#you can't avoid watching movies with me dear

[somewhere-and-once]

I FINALLY WAITED AND MY GIRLFRIEND WILL READ DRACULA

[kaiserthebiter3]

What would happen if you watch a horror movie with the l&ds men?

Xavier , Zayne , Rafayel and Sylus x reader (separately)

requests are open :)

Xavier

as xavier was bringing the snacks from the kitchen , you made yourself comfortable on the couch of the living room , tucking the blanket around yourself , to feel all cozy .

by the time xavier joined you with the bowl of marshmallows and chocolate bars , you pressed the 'play' button to start the movie.

the beginning of the movie was ok , a little nerve racking but nothing you can't handle , however , as it progressed , with the scary music , and the suspense , you're actually beginning to feel pretty scared .

you look at xavier to check up on him , he is unfazed , munching at his marshmallows with no care , of course a guy like him won't be scared because of this you thought .

you pay your attention back to the movie , and that's when the jump scare decided to pop up on screen , you gasp , holding onto xavier's arm tightly , like the zombie from the movie could come out of the screen somehow and get you .

Xavier looks down at you with a little surprise , he didn't expect you of all people to be scared of some character in a movie .

"don't look at me like that" you pout , still holding his arm for dear life , "baby you're actually scared?" he pauses the movie and brings all of his attention to you , you avoid his gaze a little embarrassed "I thought I wouldn't be scared.....but it seems like I am" .

xavier looked puzzled for a couple of moments , then smiled warmly "I didn't know a hunter like you , would get scared over some zombies" he cups your face caressing your cheeks slightly , "we can always do something else if you don't feel like finishing this movie" he says then proceeds to give your lips a light kiss .

"ummm....xavier..." you say red-cheeked , xavier raises an eyebrow "yes honey?" , "I feel like going to the bathroom but...." , he smiles knowing where this is going , "but?.." he looks at you with amusement , you play with your hands embarrassed to look at him in the eye "I'm scared..can you go with me?...to the bathroom?" , xavier chuckled lightly "are you sure you're not asking for something else?" he said with a teasing tone toying with you , removing the blanket from you with roughly "something dirty?" he said wrapping his arms around in intention to carry you , "what???xavier nooo that's not what I meant" , he chuckles as he carries you bridal style heading to the bathroom "I'm joking honey" you sigh in relief , he reaches the bathroom then shuts the door behind you two "or am I?".

Zayne

Zayne was certain you’d get scared, and although horror movies weren’t really his thing , seeing how much you wanted to watch one tonight , he decided to indulge you.

"here you go boyfriend" you said smiling , handing him out the remote, zayne looks at you confused "you want me to pick? " , you nod "yes I'd like to see what'd choose" you said settling beside him on the couch.

zayne browsed for abit then decided on a movie with a clown on its poster , and no way your luck was this bad , you absolutely get terrified of clowns , but since you wanted him to pick this time , you didn't protest .

as much as you wanted to pretend to be brave , your yelps and gasps betrayed you , you'd hide yourself under the blanket refusing to watch .

"Honey are you ok?" he says with concern in his voice , gently pulling the blanket away from your face to get a better look at you , "come here" he lifts you up and seat you on his lap , "zayne clowns are so f**king scary" you say in annoyance "watch your tongue love" he says scolding as always .

"zayne I'm scared here ? can you save the scolding for later?" you sigh and shake your head , he giggles a little at your annoyed expression , he found it adorable , "I'm sorry" he said , planting a kiss on your forehead , holding you closer to his chest "so ms hunter is scared of stupid clowns , huh?" he said in a teasing tone , "in my defense , they are weird creatures" you frown at the thought of them .

"they're humans just like us honey" , "not to me" you roll your eyes , "how about we forget all about this movie , hmmm?" he suggests , nuzzling his head against your neck , planting soft kisses "I'll make you forget about these clowns" he bites down "and your name too".

Rafayel

Rafayel had told you earlier in the day he was taking you to the cinema. You were thrilled, imagining maybe a thriller or some drama… until you arrived and saw the title: Haunting Shadows. A horror film.

You glance at him, brows raised in disbelief. "A horror movie? Really?" a faint smile plays at the corner of his lips, his gaze steady and unbothered. “Is that a problem?”

You don’t want to seem weak in front of him, so you shake your head quickly. “No, no! I’ll be fine.”

As the movie begins, it doesn’t take long for you to get overwhelmed by the haunting scenes and music , and you can feel yourself curling up tighter and tighter in your seat.

After one particularly terrifying scene, Rafayel leans over, his voice calm but carrying an amusement tone “If you’re scared, there’s no harm in saying so.”

surprisingly , you surrender pretty fast , "I...am" you said voice barely audible as you hated to admit defeat.

without hesitation, rafayel leans in closer. “Come here,” he murmurs. Before you can even argue, he gently takes your hand and tugs you toward him, patting on his lap.

“Rafayel, there are people here,” you whisper, glancing around nervously.

“Then sit quietly,” he replies smoothly, not a hint of hesitation in his tone.

Sighing in defeat, you settle onto his lap, and instantly feel his arms wrapping around you. His warmth seeps into you, and somehow, even with all the horror happening on the screen, his presence makes you feel far less scared , and protected.

After a few moments of silence, he leans down, his breath tickling your ear. “Next time, we're at the cinema I'll pick even a scarier movie , if it means I'll get you holding onto me adorably like this” he murmurs, voice soft and teasing .

You glance up at him frowning "you wishh , it's embarrassing to be in such position in public"

A soft laugh escapes him, and he presses a quick kiss to your temple. “not to me” he whispers .

Sylus

you were browsing through sylus’s movie collection , he had so many DVDs , so you made it a habit that every friday , you pick a movie and you'll watch it together.

this friday you picked horror movie , this was out of the ordinary for you , you always pick a romance movie and you force sylus to watch.

"are you sure?" sylus teased as he was setting up the movie for you , "you won't get scared?".

you crossed your arms , scoffing "why would you assume I'd get scared ? sylus I fight wanderers for a living , a horror movie is nothing" you said with a cocky tone.

he chuckled at you then nodded "alright then tough hunter".

he seated you on his lap as he always does , then wrapped the blanket around you , making you feel warm and comfortable.

the movie started out innocently enough , but by the time the creepy sounds and the jump scares kicked in , you found yourself clutching the blanket tighter.

sylus noticed but didn't comment on it , only then , a particular scene unfold , and a ghost jumped out on the screen , you yelped softly , hiding yourself into sylus’s neck .

"Oh?" he said with a raised eyebrow , amused as he wrapped his arms around you "is that you getting scared?".

you looked up at him , not knowing how to find an excuse to defend yourself , so you look around and you find poor mephisto minding his own business , "damn you mephisto" you said pretending to be mad at the bird , "sylus" you look at him with pleading eyes "your evil crow startled me" you said with a pout on your lips.

he chuckled at your silly move , "ohh so mephisto is the reason to your cute jump just now?" he replies playing along with your excuse , his hand resting on your waist , stroking it slightly , "Exactly" you said that pout is still on your face , "well then , I guess I have to kick mephisto out of the living room now" he said pulling you closer to him by your waist , "can't have him distracting us from watching this movie" he teased , motioning to mephisto to leave you alone.

Seeing that you have no other excuse to pull if you get jump scared again , "sylusss I don't think I like this movie" , you pretended to be bored , sylus chuckles "you want us to stop watching you say?" , "it's up to you sweetie" he said with low tone , his hand going a little too low "we can always do something else" he winks .

[okwonyo]

when you are being distant.

ᙏ̤̫ 엔하이픈 ♡ femreader & hurt with comfort established relationship + cw. not-proofread pet-names skinship 0.6k | ( bookshelf )

heeseung would hate when you start being distant— not because it's your coping mechanism and your way of telling him something his off, but mostly because it makes his heart aches. i think, he'd watch you weirdly avoiding him and going to sleep, telling him that you are just too tired, when he comes home quietly; with his big and sad brown eyes following you. he'd come to you at some point, when he can't take it anymore, hand delicately placed on your lower back as you do the dishes; “please talk to me, i am here for you..”

jongseong would give you what you need instantly, especially if the type of reassurance you need is words. he'd be big advocate for communication and showing love through words in relationships, and will put his whole being in making you understand how much you matter to him. eyes looking deep in yours, hands holding yours firmly, he'd whisper: “you could never,” he'd emphasize on that last word, “be unloved by me. you are too well tangled in my soul”

jaeyun would take you somewhere, on a walk at the park or at the cafe you love so much— anywhere that would make you feel good and would make you think about something else for a while. he'd know you too well to not notice the reason why you are being so withdrawn, and this especially towards him, lately. i can see him asking you what is going on, pleading you to tell him the truth with his eyes burning through your skin and reassuring you with his infamous head pats afterwards..

sunghoon would find a time to sit with you in silence, maybe on the sofa, both of you sitting at the opposite of one another while the television is playing. not a big fan of saying how he feels out loud, especially when it is about delicate subjects such as this one— he'd just smoothly get closer to you, warping his arms around your shoulder as a form of support and affection. you'd lean your head on his shoulder and he'd lean his on the top of yours :( you'd have a long talk after.

seonwoo would ponder over and over about whether he hasn't or has made it clear that there is nothing you cannot tell him already— he'd bite his nails about, maybe, being the problem and made you feel like you weren't able to do so. as if it was a movie scene—during a sickeningly quiet day, he'd be the one to break the silence; “you know if i did something wrong, you can tell me, right?” with his hand placed on his heart, “i would work on it” :(( he'd be the one needing reassurance after.

jungwon would worry instantly, he'd be worried at the smallest signs of you being distant actually. he'd want to talk it out as soon as it starts because he wouldn't it to become something too big to handle. i can imagine him pulling you by wrist after you have him a rather cold answer; “hey, what's wrong, sweetheart?” he'd say, holding you by the shoulders softly.

riki would become even more clingy than usual, because when something is wrong he'd rather tell you about it by following you everywhere you go. don't do that to this poor boy, dear god... sad eyes, wherever you go he is there too, scared you might get mad at him every-time you look at him T^T he wouldn't let you be distant in peace at all and would cling to you until you tell him what's wrong.

alternative title; “when you start doubting yourself in the relationship and need reassurance and comfort” purely for comfort <3

nets @k-films @kflixnet @/k-labels taglist open! @manooffline @ibsysbsfsunsbs @oldjws @lilriswife4life @alaezasmystery235 @teddywonss @tyussday @cholexc @flickqr @yuviqik @wvnrqs @strawberrywonz @y-ves @isawritesss @filmofhybe @ikeucakes @gweoriz @yunabi436 @ashtxrie @soul-is-a-strange-kid @jaelaxies @jwonsluvr @lynniebearrr-blog @bobabunhee @sunghoonsarmpit @ynsvnte @wonifullove @luvieden @shalkeren @thesunoosshining @smouches

[swrkn]

hellooo dear, can you do relationship hcs with hyuk? pretty please thank you 💗

𝐒𝐅𝐖 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍

Hyuk x g/n reader

Genre ; sfw , fluff

Author note ; hii , of course i can ! Don’t hesitate to ask me more characters to do headcanons for ! Those are my personal headcanons so please don’t be mean if you don’t share my opinions ! My request are open

⇨ Quiet Moments

As we all know, Hyuk cherishes quiet, intimate moments. Sitting in comfortable silence, stargazing after a long ride, or simply leaning on each other while watching a movie are his favorite ways to unwind with you.

After a long day of riding, you both find a secluded spot in the park. The sun is setting, casting a warm glow over the horizon. You lie down on the grass, staring up at the stars as they begin to appear. Hyuk lies beside you, one arm behind his head, the other resting near yours. Neither of you speaks; the silence is comfortable, filled only with the distant sounds of crickets and the soft rustle of leaves. After a while, Hyuk shifts slightly and gently takes your hand, intertwining your fingers. "This is nice," he murmurs softly, his voice barely above a whisper. You smile, squeezing his hand in agreement.

⇨ Acts of Service

Hyuk shows his affection through actions rather than words. He'll quietly fix your bike, bring you snacks during study sessions, or make sure you're hydrated during rides.

One evening, you're struggling to get your bike in top shape before an important ride. You mention in passing that the brakes feel a bit loose and the gears are sticking, but you don't have time to fix it yourself. The next morning, you find your bike perfectly tuned up, running smoother than ever.Later, when you ask Hyuk about it, he shrugs, not making a big deal out of it. "I had some time, so I worked on it," he says simply, but there's a slight blush creeping up his neck. You grin and thank him, realizing this is just one of the ways he shows he cares.

⇨ Post-Race Care

As his partner, after intense rides, you're the one helping him recover— offering water, snacks, and a comforting presence.

After a particularly grueling race, Hyuk slumps onto a bench, breathing heavily. You're right there, handing him water and a towel. "You were incredible out there," you say, wiping some sweat off his forehead.He chuckles weakly. "I feel like I got run over by a truck."You laugh and sit beside him, leaning your head on his shoulder. "Well, you earned some serious rest." He hums in agreement, leaning into you slightly, appreciating your care.

⇨ Physical Affection

He was shy at first, but now that he becomes more physically affectionate. Expect warm hugs after races and casual hand-holding when walking around. At first, Hyuk isn't big on public displays of affection, but over time, he grows more comfortable.

One chilly afternoon, as you both walk through the city, he notices you shivering. Without a word, he slips off his jacket and drapes it over your shoulders. Then, in a rare moment of boldness, he takes your hand and tucks it into his jacket pocket alongside his own. You glance at him in surprise, and he just murmurs, "Your hands are cold." He keeps walking, but his grip on your hand stays firm and warm.

⇨ Subtle but Sweet

He's not the type for grand romantic gestures, but he'll surprise you with little things, like leaving a note in your bag or randomly showing up with your favorite drink.

One day, after a particularly stressful week, you open your bag to find a small, folded note. It simply reads: “You've been doing great. Don't forget to take care of yourself”. It's signed with Hyuk's initials, and you can't help but smile. Later, when you mention it, Hyuk tries to brush it off. "It's not a big deal," he says, but you can tell from the way he avoids your eyes and the slight upward twitch of his lips that he's glad you liked it.

⇨ Your Biggest Fan

Even if Hyuk downplays his tricks, it's clear he loves seeing you excited. He secretly lives for the moments when your eyes light up, and you cheer him on. Every time he nails a new trick, the first person he wants to show is you. Your encouragement fuels his confidence, and he's always thinking about how to outdo himself next time.

You're watching Hyuk practice when he suddenly says, "I've been working on something new." Intrigued, you nod. "Show me." He takes off down a slope, building speed before hitting a ramp. With perfect timing, he launches into a 360 spin, landing flawlessly. You jump up, clapping. "That was insane! You've gotten so good!" He rides back, trying to hide his grin. "It's not a big deal," he says casually, but the proud glint in his eyes shows he's soaking up your praise.

✵

[annwe24]

Part 1!DEVOTION

Part 2

CREATOR!LUCIFER X READER

Summary: You feel trapped in the luxurious cage that Lucifer created.

Reading in dim light isn't really a good idea. Your eyes feel itchy and letters are running all across the page. Huffing in annoyance, you unwillingly close the book to go to sleep. Tonight is not just it, perhaps the lack of sleep has finally caught up to you. Your pillow feels a bit rocky as the book is carefully tucked under. That night, your dreams are made of angels joyfully singing their symphony, unaware of the angelic eyes watching your sleeping form.

Morning comes by as usual. You are woken up by the sweet smell of hot pancakes and the sight of a pair of neatly folded clothes thrown onto your bed. Lucifer has always insisted that you let him take care of almost everything around the house. You obviously don't agree. However, morning is something you would gladly give in. A big reason being his signature pancakes and the other being you don't have to wake up too early. Hastily put on the clothes he has put together for you, you rush to the kitchen, wanting to have breakfast as soon as possible.

Good morning! Did you sleep well? Lucifer cheerfully greets you with a toothy grin.

Very well! Are you going to be in the workshop today?

