#i also loved researching flora and fauna

[obsessivevoidkitten]

Love Stings

Yandere Male Aqrabuamelu (scorpion man) x Chubby Female Reader (CW: Violent Noncon, oviposition, paralytic venom, reader gets stung, stalking, stalking, scratching, biting, claiming bites, crying, mild scent kink, blood, mild blood kink, Stockholm syndrome, kidnapping, escape attempt, general yandere behavior) Word Count: 4.7k (This was commissioned at the end of September. It is hard for me to write afab reader. Don't worry though, I do not accept payment until I am done or almost done. The customer wished to remain anon. I hope everyone likes it.)

To most people, the wastelands of Treregar were just that, wastelands. Harsh sunlight, miles of seemingly endless sand, with water sources few and far between. Nothing but the hardiest flora and fauna could survive there for any significant length of time. Let alone thrive indefinitely.

But you were not most people. You were a scientist. And to scientists, the wastes were a gold mine of research potential. Some of the strangest creatures and plants called this place home. And with the country now open to outsiders, researchers wanted to make a breakthrough there. You were in search of biological samples that could have medicinal properties.

But the wilder parts of this country were very dangerous. Especially the desert wastes. There were even reports of explorers and scientists going missing and of large chitinous beasts prowling the sands. But you were not going to be deterred by a few tall tales. The others had probably fallen prey to the harsh environment if anything.

Still... it didn't hurt to have a couple bodyguards. You had arranged an escort of a couple fairly priced and reliable mercenaries, two large men by the names of Mr. Whitley and Mr. Matthews, to accompany you while you procured samples for study.

You also came with fully stocked packs and kept to a region near a small river. You didn't believe in letting stories run your life, but there was no need to take unnecessary risks either.

The first thing you did on your arrival, after setting up a base camp with your escorts, was starting your task by taking samples of the river water and the muck at the bottom. There was a good possibility of finding new microbes that could be of interest.

The water was crystal clear, perhaps the purest you had ever seen, and there were no signs of anything dangerous. The biggest danger was the heat. Despite the water submerging your legs and wetting your arms whenever you collected a sample the heat was still stifling.

But you had known what you were signing up for when you started all this and it would only get harder as you started collecting samples outside of the water.

When you collected plant and insect specimens from the fertile banks of the river you had to keep wiping the sweat from your brow. You kept the samples preserved in a specially cooled container that would allow you to study them at length later when you were back home.

Once you had all that you had gathered that day packed away, you ate alone in your tent, Mr. Whitley and Mr. Matthews were not exactly the best company, but that was okay. It wasn’t their companionship that they were being paid for.

When you had finished your meal, if you could even call one unit of mystery field rations a meal, you decided that it would be a good idea to go to bed early. Tomorrow’s adventure would be deeper into the wastes and you would need all the rest you could manage. It was going to be a bit rough on you. You were used to working in laboratory conditions not out in the field. But you knew what you were getting yourself into.

Whitley and Matthews guarded the camp in shifts, but even under their protection you couldn’t shake the feeling like you were being watched as you settled into an uneasy sleep.

On day two of the expedition, after eating another bland ration for breakfast and refilling your water supplies, you found something before you even set out. Odd tracks outside your camp, a good bit away but they were still close enough to creep you out a bit. Whatever had made them was not small.

But you had protection from any threats and you were handy with the knife you kept in your belt at all times. And whatever had made the tracks was gone now. You put it out of your mind and pushed onward.

As the cooler morning hours passed, you were really suffering as you had to start your trek into the desert proper. The organisms suited to such a brutal environment were what you were really interested in. Far more so than what lived in the relatively cool waters.

The sun beat down upon you with all the heat it could manage but still you trudged on. Miles and miles of sand. Stopping only to diligently take new samples and record field notes any time you encountered something new and promising.

You and your guards were overheated, exhausted, and aching. But it would surely be worth it for the scientific knowledge gained by your collective suffering. You all had finally started the long march back to camp when you could have sworn you felt like you were being watched. Whitley must have noticed something off as well as he stopped your trek home to look around. But the worry was discarded when in the distance a giant wall of sand materialized as if from nowhere, It rushed towards you like a great red tidal wave.

A sudden sandstorm.

It was upon you and your escorts in a thrice, you could see nothing at all in front of you as looking up for even a moment would invite the angry sands to scratch at your delicate eyes. From all your studies on the region in your preparation for this trip you had found sandstorms to be very rare this time of year. Your luck was astoundingly terrible.

All you could do in this situation was stay low to the ground, wait it out, and hope that you and your body guards didn’t get blown away. You also prayed that they both had the good sense to not try to walk in this mess. That would only welcome disaster. Trying to stumble about in this weather was a guaranteed method to find yourself lost and stranded in the desert.

On and on the storm raged, sand scraping and biting into any exposed flesh, until finally the whirling winds gradually declined before subsiding altogether. Leaving no trace of what had just transpired except scratches on your arms and legs and the ebbing adrenaline leaving your system rendering you shaky on your feet.

You were sore and stiff from laying in the same position so long. You took a good look around you only to discover that disaster had indeed been welcomed. Neither Whitley or Matthews were anywhere in your sight. Idiots. They were large men, not easily slipped up by the storm and rolled down a hill as you were. The weather couldn’t have pushed them very far. They clearly decided to keep trying to travel despite the obvious foolishness.

Well… they were not exactly getting paid for their brain power. But they were paid to keep you safe. To guard you. And they couldn’t exactly do that if they were determined to be idiots who wandered away from you!

When you made your report they were certainly getting docked for this.

Assuming that you all met back up. You probably would. Eventually. If they lacked a compass like you did then they could just head east until they hit the river and then travel up until they hit the camp. If they didn’t have one they would have to wait a little while and see what direction the sun headed in.

The direction the sun sets actually changes a bit throughout the year, but the autumn equinox had only just transpired so it would certainly set at the most west that it was possible for it to set.

You hoped those two knew that. Surely they did.

Right then you had to focus on yourself though. Without those two you were far more vulnerable. You were not really worried about the wildlife or anything such as that, but if you became injured or something all alone then you would be screwed. Something as simple as a sprained ankle could mean your death out in this blistering environment if you were left exposed to the elements long enough.

You shouldn’t have ventured so far from camp. Your body was aching with exhaustion. You were a bit on the chubby side and your body was not used to being pushed so hard. You perked up when you saw a large figure of a man standing in the distance walking in the same general direction as you were.

“WHITLEY! HEY, OVER HERE!!”

He evidently heard you as he turned around to face your direction and started walking towards you. As you got closer you could tell that other than a few abrasions from the storm he did not seem to be in bad shape.

“I am glad I found you”

You wanted to tell him he would not have had to worry about finding one another if he had just stayed put but you thought better of it and held your tongue.

“I think something may be watching us, I don’t know. I just have an uneasiness and feel like the air has shifted with a barely noticeable scent. I lost my sword in the storm.”

“Then… we better hurry back to camp… Maybe Matthews will be there…”

“Right.”

You noticed he had undone his dagger from his belt and was holding it close, ready to lash out if something attacked the two of you. He may not have had his longer blade but you knew he was still deadly with that one. He would surely protect yo-

The sand in front of you shifted, and from it sprung a beast of colossal size. Hard black chitinous plating gleamed in the sunlight, covering a monstrous form from top to bottom. It was a hulking beast with a human shaped torso on top of the body of a massive scorpion.

Whitley, to his credit, didn’t hesitate. He dodged the tail that struck at him with terrifying speed. He jumped up high and slammed his combat knife into the chitin covered chest of the beast. His blade was deflected as if by plate armor. The tail struck again at an angle Whitley couldn’t dodge in time and his arm was impaled by a wickedly sharp stinger. He twitched in pain for a moment then went limp before being pushed aside by the clawed arm of the scorpion half of the great beast before you.

Then the thing turned its gaze to you. Unblinking, glossy, entirely black eyes stared you down. If eyes were the windows into one’s soul then those eyes let you look into the soul of a demon.

Hopeless though it may be with the speed of the monstrosity you did the only thing your fear stricken brain could think of. You ran.

You ran and you didn’t look back. Cruel though it may have been, you found yourself thinking that maybe it would let you go since it had already taken down Mr. Whitley. Many predatory beasts did not take down more than what they needed.

But the scorpion hybrid wasn’t after food. Humans were not in his diet. No, he was after something much better than a meal. He was after a mate. A nice wet cunt to stuff full of his eggs.

When Kurnugi first caught your scent in the wind a couple days ago he was instantly intrigued, he had never smelled something quite so enticing before. He had to investigate. Though a few miles away he sniffed out your camp and watched for a while.

He didn’t really like the thought of humans in his territory but he stopped himself from attacking and scaring you all away because of you. Your smell was nice, sure, but now that he had seen you he knew he had to know more. You looked so delightfully fragile and soft. He wanted to watch you a bit longer before deciding what to do with you all.

Kurnugi observed you as you went about your tasks at the river. Delicate hands carefully tending to samples. He did not understand why you were doing it, but he liked the thought of those careful little human hands tending to his dick.

At first the scorpion man thought that perhaps the two large males with you were mates of yours but concluded that wasn’t the case as they never shared your nest, never physically touched you, and hardly verbally communicated with you. They seemed to just guard you and keep a lookout.

But they had been unable to spot Kurnugi given how well he stuck to the shadows, used sand to submerge himself partially, and carefully remained downwind of his quarry.

The longer he watched the more he realized how good a mate you would make. Too weak to ever oppose or escape him and he could tell by the way you collected and analyzed your little samples that you must be very intelligent. And you were just so much softer than anything he had ever encountered in this rugged environment. Surely if you were in a place as brutal as this then you’d need much better and dedicated protection than the ones you seemed to call Whitley and Matthews.

Kurnugi was much larger and stronger than any two humans, of course, no matter how well built they were. But they had long metal blades that may be able to get between his natural armor plates. Better to stalk your group for a while and wait for a moment of weakness.

He discreetly followed your party as you traveled away from your base camp and readied himself to attack when he noticed how tired all of you looked. Then the sandstorm struck.

Even a desert evolved being such as a mighty aqrabuamelu would not travel during a sandstorm.

When it passed he could tell by the scents he detected that your group was split up. This was even better. First he went after Matthews, then incapacitated Whitley before your very eyes. He had made sure not to kill them. No, they would surely be taken and bred by other desert creatures. There were many that loved humans.

And then there was you. It was cute how you thought you could escape from him so easily. He allowed you to try, watching in amusement as your tired chubby legs did their best to carry you away from him.

And then he rushed towards you, he closed the distance in surprisingly few seconds and stabbed your soft rear with the tip of his stinger. He was careful not to stab too deeply, but it was still pretty painful. You thrashed for a few seconds before crumpling to the sand.

The venom had paralyzed you, no matter how hard you tried you couldn’t get your limbs to cooperate at all. You could still feel everything though. The sand on your face, the tears about to burst from your eyes. You were certain death was what awaited you.

Instead the scorpion simply bent over to gently scoop you up in his humanoid arms. He held you close and buried his nose in your neck to revel in the intoxicating smell of his new mate, now finally in his possession.

The amorous aqrabuamelu rushed off to his den, holding you tightly to his hard body as he did so. He was excited to get you acclimated to your new home, and to his cock. He was sure after his displays of strength that he would have you moaning for his eggs in no time. Luckily his home wasn’t too far.

The entire trip he happily talked in a chittery voice to you, though you had absolutely no idea what he was saying. He sounded extremely excited though and rubbed your back soothingly as he spoke.

When he came to the entrance to his abode and scuttled into the cave in such a hurry that he almost tripped over himself. He placed you, all nice and paralyzed for him, on his raised pile of bedding and made short work of your clothing. Every inch of skin from your soft human breasts to your inviting pussy were laid bare under his hungry gaze.

He pulled you to the edge of his nest over to where he was standing. He gripped your thighs with his large hands and slowly spread your legs, as if unwrapping a precious gift. Savoring the moment before it was entirely open.

The venom was still coursing effectively through your veins, offering you no recourse. You could only stare into the terrifying red eyes of this abomination as he looked at you and drooled. His intent with you becoming all the more evident as his engorged cock protruded fully from the genital slit at the meeting of his scorpion and humanoid body segments.

