#before they've even spoken to me no less

[cobwebbed-crow]

If your institutionally mandated "diversity survey" doesn't include a 'prefer not to say' option for every single question, congratulations, I now know better than to believe that your institution is safe for minority students.

[svtskneecaps]

BROTHER WHAT DO YOU FUCKING MEAN RTGAME WAS IN A FUCKING MCC WITH TECHNOBLADE I THOUGHT HE WAS A FUNNY HAHA VARIETY STREAMER WHO DID MINECRAFT COMMUNITY BUILD STREAMS I WAS ALREADY BLOWN TO SMITHEREENS SEEING HIS ASS IN AN MCC WITH FUCKING JAMES MARIOTT AND JACK MANIFOLD SMACK IN THE MIDDLE OF A PERSONA 5 VOD NOW YOU'RE TELLING ME HIS ASS PLAYED THE FUCKING THIRD EVER MCC ON THE SAME TEAM AS FUCKING TECHNOBLADE WHAT DO YOU MEAN HOW IS HE EVERYWHERE I DON'T UNDERSTAND

[unacknowledgeable]

Continued: Serial killer reader x yan!batfam

.........Ooooookay, I guess yall really liked my serial killer!reader? I guess I'm honor bound to continue??? Oh noooo, the horrorrrr. But seriously, I'm glad! Because it only gets worse from here! >:}

Anyway, this was really difficult to write because I literally could not find good starting and stopping points, I tried to make my thoughts flow into each other as seamlessly as possible but there's SO MUCH I wanna write for this, it’s eating me alive, (also like, feel free to send asks bc I get sidetracked a lot in my writing and looove just answering questions as jumping off points, so please gimme gimme)

That being said, enjoy!

WARNING for disturbing imagery, untreated mental illness and trauma, blood, and depictions of murder (seriously)

So obviously, this M/c is a serial killer, so how do they go about keeping this hidden while simultaneously living with the world's greatest detectives?

Simple, ya don't.

Okay so that's not completely true. Compared to the average criminal, you put in a lot of effort to not get caught, but the average criminal doesn’t live with THE Batman either

Compared to the rest of your family though? You basically put in the bare minimum required to hide your… unsavory activities

Of course, you'll wash your blood soaked clothes yourself, in the lesser used washrooms of the manor, but once in a blue moon, when you’re too tired to care or your catch of the night put up a greater fight then anticipated, you'll throw your tainted clothes in with the rest of the families

And they just… don't fucking notice.

Or when they do, they just assume that one of the others had an unfortunate run in with some criminal while in civvies 

You've overheard many admonishments from Dick or Alfred over the years, telling Tim or Jason to “Please stop putting bloody clothes in with the whites, there's a basket for them two feet away!”

It was always pretty hard trying to keep a straight face when hearing those scoldings, but you always did, you didn't want Damian demanding to know what was so funny and dampening your mood

Or Cass giving you one of her calculated looks and suddenly getting nosy, that would make losing your clothes to Tim’s closet a lot less worth the laugh.

It’s just that, this assumption is waaaaay more plausible then say, the serial killer they've been tracking relentlessly for literal years, is just…tossing their VERY incriminating evidence in with the family's laundry, then passing out on some couch in one of the many sitting rooms of the manor, while the family goes out and discovers their latest victim

It's just easier to assume it was one of the others, Dick would never connect you, of all people, to the gore tossed haphazardly in the hamper, it's way more likely to be one of the many crime fighters of the family, not the soft spoken hermit of the manor, and even if that was a possibility in his mind, you don't even have a scratch on you

Not that he’s ever bothered to check you for injuries before, like he does almost religiously for the others

And Alfred? Well he's of the belief you'd grown out of your… tendencies, that it was a one time thing. Despite his reputation as an omnipotent presence in the manor, he never did realize just how deep your mental issues ran. Not until it was far too late.

You don't even have a specific weapon either, half of the time you'll just take one of Alfred's steak knives and hit the lower levels of Gotham, wandering around the decrepit streets till you found someone suitable 

Other times, when you’re in an exceptionally bad mood, be it because Damian said something particularly venomous or Alfred missing an important event for you because something came up with one of your siblings, or even when your classmates decided it would be funny to key your car-

Or it's just one of those days

Those days when the abstract voices simmer louder in the back of your mind, pushing and nagging. Images that you desperately want to forget but can't help the need to recreate. All threatening to boil over until you either crumble into a sobbing heep on the floor or go out and do the one thing that has always been able to shut. them. up.

Those days you’re… forgetful

On those days, you forget to grab one of Alfred’s pristine knives, but that's fine, Gothams streets are littered with dangerous items, so there's no shortage of tools at your disposal. You're creative, resourceful, you can use whatever's on hand at the time, whatever's in reach.

But if there's nothing? No sharp objects, no discarded bricks or loose pipes or even a half empty beer bottle, well… you're no stranger getting your hands dirty

Those times however, are pretty hazy in the aftermath.

You’ll forget certain details, like how they gripped your arms in a vain attempt to draw your own blood as you drew theirs, in the event that if they dont get away, at least you'd be caught, (all it leaves are dark, tender bruises along your arms, that you'll spend weeks poking and prodding at, in the hopes of reliving that moment)

Or how they'd flail their legs, inches from the ground, trying to kick your legs out from beneath you (it was kinda cute, how much shorter they were then you, how little their attempts to free themselves did when it mattered the most)

Even their last, warbling pleas for mercy were lost to you. You know they said something, could vaguely recall that they spoke, too absorbed in watching their bloody lips turn blue as the oxygen in their body slowly ran out (No no please please…My girls are waiting)

No, no you don't remember much but what you do remember, what you always, always remember, are the eyes 

You remember the tears, the fear, the acceptance, the rage, the refusal, the disbelief, the confusion, the indignation, and most of all the recognition. 

Whether it be them recognizing just who you are or realizing that this is who will end their life, you don't know, you’ve never bothered to ask. 

You prefer to think it’s the latter, it's hard to explain, but it makes you feel so so important

When it’s over, and the adrenaline in your veins soften, your breathing calmer, the blood rushing through your ears no longer so deafening, and you can feel the pleasing ache in your limbs, you sit, and asses the damage, as you always do

You always make sure to grab their wallet, take out the ID and memorize it, before gingerly putting it back, and finally walking away, head clear and numb in the cold Gotham air

There's no real reason why, its mostly force of habit at this point, it started with your very first kill, you don't feel like breaking the little ritual now, or anytime soon

It just feels wrong, to take a life and not even know whose life it is...was.

Later, long past any reasonable hour, you lay in bed, fresh out of the shower and thumbing the bruises, listening to the voices over the family's communicators (you stole one of Dicks, he has a nasty habit of leaving them around the manor) as they patrol the Gotham streets for crime and mayhem

You honestly can't help the small smile that graces your face, falling into sleep, as you hear the quiet, defeated sigh over the highly protected com link, “B, I've found another one, it's…it’s pretty rough tonight”

The pause is long before a small, gruff, “I have your location, ETA in 10 minutes”

You slept pretty good that night

Damn, sometimes the shit I come up with scares even me, again, feel free to send asks (shh I'm not begging), the brain worms are always hungry and I have sooooo many thoughts about this thing. lol 

Hope you enjoyed!

[fairysluna]

Hi! Could I please request another threesome with Cregan, reader and Jace. Maybe they get jealous when they see reader with another men and want to teach her a lesson? Thank you and love your blog!

i get drunk on jealousy.

Modern!AU — After they've ignored you for a week, you were desperate to have their attention back. Flirting with a random guy might not be the best idea.

MASTERLIST

PAIRING — Cregan Stark x Fem!Reader x Jacaerys Velaryon.

TAGS — polyrelationship/polyamorous, m/m/f, smut (p in v, clit play, handjob, oral sex, creampie, spitting, cum eating, male on male action), jace x cregan, use of alcohol and drugs, kind of drunk sex, dom!cregan, switch!jace, sub!reader, jealousy, cursing. If something is missing let me know!!

AUTHOR'S NOTE — Don't expect so much of this fic, I saw this picture, I saw a vision, and basically my horniness wrote this by itself. Not my best work, but fuck it, this is just for fun. Also, this made me realize that I'm unable to write dom!Jace if Cregan is there too, oops??? I guess??? NO BETA, WE DIE LIKE MEN.

I took this request as an excuse to write this fic so... thank you for sending it and hope you enjoy this!🤍

WORD COUNT — 3.1k

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤenglish is not my first language.

Most people on Campus knew about your strange relationship with Cregan and Jacaerys. Some guys would often call you a whore behind your back, while some girls would prefer the term ‘lucky bitch’; it was no secret that the both of them were quite known for being handsome and gallant, almost acting like real life prince-charmings. Every girl would drool for them, acknowledging their chivalry and politeness. Of course, they already knew about the attention that they received from the opposite sex, they knew about how many girls would love to be in your position. Which is why they didn't understand why you were so eager to act like a brat.

Jace tapped Cregan's shoulder as he saw you chatting with some random guy that suddenly appeared next to you on the couch. Neither of them had seen him before, he was probably a freshman or someone that sneaked into the party without invitation. Both pairs of eyes were intently staring at you, watching every move you make. They knew you weren't oblivious enough to not see it; he was obviously flirting with you, and you were clearly enjoying every moment of it. Jacaerys, being the most jealous out of the three of you, tightened his grip around his bottle of beer, his fingertips turning white as Cregan turned to look at him.

“Don't do anything stupid,” he warned him. “She'll deal with us later.”

“But look at her!” Jace snapped, his breathing ragged.

“She's doing it to piss us off,” Cregan attempted to calm him down. “She won't do anything with that guy. Just wait until the party's over and we'll take care of it, okay?”

He looked at him, obediently nodding as he took a long sil out of his beer to calm down a bit. Jace forbade himself to turn your way, ignoring your desperate attempt to make them jealous. Cregan, being a lot less hotheaded than Jace, acted nonchalantly toward your attitude, pretending you were doing nothing wrong, even when he wanted to grab your arm and take you right in that couch just to clarify that you belong to them.

Cregan knew your purpose, you both had spoken about it earlier that day after one of your classes together. They both have been ignoring you, neglecting your needs and spending more time alone — without you. At first you didn't mind it, thinking that they were busy with the final exams and their final projects of the semester; however, when you knew they were using all that time to plan this stupid party you got pissed, almost screaming at him in the middle of the campus, frustrated. Now here you were, sitting with a freshman trying to get in your pants, all while they were still ignoring you.

Both guys spent the rest of the night drinking, playing some games with other members of the fraternity and having a blast while you were standing in a corner, alone and bored; your two lovers out of your sight. Perhaps that was why you couldn't see Jace searching for you everytime he could, unable to control the jealousy that had grown within him. He couldn't find you anywhere around, which made his mind overthink about where you were, and with whom. Cregan would try to calm him down, offering him his blunt which Jace would accept in order to relax.

