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matan4il · 10 months

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Update post:

First, on a personal note, I started my day by calling my family that lives outside of Jerusalem to tell them I'm alive. Two terrorists, residents of an Arab neighborhood of Jerusalem (i.e, not Palestinians, who would have to go through a checkpoint, giving soldiers the opportunity to stop them), started shooting people standing at the bus station at the entrance to the city, using a gun and an assault rifle. Three people were killed, one of them a young woman, 24 years old, one is a 73 years old rabbi, and the last is a 67 years old woman. At least 9 more people were injured, 3 of them are still in serious condition. The two terrorists were neutralized at the scene thanks to three people who fired back, one of them was a soldier who was on a 12 hour leave from Gaza, he was at the bus station on his way back to his unit. The terrorists were brothers, affiliated with Hamas, and both had been jailed for terrorist activity in the past. Some of the convicted terrorists who had been released in the past few days, to free innocent Israeli civilians, are residents of the same Jerusalem neighborhood.

Then there was a second terrorist attack today in the Jordan Valley, in this case the terrorist tried driving his vehicle into a crowd, he was neutralized, a few people are injured lightly.

This is Kfir Bibas.

He's the baby who was 9 months old when he was kidnapped together with his 4 years old brother Ariel, his mom Shiri and his dad Yarden. Hamas first said that the Bibas family was handed over by them to another terrorist organization to hold them. Yesterday, Hamas said the Bibas family had been killed by Israeli fire in Gaza. Hamas had previously said that 19 years old Noa Marziano was killed by Israeli fire, it later turned out that she was murdered by a Hamas terrorist in the basement of the Shifa hospital in Gaza. Hamas also said Chana Katzir was killed by Israeli fire. She was released alive. We're all hoping that Hamas is lying about the Bibas family, and that we will see little Kfir and Ariel again, that this is just another part of Hamas' psychological warfare (i.e, psychological torture).

This is 17 years old Aisha al-Ziadna.

You can tell from her hijab, that there is no way Hamas didn't know they were kidnapping a Muslim teenager when they took her, her dad, and her two brothers captive. We know that on the list of hostages to be released today, there are 2 kids. It was just confirmed that it's Aisha and her 18 years old brother Bilal. I'm so glad for Aisha and her family! I'll also admit that as a woman, I've been more worried this whole time for all the girls and women held captive by rapists. I've heard an Israeli Bedouin saying he believed Hamas was keeping her to be released among the last of the hostage kids, to drive a greater wedge between Israel and its Bedouin population. If Aisha and Bilal will finally be freed today, that would mean 38 of the 40 kidnapped kids and teenagers have been released, and the only two remaining in Gaza are Kfir and Ariel Bibas.

We've been hearing more and more about the conditions of captivity the hostages were held under. I'll emphasize that they were kept separately, so what's true for one, is not necesarily true for all, but the overall picture is grim.

Most hostages were kept underground, without fresh air and sunlight. They slept on benches or on plastic chairs. They were not given the medications they need, or they were given unsufficient doses of them. At least one hostage was released in critical state because of this, 84 years old Elma Avraham. One of the doctors fighting to save her life said that had she been released even just one day later, it would have been impossible to save her. She could have been released on the first day of the deal. She was released on the third. For the most part, hostages were not allowed to shower, they were only given new clothes once, on the day of release, and they had no privacy when using the toilettes (again, think about what this meant for girls and women), when asking to use the toilettes, they were sometimes forced to wait for hours for that. At least one kid (12 years old Eitan Yahalomi) told his family he was forced to watch the horror movies Hamas filmed on Oct 7 under gun threat. I'm terrified for what this must have done to him psychologically. All of the kids are having trouble speaking normally, they were threatened with violence if they do anything more than whisper. The Thai captives who were released said they were abused as well, but that the Jewish hostages they were held with, were treated worse (one Thai man mentioned Hamas beat the Jewish captives with electric cables). All of the hostages were malnourished, some of the adult hostages lost up to 15 kilograms (roughly 33 pounds) over 7 weeks, which doctors said amounts to being starved.

(this is Elma Avraham when checked by the Red Cross during her release. I can't not mention that the Red Cross was supposed to give Israel a heads up if any hostage was in a life threatening condition, which Elma was, but the Red Cross didn't say anything, so it was only after a second check by Israel that Elma's critical condition was diagnosed, and she was rushed to the hospital by helicopter)

(speaking of the Thai nationals who were released by Hamas, they were also taken to an Israeli hospital to be treated there until they can go home. Something that really moved me is that the hospital bought a Buddha statue so that these people could pray, even before they're well enough to be discharged)

One Israeli hostage, Roni Crivoi, managed to take advantage of Israeli fire in Gaza, escape his Hamas captors, and he tried to make his way back. Unfortunately for him, he was captured by Gazan civilians, and handed over back to Hamas. Gazan civilians are also some of the people holding Israeli hostages. One kid hostage recounted that he was locked in the attic of an UNRWA teacher (just a reminder, this is a UN employee), who barely give him food, and didn't provide him with his medication. Another was held captive by a Gazan doctor, a man who provided medical care for Palestinian kids, but betrayed his hypocratic oath when it came to an Israeli kid. And it's been Gaza civilians showing up every night, screaming, banging on the jeeps in which the Israeli hostages were being driven to their release, or even throwing rocks at those vehicles. In fact, as hostages were not told they were being freed, many of them said the violence of the crowds made them think they were being taken to be lynched.

Hamas has been violating the hostage deal repeatedly. There's the rockets fired into Israel 15 minutes after the fighting was supposed to stop, there's the promised Red Cross visits to the hostages not freed, which have not yet happened, there's the separation of kids from their mothers (such as Hilla Rotem... Hamas claimed they couldn't release her mother with Hilla, because they didn't know where the mom is. Hilla indicated this was a lie, as she was held together with her mom up until a day before her release. Or another example is Maya Regev, who was freed without er brother Itay, even though he was 18 years old and they were supposed to be released together), there's the Hamas terrorists who fired and threw explosives at IDF soldiers while the fighting is supposed to be on break (starting on day 5 of the deal, we're now on day 7), there was an attempt to offer kidnapped bodies (Israel was able to confirm that three hostages, were actually killed on Oct 7, and Hamas is holding their bodies captive) instead of living people to be released today (which Hamas tried to claim they had to do since they had no more women and kids to release today... when Israel insisted that wasn't true, and if Hamas doesn't rectify the list, the fighting will resume this morning at 7, suddenly Hamas was able to add 3 more women to the list of released hostages for today)...

On a personal note, one of my two kidnapped colleagues was released yesterday, Liat Atzili, and she's been reunited with her kids, but her husband is still in captivity. We've heard through the released hostages that my other colleague is still alive. That's a bit of a relief, since we didn't even know if there was hope for that, given the fact that he had undergone a surgery not that long ago, and is till need of medical care. This is Liat:

This was a perfect reaction to an American projecting American social concepts onto Israel, where the whole history of the conflict is completely different:

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"Israelis get to be white"

Just a reminder that while Jews come in a variety of skin colors, as the above vid nicely points out, no Jew is a part of the social construct of "being white."

This is Liora Argamani, a Chinese woman, who fell in love with and married an Israeli man. Together they had one daughter, Noa. She was kidnapped to Gaza. Liora is dying from cancer. This is the message that she wanted to share:

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(for all of my updates and ask replies regarding Israel, click here)

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sillybigbird · 2 months

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OKAY, SO. Silvie here, before starting I'd like to remind you my IC accounts is @babsggordon and its the only one I mannage.

Previous recaps:

Now

This are are the events of the past week (In order from I remember):

Lazarus Pit

Gothamites started to randomly sip them, encouraged by the numerous PSA's saying to not to.

Alzhul discovers that his pit is being used underground by a lot of other organizations including the court of owls. But also he discovers the experimental additions to the pit are making people expell their organs off, he decided to work on a antidote to add at the pit because theres no way to get gothamites away from it (LMAO). Hes having a lil redention arc

Multiverse

Theres a lot of alternative versions appearing, the most popular are more Dick Grayson's appearing out of nowhere and a lot of there people crashing, so far this are the ones that I know.

Spiderman everywhere, it started with our lovely Peach.

Starfire

Tommy Shepard

Deadpool and one of his variants

Julian Gordon

This is not multiverse but since we're talking of additions we should mention Lux and his initial arc who consisted in dating Crimson, Deadpool, Nightwing by Circus-champion, Kyle, and John Constantine (who also joined this week).

Duke also joined us. (Hi Duke o//)

Helena also joined us

Kidnapping

This was a popular topic this week, this were the kidnaps and consecuences:

Jason: A guy named Evangeline claiming being Jason's original partner appears in our universes Dick Graysons Anons with threats of kidnap Jason, and he does but Constantine, help us rescue him. And they're chilling with Hinata, Deadpool, and Crimson in there where Giovanna Talon appears to attack everyone. Lux f*cking kills her and revives him

Giovanna: That attack was useful to kidnap her and so, Hinata, Crimson, Lux and Babs are trying to debrainwash her.

Dick Grayson: Babs and Wally kidnaps Renegade and retrieve them back to the "Bat's army" (idk how to call it).

Random and pending events

Damian and Jon Start dating

Hinata and Tommy start Dating

Aswell Bart but I missed with who

JJ is apparently fine!

Blackhawk (Hal Jordan) is kinda having his redemption arc but as Talon where he just stopped pushing g everyone away lmao

An apple, TWO faces and joker are fighting for gothams mayor elections

Update on Babs events

She and Dick adopted a new kitty

James Gordon Jr is back and she's losing her head everytime he's around

She's also trying to protect Julian not only from the pit and Talon mess, but now James can find him and she's kinda stressed out

Food poisoning :(

Current events I know of but there still going on and it's not mostly of common canon knowledge

Deadpool did an feather errand for the coos (oh boy)

Jason is getting an ultrasound 👍

If I missed something feel free to add

Additions

By @why-rock-look-tasty-if-no-eat

(Bart got with Jamie. Jason and Roy adopted Damians little brother (Yao I think?) not to long ago to. Jason, Liang, and Joker also had an arc or are still going with it I don't remember. Dick "notnotnightwing" got bought by the COO apparently because he asked them out as a joke so that he wouldn't get killed. Damian got another animal, RR totally got mauled by a (different) cat. Another Nightwing "officialnightwing" is like, flirting(?) with a reporter whose trying to prove that the Waynes are the Bats.)

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kimbapisnotsushi · 1 month

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hi! please share your headcanons about jay. thanks!

ooooooooh sure thing let's get it!!

