#older sibling syndrome activated!

[bowieasindavid]

nightwing…

Tell me who your favorite batfam member is and whether you're an eldest, middle, youngest, or only child.

[hitwiththetmnt]

I got a question about the dragons. Do the dragons interact with each other a lot? Or do they mostly just hang around their own turtles?

Good question!

I think I mentioned some of this in my spitfire au info dump, but I’ll go into a little bit more detail here

For this au my idea was that the dragons are manifestations of the boys mystic abilities and energy. This means the dragons are both technically their own sentient beings but are deeply connected to their respective turtle.

Being so connected to each other can mean that each dragon is going to want to stick close to their turtle counterpart most of the time, but that doesn’t mean that it’s impossible to do things by themselves.

Think of it like a symbiotic relationship. Both dragon and turtle are going to want to be close to each other and benefit from it, but also they can be their own separate species.

The dragons are all technically siblings just like their turtle counterparts. This means they share the same love for hanging out and messing around with their siblings just as the turtles do!

[torukmaktoskxawng]

'anla - part six

Masterlist

Summary: Ao'nung and Y/n settle into a new relationship while a father/daughter bond needs mending. Y/n decides it's finally time to visit the Spirit Tree again.

Pairing: Ao'nung/Fem!Na'vi!Sully Reader

Warnings: Mature language, time skips, HEAVY angst, depression, older sibling syndrome, mentions of death, canon compliance, father/daughter trouble, fluff, etc.

posted on ao3

Word Count: 5k+

Tag: #'anla ao'nung fic

Na'vi Words: Sänrr Rong - Glow Tunnel, tulkun - whale like animal, akula - shark like animal, Iknimaya - Rite of Passage, tsurak - skimwing, kurkung - asshole, taronyu - hunter, marui - house/pod, ilu - plesiosaur like animal, olo'eyktan - clan leader, kuru/tswin - queue braid, tsmukan - brother, Ranteng Utralti - Metkayina Spirit Tree, tsmuke - sister, nantang - dog like animal

Taglist (bold indicates “could not tag”):  @bangtanxberm @aonungmyaddiction @lv9su @aisselasstuff @yourusername1 @amortencjja @king-julian6201 @gg-trini @im-in-a-pansexual-panik @mikeyswifie @heart-an0n @iloveavatar @urdads-gf  @kentfisherswifee6 @sakurayuki8655-blog @ken-zah @nilrilie @g-l-1-t-c-h-3-r @iovemoonyy @sopluto @frvv

A/N: Thank you so much for 700 followers!

Despite not telling anyone what had happened at Sänrr Rong, everyone noticed the significant change in Y/n's attitude and everyone knew that whatever changed her tune happened at that tunnel. 

It has been over a month since she kissed Ao'nung and she's almost back to the way she was before the tragedy of her twin brother's death. She was flying more than usual without feeling the need to watch her siblings like a hawk, and sometimes her siblings would join her on these flights. She would play more often than watch over the other kids doing so and she would smile more than she had in a very long time. The more she talked, the more her voice was rid of the rough sound of sandpaper, eventually returning to normal. That's not to say she had completely healed from her loss. Y/n's smiles were still small and sometimes sad, but they were less forced and more genuine. There would be a day or two when she needed to be alone again with her thoughts, but those days were starting to be far or few between. 

And of course, she wasn't the only one slowly but surely healing. Her family was as well, although there was still some obvious tension between Y/n and her father, unspoken words still bubbling underneath the surface. Y/n had said everything she had ever wanted to say to her father that fateful day, but Jake couldn't afford to say his piece. Sometimes that man was too emotionally constipated and unfortunately, recent events have shown just how damaging that is to his children, especially Y/n and Lo'ak. To keep each other from thinking about it, the sister and brother would spend whole days together and entertaining the others. Lo'ak took all the kids to see Payakan many times over the months after losing Neteyam, and it was safe to say tulkun riding was a great success and a therapeutic activity for everyone involved. Much like how they spent time away in Sänrr Rong, the kids now spend their free afternoons with Payakan after finishing up any chores they had in the morning. Of course, the teens still like cliff diving, but they have been wanting to keep Tuk and her little friends included more often than not nowadays, so they have stuck to activities the younger ones can participate in, such as fin-gliding with Payakan.

However, the Archwas never left abandoned. Y/n would go there every time she needed to be left alone and recharge. Her family respected the fact that there were gonna be days when she needed to go back to missing her twin and promised to leave her to her thoughts... just as long as she always came back to them. 

She hated lying to them sometimes. Yes, she'd escape to Sänrr Rong some days to be alone, but sometimes she needed an excuse to sneak away. She wished she didn't use Neteyam as an excuse, but internally, she knew her twin would laugh his ass off if he knew why.

While impatiently waiting on one of those days, she sat on the edge of the cliff and let her legs gently swing in the air, deep in thought. Y/n was watching the clouds until a pair of large hands covered her vision and a voice close enough to feel their breath in her hair called out behind her, "Guess who."

She grins knowingly, "Rotxo? Is that you?"

A laugh is pulled from her lungs when Ao'nung pulls his hands away from her face and instead grabs at her waist, pulling her away from the ledge while ruthlessly poking and prodding at her ribcage. Y/n squeals with uncontrollable laughter, trying to curl up and protect herself while Ao'nung playfully growls at her, "Take that back, Forest Girl."

He tightens his arms around her for a brief squeeze and relents after she makes a half-assed apology between gasps of laughter. Keeping her in his arms, Ao'nung gets comfortable, sitting down in the grass as the high winds rustle the vegetation around them. Y/n's laughter died down eventually, flinching occasionally if Ao'nung's fingers touched a ticklish spot, now high-strung and giggling under her breath. She tilts her head to peer over her shoulder and finally gets a good look at him, "Ah, Seaweed Brain. To what do I owe the displeasure?"

"Keep it up," he jibes back, "And I will toss you over the edge." 

She makes an amused sound at the back of her throat but otherwise says nothing. They sit that way for a while, warmed by their shared body heat as the wind brushes through their hair, tangled legs gently swinging over the cliffside. Ao'nung breaks the moment of peace by rummaging in a small pouch he had tied to his belt that morning, "I got you something."

"What is it?" Y/n leans her head back to rest against his shoulder as he lifts his hand out to hers, presenting a small object resting in his giant palm. It was obviously an arrowhead, but the material looked different than what a traditional arrow was made of. Once Y/n had the object in her hand, she ran her thumb over it and recognized it to be made out of an akula tooth, causing her lips to turn up into an excited smile, "It's beautiful."

"It looks fragile but I promise that it is strong. You'll be able to use it for your arrows. I can show you where to gather more of them."

In the meantime, in order to keep it safe, she fashioned the arrow into the necklace she wore, feeling the object rest comfortably against her collar. She turned her head enough to look back at Ao'nung and smiled, her hand reaching behind and resting against the back of the reef boy's neck, "Thank you."

He grinned obnoxiously back, overdramatically enunciating his words as if he were reciting an ancient prophecy, "May your arrows always fly true~"

"You are ridiculous." Y/n rolled her eyes with a scoff, despite the smile still gracing her lips. They leaned back into a comfortable silence, looking out over the vast ocean before she spoke up once more, "You're one season away from completing your Iknimaya. Are you excited?"

"Aren't you? My father mentioned that you have been hunting more. You might be able to finish the trials with the rest of us instead of waiting. Rotxo was upset that you managed to catch more fish than him last week," Ao'nung laughed when Y/n proudly beamed and winked at him in response, "I would not be surprised if you finished the trials before him."

"Even if I did, I don't have my own tulkun. Lo'ak would be able to finish the Iknimaya since he has Payakan, but without a tulkun, I wouldn't be able to fully become Metkayina."

"But you can still do the other trials. You can still tame a tsurak. I know you can."

"I know, it's just... it wouldn't be the same."

Her voice lowered, trailing off as she got lost in thought. Ao'nung knew that this particular tone in her voice meant several meanings. Without saying it, Y/n confessed that it wouldn't be the same as flying with Evi, or the same as sharing these achievements with her twin. She didn't have to specify for Ao'nung, he already knew what she meant.

Instead of asking her to be specific, Ao'nung tightened his hold around her, holding her like he wished he was brave enough to do a few months ago, "I know."

She gladly takes his comfort, sighing in defeat, "And besides, I wouldn't put it past my father to be stubborn and refuse my place in the trials."

"Why? I thought that's what your father wanted you to do?"

"It was. But lately, we haven't been... on speaking terms."

"Lo'ak mentioned that. 'Said something about how you and Toruk Makto have been driving your mother 'up the wall,'" Ao'nung's ears pin back while shyly admitting, "I am not sure I know what that means."

Y/n half-heartedly laughs, "It means we're driving her crazy."

"Oh... Yeah, you're pretty good at that."

