#READ REBEL OF THE SANDS !!!!

[formosusiniquis]

A Steddie / Buckingham comedy of errors of sorts. It goes like this.

Robin thinks Chrissy Cunningham might be her non platonic soulmate. She's smart, a little goofy, observant, seems like a great listener, and after what the rumor mill is saying was a pretty intense summer has really come into her own. It's a shame she went straight from dating Jason to Eddie Munson.

"She said she's working on herself," Steve claims, more in tune with the gossip than she is, "pretty hypocritical of you to say guys and girls can't be friends."

Which is pretty hypocritical of him when she knows he only cares cause he's already planning his wedding to Chrissy's new boyfriend; he needs Eddie to be single otherwise he's pining away for his perfect co-babysitter for nothing.

But it doesn't matter if they are dating or if they aren't or if Chrissy Cunningham with her perfect strawberry blonde ponytail is her soulmate, because her parents keep trying to set her up with some friend of a friend. She needs to do something quick before disaster strikes.

Melissa and Richard Buckley still know how to tie one on, when the occasion strikes. They're parents now, they've settled down some. Given in to the picket fence life, keep their yard mowed so Gayle Collins down the way stops glaring. They haven't done anything really crazy since that weekend they left Robin with Minerva and went to see what that whole Woodstock thing was about. Now they mostly just stick to getting as high as they can and stargazing on the weekends that Robin is off with Steve, a sweet boy kind of a square but the brownie recipe he gave them makes the best edibles.

Melissa can tell her daughter is lonely, she notices a lot of things about Robin that she won't tell them. Richard has noticed that their dealer Eddie has started bringing a friend along with him. Eddie is a sweet boy too, raised well respects his elders something they care about now that they've become them, he is also obviously and fantastically gay. Like all the parents in Hawkins, Richard and Melissa have heard how Wayne Munson has taken in that Cunningham girl after she came back from her trip out of state. Melissa remembers being a vaguely out of control youth and knows that a trip out of state is code for one of two things, and Chrissy doesn't look like she's ever been pregnant. Chrissy seems like a girl who might like their daughter.

Steve would die before he denies Robin just about anything. She is the platonic love of his life, they nearly died together, they've come out together. He's pretty sure as long as he has Robin and his kids he'd be content for the rest of his life, romance be damned.

A sentiment Robin seems to agree with since she wants him to fake being her boyfriend. Obviously, he says yes. Steve is a good boyfriend, he's always been a good boyfriend. He's attentive, great with parents, knows when to keep the pda to a minimum but also knows when to put on a show. He used to be pretty sure that Mr. and Mrs. Buckley liked him. So he's not really sure why they pulled him aside before movie night.

"Your parents hate me."

"There isn't a parent in Hawkins who hates you."

"You mom just asked me if I didn't think it might be better if I found someone more suited to me."

"What does that even mean?"

"It's basically mom code for I think your the worst person my daughter could have brought home. If I had the choice I'd kill you so why don't you do us both a favor and fuck off."

"I don't think that's right."

"Rob, I love you but conversational nuance isn't exactly your thing."

Eddie likes his job. Sure it's technically not honest work, but who knows maybe down the line they'll legalize it. He's getting in on the ground floor, an entrepreneur. Hawkins is surprisingly pro-weed and Eddie is just fine sticking to that after this summer. His favorite customers are the old folks. Like Miss Brenda at the library or the Buckleys. He always brings Chrissy along when he goes out these days, she feels weird staying in the trailer by herself and he likes having her nearby. She puts people at ease.

Except the Buckleys, who seem strangely obsessed with her. They ask her pointed questions about Dorothy, and surely they mean an actual Dorothy, surely the nice middle aged couple aren't trying to figure out if Chrissy is queer. Sure he got some vibes off of Buckley the younger, but that was before she started dating the love of his life. Now he's starting to think his whole gaydar has gone to shit.

Chrissy, a baby gay who has just broken free of the nastiest case of comp het Eddie has ever seen, answer honestly. She doesn't know a Dorothy, is that one of Robin's band friends? How is Robin, she is so sweet. Chrissy just wishes she had more time in the day so they could see each other more. She's dating Steve right, they make just the cutest couple, don't they think?

Eddie can tell Melissa doesn't. A surprise when even Wayne likes Steve Harrington, thinks he's the bees knees. Loaned him a screwdriver or some shit when the guy was over fixing something at the Mayfield place. She smiles though and agrees that Steve is quite sweet, in a tone that Eddie is far more used to hearing used when people are talking about him than about Steve Harrington. He blinks and the next thing he knows Chrissy is agreeing for them both that dinner on Friday sounds lovely; she'll bring a dessert.

Like she's ever baked in her life.

Chrissy Cunningham has had a rough couple of months, but she's settled now. Sure, she had a breakdown so bad in Eddie's trailer that she ended up having to get professional help; but she got that help and a new support system for herself. Really, the only way life could be much better is if she were dating Robin Buckley.

Eddie likes to tease her, calls her a baby gay like she's a wobbly legged deer still figuring things out. She's had eyes on Robin since the fifth grade, when she got her hair cut short to her shoulders the first time and her teeth still had a gap before her braces went on. Steve is a great guy, she's seen him with the group of freshmen that follow him around like ducklings; she's also watching him now and he's spent most of dinner making moon eyes at Eddie instead of his girlfriend.

She doesn't understand how, Robin is a vision. Full of spit and vinegar, she is firecracker mad glaring at her parents across the table. "You really brought him here? I'm dating Steve, can you not accept that?"

A lot happens at once, Chrissy isn't entirely sure what is going on but it feels a lot like a pot boiling over, something left too long unattended.

"We aren't trying to set you up with our dealer," Mr. Buckley said. "You're not exactly his type."

"Chrissy is such a nice girl." Mrs. Buckley tries.

"You said you stopped that," Steve to Eddie, a lethal pout on his lips and downturned eyes.

"Well, I stopped with the kids," Eddie tries, "I gotta pay the bills somehow, sweetheart."

"Chrissy?" If Robin was a vision in her sharp eyed rage, she's radiant in her pink cheeked surprise.

Once the shock, surprise, and comedy wear off Chrissy thinks there will be tears. Robin's parents seem nice. They seem like the kind of parents you confide in and who hold you tight. She thinks about her mom doing something thoughtful, thinks of her quietly accepting who she is and who she loves; and when she can't do that she thinks of Wayne and Eddie and knows she'd cry once they were alone and the theater of it all was over. So she thinks she might need to make the most of her moment while it's there. "I don't want to be a homewrecker," she jokes, something she's picked up from Eddie, "but I think your boyfriend has his eyes other places."

"Boyfriend, what boyfriend?"

"They're showing Clue at The Hawk this weekend, if you want to go with me?"

Robin can't nod her head fast enough.

"Stevie, I noticed you find yourself newly single," Eddie says, sorrow so fake he should rethink his decision to go within 10 feet of the drama department. "If you could bear it, would you want to crash their date make it a double?"

Steve agrees so fast a bit of hair escapes his coif, it falls in a curl at his forehead.

Robin's parents both seem pleased, pleasant smiles that chrissy is becoming more accustomed to seeing on adults now that she resides in the Munson place. "They'll be smug about this forever," Robin confides. Her smile betrays her lack of real dismay.

Chrissy got her girl and her best friend got his boy, so she thinks it's all's well that ends well.

[haveyoureadthisbook-poll]

[jensbooks]

READ IN 2023 → Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton

"The world makes things for each place. Fish for the sea, Rocs for the mountain skies, and girls with sun in their skin and perfect aim for a desert that doesn't show weakness."

[armandyke]

42 for the book ask game?

42: Do you read one book at a time, or several at once?

One at a time otherwise my brain gets confused 😂 Sometimes if I'm struggling to get into a book or I just hit a bit of a wall I'll pause with that one and read something else before going back to it though.

Book Asks

[mediashadowreads]

TOP TEN TUESDAY – JULY 2ND

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl, every week features a different book related theme to take part in.. and this week’s is.. 10 books with my favourite colour on the cover! Settling on a single colour is actually rather difficult. My favourite specific colour since childhood is teal but I am admittedly partial to khaki green, maroon red and a deep purple.…

[wallflowerglitter]

[rebelresolve]

(( man, the more I watch the less I like winstead's version of hera :/ I was skeptical from the get go but told myself it was probably just the transition to live action that was jarring to me

but while dawson's ahsoka has won me over from a similar point of skepticism and bordizzo's sabine is excellent so far, winstead is just not living up to the task. and I get it, big shoes to fill and all, I never expected her to be able to replace marshall's hera in my heart, but this is just not doing it for me :/

unsure if I'll use her for live action icons, I might just do so anyways (because I mean what are my options really), but had to weigh in ))

[fishnapple]

Their desires, fantasies, and style

(Lover, partner, future spouse)

Disclaimer : Contain mature contents. Minors (under 18y/o) do not interact.

This is a general reading meant for multiple people. Take only what resonates and leave out the rest.

Your feedback is much appreciated. If you find the reading resonated with you, leave a comment, I’d love to know 🎐

About me | Masterpost Book a reading with me - KO-FI (→ personal reading)

CITRINE

Energy : Hawk

They will keep a keen eye on your every action and reaction, your expressions and your voice. They observe them all and commit to their memory. Almost in a detached sense, like a scientist studying their subject.

The energy feels dry and hard, not soft and flowing.

This is a vocal lover. They want to talk and communicate with you in every moment. But not in the soft, gushing type, talking about how they feel, but more like commanding, authoritative type. They will want to tell you what to do, what they're about to do to you, and guiding you. Their tone could be firm and serious.

They want to have a spiritual feel to the act. Like feeling your mind and body expanding, both of you feeling connected to something higher together.

Most likely, the moments they feel the most aroused are when they feel a little sleepy, like before going to sleep or just after waking up, and when they're playing some sport, travelling to foreign place. The feeling of foreignness will make them want to do it with you there, to make a memory, to feel like you guys are experiencing something new together, connecting through new experiences. So that later on, they can associate that place, that activity with you.

Talk about newness. They will have some pretty novelty ideas for experiencing pleasures. Things that could make you or them or both feel a little out of their depth, a little uncomfortable and fearful, to try out new things and see how it goes. Almost like they want to make a library of sexual experiments and memories between you guys. Oh, here is this beach, we made love here once, how we felt, the wind, the scent of saltiness, the graininess and dampness of the sand, the brightness of the moon. Oh, here is this room with a thin wall, how we had to hold our voice, how your hands and arms or theirs are sore and tired. Here is this mattress, how much we wet it. Things like that.