(also please keep in mind that soke was literally my first time dipping back into dc after a LONG while, so i have a bit of catch-up to do in terms of characters and stories, and thus some of my knowledge might be outdated!!! also i love jay but i do consider myself still very new to understanding him and thus most of these will be silly fun :333)

damian makes fun of him for that all-black ninja-esque stealth suit he wore to sneak into star labs because there was literally NO POINT in jay trying to disguise himself like that when he didn't bother covering up his BRIGHT FUCKING PINK hair

yes i'm still mad about yes i would like to know his thought process

is it natural btw??? i've seen different takes around where people think it's dyed bc of his other version in aos:jk, but i feel like that's pretty unlikely considering it was shaved all the way down when he got taken prisoner and experimented on and it grew back exactly like that

for the record i'm not a hater i'm just saying 1) it made him a walking beacon and 2) it being natural is so fucking funny to me since he clearly didn't inherit it from his mom, which begs the question:

who the fuck is jay's dad

while jay does care for all of the revolutionaries as their ally and everyone at the truth as their boss, and as an overall friend, i think that wink and the aerie are especially close to him and they consider each other family. they were pretty much the closest thing to adult supervision jay had for a while, and he relied on them a lot when he was settling down in metropolis and figuring out how to live alone

this meant that he called them for stupid things like "if something explodes in your microwave do you call the fire department", and not-stupid things like "help me open a bank account because metropolis bank has laws that won't let me do it by myself as a minor"

they were also the first people he came out to

jay loves them even if they CAN be really annoying

jay: "are you—are you guys ACTUALLY planning on shovel-talking superman" wink: "technically, he's superman's son" the aerie: "and if he's late to the coffee shop, i'm taking points off"

i think jay would get along with tim actually

the dude is an underground hacktivist refugee, investigative journalist, and a former president's son. he's probably used to always looking over his shoulder, ready to be jumped at a moment's notice. he's got a plan for everything but the plans only exist inside his head because he can't risk hard copies being found or digital ones being hacked. he's memorized them all. they're either alphabetized or mentally color-coded. we're talking levels of elaborate just-in-case getaways and meticulously planned investigations that would get a normal reporter killed if they asked the wrong question. it's dedication to a terrifying degree

yeah tim would definitely rock with him

jay has this neat little trick where if he's in a situation in which someone's poisoned his food and he has to eat it/can't let them know he knows, he just partially phases his organs so that the food falls through his body a little bit at a time and never enters his digestive system

jon is HORRIFIED when he finds out. damian is really fucking impressed

does gamorra have its own language???? i feel like jay would be fluent in it if so. of course he would be. he'd do anything to keep part of home as close to his chest as possible

oh that's another thing i'll probs mess up on btw i am legit so confused on gamorra considering it's apparently in asia and i would assume has its own distinct culture? but jay's surname is japanese and that random kid on the boat has a japanese name so are they like. japanese-adjacent??? or is gamorra made up of multiple asian identities blended into one (read tags for clarification)

i should probably read absolute power shouldn't i

okay sorry that got WAY off topic but yeah jay is definitely someone who loved his home despite not being able to go back and did everything he could to maintain his ties

ALSO can we talk about jay being a student at metropolis college at seventeen???? did he skip a year of school when he got to the u.s.??? did he lie on forms or something??

like i don't think he's taking extra credit classes as a high school student because he was also advertising the media department when we saw him, and i don't think he'd be doing that if he was in high school

jon makes sense because he had a fake identity which COULD put him in college. but jay???

honestly lying on paper is such a jay nakamura thing to do if he doesn't want people tracking him down by cross-referencing his birthday with government records

jay nakamura's number-one tip of running an anonymous underground activist stream: hide all identifiable information from the government

(this does not work when you are widely recognized as superman's boyfriend)

also now that dick is backing the truth can we PLEASE get tim in on it. i think it'd be so fucking funny. i think he and jay would have a grand old time breaking into firewalls and digging through internet archives and exposing corrupt people

tim is like "FINALLY i have something fun to do at all those fucking galas bruce makes me go to" because jay needs some rich guy's vacation itinerary so he knows the prime time to break into his house and gather evidence for something

i just have so much appreciation for jay nakamura you guys i love him so much

#anyways if i lived in the dcu i would be very interested in the geopolitics of gamorra as a fictional canto-korean character #i mean i am invested now #it was created by korean artists but they made it mainly japanese-adjacent that is the FUNNIEST thing to me #i was also pretty confused bc kaizen gamorra's brothers have very non-jp names while kaizen gamorra does #wai and sum can both be canto surnames as well as more across southeast asia #so it is VERY interesting to me #i would genuinely try and place it on the map if i could #jay nakamura #jon kent #damian wayne #jayjon #jonjay #wink #the aerie #tim drake #dcu #dc #dc headcanons #sou says stuff

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strawburry01 · 3 months

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Strawberry Wine

Summary: Continuation of Northern Attitudes fic, but can be read on its own (extra backstory in We're Going to Be Friends and Enjoy the Silence). Once I figure out how to link shit I will lmao. Hotch has to leave to go home, but neither of them is making it easy.

AN: Sorry I disappeared. I graduated lol! I don't think anyone really noticed but I'll be back for a while now that it's summer :) Sorry if this makes you cry I think I got into some weird cathartic state writing this.

Word Count: 3k

Sure enough, the case was linked to a newly forming underground cult. Luckily you and the BAU team were able to infiltrate a meeting before the next human sacrifice took place, but it wasn’t without weeks of planning every move down to the second. Spencer and you worked well together when it came to preparing every Plan A, B, C, D, all the way to Plan X, and figuring out the best ways to get everyone in and out safely. Spare a few bruises and potential religious affiliated trauma- the team got off pretty uninjured which you did pat yourself on the back on knowing that this poor group didn’t need any more problems to deal with. Not too shabby for a small town bureau like yourself.

But that’s where the trouble emerged. If the case was closed and the right people arrested, the job was done. The job was done here. They were going to have to go back to Quantico for the next mission, the next case, the next task.

And you were going to be here. Waiting for the next drunk teen to run a red light.

All you could think about was the ever-growing elephant in the room of Aaron leaving again. He’d just stumbled back into your life after all these years apart, and god- it felt good to have him back in it. After shifts you would always commiserate over the recent years in your respective forces at the local coffee shop (to the point where the baristas learned his order), and you both just instinctively knew each other on a level the BAU just wouldn’t know. You knew how his eyebrows furrowed when he was thinking, and you knew the line his mouth formed when he heard bad news, you knew how his thumb fit into his balled up fist at his side if he absolutely despised whoever he was talking to, which was usually the moment you’d step in to try and diffuse whatever the situation may be. But also he knew yours. He knew what you needed based on your headache throughout the day, as it unfortunately hadn’t changed much. If it was before 10 am you needed more sleep and he’d make you nap in his car for 20 minutes, if it was between 10 and 2 he knew it was coffee and he’d always magically appear with your order, if it was after 2 pm he’d make you actually eat lunch, and if it was after 8 pm he knew to be dragging you out of the bar. Which unfortunately was the case the last night the team was in town. To celebrate the successful case, as well as saying goodbye, as the two teams had gotten fairly close, everyone went out to the local dive bar in town.

“Where are you?” you furtively texted Aaron on your phone. A shiver running down your spine as you brought a cigarette to your lips trying to focus on the warmth. Aaron hadn’t shown up yet. Sure the party had officially started only half an hour ago, but it was still unlike him to be late. The door of the bar swung out, the janky country music from inside spilling out into the night.

“What’re you doing out here?” Spencer asked as he stepped outside in line with you. You tap your cigarette, and ash falls into a puddle.

“Just having a smoke,” you say, but the ping from your phone exposes you. Spencer raised an eyebrow and you tried to keep the urge to answer your phone immediately. You mumble a few curse words under your breath as you pulled out your phone.

“Sorry, got a call from Quantico.”, Aaron texted back. You chewed the inside of your cheek. Not the right answer.

“But now you’re on the way…RIGHT?”, you quickly sent back before shoving the phone back in your pocket. You look up to make eye contact with Spencer who can’t help but break into a smirk.

“Hotch not coming?”, he quipped.

“Kid-”, you said, flicking your cigarette out into the ashtray, and placing a hand on Spencer’s bony shoulder, “ you’ve got to keep some of those thoughts inside okay?”, with a reassuring squeeze. He laughed.

“Why do people keep telling me that?”.

“Because you’re the smartest guy in the FBI who can’t keep his mouth shut,” you replied, just as your phone pinged again.

“Parking”, he texted back, and you couldn’t help but quickly smile before remembering Spencer was analyzing your every move. He opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, Aaron strode out from the rows of cars. You couldn’t help it, but him in a black t-shirt and slacks nearly had you melting on the spot. He’d been wearing stuffy suits this whole time, and seeing him back in more… peopley clothes, drove you up a wall.

“Evening you two,” he said with a nod.

“Evening Hotch, how was your call with Garcia?”, Spencer asked as he pushed open the door for his boss. You caught Aaron’s eyes after he not so subtly looked you up and down. Perhaps you were purposeful in choosing your crop top and jeans for the night.

“Mmm, fine,” he answered curtly, his thoughts long having left that conversation. You smile up at Aaron and you briefly catch his mouth waver upwards before turning back to Spencer and stepping into the bar.

Inside the bar, the two teams had chased anyone else out with their rambunctiousness.

“You got some catching up to do Aaron,” you said, elbowing his side as the two of you went to the bar.

“Seems like you do too,” he retorted back, with an eyebrow raised.

“Can I say I was just waiting for you?” you said, which garnered a sharp laugh out of him before he ordered a beer for himself.

“2 vodka shots for us, and whatever cider you have,” you said once the bartender turned to you.

“You’re trying to kill me,” Aaron said as the bartender set out two shot glasses in front of both of you.

“Do you even hear yourself? Come on Aaron the world is going to be okay if you let loose a little tonight,” you said as you scooted closer to him at the bar, your elbows touching now. Instead of pulling away Aaron stayed in place as he watched the vodka get poured.

“If you insist,” he sighed as he picked up the shotglass in time with you.

“Cheers, to a successful case,” you said.

“Cheers Y/N”. The two of you downed the alcohol and you couldn’t help but cringe at the way it tore up your throat as it went down. “What happened-you were so confident?” Aaron chuckled as he stacked the glasses.

“I don’t think I’ve done that since college truth be told,” you said as you quickly tried to wash down the aftertaste with the cider.

“Holy shit Hotch did you just take a shot??” Derek shouted from behind you two, a little tipsy already based on his volume, “I didn’t even think you’d come!”. Aaron shrugged as he slowly sipped his beer trying to hold back another laugh.

“Guys you’re making me feel like I’m not fun,” he said, which all the BAU team side-eyed each other at.

“Damn they just burned you,” you laughed, watching his team all try to justify their reactions. Aaron scoffed with a smile finally drawing across his face.

“Guess I need to go out more,” he said, only loud enough for you to hear.

“I could’ve told you that,” you said as you leaned closer to him, which he once again did not move away from.

The minutes turned into an hour which turned into hours. After a failed game of pool against JJ you were more than a few celebratory shots and ciders in, but you were still aware of your surroundings. You were right on the level of having far too much confidence for your own good…

Most of the local and BAU team had left by now, leaving a few stragglers at a booth with you and Aaron at a table in the corner, to not make the teams feel too stressed about saying the wrong thing. You washed your hands in the sink of the bathroom catching the time on your watch. 1:16 am. God dammit time really wasn’t stopping for you. You ran a hand through your hair to try and mentally psych yourself up. You were realistically never going to see Aaron again after tonight. The team leaves at 10:00 am tomorrow, well today now technically, and there’d never be a reason he’s out here again.

Shit

You marched back out of the bathroom and ordered one last shot for good measure, which Aaron watched you take from the table with a look of being impressed, and slightly worried, but he was starting to feel the alcohol himself. You sauntered back over to the table with you and Aaron, and stood in front of him in his chair with your arms crossed.

“What is it?” he asked, looking up at you, “what’s got you upset?”.

“You leave tomorrow,” you said, not being able to stop it from coming out of your mouth. His eyebrows furrowed and his mouth thinned.

“I know,”.

“I don’t want you to leave Aaron,” you blurted out before sighing. You looked over at the booth where everyone was still deeply wrapped up in their own conversation. The table was far enough in the corner amongst all the regulars trickling back in they’d never notice. You took a step between Aaron’s legs and his hands as if second nature moved to hold your thighs, keeping you in place. You slid a hand of your own to his cheek as you pursed your mouth into a frustrated corner. “It’s just- what the fuck are the odds even, I just-” you tried to rationalize out loud as your thumb brushed his cheek. He wasn’t that young boy anymore you met in university, but you couldn’t help but always see him just like that. A snapshot of a simpler time for both of you. Aaron moved a hand from steadying your thigh to being placed over your hand.

“I know,”.

“You don’t think it means anything?”.

Aaron tighten his hand over yours, linking his fingers through yours and bringing it to his lips, gently kissing your hand.

“I don’t know,”.

“My house is 2 blocks away,” you said. Your voice sounded grave, despite the alcohol still in your system. The reality of your situation slowly falling upon both of you. Aaron silently stood up and left his hand interlocked with yours, silently giving you the okay to take you both back there. JJ only had to kick Derek under the table once to keep him from shouting out at the both of you as you stepped by.

In the parking lot you gestured to Aaron’s car and opened your mouth, but before you could speak-

“I packed all my stuff. I’ll just get it in the morning,” he said. You silently nodded as your grip on his hand tightened. He tightened his own hold in return.