Ao'nung's smugness is interrupted by a sharp elbow jabbing into his ribs and he yelps in response, Y/n's scowl looking as adorable as ever to him as she cursed, "Kurkung."

~~~~~~~~~

Neytiri usually loved how stubborn her mate could be, and she loved it even more when that stubbornness was passed down to their children. But lately, that stubbornness is driving her absolutely insane and it might also be tearing her family apart more than it already is.

She had been telling Jake that he needed to talk to Y/n and he needed to act soon, or else Y/n would grow up and become taronyu right under his nose. And then it will be too late for forgiveness. Y/n's childhood will be gone permanently and there would be no way for Jake to fix it. Neytiri has a fear that her daughter will only continue to distance herself from her father as she gets older until there's nothing left to mend, so the Na'vi woman has done everything in her power to keep that from happening. She had talked to both Jake and Y/n separately, but nothing appeared to work.

Jake has the Human mindset that Y/n just needs her distance from him, while Y/n secretly resents her father for not just telling her how he really feels. Neytiri, luckily, doesn't have the same mindset as her mate so she took matters into her own hands. 

One afternoon, Neytiri refused to let either of their stubborn asses into her marui and told them to go hunting together, threatening to not let them back in until they had talked it all out. "We are a family. We have lost too much to be anything but! Start acting like a family."

Like father, like daughter, they begrudgingly left to go fishing together, taking their respective tsurak and ilu before swimming out beyond the reef to hunt for their family's next meal. They stubbornly tried to do so in silence, but too much hurt and words hung between them, making this hunting trip just as painful. While Jake was glad Y/n appeared to be doing better, smiling and laughing like normal whenever she was around friends, he couldn't help but feel hurt whenever her eyes landed on him and her smile would immediately disappear. Even now, when they were alone, Y/n looked as though time had not passed since Neteyam's death, her expression unhappy as her gaze looked off into the distance as if she had not healed at all. Maybe, whenever her father was concerned, she hadn't healed at all like everyone thinks.  

"Your first word was 'fly,'" was the first thing that came to mind, and he had no idea where that came from. Y/n suddenly turned and stared oddly at her father, but said nothing in response. Jake looks out over the ocean, replaying the memory in his head, "Neteyam was sick that day and we were scared that you would catch it, so we separated the two of you. I took you flying while your mother and grandmother tended to your brother. I was trying to occupy your mind, holding you in my arms while Bob wandered around.  Anyway, you and I were flying and you mumbled that word. It was a moment that I alone witnessed and cherished forever. Your mom was sad that she had missed it. Mo'at believed it was a sure sign that you would become one of the best flyers someday, and she was right. She also believed that because you spoke your first word to me, you would always trust me and come to me first for anything... I wish she was right about that, too."

He finally turned back to his daughter, ears drooping as he reassured her, "Not that it's your fault, kiddo. It's mine. I pushed you away, I expected too much from you and Neteyam. From all of you. There's no excuse for what I did, not even war or the fear I have of losing you. Everything that's happened until this very moment has been my fault, and... I am so, so sorry."

They sit silently on their respective tsurak and ilu for some time while Y/n carefully stares at her father and tries to piece together a puzzle in her head, the soft waves bobbing the pair of them up and down in the water as she gathers her thoughts. 

Jake looked so old at that moment, aging far past his years as if cryosleep had finally caught up to him, devastated and beside himself as he stared back, hoping his daughter could see how genuine he was. It's funny, in a strange, twisted way. Y/n had grown up believing everyone when they said her father was the great and mighty Toruk Makto, one of only six throughout the history of the Na'vi. They all described Jakesully as a strong warrior, as sturdy as the trees and unforgivable as the ocean, whereas whenever Y/n looked at him, all she could see was her dad. He's not particularly tall -at least not compared to Tonowari- or strong or unforgivable. He's just... ordinary to her. An ordinary man. As a child, sure, she believed all the stories told of him and considered him her number one hero, but as she grew older, she saw less of the legend and more of the man behind it. It's hard to picture the man who grounds you whenever you do something wrong as the same man who brought the clans together in a time of great sorrow. 

Even though Y/n was easily able to separate her father from the great Toruk Makto, others might not be able to, such as Jake himself. She could only imagine the burden placed on his shoulders as a husband, father, and leader. She knew he had to make a difficult choice by choosing his family over his clan, believing he could protect both from the Sky People by running away. In the human stories she'd heard in the past, usually, the hero sacrifices everything they love for the greater good. A quote she could faintly remember, something about a Vulcan stating "needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few" or something like that. They all start to blur together and she can't remember which of those stories were fact or fiction. Either way, when she thought of those stories, she didn't picture her father as any of those heroes. To her, he was the olo'eyktan of the Omatikaya clan and war hero of the Battle of the Hallelujah Mountains. Toruk Makto wasn't about sacrifices or choosing who to save. He was about bringing the clans together to mourn, to love, and to fight as one. 

So losing Neteyam wasn't just hard on Jake as a father but as a leader as well. A father protects, but so does a leader, and he failed at both of them. Soon, Y/n will be sixteen years old, and no matter how hard she tried to think like an adult, she couldn't imagine what her father must be going through right now. She couldn't imagine the pain he was feeling, losing the very child that made him a father in the first place. Parents shouldn't have to bury their children. Parents are meant to grow old and die without ever having to worry about their own child's death. They should be the ones to go first... not their child. Not their sweet, innocent babies.

A tear slipped down Y/n's face when she first noticed her own father silently crying throughout the silence. A part of her wished to never have children for the sake of sparing herself this kind of pain, while another part of her wished to see what it'd be like to raise children one day and see if she could do better than the people who came before her. Jake wasn't the best father in the world, but he was hers, and she wanted to be proud of that fact, "I said I would never forgive you, Dad. That doesn't mean that I'll never stop loving you."

He peered up at her, watching her carefully as she rolled her lips when her tear slipped into her mouth. She sniffled quietly as she whispered, "I-- I can't help it. You're my father. And... And maybe someday soon I'll learn how to forgive, but I could never forget." 

Jake tried to collect himself, taking deep breaths and wiping his own tears away, nodding, "That's okay kiddo. I understand."

"How... how did your brother die?"

Jake winced, hissing silently between his teeth. It wasn't a topic suitable for children, but after everything his daughter had been through, it's safe to say her innocence had been shattered a while ago, no matter how hard her parents had tried to contain it. It breaks Jake a little more every day realizing just how young all his children are and just how much they have already gone through in the early stages of their lives. Nevertheless, Jake's kids barely know anything about his brother and they try not to press, but he knew eventually he'd have to tell them.

"A gun, I think. Or a knife. I... I honestly can't remember. That was so long ago... it almost didn't feel real. And-- I'll be honest, I wasn't a very nice person back on Earth. I was completely wasted when I was told my brother was dead."

Y/n nods but doesn't comment on that. She can't exactly picture her father being some sort of drunk or a monster. She had seen his video diaries that Norm had kept for studying, so she knew what her father looked like as a human, but a monster? No, she couldn't even imagine. "I think you should talk about Uncle Tommy more. I think we'd all like to hear more about him."

"Yeah," he replies solemnly, looking as gray as the sky ahead of them, "I wish you could have met him."

It would've been nice to see where the twin gene came from. To see her father's brother in a side-by-side comparison would be funny in its own way. Y/n had always wondered what Tomsully was like or if he was anything like her dad. 

The heavy conversation didn't really feel suited for fishing and Y/n wasn't exactly enjoying herself any more than Jake was. She felt her fingers begin to fidget as she quietly asked, "Can... Can we go to the Spirit Tree? Just us?"

Jake turned back, eyes softening into something that resembled a gentle father more than a war hero, "Of course, sweetheart. Whatever you want."

~~~~~~~~~

The Cove looked the same as when Ao'nung had taken Y/n there... right before everything went to shit. As she and Jake dive down to the Spirit Tree, she begins to get nervous, her heart wanting to leap up into her throat. Her father nodded in encouragement and kept a vigil watch while she connected to a tendril of the tree, taking her kuru braid and connecting the tswin to the branch. 

The moment she closed her eyes, she found herself standing on the beach of the village. Confusion wrapped around her brain as she looked around, wondering what she was doing there. She was alone, watching everyone go about their day as normal, only... none of the faces looked clear. It was as though a dense fog was placed over the faces and a part of Y/n wondered if she had dreamt of her and her father going out to fish and visit the Spirit Tree. That is... until she heard a familiar voice.

"Ah, there you are!"

Spinning around, her voice nearly got caught in her throat as her eyes set on an approaching figure, "Neteyam..."

Walking tall and confident, Neteyam smiled brightly as he walked up to his twin sister, beckoning over his shoulder, "Come on. You said you wanted to fly."

Ah. A memory. Y/n had forgotten that the Spirit Tree only contains a past loved one's memories unless she strayed from the memory to speak to him directly. Y/n wanted nothing more than to live out this memory once more; to fly alongside her twin brother as she was meant to for the rest of their lives... but maybe some other time.

"Actually... can we talk?" 

From here, the memory drifts away from history, away from what actually happened. The vision subtly moves, shifting to Y/n's preferred reality. When she pulls from the memory, Neteyam's expression moves like it's obstructed by water before the vision clears, and suddenly Neteyam's memory is also speaking off script, confused but obliging her request.

"What is it?" When he asked her this, she realized she was now speaking to Eywa's image of Neteyam, and suddenly her eyes began to blur and a sob escaped her throat. Neteyam immediately grew concerned, his protective older brother's side showing once more as he stepped close to gathering his twin up in his arms. He brushed a few tears away and then proceeded to hug her close, speaking in soothing, small words, "Hey. Hey, Y/n... it's alright. Why are you crying?"

She continued to cry into her brother's shoulder, repeatedly wiping her face but it was pointless, the tears refusing to stop, "I miss you so much, 'Teyam!" She wailed, "There isn't a day that goes by when I don't-- when I don't think of you."

"What are you talking about?"

Y/n began to cry even harder, mad at Neteyam and mad at Eywa for making her say it out loud, "You're gone, tsmukan. You've been gone for... a few months now. And it still hurts. It hurts like it just happened yesterday. This isn't real. We are in Ranteng Utralti. The Spirit Tree of the Metkayina."

"Oh." Neteyam gently pulled away and held his sister out at arm's length, looking around, curious and confused, but strangely, he wasn't scared, "So this is it? I am one with Eywa?"

Y/n took a moment to properly wipe her tears and try to relax, muttering under her breath as she nodded, "Yes..."

"You came to visit me?"

"Yeah... it is my first time doing so." Immediately, Neteyam's eyes fall back on hers before she lowers her head in shame, unable to look him in the eye, "I'm sorry. I should have come sooner, but... I was scared. Dad and Lo'ak visit the most, but I... I couldn't face you."

"What... When was the last we saw each other... before...?"

She had to pause for a few short minutes to think about it, willing herself to remember that fateful day after spending so long just trying to forget it. Thinking hard enough for her head to hurt, it took her a while to forget yellow unblinking eyes, cold skin... and all of that blood that still haunts her nightmares. She tried to get past the fire, the Sky People, and the screams and cries clawing from her own lungs and those around her. Trying to picture her twin's face, alive and well, was harder than she thought, replaying the events that had led up to the battle actually happening.

"You... you separated from us to lure the Sky People away," she recalled, her bottom lip beginning to quiver again, "You went alone. That was the last time I saw you alive. I... I don't even remember the last thing I ever said to you."

"Ah. That's alright then."

Her head snapped up quickly, staring wide-eyed in disbelief at Neteyam while he only smiled softly. Her tone was accusatory as she bit out, "'That's alright'? No! No, that is not alright! You died, 'Teyam!"

He simply shrugged, "We all have to die someday, tsmuke. That is what we are told from the day we are able to understand it."

"But why is it alright that you got separated from us and died for it?!"

"Because I drove the Sky People away, right? I made sure my siblings were safe," Y/n was opening and closing her mouth to try and find a retort before Neteyam stepped closer again, reaching out and firmly grasping the back of her head to make her look him in the eyes, "It is my job to protect my brother and sisters and I take that job very seriously."

She felt her shoulders slouch as a breathy scoff escaped her lungs, "I can't believe you sometimes. You've always been so... accepting. That worried me sometimes. It worried me how you could always be so... resigned to everything."

He smirked, "I thought it was a healthy opposition to you, someone who could never just lie down and accept that things are just the way they are. You were always so stubborn, Y/n, determined and hopeful that things could always change for the better."

Y/n bit the inside of her cheek to refrain from calling her twin a liar, glancing away to focus more on the sand of the beach, "I wish that were true about me."

"It's always been true."

"Not anymore. How--" She swallowed a sob before it could make a sound, eyes beginning to water once again as she peered up to stare into her brother's matching eyes, "How can I be hopeful for a better tomorrow if you're no longer there to see it? It will never be brighter, or better, because you're gone."

"I am gone..." he nods as if he hadn't just been informed of this mere moments ago, "But not fully. Look around you."

