#iguanas lock no. 1 | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

cygnus452b · 2 years ago

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The stars are not aligned for us (so we reach up to the night sky and rearrange them ourselves) | 1

Synopsis ⤑ Revenge was never a thing on your mind. If anything its the absence of your parents that leaves you cold and battered. When then the Sully family swoops into your settlement, turning the place upside down. Old memories alongside with trauma starts to resurface while the danger of the Sky people still looms over everyone.

➵ pairing: Sully Family x Platonic!Reader

➵ A/n: writing this story cause i suffer from Post Avatar Depression (PAD)

three points i need to mention

Neteyam is back and boy is everyone traumatized,

i'm not gonna give the reader an exact age but she is 1-3 years older than Neteyam.

They're always talking in Na'vi, though sometimes it will be written in said language for formalities sake, kinda how the movie does it. at the end of the fic i will put notes with the translations.

| warnings: description of war, characters dying, gun + blood, if i missed something please do notify me!

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Chapter 1 : is this what growing up is? just leaving things behind, over and over?

⤑ ⤑ ⤑ ⤑

Jake dodges an arrow that misses his ear by just an inch and curses under his breath. He tightens his grip on the reins of his ikran and looks back at the approaching enemies. Hot on their heels are the Na'vis from the ash clan, riding animals that Jake has always thought look similar to earth's iguanas - just bigger, faster, and with an additional set of eyes.

"Fnawe'tu!" one ash Na'vi calls out. "Toruk Makto has no honor!" he roars, holding up his spear as his teammates fire arrows at the Sully family, nearly knocking Kiri and Tuk off their banshee. Jake, on the other hand, turns his upper body around, gun in one hand as the other one takes out ammunition from his side pouch. He shoves it into the bolt before locking in the belt, making sure it's securely closed. His finger is positioned above the trigger as he takes a quick glance at his family before aiming at the Na'vi below. He tightens his grip on the trigger, and the machine gun roars to life, firing off rounds at a blistering pace and hitting some of their pursuers in the back.

Simultaneously, with clenched teeth, Kiri grips the reins tighter as she holds Tuk closer to her, while her ikran dodges more arrows. "Turn!" She shouts, patting the neck of her companion. Tuk, who is still clinging onto Kiri, squints her eyes and shoots glares at the Na'vis below them.

There is a sharp resonance that Lo'ak feels through the tsaheylu, his Ikran is shuddering beneath him. He looks down to see arrows protruding from its wing and hears in the background the panicked screech of the creature. His shout rips everyone out of concentration, heads whipping towards him, seeing him trying to balance himself on the ikran while it writhes in pain before starting its wobbly descent towards the ground.

"Lo'ak!" Neytiri screams and leans forward, chasing after her son while her arm tightens around her oldest son's waist. Neteyam's head is lolling forward, hair whipping in the wind, his eyes heavily lidded. He is barely aware of his surroundings, and he feels like his soul is being pulled out of his body. He fights to stay conscious and grabs his mother's hand weakly, tucking his head lower as the Ikran dips.

Lo'ak, on the other hand, holds onto the reins for dear life, curses leaving his mouth as he ducks his head downwards, trying to evade the headwind pressure and at the same time, also the arrows that are flying his way. He tries to steer his Ikran to the other side while also trying to reassure it, but it is no use. The arrows have injured it badly. His stomach lurches as his spiral downwards accelerates, and he struggles not to fall off.

The Ikran's feet touch the ground, and it comes to a stuttering halt before abruptly stopping and throwing Lo’ak off. He feels the rush of air as he falls through it, twisting and turning.

He tries to remember the steps his dad taught him on how to fall correctly to lessen the impact, but to no avail. Neither time nor memory can help him before he lands heavily on the ground. A jolt of pain shoots through his body, and the air leaves his lungs. He lies there for a moment, heaving and gasping, the sound of his heart thrashing in his ears. He then tries to regain his bearings, yet all he can feel is how every muscle in his body protests and aches.

Their pursuers quickly have him surrounded; their deadly bows are raised to kill. Shouts pierce above his aching head as one of them steps closer. The Ash Na'vi holds the spear firmly in his hand; his hair is tucked away securely behind his head, and a feral snarl is etched into his face. His dull skin is lighter, almost blinding, in the harsh, late afternoon sunlight of the open plains. The Na'vi pulls up his spear, winding it up for an attack, when a sudden gunshot brings him to his knees. Dust and dirt fly up in the air, choking both Lo'ak and his assailant. Lo'ak grits his teeth, squashing a pained groan, and scrambles to get up. With trembling legs, his hand reaches for the long knife that is securely hanging on his waist.

Neytiri reaches him, her arms crowding him behind her, shielding him from view. Ready to be attacked, ears flickering in all directions, but the attack never comes. Before anyone can react, a spear impales the injured Na'vi right through his chest, making him cry out in pain. Before being yanked out in one swift motion and thrown at another Na'vi.

"Set hivum," the newcomer hisses at them, his eyes narrowed. He's neither an ash Na'vi nor an Omaticaya.

"This is not your fight," one of their pursuers retorts, blocking the stranger's incoming attack with his own spear, not caring that one of his own has fallen.

"Kiantu," their rescuer says, reaching into his pouch that's hanging on the belt around his hips, and throwing some sort of red dust at the ash Na'vi. "Does your chieftain know that you're breaching the pact?" Their assailant is momentarily blinded, eyes watering as he lets out a pained howl.

"Kiri!" Jake screams, jerking his head backwards at her, pointing the gun at the lighter colored warriors. Kiri nimbly jumps out of sight , her sister pressed against her back and hides right behind her father, back-to-back, looking for any stray attacks coming their way.

The foreign group joins, closing in on the Ash Na'vi's, their spears pointing at them. The intimidation seems to work as the leader of the group lowers his hand, ears pinned back, and slowly backs off. Growls and shouts escape multiple individuals as they retreat, jumping onto their rides. Jake lowers the gun and closes his eyes for a second before opening them wide and looking around the bloody battlefield, finding spears alongside with bodies littered all around. Neytiri and Lo'ak both swarm around him and the two girls, worried expressions on their faces. The mother focuses on their daughters to see if they sustained any injuries while the father looks over their son. "Are you okay?" he asks, gently but firmly grasping his son's shoulder.

"Yeah," Lo'ak nods, unable to stop a wince from clawing its way out of his throat, under his father's watchful gaze. "I'll survive," he continues, gripping his wrist self-consciously. "I'm more worried about Neteyam." He glances over to his mother's shoulder.

"He'll be okay," Jake answers, squeezing his shoulder harder, but not enough to hurt. "The people we're going to are known for their healing." He jerks his head forward. "Speaking of--" he says, facing the Na'vis that came to their rescue.

"Oel ngati kameie, ulte ngaru seiyi irayo," he says.

The other Na'vis bow their head just as low, pulling their hand away from their forehead towards their navel.

"Oel ngati kameie," replies the Na'vi who had rescued Lo'ak, his shoulder-length braids falling into his face. Now that the chaos has finally subsided, the Sully's finally get a good look at the strangers.

The grassland Na'vi and their muscular physique are an imposing sight to behold. In contrast to their surroundings, they stand out. Their skin is a rich, deep blue tone that seems to absorb the harsh sun's rays. Unlike their forest-dwelling counterparts, the grassland Na'vis have broader shoulders, longer legs, and a thick, round tail that swishes behind them with a sense of impatience. As they move, their dark stripes draw attention to the intricate patterns that adorn their bodies along the bioluminescent freckles.

Their garbs differ greatly from theirs, as they are decorated with leather and feathers that remind Jake of stalks of wheat from Earth. They wear decorative headpieces crafted from various animal bones that form a halo around their head. The dark loin cloths are embellished with additional leather and detailed patterns on the edges, tied in a unique manner.

"Rììama Pìhä Ìkawt'itan," the darker Na'vi introduces himself.

"Jake Sully," he turns towards his wife. "And this is my family." Tuk hides herself behind Kiri as she and Lo'ak return the gesture.

"Toruk Makto," Rììama nods thoughtfully. "I recognize you. I was there at the battle of home tree," he looks over. "Though, what are you doing here?"

"We're seeking Uturu," Neytiri pipes up, adjusting Neteyam's position on her back so that his head can lean on her shoulder.

The taller Na'vi looks taken aback, and he glances over to his teammates. Some meet his gaze and shrug their shoulders, while the others converse with each other in hushed voices. The Mates exchange a nervous glance that gets interrupted by the leader who coughs into his fist. "Follow us," he gestures to the banshee's behind them. "We'll bring you to our Olo'eyktan. He'll decide what to do."

''We'll look after your ikran'' another Na'vi pipes up, waving the others over.

"Thank you," Jake sighs in relief and turns around, making eye contact with Lo'ak , a tight smile gracing his lips as he nods to follow him. The group scatters, and they all go to their banshees, checking to see if their luggage survived the battle and tightening anything that might have come loose. Jake sends Rììama a look before turning his head and letting out a short, drawn-out noise. The creatures perk up and launch themselves into the air, fighting against the wind until stabilizing at comfortable altitude.

Now that the situation has calmed down, they can enjoy the quietness of the vast plains. The grass underneath them shines in a golden color in the sun's light. The wind that is lightly blowing gives it movement like ripples on the surface of a river. In the distance, the stark contrast of dark gray belonging to the mountains splits the sky apart. On the lower part, dense lush trees are grouped together, their vivid colors in full display. The air is dry yet smells full of nature, and a tranquil atmosphere overtakes everyone. Maybe it's the exhaustion, or the relief of knowing that for now the worst is over. Or maybe even a mix of both, but they all can use a good night of sleep.

In sight comes a cluster of thick tree trunks bunched together. They form a circle that is held by a woven plate, on top of which are multiple round shaped buildings. On each side of the structures, bridges connect to each other. They can't tell what material it is exactly as they're too far away. Looking past the settlement, one will see other trees cluttered in a similar fashion, though they are spaced far and in between of each other.

That reminds Neytiri of how her old home tree looked like, right after the battle with the sky people. Bitterness wells up in her chest, and she focuses on something else, looking away out into the sky. Different call signs bouncing back from Rììama and the others rip them out of their daze, and they look downwards to find the party of Na'vis waving their arms around.

Jake replies with a shout of his own, and they slowly begin their descent downwards. With a soft thud, they reach the ground and hear a horn being blown. Its deep tone reverberates through the space, and they look towards the outpost. Taking a closer look, they see the village surrounded by tall wooden fences that are manned by guards holding long spears as they walk about. Alongside are long fire posts, and in front of them in the field, local fauna grazing.Instantaneously, Na’vis start streaming out of the settlement. Their curious gazes speak volumes, wondering what could have happened for the horn to be blown. Surrounding the Sully's, they chatter excitedly with tails raised in curiosity and agitation.

A girl closest to Kiri and Tuk waves her hand to get the younger girl's attention and stares at her eagerly. Unsure, Tuk glances at her older sister, who nods slightly back in encouragement. She turns around and shyly waves back. The darker girl beams at that, her teeth flashing as she tugs the loincloth of the older Na’vi next to her, who shushes her quietly and sends Kiri an apologetic look. To which the girl nods back with a stiff smile.

The masses part as the Olo’eyktan and the Tsahìk come forth, concern marring their faces. They wear elaborate apparel that consists of a shoulder plate woven together with intricate brown-green tone patterns of a sort of insignia. Long twists of hair are tied into a low ponytail, and over the male Na'vi's right arm is a band with different types of beads strung together, hanging over his muscles.

His mate has her hair tied up into a half bun, with the lower hair braided into two thick braids. Over her chest is a garment that is threaded together, similarly to her husband's. It is dyed in colors of brown and green with hints of yellow at the edges. At the bottom of it, attached with beads, are threads of blue fabric hanging. On her waist is a long loincloth that reaches her knees, with intricate flower designs.

"Oel ngati kameie Toruk Makto, long time no see," the chieftain starts, motioning with his hand from his forehead downwards toward his navel, his mate repeating the same gesture.

"It is indeed been a while, Ìutxa, Aìng. I wish we could reunite on better terms," Jake retorts and points with his flat-out open hand at his mate. Neytiri, occupied with holding her son, bows her head a little.

"What happened?" Ìutxa asks, crossing his arms over his chest, scrutinizing his own tribesmen who are quite literally still drenched in the aftermath of the battle.

"Ralke were attacking Toruk Makto and his family," Rììama answers, tilting his head towards Neytiri. "They also cross over to our territory," he finishes.

Another teammate shakes his head, locs flying in all directions. "A bloodthirsty bunch."

"Your son..?" pipes up a smooth voice, and all eyes turn towards Aìng.

Jake turns around. "He—" He stops, wracking his brain on how to explain everything that has been going on with Neteyam and them the last few days. "He has not been conscious." He balls his fist up in frustration, brows furrowed.

The Tsahik steps closer to Neytiri, the smell of something similar to wood and herbs engulfing her nose. At a closer distance, she notices the hint of purple in her eyes and skin color. Aìng lifts her hand up, wordlessly asking for permission. The lighter Na'vi nods her head, while the other then proceeds to carefully put her four-fingered hand on Neteyam's head. Lifting up one of the eyelids with the other, she closes it seconds later and puts two fingers on the junction point of his neck. Silently counting the heartbeats for a while. Clearly, she hears something worrying, and her pupils constrict when she looks over to Neytiri.

"Is that?"

With a voiceless, weary breath, The mother responds, "Yes."

"Come," Aìng beckons, turning around. "Follow me." She steps ahead, waving over another young Na'vi adult carrying a basket. The girl nods and joins the group. Passing her mate, Aìng sends him a worried glance, silently communicating that they’ll have to discuss this later in private. He blinks back in compliance.

As they walk through the settlement, Kiri is amazed by the colorful combination of materials that make up the village. She notes that the foundation is made of wood and the rooms are spacious. With walls made of thatched grass and roofs covered in woven green yellow grass and a dark brown, insulating material.

Crossing a thatched bridge, they pass by a communal area with a huge fireplace in the middle and decorations on the walls, including various weapons and wooden masks with different emotions carved on them. Happiness, Anger, and Anguish. Kiri averts her eyes uncomfortably and looks to Lo’ak, who is still clutching his side with a grimace on his face.