I’m afraid not, my dear. You see, Charlie insisted that we must make plans for the upcoming extermination.

Can I come too?

Your question makes Lucifer halts his cooking. You have expected this. He is always reluctant about you doing anything Heaven related, trying to steer your gaze elsewhere as if Heaven is the forbidden fruit of Hell. At least, that’s what it is in his eyes.

I’m sorry, sweetheart. You know what it is.

But don't you think it's time I-

Anne. We’ve talked about this.

Okay…

Lowering your head, you patiently wait for the food. You know better than to make any moves with that hint in his voice. It is one of his turnoffs that you come to notice during decades of living with him; even Charlie, his daughter, wouldn't have caught it on the spot like you. Lucifer once said: No one has known me quite like you.

…

I had a really shitty day.

Lucifer says as he slumps his head onto your shoulder. Pulling the blanket closer to the both of you, you let out an acknowledged hum:

Mind telling me what went wrong?

That fuck head radio demon. Do you know him? I think his name is Alastair? Nevermind that. Nothing important. His jackass thinks he can just simply swoon over Charlie and convince her I’m replaceable. Ugh can't fucking believe that.

You don't… normally swear. I guess that demon is pretty rough huh?

Lucifer lets out a huff and turns up the volume of the TV:

Yeah…

Tonight is just one of those movie nights: Lucifer talks over the movie about anything to you. Today is just one of those days. Every day is the same. You are a being yet incomplete as a being. You realize you are barely alive. He chooses your clothes. He cooks your food. He soothes your pain. He is everything. Slowly, everything around you doesn't make any sense. The noise coming from the tv becomes static and Lucifer’s voice seems so distant. Why are you even created? Is your sole existence destined to be some sort of amusement for the King? And why is he so avoidant about Heaven? Are you the problem?

Y/n. Y/n!

You immediately snap out of your messy thoughts. Something about Lucifer always manages to pull you right back. Placing a hand on your shoulder, he asked with a worried voice:

Did something happen?

You quickly turn your head to look at him. Your eyes filled with panic:

Oh! I think I’m just sleepy. Yeah… That's all.

Still, you know better than anything that is not enough. Nothing is enough for him, especially if it’s something from you. He lets out a pitiful smile and quietly turns off both the tv and the light, steps out of the bed. Before heading out, he doesn't forget to say his usual goodnight to you. How ironic. You think. He knows you are not going to have a good night. However, you greatly appreciate the personal space he gives you. You give in to exhaustion and slump back to the bed. Like a habit, you reach out to take your book under the pillow. Last night, you left at the most interesting part-the dawn of humanity. Excitement fills you to the brim just thinking about-

There is no book.

Refusing to believe the loss, you throw the pillow out of your sight, only to be greeted with disappointment. Many scenarios play out inside your little head. There is no doubt this is the work of Lucifer. He must have known from the beginning and let you slip through for a while. You can't bear to imagine the things he would do if he losed control. Self-control is one of his greatest strengths. Although, you are not so sure about that right now. After evaluating everything, you decide that it is best to sleep right now and deal with the problem in the morning. That night, your dreams are made of demons gawking and gnawing at your frail form, unaware of the angelic eyes watching your sleeping form. Every day is not the same anymore.

[angelicsoka]

MAKE A PART 2 OF THE HUGHES SISTER X TREVOR I NEEDDDD TO KNOW HOW HED REACT

LITTLE TALKS, t. zegras 

part one <3

word count | 1.3k

pairings | trevor zegras x fem!hughes!reader, platonic!luke hughes x sister!reader, platonic!quinn hughes x sister!reader, platonic!jack hughes x sister!reader, 

summary | the youngest hughes sibling begins to amend her relationships

warnings | mentions of self-harm and depression. not proofread. based loosely on the song little talks by of monsters and men. no use of "y/n". lowercase intended. uses of the nicknames for reader include: sunshine, love, pretty girl, & babe. i think that's it??

a/n | i’ve been on a writing SPREE, so here’s this <3 

i don't like walking around this old and empty house

so hold my hand, i'll walk with you, my dear

the stairs creak as you sleep

it's keeping me awake

it's the house telling you to close your eyes

and some days i can't even dress myself

it's killing me to see you this way

she looked in the mirror, an exhausted look on her face. her hair was greasy and disheveled, her eyes held bags under them. she sighed at the pathetic sight that was her, tears welling in her eyes. she had barely slept and when she did it was for long periods of times. her clothes were wrinkled and clearly worn, and she knew she smelt. yet, it took so much effort just to get up and take a shower. 

her brothers had been trying to get her to go out with them, and when that didn’t work they tried to start with simple stuff: quinn would cook her favorite meals to get her to eat with them. jack would set up games and movies for them, and luke helped her clean up her room. most of the time, however, she was in her room either sleeping or trying to sleep. but today she had to be up, she had to shower. 

she broke her gaze from the mirror, turning to run the shower. she discarded her clothes, ignoring the scars that littered her body. she stepped in, her body relaxing against the hot water. it stung, but she didn’t even seem to notice. she was stuck in her head, worried about seeing trevor; about talking to him.

time passed faster than she would’ve liked. the water had begun to run cold, forcing her to finish up and turn off the shower. she began to towel dry herself, taking her time to avoid seeing him. she sighed as she put on her clean clothes, the feeling of finally being clean made her feel just slightly better. she exited the bathroom into her room, throwing the clothes in the hamper as she passed. she heard voices coming from the living room, one voice she could always pick out: trevor zegras. 

for a moment she contemplated how she could get out unnoticed. maybe she could sneak out through the backdoor when he wasn't looking or jump out her bedroom window, although the fall would probably cripple her. she sighed once more, deciding that she needed to talk to him, to explain; he deserved that much.

she reached for her doorknob, panicking internally as she twisted it open. it had been months since she had seen him in person, but he looked no different from the last time she had seen him to now. she saw him sitting on the couch with jack, the two of them catching up. she slowly walked down the stairs, a creak catching their attention. trevor’s head whipped toward her direction, an unreadable look on his face. she wanted nothing more than to fold into herself, to get his eyes off of her. 

“hey, sunshine.” jack broke the silence, smiling at his baby sister. she held a small smile, continuing down the stairs. neither her nor trevor said a word. “how ya feeling?”

“okay.” she spoke softly, unlike the person trevor knew. he watched as she moved slowly, how she didn't smile and when she did it seemed forced. he felt a pang in his heart seeing her like this, so unlike herself. 

beside him, jack began to make very obviously fake ringing noises, grabbing his phone from his pocket. “sorry, gotta take this.” he jumped up, running out of the living area and out the front door.

“did he just…” trevor trailed off, looking to his ex with a confused look.

“make fake ringing noises so that he could leave? yeah, yeah he did.” she laughed softly, almost inaudibly. for a moment, she seemed like her old self, but her face dropped quickly. 

there's an old voice in my head

that's holding me back

well, tell her that i miss our little talks

soon it will be over and buried with our past

we used to play outside when we were young

and full of life and full of love

some days i don't know if i am wrong or right

your mind is playing tricks on you, my dear

“so, uh, how have you been?” trevor cleared his throat, looking to the hughes sister. she was curled up on the other end of the couch as she bit at her finger nails. she looked over to him, the anxiety clear on her face. she shrugged, looking back down to her fingers. he couldn’t see it, but he knew her like the back of his hand, and right now she was holding back tears. he stood up, walking over to where she sat, taking a seat beside her. “talk to me, love.” the pet name simply slipped out, but it brought her over the edge. her shoulders shook as she began to sob, trevor pulling her to his chest. “shh, shh, it's okay. it's okay.”

“i’m so sorry, trev. i’m so fucking sorry.” she cried, gripping his torso as if her life depended on it.

“babe, why are you apologizing?” he asked, looking down at her. he tilted her chin up, ignoring the pain he felt at the sight of her teary, tired eyes. he cupped her cheek, wiping away the tears that had fallen down. “you don’t need to apologize.”

“yes, i do. i left you, i hurt you.” she hiccupped continuously, rushing her words.

“shh, slow down. it’s okay, i’m okay.” she tried to continue but her breath caught in her throat. she began to panic, her breathing turning short and quick. “look at me, love. breathe with me.” trevor began to take deep breaths, the youngest hughes following. it brought back the memories of trevor comforting her through her anxiety and panic attacks; he would always drop what he was doing to help her. once she had calmed down, trevor pulled her into a hug, placing a tender kiss on her temple.

“i hate myself, trev. i hate everything about myself, and i hate feeling like this.” his heart broke with every word she spoke. “how can i love you if i can’t love myself?” she sniffled, looking up at him.

“i love you so much, sunshine, and it is killing me to see you like this.” she wiped at the tear that fell, “i wish you could see yourself the way that i see you. you are perfect, love, in every way. i could be the most mad i’ve ever been and one smile from you could change that in an instant. i love the way your eyes light up whenever you talked about something you love, the way you can keep up with my energy.” she smiled softly, “i may be biased but i just so happen to think you are the most beautiful girl in the world. i love you, pretty girl.”

“i love you, trev, so goddamn much.” she smiled once again, tracing her fingers along his jaw. “can we try this again?” 

“absolutely, love.” he lent down, gently kissing her. she was nowhere near perfectly happy, but they would be okay, and that's all that matters.  

[mncxbe]

OKAY SO, IVE ONLY RECENTLY FOUND THIS ACC AND OMFG I LOVE IT SM, UR WRITING >>>>

okeyokey, so, i love cats, i saw the spicy cat hcs/scenarios and i thought VGAHIVAGYCFTUACTUYVGUAVGYU I LOVE IT, and uhm, so i so kindly ask u for more cat ability hcs/scenarios with Jouno and Tecchou, but this time more fluffy ones (omg imagine them finding out their s/o likes head pats and then purring VFGYCDRTCDRTCD), i would marry u frfr

anon we're married now duh🙄🩷 this was so fun to write hope u like it♡

2:59☆

𝑱𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒐, 𝑻𝒆𝒄𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒖 𝒙 𝒇𝒆��!𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓

𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆: fluff♡

°☆○

𝑱𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒐

he doesn't care much about your ability tbh but he does find your personality adorable.

Jouno doesn't admit it easily but he likes how playful you are. devoted yet independent, just like a cat

you avoid shifting to your cat form at home because cat hair bothers him😭 if you leave hair on the couch he's gonna make you clean it with a lint roller

he absolutely loves it when you lay your head in his lap; he takes this opportunity to run his fingers through your hair and caress you gently. you often fall asleep like that so he has to carry you to bed♡

ironically calls you kitten💀

now hear me out now. he has a spray bottle and when you get on his nerves by being too clingy he sprays you

besides that he loves how quiet and collected you are. most people are clumsy, loud and unbearably annoying but not you. due to your ability you're naturally more quiet. except when he cuddles you...

It was one of those early December evenings when you and Jouno were tucked under a blanket on the couch, watching a generic, sappy Christmas movie.

"God how can someone come up with such a shitty script..." sighed your boyfriend, turning his head towards you.

The slow, steady rhythm of your heartbeat signaled him that you were fast asleep and he let out another sigh; this time softer, more sympathetic. He quickly turned off the TV and picked you up with ease, earning a sleepy groan from you- before tip-toeing to your shared bedroom.

Once you were both underneath the crisp covers Jouno finally allowed himself to enjoy a few minutes of silence. It's been a hard day at work; meeting, tiresome interrogations and if this wasn't enough he'd been paired up with Tecchou for a mission. He did his best to push all the dark thoughts in the back of his mind and closed his eyes, focusing instead of the sweet sounds you made as you tossed around in bed, sighing softly, breathing slowly; 1,2,3 inhale... 1, 2,3 exhale.

Soon enough, sleep crept up and he drifted closer to you. One of his arms wrapped around your waist, pulling you flush against his chest as he relished the welcoming warmth of your body. His chin came to rest on your head, fingers gently kneading your plush thighs.

Jouno was close to falling asleep when a sudden noise alerted his senses- a soft rumble, coming from you. He felt the light vibrations of your ribcage against his chest.

"You've got to be kidding me" he sighed, a tinge of amusement laced in his voice.

You lazily opened your eyes at the sound of his voice. "What babe?"

"You're purring again. And I can't fall asleep"

"'m sorry dear. You know I can't control it" you mumbled as you turned to face him. Snaking your arms around his waist you placed a chaste, apologetic kiss to his jaw and closed your eyes again, drifting back into your slumber.

Your boyfriend only hummed in response and sighed, fully relaxing in your embrace. Slowly but surely, the sound of your purrs lulled him to sleep.

𝑻𝒆𝒄𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒖

he absolutely loves your ability. I get the feeling that he's a cat person?? so he adores you, quite literally, in all shapes and forms

Tecchou cuddles you a lot. in bed, on the couch, during breakfast when you sit on his lap; he just loves you

his heart literally melts when he hears you purring while you cuddle

sometimes you surprise him at work, sitting in front of the Hunting Dogs hq in your cat form- a little calico cat with a fluffy tail and emerald green eyes- and waiting for him to return from a mission so you can go out and have lunch together♡

baby boy is so soft when he sees you napping; and you do sleep a lot in your free time due to your ability. often when he comes home you're curled up under your blanket on the couch. he just sits down next to you and peppers your face with sweet kisses

still, due to your ability you're a picky eater, so you refuse to eat most of his strange food combos

"Come on Y/N. Just try it I promise it's good" pleaded your boyfriend in a sad voice, looking at you from across the counter with big, sorrowful eyes.

You shook your head in response, eyeing the mixture of soy sauce and chocolate pudding before you.

"Nuh uh. I ain't touching that". You crossed your arms over your chest, slightly tilting your chin upwards to make your point. Your mind was made.

"But angel I made it for you" sighed Tecchou, visibly disappointed. "Just a taste baby please"

You eventually gave in, rolling your eyes as you grabbed a spoonful of the questionable mixture and stuffed your mouth, instantly regretting it. The pudding tasted salty and had a mushy texture resembling sand on the beach. Still, noticing Tecchou's hopeful expression you did your best to swallow, feigning a smile.

"Wow it's actually pretty good" you said weakly, earning a sigh from your partner.

"You don't have to lie to me, angel. I can tell you don't like it". His amber gaze lowered, shoulders slumping in defeat and you huffed, leaning closer to grab his hand from across the countertop.

"Look baby. I appreciate you trying out new recipes for me. It's really sweet, but they aren't that appealing to me"

Tecchou looked up at you, thumb brushing against yours as he nodded.

"Aight, I got it" A smile finally tugged at the corners of his lips and you leaned in to kiss him, earning a satisfied hum. When you pulled away he was beaming again, eyes sparkling with adoration.

"Say..." you began again, pressing one of your palms against his chest "You've got any more of that chocolate pudding left. The untempered one I mean."

Tecchou chuckled slowly and pointed at the fridge. "There's plenty left"

"How about we share it then?"

You grabbed the pudding from the fridge and a clean spoon before returning to your boyfriend. Prying the crisp aluminium foil off the pudding you scooped a spoonful and fed it to Tecchou, who smiled down at you.

"Well I can't deny it. It definitely tastes better than what I made"

You purr lightly in response, raising to your tippy toes to kiss the sweet taste of chocolate off his lips.

"See, I told you so"

[possessedopossum]

The Veilguard: my full review [positive, long post, less about game mechanics and more about meta, spoilers]

The thing that makes Veilguard special to me is how self aware the game is. In every dialogue, plot twist or quest I can feel the presence of somebody who wanted to share something with me. Be it personal experience, message, pain or joy. As of 2024, many games have lost their creative spark. Video game industry is no longer a nerd only zone, it's a business no different than others. Many studios utilize AI to write their plots, chase after current trends or simply make decisions that would create the biggest audience possible at the expense of something people love the franchise for. Veilguard did well, because it showed me something I haven't seen in a very long time: the human soul.

Perhaps you have noticed it on your own. The world has gone completely nuts after the covid. Or maybe it has always been this way and I only noticed it now. It is not a surprise to me that players want their game to be darker, to have more aggressive dialogue and to have a morally grey or even evil protagonist. For the past few years I've been feeling like someone had turned the lights off. And the game gave me an impression that someone at bioware feels this way too.

