#zoologist reader

[songofthepines]

STONES, LIKE DIAMONDS : VIKTOR X M!READER

you're a biology/zoology student at the academy, and you've been placed in the same lab as jayce and viktor. you grow close with the both of them over time, but you have a soft spot for viktor . . .

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Heimerdinger had taken you in as one of the very few zoology students at the academy, intrigued by your studies. Despite how large the academy is, they run out of space at some point. So, he placed you in the lab of two of the most brilliant men in Piltover, Jayce and Viktor. You were sort of confused by that since your two lines of research didn't really connect anywhere, but you didn't dare argue with Heimerdinger.

So here you stand in front of the grand lab doors, a box of your lab supplies in your arms and a bag with your textbooks slung over your shoulder. You take a deep breath and push your way through the doors to the lab. The two men in the lab turn towards the door, one sitting at the desk and the other standing at the chalkboard, both of them looking equally exhausted.

You recognize one of them, Jayce, from the posters all around Piltover. From that, you assume the other seated at the desk is Viktor.

"Ah, you must be the student Professor Heimerdinger said would be joining us. Please, come in." Viktor says, motioning for you to come in. You place the box down on the far end of the desk, and walk over to them, shaking their hands and introducing yourself. Your voice quivers, and your hand almost shakes, but you force yourself to gain some semblance of composure. These are going to be your lab... partners, after all.

───── ⋆⋅◈⋅⋆ ─────

Months pass like minutes, and you get closer to them over time. You spend days and nights in the lab, discussing school, labs, personal things, and everything in between. You spend late nights with them, laughing at how delirious you all are at 3am, trying to finish your work.

"Gods, we should go to sleep," you comment, trying to pick up all of the papers that fell onto the floor in your dazed laughter. Jayce rubs the back of his neck, nodding.

"Yeah, I'm probably gonna head back to mine. Mel's probably waiting for me." he picks up his bag, stuffing his notebooks into it before slinging it over his shoulder. "You two get home safe, yeah?" he smiles at you and Viktor.

"Yeah, you too. Say hi to Mel for us." You say before he nods, shutting the door behind him, washing you and Viktor into a half-awkward silence. "So, you gonna head home?"

"Eh, yes. Maybe, I don't know if I have anything else I need to get done tonight..." he trails off, sifting through piles of paper, looking for any unfinished notes.

"Do you think I could walk you home...?" You fiddle with your thumbs, looking down at your bag as you organize the papers in it. "I mean, I don't have to, it's just─"

"I'd like that." he interrupts you, putting his notebook into his bag. "I don't have anything else to do, are you ready to go?"

"Oh! Um, yeah, I got all my stuff." You scramble to your feet, pushing your seat in and turning off the desk lamps and your microscope. "Here, let's go." You open the door for him, stepping aside for him to step through, and he thanks you. You close the door behind the two of you, your keys clinking together with your orca keychain as you lock the lab door.

You and him walk back to his apartment, chatting about everything and nothing. He makes a few flirty comments, you brush them off and rule it down to flattery. At some point, you realize you've been staring at him as you walk when you almost walk into a lamppost. He laughs and you rub your arm, embarrassed. You finally make it to his door, and something in your stomach twists as you think about having to walk home alone, without the familiar comfort of his voice. As he unlocks his door, he turns around to you and you jump a bit, snapped out of your thoughts.

"Thank you for walking me home, sir," he teases. You smile at him, before remembering something.

"Oh right, I have something for you! Well, a few things." You dig through your bag, pulling out a small pouch and you open it, pulling out a few smooth, shiny stones. One was golden orange, almost like tiger eye. I saw this one and it reminded me of your eyes." You sift through them, and he looks at you with an expression that's a mix of astonishment and pure infatuation, but you don't notice. You find a few small black ones, and take them, along with the amber one, and put them in his hand. "Those little black ones reminded me of your moles, they were like little constellations in the sand," you explain, smiling, proud of yourself, and just happy to talk about your work.

You finally look up at him, having put the rest of the rocks back in the pouch and into your bag. You make eye contact with him, and you're a bit taken aback by his soft, loving sort of smile. "You're giving me rocks...?"

"Well, basically. Did you know that young gentoo penguins give other penguins stones or pebbles to put in a nest when they find a potential mate in an attempt to impress their desired mate, a lot like humans gifting diamonds or jewelry to a significant other?" you ramble, obviously passionate about your research.

"So, are you saying that I'm a 'potential mate'?" he smirks, turning to put the rocks down on his coffee table, waving for you to come in. You look down at your hands, a little stunned and you take a deep breath before stepping into his house, your hands clutching the strap of your bag.

"I mean, you could think about it like that, but I just saw them and thought of you─ oh, hi, you're very close," you notice he's come closer to you, and you have to lean back to try to give yourself more distance, knowing you'd just melt if he got too close.

"Come, take your coat off. I have some of my own... gifts, to give to you."

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© — @gearsandhammers 2025 - created and written by kaisen - do not steal my work or repost without my permission.

[sweetheartmotives]

《☆Yandere Otter Hybrid☆》

Desc and possible Tw: Yandere themes, Sexual themes, mentions of biting, and maybe captured?

Let me know if I missed any!

Whenever there's a new animal species found, you're the first to know. Your team has brought you a newfound species, It's suspected to be a part of the otter family since It has the characteristics of an otter. For example, it's ears and tail. The only weird thing is.. it has a human body.

Anyhow, you've been assigned to study it. At first, the otter being was aggressive and most likely stressed from the sudden change of environment. You've taken the necessary steps to make it comfortable. For example; giving it toys, blankets, treats, etc. It seems the otter being has grown to like you.. a little too much.

•• Yandere Otter Hybrid who... got very aggressive and scared when you first bring them into the lab.

•• Yandere Otter Hybrid who... would snap at you any chance they get.

Growling and hissing while trying to bite you

••Yandere Otter Hybrid who... at first didn't accept your gifts. They would push away blankets, treats, toys, etc. You aren't winning yet! They aren't giving up!

•• Yandere Otter Hybrid who... slowly but surely got used to you, After 6 months of constant growling, of course.

Maybe you're not as bad as I thought..? Yan Otter hybrid thinks to themself

•• Yandere Otter Hybrid who... would bring you their toys as a gift.

Take... Offers you one of their toys

•• Yandere Otter Hybrid who... makes loud squeaks and cries whenever you're not by them!

Loud squeaking

•• Yandere Otter Hybrid who... falls for you. They love your smell and looks.. You are so so perfect to them..

•• Yandere Otter Hybrid who... enjoys holding hands, snuggling, playing, and nesting with you. All things otters do to show affection!

•• Yandere Otter Hybrid who... over time, they started to embrace you while rubbing themself all over you.

Maybe if I court them, they'll be my mate? Sigh It's worth a shot.. Otter Hybrid mutters to themself

•• Yandere Otter Hybrid who... eventually goes into heat. They became more talkative, now discussing with the other researchers about finding a mate! You specifically

I need a mate! Yes.. if I don't have one, I'll die. Yan Otter Hybrid is obviously lying but the other researchers don't know that.

•• Yandere Otter Hybrid who... eventually gets what they want. You in their exhibit, all dolled up for them!

You're literally just naked 💀

•• Yandere Otter Hybrid who... makes sure the windows, cameras, etc. are turned off or covered by something to protect your guy's privacy! Mating is a sacred thing that two or more lovers share, and it should be treated that way!

You're my mate.. my pretty pretty mate.

•• Yandere Otter Hybrid who... forces you into mating press. They're literally trying to mate with you.

You'll make a great parent to our babies, my pretty mate.. Otter Hybrid says while touching the bulge on ur tummy <3

•• Yandere Otter Hybrid who... goes all night with you. Filling you to the brim with every ounce of love They have for you! No breaks :p

•• Yandere Otter Hybrid who... has special sperm that can get any Gender/sex pregnant. Boy, girl, or other will get pregnant by it.

•• Yandere Otter Hybrid who... in the end, will make a great partner and parent to your guy's babies!

We'll be together, forever ♡

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hope you enjoy reading, as I enjoyed writing!! 《*≧∀≦》

(Also credit to @suiana ! this idea came to be from their Yandere Naga fic I read a while ago! :3)

[dollishmehrayan]

# “SUDDENLY I SEE, THIS IS WHAT I WANNA BE” ── .✦ ( batboys w a zoologist/someone who’s very passionate about animals!reader ⋆౨ৎ )

dollish note ⋆౨ৎ: okay so this was a request by anon (here) and alsoo I’ve been like kinda gone as like much as I said I’d be back in march I thought that my days like have this gap in them where I can write for you guys so I thought why not entertain + carry my life yk? Anywayss enjoy ! <3 tags: (batboys x fem!reader)

© dollishmehrayan — ( all rights reserved to me. These works cannot be reposted, translated, or modified. Thank you for understanding dollies! )

DICK GRAYSON ── .✦

The Supportive Golden Retriever Boyfriend™

Dick absolutely adores how passionate you are about animals. He finds it so endearing that you can go on a 20-minute tangent about why capybaras are the ultimate chill kings of the animal world literally (we love a supportive king 💪)

He’ll sit there, chin propped in his hand, watching you with literal heart eyes as you explain fun animal facts. "Did you know that sea otters hold hands while they sleep so they don’t drift apart??”, he just responds with: "Babe, that’s literally us."

When you take him to the zoo, he’s your number-one cheerleader. He’s the guy hyping you up when you go full National Geographic mode. "Damn, look at my girl go! Bet the zookeepers are taking notes."

But also… chaos. You tell him about a random animal, and the next day, you get a text:

Dick: Babe, can we get a capybara?

You: No???

Dick: I already named him Carl. (Bad at name giving)

100% buys you animal plushies. You say you love red pandas? Boom. He’s bringing you a giant red panda plush the size of a toddler.

If he catches you watching animal documentaries at 2 AM, he will absolutely join in. You both end up getting emotionally attached to some random meerkat family.

JASON TODD ── .✦

The “Pretends Not To Care But Absolutely Does” Boyfriend

At first, he acts like it’s no big deal. You start talking about octopus intelligence, and he’s like, “Yeah, cool.” But then he’s actually listening.

You’ll randomly hear him drop animal facts he learned from you in casual conversation. "Did you know crows can recognize human faces?" And then he just walks away like he didn’t just absorb your entire personality.

You try to take him to the zoo. He acts reluctant. "Babe, I’m too old for this." But the second he sees the wolves? Yeah, he’s standing there for 20 minutes, fully invested.

Secretly loves big cats. If a tiger so much as looks at him, he’s like, “Yeah, that’s my guy, he fw me.”

Jason will 100% fake annoyance when you go on animal rants, but he’d never actually tell you to stop. He’ll just shake his head, smirking. "Babe, you’re literally an unpaid Discovery Channel host."

But if anyone ELSE tries to make fun of your animal obsession? Oh, he’s fighting them. "What, you don’t think learning about the mating habits of penguins isn’t interesting? You go right out the door before I drag you to it.”

TIM DRAKE ── .✦

The “Actually, This Is Fascinating” Nerd Boyfriend

Tim is so invested in your knowledge. He treats every animal fact you tell him like it’s groundbreaking news.

"Wait, wait, explain how ants communicate again?" You blink. "Tim, I’ve told you this three times." "Yeah, but I need to visualize it properly."

Will absolutely go down research rabbit holes just so he can talk to you about animals on your level. You wake up to a text at 3 AM:

Tim: So technically, a shrimp can punch as fast as a bullet?

You think he’s tired when you take him to the zoo? Nope. He’s taking notes. He will challenge the tour guide with additional facts.

If you’re working on any zoology projects, he’s your biggest supporter. Need funding for animal conservation? He’s pulling Wayne Enterprises money and some drake money too.

One time, you found him watching bird videos for fun. When you called him out, he just said, "They're cool, okay?"

DAMIAN WAYNE ── .✦

The “Of Course, My Beloved” Boyfriend

Listen. This is his dream relationship. Animals? Passion for them? You’re his soulmate LOCKEDDD INNNNN.

Will literally test you. "What do you know about Tibetan mastiffs?" If you pass? Immediate respect. If you don’t? "Tt. I will educate you."