"Will Neteyam be okay?" Tuk asks, gently holding one of Kiri’s braids.

The older sister half-heartedly pats her head. "Eywa wouldn't bring him back just for him to leave again."

"He has to," Lo’ak quips. If the sisters only listened to his voice, they might think he is in a stable mood, but his body language betrays him. His shoulders are tense, and his fingers trembles, which he tries to hide behind his back. Jake listens to the children's chatter while pressing his lips tightly together. Glancing over he sees Neytiri conversing with the darker Na’vi ,while their son's head bobs in the dips of her step.

The group comes to a halt in front of a cot on the upper left side of the communal area. Two fire posts and various baskets stand next to the entrance. Aìng enters the room first and heads to the back, with the Parents following closely behind. The room is bathed in red-brown tones, with the sun’s rays accentuating them even more. Various decorations, including beads stitched into a thin brown material imitating a landscape painting, hang on the walls. Pillows and blankets are stacked on the right side of the room, and little round-shaped carved shells filled with a thick golden paste with wicks in the middle lie on the floor. A small, thin wooden plate lies in the middle of the ground.

Tsahik gestures to Neytiri while she shoves the sparse furniture aside. The Omaticaya kneels down carefully, securing Neteyam's head and rolls him over her shoulder into her lap, before putting him onto the floor. Aìng’s assistant, kneels down next to her and starts unpacking the items from the basket, laying them down neatly and cleaning what looks like hair-thin stone sticks. The older Na’vi, meanwhile, lights brown, rolled medicinal leaves and holds them over a small mold, watching the ashes collect slowly.

"I'm Yiìru," the assistant introduces herself to Neytiri, who steps aside, making space for the other two. The younger girl rubs her hands in a ceremonial manner, blowing on them, and then slowly putting them onto the boy's back. Her eyes widen at the stiff touch, and she glances over to Aìng, who gauges her reaction and slowly nods. Yiìru takes her hands off, reaches over to take one of the needles into one hand, while the other stretches Neteyam's skin with her thumb and forefinger. Quickly she injects the needle with smooth motions, at a record speed, while the other puts the ashes in the in-between spaces of the sticks.

Neytiri kneels in the background, one arm wrapped around her legs while the other traces patterns on the floor. Kiri, Lo'ak, and Tuk wait outside the cot, talking to each other while the adults work in peace. Jake, on the other hand, is sorting out the luggage and placing them in different locations, needing his hands and mind to be occupied with something before he starts feeling even more like he's about to lose it.

A sudden, deep inhale has heads turning forward. Neteyam's formerly taut body has now relaxed quite a bit, his lungs expanding more than they did beforehand. Yiìru finishes taking out the last needle as the Tsahik wipes off the ashes. Neytiri stands up, her braids swinging in disarray as she walks over to the chieftain's mate, a questioning look in her eyes.

"He's past the point of danger," Aìng says seriously, glancing back at the parents. "He should be resting for the next few days; his spirit seems hit." She turns around, brow bone furrowed. "It almost feels like his body and spirit are disconnected."

Neytiri exchanges a look with Jake, who is still on the opposite side of her. Their eyes speak a thousand words left unsaid, and he slowly nods. She sighs, struggling to find words. "It's been a lot," she forces out,

The Tsahik nods compassionately, stands up, and points at the basket full of pouches. "There are different mixtures of medicine for him. Feed him this, that should help his stomach" she says, grabbing the younger girl. "This is my daughter; she’ll check on him tomorrow morning." She gives her child one last look before leaving the room.

"We’ll send someone for food later, alongside with his medicine," Yiìru says, holding her hands up to her chest.

"Thank you," Jake says, gratified, for what feels like the thousandth time today.

She answers with a beaming smile back before skipping towards the entrance. "Oh-" she stops and turns her head around. "Tomorrow we'll also send a guide to show you around, though if by any chance you need help tonight, don't be afraid to ask around!’’

Lo’ak croaks out an acknowledgement, earning him a questionable look from Kiri as the trio enters the Cot. Looking around, they immediately zero in on their older brother as the parents join them in the circle.

"What do you guys think?" Jake asks, looking around. "It's not that bad."

The younger son's eyes widen for a second before furrowing his brows. "You said that about the other places as well, Dad."

"Well, I like it here," Tuk responds. "They have trees. It reminds me of home, better than the other place." The arid mountain lands of the ash people were something they all had trouble acclimating to. Unlike the jungle flora and the security of the trees, the cold walls of soft clay felt encapsulating and suffocating.

The group stills for a second, each lost in memory of their home. Despite the fact that it's been almost two years since they left, the yearning for the jungle and the familiarity of their home has never really faded.

Neytiri reaches over to her youngest daughter and squeezes her hand. "We'll adapt, that's what we’re good at, that's what we do.’’ A strained smile on her face.

"Your brother will have to rest for the next few days," Jake speaks up. "We'll try to change shifts so that there's always someone in rotation to look after him."

The children nod and scatter around the room, each going to their own little niche, unpacking their luggage. Calmness falls over the room, the teenagers bickering in the background, the youngest following the mother around while the father watches the family.

A horn blares, breaking the scene, and they all, except Neytiri, rear up and walk towards the entrance, through it over to the bridge. Jake heaves up Tuk to his hip. "Don't lean on the railing," he warns the other two, eyeing his most rebellious teenager. Earning a nod back, he returns to look out to the horizon. The suns are already in motion for the usual eclipse to happen, dying the sky in vivid colors of pink and orange. Clouds dot the sky like splotches of paint of a clumsy child.

‘’Huh’’?

"Hunters," Kiri interrupts her brother, leaning her head forward, noticing an adolescent Na'vi being surrounded by multiple adults. Their arms swing wildly, yet no one is touching them.

"Why did they blow the horn though?"

"I wonder," she counters, "I can't make out anything," she squints her eyes, "besides figures and meat".

"Kids!" Jake's call startles them, not even realizing that he had returned to their abode. "Come back in and help your sister out." The siblings steal one last glimpse at the field before turning around to look at each other, one with one eyebrow raised and pursed lips, and the other with furrowed brows.

⤑ ⤑ ⤑ ⤑

"Was anyone injured?" Täyeprr, your best friend, asks, bouncing in place as her eyes roam your figure in concern.

"Tä'ui,'" you reply, jumping down from the dire horse. Taking off meat that's secured on the side of the steed, its blood splatters onto the floor and you wrinkle your nose in slight disgust at the sight.

"That skxawng," your friend curses, running her hand through her curls that bounce in all directions, framing her face. The late afternoon sun is catching its rays onto the necklace on her chest. A similar one dons your own neck that you made together when you were still little kids. Your parents, back then still alive, had to help you quite a bit in guiding you when it came to the needling of the thread and knotting multiple pretty stones onto it. You and Täyeprr had collected them together by one of the rivers. Once you finished, you jumped around in place, full of excitement before speeding off to go to your friend's cot.

"Oh," you intentionally stop her, knowing that if you let this girl continue to simmer in that state, she will not calm down for ages. "You finally finished that piece?" you ask, pointing with your forefinger towards the garment on her chest. Different types of fabric, cut into leaves and dyed in muted blue and purple, are stitched onto brown beads that circle from her neck down to the middle.

Täyeprr grins at that and grabs one of the leaves. "See, this is the one that's dyed with the fruit we found together last time," she abruptly stops, squinting her eyes at you for a long time. "Don't try to divert me from the topic," she says and points a finger at you.

You push out your elbows, sighing in clear defeat, "Not like she's the one who has her ears chewed off for almost an hour."

Your best friend scowls at you. "Well, it's not like she'll listen."

Feigning shock, you cock your head backward, eyes wide. "And you think I will? Tell me what good will this do besides conditioning me to hate her every time we cross paths?"

"Well, maybe she would listen to you."

"Please listen to yourself. You're not making sense," you retort, failing to hold back a laugh, shoulders shaking as you follow behind her.

The hunt went well until Tä'ui decided that she wanted to lean too far off the dire horse while being in a high-speed chase. That then had her tumbling off the steed in seconds, fortunately, only mere scratches on her elbows and back are the only things she got out of this. Though you got enough meat to last the community for four days, meaning you can spend the time in leisure and finish up your chores.

Tirelessly, you make a mental note that you need to weed out the garden again and see if the vegetables bear any harvest. Your best friend leaves you to join another group that is waiting nearby, and you wave her off. Lost in thought, you continue to walk up to the communal room located on the upper left side of the settlement. Walking past groups of different Na’vis cluttered around the space, some huddled really close to each other, faces animated while they're talking through their food. Others lying on the pillows with their eyes closed, letting the murmur wash over them.

Twinkle!" a voice calls out to you, and you turn around to see Vaopo waving you over to her side. On the cut log, a huge variety of dishes is laid out in a systematic order. All sorts of meat ranging from fish are sorted on the left side, with grains and vegetables on the other. On the fire, blubbering fat from the meat on a stick drips down on the flame, letting out a sizzling sound.

"I'll never understand why you call me that," you reply, shaking your head slightly, a smile gracing your lips. "You know," you raise a brow muscle, "the name my parents gave me works as well."

"Well, that doesn't matter," the short-haired girl waves you off. "As long as it sounds pretty."

"Sure, whatever you say."

"You heard?" the girl starts, taking the meat from your hands. "A new family arrived in the afternoon, looking really different from us."

"How come?" you ask while walking over to the bucket full of water and starting to wash the residual blood off your fingers.

"Uturu," she replies, taking out a big triangular-shaped stone with a sharp edge. "One of them had to be treated immediately, seems like they were chased by fe'ranvi."

You wrinkle your nose and look up at her. "Of course, they would be in the midst of it," and continue to shake your hands off. "Wait, what do they look like?"

"Lighter than us," she muses, stopping to think. "I couldn't really make out any small details, too many people were around."

"That's not helpful."

"You'll see them later," your friend continues, skipping over what you said. "You know how my dad was there with yours at the battle? Apparently, this family belongs to their old Olo'eyktan. Though I am surprised at their stature, they-"

"Wait, what do you mean 'you'll see them later'?" you ask.

"If you were so kind to let me finish, you'd know," she glares at you. "As I was saying, I am surprised at how lithe their figures are," she motions towards her chest, "thinner in all aspects, they'd probably make excellent climbers."

You give her a look.

"Alright," she rolls her eyes, "the Chieftain asked me to tell someone," she smiles a toothy grin at you. "And you just happen to be that 'someone' to bring them their food, as they're still settling down."

You sigh deeply and take one of the stuffed long leaves on the table. In the other hand, a bowl with clear hot liquid inside, and you set off on your way.

"Me and the others will be at the plaza tomorrow evening," Vaopo shout’s. "Join us?"

"Maybe," you retort, looking over your shoulder. "I should have time for it," and set off on your way.

Passing other people, you look at the night sky that has fallen over the world like a dark blanket only to realize halfway on the bridge that you forgot to ask where the new family is located. Turning around, you take the lower road passing by multiple rooms and greet the other Na'vis coming towards you. Some have their arms intertwined, smiling in greetings, while others are hurrying past, only sending you a quick nod.

You round the corner up to one of the biggest rooms in the settlement. Two fire posts are stationed on each side of the entrance and a leather-cut rectangle hanging in the middle, with the same insignia that adorns the pair's clothes.

"Ah, there you are," the Olo'eyktan greets you. "Come in, we have something to discuss," he signals with his arm for you to enter and sit down. You look over at both of them and nod, kneeling down. You place the food right next to you before comfortably unraveling your legs from underneath you.

"You've probably heard by now," Aìng starts, arms crossed as she's still standing. "A new family has moved in, seeking refuge, and we'd like you to be one of the trainers."

You cock your head sideways, hair falling over your back. "What tasks will that be?"

"They'll need someone for the hunting practices and maybe the gardens."

"They have a guide for tomorrow," the older Na'vi finishes her mate's sentence, flicking her braid over her shoulder.

"I can work with that," you agree and start collecting the dishes, looking up. "I originally came over to ask where they are," you finish.

"We put them behind your cot, in hopes that you'd interact with them," the Chieftain smiles broadly. "Luckily, you agreed. Thank you once again."

You shake your head in refusal. "No, no, I'm glad to help," although you're apprehensive about it, you don't voice your concerns. After all, more socialization has never hurt anyone. Plus, you're curious to see what the new family looks like, as Vaopo's description doesn't paint a clear picture of them.

You leave your cot and follow the same path as earlier, hurrying over the bridge and rounding another left turn past your own room before arriving at your destination. As you approach, your ears pick up murmurs, including the high-pitched tone of an excited child. Taking a deep breath, you step closer. "Excuse me," you say, sticking your head through the entry.

The foreign Na'vis turn to stare at you, and the older male, whom you presume to be the former chieftain, steps forward with a smile. "Please," he says, opening his arms, "come in."

"Thank you," you reply formally as you walk inside.

The first thing that the new family notices is a thick, ugly scar that starts from your shoulder and runs down to your sternum, with your skin pulling at it with each movement. Your skin is the same deep blue as your clanmates and you’re donning elaborate bracelets along your muscular arms. An iridescent stone sits in the middle of your chest, woven into dyed fabric that resembles long flower leaves. Thin threads hold it all together, meeting in the middle of your back and disappearing beneath your long hair. You wear multiple thick threads woven together, stitched in with beads, around your arms, and a dark loincloth and chaps of a similar color around your waist.

"I'm Y/n," you introduce yourself, holding up your arms. "I brought you guys food."

On the other side of the room, you notice a female Na'vi standing next to a teenager with thin braids pushed out of his face. He wears a thick beaded necklace that goes down to the middle of his collarbones. True to your friend's description, they are lighter in color, reminiscent of a sky after the storm. Their ears, chests, and tails are all thinner than your own. Their feline eyes are a vivid green that almost border yellow in the dim wick light.

"Jake Sully," the man introduces himself, wearing a garment around his waist, with thick locks pushed out of his face marred with lithe scars. "And my family," he continues, the others echoing back greetings.

"Thanks, I'm Lo'ak," the boy pipes up and takes the leaf plate from you while reaching for the bowl.

"No problem," you retort and wave him off. "Give me one of the concoction bags. It should have a deep red stripe on it. We need to mix it with this water while it's still hot."

