#harbor pod

[grifff17]

Looking for media recommendations for small-town supernatural mysteries

Lately I've been wanting more stories set in a little rural town with dark secrets hidden under the surface. I'm down for literally any medium except a movie. TV show, webcomic, audiodrama, actual play, videogame, whatever. Here's some examples which I have watched/read/listened to for reference. Bolded are ones I really liked and are exactly what I'm looking for.

TV Shows: Gravity Falls, Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated, Stranger Things

Audiodramas: Harbor, Unwell: A Midwest Gothic Mystery, Bridgewater, Where the Stars Fell, My Town

Videogames: Beacon Pines, Night in the Woods

[harborpodcast]

Is season 3 still in the works?

Hi there! Yes, it is. The writing process takes a long time for me, so I am very thankful for all your patience while the scripts are being written. I never want to put out something that I don't believe in 100% so this means lots and lots of development time!

Hope your autumn is treating you well!

[lunarifie]

SPOILER FOR TFTSD:

im genuinely so upset for going on the Infinight Interns wiki, GLANCING at Gum Gums Parent status and seeing Dia and Entropa

Im only on episode 60 and GOD how I wished I discovered that plot twist naturally my jaw would have dropped to the FLOOR

But on the other hand, witnessing Gum Gums kindness early on just strengthens the fact that he’s Dia’s son. Loyal to his friends, attempts to settles disputes cordially and befriend everyone he meets.

He’s also a TANK, often targeted first by enemies. Yet he STILL only attacks when absolutely necessary.

[galaxycunt]

pls don’t take this as me bitching about likes n kudos but I do wonder if I’m writing fanfic right lmao I’m like hmmm 2k in this fic n there’s like no real shipping going on am I just writing a dramatized fallout lmao is this what people wanna read 🤔 like is someone gonna be like where’s the banging 🤨 I feel like that’s the general consensus on my fics (to me) bc I’m not an exciting storyteller lmao like I feel like I need to add some romance ya feel

[onebeardedgolfer]

Blind Shots Podcast Season 4 Episode 6 - The Road to Savannah Harbor

How far have you driven in a single day, to play a single round of golf? Today's extended monologue is the story of two guys who drove from Chattanooga to Savannah (and back) to play golf in a Polar Vortex. Crusades. Winds. And Interstate Funerals.

What’s the furthest you’ve ever driven in a single day, round trip, to play a single round of golf? Today’s extended monologue is the story of two guys who drove from Chattanooga to Savannah (and back) to play golf in a Polar Vortex. Why did they do it? Was it worth it? What do you do if there’s a funeral procession on the Interstate? Check out the Club at Savannah Harbor:…

[pen-and-umbra]

FFVII Rebirth introduces something never extensively explored in the original game or in the compilation of Final Fantasy VII: Sephiroth's anger towards Professor Gast’s experiment and the contempt he came to harbor towards ShinRA as an organization.

(Herein lurk spoilers.)

While the latter is something the fans have glimpsed on and off throughout previous installments, the second part of the Remake amplifies it ever so more. What began as admitting that the company had fabricated his legend and expressing a desire to live a normal life in Ever Crisis gradually transforms into a lack of clarity regarding his reasons for fighting in Before Crisis (as prompted by Elfe), followed by an open disgust towards Hojo's and Hollander's experiments when confronted with Mako pod entities during the hunt for Genesis. Sephiroth and Zack's ordeal during Crisis Core events appears to undercut his willingness to stay, as he famously considers leaving the corporation right before embarking on the ill-fated Nibelheim expedition.

FFVIIRb picks off where we left off, painting a more complete picture of Sephiroth's dissatisfaction with ShinRA overall. Interestingly, one of the discarded sequences from the original game featured Sephiroth hinting at his lack of affection for his employer as early as the truck ride.

Narratively, the sequence spans the gap between OG and Crisis Core's departure cutscene, implying that Sephiroth used the time on the road to reflect on his current and future connection with ShinRA. His companion, however, does not appear to understand why he is bringing the topic up. What distinguishes Rebirth is the suggestion that Sephiroth came to view the entire ShinRA system as a problem, rather than just a few rotten apples. He no longer singles out Hojo, but rather the entire ShinRA branch, indicating that something's wrong with the system. When "Cloud" casually inquires about the problem with the Nibelheim reactor, Sephiroth responds that it is "people who run it," adding that this particular site is controlled by the Research and Development department. In addition, in response to "Cloud's" fair comment regrading the lack of transparency in company's operation, he rather sarcastically suggests to bring the issue with the President, thus implicitly conveying the futility of the endeavor.

When the party encounters Mako pod residents, one can detect genuine rage in his voice. While Sephiroth had previously shown bitterness for the test subjects during CC, it was tinged with disgust/pity rather than wrath. And once again, I’m grateful to Tyler Hoechlin for broadening his range in this particular segment.

"Cloud's" reaction to the contents of the pods, however, came off a little weird. The confusion appears out of place, because Zack had seen it all before — he had been there to watch the aftermath of Hollander's work; is it really odd that ShinRA's chief R&D scientist spearheaded the entire thing? Perhaps, unlike Sephiroth, Zack treated it as a rotten-apple issue, rather than a systemic issue. Or maybe this is an example of Cloud being an unreliable narrator, having conflated his own experience with that of Zack, which also explains Zack being sort of too green for the First Class throughout the Nibelheim portion of the game.

The shift in Sephiroth's perspective, from singling out Hojo's misdeeds to viewing ShinRA's itself as a systemic problem, is further highlighted during the mansion segment. This is no longer a strictly Hollander or Hojo issue. Human experimentation formed the fundamental core of what ShinRA is now, and those were approved from the very top. As Sephiroth puts it with barely concealed disgust, as soon as the company realized what had fallen into their hands, they became ambitious.

The wording also strikes a contrast to how he used to refer to the company in the past; as such, when Angeal deserts, Sephiroth states that Angeal has betrayed “US”, which points at both his personal connection to the person and the fact that Sephiroth likely saw himself as part of ShinRA circle. In the library, however, he distances himself by referring to the company as THEM, thus no longer perceiving himself as a part of it.

More important still is the rage he expresses when quoting excerpts from Gast's notes. The anger is new, never before seen touch. Sephiroth has been portrayed in the moment differently throughout earlier installments — dejected, perhaps overwhelmed, but never angry enough to snarl and nearly flip the table.

And it's wonderful. It's authentic, and it makes sense. It makes you question how much of that rage has been bottled up, compartmentalized, and never fully processed throughout the years. That rage should have existed, but was suppressed by ShinRA, before becoming internalized and sealed.

The scene is extremely on point on another level as well. As the flash of rage passes, and Sephiroth looks away, hiding eyes behind bangs — a gesture previously briefly appearing in Crisis Core.

One could interpret the body language as being ashamed and unwilling to show his composure cracking. Even in this state he KNOWS he wasn't supposed to let anyone see hurt or anger, wasn't supposed to lose cool. The "wonder child" and the "poster boy" is not to be seen as something other than “efficacious” and “collected”. The habit of suppressing displays of emotion or physical/psychological ailment had apparently become a part of himself. It doesn't take a lot of imagination to deduce why the habit persists. The internalized compulsion to live up to the expectations placed on him by ShinRA and the myth it imposed on his character, as well as the internalized imperative not to reveal to someone like Hojo — anyone— the extent to which their acts or words affect him. There's also another layer to this shame — one of being an artificial creation, but that's for another write up.

The anger towards Gast differs greatly from the way Sephiroth went “Why didn't you tell me?” in previous iterations of the Nibelheim incident. In retrospect, Gast's supervision of the project, involvement in Sephiroth's life, and unexpected departure seem like a betrayal. Gast had not only abandoned Sephiroth, who had likely come to see him as a salient figure in his youth, but had also been lying to him all along, until finally discarding him, as Sephiroth might believe. Gast therefore falls from grace, becoming yet another person who misled, attempted to exploit, and eventually abandoned him to deal with the consequences on his own.

[persefolli]

What if Neytiri sought Uturu from the Metkayina clan and ran into Jake after him, Wari, and y/n were all happy together? And Jake felt some old feelings coming back up because of their past tshayleu connection? The potential angst 👀

𝐎𝐥𝐝 𝐅𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐞

𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐉𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐱 𝐓𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐢, 𝐍𝐞𝐲𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐢

𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐀𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐭

𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭

“Who are you?” You asked curiously, wondering why a forest na’vi flew all the way to Awa’atlu, alone. 

“Neytiri te Tskaha Mo'at'ite. Daughter of Mo’at, and Eytukan.”

Neytiri. The name seemed familiar. 

“Why have you traveled so far to get here? Are you safe?”

“No, actually.” The woman lowered her head. “I seek Uturu.”

“Uturu?” Tonowari approached from behind. “Daughter of a great Tsahik seeks Uturu?” He clarified.

“Me and my former mate got into some trouble with other…species and I’m afraid I cannot stay in the forest much longer.”

You looked up at Tonowari who had a conflicted look on his face. Nodding your head to get his attention, you began to speak to him with your eyes. ‘I washed up on the shore a year ago’

‘That's different.’

‘She needs our help Wari.’

‘Y/n I don’t think you under-”

“Neytiri?” You heard Jake say in disbelief behind you. He came walking forward, looking at the na’vi woman with his eyes bugged from his head. 

“Jake.” She smiled at his presence.

You backed up and grabbed onto Tonowari’s arm and watched the two interact. Jake had nicely placed his hand on her bicep, comforting her and asking about what happened.

‘That's the Neytiri?’

‘I wish I could’ve warned you sooner.’

Jake came up to you with a pleading look in his eyes. “Tonowari. I know you already-”

“She's your responsibility.” Tonowari said coldly. You looked at him confused, but stood ten toes down for him, nodding your head and ultimately accepting Neytiri’s Uturu request.

