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thewalkingwillowtree · 9 months

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Safe Haven

Series Part Listing Found Here

Neteyam x Original Na'vi Female Character

Summery: Seeking refuge, Xilä and her father venture to the lands of the Omatikaya clan, in the hopes that the Toruk Makto would be generous in allowing them to stay. This is her story about not only finding her strength, but finding love.

Warning: This story contains smut, violence & abuse (please don't read if these topics will affect you)

Some characters have been aged up. Neteyam in particular is 23.

Xilä is my own creation.

Part 8 - Misunderstandings

Although Salveen and Jxo’s tent was relatively small, ever since Xilä had moved in, it had quickly become a social hub- much to the elder’s delight.

Salveen loved to entertain guests. So whenever the Sully siblings, Spider and any of their other friends came by to visit Xi, Salveen was always happy to whip up something tasty for them.

The kids- as Salveen liked to call them, although all adults now, with the exception of Tuk, had started a weekly game night involving a combination of human and Na’vi games- resulting in a fun but boisterous atmosphere, especially when things turned competitive.

Neteyam had learned early on that Xilä was quite competitive herself. He enjoyed sitting back and observing her taunting words towards her opponents, the excited glint in her eyes when she was about to win, her banter with his brother and Spider when things got heated, the little dance and handshake she and Kiri would do whenever they’d beaten the guys.

She was a sight to behold and it was always difficult to look away.

Tonight however, the first thing he noticed was that she seemed different. She was quiet. Reserved. Almost as if in a daze.

Neteyam had arrived late and smack dab in the middle of a heated game between Lo’ak, Spider, Kiri and three other guys they usually hung out with. They were all seated around the rounded table in the centre of the tent, talking loudly and animatedly to each other.

“You’re such a cheat monkey boy! I saw you hide something under your butt!”

“Oh yeah?” Spider taunted. “Come see for yourself then,” he said suggestively.

“Don’t be gross man, that’s my sister,” Lo’ak grumbled over a mouthful of whatever treat Salveen had prepared that night. “Xi, are you sure you don’t want to get in on this rou- Tuk, would you let the girl breathe already?! She hasn’t even gotten a turn yet!”

Tuk, who was seated in Xilä’s lap, spat out her tongue at him. “We’re having girl talk Lo’ak!”

Kiri snorted. “Tuk do you even know what girl talk is?”

“Of course I do. It’s when girls talk. Duhhhh,” she sassed with an eyeroll before turning back to Xilä to continue to say whatever she was before.

“See this is why I say we should leave her at home,” Lo’ak complained, “but noooo, because mom says if she wants to go, we have to bring her along.”

“Neteyam, hey man,” W’aote said, being the first one to spot him arrive. “Sub in for me this round will you? I’ve got to piss,” he requested, standing and leaving before Neteyam could even respond.

Neteyam sat in his spot, greeting everyone as he did. He looked over to where Xilä and Tuk were seated on the other side of the table with an expectant stare, waiting for her to acknowledge him..….but she didn’t.

Clearing his throat he asked, “ Where’s Salveen and Jxo at?”

“D’avi’s,” they all replied simultaneously with the exception of Xilä.

“Xi, do you want to play this round?” he called out with a grin, but it soon dropped and his ears fell backwards when all she gave him was a polite smile and a quiet, “no thank you.”

Throughout the night it became abundantly clear Xilä was avoiding him and he fucking hated it. She still smiled and laughed and participated in a few of the games, but he knew her so well by now, he could tell something was wrong.

She was not herself….she was not herself with him specifically. Her smile never met her eyes when they fell on him, it was almost as if she was forcing herself to be around him.

Later into the night, when he finally got paired with her for a team game, she kept her head tilted so that her hair cut off his view of her face. His jaw clenched and he ground his teeth in irritation and his desperation to find out what caused this sudden change, intensified.

They had no privacy being in a room full of his siblings and friends. A few times he asked her under his breath if she was okay, and each time she’d smile and say she was fine.

It was a fucking lie of course. He was fighting a powerful need to toss her over his shoulder, march them out of there and make her tell him the truth.

Neteyam was so focused on Xilä, and trying to figure out what had happened in the few hours he had left her alone, he was oblivious to his brother’s concerned glances.

Lo’ak seemed to be the only one to pick up that something was off between the two. He didn’t comment on it of course, but decided to keep the others distracted and unaware of the strained tension emitting from them.

During their final game, Xi was the first to lose. Feigning a headache, she stood and bid everyone goodnight before making an escape to her room.

Neteyam cursed under his breath when Kiri stopped him from trying to covertly sneak after her- announcing to everyone, it was his turn to play.

By the time the night was truly well and over, he stayed behind when everyone had packed up and left. Making his way into her room, he stooped and flicked on her lamp, ensuring it stayed dim. She was snuggled under a thick pelt, fast asleep.

Refusing to leave her just yet he laid on his side, propped up on his right arm as he stared down at her serene face. He frowned while he traced her features with the pad of a finger- noticing the slight puffiness under her eyes for the first time.

Had she been crying?

His feather light touch smoothed over her baby soft skin, her little twitching nose and those fucking kissable lips. He needed her to wake up already so he could see her eyes. He felt like he hadn’t seen them properly all night.

What was he missing? Why wouldn’t she look at him? Why wouldn't she talk to him?

Giving up trying to figure it out, he kissed her forehead and gently pulled her into his arms. She murmured incoherently when he moved her, then snuggled into him unknowingly as she settled against his chest and slept on.

He only wanted to hold her for a little while.

When Neteyam awoke in his own bed the following morning, he felt like the universe was out to get him.

He had one goal and that was to get to Xi’s tent first thing, but no he could not....because his father woke him at the crack of dawn to inform him that he had to leave to attend to a situation.

This meant Neteyam needed to step in for him to conduct an evaluation on one of the warrior units- which was scheduled first thing.

Neteyam was irritable and cranky. He was snapping at everyone as he tried to get himself ready for the day. It truly seemed like his family members were all purposely trying to piss him off.

He felt horrible after because he had even made poor Tuk cry by yelling at her when he noticed she had painted flowers on the handle of his lucky dagger- thus ensuing an earful from his irate mother.

“Get out!” Neytiri hissed through clenched teeth after her long angry berating. She had had enough of his bad attitude. “What is with you today? This is not like you Neteyam! Your mood has been like this all morning! Fix it or don’t come home.”

“Bro. Bro!” Lo’ak called out, jogging to catch up to him when he stormed out.

Neteyam made his way through Home Camp while adjusting the jewellery and comm device he had put on badly in haste. He blew out a breath, strapping a visor to his forehead. “Leave it Lo’ak. I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Fine,” he said with a condescending grin. “I just thought in case you hadn't realized, and to reiterate what mom said...but you’ve been a massive dick.”

Silence greeted Lo’ak as he continued to keep pace with his seething brother who was now fiddling with the strap of his riding satchel.

“Is this about you and Xilä?” Lo’ak asked, going the direct route.

That had Neteyam halting and turning to stare at his brother suspiciously. “Why would you ask that?”

“A hunch?” Neteyam didn’t look like he believed him, so he went for the truth instead. “Look, I don’t know if you guys see yourselves, but usually you’re all….touchy and flirty. You two can’t keep your hands to yourselves, at all,” he said with a grossed out face. “You’re both completely oblivious to the sexual tension you create.”

Neteyam swallowed. He honestly didn’t care at this point who saw them together. “So?” he said.

“So, I noticed she was all weird around you last night, okay? When you came in, she didn’t even glance your way…if anything, she looked tense. Normally Xi can’t wait to plaster herself to your side, and then you get this stupid goofy look on your face.”

Neteyam’s ears lowered and a lodge formed in his throat. “.....I thought I was being crazy. It was weird, she was different- distant. I tried talking to her but all she did was fucking smile and say everything was fine!”

“Are you going to go find her now?”

“I fucking wish,” he sighed, “I’m due to conduct an evaluation right now. Dad asked me to step in for him since he’s off dealing with some situation or the other...I’m already late and she’s all the way on the other side of Camp. I’ll have to find her after.”

“Do you know what you did?”

Neteyam rubbed the space between his eyebrows as if in pain, without response. That was all he thought about all night. He had no clue what he could’ve possibly done.

So why was his idiot brother so adamant that he did something?

“Not that I know of okay? And this could be all just a one off. We don’t know that something happened for sure.”

“Did you fuck her?” Lo’ak asked crassly.

“What the hell man!” Neteyam hissed venomously with a backslap to Lo’ak’s arm, glancing around to make sure no one had overheard.

Lo’ak simply shrugged. “I’ll take that as a no then. Did she want you to fuck her and you said no?”

Bewildered, irked and utterly pissed off, Neteyam stormed off, muttering an, “I’m fucking done with this conversation,” as he went.

But the annoying pest that was his brother seemed to be resilient. “I’m just trying to help you, asshole!”

“Well I didn’t ask for your help!” he seethed over his shoulder. “Lo’ak, will you stay out of it?! This is none of your business!”

“Maybe, but I’m making it my business! Xilä is upset over something you’ve done and you need to fix!”

Neteyam stopped and rounded on his brother again, braids flailing around dramatically as he poked a finger to Lo’ak’s chest. “You keep saying that! What the hell makes you think it was something I’ve done?! Huh? What do you know? And quite frankly, why do you even fucking care?!”

“So what if I care!” he roared. “And I don’t know anything, alright?! I’m not the one she’s being weird around. It’s you dumbass! So I suggest you figure out whatever the hell it is you did you did, grovel your ass off and fix this shit!” Lo’ak yelled, giving his brother a two handed shove for good measure before he stormed away.

Spider, who had observed the entire ordeal from afar, jogged after Lo’ak. He shot a bewildered looking Neteyam a curious glance as he went. “Hey cuz, what was that about? You two looked pretty heated.”

Lo’ak shook his head as he headed straight for the labs. “Trying to talk some sense into him is all…Hey did Xi say anything to you yesterday?” he asked.

“Uh…like what?”

“About Neteyam? She was all weird last night.”

“No she didn’t and shit, I didn’t notice,” he frowned. “She seemed fine though. I don’t get why you think something’s wrong.”

“Yeah I’m sure you didn’t notice,” Lo’ak said sarcastically. “Probably because you were so busy flirting with my sister,” he grumbled, ignoring his best friend's splutter of denial. “She’s not fine, Spider. It’s Neteyam she’s all off with. Something’s changed.”

“Um, no offence cuz but ah, you know the bet’s off right? You won….Why are you so worried about this? I care too but it’s not like it’s our problem to fix. They’re adults, they can work it out themselves.”

Reaching the outskirts of the labs, instead of heading inside, Lo’ak sat on the steps of one of the trailers with a heavy sigh.

“Do you remember what I told you I overheard my parents arguing about a while back? About what the council wants from Neteyam?”

“Mhm, yeah I remember. It’s shitty,” Spider said, climbing onto the railing to perch on top.

Lo’ak snorted. “Shitty is putting it lightly, he’s the eldest, so it’s expected of him. And you know the idiot…he’s all about following rules and tradition…so he’ll just go along with whatever they want- be their fucking puppet.”

He became silent for a moment. “That could have easily been me... except it’s not. I get to do whatever the fuck I want and he doesn’t. His whole life is already planned out,” Lo’ak explained. “They didn’t get to control my mother, so they’re trying to control him instead.”

“It bothers you…you feel guilty, don’t you?” Spider said seriously, staring at his friend with a frown.

