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ebisul · 3 months ago

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Sterile Mandalore and my issues with the New Mandalore we see

I want to preface this by saying a lot of what’s wrong with Mandalore and the Mandalorians is fully Filoni’s fault (among a variety of other people involved) for being a bad storyteller. Also between brain fog, ADHD, and a severe anxiety disorder, I’m brute forcing my way to coherency.

This is in no way a defense of Death Watch or the history of imperialism. I won’t tolerate anyone comparing me to a terrorist organization for not liking the depiction of Mandalore under New Mandalorian rule or any particular Mandalorian Character, yes that has happened before.

As an overview, I will be going over the setting of Mandalore we see visually, a few of the characters and what those characters say about Mandalorian culture visually, as well as briefly touching on the Clones, and finally how each of these contribute to the Mandalore we see in The Clone Wars.

Now I wanted to write this because I actually deeply enjoy the Mandalorians as a culture, I think everything from the language to the armor to the Resol’nare, uncertain if thats canon, is absolutely fascinating. However, what we see in The Clone Wars has next to none of that outside of Death Watch, the terrorist organization.

The Setting of Mandalore

Mandalore the planet is primarily composed of harsh, seemingly uninhabitable deserts created from centuries upon centuries of war. What we do see of the civilization on Mandalore is primarily within the domed capital city of Sundari. Now there are a few things I wanna touch on here, primarily certain locations, such as the schools, the palace, and the overall visuals of the city, and the people, as a whole as well as individuals.

Beginning with the Schools,

We see schools on Mandalore at least twice in TCW, once during the poisonings when we see a cafeteria and once during our stint with Korkie where we see classrooms and dorms, and i have always hated the way they look. I will say that you could very well interpret the Royal Academy of Government to be a sort of military school, though given the New Mandalorians are all about peace and pacifism it would be an odd choice to send your nephew there.

Visually speaking, the schools are beyond dull. In the classroom we see Ahsoka teaching in, the entire room is gray, with nothing but the desks and a projector. Look at the kid in the front row! Thats how I feel looking at this room!! These are presumably either teenagers or young adults at a boarding school. Im not expecting much for a classroom but a dull dark gray, empty room is not conducive to learning.

I also want to note that they wear uniforms. Its totally normal for a boarding school to require uniforms, that makes sense, however, these uniforms have one singular interesting component and thats the iron heart. I can’t find an exact meaning behind the symbol outside of reddit so im hesitant to define it here, however what we do know is that the symbol is absolutely ancient. A significant part of Mandalorian history.

The rest of the uniform is similarly a dull cool gray, or perhaps a dull blue. And there doesn’t seem to be much individuality in the uniforms, that is outside of hair and whatever gambit-style headwear those kids are wearing at least, but even then they’re mostly all very similar hairstyles.

Im also electing to ignore that there are seemingly two separate sets of triplets here. I know it’s an animation shortcut. Still, they are still there and I can’t ignore them now.

Now, on to what I’m presuming is either a dorm or some sort of recreation or break room, I don’t remember much of the context and frankly you can’t tell from looks alone. I’m leaning toward a dorm because that was my first interpretation.

Regardless of what this room serves as, be it dorm or break room, its still void of character. If this were a dorm, we would have no indication of whose it could possibly be.

It looks like the light behind Korkie is a map of some sort, or something similar its unclear, but that and the neon lights above Soniee are the only sources of color. The red and blue can mean a lot of things but I genuinely don’t think there is a major purpose behind it. We already saw the two sets of triplets.

However, lighting is meant to mean something. In particular, red can mean many things, but given the visual context it reads as stress inducing, as danger. Particularly surrounding Korkie as it does.

Now blue lighting needed a quick google search, but my results for the meaning of blue lighting where a little unexpected. Blue is a typical calming color, similar to green, though can also be interpreted as depressing and cold like grays, and blue lighting can be representative of isolation and passivity. Ironically, this scene is anything but passive. Again, im not putting much weight into it but I feel its worth noting.

Ultimately, its entirely impersonal, slightly stress-inducing, and only marginally better than the classroom only because it had color. Now onto my most egregious example from the schools we see and my most despised, the cafeteria.

Do you see this shit? Where do i even start? My best guess is that these are approximately middle schoolers. If i went to this school I would willingly drink the poison. Their lunch looks like three tomatoes, three mystery cubes, and debatably either a cracker or a slice of cheese. Horrendous lunch. How is this acceptable to feed to children for a whole meal? Enough complaining about their lunches, though.

The cafeteria itself is offputting to say the least. Pure white. The children, pale and blonde, all wearing the exact same gray uniforms with only variation for the girls, because girl = skirts. It’s the picture of uniformity. Its horrific. The only color outside of the pitiful lunch is the monstrous poison drink nearly all children have. Probably bc theyre lunches are terrible.

This scene has two interpretations in my mind. The first is that its meant to be creepy as all hell, which is unlikely because we’re supposed to support New Mandalore. The second interpretation is that it was meant to look like the epitome of peace and serenity and utterly fails because it takes more than an overuse of the color white to represent innocence, purity, and peace.

How do you manage to make an entire school look like a cloning facility? In fact, I’m certain the cloning facility has more diversity than all of mandalore.

Now the issue with all of these areas of the schools on Mandalore is that they look like no place to teach a child. There are certain things that are conducive to learning and color is one of them! So is fostering individuality! There are specific things that make an environment suitable for learning and these schools have very few of them.

Now onto the Palace,

This will be a shorter segment than the previous. Although I will be lightly critical of Satine here. So to begin, we primarily see the throne room. In fact, im not even sure we see much else in the Palace of Sundari. We do see Satine’s rooms or office but I can’t find a picture of it so i won’t use the example.

Both of these images share a few things in common. First is the dramatic lighting, the otherwise empty throne room save for the chairs that seem to have been brought in, and the only color present outside of gray is Satine and/or her throne. Even Padme, notable fashion icon, is or appears to be wearing gray in these scenes.

The dramatic lighting in the first image is an obvious “Hey! These are the good guys!” and I can’t piece out a relevent meaning behind the second image so Im choosing to move forward because I think it is just that, lighting.

Now the throne room being utterly void will be clearer in the next image I attach. The issue with it being so empty is that it feels almost lifeless, cold. It doesn’t feel like a throne room visually speaking. This ties into the last thing these images have in common. Satine and her throne.

Within the gray permeating what seems to be most of Mandalore at this rate, Satine is the only source of actual color. Her clothes are these vibrant, beautiful blues and greens and purples. Her throne is a glowing beacon above everyone.

What does that say, when every one of her people is dressed in grays, beiges, and pale blues? Or when they all dress the same?

This is a better view of just how empty the throne room is. Theres more of the iron heart design, though still no real idea of the meaning further than it is significant, as well as the portrait of Satine. The only things in this image with color other than gray or biege are indications of Satine. But the throne room itself is almost entirely barren.

Whether or not you think this is any indication of her character one way or another thats up to you. My read on what this shows of her is that she is blinded by her own ideals, she doesnt truly see her people as they are, be that through ignorance or arrogance, and that allows the corruption to seep.

I wanted to show the hospital because I think thats a Good environment design for mandalore but i lost the picture. It is ironic that my example of good design is the one thats meant to be clinical.

Therefore, I’m moving on to the city at large

The city itself is incredibly industrial. I’m torn because I know it has to be like that to a degree but it also doesnt have to be like that. That’s a choice the designers made. The city of Sundari exists within a dome due to the uninhabitable deserts from years of war, that doesnt mean it must look so cold.

It just feels so lifeless. Colorless even. Ive noticed by now, and you probably have too, that my main issue seems to be coloring. Well, I wouldn’t say its my main issue but it’s definitely up there.

We’re supposed to think that Satine’s New Mandalore is Good. That it’s this vision of peace and prosperity. But where do we see that visually? Through industrialization? Thats not good!

Now, I’ll be the first to admit that Satine’s peace is a clear facade for all of the shady bullshit going on behind her back, but we should be able to see that in the enviroment.

We should be able to see the idyllic peacefulness and people’s enjoyment of their city. We should see that face and the shady underside. We shouldn’t just see drab gray with a splash of corruption. It just makes Satine look like a bad ruler.

Characters and What They’re Telling Us

I’m actually not starting this with a particular character. I’m going to begin with the Mandalorian people as a whole.

What a surprise! Theyre all blond white people! See I have a huge issue with the lack of diversity among humans on Mandalore for a few reasons. The first reason is the obvious, it’s fucking WEIRD. The second reason is that we know there are people of color who are mandalorian.

And on the one hand this really demonstrates my point. Everyone looks the same, everything is dull and empty. This isn’t prosperity.

The first example they look like theyre dressed in uniform. Every single one of them is wearing the exact same color. Thats not normal. In the second image, while they aren’t dressed uniformly, they are all dressed in grays and beiges. These people are Satine’s governing council. They’re supposed to high standing officials.

And that brings us back to The Duchess herself

I’m choosing to use her main outfit design for this. There will be no more images from here onwards because there is no space but I’m trusting you all to know what these characters look like.

Satine’s Dress can only truly be described as opulent. She dresses in shades of blue, purple, and green and elaborate headwear and accessories. Her hair is styled in a way characteristic of Kalevala, similarly to Korkie’s friend Lagos but more extravagant. The colors she wears are chosen to appear soothing and to honor the history of Mandalore’s forests and lakes.

But this isn’t something you might pick up on naturally. Remember this is a show for children. You would have to do the research to learn that. Without that information you could interpret her appearance any number of ways.

Between her headress and the color scheme, I would have confidently said she was peacock-like, had I not known the nuances. Character design needs to be something people can infer from. Something that lines up with the environment to tell a story.

That being said what her design is meant to tell us is that she greatly values the less violent aspects of Mandalore’s past. That she is trying to preserve and honor their history and Mandalore’s beauty.

The issue is that (from memory at least) the honoring forests and lakes never really is relevant? We see Peace Park but we’re never shown much about any restoration or preservation efforts of the planet itself. Did they just give up because its a “wasteland”? Were there no other alternatives? We were never given enough context, explicitly or implicitly.

And without the knowledge of what her design is supposed to mean, what is stopping anyone from misinterpreting it. What is stopping anyone from thinking she is just this haughty, holier than thou politician? Especially when you put her next to civilians or even her own council when she is already sat above them on her throne?

Satine’s design is essentially meant to show us her value to peace and progression but we arent really shown much progressing. We’re meant to just believe what we’re told rather than showing us the progress in, yknow, progress.

Now, Bo Katan

I chose specifically to include the sisters in this because I wanted to compare them, also bc obviously they are the most relevant. Bo’s design also demonstrates her values, admittedly way clearer than Satine’s.

She’s a traditionalist, someone who values the warrior ways, and yes also a terrorist. Thats not super relevant. Because she’s a traditionalist, it makes sense that her character design is rather simple in comparison to her sister, but they both honor the history of Mandalore all the same.

Mandalorian armor is equally as historical and significant as the iron heart itself, even so far as to have the two intrinsically intertwined, having the Iron Heart as part of the armor. I think most Mandalorian fans know this already.

Now, I want to take the armor paint color meanings with a grain of salt. Im not certain how canon any of it actually is even if the meanings do seem to hold up withon canon. However, the thing about the armor paint is that it sets the mandalorians apart as individuals while simultaneously tying them together as Mandalorians.

Bo’s armor is painted primarily blue and gray with white detailing and owl imagery to signify her Nite-Owls. Now in the EU the colors have meaning. Blue and gray mean reliabilty and mourning respectively. I think it would be in the Mandalorian culture’s best interests to keep this canon and even expand upon this.

This is because these unique paint schemes allow for individuality, community, and notable artistic expression. I mean, just look at Sabine. This contrasts with the uniformity of New Mandalore which just makes New Mandalore look really bad. Like really, really bad.

Next I want to look at Almec

So, Almec has two designs I want to look at. First is his usual outfit as Satine’s right hand and the second is his own armor.

Pre-betrayal, Almec wears an almost solidly white outfit, with gray, beige, and a dash of gold detailing. This design actually has two iron heart designs, one in his clothes and one in his hair. Outside of the iron heart, the design is very plain. The overuse of white is likely meant to give an illusion of purity and peace again. It doesn’t really work when he looks so clinical, though.

