#true ending of clan message

[psoiz]

True ending

Some screenshots with these pride skins from our gameplay. Unfortunately, I didn't do it with all the frames.

and cropped ver

I was planning to post this yesterday, but my second pet died yesterday and I really wasn’t in the mood for it. My bad.

Clan message of the day.

[1-imaginary-girl]

Wolf Bite

Klaus Mikaelson x Reader

Summary: During a fight between your friends and Klaus and his hybrids, you get bit. A certain someone appears later to help heal your wounds and complicate your feelings. Reader uses she/her pronouns.

Warnings: Violence, fluff

Word Count: 4850

Part 2

A/N: I have been obsessing over Klaus lately and thought I would share this passion with you guys. I haven’t seen TVD or TO in a while so I apologize if I get anything wrong about the lore. It doesn’t follow any canon plot, just inspired by Klaus healing Caroline’s bite.

You’re leaning against a wall in the Salvatore brothers’ house as the rest of your friends talk about their newest plan to threaten Klaus and his family. The idea seems foolish to you, but you know better than to voice your opinion. Ever since the Mikaelson clan moved to town, being a vampire has gotten a lot more complicated. You’re suddenly not so immortal when there’s a whole group of people out to get you and your friends.

You’ve also started to notice a shift in the group as Elena now has feelings for both Salvatores. You’re well aware that your presence has slowly started to go unnoticed and yet here you are again. You watch as the group argues about how to lure Klaus and co. to the woods where you’ll meet him.

“What if we send someone to his house to deliver the message?” Elena suggests. But Stefan shakes his head.

“No, it’s too risky,” he says.

“Not if we send someone with a white oak stake for protection,” Caroline says.

“That would ruin the plan,” Bonnie says. There’s a silence as the group thinks of a new idea. Until Damon speaks.

“What if we get Y/N to call him?” Damon says, looking at you for the first time today. Your eyes widen as the rest of the group now looks at you. As if they weren’t just ignoring you.

“What? N-no way,” you say, not prepared to be put on the spot.

“Come on, he’s clearly shown an interest in you. Now’s the time to use that,” he argues. It’s true. Ever since you first met, Klaus seems to have taken a liking to you. But you think the group’s making it a bigger deal than it is. You think he just does it as a way to annoy the group. Though why he chose you instead of someone like Caroline or Bonnie, you’ll never know. 

“I don’t want to do that,” you say, not wanting to explain exactly why. You’re not even quite sure yourself. “Besides, it probably won’t work. I mean, I don’t even have his phone number.”

“Oh right,” Damon says, furrowing his eyebrows as you throw a retch in his plan.

“You could deliver the message in person,” Caroline suggests. Your jaw almost drops.

“Wait, so it’s too risky if someone else goes to the house, but not me?”

“Come on, he won’t hurt you,” Damon says. You’re beginning to think being a wallflower was the better option.

“We all have to help, Y/N,” Elena says. You choke on your words as you look around, seeing no one objecting to this plan.

“Wait, you guys my message spell!” Bonnie exclaims. Everyone turns to her and you are relieved to be out of the spotlight as you lean back against the wall. “I need paper, something to write with, and something of Klaus’s.”

Though you are currently mad at all of them, you decide you’re mad at Bonnie the least so you open your bag. You’re able to scrounge up the materials, even something of Klaus’s (you didn’t ask). With the necessary ingredients, Bonnie performs her spell and the written note lights on fire before quickly disintegrating. She opens her eyes.

“That should do it,” she says.

“We should go,” Elena says and everyone agrees.

†††

The group is waiting in the woods for Klaus to appear, as is expressed in the letter. Another argument broke out on the way here as to who will get the white oak stake as you only brought one to threaten Klaus with. The group didn’t want to risk any of the other stakes. In the end, Damon won the argument as he reminded Stefan his responsibility was to look out for Elena, which she did not like. The rest of you are armed with regular stakes just in case anything happens.

“When is he going to get here?” Caroline says, though no one answers as no one knows. “I mean, how can he even find us? We’re in the middle of the woods!”

“He can probably track us by seeking out Elena’s blood,” Damon says which angers Elena. Sometimes you feel bad for her being the only human amongst the group (other than Matt), and other times you envy her for it.

When the group is about ready to give up, you hear something coming. The other vampires can hear it too and you ready yourselves. Soon enough, Klaus stands before you with a smile on his face. “Well, well, isn’t this a nice surprise? I hadn’t realized we were pen pals,” the Original says. His eyes rake over the group and he perks up when he spots you. “Hello love.”

The others glance at you and, panicked to be on the spot again, you say, “Uh, hi,” with a small and awkward wave.

This causes Klaus’ smile to grow wider and seemingly more genuine, and you try to suppress the urge to blush. Although you don’t think your friends were pleased by that interaction.

“I assume you know why you’re here,” Stefan says, bringing Klaus’ attention back to the group.

“Ah yes, the cryptic message,” Klaus says. “So, what is it that I must see? Truly, I’m dying to know.” You see Damon smirk.

“I wouldn’t act so cocky,” he says.

“Oh, and why’s that?” Klaus says with an entertained look on his face. His face changes, however, when Damon reveals the white oak stake. His cocky attitude shifts quickly to fear and anger. “Where did you get that?” he growls.

“Well it turns out when your sister burned down that bridge, she didn’t realize that other things were made from your precious oak tree,” Damon taunts. He’s exaggerating, of course, as there was only one other thing made from the tree. But Klaus still looks fearful.

“So what? You really think you can kill me with one stake?”

“We don’t intend to kill you. At least not now anyway,” Caroline says.

“We called you here as a threat. To tell you to leave Mystic Falls or else,” Stefan says with a calm smile on his face.

“Oh, and this isn’t the only stake. We wouldn’t risk bringing all of them with us just for you to break them,” Elena says.

“You’re bluffing,” Klaus sneers.

“Care to find out?” Damon asks. You can practically feel the steam of anger rolling off Klaus.

“How dare you threaten me,” Klaus says, his blue-green eyes turning a deadly shade of yellow.

“What are you going to do about it?” Damon says with a taunting smirk. Klaus’ face shifts and he smirks back.

“Why I’m so glad you asked,” he says. He then lets out a whistle and some of his hybrids emerge from the woods. You widen your gaze as you hold out your weapon, trying to assess the situation. The hybrids move in closer, and you can see the others preparing themselves. “Now, let’s try this again. Hand over the stake, and no one gets hurt.”

You thought the answer would be obvious. Sure, Klaus might be bluffing but you can’t kill that many hybrids. And what’s one lost stake anyway? However, you seemed to be the only one thinking that.

“No thanks,” Damon says. You look at him incredulously.

“I was hoping you’d say that,” Klaus says. As soon as Klaus advances, his hybrids pounce and the group is thrown into an attack. Your weapons will only slow the hybrids down, but your best hope is to get the upper hand and snap their necks to incapacitate them.

Damon and Klaus immediately face off. The rest of you prepare to face the small army of hybrids while Stefan protects Elena. One of the hybrids locks onto you and hisses before attacking you. You instantly try to hold the hybrid off and stab her, but you can feel her overpowering you in strength.

Still, you rely on your moves in combat to avoid any major injuries or worse, her bite. You manage to get the upper hand and stab her through the stomach, and while she’s slowed down, you move to behind her back and snap her neck, knocking her out for a good while.

You’re trying to catch your breath when you sense another hybrid coming at you too late. He pounces on you and you slam into the ground with him on top of you. You’re caught off guard and without your stake. When you try to move to fight back, the hybrid digs his teeth into your shoulder. A short scream rips through you, powered both by panic and pain.

Meanwhile, Klaus is fighting Damon when he hears the scream. He looks your way as he feared it was you, and the scene causes his eyes to widen. With a newfound urgency, Klaus faces Damon and quickly finds a way to snap his neck.

As you’re panicking from the bite, you feel the hybrid being pulled off of you and you see Klaus with a furious expression. The hybrid is very confused by his sire’s anger. You think you hear Klaus growl, “Not her,” before snapping their neck.

You’re shocked at what just happened all at once and remain on the ground, sitting up with wide eyes looking at Klaus. He looks away from the hybrid to meet your gaze and his eyes instantly soften. He looks concerned, though you’re not sure why. He makes a move to walk toward you but before you can say anything, Caroline rushes over to you.

She quickly puts herself between Klaus and you. “Stay away from her,” she hisses at him. Klaus’ expression shifts back to anger, and before you can explain to Caroline what’s going on, Klaus’s gaze flick from her to you and then he sprints away. Not just away from you, but he leaves the forest. The hybrids that haven’t been incapacitated follow.

You look after him, longing to talk to him and figure out why he saved you, when Caroline’s face comes into view. “Are you okay?” she asks while helping to pull you off the ground. You nod and you guess that’s enough for her because she walks towards the rest of the group.

You’re a bit stunned as Klaus seemed to show more compassion than your friend, but you merely shake off the exchange. From the woods, the group heads back to the Salvatore’s place. You trail behind them, your mind racing as you’re overly aware of the fact that a werewolf bit you. Not just a werewolf, but a hybrid. You haven’t told your friends about it because you don’t want to be a bother to them as that’s all you feel like you are these days.

On the way back, your mind wanders to the one person that seems to be on everyone’s minds these days. Klaus. You don’t know why he saved you, even from his own hybrid, but you want to thank him. You know you should hate him like the others do but for some reason every time that man looks at you, your stomach erupts into butterflies.

You feel awful for how you feel, you know all the harm he’s caused to your friends and not to mention the world, but you can’t help it. It doesn’t help that he pretends to be soft on you either. You haven’t told anyone about your feelings, whatever they are, for fear of persecution but you can’t stop thinking about him.

You arrive at the Salvatore’s and the group huddles in the living room for a quick debriefing of what just went down. All the while images of Klaus and your bite flash through your mind. You look at your shoulder and you can’t see the full damage as it’s covered by your shirt but you know it’s not good.

“How are you holding up, Damon?” Caroline asks teasingly. He glares at her and rolls his neck.

“Doing just great thanks,” he says.

“What the hell even happened?” Elena asks. “I mean, why did they just leave?”

“All I know is, one minute I’m holding my own against Klaus--” Damon says and to this you hold back rolling your eyes. Klaus must’ve been going easy on him, toying with him. “--and then he gets this raged look on his face and boom, lights out.”

“He went to Y/N,” Caroline says causing all of their eyes to stare at you again. You bite back your annoyance at her for bringing that on you.

“What happened?” Stefan asks while the rest of the group waits. The image of Klaus looking at you causes your face to heat up and you struggle to come up with a lie. You don’t want to tell them the truth when you yourself haven’t even gotten to the bottom of it.

“I-I don’t know,” you say. They still stare at you. “Maybe he was mad at me for harming his hybrids.”

“There were two knocked-out hybrids beside her,” Caroline adds. The group looks at you with a mix of shock and amazement.

“You knocked out two of them?” Damon asks with surprise and slight amusement. You don’t want to outwardly lie so you just kind of nod.

“And then he just left,” you say.

“It still doesn’t make sense. I mean, why target you specifically?” Bonnie asks.

“Maybe he’s miffed his lover betrayed him,” Damon says and your face turns beat red.

“W-What?! I am not his—” you burst out in surprise until someone cuts you off. No one even looks your way.

“Or maybe he’s planning something,” Elena suggests. The rest of them start diving into conspiracies but your mind is elsewhere. You suddenly feel drawn to look at your bite. The more you look at it, the more it’s like you can feel the venom pumping through your veins. Your heartbeat is suddenly too loud and you feel like you can’t breathe.

You don’t know if it has something to do with the venom or just your overall panic, but all of a sudden, the world goes black.

†††

Your eyes slowly open and your vision is blurry at first. Figures stand over you and after blinking a few times, you recognize your friends.

“She’s awake,” Elena says, as if everyone isn’t seeing it for themselves. You realize you’re lying on the Salvatore’s couch. You wonder how long you blacked out for.

“What the hell Y/N?!” Caroline instantly yells at you. You flinch at her volume but she doesn’t seem to notice. “Why didn’t you tell us you got bit?”

At the reminder, you look back at the bite only to see that its gotten worse. You wince at the sight of it and face the group. You guess they discovered it when you passed out.

“I don’t know, I-I thought I could handle it,” you say, not wanting to admit the real reason. Most of them roll their eyes at you.

“Of course you couldn’t handle it!” Damon says. “You should have told us.”

I didn’t know you cared. You bite your tongue to keep the words from spilling out of your mouth. “I’m sorry,” you say, losing interest in the conversation as you are now painfully aware of the venom from the bite.

“What are we going to do?” Bonnie asks. They begin to cut you out of the conversation even though they’re talking about you and you decide you can’t deal with this right now. You stand up from the couch, feeling a bit of a head rush before steadying yourself. This seems to draw their attention.

“Hey wait, where are you going?” Stefan asks, as they all look at you with bewildered expressions.

“I’m going home,” you say and start to walk away. Unfortunately, they follow.

“You can’t just go home!” Caroline exclaims, reacting as if you just said you were going to the moon.

“Watch me,” you say, your frustration getting the better of you. You try to make your way towards the door but a few steps in you stumble and Stefan speeds over to steady you.

“Okay, we’ll take you home, alright?” he says and in that moment, you’re grateful for him. He turns to the rest of the group. “We can regroup at her place and brainstorm ideas there while keeping an eye on her.” The rest of the group seems to agree with the idea. In separate cars, the group drives over to your house.

Soon you’re pulling into your driveway. They’ve all been invited in before so entering isn’t a problem. With Stefan’s help, you climb the stairs and soon find yourself in your cozy bed. You wish you could just sleep away this problem but a sudden sharp pain from the wound reminds you that isn’t possible.

“So what now?” Elena asks as the group piles into your bedroom. It feels weird and you’re slightly uncomfortable with it but you keep quiet and just get under your inviting covers.

