#it should be illegal to slay so hard | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

wheneclipsefalls · 1 month ago

Note

ooooh yesss!👀

I am LOVING this new teaching technique🤭🥵

Me personally I would be suggesting this the second Neteyam started making eyes at me. Like yes let's 'practice' you taking control, oh an what better way to do it than practice on me😉🤭

ugh I loved this!

At first I was cooing at the screen just feeling bad for poor Neteyam. As the golden child I know one hundred percent he would beat himself up for having such a hard time mastering ANYTHING🥺 And then reader is just the sweetest little cupcake, her heart aching for him and not able to tell him how bad he is doing🥹😭 I absolutely adore these two💗

But then things got steamy and a new side of Neteyam came out that had me feeling a whole new way about him.👀 Damn, the naughty things he was saying should be ILLEGAL!🥵 For example....

feeling of my wetness starting to peek past my pussy as it follows the curvature of my lips. “I figured as much,” Neteyam comments

This one made me choke on my spit. Sir huh? This man is so cocky all of a sudden and I am living for it!!! I would simply pass away if he said that to me🫠

“Ah, ah, ah,” He tuts while taking his fingers out. Grasping my waist with both hands to stop me from moving as a disapproving whine musters its way out of my mouth, my disappointment more than evident, but I can hear the smirk in his voice with his next words. “I thought you’d put up more of a challenge, you’re proving to be too easy to tame

He is such a TEASE!😫

Those are just a couple of my favorites, but needless to say, I really enjoyed this fic.

ugh especially at the end where she is just watching her man absolutely SLAY and everyone's in awe. Little do they know it was her pussy that got him there💅

Thank you for a story that was both heartwarming and panty ruining!😘😘

Okayyyy so likeeee what if Neteyam and y/n were going through one of those Tsireya and Lo'ak moments yea? 🤭😭

Anddd y/n is teaching him about the bond between him and the ilu, but he gets so distracted by her eyes and hand placement that he fails horribly. And when they grow up she decided to teach him how to ride a warriors mount. And as you could imagine he fails time and time again. So y/n trys to take a new approach in order to teach him about the bond, except this time it isn't him and an ilu, it's not even with him and a warriors mount.

It's him and her.

(ik it's a lot I'm srry I got a lil dramatic with it but I love to make requests what can I say 😭😭)

Learn To Ride

Neteyam x Fem! Metkayina Reader

Warnings ⚠️: Fingering!, P! In V!, Handjob! Neteyam failing at stuff at first, descriptive smut bc I went down a rabbit hole of my own story

Thank you to the wonderful anonymous person who requested this, here is the story and I hope you enjoy it 🥹

Translation Station

Ilu: Large plesiosaur-like sea creature

Ikran: Warriors mount (in Omatikaya culture)

Numeyu: Student

Tsmuke: Sister

Toruk Makto: Rider of Last Shadow (used to refer to Jake)

Tsurak: Warriors mount (in Metkayina culture)

Tewng: Loincloth

Syulang: Flower

Word Count: 7k

I held on to the saddle handle of the Ilu before me as I watched Neteyam hesitantly slide on, settling himself to not slide off its slippery body, looking at me for guidance on where to place his hands to steady himself.

“Hold on here,” I signal with my hand and watch as his eyes scramble to find where I had meant, my hand never leaving the handle of the saddle, he lifts his much larger hand as his fingers graze over mine, I let go slowly but felt as though his hands had warmed mine up even with our minimal contact.

I move my hands to busy themselves before he notices my flustered state, grasping onto one of the neural whips connected to the Ilu’s temple, gliding my fingers down toward where their kuru hid and bring it above water.

“This is where you connect,” I speak and watch him closely. He nods his head as his face changes to one of concentration, grasping his own queue and swinging it around his shoulder smoothly, slowly inching it toward the Ilu, his actions clearly showing uncertainty.

“Make the bond gently, feel her as if you could feel your own ikran when you bond, Ilu are sensitive creatures but bond very easily.” I ensure him as I continue holding the Ilu’s kuru toward him. He nods once more as he makes his connection, the Ilu below him moving with sudden excitement before settling down almost immediately.

“You might want to take it easy, Ilu are very swift under water, it might be a little different than what you’re used to.” I stated as I stepped back slightly.

“Curve your body with hers when you go under water and keep your hand on the handle, your other one will go beside her body,” I stated as he nods.

“Okay,” he responds easily and takes in a big breath, the Ilu taking off swiftly under water, I dunk my head under the water to watch him, his body almost immediately flying off of the Ilu entirely, I could hear my younger brother laughing above the water.

I popped my head above the water and glare at Ao’nung, he holds his hands up in defense as a sly smile plays at his face, I look over to see my younger sister, Tsireya, covering her own mouth as she actually attempts to stop herself from smiling. My ears flicker as I hear the eldest child of Jake Sully pop his head above water while coughing.

I sighed internally, moving underwater to get toward where he was, popping my head up and feeling a pang of sympathy for the man before me.

“Are you alright?” I asked as I thought about reaching out to touch his hand as a way to show him it was alright but pulling back before he noticed as I figured he wasn’t the type to want to be coddled.

“I am fine, lets try again.” He insists and I nod, calling the Ilu over with a few clicks of my tongue, clapping twice before the creature turned around underwater, swimming over toward where I was standing.

“Alright, again.” I had stated right as I watched him get back on the Ilu.

_________

“Are you sure I am improving?” He sits atop the ilu and grasps the reigns one-handed, he’s starting to gain confidence on the Ilu but still has to work on a couple of things, my ears lower slightly, still open and up but not as high as they were before, a smile forming on my face.

“You might not see it, or even believe me when I say this, but you have improved since your first time riding,” I began, leaving my sentence open toward the end, his own ears flick in disappointment as he picks up my hint.

“But?” He asks, wanting me to continue where I had left off and I smile once more. I can see him chewing on his bottom lip, as if contemplating if what I had said were true, but grasping his own queue as he makes the bond with the ilu.

“Just focus on your turns today,” I admit rather sheepishly, feeling the heat growing on my cheeks for having told him where he was lacking, but also knowing this was part of his training. Instead of sticking through with it he would often slow down before turning and it would constantly cause him to get left behind a lot.

“Okay,” He nods once more before he dives under the water with the creature, picking up momentum as his body stays flush with the Ilu, I dive my head under the water and watch as he attempt to do a sharp turn, watching as his body slips out of alignment with the Ilu and he flies toward the opposite side.

I scrunch my face up upon seeing him frustratedly wave his hands under water, and fix himself to swim upright, I bring myself up above water and watch as he instinctively calls the Ilu back over and slides back into the creature, holding into the reigns and trying again.

One of the things I admired about Neteyam was the fact that he never gave up, always willing to get back into whatever situation and trying again, it made me smile, had I not been paying attention to my numeyu I would have heard the sound of my younger brother coming up behind me.

“Why did you lie to him?” Ao’nung’s voice breaks through my thoughts and I place my hand on my heart in an attempt to calm its rapid beating.

“I did not lie,” I answered rather quickly.

“He is not improving, tsmuke.” He states rather blandly, making it a point to make me see crossing his hands across his body in disapproval.

“It is small, but it is there, he just needs more practice.” I admitted as I attempted to shoo him away, only to be met with his growing smirk, I fought the urge to roll my eyes.

“It is truly nonexistent.” He comments smugly and I’m threatened to follow my instincts, which I’m glad I did, as my hand comes to slap the back of his head, hiding a smirk of my own as he begins complaining about telling our mother.

_________

That had happened many months ago, learning to ride an Ilu had proven to be a challenge for Toruk Makto’s eldest son, but he would have to face an even greater challenge soon, and I dreaded having to be the one to teach him only because I found it hard to be blunt with him.

This all seemed like an easier task for his younger brother, Lo’ak, who had taken a liking to my younger sister, Tsireya. It appeared as though the two sought after one another during lessons, any time we paired up, those two always ended up together, just like Neteyam and I.

I’d be lying to myself if I hadn’t felt a spark of interest on my end of things. There was something enthralling about Neteyam and I wasn’t sure if he had felt the same way about me but I knew that I’d been in too deep to care about that now. He was charming, polite, fascinating, and attractive, but I had to clear my mind of these thoughts as I was with him right now.

I swam under the water and swayed my hips as it helped propel me faster, my body weaving through the water as if by second nature, my arms reaching out to push more water out of my way, moving my body forward, reaching a stopping point as I turn around to ensure Neteyam had been following behind me, and he was.

He has shown much improvement in his breath holds, being able to rival any natural born metkayina, having put in the work during our lessons to grasp an understanding on it and succeeding rather quickly, he followed behind me and I signaled for us to go up to the surface, he nods as the two of us begin swimming upward.

The breeze from the surface cools down my skin and causes me to shiver, my loose hair beginning to stick to my body as it bobs within the waves, his head coming up shortly after, releasing the rest of his breath before continuing to breath normally.

We begin swimming with our heads above water and heading toward the three brothers rocks island, finally able to use our legs with the gravity provided from our planet, walking further until reaching past the sand and onto the grass, settling myself down onto the grass and watching as he sits next to me.

“You have learned quite a lot within the past months. I am proud of you, Neteyam,” I admit as a smile graces my features, I turn to look at him to see the face he is making is one of uncertainty, it catches me off guard as my own smile falters.

“I am not looking forward to training with tsurak.” He admits as he looks down, shaking his head slightly, and it makes my heart shatter slightly.

“I believe you will do fine,” I stated honestly, feeling the words as earnestly as I could, knowing that it would take a while for him to learn but knowing it would happen eventually.

“It took me many months to learn to ride an Ilu.” He stated bluntly as his eyes come back to meet mine.

“But you still learned to ride one regardless,” I insisted and watch as he brings his lips back into a thin line, choosing to not see his success.

