#oxyg

[bumblinv]

Hii, saw your request were open!

This might not even make sense, because I don't even know if the na'vi have this too

But some hc to human reader getting their period earlier than expected and the sully kids + tsireya, aonung and roxto reaction to weird human biology

Thanks alot and stay healthy!!

--- sex ed. class ☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ

platonic!various x gn!human!reader

!! in my hc, fem na'vi doesn't menstruate !!

teaching your na’vi friends, who doesn’t menstruate, the beautiful world of human biology

part 1! part 2

"so, your... thing bleeds every month?"

you nod

"are you stupid?

"i'm sorry?"

ao'nung clicks his tongue, looking at you with disbelieve. "that means you're doing something, only Eywa knows what, to yourself. and you’re doing it so badly that it bleeds-"

you hit him on the head, "no! what are you even thinking?"

"no, but seriously" neteyam looks at you with concern, "forgive me for watching you, but this morning i saw you wash your blanket that’s literally soaked with blood"

your face starts to heat up, "that means the cloth i use wasn't enough-"

"3 pieces of cloth to soak your blood. and it wasn't even enough?" tsireya's voice filled with worry, "are you sure you're okay? we could ask my mother to patch you up" 

"reya, im fine-"

"no you're not! you came to her for painkillers this morning, to mend your stomach cramps!"

"its probably tape worms"

"no shit", rotxo snickers

"or just a real bad constipation"

"rotxo, ao’nung please” kiri rolls her eyes, tired of their stupidity. “they clearly said that the bleeding comes from their other below"

not long after lo'ak snaps his head towards you, mouth agape. "holy shit. i think i know what's going on", then quickly moves closer to you. his face just a few inches from yours, his terrified look terrifies you

"my mother experienced the same things as you, when we were about to have tuk. stomach hurting, below bleeding- "

"no. fucking. way” rotxo clasps his mouth, “are you about to give birth?"

"what?"

ao’nung’s jaw dropped. “who knocked you up?” 

“that’s it i’m taking you to the tsahik” 

“STOP” 

your friends went quiet. 

they could only stare at your flushed face as your breathing went erratic. 

you gulp, trying to calm yourself down. you close your eyes, inhaling a good amount of oxygent to fill your lungs and letting your mind go blank. then, you could open your mouth again

"as you all know, female bodies bear children in their uterus, yes?"

they all nod

"good. now the uterus, in human bodies specifically, would prepare for pregnancy every month-"

"so you need to get pregnant every month?"

"shut up rotxo"

"wait a minute" kiri cuts you off, "you’re not pregnant, but you’re currently bleeding. so the bleeding occurs when the pregnancy doesn’t happen?"

"yup. because i'm not pregnant, my womb's lining shreds out"

their terrified screams deafens you

[balletfilmss]

BUT DADDY, I LOVE HIM!

✸ pairing: jason grace x daughter of poseidon! reader

✸ synopsis: no, you’re not coming to your senses. even if it’s your father who’s telling you to

✸ warnings: none!

✸ notes: writing’s so weird…like it took me weeks to do my last work & i cranked this out in TWENTY minutes

idea from this post by @percabething!!

“what?”

“you heard me, yn,” said your father firmly, ready for you to take your leave and quit bothering.

as if you were the issue here. you’d been minding your own damn business when he just appeared at the lakefront, disturbing your date planning.

your boyfriend would be here any minute, and here poseidon was suddenly deciding to parent. and not only to parent, but to have the audacity to try and tell you who you could and couldn’t date, trying to slam the door on your whole world.

“this doesn’t make any sense!” you protested. “jason and i have been together for months, why is it now a problem?”

“i was hoping that your little summer fling would die out, but it seems that you’re persistent with this one,” your father said.

this one? as if you’d dated more than one other boy before him.

“now, like i said, it’s time for you to stop entertaining this relationship with zeus’s boy. i know you don’t think so, but i’m looking out for you. think about what this could do to your name! end it already, yn.”

at that, he began to walk back towards the water, trampling over your beautiful picnic spread and narrowly missing crushing your basket.

you ran after him, the sides of your unbuttoned cardigan blowing in the summer breeze as you followed him into the water, willing your dress to stay dry as you cried out, “my name? i don’t care about what it could do! jason’s the one i want, dad, you can’t do this!”

poseidon stopped in his tracks, turning to you. “i am the god of the seas and your father, yn, i can do whatever it is that i please. so do enlighten me, why, may i ask, do you think i can’t do this?”

before you could even think to stop yourself, you shouted the words at him,

“because, dad, i love him!”

at the confession, something in your father’s stormy blue eyes seemed to clear up. his face softened as he looked at you for a moment, wondering how the little girl he remembered had gotten so old in such little time.

you began to grow antsy at the silence that followed your words, suddenly aware of the swishing of the lake against your calves as time seemed to still.

finally, poseidon sighed, “very well then.”

you perked up immediately, eyes bright as you squealed, “really?!”

the god nodded his head, though hesitantly and said, “yes. make sure he doesn’t make me regret it. and make sure he knows that.”

your father pointed over your shoulder, his tone suddenly shifted from how it’d been just about three minutes ago. you turned to find jason standing on the bank of the lake with colored cheeks and his hands behind his back, waiting for you to return and not wanting to interrupt your discussion with your father.

from the look on his face, he had definitely heard you.

blood rushed to your face as you realized that your first “i love you” for your boyfriend had been screamed at your father, of all people. when you turned back to your dad, he was gone with the waves.

tilting your head back as you dramatically rolled your eyes at the theatrics, you tentatively spun back round to look at jason, a sheepish smile on your face.

without missing a beat, he joined you in the water, splashing up to his ankles and sending water flying everywhere as he giddily made his way to you.

immediately upon arrival, he placed both hands on your face and pulled you in, catching your lips in a hasty kiss he’d been waiting to give you ever since he accidentally overheard your conversation.

you pressed your lips against his as your head swam as much as the creatures in the water below, winding your arms around his neck and pressing your body flush against his.

when you only separated because of lack of oxygen, neither of you strayed far.

“you heard me?” you asked with a breathe, forehead pressed against jason’s.

he was wearing what might’ve been the widest grin you’d ever seen.

“i did,” he said, pushing a tendril of hair behind your ear. “and i love you too.”

smiling hard, you pushed your lips against his once more.

[frostbitebakery]

LOUD.

part one two three four five

Obi watches over him like a shadow the first few weeks he’s in the Temple.

Anakin will wake from a memory-nightmare and his protector will sit on the windowsill, bathed in the ever changing lights.

His warm hand will stroke over Anakin’s hair, soothing and more comforting than words could ever be.

He will offer Anakin to sit with him, watching Coruscant through the transparisteel. And Anakin will inevitably end up cuddled up to Obi’s front, falling asleep with Obi’s heartbeat under his ear, the breath in his lungs.

