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thewalkingwillowtree · 10 months

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Safe Haven

Series Part Listing Found Here

Neteyam x Original Na'vi Female Character

Summery: Seeking refuge, Xilä and her father venture to the lands of the Omatikaya clan, in the hopes that the Toruk Makto would be generous in allowing them to stay. This is her story about not only finding her strength, but finding love.

Warning: This story contains smut, violence & abuse (please don't read if these topics will affect you)

Some characters have been aged up. Neteyam in particular is 23.

Xilä is my own creation.

Part 5 - Poker Face

“That was a bit…better,” Neteyam said, trying not to crack a smile. “Try again. Com-pu-tor. Computer.”

“Kum-po-tuh,” Xilä mimicked, trying her best to enunciate.

“Better. What is a computer?”

“A device used to store or share or create information- day-ta.” Xi frowned. “Wait so if it does that then is it not the same thing as the tahbleet? How do they look so different yet do the same thing?” she asked, confused looking at the strange device he’d shown her not even five minutes ago.

“The tablet. And yeah, you’re right…Think of it like a leaf and a bowl- we use them both to eat but yet they are very different. See? Both devices can do the same yet they are different…”

She grinned up at him with a little tilt of her head and he found himself returning the gesture. He realized she did that a lot more now. Smile. She laughed and giggled a lot too and he seemed to want to hear it all the time. It was his favourite sound and her nose would scrunch up in the cutest way too.

“Is that funny to you?” he grinned, poking her side and getting a giggle in response.

“A little,” she said- her nose scrunching up just the way he liked it.

As they strolled further into the empty lab, she ran forward, in awe. With rapt attention at each new thing she saw, she asked him question after question.

Spotting Grace, Xi moved to peer through the machine housing the floating Na’vi. “Kiri’s mother,” she said softly. “Hi Grace,” she whispered.

Neteyam observed Xilä fixated, “She told you?”

“Yes, she said she wanted to introduce us…Grace is so beautiful. Kiri looks just like her,” she murmured, pressing her palms against the glass.

“You two getting on okay?” asked Norm who walked in, in his Avatar body.

Xi clammed up and shuffled closer to Neteyam as the man drew nearer. Neteyam fought an amused smirk when she suddenly turned shy, reaching out to fiddle with a loose thread on the side of his warrior belt to avoid the newcomer.

“Yeah, Norm we’re good. We’re exploring the labs today. Hey since you’re here, can you show her what you worked on? The research on Li’ona?”

“Hell yeah! It’s Xi right? Well, welcome to my world,” he said with his arms stretched out as he turned to walk to the other side of the room. “If you’ll follow me-”

A small hand clutched his fingers and Neyetam almost stumbled when he realized it was Xilä. His head snapped to hers and she looked him right in the eyes with a little smile- she was nervous.

He squeezed her fingers in response and gave her an encouraging expression. “You got this,” he mouthed silently.

If Norm thought it was weird they held hands, he didn’t show it.

“So this is a map of Pandora.” He typed into a computer and a holographic map appeared. “And this…is Li’ona.”

“Wow,” Xi whispered in awe of the amazing technology, taking a step forward.

Neteyam immediately felt the loss when she released his hand to have a closer look, he wanted to snatch it right back up.

Norm pointed out a few things to her on the map then went on a long winded rave about “climate change” and “precipitation”, “droughts” and something called, “atmospheric conditions.”

Suffice to say it all went right over her head.

She did perk up once more when he started speaking normally again.

“-so yeah we’re basically stumped. I did talk to some of the Omatikaya elders to see if anything like this ever happened in their time but they all say the same thing.”

“And what is that?” she asked intrigued, her ears twitching as she stared at the oldly dressed Avatar.

“They say Li’ona’s been abandoned by Eywa. They think the people have dishonoured her in some way- and I mean, I’m kinda willing to bet on that at this point. There’s literally no other scientific explanation for the cease of rains. Over twenty fives years of no rain? That sounds like Eywa’s doing to me,” he shrugged helplessly.

“Oh….Well, thank you for showing me Norm and thank you for all your hard work.”

He lit up from her thanks. “Oh, yeah. Anytime. It’s no prob-lemo,” he winked.

Momentarily distracted, he turned back to the monitor to type something.

Xi pursed her lips in contemplation, there was a guilty feeling bubbling in her chest.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Neteyam asked quietly as he stood beside her. His hand crept under her hair to cup her neck gently, thumb brushing below her ear.

She turned and stared up at him with those brilliant orbs of hers. “I just realized something ‘Teyam and I feel guilty about it,” she whispered, clutching his wrist. “You will think I am terrible.”

He frowned. “I could never think that Xilä. Never, alright?”

“I do not care.”

“Hm?” His frown deepened- not understanding.

“About Li’ona I mean. I do not care about them anymore. I do not care what will happen to the people left. I do not care if Eywa has deserted them. I do not care if their lands never flourish once more. There is nothing in here,” she said, laying her free palm against her heart. “I should care, but I don’t.”

“Then don’t,” Neteyam said, seriously. “And don’t feel guilty about it either, okay? You don’t have to care if you don’t want to. This is your home now anyway.”

Touched by his words, she stepped forward and hugged him in response- her forehead slotting into the space between his pec and shoulder blade, slim arms wrapping around his waist.

Norm, catching their sweet moment, grinned and wiggled his eyebrows at Neteyam over Xi’s head.

Neteyam simply rolled his eyes at him and hugged Xi closer without care, leaning down to hide his smile in her hair. She felt perfect in his arms.

The rest of their visit was eventful. Norm cracked jokes with Xilä and got her to open up, he showed her how the Avatar bodies worked, then introduced himself to her in his human form. They even managed to practise some English together.

“That was fun actually,” she chirped as Neteyam walked her back to Salveen and Jxo’s. “Heh-lo how ah ew,” she practised, curling her index finger around his pinky so she could swing their arms together as they strolled.

“I am fine, thank you. How are you?” he smirked, enjoying her little giggle.

“I am ha-peee too-nite,” she grinned, looking around in wonderment at the woodspirits littered in the air.

He stared at her as she twirled away, reaching her hands up for a woodspirit to land in her palms.

There was no one else but the two of them in that moment- she was all he saw.

“......I am happy too,” he admitted. And it was the truth.

Neteyam was completely content.

He was happy.

Xi grinned as she checked out the cards in her hands.

“You’ve got a terrible poker face Xilä,” Lo’ak said with a smirk, and Spider snorted in response.

“I can’t help it! Don’t look at me then.”

“That’s not how it works, Xi,” he grinned, “you have to pay attention to your opponent’s tells.”

“Okay, well pretend I am not grinning then,” she said, raising the cards to try and hide her face without success- she was having fun, how could she possibly not smile?

Both boys cackled at her antics.

Her and Neteyam’s lessons were on hold for the day because he had been called in for an important meeting with the council.

Although he did still come over that morning and ate breakfast with her, which made her quite happy. But admittedly- she truly missed him. She already didn’t like whenever they had to part ways every afternoon after her lessons ended.

“Can we play Go Fish instead?” Tuk pouted, pushing her hand of cards away. “I don’t like poker.”

“After this round Tuk, we’re teaching Xi a very important life lesson here.”

Spider nodded solemnly in agreement. “Exactly. Bluffing is the key to a successful life…the winnings are pretty great also,” he said with a grin from ear to ear as he slammed his cards on the table then proceeded to pull the pile of takings towards him.

Those winnings included a mismatched collection of a small whittled figurine, a few of Salveen’s famous sari cakes and some pretty colourful glass stones from the river.

Lo’ak sighed at his loss, tossing his losing cards down too. “Alright. One more round. All or nothing.”

The guys had a day off and so they decided to pop in on her for a while before they went off to do their exploring. They came armed ready with a pilfered deck of cards they said they “borrowed from Norm,” and one very excited Tuktirey who had followed her brother all the way here.

Tuk had finally grown bored enough it seemed. She wandered closer to Xilä, and began playing in her hair, twisting and braiding the strands with clumsy but determined little fingers- a tiny tongue poking out of her mouth in concentration.

“Is my brother still being a hard-ass with you?” Lo’ak asked, as he shuffled the deck. “He’s tough as heck when he runs our drills. Half the team usually hates him by the time we’re done.”

“Sometimes,” Xi responded, careful to keep her head still for Tuk, “but I know he means well. He’s a great teacher really, I enjoy our lessons.”

He and Spider shared a look. “Yeah okay I’ll take that as a no then.”

“What do you mean?” she frowned as she accepted her dished out cards, fanning them out the way Spider taught her to.

“Nothing,” he sang with a knowing grin.

Spider snickered, “Ignore him Xi, he’s just trying to stir up something he has no business trying to. Alright you’re up.” He nodded at her to start the game.

One more round turned into two, which turned to four and soon they had practically spent almost all morning sitting around Salveen and Jxo’s table as they bickered and joked with each other.

Tuk ran off a few minutes ago to raid her stash of beads at home so that she could make Xi’s hair “extra beautiful” which made Xi laugh. She’d truly grown fond of the six year old and her silliness.

Although they had gotten off to a rocky start, she and Lo’ak became fast friends, much to Neteyam’s dismay at times. Lo’ak could be rebellious and wild and in true Lo’ak fashion, he was always trying to find a way to include her in his hijinks.

One time last month he had taken her along with him and Spider to practise their shots. Shots, she soon realized, meant using a human invention called a machine gun, and not her silly little practice bow and arrows.

To say Neteyam was livid about the entire ordeal was a joke. When he found them in the clearing they'd snuck off too, he immediately grabbed the gun Lo’ak had been teaching her to hold and shoved it back into his brother's chest. He all but snarled at Lo’ak and Spider, followed by a slew of very creative curses.

With one last, “what the hell is wrong with you two?” he entwined his fingers with hers and dragged her out of there with a disappointed, “seriously sweetheart? What were you thinking going along with those skxawngs?”

Lo’ak and Spider, took Neteyam’s vexation in stride, calling out a series of, “You’re no fun bro!” and “Don’t worry Xi, you’ll get a turn next time!”

Before she knew it five months had flown by. Her circle of friends and acquaintances had widened, she no longer felt uncomfortable around the crowds at dinnertime, or nervous to walk through Home Camp. People would stop her to engage in conversation, or invite her to events.

She even went to her third communion for one of Salveen’s friends' grandsons just last week.

On an afternoon after Neteyam usually dropped her off, if she wasn’t at Salveen’s side helping to prepare the dinner feast with the other cooks, she was at the healer tents, unofficially studying under Mo’at’s wing.

The two women had quickly become the mother figures she had always wanted while Jxo, the gruff but sweet elderly man became the father figure she never knew existed.

One day Kiri had expressed to her that she too never had many girl friends- if any. Pretty much after that they’d usually have a weekly sleepover or two, which involved a lot of giggling and gossiping which Kiri described as “girl talk”.

Neteyam usually got chastised for trying to worm his way into Kiri’s sectioned off room, under the pretence of “just checking in” to which Kiri would sass back, “You had her all day, she’s mine now. Get out.”

Jake and Neytiri were another story entirely. They were both intimidating to say the least, yet they treated her as if she were already one of their own- as if their son wasn’t still training her to learn their ways.

