#we came to the conclusion that she was blessed with both parts | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

avxlyse · 3 months ago

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A/N: Hi guys! I’m fairly new to fic writing and brand new to tumblr (in a sense, I’ve been ON Tumblr since like 2016 but I’ve never really posted), so I’m not really sure what I’m doing tbh. I’ve been writing for awhile but I’ve never really posted anything, so let’s just see how this goes! PS Constructive criticism is welcome! I'd love some tips :)

Han Solo x Reader

Prompt: “Do I have to spell it out for you? I’m in love with you!” + Kissing to hide from someone

The funny thing is, you were probably the best pilot in the rebellion before Han. And you absolutely resented him for it. There were few things you hated more than someone upstaging you, but there was nothing you hated more than them being smug about it. And Han Solo without smug is like Hoth without winter, impossible. So when you found yourself crammed nose to nose in a maintenance closet staring back into that smug, shit eating grin, you came to the conclusion that if you made it out of here alive the first thing you were going to do was rip the wires out of that cocky assholes prize winning ship and shove them down his throat.

The morning was typical, breakfast in the Cafeteria and some training in the Gym, then straight to the meeting that was scheduled for that afternoon. Unfortunately, you never actually made it to that meeting, because half way through your training session the emergency alarm went off. You dropped your practice weapon and turned to run towards the center of the base.

“Damnit!”

You forgot to take off the resistance band tied around your ankle and ate shit on the training room floor. A mocking laugh echoed through the room as you felt firm hands grasp your wrists and pull you up.

“You should really be more careful, we wouldn’t want you to do any damage to that pretty face of yours now would we?”

Han grinned, sarcasm dripping from his tone. You groaned in frustration, face flushing from a wounded ego.

“If you haven’t noticed we’re in a bit of an emergency, so if you could be a little more helpful and untie my leg so that we can make it to the meeting before The Galactic Empire blows up our base that would be great.”

“As you wish, Princess”

He leaned down to pull the band off of your thigh, lingering a beat too long in his particularly flirtatious manner. You shoved ahead of him, tactlessly hiding your blush. You know it meant nothing to him, but that didn't mean it didn't drive you nuts. You just didn't operate like Han. He was so casual. Sometimes it seemed like he couldn't help but charm anyone that walks by, just to prove he could. You're pretty sure he would flirt with a coffee pot if it was wearing mascara, while you, on the other hand, had barely managed to seduce half a dozen people in your lifetime. It was for this reason that Hans nature was so irritating to you. When he first moved to this base, you had assumed he was making a pass at you. It's just that no one had ever been so bold about it. At least not with you, the plain looking girl from Batuu who's hottest feature, in the literal sense, was her perpetually flushed cheeks and sweaty palms. It had barely been a week before you fell hard, giggling like a child every time he made one of his frisky remarks. Bless Leia's heart for being the only person kind enough to burst your bubble. After what must have been a few too many puppy eyed stares, she pulled you aside to tell you Hans' deal. That he was an egotistical bastard who got a kick out of making people fall in love with him just to see if he could. You crashed back down to Earth pretty swiftly after that, and had now spent the better part of a year rolling your eyes every time he entered a room. Now you're stuck being second best to the man who stole your heart and your rank.

By the time you both reached the meeting room, the alarm had stopped and Leia was the only person left there.

“Y/N, Han! There you are. Where were you two?”

“Long story, what’s up?”

“ok...”

Leia raised her eyebrow suspiciously before continuing

“There’s a Galactic Empire ship flying in our atmosphere. We’re not sure if they got a tip off about our base or if they’re doing a routine scan of the planet, but either way we can’t risk allowing them to continue. We only have one stolen TIE Fighter at this base, which means the rest of the crew will be working from land to shield the base and prepare for battle in case we’re spotted-“

“Great, where do you need me?” You interjected.

“I was actually hoping you and Han could fly the TIE fighter...”

“Oh?” You questioned, a bit shocked.

She eyed you with a sympathetic look, the two of you still close enough for her to be well aware of how you feel about Han.

“I don't need to tell either of you that you're the best pilots we have on site, and we need this mission to succeed. We can’t risk sending anything but our best, I’m counting on you two to destroy the ship by sabotaging the main engine.”

“Just tell me where to fire and that ship’ll be out of the sky before it can get within 100 miles of our base.” Han said, rearing for battle.

“Not so fast”

Leia sighed, clearly not willing to deal with Hans' rash nature at this exact moment.

“There’s a reason I’m squeezing Y/N into a single-pilot TIE with you, Han. You need someone who actually thinks rationally, this is too much of a risky situation for you to just go in there and fire at will like you usually would. You need to be calculated and precise, which is why you’ll both be undercover.”

“Hey! I’m calculated and precise...” Han frowned.

You gritted your teeth and turned back to Leia.

“Where’s the engine?”

“It’s on the north end of the ship, right next to the escape pod, you can’t miss it. A few hits should do the trick, especially since we’re using a stolen Empire ship with stronger blasters. By the time they realize you two are there they’ll already be toast. Here are your Uniforms, just in case anything goes south and you have to come face to face with Galactic Empire soldiers.”

You nod and take the uniform out of Leia’s hand, two Stormtrooper suits probably taken off of the soldiers from the stolen TIE fighter.

“Be careful, they’ll be on high alert if a ship just flies at top speed towards their engines. Don’t be suspicious.”

Han scoffed,

“Yeah, great advice ‘Don’t be suspicious’. And how are we supposed to do that? A random TIE fighter that’s probably already been reported as stolen flying up to the ship during what seems like a routine check? How are we going to be sure they don’t stop us immediately and blow us out of the sky?”

Leia took a deep, patient breath,

“You really have no faith in me, do you. We’ve been monitoring the ship and can see that there are TIE fighters flying in and out. Just follow the path that the rest of them are taking to avoid standing out. We know the ship hasn’t been reported as stolen because when it crashed the pilot died, so there was no one to alert them when we recovered it. We don’t have much time, I just need you to trust me. Put on the uniforms, fly in if you have to, but fly out and destroy the engine. It’s our only chance.”

A grim look passed over your face, this mission was risky, and you knew if she was going to put the two of you together it really was her only option. Things could very easily go south and if worse comes to worse her best pilots would have the closest shot at getting out of there alive. You turned to Han and realized he must’ve gotten the message, because for once in his life he didn't have anything witty to say back. He just nodded and went to change into the stolen uniform

You turned back to Leia and took a deep breath before wrapping your arms around her. She returned the hug before pulling back and putting her hands on your shoulders.

“Just, please make it back, ok?”

You smiled “I will. I might leave Han on the ship though, he’s already starting to get on my nerves.”

Leia laughed “As much as he’s a pain in our asses, he’s one of our best. Try to keep him in line for me, you know how he gets...”

You chuckled, “Yeah, I will. See you later, okay?”

“Yeah, see you later.”

You walked off to go change before meeting Han at the ship.

...

By the time you squeezed into the stolen uniform Han was already in the pilot seat of the TIE. You truly wish you had the energy to argue about it, but there wasn't enough time to be petty. He was a better pilot, plain and simple, and your pride wouldn't change that. You also wouldn't change anything by slamming on a non-existent brake pedal as he took off with an all too aggressive jolt, but that certainly didn't stop the instinct.

"Can you slow down?" You snapped, tension seeping into your shoulders. "We're supposed to be blending in, and your narcissistic flying style gives you away to literally anyone who has ever seen you pilot."

"'Narcissistic flying style'?" Han scoffs "What does that even mean?"

"I don't know, shut up." You blushed, doing your best to avoid his gaze.

"You've got to get better at that, you know"

"At what?"

"Being mean. It doesn't suit you"

"Unless you want to figure out how well my foot suits your ass, I suggest you just shut up and fly"

He lets out a warm chuckle, laughing through his response -

"See what I mean? It just sounds weird coming out of your mouth. It's like a youngling swearing for the first time. To much bite, it's not natural yet"

"Well if you're so sure it's unnatural to me maybe I should take notes from you, you seem to have no problem being an asshole."

This one came out with a real bite, he's pissed you off now.

"And what does it matter? Maybe it's not natural to me because you're the only person who makes me feel like saying rude shit. Now what does come natural to me is flying, and maybe if you weren't so focused on how things sounded coming out of my mouth you'd have noticed the TIEs flying on either side of us."

"Oh shit!" He exclaimed, caught off guard for once.

"We're going to have to land on the ship."

"what? why?"

"We don't have access to their channels of communication and we're going to have to explain what the hell we're doing flying off Crait. If we start flying towards the reactor now they'll just gun us down. We can pretend to be the soldiers that crashed on this ship, explain that we were only missing because the engine failed and we needed time to repair it. The communicator broke in the crash, and that's why we haven't called for help, got it?"

"Got it, captain" He said, with an impressed lilt in his voice.

You smiled, tallying this as a win against him. If it was impressive to him that someone could come up with a plan that wasn’t whatever made the most explosions, then so be it. He’d just better be prepared to be impressed for the next few hours.

As Han flew the TIE into the landing bay, it became increasingly clear that this was going to take more convincing on your part than you were prepared for. The two TIEs guarding either side of you followed you into the port, and a group of high ranking soldiers began to gather where your ship was landing. You shot Han a concerned glance before remembering it was useless through your helmet. He seemed to get the message anyways, giving you a short nod in response. You just hoped that meant he was taking this as seriously as you were and wasn't planning on doing anything rash.

The both of you slowly stepped out of the TIE, unsure of what the soldiers around you were planning. You tensed as a burly looking man approached, eyeing the both of you suspiciously-

“CF-0065, TZ-1764. It’s been quite some time since we’ve heard from you. Your vessels had been reported missing and it was our assumption that you had crashed or been captured. Explain what has kept you from reporting to your posts immediately.”

He snapped, authority evident in his voice. You decided to cut in before Han could say something stupid-

“Yes, sir. Our vessels crashed on Crait, and we have spent the time in between now and then repairing the engine of the more salvageable ship. We were able to get it functioning yesterday, and we're working on getting the communication systems functioning next. We spotted your ship flying over and hoped to explain ourselves and have aid in fully repairing the TIE.”

“Ah, yes, well I’m glad you were able to recover your vessel and return to work. We could use the extras hands on board.”

“What exactly is the mission of this vessel?” Han chimed in. “We’d like to help in whatever way best suits our skills.” He added, nonchalantly.

The man, who you had now gathered to be the chief officer, began to walk. The two of you followed, doing your best impression of the mindless soldiers surrounding you.

“Well, we were sent to a maintenance level scan of this star system, but have since detected some suspicious activity on this planet in particular.”

Your shoulders immediately tensed, and you shot a sideways glance at Han.

“We would like to get a more comprehensive idea of the situation before moving forward, so as of now we have not reported anything to the other fleets in the area. We’d prefer not to alert the planet of our suspicions yet, and give them the least time to prepare if we decide to strike.”

You silently thanked the stars that they haven’t allerted anyone else of their suspicions. You know Han did too, it’s going to make what you have to do here a whole lot easier without an entire fleet against you.

"Well, we’re both especially skilled in repair and maintenance,” Han jutted in, “so if you could point us towards the engine room we would be happy to make sure everything is working in order while you further investigate the planet.”

It was a risky move, and the general eyed you suspiciously.

“The both of us were able to repair a damaged TIE fighter engine with nothing but the materials we were able to trade for on Crait, if you have any issues we’d be happy to help.” You added, hoping it would convince him.

“Actually,” he conceded, “I have been concerned about the operation system in one of our navigation ports. We’ve been having quite a few rough takeoffs recently. I was going to wait until we landed to get it looked at, but since the two of you clearly possess enough skill to repair that TIE I’d rather you just take a look at it now.”

He led the two of you down a series of long, winding hallways, which you did your best to memorize if a quick escape became necessary. The room he brought you to was a small one, with about a hundred buttons you barely recognized. You may be an experienced pilot, but Empire technology was something else entirely. You just hoped the general wasn’t planning on staying, or you and Han would have to put on a pretty convincing performance.

“So,” Han coughed, “what seems to be the matter?”

“Well since you two are such experienced mechanics, shouldn't you be the ones telling me?” The general questioned suspiciously.

“Of course, Sir,” You turned, praying to god that you could make some sense of this mess in time to keep your cover. “It looks like-”

A loud thud echoed behind you and you whipped around to see Han standing over the unconscious general. He just shrugged, turning to replace the wrench he pried off the wall to club him with.

“Han!” You whisper-shouted, trying not to alert more people than he probably just did by being his typical, impulsive self.

“What? He replied, “He was totally on to us and It was more trouble than it's worth to try and convince him we know anything about Empire tech.”

“Right, so you decided braining him with a wrench was the next best option?”

“We don’t have time for this, Y/N. At this point we’re going to have to sabotage the reactor from the inside, which might take more effort than we anticipated.”

“And what are we supposed to do with him?” You both eyed the unconscious general, and Han shifted his gaze to a utility closet in the corner.

A few good thunks with the wrench for extra measure later, the both of you began to fold, shove, and contort the general into a crate in the navigation room closet. You had taken your helmets off, sweating uncomfortably with the effort it took to lift the fairly bulky man across the room. You wiped your forehead, staring at the now properly concealed general, and shot a concerned glance at Han,

“How long do you think it’ll take before they notice he’s gone?”

“I think we’ve got some time,” He said, reaching for his helmet.

It was at that moment that the doorknob began to jiggle, and in a blur of movement Han had you up against the wall with his lips on yours. It didn’t even register at first, shock and adrenaline coursing through your veins hard enough to freeze you completely.You weren’t exactly sure what the rules were in The Galactic Empire about soldiers kissing, but you had a feeling the punishment for being caught would be less severe than killing a high ranking general. Plus, this was probably the easiest way to hide both of your helmetless faces, yours may not be recognizable, but his certainly is. It took a second before you began to kiss him back, but by the time you let yourself reciprocate, you heard the door click shut and Han pulled away. You kicked yourself and your neurotic brain for running through all of the possible plans of action before you even got the chance to soak it in. You’d dreamed of this so many times, and in so many ways, and the one time it’ll probably ever happen you let it get away from you. As you looked back up at Han, he was stuck with the same searching look you couldn’t wipe off your face. You stared back at him for a second, trying to gauge his reaction.

Han butted in, cutting right through your thoughts. “Maybe we should do that again. You know, just in case they come back.” He said, dazed.

“Yeah…” You muttered, “Yeah that might be best.”

His lips crashed back into yours, and you kissed him with a renewed sense of purpose. Han kissed with a passion you had never felt before. With everyone else it had been awkward and fumbling, but the two of you seemed to fit together so naturally. You took a metal note of every part of him, from the rough feeling of his lips to the bold flick of his tongue. You tried to memorize everything you loved about this, because you knew it was never going to happen again. You’re sure you were going to torture yourself with this moment forever, so you might as well remember it as clearly as possible. The way his hands grazed your waist, not grabbing, but just hovering above your hips with a feather-like touch as if he was afraid you were going to burn him. How his adams apple bobbed when you kissed his neck, swallowing hard out of desperation. The way his hands felt in your hair, not tugging, but carding through it with a sort of reverence. He pulled away too soon, tearing you out of your blissful analysis of his body and back into the present tense.

“We can’t keep doing that,” He said, panting.

“Yeah, I think we’re in the clear and we need to find the reactor” You replied, trying your best to hide how it stung and moving towards your helmet.

“No.” Han put both his hands on your shoulder, holding you in place, “No, we can’t keep doing that because if we do I will want to do it again.”

“What?” You paused, shocked.

“You know what I mean, Y/N, don’t make me say it out loud.”

You stared back at him blankly, truly at a loss for words.

“Jesus Y/N, Do I have to spell it out for you? I’m in love with you!”

“What?” Seemed to be the only word your brain could muster in this moment. You felt as though your whole world view was crashing around you, as though the very ground beneath you was shaking… On second thought, the ground might actually be shaking, because judging by Hans face you weren't the only one feeling the rumbling beneath you.

“We’ll deal with this later.” He shot you a look before grabbing his helmet and running out the door, following quickly after to discover what was the matter.

It became clear as you walked that the ship was preparing for takeoff, but you weren’t sure why. Your nerves were on fire, and you know you’ve wasted too much time to get it wrong now.

“That general sure wasn’t kidding when he said their takeoffs were rough. We need to get to the reactor before they can get the ship up and running or we’re screwed.” Han said, eyeing you nervously.

“Do you think if we go back to the landing bay we can tell them we have orders to go back to Crait and investigate some of the suspicious activity we saw on-world? If we take a nicer ship than the TIE we came in we won't have to worry about the blasters not being strong enough to take down the ship.” You replied, already in go-mode.

“Sounds like a great plan,” Han said, voice dripping with sarcasm, “except how the hell are we supposed to find our way back to the landing bay with no map of the ship?”

“Just trust me.” You said, grabbing his arm and leading him down the hall. Your freakish memory is good for more than memorizing Hans lips, and you were able to bring the two of you back exactly the way you came. You strode up to the nearest pilot you could find, and with the confidence of somebody who has no other choice, demands he give the two of you access to an ST-70 Assault Ship.

“For what purpose?” He responds, taken aback by your assertiveness.

“We are the two soldiers who we’re just recovered from Crait, and were ordered back down there to investigate suspicious activity on the planet. We don’t have time for this, just give us the vessel.” Han repeated what you had planned to the pilot, striding towards the ST-70.

“I haven’t been told of such an order, the two of you are going to need to wait until I receive the command from higher up to authorize use of this vessel.” The pilot replies sharply.

“We’ve already been held up by engine maintenance,” You added, not exactly sure where this was going but hoping you found something convincing to say in the midst of your rambling, “and spent much of that time relaying to a general on this ship the reason for our brief disappearance. We are part of a high clearance mission to uncover rebel activity on the planet Crait, and are close to infiltrating one of the largest branches of their military. We came here to dismiss your vessel, as we were worried your presence would alert the Rebel Alliance of our presence on the planet.”

Han joined in, stepping up to the unarmed pilot with his intimidating stature.