When she obediently did so, her eyes widened in wonder as the beach slowly melted away and turned the vision into a vast, heavy, and healthy forest. Their forest, was as vibrant and as beautiful as she remembered it. She can hear a pack of nantang calling off to one another in the distance while the sun tries to peek through the canopy, shining proudly down onto the twins. Leaves and shrubbery rustle to indicate life all around them while Neteyam only looks down at his sister. Y/n wasn't entirely sure, but she thought he looked different in this new light. Like he looked more... alive in the forest than he did on the beach. Her heart was saddened at the memory of 'Teyam telling her that he missed home, but now he can go home as much as he wanted, whenever he wanted.

It was like Y/n was now standing in Neteyam's own personal heaven instead of a memory she found within the Spirit Tree. 

Neteyam grasps both of her shoulders, "I am one with Eywa now. You can always find me here, whenever you need me. Remember, tsmuke, that I am at peace now. I may not remember what happened to me, but I hope it aches a little less for you to know that I don't remember the pain."

A tear slips past her detection, and even though it was minuscule at best, Y/n could feel a small part of her heart mend back together, comforted by her brother's words. She nods her head in reply and tries clearing her throat to speak, "Dad... he said you had last words for me. You wanted to tell me to 'find more.'"

Neteyam didn't have eyebrow hair like her, but the ridge where an eyebrow could've been lifted up in question, "Isn't that what I said when talking about Ao'nung the other night?"

Her eyes widen, replaying his words until the memory comes back to light. For the moment, she ignored the fact that Neteyam mentioned the memory so casually as if it had only happened a few days ago for him, whereas it had actually been months ago for her, "You remember that?"

"I do. You know me, sweet sister," he smiled, "As a warrior, it is vital for me to constantly visit the Spirit Tree so I can retain as much of my memory within Eywa. I don't take Grandmother's words lightly. You know this."

"I know..." Her shock slowly melts into a sad smile, "You were sometimes a little too serious."

As if making a point, Neteyam dropped the serious act in exchange for flashing a teasing grin at her, "So?"

"What?"

"Did you 'find more?'"

Her stomach flips and her mouth forms into a pout. It felt like acid on her tongue to begrudgingly admit to her brother that he was right, "... I did."

He grinned in triumph, "I told you so."

"Shut up."

"No need to sulk, Y/n," he laughed, "It is not your fault you were born dense."

"I am not dense! I just..." She doesn't have a proper rebuttal and sighs in defeat, "I miss this. I haven't had a talk like this in a while."

Neteyam hums mostly to himself, "You should talk more. People tend to realize that you are actually nice the more you talk."

"I hate you."

"No, you don't," he smiles triumphantly again when he gets her to laugh, then lets his expression form a more genuine, encouraging aura around them. He steps close to Y/n again and places a hand on the top of her head, "The sea gives and the sea takes. The sea gave you Ao'nung in exchange for me."

She wished he didn't make it sound like she willingly traded her brother for Ao'nung and shook her head defiantly, shaking his hand off of her, "It's not fair."

"I know. But it was Eywa's will, Y/n."

"I just... you should be here."

"I am here."

"No. Here here," she complained as the tears began to form yet again, "You should be completing your Iknimaya with me. You should be helping Tuk learn how to use a bow. You should be sitting quietly with Kiri whenever she gets overwhelmed. You... you should be having fun with Lo'ak and Spider like you did when the three of you were younger. We're already growing up without you and I feel so guilty to be moving on."

He shushes her softly and reaches out to brush her tears away, "Moving on does not mean you'll miss me any less. In time, you'll just learn how to balance out the pain with happiness instead. Never feel guilty or regret for me, Y/n. I could never blame you for finding the light in the darkest of places. I may not be right beside you, but I will always be with you, one way or another. And I won't be alone."

When her eyebrows briefly scrunch in confusion, he sheepishly smiles and thinks of all the possibilities, "I mean-- do you think I can finally meet Grandfather? I wonder if our mother's sister is here as well, and Brother Tsu'tey and Dr. Augustine. Who knows-- maybe Dad's twin brother might be with Eywa as well."

It's an encouraging thought, and it's a thought that makes Y/n smile ever so slightly again, "If... if you see any of them, let me know next time."

"I will try," he stares at her in silence for a moment, then looks as though he's decided on an important matter, "Promise me something."

"Sure."

"Don't visit often."

Her eyes widen again, shocked and almost appalled, dread filling her gut at the thought of leaving her twin all alone here, "What? Why?"

His expression is grim and serious, much like how he looked when she last saw him alive, taking the red pinger that was once stuck in Payakan and swimming away from the rest of them, "I do not think it would be healthy to speak with the dead constantly when you could be missing out on so much of your life. I want you all to live far longer than me, Y/n, and I would be happy knowing you were out there living your lives rather than constantly visiting me. If you must, visit me after important dates or ceremonies. Catch me up on our siblings' endeavors, when they finish their trials, who are they courting, how many children they have... and I hope to hear the same about you as well. Promise me, Y/n."

Her teeth grind together, hidden in her mouth as she thinks, already missing Neteyam even though she hadn't left yet. Now that she had finally gained the courage to talk to him again, it felt as though they were being separated all over again. The one and only time they, as twins, have been separated... and it was permanent. It hurt that he didn't want her to continuously return to see him, but Y/n knew her brother better than anyone. Neteyam was selfless, and he would rather be alone while his family moved on and lived out their full, long lives, waiting until they would finally join him with Eywa. Maybe, to Neteyam, it wouldn't feel like a long time. Maybe time wouldn't even pass for him... but it would for Y/n... and it was hard to even fathom a lifetime without her twin by her side.

Still, she had never known a time when she didn't want to make her brother happy in turn, "I promise."

A/N: Ao'nung and Y/n are the perfect definitions of "he fell first, she fell harder". This chapter was longer than all the other ones so I had to split it into two parts, so the next one will be out shortly! And then it will be onto the finale!

[poproccks]

John Dory Headcannons!

★ Glove is a compression glove for an old injury; a major burn scar that lines his fingers, palm, and paw pads on his left hand. (Inspired by @teaOwOstache’s comic – I am currently writing a one-shot for them based on their amazing comic.)

★ Has about an inch of white hair from the sheer power of Crimp’s vacuum. I, personally, believe that the vacuum’s power accelerated the talent-leaching tremendously and caused physical effects to show sooner. (Also shown on Bruce and Clay)

★ Various scars from his years of camping, foraging, cooking, hunting, and other things related to the nomad life.

★ He is the third tallest of his brothers, being almost the same height as Bruce. Second shortest of Brozone.

★ He was left-handed before the burn incident – and had to reteach himself how to write with his right hand instead since his left hand shakes too badly to write properly now. His handwriting, while improved, still isn't as good as it used to be.

★ Has nightmares occasionally like Branch. I like to imagine they bond slightly over that fact once they do get closer – obviously, it's still nothing like Branch’s and Floyd's relationship.

★ Building off the last point, JD tries not to feel too bitter about the close relationship they have. He realizes that the fractured relationships he has with all of his brothers are his own doing. He’s doing his best to get to know them all now and learn about their interests and hobbies. JD still walks on eggshells around them all about 60% of the time after a few more major blow ups between them. He is John Dory, however, so he still crosses lines many times by accident.

★ Thickest and fluffiest tail of Brozone (more of a general HC but, tail hair/fur can move like Troll head hair/fur.)

★ Very active, and regularly takes walks, runs, etc around Pop Village to keep up his fitness.

★ Found Rhonda when he was in his early 20’s and she was a much smaller bug bus. (Inspired by @ohposhers) She grew rather quickly after that and they became inseparable. John Dory handles all of her repairs and anything to do with her healthcare. He becomes very anxious when he has to pass that responsibility to anyone else. Branch took care of an ailing Rhonda once because he was the only one in the village with the needed materials and ingredients for the medicine. (“Who's crazy now? Me. Crazy prepared,) The dull-toned troll basically had to beat John off with a stick to get him to listen/let him help the poor bus, basically like a Helicopter parent. I genuinely believe without her, John Dory would absolutely crumble. Troll dust.

★ Stay’s in Branch’s bunker the most of the four others, besides Floyd who decided to move to Pop Village. When he’s feeling especially bad or wants to be alone, he will still retreat into Rhonda. She is basically an oversized security blanket.

★ Smells like either dust, fresh dirt, or rain. Definitely smells like something naturey. Branch smells like things similar, but it’s noticeably different.

★ Usually ALWAYS has something stuck in his hair or tail, no matter how small. Dust bunnies from exploring or helping clean, leaves, branches (ha), and other miscellaneous things.

★ Usually has the following in his hair pocket dimension; 2-3 bandaids, an extra glove, chapstick that he always loses, granola bars, and a small thing of water; just in case. Oh, and treats for Rhonda.

★ Carries an old family photo of his brothers and Grandma Rosiepuff from right after Branch hatched. His parents were also in it, but have long been torn out.

★ His goggles, past and present, were from his father (Also inspired by @teaOwOstache) and so he takes begrudgingly good and meticulous care of them.

★ Definitely a victim of parentification/older sibling syndrome. (I’m not projecting, you are.)

★ The order of brothers he bonds or reconnects with the easiest to hardest; Floyd, Bruce, Clay, Branch.

★ Suffers from aches and pains when it's cold or rainy out. He refuses to admit it is because of age.

★ Self soothes by pulling at his jacket, running his fingers along the zipper teeth, or adjusting his goggles when anxious.

★ If he doesn’t want to make eye contact or is crying or about to, he’ll pull his goggles on. It’s easier to hide than to explain. He gets better about talking about it but emotions are always a sore subject and difficult for him.

★ Like most Trolls, John Dory can hiss, growl, and purr.

★ Dark blue paw pads, with blunt nails with chipped polish.

★ When he went back to the troll tree pod, after mourning what could have been, he collected mementos of his brothers and his grandma; Branch’s old baby blanket, Floyd’s old plushie, Bruce’s old hoodie, One of Clay’s old books and a blacket Rosiepuff knitted long ago. They’re hidden in a box on Rhonda.

[peculiaritty]

Sunday character study/trauma study

Again! before i start this ramble there is tw for religious themes, abuse, mental illnesses (ocd especially) and grooming so please if you have any triggers regarding those please don't read ^^ 2.2 Penacony spoilers so please be warned and future leaks and/or theorys may be involved. NO future storyline leaks though. This might be split into parts- not sure! Things might be hyperlinked and these will count as my reference/evidence, theres no need to read them unless you're curious!! There might be a part two on this when Sunday does come out ! Edited 18/05 to correct mistakes/add things i forgot about it OK. Lets begin: GOD. Poor Sunday, i think a lot of people has seen Sunday's abuse unnoticed, and i honestly can't blame some people because sometimes we don't automatically pick up everything unless we are actively looking for something. Sunday is a very interesting character, and i don't necessarily think he is 'evil-evil' per say, he is more of a morally grey character rather than being right up evil. Some major pointers i want to bring up and will be discussed: -> neglect, emotional abuse and the grooming of Sunday by Gopher Wood AKA dreammaster. -> The 'family' dynamics and attitudes -> Sunday/robins ideologies -> headcanons, character design choices and religious imagery (Not a deepdive into the imagery!)

