#risen reef

[radstarsaur]

What started as a fanart of Risen Reef from Magic the Gathering turned into its own thing - This beastie has pretty much no resemblance to the original design, but I like how it turned out.

[regal-bones]

SWORDTEMBER DAY 21 : MERMAID

Reef’s Anguish, of rusted metal and bleached coral 💀🐡 “Salt encrusts the rocks up to a point where the sea would have risen. Now the old reef lies bare in the sun, dry sand and hot stone baking in the summer heat. Shapes move between the dead coral - pale shoals of fish, translucent anemones and faded jellyfish darting between the twisted skeleton of the reef. Even in death, it seems they haven’t forgotten their old home.”

Spooky! This sword is also part of a pair with The Reef from last year! I hope you’re enjoying these pairs, it’s very fun to go back and revisit old ideas!

Yesterday’s sword!

You can support me on Patreon for £1 and help me make stuff like this!

[whereireid]

ੈ✩‧₊˚ — 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐇 | 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓

series masterlist | avatar masterlist

pairing: tonowari x omatikaya!fem reader

Summary: After mating with Tonowari, you experience a glimpse of domesticated bliss. Grateful that you’ve chosen a doting mate, you bask in your relationship, despite the insecurities that plague you regarding his old mate, Ronal. After you confess this to him, he decides to show you just how over her he truly is.

— warnings: age gap (21/yo reader) mutual pining, plot, family drama time oops, mentions of insecurity, reader doesn't feel worthy of being tonowari's mate, fluff, smut, dead ronal, bathing ! nsfw content (bc this wouldn't be a sex pollen fic if it was sfw 🙄) nipple sucking, brief mention of tonowari having lactation kink, fingering, orgasm denial, oral sex [f recieving] p in v, mating, breeding kink.

There is no longer a fire which blazes within you.

You wonder how there ever even was to begin with. Surrounded by water, your flame should have been snuffed out the minute that it was sparked. The cool breeze of the reef should have blown out the flicker before it began to burn wildly.

The irayo flower — a token of your homeland, beautiful with its lavender purple and tulip pink hues — had a side effect so dangerous that it caused a sickly fever to pulsate through the Metkayina leader. A fever that no medicine could cure. A fever, cooled by only your touch and your touch alone.

Inside of you, there is silence. Despite the fact your face no longer burns with heat whenever you gaze at the Metkayina leader, you still drown in desire and want. Tonowari is sleeping, cocooned by his hammock, a peaceful expression clouding his face as his chest rises and falls slowly, soft breaths leaving his mouth.

You wonder if the sea had claimed you before you had claimed it. You knew your sisters and brothers had no trouble adapting — Lo'ak felt more at home here than he had in the tribunal forests of your homeland, and Kiri felt comfortable and in touch with Ewya wherever she went. Neteyam, the mighty warrior, had adapted quickly to the new hunting rituals, bringing home many pounds of fish, and Tuk had impressively learnt in days how to weave items of clothing by using Metkayina flora.

They'd adapted properly, using their labour to find a way to fit in, and though your family would always be outcasts — with your five fingers a contrast to their four, a constant reminder that you are alien — their labour proved their worth. They were accepted.

Though you're smiling at the thought of your brothers and sisters, your heart tugs — how would they react to the news? When your father had hounded you to find a mate, he surely meant someone more... age-appropriate. Your father certainly did not mean that he wanted you to mate with someone whom he often drank Pongu Lumpia with.

Shaking your head, your fingers close around your robe. It's a maroon red, woven by Tuk with flora she'd found in a cave on the reef. It cocoons you into a shield of warmth, hiding you from the cool ocean breeze which rustles throughout Tonowari's marui. The cold air causes him to stir in his sleep, the coolness a sharp contrast to his heated body.

You watch as he grumbles in discontent, his ears twitching in annoyance, your own flittering upwards in anticipation. "Tonowari," you whisper, edging towards the Metkayina leader, your fingers darting over his thighs when you reach his hammock. "The sun is rising. You must wake soon."

"It has not risen, yet. Come to bed, little one. I miss your warmth."

Tonowari's voice is groggy, ridden with sleep, and you hesitate, your fingers lingering on his strong thighs. "We must tell my parents—"

"—We will tell them later. Join me, for now. We will do whatever you wish when the sun has risen."

You pout in disproval, though you listen. The hammock is comfortable, adapting to your weight as you sink inside of it, and you squeak slightly as Tonowari's strong arms wrap around your frame. "You're so warm, little one," he grunts, his voice rumbling in his chest as he speaks, his nose nuzzling against your own. "It must be because of that robe."

Goosebumps flicker up your skin as Tonowari's hand begin to sneak underneath your garment. His fingers make lewd movements, darting from your abdomen up towards your chest, a shiver ghosting up your spine as his thumb flicks over your nipples, which harden as the cool breeze begins to wash over your frame.

"Would you like for me to take it off?" You moan, and it sounds so sweet that Tonowari's cock throbs with need. Your heart hammers in your chest as his deep blue eyes bore into your own, his finger gently begging to roll your nipple between his fingers.

"I do not want you to get cold, little one," Tonowari mumbles, his breath flittering against your chest as he dips his head, his lips peppering gentle kisses against your skin. "Keep it on."

There's a foreign sensation that crackles through you once Tonowari's lips wrap around one of your nipples. As he gently begins to suck, you gasp, your body jolting towards his as an overbearing feeling of electricity pulses through you. It bites at every nerve, making your body throb with electricity.

"Oh." You mewl, your face growing insatiably hot as Tonowari hums against your nipple, your eyes shutting tightly as he purrs against your skin. "This feels—"

"—Good," he finishes your sentence, pulling away from your breasts, a lewd trail of spit following him. Your gaze flickers down towards him, and you wishes you hadn't even bothered looking, because a moan catches in your throat when you see his swollen lips and lust-filled eyes trailing over your body.

Tonowari's tongue wets his lips, before he dips his head to latch his mouth around your nipple again. It's a strange sensation, to say the least. You've never really explored yourself there before — but now you're really wishing you had.

You squirm under Tonowari's touch, and a moan catches in your throat, but you're unsure of whether or not it actually escapes your lips or dies before it gets to do so. His lips wrap around your sensitive nub, careful as his sharp teeth begin to graze softly against the bundle of nerves, and your hands instinctively fall down to his head, your fingers running over his braids as he laps at your nipple.

Tonowari's tongue skilfully swirls around your nipple, and warmth pools in your lower belly as he begins to grow eager, his hands darting down towards your loincloth. "Please," you beg, though you're not exactly sure what you're begging for. Warmth curls at every nerve inside of you as his fingers disappear under your loincloth, your breath still in your chest as you try to anticipate his next move.

“Breathe, little one,” Tonowari utters, his fingers gently brushing over your slits, the sensation making you melt with warmth.

You nod and try to steady your breathing. Tonowari is still and it's driving you crazy — your hips instinctively buck against his fingers, and a breathy whine escapes your mouth. He shoots you an unimpressed look, and you blush. Once your breathing is even, Tonowari continues. Though the soft flickers of his brows are knitted together and his eyes are somewhat narrowed from your eager bucking, his touch is gentle, his wet, warm mouth wrapped around your nipples, his tongue beginning to flicker again.

Every nerve inside of you is lit, blazing and burning wildly. His fingers gently part your sticky folds, electricity crackling up your spine as he sucks at your sensitive nipples, his eyes lulling shut soothingly.”

"You are going to be even more needy for this once you're carrying our child," Tonowari says, his fingers gliding up and down your slits, satisfied with how wet and needy your cunt is. "Is this your first time being pleasured in such a way?"

"I've never touched myself there before," you admit hoarsely, shivering as Tonowari nibbles at your bud in response, the sensation sending butterflies fluttering through your stomach. "Just my — my, uh—"

"—Just your cunt. I know, little one. I saw everything when we committed Tsaheylu."

Your face blazes with embarrassment, but Tonowari does not falter. You swallow thickly, a whine catching in your throat as Tonowari's fingers press into your cunt, the curling of his digits making you jolt. The unexpected intrusion makes you mewl in appreciation, your hands pressing eagerly against the back of his head, encouraging him to keep sucking.

It's all you want. The sensation feels electric, and it makes you drown in heat. The air in the marui is scorching, making it difficult to breathe, but you focus on the rising and falling of your chest, not wanting him to stop again.

"I forget how new you are to all of this," he chuckles lowly, the sensation vibrating against you, making you mewl. Insecurity tugs at your heart, because you are new to this — but your mate seems so delighted. "You're so reactive. Tell me, little one, do you like this?"

Tonowari bites at your nipple, and you gasp, rutting into his hand like you're in heat. The sensation makes tears bubble in your eyes, because it stings to have your sensitive bud pressed between his two, sharp canines, but you're so wet that it doesn't matter, a sultry twinge shooting through you at the lewd action.

"Yes, I like it," you mumble drunkenly, your eyes blown and dark, your body craving him. His fingers curl inside of you appreciatively, a soft squelch echoing around the mauri, and he grins against your chest.

"Mmm. You're going to love it once you're with child," he states lowly, his fingers slowly working at your cunt, scissoring you open. "If you're this sensitive now..."

He trails off, unable to finish his sentence, and you let out a breathy moan. Between the lewd curling of Tonowari's fingers and the feeling of his hot mouth suckling at your chest, you feel yourself growing blind. Heat flashes through your body, an insatiable warmth pooling in your stomach as your thighs begin to tense, locking his hand in place as he fingers your cunt.

It feels so good. Tonowari devours you; his entire presence sending shocks shooting through your body. It's so deliciously wrong to have the Metkayina leader sending you into oblivion with his sharp teeth and gentle mouth, and you gasp as you squelch and squirm and clench down around his fingers, your moans mortifyingly loud.

"I need to — Tonowari, please, I need to —" you plead, your eyes beginning to grow heavy and your body edging towards numbness as his teeth catch your nipple again, rolling his rough tongue against the bud gently.

"Breathe." He says, tone so sharp that it feels like a knife, your body prickling with heat as your orgasm approaches; hard and fast and heavy, weighing your body down as you begin to tremble and shake against him.

Your eyes are closed so tight that you see stars. Tonowari's fingers curl inside of you as you attempt to take a deep breath, and you wail, the feeling so overwhelming and good that you begin to cry. Your chest is heaving — really heaving, and your lungs burn with the urge to breathe but you just can't, and despite Tonowari's reminder earlier, you’ve forgot.

Your body writhes beneath him. You wriggle, pleading for air because each stroke of his fingers and flicker of his tongue makes it impossible to breathe. You can't even think anymore, so dumb from the hot sparks which shroud your body into what you thought to be unattainable bliss that your nerves grow numb.

"Little one, you need to breathe," Tonowari repeats, but your ears are ringing and you can't hear him because his teeth are rolling over your nipples and he's sucking so good and his fingers are curling inside of your cunt so tortuously. You can't hear anything except for your own blood pumping inside of you and the shameful squelching of your cunt, and you hump against his fingers eagerly.

Just when you're on the brink of cumming, just as you suck in air and begin to shake and convulse, he stops.

You begin to gasp for air, writhing against his chest, your eyes tired and heavy as all of his movements stop. Tonowari pulls away from your chest, his look of disapproval burning through you.

"You forgot to breathe," he says accusatory. Your eyes peek over him, and your breath stills in your chest again. Tonowari's eyes are so blown that his irises are being swallowed, leaving just a thin ring of the aqua-blue around the edge.

"I'm sorry. Felt too good," you mumble breathy, your fingers splayed over Tonowari's head, pushing him eagerly towards your chest. "Please?"

He frowns, his tongue darting out to wet his lips. "I cannot please you if you do not breathe."

"I will breathe, yawne," you utter desperately, beginning to hump at his fingers. "I promise you I will breathe. Please, Tonowari, I need to feel good."

His lips press against your neck. His mouth is warm and wet, and he suckles slightly, a shiver spreading throughout you as he laps at the skin. Tonowari begins to pepper his kisses down towards your chest, leaving gentle bruises in the wake of his lips, and your body instinctively presses against him as his mouth brushes against your nipples.