---

“Tonowari, did accepting Uturu really upset you?” You kneeled next to your husband when you had the chance. He had been twitching his ears all day, and seemingly acted unbothered to everything that happened earlier.

“I just don’t want the Metkayina tribe to be known for harboring ex-war criminals.”

You tilted your head and Tonowari sighed, finally setting down his weaving project and looking at you. “I didn’t…mean it like that.”

“I understand Wari. You take so many risks and you’re worried for the clan.”

He smiled softly, “That's why you’re my Tsahik.”

As the two of you leaned in to kiss, Jake walked in, untying his hair and setting his gun aside. “Y/n. Tonowari.” He greeted. 

“Ma Jake.” You began approaching him. “How is she settling in?”

He gulped and nodded. “She's doing fine. A little emotional but, everything will be just fine.” He reassured. Tonowari looked at him with a disgraceful expression, and you were not oblivious to the look. You cleared your throat and ran your hands down your lover's arms. “Rough day for us all? Let’s get to bed.” 

The three of you retreated to bed, cutting off all the lights and locking up for the night. You found yourself between the two men, leg thrown across Jake’s waist. You couldn’t help but notice a tense nature, maybe a coldness to the bed that night. 

The next morning you awoke to the bed empty of your two lovers. You groaned getting up, walking to the kitchen to grab for the fruit bowl you knew Tonowari had prepped for you earlier that morning. You ate in zen, thinking of all the rounds you would have to make around the village. Schools, weaving pods, and fishing stations to see if there were any alarming districts.

The first stop you made was the fishing stations, walking on the boardwalks and watching how people made their catches. You noticed a little girl struggling with her net, so you walked over and helped her untangle the webbed mess. 

“And you twist your arm and throw it out like that.” You noticed a familiar voice. You snapped your head over to see Jake guiding Neytiri. His hand was close to her waist, looking down at her entranced as he helped her out. You stood and placed your hand on the girl's shoulder, bidding her goodbye. “Hi Jake, Neytiri.” You walked over. Jake dropped his hand from her waist and turned towards you. “Y/n. Didn't know you'd be stopping by today.”

You quirked an eyebrow. “You know I always make my rounds on this day. Hasn't changed for months.”

Jake sucked his teeth and nodded.

“While I have you here, what would you like for dinner?”

“Actually, I was gonna hard body it and get some dinner with Neytiri. We do late night hunting sometimes.”

You raised your head and nodded down, not too fond of the rejection. “Okay.” You said, and began walking to make the rest of the rounds. You would be lying to yourself if you said you weren't upset. Jake had been acting brand new since Neytiri had come around, and you didn't appreciate that.

You bumped into Tonowari in one of the weaving pods, smiling at the focus he had on his project.

“Ma wari.” You cooed softly. You walked over and sat next to him, leaning your head on his shoulder. “Y/n, my love. How are the rounds?”

“Everything is just fine.” You said blankly. He hummed in approval and went back to weaving. After a few moments of silence you couldn't ignore the pit in your stomach, and looked back up at your husband for reassurance.

“You haven't….like…do Tsaheylu with someone before me did you?”

Tonowari placed his weaving pieces down and grabbed your hand. “No. I've only ever bonded with you. Why do you ask?”

You took in a breath. “Jake has been acting weird and I'm just hoping you won't be next.” You felt his lips press softly against your forehead. “You are my wife, my Tsahik. There is no woman on this land that comes before you. Jake…is another story, but I cannot abandon you.”

Smiling, you turned to climb into his lap and hug him, leaning your head into his chest. 

“Love you Ma Wari.”

Time passed and you noticed how Jake rarely came home anymore. You placed your focus on Wari, who was still very much there and attentive to your needs, but you couldn't help but think of your other lover who had unfinished business with the two of you.

You would catch glimpses of Jake, but no longer made the effort to approach him.  Slowly implementing a cold shoulder, you made sure Jake was aware of how angry you were with him, but sadly he seemed more focused on getting home to Neytiri at the end of the night. 

Tonowari got increasingly agitated at Jake as well, not only was he neglecting you, he was neglecting his duties. The newest insurrection was coming up and Jake hadn’t made any plans, only you and Tonowari.

“What the fuck is this?” Jake flung the paper onto the ground. 

“Y/n choose K’arim to lead the air team. He’s one of our best warriors and he's proven to be capable.” Tonowari looked at him with a smug expression.

Jake turned towards you, upset and angry. “You replaced me…with a random warrior who has no knowledge on the-”

“Stop it with that excuse!” You snapped. “You haven’t been here. We got new updates and where were you?”

Jake stammered over his words, eyes glinting as he did so. You felt a shift in a room, a lighter one.

“I’ll….I’ll be back.” He quickly dashed from the pod, and Tonowari let out a groan. You knew what Wari was thinking because you were too. Something goes wrong and he goes running to her. 

---

It didn’t take long for things to crash and burn with the three of you. Only a few days later, you walked home to find your two lovers fighting, but this wasn’t any ordinary fight, as you saw Tonowari holding and pointing his spear at Jake.

“What the hell is going on? You dropped your basket of fruit and walked over. 

“He is leaving!” Tonowari pointed at Jake and spat. “I knew Uturu was bullshit.”

“She needed our help!” Jake tried reasoning with the Metkayina male. Tonowari began hissing, which came as a small warning of the anger that was to come soon. You approached Jake with tears in your eyes. “So she comes and you just leave?” You asked, trying to make sense of it all.

“Typical. She goes crying and he goes running.” Tonowari scoffed.

Jake grabbed your hands and shook his head. “Please understand Y/n. I love you, I really do but-”

“You are mated with her for life.” 

He nodded, releasing your hands and looking at his best friend one last time before leaving the pod.

You turned to Tonowari, and began breaking down, falling down to your knees and sobbing. “What was the point of everything?” You whimpered. Tonowari immediately ran to envelop you in his arms. Pulling you off the ground and rocking you. 

“I- I broke customs for him!” You hissed.

“I did too. This is not on you Y/n.” He comforted. 

You grabbed at your husband's biceps, burying your head into his chest and crying softly. As you weeped, he ran his hands down your head and shushed you. “This is the last time I'll let anyone into our land and hurt you.”

𝐀/𝐧: 𝐈 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝐈 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐠𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐩𝐭. 𝟐, 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐝

[emry-stars-art]

Have you seen that gifset about harbor seals who sleep underwater by wedging themselves between rocks? But then sometimes just freely roll "like a hotdog on the ocean floor"

It just made me think of Nicky in the mer-au for some reason this morning hahaha

Seeing that gifset make it's circles around my Internet presence was a GIFT and I STILL LOVE IT so much 😂 (thank you for your patience with the answer here) they're so cute look at these lil guys they are gorgeous indeed

Can you imagine mer Nicky as the subject of some documentary. I know I have the actual aus set sometime before technology but like. Nicky would be perfect to study and hang out with 😂💕 you're making me want to do a little page pretending to be a mer biologist againnnnn ugh it's so much fun. If you guys have ever thought about doing smth like that you should, it's the best lol

Also while we're talking about water rests; I wasn't gonna bother posting this but hey opportunity arises. Jellyfish are pretty light so they'd also get swept away in currents pretty easy so jellyfish mers absolutely like to wedge themselves between rocks to sleep - but most shark pods are always moving, so jellyNeil and sharkDrew eventually have to find a happy medium which ends up as so:

Keep your jellyfish from floating away with this one simple trick (cuddling it to your chest while it sleeps) ✅

Find the mer au master post here 💕

[kittyball23]

What do you think would happen if the Brozone brothers had a memorial service for their grandma?

I think the brothers would probably hold it at either Branch’s bunker, or Rosiepuff’s old pod where they used to live. They would then set up a little altar, with flowers, candles, and photographs of her, honoring her memory with a little speech (initiated by Branch).

Branch and Floyd would exhibit the most sorrow, since the memory of her death is still hard on Branch and he fears that he failed Floyd with his task to take care of her. Through tears, Floyd assures him that he isn't to blame for what happened, but does express that he misses her a lot.

Clay will probably have the most disbelief that she's gone. The way he explains it, he figured their Grandma would've escaped from the Troll Tree and then eventually pass from natural causes. Or, that if she had gotten separated from the main group in the tunnels, she would've eventually found her way to Putt Putt Village.

Bruce would wish that she could see her great-grandchildren, since there are qualities about them that remind him of her (aspects of her personality, her characteristics, likes and dislikes that are present in his kiddos)

And John Dory would harbor a lot of guilt, having known her the longest since he was the oldest, and feeling very bad for what happened. He'll take the opportunity to apologize to Branch again for their abandonment (the other bros pitching in to this as well), and Branch will of course forgive them.

All brothers will hug, and have a moment of silence, and then they will lighten the mood by sharing fond, happier memories of her and the times they shared together ❤ 

[writing-makes-me-human]

Hi if your still taking requests the can I ask for an aged up story about reader x neteyam or Reader x Ao’nung fic where they are in a secret relationship and an altercation happens between their families and during it or after it is revealed that the reader is pregnant (no smut if ur uncomfortable with it) thus revealing their relationship. Plz hurt comfort is my genre as of late.

The reader is a Sully kid if it’s reader x Ao’nung and if it’s x Neteyam then she is Ronal and Tonowari child.

Of course, you ask for it and you must have it! I love this idea! I hope you like it and maybe I'll do a part two where we continue with the dinner?? We shall see if people enjoy it! (Also I did not take the Sully kid into consideration so I'm sorry if that shows)

I named it: Secret Families

Ps: Thank you for your support!

┍━━━━━»•» 🌺 «•«━┑

Pairing: Aonung x reader

Word Count: 3.8k

A/N: This is my second post of the week so we shall see you next week. Thank you all for your support. I'm setting up tag lists for the x reader series now so if you want to be part of my avatar x reader tag list, reach out, don't be scared! <3

Ronal was a suspicious woman; not much went under her radar for very long, and her children knew that, yet they still did everything they could to keep their little secrets under wraps.

