#gutsy explorer

[almostlookedhuman]

[bluebluebluewoods]

Exploring a crumbling labyrinth, a witch runs out of power after an injury and has to rely on a wandering barbarian for assistance.

[vivid-ink]

"To Know You Again" Chapter 2 - A Kiss Long Awaited

Pairing: Neteyam x fem!Omatikaya OC

Summary: “Do you remember our last night here? The night before my family left?” The warm, rumbling timbre of Neteyam’s voice washed over her. “Yes,” Naia whispered. How could she forget?... She had replayed the memory of his lips over and over numerous times. One corner of Neteyam’s mouth lifted in a small smile as his eyes tracked over the delicate bridge of her nose and over her steadily flushing cheeks. His gaze stopped to rest on her lips, “You gave me something that night. I think it's time I returned it."

An exploration of what if Neteyam had to leave a girl he was close to behind when his family fled to the reefs to seek refuge. AU - Set 7 years after TWoW, exploring the many emotions and the eventual romantic reunion between Neteyam and his love.

Warnings: Adult content 18+, MDNI Content: Romance, drama, angst, fluff, sexual content, smut, soulmates, bonding. Word Count: 7.4k

Previous Chapter 1 - Homecoming

As recognition dawned upon Naia at the intruder’s identity, her fright quickly turned to annoyance at being startled out of her slumber. The delicate points of her ears, which had sprung upright in momentary surprise at Neteyam’s presence, flattened again and she hissed, “You skxawng! Why would you sneak up on me like that? That’s such a kurkung (asshole) move!”

Neteyam chuckled at her gutsy and impertinent reaction, “Still feisty, I see. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

Straightening to full height now that she perceived she was in no danger, Naia’s eyes ran over his form again. Shit, he had gotten big...

Neteyam had always been lean, even in his younger years, due to his natural athleticism and active lifestyle. However, the breadth of his chest and the strapping strength in his arms was a change and it triggered an involuntary flutter of feminine appreciation in her stomach. He was taller than she remembered too.

Neteyam cleared his throat quietly and Naia’s eyes shot upward to his face. The youthful softness it had once possessed was gone now, his cheekbones high and his jawline more angular. A roguish smirk was playing across his features and Naia caught herself then, realising she had been staring.

 “Are you going to put the pointy thing away?” Neteyam teased lightly, grinning widely when he saw Naia sheepishly re-sheathe the small dagger she was holding in its case at her hip.

He had noticed her staring, but Neteyam would be a hypocrite if he did not admit to doing the same. Naia looked very different. Her facial features were familiar, but her hair was longer now, braided neatly down to her shoulders and the rest of her had certainly filled out nicely. He made a conscious effort to check himself and ensure his gaze did not linger for more than a moment on the pleasing curves of her breasts and hips.

Now that the flare of her annoyance had died down, Naia found herself rather tongue-tied in Neteyam’s presence. Eywa, she did not know what to say or do…

“You didn’t come with the others to say hi earlier,” Neteyam broached quietly.

Naia swallowed and her eyes met his again, “Sorry, I was busy with Entu. How’d you know I’d be here?”

Neteyam shook his head and shrugged casually, “I didn’t actually. I just wanted to stretch my legs after flying for almost two days before going to bed. I wasn’t really going anywhere in particular and I guess my feet naturally started retracing old paths.”

Naia gave a barely audible gasp. He remembered this was their spot… Did he remember the bond they shared all those years ago too?

“Did I give you that much of a fright? You’re very quiet.” Neteyam’s voice was sincere and gentle concern coloured his features.

The beads in Naia’s hair rattled mildly as she gave a soft shake of her head. She gave an awkward laugh and apologised, “You did give me a scare, but it’s alright. Sorry, I don’t mean to be rude. I just-” Naia paused mid-sentence then, thinking of what she wanted to say and how to phrase it, “I just can’t quite believe you’re here. It’s been so long. I don’t really know what to say.”

He grinned toothily at her, the pointed tips of his canines peeking out from behind his upper lip, “Smart-mouthed Naia, lost for words huh? That’s unlike you. You called me a moron and an asshole only a few moments ago.” Neteyam took a few steps towards her then, closing the distance between them, “How about a nice greeting?”

Naia’s heartbeat sped up at his approach and the flutters erupted again in her tummy. A greeting? Her mind spun with what she should do. Should she shake his hand or-?

Thankfully Neteyam solved her dilemma for her. She saw him hold his arms out slightly from his sides, palms open in an unspoken request for a hug. Oh.

Self-conscious nerves fizzled through her and her limbs felt slightly numb. Her legs instinctively carried her forward nonetheless and she slotted herself against him, winding her arms around his slender waist. Neteyam’s arms enveloped her smaller frame and Naia rose onto the balls of her feet so she could rest her chin over his shoulder.

Naia need not have worried.The awkward tension within her disappeared the moment her body met his and she melted into his embrace.

It was as if their skin remembered, their muscles and flesh moulding to each other like it was the most natural thing in the world. Neteyam’s skin was a blissfully warm contrast to the chill of the night air and Naia turned her head inward to tuck her cheek against the flat of his collarbone where it met his shoulder, her nose skimming the skin of his neck. His scent was familiar and her eyes slid shut to the gentle thud of his heartbeat.

Something clicked into place in the depths of Neteyam’s being and his heart whispered “home”. The years he had spent through the Long War in the reefs of Awa’atlu suddenly felt like a distant memory and the recollections of his past in the forest, and with Naia, came flooding back to him. Like the rest of his family, he had been forced to adapt to life at sea and he had done so successfully, eventually becoming Metkayina. However, the voices of his Omatikaya ancestors had never stopped calling to his soul, nor had the sound of Naia’s voice.

Holding Naia against him, he dipped his head to murmur by the pointed shell of her ear, “Oel ngati kameie, Naia. I’m happy to see you.”

Naia’s heart soared with joy and she could not suppress the wide smile that stretched across her lips. Still feeling somewhat shy, she uttered her own greeting into the crook of his neck, “I see you, Neteyam. I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too.”

The motion against her was soft, but the gentle press of Neteyam’s lips against the crown of her head was unmistakeable for what it was. The buzzing flurry in Naia’s stomach spread upward to her chest as her many emotions frolicked within her. He had not forgotten her. He was here… he was home now.

However, the part of Naia that looked after her self-preservation cautioned her not to get ahead of herself. Neteyam may have missed her, but it did not mean he felt the same depth of affection towards her that she did for him.

“You’ve shrunk. You’re shorter than I remember.” Neteyam joked.

With a huff of laughter, Naia stepped back a little to face him, “No I haven’t! I’m taller than I used to be actually. You’ve just grown more exponentially than I have, both upward and outward.” She unwound her arms from around him and planted her hands on his biceps, giving them an experimental squeeze, “By Eywa, what did they have you doing out there? Throwing massive chunks of coral reef around?”

Neteyam snorted, joining her in laughter, “No, but regular swimming against strong ocean currents will do this to you.”

“Are you back for good?” Naia queried, keeping her tone carefully measured even though her heart was bursting at the seams with hope.

“Yeah, I am. The forest has always been my home.” Neteyam breathed in response. He walked further into the grotto and cast his eyes around the space. It appeared exactly as he remembered it. He spotted the nest of blankets in the corner and the purple fabric of what looked like his old flying shawl. He smiled to himself before his gaze purposefully sought Naia’s out again, “My heart has always been here.”

***~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~***

Eclipse was coming to an end and the mellow light of morning was beginning to brighten Neteyam’s surroundings. He skulked silently through the various cloth pavilions and tents of High Camp, making for the shelter of his own family’s newfound lodging in the distance. Naia’s family shelter was on the opposite end of the camp and they had parted ways at the grotto with the joyful relief of a ‘see you later’ rather than a ‘goodbye’.

He and Naia had stayed up for a good portion of the night talking and filling each other in on the long years that had passed in-between. The comfortable amity they had shared in the past had returned with ease and they had fallen into their old ways of teasing and joking as if he had never left. It was just like old times; well, mostly.

Neteyam felt blood heat his face in mild embarrassment and he smiled wryly to himself. Perhaps the only difference were the moments of light tension that charged between them when they realised there were certain old habits they used to do that were different now, because of the resulting sensuality that came with being grown. Curling against each other to sleep was one such example.

Nevertheless, they had fallen asleep at some point, not quite touching but still lying alongside each other amongst the blankets. Neteyam had awoken later to a diffident smile from Naia as she had risen to stretch her limbs.

Reaching the cloth flap of his family’s shelter, he carefully curled the fingers of one hand around an edge and parted it slowly. It was mostly dark still in the first section that expanded out from the entryway and he stepped inside as quietly as he could. To be fair, Neteyam did not know why he was sneaking in like a teenager not wanting to be found wandering after hours. He was an adult now; he could do as he pleased with his nights.

Rounding the corner of another section of the shelter, he was met with firelight and the perceptive eyes of his parents. It should not have surprised him. They were both early risers. Murmuring a muted greeting, Neteyam sat to join them as they partook in an early breakfast of savoury rolls.

“How’s Manaia?” Neytiri asked coolly, her eyes never leaving her food as she gingerly peeled the leaf-wrapping back to take another bite, although a knowing smile was dancing on her lips.

Busted.

