#even if there is an age difference people are still allowed to ship it

[vickorydickorydock]

For the record, there is nothing wrong with shipping Leo and Usagi. “bUt UsAgi iS oLdEr--” no. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2003 is a separate universe from the Usagi Yojimbo comics, and Usagi in the cartoon is a different character from comics canon. Usagi’s age is never mentioned in 2003. If someone wants to extrapolate his age and history from the comics, they’re welcome to, but it’s all conjecture. 

[musical-chick-13]

I bring a real "Doctor x River OTP" vibe that a bunch of the DW fandom doesn't really like.

[rinixo]

wisdom tells me to turn away

Din Djarin/Reader | 4.8k | Rated E | afab reader, no y/n, angst, angst and emotional comfort, sexual content, piv sex, ‘outercourse’, alluded to breeding kink, vague age difference

Being a non-Mandalorian makes navigating your relationship with Din difficult. Being the only non-Mandalorian on Mandalore makes navigating your relationship with Din even more difficult. Non-linear oneshots featuring you, a university scholar from Naboo who is helping The Mandalorian seek out the Jedi. read on ao3

Despite being in ruins, Mandalore was still beautiful. Nature curled around the rubble everywhere you looked, moss and roots slowly reclaiming the ruined city. You strolled through what used to be busy streets, trying to pass as much time as you could before you had no choice but to return to the Mandalorian headquarters.

You had been on the planet for three days, and you had spent most of your time wandering around. From the moment you had landed you had felt uncomfortable. You were watched constantly by the helmeted forces, and the feeling of being distrusted permeated every brief interaction you had with every person you had met. Part of you understood why – Mandalore had been destroyed by outsiders, but it was still not easy to navigate.

Din had wanted to return here. His loyalty to his people was still a core tenant of who he was, and now that the child had chosen to stay with him, he was able to focus on helping his people rebuild. The weapon he had won from Moff Gideon had also thrust him into a position of authority that most of the other Mando’s deferred to. Having him and the Darksaber here helped bolster the recovery efforts, and every day new Mandalorian refugees arrived on planet from every corner of the galaxy.

You had agreed to join him on this journey, partly out of affection for him and partly out of curiosity. Your academic interest had quickly faded once you were on the planet, as what little historical information that remained was heavily guarded and off-limits to non-Mandalorians. Din had advocated on your behalf, and you had been allowed access to some records, but it was mostly agricultural-based, like crop yields and trading figures. You had quickly grown bored of it. Now the main reason you stayed was because Din was here and, well – it’s not like you had your own ship to leave on.

Pausing in your walk, you looked up to the sky and sighed. Dusk was approaching, and you knew you should head back before it got too dark out, but the thought of spending another long, lonely night wasn’t particularly exciting. Din’s days had been spent with the leaders of the Mandalorian forces, planning and building and talking about who knows what. Your room was small and not near Din’s, and while it hadn’t been explicitly said, spending the nights with him did not seem like an option. Just like your presence on the planet, your attachment to the man wasn’t particularly welcome.

Your partnership had bloomed into a sort of relationship, one you weren’t sure how to classify. In the moments you two were entangled in the dark, you felt like more than just lovers. There was a reverence in how Din made love to you, making you feel like the center of his universe. However, in the light of the day, to the eyes of outsiders, the two of you were little more than traveling companions – partly for safety, and partly because neither of you knew how to make it go further.

Now here, on Mandalore, that distance felt like it was widening by the second. You had seen only glimpses of the man over the past couple of days – he was up before the sun rose and was still out by the time you found yourself wandering back to your own sleeping space. Grogu was also spending most of his time with Din, leaving you to fend for yourself.

The rational part of you knew he wasn’t ignoring you on purpose. You had been in his life for such a short time, and you knew that if you were in his position you would also want to spend time with the people who shared your culture.

However, you also found yourself simmering with a mixture of emotions you were afraid to give names to. Earlier you had seen Din standing around a table with a group of other armored and armed Mandalorians. The lilt in your heart at seeing him was quickly overtaken by a pang of jealousy at the way a female Mandalorian gestured at something on the table to Din, leaning in close enough that her arm brushed his.

Part of you wanted desperately to make your way to his side, stake a personal claim and be claimed by him in return. You had gotten used to being the center of his attention while traveling together, and while you told yourself he still cared for you, you wanted him to show it.

You didn’t know the ins and outs of Mandalorian culture, and what information existed that was accessible to you was not very enlightening. Based on your interactions with Din, you surmised that family and clan were very important. His devotion to Grogu was evidence enough of that, as well as the way the three of you often found yourselves helping others no matter where you went. Yet there were still questions that lingered about your specific relationship with Din.

You still had never seen his face. When you slept together, it was always in the dark, and most of the time he remained more clothed than you. He was not shy when it came to touching you when the two of you were alone in the dark, but there was a kind of unspoken agreement that personal affection ended once the lights were on. You didn’t know if this would eventually change, or even if it could. There was an undercurrent of forbidden-ness that permeated your relationship, stemming from his isolationist cultural values and your careful tiptoeing around not making him feel like he needed to betray what he stood for in order to satisfy you.

You wondered if there were texts you could access in the limited library here at the compound that would give you answers to your questions. I should just ask him, you had told yourself more than once, but it never happened. Having that conversation would answer your questions, but you weren’t sure if you wanted to hear those answers. Perhaps finding that information in texts would be easier for you to bear, or at least prepare you for a true conversation about whatever future Din saw between the two of you.

Making your way back towards the makeshift repository, you felt the eyes of the armed guards follow you the entire way. You weren’t entirely sure what they thought you might get up to – it wasn’t like you had any weapons – but they treated you like a threat. If it wasn’t so intimidating, it would make you laugh.

The repository – a side room filled with locked cabinets and server towers – was gloriously empty when you arrived. There were usually one or two miscellaneous Mando’s in here, carefully sorting through information or stacking whatever was recovered for future sorting by someone else. The day was slowly ending, and you knew most of the forces here would be settling in for a meal. You being here meant you’d have to settle for whatever was left over tonight, but you were willing to pay that price for the chance of a few uninterrupted minutes of data hunting.

You started with the servers, knowing you it would take less time to search a digital collection that through physical ones and the longer you stayed, the higher the chance of someone coming in and yelling at you. Connecting your data pad, you ran a search for all ‘culture’ related queries you could think of. Surprisingly, you got several hits that seemed to be relevant. Feeling nervous, you quickly downloaded copies to your personal device and disconnected, taking extra care to wipe what evidence you could of your access to the server. Years of hacking into secure systems searching for data your institution deemed out of your pay grade had given you more than enough skills to erase your trail from most casual observers.

Pleased with your finds, you hurried back to your rooms for a quick shower and some intense studying time.

--

After showering quickly, you returned to your room. It was little more than a side closet, big enough for a low cot and a small chest of your belongings. You settled in, a warm cup of caf at your side, and began looking over the information you found.

The more you read, the more questions you had. A lot of the information was secondhand, histories and tales taken from oral sources and documented digitally for preservation. It wasn’t the goldmine of direct answers you were looking for, but you did find a few key points, some of which both confused and concerned you. The little information you found mentioned something called the ‘Six Actions’, as well as basic expectations about family and relationships. It wasn’t anything groundbreaking in any particular direction, but you were left with more curiosity about where you stood in Din’s life. It was looking like you’d have to be brave and ask him yourself.

Not willing to spend another night with your anxious thoughts, you decided to go to him as soon as you could. You waited a few hours, until all but those on watch duty would be asleep. Wrapping your linen shawl over your head and shoulders, you slipped quietly out of your room, hurrying as quietly as you could towards Din’s room. Thankfully you did not see anyone in the ten or so minutes it took you to make your way across the small compound. You found the door you were looking for, and lightly knocked.

Half a second pause, and then the door slid up, revealing Din. He was still armored head to toe. He said your name softly, almost as if a question. Wringing your hands, you suddenly felt shy.

“Can I come in?” You asked, voice barely above a whisper. Din immediately stepped to the side to let you in. You pulled your shawl down over your head, and shook out your hair. You looked around the room, immediately noticing it was both larger and more kitted out than the closet you had been shoved into.

“Are you alright?” Din asked, breaking the silence. You nodded, wrapping your arms around yourself.

“Yeah,” you replied. You wanted to talk, to spill every thought that had been in your mind for the past few days, but the words died in your throat as emotion built. Something about being here in the same room as him made you feel more upset than not being around him. Seeing him, being in the same room as him made facing the reality of getting answers to the questions you had about your relationship seem harder every moment.

Din stepped towards a small table in the middle of the room, and pulled out a chair. You managed to step the short distance towards him, and took the seat he offered. He backed up towards a small ledge, leaning against it and crossing his arms in a familiar shielding gesture. Out of the corner of your eye, you spied Grogu’s cradle, the lid shut. You were glad he wasn’t awake for this conversation, as you suspected it would have made it that much harder.

“How have you been?” You asked quietly, taking your turn to break the silence. Din shrugged casually with one shoulder.

“Busy,” he replied. “There’s so much going on. I knew it would be a lot, but every day there’s something new.”

“Oh,” was all you could think to say. You didn’t want to ask him specifics on what he was doing. You didn’t want to hear about all the time he was spending away from you, from whatever was so engrossing he hadn’t even thought to check in on you for days. All you had done over the past few days was think about him. You bounced your leg, partly out of nervousness, partly for something to channel your energy in to so that you wouldn’t burst into angry tears.

Clearing his throat, Din adjusted his stance slightly. He was obviously uncomfortable with your silence. “Ah…and you?” He finally asked. “How have you been?”

You let out a choked laugh. “Oh, fine,” you answered, trying and failing to keep the bitter tone out of your voice. “I spend the first half of the day wandering around the rubble while armed guards stare at me through blaster sights, and the second half I spend staring up at the ceiling of the closet I sleep in.”

A modulated sigh. “I-I’m sorry,” he placated. “I told them you were with me, that you didn’t need to be watched, but they’re…” he trailed off. You nodded, eyes trained on his boots and bit your lip as you chewed on a million different responses.

“I know,” you finally replied. “I get it. I’m an outsider. I’m not a warrior or a bounty hunter. There’s not a lot I can do to be useful to you all.”

“That’s not true,” Din countered. “You’ve been a big help to me, and to Grogu.” That got a slight smile from you, and you looked up at him.

“Thanks…but that’s not why I’m here.”

“Do you need a reason to be?” Din asked, and your heart twinged.

You wondered how best to approach this topic. Being here made you want to pretend all of your worries were gone and fall in to his arms, but you knew that once the night was over you’d go back to being alone again, with all of the same questions still stuck in your throat.

“Where do we go from here?” You looked up at him. The ‘we’ was whatever your entanglement was, beyond being traveling companions and occasional bedfellows. Would you land in the same place, your roots entwined with one another’s? Or was this the beginning of a slow end, with you parting ways towards separate futures?

“What do you mean?” Din answered.

“Us,” you expanded. “Do you…how do you feel about us? Where does this lead?”

A quick note of silence. “I’m not sure what you’re asking. Where is this coming from?” Din shifted in posture, arms still crossed in front of him.

“I was reading,” you went on, “About Mandalorian culture. I know how I feel, but I wanted to understand how you feel. About us.

“I care for you,” Din said softly yet firmly, but that wasn’t what you wanted, and the hurt in your expression told him so.

“You can’t say it-“

“Why does it need naming?” Din challenged after a moment. “Isn’t it enough, just to have it?”

“No, it’s not!” You raised your voice for the first time, anger and hurt flashing from your eyes. “You can’t – you can’t just kiss me, and fuck me, and whisper sweet things to me in the dark and –“

“That’s-“

“Is it so shameful?” You interrupted, vision blurry from emotion. “That I can’t even spend the night on the same side of the building as you?”

Din sighed, hands going to his hips in flustered frustration. “No, it’s-“

“I’m not a Mandalorian,” you finished for him.

A pause. “No,” Din agreed slowly. “You’re not.”

He pulled out the companion to the chair you were in, and sat in front of you. Even in the low light, the brilliance of his armor was enough for you to see your own trembling form reflected back at you.

“And I’m…not sure I want to be one,” you added hoarsely.

I don’t know if I can live this life.

The silence was painful. You wished for the millionth time that the stupid helmet wasn’t on his face so that you could get a glimpse of his reactions. There you were, laying your heart out bare in front of him, tears welling up in the corners of your eyes, and he sat like a statue.

“I have been selfish,” Din finally answered. “The creed does not approve of relationships between a Mandalorian and one who is not, or one who is not planning to be part of the culture.”

You let out a pained laugh as you wiped your tears with the back of your hand. “You are ashamed of us.”

“No, no,” Din corrected. He leaned forward and reached for one of your hands. You allowed him to grasp it, the warmth of his skin coming through the worn leather gloves. His thumb brushed over your chilled skin, and you sniffled as you watched the motion, unable to stare at your reflection in his helmet.

“I care for you. Deeply. You make me want things I’d never thought I’d have.” His grip on your hand tightened slightly. “I’ve been selfish, I-I knew that this wasn’t fair to you. That I couldn’t ask you make that kind of choice.”

“But you did,” you choked out. “Isn’t that what this is?”

Din squeezed your hand. “The creed is important to me,” he continued. “I can’t just let it go.”

You closed your eyes tightly, feeling tears squeeze through and trail down your cheeks. “So you’re letting me go.”

“No, mesh’la. I can’t.” A short exhale of a modulated laugh. “Stars, I can’t. I told myself that every time would be the last time, but I just can’t let you go.” Din’s hands went up to cradle the side of your face, and he gently thumbed away your tears.

“I won’t make you stay,” he continued. “If you want to leave. You are young, and your life is more open than mine ever was.” You looked up at him, vision blurred by emotion.

“But I want to make this work,” Din confessed. “I want to make us work.” Your lower lip trembled, and he brushed a thumb over it softly.

“Wh-what would that look like?” You asked, voice wavering slightly.