“If you don’t hand over this vessel, the failure of a months-long plan to eliminate one of the largest branches of the Rebel Alliance will be on your head. Whatever you think we might do with this ship that is ‘unauthorized’ cannot possibly have consequences as dire for you as that will.” Han rolled his shoulders back, taking one more menacing step forward.

The pilot stepped aside, granting you and Han access to the ST-70. If the two of you make it out of here, you would have to be permanently assigned as partners for missions like these. You have never felt more invigorated or on your game than when you were with Han, the idea of the word ‘partners in crime’ finally settling in your skin. You weren’t out of the woods yet though, and as Han began to start the ships engines, a very rumpled looking general marched into the landing bay.

“Shit!” You exclaimed. “Go, Han, Go, go, go go GO!”

“I hear you Y/N!” Han shouted back, kicking the ship into overdrive and jolting you violently into space.

You got a few feet out from the ship before three TIE fighters started tailing you, and Han took a sharp left before nose-diving under the belly of the ship. You whipped around to the laser cannons, doing you best to aim as Han whipped the ship around to try and find the main engine. Just as you took one TIE out, two more appeared.

“Do you have eyes on the engine Han?” You shouted, limbs tingling as you shot down two more TIE fighters.

“Got it!” He yelled back, and you swiveled to face the ship's surface as he flew at top speed towards the engine.

You began to count down, preparing Han to nose dive the second you blasted this thing out of the sky.

“Three… two.. One!” You fired directly at the engine, and your stomach did somersaults as Han dodged the blast.

“Yes!” He screamed, and you laughed with manic joy as you felt relief wash over you.

The TIE fighters following you weren’t prepared to dodge the blast, and the two of you watched joyfully as they went down with the ship. You barreled towards Crait, with more than just a successful mission to show for it. The two of you had just destroyed a high ranking Empire ship, and come back with an ST-70 Razor Crest M-11 ship as your bounty. Han landed the ship and ripped off his helmet, smiling from ear to ear. The excitement was electric, making its way through every limb and out your fingers to charge the atmosphere around you. You turned to Han and before you knew it you were crashing your lips into his, desperate for an outlet. He kissed you back with double the vigor of the last time, and seemed to be determined to explore every inch of you. Your mouth, your waist, your hair, your thighs, he groped and fumbled at all of you as you pushed back with just as much energy. Kissing Han felt like, for lack of better word, winning. Winning your first race as a newly vetted pilot, winning a mission against the empire, winning the man you thought wanted nothing to do with you and you thought you wanted nothing to do with. You laughed into the kiss as he bit your lip, giddy with an amount of energy you didn’t know how to control.

“What?” He said, sporting that smug grin you always wanted to slap off of his face.

“Nothing,” you replied, deciding firmly that kissing it off was the better option. “I’ve just been so in love with you forever and can’t believe this is happening.”

FIN.

#star wars #han solo #original trilogy #han solo x reader #leia organa #princess leia #han x reader #han x y/n #han x you #the empire strikes back #a new hope #fanfic #star wars fic #star wars fanfiction #star wars fic rec #sw fic #sw au #sw fanfic

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shu-box-puns · 1 year ago

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I never would have given you to them; not for anything (Tsu'tey x Reader)

Last Chapter <- Part 3 -> Next Chapter

If you prefer to read on Ao3, you can find the fic here!

Summary: It is said that Na'vi are defined by their actions. And oh boy, what a statement you make.

Word Count: 7832

Reader uses they/them pronouns.

NOTE: The term 'Zaza' is a gender neutral way to address a parental figure.

The Well of Souls was almost how Tsu’tey had left it a week ago. Eerie and quiet as if the Great Mother herself slumbered beneath the soft moss, her breath disturbing the glowing vines of her Tree with her every exhale. Today, however, the quiet was disturbed by the voices of the children, both soft spoken and respectful, but no less passionate.

<”Will they be okay, Kiri?”> Little Tuk asked from somewhere within the bowl, her tone laced with childish worry and hope. At Tsu’tey’s side, Neytiri’s ears perked as her steps quickened. Jake was no less eager as he increased his pace, rounding the cliffs to the sloping side of the Well of Souls. Tsu’tey followed.

<”They will heal.”> Kiri finally said in that all-knowing voice of her’s. The one that imbued the wisdom of a Tsahik into her words. <”But it will take time.”>

<”We do not have time.”> Neteyam interjected, anxiety evident in his tone.

Fluidly, Neytiri leapt over a fallen log as she came to the lip of the slope into the Well of Souls. She paused only long enough to scan the immediate undergrowth, an arrow notched and her tail flicking to and fro. Jake brushed past her, starting a calculated descent whilst his mate watched his back. Tsu’tey brought up the rear, soothed by the calm conversation happening below as well as the sounds of birds in the canopy above. For now, all was well.

<”It will be getting dark soon.”> Lo’ak interjected, <”if we’re taking them back to the clan, we should call the ikran.”>

None of the adults vocalised their presence, weary of Neteyam’s earlier reports of recoms lurking between the trees. Instead, like they had so many times before, the trio moved with quiet purpose. Conscious that surprise would be an advantage.

<”Mother told us to leave them here.”> Neteyam immediately argued.

<”Not everyone is like Dad!”> Lo’ak countered, <”and not every marine who stumbles out here is blessed by Eywa. If we leave them, they will die.”>

<”Perhaps we should do that then.”> Neteyam bit back almost immediately, anger edging into his tone. The malicious words echoing around the silent cliffs. The older boy sighed heavily, and Tsu’tey could tell by Lo’ak’s silence that he was glaring hard at his brother.

A sharp inhale from Neytiri briefly drew his attention from the verbal sparring match. The huntress motioned with her notched bow to a booted footprint imprinted into an especially thick clump of moss beside her foot. The footprints led further down the slope and into the bowl. Together, the trio followed the trail.

They came across the body before any of the children responded. It was a recom, left crumbled where it had been shot dead and left to bleed its nutrients back into the earth from two arrow wounds cut into its torso. Tsu’tey smelt smoke lingering on the body’s clothes, and knew the soldier had used his weapon before he was disposed of.

<”Whatever these things are, they are unnatural.”> Neteyam continued, <”dead people should not continue to walk Eywa’eveng.”>

To Tsu’tey’s surprise, it was Spider who responded.

<”Bro, you don’t mean that.”>

<”You heard your Dad.”>

Tsu’tey winced.

<”Yeah, well, obviously he got it wrong. He’s grieving, he’s going to jump to conclusions.”> Spider blurted, scrambling to get his words out before Neteyam could expand on his statement. He laughed nervously, <”it was probably just the shock. You know he’s been a bit on edge recently. I’m sure that when we take them home, he’ll change his mind. Yeah! He’s got to. Right?”>

The dead soldier was completely forgotten now. He stepped over the body, finding himself in the open space of the bowl with the graves tucked away in the far corner, guarded by the Great Mother’s tree. Which was where he found the kids, all perched upon Eywa’s throne, hidden between the coiling roots.

He hadn’t even considered questioning where the recom was, despite them being the topic of the conversation, but Tsu’tey didn’t have to wonder for long. Not after he drew nearer and immediately realised that the children were crowded around a wounded body.

Spider’s panicked words slammed into the side of his face as bile slid up Tsu’tey’s throat as he took in the state of the recom. The blood splattered clothes, the state of its feet, muddy and streaked with cuts and dirt. The limp way it had been arranged within the roots, clearly breathing, but only just. Kiri crouched above its torso, smearing a herbal paste over bullet wounds that Tsu’tey could smell even from such a distance. The body did not so much as twitch under her careful ministrations, its face the optime of calm.

Spider was holding tightly onto one of their limp hands, his knuckles white.

<”Spider,”> Kiri sighed, wiping her messy hands on her thigh before taking some offered leaf bandages from Tuk with a grateful incline of her head. She let the name hang in the air whilst she carefully wrapped the wound. <”This isn’t of Eywa’s doing-”>

Spider’s face scrunched up under her careful words, before he promptly interrupted her. <”But what if this was Grace?”> He asked, something desperate brewing in his tone. <”What if it was your mum that found us? You would have fought my Dad to protect her, no questions asked. Regardless of whether her body was made by the demons.”>

<”Spider-”> <”Don’t pretend to understand, because you don’t!”> Spider snarled. His raised his head from staring down at his Zaza, to fix the other children with a sharp look. Wisely, they did not try to interrupt him. <”Eywa, I hate this. I finally got my Zaza back and you’re all pretending like it’s a fucking omen or something.”> He paused, fury burning in his eyes. <”Which they’re not! They’re exactly as they’ve always been! Just like Dad and Jake described them! They didn’t fucking know us and they still protected us! TWICE NOW! Bad people don’t do that!”>

<”Spider.”> Tuk whispered, <”you’ll wake them up.”> Spider’s fury abruptly spluttered out. <”We’re not sure if they <i>will</i> wake up.”> He told her gently, to which Tuk let out a quiet little, “oh.”

Fuck stealth, Tsu’tey hated that tone on his son. He despised the anger, the wobble of his voice as emotion tried to get the better of him. He picked up his pace, growing closer by the second as Spider grew quiet. The grip he had on the recom’s hand became like the desperate hold of a survivor on a lifeline.

Spider turned to look at Neteyam, who stubbornly held his gaze. <”If this was your Dad, if he had died and this was your only connection to him, you would be fighting just as hard as me!”> His gaze snapped to Lo’ak. <”No, fuck that, you’d be fighting even harder than I am.”>

Tsu’tey couldn’t hear anymore. He wouldn’t survive it. He hadn’t even noticed Spider was feeling this way. And what kind of father was he? To not notice his own son hurting. Regardless of his own grief, Tsu’tey should have been better. Should have been paying more attention.

Neteyam spotted him first over Spider’s shoulder, his pinned ears flying upwards in acknowledgement. This of course drew the attention of the rest of them, including Spider who seemed almost reluctant to acknowledge anyone else entering the Well of Souls. The words were trapped in Tsu’tey’s tight throat, so he allowed Jake to call ahead, asking if everyone was okay.

Neteyam might have answered him. Or perhaps it was Kiri. Tsu’tey wasn’t listening enough to care. All of his attention had gone to Spider. To the tears pearling on his lashes, which his boy refused to let fall. To the way he clutched the recom’s limp hand in both of his, clinging tightly.

<”You better be about to apologise.”> His son warned him, eyebrows drawn tight. His posture screaming defensive.

Tsu’tey’s own expression broke. He felt his icy bravado melt into something pulsing and raw. Something that encouraged him to drop his bow, to cast aside his arrows and drop into a kneel at his son’s feet. Words were still beyond him, but he knew Spider was picking up on his micro expressions. He knew from the widening of his son’s eyes that he could see Tsu’tey’s regret in the lowering of his ears, the thinning of his lips.

<”Son-”> <”No!”> Spider jumped in immediately, his expression fierce. Tsu’tey noted how he reared up onto his knees, hovering over the recom in a position that could not have been easy on his thighs. An easily defensible position, another part of Tsu’tey’s brain provided. <”Don’t try to talk me out of this! I’ve been good. I’ve listened, and now you’re going to listen to me before they die, again!”>

That stung. Enough that Tsu’tey had to suppress a flinch. Lips thinning, he managed a disjointed nod. Despite himself, he felt a swell of pride inflating in his chest despite the tone the boy was taking with him. If Spider needed to feel in control for the moment, then he would allow it. There would be plenty of time for a proper conversation later, when it was safe.

<”What happened?”> Tsu’tey finally pushed out, eyes flickering from Spider’s face to the body.

<”Zaza, they-”> Spider swallowed loudly, <”they got shot.”> Tsu’tey wanted to reach out and put a steady hand on his son’s shaking shoulder, but restrained himself. Despite Spider’s posture screaming uncertainty, Tsu’tey knew it might not be what he wanted right now. Spider would ask for comfort, when he felt he needed it, and not a moment before. So although he clung tightly to the recom’s hand and shifted as if he wanted to curl into Tsu’tey like he always did when he was scared, Tsu’tey made no move to invade his space. Instead, he remained patient and quiet, allowing Spider to gather himself.

Spider stayed put, so so did Tsu’tey.

<”They took a cartridge of bullets defending Lo’ak. We need to get them home.”>

Tsu’tey nodded, slow and steady. That was the plan before coming here. If anything, this simply cemented what Mo’at had been trying to tell him. He looked at his son now. His boy, and knew Spider already felt it. That thin, fragile connection between parent and child, however strained. Neytiri’s shadow passed over Tsu'tey, her steps quiet and respectful as she rounded the body to crouch at Kiri’s side, her eyes flicking over the bandages. <”Are they stable?”> She asked, glancing briefly at Spider, who dipped his head in a nod, before leaning in to check for a pulse.

Her eldest daughter told her they were, before leaning back to allow her mother to work and offer a second opinion. Despite being only fourteen, Kiri was well versed in the practices of a Tsahik thanks to Mo’at, but Neytiri had countless more years of experience and learning on her hands.

<”Eywa has kept them from drifting far.”> Kiri offered as Neytiri worked. Clicking her tongue, Neytiri withdrew her hand. <”Indeed.”> She agreed, pausing to squeeze Kiri’s knee in ‘well done’, before reaching up and pulling the recom’s kuru free from the Tree. The braid fell with a soft thump to the roots, but the body did not stir. Tsu’tey held his breath, knowing, even with his severe lack of spiritual and medical understanding, that that was not a good sign.

Spider clung even tighter to the recom’s hand. His other slipping down to cup the back of it, his little thumb idly tracing circles into cool skin.

<”Strange.”> Neytiri rumbled aloud, leaning over the still body to peel back its eyelids and peer into its lax pupils. Their eyes did not move. The pupils hardly contracted from the glow of the Tree. Neytiri clicked her hand on either side of its head, checking for a reaction, a flick of their ears or a wince. The recom breathed but did not wake.

<”How bad is it?”> Jake asked, standing upon the moss at the foot of the throne. He had one hand on his gun, whilst Tuk had at some point slithered away from Kiri’s side and gotten herself picked up by her father. She was tucked into his neck now, watching the scene with large, thoughtful eyes.

<”Not good.”> Neytiri said simply, <”the Tree should have offered enough energy for them to resurface. But they are not. The connection was not strong enough.”>

<”What could possibly be stronger than the Tree of Souls.”>

<”The bond.”> Neytiri said simply, then turned to Tsu’tey who called on every ounce of pride he owned to not shrink back. His stomach somersaulted under Neytiri’s measured gaze, her expression all business as she seemed to look into him. Her tone was slightly softer when she continued, losing some of a professional sharpness. <”I am sure you do not need me to explain it.”> He didn’t, but that didn’t mean he was tripping over himself to do what was needed.

His stomach was trying to twist itself into unpleasant knots with the implications of it. With the idea that he would have to touch his kuru to the recoms in order to wake them. That it would emotionally mean nothing beyond survival.

Throughout his life, Tsu’tey had seen this form of healing performed before, after hunting mishaps or riding accidents that left Mo’at worrying whether the patient would wake again. Setting aside the complex spiritual and social beliefs about one’s kuru, the practice was practically undoubtedly reliable and used as a last resort. Borrowed from the early stages of a na’vi’s life when the child shared Tsaheylu with their parent, the bond allowed oxygen and nutrients to be passed from one body to another. Biologically, it helped rouse an unconscious patient, and in some cases, prevent death from coming to pass.

Tsu’tey could feel his family’s eyes on him, the silent concern of Jake at his back. The sharp, uncertain feeling of Spider’s gaze burning into the side of his head. The confusion of the other children. Neytiri’s eyes were steady and confident when he met them, a stark contrast to how Tsu’tey felt.

<“There is nothing else that can be done?”> Tsu’tey asked, just to be sure. He did not want to form a connection that was not necessary. Not if he didn’t have to. But if the bond would allow everyone to return to High Camp a little bit quicker, he would do it. The less time spent in the forest, the better.

<”Not here.”> Neytiri told him, and that was enough for Tsu’tey.

He sighed quietly to himself before rising and shuffling around to the recom’s head, now that he wasn’t blinded by rage, he could see his mate more clearly in their features. He could study the patterns of their glowing freckles and could relax in the newness. Their shell may be different, but if what his son had said was true, then their mind would be familiar to him. It might even feel like returning home.

<”Fine.”> Tsu’tey gritted out through tight teeth.

Neytiri nodded, reached over the body to grasp his knee and offer a tight squeeze of comfort. Her eyes caught his and held, seriousness taking over everything else. <”You need only pull them to the surface with you.”> She instructed him, sounding so much like her mother. <”Do not probe and do not get lost.”>

He nodded.

Spider had relaxed slightly throughout the interaction, something in him soothed now that Tsu’tey had made it clear that he did not intend to inflict harm. And as Tsu’tey pulled his kuru over his shoulder, his son shuffled closer to his side, as he always did when Tsu’tey prepared to disconnect from the world and get lost in Tsaheylu. Tsu’tey did not acknowledge the action, eyes steady on his own hands as Spider leaned more heavily into his side, seeking the comfort he did not feel comfortable asking for with so many eyes present. As compensation, Tsu’tey loosely curled his tail behind his son, not touching, but offering a makeshift border of security.

Kuru in hand, Tsu’tey stole a moment for himself to breathe. In and out. Smooth and simple. He could feel his nerves within the braid thrumming in anticipation as he carefully reached for the recom’s kuru. The hair was recently washed and cared for, and almost soft beneath his finger despite the ordeal it had suffered after hours in the rain and the mud. The weight was like any other kuru, and had nothing alien about it. Tsu’tey took comfort from that as he brought the end close to his own; both sets of tendrils were already eagerly reaching for one another.

The bond wrapped around him like an embrace, urging his eyelids closed and loosening the tension from his shoulders. Then it grew taught and dragged him mercilessly down, down, down. Tsu’tey allowed it. He could still feel the moss against his legs. The warmth of Spider now leaning fully into his side. He was still present, even as he spiralled.

At first, there was no scene, only darkness and the throb of emotions Tsu’tey couldn’t name. He focused hard, opening his mind to the fog. Allowing it to enter him as he entered into it. He met no resistance, and for a moment, the entity seemed to hold its breath. Then it yielded to him.