There was no way something like that could enter a human without some degree of pain.

Seeing it you wanted to scream. To kick and fight. But you were a prisoner in your own body. All the struggle you could force out of your body were choked cries and grunts of fear.

The scorpion caressed your sides in a gesture meant to be comforting to his scared little mate, but any touch from him only brought about more terror.

He crouched down at the edge of the bed so that his head was level with your crotch. He inhaled the scent deeply before licking the outer folds of your sex.

"Mmmm~"

You could feel it in your entire body as he hummed loudly in contentment. Your flavor was better than he could have imagined.

Your cunt was wetter than it had ever been before. A fact that made you all the more frustrated and angry at yourself. It was bad enough you couldn't get your body to move.

Kurnugi was making out with your entrance, gripping your hips painfully and drawing blood as he lost himself in thoughts about you carrying his spawn.

He enjoyed every heavenly drop of your juices, mixing in a heavy amount of his saliva into you so that you were as lubricated as possible.

He decided you were as ready as you could be and rose up to press his cock against you.

Kurnugi rubbed the tip of his strange inhuman prick against your pussy, grinding against it. He let out a low moan as he plunged into you all at once, unable to hold himself back from doing so any longer. The paralytic you had been drugged with must have started to wear off by that point because as he shoved himself into you you were finally able to scream a bit and grip the bedding beneath you.

The length was insane but the worst part was the thickness. It was like it was trying to rip you open. He gave you time to adjust before he began his thrusting, but there was just no getting adjusted to that type of size in such a short amount of time without a lot more preparation.

You flinched and gasped in pain as he began slowly moving in and out of you.

The scent and sight of the bit of your blood that mixed with your fluids and smeared on his cock only seemed to excite him and he increased the pace, the outline of his cock plainly visible under the skin of your belly. He used one of his hands to rub at the outline as it moved back and forth inside of you, effectively giving himself a handjob while he bred you.

He lowered his head to your chest and ferally bit and licked at your breasts. Instinct demanding he marked and claimed what was, by all laws of the desert, his property.

After what seemed like an eternity you finally had acclimated to the size of the man taking you and began feeling less pain with flashes of pleasure. Chasing those brief flashes, you weakly grinded into each thrust from the scorpion.

Kurnigi’s roaming mouth had found your neck and was sucking and nipping at your soft skin there as if his life depended on it.

The stimulation was only feeling better as the two of you continued, your cries of fear and pain having long since been replaced by weak lusty moans and shivers of delight. You came a couple times and by the third you were completely fucked out. You had never orgasmed so hard in your life and were barely aware of anything other than that nice feeling between your shaky legs.

Kurnugi finally hit his climax as well and bit your neck hard as he did so, injecting something into your neck to leave a permanent claiming mark on you. You flinched in pain but it receded quickly, you were too out of it to really care what he did to you at that point.

Until you felt him cum into you. Your eyes went wide at the sensation as you felt relatively large round masses being pumped deeply into you.

Eggs.

You were shocked and disgusted, but there was nothing to be done about it then. You let the aqrabuamelu lick your various scratches and bite wounds clean before tucking you in with blankets so you could sleep while he made a meal.

He was so jubilant that his pregnant little mate was cozy in his nest while he took care of you. He had a nice home, a large territory, and now a soft mate to dote on and stuff full of his big prick whenever he needed to. Life was perfect.

THREE MONTHS LATER:

It had been around three months since you had been abducted. And it was hours since you had run away from the monstrosity that had kidnapped you. His name was Kurnugi, you had learned, managing very limited communication with the brute. He had finally let his guard down, finally trusted you since you had never been anything but compliant since you had been with him, and he had finally left you alone to go hunt for a longer period of time.

You did not waste the opportunity, it was clear that your bodyguards had not managed to leave the desert, probably succumbing to exposure. Either that or no one had cared to send a search party to look for you thinking you were a lost cause. So it was up to you to rescue yourself.

Once more your legs burned with a familiar exhaustion. Kurnugi was a skilled hunter that moved fast. Once he returned to his den he would begin tracking you immediately. If you were going to succeed then you had to get as much distance between yourself and that cave as you could possibly manage. It didn’t help that you were pregnant with his many eggs. It surely made travel more difficult.

As you made your way up the river you considered walking in it to hide your scent, but you decided against it. The wind was blowing your scent in the direction that you were fleeing from so it wouldn’t help you at all. The slog through the water would only slow you down. And that was the last thing that you needed right then.

The last thing other than suddenly finding yourself laying with your back against the hot sand and looking up with an absolutely outraged Kurnugi looking down at you with a malicious grin on his face.

How had he snuck up on you so silently?

You had expected to be immediately paralyzed by one of his stings, but the scorpion had other things in mind. He wasn’t just angry. He was hurt. You had tried to leave him the first opportunity you had. Had he not proven himself against lesser males to be a strong mate? Had he not provided food and water and shared his home with you? Had he not given you a nice belly full of eggs as any mate would desire?

The aqrabuamelu clearly had to show you your place. He had been too gentle with you. Not done enough to prove that you were, beyond any whisper of a doubt, his property.

And in that vein of thinking he did not bother with his venom, no, he wanted you to have the full ability of movement and still be just as utterly powerless to do anything to avoid him using you as he saw fit.

He pushed you over onto the ground and flipped you so that you were facing the sand with your ass up. Then, right in the middle of the desert, he ripped off the pants he had made for you out of leather and plant fibers.

Kurnugi crouched so that his cock was level with your cunt, his strong hands gripping your hips so hard that they would undoubtedly be bruised. You cried out and struggled just as pathetically as he had predicted that you would.

“Please! Please NO!!! I’ll behave! I-I’ll never leave again. KURNUGI PLEA-”

Your words became a pained shriek as he interrupted them by ramming his entire dick straight into you. No prep at all. He understood your cries for mercy and carried on anyway.

Each thrust into you was slow, powerful, and deliberate, driving your face into the sand as his nails bit into your flesh.

You were right about one thing. You’d never try to leave him again after this. He was going to fuck it into your brain so you’d have no chance of forgetting.

Tears dripped down your face, wicked away by the thirsty air and ground. Your legs shook and you would have collapsed were it not for the strong hands propping you up. Your abused cunt felt like it was being torn apart.

Kurnugi was once more excited by the scent of your blood and began pulling you back and forth over his prick like you were just a cock sleeve built for his pleasure. All you could do was sob and take it and try not to puke.

With a final slam he came in you hard. No eggs this time, since you were already full of them, just fluid that thankfully soothed your insides, if only a bit.

The anger of the aqrabuamelu was finally quelled and he panted with his throbbing cock still twitching and pumping cum into you. He picked you up and renewed the bite mark he had left on you. He did not have to since it was permanent, but he wanted to so you’d remember you were branded property.

Luckily the pain from the bite had been swallowed up by the disorientation and pain from the rape.

A small comfort.

Kurnugi picked you up effortlessly and cradled you close to him.

You couldn’t quite tell what he had said, but you knew it was meant to be soothing. He rubbed your back and chittered sweetly in that foreign language of his. Evidently happy to have that nasty business out of the way and content in the knowledge that you wouldn’t be trying that again.

7 MONTHS LATER:

You couldn’t wait for the eggs inside you to hatch. Kurnugi had assured you that you would be a great parent and since the eggs absorb the DNA of the parent they are deposited in he was confident that they would be the cutest babies in the entire world.

He was so wonderful to you. He doted on you and helped take you for walks when you were restless. He caught or foraged and then prepared all of your meals. He cuddled you close and kissed your swollen belly and made every effort to cheer you up when you were feeling down.

And you were sweet to him too, you learned how to craft things from the leather and fibers he made so you made him little trinkets that he either wore or decorated the den with. And you always greeted him by kissing him softly whenever he came home.

Things were a lot easier now that you could communicate.

And now that you understood that you could never go anywhere without him and to try to do so would be very hurtful for the both of you.

But why would you ever want to do something like that?

#yandere #yandere terato #yandere teratophilia #yandere monster #yandere x fem reader #yandere x female reader #male yandere x female reader #female reader #monster boyfriend #yandere scorpion #yandere scorpion man #yandere aqrabuamelu #yandere monster man #monster husband #My OCs #My OC Kurnugi

[kandyshoppe]

The Dorms Bra Shopping Pt 3

Octavinelle Dorm

Heartslaybul SavannaClaw Octavinelle (you are here) Scarabia Pomfoire Ignihyde Daisomnia

Azul

Azul knows somewhat about bras, many mermaids had them as swimming with big bazangas can be difficult. He's joined his mother to shop before, but he was pretty young and doesn't remember much except touching soft silky fabrics, and seeing pretty colours. He does do a quick research, and honestly panics after seeing prices online. Please don’t make him pay for these! His money! (He would pay for you but he’s not offering)

While outside he seems calm as a cucumber, hes panicking! If it was just bras, he would be fine, mermaids don't view chests as sexual or anything, but the panties! He's close to exploding! Please help him! Oh no, he saw stockings, and garter belts. He’s officially a boiled octopus. Please, don’t do this to him! And DONT tell the twins! (Spoiler alert, they already know everything)

He does end up helpful with bras, he is a bit of a mama's boy so he asked her some questions a few nights before about options. But he is a bit of a boiled octopus around panties and any stockings! He does not care about chests, at all! but man, legs are another thing! As long as you stay around bras and chests he doesn’t care. He’s not creepy, or gross, or even uncomfortable. Like I said, mermaids don’t view chests sexually. A chest is a chest.

He obviously enjoys the pastel cooler colours, and the fancy put together looks. While he does like the matching stocking looks, he can't look at you if you wear any. if you find some swimsuits to try on, he gets nervous that you want to see his mer form. Calm him down that he doesn't have to show it to you if he doesn't want too. But he does enjoy if you find some seashell patterns. They just remind him of back home, which yes he knows sounds a little weird, but shut up!

He does end up talking to his mom afterwards, and she probably ends up laughing at him a bit over being panicked about legs, but also understands and tells him she was amazed when she first saw a pair of legs. He is a bit nervous around you afterwards, but calms down pretty quickly at least. You now owe him a date! Payment and all! You end up being forced to go to a coin collector convention with him, which is somehow more fun than you expected.

Jade

Why would you want to bring jade? I love him, but he’s so…unsettling, even while dating, that honestly…either way let’s say you do invite him. He smiles creepily and doesn’t say yes or not. Just smiles and walks off! Why does he do this! He refuses to say yes or not, he just changes the subject. He somehow figures out where you meet you weather you told him or not, and now you’re at the mall! Have fun!

He is creepy while shopping but not pervert wise, more of like a random murderer doing his shopping between his killings. He follows silently, holds your bags, and just has such a menacing aura that a few people come ask if you’re okay. You sigh, say that’s just how he is, you’re fine, then you turn and scold him. It doesn’t work.

Jade ends up going a little crazy over a pair of mushroom bras and panties he finds. He ends up seeming a little less creepy by info dumping in the mushroom species in the patterns. He enjoys the soft cottage core based, soft pretty patterns, he spends his entire allowance on some cutesy stuff. For you, for him, probably finds a pair of mushroom sports socks for Floyd. He started off scaring the other customers, but now he has a flock of people around him as he gives a lecture on the flora and fauna. The workers end up having to ask you to leave cause you’re causing a bit of a ruckus, so you leave and go get some food.

I feel Jade doesn’t often eat “fast foods” so he is surprised at how greasy and salty everything is! He’s like a dog with peanut butter he can’t get the taste out of his mouth! He ends up giving you his meal and chugs both of your drinks before getting another one. He has been traumatized and now packs food for your dates. Never again!

Jade enjoyed the date, not the food, and wants to go shopping again! He looked online and found a mushroom cologne, and a garden center near the mall! You don’t know how you end up going there, but you have to hit him when he points to something and says “this is the one that sits on your hip on those panties!”

Floyd

Another why would you take him with you!?! There are two ways this goes. If he’s grumpy, he flat out says no. Hope you get him in a grumpy mood cause ofherwise he’s coming with! And yes, he is squeezing and hugging you the entire time! Draped over you like a blanket, or dragging you around to look at different things! Again mermaids don’t view chests like land dwellers, but socks, shoes and underwear are so foreign to him! There’s a pretty good chance he goes comando.