Only negativity gives content creators views and money these days. Open any social media, read any post or watch any video. If something is on top, it's almost always a hate post. What was the last movie most reviewers enjoyed? The last game? Perhaps the one that was released 10 years ago? What was the last time, you, my dear reader, have smiled? Not bitterly or sardonically, but out of genuine joy?

It is extremely fitting that Rook's mentor figure is Varric. Varric is somebody who always sees the best in people. He grew up in one hell of a city but he still loves it. He can find something to laugh about no matter how dire the situation is. He is a people person who can build friendship with anybody. Varric is very charismatic and tends to avoid conflict. He is a chronic liar but that doesn't make him bad because he never lies with malicious intentions. And in some ways, Rook is similar to him.

Yes, Rook can't be a complete asshole. Because the game is not about being an asshole. One of our antagonists, Solas, considers the world to be sick. Modern Thedas is a grave mistake that haunts him. He can't forget and move on because even the elves themselves wear his mistakes on their faces. Many things that are normal to the player character aren't normal to Solas. The world is so wrong and disgusting to Solas that he is willing to sacrifice things and people who are dear to him just to make the twisted world better.

Rook is nice because they are supposed to represent what is good in modern Thedas. They are supposed to be somebody who thinks the world is worth fighting for. And to a certain extent, their factions as well. The crows are contract killers and the lords of fortune are thiefs. Grey wardens are very concerned with politics and all the secrets they refuse to share constantly get people killed. Mourn watch has their immoral power hungry politicians as well and veil jumpers are sometimes willing to trade people for ancient secrets. They all aren't without sin but that's not the point. The point is, even with all the ugliness and darkness, there is still a place for light. And the light in the darkness is the exact message bioware tried to convey. The crows not being comically evil is not bad writing. It is a conscious writing choice to give us a human face for something we consider ugly and not worth fighting for. The player is metaphorically Solas, who needs to be persuaded that the world is worth at least something. The writers didn't need to bare the souls of player factions in all their mistakes, imperfections and cruelty. Because they showed us the factions' humanity. Some cruelty is still there, on the background, but it doesn't overshadow what is good. The crows, no matter how terrible, are a family. Viago may call Rook an idiot and while Rook considers their training literal torture, they sure love Viago back.

In fact, familial love is one of the core themes of the Veilguard. We have Emmrich and Manfred, Davrin and Assan and uncle Endrin, Lucanis and Caterina and Illario, Taash and Shathann, Bellara and Cyrian. It's a bit less direct with Neve and Harding. Neve has a lot of love for her city which is almost like a person to her, and Harding...I'll explain with a quote. "You're Lace Harding! You're more than this rage! You believe that the world is beautiful! That people are good! Hold onto it, hold on to who you are!".

Even the evanuris share the theme of family. Rook can compare Elgar'nan and Solas to relatives who can't get along. Elgar'nan calls Ghilan'nain his sister. Both shards of Mythal consider modern elves her children. Different but no less beloved, as Morrigan puts it.

Veilguard shows family without rose-tinted glasses. It shows that sometimes to love your children is to sacrifice something else you love (Lichdom for Emmrich), that parents have their own problems that may harm their children no matter how much parents wish to protect them (Shathann understands she is not the best mother and has complicated relationships with the Qun that harmed Taash), that sometimes parents do not understand their children at all and it's only up to children themselves to close the gap in understanding (Mythal, Solas and Rook), that familial love and desire to protect your family may turn into something ugly (Caterina being cruel to her grandchildren to prepare them for harsh realities of the antivan crows).

There is conflict in Veilguard, of intergenerational nature. Companions and their families, Rook and their faction leader, elves ancient and modern. It's up to the player how to deal with the last one. Humans, dwarves and qunari may not share blood ties with ancient elves but they still live in the world ancient elves created. As Rook, you're allowed to lash out in anger at Mythal and Solas. You can call Mythal guilty of all modern problems and fight her. You can bind Solas to the veil by force, call him asshole and express your frustrations with him multiple times throughout the game. You can also express sympathy and forgive them both. Because forgiving is neither condoning nor condemning, it's understanding and letting go. Being understood and allowed to peacefully let go of his mistakes is the exact thing that Solas needs to change his mind.

I believe that the Veilguard companions are one of the very best I've ever seen in a video game. They may not have as many different fates as for example Alistair has but is goodness measured with the amount of ways a character can be killed? I love the Veilguard crew because they all feel very real. Their personal problems are universal and very close to the player. Taash's story is not about being non-binary. It's about growing up, finding your place in the world, separating from your family and learning to appreciate it despite the mistakes your parents did while parenting you.

It's hard to decide who is my favorite. Taash's story made me cry but so did Harding's and Bellara's. The last scenes of Lucanis romance made me feral. I can't stomach the scene where Davrin and Assan die. The consequences of destruction of Minrathous/Treviso were hard to look at. I felt guilt, and if a game makes me feel something, it's a good game. I laughed, I cried, I was afraid and I felt joy, I was angry, I felt shame, I felt love. The game made me feel alive, I played through Rook's story like it was my own, what not to love about it?

The double blight wreaking havoc in Southern Thedas is sad but beautifully symbolic. Almost like a love letter from a long lost lover, It felt like bioware's meta commentary to me. "Yes, a whole lot of time has passed. We are no longer as young as we used to be, and so are you, not only the player, but our treasured friend as well. We have changed, you have changed and so did the world around us. Gaming and the video game industry are not what they used to be. We will never be able to go back no matter how much we want it because the only path that is left is the path forward. It doesn't mean that we no longer remember our shared past, no. We may not be able to go back but we promise to remember it fondly. We are still capable of creating beauty and the past will serve as a foundation for something new. We still have hope, and so should you".

The Veilguard to me is about nostalgia as well. I don't want to feed my inner Solas who sees the current world as sick. I want to make space for my inner Rook who is hopeful about the world just enought to fight for its future.

[marsbar17]

Omggg people write for Mirage???

Idek what to request I just have this huge mirage brainrot rn and I need him😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

I've gotchu man, honestly Mirage doesn't get the love he deserves so I'm here to deliver 🫡

Also I might relate to him just a tad bit more than a healthy amount but shhhhh

~Mirage x Reader Headcannons~

CONTAINS: NFSW further down

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《SFW》

• A lot of people see Mirage as a self-centered partner who always puts his own reputation and image above a relationship, but honestly this guy just wants and needs attention

• He'd be the most loving, caring boyfriend you've ever had because he gains his happiness from your happiness

• He's the type of person who constantly wants to be physically touching you, he puts his head in your lap when you're relaxing, holds your hand when you're walking, and always has to be holding you when you go to sleep

• He love love loves it when people play with his hair, he'll pretend to be upset when you mess up his "perfect curls" but he doesn't really care about it

• He is always like on the verge of tears when he has to kill you in the games, he avoids you like the plague. He can't stand seeing someone he loves so dearly be killed, especially by his own hand, even though he knows it isn't real and you're still alive

• He's protective, but not in a "You can't have contact with ANY other men" way, he just doesn't want you being hurt by anyone

• If you come up to him while he's sitting, tilt his head up, and kiss his forehead he will just melt

• Compare him in any way to a puppy and he will also melt

• Dates with him are dinners at fancy restaurants, walks on pretty trails or along beaches, ice cream from cute diners, and just cuddling while watching sad cheesy romance movies

• He loves it when you just sit at the bar while he's working in the Paradise Lounge, chatting with him while he serves customers, you don't even have to buy anything he just loves having you there

• He calls you every pet name in the book, but his favorites are baby, love, darling, and hun

• His love languages are definitely physical affection and quality time

• GIVE THIS MAN AFFECTION, HE NEEDS IT

《NSFW》

• Mirage is a switch, for sure, you can't tell me this man doesn't wanna get pegged, but he also likes giving you the same pleasure

• Always makes sure to give as much as he gets, he also tries to make sure you always cum first before he gets to

• He's submissive, he whines, he whimpers, he begs, he cries, he's so pathetic dhdhjska but we love that

• He doesn't hate using toys for pleasure, it just embarrasses him so he doesn't usually bring it up, he probably will melt if you bring it up tho

• He looooovvveessss orgasm denial, edge him and tell him he can't cum yet, use cock rings, make him cry, make him beg, BREAK HIM

• He also likes overstimulation and understimulation, maybe he just likes sensory shit, blindfold him and watch him shiver at the lightest touches

• In terms of giving you attention, he just loves worshipping you and doing anything you want, he's not good with expressing things through words, so he just hopes you understand through all the worship and submission that he loves you more than anything

• He takes the time to kiss and feel your body before pleasing you, he wants to make sure you know he doesn't want to just use you for his own pleasure and he want YOU to feel good

• Favorite positions are riding and missionary, he likes eye contact, he likes being able to see your reactions

• But also he can't escape the fascination in watching your ass jiggle as he fucks you from behind hfhfndjsidh

• He calls you baby, sir/ma'am, and if you're feminine then mommy 🤭

• He likes being called darling, dear, baby, and pup or puppy :)

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Thank you for the request! I hope you like it!

Remember that liking and reblogging my posts really helps me as a creator and only takes like 20 seconds. Requests are always open and getting prompts helps me get the motivation to write.

I hope all of you have a good day!

[askinkiskarma]

The Archer | Chapter II: Out of the Woods

Chapter I Chapter II Chapter III Chapter IV Chapter V Chapter VI Chapter VII Chapter VIII Chapter IX Chapter X

Summary: A fight with Neteyam makes you run to the forest with the rest of the Sully kids, right into the arms of the enemy. You come face to face with a man you never thought you'd ever get to see.

Pairings: Neteyam x Avatar!Reader

Word Count: 10,2k words

Warnings/notes: smut(18+, minors DNI!), angst, mentions of death, disease, blood, violence, cursing, SPOILERS for ATWOW

A/N: I am writing this at 2am, so my apologies for any grammar errors, I am exhausteddd!! I don't know if you can tell, but I am actually really struggling writing any of the scenes (particularly action scenes) from the movie, and describing what is happening on the screen is the bane of my life. Also, sometimes I can't understand what the dialogue is and I can't find the script or english subtitles and it makes me unnecessarily upset. Also my inspo for the dad is Oscar Isaac cause wow what a man. Can he be my daddy too? Hahahaha ok i'm so tired i'm gonna go to sleep enjoyyy x

Remember when I hit the brakes too soon? Twenty stitches in a hospital room

When you started crying, baby, I did too, but when the sun came up, I was looking at you

Remember when we couldn't take the heat? You walked out, you said "I'm setting you free"

But the monsters turned out to be just trees, when the sun came up you were looking at me

You watched Neteyam leave the comfort of your shared tent and you instantly knew he felt horrible about what he said. You knew he didn’t mean it, but in this moment, you didn’t care. He had to have meant it to a certain degree for it to come out so easily out of his mouth. 

As you were preparing to leave, unable to spend the night in this place, in this tent, where everything hurt, where every corner had photos and trinkets and memories that you couldn’t bear look at in this moment, you heard a squeaky voice you loved break through the unbearable silence. You were a mess, you knew, paint splattered all over your face, neck and torso, seeping into the woven fabric of your top, but you wouldn’t deny her - you couldn’t. 

“Come in, Tuk-tuk.” 

She gently opened the flap and walked in sheepishly, carrying your mother’s guitar that you gifted to her almost a year ago. 

“I’m sorry about Neteyam.” She looked so sad you almost started crying again, this pure soul who felt and cared for everything around her, listened to everyone and always made you feel important, always made you feel heard. 

You knelt and opened your arms in her direction, and you saw her place the guitar carefully on the ground and run into your open arms. 

“Oh, my dear girl, you have nothing to be sorry about. That is between me and him, it has nothing to do with you, alright, baby?”

“But it does have to do with me, because he is wrong. You have a family, you have always had a family. We’re your family. Sullys stick together.” 

The tears started as if completely independent from the rest of your body, and you couldn’t stop the cry that made its way out of your throat without your consent. This little girl you loved so much managed to undo so much of her brother’s mistakes in just a few words, and you felt so grateful to have her in your life, so grateful to have someone to call a sister. 

“Baby, I was going to go wash this whole day off, would you like to come with me? We can take Neyn, we can bring the guitar, you can sing to me the song I showed you?” 

“Yay, adventure time!”

You chuckled at this 9 year old who reminded you a lot of Lo’ak at her age, always up for new experiences, as long as it avoided the boredom of the mundane. You knew you were going to get in trouble with Jake and Neytiri for taking their youngest away at night, but right now you just needed to be away from here, and you couldn’t find it in your heart to turn away this precious soul who just made you less miserable in just a few minutes.

You sneaked out of your tent, feeling stupid for feeling like you had to sneak out in the first place, like you were an unruly teenager, not a full-grown adult who just got her heart broken by her mate. He should be sneaking out. As a matter of fact, he should be sneaking in, begging on his knees for your forgiveness, like he used to when he was young. I guess that’s just another thing that has changed in the year you have become mated. You signalled for Tuk to get on your ikran, who was dozed off next to the rest of your family’s, and you cursed yourself for waking her up after such a traumatic day. 

“I’m sorry, sweet girl.” You said with a kiss on her snout, and she cooed affectionately at you. You made the tsaheylu and you couldn’t feel any fear, anxiety or frustration in her thoughts, which put your mind at ease a little, and, with a hand on the neural whip and the other wrapped tightly around Tuk’s chest, you took flight. 

It was a short trip to the cave you and Neteyam come to all the time, the one that had a small subterranean lake that you would sometimes wash in. The water was absolutely freezing, never seeing the light of day, but it was peaceful and clean, and that sounded as good to you as heaven right now. You dove in without a second thought, the freezing water inundating all your senses, healing all the wounds that were scratching painfully at your heart. 

Why would he say that? 

I mean, you did attack him about saving his baby brother, who would have probably died if it wasn’t for him.

He should’t have to keep saving Lo’ak at his own expense. 

He shouldn’t have to, but he does. Lo’ak wants to prove himself, and Neteyam is a protector by nature. It’s like asking water to not be wet. 

I want to kill Lo’ak.

No, you don’t. Because you understand Lo’ak. You’re sad for Lo’ak, for always living in his brother’s shadow, for always getting the cold shoulder from his dad, who you also know is just being harsh because he has to be, because no one else can be. 

What if he dies? What do I do then?

 

Your mind didn’t have a quippy answer to that - or any answer at all. You were left alone, with no answers and enough terror to fill this whole floating cave and overflow around it. You emerged from the water and got on your back, just floating aimlessly, trying to get your heart to stop pounding in your chest and the tears stop pricking at your eyes. What if he dies?

“Can I swim with you?” 

Tuk’s question pulled you out of your frightened contemplation, and you realised you have probably been unnervingly quiet for too long. 

“It’s really cold, Tuk-tuk, I don’t want you to get sick. How about I take you to a warmer lake tomorrow and we can swim together, would you like that?” 

“YES!” 

“Can I come, too?” 

The deep voice stopped you in your tracks, and you almost drowned when your feet stopped paddling underwater to keep you upright. 

“NETEYAM!” Regardless how upset Tuk was at her older brother’s words, Neteyam would always be her favourite. Her favourite sibling, her favourite family member. Some people in the village loved asking Jake and Neytiri whether Tuk was more a mother’s or a father’s girl, but in reality, Tuk was her brother’s girl. 

“Hi, Tuk. What are you doing here? You want to give mother and father a heart attack?” The little girl’s face was nestled in Neteyam’s neck, hidden from sight behind his long braids that moved as she chuckled. 

“I wanted to keep my sister company.”

“You need to go to sleep, parultsyìp. How about I take you back home and then I can keep her company?” 

“Will you apologise?” 

Neteyam shifted uncomfortably on his feet, and looked to the ground - he was embarrassed. 

“Yes, I will apologise. Come, let’s go.” He let her down and patted her back affectionately to get her to go ahead before him.