You and him are unstoppable in animal debates. No one dares question your combined knowledge. Someone tries to say "cats don’t have feelings"? You and Damian tag-team destroy them.

You 100% have “who loves animals more” competitions. "I saved a hawk yesterday." "Tt. I rehabilitated a stray cat." "I named a baby goat after you." "...Beloved."

Dates? Animal sanctuaries. Zoos. Wildlife reserves. This man is taking you on the most eco-friendly, animal-filled dates ever.

One time, you found him talking to a cow. You swear it understood him. (Batcow ofc 🙂‍↕️)

BRUCE WAYNE ── .✦

Very thoughtful husband

Secretly impressed by your knowledge. You caught him actually listening when you explained how dolphins have names for each other.

Would 100% fund a wildlife conservation project just because you’re passionate about it.

(Fuck this man fr I don’t have ideas for him🥲)

[totesnothere04]

The Silence Didn't End, Until It Did

Tonowari x Deaf!Avatar!Reader x Ronal

Disclaimer: I don't own any fanart, screenshots, or gifs.

Warnings: Uh Idfk imagine going from hearing absolutely nothing your entire life to hearing everything.

Masterlist

As soon as you're pulled out of your cryo-pod, you're greeted by a nurse signing to you.

"We're here." He signs and you sigh.

"Thank you." You sign back and he helps you out of your pod and you float over to your locker. You sadly set a hand on Tommy's locker since it was right next to yours, and you open your locker grabbing your things. Your eyes are caught by someone coming over and opening Tommy's locker and you have to do a double-take. He looked exactly like Tommy, but his legs had no muscle mass. This must be Jake. You sigh again, close your locker, and push off to get where you need to go.

Later after your shuttle landed you sit there watching what the interpreter is saying from the Colonel. You were bored, but you knew that this place wasn't a cakewalk. You were invaders so you knew the indigenous wouldn't be particularly accepting of humans.

But you were one of the lucky few who didn't have to be stationed at Hell's Gate. You were lucky enough to be stationed further away in the forest close to the ocean. You were a marine zoologist, and you couldn't pass up the opportunity to beable to come here and be out there.

The moment the interpreter signed to you that the safety briefing was over your bag was in your hand and you were out of the mess hall. Basically jogging over to the link room to meet THE Grace Augustine. A man greeted you when you entered the link room.

"Hello, I'm Max. I'll be helping you connect to your avatar tomorrow, and then you'll be sent to your station afterwards." Max signs to you and you smile excitedly.

"I'm so excited, I'm sure you understand just how excited I am." You sign to him and based off of the exhale of breathing and the movement of his shoulders he chuckled.

"I get it. I really do, but as beautiful as this planet can be it can be very dangerous. Just keep that in mind." Max signs and leads you over to a link pod. "Any minute now, Grace Augustine is going to be coming out of this pod. But I'll have you standing with us in the center of the room so that you don't crowd her when she first comes out." You nod along and move with him over to the center of the room and look at all of their monitors in awe. After a moment her link pod opens and she walks over to meet two men. Both of which you know will be joining the avatar program. Norm takes notice of you and waves.

"Hey (Y/n). I didn't see you in the mess hall." Norm signs and wave off his words.

"I sat in the back with my interpreter. I'm just ready to be at my station." You sign to him and he smiles and nods. Grace looks at you and smiles.

"You must be (Y/n). I'm excited to beable to read your reports. From your grades and your simulation hours, I can tell that you will be an amazing addition to the avatar program." Grace signs and you smile bashfully.

"I'm just ready to be at my workstation and learn everything I can about the marine life here." You sign to her and she smiles.

"Be here bright and early and be ready, because this is going to be an experience." Grace signs to you and you give her two excited thumbs up and grab your bag to go to your temporary bunk. As you pass the lab the blue glow catches your eye and you go inside. The first avatar is Tommy's, the next is Norm's avatar... Then yours. You smile wide and go over to yours and watch her twitch occasionally.

The teal blue of her skin contrasts with Norm and Tommy's avatars, and her hair is a different consistency. Longer, thicker, and softer looking and you already start thinking of the different ways you could style her hair so it doesn't get in your eyes. Her wide limbs were there to make gliding through the water much easier, and her thicker tail for better propulsion. You leave the lab feeling way too excited for tomorrow.

The next morning you were up early and dressed ready to go. You leave your temporary bunk to go grab breakfast and after you finish eating you're in the link room.

Max greets you and leads you over to a link pod. You calibrate it and take a deep breath as you sit down in it and lie down. Max puts everything in place and you reach up and pull down the lid. A moment later your eyes close and you wake up slowly, but something is off.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Your brows furrow in confusion and suddenly they're above you shining a bright light in your eyes.

"Pupilary reflex is good." The woman says and your eyes blow wide. The man notices and snaps in your ears and you flinch at the noise.

"(Y/n) can you hear us?" The man asks and through your shock, you start reading their lips to associate words with the way they sound, you manage to nod.

"I can hear..." You sign to them and they both smile widely. Approximately 5 minutes later you're sat up on the bed when Norm's avatar stirs and your ears perk toward the noise of his shuffling. When he sits up he looks over at you and smiles.

"This is awesome." Norm signs and you nod.

"I can hear." You sign to him and his face drops in shock.

"Really?" Norm asks outloud and you nod.

"Now I just need to learn to speak." You sign to him and he waves a hand.

"You're smart. It's easy to talk, you'll get it in no time." Norm says and you giggle, but your eyes widened after you did.

"That's what my laugh sounds like?" You sign and Norm nods.

"Yeah. Tommy and I always thought it was cute." Norm says with a chuckle. Your conversation ended abruptly when To-Jake started to stir and you watched with curiosity. After only being linked to his avatar body for a few moments he starts to get up and your eyes go wide as you watch him detach all the IV's and monitoring equipment and run out of the airlock. Norm follows behind Jake, but you remain seated with a raised brow.

The two scientists close the airlock when they return from trying to keep up with Jake and they return to you.

"Alright (Y/n). Let's get you up and ready." The woman says and the man takes that as his cue to leave. She pushes a cart over to you and you gladly get dressed and ready to go and soon enough you're out of the airlock too. You're met by an older ocean avatar and he smiles at you.

"(Y/n), I'm so excited to get to know you." He signs happily.

"I'm excited too! But I wanted to let you know I can hear you... I can hear everything." You sign to him and his eyes go wide and he smiles.

"Even better. I'll teach you to speak Na'vi first." He says with a laugh. "Come on let's get you used to these legs." He says as he leads you off to an obstacle course.

The next day you step off the Samson with your mentor and you look around you in awe. The ocean a few miles away was a beautiful blue, the sand a pure light tan nearly white, and the grass around you was green. You smile brightly at the scene around you, but your admiring is cut short by a hand waving in your face.

"Sorry... Forgot you were in your human body and not your avatar." Your mentor signed and he had a sheepish look on his face.

"I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention... It so much more beautiful than I thought it would be." You sign to him and he smiles and nods.

"And to think.... At one point Earth looked like this." Your mentor signed as he looked out over the scenery sadly. "Anyway... Let's get you set up." He signs as he leads you into the mobile units. Three small portable buildings clustered together and when you walked in there was only one other scientist there. She jumped up quickly and waved excitedly.

"Hello! I'm Kira a marine biologist." Kira signs excitedly.

"Hello, Kira. I'm (Y/n) and I can't wait to get started." You sign to her and she nods.

"You'll love it here, trust me. I never want to leave." Kira signs and as quickly as she appeared to you she disappears into the buildings.

As you settled into your new surroundings and got used to the schedule for studying, Kira and your mentor, Steve, taught you to speak Na'vi. You picked up on it so fast that soon enough you were having full conversations with them fluently.

Currently, however, you are enjoying some free time. The sounds of the waves crashing on the shore and the animals in the nearby forest were relaxing. You took a deep breath and got up from your seated position on the sand. You waded into the water and dove in being careful of the possible dangers within.

Even under the water, you could hear everything. The chitter of the animals under the water, the flowing of the water, and the sound of rocks shifting with the tides. Everyday you became more enraptured with the world around you, and you started to dread when your 6 years were up. You couldn't stand the thought of leaving such a beautiful lively planet to return to one filled with so much ugly. The tall buildings you once thought were beautiful and strong, now seemed disgusting in your memories compared to what you were seeing everyday now.

In your deep state of thinking you didn't notice a Tsurak, or Skimwings, as humans call them, swimming toward you. You turned startled slightly when you felt something nudge your back. You came face-to-face with the Tsurak and you felt your blood run cold. When claimed by a rider they don't attack Na'vi unless prompted to, but this one didn't have a saddle. You freeze in place waiting for it to make its move, but it never moves to attack you. It only nuzzles the end of its nose into your stomach, so you bring your hands up to pet its muzzle. It starts pushing you back to shore and you have to suppress the giggles since it was tickling you. You finally stood up when you reached an area where you were still in the ocean up to your waist.

"(Y/n)!" Steve calls out as he comes out of the mobile unit. You turn to look at him and your new Tsurak friend floats up to the surface of the water.

"Yes, Steve?" You ask him in Na'vi and he freezes after taking a step when he sees the Tsurak.

"(Y/n)... very slowly walk out of the water." Steve says and you chuckle and shake your head.

"Steve this is my new friend." You tell Steve with a smile and pet the Tsurak's head.

"Okay..." Steve says slowly. "I got a status update from Max... They're attacking the Omatikaya Hometree today." Steve says sadly and your expression drops as well. You go to open your mouth to speak when something wet and slightly slippery smacks you in the face. Confused and slightly annoyed you look down to see that the Tsurak has its tswin sticking out of the water expectantly. Steve becomes amazed, moves a little closer, and crouches.

"Oh my god..." Steve says quietly as he watches the two infront of him. You slowly reach behind you and pull your tswin forward, and bring it to meet the Tsurak's. When the small pink nerve endings meet they bind together and suddenly everything feels different. You got the sudden urge to hang on for dear life and did so. Which proved to be a good idea since the Tsurak took off swimming quickly in what felt like a familiar direction to it. When your lungs start to burn in protest for air the Tsurak changes its direction to go for the surface. When it breaks the surface its wings spread and it flies above the water. You take a deep breath letting the scent of the ocean air flow into your lungs and you laugh happily as you watch the ocean fly by.

Hours later the Tsurak dives into the water for probably the 15th time when you get close to an island, but after a minute it pops back up above the water. When you get to the shallows he stops and you slide off of him and disconnect your tswins. He swims off quickly and you sigh, unsure of where you are or why he brought you here. You turn to go inland to try to find somewhere to safely stash your avatar, but quickly put your hands up in surrender. Behind you are several clan members with their weapons drawn and pointed at you. The tallest Na'vi man you had ever seen walks through the crowd shortly followed by a shorter female Na'vi.

"Why have you come to us, tawtute?" The female asks and you nervously gulp.

"I didn't mean to... The Tsurak approached me while I was swimming, offered to bond with me, and brought me here." You say honestly and she slowly walks around you. She picks up your arm and lets it fall to your side. Then she tugs on your tail and hums quietly. Then she picks up your tswin, twirls it in her hand once, then drops it. She returns to the man's side and the two have a silent conversation. Occasionally their eyes would wander back to you and they almost seemed... Intrigued?

"Come." The woman says and comes back over to you wrapping an arm around your back, guiding you.

"Everyone, return to your duties." The man says and follows behind the two of you. They lead you to a shelter and tell you what each thing inside is for.

"Why... are you treating me nicely?" You ask confused. "I'm human, my race hasn't exactly been good to yours."

"Just as not all Na'vi are bad, not all humans can be." The man says.

"There is a reason your Tsurak approached you. A gifted one that was given to us by the Great Mother." The woman says and you suddenly remember what Steve told you before you were whisked away, so to speak.

"Wait... I need to go help Max." You say hurriedly and the two seem confused. "Right before I bonded with my Tsurak, my mentor, Steve, told me that the RDA was about to attack the Omatikaya Hometree. I need to go help stop it."

"What?" The woman asks angrily.

"The people that brought me here to Pandora, they were about to attack the Omatikaya People's Hometree." You say hurriedly and she shakes her head.