He has NO decorum! He’s not creepy about your chest, but he’s treating the store like a playground! Totally puts a bra on his eyes like an eye mask. Panties on his head like a hat. Socks like gloves. If you didn’t know his actual age you would be questioning how old he truly was. He’s acting like a three year old. Probably try’s to drink the perfume. Please reign him in.

Once he gets his goofy out of his system (you took him to a parkour place or something to burn energy off) he is petting the bras and panties. People think he’s a pervert until you call him and he tries over like an oversized sea puppy! He is scaring off any perverts and store associates so good luck getting any help! Once one braves coming over, he is asking many questions and surprisingly listening. He asks to get sized, and gets mad when his chest is only at like trainer bra sizes. But he drags you over to try and find one for him. He finds them itchy and uncomfortable and changes his mind.

He likes the softer looks surprisingly! Baby dolls, frills, lace and bows! He feels like back home when hunting, strong and powerful! He would protect you but also destroy you. He also likes the different textures cause running his hands over it there is always a different touch! A surprise every time.

He does end up getting a pair of boxer briefs, and some nice socks since he’s a shoe guy (which is canon apparently!?!) so he can have his shoes look nice, or crazy socks, bright neons to annoy Azul. You both eat food, and he is disgusted but some reason enjoys the food anyway! If you get chicken he snaps the bones and eats the marrow, if you also do that he fights to get your bones.

#twisted wonderland #azul ashengrotto #azul x reader #jade leech #jade x reader #floyd leech #floyd x reader #x gn reader #x fem reader #x reader

[reasonsforhope]

"[There is] fantastic news for species conservation after new populations of the gorgeous ‘Skywalker’ gibbon, known to science for only 6 years, were recently found living in the politically chaotic nation of Myanmar.

Also called the hoolock gibbon, this dainty vocalist was first described in 2017 living in the extreme south of China on a mountain in Yunnan. Classified as Endangered by the IUCN, the population was estimated to number a paltry 150 individuals, but others were believed to live in Myanmar.

Even before the recent military junta usurped the president and plunged the country into civil war, Myanmar [was a difficult place to conduct field studies, especially extensive or ongoing ones, due to ongoing conflict.]

[Although they are] now in open revolt against the military junta, [the Myanmar states of Shan and Kachin] were nevertheless destinations for an intrepid team of scientists from the Nature Conservation Society Myanmar, Fauna & Flora International–Myanmar Programme, the IUCN’s ape specialist group, and field researchers from universities in England, China, and the US.

Together, they conducted acoustic surveys, collected non-invasive DNA sampling, and took photographs for morphological identification at six sites in Kachin State and three sites in Shan State. With the help of the Myanmar conservationists, the team also interviewed locals dwelling in rural forested areas, small conservation programs, and timber companies about the frequency of sightings and the hunting pressure.

Population estimates of unknown quality and scientific rigor conducted in 2013 suggested there might be 65,000 hoolock gibbons in Myanmar, but the matter became much more complicated after the classification of the Skywalker gibbon as a separate species from the eastern hoolock gibbon—where before they were confused as the same.

“We were able to genetically identify 44 new groups of Skywalker gibbons in Myanmar,” said senior author Tierra Smiley Evans, research faculty at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, and contributing author. “This is a huge resource and success story for Myanmar.”

These gibbons sing to each other at dawn for around 22 minutes, and consume 36 different plant species; choosing fruit first, and flowers later. They seldom sleep in the same tree two nights in a row to avoid predation, and can’t swim so are often confined to territories by river systems.

The team that discovered them in China in 2017 loved Star Wars, and called them tianxing which is Chinese pinyin for “heaven movement;” a nod not only to their favorite sci-fi franchise, but also to China’s ancient history. In the famous Book of Change [aka the I Ching] of the Zhou Dynasty [1046 BCE to 265 BCE], a divination poem refers to gibbons specifically, and uses tianxing as a verb to describe their movements.

The interviews were a source of great data for the scientists. For starters, nearly all individuals in both the Kachin and Shan states could identify a Skywalker gibbon by sight and by playback of its singing, lending the exercise a good degree of reliability...

“Biologists did not believe Skywalker gibbons could live in the small remaining patches in Southern Shan State before we started this project,” Pyae Phyo Aung, executive director of Nature Conservation Society Myanmar, told the UC Davis press.

“I am delighted with our field team members who have done an excellent job, within a short period of time, building community trust for further conservation actions. This area is degraded forest. It is really important for Myanmar and China to consider extending conservation approaches for the Skywalker gibbon to this new geographic area.”

Nearly 32,000 square kilometers, or around 8 million acres of forestland in Eastern Myanmar are suitable gibbon habitat, and while existing forest reserves like Paung Taung and Mae Nei Laung are quite large, they remain unprotected. For this reason, the survey team recommended they remain considered ‘Endangered’ on the IUCN Red List until habitat protections improve."

-via Good News Network, February 21, 2024

#gibbon #apes #primates #myanmar #endangered species #china #zoology #conservation biology #conservation news #primatology #good news #hope

[inmyfxith]

Neteyam dating a female human

A/N -> If you disagree with something I wrote in it, don't hesitate to tell me. I would love to discuss it with you.

-> Requested - I dare to imagine that the person who asked me for the same headcanon for Lo'ak also asked for this one, if so, could you tell me if this is what you expected? If not, don't hesitate to let me know!

Your mother is an important scientist who specializes in the fauna and flora of Pandora, following in the footsteps of the legendary Grace Augustine. Slightly out of touch with reality, she managed to get you on the trip by falsifying papers, making you the youngest scientist on the expedition. You were eager to learn from the best and to contribute, even just a little bit, to the ongoing efforts to understand and protect Pandora's unique ecosystem.

One day, while conducting field research (a discovery for you) on the direhorses - massive, grey-skinned creatures resembling elephants - you stumbled upon Neteyam, the eldest son of Jake Sully, who was out hunting with his brother Lo'ak and other young members of his clan. You were immediately struck by Neteyam's tall, muscular build and piercing yellow eyes, and you couldn't help but be drawn to his confident and assertive demeanor. As you watched him expertly track and hunt an animal that looked like a Terrian gazelle, you couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration for his skills and knowledge of Pandora's wildlife.

Neteyam's heightened senses as a Na'vi allowed him to detect your presence in the forest, and from the moment his large eyes met yours, you were both drawn to each other despite your main difference. You couldn't help but feel a deep connection to Neteyam, despite the fact that you were from different worlds. You were fascinated by his culture and way of life, and you were drawn to his strength and confidence.

You couldn't help but feel a bit of sadness as you watched him disappear into the forest, wondering if you would ever see him again. But fate had other plans, and the next day you found yourself reunited with Neteyam in the laboratory. He had accompanied Kiri, his younger sister, to see her mother's avatar. As you stood together in the lab, surrounded by the whirring machines and flashing screens, you couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement and possibility.

As you got to know each other better, you began to learn about Neteyam's life as a member of the Omaticaya clan, and you were impressed by his dedication to his people and his home. Neteyam, in turn, was fascinated by your curiosity and your thirst for knowledge, and he enjoyed sharing his insights and experiences with you.

As the weeks went by, Neteyam began to visit the laboratory more and more often, always making sure to stop by when he knew you would be there. At first, Dr. Patel was intrigued by Neteyam's frequent visits, wondering what could be bringing him back to the lab so often. But as he observed the two of you together, it became clear that Neteyam was there to see you.

As you spent more time together, exploring Pandora and learning about each other's cultures, you couldn't help but feel a growing sense of love and connection. Neteyam was everything you had ever wanted in a partner, and you knew that he was the one you wanted to spend the rest of your life with.

The two of you sat together on a grassy hill overlooking Pandora's beautiful landscape, Neteyam turned to you and asked if you would like to explore more of his world together. "I know so many beautiful and hidden places that I would love to show you," he said. "There are so many wonders of Pandora that I want to share with you, and I want to learn more about your world as well." You felt a sense of excitement and joy at the thought of exploring Pandora more with Neteyam. You knew that being with him would be an adventure, and you were eager to see all that Pandora had to offer. You smiled, saying, "I would love to explore Pandora with you. There's so much I want to learn and see, and I know that being with you will make it all the more special."

Neteyam was always very attentive to your needs and desires, and he was always striving to make you feel safe and protected. Whether it was by standing guard over you while you slept, or by carrying you across treacherous terrain to keep you from harm, he was always there for you. He knew that being a human on Pandora was not without its challenges, and he was determined to do everything in his power to make your life as comfortable and safe as possible.

Despite the strong connection and feelings that you and Neteyam shared, Neteyam was hesitant to start a relationship due to the troubled history between your two species and the mistrust that many Na'vi held for humans. He knew that being with you would not be easy, and he was worried about how his people would react.

Neteyam was also concerned about how his mother, Neytiri, would react to your relationship. Neytiri had a well-founded dislike for humans, and she had always been very protective of her children. Neteyam knew that she would not be pleased to see him with a human, and he was worried about the potential consequences of your relationship.

As Jake Sully watched his son, Neteyam, he couldn't help but notice the changes in his behavior. Neteyam had always been a strong and capable young man, but lately, he seemed to be more distant and preoccupied. Jake had a feeling that something was wrong, and he knew that he needed to find out what was going on. One day, Jake decided to confront Neteyam about his behavior. He pulled him aside and asked him directly if something was wrong. Neteyam hesitated at first, but eventually, he admitted that he was in love with a human. Jake immediately feared for his wife's reaction. Neytiri had always had a well-founded dislike for humans, and Jake knew that she would not be pleased to see her son with one. He also knew that many members of their clan would not accept a human as their Olo'eyktan’s mate, or female leader, and he was worried about the potential consequences of Neteyam's relationship.

Neteyam believed that being true to his feelings was the only way to create a future together, and he was willing to fight for that future no matter what. He was confident that, with your support and your shared values, you could overcome any obstacle that came your way. He was also keenly aware of the importance of communication in any relationship, and he made sure to keep you in the loop about any developments or challenges that arose.

Neteyam's openness and honesty were key to the success of your relationship, and they helped you to build a strong and lasting bond that could withstand any challenges that came your way.

As Neteyam's partner, you could expect physical displays of affection from him on a regular basis. He might hold your hand as you walked together, cuddle with you as you lay in a natural place, or sneak kisses when you least expected it. These gestures were Neteyam's way of showing you his love and affection, and they were always sincere and heartfelt.

Most of the time, you found a way to hide in a corner of the lab where you didn't have to wear your exopack. So he could touch your face as many times as he wanted.

As you spent more time together, exploring Pandora and learning about each other's cultures, it became clear that your relationship was something special. You were deeply in love, and you knew that you wanted to be together forever. You, personally, didn't feel the need to make your relationship "official" in any traditional sense, as it had always felt like a given to you.

In addition to physical affection, Neteyam was also a supportive and comforting presence for you. He was always there when you needed someone to talk to, and he was happy to listen to your concerns and offer words of encouragement and comfort. Even when he couldn't find the right words to say, his presence alone was often enough to help you feel better.

Neteyam was fully committed to you, and he made it clear that he wanted to be with you for the long haul. He had no interest in anyone else, and he was content to focus all of his attention and affection on you.

Neteyam wanted to bond with you in a way that will satisfy his family and prevent them from causing problems in your relationship. In order to prevent any conflict or difficulties, Neteyam wanted to formally bond with you in a way that is recognized and accepted by his family. Regardless of the form it takes, he believed this bonding process would be an important step in solidifying your relationship and ensuring that it is accepted and supported by Neteyam's family.

At a certain point, you asked Dr. Patel about the possibility of creating a Na'vi avatar in order to experience the same sensations as them and, especially, but obviously you kept it to yourself, to participate in the bonding ritual of tsaheylu with Neteyam in order to form an emotional bond with him that would last all your life.

But the cost and especially the danger of such an operation, creating an avatar and bringing it back to Pandora without informing the competent authorities, seemed impossible for Patel. Despite this initial failure, Neteyam has not given up on the idea, offering other ways for you to connect to the collective memory via prayers, spiritual practices, and meditation.