“I understand.” I stated rather quickly right as he opened his mouth to say something, he closes it as soon as I spoke, his eyes finding mine again.

“Being the eldest child means failure is not an option.” I admit as I find comfort in the waves of the ocean lapping in the distance, rising ever so slightly only to blend back into the body of water it had come from.

“I do not want to become a disappointment.” He sighs as he answers.

“I know the feeling,” I admit and feel my body starting to relax as I begin to slouch slightly, not having shared that feeling with anyone.

At some point, his hand must have slid over, as I feel it placed gently on top of mine. My face turns to look down at his rather large hand covering mine, looking back at him to see him staring at me, a blush covering my cheeks.

“I doubt you have or ever will disappoint anyone,”

_________

I looked off in the distance with my head underwater as Neteyam’s body flies off the Tsurak, his body spinning in circles, caught in the miniature currents made by the beasts body. It doesn’t take him long to find where to go as he straightens his body and swims upward, his fists clenched under the water and his head finally coming up above, the skin of his brows turned inwards to show his anger.

“That run wasn’t bad-“ Tsireya speaks as her head comes up above the water as well, she had been training Lo’ak beforehand, but decided to stay to see if there was some advice she could give as she knew I was finding it hard to speak to him as the days went on.

“You’re right, it was horrible.” Lo’ak cuts my sister off and all I could do was turn with a glare in his direction, the smile he once had being wiped from his face, my face turning back toward an angered Neteyam as he starts swimming past me.

“Neteyam,“ I began as I reach an arm out for him, he quickly shakes my hand off before turning quickly.

“Let us try again-“ I stated in an up eat mood in an attempt to get him to turn back and forget his anger, but he only huffs.

“This is a waste of everyones time.” He grumbles as he continues swimming away.

When it comes to training with Tsurak, we have to be in deeper waters in order to dive, considering the creatures are larger and longer than Ilu are, they need more area to dive under. They’re quite fast too, going faster than any Ilu ever has, something I knew would be challenging for Neteyam, but being the hopeful person I was I believed he would have been able to master it, but we had been swimming in this area for a little over four hours and he still fell off.

We watched as he swims away and I could feel my lower lip tremble as if I had done something wrong, knowing that none of this was my fault but still feeling as if it had been, maybe I shouldn’t have pushed him too hard this time, maybe I shouldn’t have had an audience watching him today, there were a lot of maybe’s floating in my mind but a gentle hand placed on my shoulder. I turn my head to see his younger brother apologetically staring back at me.

“You didn’t do anything wrong, he’ll come around, promise.” He reassures me but I feel as though I had let the man down, wondering if there had been any other outcome that could have occurred if I had spent a little more time preparing him for mounting a tsurak.

But the more I thought about it, the easier it became for a small plan to begin unfolding in my brain. If I couldn’t verbally teach him how to ride a warriors mount, I should be able to physically teach him- and by physically I meant replacing the tsurak with me- yeah, that might actually work!

But I might have to wait for him to cool down and knowing how Neteyam is, this might take a couple of days before I could approach him again, but until then, I would have to put my plan into action.

_________

“Are we going to practice on an Ilu?” He asks and I could already tell from his tone he was half joking and half dreading what we were going to go do.

“No,” I answered honestly as I held on to his hand and continued dragging him toward a secluded area, wanting him to feel completely comfortable in being able to learn to ride.

“Then what more is there to practice on?” He asks and I can feel him pull his hand from mine, I frown at the loss of contact but turn to face him, a shy smile playing at my lips as I stare at him through my lashes.

“Me.” I answered honestly, feeling my ears flop down against my head, something I did when I was nervous to hear what the other person was thinking, to only stare at him with a confused look overtaking his features.

“What?” He asks aloud and I could feel my nerves beginning to rise, I felt the need to start playing with my fingers but find a sudden rise in confidence as I reach out and grasp his hand once again, smiling shyly again.

“You had a hard time mastering the Ilu, you’re struggling to ride a Tsurak, let me help you in this way and it will help you understand how to control the Tsurak.” I explained as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“How will this help me?” He asks as he raises the skin of his brow, I could sense his hesitation but grew frustrated with him instead, rolling my eyes for the first time as my ears perk up I could feel my tail shift from one side toward the other.

“You need to learn to control the beast-“

“And in this situation,” He points between us “-You are supposedly the beast?” He asks and I huff, ears automatically dropping at how he’d stated that, making me feel embarrassed.

“I can help you or I can leave.” I stated as I cross my arms along my chest, feeling as though this had been a big mistake, maybe I shouldn’t have brought him here in the first place, maybe I should have just-

“Fine,” He relents and I could feel my lips twitch up to a smile, but stop myself as soon as I felt it, staring at him to see if he would say more.

“I could use the help.” He admits more so to himself than to me but hearing him say that out loud had my ears perking up excitedly.

“Then follow me.” I stated immediately, I didn’t want him second guessing himself or questioning if this was rational, I just knew this was the only way I could get him to practice. I didn’t even wait for a verbal confirmation before turning around rather happily and trailing off, hearing his footsteps behind me.

“So,” He states as soon as we reach the small landing where I had placed a blanket on the ground, I had set a bucket of water off to the side in order to hydrate ourselves later of need be, some fruits off to the side for a snack.

“How are we going to start this?” He asks as he raises his hand up to scratch his head, his hand coming back down as he looks behind me toward my preparation, his eyes finding mine and I could feel the blush on my skin.

“And when did you have the time to do all of this?” He raises his brows in shock.

“I had a feeling you’d agree to me helping you.” I stated rather quickly and could feel my nerves acting up again.

“Is that what we’re calling this?” He asks with a small smile playing at his lips and I could feel myself blushing again. I couldn’t say anything, just allowed myself to come closer toward him, his head tilts to the side as he stares down at me.

“Are you going to learn or not-“ I began but was caught off guard as soon as he leans down to kiss me, cupping my face between his large hands, I was shocked at first but closed my eyes upon realizing what was going on, leaning into him as his lips grazed over mine.

His tongue sneaks out to gently swipe against my bottom lip and I was in awe of how bold he could be, deciding to open my mouth to oblige him, feeling his tongue sneak in and prod all over my mouth. I couldn’t help but moan lightly into his mouth as his tongue explores mine, pushing against it with his whilst his hands roamed my body.

I felt my own hands coming to wrap themselves around his neck as his kisses become greedy and sloppy, his teeth clashing into mine as his tongue gains control over mine, his mouth detaching from mine and I could feel the rush of cool air enter into my lungs, I’d never had someone kiss me in a way that made me lose my breath, but he was compelling, and I’d let it happen again. His lips making their way across my cheek, toward my jaw, and down my neck, causing my mind to beg my hips to find some sort of relief for all this pleasure I wanted to feel.

I accidentally ground my hips onto his and could feel the start of his arousal forming, making me gasp as he opens his mouth over my neck and allows his fangs to graze the sensitive spot where the skin of my neck meets my shoulder, flurries of shivers run across my body as I attempt to move away from him in a way a tsurak would, feeling his arms tighten around me and suckling the skin in his mouth, my hips meeting his once more.

His kisses become aggressive and I couldn’t help but whine at the sensation of his mouth finally releasing my neck as the breeze picks up and assaults my newly formed hickey.

“Neteyam-“ I cry out as his mouth reattaches itself to my collarbone, his greedy hand covering one of my breasts as his other is placed on the small of my back, pulling me closer toward his hips as he grinds himself against me, another moan slipping past my mouth, and the heat beginning to pool around my needy cunt.

“Shh,” He shushes me calmly, his face now coming into view as his pointer finger and thumb managed to sneak past the beads of my top to hold my nipple prisoner between them, lightly rolling it between both fingers, a blush dusting his face as I’m sure a blush covered mine, I could only bring my bottom lip between my teeth, a whimper following soon after.

“Thats it, just let me take control, yeah?” He offers and I clench my thighs together, his voice had seemed to have dropped considerably as his arousal had clearly heightened.

“No-“ I mumble, barely audible, but I could tell he’d heard me, his ears flickered after the words had left my mouth and I could feel a bit of embarrassment framing my face. He only pinches my nipple harshly as his face goes back down, the hand that had been on my back had now desperately shoved my beaded top up past my breast to expose it to him, his mouth covering the one he’d left unattended.

“Please,” I begged in my distressed state, wanting to feel more of him, but needing a second to catch my breath at the same time.

“Thats what I thought,” He smirks as the words leave his mouth but all I could think of was his hot mouth wrapping itself around my clit and Eywa I wanted it so bad, but I had to be patient, my time to train him would come soon.

I felt bold enough to place my hands on his pecs, not providing any pressure to make him think I’d wanted him to pull away, but slowly snaking my hands down his body, feeling the ripple of muscles he had worked hard for underneath my fingertips, crossing the ridges of his abs and watching as his eyes trail from following my fingers back up to my face, silently asking what I was doing.

I manage to stop right at the waistband of his tewng, lightly tugging at the fabric of it and feeling his v-line as I looked down, looking back up quickly as the tips of my fingers graze on his length, my cheeks heating up automatically. He nods his head to silently tell me to keep going and I bite my bottom lip before wrapping my hands around his length, his lips coming back down onto mine, both of his hands now cupping my cheeks as I attempt to stroke his cock.

My hands move too slow for his liking as he brings one of his hands from my cheek and down toward his tewng, untying it and allowing it to fall onto the ground beneath him, his hand coming up toward mine and moving my hand along his shaft at a faster pace.

I could feel myself smirking into the kiss as I catch the hint and start moving my hands at the pace he’d set, feeling his other hand trail down my body, feeling a wave of excitement as he nears my breasts, only to be met with disappointment as he continues past them and gently tracing the underside of them, not even bothering to flick my nipple. I felt my hand come up and over the head of his cock and a small bead of precome gathers on the palm of my hand as I rub it back over his shaft, feeling somewhat accomplished with myself.

