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dreamescapeswriting · 3 months

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Dancing In The Shadows ~ LF [MATURE WARNING]

CONTINUATION OF THIS PIECE

WORD COUNT: 5.4K

GENRE: mafia AU, hacker reader, felix technically kidnapping her, insta love (sorry but its fun to write hehe) enemies to lovers? Cute, fluffy, SMUT MINORS DNI, protected sex, public sex (kinda) links into the other stories too ehe

PAIRING: Felix X Fem!Reader

⤜Copyright: © DreamEscapesWriting - February 2024

⤜MASTERLIST

Felix sat behind his imposing mahogany desk, his eyes fixed on you as you stood before him, pulling on the sleeves of your hoodie nervously as you waited for him to say something. You were the reason for his recent financial troubles...well, not really, Felix had more money than he knew what to do with but you'd been the one with the balls big enough to steal from him. The one who had infiltrated his bank accounts with such skill and finesse that even Felix had to admire your audacity. Felix wasn't stupid though, he'd done his research before he'd "hired" you, taking you from your boss with the impression he'd bring you back but it simply wasn't true.

Once he had you he simply wasn't going to just throw you back, you were a once in a lifetime catch and he wasn't dumb enough to drop that. In the hacking world, you were simply known as Firecracker. No one knew who you were by physical appearance but the jobs you would do told people what they needed to know.

You stole from the rich to give to the poor, a real modern-day Robin Hood. If Felix wasn't so rich he would have been pissed off at you for trying it on him.

"You've got guts, I'll give you that," He finally spoke, his gravelly voice breaking the silence and making butterflies flutter inside of you, you hated them for it. Ever since he'd taken you from work you couldn't stop the tingles in your back or the butterflies whenever he'd touch you or speak to you.

"Hacking into my accounts takes some serious skills. I should be mad, but I'm impressed." All things he'd already told you in the office but was going back over on his own, leaning forward he studied you closely. He wanted to know more about the elusive Firecracker that no law enforcement or underworld man had been able to catch.

"So, what? You're going to kill me now?" You'd seen the man standing outside of his office with guns, he might have promised you a job when you were at work but who was to say it wasn't just some ploy to get you to go with him.

"I gave you my word. I take that seriously," Felix said as he leaned back in his chair, a sly grin playing on his lips as he watched you. While you were faking confidence he could see the nerves seeping out of you and it impressed him more than he would have liked to admit.

"I want you to work for me," He declared, you arched an eyebrow at him.

"You've proven yourself to be quite the asset, and I could use someone with your talents, you already stated my computer security sucks...So fix it." He turned his desktop computer around and you blinked at the screen before turning back to face the man who was watching you closely.

"And if I refuse?" It wasn't like you had much of a choice but you wanted to know the repurcations.

"Then I'll have to resort to less pleasant methods of persuasion. But trust me, you'll find it much more lucrative to be on my payroll." Kissing your teeth a little you looked back at the computer. Despite your better judgment, you found yourself intrigued by the offer. You'd never worked for anyone but yourself in the security way before, but the idea of being affiliated with one of the most powerful crime families in the city was undeniably tempting.

"I have conditions." You weren't dumb, you were going to do this with rules in place. You'd seen enough movies and read enough articles about the underworld that you had to be prepared.

"I would be surprised if you didn't." A slight smirk played on his lips as he watched you scramble to think of something but he couldn't help but think about how beautiful you were, how cute he found it whenever you'd play with the sleeves of your shirt.

"I want full access to your network. I need to know everything about your system if I'm meant to be fixing it." He nodded at you, it was his full intention to give you anything you asked for. Hell, he'd give you a house and a more stable job if that was something you wanted from him.

"Okay. What else?" He got out a notepad, ready to write down a list of everything you wanted but you just stared at him,

"Lastly. Once I've fixed it, I'm out. No strings attached." The pen in his hand stilled as he stared down at the notepad, it had never occurred to him that you would want to leave but he nodded,

"Fine. But I have a feeling you'll want to stick around." He tried to make it seem as though he was joking but you shook your head.

"Nothing will make me stay, Mr Lee." You sounded so sure of yourself and maybe you were but now that Felix had you there was no way he was going to let you go so easily.

"Hmm. We'll see." He mumbled, getting up and readying his office for you to use.

With determination and skill, you set to work. You fortified Felix's digital defences, erecting layers of encryption and implementing state-of-the-art security protocols. It was insane how poor his security was for someone who was supposed to be the best of the best. You thought you would have been working alone but Felix watched you work the whole time. You spent every night in your own room in his huge house, the two of you would eat meals together giving you time to get to know each other which was something you were feeling unsure about.

The more time you spent with him the more you wanted to leave, growing attached to someone was never an option for you and getting attached to a criminal? Never.

But Felix found himself falling for you and hard, every day you'd work he would watch you with a mixture of fascination and admiration, impressed by your intellect and resourcefulness.

But as the days turned into weeks and your job neared completion, Felix found himself growing reluctant to let you go. He had his men ruin some of your work so that you'd stay around longer but it was getting harder and harder to do that with how good your work was. He had grown accustomed to your presence, your sharp wit and unwavering confidence a welcome distraction from the monotony of his daily life.

You pushed your chair away from his desk, smirking to yourself. You were unbelievably proud of how well you'd done your job, despite the obstacles that had been thrown in the way.

"I've fixed your security systems, Lix," You announced, Felix's smile dropped from his lips as he stared back at you. He knew this time would be coming but he thought he would have more time than this.

"It's time for me to move on." You stretched in the chair, your heart breaking at the thought of leaving him but you weren't going to listen to it. Felix's heart sank at the thought of losing you.

"I- I still need your help," He stuttered a little, he hated that he was stuttering but you were the one person who turned him into a nervous wreck with just one look.

"I fixed everything Lix, everything is unbreakable." You weren't going to allow yourself to stay any longer, you'd already felt yourself falling and you wanted to stop it in your tracks.

"Firecracker...Come on, you're the best of the best. I need you around," He sounded desperate but he honestly didn't care, he didn't want you to leave. Not when he was so close to you now. As soon as you were gone he'd be alone and the thought of that terrified him.

"You'll find someone who's just as good." You shrugged, you knew people who could replace you and if he really wanted you could get him their names.

"I can't let you go." He said simply as the door to his office opened,

"You promised." Your voice was strained as you realised what he was going to do.

"I'm sorry."

"You said you kept your word!" You screamed as two of his men stood at the door, holding their guns another led you to the room you'd been staying in.

"I hate you!" You screamed at the door, Felix' stared down at the floor. He knew he could get you to like him, he just needed a little more time with you.

You were trapped, despite your skills, you'd been no match for Felix and his powerful organization. Reluctantly, you resigned yourself to your fate, knowing that you were at Felix's mercy.

It had been a few weeks since Felix had taken you in, every day you were forced to spend meal times with him. You hated him but at the same time, your heart was still falling for him, despite him taking you hostage.

"Yn, you have to speak to me eventually," Felix stated as he watched you walk away from him. You'd spent most of the meals in silence, with Felix taking the conversations and talking about his day mostly.

"Why? You want me to be some trophy in your grasp, trophies don't speak." You mumbled. It was the first time he'd heard you speak in weeks and even though it was a mumble it was music to Felix's ears. In the dimly lit confines of the home, tension hung heavy in the air as you turned on your heels to face him.

On one hand, you hated him for taking you but on another, he had taken you away from everything you hated about the real world. You were given the freedom to explore - with an armed guard by your side. You had no bills to pay, no responsibilities, it was nice...It would have been nicer if it hadn't been against your will.

"Yn, you have to understand," He pleaded, his voice tinged with desperation as he tried to justify his actions as if that was even possible.

"I didn't take you hostage because I wanted to. I did it because... because I couldn't bear the thought of losing you." You scoffed a little, your eyes flashing with anger as you met his gaze, your fists clenched at your sides. He was unbelievable.

"That doesn't excuse what you did," You retorted, your voice sharp with reproach.

"You can't just kidnap someone and expect them to forgive you because you're afraid of being alone." You grumbled at him, folding your arms across your chest, you weren't just going to forgive him for kidnapping you just because he gave you some piss-poor excuse.

Felix winced at your words, the weight of his guilt pressing down on him like a suffocating blanket. He knew that he had crossed a line, and had violated the trust of the one person he cared about more than anything else in the world. Even though he'd barely known you, part of him knew the two of you were meant to be together and he wanted it to work more than anything.

But if he'd let you leave when you were supposed to, he never would have seen you again and this had been the only logical part his brain could come up with.

"I know I messed up," He admitted, his voice thick with remorse, it was now or never to make it up to you.

"And I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you, I swear. But please, just give me a chance to prove that my feelings for you are real, that I'm not just some monster trying to control your life." Your anger softened slightly at his words, your heart aching with the weight of his confession.

"I love you...I have a shitty way of showing it but I do." You blinked at him. Love? He barely knew you.

"Your idea of loving me is to kidnap me and force me to stay against my will?" A pang of guilt shot through his chest as he stared at you.

"I'm sorry, Yn, I know I messed up and I'll do whatever it takes to make it right, but please...Just...Just give me a chance to prove to you my feelings are genuine." You wanted to believe him more than anything in the world but it was hard when everyone in your life had used love as a weapon.

"I want to believe you, Felix," You whispered, your voice tinged with uncertainty.

"But you have to understand that trust isn't something you can just demand from someone. It has to be earned, and right now, I'm not sure if I can ever trust you." Felix's heart sank at your words, the realization of his mistakes hitting him like a freight train.

"I'll do whatever it takes," he promised, his voice trembling a little, he was willing to do anything to get you to agree to be his.

"I'll make things right, I swear. Just please... please don't give up on me." You stared at him, biting the inside of your cheek as you thought about it.

"I'll have conditions." If you were going to give this a real chance then you were going to do it with your own conditions and speculations.

"Anything." He breathed out, relief sounding in his voice as you finally agreed to him.

"I want to go out more. Alone." You stated plainly, that all you wanted was time alone. Time to go out without someone watching your every move.

"Anything but that." He bit off a little, his tone unsure of what to make of that. What if you ran? What if you found a way out and never came back?

"You said you want me to trust you but you won't trust me," You snapped at him angrily, the anger bubbling over and finally spilling.

"Yn-"

"That's the only thing I want. Time alone." He sighed a little and rubbed the bridge of his nose, looking back to you before nodding.

"Fine. You'll come back?" You knew running would be useless but part of you didn't even want to run.

"I promise." You whispered as he watched you, his eyes narrowing a little as if he were trying to figure out if you were lying or not.

"There's a ball coming up. A charity one, you can go shopping for a gown and accessories." He told you,

"I don't have money," With that, he handed you a black car with a smile on his lips.

"Buy yourself something nice," You stared down at the black card. Oh, you were planning on buying something nice, but it wasn't just going to be one thing.

You found yourself decked out in silk and diamonds, courtesy of Felix's card that you'd kept on you ever since you'd gotten back from your little trip. Felix carefully walked you through the grand hall and smiled as he looked around, the event was in full swing as people began to mingle with one another. But you were the only person Felix wanted to spend all night talking to. Felix escorted you through the grand ballroom, all of these things had become to the same for him over the years but he would always make sure he came to them to donate a wealthy sum before leaving.

Only tonight, he wanted to stay. He wanted to take you out on the dance floor and show you off in the stunning dress you'd worn and let everyone know that you were his.

"This place is so beautiful." You gasped out, you couldn't believe your eyes. The opulent chandeliers cast a soft glow all over the room, soft music played through the hall and people chatted among themselves.

"You look beautiful," He whispered in your ear, smiling to himself as he looked at you. Ever since you'd walked down to him that night he hadn't been able to keep his eyes off you, not that he ever did before. Your attention slowly turned to Felix who was dressed in a tailored suit, looking as handsome as ever.

"You look handsome," You whispered, part of you wanted to hate him for keeping you hostage but after almost maxing out his card - or so you'd hoped - you were starting to feel a lot better about everything.

Felix began to navigate through the crowds of people and the more you walked the more out of place you began to feel. All of the people in attendance were wealthy and powerful people, you were a hacker who had a chance incounter with a man worth more than you could possibly think about. The further you walked the more aware you were of the curious glances and whispered rumours that were being passed around. Felix didn't even seem fazed by them as he reached for a tray of champagne and handed one of them to you.

"To a wonderful night," He cheered to you, both of you drinking from your glasses until his phone started to ring inside of his pocket, smiling weakly he pulled it out.

"Hello...Yes, this is he," He mumbled into the phone before turning to look at you, and you smirked already knowing what the phone call was about.

"200K...Hmm," He hummed as he stared at you, he had to admit he was a little impressed with how much you'd managed to spend on the card he gave to you.

"No, not to worry. That wasn't fraud, just my future wife throwing a tantrum. Alright, thank you."

"Future wife?" You giggled a little as he licked his lips slowly and shook his head at you,

"200K? What did you even buy?"

"A whole computer system, a whole new wardrobe and some diamonds." You showed him the earrings you were wearing and he couldn't help but laugh to himself.

"You didn't give me a spending limit," You shrugged it off, you expected him to get mad but Felix was quite impressed. He never thought you'd be able to spend that much in one day.