“Please don’t leave? I’ll come as soon as I make sure she’s with my parents.” He looked at you pleadingly, begging you silently. A year ago you would have ran for the hills, took off to not be found by anyone, but just like so many other things, this has also changed. You weren’t a child anymore, careless and impulsive, controlled by your never-ending grief and anger; you had to be better. You were someone’s daughter now, someone’s mate, someone’s sister. You were a future Tsa’hik, you were one of the best warriors in the clan. People depended on you. Despite what Neteyam so cruelly told you, you did have a family. And he was part of it. So you would wait. 

You nodded without looking at him, and you heard him sigh in relief. He placed something on the ground before he turned on his heels with Tuk in his arms, and you noticed with a sudden burst of pain felt all within you that it was a flower bouquet. That’s why he took so long…

You washed yourself properly now that you were alone, and when you got out, you noticed the guitar that Tuk forgot to pick up with her still resting on a wall of the cave. You sat next to it, back resting on the same wall, and picked it up, your mind immediately wandering to your mum. With everything going on around you, you have not been able to visit the Tree of Souls after your consciousness transfer. It’s been a year since you saw your mum as you lay dying and you regretted every day not going back to visit, to see if you could see her again, see if Eywa would be able to bring her back to you, at least in this way. The guitar was tiny in your hands now, but you could still play the chord if you were really careful. You started strumming a song, and let yourself sing to let out the hurt and fright. 

Looking at it now, it all seemed so simple, we were lying on my couch, I remember 

You took a Polaroid of us, and then discovered the rest of the world was black and white, but we were in screaming colour

Your bracelet hanging from my hand, the night we couldn’t quite forget, when we decided

To move the furniture so we could dance, baby, like we stood a chance, two paper airplanes flying

And I remember thinking, are we out of the woods yet? Are we in the clear yet?

Are we out of the woods yet? Are we in the clear yet? 

“Well… we are definitely out of the woods.” 

You saw Neteyam’s shadowy figure slowly walking towards you, deeper in the cave, the silhouette of his body and the braids swinging from of side to the other to only thing you can make out in the darkness. You glared in his direction and he winced, already regretting his words. 

He sat down in front of you, with his legs crossed so your knees were touching. He reached a hand to your knee and caressed it gently. 

“Thank you for waiting.” 

You refused to look at him, instead opting for the dimly illuminated lake to your left, that twinkled every time a drop of water would fall from the ceiling. You traced the stalactites and their curious shapes, fascinated with they clung to the wall, when you felt Neteyam’s hand on your cheek, softly turning your face to face him. 

“Atan, please, look at me. I can’t stand it when you refuse to look at me.”

Tears fell from your eyes like water from the roof of the cave, and eventually you looked at him, and saw his pained expression, and you knew how bad he felt. You could feel it in your soul, his misery, but it did very little to comfort you. It was easy to feel bad after the fact. 

“Atan… I am so sorry. I could never express into words how sorry I am, I will pay my whole life for what I said, what I spat at you in a moment of stupid anger. I just want you to know that it isn’t true. What I said, it isn’t true. You’ve always had a family. You’ve always had us, and Norm and Max. You’ve always had me. I have been your family my whole life, and I am so, so sorry. There’s no excuse for what I said.” 

“I forgive you.” You placed your hand on his chest when you noticed him trying to get close to you. ‘I’m not finished.” 

“I forgive you. But I need some time.” 

“What do you mean you need some time?” 

“I mean, I have to figure out how I will do this. How I could possibly do this. How I can watch the man I promised to spend the rest of my life with kill himself before the rest of my life can ever come, and learn to ever be ok with it. 

You were right. I never had a family. I had a mum who didn’t want to live past my tenth birthday, friends I cared for, but that lived in a completely different world to mine, people that tried to be there for me but I pushed them away, a dead dad and you. A guy I loved my whole life who left me without saying goodbye. I’ve never had a family. 

But I have one now. And you’re right. You’re right, it isn’t a choice. If I had to choose between my life any of yours, I would give mine up in an instant. And there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to make sure you are safe. So I do get it. But that doesn’t mean that I can watch you do it. 

I know how hard this is on you… how much this enormous unspoken pressure weighs on you. Being Olo’eyktan, being the oldest son, the big brother, the protector. I know you won’t say it, and you won’t complain, but I know. You have nightmares, and you cry in your sleep. You cry for your dad, and for Lo’ak… for Tuk… for me. I hoped that you would talk to me about it, and I’ll be here to listen when you feel ready. I’m sorry you feel like you have to go through this alone. 

But I don’t know if I can’t stand and watch you kill yourself. Because it will kill me too. So until I figure it out, I need some time.”

Neteyam was shedding silent tears that refused to stay hidden, and he felt his heart break at all your words, each one harder to hear than the last. Time? He didn’t have time. Time was for a different period of your lives, before the humans came, when you were young and wild and free to run through the forest whenever you pleased. Time was for when you made him sit through an entire season of a show he couldn’t understand half the words to, but he was just happy to sit in silence next to you, hearing your laughter bless his ears, his mind, his soul. Time was for when he took his siblings through the forest to forage for rocks and beads because Kiri wanted to make them all something special to wear for his second birth. There was no more time, no more future, no more past. Just the now, waiting to see what the humans have planned next, what hell they’ll rain on this planet this time, and who will suffer as a consequence. 

“Atan…” 

“I don’t want to put you out, so I will go sleep with the rest of the Avatars for a while. I have work to do in the lab anyway, so it’ll probably work better this way anyway.” 

Neteyam saw you get up from where you sat, deep coldness settling where your knees weren’t touching him anymore and dispersing all throughout his body. He saw your back turn and you made your way out of the cave, stopping to pick up the flowers that he spent an hour collecting for you. You brought them closer to your face and smelled them, smiling sadly.

“Thank you for the flowers. It’s good to know at least some things haven’t changed. I love you, Neteyam. I’m sorry.” 

Neteyam couldn’t find it in him to get up from the floor, and he felt the hopelessness envelop him like a blanket that he was suffocating under. What was he supposed to do? What did this mean? Is this a human thing? Neteyam remembers when you were much younger and you had to explain to him the concept of a “break”, after making him sit through a whole Friends marathon. Is this what this was? You were asking him for a break? Were you breaking up with him? Today just feels like a never-ending nightmare, and he was hoping that you would wake him up, like you always did, comforting him and singing him back to sleep. He didn’t have it in him to go back to the camp, so he lay on the cold ground of the cave, and let himself fall into a restless slumber - even if real nightmares did invade his subconsciousness, how much worse could they get?

You spent the next few days mostly in the lab, trying to take care of everyone who was affected in the fateful mission that left more than physical scars behind. It was a full-time job, as there were a lot of victims that required surgical intervention, which you were more than happy to do yourself. You’d like to think that it was because it would bring you peace - helping others - but you knew deep down you were also happy to be able to avoid Neteyam. You felt bad for what you said, bad for distancing yourself from someone you loved more than life itself, but you were still hurt and angry, still terrified and paralysed at the thought of losing him. You don’t know what this distance would achieve, but you were hoping for some clarity and perspective. 

Norm and Max came in the little lab you turned into an intervention room as you were finishing checking in on the people you operated on a couple days ok, making sure their vitals were normal. 

“OK - spill. What happened?” You heard Norm speak over the machines beeping in the room.

“What do you mean?” You removed your gloves and quietly made your way out of the lab.

“You’re never here this much anymore. I’m sure there are better things to be doing, and you know very well me and Max, or hell, Claire and Tim can take care of people post-operatively. We all know how to stitch wounds, Ace.”

“Not as well as me.”

“True, but definitely better than we would be at scouting and hunting, which is what you should be doing. So something happened. Had a fight with Neteyam?”

“Of sorts.” 

You reached the dry labs and sat on one of the chairs that you barely fit in anymore; your elbow resting on your thighs, you put your head in your hands and sighed deeply.

“You’re gonna remove all the oxygen in the room if you sigh that hard.” 

“We fought about the mission a few days ago. Lo’ak disobeyed Jake and got himself in danger - as usual -, and Neteyam got hit by the explosion as a result. I yelled at him about it, he yelled at me, it got ugly. I told him I need space. So I’m taking space.” 

“So that’s why you’re sleeping in our tent. I knew it wasn’t just so you could check on people easier. Liar.” 

“It’s not a complete lie, but yeah.” 

“So what were you yelling to each other about?” 

“So I said -“ 

Loud commotion happened around you as the door to the outside opened and in came Lo’ak, Kiri and Spider.

“Yeah, haha, real hysterical, you guys. You know what really sucks, though? That you can breathe the air here for hours, and I can only breath your air for like ten seconds.”

“Yeah, monkey boy, that really sucks. For you.”

Spider and Kiri have always been close, but recently, you felt a shift in their dynamic. It was a lot more flirtatious than friendly, and you couldn’t help wonder if there is something going on beneath the surface. Their interactions reminded you a lot of you and Neteyam’s before he left, just intimate enough they didn’t feel platonic anymore. Having been in Spider’s shoes, if there was, you felt bad for him. It was a slow poison, loving someone you know you could never have - whose body is literally incompatible to your own. You have always felt bad that you got an Avatar and Spider didn’t. In reality, you felt like he deserved it more. He has always been so connected to the Na’vi, so inseparable from the Sullys, so desperate for a family and a sense of belonging. Nobody knew this, but you were working hard to try to see if it was possible to build him one too. It would take time, but with the new technology and supplies the humans brought with them, maybe it wasn’t a pipe dream anymore. 

Kiri finally acknowledged your presence. 

“Hey, everyone!” 

“Hey, kids!” Max chipped in enthusiastically. He loved when the Sullys came to visit. 

“Hey, what’s up, Max?” 

You didn’t look at Lo’ak, although he came really close to you and sat on a chair in front of yours. He moved on the chair until he was face to face with you, and put both of his hands on either side of you on the arm rests to force you to face him. 

“Angel, are you going to be upset with me forever?” 

You scowled at him and he smiled, and you melted a little. You could never stay mad at Lo’ak. 

“You are a public menace, do you understand this?” it was his turn to scowl now, and he turned his gaze away from you - he seemed upset. You took his face in both your hands and brought his gaze back to yours.

“Lo’ak, I need you to be more careful. Please. I can’t lose you. And I can’t lose Neteyam, who will die one day trying to protect you. I know it’s hard, I know there’s so much you want to do and so much you want to prove, but please. Try?” You were looking at him as seriously and warmly as you could, pleading him to hear you, pleading that he would listen. He looked at you intently for a long time, and eventually, he nodded softly, looking remorseful. You moved his head downward a little so you had better access to his forehead and you gave him a quick peck, and noticed the slight purplish tint of his cheeks. You could never stay mad at Lo’ak. 

“We’re going to go take a walk in the woods, come with us, please? I know you’re mad at Neteyam, but you can’t stay here forever. Even Norm and Max go out more than you.” 

“Lo’ak, you shouldn’t be walking through the woods, you know this.” 

“We’re not going to go far. We’re even taking Tuk, you know we would never put her in any danger.” 

You raised an eyebrow at him. “She blackmailed you to come, didn’t she?”

You saw Lo’ak rolls his eyes and huff in annoyance. “…yes.” 

“Fine, I’m literally only coming to make sure Tuk is safe.”

“I’ll take it. Let’s go, gang!!” 

You had to admit it felt really good to be out, to just run on the huge vines that connected the Hallelujah mountains to the ground and to each other. It felt like a blessing to be able to still enjoy these views, these moments with your siblings, even amidst the chaos that was erupting everywhere around you. You went like this for ages, and even though you knew you should have gone back, knew Lo’ak was again pushing his luck and the safety of everyone here, you couldn’t find it in you to stop him. You wanted this, you craved the warmth and safety the forest gave you, your forever home, your forever first love. Even the thought of returning back to camp in a couple hours made you sad. So you decided to focus on the now, and just enjoy the time you’ve got.

It was close to eclipse when you decided to make your way back. The kids were not allowed past curfew, and you didn’t want to risk it, especially with Tuk around. You were disappointed, but not surprised when Lo’ak stopped in his tracks and moved away from your path to inspect something he found on the ground.

“What is it?” Kiri said, in an exasperated tone, and you found yourself mirroring her sentiments. 

You saw Lo’ak and Spider hovering over a patch on the ground and you decided to go investigate.

“We’re always supposed to be home by eclipse.” You heard Tuk join in. 

Your mouth dropped at the sight in front of you. Shoe prints, made by boots that couldn’t be worn by any human. You recognised the pattern of the sole, as you have seen it before among clothes worn by the RDA soldiers. Military combat boots. Your heart was thumping in your chest at the only possible explanation. You started looking around you, and you felt the all-too-familiar dread building in your stomach, greeting you like an old friend. You barely registered the words that Spider and Lo’ak were exchanging.

“It’s way too big for a human.”

“Avatars?”

“Maybe, but for sure not ours.” 

You saw Lo’ak move towards where the footprints were headed, and you tried to will your legs to move, to stop them, tried to will yourself to speak, but you couldn’t find the words, just dread. Just pure fear at every possible scenario that could take place, your mind computing all your worst nightmares and displaying them to you like on an outdoor cinema screen. Eventually, you started moving your legs and made your way in front of Lo’ak, positioning your body, now just as strong and tall as his, in front of him.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

“I’m tracking.” 

“Are you out of your goddamn mind?” You were trying so hard to keep your voice down,  but it was hard to do when you felt rage replacing the anxiety and spilling over all around you. 

“Angel, we have to see who it is. Whoever it is will never find us, this is our territory. We have to bring back the intel, and what are we going to say when dad asks us what did we see? We need to find out more.” 

“Lo’ak, we are not prepared for this. I don’t have my gun, or a radio, or my bow. I have a knife. I’m not putting Kiri and Tuk in danger. We can go back and we can track tomorrow and figure it out. We know they’re Avatars. What you don’t know is that they’re military.”

You saw his face drop. “Yeah, that’s right. Those boots? They were worn by the RDA soldiers that murdered so many of our people. They’re larger now, but the imprint on them is the same. They fucking brought Avatar soldiers here this time. This is fucking serious. We have to go.” 

He thought about it for a while. You hoped that he would listen, you hoped that he would abide by what you talked about only a few hours ago. 

“We will be careful. We will keep our distance. Let’s just see what they’re doing, at least.” 

You growled at him loudly, but said nothing, and the shock overtook your body when you realised that you were following him. You tried to tell your body to move, to take Kiri and Tuk and leave, but you couldn’t. You couldn’t leave him or Spider, couldn’t bear the thought of them getting hurt and you not being there to help. Fuck, you owed Neteyam an apology. 

You followed the tracks for a while, until you found them, and you kept your distance in the bushes and observed quietly. You could see six people in the clearing where 19 years ago, Jake and Neytiri defeated Quaritch, Spider’s dad. It was a forbidden place, cursed by dark, ominous energy that will plague this land for many years to come. The people were clearly Avatars, dressed in camo outfits, carrying so much weaponry it was making your knees shake. Every cell in your body was begging you to move, begging you to run, but you couldn’t, not until Lo’ak the rest of them were safely behind you. So you waited, trying to gather as much information as you could. The Avatars were searching the hub for any sign of recent life, and they took particular interest in exo-suit that you know belonged to Quaritch. In it, there were 2 arrows that you recognised as Neytiri’s, the emerald green feathers a dead giveaway. You never knew exactly how Spider’s dad died, and neither did he, so you wondered what feelings were plaguing him watching this unfold. 

“We are never supposed to be here.” Kiri says, in a forceful tone. “Dad is going to ground you…”

“Shh, Kiri.” Lo’ak said exasperatedly, talking over his sister. “…for life.” 

“Bro, we have got to check this out.” 

You put your arm in front of the two boys. “Absolutely not. This is as far as we go. Call this in, now. I don’t have my radio.” 

“No, bro, we’re gonna get in trouble.” You gave Spider a death stare, at his seemingly unending recklessness. 

“Call it in, now. I’m not going to repeat myself again.” 