I could feel his hand trailing on my stomach and settle on my hip bones as his thumb gently caresses the skin there, I feel tingly inside as I continue rubbing his cock at the same pace and feeling him slightly rutting into my hands, I could feel more of the precome forming at the tip and focused on gathering as much of it as I could before placing it over his shaft.

Before I know it, I could feel the smooth and quiet breeze of the ocean flowing as it hits my backside, realization dawns on me as Neteyam hadn’t been caressing my hips, he’s been messing with the knot on my tewng to untie it, and it now sat pooled at my feet.

I could feel the goosebumps start to spread as his hand slowly goes with the curvature of my backside, feeling up on my bottom, and trailing his hand back toward the base of my tail and giving it an experimental tug, a lewd sound coming from my mouth as I suddenly stopped all movement with my own hands on his body and the feeling of my wetness starting to peek past my pussy as it follows the curvature of my lips.

“I figured as much,” Neteyam comments before his hands leave my tail and follow the path back onto my ass, before coming back around onto my hips and forcefully turning my body around to ensure my back was up against his chest, the feeling of his cock stuck between his body and my ass was enough to make me purposely lean back onto him.

“You’re such a naughty girl,” Neteyam is quick to comment as he places his hand down to swipe the lips of my pussy and a sound of approval reaches me as he leans down to kiss the sensitive skin of my ears, causing them to flick back, making me desperate for him to kiss them once more.

“Look at how wet you already are.” He states as he dips his fingers back into my wetness, bringing them back out as he holds his hand in front of my eyes, stretching his fingers out to see how my juices stuck onto his hand, a low moan coming from me as I witness the glistening digits.

His hand goes back down toward my cunt, stuffing his fingers to move my lips out of the way, rubbing his pointer right on my clit, my hips roll as if they had a mind of their own and my moans are never ending, I feel his free hand trail up my body, between the valley of my breasts, and up to grasp onto my neck, his fingers gently squeezing the sides and making my heart accelerate. A light feeling of euphoric bliss washes over me as his fingers apply more pressure toward my clit, my hips bucking at their own accord, his arm attempting to hold my hips still, trying to tame me as I lose myself in the pleasure he provided.

“You’re a dirty girl,” He comments as his fingers abandon my clit, before I could whine at the loss of contact, he shoves two of his fingers inside my sopping cunt, a loud gasp cut off my the squeeze he applied to my neck, feeling myself contract around his fingers.

“I figured you’d like that,” He chuckles to himself as he sets an even pace.

“Teyam,” I moaned as I allowed myself to close my eyes and get lost in the pleasure.

“Yes?” He asks sickeningly sweet his thrusts starting to slow down, in my frustration I attempted to grind down on his fingers, slightly causing my ass to push back onto his already leaking cock.

“I thought you’d put up more of a challenge, you’re proving to be too easy to tame, I don’t think this will work in my favor.” At first I could feel my heart beating erratically as I believed he was being honest and was about to tell me he was done, but I could feel the small movement of his cock rubbing against the swell of my ass, and a small groan accompanying his movements, my tail swishing over to wrap around his waist loosely, the rest dangling off to the side as I felt his tail caressing mine.

“I can be more of a challenge if you want,” I stated rather boldly, although I had no idea how as I wasn’t sure what to do, but I had to figure out something quick.

“Lie down.” He stated as I felt his tail unwrap from mine, his hips removing themselves from behind mine and I could feel slight disappointment at the loss of contact, his scent that once suffocated me now lingering behind slightly, I needed it back.

I didn’t waste any time as I lied on the blanket I had set out, blue eyes meeting his golden ones, my breath coming down my throat but getting stuck as soon as our eyes made contact, a breathless feeling washing over me as I knew what he was planning to do, almost instinctively reaching over for my kuru, watching as he does the same.

“Are you certain?” I asked aloud, hesitant on making the connection with him, what if he bonded with me and later regretted it?

“I would be honored to make the bond with you, syulang.” He whispers as he stares deep into the depths of my soul, his hand coming up to gently caress my face, I close my eyes as I lean into the warmth his hand provides.

“Are you certain?” He turns the question toward me and I shoot my eyes open, words dying on my tongue as I see the intensity of his stare, gulping down and nodding my head.

“Yes, I am certain.” I stated vocally and could see the relief washing over his features. He then leans his kuru toward me, still being a gentleman and giving me the option to back out if I needed to, but I smile and meet him in the middle, watching as the tendrils of our kuru wriggle around before connecting with his, the tendrils pulling one another close.

I could feel my pupils dilate as we connected, every single thought he had starts racing in my mind, every feeling he’s ever felt suddenly coming through me like a wild fire, but the one feeling that brought me back was his lust, apparently he’d been feeling that toward me for a while, I could only stare into his eyes, seeing his pupils blown wide as he stares back at me, a small blush dusting his face.

I could only leap into his arms as my lips attach themselves onto his, my hands coming to wrap themselves around his neck for support, his own body not having expected the sudden movement as he falls back onto the sand, hands wrapping around my body as they wander around. I managed to situate our bodies to the point where I’d sat on his cock, my hips moving on their own accord as I rub itself onto his shaft, juices gliding over him as my clit catches on his head lightly, a moan coming from my mouth and being muffled by his.

He manages to take control and flips me back over so I’m the one laying in the sand, my desperation getting the better of me as I attempt to push my hips up to gain some relief, failing to do so as his hands come onto my hip bones, pushing me down in order to get me to stop. I oblige with his silent command but still feel the urge to thrust my hips, but I wait for his next move, feeling his domination through the bond, something I didn’t feel like doing was upsetting him at this moment and I laid still.

“Good girl,” He comments and I couldn’t help but whine at the praise he’d given me, my brain going mushy at the compliment, suddenly feeling hotter than ever. The grains of sand tickling my shoulder blades were the only form of stimulation I was getting and I was starting to become impatient.

“Patience Syulang,” He speaks again before grasping his cock, tugging himself a couple of times before coming close to my pussy and slapping the head of his cock on my clit.

I moaned as I spread my legs further for him, feeling the breeze hitting my cunt and closing my eyes. I could hear his groan of approval before slowly gliding himself down to gather some of my slick, the very tip of his cock going in, the stretch starting to feel glorious as I desperately wait for him to insert the rest of himself.

“Teyam, please-“ I rasp out desperately, hands coming up to try to hold on to something to stabilize me, his back coming into contact with my hands and my nails digging into the flesh selfishly.

“You feel so damn good,” He moans out as he slides more of himself in, I could only let out choked moans at the wonderful feeling of being stuffed with his cock, not giving a damn if anyone were nearby to hear me.

“I need m-more-“ I selfishly request and feel as he begins to thrust the length he does have in, going slowly as to not hurt me.

“Oh Eywa,” He grunts as he sinks himself in, feeling the hilt of his cock, his balls kissing the swell of my ass as his hips come close to mine, I unconsciously clench around his length and can hear a slight growl leaving his lips, his thoughts becoming a foggy mess through the bond, my fangs poking through my smile as I feel it’s my time to shine, purposely beginning to move my hips away from his.

I could feel the sting of his fat cock leaving the warmth of my pussy as I attempted to drag myself away before feeling his hands clamp down on my hips to prevent me from moving, taking the time to look up at his face to find it stuck in a grimace, the bond telling me he wasn’t in pain, but attempting to sort himself through the pleasure.

“So fucking good-“ He mutters in a language I can’t quite understand, but hearing him groan those words suddenly made me feel even more powerful, a smirk plastered on my face as he opens his eyes to look right at me, shimmying my hips around and feeling myself sliding off his cock.

“No!” He mutters between his closed lips as he attempts to keep me held in that position, his fingers slipping from my hips as I continue to shimmy away from him, before feeling an unpleasant emptiness settle itself in me, deciding to stop and move toward him, trying to settle his cock back inside.

“Oh great mother!” I gasped as I slide down rather quickly, not having expected Neteyam to be focused on stopping me from going in one direction instead of both, and meeting his hips with mine, the slap of our skin resonating in the air.

“Fuck,” He repeats the word louder as he attempts to catch his breath but struggles to breathe.”, I place my hand on his heart as I pant, feeling it pounding in his rib cage, almost begging to be set free.

“S-sl-slow your heart,” I commented and hear him groan in frustration, grasping my hips and sliding himself out before slamming himself back in rather roughly, making me jump slightly at the feeling and arch my back slightly in an attempt to fit more of his length in.

“I’ll try,” He grunts out and seems to be having a hard time concentrating, taking in a big breath and attempting to slow the rate his heart had been beating at, my hand still on his chest as I feel the rhythm slowing down by a bit.

“Good-“ I rasp out.

“C-can I t-try something?” I stutter out while dizzying myself on the lewd thoughts he was having, wanting to ravage my body and do nothing more than breed me, the submissive part of my brain wanting nothing more than to comply with his wishes.

“Okay, yeah, okay.” He repeats himself as he nods his head, still taking his sweet time to empty myself of his presence before sliding all the way back in, my back arching once more at the feel of his cock sliding against all the right spots inside me.

“Turn-“ I muttered as we managed to fumble onto the ground, slowly turning over until his back had been on the ground before us, and I had been on top, settling my knee’s on the floor and placing my hand on his chest, sliding my hips up and away from his thick cock.

“Holy shit,” He attempt to catch his breath before I slam myself back down, feeling fuller at this angle than I had when we were in missionary. His hands gliding up my hips and onto my waist before settling themselves back on my hips, his thumbs caressing the skin it could reach.

“I’m going to set a pace, I need you to match me, if you don’t match, I won’t let you come.” I muttered low enough for him to hear me, opening his eyes in shock at the threat I had made.