His surroundings faded into existence slowly.

He was in the Well of Souls still, but the entire clan was here with him, decked out in war paint and rallying weapons. Clans from all over poured into the bowl, whooping to passing ikran riders and hunters on pa’li.

It was the night before the Battle for The Tree of Souls, Tsu’tey realised. But the recom would have no recollection of this night, so he must have pushed harder than he originally realised for him to be seeing his own memory within Tsaheylu.

Across the way, he saw Jake’s avatar with Neytiri, talking amongst themselves beneath the metal ikran. He saw himself there too, stood at the foot of Eywa’s throne, painted in yellow and navy and decked out in his war beads. His younger self had his back to him, but Tsu’tey could clearly see the proud sway of his tail, the way he held himself with the arrogance of a newly appointed Olo’eyktan.

On unsteady feet, Tsu’tey approached himself. This younger version of himself who was still so free of the burdens he was yet to shoulder. The version of himself still ignorant to the true might of the Sky People and would later be betrayed critically by one of his own people.

This version of himself towered over the human body of his mate before they became his mate. The human sat comfortably among the weaving roots of Eywa’s throne, wearing Sky Person camouflage armour and decked out in bright yellow war paint. The image was enough to jog Tsu’tey’s memory.

He often recalled this encounter fondly, as it was the first time he’d truly begun to respect his mate. It had also been one of the first times he’d realised just how much the infuriating Sky Person had really meant to him.

Even now, he could recall the bitter sting of panic on the back of his tongue, when the metal ikran had returned with a wounded Grace and no Y/n. Within moments of Jake reappearing, he had been demanding confirmation they were still alive, to which Jake had assured them that Trudy planned to return to Hell’s Gate by eclipse to retrieve them, since they had unfinished business to tie up before making an escape. He had grumbled his displeasure and sulked until his not mate had returned to the People.

This image before him, with his not mate seated proudly upon Eywa’s throne whilst Tsu’tey stood confidently at their feet, had been their first conversation following a brief reunion. It had been a rocky period of their relationship, with betrayal pushing a wedge between them, after HomeTrees destruction. Tsu’tey had felt raw and explosive. Annoyed by the infuriatingly neutral face they constantly wore beneath their mask as they cleaned and repaired a weapon Tsu’tey knew would kill a Na’vi with three shots, and obliterate a Sky Person in one.

The him of the present approached the duo, ears pricking at the tell tales signs of snarled conflict between these past versions of themselves. They were so young here. So unaware of what trials were yet to come.

“-you are a Demon!” His younger self spat, to which the human soldier drew themselves up tall. Their expression smoothed out to something similar to what Eytukan usually wore when he was conducting crucial business. “How can I possibly trust you after everything that has happened?”

His not mate took their sweet time responding, essentially leaving Tsu’tey’s younger self to wait in line for their attention. They took their time, drawing it out, testing whether or not Tsu’tey would stay or storm off in a huff. As he knew he would, his younger self remained where he stood, impatiently waiting for them to respond.

And when they did, it was as slow and deliberate as a palulukan stalking its prey. Their expression held poorly suppressed fury, something roiling and barely controlled. It had Tsu’tey’s younger self shifting on his feet, but he did not step back.

“Trust my rage.” They told his counterpart simply. “Trust that and nothing else, if you must.”

The yellow war paint smeared across their brow and dotted along their cheeks beneath their mask beautifully complimented their skin, Tsu’tey thought to himself. His heart twinging at this young, fiery version of his mate. The human held his younger self’s eye, and Tsu’tey watched himself visibly stiffen, before his ears lowered ever so slightly.

He remembered coming to a conclusion at that moment. A realisation, that he had never trusted them more than he did when they looked at him like that. Perhaps it had been the certainty of their tone. Or the familiar narrowing of their eyebrows. Both of which contributed to the look they always wore when they had set their mind on something and would burn the world to accomplish it.

He remembered they had worn that same expression weeks prior when Tsu’tey had goaded them into what was essentially a pissing contest. A stupid competition, so petty that he could barely remember it. It might have had something to do with archery, or perhaps climbing, he wasn’t sure, but whichever it was, they had sent him on his way afterwards with his tail between his legs, and his cheeks blazing in shame.

“Okay.” His past self accepted, before carefully climbing upon Eywa’s throne until he could crouch beside them.

Tsu’tey’s brows furrowed at the action. He did not remember doing that. After his not mate had told him to trust their fury, he had nodded and walked away, his stomach tightening with butterflies. He certainly had not ventured closer, nor had he taken a seat beside them.

His past self completely ignored what Tsu’tey hadn’t done, and continued to stray. “Why did you remain behind within the demon’s compound?” He asked his not mate, who seemed to soften ever so slightly at his curiosity.

That look sent alarm bells ringing through Tsu’tey’s body. At this point, their relationship had been rocky, almost a rivalry rather than a friendship. They certainly hadn’t looked at him like that until months after this, but even then, they had tried their hardest to hide it. “We needed more concrete information, so I got it.” They told his younger self simply, “do you want to See?”

Tsu’tey jumped as their head abruptly lifted from their gun and pinned him in place with serious, unblinking eyes. He took a startled step back, watching the memory watch him with a knowing look.

<”You can see me?”> He breathed, panic creeping into the back of his throat. <”How can you see me?”>

<”You have not done this before, have you?”> His not mate mused, their resulting smile bittersweet. <”I See you.”> They told him, <”and yet, you do not.”> <”I do not understand.”>

<”You will.”> They reassured him before rising to their feet. <”But only if you trust me.”> They extended a hand, palm facing up, as small and innocent as they had always pretended to be. Tsu’tey knew from experience that their palm would be calloused, their fingers short but strong.

He barely spared his younger self a second glance as he slowly approached. Eyes flickering from their outstretched hand to their sure expression and the war paint adorning their determined little face. Slowly, he raised his hand to grasp their’s. The size difference was comical, but somehow, it worked for them, like it always had.

<“You wish to See, do you not?”> They asked him one last time, as if to offer him a chance to back out. Tsu’tey looked at them, really looked at them. Up into the face he had loved and lost. <“I do.”> He admitted.

And for a moment, nothing happened as the world seemed to have lulled to a halt as he spoke. His younger self frozen with his eyes still trained on the side of the human’s face.

In contrast, his mate moved freely, their little fingers grasping his a little tighter. <”Good.”> They praised him, then they changed.

Before Tsu’tey’s eyes, his not mate grew into their recom body. Startled, he tried to retract his hand, but their grasp was firm. Before his eyes, they towered over him, still dressed in the military attire of their counterpart, which had grown and shifted to accommodate their larger body. The exomask had disappeared, but the yellow war paint remained. Beneath Tsu’tey’s palm, their callouses had disappeared and their skin was now soft and smooth, as if this body had not yet spent enough time handling a weapon to have need of them.

For some reason, here, in this setting, with the Tree as their witness, and the clan frozen in time, Tsu’tey felt like the recom’s presence was familiar, as if he had sensed it before. But the feeling was dream-like and distant. Small and jumpy as a small animal. Unwilling for him to catch the thought to properly understand it.

As if hearing his thoughts, the recom’s lips quirked upwards into a knowing smile. <”Now you’re catching on.”> They mused.

<”What now?”> Tsu’tey demanded, his patience beginning to wane.

<”Now, you will See.”> <”You keep saying that.”> Tsu’tey reprimanded, <”but you do not deliver.”> They smiled. <”So impatient. Come along, Olo’eyktan.”>

They pulled lightly on his arm, causing him to stumble forward and put a foot up on one of the lower roots to keep his footing. Tsu’tey glared up at them and they chuckled lightly, tugging again so that Tsu’tey was forced to step properly up onto the throne. From there he was led to the summit, where the Tree itself poked through the dirt and arched overhead.

<”Where are you leading me?”>

At first, there was no response as he was led around the circumference of the Tree and pulled out of sight of the rest of the camp. Then the recom paused before a metal door that should not have been part of the Tree. Tsu’tey’s eyes narrowed at the sight of it, having seen something familiar attached to the human compounds.

<”Go through here.”>

The recom no longer sounded like Tsu’tey’s mate, and it startled him. The voice that spoke to him could only have been described as naturally powerful; as effortlessly knowing. It was neither male nor female; old nor young. It just was. And somehow, it made sense.

<”Search through the ghosts of your past and find your other half.”> The voice instructed, <”each doorway is a chance. Be thorough and open, only then will you See.”> <”Thank you.”> Tsu’tey breathed as the being dropped his hand and stepped back. They did not turn to face him as Tsu’tey reached for the door that only came up to his midriff. And somehow, he knew they no longer carried the face of his mate upon their alien features. If the being looked at him now, he knew he would not recognise who his eyes flickered up to meet the gaze of.

<”Make me proud.”> Prompted the voice, and Tsu’tey could do little but obey as he opened the door and slithered through.

>_<

He emerged into a corridor of Hell’s Gate, as it was before the humans had left. The tight, greyscale space was flooded with Sky People, all dressed in contrasting uniforms with places to be and determination in their strides.

Immediately, his gaze was drawn to the living ghost of Colonel Quaritch, who commanded a path through the teeming crowd with nothing but his presence. The people heading in the opposite direction to him split around his muscular figure like river water would pass around a mossy rock. The colonel was flanked by two people. One Tsu’tey did not recognise, but one he did.

Here, his mate was human again, dressed in the military attire they wore into the Battle for The Tree of Souls, but with no yellow war paint. They carried a tablet, and easily kept pace with the colonel’s swift strides whilst remaining a step or two behind. The image of a good soldier.

Tsu’tey was not fooled however. He noticed the dangerous glint in his mate’s eye. The smooth way they shifted files around, flicking a couple into the digital bin and others being uploaded to an external network. Normally, Tsu’tey would not know hide nor hair of the Sky People’s complex internet, but the bond must have filtered some of the words over, because somehow, he knew the functions of each button that was pressed as well as the names of everything that was around him.

What he could not place however, was the origin of the undercurrent of energy in the air. It was electrical in nature, and yet could not be traced back to the flickering lights or the electricity pulsing through hidden wires. It was subtle, but powerful. Boiling hotter and hotter like a forest fire that was rapidly getting out of control.

His eyes flickered to his mate’s face as they passed him by, and then it clicked. He noticed the narrowing of their brows as they glared holes into the back of the colonel’s head. He saw the tightening of their grasp on the tablet, the way the metal and glass groaned in protest. Their rage, he realised, had tainted the memory somehow. Had shifted the very air into something tense and dangerous.

“- have the native scuttled off to then, now that their main tree has been blown to shit?” The colonel asked without looking back.

The human walking beside Tsu’tey’s mate responded, all bravado and wonky teeth. “The Well of Souls, sir.” He reported diligently, whilst Tsu’tey found amusement in the way the artificial lighting shone on his hairless scalp.

“Good. Then we can knock out two birds with one stone.” The colonel returned triumphantly, to which the bald one nodded along.

“Excellent idea.” Tsu’tey’s mate replied, although the look on their face suggested it was anything but. “What artillery would we require for such an assault sir?”

The colonel, with the confidence of a man who knew his worth, immediately began listing off numbers and divisions, all of which Tsu’tey’s mate diligently noted down. Judging by the ripple of triumph that passed within the undercurrent of rage, Tsu’tey could tell this information would not remain strictly confidential.

Fondness flared to life as Tsu’tey gazed upon them like this. So confident and full of life. How utterly in their element they were. He could vaguely place the date of the memory, solely based on the Omaticayan style necklace he saw peering out of the collar of their shirt. A begrudging gift from his younger self in an attempt to bridge the gap and form a truce. He now wore that same necklace beneath his wrist guard.

With a lopsided smile, Tsu’tey recalled why exactly he was here in the first place. His task was to pull the recom out of the past and out of their head. In passing back home, he had heard the most common method in Tsaheylu for this was to grab their hand and pull. And with little other ideas to try out, Tsu’tey did.

His phantom form had to stoop to weave around the light fixtures of the tight corridor, but with his long legs, it was effortless to catch up with the trio who had just walked past him. For some reason, the other Sky People in the corridor automatically parted and wove around him as he moved, leaving his path to his goal unobstructed. Tsu’tey almost grinned with how straight forward this was becoming, Neytiri had made it seem like it was going to be harder than this.

And with that in mind, and the distance closing, he reached forward for his mate’s hand. Unsurprisingly, it was tiny compared to his, but warm and solid. Shocked, the human started, leaping to the side as their head whipped up to find the source of the touch.

Their eyes locked with Tsu’tey’s, widened, and then promptly vanished. There was no flicker of the light. Nor was there a dramatic breeze that whisked their particles away. It was simply a case of one moment they were there, and the next, it were as if they had never existed in the first place.

Tsu’tey triumphant grin melted into an open mouth gasp of horror.

Up ahead, the colonel kept striding along as the anger tainting the air promptly dissipated, leaving behind an anxiety so thick that it made Tsu’tey feel physically sick. To the man’s right, walked the bald one, now sporting a tablet and diligently tapping away on it. Neither so much as glanced backwards.

The memory blurred then, drawing Tsu’tey’s attention to another door which was somehow still in focus. Upon first glance, it appeared identical to the one that had let him into the corridor, but Tsu’tey knew it was warped somehow and wouldn’t lead into another room in Hell’s Gate.

>_<

The second door opened out into the belly of HomeTree. The main fire roared in its pit as the clan assembled in the back chamber before Eytukan. Hesitantly, Tsu’tey moved further into the chamber, emotion clogging his chest as nostalgia crept up on him.

His attention was immediately captured by the commotion occuring by the spiral staircase. Unnoticed by his fellow clan members, Tsu’tey wove through the assembled clan, surprised to find Jake stood near the front adjacent to a distinctly human shape decked out in camo gear and an exomask.

<”And this one can be trusted, Jake-Sully?”> Mo’at asked carefully, prowling around the human, who stood dutifully before her, all neutral mask and motionless ears. Her tail swayed in apprehension,

<”Yes.”> Jake insisted, the cummerbund wrapped around his waist signalling that this memory was a few weeks before HomeTree’s destruction. When Eytukan was still Olo’eyktan and the chemistry between Jake and Neytiri was edging towards undoubtable. Vaguely, Tsu’tey even saw himself tucked away on Eytukan’s right, bow in hand and his eyes narrowed in mistrust.

Eytukan nodded in acknowledgement of Jake’s claim before glancing to his mate who continued to circle the soldier.

“What are you called?” She asked in heavily accented English.

At the direct address, the human glanced up. In a clear, respectful tone, they gave the Tsahik their name. Mo’at nodded. “And why do you come to us?” “I seek knowledge for myself.” They told her simply. “The Sky People wreak unnecessary destruction, on both your clan and your home. In exchange for your help, I offer information which you can use to stop them.” The Tsahik hummed thoughtfully. “And what exactly is it exactly, you seek in return? We have learnt that your people do not offer kindness without a price.” Jake shifted uncertainly on his feet, eyes casually glancing down to his friend before he snapped them away to look anywhere else. In contrast, the human remained unphased.

“I want to learn how to fire one of your bows.” They told her, their tone leaving little room for mockery.

Mo’at tilted her head in amusement. “Why?” “All skills are valuable for surviving, even more so on Pandora.” Mo’at nodded thoughtfully at this, a subtle smile creeping onto her otherwise schooled expression. Tsu’tey could tell from the playful prick of her ears that the human had unknowingly pleased her. With her mind made up, Mo’at turned to her mate who had not yet looked away from her. And with a sharp nod, Eytukan lost some of his stiffness.

“Provided that your information is sound,” Eytukan explained firmly, his English rustier than Mo’at but clear enough in Tsu’tey’s opinion. “We shall instruct you in our ways.”

The human dipped their head in thanks, almost too quickly for Tsu’tey to notice the genuine smile creeping onto their features.

The scene warped suddenly as it remade itself, causing Tsu’tey to lurch on his feet. He blinked and found himself no longer in HomeTree’s main chamber, but instead standing in Mo’at’s current tent that sat nestled in the protective hold of High Camp’s mountain cavern.

He held his knife in both of his hands, the blade raised high above his head as if he were planning to bring it down with all of his might. At his feet knelt the body of a recom, shivering in fright with their head bowed respectfully.

“What purpose do you serve? Why have you returned to haunt me?” His own voice spat even though Tsu’tey’s lips hadn’t moved to form the words. “WHY?!”

The recom flinched. Slowly, they lifted their head, peering up at him sheepishly through glittering lashes. Tear tracks marked the apples of their cheeks, causing them to shine too in the jumping flames of Mo’at’s fire.

“I couldn’t stay there.” The recom explained shakily, but all Tsu’tey heard was that the Sky People had thrown out their own, demonic puppet. Had deemed this monstrosity as useless as the rest of their hideous creations. The recom gathered itself and made its voice stronger as it repeated, “I couldn’t stay there, with them. I wanted to come home-” “THIS IS NOT YOUR HOME!” Tsu’tey’s voice that didn’t come from him shrieked, sounding wrecked with grief even to his own ears. “LEAVE!” He commanded, and the recom curled in tighter on itself, a shadow of its former identity. It made no move to get up.

“I’m sorry.” The recom whimpered.

Tsu’tey felt his muscles bunch, the knife rising just a fraction higher like it would before he delivered a lethal blow. Preparing now to bring it down on the kneeling recom’s head.

Across the fire, Mo’at stood motionless, her expression unreadable as she simply watched. Unlike what had actually happened, she did not pace or attempt to discourage him. She simply watched. Ominous and silent.

Unlike the scene before, Tsu’tey did not sense rage in the air. Instead, what truly caught his attention was the deep rooted despair that tinted this memory. The heavy, suffocating feeling of grief and regret. It made his arms shake with the effort to keep the knife aloft, and his heart physically hurt with how harshly hope was twisting and turning like a thing trapped, within the heavy folds of panic.

“I’m sorry.” The recom repented, and Tsu’tey felt the guilt settle like a cloak on his shoulders, making his chest heavy and his throat tight enough that the muscles strangled any words of comfort he attempted to offer.

I’m sorry.