“You sound like dad.”

Neteyam’s mood has been in a rapid decline over the last few days. He hasn’t seen you since that night, clear to him you were doing anything in your power to avoid him. Instead of thinking of the potential demise of your relationship and how that put his fucking heart through the meat grinder, he instead decided to bury himself in work and training, and try to spend some time with his parents that he very rarely seemed to talk to anymore outside of war-talk. His childhood was long gone, he realises - where he was just a kid, surrounded by so much love it was almost suffocating, full of laughter and joy, full of his dad’s Earth stories and his mum’s impressions, full of hope and light. His parents were now soldiers, generals, commanders, and he was just a subordinate, a corporal trying to help out in the best way he knew how. There were definitely perks to being an adult, and Neteyam could list just about all of them staring in between your legs, but there were times, such as now, that he wishes his parents would be his parents again, and he could just be a little kid again, spoiled, cherished and unencumbered by life’s tragedies.

The three of them were high in the Hallelujah mountains, returning from a full day of scouting and tracking, when Lo’ak’s voice through the radio interrupted his train of thought. 

“Devil Dog, Devil Dog, this is Eagle Eye, over.”

“Eagle Eye, send your traffic.”

“I got eyes on some guys. They look like Avatars, but they’re in full camo and carrying ARs. There’s six of them, over.”

“What’s your post?” 

“Um... We’re at the old shack.”

“Who’s we?”

“Me, Spider, Kiri…Quickscope…and Tuk.” 

Neteyam’s knees felt like they were buckling underneath him. He was dizzy, and he felt Seze’s flight becoming unsteady as his mind was collapsing into a puddle of mush. Lo’ak… Spider… Kiri… Tuk… and you. His whole world. He could lose everything in a second. What the fuck were all of you doing in the forest? Why the fuck were all of you in the one place that was strictly forbidden? If it was Lo’ak and Spider he could maybe understand the stupidity, but you? The thought that you went along with this, with Tuk next to you boiled his blood - it was easier to be angry than to admit how immeasurably scared he actually was.

“Son, you listen to me very carefully. Pull back right now, do not make a sound, and get the hell out of there. Move. Copy?”

“Yes, sir, moving out.” 

Neteyam’s entire body was lit up with pure adrenaline, coursing through his veins like ice water, sharpening his senses. He had to save you. All of you. He had to do something.

“Dad. I know a quick way.” He didn’t stop to see if his parents were following, but he heard his mother letting out a war cry behind him, so he assumed they were. He had to save you. He couldn’t lose you again.

“You’re gonna be in so much trouble.” You heard Kiri whispering to her brother.

“Kiri, stop. This is not the time.” You heard yourself say. You were gonna kill Lo’ak yourself, but right now, you just had to focus on getting out of here. Getting them out of here.

You saw Tuk run ahead and you wanted to tell her to slow down, but she spoke before you. “It’s almost eclipse, come on!!” 

Out from the bushes came Avatars, so many of them they outnumbered you at least 2 to 1. A woman grabbed Tuk, holding her tightly and you hissed aggressively and pulled out your knife from its sheath, but you knew immediately it would do very little against so many military people carrying fucking machine guns that were pointed at your face, and worse, at the faces of the people you loved. 

You heard the Avatars screaming at you, telling you all to put down your weapons, and you did, knowing there was no other choice. This wasn’t a battle you could win, this wasn’t even a battle you could start. You saw Lo’ak throw his bow on the ground, but Spider was unrelenting. 

“Drop it. Drop it.” Lo’ak warned Spider in Na’vi, and you thanked your lucky star that he was being at least a tiny bit reasonable. 

You were pulled forcefully by someone tugging you by your hair and pinning your arms together, holding them tightly, mirroring what was happening to your siblings around you. Tuk was crying, and your heart tugged at the sound, desperate to help her, a deep maternal instinct rising within you, and you felt rage and adrenaline fill your body. 

A few more Avatars made their way to the group. One of them looked a little older, and by the way all the others shifted towards him subconsciously, you reckoned he was the leader. Two men were following him closely, and a profound, unsettling feeling overcame you. They looked…familiar. The first one was bald. The second one had wavy hair and looked slightly different than all the others. He looked…dignified. Like he didn’t quite belong. Like his clothes were unbecoming on his body. You somehow felt you knew this man, and when you looked next to him at the first guy and his tattoo, at the girl holding Kiri… when you looked closely at all of them, your body jerked violently and your mouth fell agape. 

It couldn’t be… no…

Quaritch. Weinfleet. Pike. 

…Your dad… 

You didn’t understand what you were feeling at the moment, a mix that you have never experienced before, but at the forefront was gaping confusion and horror, shock and fear, and deep within you, maybe even a little bit of excitement. Could that actually be your dad? How is that possible? You buried his bones, you saw Weinfleet’s skeleton in the forest, you just saw Quaritch’s at the Shack. How could this be? 

You saw Weinfleet stalk towards you and he took a hold of your hand and forcefully brought it up. “Colonel, check it out. Four fingers. We’ve got a half-breed.” 

They thought you were Na’vi. Good. They realised you were born with Avatar blood, so you were most likely Jake’s. That made you valuable to them. Bad. The man behind you was pulling on your queue to lift your chin up so Quaritch can look at you properly. They were pulling on your arm and you felt pain all over, that was overshadowed by so many other emotions flooding your being. He inspected you shortly, and then moved on to Kiri and Lo’ak. 

“Show me your fingers.” Lo’ak brought both his hands up and flipped him off. You would laugh if your body could still produce any ounce of serotonin. 

You saw Quaritch smile crudely, eyeing Lo’ak up and down. “You’re his, aren’t you?” He continued smiling as Lo’ak hissed at him and took him by his hair, pulling him towards his eye level. 

“Where is he?” 

“Sorry, I don’t speak English…with assholes.” 

“Where is your father?” His accent was thick, and he butchered the words and pronunciation, but there was no mistaking what he wanted. Jake. So this is what it was all about. Even after 19 years, the RDA was willing to spend hundreds of millions of dollars in order to eliminate the Olo’eyktan. It was a good investment, you thought, considering there was only so much the humans can do with Jake in the picture. You wondered what they were willing to do to get to him. Would they kill you off, one by one? Would your dad kill you to get to Jake?

Lo’ak said nothing, only hissing in pain when the man kept tugging at his queue aggressively. You heard wails all around you coming from Kiri and Tuk, but you were focused on only one thing. Figuring out an escape route. You knew Neytiri and Jake were on their way, since Lo’ak alerted them to your location. It was only a matter of time before they arrived. Eclipse was also only about 10 more minutes away, so you would have the cover of darkness soon, which was an advantage to you, but not to them. Lucky for you, they tied your hands in front of you, which means you could still use them. You probed the strength of the hand ties, and realised quickly you weren’t getting out of them without a knife. The man holding you was keeping you close to his body. You recoiled in disgust, but tried to shimmy your body into him to feel for any possible things you could use. He was wearing an army vest. You felt grenades and ammo poking you in the back. You moved subtly a bit more, making it seem like the position was just uncomfortable, and felt a military knife holder in your lower back. Bingo. 

Quaritch took out a knife, and threatened Lo’ak with it, but soon moved along the line to Kiri. There was screaming coming from all the boys, but Spider’s voice broke through and Quaritch turned around to face him. It must be a weird sight to see, a human amongst the Na’vi, clearly young enough to have been raised here. You wondered if Spider connected the dots, if he figured out who the man standing if front of him was. You gave silent thanks to your mum and the scientists for the Avatar again. 

“What’s your name, kid?” 

“Spider… Socorro.”

Quaritch’s face changed, the sly smirk faltered and his expression was shocked, when it dawned on him the kid standing in front of him was his son. 

Neteyam and his parents landed as eclipse set in, enveloping the nature in bioluminescent glow. It would be beautiful if he wasn’t on the edge of losing his goddamn mind. He grabbed his bow and patted Seze before he made his way towards the shack. His dad turned around and put a hand in front of him. Neteyam’s nose flared at the words he knew were coming.

“No, no. You stay with the ikran.” 

“No.” 

“Neteyam…” his mother was trying to defuse the situation the best way she knew how. 

“I’m not going to say it again.” 

“You are not leaving me behind. I am older than mum was when the Sky People attacked the first time. My mate is out there. My brothers and sisters. I am coming.” 

Neteyam saw his dad looking at him intently, thinking about it for a while. Eventually, he relents and nods curtly. 

“You stay behind, do you read me, boy? Your mother and I will go first, so they think it’s just two of us. You stand and attack from behind when the opportunity arises.”

Neteyam agreed, although still disappointed. It was better than nothing.

“Let’s go.”

After splitting from his parents, Neteyam made his way quietly through the forest to a high point by which he could spot you and his siblings. He gasped silently and he could feel his heart in his throat, making him pant in shallow breaths, that were leaving him dizzy and disoriented. So many Avatars, all in military clothing, all carrying heavy guns, all holding at knifepoint the people he loved most in the world. He saw you and his breath stopped altogether, wet hair and a concerned, but focused expression on your face. Your eyes were scanning all of them, scanning the forest, it’s almost like you could tell they were here, that he was here. 

From far away, he heard his mum’s signature distress signal echoing through the forest. It was inconspicuous enough that to the undiscerning ears it probably sounded like a bird or a forest animal, but Neteyam saw all of your ears perk and your heads snapping in the direction it came from. Neteyam knew you were all trained for this, trained for emergency situations, and he felt a tug of gratitude for his father’s military ways that will most likely save their lives tonight.

The unmistakable sound of Neytiri’s call brought relief that washed over you like the raindrops falling from the sky. You knew then the kids will be alright. You looked at Lo’ak and you nodded almost imperceptibly in the direction of the guy at your 12 o’clock who was facing you both and had a smoke bomb clearly displayed on his vest. He looked at it and nodded back, and you knew he understood. You got this. 

With a loud thud that declared the beginning of the rescue mission, the man holding both Kiri and Spider was knocked to the ground, a green arrow sticking out of his forehead. The man holding you pushed you aside to get his gun, and without a second thought, you removed the knife from his holder and slit his throat. The blood went all over you, on your face and torso, but you didn’t care.

“LO’AK!” You screamed, and the boy released the pin from the smoke bomb, enveloping the whole area in green smoke. 

You stabbed another man in the neck at the same time Lo’ak and Tuk bit the people holding them, and ran for the woods. Good. 

You managed to run as well, trying to dodge the barrage of gunshots being released all around you, but you felt someone harshly pulling you backwards by your queue. You cried out, as pain dispersed from your spine all around you body, but the pull stopped when the woman who grabbed you got an arrow on the side of her head that came out the other side. The shot came from a different angle, and you knew that was Neteyam. You ran as soon as you were released, making sure to take the machine gun she was carrying in her hand before you sprinted to a tree that could provide cover. 

You took a few deep breaths to calm yourself, and poked your head out so you could shoot whoever was still alive. You realised from the angle you were at, you had a perfect shot…that would kill your dad. Was this man even your dad? Would sparing his life for your own twisted desperation for answers and closure cost your new family theirs? Your finger went to the trigger, putting slight pressure on it. Just a little more pressure, and it would be over. Tears welled in your eyes and with a silent curse and gasped breaths, you lowered your gun and got back undercover.  

“Is that you, Mrs. Sully? I recognise your calling card.”

“Why don’t you come on out, Mrs. Sully? You and I, we’ve got some…unfinished business.” 

You saw the kids running in the distance, and you felt so much safer, so much gratitude in knowing they were going to be okay. That’s all that mattered in this moment, that Tuk, and Kiri, and Lo’ak and Spider make it back home in one piece. 

“DEMON! I will kill you as many times as I have to.” Neytiri’s voice sent shivers down your spine, so much hatred, so much intensity behind it.

“Guess you and the corporal got pretty busy, haven’t you? Got yourself a whole litter of half-breeds.” 

You saw the reflection of the gun in the corner of your eye before you had a chance to process it, and you heard a man scream “Na’vi!”, followed by the unmistakable sound of shots being fired where you stood. You saw the bullets like in slow motion, and you knew then you were done for. You were just happy everyone else was going to make it. You were happy Neteyam was going to make it. You closed your eyes in anticipation of the pain, but the pain you expected never came. Instead, you were pushed to the ground and another type of pain, the pain the came with scratches all over your body and the wind getting knocked out you, brought you back to reality and you registered Neteyam’s unmistakable pheromones flooding your entire being. 

“MOVE! GO, GO, GO!” He helped you to your feet and you both ran as fast as your feet could possibly carry you. You made it to a tree where you found Jake, and his presence calmed your thoughts and focused them - that was the effect he had on people, this great man and leader that you knew you would follow anywhere without question. 

He touched you arm and spoke to both of you. 

“Are you okay?” You and Neteyam nodded quickly.

“You ready? You ready?!” You saw him get out of cover and shoot, and you both sprinted for the hills, manoeuvring your way through thick shrubbery and tree roots, knowing that you wouldn’t have been able to do this even a few months ago, this level of athleticism and acrobatics that came naturally only to true Na’vi. 

You heard a big explosion behind you and you saw part of a big web of roots get destroyed as a result, and Spider falling a few meters beneath it. You and Neteyam were preparing to run back, but Jake stopped you, placing a firm hand in front of your bodies. You saw Neytiri picking Kiri up forcefully and running with her towards your direction, as the girl was looking back to where Spider was. 

Lo’ak and Tuk made it to your location as well, and you saw Jake kneel next to Tuk and hold her tightly in his arms as she cried, the weight of all you have all survived settling in all your bones. You hugged Neytiri like you never have before as you both cried, letting it all out, all the relief and fear and shock and happiness that you all made it out alive. 

“THANK YOU, GREAT MOTHER! THANK YOU!”

Lo’ak’s voice echoed through the forest. “Where’s Spider?” 

You looked at your sister, whose eyes looked like endless pools of sadness. “They took him! They took him!”

There were no words spoken as you all made your way back to camp. There were no words for what just happened. The adrenaline slowly depleted its resources in Neteyam’s body, leaving him in shambles, scrambling to figure out where to go from here. What were the next steps? Your back was flush against his chest, and the feeling of your skin on his, of your warmth emanating from your body, of your hand wrapped around his arm was the only thing that kept him from breaking down into a million pieces. You were here, his siblings were here. His thoughts flashed to Spider, and he knew he couldn’t think about it too much without tears welling in his eyes. He wasn’t close to Spider, definitely not nearly as close as the rest of his siblings, but he was family. Seze landed softly on the ground by the entrance to the camp. It was late, so most people were out for the night. You didn’t let go of him, not for one second, and he was so happy to see you again, so happy to feel you again, so sad it had to be under these circumstances. His family slowly made their way to the tent, but Neteyam felt you pull him back, urging him to let them go ahead without you. 

He saw you properly for the first time since the whole ordeal. You had mud all over you, but that was nothing compared to the blood covering your entire face and chest. Tears were falling down your cheeks and neck, and his hands immediately found your face, just as his lips found yours. It was soft in the beginning, tentative, like a flower blooming in the morning. But as you came to terms with everything that transpired, everything you went through, everything you could have lost, it shifted, it became desperate and needy, full of breathy moans and wandering hands. He almost lost you.. again. 

“Let’s go, please. I can’t be here.” Without any words, you got on Neyn and flew to your secret place. Neteyam’s hand was settled on your heart, that was thumping loudly, mirroring his own. You arrived quickly, the cave only a short distance away.

You ran, without looking at Neteyam and dove straight into the lake, not knowing for sure whether you wanted to reemerge, craving the numbness that came with drowning, craving it like the air that your was body was begging for. You felt the ripples in the water as Neteyam joined you, and when he touched you, your whole body lit ablaze, and the craving changed, as it always did when he was around. You missed him, so so much, and your fight and your need for space felt so silly now, so unnecessary in light of everything that you stood to lose at any moment. Any moment not spent in his presence, in his arms was wasted time, time you didn’t have. 