I didn’t bother waiting for a verbal confirmation as I began to set a rather slow pace, lifting my hips from his crotch sensually before sliding back down just as slow, teasing him at this point as his length bobs inside me once, myself clenching around him as our moans mingled in the air.

I can feel his hands tighten around my hips before he moves himself to a faster pace than the one I had set, I stop all movements and hear him whine in frustration, opening his eyes and glaring at me.

“I said match to match me.” I stated rather sternly, taking my hands off of his chest and crossing my arms to prove a point, but accidentally sinking down further onto his cock, a low moan slipping past his lips as I gasp in delight.

“Okay, I’m sorry, it just feels good,” He mutters as he lets go of one of my hips, hand slowly trailing down the small of my back before settling at the base of my tail and tugging it back, my pupils blowing wide as I clench around him, almost throwing my head back.

“You h-have to con-troll me,” I stutter through my words as my own thoughts were beginning to mush up, nothing becoming coherent anymore as I desperately rise my hips up from him as my hands settle onto his chest and setting another slow pace, but still different than the one before, feeling his determination through our bond as he begins to move his own hips to synch up with mine.

Our hips moving as though the two were in tempo with one another, separating for a second before meeting back down in the middle once more, my breathing starting to become quicker than what it had been as I begin to lose myself in the pleasure, starting to go faster and feeling him keeping up with me.

“‘Teyam-“ I gulp down a moan as I feel myself beginning to float in pleasure, the vision behind my eyelids beginning to lighten up as I continued squeezing my eyes shut, but knowing I had to do what I least expected to, stopping all motion and starting back down slowly.

Neteyam kept going at the quickened pace and I knew that meant it was time for me to stop moving my hips, hearing his disappointed sounds as he too stills himself, attempting to catch his breath as we both sporadically start moving at the same pace, I could only look down on him with approval in my eyes and see him smirking back.

“This feels good,” I moaned as I began to pick up the pace once more and feel him following my lead, I couldn’t stop myself at this point as I was too far gone to care anymore, starting to ride him as quick as I could, feeling the pleasure running its coarse through my body, his speed matching mine and not once slowing down until we both came in unison.

_________

The twists and turns the creature makes are rather quick, but he swims with accuracy as his body lies flat with the tsurak, following it wherever it chooses to go, not once being thrown off.

“Damn,” Lo’ak states as we all stand and watch in awe of Neteyam’s success.

“This is amazing!” Tsireya shouts happily as she too watches Neteyam weave through the water on the mount, but now came the hardest part, he gets in position with his stance, and as soon as the tsurak flies above the water, he does too.

The tsurak deploys its large pectoral fins as it begins to glide in the air, turning a sharp left without a care in the world, the man on top of him following swiftly as his body naturally leans in the direction of the tsurak’s turn.

I watched as he manages to quickly change positions atop the mount, both of them entering the water in a clean dive without having flown off the entire time since he’d started, I could feel a sense of pride swelling up in my body as I watch him emerge from the water with a smile on his sweet face.

“It’s like the change happened overnight,” Ao’nung chimed in, my ears flicker upon hearing his words and felt my cheeks heat up, attempting to hide myself from his view but being thankful that Neteyam had been making his way over toward me.

He was ready.

#avatar fic recs #neteyam x reader #neteyam smut

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thelovelybitten · 2 years ago

Text

vera's first watch of south park -- season 4 (part 1)

bc i know this is about to be so very long

EPISODE 1: SEGA DREAMCAST Y'ALL KNOW WHAT IS UP no I FORBID Y'ALL USUING KENNY'S TEEF TIMMEHHHH aww he's so cute NO NOT KENNY'S TEETH DFDSBKGBKSD :'(((( y'all rly stripped my son nakey... SHAME ON U i chuckled at cartman being the tooth fairy kyle is MAD MAD i was mad when i found out santa wasn't real stan kinda slayed w his plan omg MAFIA TOOTH FAIRY THIS IS SO GOOD WHAT "tits" cartman REALLY DEBATING NKDGKNJGFDJKN main four mafia gang WENDY IN FRAME I LOVE HER no bc if stan showed up in a spiffy suit working for the tooth fairy brigade at 8 years old, i don't know why wendy WOULDN'T BE WHIPPED KENNY'S HAT kyle is in his delusional arc, cartman, leave him be wtf... kyle y'all rly left kenny in the river ihy EPISODE 2:

AWWW A LITTLE SLED RACE ON THE TINY HILL

Tolkien slayed get him

please Wendy be in the select four

hc little Stan and little wendy are extremely competitive at sled racing and make it their whole personalities when the gangs hang out for the annual sled racing every year. they still got their little crush on each other but when they break up the first time OH THEY OUT FOR BLOOD.

Tolkien still ate and Cartman is a piece of shit

HATE CRIME ???? Ngl get ur Justice king

this is actually. so good I love when cartman gets what he deserves

Bebe and Kyle in the same frame it must be so

KENNY TAKE ME TO MEXICO

Kenny did not deserve that slap BYE

SJKDNSLCJXK THIS CHASE HAHA

Kyle: what the fuck is happening

the girls gaslighting, girlbossing and gatekeeping AS THEY SHOULD

juvenile hall is. Sumth.

OH THIS BOY ABT TO FUCK ERIC UPPPP

butters: I think Clyde is the next fattest kid SIR THE DISRESPECT ON MY SONS NAME FROM MY OTHER SON ITS PAINFUL. So hard to have multiple children out here

Girls are SLAYIN idc

AYO YALL GET OFF CLYDE I HAVE BEEF WITH CLYDE HATE

Clyde is literally a perfect size wtf y’all on ABT

“Oh my god we killed Kenny”

“We killed Kenny?”

“We killed Kenny, we’re bastards”

STYLE SO TRUE

Y’all hyping up cartmans ass LMAO

Bebe slayed

YALL CANT BREAK HIM OUTTA JAIL THATS ILLEGAL

THE PIG LATIN LMAOOOOOOO THEY DEVOURED

CARTMAN GROSS

KYLE THATS FUNNY LMAO

this is so gross I hate it here

Not HIM FLUSHING THE CIGS

Tolkien rich as fuck

aAND THEY GET HISTORY LESSON LETS GO

WHAT THE FUCK CARTMAN

cartman in his gaslight era AGAIN

Jesus he’s so manipulative but it’s kinda iconic

THE THREE BOYS EPIC

OH THIS PRESENTATION IS WELL DONE MY BOYS WELL DONE

Lmao cartman is so heartless HAHA

CLYDE GET THEM

Bebe on the gals team let’s goooo

Clyde is CRYING LMAOOO

CARTMAN HAHAHAHAHAHA

YO NOT YALL HURTING THE GWORLS JAIL TIME

WHAT IS HAPPENING

okay. That was. An episode. Haha.

EPISODE 3

Kyle being up until 2:00 am UGH

WENDY AND KYLE MY SMART KIDS <3

MR GARRISON THUMBS DOWN DONT PICK ON TIMMY >:(

Timmy doesn’t have ADD but oh my lord I’d die if I had to listen to an audio book of the great gatsby

mackey and victoria asleep REAL OF THEM

STENDYLE ON THE COUCH TOGETHER AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

specifically stendy as their heads lean on one another 🥹🥹🥹

KENNY DONT BONK UR HEAD U DESERVE BETTER

TIMMY SINGER ERAAAAAAA <3 u get em

everyone hyping up Timmy as they should !!! Wendy, Clyde and Tolkien my babies

POGS TIMMY IS A SLAY

Kenny and Cartman WHACKED OUT ON STIMULANTS

DAMN THEY ARE SO BORINGGGG LMAOOO ITS SO FUNNY

the kids: 😐😐😐

I hate this portrayal of Timmy’s disorder 😩

NOT THE PAN TO THE FACE POOR KENNY

NO DONT BEAT UR KIDS PARENTS

“AHHH ITS CHRISTINA AGULIERA” HAHA

Stan ate that speech

INTERESTING EP LOL

EPISODE 4

EVERYONE LOOKS SO CUTE DRESSED UP AWWWWW

KENNY *slams fists* THATS MY BOIIIIII

stan so unbothered by this clown

CARTMAN IS DEADASS ASLEEP ME TOO

contorting girlies got GAME

omg not them trying to do the same show LMAO

KENNY DKCMFHDHDJKCHD THIS COSTUME

not the boys naked PLEASE

Kenny reading on how to sing JSJFBDJSKD WHOLESOME

he's so cute u guys that's my fucking son

the oldies getting frisky EWWWWWWWWWWWW

wait she's dead????

NOOONOT THE GIRLS :(((((((

Kenny side quest I love it

HEMADE IT YAAAAAA

lil Romania girlies getting a slice of America

Stans HOUSE HOLY SHIT

not the girliessss

KENNY POPPING AWFFFFF

Kenny bffr come home

THEY SLAYED ATE THE BOYS UP

THE ENDING NOOOOO

note: Kenny can SING

EPISODE 5

domestic core 4 board game time

not AIDS Cartman bffr

OH KENNY’S GETTING A SIBLING?