“Maybe we can ask Klaus for help?” Bonnie suggests. At this, Damon instantly scoffs.

“Yeah that sounds like him,” Damon says.

“Maybe he’ll do it for Y/N,” Caroline says. “He does have a soft spot for her.”

“I don’t know if that’s enough for him,” Stefan interjects. “We all know what he’s after.”

“No,” Damon says. “We finally have a real weapon against those Original assholes and I’m not just going to throw it all away for—”

“Damon,” Elena hisses and nudges him in the chest before nodding over to you. Once more, all eyes are on you and you don’t know what to do. Damon looks away, maybe feeling guilty for basically saying you’re not worth it.

“Why don’t we continue this conversation downstairs?” Caroline suggests. You once again wonder why they’re talking about this situation without you but you’re too tired and hurt to care.

“We’ll be downstairs if you need anything,” Bonnie says and then the group filters out closing the door behind them.

Throughout the day a few of them check in on you every once and a while, barely giving you updates on if they’re going to find a cure. As your pain grows and the sky darkens, you start to think that maybe this is it. Maybe this is how you die. You never imagined it happening like this and your chest caves in at the thought of a final death but it’s looking more and more likely.

You’re not sure what time it is, but later in the night you hear a faint knock which sounds like it’s coming from your front door. You ignore it, not having the strength to answer it. You figure one of your friends will answer it. If they’re even home.

The knock sounds again, louder and more persistent, and you start to suspect that your friends have left. You take a deep breath as fear coils around your throat, constricting your breath. Your friends aren’t here and you’re going to die all alone before you even got to live. The knocking stops and you settle back into the silence.

Then a sound comes from your window. It sounds like…knocking? From your bed, you can’t see the outside since it���s too dark out. You wish your friends were here. Slowly, you climb out of bed and try to rally your strength in case you have to fight something or someone. As you walk over your confusion only grows.

There, perched on a branch from the tree outside your window, is Klaus Mikaelson. He gives you a wave and you hesitantly wave back. You approach the window cautiously before opening it.

“Um, can I help you?” you ask, trying to understand what you’re seeing. Hallucinations are a side effect of wolf venom, right?

“Well hello to you too, love,” he says with a cheeky smile on his face. His eyes roam over your body and his smile falters. You suddenly become aware that this is the closest you’ve ever been to the Original. You try not to let your cheeks flush.

“What are you doing here?” His smile drops entirely, noticing your serious demeanour.

“I’m here to help. Now if you could just let me in—”

“Help with what?” His face becomes grim as his eyes trail over to your shoulder. It’s now out in the open as you’ve changed into pajamas. You then remember that he must’ve seen the bite when it happened.

“Your wound, love.”

“Why…why would you want to help me with that?” you ask. Then a thought occurs. “Wait, have my friends spoken to you?”

His eyebrows furrow as he shakes his head. “No, I haven’t heard from them,” he says and though you can’t say you didn’t expect it, your heart drops at hearing it. “Wait, do they know about this?”

“Um yeah.”

He looks angry as he asks, “And where are they now?”

You look at the floor and try to keep your embarrassment inside. “I don’t know, I thought they would’ve contacted you.”

“Apparently not.” His face is still twisted in anger although you’re not quite sure why. Then he looks at you and seems to remember why he’s here. “So, can you let me in?”

The thought of having Klaus Mikaelson in your room makes your heart beat faster. And though you want to give in, to continue living your immortal life, you hesitate. “Why should I trust you?”

“What?”

“How do I know if I let you in now, it won’t come back to bite me in the ass?” you ask, your arms crossed.

Klaus doesn’t seem to understand your concern. “Love, you realize that’s a hybrid bite. I don’t think you have the time for this.”

“So you admit that you would use it later?”

His face scrunches up. “That’s not—no I wouldn’t do that—just please let me in,” he says, giving you a sincere look that threatens to break down your walls. Just as you’re about to question him more, a wave of pain washes over your body. You let out a groan as you slightly stumble back. “Y/N?” The pain grows more intense and you let out a whimper before you collapse onto your knees. “Y/N!” It’s as if your body is at war with itself and you can feel every impact of it.

“You have to let me in, just say the words and I can help you. Please!” You hear Klaus say from the window. But it’s hard to find words when the pain is so intense. You want it to stop. “Y/N!” You hear him bang his fist against the walls of your house.

You slowly lift your head up to see his worried face, desperately waiting for you to let him in. You no longer care if this will come back to haunt you. You take a few deep breaths before you say, “Come in.”

As soon as the words take effect, Klaus rushes into the house and scoops you into his arms. You clutch at his chest, not thinking of anything but the pain. He carries you over to the bed and gently places you down before quickly running over to the window to close it. The pain seems to be dwindling down but you know it’ll be back. Your whole body is so weak, you used the last of your strength to walk over and talk to Klaus.

Speaking of, he’s quickly back at your bedside, eyes furiously scanning you for signs of physical distress. Then his eyes lock on yours and you feel your breath hitch. “You have to drink my blood,” he says quietly to you.

You know that that’s the cure and that it will save you, but you’re still hesitant. This is Klaus you’re talking about. The big bad hybrid who’s been attacking your friends and causing chaos for weeks now. And yet for some reason, a part of you wants to trust him. A part of you wants to give in to the idea that he could be good. But how can you trust him when you can’t even trust your own instincts?

He must sense your hesitation, because he leans down to look into your eyes. When you look at him, you’re stuck by how truly beautiful he is. His eyes are a beautiful blue, but more than that, they hold a look of sincerity in them. “I know you don’t trust me, I wouldn’t either,” he says. “But this is what’s going to save you. So please, take a chance. What have you got to lose?”

He does have a point.

“I don’t want to die,” you admit in a small voice. Your breath stutters as you let the fear bubbling inside of you rise to the surface. Klaus’s look is sympathetic.

“I don’t want that either,” he whispers. Your eyes meet and you feel caught in them. “Let me help you.”

Maybe it’s because this is a different, more sincere side of Klaus that you’ve never seen before. Maybe it’s because your friends are gone and you’re feeling vulnerable. Maybe it’s because your instincts seem to have aligned. Either way, you nod your head.

He offers you a small smile. He then sits on the bed and gently shifts you so that you’re leaning against his chest. You’re too weak to move yourself. Klaus rolls up his sleeve and bites down on his wrist before bringing it close to your lips. You’re tempted but look at him to make sure it’s okay first. He nods and you sink your teeth into his wrist.

At first, you feel weird about the situation. But then you lean into it and begin to enjoy it. Klaus whispers encouragingly in your ear as his blood enters your body. You can feel your strength begin to return and the fog in your brain clear. You almost don’t want to stop, and the way Klaus is petting your hair doesn’t help. But eventually, you know you’ve had enough, so you pull away.

“Wasn’t so bad, eh?” Klaus says and you look up to see him smiling down at you. “Are you going to be okay?”

“I think so.”

“Then I guess my work here is done.” He moves you so you’re lying back on your bed, but when he moves to leave, you grab his arm. He looks back, confused.

“Why did you do that?” When his confusion doesn’t clear, you clarify. “Why did you help me?”

He looks down at the floor and his lip twitches into a smile. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, love, but I quite fancy you. Wouldn’t want you dying on me before I’ve had a chance to win you over.”

His words shock you enough to let go of his arm. The strangest part is that he looks sincere about it. “But…you actually like me? Like, that wasn’t all an act?” you ask. Both of you seem to be confused by the other.

“Why would I do that?” You start to feel embarrassed.

“To—to get on the group’s nerves? To throw us off?”

“Is it so hard to believe that I might just like you?” To be honest, the thought hadn’t occurred to you. Trickery made more sense.

“Yes,” you say and then wish you didn’t. “I—I mean, why me? Why not Caroline or Bonnie?”

“Besides the fact that you’re the most gorgeous creature I’ve ever laid eyes on?” he asks and you’re suddenly glad it’s dark because your cheeks are on fire right now. “Because you’re different.” That doesn’t make you feel so great. He must have picked up on that because he catches your eye and says, “Because you’re better.” The idea makes you flustered, that anyone would think you’re better than them, let alone a powerful hybrid like Klaus.

“I still don’t understand.”

“Hmm.” He seems to think on what to say before smirking. “Then I guess I’ll have to do a better job at showing you.” When he winks at you, you think your face might be on fire from how hot it is. Once again, he turns to leave.

“Thank you,” you call out which makes him stop in his tracks. He turns around to face you and seems confused by your words. But you mean them. He didn’t have to save you, you gave him nothing in return, and yet he did.

He smiles and you think it’s much better than the fake ones he gives to the group. “Of course love,” he says. “Couldn’t have my favourite vampire dying on me.” You give him a smile back, genuinely happy to hear someone say that to you.

Then your eyelids begin to feel heavy and you have to blink rapidly to stay awake. Klaus sees this and says, “Goodnight, my love,” before opening your bedroom window.

“Goodnight,” you say back as you watch the window close. You lay back down on your bed, thankful to no longer be dying. You guess you have your new saviour to thank for that. As you close your eyes, you can’t help but see Klaus in a different light. Not as a villain, but as a complicated man. You don’t think your friends are going to like your change of heart, so for now you’ll keep it to yourself. You’ll be content in knowing that maybe the big bad hybrid isn’t so bad after all.

[book--brackets]

Summaries under the cut

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will be busier still.

By her brother's graveside, Liesel's life is changed when she picks up a single object, partially hidden in the snow. It is The Gravedigger's Handbook, left behind there by accident, and it is her first act of book thievery. So begins a love affair with books and words, as Liesel, with the help of her accordian-playing foster father, learns to read. Soon she is stealing books from Nazi book-burnings, the mayor's wife's library, wherever there are books to be found.

But these are dangerous times. When Liesel's foster family hides a Jew in their basement, Liesel's world is both opened up, and closed down.

The Giver by Lois Lowry

At the age of twelve, Jonas, a young boy from a seemingly utopian, futuristic world, is singled out to receive special training from The Giver, who alone holds the memories of the true joys and pain of life.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Here are talented tomboy and author-to-be Jo, tragically frail Beth, beautiful Meg, and romantic, spoiled Amy, united in their devotion to each other and their struggles to survive in New England during the Civil War.

Charlotte's Web by E. B. White

Some Pig. Humble. Radiant. These are the words in Charlotte's Web, high up in Zuckerman's barn. Charlotte's spiderweb tells of her feelings for a little pig named Wilbur, who simply wants a friend. They also express the love of a girl named Fern, who saved Wilbur's life when he was born the runt of his litter.

The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini

When Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy; perhaps it will buy his family meat for the winter. But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon soon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself.

Overnight his simple life is shattered, and he is thrust into a perilous new world of destiny, magic, and power. With only an ancient sword and the advice of an old storyteller for guidance, Eragon and the fledgling dragon must navigate the dangerous terrain and dark enemies of an Empire ruled by a king whose evil knows no bounds.

His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman

Lyra is rushing to the cold, far North, where witch clans and armored bears rule. North, where the Gobblers take the children they steal--including her friend Roger. North, where her fearsome uncle Asriel is trying to build a bridge to a parallel world.

Can one small girl make a difference in such great and terrible endeavors? This is Lyra: a savage, a schemer, a liar, and as fierce and true a champion as Roger or Asriel could want--but what Lyra doesn't know is that to help one of them will be to betray the other.

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

If you ain’t scared, you ain’t human.

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He’s surrounded by strangers—boys whose memories are also gone.

Nice to meet ya, shank. Welcome to the Glade.

Outside the towering stone walls that surround the Glade is a limitless, ever-changing maze. It’s the only way out—and no one’s ever made it through alive.

Everything is going to change.

Then a girl arrives. The first girl ever. And the message she delivers is terrifying.

Remember. Survive. Run.

Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

You'll meet a boy who turns into a TV set, and a girl who eats a whale. The Unicorn and the Bloath live there, and so does Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout who will not take the garbage out. It is a place where you wash your shadow and plant diamond gardens, a place where shoes fly, sisters are auctioned off, and crocodiles go to the dentist.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow-impossible though it seems-they may still be alive.

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Mary Lennox, a spoiled, ill-tempered, and unhealthy child, comes to live with her reclusive uncle in Misselthwaite Manor on England’s Yorkshire moors after the death of her parents. There she meets a hearty housekeeper and her spirited brother, a dour gardener, a cheerful robin, and her wilful, hysterical, and sickly cousin, Master Colin, whose wails she hears echoing through the house at night.

With the help of the robin, Mary finds the door to a secret garden, neglected and hidden for years. When she decides to restore the garden in secret, the story becomes a charming journey into the places of the heart, where faith restores health, flowers refresh the spirit, and the magic of the garden, coming to life anew, brings health to Colin and happiness to Mary.

[ghoul-bonez]

~Your New Home~

(Neteyam x Fem! Na’vi! Reader)

Summary: You had never had any intention to meet another Na’vi, nor did you expect to ever visit Neteyam’s clan, but when he asks you to come meet his family you can’t say no.

Word Count: 5.5k

Author’s Note: PT 2!!! Very fun! Very excited! ENJOY! Thank you @eywas-heir for beta reading <3

~Last - Next~

~Series Masterlist~

~Main Masterlist~

Your New Home

Spending time with Neteyam was easy.

It was the calm within the eye of a hurricane, a time to relax between the chaos the forest brought to your life. He was calming to you, his presence, his energy, his voice, and as you laid on the soft grass of your meeting spot he would often tell you stories.

He would tell you many stories, one of your favorites being how he claimed his ikran. You were in awe of it, the way he did it being so different from you. All you had to do was call out and one of the many ikrans who had helped raise you would come to your rescue, scooping you up and taking you high above the ground. He had one, you had many.

It was so simple for you, a struggle for him. Many things were simple for you, and a struggle for him.

Meeting up with him was simple, you left your hunting for later in the day, leaving your den early in the morning, and returning late at night after a quick hunt, just enough for you and your palulukan mother.