The recom whispered again in English, but somehow, Tsu’tey knew their lips were not moving as his hadn’t. Instead, the words felt like they had been spoken directly into his mind as one would send and receive words through Tsaheylu.

The words now were spoken barely above a whisper, almost unrecognisable in their quietness. They were spoken again, just as softly, if not a little more desperately. Then again. And again. Faster and faster. Louder and louder until it felt like the desperate begging was banging around inside Tsu’tey’s skull. Desperately thrashing, searching for relief, but trapped regardless in an eternal purgatory. Deafening him with their desperation.

I’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorry.

He scrunched his eyes closed at the sheer volume. Simultaneously trying to stave off some of the dizziness from the speech in which each desperate word was being uttered, until they bled together. New ones piled onto the last before they had even finished being uttered.

I’m sorry

Their voice shook with remorse, and Tsu’tey knew they meant it with every fibre of their new body. He knew they regretted ever turning up on his doorstep. He could feel it. Could taste the regret on his tongue, sharp as the tang of yovo juice.

I’m sorry I’m sorry

I’msorryI’msorryI’msorry

I’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorry.I’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorry.I’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorry.I’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorry.I’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorry.I’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorry.I’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorry.I’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorry.I’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorry.I’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorry.I’msorRYI’MSORRYI’MSORRYI’MSORRYI’MSORRYI’MSORRYI’MSORRYI’MSORRYI’MSORRY!I’MSOR-

Abruptly, it stopped.

Everything just stopped.

Slowly, Tsu’tey peeled his eyes open. His hands felt sticky, similar to how they felt after he’d just skinned and prepared an animal for the clan meal.

The recom swayed on their knees, staring at the ground. Tsu’tey shifted on his feet, they did not flinch. Nor did they look up. He swallowed audibly, only the crackle of the fire punctuated the silence as he waited. Knowing, deep down, that something was about to happen.

Predictably, it did.

Mo’at, who had been silent up until that point, tutted once, the simple sound wreaking of disappointment. Tsu’tey glanced at her, but she only had eyes for the recom. The recom, who was slowly tipping to the side, like an old tree bowing against a strong wind, its ancient roots losing the strength to hold it up any longer. Further and further until they collapsed onto their side and sprawled out across the floor. There, they gurgled weakly, but said nothing more.

Distantly, Tsu’tey heard his knife collide with the floor mats, spraying red in its wake. His hands shook at his sides, warm and sticky. He didn’t have to look to know they were streaked with blood.

Before his eyes, the recom had reverted back to its human form. To the body Tsu’tey had buried in the Well of Souls with his son strapped to his back, catching up on some desperately needed sleep. As he stared down into big, yellow eyes, all he could see were the glassy, lifeless eyes of his mate. His other half who had been ripped from him too soon.

The similarities of that memory with this image lying dying before him now, spurred him into action. He ignored the blood, ignored the uncomfortably steady gaze of Mo’at, and dropped to his knees beside the body. Panic slid up his throat like bile, causing his hands to shake as he reached for the recom. His fingers outstretched for their limp hand in search of a pulse.

And as before, the moment his skin made contact, they disappeared.

Only the blood remained on the rug.

>_<

When he felt well enough to move, he stumbled through a new door that appeared to him the moment they disappeared.

This time, he emerged into the forest. Rain soaked his braids in seconds as Tsu’tey glanced aimlessly around the tightly packed trees that glowed in the gloom brought on by a sudden storm.

Somehow, through the dense foliage, he noticed a squad of recom soldiers, each holding a na’vi child hostage.

“It protected the children.” Neytiri had told him, back at High Camp, and now, it seemed Tsu’tey would bear witness to the evidence behind such a claim.

In his peripheral, Tsu’tey watched the unmistakable silhouette of Jake picking his way through the undergrowth, his axe glinting faintly. Movement in the treetops drew the hunter’s attention to Neytiri sticking close to the trunk of a sturdy tree, seamlessly blending in with it as she rounded the circumference. He watched her take a breath, pull back her bow string, and fire. Following the path of the arrow, Tsu’tey witnessed it find its mark and send the recom squad into a frenzy.

Easily, he located his mate, who had Lo’ak by the kuru. Both watched the chaos as the other soldiers scrambled for cover. Neytiri notched another arrow, and the gunfire began retaliating.

As the fight began to gain heat, the recom released Lo’ak and smoothly stepped back into the undergrowth. He watched them wave him away and slip further into the shadows, which Lo’ak promptly took advantage of to find Tuk and urge her away from the fight.

Spider tearing past Tsu’tey’s hiding spot, promptly pulled the hunter’s gaze from the recom. His son, who was still cuffed, had Kiri by the arm and was dragging her from the scene. Together, they kept each other on their feet as they found a sloping tree trunk and hauled themselves up off of the forest floor.

The scene shifted with them, and Tsu’tey found himself standing motionless on a wide branch, looming behind his niece who was kneeling over the edge, yelling down to Spider. Stepping closer, Tsu’tey followed her panicked gaze to find his mate hauling Spider up into their arms.

Soaked and exhausted, the kid held onto whatever part of them he could get ahold of as they fought to hold him and get their shoes off. Somehow, they did it though, and within seconds they were messily trying to scale the hillside. Within seconds, the recom was breathing hard, cursing and wincing as they tried to grasp onto unstable branches and loose plants.

They were barely within reach, but Kiri didn’t care as she leaned dangerously forward, bound arms outstretched to lend a hand. Her arms were just a fraction too short.

Far below, torches flashed as the rest of the squad swept the undergrowth. It would only be a matter of glancing up to find their target.

Stupidly, Tsu’tey dropped to his knees beside his niece and leant across the distance. With ease, he caught one of the recom’s wrists and heaved hard. They slid up the slope, grabbing uselessly at anything within reach. They were almost there.

And then they vanished.

Without warning, Spider plummeted down through the trees with a terrified shriek, straight into the waiting arms of Miles Quaritch.

>_<

Another corridor. Another puppet. Another unavoidable similarity.

>_<

Another door, this time leading to an unfamiliar cave, which led to another phantom that disappeared under Tsu’tey’s desperate touch.

>_<

Another door. Another camp long forgotten by the world and only loved by memory. Another shadow of the past. Over and over again.

Last Chapter <- Part 3 -> Next Chapter

#using Tsaheylu for medical reasons #Tsu'tey x reader #Tsu'tey #tsu'tey avatar #tsu'tey te rongloa ateyitan #avatar #recom reader

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the-mandawhor1an · 2 months ago

Text

The present

Chapter 7 – Guided by the stars, connected by the force

Masterlist

⇐ Previous chapter | Next chapter ⇒

Pairing: Din Djarin x original female character

Chapter summary: Having to deal with a Dragon is hard as is. Dealing with feelings at the same time makes things more complicated for Maia and Din. Who is the real monster?

Warnings: 18+ content, MDNI! Steamy thoughts; a little awkward talk about relationships; touch-starved Din; violence (more graphic than canon, sowwy); new character introduction; A little heartbreak;

Words: 7k

A/N: Switching the Mando'a translations to be in text rather than by the end of the whole chapter.

Due to last night’s occurrences, their night had been cut short, especially so as they were to get up at sunrise. Luckily, Maia fell asleep fairly fast after she had listened to her companion’s even breathing and Grogu’s sleep-babbles for a while. It was peaceful despite the situation they had found themselves in, out in the open and dangerously close to a giant creature. Mando must have groaned or made some kind of noise while sleeping, possibly due to having to sleep in his full set of armor. It couldn't be comfortable to sleep while having metal poke you constantly.

How she came to the conclusion that he made some kind of noise? Well, her brain, fueled by all kinds of chemicals after that kiss, registered his whines and blessed her with some very pleasant dreams, perhaps even visions, about them taking things further.

She felt his rough hands discover every part of her body, gently caressing her skin. His lips would ghost over her neck, her shoulders, her chest, to land on her lips. They’d kiss greedily, his groans guttural and primal. She couldn’t see him, but stars, it felt so real, especially when he’d whisper sweet nothings into her ear, that she felt so soft and warm underneath him, caged by his body – submissive but safe, protected. His fingers were buried in her hips, hard enough to probably leave bruises, holding onto her while taking her like it was the last thing he’d ever do. When she woke up she swore she could feel him everywhere.

Maia’s head slowly rose from the tented blanket, blushing and hoping she didn’t make any noise in her sleep that would tell Mando what they had done in her dreams. She glanced over to find both him and Grogu still soundly asleep, gently snoring in unison. Part of her wished she could just cuddle up against that wide frame of his and pretend she was cold, but she needed some fresh air and distance. The memories of him clouded her mind and the last thing she now needed was him asking questions. She stood up, making as little noise as possible, and left the tent some time before sunrise. She felt surprisingly fine for getting so little sleep, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep much longer anyway. They had to leave soon and all of her thoughts raced around him.

Some of the camp was also awake already. As Maia didn’t have any means of communication, she opted to spend some time with the children. Just outside of the camp, they waited with her. Waited for? While the shadows of the tents were still over the red sand, small creatures scooted around on the lookout for water or small insects. The Tusken children showed Maia how to hunt womp rats. While the first attempt to catch one was futile and caused a fit of laughter with the young ones, the second rat met its unfortunate fate when Maia subtly waved her hand at it, causing some confusion so she could grab the rodent. Now with the small creature on her arm, calm and allowing the kids to pet it, one of the kids tried to tell her something. »I’m sorry I don’t understand,« she said. They kept making one sign over and over, growing more frustrated with every time. Finally, one grabbed her free hand and led her back inside the camp. To Mando.

When faced with the Beskar clad bounty hunter again, it felt a little awkward at first. »I guess we have a pet now,« she said with a smile and pet the womp rat on her arm. Grogu, who had seemed a little sleepdrunk upon her arrival, locked eyes with the animal and was suddenly very wide awake. Insatiable little booger. »Be careful,« Mando said. His voice was a little deeper and raspier than usual, surely from just waking up. A pain surged through her body as she was reminded of her dream, where his voice sounded just like that. »They have sharp teeth and claws.« The animal was calm, almost asleep on her arm. It wouldn’t hurt her. »The children taught me some hunting. I can take on the dragon now,« she joked a little awkwardly, hoping he didn’t register her change in behavior, or the fact that she shifted her weight from one leg to the other nervously.

Maia, why do you have to make things so awkward? she asked herself. But he didn’t pick up on the awkwardness, it seemed. »In that case I’ll kick my feet up, relax and watch you.« His helmet dipped just a tiny bit. That familiar sting appeared in her neck and she cleared her throat. »The children kept making this sign,« and as best as she could, she imitated the movements with one hand, all while the rat rested on her other arm.

»Yeah, well, um,« he stammered and shifted his weight to one foot, bending one knee slightly. »They think I’m your husband because they saw us sleep in the same tent.« Maia instantly regretted asking him, as she was certain she started blushing again.

MY HUSBAND?

One of the children approached them again and signed something to him. All he signed back was his index, pointed upwards as he moved it in front of his visor. It looked to her like it could mean ‘that’s my secret’ or something in that sense. She wondered what the kid asked, as it chuckled and left them to join the other children. She let her eyes follow the child in hopes this distraction would make her blush disappear. »That explains their laughter, at least.« It was awkward, more so because he was clearly embarrassed as well. It sounded like a perfect opportunity for a corny joke.

»I must’ve missed something yesterday,« she said with a smirk. »I don’t remember being proposed to.« And as much as she wanted the joke to land, his response choked her for just a second. »Mandalorian proposals aren’t super romantic,« he stated with a shrug. Wait. That just came out wrong, right? They didn’t… what?

»How did you sleep?« he asked her when he picked up on the return of the awkwardness. Needing a second to take a breather, Maia sat down the small rat and bit her lips when her face was out of sight. »It was okay,« she replied while she slowly rose to her feet, watching the little rat regain its senses and running to hide behind the next small dune. »I’m just … plan M anyway. You won’t want me to interfere and in the end I will do it anyway.« She turned back to face him.

»I don’t like the sound of that,« he said and leaned his helmet to the side, as she would sometimes do. He wanted to protect her, of course he didn’t like the thought of her stepping in and possibly getting hurt. She felt the dragon after all, it was massive. »I can take care of myself. I’ll be careful, don’t worry,« she reassured him. Slowly, she bent over to stretch out her back, her spine cracking in the process. »And how did you sleep?«

»Fine. But I’m not the one with the cracking bones,« Mando’s gaze practically burned into her skin as she bent down. When she straightened out her back again, Vanth stood beside them. »I never thought I’d sleep in a Tusken camp, to be honest. Wasn’t as bad as I thought.« A sudden bout of nausea rolled over her when she thought about what Vanth could see when he approached them: Her bent over.

She exhaled and closed her eyes for a second. This was not the right time to freak out. »We should get moving,« Mando insisted after Vanth shot him a grin. Men…

»I’m curious what you’ve planned,« Maia explained while they were walking towards the speeders. »The Tusken children are quite the hunters… when it comes to womp rats.« The same, broken down, rusty speeder greeted them and she was hit with the realization, that she’d have to cuddle up to Din again.

She sat behind him and exchanged a look with Grogu back in his carrier bag. The little one was excited for the new day ahead. With a soft smile on her lips she turned around and held on to her companion.

»They are great hunters, but the dragon is a different story. It’s big and hard to hunt due to it being under the sand,« Mando explained when they dashed across the dunes. While one hand held onto him by his waist, Maia’s other hand snaked up to the shoulder that was hidden from Vanth’s view. With every time Vanth would shoot her looks, she’d squeeze Din’s shoulder softly. Deep down she wondered, and she was a bit embarrassed by her own thoughts, what it would feel like to touch him without all the fabric separating them. If his skin felt as warm and soft as she imagined.

Maia was unsure of how she would call whatever she shared with Din. She obviously liked him, but his point of view was completely unclear. He kissed her, but did that mean something to him? Seeing the two like this made it easy for the Tuskens to mistake them for husband and wife. They shared a tent, she was practically glued to his back, and the Mandalorian seemed extremely comfortable with the closeness. And at least from what they could tell by the little sparkle in her eyes when she looked at him, there must’ve been something.

She wasn’t opposed to the thought of being with him. As a partner, not necessarily as his wife.

They reached the den after a short trip. A large tunnel led deep into a mountain, pitch black on the inside. Din, Vanth, a few Tuskens and Maia sat behind a rock, watching the tunnel entrance with binoculars. Vanth scanned the tunnel and scoffed. »This is where it’s supposed to be?« and without thinking, Maia practically blurted out, »It’s sleeping.« A low rumble echoed from the tunnel if one paid attention to it. The dragon’s breath.

»The Tusken said it lives in an abandoned sarlacc pit,« Mando explained. Vanth lowered the binoculars and handed them over to him. »Ridiculous, there are no abandoned sarlacc pits on Tatooine.« Mando shrugged. »They’re empty when you eat the sarlacc.«

A Tusken approached the cave with a bantha in tow. They shouted into the cave, the scream echoed for quite a while until the low hum of the dragon’s breath stopped and a low growl emerged. The beast made its way forward and instead of eating the bantha as intended, it went for the Tusken and ate them in one bite. »They usually sacrifice banthas to make the dragon sleep for longer. They’ve studied it for generations,« Mando explained after the failed attempt. Vanth scoffed »Well, that worked just as planned, huh?« He crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Mando straightened his back and sighed. »Maybe they’re open to new ideas.«

They assembled around a replica of the scene before them, bones representing the dragon and pebbles to symbolize the men that they had to work this out. Maia watched from a distance, Grogu on her arm. She didn’t want to interfere with the actual plotting, so she stepped back.

Vanth tilted his head and seemed to calculate something in his mind. »The scaling is off,« he commented. Maia wasn’t sure she agreed, the dragon was gigantic. Din exchanged a few signs and grunts with a Tusken before speaking to the marshal. »The scaling is right. What we’ve seen is just the head.« While they debated whether or not the dragon was in fact this big, Grogu extended one of his hands, maybe to force-pull one of the bones towards him. Maia shielded the small green hand with hers and softly whispered to the child »not now.« He sighed and turned to look her into the eyes, pleading with her to allow him to nibble on the sun-bleached bones.

»Maybe we should retreat, then,« Vanth proposed. Maia looked down at the hand full of pebbles and commented »Maybe we should, we’re not enough, especially if bantha is off the dragon’s menu.« After a short exchange between Mando and the Tusken, more pebbles fell from the hunter’s hand and plop into the sand. Vanth appeared delighted. »That looks a lot better. What did you say?« »I told them your people will help us.« Maia looked over to Vanth, then back to Mando. She was certain the marshal would not agree with that plan at all. And as expected, he was far from delighted.

»They attacked us less than a year ago. Killed half a dozen of us by the mining camp. I'd say I took down about twice as many Tuskens,« Vanth spoke with a clear irritation in his voice. As expected, kind of. But Mando wouldn’t give up so fast. »All of you want the dragon gone. You killed some of their people, they killed some of your people. This can put an end to the fighting, once and for all. Talk to the settlers. They listen to you.«

Vanth wrinkled his forehead, but ultimately saw that was the only way. If he could actually convince his people, that is. »Guess that means: back to Mos Pelgo.«

The next few hours were a blur to Maia. The men handled the convincing, the plotting, and ultimately managed the travel back to the cave. The young brunette could not put her finger on it, but something felt uneasy to her. Maybe she was just anxious because of the sheer size of the beast. Maybe she held onto Din a little tighter when they returned to the cave.

Maybe she was overthinking the feelings that emerged when she felt Din’s lips on hers. Maybe she warmed up to the realization that Raymond might have been right about ‘the stranger’ after all. This connection she felt meant something. She couldn’t quite put a name to it yet, but the suspicion she had made her heart jump whenever she thought about it.

Din overlooked the Tuskens and Settlers as they dug out trenches in the sand to hide the explosives they had collected in Mos Pelgo. The plan sounded easy enough, although not foolproof. Lure the dragon out and then blow it up.

Maia busied herself with Grogu, hiding from the glaring suns beside the speeder bike. Every now and then, though, she caught herself staring at the Mandalorian, thinking back to what she had said about plan M. There was some mutual sympathy no one could deny, but with that the fear grew. The fear he'd do something stupid to save her.