You came up for air, panting from your need for him settled deep within you, so that he could fill the gaping hole that just opened in your soul. He looked at your intensely, and you knew he felt the same, so you kissed him, pouring all your desires into it, feeling him do same to you. 

“I need you so badly, Atan. I have missed you so much.”

“Then take me, Neteyam. I’m yours.” 

You exited the water and lead him to the mossy grass outside of the cave, where the nature was shining brightly and the wind warmed your skin. You pushed him onto the ground, and straddled him, looking deep in his eyes as you took off your beaded top and unhooked his cummerbund from around his abdomen. He rose from where he was laying on the ground and started planting kisses down your neck and collarbone, making his way down. You moaned at the feeling, and threw your head back, giving him access to you, begging silently for him to never stop. HIs mouth found one of your breasts that he kissed, softly in the beginning before his tongue flickered over your nipple. You started grinding on him, cursing yourself for not removing both your loincloths before. His mouth moved to your other breast, whilst his hands went on to undo your loincloth, that he removed from you and threw to the side. He stopped to undo his own, and you thanked the great mother for whatever unspoken connection you two have always shared.

“I need to feel you, my love. All of you.” His hand went to his queue that he brought forth, and you were so grateful at the sight, aching for the union that will always bind you together, for life. 

You gasped loudly at the bond, overwhelmed with the outpouring of emotions emanating from Neteyam. So much pain, and fear and sadness, and so much love, and relief and gratitude all inundating your mind and soul, all making you breathless and dizzy. You both looked in each other’s eyes, both overcome with each other’s minds, both desperately in need of each other’s bodies. 

One of his hands resumed his slow torture on your breast while the other wrapped around your throat, until the asphyxiation lead to euphoria you felt deep between your legs, slick dripping all over Neteyam’s hard-on that you were grinding against. His hands let go and the rush of oxygen to your brain made you moan in pleasure, and increase the speed at which you were getting yourself off on his cock. His mouth was all over you, leaving marks that you knew would be seen by everyone in the village tomorrow, but you couldn’t care less. The whole world could burn around you at this point and you wouldn’t care, because there was nothing else. Nothing outside of this, of him, of this feeling. 

His hands went to your ass, pushing you deeper on him, urging you to go faster, helping you to your release. 

“Fuck, I love it when you fuck yourself on my cock.”

You moaned loudly at his words, feeling your orgasm building up in your core. “That’s right. Come for me, baby girl.” 

You threw your head back and rode out your orgasm with his hands on your ass still moving your now puffy and sensitive clit roughly on him. 

“You are so beautiful. So fucking beautiful.”

Dazed, you felt yourself being picked up and placed on the ground, your back loving the feel of the wet grass touching your skin. His face was inches from yours, and he lowered it to kiss you, and it was so unlike everything else around you, so tender and soft, so needy and gentle. 

“I love you so much. I am so happy you are here.” You cried out and brought him back onto you, kissing him like your life depended on it, which to be honest, you think it did. You felt his dick twitching against your inner thigh and moaned, desperate to feel him deep in your, desperate to be filled. 

“Fuck, please.”

He smiles into the kiss, and reached down to line his cock to your folds, teasing your entrance mercilessly. 

“Neteyam…” you mewled, not in the mood to be teased, not tonight. 

He didn’t need to be told twice, as he pushed in slowly, letting you adjust to his girth, that always took you by surprise, that always stretched you out deliciously. He moaned as he filled you fully, and stopped to enjoy the way you squeezed him, the way you took him in like you wouldn’t ever let him go, your pussy the only prison he wouldn’t mind being held prisoner in forever. 

“Fuck, Atan. You’re taking me so well, baby. Always so well, I could get lost in this pussy.” 

You were so wet your slick was dripping all over him and down his balls, making it so easy for him to move in an out of you, at a slow, agonising pace. Your hands made their way to his back, hard and muscular, and you dug your nails in it roughly, scratching him as he increased his pace, fucking into you roughly and ruthlessly, making of you a whimpering mess. Your legs wrapped around him to grant him better access, to bring him in deeper, always deeper, until he was hitting a spot you could feel in your whole body, inundating your every cell, your every sense. 

“I can feel you squeezing my dick, Atan. I want to hear you coming on my cock, I want to feel you taking my cum like a good girl.” 

Your orgasm hit you like a lightning strike, overcharging your every nerve ending until you were so drained you could only see white, and you felt Neteyam’s load fill you to the brim, overflowing around you. Blissfully spent, his head fell on the crook of your neck, and you stood like that, listening to each other’s heartbeats and shallow breaths.

You laughed quietly thinking this was probably the most tame sex of your life, and how even when you were trying to be tempered and soft, you ended up like this, moaning and mewling like your life depended on it. This is what he did to you, what he’ll always be able to coax out of you. 

“It’s good to hear you laugh again. So I take it you forgive me?” He rolled from on top of you, and pulled you on from the ground so you can be face to face, as he intently listened to every sound that came out of your mouth. Your queues were still attached, so you could feel the anxiety building in his system. You hoped your lack thereof would put his mind to ease a little. 

“Mm, I don’t know if I forgive you, but I have realised something. Actually, I realised two things. First, today, walking through the forest with the kids, I realised that you were right. There’s no other choice, but to follow them to the ends of the world and hope you can at least help them not fall off the edge. And if you have to fall instead, that’s fine as long as they are safe. So I think I owe you an apology. 

Secondly, I realised I can’t change who you are, and I don’t want to. I love you. I love how kind and patient and compassionate you are. I love that you love your family, your baby brother so much that his safety comes first in your mind. You love fully, and give everything to the people you love, and that is what makes you a great brother and a great son…a great mate. It’s what will make you the best Olo’eyktan this clan has ever seen… it’s what will make you the best dad. So I can’t change that about you. 

But what I can do is make sure I will always be around. I’ll always be next to you, and behind you and in front of you, and I’ll always have your back. So if anything like that ever happens again, I will protect you. And if I can’t protect you, I will heal you. I will stitch your wounds, and mend your broken bones, because putting pieces back together is what I do best, anyway. I won’t have to be scared anymore, cause I’ll just always be there for you. Deal?” 

“Deal.” He said as he kissed you tenderly, and you felt the salty taste of his tears on your lips. 

You made your way back a couple of hours later, and were shocked to discover the Sullys were still awake. You silently stepped towards the tent where Lo’ak, Kiri and Tuk were hiding, listening in to their parents’ shouted conversation.Kiri motioned for you to come and brought her hand to her lips, urging you to be quiet. 

“This thing, this Quaritch, whatever he is, is going to walk right into here, right under Eywa’s nose.”

“I cannot, you cannot ask this. I cannot leave my people. I will not.”

“He’s hunting us, he’s targeting out family.”

“You cannot ask this!” Neytiri was furious, her screams loud and forlorn.“The children, everything they’ve ever known, the forest! THIS IS OUR HOME!”

“He had our children. He had them under his knife.” Jake’s voice was hoarse and pleading, hushed tones hiding the deep hopelessness echoed in his words. 

“My father gave me this bow as he lay dying, and he said ‘Protect the people’. You’re Toruk Makto!” 

“This will protect the people!”Jake’s voice was raised now, no longer poised, no longer holding back. “Quaritch has Spider, and that kid knows EVERYTHING! He knows our whole operation. He could bring them right in here.” 

You felt annoyed at how quick Jake was to assume Spider would betray this family, the only family he’s ever known. Spider was a loud mouth, and he was just as reckless as Lo’ak, but he had a good heart. A strong heart. He is loyal and loves the Sullys and this clan more than he loves his own life, and you thought Jake knew that. 

“If the people harbour us, they will die. Do you understand?”

“Look, I’ve got nothing. I’ve got no plan. But I can protect this family. That I can do. And I do know one thing. Wherever we go, this family is our fortress.”

So many thoughts engulfed your mind, so many emotions flooded your being, one more extreme and agonising than the next, but almost like a joke brought about by the universe, the only thing that rang supreme was the realisation the Tiongli was going to get to be Tsa’hik after all.

Taglist (thank you ily x) @changing7 @erenjaegerwifee @im-in-a-pansexual-panik @winchestertitties @puffb4ll @rebeccao03 @ultimatebluff @cottoncandy23 @zaddyneteyamlovergirl @n3t3y4msm4t3 @loquatious-josephi-krakousky

[whumpshaped]

so um. have another one from the future

masterlist

tw vampire whumper, suggestive stuff, dubcon kissies and stuff like that, dehumanisation, manipulation, conditioning, mention of gore, mind control

Beck couldn't do this. Helle had been messing around with him for ages, and he didn't think he could take a moment more. "Master, please–"

"Shush. Good food keeps quiet."

He gasped when they sucked another hickey onto his neck, not biting, never fucking biting, just teasing him with the idea until he drove himself crazy. He wanted nothing more than to give his blood. That was his entire purpose, that was why Helle was here, that was what they both wanted.

Wasn't it?

He whimpered as they kissed the freshly forming mark, squirming in their hold like a bad, needy bloodbag. He should've just taken it, really. Being able to feed Helle was a privilege, as was any scrap of magic that came along with it. But he had gotten so used to them starting every evening with a quick snack that having to wait at all was almost like torture.

"Oh, look," they murmured, grabbing him by the face and directing his gaze at the screen. "I think they figured out who the killer is. I mean... finally."

Beck was really, earnestly trying to focus on anything but Helle's hands on his body and their lips against his neck. If they wanted him to watch the dumb movie, then he was going to watch it. "Y-yeah... took them long en– enough–" They scraped their fangs against his neck, and he thought he was going to lose it completely. He just wanted them to bite. Please.

He kept completely still and quiet, hoping to earn it by being good. He was clutching the fabric of his pyjama pants to keep his hands from shaking, and his eyes fluttered closed in anticipation. It felt like all his blood was already in the cheeks and neck area from all of this, and his heart was threatening to break a rib with the way it was pounding, so really, there wasn't a better time to finally–

"Oh, that is not the killer," Helle said with mock-disappointment in their voice, and more importantly, pulling away from his neck. "Humans are so stupid."

"Master," he whined, unable to contain it anymore.

"Hm?"

They knew exactly what they were doing, but Beck wasn't above indulging them. At least they seemed open to begging now. "P-please– You've been doing this for, for at least an hour–"

"Oh, I do apologise. I did not realise my commentary bothered you so much." They placed another kiss on his neck. "I shall keep it to myself."

Beck whimpered, and he could feel them smile as they kept nuzzling against him. "I'll do anything. Please. I can't– I can't do this anymore–"

"But what if I want you to? You did say you would do anything."

"To avoid this!" he said desperately, earning himself a soft chuckle.

"Well... I have very bad news for you, dear. You already do everything for me. This offer is nothing special." He wanted to argue and say he could just start acting out, but Helle covered his mouth before he got there. "You will take whatever I give you, hm? Like a good thrall." Beck felt a bit of magic dulling his defiant spark, and he weakly nodded. "You have no choice, after all."

They took their hand away, using it instead to tug on Beck's hair until his head was tilted all the way back, leaving his throat utterly exposed. He couldn't help but think of all those thoughts Helle had shared with him one night.

'I want to rip your pretty throat out. Can you imagine how wonderfully messy it would be? It would be a delightful feast all for me, while you slowly choked on all that delicious blood.'

"I want to hear you say it," they whispered, and Beck suddenly had no idea what that was about.

"I'm sorry..?"

"Not paying attention, are we?"

"N-no, I am, I– I'm sorry, I was just–"

"Yes?"

Beck had a feeling they knew. He always had that feeling around them, like they could read his mind and pull out all of his most hidden secrets from the depths of his heart. "Are you... are you gonna tear my throat out, Master?"

"Ah... A tempting proposal... But no, not tonight." They tugged on his hair again, making him yelp. "Are you getting a little lost in all those fantasies? Am I breaking your stupid little brain too much?"

"No, I'm sorry, I'll listen–"

"Good." They let go of him, hugging him at the waist again and readjusting him a bit on their lap. "So say it. Say you will take whatever I give you."

"I will, I will take whatever you give me, Master," he said sincerely, shuddering a little when it got him another kiss.

"Do you happen to have a choice in the matter?" they prompted further, and Beck shook his head a little.

"N-no, Master."

"There you go. Good boy."

He could hear them open their mouth for a bite, and he stilled again. Finally. Finally. He had been good enough. He could feel Helle's fangs against his neck, the sharp points almost breaking skin but not quite. He didn't even breathe, afraid that any movement he made could draw blood, and his blood wasn't his to spill. He couldn't even imagine the consequences.

And then the fangs withdrew as they closed their mouth, placing another kiss on top of the scars instead and making Beck tear up in frustration. He tried to stifle a miserable little sob and failed, catching Helle's attention immediately.

"Aw, is my darling Beck a bit overwhelmed tonight?" they cooed. "How adorable. Maybe I should keep you like this."

"No," he choked out. "P-please, please don't... I just– I..." He took a shaky breath, remembering that he had no choice in what would happen to him. "I-if you want to," he finished quietly, hoping Helle didn't actually want to.

"Mmm, my smart little human..." They kissed him on the cheek this time, then bit down on his neck without a warning almost immediately after.

~

taglist: @whumpsday @the-scrapegoat @hidden-dreamland @dismemberment-on-a-tuesday-night @delicateprincepaper @whumppmuhw @florissimps @nicolepascaline @oliversrarebooks @the-cyrulik @pirefyrelight @there-will-always-be-blood

[nibwhipdragon]

god, dear fucking god, the monster hunter movie was worse than humanly possible

WHY IS THE US MILITARY HERE?! WHY IS IT AN ISEKAI PLOT? WHY DOES THE HUNTER NOT KNOW WHAT CHOCOLATE IS?

if they wanted a monster to fight the military at least use a Bazelgeuse cause it's right up their alley

I'm putting this all under a cut because I ranted much more than I anticipated. All my thoughts on this stupid film are under the cut.

Anon this sounds like you've watched the film for the first time and. Man I am So Sorry. It was worse than what I expected it to be and my expectations were already at rock bottom. They used Gore in the advertising but it was only used as sequel bait??? Nasty. And there was gonna be a scene where it and Rathalos would fight in a shopping center or smth and MAN. That would've made the film a little bit enjoyable. The tiniest bit.

The film REALLY didn't need to be an isekai. If the director wanted to make his wife the protag (again. Why does he do this all the time. Give someone else a chance will you) why couldn't she have been a hunter? Either learning the ropes a la Legends of The Guild (a much better mh film you should watch if you haven't already) OR already a top tier hunter investigating an odd phenomenon. Not. That.

And the way the guns were useless on the Diablos??? (Why were the monsters so oddly big too) Hello. Bowguns. Ballistae. Barrel bombs. Gunlance. They could at least do SOME damage.

Also the hunter not knowing what chocolate is is INSANE. They have donuts canonically. They have coke canonically*. Is chocolate really that far of a stretch??? It's sugar and cocoa beans and milk. Not that hard to make and they sure have a lot of jungles so it's not like they can't find any cocoa beans.

IN MHW THEY LITERALLY HAVE CHOCOLATE COVERED APPLES AND DONUTS. COME ON. It's like the director just treated the entire world as this sort of primitive place, rather than a place that's just different to ours. They're quite technologically advanced: They have airships, sandships, the dragonator and dragonrazer, and massive boats that can have up to 3 dragonators at a time on it. Steam trains*² too. All highly complex mechanisms. Yes they all seem to run on steam pressure but honestly? I don't think they'd plunder oil from the earth the way we do, so it makes sense. And all the knowledge on all these monsters and how they work and stuff? That's certainly not primitive. Also how did the Admiral know English. No I'm not taking that stupid timeloop paradox quest that used to be in MHW as canon. Because What Is That.

WHY DOES THE ADMIRAL LOOK LIKE THAT, ACTUALLY?

Like cmon man. I can barely even see a resemblance. $60mil budget is actually fairly small for a film but COULD YOU NOT HAVE SPENT MORE OF THAT ON THE ADMIRAL'S DESIGN??? There was barely even any monster action in the film it was just Artemis and the hunter fighting. Surely the CGI didn't cost that much.