CARTMAN NO

GET UR ASS OFF THE COMPUTER RIGHT THIS INSTANT

oh my god I'm actually scared for cartman for once

HE DOESNT DESERVE THIS FATE

STOP TOUCHING HIMMMMM

Kenny being worried abt this baby

Play catch! Cute

OH SHIT KENNY WHAT A FAST BALL

trying to stop him from having sex GENIUS

STAN AND KYLE ON THE WINDOWS JDHSHCJDKXKX THEY’RE MY BESTEST BOYS

Jesus cartman I'm so sorry don't know yet

HUH. NAMBLA IS FUCKED UP

GARRISON COMING OUT KING

MEPHESTO NOOOOOO

THE THREE OF THEM AT THE WINDOW AGAIN I LOVE THEM SO

OH SHES PREGGO SORRY KENNY

KENNY IS RLY TRYING TO KILL THIS KID ITS SO SAD

OH SHIT NOT THE DAD DRINKING IT DHDHCJSJBXHDBDDJDN

NASTY BRO

cartman nooooo

Kenny’s dad is going thru it

KENNYS DREAM OH MY LORD

Kyle NO TAKE IT BACK TAKE IT BACK

these men need jail time JAIL TIME

Don't LAY A GOD DAMN FINGER ON BUTTERS U FREAK OF NATURE

NOT TIMMY ANYONE BUT TIMMY

THIS IS SO FUCKED UP

NO I CANT NOT MY KIDS

RUN KIDS RUN

CARTMAN. YOU CANT BE SERIOUS

NO NOT BUTTERS

The actual trauma NO

I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS CARTMAN I HATE YOU

NO BUTTERS NO NO NO

thank god he's okay

But kennys dad i’m so sorry

Oh KENNYS NEW SIBLING

wait it's kenny PLEASE

#faves: south park #viv watches #lord season 4 HAS A WHACK ASS START HUH #bro the fucking nambla episode GAVE ME THE CREEPY CRAWLIES #LIKE BROOOOO #do not touch my kids i will beat ur ass in court #kenny knowing how to sing is such good ff fuel for me A LEGEND #also the fucking clyde hate in the sledding ep MADE ME SO MAD DON’T COME FOR MY SON IDC IDC #anyways back to binging

0 notes

painprns · 2 years ago

Text

Horror & Edgy Neopronouns

CW: Illegal activity. TW: Violent actions, murder, stalking, body parts, weapons, and religious themes. A lot of the content in here triggered me so be careful if you want to look at this list. (And before you ask, yes, I am fine. You learn to cope.)

Of course, I don't approve of anything in this list, and this list isn't meant to glamorize those who have mental issues or violent tendencies. I have issues with violence and mental issues. Sometimes, it just helps. If there are any words you think should be added (or removed) feel free to send in an ask.

Note: Try putting a suffix on some words, like -ful or -less. Gives you plenty more options. Also, every new beginning letter will be bolded and with a new color for reading ease.

Pronouns (including emojis, not including extras like parentheses or alternatives): 443

🖤 🕷 🦇 🗡 ⚔ 💣 🔪 🕸 ⛓ �� 💀 ☠ ⚰ 🚬 🪦 🔥 😈 👿 💉 ⚠ 👻 🦴 🧠 🫀 🫁 🦷 👁 👀 🪝 🔨 🪓 ⛏ 🩸 💊

abandon

abyss

accelerate

again

alive

alley(way)

anarchy

anger

apart

apocalypse

arm

arson

ash(phalt)

attic

away

awful

awry

axe

back(alley/rooms)

bait

bat

beast

beat(down)

beg

belittle

behead

bet

bite

blade

blaze

blood

body

boil

bomb

bone

boo(m)

brain

break(down)

breath(e)

brick

brittle

bug

bullet

burn

bury

buzz

cannibal(ize)

cap(ture)

car(cass)

carnivore

cat(ch)

caught

cause

chain(saw)

chaos

chase

cig(arette)

claw

clown

coffin

corvid

concern

concrete

consume

control

copy(cat)

core

corpse

corridor

cover

coward

cower

crawl

creature

creep

cremate

crimson

critter

cross

crow

crime

criminal

crumble

crunch

crush

cry

crypt(id)

curse

cut

dagger

danger

dark(ness)

daunt

dawn

daze

deflate

disease

disgust

dissect

dizzy

dead

death

decay

demon

destroy

devil

dice

die

dirt

disappear

disease

disgust

doll

done

drac(ula)

drain

dread

drown

dull

eat

ecto(plasm)

edge

edgy

eerie

elbow

empty

evil

eye

facade

face

fail(ure)

fall

fang

far

fatal

fear

fight

final

finger

fire

flame

flesh

freak

fright(en)

fury

gain

gargoyle

gas(h)

gauze

gaze

ghost

ghoul

gimp

glee

gnash

god

gore

gouge

grab

grain

grasp

grate

grave(yard/stone)

grease

grim(ace)

grime

grind(er)

grip

grit

gross

grotesque

grunge

guard

grue(some)

gun

gut(teral)

hail

hammer

hand

harbor

hard

harm

hatch(et)

hate

hatred

haunt

havoc

head(stone)

heart

heat

hell

hidden

hide

high(way)

hilt

hit

hook

hollow

horror

hound

hunt

hurl

hurt

ice(pick)

ill(ness)

immolate

immortal

imp(ale)

incinerate

inflammatory

inhale

inhalation

instant

intense

irritate

jab

jail

jam

jank

jostle

joke

joy

junk

kill

kilter

knee

knife

lank

last

lather

laugh(ter)

leak

leg

lich

lim(inal)

linger

link

little

lung

lurk

macabre

maim

malicious

manslaughter

marrow

mask

mass(acre)

maze

meat

melt

mime

mince

misery

monster

morbid

moss

murder

mystery

nail

nausea/nauseous

night(mare)

noise

nowhere

necro

off

one

omen

open

over(power)

pail

pain

pale

panic

phantom

phobia

piece

pill

plead

poison

poltergeist

power

prey

puddle

purge

pyre

question

quiet

quiver

rabies

rage

rail

raid

rain

rake

rat

raw

restrain

retch

rip

road(kill)

rock

rot

run(away)

rust

saw(dust)

scare

scary

scent

scratch

scream

seize

sewer

shadow

shake

shiver

shock

shoot

shove(l)

shred

shriek

sick(ness)

silent

sink

sin(ister)

skin

skull

slash(er)

slay

sledge(hammer)

small

smash

smell

smoke

sob

somber

some(body)

someone

slip

spider

spirit

spike

spook

stab

stain

stalk

start(le)

steal

step

storm

strain

strange

stun

suffer

sunk

survive

sword

syringe

teeth

tense

terror

thorn

threat

tinge

tomb(stone)

torn

torture

tooth

trail(cam)

train

trigger

trip

turn

tyranny

undead

unknown

vamp(ire)

venom

vicious

villain

violent

void

wary

weak

weapon

weep

weird

wick(ed)

wicker

whir

whiz

whisper

will

wilt

wither

wound

worry

wraith

wrath

wreck

wring

wrong

wrought

yank

yell

yelp

zero

zombie

#neopronouns #tw #painprns

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mostlysignssomeportents · 3 years ago

Text

The music monopolists

Writing in Wired, Institute for Local Self Reliance researcher and anti-monopolist Ron Knox gives a thorough, important account of how music industry monoplization resulted declining revenue for artists, even as the industry itself has reaped greater profits.

https://www.wired.com/story/opinion-big-music-needs-to-be-broken-up-to-save-the-industry/

Importantly, Knox describes how concentration has come to every link in music’s supply chain, from radio to recording, streaming to live performance. The monopolists who dominate these sectors fight fiercely between each other, but no matter who wins, artists lose.

Let’s go segment by segment. Two thirds of all North American music comes from three labels. The labels grew through anticompetitive mergers: giant companies, awash in investor cash, bought out mid-sized, successful labels, turning them into subdivisions of the Big Three.

The more concentrated the labels got, the worse they were for everyone. They spent the nineties and naughties price-gouging record companies, pocketing hundreds of millions from an illegal price-fixing conspiracy. The fines they paid were smaller than the profits they reaped.

But at least they distributed music. Today, the struggling physical record store industry — a network of passionate music sellers who serve the most intense music fans — find themselves getting “record shipments” that turn out to be boxes of random stuff like cough syrup (!).

That happened when the Big Three all piled their distribution into a single company, the monopolist Direct Shot Distributing. As Direct Shot started to fail, its operations descended into chaos, and record stores started to receive boxes of random consumer packaged goods.

It was bad news for the non-monopolized, music-first record stores, but it barely registered for the Big Three labels — today, they buy an average of two new acts every day.

The labels don’t make money from selling records, of course. They get their money from streaming.

Streaming is also massively concentrated, gathered into the hands of just a few companies: Spotify, Apple, Youtube, Amazon — with the notable exception of Spotify, the industry is dominated by companies that also monopolize other sectors.

Monopolies are good to these companies. Spotify’s market-cap doubled during the pandemic — the market values its 150m subs (twice as many as subscribe with Apple) at $50b. The major labels get $1m/hour from streaming. 99% of their artists see $25/year in streaming royalties.

Spotify may be the biggest streaming service, but it’s not the lowest-paying. Youtube — a Google division, whose unsuccessful attempt to launch an in-house video service convinced it that it had to buy someone else’s success — drives the worst bargain.

Spotify uses its industry dominance to extract heavy fees from the labels — creaming 30% of the total revenue generated by a typical track. Big Three monopolists with fat margins can absorb this. Indies? Not so much.

Spotify’s market cap growth is in part due to the new ways it’s come up with to shake down the labels — a variety of tactics that all boil down to one thing: payola. Spotify will sell labels pop-up ads, placement in “radio” algorithms, and access to “Discovery mode.”

Like all forms of payola, Spotify’s rate-card is a way for monopolists to edge out indies, buying their way into your ear-holes. I’m sure that the Big Three would rather keep the bribes they pay to Spotiify, but the consolation prize is pretty sweet.

If the Big Three are the only ones who can afford to buy access to Spotify’s audience, then creators are driven to sign with them, and have less bargaining leverage when they negotiate their deals.

Spotify, meanwhile, can consolidate its gains by driving up those fees, pitting labels against each other in a bidding war for access to listeners. This effectively drives down the royalty rate Spotify pays, because every new track will have to buy in to get any reach.

Spotify talks a good game about how it uses big data and machine learning to pick the songs you hear, but increasingly, the algorithm is getting far less compute-intensive, a simple sort-by-highest-bidder system you could operate from a laptop running Windows 3.1 and Excel.