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “There’s more to being a Mandalorian than I could have known. Learning – and unlearning – will not be easy. And I can’t promise that it will be quick. But if it’s the difference between having you, and not…” Din trailed off.

“Do you want to leave?” He asked quietly.

“No,” you relented at last. “I don’t.”

Din let out the breath he was holding, and leaned back in his chair.

“I’m glad.”

“I can’t really fight, or repair buildings,” you went on. “I don’t know if being a Mandalorian is what I want…but I don’t think I can stand one more night of sleeping by myself in that closet.”

Another short bark of a laugh. “No, sweet girl. I’ve missed you in my bed these past few nights.”

You ducked your head shyly again, a smile across your lips. “Oh?”

His response was to stand, and reach for your hand. You let him pull you to your feet, and shuffle you towards his sleeping area. He had a real bed. A big one.

A few button pushes on his wrist, and the lights in the room dimmed. You allowed him to help you undress to your base layers, and fell against the bed as he turned off the lights and began to take his armor off.

You curled up on your side, one hand under your cheek, and the other on the pillow. You heard him finish disrobing and pad his way to the other side of the bed to crawl in next to you. One of his hands, warm and calloused, reached over to cup your cheek gently.

“I did miss you,” he confessed. “Over these past few days. Grogu did too.”

You felt his fingers trace the smile on your lips. “Did you miss me, or did you miss me distracting him while you worked?” Your own hands went to the side of his neck as you scooted closer to him. Your played with the soft curls at the base of his neck, the stubble on his face scratching your wrist.

“That too,” he concedes, and you chuckled. You can feel his pulse in his throat, a steady beat as his arms move to pull you in closer. Sometimes, when he holds you, it feels like he won’t be satisfied until you’re pulled completely inside of him.

“You’re a father now,” you tease, and his hand grips your side a little harder. “You’ll need to learn to discipline him better.”

“And what do you know about discipline?” He breathes against your mouth. Angling your face to press a kiss to the side of his lips, you nuzzle your nose against his, just barely out of reach.

Your mouth meeting his is your answer. The scruff of his facial hair is a welcome feeling against your cheek and your chin, and you place once hand on his chest while the other scratches at the base of his neck. One of your legs is hoisted up over his hip, and his hands go to your ass to pull you against him. You let out a muffled gasp at the feeling of his erection against your clothed cunt.

The two of you rock back and forth, devouring each other in an attempt to fill the longing within. Breaking away from his mouth for half a second, you roll yourself onto his lap, thighs spread over his lower abdomen, hands splayed on his broad chest.

“Down,” you command breathlessly as you feel Din tense under you. You tug on the loose linen shirt he wears, and he obliges and helps you pull it off over his head. You trace his pulse from his neck down to his chest, nails scratching him lightly. That pulls a small groan from him, and you shuffle your hips so that your core bumps against where his cock strains against his linen pants.

“Girl,” he warns you lowly, but you ignore him as you reach behind you to free him from his clothing before slipping off your own shorts. His cock thuds heavy against his abdomen, and you place the seat of your pussy over his pulsing length,

You slowly slide up and down the length of him, enjoying the way the thick head of his cock parts your lips and bumps against your sensitive clit.

“Fucking hell,” Din spits, and you feel him throw his head back against the pillow. His hands come up to grab your waist, but you refuse his attempt to direct your movements and remove them. Your pace remains steady as you continue to slide him through your slick center, enjoying the tortured groans your work elicits from the man.

You circle your hips so that the head of his cock – twitching and leaking – bumps rhythmically against your clit. Your hands steady yourself on his chest, mouth opening in a breathy whimper. There’s a knot of frisson building, centered where your bodies meet.

“Gonna cum on my cock?” Din groans, voice thick with desperation. You scratch your nails on his chest, hyper focused on the way he throbs against you. “Fucking hell, I can feel you dripping on me, you wicked girl-“

“Mmm!” You can’t speak, afraid to break the high prematurely. You grind yourself down on him, leaning forward to rest your forehead on his collarbone.

“Yes, good girl, use me,” he growls again. “Be a good girl, cum on my cock, and I’ll fill you up-“

You fall over the edge, mouth opening into a silent ‘oh’ pressed against his thrumming heartbeat. Your lower body shakes with your release, hips stuttering to break their rhythmic pattern.

Din doesn’t let you come down from it before he’s taking himself in his fist and aligning himself up to the entrance of your cunt. Your voice returns in a wail as he shifts his hips up at the same time he pulls your waist down so that he’s filling you up completely.

“This is why I can’t let you go,” he groans, tilting his hips up so that the head of him kisses your cervix. “You’re too fucking perfect, you take my cock like you’re made for it-“

A cry of pleasure is caught in your throat and turns into half a sob as he maneuvers your waist. His legs come up for leverage so he can piston up into you. Despite the possessive way he words it, you can hear the awe in the timbre of his voice, feel the desperation in how he fucks you. The first couple of times the two of you slept together you could tell he was holding back. He only took you from behind, and you had to gently coax him to touch you in places other than your hips. You weren’t sure if it was due to shyness or inexperience, or just the result of being a man who didn’t allow himself any kind of pleasure beyond that which what would serve his clan.

Here though, in the dark, he let go. Fucking from behind turned into him tangling himself into you, holding your shoulder so you didn’t hit your head against the metal wall of his cot as he pounded your poor cunt relentlessly. Restrained moans turned into him whispering filthy, adoring praise into your ears. Turned in to him almost giving name to the desires you pulled out of the depths of his being.

“You make me want things I shouldn’t,” he grunts, taking the chance to flip your bodies so that he was above you. You arch your back with a moan, and Din mouths wetly up from your breasts to your exposed neck, not once stopping the slap of his pelvis against you.

You grasp lamely at his shoulders as he hoists one of your legs up to his side. He grinds himself inside of you. You know what he is alluding to when he says things like that. You can tell by the way he used you. Sex itself was more than just pleasure for him. It was also the base purpose of binding the two of you together, the ache of wanting to flood your womb, and to bask in the consequences. You wonder if he does it consciously, or if it’s just the heat of the moment, but something about how it leaves him it makes it feel like more than just dirty talk.

“You’re perfect,” he puffs against your mouth. You’re on the edge of another orgasm, relishing in the way he fills you. You’re more reluctant to voice what he asks of your body, and instead urge him on by the way you angle your hips so he can hit as deep as possible, all but begging him to fill you up. You don’t know what it would mean, if it took. For the two of you, or the creed, but the way it drove his passion made you want to find out.

Din groans, and you feel him twitch up inside of you. “Cum on my cock,” he demands. One of his thumbs comes down to press against your clit, and you shriek, still sensitive from your first orgasm. You hear him curse as your core pulses around him, and he holds your hips still as his own orgasm approaches and he ruts deeper.

“That’s it,“ he pants, and pulls you closer, cock creating a seal against your cervix. “Fucking stars. Take my seed, sweet girl, good girl-“

You choke out his name as he buries his face into the side of your neck, holding your hips to his own as he pulses his release inside of you. Your legs shake from exertion, trembling in his grasp as he holds himself inside you, cock still pulsing thick streams of white. You close your eyes, lost in a fog of ectasy.

The two of you stay like that for a while, the tight seal of your pussy reluctant to let go of him. When he finally raises himself off of you, you whimper at the loss of his warmth. He leaves the bed with a groan, and padded somewhere off in the dark. You pant, trying to calm your breathing and settle down.

Din returns, and sits next to you on the bed. He murmurs something lowly that you don’t quite catch, and you feel something warm and damp against your skin. Gently, he wipes a cloth against your thighs and your sensitive core, and then up and over your breast and collar. He follows the cloth with his mouth. He leaves lingering kisses up the center of your breastbone, to the side of your jaw, to your mouth, and to your forehead.

“I’m ok,” you let out a hoarse whisper, and feel him smile.

 “Just ok?”

You snort, and smack his shoulder lightly. “You know what I meant.”

He sighs contently, laying so that your heads were sharing the same pillow. He holds your legs with one hand, thumb brushing over the skin there.

The two of you lay there in comfortable silence, on the edge of sleep. You think about the things both said and unsaid.

“Is it going to be a problem if I sleep here?” You ask quietly. Din lets out a breath.

“No,” he responded. “And even if it was, I don’t care.”

“I don’t want to make things more complicated for you.”

Din laughs, but there is only affection in it.

“Sweet girl, you already have.”

 --

[otgo-brooklyn]

Older Brother!Slider with Baby Brother!Ice

Okay, so another contribution rant to the Top Gun Fandom:

Big Brother Slider, but ONLY, ONLY to Ice. And not the generic sibling relationship, no, but Ice is his Baby Brother.

For any who don't have that 'Baby' Sibling, as an eldest child, let me explain: A sibling is a younger, less better, version of yourself because your parents were a bit delusional and now there is Another™.

HOWEVER, a Baby Sibling, a BABY Sibling? No, they are essentially your own child, typically the youngest, they are your pride and joy, and when I tell you that with a Baby Sibling you become so protective over them you would commit horrible crimes for them- literally becoming an attack dog on a leash held by said Baby Sibling, that is a true Baby Sibling/Older Sibling relationship. The minute they are born they're just, your child, like so what the birth certificate says that their parents are my parents, that's obviously a lie. They legitimately become your child in more ways than one, whose only role in life is to be happy and loved. And this is SO the relationship between Slider and Ice.

Ice is the Baby Sibling™, with Slider as the protective older brother. Slider makes sure that Ice is happy, and cared for/loved, protected, everything for the Baby™. I cannot explain enough how much I love this head-cannon, and all the proof I'll ever need to explain it is this one GIF;

Look at Slider, the protective arm around the shoulder, the glare, the judgement in his very being, the way his jaw tenses-, compared to Ice, who is just sitting there, not even noticing, focusing on something else all happy like (Or as happy as Ice can get while in Ice-man mode (Or as happy as one can get when translating languages, if you saw my other post about Russian!Ice ;D)).

Slider nearly getting kicked out of the Top Gun program due to beating a fellow pilot unconscious because he DARED shit talk Ice

So they never gave Slider a DOB/specified age in Top Gun, but his actor, Rick Rossovich is 2 years older than Val Kilmer, so that only furthers the point of Slider's Older Brother Agenda

One time Goose was showing Ice how to cartwheel after Ice was interested in how he did it on the deck of the ship they were stationed on and Slider refused to allow Ice to do it because "What if he falls and cracks his skull open on the tarmac Goose!"

When reassured that Ice cracking his skull open isn't going to happen, and Goose was only going to demonstrate, Slider still wont budge on it. Ice never learned how to do a cartwheel to this day

Ice's foot getting caught in the track and wheels of a stationary, not turned on/working tank on accident and one singular, quiet, whispered "ow" after pulling it out of said track/wheel, was all it took to have Slider screaming his head off carrying Ice into medical absolutely positive that Ice just "Broke his own god-damn ankle, GET A MEDIC-"

Someone shoving past Ice on their way to the mess hall in a rush, causing Ice to stumble back literally 2 steps, and Slider getting in their face, slamming them into a wall with a "I swear you put your hands on Ice one more time, your not gonna have hands AT ALL"

He then slings his arm around Ice's shoulder and directs him to the mess hall, glaring at any poor soul who dared look in Ice's direction

They were at the bar and a woman started to approach Ice, who, of course was not noticing (he only has eyes for a 5'7" gremlin named Mav), and Slider shuts that down REAL QUICK. Like, no, not today Lilith, pick a different naval guy-

Give Mav The Talk when he notices Mav giving eyes to Ice, and Goose because Slider can never be too sure, and everyone observing this is sitting there like 'what the actual fuck' after Slider threatens to, and I quote, "French braid your fuckin' nervous system you shitty dwarf" towards Maverick amongst other colorful threats

It gets to the point where Slider is so protective over Ice, people don't ask Ice anything without looking to Slider for some kind of acceptance or denial, like;

Hollywood: Hey Ice do you wanna- Slider, the coldest look ever seen, actively dropping the temperature in the room while promising a slow and tortuous death: Hollywood: -help me figure out this trajectory angle equation for this [classified] mission? Ice, absolutely oblivious to the entire situation: Sure? I guess?

Its single-handedly the funniest and most terrifying thing to ever happen in Top Gun history, aside from whoever decided to put Maverick Mitchell in a plane

And the cherry on top is that Ice DOESN'T HAVE A CLUE at the entire situation

When someone tries saying how terrifying Slider is to Ice he just brushes it off, like, "Oh Slider? No he's very nice, he even walks with me wherever I have to go in the day. He's all bark and no bite"

And everyone in the immediate vicinity just looking at Ice either with pity or like he's stupid because he doesn't know

He never figures it out either

(This overprotectiveness doubles, if not triples when he meets baby Bradley Bradshaw, and Slider just cant compute because now there is another person who has my undying love and protection-)

(Goose once lost Bradley on a very important, very large Naval destroyer and the entirety of the Top Gun Class of '86 is frantically searching the entire ship before Viper finds out and one of them just stumbling into Slider sitting on a couch with Ice and Bradley just absolutely passed out, sleeping like a brick, essentially using him as human furniture, and the look Slider gives them promises a 100 years of death if they wake either of them up-)

(After Goose's death when baby Bradley lives with IceMav, he just clings onto Slider whenever he's over because "I feel safest with Pops, but Pops feels safest with Uncle Sli', so I'm safest-est with Uncle Sli'")

(Mav doesn't know whether to cry because that is so cute- or be annoyed that Slider is preferred over himself)

(After Bradley reconciles with Mav, he's caught sleeping(read absolutely dead to the world) on Slider's chest like when he was as a child and no one knowing what to do because "Rooster that is a 2-STAR ADMIRAL OF THE US NAVY-" Slider is just like "I'm safest-est", and Bradley sleepily chiming in with a "safest-est" and deciding to just go back to sleep like nothing happened)

[kenandeliza]

A Marvel Family Fantasy AU

A few days ago, I randomly dreamt of Drawing Billy and Tawny in a fantasy setting.