"I sense that you are not a fighter. There is not much that you would beable to do to help." The woman says and you sigh sadly and your ears droop. You know what she's saying is true, you're not a fighter, you study things you learn about them. In no way had you ever been taught to fight or even shoot a gun.

"Here, you are safe and you do not have to fight." The man says and you shake your head.

"Maybe my avatar is, but my human body is still back in the mainland." You tell them, they look at eachother and sigh.

"We will start training you tomorrow." The man says and the woman agrees.

"Wait... what are your names?" You ask them.

"I am Tonowari, Olo'eyktan of the Metkayina." 'Tonowari' introduces himself.

"And I am Ronal, Tsahík." 'Ronal' introduces herself as well.

"I'm (Y/n)." You introduce yourself to them. Ronal and Tonowari share a small smile and they leave you alone in the hut they took you to.

A few days later you link with your avatar with a heavy heart. Knowing you will most likely be sent back to Earth with some of the other scientists and humans. When you link you got up and stretched then made your way to find Tonowari or Ronal or both. It really depended on who you would find first. When you spot them they are in deep conversation, speaking quietly to one another.

"Good morning Tonowari, good morning Ronal." You greet them and they immediately cease their conversation and look up to you.

"(Y/n), good morning. Come join us for breakfast." Tonowari says and you take a seat across from them and Ronal hands you a leaf with breakfast in it.

"We were just discussing if we wanted to have you train with Ronal today or if I would continue training you to hunt." Tonowari says and you sigh sadly.

"I'm sorry, but I'm most likely going to be sent back to Earth soon." You say sadly.

"Why?" Ronal asks her voice angry.

"The humans have waged war against the Omatikaya... The last I heard anything was earlier when one of the scientists at the main base told us that the military leader was preparing for an attack on the Tree of Souls." You tell them with a frown. Tonowari immediately stands and shakes his head.

"No... You are Metkayina. You stay on Eywa'eveng." Tonowari says and you shake your head.

"I won't have a choice." You tell him quietly, but he doesn't respond. He simply grabs his spear and walks out of his marui, a few of his best warriors falling to his side as he walks away. You look at Ronal in confusion and she just gives you a reassuring smile.

"Then it is decided... You will train with me today. I'm going to start with the easy part of healing, making bandages." Ronal says with a smile and after you both finish breakfast, she leads you to the healer's marui.

Hours later you're learning to make a salve to help calm down the effects of Stinging Coral when you feel your consciousness being pulled back to your human body. You have enough time to feel your body start to collapse, but you're back in your human body before you make contact with the ground.

You sigh sadly and get out of the linkpod. Nothing. That's all you could hear, it's all you could feel. Suddenly a hand is shoved in your face and waved to catch your attention. You look up with an angry expression, hating it when people get your attention that way.

"(Y/n), you and Kira are leaving." Steve signs and you feel your spirits fall once more. "Tonowari and a few of his warriors are here to take you with them." Steve sign quickly when he realizes you thought you were being sent back to Earth.

"Kira is going too?" You ask him and he nods.

"One of the warriors took a liking to her so she's going too." Steve explains and you nod. You feel a smile creep across your lips and you quickly go over, grab an oxygen mask, and take off running out of the airlock. Kira is already outside talking to Tonowari and the others when you get out there. Kira sees you and quickly turns and says something to Tonowari and his men. When you get close enough Tonowari turns to Kira and says something to her.

"Tonowari says that he couldn't stand the thought of you being forced to go back, when he feels that you belong with him and his people." Kira says and you smile wide and look at Tonowari.

"I will admit I have not been with them for long but I feel like Awa'atlu is where I belong." You tell Kira and she turns and talks to Tonowari. He offers you his hand and leads you to the water where their Tsuraks are all waiting. And soon enough you're riding off in the direction of Awa'atlu... Your home.

15 Years Later

The horns blared signaling visitors to Awa'atlu and Ronal looked at you worriedly. Ever since it was confirmed you were pregnant both she and Tonowari had been overprotective.

"You should stay here." Ronal says as she gets up but you roll your eyes and standup as well.

"It will be alright Ronal. I can protect myself and both you and Tonowari will be there." You say and move to leave the healers marui.

"Yawne, this is your first child with us. I want you to be safe." Ronal argues softly.

"As I said I will be safe. You and Tonowari will be here." You say in return again and nearly bounce your way down the walkways, Ronal begrudgingly following behind you.

When you get to where your clan is gathered around 5 ikrans. Your ears perk forward as the crowd splits for you and Ronal. Your head cocks to the side as you recognize Jake.

"Jake Sully." You say in surprise and you approach him, Ronal quietly protesting.

"(Y/n)?" Jake asks in surprise. "What- How-" Jake stammers and you shrug.

"We both chose our people." You say casually and you feel a large muscular arm wrap around your shoulders. You turn to find Tonowari and a smile comes across your features at seeing your other mate.

"Jake Sully. I take it you already know of my second mate?" Tonowari questions and Jake's jaw nearly falls off him.

"I met her once a long time ago, but I didn't know she was your second mate." Jake admits.

"I was there the first time he connected to his avatar." You tell Tonowari and snicker at Jake's embarrassed expression.

"Why have you come to us?" Ronal finally asks, obviously done with dancing around the subject.

"We've come seeking uturu." Jake says and you feel Tonowari's muscles in his back tighten.

"Uturu?" Ronal says astonished by the request.

[allwaswell16]

F a v o r i t e F i c s O f 2 0 2 4

As an ardent reader of One Direction fan fiction, 2024 has been an amazing year for fics! I read so many incredible fics this year, so please check out all my recs for the year here! Below you will find fics that brought me to tears, made me laugh, comforted me, filled me with joy, or had me yelling in my living room. I share this list with you all not to say that these fics are better than others from this year, but to say thank you to these writers who have left a mark on me with their fics.

To all our fandom's writers, thank you for the gift of your stories! Sending much love to you in the new year!

🪩 Louis / Harry 🪩

with venom on your tongue by wildestdreams / @thelavendrhaze

(E, 91k, enemies to lovers) a boarding school AU where Harry and Louis are academic rivals until they realize they’re more similar than they thought.

don't be afraid to love (and love again) by localopa / @voulezloux

(T, 83k, trans Louis) the one where louis is trans and afraid, harry is cis and brave, and being 100% yourself is easier said than done.

When the Lights Go Out by thelarenttrap / @antidotetogo

(E, 79k, F1 au) In its near eighty years of existence, Formula 1 has never had an out gay driver. In 2017, Harry Styles signs a contract with Scuderia AlphaTauri alongside his childhood friend and competitor, Louis Tomlinson. The next decade of their careers is some of the most tumultuous press--on and off the track--Formula 1 has ever seen.

I'm Praying (that you don't burn out or fade away) by @lululawrence

(NR, 74k, soulmates) Harry and Louis are literal stars who have known they were soulmates from their creation eons ago, however when Louis came to Earth to start the next phase of their fated future, he forgot everything. Even Harry.

A Frail Farewell by Rearviewdreamer / @all-these-larrythings

(M, 44k, famous/not famous) Louis can’t believe his luck when he is offered one of the easiest jobs he has had as a long-term house-sitter for the wealthy. Most of all he likes that there are no surprises until he gets the shock of his life from ex-pop star Harry Styles who isn’t supposed to be home.

The Things We Know To Be Wild by harryanthus_annuus / @harryanthus-annuus

(M, 39k, dragons) Louis is a London zoologist sent by the University of Highlands and Islands to assess the safety of the island of Eroda as part of the Wonder Seekers Project for sustainable tourism.

hard times in elmsmere by stylinsoncity / @aliensingucci

(M, 37k, time travel) for louis, being a full-fledged vampire complicates everything, not just his relationship with harry but with harry’s entire coven who took Louis in as an orphan.

Enough To Wish For More by galactic_larry / @galacticlarry

(M, 33k, The Bridges of Madison County au) Louis Tomlinson just wants a few days of peace and quiet while his family are out of state. But when he meets the lead singer of a band he’s never heard of, his life and everything he thought he knew about it changes forever.

Your Reign is Free (to give along to Santa) by LadyLondonderry / @londonfoginacup

(T, 28k, humor) It’s Christmas Eve. It’s a totally normal Christmas Eve. Harry and Louis have some friends coming by, and some totally normal birthday and Christmas plans. It’s a totally typical totally normal Christmas Eve. A fic that takes place over 24 (+1) hours where surely everything will go totally to plan.

and so I have to say (before I go) by we_are_the_same / @so-why-let-your-voice-be-tamed

(M, 27k, mystery) Sometimes falling in love is taking a leap of faith, jumping into the unknown with your eyes closed, hoping someone will be there to catch you. Sometimes falling in love is seeing the person in front of you, all their flaws and imperfections, and taking that leap nonetheless.

Rewriting the Melody by LadyAJ_13 / @ladyaj-13

(T, 26k, canon divergence) Louis doesn’t get put in One Direction. This time, the path to true love takes the long way round, including singing in toilet cubicles, fruit baskets, and long distance band counselling from someone who really doesn’t know what he’s doing, he just wants to keep talking to Harry.

Sugar, Sugar by @parmahamlarrie

(E, 25k, sugar daddy Louis) Meeting your soulmate was the most joyous event of one’s life… or at least, it’s supposed to be. Harry, in all of his 25 year old wisdom, was suspicious of the role fate plays in everyone's lives. He'd rather focus his time dating older men he meets off of a sugar baby website.

Room For One More Troubled Soul by patdkitten / @babyarcanacasey

(M, 25k, supernatural elements) Louis Tomlinson is the chief medical examiner of the Centre for the Law Enforcement of Supernatural Beings - more commonly referred to as simply "The Centre".

On a starlit night by @lunarheslwt

(M, 24k, omegaverse) omega and future Luna Louis is holding a mating ceremony to find his mate, but what he doesn’t expect to see amongst the alphas vying for his hand, is a familiar, yet unexpected face: Harry Styles.

Colorful Hearts by Larrysmomfics / @larrysmomfics

(M, 20k, humor) In a world where orgasmic emissions change color depending on the person’s mood, Louis Tomlinson’s semen has only ever been blue. At the recommendation of his doctor he attends a support group for people with similar conditions. 

 Behind Smoke Stained Curtains by @jaerie

(E, 19k, omegaverse) The worlds align when Louis meets an alpha from the road with as many secrets as he holds himself.

Stand on Holy Ground (series) by @wishingforloushair

(E, 17k, religion kink) Louis comes back to confess again, and Harry has an idea of how Louis can show God his devotion. 

Peeping by jacaranda_bloom / @jacaranda-bloom

(E, 16k, roommates) Louis has a thing for his housemate, Harry is under the impression that clothing around the house is an optional extra, and neither of them seem to be able to stop wanking long enough to get their shit together and admit their true feelings.

Lost But Won by @2tiedships2

(NR, 16k, omegaverse) When Harry loses his passport after a weekend trip to see Niall, the inconvenience of being stranded in America becomes a little more bearable after meeting Louis. Or a lot more bearable.

At your service, for your usage (series) by @holdingontochaos

(E, 16k, sex work) Louis is a doctor who works so much that he has barely any time to himself for pleasure, let alone to clean his house so he hires Harry as his naked maid and kills two birds with one stone.

so pull me closer, why don’t you pull me close? by @alwaysxlarrie

(M, 9k, uni) If the captain of the soccer team wants to substitute players and be Harry's partner instead... well, Harry's lemons just turned into lemon meringue pie. Who is he to argue with fate?

 and then, i wait there for you by punk_pillow_princess / @punkpillowprincess

(M, 9k, established relationship) Harry has always dreamed of having his “happily ever after”, but hasn’t found the right one yet. Suddenly, he meets Louis.

never just the tip by journeytothepast / @suckerforhome

(E, 6k, omegaverse) Harry believes alphas can't control themselves. Louis proves him wrong.

Just Two Stars Passing By by QuickedWeen / @becomeawendybird

(E, 5k, omegaverse) Harry blew up on TikTok and became a fashion commentator during the pandemic. Somehow he ends up covering arrival fashion for the 2024 Euros, and somehow Louis Tomlinson already knows his name.