Aonung was no different, well apart from the fact that the nature of his secret would have had more severe repercussions than any profound dark secret his sister was harboring.

To the clan, you and Aonung were the worst enemies since a young age. They all thought that Aonung had  matured dramatically over the years to prepare himself for the role of Olo'eyktan. Still, they thought he still hadn't managed to put out the petty fire you ignited in him whenever you walked past with your usual saunter, making him want to roll his eyes so hard they fell out of his head.

But in private, far beyond the gaze of curious eyes, you two were mates before the great mother in an immortal bond with one another.

The only people who knew about your relationship were yourselves, and while a few amongst your friends had suspicions that you two had feelings for each other, none of them knew how deep the feelings went.

One afternoon after you finished all your required chores for Ronal, who was training you to be a healer, she invited you to dinner the following evening. You nervously agreed while trying not to register any red flags to her attention as you quickly excused yourself so you could get home to your pod before nightfall.

As you wandered back to your quarters, your mind returned to an anxiety that had popped up a few weeks ago, slowly turning from an obsessed overthought to a life-changing reality.

You were pregnant.

You had been a few weeks late on your cycle, so when Ronal left to give her mate his lunch, you quickly ran a test, and it came back with all the signs for positive.

As soon as the herbal mixture had turned a soft blue which confirmed your doubts, a million questions raced through your mind, and now that you had time alone, you dug back into the pile with fresh eyes.

How would you tell Aonung? He had never mentioned wanting kids, as you were both so young. He hadn't even become chief yet, so you highly doubted he wanted to settle down and start a family just yet. He would surely take the news badly.

Would you keep it? You were still at a stage where you knew a few herbal concoctions that would abort the embryo from your system, and you could do so without telling anyone. It would be like it never happened.

Your thoughts were interrupted when you crashed into a solid chest, you stumbled back a bit, but two hands gripped your forearms to steady you.

You looked up, and as if he had heard your thoughts and come running to speak with you, Aonung was there with his usual smirk. He restrained himself to only give you in private.

"What's the rush, servant girl?" He asked while using the affectionate nickname he had given to you years ago from the job that required you to spend a lot of time running after his mother without questioning her.

Usually, you would have smirked at him and spat out an insult, but instead, you could feel the anxiety clog your throat, and you stuck your thumb between your teeth, nervously nibbling on it to stop the gasps of air you knew you would let out without the block.

His comedic attitude dropped, and he immediately dropped his height a little to try and look into your eyes.

"Hey, hey, hey, what's wrong?" His voice was quiet and soft as his eyes darted around to make sure nobody was around so he could quickly pull you to his chest.

You didn't know the tears had formed in your eyes until Aonung noticed them slipping down your cheeks and pulled you into his cradle arms to silence you like a small child.

"You know my mother doesn't mean anything she says when she's angry!" His only logical conclusion as to why you could be crying on your way back from work was that it must have been his mother's temper.

Ronal had a tendency to slip up and call you some variation of 'incompetent' as she had done in the past to previous students.

"It's not that", you huffed as you hopelessly wiped one side of your face with your hand to try and rub away the tears.

"I have to talk to you about something", you whispered, still unable to believe what was currently growing in your womb. You pulled back from Aonung and watched as his face fell a bit.

Immediately his mind spiraled to think of the worst possibilities that could have happened. Had you been attacked? Were you sick? Had someone been hurt? Did someone find out about you two and not take it well?

As you saw him flicker from each of your eyes with a hurricane of unanswered questions brewing in his mind, you simply nodded toward your pod at the end of the pathway and led him to speak privately.

He ran after you and quickly unrolled the sail above your door so he could speak without fear of being overheard and having to deal with the emotional crisis of another person.

He watched you pace a hole in the floor for a few seconds, and then you turned sharply and pointed to the floor.

"I think it's best if you sit down", you could feel the air thicken as he resentfully took a seat on one knee while he leaned on the other.

The climate was humid and you could almost feel your mate's brain churning to keep up with his theories.

He was staring at you with his lisp pursed in confusion as you felt more tears form as you started pacing in front of him again.

You were terrified. Starting a family was a huge deal, and it took a lot of commitment, and you knew that with Aonung, you could raise a family together, but that was a fantasy you had toyed around with. Aonung would think it was too soon; you just knew it.

'He is your mate, and he will understand' your mind replayed the statement a few times when you felt like you were about to be crushed by a tsunami of doubt and indecision.

"Ma woman, you are scaring me. What is it?" His voice was soft, but you could tell by the way his hands were clenching into fists on his knee that he was worried for you.

"Aonung", you turned to him once more, letting the tears fall because you knew if you brushed them away, they would just be replaced by new ones. You wrung your hands out in each other, trying to find an outlet for your frustration.

"Promise me you won't be mad, we can talk about this, and we have plenty of options", you held out your hands in front of you to reimburse your statement with a miserable attempt at showing a strong front.

Aonung struck forward like a snake and grabbed your hands before returning to his previous posture. You felt his finger rub a circle over the back of your hand then his warm lips pressed themselves against your knuckles for a moment to let you gather yourself.

"I promise. Now tell me what happened. Has someone done something to you?" His protective flare couldn't help but be shown as your hands trembled in his.

You wanted to laugh at the awkward joke you could have made about the fact it was him who had done something to you, but you knew it was your brain trying to distract from the fear of letting the words spill into your real life because once you said these words you couldn't take them back.

"No, nothing like that…" You looked into his eyes, and everything felt so perfect at that moment, with you two basking in each other's company.

You thought back to the early days of your relationship and the nights you had spent together rendezvoused, visiting places you shouldn't have while cracking jokes. Aonung's eyes widened as you took deep breaths. Your daydreams then drifted to your daily shared glances behind people back's that had been filled with so much adoration. You couldn't stand to see that jeopardized.

"Your mother invited me to dinner tomorrow night", you felt the words claw out of your throat in battle with your mind that begged you to tell the truth but you weren't strong enough to tell him the news.

"Well, that's okay. She always does that to her students; why are you crying?" He was now utterly confused about why the dinner invite had caused such a visceral emotional outburst.

Your lips parted in bemusement as you tried to concoct a plausible reason as to why you would be so distressed.

"It was just a hard day", you slipped your hands from his grip, up his forearms, and slid onto your knees so he could hold you as you took deep breaths to get your bearings.

He pets your hair and gently shushes you while rocking back and forth. You clenched onto him and allowed yourself to be selfish for the moment, and you let his comfort about your decision to keep the secret from him wash over you.

You knew he wasn't convinced that what you said was a complete truth but he didn't push you any further on the matter, and you were very thankful for that.

You knew you would have to tell him eventually. Hiding a pregnancy could only go on for so long, but you decided you would give yourself a week to at least get yourself to a mental place where you could say the words aloud without having a fear of Aonung's rejection claw its way out.

Now all you had left to prepare your head for was dinner at Ronal and Tonowari's pod tomorrow.

The next day flew by all too quickly. The whole time, you felt Ronal's eyes on you as you rushed every chore that had to be done in her presence for fear you would crack or, worse, she would somehow sense your new medical condition.

You worked as quickly as possible, and when Ronal could find nothing left for you to do, she sent you home early and ordered you to prepare for the meal she would be hosting later that evening. So, you rushed home with the thoughts of your womb and the offering for your hosts that needed to be perfected, consuming your mind.

You brushed your hair and clipped on your finest bracelets and your most firm-fitting necklace, but nothing seemed to be able to be just right, and all you could think about was Aonung.

He had to be the first to know, it would only be fair, but you couldn't tell him, and you needed to speak with someone about it because this secret was eating you from the inside out.

"Hey", Aonung's voice made you jump, and you turned on the balls of your feet to see it was your mate, armed with his spear in hand, still damp from his hunting trip.

"What are you doing here!" You hissed as you pressed your hand against your heart, begging it to calm down.

Everything had you on edge; his presence only made your soul cry out with humiliation. He knew you were lying to him about something, yet he still tried to be there for you.

"Relax, everyone's gone home for dinner. I wanted to come to talk to you about something", he stepped further into your pod and closed the flap again, making sure you saw his eye-roll that teased your anxiety about being caught.

Your heart was beating so fast that it could have powered a storm, but you nodded with a nervous nip at your lip and allowed him to step closer to you.

Aonung's presence was consuming and sent a wave of peace over you as his touch gently caressed your face with one hand while the other slowly came to your waist and brushed against your stomach on its way to rest on your hip, which made your gaze turn white for a second as the fear swaddled you tightly.

He knew! He had to have found out from his mother. Of course, she would have known; she is Tsahik! She would have taken one look at your body and asked her son if you were mated with anybody, and Aonung would have fit two and two together.

"I want to tell my parent's about us tonight, after dinner", He slid his head into the side of your neck and kissed it softly. His sweet care for you, that often could have drowned you, was now suffocating.

"Okay", you managed to whimper out. He must know. Was it a fluke brush of his hand?

This was something he wanted, and you would do it. Maybe if you started out small with an announcement of your relationship, another announcement of a child wouldn't take such a toll on you.

"What is wrong? If you do not want to tell them, we can wait," he pulled back from you, his hands dropping to his sides. Your strange act confused him, you were always so outspoken, and he wondered why you had suddenly become so meek.

He knew something was misplaced in your relationship, and he would have left you to stew in your thoughts if it wasn't for the fact that you were starting to worry him with the way your body was handling the stress.

You had been skittish all yesterday evening, and he was worried. You seemed so pale and sickly. His mother had come up to him this afternoon and asked if he could go lightly with the playful teasing at dinner tonight as you were looking fragile, and it confined his doubts that something was grievously wrong.