Billy was this kid wizard and Tawny was his companion (or an animal to ride on like a horse)

Then it got me thinking, maybe in this setting, Mary could be someone of high status in this fantasy setting (since she's in a rich family in the golden age comics)

I'm inclined to think Freddy would be a captain of a ship for irony-sake but I have a feeling pirates and fantasy settings don't match well?

It's just funny for me to think of him with a peg leg xD

After further discussion with @the-brash-spud :

Warning: Too many text :>

These are the ideas we have so far (if there are quotation marks, those ideas belonged to @the-brash-spud ):

—

Maybe Billy and Mary were prince and princess separated by birth, (i'm not sure if its a kidnapping or the baby got lost on his own) but the wizard founded billy and trained him.

At the ripe age of (insert young age below a teenager's), The wizard decided to grant him the power of shazam to turn him into the world's mightiest Wizard!

Captain Marvel!

Wizard dies and then Billy and Tawny have adventures together, maybe helping people along the way (maybe somehow found out that Mary is his sister :p idk)

“ I think you could go angst if you made the wizard get brutally hurt in a battle to protect Billy and the rock of eternity so in a last ditch effort he transports the rock to its own pocket of existence and then giving Billy powers of shazam because its as ready as he'll be able to make the kid :) and it's his last effort for Billy to be protected even if he has to do so himself because he has failed :)) made Billy cry as Wizard turns into dust in Billy’s hands :)))”

—

Uncle marvel can be a con-man/thief who took pity on Billy or realiz, teaching Billy that the world isn't always honest and he's like, "Billy, don't always give money to the poor on the streets, sometimes they faked their illness to be lazy”

" Billy: "The man in the shadowy corner needs my help."

Uncle: "No, the hell he doesn't!”"

—-

How Billy Met Freddy

Billy probably met Freddy in a bar fight. How did the kid get into a bar?

Billy looked at the man exiting the pub with a bottle.

Billy: Ohh! So this is where you get refreshments here! I wonder If they have enough Milk for Tawny..

Pub sign written NO KIDS ALLOWED!"

*Billy can only read magic scrolls and not regular alphabet*

Cue him meeting Freddy (who's armwrestling with one of the people there)

(Insert Bar fight for some reason because The child decided to drink a white cocktail thinking it was milk and the fact that Billy is a Kid)

“Freddie is definitely that kid having his ass thrown out of the bar/pub/inn”

I'd like to think he and his brother are a team, prolly sailed a ship together.

“Yes, they target slave ships. Unless you wanna go different routes. Then, he is focused on certain nations' flags that have a whole lot of red in them

Also, he goes to the bars just to start bar fights over drunks being mean/nasty to the landlady. The landlady doesn't appreciate it bc now she has a broken table and four broken chairs”

Freddy faces the Captain Nazi equivalent of a pirate [Captain Arian? Like Aryan?] XD, Freddy lost his leg the same way, from his encounter with Captain Arian.

Kit (probably a necromancer or a ghost who's cursed to be bound in the ship Freddy's in, making Freddy more attached to the ship) can still summon crewmembers.

Maybe they both meet mary during the birthday ceremony parade

Maybe Mary snuck off from her family (disguise herself as a regular girl, i know, generic plot) and then meet Billy accidentally

Billy: It's my birthday today!

Mary: What a coincidence! It's mine too!

The-brash-spud: “Billy, in his innocence, thinks ,"There must be something to us sharing birthdays!" While Freddy calls him stupid, Billy tries to get a look at the princes and then cue the lung-fu panda rocket incident, but maybe something else more fitting with Freddy being pulled along”

On an unrelated note, i think Billy knew about Freddy's peg legafter either a pirate slashed it clean and Freddy just used it to bonk his head.

Billy is still screaming from the shock and immediately casted healing spells (i'd like to think everything about billy is lightning based- so yes getting struck by lightning is a healing spell for him :D) Freddy got shocked lmao

And what about boarding Tawny on the ship?

Billy:"Please???"

Freddy: "I'm not letting a tiger into my ship."

Kit who absolutely adores animals: "YES"

Freddy:"NO!”

Kit:" Does he love belly rubs??"

Billy:" yes but you have to ask him politely for his permission-”

Freddy rolled his eyes, realizing he has to clean cat fur everyday off from the furnitures.

___

How did Mary, a royalty tag along with a kid wizard and a pirate?

“Yeah, I guess forced separation would work better. Hell, go with a scenario that will allow them to have Mary with the parents' blessings as long as she's kept safe (she isn't, but that's because she is the danger herself)”

Mary and Billy: "Yay adventure"

Freddy: "Oh great, now I have to take care of two kids and a tiger in my ship!?"

*Freddy looking at Kit and the kids + a tiger playing together, kit seems happy*

Freddy: "...i guess it's alright..”

___

How Freddy and Mary found out about the wizard?

“Hmmmm, maybe Billy takes them to the rock because they were in a pickle, and unforeseen effects happen?

They got surrounded maybe?

Also I can see the aftermath

"You were raised by THE Wizard!? THE Wizard?! A Wizard of legends so often told he is recognisable even if his name was lost?!"

"Oh, his name is Shazam-" *BANG*”

____

Hopefully i could draw these AU ideas, I don't plan on making this into a story, i just like the concept that my dream gave my a few days ago and I’m just expanding it. Sorry for too many text xD

I don't mind if you want to add something to this silly lil AU, It's just a fun thing for me to do :p

[the-ace-reader]

Twisted Wonderland Guys

I’m a Leona Kingscholar stan through and through, but it goes further than that. They all deserve love. All the Overblot boys. They all deserve a Significant Other that can give them the love that they all want, need, and deserve.

Riddle Rosehearts? I don’t usually ship Riddle with anyone actually - this boy has been sheltered his entire life. He needs to learn how to live before he should worry about learning how to love imo. At least, love romantically. I can’t imagine he had the best role model of romantic love in his mother if his father was around at all. So start off with a different sort of love, the sort of love this boy quite obviously has lacked and the kind this boy quite obviously craves. This boy needs siblings. Give this child sibling, familial love. Give him all the siblings. Give him a younger sibling figure that he cherishes and vows to treats better than his mother treated him. Give him an older sibling figure that gives him the tough love that Trey struggles to give him. Give him a same age sibling that encourages him to let loose and get into a bit of trouble now that he has the room TO get into trouble. But above all, give Riddle a sibling that will love him unconditionally. Show him what family really is. Trey has started the ball rolling. Time to get it really moving.

Azul Ashengrotto? I will admit I’m not too fond of him, he’s my least favorite out of all of these Overblot dumpster fire messes, but even this attention-starved idiot deserves love. Give Azul someone that recognizes how hard he works. Give him someone who sees that, yes he is shady and underhanded, but those amazingly accurate study guides he hands out were made by himself. Those top grades were achieved by him. And on top of school work he is also one of the only sophomore Housewardens and the manager of the Monstro Lounge. Azul does so much, but he is mostly recognized only for the more shady, unsavory things he does. But he does more than that. Give him a SO that sees everything he does. Praises him for how hard he works. Maybe they don’t support his more unscrupulous dealings, but people walk into his contracts knowing Azul’s reputation. And by god, give this man a SO that is highly physically affectionate. I feel that Azul is touch-starved along with being attention-starved. Give the octopus hugs. All the hugs. Give Floyd a run for his money with all the hugs you give Azul.

Vil Schoenheit? This perfectionist needs to learn how to step away from things that are toxic to him mentally, even if they are beneficial to his career (cough cough Neige cough cough ((Neige is a sweetie, and it is not his fault, but Vil will never be happy being compared to Neige))). He needs to learn to drop his perfectly crafted masks and be honest with someone - be vulnerable - as uncomfortable as that would make him. Give him a SO that sees Vil at his most perfect and still treats him as a human being. No flowery words and praises like Rook would give, nor cowers or slight fear-tinged awe like Epel would give - this SO treats Vil as the mortal, fallible man that he is. And makes sure Vil knows that being a mortal, fallible man is okay. Give Vil a SO that is gentle with him when he is harsh on himself, but harsh on him when he is too harsh on others. Give him a SO that sees Vil at his ugliest and treats him exactly as they do when they see him at his most perfect. Give Vil a SO where Vil can be himself, no matter how that may look.

Jamil Viper? Needs a SO that is a combo of Vil’s and Azul’s. Jamil works just as hard as Azul, I would argue even harder honestly, but puts on a perfect mask like Vil does to hide the fact that he does and is even an actor like Vil is to hide the fact that he often stifles his own talents in favor of allowing Kalim to shine. Give Jamil a SO that is gentle with him, understanding of his situation, but willing to call him on his bullshit. His SO needs to be whip-smart and shrewd, they need to be able to keep up with him after all. He needs someone who is willing to choose him, without fail, every time. Put him first, but not necessarily rely on him. But that doesn’t mean they’re independent. In fact, they need to be willing to shoulder some of Jamil’s burden. He may object to it, but Jamil’s SO needs to gently tell him he has worked alone long enough. Jamil needs someone that he can rely on. Someone who recognizes him for everything that he does, encourages him to do more things for himself, and is not afraid to call him out when he hides behind his masks or gently coax him out of his hood when he hides behind that instead.

Idia Shroud? Idia needs a SO that is, at their core, understanding and patient. Anxiety is a bitch. It is not something someone can just get over and overcome with a snap of their fingers. Idia isn’t being difficult for the hell of it. He has severe anxiety. And Idia needs a SO that understands that and is willing to meet him even more than halfway. I think an extroverted SO is a must, because they can help gently, gently encourage Idia to open up out of his shell a bit. But the perfect SO for Idia is someone that is willing to go to his room and spend time with him. Willing to text him and video chat on days where he is not up for physical interaction. Does not look at him strange when he can’t get his words out of his mouth and needs to use his tablet as an aid to communicate. His SO is one who tries to understand his interests better, looking up the games and manga he’s interested in, looking up gaming lingo so they understand the phrases and shorthand he uses occasionally. Idia needs someone who not get easily offended - from Idia cancelling plans or changing them to online only to him calling them a newb or a normie. His perfect extroverted SO is not only understanding and patient but also very go-with-the-flow. They also need to have a good sense of humor and, of course, a love of all things adorable and fluffy. Basically, Idia’s best SO is also his emotional support extrovert.

Malleus Draconia? Oh my god. This stupid, adorable fae man. Naive cutie pie. Clueless baby. He is a man of dichotomy. So very powerful and strong. So very smart and old in a human’s eyes. And yet at the same time he is an awkward turtle to the extreme and I love him for it. Much like Idia, Malleus needs a SO that is patient with him, someone who will be willing to explain the things he does not understand. A fearless extrovert would also be a great idea, Malleus’s SO has no fear of him, why would they? This is their love. They know Malleus would never hurt them. Even when Melleus is mad and there are storms raging outside and around him and others are warning the SO away from Malleus, his SO will simply walk over to him and give him a hug. Malleus just isn’t scary to his SO and he adores them for it. Being an extrovert, Malleus’s SO would want to go out and explore everywhere and they would, of course, invite Malleus to join them. Give Malleus a SO that knows Malleus has a thing with invitations and specifically words everything they can to make it obvious the implication of an invitation is there, even if the word itself is not. Give Malleus a SO that is just as curious as he is too, and in their curiosity they both learn so much together and end up becoming magnificent rulers as well, simply because they bring so much new knowledge back to Briar Valley from their explorations and their thirst to know more means they are never afraid to evolve and improve their realm. Give Malleus a SO that is not afraid to take the extra step of having a spell or something performed on them to make their lifespan match that of Malleus if they are not fae. Briar Valley and, more importantly, Malleus’s family of Lilia, Silver, and even Sebek all approve of them.

And, of course, Leona Kingscholar? I love Leona so, so much. So it’s so hard for me to say what kind of SO would work best for him after reading so many fics with different takes that all seem equally fitting. Above all though, give Leona a SO that, just like with Jamil, chooses him first. Leona is their first choice. They could have anyone, choosing Leona, the besmirched second prince, is making everyone question their sanity, but his SO doesn’t give a shit. Leona is their choice and they don’t care what anyone else thinks or says. I think Leona’s SO has 2 sides to them, much like I feel Leona himself does. In public, Leona’s SO would be challenging. Pushing him to actually wake up and take charge of his life again. I feel like Leona and his SO would be the ultimate “they have already been married for 20 years” couple. Playful bickering, sassing, and teasing are a must in this relationship. It is law. But so are small signs of the absolute trust the two of them have in each other - Leona allowing his SO to pet his hair and ears (especially while he’s sleeping with his head in their lap), him allowing them to steal and eat some of his food, the SO allowing Leona to manhandle them into his space, them allowing Leona scent mark them very obviously and even growl at certain beastmen that he doesn’t like when they get too close without batting an eye at the possessive behavior. But when they are alone the other side of the relationship comes out. Leona wants to not only be recognized but also to be needed - so give him a SO that, behind closed doors, is soft and sweet. Have them praise him for his accomplishments, yes, no matter how seemingly small. He went to class today and that deserves praise. This man quite obviously suffers from depression and he needs the affirmation that the world is not there to destroy him. But beyond the praise, give him a chance to be soft to someone else. Let him have a chance to lower his tough act, just a little bit, and take care of someone else. He’s not some super caregiver, no. But being able to hold you close while you talk about your day? Nuzzle into your neck and breathe in the calming, familiar scent of you that, at this point, is now mixed quite nicely with his own? Lightly run his hands that are so capable of destruction soothingly up and down your arms and shoulders or through your hair? Leona may not be the traditional leader and caregiver, but by the Sevens, he will feign sleep to wait until his SO is actually asleep because he needs to make sure they are safe, so he needs to fall asleep last at the end of the day. Because that means that another day ended with his SO safe and sound and happy in his arms. And that’s worth so much more than a little lost sleep.

