During the 2008 recession, my aunt lost her job. Her, her partner, and my three cousins moved across the country to stay with us while they got back on their feet. My house turned from a family of four to a family of nine overnight, complete with three dogs and five cats between us.
It took a few years for them to get a place of their own, but after a few rentals and apartments, they now own a split level ranch in a town nearby. I’ve lost track of how many coworkers and friends have stayed with them when they were in a tight spot. A mother and son getting out of an abusive relationship, a divorcee trying to stay local for his kids while they work out a custody agreement, you name it. My aunt and uncle knew first hand what that kindness meant, and always find space for someone who needed it, the way my parents had for them.
That same aunt and uncle visited me in [redacted] city last year. They are prolific drinkers, so we spent most of the day bar hopping. As we wandered the city, any time we passed a homeless person, my uncle would pull out a fresh cigarette and ask them if they had a light. Regardless of if they had a lighter on hand or not, he offered them a few bucks in exchange, which he explained to me after was because he felt it would be easier for them to accept in exchange for a service, no matter how small.
I work for a company that produces a lot of fabric waste. Every few weeks, I bring two big black trash bags full of discarded material over to a woman who works down the hall. She distributes them to local churches, quilting clubs, and teachers who can use them for crafts. She’s currently in the process of working with our building to set up a recycling program for the smaller pieces of fabric that are harder to find use for.
One of my best friends gives monthly donations to four or five local organizations. She’s fortunate enough to have a tech job that gives her a good salary, and she knows that a recurring donation is more valuable to a non-profit because they can rely on that money month after month, and can plan ways to stretch that dollar for maximum impact. One of those organizations is a native plant trust, and once she’s out of her apartment complex and in a home with a yard, she has plans to convert it into a haven of local flora.
My partner works for a company that is working to help regulate crypto and hold the current bad actors in the space accountable for their actions. We unfortunately live in a time where technology develops far too fast for bureaucracy to keep up with, but just because people use a technology for ill gain doesn’t mean the technology itself is bad. The blockchain is something that she finds fascinating and powerful, and she is using her degree and her expertise to turn it into a tool for good.
I knew someone who always had a bag of treats in their purse, on the odd chance they came across a stray cat or dog, they had something to offer them.
I follow artists who post about every local election they know of, because they know their platform gives them more reach than the average person, and that they can leverage that platform to encourage people to vote in elections that get less attention, but in many ways have more impact on the direction our country is going to go.
All of this to say, there’s more than one way to do good in the world. Social media leads us to believe that the loudest, the most vocal, the most prolific poster is the most virtuous, but they are only a piece of the puzzle. (And if virtue for virtues sake is your end goal, you’ve already lost, but that’s a different post). Community is built of people leveraging their privileges to help those without them. We need people doing all of those things and more, because no individual can or should do all of it. You would be stretched too thin, your efforts valiant, but less effective in your ambition.
None of this is to encourage inaction. Identify your unique strengths, skills, and privileges, and put them to use. Determine what causes are important to you, and commit to doing what you can to help them. Collective action is how change is made, but don’t forget that we need diversity in actions taken.
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for a while i lived in an old house; the kind u.s americans don't often get to live in - living in a really old house here is super expensive. i found out right before i moved out that the house was actually so old that it features in a poem by emily dickinson.
i liked that there were footprints in front of the sink, worn into the hardwood. there were handprints on some of the handrails. we'd find secret marks from other tenants, little hints someone else had lived and died there. and yeah, there was a lot wrong with the house. there are a lot of DIY skills you learn when you are a grad student that cannot afford to pay someone else to do-it-for-ya. i shared the house with 8 others. the house always had this noise to it. sometimes that noise was really fucking awful.
in the mornings though, the sun would slant in thick amber skiens through the windows, and i'd be the first one up. i'd shuffle around, get showered in this tub that was trying to exit through the floor, get my clothes on. i would usually creep around in the kitchen until it was time to start waking everyone else up - some of them required multiple rounds of polite hey man we gotta go knocks. and it felt... outside of time. a loud kind of quiet.
the ghosts of the house always felt like they were humming in a melody just out of reach. i know people say that the witching hour happens in the dark, but i always felt like it occurred somewhere around 6:45 in the morning. like - for literal centuries, somebody stood here and did the dishes. for literal centuries, somebody else has been looking out the window to this tree in our garden. for literal centuries, people have been stubbing their toes and cracking their backs and complaining about the weather. something about that was so... strangely lovely.