They may like to have 'contrast' in the intimacy, as in big vs small, soft vs hard, light vs dark, inexperienced vs experienced, older vs younger, secretive vs open. So they may like to dress in more formal clothes while you wear little or naked or vice versa. Doing it in place where there are both light and shadow, half dark half light. To feel cool and warm sensation alternatively. To role play as someone in a more powerful position than the other person, to play the rescuer and protector of someone fragile. To have one person rebels against the other. Clashes that create strong emotional reactions.

CARNELIAN

Energy: Turtle

They are very grounded and soft. You will feel peaceful and calm in their arms. There will be a feeling that only you two exist in this world, no disturbance, and nothing else matters. What you guys shared with each other is unique, the story of your life, the kind that you won't need to compare to anything else.

Their energy is giving and balanced. Even the image of the stones remind me of a turtle swimming gently with the current. They will be very attentive towards you, making sure that you feel comfortable, that you are satisfied. Whispering soft and loving words to your ears while holding you close, they probably like to hear those words from you, too. They will want to feel the closeness between you and their body for sure. Holding so close, almost to the point of hurting or suffocating, binding, pinning down, they don't want to have space between you and them. They will try to eliminate and fill in the space. Wanting to penetrate or be penetrated fully and stay connected as long as possible. Like a hunger, an emotional need, could be acting a little bit needy and clingy. They will show themselves fully to you, physically and emotionally open their innermost pure part. They probably like you two to be fully naked, to feel the sensation of skins touching.

They almost dread the climax because it will feel like an ending. They may also like to hold the passion in as much as possible, waiting until it explodes, like wishing for something diligently and finally having that wish fulfilled, the satisfaction will be immense. So they may like to play a little cat and mouse game as foreplay, edging, and delayed climax.

Being held in their arms will feel like you are expanding, despite the physical closeness. Maybe you could feel the sensation of your "outer shell" broke away, leaving the core open, energetically.

For their fantasies, they will want the sex to be soft and fun, smiles, and laughter. Serious but fun and intimate at the same time. The desires would come suddenly, especially when you guys are having fun together, like playing video games, doing some experiments together, you or them or both get turned on and just do it right then and there. They may want to add some surprising elements to spice things up. Could be toys, lingerie, or some unique clothes that get your or their mind going. They could fantasise about doing it in the water, with bubbles around.

They will want to spoil you with gifts. They like the act of giving to their lover. It's not coming from the place of insecurities or fears but just as a genuine desire to make both of you feel good. They understand the give and take in relationship. They want to be both the nurturer and the nurtured. Learning and teaching at the same time. Although they may want to be in the teacher role more. Just be careful not to make it one sided, one is giving too much while the other is just receiving.

OBSIDIAN

Energy: Sea serpent

Something feel very structured and traditional about this person. Like they want to create a cocoon for just the two of you to stay there. Something about the act of holding, of being inside something. They definitely like penetrative sex the most. As for being traditional, it's as in having your first time with each other after marriage and having your relationship sanctioned officially, approved by the society, so they probably won't have cheating fantasies. Why I'm saying that is because I see the Moon stone and the Saturn stone lay down next to each other, both turned to the same direction, as if two people are standing next to each other at the altar.

I also see a fetal position, a creation, a live conceived inside. This person could have a breeding kink. They love the procreative aspect of sex, the idea of creating a new living being together, to be a father or a mother will turn them on. If that's something you feel uncomfortable with, you should communicate clearly and early on with them.

If they want to have sex with you, they probably think of marriage, wanting to have something that lasts. They could even want to "play house", calling their lover their wife/husband and vice versa, hearing their lover calls them that even before marriage.

This person also like routine sex, doing it regularly. They see it as one of the ways to solidify the relationship. Practice makes perfect. It may sound boring but don't be deceived. They know how to bring in both the raw passion and the dreaminess. They will try to satisfy all your fantasies. They alternate between passivity and activeness. Sometimes they want to be in a more passive role, just lay there and receiving, then they will switch and take charge. For all their routines and structures, they are pretty flexible in the act. There will be times when the sex is full of soft touches and slow, with different seduction tactics, another time it will be direct, rough and quick.

They may like the wetness and the heat, the feeling of tightness. They like to use their hands to explore the body of their partner. They also like to say things that nudge you to be more open to experience things. They are open and accepting, their sexual energy is compassionate and nonjudgmental, giving you space to explore and be your true self. But the deliverance of those words could be out of the blue, a little shocking or awkward or irrelevant? Like when you're in the middle of sex and are feeling it, they could tell you that they think the babies will have dark hair like yours (maybe not that irrelevant then)

4. Flourite

Energy: Lion

Immediately I can see that your person likes to assert dominance. Not in the aggressive and crude way but more like showing their self mastery through words, expressions that makes other people respect them.

They are observant and precise in their words. Knowing what will make the other person ticks. Can be strategic and a little manipulative. The image of a lion stalking its prey. I don't feel like they use underhanded tactics or anything, they are dignified and want you to submit to them.

They want to coax out some of your more raw emotions, could be your pains and fears and soothe those. They want you to be open and vulnerable, showing the side of yours that you deemed ugly or unwanted then they will pour their love into that, almost like applying soothing balm. Translate to sex, they will want to make love to you after a long, deep conversation where you shared your pains and wounds, they want the sex to heal. They could get turned on when they see you cry, your teary eyes and crying face will seem beautiful to them. But they don't want to be the one that makes you cry though, there's a difference, it's not like they will bully you into crying to satisfy their desire. This person could have a savior kink. They want to come in and save you from any hardship. There is a certain desire for psychological struggle and pain to be intertwined with pleasure, not exactly physical pain. The explosion of emotions, the abandonment of the self.

Maybe, deep down, they want to do it so their partner gets attached to them, they want to be worshiped a little bit by their partner. To have their partner's attention all for themselves, being adored, being praised. Behind the intimidating and confident image are some insecurities, could be something from their past that they want to move on from. It's actually about their confidence in their ability to love. They feel that they weren't able to save their partner in the past or some obstacles were in the way and they couldn't overcome them. They fear the lack of power. They may mask those insecurities with jokes and a general optimistic attitude though.

They like to take their lover on sudden trips. They may show up at your door one day and hold out two tickets to travel overseas, depart at midnight, just like that. It could be pretty exasperating sometimes. They might get a kick out of having sex or at least having PDA in some public place, somewhere with other people around. Almost like wanting to show off, to make others jealous of the relationship that you guys have.

[justalittlesolarpunk]

I’ve teased it. You’ve waited. I’ve procrastinated. You’ve probably forgotten all about it.

But now, finally, I’m here with my solarpunk resources masterpost!

YouTube Channels:

Andrewism

The Solarpunk Scene

Solarpunk Life

Solarpunk Station

Our Changing Climate

Podcasts:

The Joy Report

How To Save A Planet

Demand Utopia

Solarpunk Presents

Outrage and Optimisim

From What If To What Next

Solarpunk Now

Idealistically

The Extinction Rebellion Podcast

The Landworkers' Radio

Wilder

What Could Possibly Go Right?

Frontiers of Commoning

The War on Cars

The Rewild Podcast

Solacene

Imagining Tomorrow

Books (Fiction):

Ursula K. Le Guin: The Left Hand of Darkness The Dispossessed The Word for World is Forest

Becky Chambers: A Psalm for the Wild-Built A Prayer for the Crown-Shy

Phoebe Wagner: When We Hold Each Other Up

Phoebe Wagner, Bronte Christopher Wieland: Sunvault: Stories of Solarpunk and Eco-Speculation

Brenda J. Pierson: Wings of Renewal: A Solarpunk Dragon Anthology

Gerson Lodi-Ribeiro: Solarpunk: Ecological and Fantastical Stories in a Sustainable World

Justine Norton-Kertson: Bioluminescent: A Lunarpunk Anthology

Sim Kern: The Free People’s Village

Ruthanna Emrys: A Half-Built Garden

Sarina Ulibarri: Glass & Gardens

Books (Non-fiction):

Murray Bookchin: The Ecology of Freedom

George Monbiot: Feral

Miles Olson: Unlearn, Rewild

Mark Shepard: Restoration Agriculture

Kristin Ohlson: The Soil Will Save Us

Rowan Hooper: How To Spend A Trillion Dollars

Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing: The Mushroom At The End of The World

Kimberly Nicholas: Under The Sky We Make

Robin Wall Kimmerer: Braiding Sweetgrass

David Miller: Solved

Ayana Johnson, Katharine Wilkinson: All We Can Save

Jonathan Safran Foer: We Are The Weather

Colin Tudge: Six Steps Back To The Land

Edward Wilson: Half-Earth

Natalie Fee: How To Save The World For Free

Kaden Hogan: Humans of Climate Change

Rebecca Huntley: How To Talk About Climate Change In A Way That Makes A Difference

Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett-Carnac: The Future We Choose

Jonathon Porritt: Hope In Hell

Paul Hawken: Regeneration

Mark Maslin: How To Save Our Planet

Katherine Hayhoe: Saving Us

Jimmy Dunson: Building Power While The Lights Are Out

Paul Raekstad, Sofa Saio Gradin: Prefigurative Politics

Andreas Malm: How To Blow Up A Pipeline

Phoebe Wagner, Bronte Christopher Wieland: Almanac For The Anthropocene

Chris Turner: How To Be A Climate Optimist

William MacAskill: What We Owe To The Future

Mikaela Loach: It's Not That Radical

Miles Richardson: Reconnection

David Harvey: Spaces of Hope Rebel Cities

Eric Holthaus: The Future Earth

Zahra Biabani: Climate Optimism

David Ehrenfeld: Becoming Good Ancestors

Stephen Gliessman: Agroecology

Chris Carlsson: Nowtopia

Jon Alexander: Citizens

Leah Thomas: The Intersectional Environmentalist

Greta Thunberg: The Climate Book

Jen Bendell, Rupert Read: Deep Adaptation

Seth Godin: The Carbon Almanac

Jane Goodall: The Book of Hope

Vandana Shiva: Agroecology and Regenerative Agriculture

Amitav Ghosh: The Great Derangement

Minouche Shafik: What We Owe To Each Other

Dieter Helm: Net Zero

Chris Goodall: What We Need To Do Now

Aldo Leopold: A Sand County Almanac

Jeffrey Jerome Cohen, Stephanie Foote: The Cambridge Companion To The Environmental Humanities

Bella Lack: The Children of The Anthropocene

Hannah Ritchie: Not The End of The World

Chris Turner: How To Be A Climate Optimist

Kim Stanley Robinson: Ministry For The Future

Fiona Mathews, Tim Kendall: Black Ops & Beaver Bombing

Jeff Goodell: The Water Will Come

Lynne Jones: Sorry For The Inconvenience But This Is An Emergency

Helen Crist: Abundant Earth

Sam Bentley: Good News, Planet Earth!