Him meeting up with you was harder. He had to do his morning chores in a rush, meet up with his father, and figure out a lie for why he had to venture into the forest on his own. Most of the time it being hunting practice without distractions of other people. Then when he got back home he would rush to do his nightly chores so he could be ready in time for the clan’s dinner.

Hunting for you came so easy, it was natural, like you had been doing it your whole life, and he supposed you had. You were so in touch with your surroundings it took you maybe ten minutes to find a trail, ten more to track down the animal, and the takedown was quick, quicker than he had ever seen. It was a clean kill every single time, like it was so simple for you.

Hunting for him was easy enough, but not natural like it was for you. He was one of the best hunters in his clan, being a decorated Omaticaya warrior, but most of the time he took double the time it took you. His bow skills were sharp, he was taught by the best of the best, but somehow the best of the best could never match up with your self-taught skills.

You had been living in the forest your whole life, growing in the middle of it, never having a break. It has hardened you, taught you to survive. There was no true safety in the forest, nothing was promised to you, only vague messages telling you it would be okay.

Living in the forest would wear him down. He had grown up in the safety of his clan’s village. He had loved the forest ever since he was young, adventuring with Lo’ak and his other siblings, but at the end of the day he went back home to the safety of his village, surrounded by people sworn to protect and kelkus that protected him from the elements. The forest is too harsh for him.

He hates that you have to endure that. You deserve safety as much as he, or anyone, else does. You deserve to be warm and safe as storms pass overhead. You deserve to be happy and safe as you have a lazy day around the village, weaving or doing whatever you wish. You deserve to be full and safe after a meal, not having to worry about hunting for yourself every single day.

He wants you to be safe.

The only way he could think to do that was for you to live in the Omaticaya village, where he felt most safe. Where you would be protected and unbothered.

What he didn’t know was you felt plenty safe in the forest. You actually quite enjoyed the danger lurking throughout the shadows of the underbrush. You didn’t mind the rain outside your warm dry den. You didn’t mind sitting in the elements as you relaxed. You didn’t mind hunting every day.

The forest was calm today, or as calm as it could be. Birds chirped, ikrans screeched in the distance, a breeze blew through the trees, rustling the leaves, all of the background noises blended together into a quiet comforting buzz. The sun peeked through the trees, warm on your skin as you ran your hand over the grassy ground.

Neteyam was smiling down at you where you laid on the lush green grass, head in his lap, eyes up on his face, admiring the smile that you had once wanted to slap off of his face. He looked beautiful, ethereal, with the sun shining down around him.

You smiled as well, placing a hand on his face gently, feeling his soft skin like you loved so much. You breathed deeply, calm, as you listened to the sounds of the forest around you while you sat in silence with Neteyam.

Whenever you would first meet up in the morning you had silent time, a time where you didn’t have to focus on forming words, but instead got to bask in Neteyam’s presence. You could simply exist around each other, your gentle touches expressing anything you needed to say.

He carefully brushed some hair out of your face, still loose like it had always been, but less tangled than before. The softness of it when it was brushed out was surprising to you, but very welcomed. You felt pretty with your hair loose and untangled, dark and wavy as it fell down your back.

Neteyam smiled wider, humming, making a thinking face which made you giggle. He cleared his voice, like he always did when quiet time was over, and you prepared yourself for the conversation to come.

He spoke softly, quietly but loud enough for you to hear, “What story would you like to hear today?”

You cleared your throat too, humming, “Hm,” You thought, for a second, “Tell me about your home.” You paused for a second, adding on, “Please.” remembering your manners Neteyam had been desperately trying to teach you.

“Okay, if that’s what you want.” He was surprised, he hadn’t expected that to be your request, he had expected you to ask for the story of his Iknimaya or any of the folktales he had told you before.

You smiled, “It is. I have heard all of the other stories plenty of times before.” You explained, and that made enough sense to him.

Neteyam smiled, thinking about his home, “Well, it is nice enough. There are many kelkus scattered about, some bigger, some smaller, but all big enough for the families that live in them. They are warm and comfortable, nice to come home to at the end of the day. We are a very tightly knit community, everyone knows everyone. We have nightly community meals where everyone gets to mingle. I love it.”

“What about your family?” You asked curiously.

“My family is rather large, there are six of us. My mother and father lead the family, they make sure we are all safe and happy, even if they go overboard sometimes. Then there are my siblings. I have a brother and two sisters. My brother is a pain in the ass, he’s always getting into trouble, and won’t stop disobeying father. My sisters are Kiri and Tuk. Tuk is the youngest, she’s eight, and she’s a ball of energy. Kiri is more calm, and she loves animals and plants, and they seem to like her too. She is also adopted, much like you.”

From hearing about Kiri she seemed a lot like you, but maybe with less rough edges, adopted by her own kind and not a bunch of animals, but you were grateful for your animal family. You thought about her a bit more, deciding, “I like Kiri.”

He laughs, smiling “I thought you would.” He waits for you to say something before asking, “Do you have any more questions?”

You thought, concentration on your face, then you decided on something, curiosity overtaking you, “You have told me about roles in your clan before, so what do you do in the clan?”

“I am going to be the future Olo’eyktan when my father is ready to retire. My father says I will be a strong leader,” Neteyam smiled proudly, before focusing on you, “but I will need a Tsahík.” He tried to hint at his intent.

You didn’t get the hint, mumbling, “Oh…” You frowned. No future leader would want you by their side, but Neteyam took all this time to help you learn, and he said he loved you, you knew he loved you. What was he doing?

He frowned then, cradling your face in his warm hands, “What’s wrong yawne?” He did not intend to upset you, but clearly something he had said had hurt you. He did not want to hurt you.

You sighed, trying to smile convincingly, “Nothing. I am okay.” You hoped he would drop it, you were not ready to address it. Instead, you wanted to move on, maybe drop the whole conversation about his clan.

He sighs as well, still frowning, “I know something is wrong, but I will not push you.” He wanted to get to the bottom of it, but he knew even with all your time with him you were still skittish. He was worried you would scurry off, and leave him alone. Instead of pushing it he switched the topic, “I want you to come meet my family.” He offered.

“Oh…” You were shocked. You had never intended to meet his family, happy with learning little bits and pieces about them from him from time to time, but as you thought about it you wondered what it would be like to meet them, deciding, “I would love to.”

A serious look was on his face, but you could tell he was anxious, very anxious, “How about we go now…” His voice fades off, “If you are ready?” He proposes.

You frowned, “Won’t they be busy?” They sounded like busy people, his parents being the clan leaders, and you knew his siblings often went out on adventures.

“Not really,” He cracked a smile, giggling, “I kind of told everyone I would be bringing a visitor today…”

You were surprised, and let it show on your face, “And I was not going to hear about that until now?”

“It is supposed to be a surprise,” He rolled his eyes sarcastically, “but please?”

You hesitated, were you ready for this? You weren’t sure, and you wished you had more time to prepare, but you made up your mind, “Okay… let’s go.”

Neteyam smiled fondly at you, placing a soft kiss on your forehead, “Thank you, tiyawn.”

“Mhm.” Was all you said, anxiety starting to gnaw at your stomach, butterflies inside, but instead of them fluttering around happily their wings beat hard, knocking all around.

You slowly sat up so that Neteyam could get up, and once he was and you hadn’t moved, feeling stuck to your spot, he reached his hand out, offering to pull you up.

He sighed, offering you a small smile, “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”

“I want to.” You reassured him, and tried to convince yourself you were ready.

The walk was short, you never knew Neteyam lived so close to your meeting place, or maybe it was longer than it seemed as you zoned out the whole walk, coming back to reality when Neteyam stopped and you slammed into his back. You apologized, and he reassured you it was okay.

You were going to be okay.

When you stepped out of the brush it was like all eyes around you focused in on you, and they had. There weren't many people, but they all looked in your direction, and it scared you. You found yourself feeling uncomfortable and skittish, maybe even a bit hostile as you glared back at the people, ready to scatter off if anything were to go wrong.

All of your thoughts, negative and positive, stopped when Neteyam reached out to you, wrapping an arm around you, and squeezing tightly enough to calm you a bit with his embrace. He quietly whispered, “It’s okay. You are okay.”

You tried to calm your breathing, “Teyam, they are staring at me.” You felt targeted, threatened, like they are waiting to pounce and hurt you, whether that is physically or verbally.

Neteyam knew they were just curious, they had never seen you before, and that was odd for them, to see another Omaticaya person, and looking the way you did with scars littering your skin. He tried to calm you, “They are just curious, I promise.”

“Okay…” You were not convinced, but tried to allow yourself to believe him.

“We are going to the Tsahík tent, to my grandmother. You will wait there, and I’m going to get my parents.”He informed you, “Think you can do that?” He asked, cautiously. He was willing to go about it another way if you were not comfortable with that plan.

You took a deep breath, preparing yourself beforehand, “Yes, I think that will be okay.”

Neteyam smiled, “Good.”

The rest of the walk was silent as you kept your eyes down, focusing on the ground instead of the many onlookers studying you. People whispered between each other, asking questions that they would have to wait for the answers to.

“Who is she?”

“Where did she come from?”

“Why is Neteyam with her?”

“Why are they so close?”

You ignored the whispers, and soon enough you were entering a tent. As you looked around you there were plants hung on the walls drying, many pots and jars sitting on tables, rolled herbs and leaves everywhere, and a woman sitting in the middle working a mortar and pestle, grinding something up into a thick paste.

Neteyam smiled at the strange lady, greeting her, “Oel ngati kameie, grandmother, it is nice to see you.”

You realized she must be the Tsahík, dressed in her special clothes, most likely making a healing paste. You remember Neteyam teaching you about her, about the significance of her clothes, about her exceptional healing abilities, and how she communes with Eywa.

You quickly snapped back to yourself, zoning out once again, when her head turned to you, “Oel ngati kameie.” You greeted as well, remembering Neteyam telling you that was a customary greeting. It was polite, and you had manners.

She smiles calmly, and it calms you as well, “It is nice to see you too, grandson, and it is great to finally meet you (Y/n), Neteyam has told me so much about you.” You are shocked. You figured he had talked about you, but you didn’t expect it to be her, maybe his mother or siblings.

You pulled on a polite smile while you felt yourself crumbling, “It is nice to meet you too.” You didn’t have much else to say, you figured there was more you probably should, but nothing came to mind.

After greetings were done Neteyam took a deep breath, turning to you, “(Y/n), I’m going to get my parents okay?”

“Okay…” You were hesitant, not too excited to be left alone with a new person. You felt your body itching to run, to sprint off and never return, but you tried your best to hold yourself together.

Once Neteyam left you felt like you were going to cry. Your body and mind didn’t know what else to do besides break down. They were battling, your body wanted to run, but your mind wanted to stay. You wanted to stay, for him, and so you did, digging your feet into the ground and taking a deep breath.

“You are okay, I do not bite.” Mo’at smiled at you. She was trying to calm you down, being as calm and slow as possible in her movements.

“I’m sorry.” You apologized, for what you weren’t quite sure, but you did anyway. Maybe it was because you were so uncomfortable, maybe it was because she could sense that.

Mo’at completely ignored your apology, pointing to a cushion you could sit on like she was currently. You carefully approached it, pulling it a few feet away on instinct, before sitting on it. It was comfortable, but something you were not sure of.

She hummed, speaking carefully, “Your connection with Eywa is extraordinary. It is like a piece of her is in you.” She told you, or you took it as a complement.

You were curious, about her, about how she communed with Eywa, “How can you tell?”

She just laughs quietly, to herself, not necessarily at you, but your ears lowered, “I am Tsahík, I know everything there is to do with the Great Mother.”

You frown, not quite understanding, asking, “Ah, okay. I have heard about Tsahík. You talk to Eywa, yes?”

“Yes,” She smiles at you, and you can see the anticipation in her eyes, she is waiting to tell you something, “and she has told me about you, shown me visions of a girl raised by the forest.”

You smiled this time, thinking about the forest, about your home, about your family, “She did raise me. She cares for me, she granted me a family, and a community that taught me to survive.”

Mo’at nodded her head, taking in your information, she had heard about how you were raised by the forest, but not by who in particular, “Ah, I see. Who is your family?”

You smiled, thinking about your family. Usually you wouldn’t be this open, but for some reason you felt you could open up to the woman, “I have a mother, and a sister, but my sister left recently. Now it is just me and my mom.”

Mo’at hums, “Hm, who is your mother?” She asks, digging a little deeper.

You hesitate, knowing that your raising was not traditional, but you decided to answer, “My mother is a palulukan, her name is Riir. I was raised by her, and the other animals of the forest.”

“Oh.” She paused, she looked slightly surprised, “You are very lucky Eywa granted you that.”

You smiled, nodding your head, “Yes, I am grateful to her.”

She stops, thinking, asking Eywa for guidance before continuing, when she got an answer from her she said, “I would like to teach you, do you know anything about healing?”

Thinking about whether you should do this or not, you shake your head, “No,” You pause, really thinking about this, you decide she might be able to teach you some valuable skills, “but I think it would be good to learn.”

She smiles, clapping her hands together, making you jump, “Good, I will teach you then.” She sets it in stone.

There is a beat of silence, comfort settling over you as you sign contently, getting a small break from the constant chaos since you had gotten there. You sit on your cushion, watching Mo’at as she goes about her business, studying her already, even before your lessons have started.

As soon as your heart rate had slowed to a normal state there was a knock on the doorway. Your ears swiveled in its direction first, your heart jumping up your throat, your stomach twisting uncomfortably. Your head was quick to follow your ears after your body’s natural responses, wide eyes holding fear and apprehension in them.

You fought off your flight response, keeping yourself firmly where you were, but you were still ready to take off if the need arose. Your eyes were unfocused as you looked around, looking for some sort of safety, some semblance of your normal.

You couldn’t see anything through blurry eyes and you panicked, ready to stand and run. Then hands came to your shoulders, shaking you carefully, and that was the last straw. You thrashed out of the person’s hold, shooting to your feet, and when you realized the entrance to the tent was blocked by people you panicked more. A loud, aggressive, hiss erupted from you, and you watched as everyone flinched away.