In his armor, Almec’s design is a stark contrast to the previous. He wears a light green, maybe gray, flight suit with black and gold armor. The reason I wanted to include this design for a number of reasons but specifically, the shoulder cord.

The gold shoulder cord gives Almec a more militaristic appearance, even in comparison to other armored mandalorians. This is actually a design detail I really enjoy because the gold shoulder cord essentially means “service to another” in the US military.

The colors black and gold in mandalorian armor represent justice and vengeance. Again, take that with a grain of salt, but I think more importantly this change actually makes Almec a more recognizable character. The armor is more personal than his prior outfit working under Satine as a New Mandalorian. It tells us more about who he is as a person.

On to Jango

Yes he is Mandalorian. I will not debate this I dont give a shit what George Lucas intended with him. I don’t even care what was said in TCW. Jango was canonically a mandalorian foundling. And yes I know they never show up really in relation to Mandalore, but Its important I mention them, I think.

So, we know in TCW, Jango isn’t considered a mandalorian by the New Mandalorians. They insist that he must have stolen the armor, that there’s no conceivable way he could be mandalorian. Except that we now have canonical confirmation that he was in fact a foundling.

See, here’s the issue with this, because in retrospect they’re basically denying a dead man his own identity and creed.

Jangos armor isnt really what I wanted to talk about in relation to Jango himself. Mostly I wanted to talk about what his character means for the New Mandalorians. Jango amd Boba are quite literally The Blueprint for Mandalorians. Except now we get more Mandalorians and they fully deny Jango his Mando-ness.

What, because he doesn’t align with their ideology? Jango wasn’t a great person by any means but being Mandalorian isn’t just a nationality. It’s something you’re taught.

Again this isn’t about the armor, it’s about the fact that he’s played by a Maori man. The first Mandalorian face we see is a brown man and that gives a real bad impression when you have a planet of White People claiming he isn’t even Mandalorian, why? Because he’s adopted? Because he was a bounty hunter?

The Clones

This section isn’t totally relevant so feel free to skip to the next, but i can only go so long without talking about them.

The clones themselves don’t have a strong tie to Mandalore, narratively speaking. However, they do have ties built into their appearances. More than just being clones of Jango.

They don’t speak Mando’a in canon and we aren’t totally sure who exactly trained them before Jango died, but we do have little hints from their character designs that indicate some connection to Mandalore or the Mandalorian culture.

Rex specifically is one of the few with jaig eyes. Jaig eyes are a Mandalorian honor symbol. And he’s not the only clone with this symbol, Blackout also has Jaig eyes on his helmet. Which leads me to believe this symbol is fairly common for troopers since its not terribly common we see clones sharing symbols without a personal connection to eachother.

Further than just that, clone trooper armor, phase 1 at least and presumably onward, is also based on Mandalorian armor. This is primarily because of the armor jango wears, naturally his clones would be fitted with similar. But the clones have also picked up the armor painting. Could this simply be a coincidence? Sure if you wanna believe that. I don’t think I do though because its so significant to both cultures as a means of individuality.

What does all of this say about Mandalore?

And I mean that as what is this telling us visually. What conclusions can you draw from this with just images. Because it doesn’t look great for New Mandalore. And maybe that was the intent. I know my first impression of Satine was just how unprofessional she was acting.

Except we’re supposed to see New Mandalore as the good guys, essentially, right? Riddled with corruption but still Good. That doesn’t translate when the setting is dystopian-esque at best. Its cold and empty and clinical.

When you see an entire planet of people who all look almost exactly the same, wearing the same clothes, the same hair, the same face, the same color skin, it gets unsettling. Its a weird design choice because it’s an American cartoon and America is characteristically individualistic.

The Bad Guy, the literal terrorist organization, caters more towards that visual individuality than the peaceful, progressive Good Guys. It visually reads as a Safety vs Freedom story but thats not the story that they need to be telling. You can’t go telling people freedom is evil.

It makes it incredibly easy to misconstrue what New Mandalore is trying to do because the visuals aren’t supporting them. There’s a reason so many people genuinely think Satine has comitted some sort of cultural genocide against her people because we aren’t seeing any of the culture and when we do see it, its not supported by the narrative. They may have Mandalorian writing but they never speak Mando’a on screen outside of Death Watch. We dont really know what the iron heart means and its everywhere. They may talk about prosperity and progress but they aren’t showing us that.

What I Would Do To Improve

This is the last segment, I promise.

I want to start with what could improve the background. Because a lot of the issue stem from it being dull and lifeless, I think giving it some sort of life would really fix a lot of the issues. Namely, I would say to put more trees, real, lush trees not the tiny ones you’d find in a city. It would help give context to Satine’s homage to the forests of mandalore if we had a visual clue from Mandalore itself. This would also bring in some more color and take away from the industrial appearance. This is more of a personal thing because I grew up around farms, but I think we should have seen a farm or some sort of clue as to how Mandalore is feeding itself. How is it sustaining itself, if not for import?

Another thing I would change would be the overall coloring. Generally, I would push for more color but I’m mostly referring to the color of the buildings. I would replace the cold gray and blues with more of a bronze and maybe a warm orange or even just changed the undertone of the blue could add so much. I would also give the lighting more warmth. Overall I would just add more warmth.

Adding onto this, I would also bring in more color by adding more public art. More murals and statues and the like. We know they have murals and paintings in the Palace at least. We should see them in the city, too. Having more art around the city would also connect it to the same cultural roots that have the mandalorians painting their armor.

In the schools, the main issue is that there’s no color. That these spaces dont have anything that would bring a sense of comfort to a kid. The stark white of the cafeteria is more stress inducing than calming and it would be good to replace some of that with a splash of color to break it up, as well as with some background decorations. Slap a poster on them there walls.

The classroom we see could also use just more decoration, make it look like a classroom. Have posters of diagrams and models. The room is dark so I won’t say much of the coloring except just make it look less cold. The back of the room has a wide, empty space and I think if that space were filled with something it would change a lot of the energy it gives off.

As for the dorm, if that is a dorm, give is an idea of whose room it is. Make it look like someone lives there. If it’s not a dorm, why are these kids sitting in a dark room? The room itself shouldn’t exude this uncomfortable feeling, that should be the undertone.

Overall, I think the Palace is generally fine if only it werent so empty, and again, if there were more color. The detailing and the lighting both look nice but it just needs to feel more like a throne room.

As for the people of Mandalore, for fuck’s sake, diversity is not going to kill you. Again its insane that all of the mandalorians of color we see are either A.) terrorists B.) deemed not mandalorian or C.) future cultists. We should see more black, brown, and Asian mandalorians. Hell, we should see alien mandalorians too.

Furthermore, they should have more variety in their clothes. What society wears all of three colors when they definitely have access to others? On top of that we should see Mandalorians who still wear pieces of armor. Armor is defensive, it’s not inherently violent to protect yourself and it honors the history of Mandalore while still moving forward with progress.

This is of course just my personal vision. These visuals can be interpreted in a number of ways, if you want to think the designs are good and exhibit peacefulness more power to you, I simply can’t see it. I tried my best to keep it to the Clone Wars series with a strict focus on the appearance, though that was a difficult challenge for me.

Anyways, I hope this was somewhat coherent and enjoyable. I’ve likely missed some details but this took me multiple days to organize my thoughts properly so im not pressed about it. Let me know your thoughts! Just be kind and don’t call me a terrorist :)

#sw #star wars #tcw #the clone wars #star wars meta #i guess???#im tagging it anyway #mandalore #mandalorians

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consumeroflemoans · 28 days ago

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Hiiiii analyzing every part of the Subnautica 2 trailer that I can because I am unwell.

Starting off we have a diver in a deep empty abyssal-like area. Typically in the depths there is a source of bioluminescence or at least rock formations for light to reflect off of. The only place inside the game there’s this much empty darkness is the dead zone.

This could mean we have the chance to explore the dead zone! Or that there’s a new area that has similar features to the dark depths of the void.

This would be a banger feature to have considering how horrifying the dead zone is to traverse already. It would provide a new difficulty to the game if we had to confront or avoid packs of adult leviathans to progress.

The trailer then shifts to what could be the safe shallows or twisty bridges equivalent in this game. It seems we’re getting what looks like a proper reef! It’s super neat to see the game being more colorful with its environment design.

We also have a clear look at a new species of fish in this game. Considering its shape and large eye it could be a tropical/reef version of the peeper (or maybe the feather fish?). Or it could just be a new edible fish entirely!

All in all cool design. I do like how vibrant they look

Ok now for one of the most hype things in the trailer. Some sort of hermit crab based leviathan? It would be fascinating to have a leviathan that shows up in the shallows instead of only in deeper water. It could provide an additional challenge but I think this would be something similar to the reefback. Perhaps one of the elements of gameplay would be making it lift itself to access things hidden beneath it?

Next up we have what looks like an underwater city or at least a big building in the background. It’s pretty much a given there’s mysterious underwater structures in this franchise but I personally think it would be fascinating to have a proper Atlantis style city in Subnautica. This could also maybe incorporate the Architects into it? Like maybe after Al-An went to his home planet he brought back more Architects to cure the Kharaa and they set up a base.

Then again this also doesn’t exactly look like Architect architecture which is more of a cube structure. It looks closer like a temple’s architecture from what we can see. Maybe it could be a new alien species? That seems less likely

Next we have a specific feature that I am so hyped to see. It looks like Subnautica may be adding rip currants or something similar. Something that would actively make it more difficult for a player to swim to the surface. This would be so interesting because other than caves/islands/ice flows we generally never have something preventing us from going to the surface in Subnautica. Nothing actively pushing the player back at least. This would be a fresh new difficulty to get used to (if done correctly, at least. It could also be very annoying)

From there we get into something extra curious. It seems like we may have a second human in this game. Before Subnautica’s concepts have been based in the fact your character is alone on this planet with the odds against them. The way I see it, this addition can largely go three ways:

- a possible addition of a co-op system to Subnautica: unlikely, but it has been semi-popular in modding communities. People would have fun playing with their friends but I think it would take away from the horror aspect of Subnautica, one of its major draws

- a human companion that joins you in your journey: slightly more likely than multiplayer, but still not the direction I think they’d go. This could open the game to having puzzles that need two people and a companion could function similar to the sea monkey (bringing you needed items basically). This would also require a lot of AI and would probably be more annoying than anything else, however

- someone like Marguerite or Al-An that shows up in cutscenes and phone calls but mostly stays in one place: the most likely scenario. It could be we have a home base of sorts where this person is stays and gives the player hints and coordinates

Also as a note the vehicle she’s driving looks like a sea truck. Please oh please tell me it is not Sea Truck 2.0

Aaaand now we’re onto the most hype part of the trailer. We have a new leviathan!

This one looks a lot like a Kraken type with a bunch of limbs. It could maybe be related to the crab squids? Like a dead zone version of them? It could explain why it’s attracted to the vehicle

Or as a completely out there theory this could maybe be architect technology like the warpers? It may just be me but the way it moves its hands and its claws are very much reminiscent of heavier machinery. It would be so banger if the architects built themselves a leviathan.

Either way it would be fascinating to encounter a leviathan with the ability to seek out a grab a player with ‘hands’. Before creatures typically grab with their mouths or pinchers like the Reaper. This would be an interesting twist to learn to avoid

In conclusion I am unwell about this game and the theories are buzzing. I am so hyped

#subnautica 2 #subnautica #video games

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cuubism · 2 years ago

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would you be ok elaborating on the hob/death post? I already adore Hob and death friendship arcs and Hob/death as a concept and I would LOVE to hear more <3

*cracks knuckles* so--

there are actually two separate AUs. the canonverse one, and the human AU one.

i pitched the canonverse one to @magnusbae thus:

extremely funny au where hob and death have been casually hooking up since 1389 and dream finally confesses his feelings in like 2050 and hob's like ah. should i stop hooking up with your sister then? and dream's like should you stop doing WHAT?

basically. in the six billion years it takes dream to get his shit together and admit to his own feelings for hob, hob and death have just been having loads of no-strings-attached sexy fun in the background (death: you snooze, you lose, dream! *sticks tongue out*)

dream is very perturbed by this, he's like hello that's MY toy?? give it BACK???? I HAD IT FIRST!!!!!!!!!