"No, It's not that, I just can't tell you", you whispered, turning away from him to busy yourself with picking out a hairpiece to curl into your hair.

"You can tell me anything, ma y/n. I am your mate, and we are one", he pushed himself in front of you and grabbed your hands, so you were forced to look him in the eye.

He desperately tried to hold eye contact with you, but you shook your head and withdrew your hands from him, turning again to walk to the other side of the room.

He sighed as he felt his own fears envelop him.

"If there is somebody else… I won't keep you from him", he felt his ears flattened, and his chest heaved with panic that you might turn and accept the comment as truth, but you did no such thing.

You turned with a chuckle as you sniffed to stop the snot dribbling down your face, your arms crossed themselves tightly around your chest, and it broke his heart to see you with such a dreaded shocked look on your face.

"I am pregnant", you slammed your eyes shut, eyes only opening after a few seconds when the silence became unbearable. If they tried, the words couldn't have felt more doomed coming out of your mouth.

Aonung's jaw dropped, his eyes widened, and his ears waved back and forth as he tried to figure out if you were telling the truth. Your tears couldn't have been fake, so you must have been, but why were you so upset with this blessing?

"You-You are with my child?" It was the first time you had ever heard the warrior stutter in your years of knowing him, and you worried that it was a bad omen.

You nodded grievously before your left hand detangled from its hug and flew to your mouth, covering the orifice to stifle a sob. Aonung was unhappy, and this was your worst nightmare coming to fruition.

Aonung's shocked eyes morphed to joy as he closed the gap with a single step, one hand immediately closing around your cheek to bring his forehead to yours. At the same time, the other pressed to your side, his most extended finger storing your belly button to stroke the child-growing within you.

The shame of the predicament was killing you, but the immovable emotion boiling in your stomach was stilled as Aonung's joyous guffaw hit your cheek.

You looked up at him, wondering how he could be laughing at a time like this, but then he shocked you. Aonung pressed a peck to your head and then another and another. He peppered your face with kisses, moving across your head, cheeks, and jaw before he tossed himself down to your floor on his knees and placed a single kiss on your belly, letting his hands encase your stomach.

You were ecstatically shocked, you had been expecting to be sat down, to be asked what the plan was to empty the embryo from your womb, but he was acting even more loving than ever, if that was even possible.

"For how long? Is it healthy? Why are you so upset? Is something wrong with it", his gentle touch increased as he gazed into your stomach, feeling the worry bubble up.

"No, everything is fine, ma Aonung. I was just worried". You quickly dried your tears now, wiping your nose on the back of your wrist and your eyes with your palms.

"Worried about what?" He pressed further, his forehead creasing as he stood again to return to your height.

"I was not sure you were ready," you mumbled, returning to the familiar grounds of fear as the idea that Aonung would be away with his duties as chief in training too much to have a family right now.

"It is a big responsibility," he agreed with you, nodding, but his arms slipped around your waist, and you dug into him, letting his hold tell you that he was about to continue positively.

"But we have been blessed. Imagine how many babies Eywa will bless us with if you are pregnant now!" His eyes lit up as he realized that this quick pregnancy must be a sign of good fertility and, therefore, more children would surely be on the way before you were both old.

You laughed. The scratchiness on your crying caused it to itch, but you were so pleased. It was like someone had just taken the weight of the world off your shoulder now that you had someone to confide this secret with.

"We have never talked about children", you nervously pointed out as you slipped your hands around his slim-cut waist, fiddling with the string that kept his loincloth tied on his hip.

"Well, how many do you want?" Aonung grinned at your touch, and smugness was coming over him as he started the foundation of the plans for his new family.

"I have no idea. How many do you want?" You shook your head with a sharp exhale. Children were a lot of work, and both parents had to be prepared to put in equal work to raise and preen over them. They would all be loved, but it would take work.

"As many as you will give me!" His smile stretched from ear to ear. His tail thumped against his calf eagerly as the idea of a family between you two emerged.

"Hm, three?" You asked hesitantly. It was the number of children Ronal and Tonowari had, so maybe that was a sound system to model the base of your ideal family size on.

"Four is better, more even", Aonung shook his head, disregarding the number with a serious face. You adored how cute he looked as he discussed your future children, and it made you playful as you stood in your hut, plotting away while Ronal was probably cursing you for being late.

"Well, five is a lucky number", you suggested, an eager peek in your tone as you pushed the invisible barrier between you two that kept you both from laying your true thoughts on the table.

"But then someone will be left out. Best to make it six", Aonung's eyes lit up with tease as he hopefully glanced at your face, trying to gauge your temperature as the number increased, but you were in your element.

"Six? You want six children?" You were slightly disbelieving at the idea of six children running around your cramped pod.

"Actually, I have always liked the number ten", that you laughed at. Ten? He must have been crazy.

"Ten? You had better become the best hunter in all of Pandora if you expect me to birth ten children", the thought of your poor body was enough to send your head spinning. Still, the idea of you sitting around a small fire with a large horde of children running around with a much older Aonung kissing your face was enough to make you blush.

"Five girls and five boys, that is good, no?" He had clearly been thinking about this behind closed doors, and it was enough to cure you of any doubts forever that this man wasn't ready.

"Are you starting an army?" You joked around with a laugh, and Aonung was on cloud nine. He felt everything click back into place as you recovered your former happiness with an added glow; Eywa, Aonung questioned how he didn't see you were pregnant sooner.

Aonung sighed and rolled his eyes at your words, using his humor to keep you amused as the conversation about your future panned out before you two.

"You want to have less?" He queried, feeling out exactly how many babies you wanted your mate putting in you. He wanted a large family, as large as you could bless and Eywa could condone.

"Hm, it's best not to say. Eywa will either give me far too many or far too few if I say", it was an old wife tail your mother had told you years ago, and even though it wasn't rested in any science as Eywa took no sides, the power of the jinx held your silence.

"You know, if we were to have ten--" Aonung brought up the number again, making you laugh merrily as a hot warmth spread across your belly.

"Aonung!" You interrupted him with a shy, embarrassed outcry as the picture of a vast family filled your mind.

"I am just saying, if it were ten, you would barely have any chores. They would do them all for you!" Aonung raised his hands in defense, slyly grinning as he thought of the acts it would require to populate his dream-sized family.

"You are trying to grow an army!" Your jaw fell slack in mock shock as you slapped an arm to his chest, giggling as he quickly snatched your wrist before it could retract.

"No, if I were, then I would have stuck with thirteen", He brought your hand to his mouth and pressed it against his face to encourage you to hold his cheek, which you did agreeably.

"Hm, well, you'll have to prove yourself with this one first; you have to convince me", your words were half joking, but Aonung's eyes fell down your figure towards your stomach with a contemplative smile.

"You will see, I will be the best father, and you will want to have all my babies", his words made you blush further, but a deeper part of you lit up with desire.

Everything had gone well. The only part hindering your happy ending was sitting far across the village in her own pod with her arms crossed, cursing her son and her student's tardiness. Unsure if it was connected.

-Avatar Taglist-

@bxnnybtchwriting @philipyarnellasoul @strnqer

[pikatsum]

high tide (came and brought you in) - chapter one.

summary: you’d originally rescued the injured merman out of kindness, and perhaps a healthy undercurrent of fear of what others in your town might do to the creature. the last thing you ever expected after returning him to the sea, was for him to try to stay.

tags: afab reader, merfolk, mention of explicitly-inhumane fishing practices.

this fic is a part of the teahouse collab, on discord!

A hunting party had left port, yesterday.

It was made up of the usual kind of tourist, you gathered, overhearing the neighborhood gossip on the sandy, well-trodden path into town. It was made up of a bunch of trigger-happy business students, likely bored with another year of academia and looking for something visceral. Looking to harm in a way that was sanctioned— even celebrated, in some corners of your seaside town. Doubtlessly, they were after the biggest creatures they could catch: sharks, dolphins, or something even more dangerous. Most of those you passed seem to believe that they’d be headed to the outer reefs.

This year, the annual merfolk migration had come early. You had heard through the grapevine that some of the offshore boats had begun to radio in with the usual signs: faulty sonar, empty traps and a general sense of unease, the closer they got to the outer-lying reefs, where multitudes of traveling pods made their temporary homes. Anyone with sense usually knew to stay far away from merfolk-territory, no matter how temporary their stay.

But now that that the sudden departure of the town’s gaudiest fishermen had combined with this news, it was collectively generating more rumor than Baralou Island had handled in months. As the path transitioned to craggy, uneven sidewalk, you still heard people on their porches, gossiping about what could’ve drawn the group’s attention so suddenly. Perhaps it was one of the cartload of technological additions that they’d constantly been wheeling up onto the sleek convertible boat they’d rented. You’d already had to duck through their large group by the harbor yesterday, and through the small crowds that had gathered to see what the fuss was about.

One of their number had been particularly boastful, perched at the top of the gangplank. His cerulean hair almost blinding in the sun, you’d heard him claim that he possessed the skill to capture merfolk— “I could snag a whole pod, in a single net!” — Anywhere else, those statements would’ve warned a call to the coast guard, if not the police. On Baralou, however, it was met with scattered applause and a single wolf-whistle.

Anti-merfolk sentiment always reached a peak in the summertime. The reason always varied: a lesser catch of fish that year, an increase in hurricane warnings. Merfolk— intelligent, powerful and little-understood— made the perfect scapegoats. With the early arrival of their annual migration, it was the opinion of some locals that the large pods passing through the reefs of the island were choking out the tourism industry. Never mind the fact that it was barely the start of summer, and the migration never lasted longer than a month. Nothing got people riled up like the notion of losing out on their most important source of income.