Good-Old Fashioned Lover Boy by not_fitzwilliam / @not-fitzwilliam-darcy

(NR, 5k, omegaverse) When a miscalculated decision leads to an accidental courtship with the sweetest, most gentle alpha, Harry is torn between breaking the alpha's heart and telling the truth. 

Pretty and Preposterous by @brightlyharry

(NR, 5k, neighbors) Harry donates a copy of Pride and Prejudice to his little free library. He never expects what comes next.

 Pussy Juice by @homosociallyyours

(M, 4k, girl direction) While she manages to dodge the bar’s “special” drink, the Pussy Juice shot, she can’t avoid the feelings that come up when her former teacher (and teen crush), Louis joins her and her friends for the night.

 That’s the way love goes by bella28

(T, 4k, soulmate goose!) In a world, where soulmate geese are sent to the people who can’t figure out who their soulmate is, Harry finds himself stuck with a goose when he is attending a concert of his favourite artist Louis Tomlinson.

Come On and Rescue Me by @kingsofeverything

(E, 3k, silver fox Louis) Louis only intends to watch his hot neighbor’s Instagram live, but he winds up with his hand down his pants.

Figure This Out by @haztobegood

(E, 2k, age difference) Louis is everything Harry could have imagined when he’d typed “silver fox enthusiast” into his Grindr profile. Too bad he's probably scared Louis off by giving him too many expensive gifts.

coming home by @seekforwarmth

(E, 2k, canon) It’s coming home, one way or another.

What’s in a Name by @hellolovers13

(T, 2k, soulmates au) Louis had always known Harry was his soulmate. The name on his arm disagreed. But what did his soulmark know about true love anyway.

 You are so gorgeous (it makes me so mad) by @dreaminrainbows

(M, 2k, pining) Louis is a hot bartender and Harry is pathetically in love with him

The Unselected Journals of Louis W. Tomlinson - Vol 1 by YesIsAWorld / @louandhazaf

(E, 1k, epistolary) The Wandering of Things was not new, nearly two years into living here. However, the, uh, nature of this particular thing was quite different.

skinny dip (in water under the bridge) by hazzahtomlinson / @itsnotreal

(G, 880 words, exes) It’s a Wednesday and nostalgia might just get the best of Louis.

can't hide from yourself by yeah_alright / @uhoh-but-yeah-alright

(M, 666 words, suspense) Harry's home alone, faced with his reflection. And something's not quite right.

🪩 Rare Pairs 🪩

Like A Force Of Nature by @reminiscingintherain

(T, 30k, Zayn/Liam) the Heartstopper AU no one asked for.

To start again by @loretheloner

(E, 27k, Louis/Michael Blackwell) Louis finds himself slowly falling for a bandmate again, despite Oli's warnings against it. Michael finds himself slowly falling for his boss and fighting against the ghost of Louis' past relationship. 

It’s a Craving Not a Crush by LetTheMusicMoveYou / @letthemusicmoveyou28

(E, 9k, Liam/Louis) the one where Liam and Louis are best bros who end up getting married so that Liam has the insurance he needs to go to rehab. Now that he’s sober, they can get divorced. But do they want to?

Can You Feel Where the Wind Is by @fallinglikethis

(M, 3k, Zayn/Liam) He remembers arguing that he had no real power over anything, so no one would care about him, let alone try to hurt him. But that assessment had proven to be untrue today.

I regret you all the time by @disgruntledkittenface

(E, 2k, Louis/Prince William) Louis’ friends don’t understand, and they wouldn’t even if he explained. But every time William texts, Louis drops everything to go see him.

Skin on My Skin by Layne Faire / @laynefaire

(E, 2k, Zayn/Liam) Let me touch you where you like it Let me do it for ya

[haru-dipthong]

A translator can only translate what they see in the work themselves. Where a word may have multiple meanings in the original, if the translator notices only one, that one meaning will be all the audience of the translation receives. Where a word may have a certain important nuance, if the translator does not notice this, that nuance will be lost to the audience.

Readers of a translation see the work through the translator’s eyes. A work generally can have many interpretations, and only when the translator’s eyes are perfectly open to all the original intents, intentional ambiguities, and throughlines does the audience have the same opportunity to interpret the work in all the ways the original could be interpreted.

An example of this from my own experience was during the translation and editing process of Revolutionary Girl Utena, episode 19 (Song of the Fallen Kingdom). There’s a scene where two different interpretations are possible — when Tatsuya (he/him) and Wakaba are talking about Wakaba’s “prince”. The surface level interpretation is meant to be that Tatsuya is the prince, and Wakaba is being coy by talking about him to him in the third person. But at the end it’s revealed that she was talking about someone else, and rushes off to meet them. My read of this was that it was meant to be interpreted as some other boy (which it is, in the end), and I translated the whole scene with male pronouns used to refer to the “prince”.

However, my editor Anya (@dontbe-lasanya) pointed out that Wakaba could just as easily have been referring to her best friend Utena (they/she) as the “prince”, and in order to keep this interpretation possible, we could not use any pronouns to refer to the prince at all. Even gender neutral pronouns would be so conspicuous as to force the Utena interpretation over the “just another boy” interpretation. I had to rephrase a lot of the lines in interesting ways to keep this as a possible reading. The reason Anya was able to point out the fact I had missed this reading was because that was originally how they had read it on their first watch of the show. Our final translation allows you to interpret the scene through either my or Anya’s eyes, depending on which path your brain instinctively follows.

This is one reason why Anya has been instrumental in the translation process. Their skills in reading and interpreting art and their deep understanding of the themes contained in Utena have filled in the gaps where mine are insufficient.

I was inspired to write this post by a quote from the translator’s note of Simone de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex. The book had been translated by H. M. Parshley, a man, in 1954, but received a more complete translation in 2009 by two female translators, Constance Borde and Sheila Malovany-Chevallier.

The first English-language translation did not always recognise the philosophical terminology in The Second Sex. Take the crucial word ‘authentic’ to mean ‘to be in good faith’. As Toril Moi points out, Parshley changed it into ‘real, genuine, and true’.

To me, this reads as Parshley underestimating de Beauvoir as a philosopher, or more likely simply not being familiar with the technical philosophical meaning of ‘authentic’ (Parshley was primarily a zoologist), though I'm sure some misogynistic bias seeped into other parts of his translation as well. No matter the reason, this misinterpretation of that word was the only interpretation that English readers had from 1954 to 2009. The English audience were forced to see the work through the sexist or incompetent eyes of Parshley — even someone exceedingly familiar with philosophical terminology reading this English translation would not be able to make the correct interpretation of that passage (unless they reverse engineered the poor translation).

Much like with The Second Sex, I felt that a new translation was necessary for Utena, and this is why I took on the project. The existing translations are interpretations of the deeply queer work through the eyes of (presumably) cis people. This is why I felt so compelled to translate it the way I see it, the way a trans and nonbinary person sees it, so that everyone can see it the way I do, which is, I believe, the way it was meant to be seen.

[itsnevercasual]

Look Into His Angel Eyes

pairing: harry styles x zoologist!youtuber!reader

summary: harry takes his niece to the san diego zoo, and you just so happen to take care of the animal she’s obsessed with. koalas.

warnings: zero knowledge of zoology LMAO, not edited, a few curse words

—

harry had expected a lot more fuss when he went to a very famous, very popular zoo. he expected at least someone — one person! — to notice him or recognize him.

nobody had even given him a second glass.

those kids movies were right. change your har (put on a beanie) and wear sunglasses (because even if it was a little chilly, it was bright), and you were a whole different person!

well, until gemma’s little girl, rosie, who was usually a gem and the best kid ever, started crying. over what, you may ask?

she demanded they find the koalas.

granted, she was only five, but.. he was still worried people would see him and recognize him.

when he had graciously offered to drive rosie to san diego to go to the zoo because gemma simply didn’t have the time, he forgot it was a public, normal people zoo.

so, he asked someone where the koalas were (and then four more people after that on the way there, all of which informed him that he better hurry if he wanted to catch the koala talk, which was supposedly a big hit for some reason), and made his way to the other side of the zoo.

who the hell made this place so big?

—

you’d been living in san diego for five years, since you were eighteen. you’d been working with the koalas at the san diego zoo for that same amount of time.

18 and fresh out of high school, you moved far, far away from your horrible hometown and even more horrible people, and went to san diego to both go to college for zoology and work your dream job.

well, technically, it was an internship at first, but still!

like most little girls, you were obsessed with animals. however, instead of dogs or some other basic animal (though, koalas are still pretty basic, you suppose), you were obsessed with koalas. and then, it never went away.

your mother tried anything to talk you out of it, into a safer career path, she’d say. more secure.

well, fuck secure because you were about to go talk to little kids who were just like you when you were younger and feed a baby koala.

you had also started a successful side career as a youtuber. you made regular videos like vlogs and hauls and whatnot, and also educational videos about koalas. some of your vlogs were at work, such as today.

“so.. we have jess here to record as i do a koala talk. and.. it is officially 1:30, so let’s go!” you exclaim, handing your coworker, jess, the camera.

you pushed open the door (more like gate) and walked out. there was a fairly large crowd today, including the cutest little girl with a pink dress on right in the front row.

you set the crate (don’t yell, it’s a big crate. and it’s simply to take them from their exhibit to the talk area, which is a distance of maybe 50 feet) down on the wooden table.

the talk area was pretty much their enclosure, but instead of a glass wall, it was open and the kids could see better.

you opened the crate and slowly coaxed the bears out. you’d only brought two today. mila, and her baby charlotte (you always called her charlie, though).

once they were out and climbing on the branches, you turned to the crowd.

“hi, guys! my name is y/n, and i’m basically in charge of the koalas here! who here has been to one of my talks before?”

a few hands raise.

“good! well, today, we have a new guest… who remembers what was happening with mila last talk? was anyone there?”

one little boy raised his hand.

“yes, the.. little boy in a blue shirt?”

“jackson!” he told you.

“jackson, sorry. what was going on with mila? for everyone who doesn’t know, mila is that big one right there.”

“she was— she had a baby in her tummy.”

“she did!” you respond enthusiastically. “and a few months ago.. four months ago, actually, she had her baby! who wants to meet her?”

all the little kids screamed me! me! me!

you laughed, “alright, let me grab her.”

you walked over to mila, petting her head as you slowly took charlie away.

“hey, mila.. can i take her real quick?” you ask as if she can hear you, before speaking to the crowd. “mila and i have a special bond, if you ask me. she had her baby right around the time i had mine. so we are both new mothers,” you laugh. “but, anyway! i’ve been with mila since she got here, so she really trusts me. which is why i can easily just..”

you grabbed charlie off of mila, and put her on her shoulder like you did your baby.

“so, everyone, this is charlotte, but i call her charlie! now, i have a very special job for one of you.. but i need someone who will be very careful, because charlie is still a delicate baby.. can anyone hold her for me while i feed her?”

and finally, the adorable little girl interacted. she started jumping and raised her hand.

you walked over to the fence separating you from the crowd, crouching to be eye level with her. “and who might you be?”

“rosie!” she responded. and oh, she had a baby voice and she was british.

“rosie! well, do you think you can hold her for me?”

“yes! yes, please!”

“alright, we’ll get you and dad back here—“

“ehm.. uncle..” her uncle, not father, responded in a british accent.

“oh, sorry! you and your uncle back here. and what’s your name, rosie’s uncle?”

he hesitated, before— “harry.”

your brain slowly put two and two together as you glanced at his tattoos.

harry styles.

“oh, i see,” you respond, “well, let’s get you guys back here!”

you opened the gate they were thankfully standing right in front of, and they walked into the talking area before you shut the gate.

you led rosie to the center, crouching down to her again.

“alright, we’re gonna do this in a funny way. can you stick out your arm for me?”

she did.

“i’m gonna put charlie on your arm, alright? she’s gonna wrap herself around it, and her claws might scratch you, but it’s fine, yeah?”

“yes, ma’am!”

“aw, you’re so polite. alright.. charlie incoming!”

you slowly adjusted charlie to curl around rosie’s arm.

“it tickles!” she squeals with a laugh.

“yeah?” both you and harry — harry styles — respond at the same time.