Timothy Beal: When Time Is Short

Andrew Boyd: I Want A Better Catastrophe

Kristen R. Ghodsee: Everyday Utopia

Elizabeth Cripps: What Climate Justice Means & Why We Should Care

Kylie Flanagan: Climate Resilience

Chris Johnstone, Joanna Macy: Active Hope

Mark Engler: This is an Uprising

Anne Therese Gennari: The Climate Optimist Handbook

Magazines:

Solarpunk Magazine

Positive News

Resurgence & Ecologist

Ethical Consumer

Films (Fiction):

How To Blow Up A Pipeline

The End We Start From

Woman At War

Black Panther

Star Trek

Tomorrowland

Films (Documentary):

2040: How We Can Save The Planet

The People vs Big Oil

Wild Isles

The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind

Generation Green New Deal

Planet Earth III

Video Games:

Terra Nil

Animal Crossing

Gilded Shadows

Anno 2070

Stardew Valley

RPGs:

Solarpunk Futures

Perfect Storm

Advocacy Groups:

A22 Network

Extinction Rebellion

Greenpeace

Friends of The Earth

Green New Deal Rising

Apps:

Ethy

Sojo

BackMarket

Depop

Vinted

Olio

Buy Nothing

Too Good To Go

Websites:

European Co-housing

UK Co-housing

US Co-housing

Brought By Bike (connects you with zero-carbon delivery goods)

ClimateBase (find a sustainable career)

Environmentjob (ditto)

Businesses (🤢):

Ethical Superstore

Hodmedods

Fairtransport/Sail Cargo Alliance

Let me know if you think there’s anything I’ve missed!

[jenchan-writingmultis]

Twisted Wonderland Boys x Gn! Reader Breakups

A/n: I had fun writing this one! I hope you like it!

Masterlist

Chapter One: Heartslabyul

Not Beta read

━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━

Sypnosis: Imagine how twisted Wonderland boys are as your ex-boyfriends? Who would cut ties first? or how they would break up with you due to unforeseen circumstances? what was the reason for their breakup, and how would they do it?

Warning: Self-destructive behavior on reader's part (Jack Howl)

Savanaclaw:

Leona: He breaks up first because of his fear of hurting you

𓃬 There are plenty of reasons why Leona would break up with you, but one’s thing for sure, it wasn’t because of his royal family, or some bullshit like that. He just thinks it’s better to part ways than to deal with the current problem that was arising in your relationship with him.

𓃬 Your relationship was going normal and actually perfect for once, he had someone who he cared for deeply and someone he finally can keep for himself, not someone for his brother, you were only his. He was content with what he had, and for the first time, he started to be present in classes if it meant spending more time with you (since you told him multiple times that you were not gonna cut classes with him) so he reluctantly started going to class more often just to spend a few more hours with you. Be grateful herbivore, the things he does for you.

𓃬 However, he still wanted more than just you, still pushed further, still wished for validation, for success that he can be number one, not only to prove himself to the world and his royal family, but to you too. He didn’t want you to think he’s always at best, a second rate.

𓃬 You were kept in the dark of his plans, since you’re not a savanaclaw student, he could plan freely without you knowing, his plans were corrupted as hell too.

𓃬 The moment that he executed that plan however, he didn’t expect you to be part of the one rebelling against him. Was this some kind of sick joke? Why did you decide to defend Malleus’ than your own boyfriend? That became a reason why he was pushed off the edge, in the state of his distress, his judgement was clouded, and he almost turned you and Ruggie into sand.

𓃬 When he woke up from his overblot, the first thing he noticed was your arm, you were hugging him, begging him to wake up, that his ears flopped down, his hand twitching to touch your arm, which you didn’t let him since you were hugging him so tightly with that one unharmed arm.

𓃬 “Herbivore” his expression turned into worry, as he touches your hand “I’m okay” you whispered, trying to hold his hand as well, except, you couldn’t feel your hand.

𓃬 His breath hitches when he saw your hand unable to move, burying his face into your shoulder he sighs, “Let’s go to the clinic”

𓃬 He tried to offer you his bed indirectly, but you refused multiple times, stating that you only had an injury on your arm while he might be suffering internal damage.

𓃬 At first, he didn’t feel anything for awhile due to the effects of the overblot, but he felt especially bad when he saw how bad your hand was harmed. The doctor stating that you were lucky that your nerves weren’t permanently damaged, and with physical therapy. Hearing that made his frown go further. While it was a guaranteed success, what happens if he overblots again?

𓃬 Fuck, he didn’t even know that you were part of Malleus’ little scheme, if he knew, he would have dissolve the plan and create a new one just to get you out of it.

𓃬 Biting his lip, he looks down, looking defeated.

𓃬 “Leona, it’s okay” you tried to touch his hand but he pulls it away, turning away from where you’re sitting besides him. He didn’t understand what he was feeling currently. Was it anxiety? He wouldn’t overblot again cause of this right? He couldn’t help but sigh and just close his eyes, hoping that this was some kind of shitty dream, and he hoped he wakes up out of it.

𓃬 He unfortunately, did not wake up from the nightmare, still seeing the scar on you as the result of his action, he thought giving it time, it’ll heal up eventually, but it became a reminder that not only was he a danger to his juniors, but a danger to you himself.

𓃬 He chuckled bitterly to himself one time when you two were cuddling you on top of him while his hands were behind his head, using it as a pillow, he wanted to cuddle you as well, but this new fear of his was starting to develop and consume him.

𓃬 Looking at the ceiling, the silence was deafening, you scrolling on magicam as usual, what was once a relaxing moment, became a suffocating embrace to Leona, and you were clueless about it.

𓃬 “Hey” he calls out to you as you stopped scrolling, placing your phone on the bed as you lift your head up. “Yeah?”

𓃬 His expression was unreadable as he didn’t even bother looking at you. “Let’s end it”

𓃬 “What?” you sprung up, pulling away from him as he closes his eyes, eyebrows knitting as if he’s the one annoyed, shouldn’t it be you?

𓃬 “I just lost interest” he lied, closing his eyes more, not wanting to see your expression. But you didn’t buy that, you tried to grab his arm, trying to get him to open his eyes and look at you, but he didn’t. “Herbivore, just leave, I know what I said was pretty painful, you can deal with it when I’m out of the picture”

𓃬 Your heart shattered, biting your lip, “Is this about what happened in the overblot? Leona, I told you I’m fin-“

𓃬 “What happens if I overblot again?” he asked, finally opening his eyes as your breath hitches, seeing the turmoil of emotions in it. “What happens if you became my target, again?”

𓃬 “You sided with Malleus, you betrayed me” he reasoned, thinking that if he acted as if he was hurt by your betrayal, you might have a reason to move on from him “I can’t just let that slide Herbivore”

𓃬 He was expecting refute, anger, expecting a slap on his face but his eyes widened when a tear strolled down your face.

𓃬 He reached out instinctively, a habit he developed ever since you started dating as he wipes your tears away.

𓃬 “I’m sorry” you sob out, trying to lean closer to the hand that became your comfort for all these years.

𓃬 Leona sighs, finding it hard to push you away when he wasn’t the only one that got their defenses broken down, but yours as well.

𓃬 “Give it some thought” he urges, cupping your cheeks. “Let’s take a break from each other, that’s all I ask”

𓃬 It was much better than breaking up.

𓃬 As an "ex" boyfriend, he's a 9/10, respects the time he asked for, he wouldn't bother you, he trusts you that much. He was the one that asked for it as well. it will depend on you if you two got back together. Did you find someone new? or did you realize you deserve so much better? Either way, he will support your decision once you see your life without him in the narrative.

Ruggie: Breaks up first

𓃢 Ruggie lived paycheck by paycheck already, he didn’t expect that he’d add another in his already hectic life.

𓃢 He really tried his best to become a good boyfriend to you, but like Riddle, he has a lot of side hustles that he gives priority over you. Of course, he loves you! It’s just he wants to place his family first. Which would be a reason for your breakup.

𓃢 You both had different priorities in life, and while the start of your relationship was stable to the point it felt like a dream that Ruggie could never had, it was real, even if for a short moment, he loved you, he knows that you were going to drift apart eventually.

𓃢 No one loves forever, a controversial take but nonetheless true for people with limited lifespans, if he was immortal, he’d place trying to get out of poverty for the first hundred years and once he’s stable, he’d court you.

𓃢 But that’s just a pipe dream, he doesn’t even know if he’d ever get out of getting scraps from the ground off rich people who he had to mooch on. He certainly didn’t want that kind of life for you.

𓃢 So, as early as possible, he’d break it off, it didn’t surprise him that you agreed, having to have spent less time this month than the other. He is hurt with how fast you agreed to breaking up with him, not knowing that you only agreed so he wouldn’t pass out of exhaustion just because he didn’t want to sleep to spend time with you.

𓃢 Seeing him getting run ragged by various jobs, even by Leona made your heart ache, and add to the fact that you were starting to become one of the people he exhaust his remaining energy in.Instead of feeling like you were his rest, you started feeling like you were the burden, an additional burden to the plethora of responsibilities he had.

𓃢 During the time of your break up, he managed to get you out on a date, he didn’t know if this was considered sick and twisted when your first official date with him became the last one as well. He was going to use the money to take you out a few months ago, in a cafeteria just a walk away from NRC, but deciding against it, thinking that you deserved better.

𓃢 Which sucks cause now, he’s going to take you out somewhere more decent with the thought of leaving you. During the whole time, he couldn’t read your expression, he was straight to the point with it, telling you that he didn’t see a future with you and that he thinks that you deserve better than him, he can’t provide you with luxurious stuff that usually, other students are very capable of achieving.

𓃢 You wanted to argue that you weren’t a gold digger, and that you didn’t fall for him because of anything other than the fact that he’s… him. But Ruggie kept going, giving more and more reasons for you to leave, he was a bad guy, he could hurt you, he’s poor. You didn’t have the heart to stop him from his self-deprecating thoughts when he looked like he needed to spill all of it out.

𓃢 In the end, you agreed, realizing that Ruggie needed his space, and needed his time back, if you were out of the picture maybe he’ll finally get the rest that he needed.

𓃢 As an ex-boyfriend, he’s a 10/10, he’d treat you the same, except without any labels, you went back easy being his friend, even if you both had lingering feelings for each other. Maybe once he’s out of poverty, he’ll court you again, if you accept him.

Jack: You break up first

𓃠 Jack as a boyfriend is like Trey, they’re both major green flags, so what is there to break up about? Especially when Jack believes heavily that people, at least his species, only loves once. When he realizes that he’s falling for you, he didn’t outright say it at first when he found out about it. Taking his time in reflecting whether the feelings he’s experiencing is just closeness akin to friendship, or did he really want you to be his lover?