OK I went onto Wikipedia for that info and it led me to find out the director is British. Having a moment of silence to mourn the fact this scourge came from my home country.

Moving on. The insect glaive was shown at the end of the film. No kinsect. My brother in Christ THE KINSECT IS LIKE HALF THE WEAPON. IT'S IN THE NAME.

Another nitpick but the desert is so ridiculously empty I'm convinced the director doesn't know what a desert looks like (I know he wouldn't have been a concept artist. But he both and directed and wrote so I assume he has quite a bit of control over the other parts of the film's creation).

Like cmon. Sure some parts of deserts are quite empty, like the Sahara, but I doubt a big monster like Diablos is going to be chilling in a place with no shade and no cacti. It can go underground to avoid the heat when traversing but in no way would it hang about as much as it did in the film. No reason to there are more optimal environments for it within the desert. At least make the background visually appealing on basis of it being a film. Can't the sand at LEAST be orange-yellow?

Also Bazelgeuse bombing them in the film would've been hilarious to me I wish that happened

Anyways. Go watch Legends of The Guild. Purify yourself. Great animated film that expands on pre-existing characters and also gave us the great indication that the games seem to take place in chronological order. I love you Legends of The Guild

* As one of the meal items in one of the games, I can't remember. Coke is cinnamon and vanilla flavoured so it isn't too outlandish for them to have it as a drink imo

*² The felynes in Elgado use a mini one near the dango food place thingy. Sure it's small but the fact it exist makes the concept of large ones used for transport and the like not too far-fetched

[another-whump-sideblog]

Fixing Tracy — Illness

TWs in the tags

Masterlist

Somehow, Tracy is even more tired than before. She's stopped worrying about escape methods, which if anything should free up her mental energy, but she's just exhausted. Using the gym, which used to be easy, saps Tracy's strength further, until she stops using it altogether.

She's not even just tired, she's achy and weak and hypersensitive to cold. Molly must've changed what she's drugging her with, or maybe stopped drugging her, causing withdrawal. It doesn't really matter, there’s nothing Tracy can do about it either way.

“How are you feeling?” Molly has been hovering around Tracy, worried, since the disaster of Tracy’s last escape attempt.

Tracy shrugs, staring at but not really watching the movie Molly put on.

After a moment, Molly moves to slap Tracy!— oh wait, she’s just placing her hand against Tracy’s forehead. False alarm.

“You’re burning up…” is that excitement in her voice? “I should’ve checked that sooner, you’d think a former nurse would know not to just assume something is mental health related without checking! I’ll— I’ll make you some soup, and read to you, and keep a lukewarm washcloth on your forehead—“

“I don’t get sick, Molly.”

“What makes you say that?”

“I don’t get sick.” Tracy repeats. “You know why I’m miserable, you just want to blame it on something that you can fix without letting me go.”

“…I know you probably won’t suddenly feel great about everything after you’re better. But you won’t be sick anymore, and that’ll help at least a little.”

“I’m not sick!”

Molly chuckles. “Whatever you say, dear. I’m going to go make some soup, is that okay?”

Tracy can’t come up with an answer to that that doesn’t make her sound like a pouty child. “…fine.”

Molly’s definitely got a spring in her step as she heads to the kitchen. She seems to really like the idea of Tracy being sick. Not because she likes it when Tracy suffers, Tracy's fairly certain that she doesn't, but because she likes how vulnerable it would make Tracy. Which is worse. Tracy shudders. Just from the thought of how creepy Molly is, not chills or anything of the sort, because Tracy doesn’t get sick.

Tracy rests her eyes. She's so, so tired. So…

She wakes up in her bed with a washcloth on her forehead. She's definitely being drugged, how else would Molly move her from the couch to her bed without Tracy even stirring?

"Are you awake? Are you hungry? I ended up putting the soup in the fridge since you were asleep, if you're hungry I'll reheat it for you."

Tracy rubs her eyes. "...what kind of soup?"

"Chicken noodle. Can't go wrong with a classic."

"Mm… I can reheat it myself." Tracy tries to get out of bed, but Molly gently pushes her back down. "I'm not sick. You're fucking drugging me, and I can't avoid it because there's no food here that hasn't gone through you first."

"The only time I ever drugged you was to get you from your old place to here. I can have some of the soup too, if it helps you feel safer."

"Reheating it myself would would help me feel safer."

"Hmm… what if I brought in a bowl of soup and had some in front of you so you know it’s safe? With a different spoon, of course.”

“Then the spoon could have a drug on it.”

“But… germs… what if I brought a few spoons, and you can pick which to use and which to have me use?”

“…that works. Wait— no, I want to get it myself, I’m not—“

“You are sick, dear. Even if you were sick because I drugged you, that wouldn't mean you're not sick, right? You'd just be sick for an unconventional reason. I haven't drugged you, but if you can't believe that, can you at least believe that you need extra care right now, whether it's because of a virus or drugs?"

"No, I don't get sick! Stop treating me like I’m incompetent! I’m not—“ hot tears fall from Tracy’s eyes. Could this get any more humiliating? “I’m not that weak! I’m not pathetic, I don’t get sick!”

“Being sick doesn’t mean you’re weak or incompetent or pathetic.”

“I’m not sick! I don’t get sick, please stop saying that, I’m not— I don’t make excuses, I’m not sick, I can do it!”

"...okay. This seems like something we should talk about when you're feeling better. For now… could you just humor me? Please, I desperately want to take care of you. It’s not because I think you’re weak or incompetent or pathetic or making excuses. It’s the opposite, actually. I know you can do it. You’re so strong, and you always work so hard. You deserve to be taken care of. Will you please let me take care of you?”

“You’d just drug me more if I said no.”

Molly looks crestfallen. “I… is there anything I could do to convince you I’m not going to do that?”

Tracy shakes her head.

“That’s… that’s okay. You don’t have to trust me, and… I’m glad you don’t feel like you have to pretend to. I’m glad you can be honest with me.” She looks at Tracy with big, sad blue eyes. “Do you really want to get the soup yourself? Or do you just not want me to do it?”

Does she actually want to get the soup herself? It… wouldn’t actually prevent Molly from drugging it, since she could’ve beforehand. Even with Molly’s offer to eat some to show that it’s safe, eating a little of something drugged wouldn’t have as strong an effect as eating a lot of something drugged. And if Tracy pushed for Molly to eat the same amount as her… Molly could just say no, and then what would Tracy do? She has to eat. Tracy will eventually eat what Molly wants her to whether it’s drugged or not. Even if Molly did eat the same amount as Tracy, it’s always possible that she has higher tolerance to the drug she put in the food, or has access to a drug to neutralize the effects of the drug she put in the food. There’s no point in trying to ensure the food isn’t drugged. It always could be, no matter what.

And Tracy feels like shit. Does she want to get out of bed when she doesn’t have to?

…No, of course not. Who would want to make things harder for themselves on purpose, when the same result is reached either way? Of course she wants the easier way. That’s… that’s not weakness, that’s normal. It’s normal. Healthy, even. That’s what Tracy has told Alicia to comfort her countless times, and Tracy doesn’t lie, not to Alicia.

Really, the only reason she wants to do it herself is because Molly would really enjoy getting soup for her, and that’s creepy as fuck. Is that all this argument is about? Molly would enjoy taking care of Tracy, so Tracy doesn’t want to let her?

This is such a pointless, childish power struggle, and Tracy is too tired to continue it. “I guess I just wanted to argue.” Tracy says softly. “You can get the soup. I don’t care.”

The answer doesn’t seem to make Molly happy. “I… that’s very self aware of you. I’m proud of you. I’ll be right back.”

Molly leaves the bedroom and Tracy pulls a blanket over her head. She’s so fucking worthless, can’t even get soup for herself… but… she can. She could’ve. Molly wanted to do it for her. Molly begged to do it for her. So… what does that say about Tracy, that she let Molly do it? She doesn’t know. Well… it doesn’t matter. Who cares?

Achy and tired and trying not to cry, Tracy groans into her pillow. She can’t go on like this. Every little thing can’t be a huge debate and power struggle. What else can she do, though? Just accept that she’s stuck and do whatever Molly wants? She doesn’t want to fight and she doesn’t want to give in either.

Molly finds Tracy curled up under the covers crying when she comes back. “Oh, dear… what’s wrong?”

Tracy doesn’t answer. There’s no point in starting another argument.

“I know, I know, I know it’s hard. I’m sure you’re really miserable right now, but I promise it’ll get better.”

“I’m so tired.” Tracy sobs. Tired of fighting, tired of losing, tired tired tired.

“Let’s get some soup in you, then you can go back to sleep. Can you sit up? I brought a few spoons so that you can pick which one you use and which one I use if you want me to prove it’s not drugged.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Tracy stops hiding under the covers like a child and sits up. She reaches out to take the bowl of soup from Molly’s hands, but Molly seems to have a different plan. She picks out a spoon and sets the rest down, then fills the spoon with soup and starts bringing it towards Tracy’s lips.

“What the fuck is wrong with you??” Tracy knocks the spoon out of Molly’s hand. “I can feed myself! I’m not— I’m not…” anger quickly gives way to horror. “You- you think I’m sick. You think I’m so sick I need help bringing a spoon to my mouth, and— and I’m still here. Not in a hospital.”

“…I just wasn’t thinking. Of course you wouldn’t want me to do tha—“

“If I was so sick I couldn’t eat on my own, would you take me to the hospital?”

“I was a nurse, dear. Breathe. You’re safe, I can take care of you.”

“What if— what if I had a heart attack or a stroke or something?? What if my appendix burst, you’ve never been a surgeon, have you??”

“That’s extremely unlik—“

“Humor me! What would you do?”

“You don’t need to worry about that. I don’t want you intentionally injuring yourself to try and get away, so I’ll leave it vague, but I do have plans in place. You’re safe with me.”

“I’m going to die here! Alicia won’t even know! They’ll never find my body!” Screaming again so soon after last time does not do her throat any favors, but she’s too panicked to care.

“You’re safe. Can you take some deep breaths for me?”

Thoroughly drained by her outburst, Tracy lies down and complies. Molly guides her through breathing exercises until Tracy can hardly keep her eyes open.

“I hate seeing you so scared. I would do absolutely anything to help you feel safe, so please let me know if there’s anything I can do. I’m going to leave the soup and the spoons here on the nightstand, okay? I’ll bring you a water bottle too.” She picks up the spoon Tracy knocked out of her hand. “I’ll take this, since I assume you don’t want a spoon that’s been on the floor. I’ll clean the carpet later. Does all that sound good?”

Tracy doesn’t answer and tries to pretend she’s already asleep.

“You’ll feel better once you’ve had some sleep and food.” Molly says softly. “If I could take your sickness on myself so that you didn’t have to be this miserable, I’d do it in a heartbeat. I love you so much.”

Tracy is asleep before Molly’s footsteps leave the room.

Tag list: @whumpyourdamnpears @watermelons-dont-grow-on-trees @iamheretohurt

[leavemethefuckalne]

A Cozy Evening - Hange Zoe

A Cozy Evening with Hange :3

The rain pours, tap dancing a melody on your shared apartment window. It was just another day in autumn; rainy, soggy and breezy. You tap your fingers along the window sill, matching the rhythm of the rain, bored and anticipating the arrival of your lover, Hange. You had been together for around 3 years now. You'd think that would be enough time to get used to the tender love and happiness Hange brings and showers you with. But here you are, anxiously waiting for them to get back from work, your eyes glued onto your front porch whilst you stare extra hard at every passing car that ever so slightly resembles their own.

You're not sure how much time has passed since you decided to sit by the downstairs window, but it must have been long enough for you to have succumbed to the gentle pitter pattering of the rain, lulling you to sleep. A firm yet gentle touch rocks you from your slumber. Before you could even open your eyes and process what was going on, the smell of sweet musk fills your lungs, one you would never not recognise. You can't help but smile at the familiar scent, batting your eyelids open to your love. They lean forward and plant a soft kiss on your cheek. "I'm back." You pull them down onto the sofa, wrapping both arms around them, as you snuggle your head into the crook of their neck, taking in their scent. "Easy, easy dear" They chuckle as you attack their face with kisses, your saliva mixing with the remaining traces of rain water from outside. You pause for a moment, "I didn't even hear you come in, I fell asleep whilst waiting for you, long day huh" They let out a sigh. "Extremely long" You lean forward and kiss their forehead one last time before allowing them to escape form your embrace. "I'll allow you to go undress and relax, let me go warm up dinner." You get up from the sofa to go to the kitchen. "You're a star thank you love" Hange says before kissing your lips softly then going upstairs.

You turn the stove on and heat up yesterday's pasta and bolognese, Hanges favourite. You watch the sunset as it casts hues of orange and yellow into your home, illuminating the wooden counter tops. The clouds become sparse and the rain turns to a light drizzle. You turn your attention back to the stove, turning off the heat and serving two bowls of pasta, remembering not to sprinkle any cheese on Hanges bowl. You chuckle at a fond memory of your first home dinner date with Hange, where you made Mac and cheese. Hange being so overly fond of you refused to tell you that they were actually lactose intolerant, scoffing down every last bit of pasta, even asking for seconds. Hange had to leave mid way through the movie you were watching, you were slightly confused but you didn't pester them to stay. It was only till your 3 month anniversary where they confessed they had to leave to use the toilet but was too embarrassed to do a poo on the first date in your own home. You never miss the opportunity to bring it up to make fun of them.

"Who's got my love giggling like that to herself" The memory's interrupted, jolting slightly at Hanges unexpected voice. You turn to face them whilst smirking. "Oh no one, just remembering our first date when you didn't tell me you were la-" Your confession is cut short by Hange playfully grabbing you, their tall frame towering above you, using one arm to keep you close to their chest and the other to cover your mouth. "Hey did you hear something?" They ask sarcastically. You wriggle yourself free from their grasp, turning around and rolling your eyes at them whilst laughing. "You never let me bring that up, it's too funny not to tell" You playfully whine whilst poking a finger at their chest. Hange looks around pretending to play dumb whilst avoiding eye contact "I don't know what you're talking about you've lost me" They try their best to put on a serious front but it collapses when both your eyes meet, both bursting out into laughter. "One day I'll poke another confession out of you just wait." The laughter dies does and you place your bowl in the microwave, just for long enough to melt the remaining cheese. Hange takes theirs to the living room, turning on the TV.

After dinner Hange washes up after you clear away the table. It's now pitch black outside with the moonlight peering through the curtain blinds of the living room. They join you back on the sofa, both snuggling under the Halloween themed blanket you both picked out a few days ago. It's getting late and you find yourselves dozing off slightly to the white noise of the TV playing in the background. You feel Hanges weight being lifted from the sofa and it's not long after till you find yourself being carried upstairs, their strong arms holding you, laying you down gently onto the bed. They lean forward to kiss you and climb in on their side of the bed. And of course, the night can't end without Hange wrapping their arm around your waist, big spooning you as you both drift of peacefully to sleep.

Hange being lactose intolerant was such a random hc loool

[lupizora]

DCMK Empire of Corpses AU

This will be based on the 2015 anime movie Shisha no Teikoku or The Empire of Corpses. (I can't believe it's been almost ten years since it came out. The grip this movie has on me *sighs*). If you haven't watched it, I'll be dropping MAJOR SPOILERS from it for the overall development of this AU. Kind of like a speed-run of the important plot points. Also, lots of Character Death mentioned left and right. So, please consider yourselves warned 😅

The basic premise of it is that in an Alternative History Victorian era with a lot of steampunk influences, people have found the method of reanimation. Reanimated corpses don't have fully human sentience. They're more akin to zombies and can lose control just as fast, if the reanimation code is damaged in some way. Therefore, they're usually used for manual labor or in wars since they are still considered Undead.