"For you? There's never a limit baby," He smirked before kissing your lips softly. For a fleeting moment, you forgot about the dangers that lurked outside the ballroom walls, or that you'd been taken hostage by Felix. You just allowed yourself to feel happy, wrapping your arms around the back of his neck and kissing him back deeper this time.

Tonight, you weren't just some hacker girl that Felix had brought along to the ball to play Cinderella for the night and you weren't his captive. You were simply a woman lost in the enchantment of the moment, captivated by the enigmatic man at your side.

As you slowly pulled away from one another there was something different in Felix's eyes,

"What's wrong?" You were almost scared your kiss had been bad but he shook his head at you, hesitating for a moment as he thought about what he could say to you. He wanted to let you go, to let you leave the home if that was what you truly wanted but part of him was scared you'd never come back. Taking in a deep breath he reached out, his hand trembling slightly as he cupped your cheek,

"Yn, there's something I need to tell you." Your heart skipped a beat as you stared at him, waiting for him to say something but your heart raced faster with anticipation.

"What is it?" Your voice barely came out above a whisper as you stared at him. With a sigh, Felix searched your eyes, his gaze intense and unwavering.

"I know that our relationship began under... unconventional circumstances," he admitted, making you smirk a little.

"But as I've come to know you, I've realized that you are so much more than just a skilled hacker. You're intelligent, brave, and fiercely independent—a woman unlike any other I've ever met." He had no idea where he was going with this, it wasn't something he'd rehearsed. But your heart was fluttering at his words, your chest swelling with warmth you'd never felt before.

"And...I find myself, drawn to you in ways I can't quite explain." Your hand slowly moved to cup his cheek and you felt how hot he was getting,

"You've become an integral part of my life. And I don't want to imagine a world without you in it."

"Felix..."

"I know I technically held you captive so...I understand if you don't want to stay with me but I needed to let you know my feelings are true." He looked at you, swallowing a lump the size of a boulder in his throat,

"But I'm going to let you go. You can leave the house, you can move out."

"Lix," You whispered, your voice trembling with emotion as you stared at him. His confession washed over you as you watched him closely, you felt the same way for him and hearing him say he was willing to let you go made you only want to stay.

"I feel the same way, I-I never wanted to...I always thought love was just a weapon but you..." You didn't even know where to start with him.

"You care for me more than I ever thought possible." You whispered to him before Felix' blushed,

"Dance with me?" You added before he nodded, taking your hand in his.

As you swayed in each other's arms, the world around you faded into insignificance, leaving only the gentle embrace of the music and the warmth of your shared connection. Your head was rested against Felix's chest, your heart racing with a mixture of nerves and excitement. Despite the lavish surroundings and the curious glances of the other guests, you felt safe and protected in his arms, as if nothing else mattered but the two of you at that moment.

Felix held you close, his touch gentle yet possessive as you moved together in perfect harmony around the floor. With each step, he felt the weight of his past sins and regrets fall away, replaced by a sense of peace and contentment that he had never known before.

"Lix," You breathed out as you stared up at him, your eyes sparking a little as he stared down at you. In a moment of unspoken understanding, your dance slowed, your movements becoming more intimate as you gazed into each other's eyes. The soft melody continued to play, wrapping around you like a cocoon as you drew closer, your breaths mingling in the air.

With a gentle touch, he cupped your cheek, his thumb brushing against your skin as he leaned in, his lips hovering just inches from yours. your heart raced in anticipation, your eyes fluttering closed as you surrendered to the inevitable. You'd kissed before but now there felt a sudden pressure for this one.

Your lips met in a tender, electrifying kiss—a silent declaration of the feelings that had been simmering beneath the surface for so long. Time seemed to stand still as you lost yourselves in each other, the world around them fading completely as you shared a moment of pure, uncontrolled passion.

"Follow me," You breathed out, grabbing his hand in yours as you made your way through the crowds, ignoring the people who were staring and mumbling. Right now you needed Felix and you didn't have time for pleasantries as you made your way through the hall.

"Here?" He chuckles as he lifts you up onto the countertop of the bathroom you'd just dragged him inside of, your heart racing as you watch him closely.

"What if someone comes in?" He arches a brow at you before you drag him closer to you by his tie. He knew no one would come in, his men had followed him to the door and were no doubt waiting outside refusing anyone entry if they tried.

"Then they'll see we're busy and leave." You grumbled before kissing him, this time the kiss was deeper and more intense as you pushed off the blazer he was wearing onto the floor and worked on the buttons of his shirt.

"Someone's very needy." He chuckles to himself as you glare at him, you weren't in the mood for any games, you needed him and you weren't afraid to show it.

"Shut up and do something about it then,"

"Gladly." He groans, his hands rolling up your dress until he exposes your bare core and he smirks to himself,

"No panties?" He arched his brow at you and you giggled spreading your legs for him to get a better view. His eyes run down your body, his tongue darting out to wet his lip.

"You're so fucking beautiful," He groans, his hands drifting to your thighs, his knuckles catching on the edge of your pussy making you whimper.

"You take my breath away," He tells you breathlessly,

"Prove it." You demand, spreading your legs, his eyes drop to your pussy and he groans instantly falling to his knees. You were the only woman he would ever drop to his knees for like this. Having the great Lee Felix on his knees for you sent a power trip through you like no other. You grab his head as he trails his tongue along your slit making you whimper a little at him,

"Please." You plead with him, your hips bucking a little toward him as he chuckles softly sending vibrations all over your body. His tongue touches your clit, circling it, then tracing it down your centre and dipping inside of you, lapping you up hungrily. Your hands tighten in his hair, pushing his face closer to you as you grind against his tongue. Your eyes fluttered shut as your head rolled back against the mirror behind you.

"D-Dear God, Lix, please." You moan out as he removes his tongue, licking his head to look at you as he licks his lips.

"You taste like paradise," He groans before dropping his head and eating you out like a man starved, His eyes meet yours as he keeps his face buried between your thighs, your hips trying to get more friction as you cry his name out loudly.

"Felix!" You scream, his teeth gently biting on your clit as he sends you over the edge. Ecstasy washed through you as your hips shuddered beneath him, a giant smirk toyed on his lips as he got up from the floor.

"That was fucking hot," He moans out before kissing you deeply, your legs wrapped around his waist as you yanked him closer to you. The kiss was desperate, raw, filled with a need so strong you began to grind against his pants.

"You'll make a mess, firecracker," He chuckles softly before you pull away, unbuckling his belt and kicking his pants down leaving him bare in front of you. Felix was quick to reach for his wallet, grabbing a condom from the inside and rolling it onto himself as you wiggle your eyebrows at him.

"This is going to be quick," He winks at you, he could hear a commotion happening outside but you smirked at him. The two of you were at a ball filled to the brim with rich people and you wanted them to hear you getting fucked by him.

"Lix, don't make me beg," You whine before he slams into you, holding you tightly as you groan, throwing your head back against the mirror so hard you were afraid it was going to break. You scream his name out as he pulls back and thrusts into you again, your legs wrapped around his waist as you bring him closer to him.

"Felix!" You cry out as the door handle jiggles, making you giggle as Felix chuckles to himself.

"Felix! Is that you?!" A man yelled from outside the door, you whimpered a little but Felix only continued to plow in and out of you.

"I'm busy fucking my girl, we'll be out soon!" He calls out before slamming into you again, your head rolling back as your hips bucked toward him. You dig your heels into his ass urging him on and his hand presses onto the mirror behind you, the other on your hips as he fucks you. His thrusts wild and hard as he groans your name out.

"L-Lix." You moan out as he continues to drive into you, your hands digging into his shoulders as you yank him closer to you, your release drawing closer as you cry out his name.

"I've got you, you can come, firecracker," He moans out, reaching his hand down and rubbing your clit roughly. Your release rushes over you unexpectedly as you cry out his name loudly, whimpering and bucking uncontrollably. Felix chuckles to himself, completely in love with the way you come undone around him but he doesn't stop.

He continues to fuck into you, one leg over his shoulder as he hits you at a different angle,

"G-God, YES!" You cry out as he smirks to himself, his fingers rubbing your clit as you whimper his name out, your third orgasm of the night already fast approaching as you whimper his name again and again.

"Come for me, firecracker. One last time," He grunts, thrusting harder as you cry out his name, your stomach clenching as you cum around him once again, clenching so tightly you send him over the edge and he spills into the condom.

The two of you stay like that for a few seconds until Felix carefully lowers your leg down and leans his forehead against yours, panting heavily as you let out a tiny giggle.

"Think people will stare when we go out there?" You leaned back against the mirror and watched as Felix smirked and nodded.

"Who cares?" He chuckled before slowly dressing himself. A loud banging sounded on the door as you rolled your eyes, someone was clearly desperate for the toilet or for Felix's attention and you hated them for it.

"I've got info for you!" Someone yelled from outside the door as Felix stuffs himself back into his trousers, did himself up and checked that you were dressed before opening the door he wasn't going to risk anyone but him seeing you.

"Minho," Felix greets with a smirk on his lips, the man glances in your direction before looking over his shoulder.

"Kitten, take Felix's date to the girls for a chat. The men need to talk business." You glanced at Felix to make sure it was okay first and he nodded, kissing your cheek quickly before you ran off with the woman Minho had spoken to.

The girls you'd been standing with were all so friendly and each of them had been telling you about their dates, you since learnt that all of them were with a criminal madman which had made you feel a lot better about yourself and Felix.

"I hate you," You grumbled, jokingly as Felix stood behind you, his lips brushing against the skin on your neck making your body shiver. The bathroom sex wasn't enough, you wanted to go back home and fuck until you saw the morning sun,

"I hate you more, my little firecracker" Felix smirked down at you before you swatted his hands away from you, but he successfully managed to get his hands around your waist and he smirked.

"Excuse us, ladies but we have some making up to go and do." Felix chuckled before dragging you away without a second to even say goodbye to them all.

"Hey I was having fun, who knows when I'll see them again?" You pouted a little, but Felix spun you around and pulled you into a tight embrace.

"You'll see them at our wedding no doubt." He shrugs as if it was the most casual thing in the world for him to say and you roll your eyes at him,

"You're that sure I'll marry you?" You quipped, he was. In fact, he was willing to put money on it.

"I'm sure I can convince you after a few more orgasms," He winks before you shove against his chest and make your way out to a car.

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theblueflower05 · 1 year

Text

Part Two. Eclipse

Summary: After a heated argument with Lo’ak, Y/N and Kiri embark on a life threatening adventure. Neteyam races against time to save them.

Word count: 6k+

Warning: Violence. A little blood & gore but just a lil bit. Descriptions of parental pressure that may be triggering.

When my heart just burst like a glass balloon,

I let it fly too high and it shattered to soon.

I was the wrong damn girl in the wrong damn room.

I broke my glass balloon. I let go of my glass balloon

- Hermit the frog, Marina.

The forests of Pandora are never still.

They're always bustling with life, in constant movement. Dancing. Breathing. A fan lizard makes its way across the overgrown flora, slow and steady. Unassuming-

“You snooze you lose”

A loud screech followed by a chorus of giggles echos through the trees.

The poor fan lizard never had a chance, is knocked clear off its path as four pre-teens , a tornado of movement and sound, fly by. Swinging from branch to branch without a care in the world, the poor creature erupts into a spinning rainbow right before colliding with the moss covered floor.

No matter, nothing matters as the four of you make your escape from the village as you so often do.

Kiri hot on your tail, Lo’ak at the helm. Spider swinging from vine to vine, holding his own despite his much smaller frame. The vivid cobalt stripes that you’d painted on him days prior still stained his skin.

The trees lessen and then thin out as Hell’s Gate comes into view.

The fortress is big, and ugly. All concrete and overgrown plants. The last remnant of the sky peoples bases, it had definitely seen better days. Since it had been abandoned over a decade ago and left to the few trusted humans it had kind of gone to shit. Scientists are great at discovering, exploring. Maintenance? Not so much.

“Wanna play some ball?” Lo’ak asks as he makes a beeline for the basketball courts. You love humans strange games, they’re useless- but their fun. Just your cup of tea.

“No, I’m gonna go check on mom” Kiri’s already leagues forward, headed towards the entrance. Barely paying any attention to her brother.

“Awe come on- it’s not like she’s not gonna still be there later. Plus we know that Norm’s keeping her plenty company” Lo’ak and Spider giggle at his jab and Kiri throws a glare over her shoulder.

Your teeth dig into your tongue as you fight to keep the smile off of your face shrugging before heading in after her.

“Not you too Y/N. Man, you guys suck. Who’s gonna play with me?”

“I'm right here, cuz” Spider exclaimed, huffing up in exasperation.

Their height difference is laughable.

The Avatar designed basketball to big to fit in Spiders hands, the last time the four of you had played he’d taken it straight to the face, his nose so broken that it never really healed right. The entire court looked like a crime scene and Max had scolded all of you.

You had to remember Spider’s human body, and it’s limits, even if he didnt want you too.

The smaller human steals the culprit of a ball from Lo’ak’s grasp and begins to dribble circles around him and Lo’ak as always, defies any kind of predestined rules.

The labs are a familiar alien. All beeping neon buttons and sterile white surfaces. Monitors filled with images you don't quite understand, no matter how many times they’re explained to you. Since the first time Kiri had brought you here, you’d been perplexed. An obsessed fascination. You liked learning new things, you liked chatting with the friendly humans.

And you liked visiting Grace.

