#Anomaly-based detection

[virtualizationhowto]

Suricata vs Snort: Which is the best IDS?

Suricata vs Snort: Which is the best IDS? #homelab #selfhosted #SuricataVsSnortComparison #IntrusionDetectionSystems #NetworkSecurityTools #AnomalyBasedDetection #SnortNetworkAnalysis #SuricataMultiThreadedApproach #IDSandIPSDifferences #CommunitySupport

Security and network professionals have long trusted a couple of tools in network security. Suricata and Snort are popular choices among security professionals for intrusion detection systems IDS and intrusion prevention system IPS solutions. This post will delve into a detailed comparison between Suricata vs Snort security solutions, looking at their architectures, capabilities, community…

[capsulecomputers]

Mato Anomalies - Gameplay

As Doe we explore the mysteries of the city to right some wrongs and uncover recent strange occurrences only to switch to Gram to battle against powerful demons that appear within demonic rifts in Mato Anomalies.

If you enjoyed the video, give us a thumbs up and subscribe!

Mato Anomalies takes players on a journey through a neo-futuristic version of a bygone oriental city. Investigate strange happenings across the city and uncover secrets behind the walls. Join a cast of enigmatic unlikely heroes in this anime-inspired RPG experience.

Mato Anomalies Developer: Arrowiz Publisher: Prime Matter Platform: PS4/PS5, Xbox One, XBox Series X, Nintendo Switch, PC (Steam) Release Date: 11 Mar, 2023 Price: $39.99 USD

Available Now - https://arrowiz.com/games/mato-anomalies

[jcmarchi]

Digma's preemptive observability engine cuts code issues, streamlines AI - AI News

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/digmas-preemptive-observability-engine-cuts-code-issues-streamlines-ai-ai-news/

Digma's preemptive observability engine cuts code issues, streamlines AI - AI News

Digma, a company offering products designed to act on pre-production observability data, has announced the launch of its preemptive observability analysis (POA) engine. The engine is designed to check, identify, and provide ‘fix’ suggestions, helping to balance systems and reduce issues found in codebases as their complexity increases.

The application of preemptive observability in pre-production may be more important as AI code generators become more common , the company claims. For instance, a 2023 Stanford University study revealed that developers using AI coding assistants were more likely to introduce bugs to their code. Despite this, major companies like Google are increasing their reliance on AI-generated code, with over 25% of the company’s new code being AI-created.

Nir Shafrir, CEO and Co-founder of Digma, commented on the growing resources that are being dedicated to ensuring systems perform well, saying, “We’re seeing a lot of effort invested in assuring optimal system performance, but many issues are still being discovered in complex code bases late in production.”

“Beyond this, scaling has often remained a rough estimation in organisations anticipating growth, and many are hitting barriers in technology growth that arise precisely during periods of significant organisational expansion. It means that engineering teams may spend between 20-40% of their time addressing issues discovered late in production environments, with some organisations spending up to 50% of engineering resources on fixing production problems.”

Preemptive observability is expected to become a key factor helping companies gain competitive advantage. It has several potential benefits for AI-generated code, including speed increases and improvements to the reliability of human-written code. According to Digma, preemptive observability helps ensure manually written code is more trustworthy, and reduces risk in the final product.

As well as tackling bugs introduced by AI code generation, Digma’s preemptive observability analysis engine has been designed to combat common, long-established issues companies may have experienced with human-made code, which may result in service level agreement (SLA) violations and performance issues. For high transactional establishments, like retail, fintech, and e-commerce, this technology could become valuable.

Digma’s algorithm has been designed to use pattern matching and anomaly detection techniques to analyse data and find specific behaviours or issues. It is capable of predicting what an application’s response times and resource usage should be, identifying possible issues before they can cause any noticeable damage. Digma specifically detects the part of the code that is causing an issue by analysing tracing data.

Preemptive observability analysis prevents problems rather than dealing with the aftermath of the issues. Teams can monitor holistically, and address potential issues in areas that are frequently ignored once in production.

Roni Dover, CTO and Co-founder of Digma, highlighted what differentiates Digma’s preemptive observability analysis engine from others: “By understanding runtime behaviour and suggesting fixes for performance issues, scaling problems, and team conflicts, we’re helping enterprises prevent problems and reduce risks proactively rather than putting out fires in production.”

Application performance monitoring (APM) tools are used to identify service issues, monitor production statuses, and highlight SLA errors. APMs are practical for sending alerts when services fail or slow during production. But unlike preemptive observability, APMs are limited in non-production settings, and can’t provide analysis of problems’ sources.

By identifying performance and scaling issues early on in the production process, even when data volumes are low, preemptive observability helps prevent major problems and reduce cloud costs.

Digma recently completed a successful $6 million seed funding round, indicating a growing confidence in the technology.

Image source: “Till Bechtolsheimer’s – Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GT No.40 – 2013 Donington Historic Festival” by Motorsport in Pictures is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

See also: Microsoft and OpenAI probe alleged data theft by DeepSeek

Want to learn more about AI and big data from industry leaders? Check out AI & Big Data Expo taking place in Amsterdam, California, and London. The comprehensive event is co-located with other leading events including Intelligent Automation Conference, BlockX, Digital Transformation Week, and Cyber Security & Cloud Expo.

Explore other upcoming enterprise technology events and webinars powered by TechForge here.

[himbodruid]

Ancient Instinct

Sylus x Reader

-:-breeding kink -:- Sylus loses control -:- consent king -:- primal, carnal, frenzied -:-

Present timeline mirror to A Dragon in Rut

INTENDED FOR 18+ READERS. MINORS DNI.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

“Hey…there’s something wrong with the boss.” Kieran’s voice was filled with concern, enough that you knew it wasn’t some weird ploy by Sylus to get you to visit. Plus, Luke was usually the one that called if Sylus wanted to casually bully you into visiting.

Your phone dinged and you quickly pulled it from your ear to view the message. It was a photo from Luke, showing the destruction of the front room of the base. Furniture was smashed, paintings torn from the wall, and other various decorations thrown about. The brandy decanter that’d been on a side table laid shattered on the ground, along with the two glasses that typically accompanied it.

“Kieran, what the fuck happened?” Worry sank into you as your eyes darted over the photo, hoping you wouldn’t find blood. There weren't really any signs of a struggle, just aimless chaos.

“We don’t know, we thought you might. He came home last night in a scary good mood and then halfway through the night, he just started wrecking the place.”

“We just had dinner and took a walk around the park, there wasn’t anything unusual about anything.” You tried thinking over the night and still couldn’t come up with an answer. “Where is he now?”

“He’s holed up in his room now, but we’re leaving. Before this temper tantrum, he asked us to go pick something up so there won't be anyone here.” There was a hint of uncertainty in Kieran’s voice, as though the twins were reluctant to leave Sylus in the state he was in.

“Okay, that’s fine,” you pinched the bridge of your nose. “I just got home from work, so I’ll be there in a bit to see if I can talk some sense into him.”

The call disconnected and you hastily packed a bag for an overnight stay in the N109 Zone. You were out the door and on your motorbike in a matter of minutes, speeding through the darkening streets to get to him as quickly as you could.

When you arrived, the house was eerily quiet. There was almost always something from Sylus’s collection of vinyls playing, the sound filtering through the halls from deep within the façade, but not tonight. It was dark, too. Not a single fireplace or lamp was lit. For all intents and purposes, the house was empty. But still you cautiously pressed onward.

“Sylus?” Your voice echoed in the house as you stepped gingerly over the debris, the light of your phone guiding your way. You made your way to his bedroom, knocking on the door.

“Sylus?” You called again when you cracked the door open. A single dim lamp let you see that the room was in similar disarray to the rest of the house. Still, there was no response, and you thought that maybe he’d left.

A feral-sounding growl emanated from the room. It didn’t sound human at all, and you wished you’d brought your weapon. Was all of the destruction the result of a wanderer? Your watch didn’t detect anything but-

“Leave.” Sylus’s voice was strained and…off. Instead of the usual gravel, there was a hint of something more, something beastly. You had heard stories of people turning into wanderers…was it possible that Sylus was a victim to this anomaly?

“Sy, is everything okay?” You dropped into his nickname out of habit, hoping that whatever had taken over his mind would recognize it.

“If you know what’s best for you, Kitten, you will leave right now.” His words echoed in your head, something familiar about them and this situation. You had brief flashes of tapestries and a cave before your mind returned to the present.

“Sy, are you hurt? The twins called me,” you said calmly, stepping further. You still couldn’t see him, but you could hear his ragged breathing coming from deeper in the room.

You had just cleared the archway that separated the sittig area from the sleeping space when you were pushed roughly against the wall. The side table holding the lamp teetered violently before falling over and taking the lamp with it, shattering the bulb. In the brief seconds the light was on him, you could see that Sylus’s pupils were blown wide and his face was flush. In the newfound darkness, his hot breath fanned across your neck in a series of shaky pants.

“Sylus, please. Tell me what’s wrong, you’re worrying me,” you say, raising your hand to cup his cheek. He made a sound like a barely restrained groan as he turned his face into your touch, inhaling deeply. He pressed his lips against your fingers, your palm, your wrist. You were certain that if he’d had a tail, it would be lashing about in agitation.

“You shouldn’t be here,” he growled. “I don’t think I can be very accommodating or gentle right now, Kitten.”

His warning rolled off him, and yet he still pressed further into you. He buried his nose into your neck, inhaling sharply and his lips trailed your pulse.

“S-Sy,” you gasped as his teeth scraped against your skin, in a spot that held an echo of an ache that no longer existed. Worry was very quickly being replaced with something else, something that pooled deep in your core.

“Mmh,” he purred, nuzzling his face against your neck again. “Your scent…steamy and sweet, like cherry wine. It’s been driving me insane all day.”

“Sylus, what-“ your question was cut off when he slanted his mouth across yours. All thoughts escaped you as he consumed you, plunging his tongue into your mouth the moment you opened for him. Worry and doubt fled from you and every sense was filled with him. You’d even forgotten why you arrived at the base in the first place as he hoisted you up against the wall. Your legs hitched up to wrap around his waist and your arms folded around his broad shoulders. He growled in approval, still devouring you as he pressed impossibly close. You could feel him standing at attention, hard and ready, and you wondered how long he’d been in that condition.