Neteyam did not feel too mortified, thankfully. His parents were aware after all of how he felt for Naia. He had missed her horribly for many, many moons when they had first moved to Awa’atlu. He had been reclusive and uncharacteristically short-tempered with his siblings, and it was not until the start of the Long War that he became distracted enough by the calamity of war to take his mind off her.

“Naia’s good. She’s not tsakarem anymore.”

“Yes, your grandmother informed us. Apparently she refused to be betrothed to Tupou.” Jake piped up.

Neytiri was very amused by the sentiment and she cackled softly, “Not surprising. If she is still as vivacious as I remember her to be, then a partnership between those two would be like adding oil to a bonfire in all the wrong ways. Leylani is a much better fit, she’ll keep Tupou’s arrogance in check without riling him.”

Jake eyed Neteyam from across the small fire in the hearth. The revelation was a small win. It would certainly complicate matters for his son if Naia was affianced to another. Feeling meddlesome, he posed his question, “So, are you going to give Manaia your soul-gift?”

Neytiri spluttered at the indelicacy of the intimate question, chastising her mate, “Jake! You do not ask about such matters, even to family!”

“Hey, you started this conversation!” Jake retorted with a snicker, gently batting Neytiri’s hands away as she reached out to try and twist one of his ears, “Besides, he was with her all night.”

“Talking, Dad. We were just catching up.” Neteyam smirked and shook his head, chuckling at his parents’ playful antics. His father’s question was indeed very personal, but he knew his father meant it rhetorically and was only stirring the pot to annoy his mother.

Neteyam thought of the elaborate necklet and pendant that lay tucked in its little pouch with the rest of his belongings. The Metkayina had a tradition where every individual would craft a gift for their intended mate; a soul-gift. It was intended as a proposal of sorts and a promise of the eternal bond they would share in Eywa. A soul-gift could be anything; a weapon, an article of clothing; an ornament; but it was often an intricate piece of hand-crafted jewellery.

An image of the necklet adorning Naia’s neck with its twisting pendant nestled atop her breasts came to Neteyam, and it caused a wave of heat to bloom in his chest as well as elsewhere. His heart had rejoiced at being reunited with her last night and she certainly seemed as elated by his return. There was definitely physical attraction between them, but did her heart call to his like his did to hers?

Neteyam was sure Naia had loved him once, a long time ago. The memory of her kiss had besieged him ever since. It had taken him by surprise on their last night together before his departure, and the thought of leaving her love behind had been too painful for him to acknowledge it. Afterward, he wished he had kissed her back.

“Tarsem has not rostered us on any duties for the next few days to give us time to rest and acclimatise again.” Jake’s voice brought Neteyam back to the present, “I imagine it’ll be the hunters and warriors that you want to re-join?”

Swallowing the last piece of his savoury roll, Neteyam nodded firmly, “Yes, definitely.”

“I’ll see to it that Tarsem is aware of that. He wants me back on the elders’ council and there is a meeting at the week’s end. Apparently he has much to discuss with me.”

Neytiri raised a questioning brow, “Already? You just returned and the people are at peace now. I can’t imagine what would be so pressing that he requires your immediate advice.”

Cocking his head and blowing a long breath out from between his lips, Jake shrugged, “He said it was something to do with the clan hierarchy.”

Neteyam was beginning to zone out as his parents continued their conversation. The fact that he was not expected to join in the clan’s duties at current sounded wonderful to him. His scratchy eyes reminded him of his weariness. Two days of flying followed by a night of not much sleep meant that slumber was beckoning to him.

He would see Naia again later that evening and the warmth of anticipation tingled in his chest. Bidding his parents a good day, Neteyam moved farther into the shelter where the sleeping area was and promptly collapsed onto his sleeping mat. His last thought before sleep claimed him, as always, was Naia.

***~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~***

Leylani looked across the tsahìk’s hut at Naia, observing as her friend continued peeling the batch of kllpxiwll (lionberry) fruit they had gathered earlier that morning without so much as a peep from her. The purple flesh of the lionberry fruit was incredibly sour and not good for eating, but the large seed that lay within its flesh could be boiled and the resulting broth made into a syrup that eased fever and aches in the body. Getting to the seed was an infuriating endeavour though due to the fruit’s tough orange skin, which was waxy, spiny, and very difficult to remove.

Leylani knew this was one of Naia’s least favourite things to do as a result, and there was usually an abundance of huffing complaints from her when she had to complete the task. However, today she appeared lost in her own world, and every now and again a shy smile would flit across her full lips at whatever her thoughts contained.

Naia had been similarly distracted every day this past week and judging by the timing of it, Leylani was willing to bet that her thoughts were centred around a certain someone. A certain young man who had recently returned to the clan and promptly set all the hearts of the young women aflutter with his strapping frame and fetching good-looks. Leylani knew Neteyam and Naia had been close companions in their youth though.

Finishing her own task of brewing a new batch of yanabark tincture, Leylani grinned impishly and left her station to join Naia where she sat. A bit of harmless teasing was in order.

Naia did not even look up when Leylani plopped down next to her. Tittering softly, Leylani nudged her friend by pressing the side of her thigh against hers, “You’re in a good mood, sister.”

“Am I? I’m not sure what you mean.” Naia replied coyly, turning her attention away from her chore to acknowledge Leylani with narrowed eyes. Naia knew where the conversation was going and she did not want to be ribbed.

“You’re so happy even battling with the kllpxiwll fruit has not spoiled your day!” Leylani continued with her good-natured pestering. Naia was usually brimming with quick-witted sarcasm, but Leylani had discovered in recent days that if there was one topic of conversation that made her squirm dumbstruck, it was Neteyam. It was a fun change to be able to give Naia a taste of her own medicine. “Has Neteyam gone from swimming in the reefs to swimming in your thoughts?”

Naia’s head whipped upright, frazzled, with wide eyes and steadily flushing cheeks, “No!”

Leylani threw her head back with an unbridled peal of laughter at her friend’s response, which she knew was a fib, “Oh mawey, it’s alright! I’m only teasing you, but I don’t blame you Manaia. Neteyam is charming and very handsome.”

The last sentence had been delivered in a sing-song voice and Naia ground out her reply through gritted teeth, “He’s a good friend.”

“Mm hmm.” Leylani’s tone made it clear she was not convinced, but she put her poor friend out of her misery and pursued the topic no more.

There was a disturbance at the hut’s entrance and the cloth flaps parted to admit three of the fisherfolk women, followed by a clucking and fussing Mo’at who hurried to get her healer’s things. Two younger women were supporting an older woman between them, who was hobbling into the hut on one foot. The drops of crimson that she left behind her in a trail was evidence of her injury.

“Come Roha, sit! I need to stem the bleeding.” Mo’at quickly ushered the older woman onto a soft mat, motioning for the woman to place her leg in her lap.

“Oh it looks so painful!” One of the younger women gasped, cringing at the sight.

“Don’t worry yourself, daughter. It’s only a cut foot.” Roha reassured, “I was careless. I didn’t see the jagged edge on that rock by the river.”

Mo’at worked quickly, applying pressure using one hand with some clean cloth while the nimble fingers of her other hand uncapped a small pottle containing a strong-smelling salve, “It’s a deep cut though. You’ll be limping for a while and no more wading or swimming until the wound seals over. I’m sure there will still be plenty of fish and clams gathered for meals even with one fisherwoman down.”

Roha chortled huskily and cast a pert grin at Mo’at, “Ah I’m not worried about our gathered stock being depleted, tsahìk. If your grandson wasn’t a warrior, I’d have him working with us fisherfolk permanently! His breath holds are incredible. He gathered an entire satchel of riverweed and river clams in half the time it would take one of us to do it!”

Mo’at smiled, “Well, the reef clans live and breathe the ocean. I daresay holding your breath for extended periods is a life-or-death skill out there. Was Neteyam helping you today?”

“Yes, his warrior duties don’t start until tomorrow and he was looking for something to occupy himself with this morning.”

“We were wondering if he was alright at first. He was submerged for so long. If it wasn’t for the fact that we could still see him swimming we would’ve gone down after him.” Roha’s daughter added blandly.

Roha let out a mischievous cackle then, her eyes crinkling in the corners, “He’s quite the sight for sore eyes. I’m sure some of the women would not have minded giving him breath to resuscitate him if needed!”

Naia shook her head with a roll of her eyes and she made a renewed effort to block out the conversation. She did not need to be reminded that Neteyam was appealing enough that he could have his pick of all the women if he wished. Naia’s curdling mood must have been obvious as Leylani giggled at her green-eyed expression.

Yet still it’s you he spends his evenings with… Naia’s brain supplied encouragingly. It was true. Neteyam had spent every evening in her company since his return. Naia pressed her lips tightly together to suppress another girlish grin that threatened to jaunt its way across her lips.

They passed the evenings together mostly talking and laughing, either in the grotto or walking amongst the lush woodlands below the mountains if they fancied a flight out on their ikran too. Neteyam told her stories of his family’s time with the Metkayina; about how they had learned the way of water; about how Lo’ak had been the only one to bond with a tulkun and had chosen to stay with his mate Tsireya instead of returning to the forest; about the harrowing years fighting alongside the sea people on the oceanic side of the Long War.

In contrast, Naia did not feel like she had anything interesting to tell him. She had studied conscientiously under his grandmother when the role of tsakarem was still hers, learning to heal and commune with Eywa. The Long War had felt like a never-ending nightmare for Naia, where the tsahìk’s hut was always full of the injured and dying, and a healer’s job was never done.