You were stiff as a board, looking for any way out, but when you failed to find one you felt your body giving up. Your knees were weak, and you felt like you were going to collapse in a pile of tears, but before you could, arms wrapped around you. You flailed, squirming and thrashing to get away from them, but when they didn’t let you go you surrendered.

“(Y/n)...”The word was extremely muffled, but you could make out your name, focusing in a little more, “(Y/n) listen to me.” You were still on edge, but could now understand what was being said, “(Y/n), it’s okay. It’s just me. Just Neteyam.”

You let out a sigh, calming down a little as you realized it was him, “Neteyam…” When he was convinced you were done freaking out he let you go, “Thank you. I’m sorry.” You looked at him, then the ground as you apologized.

He carefully cradled your face in his hands, “It's okay. You’re okay.” He reassured you, “I brought someone to meet you.”

You turned to the people, embarrassed you had freaked out in front of them, remembering your manners you said, “Oel ngati kameie. I am so sorry.”

You looked at the people, examining them. They were older, obviously Neteyam’s parents, and you could definitely tell by his mother. They looked so alike. His father was intimidating, they both were, but his mother less so, seeming more at ease than her mate, a small smile on her face. His father’s face was hardened, but you could see the shock on his face that he was desperately trying to hide.

His mother addressed you first while his father watched on, “It is okay.” She smiled at you, before turning to Neteyam, “You picked a feisty one. She has a strong heart.”

“She’s something…” His father commented, he drifted off at the end, not sure what else to say.

“Ma Jake.” Neytiri hissed a warning, quiet enough for just him, and unfortunately you with your super focused hearing. You weren’t sure what he had meant, but now understood it was supposedly an insult of some sort. Before you could overthink it she spoke again, “I am Neytiri, my mate is Jake. We want to welcome you to the Omaticaya clan.”

“Thank you.” You replied simply, still not sure what to do.

You heard someone shout for Jake in the background and he flinched, hissing out “Shit.” Before turning to everyone, “I have to go, I am so sorry. I hope to see you again (Y/n).”

Neytiri looked like she was about to complain, but Jake took off before she could say anything to him, so instead she turned back to you and Neteyam, “Neteyam, I think your father will need your help. If it is okay with (Y/n) I can show her around the village.”

Neteyam turned to you, and you smiled, she reminded you so much of him, and you reassured him, “I think that would be okay. Go help your father Teyam.”

He nodded, smiling at you, “Okay yawne I will find you again as soon as possible.” He promised, taking your hands and kissing the backs of them.

You felt your cheeks warm up, blushing, “Okay tiyawn, see you later.”

After Neteyam ran off you smiled at Neytiri hoping it was friendly and didn’t show how anxious you were, “You are okay. I am not going to do anything.” She reassured you, smiling back, but more comfortably, “Let us go.” She said, offering you an arm to hold, before beginning to walk when you cautiously held onto her, but you had to admit it made you feel a bit better.

She explained what everything around you was, what different people were doing, and who a few important people were, like the group of elders watching you curiously as you passed with Neytiri.

As you weaved in and out of the kelkus around you Neytiri explained what you were doing there, “We are going to our home now, so you can meet Neteyam’s siblings. If they are too much call me, and I will come help.” She explained to you.

“Okay. Thank you.” You smiled at her, grateful for her offer, but a little worried about why she had said that. You hoped they would not be too much.

When you arrived someone was already waiting outside the kelku, a boy around you and Neteyam’s age. He looked like Jake, like Neteyam looked like Neytiri, so you put the pieces together that this must be his brother.

As soon as you were close enough the boy practically pounced on you, circling you and looking at you from every angle, looking for what Neteyam saw in you. You were odd, not what Neteyam would usually go for, not like what he had gone for in the past, and it didn’t matter to you, but to his brother it was puzzling.

He was about to say something, mouth already open, before Neytiri held her hand up, “Lo’ak go inside. She will join you when she is ready.”

Lo’ak’s shoulders slumped in defeat before he ducked inside, and you smiled at his disappointment before speaking to Neytiri, “He is a lot already.” You were a little unsure about him, but you would try talking to him.

She giggled, covering her mouth with her hand like Neteyam does, “Yes, trust me I know.” She paused, and when you didn’t say anything she spoke again, “Take your time, step in when you are ready.”

You took a few deep breaths, calming yourself as much as possible, “I think I am ready. Thank you.” You expressed your gratitude to her before stepping inside.

When you got inside you were immediately bombarded by Lo’ak as he sprung up from where he was sitting dejected, “Hey! I’ve heard a lot about you, but Neteyam wouldn’t tell us your name. What’s your name?”

You were immediately overwhelmed, a little spooked by him springing up, immediately in your face, but you tried to answer his question, “(Y/n)... Neteyam gave it to me.”

He smiles sarcastically, “Awe, a little nickname. What’s your real name though?” He questions you, nearly pushing you to the edge.

You tried to reason with him, “You would not understand my real name…”

“What does that mean? I promise I could figure it out. You’ve gotta tell me!” He shouts enthusiastically, talking a mile a minute.

You were trying to figure out what he was saying, but he was just talking too fast, so you tried to let him know as simply as you could, “I’m sorry you’re speaking a little too fast, I am struggling to understand you…”

He gasped, realizing something, “Is Na’vi not your first language?”

“No.” You said, hesitantly, not sure what else to say.

“Oh…” He trailed off, thinking of what it was, but not coming up with anything, “ Well what is it?”

You stuttered out, struggling, “I- I’m, uh, not sure if I am ready to share that with you.”

He looked disappointed, and you were tempted to just tell him, “But you have to-” He was then cut off by a girl who you hadn’t even noticed was there, but was now standing up from her spot in the corner where she had been watching.

She scoffed at him, “Lo’ak, you skxawng, go away. She will talk with you when she is ready.” Scolding him, almost like you were sure Neytiri would.

“But-” He tried to protest, but she cut him off again.

She put her hands on her hips, rolling her eyes, “Lo’ak, I am serious, buzz off.”

“Fine…” He huffed, walking away to only Eywa knows where, defeated.

The girl turns to you, smiling, “I’m sorry, he's an idiot.”

“It’s fine. He’s just…” You paused, looking for the right words, “A lot.”

“I’m Kiri.” She introduces herself, and you can feel something special about her. She feels like you in some way, she feels connected to you somehow, and that comforted you.

“I am (Y/n), but you already know that.” You giggled, letting loose with her unlike anyone else, something was just so comforting about her.

With her comforting vibes you were able to relax, making small conversation as you sat in the middle of the home. It was nice, and you allowed her in more than anyone else in the village so far. Telling her about your experiences up until now, and how you appreciated her listening. She had smiled, and reassured you that she would be there anytime you needed to talk.

As you finally got comfortable something spooked you once again, a little girl who rushed into the home like a tornado ready to take down anyone in it’s way, “Kiri!” A little voice shouts as a younger girl sprints through the doorway, clinging to Kiri, “Someone stole my toy!”

Kiri sighed, sending you an apologetic look as you tried to calm yourself once again, “It’s okay, Tuk. We will get it later.”

Tuk whined, turning around and finally noticing you. She gasped, “You’re so pretty.” She complimented, “Are you Neteyam’s mate?” She asked, putting two and two together.

You froze in surprise, trying to form a response, stuttering out, “Oh, um, not yet…”

Kiri sighed, placing her face in her hands, “Tuk! That is rude to ask.” She scolded the younger girl.

Tuk was a lot, much like her brother, but you appreciated her young innocence, “It is okay, she is just curious.” You admired her curiosity about you, introducing yourself, “I am (Y/n).”

The girl smiled widely at you, “I’m Tuk!”

You smiled back tightly, “It is nice to meet you Tuk.”

The girl was excited to meet you to say the least, and you were slightly uncomfortable with her energetic demeanor, but less so than Lo’ak as she typically asked less pushy questions. She was adorable as well, a bright smile on her adorable soft baby face. You decided you liked her, much like Kiri, but in different ways.

Eventually Neteyam was released from his duties and he found you back at his family’s kelku. He smiled softly when he saw you talking with Tuk, but he could tell you were getting overwhelmed, your social battery running out.

He knew you wouldn’t do it yourself so he excused you from the conversation, explaining to everyone that you had to go home before it got dark. You were grateful for that, getting tired, ready to go home to your mother palulukan and go to sleep.

You and him swiftly exited the village and began the trek back to your usual meeting spot where you could make your way home from. When you got there the overwhelmedness from the whole day overtook you, and all you could do was hug Neteyam and cry quietly in his arms.

He held you, allowing you to let it all out, whispering to you about how proud of you he was, how good you had done, how everyone had enjoyed meeting you, and that made you feel slightly better, but you were just so tired you couldn't process that.

When you were done crying it out he let go of the embrace, instead holding you by your shoulders out in front of him, “I love you.” He whispered to you, just for you, and he placed a kiss on your forehead.

“I love you too, Teyam.” You smiled at him, kissing both of his cheeks. He smiled widely at that, and you could tell he was grateful for you as you were grateful for him.

You trudged your way home once you had parted ways, and when you arrived home you were surprised to find your mother palulukan had hunted today, giving you dinner when you got home. You gratefully ate, happy with the silence she gave you after the day you had.

When you were finished she was already peacefully asleep, and you cuddled up next to her, thinking about your day.

You had been on edge, anxious, skittish, the whole day, but overall you would call it a success. You had enjoyed meeting certain members of Neteyam’s family more than others, but overall you liked them.

You could see them being your family, in some ways, but they were truly Neteyam’s family, not yours. No matter how much you learned to love them they would never replace your family in the forest, the ones who raised you. They would never replace your palulukan mother.

Their clan was fine enough, their homes were nice and clean, probably safer than yours, but you would never trade your home for theirs. The forest would forever be your home, your first, your safety, but you could see yourself living there. You could see yourself living with Neteyam, your new home.

Word Bank:

Ikran (Mountain Banshee)

Palulukan (Thanator)

Omaticaya (Forest Na’vi)

Kelku (Omatikaya homes)

Iknimaya (Omatikaya rite of passage, claiming an ikran)

Olo’eyktan (Clan leader)

Tsahík (Spiritual leader)

Yawne (Beloved)

Tiyawn (Love)

“Oel ngati kameie.” (“I see you”, greeting)

Eywa (Na’vi goddess)

Great Mother (Eywa)

Skxawng (Idiot, moron)

@xstarsmvxz @netedoongie @c-h-i-l

[unexpectedreylo]

So, It Wasn't Planned After All

https://x.com/RichEisenShow/status/1734703529552699725?s=20

While Adam Driver is making the rounds to promote "Ferrari," he drops by the Rich Eisen Show and when asked about Ben Solo during the True or False segment, Adam spills the tea.

He doesn't get asked much about Star Wars so this is the first time I think he's talked about his character arc since TROS was unleashed upon us 4 years ago. And he drops the bomb that the Ben Solo thing wasn't planned from the beginning. That's right, Bendemption happened late in the game. He says that JJ Abrams told him the idea was Vader In Reverse (starts out vulnerable, ends entrenched in the dark side) and he kept that concept in mind throughout the time he filmed the ST, until they changed it with the last film. Adam has alluded to the concept of Vader In Reverse before but this is the first time he's gone into greater detail about it, including the revelation that the decision to turn Kylo from the dark side came during the third film.

This shouldn't be surprising to anyone who read the Duel of the Fates script and it explains why Ben hardly says a word during his scenes on Exegol. Abrams and Co. conceived of Kylo Ren as an evil bastard whose destiny was to get eviller; killing Han Solo was meant to be what sent him down the path of no return. Then two things happened: TLJ and Driver's commitment to humanizing Kylo Ren. People loved Kylo and Rey together (hence Reylo exploding in popularity) and they fell in love with Adam. They empathized with Kylo. So they changed course with TROS, a little. Kylo returns to the light as Ben but he is quickly dispatched once the big battle is over. I believe Ben's death was for two reasons: one, they were less invested and focused in Ben's part of the story than we were and two, there was always the intent to end the Skywalker line so Star Wars could focus on new characters. Remember, Rey essentially turned Skywalker into a title that could be transferred to anyone.

That the story changed over the course of the trilogy isn't that big a deal. There was no Chosen One prophecy until the prequels. Leia wasn't Luke's sister until Lucas wrote ROTJ. Han wasn't guaranteed to get out of carbonite because nobody was sure if Harrison Ford was going to come back. Instead of a tyrannical, ruthless bastard like Lee Pace's emperor in Apple TV's Foundation show, Kylo Ren gave us quivering lips, teary eyes, and mooning over the heroine who is supposed to be his enemy. When Rian Johnson introduced the bond between Rey and Kylo, Abrams and Terrio explained it as a dyad and made it prominent in the film. The kiss got put in because Reylo was so popular. Okay, fine.

The problem was they never should have made the Jedi Killer from early drafts Han and Leia's only child. As an old Star Wars fan who saw every film since 1977 and followed the Skywalker clan for over 40 years, I didn't want to see Anakin Skywalker's grandson end up even more evil than he was. What a huge bummer that would've been, even worse than if Rey was killed off. (For the record, I hated the whole Darth Jacen thing so much in the legends books I stopped reading them.) Abrams and Terrio probably realized it was going to be a problem returning to the idea that Ben was too evil to save; TROS already comes off as a tragic ending rather than a happy, triumphant one. And it goes against the whole message of Star Wars. So it ends up being Vader 2.0 and fans hoping Ben would survive were disappointed. I wasn't fond of the idea of exile or something as Ben's fate prior to TROS, but now I think that probably would've been the best outcome. It would've left a lot of possibilities to explore in future SW stories without having to come up with a convoluted explanation for bringing him back.