“alright, i’m gonna grab her bottle! stay here!”

you ran over to grab it, and while you were shaking it so it was ready, you felt something wrap around your leg.

“hi, mila!” you exclaim to the koala wrapped around you.

you carefully walk back over.

“i’m gonna feed her for a minute, and then i’ll let you and your uncle try, yeah?”

“okay!”

you started feeding charlie as you spoke again.

“so, the reason we feed charlie instead of having her feed from her momma, who is clinging to my leg, is because charlie was born a little early and needs a little more nutrients!”

you talked a little more about koalas and their behavior before rosie wanted to feed her. and after a few minutes of that, you glanced to harry.

“you wanna give it a go?”

“sure, why not,” he shrugs.

“charlie seems pretty cozy.. so, i’ll give you mila. she’s a little heavy, though.”

you bent over and took mila off your leg, handing her over to harry.

“hold her like a baby on your hip.. it’s kinda like a.. odd hug! a koala hug, if you will. i’ll grab her bottle.”

you ran over, and when harry began feeding her after you returned, he asked a question.

“so.. why do y’feed mila? i know charlie’s a baby and all, but..”

“that’s a very good question! so, mila is getting a little old, and she was also brought to us injured. that, paired with giving birth four months ago, we just have to give her some more electrolytes… her bottle is actually just white gatorade. we tried green, but she hates it. she’s very picky.”

“well, that’s cause y’gave her green.”

“hey! who has the degree here? yeah, shush.”

“yes, ma’am,” he laughed.

—

once the talk was over, you told rosie and harry to stay back.

you let charlie and mila climb about the branches while you spoke to them.

“i just want to make sure you both are alright with being in a video.. also, you need to wash your hands.. jess should be back with the sanitizer soon.”

“can i ask what video?”

“oh! right, sorry. i’m a youtuber, and i sometimes film my talks to publish and whatnot. i’ll blur your faces, of course. i blur everyone in the crowd’s faces for privacy reasons, but i figured you’d be.. more.. concerned about that than most.”

“you know?”

“i mean.. voice is a giveaway.. i also follow gemma’s instagram, so i recognized rosie,” you shrug. “but anyways, you’re good with the video?”

“yeah, of course.”

you then turned to rosie to answer her bajillion questions about koalas until jess came back with the hand sanitizer.

“so, just use a lot of this, and you’ll be good,” you explain, putting a few pumps into each of their hands.

once they were all clean of koala germs, you told them they were free to go.

rosie ran forward, but harry lingered.

“thank you,”

“oh, yeah. of course. i figured you wouldn’t want koala germs—“

“no, i mean thanks for giving rosie that opportunity.”

“oh! of course. i love seeing little kids who love them as much as me.”

“she’s bloody obsessed with the things.”

“mm, yeah. they’re easy to love. word of advice, don’t shoot her love for them down. it doesn’t exactly work. i mean.. look at me,” you laugh.

“i will keep that in mind,” he smilez. “what was your name again?”

“y/n.. y/n l/n.”

—

a/n: enjoy

[apoloadonisandnarcissus]

One Parallel to Rule Them All

I’ve seen a lot of comparisons of Saurondriel to other ships (Reylo, Hannigram, etc.), but to me, what comes closer to Saurondriel dynamic is Vanessa Ives x Dracula in “Penny Dreadful”.

For those not familiar with the story: Dracula has been grouping Vanessa’s mind for ages, because he wants her as his bride and queen. He tempts her with promises of love and power, but Vanessa always resists.

Pretty much like the OG Dracula, he's the progenitor and master of all vampires. His plan is world domination. He's an ancient immortal spirit with, you guessed it: They are many, my names… like the carrion circling Golgotha.

Like Galadriel, Vanessa is also on a hunt for Dracula for a very long time, for personal reasons: he kidnapped her best friend (who’s like a sister to her). Galadriel is on a hunt of Sauron because he killed her brother.

Vanessa Ives is the female lead character of “Penny Dreadful”, and in the outside she’s poised, mysterious and dignified. She is, however, full of secrets, inner demons and dangers: her main struggle is to stay on God's side as she struggles with the darkness within herself, and is tempted by both Dracula and Lucifer (The Devil) to join them. She has several supernatural gifts, which are a burden to her and everyone around her (and they threaten to destroy her very life, and her relationships with others): she’s a medium, clairvoyant, mind-reader, expert on protective magic (to block evil), divination, and white witchcraft, in general. She also gets possessed on occasion. If all of this sounds familiar it’s because it’s pretty similar to “Lady of the Light” Galadriel herself.

One kiss and you're free of all this. In this mortal world you'll always be shunned for your uniqueness, but not with me. They will lock you away in rooms like this. They will brand you a freak and a sorceresses, but I won't. I love you for who you are, Vanessa. Penny Dreadful, A Blade of Grass, 3x04 Context: Vanessa is locked up in a mental asylum in this scene, and Dracula and the Devil possess a worker to speak with her, and tempt her to their side

All others look on you with doubt. I alone can see your greatness. I alone can see your light [...] I would make you a queen. Fair as the sea and the Sun. Stronger than the foundations of the earth. Rings of Power, Alloyed, 1x08

Meeting in Human Form:

When Dracula/Sauron, finally, appears to Vanessa/Galadriel, in the flesh, he hides his true self behind a human form, and poses as “Dr. Alexander Sweet”/Halbrand, a zoologist at the Natural Museum, in London/random dude who hides a secret.

Catching Feelings:

Both Vanessa and Galadriel fall in love with Dr. Sweet (Dracula)/Halbrand (Sauron).

The Reveal:

Eventually, both Vanessa and Galadriel discover Dracula/Sauron true identity, and put a weapon against them. Both villains try to justify themselves, with the truth:

Have I lied? You met a man who marvels wide-eyed at the miracles of nature. So I am. You met a man who has known pain and tragedy. And so I am. You met a man who wanted to possess you for his own ends but, instead, he fell in love. That's the man I am, and the monster. Penny Dreadful, Ebb Tide, 3x07

You told me. After our victory, you said that whatever I'd done before I could be free of it now [...] I told you the truth. I told you that I had done evil, and you did not care. Because you knew that our past meant nothing, weighed against our future. Rings of Power, Alloyed, 1x08

The Proposal:

Here's the catch. Vanessa resisted Dracula several times before (like Galadriel), until she doesn't, and accepts his offer, because she can no longer escape the darkness within herself: I will love you till time has lost all meaning, Dracula promises her.

Galadriel will have to accept the darkness within herself too, as we’ve seen on the Third Age (not sure if it implies her giving up to Sauron, though).

In Penny Dreadful, Vanessa eventually "gets rescued” from Dracula (she’s killed, actually) by an agent of God (Ethan Chandler), who comes to confront Dracula: I suppose I can't blame you. I would feel the same. After all, without her, what do we have left, Ethan? 

For the sake of the argument, if this parallel was to continue, and we see Galadriel succumbing to Sauron in Season 3, who could this “agent of God” be in “Rings of Power”? Gandalf, of course. The Maia of Manwë (King of the Valar) sent to Middle-earth to help the Free people defeat Sauron.

[so-i-did-this-thing]

People I’d Like to Know Better tag

tagged by @captocie!

Last song: Amari Szi, Amari - Csókolom - Topic. This one always feels very joyful to me, with a touch of wistfulness/nostalgia, because I can't enjoy any music unless it is at least a little melancholy to my ears.

Last book: The Zoologist's Guide to the Galaxy. An accessible treatise on approaching speculative biology. I embarrassingly only had about 2 hrs left on this audiobook for *months*. It is read very nicely by Samuel West, but the production levels are very quiet (when he is already a soft reader), and I could only listen on drives with low road noise.

Last movie: Easter tradition of Jesus Christ, Superstar (1973). Showed it to some friends for their first time, a delight to see their reactions.

Last show: Been going through Bob's Burgers to be motivated to use the treadmill on a regular basis. As for what I'm keeping up with at the moment, that'd be the current Wolf Hall.

Last thing I searched for: "thomas farthing suit reddit" - I've been eyeing some of their clothes and nabbed a suit cut with the longer coat style I like (their coats are normally way too short for a proper vintage silhouette).

Favorite color: Brown. Really! Especially in leather and tweed.

Sweet/savory/spicy: savory every time. I love cheese and bread.

Relationship status: Married and monogamous. We'll be celebrating the 12th anniversary of our first date at Dragoncon this year. :)

Looking forward to: Going to a little visible mending workshop tomorrow at a living history museum, and then a Franklin Expedition commemorative picnic on Sunday

Current obsession: Been in fully activated sleeper agent mode since October 2024 for All Creatures Great & Small, specifically veterinarian Siegfried Farnon, who has been a gender envy blorbo since I was 10 years old.

Tagging whoever wants to play, I'm awful at remember mutual names!

[ustulia]

⊹ ࣪ ˖ The Archives ˖ ࣪ ⊹

A curation of creators and creations that I highly recommend. Will be continually updated as I get more time to work on it.

18+ content warning

My Works

Processing….

Series that I absolutely adore ♡

Painted Smile, @worldofkuro

Summary: You couldn't wait to meet new friends. What you didn't expect was this smiling little boy, only one year older than you, that would take such a big place in your life.

Taking Care, @valerie-is-in-the-cupboard

Summary: After Alastor comes home injured, you tend to his wounds. Despite his attempts to hide this dark side of him, you eventually learn to accept it.

Zoologist Series, @inuhalfdemon

Summary: Reader has a degree in zoology and is a menus to the residents of the hotel, specifically to Alastor

Caught, @redvexillum

Summary: You wake up in Hell one day with memories holey as swiss cheese. Despite your disadvantaged state, you're determined to challenge Heaven's judgment. But as time ticks on relentlessly, your memories slowly return, and you fight tooth and nail to prevent your faith in redemption from tarnishing.

Until...it does.

If Music Be The Food of Love, @deafsignifcantother

Summary: Reader is a deaf ex-overlord who has shut herself in her home away from society until on of her overlord friends, Alastor, reappears after seven years.

A Misdemeanor of the Heart, @redfoxwritesstuff

Summary: Fading away in an abusive marriage, each day passes just the same as the last. Painful monotony eats at you until a pair of warm brown eyes sparks the idea that you could have something more. When a business deal between men sparks a torrid affair, how long can you keep things going before the fire either leaves you a burnt out shell or burns up everything around you? And what becomes of the radio host who thought he was above the fickle fires of the heart when the match he strikes burns his hand instead? Can he possess what rightfully belongs to another man without leaving everything he has fought for in ashes?

Creators that never disappoint ♡

Writers: @alastor-simp, @fraugwinska, @hazelfoureyes, @klttn, @lurochar, @6esiree, @whatswrongwithblue

Artists: @az-roser, @notherpuppet, @oxavane, @re-unknown, @strawijuice

For more broad recommendations, please use the tags under this post to help navigate through my blog

[sixtsposts]

CW: female!reader

~•°•☆•°•~

Y/N, a young New York witch who has always been passionate about magical creatures, heard about a magical zoologist who lives in London. So she went looking for him in the hope that he would teach her his trade.

She walks the streets on the lookout for the slightest clue that could help her find this famous Newt Scamander. When suddenly, while passing in front of an antique jewelry store, she saw something moving inside. She stopped her steps and returned to the window and was not surprised to see a Niffler filling the pocket of her belly with necklaces, earrings and other sparkling objects. Without being able to hold it back, the young girl burst into crystal-clear laughter and drew her magic wand to try to recover the little thief creature.

But before she could do anything a young man with curly hair arrived followed by another man with a mustache. He broke the window with an unspoken spell and rushed into the window to try to recover the Niffler. Unfortunately, the beast jumped out of the store, slithering across the road. Y/N then rushed towards the poor creature who was unable to escape from her. The young man got out of the trashed window and shook his wand to put everything back in order. With a disappointed look, the wizard collected his suitcase and began to walk away. But before he could left with his friend the young girl ran to him, handing him her Niffler. The man's gaze moved from the girl to the creature and so on.

- I managed to catch your Nifleur before he escaped Sir, she said, smiling.

The young brunette then gave him a frank smile and took the creature in his arms before putting it back in his suitcase.