Neteyam had enlisted her help the other evening with shearing and re-braiding his hair. He had shorn the sides off in the typical warriors’ fashion, leaving only a thick cluster of braids running down the middle of his scalp and trailing around his queue. Naia’s fingers had deftly woven a selection of beads into his hair as she had worked. Some of the beads were from her own personal collection of embellishments, a detail that made her stomach flutter with happiness at the thought.

Another nudge from Leylani broke Naia out of her contemplation and she realised it was the end of her work day.

Only last meal to go and then she would see him again.

***~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~***

Pumping her legs harder and willing her burning muscles to carry her faster, Naia cursed herself for this inane endeavour. In her spirited mood, after a refreshing evening flight on their ikran, she had challenged Neteyam to a race on foot from the mount where the ikran roosted back to the grotto. She had thought that perhaps the years of swimming and oceanic living might have dulled his dexterity at forest-life, but she was wrong.

The smaller mountain top where the ikran rookery was situated was not far from High Camp. However, one still had to scale down the precipice of it, traverse across the suspension of arching boughs that connected it to the base of High Camp, and then climb the myriad of vines to reach the flatter summit of the stronghold. From High Camp, they still needed to make their way towards the secluded collection of caves where their grotto was to ‘win’ the race.

Naia’s eyes stung slightly from the rush of the night zephyr that blew past her. More than just a little ahead of her, Neteyam leapt, loped and climbed with the lithe grace and muscle memory of someone who had never left the forest. He was striking to behold as he moved, the power in his body apparent in the rippling strength of his physique. He was a warrior and male. She was a healer and female. Profession and biology alone should have told Naia that this was an uneven contest from the get-go.

By the time Naia caught up to Neteyam at the mouth of the grotto, he was not even panting anymore. A radiant smile spread across his face as she jogged up to him, her chest heaving as she fought to catch her breath.

“Damn you and your muscles, and your natural athleticism!” Naia sputtered, bending forward to rest her hands on her knees to ease the stitch just below her ribs.

Deep laughter echoed, the sound bouncing off the rocky walls and reverberating around in the collection of small cave systems. Neteyam made a show of flexing his muscles then, curling his biceps and twisting this way and that, posing haughtily. He snorted during his next breath, “Is this a good impression of Tupou?”

Naia coughed, choking on the hearty laugh that burst from her chest at the remark. Indeed, she could never tell if Tupou was stretching like he said he was during his warm ups, or if he was modelling instead for the females around him before he departed on his patrols or hunts. Clearly even Neteyam had picked up on Tupou’s pretentious habit.

Though his hair now resembled Tupou’s and the rest of the warriors, Naia silently observed that she found Neteyam much more physically appealing than she did Tupou. Both men were handsome with physiques that would make any woman fantasise of doing unchaste things, but where Tupou’s face was hard with an air of superciliousness to it, Neteyam’s expression was warm and his eyes gentle.

Watching as Neteyam turned to stroll into the grotto, Naia took the opportunity to appreciate his burly frame. Not that he had ever been skinny before, but his new muscular form made her hyperaware that the boy she remembered was gone, replaced now by a grown man who embodied the very essence of what she considered male. Desire unfurled low in her abdomen and her mouth turned dry, and a very feminine part of her clenched involuntarily in yearning. She bit her bottom lip sheepishly. Oh Great Mother, do not forsake me…

Following Neteyam into the grotto, Naia murmured her thanks when he held a waterskin out to her to drink from. The cool liquid quenched her thirst delightfully and moistened her parched throat. Letting her head loll backward, she gave a gratified moan before lifting the waterskin to her lips again to take another swig.

It was a completely natural and innocent response on Naia’s part. However, Neteyam schooled his expression into one of composure when the sound of her moan shot an unbidden spear of lust through him. Her striped cobalt skin was dewy with a light sheen of perspiration and the sight of her with her head tipped back, her eyes hooded, brought to mind some of his very personal imaginings of her in very particular situations. Her scent was also incredibly enticing and it impelled him to take her in his arms and press his nose into the crook of her neck.

Six long years he had spent away from her; six long years of envisaging what she would look like if he ever saw her again and how she would feel in his arms. Now that his wish had been granted and Naia stood corporeal before him, his hands itched to touch her and his mouth watered with longing to kiss her.

Setting the waterskin down by the nest of soft blankets, Naia grinned puckishly and crouched down by the small make-shift hearth in the grotto. There was a small oil lamp burning in the corner, but the nights were getting chillier now as they moved into the cooler season and a small fire would provide both better illumination and warmth. Sitting down and crossing her legs, she piled pieces of kindling and dried greenery before her and grabbed two coarse stones, “You might still outrun and outstrip me physically, but I can still build a better fire than you can.”

Neteyam chuckled and agreed without dispute, letting Naia go about the task. She certainly got his fire going…

Settling himself down against the blankets, he stretched out on his back with a bolster roll under his head. The grotto brightened considerably not long after when Naia succeeded in igniting the hearth. Sticking her tongue out at him, she twittered in triumph and moved to join him. Stepping over his reclined form, she eased herself down to sit against the grotto wall. She reached for the purple flying shawl and drew it over her knees.

“I can’t believe you still have this.” Neteyam said, catching one corner of the shawl between his fingers, “It’s so old now it’s almost threadbare.”

“Just means the fabric isn’t scratchy against my skin.” Naia quickly countered, but she mustered up enough courage in the next moment to admit softly, too shy to meet his eyes, “And it reminded me of you.” It also smelled of you once… She left that sentiment out though. She had cried the day the shawl stopped smelling of him, when she could no longer detect his scent in the soft fabric.

The air charged around them with a taut tension. It was not uncomfortable, it just held a silent sense of the unfinished, of something more that needed to occur. Neteyam wished he had brought a physical reminder of Naia with him when he had left. He had departed with empty hands and a hollow heart, with nothing but his memories of her and a tingling recollection of her soft lips against his.

Naia brought her eyes upward from her lap and found Neteyam’s eyes squarely on her. His eyes of green-gold were framed by dark lashes and something sparked within their depths as he held her gaze. His eyes dropped just a fraction, looking at something a little lower on her face. Naia licked her lips nervously. She swore he was looking at her lips…

A bright flare of something arced overhead, visible through the fissure in the grotto’s ceiling. Several more flashes followed, a shower of light blazing across the blue-black canvas of the night sky.

Naia gasped in surprise, her glee plain in her voice, “A star shower!”

Neteyam shuffled over to his left to make room for her. The best view through the crevice in the ceiling was where he was lying, “Come over here, quick!” He gestured with his right arm for Naia to lie beside him and, in her excitement, there was no hesitation as she stretched out alongside him. He adjusted his arm so it was cushioning her shoulders and Naia carefully rested her head against his shoulder while she gazed skyward.

Star showers were fleeting and did not last long. They were also rare occurrences. It was said that anyone lucky enough to witness the flitting of the stars through the sky would be granted their heart’s utmost desire.

The stars burst their way in brilliant streams overhead and Naia was only dimly aware that she was smiling. The phenomenon was delightful and nestled against Neteyam, with the skin of his shoulder warming her cheek, Naia felt the happiest she had been in a long time.

Neteyam’s eyes remained skyward, but he was distracted. Every one of his other senses was buzzing with keen attentiveness to the feel of Naia’s body pressed to his own. Her even breaths prickled by his ear, her scent tantalised his nose, his skin tingled with aching heat where it met hers and his tongue wanted very much to taste her.

Star showers were supposed to bring good luck and the thought encouraged Neteyam. He and Naia were close, but it was time to test the waters of what more they could be to each other.

As quickly as it had come, the starry marvel ended and Naia turned her head slightly to look at Neteyam, “That was so beautiful.” She gave a small intake of breath when she found him already watching her intently.

“You’re so beautiful, Naia.”

Flinching a little in surprise, Naia’s wit was quick to bite back her growing awkwardness at his comment, “As beautiful as a star shower? Your eyesight is deteriorating, Neteyam. Careful, you might miss your target during tomorrow’s hunt.” There was no way he meant what he said, surely. His mother was beautiful; Leylani was beautiful. Naia had never felt anything more than plain.

Neteyam could see Naia mentally talking herself out of his compliment and he was not having it, “You’re barely a hand’s width from my face, I think I can see just fine. Why do you doubt my words?”

Squirming at his direct line of questioning, Naia turned her head and made to shift away from him and from his query, but Neteyam was quicker than her. Rolling onto his side towards her and propping himself up on one hand, he brought his other arm down on her other side in a loose cage. Stuck, Naia’s back lowered softly to the ground again within the enclosure of his arms and she peered noiselessly up at him.

“Do you remember our last night here? The night before my family left?” The warm, rumbling timbre of Neteyam’s voice washed over her.

“Yes,” Naia whispered. How could she forget? She had replayed the memory of his lips over and over numerous times.

One corner of Neteyam’s mouth lifted in a small smile as his eyes tracked over the delicate bridge of her nose, over her steadily flushing cheeks and over the gentle glittering of her phosphorescent freckles, “You gave me something that night.”

Shivers ran across Naia’s body, not from the cold, but from gradually rising anticipation as Neteyam’s face continued its descent towards hers. Did he remember? Was he talking about what she thought he was? She had no words. She was entranced by the unfolding situation.