-> neglect, emotional abuse and the grooming of Sunday by Gopher Wood AKA Dreammaster.

The most clear thing we can see as of right now without any reading between lines- Robin and Sundays bond. They care for eachother very much, we know that Sunday is the eldest brother, we already know that from right off the bat, that he is indeed the protector of Robin. Such as any older sibling usually feels towards those born after them. Sunday in no doubt in my mind has firstborn syndrome, basically the main 'burden-holder' between the two. This is the first fact we need to understand before we delve in. Due to Sundays natural-protectiveness of his sister that leaves Sunday at the face/brunt of Gophers ideals, which means sacrificing himself at any cost. Which may be why Robin remains currently unaffected or/not as self-destructive as Sunday. One thing that is easily skipped over and not noticed, Gopher and Sunday share a completely transactional-non-familial bond as they seem to not have the common father-son bond what so ever, Sunday only refers to Gopher as master which hints at the wedge between them. Gopher has ever only inspired and encouraged Sundays pessimistic behavior, such as when the Charmony Dove fell, we can assume that both Sunday and robin are extremely young at the time, i position them to be around 6-8, while at this age children do start to grasp that death in permanent, in no way should a child i quote be saying anything along the lines of "i think people believe birds are meant to fly...because they've never seen those birds crashing to their death." while this 'kind voice' (Gopher) does seem unbiased and passive, there is no reason unless you have actively convinced and taught a child to think that way. While children do come to gain their own beliefs, and ideals, siblings usually remain with the same ideas and beliefs until they reach around 10-12 where puberty starts. The belief gap at such a young age between Robin and Sunday is too big for it to be just "growing up" most if not all children take joy in being naïve- and cheerful. it is only when we come to abused, groomed, depressed and neglected children we start to see such pessimistic behavior. Sunday does have first-born child syndrome, it is also a bit of a worry of how stoic and 'unfeeling' he is. He doesn't confine in anyone, and while yes, we could say this is normal- but in normal, healthy environments people always have someone to confine in. Sunday doesn't have that. This could purely be just his personality- as some people are simply coded that way. It just strikes differently when we compare Child Sunday unto his adult self, as seen in Robins trailer BOTH of them had artistic aspirations, and even though there is no 'heavy' implication, that one tear indicates to me that Sunday was indeed the more emotional one. Growing out of hobbies is normal, but Sunday is lacking of life, he generally looks lifeless. He could've grown out of them, but what I read between the lines is extreme shaming and guilt. The need to be 'perfect'. Just so he could be the 'sun' in the sky and maybe even please Gopher.

Another thing to point out- his OCD yes. This is another thing that is hidden but only few people have found. In this scenario i am not fond of actually just saying its because of his connection to Ena. i am more fond- and find it much more reasonable that it has impacted and grown from his trauma. While i will not clarify which i believe he has since thats leaning more into headcanon territory. Unhealthy childhood environments and events predispose and increase the risk of various psychiatric disorders and OCD is one of them. It is clear that Sunday has been indoctrinated and been taught to think the way he does now. The family is cultish and it doesn't seem to act as one, everyone has their own ideals- and motives, including Gopher. Grooming does not have to be sexual in order for it to be considered grooming, grooming is defined as when someone builds a relationship, trust and emotional connection with a child or young person so they can manipulate, exploit and abuse them. In this scenario, Gopher has essentially groomed Sunday to exploit him and use him as a sacrifice. Groomed and abused, religious abuse seems to be a big one in this especially considering the huge religious imagery in Penacony, but it is important to point out some common symptoms of religious abuse is doubtful faith and compulsive perfectionism which resemble in Sunday. Most times, religious abuse is often paired with other forms of abuse, most commonly being sexual grooming and emotional abuse. This does not leave other forms of abuse out such as physical however. Gopher has 'trained' Sunday to think this way (Sundays ideaology), and indoctrinated him for his own use, and you can see it in Sundays extreme ways of dealing with his belief. there is clear there's an external force in his thinking- Gopher.

-> The 'family' dynamics and attitudes To continue, the family- as again, all have very different ideals, and motivations in Penacony. They act as completely separate entities yet still collaborate with each other. One thing remains crystal clear to me, that this family- follows a royal family sort of dynamic, where everything is hushed, you mustn't be too emotional, or too illogical. Basically coming to the point where Sunday has directly been told to not worry about Robin. He was never allowed to grieve. He is not allowed to grieve which is a horrid thing to be put through. Even when Gopher does deliver the news of Robin being shot there is a lack of care, and concern, he sounds non-chalant, going on to mention, "once you've attended to your outstanding tasks…" In any family emergency of sorts, that's the last thing you want to be told, you want to be there as soon as possible. Gopher wood simply does not have enough care, or concern for both of his 'children.' While this is my pure assumption, i do have reason to believe that the Family does share a rather cold dynamic, such as any other usual dynamic that is seen in stories where there is a political, rich, or royal family.

lack of care towards children, and moreso encouraging less 'child-like' traits

Parental figures primarily not being involved in the childs care, it is most likely that both Robin and Sunday were raised by the servants of the house, while Gopher remained some sort of mentor towards the both of them.

Isolation from other children in different life scenarios/circumstances

- Most often, children in these scenarios get put into a protective bubble, unaware of the outside. henceforth, another reasoning why Sunday might be so scared of the outside world. -> Sunday/Robins ideologies Both of them are entirely separate eachother belief wise, but they have one goal in mind. Helping people. I would describe Robins ideals as being quite idealistic and soft, that has come to her naturally, and its quite sweet. she wants world where people can live how they want. Even if its a bad one. Sunday on the otherhand quite thinks the opposite, i would describe his as: 'To protect everyone, keep them safe from pain, and suffering, their freedom of choice must be taken so they will suffer no longer, even if that means sacrificing all that i have.' This comes on very intense, as he does you know. send an entire star system to sleep!! But, His idea isn't exactly wrong. As in those questions he posed to us- we would've done the same if we were in the same scenario. Of course- if one of our siblings we knew were going to get shot in the future because of the path they chose- we would do our best to do that. It makes sense. But logically, and emotionally speaking, it is not in our best interest to control other lives and what they wish for, and what they dream for. What does Sunday want? Nothing. he is entirely swallowed with trying to help other people. He has no dream for himself. His dream- is others peoples dreams. What Sunday wanted, out of the goodness of his own heart, and the unfortunate abuse he has been put through, essentially what we call a utopia/dystopia. IT IS utopian to think of a world without pain, with harmony, where everyone is happy. But because of our nature as people, we want choice. so to us IT IS dystopian to think of a world were we have no choice, were we live on autopilot always content. He seeks escape, and he's not ashamed of it. The most common reason people seek escape, is because they're scared. They are scared of facing what they need to face. He is scared, he does not wish to see pain and suffering, he knows and purely thinks things are doomed from the start. Its almost nihilistic. And i understand it. paired with his childhood, Gopher and how he gets stuck in the confessional box hearing the most horrendous things, i would be like him too. "is this apart of your plan?" It is Gopher who brought the order to Penacony. That line above, implies that this wasn't Sunday's plan at all. Gopher was going to use Robin in the first place, but Sunday, again, being the oldest took the forefront of the indoctrination and abuse- thats how he now blindly believes in it. Gophers plans and his reason why hasn't been revealed. but i doubt it was because he genuinely cared for his people. It is depressing to see who Sunday is as a person, purely pessimistic, and so lost but obsessed with his belief, but to me and other people he is relatable; to him, things don't get better. he wants to stay in the moment. Suspended in a dream that is too perfect to be true. He seeks escape, escape for everyone. Things do get better, whether that is now, or later. We just need to keep trying and continuing on, no matter how tiring it is. -> headcanons, character design choices and religious imagery (Not a deepdive into the imagery!) UP TO MY FAVOURITE BIT!! ok, heres something that genuinely makes me want to explode, because if this is on purpose it is brilliant. Pointed out by Matchua and i actually think the first to notice it. his wings look clipped.

They don't seem very oval and/or similar to how normal bird wings would look. This can also be seen in Harmony MC's splash art too, the Raven being Sunday, and of course, the Charmony dove, Robin.

While the birdcage imagery is used on Robin, i think it is so damn powerful that if this is a deliberate design choice, that Sunday has been clipped. Depending on the clipping, it renders birds unable to fly until they grow back, and even then there is horrendous people out there who permanently injure the bird by clipping it wrong so its never able to fly again. A birdcage has a key. But once you take away a birds wings like that, it cant fly. It represents how Sunday can never seemingly become his normal self again, he will always be consumed by his pessimism and fear for the world around him. how there is seemingly 'no hope' We know that Robin is not clipped because in her skill her full wings pop out (even if this is just an effect...still) It also represents how damaging abuse is, how it takes away someones dignity and freedom. Religious imagery!! i'm sure you can find some super deep dives into it but i think one of the main things is how Sunday represents Jesus from the Christian bible. The thorns across his coat tie in deeply with the fact that on the crucifix, Jesus was given a thorn crown which was used to belittle and mock him. Sunday falls back in the crucifix pose. He is the sacrifice. Not exactly to purge them of sin, but to give them an Eternal paradise. (which in Christianity, is what the purging of sin does, it gives us an eternal paradise next to God.) Headcanons: -> i believe Sundays OCD to either be of the Religious, Harm or Order OCD. i see all three occurring, but rather more on the Order/Religious side. -> Sunday is a people pleaser, no buts!! -> He has alot of shame and self hatred towards himself for wanting things, as he believes it doesn't make him 'perfect' -> He strikes me to have some form of anxiety, again this can tie in with the OCD -> His small/awkward chuckles are just him trying to cope, i feel like he does it alot more when he is anxious though, towards the end of the quest he doesn't chuckle, which officially means hes lost it (lmao poor guy) -> Very scared of making mistakes. Really small ones too. (as you find in some abuse victims.) -> jealous of his sister but he could never come to hate her, he just wishes he was able to participate in being creative too but i do think he was shamed for that, for being 'childish'. Robin was the 'jewel' of the family. Sunday never was. -> as some abuse victims do, he probably never understood or came to understand that Gopher was abusive to him, maybe after 2.2 possibly. And when he does come to understand God. He's got a lot of healing to do in himself. A lot of anger, grief, sadness- tons of processing. -> He doesn't like hugs at first because he was really not hugged as a child, but when he does get hugged it absolutely destroys him because he really really loves being validated and being held. Something that he lacked so much as a child. -> As birds do when their stressed, Sunday plucks the feathers out of his wings, which leads to him being insecure about them so he never really shows them, which is why he keeps them neatly folded Infront of his waist and hides the back part of his wings with his coat. -> Forgets to eat, drink and bathe due to working so much. He gets so lost in his work he's probably stayed up for more than 48 hours. (ok like i know its the dreamscape but listen.) -> I didn't add this into the first part, but including all of the other things i mentioned, Sunday was alot more quiet/introverted as a child as i interpret him to be, while Robin was more of a blabbermouth. So thats why Gopher decided on Sunday instead, lesser chance of anyone finding out about what he was teaching. -> Never had a day of rest in his life. He needs a break. That's pretty much all i've got to say though (i'm going to spare you from my headcanons i have on his behaviors. that list is LONG.), i just think Sunday is a really interesting yet heartbreaking character at the same time. Very relatable to alot of people. He's not genuinely evil. Just severely misguided and hurt. Thx for reading <3

[canonsinthehead]

One Piece Headcanons - One Piece Fan Letter's Brother & More

Let's finally put words and these two magnificent Marine Brothers along with some headcanons. Dinner is ready!