Jake had her laughing so hard one night, tears leaked from her eyes as he told her stories about his own experience learning the Omatikaya ways- about his own clumsiness and accidents. Even about his “strict teacher” who seemed to have the motto “learn trying or die.”

Neytiri had simply rolled her eyes fondly at her husband and responded by saying, “he is exaggerating Xi.”

In those following months Xilä had only seen her father from afar a handful of times. Not once had he come to visit and she found that didn’t care.

Because life was good and she was happy.

Xilä was at peace.

She had found her home.

The Omatikaya’s forest echoed with the sounds of life……and grunts.

Xi growled as she tried to punch another blow at her attacker, failing from a clumsy trip and falling to the forest floor with an, “Umpf!”

Neteyam flicked his hair back- braids swaying dramatically as he shot her a disappointed look. “You’re moving too erratically, brisk deliberate moments remember? Stop second guessing yourself.”

She scowled, as she panted. They’d been at it for hours now. How hadn't he broken a sweat yet? He wasn’t even out of breath!

“You’re sloppy today. Are you practising your breathing exercises? Because it sure doesn’t sound like it. You’re not even trying at this point Xilä.”

“I am trying!” she snapped, “but you keep blocking my hits.”

Hands on his hips, he pursed his lips unimpressed. “Xilä-”

“I know I know, my attacker wouldn’t care. Can’t we go back to archery? I like that better than when we do hand to hand combat.”

“No. Now get up, let’s go again.”

“But I'm good at that one! You said it yourself…natural talent.”

“Xilä.” His tone was firm. “Can we get this done already?”

She frowned up at him, from her sprawled position on the ground. “Why are you so prickly today?”

He huffed. “Prickly?”

“Yes! All day you have been prickly! Practically since you picked me up this morning! You were rude to Salveen when she asked you to stay for breakfast, you keep muttering strange things under your breath when you think I can’t hear, you’ve got a permanent scowl on your face- hence I say prickly. You are brooding Neteyam…and not very nice at all if you ask me.”

“Good, I'm glad you are finally learning that I am not nice. I never claimed to be,” he hissed. “Now get up…please.”

She obeyed, dusting her hands off as she shot him a concerned look. “Are you alright ‘Teyam? Has- has something happened?” she asked, shuffling closer to him.

“No. I’m fine,” he said shortly. “Assume position, we will try the same sequence again.”

“No.”

“Xilä! For Eywa sake will you just- !”

“You want me to complete this lesson?”

“Yes!” he hissed impatiently.

“And aren’t we friends?”

“Wha- God Xi. Yes okay?!”

“Then be my friend and just tell me if something is bothering you. We will get nowhere with you being like this.”

Neteyam slumped his shoulders and hung his head with a snicker. He couldn’t help shooting her a proud look. Gone was the timid little Na’vi who would flinch at every move he made. Despite the situation, he was quite pleased that she was comfortable enough to stand up to him like this- to say no.

“Yes Xi. Something is bothering me, alright? I didn’t realize I was taking it out on others. I’ll stop now.”

She squinted at him with the tilt of a head. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“No…..maybe,” he said indecisively.

“Well I want to talk about it,” she decided.

“……Fine. I tell you and then we finish this lesson, agreed?”

“Agreed,” she echoed, biting down on her smile of success.

He walked over and casually leaned his side against a tall, thick plant, brushing off specs of wet moss from the front of his loincloth.

She followed him and did the same, fighting hard to not glance at the hard panes of muscle on his abdomen. She did that a lot lately- she didn’t need him catching on.

“I’m sorry if I’ve been prickly,” he said sincerely before continuing, “I didn’t like what the council had to say in my meeting yesterday.”

“Oh. Are they upset with something you’ve done?” she asked, concerned.

“Mmm, more like something I haven’t done yet,” he said, reaching out to remove a small twig that was tangled in her braid. Her hair had gotten longer, he noticed.

“Well that’s not cryptic at all,” she sassed.

He scoffed at her response, sending a flick to her thigh with his tail. “Your friendship with Spider and my brother keeps worrying me more and more every day.”

She grinned. “Sorry. Okay, okay, continue.”

“I have an important decision to make soon,” he said, turning serious again. “It’s impending and I’m unsure what to do about it. There are a lot of expectations riding on this and… depending on the choice I make, I will either please many people and make myself unhappy… or make myself happy but disappoint many.”

Her face softened and she reached out to hook her index finger around his large pinky in comfort. “That sucks. I’m sorry, ‘Teyam.”

He shrugged, with a sad smile. “Well it’s to be expected. I am the chief’s son after all,” he joked self deprecatingly.

“It must be tough, having all that responsibility…it seems like a lot of pressure if you ask me.” She reached up with her other hand to smooth a finger against the frown on his face. “You get a little crinkle right here every time you worry. I don’t like it,” she murmured.

He grinned at that.

“Now see…so much better already,” she said, lighting up at his expression.

He let out a breathy laugh and she found herself liking it much more than she probably should. As her eyes traced over his now relaxed features, she felt a little swoop in her tummy and she found that she could not look away.

“Thank you. I needed that,” he said, holding her gaze.

“Needed what?” she asked distractedly.

His attention flickered down to her lips fleetingly when he heard her change in tone. He blinked just realizing how close they were standing together, how easy it would be for him to-

He shook his head, as if that would erase the sudden thought in his mind. “You know, to talk about it, get it out- what I was feeling…A good laugh always helps too,” his speech slowed as he continued to stare.

Their locked gazes turned heated and the air was charged- both feeling the same thing.

Neteyam kept flickering between her pouty lips and brilliant eyes while she stared up at him as if he hung the moon itself.

“Well you know the saying… ” she murmured, and he nearly groaned out loud at the sound of her voice, it had turned low, almost husky.

“What saying?” he asked vaguely, unaware he was leaning in.

“What are friends for?…Spider taught it to me,” she said, in near whisper.

“Mhm, friends are the best…” he replied, his tone matching hers- he wasn’t sure he was even aware of what he was saying anymore.

Neteyam tried. He truly did.

Yet he couldn’t help himself could he?

Because the next thing he knew, he was shuffling closer, caging her against the massive stem of the plant with a hand above her head. She inhaled deeply and her heartbeat sped up as he tilted downward- their faces a mere inches apart.

“Neteyam,” she whispered almost inaudibly, wetting her lips in anticipation.

The moment he brushed a featherlight kiss against her lips, her eyes fluttered shut. He cupped her cheek and kissed her tenderly, as if she were delicate- breakable.

It was over before she knew it and the soft expression he shot her as he pulled away caused the little swoop in her tummy to somersault.

He cleared his throat as he straightened up, eyes diverted. Awkwardly scratching the back of his head he gestured to the clearing. “We should um- are you ready to finish the lesson?”

She grinned, and followed him with a little spring in her step. “If we must.”

It was later that week after a long morning on the trails and while they munched on the meal he packed for them that he finally broached a topic he knew she was daunting.

“The next Iknimaya ceremony is in the next two moons,” he stated simply, after he had his final bite of food.

She froze mid chew, cheeks a bit puffy, from the food in her mouth, tail slowed from its happy little wag. “So?”

He held a laugh- her new found sass was too much for him sometimes. “We’re almost getting closer to the end of your lessons, Xi.”

Xilä didn’t like where he was going with this already.

“Look I know you don’t like flying, but I don’t think you should rule out all your opportunit-”

“Your mother said I didn’t need to perform the ceremony to complete my lessons and secure my place,” she said panicked.

“And you don’t, that’s still a factor,” he soothed, his tail circling her outstretched ankle in comfort.

“Then why do you want me to do it?”

“Because I think you can. I want to help you face your fears.”

She contemplated his words. “I don’t mind never having to fly again and in any case, don’t only warriors and hunters have ikrans? Isn’t Iknimaya only for-”

“Not necessarily no. Many others went through the rites for various reasons. Whether to prove it to themselves or- look it doesn’t matter. Kiri’s got one,” he pointed out. “…but then again she is a special case.”

Trying to derail the topic she asked, “How is she a special case?”

“Because she did not have to struggle like anyone else. My sister simply walked into a nest of ikrans and asked one to claim her.”

Xi gaped, impressed. “Is that because of her special connection with Eywa?”

Neteyam nodded. “Now come on Xi, tell me what you think?”

Xi swallowed another bite and cleared her throat. “I don’t know ‘Teyam, can’t you just let me complete my lessons without it? I definitely know I won’t choose warrior or hunter and I don’t mind having a fear of flying…. So we can skip it. Please?”

Neteyam snorted, and released her ankle. “Nope,” he said, popping the P with a devilish smirk as he took a swig of water from their shared water pouch. He stretched out on his back against the forest floor, one hand propped behind his head.

“Why not?” she whined.

“Because Xi, I already told you. I think you have it in you,” he shrugged, closing his eyes contentedly. “I’m pushing you. Deal with it.”

Abandoning her leaf wrapped meal, she crept closer to him. “Neteyam.”

He was ignoring her, but the hint of a smirk and the twitch of an ear told her he was enjoying himself.

“Neteyam,” she called again, kneeling at his side, peering closer as if it would make him open his eyes. She huffed at his attics, hiding her own smile. He could be silly when he was ready, and seeing him like this in these little moments made her feel giddy.

With a serge of courage tinged with curiosity, she leaned in- balanced with a palm to his chest and pressed her lips to his. His eyes shot open in shock but he did not move away. If anything he closed his eyes again and kissed her right back, one large palm anchoring in her hair.

This kiss, unlike their first unspoken one, was exploratory.

She paid attention to what he did, how he moved, trying to mimic his actions with her own lips. Xi sighed against him when he tugged her closer, tilting his head to the right while she moved to the left.

Neteyam hummed against her lips, she could feel his smile against hers. When she pulled back she licked her lips- slightly dazed. The full blown heated gazed he laid on her caused the stirring between her legs to pulse.

“What are you trying to do sweetheart?” he taunted, squinting up at her suspiciously. “Are you trying to bribe me?”

“What? N- wait…is it working?” she asked hopefully.

Tossing his head back, he cracked up loudly. “Not even a little Xi. We’ll start training next week. Now come on, you're supposed to be practising your English.”

She pouted petulantly. “I do not like you today,” she said in perfect English.

Neteyam grinned. “Well I like you,” he teased as he sat up, reaching out to pull her close by the nape of her neck. And even though he knew he shouldn’t have, even though he knew it should have never happened before in the first place, he kissed her.

They ended up not getting any English lessons done that afternoon. They sat and made out until it was way past the time for them to get back.

He had to stifle his amusement when he swiped his tongue against her lips for the first time, she was shocked to say the least, judging by her little surprised squeak.

Then when he licked into her mouth- his tongue tangling with hers, she had pulled away looking completely scandalized by what he had done. Her facial expression alone had caused him to exhale a laugh as he grinned into her cheek.

And although she was momentarily shocked, she was quickly leaning in for more- gasping when he began to bite and suck on her bottom lip.

She was fucking adicting he thought- all sweet and delicious, it was difficult for him to stop. So he didn’t.

When they finally arrived back at her tent, that afternoon, Salveen had made him bend so she could reach to smack him upside the head like a naughty little Na’vi.

She scolded him for not only his rudeness towards her that morning but also for bringing Xilä back home so late.