𓃠 After a few months of contemplating, he finally found the answer. He truly sees you as someone he wants to be with and introduce his family to. So he confessed, he was only slightly expecting that you’d say yes to his proposal, and that sliver of hope blossomed when you agreed to trying to have a date!

𓃠 This relationship blossomed quite slowly, with Jack prioritizing individuality often that he wasn’t the type to hover over you 24/7, you two could meet often or not, his feelings for you doesn’t change (Hide the fact that whenever he sees you, his tail wags so fast that it thumps on whatever surfaces he’s near)

𓃠 While you’re his first relationship, he knows how to navigate like a professional (only because his siblings often showed him romance movies) so expect some flowers, hand holding (even if he’s shy about it and totally uses the excuse that he didn’t want to lose you in such a crowd) and cuddling. Kissing makes him too flustered.

𓃠 Your lovelife with him was going great, until you started to feel like you didn’t deserve any of his pure love.

𓃠 Maybe it was you, but Jack’s love went from comforting to downright sickening. What made this drastic change? The bundle of fond memories you had, made you realize that you didn’t have any bad arguments with your lover, and whenever It does happen, he’s always quick to talk it out with you. Your friends said you’re lucky to have him, you truly are happy that you have him, but do you deserve it?

𓃠 Jack would notice it, he knew you had the tendency to be self-destructive, but he failed to realize the fact that it could range to this extent, you avoided him, and whenever he sees you, he tries to chase you down the hallway, and you’d tell him to leave you alone to think.

𓃠 He was confused and frustrated, overthinking If he had done something bad to you to react this way. He tried asking your friends, who became his friends too, if you’re doing alright, but even they have no clue.

𓃠 Sometimes he’d think if he should go to your dormitory whenever class ends but decides against it, thinking that you need some space, and always reassuring himself that you wouldn’t leave. You were just feeling a bit under the weather so maybe a breath of fresh air away from him would suffice. 

𓃠 But it went on… for days, he didn’t think before how dependent he was to you as his rest. It was starting to get obvious in the eyes of others that you two got into some fight, what they didn’t know was it was one sided, with you trying to fix your feelings that became sour out of nowhere.

𓃠 Even Leona was starting to get annoyed by Jack’s rampant circling around the Savanaclaw that he grabbed the junior’s shoulder and forced him to sit down on the floor. “What the hell is wrong with you?” he growled, glaring at the other.

𓃠 “I-“ he stopped himself, should he ask his housewarden for love advice? Was that appropriate? As if reading Jack’s face he sighs, “If this is about them, why don’t you personally ask them what’s up?”

𓃠 “Huh?” Jack looked dumbfounded before scratching the back of his neck, contemplating once again if that was alright. “I don’t want to bother them”

𓃠 “If you continue dragging along the problem in your relationship, it’ll leave nothing but a trail of bad memories” Leona says, crossing his arms. “So, if I were you, be a man and go visit them, they might need It more than you think.”

𓃠 Jack stares at his housewarden before nodding, standing up. “I’ll be right back,” he  says, turning around but stopping his track and turning around briefly, “Thank you sir” which Leona just grunts in response.

𓃠 Now Jack was rushing to your dormitory, arriving there with just less than 20 minutes. The knock made you snap out of your thoughts as you checked who it was, slightly opening it to meet with massive body blocking your entrance.

𓃠 “Jack?” you said, looking at him as you felt your heart drop, seeing him after awhile made you feel sick. “Hey” a short answer was the only thing he could muster as he backs away, realizing you looked pale.

𓃠 “Could we talk?” he asked, if you didn’t know him well, he would have sounded demanding, but you could hear the hint of desperation in his tone. But your emotions were in rage right now and you didn’t know if talking to him would help.

𓃠 “I don’t think-“

𓃠 “Please,” His expression softened, wanting you to see him not as a threat at all, he could observe your face, why are you looking at him like he’s a wolf about to pounce on you?

𓃠 Your sweat dropped as you open the door further. “Go ahead” it’s been a while since Jack went inside, the last time was two weeks ago, or was it more?

𓃠 Jack sat down as you sat on the opposite side, you looked like a mess, your hair disheveled, a blanket permanently wrapped around you as if it’s the only thing that could understand your pain. It made Jack beat himself up in his mind, realizing that he should have done this much earlier, then maybe you wouldn’t look like you’re having a field day with death itself.

𓃠 True to himself, he went straight to the point. “Why have you been avoiding me?” he asked, hands firmly on his lap as he stares into your eyes who you avoided. “Nothing, I didn’t feel like interacting with anyone. Which was not a lie, you barely talked with anyone, only the ghosts and Grim.

𓃠 “The truth” he said, pushing you further, he didn’t want to do it, but if he finds out the other reason, maybe he can help you fix it.

𓃠 “I told you, It’s nothing” you pushed as well, glaring at him,  both of your stubbornness ended up in a fight, with him minding his tone but still arguing while you…

𓃠 You seemed like you were about to explode. He didn’t know what he wanted to achieve, but if he riled you hard enough, you’ll tell him right?

𓃠 His plan succeeded when you slammed your hands on the table, blanket falling down to the chair you were sitting on.

𓃠 “I’m sick of you! You’re too good for me that even my friends had to shove the fact that you deserve so much better!”  Jack backed his face away out of surprise. Your expression went from angry to shocked as you covered your mouth.

𓃠 After a minute of silence, you tried to justify your words, but Jack slumps, sighing as he pushes his hair back. “Is that how you feel about me?” he asked, you wanted to deny it but it feels like your words got stuck in your throat.

𓃠 “I didn’t think you’d feel that way” he plants his hands back to his table. He almost looked relieved, but you were too worked up to think if that was because you finally told him the truth. “We can break up, if that’s what you want” he adds as he looks at your state. “But only when you get a hold of yourself. I’ll stay out of your tail and once you’re stable enough, we’ll talk if you wanna continue our relationship.”

𓃠 As an ex-boyfriend, he’s also a 10/10, he respected your wishes for some time to think it through, he even gave you advice on how to handle yourself better, if your feelings for him continued to stray that way, he’s fine if you wish to cut contact, although it hurts like hell for him, he also knew that you were suffering as well. He didn’t want to prolong it and completely destroy your relationship just because he wished that you stayed with him. He values independence, and right now, he thinks that’s what you needed.

[pennysperfectpolls]

Adoption poll bracket 3 final

Rob (the amazing world of Gumball)

Nona (The Locked Tomb)

Propaganda under the cut

Rob (the amazing world of Gumball) Propaganda

To put it simply, god doesn’t like Rob. Bro really said “mmmyeaa this one is kinda boring” and sent him into the void (literally). Miraculously he got out, but his home, familly and basically everything he cared for is gone. Not to mention he became physically deformed in the process. This 13 year old little boy is now homeless without a purpose. And no one seems to be concerned for him. Please give this boy a home, he needs some good parents to take care of him and a nice cup of hot chocolate.

Nona (The Locked Tomb) Propaganda

She is 19 years old but also 4.5 billion years old and also 6 months old. She has escaped from barbie jail on Pluto (long story) and has amnesia. She loves all dogs, but especially loves Noodle who has six legs and is king of dogs in secret. She likes eating sand, marker lids and luscious green vegetation and she does NOT like scrambled eggs because she has sensory issues and they are gross. She is not allowed to eat sand, marker lids or luscious green vegetation and she HAS to finish her scrambled eggs because she needs the protein. She cannot read but she is fluent in every single language that exists including body language. She is part of a gang with her friends from school. Her friends are called Hot Sauce, Born in the Morning, beautiful Ruby, honesty and Kevin. She thinks flowers are sexy and likes having agony aunt columns read to her. She’s only had two tantrums in her life and she can’t even remember them so you can’t hold that against her. Just about everyone who meets her wants to adopt her, and she was adopted by three people in two bodies but we can adopt her too because she has plenty of love to go round and honestly she kinda needs the supervision. Or she’ll eat sand.

——————

Nona is getting ready to celebrate her birthday and she wants to invite every dog she's seen in the city. She knows every language. She likes to swim and touch the jellyfish that nobody else can touch because they kill you. She's in a gang with some of the other kids at school. Her family's not sure who she is. The rebellion wants to use her. So does the empire. She's got a crush on one of the rebels. She kisses the emperor's daughter. She's dying. All she wants is a birthday present. Nona loves you.

[thewalkingwillowtree]

Courting Ayelýn

Series Listing Found Here

Aonung x Original Na'vi Female Character

Summery: Pressured by his parents to enter a formal courtship, Aonung rebels in his own way and what starts as a ruse, turns into something real. 

Note before reading: This is a spin off of my Safe Haven Series.

Reading Safe Haven is not necessary to follow this story.

Some characters have been aged up. Aonung in particular is 25.

Ayelýn is my own creation. *Pronounced Aye-Lin

Warning!! This part contains smut.

~

Part 4 - When They Fucked

When Aonung had asked for the two of them to do something, Ayelýn thought perhaps they’d still end up somewhere public- for show.

Maybe they’d take a walk along the beach, or even attend a storytelling event, but no.

What she hadn’t intended from his request of it being just the two of them was that it truly was… just the two of them.

Their evening started out with a late night swim. Aonung led her to one of his favourite spots- a brightly illuminated, underwater hidden gem, filled with sea fauna and flora that was too beautiful for words. 

And so captivated by her surroundings, Lýn had missed the way Aonung drank her in- as though seeing her for the very first time.

Later on, they found themselves on his private tiny island, seated inside of the little makeshift structure he had crafted for himself. 

The sort of lean-to design was just tall enough that Aonung didn’t hit his head when standing and wide enough that at least four Na’vi could fit comfortably. 

Mismatched, frayed mats laid scattered on the sand, acting as a sort of flooring that also provided comfort, and there was even a well-worn hammock set up in a way that the amazing scenery was still within view.

Near the threshold, they sat face to face as Aonung revealed dish after dish from a sack that had already been there waiting for them. Their position also allowed them the gorgeous view of the glittering sky and sea- stars all out in their glory as rhythmic crashing waves sang.  

In quick succession, laid out between them was an impressive spread that had Lýn salivating. 

“My Eywa,” she whispered through an excited smile, tucking flyaways behind her ears. “It all looks so good! Is- is this hexapede?” 

“Mhm,” Aonung hummed, loving her reactions. 

“Where did all of this come from?”

“We got a huge delivery of goods this morning from the Omaticaya. I’ve already made sure Keftxo gets their fair share,” he said, trying not to wince guiltily. “I didn’t know any wasn’t given to Keftxo the last two times… but things should be brought down within the next few days since they’re still sorting through everything we got.” 