Hours passed, it was 4am when the music stopped and everyone passed out in random parts of the fraternity house. Cregan and Jace were stumbling their way up to their dorm, the effects of the alcohol still lingering in their bodies as they struggled to reach for their room. They both were holding onto each other until they opened the door and saw you standing in front of the mirror, wiping off your make up and getting ready to sleep. They noticed you had moved their beds together, making a bigger one as you usually do whenever you stayed with them.

They entered the room in silence, and while Cregan was closing the door and turning the lock, Jace stood closer to you almost drooling once he saw you were wearing one of his shirts. He wrapped his arms around your waist and hid his face on the crock of your neck, leaving wet kisses all over your skin and completely forgetting about the fact that he was supposed to be ignoring you.

“You're so fucking weak, Jace,” Cregan scolded him, removing his shoes and shirt, getting ready to bed.

You turned to look at the eldest guy, who just ignored your intense gaze.

“You're mad?” you dared to ask.

“We both are, actually,” Jacaerys murmured against your skin.

“And why would you be mad? I should be the angry one!”

“Oh, really?” Cregan finally turned, stepping closer to you. “Why is that?”

“You know why! We talked about this and you decided to keep ignoring me!”

Stark laughed dryly, his gray eyes getting darker as he narrowed them. “Is that why you've been acting like a fucking whore tonight? Trying to get into a freshman's pants to get our attention. Fucking pathetic.” He took a step close enough to grab your jaw and force you to look at him. You tried to squirm away from him, but Jace's arms tightened their grip around your body, and you had no escape. “Jace couldn't even enjoy the fucking party because he thought you were sucking another guy's cock. You think that's fair? To make him feel like shit the entire night because you were just needy of attention?”

“I- I didn't-”

“You broke my heart tonight, sweetheart,” Jace whispered in your ear as his fingers reached the hem of your shirt. “You need to pay for what you've done…”

“I'm- I'm sorry, I never meant to-”

“It seems like you need a lesson,” Cregan interrupted you, tightening his grip on your face and making you whine. “Something to remind you that you belong to us.”

Jacaerys' hand cupping your core with one of his hands, burying his fingers between your folds and covering them with your growing slick. He giggled, “she's not wearing panties…” he informed, smiling up at Cregan who clenched his jaw.

“Get her on her knees,” he commanded, and the youngest obeyed immediately, letting you go from his firm grip.

You fell to your knees, scratching them with the raspy carpet beneath you. Jace removed his shirt as Cregan started to unbutton his pants until they pooled around his ankles along with his underwear. You whimpered once you saw his cock starting to get hard under your haze, your mouth watering as you leaned towards his side.

“Get on the bed,” he pointed at Jace. You tried to stand up and follow the instructions too, yet he stopped you by gripping the front of your head and pulling it back. “Not you,” he sternly said. “Open up.”

Obediently, you did as you were told, opening your mouth and letting him press his tip on your tongue. He gave it a few taps, teasing before ge finally decided to start fucking your mouth. Cregan grabbed the sides of your head to keep you still in your position, and his hips started to snap against your throat without further warning. You found stability when you placed your cold hands on his thighs, grasping onto them so you wouldn't lose balance as he had no mercy with you.

You looked up teary eyed, gagging and gulping loudly as you heard his moans slipping out of his plump lips. The small eye contact suddenly became too much for him, so he leaned his head back as he closed his eyes. “Such a delicious mouth,” he praised you, “taking my cock so fucking well.”

His grip around your head started to hurt a bit, his fingertips burying in you as he fastened his pace. It wasn't hard for you to become a mess; your own drool was falling down the corners of your lips as you cried out, your whines being muffled by him inside your mouth, and your slick already starting to leak out of you. Your arousal only grew once he buried himself completely in your mouth, grabbed the back of your head and forced you to stay there for a few seconds, with his length fully sheathed in your throat. Your nose brushed against his pelvis as the air started to escape from your lungs.

“Come on now, baby,” he murmured with a strained voice, feeling his cock pulsing inside your mouth. “Take it… take it all…”

He chuckled softly as you started to tap on his thigh, and he quickly let you go. You gasped once he pulled out of your mouth, gasping for the air your lungs desperately needed. He moaned softly once he saw you; tears on your face, drool falling down your swollen lips — you looked so pretty he even thought about letting you go unpunished and just please you, but then he turned to see Jace; his cock was achingly hard, his ruddy tip leaking as he desperately fucked his fist; he had been so good to you, and you made him feel so bad throughout the night; he deserved a reward, and you deserved a punishment.

Before you could react, Cregan grabbed your body with ease, lifting you up from the ground and carelessly carrying you towards the bed. You moaned with his touch, so needy of him that even his roughness made you squirm out of pleasure. He moved your body around as if you were a ragdoll, shifting your position in bed until you were sitting on top of Jace's pelvis, his cock right between your legs. For a second you thought it was finally the time for them to fuck you, but you were so wrong.

“Grab her hips,” he commanded, using that mandatory tone that drove you and Jace insane. “Don't let her move.”

He positioned himself between the boy's legs, leaving you more confused than before. “What- what are you-?”

“I'm teaching you a lesson,” he stopped you before you could finish your question. “You'll see what happens when you behave and when you don't.”

You saw him leaning down, his plump lips wrapping the tip of Jace's cock and making him squirm beneath your body. Your mouth dropped as you looked at Cregan taking him entirely, his haze fixed in you as the frustration in your body grew even more. The youngest had his nails buried in the flesh of your hips, you heard him moan so prettily that you could even feel the slick oozing out of you, even when you were untouched. It was such a sinful image to witness, especially when Cregan's eyes became teary once he gagged around Jace.

“Oh, fuck…” you mumbled, tears of despair gathering in your eyes as your breathing became ragged. “P-please touch me…”

Jace's hand attempted to reach for your throbbing clit, but the older grabbed his hand and pushed it away. “I'll stop if you touch her,” he warned him. All you could do was cry out.

Cregan's ragged breathing would reach your folds, causing shivers all over your spine. You would try to move your hips to at least rub yourself against Jace's skin, but he didn't allow it, holding you down so tightly that you were certain it would leave a bruise.

The moans turned into whines as Jace started to quickly feel the orgasm coming. His skin was burning as Cregan fervently sucked on his tip, using his tongue to clean up the precum spilling from his slit. Whenever you would cry out or move on top of him he would feel closer to the edge, his body burning inside. “I'm so fucking close, baby,” he whimpered, “keep sucking my cock, I'm- I'm gonna fucking cum… f-fuuck.”

You saw Cregan hollowing his cheeks, milking Jace dry as he came inside his mouth. Drops of the pearly seed escaped from his lips and you felt the need to lick them both clean. You needed a taste, anything that would make you feel some kind of relief.

He sat back up, and as soon as he laid his hazy eyes on you, he grabbed your neck pulling you closer towards him. As if it was a reflex, you opened your mouth while you stared at him through your glossy eyes. He let his spit fall onto your mouth, to then pull you close and fervently kiss you. The salty taste of Jace's release lingered in your mouths as you devoured each other, you would whine against his lips, still sobbing as your pussy was already aching for the lack of attention.

That's when the boy beneath you wrapped you between his arms, forcing you to lay on top of his chest. He didn't even let you catch a break before you felt his cock slowly making his way inside of you, and you gasped out of relief. He stretched you out, providing you with that sweet sting of pain that drove you insane. His hands grabbed your thighs, folding you in half as he started to thrust upwards.

“Don't ever forget who you belong to,” he grunted against your ear as you struggled to keep it quiet. Probably the whole house knew what you were doing, and maybe that was their purpose all along. “You're fucking ours, baby. This tight pussy belongs to us, do you hear me?”

Cregan's hand fell hard on your throbbing clit as you remained silent. A whine left your lips as Jace kept bullying your gummy, wet walls with his girth.

“Answer him,” he demanded, getting closer to you and placing his leaking cock on top of your swollen pearl. You felt the room spinning.

“Yes! Yes! I'm- fuck… I'm fucking yours,” you sobbed.

The whole situation became overwhelming, while one was burying himself in the deepest part of you, the other was rubbing himself on your sensitive flesh, searching for his own release as he wrapped his hand around your throat.

“Fuck, you're fucking squeezing me so tight, baby,” Jace moaned, breathlessly as he felt the mixture of your slick falling down his sack. The lewd sounds of your folds getting stretched by his thickness almost making him cum again. “So fuckin delicious…”

“We've just started and we already fucked her silly,” Cregan chuckled. “She's a fucking mess for us…”

A layer of sweat covered your body; you felt the blood burning inside your veins, the orgasm approaching you embarrassingly fast as they were stimulating your senses. Your eyes rolled back, the desperate pleads slipping out of your lips as you were begging them to make you cum. You were shaking, your face covered in tears as the moans were ripped out of your throat.

“So loud,” the older teased you, “gonna wake up the whole fucking house…”

“I- I need to… please, I need to cum!”

Cregan leaned towards you, and Jace instinctively fastened his pace, burying himself deeper and harder; you had a hard time thinking straight as the older’s hands tightened around your neck. “Ow, poor girl, wants to cum. I don't think you deserve it.”

“P-please, Cregan…”

“Work for it,” he demanded. “Make Jace cum and then you're free to do it too.”

Almost as if it was an instinct, you started to move your hips up and down Jace's cock, making the thrusts more intense and deeper. The younger moaned loudly, already feeling overstimulated by your movements and feeling his sack heavy with a new load of his release. He thought about how pretty you would look with your legs spreaded and his seed falling from your weeping hole; that image alone almost made him peak right in the spot.

“Jacey, please!” you whined, already growing tired. “Please, please, cum in me!”

“Want me to fill your pretty cunny, baby? Mhm? Want my cum inside of you?” he teased, and you rolled your eyes as your walls clenched with his filthy words.

“Yes… yes, please… give it to me, please…”

As a spectator, Cregan groaned loudly, quickly rubbing his hands around his shaft with his eyes fixed in the way Jace was filling you up, bewitched by that bulge in your belly that grew each time that he would bury himself deep inside of you, touching your sweet spot over and over until your head feel dizzy and all that left your mouth were incoherent mumbling.

“I can't… I can't hold it…” you sobbed.

“Come on, baby, I'm so fucking close, just wait for me,” Jace whimpered, his movements getting more desperate and sloppier.

“I can't! I can't! F-fuck…”

Everything came to a breaking point once your release gushed out of you, spurring all over them and making a complete mess. Neither of them could hold back after such an obscene view in front of them, and they were quick to follow. Jacaerys finally spilled himself in you, his seed painting your walls and filling you to the brim. Lastly, Cregan stained your shirt and flesh with his pearly drops, moaning so beautifully that it made you feel butterflies in your belly.

