed, looking at the way that the water rippled as the both of your bodies moved in the pond. “But you still lied to me, Zeppi, and no amount of apology will take that away,” you muttered and her ears visibly deflated at your words. She was such a nice girl, the first ever person that had learned to accept you. Despite the Sully kids taking you in their little group, she was always someone out of that little circle that had been nice to you. Zeppi had taught you countless things, and you just couldn’t keep on resenting her for something that you had already gotten a clear explanation on. 

“I guess that I can learn to forgive you, because I know that you’re sincere,” Zeppi snapped her eyes towards you, her tail swaying wildly behind her. An upside down smile graced her face, looking at you for confirmation before she threw herself into your arms. The sheer force of her embrace sent the both of you staggering, and her arms wrapped themselves from the top of your shoulders as her hands rested on the small of your back. Your size difference was insane, your head ending up on her stomach as you hugged her back. 

She pulled back slightly, her larger palms resting on your bare shoulders as she beamed at you. Her smile was just as contagious as in the rumours, and soon enough you had found yourself laughing along with her. 

“If it makes you feel any better, I've never loved Neteyam! Never even looked at him in such a way, and I'm sure that his eyes were too busy trailing over a little someone else to even notice me.” she rambled and you held back a chuckle as you watched the taller girl get lost in her nonsense. Your heart fluttered at her subtle mention of Neteyam being hooked on you. “My own heart beats for someone else,” she says shyly and you turnt your head to the side in puzzlement. 

Who could be the lucky person that the omaticaya’s golden girl had finally chosen? It was no secret that she was well sought amongst the forest na’vi, but she had never shown any interest in anyone until now? 

“You’ll tell me when I come back tomorrow, I'm afraid of getting sliced and diced by a viperwolf if I stay until it’s dark!” you laughed, moving from your spot and you picked up your damp clothes from the shore. There was residue of dirt stuck onto it, but you didn’t want to enter a laboratory full of men with nothing but underwear on. So dirty cloth it shall be. It sort of contradicted the reason as to why you even came to the pond, but oh well.

“I better see you as a tall, blue na’vi the next time my eyes lay onto you! I’m counting on you.” Zeppi yelled once more as your figure diminished from her field of view. The girl sighed contentedly, sinking deeper into the cool waters of the pond one last time. 

-

Zeppi ran back home with the biggest grin on her delicate features. Her smile was so big that her own mother feared she would rip her face in her half if she continued for any longer. She hopped her way to her tent, spreading joy amongst the gloomy na’vi by her own joyous presence itself. 

How could she not be happy? She had just reunited with her long-lost best friend. Her heart throbbed with many emotions, those that she could not even confine to her own family because she feared their reactions. She was over the clouds because of your forgiveness, even though reluctant. She felt for you however, because she knew that you were still hurting because of what had happened with your past lover.

She knew that deep down, even with the blessing of your forgiveness, there would always be a part of you that would pain because of their lies. No matter how much you understood why they did it, no matter how much you tried to rid yourself of these unwanted thoughts. Zeppi shook her head, trying to shake the bad thoughts away. She smiled again as her sharp canines poked through the space between her opened lips. 

She walked back to the high camp confidently, her hips swaying in beat with her tail as she sauntered. Her glimpse of joy had gotten rudely interrupted as someone had grabbed onto her arm, making her yelp loudly. She turned around abruptly to face whoever it was, her tail stuck in between her legs in a hostile way. Her eyebrow bones furrowed in perplexity as she was met with the sight of the eldest Sully girl. Sure they were not necessarily the bestest of friends, probably ones to have a conversation only when needed. 

The sight of Kiri holding onto her confused her to no end. “You may want to come see what’s happening,” Kiri said, adding no further explanation whatsoever as she dragged the other girl towards a big crowd. Similar to the one of the time where you had been intercepted by her father, and Zeppi cringed at the painful memory of watching you get dragged around by the elders in front of everyone. 

Her plans of informing Neteyam about her conversation were now completely thrown out of the window, mainly because when she arrived on sight, the same exact boy was standing before the whole clan. Kiri could only pray to the All-Mother that her brother would not do anything stupid, for he was never known for anything of such. 

His hand was raised before his people, as though one raising his cup full of confessions as he made a toast. His ears were upright as he showed no signs of anguish standing here before so many na’vi. Or so he liked to make himself believe. Neteyam made a call for the omaticaya clan, his voice loud and clear above the din. The crowd of people eventually calmed down, turning their impatient eyes towards the Sully that stood before them. 

His nerves racked painfully as he feared their reactions, rightfully so, but he wouldn’t allow himself to show them. He’d show them the brave and outgoing Neteyam that they had always known and loved. 

“I….” he started, but his confidence seemed to have vanished along the way. Eywa, he cursed himself for getting discouraged so early, what happened to his previous devotion? He had gassed himself up for 20 whole minutes in his head, and he was cowering now? His sharp eyes scanned the crowd, pupils dilating in delight as he spotted Zeppi and Kiri amongst the crowd. Lo’ak stood not too far away from them, and he just knew that his brother would be so proud of him for standing up for himself at once. 

“I’m here to make things clear, that I will not keep this alliance between Tarsem’s daughter and I going.” he finally said in a clear tone, and the said family’s ears raised in bewilderment. On one hand, Zeppi couldn’t help but be both thankful and proud of Neteyam for being the one to do the first step. For they both lived in a loveless arrangement, their hearts lying in other people’s hands. Tarsem however, was not as understanding as Neteyam had wished for him to be.

What was Neteyam implying by this, that his daughter wasn’t good enough for him? Then it clicked inside of his head, his braids waving around as he visibly shook from anger. Neteyam was breaking things off publicly with his daughter for that demon. 

It was borderline insulting to him at how Neteyam could just break this betrothal off so easily before everyone. And when his nerves took the better of him, his wife was quick to calm him down. Tarsem’s ears flickered backwards as she restrained him, a steady hand placed upon his chest as she prevented him from approaching the young man. She was Zeppi’s mother after all, and a mother knows all. Just like she knows that Zeppi would not have been happy if she had truly ended up mating with Neteyam, so she believed that this was for the best.

Neytiri’s tail flickered wildly behind her at her eldest son’s statement. Had Neteyam really lost his mind? Was he really about to give up everything that was built for him for the past 18 years just for a foreign girl? Though when she thought about it deeper, your relationship truly reminded her of her very own.

She had risked everything that was thrown upon her after the death of her sister. She had abandoned her betrothed for the one that her heart had frankly beaten for. She couldn’t blame Neteyam for breaking away from a loveless arrangement, but it didn’t mean that Neytiri wasn’t upset nevertheless. She was happy that Neteyam was standing up for his love, but did he really have to cause a whole scene before the entire clan? 