As much as they fumbled the ball, I'm glad they at least spared us Evil Kylo 4 Ever and Adam's turn as Ben was great even without anything to say besides "Ow." Adam sounded a little disappointed to me but maybe I'm just reading into it too much. In any case he has also stated in recent interviews he would be open to returning to Star Wars, so I guess we can still be hopeful even if he doesn't appear in the upcoming film. (Just don't wait 30 years, okay?)

[bonefall]

i cant remember correctly if this is true or not, but wasnt there a scene in po3 (?) where lionblaze used a dark forest move and brambleclaw literally recognized it as such and just. didnt address it? he literally just saw a move his own father taught him in cat hell and kinda. ignored it?

oh hey. You're right. I totally forgot about this.

It's worse than you remembered. It begins with Brambleclaw once again whining about how "everyone judged him :(" while then turning around and trying to bothsides Tigerstar. The guy who had his lackeys rehearse the public execution of mixed-blood cats.

"The trouble is that they only see my daddy for all the murder and public executions he did. Not how cool he was :( anyway yeah sure he betrayed his clan but WE ALL HAVE STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES" ?????????????????????????????????

STRENGTH = BEING COOL AND SMART

WEAKNESS = EVIL??

What was the point of the end of TNP where he "rejects his father once and for all" if he's STILL waffling about him not being all that bad?? (i mean, the answer is, he didn't actually meaningfully reject him because killing hawkfrost was self-defense. but the book's takeaway was that it was supposed to be a rejection so :/)

"It must be So Sad to only be remembered for how much you loved killing teenagers to send a message to the local Fire Twink... it's so awful.... he had good sides too. he was muscles. im also muscles, lionpaw... really makes you think..." -ExcellentDadQuotes.com

Also note how this moment where Bramble was trying to comfort Lionpaw just ends up with the child comforting the parent. Recurring theme with Brambleclaw.

The book is Dark River-- the part where Lionpaw starts getting targeted by Hawkfrost and Tigerstar. Interesting that Brambleclaw fails to warn his kid about how dangerous the rest of his Kin is because he's personally insecure about it. They've Got Good Sides.

It's unclear if Brambleclaw recognizes the move, or if he's just reminded of it. He seems to buy it when Lionpaw says he made it himself. I'd argue he's either willfully ignorant or oblivious.

Anyway that's what you remember. All of this. Good catch, my brain had flushed it down the stem.

[sabo-torao]

i'm very big on sabolaw because (to me) they just make sense. a whole lot of sense.

they both have their similarities in terms of backstory and lore: both of them saw the truth about the society they lived in at the age of 10, between the flames of a city, or part of a city, that they called home, and they both have lost an important figure in their life with whom they seeked freedom, and to whom they promised to keep their will alive, now living through their vows.

both sabo and law are in search of freedom. for sabo, it is more of an universal freedom, the freedom of the people before his own, even if it started as something he yearned for himself; for law, it's effectively a personal freedom, a freedom he wants to achieve for his own person, and for cora. but in order to achieve both of their goals and be free, they have to discover the truth about their world, and their lives. the true history.

checkered fate.

interestingly enough, in the manga sabo and law are described to both have a checkered fate; the five elders use this adjective to describe sabo's destiny, because he's surrounded by people with the moniker D, and law uses it to describe his own fate, when he decides he wants to seek out the meaning behind his name, and so discover the truth about the will of the D.

now, this is why i think sabo and law will end up working together, sooner or later. i know that law becoming an ally of the revolutionary army and/or linking up with sabo is a very popular theory and i'm so, SO glad it is! because it really makes sense, doesn't it?

sabo is destined to be involved with people with the initial D in their name, and was just now trusted with the task to deliver vivi and luffy the message that vivi is a D just like luffy is, making him even more involved than he already was with the clan and its descendants. on the other side, we have law, whose newly found objective is to find the truth behind his existence, thus uncovering the "true history", which will inevitably bring him closer to other "D"s and to those who always get mixed up with them.

if we add these bits of info to the whole imu situation...

imu is, most certainly, an immortal being, who became immortal thanks to the ability of the ope-ope no mi. ivankov literally SHOWS the fruit to sabo in chapter 1086!

and i mean, i doubt sabo still doesn't know who law is. he was in dressrosa, after all (also im so so so convinced sabo and law met sometime during the timeskip bc law saved luffy's life and iva was right there and how could sabo not know that was law who saved his little brother's life and how could he not go and thank law for what he did i mean- c'mon-) and he most likely knew about the alliance with luffy and everything else. so he should know that law is the wielder of the ope-ope no mi, and it would be obvious for him to seek law out in order to know more about the fruit's ability and find a counterattack to imu's (and, probably, the five elders') immortality. it would be so disappointing if after all these little hints they ended up never meeting. like, at all.

finally, sabo and law's dynamic would be soooo interesting!! sabo is similar to luffy in some ways, but he's also... completely different. i think law wouldn't lose his mind working with sabo, because yes, sabo is irresponsible and impulsive and a bit of a jerk- but he follows the plan, he's strategic, he's stealthy and logical, and he puts the success of the mission above everything else (that isn't luffy, of course). law can work splendidly with that. i also think they would have a very entertaining back-and-forth, both of them being as witty and blunt as they are. they would be equals, and have a very well balanced relationship. sabo is cheerful and kind, fiery and elegant, which is a good contrast to law's cold, serious demeanour, and heartless façade (because law cares just as much as sabo, he wants to help people just as much as him; he is a doctor, after all). also their devil fruits would work so well, so good together, it would be so cool- oda i'm begging you, please, let them be partners, please-

one piece gakuen and stampede showed us a bit of how their possible dynamic could work, and i pray day and night that we can have something like that in the main manga, too. i need it.

tl;dr: sabolaw is a very good pairing with a lot of potential that i hope will be explored in the story sometime in the future. please do consider them!!!

[crazy-pages]

A) If this reporting is correct, Harris turned away from economic populism because her brother-in-law, Uber's chief legal officer with a $60,000,000 net worth, told her it was needed to win CEO support.

B) Biden's team things he would have won if he'd stayed in because he would have been more explicitly dismissive of trans people.

We need. To fucking eat. The Democratic establishment.

Earlier this fall, one of Joe Biden’s closest aides felt compelled to tell the president a hard truth about Kamala Harris’s run for the presidency: “You have more to lose than she does.” And now he’s lost it. Joe Biden cannot escape the fact that his four years in office paved the way for the return of Donald Trump. This is his legacy. Everything else is an asterisk.

In the hours after Harris’s defeat, I called and texted members of Biden’s inner circle to hear their postmortems of the campaign. They sounded as deflated as the rest of the Democratic elite. They also had a worry of their own: Members of Biden’s clan continue to stoke the delusion that its paterfamilias would have won the election, and some of his advisers feared that he might publicly voice that deeply misguided view.

Although the Biden advisers I spoke with were reluctant to say anything negative about Harris as a candidate, they did level critiques of her campaign, based on the months they’d spent strategizing in anticipation of the election. Embedded in their autopsies was their own unstated faith that they could have done better.

One critique holds that Harris lost because she abandoned her most potent attack. Harris began the campaign portraying Trump as a stooge of corporate interests—and touted herself as a relentless scourge of Big Business. During the Democratic National Convention, speaker after speaker inveighed against Trump’s oligarchical allegiances. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York bellowed, “We have to help her win, because we know that Donald Trump would sell this country for a dollar if it meant lining his own pockets and greasing the palms of his Wall Street friends.”

While Harris was stuck defending the Biden economy, and hobbled by lingering anger over inflation, attacking Big Business allowed her to go on the offense. Then, quite suddenly, this strain of populism disappeared. One Biden aide told me that Harris steered away from such hard-edged messaging at the urging of her brother-in-law, Tony West, Uber’s chief legal officer. (West did not immediately respond to a request for comment.) To win the support of CEOs, Harris jettisoned a strong argument that deflected attention from one of her weakest issues. Instead, the campaign elevated Mark Cuban as one of its chief surrogates, the very sort of rich guy she had recently attacked.

Another Bidenland critique takes Harris to task for failing to navigate the backlash against identity politics. Not that Harris ran a “woke” campaign. To the contrary, she bathed herself in patriotism. She presented herself as a prosecutor, a friend of law enforcement, and a proud gun owner. But she failed to respond to the ubiquitous ads the Trump campaign ran claiming that Harris supports sex-change operations for prisoners. She allowed Trump to create the impression that she favored the most radical version of transgender rights.

Biden, allies say, never would have let such attacks stand. He would have clearly rejected the idea of trans women competing in women’s sports. Of course, he never staked out that position in his presidency. But it’s true that Harris avoided the issue, rather than rebutting it, despite the millions of dollars poured into those attack ads. And in the end, those ads very likely implanted the notion that Harris wasn’t the cultural centrist she appeared to be.

A sour irony haunts Biden aides. In the coming months, Trump will use executive power and unified control of Washington to wreck many of the administration’s proudest accomplishments. But the ones he doesn’t wreck, he will claim as his own. Biden helped build the foundations for economic growth, with the Inflation Reduction Act, the CHIPS Act, and the infrastructure bill. Because the investments enabled by all three of those bills will take years to bear fruit, Biden never had the chance to reap the harvest. Despite Trump’s opposition to those pieces of legislation, the benefits of those bills could bolster his presidency. Biden will have passed along his most substantive legacy as a gift to his successor.

[mimastuff]

Can we get headcannons on how the turtle bois will react to finding their S/O died

(Let’s make it more angsty they never got the “I love you” words)

Thank you for this !! Ngl I almost cried while making this lol , anyways enjoy !

The last breath

TW:very angstyyyy , reader dies, swears,tears,stabbing,panic attacks

Contains: Donnie x dead!reader Raphael x dead!reader and Leo x dead!reader.

——————————————————————————-

Donatello 💜

TW: angst, reader dying, swearing, tears , blood

- you two were fighting against the foot clan

- You were doing pretty well to be honest it seemed like the training had payed off

- You were kicking butt !

- Donnie seemed delighted that his partner is learning

- It felt like they were coming from all places at once

- You would turn around and the foot would be there

- it was all too much for you to handle

- After all this was your first mission

- Although Donnie was hesitant about letting you do this with him a hope filled him

- That maybe this was not the last one you guys would be doing together

- Obviously he hoped they you end up beating the foot

- But he couldn’t help admiring his attractive partner fighting with him

- at this point you had gone into another room to kick more foot clan ass

- That’s when he felt it

- The sinking feeling of your panic button going off

- He soon ran to track your location

- He could hear your faint screams for him

- He felt his whole body burn

- Tears threatening to fall

- He found you.

- The mess that was in front of him was unreal

- He froze

- You face covered in bruises

- The way you sprawled out on the floor

- Donnie felt his knees colapse in front of you

- His hands started to shake

- He felt as though he had been stabbed in the heart

- The way you looked could be indescribable

- The look of pure fear plastered on your face

- The way that you were calling out to him to help

- He was too slow

- He killed you.

- Tears poring from his face he called his brother Leo

“This is Leo leave a message …. Beep” his shakes could be heard through walls. “ Leo please pick up. I need you right now” his voice cracked with every word as he sobbed into you. By now he had grabbed you and held your lifeless body. “Please , she’s dead. They - they killed her. It was my f-fault I killed her. I didn’t get there quick enough. God I’m so sorry Y/N. I loved you more than life itself. I loved the way you helped me through all my downs. You were so patient with me. Even when no one was. Not even my own brothers. And now you’re dead. Because I killed you. Because of me I will never be able to hear that sweet I love you any more. *he sobs even heavier*” “beep beep beep” the phone hung up. That was it. All he ever stayed alive for. All he loved was there dead in his arms. How could he had been so stupid ? He shouldn’t have ever let her out on a mission. They were so happy when he asked. The sparkle in their eyes could light up any sky of the darkest nights. It was his fault, it was all his fault. He pressed his panic button and heard his three brothers trail in the abandoned room. The screams of you replayed in his head as his brothers tor Donnie off of your dead body. His screams filled his brothers ears as your filled his own. He loved you more than you will ever know. And know all he had to show for it was your dead fucking body.

Leonardo 💙

TW: angst, during post krang, crying

- He was celebrating saving the world

- He was so happy to finally be with people he cared for

- He realised that his one true love wasn’t here with him

- They had tried to call you before hand but you wouldn’t pick up

- He assumed that you were a bit traumatised by the whole krang incident

- Oh how wrong he was

- he soon realised that you probably were busy and stopped texting you as well

- That was not until he heard the tv playing the news station

- The list of dead peoples names

- Your name.

- He froze and everyone looked shocked

- He saw Your picture flash up on the tv

- He fell to his knees in pain

- The one person he could go to

- Gone.

- Like that

- How could he be so stupid to leave you on your own during New York’s worst villain yet

- The tears pored down his face

- He began to scream and become out of breath

- Your voice ringed in his head

- no. You never said I love you to him since the krang

- he would never hear it again.

The next moments became one big blur. Leo was pretty sure he had passed out. All he felt were big hands carrying him. He assumed it was his big brother taking him to his room. He felt drained. His brothers voices were muffled as they tried to understand what had happened. What had gone wrong? He slowly fell asleep as Raphael tucked him into bed. He drifted off with every thought being you. You were his life. His muse. How will he live without your presence filling his now ever growing whole in his heart. The weeks after your passing got worse. His brothers would hardly see his brother. One week he would sleep too much. The next week no sleep at all. His brothers frequently heard a series of nightmares throughout the nights. He was lost.

Raphael ❤️

TW:angst,tears,mention of panic attacks, stabbing

- he fell to his knees

- He held you close as your lifeless body moved with his violent sobs

- Your dead body

- You. His only love.