.

The identities of the Shadows are almost considered inviolable. Due to the nature of their chosen path, secrecy is a tenet they adhere to strictly.

The Council knows who they are, and maybe there are one or two Council members who are uncomfortable with how close to the Dark Shadows operate. But as a whole the necessity is understood.

The Jedi stand and fight for the Light, the balance, for bringing peace and help to those who need it. A calling like that inevitably brings enemies and the need to even the playing field.

“Beacon of Light,” Obi-Wan repeats, hands moving in disbelief.

And code names. It was only a matter of time before he got his codename.

“Fitting, we think it is,” Grandmaster Yoda says, amusement twinkling in his eyes and frog tea.

“Of course, Grandgrandmaster Yoda,” Obi-Wan signs, slipping in the extra grand flawlessly, which results in the sign turning grand to ancient. If Yoda gets cheeky with him, he can very well retribute.

Master Tholme coughs a laugh into the sleeve of his robe.

“Congratulations, Master Kenobi,” Master Windu says warmly and Obi-Wan ducks his head, loses the fight against the blush spreading across his nose. “Master Tholme has prepared a briefing package for you where you can access all relevant information. Like the code name for the Temple here on Coruscant.”

Master Tholme inclines his head in agreement, solemn twist to his lips Obi-Wan knows not to trust. “Old Folks’ Home.”

Obi-Wan wishes he wore the mask so he can wheeze in peace.

.

Jedi move different from the people Anakin has seen so far in his life. They flow, they’re carried by a breeze. Gravity doesn’t have a hold on them unless it suits them. They move like they’re one with nature, detached from sentient-made life and creations.

And then there are a few, like Obi, who move with the undercurrent, with the wind just above the ground. Who vanish with the shadows just to reappear around a corner.

They’re not stalking the enormous hallways or sneaking around like bandits.

Anakin doesn’t think they’re doing it consciously, reflecting attention away from themselves as if they aren’t even there.

Obi’s friend Quin moves like that, too, when he forgets himself, somehow managing to disappear while walking in the middle of the floor.

Quin is a strange one.

But Obi-Wan…

Anakin bites his lips to keep from giggling, hands gripping the banister tightly where he’s peeking. He doesn’t think they’ve noticed him yet.

The training salle they’re practicing in is huge, obstacles dotting the ground for them to leap over or off, hide and take the other off-guard.

It seems impossible, the way they fight and lure each other into traps. Obi is especially good at that. He’s directing Quin into exhaustion he can’t defend himself in anymore, and it’s amazing to watch.

Nothing and no one can beat Obi-Wan. He’s too clever for that.

“I will never stop calling you that, Beacon of Light,” Quin laughs when he jumps out of a roll and onto his feet.

Obi-Wan signs something, his back to Anakin which is aggravating.

He’d change position but both Jedi move around too much.

Quin shakes his head. “Shut up, you know it suits you.” He takes the lightsaber off his belt. “I bet you blushed like a meloroon in season.”

Obi changes into a blue glowing blur in answer.

.

Obi-Wan wants to know where he went wrong. What he did to— He thought the connection between him and Cody—

His vision is swimming, oxygen mask placed over his nose and mouth pumping more than air into his system.

His fingers weakly tap the message on the receiver of the comm device he broke off Cody’s suit during the fight. “Beacon. Light. Force.” Hope and the Force sing to him, even as his doing is detected.

Cody roughly rolls him onto his side, takes the device out of his hand where he had hidden it behind his back.

“The Emperor wants you alive, traitor.”

He’s removed his helmet. The one Obi-Wan had destroyed while it was still on Cody’s head. Just… Cody’s whole demeanor flipped to strange and other. He hadn’t made for his blaster during the fight. Shooting inside a rescue shuttle in the void of space at least still seemed like a bad idea even with Cody’s suit keeping him alive in a scenario like that.

But Obi-Wan couldn’t take that chance. So he’d smashed Cody’s face against a doorframe, breaking the visor and any choice Cody could make in killing Obi-Wan by sudden oxygen depletion.

Of course the fight took care to still break his lungs open, making him gasp for air even before Cody held him down and ripped the mask off.

Lying on his side is easier but the room has decided it is done with him and goes dark.

[carolperkinsexgirlfriend]

Steddie Upside-down AU Part 33

Part 1 Part 32

It’s only after he’s circled the house that he notices the blood trail. Droplets so black that when Eddie’s foot squelches into a particularly large puddle, he feels like he could fall straight out of the world.

The blood splatters continue, curving around the pool and into the forest, leading him inexorably toward Steve. His fallen angel.

 Behind him, Wayne and Hopper are following the blood, flashlight beams bouncing from drop to drop like bloodhounds. Eddie doesn’t need to. He lets himself be pulled, ever forward, toward salvation.

Vines pool on the forest floor, making careful steps necessary in the dim, red light.

Wayne lets his flashlight stray ahead, giving Eddie a little light in the darkness. It���s the first thing that halos Steve’s face, illuminating the grisly sight.

Eddie screams from his gut, throat wrenching with the force as he drops to his knees. Vines enshrine him, pinning him to the base of a tree by ribs and hips.

One has slithered up over his body and crawled into his throat in a macabre reversal of a breathing tube. Eddie wrenches it free, feels the pulpy flesh of Steve’s esophagus resist, doesn’t stop. He can’t. Steve needs that out of his throat. So, Eddie pulls. And pulls. And pulls.

It screams and writhes on the way out, trying to crawl back to someplace warm. It’s impossibly long and makes a wailing sound when Eddie finally wrenches it free, tossing it behind him.

“Oh, Jesus,” Hopper says, just before he starts shooting.

Eddie doesn’t look, can’t look away from Steve’s placid, unmoving face. “He’s not breathing!” he shouts, over the sound of gunfire, running useless hands up his cheeks and into his hair, like he can soak the warmth of life back into Steve through his skin.

Eddie is shoved unceremoniously to the side. Steve’s skin slips through his fingers as he falls, hard to the dirt. He bursts up snarling, an uncaged, wild thing, ready to bite and tear and rend. But It’s Uncle Wayne. Uncle Wayne who has crossed his fingers together and is repetitively pounding on Steve’s chest hard enough that it cracks. “Uncle Wayne?” he asks, small. Quiet. Like a little boy holding up a skinned knee and waiting for his Uncle to fix it. Uncle Wayne doesn’t turn his way.

Hopper falls to his knees, wrenching his helmet off and letting the toxic air in. He bends over Steve, pinches his nose, and breaths forcefully into his mouth. His heart is beating, and his lungs are contracting, and Eddie is fucking useless.

He crawls back over to Steve’s prone form – Steve’s corpse – to take his cold hand. “Come on, Steve,” he says, staring hard at closed eyes. “Stay with me, Stevie, okay?” Hopper breathes out into his mouth. Wayne snaps another rib. Steve stays dead.