The walk to yours was silent. What was there to say? What could’ve made this any better? It was a comfortable silence despite it all.

“Are you excited to see Jack?” you finally said breaking the silence, not being able to handle it anymore. You had been pretty surprised when Aaron told you he had a son back home, making you feel all the more selfish for wanting him to stay here.

“Of course. He usually has a lot of fun with his aunt though,” Aaron said with a small smile, thinking of his son.

“Maybe I’ll meet him someday,” you mused.

“I’m sure he’d love you,” Aaron nodded into the night, brushing his thumb over the corner of your hand. You couldn’t help but softly smile at this.

This could be every night. Simple, quiet, nice. He admitted himself he was less stressed out here. He could bring Jack out here. There were some nice schools in the district. You and Aaron would be on the same team, both getting off before nightfall and being able to go home to make dinner at a decent time before putting Jack to bed.

You paused in front of your house, waking yourself up from the fantasy.

“Do you think I’m stupid? Are you just doing this out of pity?” you asked as you turned to look at Aaron, your insecurities starting to spill out as you realized how ridiculous a fantasy you’d crafted in your head. Before you knew what was happening Aaron had grabbed your face and pressed his lips onto yours. He was aggressive, but in a good way. You couldn’t help but lean forward into him as you wrapped your arms around him. You broke away for air as your laid your head on his chest, hearing his heart thumping as he gently traced an arm around your back, with the other hand resting on the back of your head.

“No,” he finally said, which caused you to laugh as you stood up, moving off of him, as you fiddled with your keys to get inside. You finally swung open the door and kicked some spare shoes into a haphazard pile as you stepped inside.

“Welcome welcome,” you mumbled as you flicked on a few lights, “it’s not much, but it’s home,”. Aaron stood in the entrance as he took in the certainly cozy home. “Do you want tea, water, or anything?” you asked, trying to remember in your waning alcohol haze what home owners offered people. Aaron smiled and shook his head as he kicked off his own shoes. You sighed the breath you didn’t know you were holding out of your nose as you tried to figure out the next move.

“You’re overthinking Y/N,” Aaron said, recognizing the contortions your face went through when this was happening. He stepped forward and held your face in his hands again, tilting your head up so he could look at you.

“Perhaps,” you said before yawning, “fuck I’m sorry. I’m not usually up this late,”.

“I’m not either- believe it or not,” Aaron said with a soft smile, “do you want to just go to bed?”. You nodded, and Aaron dropped his hands, letting you lead the way to your room. Luckily you’d just cleaned it so all the clothes were at least in a drawer. Entering the bedroom you turned, once again having a moment of how surreal it was to be in a bedroom, your bedroom, with Aaron.

“I don’t- did you want to- like - um-” you stammered as you resorted to gesturing to the bed awkwardly, “fuck?” you gave up and spouted out.

“Do you want to?” Aaron asked as he stepped closer to you. Like a magnet you drew close to him and wrapped your arms around him.

“I don’t think I do…I just want to be with you tonight,” you said quietly, which might as well have echoed throughout the silent house. Aaron ran a hand down your hair and gently pressed a kiss to your forehead.

“I feel the exact same” he hummed.

“Alright alright,” you huffed as you stood back, “but get comfortable at least. I’m going to change you can uh, look if you want I guess,” you said, which got a laugh out of Aaron as he did watch you rummage through your drawers for a shirt to sleep in. He took off his own shirt and pants and left them folded on the nightstand as he slid into your bed. You’d be lying if you said you weren’t blushing. You threw your clothes off as you put on an oversized band shirt, feeling Aaron’s eyes watching you from bed the whole time.

“I didn’t know you had tattoos,” he said as you moved to the side of the bed. He was referencing the large star constellations you had on each shoulder.

“Yeah, I got them a few years ago…” you said as you slowly moved in next to him, instantly feeling and appreciating his heat. You hit the light beside you, engulfing the room in total darkness. You felt Aaron’s arm weave under you, and after a little adjusting you were both on your sides facing each other.

“So this is it,” you murmured. It wasn’t some sort of rhetorical question anymore. You knew this was it.

“I have loved every moment getting to be out here with you Y/N, and I’m truly so grateful I got you in my life again, even if it was only a few weeks,” Aaron said slowly tightening his grip on your waist, bringing you closer. You placed a hand on his chest and aimlessly traced along it.

“I have too Aaron,” you sighed, “maybe in another life this wasn’t just some stupid Shakespearan drama,”. He chuckled and you felt his chest move as he did so.

“I really wish I was in that other life,” he softly admitted.

“I do too,” you said. There were a few seconds of silence before you spoke up again, “If you wake me up when you leave- I’ll never let you escape this room I’m afraid,”. He gently kissed your forehead,

“I know,”.

There were a few more moments of silence as you two readjusted, this time with him holding you close behind you as you were spooned up against him. You shut your eyes and were slowly drifting into sleep before Aaron said the last things he would say to you.

“I love you,”. You shifted and precariously kissed his cheek.

“I love you too,” you whispered back, before falling into sleep.

It was another cold morning in your room. You rubbed your eyes as a headache began in your head. You spotted a glass of water with 2 Advil on your nightstand, and that was all Aaron left. You sighed, as you swallowed the pills and water, before retreating back under the covers.

#aaron hotch fanfiction #aaron hotch hotchner #aaron hotchner x reader #aaron hotchner #hotch x reader #aaron hotch x reader

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carlyraejepsans · 1 year

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What's your interpretaion of Chara? I mean the one that we see at the end of the genocide run. Because I've seen some people now say that the one we see at the end of that route might be an entirely different species (as an actual demon) and I kind of want to hear your opinion on that

oh they're just human, but most importantly I'm of the very strong opinion that, fandom aside, you can't fully separate yourself from chara. they're the watsonian quantification of our role and influence within the game. undertale as a metanarrative lives in this precarious balance between worldbuilding that stands on its own, and its nature as a videogame, thus it being created to Be Played By Us. it makes some aspects of its world kinda wobbly. take the LOVE/EXP mechanic, for example. there's not really a reason why LV 20 should be the maximum LV you can reach, after all, there's still plenty more people we haven't killed. that is to say, no reason other than establishing when the genocide run is fully locked in. and the moment you try to apply that mechanic objectively to the rest of its world and its characters, it begins to flake apart. but i think chara is the most effective use of this kind of metanarrative in undertale.

there's this really weird moment at the end of the mother games where the game breaks the 4th wall and calls to the player directly. the games gather OUR name (and i mean our ours, the person playing the game at the moment) in... well, very silly ways. like a friend of one of the main characters calling for help on his school research about player names. it's not so much integrated into the plot, as a way to create a touching moment of connection directly between player and player characters (we pray for the safety of ness and his friends. lucas thanks us and says he's so happy to meet us in the endgame) that is not extended anywhere else in the game.

i didn't have the vocabulary for it before playing these games myself, but now i'm pretty much convinced that the fallen human/"chara" in UNDERTALE was a direct response to those moments in earthbound and mother 3. I don't need to recount those moments in the game where it becomes obvious that the intended way to name the fallen human is giving them your own name or nickname, but even if you don't do that, by the end of the game, you're meant to think of frisk as "chara" and "chara" as "your character". that's where the main plot twist of the story jumps off from.

and well... that IS what they are. "your character". the true character, in fact. so instead of the game breaking the 4th wall and calling to YOU, player, across the screen in a way that is alien and separate from the story, the game calls to YOU, THROUGH chara. through your character. remaining within the confines of its story and characters.

chara isn't us, WE are chara, and chara is the spirit of the first fallen human who died and was reawakened when frisk fell in the underground. when we play the game, we play AS "chara" controlling/guiding frisk through the underground (not gonna get into the chara/frisk dynamic here, that's a WHOLE 'nother can of worms).

however, there is an exception. because you see, although chara is meant to represent our actions ingame, we... aren't chara after all. we are real people playing a videogame. and because undertale is such a heavily meta game, it does, indeed, go there. acknowledging us as a separate entity, outside of this world, and more powerful than anything it has ever seen, and the way the game does that is through the genocide run.

it's not a coincidence that LOVEing up as a mechanic results in you "distancing yourself", as per sans' speech pre-judgement. if chara represents us in-game, then genocide is nothing but us pushing that link connecting us to its breaking point. because chara is who we are in the game, killing people is making THEM stronger (we can't get stronger ourselves, we're not fictional characters), but because EXP and LV make you distance from yourself, we are also making them independent. severing them from us and our will. it's kind of a negative parallel to our journey in pacifist, where chara is established as "not frisk" once and for all and THEY get to go on living their own life. hopefully. sorta.

so... yeah! chara is our true character in undertale and, aside from the genocide run, which tears the two of us apart, we have almost no reason to treat them as separate. and yes, that includes the violent acts. i am a narrachara/non-evil plotting mastermind chara believer through and true, but posing them as some hapless victim in our hands is... I'm sorry I can't take it seriously. it was a necessary overcorrection with the way they used to be treated by fanon back in the day, but it is an overcorrection nonetheless. YES, they might kill people. yes they might do that to their former family/friends, for very much the same reason asriel, as flowey, did. they were not the most adjusted person to begin with, but more importantly than that, the SOUL we see in undertale isn't theirs, it's FRISK'S. flowey says as much. when we defeat his omega form, the 6 SOULs disappear. when asriel died, the monsters started at 0 human SOULs, not 1 (ie: chara). chara is as soulless as asriel was when he was rein-cornaceaeted (lol) as flowey, with their ability to feel love and compassion stunted.

and with the added context of the SAVE powers removing consequences to their actions, and the repetitive nature of the game becoming tiring, well... we know what THAT did to flowey, right?

#nic we NEED to WRITE that FUCKING VIDEO ESSAY #answered asks #undertale #chara #entry log

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honourablejester · 1 month

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I’m idly reading through 5e’s Guildmaster’s Guide to Ravnica, mostly the section on the ten guilds, because I enjoy reading about factions. And at the end of each guild section, they have a little box with the standard guild opinions on each of the other guilds, and some of them are fantastically bitchy. Like. Exquisitely bitchy. Each of the guilds has other guilds that they view either as ‘somewhat useful but just not us’ and other guilds they view as legitimate, competent threats, and then they all seem to have a couple of guilds that they’re just bitchy about. It’s fantastic.

Some of my favourite comments:

Azorius:

On the Golgari: "Their underground structures break numerous building regulations, but at least they fulfill their duties as garbage collectors."

(At least you’re doing your job. Your filthy, horrible job).

On the Rakdos: "An absolute blight on Ravnica. They are clowns who know nothing of culture and exist only to torment the functioning members of society."

(No pretences here, just seething hatred and condescension).

Boros:

On the Azorius: "Legalism. Arrogance. Hot air. The law in their hands is a bludgeon, and they use it to seize more power than they deserve."

(I just love ‘hot air!’. Arrogant douchebags who don’t do shit!)

On the Selesnya: "I almost envy the naiveté that leads them to retreat into their little communes and pretend they've built a just society."

(Wow, the condescension!)

Dimir:

On the Boros: "Not inherently dangerous. The true danger is that they'll drag down all we've worked for while chasing some romantic crusade. Continue to direct their righteous fury toward our strongest enemy—until the Boros threaten to become the strongest."

(Yes, yes, dear, just … go on a quest over there for me, would you?)

On the Izzet: "Even an overloaded, sizzled clock is still right twice a day. When Izzet experiments succeed, they can have unpredictable consequences for active missions. Their activities must be monitored at all times."

(Unfortunately, they don’t always blow up *just themselves*, and then we have to deal with it).

Golgari:

On the Izzet: "Perplexing. They are attracted to whatever flashes brightest and booms loudest. Their fascination with their toys will only hasten their own end."

(Idiots with ADHD who are distracted by the sparky boom booms).

On the Selesnya: "Their reverence for nature is the mark of immaturity and naiveté. They fear death, so they can't understand life. They can be dangerous when they fervently cling to their narrow-minded and inadequate view of life."

(Oof. Lots of people considering the Selesnya immature and naïve over here).

Gruul:

On the Rakdos: "The guild of fools. They waste their potential on acts of mockery while the real work of razing the city remains undone."