- Thank you so much...

She told him his name and shook his hand honestly.

- You are Newt Scamander, aren't you?

- Um yes yes, it's me. He smiled shyly

- I was just looking for you, Mister Scamander... He cut him off.

- Please call me Newt.

- Of course! Well, Newt, I was looking for you.

- Looking for me? He frowned.

- Yes ! I was told you were the only one magiczoologist that exists. And being passionate about magical creatures I I was wondering if you could teach me your trade... maybe?

She finished her sentence in a whisper, not sure of his reaction. Norbert raised his eyebrows, surprised. Then he gave a small smile.

- Well, you can to come to my reserve and I'll see what you're capable of... Other than catching Nifflers I mean, which is very useful you can believe me.

She laughed softly and followed him, happier than ever. They apparated together and arrived at Newt's house, in his reserve. The young girl was finally able to put into practice everything she had studied for so long. And it must be admitted that Norber was rather enthusiastic at the idea of ​​having him as an apprentice.

- Where did you learn all that? He asked curiously.

- Well, thanks to your book Newt. She replied, laughing.

He turned red and laughed heartily with her. The evening continued like this. And after two hours of visit and treatment they went back upstairs. There, Newt returned to Y/N and him while holding out his hand.

- Y/N, you are officially my apprentice. He smiled. She returned his handshake almost jumping because she was so happy.

- Oh thank you Newt, you won't regret it not, I promise you!

- Oh but I'm sure of it. He smiles crookedly looking at her with piercing eyes without realizing it.

The young girl could not keep from turning scarlet. After that they all went to eat and Y/N was able to meet Newt's friend, Jacob Kowalski. A very nice boy who's very in love with a certain Queeny Goldstein. He told you she was the sister of Tina Goldstein, the girl with whom Norbert would be in love said Jacob

- No Jacob, I already told you, Tina and I it's over. He said shaking his head.

- Oh, did you argue? Asked carefully Y/N.

-Ah no, not at all. We left by mutual agreement. We were better friends after all. And that's what we are now. He gave his friend a pointed look which made the young girl laugh.

The end of the meal was in a good mood. Jacob leaves right after and the two found themselves alone. They were chatting on the sofa in a quiet atmosphere

- By the way Y/N what were you doing back in America? he asked, facing the young girl, her head resting on her hand and her elbow propped on the back of the sofa.

- Well I was studying. I just finished a few weeks ago. After that I came directly to pick you up. She replied, sitting cross-legged facing the brunette.

- Oh but then, how old are you? He said, getting up and going to get the kettle which was starting to whistle.

- I'm 22 years old.

They talked for another hour, while drinking tea before going to bed.

- Well, good night Newt. See you tomorrow !She said as she got ready to go through the door. entry.

- Wait, where are you going to sleep? he worried.

- Oh I think I would find one hostel or hotel for the night.

- It's already past midnight Y/N, you won't find anything tonight.

- But yes, don't worry. I'll manage. She smiles at him.

- And for tomorrow and the other days eh? No, out of question. I can't let a young girl wander the streets of London alone in the middle of the night. You can take the guest room! He said it all in one go and she smiled softly.

- All right. She said simply.

- Really ? Awesome ! So come, follow me.

He took her to a nice little room where she opened her suitcase and settled down to sleep. The next morning she got up first, being used to being woken up very early by her family. So she set about preparing breakfast to thank her host. She was making the omelette when the latter arrived in the small kitchen, shirtless.

Seeing the young girl, the frying pan in her hand, her mouth open and her red cheeks staring at him, he realized that he was not alone, jumped up and stammered apologies before going to put on a black tank top. He wore loose beige fabric pants and was barefoot.

Y/N, on the other hand, was wearing a large shirt and pajama pants too. Newt was scarlet red while the young girl couldn't help but laugh at the scene that had unfolded before her eyes a few minutes before.

- I'm sorry Y/N, I forgot that I was no longer alone. He admitted embarrassed.

- Oh no, it's nothing Newt. This isn't the first torso I've seen, you kn-

But she didn't finish her sentence when she realized what she was saying, she in turn turned purple. This time it was the magiczoologist who burst into hearty laughter.

- No, well what I mean is that I grew up with three brothers so I often saw them shirtless. Saw you? She said stuttering.

- I see yeah... He replied simply, a smile on his face as he scrutinized the young girl in front of him. It’s true that now that you mention it, you haven’t yet told me about your family.

- Oh there is nothing interesting to say really. To be honest, I've never had a very good relationship with them. She said as she served him the omelette.

- Thanks, that looks delicious! Exclaimed the wizard, throwing himself at the food. Is that why you came to London? To escape them?

- Run away from them no, just take a step back.. But beyond everything it was to find you Sir. She gave him an amused look as her cheeks took on a rosy tint.

- Well, I'm delighted to have served as an alibi for you to escape from the United States. He laughs.

- We can hardly make a better alibi must be said! She laughed in turn.

Once breakfast was finished, Newt took his assistant to his basement. They spent the day talking to each other, inadvertently touching their hands and so on.

The days passed and it was almost two months since Y/N worked alongside Scamander and obviously the contact between the two individuals became more familiar. They had become very accomplices. It was obvious that Norbert liked the young girl, he even felt more fascination for her than for Tina before. And conversely, Y/N was very attracted to the magiczoologist but convinced that he could never love her. And then she was too young for him and not beautiful enough.

Well, that's what she thought until the day when Newt - under Jacob's advice of course - decided to surprise him. The first night they met, after dinner once Jacob had left, she told him that she had always dreamed of having her own Niffler. But she never could because her parents hated animals and now she can't because she doesn't have enough money. However, it turns out that Newt's Nifflers have just had a litter of baby Nifleurs. So he said it would be nice to have one for her. And then he also planned to confess his feelings to her this evening. That evening Y/N was returning from a visit to Queeny - with whom she had become very friend - and had just put her coat on the rack when she felt a presence at her back. She turned around to face Newt with a big smile, her cheeks rosy.

- Y/N.

- Newt, what’s wrong? she asked puzzled by his intense gaze.

Without answering he slipped his arm around her waist and guided her to the sofa where she sat. The magical zoologist stood before her and him in front of a small wooden box with a hole in it. Inside, the girl saw something moving.

- It's for you. The wizard said softly to him. I hope you like it. He concluded with a cute little smile when she carefully took the box from his hands.

She opened the lid of the box and examined the contents. Suddenly her eyes lit up, she carefully placed the box on the coffee table and jumped on top of the man to give him a hug. The person in question returned her embrace by wrapping his arms around her and holding her close to him as if he no longer wanted her to leave. He breathed in the perfume that emanated from her hair, she smelled good of lavender. He loves lavender.

She broke away from him and kissed him on the plays while whispering a little: “thank you infinitely Norbert, I don't know how thank you". Then she turned around to look at the box when a hand clung to her wrist. He turned her towards him and with a quick step approached her, placed his hand on her cheek and placed her lips on his.

After few seconds of surprise she young girl responded to his kiss by slipping her hands into the sorcerer's hair. He then placed his other hand on her hips. The kiss lasted for several more seconds and the two lovers had to separate because of the lack of oxygen.

- Y/N I like you... I really do. He whispered to him gently.

- Oh if you knew how I waited moment. Obviously I love you Norbert.

And she kissed him again. And that's it, lrt's leave the two lovers the privacy they need. In any case, what is certain is that it was a shock for Jacob to show up at his friend's house and surprise him in bed with the young girl. But strangely, Queeny wasn't surprised at all...

[occasionaloneshots]

Before the World Ended - Y2K

Random headcanons I have about the main 6 teens we got from the movie (Ash, Farkus, Danny, Eli, Laura, and CJ). When I say random trust that I mean there’s absolutely NO connection between them, they’re just things about the characters that are true to me.

Warnings: canon-typical alcohol and weed mentions, emetophobia and allergy mentions, death mentions, vomit mentions

Ash

Is a foster kid, but they’ve been with the same family since they were 13

RadioShack employee (and though they say they hate it, they firmly believe they have the best job out of their friend group)

Has seen every horror movie at Video MD at least twice, constantly drags Farkus to the theater for new releases

Desperately wants to go to film school but knows they can’t afford it so they haven’t told anyone (dreams of being a director, that’s why they’re so attached to their little camcorder)

Has an obsession with Reptiles, currently has a pet gecko that they take better care of than themself

Really struggles to differentiate between romantic and platonic feelings

Had a crush on Laura when they first moved to town, told no one

Smells like one of those cheap Jasmine bodycology sprays from the CVS mixed with cheap weed and spearmint gum

Farkus

Recently got fired from McDonald’s because he gave someone an almost completely raw McChicken (they were absolutely awful to him and he’d do it again)

Watches extreme horror to seem cool, but he doesn’t even like normal horror (secretly a rom-com enjoyer)

Scared of birds (especially vultures)

Was best friends with CJ until his mom married CJ’s uncle, then he suddenly dropped CJ with no explanation (he’s not sure why he did it himself)

Raised by doomsday preppers

Is actually extremely laid back, he’s annoying but there’s not a genuinely violent bone in his body. He really just wants attention

Ash and August banned him from talking about Space when he’s high because he’ll get so obsessed with the idea of aliens that he makes himself paranoid

Absolutely always has a pack of gum on him, can’t leave the house without it

Won’t drink vodka lemonades anymore after the pool incident of 1997 (he is also coincidentally also banned from the public pool)

Danny

Has extreme emetophobia

Allergic to cherries, stilled tried to tie a cherry stem with his tongue at 15 and ended up in the ER over it

Can get along with absolutely anyone, the only reason he’s deemed a “loser” is because he’s so attached to Eli he never tried to make more friends

Favorite color is pink and he’s very verbally proud of it

Collects postcards, he’s hoping to one day have one from every state and all of Canada

Despite Ash making fun of him using Tacobell, he refuses to eat there (he got food poisoning from a burrito in the 8th grade and hasn’t gone back since)

Has a major soft spot for animals, wants to be a zoologist one day

Vanilla Ice enjoyer (once tried to make friends with CJ over it and it went about as well as you expect it to)

Eli

Claims to use aftershave but it’s actually just his mom’s Vanilla body oil

Eats a lot of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream despite Mint chocolate chip being his favorite (Danny got them confused one time and Eli was so stoked that someone cared enough to randomly get him ice cream that he never corrected him. He’s slowly starting to prefer cookie dough anyway)

Irrational fear of sharks in swimming pools

Can’t stand Ash outside of work, but on the clock they’re his favorite co-worker (they’re so much nicer to be around without their friends there)

Orders Chicken Tenders absolutely everywhere, doesn’t matter what type of restaurant it is

Plans on being a movie critic one day, has no clue how to get into the field

Gets chronic migraines

Is secretly a really big reader, he can finish 3 full length novels in a month on top of his school work

Laura

There’s not a single thing Laura knows that her mom doesn’t, that woman is her best friend. If you tell her a secret, trust her mom will know by the end of the day

Bisexual, broke up with Jonas because she realized she had a crush on Raleigh

Hates the smell and taste of vanilla passionately

dreams of having her own IT company

Really struggles to stand up for herself, let’s her friends make a lot of choices for her

Sleeps at really weird hours, she’s basically nocturnal and often runs off of only 3 hours of sleep

Has a major fear of dying, she’s terrified of what happens after you die

Works at Abercrombie & Fitch

Collects Bath & Body works body sprays

Takes all her notes in glitter gel pen

CJ

Is the youngest of 4 kids and the only boy. His mom and sisters have him absolutely trained

Isn’t actually all that pretentious about music, he just fakes it so no one realizes that he only hates Limp because of Farkus

Has tried to befriend Ash when they wandered away from the group more than once, it’s never worked

Won the state wide poetry competition when he was 12 for a poem he wrote about his dad dying

Works at Orange Julius

Is lactose intolerant but still eats at least 3 blizzards a week anyway (then wonders why his stomach always hurts)

Refuses to eat hotdogs anymore because Farkus made him join a hot dog eating competition at 10 and it made him sick

Is Crawford’s go to guy for edibles, his family knows he’s making them but as long as he doesn’t get caught, they don’t care

People always assume he’s not listening so they gossip around him constantly. CJ knows the entire school’s business

Keeps hard candies in the pockets of his wind breakers partially to have something to fidget with and partially to have something sweet “just in case”

Almost got struck by lightning when he was 7

[quotespile]

You can examine a text closely as a doctor of letters, but you are utterly incapable of examining yourself. You, the zoologist, never the beast. You, the reader, never the text. What if you are both?