“You shouldn’t be here,” he said, his voice a breathless whisper against your lips.

“Well, I am here. What’s going on with you, you’re worrying me.” You had to tug at his hair to get him to back off just the slightest bit. Even with your eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room, his face was too far cast in shadows. He was definitely still Sylus, though- you didn’t see any signs of him transforming into a monster. Just the raging hardon that was pressed against your core.

“Kitten,” he whined, dropping his head against your shoulder. His breathing was ragged, sharp inhales let go as shaky exhales. “This need I feel…it’s like I crave you on some primal level.”

He groaned when you tugged at his hair again, just a gentle pull to guide his mouth back to yours. His chest rumbled in what felt like a purr, the vibrations rolling through you to gather at your already wanting core. You gave your silent consent to him by pulling him closer, devouring his mouth in equal fervor. You gently caught his bottom lip between your teeth and his entire body shuddered.

“You should-” lips found your leaping pulse.

“Run away-“ his teeth scraped the slope of your neck.

“While you still can-“ he latched onto your collarbone, sucking at the spot with a hard draw to create a mark there. You gasped and squirmed as best you could while crushed against the wall by his bulk. The action ground your core against his length and he groaned when he released you from his mouth.

“Take me,” you breathed into him. “Use me. Whatever you need, I’m here.”

He groaned again and hauled you against him, pulling away from the wall to stumble blindly to his bed. There he dropped you onto the mattress, bathing you in the pale lights of the city filtering in from the window. His eyes were still cast in shadow, but you could still see the desire that darkened his expression. He was silent, save for the sound of his heavy breaths, as his hand stroked from calf to hip. Heat blazed from his touch, sinking through the fabric of the leggings you wore.

“Last chance, Kitten,” he growled, the sound rumbling low in his chest. Hands rested at your hip, teasing the waistband in silent question. Though you had already given explicit consent, he waited.

Rather than voicing your answer, and rather than giving in to what he so very clearly wanted, your hands found the collar of his shirt. With slow precision, you unbuttoned his shirt while keeping your eyes locked on his. His breath came in shuddering bursts, his body trembling as you teased him. It was a cruel test of his control, even knowing how close he was to snapping. But you couldn’t help yourself. There was something about seeing carnal desire written in every feature, in every motion, that made you want to take advantage of it.

A sharp inhale, followed by a shuddered exhale when your hand trailed down his newly exposed chest in a tantalizing sweep. He caught your hand before it could trail too far down his abdomen, bringing it to his lips and laying a kiss across your knuckles, and another at your wrist.

And then his lips found yours in a searing kiss to seal your agreement. There was nothing short of passion in the way he devoured you, the way he coaxed you open to tangle his tongue with yours. The heat of his mouth trailed along your jaw, down your neck, searing into any exposed skin he could access until he was stopped my the lapel of the button down shirt you wore. Without warning, he grasped the overlapped edges at the front and ripped your shirt wide open. Buttons flew in every direction and all you could do was muffle your moan with a gasp. Because damn, that show of strength was not one you expected to be so hot. You didn’t even care about the loss of the shirt, you wanted him to do it again.

With the obstruction out of his way, Sylus continued the forge a blazing trail of kisses down your body. The bandeau you wore as a bra was shoved down so that he could swirl his tongue around one nipple and then the other. Soft bites to the undersides of your breasts as he continued downward elicited a sharp inhaled gasp from you. His fingers slipped into the waistband of your leggings at each hip and then tugged, removing them and your underwear in one swift motion. Shyness coursed through you when you were finally fully bared to him, but you didn’t fight him when he held your legs in place, spread for him, so he could rake his eyes up and down you.

His lips found the inside of your knee, teeth finding your thigh, and then his face was dangerously close to your core. You swore you could see his eye flash a quick glow, but the next moments pushed all thoughts and reason from your head.

“I’ll start with your warmest spot…” he murmured against your skin. And then he dipped his head further, his breath fanning against your slick folds. “And until I’m finished, you’re not allowed to stop me.”

And then he descended, overwhelming your cunt with precise strokes of his tongue. You tried to twist away from him, crying out in pleasure, but he held you fast. His gaze bored into you, even as your hands sunk into the silky strands of his hair. He worked you until you were right on the precipice, but then pulled away with a devilish grin before you could crash over the other side. You whined at his unfair treatment until he set about removing his own clothing. Your own gaze devoured him the more he exposed of himself, and fuck he was perfect in every way.

He crawled languidly up your body and settled over you, reclaiming your mouth in a hard, punishing kiss. His knee wedged between yours, pushing and coaxing until you had enough thinking power to wrap yourself around him. This put the head of his cock right at your entrance, and you strained your hips towards him in a desperate bid for penetration. A dark chuckle escaped him when he realized what you were attempting.

“All mine,” he growled. Your knee was hooked over his elbow, one at first and then both as the kiss progressed to a carnal need. You were open fully to him now, and all that was left was for him to take that plunge.

And fuck, did he ever.

His hips snapped forward without hesitation, not even affording you the time to adjust to his girth and length. Not that it was necessary, not when he glided into you easily on the slickness of your arousal. He slammed against you, sinking into you to the hilt, and you couldn’t help the pleasured sound that escaped you. You folded your arms around his shoulders, nails biting into his skin when he tried to pull back. He didn’t get far before his hips jerked forward again, almost off their own accord.

It was as though there was some primal instinct that drove him into you so impossibly deep. You couldn’t understand where it came from, but fuck it felt good. The sensations of his cock slamming into you paired with the guttural moans erupting from him brought you back to that precipice rapidly. So rapidly that you barely had a moment's notice before you came apart around him. Pleasure zipped up your spine, turning your mind blank. All you could do was arch beneath him, crying out his name even as he continued to plunder your body.

He so easily folded you in half and set a pace that was bordering on punishing. What little control he could claim to have had in this moment was gone as he rutted into you. The sounds of your bodies colliding over and over rose to join your pleasured cries and his own grunting moans. You were glad the base had emptied due to his tantrum, because it would be very obvious what was happening should anyone step on the floor landing. Hell, even floors below could probably hear your loud, frenzied mating.

Feeling bold, maybe even mischievous, you lifted your mouth to the jumping pulse at his neck and scraped your teeth against it. Sylus let out a shaky, breathy moan and tilted his head away to grant you more access. With a grin, you bit down on that corded muscle that made up the slope of his neck.

His head fell against your chest with a deep moan, slamming his hips into you hard. Your bite turned into sucking on his neck, raising a mark to show your claim on him to anyone who would dare to look. And he also latched his mouth to your skin, drawing out the same kind of mark.

With a growl, he released your neck to observe the purpling mark he made. His gaze darted to yours, locking eyes with you as his thrusts increased to a breakneck pace. Pleasured expressions flitted across your face and you were almost certain that’s what he was looking for. And then you were arching into him again, crying out his name as your walls pulsed around him. The edge he had been chasing came and went, and he spilled into you with a guttural cry of his own. His hips jerked and slammed into you, his cock twitching as you milked him for everything he had.

He kissed you feverishly, and even as you came down from the high of release, he was still impossibly hard inside you. He rocked into you with small thrusts and you could feel his heart hammering beneath your touch.

“Fuck, how do you feel this damn good,” he whimpered against your lips. His body crashed against yours when you whimpered his name in response, over and over as he chased another release. It came to him with a sharp snap of his hips against yours, a shudder that swept through his entire body, and then more hot ropes of cum were flooding your cunt again.

And he still somehow wasn’t done with you.

A brief respite was all that was granted before he was thrusting deep into you again. At this point, you weren't even sure where you ended and he began. You were beginning to wonder if you would be leaking his cum for days after this encounter, even moreso when he slammed into you again with a guttural, primal cry of ecstasy. This one brought you over the edge with him, the feel of his cock pulsing and twitching inside you drawing release from you without warning.

Finally, after one more orgasm ripped through both of you, Sylus slumped against you. He nuzzled into your neck, soft kisses peppering your skin as you both attempted to regain your breath. He released your legs from his pressing hold and you ran your thighs down both sides of his body, delighting in the way he shuddered again.

You were both a sweaty mess, and you were certain the sheets needed to be changed once he slipped from your body. But he took his sweet time with you, giving gentle kisses that were a stark contrast to the primal possession he just exhibited. The weight and heat of him pressing you into the mattress felt like heaven, and you made a mental note to request this kind of skinship again in the future. Maybe with a little less mess. Or maybe with more, who knows.

You complained when he removed himself from the bed, grudgingly allowing yourself to be carried by him to the bathroom. You were exhausted and couldn’t work up the energy to feel embarrassed as he cleaned you up in the shower, but you were delighted in the way his hands massaged your scalp as he washed your hair. You nearly fell asleep when he blow dried your hair, making him have to carry you back to bed. He slipped you between fresh silk sheets and climbed in behind you, trailing kisses along the back of your neck and shoulders as he wrapped himself around you.

Safe and cozy, you fell into the deepest sleep you’d ever experienced.

And when you awoke to Sylus being gone, you couldn’t help but pout. Until he pushed through the door with a tray in hand, wrapped in his favourite brocade robe. He wordlessly set the tray down in front of you, and you saw it was filled with various crackers, cheeses, and fruits.

“Consider this my apology,” he said with a chuckle as you eagerly dug into the tray. He sat next to you in bed, allowing you to feed him. He was content enough to watch you enjoy the tray, but couldn’t say no when you turned to offer him bites.

“What was that all about anyway?” You ask finally, after working up the courage to not be shy. Sylus’s brows drew down in thought.

“I’m not entirely sure, I don’t think I’ve ever experienced something like that before. I came home to being surrounded by your essence, your scent, and it's like a switch flipped in my head. Like I was possessed. Like some sort of primal instinct that wouldn’t leave until I had you flat on your back with my cock driving into you.”

You blushed furiously at his casual words, occupying your hands and face with more food, so that you wouldn’t put those hands and your mouth all over him in some sort of retaliation. He chuckled darkly and leaned close, inhaling deeply at your neck.

“Mmh. I think I like my scent being intertwined with yours,” he growled into your ear.

Neither of you left his bed for a while following that, and you were grateful it was your weekend.

[bcneheaded]

WAIT but i have a new side muse for this blog..... taps my fingers together....