Neteyam lowered himself onto his elbow on one side, his torso aligning with and pressing flush against hers again. His lips were a soft caress against one of her ears, “I think it’s time I returned it.”

Naia’s lips were parted and her breaths were coming in small pants. Neteyam’s musky scent permeated her nostrils and it was alluring in its potent masculinity. Her next breath left her in a shudder when she felt him stroke his nose over the hot skin of her cheek and his lips brushed the corner of her mouth.

Neteyam felt as if they were suspended in time, just the two of them alone in the universe. He pulled back a little to regard Naia, giving her one last chance to stop him from crossing the line they had so carefully toed for the last week. There was no coming back from this. If she responded the way he hoped, he would never let her go again.

Naia had dreamt of this moment for years… Heart hammering in her chest, she shifted just a fraction towards him.

That was all the permission Neteyam needed. Leaning down, he sealed his lips over Naia’s. The years of longing burst in their chests, thrill spearing outward from their hearts as they finally gave in to magnetism between them and let their ardour consume them.

A blazing but pleasurable heat besieged Naia as she dissolved into the kiss. Neteyam was everywhere around her and she felt like thick nectar liquifying as his lips and tongue continued to lead the carnal dance with hers. Great Mother, Naia had never been kissed like this before. She had never been kissed at all.

Naia knew that was by her own choice. She had never found any other man appealing enough to want to kiss him. She had seen other young couples kissing passionately, unashamed of the fact they could be seen, and she had often thought it gross. It did not look pleasant; it looked like they were trying to eat each other’s faces and she did not understand it. She understood it now. She was drowning blissfully in the fervent heat of Neteyam’s mouth.

Neteyam shifted again, moving his body so it almost entirely sheltered hers. It gave him better access to her face and neck this way and he gave a satisfied growl when he felt Naia’s thighs part to cradle his heavy weight against her. Tucking his head into the crook of her neck, he proceeded to lavish open-mouthed kisses against her sensitive skin, delighting in the way she gasped and arched against him.

Naia wound her arms around his neck and desire coursed unrestrained through her veins. It pooled most heavily in the vee of her thighs and the most secret part of her pulsed in want. She knew she was not the only one aroused though. Naia might not have any practical experience in this field, but she was a healer and she was well-educated in how bodies worked.

Neteyam returned his attentions to her mouth, his lips resuming their dance with hers again and Naia instinctively squirmed, rocking herself against the hard ridge of his erection. He broke away from the kiss as her movement elicited a sharp hiss of enjoyment from him. Exhilarated by his passionate reaction, Naia continued to repeat the motion. She surprised even herself with her own brazenness. She relished in the feel of his arousal against her core and appreciated the way his expression contorted in pleasure.

This woman would be the death of him… With a firm hand on her hip, Neteyam stopped her with a hoarse chuckle, “Naia, stop.” He pressed a chaste kiss to her lips then and rolled back onto his side.

Naia was in a happy daze. Perhaps she was dreaming. Maybe she would wake up soon and discover it had all been a wonderful dream. If it was then she did not want to wake up…

“You’re not asleep.”

Oh, had she spoken her thoughts aloud?

Another chuckle rumbled in Neteyam’s chest and he delivered a playful nip to the point of Naia’s ear that was closest to him, hard enough to hurt a little but not break the skin.

“Ow!” Naia squealed, pushing against his chest in mock anger.

“Can’t feel pain if you’re dreaming.” Neteyam teased, leaning in to soothe the hurt he had inflicted with a kiss to the same affronted ear. His expression turned grave then as he held her gaze, “Why did you think you were dreaming?”

The awkwardness returned and Naia fidgeted nervously. By Eywa, he was full of deep questions today… She could be truthful with him though. She knew Neteyam would never judge her, but admitting her feelings for him had not waned in seven years was a vulnerable fact.

“I didn’t think you felt that way about me.” Naia confessed quietly, avoiding his eyes and choosing to stare instead at the darkened sky overhead, “You didn’t kiss me back that night. Great Mother, I felt like a fool after. I thought I’d misjudged everything.”

Neteyam’s heart gave a distressing squeeze at the realisation that Naia had spent all these years thinking her feelings were unrequited. All because he had been too stunned and too selfish to respond the way he had wanted to. It had been too painful for him to acknowledge her feelings that night, and he had neglected to even consider how his inaction would affect her.

Shaking his head, his expression contrite, Neteyam cupped Naia’s cheek and turned her face to him, “I’m sorry. I was an idiot. You surprised me when you kissed me. And then I was too scared to acknowledge it because having to leave you felt so much worse if I acknowledged that there was more between us.”

A wet giggle left Naia and she mentally cursed the unbidden sting of tears in her eyes. She did not know whether to laugh or cry. The lump in her throat prevented her from talking.

Neteyam filled the silence instead, “I was miserable for a long time. Then the Long War happened and I was miserable for other reasons too, but there wasn’t a day where I didn’t think of you.” He gently dragged the pad of his thumb over her lips and down her chin before daringly resting the flat of his hand over her heart, feeling the soft swell of her breast beneath his palm, “I feel deeply for you and I want to get to know you like this.”

Naia’s chest brimmed with happiness and relief. She had yearned for him for so long and he was here now, saying to her what she had only imagined him saying in the past. She rolled inwards, snuggling into the warmth of his neck and chest and she felt his arm come to press her to him.

I love you. The words were there, resounding in her heart and a breath away from leaving her lips, but Naia pressed her lips to his chest instead. She would keep those tender words to herself, lest she frighten him away with her ardour.

They had all the time in the world now to explore where this would go. What was the rush?

***~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~***

Muffled voices carried from within his family’s shelter as Neteyam approached it. He heard another deep voice speaking, not his father’s, which meant they had visitors.

He and Naia had kissed a little more afterward and when things had begun to grow heated again, he had stopped them with the lame but not untrue excuse of needing to get back. His warrior duties started tomorrow and it would be a strenuous day of hunting. He needed a good night’s sleep to ensure he was rejuvenated and fresh for the task.

The very male parts of him had wanted to continue, but things were progressing too quickly and he did not want to scare Naia. Not she appeared to mind… The thought brought a salacious smirk to his face.

“Ah, if it isn’t the man himself! Speak of him and he appears as if summoned!”

Neteyam was greeted with four pairs of eyes across the hearth as he parted the tent flaps and entered. Finally amidst them, he realised the booming voice that had just spoken was the olo’eyktan, Tarsem.

“Oel ngati kameie, olo’eyktan.” Neteyam greeted automatically, bringing his fingers to his forehead before splaying them outward in their traditional greeting.

Tarsem gestured for Neteyam to join them in the circle, “I’ve just been debriefing with your parents and grandmother after tonight’s council meeting. There is much to discuss.” There was a meaningful gleam in Tarsem’s eyes and while it was not malicious or lacking warmth in anyway, Neteyam found it slightly disconcerting. Judging by the clan chief’s earlier comment, they had evidently been speaking of him before his return.

Glancing in turn at his father, mother and grandmother, Neteyam was disappointed to find no reassurance in their doubtful expressions.

Straightening her spine, Mo’at offered diplomatically, “Tarsem perhaps you should let my son and daughter speak to Neteyam of the proposition later in private?”

Tarsem was not convinced, “Why? It’s a good proposal!”

Neteyam saw his father wince slightly and Jake stated, “Brother Tarsem, I’ve already told you that I will not reclaim my position as chief of the Omatikaya. That mantle is yours to keep and by tradition, your successor should be one of your own blood.”

Spiny pinpricks of foreboding tingled in Neteyam’s gut. The contrast in demeanour between Tarsem and his family at whatever proposal they spoke of did not bode well.

With a sigh and shake of his head, Tarsem clapped a heavy hand over Jake’s shoulder, “I can’t force you to resume your position if you so vehemently decline, brother, but I’m glad you have agreed to be my right hand. However, the matter of my son is more severe.”

Getting increasingly uneasy as time went by, and annoyed at being spoken of as if he was not present, Neteyam asked, “What is this proposition about?”

Tarsem appeared pleased and he took a deep inhale, his lean chest and shoulders expanding with his breath. Eyes gleaming with approval, he regarded Neteyam, “The clan council has proposed for you to reclaim your birth right. You will succeed me as olo’eyktan of the Omatikaya clan. I’m sure Leylani will find this favourable. You’ve always had a far firmer head on your shoulders than Tupou has and you’ll be a better partner for her overall.”

Neteyam was speechless. What?... Reclaim his birth right and lead the Omatikaya with Leylani by his side?... No.

***~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~***

Author’s Note:

Did this chapter make your heart go 'squeeeee'? It certainly made my heart do that as I was composing it. I swear Neteyam and Naia are too cute. But oh the clan dramas, we had to have some clan drama... 

Pour your hearts and minds out to me, my dear readers! Tell me what you're thinking and feeling.

Chapter 3 - A Choice Already Made

[thecampfirescene]

Dogfight is entering the Criterion Collection on April 30!

Director Nancy Savoca recalls the night she was prepared to remove her name from the film — and then River Phoenix called. 

[River] was in Florida at the time I was up in the Bronx, and we talked for several hours on the phone, and it was just this great conversation,” said Savoca. “He really was talking about trying to explore different characters and push against the roles he’d been playing. He was very interested in playing someone who he couldn’t understand.” [...] “That got me very excited because that meant that the discoveries he was going to make, I was going to be able to catch on film, so it was a very good, juicy conversation,” said Bronx native Savoca, who remembered how Phoenix ended the call. “He said, ‘By the way, your voice sounds just like my mom She’s from the Bronx too.’ I was like, ‘OK, I’m really in. I’m like his mom.’”