As a former resident, you knew that Baralou took great, and often dubiously-legal pains to advertise itself as having the “safest beaches in the world.” Entire books recounted years worth of fishing competitions with consistently high numbers of so-called “incidental harm” to merfolk. When taking these years’ worth of torment and fear tactics into account, it was little wonder that no mer would dare cross the reefs near the island, these days.

As a teenager, you too had sworn you would never come back to the island again— though this was more to do with Baralou’s pitifully-tiny size outside of tourist season, and the maddening frustration of growing up amongst the same faces you’d seen since nursery school. Nearing the end of your college career has reignited that passion to stay away— but unfortunately, your budget wasn’t quite in agreement with those plans. A summer of housesitting for your aunt and uncle, as well as your waitstaff position at one of Baralou’s many dockside restaurants would ideally give you enough to leave for good, come the fall.

Although you could barely wait to repack your overflowing suitcases, your first weeks back home had reminded you that not everything here was abjectly awful. Your expression lightened once you’d ordered from your usual café, turning to find an outside table already occupied with your favorite resident.

Camie Utshushimi wasted no time in shattering your hopes for normalcy.

“I heard—“ she began in a low voice, as you seated yourself, “—that somebody on the south-side offered to guide the business yuppies to a huge mer pod.”

You exhaled your disapproval over a warm mug of tea.

“That’s gotta be a scam. Even if they wanted to go out there, those reefs are nationally-protected. The fines alone would keep anybody away.”

“Babes, you know as well as I do that won’t stop them.”

“Even if they make it—” you retorted, “—I highly doubt a mer from these parts would be so easily caught, especially by that group.”

Camie at least seemed to take that point into consideration, a brief smile playing at her lips. She took a slow sip of coffee, her warm brown eyes pensively scanning the water.

“If anything, they’ll snag a nesting sea turtle, or a manatee that got washed in by mistake. The poor thing.” still you frowned, considering, “I hope they come back with nothing. But with all that fancy gear…”

This seemed to shake Camie out of her reverie, turning from the sea with a dismissive click of her tongue.

“Nah, Inasa already gave me the deets— that’s all rented. Fat chance they know how to use all of it.”

“Are you sure?” your lower lip worried anxiously, under your teeth.

Despite her agreeable chirp, you knew by the actual look in her eyes that she couldn’t be fully certain. You both finished your drinks in uneasy silence.

Camie was always amongst the island’s earliest risers, which meshed well with you. Shame that she had a social calendar more tightly packed than a visiting royal— she was never available in the evenings, no matter how many nights you tried to invite her to join you at the beach bars. Regardless, she was your closest friend on the island, and if these short moments outside the cobblestone cafe were what you had with her each morning, it was something you were grateful for.

On your way home, you cut back through the fishing harbor— at least, until you were stopped by a growing crowd. You couldn’t make out what was going on amongst their fluctuating number, but with everyone talking and the piercing beep of a large convertible boat backing in along the docks, you could only assume the town’s ‘conquering heroes’ had finally returned. Disgusted, you gave up your gawking and diverted to walk along the craggy shoreline for the last half-mile, back towards your borrowed home.

Most beachgoers preferred the island’s largest offerings, located just outside the shopping district at the other end of the island. These days, you preferred this semi-deserted spit of sand, despite the high tide forcing you to walk through the shallows for most of the way home.

Your weak earbuds were cranked to the max, but still did little against the crash of the waves. Slowly, you picked your way through a bed of oyster shells— even if any accidental cuts would be soothed in an instant, once the saltwater raced over your feet, again. At last, you reached the end of the shell bed, picking up the pace as the wind pushed insistently at you, spraying sand into your face and forcing you to stop, until it calmed.

Your podcast faded to ringing static in your ears when you spotted the torn fishing net, lying ahead.

Its edges had gouged deep into the sand— and, as it was so close to the shoreline itself, the waves that followed had buried them under more silt, throughly entrapping it. It was doubtlessly lost from the harbor. Was that the source of the commotion you’d missed? But, more horrifying than its condition (so tangled up on itself that it resembled a massive bunch of seaweed) or location, far from the fishing harbor, was the fact that it was moving.

Fear coursed through your veins. You needed to call some kind of authority. There should be a phone number at the prior beach access for the wildlife conservatory, if you could just get back to it. You’d have to go back over the oyster bed, but if something was still alive in that monstrosity, there wasn’t much choice to make. You’d taken all of two steps back, preparing yourself for the pain, when an odd sound rose in the lull of the tide. You tore out your cheap earbuds and strained to listen.

The sound that followed defied explanation. You’d never heard anything close to it. The only comparative experience you could draw from was mourning. A harsh, desperate cry, from something that was quite literally on its last hope.

The next thing you knew, your hands were plunging into damp tangles of rope. You cursed as it slid from your hands, as you first tried to wrench it apart, and then upwards— but of course, its moorings were stuck fast. It vaguely occurred that you had absolutely no idea what you were attempting to unearth, but the thought was quickly forgotten. Whatever this was, you could hear breathing from within the mass— shaky, ragged, and quick. You didn’t have much time.

And so, you turned instead to the edges themselves. You plunged your hands into the wet sand and dug as fast as you could. Fortunately, the fasteners weren’t buried too deeply. It didn’t take long for you to pry one up, and then another, the raspy catch of breathing serving as an inefficient and rapidly-dwindling timer. Your fingers burned. Your arms ached. And yet, you continued to tear at the bindings, tugging at the base of the netting until you could finally start to pry up a corner.

You‘a heard of hysterical strength before, but you’d never truly acknowledged the sensation until the soaked, dripping netting was held high above your head. Very quickly, those considerations vanished entirely at the sight of the form underneath.

A pair of bright dichromatic eyes blinked at you through the gloom. The moment would be almost ethereal, if their owner wasn’t literally heaving for breath, both arms stuck akimbo in the holes of the netting. You gave voice to the only thought that actually made sense in this situation.

“…What the hell…?”

Your arms burned from the sopping weight of the net. Water and damp pieces of seaweed were falling on the both of you. With a grunt of effort, you finally stepped forward and chucked the excess portion backwards, before you immediately knelt to loosen the remaining bindings.

The man— not human, not fully, your brain warned— almost immediately began to thrash, displacing a spray of water between you as the tide came in. You bit back a yelp, but repressed the urge to flinch, caught up by the look on his face.

Whatever he was or wasn’t, you knew he was afraid.

You couldn’t be sure if he would understand, as you raised your hands, palms out. Was there really such a thing as a universal sight of surrender? Although your next movement forward earned a flash of sharp teeth, he didn’t move against you. With that, your hands returned to the net, and you set to work untangling it from his body.

You stared down at your hands as you worked, pulse thrumming in your ears. Outside of them, you couldn’t feel anything, outside the numbing sting of adrenaline. Because of that, your motor control was tenuous at best— all you could do was continue working at the net. Heart in your mouth, you snuck another glance up, to confirm your suspicions. Sharp teeth. Bright eyes. Fins, twitching and alert, where ears would be.

If anyone else happened upon your rescue of a beached merman, you would be in very serious trouble.

You re-doubled your efforts, trying to get him loose, wishing that you’d somehow had the foresight to grab something sharp—

—oh, wait.

“Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow—!”

One painstaking pick-over of the oyster graveyard later and you had yourself a prime specimen. You’d exchanged a fair bit of blood to the sand, but that was neither here nor there. You half-ran, half-limped back to the fallen net, makeshift tool held high and set to work, ignoring the latest attempt to swipe at you. This particular shell had sliced open the ball of your foot, so, soon enough, it had started a tear into the tangled net.

The merman didn’t seem to appreciate your ingenuity. You’d barely gotten his right arm free before he was using it to grab onto yours, tugging you forwards as his other, bound arm tried to gesture to his throat.

“Wait—!” you panicked at the strength of his grip, “I’m getting your other arm out, just breathe—!”

A feeling like ice water ran down your spine.

“….Can’t…”

“You ca—?” you’d barely gotten through the repetition before you saw the small slits in his throat, gaping and closing frantically.

You had no idea how long the mer had been breathing above-water, but those rattling wheezes sounded like he was reaching his limit.

“Oh, shit— hold on!”

You cut through the last binding of his left arm and began to feverishly hack away at the snarled mass behind him. It wasn’t long before the shimmer of scales became apparent through the remaining bindings. You couldn’t think much about the full magnitude of what all you had uncovered— how could he speak? — because the merman in question could barely breathe at all. The small gasps of air he managed to draw seemed more like hiccups.

With no time to spare, you dragged whatever remained of the net backwards, wincing as a massive number of koi-like scales were caught and sloughed off in your haste. Supposedly the merman would sooner be alive than care about the finer details of his appearance.

The net had barely dropped before his powerful tail slammed down into the surface of the wet sand— sending fragments of it splashing back over you. You took a few steps back as the merman— tail uselessly trying to propel him forwards— was forced to use an approximation of an army-crawl to get towards the shallows.

Without the snarled ropes in the way, you only saw the injuries left behind. A multitude of bruising and deep scratches marred his back, some still sluggishly-bleeding. There was a long gouge of scales missing on his left flank, revealing the smooth muscle of his tail which seemed to share the unique dichromatic coloring of the rest of him. A few pairs of dorsal fins twitched valiantly as he tried to propel himself forwards.

Finally, the merman made it to the sea. It was easier going from there, especially after he’d managed to fully submerge his head and neck underwater. He stayed for a long moment, doubtlessly drinking in the relief of oxygen that he could fully process. But no mer would ever want to stay this close to Baralou’s shore. As he sank into the shallows, you expected him to tear off, instantly.

Instead, he broke the surface again, split hair tumbling over his broad shoulders, before another of those indecipherable sounds carried itself over the shush of the incoming tide, back to you. This one sounded like a challenge. He’d fought his way through whatever hell had gotten him trapped in that netting, suffered through a slow asphyxiation and crawled himself back to the sea. He’d very nearly been killed. But now, he seemed to dare the land and anyone living there to try it, again.