"You're so good, yawne," you praise, your eyelids growing heavy as his lips reattach to your nipples, hot sparks exploding throughout your body. "So good to me."

You focus on your breathing this time — in, out, in out, in out. Tonowari's fingers curl inside of you again, and it's back to square one. Except, not really. You're so hypersensitive that as his teeth graze against your nipple, teasing and deliberate, you cunt clenches, and Tonowari grunts.

He's so hard that it physically hurts him. The lavender tip of his cock is leaking with pre-cum, but he doesn't even bother to move in an attempt to fist himself free of the shackles of his own desire for an orgasm. Tonowari is so focused on you and what makes you feel good, which just so happens to be anything he does.

You're appreciative of the fact that he's focusing on your pleasure rather than his own. Tonowari explores you, his tongue darting across your skin, goosebumps rising in it's wake, before returning back to your sensitive, swollen nipples.

Your chest feels so tight. Your heart hammers, pounding, and you focus on your breathing, making sure to satisfy Tonowari. You feel his cock, hard and rigid, pressed up against your thighs, as you try to brush against him but it's impossible. You can't move, pinned under his weight, under the feeling of his delicious tongue which swirls skilfully around your nipples and the curling of his fingers.

"I'm going to —"

"Do it."

You whimper, nodding eagerly at his words, dragging your lips between your teeth. It all feels too good, too much, and you begin to convulse. Warmth spreads throughout your abdomen, your cunt growing even slicker as he fingers you, rolling into the spongy spot inside of you with ease.

It feels like a knot is violently unraveling inside of you. Your breathing becomes unsteady, uneven; manic and quick. The knot feels like it's being ripped apart. Snapped and torn and frayed.

You let go of everything. You feel nothing but him. His touch is ecstasy, and you feel divine, holy as you cum.

The rays of the sun blind you as you come undone around him. Twitching, jolting, shaking. You're blazed with pleasure, dumb with need, and Tonowari's ears twitch eagerly, listening to every moan and cry that spews past your lips.

You blink, hazily, your breathing uneven as his fingers pull out of you, his mouth still suckling on your breasts. Tonowari groans, his hands grabbing at your skin, squeezing your hips tightly.

Confusion clouds you as Tonowari’s hips judder against your thighs, a gasp of realisation slipping past your lips as his hard cock pulls away from your plump flesh. He’s came — his own breathing is uneven and steady, and he’s left a painting of sticky cum against your skin. His ears pin tightly against his head, but he doesn’t seem embarassed at all. It’s like this is a totally normal thing for him.

And maybe it is. But it’s not for you. Your eyes are wide in shock, your fingers still as they press against Tonowari’s chest. His face is now inches away from yours, and he has a satisfied, smug grin plastered across his lips.

“Was that good, little one? Did that satisfy you?”

“You came.” You say, bewildered, your hands shaking as they press against his chest, your brows knitted together in confusion. “How — Why did you —“

“Your pleasure is my pleasure, yawne.” Tonowari mumbles, and the term of endearment makes your heart soar. “This is not unusual for me.”

As always, you frown. Tonowari is referring to his previous encounters, with his previous mate. Jealousy pricks at your heart and you can’t help but wonder how you’re going to fill such big shoes. You’re snapped out of your thoughts by the feeling of his fingers pinching you cheek, and you scowl, your tail thrashing behind you.

“You like making me feel good?” You ask timidly, eyes crinkling as the sun blinds you, hiding yourself in Tonowari’s chest.

“It is what I enjoy doing the most. Pleasuring my mate is my greatest pleasure.” Tonowari affirms, shooting you a loving smile before his head turns to the entrance of the mauri, his eyes squinting from the sun. “I wish we could continue, little one, but the sun has risen.”

The sun has risen. You pout, somewhat disappointed that it can’t continue, because your body still feels electric from where he’d been pleasuring you. “It’s time to tell my family about us,” you say breathlessly, and Tonowari grins.

“Yes, it is.”

The walk back to Tonowari's marui is solemn. Whilst your father had disapproved, at least at first, he'd shrunk into himself once you'd told him that you and Tonowari had committed Tsaheylu, now bound together for life. It's somewhat ironic — Jake Sully cannot criticise you for who you'd chosen your mate to be. Your father had not only stolen your mother from Tsu'tey, a mighty warrior of the Omatikaya, he'd also been actively working against your community and your culture when doing so.

Eventually, your father accepted. Although he almost keeled over in the process, he'd accepted.

Tonowari didn't celebrate the way you thought he would. He just nodded his head and thanked your father for approving, and then turned heel and left.

And you'd followed him.

That's how you've ended up here.

The floor is almost scorching, and you shuffle forwards in discontent. Despite living in Awa'atlu for a few months, you still haven’t quite gotten used to the insatiable heat. You feel sweaty, uncomfortable, and your heart tugs as your mate pulls you towards his marui, your eyes flickering over towards him.

He hadn't even celebrated. Maybe it was because he knew your parents couldn't exactly deny you of him — Ewya had approved of your bond, and he is also Olo'eyktan. This is his clan, and you are his mate.

But... maybe that wasn't the case. And you don't want to think this way, you truly don't, but a little voice is in the back of your head is telling you that he didn't celebrate because he'd been through all of this before. Tonowari, perhaps, didn't celebrate because he had no need to — he'd been mated before, with Ronal, and he'd probably went with her to tell her parents, also. And he'd probably celebrated then, because she was the love of his life and she was supposed to be his mate forever.

You grimace, pushing your doubtful thinking away. You know of Ronal. She was a strict Tshaìk, yet a loving mother. A fierce leader. Her connection with Ewya was strong, and your heart pulls in your chest as Tonowari's fingers intertwine with yours.

There's an ounce of comfort in the small gesture. Safety. Your ears pin backwards and you look away, your eyes fleeting over every grain of sand as an excuse to not look at him.

The reef is booming with life. Children run, and parents chase them. Nobody even looks your way — Tonowari had promised you that they wouldn't. Until your bond is announced, nobody would think that you were both seeing each other, rather just assuming that he was just guiding you somewhere.

When you see the familiar, curvy triangular shape of the marui, your ears prick upwards. You try to stop at the entrance, needy for rest, but Tonowari's strides don't falter, until your hands slip from one another's grasp.

"Why have you stopped, little one?” Tonowari asks, his voice gentle as he eyes you suspiciously.

You hesitate under his pointed gaze, shuffling on your feet. "I thought we were going back home."

"I have something I want to show you," he utters, offering out his hand. "Come on, little one.”

"Where are we going?”

"I will show you. Come on."

You pause, eyes flickering from the marui to your mate, before you begrudgingly accepting his hand. Despite the two of you both being Na'vi, the size difference is overwhelming — Tonowari towers over you by a couple of feet, and his hand is so big that it sheathes the both of yours.

Minutes pass, and there is only silence. There is no conversation shared between the two of you. Tonowari holds your hand proudly, guiding you towards the rocky reefs. The slippery surface of the rocks makes your heart patter in your chest fearfully — you still hadn't quite gotten used to the feeling of slimy seaweed on your feet, and your hesitant steps are proof of that.

"You have not yet adapted," Tonowari chuckles, his grip on you strong as he guides you between two rocks, that stand tall and mighty.

"It's not that easy." You mumble, shivering as cold washes over you as the rocks begin to hide the sun.

He smiles. "You will learn soon, little one."

As your eyes adjust to the loss of sunlight, you can't help the awe that tugs at your heartstrings as you realise where Tonowari has taken you.

In your homeland, there was no such thing as a private, docile place to clean. All of the Omatikaya, including the Olo'eyktan and Tsahìk, used a communal lake to bathe. Although the clan leaders were allowed to bathe alone, the others bathed together. There was just simply not enough water in the forest for the Olo'eyktan and Tsahìk to have a personal, intimate area to clean and bathe together.

But here — in the reefs — there is nothing but water.

"What is this?" you whisper, your skin crawling with goosebumps as Tonowari presses his lips to your forehead gently.

"What do you think?" Tonowari quips back, watching as your nose crinkles as you breathe in the husky, earthy smell, your eyes scanning over the deep, pear-shaped entrance of the shelter.

There's something so intimate about how Tonowari guides you. His hands are resting on your shoulders, eagerly pushing you towards into the cave, your eyes falling on the downwards curve of the floor, which transcends into a pool of milky, steaming water.

"Is this yours?"

Your mate smiles, his nose nuzzling into your neck, his fingers slipping down towards your loincloth, gently beginning to untie its knot. "It is ours," he states, his face illuminated only by the blue and green bioluminescence moss which laps at the sides of the pool. "I heard from your father that in your homeland, the Olo'eyktan and Tsahìk did not have their own private bathing quarters."

"When did you hear that?"

"JakeSully loves to complain when he's intoxicated. Pongu Lumpia makes him even more insufferable than usual," Tonowari grunts, smiling as your loincloth drops to the floor, leaving you bare in front of him. "He feels that as Toruk Makto he is worthy of privacy."

Tonowari's freckles are glowing in the dim light of the cave. “I say that he gave up the title of a mighty warrior when he fled his home.”

You try not to giggle, but it’s really, really hard. Tonowari has always been critical of your father, and his small joke actually allows you to bask in a sense of comfort.

Warmth cocoons you as he ushers you into the pool of milky water, watching as you submerge yourself. The silky hot water is perfect, and your face flushes with a light sheen of sweat and embarrassment as your mate begins to undress himself.

He stands so proud as he shows himself to you. You feel warm and gooey as he traipses into the water, and you try to focus on anything but him. There’s a slight lingering feeling of dread which pulses through you, ruining the slightly intimate moment, because you know deep down that Tonowari had shown Ronal this exact cave before.

The cool, fluorescent algae illuminates the cave, and there's a low, bioluminescence glow shining from beneath the milky substance in the water. It's beautiful in the cave, and pieces of moss glow like stars above you.

Your heart tugs in your chest as Tonowari's hands wrap around your waist, pulling you closer towards him in the water. "What is on your mind, little one?" He asks, pressing a soft kiss to your wet temple, his lashes long and damp, soaked from the water. "You have been quiet ever since we left JakeSully’s marui."

The blissful solitude shrouds you, and you let your head hang on his chest, which has a shines turquoise from the water. "Nothing. I'm fine, Tonowari," you mumble, shooting him a gentle smile as he embraces you, his braids sticking to the wet skin of his back.

"You do not seem fine," he grumbles, careful as he picks up some circular moss which resided on the rocks. He squeezes the soft green plush, gentle as he begins to excrement soap from it, rolling it between his fingers. As soapy duds begin to form, he hums, rolling the moss against your skin, using gentle circular motions when he washes you. "Do you wish to tell me what is bothering you, little one?"

Tonowari's interaction with your father keeps replaying inside your head. Everytime it repeats, your heart pulls, cracks in half, and you can't tell if you're being dramatic or emotional or what. Tonowari hadn't reacted, he hadn't celebrated, he hadn't even smiled when he got your father's approval.

Because he'd been through it all before. With Ronal.

As he's washing you, soft in his motions as he rolls the soapy moss against your skin, all you can think about is how he's done this before with someone else. It plagues you. It's like a sickness.

"Yawne, I cannot help if you do not say anything," he says softly, beginning to cup the milky water in his hands, his ears twitching as the water trickles your skin.

“How are you over her?”

“Over who?”

“Ronal.”

Tonowari pauses for a brief second, before continuing to wash the duds off of your skin. Your voices echo around you, bouncing off of the cave walls, and your face flushes when his hands gently begin to massage your shoulders.

“She died a long time ago, little one. I cannot live in solitude and mourn any longer. She is with Ewya now.”

“But you’re supposed to mate for life. You’re — you’re still here. She’s still your mate.”

Tonowari frowns, his motions gentle and circular, his thumbs riding down to your back, focusing on a tight knot between your shoulder blades. “You are my mate.”

The silky hot water mixed with Tonowari’s fluid motions is an incredible soother. You feel like all of your tension is melting away, and despite the self-doubt and insecurity which flitters throughout you, you find yourself relaxing.