[...] In essence, the film Savoca had made was not for the young market at the test screenings, and that Warners intended to reach. The studio believed the problem could be solved by making the ending less ambiguous, supplying a clearer resolution for the conflicted characters. [...] The director recalled the painful last few days aimlessly tinkering away on the film with editor John Tintori, knowing the studio was in the process of revamping her movie, but being out of the loop of those plans.

And next thing I know, River calls me, and he goes, ‘Are you going to be there?’” said Savoca, who remembers the fateful call like it was yesterday. “And I said, ‘Where?’ And he goes, ‘Well, we’re doing a shoot next week.’ And I said, ‘No, I didn’t know about it.’ And he goes, ‘Oh, OK, I’m not going.’”

The now-20-year-old star refused to participate in the reshoots when he learned Savoca hadn’t written the new pages and that she wouldn’t be there to direct. Savoca remains in awe of how gutsy the young actor was in standing up to the studio.

“He totally supported me,” said Savoca. “I am incredibly indebted to him. If he would’ve gone, I would not have that film, I wouldn’t have made that film.”

IndieWire, April 2024

[syrena-del-mar]

Interlocking Narratives: Exploring The Chains of Kim and Porchay

I've been rewatching KinnPorsche in the last couple of weeks and even on the second watch, I'm still so intrigued by the relationship between Kim and Porchay (which is only reinforced by @daeyeol4you's Chay deep dives stemming from every episode). It's the irony of what appears to be the sweetest interactions and relationship of the show ending up with unfinished business. I love character deep dives and KinnPorsche is one of those shows that really allows the audience to partake in it. I hadn't realized it on my first watch but @lilitblaukatz is absolutely right, Kim and Chay are using similar necklaces.

There's already so many metas surrounding the type of jewelry that Kim wears, @wildelydawn's dive into Kim's necklaces comes into mind, but I definitely neglected looking more into the necklaces that Chay wears.

Porchay and his Cuban chain necklace with a carabiner pendant

I'll be honest, at first I wasn't sure what the pendant on Chay's necklace was when I first looked at it. I'm pretty sure it took me about 10 rewatches of this scene to even consider that it's a carabiner.

Interestingly enough, during ep. 5 when Chay goes to his first tutor session with Kim, this the only time that Chay wears such a thick chain, specifically what looks to be a Cuban chain (probably a 6 mm at that), outside of the time that he goes to the club and gets drunk. Cuban chains are nothing short of iconic because of their tight, twisted, interlocking links. Popularized in the 70s/80s by hip hop legends, the Cuban chains became a status symbol to impress because it looks classy and expensive. So I can't help but think that just maybe Chay specifically chose this chain to dress himself up for his idol-turned-tutor.

The interlocking links of the Cuban chain are important in creating and influencing the cohesive, elegant look of the necklace. And just as each link is dependent on the other, Chay is heavily influenced by his own life experiences. He's an orphaned child that was raised by his older brother, he's well aware of the sacrifices that Porsche has had to make in order to provide for him, and he's grown up being hounded by the aggressive debt-collectors that his "Uncle's" gambling habits bring. It's why he loves and appreciates Porsche so much, why he believes himself to be unlucky, and why he's as gutsy and straightforward as he is. He's been shaped by the tragedy that has surrounded his upbringing along with the undying love that his brother has given him.

Another prominent feature of the Cuban chain is the alternating large and small links, a duality that is specific to this style chain. Meanwhile Chay navigates, being the quiet and agreeable little brother that he is for Porsche, while also being his own being who knows how to work for what he wants. He's bold and outspoken when it comes to Wik, he needs to be if he wants to grasp at any chance. He plays around with who he is and what is expected of him; it shows in his personality and how carries himself with Kim versus how he is with Porsche.

Not to mention the sheer tightness of the interlocking links provides a strength and resilience that other delicate chains do not, it's almost symbolic of Chay's own strength and resilience. If there's one thing about Chay is that he's endured a lot of pain, he even believes that his whole life has been filled with bad luck, but even with that he's the one character that shows a steadfast resolve and endures multiple betrayals. He sticks to his guns and his decisions, he knows the love he deserves. He was willing to give Kim a chance, he went to him first to explain, he likely would have forgiven the lies if Kim had said that he cared about him and the feelings weren't all a façade. Kim didn't give him that and Chay blocked him out of his life.

Now moving onto the carabiner portion of the necklace. It seems like we see Chay in TWO different carabiner necklaces. The one he wore on his first tutoring session with Kim and the one he has on when he finds out the truth about Kim from Tankhun. A carabiner is synonymous to strength and fortification, a physical form of security that keeps objects together and secures elements. Similarly, Chay clings tenaciously to what he wants, he takes the chance to ask Kim to tutor him, he finds out where Kim lives, he tells him that he loves him. It's his steadfast determination that intrigues Kim, that sets him apart. Chay may be young, but just as carabiner's are used for adventures and exploration, Chay is the one that dares to tread uncharted territories with Kim. Chay is bold and has a willingness to hold fast until his goals are achieved. He's experienced several trials and tribulations in his lifetime and he still holds on, navigating through the challenges while still staying securely true to himself and his wants. Arguably, he's the one with the strongest mental fortitude when it comes to decisions with his love interest. He knows when to let go and when to hold on, even if letting go means hurting a bit more; it's a strength to come to terms and to then stick to his guns.

Kim and the ball chain necklace with a safety pin pendant

First things first, if we look at the history of safety pin jewelry, it's often associated with the notion of it being a sign of rebellion. This sentiment originally become popularized by the punk rock movement and then was again brought into the spotlight after it started being used as a symbol of standing against the xenophobia attacks around 2016 when Brexit occurred.

The safety pin is often used as a tool for quick fixes and connections, it's a resourceful solution to keep things attached, albeit unconventional. It's a tool to keep fabrics together, and it very literally breaks through a barrier to serve its function. Kim, out of the three, is the only one that initially attempts to rebel against his father. He's the one that tries to get out, even if he's ultimately dragged back in. He creates a life outside of the shady dealings of his father and the mafia as a whole. He has to be resourceful to investigate, to get information about what is happening with his family while still maintaining a distance from the direct dealings with the mafia.

Add that with the fine ball chain that attaches the safety pin, it adds to the idea that Kim is adaptable. His changes occur as necessary to reflect the situations that he finds himself in. Kim adapts who he is as an individuals depending of the people that surround him. He fluidly maneuvers through his life in a way that sees fit to get the information that he needs. He can be idol!Wik, tutor!Kim, mafia!Kim, or distant brother!Wik, at the drop of a dime depending on what version of him the situation calls for. Similar to how @hamliet clocked that Kim's painting of himself does not have any discernable features, symbolic of his ability to hide behind masks, it's the same here.

The fact that Kim's necklace is a simple, and rather thin, ball chain with a sturdy safety pin attached hints at Kim's hidden strength. Just by stature alone, he's the smallest of the three Theerapanyakul brothers. He's also the youngest and seemingly the one that is less involved with the mafia. The chain almost seems to serve as a potent remind that appearances can be deceiving. Like the guards first told Porsche, while Kim might seem to be the most normal of the three, he's the most dangerous. The safety pin adorning a delicate ball chain seems to serve as a profound dichotomy that mirrors who Kim really is.

Final Thoughts

The two necklaces seem to be an intentional parallel and paradox of each other. Much like Kim and Chay's position in the story, as Kinn and Porsche's younger brothers that are seemingly uninvolved with the mafia, they're parallels to each other but they're also each other's literary foils.

I really find it interesting that they chose to put both of them in necklaces that have some type of clip contraption on them. Maybe I'm reading (watching?) too into it, but I can't help but believe that the specific designs that the costumers decided to put them it, especially with accessories, goes beyond the simple aesthetics that fit Kim and Chay. Rather it seems like the necklaces are acting as a mirror that reflect their core aspirations, identities and the interactions that they have with each other and the other characters in the show. They're wearing simple accessories that can get overlooked in the moment, but I really think they provide a deeper look into what drives them as characters and gives us a deeper appreciation for both of them.

[henrykathman]

The Complete Amateur's Guide to Moomin

By popular demand, I have compiled every video in my 'Amateur's Guide to Moomin' into one convenient video, with additional footnotes, corrections, and a newly added section discussing the changes that have occurred with the Moomin series since the publishing of the original videos. Join me as I explore the series' history and its author, Tove Jansson, to discover what we can learn from this peaceful family of trolls.

Special thanks to @marsmombestmom for helping with the Swedish Translation and corrections.

Bibliography:

Augsburger Puppenkiste. Die Muminfamilie, ARD, 1959.

Boel Westin. Tove Jansson : Life, Art, Words : The Authorised Biography. London, Sort Of, 2014.

Bosworth, Mark. “Tove Jansson: Love, War and the Moomins.” BBC News, BBC, 13 Mar. 2014, bbc.com/news/magazine-26529309.

Box, Steve, et al. Moominvalley. Yle TV2 / Sky One, 25 Feb. 2019. 13 x 22 minutes.

Dębiński, Lucjan, and Maria Kossakowska. The Moomins, Episode 1-100, Se-Ma-For, 1977.