You sat cross-legged on the floor of the small, secluded clearing in the forest, your eyes closed and your breathing slow and steady. You had been practicing meditation for months now, hoping to find a way to connect with the Pandoran collective consciousness and bond with Neteyam. Despite your efforts, you had yet to experience the same deep connection that Neteyam seemed to feel so naturally. But today, as you focused on your breath and let go of your thoughts, you began to feel a sense of peace and clarity wash over you. You felt your body relax and your mind open, and you could sense the presence of something larger than yourself. As you opened your eyes, you saw Neteyam sitting across from you, his queue glowing softly in the dim light of the clearing. You reached out to him, and he took your hand in his own. "I can feel it," you whispered, tears of joy streaming down your face. "I can feel Eywa."Neteyam smiled and squeezed your hand. "Welcome to the collective consciousness, my love," he said. You felt a surge of happiness and gratitude wash over you as you connected with Neteyam and the collective consciousness. You knew that this was a bond that would last a lifetime.

#avatar #avatar the way of water #neteyam #neteyam headcanons #neteyam x reader #jake sully #avatar headcanons

[kayas-kosmos]

Solarpunk Colossus.

When the ancient ones awaken to help out humanity with their climate problem.

This was a piece I've been wanting to do for ages and @stimpunks helped me make this a reality! So thank you so much for this commission! All of my neurospicy friends should definitely check out Stimpunks and give them a follow!

I just wanted an excuse to blend Solarpunk with fantasy art really.

The idea is that an environmental research facility was unwittingly built upon the back of a sleeping earth colossus due to the unique flora and fauna of the area, only for the colossus to suddenly awaken. The behemoth made an agreement with the scientists that they may stay on its back, but only on the condition that they treat the isolated ecosystem with respect and that their research will help heal nature and bring about a world where humans and nature live in harmony again.

The research facility itself is constructed from entirely sustainable materials and is a blend of iron-age and modern architecture. The scientists must stick to strict limestone paths so not to erode any of the earthy areas. Some locations cannot be accessed by foot and are therefore drone-only. The entire facility is powered by those airborne turbines (I probably added more than there needed to be but they look pretty haha).

Here's some concept art for the colossus. I made him a lot less grumpy in the final piece. He has six legs on account of him being extremely front-heavy and he has little tiptoeing ungulate feet. I also worked a lot of fossil motifs into his design, plus I imagine the wooden structures that make his antlers are so ancient that they have started to petrify. I want this creature to feel truly ancient. His face is also inspired by "the green man" a little bit.

The scientists have nicknamed this colossus "The Wean" (Wee one) on account of him living off the coast of Scotland.

Oh and before anyone asks... yes, this was at least a little bit inspired by "Shadow of the Colossus." I'm not going to hide my influences ^^'

If you want to see more Solarpunk or fantasy art from me, please consider donating a Ko-Fi! Even a small amount really helps, especially with how difficult things are for artists right now.

#Solarpunk #solarpunk art #solarpunk artist #environmentalism #hopepunk #artists on tumblr #fantasy artist #fantasy art #digital art #autistic artist #creature design #illustration #ecological art #creature art #my art

[sleepy-razor]

How they tell you they love you

Warnings: None!!

Characters: Aether, Xiao, Diluc, Albedo, Childe, Heizou, Tighnari

Notes: This wasn't a request, I just thought it'd be fun to write something like this! I hope you enjoy it!

Aether

He's blushing so hard when he says it

He loves you so much it almost knocks him off his feet, so he tries to tell you whenever he can

Physical touch too!!

He's always touching you in some way, whether he's holding your hand or has his arm wrapped around your waist

Poor Aether is afraid that you'll disappear if he lets go of you :(

Xiao

He hardly ever says it, but that doesn't mean he never tells you

His way of showing he cares is more acts of service and giving gifts than anything

If you have anywhere you need to go within Liyue's borders, he's quick to offer to accompany you to make sure you arrive at your destination safely

He sees stuff that makes him think of you often, and he always makes sure to grab it to bring it to you, if possible

If you store what he gives you in a spot where anyone can see it, he'd never admit the pride that warms his heart at the fact that you display his affections so openly

Diluc

Another big gift giver, but he's more open to actually saying that he loves you

Quality time is another big thing for him, but with how busy he can get with the Winery and being the Darknight Hero, he doesn't get as much as he'd like

So he resorts to telling you he loves you every chance he gets, and spoiling you with gifts

Scold him all you'd like for how much money he puts toward you, it won't stop him because in his eyes, you're worth it.

Albedo

Quality time. 100%.

He doesn't understand much about love, and as such he doesn't understand it all too well, so he isn't sure how to offer much more

He does love holding your hand, though, so you'll have to initiate it most of the time.

He has no issue if you're walking together, because he can rationalize it as making sure you don't get separated, but any other time and his brain stalls

Childe

This man will tell you he loves you 24/7

You are precious to him, just about on the save level as his siblings.

He would die for you if the situation calls for it.

Like Diluc, he is also one to lavish you with gifts, especially if the Tsaritsa is sending him on a mission and he has no clue how long it'll take to be completed

He can't have you doubting that he loves you, after all

Greets you with a kiss every time he comes home. Nothing else can happen before then. He has a routine he must adhere to, and getting a kiss is always number one on that list

Heizou

More quality time

He says it often, but he prefers to show you that he loves you by taking you out to do stuff

Oftentimes he'll invite you out to help him investigate a case

Number one hype man in these instances

He constantly praises you when you piece something together, and he'll always brag you up for how smart you are, no matter if he's on his own or you're standing with him.

Tighnari

Despite his sharp tongue and sassy nature, words of affirmation and quality time are his go to

You're the first person he invites if he decides he wants to go and research the flora or fauna in the rainforest

He'll accompany you anywhere, from Sumeru City to the edges of the desert (you have yet to convince him to actually set foot into the desert at your side)

Always willing to answer any questions you have as well. He finds your curiosity endearing, even if you do somehow manage to come up with the most ridiculous scenarios to test his knowledge.

#genshin impact x reader #genshin impact aether #genshin impact xiao #genshin impact diluc #genshin impact albedo #genshin impact childe #genshin impact heizou #genshin impact tighnari #aether x reader #xiao x reader #diluc x reader #albedo x reader #childe x reader #heizou x reader #tighnari x reader

[archangeldyke-all]

Oh my fucking god that sugar mommy AU👀is there more where that came from?

yesss!!!!! have some spare hc's i have for this sevika.

men and minors dni

sevika's favorite thing to buy you is anything that funds your hobby. whether it's crocheting or painting or yoga or weightlifting, she'll do so much research about The Best products and investments to make, and buys you new accessories on the regular.

even if you think your hobby doesn't need accessories. do you hike? she buys you new boots and binoculars and little guide books on local flora and fauna. do you watch a sport? she buys you tickets to games whenever she can, buys you merch on the regular, if you're someone who plays she even learns the basic rules so she can scrimmage with you.

she just loves seeing you in your element, doing what you love, that happy smile on your face.

she also loves seeing you get to explore your personal style on her dime.

regardless of your aesthetic-- i think clothes are things everyone loves experimenting with if they have the money to.

she won't let you buy cheap stuff-- fast fashion or cheap materials are a no. she makes you get high quality stuff-- stuff that'll last for years, and she sends it all off to a tailors so it'll fit you like a glove.

she just likes watching you enjoy yourself. she likes watching the person you are become bigger and brighter as she helps you do and be what you love.

taglist

@lesbeaniegreenie @fyeahnix @sapphicsgirl @half-of-a-gay

#sevika #sevika imagine #sevika x reader #sevika arcane #sevika x you #soft sevika

[writingquestionsanswered]

Hello, I am just curious do you have any good advice or resources on worldbuilding? I am a beginner when it comes to worldbuilding so I would like to get more information before starting.

Beginner Tips for World Building

The number one tip I have for beginner world builders is: if it doesn't make an appearance in the story, don't worry about it.

Details in your story should accomplish at least one of the following:

-- play an actual role in the story -- inform the reader about nature of world/character/plot -- create ambience

If a detail doesn't accomplish any of those things, you don't have to flesh it out in pre-writing world building, and you don't have to include it in the story.

So, let's say your protagonist's village, and setting of Act I, is hemmed in by a dark and ancient forest. It might be tempting to spend hours researching and planning all the flora and fauna to be found in the forest, but if your character never sets foot inside the forest during the story--and if no one in the story talks about being in the forest--why does any of that matter?

Instead, go for a targeted approach. You want to create ambience and inform the reader of the nature of the forest, so you could describe a few of the flora and fauna that can be found there. Like, you might say the forest is filled with blackthorn and siverbirch, and patches of belladonna. You might also mention that sometimes bats fly out of the forest to feed on insects swarming in the light of the nightly bonfires. Maybe your character goes to the apothecary for some medicine and is told about a healing mushroom that grows among the spleenwort and rowan. This is just enough detail to color your world and help the reader get a feel for the magic that might come from such an old and mysterious forest, but you're not wasting hours upon hours (or paragraph after paragraph) fleshing out this forest that ultimately has little bearing on the actual plot.

The second most important tip I have for beginner world builders: use real world places as inspiration/models for fictional places.

Building a world from scratch is a lot of work, so using real world locations as inspiration and models for your fictional world can not only cut your work load significantly--it can help ensure cohesion and believability in your world. My post Setting Your Story in an Unfamiliar Place has tips for researching real locations for your story. You can also have a look at my World Building master list for other tips and ideas.

Happy world building!

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

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#writing tips #writing help #wqaadvice

[lovable-liar]

hii could i request some just dating headcanons for hasan? like how did you meet, what is it like, fun moving in escapades lol

love your writing lots!!

𝗛𝗮𝘀𝗮𝗻 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗼𝗻𝘀

You and Hasan met at a mutual friend's party. It was an immediate connection when you guys started actually talking about your interests and not how you both knew the host of the party.

For your first date, Hasan took you to a cozy, independent bookstore that he frequented. You both explored the aisles, recommending books to each other.

Beyond literature, you discovered other shared interests. Hasan is a foodie, and you both enjoy exploring new cuisines and cooking together. He also introduced you to his passion for astronomy, and you've spent countless nights stargazing with a telescope in your backyard.

When you decided to move in together, Hasan made it an adventure. He surprised you by renting a vintage VW camper van to transport your belongings to the new place. You took a road trip to your new home, stopping at picturesque spots along the way, enjoying picnics, and making memories.

On lazy Sunday mornings, you and Hasan often stay in bed, surrounded by a cozy pile of throws, blankets and pillows. 

Hasan loves to travel, and you've gone on exciting adventures together. Whether it's exploring ancient ruins in Greece, hiking through the rain forests of Costa Rica, or simply wandering the streets of a charming European city, you both cherish these experiences and the bond they've created.

Hasan is not only your partner but also your biggest supporter. He encourages your passions and pursuits, just as you do for him. Whether it's attending each other's book launches or cheering each other on during tough times, you make a fantastic team.

Hasan surprises you with book-themed dates. He'll set up a small outdoor picnic, complete with fairy lights, blankets, and a stack of books he thinks you'll love. These surprise book dates are a testament to his thoughtfulness and your shared love for reading.

Hasan is a surprisingly good cook, and you enjoy trying out new recipes together. There have been a few mishaps in the kitchen, but you both laugh them off and order takeout when needed.

You both love spending weekends in nearby nature reserves. Hasan, with his extensive knowledge, acts as your unofficial tour guide, sharing interesting facts about the flora and fauna you encounter along the way.

Movie nights are a must in your relationship. You take turns picking films, but it's always a challenge for Hasan to find a movie that meets his high standards. He'll spend hours researching and curating the perfect list before finally settling on one.

Hasan is a thoughtful and considerate partner. He listens intently to your thoughts and feelings and is always there to offer support and encouragement. You both share a passion for social justice, and you often engage in meaningful conversations about current events, activism, and how you can make a positive impact on the world together.

When you decided to move in together, you embarked on a quest to find the perfect furniture. Hasan's taste leans towards minimalism, while you enjoy a cozy and eclectic style. The compromise led to some hilarious furniture-shopping escapades.

