#this show is making me animate for the first time in seven years and its DISGUSTING

[asytho]

I can only imagine it might have taken a little bit of an adjustment to get used to Guillermo's heart beat again.

Final painting under the cut!

#wwdits fanart #wwdits #what we do in the shadows #nandermo #nandor the relentless #guillermo de la cruz #gif warning #my art #this show is making me animate for the first time in seven years and its DISGUSTING #i did time sheets! #i learned how to make gifs! #and all because of SAPPY VAMPIRES AND THEIR SAPPY FEELINGS #wwdits spoilers #hopefully this doesn't look like butts this is my first big GIF

[cheswirls]

hhhhhhhhhhhh saboace royalty au. ace was crown prince but can’t use magic which is necessary to become king, so he renounces his title and becomes infamous for his eccentric tendencies to play up the illusion that he’s truly not meant for the throne and that his younger sibling has full rights to the title of heir.

sabo is born to a family serving in the royal court, has been a genius magician since he was a child, and is the perfect example of a young man fully educated to serve at the king’s side. which is why he’s allowed himself to be tied down into a loveless political engagement with the king’s heir, putting the whims of his family before his own and resigning himself to become the future ruler’s consort/spouse to legitimize his role as an advisory right-hand man.

but then the heir grows rebellious and denounces the engagement with sabo in public and ace swoops in to save the day (and sabo’s reputation), demanding his father give sabo to him instead. he steals sabo away and challenges his sibling’s right to the throne, intent on earning back the title not for himself, but so he can make sabo (who is heavily qualified to rule) the king - and since they’ll be wed, no one will be able to undermine sabo’s position as he will technically be part of the monarchy that governs the kingdom.

#op #i…aaaaaaaaaaaa iykyk but if you dont small tangent story time #i asked friends for magical show recs w unique magic concepts bc i decided to set the #toxic codependent forever-bond in a fantasy au so i can make it be a set of self-inflicted curses #the only free time i have is walking to and from work so ive been scribbling notes on my phone #thinking of what type of magic system to have for this one was becoming a distraction #esp since the focus rly isn’t on magic itself and only on aspects of the bond that show how unhealthy it is #instead of obsessing over it more i decided to have someone decide for me #flash forward one of them brings up using the fantasy yuri anime that came out early this year #then proceeds to give me the rundown of all seven published light novels until i cave and watch the pilot episode #its SO good i actually watched 2 and love anis and euphie and will definitely be reading the LN over winter break #also completely snapped me away from the au bc i am so in love w this now #went in to ep 1 with misconstrusions and fell halfway thru screaming this is so saboace core and i have a halfbaked plot at the ready #thinking smth smth sabo visits the palace to get acquainted w/ fiancee and makes fast friends w/ ace #then they realize they have legit feelings for each other and the whole thing was gonna be a play #on the steals-partner-from-sibling trope that i jus loosely dreamed up bc algard reminded me of sabo and then i couldnt not think of them #but then i finished the ep and went OH it went down like that!!!! thats brutal. and then i changed it #and then i watched ep 2 and changed it further based on glossed-over advanced plot knowledge #bc the solution to algard feeling pressure from a title he never wanted and anis rejecting it in the first place #is obv (in this very yuri-centric fantasy novel) to make euphie queen instead and legitimize it by her marrying anis #and then i hyper projected that onto saboace bc i love them so #yessa after letting me ramble abt this so i could resist the urge to furiously jot down notes: i think val made you worse actually #(shes not wrong also val responding w ‘lmao wlw wins again’ and nothing else had me in stitches #best/worst influence it is 5am and i have done nothing for my studio class yet am having the time of my life) #curse of the average hobbyist writer to always have good ideas when there is no time no breathe life into them #writing

[fruity-phrog]

Okay, I saw someone say that Nimona, while being good representation, “didn’t take the big step forward in queer rep that everyone says it did”.

That is wrong. So wrong, my dude.

Yes, an explicit and open queer relationship in children’s cartoons is not new, per ce. Hell, just this year, two popular kids’ cartoons had the main character in an open, adorable, plot-based queer romance. But this is different for a few reasons.

Reason number one, it isn’t left in suspense. Yes, they had that split for three odd weeks, but they started the film as a couple. One of the very first scenes is them together as a couple, Ambrosius saying he loves Ballister, them holding hands, Ballister leaning on Ambrosius’ shoulder. Ambrosius says he loves Ballister three times during the film, and none of them are any more than halfway in. It’s very clear, from their very first interaction, that they are an established relationship, which isn’t something I’ve seen...at all in other animation.

Secondly, they are the plot. Ambrosius not believing Ballister, Ambrosius cutting off Ballister’s arm, Ballister trying to get the video to Ambrosius - this is what drives the plot. In any other children’s animation with queer relationships, the relationship is not the main focus. Even The Owl House, which is so amazing with its constant representation, would still make sense if Luz and Amity never happened. But Nimona’s plot wouldn’t make sense without Ballister and Ambrosius’ relationship. It, quite simply, can’t be erased. It could work as a friendship, yes, but that’s the point. They could have just been two close friends that fell on opposite sides of a fight, but they weren’t. They were two lovers that fell on opposite sides of a fight. 

Thirdly, they aren’t sanitized for “family viewing”. An emerging trend in children’s animation is to only have mlm relationships as fathers to make them seem more “family friendly”. With the exception of Kipo, there really isn’t many tv shows or films that places light upon an mlm relationship. And if it does, it'll be a teen relationship because teenagers being queer tends to come across as less “dirty” and more “innocent”. But Goldenheart is none of these things. They are adults without the mollifying aspect of having a family. And on top of that, they fight. They wield swords and they get bloody and they shoot at things and get angry and yell. They aren’t “clean” and “innocent”.

As well as this, they are in a film. Films are far more accessible than tv shows. You have to watch twenty seven episodes before Lumity in toh is canon. Troy kisses Benson on the eleventh episode of Kipo. And there are two hundred and eighty three episodes of Adventure Time before Marceline and Bonnie kiss. But with a film, the queerness is much more forward - especially in Nimona, where it’s literally the second scene. Animated films hardly ever display queer relationships, but Nimona did.

Finally - they aren’t perfect. I don’t know about you, but three weeks of thinking your boyfriend/maybe ex is a murderer? Doesn’t sound like a healthy few weeks to me. I have only seen big relationship arguments portrayed in straight relationships in cartoons - think Star Vs The Forces Of Evil - whereas queer relationships either have the massive fight prior to being canonically gay - She Ra - or have conflict, not arguments, that are dealt with quickly - Dead End/The Owl House. But Goldenheart? Goldenheart suffers. Their relationship is pushed to such extreme boundaries as for them to be pretty much exes throughout most of the movie. And yet, they are clearly healthy, happy and very much in love at the end. 

TL;DR - Nimona is amazing with the queer representation, and it is a milestone for LGBTQ+ cartoons. Not only is the relationship romantic for the entire movie, the plot is driven by Ambrosius and Ballister’s sort-of-break-up. In short, they are treated the same way straight people are. They have flaws, they have massive arguments, they have plot importance, they have backstory. They are in love. And that’s what matters more than anything else. 

#cedar crap #wow I didn't mean for this to be so long #nimona #nimona netflix #queer rep in media #queer rep in animation #goldenheart #ballister boldheart #ballister blackheart #ambrosius goldenloin #and I didn't even touch on the blatant queer flags in the background

[comicaurora]

hi red!! i'm doing an analysis of sun wukong's (and journey to the west in general's) impact on modern culture for my world mythology final, and for some reason i'm having a hard time finding sources. is there anything you can recommend?

The fact that Journey to the West has contributed an enormous number of tropes to modern media is very clear when the media in question is examined, but I don't know of a specific secondary source that's already done that analysis for you. However, this IS a very good excuse for you to plow through a metric buttload of shonen manga, since the lineage is basically Sun Wukong -> Son Goku -> like a solid third of all shonen action heroes written in the last forty years.

Dragon Ball kicks things off:

Started in 1984 and almost unquestionably the most influential manga ever made. Its first arc features the weird super-strong monkey-kid Son Goku - which is just the japanese pronunciation of the characters of Sun Wukong's name - meeting up with a wacky crew of thinly-veiled expys of the Journey to the West crew, with teen inventor Bulma filling the role of Tripitaka, Oolong the pig-man filling Zhu Bajie's role and Yamcha the desert-based bandit as Sha Wujing.

Hijinks ensue, and while the story drifts pretty far from Journey to the West's original plot, it actually stays pretty solidly referential in weirdly unexpected ways. Several the villains of the week are JttW references, and even the later appearance of three more Saiyans lines up with the surprise reveal of three more Wukong-like mystical apes in the original story.

The connection between Dragon Ball and JttW is very unsubtle and a frequent reference in the chapter covers and supplemental art.

Not every subsequent JttW reference is the result of Dragon Ball popularizing it or anything, since it was already enormously popular, but I think it's pretty hard to extricate Dragon Ball's influence on anime and manga from the original influence of Journey to the West itself.

One way that a distinction can be drawn is in the differences in characterization between Goku and Sun Wukong himself. A lot of the next generation of shonen protagonists were kind of Goku-alikes - pure-hearted dumbasses who only care for the three Fs: Food, Fighting and Friendship.

But the original characterization of Sun Wukong is not really all that similar. He's a trickster, sure, but he's far from a young, friendship-motivated goober. He's profoundly intelligent, pretty much the most well-educated entity on the planet, and routinely brings up that he's centuries older than most of his peers. The Goku-alikes from the later decades of shonen anime are tellingly far-removed from that original characterization. So you get characters based on Goku's cheerful idiocy, but it's just a small subset of the broader influence of Journey to the West on the space of literature.

In general, Journey to the West frequently shows up in very small, bite-sized tropes in other stories. It's less "this is wholly based on Journey to the West" and more "oh, I know where they maybe got this idea/aesthetic/power/weapon/villain of the week from." There are way too many to list, but some of the ones that tend to jump out at me are-

Sneaky characters with monkey motifs:

Tricksy, highly mobile characters who fight with a staff:

Characters afflicted with a magical restraint artifact that allows a much weaker character to stop them from misbehaving:

Specific esoteric weapons, eg. magical fans, rakes, gourds, namedropping The Sword of Seven Stars, etc.

Villains with prominent ox or pig design motifs:

Characters whose primary combat strat is just making Shitloads Of Disposable Copies Of Themselves:

Honestly it just keeps going like this. It's kinda everywhere. Finding the JttW in things is my favorite conspiracy theory rabbit hole because it's 100% harmless and more often than not completely correct.

#asks #not aurora #media recs

[macfrog]

wish you were here | one shot

thank you lovely anon for this gorgeous request which felt like a huge mug of hot chocolate and a pair of socks fresh from the dryer to write. i hope you enjoy.

pairing: joel miller x fem!reader

summary: you and joel skip jackson’s annual holiday party in favor of some alone time. (not that kind you filthy animals it’s the HOLIDAYS)

warnings: fluff lmao, thirty-year age gap and u can stay mad, set around the holidays but no mention of christmas etc, nothing but love and two hints of sex. that's all. oh and no guitars were harmed in the making of this - joel canonically goes and gets the guitar after the fic ends. dw.

word count: 1.9k 

main masterlist | follow @macfroglets w notifs on to be the first to hear when i post 🤎

Jackson is alive with a thrumming heartbeat. Pulsing through the air, bumping gently against the quick-lying snow and filling the otherwise silent night. A steady, rhythmic heartbeat.  

A heartbeat which sounds a lot like Blue Monday, but a heartbeat nonetheless.

The holiday party is in full swing down in the Tipsy Bison. Seven o’clock ‘til late! on flyers plastered all over the commune for the last month. Tommy had tried relentlessly to convince Joel this morning on patrol – It’ll be a good night; You oughta come along, show face at least. At the same time, Maria was on your back about it in the stables.

Y’all hardly come to anything fun, she’d argued.

We come to stuff.

When’s the last time you came to anythin’?

We were – we were at Mike’s birthday dinner.

What – five months ago?

We like alone time.

Alone time? You’re never apart from one another.

Alone time – together.

Neither attempt had been successful. Tommy and Maria had exchanged a disheartened glance as the two brothers passed their horses to you on their return. Joel clipped your cheek, took his gloves off and fixed them onto your frozen hands before making off for home, a proud grin on his face. You’d held your own as well as he had: you two had a clear evening ahead.

He had lit and nurtured a fire, had made himself a coffee and heaped half a damn bag of tiny marshmallows into a hot chocolate for you, but when he’d come through to take his place on the couch, you were already stood out front.

It’s bitter out – a soft breeze, but a thick chill on its wings. The sky a washed gray, heavy clouds overhead. He slips outside, setting the mugs down on the table, and slings a blanket over your shoulders. Kisses the curve of your neck, scruff of his beard tickling your skin.

‘s freezing, pretty bird.

Then keep me warm, you whisper, turning into his arms. He steps back, settling into his chair, flicking his fingers for you to fall down into his wide lap.

You curl up against his torso, your head hooked beneath his jaw. Wonder how drunk Tommy is by now. What is it – nine?

His wrist lifts, moonlight gleaming in the reflection of his broken watch face. Just gone ten. I bet he’s on his ass already.

You giggle into his shirt, breathing in the scent of the pine trees, the smoke from stoking the fire inside, the bite of hot coffee. The echo of voices swelling in merry song turns your attention down the street – two figures hooked onto one another, stumbling through the powdered snow. Some slurred rendition of September melting into All Night Long before the smaller of the two tugs their partner off into a darkened house.

Joel laughs to himself, the bristle of his beard catching on your hair as he shakes his head.

You ask him softly, Will you play me something?

His breath soars, a cloud hot and pale white, past your temple and up into the pastel sky. Gets swallowed somewhere overhead by the wash of warmth from the porch light. He turns his mug until the owl faces the street, the bottom gnawing against the wooden armrest of his chair.

I’m serious.

What do you wanna hear?

That one you’re always practicin’. The plucking one.

Another rumble between your shoulder blades. His chest jolts with a solid laugh. The pluckin’ one.

You know the one.

I know the one.

Will you play it, if I go get the guitar?

Baby, his lungs nudge on your back as they fill, it’s late. We’ll wake the neighbors.

Everyone’s at the dance. C’mon.

And he can’t argue with that. The entire street lies dark, vacant. Yours is the only house with soft-glowing eyes, the muted orange of the fire flickering behind closed blinds. Two figures, tangled in a chair on the dim front porch; a hunting jacket around his shoulders, and his body around yours.

You tug on the blanket, wrapping it around your elbows as you stand. Just once. Play me it once.

Joel’s looking up at you, setting his mug down on the table. Play you it as many times as you want, pretty bird. Just – quietly.

There’s a spring in your step that drags another chuckle from Joel’s lips: the kind that drips like honey down your throat and warms the pit of your stomach – a sweet, comforting thing, a sound you swear was made purposefully for you. Divine and deliberate.

Like – all of him. Like the shape of your name in his mouth, the curl of his tongue as the sound surfs over it. Like the curve of his hand and the way yours so neatly molds into it.

The way it did the day he found you, crouched in the gray backroom of some butchers deep in the city, and took you all the way back to Jackson. Let you cling to him on the back of his horse; your weak arms around his waist, anchored by the heavy jacket he’d thrown over your back. Your ear between his shoulder blades. And that was that.

Fifty-six. One brown-turned-silver hair away from thirty years your senior. He still remembers before. Talks about movies, talks about computers. Talks about Sarah, when the sun hits the wall at a certain angle and he reckons he could see her standing right there, the soft shadow of her hair dark against the golden wall. When you make a joke and he laughs a ghostly sort of laugh, like he’s hearing the echo of her voice make the same quip three decades ago. He always says she would’ve loved you; you like to think he’s right.

He found you: a lonely little broken heart, and he pulled you to your feet with a rough palm against your own. Hands calloused only from years spent carving wood and pressing the hard strings of his guitar into the fretboard, and nothing else. No violence and no bloodshed; no survival or threat. Music, and patience, and kindness.

And maybe you found him, too, in the same sort of way: roughened up, awkward and messy stitches holding him together. Maybe the two of you nursed one another back to life; each brush of your hands in the dining hall and each meaningful glance while out on patrol sewing those wounds up a little tighter, a little safer.

He sits forward when you hold the instrument out, sweeping a broad palm down the slope of the body. Pinches the pegs one by one, twisting them while his thumb taps on each string.

Come here, he says, beckoning you forward with a flick of his chin. He taps on the seam of his jeans, widens his legs for you to curl up between them at his feet – the way you always do.

Your elbows hook over his thigh, ear pressed against the inside of his knee. Staring up, blinking slowly, eyes glazed with the cold and with the light and with love.

He plucks gently, slow at first. Letting the strings snap with a twang, vibrating enough that you feel the small rattle in your jaw. Your eyes fall closed, head rocking with the light tap of his heel on the porch. When you peer at him through your lashes, he’s watching the skilled movements of his fingers intently; as if he’s as much a spectator as you are – his body doing all of the thinking and working for him.

 So, he sings, and your stomach melts to a puddle, so you think you can tell –

Your eyes close again, the low rumble of his voice crisp in your ears. Like thunder, like the promise of something great and mighty. Something moving, something rolling and changing the landscape of your body, your mind and your soul. The lines between living and dying begin to blur, the seam tearing between this plain and the next.

Did they get you to trade – your lips parting to whisper the words with him – your heroes for ghosts?

His thumbnail dragging down the strings, his strong fingers flitting between chords. Like he was made to sit here, in the dead of night, and carve a space in the world for himself and his voice and for you – lain in the safe scope of his body, protected by his breadth and brawn and lulled by his sweet song.

His breadth and brawn – the parts of him which have kept him standing here. His skeleton, his muscle. But the thing that keeps you warm at night, buried side by side under a threadbare woolen sheet together, the thing that you link your arms around as he leads you home from the nights you dare to visit the Tipsy Bison: are his heart, his flesh, the gray-singed hair which falls in a featherlight wave over his forehead. The hair you sweep from his eyes when he’s on top of you, his hips cradled in yours, that all-encompassing feeling of every part of him filling every part of you.

It all feels that way. The warmth of him, the feeling of being wrapped around him. Hooked around his body, bones intertwined. Absorbing one another, his words breathing life into yours, slowly growing louder and braver with each pluck and strum of music.

We’re just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, year after year.

Your makeups entangling, ribcages locking together, flesh meeting flesh and hair twisting until one day, Tommy will come looking for his brother and find the two of you here on your porch, your arms still draped over Joel’s thigh and his fingers still mid-song. Stuck, alone, together.

What have we found? Joel looks down to you as though asking the question – his eyebrows raised – and you reply, a dumb smile across your lips, The same old fears, and then, together –

Wish you were here.

He plays until his fingers must start to hurt, the way he clenches and loosens his fist. Setting the guitar against your chair, hands hooking under your arms to pull you back up to him.

That one your favorite? he asks, the cold tip of his nose circling yours.

You nod. Only when you sing it.

I like the way we sound together.

You smile, shrinking into his chest again, your fingers surfing back and forth on the worn shirt. I like the way we do a lot of things together.

His hands slip beneath the fabric of your shirt, massaging your waist. He dots a trail of light, damp kisses along your forehead, dipping to your temple, the angle of your cheek until your jaw lifts and his lips are against yours, his tongue parting to lick purposefully at yours.

I love you, pretty bird, he whispers, the words falling sweet and fair on your tongue.

You take a moment to let them seep into your skin. ‘s the first time you’ve ever said that, you tell him.

Joel smiles. He knows. But you knew it already, he counters.

You know, too. Mhm.

Alright, he groans, slipping his hands under your thighs and hoisting you up to his height, bedtime.

It’s only ten, you complain, wrapping the blanket around his shoulders as he carries you inside. It’s too early to sleep – Joel.

Didn’t say we were goin’ to sleep, he mumbles, kicking the door shut.

#happy max monday is this becoming a thing? can i claim mondays? boomtown rats move the fuck over #i just wanted to sit between joel miller's legs and look up at him all dumb and in love ok? #joel miller #joel miller fic #the last of us #tlou fic #joel miller x reader #joel miller one shot #jackson!joel #joel miller fluff

[dangermousie]

2023 End of Year Post - kdrama edition

Yes, we have a some of December left, and I want to check out Death's Game but whatever. I got time for this now and not sure if I will have later so here goes.