Gutsy Animation. “Moominvalley Crowdfunding Campaign.” Indiegogo, 8 Mar. 2017, indiegogo.com/projects/moomin#. Accessed 30 May 2023.

Jansson, Tove, and Elizabeth Portch. Comet in Moominland. Puffin Books, 2019.

Jansson, Tove, and Kingsley Hart. Moominpappa at Sea. Puffin Books, 2019.

Jansson, Tove, and Kingsley Hart. Moominvalley in November. Sort Of Books, 2018.

Jansson, Tove, and Thomas Warburton. Moominsummer Madness. Puffin Books, 2019.

Jansson, Tove. Finn Family Moomintroll. Translated by Elizabeth Portch, Puffin Books, 2019.

Jansson, Tove. Moomin: The Complete Tove Jansson Comic Strip. Drawn & Quarterly, 2010.

Jansson, Tove. Moominland Midwinter. Paw Prints, 2008.

Jansson, Tove. Tales from Moominvalley. Penguin Books Ltd, 2019.

Jansson, Tove. The Exploits of Moominpappa. Penguin Books Ltd, 2019.

Jansson, Tove. The Moomins and the Great Flood. Drawn & Quarterly, 2018.

Karjalainen, Tuula, and David McDuff. Tove Jansson: Work and Love. Penguin Books, 2016.

Lamppu, Eva. “Big in Japan, but Could America Love Moomin?” Reuters, Thomson Reuters, 6 Oct. 2009, reuters.com/article/us-moomins/big-in-japan-but-could-america-love-moomin-idUSTRE59501Z20091006.

Miyazaki, Akira, et al. “Tanoshii Mūmin Ikka.” Tanoshii Mūmin Ikka, season 1, episode 1-78, TV Tokyo, 1990.

“Moomin Characters as Tove's Self-Portraits.” Moomin, 15 May 2019, moomin.com/en/blog/moomin-characters-as-toves-self-portraits.

“Moomin Products in the 1950s.” Moomin, 15 May 2019, moomin.com/en/blog/moomins-in-the-1950s.

Moomintrivia. “Psychology of The Invisible Child.” Moomin Trivia, 10 June 2019, moomintrivia.tumblr.com/post/185491696931/psychology-of-the-invisible-child.

Moyle, Franny. Moominland Tales: The Life of Tove Jansson. Youtube, BBC 4, 2012, youtube.com/watch?v=tYgC0nKyF0g.

“The Story of How Moomintroll Was Born.” Moomin, 12 Jan. 2020, moomin.com/en/blog/the-story-of-how-moomintroll-was-born.

“Who Inspired Tove When Creating Moominmamma?” Moomin, 15 May 2019, moomin.com/en/blog/who-inspired-tove-when-creating-moominmamma.

“Who Inspired Tove When Creating Moominpappa?” Moomin, 15 May 2019, moomin.com/en/blog/who-inspired-tove-when-creating-moominpappa.

Yamazaki, Tadaaki. Moomin, Fuji TV, 1969.

YLE News. “Finland’s Most Expensive TV Show: New Moominvalley Series.” Yleisradio Oy, the Finnish Broadcasting Company, 25 Jan. 2019, yle.fi/a/3-10614150. Accessed 30 May 2023.

[lynslayer]

There's plenty of fun to discover while hopelessly lost in a labyrinth!

Welcome to my new series, Gutsy Flux. In Episode 1: Ruff Business, join Sofía and Manda as they explore the Puppy Kingdom in a short visual novel adventure! Play it for free!!

[surely-galena]

Changing the Status Quo of ToT

[WC: 2.1K]

I've been thinking about where Tears of Themis has been heading lately.

ToT is a surprising blend of otome and detective/mystery game, and because of this, it can be difficult to create a balance that satisfies both halves. By focusing too much on the main story, the game risks losing out on sweet moments MC has with the love interests. But on the other side of the coin, by leaning too much into otome, the main story risks being buried or being dragged out longer than necessary.

Am I saying that ToT is failing to hit this balance? Not objectively, because my personal nitpicks with the game could be reasons why someone else might enjoy it.

But I am saying that with the way ToT is created, I cannot help but feel they are building up for something drastic to happen. Something that shifts the way we see the story forever, something so that the characters are never the same again.

Something that changes the status quo permanently.

To be fair, if the developers have planned for this, it's a good strategy. Something absolutely bonkers happening in the main story that upends almost everything would get people talking -- and word of mouth means more people playing the game. Certain examples of massive events like these off the top of my head are Amphibia's season 2 finale and the Hatoful Boyfriend secret route.

There is a certain thing that cannot happen in ToT, of course, and that is killing off one of the four love interests: Luke, Artem, Vyn, or Marius. Although it's not impossible (and would certainly be gutsy), I'd argue that the decision would be too risky.

We all know Luke has massive death flags, but given the nature of an otome game, permanently killing any one of them would risk backlash -- especially from the players who are attached to the now-dead character.

While this decision might work out for the detective/mystery genre, it clashes with the otome aspect. Unless it's a deliberately tragic game or is used in exploration of a greater theme (see: Psychedelica of the Black Butterfly), love interests are basically contractually obligated to not die unless it's a bad ending. And ToT doesn't do bad endings, because that's what the AU cards are for.

Ultimately, Tears of Themis is an otome with detective/mystery elements. This is how I see it, and I'm pretty sure this is also how the game is primarily marketed. So instead of something like Danganronpa which is basically mystery solving with a side of dating sim elements, ToT is otome first, mystery second.

Arguably, there have been some turning points that have indeed changed the status quo we saw in Main Story Episode 1!

MC joins the NXX (Main Story 5)

The lack of a final court case in Main Story 6, and the ensuing hollow victories in Main Stories 7 & 8

But these events feel like they're building up to something. At this point, I don't think we're heading for an ending that waves a hand and tells us everyone lived happily ever after, because that would feel cheap. We can have a happy ending, of course, but it has to feel earned. And in order for a happy ending to be satisfying, the characters have to fight for it, not have it handed to them on a plate.

So that got me thinking. What are examples of events that could cause a drastic shift in the game?

1) One of the main five is a traitor

A lot of the time, revealing a mole/double agent (reluctant conspirator or not) is interesting because it forces us to change our perception of a character. A side character who turns out to be a traitor is fine because we don't care about them. But for someone who is currently part of the NXX -- including MC -- to turn against the group? That's interesting. That's something that will change the group dynamic for a long time. (Exceptions for Neil and Giann because they're a) already suspect and b) it's likely the player doesn't care for them as much as the main cast, because their primary value lies in their connection to the main characters).

Of course, care would have to be taken here if the traitor isn't MC, because you don't want to risk alienating fans of a specific love interest. In this case, the traitor would most likely be redeemed by MC or have second doubts about his choice to betray the NXX. This means all roads lead to redemption, because it probably wouldn't be a good idea to end a well-liked love interest's arc negatively.

In the same way, an important side character turning traitor would be interesting, but not as impactful as the main five. It would be a massive plot twist, of course, but on the whole, it doesn't affect the status quo as much. Unless, of course...

2) One of the important side characters (i.e. someone with a face and is positively linked to one of the main five) turns out to be the big bad

For example: Kiki Bennet is actually behind the whole conspiracy, but hides behind the guise of a cute, internet-savvy attorney-in-training.

If the developers were to go this route, it would have to be done carefully, with some foreshadowing so that the twist doesn't appear out of nowhere. It wouldn't feel earned if details about a side character were simply retconned and tossed aside. Similarly to the first point, this would recontextualize a character, but in a massive enough way that would impact the entire NXX group. Here, I used Kiki as an example because it would be fairly easy to twist her into someone who is at the law firm to keep tabs on MC, and her internet connections could be used as a cover for a hub of secrets and information.

3) The introduction of a fifth, secret love interest

We've talked a little about this in the ToT discord server I'm in (shoutout to @lukepearcing and @roshie-writes here). And yes, the character we've decided is most likely to be the additional love interest is Jerome.

This would, essentially, create a sort of villain route for MC, where she gets her true enemies-to-lovers plotline. While this may not necessarily impact the main story greatly, it would drastically change the otome part of the game -- especially if it comes with UI changes to suit the addition of a new main character.

4) The world of Stellis is not as we know it

The inclusion of Zangr is arguably enough to build on this idea. Of course, Zangr could just be comic relief, or the standard fourth-wall-breaking character. But if Zangr was right all along, and that there is a (fictional) world outside of Stellis, or that there's some kind of multiverse out there, that would change things no matter whether we liked it or not.

(I sort of talk about this idea in referencing the 2022 ToT April Fools' poster.)

Is this a good twist? Honestly, it would be very difficult to pull off. Tropes like "it was all a dream" or "all of it was fake" are extremely hard to execute well. With the main conflict currently linked to the NXX drug, though, I don't see this as something that is likely to happen. I won't rule it out of the picture, but as of now, it's thematically pretty unlikely.

5) Time travel / MC is looping and she doesn't know it

Is this a trope that has been done heaps of times? Yeah.

But it would change the story -- and would allow for love interests to actually die (e.g. if someone uncovers the NXX and assassinates each one of them, resulting in MC looping back to a certain point in time). I don't really have much evidence to support this apart from the prologue, which implies MC has been through some horrible things, and the continual exploration of memory as a theme. (I elaborate a little on the memory theme in my Giann sprite theory.)