You hissed when Jace pulled out of you, feeling your legs shake while Cregan struggled to stand up from the bed and looking for something to clean you up while you laid against the younger’s body, who softly wiped the tears out of your face.

“Shh… it's okay, you did so good for us, my love,” he cooes, so gently. “So, so good.”

“I'm- I'm sorry,” you mumbled while Cregan returned to your side with a towel in his hand. With soft brushes he started to clean your thighs, your belly and the raw flesh between your legs. “I- I never meant to make you two feel bad… I was- I was being so selfish-”

“Hey,” Cregan stopped you, holding your face with gentleness; so different from his previous touch. “It's already behind us, okay?”

Once he finished cleaning you up, your body fell into Jace's embrace as he wrapped his arms around your body, pulling you closer to him and cuddling with you. He hid his face on the crook of your neck and softly hummed when the remains of your sweet perfume reached his nose.

“We love you so much,” he whispered, “please, don't ever do that to us again…”

You grabbed your face only to see his puppy, brown eyes. A gentle, soft kiss was shared as you felt Cregan laying down behind you and fondling your body, soon you three had your limbs tangled as you kissed and caressed each other without shame. Loving touches that relaxed all of you.

“I'm sorry,” you whispered again to the both of them. “I'll never do that again.”

“Do you promise?” Cregan asked.

“I promise,” you softly nodded.

The Northern boy leaned to leave a soft kiss on your cheek, you both shared a gentle smile which let you know that the anger that was once within him was now fully gone.

follow @by-fairysluna for updates!!

GENERAL TAG LIST — @islandfantasydream @arcielee @bucknastysbabe @zaldritzosrose @rafeism @valeskafics

CREGAN TAG LIST — @purplequxxn @iloveharbingers @jeongiegram @koobratzy @foxyanon

JACAERYS TAG LIST — @iloveharbingers @alynna-m @katharina1111 @simp-aholic

[frownyalfred]

Hi, you said "no I don't know him"/"he's my dad" and dealt me immediate psychic damage please say more words that hopefully make this better

(spoiler alert: nothing can erase the inherent tragedy of this)

the ask/prompt was about Dick and Bruce not acknowledging each other in the League, right? so kind of playing with this identity porn idea of Batman and Nightwing both being separate vigilantes working with the League with no outward, immediately obvious, or self-professed connection between them other than both being from Gotham (which might not even be something they reveal, for OpSec reasons).

Why would they choose to do this? Maybe Bruce wants to eliminate any connections between them to make it even harder to guess their secret identities. Having two pieces of the puzzle always makes it easier to solve than if you only have one.

Maybe Dick wants to be his own vigilante, separate from Batman's influence, and stand on his own with the League. Maybe he wants to put space between him and Robin, and asks Bruce not to fully acknowledge him outside of Gotham.

Maybe it's a mix of both? Or maybe it just never truly comes up, and both of them are too smart and well-trained as a default to give anything away in front of the League. Maybe the League knows that they know each other, that they've worked together before, but nothing more than that.

And what even ties Nightwing to Batman, really? Funding, the suit, the relationship to Robin, but none of those are immediately apparent. Gotham is a common denominator, but there are multiple vigilantes in most major US cities and Nightwing largely operates in Bludhaven. Training/fighting style? Also hard to identify without being in the know. Essentially, if they don't say anything to the League, how much can the average person even infer, much less notice?

So those two lines stuck out to me. In response to a well-meaning or confused League member asking if Dick knows Batman, he really only has two possible responses: "No, I don't know him" or the truth.

That there is a connection between them, and it's actually damn near sacred. He was, is, Batman's partner. He knows Bruce like almost no one else does. They're spoken about in the same breath. Or they were, once upon a time. They have mirrored beginnings, twin motivations. They fallback on each other, even when they're fighting bitterly. Dick is still who Alfred calls, when Bruce is in a self-destructive rut. And vice versa.

But what would prompt Dick to break that code of silence? I guess it depends on why it exists. And so for that second response -- "That's my dad" -- I was thinking of a situation where it was because of Dick's need to be separate from Batman. And Bruce obliges the secrecy, because it's logical and also Dick asked. But one day Bruce is injured on a mission, or hurting somehow, and the League is panicked trying to figure out what to do and Dick is right there. Batman's partner is a foot away and nobody knows. And Dick suddenly has to make a decision that is, in that instant, more easy than anything he's ever done.

"That's my dad."

[kkpwnall]

wanted: pool boy at the vampire mansion

for my darlingest louseph @cheatghost who a few days ago sent me the words "pool boy steve at eddie's vampire mansion" at 6 in the morning and immediately got my brain whirring. like 0 to 60, dead asleep to wide awake and writing. so here's less than 1k words of pure ridiculous fun.

[also on ao3]

It’s not a bad gig, really. Even if it stipulates in his contract that he has to be shirtless while he’s on the property. But Steve also signed the contract in his blood so he’s not sure how legal it is. 

Plus the pay is insane. He quit his other jobs, and he’s basically got free reign of the pool all day. So he takes his time with the skimmer fishing out all the leaves and dead bugs, swims laps for a while. Spends the rest of the day in a lounger before adjusting the chemicals so it’s perfect by morning.

What do vampires need with a pool anyway?

The four guys stay in the house whenever Steve comes by, but they're friendly enough and wave at him through the dark tinted windows. 

One guy ogles him the whole time he works. Not that he really minds. So what if Steve gets to work early, just to put on sunscreen? Who’s gonna know if he puts some extra flex in his muscles while he works? And who cares if they’ve got the cleanest pool in all of Indiana? It’s not hurting anyone. 

But Steve's drawn to him the same way he was drawn to the ad in the first place, with his long dark curly hair and unending collection of black band shirts. His crooked smile and dimples and shining brown eyes.

It's just... they've never once spoken. And Steve is dying to get to know this guy who makes the goofiest faces at him. Who was pissed when Steve laughed the first time he did, hands up like devil horns, tongue lolling and eyes crossed. Until Steve made his own face back. 

This guy, who plays elaborate charades with Steve through the glass, trying and failing to do the classic walking-down-stairs bit. Who went boneless when one of the guys in his band (? coven? pod? Ask Dustin what a group of vampires is called.) dragged him away while Steve mimed crying, waving an imaginary hanky at him. This guy, who clutched his heart and fell over when Steve lowered his shades and winked at him one day.

And it's because of those shades that Steve has to drive all the way back to the mansion late one night to retrieve them from his usual chair.

When he gets there, someone’s floating in the pool. Someone, with long curly hair spilling all around their head. Someone, wearing all their clothes, and Steve can't tell from the weak pool light if they're face up or face down, but they sure as hell aren't moving. 

His lifeguard training takes over between one step and the next, as he bolts for the pool, launching into the water, and throwing himself forward with broad strokes. 

Except when Steve gets to him, the guy isn't drowning, he’s sputtering and swearing and pushing away from him in the water. “What are you doing here?!”

“You're not drowning...” Steve says blankly, trying to catch his breath as he treads water. 

“No! And thank you for the rescue, Lancelot, but you need to get out of here.” His long hair streams over his face as he spins while Steve paddles around him to make sure he’s really alright. 

“Lancelot?” he asks, just to keep the guy talking, to hear more from his honeyed voice. Better than anything he could’ve ever imagined. 

“A knight in shining armor,” the guy mumbles, trying to hide his face. “A hero rescuing fair damsels and slaying vile beasts.” 

Steve chuckles, but doesn’t miss the venom in his last words. He catches him by the upper arm to stop his spinning. “No, I know who Lancelot is, it’s just–”

It’s just he’s even prettier close up. It’s just his skin is freezing cold in the sun-warmed pool water. It’s just he’s looking at Steve, caught somewhere between a grimace and a grin, and his teeth are so so sharp. 

“I’m Steve,” he says, moving closer. Entirely entranced by the pool light, the moonlight, the starlight, glimmering in his eyes. Steve’s hand has a mind of its own, rising out of the water to cup the guy’s cheek with a wet palm, “And you’re…” 

Gently traces his lower lip, runs his thumb over the sharp canine, careful not to touch the pointed tip. 

“You’re beautiful,” Steve breathes. 

The guy surges forward, reeling Steve in with a hand on the back of his neck, and kisses him fiercely. Steve kisses him back just as fervently, wraps his arms around his waist and kicks out with his legs to keep them afloat, as his tongue slides past the guy’s teeth to swirl and dance with his. 

It's messy and uncoordinated and they sink and bob in the water as they move against each other. The guy's fingers tangle in the shaggy hair at the base of his neck, twisting and snagging. Steve groans and stretches a broad palm up between the guy's shoulder blades, pressing further into him, drinking all of him in.

“It’s Eddie,” he says, pulling back and panting when they finally part. “I’m Eddie.”

Steve grins at Eddie and kisses him again, pushing them through the water towards the edge at the shallow end of the pool. He can think of better uses for his legs right now.

[blackstarchanx3new]

DarkBlue ramble

ramble about today's update and Darkblue in genreal because I love them so much X'D

So Blue is 100% right in the fact Dark can just peek into his head to see what he feels about Dark. So Dark asking him up front is kinda "meaningless".

Blue and Dark are both ALREADY blushing before Blue says anything.

Dark is very much aware of Blue's feelings toward him.

But Blue is...Blue lmfao He's loud rude and can't deal with his own emotions.

Which is why when he ACTUALLY acknowledges he thinks Dark is "Cute" of all things (When the rant Dark went on doesn't have to do with that at all) is really funny to me/telling.

Because it's less that Blue thinks Dark is PHYSICALLY cute (I mean he does haha) but also cute in general.

Like THIS is the dude he's calling cute hahaha. (Just SOME of the weird ass faces Dark has made just aimed at Blue lmfao)

I think what's funny about Blue ending up at calling Dark "Cute" is you can take it a few ways.

Blue KNOWS Dark knows what he thinks. So trying to hide his affection towards him at this point is basically meaningless.

He can't deny the truth.

But you can tell from Dark's reaction he wasn't expecting Blue to go with THAT as his answer. He expected something diffrent.

Dark's response back is even funnier to me because it's more classic "Dark Link is super blunt" which is always funny to me.

He doesn't mess with Blue or tease him in response to him opening up about this feelings. (At least not on purpose haha)

Blue's clearly happy Dark thinks that about him.

Since Dark's previously called him "difficult" among other things haha.

They've come a long way since they first fought. XD

He comes off as teasing in page 961 since he honestly asked whether or not he should give Blue more than one kiss but Blue's response propelled him into kinda cheekily responding with "Haha I can read your thoughts, but can't read mine?"