[data-panda]

Anomaly Detection for Energy Storage Systems - Data Panda

Our Anomaly Detection for energy storage system technology, providing an unmatched solution in detecting discrepancies in sensor readings. Rooted in advanced AI/ML capabilities, this initiative emphasizes predictive and preventive measures, offering a holistic approach to ensuring system efficiency. From robust stakeholder engagement to aligning the roadmap with the broader company vision, every step is meticulously planned and executed.

[noob2networking]

Firewall Friday: Defending Against DDoS Attacks - How to Keep Your Network Safe

Welcome to Firewall Friday, where we dive into the world of DDoS attacks and equip you with the knowledge to safeguard your network against these digital bullies. But don’t worry, we won’t let these troublemakers ruin our Friday vibes. Instead, we’ll tackle the topic with a humorous tone, using analogies and emojis to make it easy for even the most novice readers to understand. So, put on your…

[nyarumie]

What if Soshiro's girlfriend was nice to Weapon 10 because it saved his life and instead of being flustered 10 also start liking her and now Soshiro feels like he has to share his gf with the suit!!

A small continuation to 'Suit Anomaly', based from this ask! (Click here for Part 3)

Author's Reply: Hi, Anon! This sounds adorable! His gf's semi rude attitude towards No. 10 was because of the injuries Soshiro got from their fight, but she's not a totally cold person so I can see this happening! I shall do my best ♡

Requests and messages are welcome on my ask box! I can also write for Narumi and Mina (｡･ω･｡)ﾉ♡

Just a few weeks after the nationwide cataclysm orchestrated by Kaiju No. 9, you once again found yourself standing in the very same training facility right after a small kaiju attack from the previous day. This time, you’re equipped with your own numbers weapon just in case it goes haywire after all the damage it sustained.

“How does it feel?” you ask him.

“Still as uncomfortable as ever,” he said. “Can’t say this thing’s more tame now, it’s as battle hungry as always; but it kinda listens to me and has a l’il bit of common sense now.”

You snort, hearing No. 10 roar an “Are you saying I’m stupid?!” at him.

Knowing him, Soshiro just refuses to tell the truth: He’s grown comfortable wearing his numbered suit, despite the strain it deals on his body. It’s particularly crazy how he’s able to wear it and fight using it again just after a few days of being discharged from the medbay—any normal officer wouldn’t be able to walk after that destructive fight.

"Hmm… You both did well in yesterday's fight," you started, followed with a sigh, "But you didn't need to go all-out at all. They were just small fry!"

Soshiro comically scratched his head, "No offense sweetie, but I think you're just upset you didn't get to kill one yesterday. This guy wanted to wipe 'em all out for ya. Some kind of thanks for actively watchin' over the suit's repair."

"I didn't say anything like that!" it complained.

Soshiro crossed his arms and complained, "Ya keep dragging me to her area! Told ya she's as strong as we are, but you kept screaming at me saying somethin' like 'Oi, Hoshina! Ain't you gonna protect your little foul mouthed girlfriend?!'"

"Stop lying! I just wanted to get a higher kill count; you're being too lousy in battle!"

'Ah… compatibility aside, the arguments aren't stopping soon.' you thought.

You cleared your throat, getting their attention back to you. "If that's the case, then I extend my deepest gratitude to you both—but you don't have to worry about me!"

Proceeding to closely inspect the suit, you went down on one knee and thoroughly observed its tail, which had been severed during their fight with Kaiju no. 12. You started caressing it, seemingly deep in thought.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! I told you I'm not a pet!"

Soshiro just quietly observed the scene, curious at your actions.

Going to stand in front of Soshiro again, you bent your upper body forward to meet the Kaiju's eye.

For the first time since he's donned this suit, you gave it a sincere smile. "I give you my deepest thanks for protecting Soshiro. You did well."

Silence.

After a minute of solid silence, the tail started aggressively swaying around and a frantic scream from Okonogi caught yours and Soshiro's attention.

"Vice Captain! Platoon Leader! I advise you to end the monitoring session—the suit's rapidly overheating for no reason!"

Eh?

Soshiro started pulling the tail, trying to get it to behave. "You cyclops! Keep still! My girlfriend's not flirtin' with ya, not with a Kaiju!"

"Cyclops?! I'm not even doing anything, bowlcut bastard!"

As you laugh at the entertainment in front of you, the Kaiju detection alarm goes off.

"Let's go. Make sure you let me kill some today, alright?" you said, mood heightened.

That being said…

In the midst of the battle, it took Soshiro a great deal of strength just to stop the Kaiju suit from rushing towards your aid.

The both of them started arguing again after the fight, as Soshiro saw how its tail was subtly waving when you approached them, as if asking to be caressed again.

"Ya don't get to ask my girlfriend to touch yer tail! I'm not sharin' her with you!"

"I didn't ask her anything! And would you look at that, she's already touching it!"

With a pout akin to that of a child getting their lollipop stolen, Soshiro said, "Dear, ya don't have to do that! I'm right here!"

You giggled, wanting to tease him a bit. "And I can see you well enough, 'Shiro. You'll get your kisses later, yeah?"

He groaned, continuing their seemingly never-ending argument.

Oh, you can get used to this.

[corphneux707]

Little Duckling

[Ratio x Child! Reader, Platonic]

Summary: Dr. Ratio takes responsibility of you after an experiment goes awry. Which you, a child, gets isekai’d into the work of Honkai Star Rail. Based on my headcanons here.

To add: This fic is COMPLETELY platonic and gender neutral. Readers age is not specified at all and there is no use of Y/N. New found family type of shit. Not proofread lol.

“Seems like you’re gonna be picked up late, bud.” Your teacher says after putting the call down with your parents. She gently takes your small hands and leads you to the classroom, letting you sit down on the giant rug where all the toys are.

You felt a little sad. Your parents are late again. It's been a long day for you and you want to take a rest now! But looking at your teacher, you didn’t mind spending more time with her. 

Noticing your foul mood getting better, she gives you a toy bear to play with in the meantime. “Here you go. I’ll call someone to watch over you while I go get something. Be good, okay?” You giggle as she ruffles your hair before leaving briefly. Now you’re left alone in the big classroom with a stuffed bear.

“Hello, Mr. Bear” Its stubby paws gesture to a small wave as you puppet it with your hands. A small smile escapes your lips as you play with it more. Your imagination becomes much more creative with imagining scenarios with the bear.

Perhaps you’ll take it in a cool adventure! Or.. or.. maybe somewhere scary where you defeat the evil monster!! Or go solve a mystery with Mr. Bear as a sidekick! How about all of it? Yeah!!!! You pat yourself on the back for being a smart detective in thinking about how you’ll (spend your time) go on an adventure!

Your playtime is cut short when an odd gust of wind blows past you. You look behind and a small crack of whatever is in the air. It pulsates with a soft glow, almost like it's beckoning you to come closer. An ominous feeling creeps up onto your spine and you decide that it isn’t a good thing.

The anomaly suddenly breaks apart in a maelstrom of whirring winds sucking anything nearby. From chairs, tables, toys and everything. The classroom trembles and glass starts to crack.

You act on instinct but struggle to stand up, feeling weaker and weaker. The lights flicker constantly, almost in the same erratic rhythm as your beating heart.Your senses start to dull from the sheer intensity of the situation. Tears threatening to spill from the corner of your eyes and yet only to be sucked in by whatever it is behind you.

“It’s hard to breathe-'' More of your tears are sucked in. Your steps to the door get lighter and lighter, till you’re practically in the air getting sucked towards the portal. And as quickly as you get sucked in, quickly your consciousness fades.

You wake up groggy with a faint ringing in your ear. Soon that ringing turns into indiscernible voices. That’s when you decide to open your eyes. The first thing you see is the blinding lights above you. You blink it all away and focus more properly in the room that you’re in. Clean white room with many digital images on the screen. The occasional beeping of machines filling the void of silence. 

Your lips feel oddly moist. Looking down, an oxygen mask is placed on you, connected to a machine that makes the rhythmic beeps that you hear. You try to try to remove the mask with your hands but that's when you notice a wire inside connected from your hand. Your unease becomes more palpable and your gaze follows the wire connecting to a bag of fluids hung on a rack.

Your breaths start to accelerate. Where the hell were you? Why are you here? What happened? Where are your parents? Where are your siblings? Where is home? Your heart hammers against your ribcage. Sweat trickling down against your forehead, despite the coolness of the room. Irrationality and fear colliding with each other in a dizzying storm.

The machine beside you beeps louder and louder. Incessantly dulling your head to think properly. Your chest starts to tighten and your sobs are unable to escape from your lips because of the bile forming in your throat. Tears well in your eyes- through your blurry vision you reach out for something. Anything.

Your hand is enveloped by something warm. It pulls you in, surrounding you completely in a dull embrace. You shut your eyes to focus on slowing your heart rate, the dullness becoming calming. Still, the intensity of your panic lingers longer. Your hands tremble, yet hold on to the warmth with an iron fist. Scared of letting it go and possibly losing it forever. 

Your senses start to come back and you hear the muffled voice of someone. With the crash of fatigue washing over you, it becomes a lullaby for you. You follow each faint word with a held breath and exhaling slowly. You settle to lean further into the warmth that envelops you, letting you fall asleep with ease.

By the time you wake up again, the warmth is already gone. Instead being poorly replaced by a blanket on you. The blinding lights back again to bite your eyes. You wince and blink rapidly to adjust yourself more. When you try to rub your eyes, your hands are held firmly by someone else.

You squint your eyes to look at them, a shade of purple is something you noticed first. Then a click of a tongue after. “Turn off half of the lights.” A man says and quickly the strain on your eyes is uplifted.

You finally adjust and you see that what was connected to your hand is now gone. But now you can also see him clearly. ‘Huh, so the purple you saw was actually his hair.’ The first thing that came to mind after noticing his hair was to greet the man in front of you. You open your mouth but your throat tightens. No voice comes out of you, so you opt to close your mouth and nod your head instead since your hands are still held back by him.

The man removes his hands from yours carefully, as if anticipating any form of sudden movement from you. You look at him, an odd pair of reddish-pink eyes looking back at you. The reflection of the light highlights the yellow ring around his pupil, consuming you in a hypnotic gaze.