Neytiri takes the bag, opens it, and hands it over to you. You smile at her in thanks and slowly dump the contents inside the bowl. Lo'ak hands you a thin stick with a rounded hollow edge, and you take it. After stirring for a while and seeing the powder completely dissolve, you hand her the utensils, which she promptly accepts and immediately turns around to tend to the boy lying on the floor.

"I'm going to be one of your trainers," you speak up, garnering the entire family's attention. "Though I would like to start once he's cleared of any issues." You glance over to the mother and son.

"Of course," Jake replies. "We've been told that tomorrow there will be a guide."

You nod thoughtfully. "So have I. If the chance arises that you'll need me, you'll find my room behind yours."

Another thing that we don't need," mutters the oldest girl under her breath, wrapping her arms around herself. "I mean, the day has already been tumultuous. We don't need another situation in the middle of the night."

The younger boy snorts, and Jake shoots them a glare. Awkwardly, you glance between the three, not knowing what to reply to ease the tension.

"Uh, I'm going to leave now." Wow, real smooth. Every scholar would grovel at your feet for your vast knowledge of vocabulary and articulation skills. You stiffly scurry towards the entrance and stop abruptly. "Good night," you force out in slight mortification, realizing you’ve almost forgotten your manners. Leaving quickly, your mind tries to convince itself that this interaction isn’t as awkward as you think it is.

You round the corner again and slump against the entrance of your own abode. Reaching into one of the small pouches fastened onto the belt of your loincloth, you take out dark-colored spiky stones and, in quick motions, smash them against each other. Holding them close to the fireposts, the sparks ignite the paste inside and it flames up to life, bathing the surroundings in warm golden light.

Repeating the process with the other post, you tuck the stones back in and enter through the translucent bead curtain into your room.

Ridding yourself of the accessories, you take out another pair and lay them over on the floor for tomorrow. Taking off your ionar, you gaze at it, the colorful transparent material glistening in the low light. The arduous hours you’ve spent shaping it into the perfect shape were endless, but it's a task that anyone has to do for their iknimaya. You had yours a few months ago as you reached your first rotation of adulthood. Though you notice that you haven't mentally changed at all, especially compared to how you were as a child. Sure, you're not as anxious as before, but that doesn't mean that nightmares don't plague you almost every night or that you don't keep throwing looks over your shoulder, feeling stalked by someone or something that is not around.

It's in moments like these, that you miss your parents and wonder how proud your mother would be if she saw your Ionar. How worried your father would be every time you returned from hunting. You shake your head to rid yourself of these depressing thoughts before you start spiraling into another episode and lay down the headpiece.

On the small circular flat table, you find a leaf full of food that someone must have put there. Heartened by the thoughtfulness, you sit down and start eating the food, getting lost in thought and not really thinking of anything.

After finishing up the food in a few bites, you dispose of the leaf into a brown basket that has a flower pattern woven into the sides, and wipe your hands off. You pick up the round table and set it up against the wall before reaching over to take the pillows and blankets and start laying out your bed.

Sitting down, you put out all the small wick lamps but one, which you need for mental security, and pull the thick wool blanket over yourself. Laying on your side, your thoughts race around the Sully's their circumstances, and lastly your own parents. The last image of your father flickers into your mind as you start feeling your eyes grow heavy before falling into a deep slumber.

⤑ ⤑ ⤑ ⤑

A/n: This is just the preface for all that is to come in this story.

-The biome the Na'vis live in, is the tropical grassland biome, on earth, that is the subsaharan part of africa, australia and india. Also tried to research on how realistically they would've evolved without them looking too much like the dire horse clan. which then i came to the conclusion that these new Na'vis are a mix between the tawkami clan and if tropical biome grassland Na'vis were a thing, unlike the tawkami clan though, they live in the open plain lands, though they will have the same spiritual/ scholarly attitude that the former have in the video game.

if you want to know what the grassland Na'vis place look like please click on this ⤑ ''Horizon forbidden west plainsong'' just without the metal plate underneath ,as that is going to be made out of woods and other stuff. though that absolutely does not mean that the Na'vis are wearing the atrocious clothes of the utarus.

don't know if anyone is following the James webb space telescope but did y'all see the exoplanet we found named VHS 1256 b that seems to be a super Jupiter? apparently they found the largest number of molecules methane, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide water , and silicate sand on it!!! an outer planet!!!!!! even crazier considering that said planet is not even in the goldilocks zone , its about four times farther away from the sun than Pluto is! Its in it early stages, like reeeeal early. though i heard that if you compared it to other exoplanets earth its also relatively young, like if you turn it into a life span's time, it would be 1.50 mins after birth, don't quote me on that tho. kinda fucked up how we managed to fuck up the earth that early in, hm anyways i'm derailing, hope this fic is interesting enough for people to want to continue to read cause i really like the story i came up with :)

Translations

Fnawe'tu : coward

Set hivum : leave now

Uturu : refuge

Oel ngati kameie (ulte ngaru seiyi irayo) : i see you (and i thank you)

Ralke : meaningless, in this fic context used as '' the ones devoid of anything''.

fe'ran: flawed nature

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fountainpenguin · 1 year ago

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"I almost held up a grocery store, where I almost did 5 years and then 7 more..."

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Well, look what I've pulled out of the ashes! It's been a while, but we've got a new Come What May chapter today!

Chapter 6 - “Talk About Us”

Read on FFN || Read on AO3

Start from Chapter 1

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No rest for the wicked! Kevin (and an undead iguana) head home from the Cake 'N Bacon with Foop in tow... Maybe the anti-fairy can help with Kevin's ghost problem? Wait, forget that… Didn't Grandmama say Kevin's got a cousin running around Dimmsdale? Finding Remy is WAY more important. Check it out!

(First 1000 words under the cut)

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Talk About Us

Year of Water, Spring of the Aligned Raindrops

Saturday, May 15th, 2004 - 11:44 am

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When it comes to I've had the weirdest day, it's hard to top going to lunch with the Grim Reaper and getting handed an iguana. Granted, this wasn't Kevin's first time eating lunch with the old coot, and Foop was still begging for the details. Yeah, Kevin didn't even know where to start with that one. "He's just a long-time friend of my mom's" didn't seem to be cutting it.

Personally, Kevin didn't see what the big deal was. The Grim Reaper had a creepy aesthetic to him - you know, like Marvin and Molly - but all in all, he was just some guy. He picked up odd jobs all over Peachfield to pay off his student loans. Hearing Foop gush over him as Kevin picked at his soup (and his uncle devoured a sandwich) kind of gave him the creeps, like listening to a Kindergartener gush about the local crossing guard.

Is it really THAT weird?

Denise Quinna Crocker was a vampire lover. She volunteered often at the Peachfield nursing home and hung around the elderly. The Grim Reaper also volunteered a lot at the Peachfield nursing home, although probably for a different reason. They shared a love for all things dark, bleak, and undead. And, well… he walked around in a big brown cloak and preferred writing with a quill. Denise Crocker was going to notice that. She'd always been an extraverted woman, and her nosiness knew no bounds. Did you know the Grim Reaper has a birthday? Apparently that's a thing.

"Super lame," Foop scoffed when Kevin tried explaining this over their table at the Cake 'N Bacon. The kid took a massive bite of clam chowder, then went back to coloring spikes and pitfall traps down every path of his kiddie menu maze. "Really, Kevin… I thought you were a cool Crocker."

"Death is overhyped anyway," Kevin muttered back. He'd finished his own soup, apart from some final chunks of celery and clams. He gripped his spoon like a bungee cord and stabbed it in the bowl. You know, the explanation of how he'd come to know the Grim Reaper may have been short, but lingering in the poorly lit diner with his uncle and a little kid - not to mention a hissing iguana - felt even more distracting.

Were people whispering about them? Kevin kept glancing around, watching Vicky weave back and forth between the tables with her pitcher. Was the iguana invisible or something? No one else had reacted to it yet. Once, when Vicky turned around with her scarlet ponytail bouncing, her eyes locked on Kevin's. She scrunched her nose at him, brows drawing low. Somehow, that look sort of curdled his skin. Kevin dropped his gaze to his empty soup bowl, his heart pounding like a crushed car on a conveyor belt. His phone hung like a brick in his hand. Great. Its cold, blank screen just surfaced the reminder that

Can we go yet?

The Cake 'N Bacon's clam chowder did taste delicious. It lifted Kevin's spirits a bit from the slump they'd plunged into after he was denied a visit to the Buxaplenty place, but it definitely didn't fill his stomach. He made a mental note to order a sandwich alongside the soup if he ended up eating here again, but he was more than ready to leave once their bill was paid. His skin itched like mad. He kind of wanted to wash his hands and splash his face just to shake off some of the general weirdness of the day, but he'd already used the bathroom once since they got here and he was pretty sure the waitresses would stare if he squeezed past them to go again.

At last, Uncle Denzel stood and shooed Foop off the other end of their booth. He said he had to swing by the Dimmsdale pet store to get iguana food and that he'd need to use the bathroom too before he left, so Kevin offered to walk home by himself. "I want to see more of Dimmsdale," he told his uncle, staring up with the widest blue eyes he could manage, and his uncle bought the lie.

In truth? Anything, even walking around the California outdoors on a hot day like this one, had to be better than another reckless drive in the back of the Unsuspecting Van.

"I'll go with you," Foop chirped, grabbing his crayons and menu from the table. Once they were in his hands, he vaporized both in a small puff of smoke. Kevin blinked tiredly at him, but didn't dare voice a complaint.

"Sure, let's go with that. I've never really talked with an anti-fairy before, except when you showed up on the doorstep this morning. This could be a great learning experience for me. I mean, I am supposed to be studying abroad for a semester. Maybe I can write a paper on anti-fairies for extra credit."

"You cannot!" came Uncle Denzel's cheerful voice. He rustled Kevin's hair with his big hand before scooting past him to the bathroom. "Oh! Kevin, take that sorry excuse for a lap dragon back home with you when you go. I've got errands to run and a tiny bladder to hold me over. You'll probably beat me there!"

Uhh…

So this was an interesting predicament. Kevin eyed the iguana, who'd shoved its face in Foop's soup bowl and started munching on the last traces of clams. That so-called "sorry excuse for a lap dragon" was still an oversized, shimmery green iguana with a crest like a rooster's and a big throat pouch now dripping with specks of soup. Its long toes ended in creepy, curled talons. Its yellow eyes rolled in its head.

Kevin glanced down at Foop, who stood stiffly beside him in his childish human disguise. He could almost pass as a normal kid, you know… if it weren't for the mustache, goatee, and wide lavender eyes. Those eyes blinked nervously up at Kevin. Apparently, Foop considered touching reptiles to be outside his job description as "Uncle Denzel's best friend" and Kevin really didn't blame him. Even if it sucked.

[Cnt'd on FFN / AO3 - Links at top]

#Fairly OddParents #FOP #Kevin Crocker #Denzel Crocker #Foop #Come What May #Little Crock #Big Crock #ridwriting #FAIRIES!#Nerdy blue bat son #Gary and Betty #Red babysitter #Mark Chang #Remy Buxaplenty #apparently art #fic announcement

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kwop-kilawtley · 2 years ago

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FANFIC IDEA: A Jacob x Bella twilight rewritten the way it would’ve happened in the real world & what truly should have happened because I will never subscribe to the fact that Edward & Bella were soulmates & that it was true, meaningful love. EDWARD NEEDED TO FACE CONSEQUENCES FOR HIS ACTIONS but alas he never did. He was not meant to be with Bella, he forced himself into her life & manipulated the situation. It was not fate, it was BLOODLUST, selfishness, obsession & stalking. Anyway, this is what should’ve happened tbh.

NOTE THIS IS A WHOLE ASS MESS AND STARTED AS A CONCEPT BUT I GOT CARRIED AWAY. I will be finishing it the concept. But if someone would like to write out a fully fleshed out version of this.. PLEASEEE DO. I have ideas about where it continues too but my hand is about to fall off.

Bella moves to forks Jan 17. Edward meets Bella in bio Jan 18th. 25th van.

(This would be Chapter 8: Ghost in Midnight Sun. This part is in iguana-Edward’s POV. So this is before port Angela’s happens but is after the van. March 7th, 1 month & 2 weeks after Bella moves to forks. Bella goes to the Blacks house every weekend since she moved)

Charlie catches Edward stalking Bella in the bushes while she’s asleep reading her book on the lawn (the fact this is canon btw 🤢) Ofc in canon he is a vampire so he got away with it because of his speed & mind reading but nah that shouldn’t have happened. But in this fic it is a SECOND too late where Charlie already saw him from driving down the block so Edward has to stay & not run bc it’s either Edward getting caught stalking or Edward revealing his secret of being a vampire. Charlie wakes up bella and he confronts him. Bella is very confused by the situation. This time, Edward is able to charm his way out of it making up some excuse that he was coming by to drop off a book of Bella’s that she left in biology (the fucking creep had it in his pretentious little peacoat jacket)but it was a book from her room he took (ok Joe goldberg go off) Charlie let’s it go this time but is still sus.

(Bella’s POV) Bella couldn’t stop thinking about how strange the whole thing was. “Did I really leave that book on my desk in Biology? I could’ve sworn it was the last book on the stack next to my bed.” Alas she believes his gaslighting lies & moves on with her night. That night, Bella & Charlie go to the Blacks house for dinner. She cooks lasagna & it is a cozy time. Jacob is her assistant chef, handing her all the ingredients & of course making her laugh the whole time while their dads watch the game. He is so dizzy & nervous from how pretty she is that he leaves the spice cabinet open & bangs his head in the top corner hinge (cause it’s canon he’s a tall clutz in New Moon). He bleeds a little bit & bella gets nauseous from it but after she pops the lasagna in the oven, she sits him down to blot the wound on his head. As nauseated she is by the blood, she is laughing & he is making fun of her little gags in between. They look in each other’s eyes & Bella blushes a whole lot. She bandages it up (she keeps bandages in her little bag bc of how much of a clutz she is) & then sits at the table next to him. She comments on his long hair, how it’s even longer than hers & asks him about his hair care routine. He gets embarrassed, stammering cause he probably doesn’t take as good care of his hair as he should. He tells her he uses a homemade Quileute shampoo that all the guys get from a sweet older woman on the rez. She finds it sweet. She scoots her chair next to him & starts to braid the lock of hair that frames his face. She asks another question about his hair but he doesn’t answer cause he is just smiling looking at her. He loves her pink cheeks, soft lips, thoughtful & caring nature. He is in heaven. “What? Do you really not use conditioner? And no, grease or motor oil does not count as conditioner, Jake.” He laughs, shakes his head & tells her that he just uses coconut oil. Bella finishes the braid and then runs a finger through his hair. “That makes sense, it’s so soft, maybe I’ll take notes from you. I just use what Charlie gets from the store which is usually something pink and smells like berries. VO5 usually. I DO have a good conditioner though.”She laughs. “I don’t have the heart to tell him it’s probably not the best for my hair. He does his best with me.”