In theory, streaming losses can be made up with touring. Acts who attain digital popularity can charge access at the door to clubs and other venues. The only problem is that live performance is also a monopoly business.

The 800lb gorilla there is Livenation, a division of the ticket monopolist and notorious arm-breakers Ticketmaster — spun out of Clear Channel, the monopolist that we now know as Iheartradio.

Livenation parlayed its access to the capital markets to buy out $1b worth of venues and promoters, before being acquired by Clear Channel for $4.4b in 2005. Today, it’s a division of Liberty Media, consolidated with Ticketmaster, Pandora, and Siriusxm.

What goes around, comes around: Liberty’s private equity owners are in the process of buying up Iheartradio, re-merging all of Clear Channel’s spinouts into one giga-monopolist.

The conglomerate already coerces artists to book exclusively in its clubs and using its ticketing, starving independent venues. Add 850 terrestrial radio stations to the mix and it will choke off all the oxygen that independent venues, promoters and ticketers rely on.

Liberty didn’t buy all these companies because it’s passionate about music and wanted to ensure artists got a fair shake. By rolling up the entire live music/radio supply-chain, it bought the power to extract vast sums from musicians, and to keep rivals out of the market.

Well, not all competitors. Lollapalooza co-founder Marc Geiger raised tens of millions for “Savelive,” a new would-be monopolist that offered to “rescue” live music venues in exchange for a 51% stake in them.

Savelive illustrates an important point about the nature of monopolies: they beget more monopolies. Consolidation in the labels meant that only the largest streaming companies could negotiate a sustainable rate.

But consolidation in radio drives consolidation in labels — and many of the indie radio stations that survived the first wave of consolidation were picked up cheap by Iheartradio once monopolistic streamers ate their lunch.

This is a pattern across the whole entertainment industry: bookstore mergers and big box retailers drove consolidation in publishing; that was accelerated by consolidation in online ebook and physical book retail.

It’s not limited to the entertainment sector either. As David Dayen describes in his essential book MONOPOLIZED, hospitals didn’t start consolidating until the pharma industry underwent a wave of brutal mergers and started gouging for drugs.

https://pluralistic.net/2021/01/29/fractal-bullshit/#dayenu

Hospital consolidation led to gouging insurers, leading to a wave of insurance consolidation. Today, nearly every part of the health industry is monopolized, from pharmacy benefit managers to medical labs.

The only parts of the supply chain that doesn’t monopolize — that can’t monopolize — are the ends of the chain: the people who work in the system, and the people who use it.

Monopoly punishes doctors and nurses and other health workers — and it punishes patients.

It punishes writers and publishing workers, and it punishes readers.

It punishes musicians and independent venue owners, and it punishes listeners.

When every part of the supply chain gets so monopolized that it can’t easily be squeezed by any other part of the supply chain, these giants turn on us — the workers and users of the system. We, the atomized and fragmented, cannot resist the squeeze.

But as Knox writes, the tide is turning. After 40 years of waving through anticompetitive mergers in the name of “efficiency,” the DoJ and FTC are under new management, with two-fisted trustbusters like Lina M Khan at the helm.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/08/party-its-1979-og-antitrust-back-baby

This new cohort of monopoly fighters reject the “consumer welfare” theory of antitrust (the idea that monopolies drive prices down and are therefore good for society), going to war against the hegemonic orthodoxy that began with Ronald Reagan.

https://doctorow.medium.com/epic-v-apple-d3e59893b4f3

The new antitrust is surging, with bills in the House and Senate, executive orders from the White House, regulatory proceedings at the DoJ and FTC, and an interagency-cabinet coordination committee that ties it all together.

This new antitrust promises workers and users of monopolized industries a better alternative than rooting for one giant to beat another in hopes that they will drop a few crumbs for the rest of us to enjoy.

Creative workers don’t have to choose between Big Tech and Big Content based on their assessment of which monopolist will abuse them the least. Instead, we can root for antimonopoly, for giant-slaying, and the right to self-determination.

The most important immediate step towards that future is blocking new anticompetitive mergers, like Sony’s bid for AWAL, or Liberty Media’s use of a $500m SPAC to go on a vertical monopoly shopping spree.

The agencies have the power to stop these. They should. When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.

But ending anticompetitive mergers won’t get us out of that hole: most industries (from beer to cheerleader uniforms to wresting to eyeglasses) are already monopolized.

The new trustbusters — and the ILSR — want to use antitrust law to break up these conglomerates. I think that’s right: vertical monopolies will always engage in self-dealing to the detriment of independents, workers and customers. Break. Them. Up.

But breaking up is hard to do. When the DoJ tried to break up IBM, the company’s lawyers outspent the entire DoJ antitrust division, every single year, for twelve consecutive years, and in the end, it escaped breakup.

That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. IBM escaped justice because Reagan was elected and neutered antitrust. And even though it remained intact, it was never the same — for one thing, it decided that it was too risky to make its own PC OS.

IBM knew that antitrust enforcers were very suspicious of tying software to hardware — so it tapped a couple of hacker kids, Bill Gates and Paul Allen, to sell it DOS, from their new company “Micro-Soft.”

Unfortunately for all of us, antitrust enforcement only declined after that, so IBM was able to return to its monopolistic ways, and Microsoft escaped from antitrust scrutiny after a mere seven years in regulatory hell.

Antitrust enforcement can sap monopolists of the will to power, as they become increasingly concerned that their actions will attract aggressive legal reprisals.

Think of how Apple “lost” the Epic lawsuit but still “voluntarily” rescinded its heretofore hard rule against apps providing links to web-pages where you can use third-party payment processors to make purchases.

As monopolists lose their nerve, space opens up for all kinds of pro-worker, pro-user interventions, far beyond those afforded by traditional antitrust.

Next year, Beacon Press will publish THE SHAKEDOWN, a book I co-wrote with Rebecca Giblin about the monopolistic corruption of creative labor markets and how creative workers, regulators and fans can resist it.

The Shakedown catalogs the ways that monopolization of investment, distribution and sale of creative works allows entertainment companies, Big Tech, and major retailers to shift an ever-larger share of the creative industry’s revenues from workers to themselves.

More importantly, we identify tools beyond breakups that we can use to de-monopolize the industry — things we can do right now, without having to wait for the conclusion of an antitrust suit that might run for decades.

Take reversion rights: many copyright systems allow creators to take back their rights after a set period (35 years in the US). This lets artists who signed bad deals — before they were proven successes — to resell their catalog or extract reparations by threatening to.

But reversion is really hard to do, and 35 years is way too long. Only an handful of creators — even those with valuable catalogs that could be renewed through reversion — ever manage it.

https://pluralistic.net/2021/07/06/backsies/#take-backs

Congress (and other legislatures around the world, including Canada, where this is likely to come up in the new Parliament) could fix reversion: make it easier to do, and make it available after a shorter period — say, 14 years.

And what about those bad contracts? The “freedom to contract” has always been subject to limits, where some clauses are deemed unenforceable “as against public policy” or because they are “unconscionable.”

With the entertainment sector consolidated into just a couple of states, state legislatures could act to void the most abusive clauses — for example, clauses that allow labels to claw back royalties indefinitely to recoup (often inflated or fictitious) “expenses.”

Our book explores dozens of these kinds of ideas, from co-operatives to trade unions; better accounting practices and direct arts subsidies; radical interoperability and collective licensing; minimum wages for creative labor and collective bargaining.

None of these are replacement for reducing the size and power of conglomerates throughout the supply chain, but all of them are interventions we can make as the power and nerve of conglomerates declines, changes that will hasten that decline and open more space for breakups.

And all of them are applicable, to a greater or lesser extent, to helping workers and users of all the other consolidated industries, from health care to cheerleading.

For example, expanding California’s ban on noncompete clauses would help fast-food workers nationwide — because today, fast food employers are the most aggressive abusers of noncompetes.

That means that a fried chicken cashier earning the tipped minimum wage can’t quit to work at a burger joint across the street for a $0.25/hour raise. Creative workers aren’t the only ones suffering from monopolization — we’re not even the worst off.

But by definition, creative workers have a platform. We reach people. We have the potential to help form the kind of unstoppable coalition that we’ll need to reverse the generations of oligarchic, post-Reagan consolidation.

You may have heard about how Danish McDonald’s workers earn $22/hour and get six weeks’ paid vacation and sick leave. That didn’t come about because McDonald’s was required by law to pay it.

It was worker solidarity that did it. As Matt Bruenig writes, McDonald’s initially refused to sign the voluntary “hotel and restaurant” collective agreement. So its workers went on strike.

https://mattbruenig.com/2021/09/20/when-mcdonalds-came-to-denmark/

Now, if McD’s workers had struck alone, they’d probably have lost. But Danish law allows for sympathy strikes — that is, it allows workers in other parts of the supply chain to take industrial action to support their sisters and brothers who are striking.

When the McD’s workers walked out in 1989, sixteen other sectoral unions joined them. They didn’t just help picket at leaflet in front of McD’s restaurants!

Dockworkers wouldn’t unload McD’s shipments. Printers wouldn’t print their cups and placemats.

Builders downed tools on McDonald’s construction projects. Typesetters wouldn’t set the McD’s ads in the daily papers. Truckers wouldn’t deliver to McD’s restaurants. Food industry workers wouldn’t produce the drink syrups, fries and other inputs to the McDonald’s kitchens.

McD’s caved.

Now, as Bruenig points out, these kinds of sympathy strikes are illegal in the US, but it’s a mistake to think that workers don’t have power because sympathy strikes are illegal — rather, sympathy strikes are illegal because workers don’t have power.