Suddenly, Eddie is furious. His nails dig into Steve’s palm hard, crescent moon indents on the back of his hand. This fucking stupid jock saved his stupid fucking life and now he thinks he can fucking die? Eddie wants to hurt him. “You don’t get to do this, you stupid piece of shit,” he says, guttural. Barely language at all. “You should have fucking died day one if you were just going to do this.” Wayne’s hands beat, Hopper’s lungs breathe, neither of them pay him any mind. “Get back here right now or I’ll fucking kill you myself.”

Like the dramatic bastard he is, Steve choses that moment to be alive. He coughs, choking up black sludge until Wayne and Hopper roll him on his side, face toward Eddie. Viscous black fluid pours out of him as he coughs it out of his lungs like Hell’s first drowning victim.

“Stevie?” Eddie says, full-on sobbing as he crawls ever-closer, pressing his forehead to Steve’s own. His eyes are open slits and he doesn’t speak, but he quirks his lips up at the sides when he meets Eddie’s eyes, fingers feebly clutching at the lapel of Eddie’s rancid vest. “It’s okay, I’ve got you.”

Wayne pulls his head back, just enough so Hopper can settle a mask over the bottom of Steve’s face, feeding him clean oxygen for the first time in a week. Steve slumps into the dirt, Wayne’s hands supporting his back.

“We need to move,” Hopper says.

Steve’s relaxed into the dirt, asleep or passed out, but alive. Eddie stares at his angelic face for a second, or a minute, or an hour more, before slumping Steve backward, settling Steve into Uncle Wayne’s trusted arms so he can stand.

“I’ll carry him,” Eddie says, stumbling to his feet and holding out his arms.

“Kid,” Hopper says, clasping his hand with a familiarity they’ve never had. “You’re shaking.”

Eddie takes his left hand, tries to manually stop the shaking of his right. But he’s just holding his own hand, shaking. And shaking. And shaking.

“I can carry him,” Eddie says.

“I know,” Hopper says. “You don’t have to.”

Eddie looks down at Steve, a deadweight atop Wayne. Steve who played bait and brat with the Demogorgon not once, but twice to save Eddie’s unworthy life. He looks at his sallow cheeks and limp hair and doesn’t think he’s ever seen anything more beautiful.

Reconciled to not carrying his guardian angel out of Hell, Eddie leads the procession out of the woods for the last time.

Part 34

[acerathia]

he simply gets accustomed and breathes ur cum

i support all the fish fuckers out there! but i’m sorry—i simply don’t want to fuck gil. maybe if it was a princess and the fish situation and he turned into a man after a little smooch... but that would still require kissing a fish, which gives me the ick.

[oxygen537art]

"oxyg-" 🏃‍♂️🏃‍♂️🏃‍♂️🏃‍♂️

Lol

[theluckywizard]

Kiss Me Moonstruck, Ch. 5: That Nosy Bird

Hawke x Trevelyan | DA2 | Matchmaking Mischief | Fluff and Smut | Fish out of Water | Romantic Comedy

Gif by @lavellanlin

Chapter Summary: Garrett comes home. Rose eavesdrops. Garrett gets stitches. Rose gets an eyeful.

WC: 2,592

Fic Summary: Smashed together in a matchmaking scheme cooked up by their enterprising mothers, Garrett Hawke and Rose Trevelyan are forced to endure one another for a whole week over Satinalia at the Hawke Estate. Rose hears he’s a swashbuckling treasure hunter, as wild as he is handsome and as ill-bred as he is rich. Garrett suspects she’s a brat of an ingenue by the string of rejected marriage proposals behind her. Determined to prove to the other that they could not be less compatible, they quickly find their mothers’ plot might be working better than they thought.

Excerpt below the cut 👇

“Well I think it went well!” says Leandra, returning to the chopping block with supplies. As she wanders to the fire to pour a cup of tea for her son, she carries on. “I— admit Alsatia seemed a bit stiffer than I remember. But I think she liked my tart.” 

There’s something tense in her voice like she isn’t sure at all. She’s soothing herself. He can see it in her expression.

He takes an inelegant oversized bite and speaks through a mouthful. “Well if she didn’t, she’s a blazing moron.” His factual assessment is met with a glower. “ Only because it’s the finest treat in the whole of the Marches.” He adds. “I hope it was a pleasant evening.”

“Alsatia and I were able to catch up for an hour or so. Lady Rose was tired from the journey so she didn’t stay with us long, but I can’t say I blame her exactly. It’s a terribly long time to sit in a carriage.”

“I spotted her in the library just now,” he says.

“A reader! That’s promising,” says Leandra, dunking a cloth in a basin of water.

Garrett exhales a chuckle and shakes his head. “Yes, the barest indication of intelligence.”

His mother tugs on his arm in annoyance, flashing him a look of reproof. “Let me see this wound of yours,” she says, jerking his arm straight to inspect. She wipes the dried blood off his forearm and then bends to squint at the laceration at his elbow. “Five or six stitches I’d guess.” She wanders over to the larder for a bottle of alcohol. 

“Is that— Maker, Garrett your back is bleeding as well!” she cries upon her return.

Garrett cranes his head to look over each of his shoulders, catching a glimpse of deep scarlet over his left. He thought he felt something itchy back there. “Huh. They must have caught the edge of my cuirass.”

“You’re going to send me to an early grave, you know that?” she mutters, pushing his linen shirt up off his back for a look. “This one is bigger. Take it off, come on.”

Garrett tugs his shirt off, peeling carefully where it sticks to the drying blood on his shoulder. He laughs into the crimson stained shirt he balls up for washing. “Take enough blows you stop noticing them, I suppose.”

“Maker, Garrett. You didn’t kill anyone tonight, did you?”

“I don’t think so. Dougal’s thugs are just hired help,” he says. “Probably have families to feed, same as me.” He takes a gulp of tea and pushes the last of a slice into his mouth. “So is it good to see her? Your old friend?”

Leandra is quiet for just long enough that he can tell something is off. “Chew with your mouth closed.”

Garrett rolls his eyes. “You can tell me you know. Regardless of whatever you hope for me.”

“She’ll settle in I think,” says Leandra over the swish of a bottle as she dabs gauze. “She’s been amongst nobility for a long time. It’s made her—”

“—a bit of a snob?” Garrett finishes, turning and squeezing her shoulder.

“Eat your galette.”

Read the rest here 💗

Start the fic here! 🌛

Dragon Age Fan Fiction Crew

@about2dance | @ar-lath-ma-cully | @blarrghe | @bluewren | @breninarthur

@crackinglamb | @delicatefade | @dreadfutures | @effelants | @exalted-dawn-drabbles |

@hekaerges | @inquisimer | @ir0n-angel | @leggywillow |

@oxygenforthewicked | @plisuu | @rakshadow | @rosella-writes | @warpedlegacy

[saturniasxenos]

FIRE NPT PACK!!