(we don't headcanon hob and death actually dating, by the way. they're just pals who hook up sometimes. they're very chill about it. dream is the only one who's not chill about it because he wants All Of Hob's Attention All The Time NOW)

tldr:

The human AU version:

Hob and Death are roommates/friends/fuckbuddies who have this lowkey open relationship thing going on. they're having a great time in their casual but well-communicated healthy relationship.

enter Dream, least well-adjusted person on the planet, also Death's younger brother, who's staying with her for a while. and as soon as Dream arrives Death has to watch her formerly reasonable friend Hob disintegrate into a haze of utter Simp Behavior and insanity, and she's like oh boy. this is gonna get interesting.

meanwhile Dream is like handsome... guy... being nice... to me... 😳 *falling down the stairs*

Hob is into him so fast it's embarrassing and eventually Death yanks him aside and just gives him a look. And so like the mature adults they are they do talk about it and Death is like, dude, we aren't dating, you can do whatever you want. Besides, I'd rather have my brother be with someone I actually know and like rather than his other disastrous relationships (though Death is swiftly learning that Hob is much more unhinged than she'd previously thought. Dream brings all of it out in him). So Hob's like cool I'll flirt with your brother

NO ONE TELLS DREAM ABOUT IT

Dream is under the impression that Hob and Death are actually dating. So the more Hob flirts with him the more Dream is like 👀🤔 and he's kind of in love with Hob because ohh Hob is so kind and handsome and he listens to everything Dream says and he's so charming... but he also kind of hates Hob because how dare he cheat on Death and how dare he make Dream want him like that?

Death: so are you and Hob getting along well?

Dream: no. I hope Hob falls off a cliff and dies.

Death:.... alright thanks for the input

But Dream does just keep indulging his worse impulses and one day he just finds himself sitting in Hob's lap on the couch in Death's apartment while Hob listens to him talk and he's just like: oh my god I'm a homewrecker

Dream, later: Sister. Your shitty boyfriend is cheating on you

Death: ....did it actually take Hob this long to ask you out? we talked about it ages ago

Dream: ...

TLDR:

#hope you've enjoyed XD #deathling #hehe #dreamling #hob/death fuckbuddies au #ask #historyandqueershenanigans #magnusbae

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turtlesandfrogs · 1 year ago

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So I was scrolling and saw this image in an article about the European heat wave,

And was like, uh, are you missing something there, buddy? Like all that red in northern Africa? Because that's a lot of red.

And I was going to give them the benefit of doubt, since I don't know much about the climate in Northern Africa, aside from Morroco and Egypt, which seem like really hot places, so you know, maybe it's normal there?

But nope, that's not the case:

"While the planet broke multiple records for average worldwide temperatures last week, a heat wave gripped northern Africa.

The region has been experiencing some of the most intense heat waves in recent years, but in many cases they’ve been under-reported due to misconceptions about Africans’ ability to withstand them.

“Africa is seen as a sunny and hot continent,” said Amadou Thierno Gaye, a research scientist and professor at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, the capital of Senegal. “People think we are used to heat, but we are having high temperatures for a longer duration. Nobody is used to this.”

North Africa, the Sahara desert and the Sahel, a semi-arid belt north of the Sudanian savanna, are some of the most vulnerable areas because they have larger land masses relative to the rest of the continent, meaning they tend to heat up faster. Scientists have attributed the unprecedented temperatures to a combination of human-induced climate change and the return of El Niño, a natural phenomenon that alters weather patterns.

The Sahel, for instance, has been heating at a faster pace than the global average despite being hot already. Burkina Faso and Mali, both in West Africa’s Sahel, are among countries that are set to become almost uninhabitable by 2080, if the world continues on its current trajectory, a UK university study found. Its people are especially vulnerable due to shrinking resources, such as water, and poor amenities, and a dearth of trees and parks means there are few options for places to cool off.

“People talk of climate change as if it’s a thing of the future,” said Gaye. “Climate change is already here and we see its implications in people, livelihoods, economies and even in cultures.”

While studies on heat impacts on health are limited in Africa, research published last year found that children younger than 5 years old are particularly vulnerable to the hotter weather as they are less able that adults to self-regulate their bodies’ temperatures. The authors estimated that heat-related child mortality was rising in sub-Saharan Africa due to climate change. Other researchers have named the elderly, pregnant women and people who work outdoors, as groups at risk of heat strokes or heat-related infectious diseases.

Elsewhere on the continent, the crisis is also being felt. In the Horn of Africa, at least 43,000 people died in Somalia alone last year as a result of the worst drought in four decades. A study found that global warming is changing rain patterns and bringing more heat to Somalia and some of its neighbors, for longer stretches of time. Further south, unusually destructive cyclones in 2019 claimed more than a thousand lives in Mozambique and Zimbabwe alone.

“If we continue business-as-usual, the heat is not just going to get worse, it will get much worse,” said Mouhamadou Bamba Sylla, research chair in climate change science at the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. “We are going to see more frequent, longer and more intense heat waves.”

Much of the continent, responsible for just 4% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions generated from burning fossil fuels, is ill-prepared for a hotter world. Meanwhile, Group of 20 nations, with air conditioning and access to functioning healthcare facilities, account for 80% of the world’s emissions.

Hundreds of millions of Africans lack electricity to even power a fan. One in three people in Africa is affected by water scarcity, according to the World Health Organization, so hydration can’t be taken for granted. Even shade is harder to come by due to widespread deforestation and land degradation. And only 40% of people on the continent are covered by early warning systems for extreme weather.

“More funds have to be allocated to climate adaptation and they need to be made more easily accessible to the most vulnerable countries,” Sylla said.

The UN climate talks later this year aspire to come up with a plan for richer nations to pay for loss and damages. But they’ve collectively fallen short of their commitment to spend $100 billion each year on projects in developing nations to cut emissions and to help them adapt.

“That’s where the issue of climate justice comes in,” said Gaye. “It’s not just that people are uncomfortable, climate change is killing them.”

#climate change #is happening now #we're seeing the effects now #reminder that western countries stole people and resources from Africa #environmental racism

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tehamelie · 2 months ago

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Various fine opinions on the meaning of life contained in Monty Python's The Meaning of Life:

*Unionize your workplace, alternatively turn it into a pirate ship and take to the high seas. It'll piss off management either way.

*Question everything.

*Look at what you think you know from a different perspective.

*The pursuit of profit at all costs can and will ruin the meaning of any work and also make you worse at it.

*Gender roles are not necessarily assigned at birth.

*The Catholic church is not well.

"God has blessed us so much I can't afford to feed you all any longer."

*Just because you're allowed doesn't mean you should.

*You should not, and will not, die to "keep China British."

*God has many ways to cook you to death, if He wants to.

*Straight sex is so damn boring.

*Don't just stampede towards the clitoris, Watson.

*Sport, like sex, only works between equal parties. Any other way and you invite horror and depravity. (That kid is definitely dead and the upperclassmen are just stomping on him anyway.)

*Actually, getting murdered playing rugby against adults two or three times your size is an excellent way to prepare you for fighting in a war.

*Even a good captain will be hated by their subordinates. This is the burden of command.

"We'll always need an army, and may God strike me down were it to be otherwise." *is immediately struck down by literal the hand of God*

*A fighting force is better served by a single soldier who actually wants to be there than twenty men who doesn't.

*There's a fine line between keeping one's cool in a heated situation and acting like you're on a bloody different planet when people are dying in front of you.

There are less than 4500 wild tigers left in the world. The "A tiger? In Africa?!" bit is less of a joke every year.

*In less than surprising news, killing people is bad for you. (It turns out, for psychologically healthy people, doing violence really hurts you as much as the victim.)

*Where is that fish?

*Theme restaurants could do with a bit of randomly mixed themes.

*Don't be afraid to ask the most idiotic questions about things you don't understand. That's how we learn.

*Oh ho it's the meaning of liver donation I get it now.

*The Galaxy Song is fun and all but don't give in to misanthropy.

*Matter is energy, the human soul grows with care and attention, and people aren't wearing enough hats.

*Actually, the movie makes a staggering point here and buries it with distracting nonsense jokes, while also making the point that we get sidetracked from self-actualization by distracting nonsense jokes. It's a point sandwich with joke filling.

Isn't it awfully nice to have a penis? Shout out to happy penis havers, though I'm not one myself.

*M Creosote shows us that single-minded devotion to one's mission in life (eating an entire upscale French restaurant in one sitting, for example) will leave you unhappy and alone.

*Dunk antisemites in buckets of vomit.

*Gaston, the middle aged waiter, delivers a coherent personal philosophy as he walks us to the cottage where he was born. The significance of this cannot be overestimated. He decided to be a waiter, you see. Because he believes in something. It's a simple belief of giving, of loving people and bringing them joy. But be believes it with all his heart and he'll fight for the right to live the life he chose.

*If you have to die, but can choose the manner of your execution, try being hounded to death by naked women.

*See the world in a grain of sand, or a maple leaf as it were.

*Terry Pratchett was a great man and a great writer, but he's wrong about one thing: Death is relative. No, no, you can't argue away Death or shoot him, but he is subject to the laws of relativity. Consider the stars in the sky; at least one star that's visible to the naked eye I hear may be dead right now - it's 500 light years away and they think it may go supernova at any point within 500 years from now. But here, locally, the star still lives; there's no possible reality where it's gone until the light of its explosion reaches us.

*Heaven is a fantastically cheesy musical theater performance with angel santa claus strippers and a lead singer you just want to punch. Clearly we need to build something better here on Earth.

*Be nice, read books, take a walk sometimes, and try to live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations. Obviously.

*[The producers] hope that other fish will follow [the example of the movie] so that, in future, fish all over the world will live together in harmony and understanding, and put aside their petty differences, stop hunting and eating each other and live for a brighter, better future for all fish and those who love them. Yes, clearly this is about fish.

#rewatch #monty python #slightly advanced instructions

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goodluckclove · 6 months ago

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tw for drugs and sex mentions

yo clove not writing related but do you think it's normal to have not tried recreational drugs by 15 and not particularly want to find them? I've seen people making fun of people for it, along with not having sex which is also concerning to me as a sex-repulsed aroace person (caedosexual and demialterous/aroflux). I'm really anxious about stuff like this so I'd love ur opinion if you're comfortable answering stuff like this, I trust you a lot and you seem like a smart and knowledgeable adult so if you say it's fine I'll probably stop worrying

Hey man if you want to get real let's get real. I won't get too descriptive, but I do agree some people may need the tw so I'll put this under a Read More. Generally my answer is that younger people have a warped view of what warrants maturity and adulthood and a lot of the stuff that they think represents being a Cool Grown Up is actually not meant to be that profoundly world-changing in my opinion. This is especially true for all the stuff that is designed to spike your dopamine, unless in cases where it's being used medicinally (and even then it's case-by-case on if it's really medicinal).

Let's get into it!

So first off let me say the three big things that make me kind of biased to talk about stuff like this.

I am an alloromantic, sex-repulsed asexual

I am an addict

I am a child of addicts

I'll tackle sex first just to get it out of the way, and because I think it'll be easier to answer. Teenagers are one of the most brutal species on the goddamned planet (second only to middle schoolers and that sludge in Chernobyl that kills you immediately if you look at it), and I know for a fact they'll find a way to make fun of you for anything. I didn't know I was asexual in high school. I was an out lesbian at the time - I actually came out on our school broadcast for a GSA ad that ended up playing at least twice a month all year. People were more...too into it, which is also bad.

Mean Teens might say some dumb shit. That sucks, but you'll live. There will be way more Mean Teens that have an opinion on your sex life than there will be Asshole Adults. Like way more. I am open about being an asexual marriage and the worst I get is like "what if you want kids" which - you know - you can shut that down quick.

What matters is what you think about yourself, and the cool truth is that if you go through your whole life never wanting to have sex your life will be very close to unchanged in the grand scheme of things. I'll probably never want to eat a whole olive, and Riley thinks that's crazy because they love olives. But we will both see the same amount of sunsets and cool birds, and we were both eat roughly the amount of yummy snacks and have the same amount of adventures.