Eywa, the whole of Pandora seemed to have been against Neteyam as of recently. At first, his clan and mother failed to accept his lover, then came their separation, and now no one was taking his words seriously. He was out and tired of living under other people’s rules, may it be his father or mother’s too. Neteyam thirsted to rebel for the first time in his life, ever since he had been born and deemed the perfect son. He was tired of having his whole life planned out for him, he wanted to be the one that held the marking stone in his life plan for once. 

Though as of now, there was nothing that he could do to calm the crowd. Not as the future Olo’eyktan, and certainly not as the young teen that everyone still saw him as. 

Zeppi turned around to meet the gaze of the Sully sister, but to her misfortune, she was no more by her side. Instead, one of her closest friend was; Lo’ak. The both of them suddenly turned to each other in their alarmed states. Everything was going to absolute shit. The people were up-roaring and neither the Neytiri or Tarsem seemed particularly pleased by Neteyam’s sudden outburst. Lo’ak watched as his brother stood lost between the crowd, his tail moving in circular motions as he tried to calm the people. 

This was not what he had expected when he had decided to express the afiliation he still felt for you out in the open. It’s not like he had expected joyful cheering of encouragement, but he had sure as hell had not expected this. Zeppi looked back at Lo’ak and her heart did backflips as she spotted that familiar smirk plastered upon his face. She tried so hard to retain the eye roll that had inconveniently slipped by her.

That smirk of his resembled his father’s when he had been younger, and although none of them had been even born to witness it, they all knew that it sparked no good sense. “You know what we must do to obtain the attention from the all-so golden son?” the sully boy snickered as he raised his eyebrows tentatively at the girl before him. 

Zeppi rolled her eyes once more at the boy as she understood what he meant at the first try, but a single look at the poor, distressed Neteyam was enough to change her mind. She turned back to Lo’ak before muttering a quick ‘‘make sure it works before i skin you.’’ 

Lo’ak’s eyebrows raised in bewilderment as she actually accepted his stupid idea, in order to save his own brother from the unwanted attention. Plus some heed from the clan wouldn’t do any bad to the youngest Sully son. He brought two of his fingers together, pressing them in an ‘O’ shape as he placed them carefully beneath his tongue.

The shrill tune of his whistle was enough to distract the people from their bickering, and redirect their attention to the two teens. Zeppi felt her blood running cold as her father observed her with narrowed eyes, but she told herself that it was for a good cause. Jake shot him a knowing look, tilting his head in a hostile way as he silently demanded for his son to retain himself from whatever foolish action he was about to commit in front of the whole omaticaya clan. 

He looked straight into Tarsem’s eyes as his wrath turned its aim towards the young man. He watched carefully as Lo’ak’s hands wrapped around his own daughter's waist, pulling her flushed onto his body as he caught her midway into a searing kiss. Tarsem’s and Neytiri both gasped audibly at their children’s actions and Kiri and Jake could only shake their heads from the sidelines. There was just as much platonic love between those two as there was between Zeppi and Neteyam, but they just had to suck it up for the sake of the future Olo’eyktan. For, it was just a simple little innocent kiss.

It didn’t last more than two seconds, but it was enough to startle the crowd from their previous bickering. He unlatched himself from the girl, his hand still resting in the crevice of her waist as he taunted the older man that stared daggers at him and his own daughter. His blood ran cold as Neteyam just stared dumbly at the both of them, standing still in his spot like a tree firmly rooted to the soil. 

Lo’ak shot a subtle annoyed look at his oblivious older brother, signalling him to leave as he distracted their people. Neteyam’s ears raised in astonishment at his brother’s sacrifice (for, he was about to get his ass whooped once they all got back home) and discreetly made a run for it. 

Though he failed to escape the keen eyes of his grandmother, The all great Tsahik. She saw everything, and she knew everything through Eywa’s will. 

Mo’at knew that there was no reason to keep her grand-son away from the sky person that he had fallen so deeply for. Not like she even could if she wanted to, because she knew her grandson like the back of her hand, and she had heard of Eywa’s plans for them anyways. She watched through her piercing yellow eyes as he slipped through the crowd, making a call for his mountain banshee, Seze. 

Mo’at rubbed a hand deeply over her face as she tried to soothe her own frown, because she knew that after this, there was a way bigger crowd of frowns that required her help to soothe. She feared that the father of Zeppi would most likely kill Lo’ak himself if Neytiri hadn’t already. Though when she turned around, she was met with the sight of an empty ground and the sight of some very disappointed parents ahead. 

-

Once you got back to the lab, you shivered from the sudden gust of cold air that blew past your back. The air conditioner did not mix well with the damp clothes that stuck uncomfortably to your body and you were sure that if you didn’t jump in a warm shower right now, you’d die of sickness. The weird looks that you received while entering with your dirtied clothes did not make you feel welcomed in any type of way.

Your injuries burnt as your shirt pressed down against your cuts and growing bruises. Lord knows what kind of infection you’ll receive from those if you don't get them treated anytime soon. The lab was getting noisier and noisier as dinner time approached, and you could spot Norm and Max from afar. Though you didn’t catch on to the communication device that norm had around the throat, his fingers pressing along the buttons as he ended a conversation. 

Strangely, he was in his avatar. You shrugged it off as he probably went out to get some samples, and going out as a human was very dangerous. You and your numerous injuries would know that as of now. Max had been the first to spot you, getting up from his chair in the dinner hall as he waved at you. 

“Ey’ little one, I've gotta job for you,” Norm started, placing his hands upon your shoulder as he pushed you the other way around. You grunted as he pushed his fingers into the flesh of your shoulders and you shrugged his hands off of you. 

“After I've had a shower,” you started walking away towards your cabin. “And a good shoulder massage too.” 

Norm quite literally rushed after you, blocking your passage as you rolled your eyes at him. Dear lord, give yourself some strength before you beat the scientist up right now. You clearly remember not having written 'Please disturb me!’ in bold on your forehead, so why was everybody doing so?

“Just give me a second to explain myself, then I'll let you go!” Norm promised, giving you that sincere look of his. You guessed that a couple more minutes of your time really wouldn’t cost you your life, so why not. You tilted your head to the side, now becoming your signature move for saying; carry on. 

He reestablished his shoulder pushing, directing you towards the avatar program lab. Your suspicions were risen to the top but you’d allow him to explain himself before going off for nothing. Norm had made a promise to the very fed up Jake earlier through his throat mic and he would make you leave in that avatar vessel on this night even if it meant getting his hands bloody. Well he wouldn’t go that far. Maybe. 

Jake was a close friend of his, even if they hadn’t necessarily started on a good foot. It’s been 15 years ever since the great massacre of the home tree and Norm had watched Jake and his little family grow, watching as Neteyam was presented to the clan as well as his first steps on this vicious planet. 