Kiri’s mom is in one of the back corners. Submerged, a bio-tank holding her. Cradling her something like a womb. She looks peaceful, you assure your friend. Whatever dreams she’s stuck in must be good ones.

“Hi mom” Kiri whispers, her five fingered hand pressing gently against the glass. You watch her, let her run through the process of her carefully cultivated routine. She likes to talk to Grace, fill her in on everything that’s happened since the last visit.

You think she’d have a better chance of making connection a connection at the tree of souls but you keep that fact to yourself.

“Hi Grace” You place the bracelet that you’d made for her on the tank. “Kiri ate shit at the watering hole the other day. You would’ve thought it was hilarious”

And you never knew Grace, never would, but who wouldn't think Kiri faceplanting during wash day wasn't funny? If you were stuck in slumber, you’d want people to tell you jokes.

The scientists are cool, and you make your rounds. Handing out the little bracelets you’d made them. You’d just about gotten human measurements down, but they still did hang a little awkwardly off of their gangly wrists.

No matter. Doctor Kelsey is a Zoologist who had been good friends with Kiri’s mom, and had taken the initiative to teach you how to read.

Sky people letters were simple in composition, but confusing in structure. That doesn't stop you from keeping your nose buried in the books she offers. You like the vividly colored picture books better than the black and white chapter ones but to each their own.

“Hi Y/N” Doctor Kelsey greets, laughing as you reach into the cloth knapsack that you’d toted along, giving her back ‘The Lorax’, in exchange for another old semi tattered book from her library.

“How’d you like this one?” She chats as she digs through her collection

“It was very sad. They had no trees, no animals” You explain, a deep frown maring your features as you recount and retell the story you’d read. “This is how your planet is, no?”

You remember Jake telling a story about Earth. A dying star.

“Pretty much, the book was definitely supposed to be an analogy for Global Warming and mass consumption issues. Good job for picking up on that Y/N, you really have been excelling. I’m gonna give you something a little harder. If you have any issues with it, Kiri will help until you can come visit again”

She hands you a thicker book and you sound out the golden rod letters of the title.

“Pet-her pahn?”

“Peter Pan” She corrects good naturedly “I think you’ll like this one, it's about a boy that never wants to grow up”

“Are you sure you don’t want to give this to Lo’ak instead?” You deadpan and Doctor Kelsey lets out a peel of laughter.

She reads the first couple chapters out loud to you and Kiri before having to return to her work. You both listen, ears twitching with interest. You pack the fragile book safely into your knapsack before you leave.

----------

It’s nearing eclipse and you know you really should be getting home- instead you sit crossed legged on a step, your face twisted into a deep scowl.

You spend more time at Hell’s Gate than you should, your parents remind you of the fact often, but you love it here. You can make the trek home in your sleep.

Which is why you’re less worried about the waning sunlight. More concerned with the words that had just come out of Lo’ak’s mouth.

“You guys could never do it, and not even because you're girls. Ma’s a girl, lots of hunters are. You’re just wusses” He taunts, chest all puffed out.

He’d been like this, ego inflated to the nines since he’d come back from the mountains a few days ago, actually in flight this time. A wriggling yelping Ikran below him and air of self importance that he just couldn't seem to shake.

Scratch the fact that you and Kiri had just handed him his own ass at H.O.R.S.E.

“Didn't it take you like three times and a concussion to tame your ikran?” You sneer and Spider lets out a huff of a chuckle, coughing when Lo’ak side eyes him.

“It was only two-” He starts and Kiri shakes her head, cutting him off quick.

“It can't be hard if you were able to do it. I mean, think about the Tayrangi, in their clan even the children ride. It wouldn’t be that hard to go up to the mountains and claim one”

Somehow it ended up like this most days. Kiri and Lo’ak on opposing views. Bickering until your ears hurt. You and Spider innocent on lookers, casualties of war as you alternated whos allegiance to pledge. Well Spider did, even if Lo’ak was right on the money and Kiri was dead wrong you’d stand beside her.

“Yeah so? We aren't coast people. I bet you couldn't even make it up the mountain. You’d shit your pants before you even tried. What would you do Kiri? Try to hug your ikran into submission” His words are laced with condescending laughter.

You shouldn't take it so personally, Lo’ak can be a dick. He doesn't even mean to be most of the time.

But it hits a sensitive raw nerve in your chest, the same one that had been hammered endlessly for years. To be a hunter, you have to ride. To be a hunter, you have to train. To be a hunter, you have to want to be one, right? You can't run away from it at every turn…

“We’re gonna have to do it eventually” You grit out.

“Yeah, sure” he drawls out the ‘e’ “I think you should probably just stick to your beadworking. You know, things you’re actually good at”

In the blink of an eye Lo’ak is drenched in what remained of your banana fruit juice, you’d emptied the canteen right in his stupid face. He blinks in surprise, his mouth falling open, tail going ramrod straight

“You’re such a douchebag” You hiss. You don't completely know what that word means, but you’d heard the sky people throw it around a handful of times and knew that it was nothing good.

“You head straight for the forest without another word. Face hot and eyes stinging.

“Why would you say that?” Kiri glares at her younger brother who looks completely shocked, ears flat and mouth open.

“What? Tell her that she’s good at something? That’s the last time I try to be nice, shit. Grandmother just re-braided my hair” Lo’ak moans as he he rakes his hands down his face, over his chest and through his hair. He’s already sticky.

“Dont be so dense. That wasn't cool and you know it” She sighs, before following you.

“Girls are psychotic” Lo’ak laments, and Spider just shakes his head.

“Yeah, totally”

---------

The forest has already started to glow, the path home bioluminescent which just makes your furious steps even faster. You didn't want to get in trouble with your parents too. They already weren’t going too be thrilled about you ditching babysitting duty to go hang out at the ‘cursed place’

“Wait up!”

You huff and clear the jump between branches in a clean swoop of a jump.

“Come on! Dont be mad at me I didn't do anything!” Kiri exclaimes jumping after you and nearly running into your back as you stop dead, waiting.

“I'm not mad, okay. I'm just-” You shake your head with a sigh. Not wanting to speak the words in your head. “Come on, we need to get home”

“Its okay to be mad at Lo’ak. My dad is, like, all the time” Kiri tries to soothe as the two of you continue your route.

“I can't be mad at someone who was only telling the truth”

“That wasn't the truth. That was him trying to pacify himself over the fact that he didn't get it first try like Neteyam”

Your stomach flutters when Kiri mentions her eldest brother, as it always does. You ignore it like you always do.

Pushing on further, faster, until the twinkling warm lights of the village come into view. They’ve already started preparing for the night and you need to start preparing for the earful you’re about to get.

Your heartbeat goes tense and anxiety creeps up your spine, your tail flicking in rapid jerky motions.

Kiri doesn't pry, she never needs to. She lets you huff and puff and stomp all the way back home, knowing that you’ll spill.

You lean against the bark of the trunk, your arms crossing over your chest as you look at your friend. She stands in front of you, expectant but not forceful. Already knowing whats bothering you, you’d vented about this particular issue so many times in the past.

“At least he got it, eventually. Didn't get himself killed like so many have before him- Kiri I don't know how I'm ever supposed to do that. My parents-” you choke on the word parents, have to swallow up the word vomit “My mom wants me to start really focusing on training and I just-”

“Don't want to?” Kiri offers.

“Completely suck at it. Everyone keeps telling me that it’s gonna get easier, it's in my blood, but I’m not a warrior. I don’t feel it, you know. I just want to read my new book, and make a necklace with those stones we found at the river. And gossip with the girls'' You sigh because why can't it be so easy?

“I think you’d be a great village gossip, we should ask my father if he can make that your official title”

You laugh in spite of yourself and your soured mood “It’s not funny. I'm never going to be what they want me to be. There's no way I’m ever going to be able to tame an ikran. He’s right”

“You don't really think that”

“No I really do. Im pretty sure I’d break my neck trying. I fall of direhorses all the time”

“You can also hit a moving target with your eyes closed. You don't have to be good at all things, all the time Y/N. It’s impossible” She reaches out to pat your shoulder.

“Try telling my mom that '' You sigh, and bring your hands to face, covering your eyes as you talk “I just don't want to disappoint everybody when I’m not able to do it. When I’m not able to complete my Inknamaya and become this great warrior they keep talking about. They’ll all come up to watch me get eaten by my own ikran”

“Would it be easier if they weren't watching?” Kiri offers solutions.

Probably so, but she knows how your family is. You remind her of the fact.

“What if we tried without them…if you didn't feel like you needed to perform, maybe you wouldn't be so in your head the whole time?” Kiri always has the worst plans. Seriously. But this one tops the cake.

You pull your hands from your face to glare at her incredulously. “You’re not serious”

“Why not? Tayrangi kids do it while they’re still in diapers, they don't have any training for it- they know what to do in their hearts. The great mother guides them through it”

“Kiri. Absolutely not”

“Think about it, cause I have. Even before tonight with my stupid brother. Tsaheylu is sacred, we know how to make it from the moment we’re birthed. It doesnt need to be browbeaten into us, we don't have to do it everyone else's way. My mother made the bond with a palulukan! And my father with Taruk? Who taught them how to do that?”

You shake your head because she’s far too good at convincing herself that her asinine ideas aren't exactly that.

You’ve seen the way the forest interacts with her, you know how special she is…but this would certainly get you both killed. Thirteen is young to make the bond with an Ikran anyway. Even the highly skilled, trained and ready warriors have trouble with it.

You're shaking your head, arms back tightly crossed over your chest, about to go full older sister mode when there's a rustling in the nearest tree.

Two sets of ears twitch, focused on what's coming-

“Lo’ak? Kiri?- There you are!”

Neteyam swings in from above, lands gracefully on his feet in front of you.

His amber orbs scan quickly over you both, apprising and slightly annoyed and your stomach does its tell tale flutter. Having him so close, tall and looming never does good things to your weak, wanting heart.

“You do realize that you were supposed to be home hours ago- it's almost eclipse. Mom and dad are pissed, he would have come out himself if Norm hadn’t radioed in that you all we’re using Hell’s Gate as a playground again”

Neteyam sounds every bit his role. Future clan leader, semi disgruntled older brother.

“It's not even eclipse yet, there's still light” Kiri is reaching, it's all but dark out. “Right Y/N?”

“Right? We definitely had a quarter hour left at least, if anything we’re right on time” You nod, catching her line of bullshit and rolling with it.

Neteyam pinches the bridge of his nose. “Your parents are upset too Y/N. I wouldn't use that line with them if I was you”

The anxious flick of your tail comes back full force “Like really upset? Or just- a little bit?”

His deadpan face tells it all. “Where is Lo’ak?

Another shuffle in the trees, leaves and smaller branches swaying. Lo’ak appears, obviously behind. He doesn't land nearly as gracefully as Neteyam.

“I’m right here bro, chill out” Lo’ak’s eyes meet yours briefly and you huff, still upset clearly.

Your nose is high in the air as you turn away. If you had to get scolded, you’d do it with some kind of dignity- and he could fuck right off.

“What is all over you?” Neteyam questions his brother from behind you, plucking at his one of his younger brothers sticky braids.

----------

Its an accumulation of things, your mother tells you. She doesn't scream, but the tongue lashing is no less intense. No, if anything it's worse. You can't look her in the face.

Its an accumulation of things, she tells you. It’s your disregard of your duties, who would have watched your little sisters had an Aunt not volunteered to do what you should’ve. You are to watch over them while she’s partoling and you know that.

It’s your training, or lack thereof. You can't get better if you don't put in the effort. If you don't focus.

“It’s this streak of immaturity , Y/N. You are not a childling anymore. By the time I was your age I was helping feed our community, I had found myself within the people. I want that for you- and you disappoint me at every chance”

Your ears are plastered to the side of your head the entire time, your tail wrapped around your calf. You take it wordlessly, blinking furiously at the tears because you can. Not. Cry.

“Are we done?” You croak and your mother looks like she might cry herself. Instead she nods and you sprint as quickly as you can away. Only when she can't see your face do you let the tears roll fast and hot.

It's later in the night, laying with your family on your cot. Staring at the star filled sky that you recount your mothers words.

Disappoint me.

You disappoint me.

Somewhere, somehow, Kiri’s get mixed in.

What if we tried without them?

-----------

To tame an Ikran, you have to go where the Ikrans are.

This was known by all. You’d heard stories of how tedious the journey was, but as you make it yourself, you realize that all before you had minimized its nature.

You and Kiri had taken direhorses out in the early morning under the guise of foraging for berries that you had spotted a week before when visiting the lab. They hadn't been ready to pick then, somehow your Grandfather buys it. Sends you out with a kiss on the forehead.

You're glad your mother is out hunting, she wouldn't have been such an easy sell.

It was early, when you’d left. The sun just rising. Now it is high in the sky, shining brightly as the two of you ride as far down the path as you can go on horseback. The path is narrow and carved into the face of a steep cliff. Rocks crumble away, you soothe the gentle beast beneath you.

Kiri seems to be doing the same for you. Turning back to look at you every few minutes.

“How do you know where we’re going?” You’d questioned her when she’d offered to lead the way.

“I just know. Eywa will show us”

To anyone else that might have not been enough. You follow her eagerly.

The direhorses can only take you so far- before its time to climb.

And climb you do.