“But so is she.” You’re exasperated, confused.

You knew Tonowari had been mated before. You knew all of this before you chose him.

So why now, when you’re in too deep, are you having second thoughts?

“You are my mate.” Tonowari’s voice is soft, fleeting against your ear. “Do you need me to remind you of just how badly I want you, little one?” His breath fans against your skin, sending goosebumps down your spine and your stomach flips at his words.

You shake your head, a gentle gasp slipping past your lips as Tonowari turns you, his grip on your shoulders harsh as he does so. His palm squeezes your skin uncomfortably, and your breath hitches in your throat as his eyes bore into yours, so black and blown that the ring of ocean blue is barely visible.

“No, Tonowari. I don’t need a reminder.” Your voice is hoarse as you speak, wavering slightly as Tonowari’s nose nuzzles against your shoulder. “I know I’m your mate.”

“I do not think that you’re aware of how badly I’ve wanted you, little one.” His fingers dance against your skin, and his arms become submerged by the hot, silky water. Tonowari's hands cup your thighs, his body ushering you to the edge of the pool, and you squeak as you feel mossy rocks press against your back. "Ever since you came to the reef, I have not been able to keep my eyes off of you, and the second you gave me that irayo flower... it was the greatest excuse to get close to you."

"Excuse?" you murmur, breathless as his strong arms sit you against the rocks, his nose rubbing against your inner thighs. "What do you mean, excuse?"

Tonowari's teeth graze against your skin and you whine, your heart pitter-patting in your chest as his rough tongue laps at your skin, leaving dark-coloured bruises in its wake. “It hurt, yawne, more than you’d ever know. And like I told you — I was rutting like a newly mated Na’vi, and the only relief I got was when I would see you, and that is when I knew you were sent to me. From Ewya.”

“Oh,” you breathe, your heart tightening in your chest as Tonowari’s lips press against your cunt. His tongue laps at you eagerly, the rough muscle parting your slits, and a gentle whine slips past your mouth as he does so. Hot, electric sparks shoot up your skin, and your legs jolt slightly as his tongue swirls gently around your clit. “Tonowari.”

“You wonder why I chose you,” he purrs against your cunt, the vibration sending shockwaves through your pussy. “I wonder how you could ever choose me.”

The intimacy of Tonowari between your legs makes your stomach clench. Despite being recently mated, he hasn’t had an incredibly high libido — you haven’t snuck off to rut at every possible chance, rather having an even and steady sex life. But this — the way he’s nuzzling against your cunt, licking and lapping and sucking at the heat sloppily shows something different a

A primal side to him you haven’t seen before.

He's grunting, and you look down for a second, confused as to why he’s making noses. Then you notice his hand, which strokes up and down his cock in a steady motion. Tonowari is pleasuring himself whilst pleasuring you, and you moan, so conflicted to how a man can make you feel so horny.

Tonowari's tongue draws patterns on your clit, and his breathing becomes heavy as he strokes his cock, his eyes lulling as he laps at your cunt. He's so eager to please, kissing your heat softly, listening to every mewl and whine, and your stomach begins to twist, growing insatiable with every roll of his tongue.

And then you feel it — the knot inside of you begins to break, twist apart, fray at the hem. It's so peaceful this time, so satisfactory, and your moans bounce off of the cave walls as you cum, your hands behind Tonowari's head, pushing his face into your cunt needily. You hump against him like you're in heat, the feeling of his rough tongue stroking you through your orgasm making you shake.

"I must show you how much you mean to me, yawne," he comments, his voice shaking slightly as he strokes his uncomfortably hard cock with need. "Can I breed you?"

"Breed me?" You ask, exasperation lacing your tone as Tonowari joins you on the rocks, his strong hands pinning you underneath his body.

"That is what I asked, is it not?" He utters, his body sheathing your view of the bioluminescent moss which litters the top of the cave, shrouding your vision with black. The only light you have comes from the light-blue specks on his face, and a breathy moan leaves your mouth as Tonowari's cock glides through your slits, an unexpected jolt of electricity shooting up your spine.

"I'm just confused as to why you asked. We've done this before."

"I want you to carry my child, little one," he grumbles, a low groan sliding past his plush, sapphire lips as his tip rolls against your clit. "This is not just making the bond. I will be doing this with the intention of you growing plump with life."

You literally can't imagine anything hotter than being swollen and filled with Tonowari's children. You can't speak, the feeling of his tip rolling against your clit sending electric sparks fluttering through your nervous system. "Please," you squeak out, your heart burning with desire as his girthy tip presses against your entrance, your tight cunt beginning to sheathe his lavender tip.

"You are going to look so beautiful when I'm finished with you," Tonowari hisses, his stomach tight as his hips begin to roll into you, even and steady. "So beautiful, carrying our children, whilst practicing to become Tshaìk. I chose well."

Everything feels raw and sensitive. Your cunt clenches down around him, your senses somehow heightened in the dampness of the cave. Steam from the hot pool of milky water begins to evaporate, your skin covered with an aqua blue sheen from the condensation. Pressure pools in your lower belly, your ears twitching with every roll of his hips, your cunt tight when the tip of his cock brushes deliciously against the sensitive spot inside of your cunt.

It feels so liberating, knowing that he wants you. Truly wants you. You're not just a replacement — each needy thrust of his hips tell you that. Tonowari's fingers desperately grab at your queue, and you whine at the uncomfortably tug, but hot white flashes spark through your nerves system when his tendrils connect with yours.

Holy shit. This feels so much better than when he first ever bonded with you, and your legs shake as he stretches you thin. It's so painful but so amazing. His cock is nestled deep inside of your cunt, and you're so slick, so wet, droplets forming on your skin from where the reside of the water is beginning to dry. Tonowari's movements are smooth, easy, and your white ring of arousal paints the bottom of his length, coating his balls, and he groans as he fucks into you, his lavender tip throbbing as you clench around him tighter.

"You're made for me," he breathes out, "I cannot believe you ever doubted my love for you."

Through your connection, you can feel his pain. You can feel everything — the pull of his heart as he thinks about how insecure you'd been, and you scold yourself for ever being so silly. Tonowari, your gorgeous, loving mate intertwines his fingers with yours, and you swear you've never felt so good in your life.

You're intertwined with Tonowari in every way possible. Your cunt pulses around him, throbbing with need, and he groans into your neck, nuzzling his nose into the crook of your shoulder. "Oel ngati kameie," he mumbles, his eyes boring into yours, the black of his pupils so wide and blown you can no longer see any part of his irises. "Yawne, please, talk to me."

"Feels good, Tonowari," you blink, chest heaving as he fucks into you, being careful to focus on your breaths as your body begins to tingle with lust. "Almost ready for you to fill me up."

"Pxasìk," Tonowari curses, his accent thick, drawling in your ear and sending goosebumps exploding on your skin. "I'm ready. You're so — so tight, I can't hold back."

"Earlier all you did was hold back," you tease, moaning as the lewd squelching sounds of your cunt echo around the mossy cave. "Not — not letting me finish because I didn't breathe."

Tonowari is gentle as he slaps your thigh, warningly, a dangerous look painting his face, but it crinkles into something different as you purposefully clench down around him. You're so tight that it's like you're milking him, and you're so wet and warm, it's driving him crazy. "You were being naughty, yawne," he comments, his voice wavering as your eyes begin to flicker shut, your moans hitching in your throat as his hips roll into your sensitive bundle of nerves.

It's the most perfect thing you've ever felt. Neither of you speak as it happens, your orgasm crashing over the both of you in a perfect, delicious wave. You shake, jolt against him, cry out as your vision blackens with white stars, heat exploding through your body, your cunt tightening around him as you feel his seed begin to spurt inside of you. his own cum in you, your walls so tight and wet, the sound of his balls slapping lewdly against your cunt echoing throughout the cave, your moans merging with them to create an orgasmic mixtape.

You're so warm, the steam from the pool mixing with your insatiable heat from being crowded by Tonowari for so long, and he embraces you proudly as you twitch beneath him, your cunt feeling raw and full. He holds you, and his strong presence makes you feel so safe, the feeling of his cum painting your walls making you shiver.

"You are everything to me," he utters, his teeth grazing your neck as his tongue laps at your skin, basking in the slight, salty taste of sea water and sweat. "Please do not doubt that again."

"How can I?" you whisper, grumbling as Tonowari rolls over, positioning you atop of his chest as he lays on the mossy rocks. The blue and green glow from the algae and moss reflect on his face, painting his features, and you smile as you lean down to brush your nose against his, your finger splaying over your belly. "I'm going to have a constant reminder."

taglist: taglist: @moonpie3000 @theycallmesia @lianawolf @love-chx @yataisha @misscaller06 @plzfeedmebread @totesnothere04 @alezarin @thesecretsoftheuniverse @ikranwings @clockmax @lianawolf

[writing-goblinnilmerg]

A Single Rockbeak | Neteyam x Metkayina!Reader

Word count: 1.2k

Summary: Aonung believes that you should love him. Neteyam doesn’t agree

A/N: This was a request for @sunflower343 sorry it took so long to make!! As always thank you to my beloved @redezlyn for proofreading

Masterlist

Gif cred: @taminawang

“Good morning, Yawne,” murmured Neteyam gently kissing your temple and sitting down beside you. You were weaving baskets for the upcoming harvest, where fish would come aplenty and the Metkayina clan would have a feast to celebrate their good year. Additionally, this is where mates announced their love for each other to the clan, shared a rockbeak, a type of fish that could be found past the reef. Neteyam grabbed three pieces of a stiff fiber and tried to start weaving as well.

You both stayed like this a while, until you realized that Neteyam had no idea what he was doing. You quietly guided his hands to show him the proper technique to make baskets and not knots. He thanked you with another kiss to your temple.

This was how your relationship started; with you just enjoying each others company and not saying a word. Neteyam enjoyed the break from his duties as the eldest child and you were just shy. Kiri occasionally wandered over to talk to you, and Tuk would come if you were doing something particularly artsy. Today however Neteyam was alone.

Neteyam struck up a conversation with you, speaking in soft tones. This was how you liked your relationship: quiet and private. Of course that couldn’t last forever.

Aonung had his eye set on you from the moment you both turned of age. He was waiting to get to know you when the pesky Sullys arrived and ruined his whole plan. He didn’t know, however, about your confirmed relationship with Neteyam. From the outside, it simply looked like two friends or two flirts at the most. Today, of course, he saw you two together and figured that enough was enough.

Aonung swaggered over and sat down opposite you and Neteyam, whose conversation had grinded to a halt and were looking at him in bewilderment.

“Hello, y/n. Do you mind if I weave baskets here as well?” He asked. You didn’t have the heart to say no, so you nodded curtly. He grabbed a few strands of firm fiber smoothly worked it all together. Neteyam looked over at him in envy; he didn’t need your help.

“So, y/n, do you think that the harvest will be bountiful?” he started.

“It always is,” You replied, trying to keep talking to a minimum. Neteyam noticed your tail flick and your ears pin back.

“I hope to have you next to me at the feast. Perhaps we could share a rockbeak? ” proposed Aonung. This was the last straw for Neteyam.

“No thank you. She will me sitting next to me at the feast. We shall be the ones sharing a rockbeak. Good day.” He snapped.

Aonungs cheeks turned a dark hue as he left hurriedly, quite embarrassed. Neteyam sully expression softened as he turned his gaze to you.

“I hope that I haven’t overstepped, yawne,” he started. You lifted your hand to stop him and kissed him.

“It is alright. I like this protective side of you.” You mumbled against his lips; you could feel him smile in response.

***

Aonung was fuming. How dare he, Neteyam, a stranger to the clan, so shamelessly dismiss the son of the Olo’eyktan! Well, he will show you exactly what he thinks; that pesky Neteyam won’t be around to save you.

***

You leaned into Neteyam as your clan celebrated a bountiful fish harvest. A large bonfire burned in the middle of your village, and you watched as your fellow Metkayina danced joyously. He kissed the top of your head and pulled you to dance as well.