“I need you to go out and fetch some samples for me, and you’re not leaving like this at night.” he said, sounding like a father scolding his daughter for wearing a slutty dress on a night out. You raised an eyebrow at his oddly fatherly tone before it clicked in your brain. Norm was asking you to go out in your avatar. 

“You know what I vowed to myself,” Norm shook his head at your stubbornness and he sighed unimpressed as you began walking away from him again. Though he wouldn’t allow you to, he could only owe Jake and his family so much after everything that they had lived through together. If you did not know of the reasons why he would ask you such a demand for now, you’d sure as hell find out later. 

“And you broke that exact vow like what, twice?!” Norm beamed, and you shot him a distasteful look. Really? Norm was really asking you all of this while he was in his avatar? Why couldn’t he do it himself? So many questions ran wild in your mind, but you kept them from the scientist. Max would always reprimand you when you would speak back to Norm, telling you that he knew what he was doing and that you always had to listen to him. 

“Third time’s the charm!” you chirped humorlessly. 

“Please,” he pleaded “I’ll do anything in return for you!” you cursed yourself for actually considering his demand. After all, how could you deny one of the men that had raised you when your own paternals had not? You sighed from all of the day’s exhaustion, it seemed like you could not catch a rest at all as long as you stood on the lands of Pandora. After securing your message and 3 months free of chores from the older man, you were ready to embark on the adventure that Norm had in reserve for you. 

It was painfully humiliating to re-enter your avatar’s consciousness after pledging so many times that it was the last. Though there was no one around to poke fun at you for it right now, you’d just hurry and get it over with. You grabbed your satchel before leaving, repeating over and over again the name of whichever plant it was that Norm had told you to get. The photo that he had shown you from his iPad was engraved in your brain from how many times he had shown it. 

Watching you leave the lab doors brought foreign feelings up into Norm’s chest, like watching your daughter leave for good as she moves on to her own life. He knew damn well that after tonight, you would be changed, a part of you would not be the same as it once was. Though he knew it would be positive changes, he dwells on the fact that you’re soon to start a seperate part of your own life. 

He tries not to feel too bad about it, instead laughing it off with Max about the fake image of the flower that he had shown you. Maybe if you had taken the proper time to actually observe the picture well, you would’ve noticed the obvious photoshop. Norm grinned to himself, only wishing for Jake’s plan to be successful.

-

Stupid, idiotic Norm. Couldn’t he have gone to fetch his own sample in his own damned na’vi body. Here you were now, in plain sight in the middle of  eclipse as you scavenged for a singular plant for what seemed to be ages. The image that Norm had shown you was starting to get blurry in your brain as time went by, and you were really considering going back to the lab and calling quits for today. 

Though the further you walked into the forest, the closer you seemed to be getting to an open land area. You couldn’t really see it clearly due to the bushes that blocked its entrance, but you knew better than to be noisy while approaching an unknown territory.

The endless adventures that you had lived within the trees in the vast forest had taught you loads, and you knew better than anyone else that predators were hiding from every inch of the woodland. A na’vi’s hearing is known to be just about 4 times better than a human’s hearing, so the obvious wing flapping that could be heard by just about anyone didn't fail to go noticed by you. 

it was useless to try and fight whoever had ambushed you, because you were just about weaponless. Thought your physical strength had grown ever since you had started training, and muscles had even started rippling upon your body. You could only wish that whoever was there was not some taekwondo master of some sorts, because then your muscles would have been rendered useless.

Seze, Neteyam’s ikran was who you had first recognized as you had turned around. It was very obvious to you as to who was the rider, because ikran’s are loyal to only their tamer during their whole life period. His ikran swooshed up dust particles as it settled down on the floor, and now you could properly see the na’vi. 

“How did you find me, here specifically out of anywhere else?” Neteyam pointed towards your beloved ikran, staying silent as he dismounted his own. Shit, you cursed yourself, his ikran must’ve followed the scent of your own all the way until here. 

Though Neteyam’s quiet presence was not what you had desired at the moment, there was really no way of forcing him to go back home. This was the forest, not some private property that you could banish him of. 

Apart from that, that weird clearing that you had spotted earlier was still itching a spot deep into your brain, and if you didn’t explore how, then when would you? You grabbed Neteyam’s hand into yours as you grabbed him towards the area, since he was here, he might as well be of use in case you get attacked by some creature of any sorts. 

Silence is all that lingers between the both of you as you usher him towards the weird scene. Between the longing stare that he subtly sends you, there’s no words exchanged between the both of you. An acrid smell fills both of your nostrils as you pass through the leaves that were used as what it seems like restraints to the zone. 

The burnt grass felt weird and ashy under your feet, leaving a residue of sticky ashes on your skin the more you walked through the area. Neteyam followed shortly after you, dark ashes tainting his dark blue skin. 

He knelt down to ground, bringing his middle and index down to rub against the dried up residue. The ashes spread along his fingers as he brought them up to his nose, sniffing deeply the powdered substance. Neteyam scrunched up his features at the odd smell, researching the power through his developed odora. He could tell that the place had been devastated from weeks before, but by who? And why had nothing regrown or advanced yet? 

There’s an odd patch of lively green grass and moss in the middle of the area, and everything just gets more confusing as the both of you advance towards the centre. The sight was sort of eerie at first, but you soon grew to enjoy the peaceful silence. 

“This is the most romantic place that you found to pour your heart out to me?” you placed your hand hovering your heart, allowing yourself to joke around with the na’vi boy. Neteyam gave you a toothy grin, chucking at your teasing. He turned his face away from you, allowing himself to really bask in the views of this place. He stood up from his kneeling stance, moving on stable legs towards you. 

The both of you stood in what seemed to be a circle of chaos. There was no vegetation that surrounded the both of you, only dried and burnt up grass that blew off with every brush of the breeze. The trees were black from being burnt by whoever had decided to assault this beautiful part of the forest. 

Neteyam tried to move forward towards you, before his foot got stabbed by something on the ground. He threw his hands up in the air rather ungratefully, jumping on one leg as the other sent painful spiky receptions throughout his whole body. You brought a hand to your mouth in an attempt to stiffen your laughter, crouching down before his assaulter as he kept on overdramatizing his injury. 

At your eyesight stood a little growing plant, and you were about to bash him for overreacting his pain. You brought a finger to touch the baby plant, and to your surprise, the growing tree was not soft like you had expected it to be. It pricked your finger softly as you touched it, and you immediately retracted your whole arm back towards you.

Just what exactly was this place? Last thing you remember, there was no warning of a raid or any news about the aftermath of it. So why did you seem to have arrived on a dead man’s land, and why had the Great-Mother guided the both of you to it?

“Listen,” Neteyam’s back is turnt to you now, the only sight that you received was the one of his toned back. You’d love to complain about it, but why even would you when he looked this good? Even during this moment of vulnerability that he has, he’s still just as attractive as he is when he’s fully confident about himself. “I’m sorry, and again I know that a simple apology won’t fix everything that has been happening over the past few weeks.” 