I just… I fucking love these Twisted Wonderland guys 🥺🥺🥺

[mcdonaldsplayground]

| actually the worst | bonus part

aged up ao’nung x f!reader (18+)

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6 | bonus part

summary: a few years after meeting the metkayina people (and quaritch trying to kill your entire family), you finally get a chance to bring ao’nung to see your former home. however, there’s more to think about than just touring him around the forest.

includes: 18+ content (not anything actually spicy, just more suggestive), teasing, swearing, suggestive remarks, ao’nung being a cocky bastard again😮‍💨

word count: 5.4k

a/n: okay so in this universe neteyam is still alive because i simply cannot process complex emotions at this time😀 also please note that i made up the general plot here just to fit the story but obviously it’s probably gonna be very different in the next avatar films😅 ALSO, i’m so sorry to anyone who was expecting smut or like, in-depth descriptions, but this is as spicy as my writing is gonna get for now hehe. hope you enjoy this lil’ bonus part. i’m gonna get to writing some other stuff soon:)

“Okay, everyone! We’re leaving in ten minutes so if you’re not ready by then, you’re flying by yourself!” Your father called, looking frantic as he saddled up his ikran and tried to herd everyone over at the same time. Jake always went full dad-mode before these trips.

Since the battle on the ship with Quaritch a few years ago, things had finally calmed down and allowed your family the ability to travel back home to the forest and the Omatikaya clan. However, the island had become your home too, so you tried to split your time between each. As much as you loved returning to the forest, though, there was someone that you found increasingly difficult to leave behind.

Ao’nung. The most annoying person you had ever met. Also, often to your chagrin, your boyfriend. The past few years together had been whatever your guys’ version of domestic bliss was. Mostly a lot of playful teasing and sometimes borderline bullying. A lot of flirting, too. Your family and friends often called the two of you childish, but that was just your dynamic, and you loved every second of it.

Recently, though, you’d been a little disappointed. Not with Ao’nung’s treatment of you, definitely not, but with how busy he’d been with his duties. You knew it wasn’t his fault, he was the son of the Olo’eyktan, after all. It was just that between going out hunting, Olo’eyktan training, and working on completing his warrior rites, you felt as if he was becoming a stranger that you were watching from afar. You couldn’t even remember the last time the two of you had been alone.

“Hey, I’m sorry that Ao’nung can’t come, [Y/N].” Neteyam said as he packed the last of his things and strapped them to his ikran, shooting you a sympathetic look. You sighed to yourself, trying not to let your disappointment show.

“It’s no big deal,” You shrugged. “It’s not like we’re leaving forever.” It was true that you wouldn’t be gone as long as usual this time, but it was certainly long enough. Not only would you be away from Ao’nung, but you would miss the completion of his Iknimaya. He was supposed to finish up next week, which was the only reason he wouldn’t be able to come with you like you had originally planned months ago. Actually, you'd been begging him to go along with you for a while, but it had never worked out with his schedule. This time seemed to cut the deepest, though.

“You keep saying it’s not a big deal, but I don’t think you mean that,” Neteyam pushed, coming over to stand next to you. His presence was a comfort, especially because he had inadvertently become the person you always went to for relationship advice. “It’s okay not to be okay, you know.”

“Yeah, I- I know…” You trailed off, unconvincing. “I just wanted to be there when he finished his Iknimaya. He’s worked so hard, Teyam.” You bit your lip, staring hard at the ground. “And-” You cut yourself off, suddenly feeling embarrassed at your own thoughts.

“And?” Neteyam’s tone was gentle, encouraging. You sighed.

“And I just keep worrying that he’s going to get tired of me being gone all the time. Once he’s officially a warrior he gets to choose a mate. I know it’s really horrible of me to think it, but, what if he doesn’t choose me?” You involuntarily imagined coming back from the forest to find him mated to another, your heart rising to your throat.

“I hear what you’re saying, but I have to tell you that’s impossible, [Y/N]. If you could see the way Ao’nung looks at you, you would know.” Neteyam grinned as you flushed, fighting a smile of your own. Before you could say anything in response, your dad declared it was time to leave. Your heart sank back down, and you turned to mount your ikran.

“Wait! Wait up! You’re going to forget your favourite, most handsome possession!” The deep voice sent a familiar shiver of longing down your spine, though his words made you roll your eyes. There was only one man in the world who could do that to you with just a sentence.

You whipped around, wide-eyed as your big dork of a boyfriend sprinted over to your family.

“Miss me, forest girl?” He was grinning like an absolute fool as he finally came to a stop a few feet away from you, panting slightly. You were quick to hide your extreme joy with a glare, lest you show just how much power he held over your emotions.

“Aren’t you supposed to be taming a skimwing right now?” You raised an eyebrow. “You know, so you can prove that you’re a man or something?” You held back a smirk as he narrowed his eyes.

“Alright, then. If you didn’t want me to come you should have just said so.” He said, nonchalantly shrugging as he turned to go back. You knew he was goading you, but you couldn’t help it as you jumped forward, catching his wrist.

“No! Don’t.”

“Oh, so you do want me to come?” He simpered, eyes dancing with mirth. If you weren’t in front of your family you probably would have jumped his bones right there. Something about that perpetual conceited attitude did things to you.

“Can you not be a dickhead for like, one second?” You asked, eliciting a chuckle from him. That was when you noticed the tattoo.

The sweeping intricate black lines spanned a good portion of the left side of his rib cage, swooping slightly up and around the curve of his back. It was gorgeous, but the ink looked incredibly fresh, the edges of the elegant piece slightly raised. You gaped, your fingers twitching with the urge to reach out and touch it.

“What is that?” You breathed, flicking your gaze up to meet your favourite ocean blues.

“I’m surprised you don’t know what a tattoo is considering you’ve lived here for-” You glared daggers as he spoke, indicating that now was not the time for witty banter. He cracked a wide grin, holding his hands up in surrender. “Alright, geez. I wanted to surprise you.”

“Okay but-” Suddenly everything fell into place in your mind and you gasped, your eyes growing wide. “You finished your Iknimaya?”

He nodded. “Just call me the greatest warrior who’s ever lived- woah!” He laughed deeply as you barreled into him, wrapping your arms around his neck before he lifted you off the ground and spun you around.

“Ao’nung the mighty warrior.” You could barely contain your smile as you peppered a few kisses along his cheeks. “I am so proud of you!”

It wasn’t like either of you to show such blatant affection in front of others, especially your parents, but it seemed impossible not to in this moment.

“That’s why I’ve been so busy lately,” He admitted, pulling back and setting you down in front of him, maintaining a loose grip on your waist. “I had to beg my father to let me work overtime, and it was a pretty tight schedule. I technically finished yesterday, but I woke up before dawn this morning to get my tattoo done.” You could have sworn the only other time Ao’nung had smiled this big was after your very first kiss.

“Oh, Nung, I’m so happy for you! Thank you!” You leaned in to kiss him, but you were rudely interrupted by your youngest brother, who was standing a few feet away with your family.

“Oh, Ao’nung! I’m so proud of you, mighty warrior! Let’s kiss in front of everyone and waste a whole bunch of time being gross!” He mocked in a high-pitched voice, rolling his eyes. Lo’ak may have gotten older, but he still loved to make fun of you two. “I hate to break up your guys’ little love fest, but we were supposed to leave like, ten minutes ago.” He huffed. Tsireya may not have been around to chastise him, but your mother certainly was. She smacked the back of his head, glaring at the boy.

“Lo’ak! You should be happy for Ao’nung! He is a warrior of the clan now.” Neytiri turned to look at Ao’nung, smiling proudly. Ever since your parents had found out about you and him, your mother was very supportive. She’d grown to love him like a son. Your father, however, was not so fond. You and him had been through many arguments in which he claimed you needed to wait until you were old enough for a mate in order to be with Ao’nung. Even now, when this had suddenly become possible, Jake looked a little disapproving.

“My love, Lo’ak is right. We really do have to get going.” You frowned at your father’s lack of enthusiasm, but nothing could truly drag your mood down for long as you thought about finally getting to show Ao’nung your precious forest. Even the days-long ikran flight didn’t seem all that bad anymore.

After you and Ao’nung clambered onto your ikran together and took off, you sighed contentedly, leaning back into him when you had a chance to relax a bit. You could feel the low tenor of his voice through his chest as he spoke, his hands placed on your thighs as he rubbed slow circles along them with his thumbs.

“I can’t wait to see this great forest you’ve been raving about for years.” You grinned at his words, biting your lip as you fantasized about showing him every inch of your former home.

“I can’t wait to see what my grandmother thinks of you.” You snorted. The image of her scrutinizing gaze making the usually overconfident Ao’nung sweat had you giggling.

“She’ll love me. All the ladies do.” You could hear the smirk in his words.

“I hated your guts when we met.” You reminded him, hoping to humble him even just slightly. It was a futile attempt.

“And now?”

“Maybe I still do.”

“Is that so?” He bent his head down to whisper into your ear. “It’s interesting that you hate my guts but yet you love when I rearrange y-”

“If you finish that sentence I will push you off this ikran so fast, Ao’nung.” You warned, a nervous laugh threatening to escape your chest.

“You’d miss me if you did that.”

“Unlikely.”

“Oh, you'd definitely miss me."

“So what is this boy’s name, again?” Your grandmother questioned as you helped her prepare food for dinner. You couldn’t help but smile as she squinted her eyes in the direction of where your brothers and Ao’nung were talking around the fire a little ways off. You all had arrived at the forest late, so everyone was just resting for the remainder of the night. Exploring would have to wait until tomorrow.

“His name is Ao’nung, grandmother.”

“Hm. Well, he could do with an attitude adjustment. But he looks to be a strong warrior, no doubt.” She pursed her lips, still appearing to scrutinize him.

“Yes. He actually just completed his Iknimaya,” You tried your best not to sound like you were gushing over him. “He is very strong, indeed.” The image of his toned arms flashed through your mind. The way he could lift you over his shoulder and carry you. The way his muscles tensed when he gripped your hips as he kissed you. You couldn’t help but flush, shaking your head slightly to clear it. Your grandmother was staring at you, the smallest of grins tugging at the corners of her lips.

“So you are mated, then?” She questioned, and you almost choked on air. You supposed you should have expected the question sooner or later, but it still surprised you. Your heart sped up at the thought.

“Oh- well… no.” You mentally cursed yourself for stuttering.

“You sound unsure, child. Do you not want to be his mate?”

“I- It’s- Yes. Yes of course I do,” Your gaze drifted over to him, watching fondly as he laughed at something Lo’ak had said. Despite the obvious stupidity of it, you still couldn’t shake the thought of him possibly choosing someone else to be his mate. It was like some deeply hidden fear you didn’t know you had until now. “It is just a matter of whether or not he wants to be my mate too.” You finished your thought quietly, looking down at your hands in your lap.

“I would think that would be the least of your worries, my dear.” Your grandmother spoke softly, placing a gentle hand on your knee. “He may be a mighty warrior, but even I can see his weakness is you. His eyes betray him every time he looks at you.” This was the second time recently someone had told you such a thing. It made you slightly dizzy with childish giddiness, the idea of you having such an affect on the aloof and confident male.

You were unsure how to respond, but you smiled widely to yourself, a little embarrassed. Your grandmother just chuckled and turned to call everyone over to eat.

The food was almost painfully good after eating pre-prepared meals over the course of your trip. Even Tuk, normally the pickiest eater ever, was scarfing every last bit down. It also felt great to eat together with your family, just enjoying their company as you leaned into Ao’nung’s side, his free arm wrapped around your shoulders. It didn’t take too long for everyone to finish and start turning in for the night.

Your family all slept in a group of hammocks nearby one another, but Ao’nung had been given a spare hammock a little ways away in order to give him more “privacy”, as your dad said, but you figured that he just didn’t want the two of you sleeping near each other. He was very protective and hypocritical considering everything he got up to with your mother when they were young. He was also naive if he thought that sending Ao’nung off by himself was going to keep you two apart.

Once everyone seemed soundly asleep, you silently slipped out of your hammock and crept away to find Ao’nung. It wasn’t too difficult as he appeared to be struggling to lie down comfortably in his hammock. You giggled quietly, sneaking up beside the warrior.

“Do you know how stupid you look right now?” You whispered, quickly slapping your hand over Ao’nung’s mouth as he yelped. You could barely hold in your laughter. “Shut up, skxawng! You’ll wake the whole clan!”

“Very funny, you little brat.” Ao’nung’s expression was sour, especially as he continued to struggle slightly with his hammock.

“You know, I’m very good at helping people who ask.” You smirked, folding your arms across your chest as you watched him try to stop swinging from side to side.

“Fine.” He huffed, glaring up at you.

“Fine what?”

“Seriously?” Ao’nung shot you an annoyed look, but you just stood there, enjoying the power you held in this situation. When you didn’t respond, he finally huffed, resigning himself to what he knew you wanted.

“Would you please do me the favour of helping me figure this stupid thing out, your all-knowing royal highness?” The last bit was a snarky joke, one meant to annoy you, but it only made you grin.

“Why didn’t you ask sooner, Nung?” You made your way over and steadied the hammock, fingertips pushing lightly on Ao’nung’s bicep to indicate that he should move over. When he shifted, you took the chance to climb in beside him, a look of pleasant surprise overtaking his features. The hammock stilled once the two of you had found a comfortable position facing each other, close enough to breathe the same air.

“So this is what you came here for?” Ao’nung questioned, his eyebrows raising as his signature cocky smirk settled onto his lips.

“It’s like you want me to punch you.” You scoffed, tracing the familiar patterns of his skin with your finger, particularly the glowing constellation of freckles that spanned his broad chest. He shivered beneath your touch. However, when you accidentally grazed over the edges of his new tattoo, he hissed. You quickly pulled back, cringing.

“Sorry!” You apologized hurriedly, worried that you had hurt him.

“No, it’s alright. It’s just still a little sore.” He admitted, offering you a gentle smile. You returned it, but did not place your hands back where they were.