The two of you scale the floating mountains none too fast. Its treacherous unstable ground, the wind shifting the terrain with every breeze and you never quite feel like you have your sure footing.

You’d grown up in hometree. They say it isn't as large as the one that your parents grew up in, that the sky people destroyed, but it still towers high. You’d ridden on the back of your mothers ikran, you'd climbed to the top of lovers Peak to watch the great colors in the sky.

You were no stranger to heights, but as Kiri jumps, and latches on to a weak looking vine in mid air you hesitate. You stop for a moment, and look below you.

All you can see are clouds, misty and white. So high up that you can't even see the ground.

“Come on, Y/N!” she calls for you and you gulp. Breath through your nose and take the leap.

The journey is laborious, and feels like it lasts forever. By the time the two of you make it to the entrance of the mouth of the cave you are both covered in sweat, panting profusely. Your arm muscles scream at the intense treatment. You reach a hand out, sweeping through one of the waterfalls that seem to fall into nothing.

Rub the cool liquid on the back of your neck.

It was hell to get to, but the mountain of the Ikran is beautiful.

They fly in the hundreds here, screeching and circling each other in the sky, sweeping from mountain to mountain. Their breeding grounds lush with waterfalls and fungi.

Looking down, down through the gaps of clouds you can see the forest below. It looks so small and and far away. Your stomach lurches, you feel like you’re flying already.

“We made it. I can't believe we made it. Thank you great mother” Kiri whispers, her hands clutching her chest.

“Don't thank her quite yet, we still haven't gotten through the hard part” You remind her- because its there. Looming just out of sight.

There is only a moment to catch your bearings, before you settle in on what you came for.

“We can still go back” Kiri offers. She has to. You don't have to do this.

You shake your head. “No, we can't. We came all this way and I’m never climbing this mountain again”

It’s through one of the waterfalls, the sound of rushing water filling your ever twitching ears as you pay close attention to your footing on the narrow, slippery ledge. It’s white noise, the first peace you’d had since the start of your climb.

“How will we know if an Ikran chooses us?” one of your peers had asked during training and Jake had smiled. All to canine.

“It’ll try to kill you”

You fist the bolo rope you’d brough until the leather digs deep into your palm as they come into view. All of them, dozens. Ikrans of all colors and sizes are seated at what looks like a basking site. They slowly become aware of the outside intrusion, and then its eyes. So many of them. All focused on you and Kiri.

“How are we gonna do this?” You whisper to her, heart pounding in your throat. Adrenaline rushing protectively through your veins.

“I’m not sure yet” She replies very unhelpfully.. Of course It goes the way all things go with Kiri.

Strange.

She doesn't seem as scared as you are, she steps lightly around the winged creatures, whispering all the while. You’re glued to your spot, still not far from where you’d entered. You’d seen your friend do a number of weird things, unexplainable things. But this…was something else. She approaches an Ikran. And it doesn't try to kill her.

No, the mostly chartreuse creature cocks its head at her. Skittish and unsure. You’re too far away to hear what she's saying but Kiri keeps whispering. Talk to it, as one does a child. A smile on her face, her arm outstretched and welcoming.

“Kiri don’t!”

You’re trying to figure out how exactly you’re going to explain a missing arm to her family when she takes a hold of her que, and simple as anything, connect it to her ikrans.

The gasp you let out leaves your throat sore.

You’re confused. Cant believe your eyes. You’re still in disbelief when she takes flight, the green and silver of the wings sparking in the high alkaline sunshine. Kiri soars through the air- making a wide turn, and coming back to where you’re still rooted.

“How did you do that?!” Your voice breaks and your eyes are wide as saucers.

“I asked her if she wanted to be my friend!” Kiri hollers back. Completely serious. “You can do it Y/N! You’ve gotta, this is amazing! She yells “You’ve got this!”

And you want it, so badly.

You want to be in the air with her, you don't want to go back to the village riding her coat tails and reeking of defeat. You have to do this, you square your shoulders,

“I’ve got this!” You reply, even though you keep thinking about Lo’ak’s unconscious body on the back of Neytiri’s ikran the first time he’d tried this. He’d been knocked unconscious, head bloody and his mom had had to carry him home.

It is glaringly apparent as you take the steps that your friend had just made, that this is not going to go the same way for you.

Where the banshee’s seemed to be at peace with her being here on their territory they reacted completely differently as you approach. Wailing loudly, scattering. Hostile and ready to strike.

They didn't want to be your friend.

Everytime you get close, they take off, jumping ship. Taking to the skies.

Until one doesn't.

Perched on a rock, the creature looks at you with a sharp turquoise eye. Only one, the other is scared, disfigured from past battle. She’s huge and dark purple. So dark she looks shiny with it, the orange, green and magenta splotches on her skin give the appearance of an oil slick.

She’s nothing like the pretty, feminine ikrans you’d so admired growing up. She’s fierce and terrifying and for a moment you think that there's no way she’s choosing you.

“Oh shit” you hear Kiri, distantly.

The ikran opens her massive jaws and lets out a roar that shakes you to your core.

“It’ll try to kill you” Jake had answered the question. Training young hunters to the best of his ability “And you’ve gotta call their bluff”

You muster a fierce hiss, even though you feel anything but, and then its on.

Lightening quick, chaos ensues. A tangle of limbs and wings. You can't wrap your mind around what's happening, there’s no room for any other thoughts then make tsaheylu. You have to follow your body, trust it. But it's so hard when something three times your size is struggling against you, trying to take any chance it has to kill you.

“Make the bond!”

You get the bolo wrapped around its gnashing jaws and chalk it up to pure luck. In the next moment one of it’s wings expands violently, throwing you back. Luckily not straight over the edge, but against the rough rocky wall opposite.

Your head connects with a sickening thud.

Your world goes dark, the pain on the right side of your face excruciating and your ears ringing from the impact. Or is that Kiri screaming? You force yourself to collect your bearings, forcing up onto your knees. You can taste metallic in your mouth and your head feels too heavy for your neck to hold.

A flash of purple brings your eyes back to focus.

NO.

The ikran is going to take flight, her wings outstretched. She’s going to leave and you’re never going to have another chance. You’re going to have to ride back home bloody and defeated. A loser who never should’ve tried. You’re going to disappoint your family, again. You won't be able to bring this glory to them-

You didnt come this far to go back empty handed. You weren't going to get in trouble for nothing.

The ikran takes off disappearing over the edge.

And you jump off the cliff behind her.

-----------

Jake is making his rounds, there’s so many of them now a days. He checks in with Mo’at, runs perimeter. Takes account of his people, and wonders if the imposter syndrome will ever fade. Tuk is still just young enough that she sticks to his side like glue.

“Daddy, look at this!” “Daddy, what’s that!”

A part of him wishes all of his children were still 5 years old. Still thought he hung the stars just for them. Instead he barely knew where they were anymore. Teenagers are still teeangers no matter what planet they’re on.

He does mental intake- Neteyam would no doubt be leading training. Kiri off somewhere with Y/N, and Lo’ak was hunting with Neytiri so for once Jake didn't need to worry about him.

Everything was fine. Everything was great…so why did he have this gnawing feeling in his gut that it wasn't?

It’s okay, this is why he’d given his family coms, so that he could check in whenever he wanted to.

He touches base with Neytiri first, her and Lo’ak are fine and he better not mess up her shot again.

Then Neteyam, he’ll be on stand-bye if needed.

“Kiri, I need your six. Over” He’s met with dead silence. He tries again, and again only for the same result. And that’s not normal. Kiri, at this age, will usually reply with some sarcastic smart ass quip. Captain dad, she calls him.

She’s never gone radio silent. And Jake’s gut has never lead him astray. Something’s wrong.

Tuk is pulling on his hand, taking his ear off but he’s sinking into a place he knows all too well- he can't panic. His brains not hardwired for that, too many battlefields, too much experience.

“Neteyam? When was the last time you saw Kiri, over?”

The first place he looks for his daughter is with Y/N, the two are practically conjoined at this point. You aren't to be found at your hut, but your grandfather tells him that the two of you had gone gathering. Bubble berries, its their season but the timing doesn't match- if his daughter had left this morning, she’d be back by now.

Jake’s in full military mode, furiously barking out orders.

A search party needed to be dispersed. Now. He’s gathering his men when Vitany, your mother touches ground. She’s confused, and then she’s fearful. He can see his own emotions mirrored in her eyes. She’s a great warrior, one of his best. She’d fought beside him for the last decade. No fear, heart of a lion. That all tends to go out of the window the moment your child is involved.

“Ma’ Jake!”

As Neytiri and Lo’ak land, having raced home from hunting at the news- his wife looks much the same. Terrified, confused. Shooting off question after question, where can they be? Where do they start?.

He’s about to take flight- to follow the search party.

“Dad!” Its Neteyam, and along with him he’s toting Spider. A gentle but firm grip on the younger, smaller boy's shoulder.

“What’s going on? What is it?”

“You need to tell them what you told me” his eldest son urges the human boy “Right now”

Jake’s always felt for Spider. A kid misplaced forever on a planet not his own. With people who could never and would never see him as anything but an alien.

All eyes are on him.

“It was uh, it was like a week ago. When they came to visit Hell’s Gate. We all got into it about ikran riding and how Kiri and Y/N weren't cut out for it. Kiri said that she could do it a different way like the Tayrangi Clan did, and Y/N just got really pissed at Lo’ak and left-”

“Is this true?” Neytiri looks to Lo’ak who hangs his head. But nods in agreement.

“What are you saying?” Jake presses, because he needs a solid answer.

“I think that they might have gone into the mountains. To try and tame ikrans” Spider finishes and Neteyam lets go of his shoulder, his hand slightly shaking.

“No” Vitany gasps horrified. Her daughter isn't trained enough. What the human boy just spoke of is certain death, she's on the back of her own ikran within seconds, taking off as fast as she can.

Racing towards the breeding grounds. Neytiri is hot on her trail.

“Neteyam, I need you with me, let's go!” Jake calls for Bob, high pitched bird sounds, and the beast lands at his feet, ever loyal. Looking at him, Jake remembers just what it took to tame him-

“Not you” He bellows, already mid flight. Catches his youngest son gripping his reins. Lo’ak protests, his eyes watery as the weight of his actions weigh down heavily on him.

“Dad, please”

“You’ve done enough”

------------

Neteyam spends most his life in flight, since he had passed his rite of taming Atanzaw(lightning) years ago, he never wanted to touch ground.

He felt most himself in the sky. Free, lost to the vastness of the wind. He’d take any hunting, scouting or perimeter control shifts he could get his hands on, as long as he could fly.

It's an unusual feeling, being on ikrab back and having his stomach tied into knots. Being so worried that he can barely breathe.

He has to keep his mind clear to keep Atanzaw flying straight, piercing through the clouds like a bullet. He can't imagine his sister mauled to death or her best friend thrown to her death. It is too much.

He let his guard down, he knew he needed to help keep a closer eye on his siblings when his mother was hunting and he let his fucking guard down.

Kiri and Y/N we’re always running off, but never far. He could always track one’s movement by the other’s. Keeping an eye on Y/N had become a part of his routine, and he’d slacked.

Y/N hadn’t shown up for training and he should’ve known something was wrong- but she’d been off all week. Upset at something that was none of his business to uncover. Overworking herself, walking away from friends that she’d usually spend her time chattering with.

Shit.

He’s better than this. He’s going to be Olo’ekteyan someday, how is he supposed to keep the people safe if he can't even keep his sister safe? He’s wallowing in could’ve, would’ve should’ve’s when he hears a scream.

Neteyam banks against the wind, using all his strength to pull himself and Atanzaw in the other direction. Towards the screams, towards where his sister and her friend we’re undoubtedly in imminent danger.

He doesn't get shocked much, and when he does, he’s always able to hide it. Able to handle it enough that no one even noticed.

His mouth hangs open and his ears point straight at the sight that greets him.

No longer is the sky filled with screams, but with girlish giggles. Yelps and ikran caterwauls.

Kiri and Y/N do barrel rolls around each other, in hysterics as they play in the clouds. Both of them sat atop their respective ikran- not dead. Not dying. But frolicking, like schoolgirls. Like they didn't just give the village a collective fucking stroke.

Neteyam is angry, furious even. But more so, he’s impressed. That combined with the shock is a potent mix in his system and he can help but let out an incredulous laugh. Somehow the two of you were not only alive, but flying, bareback. Had climbed the Hallelujah mountains alone, and tamed ikran.

You were both in so much fucking trouble.

A|N: Okay I know the story is lacking Neteyam right now, buttttt I just needed to get through with the set up. All of the rest of the chapters will be very Neteyam x Reader heavy.

Also- I read an article that said this is how Kiri bonded with her Ikran in the comics? And thought it was rad. I had to roll with it.

Please comment and tell me what you think! And what you wanna see in future parts! More interaction will always mean quicker updates.

#neteyam #neteyam x reader #neteyam x you #neteyam sully #aged up neteyam #kiri #kiri avatar #kiri sully

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zhou-enlai-fanclub · 2 months

Text

But sleep will not come. What is the cause of this cruelty, this stupidity? A million workmen come from Japan to kill or mutilate a million Chinese workmen. Why should the Japanese worker attack his brother worker, who is forced merely to defend himself. Will the Japanese worker benefit by the death of the Chinese? No, how can he gain? Then, in God's name, who will gain? Who is responsible for sending these Japanese workmen on this murderous mission? Who will profit from it? How was it possible to persuade the Japanese workmen to attack the Chinese Workman -- his brother in poverty; his companion in misery?