He hid his smirk behind a cough when she asked, “What in Eywa’s name were you two doing for so long? Xilä and I have plans.”

Thank goodness for the elder’s terrible attention span. She moved to throw on a beaded shawl the exact moment Xi had turned a pretty shade of purple, unable to conceal her reaction like him.

He pressed a quick kiss against her cheek in goodbye while the elder’s back was still turned, loving the way her blush deepened.

As he made a dash out the exit, he could hear Salveen’s concerned fussing over Xilä. “Xi, darling are you unwell? You look quite flushed.”

Neteyam went easy on his trainee students that evening for the first time ever.

I'm here I made it! I apologize for my tardiness and any errors I missed in my haste to post this.

But you guyssss. They kissed! Eeeeep!

Okay as usual, lemme know what you think.

@jakesullyfatjuicypeen @granddearduck @riatesullironalite @strawberri-blonde

#neteyam #neteyam x oc #neteyam avatar #neteyam fic #neteyam x reader #neteyam fanfiction #neteyam sully #avatar twow

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probablyintensemuses · 5 months

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INCOMING: A DESPERATE COLLEGE STUDENTS OATHBOUND PREDICTIONS!!!!

CC @mageofspace__ on IG

TRACY!! I JUST FELL TO MY KNEES IN THE MIDDLE OF WALMART! THE WHOLE GANG!! I’m so happy to see Valec, Alice, Will, & Mariah in the flesh like wtf! But while we are here, I want to talk about some of my Oathbound predictions…because I can. ❤️⚔️💙

P.S. IF YOU HAVEN’T READ LB OR BM I SUGGEST YOU DO NOT CONTINUE! Spoilers ahead!

• Okay first, I truly believe that Bree has had her squire and kingsmage all along, Nick and Sel. I mean just with the relationships between those three, there is no way it goes any other way.

also, Alice will wake from her coma and have somehow inherited powers from Will as she was LITERALLY breathing his aether signature in. Like I’m not 100% sure how that would work, but we’ve seen it in media before, take Monica Rambeau and Wanda’s hex for an example! Maybe that interaction with magic will awaken Alice's own unique magic too, or maybe it's closely related to Bree again how the Mesmer did too in LB.

Regardless, when she awakens I think bby girl will be given an even more important role in the finale of this series. Maybe like being Will's squire...

• it’s going to come out that not only is shadow daddy, IYKYK not spoiling for potential new readers who have no sense of self-preservation and are reading this anyways, is not only Sel's father but VALECHEZ’s! Like not only would that be pure comedy considering how they were at each other's NECKS in BM, but it makes sense as to why Sel was succumbing to his demonia so fast, faster than others, maybe because a little more demon than others…

•I think this new magic system that Tracy is cooking up is going to tap into Natasia and Faye’s relationship a bit more and even Sel and Bree’s.

I also think it’s going to be the solution to not only Sel’s demonia, but Bree’s bloodmark, and even abatement and all these fucking legendborn oaths. I mean think about the word OATH, practically meaning something one HAS to abide by. Vera took an oath of sorts with the blood mark “one daughter at a time for all time.” The legend born and their oath of service and all this, as I call it, greedy magic which shortens their life spans, the Merlins too! What if, just what if, Faye and Natasia found a way to combine both their forms of magic (root + aether + blood craft) and created something entirely new? Something so potent and powerful, defying these “oaths” or what you could call them, curses, to cure all these things…and what if since Bree is from Faye’s lineage, sel from Natasia, what if they can do it together too.

• I think we will learn more about the Morgaine. More on Nick….hmm. A lot of LB fans keep calling him boring, but with his mom's disappearance, and the fact that Tracy is too good of an author to simply leave his arc hanging, I don't trust it. Maybe he will even go rogue, I'm not too sure ATP, but don't sleep on Nick!

• Lastly for my final predictions…more like a pipe dream. I really, for the life of me, need Bree to pull a Wanda from episodes 8-9 of WandaVision with Shadow Daddy.

We know Bree is smart and clever, this ain’t new! So, I need her to take what she has learned from shadow daddy, and then pull a clean uno reverse, and get out of there! EXPEDITIOUSLY!

Then from there, I need her to find Sel and Nastia (preferably in some cute cabin in the woods, and Natasia needs to be a MILF) this revelation of Bree's survival prompts Natasia to discuss the above ^^^ She and Bree get to work! Sel is now cured and they can get these oaths removed!!! Once these oaths are removed, the REGENTS ARE TOAST, TOR TOO! Then we get to work on Camlann in book 4! Cuz that’s how tf Tracy does it! Period!!

THESE ARE JUST MY PREDICTIONS, NONE OF THESE ARE CANON!! All I have to say is I'm fucking so excited about this book and even though it's still two years out I'm trusting Tracy's expertise to bring us something DE-LI-CIOUS! Also is it too much to ask that if this is adapted for television to have it animated, we know how much Tracy loves and takes influence from anime... it's only fair, and I feel can make for a more accurate and dynamic visual medium.

That's all for now. PEACE.

#legendborn3 #legendborn #bloodmarked #tracy deonn #legenbornpredictions #legendborn cycle #bree matthews #kingbree

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ofstoriesandstardust · 2 years

Text

same mistakes pt. iii (bradley “rooster” bradshaw)

a/n: s/o to @roosterbrdshaw for inspiring a series that i’ve basically have entirely world built for for no reason other than i want to. this isn’t the last you’ll see of Rebel, her shenanigans with Coyote, or her relationship with Mav... that’s a promise. um, also i’m really nervous about this so i really hope i did her justice. i’ve seen all the comments and love both here and ao3, so even if i didn’t respond please know it warmed my heart to know everyone’s enjoyed this as much as i have

summary: in the aftermath of the mission, you realize it's time to stop running from your fears

main masterlist | top gun: maverick masterlist

pt. i | pt. ii

folks who wanted to be tagged (yes ik it’s tradition to put this at bottom, no i don’t care): @calsjack @n3ssm0nique @alana4610 @xinsonyax @fangirl-316 @kyramaximoff

warnings: i named the team Iron Daggers because it sounded cool, this series should’ve just been titled ‘justice for Coyote’, seriously Coyote is a Good Best Friend, bullying/hazing, mentions of vomiting, Rebel struggles to communicate her feelings in a healthy way (wonder who she learned that from), insecurities, swearing, Hangman gets a little bit of a redemption arc, i guarantee this is not going to go in the way you’re expecting it to, please appreciate my usage of Chiquitita or i will cry, soft Rooster for the win,

word count: 8,007

You were cutting it too close. You knew that. Knew that Cyclone and Warlock would be in behind you in a matter of seconds but wasn’t that what you wanted? To be the last one in so no one had a chance to talk to you, ask you how your three weeks leave was before debriefing would start?

You barely slid down in the seat next to Coyote before Warlock was calling everyone to attention and you stood, trying to catch your breath. You avoided the pointed looks of Coyote, curious glances from Phoenix and Bob, a disgruntled look from your father, and a mildly concerned look from Rooster. “At ease.” Cyclone called and you all returned to your seats. “Welcome back, Iron Daggers. It’s good to see you all well and alive. I trust you had a good three weeks of leave?” There were short nods from around the room, murmurs of confirmation. You thought back on your three weeks of leave that started in the Mojave Desert and ended with you in the house in San Diego alone and sighed. “Alright, we won’t have certain mission specifics or assignment details for another week or so, so given the failings of the last mission we’re gonna begin with going over where this team could improve from the mistakes made on the last mission. From there, we’ll do training and mission patterns to help solve these errors. Captain Mitchell?” Your Dad nodded, taking that as his cue to begin.

“Good morning, Iron Daggers. It’s good to see you all back. As Admiral Simpson said, we’re gonna begin with going over our last mission this team flew together. Remember, the goal is to bring you all home alive. Let’s begin.”

You heard them before you saw them and made a split second decision to duck into the bathrooms before any of them saw you. Not unlike the Iron Daggers, the Green Vipers were a loud, rowdy bunch. Everyone shouted over each other, demanding a chance to speak, a chance tor regale the others with how they were the best. For you, someone who learned to show her talent in the sky and not with her words, you didn’t fare well among these men and women. You were grateful Coyote saw something in his wingman his fellow squadron members couldn’t but without him, you would’ve asked for re-assignment a long time ago. The Green Vipers, particularly Raven and Shadow, prided themselves on pushing out pilots who couldn’t hang. Which is exactly why you wouldn’t ever let them know you were here, albeit hiding in the bathroom, heart pounding. You were only minutes ahead of the Iron Daggers and then there it was-

“Coyote!” Came Raven’s piercing voice. “Man, how have you been?” You heard the chatter through labored breaths as Coyote talked to his old squadron, and then introduced the Iron Daggers.

“Although, we are missing Rebel.” Coyote announced as he finished listing the roster of the team. You imagined your best friend swinging his head around, scanning for you and you almost would’ve laughed had your knuckles not been holding the sink so tightly they were turning white.

“Rebel? Your old wingman Rebel? Man, I thought you finally ditched her for someone better.” Came Shadow’s voice. Shadow and Raven were twins, brother and sister, and man, were they cruel. The ringleaders of all the hazing and bullying that took place on the Green Vipers with a CO just as cruel to match.

“Never, Shadow. Anyways, Admiral Thompson, this is our instructor-”

“Captain Pete Mitchell. We’ve met.” Came the cool voice of your old CO. There he was.

“Thompson.” A beat. “Admiral Thompson here is the reason I got shipped out to Bosnia.” You weren’t sure who your Dad was talking to in particular but that suddenly made a lot of things make sense.

“This morning, Rebel was almost late to instruction and for a minute there, we thought she abandoned us to go back to the Green Vipers.” Coyote joked, forever trying to keep the peace. Never, Coyote, you thought. Never.

“Man, come on you know we don’t want her.” Shadow said, laughing.

“What do you have against Rebel?” Came Rooster’s voice and you could hear the protectiveness in his voice, the same one you heard when you were 7 and Bradley was telling your elementary bully to back off, again when you were 16 and the boy who broke your heart wouldn’t leave you alone.

“She’s insufferably annoying. She never shuts up. For a team made of the stuff legends are built off of, I’m surprised y’all haven’t gotten rid of her yet.” Came Ghost’s voice and you almost swore. You’d been an official squadron for less than 24 hours and you were already having your reputation torn to goddamn shreds.

“She’s our teammate and a damn good pilot.” Came Phoenix’s measured voice, but there was an edge to it, one you’d learned to recognize from the young pilot, only used when she was defending her friends.

“Well, you can have her. We don’t want her back. The team’s better off without her.” Shadow cooly responded and you felt like you were gonna throw up. Never good enough, never good enough, never good enough...

“Don’t talk about my daughter that way.” Your Dad said, a clear edge to his voice and you could almost picture his stature changing, straightening himself up to his full height, ready to put these people in their place.

“Well, that explains a few things about her flying.” Admiral Thompson stated and your vision felt blurry. You had to get out of here, couldn’t hear anymore, couldn’t sit around to wait for your team to start agreeing.

“The hell’s that supposed to mean?” You expected your Dad to retort but recognized it as Coyote’s voice. Was Coyote really about to stand up to his old CO for you?

“Do you really trust her as your wingman, Lieutenant Machado?”