The trading system between the clans of Pandora was well developed by now. With the use of human technology, communication was up and running, thus, enabling an established procedure.

“Aonung,” Lýn voiced softly. She had no words. He’d gone above and beyond for her little village time and time again. 

He tutted at her affectionately, understanding the wave of gratitude she was trying to express. 

“We got fresh meat this time around. I made us some hexepade stew and roasted hexape-”

“Wait… you cooked? You? I thought you hate cooking?”

He awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck and mumbled something incoherent under his breath and without responding, he continued pointing out the options- one after the other. 

“- oh and Lo’ak gave us a couple of these things from his private stash- something called sari cakes, I think? They’re courtesy Neteyam’s mother-in-law… and finally-” He emptied a pouch that held, “Yovo fruit.”

Ayelýn gasped. “Yovo fruit? You’re kidding! I’ve always wanted to try these.”

“I know.” Aonung had gotten them specially well preserved for the journey- just for her. 

He chose the best looking one of the batch and held it out to her, pleased when she leaned in to take a bite of the fruit between his fingers. 

Tossing the remaining piece in his mouth, he watched as her face morphed into one of ecstasy, eyes rolling in bliss, lips licked with a moan of appreciation. Her reaction had the front of his tweng straining within seconds. 

“That’s sooo good,” she sighed. 

“Fuck, Lýn.” He cracked his neck, willing his body to calm down. “Can you try not to kill me so early tonight?” he half begged, half teased. 

It took her a split second to catch his meaning, but when she spotted his obvious situation- one he made no effort to hide, she managed to mumble an apology through a mortified blush- though a small part of her was pleased she had that much of an effect on him. 

Conversation, fun and flowing after that, they talked about everything and nothing as they indulged in their Omaticaya delicacies- sharing and feeding each other bites of food with exclamations of “you have to try this!” and “oh Eywa, this one is amazing!”

And when their bellies were full and satisfied, their attention fell on the view before them.

A light breeze ruffled their hair while they sat in comfortable silence- both minds preoccupied. 

Fiddling with his bottom lip, Aonung tossed fleeting glances Lýn’s way- a question on the tip of his tongue. And unbeknownst to him, Lýn was also sneaking her own peeks- finding him far more captivating than their scenery. 

Momentarily distracted by a leather waterskin almost sort of hidden behind him, she couldn’t help ask, “What’s in that? Did we forget to try something?”

“Hm?” He turned to see, then, “Oh, no. That’s not for you to try. Lo'ak said it’s lethal. Some insane concoction called Spir’ytüs.” 

Ayelýn looked affronted. “What do you mean not for me to try? I want to try it.”

“Sorry, gorgeous but no.” 

“All I’m asking is for a sip!”

“Lýn, you can barely handle the lightly fermented ones we make here.”

“Says who?!”

“Uh- says me? Says that one time you were stupid enough to have a competition with Rotxo and I had to carry you back to your parents inebriated and had to explain to them that it was in no way my fault, yet your father glared at me as if I had fed you every sip myself!”

“That was one time! You know I usually hold my spirits well!”

“Yeeah. I’m not taking any chances. Especially with something I haven’t tried yet.” 

Determination blazing through her gaze and boldness taking control, Lýn crossed over to his side, careful of the spread that separated them, and in the blink of an eye, she was planting herself in his lap, knees on either side of hips. 

At her shocking actions, Aonung worked his jaw, eyes flickering to her lips before returning to her eyes. “You’re playing a very dangerous game, Ayelýn.”

“Am I?” Her palms danced down his skin, starting from his shoulders, feathering down his chest to land flat against the hard panes of his stomach. They rounded his sides with clear intent on the pouch behind him. “Not if I win,” she whispered in his ear. 

Like lightning, he caught her wrists and clutched them in one hand. Her feeble protests died rather quickly when he lifted his knees- making her land exactly where he wanted. The jaw dropping shock on her face at the intimate feeling of him pressed up against her warm heat was worth the painful ache it came with. 

Lýn could do nothing but watch as he used his free hand to pop off the top of the waterskin and take a deep swig of its contents. 

He tried not to wince at the burn but failed- it was sickly sweet and definitely fucking potent. 

“I win,” he rasped, triumphant grin stretching wide and taunting as he tightened his hold on her wrists- not that he needed to, since the minx in his lap put up no fight. 

Never one to back down, Ayelýn arched her brow as if saying really? And then she surprised him yet again by leaning in and kissing him- tongue darting out to taste the essence of the sweet spirits lingering on his lips and tongue. 

She’d stolen her taste. 

It happened so fast, Aonung barely had time to register, because she was then leaning back with a satisfied smirk and smacking her lips with a pleased hum. 

“No… I think I, win.” 

But Aonung was quick to retaliate. Greedy and demanding, he devoured her with the type of kiss that had her dizzy within mere seconds. 

Wrists released, her hands framed his face as their lips and tongues danced- moving to a tune that worked in perfect symphony. 

“Stay,” he begged against her lips- finally asking that question he knew he shouldn’t be asking.

He chased after her when she tried to break their connection, stealing one last firm kiss before she managed to push him backwards. 

“Aonung, this is a bad idea.” 

Logically, he knew she was right.

It was a terrible idea. 

Eyes roaming over her, he licked his lips. At some point he had released the tie that kept her wild hair confined. She was stunning- swollen lips, flushed cheeks and fully blown pupils. 

He wanted to kiss her again. 

So he did. 

One hand tangled her hair, he angled her head and parted her lips with his own. And though he could still feel her lingering inner fight, she kissed him back just as feverishly. 

Lýn rolled her hips- a single, deep roll against the thick ridge of him that gave her the most delicious friction despite the layers separating them- one that gained her a staggering groan from Aonung.

“Do you have to get back tonight?”

“Anou-”

He didn’t want to face her rejection just yet, so he silenced her with another kiss- a kiss that made her tail and toes curl… a kiss that hurt her heart just a little bit. 

The incessant throbbing between her thighs had become overly unbearable and, aching for relief, Lýn gave in, encouraging his touch as his hands explored her skin. 

They skimmed up her thighs and squeezed her ass before traveling up her sides- calloused thumbs sweeping the underside of her breasts. 

A loud swear escaped him and his hips bucked when she rolled again- core rubbing deliberate and way too much for him to handle. He clamped a firm hand on her waist to prevent her from doing it again.

Unhappy about this, she smacked the hand away and he smacked her backside in response, tugging on her tail in warning for good measure. 

“Ayelýn, I’m going to come within seconds if you keep that up.”

“That sounds like a you problem.” She yelped at the tug of her hair and the stinging bite he left on her neck. 

“So mouthy,” he mused. 

“And you’re annoying,” she muttered with a nip of her own against his jaw.

But then, reality creeping in, alarming and loud in her head, Lýn’s mouth moved faster than her mind, spewing, “I’m not a play-thing.”

Aonung reared back to see her face. A flash of hurt crossed his features and despite how fast he’d schooled his expression, she still caught it. “Of course you're not… Where did that even come from?”

“I- I’m just saying… I don’t know what any of this is or what we’re doing, but I needed you to know that.”

“Lýn. You're not,” he emphasized.

She nodded, glad to have at least cleared that with him.

“And anyway… It’s- uh… been a while for me,” he admitted in a soft tone. “I don’t- I’m not that Aonung anymore. I’d hope you think so too.” 

She did think so. Aonung was so much more different than she’d realized. Different from the rumors… different from when they’d first met.  

“When you say a while…”

“Mmm, counting? Over a year…” He scratched his jaw. “Almost two by now since we’ve been together- well not together together-” he rambled. “You know what I mean.” 

“Oh.” Ayelýn turned the information around in her mind as she bit on the tip of her thumb.

He hadn’t been with a woman in that long? How? Why?

“Okay,” she finally said. “And to be clear, you want to-” she gestured between the two of them, “-with me?” 

“Yes,” he answered firmly, fingers toying with the string that kept her top in place. “It’s no pressure though. We’re just having fun, right?” 

“Fun.” 

“Mhmm.” He ducked his head to nose at that spot where her neck and jaw connected. With one tug of the string, the beaded thing covering her breasts fell into her lap. 

A shudder made her jerk in his arms and Lýn blamed it on a gust of wind. This time of year and this late out, the breeze could get nippy… It definitely wasn’t the way Aonung was mouthing at her flesh, or the way his thumbs brushed over her hardened nipples. 

Definitely not…

Fuck. 

“Okay,” she agreed breathlessly, head lulling backwards as his path trailed from her collarbones, to the tops of her chest that rose and fell in anticipation. “But just this one time and we don’t talk about it afterwards. Agreed?”

Aonung paused at her words. 

He didn’t want that. 

And instead of responding, he swallowed her nipple into his mouth. 

~

Sex with Aonung was not at all what Ayelýn imagined… and yes guilty- she had imagined this moment…. Many times actually. 

In the early days of their pretend courtship, a heartbroken woman named Zers’i had cornered Lýn, giving her a piece of her mind- accusing her of stealing the man she hoped she’d settle down with. 

By the end of the rant, Zers’i had turned from bitter and angry into a sobbing mess. And in the midst of Lýn, comforting the weeping woman on her shoulder, it led to an interesting revelation. 

“You’re going to have to do all the work. I- I guess I don’t feel so bad now,” the blubbering soul had stammered through tears. 

At the time, Ayelýn didn’t know what that meant, but with two other confrontations that bore similar remarks, she gathered that Aonung could be somewhat of a selfish lover. 

Yet here, in this moment as the stars watched over them, Aonung had ripped sounds from her lips she didn’t even know she could make. 

The man was ruthless in his pursuit to learn what she liked- mapping her body with his hands, lips, tongue… tail. 

He was far from selfish as he stayed buried between her thighs for Eywa knows how long, lapping and sucking while his fingers curled deep within her heat, causing delicious pleasure to consume her in wave after wave. 

Then, while she was mid recovery from another glorious orgasm, he was rearing onto his knees, lifting her calf over his shoulder and thrusting into her in one fluid stroke- right the the hilt. 

That first time, the burning stretch and his pace was brutal. 

Skin slapping on skin he took her hard and fast, practically contouring her body to his will as profanity fell from his lips like a prayer. He really didn’t last long at all and he even apologized for it when he dropped down next to her to catch his breath. 

Post orgasmic haze, his lips were everywhere, peppering her with sweet, playful kisses as he whispered things that made her blush.

“Not so mouthy now, are you?”

“You make the prettiest sounds when you come.”

“Will you let me taste you again?”

“...You’re beautiful.”