“Yeah,” he admitted. “I know I can be an asshole sometimes but I do care about him and I at least want him to be happy about the person he has to spend the rest of his life with- she’d be part of the family after all and…I’d rather it be someone I could put up with,” he added quickly, trying to play off the deep emotions he was suddenly sharing with his best friend.

Spider ignored his joke and considered his words. “And you think that person is Xilä?”

Lo’ak gave him an “are you for real” look.

“Have you seen him this happy with anybody else? If they don’t sort this out themselves soon I’ll have no choice but to meddle…….His time is running out.”

Xilä stood from afar, watching with weighted breath as a team of ikrans swooped in complete synchronisation. One rider in particular caught her eye, causing a flutter to tickle her stomach.

The riders landed one by one, gracefully dismounting before either releasing their beasts to open air again, or leading them over to the ikran enclosures a couple feet away.

Neteyam spotted her the moment he landed. A prickle of relief and happiness tinged with uncertainty at the sight of seeing her there- waiting for him, flooded his chest.

Although it hadn’t even been a full day since he’d seen her, he missed the heck out of her. All morning he contemplated last night’s events. He just wanted to hold her already- he felt deprived.

Hurrying to dismount, he released Buddy to the open air again.

“Hey kids,” he called out to a small crowd of children who were all excitedly watching the warrior’s arrive. “Careful alright? Not too close to the fence,” he advised as he passed them, reaching out to grab his satchel that was hooked on a fence spike.

“Yes Sir.”

“S-sorry Sir.”

“You guys that was Neteyam,” one of them whispered in awe.

Not stopping for a second he quickly closed the distance between him and Xilä as he removed his riding visor and then unstrapped his bow and arrow carrier, tucking them all into his long riding satchel before swinging it across his back.

“Hey, sweetheart,” he said when he was finally toe to toe with her. “Are you- have you been waiting for me?” he asked hopefully, focusing intently on her face, taking his fill of her.

She stepped back trying to create some space when he cupped her jaw. “Yeah,” she smiled softly, keeping her eyes averted. “Can we talk for a few minutes? I won't be long, promise.”

Neteyam nodded, feeling a little a swoop of dread. “Ye-ah,” he replied, his voice cracking.

He was beginning to hate that polite smile of hers. All he wanted was to see her light up the way she always did whenever she saw him. He wanted to lean in and hug her or even kiss her, but he refrained.

He was also going to take more than a few goddamn minutes thank you very much. This sudden awkward thing they had going on was going to drive him insane- it needed to end.

Before he could lead them somewhere more private however, a voice called out to him.

“Nete!” Leati hurried over, having just landed. Slowing to a stop in front of them she touched his bicep. “Where are you going? There are still a few more routines to run through. My team is gearing up right now, I already called for the direhorses to be escorted ov-”

She abruptly stopped, just noticing who he was with. She side eyed Xilä, then continued to relay to Neteyam all the drills he would miss as she turned her back so that she stood between the two of them, blocking Xi from Neteyam’s view.

Xilä stepped back and looked away uncomfortably, she didn’t want to see them together. She was on a mission to end things between her and Neteyam- she just wanted to get it done and over with but she refused to stick around and have them rubbed in her face.

She had had a good cry fest yesterday- getting everything out of her system, as Salveen hugged and soothed her while desperately trying to figure out what was wrong- Xi didn’t tell her though.

Later on, after assuring Salveen she was fine, the reluctant elder and her husband eventually left to spend time with their pregnant daughter and son in law.

Xilä retired to her room until late when her friends started to arrive for game night. She had concluded the entire situation between her and Neteyam must have been one big misunderstanding on her part.

The more she thought about it, the more the signs were all there. No wonder he kept saying they shouldn’t have been doing what they were doing. No wonder he kept stopping them from going further.

She felt as if she missed something from D’avi's explanation about mating and relationships, but then remembered Neteyam was the son of the Olo'eyktan. The rules must have been different for him. She’d forgotten there were many customs she must not have been familiar with and deduced this must have been one of them.

If anything, she simply felt stupid. Leati was right- she had stupid silly hope that somehow she and Neteyam would end up together……forever- mated and bonded as one for life. But that was all it was- silly hope. A daydream.

Yet it was all very real to her... Xilä was in love with him.

The realisation had sent her into another round of bitter tears and as much as she loathed Leati, she couldn’t bring herself to continue to sneak around with her betrothed. She refused to be like some of the women who would blatantly sleep around with her father- knowing well he had a wife.

And so, Xilä decided she definitely needed to officially end things between her and Neteyam, and fast- not only because she was not a cheater but also to protect her own heart.

Not wanting to stay any longer she said, “Um, Neteyam we can talk later, I’ve got-,” but she was cut off when he quickly side stepped Leati and reached out to take hold of her hand- preventing her from leaving with a fleeting panicked and pleading expression across his face.

“Yeah I know all that Leati,” he said, turning serious as he faced the female warrior again. “But something important has come up. Why don’t you guys break for lunch and I’ll page Gwuyle to finish the rest of the session for me.”

He should have done that in the first place and gone after Xilä first thing that morning.

Xi frowned, staring up at him. She wasn’t sure if he was even aware of his actions because not only was he holding her hand, but when she tried to pull away, his tail wrapped around her thigh.

Leati made a strangled noise and blinked disbelievingly. Her eyes darted from Neteyam who was suddenly paging Gwuyle right then and there through his comm device, to their linked hands, to his tail curled high around Xi’s upper thigh- its tip, completely hidden under her skirt.

Xilä, who had somehow momentarily gone mute, yanked her hand from his grasp, wide eyes on a murderous looking Leati. ‘Oh shit,’ she thought, swallowing guiltily.

However- Neteyam, who seemed oblivious to the tension and reactions of the two women- only because he was still on the line with the clan’s second in command, simply tugged Xi closer with an arm around her waist, so that her front clashed flush against his side.

She stumbled and clung to his warrior belt for balance, cheeks purpling from his actions.

She was stuck. Immovable by his hold. To anyone looking their way, they were the picturesque image of a romantic couple.

Accepting defeat, Xi slumped against him, smushing her face into the space between his pec and bicep. He seemed to have taken that action as her being affectionate, because as he wrapped up the call he pressed a casual kiss to the top of her head.

Misreading Leati’s muted, shocked expression, Neteyam continued on as usual. “Relax Leati. Gwuyle is just as good a reviewer, you’ll be in good hands for your team’s evaluation. Have some lunch and have your team check in after.”

Leati sputtered pathetically. “I- what..but, but it’s not even lunch yet! Nete can’t you-” she stepped forward to caress his free arm but Neteyam cut her off with an exasperated sigh.

“Then have an early lunch, Leati, run a practice drill or something. Anyone else would gladly take advantage of extra time before an appraisal- Oh great, the direhorses are here.” He whistled to his own amongst the herd being guided over by a group of wranglers.

“Nete, please stay,” Leati pleaded. “What is so important anyway?!” she snapped, glaring at the back of Xilä’s head unnoticed.

“Don’t worry about it,” he said distractedly as he watched Antoyle approach.

Neteyam’s massive direhorse chuffed in greeting. A small squeal escaped Xi when she was suddenly hauled up onto the massive beast- Neteyam keeping a large palm on her thigh to keep her steady.

“I’ve gotta go Leati, good luck, alright?” he said, giving her a parting smile before easily mounting the creature behind Xi and securing an arm around her once more.

Xilä caught one last withering glare from the female warrior before Neteyam was charging them off.

Riding hard and fast, Neteyam led them deep into the forest. He knew it was petty and probably overly possessive of him, but he was purposely taking them somewhere far. Not only for privacy, but also so that she couldn’t escape without his help to get back.

Passing through a thick wall of vines, they found themselves in what Xilä could only describe as a hidden cocoon of serenity.

A small tricking waterfall flowed in the far corner, pooling in a somewhat shallow well of rocks. The flora was thick and abundant.

Glowing plants illuminated the sunless hideaway, creating a serene and romantic atmosphere.

“What is this place,” Xi asked, momentarily distracted by its beauty.

“It is niwan loreyu, one of the many beautiful secrets of the forest,” he said over her head as he pulled them to a stop. “Very few know of its existence,” he continued as he dismounted and disconnected his queue.

“I feel…” she couldn’t quite explain the feeling but it felt good- as if she were being hugged lovingly.

“It is Ewya you feel,” he explained, while removing his comm device to stuff into his bag- he didn’t want any interruptions. He then tossed his satchel to the soft flooring. “Her presence resides heavily in this place.”

“Did we really need to come all the way out here?” she grumbled as she accepted his help to get down- legs aching slightly from the long trip. Antoyle trotted off to graze on a patch of rich grass.

“Yes,” he grinned, tugging her hips closer, relishing in the feeling of her finally in his arms.

“You didn’t need to leave your duti-”

“I wanted to,” he said earnestly. “God, I feel like I haven’t seen you in weeks,” he groaned, nuzzling his face into her cheek, affectionately. He froze when she suddenly tensed up.

She swallowed as a guilty flutter emitted within her. “You shouldn’t have done all of that,” she whispered, stepping out of his arms as she avoided his stare.

“Done what?” he asked, allowing her to go but itching to pull her back.

“Leaving with me…holding my hand- the tail thing, the touching- all of it! Especially in front of her.”

He frowned at her with a tilt of his head but stayed silent.

“It doesn’t matter,” she whispered more to herself than him. Squaring herself she faced him head on. “We need to stop, Neteyam.”

There was a small tightening in his chest at her words. He knew what she meant but asked anyway. “Stop what?”

She didn’t exactly know how to label it. “What we’ve been doing…you and I…everything we’ve been doing for the past-”

“No.”

Her jaw dropped. “What do you mean, no?!”

“I don’t want to,” he said simply.

“Neteyam, the sneaking around- it has to stop.”

“Then we will stop sneaking around. We will stop hiding. I know we never talked about it, but we can do that. We don’t have to remain a secret if that is what’s bothering you. Sweetheart, I’m sorry if you feel like I’ve been hiding you,” he said sincerely.

She stared at him incredulously. “You want us to go public?! We can’t do that, what will-”

His ears fell back. “What’s so wrong about that?” he snapped.

“Neteyam,” she said, sounding so broken he felt a small part of him crack. “I don’t think you’re thinking clearly.” She rubbed the heel of her palms into her eyes. “Shit. Why is this so hard to do? I can’t stop thinking about you and all those stupid orgasms and now we have to sto-”

“You didn’t didn’t like the orgasms?!” he asked, alarmed- ears twitched high as his tail went limp.

“No! Yes! Yes, okay! I liked it, I wanted it, I mean I practically begged for it didn’t I?” she shrieked somewhat hysterically. “But that’s not the point,” she said in frustration. “That’s not what I’m talking about. I’m telling you we need to end this!”

“Why?”

“What?”

“Why? Tell me why? Why do you want to stop? Give me one good reason and then we’ll end things.”

Her face scrunched up in hurt. “Because I like you...much more than I should, but I know the truth now and I don’t want to come between the two of you…I-” She faltered and took a shuddering breath.

Neteyam’s frown deepened- clearly not understanding. “Xilä what are you talking about?”

“You don’t need to pretend anymore!” she snapped, folding her arms in vulnerability. “What I don’t get is why you didn’t tell me! I get that it’s supposed to be this big secret until you decide to announce it but- gosh Neteyam I feel like such a fool!”

“Xilä,” he said seriously, staring at her in great concern. If anything he was looking at her like she’d gone and lost her mind.