This is only going to cover kdramas that aired in 2023; if I watched it but it was made in a different year, it’s not on the list. This was an excellent kdrama year, the likes of which we hadn't had in a long time.

DRAMAS WATCHED

In order of liking from least to most as opposed to pure quality so pls don't come for me, fans of some popular dramas that are on my nope list. Also, I am including if I’ve seen enough to make up my mind; yes I realize that’s inaccurate, but that’s my list.

33. The Escape of the Seven - this is so aggressively stupid and mean that it feels like the makers are playing a practical joke seeing how much their audience will take. This has a season 2 coming, so the answer is a lot.

32. Behind Your Touch - the FL gets superpowers by touching people's and animals' butts. Yes, you read this right. Do I really need to add anything?

31. King the Land - yes, it was a hit. Yes, it stars popular actors. I HATED IT LIKE IT TOUCHED MY BUTT TO GET SUPERPOWERS!!! Plastic people in paint by the numbers story, with about as much genuineness or retability as a barbie aisle in walmart. I never expect much from Yoona so whatever, but to have LJH go from The Red Sleeve to this boggles the mind.

30. Mrs Durian - this is so dumb that I think I lost a few IQ points watching this, but its insanity becomes entertaining - I mean what kdrama can you name where a daughter in law declares her love and lust for her mother in law at a family dinner?

29. The Matchmakers - there is nothing offensive about this drama at all. But there is nothing in the least interesting either. If elevator music took drama shape, it would be this show.

28. Destined with You - sorry, Rowoon, I am still fond of you, but you are two for two in drama duds department this year. This is a drama where I loved ep 1, liked ep 2, was indifferent to 3 and...you get the point. Each ep was worse than the one before, and I bailed before I was dragged into a cosmic singularity.

27. Oasis - great first two episodes. Unfortunately it was not a two ep show. The performances are solid but the story is just not there - the effect is like a fancy chef making an amazing sauce to put on pig slop.

26. Boyhood - it's not you, it's me in action. I can see why people would like it but a 34-year old playing a high schooler in a Weak Hero Class 1 Slapstick Edition is no go for me.

25. Castaway Diva - it's so precious and kooky in the most annoying ways, with the most well-adjusted abused castaway in history. I like magic realism when done by Jorge Amado, but this ain't Amado.

24. Island - it had a good concept, good cast and fun visuals but the execution deserved one of ML's swords through the neck.

23. The Worst of Evil - if I wanted an American show, I'd watch one. Very solid performances though.

22. Song of the Bandits - period edition of what I said about The Worst of Evil.

21. Welcome to Samdalri - and goodbye to any hope of emotional involvement.

20. Joseon Attorney - I have yet to like a single sageuk centered around a profession and this was not an exception. I guess it could be worse but it also could have been so much better.

19. Twinkling Watermelon - everyone loved this drama. Everyone except for me. It's the kind of precious that sets my teeth on edge and I couldn't stand half the main characters we were supposed to root for. I guess I like my fruits to shine steadily.

18. Our Blooming Youth - probably the biggest disappointment on this list. This is not a bad drama by any means, but with that cast and that story (I loved the novel), I was hoping for a memorable sageuk not merely all right.

17. Vigilante - it has the emotional complexity and nuance of a punch to the throat but it gives us quasi-gay openly-murderous dudes going after psychos and Yoo Ji Tae holding feral Nam Joo Hyuk by his hoodie at his feet.

16. The Forbidden Marriage - expected nothing but it was a surprisingly enjoyable trifle of a costume drama that was also quite pretty.

15. Arthdal Chronicles: Sword of Aramun - a hot mess but such an entertaining epic one. And it gave us TWO Lee Jun Kis in period gear and who am I to cavil at the bounty of God?

14. The Story of Park's Marriage - it's a trifle, a souffle, so light it might blow away, but it keeps my attention and is so fun and sweet.

13. My Lovely Liar - a huge surprise, that manages to mix a murder mystery and a romcom, and shocked me by showing Hwang Minhyun can act.

12. Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938 - the original ToNT was my fave drama of its year and I did not think it needed a sequel. But this is not a sequel but more of a side-quel and is such a total delight with brotherly love, adventures, romance and hijinks. It's a joy.

11. Perfect Marriage Revenge - it's actually very hard to do a soap right but this slim 12 ep drama managed. So fun, so crazy, such a good ship!

10. My Lovely Boxer - not really about sports, but about two broken people finding salvation because of and in each other. Also, if you like age gap romances, this is delicious. Sort of loses steam by the end but c’est la vie.

9. The Secret Romantic Guesthouse - this was a sageuk that was not on my radar with a bunch of actors I was not familiar with but it took my heart away. A good plot that was perfectly paced, characters and ships I adored, a logical ending. This is one of the biggest positive surprises of the year for me.

8. Tell Me That You Love Me - a slice of life remake (sort of, it's more "inspired by") of my favorite jdrama of all time. It's not as good as the jdrama because nothing could be, but it's an aching lovely story with some incredible performances.

7. See You In My 19th Life - funny and romantic and haunting and hopeful and odd. This was one of my favorites of the year.

6. Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow - it's rare for me to like a (1) sequel (2) with FL actress change (3) that is a Hong Sisters drama. But this was such a gorgeous, surprisingly achy story of love and loss and love regained with some cool monster fighting in the middle. Between the two seasons, this is the first Hong Sisters' drama I enjoyed from beginning to end in well over a decade.

5. My Demon - so tropey (chaebols, supernaturals) but it proves that these tropes are popular for a reason. The chemistry is fire, the story is unpredictable and the whole thing is an addictive delight. A rare drama where I like each new ep more than the last one.

4. Goryeo Khitan War - an old school sageuk in every meaning of the term (no romance, no eye candy, lots of bearded men, battles and politics), this feels like watching an epic movie more than a drama. The vast cast all earns their place and the performances (mainly from character actors given a chance to shine) are incredible.

3. Call It Love - two very very damaged people finding love and healing with each other. This is a narrative very hard to do to my satisfaction but when it's done well, as here, there are few things that can hold a candle to it.

2. My Dearest - a masterpiece of cinematography, narrative, performances. This is an old-school epic romance in the best sense of the term. If it doesn't make you swoon or break your heart, there is something wrong with you. A story of two untraditional, strong-willed, flawed people who fall in love in the middle of the horrifying Qing invasion of Korea and have to deal with all that the world throws at them, this is a bona fide masterpiece.

1 - Moon in the Day - who knew my favorite kdrama of the year will star a store brand Domyoji from Extraordinary You and an actress I was never familiar with. But this part period/part modern fantasy tale of doomed cursed lovers is everything I knew I wanted and everything I didn't know I wanted but did. Two lovers where their love did not save them and in modern day it might not again, has got me obsessed the way I haven't been in years.

FAVORITE DRAMA

Moon in the Day - if there is such a thing as a drama made perfectly for me, this gorgeous, emotionally haunting, utterly romantic, twisty tale is it.

WORST DRAMA

The Escape of the Seven. This drama is proof that demons exist and not sexy ones like Song Kang but horrible nasty ones who delight in the torment this hot mess inflicted on its viewers.

FAVORITE MALE CHARACTER

Do Ha, Moon in the Day - a Silla general and a consummate killer who committed atrocities on the orders of his monster father and yearned to die for them, who found the meaning in life in loving his enemy but it did not make him better, a man so obsessed he literally was around for 1500 years of horrifying ghostly existence and still went "worth it" for a woman who killed him as long as he knew she loved him while she did it. He's intense and competent and beyond fucked up and has never had a normal day and I love him so so so very much from a safe distance.

FAVORITE FEMALE CHARACTER

Gil Chae, My Dearest - she starts out as vain and spoiled but the horrors that break so many others bring out all her fierce survivor potential and she becomes such a force of nature - capable of incredible love but also sacrifice and strength and compassion.

Runner Up: Shin Hye Sun's reincarnator in See You In My 19th Life - quirky, damaged, strong, so odd and so vulnerable at once.

NEEDS TO BE MURDERED

There are a lot of characters who fit that category (King Injo in My Dearest? My God) but the crown belongs to So Ri Bu from Moon in the Day. You think you've seen abusive parents but until you've seen a man abuse his son his whole life and then continue for 1500 years after his death, you ain't seen nothing!

FAVORITE SHIP

The doomed by the narrative OTP of Moon in The Day. Only thing that's better than enemies to lovers is enemies while lovers and their impossible relationship where her killing him is a supreme act of love and his refusing to let go is so strong that he stays around for 1500 years watching her, helpless as she dies over and over again, is everything you ever want.

Runner up: Jang Hyun/Gil Chae, My Dearest. They are so strong and so damaged and it takes them so long to figure out what they feel and what the other person feels but their love and sacrifice and complexities are perfect.

FAVORITE SECONDARY OTP

Kim Shi Yeol/Hong Joo, The Secret Romantic Guesthouse - an assassin bodyguard pretending to be a carefree scholar and a widow of the man he killed to protect his king (and whose life was destroyed as a result.) I enjoyed the main OTP of this drama but I was utterly and completely unhinged for the secondary couple.

I'd have probably picked Rang and his mermaid from TotNT 1938 even over them, but they really were the main OTP of that drama.

NOTP

King the Land couple seems like an easy target but honestly, they are both so terribly bland and antiseptic and marketing by committee, they kinda deserve each other. So I am gonna go with Destined with You, one half of which thinks supernaturally roofying someone into loving them is cute and the other half thinks dating one woman while wooing another is totally a-ok. Ugh.

FAVORITE SCENE

There is no competition for the scene in the slave market in My Dearest, where Jang Hyun finds Gil Chae - the way he screams and tries to clutch the hem of her skirt will live in my head forever.

And the scene where he 'wins' that horrifying bet, or the scene where she finds him in a pile of bodies - they are as good also. Or when he fights off a squad to protect her even though he's sick. That whole drama is perfect.

Runner up: the scene of Do Ha executing Ri Ta's family, covered in blood, as she looks at him from the crowd in Moon in the Day.

Or the scene where he talks about how he cannot live as a person but at least maybe she will kill him and he will die as one. Or when her confession in the past intercuts with his walking in the present, or when he comes home in his bloodied armor and she finds he has a fever and it's the first tender touch he's probably ever known. Her murdering So Ri Bu saying she knows she's going against filial piety in loving her parents' murderer, the way they hug, both bloody, as he says "let's live." The way she says she can't go on as she's hit rock bottom and he replies she cannot quit because she must accompany him to his rock bottom now. Honestly, the drama is a font of amazingness.

Also, the opening scene of Goryeo Khitan War or the scene of Yang Gyu ordering to shoot the captives and having to do so himself.

The OTP meeting again at the intersection at the end of ep 1 of Tell Me That You Love Me. SHS comforting ABH as he's having a traumatic breakdown in 19th Life. The love-making scene in Call It Love. There were a lot of great scenes this year.

BIGGEST CRUSH

Lee Jang Hyun, My Dearest - is that even a competition? He's flawed - vain, often emotionally closed off, not great at processing emotions, lashing out when hurt. He is also incredibly heroic in a real, knows the cost but bears it, kind of way. Whatever he does, he commits utterly but it's never without understanding the cost. He felt both larger than life and utterly real. He went through hell and maintained his soul and the way he loved Gil Chae was breath-taking to behold.

Runner Up: Yang Gyu, Goryeo Khitan War - an experienced military commander who wins an impossible victory even as it ravages his soul. Competence is sexy as fuck.

BEST SCENE STEALER CHARACTER

Rang, Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938 - 1938 really was Rang's chance to shine and he took it. For a character I started out disliking in the original, he really stole my entire heart in this drama. I am so glad he got his happy ending with his brother and his girl.

Runner Up: Crown Prince, My Dearest. He started out as a sheltered, spoiled aristocrat, convinced the world owed him for existing. He grew up slowly and painfully into an amazing man. And then was murdered for it and I cried.

NEEDS A SEQUEL

Arthdal - it leaves the story at a good stopping point but it's very much a "world in flux, adventures and conflicts continue" ending and I would love to see more of these characters. I know we won't but it would have been nice.

NEEDS SCISSORS TAKEN TO IT

Behind Your Touch - should have been snipped at birth.

TOO MANY SCISSORS TAKEN TO IT

Vigilante - I don't mean it had scissors taken to it because it's not cdrama and there is no NRTA, but this drama would have benefitted from being longer. I mean, I love fights and gay polycules as much as the next tumblr person but a bit more character development would not have come amiss. (ahaha - I said come. Leave me alone.)

TROPE THAT NEEDS TO DIE

I don't care about cops/doctors/trash collectors/whoever - workplace drama centering on their "cases" needs to die. I hate procedurals from any country and Korea is no exception.

FAVORITE TROPE WE’VE SEEN A LOT OF

Supernatural critter devoted to their OTP with all the power of their long life.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

Our Blooming Youth - it was far from terrible but it was a giant meh. I was so excited to see Park Hyung Sik in a sageuk (that wasn't the hot mess that was Hwarang) and I adored the source novel. It actually started well and then...it's like Revenge of the Beige!

BIGGEST GOOD SURPRISE

I want to say Moon in the Day but to be honest, I was excited by posters and trailers so it wasn't wholly a surprise despite not having much of an opinion on the actors before I saw them. So I am going to say My Demon. I was bored by the trailers, I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a Kim Yoo Jung drama and before this year I would have said Song Kang was an incredibly limited actor in everything I've seen him in and not appealing to me at all. And here I am rabidly rabiding for this drama!

If I am not limiting myself to dramas but can use this for actors - Hwang Minhyun in My Lovely Liar. I genuinely did not think the man could act and then he gave such a pitch-perfect, nuanced performance out of nowhere!

2023 DRAMAS I HAVEN’T SEEN THAT I MOST WANT TO WATCH

I have actually watched all the kdramas that aired this year that I wanted to check out except for Evilive. I am saving this for when I have time.

BEST NON-2023 DRAMA I’VE WATCHED IN 2023

I don't know if I'd say it's the best but Say You Love Me (2004) with Kim Rae Won as a quasi monk seduced away from his true love by an evil older woman was a hell of a ride.

MOST ANTICIPATED

Love Song for Illusion (Lady assassin falls for her royal target who has two personalities), Captivating the King (lady spy falls for her royal target who is tormented) - notice a theme? Also Flower that Blooms at Night because Honey Lee in a sageuk, The Life of Mrs Ock (Lim Ji Yeon in a sageuk), The Love Story of Chun Hwa (an "erotic" sageuk, hmmmm, what?!), Hong Rang (Lee Jae Wook in a super angst sageuk), Queen Woo (that cast and set in Goguryeo!), Wong Kyung (about Lee Bang Won's wife and I love the cast.) Basically, if it's period, I am there with bells on.

#kdrama #year in review #my dearest #moon in the day #call it love #tell me that you love me #goryeo khitan war #tale of the nine tailed 1938 #tale of the nine tailed: 1938 #The Secret Romantic Guesthouse #my demon #the story of park's marriage contract #perfect marriage revenge #Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow #see you in my 19th life #my lovely boxer

[allysafantasy]

One of Lady Sneasler's kittens decided to say hi to the scared Zorua. Gem, the Sneasel, is happy to see a new friend. Out of the three Sneasels, Gem is gentle in how he interacts with Zorua. Although Zorua is still scared of Gem, it's a good thing that he didn't run away.

Ingo is happy that Zorua can at least interact with one of the poisonous kittens. Meanwhile, it seems like Emmet's Zorua is causing trouble.

Emmet has to deal with the shenanigans of his Zorua for a few months after taking it in seven years ago. Ingo has been missing for 8 years. This has made Emmet depressed, and he tries his best not to dwell on it. Since the first year of Ingo's disappearance, Emmet has been trying to keep their apartment clean to distract himself. He'd rather avoid facing the reality of Ingo's absence, although he knows it's just avoiding the truth. He values truth but in this case this truth, he thinks it's false. He doesn't want to be as idealistic as Ingo, but sometimes he wishes for a miracle to bring Ingo back or at least provide a reason for his disappearance. Then he met Zorua, which, although Emmet does not like the shenanigans that Zorua gets up to, it unintentionally made him feel a bit better which is what Zorua wanted. After meeting Emmet, Zorua just wants to make Emmet happy, even if making small mischief is enough to at least make him not think about bad stuff. Zorua has a simple, idealistic goal: to make everyone happy and distract them from negative thoughts.

Last Post

Anyway, I had fun making this art. Though, the Emmet art just makes me not wanna want to draw background characters but I remembered I made Pokemon Designs for my ocs so I made them into background characters. So, Lets just say they just wanna visit Unova or something. Also this is the first time of me trying to make a comic. I don't know how to comic so I don't mind any criticism. (especially with grammar pls help) Anyway, I've been working on this animation. If you have heard the song and poses uh. yeah I'm just showing the frames of it.

Edit: I finally have a name for this AU and its in the tag

#art #fanart #pokemon #submas #ingo #nobori #emmet #kudari #comic art #pokemon legends arceus #pokemon black and white #oc art #drawing #zorua #hisuian zorua #magnemite #sneasel #gligar #submas au #Zorua and the railroad twins AU

[saturnzskyzz]

Smile for the Picture! 📷 Pt. 1

·˚ ༘ 𖦆 ꒷₊˚ ꒦꒷꒷꒦ ⑅ ʚ ⤜ ⨳ ࣪• ☼ ⋒ ⚡︎ 𐚱 ⊹˚˖⁺ ⤾·˚ ༘ 𖦆 ꒷₊˚ ꒦꒷꒷꒦ ⑅ ʚ ⤜ ⨳ ࣪•

Lee: Saiki

Lers: Kaido and Aren

Anyone still in this fandom?? Anyone?! I hope so, because I adore this anime so much!! Apart from the inappropriate jokes, I really love the plot and how comedic this anime is!! I barely see any comedy anime's that are actually good, but this show LITERALLY has me on the floor.

I still need to finish season 2 and get on with season 3 🥹

This is more so a comedy fanfic than a tkl fanfic, but bro still gets tickled, so 🤷‍♂️

Summary:

Kaido and Aren both drag Saiki along to the mall to have their photos taken as a fun way to get out of the house. What sucks for them is that Saiki is having a hard time participating smiling for the camera.

Warning:

| tickling | claustrophobia descriptions |

Enjoy!

·˚ ༘ 𖦆 ꒷₊˚ ꒦꒷꒷꒦ ⑅ ʚ ⤜ ⨳ ࣪• ☼ ⋒ ⚡︎ 𐚱 ⊹˚˖⁺ ⤾·˚ ༘ 𖦆 ꒷₊˚ ꒦꒷꒷꒦ ⑅ ʚ ⤜ ⨳ ࣪•

'Nothing like reading a comic on a clear Saturday evening to bring this peaceful evening together.. ' Saiki thought to himself. He held up an action comic that he had for years, untouched until this day. His dad bought him this comic when he was 14 for him to read, but Saiki had never gotten around to actually reading it because he thought it was something more of what his dad liked than himself. He proved himself wrong however, because he is now in the middle of reading chapter seven. He was nearly at the end of the comic while hoping that it would not leave off with a cliffhanger.

It explained the main character fighting this villain who just got done with its sappy story of how no one cares for his personality and likeability. 'ppt.. How pathetic, you chose to be a villain.' Saiki thought. Though, he can also understand why the character turned out to be a cold hard villain in the first place. I mean, who WOULDN'T understand one's backstory?

As he continued to read, he felt his telepathic senses tell him that someone was coming up to his door. Saiki scoffed at who it could be this time since everyone kept bothering him before picking up the comic.

"Hey, Kusuo? It's your dad.. There's people outside for you. They're wanting to know if you could go visit the mall real fast." The voice from the other side of Saiki's door could be faintly heard.

'What a bother. I finally chose a day to relax, and this is how the world treats my day off?' Saiki, once again, had thought to himself. He was irritated. Not only did he just finish the book that unsurprisingly left off with a cliffhanger, he now has to deal with what he assumed were two idiots who wanted to drag him along to the mall, and for what?!

'This could be a good time to search for the two other comics.. I mean, dad did only buy one of the other three.'

Saiki had to think about it for a moment longer. If he stays home, he could enjoy the peace and quiet for the first time in like, forever for the poor soul. But if he pushed himself to be dragged around by two fools who have no idea what it's like to favor time with being alone, he could find those two other comics that he desperately wants.. No.. Needs!