“With my life.” Came Coyote’s firm reply and-

Why the fuck was Raven cackling like that?

“Why would you make that kind of mistake?” The ringing in your ears took over as you ran for the toilet, barely making it as the sounds of vomiting filled the bathroom, making hearing the conversation outside impossible. As your stomach emptied and you began to dry heave over the toilet, you felt yourself began to tremble. You understand the implication of her words, even if your team mates didn’t. You knew that your Dad’s history with Goose had made it’s rounds throughout TOPGUN and the Navy. Your vision was blurry with tears as you thought about how best to escape the bathroom without being seen. You couldn’t face the Iron Daggers, face your Dad, after all that. Eventually, the noise outside bubbled over as the crowd grew. Damn, how long had you been in here...

You took a deep breath, and ensuring you weren’t gonna be sick again, you took a step back. After washing your hands and making sure it wasn’t obvious you'd just been throwing up, you took a deep breath and peeked out behind the door. A quick glance told you the Green Vipers were spread out throughout the bar, allowing for a quick escape. You made it out to the beach, knowing you were in no state to be heading home. It was a chilly evening and you were grateful you had grabbed your NAVY sweatshirt before heading out the door today as you pulled off your shoes and made your way down to the shore. You settled just out of reach of the tide as the breeze blew your hair around. You toes sunk into the sand and you drew random patterns as you tried to brush off what had just happened. Your Dad wasn’t responsible for Goose’s death and you had yet to put Coyote in a position that would make you responsible for his. The things they said hadn’t even been as bad as stuff they’d said to you while you were present, undermining your skills as a pilot and taking consistent shots at you as a person. The Green Vipers and Admiral Thompson were made of the worst that the military had to offer and by an unfortunate stroke of luck, you’d gotten stuck there. You squeezed your eyes shut again willing yourself not to cry. You were out, you’d never have to go back to the Green Vipers.

You weren’t sure how long you sat there, watching the night sky darken, but as you were mentally preparing yourself to get up and head home, someone settled next to you. You glanced over and saw that it was Rooster, holding out a beer. “Thanks.” you muttered, taking it gratefully.

“Saw you leave but you didn’t come back in. Thought you could use some company.” A beat of silence. “I met your old squadron today.” He mentioned, looking at you with the look that said I know you heard what they said. “They’re insufferably annoying.” You snorted, shaking your head. He chuckled, a smile gracing his face. “Glad to see I can make you laugh. Wasn’t sure what was going on with us since you left Mav’s place.” You shrugged, attention now back on your feet buried in the sand.

“You and Dad had some unfinished conversations you needed to have and I wanted to give you space for that.”

“You and I have some unfinished conversations we need to have.”

“We’re cool Rooster.” You said, taking a sip of your beer and avoiding eye contact with him.

“Are we? Because I keep getting the feeling that we’re not.” You sighed and turned back to look at him.

“What do you want from me here Rooster?”

“I don’t-”

“You can’t just not talk to me for years, spend years actively hating me, and then show up and think it’s gonna be fine and we can just go back to being friends. That’s not how this works, that’s not how any of this works.”

“I never hated you.”

“Whatever Rooster. You took all your anger with my Dad out on me and that’s not fucking fair. I didn’t do anything!”

“I know! I know, okay, but I’m in love with you. I’m fucking in love with you and I have been since you were 16. Okay-”

He- what?

“You’re in love with me?” The question had your mind reeling.

“I- I didn’t realize it until I was talking with your Dad at his hangar last week. And I guess I just- I know I didn’t handle anything the way I should’ve when Mom got sick. And especially not when Maverick pulled my papers. But I just felt so betrayed by the girl that I loved that I just-” He sighed. “I don’t know. I freaked. I’m sorry.” He said genuinely.

“Rooster, are- are you trying to fucking humilate me or something?”

“What are you talking about?” His confusion was clear but your anger was even more evident. He’d spent the last decade being angry, well, now it was your turn. You stood up, trekking back up the beach away from him.

“I can’t fucking believe you Rooster!”

“(Y/N)-”

“I would never betray you like that! You’ve known me longer than anyone besides my own father. You know I’d never do something like that. And to sit here and try and excuse and justify all of it by saying you’re in love with me? That’s some cheap cop-out.”

“(Y/N), it’s not a cop-out, it’s the truth.” You ignored him as you continued to move away from him, fully aware he was following you. “(Y/N), please, where are you going? Come back, let’s talk about this.” He called after you but you didn’t stop moving.

“Don’t, Rooster. Just- don’t.”

You slammed the locker shut, making Halo jump. “Sorry.” You muttered.

“Rough night?” She asked and you chuckled.

“Something like that.” You said, zipping up your flight suit. “I’ll see you out there.” She raised a hand as you left the locker room, right into an awaiting Coyote. “Hey Coyote.” You said and he pushed himself off the wall, following behind your fast stride in an attempt to get out of having this conversation with him. You had a lot to answer for with Coyote and you knew it.

“Why weren’t you at the Hard Deck last night?” He asked as you walked. You shrugged, not wanting him to know that you heard what the Green Vipers said, lest he agree with them and dump you to find a new wingman and leave you... wingman-less. You shook the thought from your brain as you rolled out your shoulders. And then- there was your Dad and Rooster talking, clearly engaged in an active discussion. You halted, wondering if you could lie and say you forgot something in the locker room and hide from these two. Coyote ran into you with your sudden stop and he grumbled. “Jesus woman, give a guy some warning.”

“Hey Rebel.” Came Hangman’s voice from behind you and you cringed. “You gonna fly like you want to be here today?” You turned, rolling your eyes. You briefly saw Maverick and Rooster look over to you (there went your plan of running) and watched as Payback, Fanboy, Phoenix, and Bob came up from behind Hangman.

“What’re you talking about Seresin?” You said tiredly. The last thing you wanted was to put up with Hangman’s shit right now.

“Well, it’s just that yesterday, you were flying like you'd didn’t want to be here. And well, quite frankly, there’s someone ready to replace you, so get out and make room if you’re not gonna try.” You stared at Hangman, highly debating on finally following through on smacking him when Rooster intervened.

“Man, Hangman, shut up.” Rooster called, coming to stand next to you. “No one wants to hear your garbage.” Phoenix snorted as she stood next to Hangman, giving him the side eye. “Oh, would you be quiet?” You snapped at Rooster.

“The fuck did I do?”

“You know what you did and that I’m mad at you. Go away.” You said, waving your hand at him.

“Mad at me? What-”

“Alright, that’s enough!” Your Dad said, moving in between the three of you. “We’re a team, so we’re gonna all start acting like it. Do you understand me?” Hangman and Rooster nodded, albeit with evident hesitation, but you stared at your Dad, scoffing. “You got a problem with that Rebel?” You shook your head, knowing the use of your callsign was a low-blow.

“You know what, actually, yes I do.”

“Is this all because you'd didn’t get selected for the mission?” Your Dad asked, clearly exasperated, and you laughed darkly.

“Yeah, it is.” Your Dad sighed.

“(Y/N), you and I both know that Rooster was the best choice as my wingman for that mission.”

“Why? What is it about my flying that makes me so much less than Rooster?”

“It’s not about being less than-”

“Oh, c’mon, we all know you’re trying to make up for pulling Rooster’s fucking papers.”

“Okay, you know what? I didn’t select you for the mission, because you’re a reckless pilot.”

“Oh, and you’re so much better?”

“Yeah, but when I’m reckless as a pilot, the only person I put in danger is myself. When you’re reckless, you don’t put just yourself in danger but you put your teammates in danger and for this mission, we couldn’t have that.”

“Oh, c’mon, you make me sound like Hangman! I’ve never left my wingman behind or haven't had their back, ask Coyote. Give me one good example of when my reckless flying put someone else in danger and I’ll let it all go.” He didn’t answer you, just stared at you and despite yourself, you laughed. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.” You took a deep breath, trying to steady yourself for the next words you were going to throw. “Admit it. I will never be good enough.”

“(Y/N), that’s not-”

“Don’t lie to me, I see it in your eyes. How I will never live up to you, or Goose, or Ice, or now Rooster.”

“That’s enough.” Coyote said, pulling you back. Your chest rose rapidly as you looked at the heartbreak crossing your Dad’s face. Your words were meant to kill, but you weren’t done.

“I did it all for you, you know.” You said, gesturing around to your squadron, meaning your history as part of the Navy and your past at TOPGUN. “I never really wanted any of this, but I did it all in the hopes that one day you would look at me the way you do him.” Your Dad grimaced as you pushed past him. And then you stopped turning, back around. “I hope your choice was worth it because it just cost you your relationship with your kid.” And then- “Then again, you seem to already have one. Don’t need me getting in the way.”

For the second night in a row, you found yourself sitting out staring out at the ocean. For another night, you were contemplating your future with the Navy and with the Iron Daggers. You weren’t sure if you could face any of them ever again after what had happened today, but then again, you weren’t certain your relationship with your Dad would ever recover either. They were hollow words, ones you weren’t sure you even really believed, but you’ve spent so long being second to Rooster that now him being back in the picture like he hadn’t told your Dad no one would mourn him- it unsettled you. You didn’t know how to deal with any of it, how to take any of it back. You had said the words and now, you couldn’t unsay them, couldn’t change what they had done to your Dad. “Rebel.” A voice called and you turned to see Hangman holding two beers. He offered you one and you took it. “It’s a peace offering.” You raised your eyebrow and he sighed.

“Hangman, are you... are you being nice to me?”

“I saved your Dad’s life, the least I could do is try and extend some kindness to you as well.” He said and you snorted. “I’m sorry about this morning, I didn’t realize I’d produce such a reaction.” You didn’t respond, taking a sip of your beer and he continued. “I’m also sorry about being a dick to you. I didn’t realize it until this morning but you and I are more similar than I ever thought.” You snorted and he laughed lightly. “I’m serious! We both have dads we’ll probably spend the rest of our lives trying to prove our worth to.” You sighed.

“I’m sorry for saying your Dad didn’t love you.” He chuckled. “I’m serious, when I take aim like that, I mean to kill and it’s a problem.”

“Feisty lil’ firecracker, are we? Wonder where you got that from...” You outright laughed at that and he gave you a smile in return. “I kind of deserved that one though. Needed someone to call me out on my shit.” He said, taking a sip of his beer. “And you were right, about being intimidated by your skills. You’re a good pilot, Rebel, but you- you seem to be the only one who can’t see it.” He said, taking a sip of his own beer and looking at you honestly. You sighed, feeling the condensation of the bottle wet your hands.

“God, I wish Ice was here.” You muttered, putting the bottle down in the sand and pressing the palms of your hands to your eyes. You felt Hangman study you for a moment. “My Dad’s never gonna forgive me.”

“I doubt that one. Like everything else, you don’t seem to see it but you could murder Admiral Simpson and your Dad would help you bury the body.” You snorted at that, imagining that conversation. “Look, we’ve all had our fair share of moments. Lord knows Rooster has tried to kill me more than once. No one’s gonna hold it against you.”

“Dad will.”

“He won’t. Especially not if you tell him why you freaked so bad.”

“I don’t even totally know why I freaked like that.” He sighed.

“Well, you wanna try and talk about everything that’s been going on?” You nodded, already feeling the tears prick at your eyes.