i have to be honest. i'm not a history aficionado. i know, i know; it's tragic of me. i usually respond to "this thing is super old" by being like, wow! cool! and moving on. but this house was the first time i felt like the past was standing there. like it was breathing. like someone else was drying their hands with me. playing chess on the sofa. adding honey to their tea.
i grew up in an old town. like, literally, a few miles off of walden pond (as in of the walden). (also, relatedly, don't swim in walden, it's so unbelievably dirty). but my family didn't have "old house" kind of money. we had a barely-standing house from the 70's. history existed kind of... parallel to me. you had to go somewhere to be in history. your school would pack you up on a bus and take you to some "ye olden times" place and you'd see how they used to make glass or whatever, and then you'd go home to your LEDs. most museums were small and closed before 5. you knew history was, like, somewhere, but the only thing that was open was the mcdonalds and the mall.
i remember one of my seventh grade history teachers telling us - some day you'll see how long we've been human for and that thing has been puzzling me. i know the scientific number, technically.
the house had these little scars of use. my floors didn't actually touch the walls; i had to fill them with a stopgap to stop the wind. other people had shoved rags and pieces of newspaper. i know i've lost rings and earring backs down some of the floorboards. i think the raccoons that lived in our basement probably have collected a small fortune over the years. i complain out loud to myself about how awful the stairs are (uneven, steep, evil, turning, hard to get down while holding anything) and know - someone else has said this exact same thing.
when i was packing up to leave and doing a final deep cleaning, i found a note carved in the furthest corner in the narrow cave of my closet. a child's scrawled name, a faded paint handprint, the scrangly numbers: 1857.
we've been human for a long time. way back before we can remember.
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pervert!neteyam masturbating and imagine he's fucking reader 🫣
A mighty warriors need
adult Neteyam x female omatikaya reader
Words: 2.2k
Summary: The only trouble Neteyam allows himself to get into, is you.
Warnings: explicit smut, voyeurism, male masturbation, teacher/student dynamic, reader trained for her iknimaya at 18, slight age difference (Neteyam is 28, reader is 20), sexual fantasies
Notes: Just something short while we wait for my precious sun to come back and continue her event <3
Adult Neteyam art was made by @Cinetrix 🩵
Neteyam, for all that he tries to stay out of trouble and follow into his father’s footsteps, has never had a particularly relaxing life, or even one lazy day all to himself.
He has also always been what dad calls an "early bird".
When he was a child, his father told him stories of the time when he was a soldier on earth, how his superiors had called him an early bird too, because he was always the first to wake. Dad said, it‘s a quality that shows of discipline.
And that’s part, if not the main reason, why Neteyam has always raised from his hammock before the very first rays of sun could even cast over the horizon.
Stretching his limbs, his tired bones crack and he has to stifle a chuckle because he knows if mother was awake she would scold him because she dislikes the sound of that. After rolling his hammock together and stuffing it away, he walks over to his siblings, all three of them still sound asleep.
He pulls Tuks blanket up, gives her a little kiss on the forehead and then leans over to tip Lo‘aks chin up so he closes his mouth and rolls over in his sleep. It stops him from snoring, and then Neteyam watches with a fond smile how Kiris brows relax as the annoying sound finally stops.
Dad is now up too. He hears him shuffle around quietly in the dark, then nods his head at him when they pass each other. A silent greeting to not wake the rest of the family, before Neteyam ties his cummerbund around his hips and steps outside.
He knows his father is in no rush to start the day before he had what the human called coffee, a brownish powder brewed in a cup. It’s one of the very few human quirks his old man can’t seem to lay off.
But neither he nor the rest of the family seem to mind. It also gives him time to participate in the sacred morning rituals, offering prayers to Eywa, before he goes to pick fruit for breakfast.
Alongside his father, he then attends council meetings where they discuss matters of governance, strategize for the clan's protection, and ensure the well-being of their community.
As a skilled warrior, Neteyam leads training sessions for younger Na'vi warriors. He prepares his students for their upcoming iknimaya, imparting his knowledge of combat and hunting techniques, survival skills and the importance of harmony with nature, as well as the balance of life that eywa protects.
It’s not everyday, but he also engages in diplomatic meetings with neighboring clans whenever his father is too busy to attend himself, fostering alliances and resolving conflicts. It‘s his diplomacy skills, honed through years of observing his father, that help him navigate discussions and negotiations, that ensure the unity and prosperity of their people, which are also well respected, especially among the olangi clan. The flight on his ikran is short, and it’s barely an hour before he‘s back home.