Viet Thanh Nguyen, A Man of Two Faces

[mlmxreader]

In Another Life | Indiana Jones x m!reader

『••✎••』

requested by anonymous

↳ ❝ “I’m starting to think you like it when I cuddle you” with indiana Jones x male reader please? ❞

: ̗̀➛ You're given the task of helping Indiana out with his latest adventure, but before it even begins, there's something already getting in the way.

trigger warnings: ̗̀➛ angst, swearing

•───────────────★•♛•★──────────────•

spotlight fundraiser : ̗̀➛ Help Mustafa's family go to Canada.

•───────────────★•♛•★──────────────•

The forest was all but silent as you leaned your head on Indiana's shoulder and closed your eyes; the small fire had all but died, and he was leaned back slightly with his hat covering his face and his arms folded across his chest. The gentle rise and fall of his chest against your hand was enough to lull you gently as you felt everything around you begin to fade as sleep started to finally take over.

After travelling to London, then to Chicago to pick Indiana up, you then headed to Italy, then finally, Bangladesh, and from there, you headed to Sundarbans, where you were now.

The mangrove forest itself was gorgeous and life flourished everywhere you had looked, but unfortunately, you did not have time to admire it all due to the constant travel and lack of sleep. When Indiana finally made camp, you didn't even think about looking around to see where you both were - you just wanted to sleep.

Still quite unsure of why he had brought you along, but you supposed that a zoologist might have been handy nonetheless - why he couldn't have hired a local zoologist, though, you were well aware.

Indiana had always had a somewhat soft spot for you, and you were always his first choice whenever he needed a man who knew animals around him, which was quite often in his line of secondary work; he liked you a lot more than he had ever cared to say, even to himself. Even now, with your head against his shoulder, he was struggling not to smile from behind his hat.

By the sheer will of instinct, you moved to sit between his legs, manoeuvring yourself to rest your head against his chest; Indiana didn't say a word as he put his arm around you to prevent you from falling into the mud and moss, the smile behind his hat growing fondly. He tilted his head back slightly, his sweat soaked neck exposed just for you.

You sighed heavily, almost entirely drifted off, and you finally dared to mutter a handful of words which you had thought remained in the back of your skull. "Y'know, I'm starting to think you like it when I cuddle you..."

Indiana hummed, but didn't dare to agree nor disagree; he only moved his hand to make sure that you were both comfortable and more than secure in his arms.

He leaned back slightly, keeping hold of you as he allowed one eye to close; he kept his partial gaze on you, trained and confident as he bit at the inside of his lip in hopes that it would prevent the smile that threatened to spread across his face.

He could feel the soft breaths grace against his skin as your lips slightly parted, your entire body going limp against him; Indiana froze up, his jaw clenched ever so slightly.

You were a handsome man, he had no doubt about that and it wasn't like it was easy for him to miss the way that other people looked at you; the slight hunger in their eyes and the way they lingered on certain areas that Indiana found himself almost staring at all too often when he was near you.

Sure, you were handsome.

But you were smart, and your wit easily matched his own, and that wasn't exactly easy for anyone to do. Indiana found it charming, endearing, and maybe he liked it a little bit more than he was supposed to - maybe he enjoyed it just a bit more than he could ever properly say.

But it was wrong, and he knew it better than anyone else in the world.

It was so fucking wrong, he was pushing forty and you were just pushing into your mid twenties.

But... but he never wanted to be around anyone else if he could be at your side for even just a moment.

He finally closed both eyes, and cleared his throat as gently as he could without rousing you.

Indiana told himself that it was silly, and he shouldn't have bothered with it. Shouldn't have said anything. It wasn't like you would care anyway, you were young and too handsome to shack up with him. You probably wanted a man your own age.

A few words escaped your slightly parted lips, and Indiana wished you never would have said them.

"Oh, Indy... I love you..."

He knew that you were still asleep, but fuck, he wished he could have just pushed it from his mind and acted like you didn't mean fucking anything by it. But he couldn't.

Indiana had no idea, of course, that you felt so much the same.

Poor Indiana hadn't a fucking clue about the lingering gazes that you left on him and the way you would feel so utterly fucking gutted when you caught him charming someone else, wishing so badly that it was you.

You would always find an excuse to be near him, and even when you didn't entirely understand why he invited you on his little adventures, you could never say no - he could have asked you to tag along with him to investigate something as mundane as an abandoned bin the woods, and you would have jumped at the chance.

In another life, you would have liked exploring the world entirely at his side; discovering new species and learning how to protect them, observing their natural behaviours and learning how they interacted with the other lives around them.

In another life, you would have liked to have been his.

But it wasn't possible. You knew that Indiana had a soft spot for you, you would have to have been stupid not to, but you also knew that he would never go beyond the gazes and the way he brushed his hand against yours whenever he handed you something.

Or the way he moved his chair just a little bit closer to press his knee against yours.

In another life, you could have been his.

But not in this one.

[bluelavendre]

I miss you, I'm sorry

Idol Kth x zoologist reader

Title: I Miss You, I'm Sorry

kth x reader

The dim glow of the streetlamp outside your window illuminated the room, casting long shadows on the walls. The sound of rain tapping softly against the glass was the only thing filling the silence, apart from the faint hum of the song playing in the background. Gracie Abrams’ "I Miss You, I'm Sorry" played on a loop, each word cutting into your chest like a knife.

It had been years since you and Taehyung last saw each other. The last time you spoke was the night you both decided to end things—for his career, for his dreams. For yours. At the time, it had seemed like the only choice. Taehyung was an idol, loved by millions, constantly under the microscope of the media. And you? You were just you, a zoologist chasing a passion that had taken you to the far corners of the world.

But even after the breakup, he hadn’t stopped reaching out. The texts came sporadically, usually late at night. A simple “I miss you” or “Are you okay?” It was cruel in a way, the way he refused to fully let go. Yet you couldn’t bring yourself to block him. Even after the dating scandals. Even after seeing his name splashed across headlines alongside photos of him with other idols—smiling, laughing, holding hands. You’d told yourself it didn’t matter. That he had moved on. But the texts told a different story.

Now, as the rain poured outside, you stared at your phone, Taehyung’s name glowing softly on the screen. You hadn’t deleted his number, though you’d typed out dozens of messages you never had the courage to send.

The song swelled, the lyrics echoing the ache in your heart:

"I miss you. I’m sorry."

The tears came before you could stop them, warm and relentless. You hated how much you missed him, how much you wanted to hear his voice, see his boxy smile, feel the warmth of his hand in yours. But there was also the guilt. The nagging voice in your head that reminded you of all the ways you’d let him down, all the ways you hadn’t been enough.

Two years had passed since he’d enlisted in the military. The world seemed quieter without his presence, though his name still appeared in the occasional headline. You had thrown yourself into your work, traveling to remote locations to study endangered species. It had been your dream for as long as you could remember, and in the chaos of your career, you had tried to bury the memories of him. But it never worked.

Brazil had been your latest destination. The lush rainforest, teeming with life, had been a welcome distraction. You’d spent weeks in the field, observing animals, collecting data, and finding solace in the simplicity of nature. But today, you were in the city, taking a rare day off to visit a local cafe you’d read about.

The bell above the door chimed softly as you stepped inside, the aroma of coffee and fresh pastries filling the air. You ordered a drink and found a seat by the window, flipping through your notes as you sipped your coffee. It was peaceful, the kind of moment you wished you could freeze and live in forever.

Then you heard it. That laugh. The one you’d know anywhere.

Your heart stopped. Slowly, you looked up, and there he was. Taehyung. He was standing near the counter, surrounded by a small entourage. He looked the same and yet different. His hair was shorter, his frame slightly leaner, but his presence was as commanding as ever. He was here for a photoshoot, you realized, judging by the cameras and crew hovering around him.

You ducked your head, panic flooding your system. What were the odds? Out of all the cafes in Brazil, he had walked into this one. You debated leaving, but before you could move, you heard his voice.

“Y/N?”

You froze. Slowly, you looked up, and his eyes met yours. For a moment, neither of you spoke. The world seemed to tilt, the noise of the cafe fading into the background.

“Hi,” he said finally, his voice soft, uncertain.

“Hi,” you replied, your voice barely above a whisper.

He took a step closer, his entourage hovering uncertainly behind him. “What are you doing here?” he asked, his eyes scanning your face like he was trying to memorize every detail.

“Work,” you said simply. “I’m here for a research project.”

He nodded, his expression unreadable. “I’m here for a campaign shoot.”

“I figured,” you said, gesturing subtly toward the cameras.

There was a long pause. The kind of silence that felt heavy and full of things neither of you knew how to say.

“I’ve missed you,” he said finally, breaking the silence. His voice cracked slightly, the vulnerability in his tone making your chest ache.

You looked down at your coffee, your fingers tightening around the mug. “Taehyung…”

“I know,” he said quickly. “I know we… we can’t. But seeing you again…” He trailed off, running a hand through his hair. “It’s like the universe is trying to tell me something.”

You shook your head, tears welling up in your eyes. “It’s not fair,” you whispered. “You can’t keep doing this, Tae. You can’t keep holding on to me when we both know it won’t work.”

“I know,” he said again, his voice barely audible. “But I can’t help it. I… I love you, Y/N. I always have.”

The tears spilled over then, and you quickly wiped them away. “I love you too,” you admitted, your voice breaking. “But sometimes love isn’t enough.”

His shoulders sagged, the weight of your words settling over him. “I… I just wanted you to know,” he said finally. “That I never stopped loving you. And I never will.”

Before you could respond, his manager called his name, pulling him back to reality. He hesitated for a moment, his eyes searching yours, before turning and walking away.

You watched him go, your heart shattering all over again. The pain was still there, but so was the love. And as the rain began to fall outside, you allowed yourself one last moment to miss him, to love him, before turning back to your work, knowing it was the only way to keep moving forward.

[cloveroctobers]

COMEDY — SYDNEY ADAMU [Summer Writings]

A/N: always imagined writing for Syd and I guess the time has finally arrived…only took three seasons but my girl deserves better and better is what she’s gonna get from me! This piece is set mostly in the final episode of season three as a heads up ❤️

S|N: there was a prompt list that I wanted to go off of to use for you the reader but now I can’t find it so I’m just going off the little I remember. Which is: you being a cyclist.

WARNINGS: language, self-doubt, neighbor trope, + mentions of sexual harassment.

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Having a new neighbor was interesting to say the least. You didn’t think she was fond of you after running into her twice, sneaking in the first time and nearly running your bike over her feet as she seemed to be in a rush herself. She looked as if she was the type of person that if she knew that she had to be somewhere by a certain time, she would be there much earlier than needed.

You on the other hand? Operated on your own time, not sticking to routines as much after your quest to turn into a pro cyclist fell through, and you were stuck working a shitty retail job down at the dollar general (shut out to your general studies degree, your mother did aways say you should have studied something more valuable although she didn’t go to college herself and felt like her money was wasted on you compared to your older sister who lived in South Africa as a zoologist)…where you basically came in when you wanted since the manager never knew how to schedule the four of you—yes—FOUR of you properly. You did what you needed to survive, just like anyone.

The second time you got her attention was when you buzzed her apartment, annoyingly on her day off, contemplating about the contract agreement in the emptiness of her living room.

“Uh…yeah?” She pressed.

“Oh good! You’re home. I thought I was going to have to bug Anita instead and she’s the last one I want to talk to.”

“Who’s Anita?” Sydney paused before asking although she had a feeling who, “And who am I speaking with?”

“She’s on our floor,” you shift from one leg to the other feeling the violent urge to pee, “with the big 80’s curly hair, she talks to herself and at times it is a little concerning and she’s a bit of a Karen. You’ll know once you see her when she’s constantly asking if you live here after seeing her a handful of times and as for me? I’m one of your best neighbors, Ms. Lady with the Colorful hair scarfs.”