I've had sex. Ladies. No, seriously though - it's fine. It's okay. I remember yearning for it for years (I was actually wanting intimacy oops), and when it finally happened I was like oh. that's it? okay. There was a point when my girlfriend at the time actually entered me and I was immediately confused because I had no idea what she was trying to do. I remember I furrowed my brow like I was trying to understand Improv Jazz.

I laughed. i did laugh. That is not great for two people having sex for the first time.

Anyways, I had a few sexual partners and just kind of assumed they were all bad at sex or I was doing something wrong for some reason. Then I met Riley and they were openly ace, and something just clicked in me. I'm still aesthetically and sensually attracted to them (I use sensually in terms that aren't sexual), but there's really no pressure there and we aren't worried about it. And it's awesome.

If someone makes you feel weird about not having sex or a romantic attraction to people then you should feel a little bad for them, because that seems like a thing that a person would only do if they had very little else going on in their lives. That's some bland-ass khaki shit.

Onto intoxicants! So before I moved to Portland I lived in San Jose, California, and shortly after weed was legalized my parents had me start smoking with them - I was 18 - and I ended up being heavily addicted for about three years. This is a divisive thing to say because I know there's some argument about whether or not weed can even be addictive. Let me just say right now, I'm not about to have that argument. I detoxed for about three weeks and I genuinely thought I was dying. Like, I said my "last words" to my mother when she came to check on me. It was rough.

I am not anti-weed. I know it can be an amazing tool for people with certain medical conditions. And if you don't have a history of addiction, it's probably fine to smoke a bowl or a joint every so often and just have that be the end of it. I mean, it's so easy to find now.

Weed is fun, though. That's kind of the reason why it developed it's own culture and persona. The same can be said with alcohol. People definitely have opinions on IPAs. But if someone is so invested in what is essentially little more than an economic industry, that they feel the need to judge you for - spending your money on other stuff? That's piss wizard shit.

Weed is fun, yes, but it is expensive. If someone says they have cheap weed it's probably shit and you need to smoke a lot, or they got it through means that aren't great. And going out to bars also gets costly quick. I still go sometimes, but I limit myself to one fun cocktail.

You can also still go to bars if you want - when you're older, I mean. They can be a good place to meet people and see shows. A lot of them have cool non-alcoholic options - I like when there's a kombucha on tap - or they even have mocktails that are still cool mixed drinks with no alcohol. But they all have Coke or whatever.

There's literally a bar by my house that I go to and I only order the French fries and a Coke. Nobody cares. Getting drunk can be fun if you're in the right situation, but I don't consider it worth the hangover. Getting high can also be fun in the right situation, but edibles taste like trash and if you smoke you're essentially a smoker and that's it's own stigma. What's the alternative - vaping?

Oh my god, vaping? Come on. I have friends that vape and you know how many of them only do it because they're addicted? All of them. Shit sucks. I don't judge them, but I can see them cringe every time they have to hit it.

Also don't let people talk to you about that Delta-8/9 shit. Yeah, it's stronger. Yeah, it's unregulated. But like - it's unregulated and we have no goddamned clue what it'll do in the long run.

Getting high is fun because you don't have to exist in the world for a while and that's great, but it ultimately doesn't solve anything. When I'd smoke a bunch of weed and sativa alone in my bedroom (Hey don't do that! Bad idea! Really bad! My parents knew I was doing this and they allowed it because they are bad people!), I'd giggle and fuck around and eat a lot of snacks, but the next morning all the shit I was trying to escape was still there. Only difference was that now I had to go out and drop another 60 bucks on an eighth to get me through the next two weeks.

A lot of people want to have sex and get drunk or high so they can think of something else other than their current situation for like fifteen minutes to six hours. if you don't want to do either of that, and you're not going absolutely insane, that seems pretty cool. I can cite all the studies that say that a lot of that kind of stuff can actually stunt your development if you get into it too early (Or at all, really), but you don't need me to do that. You know that's the case. I knew that and I still OD'd on weed twice before the age of 21.

You're good, man. It's not a culture when you do that this young, it's a coping skill. And if you found a different one that's going to be way better for you in the long run. You can still have fun and make friends, you can even still have a partner in life if you find that's something you want. Your life is might seem limited in a few ways - but it's actually far more open in many, many other ones.

I don't mind questions like these all, by the way. Thanks for trusting me!

#friend asks #personal #tw drugs #tw alcohol #tw sex mention #asexual #aromantic #asepc #aroace #asexuality

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fandomwe1rd0 · 2 months ago

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In defense of Morty

I mean...I did one of these for the drunk, abusive, old man...it's only fair if I do one for the sweet, good-natured grandson whom he traumatized.

Now, like the Rick one, I will not be defending Morty's actions despite the title. While I think Morty is A LOT more easy to defend than Rick, I will not be defending him, I seek to understand why he did what he did, and not to defend it. Cool? Cool.

Sooo let's choose 3 especially bad things he did. One of them is ask Rick to make a love potion for Jessica...that was...oof...yeahhh that was bad. 2nd is killing innocent people in purge planet that was...something. And last but not least, killing people while using the death crystal. This will be an interesting one folks!

Okkk let's start off with him asking Rick to make a love potion for Jessica, sweetie, I love you but this wasn't cool. Rick wasn't too far off when he called it a "roofie-juice serum" you're making someone do something they normally wouldn't do so you can uh...do...activities with them. Not cool sweetheart. But, this was done to show Morty's naivete. In season 1, he was all in all a pretty innocent and naive boy, I mean, he was TRAUMATIZED the first time he shot someone in season 1, now he's cool with shooting anyone. Season 1 was about breaking down that innocence, asking for a love potion is a pretty childish idea, since when you're a kid, you don't think too hard about consent or any of that, and think that if you give them a love potion, that's the equalivilent to consent, obviously now we know that's not true, but when you're a kid, it doesn't really sink in and, like it or not Morty is, wait for it, a kid. He also DEFINETILY does NOT have a healthy view on what love is, due to his parents being to only adults in his life besides Rick, and Rick has cynical views on love, and his parents argue all the time. He doesn't know what love is, and that would probably be the healthiest thing to "love" in his books. Is it healthy? No. But since he doesn't know what healthy love is, he would consider that healthy. He also acknowledges that he was partially to blame, while Rick takes none of the blame. Why are people so much harsher to Morty about this than they were to Rick? Rick is the adult. The smartest man in the universe. He should've been smart enough to refuse it, but he didn't. He never accepted his part of the blame, but Morty did. What Morty did wasn't right, but he doesn't know what healthy love is, which is a part of why he's obssessed with Jessica.

Okkk next up Purge Planet! Oh boy what an episode. So quick brief on what he did in this episode, he went to a planet that was purging. Morty at first was hesitant to participate in it, wanting to just go home and not watching the purge, at first he was pretty clearly on the side of good, but eventually gets into it and goes out of his way to kill people who were purging, but even some innocent people that were just trying to hide. He was clearly not in the right headspace, he was letting all the repressed rage he's been bottling up for who-knows-how-long. Now while death and destruction don't really matter in this universe, so it isn't that bad in the context of the show, I already started writing this soooo it's too late to turn back. Besides there's not that many outwardly bad things this kid did soooooooooo. Alright back on track, now, obviously not defending murder (unless it's the murder of mr. Jellybean or Planetina fuck them bitches) but let's take a look at the person who he spends most of his time with. You guys know who it is. Rick! Now Rick is a pretty violent person, he usually kills in self defense, but there was a handful of times where he didn't. Most famously Mr. Jellybean, we can all agree that he deserved it though. Now Morty hangs around Rick all the time, and Rick forces him to shoot people, the very first time was in the pilot, where he told Morty to cover for him and when Morty said no, Rick lied about the people chasing them being robots. There were mutiple times where he has been forced to shoot people. And Morty clearly holds a lot of resentment towards Rick, I mean it's clear as day, he even threatened to kill Rick in this very same episode, Rick forcing Morty to be violent, along with the repressed rage he has, is a lot on the little guy. So when he finally has a chance to let out that repressed rage, no matter how unethetical, he's going to do it. Is it right? Ha. No. But we are not here to defend him, we are here to understand his actions better. And it's worth mentioning that he felt horrible afterwards, Rick very rarely feels guilt for his actions, yet people give him a lot of flak, Morty feels guilt and is a literal child. He deserves more slack than people give him, his actions here were not right, but combinding the repressed rage, stress, and violence, this makes perfect sense.

Last up! The crystal episode, now the episode starts with Morty leaving Rick for dead. He attempted to shoot Rick in season 3, so this isn't all too surprising, besides, Rick does treat Morty pretty horribly on a day to day basis, so it makes sense that Morty would be done with it by now, I would've been done with Rick after season 1. Besides, that's not the real issue here, the real issue is how many innocent people he killed in the process. So another quick brief on this episode, Morty finds a crystal that tells you how you're gonna die. Despite Rick saying the crystals aren't useful, Morty uses one of them nonetheless, he sees that if he does things in a speific way, he will be able to die with Jessica, so he does exactly what he needs to do so he can die with Jessica. This is more proof on his obssession with Jessica, but we already covered it, so I will not elaborate on it. So, he kills people so he can die with her. I will do a quick kill count, he kills appromiately (This is an extermely rough estimate)

2 bullies. (One bully wasn't killed but was stuck to the wall)

Servely injured 2 policemen (They were still alive but permentently disfigured)

17 miltary people (Damn)

And that's about it. I'm fandomwe1rd0, and this has been the kill count, (heh, dead meat reference)

Ok so he kills a lot of people here, like a lot. But also, Morty just isnt happy in his life. Really Jessica is what makes him happiest, which might also be an explaination for his obssession with her, but that's a topic for another post, maybe, if people are interested. Now he sees a way he can be with her, and he'll do anything to chase that happiness, it's not right, it's not healthy, but he wants to be happy so bad that he'll do anything. He also takes responibility for his actions, which is something Rick doesn't do, so cut Morty some slack, ok?

Now all of the things I've mentioned are very, very bad. But I like seeing how we can understand these characters and see the reasons why they do what they do, they always have a reason for it, and that's a testamate to how great the show is and how human the characters are. Morty has done a lot of bad, but there are reasons behind them that show us the poor broken scared kid that Morty really is.

#rick #and #morty #rick sanchez #morty smith #rick and morty #rick c137

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headsincloud9 · 1 year ago

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EEEEEE CONGRATS ON THE 130 FOLLOWERS LOVE!!! THAT'S SO EXCITING!!! <3<3<3

For a request how about Aonung and black fem reader, I could just imagine his awe when seeing the reader and then wanting to learn everything about reader and then eventually courting and mating with them!

Thank you so much for the request you are my first Ao'nung girlie and let me tell you I had and am having a blast writing this. So this kinda got away from me, a one shot turned multi chapter that's how much I love this request I suppose!. Any way here at least chapter one of Sun-Kissed Siren

Sun-kissed Siren

Chapter 1 His Tsawksyul

Paring: adult ao'nung x fem!dreamwalker adult reader

Word count: 8.8k

Warning: suggestive language and a fastish burning bright love trope, but there will be smut,

Y/n sat with the other scientists the only one without an avatar, it wasn’t by choice you had to wait another month or 2 before it was ready as one of the last scientist to arrive your avatar had to be made on planet nearly 6 long years ago. You watch the other avatar drivers interact with the Na’vi while you in human form swung in a hammock anchored by 2 floating mountain pieces above the main hut of the avatars wishing you could have gone with Neytiri and Jake not that you didn't like it here, It was just painfully obvious how different you were but similar that and you really couldn’t help much outside helping Moat with post raid injuries.

“Y/N!!” A voice calls out causing you to look over the edge down below to see Norm. You make a loud chirp from the back of your throat to get his attention and jumps down “ there you are come on get changed and grab whatever you need we are going to the reef clans to meet up with Jake and to check in on things” If you had a tail it would have been thrashing in excitement Norm giving a smile at your obvious elation he had to admit out of all the scientists you were the most fascinated by this world but you adapted well to pandora as if you were born on the wrong planet. “Give me 30 minutes i swear i will be quick” you grab your bag stuffing the myriad of things you had made for not only your best friends Jake and Neytiri but for their kids who had taken to calling you their aunt. You knew from what Norm and Max had said about the reef of pandora and the clans; by the sea , sunny, something different from the humid forest.