“So, you can choose a mate now.” You finally said after a few moments of silence, peering through your lashes to try and gauge his expression. This was a conversation you had been dying to have for days, but it hadn’t seemed like the right time until now. Even so, your heart began to race slightly.

“Yes.” Ao’nung’s tone was low, serious. Maybe it was because of your nerves, but you found it difficult to read his expression.

“And?” You bit your lip, waiting impatiently for him to say anything. Your irrational fears were screaming in the back of your mind.

“And?” He quirked an eyebrow. “What do you want me to say?” You heart plummeted into your abdomen, unable to stop yourself from frowning deeply as you flicked your gaze down so you could avoid eye-contact. You swallowed thickly as your throat constricted. You felt like such a baby for reacting this way, but it was like you couldn’t stop it. The next words coming out felt like someone had stuck a branding iron down your throat.

“Do you want to mate with someone else?”

“What?” Ao’nung sat up slightly in shock, confusion and worry written all over his face. “What are you taking about?”

You just shrugged, afraid you would truly start crying if you spoke or even looked up from your fidgeting fingers.

“[Y/N].” His tone was firm but soft, a plead for you to explain. You felt ridiculously stupid.

“There’s lots of beautiful women of the clan. Many who would make a great Tsahìk some day,” You managed quietly, letting out a short breath. “I don’t want to hold you back just because we have been together so long. Besides, I know what your mother thinks of me, and maybe she is right. I still act like a child sometimes. I am gone so much visiting home. And I am not-” Your voice broke, a few warm tears finally spilling over onto your cheeks. “I am not Metkayina. I am not like you.”

It was painfully silent for a few torturously long seconds. Finally, you felt Ao’nung’s fingers tilt your chin up so he could look at you. His gaze was giving you the all-too-familiar impression that he was seeing you intimately, seeing beyond just your face.

“I do not want anyone else.” He breathed, moving to cradle your face in his hands, brushing away your tears with his thumbs. “I have the most beautiful woman here in front of me. And for some reason, Eywa forbid, I think she likes me.” He grinned and you felt your heart lift.

“You might be right about that.” You said quietly, earning a low chuckle from him.

“[Y/N], I need you to know that I do not care if my mother doesn’t approve of you. The other women of the clan do not tease me. They do not make ridiculously funny faces when they’re annoyed. They do not have the courage to stand up to me and call me a jerkwad when I’m being mean.” The two of you laughed faintly at the memory of you calling him every English insult you could think of. “I love you because you do all of those things. And I love you because you are just as much Metkayina as anyone else in the clan, even though you did not grow up knowing our ways. You were not born into your place there, you earned it, and I can only hope I’ve earned even a slight chance at being worthy enough to be your mate.” You were staring hard at each other now, barely breathing as you hung on to every single word he said. You slid your hands behind his neck, tugging him closer to you, your lips ghosting over his.

“Whether I like it or not, you own my heart, Ao’nung.”

His lips crashed to meet yours with an intensity that set your heart racing. The kiss was all heat and desperation, tongues and teeth. Ao’nung bit your bottom lip, smirking when you gasped. His fingers then found your waist and he smoothly flipped your positions so that he was over top of you, groaning as you placed kisses along his neck and jaw.

“I can’t believe you were worried about me not wanting to be your mate when I’m so fucking in love with you.” He said between sloppy kisses, his hands sliding slowly up and down your thighs, positioned on either side of his body. You shuddered at the way it made your stomach tighten. “As if I would let anyone else hold my heart in their hand.” You whined as he fingered the waistband of your clothing, sucking on a sweet spot just beneath your ear.

“I can think of something else of yours that I would love to hold right about now.” Your eyes glinted as you gazed at him, a quick flash of surprise passing over his face before he broke into a smirk.

“Be my guest, love.”

The mid-afternoon sun shone brightly as you excitedly made your way up the hallelujah mountains. You and Ao’nung had spent the morning around the forest with your family, but you’d really wanted to show him some of your favourite spots by yourself, one of which you were heading to now.

"Hurry up, slow poke!" You found yourself calling out, a laugh bubbling from your chest when Ao’nung groaned behind you. You turned your head back to grin tauntingly at him.

"When you said you were going to show me your home, this is not what I pictured us doing." Ao'nung frowned, glancing warily over the side of the vine you both walked upon.

"No? What exactly were you picturing, then, Nung?" You queried and Ao'nung's lips split into what you could only describe as a suggestive grin.

"Oh, you know, maybe a little less dangerous hiking and a little more finding a secluded spot to-"

"Oh my Eywa!" You yelped, shaking your head. "Just keep walking, you sick bastard."

"Just putting ideas out there.." He chuckled, suddenly pushing forward to catch up to you. He slung his arm around your waist, pulling you into him like it was the most natural action in the world.

You leaned in closer, standing on your tiptoes to whisper into his ear. "You're so desperate, Ao'nung." He shivered.

"Only for you, forest girl." As the words left his lips, you suddenly felt as if you’d experienced this moment before, down to the exact details. You furrowed your brows, trying hard to remember why it felt so familiar.

“Oh!” You gasped out loud, nearly sending your boyfriend toppling over the side of the vine as your memory came into focus. On instinct, you reached out quickly to steady a confused looking Ao’nung.

“Are you trying to kill me, woman?” He asked incredulously, placing a hand over his heart. “What was that?”

You flushed, unsure of what to say. It was such a strange experience to have to explain.

“Um, it’s nothing.” You laughed breathily, trying to sound as casual as possible before continuing your trek up the mountains. Unfortunately, that was not satisfactory enough for him. He grabbed at your waist, pulling you back into him so you were both were facing forward, your back flush against his chest.

“Tell me.” He whispered in your ear, sending goosebumps along your skin.

“It’s weird.” You chuckled, turning your head so you could meet his eyes. They were alight with interest.

“Like you don’t already say weird things all the time?” He asked, laughing as he earned a gentle punch to the bicep. You turned fully to face him.

“Do you remember the first night we went to the cove of ancestors? The night Kiri had a seizure?” You questioned, playing with your fingers as they rested on his chest, feeling his slow breaths beneath your touch.

“Of course.” He furrowed his brows slightly, as if playing through the memory in his head. “The first time you let your guard down around me.” His lips split into a small smirk, though it was more fond than cocky.

“Yeah, whatever,” You smiled softly. “Well, before all that crazy stuff happened, I had a vision when I connected to the tree. It was- well… it was this.” You bit your lip, spreading out your hands to indicate the scene around you.

“The mountains?” He questioned, not entirely following.

“Yes. But us, too. The exact conversation we just had a few minutes ago. It felt so familiar while it was happening, but I couldn’t remember why until now.” You felt awkward explaining it to him, avoiding eye contact and instead trying to read the rest of his face.

“So you knew this was going to happen?” It was a loaded question, indicating both the general situation and your relationship as a whole. A smirk was tugging at his lips.

“Kind of…” You said slowly. “But at the time I still thought I maybe hated you, so it freaked me out. I didn’t know if it was actually going to come true or not. I was working up the courage to talk to you about it before everything went to shit.” You laughed a little, thinking back on all the chaos of those first few months living on the island.

“I want you to be my mate.” Ao’nung said suddenly, staring down at you with a rare completely serious expression. You snapped your head up quickly, confused at the sudden turn in conversation, though a flutter of excitement settled in your stomach.

“I know,” You smiled softly. “I can’t wait until we get back home-”

“No, now.” His voice was firm, his mind already made up. Your eyebrows shot skyward. “I don’t want to waste anymore time not being officially bonded. We can go tonight,. I think Eywa has given us a sign through your dream.” He grabbed your hand, gently lacing his fingers with yours.

“But- what about our parents?” You asked, trying to ignore the rising giddiness inside of you. “I mean my dad will probably burst a blood vessel in his eye. And don’t even get me started on your mom… She already has enough reason to hate me.”

“It’s not about them, my love.”

“But you are the chief’s son, Nung. There are rituals and ceremonies for you and your chosen mate-”

“Me and you.”

“Yes,” You breath hitched slightly, blushing. “Us. Your parents won’t be pleased if you do not complete them in the traditional way.” You were speaking to deaf ears, reiterating things he already knew well.

“We’ll have our own stupid rituals.” He muttered, his fingers skating along your arm, bringing them up to trace the outline of your jaw. “Ceremonies and parties and disapproving parents can wait until we return.” He searched your eyes, desperately hoping for you to be feeling the same immediacy as him. The same all-consuming desire to be one after waiting so long. Despite your feeble rationale behind why it was a terrible idea, you had to admit that you wanted to do it just as badly.

“Tonight, then.” You finally caved, an excited buzz settling under your skin. Ao’nung grinned, picking you up to swing you around before pulling you into a hug. You could feel his excitement in the air around you, making you bite your lip to keep from smiling too wide.

You woke to the sun already shining brightly, pleasantly warming your skin. A pair of strong arms were wrapped around your abdomen, your legs tangled together with two other, longer and broader ones. It could have been any other morning after sneaking out to be with Ao’nung.

It was not.

You could feel the mating bond even now as your mate lay sleeping beneath you, his soft breaths tickling your skin. Nothing about your feelings for the warrior boy had changed, you still felt the deep love that had claimed a stake on your heart years ago, but it was like it had been fortified, made immortal under the gaze of Eywa. Your soul was tied completely to his, two halves to make a entirely new whole. His eyes fluttered open as you stared at his sleeping form, admiring his peacefulness. He smiled sleepily.

“Good morning, my love.” His voice was slightly raspy from sleep, and you felt your stomach tighten, suddenly replaying every euphoric detail about the night before. You clenched your legs together, letting Ao’nung sit up and pull you into his lap while running a hand slowly up your thigh. Once you were comfortably sitting on top of him, he began to place sweet kisses along your neck.

“Ao’nung.” You tried (failed) to sound stern, placing a hand on each of his biceps in a weak attempt to stop him from caressing all along your body. “We have to go back.” Your words got lost in a moan as he nipped at your collarbone, looking up at you in a desperate sort of way. You shuddered, unable to stop yourself from dipping your head down to place a kiss on his pouted lips. He kissed back fervently, one of his hands sliding to the back of your head while the other danced along your ribcage, dangerously close to eliciting another moan from you. If you didn’t stop now, you knew you never would.

“Alright, alright. Don’t make me smack you, dipshit.” He groaned in annoyance as you pulled away, your lips already slightly swollen from the kiss.

“C’mon, [Y/N].” He whined, his ears flicking back in disappointment. “You're my mate, now. Can we not just enjoy this time?”

You chuckled, tracing your thumb over his bottom lip. “I’m sure you got more than enough enjoyment last night. Now it’s time to for us to deal with the repercussions of that.” You quickly placed one more soft kiss on his lips before sighing and untangling your limbs from his. He unhappily followed your lead, holding your hand to help you up. As the two of you slowly began your walk back home, you smiled to yourself, feeling more content than you ever had before. Even the thought of confronting both your parents seemed but a small inconvenience, an easy price to pay for the sheer elation you felt at the bond you now shared with Ao’nung.

“I still think we could have stayed longer.” He frowned, swinging your intertwined hands back and forth slightly.

“Doubtful. It’s pretty much a miracle they haven’t sent out a search party already.” You laughed, guessing it was already mid-morning. Your family had probably been awake for hours.

“What should I say to your parents?” Ao’nung questioned.

“Well, you should probably start by begging my dad for mercy,” You deadpanned. “Though I doubt that will help.”

“Thanks, I’m so glad you’re confident in me.” Ao’nung quipped back sarcastically, rolling his eyes. “I’d like to remind you that I’m a warrior now.”

You grinned. “You’re about to be a dead warrior.”

“Well, at least my last great memory is of you on your knees last night-"

You cut him off with a light punch in the gut. It was like hitting the bark of a tree, but he did you the courtesy of pretending to feel it, at least.

“Geez, someone’s touchy about that.” He smirked, amusement flickering in his gaze.

“Just save the cockiness until after we talk to my parents. I know you probably don’t know to be humble, but-”

“Oh, I’ll be humble. I’ll be even more humble than Neteyam when he gets a compliment.” He spoke of it like a challenge, and you giggled.

“Speaking of that, I forgot to mention that my brothers are probably going to kill you, too, you know. Then maybe even Kiri. You’ll be dead four times over.”

“You’re lucky you’re worth all this murder I’m about to experience.”

“Just remember that this was your idea, genius.”

“Yeah, yeah. But who’s the one who loves me too much to have said no?”

“Shut up.”

“Fine. But only if you give me a good luck kiss before we get back because I’m starting to get nervous now.”

taglist:

@luvlykrispy @foreverfolkloregirly @findingourtreasure @tiddybiddy @nao-cchi @goodiesinthecloset21 @elegantkidfansoul @azaleaniath @cloakedvengeance @philiasoul @aonungmybf @joshuahongsfuturewife @shartnart1 @ayanamire @tireytesulineytiriite @bigmama123 @fucksnow @seashelldom @melsunshine @littlethingsinlife @thesheelfsworld @in-luvais @perseny @minkyungseokie @acrobatcheeks @theblaxkbird @sakura-onesan @1-800-not-simping @srrybroo @ellasully @trulynotavailable @dreamergirljen @ipoopedmypants47 @hangezoes-wife @scarletrosesposts @kaealowri @eggnox @spiceyhotsherbet @awkward-halfhug

[unhelpfulfemme]

Thalias from the Thrawn Ascendancy trilogy is how you do a female character with "traditionally feminine" virtues correctly.