- You were just walking on a date and he felt you cling onto him

- The sound of stabbing rung in his ears as you collapsed next to him

- Blood spewing from your back

- The guy who did it ran away before any one could chase him

- His hands were blood stained and face tear full

- His eyes were red from crying and his heart hurt

- Like it physically hurt

- He felt as though you were a rag doll with how limp you were

- As you died in his arms all you could hear was his loud sobs and tight hold

- His shaking body ached for life from you boy no luck

- His screams of pain and sadness blurred into one as his brothers soon pulled him off of you

The next few weeks were horrible. He wanted to hold you , tell you be was sorry for not helping. You were his rock. You were his only source of comfort. The person he loved ever so much was now out of his life forever. All he dreamed of was your death. The touch of any of your clothes sent him into a panic attack as the memories of you and him came flooding back. He couldn’t bring himself to go around your apartment and pick out your stuff. He couldn’t do it. The smell of you lingered in his room and it pained him. He loved you more than you could ever know. The way you played with his bandana. The way that you held him even though he was too fearful of his spikes hurting you. You in fact could not care less about his spikes. You just wanted to show your love to him. He wanted to show you that too. And how he wished he would have done it more often. He knew he would never be the same with out you. He soon realised he would never hear your sweet voice again. The sound of your I love you’s became a blur. Wait. You never said that you loved him that same day. He would never get to hear that again. He broke down again. How could he ever live the same again?

——————————————————————————

I’m not crying , you are 😖😭

Also I didn’t do mikey as i have already done him many times ! I felt he probably needs a break lol

I hope you enjoyed this :D

Have a lovely day or night ❤️❤️

[wc-confessions]

i love TNP. it’s my favorite arc, partially because of childhood nostalgia but also because i feel like other than the first arc it has the most interesting premise. i LOVE how it explores the dynamics of all four clans and how it explores friendship and what that means in this universe and how it can change a person and how it can affect their lives as time progresses past the life of a friendship. for the most part i feel like it’s very well written and developed with care.

BUT.

i loathe the way it ends. idk what the general consensus is in the fandom about its ending, i havent been super involved in the fandom in a long time. but i think the ending is terrible, and almost ruins what makes the arc so good in the first place.

if i had my way, instead of Brambleclaw taking down Hawkfrost on his own, he would have rounded up his friends to take him down together. their loyalty of course still remains with their own clans, but upon Brambleclaw accepting Hawkfrost as a threat he would have confessed his acceptance of this with Squirrelflight and made a plan to take him down together involving Tawnypelt, Stormfur, and Crowfeather. it still would have had a dramatic brother vs brother showdown with Brambleclaw taking him out himself, but having the showdown happen with his friends at his side would have made the message so much more powerful.

Brambleclaw would have defeated him because he’s better than Hawkfrost, better than Tigerstar, and able to overcome their legacy. But also because he accepts that power and peace need to be balanced between the four clans unlike his brother and father. Four clans uniting to take down the evil threatening their way of life as they always should, and finding their own power through team work and loyalty and faith and not through selfish power hungry bloodlust. Even if Brambleclaw fought him alone - with the rest of the gang present to back him up, it would have driven home the theme of friendship, understanding, and unity established in the beginning of the arc. It would have been so much more satisfying and felt like a true ending.

ㅤ

[monosanimegenericzone]

Hunter x Hunter: Kurta Shalnark theory

i refuse to believe otherwise. im just that stubborn.

but i have proof and im going to spread my bullshit

first of all i think it'd be fucking sexy to see him with red eyes. just like. mmmmmm yknow? do i actually think he has the red eyes. NO i do not. HOWEVER. it is a hypothetical i rotate in my brain very fast. like imagine if he was the 37th scarlet eyed kurta. that'd be fucking sick.

my maximum copium for an actual "associated with canon canon" theory is that even impure blood kurta have slight changes in their eyes that aren't full scarlet but (depending on how strong their bloodline is) get pretty close. so like a half blood would get red rings around their pupils, a quarter blood would get red freckles on the edges of their iris. etc etc.

With that out of the way: i think shalnark is a quarter kurta. his mother was a halfblood and his father was an outsider from meteor city or somewhere between the two- point is, not kurta at all. that's where he gets abnormally green eyes. the clan has a collection of different eye colors but the more common is gray so he was already set apart from other children.

he was born outside of the clan and brought back in when his mother remarried to another kurta and kept shalnark's true parentage a secret. he was raised in lukso for two years and when he turned six his mother was found out for having an affair outside of the clan and was forced to make a choice as punishment: either she or shalnark will be banished and she has to choose.

and she chooses shalnark. he's taken in the middle of the night and dumped in meteor city and all evidence of his existence is struck from the record. not that his birth was recorded anywhere in the first place but you get the point.

so shalnark is dumped in meteor city and the rest follows what we see in canon. he survives on his own for a while but is swept up in chrollo's little squad and makes his own family. he's left with the troupe for 15 (if my math is correct) years (assuming he's a year or two older than chrollo).

but here comes my theory about the actual massacre. the note that was left was from meteor city, signifying that the troupe were asked by the city to take care of a large threat. and we know that the city has its own means for taking care of normal injustices. Sun and Moon is the perfect device for sending a message and we know of at least two instances where it was used effectively.

so, somehow, meteor city deemed the kurta clan dangerous enough to call in the big guns, something they do if only sun and moon can't handle the situation.

so hypothetical. shalnark being a kurta and the clan knowing that it has abandoned kurtan blood in the past goes out searching for those children. why? something something the bloodline is running too thin and they want to strengthen it by any means necessary.

even if that involves taking the children they abandoned back by force.

and of course one of the first places they check is meteor city and by then shalnark is almost an adult but he is among the- im going to lowball based on the previous bum incident example- 5 children that were taken. assuming that meteor city has a 30-1 revenge policy. that covers a little over 128 which happened to be the population of the entire kurta clan.

and thats at least one of the inciting incidents. idk exactly what happens to shalnark during this time but its a thing that- in the terms of this theory- happened.

ON TOP OF ALL THAT

if this theory is to believed, i think the only reason shalnark didn't have a particular fascination with Kurapika in yorknew is because he didn't believe kurapika was a kurta until the very end.

the wording of each adaptation is slightly different but if shalnark is hearing the words scarlet eyes and his own death is already predicted, then he thought they could be referring to him. his hands are already stained with uvo's blood, in a parallel sense.

but he has to accept that truth and realizes kurapika's conviction is actually incredibly strong right around the time chrollo got yoinked. and by then the truth doesn't matter, they have to negotiate on kurapika's terms.

he doesn't feel the need to sympathize with kurapika because he has no connection with the kurta except for a very thin bloodline. but he does recognize the vendetta since all meteorites share the same. and if the situation called for it, he would have offered his secret as a piece for them to play.

totally haven't gone down that rabbit hole very deep down nope not at all.

anyway that's my kurta shalnark theory timeline. with dubious math that i need to revisit.

[madara-fate]

When are people going to understand that Gaiden was about how Sarada felt about her family and not because Sasuke and Sakura had a problem with each other lol. "Kishimoto hates them together" right, because someone was forcing him to write about them since they were kids. People these days are so obsessed with relationships in manga being "healthy" as if this was not a whole ass manga about ninjas dying and trying to kill each other every second. Minato was not the person who went through hell because his brother murdered his entire clan. It's pretty damn obvious that his relationship with Kushina was going to be "less problematic" with a more beautiful path. Sasuke and Sakura is about unconditional love and trying to understand and forgive each other and grow together as a person, if that is not romance idk what it is anymore. Like how the fuck the sasusaku fandom has to explain the entire series every damn time that these people can't understand shit about a shonen manga that is for 12 year olds. Like how can u make an entire essay about the Uchiha clan or Naruto and Sasuke relationship (that was never romantic anyways) but can't understand a teenage girl trying to save the boy she loves the most?! Lmao

When are people going to understand that Gaiden was about how Sarada felt about her family and not because Sasuke and Sakura had a problem with each other lol.

Very true. People see the beginning of Gaiden, they see Sasuke missing and Sarada upset over it, and they attribute that to Sasuke and Sakura's relationship itself being bad, when that is clearly not the case. Every one of the difficulties that Sasuke and Sakura have had to face together and as a family, have been due to external circumstances. They have never had a problem with each other.

Kishimoto hates them together" right, because someone was forcing him to write about them since they were kids.

Precisely, no one forced Kishi to canonise them. They're canon because he wanted them to be canon, simple as that. Kishi likes drama, especially Uchiha drama. But once all was said and done, this was the final message that Kishi wanted to convey from Gaiden:

And yet people think that he has some sort of a problem with SS? He wasn't forced to canonise them, and he certainly wasn't forced to end Gaiden by reiterating how the love between the Uchiha family is the real deal. These people believe what they want to believe.

Minato was not the person who went through hell because his brother murdered his entire clan. It's pretty damn obvious that his relationship with Kushina was going to be "less problematic" with a more beautiful path. Sasuke and Sakura is about unconditional love and trying to understand and forgive each other and grow together as a person

Yep, the foundation of Sasuke and Sakura's entire relationship was centred on saving him from a curse which caused him to be consumed with darkness and hatred. This was never gonna be a typical vanilla romance, nor did it need to be. Some of the core themes of the series were forgiveness, redemption and never giving up on a friend/loved one, and SS encapsulated those things to a T.

[voiceless-people]

MY TOP 10 WARRIOR CAT MAPS 🗣🗣🗣🗣💥💥💥💥

These are all just my opinion, and I don't think any of these maps are "better" than the other, they just have personal meaning to me.

These are in order from highest to lowest!

1 Rut. Come on. Rut is the map ever. Without fail I will start tearing up when I watch it, I cried the first time. Such incredible art with such an empowering song. It's a great watch for when you're feeling low.

2 Blame walked so that Rut could run. This map meant so much to me when it came out- and it got me through rough times. I know every part and the song by heart. Such a lovely message.

3 King and lionheart. This map was MY SHIT back in elementary school. I hadn't even read arc 2 of warriors at the time, and this map does the story so much better than the actual books. Also, the pinned comment about Squirrelflight is a good read.

4 Buy the stars!!! How I found out about MARINA!!! This is one of the most nostalgic maps ever. What do you mean it's almost a decade old. This map is iconic Hollyleaf propaganda. Also this song needs to be more popular.

5 Poor George. This song seriously goes hard. The buildup is so intense and crashes down on you as the singer sobs by themself at the end. Yellowfangs struggle oml. Raggedstars death is done so well.

6 Warriors reprise. This map kicks ass. SSS intro? Hell yeah. I cheered during the buy the stars segment. Every part is so distinct and the animation is wonderful. I love so many of these maps.

7 Millhaven. I knew about this song long before the map was even announced, and I thought it was so cool that this (semi)obscure polish song was in a warriors map. The color palette is so dreary yet fitting, and has a nice buildup as the story goes on.

8 Burn him down. While the map is relatively short, it tells Ashfurs story in a unique almost episodic manner. A very unique song too. Little Lionpaw hopping from paw to paw is lowkey peak.

9 Roxanne. Come on, you knew this would be here. This map changed everyones brain chemistry and you know it. So iconic. WHYYYYYY DOES MY HEAAAAAART CRYYYYYY.. it's this low down for a reason tho.

10 Mama we all go to hell. I DON'T LIKE DRAKINATOR. I think they should've stayed off YouTube, but it's undeniably true that this map influenced a lot of ppl. This was one of the first few maps I really saw, and damn it hit like a truck. It's at the bottom because. Drakinator sucks.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Everything moves honestly should've placed on the list, but unfortunately the map itself doesn't mean much to me on a personal level.

Mama told me This is one of my favorite mother mother songs! The fall theming is so nice.

Kids again okay so. This map is my guilty pleasure. I know literally nothing about these cats outside of this map because I refuse to read dawn of the clans. I discovered the song via this map and now it is THE song I associate with my favorite ship ever.

Beautiful another nostalgic one. I just like it a lot lol

Cowboy Dan I'm not really sure what cheetah z did but I think they're controversial?? Either way I love this fucking song. The cloudy rain part? Immaculate vibes.

[agentrouka-blog]

I've seen a handful of people speculate that if Jon is truly alive (assuming that the wounds he received at the end of his chapter in ADWD were fatal to begin with), he could maybe inform the Vale of the ongoing food problem at the Wall and therefore, Sansa (or rather "Alayne" in this case) would receive that message and maybe try to reunite with Jon in some way. It sounds a bit wishy washy to me... Do you think that theory holds any merit?

Hi there!

Well, GRRM made very sure to explicitly state that the Vale is sitting on a big food surplus in his TWOW Alayne sample chapter, and that Littlefinger is pressing certain lords to hoard it in order to drive up potential profits in the future and weaken his political opponents.

And while GRRM also made sure in ADWD to emphasize the dire food situation in both the Riverlands and at the Wall, it is only Jon who actually connects this to the Vale in his thoughts:

Our best hope may be the Eyrie. The Vale of Arryn was famously fertile and had gone untouched during the fighting. (ADWD, Jon IV)

He then proceeds to show us Jon negotiating for a loan with the Iron Bank and collecting (meagre) funds from the wildlings as part of the agreement to let them pass the Wall.

Bowen Marsh sighed. "If they do not slay us with their swords, they will do so with their mouths. Pray, how does the lord commander propose to feed Tormund and his thousands?" Jon had anticipated that question. "Through Eastwatch. We will bring in food by ship, as much as might be required. From the riverlands and the stormlands and the Vale of Arryn, from Dorne and the Reach, across the narrow sea from the Free Cities." "And this food will be paid for … how, if I may ask?" With gold, from the Iron Bank of Braavos, Jon might have replied. Instead he said, "I have agreed that the free folk may keep their furs and pelts. They will need those for warmth when winter comes. All other wealth they must surrender. Gold and silver, amber, gemstones, carvings, anything of value. We will ship it all across the narrow sea to be sold in the Free Cities." (ADWD, Jon XI)

(Jon. Why. Not. Tell. Him.???)

So GRRM obviously sets up the idea of money procured for the Watch in order to buy food, and food sitting by waiting to be bought in the Vale.