After dinner, they have a bonfire outside with others from the rez, basically whoever wants to show up and join. But bella and Jacob barely notice who is there. Jake gave up his log for Bella & sits on the floor beside her. The height difference still allows him to look down at her. They talk all about their memories as kids making mudpies & Jake brings up how they’d hold hands walking by the water at First Beach because of how clumsy Bella is. “We were so young but I always knew you as the one that would always fall. I was scared that the ocean would suck you up like a toilet or something so I had to hold your hand.” They both blush at this. “No, yeah, I remember. They probably should’ve kept a better eye on us back then because I remember once I DID fall in the water, flat on my stupid face, but you helped me up. Renee definitely did not pack me the right shoes to wear for the beaches & rain.” They talk about Renee a bit & Jake asks how the whole situation made her feel. “Do you think your mom should’ve left like that? I mean, I get it, people get divorced but how does it make you feel. Do you feel better here with Charlie?” Typically this would have Bella get defensive since she is very protective over her mother but it was the first time someone kindly asked her this question & made her think about Renee’s parenting. “I miss Phoenix, its my favorite place in the world and I do miss my erratic mother.” She laughs. “But it’s kind of nice not having to baby Charlie. Sure, I cook for him and help out around the house but I feel a lot more.. relaxed since being here if that’s makes sense? The best way to put it is this: Renee is like my best friend and Charlie is my parent. Is that kind of weird? Renee worries about me like crazy but she’s definitely made me have to fend for myself a lot. It was also pretty lonely living there whereas with Charlie, I think we keep each other company real well. I mean, I think I’m more like him despite me not having spent as much time with him.” Jacob can see the realization in her face that she hasn’t let go in a long time. That she was her mothers emotional support and was generally a lonely kid. They then got distracted because someone brought marshmallows, chocolate & graham crackers. “I cannot remember the last time I had s’mores.” bella says, face all lit up. Jake grabs them two plates immediately seeing how happy she was about it. “Aw man, this is why you shouldve come down here more often, Bells. Life’s boring without s’mores. I’m glad you’ve been coming every weekend though. We got a good little thing going on in our community. Honestly, I can’t imagine what it’s like down at forks high school.” Jacob fakes a yawn. Bella talks about her school and friends and how different it is from Phoenix. “It’s pretty different, honestly. Some of the people are nosy but I can’t blame them cause there’s not much to do here. They were sort of amazed by my mere existence and I kinda of wanted to hide under a rock forever when I first started here. It’s definitely better now but some people are definitely still… strange. Especially that family, the Cullens. I know they have a bad rep here on the rez and I sort of can see why.” Jacob goes wide eyed and then shakes his head. “Man, when will I ever stop hearing about these people. The quileutes have some really out there theories about them. I’ll have to tell you some other time though.” Bella wants to ask what he means but she doesn’t want to pry right now in case anyone listens in on the conversation. She turns dramatically to Jacobs face and burns her eyes deep into his. “Jacob Black, I have a very serious, urgent question for you.”

He looks shocked and his heart races a little bit. He puts his plate on the floor and clears his throat. “Uh, yeah Bells?”

“How crispy do you like your marshmallows?” He exhales & smiles his giant grin as he pops one in his mouth.

Next day is in edwards POV again (y’all know I do not have the STRENGTH to write in his POV rn)He is mentally going insane over bella. It’s been sunny (symbolic of Bella being with her sunny boy Jacob) which has been keeping the cullens from attending school. Edward is running in the woods trying to get Bella off his mind. He eventually gives into his selfish need to see/smell her and excuses it as “making sure she’s safe.” He tracked her scent but it led him to the treaty line. This time he is watching Bella and Jacob hanging out. He knows he can’t pass the treaty line, especially not under the circumstances but he tells himself no one will know. He slips on by to Jacobs little red house and watches behind a car like the iguana he is.

Jacob is working on the rabbit & Bella is watching. They’re eating pizza and she almost chokes from laughing. Edward is losing his mind in jealousy and it’s eating him up to see her so happy with someone else. Someone human, something he could never be. Bella is now acting as Jacob’s assistant with the car like he was doing in the kitchen. But Bella doesn’t know names of tools very well so they just start making up their own names for them. “The pointy one with the red top.” Jacob is teasing her saying he was a much better assistant then she is being. “It’s not fair though! SPICES are very easy to know. They are literally labeled, Jake. I mean what even is this thing?” She holds up a very small tool. They then name every tool a human name. “Okay this one would totally be a Gary. Look at it!.” They then get in a rhythm of this. “Bella, hand me Josephina.” “On it, chief.” She scuttles over to him & he takes the tool. He has grease all over his hands and shirt and wipes some on Bella’s nose. “Hey! C’mon I just washed my face before I got here.” She pouts and scoots over closer to Jacob while trying to rub it off, annoyed. Jacob puts the tool in his hand down on the inside of the hood of the rabbit and looks at her. She sticks her tongue out at him. “Is it off my nose?” She scrubs her nose again & looks the other way, red faced. He puts his pointer finger in one of the belt loops of her jeans and pulls her a little closer. She looks at him a little shocked. Then he lifts his hand up to wipe the grease off her nose. He smiles, strokes her face & says “Xaks óta chi chi”

“What did you say?” He blushes. “Nothing. Just talking to myself.”

Edward was familiar with Quileute & knew what he said. He’s seen enough. Edward leaves the rez and promises never to come back. He will leave Bella alone (he won’t lol)

Then it switches to Jacob or Bella’s POV. A little bit after they got on the topic of Edward & what happened with him just showing up to her house with her book. She doesn’t accuse him of stalking but just says it was odd along with the van incident and the hot and cold behaviors. Jacob is highly disturbed by what bella is saying to him. “Listen, Bella, this isn’t… good. Don’t let that guy get in your head like that. If you think that book was in your stack of books, then it probably was. Does Charlie have cameras? The van thing.. well, it kind of makes sense with what they say around here about them. An adrenaline rush? Come on. And the way he is lingering around you making you feel special some days and then others being mean. If you feel like this guy is actually following you or giving you issues, you can always come here. The cullens aren’t even allowed on the rez because of the legends.” Jacob is trying to make sense of it in his head. Could all of this really be true about them? Bella went on to say that she’s not afraid of him though and thinks he’s just misunderstood. She just can’t stop thinking about that book and the van incident. Jacob is patient with her but tries to put it more in perspective. “If that book was in your room then that means he was in your room. Do you even know what that means?”

A few days pass, edward is outside her house at night debating going into her room again. “One last time. I have to say my goodbyes.” He climbs through swiftly while she’s asleep. He searches through her things and makes note of the book she is reading, does her homework for her in her handwriting that he perfectly emulated. He gets close to her and breathes in her hair. He starts to pout beside her on the bed. “She had said my name in her sleep. She dreams of me. She feels this too. We were meant to be.” He has a full blown breakdown with himself driving himself mad. He had not been careful though. He was so deep in his thoughts & heartbreak, completely consumed by Bella’s scent. Driven into a frenzied state of obsession & bloodlust, he made a grave mistake. he turns around behind him with Charlie’s gun in his face. He almost instinctively ran, since that is what he does best. But again, being caught as a stalker is better than being revealed to be a vampire.

“What. The. Fuck. Are. You. Doing. In. My. House.” Charlie grabs edward and pushes him into the hallway. Edward obviously was not pushed but he had to pretend to be human if he was going to get out of this. “It isn’t what it looks like, Charlie. I’m so very sorry that you had to catch me like this. You see, your daughter is very accident prone and I-“

“Shut the fuck up. ITS EXACTLY what it looks like. I know exactly what kind of sicko you are. I’m taking you down to the station.”

Bella appears at the door, mouth agape. She stumbles backwards.

“Edward w-what are you doing here. DAD! Why do you have a gun?!”

“Bella get back in your room. I’m handling this and filing a restraining order against this creep. DAMNIT, BELLS, Get back in your room.”

Bella has tears welling up in her eyes and runs back into her room, shaking.

Edward is trying to barter with Charlie on the way down the stairs but he’s having none of it. His gaslighting dazzling bullshit is NOT going to work this time. Charlie drives to the station & arrests Edward Cullen for stalking & breaking & entering. He is disturbed by how cold Edwards hands are when he’s getting his fingerprint.

Bellas POV

She’s crying still in her bed. She starts looking all over her room and notices things out of place. She notices the books out of order, her homework done, her clothes perfectly folded, her shoes polished and cleaned. She has never felt so violated in her life. The guy who has been playing with her emotions since she’s been here had just been a stalker all along. She thought she even was catching feelings for Edward. She was completely fascinated by his beauty & charm. The way he saved her life and said her name. She was intoxicated by him, nervous around him. But now she understood why. There was something off from the very start, the way he hated her so much in biology was not normal. She couldn’t understand it at all. She started shaking as she reached for her cell and called Jacob. He picked up after 2 rings.

“Bella? Are you okay? What time is it?”

“I-Jake I’m so s-sorry for waking you. I… cant believe what just happened.” She explained and Jacob spit out “Lock your window. Lock your front door. Do not open it until I call you. I will be right there.”

Her phone rang but she was already at the door since she heard him pull up. She opened the door and came in, locked the door immediately behind him. She threw herself at him sobbing. “Oh, Jacob. I don’t even know what happened. How stupid could I be? He was STALKING me! In my room, watching me sleep. He even cleaned my room and did my homework. I mean what the hell is that!”

“Shhh, Bella, honey. Calm down. It’s okay, Charlie is taking care of it. I’ve got you. Come here I’ve got you.” He lifts her up in one swift movement and pulls her on his lap on the couch in the living room. He pets her hair and holds her close.

“Listen to me right now. He won’t get away with this. He violated you and your trust. How the hell did he get in here?” Jacob peered around and looked for an open window or sign or forced entry. She continued to sob in his hair.

“But I just don’t… understand. He saved my life, Jacob. I’d be dead from that van without him. Why would he be a creep? I just don’t understand it. I cannot understand it.”

Jake signs “he was obsessed with you. And I- I think it’s possible he only saved you from that van so he could have you all to himself.” He gulped. Bella looked up and blinked through tears. “What?”

“The stories, Bells. Have you really never heard them. My dad thinks the Cullens are fucking vampires. I think, maybe, that could be part of it.”

Bella cocked her head and shook her head “and I repeat.. WHAT? Did you really just say VAMPIRES? Jake do you hear yourself?”

“Do you think I don’t know how crazy that sounds. I’ve been hearing this my whole life. I never believed it, but maybe that’s what’s going on here too. Or I’m just sleep deprived and going insane like Billy.”

Bella shakes her head again. “Those are just scary stories. Come on.”

She felt a chill through her body and things started to add up in her head. She looks up at Jacobs concerned face.

“Thank you for coming. Im so sorry you look exhausted.”

“Are you kidding? Of course I came. This is some crazy stuff. I can, uh, stay too. If you want? I can sleep on the couch or we can just stay up or something.” She nuzzled her face in his chest. “I doubt you’ll be able to sleep though. I’m so sorry this happened.” He strokes her hair and cradles her even closer. “I promise I would never, ever hurt you.” He says. “Seeing your face every weekend has sort of been the best thing that’s happened in a while. Just saying.” She looks up at him. “Really? You’re not sick of me yet? Im so sorry for dragging you into my drama I really don’t mean to bring you down.” He puts his fingers to her lips. “Shhhh.”

“I really like seeing your face too every weekend. You know, Jake, you’re sort of beautiful?” He turns beat red and laughs.

“Okay, now I think YOU’RE a little sleep deprived now.”

“You really are. You also make me feel.. safe. I mean I’ve been getting stalked and watched in my sleep by an alleged vampire who I thought I liked and you are the only one I’d trust to be around right now.” Bella forces out a laugh but shivers at the possibility of that even being remotely true.

“You are safe with me. Hey, if the dude is actually a fucking vampire, maybe Sam Uley & my old man will stake him when they hear about this. They get all serious about the “cold ones. We all got your back.”

She grabs his big hand and bites it then hisses like a vampire at him. “What if he bit me in my sleep, oOoOo.”

“God, always coming through with the gallows humor. Only you would be able to laugh in a situation like this, Bells.”

“Only because I have you here, my own personal sun.” She kisses the same spot on his hand where she bit.

TO BE CONTINUED

#twilight #twilight renaissance #fanfic #twilight fanfic #twilight concept #jacob x bella #team Jacob #jacob black #bella swan #blackswan #PLS STOP I LNOW THIS IS LIKE ALLLL FUCKING OVER THE PLACE

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spacefinch · 1 year ago

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Octonauts Incorrect Quotes

(All quotes are taken from “The Happy Hocky Family” books by Lane Smith)

Shellington: I like to study nature. I have an ant farm.

Shellington: These ants are my RESPONSIBILITY.

Shellington: “RESPONSIBILITY" is a big word. It means my ants count on me to take care of them. For example, today is a very hot day. My ants have no windows to open. How can I help? It is my responsibility.

Shellington: I know how!

Shellington: *removes the lid from the ant farm* My ants count on me to take care of them.

Peso: I have a white coat? Do you have a white coat? I have a white coat.

Peso: I have a SNOWY white coat. I have sno—

*a squid squirts ink at him*

Peso: …

Peso: I have a white hat. Do you have a white hat? I have a white hat.

Kwazii: I am making paper airplanes. SEE the AIRPLANES fly! FLY! FLY! FLY!

…

Kwazii: Tweak has come into the room. She is upset. She can’t find her blueprints.

Kwazii: I think I will go outside to play now.