(Useless wastes of space who *could have been useful* if they put their minds to it).

On the Selesnya: "The Selesnya would coddle a wolf, teach it to fetch sticks, and call it a dog. We prefer to starve the wolf, let it hunt for its food, and make it a stronger wolf."

(Literally none of the other nature-based guilds have anything nice to say about the Selesnya, it’s amazing).

Izzet:

On the Boros: "All too often when we're on the verge of setting off a little explosion or a spell that tears a hole in reality, the Boros show up to spoil the fun."

(Just general spoilsports! It was only going to be a *small* explosion! Lighten up!)

On the Rakdos: "Steer clear of these senseless riot-fiends. Their enthusiasm is best appreciated from a distance."

(Just … leave them alone over there and don’t bother with them).

Orzhov:

On the Golgari: "Admirably resourceful and elegant, but tragically unhygienic. The swarmers may persist, as long as they don't try to force their aesthetic sensibilities on us."

(… ‘tragically unhygienic’. Wow. Lots of the guilds do condescension, but the Orzhov are *good* at it).

On the Gruul: "They know nothing of order and dignity, and therefore they serve little purpose as an organization."

(Again, just utterly useless. Just don’t bother).

Rakdos:

On the Dimir: "They crave secrets, but there's nothing they can get by eavesdropping that we won't freely scream at the top of our lungs. They lurk in the shadows trying to look mysterious, practically inviting our mischief."

(Aw, sweetie, would you like a trench coat so you can play spy some more? They’re just so condescending here).

On the Izzet: "Every performance benefits from prop masters and pyrotechnicians. They can be useful backstage, but they lack the charisma for the spotlight."

(Oof. Nice toys, darling, but you mustn’t let yourself be *seen*, you know.)

Selesnya:

On the Golgari: "They wallow in filth and rot, too preoccupied with death to appreciate the bliss of life's connections."

(The Golgari just get generally shat on, both figuratively and entirely literally, by basically everyone. They have a dirty job! That doesn’t mean they’re worthless!)

On the Gruul: "They are a desperate echo of what they should be, reaching blindly toward something greater. Such a waste. And a smelly, unreasonable, destructive one at that."

(Amusingly, the Selesnya, despite being a nature guild, just don’t seem to like dirty things. I love that with the Gruul, they start out all philosophical, and then just devolve at the end into ‘and they’re smelly and I don’t like them’).

Simic:

On the Azorius: "An absurd and inelegant construct, forever trapped in a maze of their own making. They would outlaw evolution if they could. And if any of them truly seek utopia, the rest are far too busy shuffling papers to notice. Avoid their attention at all costs."

(‘Far too busy shuffling papers to notice’. Oof.)

On the Izzet: "The Izzet have spent ten thousand years mimicking the appearance of research, producing more pyrotechnics than progress. Surely that is a performance to rival the Rakdos."

(… Ouch. The Simic are *bitchy*. Shots fired in science-land over here!)

-----------

It is just fabulous. The amount of seething contempt and condescension and generalised disdain in these sections is amazing and so much fun.

#random #d&d #ravnica #mtg #worldbuilding #guilds #factions #seething disdain #you gotta love factional bitch fights in a setting

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mysticwolfshadows · 4 months

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Taken - Zutara - Part 27

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Sokka raged at her for nearly an hour for her recklessness when they finally got back to their room. Zuko seethed, glaring and huffing, while Aang tried to calm them down. Katara really wasn't sorry. They got everything they wanted.

"But they're still going to kill Zhao," Aang whined.

"Zhao is a fool," Zuko countered. "If he had succeeded, the world would have suffered. Fire Nation included."

Katara nodded. "Now, are you coming with us or do we need to drop you off with Uncle?"

He blinked. "I... I thought I was coming with you...?"

"You probably know the Earth Kingdom better than we do," Sokka sighed. "So it would be helpful. Aang, do you know where we're going?"

"Omashu. I want Bumi to be my earthbending master."

Zuko blinked. "Oh. Yeah, no. I don't... You can't go to Omashu. The city was taken a few weeks ago. They're calling it New Ozai."

"What?!" Aang stared, horrified. "No! You have to be lying! What happened to Bumi?!"

Zuko looked at Aang, frowning. "If you're talking about King Bumi, he willingly surrendered. As far as I know, he's being held prisoner in the city. But it's too dangerous to go there. We'll need to figure something else out."

"But Bumi is the best earthbender there is! He has to teach me!"

Zuko frowned. "I haven't seen this Bumi, but I have seen others. In Gao Ling, my crew found this... underground earthbending tournament. There was this girl there, going by 'the Blind Bandit'. They say she's blind, but she's the champion. They say she's one of the best earthbenders in existence. I only saw her briefly, when I was dragging my crew out, but I would believe it."

"Thats pretty far," Katara muses. "Farthar than Omashu at least. It will take a few weeks just to make it that far. Even with Appa."

"Then we should get moving."

Aang was silent as they finished packing, clearly having trouble processing what happened to his friend. They needed to leave quickly, though. Katara wasn't even going to worry about getting extra bedrolls. They had a spare Zuko could use anyway.

Aang went to tell Chief Arnook they were taking off sooner than expected, while Katara went to tell the soldiers the news. There were afraid of going to the south, but Zuko was able to convince them it was for the best. The Southern Tribe was good to their Fire Nation friends. As long as they did their best to help, Katara's mother and grandmother would make sure they lived comfortably.

As Katara and Zuko went to Appa, they found Yue standing awkwardly with Sokka. The white haired princess turned, and came up to Katara.

"I have something for you," Yue said, holding out a glass vial pendent. "Its water, from the oasis. After centuries of Tui and La living there, the water has been embued with special healing properties." She paused, looking at the vial. "I don't want to think that anything would happen to any of you, but..."

Nodding, Katara took the vial. "I understand. Thank you, Yue."

The princess bowed, and Katara returned it. Then, she and Zuko joined Sokka on Appa. Her brother was slouched, clearly upset, but she didn't know what to say. So she sat with Zuko, pulling out their map to discuss where to go first, while waiting for Aang. She pointed out Jeong Jeong's camp, which Zuko apparently hadn't known about. There was a chance it was gone, since Zhao had been bragging about some kind of recent win. Zuko hadn't really been paying attention, since he didn't care about Zhao's grand standing.

Neither of them really had to worry about that now, though.

Aang came back looking haunted. Apparently, they had been announcing Zhao's crimes to the tribe, along with his punishment. The Admiral had been shouting and screaming, but not for his life. Till the end, even as they dragged him away, Zhao seethed anger and hatred.

"Spiritually isn't practiced as much in the Fire Nation anymore," Zuko said, as they took off. "But Agni, the sun spirit... Supposedly, Agni watches us and when we die, decides where we go based on if we brought glory to the Fire Nation? I never really understood. But if thats right, I know Agni would agree that his end was deserved."

"How can you say that?" Aang hissed, hands tight on the reins. "He's your countryman. Was..."

Katara reached a hand put, placing it on Aang's shoulder. "The individual nations have the right to serve justice when someone breaks their laws. You gave your point of view, and thats what matters. Its good that you didn't try to force them to follow your rules."

Aang slouched, defeated. "I just don't think its right for someone to decide another has to die..."

Katara glanced at Sokka and Zuko. Both were looking as nervous as she felt. She, Sokka, and Zuko all knew Ozai had to 'go down', as they had been saying. Did Aang not realize that likely meant killing the man?

First / Previous / Next

#fanfic #zuko #zutara #wip #katara #avatar the last airbender #fanfic idea #atla

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freetobeeyouandme · 10 months

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The thing about the Mindflayer lore in ST is that everything keeps contradicting itself. The First Shadow is apparently like "The Mindflayer possess Henry, it's an evil alien, it's in charge, Henry is just a pawn." and that makes sense with Dustin's S4 comment that Henry's the "five star general opening gates for it"...except Henry tells El/Nancy that he shaped the MF into the spider creature we know it as, and we know it actually does look like that from Will, so that seems to be true? And then Will says it's weird to know that the whole time it has been Henry that he's felt....as if he agrees with what he's been told by El/Nancy/the others and as if that suddenly makes things make sense?

And sure maybe the MF wants Henry to think he is in charge and Will might not be able to identify the thing he's been feeling and so simply believes when he's told that was Henry. After all they did make a point of how Dustin is usually right and has a knack for conceptualizing the supernatural (except Dustin keeps getting undermined by Steve who is right also. Dustin and Robin crack the code but Steve figures out the Russians broadcast from Hawkins, Dustin says he knows where Skull Rock is, but Steve leads them there, Dustin calls Steve stupid for suggesting Vecna is a vampire but he's right Vecna is a vampiric figure!)

But then why introduce Henry at all, when in S3 the MF already had personal beef with El and it was implied (or at least I interepreted it that way back then) that it was because she foiled its plans and closed the gate on it in S2. Then S4 goes actually maybe that was the moment Henry realized he was dealing with El and that whole thing was because of what happened in the lab back then. So what is the point of the Mindflayer?

Especially when in S1/2 the Mindflayer/Demogorgon/hivemind aren't being portrayed as evil aliens but as alien animals? Like yeah the demogorgon is a vicious predator but it's being compared to a shark, Jancy lure it with blood, it's hunting! And then in S2 they make a point of how the Lab is hurting the gate by burning it to keep it from spreading and so the hivemind burrows underground and then when Will is possessed and sends those soldiers to their death he says it was because they were hurting the hivemind (i don't remember if he says "it" "him" or "us", but the point stands). And Dustin is able to form a bond with Dart because that's just an animal! If you treat it kindly it will not attack you!

So it's like, who is in charge, Henry or the Mindflayer? Who is being used? What even is the Mindflayer like we're still not sure on that, are we?

Anyway I think I might just give up and say it's both and neither. Try to make sense of that

#the first shadow #the first shadow spoilers #stranger things #st theory #stranger things theory #byler #perhaps the MF is in charge without giving commands. It's not actively malicious and more like a cancer or a parasite.#it's the brain of the hivemind but it's still a hivemind y'know?#and I doubt Henry's actually in charge but I feel like neither is he being commanded. He's just part of the hivemind and has access to the #powers. Also would make killing make more sense to gain energy. He's absorbing people into the hivemind making it bigger?#anyway I think the MF is like the pink goo from Ghostbusters 2 /hj #I should be working on my MA thesis help

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propertyofwhitney67 · 1 year

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Saving Grace

DoL Whitney x Reader

Word Count:766

Warnings: PTSD like flashback/episode, allusions to rape/assault, the usual DoL stuff

I laid awake smoking and watching him sleep, he looked so peaceful and cute like this. A side of him I only get to see when we're alone. I looked around the room, much cleaner than last time I was over. I made a mental note to tease him about it another time.

I reached over to the ashtray on the bedside table and ashed the cigarette I stole from Whitney. As I did he shifted and gripped my hip tighter to keep me from moving. I smiled down at his sleeping form. Face scrunched up, hair a mess, and only wearing sweatpants he looked perfect in my eyes.

I don't know how I ended up here, but I'm glad I did. In a way he's been my saving grace, my sanity. I continue on for him. Without him I don't know where I'd be, maybe the underground brothel or farm. I still get nightmares about my time in both of them.

I don't think he knows about all of it. What I have to do and what I've done. It's for the best he doesn't, I don't want to think of what'd he do. I leaned over again and put out the butt of my cigarette in the ashtray.

I leaned back into the pillow as he shifted again, this time sitting up. "Dreams again?" He asked groggily while rubbing sleep from his eyes. I gave him a silent nod in reply to which he replied with a hum.

He reached out and manhandled me into a position he liked then laid down face first into my chest causing me to laugh. He playfully slapped my thigh and pulled the blanket over our bodies. Once comfortable enough he grabbed hold of my right breast and used the other as a pillow, "They can't hurt you here." He said quietly into my chest, making me smile sadly. The dreams are never ending just like the encounters. It makes me want to hide away with him, but I have to face the world and this shitty town with its shitty people.