Older Brother

Name: Gina D. Morino

Birthplace: South Blue

Age: 32 yo (DO NOT call him old, he hates it and he’s not)

Marine Rank: Master Chief Petty Officer

Favorite Food: His favorites fruits are Mangoes and Bananas (because monkey love bananas apparently). He has a weakness for sweets and parfaits but barely consume them to stay in shape. Meat (especially Grilled Beef or Lamb) in the honor of his favorite pirate

Least liked Food: Cranberries and he hates any types of pasta and tomato meatball sauce because one day he had to clean up his brother vomit after getting drunk and they just ate that very meal. The disgusting smell and pool of digested food on the floor forever turned him off from this meal.

Typical older sibling syndrome, when he was younger his parents put a lot of “you must show the example! You are the first-born!” type of pressure.

Back in elementary school up until high school, he had to take ballet classes (under the order of his parents) when his younger brother could choose whatever he wanted to do as extracurricular activities. He changed it every week or so and their parents folded EVERYTIME.

Still enjoys dancing but keeps it to himself because it was often used as a nasty joke (Do you know my big bro loves to dance?! Come on show us!!!! Hahahaha you should be in a band!). The reason why it bothers him so much is because he despises when someone’s passion (no matter what it is) is not taken seriously or mocked/ridiculed.

He is taller and never mentions the fact that his arrogant little brother is wearing height lengthening insoles to make both of them the same height. The younger often brags when he appears a little taller. Gina refrains from mentioning the truth because his brother is insecure about his height

Has a Luffy shrine in his bedroom in a shoe box he hides under his bed.   

Everything he eats turns into 10 pounds of fat if he’s not careful contrary to his brother who can inhaled gallons of food and not gain a single pound.

Always loses at card games against his younger brother

Single and never being in a relationship. If he gained 1$ every time his parents asked when he’ll get married, he would be richer than all celestial dragons combined.

Currently operates in New Marineford but would love to work and discover the East Blue (Luffy birthplace)

his brother clown him for having a “feminine name”

Favorite Marine: Gets along with Koby well. Female higher-ups won’t leave him alone. He is working under Tashigi’s leadership, but she recommended him to Tsuru who agreed to further his training and possibly promote him since he made so much improvement. Bel-Mère can’t contain her laughter “You’re so popular with the ladies!”

Least Liked Marine:

Borsalino. He is not forgiving him for almost killing him with his beams of lights.

Akainu & Greenbull: With all that happened to him recently, his stance on the Marine, pirates and the world are changing but those two men’s narratives are too much in his opinion and negative in the long term.

Likes Pinkpantheress

Younger Brother

Name: Clovis D. Morino

Birthplace: South Blue

Age: 28 yo

Marine Rank: Lieutenant Commander

Favorite Food: He loves Strawberries and swears Rhubarb is the greatest thing ever (everyone ignores him). Seafood boil enthusiast and Sandwich Lover, it doesn’t matter what’s inside of it.

Least liked Food: Hate greens and almost pukes at the sight of them, his brother thinks he need to grow up.

He received the typical youngest sibling favoritism, and it got to his head.

Favorite Activity to do with his brother: Challenging to anything (like races, arm wrestling, push-ups and loses 90% of the time but ALWAYS bring up how it’s the only time his older brother can win and how he’s better than him at life blah blah blah...,). One thing they agree on is their love of collecting and analysis wanted/bounty posters. They are geeks about it and is always trying to learn about what going in the world of piracy even if “the pirates are bad, and we are the good marine”

Had many girlfriends but struggles to stay faithful and often uses his marine rank to get his way with the ladies. Gold Medal Womanizer.

Biggest dog fan while his brother is a rodent (rabbit, Guinea pig, Hamster & Capybara) type of guy

For unknown reason, mobs of pigeons have an affair with him and often chase him, he stopped fighting it when he learned that birds pooping on you meant great luck and it happens every time. “I DIDN’T CHOSE LUCK, LUCK CHOSE ME!”

Favorite Marine: Akainu, for being the strongest in his opinion. He loves to hang out with Django & Full-Body. Not only they are in the same rank but they are cool dudes to have a good time & dance with. Clovis likes above all when Django tells his adventures when he was a pirate. There’s thousands of stories and all of them have all type of information about pirates and the world, it fascinates him to no end.

Least Liked Marine: Hina.

He will never admit how hard it is for him to ask for help to his brother even in his worst moments because of his gigantic ego. Marineford was a painful and bitter lesson in humility even if his “spoiled brat” personality never went away or reduced a little bit.

Blonde Rich Kid

Name: Barclay Early Cumberbatch

Birthplace: East Blue

Age: 24 yo

Marine Rank: Seaman Recruit First Class

Favorite Food: Beef Sausages, Quiche & Eggplant Spread

Least liked Food: Spicy Foods, Cinamon & Iced Coffee (he thinks it’s an abomination to the art of coffee)

Rich kid who got in with his father’s connections, this is the highest rank he could get without traditionally “climbing the ladder” and he’s bitter about it

It was not clear, but Helmeppo know this guy, his family was working with Captain Morgan (during his prime). Helmeppo mentioned how Barclay always had narcissistic/bullying/controlling tendencies worse than him back in days. Helmeppo always tries to stay as far as he possibly can and advice others to do the same

He was the type to questions his teachers and starting arguments with them over the taught material back in college/marine academy.

Often complain how uncomfortable the fodder marines’ uniform is

He often shoves civilians out of his way or kicks dogs.

Doesn’t respect women in the Marine

Favorite Marine:

Akainu.

Least Liked Marine:

You would think him and Greenbull are personality and ideology twins, but he despises the green admiral for being “annoying”, his closeness with the fleet admiral and for being egregiously unattractive.

 HE CAN’T STAND KOBY! He had to work under him many times and he can’t bottle his hatred for the pink haired boy. His voice, the way he dresses, EVERYTHING. Barclay always depicts him as someone desperate for the validation of higher-ups and talentless.

Smoker. Told the vice admiral to “put some clothes on”. Smoker didn’t acknowledge his existence.

X Drake. Knowing Drakes’s endeavor with women, he made him grab a seaman recruit’s breasts and got suspended for it, but his rich daddy bailed him out like nothing happened.

He made Hibari’s life a living nightmare luckily Bel-Mère was here to check him.

[envy-of-the-apple]

AHHH the whole suguru and satoru liking older women thing is so>>. to me it’s so much easier imaging Satoru chasing after someone older since he really does give bratty youngest sibling vibes… like especially with how he reacted in front of that kfc after losing a bad bitch (suguru)… he’s not used to being told no for SURE. And he’d def chase after someone that has their shit together and KNOWS better than to give in to his manipulation, which is makes him all the more intrigued and hungry to vie for that person’s attention. prime example being just how annoying he gets towards nanami.

BUT that does make me wonder what suguru is like then. I don’t know if he’s necessarily the type of person to chase— or at least not in the pestering way that Satoru does. If he were to go after someone older, does he reach a point of desperation when they don’t give in? like, no this cult leader pretty boy with a smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes and overly polite mannerisms that scream of ulterior motives is NOT gonna get the pass from someone who is older and clocks his ill intentions from a mile away. I’m sure Satoru is in it for the long haul when it comes to chasing after someone, but suguru… at some point he’d prolly just kidnap you and force you to stay in one of the rooms of his temple until you get Stockholm syndrome I swear. He seems more like the type of person who demands to have the reigns / control over the situation, and he wouldn’t necessarily entertain any rejection or retaliation in the way Satoru does (his lil masochist ass prolly enjoys being a top tier menace just so you keep pushing him away tbh).

I’m getting ahead of myself, but I do wanna see your perspective on how he is with someone who is equally as level-headed as him (if not more than, considering seniority and being more jaded/experienced with dealing with creepy ppl). Suguru and Satoru def have different approaches to gaining the attention of an older person they like. I say person rather than woman bc they’re def both… lil bi whores…. freaky frotters if you will. explored each others’ bodies for sure… Also I love your works SO SO MUCH! I came here from your ao3 and I’m genuinely in awe whenever I read your stuff�� it def inspires me when I’m writing my own jjk works lmao (takes me like 50 business years to write a single fic on ao3 but it’s okay we ball).

awwww bestie tytyty so so much youre so nice!!!!

kkkkk so I do think that Suguru prefers older women while Satoru leans more towards older men. Like have you seen that guy? Daddy issues, clearly. If Toji wasn't, yknow, actively hunting him down, Gojo would definitely be obsessed with him like Noaya

I totally agree with what you said! For Suguru, it really is about control. I feel like Suguru sees the age difference like a certain power dynamic that he can twist around, if that makes sense? When he goes after someone, he definitely expects them to come quietly. I feel like he'd enjoy the chase a little bit, but only a little. He'd quickly get bored and the flimsy excuses of 'I'm ten years older than you' 'I have a husband and a child' will start to get a little annoying. I feel like the ppl he goes after will know he's dangerous and not to mess with him.

[foressfaction]

:Ticci Toby:{A Rewrite}

CHAPTER 6

WARNING:: This story contains EXTREMELY triggering topics such as Domestic/Child/Substance abuse, Death, harsh language, GORE and dissociation triggers. This story mentions mental illnesses and disorders such as Depression, PTSD, ADHD, and Tourette's Syndrome. !!TICS MAY BE TRIGGERING!!

Chapter six

Toby got home that night, realizing what he had done to his hands on the way home. They were chewed, bloody. Most of the blood was dry, but it wasn't hard to wash off.

Toby found some old pairs of winter gloves, they were black. He cut the tips of the fingers off, pulling them onto his hands to hide his scarred skin. He mostly wore jackets and flannels so the gloves wouldn't stand out as much. He really didn't want to be bandaged up again.

Lyra came opening his door, looking at him wide eyed. "What's up? I had an odd feeling just now."

"Eh? Oh, I'm fine, just- sitting, yep." he shrugged, tugging his hands into the creases of his elbows.