You both enjoy DIY projects. From painting rooms in bold colors to building your own bookshelves, you've had your fair share of DIY successes and hilarious mishaps.

Cooking together in your new home became a fun challenge. You've had cook-offs where each of you chooses a cuisine, and you compete to see whose dish turns out the best (or most edible).

Setting up a home theater system was an adventure in itself. Hasan's tech-savvy nature and your love for movie marathons made this a fun, yet sometimes frustrating, experience.

Dating Hasan is an adventure in creativity and intellectual stimulation. You find yourselves going on art-inspired dates to museums, galleries, and even collaborating on your own art projects. Hasan introduces you to his world of social commentary and activism, and you both engage in meaningful conversations about important issues. You also discover a shared love for cooking, experimenting with new recipes together, and hosting dinner parties for friends.

Hasan's sense of humor keeps the relationship lighthearted, and you both enjoy playfully debating various topics. Your shared interests in current events, politics, and culture make for engaging discussions and late-night talks.

#hasan x reader #hasanabi #hasan piker #hasan piker x reader #hasanabi x reader

[the-likesofus]

WIP WEDNESDAY ⚠️

Tagged by the incredible wonderful @spotsandsocks whom I adore xx

From my Love Languages Fic:

When Buck shows up on the Diaz doorstep at seven o'clock on Saturday morning Eddie is instantly checking his phone calendar for a missed appointment. "Did we have plans?" Eddie asks, shoving half of his piece of toast in his mouth and taking another sip of his coffee. He is still half asleep and it's going cold faster than he can drink it. "No," Buck chuckles, "I have a date with your Abuela's back porch steps. She said they've been creaking. I realized I left my tool bag here after I fixed your sliding door. Also, I figured maybe you'd like to come with me? She asked about weeding the back garden while I'm there too and I thought Chris might like to help." Buck is bustling around the house as he talks, moving from room to room with the ease of someone who lives there and it almost leaves Eddie speechless. When he comes back into the living room, his tool bag in hand, he steals a mouthful of Eddie’s coffee and settles into the empty chair next to him. "You know how he's got that new biology unit at the moment. The one about flora and fauna? We can call it extracurricular research. He'll love it." It takes Eddie’s sleep-idle brain a moment to catch up and then realizes that Buck is inviting them to his Abuela’s house on a Saturday morning and that nothing about this feels weird. “Yeah. Yeah, of course, we’ll come. I don’t think we had any plans today. Chris is actually still in bed, I let him stay up late playing that new video game with his friends.” “Oh! Overcooked right? That one you’re terrible at.” Buck steals his coffee again and eventually, Eddie just pushes it in front of him and lets him have the rest. “I don’t understand how anyone could be any good at that game.” Eddie sighs and he knows he’s being dramatic but Buck just laughs happily, also stealing a slice of toast from Eddie’s plate. “You know you could make your own breakfast.” Buck raises an eyebrow at him and talks around the mouthful of toast. “I already had breakfast.”

Tagging @lilbuddie @bekkachaos @loveyourownsmiilee @monsterrae1 @rewritetheending @thosetwofirefighters @jacksadventuresinwriting @wh0re-behavi0r @rogerzsteven @elvensorceress @shortsighted-owl @singlethread @swiftiediaz @elvensorceress @alyxmastershipper @buddiearemydads @rose-buddie @jobairdxx anyone else that would like to share please tag me so I can read your wonderful work ♡

#meegs writes stuff #wip wednesday #buddie #love languages fic #eddie diaz #evan ‘buck’ buckley #911 fox #911 abc

[avastrasposts]

BTS - The Pilot and his Girl

I was talking to some mutuals, who also write darker themes, about what we google and I realised readers probably don’t know about the amount of ridiculous research we sometimes put into tiny details in stories. And the ridiculous details we google! 

The Pilot and his Girl covered a lot of darker topics, PTSD, drug abuse and withdrawal, handling grief and trauma among other things. But it also included details about guns, military insignia and markers, Boston weather, Wyoming weather, geographical markers and local flora and fauna. And I did A LOT of googling to cover all the details. 

More below the cut if you’re curious, but my personal favourite was when Google gave me a warning banner about drug addiction, assuring me there was help to be had and here’s a list of local resources. I was only trying to figure out what withdrawals Frankie would go through as he came down off his addiction… 

So I did a fair bit of googling before the outbreak even happened, including the fish Denny catches in the lake on the fourth of July. It’s a fish that lives pretty much all over North America so I didn’t need to specify the state. Had I known that The Pilot would grow into a 300´000+ word fic I would’ve outlined where they lived and how they travelled in more detail in the beginning. 

In the fic they live in Arlington, but that’s not mentioned until after the outbreak and although they are somewhere in the south, where, is never specified. Arlington became their hometown simply because it’s the third most common place name in the US, Franklin being the most common (hence the name of the first QZ…). And Washington Park, where Frankie thinks he kills a man in the early hours of the outbreak, is the second most common place name. 

In one of the earlier chapters Frankie’s PTSD flares up in a bad way after his girlfriend is shot. I, thankfully, have no experience with PTSD so I read up and found good resources online from both treatment centres and stories from people who had suffered from PTSD, especially military veterans. So I put all of that into my writing and received the ultimate comment when one of my readers asked if I worked with PTSD patients because they had experience of it and they thought I had written Frankie’s episode so well. That made me so happy because capturing what he goes through well was important to me because it’s a major theme in the fic.

A small detail readers probably missed are the signs Pope and Frankie leave for each other as they travel from the cabin in Lucía’s town. I don’t know why, but I was adamant about them being correct and spent way too much time looking up what signs special ops soldiers would use. So go ahead, look them up, I can guarantee that they’re correct! 

Oh and their guns? Yeah, it’s not a coincidence that Frankie picks up a Glock when he enters the looted gun shop. It’s one of their preferred handguns. 

After Pope, Benny, Frankie and his girl leave the Arlington QZ and head to New York they have to cross the Appalachian mountains. And the trail they’re on exists, as does the bridge they’re on when they’re attacked and capture Morrow, their guide. The shop they get to as they go through Hoboken, Hoboken Beer & Soda Outlet, is a real place, as is of course, Sinatra Park. And as they travel further north, from New York, up to Boston, you can follow the path they take, first the ship from Orchard Park up to Nonquitt Bay and up past the USS Massachusetts, and through the Boston suburbs. I love geography and I had to make it real, at least for myself! 

Boston winters are harsh, I already knew that, so I had to figure out the timeline of spring potentially arriving and work out when Frankie and his girl could leave after Pope dies. Frankie’s addiction and withdrawals took a lot of googling, as did figuring out what drugs/medicines would still be actually usable. There’s a mention of antibiotics being good for years after their expiration date and this is also true, stored correctly they don’t lose their effect. 

And once they left, I googled my way across the midwest and marvelled at how FLAT and STRAIGHT those states are! My mind was blown and I spent way too much time using Google Street view to just click my way across Nebraska. I used a lot of those images to describe the landscape that they travelled through, both by car and on foot, and how it changes as you get closer to the Rockies. And of course I googled the climate for that valley that Jackson is in and how a hydroelectric plant works but please forgive me, that is NOT how you repair one. Major artistic licence was taken to make that scene readable…. 

The one MAJOR deviation from facts I had to make was petrol. But as the same deviation is made in both the game and tv-show I let it slide. In reality, they wouldn’t be able to drive the cars with petrol that had been sitting other cars out in the open. Petrol breaks down very fast, even after a month in a car it’s lost a lot of its quality. After a year it starts clogging the car. Twenty years? No way…. The thing is, in the apocalypse, bicycles are what you need! 

But despite all that googling I did, someone did point out (in the nicest possible way) one mistake that I made. In the early days in Jackson baby Jack is fed honey because I figured it would be the one sweetener they would potentially have on hand. But apparently, honey shouldn’t be given to children under the age of one… But I have no kids so the thought didn’t even occur to me that he shouldn’t be eating it. But now I know and I don’t think I’ll ever forget because it will always make me think of baby Jack and Frankie! 

If you’ve read this far, I hope you’ve enjoyed this little “behind the scenes” bit and if you have any questions, just ask. Funnily enough, most writers love talking about their works. ❤❤❤

#the pilot and his girl #frankie morales #frankie morales x reader #pedro pascal character fanfiction #frankie morales x you #the last of us #the last of us fanfiction

[maxineswritingcenter]

'Awstengyem - Jake Sully x Na'vi!OC x Neytiri

A Na'vi woman raised by the humans, a human who became Na'vi, and a Na'vi warrior. It sounds like the beginning of an interesting story. After being orphaned as an infant, and raised by the scientists at Central Command, she must help Jake Sully connect with the Omatikaya clan, while also making her own journey of self discovery. Plus, everyone is hot. I don't make the rules.

One person liked my post and now you all are going to see it. I have never done such an intense deep dive into into a fandom because... My God... There are so many details that are so central to one's identity as a Na'vi. So, just know that I always do my research to get the most canon-like stories out possible because it's what you deserve. Yes, this is another OC story, but it was that or adding (Y/N) and that just... seems wrong.

---

Origin stories always seemed to get a little fuzzy, it helped if you knew your own history and not what was taught to you by a second hand source. But her mother told her that she was a child orphaned by a fatal altercation between RDA soldiers and a lone band of the Olangi clan. She was all that was left, a three foot tall infant. They had almost left her to the viperwolves. But, the woman she called mother, Dr. Grace Augustine, urged them to spare the child. That she could important to human-Na'vi relations.

Lotta good that did.

The only Na'vi thing about her was her name:

Rey te Tawtute Kìreysì'ite.

Live of the Sky Person, Daughter of Grace. She couldn't figure out if Grace named her Rey because of its meaning, or because it would be easy for non-speakers to pronounce.

After learning that the sky people had corrupted a child of their clan, they refused to even look at her. And none of the neighboring clans wanted anything to do with her either.

None of that ever really bothered her though. Rey learned to speak Na'vi from her mother, learned about the flora and fauna of Pandora. She shared the love and fascination of every individual creature that lived. She knew of Ewya, but had never experienced the great mother a part from the moment after her birth, where communication with Ewya was a sacred practice. Now Rey couldn't get anywhere near the great spirit tree without getting shot at with arrows laced with poison that would stop her heart before she could bleed out.

Now here she was, watching the as new Avatar pilots exited the helicarrier that brought them to Central Command from the window of the lab. Soon enough, two scientists would be sleep walking in genetically altered Na'vi bodies that were grown from a petri dish and stuck in a pseudo-womb for a couple years.

"New recruits get here yet?" Max looked out the window.

"Yeah." Rey sighed, taking a breath of out her air mask that hung around her neck, "Can't wait for them to gawk at me." The oxygenated lab was fine for breathing comfortably, if it didn't make her a little light headed after a while. Her mother had created a blend that worked similarly to the masks the humans wore outside of the lab except this mask brought Pandora's atmosphere to her allowing her to be inside longer. Most of the scientists didn't care for her presence in the lab besides Dr. Max Patel and her mother.

"Well, that one." He pointed to the man who looked around the world with child-like wonder, "That's doctor Norm Spellman, he's a anthropologist, xenolinguist and xenobotanist."

"Goodie." She looked closer, "What about that one. The one in the..." It appeared to be a chair... with wheels on it.

"Wheelchair." He supplied the word.

Rey shrugged, taking another breath from her mask, "Yeah, that."

"That's Jake Sully."

"I thought his name was Tom. That's what it says on chamber two." She stood up from her hunched position, nearly hitting her head on the ceiling.

"Doctor Tom Sully was supposed to be the pilot for chamber two, but her died suddenly. So they brought his twin brother, Jake."

"Mom's gonna be pissed."

"Oh trust me, that ship has sailed." He patted her arm, walking away from her. She watched the human in the wheelchair, he wasn't looking around with his mouth wide open like doctor Spellman, he seemed to be seeing everything with fresh eyes.

He was interesting. Hopefully, he didn't die.