Grogu could sense her inner turmoil and made a questioning noise. That snapped Maia back into reality and she gently pat his head. »Let's hope their plan is good enough for a 200 ton dragon.« Grogu agreed with a coo. She smiled at the child. The little troublemaker had really grown on her, she liked spending time with the child. From her peripheral, Maia could see Din approach them and her eyes rested on the black visor.

»Maia. If anything happens to me,« he sighed and extended his hand to rest it on her shoulder, thumb caressing over the fabric of her cloak. Din was worried about this dragon and while he hoped to come out of this unscathed, he had to make sure some matters were taken care of. »Will you take care of Grogu for me and help him find a Jedi? I trust you.« Maia turned her head to watch his hand, until she gently laid a hand of hers on his glove, turned back to face him and nodded.

»I promise to look after Grogu until he’s in safe hands.« A smile formed on her lips as she felt his fingers squeeze her shoulder gently. »Please don’t risk your life to kill the dragon, though. No one wants you to play hero just because you know that someone can take care of Grogu. I know I don’t.«

»I won’t play hero if you don’t implement plan M,« Din retorted, a smile audible in his voice. »It’s – just in case. Ret’lini.« »Ret’lini,« she repeated, the word rolling off of her tongue surprisingly easy. She glanced over to both of their hands, her thumb smoothing over the worn leather of his glove. Despite being out in the open, this little gesture felt so intimate – so significant. Touching him felt good. It felt natural, despite this being the first time they touched like that.

The urgency he suggested with his approach just now made her worry. Was is in the realm of possibility that he would meet his fate today? There was a chance, and if he wanted to make sure his matters were addressed, maybe she had to talk about something as well. Ret’lini.

»Let’s hope it all turns out alright. It’s obvious that I don’t want you to die and I doubt you want to die, either. But there is a slim chance it happens and I …« I won’t let you die. »Something has changed. I’m not sure what it is yet, but what I do know is that I like you, Din. I like you and I would like to repeat what happened yesterday. and maybe more. Some day.«

It was like he was frozen. His hand twitched ever so slightly under her fingers, but it took a moment for him to gather his thoughts. »That… would be nice,« was all he could muster up at first. She felt his eyes burn on her skin as he found the right words. »You’re right. Something has changed. I like you too, mesh’la.«

Mesh’la? What did it mean? She knew it was something in Mando’a and not a name-slip, and she felt heat rush to her cheeks. He liked her. Din’s hand slowly let go off her, something both seemed to dread. »We’re almost ready,« he announced.

Positioned behind the speeders, Vanth, Mando and the two non-jedi watched as the dragon did not run into the trap they had set up. While the head came out of the cave and the detonations hit something, presumably its throat, it was not enough to fatally wound the beast. Instead, they angered it. It didn’t hesitate to let its anger known, spitting acid over the settlers and Tuskens that were unfortunate enough to stand too close. They screamed as their bodies dissolved into the sand, all while the dragon retreated back into the cave and vanished. While the first attack had been short, the casualties were high and they knew: it wasn’t over.

Maia felt the giant creature burrow underneath the sand and working its way through the mountain before them. If it managed to break out somewhere at the top and spit acid again, they would lose more people, too many to make it worth all of this. One thing was certain: she was only person that could save them right then and there. If she didn’t interfere, they would die. Despite her agreement with Din to not make haste decisions, she had to act: That calls for plan M. She jumped over the speeder and sprinted forward, faster than Din could even register what was going on. Fast enough so he couldn’t stop her.

She felt his gaze burn into her as she stumbled across the sand, more jumping than actually running. Surely enough, the dragon emerged from the rock and rained more acid over the people in the valley, without any chance of evading their certain end. Maia raised her hands to shield the others from the acid with a force barrier, which Vanth and Mando took as an opportunity to attack the creature from the air. It got annoyed enough by the shots that it burrowed in the mountain once more, allowing her to catch her breath. Using the force was exhausting, causing her to sink into the sand beneath her.

Child of the force, I can feel you

a voice echoed in her mind. She looked around, no one was around that this voice could have belonged to. What was going on? Both Vanth and Din landed back in the sand a little away from her, but the dragon was still under them, still alive, still very angry. She couldn’t make out what the men said, but suddenly Vanth flew a few meters away from Din, plopped down into the sand. All the marshal and Maia could do was watch the Mandalorian grab the Bantha with the remaining explosives and get swallowed whole by the dragon.

She stared into the pit in the sand with utter disbelief. That was it? »Din, please don’t do this to me,« she whispered as tears formed in her eyes. She felt a pain form in her heart, when suddenly the dragon re-emerged from the sand, blue flickers of light shining through its skin. A scream disrupted the grieving silence as Din flew out the opened mouth of the beast. The remote for the explosives still in his hand, he activated them and the dragon blew up into pieces. the shockwave knocked all over who were too close, including Maia and Vanth. A cloud of sand got kicked up and obstructed their view for a moment. Mando landed a few seconds after the detonation, covered in saliva and other gunk from the creature’s mouth.

He landed close to Vanth and helped him back to his feet. They exchanged a few words, Vanth nodding her way, until the helmet turned to her and the sting returned. »Maia…« his voice was soft when he saw the dark trails the tears had left on her sand-stained face. His right arm flexed and she saw his fingers bend. He wanted to touch her, she could tell. »It’s okay. The dragon is dead, we can leave.« The green goop on his armor could have been more of the acid, but the urge to embrace her was palpable. He was so tense, frozen in place unsure what to do. She felt the same way, and when she stood up onto unstable legs, before he could approach her to steady her, sand got thrown his way. A lot of sand, hitting him with enough of an impact to almost push him over. The sand stuck to every last bit of moisture on his suit, practically drying him in an instant and rendering any bit of acid not dangerous to the fabric on his or her frame.

As mad as she was about his actions, the relief she felt when she saw he was unscathed made her forget that she almost lost him so fast after finding him. With wobbly steps, she ran towards him and crashed into his chest and hugged him tight enough that it hurt her. For a moment she feared he’d push her away, until one of his arms carefully wrapped around her. A display of mutual feelings, of what they had talked about before this went down. Maia felt conflicted: She liked him, it was obvious. And he liked her. But as quickly as they found each other, they could lose another just as fast.

The voice still lingered in the back of her mind.

I can feel the dichotomy in your heart. Let me help you.

She lifted her face to look into that visor. A small glare lingered in her eyes when she warned him »don’t you ever do that again.« She wiped her face with her sleeve, not cleaning it but drying the tears. He just stared at her. At least that what it felt like when the helmet didn’t move, he just breathed, his chest armor pushing into her. Maybe she crossed a line when she hugged him. Maybe he didn’t want her to display her feelings so publicly.

Reluctantly, she let go off him, sighed and walked over to the speeder to check on Grogu. The child looked at her with confusion. He felt her conflicted emotions, and also the feelings that plagued his bodyguard. As a child not much made sense to him yet, the adults behaved weird in his opinion.

It didn’t take long for Din to follow and Vanth also approached the speeder to hand over the armor. Din had taken a part of the dragon’s flesh as payment. »Thank you for your help, Mando,« the marshal addressed him first, before turning his head to the brunette. »Thank you for protecting my people. I’m sure they’re glad you risked your life for them.« Not one word fell about her powers. Perhaps he knew it was better not to mention it.

»Let’s go back to Mos Eisley,« Mando said to his companion with a nod. He and Vanth shook hands, as men did. The silver-haired only winked at the young woman, earning a warm smile in return. This time Maia sat down in front of the speeder. She didn’t want to be close to the other armor nor to the chunk of still warm meat.

Din sat behind her, holding onto her waist with one arm when she revved the engine. As soon as they were out of sight, she felt his arm tighten around her body. It’s as if he wanted to hug her, again, for longer this time, now that no one could see them. She relaxed and practically melted against his chest. His thumb stroked along the curve of her waist. Part of her wished he could take that helmet off to kiss her neck. She couldn’t see him, neither could Grogu.

She lowered the speed of their vehicle to release one of her hands from the handlebar. Her fingers grazed over his biceps, feeling the muscles flex under her touch. »You really scared me,« she complained, but softly. She squeezed him gently, earning a grunt from underneath the helmet. »I’m sorry,« he replied. »I had no time to explain.«

The speeder was now slow enough that no one had to fear falling off, gliding over the sand like it was an undisturbed water surface. Soft, almost like a caress. She leaned the side of her head against his helmet and closed her eyes just for a moment. »I thought we agreed that you wouldn’t utilize plan M either. I know, you rescued a lot of people but now they know.« She opened her eyes but looked straight ahead. Her hand wandered upwards into the back of his neck. Her fingers dipped underneath his helmet to run through his hair. »Can’t say I’m not impressed but both of us risked a lot today,« he whispered. The sudden sensation of her finger in his hair made him whimper softly. He scooted closer to her, his body molding to hers to be as close as possible.

»I couldn’t let them die. There was only one person that was capable to save them: Me. They won’t tell anyone.« His second arm moved so he could place a hand on her thigh. He squeezed her gently and rested his helmet against her head and shoulder. »Where are we going next?« she asked. »I don’t know yet. We have to find another clue.« Din most definitely was distracted by her touch, so she pulled back. They needed to be back in Mos Eisley by dawn.

Maia accelerated, the dunes flying past them and a cloud of sand following them. Slowly, the terrain changed, more and more rocks surfaced through the sand like islands in an endless ocean of red sand. The suns were slowly setting, their shadows turned longer and longer. As much as she would’ve enjoyed watching another sunset with Din, they needed to be in Mos Eisley by night.

While they looked similar, the canyons they transversed were not the same ones when they encountered the Tuskens first. Smaller lizards hid in the crevices as they zoomed past, disturbed in their basking ritual.

But lizards were far from the only living beings they would encounter on their way back. In a particular rock formation, bandits had set up a trap and Maia was running right into it. When the speeder was close, they lifted a steel wire to trip the bike, sending all passengers and the cargo flying through the air.

While Din could catch his fall with the jetpack, Grogu and Maia were less fortunate. The child landed somewhere off to the side and the brunette hit the sand and tumbled, at least one of her bones making a cracking noise in the process. There was no time to be in pain, they were under attack and Maia’s first instinct said that these were bounty hunters. Either tasked to grab Grogu – or her. Whatever the case, the child couldn’t protect himself, as opposed to the two adults. She unhooked one of her lightsabers from her belt and activated the lavender-colored blade.

Her eyes scanned the area to look for the foundling and when she saw one of the bandits draw close, she pushed forward. All regards for Din were forgotten in this moment, as he was capable to fight alone.

You’re treading on a fine line. A dance on a tightrope above an endless abyss.

With one effortless swipe of her blade she felled the first bandit while sprinting over to Grogu, a second bandit approaching. With a force-push, she threw the attacker against a rock, not caring if she had knocked him unconscious or killed him in an instant. There must’ve been at least 4, maybe 5 of them, as Din was fighting with one as well. When Maia had almost reached Grogu, a shock went through her body. »Jedi!« one of them barked. She had been tased once again, the shock making her muscles spasm and forcing her to the ground. Her saber deactivated as she let go, but the hilt now laid in the sand next to her, up to grab by anyone.

She curled up into a ball, crying out in pain as the memories of her capture resurfaced. It drove her mad.

Don’t let the darkness enter your heart.

The bandit that had shot her with the taser picked up Grogu and retreated, allowing the one she had previously thrown to get up and approach her. His eyes darted to the metal hilt in the sand right next to her. It would be easy to kill her with that, one swipe and her pretty head would lay in the sand.

As right as the unfamiliar voice in her head was, she saw no other way in this moment but to let go. Even if it was just for a moment, she needed to keep them safe. For that she had to be alive.

So she let go.

If you lose yourself, you’ll lose him too.

She flexed the muscles in her lower arm as best she could, curling her fingers in an attempt to form a fist. Neither her ears nor her brain registered she was screaming in agony, as was the bandit, as his ribs gave in to the pressure, one after another. Maias eyes were closed, welling up with tears as she gave into the pull.

You have to learn to control yourself.

The bandit collapsed next to her and in his fall hit the cables of the taser, pulling the electrodes from her shoulder. Disoriented and on the verge of throwing up, Maia toppled over on all fours and took a few breaths, heaving once, but nothing came out. Everything around her was like a blur, but the noises of fighting had stopped. In fact, it was dead silent.

I will help you. Wait for me.

Maia sat back onto her knees and grabbed her saber, taking in a few deeper breaths as her vision cleared up. She was now so aware of the voice and she should have been concerned, but all that she felt was an undeniable aura of good. It radiated empathy, for her situation, for her inner conflict. The brunette looked up to see Grogu back on Din’s arm, safe and visibly unharmed. Still, her heart felt heavy as Din didn’t dare to take a step closer to her.

You will hurt them sooner or later.

»Are you alright?« she asked Din as she carefully got back to her feet. She knew she messed up, showing Din a glimpse of what she would’ve preferred to keep from him forever. For a second time today, she felt the urge to run over to him and hug him, but the stiffness in his body suggested he would not accept it this time. Running wasn’t possible anyway, as the leg that had been affected more by the shocks felt numb, similar to the numbness she felt on Nevarro. The dull thumping in her chest didn’t mean anything good, either. »We’re fine,« Din replied. Finally he came closer, but he approached her carefully.

Maia gathered the last bit of strength she had to not start crying. His trust was gone, it was clear with the way he approached her like she was a wild animal. »You’re hurt,« he continued. »Can you walk? We have to walk the rest, the speeder is broken and come nightfall things will get ugly out here.« As if things weren’t ugly already.

»It’s not as bad as it looks,« she lied, unconvincingly as she let out a whine when hooking her saber back onto her belt sent a sharp pain through her ribcage. One of her ribs must have broken when she landed in the sand earlier. But she was very much alive and not on the brink of death like last time. Who knows what consequences her outburst would lead up to.

Taking as much of the cargo as possible, they made their way back to Mos Eisley on foot. Din carried most of the heavy stuff, the armor, the meat, the second jet pack; while Maia carried Grogu and some of the smaller items. It wasn’t much and she felt bad for having him carry so much, but she didn’t dare to say anything. Neither said anything. The emotion that radiated off of the Mandalorian was hard to decipher for the young woman. She knew a bit of disappointment was in there, but the exhaustion after the fight and her injuries made reading him all the more difficult. It hurt her deeply, knowing she had let him down after he had lowered his guard around her. It hurt worse than her physical wounds. Grogu was mostly asleep while they walked, lulled to slumber from the exhaustion and the rhythmic, gentle sway of his carrier bag around Maia’s body.

I’m so sorry for disappointing you, Din. I hope you can forgive me until we meet again.

Back in the city, it didn’t take long to find Peli. Basically, all they had to do was follow the noise. The mechanic ushered them back to the hangar, where she could prepare the dragon meat and maybe help Mando with some intel. Grogu watched as the meat was slowly roasted by the droids, the two self-declared bodyguards stood close to each other, but not as close as Maia had wished. »Don’t get too close,« Mando warned Grogu as the small green paws dared to reach out to the flames. The helmet turned towards his brunette companion, and suddenly the air got heavy.

»Maia, we have to talk,« he announced and they both retreated further away from the droids, Grogu and Peli. His tone was firm and pained, like he forced himself to do this now despite feeling resentful that it had to be done. Peli complained about her speeder bike in the background, but the noise was easy to blur out when one’s heart was racing.

»You lost control,« he stated. Instantly, Maia wanted to say something, defend her actions, but he lifted his glove. Din wasn’t done and sighed heavily. The tears that welled in the beautiful green eyes opposite of him didn’t make this any easier. »Don’t think that I’m scared of you. Because I’m not. It’s … I …« he stammered and sighed again, rested his hands against his hips in frustration. »I’ve considered taking the helmet off. The kiss occupies my mind ever since it happened and I want to kiss you again.«

It was hard. Hard not to show much his words hurt. Yes, she was on the verge of crying, but hearing that made it so much realer. This was a farewell, she knew it. »You make me consider bending rules I never thought about breaking before. Maybe we should go our separate ways.«

There it was, the truth. His codex was important to him, she understood; more important than some feelings he had for a woman he’d known for barely three days. But the words he spoke sounded familiar. She had heard these before, but where?

»I understand,« she replied and bit her lower lip. Her voice was quivering and she felt pathetic for being so weak in this moment, but maybe he had to witness what he did to her, what pain he caused. Crying only made it worse for the both of them. »I don’t want to hurt you or Grogu just because I can’t control myself. We’re �� not good for each other. As much as I want to promise you that I can better myself, this is nothing I can do while being with you. It’s for the better if our journey ends here.« She blinked a few times, hoping it would make the tears disappear without pushing them down her face.

»Someone or something calls for me. I’m not sure it’s not a trap, but it feels like it’s someone that genuinely wants to help me. I will answer that call and see where it leads. Whatever happens to me, I don’t want to be responsible for you losing your ways.«

As soon as these words left her lips, she remembered why his sounded so familiar. The vision they had shared when she healed her wound, in the cargo hold of his ship. Did that also mean, the last vision she had seen, that couple embraced in a kiss, was also them? Some time in the future?

Din nodded. Again she wished she could see his face, only to see if this affected him as much as it did her. But that was the main issue. She made him want to take the helmet off. She wanted him to take it off. »I’m forever grateful for your help,« he said, his voice slowly warming up again, getting softer. »Our paths might separate here, but maybe we’ll meet again.«

Part of her wanted to tell him. Maybe he knew, deep down, even if he couldn’t remember the visions. She smiled softly, as best as she could with still fairly tear-filled eyes. »I hope our paths lead us to a better place. I hope there are some valuable lessons waiting for me, to make me a better person. Perhaps there will be revelations in your future as well. If you realize that you need me, I won’t be far away, I promise. As long as my heart beats,« she laid her hand on her chest, right on top of her heart. »You and Grogu won’t be alone in this galaxy. It’s your choice if you want to call me or not.«

It was hard to beat the Jedi allegations when she spoke like that. But maybe she was sick of trying so vehemently to not be something that was… her.