“It’s Sydney.” She replies and you nod your head finding that name to be fitting, “Oh yeah, the other guy with the abnormally big octopus tattoo on his cheek told me about you. You always forget to bring your keys, right?”

Oscar.

You thought to yourself in irritation, “Oscar raw dog’s his crocs, so you shouldn’t take his word for anything.”

Sydney laughs, finding this apartment building much more entertaining (so far) than the one she left previously behind but never her dad. “Am I sensing a little tension there or…”

“That’s another story for another time! Can you please buzz me in or else I’m going to have to go right on this sidewalk and I really don’t need another public indecency charge.”

You were honest, Sydney could admit but she also didn’t want to be the one to let a stranger, if you were a stranger into the building if you weren’t really who you said you were you know?

“…how do I know you really live here and aren’t just stalking one of the other tenants?” Sydney quizzed, trying to remember just what you looked like in passing.

“Because stupid Oscar told you I like to forget my keys on purpose?” You remind while Sydney slowly realizes this, although you can’t see this revelation on her face you keep going, “I live at the end of the hall from you, I even used to date Oscar’s sister, but she cheated on me and tried to gaslight me and then took the dog—which honestly looked like a fucking dust bunny in the dark so I’m not really all that upset about it—

“What kind of dog?” She chortles, but the curiosity is also evident beneath it.

You started dancing to the beat of The Fresh Prince in your head, which somehow always worked when you were about to piss on yourself—apologies for being unladylike or unpersonlike but hey when you have to go you have to go, “some Asian breed that starts with a P…Pekingese? Yeah Pekingese!”

“…I don’t know what the hell that is?” Sydney pats at her scalp.

“It’s like a failed experiment of a pug and Pomeranian!” You inform, “It’s actually awful looking, and my know it all sister would scold me for being discriminatory to animals but whatever! Um, How else can I convince you person in the nice cold building while I’m out here at risk of getting a heat stroke?! The basement is horror level scary so if you have to go down there—make sure you have somebody with you or just don’t? There’s also a squeaky floorboard in the middle of our hallway, a weird stain on the wall that’s shaped like a top hat?” You ramble.

A buzzing noise sounds right after your last word and you deeply exhale, yanking the front door open to hold with your backside while you rolled your bike in. “Thanks neighbor! Hope to run into you soon.”

“Ah, dont mention it!” You hear Sydney call, “and maybe invest in a clip for your keys?”

“With the way my cobweb bank account is set up? Not likely, girl! Timmy the toilet is calling my name! Catch you later!”

Sydney shakes her head, letting go of the button to glance at her open laptop and sigh choosing to head into the kitchen instead for some frozen waffles for dinner.

Despite the fact that Sydney is hardly at her new apartment, she finds a paper bag with handles on her door knob when she gets in one night. Carefully she peeks in it while opening the door to her apartment, once inside she pulls out a new satin scarf. It’s a golden yellow with white polka dots on it with a note attached.

~Welcome to the building + thanks for letting me in the other day. I think you’ll like this? If not? I’d never know! —your neighbor ____at 84H.

Which started something between you two without really knowing each other. All you knew was each other’s names now, you had handwriting that honestly resembled calligraphy—something Sydney would have never guessed you were into but you also picked up that when you did see Sydney, she seemed to have a scarf covering her braids majority of the time. She wore them well so you thought why not? It wasn’t anything overly expensive but it was thought that counts?

~What’s your go to midnight snack? —your neighbor Syd @ 84D.

Was on a lime green post it on your door days later. It became your thing, leaving little notes every couple of days on each others door, in a way it became a silent message to let each other know that you both were still around even if you never had the chance to officially be face to face.

So you attempted to draw a horrible picture of what that may be and then drew an x right over it. You weren’t crafty in that way, writing a message beside the terrible picture saying: a struggle meal. A grilled cheese but jelly as the cheese and jalapeño chips. Are you a board game person or video gamer?

Days seemed to get hectic after that in the both of your lives that the post it game seemed to die down just a little. Summer hours seemed to increase since the two teenagers that you worked alongside of preferred to be outside rather than inside—you didn’t blame them. One of them ended up quitting, the other lied and said they sprained their ankle but their Instagram said they were really hanging out at the river, so it was down to you and your elderly coworker Janice, who was actually in chronic pain, and then your manager was “temporarily,” on leave after a customer complained of sexual harassment.

The look you and Janice shared said enough, you believed the customer.

So now you had a new manager from fucking North Dakota…you had no clue what was even out there and they had a whole different approach. They had a neighborly spirit that you wished the scarce people at your building had—except for Sydney of course. The new manager was actually out on the floor, greeting customers and asking if they needed any help! They even gave you and Janice a choice during your eight hour shift, you can alternate between the register and stocking or just pick your role for the shift. They also kept checking in making sure the both of you were well mentally (ha!) and if you needed to take a ten minute break before your actual lunch.

She was a dream but definitely wouldn’t last.

“Are you sure you don’t want a ride?” The North Dakotan asked, already in her pick up truck as you fumbled around with the chains to your bike.

Janice already beeped her horn twice in her Volkswagen Beetle, speeding out of the parking lot with Fleetwood Mac flowing from the windows. You snickered, hand waving in the air as you turned back to the chains, finally getting it unlocked.

“Thanks for the offer but one thing about me, I love this bike more than anything and as long as I can still ride it? I’ll choose this over any car or train any day.”

The manager smiles, “alright then, you have a good night. Get home safe, will you?”

“I’ll try my best.”

You’re limping towards your apartment, it’s late and the sky had this milky fog to hide the sense of dread—or was it grief that sat in your heart? You’re just at your door, body sore, spokes ruined from your bike but as bad as you felt you heard the huffing and sniffing from your left.

Picking up on the braids right away, you know it’s Sydney and it doesn’t appear that she’s having a good night although she’s dressed as if the night was supposed to be. Leaving your bike against your door, you pause, debating if you wanted to get involved or if she would even want to bothered with you while she’s having a moment. You use the act of your post it’s as the okay to be neighborly and check on your neighbor at the end of the hall.

The hallway feels like forever to get to Sydney but her round eyes widen in bewilderment as she feels you groaning to plop down next to her.

“Oh my god,” she gasps as she scans over your features with damp under eyes, “…w-what happened to you?”

Lolling your head to meet her gaze, you grin at her, ignoring the sting of the scrape on your chin and say, “I might have saw hell not too long ago.”

Sydney shifts, using the back of her hand to wipe at her nose, “I—don’t know how to respond to that.”

You explain, “Well apparently we all have to go somewhere—if you believe in that kind of thing. And I guess the person upstairs said let me show you as I turned into a speed bump.”

“You were hit by a car?!” Sydney yells, although her own head felt like someone was letting the air out of a balloon and her heart felt like it pulsating in a way that was probably too slow, with her veins feeling like the whipping of traffic on the freeway.

You knew that look, even had some pill bottles that actually became decor pieces on your bedside table that were supposed to help calm the track runner fuzzies inside to relax…but the concern was evident on her face yet it wasn’t really about you tonight, this was your first time officially meeting and the both of you looked like shit. Well maybe you more so but Sydney definitely felt like it.

“Worse,” you say searching your back pocket for the rolled up pack of gummies, “A electric scooter, that looked a whole lot like my teenage little shit of a co-worker who’s been out on injury.”

You held out the gummy bears to Sydney, lifting your gaze to meet dark brown hues once more. There’s laughter that bubbles in her chest as she envisions it, her large front teeth poked out behind her lips.

“I don’t mean to laugh at you—

“Eh, I do it all the time! Glad I could be of service to you.” You tip your imaginary hat, “And you know what he had to nerve to say to me after we both skidded across the street? That I scuffed up his kicks, when he was on the wrong side of the road!”

Sydney cupped her mouth, other hand holding onto a green gummy bear, “No! That’s so wrong.”

“If he ever decides to come back to work…I’ve got something for him.”

“A hospital bill?”

“Oh no! Hospitals give me the ick. All medical people do.”

Sydney tilts her head to the side at this, unsure what to fully make of that but somehow understood, however felt like she should still be slightly concerned that you didn’t get yourself checked out! considering how scrapped up and how your hair was basically mangled. Also who knew what you looked like underneath your summer attire…Sydney was no doctor but you seemed kinda careless!

“I’m afraid to ask.” Sydney bites off the head of the candy.

“Stick him on the register and sneak out for the day once the lines start to pick up. I hate to do it to our new manager since she seems cool but…it’s what he deserves.” You tighten your eyes wickedly.

Sydney slowly nods her head at this and snorts, “where do you work?”

“Dollar general,” you say with a shrug, “you?”

Sydney deeply sighs, “I’m a chef.”

“Oh-ho! Chef Sydney. I knew there was something special about you, neighbor.” You state.

Sydney shakes her head, “No, it’s not anything really.”

“Are you kidding? That’s admirable! Unless…that’s what has you out here when the party is clearly inside?” You connected the dots, hearing some laughter beyond her door, quickly analyzing her face and kicking yourself for not keeping your inside thoughts to yourself in that moment.

Sydney pulls her bottom lip into her mouth and closes her eyes.

“You know…you never did get back to me on you being a board game person or a video gamer.” Your attempt to ease her anxieties was a nice gesture, really.

Sydney took her time (which you were patient to), sucking air in between her teeth and digging her palms into her eye sockets, “uh…board game. My favorite is: Sorry!”

Your eyes turn into slits at that and Sydney, slowly removes her hands from her eyes to look at you. “Really?”

“What? What’s wrong with sorry?”

You start to raise your hands in surrender but stop your movements as your everything aches, “Nothing. I would have thought clue, connect four, maybe even scrabble?”

“Scrabble?” Sydney scoffs, “I rather eat a block of blue cheese without a glass of water.”

Scrunching up your lips at that you quiz, “are you lactose intolerant?”

“Only the weak minded are.”

“Oh?! That’s not very empathic of you.”

You both match each other’s stares but you crack a smile first before Sydney follows through with a burst of laughter.

“You’re judging me? when you’re the one who isn’t empathic to your stomach and makes a grilled jelly sandwich stuffed with jalapeño chips of all things?” Sydney holds her stomach as she laughs.

You’re laughing with her while arguing, “I never specified if I stuffed it or not. It could have been on the side, thank you.”

Which only makes her laugh harder, the both of your shoulders touching as the sound echoes throughout the hall. There’s tears streaming down her cheeks again for different reasons while your stomach clenches with humor.

Of course that is broken up by someone clearing their throat. Both of you turn to Oscar who’s standing there holding his groceries.

“What’s so funny tonight ladies?”

You stop laughing so you can reply, “that outfit you thrifted.”

Oscar scowls, “now I see why my sister left you.”

“Fuck off! You’re probably the main one that supports her OnlyFans career.”

Sydney gasped at that while Oscar sent you a middle finger, leaving you two alone as he travels down the opposite hall to his apartment.

Glaring at him, he casts another glance in your direction and you do the honors of placing your own middle finger right against the lips you kissed at him. He quickly looks away, nearly throwing himself into his apartment with a slam of his door.

Leaning into Sydney again, you both laugh until it’s hard to breathe and that feeling is both familiar on both ends. Once you catch your breaths, you lean away to hold out your unscraped hand for her to shake, “Hey, Chef Sydney. It was nice talking to you and meeting you.”

“Likewise.” She gives a small smile while shaking your hand before you groan and moan getting back to your feet.

And she stays outside a little longer, mostly to collect herself and watch you make it back to your front door and battered bike. You send a peace sign as a goodnight, limping into your apartment after softly clicking your door shut.

Sydney sits, clasping her hands together thinking over that small moment, not realizing how important it would later be as the days continued on.

“There you are,” The British voice catches her attention and she takes his hand as he helps her to her feet.

Luca halts her movements, checking in with Sydney as she tries to brush away what that was from her face, although it clearly wasn’t something she could ignore as the problem was already on the surface.

She begins to follow Luca back into the party, stopping in the door way as she peeks back at your door, already thinking about what to say to you next on a lime green post it, while letting some laughter shine in her eyes.

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Continue with my summer anthology writings & prompts here.