The movie follows John Watson who reanimated his recently deceased close friend "Friday". Doing that outside of the government's control is considered illegal, so to avoid going to jail and other more personal reasons, he's roped into a mission from the government to find the notes of Victor Frankenstein, who was rumored to have produced the first Corpse that retains a soul. It has several philosophical debates about the nature of the soul which I personally found fascinating. Plus, it's gorgeously animated with how it combines the zombies/steampunk aesthetic (even if the ending leaves a lot to be desired imo. I mean we can't know if that was the author's original intent since he apparently passed away before he could finish the novel the movie was based on and someone else stepped up to finish it in his stead. But I digress since I will incorporate the movie's ending into the AU anyway lol).

Okay. Back to the AU.

Given that the characters were more or less contemporary historical figures or fictional heroes of the era, case in point John Watson, and even a cameo of dear Mr.Sherlock Holmes in the post-credits scene, my brain jumped at the opportunity of making it about DetCo.

DetCo has so many characters that could be used for this, but my first thought was focused on the Gosho Boys quartet. You can literally go for every ship variation between them, especially if you don't want to follow the movie's plot to the letter.

However, my BFF and I both agreed that the one who encompasses the headstrong, laser-focused determination Watson exhibits was Hattori Heiji. Because of course, Heiji will throw caution to the wind and go to great lengths for a friend (and/or potential lover).

If anything, this AU is so HeiShin-coded that you could more or less reenact the whole movie and not change much; even with the allusions in the credits scene that Friday turns out to maybe(?) be Moriarty when he gets his soul back. Like in my humble opinion, Shinichi and Saguru (the true Sherlockians) seem to personify different sides of Sherlock Holmes, with Shinichi being closer to (and I'm paraphrasing): "If he didn't give his brilliant mind to solving the crimes, he would be a criminal mastermind instead".

But! I never make things easier for myself that way so this turned into a HeiSagu/SaguHei AU 😂

Frankly, going for this ship angle was more compelling for me. Because Heiji's motivation behind his actions will come from a place of necessity instead of true compassion at first. Like he and Saguru were barely on civil interaction terms, maybe even academic rivals to a degree, at the point of Saguru's death. On the other hand, he couldn't let one of their generation's brilliant minds disappear like that. If Heiji got to prove his "rival's" theory wrong too in the process, no one would be any wiser.

This fictional British Government does not take lightly illegal reanimation, more so from a foreign citizen on their soil. So to avoid forced deportation and/or jail, Heiji and his "servant" (I'm not sure what sort of different name Saguru could have as a reanimated corpse. I was thinking some kind of bird of prey because of his falconry hobby) are tasked with finding the Karasuma notes. Said notes are currently rumored to be in the hands of some researchers Heiji and Saguru were having regular correspondence with. Special Agent Sera Mary and her daughter Masumi tag along as insurance so they won't run off.

The researchers are holed up at some secluded place in Siberia though, so the team ends up finding guides in the form of Kaito and Aoko. Despite Kaito's antics, the one Heiji finds odd is Aoko instead. She rarely eats, rarely sleeps, and she keeps talking in third person about herself. Heiji wonders if she's some kind of advanced corpse but Kaito dodges the question.

Before they reach their destination, they get attacked by corpses with higher mobility that usual. Then it's revealed that Aoko is a high-specs automaton Kaito had built himself when her arms change into weapons mid-fight. They are saved when another automaton, Conan, appears and fries the system running in those advanced corpses with a pulse attack. Conan explains that they were made with designs someone stole from his creators, who were trying a different approach than what the Karasuma notes were describing.

After the final stretch, they find the secluded town they were trying to reach filled with the original design of those advanced corpses and the only alive people there are Shinichi and Agasa. Nothing else seems amiss at first, even if it's creepy how life-like and not at the same time the citizens appear. The team stays there for a couple of days. Heiji is delighted to learn that Shinichi had been the one exchanging letters with him, instead of some stiff researcher like his teachers back in London. But Shinichi keeps diverting the conversation when inquired about the Karasuma notes.

It all comes to end the moment Shinichi realizes that the corpse following Heiji around is Saguru. Because all the time in the world can't prevent him from dying due to an accident or sudden illness before finishing his research. The reason the town's corpses look kind of alive is because they were created when the person was near-death. This time, in his fit of desperation, Shinichi does the procedure to a very much alive Kaito, hoping to preserve both of them for if/when proper reanimation succeeds, and follows suit in front of an appalled Heiji (this part in the movie was so unsettling, to put it mildly. I still shiver whenever I remember it. Here's even more terrifying to imagine because their appearance is so similar 😰). Shinichi does manage to tell them before he loses awareness that the previous researchers took the Karasuma notes with them to Japan.

But Heiji does not want to hear about the notes anymore or anything else really. He goes out in the cold to grieve and mope. Despite not giving him any commands, Saguru joins him. This only serves to anger Heiji because it doesn't prove that this action was made from any remnants of Saguru's "soul", and not a byproduct from the reanimation code. So Heiji lashes out, tackling him to the snow-filled ground. His fist stops midway though because he realizes that there is no point venting his frustrations on someone that will not comprehend why or even fight back.

Mary comes to remind him that he can't stop the mission whenever he wants, so they have to head out. They take Aoko and Conan with them while Agasa stays behind to take care of everyone for as long as he has left.

In Japan, they track the notes all the way to Osaka. Heiji learns that after the news of his transgression reached his father, he was disowned. Fine by him. It does not stop him from roping Kazuha and Otaki into helping him bust into the lab of the shadowy organization that seems to have the notes. And they do actually which amidst the chaos Heiji feeds them into Saguru's reanimation code to analyze them. Right about then though, the rumored successful reanimation project of Karasuma himself—Vermouth (of course it was gonna be her lol) appears, kills Mary and Otaki before she steals the notes.

The place burns down, separating Heiji and Saguru from the rest as they end up in the sewers. Since the notes were analyzed halfway and jumbled Saguru's code, he acts like a feral zombie. Heiji tries to hold his ground, but there is only so much he can do against a corpse that doesn't hold back its strength at all. Pinned against the wall by Saguru trying to choke the life out of him, Heiji ponders why he got into this mess and if dead people should stay dead and dammit he might have cared about Saguru more than he originally thought but he sure as hell won't allow him to run amok any longer. So he headbutts him, causing Saguru to drop him. While Heiji is wheezing for breath on the floor, he notices Saguru isn't moving. If anything, it looks like he calmed down. And then, a soft sound starts coming from him until it's apparent that Saguru is laughing. Heiji flashbacks to the aftermath of a fencing duel they had during their first days in the academy. For a moment, the images overlap and Heiji could believe that Saguru is still alive right before he "shuts down".

Reconnecting with the girls and Conan, they escape Japan through Kazuha's connections (she stays behind to cover their tracks). Saguru is back to being feral the next time he "wakes up", but Heiji has seen hope that he's still there (even if inevitably this is confirming Saguru's theory) so he continues to struggle to fix the scrambled reanimation code. While on Vermouth's trail, they come across the Kudous along with Nakamori Ginzo and learn that Aoko was modeled after his daughter because her body had been cremated before Kaito could even consider the thought of reanimating her. Aoko isn't interested in playing make-believe with Ginzo, even with the implanted memories Kaito had given her. Since she's just an automaton, therefore lacking a soul by conventional means, she wants to find her place in the world by herself.

Around then, Vermouth kidnaps Aoko to use as a vessel to bring back her beloved "angel" (Ran, the only human who showed her kindness) and the recently fixed Saguru because he has the missing portion of Karasuma's notes inside of him. Heiji, Conan and Masumi follow her back to a London in flames. Vermouth intents to use the Archive of the Dead that holds every reanimation code ever issued which is akin to holding humanity's collective conscious along with the notes for her plan. Although they manage to intercept her in the control room and Masumi shoots her, Vermouth's "soul" had already entered Saguru's body.

Heiji asks Conan to overload the Archive while Masumi reluctantly helps him connect himself to it through Shinichi's reanimation method. In the sea of humanity's collective conscious, Heiji finds Vermouth clinging to Saguru like a parasite because otherwise her artificial "soul" would disperse and disappear. Heiji yells at her that there is nothing artificial about someone with such a strong will to live. It's just that humans were not made to last for centuries on end and there is not much left of her anymore. Right then, someone looking like Aoko (but not really) appears and after fusing with Vermouth's remnants, disperses into their surroundings.

Saguru opens his eyes, finding himself in Heiji's embrace. Heiji offers his congratulations to him for being right about this, but the latter does not accept it. Because Heiji's recklessness to be here will make him die when he returns to his body. Their little reunion is interrupted by Kaito and Shinichi showing up, since the Archive overloading connected every Undead around the world into the sea of humanity's collective conscious. They all brainstorm together if there is a way to prevent Heiji's death or actually resurrect Saguru. Kaito proposes that before the Archive completely collapses, they could connect Heiji's living body and Saguru's reanimated one and feed the system the leftover pieces of the Karasuma notes (it's similar with how they implant memories on automaton brains). But if it works, they'll lose every memory they have of each other. While the notes work like the glue keeping their souls tethered, a certain amount of energy still needs to be spend for all this.

Heiji wakes up and tells the others of Kaito's proposal. Conan tells him that there is no guarantee that both of their objectives will become true. Heiji's final words are that he doesn't care if his soul takes all of the burden for Saguru to return to life.

***THE END?***

Quite a while later, Kazuha drops Heiji at a lodging in Tokyo.

After he returned from London still being disowned by his father, Heiji worked odd jobs here and there; relying on his employer to provide him with a place to stay. His latest job unfortunately doesn't, and even though the pay is alright, it's not enough for one person to live alone. So Kazuha had asked around and heard from Momiji that someone was looking for a roommate, before dragging him there.

Heiji is a bit hesitant about all this. The house looks kind of out of his budget, even with a roommate. His alarms go off when Kazuha vanishes while the housemaid (Keiko) had just let them in. But before he could make up an excuse to leave, the master of the house comes down the stairs.

He seems familiar; from his build to how he handles himself and the way he speaks. The only thing that strikes Heiji as odd are his eyes. For some weird reason, he was under the impression they were going to be blue and faded. They are a warm brown instead.

The man introduces himself as Hakuba Saguru.

Heiji had heard of him. Something about rebelling against his father wishes to join the military and leaving for London to pursue some kind of criminology field. Several different people had asked Heiji if he ever met him while he was still in England, and Heiji had denied it. But this familiarity, tugging him to close the distance between them, is unmistakable.

"Do I know ya?" Heiji asks.

Saguru smiles politely as if he's humoring him. "I would have certainly remembered someone rude enough not introduce themselves first."

Irritation, that comes off as borderline déjà vu, flares up in Heiji's chest as he gives back only his first name. That catches Saguru's attention as he inquires about it. Despite his reservations, Heiji admits that he isn't allowed to use his family name anymore.

"Why don't you take mine?" Saguru says.

At the shock of Keiko, more so to Heiji himself, he backtracks and goes on about housing laws and contracts being troublesome without full names from both participants. However, Heiji can somehow tell that Saguru is a bit flustered from that fumble.

"Sure," Heiji says with a chuckle. "As long as ya won't take yer word back."

Outside, in a cafe across the street, Kazuha joins the others to discuss the success of their little scheme. Conan wonders if this would be alright in the long run, because the chances of them remembering everything is close to none. Kazuha starts harping about fate and similar romantic notions, leaving him unimpressed.

Aoko stirs her teacup with a mysterious air about her. "We only helped them find each other faster. It's up to them whether they will cling to the past or set forth to make new memories."

Changing the subject, Masuki asks her if she has decided on her name yet. Aoko is conflicted since she has always been Aoko, but after what happened at the Archive, she isn't so sure about it anymore.

"Something starting with M sounds interesting though."

Around then Kazuha notices that Conan is gone. Masumi reassures her that he has been doing this kind of thing lately. Even after following him a couple of times, it didn't seem like something to worry about.

Conan enters the dilapidated warehouse he had been visiting and finds its sole occupier tinkering on his body again.

"I know I'm better at taking things apart than fixing them," he complains, "but you could have waited a bit!"

Turns out that before making Aoko, Kaito had made an unfinished automaton prototype based on himself that he hadn't told anyone about, more so Shinichi. While Conan was connected to the Archive, he saw it in his memories. Apparently, he had reactivated amidst the chaos of Vermouth's plan, fixing himself little by little and sending out some sort of signal. The first thing Conan told him when he found him was that only someone like Kaito would think to make trial runs on himself. Automaton!Kaito asked if he hadn't done the same since Conan is technically Shinichi (made from Agasa as a compromise for his parents, in case things went wrong with his research), not to mention his self-destruction in Siberia.

"Even in death, we still kept a lot of secrets from each other," Conan says with a bitter smile.

"Showing all your cards leaves you vulnerable. Isn't it in human nature to hold a part of ourselves hidden?" He pauses, thinking it over. "Although, I suppose we don't qualify as 'humans' at the moment."

Conan rolls his eyes. "It's a matter of perspective."

Kaito teases him about his optimistic outlook when they are merely shadows of the originals, stuck into artificial bodies.

"But we are still here, aren't we?"

[javelinspeachjam]

The Monkie Kid Style Shift

(from the perspective of a fictive. i promise that's important)

To start, for those who are unaware of my existence bc you only know mills or just dont know us at all, hi! I'm Cicada, he/she pronouns, and I'm a Tang fictive. I wanted to give my opinion on all the shit that happened today, because I believe I and other fictives have unique experiences regarding source media changes :3

(the rest of the post will be under the cut, scroll away if you'd like to avoid spoilers from the trailer) (and, quick side note, NO MATTER WHAT I SAY HERE, PLEASE DO NOT HARASS ANYONE. CHRIST I CANT BELIEVE I HAVE TO SAY THIS, BUT PLEASE DO NOT HARASS REAL PEOPLE OVER THESE LEGOS. K? K.)

Okay, so we all know that Flying Bark's animation has always been an integral part to the spirit of Monkie Kid as a show, and is the main reason why a lot of people love it. As a semi source-connected fictive, seeing that style is like literally seeing me and my family in photographs.

like, y'all have no idea the emotional damage this shot specifically does to me whenever i see it.

and while, yes, there is a possibility that WildBrain can simply just be learning the style (hell, even FlyingBark had to kinda learn their own style in the early days), it's an extremely drastic change and, thus, is bound to cause collateral damage.

I love speaking about my husbands, for example, and the FlyingBark style luckily gives me a great outlet to do so (pignapped lives in my mind rent free).

However, and I can't speak for any other fictives, but the art style shift is kind of like if you watched your family get replaced by aliens or robots right in front of you and couldn't do anything about it. Stiff, doesn't really have a lot of character. I've seen people theorize that they're gonna be animating on rigs instead of handrawn, which matches up. That means, however, that we can't achieve awesome shots such as. every lbd scene ever.

I know plenty of Singlet but neurodivergent people who are also distressed about this, there's familiarity. Especially in my fellow autistic folk, that feels natural, good, and we wouldn't give it up for the world.

(We mod in one of the biggest Monkie Kid discord servers and, dear gods, the fucking backlash. we're all going through it.)

I'm kind of worried that this was pushed, not only because of the ATLA movie, but also because everyone on the staff team was worried because the fandom was antsy.

Can't speak for anyone else, but all the "save me s5" jokes I made were just light hearted, and I'd much rather have quality over quantity. Personally, i'd be willing to wait years for the next monkie kid season if it meant that we could still have it animated by FlyingBark.

Now, of course, this isn't what we're getting, and we'll have to accept that, I just think it should also be valid for fans to be reasonable skeptical at the quality, no matter if it's still the same writers and VAs. It's a huge change, and all I ask is that you're patient with me.

WildBrain is an amazing studio, but I'm not sure they can adjust to the shift in style. Of course, someone's bound to be dissatisfied with it, including myself, and I ask that y'all are patient with people like that. Don't say shit like "if you're a real fan, you wouldn't care about the art style change." That's not nice.

sorry if this isn't coherent in the slightest, I have been crying for a while for the reasoning i mentioned about feeling like I've lost a part of myself. This is terrifying for me, and i ask that you please be kind to others like me <3

anyways, follow if you wanna hear me yap ab BreakfastShipping