Tuk was running around with some friends around her age, playing with the sparks that were coming off the fire. Lo’ak had snuck off with Tsireya about an hour ago and Kiri was engaged in a deep conversation with Ronal about how this harvest affected local fish population. Jake and Neytiri swayed slowly with each other a little ways away from the fire.

The moon has risen high into the sky with Neytiri broke apart from Jake and called Neteyam to her. She requested that he carry his little sister, Tuk, to bed, as she had fallen asleep on a mound of sand. He accepted, albeit reluctantly, and carefully slung her on his back and walked to his family’s marui.

You decided to wait until Neteyam came back to the feast, and set about cleaning up certain seaweed dishes that were empty; less work for you later! You had gathered them all and were making your way to the food storage marui when something rammed into you, causing you to fall. The dishes tumbled to the floor.

“Now will you talk to me? Now that Neteyam isn’t here anymore?” A figure hovered over you; the moon and stars behind him darkened his face. His voice sounded familiar.

Without warning, the figure leaned it close, his nose almost touching yours.

Aonung.

His tail wrapped around your leg and his muscular arms held you down as he examined your scared face. He was so close that you could see the teal ring in his aqua eyes.

You knew that you couldn’t scream; the whoops and cheers from the bonfire were too loud, so the only thing that screaming would do was possibly anger Aonung.

***

Meanwhile, Neteyam swiftly ran back to the feast, eager to get back to you. You weren’t where you had parted ways. He walked around the bonfire twice, checking every face for your distinct features. Finally, Neytiri informed him that you were cleaning up certain areas and were probably on the path leading to the marui. Neteyam debated staying to wait for you but decided that he wanted to see you as soon as possible.

***

You were trying to force yourself deeper into the sand to avoid Aonungs jeering face when you heard loud footsteps thumping closer and closer. Aonung seemed too absorbed in evaluating you to notice any outside noises.

Aonung closed his eyes and leaned in slowly. His lips were a hair’s breadth away when he abruptly got shoved off of you. You heard a familiar hiss and a presence that you knew intimately jumped over you, crouching protectively.

Unbeknownst to him, Neteyam’s pose was identical to his mother’s some 16 years previously, when his father was attacked by Tsu’tey.

“Never come close to her again,” snarled Neteyam, “or I will slash you to pieces and feed you to the ilus.” You slowly got up and grabbed Neteyam’s hand, gently easing him up and away from Aonung, whose wide eyes conveyed a primal fear. Neteyam let you lead him away, but didn’t take his eyes off Aonung until you had gotten back to the feast.

You tried to enjoy the rest of your night with Neteyam joined at your hip. He didn’t leave you alone, wanting to reassure you and ensure that Aonung wouldn’t come back. He kept watch and was focused and attentive until you finally managed him to coax him to your marui.

“Thank you, Nete,” you murmured into Neteyam chest as you ran your hand up and down his back. He stroked your hair and hummed in response.

Divider cred: @cafekitsune

[thefirstknife]

Do we know if there were any instances of humanity & eliksni working together before the house of light? It'd be a little sad if humanity & eliksni were just murdering each other for centuries with no breaks at all

There have been attempts, yeah! Mentioned here by one of the Speakers:

There have been negotiations with the Fallen since they arrived on Earth. Never successful, nearly always fatal, but they've happened. So I'm aware that some of the Risen know their alien language, and some of the high-level Fallen know ours.

In the same tab he is captured by two dregs who do nothing to him except ask him questions about the Traveler. They're completely friendly! It's possible that similar situations and small-scale friendly interactions were happening in the background, though nothing substantial until House of Light.

However, a proper alliance pre-House of Light has happened with the Awoken. Obviously they've been through their fair share of violence, but the result of it all was that the Eliksni were integrated into the Awoken society in the Reef. This is important for Mithrax because he was captured by Sjur Eido who basically forced him into friendship with her (and she spoke Eliksni!) which turned into a real friendship over time (and why he named his daughter after her). His long-standing friendliness with humans comes from this.

[markrosewater]

I know you're not on play design, but maybe you have some insight on a pattern I'm sure I'm not the first to notice. Why is it that cards costing 1GU seem to have so many balance issues? Oko, Uro, Nadu are the recent ones everyone knows, but Shardless Agent and Risen Reef were also power outliers though at a lesser scale. Is this a bigger problem with Simic color identity as a whole?

I don’t think it’s a problem endemic to the color combination.

[a-driftamongopenstars]

another d2 poll! ✨

[xenoblade-chronicles-brackets]

The entry list is complete

I said that I might have a hard time finding 40 entries with which to pad myself. Well, as it turns out, once I started, I had a hard time stopping, and had to restrain myself to not overshoot the 256.

So on top of the 216 user submitted tracks, I also have 40 of my own submissions. The bracket will be seeded on YouTube views, but I will however default to seeding my 40 submissions lower than your 216 user submissions.

Actual bracket (hopefully) soon to come.

User submitted tracks

46:ri-9

A Faint Hope

A Formidable Enemy

A Friend on My Mind

A Life Become Distant

A Life Overflowing

A Life Sent On

A Life Sent On (Flutes)

A Life Woven Together

A Moment of Eternity

A nopon’s life

A Step Away

A Tragic Decision

aBOreSSs

After Despair and Hope(Final Boss Theme)

Agniratha (Day)

Agniratha (Night) (XC1)

Agnus Battle

Agnus Castle Day

agnus colony (night)

Alcamoth, Imperial Capital (Night)

An Obstacle in Our Path (XC1)

At Our Life's End

Battle In The Skies Above

Battle on the Seas

Battle!! - Torna

Battle!! (xenoblade 2)

Battlefield ~ The Scramble of Life

Beyond the Sky

Beyond the Sky (acoustic arrangement) XC1 FC

Bionis Shoulder

Bionis’ Awakening

Black Tar

Blade~Those Who Know Fear

Brilliant Wings

Bringer of Chaos! Ultimate (XC2)

By My Side

Carrying the Weight of Life

cent-omnia region (day)

Central Factory - Xenoblade Chronicles DE

Chain Attack!

City Day

Colony 6 - Future

Colony 9 (Day)

Colony 9 (Night)

Contrition

Converging Emotions

Counterattack

Crisis

Death Match With Torna

Desolation

Don't Worry

Drifting Soul

Drifting Soul(Instrumental)

Driver VS

Elysium In The Dream

Elysium, In the Blue Sky

Engage the Enemy

Eryth Sea (Day)

Eryth Sea (Night)

Erythia Sea Day

Ever Come to an End

Everyday Life (XC1)

Face

Feelings Risen to the Sky

Feelings Upon This Melody

Field Kaijou

Fogbeasts (Future Connected)

Forest of the Nopon (Day)

Forest of the Nopon (Night)

Four-limbed Titan - Gormott

Friendship

Frontier Village (Day)

frontier village (Night)

Future Awaits

Gaur Plain (Day)

Gaur Plain (Night)

Gramps (Fonsett Village) Night/Day XC2

Great Cotte Falls (Day)

Great Cotte Falls (Night)

Homecoming

Hometown (Day)

Hometown (night)

hope for the future

How the Future Endures

Impending Crisis

In the forest (XZ ver,)

In the Refugee Camp

Incoming! (XC2)

Iris Network

Irregular Bound

Jump Towards the Morning Sun

Kaleidoscopic Core

Keves Battle

Kingdom of Uraya

Land of Morytha

Lasaria Woodland-Day

Life's Fading Flame ~ Holding These Thoughts

Loneliness

Lost Days of Warmth

Majesty

Malevolent Hollow

Manon

Mechanical Rhythm

Mechonis Field

melancholia

Melia ~ Ancient Memories

Memories

Millick Meadows (Day)

MNN + @0 (both halfs)

Mobius Battle M

Moebius Battle

Mor Ardain - Roaming the Wastes

New Battle!!!

Nia ~ Towards the Heavens

NLA Shigai

no3=NO.EX01

no4=D91M

no6=LP

no9=MONOX

Noah and N (Phase 1)

Noah and N (Phase 2)

Oblivia

off seer crys

off seer mio

off seer miyabi

off seer noah

Off-Seer - Xenoblade Chronicles 3

Once We Part Ways

One Last You

Origin Ascending

Origin Battle

Our Eternal Land

Our Paths May Never Cross

Over Despair and Animus

Over the Sinful Entreaty

Parting

Past From Far Distance

Praetor Amalthus- The Acting God

Prologue A

Prologue B

Rage, Darkness of the Heart

raTEoREkiSImeAra

Redeem The Future

Regret

Reminiscence

ribbi flats (day)

Riki the Legendary Heropon

Riki’s Kindness

Roar from Beyond

Satorl Marsh (Night)

Shadow of the Lowlands

Shining Aspiration ~ Inherited Melody

Ship In A Stormy Sea

Shulk and Fiora

So nah, so fern

Soldier's Paean

Something's Beginning to Move

Sorrow

Still, Move Forward

Suffocating Reverberation

Syra Hovering Reefs Day

Tactical Action

Tantal (Day)

Tantal (Night)

Tephra Cave

The Awakening (XC2)

The Battle is Upon Us

The Beginning of Our Memory

The Bereaved and Those Left Behind

the bereaved and those left behind (ver. 2)

The Decision

The End Lies Ahead

The Fallen Land

The False Queens

The God Slaying Sword

The Great Sea Stirs

The key we've lost

The Monado Awakens

The Power of Jin

The Tomorrow With You

the way (xenoblade x)

Theme X

Thoughts Enshrined

Time to Fight (Bionis' Shoulder)

Time to Fight!

Torigoth/Night

Uncontrollable

Unfinsihed Business

Urgency

Valak Mountain (Day)

valak mountain (Night)

Walking With You

Wanted Nia

Where it All Began - Xenoblade Chronicles 2

Where We Belong

Where We Used To Be

White All Around Us

Wir Fleigen

Words That Never Reached You

Xenoblade Chronicles Main Theme

yesterdale (night)

You Will Know Our Names

You Will Know Our Names (Finale)

You Will Recall Our Names

Young Warriors

Your Voice

Z10 Briefing

z15f20i12e09l14d (first half, aka Celica's theme)

z15f20i12e09l14d (Second half, aka Divine Roost)

z15f20i12e09l14d (Vocal Stem)

z29ba2t0t1l301e17 (z29 battle)

Z30 Free Battle

z37b20a13t01t08le

Z39 B Comical

Zanza the Divine

My own additions

Argentum (Day)

Argentum (Night)

Auresco, Royal Capital

Bionis' Interior (Pulse)

Bionis' Shoulder (Night)

Black Mountains

Cent-Omnia Region (Night)

Cliffs of Morytha

Colony 6 - Ether Mine

Crossing Swords

Enemies Closing In

Eye of Shining Justice

Fonsa Myma (Night)

Galahad Fortress

Gormott (Night)

Gormotti Forest

Gran Dell (Night)

Hidden Machina Village

Hope

Immediate Threat

Kingdom of Torna (Night)

Kingdom of Uraya (Night)

Leftheria Archipelago (Day)

Leftheria Archipelago (Night)

Omens of Life

Prison Island

Song of Giga Rosa

Spirit Crucible Elpys

Sword Valley (Night)

Tension

The Abandoned City

The Fallen Land (Night)

The Towering Yggdrasil

Towering Shadow

Ultimate Enemy

Urayan Tunnels

Visions of the Future

Yesterdale (Day)

Yggdrasil

You Will Know Our Names Finale (Climax)

[mariacallous]

A 13-month streak of record-breaking global warmth has ended.

From June 2023 until June 2024, air and ocean surface water temperatures averaged a quarter of a degree Celsius higher than records set only a few years previously. Air temperatures in July 2024 were slightly cooler than the previous July (0.04 degrees Celsius, the narrowest of margins) according to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.

July 2023 was in turn 0.28 degrees Celsius warmer than the previous record-hot July in 2019, so the remarkable jump in temperature during the past year has yet to ease off completely. The warmest global air temperature recorded was in December 2023, at 1.78 degrees Celsius above the preindustrial average temperature for December—and 0.31 degrees Celsius warmer than the previous record.

Global warming has consistently toppled records for warm global average temperatures in recent decades, but breaking them by as much as a quarter of a degree for several months is not common. The end of this streak does not diminish the mounting threat of climate change.