But she misunderstood his worry. “It’s okay,” she said quickly. “I’ll keep it a secret…‘Teyam, you’re my friend and I want us to stay that way even after- I don’t want to mess this up and I’m not blaming you…but I really don’t get why you didn’t say anything.”

When she noticed his clueless expression she mumbled out, “I know about you and Leati. She told me.”

He raised a questioning brow. “Me and Leati, what? Baby I don’t understand anything you’re saying right now. I honestly feel as if we’re speaking two completely different languages.”

“Neteyam,” she said in a shaky voice, eyes pooling with liquid. “Why didn’t you tell me you were betrothed?”

A beat of silence filled the air.

“What?” he breathed out, incomprehensibly.

Filling the sudden silence, she began to ramble as she fidgeted with her fingers. “Well I know it’s technically none of my business but well I thought maybe that’s something friends share with each other. Especially friends who did the amount of kissing and touching we did.”

Shaking out of his reverie, Neteyam closed the distance between them, halting her movements by loosely linking his fingers with hers.

Tilting her chin up he said very seriously, “Xilä…I am not betrothed.”

“But- yes you are.”

“Sweetheart, I’m pretty sure I’d know if I was intended to be bonded for life with someone,” he said intently. “Who the hell did you hear that shit from?” he demanded.

“Well from Leati. She- I…” Xi spluttered, not meeting his gaze. “She said you two were…since months ago! Before you and I. You don’t just make that stuff up! You don’t lie about things like that! Why would she-”

Neteyam muttered a, “goddammit Leati,” under his breath as he tugged her closer so there was no space left between them. “Eyes, Xilä.”

She knew the drill and looked up immediately. Her chest pressed against his upper abs so she had to arch her spine slightly to see his face properly.

“So let's just go over this, shall we? Clear the air so that we’re on the same page.”

She nodded, trying hard to focus on his stern voice and contain the flutters swooping around in her tummy from their proximity. Neteyam however looked like he was fighting to reign in his annoyance.

“Xilä, I am not betrothed to Leati. I am not betrothed to anyone. Alright?”

“But-”

“When did she tell you that?”

“Yesterday.”

“Mm. That why you avoided me all of last night?” he asked, irritated.

A guilty expression appeared on her face. “Yes.”

All of the pieces were finally coming together now. Neteyam released a heavy sigh, nodding in understanding. He cupped her face and pressed a quick peck on her forehead.

“Come’re.” He hoisted her up the way he always did and her arms and thighs automatically wrapped around him. He couldn't deal with the distance between them anymore.

In short strides, he stepped into the rippling pool and took a seat, slumping against the rocky wall as he adjusted them into a comfortable position. The water was warm in comparison to the cool air but felt good, relaxing her slightly sore legs.

Straddling his lap, the water covered her from her waist down. Her skirt fluttered around her hips, before sinking as it became soaked. His knees jutted out of the clear water when he propped them up, causing her to slide forward which made her core land flush against the skin just above his loincloth.

A large palm slid up her back, arching her towards him while his other soothed along her thigh. “Can I have a kiss? Please?” he pleaded- one small taste was all he needed.

Xilä felt a bit emotional but held it in. Shaking her head up and down eagerly, she cupped his jaw, and with a soft, “yes,” she kissed him.

The kiss was fleeting but it was very much needed in the current situation. Neteyam broke them apart with a final one, two, three sweet pecks before he was pulling back to see her face.

“So we need to talk. There are some things you need to know, Xi,” he said seriously.

“Alright,” she nodded, bringing her hands together to fiddle with his battleband.

“First of all, Leati-” He tsked. “I think she probably misinterpreted a particular situation- which I will tell you about now. I’ll be sure to speak with her and clear the air of course but this is all honestly one huge misunderstanding.”

“Well I’m quite curious to know what it’s all about. She was very territorial over you.”

“I’m sorry sweetheart. I know how she can be sometimes.” He took a breath and rubbed her thighs under the water. “Xi, when I turned eighteen the council told me I was required to find a wife by twenty-one. They thought I’d take a woman already by then…but when I hadn’t, they decided to give me a deadline.”

Xi’s brows rose high and her jaw loosened. “They can do that?! Why would they even do that to you?”

He shrugged. “Because they can. Apparently it’s a mandatory tradition to ensure and secure the line of leadership. I’m not even going to go on about the heir they also require,” he said with an eye roll.

“Wait wait wait. They’re giving you a deadline for finding a mate AND they are telling you when to have a baby by?! That’s ridiculous!”

Neteyam held his laughter. Her upset reaction was too cute for him to handle. “Yeah…but I put my foot down about that one. Don’t worry, no babies to worry about right now.”

“Okay…uh, continue,” she said with a blush.

“So I’ll be honest I didn’t really try all that hard to find someone. I was too focused on my position. My training and skills were my priority- the whole mate thing, as much as I agreed, it was a lot of pressure. So I ignored it for a long while.

By the time I was a couple months away from the deadline, the council decided to take matters into their own hands. The fucking rumour mill ran wild when it became public knowledge I was looking for a mate. Every eligible female was practically being shoved down my throat.”

Neteyam shook his head. “Anyway let’s just say I learned the hard way that not all women wanted me for me. Quite a few only cared about the fucking title and the perks that came with it.”

Xilä bit down an angry retort about said women, but stayed quiet instead, soothing her palms along his chest, comfortingly.

“The council was pissed when still I had no one chosen by my twenty-first birthday. They were all so disappointed... but I knew this was my duty. I knew I had to follow through and do it anyway. So I begged my father to plead my case and get me three more years. It was granted but it came at a cost. If I didn’t find someone by then, they’d choose for me.”

Xi's angry protest was interrupted when Antoyle chuffed, annoyed by an insect flying around his snout.

“A couple months ago, Leati’s mother- Fe’ska suggested I take her daughter as my mate. That was all it was…a suggestion. Leati and I, we don’t run in the same circle but our mothers are friends, so we’ve known each other since childhood. But I could never and have never seen her in any romantic light,” he assured, staring directly into her eyes.

“You remember the meeting I attended a while back? The one you said I was all prickly afterwards?”

She nodded.

“Not only did I get another warning that my time was running out, but they decided on Leati as their final choice if I don’t succeed....If I don’t find anyone by my birthday next month, I’ll end up with Leati. She and I never spoke about it…but her mother must have said something. So that’s the only reason I could think of her making such an assumption, which is ridiculous anyway you take it.”

“Wow,” Xi whispered, slightly overwhelmed by the information thrown her way.

“Yeah, that’s it- all of it. That’s everything.”

He seemed worried as he tried to read her emotions. “I um, I just want you to know, I wasn’t hiding all of this from you, purposely. I’ve actually been trying to get some more time but- they’re not budging.”

“It’s okay I get it. I don’t get the entire situation though. Can’t your father do something? He is Olo'eyktan!”

Neteyam shrugged. “He can, he’s offered to step in, but I already agreed when I was eighteen. There’s a binding contract and everthing, so I have to keep my word.”

“What are you going to do, then?” she rasped, uneasiness sinking in her stomach. She hated the whole Leati as his mate, deal.

He pursed his lips and stared at her in silence, thumb tapping on her skin. “It depends.”

Her brows furrowed. “On what?”

“You, baby.”

Her ears flickered. “Me?” she squeaked.

“Earlier, you said you like me too much…is that still in effect after everything I just shared?” he asked hopefully.

“Umm, well. Honestly, I may have downplayed it a bit,” she said sheepishly. “It is more…love, than like.”

Xilä held her breath as she watched his expression morph from apprehension to understanding, to pure giddiness.

“You love me?” he said with the widest grin on his face she had ever seen as he leaned in while simultaneously tugging her forward. “As in, love love? In love with me?”

Xilä giggled at his teasing and sailed her hands up his body to grip his neck, thumbs stroking his skin. She bore a matching grin while he nuzzled her cheek, trailing along her face to rub their noses together.

“That’s quite funny,” he said, “because guess what, sweetheart?”

“What?” she hushed against his lips, crinkling eyes boring into his.

“I’m in love with you too.”

She knew it was coming, his teasing tone had said it all but yet she still felt that bubble of emotion surface.

Neteyam’s face softened into a concerned frown. “Sweetheart. Xi what’s with the face?”

She choked on a laugh, shaking her head. “I’m okay. Sorry,” she smiled through teary eyes. “It’s stupid.”

“Tell me anyway,” he said, kissing her scrunched up nose.

“I’ve never had anyone say those words to me before,” she admitted shyly. “It felt good, that's all.”

“Fuck….” he whispered, in upset. He seriously loathed her parents more than anything at that moment.

“Then I will make sure you hear those words every day for the rest of our lives, okay? Baby, I will try my hardest to make sure of it,” he promised sincerely. “I love you Xilä.”

“I love you too Neteyam.”

“Can we stay here forever?” Xi sighed, in complete contentment.

“If you want,” Neteyam agreed easily.

He’d give her the damn universe if she wanted it.

Xilä sucked the last of the sweet juice that coated her fingers, humming happily as she did. “Well that was delicious,” she said, tail sailing like it usually did whenever she ate something yummy.

They were still in their little hideaway. Seated side by side, they munched on some picked, ripe fruit as they dried off on the soft, sweet smelling grass.

Neteyam’s legs were splayed and propped up, but he’d dragged and draped her both thighs over one of his. Xilä leaned her temple against his bicep and took his hand to play with his fingers on her lap.

“Will they have a problem with it? Well, with me?” she suddenly asked, feeling a bit insecure.

“Who? The council?” he asked over a mouthful of fruit.

“Sure, but more importantly your parents. I’m probably not who they were hoping you’d end up with,” she admitted.

He looked down at her with a crooked little smile. “My parents will probably understand more than anyone else. My father is from the stars, remember? Against all odds they fell in love and chose to be together. And as for the council….” he shrugged. “I don’t fucking care. You know why?”

She shook her head.

“Because I. Choose. You.”

Beaming, she stretched up and used a hand to tug on his neck, begging to be kissed. He obliged eagerly, sweeping a tongue along her bottom lip so she’d open up for him.

With a simple move, she was scooped into his lap. Her palms danced down his chest, fingernails grazing his nipples as she trailed her way to his bare midriff. He had taken off his belt and left it out to dry.

“I always liked these,” she mumbled against his lips as she stroked his abs appreciatively.

“Mmm, I know. I’d see you staring at them all the time whenever you thought I was distracted,” he smirked, chuckling when he heard her shocked gasp.

Xi sat back. “You did?!” she shrieked, feeling thoroughly embarrassed.

Neteyam licked his lips and plopped the last of his fruit into his mouth.

“Oh yeah,” he murmured, leaning back on one arm comfortably while the other reached up to pinch a pebbled nipple through her top. “These would get all showy, and your tail would flicker all eager like,” he teased.

“Oof, I can’t believe I was so obvious!” she wailed, slapping a palm across her face in horror while he laughed out loud. She lightly smacked his chest in retaliation.

“It was cute, baby,” he said, licking away a drop of juice that escaped him. Xilä stared as he tried and failed to catch it, so she leaned forward and licked the bead from the corner of his lip for him, sucking on the skin a bit.

When she pulled away Neteyam smirked again. “You're quite a spicy little minx you know that?”

She shifted in his lap and wiggled her little butt into him. Her eyes glinted, knowingly- a stark difference to her blushing disposition a few moments ago.

He knew that look all too well by now. Sitting up, he pulled on the tie behind her back and instantly removed the strip of cloth from her chest. Eyes locked on hers, he tackled the tie on her hip next, pulling the slightly damp skirt off of her, flinging it to the side as well.

“What do you want Xi?” he asked, reaching down to free her of the under cloth she usually wore.