I ran my hand through his hair making him hum in satisfaction. I continued to pet his hair till his breathing evened out and was asleep. I stayed up longer to admire him more, but eventually I too succumbed to sleep. The dreams aren't as bad when I'm with him.

I dreamt of a dark room and shady people. Pink humming lights and crowds cheering. The full picture always left me when I woke, but I always remember the feeling it gave me. I opened my eyes and quietly looked around fearing the worst but only finding Whitney's plushies. His bathroom door was cracked and the shower was running.

I sat up slowly to get my bearings. I was safe, I was ok. Nothing can hurt me here. But I can't stay…and there's always one right around the corner, watching and waiting. More will follow. I grabbed Iggy the whale, his favorite plushie, and held it tight as memories started to flood in and refused to leave. I could feel them all around me, grabbing and groping. The words they spat and the horrible things they called me. And god the smell. Everything was beginning to spiral around me when I was suddenly pulled out.

I peeked open my eyes and looked up to find a pair of worried blue eyes…Whitney. He looked distressed and frantic. “There you are slut.” He said with a sad chuckle, trying to keep it together, and loosened his grip to let me sit up. I didn’t move, just continued to stare. Waiting for something to happen, but nothing did. “It's just you and me Y/n.” He tried to reason with me. I could hear the earnestness in his voice and looked around to see no one but us.

I took a deep breath and realized how close to tears I was. I sniffled and wiped at my eyes to keep the tears from falling. I sat up on my knees and looked at Whitney. He still looked distressed, but he was hiding it the best he could. “I’m sorry….” I trailed off not really knowing what to say. I just had an episode, a flashback I guess you could call it. They always felt so real.

For the first time since coming to I realized he was only wearing a towel and was still wet from his shower. “Don’t fucking apologize.” He said with his voice breaking at the end. He pulled me close and didn’t let me go.

𝘔𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵

#tw ptsd #tw allusion to assault #dol #degrees of lewdity #dol x reader #dol whitney x reader #whitney the bully #whitney x reader #degrees of lewdity whitney x reader #dol whitney #dol fanfic #my writing

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defining-skyology · 7 months

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Finding the Light. (Defining Megabird #1)

I've mentioned the term 'loremoth' quite a lot, but haven't really elaborated on my definition of it. Within Sky's in-game social community, being a 'moth', or a new player, is a visually traceable status, showing on their backs and of their clothes, showing by the lack of seasons they've experienced and glitches they've overcome. But the Lore community is a Space held externally from the game, leading to it not being so much of a visual dogma, but rather more of... An Experience.

Hungry new lore theorists are fueled by their own personal preferences of thumbnails, baits, and key words; pulled in by what they find interesting, and after they devour that magical initial subject, they hopefully will look and then find the next thing.

Each of these sudden lore hooks end up being their Drive to have more, to dig for more, and to understand more. They feel it's become special to them; that they're in on 'the secret' now.

And one of the best topics to make loremoths feel like they're in on an absurdly colossal secret...

Is the topic of the Megabird.

[[[Continue Reading]]]

In the early crazes of Lore, during the first year of Launch, interest in the Megabird skyrocketed, and when curious Sky players asked others who seemed more involved and invested in theorizing about the story, many users of Lorechat in Skycord would casually reply, "Well it's basically the god of Sky".

Most murals and concept art depict the Megabird as a giant flowing golden angelic thing, with extravagantly long wings or tails. Sometimes it would be made of feathers, sometimes it would seemingly be shown as made of Creatures of Light.

Early concept art refers to it as "One", some concepts say "Megabird", while others say "The Megabird", and late-stage concepts begin to refrain from calling it Megabird or 'The Megabird' at all, instead detailing a concept of "The Light" that was still unarguably the same 'character' from before. Post-launch content has never described it as The Megabird.

Despite this, Megabird ended up being heavily personified from 2019 to late 2021 by the community, and fans gobbled up anything about Megabird, especially Megabird as a character; as a god who would interact with the Elders and skykids. Megabird's fanbase grew to the point where it'd be given nicknames; it's most famous moniker being "Megan the Megabird". If only for the sake of having a character to use as a foundation for bountiful headcanon and fanfics, people seemed to cling fanatically to the idea of Megan; to the idea of having a deity. Perhaps there are or aren't some further psychological takeaways from the eagerness of the fanbase to have a 'god of Sky', but let's move on to a different notation for a while, and head back into the game.

Picture posted to Tumblr by lowkey-loki245

For the 4 years that players found themselves in the Descendant's era, creatures of Light have always been seen migrating at all times towards the beacon of Ascension in the Eye of Eden, but this isn't an absolute rule. Creatures often will be found frolicking and soaring wherever they want, far from the main path to Eden. Mantas will take elegant laps around wide open areas, and rarer creatures are either hardly or never seen ascending up into Orbit.

But water doesn't halt its cycle, and Light shouldn't either. Water rushes down mountains, through valleys, flooding plains and reservoirs, yet not all of the water gets to the Ocean like it should. But though it gets stuck in spots, underground rivers and evaporation ensure the water cycle will always occur. It has to be the same for Light.

The lore community has long since determined that all beings in the world of Sky (so far) all are made of Light. {There can be a post explaining that on another day, because not everybody is so willing to believe this.} This includes: creatures of Light, Ancestors, Descendants, and yes, even dark creatures are made from Light; just warped light, to be exact.

If we're to continue with our comparison to the water cycle, then this means all of those living Beings are made out of {metaphorical} water. Water flows from the Source and descends until it reaches the Main Body of the ocean, and all Light cycles throughout the world until it can get to Orbit again. This cycle of the life energy of Light flowing in and out of a main body is exactly what we need to focus on, and lo and behold, quite a few pieces of concept art confirm this.

The meaning and purpose of some of these concepts have been long forgotten, and don't reflect the lore of the game today in post-launch, but there is one big theme going on here that they still intend to this day; all Beings of Light will eventually journey to rejoin the Megabird.

We talked before about how they slowly transitioned towards using a simple base word to describe the megabird instead of giving it an almost characterizing name, and I believe they had to have done this intentionally. (Well, as intentional as TGC ever gets.)

We can and may still call it 'the Megabird', but from now on we understand that we are referring to 'the Light'. So, why did they depersonalize Megan into a character-less thing? As we ascend through orbit and into the Ocean of Light, the Main Body of our life energy; lore theorists all over the interwebs would still be looking for the character Megabird. "Where is Megabird? Surely it's that constellation above us? Maybe it's the giant gate that sends us towards rebirth? Maybe it just hasn't shown itself?" But as the voice of Aurora calls to us and the warmth of the ultimate Light pulls us in, vaporizing darkness as we come, I just have to ask:

"Isn't that the Megabird that we're entering?"

A pure, deep, limitless orb. We are drawn in by its intensity, and as we get closer to being Absorbed we can see creatures swimming in and out of its surface. In the Sea of Light. All things here in unison, all things belonging to One; each moving speck of Light, a drop of water in an endless pond of pure harmony.

Whenever we enter the Light; when we enter the Megabird, we become dissolved into that sea, and we join One in it's neverending song.

You might notice we're not going to end with any solid Defining going on, and that's because you're supposed to take this in and think about what you make of it. It'll be important for part two.

But we'll have to research further into proving THAT on Thursday, because unfortunately, this post has gotten way too long.

{{{Megabird Part #2 is out! Click here to continue Our journey.}}}

Thank you to the two readers who got this far, and I hope you can all think critically, never perspire, and have a wonderful rest of your week.

#sky children of the light #sky children of the light lore #sky cotl lore #sky cotl #sky game #sky lore #sky rambles #skychildrenofthelight #skychildrenofthelightlore #skycotl

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factorialsotherfandoms · 11 months

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There is a strange path which Philza finds while out exploring one day. It winds between the trees, and it is set along its side by flowers - not poppies, not Tallulah's flowers, but flowers.

He hesitates at it for a while, but eventually decides, why not? He may as well just take a peek.

Around and around the little path goes, until eventually it leads him to a little house.

No sharestone.

Odd.

Still... He makes sure his scythe is ready and his armour intact, and pokes his way inside.

Just a little, empty room, with a very obvious elevator inside.

It's a trap - it has to be a trap - but curiosity killed the crow and Philza takes it anyway.

Whatever he had been expecting down the elevator, it is not what Philza finds; from a quaint wooden room to a large area, not unlike the election dinner arena. It is entirely underground, however, the glass replaced with stone, and the stone decorated with buttons.

The stone floor, too, is decorated with buttons.

Or pressure plates, to be more exact.

A great, great many pressure plates...

Philza's eyes trail up from the immediate, to what should perhaps have been the more obvious; where the stage was before is a plinth. On that plinth is a bed, and strapped to the bed lies the struggling form of Forever.

Forever, who vanished into the Nether, and has been missing for weeks.

"Forever!" he calls, to no avail.

There's a knife attached to some sort of redstone contraption very close to Forever's throat, a bloody line already drawn across it.

Blood in his hair, too, matted and dirty. Torn clothes, bruises and cuts and ugly looking burns covering his body, and yet Philza is drawn to the knife at his throat, and the blade at his neck.

He looks around for a clue, desperately for a clue, and finds only arrow traps in the walls.

"Forever!" he tries again.

This time he earns his friend freezing up, going completely still, angled just perfectly to see where something has burnt away the skin across half of his face.

Philza's heart drops through his stomach, but he has to stay strong. He might not have control of the situation, but if Forever is going to get out if this… If Forever is going to get out of this, Philza has to keep his head perfectly level.

"Forever, look at me." He orders.

It takes a moment, and the indescision is clear across Forever's face. After a moment he does, however, turn his head to the sound.

"You're doing well," Philza tries to soothe as well as demand. "Now just stay still, and open your eyes."

"Phil?" Forever's voice trembles.

"I'm right here," Philza repeats. "I'm right here, just open your eyes."

Forever does as he is told, and Philza does his very best to keep his swearing quiet. The eyes that greet his are terrified, bright and scared and the pupils are uneven. He doesn't even know if he is recognised right now, with the signs of a concussion so very apparent on Forever's face.

"It's going to be okay," he promises, forcing his voice to stay calm. "We're going to get out of this."

They so fucking aren't. Anywhere Philza could step is a pressure plate, and any one - maybe more - of them will swing the blade at Forever's throat. From others, arrows. From others still, perhaps poison.

If he had his wings, if he could just fly, he could save Forever.

For now... He isn't quite sure what to do.

"Don't move," Philza instructs, trying to keep things simple. "I'll get you out, just don't move."

He's pretty sure it would be impossible, but he says it anyway. One slip, one movement, and Forever is dead. A knife through his throat, whatever.

And with the Federation as it is... Philza does not trust them not to have forced him to respawn on the bed in which he lies.

"Philza?" Forever asks, voice desperate and confused. The Portuguese that follows is too disjointed for the communicator to follow, so Philza just gently shushes him in reply.

"It's okay," he says in a voice reserved for eggs and panicking teenagers. "It's okay, I'll get you."

He can grapple up to the ceiling, then maybe float down? But the ceiling has buttons on it, and he's not sure it will work. Chorus fruit, perhaps, but it could equally land him on a pressure plate. He looks up and around, searches his backpack, checks his things... Takes a photo, looks at that for clues. Whatever the solution is, it is not obvious.

In the end he has to make a choice.

Still Philza hesitates, until he looks up, and sees that Forever's eyes have slipped shut.

The panic tips over, and he cannot hold it down any more.

"Forever!" he screams. "Forever! Look at me!"

Forever's eyelids flutter, but do not open. Philza curses and screams and yells encourage, but no matter what he does...

Forever manages to crack his eyes open for a moment, whatever he tries to say too quiet and too slurred for Philza to make out.

"Shit, okay, um," Philza looks desperately around for any sort of key.

There isn't one.

"Don't move," Philza asks of him. "Trust me, and don't move."

Philza does not deserve Forever's trust in that moment.

He's given it any way.

The only option he has, in the end, is to step forwards.

The first pressure plate does nothing.

Neither the second.

He doesn't like his chances so he steps to the left a little - still fine.

On gut he keeps slowly approaching, knowing it is inevitable his luck will not last.

It does not, of course, last.