"Wait, Lyra, I have to ask, why was dad so mad yesterday?" he spoke, now thinking about how his head was healing. A white strip of gauze wrapped around his forehead halfway.

Lyra came in and sat down on his bed, hopping a little as she did so, making the bed bounce. "I'm so sorry I forgot to tell you. I quit my job, and well now we don't have much income."

Toby looked down slightly, kinda upset too. "heh..let me guess, dad did-didn't like that because you we-were the only one making money?"

She nodded. "I couldn't handle the drama, I wasn't getting promoted, I was only getting yelled at, work used to be my only escape from the verbal assault but I just didn't feel safe there." Lyra explained. This made Toby wonder, was Lyra skipping school? She never talked about it.

"You're still going to school right?" Toby asked. This earned a guilty side eye from the blonde girl. "Look- don't tell mom and dad okay? It was just too overwhelming and i had to work and- and-"

Toby grabbed her hand with a weak smile. "it's safe w-with me, why would i tell them? I know how dad would react, and mom would nev-never see the end of it." He looked down, a few facial tics leaving him.

"Let's go somewhere." Lyra randomly suggested. "Anywhere, for a drive, walk, even running doesn't sound so bad, I bet I can beat you in a race." She winked childishly. Despite being five years older than Toby, Lyra was a rather playful person. She was just overall chaotic. All she wanted to do was to make her brother laugh, see him smile. He never smiled much, or when he did it was an awkward smirk.

"Nuh uh, i-im way faster than you, believe it." Toby responded, taking on her challenge.

Lyra laughed stupidly and got up, lightning the mood. "Get your shoes on." She left the room quickly.

Toby got up and pulled on his old converses, they were all dirty and worn out from wearing them for so long. Toby followed the girl who disappeared into her room.

Lyra was putting her hair into a loose ponytail. She had bangs that fell perfectly above her eyes, and side tails that were just too short to fit into the ponytail. Her hair was thick and naturally a yellow blonde color. It was rather messy too, a family trait. She pulled on her own pair of plain white converses. Despite being white, they were still in way better shape than Toby's. Her style was pretty casual for their time, baggy jeans, band T-shirts with flannels or other sweaters layered over. They did live in a colder area so thicker and warmer clothes dominated their wardrobe. Plus the family's poor income only allowed them to mostly thrift all of their things, and stick to the same pair of shoes for years.

It's a good thing they never really grow out of old clothes. Both of the siblings being underweight and pretty malnourished. Lyra keeps Toby in check by doing things like they are now, exercising, without knowing it. Lyra and Toby honestly just liked being active. Staying inside all day was a bummer, and so what if it was 50 degrees out, they weren't going to suffice being bored to death all day.

School or work was the only reason they left the house, sometimes it was good to get out.

••••••

[theonetruegnome]

Again! Again!

We've seen a few of the boys, but what about our favourite girls? Well, next up is the chillest yellow bun

Dandydoe!

Easily the coolest of the shifted critters, Dandydoe is up for anything, especially to maintain her image as the 'cool gal' of the crew. Going mountain biking? Baking scones? Knife throwing? Dandy will happily say 'YES!' to any most of them! She especially enjoys physical activity and sports and her favourites are rugby and ice hockey. The team captain has called her the most graceful viking barbarian born in a century.

She is also probably the most accident prone. Her feet have a mind of their own and her ideas are often more than just a bit dangerous! Like the time she suggested a 'how-much-Kool-aid-can-I-drink-in-an-hour?' contest. Her body just seems indestructible and her confidence unshaken. Even if it's after having her stomach pumped, the yellow cottontail is ready to get up and say 'I didn't hear no bell!'

Callum: So much Kool aid...

Nobody in her friend group knows why she does the things she does, and it's unlikely she'll ever tell. But in truth, it's because she's scared. At home, Dandy has three older and two younger siblings, as well as an army of cousins. Middle child syndrome hit her like a crashing Tupolev tu-22. She feels compelled to do everything she can to maintain her image, because she fears she isn't good enough compared to her siblings who have already graduated college and gotten jobs, or her cousins who can recite the periodic table backwards. Because of this, her life is usually lived goal to goal, trying to find something to make her worthy. Her friends think she's enough, her parents think she's enough, her brothers and sisters think she's enough, it's just her who thinks she isn't :'(.

Anyway, some fun facts!

She once tried to pull a prank on a certain green critter but got Callum instead. Long story short, Callum eventually forgave her after an apology, a promise it will never happen again and a large bag of fudge.

Her biggest secret is that she is a murder mystery nut and can usually deduce who the killer is before the detective. This was the theme of her last birthday party once the others found out, and she screamed like a boyband-obsessed ten year old when she found out.

Finally, she once owned a dwarf hamster as a pet but swapped him with a random kid for a new bicycle. Her mother found out and told her to go and get her hamster back. She returned an hour later with no bicycle, having traded it for a someone's dad's crossbow and a full-when-she-got-it-now-half-full quiver of bolts, rather than for the hamster. She was grounded for three whole weekends afterwards.

Her scent is aloe vera and her pendant is an arrow flying towards a yellow star painted like a target.

[richeeduvie]

Do you have any headcanons for Dulce's family? Because according to your posts, the first people who showed interest in her were the twins and that's why she cares for them so much. I feel like Dulce wasn't noticed much by her family when she was a kid.

I had a reply from a mutual on my ask for any ideas on Dulce and I think it's accurate that she'd be someone who gives off "parentified older sibling vibes, it’s why she’s so good at negotiating arguments between the twins". I really liked that idea. I'd say she was a parentified older sibling with extremely busy and basically neglectful parents, leaving her with maybe two or three siblings that love her, but eventually see her as a third parent. In their growing friendships with each other, they leave Dulce out or they eventually expect things out of her because of how she's cared for them.

Then, with her family duties, that doesn't leave room for much of a social life, but instead of taking Princesa's personality that was born out of loneliness, instead become extremely shy and indulgent in anxiety and solitude, she actively desires friendship and is a naturally talkative, social person. It's why she's a candy striper/hospital volunteer. She does well with that type of life, and it's possible she made the decision to separate from her family after she made her way into adulthood to live her own life.

Yeah, the twins kidnapped her...but she eventually saw how much they wanted her and how much they wanted to take care of her after seeing her - and after a life of not having much of that, Dulce's stockholm syndrome might've kicked in quite early.

[thatthingilovewith]

How do you headcanon Bobbin and Wovey’s dynamic to be like?

I think at the times the games occur, they are only on friendly terms, bur Bobbin is protective of her due to her being younger and his district partner, if they both live, then they would develop a more complex relationship. If they live, I view Bobbin and Wovey as having one of the closest relationships between the tributes, I believe they develop a sibling-like relationship that slips into the paternal on Bobbin's end. Though he would never admit he views her like a daughter, even if just for fleeting moments, "That's ridiculous she's only 2 years younger than me". In the film, Wovey demonstrates the ability to care for herself, avoiding those actively hunting her for a good 36 hours at least, and while her naivety is eventually her undoing, I believe she is capable of caring for herself with minor assistance from others (many people with down syndrome are, but many ignore this fact). Wovey definitely sees Bobbin as a protector of sorts, someone she believes would never intentionally cause her harm. He would be her biggest defender, criticizing those who question her ability to care for herself or make her own decisions (though he would, at times, turn right around and do things she is perfectly capable of doing herself for her). Wovey views him as her older brother and as someone she can turn to for assistance no matter what. Ultimately the two of them are very close and consider each other family.

Thanks for the Ask!!!

[sleepdeprivedsimp234]

give me the new jersey headcannons NOW

(too lazy to get on my phone for my new account)

Yes sir/ma’am 🫡🫡

NJ is the second tallest of his siblings (NY being the tallest)

Okay so- Jersey and Mass are twins, but Jersey is like- 2 minutes older. And he like- likes to make fun of Mass about it. And Mass gets pissed tf off, punches him, and then boom. They’re fighting-

NJ is bff’s with Delaware, Rhode Island, and the Jersey Devil. They all have gossip sessions in the middle of the woods.

Will NJ ever admit to ever being worried about any of his siblings? Hell-to-the-no.

He’s a bloody mother hen. The mom friend if you will. You forget something? He already grabbed it for you a millennium ago. Sick? Get your ass in bed and let him to the rest. Need to be bailed out of jail? Reluctantly, yes. Or- he’ll say no, but he’ll arrive twenty minutes later.

^that’s something he does. Says no, but he’ll do the thing he said no to. Probably as he’s actively saying no.

He’s really really insecure about the fact that he has Tourette’s syndrome, and he often tries to suppress his tics.

^England always treated him like he was possessed by some demon and tried getting an exorcism done on NJ.

^He got bullied for it in school. Mass and Connie beat the bullys’ asses tho. NY would’ve as well if he wasn’t actively getting beat tf up himself by his own bullies.

^NJ and NY bond over having mental illnesses/disorders that made their father treat them as if they were possessed by demons. That probably sounded wrong but oh well-

^NJ tells NY it to suppress his stimming if something makes him happy or upset, and NY tells NJ not to suppress his tics.

[lovekz]

betrayal

syn -> your boyfriend gets an idea and decides he wants to take his family out for a day. of course, it backfires on him entirely.

modern!hakkai shiba x fem!reader

nothing to beware of.. just some playful making fun of hakkai

tales of hakkai’s fat foot

[10:31am] hakkai : guys omg [10:31am] hakkai : guess what

[10:33am] yuzuha : did you break something again?

[10:34am] taiju : hakkai i really cannot continue to cover for you

[10:36am] hakkai : omg i didn’t even break anything this time. [10:37am] hakkai : i just wanted to let you guys know [10:37am] hakkai : i got four tickets to the super mario bros movie

[10;37am] yuzuha : omg shut up

[10:38am] hakkai : i was just being nice?? [10:39am] hakkai : i’ll just take mitsuya’s sisters then.

[10:39am] taiju : no the fuck you’re not. [10:39am] taiju :what time is it?

[10:41am] hakkai : hooray! [10:41am] hakkai : it’s at 3:45 this afternoon

[10:42am] yuzuha : but don’t you have work taiju?

[10:44am] taiju : i also have a movie to watch with my younger siblings so [10:44am] taiju : i think work can wait

[10:45am] hakkai and yuzuha loved taiju’s message

[10:45am] yuzuha : okay, i’ll come meet you

[10:46am] taiju : who is the fourth for?

[10:47am] hakkai : you think i’m going anywhere w/o my gf?? [10:47am] hakkai : shes family too yk >:(

[10:49am] taiju : was just clarifying [10:49am] taiju : don’t break the doorknob over it again

[10:50am] hakkai : that [10:50am] hakkai : was an accident

[10:51am] yuzuha : like you?? [10:51am] yuzuha : can’t wait to see my sis in law though!