Perhaps because of the peculiarity of his eyes is the reason why you’re so calm at the moment as he backs away to give you ample space to examine you properly. His gaze still unwavering, although with a hint of softness. There's a deliberate sound of calmness in the air as he asks, “Are you feeling well?”

You nod wordlessly in response, not in the mood to speak. He hums in acknowledgement before turning to the other person near the doorway of the room. You see the other person visibly flinch from his gaze and immediately leaves after excusing themself from the room.

Once alone with you, he takes a much more intentional pace in his actions as he takes out an ID from pocket and hands it to you. He points to it then to himself. “I am Doctor. Veritas Ratio. Your current doctor.” He speaks slowly, enunciating each word to make sure you understand properly.

You repeat his name in his head. Veritas Ratio. It's a very unique name that makes your curiosity spark up. He is, afterall, very peculiar. Different hair color, different eyes, different name? How very peculiar indeed!

Your curiosity must've shown when he speaks, “I will entertain your questions in the future. First-” he pauses before giving you a tablet with a blank form needing your information. “Since you can’t speak yet, you will introduce yourself with this”

You take the tablet with sheer astonishment at its sleek, high-tech design. Ratio guides you in the form. “Surely you are adept in inputting?” His question is answered with the furrow of your brows and the tilting of your head as you try to piece together what he meant. 

A small part of Ratio finds endearment from the face of your frustration. He pushes it down to focus on the matter at hand. He leans closer and taps on a blank line on the form, a keyboard appearing on the tablet. Your mood turns from frustration to one of unexpected clarity.

It works like a normal tablet- just looks more techy, you guess. You type your name slowly with your two index fingers. Each press is paired with a beep that amuses you to no end. You signal him that you finished typing by facing the front of the tablet to him with an expectant gaze. Ratio hums, acknowledging you by taking the tablet and reading your name aloud. 

Now it was his turn to look at you expectantly, as if a silent question if he’d pronounced your name correctly. A surge of delight fills you as you nod excitedly with a big smile. Ratio nods at you back. Although his face is stoic, there's a twinge of amusement from him as he watches your eyes twinkle by simply reading your name aloud. 

“Children are truly simple minded.” Ratio concluded audibly. When he notices your head tilted at him, he dismisses you, explaining that it was nothing. He hands you the tablet back and guides you to the rest of the questions in the form. 

Age. “Little one, how old are you?” Ratio asks with a raised brow. You hold up your fingers to show him how old you were. He points to the number you’re supposed to press. Mentally, he notes down the fact that you can count. He just doesn’t know how far. Perhaps he should teach you personally? Who knows what kind of fallacious education any other teacher would provide? Perhaps even… So on and so forth.

You stare at Ratio who is clearly deep in thought. You don’t know why, but currently your empty stomach doesn’t care when it growls loudly. Your face glows red with mortification before turning away from Ratio quickly. Clearly the hospital bed will be your new grave from all this embarrassment.

Your mind changes immediately though after a large hand is gently placed atop of your head. “I’ll be back with some food.” Ratio says before getting up and quickly leaving. You wait for him patiently, and to be fair, it didn’t really take a long time. As if he’s already anticipated your hunger.

The door opens to reveal Ratio holding a tray of food. He sits down next to you and you can clearly see the.. Uh.. food? Much to Ratio’s dismay, your mind quickly changes again. He observes how you looked so appalled with the food he brought. 

Why does it look like green sludge? Is he trying to feed you poison? When he brings a spoonful of whatever he brought, you turn away with a grumble. But your conscience gnaws at you. You wanna be a good kid like how your teacher said! So you, with an unbroken-probably-slightly-broken will, turn back to Ratio who still holds the spoonful to your lips. You gulp cartoonishly, mentally preparing yourself for the battle of your tastebuds.

Quickly, you take a sip and surprisingly it tastes… nothing! It's soft and easy to swallow but that's about it. Nothing special about the meal. You decide to suck it up and keep eating the small spoonfuls that Ratio gives. When you finally finish the meals, a sigh of relief escapes from you when he offers you a glass of water to wash the ‘taste’ away. 

Nonetheless, the battle of your tastebuds is over! Huzzah! But wait- you are immediately distracted by a small, yellow, glossy pudding. Your eyes light up in excitement at the sight of sweet goodness. The pudding glistens as Ratio scoops a small spoonful and feeds to you. You, of course, take a bite as fast as you can.

You savor the velvety sweetness but comforting taste that completely melts in your mouth. Each spoonful fed, the messier you get, causing Ratio to sigh, “You were eating properly earlier and now here you are with a mess on your face.” You raised your hand to wipe your face but Ratio was quicker to wipe the sides of your mouth with a wet wipe. “Let me. You’ll only make a bigger mess” He grumbles. You giggle, the first time Ratio hears your voice.

“Oh? You even have the gall to laugh at the mess you made? The sugar must’ve gotten to you already. Perhaps no more pudding for you.” 

A horrified gasp escapes your lips and immediately you grab his sleeve and tug on it over and over. You stare at Ratio with big eyes that shimmers with apologies and hope for him not to confiscate the pudding you haven’t finished yet. The more that Ratio stares, the more impossible it felt for him to say no to you. 

Although to you, he looked stoic as he was before but you came at him with some prayers and a dream to eat pudding again. Your silent pleading finally works when Ratio sighs and gives you another spoonful of pudding. “Wasting food is not a good thing after all.” You nod, this time you eat carefully so as to not make a mess, lest you give him a chance to take your pudding away again.

You take a small rest to digest properly while Ratio is out to put the empty trays away. Perhaps it was out of boredom when you yawned. By the time Ratio comes back, you were already asleep. He sighs and comes closer to properly tuck you in the bed. Once finished, he just stares at you and thinks about what he needs to do next when you wake up.

A walk in the hospital's garden, some basic hygiene, and probably a place for you to stay. Yeah, sounds good to him. But first, he’s gotta complain to the resource management about the shitty blankets they have. Ratio stands up, turning the lights off on the way to the door. Leaving you with his coat tucked around you.

A/N: That's it for now folks! This is going to have multiple chapters that'll follow my headcanons so its not over yet :3. Thank you so much for reading! A like or a reblog would be very appreciated.

[easternmind]

The weird and wonderful history of Kowloon as a digital interactive space - Part I

The Kowloon Walled City was one of the most emblematic locations in Hong Kong due to its irregular, fast-paced and largely ungoverned growth within a minute parcel of land. During the occupation of Hong Kong Island by the British in the mid 18th century, the Qing authorities surrounded the area with walls, turning it into a strategic position from where to closely inspect the foreign nation's covert activities. Almost a century later, during World War II, the area was seized by the Japanese, who tore down the walls and repurposed the stone for the construction of a nearby airport.

After the war, China would eventually regain possession of the city, though the disinterest of local authorities in addressing its increasing social disturbances placed it in a downward path to a state of utter degradation. By the 1970s, Kowloon had become the epicentre of Hong Kong's criminal underworld, dominated by a handful of its most vicious Triads.

Towards the last years of its existence, the ancient settlement was as a precarious heap of concrete, sheltering nearly half a million people within less than seven acres of land. Cultural and political changes in China made it increasingly difficult for this urban anomaly to remain unaddressed. In the late 1980s, an action plan was put together aiming to relocate its inhabitants and reconvert the real estate into an inner-city park. Stories about residents refusing to leave their unsafe and unsanitary homes were featured prominently in newspapers, baffling readers all over the world. Once the single most densely populated area in the world, this enclave was an architectural aberration whose disconcerting aesthetic influenced numerous works of art in different fields of creation; including a small yet consequential number of video games that briefly reference or prominently feature this abominably transfixing space.

九龍島 (Kyu-Ryu-Tou) - Starcraft - 1986

The year is 2025. An arms dealer escalates the tensions between East and West by developing a genetic weapon in a secret base at Kowloon Island. The United Nations react by sending in their best man, Jamie Starr. Unrelated to the Walled City itself, the first game to be located in the Kowloon peninsula - and indeed include the name as a part of its title - is this obscure turn-based RPG, Kyu-Ryu-Tou for the NEC PC88 and FM-77 machines. The game is a sequel to Shangai, released the year before, featuring the same protagonist. Starcraft would also go on to produce a third instalment in 1987 named TO.KY.O. Clearly there wasn't much regard here from the developers part for geographic accuracy, as Kowloon is depicted here as being an island. While Hong Kong's southern territory is composed of an actual island, all the different areas named Kowloon are located in the mainland.

Riot City - Westone - 1991

One of the most shameless specimens among a relatively long list of Final Fight clones, Riot City contains subtle references to Kowloon, though never referring to it by name. Two narcotics detectives are assigned with the mission of dismantling a cartel running a crime-ridden located in fictional Riot Island. This recurring yet geographically nonsensical notion of Kowloon as an island comes up here, yet again. The final moment of the introduction sequence for this minor Sega arcade success shows both protagonists approaching a tight cluster of buildings whose source inspiration is quite unmistakable. Because Westone maintained ownership of most of this production's intellectual property, a later port to the PC Engine entitled Riot Zone was made possible with the help of Hudson soft. Kowloon's Gate - Zeque - 1997

Reviving the Walled City through the lens of cybermystic surrealism, Kowloon's Gate is a dense, daunting adventure masterfully capturing the slum's dark and narrow recesses. This 1997 Japanese Playstation exclusive spans across four discs of unparalleled full motion 3D CGI spectacle, alternating with real-time 3D dungeons brimming with outlandish characters and concepts deeply inspired by Chinese history, geography and cultural traditions.

Ironically, Zeque managed to embed the theme of Feng-Shui, the ancient geomantic art seeking harmony between the individual and their surrounding space, into a story set in the world's most historically untidy district.

SaGa Frontier - Square - 1997

SaGa Frontier takes place in a solar system named The Regions, composed of multiple inhabited worlds for the player to explore, each with its different degree of civilizational development and culture. One of these planets goes by the suggestive name Kūron. Its pervasive neon light signs, food stalls, makeshift cabins and rooftop scaffolding instantly evoke the memory of China’s so-called city of darkness.

Shadow Hearts - Sacnoth - 2001

Shortly after the release of Koudelka, Sacnoth's initiated the development of Shadow Hearts, the first episode from a cult RPG trilogy exclusively designed for the Playstation 2. In good Japanese fashion, the game proposes an anachronistic yet visually suggestive depiction of Kowloon, portraying its architectural style and degree of decay as it existed in the late twentieth century, despite the fact that the game's events take place during the nineteen twenties.