-

Rey sat in the bio-lab, looking over Tom Sully's avatar, well... Jake Sully's avatar. He seemed pretty handsome as far as Na'vi standards. There were features that would make him stand out against the others. Avatars, having been genetically matched to their drivers, had human DNA. So these Na'vi look-alikes had eyebrows and one extra finger and toe on each hand and foot. She touched her fingertips against the glass, watching the avatar jerk and twitch. It was a living thing, yet an empty shell. In a few hours, they would be decanted. Which was just a fancy word for birthing them from the machine that grew them. She was kind of excited to meet them.

Walking into the link room, Rey got a few annoyed looks from the newer scientists, but the older ones, ones that had known her for practically her entire life, smiled and waved. Leaning, against the wall, she crossed her arms and waited. Waited for her mother's face when she saw Jake Sully.

"They're comin' out!" One tech called. The PA system announced that that the current drivers were coming out of link.

"Oh god." Grace sighed as she got out of the chamber, her red hair shining in the lights. "Who's got my goddamn cigarette?" She was already grumpy. "Guys, what's wrong with this picture?" She held up her empty hand, promptly filled with a cigarette and lighter by a technician whom she thanked.

"You gotta stop smoking, mom, it's bad for your teeny tiny lungs." She pushed off the wall and walked towards her. Her bare feet padded against the grates of the lab.

"I'll stop smoking when you start wearing shoes in the lab." She said around a puff of tobacco.

"You're the one who told me I needed to start acting like a Na'vi, Na'vi don't wear shoes." Grace smirked up at her, batting away her blue tail as she attempted to flick her with it, smiling as she laughed.

"Grace Augustine is a legend." The lab doors hissed as the avatar drivers entered, escorted by Max. "She's the head of the Avatar Program. She wrote the book. I mean, literally wrote the book on Pandoran botany."

"Well, that's because she likes plants better than people." Max chimed in. "Here she is, Cinderella herself back from the ball. Grace, I'd like you to meet Norm Spellman and Jake Sully."

Grace's smile fell from her face, shrugged on her lab coat and sliding on her glasses from the coat pocket. She took a long drag from her cigarette and looked over them. Norm seemed bright eyed and bushy tailed, and he couldn't seem to figure out who he wanted to look at Grace or her.

"Norm. I hear good things about you. How's your Na'vi?" She asked.

"May the All Mother... Smile upon our first meeting." He spoke in fluent Na'vi, even adding in the 'I see you" gesture for good measure.

Kiss ass.

"Not bad. You sound a little formal." Grace replied back.

Norm chuckled, "I studied for five years... But there is much to learn."

Grace looked up at her. "Introduce yourself."

She could almost see Norm bracing himself for her to speak, like he was preparing to translate every word she would say so he could come up with a reply.

"How's it goin'?" She smirked, holding her hand out, "Call me Rey."

"Oh." He let out another nervous chuckle and reached up to shake her hand, "You speak English. N-not that I didn't think you wouldn't be able to." She shared a glance with Grace as she pulled her hand away.

"Grace? This is Jake Sully." Max brought her attention back to the other avatar driver.

"Ma'am." He held his hand out for her to shake.

"Yeah, yeah, I know who you are, and I don't need you. I need your brother. You know, the PhD who trained for three years for this mission?" Rey subtly flicked Grace's leg with her tail.

"He's dead." He said with no emotion, his arm had gone down to his lap. "I know it's a big inconvenience for everyone."

"How much lab training have you had?" Grace asked.

"I dissected a frog once." He replied.

What the hell was a frog?

"You see?" Grace looked to Max, "You see? I mean, they're just pissing on us without even the courtesy of calling it rain. I'm going to Selfridge." Grace began storming out of the lab.

Max followed, "No, Grace, I don't think that's a good idea."

"No, man, this is such bullshit!" Her boots stomped against the metal floor, "I'm gonna kick his corporate butt. He has no business sticking his nose in my department."

Max walked back to Jake, "Here tomorrow, oh-eight-hundred. Try and use big words."

"I think that went well, considering." Rey held out her hand for him to shake, "Nice to meet you, Jake."

"Rey." He nodded to her and shook her hand, glancing at her digits for just a moment.

She pulled her hand away, "Don't take it personally, those corporate assholes will do anything to see the native population as nothing but trees to be cut down. She's just really passionate about getting passionate people."

Jake sighed through his nose, "I really don't know a lot about this place. But Tommy did, and I think I owe it to him to stick it out."

She gave him a kind smile, ears perking up, "Good to know. And you never know, Pandora might grow on you." She winked and made her way out of the lab. He followed behind her, though, keeping up with the pace of her long legs. She had to lean down in the lab, it killed her back but she was used to it.

"So, uh, you an Avatar Driver?"

"Nope." She smiled down at him, wiggling her four fingers, "I'm the real deal."

"What's your story?" He asked and followed it up with a hasty: "If you don't mind me asking?"

"I don't. Most people don't ask." She took a breath from her mask, "Those trigger happy assholes opened fire on a nomad clan, I was the only survivor. Grace adopted me as her own."

"So, she's your mom."

Rey smiled, "Best mom in the world. It's really touching when the biggest bitch to some people is the most caring person you know. It makes you feel special." She nudged his shoulder, "And don't worry about Grace, you'll grow on her, I can already tell."

They traveled on for a while before she looked down again, "What about you? What's your story?"

"Uh, I'm a marine vet. I got paralyzed from the waist down in one of the many wars happening on Earth. Couldn't afford to fix it. Then... Then Tommy died. And now I'm here."

A hum echoed around them in the now empty hallway. She had led him all the way to his room without him asking for directions.

"Look, I know you probably feel out of your element here. I know I do. If you ever want to talk or just get away from it all. Let me know, I got a little place just outside the tree line. Whether you're in the Avatar body or this one."

Jake gave her a kind and genuine smile, a small one, but a smile nonetheless. He gave her a nod of thanks and opened his door by typing in the code to unlock the door.

"I might take you up on that, Rey."

"Hey, by the way..." He turned back to look at her, "What's a frog?"

-

The next morning, everything was in a rush. Rey watched as the team decanted the avatar bodies, moved them to observation, then came to the link room to send Norm and Jake off.

"So, how much link time have you logged?" Grace asked Norm, speed walking to her chamber. She noticed her mother always seemed to rush to her bed, like she couldn't spend one minute longer in her human form. When she was a little girl, she told Rey the reason was that Grace could actually pick her up and hug her in her avatar body when her human body couldn't. Her running theory was because Grace loved Pandora and every living thing on it, and being human reminded her too much of where she came from.

"About five hundred and twenty hours." Norm said, walking beside her. Jake and Rey followed behind.

"You're there." Grace pointed, "You're here."

"How much have you logged?" Grace asked the marine, pressing buttons on the pod's screen.

"Zip. But I read a manual."

She turned to look at Jake slowly, "Tell me you're joking." She watched Jake poke into the gel that would hold his body in place, a grin on his face.

"This is cool." He said, then used his strong arms to move himself into his bed, swinging his legs into the correct position. Grace attempted to help him with his, but he shook his head.

"Don't. I got this." He said. His legs swung like they were dead weight. She wondered what kind of accident had done this to him.

Grace's sigh brought her attention from his arms, "So you just figured you'd come out here, to the most hostile environment known to man, with no training of any kind, and see how it went? What was going through your head?"

Jake smirked, "Maybe I was sick of doctors telling me what I couldn't do." Grace just gave him a look before pressing on his chest to lay him back.

"Keep your hands in, arms in." She reached to move the chest plate over his body, "Head down." She pressed his head against the gel frame as he tried to look around. He tried to look again.

"Down. Just relax and let your mind go blank. That shouldn't be hard for you."

"See you on the other side." Rey gave him a small wave.

"Kiss the darkest part of my lily white-" Jake's words were cut off my the chamber closing, a hissing sound meaning it was locked tight.

"I like him." Rey said.

"Initiate link." Grace called, then looked up at her, "Good, then when he gets killed, you can host his funeral. Now head outside." She walked towards her pod. She shrugged, walking out of the link room and towards the doors that led to the outside.

-

Grace was the first to meet her after the Link had completed. She wore her usual outfit, a cropped tank top that read Stanford and shorts. Her mother's avatar always made her smile. As much as she loved Grace, human or Na'vi, there was just something so special about having a connection with someone who looked like her. She especially loved her hair, the two small braids that framed either side of her face were Rey's handiwork, even the multicolored beads.

"Oh look at me." Grace moved her head from side to side, looking in the mirror in the avatar lodge, "So pretty." She smiled down at the Na'vi child.

"Thank you so much, yawntutsyìp!" She picked Rey up in her arms, cuddling the giggling child close.

Those were the good old days.

"Is that a new skirt?" Her mother asked, pulling at the forest green skirt around her waist.

Smiling, she nodded, "Made it myself out of some old curtains laying around." She definitely didn't steal the curtains. Definitely. And she definitely didn't dye the curtains a green color and adorn it with beads.

"It's cute." She complimented. "Not very good for hunting, but it's cute."

"I don't think the fkio I hunt are really caring what I wear." Before Grace could reply, commotion came from the main compound.

"Jake! We're not supposed to be running!" Their ears perked up at the sound of Norm's concerned call. What they witnessed was Jake Sully, running. Actually running. For the first time in years. Rey couldn't imagine what it felt like, to be given something you had lost long ago. She grinned as he laughed, pushing his legs further.

"Don't get attached, Rey." Her mother nudged her, a hint of a smile on her face.

'Too late.' She thought to herself. The two of them walking towards him.

"Hey marine." Grace called. He seemed to look them both up and down.

"Grace?" He asked with a smile of disbelief.

"Well, who'd you expect, numbnuts?" She grabbed a spartan fruit from the orchard that Jake had stopped in, throwing it to him, "Think fast." He caught the fruit and inspected it.

"Motor control's looking good." Grace smiled. She knew that he would grow on her.

Jake took a large bite out of the spartan fruit, the juice leaking down his chin. He stared at them in amazement, letting out a noise that told them that it was good.

"Rey, why don't you show him around. Maybe find something for him to wear." Grace said, walking past him. Jake suddenly became aware that the back of his hospital gown was wide open.

"Oh, uh." He used one hand, reaching behind him to close the gown. But he release it suddenly when he felt his tail touch his hand. He turned around in a circle, attempting to get a glimpse at his new appendage. Rey giggled at him, grabbing his arm and tugging him towards the lodge.

"Come on, sngä’iyu."

After finding some clothes for him to wear, see shows him around the Avatar Plaza as she called it. There were plenty of options for exercise, some obstacle courses for the RDA Avatars. She showed him the different crops they grew and their Na'vi names. He seemed to be taking in some of the information, but his eyes mostly remained on her.

"So..." She nudged him as they walked side by side, "What's it like?"

He shook his head, grinning widely, sharp canines framing his smile, "It's... Incredible. It feels like every breath I take is a blessing and..." He chuckled, "Hell, I can walk. I can run. Jump. Come on, you say jump, I say how high, ya know." He playfully jogged in a circle around her backwards.

"Careful." She brought him back to her side, "Last thing we need is for you to trip in your fancy smancy body."

"Yeah, yeah." He grinned, looking down at her slightly. He could have never imagined looking at Rey from this angle. Even though she was alien, Rey was just familiar enough to what he knows. She spoke like him, cracked jokes, she was easy going. She was fascinating. He hadn't noticed, but his long, blue tail was moving towards her, something that he would have to get used to.

Her amber eyes caught his staring, a little blush on her cheeks, "I did your hair, you know." She batted at his neural queue, hidden underneath an intricate braid.

Jake grabbed at the braid, looking over it, then he got a little surprised when he felt a unfamiliar pull at the back of his skull. As he felt it more, it felt like the tail connected to him at the base of his spine.

"It's called a neural queue. You can use it to connect to other life on Pandora. Think of it like a symbiotic connection. It can link you with direhorses, banshees, you can share one mind with any creature that has one."

"What about other Na'vi?" He asked, looking at her own braided queue.

Smirking, she waved her hand in front of his face, "Hey, my eyes are up here. And yeah, you can use it to connect with other Na'vi, but it's not a casual thing. It's mostly used in mating rituals. And Na'vi mate for life. So you better find someone special before you think about making a tsaheylu with just anyone."

"You, uh, make a say-loo with anyone yet?" He asked, a smirk on his face.