Eager to have her own way with him, she had slithered between his thighs, mouth watering at the sight of him coated in her arousal. 

Lýn was pretty sure dicks weren’t supposed to look pretty. She guessed he must have been an exception. 

He was quite impressive even though he was half hard. She wouldn’t tell him that though, she was sure it would only go to his head, especially judging by the stupid smirk he’d given her as she took him in. 

Lýn enjoyed teasing him. Within seconds of her little playful strokes and licks, he was fully erect and leaking all over her hand. His stomach hollowed out and his moans and grunts were loud as her head bobbed- mouth taking him deeper and deeper down her throat each time she came up for air. 

And when the cusp of his impending release came near, he was sitting up, impatiently pulling her up his body by the hair and kissing her with such passion, she was on the verge of combusting. 

Drenched between her thighs from her own arousal and his release from earlier, he slipped in with ease, sliding her down his length until she took him all- back bowing because at this angle, the man was impossibly deep. 

Eyes locked in unspoken intensity, they released quiet breathy sighs as they relished in the feeling of him seated inside her- deep and full and tight and warm. 

Limbs folded around each other and lips meeting halfway, they rocked slowly, fucking in a way that didn’t feel like fucking at all. 

Aonung planted kisses on her temple and her cheek and jaw, hands smoothing over every inch of skin he could find while Lýn clung to him- tiny murmurs and mewls escaping her.

They moved in tandem, deliberate rolls and grinds that weren’t rushed or hurried as they climbed higher and higher- the build up so profound and fervent, a few tears sprang to Lýn’s eyes. 

“Fuck, I’m going to come soon.” He licked away the lone teardrop that escaped her, and she tasted the salt on his tongue when he parted her lips with it. “Come with me, gorgeous. Please.”

She nodded and led one of his hands between them, showing him what she wanted- clit needing attention for her to get there. 

It was tempting to increase their rhythm, to want rock harder or move faster, but they both kept their pace, gradually getting to that peak that swelled and blossomed until they neared that break.

Rhythm eventually growing erratic, then faltering, Aonung hid his face- nose pressed into Lýn’s cheek as his fingers tightened their hold- in her hair at her nape, the others circling her clit. 

Ayelýn came with a soft cry and a full body spasm, trembling as she felt his warmth spread inside her. She moaned into Aonung’s mouth- his own groans accompanying hers.

Pleasure thrumming throughout her body, he continued to grind into her- drawing little aftershocks and whimpers from her. 

Both limbless and exhausted, they collapsed against the mats beneath them. 

Aonung slipped out from between her legs and Lýn made a face at the gush of mess slowly escaping her. Though, she was too worn out to care to do anything about it. Eywa, there was so much of it. 

Arm draped around her waist, Aonung kissed her forehead and whispered something she didn’t make out. She squirmed closer, and made a home in his arms, content to use a bicep as a pillow and to squish her face into the space below his shoulder.

And in the quiet of their shelter, the sounds of rolling waves lulled them into calm.

Aonung did not find rest easily that night. While Lýn slept, his thoughts plagued him. Knuckles running down her spine, he held her close… 

Something he’d never done with anyone before. 

Aongung didn’t do cuddling. 

He didn’t do soft and sweet fucking.

And he definitely didn’t do night overs.

He sighed and squeezed his eyes shut, hoping his thoughts would grow tired.

Ayelýn confused him. 

He knew he liked her. He hadn’t realized just how deep, however. The way in which this woman had wormed her way into his constant thoughts, terrified him.

A small dark part of him- a lingering remnant of the old Aonung, thought that fucking her would get her out of his system. 

They’d fucked alright, yet here he was, holding her because he still couldn’t get enough. She was no longer only in his thoughts.

She had seeped into his veins…

Into his heart.

Giving up on his inner struggle, he decided to literally give up. He was done fighting this. 

Done fighting them. 

Cupping her neck he held her to him as quiet prayers to Eywa left his lips, whispers buried into Ayelýn’s hair. 

~

When morning broke, neither of them spoke about it. 

And in the following hours that turned into days that turned to weeks, neither acknowledged the evident shift between them.  

~

Eywa. 

Please give me calm, give me strength. 

Ayelýn blew out another shaky breath. She was a nervous wreck this morning. 

Tail twitching behind her, she made yet another wrong turn along a bouncing pathway… Maybe it was deliberate? Maybe it was her body’s way of protecting her from what was to come. 

Eywa. She really didn’t want to do this.  

Throughout her journey, Lýn kept a look out for a familiar mountain of a man who she couldn’t seem to find anywhere. Of all days, this was not a day for him to be missing! 

Despite her obvious prolonging, she couldn’t stall any further or else she’d be late, and after final, futile efforts, she at least felt some ounce of relief when she spotted Aonung’s sister. 

“Tsireya!” she called out. 

“Ayelýn!” the woman chirped in pleasant surprise, walking over to meet her halfway. “Are you looking for my brother?”

“Well, yes and no. I was hoping to catch him for a moment.”

“He’s out on a hunt. Won’t be back till late.”

“Oh.” That was disappointing to hear. 

“What’s wrong?”

Lýn licked her lips and tried not to grimace. “My presence has been requested. Your mother summoned me,” she revealed. 

Tsireya appeared unaffected by the news, though she did pick up on Lýn’s nervousness. “I had a feeling this would happen eventually. I told my brother as much… He’s so stubborn,” she muttered with a fond shake of her head. 

“Why does she want to see me then? I was just told to come here.” 

“Sa'nok has been asking Aonung to have you come by for a while now and he’s been swimming around it,” Tsireya explained. “She thinks he keeps you purposely away from her and I’m guessing she’s had enough… and of course she’d choose the day he was on an all day hunt.”

“Ah. I see.” Lýn weighed her options, then, “Reya, I have no clue what to say to her… the few times we’ve interacted were- weird and awkward and honestly, I don’t think she likes me very much.”

“Lýn, trust me, you’ll be fine. She simply wants to get to know you. She did the same thing with my Lo’ak.”

That did ease away some of Ayelýn’s nerves. 

Tsireya took her hand and squeezed it in comfort. “And just a secret between you and me… if she offers you to stay for a meal with her, it means she definitely approves.”

~ 

Ayelýn tried not to squirm, but sitting before an intimidating Ronal would make just about anyone uncomfortable. 

They’d been sitting in silence ever since she’d arrived and Lýn decided to cope by focusing on her surroundings while Ronal continued to study her. After all, every nook of the Tsahìk’s marui had something curious to see. 

“What is your appointed position in your village, Ayelýn?”

Lýn startled, not only from the sudden break in their long, suffering silence, but also from the question. 

By now, it was no secret what her role in the clan was. Ayelýn had gotten her fair share of snickers and stray comments and at one feast only a couple days ago, she had to pull away a snarling Aonung when he’d overheard a group of women bad mouthing her and her scrubber status. 

The Tsahìk had also been present and seated nearby and Lýn had even caught her watching the ordeal in great interest. 

“I’m a scrubber, Tsahìk.” 

“Hm. Do you enjoy it?” 

“I don’t think anyone enjoys being a scrubber,” Lyn answered honestly. “But it is work, and I am diligent about it.” 

Ronal appeared to think before she spoke again.

“Should you have the opportunity, what would you prefer to be doing then?” 

“Oh- no, I-”

“T’is only a question, child. Won’t you humor a curious woman?”

“Ah… I- I suppose I’ve always had an interest in mending things.” Lýn held in a chuckle, remembering her first meeting with Aonung and his mortified reaction to her canoe. “Though I don’t believe I’d be any good at it given my lack of skill.”

“Skill can be easily learnt,” Ronal said, helping herself to a sip of her brewed seaweed and herb tea. “If I’m not mistaken, Hythspon is finally considering getting an apprentice- I believe you know him? Perhaps you might be interested in taking the position? I can put in a good word for you, if you’d like.”

Ayelýn sat up straighter. “Truly? I- thank you, Tsahìk… I will give it some thought.” 

“You should… It means, you’d also be closer to Aonung since you’d have to move to Awa’atlu.”

Unsure how to respond to that, Ayelýn mashed her lips together and gave a small nod. 

“My son does not realize it, but he speaks a great deal about you. I, however, am interested in getting to know the women he intends to mate and bring into our family, for myself... So tell me.” Ronal sat back expectantly. 

Lýn frowned. “What exactly would you like to know?”

“Everything, my dear. Everything. You will not be Tsahìk- since my Reya is next in line, but if and when you and my son do mate, you will be the mate of the Metkayina’s future Olo'eyktan. It is my duty to know who that woman is… So tell me, everything.”

And so, Lýn spoke as Ronal asked her question after question. 

She was asked about her family and her completed rites; Keftxo, her childhood, her likes and dislikes, what her values were and what she did in her free time. Ronal asked her what she envisioned for her future, even how many children she wanted to have.

With each question, they became more direct and personal and Ayelýn felt her walls going up and panic bubble in her chest. Her body was so rigid and tense, she had to force herself to unclench her jaw, to uncurl her tail and to give her shoulders the occasional roll. 

When requested, Ayelýn recounted the story of how she and Aonung first met and then Ronal asked her a question she had been dreading the most. 

“Aonung won’t say, but when do you believe you two will take the next step? I am keen to have the meeting of the two families. Tonowari and I have been lenient. We gave Aonung a year, it has now been almost two. I understand this must be a bit difficult for you, but… it has been long enough.”

Stunned, Ayelýn fiddled with the end of her tail, then, catching herself, she stopped. “We will discuss it, Tsahìk,” she feebly promised. 

“That is all I ask,” she said. “You may continue to court of course, there is no pressure to make the mating bond just yet.” 

Tension eased from Lýn’s shoulders at that.

“But, you have to understand, we need to know for certain whether or not this is a secure match,” she explained with surprising gentleness. 

“I understand.” 

“Good… Now tell me, Ayelýn. Are you happy in your courtship with my son? Truly?”

“Yes. He-” Lýn cleared her throat. “I am happy… He makes me happy.” 

“Hmm.” Ronal’s unwavering eyes made Lýn uncomfortable. “I must speak my mind when I say I was quite surprised by my son’s choice of you.”

Feeling another wall of guardedness shift into place, Lýn clenched her jaw. “Because I am a scrubber from Keftxo?” 

Surprise clouded Ronal’s features for a fraction of a second. “Oh goodness, no. Nothing to do with that. If anything I am baffled as to why you- a woman with her head on her shoulders- are with my Aonung- given how he can be.” 

“How he- can be? Forgive me, Tsahìk, but don’t understand.”

“Aonung is… subversive. He is wild and brash- rude. He is selfish in nature and is reckless with his life.  As his mother, I want nothing more than for him to see that he is destined to do great things.”