Down below, you'll find firey pronouns, burning hot titles, ignited names, and all the alike fire/flame/lava genders!

Enjoy my firey loves! ❤

Pronouns:

Ar/Arso/Arson/Arsons/Arsonself

Ab/Abla/Ablaze/Ablazes/Ablazeself

Ar/Ardo/Ardor/Ardors/Ardorself

Ca/Cand/Candle/Candles/Candleself

Fer/Ferv/Fervor/Fervors/Fervorself

Fi/Fir/Fire/Fires/Fireself

Fir/Firestro/Firestorm/Firestorms/Firestormself

Fir/Firebo/Firebolt/Firebolts/Fireboltself

Fir/Firebu/Firebug/Firebugs/Firebugself

Fir/Firebo/Firebomb/Firebombs/Firebombself

Fir/Fireshi/Fireshine/Fireshines/Fireshineself

Fir/Firestri/Firestriker/Firestrikers/Firestrikerself

Fir/Fireba/Fireball/Fireballs/Fireballself

Fir/Firewo/Firewood/Firewoods/Firewoodself

Fir/Firepro/Fireproof/Fireproofs/Fireproofself

Fir/Firecra/Firecracker/Firecrackers/Firecrackerself

Fir/Firebre/Firebreak/Firebreaks/Firebreakself

Fir/Firef/Firefly/Fireflys/Fireflyself

Fir/Fireli/Firelight/Firelights/Firelightself

Fir/Firewa/Firewalker/Firewalkers/Firewalkerself

Fie/Fier/Fiery/Fierys/Fieryself

Fla/Flam/Flame/Flames/Flameself

Flame/Flamethro/Flamethrower/Flamethrowers/Flamethrowerself

Flame/Flamma/Flammable/Flammables/Flammableself

Fla/Flar/Flare/Flares/Flareself

Fur/Furna/Furnace/Furnaces/Furnaceself

Kin/Kind/Kindle/Kindles/Kindleself

La/Lav/Lava/Lavas/Lavaself

Ma/Mag/Magma/Magmas/Magmaself

Vol/Volca/Volcano/Volcanos/Volcanoself

He/Hea/Heat/Heats/Heatself

Hell/Hellfie/Hellfire/Hellfires/Hellfireself

Hot/Hotco/Hotcoal/Hotcoals/Hotcoalself

Spa/Spar/Spark/Sparks/Sparkself

Bu/Bur/Burn/Burns/Burnself

Bla/Blaz/Blaze/Blazes/Blazeself

Bla/Blas/Blast/Blasts/Blastself

Bo/Bonfi/Bonfire/Bonfires/Bonfireself

Ig/Igni/Ignite/Ignites/Igniteself

In/Infer/Inferno/Infernos/Infernoself

In/Infer/Infernal/Infernals/Infernalself

Incin/Inciner/Incinerate/Incinerates/Incinerateself

Obi/Obsid/Obsidian/Obsidians/Obsidianself

Oxy/Oxyge/Oxygen/Oxygens/Oxygenself

War/Warm/Warmth/Warmths/Warmthself

Wild/Wildfir/Wildfire/Wildfires/Wildfireself

Wood/Woodfir/Woodfire/Woodfires/Woofireself

Sco/Scor/Scorch/Scorchs/Scorchself

Ser/Sera/Seraphim/Seraphims/Seraphimself

So/Soo/Soot/Soots/Sootself

Smo/Smok/Smoke/Smokes/Smokeself

Smo/Smoul/Smoulder/Smoulders/Smoulderself

Py/Pyr/Pyro/Pyros/Pyroself

Py/Pyr/Pyre/Pyres/Pyreself

Phoe/Phoen/Phoenix/Phoenixs/Phoenixself

To/Tor/Torch/Torchs/Torchself

Com/Combust/Combustion/Combusts/Combustionself

Ca/Campfi/Campfire/Campfires/Campfireself

Co/Coa/Coal/Coals/Coalself

Char/Charco/Charcoal/Charcoals/Charcoalself

Cre/Crem/Cremate/Cremates/Cremateself

🔥/🔥's

💥/💥's

🐦‍🔥/🐦‍🔥's

❤️‍🔥/❤️‍🔥's

☄️/☄️'s

🌋/🌋's

🏜/🏜's

🕯/🕯's

☀/☀'s

🌟/🌟's

⭐/⭐'s

Titles:

(X) Who Burns

The Pyromaniac

The Phoenix

Risen From The Ashes

Born From The Flames

Born From Hellfire

Dancing In The Flames

The Firestorm

The Incinerated

(X) Who Commits Arson

The Fire Dancer

The Lava Dancer

The Volcano Guardian

Guardian of The Flames

The Flame-Winged

(X) Who Will Never Burn

Names:

Fem: Aine, Adara, Alinta, Anala, Apollonia, Aguya, Arpina, Brenda, Bedelia, Caldia, Cyra, Cemre, Cinder, Enya, Fiamma, Fiametta, Helene, Homura, Hinata, Hinoka, Helia, Hestia, Kenina, Kaede, Kyra, Keahi, Kamala, Kalinda, Kenna, Mirri, Mehri, McKenna, Narine, Noora, Pele, Pyraxia, Pyrena, Piret, Oriane, Seraphina, Starfire, Savita, Sunniva, Solana, Tana, Tinna, Vesta, Zinara,

Masc: Afi, Aodh, Ashbel, Apollo, Anatole, Aarush, Aidan, Aiden, Blaze, Blayze, Blaise, Brando, Brantley, Branton, Brent, Brenton, Conleth, Conley, Cole, Cyrus, Egan, Eilidh, Elio, Finlo, Fintan, Fuji, Flint, Haco, Hagan, Hakan, Hayden, Heilos, Heulfryn, Horus, Hugh, Hugo, Ignacio, Ignatius, Inigo, Ishaan, Kai, Kindle, Kaen, Kenneth, Keegan, Kiran, Kwasi, McCoy, Pyrrhus, Ra, Rhys, Sampson, Tyson, Vulcan,

Neu: Ardere, Aizel, Adan, Akosua, Ashfall, Aithne, Agni, Adish, Azar, Ash, Baskara, Brigid, Cymbeline, Ember, Eldis, Edan, Ignus, Iskra, Liekki, Mashal, Nuri, Pheonix, Pyro, Pyre, Surya, Sulien, Solaris, Sol, Seraph, Seraphin, Sol, Soleil, Sunfire, Tanwen, Uri, Ugnè, Xipil,

Genders:

Lavanatomic - A gender under the anatomic system(link), related to lava, anatomy, the "anatomy" of lava and molten rock, the anatomy of something or someone being made up of lava, having anatomy made of lava and so on.