Evenings are dedicated to spending time with his family. Neteyam joins his parents, siblings and the rest of the clan in sharing a meal, one who’s meat he often participated in hunting the day prior. Engaging in the lively conversations around him has always come naturally to him.
You see, with great responsibilities befitting his impending role, his day was usually filled with numerous duties and commitments, leaving barely any time for him to step out of line even if he wanted to. The only time during his busy day that he made sure was strictly reserved for himself, was the time past eclipse.
As the sun sets and dawn casts its ethereal glow over the forest, he leaves behind the clamor of his responsibilities and disappears far off the village. With agile grace, he climbs onto a tree, finding solace on a sturdy branch that offers a panoramic view of the forest below.
Seated high off the ground, Neteyam takes a deep breath, inhaling the fragrance of the forest. He closes his eyes, allowing the soothing sounds of nature to envelop him, the rustling leaves, the distant calls of animals, before he opens them again. Right on cue, he hears the sweet humming sound coming from below him, where a small river ripples.
He can't help it. He should perhaps try harder to help it, but he cannot quite summon the willpower.
His position gives him the perfect view of the main reason he occupied himself here in the first place. It was something he just had to do to maintain his focus and equilibrium. It even reached a point where he found himself eager for it, looking forward to this rare moment he had all to himself. The only time where he allowed himself to act upon his own desires. And it was the rush of adrenaline and the excitement of doing something so forbidden and dishonorable that bought him here day after day.
This spot here in the forest, this river below– it was your favored bathing spot. And Neteyam always made sure he had front row seats to the little private show you so unknowingly put on just for him.
The thing that Neteyam had with you, was that you‘ve always been trouble. The only kind of trouble he ever allowed himself to get into.
Logically, he’s known it since the first day of your training, when you were one of his numeyu [students]. He’d watched you undercut his authority a little more with every lesson, and underneath the spark of annoyance that had flooded his veins, he remembers thinking: this one’s going to be trouble, in the kind of way that made him want to smile. He hadn’t, at the time– but he had wanted to, and that was no small feat.
Now, you’re trouble in a different kind of way. Still in a way that makes him smile, but now... you’re the kind of trouble that he thinks could fuck up every single rule and regulation he’s ever made to keep himself disciplined, and he’s fairly sure that he’d let you if you asked nicely.
Fuck, he’d probably let you if you didn’t ask him at all.
His throat feels tight as he glances down below, his hungry gaze landing on you just the moment you untie your loincloth and let it slide down to your ankles. His eyes travel over every inch of your exposed skin, every curve of your body, as you step into the shallow water.
Eywa, you’re a real sight.
Splashing some of the water onto your chest, he watches every little drop roll over your pretty tits, down to your navel. It’s like you’re making a show out of this, bending down to collect more water into your palms in a way that gives him the perfect view of your pretty pussy from behind.
Great mother, the things he would do to press his face between your thighs, smell your arousal, to taste the wetness.
Neteyam can’t help but let his hand skim over his chest, his toned abs and down past the cord that holds his loincloth together. His cock is hard and aching beneath the fabric, begging to be touched. He feels his heart speed up in anticipation, so he shuffles out of his clothes and wraps a hand around his shaft.
Squeezing the tip of his cock, where it turns from blue into a faint hue of purple, he forces the very first droplets of pre-cum to form and spill over his knuckles. There’s a tightness, a warmth that swells inside him and it gets even worse when he inhales deeply and your scent fills his nostrils and he bites down on his lip to hold in a moan.
It’s the same scent that was right under his nose when he had trained you not many years ago. When he had guided your hands to hold your bow, corrected your stance by pressing himself against your back and straightening your spine. It’s the same scent, just so much sweeter now that he has his cock in his hand.
He then rolls your name in his mouth, testing the syllables in a hushed whisper. He can envision moaning it, wants to moan it if he can be completely honest.
Neteyam watches you use different soaps and kinds of oils you made out of herbs and tree sap to rub into your skin. Your hands cup your breasts, palms running over your perky nipples until they’re shining in said oil and he imagines those perfect tits bounce right in front of his face while you’re riding him.
It’s a mouth watering image in front of his minds eye. You on top, your back arched, your hips rolling. And Neteyam, rolling right back, on his elbows, mouthing your breasts, your collar bone, feeling the way you would squeeze around his length as you ride him.