Just as noteworthy is the almost complete absence of any inhabitants, which inadvertently make this portrayal of the quarter eerily reminiscent of the state in which it was found circa 1993 or 1994, as local authorities brought the long, arduous eviction project to a close.

Shenmue II - SEGA AM2 - 2001

Shenmue II exhibits the most complete and period-accurate video game representation of Kowloon to date. While more recent games featuring this area may represent a number of its aspects with the aid of improved visual fidelity, none features it with such depth as this masterpiece of masterpieces. More than mere background decoration, Kowloon exists in the Shenmue series as a crucial, climacteric element of its modern epic narrative.

It is a well known fact that Yu Suzuki and his team conducted extensive research of the region so as to achieve a result that impresses even to this day. It must be noted, however, that they have similarly taken a fair share of creative liberty when converting the area to best align with the themes they wished to explore. Further reading is required for a more complete context in this regard, namely how this area ties with an early Dreamcast tech demo design which fans lovingly named Tower of Babel. Ostensively, technical limitations did curtail the degree of precision in which the surrounding area could be replicated. The aerial view from the cutscene in which Ryo Hazuki arrives on location places Kowloon at an imaginary degree of elevation over surrounding vegetation. In the year of 1987, during which the game is set, the actual enclave stood perfectly levelled with a myriad of other modern buildings, undoubtedly more than could be reproduced under the circumstances. These trifling considerations aside, Shenmue II entirely succeeds in capturing the vibrant life and mesmerizing beauty of the destitute and decayed urban agglomeration, in a way that it was deemed entirely impossible at the time of its release.

For reasons entirely related to per post content limitations imposed by Tumblr, this article will be continued in PART II.

[amxrany]

!! CHAPTER 7 / DIASOMNIA ARC SPOILERS !!

I finally have time off and I'm really excited to this segment (Trey's Dream):

Now we're back at Heartslabyul and Ace is having fun with the dream hopping so far! Ortho notices that the Heartslabyul members haven't been feeling sick, but Cater explains that their dorm's nonsensical interior design choices certainly helped in getting to used to stuff such as dreamhopping.

Ace wonders as to how many dreams we've been to, and Silver replies that we have been to around 20+ dreams by now, which causes him to go to salty as to why Yuu didn't go to his dream first. But we had to explain to him that at first Silver had no control as to whose dream they were going to land in but managed to gain control after acquiring the help of the Shroud bros. The Shroud Bros also mention a systems of IDs assigned to people's dream, probably a way to gather everyone once it's time to fight Malleus. Idia was scared that the system might still be buggy, even bringing up that it's possible to get lost in the Dream Realm.

Anyways, Grim boasts to Ace that they've overcomed so much, but Sebek puts him down by saying that they got where they are with the the help of other people. But Silver actually defends Grim here, bringing up the time before they went dream hopping. Grim was standing in fron of Yuu and fighting the darkness on his own. We have the option to thank Grim, and he it's his job as the boss of Ramshackle but you can tell that he got flustered.

Leona just wants to get things over with and tells the others to hurry up. We get a clue that it's Trey's dream because Ace notes the smell of sweets in the air. While the group makes their way to the kitchen, Ace and Deuce could easily distinguish what Trey was making based on scent alone (now that's a talent I want /j).

But before we step foot into the kitchen, Cater stops us; pointing out that if we just walk in, then the darkness would immediately detect us anomalies. He proposes a plan where he uses his UM to trade places with his dream self to avoid suspiscion, he also gets the help of Leona and Idia. But Leona protests that it should be the first years doing it, because what if his dream self wanted to have tea 😭😭😭 and Idia's just whining about not wanting to they enter the kitchen and it's definitely something (in a good way) and Cater notices that it seems bigger than usual.

Alright so we get more Cater lore here, we learn that his family prefers to buy sweets because they found it difficult to make them. He brings that up to Trey but he just simply replies that they're not that hard to make and back then Cater just thought was just enduring it but looking at it now...you can say he must be having a lot of fun.

We finally get the man of the hour with CHENYA??? AS THE HOUSEWARDEN 😭???

Deuce is so real because he doesn't remember Chenya's name, even with Ortho pulling out his government name from the RSA records he still couldn't pronounce it 😔. Ace makes fun of him for it, but Sebek unintentionally defends Deuce, saying that his name is just like a tongue twister.

Leona and Idia are just throwing shade towards Cater and Trey for replacing their Housewarden in their dreams, Leona feeling sorry for Riddle while Idia comments that smiling guys who hide their intentions are scary. Ortho puts a stop to it, explaning that the dreams aren't the real representation of one's desires (using Kalim and Vil as examples). Malleus didn't make these dreams himself, he only makes the dreamer think of happy situations and resets it when something bad happens, and it goes on in a never ending cycle. The dreams the dreamer has are similar to those that they would actually have irl, having no control of the situation whatsoever.

Meanwhile, the others are just outside peeking into the kitchen with Grim climbing on Ace's back to get a better view (with Ace complaining that he's heavy😂). Sebek tells them to stfu cuz he can't hear but Ortho tells HIM to stfu cuz he's loud 😭.

Trey immediately notices that Cater isn't the actual one (if you get it, you get it), he freaks out as to how Trey caught him so fast and he replies that he's known him for 3 years so he would have known by now. We learn more about what happened to Riddle in this dream, who's currently just a card soldier. Just like in real life, Riddle tried to battle Chenya for the position of Housewarden but was defeated because of Chenya's UM. His UM is called "Not All Head", making his body (except his head) invisible.

So we get more Alice in Wonderland references coming up. Because Chenya's UM also affects his neck, Riddle's collar literally just flies past. Riddle who's just confused, doesn't realize that Chenya unbuckles his belt and flips him over causing him to flash everyone; it's similar to the scene with the Chesire Cat and Queen of Hearts. Trey tells him to knock it off because Riddle would get mad if he goes telling everyone but Chenya isn't scared of him lmao. We also find out that Riddle went easy on Chenya, because if that was anyone else he would have burned them alive already 💀.

Trey leaves for a moment to take the cake out of the oven, which leaves some time for the third years to discuss and they noticed that there isn't much of a difference compared to real life. But because of the few discrepancies, it would be a lot harder to wake Trey up.

Trey comes back and asks them if they're hungry and offers them some food, while also making sure that isn't too sweet so that Cater could eat it. At first, Cater was worried about the rule where the Housewarden has to be the first to take a bite, but Trey tells them not to worry cuz glass desserts are an exception (Chenya's really chill for a dorm leader). While giving them snacks, Leona asks Trey to join them (he really is having a tea party at Heartslabyul 😭), and he guesses that he wants them to taste test the dishes. Leona mentions that his palata is quite refined so he'll be tasting the food from the chef of Heartslabyul, which makes Trey nervous. Let's just say while they were taste testing Trey kept offering more and more food 😅.

Meanwhile, the others are getting jealous because they get to eat while they just watch, but they also came to the conclusion that Trye's dream doesn't seem too different from reality. Suddenly, Ortho tells the group to keep quiet because he and Silver hear something "enormous" approaching. That's when Ace and Deuce tell the others to follow them as they both lead the group into a hidden compartment behind the clock which changes locations depending on its mood.

Back to the third years, Trey's just bouncing back and forth between giving them more food and baking. Cater starts to feel bad about taking away Trey's happiness away, realizing that Silver and the others were in a really tough spot for doing so. He wonders what would have happened if Trey never had that encounter with Riddle's mother, if he could've been a pastry chef by now.

Once Trey comes back, he and Idia start talking about their interests that was influenced by their parents while growing up. Where Idia brings up that he's been into magical engineering since he was a kid. Trey just starts talking about how much he love science and baking is similar to that because of the need to be precise and the satisfaction one gets when an experiment/dish turns out well, and he also sees it as a way to make other people happy (aw that's nice). Leona's out here being like "nah happiness is simply a byproduct" but Trey disagrees. He likes it when people compliments his food as it gives him confidence.

Holy fuck Trey's dream has so much exposition that I can't just cut it out or else it won't make sense 😭. But what I won't cut out is the part where Trey talks about the event with Riddle back in his childhood. It all began when Trey and Chenya decided to sneak into the nicest in the neighborhood, which just so happened to be the Rosehearts. They meet Riddle who helps them when their ball gets stuck in a tree and was really smart for his age as he could name every insect and plant. They sneak him out of the house so that Riddle can taste a tart, but once his mom found out...oh boy. Apparently she bitched on his family for FIVE HOURS that's fucking crazy like she really went insane over Riddle's diet. Cater said that they also had this conversation at some point after Riddle's overblot, but Trey just brushed it off as he really didn't mind it anymore (but really that shit changed the trajectory of his life forever).

Now we have more dorm lore regarding the Vice Housewarden, in terms of how they are chosen. There are three ways for someone to be the Vice Housewarden which are through: being chosen by the Housewarden, volunteering, or vote from the other members. How Trey became the Vice Housewarden was because of the third method, where everyone voted for him because they found out about his history with Riddle (even though the latter treated him like a stranger once he got to NRC and took the Housewarden position later on). He even broke the rules at one point and got collared for it, which yeahhhh wasn't really pretty.

Cater reminisces about the past, knowing that Trey serving as Riddle's support must have been hard; he even thinks that Trey secretly wishes that Chenya was there to help him (this is making me sad) and he wishes he has done more to help him. But Leona asks Cater the real question, if he were to help Trey, would that still change the outcome?

Leona who's just tired of all this talk (same here bro) gets the group back to their main goal, starting with Chenya. But then they start hearing the footsteps again, in which Ctaer assumes that it's a hedgehog that ate a size changing mushroom but it was much worse (and funnier). We get to my favorite part of the update: really round Heartslabyul

Everyone's freaking out (obviously) which makes Trey check out all the commotion, but his he suddenly sports a happy mood when sees everyone and assumes they came for tea time. But he soon notices that there's two copies of Ace and Deuce (who start complaining that they aren't built like that irl) which causes the dream to start to distort.