“God, I can’t believe I’m about to pour my heart out Hangman of all people.” You joked, wiping at your eyes. He laughed, slinging his arm around your shoulder.

“Look at us, Hondo would be so proud.” He joked and the two of you clinked beers, laughing. A comfortable silence settled in and you took a deep breathe, wondering where to start.

“My Mom left us when I was two.” You muttered quietly. “She left not long before Rooster’s Dad died, and I don’t remember her much but there aren’t any good memories. And that kind of insecurity, the fear that one day everyone would leave, that shit started young. Because I was two and the only thing I had to do was be cute, and she just- left.” The sincerity on Hangman’s face as he listened encouraged you to keep going. Words that you’d never admitted out loud, to anyone, were surfacing. “And- I don’t know. My Dad tried so hard to be a father for Rooster that sometimes it felt like I was getting left out accidentally. My Dad tried so hard to make up for Goose not being there that somehow I got left in the dust. I think Ice saw it, a little bit. At least saw how I was feeling because he tried to get Dad to see it, but Dad being Dad, just doubled down and started dragging me to all the things he was doing with Rooster despite the fact that at 8 and 11 and 13 and 16, I still didn’t give two shits about a goddamn plane. And don’t get me wrong, now I love being here and flying, but that wasn’t always the case, and selfishly, the reason I did all of this wasn’t entirely because I wanted to.”

“Why go all the way to TOPGUN then? Genuinely asking, because the shit they put us through, this isn’t just something you do for fun.” You shrugged, tapping the rim of your beer bottle as your thought about it. Why had you joined the Navy?

“The legacy.”

“What do you mean?” Hangman asked and you sighed. Way back when, you and Rooster had talked about The Legacy. You two understood from a very young age what was expected and what was thought of you. Nobody outside the two of you would understand and so you just never made an effort to explain it.

“From what I know about Goose, he was an amazing RIO. Just the best pilot and the best man. And with Ice, I mean, yeah he was my godfather and the man who kept me steering straight when I wanted to crash the metaphorical plane, but he was also a highly decorated Admiral who's earned so much respect from every part of the military that- how does one even start to compete?” Hangman laughed.

“Yeah, I could see how carrying on Admiral Kazansky’s legacy could be a tad bit intimidating.”

“A tad?” You asked sarcastically and he laughed harder. You let out a chuckle of your own, knowing Ice was yelling at you from wherever he was that you were never expected to live up to him. “Yeah, and then there’s Dad. Depending on who you talk to, they either want to be him or beat the shit out of him. Every military official either expected me to fuck up like him or fly like him, and when you don’t pull off the feats Dad’s known for, people began to get disappointed with the product in front of them. And it’s not Dad’s fault, but I just- somewhere along the line I started to wonder if maybe I wasn’t good enough to live up to the pressure of the Ice-Goose-Maverick legacy. I started to wonder if everyone was one day going to see what my Mom must’ve all those years ago and leave, recognize that I’m worth less than what I pretend to be. And so, when I got re-assigned from the Green Vipers –– who were goddamn awful, by the way, and did not help this issue at all –– for this mission, I thought- maybe here’s my chance. Here’s my chance to prove that I’m good enough, that I can fulfill the legacy. And then Dad picked Rooster and it felt like all my worst fears and been confirmed in that moment, that I would always fail.” You sighed, trying to take a deep breath to steady yourself. “Yeah, of course now I know that Rooster was the best choice and if my Dad would’ve picked me, he may not have come home because God knows I wouldn’t have been brave enough to turn around and- I don’t know. Rooster proved to everyone a long time ago he could fulfill the legacy, but man I always- I always fall just short. Guess I just realized that I was always doomed to fail, that no matter what I did, I would never be... enough.”

“(Y/N), that’s not- that’s not true.” You whipped around to see your Dad standing on the beach, a sullen look on his face.

“Dad-”

“Hangman, will you give us a minute?” He nodded and stood up.

“Hangman, don’t you dare leave me here.” You called and he looked at you sheepishly.

“Sorry, Rebel, but I think you and your Dad got some things to talk about.” And with that, Hangman’s back was turned and was headed back up towards the Hard Deck. You silently cursed him as you turned back around, drinking your beer in hopes your Dad would just... go away. That was not what happened though, as your Dad pulled your arm to get you to stand and turned you to face him. He put his hands on your shoulders and you willed yourself not to flinch, not to take a few steps back, and to face the consequences of what you had done.

“How much of that did you hear?”

“Enough.” You sighed, softly, fiddling with a ring on your finger as you looked at him. He looked guilty and upset and disappointed. “I need you to listen to me and it’s very important that you listen to me carefully.” He said, eyes piercing through your soul. You willed yourself not to shrink back, to make yourself small. “I clearly don’t say this enough. (Y/N), I love you and I am endlessly proud of you. You could tell me tomorrow you’re taking a dishonorable discharge from the Navy and I’d still be proud of you. I know that being my kid could not have been easy. Lord knows you weren’t dealt a fair set of cards.” He takes a moment to really look at you, to make sure the words were registering in your brain. Mom leaving. The dark days after Goose died. Carole getting sick. Bradley leaving. Bosnia. Afghanistan. “And yet, you’ve always taken everything I’ve thrown at you in stride. The constant deployments, the hospital trips, moving, I- I know it couldn't have been easy. And I’m sorry.”

“Dad, you don’t have to-”

“No, clearly, I do.” The guilt at that went straight through you as your knees buckled.

“No, Dad, really-”

“I’m not done.” He said, effectively cutting you off. “You’re right that Goose was and amazing pilot. You’re also right about Ice. But neither of them, nor I, would want you to feel like you had to live up to any sort of legacy.”

“Dad-”

“I’m sorry if I ever made you feel that way. And I’m sorry that I didn’t select you for the mission. You’re an amazing pilot, but I needed to keep you safe. I needed you to be able to come home. And even if that choice cost me you, I would make it over and over again. Because you’re still here and that’s all I could ask for.”

“Dad-”

“I have one more thing to say and then I promise you can say whatever else you need to.” You raised your hands in surrender and he sighed, letting go of you shoulders and taking a step back. “You’re right that Bradley is my kid at this point. But never would he come before you. You have and always will be my number one priority. Your safety and happiness has always been at the top of my list, even if I don’t always show it. And I’m sorry I wasn’t a better father to you growing up. I mean, with Bradley it was easy, because he wanted to fly and be like me and Goose, and it was simple. I think it was difficult because I knew Bradley had Carole at the end of the day but with you, it was just me. It was all up to me. And that’s not an excuse for not being better as a parent. I’m sorry. I love you and I’m proud of you and I’ll say it every day from here on out if I have to for you to believe. If you don’t want to have a relationship with me moving forward that’s your choice kiddo, and I’ll respect it. But it won’t change how much I love you.” You sighed, feeling like you’d royally fucked up.

“Dad, it wasn’t that you were a bad parent. Or that you failed me. It’s just- it’s got very little to do with you and everything to do with the pressure. I know Ice would strangle me if he heard half of what I said tonight, as would Rooster, but I just- it’s difficult to explain because it’s something that’s built over the years.”

“We’ve got time.”

“I know you’re proud of me. I know I’m a priority. I know why I didn’t get chosen for the mission and I know what kind of position that put you in. I know that Ice would kill me if he knew for one second that I felt like I had to live up to his legacy, but it’s just- this unspoken expectation from every officials part. They judge me before I ever get in the sky and when it’s not what they’re expecting, they aren’t afraid to tell me. And then people talk and suddenly, because you didn’t meet some pre-determined set of expectations, you’re a failure. And after a decade of Navy service, doing this same old song and dance with every squadron, it starts to wear on you. And I just- it boils over and I took it out on you and I’m sorry. I didn’t mean those awful things that I said, because I do love flying and I do love being here, having you as my instructor, I just- I’m sorry.” Your Dad sighed, pulling you into a hug as you began to cry.

“It’s okay, kiddo, it’s okay.”

“It’s not.”

“Yeah, it is.” He said, chuckling. “I’m your parent, you can take whatever you need out on me. But don’t take it out on Coyote, don’t take it out on Rooster.” You sniffed, wiping away some of your tears as you pulled away.

“Yeah, Coyote and I need to have a talk. But I’m really fucking mad at Rooster.”

“I’m gonna ask you a serious question: If he can get over what I did, why can you not get over what he did? I’m genuinely asking because I feel like maybe I’m missing something here.” You sighed.

“Because he can never, never take full responsibility for what icing me out. There’s always some reason or justification or cop-out-”

“Like that he’s in love with you?” You paused, eyes narrowed.

“How do you know about that?”

“I heard about your little argument out here last night.”

“Motherfucker.” You whispered.

“(Y/N), he is. It’s not a cop-out or an excuse. It’s the truth. I know you, and I know what’re you doing here. This goes beyond what happened when I pulled his papers.” You sighed, throwing your arms up in the air.

“I can’t believe I’m being lectured right now.”

“I’m not lecturing you, I’m holding you accountable. Bradley deserves an honest conversation from you.” You sighed again, looking at your Dad. “I think you have some things of your own that you need to figure out, some questions you need to answer.”

“Like what?”

“What are you running from?”

Coyote pulled the door of the Hard Deck open, shouldering it so you could walk in. You smiled at him and looked around, only seeing Hangman, Fanboy, and Payback in the back at the pool table, not exactly playing. You walked past the bar, waving to Penny. “Hey, the two you know my rule about outside food and drink.” She said, pointing a warning finger at you.

“Told you.” You muttered as Coyote sighed and leaned up against the bar.

“Penny, she was crying, I didn’t know what else to do.” Cry you had. You’d gotten in Coyote’s car after training today, promising you’d talk to him about everything that had been going on and just... broke down. Everything came pouring out of you and Coyote hadn’t known what else to do with but try and fix it with dessert.

Penny looked at you and sighed. You weren’t sure what was going on with her and your Dad these days but you had no doubt she’d heard about the events of the last few weeks.

“Fine. Just this once.” Coyote shot her an award-winning smile as he made his way to the jukebox. You headed for the pool table as Fanboy groaned.

“Coyote, man don’t be turning that on. Can’t we listen to something from this century before Rooster and Maverick get here?” The beginning chords of ABBA’s ‘Chiquitita’ began to play. “Apparently not.” He muttered and you chuckled.

“Machado, what are you doing?” Hangman asked wearily, and you turned to see Coyote beginning to sing along to the song as he moved towards you. You groaned.

Chiquitita, tell me what’s wrong

You’re enchained by your own sorrow

In your eyes there is no hope for tomorrow

“Coyote, please don’t tell me you’ve started taking pages out of Mitchell and Bradshaw’s books.” Payback joked and you cringed as Penny snickered. This couldn’t be happening.

How I hate to see you like this

There is no way you can deny it

I can see that you’re oh so sad, so quiet

Coyote was now dancing through the empty bar as you exchanged a look with Hangman. Neither of you were entirely sure what was happening.

Chiquita, tell me the truth

I’m a shoulder you can cry on

Your best friend, I’m the one you must rely on

Coyote continued to serenade as he moved towards you. When he reached a pause in the song, he whispered “I’m not stopping until you laugh.” You rolled your eyes as he moved back out to the empty bar floor.