Blue. Ya should have just said your caterpillars needed kisses bro. Dark was offering smh. 😔

It's OBVIOUS he likes em now if he's offering to kiss em you dope!!!

Anyway here's some dumb rambles about why I like Darkblue's dynamic because hur dee dur I've kept this in awhile

Something I enjoy about them compared to Blue and Red is that...well Dark Link doesn't pretend to be incapable.

Blue gets annoyed MANY times with how Red isn't that skilled of a fighter and ends up in deep shit because he's either not taking stuff seriously or is acting like an idiot.

Their FIRST meeting for Dark and Blue was that fight. Which Blue fucking started lmfao.

And Dark absolutely mopped the floor with him.

Dark in general is capable of handling his own shit and can be serious when it's asked for.

He actually understands Blue on an emotional level while the others tend to just get annoyed with how Blue acts. (Reasonably so dude's annoying lmfao XD)

But Dark offers understanding.

This is personally funny to me but Blue getting easily flustered around Dark in some part stems from the fact Dark's voice is very feminine and soft spoken.

I just personally think with the manga there's enough evidence to say Blue gets flustered around girls somewhat easily XD

What's really funny about the current convo is you could compare it to their previous one where Blue visited Dark in the headspace to ask if he was really "Difficult".

Dark was so dang happy to see him too haha.

Dark in general feels safe with Blue.

This is just one of those things Blue thinks about later in the comic, but even though Dark is ANGRY (Because of his own spiraling about his identity) he still saves Blue from Vaati's attack.

Blue's the one who not only convinced Dark to stay but asks him up front what HE actually wants out of life and pushes for Dark to live for himself a few times.

Lmao the second panel's "Compliment" might not seem like one but from a guy like Blue it absolutely is XD

Lol it's been brought up a few times that the reason Blue's been more laid back (Compared to the manga) is his guilt for hurting people and in general wanting to be a better person.

And Dark calling him out in their fight really made that a turn around for him.

Blue kinda at a certain point realized Dark tends to say stuff he doesn't fully mean (Due to his nature as a curse) So stops taking it THAT personally and defuses.

He explains it pretty well here lmfao.

What's better to me is that the reigning of each other in isn't one sided since when Blue's tweaking the fuck out after Vio pisses him off Dark's the one to ask him gently if he needs a break and consoles him while he just has a fit lmfao.

Overall I just really think they pair well together for their own arcs and bounce off each other well and I love them so much haha.

[burning-academia-if]

here's a prompt, it's inspired by a nancy drew episode: truth serum has been poured in the drinks at a party, how do the ros react when they are about to confess their feelings to mc, do they, in the middle of their sentence, try to avoid finishing it by stuffing food in their mouth/drink more/leave/etc.? or do they actually confess because they don't even realize what comes out of their mouth until it's too late?

Random but I follow that video game polls blog and they've been going through all the Nancy Drew games and it's been making me nostalgic. Seeing this is my inbox feels really timely because of it lol

Rook: He is eating so fast and so furiously, because he is not confessing Any of That. And then he makes an exit stage left. The confession comes out in the middle of an empty hallway, and he tries to calm himself because it's the first time something like that has ever been spoken out loud. He'll do damage control later. He just...really needs a minute.

Beck: He doesn't need a truth serum to confess his feelings, and he lets the words roll off his tongue without much of a fight. He has feelings for you. Saying it is simple. It doesn't matter who hears to him, since it isn't like he's ashamed. He might be worried about your reaction, with how sudden the confession is, but he's not going to hide it.

Rhea: She covers her mouth with her hand when she realizes what she's about to say. It comes out muffled, but even though the words are undecipherable, the look on her face and the widening of her eyes speaks the truth instead. She doesn't run away, but she freezes for a moment, anxiety in her stomach waiting for your reaction.

Zoe: They say it before they realize what exactly they've said. It isn't until there's a reaction from others that it all catches up to them and they straighten their back in their chair. They stammer over their words, immediately reaching for an excuse but not being able to get to one because of the truth serum and finally just excuse themself for a moment to catch their breath, deeply mortified.

Lars: He doesn't like that the first time he stated his growing feelings out loud is in the midst of chaos and forced from his lips. He'd rather it be a private affair, away from prying eyes and judgemental stares. Still, he doesn't exactly fight himself from stating his confession, either. He'll deal with the details later. If anything, he's less concerned about his confession and who the hell administered the truth serum to everyone

???: It's more an open secret what their feelings are towards you. In the midst of a crowd, their main concern is how people will treat you, knowing how it is they see you, regardless of how you see them. It's something they know should be secret, and so they bite their lip hard and flee before the confession is out. They're desperate to confess, but they're also desperate to keep you safe from harm

[kerryweaverlesbian]

I want destiel with 13 or 22 (the prompts you reblogged)

Take it easy, with me please, touch me gently, like a summer evening breeze

"You know what this mix is called, Cas?" Dean murmers, pressing his forehead to the side of Castiel's and changing their sway to match the new rhythm.

They've been dancing alone in the kitchen, slow and close, for something like half an hour, and these are the first words either of them have spoken since Dean pulled Cas in. On one side their hands are tangled loosely together, and on the other their arms cross over at their waists, keeping them both pressed together, chest to chest.

"No," Cas says, playing along. They both knew the tape had already been in the stereo when Dean had reached out and pressed play. It wasn't one Cas recognised; all slow, a lot of crooning women.

"It's called, 'For Cas, if we win'. I made it while you were gone." Dean's breath warms the tip of Cas’s ear, and his meaning warms him everywhere else.

"Was there an 'if we lose'?"

Dean shifts his head back to look Cas in the eye. "No. I was never going to happen."

Andante, andante, just let the feeling grow.

Enchanted by the devotion in Dean's eyes, he's caught of guard by his sudden, amused smile. He understands when Dean sings along, sotto voce, "Touch my soul, you know how. Forgot that was coming."

"You've touched mine, now," Cas reminds him, "Or, the closest thing I have to one."

That's how he'd gotten out of the Empty, Dean cradling his Grace to his chest and then fighting his way back through miles of black, sucking sludge, beset by angels, demons and the Empty's own power as he went. The place had been a lot more active since the last time Cas had been stuck there, but no less bleak. There had only been a chance for Dean to finally choke out an, "I love you too, you fucking idiot," when they'd collapsed back out through the portal before he'd fallen asleep for 15 hours straight.

"Your hands were very gentle," Cas notes, and he can feel Dean's face heat as he moves them cheek to cheek, an endearing and unsuccessful attempt to hide his blush. "I felt very secure."

"I didn't want to drop you," Dean admits at a mumble, then complains, "You were freaking slippery, man."

"My apologies," Cas teases, and Dean knocks him with his hip in playful retaliation. "If it helps, you fought me all the way from Hell to your gravesite."

"Sounds like me," Dean says, with a prideful grin that Cas can hear in his voice.

I'm your music. I'm your song.

"Yes. Had I known then how you would change me, I might have held you even tigher."

"Or you might have let go, save yourself the trouble," Dean quips, but there's a fragility to it that has Cas stop the dance and take Dean's cheek in his palm, guiding him to look at him.

Play me time and time again, and make me strong.

"I wouldn't trade the life that we have built for anything. All the time that I have loved you has been-" Cas can't help the tears starting to catch at his voice - "Has been the best of my existence."

Dean's welling up along with him. Perhaps they will both cry every time he tells Dean he loves him. A very small price to pay, in comparison.

"Cas," Dean says in a rasp, and knocks their foreheads together gently. Two teardrops fall from Dean's eyes to Cas’s cheeks with the movement.

Andante, andante, tread lightly on my ground.

No matter who moved in for the kiss, they both lean into it, careful and soft and everything they haven't managed to be with each other until this point. The passion shared between them is palpable, even as the kiss remains relatively chaste. There's no finish line to run to, anymore. No Apocalypse to beat. They have the time to dance together, just as slowly as they please.

Andante, andante, oh please don't let me down.

[serendipityandbenevolence]

Couldn't find any fatui x reader SAGAU so I wrote what I wanted to read. It's a tough gig, but someone has to do it. Also yes, I know my sentences are too long

Contains - Mentions of blood (yay), me pretending like scara is still part of the fatui and la signora isn't dead, a good part of this is just you monologuing about how you're going to die (spoilers: you don't) no gold blood (sorry guys) also gn reader

With every labored breath that fell from your lips, you became more certain that this was where you would die. Not in a comfortable bed, surrounded by family to hold you gently as you slipped on, but alone and scared in a foreign land. You traced patterns on the snow that you lay upon, the only movement you could force yourself to do since you collapsed into that very snow hours prior. Part of you said it was the cold that had brought you to your knees, the other, more rational, part said that is was the gaping wound in your side and the heavy trail of red that you had sloppily painted the pristine landscape with.

You could not recall who dealt that blow to you. There were too many bows, swords, spears, that had rained down upon you to tell whose had cut you. And you hadn't looked. You didn't want to know, of those who you had adored through a screen, had performed the killing blow. It was a miracle that you had escaped. Perhaps it was a blessing from the god whose face you had unwittingly stolen, to give you the chance to fade away gently before they could inflict more pain to you.

But as soon as the thought of a peaceful end crossed your mind, you heard it. At first, you could pretend it was merely the howling wind that swirled above, but as the noises got louder, your brain was forced to recognize them as they were: voices. A single tear slid down your cheek as you lay motionless, the last tear you would shed for yourself.

"-they get this far? With the amount of blood they've lost, surely they must be de-"

"Shh! Don't even speak the words! The death of a god would not go unpunished and I do not delight in the thought of what punishment would be in store for us, so please, refrain from such-"

"Over there!"

The hands that grabbed you almost seemed to burn, their gentle warmth scorching your frost-ridden skin. Panicked voices swirled around you, words disappearing from your mind as soon as they are spoken. The only thing you truly hear, as the darkness surrounds you, was the frantic yell for a healer.

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

You were warm. A rather bland, yet incomprehensible feeling considering the few days you had just had. However, as you forced your eyes open, the reason for your warmth became clear. Gone was the infinite snowy landscape, replaced with a truly massive bedroom and a crackling fire that provided your only light aside from the slightly ajar double doors and the sliver of light they let through. And the bed that you lay upon, which seemed far too spacious for even two people rest in, was piled high with furs and blankets. You wondered whether the person who had made this bed for you had simply taken every blanket they could find and thrown them upon you in the hopes that it would keep you warm.

"Liyue had extended their sincere apology for the treatment of the Divine One, but we are yet to hear anything from Inazuma."

The voice that snaked its way into your room was firm and professional, but with a sharp venom lacing every word, especially the nations that they named. The next voice in comparison made no effort to conceal its vicious hatred, anger seeping out of every letter.

"Not even a letter. How disgraceful. I expected nothing less from a nation that cannot even know its creator when they see them, but somehow, they still disappoint me."