Caught in the early-morning rays, he was the most breathtaking creature you had ever seen.

In spite of the sentiments, the posted warnings, and the merman’s borderline war-cry, you made your way back down the sand and into the shallows. The merman had vanished far into the deeper waters by then. You doubted he’d return for such a silly reason. And yet….

A few small tide-pools were receding beneath the tangles of net you’d torn away. You knelt and began to dig through their broken coils, to extract as many of the curved, glimmering scales as you could. They were ivory, with splashes of wine red, each one with its own unique pattern. Perhaps, like snakeskin, a mer’s scales were destined to be shed. Still, you felt like they had to serve some purpose.

Once you’d gathered up as many as you could carry, you made your way down the shore, following the shallow trench that his tail had left. You went along it, into the sea, out until it lapped up over your kneecaps, where the merman had first shoved his face underwater, and then you went a bit further, just for good measure. It would be nothing but bad news to have these wash back up, after all.

There, you lowered your hands, and let the scales slip through, to the ocean floor. Even if the merman didn’t come back, perhaps the currents would be kind enough to return at least some of them back where they belonged. With one final glance outwards, you took your leave, walking determinedly towards the shore, even as the ocean’s receding current pulled enticingly, trying to lure you to follow, into its depths.

[boytoyhalo]

Fit keeps two journals that he writes in every day: The standard, mandatory daily report journal where he keeps track of weather, maintenance and activity, and his personal diary where he writes more detailed accounts of his days. Phil gave him that one, told him that writing down his thoughts a few times a day would help him heal. Fit's not too sure about all that, but he'll admit it's kinda relaxing to sit out on the rocks at sunset writing down whatever comes to mind. it's usually just pretty objective play-by-plays of whatever happened that day, but still.

A few weeks after he meets richarlyson's "pod" of parents (he doesn't question why they're called that) these peaceful writing sessions gain an audience: two of the weird seals that he keeps seeing, the ones that are a bit too big and a bit too furry to not stand out among the typical grey harbor seals he usually sees. more specifically, it's the smallest of those seals - the one with a back flipper missing - and the light brown one that always seems to accompany it. A pair of mates, maybe? but after a week or so of the seals just. sitting there, watching him write, the light brown one seemingly decides it has better things to do, which leaves Fit with his one-flippered companion. Fit wonders how it's been surviving, but it seems to be managing just fine without it and he's not trained to deal with injured wildlife, so he decides it's not his problem.

One day, Fit belatedly realises that the seal has been getting braver - it's been inching steadily closer to him day by day, until now when Fit looks up from his journal and realises that the thing is only an arms-length from the rock he's sitting on. He stares at it. It stares back at him. "I don't have any food for you," he tells it. It barks a sound at him that sounds almost like a laugh. "Don't laugh at me, that's rude" he's not sure why he's feigning offense, why he's joking around with no one around to hear it but... it's nice. it's freeing, almost, to be able to laugh at himself without worrying about being seen. The seal is tilting it's head at him like it understands, and Fit knows it doesn't, but the next night he's there he talks to it out loud while he writes. he tells it about his day, about Ramon and Richas and his weird new acquaintances - about how he's found unexpected friends in some of them. Funny enough, talking out loud brings out thoughts he hasn't been able to get down with journaling.

on one particularly hard day, maybe the worst he's had since taking the job, he tells it about the war. tells it about how he was recruited right out of school, eager to make a change and protect his country. He tells it about how no one told him why they were fighting, how the war started or what steps were being taken to end it. How he had to learn all of that after going home. He tells it about his fallen comrades, about the enemy soldiers he killed. He tells it how much it hurts to think about, that he witnessed that much death and caused that much of it himself, that he has to live with that and knowing that at the end of the day he wasn't fighting for justice or peace or anything but the interests of the people in power. He tells it that he isn't sure he feels guilty, and that that makes him feel guilty. He tells it how lonely he's been since getting back - all things he hadn't really processed or admitted yet.

"maybe that's why I keep talking to you," he says. "I haven't really... I don't know how to make friends, since getting back. Being out here all isolated... it's nice. I mean, it's nice because it's nice, but also, it's nice just to have an excuse for being alone instead of being alone while surrounded by people, yknow?" He looks at the animal, which is staring up at him with disturbingly human emotion in it's eyes. He looks away. "I don't know. This is stupid, I'm talking to a fucking seal. and I do have friends, I mean... there's phil, there's tubbo. There's richas' parents, though I'm not sure they really count. Only see em for a little bit once in awhile, and s'not like they're there for me." He goes to sleep that night feeling lighter and heavier all at once.

And then the next morning, Pac (and a hesitant-looking mike) shows up with Richas, asking fit if they can help him work today. And not taking no for an answer

[harborpodcast]

Season 3 update (again)

It is a battle of the sun returning and the cold digging it’s feet in. It’s March. And Season 3 is officially being written. Updates on production as they come!

Hope all is as well as can be. Much love!

[puddle-nerd]

Everything Was Golden

Summary: Your wedding night had traditions to follow, not that you were complaining… (Ao’nung/Na’vi Female Reader)

Prompt #4 (By the Fire) for Avatar12DaysofKinkmas2023.

Story Tags: No use of Y/N, By the Fire, Na’vi Female Reader, Aged Up Characters, Everyone is Legal, Yes they’re both eighteen+!, Na’vi Culture (Avatar – Cameron), Na’vi Language (Avatar – Cameron), Wedding Night, Semi-Public Sex, Beach Sex, Neteyam te Suli Tsyeyk'itan Lives

Na’vi Translation: Kuru — neural queue Muntxate — wife | female spouse Olo’eyktan — Clan Leader Ranteng Utralti — The Spirit Tree is a sacred place of the Metkayina clan, located underwater in the center of the Cove of the Ancestors Tawtute — human | Sky Person Tsahìk — Spiritual Leader of the clan Tsaheylu — neural bond made through the connection of two neural queues Uturu – Na’vi tradition stating that any refugee seeking sanctuary must be granted safe harbor Yawne – Beloved

AO3 Link

You had been waiting for this day since the moment your parents had sought uturu though it had been a rocky beginning when you two had first met. But now was the day you finally got to marry the one and only male you had ever loved, though it had been a long and rocky road to get to where you and Ao’nung were at now, what with the return of the tawtute and nearly losing your twin brother. The preparation for your binding ceremony had taken a couple of weeks (which you were utterly grateful to have your mother and your future mother, Ronal, helping you every step of the way to incorporate some of your Omatikayan heritage with your new Metkayinan ways) and all of the neighboring villages were coming to bear witness to the ceremonial portion of the union of the future Olo’eyktan and his bride, you.

As was Omatikayan tradition, your mother, Neytiri, had woven your chest covering from the prettiest threads of gold and green and decorated it with little shells and pearls, Ronal creating you a near matching loincloth, and as you were gaining two more sisters, Kiri, Tsireya, Tuk, and little Rue (Ao’nung and Tsireya’s now four-year-old sister) had each created a piece of your wedding jewelry out of similar pearls and pretty shells and stones. As was Metkayinan tradition, both your father, Jake, and future father, Tonowari, had guided you in how to find the best materials to create your husband-to-be a new spear and both of your brothers had assisted you in weaving a new ceremonial cloak for once Ao’nung took over as the Olo’eyktan.

Eventually.

But today… you wedding.

Dressed in your finery, you had crossed the beach to your handsome yawne and presented Ao’nung with his new cloak and weapon while he presented you with a little pot containing a budding Papa Mantis Tree as a symbol of your growing relationship that would one day become strong and everlasting as the massive trees that grew on beach of your island. And then the two of you had exchanged your vows before the whole of the Metkayinan people present and sealed your bindings with a kiss to thunderous applause. The following feasting and dancing had made your head spin as you were so gloriously happy, constantly touching and kissing your new husband.

Then the largest moon had reached the highest point in the sky, thus starting the final tradition.

You and Ao’nung had said your good nights to your friends and family and village and had swum out to a tiny island just beside Ranteng Utralti where a stocked mauri pod and a firepit waited for the two of you. You inspected the tiny hut that was only used for Olo’eyktan and/or Tsahìk mating’s and flushed to yourself in giddy anticipation for what was about to happen.

Turning back to Ao’nung, you quietly made your way back out to where he had gotten the bonfire lit and kneeled behind him on a blanket, hugging him gently and kissing his turquoise shoulder. “Hello there,” your yawne chuckled, turning in your grip and meeting your lips with his own.

“Hi,” you murmured back, biting your lower lip. “So… we’re married now.”

That familiar smirk of his crossed his lips as he spun upon the blanket further, putting his back to the roaring fire and drew you into his lap. “We are,” he greed, his blue eyes meeting your golden ones. “And now we bond, Ma’muntxate.” Twisting his head to bring his kuru over his shoulder, you copied his movements and brought the end of your dark braid up, the pink tendrils revealing themselves to your gaze, swallowing in nervous anticipation. “You ready?”

“Yes,” you whispered and brought your neural queue to his.

You had made Tsaheylu before with your parents when you’d been an infant, with the Tree of Souls, with your pa’li, your ikran, your ilu, and with the Spirit Tree, but those neural connections didn’t compare to making the bond with Ao’nung. You suddenly had a deeper understanding of him, all of his memories, all of his thoughts, all of it rushing into you in an almost overwhelming wave of heat and emotions causing you to tremble as you gasped quietly, reaching out to anchor yourself.

You could feel Ao’nung’s amusement and his awe as he felt you through Tsaheylu, but most importantly you could feel his love and his building arousal and felt yourself respond in kind, heat pooling low in your belly.

“Ah, ‘Nung,” you moaned quietly.