At the speed of light, Saiki got dressed in a casual, but yet a usual set of clothing. He looked around his room one last time to make sure he's not forgetting anything; not like he needs anything other than his wallet and cellphone. He did however, catch a glimpse of his Germanium ring that was sat neatly on his dresser, untouched.

He stared at the ring for a good minute or two before deciding that he should probably wear it in case of hearing unwanted spoilers for his comic that he is starting to realize, but won't admit to, to be obsessing over.

He walked out of his room once he had put the ring on, and headed for the front door rather excitedly than usual.

"Oh! Kusuo, deary! You're rather excited. Anything particular happen? You're not hanging out with some girl.. Are you?" Saiki heard his mother and her overly sweet, yet invasive tone, and stopped in his tracks to look at her with a deadpanned face.

'Welp, the excitement is gone now, thanks Mom.'

"What? Don't look at me like that sweetie, I'm only asking!" Kurumi said while walking up to the door to block it. She wasn't going to let him go until he tells the truth. It's not like he wanted to go or anything.

"I'm going out to get two other comic books that I started reading, now let me pass." Saiki kept it truthful, but left out crucial details to savor any more bombardening questions.

"Uh-huh? So when I open this door-" Kurumi started to say, going for the knob.

"Wait, don't open that door! You won't get off my back if you! -" Saiki reached out his hand to try and stop his mom from opening the front door, but missed by a millisecond, as she opened the door to show two patient students out front. 'Great, this is going to be a long day of parenting 101 questions..'

"Oh! Hi Mrs. Saiki! I hope we're not much of a bother, but we're just gonna empty your hands by taking your son with us to the mall to snap a few pictures for memories!" Aren, who was the first to speak, reassured Saiki's mother on instinct. Aren assumed that Saiki's mom was rather irritated given that her face looked like it was about to fly off her silhouette of a head. Too specific??

"Oh.. Oh! Ahaha, I should have known! My apologies, kuboyasu! You boys have fun, I don't want to keep you guys here any longer!" Kurumi placed her hands on Saiki's shoulders to gesture him out the door. She waved a goodbye to all three of them, and closed the door gently.

It was a good day to not hear the mopes of his own mother during this time. Because right now, she's probably thinking of how much her child has grown up to be hanging out with other people for once..

﹏﹏﹏

As the three walked together to the mall, Aren and Kaido were rambling like usual. Saiki instinctly followed behind so he knows that those two won't wonder off somewhere without his telepathic powers to notice.

'I guess this is babysitting but for the rookies.. I don't have my powers so it's going to be very tough to predict their thoughts and movements with this ring. It's a good thing that I don't actually have to talk though.' Saiki thought to himself.

"So! Saiki, I was quite surprised that you accepted our invitation on this journey. I thought you would say no and go read or something that you usually do." Aren blurted out.

'Well, there goes that assumption.. I was reading until the book left me with a cliffhanger..' Saiki thought once again.

Aren then walked a bit slower to get to Saiki's pace.

'What does he want now?'

"Is there any particular reason why you accepted to come with us to the mall?" Aren said, looking at Saiki with interest.

Saiki cursed at himself for not bringing the comic book with him to just show it to his classmate, but this is what he gets when accepting plans that he didn't want to participate in the first place.

"Just came for a couple of comic books.." Saiki said without glancing at Aren. It's unlike of Saiki to us his actual voice to speak, but he had no other choice so he just rolled with it, hoping for the best.

"..Huh. So you didn't want to take a photo with us?" Kaido budded in, slowing down to get on the same pace as the other two now.

Saiki only shook his head this time. He really didn't have time to enlight in conversation.

"Well, TOO BAD! because look!" Kaido linked arms with Saiki, surprisingly enough for him, and pointed at the mall in front of them.

"We're going in there to have our pictures taken, and we brought you along to join with! So let's go!" Kaido then sprinted, with Saiki being dragged, into the mall.

'What a p-pain.!' Ow. The grip that Kaido had on his upper arm was really getting to him. Who would have thought that the grip of a usually weak boy could do this much pain?

The mall was pretty huge for Saiki. He rarely goes to the mall, so anytime he does arrive he's always wondering if the building somehow got bigger. Who would of thought? Sometimes renovations can happen even for huge malls like the one that these two students dragged him along to.

As they got inside, Saiki started to look for a book store that might have obtained his comics. He saw clothing stores, shoe stores, food stands, jewelry stores, toy stores, but no book stores to be seen. It's not like this mall has a second story anyway?

"Hey look! The photobooth is right there, c'mon guys!" Kaido said. He started to run, not even realizing that he still had a death grip on Saiki, and he pulled him along with.

Saiki let out a gasp and a cough at the same time due to not realizing the grip as well, and because of how painful the pull was, but he managed.

Eventually, all three of them arrived at the photobooth, going in one by one. Kaido went in first, the boy to be the most excited for these photos, leaving Saiki to be uncomfortablely in the middle, and Aren coming in last. It was a tight squeeze, but they all managed to sit on the seat. It was fortunate that they were all in frame of the camera.

"Alright guys, I'll pay! The first set of photos we're going to pose all handsome and hot, the second photo is going to be a funny picture, and the third photo, we're going to make scary faces!" Kaido said quickly.

'Yeah, like I'm doing any of what you just requested. A normal blank face is all I'm really up for.' Saiki thought.

"Can't we just pose like normal? I don't think the first one is really necessary." Aren chimed in.

'The first and probably last time I will ever agree with you, Aren.'

"Fine fine, it's whatever! You guys do what you want, but I'm at least getting a smile from you two!" Kaido gave both Saiki and Aren a glance before pitching in his two dollars for photos.

As the booth counted down from 5, Kaido did what he requested earlier and went for a "hot" pose, while Saiki and Aren went for the 'peace sign' pose. Saiki had a blank face and as for Aren, he held up two 'peace signs' with a small smile and a wink.

3

2

1

*Click*

The booth made a clicking sound and showed the results on the screen infront of them.

It was at that moment that Saiki got scared with what the photo will show. 'Dammit! I forgot that any photo taken of me with these booths won't actually show my silhouette, making it seem like anyone who has ever took a photo with me in any booth, my mom and dad for example, will have them gasp and then do a double take with paled faces.. If they find out that I have psychic powers, it's over for me-'

"That's perfect! Saiki, could you express more with your face? Your blank stare is scary looking." Kaido blurted out, pointing at saiki's blank expression that was giftedly shown in the photo.

He blankly stared at the photo, seeing none other than him sitting in the middle with his pose. And then he looked at his germanium ring. 'Oh.. I forgot I had you on, you almost scared me half to death.' he then looked back up to Kaido and gave him a shoulder shrug. No way is he expressing more than just a stare to scare off any child who dares to look at someone else.

"C'mon Saiki! It will be once in a life time that we get 'high school Saiki' smiling for a photo! Do you know how rare that would be to us?!" Kaido all but begged to Saiki now, holding onto the psychic's leg.

'What a bother.' Saiki rolled his eyes and waved away Kaido's hands that were practically glued to his leg.

"Fine then, if you won't smile for the picture then have it your way." Kaido said, crossing his arms in a dramatic way whole pouting like a five year old.

'Like that's going to make me smile? You're at a loss pal.' Saiki just stared back at the camera, already assuming that it was going to count down soon.

5..

4..

As the booth counted down for a second time, Kaido went ahead and did a funny lookin' face that looked like it was aimed for Saiki to try and get him to crack a smile, but it was no use since Saiki didn't glace at him once, but Kaido still kept the pose for the picture.

Aren did a funny face as well, having both of his fingers to stretch out his mouth a bit, and had his eyes crossed inwards to look at the bridge of his nose. Unlike of Aren, but nonetheless, Kaido was going to be pleased with it.

And again, Saiki held a straight face for the camera, already knowing those two are wanting to get a reaction from the boy. He wasn't going to let that happen.

3

2

1

*Click*

The booth clicked on time to get a photo of the three. Kaido reached out for the photos to see how Saiki didn't lift up any corner of his mouth to make a slight smile.

"You've got to be kidding me! Saiki~ why can't you just smile for once in your life? this is just sad man!" Kaido whined to Saiki, shaking the boy by the shoulder.

'I'm not going to let in on your games, Kaido. I came here for a specific reason.' Saiki thought. He stared at the camera, not wanting to look at either of the boys. Unfortunately for him, however, Kaido had a mischievous plan to get Saiki to smile. He's never done anything like it before with Saiki; sure, he's done it with many of his friends, but Saiki? That boy is too stoic for his own reputation to get what's coming to him. Poor dude can't even sense what's about to happen because of the germanium ring, and yet Saiki is congratulating himself for putting it on to block out any and all thoughts around him.

"Okay guys, let's all smile like we mean it!" Kaido said, putting on an innocent smile for the camera. He swung his arm around Saiki's shoulder, having his hand rest just below his collarbone in a respective manner.

Aren then made a peace sign with his hand that was closest to Saiki, and held it up behind Saiki's head just enough for the camera to get it in; all the while tilting his head a bit towards Saiki, and smiled sweetly.

Saiki didn't think much of what they were doing, though. He had thought that Kaido tried to just urge Saiki to try and smile for the camera, but he wasn't going to let up on the act. And as for Aren? It's a weak move to try and gain any reaction over. He just kept a straight face with no interest whatsoever. How regretful he was going to be after making that decision..

"C'mon Saiki, smile~" Kaido sang, putting pressure with his fingers just below Saiki's collarbone. He didn't get a dramatic reaction from Saiki, but he did see how Saiki's eye had twitched from the on going touch.

'This is no funny business, Kaido. What are you doing?!' Saiki had thought. He tried to move his shoulder to dislodge the boy's hand, but he soon realized that Kaido wasn't going to let up until he smiled for the camera. 'What a bother..'

Aren saw what was happening when glancing over, and decided that he wanted to join in as well. He lowered his peace sign hand to now bring attention to the back of Saiki's neck to scribble the two fingers gently. This caused Saiki to twitch his head back just slightly before going back to his usual pose.

"C'mon Saiki! We know you want to~" Aren Dragged out, now moving his hand to the side of his neck with a bit more pressure than before.

"Y-you've got to be kidding me.." He whispered just enough for them to hear. He lowered his head down a bit, trying everything in his power to not make it seem like it's bothering him. If he ruined his "normal boring student" reputation, it's all over for him. I mean, who gets taken down by just a few tickles?

"Saiki~ the camera is about to count down; you better start smiling or we might never stop." Kaido said. He reached his other hand to squeeze at Saiki's side, which caused an embarrassing gasp from Saiki.

He grabbed at Kaido's torturing hand, and tried to pry it off his side, but Aren thought faster and grabbed at Saiki's bombarding hand to cease any escape. It was no use for poor Saiki, and he knew it.

5

4

'Good.' Saiki thought. 'If I just wait until the count down is over with a straight face then it will be all over.'

Well.. It was until Kaido decided that he was bored at squeezing his side and just reached for Saiki's armpit that Aren was closest to, thanks to him for pulling at Saiki's arm to reveal his vulnerability.

"AH-aha!" Saiki immediately ducked his head down, desperately trying to get his arm free as Kaido dug into his underarm. Saiki replayed the word 'embarrassing' in his head over and over again.

Kaido looked at Aren with a surprised, but hopeful face when hearing Saiki blurt out a laugh. "Saiki~ was that a laugh we just heard? Do it again, but look at the camera this time!" Kaido said, using his other hand to try and lift Saiki's head up. They just wanted his face in the camera, nothing more.. They were desperate to know how he looked when smiling, let's be real.

"F-fuhuck off!.." was all Saiki could say before he fought the accusing hand that was lifting his head up; he bit his lip to quit from laughing out loud and loosing his reputation. It's just two people Saiki, come on now, bud.

"Surely Saiki has a weak spot somewhere! We just have to find it in time before the timer goes off." Aren said while sneakily moving his hand away from his neck and now down to where his bottom set of ribs were. This made Saiki violently flinch away from the touch, and decided to us his free hand to grab at Aren's wrist to try and pull it away, but it was no use.

You know.. For how long this was going for, they all were surprised that the booth had stopped counting from 4.. Oh well! More fun for Kaido and Aren, at least. Not so fun for Saiki though, because he was desperately trying to keep his child-like giggles on a down low.. His bottom ribs weren't his weakest spot, but it still held some sort of sensitivity for the young boy to squirm a bit in his seat.

Saiki had pushed himself closer to Kaido to get away from Aren's hand, but he followed the poor psychic.

"Why can't you just smile for the picture?! That's all we want." Kaido urged to Saiki, digging a bit deeper in his armpit now. This earned him a surprised squeal and an inch closer of Saiki, who was trying to not push himself into Kaido, but it was hard to do so since both of them were attacking one side at once.

Saiki all but shrinked in on himself as well. All this tickling was a new feeling to say the least. He's been tickled before, yes. Many times actually; his parents always used to tickle him when he was a kid, and they always went for his weakest spot since discovering that his psychic powers limited his sense of sensitivity except for that specific spot. But ever since he's gained control of his powers, he knew when they were about to strike, and so he used his powers to get away from their daily tickle attacks until they became subtle. But right now? He's in ticklish agony! He's never felt more skiddish and childish ever since he was a kid until now. It felt weird to him, but surprisingly, he didn't quite mind the affection.

To be quite honest, he misses the affection. He was touched starved for sure, but he never realized he was until he put on that germanium ring. It was all new to him. It was overwhelming, sure, but it was definitely a new experience to have his touched starved thoughts be lifted away by a few tickles by his classmates.. Classmates. It makes sense for family to do it, but for classmates? Saiki was confused by it. It was all so new-too new. He was confused on why he was letting himself shrink to be this tiny version of himself just to get away from the touch. Why he felt the need to come into contact with Kaido so much when he desperately doesn't want to make the situation weird because he's usually not the touchy, or "clingy" type, from what he thought of it at first. In fact, He was more so confused on why he was letting himself finally laugh out loud with ease to his classmates for them two hear clearly now..

"Ahahah! Nohohot theehehere! Nohohoh! Stahahahap, AH-Ahahahah!" Saiki giggled out loud. He twisted as his back now faced Kaido, and with his free hand, he began to try and push Aren's hand away from his hip. His weakest and most sensitive spot. Saiki desperately tried to pry off Aren's hand, but Aren was too busy taking in Saiki's laugh to even register that he was trying to fight back.

Kaido just put his hands on Saiki's shoulders now that he doesn't really know what to do or what to expect now that he's finally hearing Saiki laugh. And it wasn't an obnoxious laugh as he thought it would be. It was like airy, child like giggles. His giggles weren't too deep, but they weren't too high either. It was like any other ordinary giggle that a boy would have. It was all too sweet for Kaido to handle that he just sat there and smiled out of pure joy. What can I say? His giggles were contagious.

For Aren, he looked at how Saiki was handling the tickling on his hip since he figured that this was a bad spot for him. Saiki had he's head down still, but he was able to see the corners of his smile to know that it was wide enough to show his happiness. And when Aren lightened up from digging into his hip, to lightly squeezing it now, Saiki squirmed even more, and allowed himself to hiccup every now and then from the touch-Both boys will remember that. It was an endearing sight to see for Aren.

"Okahahay *hiccup* okahay! Ihihi'll smihihile fohohor thehe-" Saiki was cut off by a click and a flash from the booth. All three boys looked at the camera, and saw how the photo came out of the slot.

"Was that supposed to happen?" Kaido said, lookin at both Aren and Saiki.

"I don't know, but at least it got it!" Aren said, looking at the photo with enthusiasm. And for some odd reason he was still tickling Saiki's hip.

"L-lehehet gohoho ahahalreahahady!" Saiki said, pushing even further into Kaido, which ended up with the blue haired to be squished against the booth wall.

"Woops! My bad.." Aren said, letting go of Saiki's hip. He turned his head to Kaido, who had the photo.

"Guys, look! It's showing Saiki's smiling face!" Kaido said, happily. He held up the picture infront of Saiki, who was finally able to turn back to sit normally on the chair, and Aren.

"Awww, for someone who had their picture taken from their side view, I'd say this suits you, Saiki. You look cute, man!" Aren said, going for his hip again, which caused the teen to flinch again.

"Aah-!" Saiki quickly moved on instinct to get Aren's hand off of his hip, which worked this time. He held his hand in the air for the time remaining of being in that booth for his own safety. Uncharacteristic of him, he of course thought to himself, but nonetheless, it's do or die.

﹏﹏﹏﹏

The three all got out of the booth, and started walking around the mall since Saiki had mentioned about the comics.. Not that he wanted them around, but his mom would kill him later if he just ditched them like all the other times he ditched them.

"What comic are you looking for exactly?" Aren questioned, looking at Saiki as they all followed.

"It's called 'The night Lurks within' these forests.'" Saiki said, blatantly. He looked from left to right, trying to find the comic store, but was faced with clothes stores and food stands.

"That sounds like something that a kid would read, haha!" Kaido blurted out.

Saiki stopped in his tracks to turn to look at Kaido with a straight, but offended face. "It's not a kids comic. If you read this comic, you'd be traumatized by how much gore and foul dialogue it has." Saiki said before turning back to look for the comic store.

Kaido all but had fear in his eyes when hearing Saiki be that straight forward with him. He looked at Aren who gave him a shoulder shrug, and then back to Saiki.

"I.. Uh, ehehe.. I know where a comic store would be in this mall-" Kaido started to say before he got interrupted.

"Where!" Saiki had stopped and turned to face Kaido again in a serious manner.

Then they were off. Kaido had shown the way to where one would be, and Saiki was following with enthusiasm in his steps. When they got the comic store, Saiki had stormed off, temporarily ditching Kaido and Aren to fend for the two other comics that he was desperate to get through out this whole trip.

"Saiki is a different person when trying to find something he's obsessed over, huh?" Kaido had said, looking at Aren. They waited on a bench that was close to the book store while they waited for Saiki to return with the comics.

"Yeah.. But I kind of like this side of Saiki. He's always so blunt and careful of what he does or says, so seeing him like this brings so much relief off my shoulders." Aren said without looking at Kaido once.

"Yeah, I think the same. I always saw him as someone who didn't care about anyone or anything, but this alone debunks my thoughts about him. I wonder why he's not like this at school."

"I don't know.. People can be too much for someone like him. He likes to be left alone, unbothered. I used to be that way, too. Even though I was in a gang. Being left alone is a great feeling until you find out that you really want to be with someone. Which I think is why he's acting so out of character with us all of a sudden, because he realized that he really needed someone to boost his social battery enough to act like himself." Aren said quietly, but just enough for Kaido to hear.

Kaido was quiet now. He understood what Aren said, and took it all in to realize that it might just be what it was that had Saiki be like this. Though it's subtle, they still knew that Saiki was acting different than when he was usually with them at school.

Just then, they see a satisfied Saiki who was holding two comic books in his hand. Did he also get a chocolate jelly out of a comic store?!

"That was quick! Did you find the right ones?" Aren said, looking at him with a smile.

Saiki just nodded happily and started to walk in the direction of where the exit doors were of the mall. Kaido and Aren both looked at each other with smiles on their faces, and walked with him to the doors.

Maybe Saiki isn't just this stoic and blunt person they mad him out to be afterall.

#anime tickle #the disastrous life of saiki k. #saiki k #shun kaidou #aren kuboyasu #lee! Saiki #Ler! Kaido #Ler! Kuboyasu #Saiki k tickle #sfw tickle community #saturn fanfics

[markrosewater]

Happy birthday! Can we get some birthday trivia about you on your birthday?

Sure. I turn 56 today, so here’s fifty-six things you may or may not know about me.

1) I never lost a baby tooth. Every one had to be extracted.

2) I was once a contestant on Trivial Pursuit: The Game Show with Wink Martindale. I answered the most questions correct, but didn’t win.

3) I once had scarlet fever (the thing the boy gets in the Velveteen Rabbit).

4) I’ve been told by doctors I have very weird blood.

5) I self taught myself to juggle.

6) I was a magician when I was a kid with the stage name The Wiz Kid. I mostly performed for kids parties.

7) I was once a freelance greeting card writer. My favorite (that didn’t get printed) showed a jug of maple syrup tipped on its side making a puddle of syrup. In the syrup was a top hat. A hand is pulling a can of green paint with a shamrock out of the hat. You open up the card and it says Sappy Paint Hat Tricks Day. It’s a triple Spoonerism.