So what caused these record temperatures? Several factors came together, but the biggest and most important is climate change, largely caused by burning fossil fuels.

What Caused the Heat Streak

Temperatures typical of Earth 150 years ago are used for comparison to measure modern global warming. The reference period, 1850–1900, was before most greenhouse gases associated with global industrialization—which increase the heat present in Earth’s ocean and atmosphere—had been emitted.

July 2024 was 1.48 degrees Celsius warmer than a typical preindustrial July, of which about 1.3 degrees Celsius is attributable to the general trend of global warming over the intervening decades. This trend will continue to raise temperatures until humanity stabilizes the climate by keeping fossil fuels in the ground where they belong.

But global warming doesn’t happen in a smooth progression. Like housing prices, the general trend is up, but there are ups and downs along the way.

Behind much of the ups and downs is the El Niño phenomenon. An El Niño event is a reorganization of the water across the vast reaches of the Pacific Ocean. El Niño is so important to the workings of worldwide weather, as it increases the temperature of the air on average across all of Earth’s surface, not only over the Pacific. Between El Niño events, conditions may be neutral or in an opposite state called La Niña that tends to cool global temperatures. The oscillation between these extremes is irregular, and El Niño conditions tend to recur after three to seven years.

The warm El Niño phase of this cycle began to kick in a year ago, reached its peak around the end of 2023, and is now trending neutral, which is why the record-breaking streak has ended.

The 2023–2024 El Niño was strong, but it wasn’t super-strong. It doesn’t fully explain the remarkable degree to which the past year broke temperature records. The exact influence of other factors has yet to be fully untangled.

We know there is a small positive contribution from the sun, which is in a phase of its 11-year sunspot cycle in which it radiates fractionally more energy to the Earth.

Methane (also a byproduct of the fossil fuel industry, alongside cattle and wetlands) is another important greenhouse gas, and its concentration in the air has risen more rapidly in the past decade than over the previous decade.

Scientists are also assessing how much measures to clean up air pollution might be adding to warming, since certain particulate air pollutants can reflect sunlight and influence the formation of clouds.

A Temperature Ratchet

Across the global ocean, 2023 was a devastating summer for coral reefs and surrounding ecosystems in the Caribbean and beyond. This was followed by heavy bleaching across the Great Barrier Reef off Australia during the southern hemisphere summer. While it is El Niño years that tend to see mass mortality events on reefs around the world, it is the underlying climate change trend that is the long-term threat, as corals are struggling to adapt to rising temperature extremes.

As the Pacific Ocean is now likely to revert toward La Niña conditions, global temperatures will continue to ease back but probably not to the levels seen prior to 2023–24.

El Niño acts a bit like a ratchet on global warming. A big El Niño event breaks new records and establishes a new, higher norm for global temperatures. That new normal reflects the underlying global warming trend.

A plausible scenario is that global temperatures will fluctuate near the 1.4 degrees Celsius level for several years, until the next big El Niño event pushes the world above 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming, perhaps in the early 2030s.

The Paris agreement on climate change committed the world to make every effort to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, because the impacts of climate change are expected to accelerate beyond that level.

The good news is that the shift away from fossil fuels has started in sectors such as electricity generation, where renewable energy meets a growing share of rising demand. But the transition is not happening fast enough, by a large margin. Meeting climate targets is not compatible with fully exploiting existing fossil-fuel infrastructure, yet new investment in oil rigs and gas fields continues.

Headlines about record-breaking global temperatures will probably return. But they need not do so forever. There are many options for accelerating the transition to a decarbonized economy, and it is increasingly urgent that these are pursued.

[random-chaos-and-stuff]

I have a theory

I have a theory that Night furies (as well as Light furies) evolved from aquatic dragons, and had aquatic ancestors. I also believe that Night furies and Light furies shared a common ancestor dragon, and branched off when one group moved into deep water (making Nigjt furies) while the other moved into more shallow costal water (making Light furies) where they begin to change to match their environments. But now onto my proof for Night furies having evolved from aquatic ancestors, as well as some theories on their biology.

NIGHT FURIES

I have several pieces of evidence that I believe support my theory. 1. Night fury plasma blasts are shown to work under water, unlike normal dragon fire. If they evolved this underwater, it would make sense that they used a form of fire/blast that could be used under water. They can also echolocate, which would be useful in water, especially deep ocean environments for communication and finding prey. I think that the ear nubs could have been used for both sensing the echolocation, as well as some slight steering, and aiding in communication among the dragons.

2. The shape. They are extremely streamlined, very smooth and long, with no large and bulky horns or claws, or even fangs. Their tail fins would probably have helped them swim in the water, along side their wings and upper tail fins. These traits would also be helpful on land when flying, which is why they kept them. Plus, they have more flexible scales instead of bulky plates, and rather round spines they could have used to help control direction. I also think their dark scales would have been from living in deep water, but helped when living on land at night. I also think their retractable teeth would have been helpful for hunting as well as moving eggs under water. I believe that Night Furies could have occasionally risen to the surface, maybe for more hunting, or possibly air, being able to stay underwater most of the time but occasionally rising for more air (maybe having ok gills, but also lungs) every few weeks or something. That would explain why they managed to evolve into land animals after living in the deep sea.

I have even more evidence, and feel free to add any more. Now, onto Light Furies

Light Furies

I believe that they, like the Night Fury, evolved from an aquatic ancestor. But unlike Night furies, they moved into shallow water near the coast instead of deep sea like their cousins. This would explain the light, almost sparkly coloration of them. I also believe that their cloaking would have become stronger there/evolved there as it would help them hunt a lot better, and be beneficial to them. I also think that these shallow coastal waters, especially in areas with reefs, would explain why they are smaller and smoother, with more rounded edges for small spaces and sharp turns. On top of this, I believe that they would have maintained their aquatic lifestyle a bit longer than the Night Furies, as well as kept a semi-aquatic lifestyle much longer than the Night Furies, only fully leaving the water fairly recently, explaining why they still have the fin ridge and all that.

I don’t know why they would be forced to leave the water, but competition from other dragons/animals, changing environment, or less food could have all played a role in Night Furries (and Light Furies) leaving the water.

Here is a drawing of what I think the aquatic Night Fury ancestor could have looked like.

I believe that they might have had little fins on their front legs, but when they left the water they were no longer useful, as while the wings and tail fins and all that all served a purpose in aiding in flight, the leg fins didn’t, so they slowly lost them, leaving only the residual leg nubs. I also think they could have had some small amount of webbing between the toes of its feet, especially the hind feet, especially because of the almost extended finger like look (and because why not). Also, the wings and fins (especially the tail fins) are more jagged, because at this point they are used for swimming fins instead of aiding in flight (totally not because I screwed up) and are more like fish fins.

Zoom in for better quality, and apologies for any misspellings on the drawing.

[gumnut-logic]

A still moment.

Cloud sailing slowly across the sky, sunlight and shadows. The flickering sheen of palm fronds gently shaken by the breeze. The clatter of sea air-hardened plant fibres crumpling together and rubbing like the back legs of a cricket.

Birds. So many birds.

At some point in pre-history Tracy Island had risen above the waves and created one of the rare oases of land in a sea of ocean desert and life had taken advantage of it. Birds discovered it and made it their home. Coral colonised it and built the reef his fish brother played in.

Trees, shrubs, ferns, moss, insects, an entire ecosystem unique to the Island had grown.

And eventually it had become his family’s home.

He filtered sand grains through his fingers.

Today had been one of those days where he questioned whether it was worth it.

Of course, it was worth it.

It was his father’s voice in the back of his mind. A familiar timbre and surety.

He had clung to both many times, and they gave reassurance and direction.

But days like today?

They were not enough.

His father wasn’t the one who had to watch a brother fall.

His father wasn’t the one who had to cling to a brother’s hand while he screamed in pain.

His father wasn’t the one who had to face his family with news enough to shatter them.

Was it worth it?

He tried to answer that in the positive but the words crumbled under the weight of anguish.

John had survived.

Barely.

There was a long road ahead and it would be some time before he saw his beloved Thunderbird Five again. He was going to be hell to live with.

A hell that was heaven up against the alternative.

His sigh was like the sound of the world squashing him just a little more.

They followed their father’s dream. It had become their dream.

But at what cost? How much did they have to pay? When did it stop? When was enough enough?

His brothers’ eyes grew wearier every day. Alan, barely into adulthood and already aged by experience. It hurt to watch his spark dim. It hurt to see him struggling with sights and sounds he should have been protected from.

God, he wished he could protect his little brother.

Protect all of them.

The imp in the back of his mind sat down next to his father and smiled. ‘I’m fine, don’t worry.’

He couldn’t help it. He was responsible.

Wiping his hands on his pants, he stood up. His runners were full of gritty sand and the waves mocked him with their regularity.

He rubbed his face, but he couldn’t scrub away the sight of John screaming.

So, he broke into a run.

His feet hit the first of the rocks leading off the beach and he leapt up and back onto the path he had deviated from earlier. Nothing was calming his heart.

The question kept surfacing.

Was it worth it?

His feet pounded amongst the gravel, as regular and as mocking as the waves below.

The view blurred.

God, he was going to stash John on Five and never let him down again.

He would love that.

Something in his heart just hurt.

His feet pounded faster.

His mind’s eye darted over familiar faces. Sadness, fear, Grandma’s tears.

He rubbed his face again and his hand came back wet.

Goddamnit!

Scott staggered to a halt and dropped his hands to his knees, his breath coming in little more than haggard gasps as his head drooped.

Goddamnit.

How could it be possibly worth his brothers’ lives?

A hand touched his back and he flinched away.

But the hand was strong and before he knew it, he was wrapped in even stronger arms, his head drawn to a flannel shoulder, words of reassurance rumbling in his ear.

For a moment, there was just distress and tears.

“He’s going to be okay.” Virgil’s voice was always reassuring. Always there.

Scott pulled away, straightening up and wiping his face. “I know.”

“You did what you had to do.”

“I know.”

His younger brother was staring up at him, worry in his dark eyes. A hand reached up to grip his arm. “You had no choice.”

“I know.” But this time it was hoarse and it hurt so much.

“John wouldn’t have it any other way. Those children owe their lives to your decision.”

“I don’t care.”

“What?” Worry turned to puzzlement.

“Why is John’s life worth less than another.”

“It isn’t. But it is his choice.”

Scott opened his mouth, but his protest died in his throat.

Virgil picked up on it and furthered his point, his remaining hand landing on Scott’s other arm and gripping tight. “It was his choice, Scott. It is John’s life to offer.”

“It was my decision.”

Virgil’s lips thinned. “No. Not really. He would have done it anyway.”

The image of his brother screaming taunted him again. So much pain.

And he had given his permission.

But John would have done it anyway.

Hell, Scott would have done it, if he had had the chance.

Anything to protect his brother.

To save those children’s lives.

Virgil drew him into a hug again and Scott wasn’t sure if it was for him or for Virgil.

Likely both.

Was it worth it?

Children screaming.

John screaming.

He didn’t have an answer anymore.

It just hurt.

-o-o-o-

[night-dark-woods]

ID1. Mostly uncolored digital sketches with notes on a gray canvas of some Destiny 2 OCs. Fuller is a scrawny pale human warlock with white hair and green eyes, holding her ghost out and talking excitedly looking back over her shoulder. There is Hive architecture behind her, and her armor is labeled "Dreambane robe but she cut the ruff off for sensory reasons."

Fuller: "Cel says this would be a great spot to connect to the Ascendant Realm, Toland was here & didn't shut the door behind him all the way and if you'd stop being such a coward and let me hook Cel up to your implants we could learn so much you're just fucking wasting them."

Celadon, in the Eris Morn shell, nods in agreement.

Hapax, an Awoken hunter with orange eyes, multiple piercings, and a shaved head, glares at her. A note next to her says, "Finger on the button for Fuller's shock collar, picturing her writhing in agony. Non-sexually. Of course."

A mark next to her top lip is labeled, "Scab on lip from last time they fucked. Fuller doesn't even have fangs."