Firegender - Firegender is a xenogender identity in which one's gender is in a constant state of change but never truly extinguishes. It is aesthetically linked to fire as a visual metaphor or symbol.

Fiergender - Fiergender [fier coming from the word 'fiery'] is a gender related to the colours red and orange, fire, foxes, anger, and heat. This gender may feel hot, angry/annoyed, and fiery.

Infernvambatic - A gender identity related to fire and vampire bats; vampire bats that are on fire; vampire bats with fire magic; the emoji combo 🔥🦇🔥; etc...

Burninglogic - .+ a gender related to the log/wood emoji (🪵), and the fire emoji (🔥) in some way. could be the emojis on their own, the smell of campires/burning wood, the aesthetic of wood and fire, etc.

CandLitScentic - A scentic gender related to the aroma of lit candles, scented or not, the smell of a burning wick and melting wax is heavily tied to one's gender.

Firedeity - a gender connected to fire and deities, a deity associated with fire, or a deity of fire.

Ragefiric - a gender relating to raging fires, of course! one may also connect with fiery tempers or things getting burnt

Sunfiregender - a gender related to the sun and fire somehow! could be about how the sun is sometimes called a ball of fire, could be related to setting fires with sunlight, just suns and fires separately, whatever! 

Volcanogender/Lavagender/Magmagender - A gender that is dormant most of the time but sometimes erupts with extreme heat and intensity, similar to how volcanoes erupt. It can be used by itself or combined with other terms, e.g. volcanoboy, volcanogirl, volcanononbinary, etc.

Pyrapanthic - A combination of pyrogender and catgender, in which your gender is connected to big cats, fire, and the way that both are violent/aggressive in nature but aren't "bad" for being that way, they just are.

Lavagender - For a few days it’ll be a stable gender, nice and consistent. But after a while it turns into something completely different. And then that something will change into another thing that’s completely different after a few days time again.

PyromaniEnigmatic - an -enigmatic gender that relates to ones pyromania, being hard to fully understand and deal with, smoke and flames from the urges of pyromania obscuring clear vision and understanding of ones gender and ones pyromania being so deeply tied to ones gender that t becomes hard to understand it from any other angle but by the light of a burning flame.

Pyrofluid - A gender defined by a strong fire aesthetic, like pyrogender, but in this case a person can change between feeling “warm” and feeling “cold” about their gender. A pyrogender person always "feels warm" about the gender, it may just dwindle but never extinguish. Pyrofluid people can “feel cold”, and when that happens it doesn’t necessarily mean that they’ll be agender or on the agender spectrum. It may just mean that they end up feeling apathetic about their gender, not wanting to think about it.

[uchiha-hemy]

Bésame una vez, bésame dos veces.

✨𝕮𝖗𝖉. 𝕬𝖗𝖙.:

https://x.com/sskrrlett?t=QbF5pb6G7N-qfpI3Y-oXyg&s=09

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[flowering-darkness]

I FIGURED OUT HOW NOT TO BREAK REBORN'S TIMELINES (MUCH)

TLDR: in my version of events, my self-insert (Adriana) now appears in all three timelines, not just the last two. The first is used for my selfship with Elena, and is reset as normal with nothing bad happening to Adriana; the second is used for my selfship with Luna, and is reset with an extra sacrifice needed due to Adriana’s fate there; the third is also used for my selfship with Luna, and ends in success thanks to the player being an additional presence. Adriana has a different outfit or appearance in each timeline, to help with differentiating them all.

Further explanation can be found under the readmore, if you'd like to know more! ..There will be some spoilers mentioned for the game, but I hope that the things I talk about are helpful for assisting your understanding if you aren’t as familiar with Reborn itself. I'm also more than happy to answer questions if anyone has any!! ^-^

The first timeline (pre-gameplay)

We don't know as much about the first timeline compared to the other two, and it also doesn't get to the same point that the other two do, but it's the one where everything technically kicks off from, so it's still important. In this timeline, Adriana is a Pokémon Trainer of some sort who travels to visit the Reborn region from her home in Kalos, and eventually ends up getting into a relationship with Elena of the Elite Four after bonding over a shared fondness for Ghost-types, gaining a greater appreciation for them in the process. (I have yet to figure out how Corey factors into this; for now, I am saying Elena has two hands.) More details will hopefully come with time.

The first timeline is eventually reset after the continued distortions and earthquakes afflicting Reborn, caused by Solaris wielding the power of Giratina, force Zina to have to fix things, sealing Giratina away in Byxbysion in the process and sacrificing her existence to facilitate the change and reset. Adriana was not a particularly prevalent character for many of the actual ongoing events here.. but this ends up changing after the timeline starts over again.

Anything I make within this timeline - so, anything to do with my selfship with Elena - can be identified by Adriana having a different outfit, and possibly also hairstyle. My first pass for this outfit, made within Pokémon Y, is this:

The second timeline (Episode 18)

This is the timeline seen by Miss Fortune, as well as being the one that has more direct relevance to in-game events, particularly in the postgame. Here, Adriana once again comes to Reborn, but at a slightly different time in her life - specifically, she decides to pick the region’s league as her first league challenge after finding some slightly misleading (in that it’s ten years out of date) marketing for it. From the moment she arrives rather explosively at Grandview Station, her journey goes completely differently to how she was expecting it to, as she ends up entangled in trying to stop Team Meteor while also collecting Gym Badges, eventually succeeding in obtaining all 18 (even if she did have to get two Poison- and Fighting-type ones due to.. extraneous circumstances). She ends up in a romantic relationship with Luna along the way as well, and even successfully rescues her from the Void.

This timeline follows the game’s events as they existed in Episode 18, with two key exceptions - Euphie still exists as Euphie, and Fern either does not join or eventually breaks away from Team Meteor. This is to fit what Miss Fortune sees. It also extends past the gym battle against Hardy, despite the game only being finished up to that point when this episode was the most recently-released one.

In this timeline, Adriana fully takes on the player character’s position as the protagonist, and experiences everything in the story as it existed in E18. The story then continues until she reaches the final battle with Lin, who drags her into the New World and removes its oxygen; Anna summons everyone’s hopes to make a wish to help her, but it turns out to not be strong enough, and she ends up unable to be saved, leaving Anna and others distraught. Fern then steps up to be the hero, working alongside Cal, Euphie, Arclight, and others to try and counter Lin and the havoc she is playing in the region - but he also doesn’t succeed. As a result, Anna ends up following in her mother’s footsteps by resetting the timeline again to fix the problems caused by Lin, with Nostra (her Jirachi) as the sacrifice; however, a second sacrifice is also deemed to be required to bring Adriana back, and this ends up being Euphie’s body, allowing Shade to exist as he is seen in-game in the next timeline.