He paused as he looked at you for confirmation. He had expected you to lash at him or to cut him off like you had done numerous of times before, but your focused silence was something that he had not expected and somehow that had grounded him. It gave him the courage to advance, stepping closer and closer towards you. 

“I’m sorry for everything that has happened, I'm sorry for not believing in you when I know that I should've. I trust you with my whole life Y/N, and I’m sorry that I haven't been showing that to you recently.” he apologised for what seemed like the 100th time and now your silence was starting to become unsettling for him. He sighed, probably making a fool out of himself as he spoke for nothing. For, you had no reasons to forgive him, but he was hanging onto a thin thread of hope that you would. 

“I want to stay mad at you forever, for as long as your lungs continue to pump air even!” you yelled, throwing your hands up in the air like a lunatic woman. Neteyam’s eyes widened comically at your historical state, but he was scared to approach you because even with his incredible nocturnal vision, he couldn’t properly see the spiky tree of earlier times. 

You were standing at your full height now, no more crouching before the little plant that had pricked the both of you. His silly fear of the prickly plant had now dissipated as he got lost in your words. They swivelled around his brain and filled his heart with even more ambition. 

“But I know that my heart will always continue to beat for you and no one else, and it hurts just a little when you’re not around,” you teased him, making a ‘little bit’ hand sign to him. It felt like a mountain of worries had just been lifted off Neteyam's shoulders from your playful sentence and relief was written all over his face. 

Neteyam made you feel like you were living, and not just existing. 

“So you forgive me?” he mumbled, full of hope. 

You pretended to think about it for a second, bringing a hand to your chin as you mocked him playfully. There’s another wave of silence that enveloped the both of you and you thought that Neteyam looked a little too serious at the moment. Poor boy just doesn’t know when to let go. 

His intentions were clearer than the pond water that you had bathed in earlier as he approached you with big steps. He seemed almost impatient as he now stood nose to nose with you, one of his hands brushing the hairs behind your head. His touch sent goosebumps to your arms, and you were sure that the little hairs on your arms were standing straight from his touch. 

“I cannot wait for us to do tsaheylu, because then i know that you will not run away from me again.” you flushed because he was already thinking that far ahead. Though usually you would’ve responded with some sort of self deprecating cooment, this time you had simply accepted it. You accepted that Neteyam found you worthy of being his mate instead of arguing with him about how you were some 5 fingered freak that didn’t even have a stable body. 

He was unrelenting, and if he truly did find you unworthy then he wouldn’t have chased you all the way here into this clearing. If indulging in the boy you loved so much despite your differences meant being selfish, then you would gladly take the abhorring title. 

“You sound like you’re trying to baby trap me,” you snickered, using an expression that you had seen on the web that was traditionally used upon the humans on earth. 

“I’m what?” he shook his head, unfamiliar with those strange human tones. God, even his accent was enough to send shivers down your spine. 

“I'm not trying to actually trap you,” he frowned and you only looked at him with a funny look on your face. 

You couldn’t quite pinpoint how much time it had been since you had been staring into his warm amber eyes, but there was a new kind of look that graced his eyes, and you couldn’t even decipher it even if you truly wanted to. There was a mixture of yearning with an accompaniment of want. 

His eyes captured the entirety of your face, from the way that your eyes were doing the exact same thing to him, or the way that your lips looked so inviting. The sudden feeling of his lips against yours was grounding and you had not even had the time to even properly even close your eyes before he had moved. 

The feeling felt rewarding, considering that you both had been waiting for reconciliation after so long. You melted into the kiss, tilting your head to the sides as you allowed yourself to indulge in him. His hands travelled from places to places on your body, starting from the crevice of your neck as they trailed downwards to hold you tightly by the waist. 

Yours were too busy keeping your stable upon his chest. Your knees felt weak from the pure impact that this boy had on you and you were glad that his grip was keeping you standing. The both of you pulled away when air became a necessity, or else you were sure that you could’ve kept going until sunrise and back at it again until sunset. 

Neteyam panted lightly as he recollected himself, laughing softly against your mouth at the both of your tiredness. The feeling of fullness invaded your mind from being so close to your lover after so long, and tight now close just wasn’t close enough. 

“R-right here? I thought you said that it wasn’t romantic enou-“ he panicked, scared that your desires were overpowering your judgement. He didn’t want you to wake up the next morning and be disappointed at what had happened, or even worse, at him. 

You only laughed at his distressed state, Your hand was resting on his heart as you could feel its fast paced pulse. “I’d let you take me at the old shack if it meant being able to be with you, Neteyam” 

“Closer, with you.” you pulled out your queue from the back of your head, the bundle of nerves firmly protected by your long braided hair. He could see your fangs sneaking past your lips as you smiled at him, and who was he to refuse that adoring smile of yours? 

He pulled out his own braid, not hesitant but leisurely. There was no sign of a want for doubling back as you lowered your tendrils towards his, the pink nerves desperately wavering around for something to latch onto. Once they found his, the both of you were hit with a wave of euphoria.

Nothing could compare to the feeling of tsaheylu, and you now understood why it was spoken so highly of. No amount of highs could make you feel as connected or full as you felt while connected to your mate, and you could feel every single part of him. You could feel his ragged breathing, or the way his stomach recoiled with nerves as he stared at you. 

There was something so deep about queue bonding, and it was not  just the fact that Neteyam and you were actual mates now. No it was the intense feeling of love and lust that you could not conceal, and soon his lips had found you again in a passionate bruising. The yearning and want that Neteyam felt earlier was 10 times stronger now, and you could feel it too. 

Wandering hands and starving mouths fed themselves amongst the other, basking in the feeling of the other for as long as the sun was away. May it be true that this place was not as beautiful as the normal na’vi mating grounds, but your love required no astonishing background for the both of you to function. All you needed was the two of you and your wavering hearts and that was just about enough. 

-

Warm sun rays enveloped your vision, despite your eyes being shut close. The bright light passed through your closed eyelids, forcing you to painfully pry them open as you awoke from your slumber. There was not a single sound around you in the forest, from where you laid on a bed of moss. 

The moss felt so comfortable, so inviting as you felt yourself drifting back to unconsciousness. The feeling of euphoria was still running thick through your veins and a new smile graced itself on your soft features. You felt someone shifting besides you, a pair of arms caging you protectively in their embrace. 

Wait, moss? The last thing you remembered was falling asleep on a tiny patch of barely grown grass, next to the tiniest growing tree. Your eyes swaggered over the whole area as you face was still smushed against Neteyam’s torso. 

The chest that served as your pillow was firm and warm and you couldn’t help yourself but to dig your face further into it. Your personal warmer grunted as you applied force to his torso, going silent once more as he fell back into slumber. It had been so long since the both of you had gotten sleep this good, and you blessed tsaheylu for allowing this sense of comfort from one body to another.  