Is it possible that a few rich men, a small class of men, have persuaded a million men to attack, and attempt to destroy, another million men as poor as they? So that these rich may be richer still? Terrible thought! How did they persuade these poor men to come to China? By telling them the truth? No, they would never have cone if they had known the truth, Did they dare to tell these workmen that the rich only wanted cheaper raw materials, more markets and more profit? No, they told them that this brutal war was "The Destiny of the Race," it was for the "Glory of the Emperor," it was for the "Honour of the State," it was for their "King and Country."

False. False as hell!

The agents of a criminal war of aggression, such as this, must be looked for like the agents of other crimes, such as murder, among those who are likely to benefit from those crimes. Will the 80,000,000 workers of Japan, the poor farmers, the unemployed industrial workers -- will they gain? In the entire history of the wars of aggression, from the conquest of Mexico by Spain, the capture of India by England, the rape of Ethiopia by Italy, have the workers of those "victorious" countries ever been known to benefit? No, these never benefit by such wars. Does the Japanese workman benefit by the natural resources of even his own country, by the gold, the silver, the iron, the coal, the oil? Long ago he ceased to possess that natural wealth. It belongs to the rich, the ruling class. The millions who work those mines live in poverty. So how is he likely to benefit by the armed robbery of the gold, silver, iron, coal and oil from China? Will not the rich owners of the one retain for their own profit the wealth of the other? Have they not always done so?

It would seem inescapable that the militarists and the capitalists of Japan are the only class likely to gain by this mass murder, this authorized madness, this sanctified butchery. That ruling class, the true state, stands accused.

Are wars of aggression, wars for the conquest of colonies, then, just big business? Yes, it would seem so, however much the perpetrators of such national crimes seek to hide their true purpose under banners of high-sounding abstractions and ideals. They make war to capture markets by murder; raw materials by rape. They find it cheaper to steal than to exchange; easier to butcher than to buy. This is the secret of war. This is the secret of all wars. Profit. Business. Profit. Blood money.

Behind all stands that terrible, implacable God of Business and Blood, whose name is Profit. Money, like an insatiable Moloch, demands its interest, its return, and will stop at nothing, not even the murder of millions, to satisfy its greed. Behind the army stand the militarists. Behind the militarists stand finance capital and the capitalist. Brothers in blood; companions in crime.

What do these enemies of the human race look like? Do they wear on their foreheads a sign so that they may be told, shunned and condemned as criminals? No. On the contrary. they are the respectable ones. They are honoured. They call themselves, and are called, gentlemen. What a travesty on the name, Gentlemen! They are the pillars of the state, of the church, of society. They support private and public charity out of the excess of their wealth. they endow institutions. In their private lives they are kind and considerate. they obey the law, their law, the law of property. But there is one sign by which these gentle gunmen can be told. Threaten a reduction on the profit of their money and the beast in them awakes with a snarl. They become ruthless as savages, brutal as madmen, remorseless as executioners. Such men as these must perish if the human race is to continue. There can be no permanent peace in the world while they live. Such an organization of human society as permits them to exist must be abolished.

From "Wounds," by Norman Bethune, a Canadian Communist who died serving the Chinese Communist Revolution

#personal post

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delopsia · 1 year

Text

Thinking about Rhett encountering your Roomba...

Growing up on that ancient ranch, where the only thing that changes are the faces that inhabit it, it comes as no surprise that he doesn't understand a damn thing about it. A man that can ride a bull and make it look easy but can't send figure out Instagram to save his life.

Rhett's a quick learner, the kind who only needs to be shown once or twice, and then he's got the hang of it. He's still figuring out the acronyms, he's made social media accounts just to make an effort to be a part of your online presence. Never the kind to leave a comment, but always makes sure to press that little heart button beneath your posts.

So when you decide to bring home a Roomba, Rhett's inevitable reaction to it isn't even a thought in your head.

Until the little guy is running around, mapping out the layout of your home, and Rhett comes home from work.

"You're home early," you chirp from where you've settled yourself on the far end of the couch, nose deep in your phone. No amount of effort can conceal those heavy footsteps across your hardwood floor; Lord knows Rhett can't sneak up on anyone.

Silence.

No words are offered, not even a kiss on the forehead as he passes by. The only indication you have that he's there is the shadow he's casting over you.

"Rhett?"

He's just...standing there. Looking down at his feet, deep blue eyes carefully tracking the movements of something passing by. "The hell's this?"

Your first thought is that you've dropped something. A handout from the mail or one of those flyers the local Boy Scouts keep tacking onto your door handle, but the last thing you expect to turn and see is the new household appliance. "The Roomba?"

"A room-huh?" He can't seem to take his eyes off of it, tracking it even as it turns and slowly meanders back under the couch. "What is it doin'?"

In the end, you have to hand him the manual in order for him to understand what it's doing. Once he wraps his head around it, you figure that's going to be the end of it.

That Saturday, you walk into the kitchen to find Rhett with the Roomba and a cup of rice because he refuses to believe that it actually works.

"So what are you going to do to the poor thing now?" Yawning as you get your favorite mug down from the cabinet. The little vacuum has indeed picked up his strategically placed rice, and now they're just sitting together on the floor.

"Name it."

"You're naming the vacuum?"

"Yes."

And that's how the Roomba gets its name. Dave.

It's such a brief interaction that it slips your mind mere minutes after the conversation. The Roomba is just a Roomba with no names involved. Until a few days later, and Rhett comes home right as the vacuum is running its routine of sweeping up your kitchen.

"Hello, beautiful," he muses in between welcome-home kisses, his smile growing a little bigger with each one. Four, five, six, kisses, and he's going in to steal a seventh when little vacuum scoot past his feet. You think his eyes sparkle at the sight of the device as he quietly chirps, "hello to you too, Dave."

You don't know if Rhett's actively seeking Dave out or if it's a true coincidence, but they wind up encountering each other every time he comes home. One minute Rhett's just come in the door, all of his attention on you, and the next, he's looking at the damn vacuum like it's his firstborn.

And maybe that's why he's so heartbroken when he walks by the couch right as Dave emerges from beneath. One big cowboy boot is all it takes for Rhett to accidentally crushes the poor thing. Dave manages to drag himself six inches away from the crime scene, emits a few distressed beeps as if to say his final words, and dies.

"Rhett, it's fine!" Your protests only fall upon deaf ears as you trail him to the garage, "it's still under warranty; I can get it replaced."

"I've killed Dave." Even though he's having a hard time trying to stay serious, Rhett's already committed to the bit. He's killed Dave, and he's two seconds from turning himself in for murder.

The warranty is on standby while your technologically inept cowboy attempts to bring Dave back from the dead. One of your friends comes over to visit, and when you inevitably explain that Rhett's busy attempting to fix Dave after crushing him the other day, she's only got more questions.

"Who's Dave?"

And it's at this point that you realize you've been referring to the vacuum by name. "The Roomba we got on clearance."

A few days later, you're just about to contact the manufacturer about a replacement. Rhett's been tinkering and tinkering, and aside from a brief instance when Dave turned on for less than a few seconds, he's had no luck. You've had to go back to the old-fashioned way of vacuuming, and if you have to lug that big piece of junk out of the closet one more time, you're going to fight Rhett for custody of Dave.

You've just opened the manufacturer's website when the door busts open. And, in Rhett's hands, a cracked Roomba contentedly beeps with life. He's a little dented, and there's a crack running along the top, but that's nothing a cheekily placed bandaid can't fix.

So Dave lives to see another day.

Although, sometimes, you wish you'd never brought Dave home in the first place. He hijacks your lanyard and carries it halfway across the house. Sometimes he deliberately comes over and tries to vacuum your feet. And, somehow, he manages to barge into the bedroom right when you and Rhett are getting a little too wrapped up in each other.

Albeit reluctantly, Rhett draws away from your lips, looking off toward the now-open door. Shakes his head, turns back to close the gap between you once more, then cracks. "Hold on."

You think he's going to say he's forgotten to put the condoms in the bedside table again, or he hears something outside. But, much to your surprise, he picks Dave up off the floor like a cat, places him in the hall, and shuts the door.

Dave proceeds to hang around by the door. The. Entire. Time.

For the most part, Dave's alright, though. He does his job, and he'd might as well just be another pet at this point. He's got an array of cute covers to hide his battle scars from the Great Crushing Incident of 2023, and everyone knows him by name at this point.

Then one day, you're washing dishes in the sink, and something catches your eye. Something big and brown crawls past your peripheral vision. You're expecting to turn and see that the neighbor's cat has broken in through the window again, but...that's not what you see at all.

Rhett's cowboy hat is strolling past you.

And from the couch, Rhett's just grinning like a damn fool, "Dave's a real cowboy now."

You wonder how he's going to react when he comes home tomorrow and sees that the robot mop has arrived in the mail.

This entire warmup was inspired by a TikTok.

#rhett abbott x y/n #rhett abbott x reader #rhett abbott #rhett abbott outer range #outer range fic #outer range #outer range amazon #rhett abbott imagine #rhett abbott x you #reader self insert #self insert #x reader #reader insert #delgato's warmups #delgato's thinking

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thr-333 · 3 months

Note

Since Leo can portal, does he ever just decide to switch houses? Along that same thread, do the turtles ever just decide they want to stay with a different parent and just leave or do they always just wait for the next kidnapping.

Do the parents enforce strict rules of behavior for the turtles or do they have some freedoms to act how they want?

And cloaking brooches! The boys are probably famous for being Lou Jitsu's sons. And also famous in the Hidden City. They're literally just chilling while people make theories about their lives.

Also when do the boys discover Run of the Mill for the first time? I think Hueso would be a fun dynamic to add in for Leo (if you do the "Tio Hueso" thing a lot of people headcanon)

The boys are all criminals. It's lucky they're famous because they definitely don't follow the law lmao

Leo is the one most likely to dip out(usually on Draxum). Most of the others never feel the need because the turn over rate is so high. But Leo is always willing to smuggle them out if they are missing a particular parent. Mostly they are content to wait for the next kidnapping and enjoy their time with the parent they are with.

Usually when Leo is sick of Draxum he goes to Tio Hueso. When he was younger he used to go right to his Dad but Draxum always came right after him. So he learnt if he wants a break from the goat better to go anywhere else.

Run of the mill is the boys favorited place to hang out. One their Tio is there. Two its a Yokai space in the human world so it's a good middle ground. Three if Draxum or Big Mama's goons show up they can duck into the maze. It has pizza and they have long since memorized the layout.

As for strict rules I want to say Draxum's strict but lets face it; with that design the man's feral. If the kids blow something up he's more likely to reward than punish them. Splinter is his laid back self. So the only actual strict parent is Big Mama.

It's not in a 'behave and be polite way' her kids are hellions and brats which she full encourages. It's more about not screwing her over personally. Which is why Leo tends not to escape via portal when she kidnaps them. He's likely to loose priviliages.

Because something I cannot stress enough is that these kids are RITCH. They have their famous actor dad, which yes the mysterious children and his custody over them is the source of many gossip columns. Then there's Big Mama who has a monopoly over the crime syndicate of the Hidden city(and parts of New York) along with her Nexus and hotel. Draxum is a highly decorated warrior who comes from OLD money, enough to fund his experiments and keep on top of his ever upgrading security to stop Splinter stealing the turtles back.

So not only are they famous but they're rich with poor parental supervision and a shitty home life. They absolutely get in trouble with the law. Everyone thinks Leo is the biggest trouble maker but they're wrong, it's his brothers: Raph has been arrested the most, Donnie is the one who actually deserves to be arrested, Mikey is the one who has committed the most crimes. Its a race for the parents whenever one ends up at a police station to pay bail, that's basically a free kidnapping!

#triple divorce au #tdau #rottmnt #rise of the tmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #save rise of the tmnt #rise #tmnt #asks #asks welcome

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luffyvace · 5 months

Text

STRAW HAT HEADCANONS

YUP YUP

as a thx for being patient for me not posting all day-

you get the whole crew!! :)

(some of these are based off true stories i’ve heard of from my friends 😭🧍‍♀️)

Luffy

never a peaceful day goes by

hes the type of guy that has to make noise if it’s “too silent”

like bro can’t we get some peace and quiet??

thrives in chaos

his eye to hand coordination is on point bc this man doesn’t think before he does ANYTHING

steals things from his crew even

if he sees something he likes he just takes it

he goes into the bathroom, puts boogers on the tissue then leaves

doesn’t even take it off or flush it

the next person who has to use that bathroom is mortified

when nami finds out and holds a whole meeting to find out who did this terrible act of crime

they find out it’s him he just laughs

per usual

stop this madness.