You were always sure of yourself

Now I see you’ve broken a feather

I hope we can patch it up together

Being personally serenaded by Coyote to an old ABBA song, one you and Rooster used to sing in the kitchen as kids as your parents cooked dinner was not how you expected to spend your evening and you weren’t sure if you would laugh or start crying again.

Chiquitita, you and I know

How the heartaches come and they go and the scars they’re leavin’

You’ll be dancing once again and the pain will end

You would have no time for grievin’

You hid your face in your hands as he continued to sing. He pulled your arms away from your face and out into the middle of the empty bar as he tried to get you to dance with him.

Chiquitita, you and I cry

But the sun is still in the sky and shinin’ above you

Let me hear you sing once more like you did before

Sing a new song, Chiquitita

Your face burned red as you smiled at him. You had to give it to him for really trying.

So the walls came tumbling’ down

And your love’s a blown out candle

All is gone and it seems too hard to handle

Chiquitita, tell me the truth

There is no way you can deny it

I see that you’re oh so sad, so quiet

Finally, as the outro of the song began to play, you laughed and gave in to Coyote’s wishes, dancing with him. It wasn’t graceful by any means, and the type of dancing blackmail material was made of (something you were sure Hangman would remind you of later) but it had done it’s job and you felt more carefree than you had since before the re-assignment to the Iron Daggers. As the song ended, and Dancing Queen began to play, you found yourself bent over in laughter, Coyote clutching onto you so you didn’t topple over. Penny was laughing at you from behind you and you were sure the other three would regale the team with an in-depth, detailed (possibly over-exaggerated) version of the story later but you didn’t care. You were breathless as you moved back to the pool table, Coyote accepting the pool cue from Hangman as Payback set up the game. You grabbed a stool, sitting off to the side as you finished your frozen yogurt. You could hear Payback giving Coyote a little bit of shit, but he shrugged it off. “Man, if I got my best friend to smile, cheer her up even a little, I did my job.”

“Oh yeah, how’d your conversation with Pops go last night?” Hangman asked and you snickered at his usage of his nickname for your Dad. He was trying to be nonchalant but you knew he cared more than he’d ever openly admit. You shrugged.

“It went okay. He really wants me to talk to Rooster.”

“I second that.” Coyote said, leaning over the table to take his shot. You groaned.

“What if he doesn't forgive me?”

“Than that says more about Bradshaw then it does you. C’mon, you said it yourself, that life isn’t so simple. There’s a complicated history here and if Bradshaw expects it to all go away just because admitted that he’s in love with you, then he’s got another thing coming to him.”

“Rooster finally admitted he’s in love with you? Man, you so owe me money.” Fanboy exclaimed, looking over at Payback. You rolled your eyes at them, flipping them off. Payback took out his wallet, slapping a twenty in Fanboy’s hand and you chuckled, shaking your head.

“But Bradshaw also deserves to know how you feel about him and you can’t deny how you feel about him. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but the two of you have to start somewhere and you gotta stop running from these conversations with him.” Hangman added and you raised an eyebrow at him.

“The fuck would you know about my feelings for Rooster?” He laughed.

“Rebel, people who aren’t in love with their childhood best friends don’t look at their childhood best friends the way you do Bradshaw.”

“I don’t look-”

“Yes you do.” Came the combined voices of Coyote, Hangman, Payback, Fanboy, and Penny.

“Penny!” You exclaimed and she laughed at you.

“Tell you what, sweetheart. I’ll give you an example. Your Dad looks at me the way Rooster looks at you.”

“Let me guess, I look at Rooster the way you do my Dad?” She chuckled, nodding.

“As always, you’d be right.” You groaned at her words.

“Feelings are gross!” You exclaimed and she continued to laugh.

“You are your father’s daughter.”

“Penny, if you were anyone else, I would flip you off.” She laughed again.

“I know.” A silence fell over the bar as you weighed everyone’s words while the boys played pool. Payback finally groaned, breaking the silence.

“Damn it Rebel, why couldn’t have you said it first?”

You took a deep breath, opening the backdoor to the Hard Deck, where Rooster stood. He looked over at you as you shut the door behind you. “Hey.” You whispered and he smiled, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Whatcha you doing?”

“Just thinking.”

“Thinking bout what?”

“You.” He said with such honesty in his eyes, you almost found yourself shrinking back. No, you could do this. “Sorry, that was-”

“No, we-” A particularly loud cheer erupted from the dartboard and the two of you turned, watching Hangman and Coyote launch into each other in celebration. “You wanna go for a walk?” He nodded.

“Yeah, let’s go.” The two of you headed for the beach, and began walking along the surf, hands brushing.

“Rooster, I-”

“Rebel, we-”

“No, you go.” You both said and then laughed, looking away from each other.

“I’ve talked enough, and I fuck it up every time I do so you can start.” You sighed, feeling a pang of guilt shot through you.

“Bradley, I’m sorry.” You whispered. The use of his real name caught his attention. “I’m sorry for freaking out on you the other night, I was just- still mad I guess, and scared.”

“It’s okay to be scared, I just- why did you feel like you had to run from me?” You shrugged.

“I don’t know, we’ve gone so long without speaking to each other, I didn’t know how to be around you again. And then you’re saving my Dad’s life by sacrificing your own and then confessing that you loved me I just- I didn’t know how to handle it.”

“You know how you said I’ve known you longer than anyone besides your Dad?”

“Yeah?”

“I’ve known you long enough to know you’re full of shit.”

“I’m not-”

“What are you running from?” He asked, looking at you so honestly you almost froze. You sighed. “Why does the idea that someone loves you scare you so bad?”

“It doesn’t-”

“(Y/N).” He sighed softly. Your real name made you stop and he faced you fully, the ocean tide washing over your feet. You shrugged, crossing your arms.

“Because how I know how this ends.”

“And how does it end?”

“It ends one of two ways. We either end up like my parents, one of us storming out and never coming back or we end up like yours, when one of us doesn’t come home.”

“Why does it have to end up like that? Why can’t it end like how it did for Sarah and Ice?”

“I think they’re the exception rather than the rule.”

“(Y/N), it’s okay to be scared. After the shit you’ve been through, I think it’s more than fair to be scared and nervous. But don’t push me out because I’m in love with you.”

“Rooster-”

“I’m going to ask you a question and you have to promise me that you’ll answer it honestly.”

“Okay.” He gives you a look.”I promise!” He holds out his pinky finger and you sigh. “Are we seven?” He looks at his extended pinky seriously and then back at you. “Okay, fine.” You say, holding your pinky out, linking the two fingers together. He takes his thumb and kisses it, and you do the same, and pressed the thumbs together, something you’ve done since you were kids to ensure the pinky promise would be sealed.

“Are you in love with me?”

“Bradley-”

“You promised you'd answer honestly.” You sighed, biting your lip, the feeling of the salty ocean water washing over your feet, calming you.

“I’ve been in love with you since I was 17, you stupid boy.” You whispered, looking at the lights of the Hard Deck in the distance. “But-”

“But?” He prompted. “I want to hear what you have to say.”

“But I’m afraid that we’re doomed to always make the same mistakes. That we’ll never get it right.” He sighed and grabbed your hand, making to move back down the beach. “You know when I got here, I promised myself that we’d do things right this time and yet-”

“We keep fucking up?”

“Something like that.” He laughed softly, the feeling of him softly rubbing his thumb into your hand comforting you. “I don’t want to lose you again.”

“You’re not gonna lose me again. I promise. I pinky promise.” He said, and you laughed, falling into his side a bit as you walked.

“So what now?”

“Well to start, I’m gonna do something I should’ve done a long time ago.”

“Bradley, what’re you-” His hand snaked up from your waist to your neck as he kissed you softly. You let your hand fall out of his other, hand coming to rest on his neck and the back of his head. You didn’t want the kiss to end. He finally pulled away, leaving his forehead resting on yours. “Look at that, you finally got something right.” You muttered and he blew out a laugh.

“Only took me some 30-odd years, huh?” You snorted, playing with his hair on the nape of his neck.

“So what happens now?”

“Why do you keep asking that? Can’t you just enjoy the moment?”

“How long have you known me again?” He laughed as he began to press kisses down your jawline and onto your neck. You relished in the feeling as he hummed softly.

“What happens next is” kiss “I bring you flowers” kiss “and take you out” kiss “on a nice date” kiss “and bring you home” kiss “by curfew” kiss “and after a few dates” kiss “we become official” kiss “and then” kiss “we become” kiss “boyfriend” kiss “and” kiss “girlfriend” kiss “because this time” kiss “we’re getting things right”.

“Sounds like a lot of effort.” You joked and he looked up at you, the familiar mischievous glint in his eyes.

“Darling, for you, I’d do just about anything.”

The two of you slipped back in through the back doors of the Hard Deck, noticing your friends were still by the dartboard, having a grand old time. The two of you rejoined them, noticeably happier than you’d been since your re-assignment. If the team noticed Bradley’s hand on your waist or the way you leaned into his side, no one said anything. And if the two of you happened to see your team fess up a fair bit of money to Maverick, then the two of you pretended not to notice. And if Maverick happened to catch the way Bradley kissed you goodnight after dropping you off from the kitchen window, then he most certainly didn’t chuckle to himself and think about how proud Goose and Carole would be that the two of you finally got it right.

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lobstermobster-95 · 9 months

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Wanderer’s Rest

Read the full fic now on Ao3

It had been an uncharacteristically peaceful first day’s travel toward Xadia. The weather had been fair, they’d kept up a steady stream of pleasant conversation and – Callum had to hand it to Barius – they’d started things off with a satisfying breakfast.

It had all put Callum into an inexorably good mood.

After all, there was an undeniably strong air of sentimentality surrounding this trip. He and Rayla were retracing those first life-altering, world-saving steps they’d taken together two years ago.

To say they had been through a lot in those years was a comically gross understatement, especially since she’d come back. There had been more days than not that Callum had thought their relationship beyond saving. He’d been too broken, too fundamentally shattered by her abandonment to ever consider letting her back into his heart.

Then, there’d been Umber Tor, and the thought of Rayla dying before he ever got the chance to laugh with her again, or make her smile and roll her eyes at him again, to tell her he loved her again; it had set the flame in his chest alight once more.

So ever since then, they’d been working on it. Slowly, over several days, they began to talk – really talk – about the whole thing. It had been liberating for Callum to finally unload the crushing weight her departure had left him with, and Rayla listened. Then, when it was her turn, she’d given him two things: the first being an apology that had left them both crying openly while they laid side-by-side on the stone floor of Callum’s room; and the other had been a solemn vow to never cause him that much pain again.

They weren’t back to where they’d left off that night at the moon nexus, but they felt like…friends again, and Callum was ecstatic.

“We covered a lot of distance today,” Rayla said to him in a familiar tone that again reminded him of their first journey. That was her “Nighttime Rayla” voice. He’d heard it many times directed toward him and Ezran to let them know it was time to bunk down for the night.

“Time to rest, so we can do it all over again tomorrow,” she continued, making Callum smile.

Some things didn’t change.

But one thing that had certainly changed since the last time they’d made this trip was the status of the border. The scar Viren had left behind at the Breech had had unexpected diplomatic side effects. For the first time in a thousand years, there was a bridge open between Xadia and the human kingdoms. While it was still tentative and mostly discrete, this had opened the door to travel between the two lands.