8) Sara Gilbert (of “Roseanne” fame) and I once went out for lunch. (It wasn’t a date or anything.)

9) I broke my collarbone doing a prat fall off a stage.

10) I once pet a cheetah. In South Africa. My face from the picture of me doing that was used as my “Making Magic” photo for years.

11) I once made a root beer float for Keanu Reeves. It was at a play I was volunteering for.

12) I once get trapped inside Fred Astaire’s Estate. This factoid is oddly on my Wikipedia page.

13) Starting during the pandemic, my family began fostering animals. So far, we fostered four dogs, six cats, and two Guinea pigs.

14) In college, I wrote and directed two plays, started an improvisation troupe, and a writing workshop.

15) I still have all my wisdom teeth.

16) I have visited every continent except Antarctica for Magic.

17) I once asked Clint Eastwood for directions, not realizing who it was until he started talking. I was lost on the Warner Brothers lot.

18) My first job in Hollywood resulted from me taking part in someone else’s interview. I snuck on the lot, and ended walking into a room where they asked “Are you here for the production assistant interview?”, and I said, “Yes.”

19) I once had a disease the doctors couldn’t identify. They called it Mark’s Disease.

20) I was born in Mississippi. My dad was in the Air Force at the time.

21) I asked out seven woman to my senior prom who all turned me down. I ended up going with a friend who also couldn’t get a date.

22) I took six years of Spanish.

23) Most of my family’s vacations growing up were ski vacations, so I’m a decent skier.

24) I once delivered a pizza to Richard Gere. It was as a production assistant, not a pizza delivery person.

25) I once broke into an actor’s apartment building to deliver a script. It was so late, they were asleep and didn’t hear the buzzing of the door bell.

26) I once drove six hours (three in each direction) to pick up one five-stick package of Blackjack gum as a runner (production assistant).

27) Dennis Miller once thought I was a crazy man. I was sent to get him from the parking lot for a shoot and he thought I was stalking him.

28) I have over two hundred tee-shirts. They are organized by color.

29) I was supposed to pitch to “The Simpsons”, but it got cancelled when I got hired in the “Roseanne” staff.

30) I pitched multiple times to “Star Trek: The Next Generation”, but never sold a script. The closest I got was a pitch about Data malfunctioning.

31) I once ate crocodile. In Australia.

32) I played the Tinman in fifth grade in a production of “The Wizard of the Oz”. I was so hot, my silver make-up had to be reapplied halfway through as I sweated it off.

33) My mother turned down being on “Oprah” to come to my college graduation.

34) My parents are both retired. My dad was a dentist and my mom a psychologist. I used to joke I had a “paradox”.

35) Every birthday since I was 9, I’ve celebrated my birthday with crab legs.

36) Since I was in grade school, every Valentine’s Day, I hand out candy hearts, and every Halloween, I hand out mellowcreme pumpkins (basically pumpkin shaped candy corns).

37) My tee-shirts every week are themed. Some themes are pretty obvious, but they often get tricky. R&D likes figuring out the theme.

38) I got a BS in Communications (no, really) from Boston University’s College of Communications.

39) I collect superhero Minimates (they look Lego-ish). I have somewhere around two thousand. They are displayed in a number of cabinets built by my dad.

40) My podcast was inspired by a talk by Kevin Smith (at San Diego Comic-Con) where he said anyone could make a podcast.

41) I have attended over twenty-five San Diego Comic-Cons.

42) I am related to Lorne Green of “Bonanza” fame.

43) My dad’s family came from Germany and my mom’s from Russia. In Germany, my family’s name was Rosenvasser, but it was changed to Rosewater when they came to the U.S.

44) There are so few Rosewaters in the United States, that if you meet a Rosewater odds are I’m related to them.

45) I have lived in five states (Mississippi, Ohio, Massachusetts, California, and Washington, in that order).

46) I have visited over thirty states for Magic.

47) I once met Jim Henson when I worked on a clip show that Kermit was on. The question I asked him was if Ernie and Bert were named after the characters from “It’s a Wonderful Life”. He said not consciously. Jim Henson is one of my idols and I feel so blessed to have met him. He died a few months later.

48) I met Stan Lee at Hascon. He is another of my idols that I feel so lucky to have met.

49) On “Roseanne”, I worked with Amy Sherman-Palladino (just Amy Sherman back then) and Chuck Lorre. She made “Gilmore Girls” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”. He made “Big Bang Theory” and “Two and a Half Men”. Amy was super sweet and we got along well. I don’t think Chuck liked me.

50) I am a super picky eater. For example, except for apples, I don’t eat fruit. I hate bananas with a passion.

51) I have been a game player since very young. My dad loves games and introduced them to me early in life.

52) I get the writing bug from my mom.

53) I used to collect lint in a giant jar. When I got married, Lora made me get rid of it. It was an impressive amount of lint.

54) I have a bad tendency to burn myself a lot. My family loves to make fun of it.

55) I own over fifty flannels. My favorites are from Japan because they are more colorful with their flannels. Normally I wear a large, but in Japanese sizes, I’m an extra large.

56) My favorite number is 254. I chose it when I was little.

[asklilmissrarity]

Progress Update on Melodi

Hello, everyone!

Happy New Year!

On December 15th 2023, I made the public announcement that Lil Miss Rarity will receive no further comic updates from me, finally confirming a common theory that I had lost the will to continue creating it. Lil Miss Rarity, just to confirm here, is now public domain and I encourage fan-blogs and will proverbially pass the torch to anyone who would like to take up the mantle.

It wasn't an easy decision to make because of how many times I'd promised I would never stop updating it, and I did in fact have future plans for it (I will be making a video on YouTube describing how I'd planned to continue the story, and how I would have ended it if I ever did).

But in its wake came Melodi, a spiritual successor to Lil Miss Rarity, and I've decided that a story-driven video game with ongoing updates would be the smartest decision, at least for the introduction to the series.

And so along came this twiggy elf. (Important note: Her booby size on her sprite is exaggerated, same as her head size. The in-game art for cutscenes will show more proper body proportions.)

Melodi is now just four directional (diagonal movement) sprite animations away from being a complete character sprite, which means creating a proof of concept will be just a matter of time.

As of today, I have completed:

The intro cutscene for the game, leading to the introduction of Melodi and her teacher, Eliah Sterium (Multiple full color images accompany that cutscene)

Seven unique songs entirely composed by myself (Literally learned how to make music a week ago just for this project)

Four directional movement sprites consisting of 6 frames of pixel animation each direction (Including separating each part to make them usable for other characters' sprites)

Four directional idle animations consisting of 6 frames of animation each direction (Again, making paperdolls to use later for other characters)

A discord server for the ongoing production of Melodi RPG where I'll be answering questions, including answering as the characters from the game similar to the LMR ask-blog

27 (just counted) preliminary sketches to flesh out character designs and have reference for myself

Eliah Sterium's design, making the ladies go gaga

Mountains of lore (a lot of which can be found in the Discord's lore channels)

Personalities for the primary cast of deadbeat magic school students

Art for the title screen

The entire storyboard for Episode 1 and Episode 2

The pricing model for the game (Episode 1 will be a free demo, and all remaining episodes will be bundled together in a $10 purchase)

The "Pet Cwow" option on the Quit Game menu and what happens when you pet him (You'll see)

The entire intro in-engine (Screencapped above with Eliah there)

Many new fans/friends who've introduced themselves in the Discord

And, I have received (on December 31st) my very first negative review of the game, which I will cherish. Someone who knew nothing other than "It's a game about an elf who goes psychotic" and saw the title art said that the game was basically doomed to fail because Melodi has large breasts, to which I replied "Imagine being this fucking butthurt over tits existing" which set him off into an obnoxious and insulting rage that ended with "Enjoy nothing but horny virgins playing your game and ignoring the dog water, generic ass story." A quote that I will never, ever, ever forget, and if I someday make a physical release of the game, I promise you, that quote will be on the back of the box.

There's even more than just all this, I've already sunk tons of hours of time and effort into the production of Melodi and I am super excited to continue.

I want to thank everyone for the support of the game so far, and I hope once people know more about the story and characters, the game sees the same kind of fandom that Lil Miss Rarity once had.

Luv you all

~Jay Tonique

#Melodi #Melodi RPG #Sprite Art #Animated #Game Dev #Melodi Ravenian #Eliah Sterium

[kerubimcrepin]

What do we know about Joris le Sans-Pouvoir (Joris the Powerless)?

Aka, addressing the "cancelled Nintendo DS game"-shaped elephant in the room.

While this blog has gone deep into the show and character dissections, I think it would be remiss to proceed without addressing the elephant in the room — the game, the myth, the legend, the 2007-2009ish cancelled game Joris le Sans-Pouvoir.

There isn't a lot that is known about it, and all the data in this post comes from two developers.

The only videos of it we have available are uhhh......,

...Please say "Thanks Ronik!" for this video in particular.

I spent hours trying to convert these two SWF animation video files, — which demonstrate how the game was supposed to look, — to something actually viewable. There were many issues, with at least seven different programs.

I suffered for crepinjurgenology studies, but I did it.

Instead of recounting the story in my own words and omitting anything on accident, I will simply present to you, what the portfolios of two different developers say (these two pages are the source of all the images, gifs, and gameplay):

Joris Le sans-Pouvoir is the main character from a feature film Ankama due in 2013. It’s a new character IP situated in the DOFUS universe. I had the chance to work on a platform game prototype that was all about delving into of the character’s backstory. We wrote a lot of background and had a lot of fun designing and developping a cute and quirky platformer with a hint of metroidvania elements and a dash of Grow gameplay elements in-between levels. It also was a great opportunity to work with Jono Takeshi-san of Radiata Stories fame who worked with me on the art direction. (SOURCE)

Joris was the first Nintendo DS project developed at Ankama (in partnership with Magic Pockets). I began working on the project as narrative game designer, then took on the role of Lead Designer and Project Manager. Game design on this project involved boss fight, level design, minigame design, UI… I also designed an original collecting system where collectible items were used in a minigame inspired by the “Grow” series. The developpement has been put on hold to match the release of the animated movie with the same character (scheduled in 2013). (SOURCE)

Neither the movie nor the game, survived their development, due to circumstances. (shorthand for: I have no idea what happened, man. Maybe one day I'll write a post about the history of the movie, and truly open that can of worms, but god, not right now. I don't want to spend more time on this.)

Eventually, The Wakfu film turned into three OVAs instead, and the Dofus film changed its plot a bunch of times, and became Livre 1 : Julith.

...For some reason, in some version of it, Joris had a tail. Yeah, I don't know what that's about either. Cool clothes, though!

We don't know anything about its plot, and unlike cancelled projects Dofus Donjons and Welsh et Shedar (which was cancelled for years, until its recent resurrection), the lore of this game carries no relevancy in modern canon.

The name, Joris the Powerless, as well as the log-centric gameplay, both seem to reference the early concept that Joris had log-based powers, — and that without his "magic wand," he couldn't do much.

(Joris and his weird fucking "magic wand" were, in turn, borne out of the idea of a warrior who had a woman's voice. Which makes me chuckle.)

(The following quotes are machine-translated and may contain errors)

(SOURCE)

This is, by the way, the reason why I personally headcanon Joris to be really bad at huppermagic. So bad that he dropped out of the Huppermage Academy, and almost never uses magic in combat. It's a homage to his original idea.

(Yes, there is an actual reason why I headcanon Joris to be godawful at magic, besides just projecting my neurodivergencies onto him.)

I suppose that, even at this time, Joris was meant to be a store owner:

The gameplay loop involves going from boutique, to missions, and so on, while those two pieces of concept art involve the said boutique section, and show a female character saying «Pas mal, boss !».

In my opinion, it might be this character. Proto-Simone, perhaps?

Since the store seems to be the centerpiece, and the Grow-style minigames involved collectibles, I would assume that the plot involved Joris going around and finding artifacts for the store. That would also explain the concept art gifs of him adventuring.

(Though, the adventuring would probably just be the inciting incident/a vehicle for plot development. Nintendo DS games loved using the jobs characters did for that purpose.)

This is the extent of what I can surmise about the plot.

The developer portfolios also included these example documents, but the image quality is too bad for me to make sense of or upscale. I am including them here solely for some French people who are very good at reading blurry text. (If you learn anything, let me know, okay?)

Overall, my verdict is that this game's cancellation was both a blessing (Joris without Kerubim and Atcham is like tea without water and a cup. How am I meant to drink leaves? Are you stupid? Why are you giving me leaves with nothing?) and a curse (THEY CANCELLED A GAME ABOUT MY BLUE-COLORED YOINKY SPLOINKY (who has a THIN, GRABBABLE WAIST)????? FUCK!)

Hope this was a fun read!

#ro liveblogs dofus #joris jurgen #wakfu #dofus #dsgame #<this one is for my pinned organization post's sake #anyway this post has fucked me. and my wife. and i don't even have a wife. my spine hurts my eyes hurt my hands hurt. #i want to do unspeakable things to that blue little man for what he put me through during the writing of this post. #please dont ask me to write about the other nintendo ds games ankama cancelled. they don't have joris so i don't care

[caw4brandon]

Zutomayo: Mystery of Cool

Foreign Music has always been a strange thing both for the world and for myself personally. While everyone can appreciate a good Taylor Swift or some English indie. The world has a strange obsession with exotic musicians of a different language.

In retrospect, the K-pop boom: Super Junior, Girls Generation and Blackpink showed that music, doesn't matter in terms of the language. (not really)

It values the cool factor and the massive influence it causes to the internet. Just look at how [K-Pop artist; PSY] managed to unite the world. For me. My "Blackpink" is this faceless group?

- 「私もそうだよ」 -

Translation: [Everything is fine with me]

Debuted in 2018, Zutomayo (full name: Zutto Mayonaka De Iinoni) is a Japanese rock group. Translates as: I wish it was midnight all the time.

On June 4, 2018. Zutomayo released their first song on YouTube, [Byōshin o Kamu/ 秒針を噛む] becoming an immediate hit. Having 200,000 views within the first week. Assisted with an animated music video with a cast of peculiar characters.

Over the last seven years, the group has progressed from using just traditional instruments to adding non-traditional instruments.

Based on their live concerts. The group is seen using something called; [Electronicos Fantasticos/ Nicos] which is a collection of used electronic equipment turned into a pseudo instrument.

ZTMY's group members is uncertain since a lot of their talents alternate song by song. Their only consistent member is vocalist and songwriter; ACA-Ne/ ACAね an unidentified singer whose range is described as; energetic, expressive, and delicate.

- 今日どうしよ？-

Translation: [What should I do today?]

If we were to describe Zutomayo's type of music. It would be difficult to narrow down as to what ZTMY's genre fall under. The general belief is that they are rock based but is riddled with techno on the side.

Whatever the case, the group's music has its own unique identity. Upon listening to their songs (for multiple times) the group prioritizes on the bass guitar, the chaotic slams of the keyboard and the Nicos. Lyric wise, its rather difficult to paint a discernable picture since its of a different language. According to some Japanese listeners, ZTMY's songs to have a lot of wordplay and double meaning in its phrasing.

In the song, [お勉強しといてよ/ STUDY ME] the song spews a jumble of nonsense. However, the music video tells a unique story. STUDY ME follows a girl who is stuck in a perpetual cycle where she is somewhat complacent with her being a background character. Until she realizes that she can make a difference in defiance of her program.

Another song, [勘ぐれい/ Hunch Gray] its lyrics share the sentiment of chasing one's dreams but is uncertain about the venture. Trapped in a distorting world where the answers are unclear.

Still, the author wants to continue. Confronting problems one at a time. The video however, is about two childhood friends who got separated by dark entities of authority and is in the midst of a rescue mission.

- 3,2,1...Mirror Tune! -

Its worth mentioning the iconography found in ZTMY's music videos. For the most part, the main characters are mostly human. Nira-chan is the girl seen in both [STUDY ME] and in another song; [暗く黒く/Darken] although she is more cyborg than human in the latter.

The videos are animated by several independent artists such as; [tvchany] for their stylish and sharp style on [ミラーチューン/Mirror Tune] and [残機/Time Left] Another artist, [sakiyama] uses a rather messy and incredibly expressive style seen in [勘冴えて悔しいわ/ Kansaete Kuyashiiwa] which played this meta joke of its main character attempting to save the characters from the other videos.

I could honestly go on about the various art styles found in Zutomayo's MVs. There is also an official [Card Game] for them all. On the topic of consistency, The one creature seen in all of its videos is the adorable Hedgehog; Uniguri-kun.

With that said, Zutomayo is a mysterious group of talents shrouded in shadow. Both the musicians to ACA-Ne herself. It adds excitement to the identity of the alluring talent but it also enhances the variety of genres found in their music. Allowing its audience to explore and experience a type of music they rarely listen to.

ZTMY takes away the popularity because, unlike other bands. They don't exactly have a "face" to refer to. Rather, they let their songs and the MVs speak to the fans both in Japan and overseas.

Zutomayo is not just music but also an exploration of style. As seen with their clothing line. It's an inbred of Easter eggs with its upbeat songs filled with messages of melancholy. That is what makes ZTMY mysteriously cool~

#ACAね #zutomayo #Zutto Mayonaka De Iinoni #ACA-Ne #nira-chan #uniguri-kun #midnight #ずっと真夜中でいいのに。 #I wish it was midnight all the time #rock band #music group #music #nicos #Electronicos Fantasticos #japanese music #alternative rock #street style #mystery #cool #j rock #j pop #kpop #blackpink

[suzuran777]

Revisiting Gakuen Handsome: Backstory + short review

I think every BL fan has seen something related to Gakuen Handsome at some point in their lives, it's a parody BL visual novel with quite the legacy. It was originally released in 2010 by Team YokkyuFuman and it also got its own OVA and anime adaptation in 2015 & 2016. The protagonist, who is an unnamed seventeen year old boy, moves back to the city after a seven year absence. He enrolls into Baramon High School, a prestigious all-boys school which takes pride in being the best of its prefecture. From now on, his life will be changed forever...

First of all, the developer team's backstory is probably one of the most unique ones. In 2008, eight film students from the Tohoku University of Art and Design formed Team YokkyuFuman (チーム欲求腐満). Their blog mentions that a year later, they attempted to submit the Gakuen Handsome opening movie to the 9th edition of the Niconico Film Festival (their submission was completely ignored). After that, the opening movie was uploaded on NicoNico Douga, where it was quite well received. The description of the video mentions “to be released in 20009”, as they originally probably had no intention to create a full game.

After it became a hot topic on NicoNico Douga, their university gave them permission to organize an official exhibition: Gakuen Handsome Matsuri (or just Gakuen Handsome Festival). Visitors could watch the opening movie, learn more about the characters and take pictures together with the life-sized cardboard cutouts. The exhibition also featured rare merch: A drama CD which would be released in "20009" and canned bread.

This exhibition was apparently not only held once, but many times according to their blog. The game was finally released in 2010 and many fans were happy to finally play it, supporting the team that created it. Togo Mito, who many of you know as the creator of (in)famous BL game Hadaka Shitsuji, also collaborated with them. These are some pictures I found on Togo Mito's old blog, Mizoguchi and Juro drawn by Togo Mito and the Hadaka Shitsuji cast drawn by Team YokkyuFuman.

Even after graduation, it seems like they would occasionally invite some of Gakuen Handsome's creators. In 2014, the university tweeted that they would not be able to host the exhibition that year due to renovations, but visitors could take pictures with the cardboard cutouts. There's also an interview from 2016 on the university's website, in which they talk about how things have been after graduation! I absolutely love how the university supported all of this.

Now about the game itself... Where to even start? You'll have to trust me, but the game is actually good. Many parody games can be quite a hit or miss, but this visual novel is something I still catch myself laughing at years later. The inconsistent art, pointy chins and strange jokes really create an experience unlike anything else. I don't think any commercial company would be able to create something like this, even if they tried. One detail that the anime adaptation doesn't really show is that many different artists worked on this, whose styles widely vary from each other, making absolutely no attempt to create one consistent artstyle. Most characters have at least 2 ~ 3 sprites that often look completely different from each other. For example, sometimes Saionji sensei looks like a clean-shaven teenager/young adult, but in the CGs he suddenly turn into an older looking man with a stubble.