She knew the drill by now. Tongue or fingers.

“Wait.” Gripping his wrist, she stopped him from tearing the poor flimsy cloth off of her. “You can’t keep doing that,” she said sternly with a hint of amusement.

In quick succession, her nimble fingers undid the tiny knot and then she was finally bare to him.

“I can always get you new ones made, you know?”

“Yeah? And how’s that going to look if you’re constantly requesting them from the seamstresses? What are they going to think?”

Neteyam shrugged. “Probably that I am keeping my mate thoroughly satisfied?”

“Your mate?” Xi asked, lighting up by the thrill of his words.

They had spoken about it not too long ago.

When he officially asked her to be his, she hadn't been able to contain her excitement. Xi had practically tackled him with slew of yeses and kisses. She was actually going to be his wife and would be forever grateful to the Great Mother for blessing her so abundantly.

Realizing what he said, Neteyam’s ears flickered backwrds and his cheeks tinged purple. Xi thought he was freaking cute whenever embarrassed.

“Sorry, I just- well you know what I meant…” he stuttered, rubbing at his temple bashfully.

Xilä’s smile was relentless. She loved the sound of those words coming from his lips.

Having enough of the roles reversed and Xi’s giddiness at his embarrassment, he tossed a sudden curve ball at her.

“I want you to ride my face.”

Her smile slipped right off when she understood his meaning. “Uhhh, um. How will that work? Won’t I stifle you? How will you breathe?” she asked innocently.

“I just won’t,” he teased, playing with her breasts as if they were his favourite toy.

“You could die, Neteyam!”

“And I will die a happy death,” he countered, lifting her to her knees so he could suck on the rounded flesh of her chest.

All the while, poor Xilä was contemplating the logistics of his request. There was apparently a lot she still didn't know. D'avi had obviously not been able to educate her on everything, so she knew she’d have to learn and figure out the rest herself.

“Relax baby,” he said, seeing her concerned expression. “I’m teasing. I won’t die because I’ll have plenty of air. It's only my mouth you’ll be riding anyway. If you don’t like it we can stop. You don’t even have to do-”

“No, I want to do it!” she protested. “I want to try. Oh and um, I choose both by the way,” she said, realizing she’d never responded to what she wanted from him. “Tongue and fingers.”

Neteyam shook his head with a laugh. “Yes, Ms. Little Greedy Butt, as you wish. Now come here. You’ll get your tongue first,” he said, lifting her entirely as he laid back.

Xi was in for another sore legged journey.

What a rollercoaster this one was! It was touch and go for a minute but so happy it was all cleared up.

Do you guys hear the wedding bells?!!!

I think Lo’ak was my favorite part though lol

Okay, so hadn’t planned on it, but please let me know if you want the rest of the spicy scene from the end or if it’s fine that way. I’ll add it to the next part if you do.

As always lemme know that you guys think :)

@jakesullyfatjuicypeen @granddearduck @riatesullironalite @strawberri-blonde @earthling55 @innercreationflower @duckworthbean @gyuventure

If you'd like to be tagged or I forgot you by accident, please let me know.

#neteyam #neteyam x oc #neteyam avatar #neteyam fic #neteyam x reader #neteyam fanfiction #neteyam sully

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rael-rider · 9 months

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What are your favorite jojo characters, as well as Joestars and villains? Also favorite part?

Ooooh a JJBA question

Hard to say who is my favorite Joestar because it changes. When I started seriously getting into JJBA it was Joseph, then it was Johnny (he was a bastard but his story hit me hard), right now it's Jolyne (so much I dished out money to get the Stone Ocean Tuk Ang shop embroidered hoodie that's only sold in Japan). I love her resilience, her will, character development, relationships, her willingness to sacrifice herself for her loved ones, and to me she's the Joestar I vibe with the most. Her story is sad and her ending is so bittersweet. She

I've also been reading a lot of Gothic Horror and I've found myself analyzing the hell out of Phantom Blood so I've been having so much love for Jonathan (whom I also started appreciating more after reading the PB manga and he's pretty underrated IMO), and find myself wishing there was a Phantom Blood remake that had the same care to it placed that the latter JJBA parts were given.

Josuke, Giorno, Jotaro, and Gappy are OK too but I haven't felt that strongly for them as I have with Jolyne, Joseph, Johnny, and Jonathan. I also think Jotaro makes a better supporting/mentor character than MC or maybe I'm saying this because I loved both part 4 and Part 6 adult Jotaros more than I did the teenage MC cool Jotaro with a chip on his shoulder.

Also there's going to be a PB musical so there's that to look forward to.

As for villains, it's Dio. He might not be the deepest or most relatable character, but to me he's the most fun and entertaining, and as much as I like heroic characters to be more human, I do love when villains are straight up unhinged fun assholes. That said I am not a Dio apologist and I think he's irredeemable but I love him that way. The only stuff he didn't deserve is the abuse he got when he was a kid, specifically the abuse he got from his shit father (I totally get why he poisoned and murdered him too). But everything that happened to him as a result of him being a dick, he got what was coming to him.

I'm also a sucker for vampires and Dio is fun to draw

(but also frustrating because I can never get his hair right in a satisfying way, I don't know if I'll redo it here).

His relationship with Jonathan is also the most interesting protag and villain relationship in the whole series and I guess because of how personal it is. Yeah it's toxic AF relationship built on hate due to Dio being the worst person. Yet they also had a soft spot for each other because of those seven years that they spent together (and it's more evident in the manga when you piece some scenes together) and I think it's so tragic how it ends. Mostly because Jonathan didn't deserve his fate (and then you see Johnny's fate, it's even more messed up but that requires it's own discussion) and what happens after his death is horrifying.

Other than Dio I liked Pucci and his whole journey in Stone Ocean. How the whole thing that went down with Perla and Weather affected him and the fact that Pucci, in contrast to Dio, is a very righteous person who thinks his path is the correct one and ultimately thinks he's helping everyone in the long run. All because of his own personal trauma. His relationship with Dio is also interesting because of how different they are and I also wish we could've seen it from Dio's POV (because I really think Dio was sincere about their friendship as much as he could be with anyone but Dio is also pretty self-serving and seductive and he needed a friend in order for his Heaven Plan to work so I can't help but think there was some grooming on Dio's part), the power dynamics in the relationship certainly weren't equal that's for sure.

I also think Pucci's Heaven Plan ended up being entirely his own thing rather than what Dio wanted. But that's just me. Pucci wanted people to know their fate so they could make peace with it and that stems from his trauma with Perla. I think Dio more than anything wanted to control fate so it would be in his favor.

Man I really loved Stone Ocean, It might be my favorite part with Steel Ball Run a close second (because I love Johnny, Gyro, Hot Pants, and Diego).

I am also keeping up with Part 9, it's interesting so far.

#jjba #wondy answers #wondyanswers

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nothingunrealistic · 1 year

Note

also taylor philip for 20

20. things you said that i wasn’t meant to hear

“I was one word out of power,” Tuk says miserably. “One whole word between me and fifteen points.”

“Didn’t keep us from winning.” Philip steps aside to let the disgruntled freshmen of Stanford C leave first. “Great game, guys.” It wasn’t, but brutal honesty won’t help Stanford retain half-decent players once he’s graduated.

“And a buzz just out of power is still a very good buzz.” Ben unfolds their schedule and runs a finger down the page. “Back to Room 211.”

Philip takes the lead, weaving through the teams crowding the hall in the search for their next game. “That was Kate’s room. Good for us.” No getting lost, no need to travel, more familiar moderators — he almost feels bad for the schools that never get the advantages of hosting.

“Weren’t the buzzers in there the handheld kind?” Tuk says. “I hate that they don’t have their own lights. Having to look at the console to know if I buzzed first always throws me off.”

“I don’t mind them,” Ben says, “though they do sometimes make me feel like I should answer in the form of a question.”

“Anything more ergonomic than the Judge is fine by me.” Philip gets the door. “Who are we playing?”

Room 211 is nearly empty. No Kate, no spectators. The only player there sits in the third chair down from the moderator’s desk, flipping through a notebook, pen in hand; their short black hair is so disheveled he’d call it bedhead if it weren’t past noon. From behind Philip, Ben says, half a question, “Berkeley A?”

The player looks up. “Yes. Stanford B?”

“That’s us,” Philip says. The Berkeley player — he can’t settle on a more specific noun than that — nods and scribbles something in their notebook.

“Oh, no,” Tuk whispers, and Philip finds himself spun around by a tug on his arm and pulled into an impromptu team huddle.

“Something wrong?”

“I talked to some of the other teams between rounds,” Tuk begins inauspiciously. “They said all Berkeley A’s matches have been blowouts and their top scorer makes Watson look like ENIAC.”

“That’s not that high a bar, it’s a completely different game —”

“This is all speculation until stats are posted,” Ben says, “but I have heard that Berkeley A has had some… lopsided wins. And the name Taylor has come up a lot.”

“And we don’t even have a full team!”

“You’re both that worried about one guy?” Philip frees his sleeve from Tuk’s grasp and stands a little straighter. “Look. We’ve studied hard, we’ve practiced, and we’ve played well today. If we lose this one, we lose knowing we brought our best. If we win, we’ll be proud that we beat a better team and did it short-handed, and —”

“Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,” someone mumbles behind him, “and say ‘These wounds I had on Crispin’s day.’”

Philip turns. It could only have been the Berkeley player, who’s put down their pen. “Excuse me?”

“I gathered from your ‘band of brothers’ spiel that playing against us is your Battle of Agincourt, so I thought I’d help out. If I’d known sooner, I would have sent a crate of tennis balls.”

Philip doesn’t believe in talking trash at tournaments, because it’s unsportsmanlike and because this is quiz bowl, not the damn NHL. But is he supposed to stand here as if this asshole isn’t insulting him completely unprompted? “Wow. That kind of deep knowledge of Henry V probably got you some great buzzes at ACF Fall.”

“I haven’t played it since 2012,” the Berkeley player says, sounding bored. “How was it this year?”

Shit.

“It was great,” Tuk says, either not catching the dig at Philip or not caring. “So much easier than this tournament. But I guess they can’t all be like that.”

“Penn Bowl is more difficult than Fall, by design,” the Berkeley player says. “Are you a freshman?”

“Sophomore.”

“So you have time. You’ll improve.”

“Thanks.” Tuk sounds genuinely touched by that bland encouragement from a near-stranger.

“Uh, where’s the rest of your team?” Ben asks. “And Kate — the moderator? If you know?”

“My teammates are lodging a protest,” the Berkeley player says. “Which I doubt will be resolved. The moderator stepped out for a break.” So all their rudeness is reserved for Philip. Fantastic.

The door flies open, and a guy in glasses and a tall girl with a ponytail burst in, mid-argument. “— I just figured since you said you play softball, maybe —”

“Past tense,” says Ponytail. “I played softball. For one season.” She takes the first chair on Berkeley A’s side.

“Hello to you, too,” Bedhead mutters, and Philip doesn’t think anyone else hears it.

“Well, excuse me for being open-minded.” Glasses drops his backpack and throws himself down between his teammates. “I’m guessing you guys are from Stanford.”

“The B-team,” Tuk says, straightening his STANFORD sweatshirt. “Oh, hey —”

“Looks like I’m fashionably late,” says Kate from the doorway. “Sorry to keep you all waiting.”

“Wasn’t that long a wait.” And she’s dressed sharply enough to qualify as fashionably late, as well as to make both teams look like slobs. How she has the time and energy for this as a 3L, Philip really can’t imagine. He and his teammates take their seats while she gets settled at the moderator’s desk.