Idia sees Round!Riddle and just goes "Is this what Trey meant when he said that Riddle was eating well 😭" and the round guy just taunts Idia cuz he's the tall one now (but at what cost).

They all come to the conclusion that sure Trey's dream seems normal, except all rationality/reasoning doesn't seem to exist anymore 😅. Even Silver comments that Riddle's bigger than a horse 💀 and Sebek just makes it worse by wondering how would Vorpal survive with Round!Riddle as its rider.

The Heartslabyul Gang tells Trey that he wouldn't let something like this happen in real life, because of spoiling ones appetite and possibly getting gum disease from overeating. This starts triggering the darkness to attack the others and bruh they turn into bowling balls, managing to knock down Silver 😭.

Meanwhile, Trey is starting to wake up, the darkness asks him about the food in the kitchen, with Chenya getting the first piece because he's the Housewarden. This causes Trey to realize that Riddle's the real Housewarden, not Chenya. The darkness starts eating again, which Trey puts a stop to. When asked why, Trey responded that yeah eating his food does making happy, but going overboard isn't something they'd actually do.

Trey starts to wake up by himself! I think that it is around here that his groovy in his SSR takes place.

But all of a sudden, the area is filled with sand. Leona used his UM to get rid of the darkness even though the area is quite small, which caused everyone to cough up sand. Now that Trey's awake, he gets a bit embarassed that the others saw his pathetic side, Cater's like "more of weird side but alright" 😭. But he promises to be careful when getting hands on a new cookbook, Grim adds that he can bring the extras to Ramshackle.

Trey asks why they got to him before Riddle, and they explain to him the rules of the dream world, where darkness always follows the dreamer. So they needed an ally that can get close to Riddle without setting the darkness off, and that is none other than Trey. Ace speculates that Riddle's dream would involve everyone remembering all the Queen of Hearts rules and they all just laugh 🤣.

Ortho asks for Trey's help and he agrees, everyone thanks him but Ace is being salty because Sebek thanked Trey and not him. Sebek not having his shit either was like "who tf wants to be saved by you?" 💀 (nahhh). Trey and Silver had to apologize on their behalf and Idia comments that it's like watching parents apologizing for their kid's actions.

Trey gets the invitation, and a new ally is added to the group. Once Ortho creates the model for the dream, Trey comments that his outfit seems flashy. But Cater thinks that red and black look cool on him. In typical Cater fashion, he takes a pic to save for later.

Before the group gets going, Trey brings a strawberry tart for Riddle. Sebek asks Silver if it's fine even though it will most likely look a bit funky cuz of the dream hopping, but the latter responds that it's okay because it will still taste the same; it's mostly the thought that counts.

Now that ends Trey's Dream, I know I promised this segment last week but it was my major exam week so I focused on my studies. I won't be making any promises but I'll find a way to release Riddle's segment as soon as possible!

Thank you for being patient!

Previous: Ace's Dream Next: Riddle's Dream

(Note: This post is a summarized version of the update, info and pics comes from @/MostroLoungeVIP, @/WitchDrug, and @/acesuuu on x/twt, give them some support if you can)

[gallifreyinstituteforlearning]

What type of TV shows are popular on Gallifrey right now?

📺 What's popular on Gallifreyan TV right now?

We may not have exact viewer ratings (because, unsurprisingly, Gallifrey does not concern itself with audience engagement metrics that often), we do know what types of shows are likely being watched.

If you missed the previous rundown of Time Lord TV, you can catch up here:

But if you're wondering what's popular right now, here are a few speculative guesses:

📡 Live Broadcasts & Government Programming

🛑 The Presidential Address – Daily updates on Capitol politics. - Thrilling (mandatory) viewing where the Lord President reassures the public that everything is fine.

🌌 The Celestial Observatory Report – Real-time updates on stellar weather and cosmic anomalies. - Essential for predicting temporal storms and vortex disruptions for your commute.

🌀 Temporal Affairs Committee: Open Session – An exclusive look at Gallifreyan policy discussions that should have ended 500 years ago but didn't. - Popular among elderly Gallifreyans and those with nothing better to do.

🎙️ The Lord President Speaks… Again – The exact same speech you heard this morning, but now with a special commentary track explaining why it's even more brilliant than you originally thought.

🎭 Popular Dramatic Programming

📜 The House That Stands – A prestige drama chronicling the rise and fall of an ancient Gallifreyan House. - Expect scheming, betrayal, and a shocking number of regenerations. - Allegedly based on true events, though every major House denies involvement.

⌛ The Untold History of Time – A long-running docudrama that contradicts itself every season. - Covers historical events such as the Pythia's Curse, the Rassilon Era, and the Eternal Schism Debates (a six-part special). - No two experts agree on anything.

🚀 The Renegade Files – A sensationalist anthology profiling Gallifrey's most infamous outcasts. - Features the Master, the Monk, the Rani, and the Doctor—with wildly exaggerated re-enactments and lousy acting.

🌀 Schism: A Time Lord Story – A coming-of-age drama following young Gallifreyans as they prepare to look into the Untempered Schism. Episode guide: - Ep 1: I Don't Want to Be a Prydonian! - Ep 2: This Is Fine. (It Is Not Fine.) - Ep 3: Is It Supposed to Whisper Back?

🎩 The Patrexian Conundrum – A detective series starring a Time Lord investigator who solves paradox-related crimes. - Every episode features puzzling inconsistencies in the timeline that must be unravelled. - Special twist: Every episode starts with the detective already knowing the solution—but needing to work backward to prove it.

🧠 Game Shows & Mental Challenges

🧩 The Prydonian Trials – A high-stakes academic showdown where Junior Time Lords must solve paradoxes, predict quantum fluctuations, and recite ancient High Gallifreyan poetry.

🔍 Who's That Renegade? – Contestants must guess which Time Lord went rogue based on obscure historical clues.

👽 The Mind Probe! – A high-stakes game show where contestants must answer Gallifreyan history questions under extreme pressure. - Face the infamous question: "You will answer… the Mind Probe!" (There is no actual mind probe.)

🎤 Entertainment & Cultural Shows

🎭 The 4D Theatre Showcase – Broadcasts of avant-garde Gallifreyan theatre. - Features time-loop performances and non-linear tragedies.

😂 Temporal Standstill – Gallifreyan improv comedy, featuring jokes that unfold over multiple centuries. - Watch performers set up a joke in one incarnation and deliver the punchline three regenerations later.

👶 Kids' Programming

📚 Junior Academy Lectures – Children's programming on Gallifrey is just accelerated coursework. - Topics include "Basic Quantum Entanglement for Ages 6-8" and "Your First 500 Years of Political Philosophy."

🏫 So …

Of course, what's actually popular depends on who you ask. And if you can't find something to watch there are still 87,656,432 channels. You'll stumble onto something eventually.

Related:

💬|⏰🎶What is Gallifreyan music like?: Musical instruments and genres on Gallifrey.

💬|⏰🎾What sports and games are there on Gallifrey?: The (lack of) physical sports on Gallifrey and other games.

💬|⏰🎮Do Gallifreyans have video games?: Detailing the one solitary 'video game' on Gallifrey.

Hope that helped! 😃

Any orange text is educated guesswork or theoretical. More content ... →📫Got a question? | 📚Complete list of Q+A and factoids →📢Announcements |🩻Biology |🗨️Language |🕰️Throwbacks |🤓Facts → Features:⭐Guest Posts | 🍜Chomp Chomp with Myishu →🫀Gallifreyan Anatomy and Physiology Guide (pending) →⚕️Gallifreyan Emergency Medicine Guides →📝Source list (WIP) →📜Masterpost If you're finding your happy place in this part of the internet, feel free to buy a coffee to help keep our exhausted human conscious. She works full-time in medicine and is so very tired 😴

[ox-imagines]

Giving HTTYD Dragons to the TDB Characters

Pt. 2 - Jabberwock and Sinostra

Haru - Crimson Goregutter

The crimson goregutter is a gentle giant, appearing fierce because of its size and large antlers but is actually quite gentle. They’re loyal and caring, and their docile nature makes them easy to train. Once comfortable with their rider, they can also be quite playful. It would be happy to accompany Haru through his daily chores and help him check on the anomalies.

Towa - Skrill

The skrill is an elusive dragon usually only seen during lightning storms. They’re enigmatic, belligerent, unpredictable, and strongly territorial, and can produce and attack with lightning. However, their charge capacity is rather limited, hence avoiding people and other dragons when there’s no lightning available to recharge them, which is a good incentive for one to like Towa due to his own lightning production. Once trained, the skrill is highly loyal to its trainer, but prefers to be free. Towa’s free-spiritedness allows for a skrill to still be pseudo-free alongside him, especially with Jabberwock’s extensive land.

Ren - Scuttleclaw

When they’re young, scuttleclaws are high-energy, mischievous troublemakers, however once grown they’re smaller medium-sized dragons and extremely easy to train, not minding being ridden and able to be controlled by even an inexperienced rider. Despite their tendency towards hyperactivity, the scuttleclaw’s size and demeanor makes them the perfect low-effort dragon for someone like Ren, who’d likely only want to have one he could hop on quickly if necessary (and maybe an occasional companion to watch YouTube with) rather than a bigger commitment or more intense dragon.

Taiga - Typhoomerang

The typhoomerang is a large forest-dwelling dragon that is passionate and hot-tempered. It’s known for being over-dramatic, wrapping its wings around itself and lighting itself on fire before descending in a corkscrew spiral for both battle purposes and mating courtship. Because of this maneuver, most sane people wouldn’t consider riding one. They’re highly durable, crashing into things and sustaining attacks without taking much damage. Their flames spray out in circle vortexes, and they’ll usually trap prey in the middle of a circle of flame before physically killing it.

Romeo - Hobblegrunt

Though the name itself isn’t very attractive, hobblegrunts are colorful, flashy dragons, and can change the color of their skin based on their mood. They’re also said to bring good fortune and can predict events seconds before they happen. Hobblegrunts can also detect and alter the emotional stages and behavior of dragons near them. They’re usually calm, making them easy to train, but if the atmosphere is unpleasant they’ll quickly become aggressive.

Ritsu - Changewing

The changewing is a dragon that spits acid rather than fire and can camouflage like a chameleon. They’ll quickly be intrigued or lose interest if you mimic them, not particularly aggressive despite their highly corrosive acid. They’re team players, grouping together for common goals, and usually live and work in packs.