That increase in travel had subsequently led to a greater demand for lodging along major travel routes, like the one they just so happened to be using, and Callum hoped what was ahead would be a welcomed surprise.

“Right,” he answered. “But why sleep in the grass, when we could sleep in class?” He raised his arms in coy emphasis.

Rayla responded with a curious quirk of her brow and Callum’s smile grew. “There’s a nice cozy inn just ahead,” he gestured up the road and Rayla’s eyes followed.

Together they spotted the Wanderer’s Rest Inn – a cottage that looked like it must have been lifted from the dictionary beneath the very word “cozy.” Its façade was crisscrossed by widely spaced wood framing with little vines of ivy creeping up like ladders. The thatch roof was steep but sturdy and surrounded a large stone chimney. The cottage itself was nestled on a picturesque hillside that caught the warm orange light of the sunset perfectly.

#tdp #the dragon prince #rayllum #callum and rayla #tdp fanfic #tdp season 5 spoilers #because you can’t yada yada past them staying at an inn together #i mean jesus christ

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howlingday · 9 months

Text

Sigma Dragoness

Yang: Welcome to my apartment, the home to the future "World's Greatest Huntress"!

Blake: I see that, but don't you think your decorations are a little... sparse?

Yang: Whaaaaat?! Tch! No! They're- (Looks, Sees white plastic chair, two posters, sleeping bag, shin-high entertainment stand, small flatscreen, DustStation3)

Yang: ...I don't know what you mean by that.

Blake: Okay.

Yang: Anyway, it's about lunch time, so what can I get ya?

Blake: What do you have?

Yang: Well, allow me to check my stash in the re-fridge-er-ay-tor, my feline friend~! (Opens, Sees half-eaten apple, six ketchup packets, unopened can of Fyre energy drink, and half-full bottle of bee)

Yang: ...Well, how does six whole packets of ketchup sound?

Blake: ...Bad.

Yang: Ah, that's fine! We'll just play some head-to-head in CASTLE CRUNCHERS 4!

Blake: I don't have games on my scroll.

Yang: I would NEVER let that stop me...

Yang: But it's cool! We can just kick back and relax with some Norad on my DS3? I swear, it gets funnier every time!

Blake: Yang, I don't want to hurt your feelings, but I don't really like Norad. Sometimes the jokes just aren't funny to me, and I know we've watched Norad over 300 times, but I always feel bad because I know how much you like it.

Yang: ...

Yang: (Thinking) FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!. YOU'RE FUCKING BLOWIN' IT, XIAO LONG!. YOU CAN'T EVEN GET KETCHUP PACKS RIGHT!. YOU NEED TO DO SOME DAMAGE CONTROL RIGHT FUCKING NOW!.

Blake: Uh, Yang-

Yang: WAIT! I know just how to save this! (Presses fingers to head, Scrunches face)

Blake: (Memory) Ha ha... Old ladies...

Yang: THAT'S IT! (Points) BLAKE! Do you still have that CDV box set of that old lady show you like!

Blake: Golden Age? (Pulls out series box set) I always have an emergency box set on me at all times!

Yang: YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!

---------------------------------------------------

Yang: (Sitting in white chair, Smirks at Blake)

Blake: (Sitting on the floor, Sipping ketchup)

#rwby #yang xiao long #blake belladonna #makaryo

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kotorgiftexchange · 9 months

Text

KOTOR Gift Exchange 2023: Important Dates/Info

Welcome to the TOR exchange, where we celebrate the wonderful world and characters of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (both 1 and 2).

Any questions should be sent to this blog or @commander-krios

Exchange Info- AO3 Collection | Tagset | Sign-up Form | FAQ | Exchange Discord

2023 Schedule

Nominations open: September 1, 2023

Nominations close: September 15, 2023

Sign-ups open: September 17, 2023

Sign-ups close: October 8, 2023

Assignments go out: October 9-10, 2023

Works due: December 10, 2023

Works revealed: December 17, 2023

Creators revealed: December 24, 2023

Minimum Requirements:

- 500 word piece of fanfiction of a quality you would be happy to receive OR - a clean drawing, of good resolution, on unlined paper (or on a white digital background) and of a quality you would be happy to receive.

A Note For This Year: The exchange is an 18+ event (NSFW content IS allowed this year so that means all participants must be over 18 years old).

#kotor #kotor gift exchange #star wars: knights of the old republic #kotor 2 #star wars #knights of the old republic #kotor gift exchange 2023

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betterskatethannever · 1 year

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2022 best of

best parts

Nick Matthews - Venture x Uprise / Nike x HUF

Mason Coletti - RIGHT HERE FOR PABLO . Deep Fried Pescado

Eddie Cernicky - Deep Fried Pescado . RIGHT HERE FOR PABLO

Tiago Lemos - Primitive DEFINE.

Gustav Tønnesen - SOUR SOLUTION III

Leonardo Bodelazzi - Leozinho

Juan Virues - Hotel Blue pro ‘penthouse suite’

Cyrus & Max - Limosine Promaster . “Toes Down” . i just took a bite of dirt

Diego Todd - Hockey X

Braden Hoban - emerica Emerge

Tristan Funkhouser - Baker 420 . Deep Fried x Baker

Nyjah Huston - Need That . Shine On . “DISRUPTION”

Tyshawn Jones - “Play Dead” . KINGDOM COME . ‘The General’

Carlos Ribeiro - Primitive DEFINE.

Gilbert Crockett - DENIM CAR

Grant Taylor - Fantastic Voyage

Will Marshall - Alltimers You Deserve It

Lucien Clarke - LAUST IN TRANSLATION

Shaun Paul - DC ‘NorthUnda’

Noah Nayef - April

Elijah Odom - Alltimers You Deserve It . Andrew RASCAL

Brian Reid - Brian, Brandon & Will . DGK Zeitgeist

Shin Sanbongi - adidas

Jordan Trahan - Ace ‘Fais Low Low’

Bobby de Keyzer - Bobby

Brian Delatorre - Live & Direct

Vincent Milou - SOLO: You Changed

Jaakko Ojanen - Manana . E.S.P. vol. 2

Ryan Lay - DR in Color . Sci-Fi Fantasy

Myles Willard - Bones Bearings . ”Myles and The Machine”

Will Mazzari - Brian, Brandon & Will . DGK Zeitgeist

Marcello Campanello - Maxallure pro

Heitor da Silva - Vice Versa Love

Jake Wooten - Big Sky

Felipe Gustavo - CODE

Ishod Wair - REAL

Ish Cepeda - AD ASTRA

Louie Lopez - As You Wish . “Honor Roll” . FA, Again & Again

Danny Renaud - Brass Tacks

Silas Baxter-Neal - Portland Public Skating 3 . Burrow

Brian Delatorre - Habitat Live & Direct

Keiran Zimmerman - Jenny x Emerica

best full-lengths

Polar - Sounds Like You Guys Are Crushing It

Antihero - Fantastic Voyage

GX1000 - RIGHT HERE FOR PABLO

The Sour Solution III

Primitive - DEFINE.

Hockey X

Supreme - “Play Dead”

Alltimers - You Deserve It

Shake Junt - Shrimp Blunt

Bronze TV Channel 56

Element - E.S.P. vol. 2

Deep Fried - Pescado

Cafe - TENOR

Rassvet - “I Missed You”

Homies - Fun Raiser

DGK - Zeitgeist

Plan B - CODE

Emerica - EMPOWER

Bleach USA - “SPIKE”

Foundation - Splendor

best breakout parts

Vince Guzaldo - Bleach USA “SPIKE” . Immortality Research

Davide Holzknecht - Baglady. Pack Light . Hélas

Arthur Ribeiro - Vento Bravo

Blake Norris - FULLER HOUSE

Alan Bell - be honest

Johnny Cumaoglu - Mind How You Go

Joe Campos - Hockey X

Brian O’Dwyer - She’s Cheating

Shane Farber - CONS One-Star Pro x RIDING A HORSE NAKED

Jake Yanko - “MOSQUITO”

Christoph Friedmann - LOBBY DREAMS

Donovan Wildfong - Glue ‘wick & spit’

Marley Humphrey - “DIME BAG”

Jason Nam - carousel

Sam Fairweather - Indy Raw Ams

Shogo Zama - MAGENTAPES

best women’s parts

Breana Geering - Spitifre

Nelly Morville - Limosine Promaster . “Toes Down” . i just took a bite of dirt

Mariah Duran - Thunder

Adrianne Sloboh - Krux

Mami Tezuka - Blood Wizard “Destiny”

Nicole Hause - REAL

Reese Nelson - Birdhouse welcome

best independents

Tim Savage - Brian, Brandon & Will

Fritte Söderström - Jante 5:33 x Jante 11:00

Tor Ström - Is This The Place?

Gray Area: Push Button to Destroy the World

Mettz Quest 2 (nyc)

Eryk Burton - THE TALE OF A TOXIC KING (nyc)

Harry Bergenfield - She’s Cheating (Philly)

Nicolas Marti - be honest (nyc)

Neema Joorabchi - limp x okay then (nyc)

Jeff Cecere - Mind How You Go (nyc)

Felix Soto - “ANGEL” (LA)

Calvin Millar - THE SQUAD (Austin)

Emilio Dufour - MAL CIUDADANO (Uruguay)

My Favorite Things - 31 (Helsinki)

Andrew Meyer - flinch (Philly VX)

Widdip - RIDING A HORSE NAKED (ATL)

Viktor Kretsis - Down Low (Manchester)

gang international - WITH ALL DUE (DC)

Chris Mulhern - [untitled] 006 (Philly)

Leando Chocho - HANDYCAPS_2

Tyler Bamdas - V3

Alex Doyle - CLUB BANGERS 3 (Vancouver)

Portland Public Skating 3

DUPLEX 3 (West Palm Beach FL)

HITTIT 3 (Kopenhagen)

Tristan Warren - MONEY TIME (LA)

Zach Fuller - FULLER HOUSE (SF)

Get Lesta - Darling (UK)

James Morley - GOD BLESS (Toronto)

andres garcia - MILO (LA)

James Cruikshank - SENSIBLES (Paris)

Brian Hunter - SLANG (Long Beach)

Daniel Dent - faith in bro (LA)

best promo / medium-length / squad

Limosine - Promaster . “Toes Down” . i just took a bite of dirt

Free x Vans - Full Circle

The Union Square Video

Game On - Mark Suciu SOTY Trip

Chocolate - Upper Cruster

Primitive x Independent

Austin Bristow - LAUST IN TRANSLATION

eS Terminal 002

Bronze x DC What If God Said

Pangea Jeans - POCKET DIAL

adidas - The Sky Ain’t Falling

Pass~Port Nike

Internet Birthday ep.1

Thunder: Pleather Jacket

SCREWLOOSE - EXILE

Last Resort AB - Alv’s Angels

Thrasher Germany Vacation

RACKZ Gallery - Pandora

adidas Australia - Light Years

Sunday Hardware - LUV YA LOTS x x

Baglady - Pack Light

HUF x Thrasher Brazil

Sk8land Skateshop - Veinte

Cowtown - TWENTY FIVE

Am Scramble 2021

Girl - ‘Desesh Mode’ Euro Tour

CPH OPEN 2021

Poolroom - RUNNER UP

Brick & Mortar - Autumn

Maxallure “INT CIRCLE” . “Beautiful Thoughts”

Dime comp vol 7 - Alexis Lacroix

SLP - KARI

Vans - Scandis

Kadence - DAIS

WKND - BOTTLE NECK SEWAGE . Street Fighters 2 . Alan Gelfand High

WORBLE III: Rough & Tough

Tree skateshop x Delivxry Buenos Aires - TREENIDAD

THE VIOLET PROMO

Stussy - Car Pool

Frog x Thunder

another massive year in skateboarding. hope things are good in your world. tell your friends you love em & let’s persevere to make 2023 even better

extended youtube playlist here

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silent-silver-slip · 2 months

Note

DRAGONS!!!!