You quickly change clothes from your normal wrapped halter crop top and double slit skirt to a simple black cropped tube top with a matching bikini bottom and a hand woven sarong kiri helped her make one hot summer day as they sat cooling off by the river and your bare feet even before getting to pandora you hated shoes and now in a clan that saw no use for them you ditched them day one. You kept your hair out the hip length mass of waves and curls would take too long to wrangle you can maybe get Kiri or Tuk to help.

Norm looks at you trying to hold in a laugh “ going to the beach y/n?” You punch his Navi form in the leg “shut up Norm until my avatar body is ready im a freaking recluse let me have this, breathing implant or not it sucks being stuck here 90 percent of the time “ you protest as the helicarrier took off to the reef clans.

Ao'nung was walking along the beach clan duties had been cut short though he had no idea why until he saw his sister chatting with the 4 sully kiss who looked excited "Y/N is coming today" Tuk said excited her voice reaching his ears. "It's been so long I wonder if she brought us gifts she said she would" she says. His sister Tsireya looks confused but happy for their excitement as she touched Lo'ak's arm. "Who is Y/N?" Loak smirks looking genuinely happy when he spoke "our Aunt she is very close with our dad and mom even helped fight against the sky people which is a lot seeing how she is a sky person" he says. Ao'nung scoffs a sky demon betraying its own kind. "Well she shouldn't be here she can't even adapt or connect." He mutters, before anyone could answer the loud sound of the helicraft flew over them to a open spot on the beach. Tuk runs happy "come on come on let's go she's here" she calls the others trailing behind.

Y/n stepped off the craft jumping down humming feeling the soft sand and salty air on your skin you could sunbathe and bask in this for hours "I'm in love already" you murmurs your honey brown eyes sparkling with happiness. "Y/N!!!" You smile hearing Tuks voice and look around seeing a much larger Tuk as well as Kiri, Neteyam, and Loak. "TUK TUK!!!" You call back running as fast as you could kicking sand as you went hugging her she was now almost a foot taller than your 5ft 9inch form. She hugs back "I've missed you….there are so many things….. you're hair it's longer its not up" she says. You laugh and greet them all "well it's been cooler up in the mountains I can afford to let it out I would have braided it but it would take too long." She gives them each a hug before looking over seeing Jake and Neytiri talking with Norm "well I'll say hi later how about you show….." you trail off seeing the two Metkayina standing off the first thing you noticed was their hair it was just like yours you also noticed the difference between them and the omatikaya. Your heart does pick up when you meet eyes with the male his hair was in braids that were contained in a tight bun a part of you wondered what it looked like loose your eyes travel down taking in the rest of his form; the x rib cage broad shoulders and chest strong arms one bare the other covered in intricate beautiful tattoos as ypur eyes traveldown to the same leg covered in eaqually as unique tattoo although a portion remained a mystery as it dipped passed his v line down behind his tweng unconsciouslyyou licked your lips. You tried to control your staring eyes slowly taking him blinking to regain some type of decorum before you quite literally began to drool. "Tuk why are they staring" You whisper your brown eyes meeting with his aqua one your heart picking up nervously looking away still feeling his heated stare.

Ao'nung was speechless he didn't know what he expected but it wasn't this…. You were kissed by the sun your hair hung like a mass of untamed dark waves an curls like the crashing tides at night the same ones he loved to dive into when the tides would change. He heart raced as his ears pressed back to his skull as he watched in literal awe of this sky demon. His eyes trailed down to your outfit her top was simple covering just your chest his tail sways noticing you curves as he takes in your what he assumed was your tweng hanging from your voluptuous hips. He was stunned how could someone so different be yet so suited for the sea?!

"My name is Tsireya and this is my brother Ao'nung welcome to our village" his sister's voice causes his ears to twitch and he looks away slightly "Oel ngati kameie" his ear flick to you a soft smirk came to his lips,your voice was so refreshing and you spoke the language like a true Na'vi. He gave the motion responding silently fearing if he spoke he'd embarrass himself.

Y/n smiles softly looking to the two "it's nice to meet you, I'm y/n". Tuk then pulls your arm "let's swim come on let's jump in" her excitement taking over "Wait wait Tuk let me put my bag down in your pod" she laughs being dragged by the child. Everyone followed you turns around your step bouncing slightly on the walkway catching up with the sully kids before putting her things down. You turn eager to enjoy the change of scenery and allows tuk to lead the way to the edge. You pick up speed and dive under perfectly nearly choking in amazement seeing the life under the surface. You look around seeing the 6 had followed and continue to swim taking in everything following them around.

He watched you swim and explore the water around you and even then he found more to admire the waps your hair cradled and swirled around your face when you moved, how your eyes shined seeing something new, how well you took to the water. He had to know you. He couldn't explain why but the pull to you was almost aggravating. He watched you slowly come up to the surface taking a deep breath before floating on the surface of the water on your back he waded to you the water only reaching his waist as he watched the waves rock and shift your body to its rhythm.

You open your eyes the sun now blocked by a shadow, it was Ao'nung. You quickly stand and male your way to some rocks in the shallow wringing your hair the water splashing onto the wet rocks before you let go your "you are Ao'nung" you sit your feet still in the water "I'm glad to see they made friends here" you say smoothing your slowly drying yet shrinking hair "how are you so good?" You stop his voice deep voice filling your ears. "Good at what exactly? If you mean the language I refused to speak anything else for a while…" you says pulling one leg from the water shifting positions as he moved closer. "No not that you dive like metkayina" he says leaning in closer now in front of you.

You look him over for a moment speechless at his comment cheeks becoming hot. "Why are you in the forest when you belong here." You look up at him heart rushing in your ears like crashing waves. "I…. Swim a lot in the rivers and where I'm from the diving you do is a past time a hobby really…. But me I just like the water it calms me" you say.

He looks you over listening to your words…. It was clear you were better suited for his home than the forest. He had to find a way for you to stay he wanted more time with you. "Let me teach you the customs of my people y/n" he said unable to stop himself as he reached up playing with the curls of your drying hair. He gives a smirk his mind conjuring your hair in metkayina styles before dropping his arm. "Are you sure the olo’eyktan and tsahik will be okay with that" he smiled wondering how you'd react knowing he was the clan leader's son. "I mean I'm not exactly suited for reef life…. And my avatar isn't ready also I'm only visiting." You ramble as much as you'd love to spend months by the water, Some things are just not possible "easy ma tsawksyul I will make it happen" he says smirking watching your face flush under his words. You watched him leave unable to ask anything else as he dove under the water and out of sight. You slip into the water swimming over to the shore, sinking under one last time to wet your hair and wring out the excess water flipping it over your shoulder as you made your way to the sully’s home tilting your head to the warm sun smiling softly knowing that despite what Ao’nung stated you would be leaving soon so why not ingrave the picture in your mind before returning back to the lush forest.

Ao'nung spoke to his father his eyes following you as he spoke following your form as you vanish and reappear in his line of sight before his attention is pulled back to his father to explain is case when all he wanted was to take you back out to enjoy the water.

Speechless you sat in Jake and Neytiri's mauri looking over the water and the bustling life of the Metkayina she already missed it. Their kids went off to ride their ilu and since you were not equipped for deep water you stayed behind "I know that look y/n come on talk to me" a familiar voice breaks your thoughts and you smile looking up to see her surrogate brother who fit well into the life ever the adaptable idiot marine. "jake you look good old man" you tease watching him roll his eyes feeling his tail smack your head. "Shut up short stack" he chuckles and sits with you returning to his previous question "what has you looking like that, haven't seen that look in a while." He nudges you. Sighing you lean back "I should've come with you this last year and a half doing nothing is killing me… but without my avatar I am a beacon for danger" your voice a bit sad as you explain your dilemma. Jake sighs putting a hand on your shoulder "I understand. I think your desire to join the people is stronger than mine was…. Want me to talk Norm into letting you stay a few more days?" You laugh and shake your head knowing Jake could do it too. “I wish but my avatar should be do in the next couple of weeks they refuse to let me see or even look at the data…but i want to be there as soon as its done” you sigh hopeful the next time they meet you will be on an ikran.

"Jake sully and y/n" you look up your heart leaping into your throat from the deep voice above you. You look up staring at the huge metkayina warrior, one that knew your name. You took a closer look seeing his attire extravagant colorful, your eyes widen and immediately you knew the olo’eyktan of the clan. "Oel ngati kameie olo’eyktan" you say a bit frantic bowing your head giving the hand gesture for respect looking almost pathetically embarrassed for looking at him so rudely. "He was right," he says with a soft almost kind tone as he gave the gesture back. "Tonowari, what can we help you with?" Jake speaks tapping your arm. "Come we can talk in my mauri," he says.

You look at Jake confused but get up walking with him, seeing who could only be his wife and the Tsahik. You bow your head "oel ngati kameie" you murmur and sit hoping you weren't being told to leave.

"My son asked me to let you stay he claims you belong here and should learn our ways." Tonowari says looking at you. Y/n looks shocked hair falling in your face as your head jerked to look at Tonowari "I….me but…I'm sorry I'm not understanding. Who was right and about what." You start confused "and I don’t think I've met your son" you say keeping your head down. There was a chuckle causing you to look up in confusion at the amusement in the olo’eyktan's eyes "his name is Ao'nung" he states "and he knows you". Y/n blushes harder than she thought possible "I…. Just…." Your voice died along with your words "speak girl you are to be metkayina you must be able to come to your olo’eyktan and tsahik." A stern voice pierces your ears. You look up see the tsahik staring at you "I am human, I can not connect to anything I am a pretty good diver but that is the extent of my skills besides the bow" you say taking a deep breath "I don't want to seem like I'm disrespecting your culture." You look to Jake who looks shocked by your words "eywa is open and accepting of you being here she is in fact eager for you to stay" Ronal hums.

You walks from the leaders home with Jake and looks up at him "don't say anything jake" you grumble. He chuckles "oh you mean the fact you are here one day and the chiefs son likes you should I be expecting him courting you soon." You roll your eyes and punch Jake in the leg before seeing ao'nung with the sully kids and she walks to them "TUK TUK!" You smile seeing her turn and run to you "y/n y/n I thought you left we saw the others leave" she asks the rest looking curious while ao'nung looked smug. "I was given a pass to stay and learn the best I can the ways of the Metkayina" you say and look to ao'nung seeing him smirk.

"Come y/n let me do your hair" tsireya chirps happily taking you to sit down and style your hair. You smile softly and nod letting her guide you and sit happily the first time someone has done your hair in years it felt nice you felt at home.

“Oh y/n you are going to love it here i have seen you swim you are well suited for the way of our people don’t let anyone here tell you differently.” You smile looking back to tsireya and laugh “i really hope so I've always loved the water I would let the river currants guide me when I floated on my back I lost how many times I fell into the pull of a waterfall" you giggle hearing her laugh "I think you and I are going to be good friends and my brother well don't think I didn't notice." You blush at her words and looks down "I….. you" you stop seeing Ao'nung with some of his friends but his eyes were clearly on you. You blush and look away stealing a glance seeing a dangerously amused smirk accompanied by a tilted head.

You quickly look away wondering how you would be able to focus on anything with him around but you wouldn't know until tomorrow resolved to make an effort not to become enthralled with the chiefs son, a small part of you not wanting to hear Jake joke about it running in the family as it didnt take you long to realize tsireya and Lo’ak were a mated pair. (Apples and trees am i right). You look over again to sneak a glance at Ao’nung unable to help yourself only to see him still staring and just gives a nod chuckling. You look away trying keep the burning smile on your lips at bay.

Ao'nung waited anxiously in the water for you he had volunteered himself to train you now he was drawing a blank on what to teach first… better diving techniques, fishing, making a net, hunting there were so many choices, but what he wanted to know what you liked what you'd be impressed with he succeeded in having you stay now he had to keep his tsawksyul happy. "Ao'nung I'm so sorry I'm late tuk and kiri had me up late weaving with them and I slept pass my time" he chuckles seeing you dive into the water and pop to the surface. He couldn't help his smile seeing you in a metakayina hairstyle it suited you so well despite your bun falling undone. "It is alright tsawksyul hold still." He hums in your ear now behind you.