»Be careful, mesh’la,« he spoke with a heavy heart. Again, he called her mesh’la. She could’ve asked him what it meant. She should have asked him what it meant, but maybe she liked to be in emotional limbo, not sure if she should feel flustered or insulted. Her instinct told her it was positive, in fact, it made her feel warm and fuzzy inside. »Try not to ‘Plan M’ your way around the galaxy.«

»I’ll try. I’ll tell you about it when our paths cross again. I’m sure they will, when we’re ready.« She was certain they would meet again, but when and under which circumstances hadn’t yet revealed itself to her. »Take good care of Grogu and yourself, Din.« This might have been the last time that she spoke his name for a while. She looked into that visor, resisting the urge to touch the helmet, to pull him into a hug, to get any kind of last contact, because she knew, it would hurt more to let go. She turned on her heel, and every fiber of her being screamed at her to not do it. Please don’t let me leave like that, she begged him in her mind.

As if he had heard her silent plea, he grabbed her hand. »Wait.« He pulled her back, turned her in the same movement and gently leaned his helmet forward. She knew the gesture and inched closer, until her forehead felt the cold metal of his helmet. It wasn’t the kiss she had wished for, but it was a display of affection nonetheless. »Ret’urcye mhi,« Din mumbled. There was no need for a translation. The way he said it told her enough. A single sob escaped her as she closed her eyes. »May the force be with you.«

They could have hugged, let the touch linger for longer than necessary, but Maia pulled back fairly quickly. It was inevitable and waiting it out helped no one. She left the hangar, telling Peli goodbye in passing.

The last she heard from the hangar was the mechanic’s shrill voice, asking Mando what he had done to chase the girl off.

#Wolke schreibt #gbtscbtf #din djarin #din djarin fanfiction #the mandalorian #original female character #mando fanfiction #fanfic #star wars fanfiction #the mandalorian fanfiction #the mandalorian x original character #din djarin x ofc #din djarin x original female character #the mandalorian x ofc #mando x ofc #mando x original female character

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lxkeeeee · 2 years ago

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Only then, I am Human ¹

genre: alternate universe, self-insert, dark and somehow became fluff in the end?

notes: no pairings yet, possibly an albedo x m! puppet reader, contains spoilers, dark themes, another series I might forget to continue but okay everything in my blog is like self indulgent so be warned, anyways fem readers dni.

I assume that you are aware of the existence of the Electro Archon's first-ever prototype puppet? A puppet designed to wield the power of a gnosis, this puppet's name is Kunikuzushi or was formerly known as Kunikuzushi then Scaramouche, and as of currently is now known as Wanderer. That puppet was later discarded by the Electro Archon for being too humane to hold a gnosis, “Just kill it Ei and reuse the materials for a new prototype.” said the kitsune adorned in pink who stood beside the Electro Archon known as Ei, the kitsune had a cold look in her eyes accompanied by a smirk. Ei, despite being known as a cold-hearted archon, believed it was too cruel to take a life she had just given. “I believed that is too cruel, perhaps I shall give him the freedom that he deserved.” she says as she looked down at the puppet who looked at the two women in curiosity—not knowing what awaits him as he was 'abandoned' by one of the many domains of Inazuma.

Unfortunately, this story isn't about him. We are not going to talk about the fortunes and misfortunes that puppet experienced.

This is the story of the Electro Archon's second prototype puppet that she almost perfected—almost.

Let's now talk about the second prototype puppet who goes by the name Masashi who later goes by [M/n].

When he first came to life, Ei was overjoyed. The Electro Archon thought she finally created the perfect puppet to wield her gnosis and rule Inazuma for her as she continues her journey of pursuing eternity—that joy didn't last long as she realized that her second prototype still had humane tendencies on him.

She wanted to give him the same fate as her first prototype but unfortunately for her, and fortunately for him, he was blessed with immense intellect.

The second prototype immediately understood or gotten the gist of his fate when he heard the two women discuss what should happen to him, his conclusion was that he was immediately deemed useless and would be thrown away.

He bowed down, his forehead against the floor as the two women looked down on him, with voice filled with determination he says, “Please do not discard me, let me be of use to you your highness.” a part of him wanted to call her mother but his sensible side said that he shouldn't because she is just his creator, his master and god. He is unworthy of calling her mother.

“Use me, use me as a soldier. Let me prove my worth and if I couldn't then please discard me, please kill me. To die by your hands is an honor." He says, a hint of desperation in his voice.

The kitsune adorned in pink gave him an amused look, “My, this is certainly a change of events. What do you think Ei? He certainly has the determination, goodness that is rare these days.”

Ei's eyes held a calculating look, she sighed.

“Prove to me that you are worthy of being my soldier, show me how you wield a sword.” she commanded, he immediately looked at his god in determination.

They clashed blades not soon after, despite just holding a sword for the first time, he knew how to make it work. Perks of watching his god practice the sword.

He called himself a swordsman in theory but never in practice.

Good to know that he can update it to a swordsman both in theory and practice.

The Electro Archon was impressed, not many can last long against her when it comes to sparring—although she is holding back a bit but still.

The sounds of blades crashing against each other stopped as a voice filled the silence.

“I concede.” Ei says, an impressed look on her face.

The puppet looked at her in shock, millions of thoughts came to his mind.

Did I disappoint her? Is my swordsmanship not impressive that's why she conceded?

“Tell me, where and when did you learn how to handle the sword? I do not recall teaching you.” she inquired.

“I learned it by watching you, Ma'am.” he says and Ei looked even more proud.

“Starting today, you are now my soldier. Prove to me that you are destined for more. Climb the ranks and be my second in command.” She ordered, voice full authority. The puppet kneeled down in one knee as he bowed his head, his right hand over his nonexistent heart.

“I shall not disappoint you, my God.” he says. “Then keep your word.”

And he did, he rose the ranks and is now currently the Raiden Shogun's second in command and also one of the most feared generals of Inazuma.

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「⸙͎」tag list: [open]

#genshin impact #genshin fanfic #fanfic #male reader #lxkewrites #albedo x reader #albedo x male reader #albedo kreideprinz #Only Then I Am Human Masterlist #genshin #x male reader #fluff #dark fic #i probably forgot some tags #better expect all characters i write of to be extremely touch starved lmao #albedo is bbgirl #venti the bard

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krawlernyannyan · 9 months ago

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The fun part about theorycrafting is that every one in a while you get an absurd thought in your head that you know, instinctively, isn't correct, but you start connecting dots anyway because bad theories can still lead to greater truths, and once you start connecting dots you have the moment of "Wait this might actually explain a lot?"

My crack theory for the night is this: Something Unto Death didn't actually kill Robin. Robin's killer...was herself.

Points of analysis to explain myself:

If we assume Firefly and Robin were both killed by SUD, there's a key difference between how we see Firefly die and how we see Robin's body - that is, we see Robin's body. She left a corpse. Firefly exploded into dream bubble paste instantly before she even had time to hit the ground, yet Robin's body was evidently lying around long enough for Aventurine to find it and show it to two other people at different times before it finally evaporated. This theory provides a pretty straightforward answer to this question - the bodies are in different conditions because there were two different causes of death.

The location of the body is also suspect. Both times we see SUD, it's in wide open spaces, which is intuitive because it's a massive monster and it needs room to maneuver. Why, then, is Robin's body lying in the middle of a hotel room? Would SUD really cram itself into that small of a space just to kill someone? Now, there are some possible mundane answers here - SUD could've possibly just teleported a part of itself in, or Aventurine could've just moved the body from somewhere else, but neither of those really cleanly answer this question. By this theory's line of thought, where Robin died wouldn't matter, even if SUD has to find you and kill you itself, because she could theoretically take her own life in any location she saw fit.

What exactly was Robin - interastral pop superstar Robin, pride of The Family - doing alone in the middle of the primal dreamscape? Given how important she is to the optics to the Charmony Festival, you'd think she'd have a 24/7 security detail or, barring that, someone with authority like Sunday keeping an eye on her, yet she managed to sneak off into an area that is largely outside of The Family's control? What if the reason she was there was because she was deliberately trying to get out of The Family's sight so they couldn't stop her?

It's stated multiple times that death shouldn't be possible in Penacony; in the game's own terms, "It's the promise of The Family and the blessing of The Harmony." Even a Memokeeper can't circumvent that...but what about a member of The Family? What about a tuner who can channel The Harmony, and demonstrated that ability earlier in the story?

While Sunday's lines in the epilogue would point to "death" being the culprit in both cases, I'd like to raise the following counterarguments: [A] It's possible he just got bad information and naturally came to the same conclusion we did about how Robin died; [B] Likewise taking the information he's been given and mentally blocking out the possibility his own sister chose death for herself because who would ever choose to believe that if they didn't have to; [C] He knows for a fact he's talking to Sparkle from the start of that scene since he already knows Robin is dead, and could be deliberately skewing his words to keep the truth of the situation from getting out into the public.

This isn't a complete theory - I'll admit as much. If you're looking for an idea of what she did to inflict spiritual death on herself, or why she would want to do something drastic like this: I'm sorry, I don't have them. Maybe the combined stressors of celebrity life and the threat of The Family re-establishing control over her after she'd left them drove her over the edge. We are only a third of the way into the Penacony story and there is very little we can dig into about Robin, before or after her death.

However, if you think this idea is "too dark", that it's "too depressing" and they'd never actually do it: I get it. I came up with this idea and, frankly, I still don't think it's what the real answers are going to amount to. But I think it's a possibility worth some consideration, and I'd like to present one more piece of evidence to my case. This is the one that got me on this train of thought in the first place:

On Penacony, the theme of suicide and self-annihilation are pervasive and constant. You can't go two sidequests without seeing it in some shape or form: Lew Archer, throwing herself off buildings; IV, threatening to do the same; Leslie Dean, an imaginary being, ending his own existence for the betterment of the people who created him; Sparkle, symbolically killing herself over and over by making herself the victim in murder mysteries she creates; even Tizocic II, who erased her life once by wiping her own memories, then, when she got them back, chose to return to her homeworld for what could only be her own execution. There's even more examples I could list, but you get the gist. An entire planet of people, destroying themselves and the lives they've built up, all in the hopes there's something better on the other side.

I would be incredibly surprised if that theme doesn't translate itself into the main story sometime in the next two updates. Maybe it's not via Robin specifically, and there's something much worse lying under the surface in Penacony. Right now, though? We've been given a murder mystery, and murder mysteries are never straightforward when it comes to their victims. It would be very on-genre to make us think a certain Memory Zone Meme did it, right after we saw it kill someone else, only for them to pull the rug out under us.

#HSR Specposting #HSR #Honkai Star Rail #HSR Robin #tw suicide #just throwing that one in there for safety #HSR Spoilers

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zombieekittens · 1 year ago

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Hello! I’ve decided to compile an opinion based thread on the characters of Home. I tried to simplify it as much as I could so you’re not reading this for 80 hours. But, be warned.. It is kinda long lol. I may have also missed stuff, but feel free to leave a comment on how you feel about these guys!

First, I am going to start with Jahla.

Honestly, in the beginning Jahla wasn’t a bad character. She came across the island full of her kind and met up with her siblings. Even telling Rohgir off when she found out how full of BS he was. She is then joined by Thakir and they both get tossed off the island for questioning lord all mighty. As her story goes, she is seen killing an antelope that belonged to a Tribe and of course, this causes trouble for the pair. Flamegarde came and confronted them, not over the antelope.. But because they’re wolves. None of them even mentioned the animal they killed which got me thinking if that was even Flamegarde’s herd. Anyway, Jahla rightfully kills members in self defense and wouldn’t you know it, bounty hunters came and snatched them up. The funny part is it didn’t take long AT ALL for Jahla to get caught by them. They knew her crime and her special murderous nickname, Red Wolf. How the hell did the bounty hunters find her so fast and how did her nickname spread so fast in the span of what.. 2 days? Flamegarde must have a loud speaker or something. Of course the pair are taken to the capital where in no dramatic scene, it is revealed to Jahla that the matriarch is her grandmother. We are then blessed with a potential war plot between Origin Orion and all of Aedra that 400+ pages later after announcing this, never happens. Then suddenly, not only does Jahla get a slap on the wrist, but she gets a territory and her own Tribe! Of course Flamegarde ends the alliance with Solar Stag, rightfully so. But the part that bugs me is Lahmina is also a ground kisser for Jahla, because instead of questioning the matriarchs motives to give a murderer a Tribe, she practically tells Flamegarde to get lost and cry about it lmao. This would have been great potential for Kique to use for an evil matriarch, since as of now he is trying for an evil matriarchy plot. Jesus. Skipping the boring bits and getting into the juicy details, this is the part of Jahla that I hate. When she comes across Rome. It is obvious to any reader that Rome is a full on Gary Sue for Jahla. The dynamics and interactions between these two are honestly cringey as hell, but uh Jahla… YOU GOT A MAN??? The fact that she leads Rome on / flirts with him damn near the entire time she’s known him and fails to mention Rhov at all, is entirely ridiculous of her. Well great, now we’re encouraging cheaters in this comic. ( Rhov is no better. ) Finally at some point, she mentions her relationship to Rome and this is like months down the line. Literally the season changed by the time she finally mentioned, “Oh yeah btw I have a bf, lol.” And then the next time the pair are seen, conveniently Rhov pops up outta nowhere and they have a break up. WHAT TIMING. In conclusion, Jahla was okay until Rome was added in. Now it’s painful to watch her and Rome flirt every damn two seconds, but this is a huge pattern in this comic.

The next one is Roamer and Rogio.

Honestly, all I can really say is that Roamer and Rogio’s relationship absolutely disgusts me. Mainly because they can’t go two seconds without trying to screw each other, or touch tongues. They even crawled all over each other in front of a whole ass child, Akleja. I mean seriously, if you just quickly skim through the pages damn near every interaction they have is sexual. For the record ladies and gents, that is not how actual relationships go. This is more a high school lust relationship than anything. And with Roamer, why is it that he was so uncomfortable with Kargo’s touch, but just willingly threw himself at Rogio? He barely knew Rogio! I mean at least Kargo and Roamers relationship felt more real with no pressure. But I am glad that Kique moved Roamer along because Kargo deserves better lol. I honestly don’t need to say much about these two, cause everyone knows how much Rogio likes to play victim about Ranach even though he’s overpowered and had a consensual relationship with Ranach. There is also no scenes of Ranach abusing Rogio. But poor Rogioooo. There was even a scene where Rogio seemed quite content to be Ranach’s Baron and getting salty that he served under Ranach instead of serving beside him. Even stating “You made it seem like it was gonna be you and me.” That’s right everyone, Rogio had a choice with Ranach. So don’t buy that bound by mental chains crap lmfao. He is also useless when it comes to being in the Tribe later on. He’s switched ranks like three times and is just a horrible Baron under Ronja. Using the excuse of Ranach to not help the tribe in tough times. Get over it man, you literally threw Ranach around SEVERAL TIMES. You’re fine. Not to mention, he is a shitty partner to Roamer. Oh yeah let’s not communicate about things and give him the cold shoulder when he asks questions. But hey, we can interact when sex is involved. ( Rogio is literally perfect for Ranach. ) Roamer is also a serious emotional man child as the comic progresses. Especially recently, killing a dog in cold blood and being an extreme edge lord. These two are a complete joke to this comic. Roamer also mentions in the beginning of the comic that he knows how to fight, but I haven’t seen one scene where he fights correctly or is useful at all. Honestly, Since Roamer paired up with Rogio, I feel like he no longer contributes anything to the story, except for banging Rogio. That’s about it. My conclusion is… These two suck terribly and are just NSFW content for the comic at this point.

My next one is Kargo and Ferah.

Tbh nothing bad can be said about this good boy, Kargo. He freed sex slaves and is just a regional badass. Tho I’m quite pissed Kique brought him back to life to drag him thru the mud again. Or maybe he realized killing him was a fat mistake. But seriously, Kargo is the best. As for Ferah, I felt like she was Roamers boot licker because in the beginning she always talks about him in a good light, even tho she barely knows him. I mean hell, before she fell down that waterfall she tells him that she loves him. Man doesn’t even say it back, just watches her fall down the damn cliff lmfao. Of course for a while, Ferah was an okay character as well. Besides her licking Roamers feet every two seconds, tho I feel like she should have been more suspicious of him considering that they were fugitives at the time. And then came the part when she met Fjordor. Considering her living in a high strung environment all the time, where she needed to watch her back from the Meteors, she sure liked when Fjordor put that knife to her throat! Even saying she felt safe. Of course Kique is trying to push another unwanted ship onto us all. Then we get to see her cringey short crush with Fjordor, then along comes Kargo who supposedly ruined it for her. Dang Kargo, she was so close to getting laid, DAMN YOU. Fjordor then kicks Kargo out for killing the merchants. And of course she shadows Kargo and gets pissed about it, tho Kargo didn’t even ask her to come. Eventually they end up at the Meteors and this is where Kargo dies. At the funeral Ferah is asked if she wants to say something and she’s like NAH IM GOOD and runs away like a coward. Not even giving her lifelong friend a true goodbye. Eventually she ends up with Whispervale and it’s almost like she doesn’t know how to survive on her own without Kargo, total damsel in distress situation. But remember she was so pissed that she had to come with him after the merchant incident. Nah, she is just extremely dependent on Kargo. So she ends up staying with them and to nobodies surprise she dominates their trial even tho she has no damn clue how reindeer work. In conclusion, it’s great to see her branch off from Kargo, despite knowing that he’s alive and trying to find her individuality. But man, her development can suck sometimes.

Then we have Rhov.