Yes he's talking about eating paint in the screenshot above, why not. Anyway... the voice acting in this game is something else I wanted to talk about, because it adds so much to the game. Of course it's not professional, but I think that's what makes it amazing. You can sometimes hear the voice actors trying really hard not to laugh, and they will occasionally completely mess up their lines. Of course all of those lines are kept in the game and they didn't re-record them. I also loved it when they started swearing in English for seemingly no reason. Also, instead of just avoiding the name of the protagonist (who you can give any name you want) they pronounce it... by improvision. Just imagine how one would try to pronounce a "adfgdf" keysmash and you'll get an idea what it sounds like.

There are 6 characters in this game who you can romance. The protagonist's childhood friend Takuya, who is a bit obsessed with the protein bar Calorie Mate (which is censored in the new version of the game, so you just hear a BLEEP sound), outlaw teacher Saionji, school principal Juro who basically only functions as a save point, student council president Kagami, chuunibyou transfer student Shiga, and last but not least, the captain of the soccer team Mitsurugi, who also murders people with his chin sometimes. The protagonist's sister also has a (non-romantic) ending, which you need to play in order to unlock the extra scenario (which... is a ridiculous murder mystery story for some reason). I also could not find the guide I used a long time ago, so I just looked at some videos on NicoNico to see what others were doing and that worked pretty well...!

My favorite scene is probably still that one scene in Mitsurugi's route, in which he stabs people with his chin. It's also one of the scenes that gets referenced the most in fanart. The context makes it even more ridiculous, Mitsurugi gets really upset that some people like the chunky variant of red bean paste (tsubuan) and decides they should die. After stabbing his teammate and multiple other people he runs outside. The protagonist however, isn't safe either and also gets accused of being a "tsubuan supporter". If you survive though, you get a chance to marry Mitsurugi!

Honestly one of the reasons I wanted to write about this game is because many people only know the OVA and/or anime, but the game is so funny I think everyone should play it if they're interested. I also think the team behind it has such a funny backstory and I love seeing how supportive their university is. Right now the team is still active on their Twitter account and they sometimes create new content. Last year they released Gakuen Handsome Fighters, a short fighting game featuring the Gakuen Handsome characters.

If you are interested in purchasing it, I recommend getting the "Special" edition which can be purchased on DLsite! I couldn't find a working download link anymore of the older version, but I think the creators deserve the support, so I don't regret buying it (it was about 15 USD). It includes the original game and 5 shorter stories which were originally released as smartphone apps. While I think the original game is still the best one, it's fun to explore some of the extra scenarios as well. One of the shorter games takes place in an alternative universe in which the boys live in the Heian period, and for some reason some of the sprites are animated... yeah.

#gakuen handsome #blvn #blvnreview #visual novel

[tala-bez-i]

At first sight Part Eight (Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, Part Seven)

(m!reader x Bonten!Haruchiyo Sanzu)

Fluff/slash/reader is male/cursing/BontenTimeline/drugs and alcohol mentioned/violence/blood/death

All characters that appeared in the Tokyo Revengers manga and anime belong to Ken Wakui.

Words: 3461

(Author's note: This is the third chapter this week… but due to the long weekend, I decided to write as many chapters as I can to be ready for publication during the new week. The next chapter will appear on Wednesday. Thank you for the likes and reblogs so far. They mean a lot to me 😚 )

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You opened the door to Kakucho's office more violently than you intended and rushed inside, holding the folder you were supposed to bring in your hand. “Sorry... I met Sanzu on the way....” 

“It's okay, Y/n. I'm glad you brought Fuku with you. It was the right decision.” Kakucho said calmly and pointed to a pot of fresh tea that must have been brought by one of the girls in the hideout. “A cup of tea?” 

“Yes, please.” Before you closed the door, you made sure no one was in the hall. You turned to the surprised men and cleared your throat. “Yata will have to stay.” 

“But I can't. Akira…” 

“Akira knows I took you somewhere.” You interrupted the young man, walked over to the desk and handed the folder over to its original owner. 

“Oh shit… How does the boss know?” His face paled and his eyes widened. 

“Sanzu told me.” 

“And how did Sanzu know?” Kakucho became interested, putting aside the report he had just picked up. 

“Akira recognized me and called Sanzu to complain to him that I took one of his men because…” You shot Miyata a quick glance. “Not a word to anyone, do you understand?” 

“I-I understand, but... What is it?” The boy looked confused, and his eyes moved from you to Kakucho and back again. 

“Akira thinks I took you to have fun with you.” You said, sitting down on the empty chair. 

"To have fun with me? But how do you, boss, could have fun with me?” 

Kakucho became slightly confused at your words before turning his head, a small smile appearing on his face. You watched him, lips pursed. You simply couldn't believe how a person who was around whores every day and worked directly for a pimp could not know what kind of fun he was talking about. After all, he asked if you came there because you wanted a prostitute. 

You looked at him. “Are you serious now, Yata?” 

The boy blinked several times and suddenly his face turned red. “The boss doesn't seem to mean…” His voice wasn't clear, but he seemed to be starting to realize what his employer had accused you of. “Boss! But, oh no!” 

“Akira suggested it, not me. Sorry, kid, but it looks like your boss thinks you like to fuck for money..." You shrugged and Kakucho let out a laugh that he couldn't hold back anymore. “I don't care, because it doesn't make much difference to me whether my sexual partner has a cunt or a dick... But you, Yata, I think you're already burned.” 

“Boss, you can't do that! Boss Kakucho, please say something in my defense!” The young man's voice was shaking with emotion, and the first tears appeared in his eyes. “I'm not like that!” 

Kakucho shook his head and took a few deep breaths to calm down. His cheeks were slightly flushed, which showed that despite the ridicule of the situation and so many years of using the services of prostitutes, the topic of sex is an area that he considers something serious. 

“Don't worry, Yata.” He said, still amused. “Y/n won't get your ass.” 

“Boss promises? Boss L/n?” The boy looked at you worried. 

“You're pretty, Miyata, but not my type.” You assured him and reached for the cup of tea prepared for you. "Don't worry. I will pay triple for your service, just like Sanzu told Akira...” You looked at Kakucho with a serious face. “Which, on the one hand, will give us an alibi…” You moved your gaze to the hot drink that smelled tempting. “But then Akira will expect the same from you as from the girls…” 

“I will absolutely give him back to Akira.” Number three spoke. “I'll arrange it so that Akira gets more money for Miyata, but we will put the boy to work for Shion.” 

“Huh? Um, Boss Kakucho? Boss L/n?” The boy looked even more confused. 

You nodded, ignoring Fuku squirming in his chair. “It's a thought, but why Madarame?” 

“He wants a few girls in the club, so he's looking for someone to watch over them.” He glanced at the black-haired boy. “Not in the form of a bodyguard, of course. Yata has almost no muscles, but as a companion. Akira’s bitches praise him.” 

“Do you want to make him a mascot?” You asked, taking a small sip of your tea. It was delicious as usual. 

“Yata is already a mascot.” Kakucho looked at the flustered one. "What do you think? You tell us everything you know and we will get you a quiet job with Madarame.” 

“Boss Kakucho, Boss L/n! This is the most wonderful thing that happened to me! Yes! Everything except working for Akira..." The young man said quickly, his eyes sparkling with joy. 

“So, you will commit treason to improve your living conditions?” You laughed softly and Yata held his breath. 

“Don't scare him, Y/n. This is not betrayal. This is the right decision, Miyata.” Kakucho calmed him down and returned to the reports he had on his desk. “Let's start over, shall we? At lunchtime, Mochi will provide us with his folder and we can all compare our observations together. From what I know, he has tracked down two other pimps who are in cahoots with Kudora.” 

You shrugged and used small tongs to hand Yata the cookie. “Welcome aboard, kid.” 

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

You listened to what the black-haired youth had to say and felt an increasing dislike for Hachirou Kuroda. It seemed that Kitty was the only one who died because of the knowledge she had about her pimp's shady dealings. The rest of the girls - you still didn't know how many there really were - died because their clients indulged in way too much and it resulted in the poor women being no longer good for anything. 

You understood that everyone had different sexual preferences, but burning and cutting the skin in various places on the body was too much. It was no longer sex, but the most ordinary torture in the world, which Akira should never have allowed. 

Yata confessed that the pimp saw each of the girls who returned to him in a sorry state and instead of immediately reporting the problem with the customers, he preferred to take larger sums of money from them and kill the girls or simply ordered his men to do it. 

The boy again admitted to disposing of the bodies of the three dead girls. He described their injuries because Akira was taking clothes and jewelry that belonged to prostitutes. He ordered them to be taken to the forests and before they were covered with earth, they had to be poured with various flammable substances and set on fire. The same substances could never have been used, otherwise if the police discovered the remains, they could easily link them. 

Usually, you weren't moved by such confessions, because you yourself had desecrated corpses many times, but... One description was too extreme for you. Even Mochi had to reach for the whiskey, and you've never seen such murderous intent in Kakucho's eyes. 

Yes, none of you were saints. You have done many bad things, even very bad things. Hanma once took a debtor's daughter and gave her to a brothel so that she could work off her father's debt but had good living conditions. You also knew about families murdered on order, including children, but... Forcing a pregnant girl into prostitution because you found a client who wished so... And then allowing a situation in which the girl was hanging by her hands from the ceiling for several days, only to end up in a dug hole in the forest... 

You wanted to skin Akira and rub salt into his wounds. You were sure Sanzu would happily join in. 

“Son of a bitch… Just a son of a bitch.” Mochi growled after your second glass of liquor, and you wished you had drunk the alcohol yourself. “I thought the two I found were fuckers, but no. L/n must have found a better one.” 

“Kakucho came across him.” You corrected your friend, but he waved it off. “Do we need evidence or will the testimony of Yata and the whores be enough?” 

“Who is Akira's clientele?” Kakucho asked, frowning. 

“Various guys and probably even two women... But all in all, they all had a lot of money.” The young man replied and Kakucho cursed fiercely. 

“So it's a serious matter. We cannot afford to lose such funding sources.” 

"So? What we do?" You asked quietly, looking towards the window where dark, rainy clouds were gathering. “Do we investigate the remaining pimps more thoroughly or report what we already have to Kisaki and Hanma?” 

“I want Mikey to know everything first.” Kakucho said after a while. “He may not be interested in Sato, but I don't think he'd ignore such shenanigans.” 

“Let's check the ones I mentioned and then we'll turn over the combined files to Mikey.” Mochi lit a cigarette. He inhaled deeply and exhaled, looking around for an ashtray. “I don't give a damn whether he's interested in these whores or not. He can't let these bastards do this. If the police find out about it, everyone will pay for it. The whole business will go to hell.” 

“Mochi is right.” You spread your hands and crossed your legs. “Our beloved leader must express his opinion on this matter.” 

“Okay, we'll do that. I'll have to mention this to Sanzu too. Still, he's number two." Kakucho nodded and started organizing his reports. “That everything had to get so fucked up. Kuroda was one of the most trusted pimps.” 

You looked out of the corner of your eye at Yata, who was sitting in silence, eating cookies that were lying on a tray with cold, forgotten by everyone tea in a pot. 

“Eat normally.” You said quietly and the boy looked down at his pants, which were covered in cookie crumbs. 

“Sorry, boss…” He said and started collecting crumbs on a plate. 

Madarame will wipe the floor with him. - You thought and your mood improved slightly. 

“Yata, do you know who is the best person to talk to from Nagasawa and Nagano?” Mochi suddenly asked, turning towards the boy. “They have someone like you?” 

“Huh? Someone like me?” He thought for a moment and involuntarily dropped the crumbs he had managed to pick up from his pants onto the carpet. "Let me think... I know Nagasawa had a girlfriend whom he didn't allow to have sex with his clients... But he didn't hide his business from her... And Nagano... Nagano..." He scratched his head and shrugged... “Sorry, Boss Mochi, but Nagano has a man everyone calls Yuu, but I have no idea who he is. I've never seen the guy in person." 

“Okay, what about this girl?” 

Yata smiled brightly, his tone strangely soft. “Junko Yoshioka.” 

You raised one eyebrow and started looking at the boy. “You, kid. Are you sure he didn't let her shag his clients?” 

“I wasn't a customer.” He replied to you with a wide smile and froze, his expression immediately dropping and his face turning red. “Sorry, boss…” 

“I have no further questions, thank you.” You clicked your tongue, reaching for the last cookie on the plate and popping the whole one into your mouth, biting it thoughtfully. 

There was silence in the room for a moment, everyone was busy thinking about what steps to take in this matter. Thanks to Kakucho and Mochi... and Yata, you almost solved the whole case of the prostitute murders. But you had a strange feeling that... 

“I'll take care of Yoshioka and let L/n find this Yuu guy.” Mochi said and Kakucho nodded, completely agreeing with him. 

That's right, you knew it would be like this. Find a guy that neither of you have seen in person and don't know the real personal details. 

“Thank you, Mochi.” You muttered softly, looking away from the man. 

“Something wrong?” The other asked, looking at you from the corner of his eye. 

"No no. Of course not." You denied, then an idea popped into your head and you looked at him. “Maybe the rest know something more about this Yuu?” 

“Like who?” 

“Haitanis? Ran likes to use the services of girls and does it more often than Rindou.” You suggested, playing with your tie. “Maybe even Sanzu heard something…” 

“Aren't you the one who gets him whores?” Mochi asked as he poured himself another glass of whiskey. 

You pursed your lips, staring at Kakucho's desk. “Yes, I usually get him girls. But Sanzu is a big boy, and I don't live with him, so when he feels like it, he calls for services himself.” 

“I'm just asking.” Mochi shrugged. “You can try, but I don't know what time they will return from their trip. That damn Sato is pretty bummed out somewhere.” 

“Maybe Takeomi will know something. He used to sleep with girls from Nagano.” He mentioned Kakucho and looked at the folder you had brought earlier. “I'll give it back to you so that if anything happens, Kisaki won't bother you.” 

You nodded, took the paper folder from him and stood up from the chair. “I think we can call it a day. Each of us has a task, so... Let's do what needs to be done and get this over with." 

"Right." Mochi drained his glass and after saying goodbye to all of you, he left the room. 

“Come on, Miyata.” Kakucho said as he stood up from behind his desk. “I will take you to your new room and give the girls some instructions regarding your hospitality.” 

The young man quickly got up from his chair and you both followed Kakucho into the corridor. “Good luck, Y/n.” He smiled slightly at you and walked away down the hall towards the guest rooms. 

“See you later, Boss L/n!” Yata waved at you and quickly followed the retreating man. 

“Fuck…” You cursed as you headed back to your bedroom. “How will I find this guy?” 

You turned the key in your door, went inside and walked to the desk, onto which you lightly threw the folder with the completed reports. You took off your jacket, untied your tie and unbuttoned the top two buttons of your shirt. 

You looked at your watch and it took you a moment to realize that you hadn't heard from Sanzu for eight hours. Nothing special, but you only had such a long break in contact when each of you was sleeping in your own beds... Still, you didn't feel anxious. He wasn't completely alone after all, and you were able to get some rest. 

You lit a cigarette and walked to the window. You looked up at the sky and were relieved to see that the clouds had not thickened. Maybe it won't rain after all. 

You liked the rain, but you didn't like hearing the complaints of a soaked Sanzu. You laughed quietly, after all, there was no certainty that you would see each other again today. Maybe neither of you will have the time or even the strength for it... 

You took a long drag on your cigarette and flicked the ash into the ashtray. You had at least four people you could try asking about that damn Yuu, and you hoped that one of them knew something about this guy. At least one piece of information... Maybe it will be easier to find him. 

Sure, you could always stalk Nagano, but you wouldn't know which of his assholes was Yuu. 

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw movement on the garden path and looked in that direction, seeing a petite woman accompanied by a tall man with dark hair slicked back. 

“Look at this.” You smiled to yourself as you watched Rosie and Takeomi. From a distance, you could see that they were having a calm conversation and clearly enjoying each other's company. Then the thought popped into your head that maybe Rosie knew Yuu or one of the girls who were currently in the hideout. Rosie was like a brothel mom to them here. "It is worth a try." 

You stubbed out your cigarette and barely made it back inside when someone knocked on your door. You stopped dead in the middle of your bedroom. "Who's there?" 

“It's me, Miki... Yata-chan would like to talk to you again.” One of the prostitutes answered you and you went to the door to open it. 

Yata-chan? 

You looked surprised at the slim girl who was pulling the hand of Miyata, who was hiding behind the door frame. “He's a bit shy, isn't he?” 

"A bit." You looked at the boy who kept looking over his shoulder down the hall. “Come in. Thanks, Miki. Come back for him in half an hour.” 

The girl smiled even wider at you and, pushing the boy into your bedroom, she began to walk away almost with a dance step - just like usual. 

You closed the door and looked at Yata, frowning. "What's up?" 

"I'm sorry, boss, when we were walking here, I thought I saw Hanma... I don't want to run into him..." The black-haired man said quietly and rubbed his arm nervously. 

"I see. What else did you want to talk about?” 

“In Boss Kakucho's office, Boss Mochi mentioned Sato's name…” He swallowed and squeezed his forearm. “I shouldn't eavesdrop... But... Maybe it's about Mr. Sato from Hot Cherry?” 

You winced at the mention of the old nightclub name, but confirmed. “How do you know about him? Have you been to this club?” 

“I was there once with Akira... He sold one of the girls to him.” He shrugged and then added more quietly. “I don't like that bitch... Mina would sell her own mother if she had the chance.” 

You raised an eyebrow at the mention of the girl and decided not to tell the boy what happened to her. So, Sato and Akira were... or still are, in business together. You will need to pass this information on to Haitanis and Sanzu. 

“I have some information for you, Yata.” The boy looked at you interested. “You will be at this club more often. It is already ours and has been handed over to Madarame, with whom you will work.” 

"Seriously?! Oh, Boss L/n!” Miyata's hands shot towards you, but he pulled them back at the last moment. "It's wonderful! The club was nice, but the name and owner sucked.” 

You walked over to the desk and reached for a pack of cigarettes. You still had a few minutes before Miki would come back for the boy. "You smoke?" 

“No, boss. Smoking harms your health." 

“Fucking prostitutes doesn't guarantee health either.” 

“I'm using protection…” The man muttered, blushing slightly. 

You looked at him and shook your head, sighing slightly. “Where did you come from, Miyata, huh?” 

The other shrugged, turning even redder. “I know I'm a shitty gangster... But I grew up in a poor neighborhood and I don't know anything else.” 

“Can you fight?” 

"I can." Yata smiled and lifted his shirt slightly, showing you his slightly muscled stomach, with two long scars on it. “I even got stabbed twice.” 

You nodded in approval, thinking that maybe Fuku Miyata wasn't so bad after all. Everyone cries sometimes, but... He wasn't crying for no reason, he was just afraid for his life, and you didn't necessarily assure him that he was in no danger. 

He lowered his shirt and looked slightly confused again. Suddenly he bowed deeply and said in a serious tone. “Thank you, Boss L/n. For taking me away from Akira and giving me a second chance.” 

You looked at him slightly surprised and shook your head, a soft smile appearing on your lips. “The decision wasn't just mine. You don't seem bad, and you made the right decision. You deserve another chance.” 

There was a soft knock on the door and the boy straightened up. “I guess that's my guard.” He joked and Miki opened the door. A smile appeared on her lips again. 

"You can go." You patted the young man on the shoulder and the girl grabbed his wrist, pulling him into the hallway. 

“Come, come, Yata-chan. Let Mr. L/n work.” She laughed and you were left alone. 

You closed the door behind them and returned to your small desk, where you sat down. You leaned back in your chair and looked at the ceiling. I wonder if Sanzu knows about Sato and Akira's connection. 

You heard single, gentle knocks on the glass and looked out the window. It looked like Sanzu was going to get a little wet after all. 

#tokyo revengers #tokyo revengers x y/n #male reader #tokyo revengers haruchiyo sanzu #haruchiyo sanzu #haruchiyo sanzu x reader

[sometimes-love-is-enough]

AAAAAAA ur reading house of leaves??? im buying that next week thats so cool! do u have any book recs? or recs in general shows movies etc

I AM!! I'm several chapters in and super enjoying it, although reading it alone in a tiny hotel room in the middle of nowhere was a Distinct Mistake.

As for recs! I'm going to specifically go for stuff that isn't super mainstream, in the hopes that I'll recommend you something you have never heard of before. Here's some stuff for you!