The culture of the Ascendancy involves using young girls - the only Force sensitives their race has, since they all lose their Force sensitivity when they enter puberty - as ship navigators necessary to navigating the chaotic part of space that they live in. These girls are taken from their families at a young age and raised by a series of caregivers, and just like a bunch of plenty of carers IRL a lot of them are dogshit at their job. As someone who's worked similar jobs and watched other people work similar jobs, Timothy Zahn is BRILLIANT at portraying all of this - it gives me feelings like I can't describe. If you've ever seen a mean preschool teacher harranguing their charges or a shitty foster parent who doesn't treat their foster kids as individuals or anyone of the sort, you will feel this in your bones. Zahn goes hard on the "children are people" themes in this trilogy and I love love love this - it really means a lot to me to see a man known for his military and engineering competence porn stuff put so much thought and care into portraying caregiving as the important and complicated task that it is without coming off as sexist or patronizing towards it.

Anyway, Thalias is one such navigator, but even though most of them want nothing to do with the whole trauma-inducing system once they grow out of it, Thalias ends up returning as a caregiver and puts so much effort, compassion and logical thought into it that it makes me cry tears of joy. She draws on her own experiences but is quick to course correct when she realizes that Che'ri's experiences are different from her own (Thalias loved to read as a kid and still finds it comforting, Che'ri hates reading), she treats Che'ri with empathy and gives her as much autonomy and independence as she is allowed to. She uses a scientific method to figure out how the navigator powers work and adjust Che'ri's work routine accordingly - something no one has ever thought to do. She advocates for Che'ri with the rest of the ship's crew. She's amazing, and Zahn also makes sure to show how HARD it can be at times rather than just make her a perfect mind reader who always knows what her charge is thinking and what to say or do.

She's also kinda flawed - she seems to have an unhealthy obsession with Thrawn because he was once nice to her when she was a miserable kid in the throes of the shitty navigator system, and it comes off as kind of weird or cringe at times, and that's a GOOD thing in my book because it makes her character more 3D.

ALSO, the really nice part of it is that these books are filled to the brim with cool female characters that all feel really really different from each other, so Thalias being the nurturing, diplomatic type doesn't feel like Zahn sending some kind of message - the other prominent character is Ar'alani, a clever military woman who's a natural leader, excellent at handling her subordinates and recognizing their talents, excellent at handling politics even though she hates it, excellent at improvising on the fly, and also a kind and loyal friend. A lot of the other soldier or officer types are also women, and Zahn's other works also have a shitton of varied and cool women, so you feel safe in the knowledge that anything Thalias says or does is indicative of Thalias as an individual and not some vague idea of what women are like that the author has.

I also love how her character provides a contrast to all the "necessary evil" and "people are assets"-type thinking that a lot of the Ascendancy's more military types endorse (which make up a large percentage of the main cast, since this is mil scifi after all) - her conversation with Samakro about this is just chef's kiss to me. I feel like it's cool that we get this kind of POV because to me it serves as confirmation that Zahn knows what he's doing here - he's not being a stupid edgelord fanboy in love with the concept of doing shitty things for the greater good, he's just keenly observing how different people approach life and how all of these sorts of thinking are very useful in certain situations and deeply stupid in others. And the topic is treated with zero smugness - I've read things where similar arguments are used as a way of showing how wise and perfect one of the characters is and how stupid the other one is (coughvorkosigansagacough), but here everyone is treated with respect and empathy and consideration.

THALIAS SUPREMACY!!!

[mytragedyperson]

possibly unpopular Pjo Opinions

Also, if you disagree, that's fine. people are allowed to have differing opinions. But, if you decide to be dick about it in the comments, the comment will be deleted. we can disagree but there's no need to be rude about it. However, if you'd like to respectfully and civilly discuss the differences in opinion, I'd be happy to. I always enjoy hearing different opinions. However I will warn you, while I'm not strictly anti-percabeth, there are some anti-percabeth or negative towards percabeth opinions in this post. If you're one of the toxic percabeth stans who hates on anyone who dislikes or says anything negative about the ship, you have been warned, any toxic comments will be deleted. I won't be arguing with you because it would be pointless. You're not going to change my mind and I'm not going to change yours. civil and respectful discussions only

Is it bad that I don't like Bianca Di Angelo. Like, don't get me wrong, I don't hate her, I don't think she's terrible, she's 12, she's a child, but try as I might I just can't understand her choice. I get that she's 12 and left to take care of her brother but they have no one else at that point and the first chance she gets she agrees to leave him. She agrees before they even get to camp, before she's even made sure it's safe and I've said it before I don't think there's a world where Nico stays at Camp Halfblood. I don't think Bianca necessarily dies in every universe. There must be at least some where she actually listens when told not to touch anything or even where she, an untrained, inexperienced 12 year old isn't picked for this quest where they know one of them will die because it's been prophecised, but I do think Nico, at least in every universe where Bianca agrees to join the Hunters, always leaves camp after discovering he's a son of Hades, and then he's really not safe. they're each other's only family and she chooses to leave him. In 2 years he'll be the same age as her, and a year after that he's older. He'll live his entire life while she pops in and out when they can, maybe sees him if he's at camp halfblood at the time. and, to be fair to Bianca, I don't think the Hunters should offer this to 12 year old anyway. but, no, Bianca will either be dead, or 12 forever as he younger brother grows older, as he nearly dies trying to save his friends and help his family. Although I would love to see her and the Hunter's reaction when Nico shows up in the fifth book, same age as Bianca, with 3 gods and, if I'm remembering correctly, an army of skeletons, as she realises her younger is growing up. Honestly I could see them finding a way to send messages and Nico, despite knowing there's no place for him there, going to Camp Halfblood when he knows the hunters will be there so he can see his sister. see, i like the idea of alive Bianca that lives in my head, because i love the angsty idea of her seeing her brother get older and get married and make new friends and meet the half sister and her still being physically 12 but so much older mentally and wondering what could have been if she hadn't agreed to be a Hunter. But canon Bianca? i get that she's young but, maybe it's because I'm the youngest of a family with quite a few cousins that are very close but I can't imagine a world where my older brother or one of my older cousins agrees to just leave me somewhere without first making sure it's safe, even if they were 12. and the fact that they're each other's only family on Earth at that point? and then in book 4, instead of appearing directly ti Nico and telling him not to come to her, she uses Percy as a middle man? Nico is not Percy's responsibility. No, you agreed to join the Hunters, you agreed to go on this quest when you were untrained and inexperienced (because somehow there was no one more qualified or better suited after the other Hunter couldn't go).

Honestly, maybe my problem is more with the Hunters than Bianca herself now that I'm thinking about it. The way they act like they're better than everyone's else but get upset when they retaliate. The way they hate all men. There's just something about their attitude in the third books I hate. Maybe it's because it's from Percy's POV but, I don't know, they just rub me the wrong way. Maybe it's because they're supposed to be feminists but they're written by a man who thinks the extent of feminism is "we as women hate all men and think we're better than them" which, while is admittedly how some women are, is not supposed to be the point of feminism. I was taught feminism was equality between men and women, not one being better than the other, not hating on one while hating one the other, both men and women being equal. Is this where I realise that my problems actually boil down to problems with Rick Riordan writing women and girls? Zoe's dislike does make some sense and I do like her character but it feels like the other Hunters are, like, radical feminists who believe men and women should be separate?

Also while I'm here, might as well add, as someone who read the first five books but does plan to read the others, Percabeth means literally nothing to me. I don't hate them but I don't ship them either. They're fine as friends but as a couple? I'm sure there are much more interesting ships for both of them. The first five books is more or less them not being together but getting jealous of anyone of the opposite who talks to them, (though Percy's is also annoyance because, you know, Luke tried to kill him and Annabeth still has hope she can get through to him even though he's betrayed them. Percy's fatal flaw is loyalty, he doesn't take betrayal well, we saw how he reacted to Nico's perceived betrayal), and (Usually Annabeth but Percy sometimes) picking arguments. Ah, yes, the old married couple. Now, the moments where they actually bond outside of quests and camp halfblood? Not many of them. They have a couple of cute moments but, as a couple, I don't really care for it. I don't mind them as friends but, as more than that, not really. Annabeth chose Percy over Luke? oh great, and so the rest of camp Halfblood, the others who stay there all year? They mean nothing? If it was't for Percy, she would've just left them? Interesting. Percy gave up immortality for Annabeth? Not really, sure, she may have been part of it, but the main part was making sure children of all Greek gods had somewhere safe to go and would be claimed. also, why would a depressed, possibly suicidal teen want to be immortal? want to be with the gods who have just used him and his friends and half of whom hate him? Also, next to Annabeth Percy is always made out to be the dumb one but he's not really. Sure Annabeth is better at planning but Percy is better at improvising when things go wrong. See: him tricking Crusty. Also in that first book Annabeth also makes some not so smart choices. See: going to the Arch to sightsee in the middle of the quest. Percy is also the one who figures out The Lotus Hotel situation, not Annabeth. They have different types of intelligence but Percy is not dumb.

[beanghostprincess]

kid asl + kid sanji + sabosan

ace and sabo being sweet to luffy in their own kid way and sanji seeing it and being like "oh :] ( :[ )"

but very quickly having that kindness extended to him (especially by sabo)

the brothers hunt the food and sanji cooks it

sabosan bonding over horrible noble families

This is so sweet,, My sweet boys :( I don't care if it doesn't make sense with the timeline or whatever, but Sanji ends up meeting them when they're kids. I always use this plot, but-- The Orbit gets stranded in Goa and of course, the kids find out because they're always waiting for pirates. So ASL finds Sanji and they won't stop asking questions about piracy and his life and telling him how excited they are to become pirates. Sanji is- Saying overwhelmed would be an understatement because imagine a kid like him hanging out with THEM. But he has so much fun, too, because it's been so long ever since he saw somebody his age and he's not used to hanging out with them but they welcome him with open arms. They tell him that they're brothers (Ace and Sabo fighting over who's the oldest, as usual) and explain to him the basics: Where they live, how they hunt for food, their training... And Sanji is just there, staring at them with eyes wide open, and asking how the hell they manage to live like this. Sanji has a bit of an attitude now in comparison to when he was with his family, but he's still a bit of a sweet crybaby who isn't used to the outside world and has the biggest heart in the world. The brothers find him so sweet,,, It makes Luffy kind of angry because "Why's he allowed to cry but when I do you call me a crybaby???" and Ace and Sabo always go "Because if you wanna be a pirate you gotta be strong! He's a cook. It's not the same" (cool way of saying 'we don't laugh at the pretty boy because we want to kiss the pretty boy, Luffy') and Sanji wants to prove them wrong and show that he's brave like them but doing what they do is just a big no-no. They always end by saying "Everybody has their strengths!!! We don't even know how to boil water" and Sanji feels all proud of himself whenever they compliment him like that.

Basically, they tell him to stay with them for as long as his ship is stranded there, and he accepts right away because they look fun and sweet and like friends, finally. And maybe they're the people Reiju was talking about when she said he'd find better people someday. So ASL hunts and Sanji cooks with the abilities he used to have when he was a kid, which are better now that he has a bit of experience, and the kids fall for him so quick. So damn quick. They taste Sanji's food and now you have Ace and Sabo experiencing their first ever crush ("first" for Sabo, because Ace's first crush was Makino and I will always find that so cute). Luffy is more focused on the food, though, but the three of them still fight over Sanji's attention. So-- I think this would be really funny. Sanji stays with them and is completely oblivious to Ace and Sabo falling for him, even if they're constantly trying to show off their abilities to get his attention. Sanji is a bit busy trying to get used to all of these emotions. Every day is fun and a bit dangerous and he does cry a lot, and the only one who can calm him down is Luffy because he knows how it feels to be scared. They play together and show him around. They introduce him to Dadan (who's about to have a heart attack because she can't deal with more kids) and she actually ends up loving him because!! The kid knows how to cook!! That is a win for them.

It's a bit weird for Sanji, to see them like that. Because he has never had any interaction with other siblings and they act so... Differently from his. Okay, yes, they fight a lot, but it's never serious. They always end up laughing. They're rough with each other but when it matters they're always using tender touches and language with each other. They calm Luffy down when he gets angry, know how to react if Ace is feeling stressed, and constantly say they miss Sabo when he isn't with them. Sanji doubts his brothers would've ever acted like that with him, so it hurts. He doesn't quite know if it's jealousy? Envy? Frustration? But Sanji knows it breaks his heart a little knowing he wasn't worthy of being loved like this. But they show him that he is worthy and he was never the problem to begin with. Because they start showering him with love too! Sanji doesn't want to be a bother, so he never asks for things and instead always tries to be useful. To sort of thank them for letting him have a place to stay. ASL just wants him to be a kid like them. They compliment his food, respect his personal space, let him participate in everything he wants, and they're so, so protective of him. Sanji might not train with them, but he's always there when they do, and if there are dangers near he knows they'll look after him without even having to ask. He wonders why they do that most of the time, and they always end up telling him "Because we don't want you to get hurt, dummy. We thought that was obvious?" and it breaks his heart a little.

They bond over so many different things. Luffy loves Sanji's cooking and won't stop asking him every day if he'll be his cook once he becomes a pirate (Sanji is always telling the three of them he has yet to decide), and he's always the one calming Sanji down whenever something's wrong. Luffy tells him in private that he knows feeling weak and scared sucks, but it isn't that bad when they're together, right? "Alone we aren't really strong, but together we are unstoppable! So stay with us, okay? That way you'll never have to cry again. I don't cry anymore because I'm all brave and a pirate, so it's my job to make sure you're always smiling!" and that melts his heart completely (and adds a new, painful meaning to Whole Cake Island. I wanna d word a little).

On the other hand, there's Ace... Ace is a complicated kid, obviously. He tries so hard to be cool and seem strong. At first, it makes Sanji admire him a lot, but then he finds out the kid is actually stupid and reckless and has to be looked after a lot too. Sanji loves being with him because he feels protected, but he's always worried Ace might get hurt. To be fair, it happens with Luffy too. However, there's just something about him... Like he's more mature than them. Like he has grown up too fast. And he hasn't talked about his past, so Sanji isn't sure why he's this way. Ace doesn't like Sanji seeing him this way, he figures, because he always pretends to be okay when Sanji knows he isn't. Until one day they have the "Should I have been born?" talk, and it's the first time somebody tells Ace "I think about that a lot too" instead of the usual "I don't know" or just a plain "Yes". They get each other so well. Ace wants to make a name for himself because his father has determined his whole future, and Sanji doesn't want to have anything to do with his father and just wants to be a normal person, but they both feel like they are a mistake, while the other keeps saying he's happy the other is alive.