Shellington: Kwazii is taking his catnap. Poor Kwazii. He is very tired. He is tired from chasing me around all day with a plastic snake. Poor Kwazii. Nap time is good. Nap time is good for Kwazii.

Shellington: Nap time is good for Vegimals too. The Vegimals need a nap. I will play them a lullaby to help them sleep.

Shellington: *plays a loud, dissonant note on his bagpipes, waking Kwazii up*

Kwazii: (explaining to Tunip) We do not skate down the hill. We do not like BROKEN BONES. We always play SAFE.

Kwazii: What does not have bones to break? Isopods do not have bones. LUCKY ISOPOD.

Kwazii: Peso, do you know the story of the MONSTER who comes to STEAL little penguins in the night? He comes into penguins’ bedrooms at twelve midnight.

Kwazii: BIG monster. SCARY monster. BAD monster.

Peso: I will lock the door after you leave.

Kwazii: You don’t have to worry about that, matey.

… the monster only comes in through windows.

Koshi: I have a candy apple. Do you have a candy apple? I have a candy apple.

Koshi: My candy apple is crunchy. Is your candy apple crunchy? My candy apple is CRUNCHY.

*CRACK!*

Koshi: I have a tooth for the Tooth Fairy. Do you have a tooth for the Tooth Fairy? I have a tooth for the Tooth Fairy.

Dashi: I have made a spring bouquet. Pretty bouquet.

Dashi: Uh oh. ITCHY bouquet.

Shellington: Ha ha! You used POISON IVY. Poison ivy has three leaves. Can’t you count to three? It’s easy: 1, 2, 3.

Shellington: (covered in itchy spots) I am MUCH smarter. I have used OAK leaves for mine.

A. Here is the marine iguana.

B. Here is the marine iguana’s BIG belly.

C. Here is where Shellington’s SEAWEED GARDEN used to be.

“In the Antarctic, there are lots of new games to play. This one is called FIND THE GUP-I.”

#octonauts #incorrect quotes #kwazii #peso #dashi #Shellington #tweak #koshi #Tunip #the happy hocky family

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topazadine · 5 months ago

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Because it's my birthday I am going to share 23 random facts about me (that no one cares about except me, I care very much)

1. I was born in Okinawa, Japan. No I'm not Japanese, my mom was an accountant for the Air Force. And no, I don't remember anything about Japan; we moved back when I was six months old. The military broke into our apartment and forced us to leave the country because my mom criticized the Air Force for having religious programming on the government-funded radio station. She wrote a screenplay about it which has sadly never been sold :(

2. I've written over 2 million words of fiction, most of which you can read over on Archive of Our Own.

3. I was named for two typhoons that hit Japan around when I was born (first and middle name). Every year, we used to get horrible insane bad weather around my birthday. After I changed my birth name and kept only one of the typhoon names, we don't get bad weather anymore :)

4. I've lived in 10 different houses and three different time zones over my lifetime.

5. I won a Gilman Scholarship for the most competitive country in the program and got to study abroad in Stirling, Scotland, during undergrad. I got all As in my classes while there, despite the fact that I was dealing with repeated bouts of antispychotic-induced trismus where my jaw would lock open for up to six hours. It was ouchie.

6. Over my lifetime, I have kept dogs, cats, betta fish, koi fish, zebra finches, guinea pigs, hamsters, ferrets, and chickens.

7. My favorite time of year is autumn.

8. Back in the early 2010s, I anonymously pretended to be Darren Criss (from Glee) in random peoples' inboxes, and I was so good at it that there was a theory that I was, indeed, Darren Criss. I eventually had to come clean about it because other people tried to copy me.

9. I also caused a controversy in the Sherlock fandom by Photoshopping Sherlock-related graffiti on a photo of the Baker Street Underground station. People literally thought someone was going around spraypainting the London Tube while I was comfortably at home in my apartment in Chicago.

10. While living in Chicago, I once found an iguana in a tree, in the middle of winter. Poor thing would have died if it was left out any longer. I captured it and gave it to my friend who kept reptiles; the original owner never came forward for it.

11. I have dyscalculia, meaning it's nigh-on impossible for me to do anything other than basic math.

12. Because of my dyscalculia, I can't read sheet music. Despite this, I was in choir and musicals because I had a good singing voice. To get around this, my teachers would give me CDs of the music, and I would learn everything by ear.

13. My first ever fannish hyperfixation was The Beatles. I used to roleplay Beatles RPF with my best friend by passing a notebook around between classes. My character had a whole city in North Carolina named after her, plus a lime green Bugatti Veyron and a mansion. Typical middle schooler power fantasy lmao

14. My favorite animal is the unicorn. Barring mythical creatures, my favorite animal is the cow.

15. I collect music boxes, specifically ones with moving parts. My favorite present anyone has ever given me is a singing bird music box with a little canary that dances while it sings.

16. I also collect vintage luggage. Look, it's a cooler storage system than tote boxes, ok??

17. I have been knitting since I was around 9. My favorite thing to make is socks, and the favorite project I've ever done is a seashell-patterned shawl for my mom.

18. In the summer, I love kayaking; in the winter, I love doing nothing whatsoever. Though I'm tempted to try cross-country skiing, ngl.

19. Last year, I made my first roombox; I'm now working on a three-story dollhouse. I also mod Nendoroids.

20. I've had nearly every hair color, which includes blonde, brunet, black, red, purple, teal, blue, green, and pink. My favorite is green.

21. I have seven tattoos, including the term "Mors ad Raptoribus" written across my chest. I got this one after being sexually assaulted; it means "Death to Rapists" in Latin. The other most important one is a portrait of my late dog Luke.

22. I like all sorts of music, including alt, indie, (some) folk, pop, metal, rap, blues, jazz, and classical. The only music I really don't like is gospel. If you ask me my favorite band, rest assured it'll change in about three weeks.

23. I'm a late bloomer horse girl. I rode a little bit as a child but was too broke to afford regular lessons. Now that I'm an Adult, I go riding once a week and wish I could go more!

Happy birthday to me! And yes, I am always this insufferable about myself on my birthday. Look I get one day a year ok

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damanirealty · 1 year ago

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Luxurious 4 Bedroom Home in Cap Cana with German Aluminum Brand Cortizo Windows, High Quality Andiroba Doors and Cabinets, Pre-Installation of Air Conditioning, CSA Brand Equipped Kitchen, Smart Main Lock and Doorbell Sensor-Controlled Night Lights in Bathrooms. https://damanirealty.net/property/luxury-4-bedroom-4-bathroom-420m²-villa-for-sale-in-las-iguanas-cap-cana Damani Realty! Contact us now via whatsapp: +1 (829) 362-7061 or Call the office +1 809-831-4154 #love #instagood #happy #photooftheday #instagram #design #interiordesign #interior #architecture #home #santodomingo #republicadominicana #santiago #puertorico #rd #follow #model #puntacana #beautiful #bomdia #like #breakfast #fitness #smile #insta #dubai #goodvibes #morning #world #instadaily

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muyactual · 1 year ago

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😮 INVENTOS Geniales que no has visto antes en un TOP 11 [VÍDEO]

En este vídeo os voy a mostrar 11 inventos increíbles que os van a dejar alucinados. Son productos que combinan la tecnología, el diseño y la funcionalidad para resolver problemas cotidianos o mejorar nuestra calidad de vida. Algunos de ellos son tan sorprendentes que parecen sacados de una película de ciencia ficción. Así que no os perdáis este vídeo y seguid viéndolo hasta el final porque os aseguro que os vais a quedar con ganas de más. A continuación los INVENTOS Geniales que no has visto antes en un TOP 11: https://youtu.be/QnhB3tR5wJM Te puede interesar: - 💡 INVENTOS SOPRENDENTES en un TOP 12 - 😮 INVENTOS que vienen del FUTURO en un TOP 12 Índice: - 0:00 Introducción - 0:25 El robot para la construcción The Baubot - 1:21 El organizador de carga para vehículos The BedSlide - 2:11 Los escáneres 3D portátiles The Revopoint Range - 2:58 El sistema de contenedores para líquidos Rotopa X - 3:57 El barco anfibio de lujo The Iguana Commuter - 4:53 El sistema de carga y descarga lateral Unloadplus - 5:51 El sistema de iluminación para bicicletas The Speednite - 6:45 Sistema para transportar motos Risk Racing Lock-N-Load Pro - 7:39 La cartera de cuero y acero inoxidable Trayvax Element Wallet - 8:21 El sistema de protección para todoterrenos ARB Under Vehicle Protection - 9:07 Limpieza de ventanas y fachadas de edificios con Skyline Robotics Read the full article

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prozesa · 1 year ago

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😮 INVENTOS Geniales que no has visto antes en un TOP 11 [VÍDEO]

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ultra-maha-us · 1 year ago

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Iguana Pets - Tips on Choosing the Iguana Enclosure

Meanwhile your iguana pet is young, you can support it in an aquarium or a small terrarium, since it will be comfortable there until it grows up. Also while they are small, the green iguanas remain in the soil and not so much in the trees.

This way you have some time to be planning his definitive cage. The most usual thing is a wooden iguana enclosure, with one or more of the sides filled with hen-house wire, or a synthetic transparent material that allow a good visibility. Also it is possible to use glass, which is easy to clean and remains nice, but it is weighed and fragile at the time of installing it. The wire allows to escape the heat and if it is not tightened well it is possible to deform, but your iguana pet will love it because it offers them a good surface to climb and also it allows good ventilation on the iguana enclosure. You will have to choose the material most adapted according to the temperature of your house.

The Size:

The rule of dump here is always; the bigger, the better, period. It is necessary to bear in mind that iguana pets need big vertical space because they spend most of the time climbed trunks or platforms. It is recommended to be as high as the length of the iguana (including the tail) or more, the length must be 1 ½ the body of the iguana and the breadth, than 2/3 of the length iguana removal near me of the iguana. This type of cage can be located against the wall of a room and does not occupy so much floor space. With these measurements the iguana has place like to walk, to turn round and to climb.

Now it is necessary to give him a surface to climb. You can use thick sloping branches or ramps and some shelves in the end so that the iguana could rest there. Cover them with carpet of synthetic lawn so that it has where to stick with his fingernails, taking care that there do not stay free threads that could get entangled in the paws and hurt them. Another practical option and that remains nice is to wrap the branches or ramps with thick cords and them to adhere well so that they could not come undone and turn out to be dangerous. The iguanas usually spend most of the time climbed these high places, so it can be useful to locate there the heat source, but have the precaution of putting it out of his scope so that it could not burn himself.

The Substratum:

It is convenient to avoid any substratum that is loose, as sawdust, sand or gravel, since the iguana can be consumed and to cause intestinal obstructions. You can use any type of paper role without ink; this one is not very attractive, but it is replaced easily when dirty and is cheap. Also, you could used synthetic carpet, which remains nicer. A way of keeping it clean is to cover the surface with squares of carpet, this way when one gets dirty, you withdraw it and change it into other while you disinfect the one that you removed. You can use lye (to dilute a part for every water ten) having the precaution of clarifying it very well then. If the cage of your iguana is very big you can use chips of wood (not neither pine nor cedar, since they can be poisonous) on the soil. As the iguanas spend almost all the time in height they will only go down to defecate on short periods. In their wild habitat, the iguanas live on the sand without problems, but in captivity they tend to consume the material of the substratum because they are bored and locked up. Independently of the substratum that you choose, it is very important that you keep it clean and dry. The animals that live in a dirty ambiance have many more chances that any small skin wound becomes infected and to develop painful abscesses or blister disease.

Several people leave their iguanas pets free roaming around the house during part of the day. This alternative is good so they realize more exercise and so that they amuse themselves in a bigger and varied environment than the iguana enclosure. What it is necessary to bear in mind is that the whole place where they circulate is to the suitable temperature and that there are no plants or objects that could be dangerous. Also the iguanas usually do not learn to defecate in a salver, for what it is possible that you may have to clean the room after releasing it. The dregs of iguana can leave spots that they do not come out of the cloths. It is very important that you disinfect well the place where it has defecated, so if you do not do it, dangerous bacteria can develop (salmonella). If you like your iguana walking around the house (free roaming), you can re-decorate the room with some branches so that it climbs and to place a lamp on them so that it get heat. This way you will prevent from rising to the furniture and from damaging them with his claws.

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jthurlow · 6 years ago

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Lock No. 1 North New River Canal, Yesterday and Today

~Lock No. 1 is located at 6521 FL 84, Davie, FL 33317, was used until 1912, placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. It is also known as the Sewell Lock (architect) and the Broward Memorial Lock (https://dos.myflorida.com/florida-facts/florida-history/florida-governors/napoleon-bonaparte-broward/)

Historic Lock No. 1 New River Canal, with “new structure” in background, photo…

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noandpickles · 3 years ago

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I have no idea how to describe what just happened in our D&D game.

1. We killed a vampire.

2. We went for drinks to celebrate.

3. We got into a drinking contest with someone who is immune to alcohol.

4. I turned into a horse.

That’s all we really remember. Pretty much everything from this point is pieced together from the next morning.

5. @ihatepickinghandles got tangled in her own rope trying to lasso horse-me, shoved 20 skeletons into her bed, labelled them “IMPORTANT: Bonononononone”, and passed out.

6. Our kobold rogue gave 200 gold to “the one true god” (no idea who that is, I’m assuming it was a large iguana), passed out on a rooftop, and woke up hanging from the eaves by his clothes.

7. @onceuponalemma locked themselves in an outhouse and struggled to diagram the human digestive system on the walls in their own blood, presumably in the continued effort to figure out how to vomit.

8. @dragonwolfe22 started a cult. Don’t know how else to describe that one. Woke up surrounded by chanting cloaked figures who proclaimed things like “The Dark Lord arises!” He promised to return “At dawn on the third day, or sooner, depending.”

9. @trans-mando saw a big fish and tried to cuddle it. Woke up under the docks, holding a dead fish, wrapped in sea weed, being slowly digested by two sea urchins.

10. I woke up in a perfectly normal bed, in a perfectly normal house, butt-fucking-naked, lying next to the guy we came to town to find. It’s unclear so far whether I was still a horse when that... happened.

#dungeons and dragons #dnd #d&d #dungeons & dragons #dnd 5e

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yourfriendlyneighbourhoodpsycho · 4 years ago

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Ok so my P&F AU is called Safe Haven.