Podcasts

Dreamboy - one-season podcast from Night Vale Presents, definitely one of their less-known ones. Explicit in places, what I would describe as AO3 M-rated sex scenes. A worn-out musician ends up embroiled in inexplicable events in a small town, and also there's a murderous zebra and fossils that want to fuck. It's a musical cinematic podcast masterpiece, I'll always be sad there's only one season.

Apocrypals - nonfiction. Two non-believers read through the Bible and try not to be jerks about it. If you're interested in theology and apocryphal texts but have no idea where to start, this is such a good place. The hosts are delightful, and have a really nice way of taking you through all the various layers of Biblical scholarly nonsense. Considerable backlog of episodes, but worth listening through from the beginning. Weirdly, there's continuity.

Til Death Do Us Blart - five poor fools watch Paul Blart Mall Cop 2 every Thanksgiving from now until the end of eternity, and report back yearly on their mental state. You may think to yourself 'wow, that doesn't sound like a good time'. It isn't, to the hosts. To anyone listening along, it's fucking hilarious. Nine episodes so far, and it's a single episode per year, so plenty of time to catch up.

Web Series

The Monument Mythos - Several seasons. surreal analogue horror alternate history of America told through a series of videos of varying format. Brilliantly absurd, fucked up, and horrifying by turns (sometimes all at once).

No Evil - ongoing animated series, made mostly by a single person. Please don't immediately wave it off because of the colorful anthropormorphic animals. The mythology is amazing, the animation is sublime, and the music is haunting. The pacing is a bit strange at first, and you may be confused at the way the plot moves, but you have to understand that it's all part of its charm. I think about No Evil way too much.

Dances Moving - you may know Brian David Gilbert from his work at Polygon, and his more recent absurdist Youtube ventures. This is from way before that! It's a fun and gradually heartwrenching musical exploration of a local dance group and what it means to move away from home. Seven short episodes.

ENA - this one is a bit more mainstream, so you may know it already. Who knows what's going on in the world of ENA? Definitely not me. Absurdism at its finest. Bizarre architecture, strange characters, if it's a metaphor I don't know what it's about, but the vibes are immaculate. Three actual episodes of varying length, apparently there's a video game set to come out soon-ish?

An Unauthorized Fan Treatise - serialized story. If you're a fan of internet drama a la Msscribe, you're going to adore it. It's a fiction story about a fictional fandom, and one massively messed up person who decides that two of the lead actors in her favorite show are secretly dating and sets out to prove it with a cited multi-chapter essay. And then it gets wild.

Comics

The Property of Hate - a wonderfully dynamic and colorful webcomic about a young girl getting chosen to become a make-believe world's Hero. Puns and wordplay galore. Absolutely delightful characters and worldbuilding. Ongoing.

Eat the Rich - a young woman goes to meet her boyfriend's extremely rich family, and learns their horrifying secret. Warning: cannibalism. 5 issues, complete.

Beanworld - impossible to describe, but I'll try. An absurdist semiabstract musing on the nature of life and cycles and community, set in a world where the rules are weirdly two-dimensional and you as a reader get weirdly invested in the routines and cycles that the inhabitants follow. And all of the main characters are cute lil bean guys. If you read anything on this list, do this one. (Linked is the only online version I could find, and it's not up-to-date. I own all the omnibuses in print. If you liked what you read here, I recommend tracking them down too.)

Short Stories (in no particular order, and certainly not all my favorites - just the ones I had bookmarked and on hand)

Bride, Knife, Flaming Horse - a young Indian woman looks for marriage in the fantastical, and finds several suitors

Fish (in 13 sections) - an obsessive unpacks a bewildering insult. Just, really fun.

Fandom For Robots - a robot discovers anime, and definitely doesn't have big feelings about it

Informed Consent Logs From The Soul-Swap Clinic - two people decide to swap bodies, for somewhat murky reasons.

The Magician's Apprentice - a young girl learns magic from her mentor. This one's about grooming. But not like that. But also a lot like that. But also it's so much more fucked up than that. (This one is a MEGA favorite, it's by Tamsyn Muir. Who you may recognize as the author of the Locked Tomb series - I'd rec that too here, if it wasn't definitely too mainstream for what I'm going for. Read this. And also read the Locked Tomb.)

The Tale of the Foolish King Who Banished Music - it's a snippet of a longer Doctor Who audio drama, but stands so nicely on its own. Unnerving little fairy tale.

The Spider - 1908 horror story about a man trying to figure out why so many men have spontaneously committed suicide in a specific hotel room. It's basically a TMA statement, in more ways than one.

Video Games

What Did Veronica Dream Of? - strange little rpgmaker puzzle game. Obtuse and weird, and I adore it. I wish I could explain why.

Secret Little Haven - point-and-click about being a trans girl on the internet in 1999. Completely nails the tone it's going for. Period-typical homo- and transphobia.

Linelith - a short (1-hour) puzzle game with no plot and no characters, and yet it contains one of the greatest plot-twists of all time. I'm begging you to play it immediately.

Lingo - puzzle game about linguistics, words, non-Euclidean goemetry, and figuring out an endless series of rules in a constantly expanding world. RIDICULOUSLY clever and good, and I've been playing it almost continuously for the last few months. It's got so much content for such a reasonable price, and the community-made maps add even more content (and are also excellent). If English isn't your first language, you may struggle, but otherwise - grab a bunch of friends and stream it. It's better with friends helping you out, I can guarantee it.

For A Change - a 1999 interactive fiction game about raising the sun in a world where words do not mean what you think they mean. If you're familiar with old text-based games, go ahead and play it - otherwise, you may want to read this transcript of a group of people playing it together instead.

Other Things

Carmilla - the classic 1800s lesbian vampire novella. I read it very recently, and it's extremely good. Absolutely delivers on the lesbian vampire premise in full gory detail, although do be aware that it was written in the context of homophobic fear.

Alberio - very fun light musical about two siren brothers reconnecting under less-than-ideal circumstances.

Mosquitoes - stage play about life and families and physics (theoretical and practical both). Very heavy topics, pulls no punches. The Boson's final monologue always wrecks me.

Ghost Quartet - musical/song cycle/experience about love, death, alcohol, and (of course) ghosts. Lots of cyclical stories and time travel weirdness. All of the songs are incredible.

Yankee and the Foreigners - music group that performs delightful upbeat covers of songs in animal onesies. Their Bare Necessities cover is a favorite of mine.

I'm sure there's lots more things I could rec (not a lot of books or movies here, huh? sorry about that. I immediately forgot everything I've ever read and watched) but these were the things that came to mind when I sat down and wrote this list, so hopefully there's something new and good for you in here!

#not tss #recs #asks #if any of these scratched your brain good Let Me Know!! i like to know i have good taste #also [grabs your shoulders] go read gideon the ninth. please. #it's a surprise tool that will help you later.

[outstandingblue]

Promises to Keep

Seventeen - To See and To Choose

recom!miles quaritch x fem!na'vi oc

| Masterlist | Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Four | Chapter Five | Chapter Six | Chapter Seven | Chapter Eight | Chapter Nine | Chapter Ten | Chapter Eleven | Chapter Twelve | Chapter Thirteen | Chapter Fourteen | Chapter Fifteen | Chapter Sixteen | Chapter Eighteen |

A trip down memory lane always has its consequences.

cross-posted on ao3 here content warning: brief mention of suicide, mild smut, angst, fluff, biting, teasing, light choking word count: 11.2k

“Is this all necessary?” Jiniraa asked, running her fingers along the heavy duty guard secured around Miles’ ikran. It was made of a similar material to the Recom’s vest, so there was no way it was comfortable.

“It’s gear. He likes it.”

Cupcake let out a weak screech in disagreement, obviously not liking it. Ikran were meant to have light and form fitting saddles, not pounds of kevlar and gear. Jiniraa rolled her eyes, but smiled when Cupcake nudged at her side, wanting attention and sympathy. It was the first time she’d seen the ikran since she awoke from her coma.

“Seems he likes you too.” Miles spared Jinraa a glance as he continued to load the side bags with ammo, food, two spare respirators for Spider, and everything else they’d need. Since they now had regular transportation, the Recoms were going to start longer recon missions in the field as they no longer needed to check back into Bridgehead as often. 

“Ikran usually are not affectionate with anyone other than their bonded hunters.”

“Well, I do like when you’re all lovey dovey with me. Rubbin’ off on him.” It seemed Jiniraa didn’t catch Miles’ obvious attempt at a flirtation as she continued tracing the pattern of Cupcakes face.

“Have you made a call with him?” Jiniraa asked, switching her gaze from the ikran to Miles. His back was turned to her, but looked back with a confused expression.

“A what?”

“A call. So you can bring him to you.” Jiniraa responded, annoyed that she even had to explain herself.

“I don’t follow…” Miles trailed off as Jiniraa began making the call she used for her own ikran. It had been over a year since she last made the sounds, but it was second nature and came with ease. Cupcake’s jaw dropped slightly as if the animal was excited to hear the noise; the other ikrans around did the same as their heads perked to attention. Miles dismissively laughed, “yeah, I ain’t doing that.”

Jiniraa just shrugged, laughing as Cupcake's snout pressed further into her torso as he begged for pets. Miles narrowed his eyes, mildly jealous of how the animal was able to so easily show his affection for the woman. A sharp whistle made the pair freeze. Jiniraa’s eyes were wide and ears standing straight up as she found Miles with a cocky expression and two fingers in his mouth. She tried to focus on anything other than the thin string of saliva that trailed after the digits as he lowered them down. Even if Jiniraa disapproved of the whistle, Miles decided that would be the one.

Jiniraa began to yawn, “why are we up so early? It is still dark out.”

“Early bird gets the worm.” Miles tossed back with a shrug.

“What?” Jiniraa retorted as Miles shook his head, uninterested in explaining Earth sayings this early in the morning. She was right though, they were up earlier than ever before. The dew on the grass hadn’t receded and no sign of sunlight could be seen. Most of the Recoms actually had sweatshirts on - one of the first times they needed to use them on the planet - but Lyle was only in his usual cut off, unwilling to admit there was a chill in the air after. Lopez and Zdinarsk had a bet going to see how long he would persevere - Lopez thought the Corporal was too prideful to admit he was wrong while Zdinarsk argued ‘he’s a little bitch.’

“Say,” Miles offered, “where’s your banshee and all?” 

“Ikran.” Jiniraa corrected. Her annoyance shut up tenfold each time she had to correct anyone to use her proper terminology. Miles knew this. He just liked seeing her get wound up a little bit. 

“Where’s your ikran?” He tried to seem disinterested as he continued to check the straps on Cupcakes new gear. Each time he pulled a strap, the ikran would release a small chitter and snap its jaw at the rider. There was no malice behind the bite, so Miles would just push its massive face away with a ‘knock it off’.

“Dead.” Jiniraa responded, voice no longer full of any spark of life. Miles’ movements faltered momentarily before collecting himself. “She died shortly after the Sky People returned. Their machines poisoned a water supply that she regularly used. By the next morning, she was gone. I tried to comfort my friend and make tsaheylu to ease her pain, but it did not work. I felt her take her last breath.”

“Did she have a name?” Miles didn’t know what to say. I’m sorry didn’t feel like it would be enough. 

“Situ. Her name was Situ.” She didn’t wish to remember her weak and dying on the forest floor, so she wouldn’t allow her emotions to wallow in grief any longer. Jiniraa’s eyes remained dry as she told her story, continuing to caress Cupcake to self-soothe. 

Luckily, Miles was saved from the painfully awkward silence by Lyle’s call for assistance. Miles didn’t really care what he needed, as long as he didn’t have to stand there any longer. He was never good at emotionally vulnerable situations, and just because he cared about Jiniraa didn’t make him magically empathetic. 

Spider wandered over shortly after Miles left, “you okay?”

“I am just fine, sweet boy,” Jiniraa smiled, “so, who is taking you?”

Spider contemplating for a moment, rubbing at his chin in an over exaggerated manner, “I’m not sure yet. I was thinking about Lopez, he seems like he would be fun.”

Spider didn’t mention how Lopez also mentioned if Spider ever wished to learn more foul language or ways to get on the Colonel’s nerves, he was the person to ask.

“You don’t want to ride with Miles?” Jiniraa’s head fell to the side annoyed by the repulsed look on Spiders face as he suppressed a fake gag.

“Nope. The pleasure is all yours.” Spider smirked as he raised his hands in mock surrender. Jiniraa’s eyes narrowed as she began chasing Spider around the ikran. 

The two laughed as they circled around, weaving through a field of Recoms and their ikran as everyone continued to pack. Dawn was just beginning to peek through and Spider had a little more ease with maneuvering, but Jiniraa was built to thrive in the dim light of the night.

Miles grumbled as Spider almost and Jiniraa actually bumped into him in her relentless pursuit, “hey, knock it off. You’re gonna hurt yourself.”

Spider spun on his heel, quickly changing directions and darting behind Zdinarsk. She was more than happy to step out of the way and expose Spider’s horrible hiding place. Jiniraa took the opportunity and dove for Spider to tackle him to the ground. As she had done dozens of times before, Jiniraa rubbed her knuckles into Spider’s scalp - never too hard that she actually risked hurting him, but just rough enough where Spider understood Jiniraa wasn’t going to treat him like a piece of glass.

“Mercy! Mercy! Old Man! Please!” Spider writhed on the ground.

Miles approached as if he actually planned on helping the kid, but stood there with one hand latched onto his belt. “You’re gonna call me old man and then ask for help? Fuck that, kid.”

Jiniraa met Miles gaze, eyes wide and enthralled as she continued to tickle at Spider. It was a side he’d only seen when she woke up in the hospital - carefree and playful, actually acting like a young adult rather than a woman who was forced to grow up way too young. Feeling Spider had finally endured enough, Jiniraa released him as her boisterous laughs subsided to small chuckles as he moved to fix his hair. With a pout, Spider turned away.

“Oh, come on,” Jiniraa teased, “you aren’t mad are you?”

“No.” Spider retorted, continuing to pout. Jiniraa rolled her eyes at his childish antics before lifting him above her head to place him up on her shoulders. 

“Better?” 

“Oh yeah,” Spider laughed, “I can see the old man’s bald spot from up here.”

Miles' ears pinned. Jiniraa tried to suppress the small smile that rose, but ultimately failed as Spider continued to claim Miles was going bald at twenty. “I do not have a bald spot.”

“Maybe not yet you don’t,” Spider mocked.

Miles narrowed his eyes. This time, it was his turn to chase the Jiniraa-Spider combo as she ran around with the teen on her shoulders. It was early enough in the morning that the only humans awake were in the mess halls, so he didn’t have to worry about their watchful eyes as he played into their little game.

Miles easily could’ve caught Jiniraa in three strides, but he let the chase drag on. He would reach out and tug at her tail when he got close enough, always making her squeak before she increased her speed. He was too excited by the way her hair moved as she ran and the matching grins Spider and Jiniraa held as they glanced back. 

He didn’t want this moment to end, but alas, everything must come to an end, even their little game of cat and mouse. Miles reached up and wrapped an arm around Spider’s torso before quickly pulling him off her shoulders before she even noticed. He held the kid against his chest as he tried to slip away, but Spider was secured as Miles triumphantly hollered. Jinraa slapped at his arm, scolding him for his loudness.

From afar, the rest of the Recoms watched with their own little smiles. They’d never seen the Colonel act like this before - he was playing. Colonel Miles Quaritch, one of the most vicious killers on Pandora, was playing.

“They look like a little family,” Ja observed. He was right - Jiniraa was tucked into Miles’ side as she wiggled her fingers at Spider. Lyle smirked before taking a quick picture of the trio. The Colonel would be upset when he found out the sniper had sniped a picture again, but Lyle knew he would want to keep the momentum of this memory.

Prager shattered the peaceful serenity, “yeah, I’d definitely hit that.”

Lopez punched at Prager’s shoulder, “agreed, but you better not say that too loud. Colonel will put a cap right up your ass.”

Zdinarsk rubbed a hand down her face. Men. “You are fucking dogs, you know that?”

●●●

The last time Jiniraa went flying on an ikran, she ended up half dead in a hospital for a week. Maybe even more than half dead. Miles was still convinced she stopped breathing at some point during their flight back to Bridgehead. Today was going much better - no bleeding out on the agenda, but that didn’t stop Miles’ worried gaze from flicking down every minute to make sure she was actually alive.

They’d been flying for hours and only taking breaks every two or three hours to give the ikran a chance to replenish themselves. The Recoms needed breaks too - the bond with their animals was relatively new and exhausting at first. They weren’t used to flying for hours uninterrupted. Lyle began complaining about his ass going numb within the first hour, causing Jiniraa to pull the comm out of her ear. Miles wished he had the same luxury of ignoring Wainfleet’s complaints, but he was forced to endure it. Glamorous life of Colonel Miles Quaritch. 

“Are we touching down any time soon?” Jiniraa asked, leaning back against Miles. Their height difference was perfect - her temple pressed right into the juncture of his shoulder. If he turned even slightly, his lips were at her hair line. Not that he’d done it once or twice. Maybe half a dozen times, but that’s besides the point.

“What is your ass numb like Wainfleet over there?” 

“No, we have been flying for a long time. Where are we going?”

“You’ll see,” he assured. You aren’t gonna like it.

Jiniraa leant forward, trying to peer between Cupcakes neck and wing to survey the terrain a little closer. Miles cursed and tightened his hold on her hip, pulling her farther back along the ikran’s neck, as he imagined her slipping off and plummeting into the trees below. He tried not to look down at Jiniraa’s bent over form - her ass was almost on full display and pressed into his crotch. Mental images of her bent over for him in other circumstances flooded his mind.

It was an antagonizing half an hour before Miles finally ordered everyone to land. His blood was pooled at one spot of his body and it certainly wasn't his head. He felt pathetic - he had to keep making excuses why he shifted back as Jiniraa leant against him.

The moment they touched down, Miles didn’t have to worry about the warmth emitting from Jiniraa’s body as she quickly slid off the ikran, not even bothering to wait for him to disconnect the bond. She knew exactly where they were - the barren land and destroyed oversized yellow bulldozers said it all. 

“Utral Aymokriyä,” she whispered to herself. She approached the heavy machinery and laid a soft hand on it before retracting it quickly. It was almost like the metal burned - a physical reminder of the scar human’s left on her world. 

The area was just beginning to recover from the scorched earth tactics, but there was still a distinct contrast between the lush treeline and stubby plants of the clearing. It was a minefield of shrapnel and debris under the new growth.

Miles moved forward to keep her close to the group. The clearing was dangerous for anyone as hostiles could easily blend into the tree line. It was a risk to be here, but the General was getting desperate for any sign of Sully. She was using the Jiniraa and Spider as bait, hoping to provoke any nearby Omaticaya people to show themselves in attempts to take back their people.

Spider’s voice stopped Miles in his tracks, “don’t. Let her have this.” Miles lips’ pursed, not liking how the distance between them grew greater as she continued to walk through the symbolic graveyard. Each step was calculated and attempted to preserve as much of the young flora as she could. The last thing she wanted to do was injure an already crippled ecosystem.

On the other side of the group, Lyle circled the charred bulldozer. He’d been here before in response to the Na’vi attack after the Tree of Voices was destroyed. Well, the other Wainfleet was here. Fifteen years ago, not three months ago. His large fingers brushed along the abandoned amp suit. 

Zdinarsk was the first to notice Lyle wasn’t with anyone, laying a tentative hand on his shoulder, “you good, Ly?” 

Lyle nodded as he continued to look over everything. He remembered the anger the other Wainfleet experienced upon arrival. The smell of charred bodies and blood would never leave him. The old Wainfleet was disgusted by his perceived insanity of the Na’vi as they ruthlessly slaughtered the humans. This new Wainfleet was beginning to see things just a little bit differently. He saw why they would protect their home, but that didn’t change anything for him. Orders were orders.

Jiniraa felt a tear fall from her eye before it softly bounced off a juvenile plant. It looked vaguely familiar as she carefully cradled the short vines between her fingers to inspect it - a sapling of the Sacred Tree.. In this field of death, there was regrowth. The forest would always persevere. 

Jiniraa reached behind, tentatively wrapping her fingers around the braid as she held it out in front of her. Her hand was shaking, unable to control the emotions swarming inside. There were two possible outcomes. She could connect to the tree and see nothing. Those memories - those people are lost forever. On the flipside, she could connect and see everything - all the life and death, the love and hate. To be honest, she didn’t know which would be harder to digest.