Y/n stops feeling his body pressed to hers wildly aware of how tall he was compared to you in human form it made you blush "ao'nung what are you…" you stop feeling his hand trace the back of your neck before fixing your hair "the waves would have taken your bun apart” he murmurs fixing your bun.

In reality Ao’nung didn't need to do what he did he loved your hair up or loose as long as it was you but something compelled him to do this. A hairpin made of a greenish blue iridescent shell he made to keep his own hair in place but now he wanted you to have it, in a subtle way marking his claim on you by tradition he was now courting you. His eyes darting to the others of his clan watching with surprised expressions as they passed he tucked it making sure it was secure yet visible “next time make sure its secure even if you have to rebraid it” he stand back admiring his work on you

You look into the water seeing a tightened bun and a shell in your hair it was pretty and shifted in the light "thank you ao'nung" you say you touching his arm. Seeing his tail sway in delight. "I'm going to teach you how to breath and dive better y/n you said you wanted to go into deeper water I can help you learn" he says and you smile brighter "I'd love that ao'nung." He begins to walk deeper into water with you "why did you want to come here from your planet" you stop hearing his words

"I had nothing left back home and that world didn't fit me…. There is no green, no natural life and I well that's all I wanted…. To bring back the fresh air and green tree to swim in water that wasn't heavily polluted or chlorinated" you push off onto your back letting the current carry you father out into the water. "When I arrived I did 3 things…. I threw away every pair of shoes I owned, spoke nothing but the native language and I think I spent 5 days doing nothing but swimming in the rivers close to where we were staying. I nearly lost my job" you laugh "but humans, sky people wanted to do more of the same hurt, destroy, pollute and I turned my back on my own kind for this… swimming, nature, life." He smiles letting you float enjoying your answer he watched your hair carry in the current, your content bright smile, the shell pin in your bun, his tsawksyul. "Come we need to start you're training."

You watched ao'nung dive into the water and follow him seeing him use his fingers to communicate something. You tilt your head having no idea what it meant but follows him anyway making an assumption. You noticed the soft frustrated look in his eyes before they soften and continue to swim. You watched how well he moved with the water. It was effortless, you smiled swimming above him slowly floating to the surface. You blush softly see him turn on his back swimming to look at you giving that infamous smirk of his making you blush and look away coming up for air as your heart raced your head became light as if your air was gone .

You see him come up only a few seconds later pressing his large hand to your torso on your diaphragm "breath ma tsawksyul breath" his deeply accent voice vibrates against you. You all but melt into him your heart racing in your chest. You bite your bottom lip to hold in whatever squeak or noise clawing it's way past your throat. You try to breath normally but he was so close engulfing you in his warmth and his hand never moved from your diaphragm. "Your heart beats fast, concentrate and calm yourself" he murmurs. You let out a soft whimper in protest "you are distracting" you gasp slowly looking up at him. It wasn't a lie this voice, his looks, that mischievous yet inticing smirk make every bit of your heart race and now with him this close your body felt like it would shut down from the nerves.

His smirk widened his tail splashing in the water from those words he pressed his face to your shoulder to suppress the chuckle bubbling in his throat. he made your heart race he could barely contain his elation from that information and manages to contain himself "I, apologize" he purrs but the tone of his voiced stated he was not even a bit remorseful. "But I can not leave you here alone so tell me things you like get your mind calm and your body will follow" he hums.

You look up at him and told him the things you like fruits and foods, the colors you've grown to love here, the things you did when you unwind even the shells you've come to love here just from spending a few hours weaving with your family. The things you used to do the things you wanted to do that scared the living hell out of you. Slowly but surely your body relaxed you leaned into his touch as he held you. To anyone on the outside it looked like the most unlikely of a pair in a romantic embrace enjoying the water. "Now ma tsawksyul breath deep" he purrs against your temple and with a deep breath in your lungs you slipped under the water with him smiling happily.

Slowly as your nerves subside you find it easier to stay under water diving down your goal to reach the floor of the reef which was 5 maybe 10 feet below you, a force of habit from the river to lay at the bottom and watch the world float up around you loving the way the light swirled in the water. You look down at Ao’nung swimming below you on his back, you cover your mouth trying not to laugh at how relaxed he looked. You push yourself through an opening in some rocks and appear right above him giving a smile before going up for air once again. You take deep breaths wiping the water from your eyes as you felt the heat of the sun on your face. “ you are doing well better than your family did when they got here” he smirks poking fun at them.

You squint and splash him “ well id like to see you try navigating through the forest bet you would look just as lost “ she shoots back her eyes shimmering with a feisty heat that reminded him a little of his mother.

He couldn’t stop the smirk spreading on his face he couldn’t deny he liked your sweetness but that spark of fire had his heart hammering not many girls here did that seeing he was the olo’eyktans son. “Oh is that so little tsawksyul, and will you be the one taking me to the forest to prove this statement” he states feelin his large hand on the small of your back pulling you closer. He watched as that feisty glint melted into an adorable flustered look he could get used to pulling from you. His smile grew wider as you seem to fumble and trip over your own words. He chuckles feeling the heat of your frustrated and embarrassed look causing him to back off just a little.

You huff at his laughter and shake your head trying not smile before looking back to shore. your eyes follow follow the sound of squeaks and chirps and smile seeing ilu you laugh "they are like dolphins" you say more so to your than to ao'nung swimming a little closer.

"What is that a dol- fin" his deep voice makes you turn to face him "a dolphin is a ocean creature from my planet they are very intelligent creature,like the ilu" you start " but they can be mischievous up to the point of being an asshole but when you are that smart I suppose it happens." You laugh remember the articles you used to read about it. You look over to him meeting his eyes surprised he was already looking your way “could you swim with them,” you nod

"Mhm as in you just interact not use them as a mount" you hum leaning back kicking your feet up to tread water on your back "would you like to ride one" he asks.

You look at him gently falling underwater before popping back to the surface. "You mean right now" you looked confused there was the issue of the creature not listening or even liking you. "Scared it might be too smart" you squint as his joke. "Are you calling me stupid you skxawng" you growl and reach out smacking him on his head like you would lo'ak. He looks at you in shock and then you realize what you've done "oh fuck I am so sorry" you say frantic dipping under the water swimming away face flushed with sheer horror.

He felt your hand make contact with his head and stared at you with shock and maybe anger but when he saw your face nearly laughed and he watched you flee following after you up until you reached the shore.

He did hand back just to admire you as you emerged from the water. He chokes the smirk dies in his throat watchin your curls bounce and drip from the water it held the way your body seemed to glitter as water clung and slid down your curves. He tilts his head unable to stop his shameless staring. He had forgotten his retaliation for your assault on his head, almost now he wanted something else.

You squeal as you make the first steps to the shore of the beach feeling a wet 3 fingered hand grip your ankle and pull you into shallow surf. "Where do you think you're going hmmm you think im going to let you get away with that” he growls and yanks you back watching you fall into the sand and surf. You squeal and try to crawl away only to fall again being turned on your back your hair flowing in the shallow water as you look up at him still struggling to escape the unknowingly playful wrath of Ao’nung. He chuckles watching you press and push on his chest and arms as you tried to move away. He grips your wrists and presses them to the sand "I have you….now” he growl his voice rumbling in your ear. You look up at him heart racing, eyes wide staring into his eyes wondering if he was searching for something. The tension that formed between you both became thick and heated. Your heart begins to race becoming a bit shy under his gaze searing into your body, watching as he is expressions shift and change darkening a haze coming over them “ i have you” he growls again as if the repetition would realign his thoughts, something had his focus.

You stare at him, heart still in your throat as his eyes burn over your body, a dangerous smirk playing at his lips as he flickered over the length of your form still wet from the ocean and a sand in your hair. You gasp feeling his hand leave your wrist as he leans closer to you his smoldering gaze making your stomach tighten uncontrollably “i… have” he breaths out his fingers tracing over the side of your ribs down your waist pulling a whimper from you desperate needy “mmmnngh” you whine a bit ticklish but his fingers shot hot waves of nerves and arousal through your body straight to your core. You couldn’t deny since your laid eyes on Ao’nung he had every bit of your attention sure you had a crush on other Navi but nothing like this, you had no control over it. "I…" his voice rasps you stare up at him eyes wide as his rake over your panting form your faces now inches apart his large arm around your waist pressed to his torso as he pressed closer you you. "Ao'nung…." You whisper. You watch the way his eyes cloud over dilating “y/n” he growls back pressing his nose right below your ear inhaling. “You are lucky” he pulls away chuckling leaving you to calm your pounding heart and flushed face.

You walk around the village keeping as out of the way as possible you were only a few inches taller than the size of a Na’vi child so it wasn’t hard to duck and slip through others with little effort the motions distractions you from the whirlwind of events that happened on the beach just moments ago. “Y/n” you stop hearing a voice and turning to find the source seeing Ronal staring expectantly at her. “ come here you need to learn how to heal i will not be able to care for you all the time you should learn” she says firmly it lacked any coldness but had the tone of a strict mother who didnt take any form of no as an answer. You quickly walk to her seeing Tsireya and smile with a wave helping as well, you crouch down only to have a mortar and pestal shoved into your hands “mix” she says. You nod and start to work putting all the effort you had into to moving the ingredients together into a smooth paste. You handed it to Ronal who gave a approving hum and gave you another task. You felt right back in the heating tent with Moat and you couldn’t help but smile despite complaining of doing this in the forest doing it here made you smile not that you didnt like the forest, here you were learning something new. “ y/n you are doing well and learning quickly” tsireya smiles. You smile and nod “ i was tasked with healing the injured warriors with the omatikaya this comes naturally but learning the way your people do it is a new journey and makes the wait a little easier.

Eclipse came quicker than you expected and you look up looking to the sullys "I'm going for a walk ill be back in 2 hours" you call wanting to see the ocean at night… you'd seen the forest and every time it made your heart race but your heart soared in anticipation to see the ocean in darkness what came to life under bioluminescence. You walk past many pods trying to navigate in the dark before you missed your opportunity as the sun started to disappear the sky becoming a deep mystical purple. A hand grabbed your wrist casusing you to stop and you look up your heart jumping into your throat seeing Ao'nung realizing you walked right in front of his home he lived a bit off from everyone probably for privacy,his hair was out of its bun yet still braided the rest hanging loose down his back you nearly swoon now becoming greedy your wish changing wanting to see it this way more often.sure he looked good with the bun but his hair loose and free paired with the full sleeve of arm tattoos and the matching leg…. You let out a choked whine unable to suppress the desperate need you felt to once again trace your tongue over the dark lines that curve up his hip and down his pelvis past his tweng your mouth watering as your mind conjured sinful images of the base of his cock being tattooed. Your eyes rake over his body taking in his form in the darkness and the tahni that dotted his skin sparkled in the darkness displaying its pattern like trail on his teal skin. He looked good enough to eat and still beg for more.

Ao’nung had to will every part of himself not to let his tail sway and wag watching you stare and eyefuck him preening under you heated gaze tilting his head letting you taking you in himself how good you looked in metkayina clothing the shell pin your hair his first gift to you tilting his head crossing his arms chuckling while his question went on deaf ears. Had you been a Na’vi the subtle body language would have been a loud declaration of your feelings for him. But he could smell how he effected you, taking a deep breath his ears pressing back he wills his self control back in check deciding to ask the question again.

You stare at him blushing unable to stop your staring. "and where do you think you are going yawne" he asks his voice smug all the indication you needed pulling you close to him. You look up at him wanting nothing more than to trace the sparkling tahni on his face but instead answer "out to swim I want to see the ocean at night" you say. He chuckles and shakes his head "not by yourself and not out there come on" he says as you sigh now wishing you had just said nothing your plans ruined but you don't think you could have said anything different if you had a chance to answer again.