So this AU breaks from canon way back when Heinz ran away to live with the ocelots. Robert, in the fear of being the only child left in his house, went out to find his brother himself. When he found his brother he ran to him in relief, mama ocelot tried to attack. Heinz of protected his brother. And they grew closer from there.

At 16 a certain organization took notice of Heinz's inventing capabilities. They offered to give him an education and move him and Robert to America, in exchange Heinz would work for them. He agreed without a second thought. Neither brother has spoken to their family in the old country since.

Although the brothers were always in each other's pockets, Heinz was able to find a friend in a boy named Harris Flynn at college. He even set him up with failed date named Linda. Where he found love in Charlene Poofenplotz, a who could understand him disconnect from his parents, having legally divorced her own. The two couples moved in next door to each other. Even naming the other couple godparents of thier children.

Until Harris died in an accident caused by a failed invention before Phineas was born. Even thought Linda and Candace didn't blame him for Harris' death, Heinz couldn't help but think about how a kill switch could have saved them all this pain. And his survivors guilt proved to be the last straw in his fading marriage. He still won full custody, though that might have to do with Charlene moving to New York.

He runs a beloved bakery and the neighborhood kids referring to him as uncle Heinz. Don't he also keep his promise to work for the OWCA. Let's see Norm was born at the end of their marriage. Like this man has two kids, three jobs, and a double life. Somebody save this man from himself. Robert got him a pet ocelot but it didn't help. Oh wait, Linda's remarried and the family includes and uncle Perry. Oh and his new step-nephew, Buford, thanks Robby.

When Heinz goes down to his lab to relax as Dr.D, OWCA's best inventor, he sees it has been extended to understand the Flynn-Fletcher's home as well and a confused agent. "Oh Heinz I forgot to mention a transfer agent is moving in next door. Meet agent P. Do you know sign language?".

Fast forward about three years and Heinz has strong armed Professor Mystery into being an informant. He's is also tempted to lock him and Peter in a room together or just smash their faces together. Oh, junior agents Vanessa the Vampire bat and Candace the Canary have officially been assigned a mentor.

Two later and Norm, Phineas, and Ferb have taken it upon themselves to help Heinz with his inventing. "Boys, I have Pinky and Miggs to help." Isabella has called dibs on the code name iguana when she joins. You better watch out Perry she's coming for your #1 agent spot, but don't forget her invitation to you and uncle Heinz's wedding.

Feel free to ask me about this AU.

#phineas flynn #phineas and ferb #candace flynn #ferb fletcher #heinz doofenshmirtz #vanessa doofenshmirtz #Robert Doofenshmirtz #perry the platypus #pnf #perryshmirtz #professor mystery #peter the panda #Panda shrine #isabella garcia shapiro

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daretosnoop · 3 years ago

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Chapter 3: The Secret Room

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Once outside, Nancy gave Renee her chocolate and returned her key. She then walked around the small garden towards the gates that led to the cemetery. Following Henry’s instructions, Nancy eventually spotted the top of the mausoleum. She approached the mausoleum door but they were locked. Looking around the front, she saw the same crow engraving from the paper on the lower left. Along the bottom of the mausoleum were four different designs, a crow, bones, a worm, and a coffin. Odd. Then again, everything that happened so far had been eerie. Nancy placed her paper over each engraving and rubbed the image onto it. She quickly placed the papers back into her coat and hurried back towards the Bolet manor.

Once inside and back at the model mausoleum, Nancy put the engravings into each slot. She heard a click and the mausoleum roof opened to reveal a key. Now where do you go? Then she understood. This was clearly the key for the mausoleum. Pocketing the key, she hurried back towards the study. As she left through the doors, she noticed Henry was not at his desk.

As Nancy approached the mausoleum she could hear muffled sobs. It was Henry! He was, sobbing? Henry was down on his knees and letting out a torrent of tears. Nancy tried to mask her presence but it was too late. Henry heard her boots approaching. He snapped his head towards her direction. They locked eyes. His stunned expression mirrored Nancy’s, but before she could call out to him, Henry jolted up and ran away, the rain quickly masking his figure.

Nancy never knew how to comfort people. She understood grief, but others always found her advice to be too hard to swallow. Henry was clearly hurting more about his uncle’s death then he let on, but Nancy didn’t know what to say to comfort him. Move on? That’s what she did when her mother died. At least, her father never mentioned Nancy having any issues moving on from her mother’s death. Life went on, and she moved with it. Considering Henry’s testy nature, Nancy thought it was best to carry on like she never saw him.

She eagerly unlocked the mausoleum door, anticipating what she would find inside. Silence greeted her. Leaving the door open, Nancy walked through the small interior. She noticed every coffin had a stone marker with the name Bolet. So, this is the Bolet family’s private burial ground. She looked towards the more recent deaths, but Bruno Bolet was not there. There were, however, two other names with the same death date. Henry mentioned his parents died in a car crash. Marianne and Claude Bolet. Now it made sense why Henry was crying out here, alone. Not knowing what else to do, Nancy simply placed her hand on the stone markers and listened to the rain.

From her periphery, Nancy noticed a rolled parchment on the right-hand side of the mausoleum. She picked it up and unrolled it. Two figures stared back at her. A woman with lush brown hair gazed forward. Her eyes stared down at the beholder and a Cheshire smile laced her lips, as if she knew something they didn’t. Her arms were wrapped around a man. He was shorter than her and looked rather plain were it not for the smile on his face and his eyes which were affixed upon his wife. Charming couple, must be Henry’s parents. Then Nancy noticed that Marianne was holding an umbrella in her hand. She smiled. Of course. The kookiness of this family was quickly growing on her.

Nancy tucked the painting within her trench coat and headed back towards the manor. Upon entering she saw that Henry was back at his desk with a dry shirt. He very pointedly refused to acknowledge Nancy and she moved towards the living room. She took down the empty frame, attached the painting of Henry’s parent’s, and placed it back on the wall. Now what? Since each Bolet was holding an object, Nancy was sure that they were clues to something. She sighed. She would have to ask Henry, if he knew anything, and if he was even willing to talk to her.

Bracing herself, Nancy slowly slinked back into the study room. If Henry heard her, he did not give any indication. She moved closer towards the bookcases, thinking of something to say that would allow her to ask Henry about his family. Good god, Nancy, just ask him outright! The worst he can say is no! Or he could throw her out of the house. She leaned against a book shelf and was about to address him when she heard noises coming from the bookshelf. Looking up, she noticed that the stuffed iguana had moved!

The not-stuffed iguana leaped away from the bookshelf, knocking over a crate of books and scurried quickly out of sight. Henry swiveled around from the commotion but Nancy saw that he was not mad. In fact, there was a glint of humour in his eyes and he looked like he was suppressing a chuckle.

“What was that?” Nancy asked.

“That was uncle Bruno’s pet iguana, Iggy. He’s always in here stealing paper. Must be using it to build a nest or something”.

“An iguana! Keen!”

Henry shrugged as his face fell back into a scowl. “Hey, look. I had all those books arranged so they fit perfectly. Could you put them back please? I don’t have time”.

Nancy looked up and saw that Henry had his cell in one hand.

“Sure”.

“Groovy”.

Henry turned around and initiated a call with someone. Nancy eavesdropped for a bit, but there was nothing important. She turned towards the books and started to place them back. Once done, she noticed that one of the books was written by an old acquaintance. Beatrice Hotchkiss, professor of French history. She wrote a famous book on Marie Antoinette based the journal Nancy uncovered when she vacationed in Wisconsin. Looks like she wrote another book. The Crystal Skull: Fact of Fable? Strange, not related to French history. It must have been the result of professor Hotchkiss’s side research. The woman was a genius and always had some side project going on. Nancy opened it and saw a number near Hotchkiss’s name.

Flipping through the book she read about the theory and histories behind the legendary crystal skulls. They came from the Mayans and were made of a single pure crystal quartz. However, the skull’s histories enveloped a vast array of cultures. Some Indigenous communities claimed there to be 13 skulls total, and when united, they would reveal all the secrets of the universe to mankind. Some argued that the skulls came from Atlantis, and others believed the skulls contained some power and would give its owner anything from telekinesis to invisibility. One skull in particular, “The Whisperer” was reputed to give its owner immortality. It had a history of belonging only to owners who did not die of natural causes. Nancy sighed. There was being eccentric, and then there was poppycock. Still, she knew professor Hotchkiss would not write on something that did not have some irrefutable evidence.

As she closed the book, a piece of paper fell out. It had letters randomly spaced out on it. Three letters at the top and four at the bottom. Nancy recognized that the position of the letters matched the position of the photo frames. Perhaps the letters tell me where to place the photos! She hurried back to the living room and was pleased to see that her theory was correct. Each object a family member held corroborated with a letter. Arranging the pictures like the letters, Nancy heard the noise of a door unlocking behind her. She turned and noticed that a portion of the wall opened up. A secret passage way!

Nancy eagerly walked into the secret room and up the stairs. There was a door and it was locked. Rats. She looked at the lock, hoping that maybe she could use a paperclip. Instead there was a metal etching of a spider web with dashes coming out in various locations. I’m guessing that this Bruno Bolet foul proofed the door from blindly breaking in. It was another dead end, for now. Nancy pulled out her phone and took a picture of the lock. Walking back down slowly, Nancy heard noises coming from Bruno’s study. Leaning closer to the wall, she could hear Henry’s voice. He was arguing with someone.

“Aw c’mon Summer! Give me a break! You never said anything about that!” Henry paused listening to Summer’s response. “Well, how was I supposed to know? I mean, what am I? Telepathic? No. No. C’mon Summer. Don’t get upset! Look, I’ll see what I can do, okay?”

There was a silence as Henry listened to Summer’s reply.

“What do you mean ‘something else’? You gotta be kidding me, Summer. I don’t have that kind of money!”

Summer must have said something harsh because Henry quickly changed his tone.

“No. No. I meant, I don’t have it now, but I will soon. Okay? Bye”.

Conversation over, Nancy heard Henry toss his cell onto the table and groan.

Yikes, Nancy thought. On top of a dead uncle, Henry seemed to be having major issues with this Summer person. Has this guy ever been able to catch a break? No wonder why he was grumpy all the time.

As she reached the wall-door, Nancy noticed a spyglass built into the wall. Curious she peered through and saw the study again. Or rather, a specific shelf within the study. There was a zoom button and moving the cursor, Nancy caught the sight of a book, The Eye of the Beholder. Keeping it in the back of her mind, Nancy went out to talk to Henry.

When she entered the study, Nancy saw Henry looking towards the double doors that marked the entrance to the garden. He had a hand on his cheek and a vacant expression on his face.

“Want me to open the door for some fresh air?”

“No,” came a quiet response. Henry didn’t turn towards her.

Nancy tried again.

“I need to ask you some questions”.

Slowly Henry unfolded from his position and turned to face her. He looked exhausted.

“And what is it you need?” Henry asked in a tone that implied Nancy’s request was not something he wanted.

“I need to ask you about your uncle Bruno”.

Henry made a gesture with his hand for Nancy to continue.

“Okay, look, I know this is going to sound like nonsense, but I’m not losing my mind when I say what I’m about to say, okay?”

Henry gave her a puzzled look, then nodded softly.

“What can you tell me about your uncle?”

Henry shrugged. “Not much more than what I told you”.

“Well, you mentioned he was eccentric”.

“Yep”.

“And this manor isn’t exactly what you would call normal”.

Henry rolled his eyes and gave a small smile.

“Tell me about it. But that’s just your perspective”.

This was interesting to hear. Nancy titled her head and asked, “You find the manor normal?”

“Look at me,” Henry said gesturing to himself. “I fit right in.”

“Well, you are a Bolet”.

Henry stiffened at Nancy’s response. “Doesn’t really mean much. The family name and its meaning left me the day my parent’s died. Now Bolet just means something else”.

Nancy wanted to ask what it meant to Henry, but Henry, despite his firm appearance, looked like he wanted to cry.

“Right sorry, getting off topic. Well, you see, your uncle’s eccentric behaviour, well,” Nancy hesitated. She didn’t really know how to explain it to Henry. It wasn’t unusual in her line of work to stumble across locks and odd clues, but it was rare to see them so intentionally placed.

“I think your uncle is hiding something”.

“What?” Henry asked.

“I don’t know what or why, but your uncle’s eccentricities have a pattern. There are all sorts of wacky locks around the house and they each lead to a clue and another lock. I think your uncle was hiding something from someone”.

“My uncle?” Henry asked.

“Yep”

“Hiding something?”

“Oh ya”.

“And you’re sure your head’s not hurting right now? Cause I think you’ve got a concussion coming on”.

Nancy rolled her eyes.

“I know it sounds mad, but I’m telling you the truth. I can even show you”.

“Look, it’s getting late. Why don’t you just let this go? Whatever my uncle was hiding is not important now. He’s dead, so whatever he’s hiding is not worth anything anymore. Just go on back home and enjoy your vacation”.

Annoyance flared through Nancy.

“It does matter! It does matter Henry Bolet! I don’t know anything about your uncle or the Bolet family but there is clearly something important being kept secret here! Something someone wants desperately. I did not make up that skeleton figure, and if they were willing to attack me for whatever your uncle has, think of what they will do to you, to Renee! You cannot just ignore it!”

“Oh I can ignore it, just like my uncle ignored me”.

“This isn’t about you or your uncle. This is about something bigger. I don’t know what, but if you ignore it… I don’t know, but something’s just not right and in my experience that usually means trouble”.

Henry sighed and Nancy tried to again.

“Please. Just let me show you what I know. If you don’t find any of it intriguing, I’ll go”.

Henry got up and walked over to Nancy.

“Alright, lead the way”.

Nancy led him to the living room, explaining all her work and deductions up till now. She pointed to the mausoleum and pulled out the key it hid from her trench coat. She then pointed to the portrait of Henry’s parents and explained the order that unlocked the secret passage door. She led him up the stairs and pointed to the lock.

“I don’t suppose you know how to unlock this?” she asked. She was about to say more, about to delve deeper into her theories on what might be going on and further steps, but when she looked back at Henry, the man looked pale. He stumbled out of the passageway and melted onto a living room sofa.