Quite a few murmurs of agreement surrounded that statement, revealing truly how many people stood outside your room, before the first voice responded.

"You would think, Capitano, that such devout worshippers would have a good set of working eyes, however-"

You did not hear beyond that. That name, it told you everything about where you had found yourself and the nature of those voices whispering in the hallway.

The Harbingers.

You almost had to laugh, that your sworn enemies within the narrative were the ones to be providing you shelter after your 'allies' had turned against you. But instead of a laugh, a name fell from your lips, louder then intended, causing the voices outside to hush.

The name of the person you wished to see and, if you were being honest with yourself, your favorite Harbinger.

Now the only question is... who was it?

Pierro

Dottore

Columbina

Scaramouche

Sandrone

Signora

Pantalone

Tartaglia

Capitano

Arlecchino

Anyway, I'll write their lil pathways when i have the energy but hey, if you're reading this, if you want to comment which one you want first, i might listen

[xysnq]

LONELY? I CAN FIX THAT! - PART 1

part 2

heian! ryomen sukuna x reader x afab! uraume

syn. you're feeling lonely when your husband leaves on raids. he has a gift to help you with that.

cw: excessive use of commas, self doubt, face sitting, shibari, pussy eating, no beta uraume is kinda pathetically obsessed with their king and queen, shitty writing (my first fic), no top surgery #nbboobs, maybe ooc idgaf tho, barely smut tbh

You've been lonely. Sukuna is out on raids more often than he's home, and the servants are barred from speaking unless spoken to. Even Uraume has been especially distant lately. Your husband is set to go out on another raid, in just two days, and you can't help but think he prefers the battlefield to you. "What plagues your mind, wife?" you pause. Sukuna had noticed your sour mood. "Nothing, Ryo. I'm fine" he raises an eyebrow at you "You are lonely." It's not a question, you know its not "Really, I'm fi-" "Hush. I am going to help you, little one. I've prepared a gift for you." He begins walking before you can respond. He's always done that, you suppose, leaving no room for argument. Not that he's wrong very often, but it's agitating none the less. A short walk through the halls brings you to a familiar door. The door to your personal quarters, though mainly used for storing your things nowadays, you still spend time in here. Sending a curious eye toward your husband, he simply nods at the door, urging you to open it. You slide the door open, and gasp at the sight before you. Sukuna's prized right hand, and your good friend, Uraume, sits on their knees in the middle of the room. Delicate shibari crosses their body, the rope is your favorite color, and you can't help but admit that they look gorgeous like this. "Is- is this the gift, Ryomen? Are they the gift?" He nods, a cat-like grin on his face. "Uraume has feelings for you, minx..." He's shut the door, you realize, and is now holding you from behind using his lowermost arms. "A little crush on their Queen.." Uraume looks embarrassed, an emotion you haven't seen on them before. Their eyes are down cast, and a furious blush spreads across their porcelain-white face. "They've already said yes to this, so it's your decision, doll." Said yes? Yes to what? "Yes to being our... consort, I suppose. They enjoy pleasing us, in all ways. I thought they might help your loneliness." Oh. You didn't think you actually said that. Uraume is looking at you, now, blushing still but with a distinct want in their eyes "Please, my goddess, please let me be yours." your eyes widen slightly. "Yes. Yes, i want Uraume to be ours." You smile at your husband. He hums, pleased. "Good. I have some preparations to finish before I leave. Enjoy yourselves without me for a while." Sukuna leaves the room with a smile, kissing your cheek softly.

[pagerunner-j]

fic roundup: 2024

Since the end of the year is just around the corner, I think it's time to sum up the fics I wrote this year. As it happens, they're all about two characters who decided to take over my brain fifteen years after their last TV episode aired. Because I am apparently nothing but timely.

So: presenting The Long Road Home, and its side stories in TRH: Detours. It's an ongoing series (named after its first entry) about Rose and Tentoo from Doctor Who, and it looks into what they might be getting up to in their alternate universe. This starts as a romance and gets much more eventful from there...but the romance certainly isn't letting go of me, either.

New readers always welcome; signal boosts much appreciated! (And I'm tagging a couple of my fellow Tentoo/Rose degenerates that I'm following here, @thirdeyeblue and @quite-right-too, in case this might be of interest. :)

--

The Long Road Home: the series

The Long Road Home (M, 24,564 words)

Rose and Tentoo, getting to understand each other, trust each other, and eventually love each other, on the way home from Bad Wolf Bay. Featuring a long-overdue family road trip, deleted scenes turning into essential plot, existential crises, asides from Jackie Tyler, the wrong Beatles, inappropriate ways to answer room service, and your author shamelessly abusing the limits of touch telepathy.

Understandings and Ultimatums (M, 6,808 words)

An interlude following The Long Road Home, in which Rose and Tentoo, temporarily staying with Rose's parents, maybe start getting a little carried away with each other. And Pete's got a few words to say to the Doctor about it. Oops. Featuring badly timed father-daughter check-ins, the Doctor continuing to come to terms with having a whole lot less a in his sexuality these days, a children's toy as a conversation starter, Rose getting alternately irritated and turned on by possessive men, and absolutely everybody complaining about London real estate.

At the Threshold (T, 8,575 words)

Rose and Tentoo find themselves facing a number of major life decisions. Some aren't quite yet decided upon, but some important ones are coming together at last. Featuring the joys of house hunting, the tricky question of names, pointed motherly advice, Time Lord talents at work, gratuitous Shakespeare geekery, ongoing telepathy shenanigans, and life-changing phone calls happening at really inconvenient times.

Four Ceremonies (T, 21,812 words)

A home claimed, a seed planted, a commitment made, and promises spoken. Rose and Tentoo on the road to marriage, and a few other, perhaps even more significant things.

Entanglements (M, 21,030 words)

Rose and the Doctor may have found a good life together, but that doesn't mean all their worries--or their past traumas--have gone away quite yet. In which the emotional rent comes due, some painful stories are revealed, risky levels of intimacy are reached, a good number of unsettling memories and dreams unfold, and Rose finds her way to the solution for a tricky problem with their TARDIS. But that might come with a certain cost, too, and it might not only be hers to pay. Featuring Rose, Tentoo, and...well, Ten, too.

Coming to Light (E, 6,588 words)

All right, all right. Before we get down to main-plot business, let's let these two crazy kids, well, get down to business. A Long Road Home interlude, in which Rose and Tentoo take that trip to Barcelona (the Pete's World version, anyway), discover the alien weirdness behind one of this city's strangest neighborhoods, and then, inspired by that day's escapades, make good on both the rating of the story and the verb choice in the title. ...hey, they're having a nice time on their holidays, who am I to argue.

The House Among the Briars (M, 22,388 words)

Go big or never go home. In which Rose and Tentoo finally discover the secret of the house where they've been living, but get stranded in separate dimensions in the process. To find their way back to each other, they have to confront parts of themselves that they might not want to have to accept. For the Doctor, it's the rage he's been warned about virtually ever since he first came to be. And for Rose, it's something even more dangerous, and a whole lot stranger. Because it might be time for a certain bad wolf to come back out to play...

The Wolves in the Woods (T, 48,312 words)

Rose and Tentoo have secrets. Torchwood has questions. Everything is about to come to a head one way or another, especially if the director of interdimensional research at Torchwood gets her way. And Rose and the Doctor are going to have to figure out how to stop her, before she lays a claim on their growing TARDIS...or on the two of them themselves.

Within the Kaleidoscope (M, 75,746, in progress)

Vignettes from Rose and Tentoo's lives as two life-changing events unfold: the growth of their new TARDIS, and Rose's unexpected pregnancy. These two things may end up linked in ways they didn't anticipate. And all the while, a larger alien mystery is slowly coming to light. Will be updated periodically.

--

The Long Road Home: Detours

Under Review (E, 7,004 words)

A missing scene from early in the Long Road Home series, in which Rose and Tentoo, near the end of their temporary stay with Rose's parents, finish saying a goodbye of sorts to the Tyler house. If "saying goodbye" is really the term for the spot of roleplay they're getting up to in the home office. (It isn't.) Miss Rose, it's time for your annual performance review...and Mr. Smith has notes. Follows on from Understandings and Ultimatums, explores a bit of Rose and the Doctor figuring out their new relationship boundaries and tastes, and makes good on that aside at the end of U&U about hoping Pete never finds out what these two are planning on doing with his desk. (Sorry, Pete.)

To See the Dark Nights Through (M, 1683 words)

Rose and Tentoo both have nightmares sometimes about their time apart, their lasting fears, and the stranger qualities of their lives. They've found ways to help each other through it. And a fair few of those involve not leaving the bed.

Impossible Gifts (M, 3,813 words)

And now, time for some absolutely shameless holiday fluff. In which Tentoo and Rose get ready for the holidays, tell some stories, and keep the deepest dark at bay in the best way they know how. Which means exactly what you've probably just guessed. Fits into the early stretches of the Long Road Home series, but can be read as a standalone.

[charmac]

curious - do you think rcg may have had any notion that they may seriously explore the possibility of mac being gay in s6 era? s5 functionally lays the majority of groundwork for the subtext that they evolved into canonical text and s6 opens with mac fights gay marriage and imo mac is pretty heavily gay coded throughout that season. however, s7 totally makes me believe they hadn’t really considered it, because mac’s gay subtext is almost completely nonexistent, bar the flashback from s6 in 7x10. he is overtly “straight” that season. clearly by s8 it’s fully canon and one of the most logical next steps they could’ve taken with his character in retrospect, but i have always wondered if many of the choices in s6 wrt mac’s sexuality becoming increasingly more ambiguous were deliberate and i’m curious about your perspective.

I do 100%! I've definitely spoken about this before... I'm not sure if it was here or a Discord or maybe even an in-person conversation, but I've always thought it was so insane how they tell you Mac and Dennis Break Up is romantic in some sense. They are realising that their codependency is more than some "bromance" and it spooks them (obviously, really more-so Dennis).

I think acknowledging it on TASP isn't a surprise, but the fact that it's stated in the DVD commentary, before they even filmed S6, makes it clear that this was intentional foundation they intended to work off of. When Dee shatters the glass closet by stating Dennis' codependency with Mac is viewed as an "old married couple" situation, it fucks Dennis up way more than Mac, because Mac is unable to recognise the queerness of their relationship while Dennis can.

Once they make up, they've established something in the writers room going forward for Mac & Dennis that they clearly want to keep a part of their dynamic (again, as reaffirmed on the MADBU TASP episode): they are gay for each other. But they're not going to (mutually) recognise or accept it, because that ruins the joke.