And then there's Sabo. Now, Sabosan is the endgame ship here because I say so. I was just using Acesan as plot device because it's sweet and funny. Sabo, the one who always tries to be more mature and calm and cold-headed because the other two are even more chaotic than him (imagine how chaotic they are because Sabo is already... Something else), loses it the moment he meets Sanji. He's,,, He's so pretty. He's cute and knows how to cook and he's so so sweet and nice and has the biggest heart in the world. And Sabo has only seen pain and torture in the world. Living isn't just living, it's survival and escaping the pain he has to deal with his family every day. Sanji feels like living. Like, actually enjoying life when they're together. Sabo might be chaotic and he might fight a lot with Ace and Luffy for Sanji's attention, but at the end of the day, he is the gentle brother who takes more care of Sanji and is always looking after him. He brings him books from his house because he knows Sanji likes reading. He often even writes stuff for him because Sabo is a writer, and feels the need to show his art to Sanji. He lends him clothes and he's always the first one to offer to cook with him, even if he's awful at it. They're still kids so Sabo isn't quite sure what love feels like, but this is close enough, he thinks. Every time Sanji laughs? Smiles? When he speaks about the All Blue? It makes Sabo's heart do backflips. It makes him want to keep fighting and training. And Sanji sees the pain and responsibility Sabo feels in his eyes. He feels protected when he's around and it's always so much fun to be together. He likes how passionate Sabo is about writing and becoming a pirate, and he loves the way he takes care of Luffy too. Sanji ends up realizing he always puts a little bit more effort into Sabo's food... And he doesn't know what love is, but he's a bit shy around Sabo now that he knows he feels different about him.

Just imagine Makino coming to see them and meeting Sanji! She'd love him! The kid is so polite and smart and she just wants to kiss his cutie face and hug him tight. Her personality is kind of like his mom's, so it hurts a little to meet her, but she's just so sweet that Sanji can't help but grow attached to her. And God, just imagine Sabo and Sanji interacting in front of her. Sanji blushing and Sabo eating his food happily and always being so, so close to him. That woman knows what's going on, but if she asks Sabo she knows he's gonna go "What?! Sanji?! No! I don't like him! I mean- I do like him. But... But it's not that way..." / "Are you sure about that, darling? You know you can like, like him, right? It's okay. You can tell me" / ".... Do you think he likes me back? What do I do for him to like me back? What if he goes away and never finds out?!" / "I don't think you have to worry about that now, sweetie". But Makino is also a bit of a tease, so she goes to Sanji one day and says "Hey, Sanji? What do you think of Sabo?" / "..... He's really nice to me" / "He is, isn't he? He isn't that nice to everybody. Maybe you're special for him?" / "What?! I am not, how- How could I be? He's just... He just looks after me because I can't do it. I'm a burden" / "Don't say that, honey. He looks after you because he cares for you" / "He looks after Luffy too" / "It's different with you, I think. But well, he also looks after Luffy because that's what brothers do" / "Do they?" / "What, sweetie?" / "Nothing. Sorry. Sabo always asks to cook with me" / "Mmm. I wonder why".

Sanji doesn't make any promises because he has three different boys asking him if he wants to be their cook once they're captains, so he just says he wants to find the All Blue. That's enough for him. So now he has Ace, Sabo, and Luffy fighting over who will be the one taking Sanji to the All Blue. For now, Sanji just says he's everybody's cook. That's cool with them.

I think all of this could go hand in hand with the AU of Sanji and Sabo seeing each other first in a meeting between their families. So when Sanji ends up in the Goa Kingdom, Sabo already knows him and that's why they accept him into their little family so quickly. He thought Sanji was dead, so when they see each other again, Sanji is the happiest boy in the whole world. He's so protective of him. He won't stop saying how much he hates his family and Sanji. But they're alright now. They're okay.

But they're not. Because then, Sabo "dies". And the day after, Sanji has to leave with his crew. And then you have Ace and Luffy on their own, with a dead brother and Sanji promising they'll see each other again. But he's so heartbroken he doesn't know how he'll be able to keep going. He wants to find the All Blue for Sabo. He knows Sabo would've hated it if he had given up. Then the whole story goes on, yadda yadda Zeff yadda yadda Baratie yadda yadda Luffy and Sanji meet again yadda yadda Sanji joins the Strawhats yadda yadda they find Ace in Alabasta (and he's actually a bit jealous Luffy was the one who ended up with Sanji as his cook, but he's obviously happy for them). And maybe. Maybe something happens between Ace and Sanji. Maybe they kiss or something but I don't think they do anything else? Ace feels it is disrespectful to Sabo. He confesses he had a crush on Sanji when they were kids, and he's gorgeous now and he would love to be with him in some way, but it just feels wrong. Ace always knew Sabo and Sanji were meant to be, anyway, and Sanjii doesn't even want anything to happen, either. Yadda yadda yadda, Dressrosa. Oh, and isn't it hilarious how Sanji isn't even there. when it happens? Luffy meets Sabo. Everything follows canon. Except that Luffy has time to talk to him instead of Sabo running away quickly. And somebody mentions Sanji. Robin, maybe, and Sabo instantly goes "You did not take him with you!" but he's smiling when he says it. He wants to see him so bad. So, so bad. So he promises to visit the crew when he can. He promises he will see Sanji.

And then the end kind of follows the post I tagged about the other AU? Except that Luffy doesn't tell Sanji that Sabo is alive because he thinks he'll be happier if Sabo tells him himself when he pays a visit to them!!!

I just love childhood friends AUs,,, This is incredible. Awesome idea. I love Sabosan so much I might cry.

[olderthannetfic]

https://www.tumblr.com/olderthannetfic/747721307928559616/re-747330342209404928-every-time-a-discussion?source=share

I wouldn't even make this purely about oversensitivity - I've seen fic writers refuse to tag, say, breakup because they think it would be a Good Experience (tm) for fans of the ship in question to read it (because they often think it's Problematic in some brain-wormed way), or they just think their writing is so good or so "socially important" that people who would normally avoid this commonly tagged trope should have to experience it anyway, "it's good for you" etc. and then melt down when people have the predictable reaction that something that seemed to be billed as a fluffy romance was anything but, and of course, these people's social statements are never as deep and sophisticated as they think they are. These people are weirdly, often very outspoken about the need for Content Warnings in basically any other context.

Obviously, I don't want to say that anything other than major archive warnings are a requirement to tag (and I mean, even those aren't required, you can use CNTW), or that you're required to indicate a breakup will happen if it's a big spoiler or something.... but this wasn't just that, it was deliberately false advertising the fic as something it wasn't bc they thought it would be morally edifying or something for people who dislike that trope to read it.

I like fanfiction and I'm not going to say it can never be effectively used to convey Important Ideas (tm) .... but I do think if you are going to take this attitude and especially if you're over the age of 15 or so, and especially if you're then going to have a meltdown and accuse people of "harassment" for disagreeing with you when the readers are predictably not happy, you need to consider that perhaps fanfiction is not the medium for you. Maybe write original fiction instead.

I don't know why it's so hard for some to understand that people tend to be more allowing for a story not being as happy or fluffy as they expected when the story isn't about characters they're already attached to, especially when they're in a space that's often about seeking out specific outcomes that the original work didn't give them. Like I'm sorry there's often a double standard between fanfic and original fic in this way, but it exists for a way.

But also, none of these fanfic writers I've seen do this (and this sounds niche I know but I've seen it several times in different fandom) ever actually have Takes that are remotely original or startling or groundbreaking, lol, such that it's worth misleading people because they "need to hear." It's always like.... cool, I saw this take for the first time on a Tumblr post in 2017/from someone in my women's studies class in 2010, and I thought it was a bad shallow take then and still do.

Interestingly, the people who genuinely have really interesting and unusual and thought-provoking takes that they use fanfic to express feel no need to tag it inaccurately, feel no desire to force it on people who don't want to read it. Wonder why.

--

Hah. I too have seen this silly behavior many times.

[gwaedhannen]

⚓ Pick a Silm ship to go down with. What is compelling about their dynamic?

I am extremely normal about Elwing and Eärendil.

Losing your homes to war as a child. Finding a new home in a place you do not know, among unfamiliar people suffering the same loss as you, more universal than your different kindreds. Surviving in the last bit of unpoisoned land on the continent. Thriving in the last bit of unpoisoned land on the continent.

(As an aside, was there ever any other place, in all of the history of Middle-earth, like the Havens of Sirion? Where elves and mortals of all kindreds came together to build a home and live, in defiance of the losses they suffered?

I like to think that there was, and it was called Imladris.)

Being the only two of your kind. Being the heirs to four of the greatest bloodlines of the Age (arguably five, since Eärendil is the only known surviving descendent of Haldad). Perhaps you were allowed to just be children for a while, in spite of the requirements of your roles. Perhaps not. Being almost expected to be with each other. Falling in love regardless. Bringing life into a dying world in defiance.

Choosing, to give up the chance to be a father to your sons as they grow up for the slim chance of buying a world where they might grow up at all. Choosing, to wait at the shore in sorrow, holding the beacon that keeps your love safe, not knowing when or even if he will return. Choosing, to turn back for your love. Choosing, to buy time for your love to return. Defying your nightmares to the bitter end.

Being reunited in utter despair. Choosing, together now, to give up your children for the slim hope of buying a world where they will grow up at all. If they're even still alive. Freely giving your love the jewel your people willingly died for, your last inheritance. Wandering for four years until at last, at last! you reach your goal. Trying to spare your love from the wrath of the Gods. Being unwilling to be left behind once again; "but all thy perils I will take on myself also." Being separated again regardless, because only one can walk this path. Being reunited once again, having each gained an army and a navy. Being given a Doom and a Choice together. Choosing, to stay with your wife no matter what. Choosing, to live and see the future your sacrifices have bought.

To be given the greatest ship that ever shall be, and sail where none else have sailed. To be given a lighthouse at the shore, and to know, every morning, that your love will return, and you will fly to him on your own wings.

Extremely normal about them.

[celluloidbroomcloset]

I was thinking a bit more about how Stede and Ed act as the dads/parental figures of the ship.

Stede's struggle in Season 1 is his failure as a father and a husband, and his inadequacy as a captain. In both cases, he's failed to be the father figure he felt he needed to be to fulfill his role. But he starts bonding with the crew via games and stories, which we see is how he made connections with his children.

Ed has succeeded as a captain, but he does so at a cost to himself and his desires. The exhaustion of being Blackbeard has meant a sacrifice of identity and a near-collapse. When he joins with Stede, he's able to shift some of the burden and actually have fun with life again.

Neither man has received a model of how to be a parental figure—both of their fathers were abusive, Ed lost his mother at an early age, and Stede's mother is largely nonexistent. They recognize what they're supposed to be, but they struggle to fulfill the role. Neither man has had a partner in whom he can trust and depend on to listen.

Just one of them struggles to maintain balance and image—Stede is ill-equipped, at the start, to act as a captain. He connects to the crew in his own way, but it's still not enough to protect them from the Spanish or from other pirates. Ed's arrival on the Revenge introduces the dynamic of co-captains, and he and Stede take on increasingly balanced roles right from the start. But Ed shows how very exhausting it is to be a captain when you have to make life or death decisions and know that everyone is looking to you:

"They're all gonna die, and it's all gonna be your fault. All the men who trusted you. All their blood's gonna be on your hands. It's going to be your fault."

It's Stede's presence that allows Ed to relax a little, and Ed's knowledge that guides Stede to his own revelations. They push each other to think differently and see the world from a new angle in which neither of them are the sole guiding light, but act in tandem with each other. Their balance means that they come up with the same idea of the lighthouse, and Ed figures out how to implement it by working together.

When Stede leaves, the balance of the ship is thrown off by the loss of one parental figure. Ed is unmoored and takes on the same weight that he has before, only he's now completely unequipped to manage it, both emotionally and psychologically, just as Stede was in the pilot and first few episodes. The result is a toxic atmosphere that damages the crew and makes Ed suicidal.

Izzy, amazingly, is quite right: they balance each other out. Stede’s return calms everyone, but he also can’t shoulder everything by himself. Ed being there, backing him up, even being someone that the crew still refer to as captain and reminding Stede to “just go with it” about the tub, helps to manage Stede’s authority and avoids him becoming too much of a pirate captain (which is what he'd be in danger of becoming if he only had Izzy there to give him advice). But even then, Stede shows the strain of having to be responsible for his crew - the murder of Low is necessary and it also damages him.

Which is part of why I like that Stede and Ed stay on land at the end. Piracy is indeed about the crew and as captains they both felt the burden of earning and maintaining respect AND being responsible for the crew’s lives and safety. They both need to lose the burden (and the consequent guilt) of being responsible for other people for a while. Stede kills in part to protect his crew, but it takes a piece out of him to do it. Ed can’t do it at all anymore; he’s shown that the weight of it will eventually crush him and endanger them.

It’s actually a lovely ending in terms of both Ed and Stede being allowed and allowing themselves to focus on something other than their family and instead build their relationship with each other. They need to be the focal point of each other’s lives for a while, and in turn get to look at themselves and who they are as men and partners. Stede exchanged one family responsibility for another and Ed was always responsible, for a good bit of his life. In letting go of that for a while, even if it doesn’t ultimately last, will let them become who they are together.

[eightfifteen]

One reason for me liking Gay Mike is that by for once allowing both characters of a queer ship to be gay (instead of the seemingly mandatory gay x bi we see everywhere else), it allows the show to compare and parallel two different queer experiences, without implying that the difference in experience is based on their different labels and not just their general experience/personality.