What a tease.

"Tsaheylu." She corrected him, "And no, I haven't."

"Haven't found the right person?" He asked, pausing as they came closer to the lodge. The eclipse was nearing, the world covered in a soft golden glow. His eyes seemed to glow in the light, a softness about him that made her heart grow fonder.

Letting out a scoff, she rolled her eyes, "I don't think you've noticed, but most of the people around here aren't in it for the long haul. They're not trying to settle down with me in my little bungalow." She nodded towards the tree house just outside the facility. "But who knows, Norm's pretty cute." She teased, continuing to walk ahead.

"Norm?" His face scrunched in confusion, letting out a chuckle, "Nah, I can't see you with that goody two shoes. He's way too much of a kiss ass. Besides," He leaned a little closer, whispering loudly, "I think he's got the hots for your mom." He nodded ahead. Norm was talking excitedly to Grace, who was talking back just as enthused.

"Damn, you're right." She crossed her arms over her chest, tsking to herself, "The one that got away. You got anybody else in mind...?" When she turned to look at him, she hadn't realized he was so close still. His face was mere inches from hers, a cocky smirk still on his lips.

"I got a few ideas." His voice was low, a rumble in his throat made her shiver. He was so close. His lips were so close. And that damn smile wasn't helping her heart beating against her chest. Something that his new ears seemed to pick up.

"Alrighg, Avatars in the lodge!" She heard her mother call out. She stepped back from him, hoping he didn't notice her blush.

He did.

"Come on, gotta get you inside." She brought Jake inside where he was led to his bunk.

"Come on, everybody, quiet down!" Grace called over the crowd. "Alright, gang, light's out." She clapped, making her way to her bunk. As Rey walked behind Grace, she watched Jake staring at the tendrils at the end of his neural queue.

"Don't play with that, you'll go blind." Grace scolded.

"That's kinda freaky." Jake said, dropping the queue, looking around. "Where's your bunk?" He asked, hoping it was near him.

"I got my bungalow, remember?" Rey patted his cheek, "Don't worry, you'll see me in the morning." She faked a pout.

"I'm looking forward to it." He smiled, a twinkle in his eyes.

"Rey, you two can flirt tomorrow, let's go." Grace called, causing Rey to blush, ears flattening and tail tucked between her legs as she hurried through the lodge. Her exit was followed by whistles, furthering her embarrassment.

"Mom." She muttered under her breath as she passed Grace.

"Goodnight, Rey‘itetsyìp!" Grace called, an amused smile on her face as she closed the gate, locking it behind her.

"Night, ma!" She called back, slightly annoyed. She wasn't flirting with him.

Or... was she?

Jake wasn't a bad looking Na'vi hybrid. He wasn't a bad looking human either. As much as she would like to pursue something with him, odds are he wouldn't stay on Pandora forever. He would go home as soon as the mission was over. And what would she be left with? An empty Avatar body that she would be forever connected to. It seemed like torture, seeing the love of your life alive but not truly living.

As she lay in her hammock, Rey closed her eyes, lulled to sleep by the sound of the wildlife of Pandora and dreaming of Jake Sully. He would be trouble. But she liked trouble.

Translations per learnna'vi.org and the Fwew app.

----

Read part 2 here!

‘awstengyem [ʔaw.stɛŋ.ˈj·ɛm] vtr. bind / bring two or more things together (ii)

yawntutsyìp [ˈjawn.tu.t͡sjɪp̚] n. darling, little loved one

sngä’iyu [ˈsŋæ.ʔi.ju] n. beginner

tsaheylu [t͡sa.ˈhɛj.lu] n. bond (neural connection)

‘itetsyìp [ˈʔi.tɛ.t͡sjɪp̚] n. little daughter (term of endearment)

Y'all are just gonna have to deal with another throuple story, I make the rules around here.

Likes, comments, and reblogs are appreciated!

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#avatar fic #jake sully x reader #jake sully x oc #jake sully x reader x neytiri

[dustofthedailylife]

brainrot time. kaveh and alhaitham with a roommate that’s just a mix of them both

alhaitham’s logic, kaveh’s compassion, alhaitham’s academic inclinations, kaveh’s ‘artistic soul’ (as he would say), alhaitham’s observance and perception, kaveh’s charm, alhaitham’s intelligence, kaveh’s drive, etc. etc. idk

alhaitham’s laziness, kaveh’s impulse control, alhaitham’s sharp tongue, kaveh’s lack of self preservation, alhaitham’s apathy, kaveh’s meddling tendencies, both of their stubborness

they both have a love hate relationship with these traits of yours;

for one, you compliment and contrast them in the important ways, and it’s always a treat for you to show such similarities to them. it makes them feel less alone, more seen.

but then, it’s the same for their roommate, and you end up reminding them of the other.

and that in itself is also good and bad, because despite the fact that they hate each other, that’s still their ex(?) best friend, and those are still the traits that made them fall in love with each other all those years ago (platonically, if you’re not a poly enthusiast.)

anyways, time for fun stuff:

maybe roommate is a researcher that specializes in documentation— specifically, sketching down any relics, sites, fauna and flora etc. etc. that can’t be brought home.

so kaveh is always dragging you into art activities, like those wine painting classes, or simply finding a scenic spot and having a picnic while you do your individual art things together, and alhaitham taking you out to book stores and libraries and cafes.

alhaitham subtly brags about getting to reach his arm around you under the excuse of grabbing a book and sitting close (maybe even low key cuddling depending on how bold you are) to share a book, and hearing your soothing reading voice. and kaveh brags back about one of you holding the other’s hand to demonstrate a specific technique, or him cuddling up to your back to look over your shoulder so he can ‘properly critique’ your work, or the both of you sketching each other.

them trying to subtly influence you to encourage similarities and discourage whatever reminds them of the other.

you just letting them try with a knowing smile :)

you being the referee of their arguments. also saying that you’re staying out of it but instigating anyways

they’ll ask you to judge their debates, and get so smug when you approve or disprove one of their points

them letting the annoying things you do slide but immediately getting on the other’s ass for doing the same thing

teasing kaveh just to see him pout. being only (other) person that could get a rise out of alhaitham

you knowing the best ways to comfort them, show affection, stroke their egos, check their egos, fluster them, and most importantly, piss them off P;

even funnier if roommate is a chaos monger that uses their skills for evil. they will, very occasionally, form a truce just to get you back. y’all have fun.

anywho!! did you ever get a similar brainrot ask with a martial artist!reader? I was just curious, also bc tumblr will occasionally eat my asks

[Roommate AU brainrots]

Hiiii! Yes I got your other ask don't worry. I just haven't had time to reply to it yet since I am a bit on a tight schedule at the moment and wanted to take my time with your brainrots and read them properly 😭

I love this so much! You'd be the perfect counterbalance to either of them.

I'd love to just sit down to draw together with Kaveh. That seems so incredibly comforting and relaxing for some reason. (I also imagine he'd be a red wine guy and I'm a white wine girl so that would be also the perfect contrast for the wine taste haha!). He is my comfort character, don't perceive me, I'm daydreaming 🤭 Also makes me realize I need more artist friends... I have none ;_;

Also going to book stores with Alhaitham? YES. He'd have to drag me out of there at some point because I'm not leaving on my own.

And YES, they'd so brag about what they did together with you to the other guy. They love you but they also have to one up each other constantly lmao.

And about getting in their arguments and them letting it slide when it was you... yep, 100%. Reminds me of that one thing I wrote already called "Cookies". Completely how they'd act.

"Kaveh/Alhaitham did you do XY again" "It was me." "Oh, Y/N? Well, don't worry. I'll take care of it then."

They're down bad BAD.

Thank you for your ask! I loved reading it 🤭

#🍁 dust mail #🍁 garden visitor: anon #🍁彡 gi #genshin x reader #alhaitham x reader #kaveh x reader

[dreamerinthemoonlight]

Klee's Day in Sumeru

Also known as the Worst Idea in the History of Teyvat

Thanks to my family for helping me with the concept and execution

CW: Fluff, Klee-typical chaos, maybe a little angst

A/N: This is just a little bit of fun while I try and recharge from my long fic. probably not my most eloquent work, but right now I just need a change in pace. This is also half HC and half fic in a weird sort of way

Characters: Klee, Albedo, Tighnari, Cyno, Alhaitham, Kaveh

Who the hell came up with this idea?! not me.. ok totally me and my family. was very interesting conversation

So... I can only see this happening if Albedo came to teach a class on alchemy and couldn't find a Klee-sitter

Someone decided that after the Good Hunter Stove Incident, Kaeya would not be the best person to Klee sit and Jean is just too busy and very boring. So to Sumeru, Klee goes

Klee is extremely excited and of course promises to be on her best behavior

But still, Albedo is taking the most explosive child known to Teyvat into a great, big forest. He had an inkling starting out, but it could prove to be a bad idea

Spoiler: Tighnari has no hair by the end of it

The trip started alright. Klee is a really good kid and very wholesome.

Both Klee and Albedo were very interested in the flora and fauna, all of which is completely foreign to both of them

Unfortunately, Klee has never seen a rishboland tiger and decides to go pet the kitty cat. After all, it looks like a big version of the cats in the Cat's Tail

When it tries to scratch her, she lets loose one of her treasures and sets a small portion of the forest on fire

Tighnari, being the wonderful forest watcher that he is, comes to the rescue

Klee then receives the worst scolding she's ever gotten before.

Tighnari tries to be gentle, because Klee is obviously just a child, but the menace just set a portion of a rain forest on fire (a part of Tighnari is secretly impressed)

He offers to baby sit because he takes one look at Albedo and his frazzled look and decides that there is no way Albedo is up to handling an explosive-loving child in such a green place

After a few days of instructing Klee on the dangers of the forest, he brings her to Sumeru City to meet Cyno, Nilou, and the others

Once again, Klee promises to be on her best behavior and this time she's determined to do it

Cyno, surprisingly (or unsurprisingly) adores her. She canonically plays TCG so they play several games, though he's saddened when she doesn't understand his jokes

On the fourth day of Klee's visit to Sumeru, Tighnari turns her back over to Albedo

It might have been the worst thing he could have done

While Albedo does his lectures, Klee wanders off. She ends up finding a supposedly out of the way place to start tinkering with her treasures

It doesn't take long for a few inquisitive Kshahrewar researchers to find her and decide to help

Klee is super excited because most people try to curtail her explosive making. The researchers seem to be more enthusiastic than she is, so she happily follows them to a lab where they get to work

Not long after, Klee and the scholars have made the biggest jumpty dumpty the world has ever seen. It's also the most unstable jumpty dumpty the world has ever seen

While the researchers are recording their work (as researchers do) and Klee is smiling so gleefully, it goes boom, destroying a several rooms in the Kshahrewar Darshan.

Thankfully, due to some magical shielding one of the smarter scholars set up (shielding made in case of more explosive experiments and research topics) and a clearing of near by rooms, no one was seriously injured

Alhaitham and Kaveh are the first on the scene--Alhaitham thanks to quick reaction time and Kaveh because he was heading in that direction to start with.

Alhaitham, one of the most calm and collected people in the Akademiya, lets loose a string of blistering expletives, before going on a lecture. Every now and then Kaveh nods his agreement.

He stops when he hears Klee crying and realizes that there's a kid in the corner.

Even the serious and logical Alhaitham softens. (such is the power of Klee) He goes over and awkwardly wipes away the dust from her face.

"What happened?" he asks her, trying to tone down his voice.

A situation so far out of his expectations has him on his metaphorical heels. After all, what the hell is a scarlet clad kid doing in a Kshahrewar lab and what the hell is exploding.

Klee explains, through hiccups, that Albedo was doing something and she was bored and that the researchers were helping her build a new and improved jumpty dumpty recipe.

At this point, Cyno and Albedo had reached the origin point of the explosion.

Cyno starts interrogating the researchers while Albedo checks Klee over for injuries.

When Albedo is sure she's alright, he pulls her in for a hug.

"You have to be careful, Klee. You could hurt someone."

"The nice people said it was OK. That I could build the biggest treasure ever."

Albedo just sighs and looks over at the cowering researchers. "You shouldn't talk to strangers, Klee."