You go to protest only to get a sharp look up and down as if to say ‘do you really think you can get away from me’? You sigh following until he stops at the edge of the walk and slips into the water. You look down at him confused taking his outstretched hand letting him pull you into the water. “I’m not going to let you get hurt out there yawne, if you want to see the water at night i can show you right here where its safe” he hums treading water with you. You sigh gently knowing deep down he was correct as you feel your toes gently brush the sand you wade in the water it was perfect for watching the world change slowly you look up in the sky watching as the sun slip behind the planet that orbits pandora. You look around smiling your eyes going wide watching as everything came to life in vibrant colors. You couldn’t contain your amazement looking around light giggles of amazement escaping your throat. You look to Ao’nung and beam moving your arms and fingers through the water mesmerized by the way the dark water would burst and churn bright blue. You dive under water looking at everything waiting the fish that swim around you following them as your movements created more light.

Ao’nung watched you with an amused smile as you marveled and fawned over the glowing ocean and the animals as if they weren’t the same during the day. But watching you fall in love with his home made his ego swell in ways he didnt know possible to know that you preferred here to the forest prefer him to anyone else. His ears flick to the sound of your voice your laugh and sound of amazement always loving how breathless you become. He watched the light of the ocean swirl and caress your body with each movement his mouth running dry no matter what you did you were graceful more so in water. He watched your hair burst to life turning blue and aqua against the dark water a smile on his face as you played in the bioluminescence of the water letting the fish that dance. Around you travel through your open fingers and around your floating form.

You turn and swim to Ao’nung taking his hand in yours your fingers lightly tracing over the tanhi that dotted his hand “thank you Ao’nung” you say sweetly looking up at him gasping when you feel his arm snake around your waist and pull you closer to him “next time you want to see something tell me and i will show you okay yawne” you nod looking him over admiring his features your eyes captivated with his hair you reach up and run your fingers through his loose curls saying nothing slowly tracing down following the black lines on his shoulder down his bicep with your finger.

Swimming no matter how hard you practiced exhausted you and with the excitement only served to speed the process. You try to climb back of the walkway and make the long trek home but your body was heavy and tired. Making the simple task harder. You barely register the amused chuckle and the hand that help you up by your hips. “ another reason why you shouldn’t go out alone you can barely keep yourself up after only a few minutes of this” he teases picking you up bridal style as you begin to protest but make no effort to truly move him body instinctively pressing into his. “I’m sure you tire too after swimming for a long time.” You murmur feeling tired eyelids drooping “we aren’t talking about my stamina because if we were id still be going” he looks down at you marking “ well into sunrise.” You blush turning your head away at the double entendre he had just put into the air around them hearing his deep amused chuckle now somehow wide awake.

You look around the trip back to your home shorter than you realize before coming to the realization this was Ao’nung marui making your heart race “ im not sending you back when you can barely walk “ you cut him off shaking your head. “ no i just need to sit down and catch my breath and i will be fine” you lie your body was becoming lead unable to move the safeness you feel wrapped in his arms mixed with the late night swimming a lethal sleeping draught. “ fine sit down for 5 minutes then try to go home” he insists sitting you down before laying in his hammock. You watch him lay down bitting your bottom lip racking over his form, on his back one arm behind his head his loose hair messily cradling his face. His broad chest moving up and down with his slow breathing his tattooed arm on full display your eyes tracing the dark lines down to his hands before skipping to the dark lines that followed the defined v line down below his tewng…oh what you wouldn't give to be held in his arms all night it was probably comfortable. You lean on the side of the hammock for support another wave of exhaustion washing over your consciousness your eyes drooping as you wanted nothing more than to lay on his chest sleep. The world shift causing your eyes to flutter open and look into Ao’nung’s eyes seeing he’d pulled you into his hammock and onto his chest. “Just relax and sleep” he mutters running his fingers through your long hair admiring the softness. You press your face into the curve of his neck now suffocated in him; salt, water, sun,the floral scent of pandora soap a combination you took to memory as you curled your arm around the back of his neck “i promise to be gone by…..morning” you sigh your body slowly relaxing as you sprawled yourself on his chest.

He chuckles wrapping his arm around your back pressing his face into your head his ears pressing to his skull as unconsciously hold you closer inhaling your sweet scent closing his eyes taking a deep sigh falling asleep your smaller form pressed against his.

Morning came faster than either of you liked but it didn't break the little bubble in Ao’nung's mauri. You were still sleeping last night taken so much of the little energy you had, snuggling closer to his body you nuzzle deeper into his neck your lips presssed to the skin in the crook of his neck. Ao’nung slow emerged from sleep immediately aware of you on his body and fingers immediately urn through your thick mass of hair curling and looking his digits as he massages your scalp and caresses your hair. This moment he now greedily craved every morning to be the first thing you wake up to and vice versa. But as much as he wanted to hold you hostage his mother would come looking for you if you missed your lessons. He stares at you taking another selfish minute to admire you his tsawksyul and the way your skin came to life under the sun as you slept tracing his finger tips down your spine and over the curve of your hip down your thigh. His ears twitch hearing a soft moan leave your lips before nuzzling closer to him taking a deep breath and settling back into sleep. Now he really didn’t want to let you go but the longer he sat the more likely someone would ruin this moment and he rather do it on his own terms. “Wake up tilor” he mutters tapping your back gently as he shifted “ wake up you have lessons with my mother today” he says chuckling when you groan and snuggle deeper into his body “ no comfy 5 more minutes” your sleepy voice grumbled causing him to flat out laugh “bold aren’t you hogging my bed then asking for more time to sleep when my mother is going to come looking for you soon… wake up" he murmurs in your. Your eyes flutter open after adjusting to the sunlight you jolt up right now straddling his torso. "Oh fuck I'm late" you gasps your hair a wild mess half covering your face but a wild fro of waves and curls as if your hair had just awoken too.

You hear a deep chuckle and look down at the smirking metkayina warrior below you looking smug "yes you are by maybe 30 minutes you have about 10 more before my mother comes looking" he says in an unbothered tone. You groan great way to show respect y/n show up late to lessons. "I shouldn't have stayed out so long" you grumble smoothing your hair down back arching as you stretch a high-pitched whine escaping your lips. "You should be fine my mother is quite fond of you" he hums out his voice breathless. You feel his gaze burning into you suddenly making you feel shy and a bit self conscious unable to make full eye contact.

He smirks but reaches up his fingers brushing your cheek guiding your face to look back at his watching as you hastily pin your hair into a half up half down do using his shell pin to keep it together. "And how do you know that." She says softly looking at him. He chuckles his hand now softly resting on your hip "she has a way of saying it without saying it you are learning healing techniques of our people from her personally" he hums rubbing his thumb on your hip bone with his eyes grazing over your form. You shiver and blush "I suppose that is true" you say softly and look down at him smiling "thank you Ao’nung for letting me stay and for last night it seems every new experience I have is with you" you smile and move to get out of the hammock. You gasp feeling his grip tighten a silent command not to move. You stare at him confused watching as he sat up slowly shifting the angle of your hips pushing you forward hands now on his chest.

You blush feeling his face press into your hair inhaling only to exhale saturating the strands of your hair in his scent before pressing a kiss behind your ear "I hope to give you many more tsawksyul now go" he murmurs in your ear nuzzling his nose into that junction one more time before letting you go. Quickly you run as fast as you can back to the sullys Mauri for another sarong to tie around her hips. "Hi sorry I missed breakfast I overslept I need to get to Ronal" you rush tying it around your hips. They stare at you a bit shocked Jake had a stupid grin on his face so did Lo’ak. You roll your eyes and shake your head seeing a amused Neytiri "y/n after your lessons we need to speak" she says softly. She says as you move to leave. "Okay tiri I promise" you call rushing out unaware of the reason for their looks.

You arrived to lessons with tsireya and Ronal seeing a slightly irritated Ronal. "Sorry I'm so sorry I overslept after swimming too long last night I'm so sorry" you begin bowing your head trying to look as remorseful as possible only to be met with a look of surprise and was it amusement or mild happiness. You looked to Tsireya who was practically shining like the sun with happiness "next time be more cautious with your time" Ronal murmurs before giving them lessons and tasks to do.

You walk with Tsireya knowing she had to talk to Neytiri before she could join them for a swim. "So why were you and your mother looking at me like that when I was late your mother doesn't seem like the kind to allow that." You say to her laughter "normally no but its because of what you did or rather what you didn't say you did." She says. You stop confused "I'm not following," tsireya smiles "so how was your night sleeping with Ao'nung?" You blush brightly and covered your face "how the hell did you even know that holy fucking shit" you exclaim face flushed she laughs again "you can't smell it but everyone one can you reek of Ao'nung's scent from head to toe even your hair your hair having the strongest scent." You blush remembering how he exhaled into your hair and how you slept in the same hammock. "He….. he I'm going to pluck his eyeballs out from his skull" you hiss trying to calm your raging embarrassment.

She laughs and pats your shoulder "but I did hear from the other hunters he reeked of you as well….honestly I've never seen him this territorial so quickly." She murmurs as your part ways.

You enter seeing Neytiri and Jake and you instantly turn red “ before you say anything” you groan hearing Jake begin to chuckle and you feel like drowning in the deepest part of the lagoon reefs. Neytiri giggles “ since you know then i have to ask is he courting you” Jake seems to stiffen a little from that notion as not everyone liked the concept of Neytiri and him getting together not too long ago. You shake your head the shell pin in your hair glittering as you move. Neytiri glances in your hair and then sighs “ that is all after all the reason i wanted to talk to was about the fact his scent covers yours. You groan and walks away but you never really made an effort to wash it away as you swam and interacted with others unaware of the pleased set of eyes following you as you wore his scent all day making a point to scent mark you in some way.

3 weeks went by quicker than you expected. Maybe it was the constant diving lessons by the chief's son Ao’nung, or the other days with the sullys helping Neytiri with meals, watching tuk and helping her pick out shells on the beach. Your favorite was with kiri you never judged her and her strong connection to Eywa in fact you admired and supported her for it. You even found yourself in healing lessons with Ronal and Tsireya. That always made you nervous being around Ao’nung mother and father you know how much they do not trust sky people and yet they are never not kind. There is never any disdain but you do receive Ronal’s sharp tongue when you are distracted or underperforming in lessons it reminded you of the way a mother would scold her child. Tonowari even helped you in the basics of making a fishing net which was the easiest to master the material was a little bit more flexible than the material of the omatikaya nets. Despite not being able to connect with Eywa hunt or ride an ilu you are fitting in well not even minding the little clothing which you just saw as versatile swimwear. As well as said chief son taking up every moment of free time you had that wasn’t already claimed from taking long walks to night swims in the shallowest parts of the lagoon, somehow slowly making sleeping in his arms such a regular occurrence that no one even bats an eye anymore if anything everyone seems to be waiting for something.

You sit on the beach looking out at the water relaxing a part of you trying not to focus on the fact a month was over knowing that you’d have to wait a but longer before you could have your avatar but in reality you could wait a little longer its not like you didnt enjoy your time here. You stand deciding to take a walks and find a few shells not only for herself but for tuk and kiri to weave.

You came back from your walk to see the helicraft from high camp and something in your heart told you don't run over there it's bad news. You looked over seeing Norm talking to Jake and Tonowari watching as all 3 made eye contact with you. You quickly start walking again not wanting to face the potential bad news….. 50/ 50 chance but when did you become so scared you went head first into battle against her race saw battle wounds even hunted in the forest but the concept of avatar driving now sacred you. You sit by the sand looking out to the water missing Ao'nung tasked with helping a hunting party today you needed him right now was it for emotional support or as an excuse to escape. You sigh laying back closing your eyes willing your fears to subside.

@cinetrix

#avatar the way of water #avatar 2009 #avatar 2022 #avatar james cameron #ao'nug x reader #ao'nung #aonung x reader smut #x reader #requests open #avatar jake sully #tsireya #loak sully #neytiri

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whiplashisthinkingaboutbakugan · 2 months ago

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One thing I think sucks is how the Bakugan seem to have less personality as the series goes on. I’m not touching the third reboot with a ten foot poll I’m a full grown adult. I only have the patience for one reboot. I say this to say I can’t speak on that one. But I watched both Battle Brawlers and Battle Planet.