“Round 7… Stanford B and Berkeley A?” Nods and yeses all around the table. “Full disclosure, I’m a Stanford student. And I read for these guys a few rounds ago. Berkeley A, are you waiting for anyone?”

“No,” Bedhead says. No surprise that their top scorer’s performance is inflated if they’re playing shorthanded too.

“Good. Let’s do buzzer checks.”

“I’ll start.” Philip buzzes in and watches the console. Green light. “Philip.” Kate knows every Stanford player by name, of course, but introductions benefit the other team as well. They should know who’s aiming the longbows at them.

Buzz. “Ben.”

Buzz. “Tuk. T-U-K, no C.”

“Alright. Berkeley A?”

Ponytail buzzes. “Rian, with an I. Like Rian Dawson.”

“Nobody knows who that is,” Glasses says. “At least say Rian Johnson.”

“No. Looper sucked.”

“Whatever.” Buzz. “Winston.”

“You must get all the 1984 tossups,” Tuk says.

“No way. I refuse to read that book. Even in high school —”

“Let’s cut down on the chatter, please,” Kate says, but Philip needs a moment more, because if that’s Berkeley A’s whole roster and there’s only one introduction left to make — “Player three?”

Buzz.

“Taylor.”

Shit.

(send me a ship and a prompt and i’ll write a mini fic)

#inbox #unproduciblesmackdown #billions #philip charyn #taylor mason #tuk lal #ben kim #winston billions #rian billions #kate sacker #sometimes i write #with all those character tags it should be no surprise this is over a thousand words. oops ¯\_(ツ)_/¯#taylip

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klowndykebar · 1 year

Text

Avatar the way of water

Right so, this is just gonna be me and my thoughts on the new movie. I’ll get to a few things I wanna address in this post as well because I’m indigenous( Lakota) and I feel it should be addressed. This whole thing has spoilers so if you haven’t had a chance to see it feel free to stop reading here.

The movie itself starts off so happy and endearing with the sully family, I wish I could’ve seen even more of them just being content together but this movie literally doesn’t waste time getting into action which I can appreciate but yea I wished more things could’ve been shown before the time jump.

I guess one of my biggest issues so far is that we should’ve seen more of the main cast, I hope they’ll have an extended version with more because I’m honestly just wishing there was more.

Tuk tuk - Protect at all costs

Kiri is an insanely interesting character and the depth she brings is crazy. I love her so much already, sigourney is an amazing actress for sure.

On the topic of spider, his background with quaritch was also interesting because quaritch is going to have a personal stake in it all. I’m starting to think the hate his character is getting is way over the top, he was tortured for info on the sully family and still didn’t give it up. He sabotaged the demon ship to help them when they’re fighting. He grew up around the entire sully family which is why he wears so much na’vi clothing and why Loak even suggested at the end they couldn’t leave him behind. I honestly like him as a character and I think besides being a tarzan archetype, he’s bringing something to the table for the next movies. I’m curious where him and kiri will end up together, if I’m guessing right, is it gonna be some sort of star crossed lover with kiri? Who knows but I’m interested to find out. I enjoyed spiders character dynamic with them all and the interaction between him and kiri was truly so sweet.

Tonowari and Ronal power couple that’s all.

Tsireya and Loak!!!!!! That’s it I love them. They’re fr the new gen Jake and neytiri

Loak couldn’t just stop being like a Jake mini me, his recklessness cost him way too much imo.

Neteyam my beloved I wished he could’ve had more screen time, his death hit just as hard on the second rewatch as it did the first. Sweet boy. ;_; I don’t know how but I honestly hope he’ll come back in the next movies. I wish we got to see more of his character

love dad jake and mom neytiri <3 I wish we saw more of moat tbh.

It was cool to see new creatures in this universe honestly, the tulkun are fascinating.

Honestly, it all looked so pretty. kiri scene with her looking like an angel was possibly my favorite scene in the whole movie.

Quaritch shivers were timbered with neytiri. A son for a son line was so cold I’m still not over it. I’m not really certain with how I feel about quaritch and that they’re setting him up to be the main villain across all of the movies but I guess we’ll just have to see where it goes. Could be good who knows. That dad joke of why so blue legit got a chuckle out of me tho Lmao

Overall, I’d rate it a solid 8.9/10. My biggest problems are that there can only be so much time to watch things in a movie theater setting and I wish more could’ve been expanded upon, not even just one particular thing, just everything in general. Neytiri needed more screen time, Jake needed more screen time. So far, that’s my main problem with it, most of the character development happens off screen. The plot was well enough in my mind, it’s obvious they’re setting it up for the next movies. Not much to critique because I mostly enjoyed it if I’m honest.

This last thing, it does need to be addressed, James Cameron’s comments on Lakota people specifically, and that guardian article that came out 12 years ago.

I totally get why some indigenous people decided to boycott it and that’s extremely valid. I was willing to set it aside to see a movie I’ve been waiting to see since the first one came out when I was 8 years old(im 21 now).

I can tell he takes his inspiration from everywhere, which is nice. What’s so weird to me is the fact in this article he singled (Lakota people) out and called it a dead end society which is really out of pocket and if his comments are outdated, an apology is overdue. Colonization is obviously a major theme with these avatar movies but to call real life indigenous people who still exist a dead end society is not only extremely ignorant but also just completely ignores Lakota and all indigenous peoples who fight against colonization to this literal very day. He makes fictional indigenous aliens then proceeds to insult ones who are still around?

All that being said, James Cameron does come from a position of power. I can enjoy his movies while also being able to separate the art from the artist. If some indigenous can’t move past these comments, I don’t blame them and I hope in the future instead of condescending, ignorant comments, there’s understanding, self education, and actual activism.

#avatar #james cameron avatar #avatar the way of water #Lakota #listen to indigenous voices #review #replies r off n im not really going to be debating this #thanks for reading tho I appreciate it<3

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skellebonez · 3 years

Note

I AM SORRY FOR THIS SKELLE BUT I MUST: 5 (kidnapping them was the only way I was going to get them here),6 (let's make a deal, shall we?) and 41 (can you teach me how to do that) with the demon bull fam and mk with a little hint of 64 (I may have eaten seven of them already). NOW GO HAM MY DUDE

Oh I had way too much fun with this one. I took S2E4 (spoilers mentioned for that!) and some tweets made by one of the show producers on the same day as fuel for a very silly idea I had. I don't write what can be considered "Crack treated seriously" (or at least semi-seriously, this is not a 100% serious fic) often but when I do I go hard. This is more focused on MK and others than SpicyNoodles so it's a bit more gen fic than a full on ship fic as well.

Kidnapping them was the only way I was going to get them here/Let's make a deal, shall we?/Can you teach me how to do that?/I may have eaten seven of them already.

"Red..." MK started off slowly, watching as his boyfriend's face flushed and twisted in embarrassment. "Can you tell me why your mother showed up at my apartment and used her wind vortex thing to teleport us here without an explanation? And then left us in your..." He looked around, noting that aside from the excessively large throne and two smaller thrones beside it this room looked like a... "Living room? On a couch?"

"I can-" Red Son started, raising a hand before pausing a frowning deeply. "Actually, no, I can't explain. This is just weird, even by my parent's standards. I have no idea what is going on, but since you're still here..." He shrugged with a hopeful smile, shaky through the uncertainty. "Maybe it's not bad? I mean, if Mother was truly upset or wanted to do something bad surely she would have not left us to our own devices. Maybe she’s... uh... happy I finally have a boyfriend?”

At the pointed raise of an eyebrow from MK that hopeful smile faltered a bit. Happy Red Son had a boyfriend for the first time in a couple centuries? Under different circumstances he wouldn't doubt that! Happy when that boyfriend was MK?

Oh he did doubt that.

He knew that they shouldn't have been sneaking around the way they had been. It had made sense at first, two people on opposite sides of a feud lasting centuries who discovered they actually enjoyed spending time together more than fighting each other. One who decided he very much would rather not follow through with any kind of domination and see his family hurt, who realized "actually my sworn nemesis isn't so bad", and another who decided "my life is already weird enough, why not give this befriending my enemy thing a shot".

And then one thing lead to another and before they knew it their secret friend meet up became a secret boyfriend meet up. They'd managed to keep everything under wraps for a while (except from Mei because, well... she was his best friend! He couldn't not tell someone and she would have found out fast if he wasn't obvious, and she had quickly become a mutual source of support for both of them), though MK knew Pigsy and the others knew something was up. They didn't question him, though, aside from the occasional good natured jab. "Wow MK, you seem happy today. Got any plans?" and that sort of thing. They seemed to trust him to make his own decisions, as long as he was happy and healthy and eventually told them. (Sun Wukong, however, may have caught in a little when he jokingly asked if MK had gotten a boyfriend and MK had choked on his drink. He never brought it up specifically after that but he was smart. Too smart.)

Red Son, on the other hand, was fantastic at keeping secrets when he tried. Or MK thought he was... the last few months gave no indication that either of his parents had discovered their little sneaky rendezvous. Then Princess Iron Fan broke into his apartment and, well, here they are. Clearly something had gone wrong somewhere along the line.

Before MK could follow through with any questions of whether or not there could be a fate worse than instant death that involved lulling him into a false sense of security, the two men froze at the sound of quickly approaching voices.

“Could this not have been done another way, my dear?”

“Kidnapping them was the only way I was going to get them here, you know that. Noodle Boy is not that gullible, contrary to what we first believed.”

Ah... shit... Red Son’s parents.

Mk quickly ran through all the possessions he had in his apartment and wondered if he had time to text Mei or Pigsy the world’s fastest will and testament and if that would be legally binding. He just hoped he had something for Pigsy to handle the Phantom Orderer they'd had for the last year.

They always ordered on the app and prepaid and managed to leave him a sizeable tip in his tuk-tuk after he dropped off the food at whatever random location they indicated.

"Good," PIF's voice rang clear, far faster than he could even attempt to pull out his phone, and MK turned to see that she was casually lounging on the shoulder of the Demon Bull King. She jumped down, her wind lightening her fall so much so that she barely made a sound when her feet touched ground. "You've made yourself comfortable."

MK couldn't bring himself to move, as much as he very dearly wanted to run away as quickly as possible. Yes, he was The Monkie Kid and had progressed far enough that he could probably escape without much problem. Yes, he and DBK had had an understanding after the White Bone Spirit and Lunar New Year Festival (though he still didn't know if PIF ever found out about that one). Yes, Princess Iron Fan had shown little interest in him before and had even worked beside him with no complaints (she didn't even care enough to attack during the Food Wars thing!). But that was all before she apparently found out he was dating her son behind her back while they were technically still enemies.

He was glad at that moment that she had grabbed them before they went to get lunch... his stomach was doing back flips that would make a gymnast jealous.

"Uh, yes Miss-Mrs-Muh-M- Princess Iron... Fan?" MK couldn't help but stutter awkwardly, holding onto the hem of his jacket and worrying it as he tried to keep his composure. He looked beside him, watching as Red sat straighter and kept an even expression on his face that he couldn't quite place. His hair seemed to spark softly.

Though she raised a brow at this, PIF didn't comment on that at all. Instead she made her way to the other couch across from them as opposed to what was clearly supposed to be her throne, leaning forward right her elbows on her knees and her fingers laced together in front of her. DBK stopped behind her, seemingly content to stay standing.