They were endless in their onslaught. While the whispers didn’t give Henry any pain, they were distracting, making it difficult to do anything but listen. They repeated so many phrases to Henry as he tried to work. It didn’t help that there was now another person in the house. While Nancy ran about chasing some skull man, the whispers chased Henry with words.

Garden…skull…man…garden…bury…garden…look…her…spider.

At one point he gave into the voice and went out to the garden. They grew eager and urged him here and there till he found himself at the vulture shrine again. Bury…bury…bury.

“I can’t,” Henry exclaimed to the air, then realized what he had just done. Mad as he seemed to be, the words had their effect and the whispers quieted down. Enjoying the silence, he walked towards the cemetery gates, entered, and wandered around. Even after seventeen years, the paths were familiar. Henry remembered roaming around as an eight-year old. Uncle Bruno gave him free run of the place, for the most part, and a despondent, lonely Henry sought friends in the afterlife. He knew exactly where his legs were heading, the same legs that stumbled upon a solitary mausoleum as a boy. The door was open and when little Henry stepped inside, he saw his uncle yelling at the Bolet engravings, before collapsing in a sobbing heap. Now at twenty-five, the mausoleum stood tall and alone. Henry tried the door, but it was locked. Of course it was locked. When eight-year-old Henry ran away from his crying uncle, the Bolet mausoleum shut Henry out. The ominous building with its locked doors made its message clear, you do not belong here.

“So then where do I belong?” Henry cried out, stupidly to the rain. He collapsed onto the ground and felt warm rain run down his cheeks. No one responded. Even the rain became muffled. So Henry sobbed a thousand apologies though the recipients were long gone and forgotten. He didn’t know how long he sat there, but soon the pitter patter of the rain turned into the clicking of boots and Henry shot his head up to see a woman in a trench coat—Nancy Drew. Sound returned and Henry realized where he was and how he must have looked. The whispers came back.

Skull…man…skull…find…woman…garden…woman…spider.

Henry scrambled to his feet and dashed away. When he got back into the house, he changed his clothes and did his best to ignore Nancy. She, thankfully, didn’t bring up what she saw. But the whispers continued, and when Nancy returned, when she explained her convoluted theories, when she ushered Henry towards the living room and explained her madness, when Henry saw the door to the secret passage way open, when he saw the spider on the lock, he knew deep down that she was right. Bruno Bolet knew something and these whispers were determined he faced his uncle head on.

“Like I said, I’m pretty sure your uncle was hiding something. Trust me, in my experience people don’t make secret rooms if there wasn’t something to keep secret”.

Nancy continued to pace back and forth, lost in thought as theories spilled out of her. Initially, Henry just pressed his fingers to his nose and listened to her ramble. When he had the energy, he looked up and noticed that Nancy was soaking wet. The rugs are going to need cleaning now. Thankfully, most of the house was hardwood flooring. Henry glanced at his phone. 9:45 p.m. He looked back at Nancy, but she did not seem to be stopping any time soon.

“Henry, I think I need to call professor Hotchkiss. Your uncle seemed to have her number, at least, I think it’s her number. But she might know what’s going on”.

Nancy whirled towards him, eyes bright.

“So, what can you tell me about your family?”

“I already told you, I don’t know anything.”

“No,” Nancy countered. “You said you knew nothing about your uncle. You didn’t mention your family”.

“What’s the difference? I really know nothing”.

“Nothing at all?” Nancy’s voiced dropped as despair creeped in. Her eyes dimmed as she slowly slipped back into thought. Watching her, Henry felt his stomach clench. He searched the recesses of his mind for any scrap of memory, anything that might be of use for her.

“All I know from my parents is that the Bolet’s are an old family, synonymous with New Orleans”.

Nancy did not react and Henry dug further into his memories. It was hard to remember the things you did with your parents when you were young. The world mainly revolved around you. But memories had the ability to preserve expressions. Faces and reactions that you can only explore as an adult.

“My father, he always became sober when he had to return to the family manor. We didn’t live here, so you can imagine my surprise at hearing manor and seeing a bungalow when I came here at eight. My father was a very happy man, especially when my mother was around. He would,” Henry cracked a smile. “He would just light up and the whole room turned bright. Everyone felt the warmth. He usually went to the manor by himself. Mom was busy in the lab, so dad had to go by himself”.

Henry looked up and saw Nancy stare at him pensively. Unable to stand her fixed attention on him, he looked towards his phone.

“It’s getting late,” he started.

“So let me get this straight,” Nancy cut in. “Your uncle dies and it seems he’s designed some locks around the house. Your dad always comes here alone. Your family is wrapped up in the history of New Orleans and no one questions this or tries to change it. And now, a skeleton man appears. Henry,” she suddenly said and her voice dropped. “Is your family running a cult?”

“What,” Henry exclaimed. He jolted up from the sofa and placed his hands on his hips.

“Of all the— “

“I know it sounds weird, but think about it. All I know is that something is being hidden here and everyone respects the Bolets. What other conclusions would you come to?”

“Well,” Henry ran his fingers through his hair. “I wouldn’t immediately jump to cult. What would make you think that?”

Nancy looked away, a little bashful.

“Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been a houseith a secret”.

The stood together in silence for a while until Nancy asked him whether he believed her.

“Frankly, the cult theory sounds rubbish”. His eyes darted towards Nancy but she just gave him a small smile, prompting him to continue. “But, there might be something uncle Bruno was hiding”.

“So,” Nancy began, a smile growing on her face. “Want to help me find out what it might be?”

Henry was taken aback by her smile. He was reluctant to admit that the idea of searching through Bruno’s junk for some treasure was appealing. It didn’t help that Nancy’s smile seemed so mischievous, as is she knew he would find her offer more appealing than the piles of paper that sat on Bruno’s desk. At the thought of the work that awaited him, Henry scowled and shook his head.

“No. I already have enough to do”. He took a deep breath. “It’s getting late,” he started again.

This time Nancy got the hint. She didn’t want to go and was quite ready to stay up the whole night figuring out this case, but she couldn’t well do that in someone else’s house. Darn social politeness! But, if she left now, who knows what would happen tomorrow, or whether even Henry would let her investigate.

“The rain and power outage have most taxi services out of order. I don’t know if you’ll get a cab. You’re going to have to spend the night here”.

Nancy looked at Henry, appalled.

“Don’t worry,” Henry rushed to assure her. “We’ve got plenty of food, blankets, and room. So, it might put a damper on your vacation plans, but you can go back in the morning. I would drop you myself but”.

Henry didn’t finish his sentence and his throat clenched.

“Thank you Henry!” Nancy exclaimed. “You’re a great friend”.

Friend? They barely knew each other.

“Oh we’re going to have so much fun! I tell the best stories, all my friends say so,” Nancy rambled again and Henry looked at her confused.

“We’re not kids. This isn’t a sleepover”.

“Come on Henry, live a little. It’ll be fun”.

Henry just sighed.

“Groovy”.

#nancy drew #CRY #Legend of the Crystal Skull #henry bolet

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thestayway90 · 4 years ago

Text

Unexpected Attachment: Chapter 1 - Stray Kids Imagine

Author: thestayway90

WC: 2385

Warnings: None

Characters: Stray Kids OT8, OFC/Reader, OFC/Reader’s Older Brother

Summary: Setting up the story, introducing the characters. OFC/Reader meets some of the Kids... if you can get through this chapter it’ll be a lot more exciting in the next one I promise!!!

Author’s Note: Hello all! This is my first attempt at a Stray Kids Fic so I hope you all enjoy...

Not 100% sure where this is going (I have a plan but we’ll see) but it will eventually be a OFC/Reader x Felix Relationship (coz I am whipped for that boy).

I would love any and all feedback including criticisms and ways you think I can improve!!!

Enjoy lovelies <3

You certainly didn’t expect to wake up with an iguana staring you in the face. But after two months of living with your brother, it really shouldn’t be a surprise you anymore.

You glared at the unfamiliar creature digging in its tiny nails but its only response was to blink lazily back at you, unfazed by your thunderous expression.

“Joshua!” you yelled, startling Tink from underneath the bed, the white ferret streaking for freedom as Josh appeared in the doorway.

“Oh, whoops, sorry,” Josh said as he quickly plucked the green reptile off of the bedspread. “I was wondering where Dewey had got too.” He smiled widely, stroking the placid Iguana on the head.

You sighed and sat up, stretching slightly, questioning, “Dewey? Another rescue?”

Josh glanced up guiltily. “You should have seen how they were keeping him?” He replied, placing the reptile on the floor where the green creature started making his slow way down the hallway, Tink following it curiously. “Made me pay them an arm and a leg, though.” Josh commented ruefully as you hopped out of bed.

“Well luckily you just got promoted then. More money to rescue all the poor neglected animals of Seoul,” you told him cheerfully, patting his cheek as you walked past on your way to the bathroom.

You immediately cursed, tripping over an orange streak that suddenly darted towards your legs, swiping at your ankles before disappearing in a blur of motion. “Toast!” you hollered, hopping on one leg, rubbing the injured ankle. “I’m going to cook you in the fryer, cat!” you threatened the empty air, stomping towards your original destination.

“180 degrees for 20 minutes should do it,” you muttered under my breath, closing the bathroom door behind you. “Just enough for nice crispy Toast.”

It wasn’t until you had already sat down on the toilet that the feeling of being watched prickled the back of your neck. You looked up and in the gloom between the top of the medicine cabinet and the ceiling were two glowing eyes.

You gave a small shriek of surprise and then giggled at your stupidity. “Hey Meatball,” you said, as the large fluff ball ignored your greeting, curling up and turning his back to you until he was barely visible.

Shaking your head and muttering about pedantic animals, you made your way down to the kitchen.

“Honestly Josh,” you said as you plopped down on one of the stools, grabbing the cup of coffee he offered gratefully. “We should start selling tickets. Come and see the miraculous menagerie squished into a tiny apartment in the middle of downtown Seoul.”

Josh raised his eyebrows at your tone and then smiled wickedly. “Toast get you again?”

“Seriously that cat is the devil itself,” you moaned, reaching down to rub your poorly abused ankle.

Josh burst out laughing, no sympathy in your feud with the tiny orange tabby. “Whats that 3 to 1? You need to work on your ninja skills.”

“Talking of ninja skills, don’t you have to go?” you pointed to the time displayed on the microwave clock, making Josh swear and quickly grab his jacket, a piece of toast still hanging halfway out of his mouth.

“Can you put Dewey in the tank for me,” Josh shouted over his shoulder as he grabbed his bag and raced out the front door.

“Yep. Have a good day at work,” you yelled after him and received a muffled, ‘Love You’, as the door shut behind him.

It took you fifteen minutes to find the elusive reptile, leaving only five minutes for you to quickly throw on some clothes and get half way presentable before your online class.

An hour later you leant back in your chair, rubbing your temples, glad that there wasn’t another class until later in the afternoon.

You were just contemplating whether to start on one of your many assignments or not when a familiar ring echoed through the kitchen. You searched confused until you located Josh’s phone that had somehow got wedged underneath a bag of cat food.

The number flashing on the screen was labeled ‘Work’ and guessing who it was you picked up, bringing the device up to your ear.

“Why, hello!” you answered, smiling as a familiar voice echoed through the speaker.

“I forgot my phone...” Josh’s wail made your smile widen.

“Uh huh, I noticed,” you responded unhelpfully, digging Tink out from a cupboard he’d worked his way into.

“Can you bring it to me, please please pretty please!” Josh begged. “I can’t leave right now and I really need it!”

You made him suffer just a little, staying silent while placing Tink in his escape-proof enclosure.

Finally you agreed, “Of course. I’ll be there in ten.”

“Thank you, thank you Nugget,” Josh sighed in relief, using your childhood nickname in his gratitude.

“Okay, see you soon.” You hung up and grabbed your shoes and keys, making sure all the gremlins were safely locked away, before exiting the apartment.

You walked the ten minutes to Josh’s work, enjoying the blue skies and stunning weather while strolling briskly.

You arrived at your destination and tilted your neck backwards to read the large JYP displayed prominently on the side of the towering skyscraper that Josh worked in.

You entered through the lobby, approaching the receptionist while Security Guards eyed you with mistrust, alert for any suspicious behaviour.

Luckily you recognised the receptionist from the few times you had accompanied Josh to work, flashing her a wide smile as you came to a stop in front of her.

“Hello again, love,” she greeted you in heavily accented English. “Are you here to see Joshua?”

You held up your brothers phone with a rueful smile. “He forgot this and asked if I could bring it to him.”

“He’s probably only the fifth floor,” she said helpfully, signalling to Security to let you through.

“Thank you,” you told her gratefully, walking through the security turnstile that the Guard pushed open.

You crossed to the elevator and pressed the button, happy when one opened immediately. Once inside, you pushed the button for the fifth floor, watching the numbers tick over until the doors chimed loudly.

Stepping out into the hallway, you stood awkwardly for a few minutes, trying to decide where to look first.

A door opened to your right, raucous noise echoing into the corridor as a guy backed into the hallway, talking loudly and making faces at those still inside.

He turned and jumped when he saw you standing behind him, clearly startled, hands flying up under his chin, arms hugging close to his body as his eyes went impossibly round.

“Ah, hi... sorry,” you said apologetically, feeling the need to explain your presence. “I’m looking for Josh, Joshua. Do you know where he is by any chance?” You asked hopefully.

The guy immediately relaxed and smiled widely, cheeks dimpling adorably. “You must be his sister!” He exclaimed happily in a slight American accent, beckoning you towards him. “He’s in here actually.” He turned back to the room he had exited, holding the door open for you to pass by.

You slipped through the doorway and was greeted by three pairs of eyes, startled by an intruder into their space.

Josh’s expression quickly turned from surprise to glee as he jumped from his seat to wrap his arms around you in a tight hug. You held his phone out towards him, staring around at the room surrounding you.

It was a music studio, electrical equipment made up of a complicated mess of knobs, dials and switches covering a huge desk to one side under a window looking into a recording booth. The walls were clad in some type of soundproofing material and there was a large comfy looking couch accompanied by two office chairs.

“You’re a life saver,” Josh said gratefully, pocketing the precious device, as you switched your attention to the other occupants of the room. Noticing your gaze Josh quickly gave out introductions.

“This is Han.” He pointed to the kind boy who had shown you where to go.