(he doesn’t)

Zoro

also a menace

not as straightforward with it though

its more like if he gets water everywhere when washing his hands

or spills his drink when pouring it

or pee all over the toilet

he’s kinda like oh whoops

(for future reference- my apologies for who ever you simp for here bc these headcanons don’t hold back)

anyway

sometimes he doesn’t shower after he trains

and just walks in the kitchen full body REEKING 😭😭😭

seriously dude take a shower

”i’ll cool off eventually”

THAT AINT GONNA GET RID OF THE STENCH

it makes me doubt he changes his underwear often enough

he leaves empty water bottles everywhere

it’s worse in the crows nest trust

Nami

thankfully this poor victim isn’t nearly as much as a menace

as long as you pay your beli

is genuinely willing to wait as long as it takes to get that money

and if you die she’s taking your life insurance

if your a pirate and have none she probably just takes whatever money and belongings you own

if it’s gems she’ll keep them but otherwise

she sells your clothes and other stuff that’s not worth much

smells like flowers

yes i said it

every time she comes out the shower something chaotic has happened

ah what a refreshing shower..

WHAT DO YOU MEAN LUFFY UPSET ANOTHER GOD 😱

😡✊ 🤣 💥 😓 😑

you can guess what happened

Usopp

his luck heavily fluctuates

sometimes he can get away with stealing. from. nami.

wow.

to other times getting blamed for farting

by luffy

and no one likes that feeling

has a better fashion sense but just chooses to dress how he does

no reason really

he can do hair and paint nails

nail painting he learned from kaya

would love horse back riding if he tried

he would suck at first tho

likes little children but they always end up beating him up for some reason

‘his cooking isn’t that good!’

‘let’s jump him!’

‘yeah!!’

besides the usopp pirates—they just do

Sanji

he could pull if he just stopped simping so hard

opla sanji is proof

his favorite thing to cook is spicy foods

him and chopper bond over spices bc some are good for your health and all

chopper sometimes recommends new herbs to put in foods

and vice versa for medicine

he helps chopper shop for herbs and such

if zoro wasn’t his big brother it was def be sanji

i love this duo it need more screen time

Sanji is a natural with children

which is why i wanna know why he ain’t wifed up yet?!

still hasn’t had his first kiss

prob would’ve genuinely married pudding if she was regular girl or at least not a big mom pirate

Chopper

sweetest person ever

looks up to all the straw hats

so he picks up bad habits from them

and is influenced by them easily

they use him as a tie breaker for stuff

they all bribe him to picking they’re option

usually robin, nami, sanji or zoro wins

robin bc she uses her psychological knowledge

nami bc she offers to buy his doctor stuff (which is rare)

sanji bc they have a close bond and relate to each other

and zoro bc they’re bond too (and bc he scares him sometimes- like that time in water 7)

asks people to help him with his doctor research

everyone was willing until the time usopp had diarrhea

then he could only convince luffy to do it 😭

Robin♥︎

her stare scares the rest of the straw hats

if it’s not a genuine smile and more like a distant stare that is

shes always observing and watching

theres no hiding secrets from her

she’s knows all

she actually reminds me of a friend i had irl and idk how to feel abt it

she wasn’t a bad person

she was just

just like robin 🧍‍♀️

anyway

i wonder if robin would read stephen king?

she would prob big up the book

only for them to find out it’s pretty dark

she prefers tea over coffee any day

its healthier w more health benefits

it just suits her taste pallet more

plus it doesn’t stain your teeth yellow n stuff..

Franky

SO LOUD

the second he gets up-

SUPERRRRRRR

its kinda annoying

he doesn’t care much if you don’t like it

Luffy is louder ok

your fine

wants robin to think he’s cool

if you don’t get something he said he doesn’t feel like repeating himself

either leaves out more details the more he explains it

or stares at you until you get it

constantly requesting american food for dinner

he doesn’t mind noodles and other around the world dishes

but can he get some pizza??

is that too much??

actually such a kind and considerate person

can relate to sanji on his kindness and empathy being his superpower

♡♡BROOK♡♡

needs so much more attention

the only one who still laughs at his skull jokes are luffy and chopper

sometimes usopp if it was a good one

loves to exchange books with robin but..

sometimes they’re a bit scary

(dude your a skeleton…YOUR SCARY-)

robin listens to him well bc he has a wealth of knowledge

he is 90 after all

maybe brook gets his clothes tailored??( bc who makes clothes so skinny a skeleton could fit them?!)

can play instruments no ones ever even HEARD OF before

randomly re-realizes his generation of people is dead

like now he has to accommodate with the youngsters 😭

i mean people in one piece live pretty long

but still they’re not out here kickin it n allike they used to

like rayliegh-

except he’s younger-

way younger-

ok so maybe whitebeard

but he was still jukin-

IDK MAN

one piece people are weird..

JINBEI

idk much about him especially but imma try

he’s so cool

he can prob cook really well

has very good survival and leader skills

plus instincts

wait how old is he??

looked it up he’s 46

so he’s the 2nd oldest

technically would be first if brook wasn’t a moving pile of bones

yohohoho!

my apologies your right this is jinbei.

i feel like he can dance

like he knows traditional dances of all sorts

i mean he could travel under water pretty fast

he should be able to visit different places right?

besides, he was a warlord

of course he did!

i feel he wouldn’t be a simp

as in for boa specifically

like he’s like i got too much going on to simp over some youngster

ik he ain’t real old or anything

but my dude a grown man

bro ain’t got time

he’s too busy being himothy

i feel he’d like poems

jinbei’s was like the most serious one. and that was still all over the place itself-

i take it back probably chopper or robin

this was fun but it took so long. it’s ok u guys enjoy :). i’m off to watch some anime 🏃‍♀️

oh my GOODNESS. so many tags 🤓

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superman-the-secret-third-thing · 5 months

Text

Superman And Environmental Criminology!

Action Comics #8 (1938)

I like this one for showing off how Superman can be used for good in the real world- by using fiction as a medium to bring attention to real world issues, and in this case: Where/How you grow up affects the adult you become.

Clark Kent is watching a trial for a young boy, Frankie, who has been put in jail for robbery and assault for two years. He's presumably in his teens, based on his reaction.

He overhears the rest of the kids friends saying that they need to talk to "Gimpy" who turns out to be their contact/selling guy whatever.

Gimpy has a deeply...unfortunate countenance.

The kids are there to enact the classic "Brooklyn Pear", due to his broken promise to bail them out- but he manages to ward them off by telling them how to get a big score.

After they leave, he turns around and calls the fuzz on the hoodlums, only for superman to crush the phone, and kick his ass for betraying children. He needs the get the f out, or Superman is going to show him The Implication.

The "Brooklyn Pear" is nothing compared to the "John Doe Makeover".

Superman goes out and collects the kids, foreshadowing an "obstruction of justice" and "destruction of public property" charge, which carries a fine of nothing, because who the fuck is going to arrest Superman. He doesn't have a Social Security Number or wrists that can be restrained by any mortal creation.

He tries to help them by telling them "stealing is wrong" but also lets slip that Gimpy has stabbed them in the back. They do their best impression of an A4 class Locomotive Mallard get steamed and race to introduce Gimpy to their fists.

Gimpy tries to shoot one of them in the fucking face.

Superman proceeds to toss him into the river, presumably giving him pneumonia and gravity-induced PTSD. Nick tries to bash in his skull from behind, like an asshole.

Superman tries to scare the kids straight by bouncing on a telephone wire but they, being little more than kids and also not finding him particularly scary- just think its fun.

He then thinks that they maybe they turned to a life of crime because of the poor neighborhood that they inhabit.

He turns to a newspaper...seeing the headline about low-income housing- rubs his chin and strains his incredible wrinkly sack- and gets a devilish idea. MASS COLLATERAL PROPERTY DAMAGE! airhorn noises

He personally goes to their street, yells at everyone to get out and levels the entire neighborhood. The police- reasonably assuming that he's gone insane, try to shoot him with bullets and then a fucking bomb. He then dances away, giggling like a schoolgirl.

The government did build affordable housing after that- and the Police Chief, talking to Clark thinks that Supe did a good thing- but will also try to put him in jail.

...Superman really looks like a dick if you just read those last two pages ha ha

Next Time...SUPERMAN CONTRIBUTES TO POLLUTION!

#superman #dc comics #clark kent #comics #dc universe #dcu #1930s #detective comics

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secretmellowblog · 10 months

Text

Anyone who thinks AI is going to “revolutionize/democratize copyright law” is a fucking idiot and just as stupid as all those people who thought NFTs would revolutionize copyright. Because no, it will not? It won’t? That’s now how any of this works? You are just lying? It’s the same argument people always made about Nfts— “currently it looks like it’s just a scummy way for Silicon Valley types and big companies to enrich themselves at the expense of everyone else, but in our distant libertarian cyber future it will somehow revolutionize/democratize the concept of ownership in some nebulous poorly defined way we haven’t figured out the logistics of yet!”

The thing is. In my opinion the biggest problem with current copyright law isn’t that it allows people to have any kind of rights over the work, or that people having some kind of rights over their work is inherently always bad. The much greater problem with current copyright law is that it is massively skewed in favor of corporations, and benefits them to an insane degree while giving very little to the people who actually create the work. The people who actually make your favorite movies and comics and games usually don’t have any rights whatsoever over their creations, and instead massive companies have complete control over them.

And that’s the whole problem with the unevenness of current copyright law. if I as an individual violate Disney’s copyright by stealing a single image owned by them, or create derivative work/fanfic based on their stuff, they can sue me. But if a big corporation steals my entire life’s work and everything I’ve ever made to shove in a algorithm and create infinite derivative copies, I can do nothing. Theft on a small scale is a crime— but theft on a massive scale is business.

OpenAI is not some leftist project about taking power away from corporations by revolutionizing ownership. it is itself a giant corporation determined to get as much value for its investors as possible. It needs to be regulated. And laws protecting individual working class artists from a massive corporation determined to use their stolen labor to make them obsolete are necessary, actually!

This is not creating a world free of copyright; it’s creating a world where only individuals are bound by whatever rules exists, and whatever pretense used to exist that we had any rights over our work whatsoever is gone, because now only corporations can own things. AI can generate an image but it cannot generate a movie, which is one of the only “products” that can’t be “generated”, so only big companies with the budgets to make larger projects will be able to generate things that can be owned.

I thought we all agreed that the idea that a libertarian world where “~we don’t need laws and regulations let the free market decide and somehow everything will work itself out-“ was utterly stupid, and there needed to be limits on corporate power?

I find it literally insane that people think it’s somehow progressive to cheer on a massive corporation attempting to get infinite power, and that working class artists who are already overworked and underpaid are ~not real leftists- for pointing out it’s wrong to cheer on corporations getting to play by their own separate rules (rules that WE are bound to but they are not), even when their technology relies on the exploited labor of the people they’re going to drive deeper into poverty.

The leftism leaves people’s bodies when you tell them that they don’t actually need a machine whose data was trained by underpaid impoverished workers in Kenya making less than $2 an hour to write free shitty fanfic for them… and that the machine doesn’t create things “withojt labor,” it creates things by finding corporates loopholes to current laws that allows them to avoid paying the people for their labor. Everything you generate with image/text generators is things that are generated by the all the free labor of the artists they didn’t pay, and all the poor people in developing countries that they exploited. It doesn’t create things without labor, it creates things by obfuscating where the labor came from.

#it’s actually very progressive and leftist to root for a massive megacorporation to use people’s stolen labor #it’s actually a daring artistic statement to create auto generated glurge using exploited Kenyan labor

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elbiotipo · 5 months

Note

(sorry for long ask) I always felt that they could've used the civil war as an excuse for why there are a lot of bandits (but not in the way they do now - aka less guards/cops means more criminals). Have soldiers/deserters be a major raiding force, due to not getting paid, poor discipline or the nature of being an occupying force. There could still be other types, but it would break up the fur clad bandit monotany and get you invested in the war without doing the questline.

Also I feel like generic bandits are most often used when an area is cleared out of its more unique inhabitants (even bandits who at least talk or have a leader) but the game wants enemies in case you come back for another quest. Which I think speaks to a level/quest design issue but thats another topic. I feel like indtead of bandits, nature or undead enemies would make more sense. Or have it reinhabited by non hostile npcs.

As for yielding, its crazy how it only appliesnto yourself (with guards) and a few npcs, but its usually scripted so killing them is impossible (they become essential) or illegal (fistfights), otherwise its just a weird animation that happens.

I feel like they could have it at least where if most of bandit group is dead, those hurt can do the yield mechanic and then you sheathe your weapon, and they leave or give you something idk.

Those are great points! I think one big issue with bandits in Skyrim is, as other pointed out, they're randomly generated. If every band was generated for a determined "dungeon", with different motivations and different ways to deal with them that don't involve just killing everyone, it would make a lot more sense and be a lot more fun. In fact, you already see part of this. There are many bandit dungeons with their own special conversations and NPCs (there's one with a blind guy who's the anonymous leader father, and honestly you feel just so bad for him), so they could have tried, they COULD have made them unique. Personalized factions of enemies would bring so much life to the world. Disgraced bands of soldiers, mercenaries or adventurers (actually the source of much real life 'bandits'), petty thanes who steal from the poor, Khajiit caravans who faced discrimination and turned to crime, criminal families, pirates, there's lots you could do. That was sacrificed in the name of 'radiant quests' and it's something Bethesda has doubled down in their newer games.

I'm not saying that bandits should greet you with hugs and cuddles. I'm saying that, in an RPG, you should be given role-playing choices to deal with them in many ways. There is a lot in Skyrim about 'clever' heroes, but besides sneaking, there are little chances to use that cleverness. Meanwhile, have Fallout New Vegas. You can actually visit the bases of the 'bad' factions by many ways, even the Fiends which are the closest to generic post-apocalyptic bandits have leaders and you can talk to their leader, even if there's not much diplomacy to be done.