Anything to do with my selfship with Luna that is set in the second timeline can be identified in two ways. The first is that Adriana uses a wide variety of Pokémon here, with no clear type specialty; examples include Delphox, Roserade, Ampharos, Silvally, Honchkrow, and Aegislash. The second is that Adri’s freckles are an ordinary dark brown colour; while she does become void-kissed in this timeline, I don’t know if I will say that this has any physical consequences on her here.

The third/current timeline (Episode 19)

This is the timeline that you actually are in when you play the game itself, so it arguably has the most prevalence. Here, Adriana’s first journey as a Pokémon Trainer is around her home region of Kalos, before she then decides to go and challenge the Reborn League. On the train there, she is sat next to another person (the player character), and is therefore able to be saved alongside them by Amethyst at the beginning. From there, Adriana travels across the Reborn region in a way that largely mirrors the path of the player; she appears many times throughout the story and experiences many of the same events that they do, so would arguably be counted as their rival if not for how she doesn’t actually push the dynamic in that direction. She once again ends up in a relationship with Luna, whom she is able to spend more time with here due to not having to experience every single story event, and her presence is indeed able to help make Anna’s wish succeed and save the player from suffering the same fate that she did. (I am only familiar with the Anna Route of postgame, so I tend to treat that as the default when Adri is present.)

Before the postgame begins, Adriana becomes the second person to make it through Charous Hall after the player, so she becomes their reserve (or, Shadow) Champion, having not been able to actually battle them for their title because she achieved this while they were temporarily missing. In the postgame itself, she does a small number of the in-game legendary quests, and eventually fully realises her status as the previous timeline’s hero when reunited with the original Giratina. This property turns out to be key to letting the player reach the grand finale.

My portrayals of Adriana, and/or my selfship with Luna, that are set within this timeline can be identified in two ways. The first is that Adri uses almost entirely Ghost-type Pokémon here; the only exceptions are her Shiny Silvally, her Gothitelle (whom she later gifts to Luna), and possibly some of the legendaries and mythicals she catches in the postgame (like Cresselia and Darkrai). The second way to identify third timeline events is that her freckles are white from the beginning, which was a physical consequence of having to bring her back to life and mess with the timeline to make sure she made it back (since.. Nostra ended up choosing another person, the player, to be the protagonist for this timeline - but it was vital that Adriana also came to Reborn as well as them, despite not having their role this time, because otherwise there might not be enough people to power Anna’s wish again if she needed to make it one more time. However, because Adriana is not from Reborn, it wasn’t guaranteed that she would return there after the timeline got reset. So, more meddling than usual had to happen to bring her back, mostly carried out by Shade, but this ended up having effects on Adri herself - this is how I bring in the whole anamnesis aspect). These consequences also get worse after she becomes void-kissed again, as a white star-like pattern forms all across her face and hair, and culminate in the full visibility of a pair of spectral wings on Adriana’s back, resembling the wings of a Reborn-Shiny Giratina.

Bonus: Another Time

This is the name given to the alternate/hypothetical future that you visit during the postgame while doing the Celebi quest, as the player ends up travelling ten years into the future with Celebi during this quest before returning to the present day. Due to the player disappearing from the present in this version of events, Adriana once again fills the role of Champion in their absence, just as she did before the postgame started. However, she is eventually defeated for the first time by Shelly, some time after the cast are able to figure out that the player travelled through time. She continues to hold her role as Shadow Champion when Shelly first becomes the Champion, but eventually steps down to allow her to select a new reserve. By the time of the player's return, ten years later, Adriana has taken over Shade's role as the Ghost-type Gym Leader of the Reborn League; she takes her battles in Iolia Valley, just as Luna did.

Since Another Time is explored after a ten-year timeskip, Adriana's appearance will definitely have changed in it like how everyone else's does, but I haven't quite decided how yet. However, since it is an alternate version of events within the third timeline, her physical appearance will stay the same as it does there (white freckles, etc.)

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this!! Please don’t hesitate to ask me if you have any questions, no matter how big or small!

[decomposited]

ANATOMICAE

This post is supposed to be a (hopefully) thorough breakdown of the physiology and anatomy of segments and a primer for their general functions. Not required reading, but I thought it would be interesting to record my headcanons and theoretical biology ramblings somewhere for easy reference. And besides, reading through is likely easier than taking one of them apart yourself. The contents here will potentially be updated or edited as new ideas come to mind.

I. INTEGUMENTARY SYSTEM

The integument, in this case, refers to the skin, hair, and nails, and the structures associated with them. Segments do (perhaps surprisingly) have “real” genuine human skin, hair, etc. It is derived from a human source, but not anyone unwilling. The organic components of all segments are directly cultivated from the original Dottore’s various “donations” and therefore at a base level all share the same default genetic profile. This results in them, for the most part, having the same phenotype (skin/hair color, eye color, etc.), barring any mutations or epigenetic changes while growing (or any bodily modifications made later).

For context, when speaking about parts being grown vs built, some of their organic parts are cultured separately in tanks (think of an oversized specimen jar) as a unit, whereas others are grown on top of their skeletal frame (which we will be addressing shortly) in their own independent holding tank.

Much like humans, the nature of their skin results in the same sorts of properties and identifying features: scars, birthmarks, freckles, moles, etc. Scarring is rarer due to the usage of panacea for more detrimental injuries when available, but more minor (and perhaps major) wounds can leave behind scars if allowed to heal normally. Without any additional help, they heal at about the same rate as an ordinary human being. 

II. SKELETAL SYSTEM

The skeleton of segments is made of metal, or more specifically titanium. Because of this, it is extremely sturdy, and resistant to corrosion and chemical interference. Basically as strong as some steels but less dense and therefore less heavy. It’s very hard to break their bones, so adjustments for intentional access exist (for example, a locking hinge system on the ribcage so it can be opened). Going for the joints is the most easily accessible option for dismemberment or dismantling.

Speaking of the joints, they are shaped and perform about how you would expect human ones to do so. However, an important caveat is the existence of powered systems to exert more force, independent of muscle involvement. Smaller joints have “electric” (loosely) actuators, converting energy from stored panacea into movement. Larger joints associated with carrying more weight have hydraulic actuators. The hydraulic fluid used to power those motors (and other fluidic systems) will be covered in the circulatory section. 

III. MUSCULAR SYSTEM

Normal muscles here, folks. Sorry to disappoint. Nothing particularly special, because like the skin, they’re grown from existing cells. The key point is that they handle all lesser or more delicate motions in the usual manner (muscles moving skeleton), but if more intense force is required, they can switch to relying on the actuators in the skeleton, which results in it moving on its own and pulling around the muscles instead. Most of a segment’s strength is reliant on the skeleton rather than their muscle mass. 