Warmth spread all over your body, from your face that was still busy basking in the sun, to the odd feeling of heat that laid over your back. Confusion and concern overtook your senses as Neteyam could feel it through the bond, his amber eyes peeling open reluctantly. There was a solid moment that passed by before any of you made a move, before you decided to sit up. A weird feeling of coarse hair and a warm body sliding off of you made chills raise up your spine, sitting up further in an alarmed way.

Neteyam followed shortly after you as he shoved an arm protectively around your waist, urging you closer to him. You couldn’t tell if your heart was fluttering from his romantic action or if it fluttered from fear of the viperwolf family that had been sleeping back to back with you. You watched with fright as the mother woke up from her slumber, stretching her paws out towards her cubs as she failed to notice you both at first. 

Neteyam felt your fear, a primal feeling in him awakening the need to protect you above all. The both of you had no weapons other than your bare fists, but he was a strong warrior after all. His shuffled movements sent awareness towards the mom and her cubs, waking them all up in one go. The light blue creature stared at you first, eyes voided of any fear as she softly grunted at you, then its eyes moved towards Neteyam. 

It happened faster than the both of you could even acknowledge it, and soon enough the whole family were left running away from the sight of the warrior. Baffled, the both of you could only stare at the way in which the viperwolves ran away, before the both of you burst into laughter. You turned your head to throw him a ‘what in the hell just happened’ kind of look, but he was already staring at you. 

Your smile faltered as his eyes made way across your features, but it didn’t mean that you were no longer happy. The complete opposite of that. You watched as his eyes scanned your nose, then back to staring straight into your eyes. Neteyam held eye contact with you for a couple of seconds before his eyes dipped towards your lips. Your mouth was slightly agape as you stared back at him, and he leaned down to seal your mouths in a soaring kiss. 

Eyes closed and ears laid back, you both enjoyed each other for a while before pulling away. His heart was beating so much faster than yours, and you could feel it through your bond. You could feel everything just as you had yesterday, you could feel his heart that still pulsated swiftly for you as it had done the previous night. 

“I told you that you had a connection with the Great-Mother.” he referred to the strange encounter with the viperwolves, and you shrugged knowingly. It had made sense to you from the minute your mother had told you of the absence of a biological father, but you wished not to jump to conclusions back then. One of his hands moved up to tuck the a stray braid that framed your face. 

“Look around you, ma Neteyam.” he flushed at the loving name, but executed your demand right after. His eyes widened at the scenery besides the both of you. How was this even possible? Just about last night, Neteyam had been rubbing his fingers over the ashes that engulfed this dead land. Now upon your awakening, the place looked as though a wonderland from any human fairy tail movie. 

The freshly grown grass ran along the whole area, and short trees were still growing to their full potential. Neteyam looked back at you finally, not quite believing what had happened around the both of you while you were sleeping. Surely it must’ve been a sign of some sorts from the All-Mother, because there was no natural explanation for this. 

Your braids laid between the both of you, tendrils still intertwined strongly together. You brought a hand up to pull amongst yours, disconnecting them against your own will and the dissatisfied grunt of Neteyam. “We must go back, your family will start to worry for you,” you stated, acknowledging the fact that the both of you had awakened later than any other na’vi usually did. 

The both of you were too busy in your peaceful slumbers to even bother waking up, if it hadn’t been for the blinding sunlight and the viperwolf jumpscare that you had both received. You looked up to a clearing within the thick leaves of the trees that surrounded you as you noticed a flock of ikrans flying above the both of you. The forest was just waking up, and so had the both of you before any of you manage to get busted by a wandering thanator.

“For us,” Neteyam corrected you, and you tilted your head in confusion. “They will be worried for us.” he said, making your fangs stick out as you grinned at him. He leaned in to give you one last peck, before standing up and dusting himself. Like the gentleman that he had been raised to be, he helped you up with little to no effort.  

The way back home was endearing. Since the both of you had missed so much time together due to everything that was going on priorly, you made it your task to catch up while going back home. The forest welcomed you back into its embrace, and oh how amazing it felt to be back home. To be back in the body that you loved so much. 

Entering the village meant receiving the numerous prying stares, but Neteyam had vowed to you that he didn’t not mind yesterday. He had promised you that it was something that he would go through if it meant being with you. So he took it with pride, clasping your hand in his tightly for everyone to see. His back was straight, head up high as he walked besides you. 

You felt more confident then you had ever done in your years of walking on the lands of this clan. You were mated now, and if they wanted to kick you out, then they’d have to kick Neteyam out too. No one dared to mess with Neteyam, because he was their future Olo’eyktan but most importantly the current Olo’eyktan’s son. It was immoral to do so and only a fool could oppose Neteyam. 

It felt as though you were reborn as one of them, walking through their lands like you were one of them. But you were, and Neteyam had made it his duty to remind you of it every second yesterday. 

You didn’t quite understand why they called it ‘the walk of shame’ until you had to walk to Neteyam’s family tent. Where inside you knew that his entire family was waiting for the both of you, and it was obvious that two young adults left alone in the forest at night would do a little more than just discussing. 

lo’ak had been the first to spot you, much to your misfortune. A knowing smirk was plastered on his face as he looked between the two of you. He just couldn’t wait two more minutes to tease his older brother and he had no shame in doing it before his family. Tuk was quick to follow behind him, simply happy to see her family coming back. 

Lo’ak threw a hand over Neteyam’s shoulder, glancing at him from the with that taunting smile. 

“You are a man now, brother! Keep the babies for later, Tuk is already too much.” his older brother ignored him, only rolling his eyes as Tuk yelled at Lo’ak for his remark. He flinched pathetically as the little girl yelled at him, afraid of her wrath because she resembled their mother a little too much. And damn had he received a punishment from Neytiri after that stunt that he had pulled just the previous night. 

“He has been a man for a long time now.” Kiri stepped in and Neteyam’s cheeks flared at her remark. She referred to the one time that she had caught him sneaking out at night, a little after your relationship had been made public. You brought a hand up to your mouth to stifle your laughter.

Jake and Neytiri didn’t bother getting up from their spots, instead they awaited you from inside the tent. The scent of fresh fruits was almost overwhelming and you felt yourself begin to crave for the sweet delicacy. You scrunched up your nose as the sugary smell invaded your senses. There was a curt moment where Neteyam had laughed at your antics, before grabbing your hand to pull you inside. 

Neytiri had a knife in hand, and for a second you feared that she would cut you in the throat if she knew that you had mated with her son. Though she noticed the way you were dying the food with so much want, she invited the both of you to sit besides her and Jake. 