And the fact that yielding just straight up does not work is just terrible game design, it's an incomplete mechanic. It's crazy that it just happens and then they just get up and keep hitting you??? I wouldn't mind a 'knocked out' mechanic, which many simpler games seem to have. I wonder if it was something that was just ommitted or did poorly in playtesting. The unfortunate fact is that many gamers are very bloodthirsty and do attack fleeing or surrendering enemies. Being a strict roleplayer I don't enjoy that. I personally don't do many pacifist runs, but I want the things that I do make sense, I don't find any enjoyment in mowing down bandits dressed in fur and endless wolves. I'd much rather have strong or complicated fights tied to narrative.

(there are mods that fix the yielding 'mechanic' and add depth to virtually all of these aspects, but they're mods, so they aren't in the base game, and they work so-so)

#skyrim

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cursed-and-haunted · 5 months

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id love to hear about your other wips! are they all horror too?

Not all of them are horror. But most of them contain some horror/thriller aspects

My biggest wip that has the most work done on it, the most worldbuilding and lore, the most ocs (50+) is a fantasy titled the Nine Realms that takes some inspiration from Norse/Germanic and Celtic myths. It follows several generations of one family from the dawn of humanity to its fall as this family climbs to the hight of nobility and then eventually falls into obscurity. There's Giants and Elves and Dwarves and prophets and shapeshifters and spirits and dead gods that lurk in the shadows and whisper strange things in your ear.

My second biggest wip is This Is The Way The World Ends. It's about superhumans in a world where superpowers have been normalized and are now a normal mundane thing. It follows a group of thieves who steal something very important from a mob boss in Las Vegas and have to deal with the consequences of that. A lot of weird shit happens too because superpowers are weird, at one point they kill god and it's like a normal Wednesday for them. This one is more humorous than the any of the other ones.

Then there's Cosmic a low sci-fi about a woman's suicide mission to get revenge and it takes place on a circus themed cruise space ship (you know how we have cruise ships its like that but in space and with clowns... and a woman trying to blow it up). This is the web weaving for it.

Things Behind The Sun is a sci-fi about cyborgs and androids. It's also about bodily autonomy and disability and how corporations crush the poor and disabled just for a profit. Typical cyberpunk tropes.

Heaven Must Be Burning is about a witch who makes a deal with the devil but feels like she was cheated so she travels through the nine circles of hell so she can kill the devil and then god. Not sure if this one is a horror but it does have a lot of creepy stuff in it.

Now for my horror wips:

Godlings is the horror prequel to This Is The Way The World Ends. It is the villain origin story of the Big Bad of TITWTWE. It's about 5 superhumans who go on a killing spree together and then one of them turns on the other 4 and starts hunting them down and killing them one by one until he is the only one left standing.

Darkside is a sci-fi horror about a group of scientists who go to an alien planet and one of them gets possessed infected by some alien disease that makes her homicidal and makes her body rapidly decay and she tries to kill everyone.

Meet Me In The Woods Tonight is about a small town with a lot of secrets. One of them being that there's a fucked up deer creature in the woods that eats people. My icon is inspired by this wip. My hometown is also the inspiration for the setting in this.

Another wip (whose tilte I can't decide on) is about a true crime writer who gets the chance to write a book about an infamous serial killer and the during the interviews the two become obsessed with each other to the point of murder.

Between The Walls is about a haunted house that's haunted by the ghost of a cannibal and the cannibal's victims. This one started out as a uquiz which you can still take here.

#sorry this is so long #but I have a lot of wips and these are just the ones that are the most developed #asks

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mariacallous · 8 months

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The last couple of weeks have been exceptionally bonkers in Washington. The U.S. government was THIS close to shutting down. A Democratic senator got indicted (again). House Republicans kicked out their own party’s speaker, for the first time in history, and now there’s nobody in charge and the chamber can’t do any business.

Our politics can feel so broken sometimes that, at a certain point, you have to take a step back and laugh. Because the truth is, there is always absurdity lurking in the halls of Congress, even in the most serious of moments, and finding its way into big decisions being made by some of the nation’s most powerful people.

Like gold bars.

When Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) was indicted two weeks ago on bribery charges, we learned that he had bars of gold hidden around his house.

Are we living in a cartoon? Aren’t gold bars what villains try to steal from banks in old episodes of “Scooby Doo”? I googled it, and of course there’s an episode called “Gold Paw” where Scooby and Shaggy, probably fueled up on Scooby snacks, stumble upon a room FILLED with bars of gold that a villain had stored away.

This was what I was thinking about in the hallways of the U.S. Senate last week, as reporters chased down Democratic senators to ask if Menendez should resign, if they plan to refer him to the Ethics Committee, what it means for U.S. foreign policy that the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee was allegedly accepting bribes in exchange for aiding the Egyptian government. These are all important questions.

But also, who peddles in alleged crimes in exchange for bars of gold? Did this veteran Democratic senator really google “how much is one kilo of gold worth” amid all of this alleged criming? That is a legitimate Scooby Doo-level poor decision.

I talked to senators about what they thought of Menendez and his gold bars. I asked if they happened to have any lying around at their own houses, or if they’d ever gone online to research the value of a bar of gold for no particular, non-criming reason. Because maybe Menendez is telling the truth that he didn’t do anything wrong, and maybe it’s perfectly normal for U.S. senators to hoard gold bars.

“I was going to buy my own gold bar, you know?” offered Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.). “So I could either go to [Menendez’s] contacts or buy one at Costco.”

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mostlysignssomeportents · 2 years

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McKinsey and Providence colluded to force poor patients into destitution

Providence is a health giant whose anchor is a network of Catholic hospitals. They colluded with McKinsey to steal from their poorest patients, by deceiving them about their eligibility for free care, saddling poor, sick people with crushing debts:

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/24/business/nonprofit-hospitals-poor-patients.html

Though Providence is nominally a nonprofit, but it sits atop a $10 billion private equity fund that it invests in unrelated sectors. Its nonprofit status lets it evade $1.2 billion per year in federal and state taxes. The company stole $500,000,000 in US covid relief intended for hospitals in danger of closure. Its CEO makes $10,000,000 per year.

As a nonprofit, Providence is required to provide free care to low-income patients. In 2018, the company retained the services of McKinsey and Co, a scandal-haunted global consulting firm with a long track record of designing criminal strategies for its clients. There are many ghastly examples of this conduct — for example, helping the Saudi government hunt down, torture and murder dissidents:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/22/business/dealbook/mckinsey-saudi-dissidents.html

Closer to home, McKinsey crafted ICE’s immigration sweeps and helped design the notorious kids-in-cages detention centers, counselling the Trump administration to control costs by denying detainees adequate food and health care:

https://www.propublica.org/article/how-mckinsey-helped-the-trump-administration-implement-its-immigration-policies

(McKinsey then lied about this)

https://www.propublica.org/article/mckinsey-called-our-story-about-its-ice-contract-false-its-not

All these failures and scandals are even more infuriating when you learn about McKinsey’s internal mythologizing. The company tells new recruits that they are a global force for good, comparing their consulting work to the Catholic Church and the US Marine Corps.

https://www.propublica.org/article/how-mckinsey-makes-its-own-rules

This is an obviously absurd claim — no matter how many people McKinsey helps murder, they’ll never come close to either institution’s body-count. But McKinsey has a comprehensive plan to sell this image to its “associates,” starting with a curriculum to help very young children learn to act like McKinsey consultants:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/02/15/management-jesuits/#pmc-jr

But a recurring motif in the long symphony of McKinsey scandals are those involving health-care. They made $100,000,000 in failed, idiotic, bumbling covid initiatives:

https://pluralistic.net/2020/07/15/3-frauds-in-a-trenchcoat/#failing-up

They designed Big Pharma’s price-gouging program:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/11/25/strikesgiving/#cool-story-pharma-bro

They helped the Sacklers — a multigeneration crime family of pharma billionaires whose Oxycontin set off the opioid epidemic — design their sales program, suggesting that pharma distributors be paid cash bounties for each fatal opioid overdose in their sales territory:

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/03/business/mckinsey-opioids-settlement.html

They helped pharma companies design programs to convince doctors to overprescribe opiods:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/06/30/mckinsey-mafia/#everybody-must-get-stoned

Then, after the Sacklers declared their pharma company bankrupt, protecting their billions from their victims, McKinsey helped craft their bankruptcy strategy, ensuring that they could vaporize their victims’ claims while holding onto their fortune:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/07/29/impunity-corrodes/#morally-bankrupt

As all this was coming to light, a senior McKinsey specialist drafted a plan to hide the company’s role in the opioid crisis, illegally destroying internal memos relating to litigation:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/27/business/mckinsey-purdue-oxycontin-opioids.html

In light of all this, it’s only natural that Providence would turn to McKinsey when they needed help committing crimes and destroying thousands of people’s lives. McKinsey helped Providence craft a program to coerce poor people into paying for care they were entitled to get for free. They called it “Rev-Up.”

Writing in the New York Times, Jessica Silver-Greenberg and Katie Thomas reveal the full depravity of “Rev-Up.” McKinsey advised Providence to train its staff to avoid truthfully answer poor patients’ queries about whether they were eligible for free care.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/24/business/nonprofit-hospitals-poor-patients.html

When patients asked if they were eligible for free care, Providence employees were trained to answer “Payment is expected.” Staff were told “Don’t accept the first ‘no.’” Rather, they were told to reply, “How would you like to pay for that today?” If patients still pressed them on their legal entitlement to free care, Providence employees were told to ask if the patients’ employers would pay for half their care.

When patients asked why a nonprofit hospital was asking them to pay more than they could afford, reps were counseled to reply, “We are a nonprofit. However, we want to inform our patients of their balances as soon as possible and help the hospital invest in patient care by reducing billing costs.”

After saying this, reps were supposed to add, “how would you like to take care of this today?”

If patients continued to press Providence reps on their eligibility for free care, then, finally, could the reps discuss the hospital’s legal obligation to wipe out the bills for those in need.

Charity care costs the average US nonprofit hospital 2% of its total expenses. For Providence, it’s less than 1%. In 2018, when the company hired McKinsey to design Rev-Up, it was 1.24%.

In pursuing a <1% reduction of expenses, the “nonprofit” ruined the lives of thousands of poor people, including its own employees, who are so badly paid that they qualify for free care. The Times quotes Bev Kolpin, a Providence Oregon sonogram tech who paid her own employer $8,000 to have a cyst removed (she had to take unpaid leave for the procedure).

Michael Hudson tells us that “debts that can’t be paid, won’t be paid.” Poor people can’t afford to pay the sticker price of care at Providence, so Providence sent thuggish collection agencies to hound patients (including Medicaid patients) to pay the balances that should have never been assessed.

The Times spoke to patients who were taken to collections by Providence and thereafter avoided seeking care for themselves and their children, even for urgent conditions. Dean A. Zerb, a former congressional staffer who investigated nonprofit hospitals, said “That is the outcome that hospitals like Providence may be hoping for.”

One of the most haunting details in the Times report is the story of Vanessa Weller, a single mother in Alaska, who delivered a premature baby at the Providence Alaska Medical Center. The baby died five days later, but Weller was pursued for $125,000 in medical bills by Providence. As a manager at a local Wendy’s, she was entitled to have her bill erased. Instead, she was relentlessly chased by bill-collectors and her credit rating fell from 650 to 400.

Providence professes to be shocked, shocked that all this happened. Providence CFO Gregory Hoffman told the Times that the news that his company had failed in its legal obligations after paying a consultant to teach them how to do this “very concerning,” adding that these victimized patients “have our attention.” McKinsey made at least $45,000,000 for designing Rev-Up.

I have my own experience with Providence, though not nearly so disturbing. In 2018, my parents came to stay with me in Burbank. My father fell gravely ill — he had kidney stones and a septic bladder infection. He went to the local Providence ER and nearly died. He was in a coma for two days. As my mother stood at his bed-side, not knowing if he would live out the day, a billing agent for the hospital came into the room and began to pester her about how she would pay his bill.

Thankfully, my parents are retired, unionized schoolteachers from Canada, and they were fully insured. But insured or not, it was such a disgusting, filthy, callous thing to do that I have never forgotten it. Thankfully, my father made a full recovery but I have no interest in ever visiting a Providence hospital

[Image ID: A collage. On the left is an image of a cigar-chomping plutocrat in a top hat. He stands at a control box whose lever is fashioned into a dollar-sign. The control box bears the logo of McKinsey and Company. In one gloved hand, he holds aloft a sad, cloth-capped young man on crutches. On the right is an ogrish thug wielding a club and holding out his free hand in a 'gimme' gesture. He wears a doctor's reflector around his head. Behind them is a hospital ward. On the wall of the hospital ward is the logo for Providence hospitals.]

#pluralistic

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nameless-brand · 1 year

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Gothamites ::

Gotham is a melting pot of culture and all walks of life. From food to music to clothing, there's quite a number of "Little" versions of a country or culture for people to visit. And for larger places such as Chinatown, the people living there do not even need to speak a lick of English to survive, given the population is large enough to support only needing to know Mandarin and perhaps Cantonese alone.