Lýn’s heart thundered in her chest. She should have bit her tongue but it was quicker to release. “Your son is already doing great things.”

Ronal regarded the woman before her. Gone was the fidgeting, nervous slip of a Na’vi. Ayelýn was livid. 

“You don’t agree with me?” she asked, mildly amused.

“No. No, I don’t. Aonung is defined by none of those descriptions.” 

“Oh?”

“Tsahìk, my apologies for speaking out of turn but- Aonung is bold, and kind. He is brave and he may seem selfish at times like you say but he would put his own life in danger for the help of others. He is brash and rude but he is also funny and sweet and charming- and he wants nothing more than your approval of him. He wants you and his father to see him- not as a constant disappointment but as your son…. He’s a good leader, he has heart and strength and the people love him!

“And yes he has his flaws- Don’t we all?! But he is our future Olo'eyktan- his mistakes no matter how big or small are seen as monumental in anyone else's eyes. He’s allowed to make mistakes, he’s allowed to learn from them and not have them constantly thrown back in his face... Like anyone else, he’s allowed to be forgiven…. Especially by his parents.”

Silence followed.

An awestruck appearance of realization formed on the Tsahìk’s face and Lýn braced herself for Ronal’s wrath.

“You speak with such passion for Aonung. I had not realized you were in love with my son.”

Ayelýn released a shaky breath. Not outrightly disagreeing with the statement, she didn’t correct it either. 

Since her mother’s slip of the word love a little over a month ago, she’d had sufficient time to dwell and think. 

At every attempt to reason away the absurdity, Lýn had failed. 

She was in love with Aonung. 

Through and through. 

Flaws and all. 

“We are courting, Tsahìk. Of course I care deeply for him.”

“For someone like Aonung with a commitment to his clan, courting has nothing to do with love, child. It is a path to secure a match in the end. You may care deeply, yes, but finding love in courtship for him is a gift. As leaders, courtship means duty, honor, security.”

Lýn bit her lip. She finally understood the pressures Aonung face day after day.

“Then, as a leader whose duty is for the clan- their needs, their happiness… Doesn’t Aonung deserve that too? You speak of love as this surprising gift between a match. But… can’t he just want to find love for himself?”

Ronal’s lips twitched and instead of answering, she asked her own questions. “Does my son know? Does he know how deep your feelings for him fall?”

“...No.”

“And will you tell him?”

Ayelýn’s head bowed, wordlessly answering the question. 

“Pity… Well. There is still time, no?” The Tsahìk uncovered a platter. “I am famished. Would you like to join me for lunch, Ayelýn?”

Staring stunned at the spread, when Lýn glanced up, Ronal was smiling. 

The type of smile that told Ayelýn she’d passed some kind of test. 

~

Hello friends! 💛

Firstly, I promise you, I tried so many others, but that's the title that happened to stick for this part... and on the topic, I hope the smut was alright... Hehe.

This part got way too long, so I split it into two. The next one coming out will be the final part. *Fingers Crossed*

As always, please let me know what you think.

~

Tags:@jakesullyfatjuicypeen@granddearduck@riatesullironalite@strawberri-blonde@earthling55 @innercreationflower @gyuventure @btsiguess-kpop@blkmystery@neteswife@luvteyams@isnt-itstrange@erenjaegerwifee@faatxma@ivysully@bakugouswaif@pinkpantheris @mntx666@ironcaptainnataliabarnes @staymentallystable @neteyamslovrr @melsunshine

[eldritchamy]

Hey! I'm a Human Domestication Guide Community clerk and I wanted to reach out to say your post about HDG being an inverse fandom was a really wonderful read. Lots of love from the team!

There's "Getting unhinged about your newest obsession", and then there's "Getting so unhinged about your newest obsession that one of the community managers from their discord server reaches out to you on your tumblr about it."

Do I win? Is the Compact proud of me?

I'm still very much new here (I reached this point in like, one week), but so far I'm really enjoying not just the STORIES of HDG, but the feeling of having a shared universe in which they're being told.

So far the HDG community feels a lot like a bunch of trans girls sitting in a sandbox together. We all have the same sand and the same-ish bucket and shovel or whatever, but also everyone in the sandbox brings their own toys to play in this shared space. Anyone can come and go as they please, but it's always the same sandbox.

And you basically get this vibe that's like a cross between collaborative storytelling and parallel play, which is maybe the coolest feeling I've ever had about any "fandom" I've been a part of.

"My OC is a rebel! She HATES xenos and tries to escape but her resistance is not enough to save her!"

"My OC is too gay to function and domesticates herself by accident in under 3 hours!"

"Oh yeah?? Well MY OC goes undercover and accidentally falls for a pink Affini called the MIND BREAKER and then she gets turned into a free use hypno maid service doll BEFORE SHE'S EVEN A FLORET and it turns out she LIKES IT so she tricks her girlfriend into getting everything they wished for and now they're gaaaaaaaay. Also she has dreams where she gets turned into an obedient robot puppy."

"Woag, I think I'm just nutted about what you just said."

"Also she's really emotional about all of it and learns to love herself."

"AWWWWWWWW."

(Seriously, I think keysmasht now legally owns a third of my soul.)

And man, all of that is just so damn cool.

I haven't been here long but I'm having a great time. I actually DID join the discord last night, I just haven't talked yet.

Thanks for reaching out!

[martha-oi]

•°Captain Syverson°•

°• @sillyrabbit81 •°All her works are amazing!°•

Even If You Don't Mean It •° this one started it all for me♥️°•

Pulled in line

Riding high

Cure for boredom - Cure for boredom part two

Work then play

Pink or black

Close shave

Sy loves quickies

Attached

And so much more

Girls' night needs

Lookout

Candy cane

Blood hound

Wrapped

Cotton tail

Curious inspired by this

Fuse

°• @littlefreya •°is one of my favorite also°•

Lines in the sand

Feral collision part one - Feral collision part two

Shades of Green

Bring it on

Captain cunnilingus

Let me in - Set me free

Waking up the beast

The Captain and the Maiden

Knockers

Florist Sy

Salt & Iron

Buns in the oven

Kiss me in slow motion

Cosy

Tough luck

The beast

Home sweet home

Peach pie

Husband's duty

Pictures of you

°• @angryschnauzer •°

No I in team

Bubbles

By The Waning Crescent Moon

°• @shewriteswhenthewordscome •°

Gray sweatpants season

Returning the favor

Smutbomb

Reading is FUNmental

°• @raccoon-eyed-rebel •°

What's the occasion?

°• @feralrunaway •°

Lower

Yrsa

The predictament

°• @loganbcrnes •°

you are the bane of my existence and the object of my desire

°• @delicate-moon-princess •°

The night of many firsts

°• @wolvesandhoundshowltogether •°

Kissed by fire 🔥

Pearls

A girl chest friend

Of beard and ranks

Good ol' boy

Dog tags

°• @mayloma •°

Sweet things

°• @viking-raider •°

Sy's therapy barn

°• @geralts-yenn •°

Bonfire - Something like that

Dad Sy

°• @augustsprincess •°

Plenty of room

°• @just-chirpin •°

Eyes that see - night terrors

°• @nashibirne •°

Truck stop - Pick up

°• @doll-r-t •°

A warm italien night with the captain

My sweet peach

A cold tent and a warm captain

My baby bear

°• @capncassas •°

Supply run - Twinkies, Ho-Ho's and Ding Dongs

Pretty as a peach °• this one is🔥😩•°

Box truck surprise

°• @gummydummy19 •°

Spanking - the do over

Balance

°• @princess-of-riviaa •°

No strings

What a man

Wet dreams

My Captain - your sergeant

°• @scorpiobitch95 •°

Sugar and the bull

Namaste

Hoodie love

Magenta

°• @mrsarnasdelicious •°

Touch starved

Overseas hero

°• @followyoursecretsmutblog •°

Mine

°• @thelastsock •°

He very much gives a fuck

Handprints on the glass

°• @hertzwritings •°

Yes professor

°• @zealoushound •°

A dose of serotonin

Watermelon sugar

°• @witchersmistress •°

Bite me Sy

[frostyblustar]

So I really want to indulge and tell you all about how I think On The Borderline by Blixemi is a near-perfect song for Queen Clarion and Lord Milori as someone who read Wings of Starlight.

So the song is based on forbidden lovers who are separated by a political border, but it’s still dangerous to cross all the same. Crowfeather (the man in the song) is more excited at the prospect of crossing and changing things, while Leafpool (the woman in the song) is more conflicted as she is torn between her duty, what she’s always known, and love.

Now let’s get into the lyrics:

Am I a fool to even come?

Crowfeather, who I see as Milori, is waiting at the border and is wondering if his waiting is for nothing.

So I stand on the edge of this line. Counting every single breathless beat to pass the time.

I mean I wonder what Milori does while waiting at sunset sometimes. This feels plausible.

Between my head and my heart

Leafpool, who I see as Clarion, is torn between her head (duty as queen) and her heart (her love for Milori)

But the path laid out here in sand shifts below no matter where I stand, but all I want is not a choice.

Clarion cannot just choose to not be queen. There is no other option, no matter where she goes she will be a governing-talent fairy. She will always make the sand shift.

All it took was a moment, all my plans had changed. Everything I thought I wanted now is not the same.

Clarion has been told to rule a certain way all of her life by Elvina, but she is later convinced to find her own way of using her magic and ruling. She finds that she wants to be different from Elvina.

So I pray for a break in the time. Counting every single reason I should cross that line.

Clarion wants time to visit Milori and cross the border to meet the winter fairies, and she counts on those reasons to cross.

I'm on the borderline of breaking down all the rules, and the dreams I built my whole life around.

Here, breaking down is emphasized by Blixemi. Its shows how torn she is. Despite being so close to breaking the rules, she still feels it’s wrong to do so because she was told she was supposed to be this one thing her entire life.

Am I a fool to chase the sun?

Crowfeather, who I see as Milori, expresses this. I think seeing Clarion as the sun is cute is all.

Laid before me is an unchanged course… I want to change my tide just once.

Clarion cannot abandon her people, and yet she still desires to make changes and rebel against what she is told.

I'm on the borderline of making a mistake-would-be to hold back, I've gotta know what this means.

Clarion knows that she needs to find out what she can about the nightmares. For that, she crossed the border. This could be considered a mistake by her friends and the current queen, but she rightfully believes it would be a mistake to abandon the winter fairies instead.

Still I wait here every time, for a chance of a glance by her side, I'd ask the sun not to rise.

Milori and Clarion meet at sunsets on the border, and Milori would be more accustomed to nightly cold. I think this would be him wishing to spend more time with her.