[katocatmi]

𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗘 𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗗𝗢𝗫

a/u: im overdosed of manhwas and this is based on pure whim. you may know me from other blogs, or not. tee heeeeeeeeeeee. i dont support the company btw, they can go suck my dick as stelle blows my back :3

summary: you, an omnipotent and supreme being that transcended beyond mere concepts, were utterly bored, having spent most of your existence overseeing multiple timelines. one day, you detected an anomaly in your realm, marking the beginning of an unheard comedy.

warning: basically timekeeper cookie but more fucked up. slaughter, mentioned death, insanity.

your earliest memories were the praises of people around you.

"such an amazing kid!"

"you are destinied for greatness!"

a quintessential example of geniuses, your hyperintelligence made it hard for you to enjoy things. you were perfect, as flawless as a human could be, you didn't need to prove anything, for people had already been on their knees at your mere presence.

it was so boring.

a thought occurred to you upon stumbling across a tragedy about two lovers, who were bereft of other's existence because they were stuck in different timelines.

for the first time, in your aimless and doomed to meet an end somewhere else mortal coil, you found something that exhilarated you. frankly, it wasn't an original idea, for generations of forebears had failed in attempts to look into the concept of time as a whole. your goal in this project, however, was not only to explore the untapped potential but also to open a new way to utilize it. at that moment, time was considered taboo, a flow of nature that mortals and alikes were forbidden to meddle with, thus the extreme backlash you were subjected to. you had never once cared for the crowd's opinions, they served to slow you down, so why should you listen to them when you had discovered a new toy to waste time on. your arduous journey led to the creation of the 'sonic embroider', the most powerful and controversial invention from mankind. it allowed the users to wield a small portion of time, not enough to control it, but enough to cause a ripple throughout the universe. some said this marked an unheard era, while others were prone to fear and distaste.

you weren't satisfied.

your belief in the item's full power had resulted in the many disappearances of volunteers, one by one, vanishing into thin air without any traces left.

well, one did return.

she, #14, was reported as the sole survivor of your merciless experiments. her mind was fractured, always mumbling incoherent words, and her tendencies to flinch at the smallest noises and vacant faces were annoying, to say the least.

after all, you were exasperated by humans' feelings in general.

her death didn't deter you, causing you to spiral farther into an abyss of insanity, one that you had never regretted, not even when your power, which was that of a being transcending beyond concepts, allowed you to turn back.

one day, you decided to ride on the 'sonic embroider' yourself. it was a much faster and more effective solution, but its consequences were to be warned.

the exposure to views of all ruined and refracted timelines, accompanied by the horror of constant dreadful loops, happened because an ambitious person dared to explore its endless cruelty was enough to wreck your mind. it brought irreversible havoc and chaos within your quiddity and you embraced it.

you welcomed the madness, for it helped dissolve any resemblance left of human nature inside you.

in the end, you remained the head of the organization, your personality had never changed, for there was no difference between the divinity and mortality. there was a thin line between a genius and a madman, and how you thrived off of it.

when they passed away, you took it your cue to reside in your realm, not before bringing forth more unnecessary entropies and messing with other timelines. the realization that you were now a sovereign of time itself didn't bother you, especially not when the waltz of discord and consternation, of divinity and mortality, mixed so well together, a symphony of your actions.

recently, you had been hanging out with a past version of yourself, a timeline where you were more caring and more lenient towards others. you took it upon yourself to convince 'her' to become a second you, as you were bored of observing without a 'friend' to gossip with. since upon 2¹³⁶ ²⁷⁹ ⁸⁴¹ − 1 timelines, there was only one you that succeeded in ascending to godhood, you chose to play an unpredictable gamble with yourself, turning off your ability to view the future for fun temporarily. you were glued to her since then and always bothered her with irrelevant ideas, not to you.

today though, you had to cut on your stay a bit. a time distortion was spotted in a nearby future, which was extremely rare. it indicated that this specific timeline had been kept clandestine from your keen eyes. as a typical bored god, you decided to give this time distortion a little push.

grass gasped underneath the footsteps of people, as the once cheerful ceremony now tainted with the ugly high-pitched screams. amid the chaos, was the one who caused it all, you, sitting on the golden embroider. a smile was plastered on your lips, like it had always been there. your one single eye swirled in a wicked excitement, revelling in the delicious desperation of residents. it wasn't the voices nor the blood that delighted you, but rather how they pushed each other back, willing to leave behind their loved ones to secure their lives. some begged, on their knees, foreheads clashed against the floor, for a salvation from you. with a mere flicker of fingers on their noses, you casually granted them the ability to wind back in time. your eye, the one that hadn't covered by the eye patch narrowed ever so slightly at their joy, giggling to yourself for your knowledge of their future.

you felt quite tired of having to do it by yourself. hadn't it been for that precise requirement, you would have 'borrowed' a mechanical armor from a fallen empire. wiping clean your trustworthy weapon, you rode away into a hole. it was an entrance to a time pocket, which you usually randomized. a comfortable place, except for those who were sick of the constant ticks from the clocks, or the hypnotizing movements of swirls. with a loud bang, an anomaly crashed onto where you usually sat, the sonic embroider.

"hello there!" you cooed, speeding up its disorientation. gloved hands gently wrapped around the small creature, as your smile widened ever so slightly.

"look like you are going to be stuck with me!" you exclaimed, examining its cog-like appearance.

[dot-https]

Saiki K and Death note crossover where, for reasons beyond understanding, the café Saiki frequents becomes a break in space.

Saiki has, of course, zero interest in this. Of course he knows, but, really, who cares? Sure, these people are a little bit strange, and the art style shift is jarring, but really, there's nothing to it.

There's nothing to the strange man in the back who orders an entire stock of cake every day (really, he's lucky their worlds logic is based on convenience. if not, they would have ran cakes eons ago,) and thinks to fast for Saiki to read. It's nothing. It is so incredibly, absolutely nothing.

It's a little less nothing, however, when he runs into another space time anomaly thinking incrimentally less fast, and of casual things, like notebooks and murder.

So, naturally, Saiki goes invisible, steals a few strands of the mans hair, and puts it on a pencap.

The logic is simple: this is a comedy. That being the case, murder can happen only if it's comedic, and reversible. Nothing about this inspires humor, so it's only natural Saiki has to save the integrity of his genre. He takes the pencap, wanders around until he finds a crime scene (far too easily, might I add) and drops it off. Then, he un-invisibles, wanders back to that crime scene, and as such a good, upstanding citizen, simply has to turn it into the police as potential evidence (under the promise of anonymity, of course, so he isn't targeted, of course) (he'd disguise himself, but he's already exhausted his transformative powers for the day. so sue him.)

It's all well and good until about a day later, when the guy from the café shows up at his house.

The issue is simple: apparently, none of these crime scenes have physical evidence. Not a single one. In fact, the crime scene Saiki had dropped the pencap at had been so thoroughly searched a layer of the dirt and concrete around the area had been carefully shaved away for testing. Essentially, L knows that Saiki knows, and L doesn't believe the whole 'average, gee-wilikers' thing for a second. He just doesn't know how.

Naturally, he sees through all of Saiki's attempts at getting him to leave, and correctly pegs him as someone who likes to be left alone because he's hiding something, and now Saiki is double fucked. He's interrogated for a while, gives nothing up, but makes a grave, fatal mistake:

Nearly falls over himself when he sees the rare, one of a kind coffee jelly L is eating when he arrives for another interrogation.

Now, he's being followed around by an insomniac detective who believes they simply must solve this case together, and also maybe eat some rare sweets Saiki will never be rich enough (not fairly, at least) to get himself, and did I forget to mention god's favorite angel having convinced herself that theres competition to be found in an otherworldly (ha.) model, and is also deadset on going with him, wherever it is?

Good grief.

[zapreportsblog]

❝tiny scientist❞

✭ pairing : neyetam x reader x aonung

✭ fandom : avatar the way of water

✭ summary : as a sky person being allowed to study the plant life on pandora is a remarkable feat itself. But somehow making two of the natives of the same planet fall in love with you, now that’s definitely something more than remarkable.

✭ avatar the way of water masterlist

In the lush, vibrant world of Pandora, (Y/N) was an anomaly. To the Na'vi, the native inhabitants of this extraordinary planet, she was a sky person, an outsider from the distant stars who had come to their homeland. Her presence in the thick jungles and towering forests of Pandora was an enigma to the Na'vi, but she had found her place among them, working tirelessly alongside Norman in the scientific laboratory.

The laboratory was situated in the newly established base near the Metkayina clan, a tribe of Na'vi who had graciously allowed (Y/N) and the other humans to set up their research center in their territory. The Metkayina clan had been cautious about outsiders, but their leader, had visited the base to forge a bond of friendship and cooperation.

Word of (Y/N)'s friendship with Kiri and Lo'ak had spread throughout the clan, she was someone the two had apparently befriended back when they were in their own home amongst the Omatikaya clan, and it had piqued the curiosity of Neteyam, Kiri and Lo'ak's elder brother. Neteyam had always been protective of his siblings, and he had heard stories of the sky people's actions on Pandora from his father, stories that weren't always favorable.

One bright morning, as (Y/N) was busy in the lab, she received a visitor. Neteyam had decided to pay her a clandestine visit, just to ensure her intentions were pure. He wanted to make sure she posed no danger to Kiri and Lo'ak, whom he cherished dearly.

Neteyam silently approached the base, using his agility to move through the forest without making a sound. He had almost reached the lab when he heard a rustling behind him. Whipping around, he found himself face to face with Aonung, a member of the Metkayina clan who had been curious about Neteyam's secretive expedition.

"What are you doing, Neteyam?" Aonung whispered, his teal eyes narrowing with suspicion.

Neteyam gestured for Aonung to be quiet and pulled him down behind a thick tangle of Pandoran vines. He spoke in a hushed tone, "I'm spying on the sky person, (Y/N), to make sure she's no threat to my siblings, Kiri and Lo'ak."

Aonung blinked in surprise but nodded in understanding. Despite their initial wariness when first meeting, Neteyam and Aonung had formed a close bond, united by their shared concern for their combined clans. Sure Aonung had been skeptical of the sky people at first, especially since they were now setting up base not that far from his clan and its people, he trusted Neteyam's judgment.