Her ghost Schiller, in the Starlight shell, hovers next to her, and is labeled, "Quite over this whole situation."

ID 2. screenshotted tumblr post (link) that reads:

user gidianthe: i love it when a piece of media has two women with problems that would just be solved if they had crazy gay sex with each other user avoicefromthestars: #i love it when a piece of media has two women with problems that would be made worse if they had crazy gay sex with each other also

End ID.

More info abt them under the cut.

Fuller: Named for the groove down the blade of a sword that removes weight to make it easier to wield. Underfed, undersocialized, and unhealthily and concerningly obsessed with how the Sword Logic and the Ascendant Realm interact. Top of Aunor's shit list of "Guardians I may need to kill at a moment's notice." Fuller is annoying enough about all of this that Toland avoids her- tenured research professor who would rather kill himself than teach an undergrad class type vibes. He wants to pontificate to a captive audience. He does not want to hear Fuller's latest data on exactly how many joules of energy a thrall can produce depending on how recently it has killed something. Fuller isn't interested in the Sword Logic as philosophy, she wants to pick apart and quantify exactly how that philosophy is somehow made real. And unfortunately for everyone around her she is not particularly interested in piddling matters like Ethics or Safety.

Celadon: Fuller's ghost. Named for the pottery color. Fuller's delighted and willing co-conspirator. Co-author on her papers. (Unpublished. But there's a lot of them. That "who should I email if I have theories I tried a college and they ignored me" reddit post.)

Hapax: Named by her ghost for hapax legomenon, the term for a word that only appears once in a text, body of work, or language. Corsair before & after resurrection, working w/ a different unit once Risen for everyone's comfort. Loyal to the people of the Reef, Petra, and Mara, in that order. Flunked out of Techeun training in her first life and still has the implants, which are her best trait in Fuller's eyes. Stuck on babysitting-slash-potential-assassination duty with Fuller in the Hellmouth as a diplomatic favor from Mara to Ikora. Got the shock collar from Aunor (Ikora does not know about this nor would she approve) after Fuller tried to fuck around with her Techeun implants while she was sleeping. Ambivalent hatred for Fuller at first, but now she's a little entranced and a lot attracted to the little freak.

Schiller: Hapax's ghost. Named for the specific kind of lustre that stones like labradorite have. Long-time resident of the Dreaming City long before she raised Hapax, very interested in the history of it. Regards Celadon with disdain for her lack of ethical research practices. Has given up trying to stop Hapax and Fuller from fucking, but makes her opinion on it known.

[futureslaps]

The Captive - Chapter 18

Chapter 17 Chapter 19

More comforting chapter.

Enjoy 💙

The first thing Spider noticed as he awoke was the quiet. As he had slept, the torrential rain had slowly tapered off into a drizzle, and a thick fog had risen. All of Awa’atlu was carpeted in the cool mist, making only the outlines of structures visible. The entire village seemed sleepy.

Spider was ready to go back to sleep himself, but then he noticed the presence next to him.

Kiri.

He let out a small gasp as the memories came flooding back to him.

Kiri turned at the noise.

“You awake, sleepyhead?” She smiled at him softly.

“Yeah.” Spider replied.

Kiri waited a moment before speaking again.

“How are you…feeling?”

Spider looked down for a moment. He had to stop himself from defaulting to “fine”, the way he had done the past week. He was still getting used to the fact that he didn’t need to hide from Kiri.

“I’m…better, I guess.” He settled on the answer. It was simple but true.

For a moment, they sat next to each other in silence, watching the quiet movements of the fog.

“You… wanna go do something?” Kiri asked him, her tone slightly uncertain. “Just like old times?”

Spider’s heart jumped at the words. His and Kiri’s adventures in the jungle had been one of the brightest parts of his life before…everything. He had accepted long ago that those moments were past. Even a chance to relive them…

“Spider? What do you say?”

Spider cringed when he realized he’d left Kiri without an answer.

“Right now? In the rain?” He asked, his voice picking up.

“Since when do you care about getting wet?” Asked Kiri back, raising an eyebrow.

Spider grinned.

“Good point. Let’s go.”

Both teens stood up and climbed down from the nook.

“Follow me!” Kiri beamed as she started walking through the sleepy village.

Whatever Kiri had planned, Spider could barely contain his excitement as he followed. He hadn’t even dreamed of a moment like this happening again.

They walked across Awa’atlu, taking care not to slip on the bridges now slick with rain water. A small handful of Metkayina watched the odd sight of the human running after the Na`vi, but for once, Spider didn’t feel the pressure of their stares.

Eventually, they reached an area of shallow water, and Kiri made a strange clicking noise. One of the creatures the Metkayina rode appeared in the water, clicking happily as it swam towards them.

“This is an Ilu.” Kiri said, stroking the creature. “Have you ridden one yet?”

“I…” Spider paused. He had, only once. Half conscious, right after the battle. “…kinda.”

“Want to try it out?”

Spider nodded, and they both climbed onto the Ilu, with Kiri making the link. She sat behind the much smaller human, allowing him to use the saddle.

“Hold on!” Kiri gave a small pat to the Ilu, and it charged forward without hesitation.

Spider gripped the saddle with all his might as the Ilu cut through the reef’s water. The pressure of the water against him was far stronger than he’d expected, but eventually, he got the hang of it and adjusted his position better in the saddle.

As the Ilu raced through the mist, Spider was reminded of riding an Ikran. While nothing could beat the view from up in the sky, the sense of speed was still just as exhilarating. Spider smiled as he gripped the saddle. He loved it.

With Kiri behind him, he was reminded of all the other times he’d ridden with someone. They were some of his favorite memories. In the jungle, he’d often ridden with Neteyam and Lo’ak, and occasionally even with Jake. And after that, he’d ridden with…

Not right now.

He put the thought out of his mind.

“You wanna go faster?” Yelled Kiri in his ear.

Spider’s grin grew bigger.

“Let’s do it!”

Kiri urged the creature, and it eagerly leapt forward. The pressure of water became even stronger. Spider felt his grip start slipping. The saddle was still made for a Na’vi, and his fingers couldn’t properly close around it.

Before he could say anything, the Ilu hit a small wave, and Spider was airborne. Before he could even realize he had been launched from the saddle, he crashed into the water.

Slightly dazed from the impact, it took him a moment to regain his senses. Luckily, his mask had withstood the hit. He swam back up to the surface.

“Spider! Are you okay?” Kiri rode the Ilu up beside him, her voice tinged with panic.

But as Spider looked up at her, he started laughing.

“That was awesome! How high did I go?”

Kiri started laughing as well once she saw that Spider was alright.

“I don’t know, maybe 4 feet?” She smiled brightly as she pulled Spider back onto the Ilu. “No more racing for now, though!”

They both kept giggling as Kiri urged the Ilu to swim forward, slowly this time.

Spider closed his eyes and savored the moment.

He’d missed this so much.

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed like that. It made feel…full. Peaceful. In the same way his…visits did.

The same way he had before, he imagined that there was nothing going on. That this was just any other day of having fun with his best friend. Soon, they would go and eat dinner, and they would laugh, and tell stories, and then he’d go to sleep, warm under his blankets, surrounded by…

He stopped himself before he got further into the fantasy.

If only it could be true. But it couldn’t.

He gripped the ilu tighter, as if he was making sure it was truly there. This entire day felt like a dream. He half-expected to wake up any moment, alone and shivering in his nook the way he’d been several times before.

Kiri could sense his mood shift.

“Spider, what’s wrong?”

Spider again stopped himself from automatically saying he was fine, but he truly didn’t know how to put what he was feeling into words.

“I’m…just thinking.” The words were all Spider could muster.

Kiri didn’t say anything, but she changed the course of her ilu. They rode up to one of the small, uninhabited islands that dotted the reef’s waters.

“Want to get off here for a bit?” Kiri asked gently. “I come here whenever I need to be alone. It’s my own secret spot.”

Spider nodded, and they both dismounted the ilu. They took a few steps onto dry land before sitting in the sand.

The slowly setting sun looked brilliant, shining through a break in the clouds, the scattered rain still falling. For a while, they enjoyed the beautiful view in silence. Spider slowly leaned against Kiri, her arm around his shoulder. It all felt so…unreal.

“I used to come here to think about you.” Kiri broke the silence, her voice soft. “I missed you so much, Spider. Every day, I prayed to Eywa that we could somehow meet again. I knew it was unlikely, and…”

She hesitated before saying the next words but decided to continue.

“…and everyone else thought it was impossible.” She lowered her head. “Everyone else quickly gave up. Everyone else moved on. But I kept hoping.”

Spider knew the feeling. The entire time he had been with the RDA and Recoms, he had desperately held onto the hope that he could somehow return to the Sullys.

“It was the same for me.” He replied, turning to face her. “I wanted more than anything to back with you all. I think it was the only thing that got me through some days. That, and…”

He held his tongue. Spider still didn’t feel right talking to Kiri about Quaritch. He couldn’t bring himself to talk about all the times he’d cried on the man’s shoulder, or leaned into his hugs, or slept holding his hand. It was just too…wrong.

“Sorry, I…” He began, but Kiri cut him off.

“It’s okay, Spider.” She said comfortingly. “You don’t have to talk about it.” She had an understanding look on her face. For a moment, she seemed to want to say more, but she didn’t.

Spider nodded, returning to leaning on Kiri’s side. They sat in silence again for another few moments.

Kiri broke the quiet again.

“I’m sorry I didn’t…talk to you sooner.” Kiri said, her voice heavy with emotion. “I should have the moment we came back from the battle.”

They could both feel each other grow tense at the memories of the battle. They were the most painful of all, for both of them. Kiri caught herself staring at the deep scar across Spider’s chest.

This time, the silence between them was far more awkward. More painful.

Spider wasn’t ready to talk about that. He could barely even think about it. And from what he could tell, so was Kiri.

“We should head back.” Spider broke the silence this time. “It’s getting late.”

Kiri nodded, and they both stood to re-mount the ilu.

They rode in silence through the final rays of light. Spider decided to say something, he couldn’t let it end on such an awkward note.

“Thank you, Kiri.” He said, still looking forward. “For everything today. It…it means a lot.”

“I care about you, Spider.” She replied affectionately. “You’re my best friend. You’re my brother. Maybe my favorite brother.”

Spider turned around to look at her after the last sentence.

“Uhm…don’t tell Lo’ak and Neteyam I said that.” Kiri said, smiling playfully.

They both giggled at the joke, the previous awkwardness between them once again broken. They arrived back at Awa’atlu just as the last light disappeared beneath the waves.

“I should get going.” Kiri said. “I already missed lunch. Dad will be on my ass if I miss dinner too.”

They both chuckled again. Kiri looked down for a moment, thinking.

“Do you want to come with, Spider?” She asked.

Spider closed his eyes. He did want to. He wanted to go with her and eat with the rest of the Sullys, like nothing had happened. But he couldn’t.

“I…I think I’ll stay here.” He said.

Kiri nodded with understanding.

“I’ll find you at your sleeping spot, right after dinner, okay?”

Spider nodded back. However, as Kiri turned, he spoke again.

“Can we…do something tomorrow too? I had a lot of fun today.”

Kiri smiled.

“You can come with me collecting supplies. How does that sound?”

Spider beamed.

“I’d love to!”

Kiri looked at Spider for a moment longer, before turning and walking away to get dinner.

Spider sat against a rock on the beach, listening to the gentle lapping of the waves. The storm had passed, and the stars shined brightly above him.

This day had been…incredible. For a moment, Spider could almost believe that things truly would be okay.

But there was a reason this entire day felt too good to be true. There was a reason he was sitting here and not with the Sullys. There was a reason every nightfall filled him with a growing sense of anxiety.

7 days...

I hope you liked how I wrote Kiri and Spider together having fun. I wanted this chapter to be more fluffy! Spider deserves some happy, comforting moments. Especially considering what I have planned for the next few chapters...