"Noodle Boy... you prefer to go by MK, is that correct?" She started, and he nodded slowly in confused response. "Hmn... so. You've been dating my son for quite some time. Many months... no, a bit over a year if I am not mistaken in how long his behavior has changed." 'Oh shit' went MK's brain. "You must be quite serious, if you're willing to go through so much just to see each other. Late night meetings. Secret hideaways. Sneaking onto Flower Fruit Mountain, even." 'Oh SHIT' it repeated in horror. "That's quite the dedication to show toward anyone... I hate to admit it, but I am quite impressed." 'OH SH-wait what?'

"Bw-huh?" Was what MK managed out, half a sound that was almost a word and half a squeak of confusion.

"The fact I myself remained oblivious until only a few weeks ago is quite something. Let's make a deal, shall we?" She continued, sitting back straight and looking like the proud Princess she was and not like a woman sitting on a couch that looked comically small in front of her enormous husband. "You and Red Son no longer have to hide your relationship from us and in exchange..." she paused, as if relishing the building tension between herself and the couple before her. "You will come over at least once a week so we can get to actually know you properly."

MK froze. Red Son froze even more.

Then his entire head lit ablaze as he jumped up and gestured at his mother with a gaping mouth. "Th-that's it!? I-I was... I was RIGHT!?"

PIF barely reacted to this, merely lounging sideways as she put her elbow on the arm of the couch and rested her cheek on her hand.

"Whatever you were right about, I suppose you were. But yes," she shrugged, honestly looking... kinda happy? "Has this been about a year ago I perhaps would not have understood what you saw in Nood-MK. But I can see how happy you have been lately, and there's something about him that is like... what did you say he was like, darling?" She turned to DBK, who shrugged himself with an unreadable expression.

"A ball of sunshine given human form."

... that was not what MK ever expected to hear from the Demon Bull King's mouth...

"Yes, that's it," she nodded as if this was completely normal and ignored how Red Son flopped back down onto the couch and stared at the ceiling. "I'd hate to admit it, but you've grown on us through out sparse interactions. Somehow. And we have been eagerly waiting for the day we could finally welcome someone into our son's life. So what do you say? Do we have a deal?"

She seemed... serious. MK may not know her that well, but it was clear to anyone when she wasn't being so.

"Uh... o-ok? Sure?" MK said softly, nodding in amazement as DBK and PIF actually smiled at this.

This was the strangest day of his life, beating our every single demon fight and even the day he got the Monkey King's staff. But he'd take this strangeness over the alternative 500 times over.

"Excellent," DBK nodded himself, there was a lot of that about. "That seems to have worked out n-"

Everyone paused at a loud grumble echoed the room, all turning to Red Son as he flared up in embarrassment this time.

"Don't look at me like that, we were supposed to eat half an hour ago and I am starving," Red Son grumbled as he sat up, not looking anyone in the eye. "I don't suppose we could. Eat now? Please?"

Despite the situation, MK couldn't help but smile at his pouting.

"I could bring us some food from Pigsy's?" MK offered in an attempt to contribute. Something. "I mean, I know Red likes it and you kinda seemed to like it the one time you tried it and... uh... yeah."

"Actually... I may have eaten seven of them already..." PIF admitted, looking away in embarrassment. "l've tried not to give into the temptation, but your father's noodles from the Food Wars were so... I just can't resist ordering some secretly after 5 or so weeks!"

"So you're the phantom orderer!" MK gasped out in shock, but after a moment he frowned and rubbed the back of his head. He had a bit of an idea. "Well... I could... make some for us instead?" He ammended his offered softly. "I may not make it exactly like Pigsy does, but I can get pretty close as long as you have the ingredients! And you wouldn't have to worry about me going there and coming back! We can eat like. Immediately!"

"I think that sounds acceptable," PIF said with a nod as she stood, but MK could see a bit of excitement sparkling in her usually cold eyes. "Come, Red Son. I need to discuss some upgrades the Bull Clones have been asking for with you. Your father can assist him in the kitchen until we are done."

Red looked over at MK and only stood to follow his mother once he nodded, giving his father a pointed look before exited the room. MK, in the meantime, looking up at DBK with a gulp and followed him as he lead the way toward their kitchen.

It was... well, bigger than he was used to. But pretty normal, regal size and decor aside. And it seemed, once he was given the nod of ok from his host (and wasn't that a bizarre thing, DBK and PIF being his hosts on a home visit to his boyfriend's parents... he was going to need to get used to that) he checked the fridge and counters and found he had just about everything he needed to make what he had in mind.

"Can you teach me how to do that?" DBK asked after a moment, startling MK into nearly dropping the sauce he needed for the broth. "Not the recipe itself, just..." He gestured to the counter. "Red Son has a bit of a proclivity toward cooking and he's been trying to get me involved, but we've never cooked anything like. That."

His words were awkward and stilted, but MK could tell he was trying. The same way he could tell PIF wasn't kidding with her offer. They just seemed to... want to get to know him as a potential... son-in-law... huh.

"Sure, but you're gonna want to shrink down a bit for this."

Lunch turned out amazing and, while awkward (much like most of the day)... it was nice not to have to hide their dating for once. And Red actually seemed pretty happy! Though he learned quickly that the Monkey King was still a bit of an (understandably) sore subject that was best avoided. For now.

Maybe not forever though.

(When PIF very not subtly dropped him and Red Son both off inside Pigsy's Noodles after their lunch, the only response he got was a "oh, so they finally found out huh? Looks like things went well" from Pigsy and Tang. Maybe he wasn't as sneaky as he thought he was...)

#monkie kid #lego monkie kid #gen fic #mk #qi xiaotian #red son #spicynoodleshipping #dbk and pif #pif may be one of least favorite characters in the show for a few reasons #but even she can have good moments in my fics from time to time #crack treated seriously #i love that i can use that tag #ship fic but only just

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official-portugal · 7 years

Text

A (long ass) guide to become a Friendly Tourist ™ in Lisbon

You know, I complain a lot about tourists and all and last night it got me thinking that there might be people out there reading these and wanting to visit Lisbon but feel self-conscious so I want to make one thing clear: we don’t hate tourists, we hate tourism as a phenomenon and the way it’s being dealt with. We also don’t hate tourists, we hate assholes. So I decided to put together a guide on how to become a friendly tourist in Lisbon.

- If you can, avoid AirBnB, although I understand for you guys it might be cheaper that way. But if you pick an Air BnB, chances are the home you’re staying in belonged to someone who got kicked out so you could stay there. So be fucking respectful. Don’t come home drunk at 3AM, don’t make any fucking noise at night. There might be children right upstairs and old people downstairs, so don’t do anything you wouldn’t want others to do to you. There are neighbors in that fucking building, people who have to go to work, so be fucking respectful.

- Be fucking nice to every worker you come across. In Portugal, whether you’re at the checkout or having your order being taken by the waitress, when these workers approach you, you’re supposed to greet them. Say “good morning”, “good evening”, or just plain “hello”. Also, finish with please, always. If you don’t, I guarantee you, you won’t be treated differently because these people can’t risk their jobs, but you’ll be labeled a cunt. Like, it costs zero. You don’t just come up to someone and say “TWO COFFEES PLEASE”. AND FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DO NOT SAY GRACIAS.

- Don’t fucking expect people to speak your language, but they will fucking try, so don’t be a cunt about it. Here’s the thing: in the public schooling system, the average portuguese learns two languages. We are taught french and english and the majority of kids even takes a third language in high school. We understand spanish and italian enough to communicate. So we understand what you’re saying, but it doesn’t mean we can speak it. But are you really demanding that we, who already speak 3 languages, speak yours as well you fucking dildo? Also, by “we” I mean naturally the youngest generation. Older people? Not so much. People working in tourism offices are making an effort, they know way more than you and they’re not there to cater to your needs. If you see them struggling with your language, help them. Also, if you disrespect them while you’re asking for directions, I can assure you they’ll give you the wrong advice out of spite, and you deserved it.

- We’re not a tipping kind of country but: we appreciate tips. What I am saying is, any tip is extra money, so it’s welcomed, but we are not culturally taught to monetarily award someone for their good services, instead we praise them. If you do come from a country that tips a lot, you should know we don’t have a “tipping rule”. Even if you leave just a couple of coins, it’s appreciated. But if you don’t come from a tipping kind of country, don’t feel obligated to do it. What you can do is praise their work. Thank them for their kind service. Tell them they’ve made your experience better. That means a fucking lot when you work in tourism because usually yall just see us as punching bags.

- There’s a difference between Pastel de Natal and Pastel de Belém. Both are custard tarts, both have different recipes. The first one, the Nata, can be found in literally any café. The second, the Pastel de Belém, can only be found in their official factory in Belém, across the street from Jerónimos. When you get there, you will see that the queue is super fucking long but don’t worry, they’re used to it and they have an efficient system. I promise you won’t be there for longer then like, 7 minutes.

- Canned sardines are not traditional. I don’t know who came up with this bullshit but I can guarantee you it’s just marketing. Sardines ARE traditional, just NOT canned. Canned sardines were the cheap, canned food the poorest of the poor ate back during the dictatorship. Usually, a whole can was shared by a family. So it kinda makes me offended that a symbol of poverty is trending, but aigh. The sardines we do eat traditionally are roasted outside on a cooker, sort of like a barbecue. THOSE are traditional. (By the way, you want to eat THE ABSOLUTE BEST, take the ferry across the river and pick a restaurant in Cacilhas, I guarantee you that’s the best place to eat sardines).

- Just because you can see the fucking Christ right across the river, it doesn’t mean it’s right there and that you can just get there. I can’t believe I had to explain this several times to tourists, but that Christ is standing on a fucking cliff. You can take the ferry, sure, but it won’t take you there, like, this is basic knowledge, I’d assume. There’s a service that cost 20€ and lasts for 2h and it stops there for a long time, if you’re one to complain about it a lot, take that. If you don’t mind grabbing your own ass and going there yourself, take the ferry and then take the 101 Bus, last stop.

- There are three ways to get to Belém: tram, train and bus. And yes, by foot is too fucking far. Like, 1h walk far. All of them will be super fucking crowded. You might get luckier with the buses, since for some reason tourists seem to avoid them. The queue in Cais do Sodré is going to be too fucking long, and I honestly do not care one fucking second that it’s an inconvenience for your vacation because we, who depend on it to go to work, take 2h for it as well. The tram is going to be crowded and it's going to take you some 45 minutes to get there on a very bad day. Live with it. That’s the reality of the city, and this is a reality YOU created by coming here en masse, not us. So don’t fucking complain that we don’t cater to your needs because, remember, your inconvenienced holiday means hundreds of portuguese people are getting late for work and taking 4h a day in public transportation. So again, I do not give one flying fuck.

- Tram 28 is a public transportation not meant for you. You, as a tourist, fucked it up, keep that in mind. If you want to ride the traditional trams, there’s a touristic service made specifically for you that works as a hop on hop off and it does a wider route than 28. My advice is take that one, it has no thieves and you can sit down, and it’s two different routes (green tram and red tram). But if you do want to take the public one, then my advice is: take the 12 instead. If you want to get on 28, begin the route from the starting point at Estrela. It will be calmer there. If you want to go to the castle, then no, the tram isn’t the only way. Bus number 727 stops right at its door and it’s usually super empty. Take that one.

- Saint Geroge’s Castle is completely fake. Not a fucking stone in there is real. There are real ruins there, of course, but they aren’t even of a castle, they’re of an “Alcazaba”, an administrative center back when the moors were in portugal. That’s why the neighborhood next to it is called “mouraria” - the moorish neighborhood. Yes, there was a castle there from the 14th century onwards, but very little was left of that. The whole thing you’re seeing? Completely rebuilt in the 20th century. It’s even fascist propaganda in a way.