IV. CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM & CIRCULATORY SYSTEMS

The heart is one of the organs that has a mechanical replacement, and is arguably the most important one. Quite a few things need to be pushed around the body, so an organ that could both handle the strain and exert the requisite power was required. It is located where one would typically expect a heart to be, and acts in association with the lungs.

Segments have a synthetic blood replacement, which works similarly to human blood in the sense that it carries out essential processes (moving nutrients and oxygen, removal of metabolic waste products) throughout biological portions of the body. Visually, it looks quite similar to normal human blood, being red in color, but an observant individual might notice it looks particularly dark, even before it dries. The shade is a very deep red, almost approaching black, and upon drying it turns fully black, rather than rusty red or brown. It coagulates somewhat faster than human blood, but not anything too dramatic. Since they don’t have bone marrow, they don’t produce blood cells naturally. Instead, they have an accessory organ that manufactures the blood and replenishes their system when they are running low. This blood organ (if we wanted to call it that) is somewhere in the abdominal cavity.

Outside arteries, veins, and capillaries, they also have very fine tubing for carrying other materials around the body, like hydraulic fluid or panacea. These can easily be differentiated by the differing colors of the contents and the fact that they are more heavily concentrated around mechanical features of their anatomy. 

Since having hydraulics means there has to be a reservoir and pump for that as well. The main pump is attached to the heart. It is part of a closed system, only handling hydraulic fluid rather than interacting with the usual heart functions. It pumps fluid independently of the heart beating. The hydraulic fluid reservoir, meanwhile, is located near the liver. 

V. RESPIRATORY SYSTEM

Two lungs, one on each side of the heart. For completely sensible reasons, the segments do actually have to breathe. That is mainly a side effect of their partly organic nature, but also does a lot of work to make them appear a bit more convincingly “human”. The lungs are enclosed by the pulmonary pleurae. 

VI. NERVOUS SYSTEM

They have a human brain stored inside the skull (where it is supposed to be). Don’t ask how he pulled it off, but Dottore somehow managed to copy his brain, in detail, without destroying it entirely. Since all the structures are identical, the segments share the memories of the original, up until the moment their brains were “finished”. Because of that, their individual paths (and the connections their neurons made) began to diverge from the template when they became conscious and started existing independently. 

Most nervous structures are matched or equivalent to the human body simply because of their inclination to grow in that way, but there are also sections where they blend into wiring and vice versa to make sure that signals are shared appropriately. The spinal cord is enclosed inside the spinal column, and still serves as a connection between the central and peripheral nervous systems. 

Internally, some areas and systems are less innervated than others, in order to minimize pain and discomfort during typical (or extracurricular) investigative procedures and maintenance. Their skin and underlying layers of muscle and fascia are perfectly capable of feeling pain as deeply as any other person. The exterior of organs, however, tends to feel sensation more neutrally, rather than indicating visceral pain. 

VII. OTHER ORGANS

Included in the “basic organ systems” package is a digestive tract, albeit slightly more efficient than normal. They don’t need to eat as much/often as an average human in the same height/weight range. Nutrients derived from food contribute to keeping all the organic parts going, but considering how much is mechanical, they could likely remain functional for a decent amount of time before expiring from starvation. Abdominal organs are enclosed in the peritoneum (a membrane that forms the lining of the abdominal cavity) as would be typical in a human. Filtering/processing organs like the liver and kidneys are mechanical.

While they have secondary sex characteristics (that affect appearance and external traits), they don’t have internal reproductive organs. How they present, and what that even means is dependent on the segment. 

VIII. MISCELLANEOUS

Teeth/gums/tongue/other mouth stuff are natural(ish). The core of the teeth and the part that’s attached to the skull is all metal, but they have enamel on top to correct the appearance. This means they have a powerful bite strength. Use this information responsibly.

Additional body modification is typical among segments, and not frowned upon so long as they don’t physically alter the brain or certain other components. They have a tracking chip located somewhere, and that may or may not also function as a self-destruct switch. They specifically aren’t allowed to mess with that. Some segments are more interested in becoming more mechanical than others, or trying out other additions. Epsilon himself is extremely close to the “base” default build. 

Mechanical organs usually have a small glowing piece somewhere on them to indicate how much energy they have in reserve. Think of it as a bit like a rectangular HP bar. Full is optimal. The shorter the glowing section gets, the closer they are to needing a recharge (or more specifically, a panacea refill).

They do have immune systems (but don’t ask how that works). They’re very carefully calibrated to be strong without being too eager in attacking parts of themselves. So they can get sick, but unless it's something very virulent, they'll likely clear it. There is also the possibility that their bodies might occasionally sequester particularly resilient invading organisms and end up carrying them latently.

Segments don't age, exactly. They shed and replace cells, but their telomeres are modified in such a way that they appear to exist indefinitely as the same age they were "born" as. 

As a side effect of having a human brain, they also have to sleep. They should probably get as much as any other person, but that is extremely unlikely. 

[sw33t-oubliette]

Fire fire .. burns muchg brighter ..... when oxyge n ......... is th e supplier ............

[dorkwalf]

Subnautica Au 8

Knuckles POV

Warning: death, implied death and gore the chapters are labeled small mention of PTSD

I grumble as I follow the ping in Lulu suit. How did she end up way out here? I go up and gasp for air. I was right on top of her. how? I grumble and dive pausing when I see a cave entrance. Glowing pink mushrooms, I role my eyes knowing every well Lulu saw the shiny thing and went for it. I dive down and look into the cave spotting a brain coral. I smirk and swim to it fast. "The conditions in this cave support a microcosm of unique, possibly predatory lifeforms. Detecting an artificial structure somewhere in the region." I frown as the PDA goes off. I float over the brain coral watching my oxygen meter go up. I glance around only to gasp as a huge snake swim out of the mushrooms as lets out a hideous sound. I dive down close trying to stay hidden as the beast swims over me and into another mushroom.

I take a shaky breath before growling at myself and looking around again. I scan the area until I finally spot a White wolf tail with a blue under coat near a mushroom. I watch as Lulu's head pops out and I look for a way to signal them without alerting anyone thing else. I watch and she picks up a rock she had by head feet, and I feel dreed when I realize what it was. An Egg. An egg that had to same colors as the creatures swimming around us hunting. I felt like punching her. of course she would hoard the things eggs. I watched as she put it in her bag and put her bag on before she swam off.

I growl angrily. I was going to kill her. I follow her trying to catch up. I watch as she snuck around the snakelike creatures with ease. I follow close only to growl when she's no longer in sight. I look around for a moment only to pause, my breathe caught in my throat. A base. A man-made base. Hope fills my chest. there's other survives! Other people from the crash!!! Even though there's water in the base that means others had to at least be here.