😈

Taglist: @buzzing-honeybee @yesthisismycurrenthyperfixation @onlyreadz @drinking-tea-and-be-obsessed

[crow-posting]

Things I Think About:

Awoken Edition

Do Reefborn Awoken still bio-engineer their children? I think I read somewhere that natural births superseded bioengineered ones by the time The Guardian visits the Reef, but I can't find the grimoire/lorebook for that. It'd be an interesting point of tension between Reefborn and Earthborn (especially for those trying to date!) - while the former would see it as a way of survival, the latter might see it as a form of eugenics/population control.

How do Reefborn Awoken treat their AI? It is said that Reef Frames are merely "computers with robotic appendages"; do they view their AI with similar indifference? How would they approach Failsafe? How do they feel about the humanization of Last City Frames, or even pre-Golden Age robots like Curiosity? If Medusa is real, and not just a construct of Savathûn, how would they react if she revealed herself?

Throughout Season of the Seraph, Mara called Rasputin an "it" and said the Awoken "has long been wary of such a power in the system." She claimed Ana shaped Rasputin into something better, but did she actually see him as "more than a weapon" in the end?

Are Reefborn Awoken still prejudiced against Earthborn and Risen Awoken after the events of Forsaken? They aren't openly hostile, but many still seem to believe that Earthborn and Risen are severed from their people/purpose. How do they treat Distributary-born Earthborn vs. second- or third-gen Earthborn? How do they treat humans with Awoken ancestry? Is "cousin" a formal greeting or a friendly one? Do Earthborn call Reefborn "cousin" as well?

. . .

Edit: adding additional lore entries / flavor text about Earthborn and Reefborn interactions! Thank you @chrimsone for reminding me of some of these! ("Queenslaw"; "Of Earth and the Reef"; "Tigerspite"; "III: Just A Kindness"; "Spirit of Alliance")

. . .

How many of the original Awoken (891 crew or 40,000 passengers) are left? What roles do they serve? Does the Vanguard keep track of the ones who came to Earth? Did the ones in the Reef become part of Mara's court, so she could keep them close?

Do humans with Awoken ancestry have access to Awoken magic? Can Awoken Warlocks learn to dream-walk like Techeuns do? Can Risen Awoken hear Mara telepathically if they choose to open their minds to her? Does Mara have the same effect on Risen and/or later-generation Earthborn as she does on Reefborn? For those who are fully Awoken, do the abilities they pass on get weaker or stronger (or stay consistent) with each generation?

How diverse is Reefborn culture? How much influence does Mara have over it? Aside from local dialects, which developed before the Awoken settled in the Reef, most aspects of Reefborn culture were created to keep them united under Mara's rule. Does Mara have a "soft" influence like British royalty, or does she actively set standards for what is acceptable/frowned upon/taboo? (If she does set cultural standards, I imagine they're presented like the Capybara Corner, where certain behaviors are encouraged* from a young age.)

*Encouraged or idealized? Who's to say. :)

The tragic encounters with Aphelion. The effect of asphodelia flowers on Awoken. The uses for and significance of amethyst. The fact that a lot of things that affect Awoken start with "a."

The parallels between Archiloquy and Nitrogen. The parallels between Savathûn and Mara. Mara's obsession with secrets and how she views "secrets" differently than "lies," even though a lot of her "secrets" can be considered half-truths and lying by omission. The idea that secrets - not truth - keep people safe.

OC-Specific Thoughts #1

Due to paracausal interference during his first resurrection, my Warlock retained his original memories. Would Reefborn Awoken see him as the person he was, or the person he is now?

Mara sees Crow as Uldren, even though she didn't see Savin as Chao Mu or Orin as Nasan Ar. If Reefborn Awoken now believe that Risen can "revert" to their old selves by regaining their memories (actual memories, not "second-hand" accounts like Shinobu's journal), how do they explain other differences - new personalities, the Light's alteration of DNA, etc? Would this change in outlook also change whether they respect a Risen's current identity/personhood?

OC-Specific Thoughts #2

How do Reefborn Awoken treat The Guardian? In the current story, Mara has forgiven The Guardian enough to share her power with them, and even encourages them during their battles against the Shadow Legion. She also seems to blame Savathûn for Uldren's death, though she still views Petra and The Guardian as his "executioners."

However, while Reefborn are more monolithic than Earthborn and baseline humans, they aren't a hive mind and not everyone agrees with Mara's decisions. People like Jolyon probably hold a grudge against The Guardian regardless of Mara's actions or official decrees. Would they act on that grudge? Would they make it known through disapproving expressions and terse tones? Or would they hide it as best they could, whispering just out of earshot and only glaring once The Guardian had passed?

If The Guardian (like my Hunter) has a history of not getting along with Mara, would it make the Reefborn's disapproval more obvious, or would they continue to act in ways that Mara would deem acceptable? Would it affect the way they treat people close to The Guardian, friendly towards The Guardian (Petra, Shuro Chi, etc.) or even Guardians in general? Would it change if The Guardian had helped them personally?

And would Jolyon ever reconnect with Crow, considering how close Crow and The Guardian have become?

[intelligentchristianlady]

Scary News

Humanity is in danger of crossing the point of no return for five of Earth’s natural systems because of human-caused climate change, according to a new study from an international team of more than 200 researchers. The collapse of Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets, widespread coral reef die-offs in warm water, disruption of the North Atlantic subpolar gyre circulation, and the abrupt thawing of permafrost regions are all in danger of being irreversibly crossed at 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming. Global temperatures have already risen between 1.1 and 1.3 degrees. “Tipping points in the Earth system pose threats of a magnitude never faced by humanity,” Tim Lenton said, lead author of the Global Tipping Points report. “They can trigger devastating domino effects, including the loss of whole ecosystems and capacity to grow staple crops, with societal impacts including mass displacement, political instability and financial collapse.” Lenton added that the report is a “tale of two future paths for humanity. We’ve basically left it too late for incremental action. Instead, we need to find and trigger what we’re calling some positive tipping points that accelerate action down an alternative pathway.”

(See x, Day 1051, for links.)

[thefirstknife]

I want to talk about Lakshmi-2 again since her story came back as relevant, as well as touch on Savathun since she's coming back. So this is going to be a retrospective on their involvement in Season of the Splicer!

A lot of people weren't around for Season of the Splicer or maybe don't remember it as well. That season was a lot and one of the most important parts of it was that at the time we still didn't know about Savathun impersonating Osiris. SOME of us who dedicated a lot of time to figuring it out have speculated it and were pretty much 100% convinced that Osiris in Splicer was NOT Osiris, but this wasn't confirmed until after Splicer ended.

I think that the misunderstanding of this event has also led to misunderstanding Lakshmi and what she did in Splicer. The entire season's story takes on a completely different vibe if you know that Lakshmi was heavily manipulated by Savathun whose presence in the City had a major goal of destabilising leadership and drawing attention away from her own schemes.

This isn't a post to justify anything that Lakshmi did; her actions in Splicer were unambiguously bigoted towards the Eliksni. She used her xenophobia for personal political gains while putting a vulnerable population in danger with her words and actions. Lakshmi's xenophobic preaching resulted in direct violence against the Eliksni. There is no excuse for that, no matter what's the origin of that xenophobia. I want to make that clear before I dive into this.

What happened in Splicer?

Season of the Splicer was the third season in Y4 (Beyond Light). It focused on a mysterious phenomenon known as "the endless night" which wrapped the Last City in perpetual darkness. This was done by the Vex. Nobody knew how to deal with this, including every single Guardian and scholar in the Tower so out of desperation, we turned to the Eliksni for help; sacred Eliksni Splicers had means to enter the Vex Network and find a root cause as well as a possible solution to the problem. This is how Mithrax and his House of Light were invited to the City, in an unprecedent move for an alliance with the Eliksni. Splicers and Guardians together have the unique power to manifest physically in the Vex Network and deal with the cause for the endless night. Long post under:

Accepting the Eliksni into the City was tough. Most humans have experienced some form of violence at the hands of the Eliksni. Our past is filled with wars and battles against the Eliksni. The first big battle for the City, Battle of Six Fronts was against the Eliksni who wanted to breach the newly built wall and attack humanity. Battle of Twilight Gap was a final fight against united Eliksni houses that got close to conquering the City, only to be held off at the Twilight Gap as the last line of defence. This battle was saved, in part, because Mara decided to reveal the Awoken and stop House of Wolves from joining Twilight Gap which essentially prevented Eliksni victory, but spurned the Reef Wars which devastated the Reef; both the Eliksni and the Awoken. This is but a small selection of the biggest conflicts that show for how long this has been going on and how many people were affected by the wars with the Eliksni.

This is all after the Eliksni arrived to the system just as our Collapse finished and they wasted no time settling in a world just beginning to recover from the Collapse. Early human settlements were routinely entirely destroyed by the Eliksni who were stronger and better equipped than humans; until the Risen showed up. But even with the Risen, ordinary humans still continued to suffer to both the Eliksni and the Risen and their combined conflicts. Stories about Amanda and Safiyah are but a fraction of stories of ordinary humans who had to deal with Eliksni attacks. This also includes civilian Eliksni; many Eliksni were literally just survivors of their own apocalypse and had nowhere else to go, while dealing with unfathomable desperation about being abandoned by what they saw as their deity. Both humans and Eliksni were exploited by their leaders and pushed to constant wars.

This is important to understand because it gives some context to why some citizens of the Last City were somewhat reluctant to accept the Eliksni being there, on top of the growing paranoia about a City plunged in an endless night at the hands of the Vex. Humans didn't just wake up one day thinking "Eliksni are stinky!" there were legitimate reasons for being afraid. Mithrax's daughter Eido confirms this in her logs, telling us that the Eliksni are well aware that they were the initial aggressors on humanity. The same can be applied to Eliksni as well; many Eliksni have lived with the knowledge that at any point in time superpowered immortal humans can descend from the sky and start indiscriminately killing them. They have horror stories about this, most notably about Saint-14 who led a long crusade against the Eliksni, including against civilians who wanted nothing to do with the wars. Putting Saint-14 and Mithrax in the same City during a Vex-induced anxiety was a ticking time bomb.

Luckily, Saint-14 is a kind man who is capable of reflecting and being compassionate. Once Mithrax explained how the Eliksni view him, he got deeply ashamed of his actions and sought to atone for his past. It took a while, but the Eliksni accepted him and he became great friends with Mithrax and was willing to lay down his life for Eliksni who, at the end, he claimed are his people equally as anyone else in the City. At the end of the day, the leadership of humanity and the Eliksni decided to put everything behind and start anew, which was the right thing to do. Everybody suffered in the past, but nobody has to continue suffering in the future. Giving everyone a second chance is literally the core theme of Destiny.

The Lakshmi-2 Problem

On the other hand, there was Lakshmi-2. She was the leader of the Future War Cult, one of the City factions. Factions in the city were representatives of the civilians; Future War Cult, New Monarchy and Dead Orbit were the three that operated for the interest of the civilians. Lakshmi was immediately deeply against the Eliksni settling in the City. She proceeded to be a staunch advocate for their removal, broadcast weekly radio messages with anti-Eliksni sentiments and stoked the anxiety and paranoia of the citizens, directing it towards the Eliksni. At one point, the animosity towards the Eliksni turned to violence as well, and the Botza District, where the Eliksni were settled, was attacked and their settlement ransacked. Many Eliksni were harassed in the streets and some were attacked. Lakshmi's broadcasts were a huge part of this violence, which ended with her broadcasting about taking matters into her own hands which resulted in opening a Vex portal to the City (specifically to Botza District to attack the Eliksni).

The fandom immediately hated her for that and with good reason. A lot of people were confused because they didn't think it was right to portray her as a warmongering politician which was always strange to me. She was the leader of the Future War Cult. Her messaging was always that of political warmongering. It's in the name. Splicer just amplified this because the situation was happening in front of our eyes and for other reasons influencing Lakshmi.