- Tuk Tuk drivers don’t know shit of what they’re talking about. The chances of them making shit up for you are like, way higher than you can imagine. You can’t comprehend the bullshit I’ve caught them telling tourists, like the Lisbon Cathedral is from the 19th century. They’re not tour guides, they’re fucking drivers. The info they’re giving you is generic and easily obtained. they’re speaking to you as a portuguese person who knows their traditions, but they don’t usually know shit about history and art because they’re not required to. So if you get on a Tuk Tuk, keep that in mind and don’t demand too much from the driver. And also, chances are they’re bullshitting you. I know one Tuk Tuk driver who is an Art History graduate and masters degree and is a great tour guide, since he’s someone I trust a lot with the history of the city, so if you really want to get on one and be real about it, hit me up and I’ll hook you up with him.

- Don’t make a fuss about the supposed “drug dealers” selling weed in broad daylight in Baixa. First of all, literally everyone in the city except you, tourists, know that what they’re selling is not drugs, it’s bay leaf squished into a powder, and I have to give it to them, their scheme is pretty fucking brilliant because it’s prompted tourists to go to the police and complain that “the drugs this guy sold me aren’t real” lmao. But this is a situation that again partly resulted out of mass tourism. So shut the fuck up because I know damn well it would take me one day to find out where I could get high in your country. And also, me as a citizen can’t do shit about it (BECAUSE THOSE AREN’T DRUGS LOL).

- Don’t be fucking unpleasant about the homeless and the beggars. Fucking really? There’s a high level of poverty in here. We’ve been saying for years but if you choose to believe your Time Out articles, then that’s not my fault. But be fucking respectful. Life isn’t cheap here, and we’re having it hard.

- Please understand, once and for all, that Fado is pretty normalized. Like, it’s fucking everywhere. Every goddamn souvenir shop you’ll walk into, it’s gonna be playing fado. Restaurants, cafés, a fucking cab, same thing. I know it’s been sold as the traditional song of the people, poor and desolate living in the streets of Alfama, but that’s not it anymore. It’s been classified as World Intangible Heritage which means an incredible effort is being made to preserve it, WHICH MEANS the amount of Fado singers has increased incredibly. So there is no “real fado experience” anymore. The real fado experience is either a) a concert, or b) a dimly lit restaurant with a guitar player and a lesser known singer.

- Be careful how much you’re being charged by the taxi drivers. If possible, don’t take a cab at the airport. If you’re moving from point A to point B WITHIN the city, you shouldn’t be paying over 10€. The starting fee is NOT 20€, it’s 3,90€. There’s a little extra added if you call a cab (instead of finding one on the streets) or take it at night. If you can, install the app My TaxiApp, the drivers there are pretty honest. Or use Uber.

- Don’t get on the Hop On Hop Off buses. Personally, I can’t see what’s so appealing about these, but there are a lot of reasons why in Lisbon they don’t particularly work: 1) traffic. You’re gonna be stuck in traffic, it doesn’t matter what time of the day you got on. 2) The waiting period. It shouldn’t take more than 30 minutes for a new bus to come by, but with traffic, we don’t know, and I certainly can’t predict it, since I don’t have a fucking GPS in me. 3) The bus that goes to the Castle is much, much smaller and it fills up way quicker because double-decker buses don’t fucking fit those narrow streets. So chances are you’re gonna be there for a while waiting because they’ll keep coming full. Not my fucking problem. Take a walk instead. There’s a touristic bus called Caravel on Wheels which would be my advice for you. I worked for them, it’s a 1h45 long video tour. The audio is very well put together and explains the history of Lisbon incredibly well, and it has a shit ton of languages, and you can just ignore the goddamn video, trust me. The assistants are super nice and sweet and the driver is amazing. We made a huge effort to make sure you wouldn’t forget that experience, trust me. Also, it allows you to see the most important parts of the city and then decide what you want to see by yourself.

- Don’t disrespect the monuments. Don’t paint on walls. Don’t spit on fountains. Don’t lean on statues, don’t get close to statues, don’t even breathe on statues. Don’t fucking touch the paintings, the artworks, any fucking thing you find inside a museum. It sounds ludicrous that I have to point this out but you wouldn’t believe what I’ve seen.

- Mouraria, Alfama and Martim Moniz aren’t just the most traditional parts of Lisbon, they’re some of the most multicultural and poorest too. So don’t be a fucking racist asshole. There are indian, chinese, and sikh, among others, communities in there, including “illegal” mosques and chinese restaurants. Don’t be unpleasant to the locals. Don’t be disrespectful to the people who live there. The thing about the portuguese is we love tourists, we’re welcoming like that, IF you are nice. These people are happy to welcome you to their neighborhood, trust me, they are, but you gotta be respectful.

- Avoid eating at Rua dos Correeiros. If you don’t know what street that is, it’s the only one in the entire fucking Lisbon where every fucking restaurant will have a guy holding a menu approaching you and BEGGING you to eat there, and I mean every single one. Most of those restaurants are most likely schemes and one in particular, Made in Correeiros, has made the news for convincing tourists to come in while holding a menu where they show prices ranging from 10 to 20€ and then inside suggest something that is at the end of the menu (but they will make sure you won’t see it) and it turns out a dish of salmon costs 500€. That whole street is made of shit like that and not a single one of them is traditional in the least, don’t let them convince you they are because they have a bitoque and bacalhau à brás, those are dishes that any portuguese with half a brain can cook, so walk away.

- Don’t be fucking rude to the bus drivers, and I mean every bus driver, whether it’s touristic bus or city bus, cause they are not required to speak your fucking language. There are a million different tourist offices where you can ask for help. Have your money ready when you enter the bus or recharge your Viva card at the subway. A bus fare is 1,80€ within any point in the city.

- And don’t be fucking rude to the vendors. They don’t control traffic. Especially resellers who don’t represent one company but rather sell several companies, don’t yell at them. They don’t control traffic and they don’t control the bus routes. Explain to them you are disappointed by the service and they will take a note and I can guarantee you they will inform the company about the delay/problem and will exchange your money. They don’t think any less of you and they understand you, as long as you’re nice about it.

- And don’t complain to them the city is disappointing! I don’t give a rat’s ass that Barcelona was more beautiful, go to fucking Barcelona and shut up.

- Don’t walk around with 100€ bills. Use 50€ bills for large purchases only. Most vendors aren’t even allowed to accept 100€ due to couterfit problems. Exchange your money at the appropriate place. Don’t fucking buy 3€ worth of fridge magnets with a 100€ bill like I’ve witnissed, come on. That’s common sense.

- Things that ARE good, traditional souvenirs: porcelain magnets with sardines, tiles, bits of history and the black swallows you see everywhere. Bottles of wine, especially Port, too. Tawny being the best brand. Make sure it’s from Porto/Douro. The bags of salt if they come from Aveiro, otherwise I wouldn’t trust it. The famous red, green, blue or black scarves you see with floral motifs and fringes I guess can be considered traditional too, but be aware that 1) they’re mostly cheap imitations (the realest ones are really expensive) and 2) they’re traditional from way up north like, above Porto even. That’s a part of a very traditional outfit of a very specific region, linked to very specific traditions. Small portuguese guitars are pretty cute. Avoid the cork shit. Cork used to be our main export, now it isn’t and most of that crap I don’t even think it’s made here, it’s just a brand, but someone correct me if I’m wrong. Although the cork postcards are cute. Little stuff like notebooks, postcards and bookmarkers with Fado on it is cute too. A Vida Portuguesa is a store you’ll come across in Baixa that sells shit that looks cute and Art Neauveu-sy that recreates old stuff from the 40s and 50s.

- Things that aren’t traditional at all: canned sardines. Anything being sold on the streets. Certainly not the peruvian CDs on Terreiro do Passo.

- No, you won’t find random postmarks on the streets where you can slip in your postcards. There are a few, but are very scarce. There’s a post office in Restauradores, use that. You can usually buy stamps at any souvenir-looking shop or anything store that says “Casa da Sorte”.

- The green card you use for transportation is good for everything but you need to charge it either with money for all or in the appropriate machines that will give you the specific ticket you’re looking for.

- If you walk inside ANY restaurant or whatever and ask for a cup of coffee, this is what you’ll get. If you want a larger coffee a bit watered down, ask for an abatanado. Or go to Starbucks. A garoto is a strong espresso with a bit of milk, served in an espresso cup. A galão is basically the same, but in a taller glass that will, for 99% of the time, look like this, and the milk is stirred until it forms foam, like a cappuccino without the chocolate. So be specific about what you want. Our coffee is very strong. Ask the waiters, they’re used to the confusion, don’t worry.

- Here’s an important thing to you if you’re stopping by during a cruise: no, you can’t fucking visit the whole city in one day. The city is way bigger than you’re thinking it is. You can’t see it all in 5h. So pick wisely. Here’s how to pick it: Oriente is the modern part of the city, the main attraction is the Aquarium (Oceanário). Belém is the historical part, where most of the main monuments are. Downtown Lisbon is the place you can walk to and discover by foot. If you’re strict on mobility, a Tuk Tuk is the perfect choice.

- Maybe this is kind of asking too much out of a tourist, but it would be great if you had any fucking clue what Lisbon even has. Don’t just stand in Rossio looking puzzled and ask me where the famous tiles are. You should at least know you’re thinking of fucking Porto, which is some 300km away. The worst question you can ask touristic vendors is “so what can you do in this city?” bitch I don’t know. Make your goddamn research. You like art? Here’s a list: Berardo Museum (contemporary). Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga (from 14th to the 18th century and colonial art). Azulejo museum (those famous blue tiles). MAAT (contemporary art, also a nice overview of the city). Gulbenkian (antiquity to the 19th century and also a modern art center, a beautiful museum with amazing gardens). The Fado Museum. You want history? Here’s another list: anything in Belém, you don’t have to pay for the tickets even, the tower is not that interesting anyway and you can visit the church of Jerónimos for free, it’s the whole monastery complex you have to pay for. Church of São Roque for the prime example of baroque. The Lisbon cathedral. The Church of Saint Vincent. Estrela Basilica. Ajuda Palace. I don’t know what else, at the top of my head, these are probably the most important.

- The train to Sintra is in Rossio train station, which is NOT physically connected to the subway station. Stop asking me.

- Sintra, Cabo da Roca and Queluz are outside of Lisbon. Yes, you have to get on a train. I don’t care if it’s an inconvenience, I didn’t fucking build it.

- No, the beaches are not exactly in Lisbon. The ones that kinda are, you go to Cais do Sodré, you get on a train and get off at Oeiras or something. Ask someone there. The other ones are around Sintra or across the river. If you want to go across the river to Caparica, there’s a service that costs 10€, picks you up in the morning, takes you back in the afternoon. If you think that’s expensive and decide to go there on your own, then be prepared to pay a lot more and have the worst bus ride of your life. I’ve been riding TST buses my whole life, you have no idea the shit hole they are. Pay for quality, it’s worth it.

- No, you can’t get to Freeport by bus. It will take you too long and cost you a fortune. Pay 10€ for the shuttle. It’s way less than any other means.

- No, you can’t take a cab to Fátima. It’s 127km. Also, don’t take the train there. The train station is 30km away from the city. Take a bus. Rede Expresso is your friend. You can charge your fucking phone in that bus! Also you have wifi.