I smile and look around it see Lulu swim by the window in the base. Shes already in there. I laugh and swim inside. gasping for air with every air bubble.

WARNING STARTS WARNING STARTS WARNING STARTS

I swim and pause see Lulu standing at the entrance shaking slightly. I swim up hesitantly before all hope withers away when I see the gruesome seen before me. The humans. One was on the bed. Half its body gone eye widens open. I reach forward turning lulu around and tucking her head into my chest. Her ears lowers and green eyes full of terror. I tuck her close to my body hiding her from the scene. I look up again another body in the whole in the wall melded in the metal almost. The humans mouth split open as if a creature snapped his jaw. It looked like a fresh kill, maybe a couple hours old. A strange sound comes from the walls, and I glance out the window beside me seeing the giant snake and I clutch Lulu close to my chest. I feel her breathing became uneven and I glance down taking my eyes off the creature. Her eyes were glossed over, I knew immediately what was happening because sonic does it to. She was in the middle of a PTSD flash back, her claws digging into my arms.

I swim her back up to and air bubble and try and gentle start to coax her out of it. I watch as she comes out of it and slowly curls into a ball in my arms. I sigh softly all earlier anger toward her gone. I lay her on some floating Debrees so she can rest and breathe, and I swim back down. I look around only to tense as the snakelike creature swam back down and took the rest of the body only leaving blood in the water. I watch as the creature retreats back into the glowing mushroom before exploring the room quickly. Finding food and data logs along with new crafting recipes.

I sigh and grab as much as I can before going to get lulu. I grab her and she mutters and quiet apology as she dives in and starts to head out.

WARNING OVER

I follow her out making sure to watch where we are going. We had just enough oxygen to get out of the cave system. We make in out and gasp for air as we break the surface. I look toward lulu, Her blue hair up in a soggy bun, her eyes full of fear. "it's...it's almost like that night...the way they were laying....it reminded me so much of when...."

Lulu's voice trailed off. "I know.... Sonic does it to...I'm sorry about the incident and that the scene brought it up." I swim over and hug her letting her curl up. "We should go, Amy was worrying about you and I bet she'd like to see herself your safe."

"She was worried? why?" I smile at Lulus question.

"I'll explain it on the way back it's a long story" I started to swim, and Lulu followed listen closely as I explain what happened.

[alephnol]

Its up and down and all around.

its AIR!!!!!!!!!!

And i looove to drink it.

Sometimes, you can even taste the oxyg- (Passes out)

[gaiaxygang]

not enough people here (tumblr) have watched something in my room. its a wonderful show and nut supanut spends the entire series being a cute silly yet sad ghostboy. also i think it's better than oxyge-

[merge-conflict]

first of two of the smut prompts cos self-control? never heard of her

❛ now, i'll ask again, are you going to be good for me? ❜ - your choice of characters :3c

heheheheheh >:3 prompts are here, i'm all caught up now so if any of you want to request more smut feel free!

Susan Abernathy/V

[ This snippet from when Valentine is about 22, still an egg, and filled with enough youthful irreverence and powerful stimulants to believe she will live forever. :3 ]

The inside of the supply closet was cramped and smelled strongly of toner, and yet at that moment it was the best room in the entire Arasaka tower– because it was where Birdy had her hand up the inside of V’s shirt, unhooking the front clasp of her bra with something approaching reverence. There was something incredibly debauched about being bared without being completely undressed. Something secret, something sacred. Normally she hated too much attention being paid to her tits, but the way Birdy handled her, cautious and intimate– it turned V inside out. Made her feel like the delicate feathered thing even though Birdy barely had to duck her head to kiss the outline of her nipple through her shirt.

“Are you ready?” she asked, raising her eyes. V tipped her head back to avoid having to see her smile, which made her feel even more undone than if she had actually been naked.

“I’m ready.” She made a face at the smoke stain in the ceiling. “Although I’d prefer to bash his stupid head in.”

Birdy caught her jaw in one hand, forcing her to make eye contact. In the right light they were almost red, but here they were a deep, warm, brown. “Are you going to be good?”

“I said I’d prefer to bash his head in, I didn’t say I was going to.”

“Subtlety is always better than force.” The hand Birdy had under her shirt went roaming. “Now I’ll ask you again, are you going to be good? For me?” As emphasis she pinched one nipple gently, rolling it between her fingers. V felt the breath knocked out of her, overwhelmed by a sudden rush of anxiety and want.

“Yes.” She couldn’t entirely suppress her smile and watched a little of Birdy’s consummately professional mask crack in response. “I’ll be good.”

“Good.” Birdy went up on her toes to meet V in a kiss, leaning against her where she had pushed her against the wall. “You’re always so good. I think you deserve a treat. Don’t you?”

“A treat?” V echoed, a little dazed. The word hit like a little ping on the inside of her skull, but she was still recovering from the taste of Birdy, and the smell of her skin. The incredible softness of the hair at the nape of her neck, where she arched into V’s hand like a cat.

“A reward,” Birdy said, her voice dropping half an octave. She grinned as V’s other hand found her ass. “A gift.” She stole another kiss, soft and possessive. “An indulgence.”

Birdy would have objected to being called generous, but the word stuck in V’s mind, summoned by the look in her eyes when she’d pronounced the word indulgence like it was something holy and not just a whim. There was something in the way she’d called her good as though she meant it. No matter how many times Birdy touched V, she still felt like a starving woman sitting down to a feast.

Even if Birdy was the one getting down on her knees, as though V was a meal she was dying to eat. Now she was really, exceptionally, exposed, and yet the vulnerability felt just as good as the soft press of Birdy’s lips against her clit. Generous was what you called someone too stupid to cut a better deal. Generous was what you had to be when your boss asked you a favor. Generous wasn’t the right word for a beautiful woman on her knees giving you the best head of your life while she teased at your cunt with her fingers.

That had to be something truly divine.

By the time Birdy had two fingers inside her, fluttering in just the right spot, V could think of nothing but how to keep upright with her legs trembling. The loss of Birdy’s tongue flicking the hood of her clit felt like losing access to oxygen, and her husky laughter was almost as unendurable.

“You always look so surprised.” Birdy kissed her again, followed by the broad lap of her tongue. “I see you, V.” Another kiss, like a shock that forced a noise out of V. Her sense of control was dissolving. “Don’t forget it.” One last kiss, and then it shattered completely, until V was unconscious of anything but bright, white release, and Birdy’s gentle ministrations carrying her through it.

Later, when she was finished bugging Jenkins’ office and was about to slip out to the elevators, she heard Birdy’s name mentioned by another member of his team on a call with his door open. He failed to notice her, dressed as she was in her technician’s uniform. She restrained herself from the vivid daydream of knocking him in the back of the skull with her wire cutters, but four weeks later she gave Birdy a little datashard filled with dirty secrets. As a treat.