Workers across all sectors face the same kinds of monopolistic exploitation. Workers across all sectors have a common enemy (literally, thanks to “common ownership” where companies like Vanguard and Berkshire Hathaway hold significant stakes in almost every major company).

With a shared cause, shared tactics, solidarity and a renewed sense that we can do more than root for the giant we think will mistreat us the least, creative workers and their sisters and brothers in every sector can reverse generations of losses.

That’s why the new antitrust matters — because it is an assault on the consolidation that gives all industries the power to shift money and other forms of value from workers and users to a small elite of investors.

#pluralistic

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allthecolorsofourlove · 3 years ago

Text

start with an offer, build it into a scene—send

crows into a city. one: character.

there is a boy-not-boy with a full chest and weeping heart. he likes tigers. he likes tea, hot and iced. he likes to kiss just a bit too hard.

he always ties his shoes too tight. he never makes easy decisions.

two: relationship.

there is a second boy-true-boy miles away. he wears silver and wrestles a beast. he likes rabbits. he likes coffee, hot, substituted milk.

they like each other quite a bit. they always have. they never lie—they don’t even think they could.

three: objective. they both

want something: there’s something they fight for, apricot and fuzzy. they’re slaying something, those two. the super objective: to live another day.

they make simple work of it.

four: where?: there is a temple rising out of the

quartzite shards of something on that hill in the woods. the boys shed skirts, one keeps painting his face. the other plunges

nettles through his brow, his ears. they both poke coal into their skin. they paint bodily bedrooms that

never belonged to them. there is some beehive humming at the

edge of the forest, something gilded and tame— those boys

are not slaying something, they’re taming it.

we’ll start with “priest in a confessional”; i pull out our favorite show. someone yells,

“kneel!”

the look on my face is catastrophic;

i make everyone laugh too easy, pulled out of the scene quick, as with a word i find the button pressed

play you over and over in my head, gentle with my body and gentler with my heart;

i think of your face when you eat something lovely and the shimmy you do when i

stare at you too long. i spend the rest of the night feeling you

in the gap where my rib should be; i

finish the night with

performing us side by side: something about

pride in the city and starting testosterone, something about therapy and

seeing you again and as we

drunkenly exit the only bar that serves me, quite illegally,

i laugh about your illness and my lack there of, unable to let the

image of you in an airport go. he rubs my knee and says

“i’m so happy for you,” when i mention hormones and your

name, and i find the march i make towards a future that finally looks like one worth living has your

name all over it, like a bridge to something brighter, and the single

drink in my system puts me back in the confessional, back in your arms and your

name back in my mouth.

i wear a coat of bumblebees; i pull feathers from my hair:

in hubris i become icarus and tear every obligation off my wall; plaster you up where

straight a’s should be. i am tired of the notion of packing. play old music with me,

be 19, be young and be naive and be

hungry for something more. i await the sunny-side yolk of

june with voracious appetite and a need for your neck in my mouth; a need for

the full body press of your bodily boy-bedroom against mine, we can paint

tigers and rabbits on the walls, i’ll finally get that fig i want so badly,

take womanhood off your table, i’ll clear the plates of girlhood off of mine. the wax

on my daughter-wings is melting but

priesthood looks funny on me: i am learning to find something between the

mother mary and her sickly son.

white-collared crows eat the red beetles in the temple, over and over and over: sometimes the

bird eats a shard of glass; and i soothe their throats. a ladybug lands

on my arm, and i’ll turn my head to the sky.

#something!!! these are not coherent #first one is clever cus improv 101 is CROW. character relationship objective where #and it’s how you properly develop a scene #thought I was smart. whatever #poetry #writing #creative writing #creative writer #poem #the herb garden #writings #poems #poet

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magnetictapedatastorage · 4 years ago

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Americans have been saying for a year they want to get back to normal. Tragically, they're getting their wish.

With the gradual return to public places comes a specter the country was all too willing to set aside as it grappled with a pandemic capable of killing thousands of Americans a day. Mass shootings are starting to make headlines again, and though their return is most unwelcome, they've proved to be an inextricable part of life in the United States.

The latest mass killing left 10 dead at a grocery store. For the past 12 months, Americans have been vigilant in grocery stores to avoid contagion. Monday's slayings in Boulder, Colorado, reminded them that even with pandemic hope on the horizon, they should remain vigilant for a different reason.

This is a hard thing to read, but important. Full text under the cut.

CNN | 3/24/2021 | Listen Analysis: Mass shootings signal a dubious 'back to normal' in America Analysis By Eliott C. McLaughlin, CNN

Updated: Wed, 24 Mar 2021 00:21:23 GMT

Source: CNN

Americans have been saying for a year they want to get back to normal. Tragically, they're getting their wish.

Americans shouldn't have to fret about dying in a supermarket, or at a spa, or anywhere for that matter. Catching a bullet should be far from their minds, but with a return to American normalcy comes the reality that anyone could die for nothing, just about everywhere.

Seven mass shootings in seven days

Just as the country is conquering a new pandemic, an old, familiar epidemic makes its return. The last week has been a harbinger of what "back to normal" means for the US.

The most recent string of senseless gun violence began March 16 when a shooter killed eight people at three Atlanta spas. The next day, a drive-by in Stockton, California, injured five people who'd gathered for a vigil.

Four people were hospitalized Thursday after a shooting in Gresham, Oregon. On Saturday, a pair of shootings at clubs in Dallas and Houston left a young woman dead and 12 people injured. Shortly thereafter, a shooter opened fire at what Philadelphia police termed an illegal party, killing one man and injuring five more.

Now, Boulder makes seven in seven days. When the gunfire at King Soopers stopped, 10 lay dead, including hero officer Eric Talley, the first policeman on the scene. His wife and seven children will pay an astronomical debt for their dad's bravery.

"Flags that have barely been raised back to full mast after the tragic shooting in Atlanta that claimed eight lives and now the tragedy here, close to home, at a grocery store that could be any of our neighborhood grocery stores," Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said Tuesday.

The King Soopers location where the melee unfolded is one of about 1,000 providers in Colorado working to repel the killer Covid-19.

Steven McHugh's son-in-law had queued for a dose of vaccine, like more than a million other Coloradoans. He was third in line, and his daughters chatted with their grandmother on the phone as he waited, McHugh said.

When the gunfire erupted, a bullet found its way to the woman at the front of the line. Her fate is unclear, as is much about Monday's shooting. Authorities haven't divulged a motive, but history tells us it won't make sense.

McHugh's son-in-law fled with the girls -- one in seventh grade, the other in eighth -- to an upstairs staffing area above the pharmacy and hid in a closet. Dozens more shots rang out, McHugh said, citing his son-in-law.

It was "extraordinarily terrifying," the grandfather told CNN, "and of course the little one's saying, 'The coats weren't long enough to hide our feet,' as they were standing behind the coats in the closet."

'A normal we can no longer afford'

The US government doesn't have a centralized database to track mass shootings, but anecdotal accounts indicate they were down during the pandemic as Americans were encouraged to stay home and many of their favorite gathering places were shut down.

Former President Barack Obama called for action Tuesday, expressing disbelief that only Covid-19 could quell the gun violence the country has long endured.

"A once-in-a-century pandemic cannot be the only thing that slows mass shootings in this country," he said. "We shouldn't have to choose between one type of tragedy and another. It's time for leaders everywhere to listen to the American people when they say enough is enough -- because this is a normal we can no longer afford."

For the mass shootings that did unfold amid the pandemic, their locations were frighteningly familiar: a Buffalo, Minnesota, health clinic; a bowling alley in Rockford, Illinois; a Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, mall; parties in Rochester, New York, and Washington, DC; and a brewery in Milwaukee where, authorities would learn later, the gunman had been employed.

Gun violence is not a uniquely American phenomenon, but part of the rich American tapestry are threads of evil and violence: people (almost always men) who use weapons (often firearms) to snuff out innocents. Sometimes they're mentally ill, but more often they're just angry or vicious.

Their reasoning -- when it's attainable -- fails to provide closure. Outrage invariably erupts after each massacre. One side demands stronger gun laws. They're labeled un-American. Their opponents tout the Second Amendment. They're labeled callous. A stalemate ensues until the next killing, then repeat.

Within an hour of the Boulder killings, the National Rifle Association tweeted the Second Amendment. It later retweeted it. Nothing more.

It should surprise no one that a special interest group champions the Second Amendment. The amendment is a promise to every American, but 15 years prior to its ratification, the Declaration of Independence brought other promises of rights deemed "unalienable."

The full guarantees of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" will never be achieved by Officer Talley, Tralona Bartkowiak, Suzanne Fountain, Teri Leiker, Kevin Mahoney, Lynn Murray, Rikki Olds, Neven Stanisic, Denny Strong, Jody Waters -- or any of the thousands of victims who fell before Monday in Boulder.

'Part of the American experience'

In all likelihood, another person died by a gun while you were reading this. Despite the media's breathless focus on mass shootings, gun violence takes myriad and frequent forms.

According to numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the country saw 14,414 homicides in 2019 -- about one every 36 minutes -- while another 23,941 souls fatally turned guns on themselves -- roughly once every 22 minutes.

In his statement, Obama called out other scapegoats: disaffection, misogyny, hate. The United States has monopolies on none of these, though it has special brands that can be pernicious.

Sandy Phillips, who co-founded the organization Survivors Empowered to console and guide survivors of gun violence, pointed to the victims who suffer in silence, because the killings of their loved ones are seemingly not important enough for the newspapers or the nightly news.

Doubt her? Google the details about last week's shooting in Stockton, California, one of the most racially diverse cities in the nation.

"We have mass shootings in slow motion every day in this country, in other neighborhoods that never get the press, that never get the opportunity to speak out about what's happening in their communities -- and we need to change that," Phillips, who lost her 24-year-old daughter Jessica Ghawi in 2012 to gun violence in Aurora, Colorado, told CNN.