[10:53am] taiju : i’m so glad there’s someone to help his clumsy ass now [10:53am] taiju : another year of it, and i might’ve died [10:53am] taiju : again

[10:56am] hakkai : i’m literally sobbing can you guys stop

[10:57am] yuzuha : what is this? last child syndrome?

~

you had met your boyfriend and his older siblings at their house. they were all waiting outside dressed comfortably.

“i’m not late am i?” you asked, smiling at the siblings as you approached.

“not at all.” taiju reassured with a quick check of the gold watch on his wrist, sparring you a hug.

you hugged him back, before letting go and hugging yuzuha.

“yeah yeah. let’s go.” hakkai huffed, climbing into the driver’s seat of his car.

he was the one that had offered to drive, since he had offered to take them out to the movies.

the shibas were big fans of the super mario bros since they were younger, and you understood why they wanted to watch the movie.

taiju climbed into the front seat after arguing over you sitting in the front.

you insisted sitting in the back as taiju was much bigger than you, and you’d rather him be comfortable.

you also felt like he argued because he didn’t want to sit next to hakkai as, well..

the younger male gets pretty vocal and touchy when music is on in his car, especially his favorite songs.

no one wants to be a victim of that.

“did you get the snacks kai?” yuzuha asked, tilting up from behind his seat.

hakkai merely let out a ‘mhm’ as he continued driving, a smile present on his face.

the smile was on his face the entire time he had drove. the entire two hours.

“is it me? or have we been driving forever?” yuzuha questioned, looking up from her phone that was hooked up to the car.

you checked the time and seen that you had indeed been driving forever.

you had left around 12:27 in the afternoon, and it was now 2:49.

now that yuzuha got taiju’s attention, he took a look at their surroundings and squinted at the male next to him.

who was snickering.

“hakkai where are we going.” taiju demanded, rubbing at the middle of his furrowed brows.

“super mario bros.” hakkai replied, snickering even louder than before.

if hakkai was laughing, he probably wasn’t being serious about what he was saying at all.

which led you all to the point you were at now.

going through hakkai’s phone.

“strawberry shortcake near me. sibling activities. ingrown toenail. mitsuya takashi clothing line. are there really hot milfs near me.” taiju listed off, raising his eyebrow at each search.

you slapped hakkai’s shoulder hard at the last search mention.

“how to prove i am not a homosexual. hakkai shiba girlfriend. hakkai shiba beach-” “can we not?!” hakkai questioned loudly, cutting his brother off.

hakkai was a flush red, eyes frantic as he looked at the road and his brother.

taiju shot him a look, about to continuing listing off the most ridiculous things in his search history.

however, the car came to a stop and hakkai snatched his phone from taiju’s hand, stuffing it in his pocket.

“we have arrived at out destination.” hakkai mimicked the gps, gesturing to the mall that stood before you.

everyone, save for hakkai, looked out the window to their right and raised their eyebrow in confusion.

sure, everyone has been to this mall at least once or twice before, but everyone knows they don’t have a movie theater inside of it.

nonetheless, you piled out of hakkai’s vehicle and made your way inside.

hakkai led the way since he was the only person that had actually knew where he was going. for once in his life.

“we’re gonna miss the movie.” you stated, looking at the time on your phone.

it was 3:47, and if you don’t find the movie theater and get your slushie in time, you might actually miss the first part.

and probably lose your good seats, if hakkai even bothered to book good seats.

after a bit of silence and a lot of twist and turns, hakkai stopped in his tracks with a huge, mischievous grin on his face.

“we’re here.” he cooed quietly, gesturing to the place he was standing in front of.

the three of you looked at the sign and squinted in confusion. the sign had read ‘all out warzone’ with a picture of a little grenade.

“uhm. where’s the movie theater.” yuzuha questioned, holding back the sigh that was deep in her throat.

she already knew the answer.

there was no movie theater in the first place. it was a trap.

to probably get taiju outside.

~

when the four of you got in, it was revealed that the place hakkai had taken you to was a glow in the dark nerf gun place.

 he forced you guys to split into two teams, girls vs boys.

taiju protested, not wanting to be on hakkai’s team because apparently, hakkai sucks in everything he does.

which is true, if you remove the fact that he could successfully come up with a good plan.

could he execute it properly though? hell no.

but that didn’t matter.

you and yuzuha took your shoes off and switched into the places socks that they provided.

“if we’re gonna win, we have to take taiju out first.” yuzuha stated, strapping the bag of nerf bullets on her.

she had tied her hair up into a high ponytail and took off her hoodie, really getting into this.

you nodded, doing the same and beginning to load up the black and gold gun yuzuha had advised you to pick up.

“problem is, he’s used to getting hit everywhere.” you groaned, looking at yuzuha for just a bit.

yuzuha nodded, remembering her brothers’ days of being delinquents and constantly getting injured.

“which is why we have to get him in his ear. or his lower back, a bit above his butt.” yuzuha chuckled, pushing the jammed bullet out of the gun.

you giggled quietly at yuzuha’s odd statement. but you could only assume it was because she knew her older brother.

after they’d fixed their bond, they always playfully wrestled with each other.

easiest way to find each other’s weak points, and the most effective way to make them more stronger.

your phone buzzed, making you look down at it.

[4:03pm] kai kai <3 : hey are you guys ready yet? [4:03pm] kai kai <3 : me n taiju are getting bored.

“we ready?” you asked yuzuha with a grin, cocking your nerf gun to get it ready to start firing.

“oh you know i am.” yuzuha chuckled, stretching and cracking her knuckles.

you just know the parents and their kids were walking past with worried looks.

some were already rushing their children out of the arena.

~

“that’s cheating.” yuzuha yelled out, attempting to wrestle her gun out of taiju’s hands with a loud laugh.

in the start of their war, yuzuha began to spray nerf bullets at her older brother without giving him time to think.

so naturally, he shoved her gun downwards and began to shoot her ruthlessly.

“it’s not cheating if there’s no rules!” taiju taunted, shooting the smaller girl in her thigh repeatedly.

you stood on top one of the towers that were build for scoping and ducking, aiming your gun at taiju.

while he was busy with yuzuha and wrestling her for her gun, it gave you the right opportunity.

you began to spray your gun, letting three bullets get him on the shell of his ear and another six to his back.

almost immediately after, you felt two bullets hit you in the side of your face, pulling your attention away from the elder shibas.

you turned to your left and looked into the other building.

hakkai was squatting inside, winking at you with a little cheeky grin.

the grin didn’t last long, however, as yuzuha began to ruthlessly shoot hakkai wherever she could see.

which just so happened to be in his face.

hakkai (dramatically) rolled down the hill with a loud groan, holding his face in false pain.

“you okay teammate?!” yuzuha yelled out over the music, looking up at you from the floor.

“i’m okay! is taiju okay?!” you yelled back, still seeing the male doubled over near one of the ledges.

taiju waved his hand a bit, gesturing that he was just fine and if not, he will be fine in a few seconds or so.

for another hour or two, you guys ran around shooting each other and doing the nerf activities laid out for you.

when it was revealed that you only had 5 more minutes left, taiju pulled you and yuzuha to the side.

“you know, hakkai really fucked us over earlier when he tricked us.” taiju mentioned, leaning against the wall.

you and yuzuha both nodded in agreement.

as much as you didn’t want to admit it, you were really looking forward to watching the movie with your in-laws.

“so how about we get him back for it.” taiju suggested with a smug look, looking at the nerf gun in his hands.

you knew what he was getting at.

hakkai was in hiding, waiting for the right moment to strike at you or yuzuha.

he had no idea what was going on, and was waiting for someone to come into view so he can shoot.

“hakkai!” yuzuha called out loud enough for them to hear, finally finding the youngest shiba in his hiding spot.

she had to admit, it was pretty fucking good for how tall and skinny he was.

hakkai turned and got ready to shoot at yuzuha.

however, he never got to as taiju snatched the gun away from him and tossed it a few feet away.

“bro we’re on the same team.” hakkai complained loudly, rubbing his forehead in fake annoyance.

“and you promised the new super smash bro’s movie today.” taiju snapped back, crossing his arms.

hakkai rolled his eyes and went to grab his gun, ignoring taiju’s nth comment about not watching the movie.

you kicked it away even further, sighing and shaking your head in disappointment at your boyfriend.

“any last words?” you asked, tilting your head as the three of you cocked your guns at the same time.

“how dare you betray me?!” hakkai yelled out, backing into the wall.

safe to say, after the three of you ‘jumped’ hakkai with nerf bullets and soft fists, you were banned from all out warzone.

and hakkai had to take the three of you to see the super smash bro’s movie.

you never heard the end of your ‘betrayal towards your amazing, loving, and caring boyfriend’ for months.

[newbookcats]

Book Review: Fourth Wing (The Empyrean #1) by Rebecca Yarros | Climbing Trees Has Never Been So Sexualized, EDS Representation, and Fire-Breathing Dragons, Oh My!

Published on my blog: https://newbookcatsreads.blogspot.com/2024/12/book-review-fourth-wing-empyrean-1-by.html

Discussion:

                                               ⭐⭐⭐.5

Since its ever-anticipated release in 2023, Fourth Wing has become a novel reminiscent of the Twilight, The Hunger Games, and Harry Potter eras in that everyone and their mom is recommended this book. This tale quickly captured the internet and nearly the entire book community in flames because of Yarros' extremely addictive storytelling, unbelievably witty dialogue, and multifaceted characters. Moreover, Yarros mixes the ease of young adult reading with the new experiences many new adults face in her novel Fourth Wing, a first in a five-book romance fantasy series. Still, Yarros include trigger warnings for war, battle, hand-to-hand combat, perilous situations, blood, intense violence, brutal injuries, death, poisoning, graphic language, and sexual activities, so I highly recommend that new young adult readers or even young teenagers wait until they're older/more mature to read this book. Although marketed to a large audience via social media, this book should be solely targeted to adult audiences. Even at 22 years old, I found some of the explicit sex scenes uncomfortable to read, and I couldn't help but laugh at the repeated 'climbing tree' references made by our female protagonist Violet Sorrengail.

Not that I wouldn't climb [Xaden] like a tree if presented with the right set of circumstances.

And, this is only one of those references Violet makes regarding the love interest's sex appeal. Besides the sexual references, Violet does climb actual trees a few times to evade danger and mentions climbing trees in her youth, so I definitely would have chosen another analogy for the sexual situations.

More on Violet, at 20 years old, she has only expected to follow in her father's footsteps and enter the Scribe Quadrant to record the history of Navarre; however, her fantasies of working with books are quickly overturned when her mother, who is also the general of Navarre, forces her into the deadliest role of them all -- a rider. With her two siblings and mom enlisted as riders, Violet knows nearly everything riders face as they protect the citizens of Navarre with their bonded dragons. But, the mysteries within the Riders Quadrant where these riders train are kept secret from anyone on the outside. Expected to participate in hand-to-hand combat and ride dragons in their acrobatic maneuvers, Violet's already brittle bones and weak joints reminiscent of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, as well as her family's reputation, leave a significantly sized target on her back. To make matters worse, Xaden Riorson — the son of the rebellion leader who was killed by Violet's mother after that same rebellion claimed Violet's brother's life — is a wingleader in the Rider's Quadrant alongside other children of the rebellion. Especially with Violet's artistic representation of Xaden's appearance, it's obvious that Violet finds it difficult to keep her attention on not dying and instead introduces us to her love interest. 