The air was not stiff like it usually was and their home was clear of any tension for the first time while you sat in it. It felt so gratifying to be able to have a normal meal with Neteyam’s family without Neytiri trying to pull the both of you apart. You were quick to dive into the platter full of a variety of fruits, holding yourself back from completely assaulting that platter because you still did have manners. 

Neteyam sat beside you, his stomach rumbling but he failed to do anything about it. He just couldn’t take his eyes off of you. You mesmerised him in a way that he couldn’t explain, and all you were doing was eating a bowl full of fruits. he felt like he was in one of those corny romantic movies that Norm used to show his little siblings, where the main character was so enamoured by their love interest that the world around them just goes deaf to their ears.

Though Jake just had to ruin that.

Neteyam’s ears flicker at the sound of his father’s voice calling out for him, and he reluctantly snapped out of his in-love stance. His eyes move towards his mother first, who is quiet but she’s smiling nevertheless at what his father must've said during his daydream. 

“I said you must eat, regain your forced from all that 

energy you’ve spent!” Jake teased his son in all the most fashionable Sully ways, and Neytiri hit him across the back of his head with the bottom of her palm. Dear lord, could anyone in this tent other than Tuk please just stop embarrassing the both of you. 

Neytiri rose from her silent state, as she got serious despite her former laughing form. “The future Tsahik cannot keep on detaching herself from her body to tend to another, she has to always be present.” your eyes widened and you nearly turnt your whole body towards your mate at his mothers words. She was considering you as their future Tsahik, Neytiri was acknowledging you in front of her whole family, 

Though she had no other choice now, because you had bonded with her son. You had so much more to learn about the roads on how to become a good Tsahik, but your strong connection with Eywa was already a good start. Neteyam however, looked like he had seen a ghost. His face was a little paler than usual, and he didn’t seem to be responding either.  

“You’re implying that…” he trailed off, looking for any sort of reconfort in his dad’s eyes. You quickly brought a hand over to squeeze his own, despite not knowing what he was so afraid of, your mate was clearly distressed and you couldn’t just stand there and watch him be. His ears flattened at your contact, his features softening slightly as he looked back on you. 

The sound of Lo’ak fake gagging from behind of you threw everyone out of whatever state Neytiri’s words had casted over you all, and he thanked his brother in some way. 

“She doesn’t have to, we'll discuss it later on.” Jake tried to soothe his son’s nerves, casting a warning look towards Neytiri so she does not open her mouth and frighten their eldest son once more. He knew that things were already stressful upon Neteyam’s shoulder, as they had always been, and he did not wish to stress his son furthermore on a day that he’s supposed to be enjoying. 

Nevertheless, breakfast was spent basking in the warmth of your now in-law family’s tent in the arms of your husband. You didn’t know what Neteyam was fearing so bad but you told yourself that you didn’t need to know for now, it could be discussed later on, as Jake had let it be known. 

For now, all you could be focused on was the piping hot meal that was served to you and Neteyam. He was clad in one of his best outfits, one that covered his torso fully, but he didn’t need to be half-bare to still be outstanding. You grabbed one of the teylu from your own plate, bringing it towards Neteyam as he looked at you in suspicion. 

“Cmon it’s going to fall!” you urged your mate, wiggling the worm before his face as though he was a puppy looking for a reward. Neteyam rolled his eyes playfully at your antics, opening his mouth as you shoved the teylu straight into his mouth. He gagged from surprise at first, his eyes widening at the dirty trick that you had played on him. Oh that’s how you were deciding to play? Then he could play that game too. 

Your ears flattened as you noticed him placing his wooden platter down, urging his body towards yours as he stood up. Eywa, you didn’t even have the time to put your own plate down as he ran after you, chasing you throughout the whole camp. Both of your laughter resonated around the camp and Mo’at watched from afar with pride at how far the both of you had reached. 

It didn’t take you both a lot of running and jumping to dodge a bunch of sitting logs before you had ran across a certain silent girl that you had learnt to be fond of. You stopped abruptly in your tracks, sending Neteyam nearly running into you. His arms caged your waist as he was sent to a sudden stop, holding your platter quickly in his hands before you could drop it. 

The incredulous look that he had on his face was like a reward and you leant forward to give him a quick peck on his cheeks as if asking for forgiveness. 

“I was looking for the both of you, I see you have finally found each other,” Zeppi said, a deep meaning in the simple words that she had spoken to the both of you. Her voice cut both of you off from whatever sappy romantic gesture that was going on. You eyed your best friend besides her, and you noticed how her eyes kept on flickering back and forth towards the taller girl besides her. 

Zuko, and how could you forget her. The girl that had taught you how to see without words. The same girl that had helped you when you were in desperate need and now the same exact girl that you had made your own personal mission in helping.

Helping her because Eywa were both oblivious. Standing in front of them was like standing before two awkward teens that had just confessed to each other, but that didn’t know what else was to ensure. 

God and it was painful to watch too, you couldn’t even imagine what it felt like to be any of them at that moment. Zuko was practically beaming purple as she looked at Zeppi, and you nudged your mate slightly in the stomach for him to look. 

The mute girl smiled at you, hesisting to hug you as you made the first step. It had been so, so long since you had last seen your best friend, and she had missed you loads. She had been spending more time with the daughter of Tarsem as of recently, Zeppi. It helped her to come clear with her own feelings, and her heart no longer ached as she saw you happily bonded forever now with Neteyam. 

Her heart sought someone else, stronger than it had for you. Because maybe she deemed that the both of you were soulmates, platonic soulmates. You were someone who had seen her when no one else did, and she had taught you to see in areas that you couldn’t. Though her feelings now fluttered for someone else, and she was sure of it. 

“And I see that so have you,” Neteyam added, making the both women flustered at their oblivious states. You snickered slightly, happy that everyone rejoiced all at once. You had promised the both of them that once you were done and over with your new duties, that all of you would go ikran racing together once more. Neteyam was the cockiest, affirming that he’d win again, and they all laughed at the memory of Neteyam winning a race that he wasn’t even part of.

-

“What are you thinking about?” Neteyam’s voice startled you, nearly making you drop your songcord. The new bead that had been added marked the new life that was offered to you and Neteyam, and it made you sentimental just to think about it. You couldn’t give him a verbal answer just yet, because you were afraid that you would burst into tears in that overwhelmed state of yours.

It was getting late at night, and the both of you had already moved all of your belongings into your new hut. Well all of Neteyam’s belongings, given that you had yet to go and fetch your things from the lab yet. The soft sounds of the crickets filled the void of noise between the both of you, filling in the comfortable silence. The only lights surrounding you both came from the soft moonlight, and your luminous freckles shone beautifully across your faces. 

You patted the grassy spot next to you, and Neteyam wasted no time getting seated besides you. His arm wrapped itself around your shoulders, bringing your head to lay comfortably against him. His nose scrunched up at the sweet smell of your perfume, one that you had made from crushing some sun lilies together into a liquid that you’d apply to your skin with your fingers. He felt so relaxed in your presence, like he was allowed to lay his guard down at anytime that you were near. 