The Recoms watched from afar, respecting her grief. Spider could see how her hand shook and he wanted nothing more than to comfort his friend in her time of need, but there was nothing the little human could do. There were no words he could offer to console her. Lopez and Prager were tense, shifting their weight as they surveyed the treeline. They didn’t like being this exposed; Miles didn’t either, but he realized Spider was right - she was mourning. He would give her as much time as she needed. It could be the last time she ever makes it back here. 

In a moment of adrenaline, Jiniraa pushed forward and connected with the young sapling. Silence. She went to pull away as the reality settled in, but then a single whisper could be heard. It was indistinguishable, but definitely there. Maybe not all was lost. Jiniraa waited for more, but nothing else came.

It had been a long time since Jiniraa made any sort of tsaheylu, let alone a direct connection to Eywa. She could feel the soft embrace of the Great Mother as she remained connected. There was peace within the silence as everything else washed away, leaving her bare before the heavenly presence. Her worries about Miles, Spider, her people, and everything else just slipped away for a moment of solace. 

When she finally disconnected from the small saplings the Rooms were more on edge than ever before. They didn’t enjoy being here as memories of their human selves clashed with their newfound keenness towards Pandora. They were struggling between their two halves - the past and the future. The present was full of struggle and anguish, but they hoped for a brighter tomorrow. Some of the ikrans had taken to the sky, circling around and waiting for their riders. Others waited on the ground.

Miles kept his word and waited for Jiniraa as long as she needed. After the destruction of the Tree of Voices and then Hometree, she never returned to the sacred place. She would visit Hometree once a season, but those memorials stopped when the Sky People returned.

She looked emotionless as she rejoined the group. Miles held her at arms length, bending down to try and look into her eyes but they were too unfocused and hazy to even comprehend his question. “You okay?”

Jiniraa numbly nodded as Miles' expression grew increasingly worried. She approached Spider and pressed his head into her torso for comfort. As a human, he was never permitted to be anywhere near Hometree, let alone here. It was something Neytiri reminded him at every chance she got. Spider wasn’t overly upset at the desecrated site, but if the thought of comforting him made Jiniraa feel a little less pain, he’d allow her to do whatever.

Very little was said after leaving the clearing, only one or two words when absolutely necessary. There wasn’t the usual banter between Lopez and Prager or Jiniraa reprimanding Lyle when he pulled out his machete. It was silent. Miles and Spider were rightfully concerned about the woman they cared for - she seemed like a shell of herself as her tail was limp, nearly dragging along the ground, and ears downturned in grief. She barely even smiled when Spider offered her another rock he found before slipping it into her waist pack. 

Miles began to doubt the rest of the plans for the day: the General wanted the Recoms to do recon around Hometree next. He didn’t know if she could handle it. He didn’t know if he could handle seeing her act this way much longer. An undeniable guilt built in his stomach as he realized how devastated Jiniraa would be once they visited the site. Miles didn’t need to tell her where they were heading - she knew exactly where they were going, even as they took the long route. 

Once the massive mangrove roots were in sight, Jiniraa pushed ahead and left Spider with Mansk. She stepped in front of Miles, trying to halt his movements. Her voice was angry, borderline cracking. “Miles, why are we here?”

He couldn’t look into her eyes. If he did he would break and turn the entire party around. He stared blankly forward and responded the an infuriatingly monotone voice, “doin’ recon.”

“Why here?”

He didn’t answer as he moved to step around her, but she grabbed at his wrist. He easily could’ve pulled out of her grasp, but he allowed her to hold on. After a beat he offered an explanation, “General’s orders.”

Jiniraa and Miles had discussed the General and the power she held over the Recoms over the past week. If Miles didn’t follow her every direction, he would jeopardize Jiniraa and Spider’s safeties. He wanted to be at the site of Hometree even less than Jiniraa did, but there was no alternative. With a sigh, Jiniraa accepted the severity of the situation, “I will go first. Stay.”

Miles reluctantly agreed as he stepped back to leave Jiniraa alone in the treeline. The site had deteriorated even further since her last visit - new growth and vines wrapped around the fallen village. Compared to the Tree of Voices, the flora here was quicker to recover. Plants and grass that brushed along her ankles last year were up to her thighs.

The Recoms held position as Jiniraa inspected her desecrated home, slow and somber. As she paid respect to those who lost their lives in the attack, Jiniraa realized there was no better time than the present to sway the Recoms from their ways. Try and get them to see and abandon their old selves for this new life. Damn whatever the General held over them, they had this world now, this new life, and they could do whatever they wished.

Spider awkwardly diverted his gaze from the site as Jiniraa rejoined everyone. The others were in awe, especially those directly involved with its destruction. Seeing the defiled monument of the community on the ground gave them a new perspective and questioned their old selves. 

“Come.” Jiniraa called, motioning them to follow, “watch your step, these are sacred grounds.”

As they drew closer to the downed tree, the Recoms were forced to crane their heads to try and get the full picture.

“Damn,” Lyle cursed in astonishment, “this thing is fuckin’ huge from the ground.”

Mansk slapped the Corporal on the arm as he pushed past, “language.”

Jiniraa pointed out different places around the area to Spider, telling stories about her youth. “Over there, I learned to ride a pa’li for the first time. I learned archery over there. I wasn’t very good…”

Miles strained his ears to listen in on Jiniraa’s little anecdotes, trying to imagine her as a young child. He recalled finding those two pictures tucked away in her bag, both at different levels of decay. The one with the Sully children was relatively undamaged, only beginning to curl at the edges. The other was clearly folded and unfolded countless times and there were signs of water damage, but it didn’t distort the image of a much younger Jiniraa with two teenagers on either side. Her smile was so wide that her eyes were pressed shut. The man to her right had a stone face while the woman to her left had a soft smile.

Spider tried to take it all in. He tried to imagine what it was like when people occupied the land: the laughter of young children, the people sharing stories as they worked on their baskets, the clomping of hooves as young hunters showed off their pa’li skills. It was silent now, just as quiet as it had been for the past fifteen years. There was no more laughter, no more story telling, no more peaceful life. 

“I’m sorry,” Spider apologized. 

Jiniraa’s eyes softened, “sweet boy, you have nothing to be sorry for.”

Spider wasn’t apologizing for himself, no, he was apologizing for the sins of his father. His father was responsible for all of this. All this death and destruction. Miles’ ears lowered, not in anger but in regret. He wasn’t Quaritch, but he carried the sins of Quaritch. The blood was still on his blue hands. He wasn’t that man, but the memories weren’t something he could outrun. The past always finds a way to haunt you. 

Lopez cleared his throat, awkwardly adjusting the strap of his rifle, “uh…how old were you?”

Jiniraa turned around to meet his curious gaze. “Eight.”

Lopez shook his head and cursed under his breath. Miles’ guilt shot up tenfold as he learned how young Jiniraa was when this occurred. Based on his timeline, he knew she was about that age, but hearing it made everything worse. An image of that smiling little Jiniraa flashed into his mind, but this time she was covered in soot and the blood of her fallen community as Hometree burned to the ground. To the Recoms, the destruction of Hometree was just over three months ago. To Jiniraa, it was fifteen years ago. 

“It was hard, but we persevered.” Jiniraa spoke to no one in particular, raising her voice enough so everyone could hear her. “You live and you adapt. We honor the fallen once a year as we gather to tell stories and imagine what would have been. For days after the Sky People attacked us, both here and Vitraya Ramunong, what your people call the Tree of Souls, we buried the dead.

“Each person was given a proper funeral as their energy was given back to Eywa. There were many who died as Kelutral fell. There were no bodies to recover. The Great Mother had already taken them back into her embrace.

“I assisted in the burials of children years younger than me. I will never forget the screeching of parents as they wept for their children. In their grief, some parents chose to join Eywa following their children’s funerals.”

The Recoms all looked around, trying to make sure they all heard the same thing. Lyle was the first to speak up, voice soft as if not to upset Jiniraa further, “they killed themselves?”

“Yes,” Jiniraa nodded truthfully, “Some did. Some were left without their mate or children. They wanted to join them within Eywa rather than continue on alone.”

“What about you?” Prager asked, the first time he’d spoken up since they reached the site.

Jiniraa chuckled slightly, “I was a child so I had no mate. I never had parents, only Tsu’tey and Sylwanin.” Her voice trailed off for a moment, “but they’re both gone now too.”

By the standards of the General, their expedition to Hometree was pointless as they found no sign of the Omaticaya. They were too elusive, too infuriating, too careful. Jiniraa could have told them they wouldn’t have found any sign of her people as they did not return here on a regular basis. To some of the Recoms, the visit made them begin to question the RDA and the greater mission at hand. Hearing Jiniraa’s story of a child forced to witness a grief-driven suicide made them sick to their stomachs, especially know their predecessors were the cause of it. Miles felt the worst out of everyone - Quaritch was the one who ordered the attack. The blood was on his hands. The blood that stained Jiniraa’s childhood was his fault. 

As they moved to leave, Miles pulled Jiniraa back for a second. He couldn’t seem to find the words, “I…I am sorry, for all this.”

Jiniraa stared at him for a long moment, trying to decide how to respond. He couldn’t meet her gaze and his tail flicked nervously behind him. She pressed a hand into his chest, feeling his heart beating under her touch. “...thank you.”

“For what?” Miles was shocked at her acceptance. He was expecting her to spit in his face and never speak to him again, not readily accepting the apology the first time.

“For seeing, Miles.”

●●●

As the day grew into night, the Recoms had settled around camp. Spider went and hunted for the group. Since it had been so long since anyone hunted in this area of the woods, the teenager had no problem finding something. It was the first time Miles allowed the teen to go off on his own. Spider wanted to show off even further to the Recoms, demonstrating his cooking skills to everyone over the fire Mansk had built. The dish lacked a few key elements, but it was much better than any type of MRE the RDA had to offer and they couldn’t survive on fruit forever. 

“Whatcha workin’ on?” Lyle asked with a mouthful of meat, little pieces flying out. 

“Hunt festival is soon. I am finishing my costume,” Jiniraa responded, flicking away anything that landed on her. 

“Hunt festival?” Ja questioned from a few feet away. He was eating as well, but not as savagely as Lyle.

“It is meant to celebrate the migration of the sturmbeest as they return. During the day, the hunters go out and at night we celebrate.” Jiniraa answered. Memories of the hunt festival were always the fondest, especially seeing how usually stoic men could crumble within a few drinks. Surprisingly, Jiniraa was able to hold her kava much better than anyone would have ever expected.

“And this little get up is for that?” Lyle asked, brushing a finger along the beaded strands.

“Yes - don’t touch with your dirty hands,” Jiniraa scolded, “the festival involved music, dance, food, and drink.”

A little delirious on the meat, Lyle punched a hand into the air, “Sign me up! That sounds like my kinda party - killin’, cookin’, and drinkin’!”

“You learn nothing.” Jiniraa huffed at his insensitive boisterousness, “Spider and I will not be able to attend the hunt festival with our people, so I hope to hold one just for us.”

She looked over at Miles through the fire with hope in her eyes. He didn’t have a reason to shoot it down, so he just shrugged. 

“Can I see your costume?” Zdinarsk asked, leaning forward on her knees.

Jiniraa was instantly on her feet as she hastily wrapped the thin bands to her wrist and secured a thicker one around her neck. A single line connected all three contact points and longer strands of beats and preserved leaves hung from that base, giving the illusion of wings. The hanging strands fluidly moved with her body, a colorful curtain of red, orange, blue, green, and purple. They merged together as she danced around the fire, showing off her art to everyone. She was weightless and moved like a feather in the wind, raising one arm up before dropping it in exchange for the other. 

“It is a spectacle for everyone,” Jiniraa was out of breath as she stopped, “for mated pairs, children are often conceived that night.” Spider made a face, actively trying to dissociate from the conversation as Jiniraa continued on, “I’m just saying, why do you think there is such a big age gap between Lo’ak and Tuk-”

“I am begging you to stop.” Spider exasperated.

Crossing her hands across her chest, Jiniraa smirked down at the teen, “oh, so you can discuss sex with your friends, but not with me?” The lab guys had overheard numerous conversations between him and Lo’ak and shared that information with Jiniraa

Spider’s face burned even brighter, “yes.”

Jiniraa shook her head, muttering skxawng under her breath as she moved to remove the nearly completed costume.

Lyle could see the burn on Spider’s face and tried to save him from further embarrassment, “kid, wanna see something?” Spider hastily got up and jumped over the log Lyle was leaning against before peering down over Lyle’s shoulder at the tablet. “So this is me when I was a human.”

It was a picture of a much younger Wainfleet freshly graduated from boot camp. There was a vague familiarity between the Recom and the scrawny teenager in the photo. Spider laughed, “so you’re bald by choice? Bold move.”

Lyle was mildly insulted but tried to play it off, “the ladies like my bald head.”

In unison, Ja and Zdinarsk objected to any thought that statement was true. “I think that is a complete lie.”

Lyle’s tail flicked against the ground in annoyance as he angrily switched the photo. There was human Wainfleet again, this time a little more filled out and recognizable, with a dozen other people. Some shared a vague similarity, but others did not. The woman in the center was in a tight lacy white dress.

“This was my big sister’s wedding,” Lyle explained, “I was her husband’s best man - obviously.”

Zdinarsk glanced over Lyle’s shoulder once more, “she got all the pretty genes.”

“Now you’re just being a bitch, Z.”

“It’s not being a bitch if it’s the truth.”

Jiniraa ignored the ongoing banter between the unit as Ja and Prager also chimed in. She grabbed the tablet from Lyle’s laxed grip to get a better view of the photograph, “Lyle, your sister is very beautiful.”

Lyle took the tablet back into his possession. “Yeah, she was.” His voice had grown distant and Jinraa realized what he was saying: his sister was dead. 

That’s not a shock, after all war had overtaken the entire Earth and she wasn’t able to get out in time before everything completely went to shit. It had been decades since Lyle had been on Earth - six years spent in cryo and fifteen spent in a flash drive really helped push time along.

It hurt because no matter how hard he tried, Lyle couldn’t remember his sister’s name. He could remember them fighting over their parents’ attention or how she would pawn off walking the dog on him. He remembered his dog - they got him after his father left on deployment when he was five and they named him Chesty after the Marine Corps mascot. He could remember how happy he was to see his sister at boot camp graduation and the sound of her laugh as she rubbed at his bald head and pretended to buff it. He just couldn’t remember the most basic thing. The most important thing - her name. 

“You know, it’s kinda weird being in these bodies.” Lyle wasn’t speaking to anyone in particular, just out into the open space. “I look at these pictures and like I know that I was there. I mean obviously - I’m in these pictures, but it’s not really me. It’s the was me not the now me.”

Zdinarsk hummed in agreement, as did all the other Recoms. The RDA had gone through and selectively erased chunks of their predecessors' memories, cherry picking those of combat and skill over love and family. Each member of the unit had their own frustration trying to remember crucial elements of their lives as humans. For Lyle it was his sister. For Zdinarsk it was her first love. For Mansk it was his best friend. It went on and on.

“That means you have been given a second chance,” Jiniraa stressed, “Another life to do better.”

Lyle didn’t enjoy the melancholy tone that fell over the crowd and chose to crack a joke and lighten the mood. He nudged Jinraa’s shoulders with a snicker, “so, you gettin’ down and dirty with anyone after the hunt festival? You gotta husband out there?”

Miles already knew the answer to the question, but he didn’t like the way her cheeks tinted purple as blood rushed to her cheeks. She was embarrassed, but there was part of his gut that assumed it was from how close Lyle was to her

“Um…” Jiniraa’s embarrassment took over instantly, “no. I don’t.” 

“And why not?” Lyke prodded.

“Well, we do not have partners like the Sky People do.” Jiniraa critically divulged. “We have mates and once the bond is complete, it is a bond for life. It is a connection unlike any other. Once you share the deepest, most intimate part of yourself there is no going back. No action or amount of distance could manage to break the bond, only death.”

Everyone was listening intently at this point. After all, their job was to learn, absorb, and apply knowledge regarding the Na’vi to fulfill their mission. At this exact moment, the only Recom thinking about the mission was Miles. The Recoms were silent, processing the information. Rather than seeing how these mating bonds are the ultimate form of weakness within the Na’vi community, most of them became envious of the utter devotion mates have for eachother. Mansk’s mind flashed to Renia back at Bridgehead.

“And you don’t have a…mate?” Zdinarsk asked. The word felt foreign on her tongue as she stuttered through the sentence. 

Jiniraa’s eyes lowered in shame, ears doing the same. “No. I don’t.”

“Did they die?” Ja asked as he fiddled with a knife between his outstretched hand. The blade gleamed as the fire hit it just right. 

“Um, well, no.” She paused, looking up to the stars. “I never had one. As I got older, the Sky People returned and I do not want to raise a family where I could end up dead the next day. Or lose my children or mate to the Sky People. Besides, males either want a mighty hunter or exceptional woman in other ways. I’m not either of those. I mean - you guys have seen me try to fight. It’s pitiful.” Most of the Recoms laughed a little bit at her self depreciation. Miles and Lyle did not. She then raised her hand up. “I’m also burdened with the mark of these four fingers. Outcast. Strange.”

She stretched her arm forward, flexing her fingers. Her eyes shifted their focus from her hands in front of her to the Recom through her fingers. She couldn’t read the expression on his face. She didn’t like how intensely he was staring her down, trying to peer into her soul, so she pulled her gaze away while he remained. Miles wasn’t going to look away.

She continued without prompting, “I wouldn’t be a good mate. I have no family. I was found in the woods as a child by Tsu’tey. I was unconscious and covered in blood. There was no one around me. While the Tsahik was healing me, Tsu’tey rode to the neighboring clans, trying to find my home. No one claimed me. I had no memories and four fingers, but the Olo’eyktan permitted me to stay with the Omaticaya until my family was found. Obviously, that never happened. Tsu’tey didn’t like me at first, but I stuck by him and Sylwanin. Eventually they got used to my presence and I looked up to them like my caretakers.”

Jiniraa’s eyes were glassy as she tentatively laid her hand against Lyle’s, “Sylwanin would’ve been beautiful too, just like your sister.”

Once again, not liking the serious nature of the conversation, Lyle tried to break the ice as he spared Miles a glance, “so what I’m hearing is you’re a virgin.”

Jiniraa fake punched Lyle’s arm. In an attempt to cheer her up, he fell over on the ground, completely over exaggerating the amount of pain he was in. Miles’ eyes followed her form as she moved to stand and grabbed a canteen. She was already walking away as she called out, “I’m going to fetch more water.”

“Hey, wait a second,” Miles quickly stood with an outstretched arm.

Jiniraa paused half in the darkness, “there’s a tracker in the comm. I’ll be right back.”

Miles grumbled, “just take this. For my own sanity.” He reached behind to detach the sheath from his belt before softly laying it in her hands. 

Five, ten, fifteen minutes passed and no sign of Jiniraa. Miles’ leg bounced as he waited for her to return, getting up a couple of times as he contemplated following after her but decided against it. She needed space. Today had been incredibly emotionally taxing between remembering her dead ikran, reliving the most terrifying three days of her life, and then exposing her vulnerabilities to the Recoms. She would come back. She always would. Still that didn’t stop Miles from incessantly checking her location and heart monitor embedded into the comm. 

Five minutes later and Miles was at his wits end. His head snapped at every little sound that the forest had to offer up. Not a single one was Jiniraa. He had enough. With two fingers, he pressed into the comm buttons, “Jiniraa to Colonel.” No response. “Jiniraa, come in.” No response. “I’m going to get her.”

Spider had been watching the echo of his father pace around as the worry mounted up. Based on the stories he’d heard about his father, he never expected to see him care about anyone but himself, much less a Na’vi woman. “I’m coming with you.”

“No. Stay here with everyone,” Miles declared, slinging his rifle over his shoulder, “I won’t be long.”

Spider begrudgingly sat down. Lyle tried to distract him with more pictures on the tablet, both ones from his human days and more recently. Spider enjoyed seeing all the candid shots the Corporal had managed to snag without people noticing. There was one of Spider and Miles on a transport where they perfectly mirrored each other's body language as their arms crossed over their chests and heads lulled to the right. Another showed Prager dangling from a tree as his foot got snagged on a vine after failing to jump off a tree like Spider instructed.