Still I waste each day and night fighting shifts

Clarion has to go about royal duties, aka shifts, but feels she is wasting time instead of going to fix the nightmare problem with Milori.

It's a breakdown or a breakthrough. My sanity can't seem to choose. I'm losing a war between logic and you.

This is coming up to the point where Clarion is realizing she and him would only bring each other, and potentially the other fairies, suffering while being together.

I can't stay… on the borderline.

Clarion wants to stay with Milori, but knows she can’t, so she expresses they can’t be together.

Our heart is on the line.

Instead of treating their love as the number one focus in their lives, they separate for the sake of Pixie Hollow, having to disregard their feelings.

Anyways those are all the lyrics I felt like touching on! Just trying to convince someone out there that this song is perfect for these two >-< Thanks for reading!

[classicanalyzer]

The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire - Introduction Analysis

"...People so often misunderstand the purpose of historians. They think that we are just here to recount past events. To provide details without analysis. Facts without insight. Data without argument. This is wrong. The role of a historian—my role as a historian—is to try to tell you not just how but why these things happened. To try to make you understand the importance of these past events and what they mean for us today and tomorrow. This study is not just a work of history but of necessity. The galaxy needs to understand exactly what the Galactic Empire was and how it brought us to our latest brush with disaster. I can think of no more important undertaking than this one and no more required moment." (Kin, Beaumont, "Introduction", The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire, 35 ABY, page xvii).

The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire is one of the best Star Wars novels I've read. The novel is an in-universe annotated history book written by Beaumont Kin ("Secrets only the Sith knew"), a historian with an interest in the lore of the Jedi and Sith, who reflects on the terrifying origins, reign, and legacy of the Galactic Empire. We also get a brief glimpse of what the post-TROS galaxy looks like but that isn’t the main point.

It is a part of several in-universe reference books being published post-TROS, which is a nice touch.

This study was published on the Holonet a few months post-TROS as Kin is excavating the Sith Temple on Exegol.

Introduction

History is a cycle, we wish to avoid it but it always finds a way to start the wheel again. The cycle certainly reflects the history of Star Wars.

Kin sadly laments that despite the Empire's evils being known and seemingly easy to understand, it seems easy to teach future generations and prevent the cycle from repeating itself, he considers himself a fool for being naive. As history has shown us and Kin, it has a tendency to repeat itself in various forms.

"It seemed to be an easy message to explain something that was now safely behind us. My colleagues and I congratulated ourselves on the ways we'd been able to take the realities of the Empire and convert them into lessons in schools and universities, which would then further ripple across the galaxy. We were so sure that we had created the perfect way of preventing future conflicts and a return to Imperialism. We were fools. I was a fool. As much as we might have wished that the remnants of the Empire could have been left to rot beneath the sands of Jakku, it seems that we could not be free of it so easily." (Kin, Beaumont, "Introduction", The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire, 35 ABY, page ix).

One element that is simply merch in real life but in-universe is the source of shock to Kin: Palpatine busts being sold at the Black Spire Outpost, among other Imperial objects. How could the galaxy reach the point that a being who murdered trillions of beings has busts being sold?

Despite the Resistance's and the galaxy's victory at Exegol, Kin can't help but wonder if the celebrations on Endor and Ajan Kloss are very similar. Both generations have celebrated the defeat of the Emperor, won their wars, and are driven to create a better galaxy, in the case of the last generation, including the current one who followed to preserve the hard-won peace, they were not successful.

However, this failure to maintain peace has very understandable origins. The leaders and soldiers of the Rebel Alliance wanted to look towards the sunrise of the New Republic after a brutal and horrifying war against the Galactic Empire. They focused on their desire to move forward with hope and optimism and for this to never happen again, they were not careful in taking the necessary steps to prevent Imperialism from rising. A failure to understand how the Empire operated, ruled over, and why its personnel committed so horrific war crimes over and over. It would be a nice thought to think with the Emperor dead, so would his Empire die with him. And in a way it did, but gave birth to a new form of Empire as the First Order. While the First Order likes to fashion itself differently from the Empire with a new name and outfits, their origins intrinsically tie back to the Empire which the New Republic and the new generation failed to see. They cannot risk another situation like this happening again.

Stories like The Mandalorian and its spin-offs, Bloodlines, Before the Awakening, Resistance, and the Poe Dameron comic show us how the New Republic fails to recognize the threat of the Imperial Remnants and the First Order, even when they're violating New Republic treaties. Complacency and appeasement became the new policy for the New Republic. They think the threat of the Empire is long behind them, and whoever is left is just simply ill-equipped warlords. They fail to understand why Neo-Imperialism grew as it did and why people want the return of a regime that killed so many sentient beings. It was left to those in the New Republic who saw the emerging threat, the Resistance, and those affected by these Remnants and the FO to act.

While discussing the Jedi and the Sith, Kin acknowledges how, despite his attempts to understand it, he still doesn't know everything about the Force, along with the galaxy not being clear on what the Forse is and if it exists. He then talks about how Palpatine managed to seize control of the entire galaxy as a Sith Lord, Kin made it clear Palpatine's desire for power and control was all him and not by anything else. Palpatine was a man. It is the most terrifying aspect of this Sith Lord. Much more terrifying is how Palpatine wasn't the Empire, he may be the linchpin of the Empire but there were plenty of people who believed in his Empire and maintained it.

There are four parts to the Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire:

Part 1: Rise and Consolidation - Palpatine's rise to power and how the Empire consolidated itself.

Part 2: Expansion and Oppression - The methods of the Empire's dominance across the entire galaxy, the Imperial hierarchy, and the many horrific things (such as prejudice and genocide) the Empire did with that domination.

Part 3: The Galactic Civil War - The war and why the Empire collapsed.

Part 4: Fall and Continuation - The last year of the GCW and, with it, the fall of the Empire. But alas, the Empire continues to survive in its remnants and the rise of its most infamous of these remnants, the First Order. There are also the NR's successes and failures.

Kin went for the BBY/ABY (Before/After the Battle of Yavin) calendar system because the Empire's modus operandi significantly shifted after the destruction of the first Death Star with clear distinctions between pre- and post-Battle of Yavin. He also acknowledges how there are some debates over which dating system is the best among them being set after the Empire formed and the "before" and "after" periods at Endor rather than Yavin. In this, he also points out how the Empire was never at peace, and that the GCW greatly showcased and increased its brutality towards its own people.

While this work isn't the first one to study and analyze the Empire, it is perhaps the most relevant to discuss right now. There are beliefs and understandings of the Empire that are built on flawed information and shaky foundations. Some of what they understand is possibly wrong. Therefore, they must reexamine the Empire again and understand and therefore deconstruct the Empire beyond Palpatine.

"Furthermore, the very reasons for its eventual fall and collapse do not appear to have been adequately researched and analyzed at all. We know why the Rebel Alliance believed they won the war. Do we know why the Empire lost it? Because the Galactic Empire was so misunderstood, it is necessary to begin the process again. That is the point of this study. To deconstruct the entirety of the Galactic Empire beyond just notions of Palpatine himself. To see how it actually worked, the ideas and ideology that drove it, the ways it waged war, and the motivations behind its most awful crimes." (Kin, Beaumont, "Introduction", The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire, 35 ABY, pages xv-xvi).

Of course, researching the Empire is not easy. The history of the Empire is spread out across the entire galaxy. With the fall of the NR, there is now access to classified material such as interrogations of Imperial officers. It would've been impossible for Kin to find and compile this while excavating on Exegol. We see the galaxy coming together as researchers and other academics from across the galaxy pitch in to provide sources and information for Kin to scour through. Kin thanks all of them for realizing the importance of this analysis and is sure to acknowledge their work throughout his study. There is also lost information. After all, the Empire loves to burn and destroy the various records of their crimes and how they operate. Other sources are just lost during the fighting. With the excavation of Exegol and access to FO ships, new sources of information have allowed Kin to cross-reference and provide new understandings of the Empire.

He does acknowledge and welcomes the risk of his work becoming outdated and replaced with new studies containing new, undiscovered, and decrypted information. New studies can further elaborate on their understandings and help prevent the rise of Imperialism once again if they can at least find one new area they missed or have the chance to further understand. He points historians aren't just about telling the how but the why things in history occur. The galaxy needs examinations of the Galactic Empire and the history of its reign which allows them to better understand how they narrowly avoided the First Order's brief reign and Final Order's apocalyptic plot.

There is a nice nod to the Battle that Changed the Galaxy and Skywalker: A Family at War reference books as Kin notes how other historians like him are also noticing the need to reexamine history after Exegol, with the latter getting its author namedropped with a Star Wars-like name (the author was Kristin Baver, but in the Star Wars universe, her name is Kitrin Braves). Kin thanks Kitrin for sharing her information on the Skywalker family for him to talk about in Rise and Fall and notes it's been a long time coming for people to know the history of the Skywalkers in Kitrin's book.

The Empire's war crimes and cruelty are beyond horrifying and applied to anyone they come across, their cruelty is not equally felt. The Core Worlds often did not suffer as much as those outside of the Core. While some humans, such as the Alderaanians, have indeed lost everything to the Empire, the Empire's inherent prejudice is frequently focused on non-humans (a term admittedly imperfect and problematic in its own ways but much better one in-universe than the term "alien" which the Empire uses to showcase their racism towards non-humans). The Empire has made no attempt to hide their discontent and hatred for non-humans. Kin acknowledges he is a human, and he never felt the experience of the Empire's prejudice by the Empire just for being not human. He has tried his best to highlight those species and voices who have been silenced and suffered under the Empire's prejudice and genocides. He understands and apologizes for the criticisms that might come with any shortcomings that he and his studies may provide. Recognizing and analyzing both the sources and himself within this study are necessary parts of this analysis.

As the introduction concludes, we must ponder how despite the victories throughout the saga, we take a look at the horrifying and monstrous regime that is the Empire and its legacy. Our reality is filled with people who continue to follow Fascism and other far right-wing beliefs despite its clear evils, a look into the Galactic Empire is insight to why.

"The survivors of the Battle of Crait have become fond of saying, in moments of sorrow and loss, that ‘no one's ever really gone.’ It seems to bring them solace and I respect that. But I do not feel it. I have immersed myself in the existing records and writings and sources that relate to the Galactic Empire. And all I feel is the absence of lives that it brought. The multitudes who suffered and died. The further into this dark history I have gone the more horrified and haunted I have become. That is why this study now exists and why it is so important that you read it. Others in the Resistance will now lead and shape the galaxy. I cannot do that. I can only try and explain where we have come from. Why we have ended up here. But I need you to come with me. I cannot do this alone." (Kin, Beaumont, "Introduction", The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire, 35 ABY, page xix).