Those neighborhoods often belong to minorities, who have had a particularly rough time of the pandemic as well. It's another crushing American axiom that society's ills tend to home in on people of color, and those victims must yell so much louder to be heard.

There will be much yelling in coming days, perhaps weeks. Obama is right when he said Americans possess the ability to "make it harder for those with hate in their hearts to buy weapons of war. We can overcome opposition by cowardly politicians and the pressure of a gun lobby that opposes any limit on the ability of anyone to assemble an arsenal."

The margins are thin, though, and the complexity of that American tapestry will be on display. A Gallup poll from late last year showed 42% of Americans had guns in their homes, a number that's risen since 2019. Another Gallup query indicated 57% of Americans want stricter gun laws, a percentage that's on the decline.

Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe said "absolutely nothing" will stop the country's return to pre-pandemic mass violence if lawmakers refuse to curb access to the weaponry.

"This has become part of the American experience, and let's not forget: It's completely unique to us," he told CNN. "There's not another similar country on Earth that experiences the same number, the frequency of mass shootings as we do, and it is directly attributable to the profusion and the availability of guns, particularly high-powered assault-style weapons and how easily pretty much anyone can acquire them here in this country."

#cnn gun violence

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gabriel-agreste-has-no-rights · 5 years ago

Link

Rating: G

Summary: Adrien apologizes to Ladybug for his cousin's actions. He doesn't expect her to trust and tease him in the same breath. Ladrien, post-Felix episode.

Word Count: 1765

XXX

“Adrien?”

He jumped, barely stopping himself from whirling around and punching his lady in surprise. He shouldn’t be surprised; he as Chat was the one who’d asked her to meet “Adrien” in the secluded part of this park.

And he really shouldn’t punch her. That was kind of the opposite of why he was here.

“M—Ladybug! You came.” Nervousness had him smiling too tightly, though normally his Lady was one of the few people he could relax around.

Maybe Plagg had been right, and this was a stupid idea. But she deserved an apology, even if it just came from him.

“Of course. Chat told me you wanted to see me?”

He noticed how she kept her distance, standing in the middle of the grassy patch turned pink by the sunset. He couldn’t blame her for staying back. Maybe she knew it had been Felix who’d tried to kiss her, but how could she look at Adrien’s face and not see the guy who had been such a creep?

He hadn’t realized the extent of what Felix had attempted until after his cousin left, and the footage of him trying to kiss Ladybug ended up on Nadia Chamak’s broadcast. If he had, his parting words would have been a lot less forgiving.

“Yes. I—I won’t keep you, I know you’ve got better things to do than talk to me, but I just wanted to say—I’m so sorry. For yesterday.”

He winced, preparing himself for some kind of rebuke. Yes, it hadn’t been him who did something worthy of Ladybug punching his face, but it was still his face. His appearance used to deceive his Lady. If he’d trusted Felix less, if he’d listened to Plagg…

Adrien knew how it felt to be kissed without permission, to be clung to and fawned over by people who couldn’t care less about him. But somehow he hadn’t fully processed how awful it was until the same thing happened to his Lady.

“Wait… Felix?” She took another step back. Her eyes narrowed in a dangerous way he’d only seen directed at akumas. It was a look that could freeze his blood.

Well, that settled it. If Ladybug ever did fall in love with him, he could never reveal his identity. Not when she turned her icy glare on him like that.

“No, I’m Adrien. The real one.” Why did he say that? That only made it sound more like he was an imposter!

She peered at him and bit her lip. What was she thinking? Did she want to believe him? Was she going to punch him like she had his cousin?

He wouldn’t blame her, honestly.

“Alright. Just to be safe—how many time loops did you go through trying to save me?”

“25,914,” he answered without missing a beat (though his heart missed several).

Relief flooded her features before she hung her head. “Sorry. That one was cruel. It was the first thing I thought of that only you would know.”

“You could’ve gone with my hero name,” he pointed out. It did hurt to remember how many times he’d failed—but at the same time, he couldn’t help a new surge of love at the fact she remembered.

(Maybe she didn’t hate Adrien. Maybe.)

“You never told it to me. Not outside of the time loops, I guess.”

“Oh.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “It was Aspik, but—nevermind. That’s not why I asked you to come.”

“Then why?” She asked, stepping softly towards him, emerald grass bending lightly under her feet.

In any other circumstance, sharing a private moment in a sunset garden would’ve been a romantic dream come true. But now he wrenched his thoughts away from how the pink light glowed off her dark hair, from how her eyes stared into his like she truly wanted to see him.

(He had to be imagining that. Ladybug was just too nice to show her discomfort, probably.)

“I’m not Felix, but I did want to apologize for him,” he said firmly. “What he did to you was wrong, and you had every right to punch him in the face.”

There. That was all. It didn’t matter if she forgave him or not; at least she could know he was sorry.

Her head tilted slightly as she examined him like a particularly complicated Lucky Charm. “You… wait, I’m confused. Why are you apologizing for him? It’s not your fault.”

Her mouth opened like she wanted to add something after that, then thought better of it.

“It kind of is, though,” he said. He wrapped his arms around himself as a light breeze ruffled his overshirt. “He used my face. He used my phone to record that awful message that got my friends reakumatized… I never notice people’s lies until it’s too late,” he murmured.

First Lila, scheming to separate him from his Lady, on top of the ways she’d lied to and harassed him personally. Now Felix, trying to sabotage his friendships and attack his partner.

Why were so many people close to him dedicated to hurting Ladybug? Why, after all this time, did it still feel like he couldn’t protect her when it mattered?

“Adrien.” Ladybug’s voice was soft, almost like when she comforted an akuma victim after a battle. Hesitantly, her hand reached up to rest on his shoulder. “Wanting to see the best in people isn’t a bad thing, you know.”

It is when you pay the price for it, he couldn’t say.

“Thanks, m-Ladybug.” He couldn’t meet her eyes either. She was the one seeing the best in him. And he fell a little more in love with her for it, for all that it was hard to believe her.

“Everyone has to take accountability for their own actions,” she added, as if she could tell he wasn’t convinced. “Hawkmoth chose to use his miraculous for evil. Felix chose to try to kiss me when I told him no. You didn’t make either of those choices, and I know you never would.”

“Do you?” How could she know? She didn’t remember her time with him as Aspik. She barely knew “Adrien” at all, outside of saving him from… okay, so she’d had to save him a lot. Too many akumas seemed to be directly interested in him, from Gorizilla to Chameleon to Oni-Chan to Party Crasher—he’d probably caused as many akumas as Chloe at this point.

No. Hawkmoth caused the akumas. He knew that, even if it was difficult to shake the guilt sometimes.

“Yes,” she replied earnestly. “You wouldn’t be here apologizing to me now if you were anything like your cousin. I trust you.”

Heat rushed to his face. That smile could slay him on the spot, if her words didn’t first.

“Th-thanks. I trust you too.”

The way her smile widened at that threatened to melt him into the grass underfoot. As his brain fizzled he rambled, “O-of course I trust you, since you’re a superhero and you’ve saved me so many times and you’re so amazing you could punch me in the face and I’d thank you.”

She blinked, her eyes wide as he’d ever seen them.

...Why, why, why did he just say that?

“Uh. I’m gonna. Shut up now.” He stared at the ground, fighting the urge to bury his face in his hands.

He would thank her if she punched him and put him out of his misery now.

She giggled awkwardly. “I’d never punch you in the face. Um. But, um, thank you. For the apology. And everything, I… if it’s okay…?”

Her hand moved from his shoulder to hover near his cheek. He could feel the heat emanating from her palm even through her suit. What was she—was she…?

He nodded dumbly, and then she stood on tip-toe to kiss the blush on his cheek. It was the briefest of touches, but she came away flushed as pink as he must be.

“Better than a punch, I hope.” A smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

“Much,” he said breathlessly.

She laughed again. “Might want to close that mouth, handsome boy. You’ll end up catching butterflies in there.”

He snapped his jaw shut, cheeks burning. If she were anyone else, he’d assume she’d kissed him just to have a chance to tease him afterwards. But she wasn’t like that— even if he had a hard time understanding why she had kissed him. Sure, she’d kissed his cheek after he’d given up the snake miraculous too… was it really just a thank you? Did she thank every miraculous wielder like that?

That was a dangerous train of thought, one that was better left in the station. Besides, with the print of her lips burned into his cheek, he decided it didn’t matter.

“I don’t think you have to worry about that.” As if any akuma could touch him when the love of his life kissed him and gave him a nickname like that.

She looked down with another little laugh—he could bottle it up and cure depression with the sound—before unhooking her yo-yo from her hip.

“Good. Punching your cousin was bad enough. I’d hate for you to get akumatized and actually have to punch your face.” She winked, and he wondered if she knew how that one action turned each of his joints to jelly.

“You won’t. I promise.” He’d promise her anything, like the lovestruck fool he was. Why was it so much harder to pull it together around her without his suit?

“But if I did, you’d thank me for it?” The tiny smirk playing on her lips should be illegal.

“Now you’re just messing with me,” he muttered, pretending to pout. It was so hard not to banter back with her like he did as Chat, but he was eternally grateful that she seemed to trust Adrien enough to tease him too. Maybe the incident with Desperada had brought her closer to him in spite of everything. That was the only explanation he could think of, anyway.

“Maybe so,” she said, her grin widening as she unhooked her yo-yo from her hip. “I’d love to stay and mess with you more, but I know you’ve got to get back to your—well, someone will miss you soon. See you around, Adrien. Bug out!”

She swung off towards a distant rooftop, becoming a streak of red against the skyline.

And him? He stood rooted in that clearing, dazed enough that he might have been punched in the face after all.

#fic tag #ladrien #ladybug #adrien agreste #miraculous ladybug #tali writes #no reveals here

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