Miles huffed as he pushed through the brush at breakneck speed. The sounds of fire and conversation slowly faded away as he increased the distance between himself and the camp. His eyes were trained on the pinging location of Jiniraa’s comm on the topographical map. He instinctively reached behind to grab his knife, but cursed when it was nowhere to be found, completely forgetting he gave it to Jiniraa.

“Jiniraa to Colonel,” he attempted again. He was beginning to panic. She could be unconscious - that’s why her heart rate was still coming through. Based on their locations, she should be within earshot, but he wasn’t going to risk exposing their presence to anything lurking in the lush forest.  

Miles pushed through a wall of glowing vines to finally find Jiniraa sitting on the bank of a small reflection pool. Her back was to him, but she didn’t need to turn around to know who it was. The cadence of his steps said enough. 

“I was wondering how much longer it would be,” Jiniraa tossed over her shoulder. He saw her ear piece dangling along her neck. She didn’t hear the panic in his voice just a minute ago. She intended to draw him out this entire time.

“If you wanted alone time with me, all you had to do was ask,” Miles flirted, but she didn’t move. Her gaze returned to the photographs in her hands. “What’s goin’ on in that head of yours?”

“I miss them.” Miles hummed, not knowing how else to react in this situation. She pushed the more tattered picture into his hands, “this is Sylwanin and Tsu’tey. Both are dead because of Quaritch.”

“Sweetheart-” he begged. He couldn’t do this right now, but she didn’t give him the chance.

“No. Stop talking. They are dead because of Quaritch and you are not him. You may bear his name and memories, but you are not him. I meant what I said earlier - this body is a second life you never asked for. Another chance to make things right. You are Miles and I believe Miles can be a good man.” 

“It’s not that simple.”

“No, it is that simple. How many more bones will you crush? How many more lives will you destroy in the pursuit of your missions? You do not need to do this.” 

Miles exploded, pulling away and throwing his hands round in the air, “it’s not like I asked to be brought back like this!”

Jiniraa matched his level of intensity, “that is exactly what I am saying!” She paused to take a deep breath. Miles' shoulders were pulled tight as he glared at the woman, “you are haunted by the memories of a dead man. You did not ask for this, but what are you going to do about it?”

“Stop talking,” Miles seethed through clenched teeth.

“What?

“You - stop talking.” He grabbed Jiniraa by the jaw, holding her head right in one hand. Her face morphed from surprise to angry pants to lidded eyes and an open mouth. Her heart rate pounded against his pinky resting on her neck. His lips pulled back into a snarl. She wouldn’t show fear as that was exactly what he wanted. He wanted her to be afraid of him, it would be easier that way.

“No. I won’t stop.” Jiniraa hissed. 

Jiniraa expected him to squeeze tighter or growl at her, not for him to lean forward and lay his lips on her. If she wasn’t going to shut up, he would have to do it himself. The kiss wasn’t a tender embrace like their previous kisses. It was heavy, sloppy, and heated. Above all it was desperate and needy. 

Their teeth clashed against each other as Jiniraa whined into his mouth. Miles took the opportunity to press his tongue into her mouth, exploring her taste and groaning at her willingness to accept the intrusion. His hand slipped from her jaw to her neck to squeeze ever so slightly. Her gasp had him pulling back to lean their foreheads together.

Miles taunted and applied the faintest amount of pressure, “oh, you like that, baby? Yeah?”

Their mouths remained close enough that his lips brushed against her own as each syllable left his mouth. Jiniraa’s eyes remained closed as she pressed forward, desperate to have his touch back. She needed it. A fire was lit from within and he was both the lighter and the extinguisher. She brought her hands to roughly grab the sides of his face to pull him back to her. He laughed against her at the shameless desperation, but fulfilled her wish and returned with more fervor than expected.

The force almost knocked her off her feet, but Miles had already secured an arm around her waist to pull her flush against him. One of her hands made its way to his short cropped hair, dragging her nails from temple to the back of his head. 

He shuddered as she grew closer to the base of his braid and her fingers brushed along the base of the sensitive organ, “do that again.” She complied, putting more effort into the mindless movement. 

His mouth left her lips to explore the rest of her face. He began by leaving open mouth kisses along the sides of her face before nipping at the base of her ears. The sensation had her movements momentarily pause as her own pleasure took precedence. “Miles…”

“I don’t recall tellin’ you to stop.” His voice was going to be the death of her. She could feel the lust pooling in her stomach and quickly migrating downward. Jiniraa may not have been mated, but she knew what it felt like to touch herself. The touch of another was foreign, but that familiar feeling was mounting even without direct stimulation.

Miles bit at her neck before licking over the reddened area. He didn’t break skin, but if he used any more power he would’ve easily drawn blood. The sensation of his teeth dragging over her neck satisfied something primal within both. Jiniraa’s head lulled to the side to give him more access - a clear display of trust and want.

After allowing Miles to continue for a minute, Jiniraa pulled back as his mouth chased after her skin. Her eyes were blown wide with lust, glimmering as the night light of the forest danced along her skin, deepening the shadows of her features. A glistening trail of saliva covered the entire right side of her neck, running from her collar one to her ear as light bruising was intermittently laid out. The sight had Miles’ pants reach a level of uncomfortable tightness. She continued running her fingers through his short hair, following his command from earlier. Her free hand pulled at his vest, despising the gear from keeping his chest out of reach. 

With daring eyes, Jiniraa slowly wrapped her hand around the base of Miles’ queue, lightly tugging it down so he would be closer to eye level. Once he was within reach, she returned his favor from earlier, tentatively pressing a soft kiss to the base of his jaw before growing bolder and left sloppy, wet kisses up and down the base of his neck. Miles groaned - how could someone so sweet do this? His hand released her neck and found purchase on her waist, kneading and squeezing at the soft flesh. He didn’t trust his own strength in this state of lust - the last thing he wanted to do was squeeze her neck and actually hurt. With the newfound range of motion, Jiniraa was able to reach up and bite at the base of his cropped ears as well. Miles' knees nearly buckled at the sensation - the way his fingers tightened around her waist was going to leave fingerprints for a day or two. 

“Christ, woman.”

Jiniraa giggled innocently against the shell of his ear as if she didn’t know the consequences of her actions. He began pushing her backwards, leading her towards the large boulder she’d been leaning against earlier. She complied without reservation, trusting that he wouldn’t allow her to fall. Once close enough, Miles pressed her down to make her lay against the cool stone.

His lips began at her stomach, leaving a trail of saliva as he licked up the sweat that collected earlier in the day. Jiniraa shivered as the moisture cooled instantly in the cool of the night. Miles paused at the base of her naval before hovering there to glance up at the writhing woman who begged for him to return. Her hands found their way to the back of his head, trying to push it against her but he resisted the temptation to continue teasing her. 

“Aren’t you just the prettiest thing?” 

Jiniraa glanced down at Miles, holding his eye contact as he made his way back up. He was much slower on the return, nipping and biting at certain patches of skin. When he was blocked by her top, he sighed mockingly, almost as if he was discouraged by the flimsy beaded top. 

Breathlessly, Jiniraa called out for Miles in incoherent mumbles.

“Yeah, sweetheart? C’mon, use your words.”

Miles’ right hand left her hip and came to hold her jaw, pulling her gaze to follow as he bent over her body. One of Jiniraa’s hands reluctantly left the back of Miles' face to lay it over his hand before pushing to hold the side of her face. Once the hand was where she wanted, Jiniraa mirrored the hold on him. Miles remained completely still, not knowing where she was going with this. Slowly, she sat up, closing the distance between them as she maintained eye contact, not breaking it once.

“Miles,” she began slowly, “I choose-”

“Colonel?” Lyle’s voice sounded through Miles’ comm and he had to refrain from crushing it beneath his boot. Jiniraa’s earpiece was dangling along her collarbone, so she hadn’t heard the radio message. Miles’ expression tightened in annoyance and Jiniraa receded, almost dropping her hand before Miles plastered it to his face and he kept it there. She immediately began apologizing, regretting her actions. 

Miles tried to reassure her, “no, wait. It’s Lyle.” Jiniraa put her own earpiece back in, ready to dart back in case something had gone wrong. Miles’ chest warmed, seeing the protective side of Jiniraa, even if their moment was put on pause. “Wainfleet, what is it?”

“You’ve been gone for fifteen. Everything ‘ight?” Lyle wasn’t even trying to hide his snicker through the comm, something he would pay for at a later time. 

Miles’ forehead dropped to rest against Jiniraa’s shoulder in exasperation, “I’m going to fucking kill him.”

“That is a little extreme.” She rubbed at his shoulder. A big baby. 

“Boss? You there?” Lyle’s voice sounded through the comms once more. Based on his expression, Jiniraa could tell Miles was going to go berserk on the Corporal if he was the one to respond, so she took it upon herself.

“Yes, Lyle, we’re still here. We’re heading back now.”

Miles reached up and pulled the earpiece out as he continued to mumble about the different ways he was going to kill their bald headed sniper. The moment had evaporated completely, leaving Jiniraa nervous and fiddling with her fingers. Miles sighed, tilting her face up with a soft touch, “you were sayin’?”

“It can wait,” Jiniraa dismissed him. With her last remaining drops of confidence she reached up and pulled Miles’ down to her and connected their lips together. This wasn’t the feverious kiss from earlier, it was much softer. Full of yearning and want, for physical touch and more. 

“I will get you out of this. All this shit, even if it’s the last thing I do. If it’s what you want, once the mission is done, we can go far away from all this. I can’t just leave now, you’ll end up dead that way. Yeah?”

Jiniraa nodded against his forehead, “I like that plan.”

●●●

“Can I show you around today?” Jiniraa asked as they packed up camp from the night prior.

“You have a place in mind?” Miles asked, tightening the straps on Cupcakes gear, ignoring the creature's protests.

“I want to show you my favorite place to go. It’s not far, maybe half a day’s walk from here.”

“By air?” He asked. He was willing to take time out of their recon mission to give Jiniraa a little leeway, but he couldn’t sacrifice an entire day to it.

“Maybe an hour or so.” Jiniraa answered. Miles contemplated for a moment. He was intrigued by whatever had her eyes gleaming that way, but it also wasn’t the best idea to separate from the group. They hadn’t seen a single sign of Na’vi throughout the entire recon mission. Two nights since they visited Hometree and nothing. They continued pressing further into the forest, performing aerial surveys during the day and camping out at night. 

That also meant they hadn’t had a moment to themselves in two days and everyone was starting to get on each other's nerves. Pressing deeper into the forest meant thicker humidity and higher temperatures. Their speed was greatly affected by how quickly both the ikran and Recoms tired. 

“Show me the way.”

They had to move as a group, but Jiniraa only planned to show Miles the location so everyone else had to stay back and make up the new camp. It’s not like they were complaining - they go to spend the day around a lake rather than continue to trek through the forest. Spider was apprehensive about being separated from Jiniraa for an extended period of time, but she assured him everything would be alright and they would return by nightfall. If anything were to happen, they all had their comms anyway. 

Miles trailed behind Jiniraa as they made their way down the mountain side. She was incredibly cryptic about where they were going and Miles wondered if this was all an elaborate plan to kill him. Grab him by the balls and slice his throat.

“Are we there? Just a little hint and I’ll shut up,” Miles complained.

“We’re close. Stop whining like a child.”

“I’m not whining.”

Jiniraa laughed over his shoulder and challenged him, “oh, I think you are.”

“I’ll show you,” Miles mumbled. Jiniraa wasn’t able to bite out a comeback before Miles already had her turned around and pushed up against a tree. Jiniraa expected something like this to happen. It was only a matter of time before he became too impatient and tried to take matters into his own hands.

Miles put his entire weight against Jiniraa, trapping her against the tree. With one hand, he grabbed both wrists between his fingers and held it just above her head, a secondary display of his physical strength and dominance over her. 

Playing along, Jiniraa half heartedly struggled against Miles' hold which only made his teeth bare more as he nipped at her clavicle, tongue tracing over the fresh and older bruises, “they’re already fading away. Guess I have to make new ones.”

Jiniraa wanted to give in, but they were so close. The end was in sight. “Miles - Miles, as much as I’d like to continue - hey ease up, we’re almost there.”

With an annoyed sigh, Miles released his hold on Jiniraa. His fingers twitched at his sides, suddenly tingling at the loss of physical contact. She was able to read the signs like an open book. Once you’ve learned the basic ques of Miles Quaritch, there isn’t an emotion this man is able to hide. He wanted to touch her, but he was going to be respectful of the plans she’d made - even if he wanted nothing more than to push her down into the soft bed of grass below them and take her right there. Finally end this little dance of devil and doe. 

Jiniraa grabbed his wrist, tugging as he dragged his feet through the forest, “come on, Miles.”

“You say my name a lot,” Miles observed. She did - almost any sentence began or ended with his name.

“It is your name, is it not?” She asked innocently. He just shrugged. She knew what he meant by that - he liked hearing her say his name. It was special coming from her. 

Miles' ears twitched as the sound of running water could be heard in the nearby vicinity. He looked around, but saw no other sign of a river or stream. They were at the base of the mountain, so any water should congregate around them, yet there was nothing here.

“Cover your eyes. I’ll lead you in. Just follow me,” Jiniraa instructed.

“I feel ridiculous,” Miles complained. 

Jiniraa laughed as he continued to take hesitant steps, tentatively tapping at the ground before placing his full weight down. He almost jumped back the first time the fine gravel shifted under his feet, but he managed to keep his composure just enough. At this rate, they weren’t ever going to make it inside. 

Jiniraa huffed in frustration, “do you trust me?”

“Yes,” his answer was immediate. No hesitation in the slightest. 

“Then just follow. Watch your head.”

“How can I watch my head if my eyes are closed?” His joke was ignored, but steps became more confident, one hand plastered over his eyes while the other was tightly intertwined with Jiniraa’s smaller hand. They had clearly gone somewhere inside or underground - it was much cooler and the sounds of the forest faded away. A distant dripping could be heard off in the distance and the running water had grown stronger.

When they paused Jiniraa gave him no warning, causing Miles to bump into her back. It didn’t seem to phase her as she turned around, reaching up to lower Miles hand from his face. It took his eyes a few seconds to adjust before he could see her clearly. There was a purplish glow to her face. She looked beautiful in this light, utterly angelic and peaceful. She took a step back, drawing Miles' attention to the cave around him. 

They were in a massive cavern illuminated by algae and fungi growing along the expansive walls. Columns of crystals acted as randomly dispersed pillars, some completely vertical while others were at odd angles. The light from the bioluminescent plants refracted through the purplish crystals, casting a hue over the entire space. Miles felt like a tiny little ant in this massive hole. He knew if Spider or Lyle were here, the first thing they would do is scream and see how long their echo would carry.

Jiniraa fiddled with her necklace as she focused on the ground around her, “do you like it?”

“This - this is beautiful.” Now, Miles wasn’t someone to get all choked up over anything. Not ever. But this was doing something to him. The magnitude and allure of Pandora was beyond impressive. It was utterly indescribable. “Is this where that stone is from?”

Jiniraa lit up at his recollection of the detail she only shared once. While agreeing, she grabbed at his wrist, pulling him deeper into the cave system. They crossed over a crystal that grew horizontally and Miles made the mistake of looking down and saw the ravine below. Unlike the massive tree limbs they used as highways in the forest, these crystals didn’t have any oversized vines or leaves to break your fall. Jiniraa wasn’t phased as she took in the similar sights, smells, and sounds. Miles took a whiff of it as well - the cavern smelled exactly like Jiniraa did: a recent rain and fresh fruit. Her natural scent emulated her favorite place in the world.

“It is a long trip to come here and I have not come often, so every time is like seeing it for the first time.”

Miles continued to look around and take everything in, “how the hell did you find this?”

“I fell down a hole?”

He slowly turned around with an eyebrow cocked, “is that a question or a statement?”

Jiniraa’s guilty look and flushed face answered his own question. She was embarrassed of how she found this place - out on an extended solo hunting trip, she went to take a break from flying and as she scaled down the side of the mountain, a rock slipped out of place and she went tumbling down. After the fall had finally stopped, she found herself inside the expansive cave. 

At first, she thought this was going to be her tomb, but eventually she found her way out. Once she made it back to the village, no one believed her discovery. The next year, she went on another hunting trip and made a stop specifically at her old discovery and grabbed a raw stone to use as proof. No one believed her still, but it made for a beautiful piece of jewelry. So it became her little secret. Her escape from everything. She hadn’t even brough Spider here before. Yet she had chosen to share it with Miles. 

“Miles, how do you feel about me?” Jiniraa asked with a new found confidence.

Miles stopped his observations of the cave wall and kept his back to her. He tried to play it off, but the bite in the back of his throat wasn’t helping, “why you askin’?”

“Because…because…”

Say it. Say it. Say it.

“I want you.” Jiniraa finished.

“I think we’ve established this.”

“No,” she paused, “I want you.”

Miles glanced over his shoulder, not willing to completely turn just yet, “how?”

“I believe all people are both twice. The first is your physical birth. The second is when you earn your place among the people. You have gone through your second birth, even though it’s not the traditional way. At that point, a person may choose a partner,” she paused as Miles turned around. The few feet between them suddenly felt too great. 

“I have chosen you, but you must choose me as well.” Miles waited in silence as she continued, slowly pulling her braid around her shoulder and allowed the tendrils to expose themselves. “Once the bond is made, there is no going back. It is for life.”

“You’ve said this before.” Miles rolled his eyes.

“I need you to know the weight of your decision,” Jiniraa reassured.

“And if I say yes?”

“Then we will be equals on all levels. We will be one. I will be yours and you will be mine.”

“I already am yours, you know that,” Miles' voice dropped an octave and bounced off the cave walls, “are you mine, baby?”

It felt like he was everywhere, but still not close enough to satisfy her. His fingers twitched again in want, but this time he didn’t resist the desire as he reached out and pulled her closer by the waist. Their eye contact remained unbroken as Miles reached over his own shoulder, pulling at his braid as well. He tentatively held it out in front of her, asking for her approval and acceptance.

Both of their pupils were blown wide - a side effect of the dim lighting and the lust building in each of their systems. Before Miles made a move to further their little dance, he hastily unlatched his vest as the material suddenly became constricting. 

“I need to hear you say it, Jiniraa,” Miles’ voice was soft with affection. Her knees almost buckled under her weight as her name rolled off his tongue. She despised every other instance where he used her name, but there was a certain level of intimacy about his use in this moment. Jiniraa pressed her hand against his chest, feeling the strong heart pounding below once more. Miles did the same.

“I am yours and you are mine.” There was no reservation in her voice. No doubt or fear. She was committed and the conviction shone brightly through. 

Miles smirked, “I like the sound of that.”

Jiniraa didn’t play into his cheekiness as she slowly lowered them to the ground motioning Miles to follow. She rested on her knees while Miles was fully on the ground sitting straight up. Hating the distance between them, Miles pulled her closer into him.

Miles reached back and pulled his braid from around his shoulder, lightly grasping it as he presented it to her. He was seeking her approval, not really knowing how to proceed with something like this. 

“Last chance to be a runaway bride, sweetheart,” Miles snickered, lifting his braid too.

Miles watched Jiniraa as their queues became intertwined. Jiniraa fell forward into Miles, overwhelmed by the sudden intensity of emotions she felt all at once. While there was a swarm within, love and admiration was the paramount. Miles reacted by squeezing her against him, long arms wrapping around her torso as he rubbed his nose into her neck to inhale her sweet scent. 

When they pulled back to make eye contact for the first time as a mated pair, it felt like the world had shifted. They felt the blood rushing around their partner. Their breathing. Their feelings. Everything. 

“Miles, I need you,” Jiniraa whined against Miles' ear as she pawed at his chest. He had imagined this scenario countless times before and Jiniraa had done exactly the same. 

Out of the corner of his eye, Jiniraa saw a single atokirina float down before leaving just as quickly. Eywa was shining down on her. She approved of the match. Jiniraa smiled before Miles pushed her into the ground, ready to ravage her for all she was worth. He wasn’t going to stop till she was shaking on the ground from too much. He needed her as much as she needed him. 

Next: Chapter Eighteen - Three Little Words

●●●

AHHHHH

94,000 words later here we are

the nasty will be in the next chapter ;)

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@dakotali

@lillybbyy

@biggestsimpever191919

@cr1mz0n-wh0r3

@waterborn-phoenix

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