Ao’nung shifted and laid himself down onto the blanket, smirking up at you as you settled upon his pelvis, reaching up and cupping your sapphire blue cheek with his turquoise three-fingered hand. “So beautiful, Ma’muntxate,” he murmured, taking in the golden glow bathing your skin magnificently. His signature smirk spread his lips then, and you could feel his cocky triumph through your neural bond as he added, “So mine for life.” He pulled you down for a kiss. The two of you undressed each other slowly, reverently, trading kisses and caresses until you slid yourself down onto his cock with a whine. He gripped your hips, hissing, “You take me so well, yawne.” You glowed from his praise and finally began to move, moaning as you felt the pleasure build inside of your body and his. Your stomach began to twist in pleasure as the tip of his cock ground into a spot deep inside of your channel every time your backside met his strong thighs. Your weeping cunt clenched around his thick shaft when Ao’nung released a mewling whine from the back of his throat, his hands guiding your hips over top of him, tightening. “Feel so good, Ma’muntxate,” he groaned, watching your hickey covered breasts lit by the golden glow of the fire bounce teasingly above him. “Gonna make me cum.” You nod, breathing heavily as you began to chase your building orgasm, begging, “Do it, please, yawne. Fill me.” Ao’nung snarled and sat up, the angle of his cock changing and locking into place deeper inside of you. You released a squeal, your walls fluttering around him as the pleasure – his and yours echoing because of Tsaheylu – caused your orgasm to crash over you like a tidal wave. You came with a cry, pleasure overwhelming your senses. “Oh, Great Mother,” Ao’nung panted as you slumped onto his chest, “we have got to do that again. You look all pretty and golden like this.”

𖥸 · ─────── · 𖥸 · ─────── · 𖥸

Originally Posted: 17 December 2023 Word Count: 1,085

AO3 Link

[krakensdottir]

Why you can’t just ‘release’ dolphins

In case anyone who follows me was wondering about the captive cetacean stuff, I thought I’d type up a little thing about why they’re so difficult to return to the wild compared to many other animals.

Because animals differ widely in how easily they can be reintroduced to their habitat. It depends on how many life skills they need to learn, whether they have a complex social structure they also need to learn about first, how dangerous their habitat is, and how much they’ve already been accustomed to humans. Wildlife rescuers take in animals as babies and release them as adults on a regular basis, by taking pains to make sure they don’t bond with their caregivers. But this doesn’t work with all species.

Cetaceans are really complicated for two reasons: they’re predators, so they have to be able to hunt, and they’re extremely social, so they have to learn to navigate a pod structure. If they’re interrupted early in their socialization process, they actually fail to develop these skills. It’s why there’s a cutoff point around the age of 3, below which a stranded dolphin cannot be released. Like, legally. It’s not aquariums deciding this, it’s a national policy. A bottlenose dolphin that strands as a calf is not eligible for release, ever. It will not grow up into a wild dolphin at that point. It’s like the reverse of a feral cat.

(There are exceptions to this rule, typically involving less social cetacean species like harbor porpoises. They can be rescued as calves and later released, because the life skills they have to learn are less complicated. But bottlenoses and most other oceanic dolphins, orcas, pilot whales etc., cannot be released alone, and wild pods often don’t accept them. Hence the policy.)

They also bond to humans, like, hard. If a cetacean was captured or rescued as a youngster, or born in human care, it’s pretty much impossible to de-socialize them to humans. Every effort was made to do exactly that with Keiko, the whale who played Willy, and he just would not do it. Teaching him to hunt, trying to get him to interact with wild whales... he played along to some extent, but he wouldn’t take the final step of breaking ties with humans. He kept seeking them out. And since that wasn’t according to plan, he wasn’t allowed to return to human care. Wasn’t an option, it would’ve looked bad. Instead, when he refused to integrate, he was confined to a netted cove, where he died. This is on top of multiple cases of attempted releases, mostly of bottlenose dolphins, that resulted in the animals either starving, stranding, or coming up to humans in the wild and begging them for food and attention. (Including one in the 90s that was conducted by notorious anti-captivity advocate Ric O’Barry. The project failed miserably, one animal was killed in the attempt, but he didn’t learn his lesson and is still on his bullshit today.)

We’ve seen it again and again. Animals trained to go out to sea, who are reluctant to leave their pen and then reluctant to leave the escort boat. Animals that escape sea pens and come back, literally jump right back in as soon as the novelty of freedom wears off. On a few occasions, wild cetaceans have even tamed themselves. That’s how people used to end up with ‘pet’ dolphins back in the day when it wasn’t yet illegal.

Now, there have been successful cetacean releases. All of those cases involved adult animals which had only been captive a short time, usually after being rescued. They re-adjust just fine. But if the animal has adapted to living with humans, it won’t un-learn those behaviors. It is functionally no longer a wild animal. Ironically, considering their presence in captivity is more controversial than any other animal group, cetaceans are among the very hardest to ‘return to the wild’. And part of the reason seems to be that they don’t want to. Contrary to all expectations, they often choose easy meals and safety over freedom. A lot of wild animals will do this, given the chance, but dolphins are really stubborn about it. Releasing a captive cetacean involves convincing it that it WANTS to be free. And sometimes that seems to be the hardest part.

So yeah, we’ve tried it several times. We know what works and what doesn’t. It’s not a hypothetical, we have a very good idea what will happen if we try to release all captive whales and dolphins (most of which, by now, were born in captivity, since Western facilities haven’t captured wild animals in decades). We know that the odds of success are dismal, and animals will almost certainly die in the attempt. Hence the big clash between people who have practical experience with cetaceans, or in-depth knowledge of their care, and animal rights activists (and the public they’ve been misleading for years now). It doesn’t even matter at this point if you think they should be released. That’s not relevant. It doesn’t work, it’s dangerous, and it flies in the face of all welfare concerns. It shouldn’t even still be on the table at this point. I don’t know how many more times we’ll have to watch it go wrong before we accept that.

[eywaseclipse]

Back to the Stars

Characters: curvy human! reader, Jake, featuring; Grace Augustine, Norm, Max 

Request: "if it's possible, may i pls request fluff of 2009 Jake giving plus size reader a tour of Pandora? Maybe on his ikran too. No pressure, and thanks!" For the lovely @cumikering

Synopsis: You’re an engineer working on the Avatar program alongside the incredible Grace Augustine, and other talented scientists with the exception of Jake Sully. An impulsive young ex Marine who was lucky enough to take his twin brother’s place among the group of you. Part of you is jealous he happened upon the program under these circumstances, another part is hiding the undeniable chemistry you two harbor for one another.

Warnings: none just a little bit of self image issues, and fluff

Words: 2k

The whirring of the machines fill your ears with an array of delight. The excitement of a new day brings you the amount unbridled joy as a kid in a candy shop. “Max I’m going in 3.” Grace Augustine confidently states. “Got it.” Max confirms surely with his advanced screen casting the glow on his tanned skin. “Calibrating pod 3.” You chime in as your fingers work expertly to configure Grace’s link pod for her, as you watch Jake Sully examine his own. You can’t help but feel slightly bad for the guy; after all he lose his twin. Part of you resented his situation in a way. No preparation whatsoever, and he’s thrust into your world of science and decades worth of school and training just like that. You shake your head as the thoughts of self doubt and pity pry their little claws into your brain as you hear the machines enter position.

Several hours go by, as you and Max routinely check on Grace and Jake’s vital signs and link pod statuses. “Looking good on my end” You smile confidently; knowing damn well you’ve taken almost 6 years perfecting the mechanical engineering side of this program. Many years ago back on Earth you dreamed of a life better more well suited for you genius and gift for science. Now almost 10 years later, you’re here as one of the youngest mechanical engineers attempting to follow the footsteps of one of the most prolific scientists you’ve seen in your time; Grace Augustine.

“Someone get me a damn cigarette, wheres my god damn cigarette?” Grace groans loudly exiting the link pod. You here the scurrying of feet chasing her around the lab desperate to ease her clearly irritated nerves, chuckling to yourself as you get the link pods settled into a neutral. You watch as Jake’s pod comes out spinning open, as he groans himself. You walk up to the pod with Max in case he needs assistance. “Don’t, I got this” He waves his hand in protest. You and Max share a knowing look, “You’re not used to the link bed yet, take it easy. Grace almost fainted the first few times she came out of hers.” You laugh. Jake just mumbles incoherently, and jumps into his wheelchair pulling each leg into place. “O.K.” Jake teases you. “Ugh.” You roll your eyes in playful rebuttal as Max watches the awkward yet entertaining interaction.

“So when are you letting me take you out y/n? You know I tamed my own Ikran last week, I’m one step closer to becoming a man.” Jake wheels behind you. “A man you say?” You lightheartedly scoff. This day just like any other, goes the way it usually does; playful banter, knowing looks, sarcasm laced with clear want and yearning yet neither one of you do a damn thing about it. “Yeah a man. Even gave him a name; Bob.” He smiles with his regular shit eating grin. Both of you make your way down the long corridor towards the mess hall, hungry from the day’s work, now almost 3 months into his and Grace’s expedition to help the Omatikaya. “Well Bob seems like a very fitting name for a majestic creature on Pandora Jake, I can only imagine how Neytiri feels.” You scoff sarcastically.

“Oh come on y/n you’re telling me you’re not a little curious what it’s like to ride on an Ikran through the Hallelujah Mountains? Just, lemme take ya for a little joy ride.” He smirks. You’d be lying if you said you weren’t at least a little intrigued by the idea. To ride among the starry night sky with the wind in your hair.. and then it hit you. You’d have to be in close proximity of Jake, holding on tightly to his avatar form intimately close for him to see you outside of your work clothes that you hide under daily. Your mind now riddled with hesitation and self doubt makes your cheeks heat up with blush. “I…” You awkwardly stutter, clear as day to Jake you’re holding back on something. “Come on, please? You gonna make me beg?” He jokes as you approach the cafeteria. “Jesus Jake, fine. You know I’m breaking protocol right? I could lose my job.” You huff out.