Tbh, Rhov was just like Jahla, but to a more extreme case. It’s obvious Rhov and Jahla were done with each other when Feaf and Rome came along. But Rhov is kinda… An asshole? When he joined up with the guild, he lied about.. Everything. I mean sure, it could be excused for him trying to find his family and it has worked. But man, he sure does treat Feaf like shit lol. I feel like she has the look of disappointment every time they interact. She truly is Rhov’s door mat. I mean honestly, it surprised me when Feaf found out about Rhov’s lies. Because when Rhov first joined the guild, before interacting with Lahmina, Feaf was suss as hell about him. Then suddenly she became a yes man to Rhov, even after finding out about him lying. Again no consequences in this comic for Kiques favorites. It’s funny how everyone else has consequences to the main characters, but the main characters just sit on their throne, unscathed. She should have left his ass high and dry the moment she found out he was lying - because this confirms all of their suspicions!!! I mean she is losing EVERYTHING for Rhov! Her career, her friends, and a shit ton more. Meanwhile Rhov is just a happy parasite while Feaf basically carries him thru the story, scott free and no consequences, giving him everything he needs to survive. My conclusion is that Rhov is just a very subtle, manipulative ass lol.

Then we have the Yas Queen Ranach.

Ah, good ol Oreo dog. Kiques top favorite character, despite him being an absolute disgusting dog and in no way shape or form should be glorified. I mean Kique even shows the scene with Ulfr how low Ranach goes and yet, he is still favored by the community. To start I think it’s absolutely hilarious that Ranach never smelled Rogio inside the Meteor walls. Apparently his nose only works when it’s convenient for Kique, cause he smelled Kargo no problem! In the beginning of the comic, Ranach is obviously obsessed with Rogio, so much so he tries to kill him. I assume this is where Kique decided Ranach is abusing Rogio, cause really that’s all Rogio has against him. Of course Ranach is your average antagonist, but when he makes his way to South Spear is when I start to gripe about him. Of course, because Kique is so obsessed with drawing dogs yoinking each other, thats all Ranach basically does in South Spear. To apparently “fight off” his growing passion for Iberon who is Rogio’s brother. Which first off, how did Ranach even get a lick of suspicion that this dog could be Rogio’s brother. I don’t ever remember Rogio mentioning he had siblings. I mean sure, they look alike. But just.. how??? Anyway, like I have said previously, I thought Ranachs idea was to gain entry into South Spear so he could come back to Meteor with an army. NOPE IM WRONG. Suddenly Kique decides to kick the ball to the left and Ranach completely forgets about the Meteors. In recent pages, it is shown that Ranach grows hatred for the matriarch instead, basically abandoning his mission and wants to be a good guy to gather an army to take Solar Stag down…. Wha??? In no way did Ranach ever give a shit about what Solar Stag / matriarch does. It’s not like he sat on this idea his whole life and waited for an opportunity to present itself. And sorry bud, Ranach is not redeemable in my book. It’s funny that Kique tries to make Iberon sympathize with Ranach, tho he hated his guts not even a week ago. It was even more shocking when Iberon decided to sleep with Ranach. Though of course, Kique did that intentionally to give his fans some kind of sexual tension, building those two up. Smdh. Everyone in South Spears seems to know the history of the Meteor Tribe, they should be treating this guy like dog shit lol. I also don’t care if Ranach saves all of Aedra, that guy can go to hell. In conclusion, Ranch Oreo dog sucks big time.

Then we have Ronja.

Ronja is the definition of a clueless female. In the beginning, she decides to follow Ranach back to his Tribe, they only met a handful of times. But I believe it was to get back at Roamer, who she obviously had a crush on. Anyway, I figured she would have known stranger danger by now, but Kique needs an interesting story about her. The best part about her is when she takes over Meteor Tribe as her own. Sure, it’s great to see her use her powers in the Tribe to her advantage and give the females equal rights. But as the story progresses, it becomes clear she’s an unfit leader. She hardly ever comes up with an idea on her own, she never makes her own decisions, she practically relies on Roamer to do all the decision making when he joins the Tribe. She basically just waits for the next best thing one of her members suggests and goes with it lol. Even letting Fuss do all the work to kick Ulfr out. And the best part, in recent pages! Roamer completely went against Ronja’s wishes and kills that dog in cold blood. What does Ronja do? Nothing. That’s right, Roamer can break the rules all day long and gets no consequences. Talk about unfair favoritism. Ronja is literally a doormat, even Fraujar subtly thinks the same. Telling her that being nice all day long in Aedra is not going to work out. But I’m still appalled Roamer broke her rules and she’s like, “Ah, it’s alright he can do whatever he wants. But everyone else cannot.” Lol. Anyway, my conclusion with Ronja is that she is far to submissive and clueless to be a leader of a Tribe like Meteor Tribe lmao.

And lastly we have Keirr.

His story arch is the one that didn’t make the most sense to me. Cause early in the comic when he came across Aira, he was friendly and helpful towards her. Aira of course reciprocates this and tries to help him find his family. With this, they set off in search of them. Then suddenly, the first Tribe they stumbled upon Keirr was like, “You know what, fuck my family let’s live here.” What??? How do you go from I need to find my family to actually never mind, all in the same breath? That didn’t make sense to me at all, cause obviously at first Keirr was urgent on finding them. Then suddenly he isn’t? It’s been a while since I even saw him actually TRY and find his family. Then he gets a shiny new rank in Whispervale and decides to become an ass to Aira. Firstly she didn’t want to join Whispervale, she was under the impression they were gonna search for his family - so of course she’s like wtf? And Keirr is basically like ��Ah, get over it.” Then came the Raun situation. It was obvious that Raun had a crush on Keirr, Keirr practically fed off of it. Then when he gets wind of where his family is, we get a dramatic scene of Keirr and Raun kissing. Later on, Raun is obviously asking Keirr what they are and Keirr is like that kiss meant nothing. AWAY WITH YOU! Wow, dickhead move. Also what even happened to Aira? Oh yeah, Keirr ditched her for better friends. In conclusion, Keirr was a big family guy and was alright in the beginning, now he’s just an airhead that you want to kick in the nuts.

So basically what I got from all this is that everything literally revolves around the main characters / Kiques favorites. They can lie, kill, cheat, manipulate and walk all over anyone they choose because there is no consequences for them. It would be nice to see someone take some responsibility for their actions, but we will never see that.

#asmundr #home comic #kique #kique7 #home

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khaleesiofalicante · 8 months ago

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Hi D,since we are talking Mythology I wanted to show the research I commissioned from a PHD historian.

Ancient Assyrian Religion

Ancient Assyrian religion, a complex and fascinating aspect of Mesopotamian culture, was polytheistic and deeply intertwined with the state's political and societal structure. Assyrian people had many gods to worship, endowed with all natural and social phenomena, politics, and even the cosmos, and they had a direct hand in all spheres of people's lives (Jastrow, 2023). This paper focuses on the prominent gods of the Assyrian religion, enumerating this group's place in the cult and religious importance.

At the zenith of the Assyrian pantheon stood Ashur, the supreme deity and patron god of Assyria. Ashur was not just a god among other gods but indirectly the manifestation or expression of the state, the people, and the empire themselves (Llop-Raduà, 2020). Contrary to gods associated with natural elements or phenomena, Ashur embodied the nation's identity and the underlying desire for expansion and conquest through the authority of divinity. Within the Assyrian state religion as a primary deity, kings were obliged to reflect the likeness of Asheperu through conquests, expanding the Assyrian empire's borders.

Even though Ishtar was the deity of love, war, and natural processes, she also held great importance in Assyrian cults. This goddess, perhaps best known by her dual nature, is both the power for creation and protection and the power for devastation and damage (Jastrow, 2023). The goddess had a dual function as she was called for glorious victories in battles in her role of war, and she was honored as the goddess of marriage and fertility when it came to blessings on marriages and agricultural production. Ishtar's devotees occupied almost every Assyrian metropolis. Her temples were located in the main Assyrian cities where her priestesses presented rituals. As night and day reflect the day-time control of the moon god and the sun god, so are the heavenly twosome that governs night and day.

The storm god, Hadad (or Adad), represented everything related to rain, thunder, and electricity. He was like a blessing and a curse to people in one sense because he both brought life to the world and made things uncomfortable, as demonstrated w2hen he occasionally brought harm. The relationship was so because cropping and agriculture were the main basis of the Assyrian economy. Hadad was an important god of agriculture since he guaranteed the land yielded good harvests to nourish the people (Llop-Raduà, 2020). Let it be his anger shown in thunderstorms or drought that was able to destroy crops, which, therefore, would make his ritual a vital part of crop fertility rites. This deity, in addition to several other gods and some divine beings, was part of one intricate tapestry that ushered in the old religion of Assyria.

In conclusion, the gods of ancient Assyrian religion were deeply woven into the fabric of Assyrian identity, influencing every aspect of life and governance. The deification of Ashur, Ishtar, Sin, Shamash, Hadad, and others represents a belief that the world is intertwined between divine and human, with the gods actively referencing and influencing their humans in positive and negative ways. People believed that gods favored such worship and used it to guarantee the well-being and prosperity of the Assyrian kingdom. This held a very important place in the everyday life of Assyrian people.

References

Jastrow, M. (2023). The religion of Babylonia and Assyria. DigiCat.

Llop-Raduà, J. (2020). Gods in the Archival and Other Middle Assyrian Texts. Ceremonies, Feasts and Festivities in Ancient Mesopotamia and the Mediterranean World Performance and Participation, 29, 209."

FIRST OF ALL SENDING ME RESEARCH WITH REFERENCES??? THIS IS BASICALLY FLIRTING.

Also, it's so fascinating how since the beginning religion has had such a close connection to the socio-political realities of communities.

I loved the bit about Hadad because it reminded me of LBAF Max :)

Thanks for sharing this with me, Nico <3

#nico boo thang

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jabbage · 1 year ago

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#Letters from Watson #lettersfromwatson

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rinamohn · 6 months ago

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youtube

My reactions to Danganronpa The After Episode 18 below!

I watched this part in 3 parts which is why I had some hellish cliffhangers lol

Part 1:

I'm at minute 24 and... Seki that motherfucker!!! I see what he did!

Of course his plan had to involve tricking Hatami into unknowingly killing Kirigiri😭

Let me pray for a miracle quick so that my heart won't break 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

...the amount of self control it takes to not skip forward to reassure myself that Hatami will survive...

I will stay strong but 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

Lemme just curl up and die🙈

The only thing that could save him is if Kirigiri actually commited suicide (her little smile is quite sus).

But in true thematic fashion, I'm quite afraid of having hope right now.

Killing Hatami here would be an incredible bummer and super unsatisfyingly, but from a story standpoint not impossible. Proving Hatami's despair right would be an incredible painful blow.

My girl Konoe is suffering immensely right now and this could very well be an event which breaks her light.

She would need to regain it in the following chapters then.

That would be an interesting development, however my heart is clear that I do NOT want Hatami to die here! I WILL cry!

Konoe... Please create a miracle with your Ace Attorney powers...

One small thing I forgot to say cus good god.

Hatami was so cute😭😭😭

He did not look like a murderer who was lying to his friends tho.

Part 2:

Can you believe how much my heart dropped when the part started with a Closing Argument?😭

For a second I really thought: This is it. Hatami will really die.

I'm SO SO glad that Konoe, Marin and Koin managed to convince everyone to continue the discussion.

Konoe clocked Hatami absolutely right in him just looking for a place to die.

Her listing all the ice cream she wants Hatami to buy her when they get out is so cute🥺✨

That blushy sprite too!

Let's not forget that we are still in chapter 2 tho! My hope of Hatami surviving for long are now stronger than ever! But chapter 5's don't care about our feelings.

God knows it might end with Seki and Hatami dead a la Process of Elimination chapter 5!

I WILL cry!

I remember wondering about the body announcement too but then forgetting about it. Bless Marin for bringing it up again! It wasn't the key to solving this for good but it paved the way~

Of course the camera function came in clutch! Like we jokes about lol

That photo is quite interesting too.

Wasn't that time when Seki was already supposed to be downstairs?

Weird that Kirigiri was able to make a photo of Hatami at this point. They should have had a door between them after all!

But yeah Kirigiri woke up early 100% and probably commited suicide after realizing what she was used for.

That's why she was able to smile like that!

Please Kirigiri give me this🙏✨

Save my boy 🥺

Part 3:

WHAT

I interpreted the Photo completely differetly. And WHAT. Dave?!

I was not prepare for freaking Dave swooping in to raise a metaphorical middle finger to Seki.

I did greatly enjoy how this turn of events bullied Seki. All his distressed sprites are pieces of art✨☺️

But really Dave?! I'm not prepared to say goodbye to Dave. I like this weird guy 🥲

And I wonder about his reasons too. But I guess we'll have enough time in the next part for that.

Loved the part of Konoe handing over the torch to Hatami🥺 For him to end this.

He showed that he can understand others pretty well too!

Overall feeling for the trial:

That was a lot!!

A rollercoaster of emotions!

I'm so glad we could reach a conclusion where both Seki and Hatami could survive (but we will still lose Dave...).

I feel now even more insane over Hatami, I want watch Seki have a bad time and a lot of interesting dynamics were born!

I love the potential we have gained now~

By far the craziest chapter 2 in Danganronpa history lol

#drta #danganronpa the after #fanganronpa #danganronpa #Youtube

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tasmiq · 9 months ago

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Jumu'ah Sohbet: 23 February 2024

This has been a tremendous family week of transitions. A transition to letting your Abbu return to his work commitments for our benefit, a transition to parting with Haqqiqa Madressa, and entering Qurtuba Online Islamic studies, Alhamdulillah we made it after a week! Hence, the delay of our Jumu'ah Sohbet, but here we go, Bismillah (with the name of Allah) ...

#1. Shaykh Nishaat compellingly pointed out that life fleetingly passes us humans by. What we see in the past, present and in the future is actually close and one. What happened in the past feels like it occurred recently.

However, those of us in the Sufi path (Sulook) are striving for a one-on-one relationship with Allah, where He says, "Call on Me by My beautiful names and I will respond." That is our reality in the present, now and the moment! We are seeking a closeness and oneness with our Rab (Lord).

#2. He then shared a beautiful analogy through the poetry of our Prophet Muhammad SAW, who said, "You must seek the gardens of Jannah wherever that you find them!" The Sahaba at the time queried what those are and where they are located? He SAW replied, "Wherever there are circles of Zikr dedicated to praising and glorifying Allah! These are the gardens of Jannah." He SAW went on explaining there are circles of light which Allah's Angels actually seek out and join. They are above whoever joins. They join in ever-expanding rows and levels, all the way until they reach the arsh (throne) of Allah.

This is the reality of these circles of Zikr as a circle of light and the unseen, which we don't necessarily see. The main reason is our nafs, which is our veil in this material world. As Sufis, what we are seeking is to break that relationship with our nafs so that we can have a one-on-one relationship with Allah now - in this life and in this form in the present.

#3. Shaykh Nishaat, the Pied Piper of our hearts, continued to describe that one of the ways we recognise Allah is through our connection to the heart. The stronger our connection to the heart is, the more Allah will show us. That is our unique and individual relationship with Allah. This is why we say when Saints names are mentioned, may Allah bless their secret. We are each actually seeking a one-on-one relationship with Allah!

#4. Next, we were enamoured by our spiritual mother, who had traveled to each of our shores. She was reflecting at one point that in a London based art therapy session, it accurately came out that she was feeling scattered but held very strongly by love! Yes, by our love as mureeds and muhibs (both varying types of seekers of our spiritual school).

In her journey to our shores, we laughed, we cried, and we talked about Allah! She added that in our Sufi path, our spiritual hearts' eyes have added value to our lives and the way we see things. We are here in this world to become what Allah wants us to be, insan'e kamil (a perfected being)!

#5. What I loved about her presence was that not once did she leave out our focus on Allah. Her leadership acumen was undeniable! Even while she was ill with COVID on her journey, where her Ivermectin acquired from our beloved Gaby of Germany cured my mysterious cough within a few hours too, Shukran Ya Allah (Divine gratitude) for both Anne's generosity and for an inevitable cure! She was often encountering a vacant space along the way, subsequently feeling Shaykh Taner's spiritual presence.

She powerfully proclaimed, "Pay attention to what you are appreciating in life and what you are thankful for, because these are the moments that we are feeling closer to Allah and our job is to make sure that we don't keep that on us, but we transfer this to Allah."

In conclusion, insha'Allah in our way ahead we always transfer our experience of good to Allah. Additionally, we pray for Allah’s ability to craft goodness in all our affairs:

Ya Muqtadir Ya Qadir Ya Nafi

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horsechestnut · 10 months ago

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Hey, I'm by no means an expert either, but I've been trying to read my way through Canon Batfam stuff and can help at least a bit! I can't go into super detail for all of them, but here are some basics to know:

Your adoption order is mostly right, but Steph showed up about two years before Cass (in canon, in real life it was 7 years between their first appearances). Tim also showed up well before Cass, but neither of them was adopted for years. I'm not sure if Cass has ever officially been adopted, but she was Bruce's pseud-daughter before Tim was his official son.

It's also important to remember that neither Stephanie or Barbara is adopted. They're part of the Batfam, but they're not Waynes, and Stephanie in particular doesn't actually have a great relationship with Bruce, historically speaking (though lots of fandom stuff ignores this, so you can too if you like and no one will care). They're in a better place now, but he spent most of her early years telling her she wasn't good enough to be a vigilante and trying to get her to quit.

So Adoption Order is: Dick Grayson (as a ward, he wasn't adopted till after Jason) > Jason Todd > Cassandra Cain (may not be official) > Tim Drake > Damian Wayne > Duke Thomas (as a ward I believe)

Vigilante debuts order is: Dick Grayson > Barbara Gordon > Jason Todd > Tim Drake > Stephanie Brown > Cassandra Cain > Damian Wayne > Duke Thomas

Exact Ages are all over the place, you can play with them like putty, but fandom usually defaults to something like this: Barbara Gordon > 1 Year > Dick Grayson > 6 Years > Cassandra Cain and Jason Todd (we don't know for sure who is older but fandom usually says Cass by a few months) > 1 or 2 Years > Stephanie Brown > 3 to 9 months > Tim Drake > 2 Years > Duke Thomas > 3 or 4 Years > Damian Wayne.