There are complications, of course: Jon's stabbing and potential loss of direct political influence in the North (at least for a while), the uncertainty of the loan going through given Tycho is still roaming around the North, Littlefinger's desire for maximum profit, alternative needs for the food such as the Vale's own starving wildlings which are the mountain clans....

But the connection is obviously there.

I doubt it will be handled as neatly as (recovered) Jon asking and them selling. Much more likely, it is Sansa herself who will try and forge a connection between the North and these food stores GRRM took so much care to inform us of through her POV. The bread riots in KL would have left a lasting impression, and there is the imagery of food used both to tempt her (wine, lemon cakes, pomegranates) and to depict her rejection of Tyrion:

He wanted something from her, but Sansa did not know what it was. He looks like a starving child, but I have no food to give him. Why won't he leave me be? (ASOS, Sansa IV)

(She ends up serving him overcooked peas during tense and unpleasant dinners.)

What happens when there is food and there are recipients she very much wants to feed, after reuniting with Jon and learning the true extent of the plight of her people?

It may be that Sansa herself will be pressured to pay a high price for that Vale food if she wants it to go North. Whether she ends up having to pay it, is a different matter, but it would absolutely set up a nice mirror between Jon and Sansa in the North toward Joffrey and Margaery in King's Landing, when she arrived with the bounty of the Reach to feed the cheering people - who had been starving due to her own family's blockade of the food supply in the first place. The dark irony of that might be turned on its head. A starving North, a princess with the key to their survival, hard choices, high drama.

[mayhem-neverending]

The Big Bad Wolf

Part XI

Word Count: 4,228

Warnings: Mentions of death

Note: Lights, Camera, Action! Don't mind the beginning, please and thanks. And Obito is in this part, don't worry.

Once again sitting across from him, Kakashi had the space to collect himself. He was internally reeling from your warmth and delicious smell, the ghost of your touch lingering in his hair. You appeared largely unaffected, but happy with the interaction.

A buzzing from his pocket stole his attention. He pulled it out and opened it, seeing a string of notifications. Two were from Genma, one was from Guy. He opened Guy’s first.

Rival!! I just heard you came to your paramour’s rescue!!! Is it true!!?? You are truly HEROIC!!

Kakashi opted to ignore that for the moment and opened Genma’s messages.

I thought you said you guys werent together

does that mean ur coming to my bday party too?

An irritated sigh exited his nose. His irritation clashed, however, with the excitement he felt from your conversation. He tucked his phone away without bothering to answer and only smiled at your questioning brow.

“How did Obito like meeting Hikaru?” He asked pleasantly.

“I think he was a little unsure at first, but he came around towards the end I think,”

“That sounds about right,”

“I really need you to get him a phone. I would hate for me or Hikaru to be sick and I don’t have any way to get a hold of him,”

“Makes sense. I’ll look into it tomorrow,”

“Thanks,”

You mirrored Kakashi as he sipped his sake. He looked around briefly before asking, “You don’t happen to have any of that food you were talking about earlier, do you?”

“No, I left it all with Obito. Are you hungry?”

“A little,”

“Well, I’m sure Obito’ll be happy to see you,” You raised an eyebrow at him.

“Kicking me out?”

“Never. I just think it would be good for him to see you. He’s been doing a lot better, and I think he’d be proud to show you his progress,”

He thought for a moment. “Not tonight. I’ll make some time tomorrow though, okay?”

You grinned. “That’d be great, Kakashi.”

“And you’re welcome to my fridge, if you want. I don’t really have the energy to cook right now,”

“What do you have?”

You playfully rolled your eyes. “Go look,”

He kept his drink in his hand while he got up to look. You followed him, your own drink in one hand and phone in the other. You set them down and hoisted yourself onto the counter. You settled yourself and opened up your phone. You hadn't heard it go off but you figured you might as well check.

You were glad you did. There was a message from Hina, your cousin… And a missed call from Toma, but you weren’t going to give that one any of your energy.

hey no worries here im with my aunt. the one w dementia near the border. Ill lyk if anything happens but im sure itll all be okay

thanks for worrying abt me tho. r u coming when I give birth still? im due in like 2 weeks

“Fuck,”

Kakashi looked back at you from where he was bent over, placing a bake-able tupperware container in the oven. “Hm? What’s wrong,”

“A. I forgot I told Hina I would be there when she gave birth, and B. She didn’t take my warning seriously… The upside is that she isn’t near her husband’s compound, though. She’s on the western border, closest to us.”

“You should tell her to stay there. It’ll be easier to extract her in case of an emergency.”

You did just that, and told her you would try to find a sitter for Hikaru so you could be there for her. To her it was just a loving family member there to help her; for you it was an extra set of eyes and capable hands there to protect her. If the Zen’in Clan stirred up trouble, like they always did when things didn’t go in their favor, it would compromise the safety of her and her baby.

“Would I be able to take off for that?” You asked Kakashi, who was leaning against the counter opposite you, his feet crossed at the ankle in front of him.

“For her baby’s birth?”

“Yeah,”

He tilted his chin down and his thin brows furrowed. “I don’t know, Y/n. It would be incredibly dangerous for you to go into a country that is in such a politically tumultuous state right now,”

You grumbled, but didn’t push the subject further. You would have to play it by ear, anyway.

The next morning your son woke you extra early. He wasn't allowed to go to school until twenty-four hours after his fever had subsided, so you had convinced your grandma to take him for the day before you had gone to bed.

You got up slowly and went about your usual routine. The morning was incredibly bright from the sun reflecting off the surface of the white snow. Before you left, you tried to find a pair of sunglasses, but only found Hikaru’s half-bent ones. He didn’t care for your attempt at putting them in his toy bin and took them from you, smashing them on his face until they balanced enough for him to walk around with them.

Your grandma was closer to the forest than the daycare was, so you had taken a little extra time getting out the door. You styled your hair differently and chose a nicer set of warm clothes - a more fitted sweater and jeans. You wouldn’t admit it, but you knew deep down who you were trying to look nice for.

The walk took longer than you had anticipated since you had forgotten to factor in Hikaru’s desire to stomp around in the freshly fallen snow. You let him dig his toes in and drag his feet and shove his little hands in it in wonder; choosing to be patient and appreciate the sheer joy lighting up his chubby face.

Waiting in the front window, your grandmother watched as you two approached until you opened the front gate. She opened the door and called for Hikaru with a delighted smile.

“My boy! I haven’t seen you in what feels like 50 years!” She exclaimed dramatically.

He wasn’t giving her any attention, opting to plop straight down into the snow and giggle. You shook your head with a smile and hoisted him up, effectively covering yourself in the snow that came with him.

You handed him off to your grandma, told her you loved her and kissed Hikaru on both cheeks, repeating the same phrase to him. You waved goodbye and made a swift exit.

Obito was worried you might not make it But there he was, standing in his window, watching you take dramatically large steps as you trudged through the deep snow. The scene put a massive grin on his face. He courteously opened his front door for you when got close enough.

“Good morning,” you untied your boots on the front step, sliding your feet out and hopping into the cottage.

“Good morning!” He replied cheerily, shutting the door behind you.

“Somebody’s in a good mood,”

He thought you were being sarcastic, but you smiled up at him warmly, even if it didn’t quite reach your eyes. You smacked the snow off your boots and pulled them inside, letting him close the door behind you. Instead of your usual route to the kitchen, you veered off the path and tossed yourself on the couch.

“Walking in that snow really wore me out,”

He playfully rolled his eyes. “So, that means you get to slack off on the clock?”

“Of course,” you patted the seat next to you with a little smile. “Come slack off with me?”

He settled onto the cushion next to you, turning his body so that he was facing you. A comfortable silence surrounded the two of you for a few short minutes. He studied your profile while you stared at the fire, obviously lost in thought.

“I had an interesting evening after I left yesterday,”

“Oh?”

“My ex’s new girlfriend harassed me outside of the apothecary, then Kakashi shows up and tells me that Akujia has outlawed all forms of chakra control!”

“Shit, are you serious?” he leans back, his smile slipping.

“Dead,”

“That is not good,”

You nodded in agreement. “My cousin, Hina, still lives there, but when I told her she should consider moving here she just kinda blew me off. She doesn’t - I don’t know how to put this without seeming like an ass - but she… lac- has chosen.. not to.. hone.. her critical thinking skills. God I sound like a shitty person, but in short, I’m genuinely worried about her and her baby,”

“Is she a chakra-user?”

“No, but her baby is the heir of the Zen’in clan,”

His brows shot up and he made a face like he was impressed. “No shit? Good for her,”

His comment lightened the mood, and you threw him a playful smile. “I know, right? She’s really got it made. Her husband not only loves her, like, intensely, but he’s loaded, attractive, and with the servants, the girl never even has to lift a finger,”

“Hm, does sound pretty nice,” he rested the side of his head on the back of the couch. “Is that what you want?”

“Which part?”

You enjoyed your view of him. His black hair, which needed another trim, was still moussed up a bit from sleep, and the depth of his eyes was revealed in the stream of sunlight illuminating him. The warmth of the sun softened his sharp features, and he looked absolutely charming the way he was smiling at you. He licked his lips before he spoke, drawing your attention to them. Despite being slightly chapped, you thought they looked awfully silky. You briefly wondered what he would do if you reached out and touched them.

“Attractive, loaded, the servants - is that what you want in a man?”

The seriousness of his tone had you giggling. You shook your head ‘no’. “The love part is the most important to me. I don’t particularly want servants, but money is definitely a perk. I like feeling financially secure, for sure,”

“Attractiveness?”

You raised your brow. He was looking at you attentively, like this was a very important conversation. It made you feel a little weird, but you answered honestly, “In general, I find a lot of people attractive, but in an objective way. I rarely find people that I’m attracted to. And that’s what’s important to me. Someone could tell me they don’t think who I’m dating is all that good looking, but it doesn’t matter all that much to me, because I’m attracted to them as a whole person, y’know? Not just their looks,”

He nodded like you had just given him some profound insight. You, now curious because of his strange behavior, turned the question around on him. “What is important to you in a woman?”

You rested your cheek on your fist. He looked a bit scattered at having been asked the same thing. “Uh, well,”

He cleared his throat and looked away from you. In a flat tone, he muttered, “Dunno, haven’t really thought about it,”

A frown tugged at your lips and you looked at him in puzzlement. “In all your life, you haven’t really thought about it?”

With downcast eyes, he replied, “That’s a conversation for another day,”

You nodded, accepting his answer for the time being. You stood and stretched your arms over your head. “Well, it’s pretty late, how about brunch?”

“Whatever you want,” he replied with a shrug, easing back into his lighter tone.

“I love it when you say that,” you winked.

He followed you into the kitchen in his normal fashion, leaning against the counter-top and taking up your precious little prep space. It didn’t matter how many times you had to move him around the kitchen while you worked, he always stayed if he wasn’t preoccupied with anything else.

He made himself comfortable, folding his arms over his chest and leaning heavily into the counter. He looked intimidating like this sometimes; his mouth set in a firm line while he silently watched.

He wore a black t-shirt, rather than his usual long-sleeve, and you wondered once again about his arms being two completely different colors. What really caught your attention, though, was the muscle definition. You had a hard time tearing your gaze away from the well defined-lines; only narrowly avoiding him catching you by quickly reaching beside him to grab a cutting board.

“I’m thinking extra protein today. How about Eggs Benedict, but make it with chicken cause we don’t have ham?”

“Hm, as long as you fry the chicken like you did last time, I’m game,”

“Oh, that was a new recipe. You liked that?”

“Oh, yeah,” he replied mischievously. “I liked it, ‘like a lot’,”

“You little shit,” you said with a grin.

He laughed at your expense, but you enjoyed his teasing. He was absolutely wonderful to be around whenever he wore his goofy grin. For the first time, you blushed when he aimed it at you.

Feeling a little hot and a host of butterflies in your stomach, you looked away from him and busied yourself with starting brunch. He talked to you about a new quilting project he was sketching out while you pulled everything you needed out. He was animated, drawing the shapes in the air with his finger in an attempt to better convey his vision.

You told him to just get the paper he drew it on with a laugh, and he went off into the living room in search of it among the scraps. You shook your head to yourself, wondering how you could be so happy just listening about his excitement over his project.

You were beginning to remove the bones from the raw chicken when your phone started to ring loudly. Your bag was in the living room so you asked Obito to grab it really quickly for you. He trotted over with it and you asked him who it was.

“Uh, Hina. That’s your cousin, right?”

Anxiety flared in your chest, “Answer it, put it on speaker, please,”

He answered and clicked the speaker button, standing close to you and holding it near your face so you could speak clearly into it. You answered, “Hey,”

“Hi,” she answered in an unnaturally high, broken pitch and you immediately stopped what you were doing, your body stilling while your heart-rate increased.

“Hina?” You asked slowly.

“I-” she cut herself off with a sudden burst of loud, uncontrollable sobbing.

You dropped your knife and pushed Obito over with your hip to get access to the sink. You turned it on and called her name again, but it only caused her to let out a guttural sob that pierced straight through your chest. You hurriedly washed your hands and wiped them on your jeans, grabbing the phone from Obito.

“Hey, hey, Hina? What’s going on?”

You heard shaky breathing on the other end and assumed she was attempting to get enough control to speak, but only seconds later she let out another sharp cry. Your wide eyes met with Obito’s. Something bad happened, obviously, and your mind conjured up image after cruel image. Your hands began to shake almost imperceptibly as adrenaline coursed through you.

“Hina, sweetie. I’m right here. Please, can you tell me what’s going on?”

“I-”

“Take a deep breath with me?”

She made a noise and you started. “In… out…”

After a single breath, she screeched, “They killed him!”

Her uncontrollable sobs were let loose once again, cut up by sharp, ragged breaths. “The. Oh God..-”

On the other end you heard retching, and your hand unconsciously covered your mouth. Your heart dropped into your stomach and your shaking worsened. Your feet were glued to the floor, eyes unfocused on the cabinet in front of you. All of your senses dulled except your hearing, focusing so you could catch any words she tried to get out between heaves. Every noise she made was amplified and rang in your ears.