He runs a ghosting touch down his stomach, the vision of your hand doing it. The imaginary weight of you on his lap grinding down on his hard member to put some friction onto your needy clit might have made him come when he was younger, but now he just groaned and let one hand wander to his balls to gently squeeze and knead them. His other hand strokes faster, tugging from base to tip in a quick rhythm that makes his eyes flutter closed for a moment.
Neteyam can’t seem to keep them away from you, though, so he quickly opens them again. Feeling the pressure build and the heat start to flood his system, he attentively watched your delicate hands roam your body to further massage the oils and natural soaps into your skin.
He could almost feel those fingers on his cock, kneading the flesh of his inner thighs, wandering up and down, gripping him tightly, urging him on. He could imagine exactly how your hips would circle against his groin, the rub and retreat designed to tease his cock until he couldn’t fight it anymore and just started mindlessly rutting against your body.
Stepping deeper into the river, a content little moan leaves your parted lips as the water encircles your middle. It’s just now that he sees you have a wooden bowl with you. It floats on top of the water’s surface, before you dip it into the water and then empty it over your head to rins yourself off. Neteyam imagines the feel of it sluicing over your shoulders, your breasts, your belly, soothing tired and aching muscles. He imagines the warmth of the water flowing further down, dripping off your rounded hips, your mound. Stroking himself faster, he imagines running his tongue along your skin to catch every drop of water, imagines how rich it would taste of you. It’s such a perverted thought, so shamefully dirty that the sheer thought of voicing those fantasies makes his cock throb so hard that his breath catches in his throat.
It’s so dirty– he is so dirty.
If only you knew how many times he came into his fist with your name on his lips and those thoughts in his head. Neteyams face burns hot with shame, and he doesn't need a mirror to know it's suffused with a purplish blush.
Shuddering, then moaning softly, he stares as if hypnotized at those wonderfully plump lips of yours.
Eywa, he was really losing the battle with his own arousal. His thoughts jumped from one filthy image to the other, it was hard for him to focus on any part of your body for more than a minute because there was always something new, something hotter, something he wanted more desperately.
And now it were your lips. Those lips that would feel so incredible wrapped around his length, he knows it. A mouthy little thing like you surely was good for more than just talking back. Knowing you, you would definitely give it your all as you sucked his cock. He knows you would work through the stretch in your throat like a champ, would take him in deeper and deeper despite the way the fat tip of his cock would make you gag and bring tears to your eyes. You would suck him like your life depended on it, he was sure of it. And you would enjoy it. Would milk him dry over and over again, hell you would definitely beg him to let you suck him off.
Neteyam felt his orgasm overtake him, heat surging through his body like white fire. His hand moved faster, quick strokes that made his chest heave with desperation, chasing that pleasure high like prey, but then you– you turned around, and fuck, your gaze suddenly lands right on him. So direct, if his head was anywhere near clear enough to think, he would’ve realized that you must’ve known that he was there this whole time. But it was already too late now.
Eyes dark with lust, Neteyam held your eyes captive as you then wordlessly pushed him into his orgasm with a seductive little wink, watching with a growing smirk how his back arched and rope after rope of cum splattered against his palm.
See? You’re trouble. Trouble, in the worst of ways.
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PLANETS IN THE 10TH HOUSE
what your placement makes me think of.🏆
SUN IN THE 10TH HOUSE: Seen as confident, attracting attention wherever you go, an authorative personality, a strong need to be somebody, strong need to achieve goals, when people see you they think of what you work with, wearing your work uniform in public, you easily become the face of the company, ”you know im the face of the city bitch”, trophies, beeing a public person comes naturally to you, being seen as someone with an ego, acting a little narcissistic at times, taking over your fathers company, workaholics, your self esteem affected by how much you have accomplished, respected.
MOON IN THE 10TH HOUSE: Preschool teachers, known to love children, good with children, having well known kids, growing up famous, taking pride in having a beautiful home, white picket fence, always seen in public with your mom, a wellknown mom, a nurturer, known to be protective, people knowing about your family issues, emotional, well liked, known to be sensitive, people picking up on your mental health issues easily, coming from a well known family, seen as a womanizer, household name, good at expressing yourself, everyone knows who your mom is, everyone known about your relationships to the women close to you, soft beauty.