"But everyone in Mondstadt is so nice."

Archons save me. She's just too innocent.

Soon, Cyno comes over to the two visitors.

"I'm sorry for the trouble," Albedo says before the Mahamatra can speak. "Klee loves making treasures, though she almost never sets them off inside."

"The researchers are taking full responsibility. They said they approached Klee while she was tinkering with something and asked her if she wanted help building something bigger. I, personally, am not going to blame her for the recklessness of a few researchers."

"Thank you so much."

"If you'd like someone to watch over her, I can do so. I don't mind taking time off if it prevents the demolition of buildings and the destruction of more forest land."

"Please. I still have several more days of lectures and I don't have the time to watch her."

"Then I'll speak to Lesser Lord Kusanali. Perhaps the Lesser Lord would like to meet such an interesting young lady. Would you like to meet the Dendro Archon, Klee?"

"Dendro Archon? Like Lord Barbatos?"

"Mhmm."

"Please, Big Brother Cyno!"

The last few days go without a hitch, with Klee spending most of her time learning Sumeru children's games from Cyno and Nahida.

Eventually, however, it is time to return home, where the dreaded solitary confinement awaits a wayward, wholesome pyromaniac.

#So so fun #Klee is an adorable chaos gremlin #Sumeru would NOT survive prolonged exposure to Klee #Then again Mondstadt barely survives #The good hunter stove certainly doesn't #Klee #Cyno #Tighnari #Albedo #Alhaitham #Kaveh #genshin fic #klee-centric #genshin impact #genshin #teyvat talk

[torpublishinggroup]

Is a Bat a Dragon? We Asked James Rollins

By now, Tor is at the forefront of research into what exactly constitutes "dragon." We've entertained many queries throughout the years, determining if the umbrella of dragon extends to hippos, snakes, and Godzilla. Now, we turn to the expertise of James Rollins to advise on the dragonic status of bats. If you've read The Starless Crown and its sequel The Cradle of Ice, you probably know the answer.

Check it out!

by James Rollins      

My love for the natural world and all its myriad creatures was one of my main drives for pursuing a career in veterinary medicine. Even today as a full-time writer, I’ve not fully stepped away from that profession. As I’ve stated many times during book talks—yes, I can still neuter a cat in under thirty seconds.

Still, my greatest fascination about Nature is how it adheres to a dictate stated so succinctly in Jurassic Park:  Life will find a way.  I’ve always been captivated by the manner in which animals and plants discover innovative survival strategies to fill different environmental niches and how that fight has resulted in all the marvels (and horrors) found in the natural world.

While growing up, I found a new way of exploring this subject matter:  in science fiction and fantasy novels set on different worlds. I found myself especially drawn to material that explored life’s resilience across fantastic worlds. Whether it was the sandworms of Herbert’s Dune, the engineered landscape of Niven’s Ringworld, the many species of Card’s Ender’s Game, or a universe of other writers tackling how life finds a way.

Even when it came to those novels that featured dragons, I found myself most interested in the biology and the circumstance of their origins. How did the telepathy and bonding in Anne McCaffrey’s Pern books come about? What steps were taken to harness the physicality of dragons to become warriors in Novik’s Temeraire series? In Martin’s books, could dragon eggs truly be encysted for ages and require fire to bring them back to life? If so, how and why?

When it came to crafting my own fantastic world in the Moonfall Saga, I took a similar scientific eye to its construction. The series takes place on a tidally locked planet, a world that circles its sun with one side forever facing the sun, the other locked in eternal darkness. The only truly livable clime is the band between those extremes of ice and fire. Across such a harsh and unforgiving landscape, I wanted to build a biosphere of flora and fauna that made evolutionary sense. How would species survive the extreme cold and lack of sunlight? Could life find a way in the sunblasted hemisphere?

And what about dragons?

In the novel, one of the apex predators is a species of massive bat, with a wingspan of ten meters or more. We first see them in Book One (The Starless Crown). They inhabit the vast swamplands of Mýr—found in that more temperate climate of the world. They are nocturnal, haunting a drowned forest and roosting in a volcanic mountain. I wanted those bats to make biological sense, to have them fit that environmental niche in a natural way. Being arboreal, they would likely have evolved prehensile tails. As nocturnal creatures, they would need bell-shaped ears and still use ultrasonics to navigate. And without giving away any of the surprises in the books, there is a significant aspect to their biology that will allow them to bond to certain people.

In the books, I also wanted to add a level of verisimilitude to the bestiary by adding naturalistic sketches, drawings that you might find in a turn-of-the-century research journal.

Here is the Mýr bat:

Keep in mind, life will find a way, so this species is not limited to those swamplands. A subspecies evolved in the dark, frozen half of the world. It adapted to fit that harsh niche, becoming smaller and stockier, with shaggy fur, and nasal flaps that could seal to conserve body heat. Likewise, in this treeless landscape, that prehensile tail would no longer be needed. They make an appearance in the second book in the series, The Cradle of Ice.

Here is their sketch:

But what about the title of this blog post: Is a bat a dragon?

In the third volume in the series (A Dragon of Black Glass), which will be coming out in 2024, this species has also adapted to the sunblasted half of the world. To survive, they would need to burrow to survive, growing larger claws for digging, and bodies that would be hairless and elongated, with fanned tails for aerial maneuvering when out of their burrows. They would become known as “sanddragons.”

Here is a sneak peek at their preliminary incarnation (with the final version still to come):

I must note that all of these drawings were beautifully executed by graphic artist, Danea Fidler—as were all the other creature sketches featured in the books. I look forward to sharing the final versions of these “dragons” in 2024 when A Dragon of Black Glass hits bookshelves.

#tor books #dragon week #james rollins #is a bat a dragon #fantasy #booklr #the starless crown #moonfall #the cradle of ice #a dragon of black glass #danea fidler

[heart-forge]

interested in yr starfield take. played a lot of skyrim as a teen as one does but am not per se a bethesda fan and am mostly bemused by how little i have seen anyone talking about starfield either way in my social circles

well listen this with the important distinction that I am a Bethesda fan. Todd wrapped his chess-master's hands around my throat as a child and has not let go, so perhaps it's me that is biased, but I've been asking for years for a Starfield-esque game and I will not complain now that they've given it to me.

The critical like friction point I think with Starfield and mainstream gaming is that it's an FPS that isn't an FPS. I rarely had to actually fight outside of space flight mechanics. Most plot-based fights could be avoided with a keen enough charisma-or-whatever-space-equivalent skill. I think overall Starfield's flaw was Cyberpunk's flaw in a much more professional setting: it didn't commit enough to what it wanted to do, and by doing so added some watered down stuff that didn't work. Starfield wanted to be an exploration game: No Man's Sky, Garden of the Sea, something that's focused on studying the flora and fauna.

But also they doubled down on settlement building, something that people only wanted to use to make themselves home bases in Fallout 4 and otherwise didn't enjoy as a method of resource management (unless there was some bethesda forum silent majority: generally I gauge whether something is broadly popular or unpopular by asking my brother if it annoyed him dsfkjhds). And then also there was combat, but not just the ship combat which was the real novelty, but also base level FPS combat? But only sometimes.

And then of course there were the procedurally generated worlds which everyone knew immediately was not going to work, because No Man's Sky had already fumbled that hurdle. Bethesda narrative structure is not suitable for random distribution: they excel with specific and focused quest lines in limited, fleshed out locations (ie Shivering Isles, particular abandoned Vault side quests in Fallout 3, Rivenspire in ESO) and become overly generic and repetitive once they remove that element (all the busywork in Skyrim, all the backtracking in Starfield).

This is a problem with a lot of AAA video games as time goes on because...they don't want to commit to genre. What if someone doesn't like that genre? Then they won't buy the game. And it's gotten to the point where games are starting to flop because the mechanics are so broadly generalized and bloated that even the interesting stuff isn't relevant enough to do more than annoy players. I love scanning things in Starfield, I loved scanning them enough that they were fully researched, I loved finding different planets with variations on gravity...but there was literally no reason to explore. There could have been: I was in a guild of explorers. They could have done so much to make it worth my while to explore planets, but instead it was a radiant quest that I didn't even get the first time I played.

I've asked for a long, long time for a video game where my core purpose was not "bloodthirsty fighter itching to kill something with a gun or several guns or a knife or a sword murder kill death death death I don't understand magic I just want to cull my enemies". I hate playing ESO and getting treated like a barbarian in every interaction. I hate being railroaded into being a combat marine in Mass Effect (and was thrilled when Andromeda gave me cool biotics like everyone else got except for Shepard even if Shepard was a biotics class). I want class variation, even if we need to take money away from fidelity and put it into narrative so I can have someone treat me like I'm not a complete drooling neanderthal even if I specifically pick a magic or stealth class.

Starfield gave me that. I was able to pick dialogue options that reflected my skills. If I had points in geology, I could reassure Barrett that the story that the mining company fed him about his husband's misconduct was implausible. I could scold people for improper storage and care of relics even without sinking any particular skills. I could choose to be in religious awe of the relic visions, I could choose to be scientifically fascinated by them, I could choose to be power hungry about them. It's the most flexibility that's ever been allowed in a Bethesda game that I've ever played, and combat was so unfocused that I frequently forgot that fighting was even an option.

I really liked building my ship. I liked that it was a bit of a puzzle when it came to connecting things. The UI was awful and there wasn't much of a tutorial, but I said already that I'm a Bethesda fan. I liked ship combat once I got the hang of it, I liked the act of flying the ship around space. A lot of people said "Starfield gets really good...twelve hours in har har har" which I don't think is strictly fair. Starfield gets good once you figure out how to do stuff and use stuff the way it's supposed to be done and used.

Overall I think Starfield was a really positive experiment in trying something new with the FPS genre. Not everything worked which is grounds for a mass murder-suicide when it comes to how level-headedly gamers react to things that are really popular that they're just not clicking with (seriously I think a lot of problems in the game industry could be at least alleviated if we unlocked the 'just because you want to like it does not mean a fundamental right of yours is being violated if you don't' skill tree), but I like that a company the size of Bethesda is still kind of trying new things. Some quests REALLY hit me in the face: there's one where you're hunting down a relic and find a permeable reality where you have to decide to canonize one particular timeline over another, which involves a lot of switching through timelines in order to advance through to the next room. That was incredible, and meant so much more to me than any generic fetch quest. Grinding mechanics are difficult: not all players like to grind, but if you leave off grinding altogether then it becomes more complicated to balance for difficulty, especially if your goal is to present specific challenges to your player.

Anyway I thought Starfield was fun, I thought the story was good, I think fidelity is overrated, I think that many problems with video games would be solved by carefully integrated accessibility features, and I watched multiple videos criticizing Starfield for things that have always been true across Bethesda games (ie "why do guards know I've stolen and what I've stolen between different planets" because that's how Bethesda has always handled theft mechanics, maybe you just don't like Bethesda games and don't have an immutable human right to frictionlessly play and enjoy every video game that your friends are also playing (not YOU anon just the general you)). There's plenty of things to criticize but at this point I think some people just start nitpicking for nitpicking's sake. It's okay that some people didn't like it. They don't have to, but much like not liking something doesn't make it evil, not liking something also doesn't make it bad.

Overall though I'm not surprised that no one has heard much about it: it ran terribly without many options outside of modding to fix that issue. Maybe things are different over on Reddit, but I'm willing to wager that a lot of PC gamers have outdated systems. I said it about Cyberpunk and I'll say it here too: it's nice that your NASA computer can run one billion fps with high detail shadows and 4K reflections. Mine needs to be able to turn that shit off or else I just can't play your game.

As far as what you haven't heard about the main plot, I'll say this: it's a very, very interesting twist on infinite replayability. Nothing is truly infinitely replayable, but Starfield makes a very bold and frankly fascinating leap into how to achieve such a thing, to the point where before I found the ending I was like "it would have been better to redirect resources from x to the ending in order to achieve this insane thing" and while it's not perfect, I was SHOCKED that they just...literally do. It's so fascinating that I'm kind of surprised that no one talked about it.

#talkForge #it's like precisely the type of thing that I think if tumblr had grabbed onto it it would have popped off