In between her heaving she breathlessly got out, “The clan… The meeting..”

You assumed she finished vomiting and you listened to her struggle to breathe in and out. “They massacred the clan! Javi’s dead!”

“Where are you?” you asked urgently.

“Still-still with my aunt,”

“Stay there, do you hear me?”

“But-”

“Stay. There. I will come get you,”

There was complete silence on the other end of the line. You waited with baited breath, staring into nothing.

You had never heard her sound smaller than when she asked, “How long?”

You had to pause for a moment; your mind blanking as her voice gutted you. As quickly as you could, you did the math in your head, your heart aching for her. “Two days,”

She sniffled, and a tremor of fear rang through her voice as she asked, “You promise?”

“I promise,” you replied with sincerity.

After a beat, you calmly said, “I have to make a couple calls, okay?”

“I’m scared,” she cried.

“I’m so, so sorry, Hina. This should have never happened to you, and I know it’s hard, but you need to stay as calm as you can for your baby, okay?”

She cried softly on the other end. After a long pause she finally said, “Okay,”

“I’m hanging up now. I’ll be in contact with you later.” You hit the ‘end call’ button, almost missing from the shaking of your hands.

Immediately, you called Kakashi. You finally regained the ability to move, and paced up and down the room as the phone rang. It rang and rang.. and went to voicemail. You took the phone away from your ear and fervently hit the call button again. Your pace increased as it rang and you held the phone in an iron-grip.

He answered. “Hey, I can’t really-”

“They killed the Zen’in clan,” you blurted.

Before he had a chance to respond, you hurriedly gave him the short version of your previous call. There was muted talking in the background and a short, agonizing silence before he spoke to you again.

“Listen, I can’t just send you out on your own. This isn’t just a matter of family; the Zen’in are important people and your cousin is carrying the last living member as far as we’re aware. I have no doubt that someone will come after her to finish the job they started if they find out she’s still alive,”

“Obito can come with me,” you rushed out before your mind could even process.

“Y/n. I can’t. He’s on house arrest, the council-”

“They don’t have to know. Besides, he’s stronger than the rest of the jounin, and everyone’s busy. Please, Kakashi,” you reasoned.

You looked at Obito out of the corner of your eye, and slowly registered that his eyes were glossed over. He likely wasn’t hearing any of your conversation.

He let out a frustrated sigh. “Y/n,”

Hina’s broken sobs reverberated in your mind, and a sense of desperation rose from your chest into your throat.

Your voice broke as you begged, “Please,”

Silence, and then, “Go home, change into your uniform, and bring your gear. Pack a separate civilian outfit. Meet me back at Obito’s when you’re done. No more than two hours; this has to be done quickly,”

“Yes, sir. Thank you,”

You pulled your phone away to end the call when he asked, “What will you do with Hikaru?”

“Fuck!” You raked your fingers over your scalp.

“Just. Fucking Toma can take him,”

“Are you sure?”

You huffed in frustration. “He won’t listen to me if I try to talk to him, but no one else can keep him for four plus days. Can you- would you call him at work or something? Please, for me? He’d probably listen to you,”

“Okay, I’ll try,”

“Thank you.” You hung up the phone.

Closing your eyes, you took a deep breath. When you opened them, Obito was standing in front of you. His face was deeply lined with worry. He hesitantly reached out in an attempt to comfort you, but stopped midway, unsure of himself. You breached the gap, grabbing a fistful of his shirt and burying your face into his chest.

“That was…” he trailed off.

He awkwardly tried to comfort you by patting your shoulder while his other arm circled around your back. The exchange was brief; you backed away and hastily made for your coat and boots by the front door. While shoving your feet in your boots, you vaguely heard him trailing after you.

“Less than two hours,” you said, now slinging on your coat.

“What?”

“I’ll be back here in less than two hours. Kakashi’s coming, so be ready to go,”

“Ready to go?”

You stopped unlatching the door and looked at him over your shoulder, becoming frustrated as you felt the clock ticking. “Yes, Obito. You’re coming with me. Have an outfit packed, I assume Kakashi will bring the rest of what you need,”

He stared at you with wide eyes and a dropped jaw, but you chose not to respond. Instead, you flung open the door and slammed it shut behind you. You sprinted through the snow covered path to your apartment, and, when you hit the village, you jumped between the rooftops despite the snow, hurrying as fast as you could.

In your apartment, you ripped your closet door open and pulled out a few storage bins that contained all of your shinobi equipment. It was one of the few things from your past you fought Toma tooth and nail to keep, and you could never have been more grateful to your past self for standing her ground.

You found your winter uniform at the bottom of the second bin. You pulled on a black, long-sleeve compression shirt. Over that you wore your kusari gusoku, or the protective chain-mail most ninja wore under their clothes. You pulled on the standard pants with leggings underneath for added warmth, and black boots. You added a thin, but incredibly warm, water resistant hooded jacket that clung to you comfortably.

Taking a seat on your bed, you added white tape to your leg. While rolling it on, you smacked your hand against something hard. You reached into one of your many pockets and to your surprise, found a hidden kunai mechanism; a spring-loaded wire that allows the user to extend and retract kunai from their sleeve instantly. You placed it back where you found it, just in case, and finished the wrappings.

Instead of the regular issued sandals, you pulled on the lesser used, but still military issued, black boots. They formed to your feet perfectly - they had always been your favorite pair of shoes, and the feeling brought in a wave of memories. You had to push them away while you continued, but the nostalgia lingered.

Tying the hitai-ate around your neck was the last piece of the puzzle. The weight of it felt right, a familiar heaviness that steadied your racing thoughts. You wanted to look in your full length mirror, but knowing you would distract yourself, you readied your weapons, tools, and pack first. They were all in one place, so it took only a few minutes to distribute what you needed to your pockets and the rest to your bag. Before you decided to call it good, you went into your bathroom and tossed in some of your first aid stuff, since your old kit hadn’t been touched in years.

Packing a couple outfits (an extra for Hina, just in case), shoes, and basic everyday necessities took up the rest of your time. The apartment looked like a tornado had run through it when you had finally closed the zipper, but you hardly glanced at it. You pulled your bag strap over your shoulder, and an overwhelming sense of anxiety slammed into your gut.

As if in a trance, you went back into your bedroom closet, and pulled out one of Hikaru’s baby blankets and an old swaddle. In the back of your mind you reprimanded yourself for using up space for something that would likely prove useless, but you couldn’t help yourself. Your anxiety had always led you to pack for ‘just in case’ scenarios, and you wouldn’t be changing this time.

Before you put it back on, you allowed yourself one glance in the mirror. The woman who stared back at you was a person you had never expected to see again. Tears welled in your eyes because for the first time in years, you fully recognized the person in the mirror. There was hardly any change, physically. You looked a little older, the dark circles under your eyes a little darker, your hands a little softer, maybe even a little wiser, but all in all, you looked like you, again. Or at least a version you had loved.

You covered your mouth as a quiet, relieved sob spilled out. You blamed your tears on your heightened emotions, and quickly wiped them away. You gave your reflection a watery smile, and waved at yourself like you were greeting an old friend. You tore yourself away before you could get lost in it and headed back to Obito’s.

Part XII

Tag List: @mostlyunsure, @humongousdreamlandbear, @ichaichahatake

[wc-wild-rewrite]

What is Mapleshade like in this au?

Great question. I'm putting most of this under the cut bc it gets really, really long.

Mapleshade is what i call a 'Victim Villain', a character who at the time of the events they experienced were a victim, but over time become a villain, from vengence or anger or processing trauma in an extremely unhealthy way.

To preface the rest of this post, i have not read Mapleshade's Vengence, but i know the plot and have read up on character essays about her. Please correct me if i get any of the fundemental facts wrong, but this is a rewrite, so i have leg room.

In my rewrite, Mapleshade is a concept more than a person. The clans- Riverclan in particular- treat her memory as a mythos, a tall tale to tell kits, something that didn't truly happen.

However, Mapleshade did exist. The truth of her story is that she was the mate of a horrible tom who refused responsbility when his actions caught up to him. This resulted in the deaths of their kits. And, yes, Mapleshade killed, she killed at least three cats in her vengence. She was not, at any point, psychotic, or hallucinating. She was a grieving, betrayed cat who saw her kits' deaths as a message from Starclan; that they had turned away from her. In the belief that the ancestors themselves had betrayed her, too, she took fate and karma into her own paws and enacted her vengence.

She was not right for this, but I personally understand her actions. In my opinion, she was not wrong for the murder of Appledusk. He had that coming. what she was wrong for was the murder of two other, less involved cats.

However, Starclan is a biased god, they prosecute based on rules they decided, and do not prosecute those they like or those that are close with them. This is why Appledusk ended up in Starclan, despite his cheating, cross-clan relationship, and the death of innocent kits. Starclan liked him, so he got to stay.

Mapleshade was prosecuted for all three murders and the death of her kits. Starclan refused to accept that Thunderclan and Riverclan's leaders caused the entire situation, that their own rules caused it to happen, so she was prosecuted for it.

She was caught in a situation we see later in the arcs; Bluestar and Oakheart, Leafpool and Crowfeather, even Jayfeather and Kestrelflight. Cross-clan relationships that result in kits and use another cat as a parentage claim. Mapleshade wasn't even the first, and she certainly wasn't the last.

Since her death, however, her memory has been twisted. She is not viewed as a greiving mother, angry at the stars themselves for taking her kits. Nor as a cat who commited murder for revenge. She is seen as a boogeyman, but in very different ways depending on the clan.

Windclan and Shadowclan have little opinion on her, she doesn't belong to their history. Riverclan and Thunderclan, however, remember her, or they think they do. To Riverclan, Mapleshade is told to kits to scare them, to make them behave and stay within camp walls. Mapleshade kills kits by drowning them, so don't go too far from the reeds. To them, she was a mad outsider, a thunderclan cat who killed riverclan cats, and especially kits. the three kits in her story are not seen as hers, but entirely as Appledusk's. They have twisted the story to make their clan look better.

To Thunderclan, Mapleshade is just another code breaker who was exiled. She had a half clan relationship, killed those that found out, and left. She was killed by the brave and faithful warriors of the clan. Her spirit is said to roam the forest when the moon is empty. But, in Thunderclan's tale, the riverclan mate is to blame, but is not named. He is known as her accomplice to the murders, an unnamed, unknown figure who followed her orders. It is known that she had kits with this tom, but it said they were left with a clan queen when she disappeared, later coming back to kill the kits to dispose of her sins.

Neither of these are true. For Riverclan, it is to make themselves look better. To push the blame onto a mad outsider and not one of their own, to not have to consider the damage they caused. For Thunderclan, it is to reinforce why half clan relationships simply cannot and should not occur. It is dangerous, look what happened when this cat tried it! It is a twisting of history that the clans often do, primarily before arc 1. They use genuine tragedy and twist it to ensure their warriors behave.

However, Mapleshade is still affectd by this. You see, the dark forest is a dangerous thing, all on its own. You have to be remembered, by at least one person, in some way, to exist in the spirit world. That is why stories are passed down so extensively by the clans, they can't let the stars die out. But it applies to the Dark Forest, too. The more you remember a 'villain', the more they exist and the less they fade. But, if you twist the memory of a dead cat, their spirit will corrupt. Mapleshade, as a spirit, is significantly different than she was when she was alive. She is cruel, manipulative, and ancient compared to the remembered villains around her. She cannot clearly recall her own past, because she has been so heavily distorted, she cannot tell what is her true past and what is the clans' memory of it. Even her physical- or, more accurately, spiritual- body shows evidence of this distortion; her tortie markings have corrupted into the shape of a maple leaf, her fur drips with bloody water, and her claws are always out, the fur of her kits trapped between them.

And yes, she targets Appledusk's lineage as a spirit, but that is due to the corruption. In a cruel combonation of the era she was raised in, and the twisting of her memory, she belives in the sins of the parent passes to the child. Appledusk's sin of causing her kits deaths- in whatever way she thinks he caused it- makes his entire bloodline guilty of it, too. She only appeared to some of them, the ones who looked or reminded her of Appledusk the most. Crookedstar, most noteably. But others, too.

Interestingly, she does not target Mossheart. she knows, inherently, that they are of his lineage, and she is angry at Thunderclan, but for reasons she herself cannot understand, she cannot bring herself to target the half-clan cat who almost died as a kit because their leader wouldn't have allowed their existence. She took mercy on them, but she did not take mercy on Silverstream. She did not cause her death, but she certainly had an influence over it, even if she didn't directly appear to the molly. She intended for the kits to die with her, a twisted, distorted sense of mercy. Silverstream can't be punished if there's no evidence it happened. It is the same concept that Thunderclan distorted into her, the idea that she killed her own kits to wipe her sins.

And, of course, neither leader at the time of her tragedy were punished. Both ended up in Starclan, and faded by the time the clans realised Starclan's problems. Unfortunately, Mapleshade herself was killd in the War Of Stars (Arc 4), so she didn't get any sort of apology or second chance, either. A spirit killed outside of the spirit realm is gone forever, no coming back. no amount of remembering will bring her back. But by the end of Arc 7, Mapleshades story is acknowledged. Some still think her to be blindingly evil, but others understand her position. Roseleaf, my thunderclan protagonist for Arc 7, makes sure her kits are named and remembered, and that the leaders that caused their deaths are known for their actions, even if their spirits are not around to recieve just punishment. Her story in thunderclan post arc 7 is told not as a tall tale, but as a lesson on how leaders are not inherently correct, and that unjust actions must be challenged by their clan. How Starclan is not correct simply for being their ancestors. Roseleaf, personally, believes that if someone in Thunderclan had defended her from the leader, made him let her stay until the rivers were calmer, that she and her kits would have survived, even if Appledusk rejected them.

Ultimately, she is a tragedy. But not one that is forgotten.