Philza can only be thankful that the arrows in the walls turn to him, not to Forever, tearing through his armour and nestling deep.

He sees the shooter reload, breathes against the pain. Forever's eyes have slipped shut again, and his body has gone limp, and Philza does not have the /time/ to do anything other than suffer the pain.

Step. Step. Step.

Another trap, this time lava starts pouring in from the edges of the room.

Step, step, step, faster now, get Forever and /get out/.

It's the last pressure plate before he can jump to Forever's side that brings hell down upon them; a blade shoots through the bed Forever is laid on, piercing through his chest. Too far to the right to hit his heart, but the blood and the lung and - and Philza can see how Forever /barely/ reacts, even to that.

He doesn't chance the final pressure plate - he jumps over it instead.

"Forever!"

As soon as he is past the worst of it, he runs over, grabbing Forever's hands. He only holds them for a second, just long enough to squeeze them, before he starts unbuckling the straps keeping him to the bed. Somehow, somehow, despite the blade through his chest and the concussion in his eyes, Forever manages to look at him.

"I knew you would come for me," blood drops from his lips as the slurred words struggle to be heard.

"Fucking moron, getting yourself trapped like this." Philza pulls free the last buckle, then looks at the blade.

He doesn't know if potions are going to cut it, and respawn... Respawn is not an option, when he doesn't know where Forever will end up.

There's not much else to try, though; Philza pours potion all over the wound, then ducks under the bed. It's not too hard to disconnect the mechanism, and then all he has to do is...

Forever /screams/ as Philza pulls.

As soon as the blade is free Philza pulls himself back out, slamming one hand to press against the wound while he grabs potions in the other.

"It's okay, it's okay, you're okay," he promises, all he can do between the blind panic himself.

It's not okay - even concussed and bleeding to death Forever can tell that, even blind with panic as his backpack straps slip from his grasp for a moment Philza knows that.

He still pours a potion down Forever's throat, and more on the wound, and begs his lady not to take his friend away.

The winds twist and turn and when Forever passes out Philza cannot pause to worry about the concussion because no matter what he does the wound still bleeds. The potion should have healed it; there must have been something on the blade because no matter what he does, Forever still bleeds.

He bleeds less, and less, but still bleeds.

With one shaking, bloody hand - the other still trying to treat the wounds - he manages to turn his communication's location to public and yell for help in the chat. He does not know if anyone sees. He does not know if there even is anyone to see, he can only bring a potion back to his hand and continue pouring it.

The wound is smaller now, Philza thinks at least most of the internal damage might have finally healed, but the external... The skin is still gone, and the blood is still blood.

Philza is an Angel of Death, not of Life, but he does his best regardless.

Somehow, he stops the blood pouring from Forever's chest.

But more drips onto is suit and

the blood is his.

Some of the arrows came dislodged in his panic, others fell, some just left space from the start.

Philza sits heavy on a bloody bed, rests a bloody hand on Forever's bloody chest, stares as bloody drips hit a bloody plinth, and the lava pools all around.

His awareness narrows until he cannot feel the panic, or the pain, or the adrenaline in his veins, only the delicate rise and fall of Forever's chest beneath his hand and that quiet

drip

[break. This should be a new chapter but I'm taking pity on tumblr]

Philza does not know how long it takes for them to be found, only that Forever is still breathing when they do. Not awake, but breathing.

Family voices swear from the doorway, there is the sound of water buckets placed down, a thousand other sounds he has trained every part of himself to pick up on because knowing those sounds means the difference between life and death.

He does not look up, he does not even think he can. Some of his wounds have closed up now, but others still continue to drip

drip

Someone tries to lift his hand from Forever's chest. He does not know who it is, where they are, but he moves all in a start. He does not even think, he just throws himself over Forever - protect protect PROTECT - and twists to hiss at the offender.

It's only Baghera, wide eyed, hands raised in surrender.

Only Baghera...

Philza backs off, only to freeze again when he sees his blood drip down, mixing with Forever's now drying blood in the gorey pool.

Someone takes Philza's hand.

"Stand down," a voice says. "We're here to help."

Philza must check out for a few moments, because the next thing he knows he is sat, hugged in Bad's lap, the other surprisingly warm beneath him. Someone - Etoiles, he thinks - is dabbing a potion-dipped cotton wool bud along a cut on his cheek.

Shakily, Philza raises a finger to it. He is allowed to - the dabbing turning to his arm instead - and he finds a graze from a clipping by an arrow.

Huh.

He doesn't remember that.

"You are back with us?" Etoiles asks.

"I-" Philza glances around, trying to place himself, and- "Forever?"

"Baghera and Cellbit are looking after him," there's a swish of a tail against cobblestone, though Bad will always deny it. "He'll be okay."

"What happened, bro?" Etoiles pulls out a bandage, wrapping the wound on Philza's arm. "We just see a call for help and then this!"

"I..." Philza's gaze travels back to the entrance way.

"Maybe not just yet, Etoiles, he's still in shock."

"It will help."

"There was a weird building out here, so I thought I'd take a look," Philza frowns slightly, looks at his hands as he tries to remember. "It was... Trapped. And Forever was in the centre. I think... He was already injured, all chained down like a gift. I couldn't... I- look under the bed."

Etoiles does. Philza does not see his expression, and does not bother to pay attention to what Etoiles tells those treating Forever. He just... leans a little harder on Bad - earns an "oof" - and clings to one of the arms around him.

"Cold," is all Philza whispers.

Bad's arms tighten a bit.

"Guys," Bad calls. "I'm gonna get Philza back to the Order!"

Philza hisses.

Cellbit pauses, then, "we'll meet you there shortly."

"Before you pass out on me," Bad whispers to Philza and, okay, maybe Philza feels a little bit bad about that.

He doesn't want to make more problems. He just wants his family, and as he can't have his family, he wants to be sure his friends are okay.

"Favela," Bad reminds him.

Right, yes, warping.

His hands are shaking as he pulls out his warpstone, and Etoiles eyes are definitely worried as he watches the two leave.

---

As soon as he reaches the Favela, Philza has to grip the warpstone for support. A moment or two after Bad's arm crosses his back, providing what support he can.

They don't say anything until Philza is sat on one of the beds in the infirmary, a blanket around him and a mug of... something in his hands. He doesn't drink it, just holds it, and Bad seems willing enough to squirm on the chair while obsessively reviewing security footage.

Philza, honestly, cannot blame him.

"Forever will be fine," Philza says, trying to convince them both. "He always is."

Neither of them glance at the bed that has been Forever's so many times that they just leave it decorated with Richarlyson's art these days.

"Drink up," Bad says.

Begrudgingly, Philza does so. Worse, he feels better for the sweetened, warmed milk. He still keeps the blanket, and clings to the warm cup, but the cold is a little more tolerable now.

"Aren't you going to ask me questions?"

"What? And take Cellbit's fun away?" Bad cocks his head to one side. "No, we have enough details for now. Once Forever's up and about we'll worry about that."

"Might take a while," Philza frowns at the thought. "Idiot has a concussion, and a bad one at that."

"Ah, fudge," Bad switches to his communicator, presumably messaging the people left behind. "Maybe before then, then."

"Maybe."

They lapse back into the quiet as they wait for the others. It takes another five, maybe ten minutes, before they stumble through. Forever is, somehow, on his feet - if supported from both sides by Baghera and Cellbit. Etoiles quickly abandons the trio to come sit next to bad.

"You good?"

"Better," Philza tests the shoulder he knows got an arrow in it. "Stings like a bitch."

"Weakness potions do that, yes," he agrees.

Philza's eyes glance to Forever, also sat on a bed and offering a shaky smile and a shakier thumbs up.

"Idiot!" Philza calls over to him. "Don't let the fu-dging bear stab you next time!"

Forever just laughs, coughs up a little blood to Cellbit's panic and Baghera's eye roll, "but you came for me anyway!"

Nobody in the room is impressed to learn that Cucurucho had something to do with this. Philza can see their minds whirring, but everyone has the sense to restrain from saying it aloud.

"Always will, dumbass!" he replies.

Bad cuffs him on the knee for that. Forever, though, gives him a lopsided grin, ended only by the flinch as Baghera forces some drink or another on him.

By the time he is done with it, Forever looks about exhausted all over again. Reassured they let him sleep, though Baghera, Bad, and Cellbit all agree to take turns watching him for the night.

Head injuries, and toture, and all that.

"I guess I should be heading home then," Philza says as they work it out. "Thanks guys."

He tries to stand; Etoiles grabs him, and sits him back down.

"You're staying," he says. "You are not allowed to do that again. And, this way, you can see when Forever gets up again, no?"

Three other pairs of eyes seem to agree.

Philza is too tired to argue; he lies back down.

"Sorry for scaring you," he says, instead of a goodnight.

"Scaring me?" Etoiles replies, though he does not deny it.

"You've got nothing on this idiot," Cellbit provides. "At least you texted and didn't get kidnapped."

Bad just pats Philza's head, then wanders over to give the same to Forever, and then heads out to get some sleep before his Forever-sitting shift.

"Night," Philza pulls the blanket over his head, and pretends he doesn't hear the quiet talking all night.

#qsmp fanfic #blegh ending things #qsmp forever #qsmp philza #etoiles baghera bad and cellbit are also here #not the comfort I wanted but it does wind them nicely down after so it'll do #forever needs a few days close checking then a few weeks with some painkillers and he'll be physically fine #mentally... depends just what else happened in his kidnapping I guess

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cliozaur · 10 months

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Cholera! As I read this chapter, this word lingered in my mind incessantly. How could one immerse oneself in the filth of the sewers during the peak of an epidemic and not get infected? It seems that Hugo chose to overlook the cholera epidemic during the June insurrection in favour of his obsession with the sewers! I just can’t shake this off. Sorry.

This realization brought back the fact that we're still on June 6, and it doesn’t seem like it's ending anytime soon. Hugo is a master at stretching time; clearly not the only one, but undeniably one of the most impressive.

Valjean's underground ordeal continues as he sinks into the ooze while pressing forward. As many have noted before, this act is profoundly symbolic of Valjean's own life, showcasing his ability to find a way out of the direst situations. Contrary to the previous chapter's emphasis on shedding heavy burdens to survive quicksand or its liquid equivalent, Valjean doesn’t get rid of Marius. Instead, he strives to keep Marius elevated above the liquid (I can’t even call it ‘water’): “He had only his head above the water now and his two arms holding up Marius. In the old paintings of the deluge there is a mother holding her child thus.” I imagined Valjean holding most of Marius’ body high, but the illustration below probably provides a more accurate depiction.

#les mis letters #lm 5.3.6 #les miserables #jean valjean #marius pontmercy

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strawberryys-stuff · 2 years

Text

HISTORY REPEATING ITSELF

aged-up!Neteyam x Tawkami!reader

genre: angst, a lot of angst

warnings: mentions of death, blood, weapons and heartbreak

summary: Toruk Makto sought refuge with Tawkami clan instead of Metkayina and brought destruction into your home

originally Tawkami Na'vi live in a village called Greenhome, but i believe some clans would move underground or somewhere less approachable - so their home in this story is a ravine

i thought Neteyam was 17 at first so we're sticking with that - it also makes the romance better for some reason

Seyvaro - the Olo'eyktan, your father + his f!Ikran Ijaya

Vineya - the Tsahìk, your mother + your unborn sibling

Tsu'mong - the Olo'eyktan-in-training, your older brother

possible grammar mistakes! too tired to check tbh

some parts hurt to write and i can't recover

buckle up and ENJOY :D

His pumping heart ached, his bleeding hands shook, his tears smeared his warpaint, his gaze traced the damage his arrival brought to the Tawkami clan, his tail swayed in the air full of ashes and grieving cries, his knees weakened and forced him to kneel in front of the crumbling village. Direhorses darted past the wailing firstborn of Toruk Makto - some with wounded hunters, some with aflame skin - desperately searching for an escape from the battlefield.

Mountain banshees shrieked as their heaving chests got pierced with bullets and spread their wings moments before their watering eyes fluttered shut, planning on never opening again. Their lifeless bodies landed harshly on the chanting blades of grass with their panicking riders and engulfed their trembling frames in their vanishing warmth, saving the young boy from an unforgettable sight.