For some reason, I always find myself returning to that prologue. Maybe it's metaphorical and has been all along. But I cannot help but feel that in some way, it was meant to foreshadow something that still looms over our main cast.

6) The group dynamic changes in some way

This is perhaps not as impactful as some of the points above, but would still significantly shift things. I've spoken about the potential for an NXX schism in my post about Vyn, responsibility, and trust. The NXX breaking apart, either as individuals or into groups would definitely make for a change in the main story (and would probably not affect the otome aspect as the game will probably let MC be an intermediary and not pick a side).

Alternatively, adding people to the group would also dramatically change things. Some examples of new people could be Darius or Vincent, but the additions also be old members like Neil and (just maybe!) Giann.

The current NXX has been slowly growing together over the last couple of team events. Perhaps something could happen to slow this growth, or something could happen to accelerate it.

7) MC isn't who we think she is

This is very similar to the MC is a traitor point above, but in this particular idea, she doesn't have to be a traitor. This time I'm thinking of something more akin to the twist in Bee & Puppycat season 1, or something connected to her identity or parents. Maybe she isn't just an up-and-coming attorney who believes in hope and justice. Maybe there's something in her memories that she's blocked out and can't remember, or something that she's deliberately hiding from everyone else. If something like this is done, it would completely recontextualize MC, and it would be significant because she's the protagonist. If there's anyone we think we know, it's her.

8) Protagonist switch

That said, is MC/Rosa truly the main character? I mean, she kinda has to be -- she's the girl the main four guys are in love with.

But imagine, even if for a single episode, we play as Ingrid Rosworth, or any other character that isn't part of the main five. If the NXX conspiracy is bigger than we think it is, it could be interesting to step aside for a minute and peek into someone else's perspective. Baldr is kind of a joke at this point, but what if they weren't? This is somewhat connected to the idea of side characters becoming more important, and seeing them influence the plot could impact the direction that the NXX takes. Is this something that will dramatically impact the status quo? Probably not. Is it still an interesting idea? I like to think so :D

-

When trying to break down ToT, I think it's almost inevitable to separate the slice-of-life romance from the main mystery at hand. It's pretty much a given that most of the card stories and solo/couple events branch off after the first anniversary, and maybe even before that.

What this means is that the romance cards/events cannot actively impact the main story, and the main story cannot select a 'canon' love interest for MC or do something that will impact the romance timeline(s) too heavily. And hence, if we were to encounter a significant twist in the main plot, the romance aspect is unlikely to be affected too much. This is probably why a lot of dramatic events happen in the AU cards, because they sort of test the waters -- and allow the developers to see which ones the audience enjoys and which they don't, because the AUs do not directly influence the story.

Overall, that means that the type of plot twists that are likely to happen are limited. This does not, however, mean that the potential to be interesting is lessened, because there are still a number of ways the main story could go down. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I hope the writers have a good ending in mind. Because there is a lot of potential in the threads that they have given us, and rather than continuing on for years with the general pattern of "culprit of the episode", I want to believe that the main, overarching plot they are promising is going to be satisfying, or at least carefully thought out.

There is so much potential here, and I wouldn't be rambling on this much otherwise. Even if the status quo never shifts drastically, I'd be happy with a good story. Maybe that's all I want from the main plot.

[goldfishlover73]

I was so excited I just counted the number of Untitled documents and didn't read the ones with actual names. Can I ask about Art therapy, too (if no one else does)?

Art therapy is one I started about 4 years ago where Sakura has opened her child mental hospital and finds sukea on her list of patients.

She walks into the room to find Kakashi, fresh from his hokageship sitting at one of the small tables

The story explores Kakashi's after; he's done literally everything he can for his country, for his people and now that he's on the other side of it, how is he going to cope with the things he's seen and done.

And Sakura, the person he trust to help him through it all.

It's a story about coming to terms with yourself. New beginnings.

But it's not a love story. At least, not a kakasaku one.

I paused writing to work on Mago and the Gutsy Shinobi. And then time got away from me. But I do plan to go back to it in Q1 of this year.

That... Might not be what your meant...🫠

TLDR: Kakashi shows up to the art therapy room and colors with crayons while he and Sakura sit in tiny chairs.

[abuddyforeveryseason]

This is the Buddy for March 13th. It's Baby Buddy!

If you've been wondering when Buddy tried his first cigarette, this is your answer.

Remember that episode of Bojack Horseman that showed when Bojack had his first drink? Yeah, that was the inspiration for today's Buddy.

That was a pretty good show, too. The artstyle was nothing to write home about, but I think it was a very inspired show, and a nice memory from the days when Netflix was a respected enterprise - giving that show enough creative freedom to explore the issues it did was a really gutsy move.

But now we have perks like ads and first-season cancellations!

[alwaysmanages]

What if when Joxter is introduced into Moominvalley, he serves as a lesson to Snufkin on what completely isolating oneself from loved ones can do to a body?

I'm just thinking, because Gutsy is really exploring these characters and what makes them the way they are, what if when Snufkin finally meets his estranged father, the man is incredibly distant and uncomfortable with the idea of being responsible for a son? What if solitude has been Joxter's friend for so long, he's allowed it to cut ties from friends and family? This isn't to demonize people and their needs to be away from people sometimes, but a lesson to say that choosing to isolate yourself from people for so long could be harmful to your relationships.

What if when Joxter comes back, Mymblemamma is shocked and wanting to welcome him with open arms, but he's been so closed off from people, he's not sure how to respond?

What if it's Snufkin who teaches his father that allowing yourself to love and be loved is not as terrible a sacrifice to one's independence as he might think? That it's the love for friends and family that make life truly worth living?

[tortured-swiftie]

The Tortured Poets Department predictions:

Genre: alternative pop/rock (wcs, i can see you, evermore (album) vibes more than folky folklore or poppy midnights)

I think this will be an album centered on the breakdown and eventual breakup of a relationship. It will mirror red in a sense but be a lot more mature. I dont think this album will update us much on her more recent life and emotions. An album that explores all the different emotions and experiences from ending a very important relationship.

My prediction on the tracks (specifically the predictions that seem to differ to the ones Ive seen online so far). I havent included predictions that we all collectively seem to agree on :

Down Bad - self-reflective song that looks at the overall relationship and the ending too - she was so in love she ignored signs they weren't quite right for eachother or the relationship was no longer beneficial for either of them. She's down bad so she became down, bad. Written possibly pre-breakup.

So Long London - outlining how she created this life for herself in a "foreign country" and how it feels to let it go and let the part of herself go that wanted this life so much. Im expecting something like All Too Well - zooming in on specific memories and linking them together. A very very deeply hurt song that will be a stream of conciousness.

Fresh Out The Slammer - going through how it felt to be out in the world single again and how terrifying that must have felt, how she dreaded it and how she was carrying this weight of the heartbreak she ought to have felt around with her but to find she was ok. She was more than ok. Like each step she takes she sheds more and more of the person she was the last few years and peels back the layers and sheds that weight. By the end of the song she no longer feels hopeless.

Florida!!! - i think this is gonna slap, its gonna be an intense song about just being revitalised post-breakup, realising your self-worth, maybe even being angry at yourself that you took this long to get to this stage and this decision. And to top it off, you have this realisation in Florida of all places. I am maybe expecting a sound like Daffodil by Florence since she is a feature

Guilty as Sin? - I think on the heels of exploring her past, her relationships, how they ended in the last album but also through all the re-recordings, this song may be an exploration of "am I the problem?" There may even be callbacks and references to past songs that point to specific relationships/time

I Can Do It With A Broken Heart - the bejeweled of the album. Her realisation that she just is THAT good, she can even perform the love songs with her whole chest while heartbroken. Its ballsy, its gutsy and its empowering.

The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived - a very meloncholy and vulnerable track with parallels to peace (your integrity makes me feel small) - she feels like the smallest person in the world she is nothing without this love. And then by the end of the song she realises that she is more than just her relationship and finds her voice. Also written possibly pre-breakup.

[finishinglinepress]

FLP CHAPBOOK OF THE DAY: What Hummingbirds Do by Louise Cary Barden

On SALE now! Pre-order Price Guarantee: https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/what-hummingbirds-do-by-louise-cary-barden/

WHAT HUMMMINGBIRDS DO celebrates the #natural world while sharing the small, significant moments of joy, love, and loss that make up a #life. In these #poems we climb a white pine with a nine-year-old girl and shoot spring rapids in a canoe with a young couple. We see the white birches of the narrator’s childhood home and the flaming wings of monarch butterflies in migration; we hear the wild calls of loons as they echo across a wilderness lake. And throughout this collection, we consider universal questions and choices we must make in marriage, environment, politics, and relationships in our search for fulfillment.

Louise Cary Barden, a 2023 New Women’s Voices semi-finalist, won the Lois Cranston Prize (Calyx Journal), Oregon Poetry Association award, the Harperprints chapbook competition, and others. Her poems recently appeared in such journals as Timberline, humana obscura, Willawaw and Cathexis Northwest. Her writing is imbued with imagery of the natural world as narrated by a self-avowed tree-hugger whose career indecisiveness has taken her from teaching college English to advertising and editorial copywriting and marketing management. Nature stayed at the center of Barden’s life from her childhood on Boston’s South Shore and education at Hendrix College, U. Arkansas (B.A. English), and U. Maine (M.A. English) through residences from Arizona and Wyoming to Maine and Tennessee. Barden and her husband settled in North Carolina for 40 years before retiring to Oregon, where she is still trying to learn to love the rain.