Lakshmi was shown actively using the Device, a prediction machine owned by the Future War Cult since the Golden Age which was made back then by Maya Sundaresh who founded the FWC and invested into this Device which is a mesh of Vex technology. Maya called it a "mind-ship" and shown that it was capable of displacing one's consciousness, allowing you to see the future, past, other timelines, or possibly something else. The contemporary FWC found remains of the Device and continued to use it for the same purpose. Using the Device proved to be largely damaging or even lethal to those put in it. A lot of the "futures" that users saw would be that of utter Darkness, war and collapse so they decided to spread the message that "war is all there is" and that there will always be some fight happening in the future and that we must always be ready for it. Lakshmi used this to prove that this whole thing with the Eliksni is that fight; the inevitable yet another clash between human and Eliksni that endangers us all.

It's important to note that using the Device is not safe and it's not reliable. It often shows stuff that is hard to interpret or even completely false and based on what the users wants to see. This shows with Lakshmi with a lot of the visions she was seeing. Even her own fellow FWC members were distraught at her behaviour at the time with some deciding to resign, believing that she was becoming corrupted and going mad. This is relevant because it shows that her close colleagues noticed that she was acting strangely.

And she was. Because of Savathun.

Savathun.

At the time, Savathun was in the city, masquerading as Osiris. Before Splicer, she tried turning us to war with Caiatl, which failed. After that failed, she turned to the ace in her sleeve; Quria, the Taken Vex Mind she was gifted by her brother Oryx back in the Books of Sorrow days. Savathun instructed Quria to manipulate the Vex into creating the Endless Night in order to create a problem for the City that will destabilise its leadership, and cause panic and infighting. Savathun was the one who, as Osiris, suggested that Mithrax and House of Light be invited into the City, knowing full well that it will cause issues. She wanted those issues. She wanted a panicking anxious population on the brink of slaughtering each other, gossiping, spreading lies and misinformation. She needed it to keep her worm fed and she needed it to keep eyes off herself, while she schemed to figure out how to get the Light. She needed time to investigate archives and find materials and learn as much as possible so a little background chaos was perfect for that; nobody will pay attention to an old man who recently lost his Ghost when there's bigger problems at the horizon.

This was possible to piece together during Splicer, but Savathun helpfully admitted to it all in the season after, in Lost. Of course, she framed it to appear that she was being helpful, but we as players have more information so we can piece together everything she's done. Savathun infected both Lakshmi and the City with her viral song. Lakshmi's last broadcast detailed that "Osiris" aided her in opening the portal. Savathun spoke to Lakshmi on multiple occasions. We also have proof of this from the other side, from the perspective of Osiris who could see into Savathun's actions while he was being held prisoner. This lore was the POV from Osiris, from Lost (after Splicer) and it shows Osiris seeing through Savathun's eyes as she was actively influencing Lakshmi. Osiris didn't even know who Lakshmi was; she gained prominence after he'd already been exiled. But he saw an "Exo woman" with "vacant eyes" and Savathun's "true voice" humming to her.

Savathun, besides creating both of the main problems (Endless Night and Eliksni in the City), also worked tirelessly to fuel violence in the City by corrupting Lakshmi-2. Savathun whispered in her ear, running suggestions by her, enticing her day by day and ultimately being the one who made her open the Vex portal in the middle of the City. Lakshmi, on top of being already driven mad by the Device, was also being driven mad by Savathun who desperately wanted the City's leadership to fight. It got to the point of suggesting a coup against the Vanguard. Lakshmi-2 and Executor Hideo (New Monarchy) got as far as to try recruiting Saint-14 to help them with the coup; when he refused, Hideo feared that he will tell Osiris everything and snitch on them, but Lakshmi was convinced that Osiris will stop Saint from saying anything. Why? Because it wasn't Osiris. The "Osiris" that Lakshmi knew was actually Savathun who would indeed try to stop Saint from outing their coup plans.

I want to stress again that Lakshmi wasn't innocent in this whole debacle. She had her own bigoted beliefs, coming from trauma; at the end we learned that Lakshmi-2 survived the sack of London by House of Devils back in the Dark Age. She has personally experienced a traumatic event of Eliksni attacking and murdering humans and destroying their settlement. The problem with Lakshmi is that she didn't even attempt to deal with that trauma or solve it. Saint was also traumatised, as were many other Guardians and people in the City and they all decided to put it aside and work towards getting better. Lakshmi held onto her trauma and never got over it. She confronted the Eliksni (Namrask) who participated in the sack of London and told him to his face that to her, he will never change from a conqueror he was, despite his very honest attempt to do so. Namrask, much like Saint-14 decided to put his warring past behind and to change and be a different person. And as much as Saint, he has the right to do so. Lakshmi denied it from him and instead still held onto her original belief that Eliksni cannot change and cannot be good.

Unfortunately, Lakshmi also never got a chance to change, given that the moment this all started, she was roped in with Savathun who wanted a City leader to sow chaos. Maybe without Savathun and the Device, Lakshmi would've turned out better. Maybe she would've thought about it more, learned to forgive, learned to accept the Eliksni (much like Saint), but she never got the chance before Savathun corrupted her. I feel like people forget that, or maybe even don't know about it. It's much easier to just hate Lakshmi and call her racist and talk about how violently she should die. The nuance and tragedy of her story is often pushed aside or not mentioned at all.

This is even more tragic now. Lakshmi was violated, deeply, in a way that is truly impossible to comprehend. She died, erased, in proximity to an alien entity. In her body, a new identity was installed, a combination of Maya and other Exos that participated in the "chorus" with her as the "conductor." She did not consent to this and as we've seen from her research into Spontaneous Exo Reset Syndrome, she was at least somewhat aware that something horribly wrong had happened to her. She was directed by impulses that were not entirely her own. Her interest in the Future War Cult and the Device are both suspect now, given that those things were Maya's obsessions and Maya used Lakshmi as a proxy; a twisted way to create a "child" by imprinting a part of yourself into them.

And as if that wasn't enough, she was grabbed by Savathun, a master in manipulation, lies and corruption who didn't care about her or about the City or about the Eliksni. I hope people can also realise that it was Savathun who used the bigotry against the Eliksni as a tool with zero care for actual victims of this bigotry. Eliksni dying in violent attacks around the City were nothing but an accessory to Savathun; accessory to her plans to ruin us while she's looking for a way get rid of her worm with the Light. It was entirely selfish, through and through, with no regards to either humans or Eliksni. In this case, I would put more blame on Savathun than Lakshmi for any kind of bigotry towards the Eliksni; Lakshmi could've learned better had she gotten a chance, while Savathun had many chances and simply did not care.

Lakshmi was an incredibly interesting character to me since I first saw her. This is partially due to her VA (Shohreh Aghdashloo) whom I adore to death so just hearing her speak had me enchanted. But Lakshmi and the FWC were always my favourite faction and I didn't like how the community boiled them all down to just xenophobia towards Eliksni as if there was nothing else to them and as if they all agreed with what Lakshmi did in Splicer. At the same time, people ignored the same xenophobia first and foremost from Savathun who had zero reason to even remotely object to Eliksni being in the City, or even New Monarchy who also participated in Lakshmi's schemes. It was only ever Lakshmi, a woman whose trauma was manipulated against her by an entity known for toppling down entire civilisations with the use of manipulation and corruption. Savathun infiltrated many civilisations in the same way she did ours and they all ended up much worse than us: her infiltration of the Harmony led to their downfall and her corruption of Umun'Arath led to the fall of Torobatl. A lesser known example is told to us by Rhulk, of a species (Kalarahnda) he came to destroy but that destroyed itself upon seeing him because someone (Savathun) alerted them to him so they spent centuries preparing their entire civilisation for his arrival as per her instructions. When he arrived, they self-destructed their whole planet, believing they're fulfilling a great prophecy of mass sacrifice to ascend. This was Savathun's doing; instead of helping them escape Rhulk, she orchestrated their demise purely to take the satisfaction of it from Rhulk. Not to help those people, to spite Rhulk.

I'm adding this because I want to absolutely stress how much Savathun does not care for any lives other than her own. Entire civilisations crumbled into dust due to her manipulations. We've talked about this before due to some of the stuff writers said about Savathun recently and I feel like people simply forget this or want to excuse it, but are super quick to judge Lakshmi in a way they never would Savathun; the actual person who orchestrated her actions and ultimately her death.

I think they should both be judged, albeit in different ways. And I definitely think that the blame for what happened to the City during the Endless Night and specifically for what happened to the Eliksni should fall mostly on Savathun, not Lakshmi. It was Savathun who even orchestrated the endless night to begin with. Lakshmi was complicit and she had her own issues that she should've worked out in the centuries she's had to think about them. Savathun probably chose Lakshmi because she was an easier target; already with a problem against the Eliksni. A believable victim, someone that wouldn't take much to convince and corrupt. I'm also of the belief that, as Osiris, she also tried to do it to Saint-14, but he's a much more principled person than Lakshmi.

So they both suck. Both Savathun and Lakshmi were using the struggles of the Eliksni as a tool for their own gains which contributed to untold Eliksni suffering, but in the grand scheme of things, it was Savathun that forged it all from the bottom to the top. She made the Endless Night, she directed the Vanguard into going to Mithrax and the Eliksni for help, she orchestrated their settlement in the City, she spent time picking a target in the form of Lakshmi to spread propaganda and force people to be in a perpetual state of panic and misinformation for months, while she tended to her own goals of gaining the Light.

And once more, Savathun's attempt to put us at war with someone, ultimately led to another alliance. At the end of the day, compassion and friendship in the face of danger prevailed because Destiny is fundamentally a story about hope.

It's just something I wanted to recap and remind people if they aren't aware or don't remember. Because I feel like the new information will reignite the old "Lakshmi is racist" spiel with complete disregard of everything we know about her and with complete disregard of the actual culprit of the bigotry in Splicer: Savathun.

This doesn't mean that you can't dislike Lakshmi for what she's done. You absolutely can! We can't claim that all her actions were because of Savathun; as a matter of fact, she was chosen by Savathun because of how maleable she was. It's not easy to just turn someone into a bigot. The new information definitely adds to the tragedy of Lakshmi's life and to how much she was manipulated by those around her, but it doesn't remove her own fault for what happened.

This also doesn't mean that you have to hate Savathun. Just be aware of some of the more heinous stuff she's done and don't ignore it or view it as not important. Savathun's actions should be condemned as much as Lakshmi's, if not more so, but I'm not here to compare who's a worse bigot. They've both done horrible things to humans and Eliksni in a situation where we needed to stay united. And in the same way we can discuss the complexity and tragedy of Lakshmi, we have to acknowledge it for Savathun as well. She was a victim of manipulation as well, someone who took millions of years to realise that those she swore her life to are liars. She will eventually have to reckon with that.

Luckily, the outcome was ultimately in our favour, although not without consequences. Many Eliksni were attacked and died. Lakshmi died and the rest of the factions were exiled. We now can't simply ask Lakshmi about the new revelations, we can't get more information from her or the FWC, something that might be able to help us understanding and defeating the Witness. There's still a chance to find out in some way, but it would've been so much easier if we could simply ask someone who is in the City.

Splicer was a really good season, I highly recommend going through the story of it if you haven't played. DLV has everything in the playlist I linked and the official channel has just the cutscenes. Being there was truly a whole special experience because of the stuff with Savathun and Osiris. I cannot stress enough that the majority of the players did NOT believe that Osiris isn't Osiris. The theory was out there but it was largely not listened to. Some even used lore tabs that explicitly confirmed the theory from Splicer to claim it debunks it. It was a wild time. The wildest of all was the ending where people were genuinely saying that the ending to Splicer changed their mind to NOT believing it was Savathun. It was one of the most mind-boggling time in Destiny for me and I think that the misunderstanding of that whole plot made a lot of people either forget or not properly understand Savathun's involvement with the events of Splicer. If one played through the whole thing believing that was actually Osiris, Savathun's actions may have eluded them, especially if they didn't engage with a retrospective of the season. I believe that understanding how Savathun manipulated Lakshmi is important for understanding Lakshmi as a character, especially now with these new reveals (and possibly directly because of the new reveals; perhaps Savathun also targeted Lakshmi because of her origin). But at the end of the day, Lakshmi is still someone who couldn't let go of her xenophobia which made her the best target for Savathun to manipulate. That one is on her, regardless of all of her origins and trauma.