The limbs of his decorated bow were trapped in his clenched fists, gasping for air, as Neteyam released a scream drenched in hatred and guilt. He refused to believe when Tsu'mong, your older brother, accused his father of carrying destruction and sorrow, stating that JakeSully was innocent and pure. He defended his father when you voiced your worry about the upcoming war sky people reawakened, he shouted at you, he argued with you, he blamed you for the disgust your brother had for Toruk Makto, he abandoned you on the bottom of the ravine your clan claimed as their new residence in anger and betrayal.

Your aching muscles begged you for mercy, but your arms worked their way through the injured lush jungle and weren't losing determination. Your painted chest was rising and falling rapidly along with your concern, your beating heart striking its shield; the rib cage with newfound strength. You hoped the turquoise banshee of your Olo'eyktan was still hovering in the air and didn't fold its beautiful wings to lose the height they had above the ground - you hoped your eyes caught completely different Ikran and your father was seeking hideaway among the clouds.

"No," you breathed out when your tangerine gaze lingered on a barely breathing banshee, whose consciousness was drifting away. You quickly slung your bow over your shoulder, knowing that the bowstring will leave deep cuts and scratches, and leaped over a fallen branch towards the creature. "Ijaya," your sensitive palm caressed her cooling skin with worry, searching for her rider. "Ma Ijaya, where is my father?" your desperation dripped from your words.

Your gazes interlocked - one longing for freedom, the other overflowing with panic anxiety. The banshee released an apologetic roar, permitting an unknown entity to consume her soul unbeknown to you. Her eyelids began to fall, losing their fight against the upcoming terrifying darkness. Your uncontrollable sobs and radiating heat accompanied her retreat.

"No," you shook your head, stifling your painful cries. You believed that banshees were some sort of a spirit sibling to your people and Ijaya managed to create a secure bond with the daughter of her rider. "No, no, no!" you pressed your wrinkled forehead to her cheek, fighting the urge to claw at your dividing soul - you felt your shared bond shatter. "Oeru txoa livu," [Forgive me].

A cough travelled through your pointed ears and alarmed your senses. Your glistened eyes hurriedly scanned your surroundings and spotted an outstretched arm with a trail of crimson liquid tracing its pigment pattern. With a vocal yell, you stumbled towards the vulnerable lying figure in urgency. You grasped your father's trembling hand and were quick to kneel beside his wounded body. While the Olo'eyktan was gasping for air, you were learning the number of injuries that dotted his blue skin.

"Ma daughter," Seyvaro whispered, voice hoarse and faint. You stroked his bleeding knuckles with your thumb and cleared his vision of loosened braids. His bow got detached from his side and pushed towards your sobbing form, showcasing the wood of your former home. Seyvaro struggled to find his words, losing track of his actions. "Take," he spat out and handed you his ceremonial weapon, unable to move his toes - first sign of attracting Eywa's attention. "Tsu'mong," you freed his grasp of the bow and placed it between the sharp blades of grass, refusing to release his hand.

"Papa," you muttered with tears running down your flushed cheeks, watching him fight his own consciousness with defeat.

He pressed his palm into your skin and wiped the mixture of salty water and yellow paint away, acknowledging Great Mother's arrival. "Rutxe," [Please] his thumb caressed your cheekbone as yours continued to soothe the pain in his clenched knuckles. "Protect Tsu'mong," his finger tapped your chest, impinging the stronghold of your feelings and emotions.

His thumb brushed against your shoulder as it began to abandon the spot he was attacking with his gentle rubs, his arm retreating to its original place; by his side. The one you were cosseting with your warmth and care went limp in your hold and triggered your tears.

Your scream of agony echoed through the pitying jungle and painted frightened creatures native to Pandora with distress. Your suffering could be heard in the humid air, but nobody in particular caught your mourning.

You were left in the middle of a war with void and unpleasant ache in your chest.

"Neteyam!" Neytiri called out to her thunderstruck son, quickly disconnecting her queue from her new banshee. She dropped to her knees beside her firstborn in worry and began searching for any signs of fatal injuries.

Neteyam didn't acknowledge her sudden arrival until his father, the Toruk Makto, landed nearby on his Ikran. With a throbbing headache, he noticed the urgent skip in his pace and the lack of chopping sounds. He lifted his sparkling gaze towards the sky to find thick clouds of smoke flowing across the endless sea of blue, but no gunships.

"Thank you, Great Mother," Neytiri muttered under her breath and cradled the face of her oldest son in her arms, sending a nod of assurance to her approaching mate.

The Tawkami clan formed circles around the wounded and desperately tried to gain your mother's, the Tsahìk's, medical attention for their loved ones sky people managed to strike with their rifles and pistols. The healers Vineya has taught were running out of remedies and herbal concoctions along with composure, fighting the urge to pull on their locks of hair.

"Where is Tsu'mong?" Vineya questioned the absence of her firstborn after the hunters capable of survival were drowning in apologies and love of their families, but all she received was a shrug from the oldest daughter of JakeSully and Neytiri. She approached several circles of her people to ask for her child, tears pooling in the corners of her eyes when Lo'ak appeared in her vision with an unmoving body in his arms.

"Ngaytxoa," [I'm sorry] the youngest son of Toruk Makto choked on his sobs when his banshee buried its claws into the ground, tears trailing down his painted cheeks. "I couldn't save him.."

Neteyam nibbled at his chapped bottom lip as your mother brushed your brother's curls out of his relaxed face and prayed for his peace.

"Where is Y/n?" Tuktirey voiced her concern for you in the arms of her older sister, seeking comfort and warmth in her embrace.

The world crumbled underneath his feet when the realization struck his exhausted frame.

"I thought she was with you," Lo'ak gestured towards Kiri, replaying the picture of you and her protecting their little sister his eyes took before he soared into the battle. Kiri shook her head and stated that you disappeared after their safety was secured, awakening panic in some members of her family, "Shit."

Neteyam was quick to leave his mother's arms to stand up, new unwanted wave of salty water assembling in his golden eyes. His fingers began to tingle as anxiety clawed at his insides and forced his heartbeat to pick up its pace.

He couldn't lose you, not after you started to tolerate the other.

With branches snapping in half beneath your heels, you emerged from the depths of the jungle with stained cheeks and numbness seeping through your tangerine gaze. Your mother released a sigh of relief when she spotted you but, as if a Hammerhead Titanothere stepped on her chest, a lump clogged her throat and oxygen abandoned her lungs.

The bow of her beloved mate was held by your hands.

With a heartbreaking wail from the Tsahìk and your clan, you fell down on your scraped knees in despair, releasing a cry of your own.

The Tawkami Olo'eyktan was defeated, murdered in cold blood.

Neteyam walked up to your sobbing frame and placed his hand on your shoulder to create some kind of comfort and assurance. "Get away," you shrugged it off, your words turning into a howl of agony.

"I'm sorry," Neteyam mumbled and lowered himself to your level, his fingertips touching your scratched skin, his eyes dripping with sympathy.

"Get away!" you shouted at the firstborn of Toruk Makto and stood up to push his rising chest with force, making him stumble backwards. "Get away from here!"

"Y/n--"

"Kehe!" [No!] the upper limb of your father's bow struck his breast and awoken unfamiliar ache in the middle of his beating heart. "Rä'ä si!" [Don't!] you hissed through clenched teeth and watched Neteyam's gaze travel from your scowling face to the ground, his ears turning downwards. "Set hivum! [leave now!] And never come back!"

"Tsakem rä'ä si," [Don't do that,] The boy took a step forward with outstretched hands in front of him, refusing to accept your venomous words. "Please, do not," you tilted your head away from his pained expression, capturing the reactions of your families - comprehension, "Tìng mikyun--" [Listen]

"Kawkrr! Ke slayu nga Na'viyä hapxì!" [you will never be one of the people!] you growled at Neteyam, pushing him repeatedly until he seized your forearms, pleading you with his glistening eyes. "You do not belong with the Tawkami!"

"No," he shook his head, swallowing his urge to sob and fall apart in front of you. "We-- I belong here, with you."

"Kehe!" [No!] you wiggled out of his grasp and gestured to the flaming huts of Greenhome surrounded by ignited jungle trees. "Your fault! This is all your fault!"

Neteyam exhaled deeply, your words piercing through his blue skin at lighting speed, "I know," he muttered, pinching the bridge of his flat nose. "I know, but--"

"Kä!" [Go] you cut him off, preparing to hit his side with the upper limb of your father's ceremonial bow once more but Neteyam caught it before it made contact with his skin.

"Don't force me to leave," he whispered with a single tear rolling down his cheek and watched your head shake frantically. "Please.."

"You are breaking my heart," you breathed out, glancing up at the firstborn of Toruk Makto with enormous amount of tears pooling in your defeated eyes.

Neteyam captured your stained cheeks with his trembling hands and gazed into your dilated pupils, "I'm so, so sorry," he massaged your skin tenderly, letting your whimpers travel through his pointed ears. "Breaking your heart wasn't my intention, believe me."

With your father's bow landing near your feet, you wrapped your fingers around his wrists to pull them away, tears disappearing from your vision. "It hurts," you confessed and shielded your crumbling heart with your palms. "You hurt."

His knees buckled and forced the sobbing boy to kneel in front of you, his soul shattering. Neteyam lowered his throbbing head and stared into his bloody palms, tracing every curve they possessed. He asked Great Mother for forgiveness and grace when you began to back away from his quivering frame, bow in hand. He begged for the unbearable pain within his rib cage to come to a halt.

His mother rubbed his upper back soothingly and tried to overpower his suffering with her assuring words as his youngest sister nuzzled the tip of her running nose into his bicep.

Jake couldn't believe his ears.

His strict attitude towards his firstborn was hiding his true goal; to prevent him from experiencing the untreatable pain of a breaking heart. His son's weeping engraved familiar pattern on the back of his mind and stirred his thoughts.

He seized your arm when you were passing by and narrowed his eyes at Neteyam, refusing to look at you. "Why?" he demanded an explanation, observing Neteyam's body language. His gaze locked with yours and showcased his confusion. "Why, Y/n? Why?"

He wanted to understand your choice of words but all he managed to do was intimidate you. Your frightened facial expression awoken guilt on the bottom of his stomach and forced him to release your arm with a sigh.

"I am not worthy of his love," you replied, your tone faint and interwoven with sadness.

"No," the former avatar disagreed with you and pointed to his son, ears facing the ground. "You are far more than worthy, darling. That boy is shedding tears for you, he is tearing himself apart for you, he is willing to sacrifice his life for you--"

"Why?" you sniffled and looked up at the mighty warrior through your lashes, begging for an genuine answer. "Why is he wasting his time on me? I have been cruel to him, I-I.. I cut his skin with my words.." you trailed off, glancing over your shoulder at Neteyam who was wiping his flushed cheeks.

"You casted a spell on him," you absorbed his swelling eyes and smeared warpaint on his cheeks, your ears flickering. "An unbreakable spell at that," Jake chuckled and placed his hand on your shoulder to steal your attention, but to no avail. "He sees your flaws," you tilted your head aside and narrowed your gaze at the man, "And still chooses to love you for them - you should appreciate that."

#avatar #avatar imagine #neteyam #neteyam imagine #neteyam x reader #avatar the way of water #james cameron avatar #avatar x reader

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therantsofawriterrr · 1 month

Text

The Umbrella Academy Final Season: My Version

Part Ten: The Box And The Plan

Overview: In the aftermath of the New Grumpson incident, the gang makes up a plan that tackles all their problems at once. Luther confronts Allison about Sloane and Lila reveals her secrets to Diego. TW: mature language, long ass chapter, FLUFF ALERT CAUSE ITS SO GOOD YALL, uhh tell me if i missed anything!! Pairings: Diego × Lila, a little bit of Five × OC A/N: hello, this one took some time to post sorry. i hope yall enjoy reading!!!

Masterlist

"Who were those weirdos with the fanny packs?" Viktor asked, as Luther looked at the road for a car that could give them a ride and the others just stood around.