“Chan.” The boy with the shock of red hair smiled lopsidedly and nodded his head amicably your way.

“And Changbin.” The last boy looked serious until he gave a very wide smile, lighting up his entire face, making you unconsciously smile in return.

“Guys, this is my sister.” Josh finished, his tone brimming with pride, as he squeezed your arm lightly.

“Nice to meet you,” Chan said his familiar Aussie accent immediately putting you at ease. “We’ve heard a lot about you from Josh.”

A blush immediately started staining your cheeks, wondering exactly how much your brother had told them in the short weeks he had been working with the k-pop boy group.

“I was just about to get some coffees. Do you want one?” Han was still hovering in the doorway, with an expectant expression.

You immediately started shaking your head. “You guys look busy. I should get going!” You took one step towards the door before Han blocked you, hands waving in the air.

“We’re not busy. We’re actually taking a break. Do you like milk? Sugar?”

You smiled ruefully at the persistent man. “I’ll take it black with two sugars please.”

His face lit up with genuine joy and he ducked out the door, humming as he went.

You turned back to the remaining occupants of the room. Chan patted the empty seat beside him, presumably Hans one he had abandoned in search of caffeine.

You sat, twisting side to side in the spinning office chair, as Josh took his place on the couch on the opposite side to Changbin.

“So....” Chan drew out the syllable, his intense eyes focused on you. “We heard you’re studying to become a Social Worker? How is that going?”

“Uh, not too bad. It’s all online which is good coz I don’t have to get out of my pyjamas most days but it’s also terrible coz I have no self-motivation or control so usually end up scrambling to finish my assignments thirty minutes before it’s due!” All three boys laughed and you smiled at the welcome sound.

“Is the course through a Korean University?” Changbin questioned curiously, his English thickly accented.

You shook my head. “No, it’s through a Uni back home in Australia, thank goodness.”

All three boys eyebrows raised at the last sentiment, questioning your relief.

You quickly held up your hands, trying to wave off the misunderstanding. “No, I don’t mean that a Korean course wouldn’t be just as good or better, just that my Korean is so terrible that I would struggle even more than I am now!” You tried to explain emphatically.

Understanding dawned on their expressions and Changbin gave a small chuckle.

“You’re Korean’s that bad huh?”

You grimaced and then said, “Eotteohge saeng-gaghaseyo?”

Chan and Josh both burst out laughing, and Changbin tried to hide a smirk but failed miserably.

“It’s not the worst I’ve ever heard,” the kind rapper commented, trying to save your feelings.

“She’s been working hard on it,” Josh felt the need to interject. “She’s only been learning for two months since she came to live with me.”

The two k-pop idols turned their gaze towards you, expressions now impressed.

“Very good,” Chan complimented encouragingly.

The door opened and Han struggled through, balancing two cup holders full of cups.

Josh immediately jumped up and grabbed one off of him, the younger guy smiling at him gratefully. “Thank you, Maenijeo.”

“I’m still not used to that,” Josh admitted, as Han quickly distributed the coffees to their rightful owners.

“You deserve it,” Chan told him, as Josh and Han sat back down on the couch, squishing together a little next to Changbin. “We were over the moon when they told us you’d be our new Manager. I was just glad for the extra help with producing.”

Josh blushed a little at the praise from the Leader, twisting his fingers round the cup in his hand. You beamed with pride at him, knowing how hard he had worked to get where he was.

Aware that Josh was probably getting a little uncomfortable being the centre of attention you turned to Chan, asking, “What are you working on?” And then belatedly realising, “Although you probably can’t tell me, I guess.”

“Actually Josh was just telling us about some ideas he has for our new music.” Chan nodded his head towards your brother, making him blush even further, undermining your attempt to change the subject.

The boys started chatting about music, most of the technical stuff going over your head, but you enjoyed watching the four boys talk so animatedly about something they were clearly all passionate about.

Eventually you sighed, checking your watch and groaning as you noticed the time.

“I have to go,” you told the others regretfully. “I have an assignment to start before my next class.”

The three boys protested but Josh pointed out that they too had work that needed to be done.

You said your goodbyes, promising to return and visit the three boys you’d somehow become friends with.

Josh gave you a tight hug and offered to walk you out but you immediately declined, knowing how busy he and the boys were.

You gave them one last wave and then let the door shut behind you, crossing over to the elevator and pressing the button, waiting patiently for it to arrive.

Once inside you pulled out your phone, double checking the time for the next class, balancing your still warm coffee in your other hand.

Noticing a message regarding one of your upcoming assignments, you were too engrossed in the device in your hand to look up when the doors pinged open.

You automatically started walking but somehow managed to catch your foot on the metal grating on the floor, pitching forwards with no free hands to stop yourself

Luckily, or unluckily depending on your point of view, your fall was stopped by a solid form, as strong arms caught at your waist to stop your hectic descent.

Unfortunately for the owner of the hands, although they managed to stop your fall they didn’t manage to stop your coffee’s, the caffeinated beverage covering you both in lukewarm liquid.

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wtf-triassic · 5 years ago

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Shringasaurus indicus

By Stolp

Etymology: Horned Reptile

First Described By: Sengupta, Ezcurra & Bandyopadhyay, 2017

Classification: Biota, Archaea, Proteoarchaeota, Asgardarchaeota, Eukaryota, Neokaryota, Scotokaryota Opimoda, Podiata, Amorphea, Obazoa, Opisthokonta, Holozoa, Filozoa, Choanozoa, Animalia, Eumetazoa, Parahoxozoa, Bilateria, Nephrozoa, Deuterostomia, Chordata, Olfactores, Vertebrata, Craniata, Gnathostomata, Eugnathostomata, Osteichthyes, Sarcopterygii, Rhipidistia, Tetrapodomorpha, Eotetrapodiformes, Elpistostegalia, Stegocephalia, Tetrapoda, Reptiliomorpha, Amniota, Sauropsida, Eureptilia, Romeriida, Diapsida, Neodiapsida, Sauria, Archosauromorpha, Crocopoda, Allokotosauria, Azendohsauridae

Status: Extinct

Time and Place: Between 247.2 to 242 million years ago, in the Anisian of the Middle Triassic

Shringasaurus is known from the Denwa Formation in Madhya Pradesh, India

Physical Description: Shringasaurus is a very strange looking reptile (befitting of the allokotosaur title), and basically looks like one of those retro ‘slurpasaurs’ from those old dinosaur movies where they just glued horns onto an iguana. At around 3–4 metres long, Shringasaurus was pretty large for a Middle Triassic archosauromorph, and could have potentially stood tall enough to look you in the eye. Shringasaurus had some very unusual proportions, with a small blunt-snouted head on a long, very thick neck attached to some very deep shoulders with tall withers over them. These chunky forequarters contrast with its rear end, with proportionately small hips and a tail that is relatively short compared to other stem-archosaurs. Of course, its most famous features are its bizarre horns over its eyes. These are remarkably similar to the horns of ceratopsid dinosaurs like Triceratops, and are yet another fabulous example of the Triassic doing everything dinosaurs did first. These horns can be as tall as the skull again in large individuals, and curve to face up and forwards. These horns were proportionately smaller in younger animals, and so likely grew in as they matured. Interestingly, one juvenile specimen lacks horns at all, even though a similar sized specimen has them, suggesting that some Shringasaurus, possibly females, didn’t have them. Even on closer inspection Shringasaurus is weird. For instance, it has palatal teeth like some other reptiles, but lots of them, and they’re all shaped exactly like the teeth on the edges of its jaws. No other reptile besides it and its close relative Azendohsaurus have teeth like that. Just imagine how that would look when it opened its mouth.

Shringasaurus embodies the typical azendohsaurid body plan of combining bizarrely ‘advanced’ sauropod-like traits with those of more ‘primitive’ archosauromorphs. Its long neck and small head has obvious superficial similarities, but features of its jaws and teeth are so sauropod-like that they’re only seen in sauropods themselves and azendohsaurids like Shringasaurus—yet another remarkable example of convergent evolution in these animals. Features of its arms are similar to sauropodomorphs too, but its posture was decidedly more ‘primitive’ than them. Its back legs sprawled completely, like those of a lizard, and while the front legs weren’t anything as upright as sauropods, they may still have been held more off the ground in a sort of semi-sprawl than the back ones. This would have given Shringasaurus a sloped back and raised the head and neck higher above its shoulders, so in a way it was still superficially sauropod-like. With horns.

Diet: Shringasaurus was clearly a herbivore from the shape of its teeth, which are leaf-shaped and serrated (indistinguishable from herbivorous dinosaur teeth, infact). The teeth and jaws of its close relative of Azendohsaurus have been studied in detail, and suggest it preferred feeding on the softer parts of plants like leaves rather than tough stems and branches. Shringasaurus had similar teeth, so it likely fed on soft vegetation also. Quite how it used its freaky palatal teeth is anyone’s guess.

Behavior: Not much can be said for sure about its behaviour, but since so many Shringasaurus individuals were found together of different ages, it’s possible that they lived in mixed-aged herds. Sexual dimorphism, if really present, would be a good indicator that the horns were used at least for display, but like the horns of ceratopsids and living bovids it’s also possible they were used in combat, locking their horns in jousts to settle disputes over food, mates, territory, or anything else they might have been grumpy over. The shape of the horns in particular implies they were mostly likely used for this kind of wrestling.

Ecosystem: Shringasaurus co-existed with a decent variety of other typical mid-Triassic animals in the Denwa Formation. Other large herbivores included two dicynodonts, one a stahleckeriine and the other more like the older Kannemeyeria, as well as an early rhynchosaurid. No less than four temnospondyl amphibians are known from there, including the predatory Cherninia and Paracyclotosaurus crookshanki, a brachyopoid (think Koolasuchus), and a long-snouted gharial-like trematosaurid. The extinct lungfish Ceratodus was also swimming around here too. Shringasaurus was one of the largest animals known in this ecosystem, and probably would have only rubbed shoulders with the large stahleckeriine dicynodont for food sources, browsing on tall, lush plants out of reach of the other herbivores. The environment was a broad, semi-arid floodplain with slow meandering rivers, subject to seasonal rainfall and droughts that may have periodically dried up rivers and ponds.

Other: Shringasaurus belongs to a recently recognised group of archosauromorphs called Allokotosauria, the “strange reptiles”, which includes other peculiar stem-archosaurs like Trilophosaurus and bizarre Teraterpeton. Allokotosaurs all appear to be herbivores, and can be characterised by their strange teeth, but they’ve all got different types of them! Shringasaurus and other azendohsaurids all have jaws full of teeth (including the roof of the mouth) that look just like herbivorous dinosaur teeth. The resemblance is so uncanny that Azendohsaurus was considered to be a dinosaur for decades before the rest of its body was discovered. Trilophosaurids meanwhile have a characteristic beak, which in the unique case of Teraterpeton is so long and pointed that it vaguely resembles an anteater, and their teeth are cusped and interlocking for shearing leaves.

Early archosauromorphs used to be thought of as mostly carnivores and insectivores, while the role of large herbivores was dominated by the synapsid dicynodonts in the Early and Middle Triassic, with archosaurs like dinosaurs and aetosaurs, as well as the rhynchosaurs, only taking over in the Late Triassic. Allokotosaurs like Shringasaurus demonstrate that this was wrong, and that stem-archosaurs were just as capable of being derived herbivores capable of competing with synapsids in the Middle Triassic just as well as the later derived rhynchosaurs and archosaurs, including at large sizes as big as Shringasaurus. Intriguingly, there’s evidence to suggest that Azendohsaurus was endothermic to some degree, i.e. warm-blooded, and given their close relationship it’s probable that Shringasaurus was too. This would make azendohsaurids like Shringasaurus some of the earliest stem-archosaurs to have been warm-blooded!

~ By Scott Reid

Sources under the Cut

Bandyopadhyay, S. and Sengupta, D.P., 1999. Middle triassic vertebrates of India. Journal of African Earth Sciences, 29(1), pp.233-241

Cubo, J.; Jalil, N.-E. (2019). "Bone histology of Azendohsaurus laaroussii: Implications for the evolution of thermometabolism in Archosauromorpha". Paleobiology. 45 (2): 317–330

Ghosh, P., Sarkar, S. & Maulik, P. Sedimentology of a muddy alluvial deposit: Triassic Denwa Formation, India. Sedimentary Geology 191, 3–36 (2006)

Goswami, A.; Flynn, J.J.; Ranivoharimanana, L.; Wyss, A.R. (2005). "Dental microwear in Triassic amniotes: implications for paleoecology and masticatory mechanics". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 25 (2): 320–329

Maulik, P. K., Chakraborty, C., Ghosh, P. & Rudra, D. Meso- and Macro-Scale architecture of a Triassic Fluvial Succession: Denwa Formation, Satpura Gondwana Basin, Madhya Pradesh. Journal Geological Society of India 56, 489–504 (2000)

Mukherjee, R.N. and Sengupta, D.P., 1998. New capitosaurid amphibians from the Triassic Denwa Formation of the Satpura Gondwana basin, central India. Alcheringa, 22(4), pp.317-327

Mukherjee, D., Sengupta, D.P. and Rakshit, N., 2019. New biological insights into the Middle Triassic capitosaurs from India as deduced from limb bone anatomy and histology. Papers in Palaeontology

Nesbitt, S.J;, Flynn, J.J.; Pritchard, A.C.; Parrish, M.J.; Ranivoharimanana, L.; Wyss, A.R. (2015). "Postcranial osteology of Azendohsaurus madagaskarensis (?Middle to Upper Triassic, Isalo Group, Madagascar) and its systematic position among stem archosaur reptiles". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History (398): 1��126

Robinson, P. L. 1970. The Indian Gondwana formations–a review. In First IUGS International Symposium on Gondwana Stratigraphy and Paleontology, 201–268

Sengupta, S.; Ezcurra, M.D.; Bandyopadhyay, S. (2017). "A new horned and long-necked herbivorous stem-archosaur from the Middle Triassic of India". Scientific Reports. 7: 8366

#Shringasaurus #Shringasaurus indicus #Reptile #Archosauromorph #Triassic #Triassic Madness #Triassic March Madness #Palaeoblr #Allokotosaur #Prehistoric Life #Paleontology #Prehistory

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