“Yeah ‘cause they’d fire you and send your ass back in cryo all alone on a billion dollar ship for a 6 year trip for taking a little late night spin with a hot avatar?” He teases relentlessly. “You’re an asshole.” You chuckle. “Yeah heard that one before.” He snickers out. Both of you get in line to receive your less than pleasant military grade food, and sit down at the table with the other scientists with Grace, Norm, and Max. You dig into your meal, listening to one of Grace’s many stories about Jake’s stupidity, “Then all you see is this angry Thanator chasing after him.” “Hey it’s not something you can teach.” Jake rebukes with a mouthful of Mac n Cheese. The table joins in laughter including yourself, just shaking your head at the image alone.

You finish your lunches, heading back to your respective areas, when you feel Jake tug your hand lightly. “Meet me in the main wing at midnight.” He winks playfully. Fuck, he was serious. You think to yourself. “Fine…” You whisper. “Good, Norm and Max will be there too.” He smiles. “Now how the hell did you get these two in on it?” Your jaw drops in disbelief, but before you get your answer Jake simply waves his hand ignoring you with another shit eating grin on his face. 

Later that evening you find yourself staring at your figure in the full body mirror. You typically avoid that corner for reasons like this one right now. Standing in just your bra and panties you sigh heavily as you gaze at your curvaceous body. Standing tall at 5’9” You knew that for the most part you’d never be as dainty as Julene, one of the tech scientists you’ve come to befriend. Blonde, porcelain skinned, and beautiful princess like features. Entirely different from your whole existence. Where her skin illuminates in the moonlight, your warm caramel skin glistens in the sun. Your dark curls cascade over your shoulders, and your sharp cheekbones stand out as a constant reminder of your ancestors. You wear your features with pride, despite the constant ego death of comparison on a daily basis. But your insecurities lay bare when you see your body, like right now.

I can’t do this. Why am I doing this? You stare in disgust. Rummaging through your drawers you find a loose enough cotton T, and a pair of your favorite jeans. You won’t lie, they fit you like a glove. You zip up and button the jeans comfortably as you look at the material hugging your legs deliciously, maybe I’m overthinking this…. You decide last second to curl your lashes, moisturize your skin, with one final sigh. Just as you finish tying your boots, you hear a faint knock on the door. You take a deep breath and open it to see Jake. His eyes take in your body, as you immediately notice the way they scan you up and down, “damn” he smirks, feeling your ears grow hot. “Let’s go” He nods his head into the other direction. “Right” you sigh and tug on the hem of your t shirt out of habit.

“You nervous or something?” He inquires. “I guess.. I mean I just don’t want to get in trouble, that’s all” You quickly rebuke, but you know Jake’s smart enough to call bullshit on that. “Hm” He just hums. Just like he said, you see Norm and Max in the main room, quietly talking as the screens light up. “Did Jake blackmail you or something Norm?” You chuckle, alongside Jake, but before he can answer Jake pipes in, “Let’s just say Norm here owes me one.” And just like that, a small blush forms on Norm’s face, waving you and Jake away, “yeah yeah.” Your brows furrow with confusion but you make a note of remembering to ask Jake about this later. 

“Alright Jake number 2 is already for you, y/n come with me to the air lock room, you need a mask.” Max instructs. Right, yes this is happening. You follow Max to the air lock sealed part of the wing and get your gear ready, securing the mask tightly to your face and hooking the battery to your jeans clipping it in. “Alright looks good, Jake will meet you out front, his body is only a few clicks away, give him about 10 minutes, I’ll wait here with you.” Max smiles sweetly. “Thanks Max. So, why does Norm owe Jake a favor?” You inquire slyly.

“Jake caught Norm and Trudy hooking up the other day at the outpost shack while Grace was taking samples.” Max blushes. “Ah… right.” You both chuckle playfully. You talk about nefarious things while waiting for Jake when you see the tall blue figure approach the window. “Aright you ready?” Max asks, “yup” You secure your mask once more as you open the door of the air locked chamber, hearing the automated voice countdown from 10. You wave to Max on the other side as all oxygen gets sucked out, opening the seal to walk into the jungle. 

You step down a few steps to see a happy avatar Jake. “There you are.” He smiles. “Here I am.” You crank your neck up to see him. “Hop on, we’re a ways away from where I have Bob hanging out.” He crouches down for you to piggyback onto him. You smile and jump feeling your thighs get secured now walking into the thick of the Pandora forest. Jake carries you as if you’re as weightless as a feather seamlessly weaving through the branches of the large trees, feeling the significant difference in his body since the beginning of the expedition.

You can’t help the way your heart flutters feeling his bulging biceps flex under your thighs, or the way you rest your chin on his shoulder as you gaze into the jungle completely mesmerized by its bioluminescent wonder. “How you holding up back there? We’re close” Jake turns his head. “Yeah I’m good.” You wrap your arms more securely to his neck. A few minutes pass when Jake slowly comes to a stop, “Alright hop down, just wait here.” You feel him squat down for you to glide off his body, watching as he yips into a tree. A giant hiss rips through the leaves, as an Ikran emerges flapping its huge wings. You crouch down shielding yourself, in an immediate gut reaction. Jake chuckles “Hi ” Stroking Bob’s snout. “Don’t get shy on me y/n.” He turns around smirking holding his hand out to you. You slowly rise, and approach Bob, gently as the giant creature chirps loudly, and nudges his face into Jake’s hand further.

“You wanna pet him?” Jake smiles. You whip your head up and stare mindlessly, “I can’t reach.” You smack him playfully. He just rolls his eyes and scoops you up bridal style causing a squeak to escape your mouth. “Alight there, be slow with your movements, he’s nice I promise.” He speaks softly. You hesitantly bring your hand out to Bob’s beak watching his face twitch inquisitively, getting closer to his snout. The sheer size difference alone causes your stomach to fill with butterflies, as you gently stroke the snout of the Ikran. Bob’s body flutters with emotions as he nudges his face into your hand more, “I think he likes you” Jake chuckles.

You smile back, and caress the Ikran more, the rough leathery skin being a stark contrast to your soft flesh, bewilders you with child like fascination. “Alright you ready for the best damn night of your life?” Jake smiles. “Oh god… ready as I’ll ever be..” You laugh nervously. He gently puts down, to secure the saddle on Bob, tugging it lightly, and patting his neck. “Alright.” Jake scoops you up once more, hoisting himself and you up onto Bob with one arm and placing you down in front of him. “Hold onto these reigns, and I’ll take care of the rest.” He lowers his head to whisper in your ear. A slight shiver ripples through your body, as Jake makes Tsaheylu with Bob. The power of the Ikran radiates through your body feeling the vibrations of his screech. You feel a sharp lift as he ascends off the branch and into the sky. “Oh shit!” You shout in surprise, Jake just chuckles, gripping your torso firmly, as you try to get your bearings looking into the disappearing canopy. 

“Let’s go!” Jake happily shouts into the wind, causing a loud exasperated laugh to escape your lungs. The cool damp air caresses your skin invitingly, watching as the who sky lights up with a cluster of twinkling stars. Your knuckles begin to turn white from your tight grip, clenching as you feel Bob bank left in the wind, “relax for me y/n” Jake laughs. “Sorry” You chuckle sheepishly. Your eyes advert from the sky, to the approaching rocks, floating in the air causing your jaw to drop open in complete wonder. Bob seamlessly glides through them, weaving his way in and out, as you feel the spray of a waterfall hit your skin. “Hold on!” Jake shouts, as Bob sharply flies up and onto one of the floating mountains, landing with a loud thud. 

Your breath hitches, while you adapt to the cool tropical air and sudden halt feeling Jake rub small circles on your stomach. “Let me help ya get down.” He whispers. Your ears heat up, while Jake grabs your waist with his much larger hands helping you down. “How was that for your first little joy ride?” He smiles playfully. “Well I can honestly say nothing quite like it” You feel your cheeks blush profusely. “Why’d you take me here anyway?” Jake shrugs nonchalantly and rubs the back of his head, “thought it was romantic” Your eyes widen and you crank your neck up to make sure you heard that right. “Oh” Is all you manage to squeak out. “Is that a good ‘oh’ or a bad one?” Jake laughs nervously. You bite your lip, feeling suddenly more exposed than ever. “I… a good one” You answer honestly. “Alright..” Jake smiles in relief and places his large hand on your shoulder leading you to a mossy covered log. “I thought we could star gaze for a bit if that’s okay with you” He whispers awkwardly.

“I’d love that” You grin widely, walking to the mossy log, and getting seated on the lush grass. Jake’s body heat radiates closely next you, feeling the warmth of his velvety skin next to your legs. “I really took you here tonight, because I.. I uh. Well I like you y/n.” Jake stutters out. You turn you head, and crank your neck to face him, as he lowers himself down to the point where he’s eye level with you, gently tucking a piece of your hair behind your ear. “R-really?” You whisper softly. “Yeah really.” He chuckles. “I think you’re really god damn sexy really…” He smirks confidently. “Blue Jake or human Jake?” You tease him. “Both.” He responds with no hesitation. Your can feel your cheeks heat up quickly practically hearing your heart thrum loudly in your throat. You try not to make it obvious but Jake just scoots closer to you, his body practically on top of yours. “What I’m trying to say pretty girl, is will you go out with me? Go steady? Hmm?” He inquires slyly. You laugh and look up to him, “well how could I refuse?” He smiles so wide his sharp canines poke out, scrunching his nose happily, “Alright then..” He grins in victory and pulls your small body in with his large bicep, as both of you watch the night sky twinkle for you.