He found comfort in you, being the person that he goes to everytime he feels like being vulnerable. And it worked in both ways, because that’s what being mated is like. 

You both had the life that you dreamed of and now your shared hut was awaiting your presence for the first night. It felt like a dream because you had never imagined that one day you’d finally be able to be freely happy with Neteyam. For as long as you remember, there always had to be some na’vi up your ass or trying to mess with your relationship and now that those times were over, you just felt so content. 

Content that Neteyam and you were getting the happy ending that you both deserved and content for the people that had helped you earn this life. You wouldn’t forget to go check up on Norm and Max tomorrow morning to let them catch up on everything, because they were family to you. 

You felt Neteyam’s calloused hands grip onto your chin, bringing you out of your daze. His eyes were full of love as he stared down at you, and just a year ago his stare would’ve been filled with annoyance or even distaste. The broken promises that he had once made to you were now granted but he had yet to make the biggest one yet. Though as you sit before each other, hearts full of adoration and futures empty for the both of you to write, he just can’t help but say it to you. 

“I promise to always give you all of my love.” Neteyam said, before crashing the both of your lips together in a passionate kiss. Your hands slivered over the back of his neck as you held him close to you, like he would disappear if you let go. There were little things that you both knew on this gigantic planet and you were still both so young, but the night was just as young and you couldn’t wait to spend the rest of your life with the man that had changed your life. For the better. 

-

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[mintmatcha]

hey mint! I am so curious about foster dad nanami. I just think he'd be great with kids especially the shy ones who don't talk much

cw: implied child neglect

The first child that comes into his care is described as "a bit of a lost cause."

It was the boy's fifth foster home in just as many months. The social worker made it clear that Nanami -a single man and first time parent- was not only not her first choice, but quite possibly her last resort.

"He can't be with other children," she explained on his doorstep, "He tries to take over and parent them. There's also a lot of trust issues with authority figures and some pretty bad tantrums, so don't beat yourself up if he's too much to handle."

She went on, explaining the faults of the kid as he sat in the car, watching with a distant expression.

"What does he like?"

The social work paused.

"Toys, games-- what does he like?" Nanami repeated.

"I'm- We aren't sure."

The boy was scrawny, all elbows and knees, and already outgrown the clothes he came with. The last home he had been in had shaved his head to get rid of lice, so his head was only dusted with a hint of dark, black hair.

"If you shave my head again," he said softly, but with conviction, as he stood at the dining room table, "I'll punch you."

The social worker had commented that meal times were an issue, so Nanami didn't push him to sit. Instead, he let him hover, eating bits of food whenever Nanami would take a bite himself.

"I won't do anything you don't want me to. I promise."

"That means you're lying," The boy dropped his current handful of rice back onto the plate. His voice was much too disappointed and wistful for a ten year old, "Anytime people promise me anything, they're just lying."

"What makes you say that?"

The boy peeked up through his lashes. "They promised me I'd stay with my brothers."

Over the weeks and months, Nanami found out more about Choso. He had four younger brothers and a 'baby still in mom'. The food hidden under the bed was for them if they needed it, as were the clothes he refused to part with, and the tears he shed at night.

It turned out he liked art. Choso would wrap himself around a limb and practice filling in his caretaker's long faded ink, pretending to tattoo himself.

"I know it's silly, but one day I wanna tattoo. Like, really tattoo."

"Why is it silly?"

Choso thought that over. "I dunno."

He continued to doodle in silence for a while and Nanami continued to read, unphased by this new tradition.

"Nanami, I miss my mom a lot," Choso said suddenly, "But I love it here a lot too, so... thanks for not sending me back."

Nanami rustled his now shaggy hair. "I would never turn you away."

Just after a year in Nanami's care, Choso and his brothers returned home. The parting was bittersweet, filled with promises that Choso could call whenever he wanted. The contact dwindled rather quickly, but the two never fully fell out of touch.

.

Seven years later, Nanami gets a call from a familiar number.

"Choso," he greets, "I hope you're sleeping well."

"Nanami." The tone of Choso's voice tells him that this isn't about pleasantries, "Are you still fostering?"

"On and off."

"My youngest brother was taken out of my mother's house this morning," the younger man sighs, "She's back on her bullshit and I'm not old enough to act as guardian, besides, I can't watch a toddler while at my apprenticeship-"

"You don't have to explain." Nanami's already pulling up his booklet of numbers, paging through for the numbers, "I'll make some calls and see what I can do. What's his name?"

"Yuuji."

[antianakin]

Honestly when people call Cassian Andor morally gray, mostly from the movie, I kinda side-eye? Because he doesn't really fit that. He's, he's a spy but the two things I see called morally gray are:

Shooting the other spy in the beginning, which was a sad choice to make, but the man was injured and they were being chased. There's no way for him to carry the man to safety while fleeing the stormtroopers, and leaving him there would have been a fate worse that death, we know what the Empire does to suspected spies, along with not risking intel leaks.

And setting out to assassinate Jyn's father, who at that point, nobody had confirmation he was anything other than a man loyal to the Empire, building a weapon of mass destruction. Its reasonable to think getting rid of the head engineer behind that project would either delay it or cause issues. The Rebellion was operating with less information than we, the audience had.

Both hard decisions made during hard times, but to me, Cassian Andor at least is an average guy, trying to make the best decision he can in basically the worst times ever.

I mean, I think that a lot of this is what MAKES Cassian morally gray. Being morally gray doesn't have to mean he doesn't care, or that his ultimate goal isn't something generally good and altruistic, either. Cassian is fighting for the greater good, he's trying to take down a tyrannical fascist Empire, he's doing what he's doing because he firmly believes that it's what's best for the entire galaxy and because it will ultimately save a lot of lives in the long run.

Being morally gray just generally means that the character operates outside of the more strict dichotomies of "good" and "evil." Luke Skywalker is pretty unequivocally "good" and he would likely never do the things Cassian does even though they both are aiming for the same goal. Luke would never even AGREE to assassinate Jyn's father, especially if he has to use Jyn to find her father in the first place. This would be something that Luke would consider wrong and he'd refuse to do it, even though there are reasons to think Galen might be working for the Empire and that it could be better for everyone if he was dead. And on the other end of the spectrum you have someone like Palpatine, or even Anakin (specifically during the OT) who aren't out for the greater good at all and are always motivated solely by selfish greed and nothing else.