I mean, almost every canon queer couple in popular media is a bi x gay dynamic, seemingly so they can check both boxes (we have both! yay!). Though that seems like the perfect solution, it makes it so that no matter how different both characters or storylines are (ex toni x cheryl in riverdale vs Charlie x Nick in heartstopper), their differences in experience always boils down to 'this is the bi experience vs the gay experience'.

By for once, allowing both characters to be gay, it would allow the show to fully explore and showcase how two queer experiences, no matter that they're the same sexuality, can still be wildly different.

Stranger Things specifically is the perfect platform for this, because we've gotten to see their story from such a young age - from the very start.

Will seemingly unable to hide his queerness no matter what he does, told by other people before he even understood what that was, and therefore had to learn and accept his queerness and how that sets him apart from the norm. Therefore, he could reject heteronormativity at a younger age, and knew he would have to blaze his own trail in life.

Mike on the other hand didn't have anyone telling him he was different. He had to figure that out for himself, dealing with compulsive heteronormativity and trying to distinguish different types of love, coming from a conservative household where he'd been expected to lead specific life, for which he now has to decide whether or not he wants that life or if he's willing to fight for another one. Realising he may not be able to have both.

And ultimately, and I hope we can all become more aware of that again, is bi or gay, we have more in common than we are different. So even as a bi woman, i can relate to Mike's experience. Mike being gay does not take bisexual representation away because representation is based on the experience not the label.

[lexosaurus]

Hi uhh i have a question i was scrolling at ao3 and i keep seeing pompous pep fiction a lot but i thought it was illegal because there is at least 20 year age gap im getting confused

AO3 is a creative writing/fanfiction archive that allows anything that's legal under US creative writing law. There are some limitations, like scripting out an episode of DP would not be allowed because that's copyright infringement, and posting something disguised as a fic that's not actually one (say, posting your headcanons list or your grandma's cookie recipe) isn't allowed because that's not a transformative work. But otherwise, people are allowed to post any fictional content that they so wish so long as it's tagged properly.

The tags are an awesome feature of the site and are why many people, myself included, choose to use AO3 as their main fanfiction domain. It allows you to opt in or opt out of any tag that you do or don't want to see. For example, I read/write a ton of gore, so I often filter in tags like "Dissection" (using the sidebar) so I can only see those types of fics. But there are tons of people who get squicked out by gore/dissection, so they might prefer to filter those tags out. Maybe they just wanna read a good smut fic, so they'd filter in that tag, while for me, I'm not so interested in that content, so I almost always filter it out before I browse.

I know this seems a bit long winded of me, but what I'm trying to get at is that because fanfiction is fictional, that means that ships and tags that you or I might argue are morally gray or even morally unethical are totally allowed on the site (aka no real children were harmed in the making of said fic, so not illegal). This includes Pompous Pep, which is Danny/Vlad. And if you don't want to see that, as many people probably don't, then the site makes it extremely easy to filter that stuff out! Woo!

The DP Phandom is a really really old phandom and we've had a history of "true vs anti" ship wars back in the 00's, which while a bit different than the kinds of shipping wars you see in other fandoms today, they still happened and were incredibly destructive within our spaces. People were fighting, there was lots of bullying, angry cliques, and overall moral policing "you can't sit with us" behavior to people who frankly didn't deserve it. There's not a lot of creatives left from that era, and the ones that did come back don't have a lot of positive things to say about it.

So yeah, maybe some people on AO3 write things that might squick you out, but from experience we've found it to be far more beneficial to just do our own things. Write the content you wanna write, read the content you wanna read, interact with the people you wanna interact with, and block/mute/filter out/whatever the rest. It's honestly not worth your mental health or sanity to try to police fics/art in here. We're too old, most of us got jobs, bills to pay, maybe even kids to feed, and it's honestly not worth our time. Besides, it's much more fun to participate in phandom events and nerd out with other creatives about silly AUs and tropes and geek out over art styles and colors than it is to worry about that stuff!

[riririkinzi]

GOLDEN HORIZONS AND BOLD TIDES

Hey guys! You remember my update about my Goldenheart Little mermaid fic that's been discontinued because I don't like the summary I made and that I'm gonna rewrite it in a different plot? Well I am while collabing with @long-distance-muse we've come up with some HC/Summary and stuff before the actuall fic cause why not (＾＾)人(＾＾)

HERE ARE SOME HEADCANONS/SUMMARY

• Valerin Adopted Bal when he was 2 years old, since his parents were killed that time and the incident gave him a scar on his face which makes him a prince of the merfolk kingdom

• Bal is a curious mer since forever, quite and shy yet he had an enchanting voice that would make anyone fall for him.

• Valerin would often tell stories of the world above from her point of view cause she knew how curious Bal is, and he loves hearing them.

• Merfolks below 16 are allowed to go above the surface if their acompanied by anyone above 16 which is the age of their adulthood.

• A merfolks life span is up to 300 years but when a human and a mers lips joined together for the first time, a mers lifespan would be cut into 200 and the human's lifespan would be the same.

• Merfolks would began to age really slowly when they reach 20 and so would a human if the 2 would kiss.

• When merfolks die their body dissolves into seafoam after their last breath and left what they last wore during their deaths.

• Bal own a garden where his most colorful flowers are gathered together of a circle like the sun.

• When Bal was 13 the noticed the guards brought home a statue of a young man around his age or maybe a year older and it was a head till it's chest.

• Bal somehow was mesmerized by it's young and handsome face, so he ask Valerin to keep the staue as a display for his garden and placed it in the center of the flowerbed and stare at it all day.

• Bal was also known for staring above, when the seas were calm, he would perch himself on a rock and stare upward for hours, watching the dim and distant star, lost in his own thoughts.

• On his 16th birthday the first thing he saw were the fireworks blasting off with different bright colors and stars in the sky so he sat on the nearest rock to gaze at it all night till the morning.

• A while after that night he found Nimona when she was in their shark form when he was collecting human items and together they would explore shipwrecks for human items.

• Nimona could have been adopted but prefer to be his Ward and Bal just accepts it.

• Nimona's still a shapeshifter and mistreated but the humans so she fled to the sea and decided to have her signature form as a mershark.

• At the age of 20, when Bal and Nimona went to the surface he spotted a ship with so many lights and music playing with the fireworks launching at the sky.

• Bal and Nimona reached the lifeboats to get a closer look, and from Bal's pov, he was amazed from the sight, so much joy, laughter, lanters glowing bright and music playing beautifuly with crafted instruments, and people were celebrating.

• But what caught his attention was him, Ambrosius, a Noble from a long bloodline of Knights, the center of attention and the man from his statue that must have grown.

• His heart was fluttered for he could not take his eyes of Ambrosius not even Nimona's voice can stop him.

• Soon a great big storm came, damaging everything from the ship, people panicked as Bal and Nimona got off the boats cause the humans are about to escape.

• Ambro wasn't able to reach the surface as he was drowning, Bal knew he was gonna die and had to save him and swim as fast as he can.

• The storm had calm while sun rose at it's peak, as Bal place Ambro laying down on the sand.

• For a moment Bal couldn't help but gaze at Ambro, his scaley hand carrassing his strong strucured face.

• He slowly placed a soft kiss in his forehead, breathing as Ambro had slowly opened his heavy eyelids halfway through but closes them again.

• Suddenly Bal heard footsteps of running and some shouting, meaning humans are coming so he heads back to the water as fast as he could and hid himself behind the rock.

• As the humans ran towards Ambro, they immediently carried his unconcoius body as Bal watches over while hiding.

• As he swam back to the sea, he couldn't stop thinking about the night he saved Ambro, how he first caught an eye on him and gaze into him.

• Every night he swims to the same shore where he dropped him off, sat on the rock on the shore, watches over Ambro sitting on the balcony as the moon shines bright, wandering on who saved him.

• He was desperate to tell Ambro that it was Bal who saved him and desperate to become human.

• He had no choice but to seek the sea witch as Nimona carefully and quietly follows him.

• Once he enters it's home, the seawitch didn't show her face but only it's eyes and tentacles.

• Bal asked and begged the witch to become human and so the witch agrees to do so.

• She warns him that if he gains true loves kiss with Ambro, before the morning after a year of being human, he'll have the ability to become human and merman anytime he wants, but if he doesn't he'll die and turns into seafoam.

• She also warns him that every step he takes would feel like he's walking on knives and broken glass.

• The seawitch reminds him that her offer isn't free since he must pay the price and that price would be 2 things he owns: his Arm and his tounge.

• So Bal accepts the offer as he lets the witch cuts his arm off and his tounge with her tentacles.

• After giving his tounge and arm to the seawitch, she immediently gathered everything to make the potion.

• Before handed the bottle to Bal once she's done, she also reminded him that he has to drink it on land before sunrise, and once he drinks it he'll feel the pain as if a swords pierce right through his body.

• Once Bal left the seawitch with the bottle he held onto, Nimona swam towards him begging him not to do this cause she doesn't want to lose him, his kissed her forehead and continues to swam up to the surface.

• Once he reaches the land, while the moon is at it's peak, he instantly drank the potion till it's empty, he groaned as if a knife plunged through him then his body collapsed as everything went to darkness.

• When Bal wakes up, the first thing he saw was Ambro looking at him, asking his name, and if he's alright, but since Bal couldn't speak, he stayed silent.

• Bal is taken in by an enchanted Ambrosius who feels a strange inclination to the mysterious stranger.

• He gets cleaned up and dressed in finery, which is when Nimona sneaks in and chews him out since Queen Valerin is worried and they’re mad that he just left them despite her asking not to leave them too (could be used to set up conflict on a sequel) but they ultimately understand how love can make people do stupid things so she lends her help as long as Bal doesn’t do anything stupid like turn into seafoam.

• In his rooms which Ambro gave Bal to rest in, he was trying to practice walking, it was hard and painful at first due to the seawitch's warning, but he learns to get ignore her and gotten used to walking more.

• Bal haves dinner with Ambs and they get to know each other better. Ambs starts theorizing that Bal might be royal because of his etiquette, wit and hopes so cause he down bad right now.

• The next day, they go on a date in the village, and they accidentally cause a scene where Bal’s feet hurt too much that he collapses and Ambs catches him. But that makes the hood he wears fall down, revealing that the noble was in town with a stranger.

• This makes it to the director, who is a guest who was staying with the insistence of Amb’s parents to help them set him up for a political marriage that would increase their political power while making Ambs happy. But the director just wanted another noble in the palm of her hands.

• For almost a year, the Director starts sabotaging their hangouts and tries to constantly embarrass Bal to the point that he is ‘commoner’, there are rare times that her plan worked but most of them didn't.

• Nimona catches on to her plan and informs Bal, who goes toe to toe with the director in the court.

• Ambs sees Bal in his element, and realizes that it was Bal who saved him from the storm, he wants to marry him whether he’s a noble or a commoner.

• Director realizes that the stranger is more of a threat than she realizes, so she switches tactics and instead of trying to chase him out, resolves to kill him.

• Nim, Bal, and Ambs notice and react differently. Nim tries to find a solution to bring Bal back to the sea where he’s safer. Bal starts second guessing because of one trap where Nimona got hurt in. and Ambrosius realizes that the person he loves is in danger and resolves to confront and stop the director before she kills him.

• Ambs confronts the director and is backed into a corner of either he marries the woman she arranges for him or his lover dies and he agrees to save Bal, and Bal overhears that Ambs agreed to marry another and is heartbroken.

• Looking for Nimona to make sure they go back safely and to turn into seafoam from despair.

• For the afternoon till sunset, he sat on a rock at the shore thinking about his death, and for the first time now as a human, tears from his eyes had shed down through his face from all the pain and suffering he's in, all of those sacrifices for nothing.

• Nimona finds Ballister in tears, learns about what happened, and shows him the dagger that she trades her hair for the seawitch, and tells him that he can return to a merman if he just draws Amb’s blood.

• Bal is conflicted but he doesn’t wanna leave Nimona alone with all the hair they have given up for (cause death is significantly harder to arrange visits for) and hides the dagger under his pillow.

• Ambs bursts in, sees Nimona and Bal, Nimona shifts and hides behind Bal and Ambs is afraid. Now Bal realizes he truly has to pick between the sea and land.

• Bal shields Nimona behind him and approaches Ambs, hugging him sadly before leading him to his bed. He beckons Nimona closer.

• Nimona explains situation, Ambs shares his side, lovers realize they can’t be together and Ambs takes the knife and lightly drags it over his heart, just enough to cause blood to spill on Bal.

• Bal faints from the pain of transforming again then lands on Amb's arms, he carries his body to the sea, where Queen Valerin waits for them after Nimona spilled the beans.

• Bal spent the next few weeks in his room in sadness thinking how he never got to say goodbye to Ambro, that 2 worlds can't be together, and most importantly that he trade his tounge, his arm for nothing, forever will he spent the rest of his 300 years of living in silence, but alteast he'll keep his memories of him.

• Valerin ensuing shovel talk and slight respect for the human who cared enough for her son to agree to a loveless marriage.

• Not only Ambro's parents find out the Director's plan but also that Bal was a merman and it was him that saved Ambro, and gave him their blessings immediently.

• Ambs sets Bal down and kisses him on the lips, magic sparkles, Bal got his voice back and finally can now be human-merman.

• Val is impressed by the power of their love and grants Ambs the power to turn into a merman, his life span would extend into 200 years with Bal and offers them to wed in the oceanic courts.

• They wed, kiss, all the wedding night stuff if you’re into that and officially adopt Nimona.

• Head back to land the next day to a fuming Director, shows off the wedding rings, Queen Val shows up in her ocean queen glory and demands the director’s arrest for threatening her heir.

The redesign of Merman Bal is coming soon along with some art and more. But right now enjoy on this list that me and the amazing @long-distance-muse made together

(This is a mixture of the Hans Christian Anderson, Disney and some little inspiration of @mvjerbs Prince Ballister AU)