MERCURY IN THE 10TH HOUSE: Rappers, comedian, known for being funny, working with the mentally ill, representing your neighbourhood, public speakers, known for your opinions, seen as intelligent, seen as quick, cute, writer, making a huge influence with your words, a gossip, you know how to communicate with authority, a work that involves a lot of communication, having multiple careers, people get the impression that you are sneaky, a distinct way of talking, working with your siblings, having a sibling or cousin that everyone know who it is, getting jobs because of you networking skills, an expert at ”working the room”, knowing everything about everybody.
VENUS IN THE 10TH HOUSE: Popular and well liked, a lot of suitors, everyone knows about your relationships, attracted to people with status and power, you want to be seen as someone important, known for being beautiful, it girl, everyone wants to date you, socially appropriate, scared of embarrassing yourself, an expert at business, having your own company, a perfectly balanced look, known to be around older people, beautiful hair, braces, working at a beauty clinic, receptionists, known to be a relationship person, wifey, judgmental of people who have a bad reputation, being extra kind to the right people, polite, people usually take your side in a fight, your mistakes being swept under the rug because of your looks.
MARS IN THE 10TH HOUSE: Bitch, it-girl, seen as arrogant and rude, well known among the opposite sex, a seen as aggressive, known to be someone who fights back, known for beeing in sports, people want to know who you have beef with, people have onesided beef with you, public confrontations with men, the military, top dog, the best in the business, big name, beefing with people, refusing to lose, known for having a hot body, known for being sexy, big dick energy, fitspo, taking selfies at the gym, having beef with a lot of person, extremely goal oriented, known for being sexy, often described as hot, people talking about your body and looks, being extra assertive bc you were shamed for being soft, parents who taught you to be assertive, men feel threathened by you,
JUPITER IN THE 10TH HOUSE: Hard to pin down, known for going abroad a lot, high standards, well liked, king status, big dick energy, running into people who can help you everywhere you go, constantly running into big names, being at the right place at the right time, known for being funny, reggaeton, bohemian style, flamboyant, famous for being famous, seen as ditzy, known to be lucky, aristocratic, having a career because of luck, born blessed, seen as someone religious, seen as kind and morally correct, your cultural background an important part of your public image, being seen as a guide or teachers, extremely well liked, easily getting away with things.
SATURN IN THE 10TH HOUSE: Being seen as morally correct, strategic when it comes to your image, afraid of a bad reputation, calculating exactly what to do and what to post to be seen a certain way, people dont want to curse or talk shit infront of you, in worst case seen as a morals police, knowing exactly what steps to take to reach the top, recognizing whos who easily when you enter a new workplace, being complimented for your work ethic, easily irritated by people who dont do their work correctly, you started working early, having to grow up early, dressing like a boss, stoic in public, seen as responsible and mature, having to parent your own parents, wanting the approval of important people, intimidating, people dont approach you often, from nada to prada.
URANUS IN THE 10TH HOUSE: Not liking to follow the rules, seen as rebellious, being the first to do something, changing jobs often, seen as a genius, not acting like others in the same business at you, liking to shock people, seen as bizarre, when you do something you do it extra, hating when people copy you, not wanting to be put in a cathegory, you are in a cathegory of your own, working with technology, changing the industry, seen as unpredictable, known for having a standout feature, not looking like others in your family, internet famous, insta famous, technology is a huge part of your image, publicly challenging the gender roles, being seen as the original and everyone who tries to do it after you are just copycats, becoming famous by accident, overnight fame, quirky, a striking look, not wanting to be compared to others.
NEPTUNE IN THE 10TH HOUSE: Representing the ideal concerning something, unreal beauty or talent, modeling, the town drug dealer, dainty, psychward workers, being seen as more than human, others overidealizing you, people see you as someone who lives the dreamlife, glamorous image, having a hard time deciding what you want to work with, people see you as someone who would never do any harm, princess looks, seen as a saint, artist, known for being artistic, painter, putting on a mask or working with putting on masks on others (makeupartist for example, seen as naive, people underestimate you, actor, people cant separate you from the character you play, confused, angelic, director, putting your fantasies into art, people who never met you think they know you, having copycats.
PLUTO IN THE 10TH HOUSE: Known for being vengeful, known for having connections, a father whos feared, demanding respect, known to strike hard when disrespected, maffia connections, big name, social climber, having obsessive fans, sex symbol, being afraid of authority or disliking authority, demanding to be treated as authority, a scary look, people want to show off infront of you, people want to show they can be on your level, people attack bc they think that you look down on them, a dark look, known to have been through some shit, your dirty laundry thrown out on the lawn for everyone to see, being seen as sexual, people you never met want to sleep with you, refusing interviews.
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