"What are we doing, then?" Aonung whispered back, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"We're watching," Neteyam replied, his eyes fixed on the laboratory's entrance. "We need to make sure she has no ill intentions. If she's truly a friend to my siblings, we'll let her be."

And so, in the heart of Pandora's untamed wilderness, two Na'vi warriors watched and waited, their fates intertwined with the sky person who had come to their world. The future of their clans and the harmony of Pandora itself depended on their vigilance and the bonds of trust they would form with this outsider named (Y/N).

(Y/N) had always possessed a keen sense of intuition, an uncanny ability to detect when eyes lingered upon her, even from within the dense foliage of Pandora's wilderness. That morning, as she worked in the lab, that feeling of being watched had become too persistent to ignore.

Unease settling in, (Y/N) swiftly donned her protective face gear and stepped outside. Her eyes scanned the vibrant surroundings, the alien flora and fauna of this mesmerizing world, searching for any sign of intrusion.

After a moment of squinting hard against the verdant backdrop, she made out a figure. The teal-colored body was unmistakable, and she called out, "Hey, who's there?"

Aonung's heart raced as he exchanged frantic glances with Neteyam, his mind racing with thoughts of what to do next. Panic etched across his features as he stammered, "Neteyam, she's seen me!"

As the two Na'vi argued in hushed tones about their next move, they failed to notice (Y/N) approaching. Her footsteps were surprisingly light on the forest floor, and before they knew it, she stood before them, her small human frame looking up at their towering Na'vi forms that came to a standing.

With her hands on her hips in a sassy manner, (Y/N) said, "Uh, so it's you two."

Aonung and Neteyam exchanged guilty glances, their towering figures suddenly feeling much smaller under (Y/N)'s piercing gaze. Caught in their covert act, they couldn't help but feel exposed.

"What were you two doing spying on me?" (Y/N) demanded, her tone a mix of irritation and curiosity.

Aonung, still flustered, quickly fabricated a lie. "We were... curious," he stammered, his voice trembling slightly. "Curious about the sky demon near my clan!”

(Y/N) narrowed her eyes at Aonung, her skepticism evident. She tilted her head, giving both Na'vi a discerning look. Then, with a mischievous glint in her eye, she said, "If you think we are sky demons, then wait until I unleash Satan himself."

Confusion swept across the faces of Aonung and Neteyam as (Y/N) turned away, her head held high. With each confident step she took, she left the two Na'vi boys bewildered.

In the days that followed their awkward encounter, Aonung and Neteyam couldn't shake their curiosity about the enigmatic sky person, (Y/N). They found themselves drawn to her laboratory like moths to a flame. At first, they continued to watch her work from a distance, lurking in the shadows of the lab. (Y/N), always vigilant, would occasionally catch a glimpse of their teal and vibrant blue colored forms out of the corner of her eye, and it would irk her.

"Why don't you two just come in if you want to watch?" (Y/N) finally said one day, her voice tinged with exasperation. "It's getting old, sneaking around like that."

Aonung and Neteyam exchanged uncertain glances but eventually gathered the courage to enter her lab. They stood in the background, watching her intently as she conducted her experiments and analyzed Pandoran flora and fauna.

As days turned into weeks, (Y/N) found herself growing accustomed to their presence. In fact, she began to involve them in her work. She'd casually ask them to pass her various tools and materials, and they did so without hesitation, their Na'vi agility making them surprisingly adept at assisting her.

One day, (Y/N) was examining a peculiar Pandoran plant under her microscope. She noticed Aonung's puzzled expression as he tried to make sense of what she was doing.

"What's that thing you're looking through?" Aonung finally asked, pointing at the microscope.

(Y/N) smiled and explained, "It's a microscope. It helps me see tiny things up close, like the cells of this plant. Here, take a look."

She adjusted the microscope and showed Aonung how to peer into it. His eyes widened in amazement as he saw the intricate world that lay hidden within the plant.

Neteyam, not to be outdone, approached (Y/N) as she worked on another project. He watched her manipulate a complex control panel, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"(Y/N), what does this do?" Neteyam inquired, pointing at a particular button.

She paused and then walked him through the function of the control panel, explaining its role in regulating environmental conditions in the lab. Neteyam absorbed the information like a sponge, his fascination with the human technology growing with each passing day.

As time went on, (Y/N) had not only accepted the presence of Aonung and Neteyam in her lab but had also welcomed their help and curiosity. She knew that fostering this mutual understanding could be the key to a harmonious coexistence between the Na'vi and the humans on Pandora. And so, with each passing day, her laboratory became a place of learning, where knowledge was shared freely, and where the bonds between them grew stronger.

One evening, as the Sully family gathered around a communal meal, Neteyam's mother and father exchanged concerned glances. They had noticed a change in their son's behavior lately, a restlessness that had not been there before.

"Neteyam," his father began, his voice carrying a tone of curiosity, "Kiri and Lo'ak have been saying they've spotted you near the humans' lab lately. What have you been up to?"

Neteyam lowered his gaze, feeling a bit uneasy under his parents' scrutiny. He knew they were only looking out for him and his siblings, but he wasn't quite ready to reveal the extent of his involvement with the sky person, (Y/N), and Aonung.

"Well," he hesitated, choosing his words carefully, "I've been curious about what the sky people do in the lab. I wanted to make sure they weren't a threat to our new home."

His mother, who had always been more perceptive, narrowed her eyes at him. "Neteyam, we trust your judgment, but we also know that curiosity can lead to trouble. Is there something you're not telling us?"

Neteyam glanced at Aonung, who was seated nearby, and then back at his parents. He knew he couldn't keep his involvement a secret any longer. Taking a deep breath, he admitted, "I've been going into the lab, and Aonung has been coming with me. (Y/N) allows us to watch and even helps us understand their technology."

His father's brows furrowed in concern, and his mother looked worried. They exchanged a few words in their native language before addressing Neteyam again.

"We understand your intentions, Neteyam," his father said, "but you must be cautious. We don't know the true nature of the sky people's intentions, and we must prioritize the safety of our clan."

Neteyam nodded, acknowledging his parents' wisdom. He knew that they were right to be cautious, but he also believed in the potential for understanding and cooperation with the humans.

As the dinner continued, Neteyam couldn't help but wonder about the delicate balance between his loyalty to his clan and his growing friendship with (Y/N) and Aonung. The path he had chosen was not an easy one, but he was determined to find a way to bridge the gap between their two worlds.

Like Neteyam families, Aonung found himself in the same predicament.

Aonung and his family sat down for their evening meal, Aonung's parents couldn't help but notice the restlessness in their son's demeanor. Tsireya, Aonung's younger sister, had been quite vocal about her recent observations, and it had raised their concerns.

Aonung's father, his brow furrowed, looked at his son and began, "Aonung, your sister Tsireya has mentioned something troubling. She claims to have seen you going into the humans' lab with the eldest Sully son. Care to explain?"

Aonung shifted uncomfortably in his seat, acutely aware of the judgmental gazes of his family. He knew he couldn't keep his newfound friendship with (Y/N) and Neteyam's activities in the lab a secret any longer.

Taking a deep breath, he admitted, "Yes, Father, Mother, I've been going into the lab with Neteyam. We've been spending time with the sky person, (Y/N). She's not a demon; she's friendly and wants to help us understand their world."

A hushed silence fell over the dinner table as his parents exchanged troubled glances. Aonung's mother spoke next, her voice filled with concern, "Aonung, you know how our clan has always been cautious about outsiders. We must prioritize our safety and the well-being of our people."

Aonung nodded in understanding but couldn't hide the determination in his eyes. "I know, Mother, Father. But we've seen the humans' willingness to cooperate and learn from us. Perhaps we can find common ground and build a bridge between our two worlds."

His father sighed deeply, clearly torn between his son's earnest desires and the age-old traditions of their clan. "Aonung, we trust your judgment, but you must tread carefully. The path you've chosen is a challenging but dangerous one."

Aonung appreciated his parents' understanding, even if it was cautious. He knew that forging a friendship with (Y/N) and aiding Neteyam in understanding the humans' technology was not without its risks, but he believed it was a risk worth taking for the sake of unity and cooperation between their people and the sky people of Pandora.

As a month passed since their initial curiosity led them into (Y/N)'s lab, Aonung and Neteyam found themselves drawn to her in ways they hadn't expected. What began as mere curiosity had morphed into genuine fondness. They couldn't deny that (Y/N) had a unique charm that had captured their attention.

One day, as they joined her in the lab, Aonung mustered the courage to bring up a personal question. "Hey, (Y/N), we've been wondering... back on Earth, did you have a mate or someone special?"

(Y/N) looked up from her work, a faint smile playing on her lips. "Well, on Earth, humans don't really have mates like Na'vi do. We believe in the concept of soulmates, but that's a story for another time," she replied.

Aonung and Neteyam exchanged glances, intrigued by this notion of soulmates. But they didn't dwell on it for long. They had another question on their minds.

"So, did you have a boyfriend or anything like that back on Earth?" Neteyam asked, curiosity evident in his voice.

(Y/N) shook her head. "No, not really. Earth was in crisis, and I was focused on my studies, trying to find a solution to save it. I didn't have time for a romantic relationship."

The two Na'vi exchanged knowing glances, sensing an opportunity to learn more about (Y/N)'s preferences. Emboldened by their growing affection for her, Neteyam ventured further, "Would you ever consider dating a Na'vi man... or, well, someone from another clan?"

(Y/N) paused for a moment, her eyes locking with Neteyam's. "I'm actually bisexual," she admitted, her tone softening. "So, it doesn't have to be a man. What's more important to me is the kind of person they are."

Aonung and Neteyam hung on to her words, eager to hear more. "Well what kind of person are you looking for?" Aonung asked, his heart beating a little faster.

(Y/N) leaned back, her gaze distant as she considered her answer. "I want someone who's brave and kind, someone who would protect me and love me for who I am, flaws and all."

As (Y/N) spoke about her ideal partner, Aonung and Neteyam couldn't help but feel their hearts swell with emotion. They realized, in that moment, that they were both falling in love with this remarkable sky person who had entered their lives. It was a gentle competition of the heart, one that neither of them had anticipated when they first stepped into her lab, but one that had become undeniably real.