When I got to Mechtanium surge I got sad that they switched Shun and Marucho’s Bakugan again. Marucho hasn’t had a compelling Bakugan since Elphin. And while I like Elphin…Preyas was the best Bakugan personality wise in the whole series. Nobody made you have more fun on screen. Aquamos was fine. He had a distinct personality just less of one? When they actually made him pretty much only say ‘cool is the rule’ I knew it was Jover. Whoever Marucho has now, their entire personality is just being angry and I’m not a fan!!! Don’t give Bakugan just one personality trait. Preyas had it allllll ugh.

Shun and Skyress’ dynamic was special. The way she left the show was special too. She came back on occasion as well which felt more real. I remember Shun having to adjust to Ingram. Hawktor and Ingram were kind of similar to me but also yooo Ingram was transmasc? Real. Whoever Shun is with now is just his personality again which is less interesting. At least Hawktor seemed to have new opinions.

Runo, Alice, and Julie never switched Bakugan but what happened to theirs?? I await Mechtanium Surge to answer. But all of them had banger dynamics with their Bakugan.

Every new important character has some kind of dynamic with their Bakugan. That I can say. The arc with Rubinoid in Gundalian Invadors really got me. Even Anubius has a dynamic with his Bakugan if I recall correctly.

I think instead of swapping out Shun and Marucho’s Bakugan, you either give them multiple Bakugan or just do what every season does; add more characters with new Bakugan.

I liked Battle Planet. S3 or Geogan Rising was rough but I liked the other seasons for the most part. But the only Bakugan I can say that had personalities was Pharol, Nillious, Drago, and Trox on occasion. We’re going to put aside the Bakugan that were villains in the series cause they kind of don’t count for what I’m talking about. Of course Viloch and Tikko have personalities they’re the villains. But I can’t really think of an iconic villain and Bakugan duo. The reboot does a lot more Gus and Vulcan kind of pairings rather than Barodius and Dharak yknow? I can’t really think of what’s unique in the dynamic of Hydrous and reboot Shun. Or if Hydrous really had a personality. Drago in this show seems way more laid back and less…there. In the reboot they brawlers hardly spend time bonding with their Bakugan minus that one season they got new ones, and it was a little disappointing. Drago and Dan’s bond felt right because it’s always Dan and Drago. I do see them have a dynamic sometimes in the reboot but it’s so much less pronounced. Pegatrix and Lia just have the same personality and Trox is usually the same with Winton minus when they disagree. Honestly with Dan’s other friends they don’t really go past “mmm I don’t know about that,” when their Brawlers are being a little silly. I could be wrong as I said I watched it all when each season dropped.

Magnus and Nillious Dynamic is significant because of the whole age thing. Magnus had to push to bond with Nillious to understand him. It was compelling! Pharol’s personality had always been compelling. He’s inquisitive and competitive. He guides Ajit emotionally and Ajit tells him about the world. These two are my favorite reboot characters so I am biased but I think this is at least some of the reason why. They feel like they really fit Bakugan.

The most compelling villain in the reboot that isn’t Magnus was Haavik but Haavik’s Bakugan didn’t have a personality!

The reboot got one thing right, not replacing the cast or brawlers or Bakugan. What they got wrong was not putting depth in their dynamic. I fear the worst of this trend continues.

TLDR never trade out your star of the show (Preyas.)

REAL TLDR: I love these shows most when Brawler and Bakugan share that bond of friendship that the show’s all about. Make sure I can feel it. Dan and Drago changed my life. I wanna make sure that if Bakugan can do that it does with those feelings it gave me.

THATS WHY YOU SHOULDNT TURN THEM INTO BEYBLADES. Goodnight Tri-state area.

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crazydoughnutlady · 2 years ago

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I'm bored, take some sci-fi found-family

I was trying to write something but I got bored and distracted so I decided to write this as a way to say f-you to writing block enjoy!

***

The Terran were new to the greater Galaxy. odd beings are small and had large round faces with big eyes. Instantly making them desired pets as are from a new strange planet and are a lower life-form. As for the space-faring group known as Vinlik, which is Featherdeten for close-knit-family. Terrans had little consequence to the crew, they had heard those who would try to keep me adorable species as pets had been horribly ripped to shreds and killed as apparently, Terrans were vicious. The crew of Vinlik consisting of 4 members, Never thought that they would encounter a Terran. They were wrong...

After an incredibly odd raid, they had a human on board. It had a few things with it a strange instrument likely from its home world and of course the fabric they were so they were known for being so protective of.

Captain Lilen, a tall Featherdeten and owner of the ship and considered the mother of the motley family, Decided to keep the being as they tended to look at least somewhat similar to the Featherdetens. Just lacking the titular win, feathered faces, or the slender legs that made landing from a flight so easy for the species.

Borek, a Snoutrump one of the strongest known species in the galaxy had argued that it was dangerous to keep but the captain always won out over the security guard/weapons professional.

Whimper a Phasmon, the ship scientist/medical professor stated how most Terrans about 89% killed their masters Within 30-day Cycles The other 19% killed their masters not long after. Keeping a Terran on board results usually in a 4% survival rate.

The youngest of the ship a Buzzkin, not even a proportional adult in his species. An excited genius prodigy who made his way onto the ship by being an engineer. He was curious, Terrans were unique next to nothing was known about them and maybe they only acted that way because they were scared. There was just so much unknown about this new species. Tolvin wanted to know more…

***

Three cycles, three cycles, and I broke my promise. I told the captain that he would not interact with the Terra, but I couldn't help myself. I was curious and it was kind of interesting seeing such a tiny featherless Featherdeten-like being. So I found myself standing in front of the door where the Terran was being kept I shifted the door from opaque to translucent, still strong just now I could see the Terran. It looked up at me noticing the different time as it was not its scheduled meal time it wouldn't be for a little while. “Hello, there you probably can't understand me b-but I wanted to say hello! It is proper etiquette to introduce oneself to all members of the crew… your species interesting did you know that?”

I stood there for a moment before the Terran begin to bark back at me it was strange yapping noises but there was somewhat of a pattern to them almost like it was speaking but that's silly Terrans didn't have a language, they weren't a sentient species. The Galaxy Bureau of Investigation of New Species (GBINS) already tested, too violent. I sat down and began to talk about meaningless things with the Terran just to hear the odd pattern of its barks we ‘chatted’ with each other for a while. Eventually, I had to leave as he would get caught talking to the Terran the one thing I was strictly told not to do. “I have to go now but we'll talk next cycle promise,” I kept my promise returning to the Terran every day.

“Hello, Featherless!” I decided to call it Featherless deciding it shouldn't go without a name. “Hado!” “Did you just say hello?” “Hado! Hado!” it repeated. Terrans could mimic. No one else has ever documented to this it’s a fascinating discovery, Terrans can mimic others! “That's so cool Featherless! what if you said my name?” Then pointed I pointed at myself and said in a slow but clear voice, “Tolvin.” “Toe-van” “Tolvin.” “Toe-van.” “What close enough you're faster on the uptake than most mimics.” It then pointed to itself and made a barking noise, “Sarah” “What?” It just shook its head from left to right, “Sarah” “Sarla?” “Sarah” “Sarla” Featherless - no Sarla released a breath and moved its eyes in a circle before refocusing on me.

“Well, it's nice to meet you then wait if you have a name that means you have a sense of self which is only present in sentient beings but that doesn't make sense the GBINS had proclaimed that humans were too violent to be sentient which doesn't make sense because it has a sense of help self! we-we've been keeping things that were- that is- oh no, I've been calling it, an it! They are a sentient being and I've been treating them like a pet-” “Toe-van” Sarla's front appendages were pressed against the force field their eyes were blown wide (wider than they usually were) and they were staring at me intently. “Sorry… I had a bit of a freak-out. I should go.” Turning the door opaque, I turn down the hall and ran back to the engine room.

The engine room is my favorite place in all of the ship no one bothers me here free to tinker. To busy myself with the mundane things that keep the ship running.

It takes me three recycles to return to Sarla’s room. The other members of the crew are still debating on what to do with the human. Earlier that cycle Borek come by with a faulty communicator he has a backup, but he prefers his main one. However, I couldn't just get the right kind of focus in the engine room (Something that's never happened before) so before I knew it I found myself wandering back to Sarla. Turning the door translucent I began to fix the communicator one of my proudest works simple AI that analyzed language and then translated it. Sarla was returning conversation in that odd barking ‘language’ of theirs and I would often say a few things back. Suddenly silent barked a few things and the translator buzzed to life “…you gotta understand how lonely I was! You are the only nice person I've met in space!” They quieted as they saw me jump at the translation. We sat in silence for a few seconds before it began to bark again, “The [thing] you're fixing is it okay? it's not going to ---- right?” I stared at them then the communicator then back at them, “What? why are you looking at me? What is that thing doing?” Turning on the two-way communication feature I slowly began to speak, “It's a way for different species to communicate with each other it's for one of my crewmates but it started translating your language.” “Wow, I can understand you! Wait you understand what I'm saying now! This is amazing so can you take me home?” “I don't think so it is really hard to get to your home planet. With how hard the government mandates what goes through airspace there… I don't know if you've noticed but we're not very legal. The captain is planning to just give you to someone as a pet once we find somewhere cheap to drop you off. “I'm sorry, please tell me the [communicator] got what you were saying wrong, my people are considered pets!?!” Their voice begin to get louder and the communicator began to register the emotion as possibly angry. “Yes…?” Sarla out a string of words that the communicator could not translate, but I felt they were curses.

Just then I heard a strangled noise coming from just down the hall turning I lock eyes with none other than Whimper. “What are you doing?” The scientist said showing the typical Phasmon signs of confusion and fear. “Toe-van who's there? That's a different voice of the communicator. what are you looking at?” “Is it translating the non-sentient being?” I click my mandibles (a sign for yes among my people), "I believe they're actually… a sentient species... and the GBINS incorrectly labeled them as non-sentient.” “Wait! A bunch of letters said that my people were non-sentient!?!” “I think that was an incorrect translation we were referring to an acronym.” I clarified for Sarla. “Didn't catch the last word sorry.” “It's okay the more you talk the communicator will be better at translating your language.” “Oh cool!” the Terran flashed their teeth something I have something they do a lot around me, I think it's a sign of friendliness among Terrans. It usually isn't put with other aggressive behaviors such as tensing muscles, which are common among predator species.

“How many how long have you been spending time with it?” Whimper asked exasperated. “Didn't last more than three days before I said hi…” “Oh, you're hopeless!” “Why is that bad?” Sarla trying to get a glimpse of Whimper. “Your species are Infamous for being incredibly dangerous.” “Can you repeat that with small words? the communicator is not that good.” “You're dangerous.” “Try again.” “You cause pain?” “You saying I'm [Dangerous/violent/harmful]” The communicator listed the possible words that Sarla could have been saying. “I think so but the communicator is not very clear.” “They're friendly to me! they've done nothing that is then possibly threatening to me yet.” Whimper shook his head up and down a sign of frustration among his people, “yet did you forget that it bit Borek?” “I would like to not be referred to as an ‘it’ anymore I'm not an object I prefer to be referred to as [she/her/referring to a female].” “Sorry!” I say as I twitch my antennas in a sign of apologies and happiness. “Why are you apologizing you're not the one I was referring to me as an object.” “Well, I was earlier before I knew you were sentient.” “[Acknowledgement/surprise/confused/stunned]” “We should probably tell Lilen about this she is the captain after all. She'll want to meet her new crewmate properly -as long as you promise not to hurt us” He said gesturing to Sarla “you get that Communicator up and running,” he gestured to me. “it'll be lovely to talk and study the ins and outs of humans and I can ask you medical questions how fascinating!” He said Clapping (a common sign of joy happiness or excitement for Phasmons) before turning down the hallway in excitement.

70 Cycles later and Sarah (as her name was actually pronounced) was an integral part of our crew-of our family. She was able to go toe-to-toe with Borek in a fight. Could eat a lot of things in higher dosages than anyone else could, making her an effective poison tester. The strange instrument she had brought along with her? It was a common device humans used to make music called a ge-tar. Although she did many things with the different members of the crew, most of the time we could be found in the engine room. For the first time in a very long time, I wasn't bothered by someone else in my space.

#i was bored #tell me if you want more #I may make art of the crew #if people are interested #sci fy #humans are deathworlders #humans are cute #humans are terrifying #humans are dangerous #found family #my wrtitng #Grammarly was my editor #spaceship #not my usual content

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