So, in my opinion, they go into Season 6 really digging into that dynamic and playing on the joke by pushing against it: Dennis recognises the issue of being into Mac internally so he needs a wife; Mac recognises the issue of being gay externally so he needs to fight the gays. No doubt in my mind that throughout S6 they were writing and acting with this idea - though probably with no firm idea of where they wanted it to end up.

So we get to Season 7, and your point is the reason why Season 7 is one of my least favourite Seasons as a coherent part of Sunny (keeping in mind the flashbacks in How Mac Got Fat are just a scrapped S6 episode, reworked) - it seems to ignore a lot of the build up in order to make funny stand-alone episodes of the show. Was it because of Fat Mac? (Only one identity at a time for Mac, pls!) Is it because they had a chunk of guest writers? Is it because they thought there was a large chance it was the final season of the show? (They've talked about how when they shot the final scene for S7 (HS Reunion) it was under the idea that they might not get renewed)

Probably only RCG truly know (and maybe they don't even remember). As for me, while I don't think it was necessarily deliberate, like they sat down and said "actually lets roll back the gay [Mac] stuff here..." my idea is that going into S7 they hadn't yet figured out (or couldn't agree) if/how they wanted to make Mac's homosexuality crystal clear.

Maybe they dropped it for a season before deciding... or maybe this downtime served a purpose, because the reveals on Sunny serve one main goal: Subvert expectations.

Going from S5/6 to 8 is very obvious. That is a closeted gay guy. BUT when you have S7 cut in there in the middle, this working-season where they kind of play hard into Mac's aggressive temper and his stupidity and the fact that he's a voyeur, it's a little less-so. You're hit with Season 8 and that attempted kiss kind of comes out of nowhere and then every episode following has some kind of Mac is GAY moment and it's just extremely funny... Like, oh holy shit he's gay and he can't even recognise it.

But that gap does kinda throw you off like, was this a decision once they got renewed going forward that they needed one of them to be obviously gay based on their history? I really don’t think so, the foundation seems too intentional and the evidence we have that RCG acknowledged the character’s queerness (of all them) back then is enough to have me firmly believe the S6 stuff was just further groundwork for Mac’s character and his and Dennis’ opposing relationship

[thegreenthepeacetheorange]

Everlark (Catching Fire, Ch. 1-4)

(here we go again gang)

katniss constantly repeats that she's not sure of what she feels for peeta in these chapters and also that it wasn't just an act: "it wasn't just a strategy for peeta. i'm not sure what it was for me//i'm not indifferent (said to snow)//my love... was something of an act//there had been times where i didn't honestly know how i felt about him. i still don't really"

the way katniss describes gale vs the way she describes peeta is so funny. she acknowledges gale is handsome but then it's "dark straight hair, olive skin, grey eyes." peeta however: "peeta crosses to the table, the sunlight from the window picking up the glint of fresh snow in his blond hair. he looks strong and healthy" - like. it's almost like everytime she sees peeta it's through the lens of the romance cam. the descriptions are very 'main love attraction in a romcom movie arriving on the scene.'

they've not really spoken much (or at least in their usual way of talking) in about 6 months at this point so their relationship is a bit stilted. the sound of his voice is enough to twist her stomach with unpleasant emotions like guilt, sadness and fear. but she says there's longing too, only the others emotions are too powerful.

"it's not until he's handed haymitch the heel that he even looks at me for the first time" - she's been watching him all this time, while he avoids her eyes, waiting for him to look at her. and she feels some type of way about him not looking at her.

when her talk with snow finally turns to peeta, she finds she can't keep ahold of snow's gaze.

she feels disgusted that she's having to talk to snow about her feelings for "two of the people i care most about." - peeta, who she only started speaking to less than a year ago, has come to hold equal weight in her eyes as gale at this point.

in these early chapters in catching fire, we really see katniss correlate peeta with the capitol/the games. like something she's having pushed on her by this powerful entity that she resents. she notes many times that she's kissing him or hugging him or whatever for the audience, because she has to. and snow coming in and ordering her to "convince me" amplifies all that by a million. then when haymitch points out that her romance with peeta is going to have to be forever, she also stresses because her right to choose between boys or even to choose between being single or not is completely taken away from her. which fuels her more negative feelings on her situation with peeta.

again i will note that she likens haymitch's choice of being alone as "solitary confinement" - it's not something she deep down wants for herself

have to discuss her first kiss with gale (sorry)

her description of her first kiss with gale feels more romantic than her first one with peeta tbh. she mentions the warmth of his lips, his hands easily entrapping her, her making a noise in the back of her throat. her curled up fingers resting on his chest.

but then when she tries to reflect on the kiss, all she can remember is the pressure of his lips/the smell of the oranges they had. and she says it's pointless comparing that kiss with the many she's had with peeta and that she doesn't know if any of them counted. again, this is more of her feelings about cameras and the capitol taking over.

i also think her kiss with gale felt unnatural to her compared to the kisses she's had with peeta when they had fallen into their domesticity rhythm.

anyways both her and gale pretend like the kiss didn't happen but because of it gale has broken some "invisible barrier" between them and they can't go back to having their friendship of before.

even though she's not talking to peeta really still, he is still one of the key 3 people she thinks of confiding in - but she doesn't want to break him more and at this point is pretty convinced of his love/goodness that she knows he will "perform" regardless of if he knows of snow's demands or not

this is what she says about her and peeta's first kiss in months: "i can feel the steadiness that peeta brings to everything. and i know i'm not alone... he's still looking out for me. just as he did in the arena. somehow the thought makes me want to cry"

on peeta's body hair: "i can remember peeta's now, as i bathed him by the stream. very blond in the sunlight, once the mud and blood had been washed away" - very intimate

katniss is OBSESSED with peeta in the sunlight. the snow in his hair in the sunlight, his body hair in the sunlight and in a few chapters she'll notice his eyelashes in the sunlight i think in the last book she also mentioned peeta's face illuminated by the sunlight coming in through their cave. like it really feels like there's this glow around him in her eyes.

peeta's apology. so soft, so sweet. and he just wants to try be friends. at this point, he really thinks katniss was completely faking it and gale is her real boyfriend and he still comes to her with his little apology and the idea of being friends. he's just so...

she smiles when they have their conversation about their favourite colours. like a genuine one

she imagines the orange of his sunset and thinks beautiful. this leads her to think of his cookies. she associates beauty a lot with peeta, like at the end of THG when she says peeta looks beautiful the first time she sees him post-games.

later on when she sees the orange dress patterned with autumn leaves, she thinks how much peeta will like the colour. she's obsessed. peeta is going to think i'm so pretty in this orange dress! (she doesn't say or think this but you know, it's there)

they go straight to handholding again (but friendship handholding of course!) (an aside: i don't think i've ever just held my friends' hands and she also never hold gale's hands)

so many of peeta's paintings featuring katniss.

one of katniss's key nightmares is peeta bleeding to death

when peeta offers rue and thresh's families one month of their earnings every year, that comes completely from him and his heart. he didn't even know those two but for what they did for katniss and because he knows the needless brutality they faced, he does this. and it mirrors what katniss thought of doing for them when she found out thresh had died that night. they are in tune. "at this moment, it's impossible to imagine how i could do any better... so when i rise up on tiptoe to kiss him, it doesn't seem forced at all" - he continues to win her over, despite how much she thinks she has to act for the cameras

[irayoeywa]

the name game ✧

part eight, the finale

neteyam sully x fem!omatikaya!reader

warnings/notes - fluff, love confession, kissing, bold & italics mean flashback, characters are speaking na'vi unless stated otherwise, gif is mine, divider creds to shifterium.

na'vi words used (with translations) - atokirina - wood sprite tsahìk - spiritual leader uniltaron - dream hunt eltungawng - glow worm olo’eyktan - clan leader kali'weya - arachnoid ikran - mountain banshee marui - a woven canopy-like structure made for living in yerik - hexapede yawne - beloved tute asevin - pretty woman vitraya ramunong - tree of souls kuru - queue naer - alcoholic beverage swoasey - hand sized bowls used for the naer oel ngati kameie - i see you

< part seven

series masterlist main masterlist

y/n's days were usually peaceful.

or, that's what they used to be.

lately, they've been anything but that. not since what happened about a month ago…

your head snapped up when the words left neteyam's mouth. he looked nervous, his face carried a tight-lipped smile and his eyes were avoiding your own. and your silence wasn't making him feel any better. after what seemed like forever, you finally decided to speak. and coincidentally, neteyam decided to vocalize something at the same time.

"i can't accept this."

"i see you."

the two of you said in unison. after both pieces were spoken, the two of you stared at one another with wide eyes. you, shocked at his confession and neteyam, shocked at your rejection.

after the initial shock, neteyam was the first to speak.

"what? why not?" was the first thing he asked. he sounded upset and the look on his face didn't make you feel any less terrible for rejecting him.

"because this is serious. and i haven't done anything to deserve this." you said, putting the necklace back in his hands.

"y/n-"

you cut him off, "i didn't tell you my name for months, i avoided you every time i saw you, and i couldn't even understand when the great mother sent me a sign, two signs at that. so no, i can't accept this, because i don't deserve it."

once the words left your lips, a silence fell over the two of you. shaking your head, you started to get up from your seated position. a cool breeze washing over your calves and feet that were no longer immersed in the shallow water of the pond. you didn't even bother grabbing the half weaved anklet and you honestly didn't even care about it at the moment, you just wanted to leave. the last thing you wanted to do was deal with the aftermath of the now undoubtedly awkward situation you created.

neteyam watched you with a hurt expression. he really wasn't expecting this to be the reaction that he received. the worst case scenario was unfolding and he was having trouble wrapping his head around it.

but neteyam wasn't letting you walk away just yet. he was like his brother that way, never admitting defeat until it was absolutely necessary.

you had almost disappeared from his line of sight before he spoke up, making you stop in your tracks.

"i saw it." was all he said.

you turned around, looking at him in confusion. you wanted an explanation and he planned on giving you one, he just needed you to stop walking away first. neteyam stood up and began slowly walking towards you.

"i saw the atokirina that day, you thought i didn't see it but i did. i saw it." neteyam confessed, "i didn't understand what it meant at first so i went to talk to my grandmother to ask her about it. she helped me realize that you mean so much to me and maybe eywa was telling me that the two of us are meant to be something more for each other. i was originally going to wait until after i went through uniltaron to do this but once my mother told me you actually came to the marui to drop off my visor, that let me know that you are trying to be more open and that means a lot to me. so i knew now was the right time. i know you have your own reasons as to why you didn't tell me your name and you can explain when you're ready, but i don't care about that because nothing can get in the way of my feelings for you. i see you, y/n."

it was as if your brain went haywire. your mouth was parted slightly in surprise while your eyes began to water. there were so many things you had to process but didn't have enough time to. he saw the atokirina that day, so maybe it was a sign for the both of you. his speech also made you realize that he is willing to be patient with you even after you did everything in your power to push him away. even now, you tried to walk away from this situation. he wasn't giving up on you that easily. he wore his heart on his sleeve and now it was him that deserved an explanation, and you were finally ready to give it to him.

you let out a sigh, "i.. i never really liked attention. being the sibling that nobody really knew about. it was more peaceful that way. and so when you, the son of the olo'eytkan wanted to be my friend, i knew that would draw attention. attention that i didn't want. so i thought if you didn't know my name and if we didn't speak at home, i could still have a sense of normalcy while being your friend."

neteyam didn't say anything, he just stared at you as you continued to explain.