"Was it me or did they smell like wet sheep?" Lila asked.

"Goats, I thought," Luther pointed out. "Maybe llamas."

"Who cares? They destroyed Wanda," Diego snapped, pointing at the van.

"Their names are Gene and Jean," Five explained. "They run an underground organization called the Keepers.

"Sex cult?" Diego inquired.

"Not a sex cult. Not even a cult if you think about it, but it's going towards it," Clementine said, from inside the trunk, where she was wiping the blood off her face.

"Eh, once you get to the top, it's always a sex cult," Diego persuaded.

"They're an extremist group who believe they have memories from an alternate timeline," Five stated.

"Yeah, and some of their memories are pretty much bang on," Lila affirmed.

"They're calling this phenomenon the 'Umbrella Effect'."

Clementine finally came out from behind, now wearing a black tank top tucked into her maroon trousers, her hair tied up into a tight ponytail. Five's gaze lingered on her a bit before Viktor's question.

"How is that even possible?"

"Yeah, we're working on figuring that out," Lila replied.

"What do they want with Jennifer?" Ben asked.

"Don't know. But, I'm gonna make some calls, find out how or if she's related to the Keepers," Clementine assured, making Ben sigh in exasperation as she whipped out her phone.

"Yes, yeah, I'm fine, Ray," Allison murmured into her phone. "Mhm, I'll call you."

Luther stared at her with mounting anger, still trying to press it inside as he turned away.

"You alright?" Allison asked with concern, when she saw him.

"I'm fine, no thanks to you," he said, talking to her for the first time in six years.

"Okay, I'm so confused," she pointed out. "Why are you, of all people, mad at me?"

"Why am I mad at you?" Luther finally snapped. "You think I don't know what you did, Allison?"

"Okay, look, I know that I went kind of cuckoo in that timeline, but I-"

"I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about what you did during the time reset."

"The time reset? You mean, bringing the love of my life and my daughter back?"

"No. No. Not that. I was happy you had a chance to do that. I'm talking about Sloane."

"Sloane? What about Sloane?

"You tried to make her disappear during the time reset, Allison! Stop playing dumb with me! And just so you know, it didn't work either."

Allison scoffed, her hand going to her forehead. "Oh, my god. That's what this has been about? You think I made Sloane disappear? Wow."

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Luther asked, confusion warring with fury.

"Luther. I was happy you found Sloane, alright. After what happened with... well, y'know, you deserved it. The only thing I had in mind when I put my hand on that machine was Ray and Claire. I didn't need anything else."

Luther opened his mouth to throw out another retort but closed it. "Wait. So... you didn't make Sloane disappear?"

"Yes, Luther!" Allison exclaimed, tears welling in her eyes. "Look I... I made some mistakes back in there, alright? A lot of mistakes," she started turning to look at everyone as her voice cracked. "And even though every cell in my brain is telling me that it was justified, I know it wasn't. And I know I fucked up. So, I'm sorry. I don't know if you guys will forgive me or not, but still."

She sniffled at the end of it, tears already starting to stream down her cheeks. She wiped them away as she breathed out deeply and slowly, feeling lighter than ever as Klaus smiled at her proudly. He hugged her, leaving Luther to just splutter as he roved his fingers through his hair.

"Okay, well. I've made my calls, we'll be finding something out by evening."

"Evening? Yeah, that won't do. We need to find her. Who knows what those cult leaders will do to her?" Ben asked, the panic in him rising.

"Well, we're not going anywhere in this piece of shit," Five started.

A few hours later, Diego was knocking on Luther's motel room door. Luther opened up in a t-shirt that had a teddy bear on the front and Diego smiled.

"Looking good, big guy," he teased, making him laugh. "By the way, about earlier... Did you like, find Sloane, or something?"

Luther grinned with a nod. The previous weekend, he'd met the Sparrows. And he'd actually gotten along with them. And when he'd seen Sloane, he'd almost hugged her, but he'd curbed his reflexes and resorted to talking instead. It had been lovely altogether.

"And it's not just her either, the whole Sparrow Academy's alive. Except they're a lot... kinder."

"Really? All of 'em? Even the cube?"

"Yeah. He's human here, though."

"Oh. Damn. I guess Ben will be happy to hear that," Diego murmured. "So how'd it go? Was Sloane still the same or...?"

"Yup, she's pretty much still the same. She's a lot bolder here, but, y'know. Love that."

Diego chuckled and patted his shoulder. "Happy for you, man. Really happy for you."

When he went back to his room however, he found Lila pacing back and forth nervously.

"You alright?" He asked her.

She stopped and looked at him with wide eyes, looking like a deer in headlights. She shook her head no once, but the blurted out, "Don't you have questions?"

"About what?" He asked, sitting down on the bed.

"Well, they called me by another name," Lila said, sounding panicked. "You have to have questions about that."

"Well, yeah. I have questions about a lot of things, but, y'know," he shrugged. "I want you to tell me yourself."

"Fine. Fine. Alright," she said, sitting down beside him with her hands clasped on her lap nervously. But, Diego's unexpected patience calmed her and surprised her at the same time. "There is no... book club. I've been going undercover as Nancy to investigate the Keepers."

"So you're working with the CIA?" Diego asked.

"No, no, nothing like that," she said, batting a dismissive hand. "Just my own thing."

Diego pressed his lips together to suppress a smile, just looking at her with eyes filled with glee. Lila's face, in turn, twisted into one filled with absolute bewilderment.

"Wait. No fucking way. You knew?" She asked, her voice getting louder with each sentence.

Diego just gave her a small, casual smile paired with a small shrug as she stared at him, flabbergasted.

"How, though? I'm an excellent liar."

"Yeah, well, I know you. I had to follow you to see what you actually were doing, but, yeah."

"What did you think I was doing?" Lila asked, her body tensing up as she expected the obvious answer.

Diego shrugged once again. "I don't know. I thought you were going to like, a gun range or something."

Lila stared at him for a minute and asked, "You didn't think I was having an affair?"

Diego snorted. "What, like any of the guys in this world would be able to impress you? Pfft."

Lila's eyes started welling up with tears as she sniffled once. Diego laid a hand on her back, his thumb stroking the small of her back soothingly.

"I really thought I'd have to explain that there is no other man."

"I trust you, Lila. There's seven people I trust the most in this world. And you're the first one on that list."

She threw herself onto him, making him fall back on the bed. His arm went around her waist, the other going up to cup the back of her head.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"Being patient. I know I was being a little bit of an idiot."

"Next time, just talk to me."

"I will. I promise."

Meanwhile, Five was on his phone in his room, telling Derek the details of the car that had rammed them earlier.

"I need a run on a Chrysler LeBaron Town & Country, '80, '81. Brown simulated woodgrain sides, New Mexico plates. Look for matches with an owner first name Gene. That is Golf-Echo- November-Echo. Or Jean. That's Juliet-Echo-Alpha-November."

When he cut the call, Clementine who was straight out of the shower, asked, "What if they used a fake name?"

He sighed deeply, looking at her warily. "Then we'll figure it out."

She nodded, flopping down on the bed. "Sorry you gotta stay here with me."

He shrugged, leaning back to support his back on the wall. "It's fine. Not your fault. Plus, I'd rather have you than Luther or Klaus."

"You could've chosen Viktor, though."

"Yeah, I know. But, eh. I wanted to talk to you."

"About what?"

"Why'd you go back to the Thibedeaus' house?"

"Oh, that. Y'know, our things started after we went there. At first I thought it was just fever week, but I was wrong. So, I went back and found those jars. They're what broke that day you took us there."

"Why didn't you tell me you remembered everything?" He asked next. His voice was a bit soft and almost sad too.

She shrugged, leaning back beside Five their shoulders touching. "I don't know. I didn't even expect you to recognize me, to be honest."

"I don't forget pretty faces that quickly."

Clementine's breath hitched at his casual comment as she snapped her head to look at him.

Before she could ask him about it, there was a knock on the door.

"Luther's called a meeting," Klaus's drawling voice said.

They all huddled up in Luther's room, looking at him expectantly.

"Okay, so, all those people back in New Grumpson. They were wearing Hargreeves-branded military gear."

"Luther, the entire goddamn place was a Hargreeves town," Viktor pointed out.

"Yeah, it's like it was designed to keep Jennifer hostage," Ben said worriedly.

"What's so important about her anyway?" Lila asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Klaus asked. "She's one of us! Yay!"

"No," Ben replied immediately. "No way."

"I mean, that would make sense," Five agreed. "Why else would Dad build a Truman Show around her?"

"Okay, look," Viktor interrupted. "Now that we're on our own, we have two options. We either go after the Keepers or, worse, talk to Dad."

Everyone groaned while some let out sarcastic chuckles at the second option.

"I think we need to split up," Five suggested. "Me and Clementine will follow up with the Keepers. The rest of you talk to Dad."

"Wait, what?" Lila interjected. "I'm coming with you. Oh, and Diego will tag along."

Five made a dirty face as Clementine smiled at them both. "Why? We both will be fine," he said wearily.

"This is as much my investigation as it is yours," Lila replied plainly.

"Plus, the more brains that are involved, the faster this thing will be solved," Clementine said plainly.

"Well, I'm going after Jennifer," Ben declared.

"It's better if we stick together," Allison murmured, partaking in the conversation for the first time since she'd arrived.

"Yeah, well, someone's gotta go after her while you guys spend more time finding things. Who knows where those weirdoes took her?"

"You're pretty worried about this girl," Diego observed. "You know her or something?"

"Ooh, he told me he saw her in his dreams or something," Klaus replied.

"You're all a bunch of clowns," Ben said, trying to divert their attention. "I'm going on my own."

"Oh, right, I wanted to show you guys something," Klaus said, before turning and picking up the box that he'd picked up in the diner. "I found this in there."

They stared at the box for a few seconds before Clementine swished out a pen knife, cutting the tape that was sticking to every side of the lid.

As soon as the lid was removed, there was a mask staring at them.

"Isn't that...?" Five trailed off as Clementine nodded and said, "Cha-Cha's mask. Or Hazel's, I'm not sure."

Klaus took out a newspaper clipping with the Umbrella Academy standing in front of the Eiffel Tower. The headline read: Umbrella Academy Saves Eiffel Tower, Receives Key to City of Paris.

"When the hell did we save the Eiffel Tower?" Klaus murmured in confusion. He peered into the box, shoving the comics aside as he rooted into the box till he felt something cold and metal. He fished it out to find his and Dave's dog tag necklace that he'd lost due to the time reset. He smiled softly, a few memories flashing in his head as he smoothed his thumb over the engorged letters and numbers before putting it on, letting the metal touch his chest comfortingly.

The others fished out various things as well, some familiar, some not, but Clementine's gasp made them jump.

"Oh, sweet mercy of God," she gasped, taking out a gun that was plated with what looked like bronze. "I thought I'd lost her forever."

"Hmm. Nice," Five mumbled absentmindedly.

"Nice? This is amazing! This was a gift I'd bought with my own money for my birthday, man. Do you know how rare custom Mark 23s are?"

Five sighed with a slight shake of his head, a side of his lips tipping upwards even as he tried to resist a smile.

"Huh. So, artifacts from other timelines are showing up, then," Diego said, reading through the article that Klaus had fished out.

"Alright, well, now that that's confirmed, it's settled," Five said, keeping away the comics in his hand. "Clementine, Lila, Diego, and I will go the Keepers route. Luther, Allison, and Viktor, you guys go talk to Dad. Ben and Klaus, go after Jennifer."

"Dream team," Klaus said with a bright smile as Ben scoffed, but didn't really argue. Klaus was the most bearable of the lot.

That night, they slept somewhat peacefully, content with the plan that was made.

Another A/N: Thanks for reading!!

TUA taglist: @auxiliarydetective (tell me in the comments if you wanna be added!)

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#the umbrella academy #the umbrella academy s4 #the umbrella academy season 4 #tua #tua s4 #tua season 4 #tua s4 spoilers #tua season 4 spoilers #umbrella academy season 4 #umbrella academy #the hargreeves #fix it fic #fix it fanfiction

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