Gothamites as a group are wary people and a little smarter than a typical city dweller. Unlike denizens from other cities, they place a lot of emphasis on their own safety. That means not going to known bad areas (East End), not taking risky shortcuts like unfamiliar alleyways, don't be out past midnight if you don't need to, etc etc. This is likely due to the rampant crime, primarily robbery. Though robbers will not typically target Gothamites individually, usually tourists.

Note: The typical Gothamite carries only up to $30-40 in hard cash at best. Likely, the most valuable thing on their person would be some jewelry, their cellphone, and/or a laptop.

As for socio-economic class, in Gotham, the poor come for the opportunities, the middle class come for the wages, and the upper class come for the lifestyle. Approximately 20% live below the poverty line, which is approximately $35000 in 2022 (average national is around 14%). This number is expected to get larger in 2023. Part of it is the wage stagnation and job availability. Unemployment rate is around 9%.

Even the largest employer of Gotham citizens Wayne Enterprises only employs around 150,000 people out of 20,000,000. And as most people who visit Gotham come to enjoy the lavish city lifestyle, most people who are employed work in the service industry, which can change drastically given whatever area a supervillain or crime gang decides to devastate one day.

Big Business ::

Almost every single major brand can be found in Gotham. The Diamond District houses Gucci, Hermes, Louis Vuitton, H&M, etc in one convenient area. There are also branches that can be found through the other districts as well. Industrial companies such as Wayne Enterprises or Reddick Industries also have their headquarters in Gotham.

As can be expected, the local government leans heavily towards Big Business. That is because it is corrupt. And it is public opinion that the people up top are corrupt and cannot do anything about it because they either cover their tracks well or will bring down too many people if they were to go down.

Gotham is not pro-labor. Police often will stand on the company side when it comes to dispersal of a strike. Locations have been shut down, just for something as little as a rumor of a union vote [ see Gotham Ironworkers Union vs Gallium, ruling in favor of Gallium [1]]. People overall are intimidated into not using their rights as a worker, given that the city will provide almost no help. And there are just many barely legal things that a company can do to make their workers lives miserable.

[ Reddick Industries vs Alan Thorn ] A Glassdoor Review that Alan Thorn, ex-engineer of Reddick Industries, discusses the "lack of safety protocols and appropriate training making it dangerous for employees to work in" had been in the public eye after Reddick Industries filed a libel lawsuit and successfully won the lawsuit for $3,000,000 after Gotham City Inspectors found no evidence of Alan Thorn's claims. An appeal was filed but canceled after Alan Thorn did not show up. Reddick Industries claims no foul play, only stating that Alan Thorn likely knew he was going to lose and decided to skip town to avoid paying the suit.

Crime ::

Gotham is known for its crime rate, being in the top ten for robbery, felony assault, sexual assault, grand larceny, and murder.

Robbery in Gotham usually does not involve the common citizen. Most robbery involves stealing from supermarkets or stores outside the Diamond District. When firearms are involved, they usually involve high value targets such as banks, large companies, or armored trucks. Part of the lack of citizen targeting is because citizens do not carry much out of precaution - and that there is an easy-to-dial 217 number for credit card cancellation in the city of Gotham. A lot of cellphones are also made by WayneTech and include a GPS tracker that could only be removed by breaking the phone. So it is not very cost-effective to target a Gotham citizen for robbery, not when there's a good number of tourists instead to target. So the only time when robbery targeting citizens happens if it's en-masse like in a train.

A lot of the felony assault and murder involves people in East End and some of the outer districts / Docks. Most of it is gang-on-gang violence, and the police will often ignore the most crime-infested areas or arrive there late when all the fighting is done. The reason why police can get away with this is because of a very strong police union, who insists that the average policeman is ill-equipped to fight a "supervillain" who could be laying a trap in the area. Unfortunately, there is precedence for their claim [ see Scarecrow Incident [2]].

The murder rate is usually normal for a city of this size. The only problem is when supervillains get involved - and then the murder rate spikes (similar to that meme about Spiders' Georg).

Note: In my honest opinion, the worst crime that happens involves companies exploiting their workers, and the workers not knowing their rights or scared to use them. Example: There are managers in some of the service industries that have convinced their waiters and other staff that they are entitled to a cut of the tip pool.

#sato's notes //#gotham city #not visible ic #setting ;;#headcanon ;;

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letarasstuff · 2 years

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in honor of you hitting 1K, I was wondering if I could get a Reid x BAU!Reader based on #9 from this prompt list, but the third person as Garcia?

Congrats on the milestone, you deserve it!! ❤️

Ahhh, thank you so so much, my love. Here is the blurb, I hope you like it _______________

“Woah, Baby Girl, did you rob a bakery or why is this big back smelling like a dream out of sugar and pastries?” Derek calls after Penelope, as she makes her way to the bullpen. With a bright smile on her face she turns towards him. “If I would do such things, you are the first to be informed, my partner in crime. I baked some goods last night for Reid and (Y/N), because she got into the academy next fall and Spencer helped her write that important essay.”

Excitedly she opens the bag and shows Morgan the number of donuts in it. The sweet smell wafting out of it is enough to make any mouth water. “Am I allowed to steal one, baby girl?” This question is just an alibi, since Derek already is reaching into the bag. But a sudden slap to his hand stops him.

“No! You didn’t get into the academy nor did you help someone. These are solely for Reid and (Y/N), Chocolate Thunder.” His face of puppy dog eyes, a poor attempt to convince Penelope otherwise, is cut off by a certain teen’s voice.

“I heard my name and the academy in one sentence. Are you playing the messenger and bear the bad news, Penelope?” (Y/N) asks her while Derek casually puts his arm around her shoulder and pulls her into his side. Since she started her internship there, (Y/N) learned to understand his touches as his expression of affection and love.

A bewildered look onto Spencer’s face finds its place as he joins the group. “What bad news? You sent me a picture of the letter with another picture of a crying hermit hugging his phone. You got into the academy, right?” During his questions he eyes Garcia’s bag, already smelling his favorite kind of pastries.

Meanwhile Derek was called into Hotch’s office, (Y/N) explains her answers. “Oh, yeah I did get it. It’s bad news for my professors in the academy, because they need to work with this dumbass. I wouldn’t have gotten in, if it wasn’t for you, Spencer.”

“Ah, what did we say about self-depreciating talk?” Reid reminds her. An exasperated sigh leaves her lips. “I am a smart person. My value isn’t tied to my academic success, yadda yadda yadda.”

Witnessing the influence their resident genius has on their favorite intern, Penelope smiles so much, it must be hurting for sure.

“Oh, so much love. And as a congratulation I baked some donuts and stuff. Enjoy!” She gives (Y/N) the bag along with a hug and goes off to her lair.

The two remaining people share a look. It’s enough to communicate about who is going to dish the sweets and who is going to make the hot beverages.

Over their mugs of tea and/or coffee Spencer and (Y/N) argue about who should get the last donut. It’s loud enough to be broken up by Hotch.

#letara is celebrating #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid x teen!reader #penelope garcia x teen!reader #derek morgan x teen!reader #x reader #x teen!reader #reader insert #criminal minds fanfiction #criminal minds

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amyarano · 7 months

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i. unknown movie, "doing the right thing" - daughter ( mv ) // ii. "come wander with me" - bonnie beecher, the twilight zone, dir. rod serling // iii. "shine on you crazy diamond (i-v)" - pink floyd

( gdocs version since we hate tumblr for its many crimes now )

quick stats !

full name: amy florence arano

date of birth: january 13th, 1967

zodiac big three: capricorn sun, leo moon, leo rising (?)

gender & pronouns: cis woman & she/her

sexual orientation: bisexual

ethnicity: chinese, māori cook islander, white

nationality: us american

religion: agnostic

languages spoken: english (5), mandarin (3), rarotongan (2)

enneagram: 4w5

mbti: esfj

temperament: sanguine-melancholic

alignment: true neutral (?)

backstory !

there is a tl;dr at the bottom!

triggers: she was a child actress, so... in the words of amy winehouse, what kind of fuckery is this?

It was almost the perfect day when Mr. and Mrs. Arano welcome their first child to the world. The sun was as warm as always, but cool breeze swept through the desert air. Surrounded by the angels that Los Angeles boasted, it was almost perfect. Almost.

But there was a negative talisman hanging above them, one that neither fully registered. See, they were sent home with a rabbit's foot and an invisible question mark over their heads...

It was Friday the 13th. Bad luck was written in the stars for Amy Arano.

It started with low funds. Constantly on the brink of poverty, constantly taking out loans, the move to the USA was coming to bite the Arano family in full. But being broke was nothing groundbreaking, nothing millions of families didn't already live through. And they had only one child to provide for. They could make it.

Until Mrs. Arano found herself pregnant in 1969. Abortion still illegal uh, should I be using the word 'still' given the overturn? and with little to no connections to backroom clinics, she carried to term. Gave birth. Twins.

More on the brink of financial ruin than ever with no backup plans, the Arano family was desperate. But they were marketable.

Chance had it that XZY had come up with a television show to battle The Brady Bunch -- it was called The Carey Crew. They had a few names attached, but were still searching for the final piece: the daughters.

Twins were marketable as child actors. Despite theirs only being two at the time, desperate times called for desperate measures. And the execs took to them... but they were looking for someone a little older -- you know, older than two. Which, with her haunting the background as her siblings were pimped out and still stealing the show, they found in Amy.

1972 was a whirlwind. Amy was to play one of the middle children of the Carey Crew, one of their adoptees -- because this show was, like, really edgy. The Careys had three biological children and three adopted children... like, literally the edgiest thing on all of cable.

Soon, before she was Amy, she was Sandy. And, as the story goes, the amount of money she, a child, took in from her role began to corrupt the Aranos. The twins grew up with little to no work ethic, her father was busy buying all the best watches, her mother was ensuring she was looking perfect for the next episode. It was hard to remember how they began, and not just because she'd been so very young.

Now, the positive aspect of being a child star in the 1970s? Tabloids weren't hitting it big yet, you weren't an idol yet, and, in due time, you were far less likely to be stalked and harassed by paparazzi and poor excuses for 'journalists.'

But the negative aspect of being a child star in the 1970s? Quite frankly, you were still a child star. All of the milestones you got to experience were scripted -- say, a first kiss -- and all of the milestones you missed were bastardized by the script -- say, your first prom. In addition, they were still missing the laws regarding the hours you worked... the safeguarding wasn't as safe as it would be in due time...

Off set, you were better off. On set, you were screwed.

But you -- but she -- spent most of her time on set. Early hours and late nights, provided uppers and downers to help survive the day.

The Carey Crew lasted for ten years, beating its rival show... you know, the one it pretty much plagiarized. From the series itself to movie specials to spin-offs about the kids, it made a splash. And the splash it made wasn't because it was good. For the most part, it lasted so long because all of the hatred and mockery brought in new viewers. So bad, it's good.

When the series -- and all of its spin-offs and movies -- finally wrapped in 1982 with the most nonsensical ending (it was Mick Carey's dream all along...), Amy was 50, 15, and 5 all at once. But the 5y/o and the 15y/o knew that it was the 50y/o's job to keep money on the table.

Very few offers came her way, what given The Carey Crew's status as a successful failure -- more commercials and guest appearances (with the inevitable 'oooooh!' from the live audience) than anything else. So a valiant attempt was made to further her fame into the music aspect of the entertainment world... which worked for one (1) song.

Think "I'm Lindana and I Wanna Have Fun!" and/or "Let's Go To The Mall" for reference... It became elevator music pretty quickly.

Despite her attempts and failures, she was still pushed and pushed and pushed to the edge. You know what? Maybe the 50y/o doesn't want to provide for the family anymore. Maybe the 5y/o and 15y/o want to go try something... different! and fun!

She had an uncle in Cherry -- a little Nowhere, USA. Arrangements were made between the two (oh, how he hated what his brother had become) and she left Los Angeles in the summer of 1985, but not before her mother could ask if she really wanted to leave her family in squalor.

It was, and remains... a culture shock. On the bright side, there are far less responsibilities -- there's far less pressure. On the other side... they don't serve champagne at these college parties?

She had never actually cared for acting. She had never actually cared for music. But the entertainment industry didn't take as kindly to writers, and they certainly didn't take as kindly to artists. But she wasn't in the industry anymore, right? Right! So, fuck it, we ball! Art History!

How do you do, fellow plebeians?

tl;dr !

born on Friday the 13th :\ (legit btw! Jan 13th, 1967, was on a Friday!) family poor :\ but it's ok because they love each other! family has twins :\ they gotta find more money now. some folks are looking for twin casting, omg! let's go! but omg! they're more interested in amy bc the twins are like. too young. ok! amy joins the show the carey crew, aka the brady bunch but worse. so much fuckery bc child actors are fucked :\ family doesn't love each other very much anymore! show ends after 10yrs and she's like "i am getting no offers bc that show was awful idk what to do" so. uh. one hit wonder. she's lindana and she wants to have fun. is eventually DONE WITH IT. makes arrangements to move to cherry with her uncle with HER MONEY!! mom tries to guilt-trip her and like it works but it also doesn't!! has been in cherry for roughly a year?? anyway. cherry is a culture shock... how do you do, fellow plebs?

headcanons !

call her sandy! call her sandy! call her sandy!

i actually have a few more rn but with tumblr being weird (it's a weirdo it doesn't fit in) i'm just gonna. use google docs for the rest.

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