The Alternate Identities are as follows:

Barbara Gordon: Batgirl (around 17) > Oracle (22ish) > Batgirl (N52 Timeline)

Dick Grayson: Robin (anywhere from 8 to 11) > Nightwing (age 18 or 19) > Batman (mid twenties) > Nightwing (mid twenties)

Jason Todd: Robin (age 12) > Dead (age 15) > Hanging out with the League of Assassins (Age 15) > Red Hood (Age 19 or 20)

Tim Drake: Robin (age 13) > Red Robin (sometime around 17) > Drake (for a hot minute around 17) > Robin Again

Stephanie Brown: Spoiler (age 14) > Robin (age 16) > Spoiler (age 16) > Recovery from almost dying (age 16) > Spoiler (age 18) > Batgirl (age 18 or 19) > Spoiler (N52 timeline where she was never anything but Spoiler)

Cassandra Cain: Batgirl (age 17) > Black Bat (age 20?) > Orphan (Not positive, but I think this is the N52 timeline)

Damian Wayne: Robin (age 10)

Duke Thomas: Head of the We Are Robin Movement > The Signal

The Robin Order is:

Dick Grayson: Created the mantle, was fired as a teenager after being shot because Batman became scared he might die. The original version of the story have him willingly leave behind Robin.

Jason Todd: Given the mantle by Bruce after trying to steal tires off the Batmobile. Killed in an explosion by the Joker.

Tim Drake: Figured out Bruce and Dick's identities and came to the conclusion Batman needs a Robin, so became that Robin. His father found out and forced him to quit.

Stephanie Brown: Broke into the Batcave and forced Batman to let her be Robin. Was fired for "disobeying orders" after 71 days.

Tim Drake: Steph kinda started a gang war and Batman desperately needed help so Tim became Robin again, with his dad's blessing. Dick (as Batman) later took away the title to give it to Damian because he saw Tim as an equal, not a sidekick.

Damian Wayne: Showed up specifically to be Robin. Is still Robin.

Tim Drake: He just... is also Robin now I guess. In canon both him and Damian are Robin. I don't know man. Most people still give him Red Robin as his alias in fandom.

Batgirls Order:

Barbara Gordon: Was at a costume party dressed up as Batman when a crime happened and she ended up saving the day. The name Batgirl and the costume just kinda stuck after that. Quit because being Batgirl, (DC just didn't know what to do with her anymore and stopped writing her, I don't remember the in-universe reason.) Was shot by The Joker, leaving her paralyzed from the waist down, but it's important to note that she'd stopped being Batgirl before this happened. It had nothing to do with her being Batgirl, Joker didn't even know she used to be a Bat.

Cassandra Cain: Was given the mantle by Bruce with Barbara's blessing. Had to leave Gotham for a bit.

Stephanie Brown: Was given the mantle by Cass. I don't think she ever quit, DC just launched the N52 and retconned it so she'd never been Batgirl.

Barbara Gordon: N52 changed it so she can walk again... yay... so I guess she's Batgirl now and no one else is ever allowed to be. She still also does Oracle stuff. Most fans kinda ignore this, and in most fan works you'll have Barbara still written as paralyzed and Steph or Cass (or both) as Batgirl.

The only real recommendation I have that wouldn't be super time consuming is to second the comment about Wayne Family Adventures. It's by no means perfect, it simplifies a lot of stuff, but it'll at least give you a baseline for who the characters are and how they relate to each other.

Sorry about the length, there are a lot of characters to go through lol. Again, I am by no means an expert, but I'm happy to try and answer questions if anything here wasn't clear or there's something else you want to know about! I don't know that much about Duke (I haven't gotten to him yet in my read through), but I can try to offer more details about the Batgirls if you like, just let me know!

Several small BatFam notes

@moss-covered-thoughts (I'm answering questions and providing information for DPxDC fans.)

lol don't worry about it! Nothing about you talking about your fic will make me feel left out! I'm just happy to help you out with your work! If anything will make me feel left out, it's the lack of rogues content and people within this fanspace underutilizing Vlad and not having much of that juicy, juicy polycule content (specifically Vlad/Jack/Maddie) that I keep coming back to Danny Phantom for. :p Speaking of, I want to be as transparent as I can with the information I'm giving out, because just like all comics fans, I'm not an expert on everything and I am very much in my own specific niche and haven't read everything out there! I'm actually not much of a Batfam fan and am much MUCH more of a rogues fan! (Specifically my hyperfixation is focused around Harvey Dent and Two-Face.) So while I do have some information about the members of the batfamily, my knowledge isn't nearly as comprehensive as someone who's deep dived into that part of the DC universe! I'll give you the information I can, and hopefully someone with more cohesive Batfam knowledge can reblog this post with extra notes to fill in the holes I have in my knowledge. >.<

Adoption Order

So I can't tell you the specific specifics of adoption specifically, but I believe that the order of each member joining the Bat Family would probably be along the lines of: Dick Grayson -> Barbara Gordon -> Jason Todd -> Tim Drake -> Cassandra Cain -> Stephanie Brown -> Damian Wayne -> Duke Thomas.

Batgirl and Duke recs

Again, I haven't read much Bat Family stuff because my primary focus is on the rogues. But I do have a handful of recs! If you're willing to watch a long-ass video instead of reading, I would actually highly recommend Linkara's retrospective on Cassandra Cain and here's the link to said video! It's very good and goes into just about every major comic appearance she was in at the time of the video first coming out (in 2019)! You will get a very good image of her character from that, I like Linkara's analysis, and by watching that video, you will definitely be able to come away from it with a number of recommendations for both Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown! (He does talk about Steph some in this video, but it's limited.)

Speaking of Stephnie I'm sorry to say that I don't really have any recommendations for Steph as I sadly have just not really happened to come across any works that have her in them in my poking around in different comics and related media. But honestly, while I can't give you any recs for Steph, maybe you should toss Linkara (@atopfourthwall) a message! He's actually a decently active Tumblr user and given that he wants to do a different retrospective on Stephanie Brown, certainly he would have things to recommend!

As for other Cass reccomendations... The only thing I have in my back pocket is Spirit World. It's not about her, it's a solo series about the brand spanking new character, Xanthe Zhou, but Cass IS a main character in it, and people seem genuinely happy with what they did with her in that story!

If you're looking for good Barbra Gordon content... Well... Personally I would recommend giving her episodes in Batman: the Animated series or the issues that include her in The Batman Adventures a look-see...? It's always a solid time with her around in B:TAS, or in the Batman Adventures! They characterize her very well in those serieses!

If you want both a Cass and a Barbra suggestion... Maybe check out No Man's Land...? Asking you to read all of the comics that were part of that saga might be a little much, but there is a novel adaptation of the No Man's Land storyline out there, and personally I listened to the reading of that novel as done by Graphic Audio and it is genuinely excellent! Like, the marketing may be tacky, but it is on the level of quality as something like an audio drama podcast or a Big Finish Audio. It just happens to be a book reading. :p But No Man's Land IS where Cass was first introduced, (also where Harley Quinn joined the comics universe fun fact!) and it has plenty of good moments from Barbara in it too!

As for Duke... Honestly, if you aren't already reading the Wayne Family Adventures, then you really ought to. >.< That series is available for free on webtoon and the first several strips have him as the main character before it becomes more of an ensemble cast thing. (And in case you were wondering it IS official DC media!) >.< I also haven't read much of Duke's stuff, and so in terms of his backlog, I really don't know what to recommend. The one story that I did happen to read that heavily featured Duke... Was "My Own Worst Enemy" (it's like volume 1 of All-Star Batman) which was... Fine...??? Like, as a Two-Face and Harvey Dent story, it was pretty bad and ablest in how it portrayed Harvey's DID. (But this isn't necessarily unusual for books that include him... SIIIIIGH!) But it was also incredibly stupid and fun, and had a lot of good forwards momentum and offered a number of interesting ideas that I don't entirely hate! So overall I find it... Fine... But as a Duke story... Honestly it's not bad as far as a Duke story can go! And the back-up story for that little arc (the Cursed Wheel) was pretty alright too! I do feel like after I read My Own Worst Enemy that I did understand Duke just a little better as a character! So while it's not good... You might find it to be decent in what you're looking for...? Because I really cannot speak on any other stories he's been in. >.<

So uh... Sorry about my whole limited perspective thing... But I do hope that you find some of this useful at least! I wish you the best of luck in your writing endeavors!

#I feel pretty good about everything here #but if there is someone out there who's even more of an expert than me and you see something blatantly wrong #or want to fill in some of my gaps with the ages #feel free to let me know!

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zilvercraft · 1 year ago

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oocwhatsapp · 6 years ago

Conversation

the creation of this side blog

leo:

dexter: you can

leo: :0 i CAN O M G SIDEBLOG first post; SHrek

pepper: you realize if he manages it this will just be like every other thing anyone says anything gunna b posted

leo: HEY just cuz you're right //also i find literally everything funny though, that's a good point

pepper: *heart face emoji, sad face emoji, call me bro emoji*

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darkcircles4lyfe · 3 years ago

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Rivals and Heroines: a lesson in expectation

I’ve thought for some time that Horikoshi is most likely knowingly taking advantage of the fact that most people see BNHA as predictably shounen, in more ways than one. Stories can receive a lot of recognition and acclaim for dismantling tropes outright, but what about a story that pretends to play along? Previously I've had a hard time presenting evidence for Horikoshi possibly having hidden motives, but now, after ch 348, I think I have a slam dunk. What used to be little more than my musing about what kind of writing I would love to see has become a subtext so obvious it’s basically just- textual.

Now I can finally lay out how we expected these past few chapters were going to go, vs how they turned out:

Toga + Uraraka + Izuku in a fight together looked at the very least like it would = Izuku finding out about Uraraka’s crush. Even I thought this. I called it “inevitable.” And whether folks wanted it to happen or not, that looked an awful lot like a setup for canonizing them as a couple. It would be pretty cliché and ill-timed, but what do you expect? Of course a shounen would do that. My optimistic prediction was that it would be an opportunity for Uraraka to dismiss the whole thing once and for all, but I knew what was far more likely: Toga acting as a catalyst for Izuku and Uraraka discovering they have feelings for each other, because Toga likes both of them too and of course she’s gonna gush about that and make them flustered.

But let’s talk about that word, “likely.” Based on what? Not Horikoshi’s own pattern of writing, but of those around him. It’s “likely” because shounen media is always heteronormative, usually reducing female characters to their romantic potential, and generally prone to neglecting the overall narrative complexity of a romance subplot. He’s a boy. She’s a girl. Can Hori make it any more obvious? But if you consider Horikoshi as one individual storyteller, it all falls apart. Suddenly there is no basis for assuming anything. (I have talked about this aspect already so I’m just gonna link to that.)

Now let’s talk about what actually happened. BECAUSE NONE OF THAT^ ACTUALLY WENT DOWN. Bless her, it was Tsuyu who really came through and personified how brutally our expectations were defied. She arrives at the last second just as Toga is about to reveal Uraraka’s crush, which obviously cannot be a coincidence. She’s all like nope! Now is not the time! Izuku doesn’t belong in this fight, and Uraraka can handle it herself. While technically this could just constitute a tease, like, “whoops! guess you’ll have to wait for the big reveal until later!” The dismissiveness of it reads a lot more final. This is self-awareness on Horikoshi’s part, showing us he’s conscious of the cliché. Through Tsuyu, he is telling us that it all ends here. No more coy blushy flirty immature shallow nonsense. No more stringing you along. No more red herring. Because it’s time to show you what’s really going on. This is the chapter that reframes everything.

There’s a whole cyclone of ideas circulating in this chapter and all the other moments it harkens back to, spinning around each of these characters, who are learning from each other. These are the real reasons all of them had to collide in this moment together. They are as follows-

1. A lesson for Uraraka: villains are people worth saving

This idea was first mentioned by Toga, technically, as she wonders in the wake of Hawks killing Twice, whether any of the heroes think of villains as people. Izuku also independently arrives at the idea of saving Shigaraki. Uraraka has a less concrete inkling toward that conclusion, and it is ultimately Izuku’s perspective that gets her to realize she wants to save Toga, and that it’s a valid goal.

2. A lesson for Toga: love is kind

A seed of this idea was most likely planted by Twice, because he cared for her and showed her kindness, and his death broke something in her. But the world has rejected her, so she rejects the world. Her parents never showed her love, so she had to define it for herself based on the desires of her quirk. If Uraraka can find out about how Toga is mourning Twice, she can use that knowledge as a tool for uncovering Toga’s desire to not only become like her loved ones, but to value their wellbeing. Toga also deep down wants someone to value her wellbeing, and to accept her. This could play out a number of ways, and tbh my prediction confidence on this front is not strong so I won’t dwell on it, but I did notice one thing: In the midst of Toga confessing to Izuku and asking him her question, Uraraka is panned over to two times:

ya know, in a Realizing Things kinda way. The first is ambiguous, but in the second, she’s having a flashback to when Toga asked her that same question, noticing that when she and Toga had their confrontation during the first war, Toga approached her in the exact same way. It may seem obvious to us, but perhaps Uraraka here is realizing for the very first time that Toga had romantic feelings for her.

3. A lesson for Izuku: the depths of admiration

Up to this point, Toga’s idea of love has only been explained to Uraraka, because Toga says the two girls are alike in that their love for Izuku manifests in wanting to be like him. Now, Izuku is prompted to look inward and see if he can relate to admiring someone the way Toga does. In the moment, the first person he can think of whom he admires is All Might, but Toga wasn’t talking about that kind of admiration, she was talking about romance. Izuku is currently incapable of conceptualizing the depth of admiration beyond his fanboy comfort zone.

Let’s get into the details of 348 here. Izuku says he “can’t imagine wanting to share the same heart and mind as (All Might).” What a romantic phrase, “share the same heart and mind.” He knows what Toga is talking about, but not who he would apply it to. He admires All Might, but not like that. This shortsightedness is also highlighted at the beginning of the chapter, where a narrator calls Izuku out for being, despite his heroic accomplishments, essentially still (as I heard JP twitter calling him) a virgin otaku (lol). He’s oblivious, awkward, inexperienced, and possibly in denial. The whole narration sounds affectionately chastising, wistful and almost nostalgic looking back from some hindsight.

Now... the question on everyone’s mind: if this is a gag meant to point to how Izuku is oblivious of and/or awkward about Uraraka’s feelings (assuming that all of this was supposed to lead to them being a couple, as was our expectation), then why, oh why, was the phrase “kuso nado” (translated in officials as “damned nerd”), used by the narrator? That’s Katsuki’s phrase, obviously. So Katsuki is the one calling him oblivious to someone’s romantic feelings, almost as if this is something Katsuki already knows about him, from previous experience, and it is relevant to their own relationship? This is what I was talking about with speculation turning into blatant subtext. There really is no other explanation for this. It’s just. Right there.

So anyway, the whole All Might comment reiterates how Izuku is really out of touch with romantic feelings. Uraraka could relate to wanting to “share the same heart and mind” with someone, but Izuku says he can’t. And yet, that is not exactly the crux of the irony, or else Uraraka would have been the narrator at the start of the chapter, maybe referencing how she originally called him plain, not “damned nerd.” I swear, this is so cut and dry. Actually, when you think about it, Izuku’s obliviousness has never been a source of dramatic irony for Uraraka’s crush in the first place, like, ever. It’s never, “ooooo if only he knew~” it’s just, “ooooo you like him~” and that’s it. On the contrary, Izuku never knowing about her feelings can hardly be his fault considering Uraraka intentionally shoved down and ignored them.

(edit: turns out the “same heart and mind” line is a mistranslation ! luckily it doesn't really affect much)

On the flips side, obliviousness and misunderstanding have always always ALWAYS been a part of Izuku and Katsuki’s relationship. Oh boy, let me count the ways. From when they were little kids and Izuku tried to help Katsuki up out of the river and Katsuki mistook it for being looked down on, to the bullying, to Izuku having to tell Katsuki about getting his quirk from someone else, to Izuku having no idea how All Might’s forced retirement was weighing on Katsuki, to Izuku being embarrassed to admit he saw Katsuki as his image of victory (*ahem* a level of admiration more personal than what he had for All Might!), to Izuku hiding the fact that emotions related to Katsuki triggered Black Whip, to Katsuki being unsettled by Izuku’s self-sacrifice, to Katsuki sacrificing himself, to Izuku running off to fight alone again anyway, to Izuku being shocked by Katsuki’s apology.... every. step. of. the. way.

I feel like a broken record but seriously everything is all so obvious now. There is nothing tongue-in-cheek-shipping-brainrot about this. This isn’t rivals being accidentally homoerotic, or a female character being neglected by a misogynistic male author. I practically have no choice but to assume that Horikoshi has been planning a complete 180 fake-out and Izuku and Katsuki are about to be canon instead, or at least left open. I truly do believe now that this whole time, narratively speaking, Uraraka has been masquerading as the heroine/love interest, while Izuku and Katsuki have been playing rivals, all in service of Horikoshi leading us to expect this manga to turn out like any other shounen. But now he’s finally starting to show his hand. It’s like a trope-defying plot twist. I know a lot more of y’all can feel it now too. I bet even the homophobes are about to jump out in a big way, from the sudden insecurity. It’s. I’m. I dunno what to say, man. This is really wild and I can’t believe we’re here.

Folks, the end is nigh. I can’t wait.

...And that’s all the hyper-analyzing of quotes I got in me today, yep. No more. That’s definitely it.

(major spoilers for Blue Flag/Ao no Flag under the cut)

pshh, crepes.

That’s not even a romantic trope, as far as I know.

How do you even share a crepe, anyway? Like, you take a bite, and then they--

wait

b-but no, it’s not like there’s a shounen manga out there that made everyone think it was just a het romance with tragic one-sided gay pining form the main character’s childhood best friend--

but then it turns out the main character just needed to figure himself out as he grew up--

and then him and said childhood best friend end up MARRIED?? hah.. haha, what?

#not necessarily saying it’s hori is referencing blue flag but I’m not Not saying that #for once I don’t have much to say in the tags #here ya go #shrugs #long post #lin speaks #bnha 348 #bnha 349 #maybe #bakudeku #bkdk #dekubaku #dkbk #decchan #togachaco #bnha meta #mha

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