So someone like Cassian operates somewhere between these two extremes. Cassian is willing to kill an innocent man who is his ally because he cannot take the risk of either of them getting captured by the Empire. He can presumably trust that HE'D hold up under torture, but he cannot trust that this informant (who has been pretty anxious and flustered so far) would do the same. Cassian's options are to stay and get captured with him, escape without him, or give him a quick and painless death and then escape on his own. The honorable option that we'd probably see a character like Luke choose is the first one, staying with the informant and trying to find a way for both of them to escape even though it runs a VERY high risk of both of them being captured. Killing an innocent man is an objectively evil thing to do, but Cassian looks at all of his options and weighs the risks and ultimately chooses the option that is best for his cause even if it requires doing something objectively evil.

And you ARE supposed to recognize that. There's this whole moment immediately after Cassian kills the guy that Diego Luna makes this really devastating face where you can tell he HATES what he just did, he HATES that he felt like he had to make that choice at all, but then he lets it go and escapes. This is not something that he just brushes off like it's nothing, it's something that does weigh on him and that's part of his whole arc within this film. He has to decide how to live with the choices he has made and the reasons he has made them and whether those reasons are worth what it costs to him personally. He obviously ultimately decides NOT to kill Galen because he cares about Jyn and he knows that killing Galen will mean ruining the connection that's been beginning to build between himself and Jyn. For the moment, he chooses to care about Jyn and Jyn's happiness more than he cares about the cause of the Rebellion. And at the end, he and the other volunteers all choose to go to Scarif because they cannot just abandon this cause that they've all given up so much for, that they've all had to do objectively evil things for. It HAS to be worth something, killing that informant HAS to be worth it or what does that make him? Without the cause, he's just a murderer.

And all of this is part of what makes him such a compelling character. Often these days we see morally gray characters in the position of the villain, where they have perhaps a sympathetic motivation but they're going about it all wrong and they have to be stopped because they've let their desire for a better world be corrupted into simply a desire for power. Some of these stories get done better than others, obviously, but this can be a really powerful narrative. But Cassian sits slightly differently where he is unequivocally one of The Good Guys, but the narrative posits the idea that sometimes sacrifices are required to achieve "the greater good." When your enemy is pure evil and willing to use tricks and lies to beat you, sometimes you have to give up some of your own moral code in order to beat them at their own game and protect as many people as possible. Sometimes being selfless looks like setting yourself on fire so that everyone else can stay warm.

And like I mentioned in the Andor post that I assume this is probably in reaction to, what I love most about this is how it relates to the Prequels Jedi and the themes therein, the struggle they have with maintaining who they are and the morals they live by when there's a galactic civil war going on and the other side of it is willing to commit massive atrocities in order to win. By fighting in the war, the Jedi are having to compromise, but if they refused to fight at all, they would lose everything that made them who they are. The Council chooses to commit treason in order to save the Republic from its own elected Chancellor. It's objectively morally wrong to commit treason, but it lands morally gray because of the motivation and the circumstances of the choice they are making.

Often doing the right thing isn't the same as doing the easy thing. Being selfless usually comes with making sacrifices. We see the the bigger "cosmic" version of this with the Prequels Jedi during the Clone War, but Rogue One and Andor show us another version of it from the perspective of the little people, those whose names and stories will never be remembered by history, but whose sacrifices paved the way for people like Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa to step in and be the heroes who took down the Empire. Cassian and the Prequels Jedi fall into a very similar thematic category in their stories and it's honestly SUCH a compelling story and I love the way Rogue One and Andor chose to follow up on that theme.

[twistedwriting]

Azul Ashengrotto Character Analysis

I have many thoughts of Azul, yet not a single word comes to mind when I try to write them down but I will try my best.

There are certainly a few topics that are questionable or even judged upon the fandom, some also seem to forget that Azul is more than his contracts and his shady ass business. Some view him as manipulative while I believe he just saw stupidity in humanity and took this weakness of mankind and turned it against those who were foolish enough to not ask questions. Azul has never lied in his contracts, not a single time. He provided what he had offered and taken what he was entitled to take. Let's take the main issue of Book 3: The contract Ace, Deuce, Grim and many others had signed: Offering their magic for a study guide - If they'd make it to the top 50, they'd get their magic back. If not, they become the Sea anemones that are to follow Azuls every order. He provided the guide and it helped everyone who has gotten their hands on it - Did he lie? He didn't. All he did was *exactly* what people had asked - Nothing less and nothing *more*. And that is the exact point: He didn't give information if he wasn't asked for it. Or Yuus contract: He took Ramshakle, he provided what the Freshmen needed - He didn't lie. In fact, he offered more than he had to: The Potion. The twins interfered but was it against the contract? It wasn't. As I see it, Azuls contracts are much like the wish of a genie: If you wish, be most specific or live with the consequences. You don't want anyone interfering with your stealing? Should've said so, simple as that.

What Azul made the "Villain" was the naivety of those who signed their name on the contract.

But there's more of Azul than this. I think it's justified of what he does. People are stupid, people are naive but most importantly: People are cruel. Especially kids are worse than any demon from hell. If you're being bullied as a child or even up to being a teenager, you'll be emotionally fucked for a long time, if not forever. You'll become insecure of whatever you've been bullied of for something that'll feel like eternity. You want to avoid this very thing, no matter how important it is supposed to be in your life. It'll cause you to break down at some point just for you to pretend like nothing happened afterwards - Especially if you've built up the very picture of someone who's got it all together like Azul did. While he pretends there's no issue, I refuse to believe that he doesn't have an Eating Disorder. Being bullied for your weight as a child (which is - in his case - not even really justified since you basically compare an octopus to a fish. A comparison that is found in every sense of the equation) leaves a mark. A deep, burning mark. Avoiding mirrors, pictures, tight clothes or being seen by anyone without your clothes. You can't tell me he's willing to get rid of his childhood and not have an eating disorder, that he wants to pretend the little healthy octopus child didn't exist and that he can look in the mirror without suffering. It's Canon that he's strictly taking care of his weight - But it's also Canon that his favorite food is fried chicken, possibly the worst choice for strictly keeping your weight. A diet is all good and stuff but strictly starving your body of certain things will only cause mental distress.

I can see he's a sensitive soul, trying to hide behind the mask of sheer confidence and superiority. His only friends are the two weird guys who didn't leave him alone - Sure, they're not the best choice but having two eels by your side is better than being alone. Whether the relation between these three is toxic or not, they depend on each other - especially Azul depends on Jade and Floyd and by the way the twins reacted to Azuls overblot, I'm confident to say that they also depend on him. After all, they might "Can't stand" each other as they'd say, they still stuck around even though there are many reasons to be "like the others" and turn away.

There was something else I had in mind but it just won't come to me right now, so I'll leave it at that for now. All I'm gonna add is that I'd really like to hug Baby Azul and tell him that he's perfect the way he is. To be his friend and let him know that it doesn't matter how he looks like because no matter how much you Weight, if your nose is crooked or if you're labeled "ugly" by modern society, it's your heart and soul that is meant to be you; not your mortal vessel.