"but you mean so much to me and i realize that not only was i taking you for granted, i was also pushing you away. and i apologize for that." you sent him a small smile, hoping your explanation made sense.

for a moment, the sound of nature was the only thing that could be heard. neteyam began to walk closer towards you. his steps got smaller as you two were now nearly chest to chest. he then took your face into his hands, softly caressing your cheeks as he looked into your eyes.

the close proximity was intimate and you had no choice but to look into his eyes as well. and in that moment, you felt a sense of comfort and normalcy. like this is supposed to be your new normal.

neteyam smiled softly, "there's nothing to apologize for. i see you."

"and i see you." you breathed out, a smile stretching across your face once you said the words.

neteyam smiled before leaning in, bringing your lips together. you wasted no time in responding to the kiss. it was slow and passionate, but that's all it had to be.

once you pulled away neteyam took a step back, "are you going to accept my gift now?"

you laughed and nodded, "of course."

he smiled before motioning for you to turn around. you did so and lifted your braided hair so he could secure the necklace around your neck. while he was doing so you suddenly remembered something.

"you know, i went to the tsahìk to ask her about the atokirina too."

"really?" you couldn't see but neteyam had an amused expression on his face.

you nodded and he shook his head, "that's probably why she looked amused when i explained everything to her. because you had already told her."

"hey, i needed answers and she's wise."

"that she is."

it's been a month since that day and you and neteyam have been moving at a pace comfortable for the both of you. you've been getting closer while still keeping some things the same such as still hanging out in the forest and going on ikran rides together. the only difference is you're now romantically involved with one another.

but your presence within the clan definitely changed. thanks to your big mouth sister, the entire clan now knows that neteyam is officially courting you.

now, everywhere you go, people are either staring at you or trying to speak to you. it was like you were suddenly the main focus to everyone. most people didn't even know you existed so they were curious to see who the future olo'eyktan was supposedly planning to mate with.

dealing with all the attention was very stressful at first. you didn’t even want to leave your marui because of all the people that would stare at you. but of course, neteyam helped you get through it and eventually, you got somewhat used to it. it still did bother you though, but you tried your best not to think about it too much.

today is a very important day. today is the day that neteyam finally goes through his final rite of passage before he finally earns his place among the people forever.

uniltaron is a rite of passage that all omatikayan people are required to go through. even though it was a significant tradition in omatikayan culture, that didn’t stop it from being dangerous. 

the first step of uniltaron was for the tsahìk to place a eltungawng into the na'vis mouth. this glow worm gave the na’vi the ability to hallucinate. then the olo’eyktan would take a kali'weya and have it stab the na’vi twice in the shoulder. the venom from the kali'weya mixed with the compound from the glow worm gives the na'vi the opportunity to experience their vision from eywa. but, the venom from the arachnoid was powerful enough to completely stop someone's heart. there have been na’vi people that have died during the ritual. the occurrence was rare but, never impossible.

your uniltaron happened about two months before you met neteyam. it usually took hunters/warriors longer to go through the rite of passage because he had to complete other things before reaching this destination. since your place in the clan is being an artisan, all you had to do was tame an ikran beforehand. neteyam on the other hand had other tasks to handle first.

even though you made it through okay, that didn't mean you weren't scared and nervous at first. and you were feeling those exact same emotions for neteyam.

during the ritual, there are other clan members surrounding the na'vi that is going through uniltaron. these clan members are usually people that are close to them. meaning family, friends, and partners. since you and netetyam are now promised to each other, that meant you were going to be in attendance.

your palms were slightly clammy and your stomach was in knots as you walked through high camp. and because your nerves were at all time high, you barely noticed the couple of people that turned their heads at the sight of you.

once you got to your destination, you peaked your head in the marui that the sullys resided in. seeing that they were all there. tuk seated on the ground, messing around with her yerik toy. lo'ak and spider were in their own world, holding a conversation of their own. your eyes scanned the room before finally landing on the boy you came for.

neteyam was seated while his dad kneeled down in front of him, talking to him. his body language looked serious so you assumed that he was most likely giving him a lecture or a pep talk for what was to come. jake is the one that has to do the part that frightened you the most. beside him was neytiri and kiri, they were preparing the white body paint that would go on both his face and body.

you decided to finally make your presence known. you walked in and everyone’s head went up, seeing who just walked in. luckily, everyone greeted you with smiles.

neteyam had properly introduced you to all of them a week after he began courting you. the two of you knew that there would be a lot of questions and demands your families would have so the first week was just you and neteyam. enjoying your time together before everyone knew. when you told your family a week later, they all said they had a hunch. they noticed the necklace that resided around your neck and knew something was up because it wasn't crafted nearly as well as your usual accessories. they were just waiting on you to say something

kiri was the only sully that knew for the entire week since neteyam told her your answer the night he got home. she was happy for her brother, happy that he found someone. she was also delighted that she was able to help make the necklace for you.

when neteyam told the rest of the family, tuk smiled and said she was happy for him, which was expected. spider started laughing, turning his head to his lo'ak and telling him that he owed him a ride on his ikran. lo'ak started objecting, telling spider that he techincally didn't win the bet. neteyam shook his head, not even surprised they made a bet.

his parents, on the other hand, were surprised. they knew their son had some type of romantic feelings towards you but wasn't sure if he was bold enough to act on it. they were a little skeptical, not knowing if he was serious enough about this and if he was making the right decision. but after having a conjoined dinner with both of your families, it was clear to jake and neytiri and your parents that you and neteyam were very serious. mo'at had even said that she saw something special in the two of you. after that, they were more than happy to welcome you into the family.

and it wasn't long before your sister started running her mouth to everyone in high camp, telling them about you and neteyam. she was mainly the reason why and how the entire clan found out rather quickly.

while you began to hang out with kiri more, neteyam hung out with nanti a lot more. nanti and neteyam had a general sense of respect for one another so it didn't much for them to get along.

but being accepted by the sullys meant a lot to you so it warmed your heart that they were more than happy to have you around.

as you walked over to neteyam, you greeted jake properly. he was still the olo'eyktan and you wanted to be respectful. he greeted you back before giving neteyam a firm pat on the shoulder. he then stood to his feet and walked away. neteyam smiled as you sat down in the spot jake was once in.

"good morning, yawne." neteyam smiled.

you blushed at the pet name, "good morning teyam."

your eyes shifted to neytiri, who had just finished making the paint with kiri.

"i can do it, if that's okay." you say to neytiri, motioning towards the bowl. she looks at you before smiling and handing it to you.

she and kiri stand, walking away as well. you then dipped your fingers into the white paint before applying to neteyam's face in a series of patterns.

"are you nervous?" you asked him, briefly making eye contact with your boyfriend.

"not really. i mean i've been preparing for this my whole life." he answered honestly, "i can tell that you are though." he laughed.

"it's not funny." you frowned as you dipped your fingers back in the paint, now placing the patterns on his neck and collarbone area.

"i just don't want anything bad to happen."

"i know you're scared of the kali'weya but nothing is going to happen, i promise." neteyam spoke, bending his head a little to make eye contact with you since your eyes were focused on his neck.

"you can't promise something like that."

he leaned in and placed a kiss on your forehead, "well i just did, tute asevin."

you smiled softly before the sound of gagging took you out of your trance. you and neteyam turned your heads to see lo'ak and spider fake gagging as they watched and listened to your conversation.

“you can’t promise something like that.” spider said in an over-exaggerated feminine voice.

lo'ak then licked his lips, puckering up and then kissing the air dramatically which neteyam rolled his eyes at, "well i just did, tute asevin."

"you two are insufferable." you laughed.

"and you guys make me sick." lo'ak rebutted.

you and neteyam waved them off before continuing your conversation. once you finished applying the paint to neteyam's body, it was time to go.

uniltaron never took long. the ritual itself took maybe an hour if that. but right now, it felt like hours. you sat in a circle with the neteyam's family, as well as your sister while neteyam sat in the middle of the circle. since neteyam now considered nanti a close friend, she was also in attendance. your parents were happy that their two most antisocial children were actually venturing out and being more open.

the ritual had begun and it played out just how you remembered. neteyam had consumed the eltungawng and it was taking effect rather quickly. you watched intently as his father took the kali'weya out of the bowl it was residing in. your breath hitched as it stabbed neteyam twice in the shoulder.

you gasped as the boy groaned as he hissed and doubled over, placing his hands on the ground in front of him. the tsahìk began fanning smoke towards him as everyone in the circle began to sing a traditional na'vi song. you sung the song as you stared at neteyam with concern. he was still in the position from before. you tried not to panic because you remember the pain that it causes but you couldn't help it.

after a few moments, neteyam sat up, which you were relieved. the singing continued as he had his vision from eywa. once the ritual was over, you thanked the great mother for allowing him to get through the ceremony safely.

after the effects of the insects wore off eventually and he was back to normal, the entire clan gathered at vitraya ramunong. jake recited a saying before declaring neteyam as one of the people. he then placed both of his hands on neteyams' shoulders. mo'at did the same and everyone followed in pursuit, holding onto the shoulders of the person in front of them. you held onto the shoulders of kiri and nanti placed her hands on yours.

once that was completed, everyone returned to high camp for the celebration. so far everyone was having a great time. people were singing and dancing as the music from the blue flute played. there was also food and drinks. parties like this were always nice.

you didn't want to be glued to neteyam's side for the entire night, especially since a lot of people were going up and talking to him. he respected that you didn't really want to be that social so you both agreed to meet at the tree of souls again after the party was over.

"yo i got us something!" lo'ak exclaimed as he rushed over to where you, spider, tuseya, and ri'an were sitting.

"what?" tuseya asked, looking at him weirdly. once it was out that you and neteyam were serious, tuseya had to let go of her crush on lo'ak, reluctantly doing so but she loved you and neteyam together.

lo'ak grinned before handing swoaseys to all of you. you took the swoasey from his hands and looked in it, it had some type of liquid in it. you went ahead and smelled it. the strong smell of naer filled your nostrils.

"lo'ak who gave this to you?" you asked, grimacing at the smell of the beverage. you were old enough to drink naer but the rest of the teenagers around you definitely weren't.