PRAISE FOR What Hummingbirds Do by Louise Cary Barden

“Barden’s poems revel in the anticipatory state of a held breath: listening to the lap of water or the call of a loon, watching a flock of ibises twist in the sky, remembering a moment of cradling sudsy dishes as a child. Lush and rich in the details of nature and memory, she will guide you gently back to awe, to wonder, to the small moments that make up a life.”

–Brenna Crotty, Senior Editor, Calyx,A Journal of Art and Literature By Women

Louise Barden is a poet who has mastered both narrative and lyrical poetry. In this book memories moves with ease from childhood to the recent past. Nature abounds in these poems, whether it is the exquisite details of her Grandmother’s garden, or her last chance to canoe a river before the seasons change, or seeing Ibis fill the sky for the first time. In her beautiful lyric, Early Daffodils, Barden writes:

“Love, show me how to rush into the world again,

how to pluck and gather such joy.

Teach me how go fill my arms with gold.”

This book is full of gold.

–Doug Stone, author of The Season of Distress and Clarity

In her What Hummingbirds Do, Louise Barden embroiders a tapestry “where day’s first light split[s] gold through hanging dew”, and yet “we stand trapped inside the great cone. the past.” She takes the reader through explorations, mostly in nature, and with a backward glance towards family—grandmother, mother, sisters—“where July birches lean out as if to see their own green whispers” (“Viewpoint”) and where her nine year old self climbs high to stand “on a branch so thin it bends under [her] feet” so she can “ride the wind . . .long enough . . . to glimpse the whole world” (“Into the world”). This gutsy kid appears again in “On Drifts” where she and her sisters navigate deep snow “with clumsy, careful breast strokes”—they “swam [their] way to Church.”

As the poems move into her adult life, her affinity for the natural world does not waver. She stops “frozen, gazing into a sky . . . split by patterned coils of moving wings,” her first view of migrating ibis (“The Dazzling Invisibility”). She shares her losses, confronts death, survives winter, “those dreary weeks at home” (“Under a Changing Sky”), until “the once grey air glows incandescent . . . reflections of a greater hand.”

In the prize-winning title poem, she walks with a woman newly met, another birdwatcher who enriches her knowledge of hummingbirds. “We walked slowly, exchanging details, as women do . . . what we do when men are not beside us . . . when suddenly the woman says “straight He’s having an affair. . . I had scant advice.” Intimacy without pretense. As with the rest of her poems, her truthfulness gleams as brightly as her diamonds in Walmart (“Reflections at the Checkout”). Without guile or artifice, and with a deep commitment to lush, lyric language and craft, Barden carries us to the finish. Mark this as a must read!

–Rachel Barton, author of This is the Lightness

Please share/please repost

#flpauthor #preorder #AwesomeCoverArt #poetry #chapbook #read #poems #nature #life #relationships

[backmaskcd]

closed starter for @ofescapisms (jessie) location: narcissa's place

To say things were disheveled after the event on Halloween night would probably be an understatement. However, that didn't mean Narcissa wasn't chomping at the bit to get out and explore, try to find any sort of clue or idea of what the fuck happened. However, there was no way in hell she was going alone - and that's where Jessie came in.

"So - I wanted to go look at the crack," she started casually after her and Jessie had chatted for a little bit, eyes bright and determined. "I don't really want to go alone, just in case, you know, something terrible happens. But I was hoping you'd want to tag along and instead of gossiping inside all day, we could do it while I take some notes and try to see if I can't find out any secrets about.... whatever the ever loving fuck happened Halloween night. Maybe check out some of the building that were destroyed too, if we're feeling gutsy."

[brisquad-unit-4402]

pssssst. slips u a note

(3, 11, & 18) (can i also have some lunch money)

here kiddo i packed you something for lunch at school

3. What work are you most proud of (regardless of kudos/hits)?

hmmmmge this is really hard, tbh. two answers! stars above your skin is kind of like my crown jewel. it’s the longest fic i’ve ever published. i feel like i get burnt out of fics once i hit 4k so whenever i pass that number or so, i always feel so accomplished. SAYS got to explore a ton of headcanons (ike with freckles is the main one lol) and totes opened up a full world with the pliskinverse! i want to revisit it intimately and inherently.

maybe this is because it’s a recent fic as well, but prosthetics means a lot to me. i didn’t realize how much of myself bled onto the page until after ~500 words were down, especially not for an impulse fic. i find that i impress myself when i try not to. i feel especially happy because this was also written for a dear comfydant friend of mine and i love whenever said friend blows up my dms

maybe not pride but i’m always happy when i get the go-ahead to write violence or gore. i have a soft spot for in pursuit to and from the sun and vox, shu and luca’s parts in the lost in time/found in time series because of it.

11. What work took you the longest to write?

surprisingly not the long ones. trading a heart was about one week? SAYS and in pursuit took a month each.

however. and i do not like to admit this. i’ve had a doppio x reader bf headcanon post in my drafts since maybe february or april. and it’s been 80% done since february or april.

if we’re talking published works i don’t remember how long i had the request, maybe april, but this request [nsfw] for massaging and teasing luca and mysta took about 3 months to get out. admittedly that’s bc i learned some stuff abt my own personal boundaries on smut writing and bc i think that was one of my first forays into smut as well

18. The character that gave you the most trouble writing this year?

this breaks my heart to say. sonny and shuey

i have this thing where the characters i simp for hardest, tend to be the most difficult to get on paper. i think it’s because i get attracted to laid-back personalities but i relate to loud ones more.

they have the opposite problems; shuey is incredibly versatile and i never know whether i should let him be shy or play it cool. it really depends on the day. sonny, however, is a very specific type... his humor is dry and deadpan which is hard to nail down, and he's not quite a romantic but he's not a hardass. i think i'm getting a bit better at him since i'm in a sonny lovebot arc rn and writing more for him and noctyx but while all my other characters have a mental list in my head of their traits and how they act, sonny's mental list is of how he should NOT act you know?? he's slippery he's hard to pin down!

ike also gets a shoutout because i feel like his character goes much deeper than "soft nerd prone to shyness but secretly gutsy" but whenever i write him i feel like he's shallow. it's hard to show the hidden depths in such short fics sometimes, since i usually write him in <1k fics

despite not writing him often i think my best character may be vox. he and alban are tied for easiest

[stuckasmain]

The Diva and the Greaser - One works on paper the other gets a bad start

I mentioned in my last post that the real comparison is to be made between Willie and Mutt instead of Short round. Both these characters have a really good concept/archetype to them, they work really well on paper but ultimately are the two most hated in the franchise from what I’ve seen. I want to explore why and defend Mutt a little, he’s not near as bad as people say and really neither is Willie…if you squint.

So your Divas in the jungle-

I’m not here to refute any hate for Willie as I have a similar distaste for her, the absolutely ear piercing preformance takes away from what could be a very interesting character ( albeit far from the best in the franchise). No offense to the actress but my god was she annoying…which is what she’s supposed to be in the role but she was just a tad too much to the point she was to the audience.

Now the concept behind her is great! Take a stuck up, spoiled and gold digging show girl and drag her on an adventure through the jungle. Watch how she stands out. How she freaks out. How she screams and pouts and growls! That’s hilarious! Any fish out of water story where a pampered character gets dirt on them and a bit of grit is a fun time. A unwilling Indy girl who absolutely despises him yet can’t get away do to circumstance? Hello?!

I’ll also admit that in certain points in the film this great concept shines through. I love the scene with her and Indy being so stubborn neither go to the other and they just lie there complaining! That’s funny! Same with her chipping a nail and “I hate water, I hate getting wet and I hate you!!” “Good!” The anti-tension is so great, mutual loathing is fun. There’s these little moments , where her performance is subtler and the concept shines through…. It’s a shame that her screaming through the rest of the movie makes you forget that.

So your greaser has a heart-

I think Mutt is another great example of a character that’s fantastic on paper, and regardless I’d what you think of Shia he did a great job at portraying that. The bad is low… just don’t scream the whole time and be annoying. It is a real shame that this is the movie he appears in first, as that’s just not fair to him- the worst received of the films but he’s a great part of it (really the family dynamic is the star of the movie).

The concept behind him is also great. We see this kid who has a mountain of his own issues, who hides behind being a cool and slick gang member. He’s a tough guy, he don’t feel nothin’, don’t mess with him. As it goes on we see he’s quite the intelligent kid who likes to learn and knows more than he wants you to think. He’s a big ol’ softie and a mamas boy at heart. Kids brought out into the middle of the jungle only to find the man he loved and lost as a father is a step father and his real one was never in his life before now— that his mother never told him and things are complicated. Is he a bit of a well worn trope of “tough guys a softie”? Sure but I like the Not-so-twist- reveal of him being Indy’s son and the fallout that comes from that.

He’s a acknowledgement of the past- these things happened, there’s consequences (in this case its more unexpected pregnancy but you get what I’m saying). And the future. A gutsy kid to tell you that things aren’t over yet, giving the old man a boost back into adventure and reminding him of who he is.

Overall-

I think they’re both interesting examples of a character that’s a good idea but hit with bad luck. Either a annoyingly overdone performance or a weaker starting movie (mixed with actor irl drama I’m yet to understand). It’s a shame because Willie could’ve been great and Mutt was great but actor drama ruined his chances at a return.