He's tall, with windblown black hair and dark brows. The line of his jaw is strong and covered by warm tawny skin and dark stubble, and when he folds his arms across his torso, the muscles in his chest and arms ripple, moving in a way that makes me swallow. And his eyes...His eyes are the shade of gold-flecked onyx. The contrast is startling, jaw-dropping even -- everything about him is. His features are so harsh that they look carved, and yet they're astonishingly perfect, like an artist worked a lifetime sculpting him, and at least a year of that was spent on his mouth.

Within a few pages of reading this book, it was obvious this was a romance novel disguised as a fantasy, so those who may be expecting a deep dive into the history of Navarre, lots of details regarding Basgiath College and its surroundings (besides the well-detailed combat scenes!), and a well-described and well-balanced magic system between humans and mythological creatures as commonly associated with high-fantasy novels, I highly recommend you pick up another story. If you want dragons and well-balanced magic systems, you'll be more inclined to read Christopher Paolini's Eragon. If you want details of Xaden's genitalia and explicit information about Xaden's and Violet's sex lives, then Yarros' Fourth Wing is definitely your fix. Also, while we are on this topic, I can only emphasize the many times (okay, maybe it was only 5) that Xaden's genitalia is mentioned, but Violet's is only referred to as either the sensory region clit (or anatomically, the clitoris) and her entrance. How is "vagina" not allowed in this book but cock/dick is? This topic could easily warrant an entire discussion in a separate post. However, considering the author's background as a female romance writer, it's reasonable to assume that her primary target audience includes adult heterosexual women, though this doesn't exclude other readers who might also enjoy the genre or Yarros' content.

Further, as a romance, a love triangle between Violet, Xaden, and Violet's lifelong friend Dain -- aka, the "Gale Hawthorne" or boy-next-door is inevitable in the beginning. I'm not a huge fan of this trope, especially because I dislike the idea of leading someone on without clarifying romantic intentions. However, I appreciate that Violet makes it clear she only has feelings for Xaden as she interacts with him more. Also, I find it hilarious that Yarros describes Dain as the "boy-next-door-who-can-still-kick-your-ass." Still, the rivalry between the two boys is truly unserious and exercised my extraocular muscles by how frequently I rolled my eyes at their quips. 

But overall, I enjoyed Yarros' characters and the witty dialogue shared between them, especially with how quickly I warmed up to Liam and Ridoc as their sarcastic remarks reflected my exact thoughts for Violet's shenanigans. Further, Ridoc's sarcasm cuts through serious scenes, reminding the audience that Basgiath College is filled with young adults who are still immature and don't have all the answers. Minus the explicit sex scenes, this book could possibly be a young adult book with Violet and other cadets enrolled in Basgiath High School of Dragons and Magic. Still, while the dialogues contain an abundance of curse words and many of the conversations revolve around sex, it is reminiscent of some of my friends' attitudes in their first years of college -- and further, we did not fear dying from a difficult chemistry exam despite our professor's stern glare. Like freshmen in college, these cadets have more freedom to explore new ideas or people they would otherwise not have been able to before, so the large number of these characters exploring sex is not out of the ordinary for their age group. Rather, it makes the characters and their personalities more authentic as newly budding adults with natural curiosities searching for a bit of normalcy and comfort in response to the constant threat of death in their environment. I think this aspect and Yarros' inclusion of diverse representation in Fourth Wing deserves praise, especially as she includes a main character with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, the inclusion of sign language and a deaf character, the depiction of various races, and the use of multiple languages. I believe many readers will be able to identify with at least one character from Fourth Wing just because of this.

My only critique of the characters would be Violet's intelligence -- and not in the way you might think. Violet is consistently reminded that she has "the brain of a scribe," "thinks like a scribe," or is blatantly brilliant, and I agree. She has quick judgment and is able to assimilate information quickly, but I wish Yarros spent more time showing Violet's intelligence, such as during squad challenges when Violet conjured the plan to steal a confidential map in her mom's office, rather than telling readers that she is exceptionally intelligent. Further, I wish Yarros had not depended on Violet's memory solely for worldbuilding. Anytime that Violet is put in a vulnerable situation, she spouts facts like Eminem raps -- well-enunciated and direct. As a way to mediate this, I wish Yarros included more of Xaden's perspective throughout the book as a way to learn further about the Tyrrish rebellion or the organization of Basgiath College. Further, I would love to see a memory of whoever signed the unification treaty with Xaden after he binds with Sgaeyl because they probably were in so much trouble that rebellion children were obviously worthy enough for Navarre's dragons. Otherwise, Violet is a sensible narrator...until she feels like "climbing" someone.

Further, with the worldbuilding, Violet mentions several times that Navarre is desperate for more riders; however, nearly every trial throughout the Quadrant and even the Parapet start kills a significant portion of candidates and cadets -- all for the sake of weeding out the weakest members. Excuse me, is that not the role of the dragons? Readers are told that dragons reason who the best riders are by their innate traits such as bravery and integrity, so I do not understand the college's promotion of candidates killing each other (besides during sleep times) or these challenges with insane lethality rates. Would it not make more sense to have those who cannot complete these challenges move to another Quadrant, such as Infantry, rather than accumulating another death? Also, I would love more history into the benefits of humans and dragons binding, particularly as readers see the greed Jack Barlowe -- Violet's main villain in this first year -- has with power that eventually leads to him becoming a venin, so do these challenges successfully weed out potential stresses or are they more about pride? 

In conclusion, I highly recommend this novel if you want a romance with fantasy elements. After reading the second book Iron Flame, I reread Fourth Wing, and I appreciated the book for the fun, thrilling adventure it is. Yarros' writing enraptured me and is quickly addictive -- I actually finished this book in one night during finals week and still managed to pass my classes despite now having a new meaning to "climbing trees." Violet's conversations with her dragons are drama-filled and often revolve around her intense interest in Xaden, evoking the vibe of girl talk. Entertaining and well-paced, the combat and battle scenes kept me hooked. While the book offers some valuable morals and sex-education insights, I'll mostly revisit this story because it's a fun, engaging read — and indulging my reading addiction feels a bit healthier than doom-scrolling on social media.

If you loved this book, what was your favorite part? Do you get the hype, or are you still awaiting a dragon to bind to you and gift you with a signet that allows you to read Yarros' mind? What are you most excited about with Onyx Storm? And, are you Team Dain or Team Xaden? Correspond with me in the comments below or on any of my social media.

Love,

Nicole

[troublesomecousin]

character stat framework

name: Kevin Wright nickname(s): Kev, Kevvy, Mr. Right age: Varies depending on verse (19+ in all verses) birthdate: August 10th species: Human gender: Cis Man pronoun(s): He/Him romantic orientation: Achillean sexual orientation: Gaaaaaaay parents: Alan Scrivello & Lily Wright-Bell siblings: Orin Scrivello (older half brother) significant other(s): Verse Dependent, He's very "active" but tends not to seriously date until post-canon timelines children: None (as far as he knows) eye color(s): Hazel hair color(s): Very Dark Brown (basically black) body build: Naturally slim/athletic build (mild Dorito torso syndrome), got tall at an early age. Long limbs and strong chest. Gets more physically fit actively when he becomes a security guard, but he remains fairly trim due to pill habit. Post canon his muscles are less defined, but his build remains consistent height: 6'2"

Tagged by. No one Tagging. All of you ~

[indecisive-dizzy]

Any Howdy ideas to share? /nf

Oh I have So Many ideas. Pulled out my notes for this! Gonna start with family bc I've been wanting to share.

Howdy is The middle child. This man suffers from middle child syndrome big time, his parents hardly acknowledge him unless they're complaining about his career choice/comparing him to his siblings.

Speaking of! He has 15 siblings! They have names and traits and I wasted So Much Time on them! So here a list from oldest to youngest! as well their jobs

Heather- house wife w no kids. married big rich

Huntley- restaurant owner w multiple locations

Hailey- successful crafts/furniture business

Hayden- same business with Hailey

Heath- plane engineer

Hector- commercial pilot

Henry- big industry CEO

Hannah- chain store assistant manager

Howard "Howdy"- You know this one!

Holland- part-time job hoping

Harrison- college student

Harvey- college student

Harwin- college student

Harmony- student

Hope- student

Holly- student

3-4, 5-6, and 15-16 are twins. 11-13 are triplets. I don't have ages bc they need to be reworked. Yes all their names start with H. I thought it would be funny but it was Not Worth It. /hj

Back to Howdy! He loves all of his younger siblings. He's not as close to his older siblings with the exception of Huntley bc I love him. He actively dislikes Henry and Heather bc they belittle him a Lot.

Howdy, Hannah, and Holland were The trio of the family. Howdy is closest to these two.

He was also hugely involved in raising/taking care of the little ones. He was the only one that could get the triplets to take a bath in a reasonable amount of time with little mess/fuss. No one knows how he did it.

Stepping away from family!

It's so easy to make Howdy laugh. He makes a big deal out of jokes and having a good sense of humor, but he'll laugh at anything! He just hides this fact to save himself the supposed embarrassment. He almost Laughed Out Loud at one of Frank's jokes! Frank Frankly! The Unfunniest Neighbor! The memory haunts him. /j

Cuddle bug. Someone please hug the caterpillar. He just wants to give his loved ones a big squeeze and in some cases never let them go (cough Barnaby cough). If you fall asleep against him he will cherish the moment but will playfully complain later.

Cries if/when anything happens to the shop. Water leak? Sobs. Stain? Inconsolable. He loves his little shop so much.

He may scam people but he's really not in it for huge profits. He's just like that. Refuses to Ever open another store. There's only one Howdy so there will only be one Howdy's Place!

Oblivious but falls in love easy. He won't realize he's in love but he always falls first. Just give him time to realize it.

Will flirt with his partner but flusters when it's returned.

Despite being a workaholic, he gets plenty of rest and is pretty good with self care! He finds it very important to be well rested and healthy if he's gonna work so much. He also sleeps like a rock.

I have this idea to specifically contrast with Eddie! Who does Not know when to stop working. Howdy complains often of Eddie's sleep schedule (or lack thereof). This had led to Eddie being forced to nap in a big armchair behind the store counter on multiple occasions.

Howdy has essentially adopted the neighbors as family. Except for Barnaby I guess bc he's in love with the big blue dog.

One the youngest neighbors. He refuses to acknowledge this as he's had enough of being the baby brother thank you very much.

oh golly this got long very quick.. so that's all for now! 😅