"sanari snuck me some. all i had to do was tell her she has pretty eyes." lo'ak laughed as he drank the liquid from his small bowl. you have drank naer before but you weren't really fond of the taste so you didn't drink it often. and to your surprise, all the teens around you downed their cups with ease.

"is there something i'm missing or?" you asked as you looked at them in confusion.

tuseya laughed, "we've all drank before y/n, what do you think we do when we're out with our friends at night."

"well i don't like naer so one of you can have mine." you said, outstretching your hand with the swoasey in it. lo'ak went to grab it when a hand came out of nowhere and took it from you. you looked up to see kiri holding it, staring at lo'ak.

"unless you want to be drunk in front of mom and dad, i suggest you calm down with the drinks." she glared at him. lo'ak rolled his eyes and in response as kiri sat down beside you.

"hey." you greeted her.

she looked at you and smiled, "hey y/n, why are you hanging out with these losers and not my brother?"

"hey!" the teenagers all exclaimed. she ignored them as she awaited your answer.

"this night is all about him so i wanted him to enjoy it. also there's a lot of people coming up to him and you know how i am."

"well he looks like he's losing his mind without you." she laughed, lifting her hand and pointing in a certain direction.

you followed her finger to see neteyam talking to two men. they were both built and wore cummerbunds so you assumed that they were both hunters. you were surprised to see that neteyam was staring at you as he was conversing with them. a smile crept on your face and he smiled back before looking away.

"he's so fucking whipped bro!" lo'ak shook his head, speaking english.

after a while, the music being played on the blue flute had come to a stop and the party ended. many na'vi were intoxicated as they stumbled their way back to their marui's. others had their kids sleeping in their arms from being up so late and others said goodnight to their friends.

it was now time for you to meet neteyam at vitraya ramunong. you quickly went to your marui to grab something you had made a couple days ago. as you were making your way to the ikrans, you unexpectedly bumped into a figure, causing you to drop the item in your hand.

"oh i'm so sorry!" you rushed out, looking up noticing that you bumped into jake.

"it's all good y/n, let me get that for you." he bent down and picked up the item. once it was in his hand he stared it before looking at you, "did you make this for neteyam?"

you nodded, a little nervous of what his reaction would be. after a moment of silence, a smile etched onto his face. it was small but it was still there nonetheless.

"you're a good kid, y/n. and i know you make neteyam happy. you'll make a great tsahìk one day." he spoke before handing you what you dropped and walked away. you were frozen in your spot. a great tsahìk? did he really think that highly of you? well, you are promised to the future olo'eyktan but it didn't really hit you that you were technically supposed to be the next tsahìk of your beloved clan.

you managed to walk to your ikran despite the shock still evident in your face. you mounted your banshee and flew to the tree of souls. you landed in a spot that most ikrans resided when there were gatherings here.

neteyam was already there. he had his kuru connected to a few of the bioluminescent vines that hung from the beautiful tree. when he heard the screech of your ikran, he disconnected from the tree and watched as you got off your banshee and made your way over to him.

once you were close enough, neteyam rushed over to you and swiftly picked you up off your feet and spun you around.

"hello to you too." you giggled once he put you back on the ground.

"i missed you." he said, resting his forehead against yours.

"it was only a couple hours."

"i know but i wanted to spend the entire night with you. but i know you would've been uncomfortable with the amount of people that were coming up to me." he says, backing away from you so he could see your face better. he went to grab both of your hands and noticed you holding something.

"what's that?" neteyam asked.

you looked at the item he was talking about, "ok so as a gift for completing your final rite of passage, i made you your very first cummerbund." you handed it to him.

neteyam's eyes lit up as he took it from your hands. no surprise that it was neatly woven and the patterns were well put together. he looked up from the cummerbund and threw his arms around you.

"thank you so much yawne, this means a lot."

"you're welcome." you smiled as he began putting it on, "your dad told me that i would make a good tsahìk one day."

neteyam paused, looking up from the accessory and at you. he held a look of shock on his face. he didn't know that his father thought that highly of you.

"really? how does that make you feel?" was the first thing he asked. he wanted to put your feelings at the forefront of the conversation.

you noticed neteyam's fingers fumbling with making sure the cummerbund was on securely. you moved closer to him and made sure it was on correctly.

"i was honestly surprised, i hadn't really thought about it before." you answered honestly.

"if you do not wish to be tsahìk then you don't have to be."

"i know.. but is it something that you want for us?" you looked up at him.

"i'm fine with whatever you're comfortable with. so don't worry about what i want." neteyam reassured you. you gave him a warm smile before stepping back, looking at the cummerbund hug his stomach.

"it looks good on you." before you could take another breath, neteyam grabbed your hand and pulled you back towards him. your chests now pressed each other.

neteyam used a finger to bring your face closer to his. his lips ghosted over yours. your eyes fluttered shut, drinking in this moment of intimacy.

"all thanks to you." he muttered before placing his lips on your own. the kiss felt like any other kiss the two of you shared. gentle and affectionate. lips moving in sync as the environment around you glowed in different hues of blue, purple, and green.

you were the first to pull away, giggling when neteyam's lips chased your own. you looked at him, admiring his face as his bioluminescent dots glowed in the night.

"now that you've gone through your final rite of passage, we can finally.. you know.." you trailed off, hoping neteyam would get the hint. and judging from how his eyes widened, he definitely did.

"are you sure? you know we can wait."

you nod your head, "i want this. i want to be with you."

neteyam physically felt his heart swell at your words. he brought his hand up to your face and caressed your cheek, "oel ngati kameie."

"oel ngati kameie." you leaned into his touch.

the two of you then reached for your kuru's before bringing them over your shoulders. the hair at the end of the braid moving to the side as the pink tendrils made themselves visible. you looked at neteyam who was holding his kuru, looking like he was waiting for your approval. you gave him a confident nod and brought your kuru closer to his.

once they were close enough, the tendrils in your neural queues connected with one another. your mouth dropped as you felt a sense of euphoria washing over you. you felt like you had to catch your breath. once doing so, your eyes locked with neteyam who looked like he was feeling the same emotions as you. you leaned in and pulled him into a passionate kiss.

you and neteyam were now mated for a lifetime.

a lifetime you couldn't wait to live.

sorry this took so long. also, the confession wasn't as good as it could've been but i'm not that good at writing stuff like that so that's the best it's going to get.

thank you to everyone that read and enjoyed this. i have more things i'm working on but school started so please just bare with me.

taglist - @fanboyluvr @liluvtojineteyam @arminsgfloll @squidalapobre @jjkclub @angelsamor @baebinana @im-in-a-pansexual-panik @hana-yuri @riatesullironalite @camilo-uwu @audigay @jkeluv @marsbars09 @applepie-macaroon

[otherworldseekers]

My Thoughts on 7.1 MSQ

Major Spoilers ahead!

I'll start by saying that as far as x.1 msq goes, I found this one a lot more interesting and satisfying than either 5.1 or 6.1. (I don't really remember how I felt about earlier ones anymore.) Overall, I think it had excellent narrative pacing, some really good character development and fantastic thematic resonance.

The Funeral and the Alexandrians' feelings

As someone who has always loved to learn about other cultures and ways of viewing the world, personally I really enjoyed them digging into the distress of the Alexandrians in the wake of Sphene's death. It's not something we can relate to because it is so far off from the way our own lives work, but it is fascinating to see them failing to deal with their grief.

The contrast between what we the players felt as we discovered how Alexandria erases their memories of the dead, that it is wrong and messed up, with how the Alexandrians feel about now having those memories when they never have before. The boy who says "But even though I remember her, I'll never see her again? That doesn't make sense!" really struck me. We see all this as messed up because it's contrary to the way humans work and how we have always lived. But they see having to deal with those memories as strange and messed up, because it's not how they've ever lived. And who's to say which is right? Is having those memories an inherent moral good? We the players tend to think so. But why? As long as the memories are removed with consent, what is really wrong with it? Isn't it just a different way to live?

Wuk Lamat of course brings up the beliefs of the Yok Huy. (Which by the way remind me of the beliefs of the Ancient Egyptians. One lives as long as one's name is spoken.) But the plain fact of the matter is that remembering someone does not make them any less dead. You'll still never see them or speak to them or touch them again. Memories of a loved one may be comforting to some people, but may also simply be painful.

I feel like we the playerbase are quick to balk at the way the Alexandrians live simply because it's so different from how we live. And I think we should all be wary of such knee jerk reactions. There's a lot more I could say on this subject but I will refrain for now.

Gulool Ja and his Parentage

Possibly the most disturbing thing about the Alexandrians' response to the plot is that they don't really seem to care that they are now ruled by default by Zoraal Ja's mystery child and that his cabinet is a bunch of nominal terrorists. They are truly lucky that Gulool Ja is a precious angel instead of a spoiled brat.

That said, I love that little blue guy to pieces and I'm glad he got some screen time and some tentative answers. I was also thrilled to have Zoraal Ja appear voiced and all. Ono Daisuke does just a brilliant job voicing him. I really enjoy listening to him.

It's hardly surprising that Zoraal Ja had a fangirl/stalker. But it's a shame Gulool Ja's mom was such a creep. Considering how shocked and angry Zoraal Ja was at the sight of his baby, the whole situation seems really messed up. And that's not even getting into the human experimentation that Zoraal Ja was responsible for and the mom (whose name I forget) was deeply involved in. I hope Gulool Ja can process it all with the help of his new family.

Koana

The disturbing revelations about Gulool Ja are a direct contrast to the positive development Koana experiences. While the interlude in Shaaloani might seem like it has little to do with the overall plot, I found it an enjoyable side adventure.

The main themes of Dawntrail are about learning to appreciate different cultures and here we have another example. Koana reconecting with his roots and learning about his parents but realizing that even though he grew up without those things, he wasn't truly lacking anything was super wholesome. Also it was fun watching him get to be a badass.

Oh hey, before I move on, how about that Erenville glow up? Bringing the guns out and everything. SE knows their fans.

Sphene

Well, that was unexpected. Considering the technology that Alexandria posesses, this could go any number of ways.

Given the Sinister Smile at the end, it certainly seems there's a Plot Afoot. On the other hand, what what that final bit in Living Memory? Perhaps we're going to get two Sphenes next patch. The fake? one and the real? one. Though of course considering the nature of Sphene who can truly say what would be a fake and what would be real. Does it matter? If the terminals are all shut down, what can Sphene (or whoever is behind her) actually do? Doesn't Gulool Ja have control of everything? Or has the ruler being in control always been an illusion? Are we ever going to do anything about the dome? Is this the first time Sphene has woken up this way?

So many questions and not even any real basis for speculation yet. Suffice to say, the story still has me hooked. I'm going to have a hard time waiting for the next patch!