- Yes, you can walk around holding a cup or a bottle of beer on the streets, nobody cares. Just don’t litter. Throw that fucking thing in the garbage, don’t be a pig.

- No, the guys wearing a black outfit with a cape are not celebrating Hogwarts. That’s a joke someone started that caught on. I never actually thought people would believe it, yet here we are. They’re just university students getting drunk lmao. If you want cheap booze, follow them.

- Just overall be kind, don’t bump into people on the streets, don’t stall, smile and say thank you and good morning/evening/whatever. Remember: say obrigado if you’re a man, obrigada if you’re a woman. We don’t care that your portuguese is shit, we love that you tried and that you ask how we say things. We also don’t care that you’re actually speaking brasilian portuguese. We love that you went through the effort.

- Portuguese people greet with a kiss on each cheek. A handshake is something more business-like. If you don’t like being touched, stay away and wave, we’ll get the message. But if you happen to meet an old lady, then you’re on your own, your cheeks are getting pinched, I can’t save you.

- We’re also incredibly loud. No, we’re not constantly fighting, we’re brutes towards each other. That’s how we show love. Don’t make a point of it.

- But remember: this city isn’t the hip, cheap, hot-spot you’ve been sold. It will look like that if you just wander around Baixa and Alfama and Mouraria, where mostly students and foreigners are. But that is not the reality. The “tradition” you’ve been sold, that supposedly lives in Alfama, practically doesn’t exist anymore. Any story that says “traditional” in it, I can guarantee you is not. The best restaurants are the corner tascas that smell of cooked potatoes and grilled beef. If the owner of a restaurant is fat, the restaurant is good, trust me this is a mnemonic that works. ‘

- Don’t act superior, don’t act like you know this city better because you’ve been here before or because you have portuguese friends. Or because you read this post lmao. Certainly, don’t walk up to tourist vendors and try to convince them YOU know more about traditions in their country than they do, like I’ve had people do with me. Cause you don’t lmao.

Add anything you might think is necessary and sorry for the long ass post

#long post

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chromacomaphoto · 6 years

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Places to Shoot in Bangkok Part 1: Baiyoke Schmaiyoke

I thought it might be good to go into some detail of specific shooting locations in and around Bangkok, starting here with August’s entry to the blog. Just in case it causes confusion for any regular readers, these will be posted here as separate monthly blog entries AND also added to the bottom of the seemingly ever popular ‘Ultimate Guide’ (click the tab header at the top of this page).

I thought that a good way to start this little series might be by addressing the elephant in the room, the Baiyoke Tower. It’s actually the Baiyoke Tower II as the original is a slightly smaller building nearby but for all intents and purposes, when you say ‘Baiyoke Tower’ or ‘Duk Baiyok’(in appalling phonetically spelled out English/Thai), people in Bangkok think of this:

It was up until very recently, clearly the tallest building in Bangkok, and by quite some margin. It still towers way above all of the other buildings anywhere in the immediate area. It was also for a long time the holder of one of those Guinness Book of World Records titles, but only on a sort of technicality. It was sort of true to say that it used to be the world’s tallest hotel but this statement needs a disclaimer; the tallest hotel building that is only 100% a dedicated hotel. There are certainly always hotel rooms around the world located within other, taller buildings but these buildings may not be dedicated hotels in their own right. On those grounds, the Baiyoke II was able to hold this claim to fame for quite a while. In fact, if you believe the blurb on site, it apparently still holds the records but this is patently false. There are now several dedicated 100% hotel buildings that are taller and newer in the Middle-East but of course this would be a huge hit to the selling point of the Baiyoke tower. Even now you will see the old (now false) claims emblazoned all over the place when you visit, not unsurprisingly nobody seems in any great rush to update the posters and ‘fess up to the truth that they are currently hovering around 7th place at best!

The Baiyoke Tower is accessed via Pratunam, a generally busy (and sometimes a tad shady) market area mostly famous for wholesale cheap clothing including all the usual knock-off suspects. It’s not directly on the skytrain but any motorcycle, tuk-tuk or taxi driver will take you straight there in a flash. You’ll see lots of central Asians and Africans milling around the area as well as all kinds of Thais looking to sell you visits to erotic massage parlours and illegal drugs.

The main reason I am starting this series with mention of this place is actually because it is potentially something of an anti-climax from a photographic point of view and I have had so many people writing in to ask me about it that I decided to just do a post about it for general future reference instead.

I first shot from there back in the mid 90’s with a cheap (but very faithful) old entry level Nikon film SLR, a tripod that would snap if you sneezed anywhere near it and a budget Tamron zoom lens (I know my blog has more than its fair share of elitist and expensive camera kit snobbery but in the past I have also spent many a year using cheaper, humble kit quite happily!). The conclusions that I drew way back then are still basically my view of this location now, it’s nice to go once (and there are some chances to strike gold) but for shooting it’s not always that great. Here’s why:

Firstly, at the very top, it’s too far above the horizon line of the city for the nice shots that you imagined you might get. It’s not impossible, there’s some nice stuff out there on the net that you can find from people, but it’s not nearly as good as you think it’s gonna be. Secondly, the open viewing platform at the very top has a lot of wire fencing in the way obscuring a lot of your view. This is made worse by the fact that this deck is also basically quite a crude metal platform which rotates you around as you stand still (sometimes this breaks down, depends on the day). The rotation is certainly not that finely engineered, not at all smooth and this is a real pain when you consider that you might well need to be using a tripod on top of it. There will also be lots of people up there moving around that you will have to work around in terms of framing your shots and if it’s really busy this can be a nightmare. Added to this bundle of photographic ‘no-go’ joy is the fact that the winds at such an altitude are also really liable to be strong and mess up camera stability. As if that wasn’t enough, you really need an unusually clear Bangkok weather day for it to work at all, and that isn’t always guaranteed, not to mention the bright smog pollution effect sometimes raining on your parade. One thing that can work up there (if you have all your ducks in a row) is if you can get a camera locked pointing down at a nice angle and then then shoot off a long series of frames for digital editing into a 180 (or even full 360) panorama with some kind of stitching tool. I have done this myself with reasonable success a long time ago. Long exposure, blur effects and other high altitude arty shots are also a possibility.

Okay, so is there anything else we can salvage from this train wreck? Any other possibilities?

Well, maybe. Before you ascend to the outside, uppermost rotating platform, you will have had to climb up a couple of sets of stairs from the highest of the indoor observation floors. This allows you all the Bangkok vista that you could ever wish for but from a solid, fixed footing with no problems of wind, weather or movement. However, as with everything else in life there is a trade-off: It comes in the form of the very thick safety glass windows that you will see the world through up there. There are possibilities to shoot through the glass without too much of a glare debacle but it’s not always easy to do if you want decent image IQ. Sure, there will be masses of people quite happy with how these shots look on their smartphones up there but for dedicated photographers looking for high quality images, this just won’t be good enough. There are coin operated telescopes all around up here at the best spots so anybody using one of those nearby in light-coloured clothing will probably end up reflected into your shot. You might do well with some kind of lens hood that you can actually press up to the window, literally touching it on the glass as you set a camera up for a shot on a tripod and countdown the shutter using a timer-enhanced, minimal movement exposure.

Other options might be to come to the Baiyoke Tower (on the indoor floors again maybe?) before sunset and shoot from there without all the horrible direct overhead light, it’s much more likely to offer some beautiful shots (IF you get the weather right, some of the best sunsets can be towards the end of the year as the rains give way to the cooler season with ethereal colours abound). This can be a real ‘two for one’ kind of deal as if you don’t get lucky with the second half of the photographic golden hour as the sun goes down, you are then in for a treat with what is perhaps the only side of the Baiyoke Tower experience that I think is actually worth going there for as a photographer….NIGHT EXPOSURES!

Looking down at a smorgasbord of Bangkok lights and cityscape with all its traffic at night is actually pretty awesome by anybody’s standards. This is a time when you can get some real joy. There is still the problem of (night) reflections from the glass there though but by using a hood and tripod and shooting when there is nobody near you, a patient shooter can get some really good results. In the digital age, when everybody and his dog can shoot long exposures and simply chimp off a screen to see if they like what they got or not (not hating, but it’s a lot easier nowadays!), there are a lot more people up there shooting than there used to be. Back in the film days, long night time exposures required at least a modicum of decent photographic technique and knowledge combined with a bit of maths and some luck. There hardly used to be anybody up there at night with a camera. After a lot of searching I found this very modest effort of mine that I shot with the aforementioned (very) low budget Nikon film SLR and cheapo zoom and tripod 22 years ago. I don’t seem to have the original negs anymore so this already mediocre shot is not helped in its presentation here on this site by beinga scan of the actual printed photograph (circa mid 90’s). Although it's not anything to be that proud of, it was hard to earn and a lesser seen kind of shot back in its day! It gives you an idea and at least shows that people have been doing this for a while. Would still be fun to get up there at night nowadays with a film camera and some high ISO film to see what could be done, I'm sure.

Of course, as with everything else in the perpetual building site that is modern Bangkok, even this part of the city has now changed beyond recognition, this is actually looking down onto the old ‘World Trade Centre’ (now known as ‘Central World’).

I don’t know the exact costs off hand nowadays to go up the Baiyoke Tower as the price might vary from year to year and various seasons. It’s not too much, a few hundred baht at the most. There’s also a large buffet restaurant up there close to the top but although it was once a reasonably okay affair, I ate there again two or three years ago and it had definitely slipped down from ‘quite passable’ to ‘blatantly sub-par’ even by Bangkok two/ three star standards (oooh what a snob).

You generally need to take two lifts, the first one will get you up to a large and very noisy reception kind of floor where you then have to decide if you want to pay 'the full monty' to go up to the upper floors or not and the tickets are issued there. You are then fed into a line that leads to the other lifts that go up about another eighty floors or so. It’s quite the fast run up and you can sometimes even feel your ears pop as you go. For cheapskates, be aware that at certain times of the day (very late afternoon to be more specific), one really can get some very solid cityscape sunset opportunities just from the lower reception floor alone as it is already quite high up and has some huge windows and vistas on offer. That’s assuming you can get any peace or quiet from the tourist groups, in fact whilst I am on that subject…

Please be warned that, as with lots of touristy spots in Bangkok in recent years, this place has the tendency to be overrun by busloads of mainland Chinese tourists who might have a different idea about how to behave in public than a Westerner might. The tour leader (often a Chinese speaking Thai but sometimes a Chinese national working illegally as foreigners are prohibited from tour guide work in Thailand) will often simply either not be willing, ready or able to reign them in either and it can be quitea shock. Lots of shouting very loudly just for the purposes of a ‘normal’ conversation, pushing, shoving (even some spitting on the floor indoors when I last went) and general lack of respect for basic decorum in a public place can really put a downer on things. I wish I could put a more positive spin on that but it is difficult, I am trying not to judge but that was honestly my impression of the situation, maybe it's better at other times and I just got unlucky.... sorry if anybody disagrees or is offended.

The whole feel of the Baiyoke Tower is as with much of the Bangkok constructions of that era (80’s and very early 90’s), it’s generally a bit of a run down, old ‘former glory’ vibe that looks like they might have to close it soon, but yet it still somehow keeps crawling along year after year just fine. I know about the theory of too big to fail but what about too tall to fail? To be fair, I’ve never actually stayed in it as a hotel. I doubt it would be that impressive though.

So...I'm sorry if the first installment of places to shoot reads more like a place to not shoot (I really must split my infinitives more often, to hell with grammatical convention) but it’s just somewhere that I thought really warranted dealing with before I look elsewhere. Consider this case closed.

CCP

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