It's been so long I thought about dragons--so have a brief snippet from one of my books.

(For those of you who know--A Dragon's Retribution, Thirak's pov. For those of you who don't know, don't worry about it. Apologies for the conlang shuffled in, but you'll just have to deal with it. Worldbuilding and characterisation reasons mean that it must be there.)

I took a step out of the shadows. Mutterings began as I crossed the valley on paw, Zeend now a welcoming weight on my back. I didn’t look at the other dragons though, even as I heard wingbeats and the sound of someone landed. Instead, I kept my gaze on where Ize’s den was. A good thing too, otherwise I would have been taken completely by surprise as Zeend ran up my neck before leaping off my head, gliding to the ground before sprinting to where Ize had just left tort den. Tor met Zeend partway, instantly running tort snout over them. Zeend was still silent, but at least they were with Ize now. Their adventure, and subsequent trial, was over; they could relax, at long last. And Ize likely could too, as I doubted tor had rested while Zeend had been missing. Before I could do anything, whether it would be to join Ize and Zeend or pass them to reach the den, I heard a dragon speak nearby. “Would’ve been faster if they had working wings.” I hunched my shoulders, swallowing, and tucked my wings closer to my body. Then, out of nowhere, Zeend erupted. They turned away from Ize, wings flaring, and bared their teeth at the dragon who had spoken. “Thirak saved me!” the hatchling shouted. “Don’t you dare suggest that- that they failed. I’m glad it was Thirak and not you who found me!” The other dragon didn’t growl at the hatchling—which, if they had, I wasn’t sure that I wouldn’t attack them—but their expression clearly showed their disagreement. “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” they said, flicking their tail. They met my gaze, and this time they did bare their teeth. “What kind of dragon walks around as a human?” It felt like I’d taken a hit to the sternum, all the air disappearing from my lungs, and- Ize snarled; the sound thunderous and louder than anything I’d ever heard before. Tor shot forward, placing tor between the other dragon, and myself and Zeend. “Don’t you dare condescend my hio, and that includes Thirak. They’re nakaasa and hio.” Ize raised tor up, wings flaring on tort back. “They are under my protection.” The world froze and all I saw was Ize who had claimed hio, who had claimed nakaasa, who had claimed me as such. It felt unbelievable; something out of a dream.

#wip #rising dragons #a dragon's retribution

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Tor Books EPIC Holiday Gift Guide For Your Oddball Family

Hello hello, and welcome back to our annual TOR BOOKS HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE, where we give you what we think are the best gifts for the hyper specific, super chaotic individuals in your life. From your childhood BFF to your mildly traumatized game master, we have a whole slew of bookish picks for you this holiday season. Enjoy, and Happy Holidays, y’all!

by Rachel Taylor and a cat

For your long suffering GM (Game Master) who just wants a break from your party — via tenor

Anyone who acts as game master for Dungeons & Dragons (or any other TTRPG, to be frank) deserves an award for powering through all the shenanigans their party puts them through. From attempting to fight a dragon with a fork to accidentally leading your party off a cliff, your deeply stressed out GM deserves a cozy novel to help them decompress. Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree is out now and, for an extra little something, you can submit your receipt to get an adorable acrylic charm, a perfect addition to your gift!

For your cousin who remained loyal and never left Tumblr — via GIPHY

You remember the Tumblr exodus of 2019, and for shame—you were part of it, you fragile soul. But not your cousin. Resolute, they stood by their blog and posted through the long, long night. Three years later, Tumblr is resurging and you need a gift for the one who never lost faith. What’s more Tumblr than magic danger-nerds alternatively hooking up with and hating each other as they conduct research and mainline caffeine and/or alcohol? Redeem your past mistakes with the perfect bookly gifts for your cousin: Olivie Blake’s The Atlas Six and thrilling sequel, The Atlas Paradox.

For the enthusiastic players who got their GM Legends & Lattes — @lookhuman via GIPHY

You love the players at your table, but even after years of collaborative TTRPG storytelling, you’ve never once anticipated the many ways they have conspired to unravel every plot thread you’ve ever written. How then could you ever predict what they might like as a gift? Easy. Just listen to us: Daughter of Redwinter by Ed McDonald is a fantastic epic fantasy about a girl who can A) see ghosts, and B) turn people into them with an expertly placed arrow, if she takes the mind. Of course, if anyone finds out about her power, she’s dead, and circumstances have led her to become a ward in the monastery of the very warrior-magi that would execute her. Oops! What gamesplayer can resist a quick-paced and twisting tale of magic, adventure, and deceit?

For your ex-boyfriend who’s still blowing up your phone with House of the Dragon TikTok’s — via GIPHY

So your ex-boyfriend (who you’re still friends with, DESPITE THE ADVICE OF OTHERS) just finished House of the Dragon and he won’t stop texting you about how much it sucks to have to wait 2 years for season 2. He’s right, but you can still give him a new epic fantasy to obsess over with The First Binding by R.R. Virdi. At over 800 pages, it’ll keep him busy for quite a while AND it also doubles as a premium bludgeoning weapon for you if he doesn’t appreciate your gift. Win win!

For your chronically-online uncle who needs to stop doomscrolling for his own health — @dualvoidmania via GIPHY

He’s mister doom-and-gloom. If there’s an upsetting tweet, you’ve seen it because he’s retweeted it. You don’t quite know him well enough to be comfortable with direct intervention. You need to gift him Last Exit by Max Gladstone. It’s a book about the death of idealism and the rot that creeps through the cracks of reality like so many corrosively fecund vines. It’s about a generation who thought they would transform the world and failure’s fallout. He’ll still be very DOOM-ful, but in an artistically fun, yet still scary way.

For your brother who is OBSESSED with The Wheel of Time on Amazon Prime — via GIPHY

So your brother watched The Wheel of Time on Amazon Prime and has fallen down the 14+ book-deep rabbithole that is Robert Jordan’s timeless epic fantasy series. Help him delve even further into the lore with Origins of the Wheel of Time by Michael Livingston! He’ll be able to learn even more about all the mythology and legends that inspired Robert Jordan’s universe and you’ll get some peace and quiet while he’s absorbed in his new book.

For your sister who always has at least 5 open browser tabs of Ao3 fics — via Gfycat

Who among us hasn’t spent some time reading fix-it fics on Ao3? Well, no one compares to your sister, who currently has 30 tabs open on her iPhone filled with her favorite OTP falling in love 30 different ways (IF THE SHOW WON’T GIVE THEM A HAPPILY EVER AFTER, THE INTERNET WILL). You can’t buy her the perfect 100 chapter slow burn coffee shop fix-it fic of her OTP, but you CAN buy her Ocean’s Echo by Everina Maxwell! It features all the choicest tropes like mutual pining, slowburn, and fake dating and will be sure to put a smile on her face for the holidays.

For your estranged mother, to subtly let her know that your relationship still requires some Conversations — via GIPHY & tenor

Do you want to give your mother a gift that’s also a hint about how you feel about your tumultuous parental relationship? Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey is the gift for her! It’s got great thriller vibes, with a daughter coming back to her family home for the first time after her father was arrested for being a serial killer…which she kind of caused. And mom’s still holding a grudge over a DECADE later. It’s got drama, monsters, and enough parallels to make your mom go ‘Wait, is this f*cking play about US?!’

For the loved one in your life who waited 2.5 years to finally see My Chemical Romance live in Fall 2022 — @KyleeConriquez via GIPHY

A million years ago (Or two and a half. Whatever. Time is meaningless mush) your loved one planned to attend the My Chemical Romance reunion. A show that would eventually be put off and off and off due to ongoing events until earlier this year. It was epic, but you know what else is? Book of Night by Holly Black. Your loved one won’t have to wait 900~ days for this literary event, and just like an MCR show, they’ll want to acquire (more) goth clothes and tattoos after.

For the childhood BFF everyone called a ‘voracious reader’ growing up / anyone who was ‘a delight to have in class’ — via Goodreads

Did your childhood BFF simply devour every book in front of her? Is she still That Person whose TBR pile is precariously stacked in the corner of her living room, a threat to anyone who brushes too close? Give her a book to really whet her appetite for reading in The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean, where a very special family literally sustains themselves entirely by eating books. Did we bite a book while reading this to see if we were book eaters? Who’s to say.

For your college best friend with at least one historical quote tattoo — via GIPHY

Does your college best friend have an encyclopedic knowledge of historical retellings? Do they have, at minimum, one historically linked tattoo that prompts a 20 minute lecture whenever someone asks what it means? Do they have five different editions of The Song of Achilles on their shelf? And most importantly, do they crave a new, queer retelling to sink their teeth into? Look no further! Neon Yang has a Joan of Arc inspired, post-apocalyptic sci-fi story for you. Check out The Genesis of Misery, starring a queer and diverse array of pilots, princesses, and prophetic heirs.

For the ambiguously LGBTQ+ niece whose fashion sense you try to understand, but ultimately makes you feel insecure about how fast you’re aging — @yifan via GIPHY

You love them, but no one makes you feel old like your nebulously but definitely queer niece. They’re so cool, and are very helpful in keeping you up to date on the hippest trends, but every time you talk to them, you feel the pent-up years in your joints. Get your niece A. K. Larkwood’s The Serpent Gates series, including The Unspoken Name and The Thousand Eyes. It’s about a gay orc death priestess who rebrands herself as a garbage wizard’s personal assassin and picks up a gods-cursed, magi-baddie mid-adventure. There are cosmic gods, ancient ruins, devious machinations, and a lot of awesome gay stuff.

For the sibling on their third+ rewatch of The Expanse — via GIPHY

We get it. Your sibling buddy is bummed that The Expanse has finished its TV run and is still hopelessly in love with its marriage of adrenaline-flooding action and introspective parsing of human expansion / empire. Again, we do get it, and what you need to get is Sweep of Stars by Maurice Broaddus.

For the nephew who you gifted The Way of Kings to last year — via GIPHY

Your nephew reads through books at speeds generally known only to muscle cars and lightning, and he needs long fantasy books now! The time required to produce the next installment in an epic series is often as long as the books themselves, which is unfortunate since it’s time for you to gift your nephew another book. Here’s the good news: Brandon Sanderson writes as fast as your nephew reads, and his long-awaited continuation of the Mistborn series, The Lost Metal, is the perfect gift. And then next year you can get him the next Brando Sando, and the book cycle of giving goes on and on and on.

We hope you and your loves ones have a happy and safe holiday season! Did we miss a super niche friend/family member that you want to see a gift for? Let us know in the comments!

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