#and now betrayal

[jello-bbq]

Recovery

(Platonic! Tsu'tey x Avatar! Reader) (Platonic! Jake x Avatar! Reader)

They wake up to find they have nothing to recover from but are still constantly scolded for being reckless. Mo'at shares news that has them thinking of sharing their origins. (4.3 k)

Sorry this took so long I got sucked into another fandom for a bit. Also sorry that this prolly doesn't make sense bc it's 2 am rn and I fell asleep multiple times while writing this. Not proofread.

Nothing hurt. They realized that when they opened their eyes. No pain. No feeling. Nothing.

The hospital room looked bland.

"Tommy?" The name could only be whispered, and it sounded wrong as soon as it left their mouth.

No.

Slowly, they regained enough thought to realize.

They shook their head. Not Tommy.

Jake lay on a small portion of the bed, head resting on his hands. That's right. Jake. Not Tommy.

They tried to move again. This time they went slower, watching to see if Jake would wake up. He didn't. Even as their bare feet hit the tile and they made their way across the room.

But he did when the door slid open the barest inch, flinching awake. He called out their name, immediately realizing the situation. He called out again, panicked, turning to see their figure by the door.

"Are you- you're walking. You're alright?"

They could see the tiredness on his face. Lightening only slightly when they moved forward, watching them carefully as if trying to assess the damage they took.

"They said you'd be very disoriented when you wake up, you should sit down."

He guided them back to the bed. "They also said to press this button to call the doctors in-"

"Can we not?"

His finger hovers over the button.

"I mean, can I have a moment before all the doctors start rushing in and all."

"Of course, kid." A pause. He fiddles with the armrests of his wheelchair. "Do you remember what happened? The doctors said you might not since your uh... condition got activated. They said you went into combat mode."

"It's blurry," they admitted. The stillness of their thoughts concerned them. Mind awaiting a battlefield where the silence would allow them to process information quickly.

In the small hospital room, there was not enough information to process.

It felt silly. Like they were a toy. Combat mode. Condition. Illness. They felt so, formed. Like everything they were was carved from a blank slate and turned into a monstrosity. Each chunk removed. Each crack made. No thought behind each decision. None of it created by them. Just something directed. Something made. No choice but to lie back and take the beating. No choice but to live as what others have created.

Their thoughts falter when Jake begins to fill the silence. Talking about how Grace hovered over them and checked on them often, even fought multiple medical doctors. How Norm cried when he heard the news. How Tsu'tey didn't leave their side any longer than a few minutes.

And of their avatar.

"They brought it here to check the damage, Grace even said something about surgery. They got in a few scans before uh..." He watched them carefully as they nodded along. "Before Selfridge said no. Said you could handle a little poison and sent you back."

"He wasn't wrong I guess," they interrupted quietly, "but I'm surprised Grace went along with that."

"She wasn't gonna," he looked out the window, "but Mo'at said Eywa wanted you at hometree. Whatever that means."

Silence. Their head hurt from it.

"You've been taking your lessons?"

"Yeah. Nothing we could do but wait, try to learn."

They nodded. "You need to learn faster."

"What?"

They turned to him, taking in the slight confusion. He looked to be debating if the coma fucked up their brain further before they smiled. "I've had my first clean kill."

"You have not." He gaped.

They shrugged.

"That's awesome, kid! Look at you being the first ever avatar to get a clean kill." He ruffled their hair, pausing for a second. "I'll be the first to get an ikran."

They laughed. "In your dreams, white boy."

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

They decided to just call the doctors tomorrow. Or have them find out when they come to check on them. Whichever came first. Jake had fallen asleep on the side of the bed again, and they decided to pull him up to rest on it since they'd had more than their fair share of sleep.

The door opened and closed as they left, leaving behind Jake on the hospital bed who once again dreamed of flying.

They didn't exactly know what they were doing. The hallways were abandoned and dark.

The building looked completely deserted. The cafeteria empty as they walked past. Where were they going?

Everything felt blurred again. Muddled. Like their feet barely touched the floor and if someone saw them right now, they would be see-through. But still, they continued on. Walking to a destination they didn't know.

The next thing they knew, they were opening their eyes again. When had they closed them?

It took time for their eyes to adjust due to the dim light, like in the hospital room. Except this light looked clearly different. It looked alive. Streaming in through the gaps between the floor and tarp, they could swear the light pulsed softly. Steadily. A heartbeat unheard.

Why were they in their avatar?

They checked their wounds, remembering the palulukans. The arrows. Their first kill. All that they told Jake in the hospital room, eventually lulling him to sleep.

Their body looked fine. Aside from bandages around their waist. Nothing hurt here either.

Someone called out their name.

They turned, body tensing, arms raising.

"You are awake?"

"Tsu'tey?"

A breath of relief. A prayer to Eywa. A hug.

They hugged back, the warmth momentarily overtaking their mind.

Tsu'tey broke the hug first. He pulled back and looked them in the eyes. "Idiot child."

"Wow, big thing to say to someone who saved your life, hey?"

He gently slapped their forehead. "If you do something as reckless that again, I will kill you myself."

They smiled. "You're welcome."

"I will get Zeyko."

They wanted to say no, like before with Jake. But this was different.

Their avatar actually sustained physical damage. A lot of it. So they watched Tsu'tey go, using the time to finish assessing their wounds.

The bandages wrapped all around their back. Healing paste still looked fresh on some flesh wounds around their wounds. Other than that they looked okay. At least those stupid experiments had some merit.

Tsu'tey returned quickly with Zeyko, who brought a basket of something.

"You are finally awake, you will be a formidable warrior."

They returned the hug when her arms wrapped around them, avoiding the bandages on their back.

"But I will take you down myself if you continue to be so reckless."

Zeyko insisted on checking the bandages to see if anything split when they got up. Tsu'tey left to give the two privacy.

Her hand brushed against their side, and even with their back facing her, they could see the look on her face. The same look she always has whenever they'd get hurt.

"You always heal so quickly", she pointed out, "is it because of the Skypeople blood in your veins?"

They shrugged, not really in the mood to get into the whole child experiment by a government agency thing.

Zeyko seemed to understand, putting more paste on their back before rewrapping it. "By tomorrow I will be able to take this off. Try not to get into worse trouble by then."

They said goodbye as she disappeared through the flap, Tsu'tey reappearing not a few seconds later.

Tsu'tey insisted that they rest 'even in your other form' he said, laying them slowly down on the bed. "Nothing hurts?"

They shook their head. "How about you? You hit your head pretty hard."

For a moment, they think they spot a flash of embarrassment. "I am fine."

"Those palulukans felt particularly fierce," they said, letting Tsu'tey drape the blanket over them. "Why were they near that spot anyway? It's pretty rare for them to go so far, right?"

He stopped patting down the blanket, taking a seat beside the bed. "Mo'at has declared it a sign. A warning." His eyes find theirs. "Of what, we are not sure."

Maybe it was presumptuous. To think that they would be enough for Eywa to send a warning to the people. But they think it anyway, only for a short moment as Tsu'tey stands.

"Now go, you should rest."

They nod, knowing they can't argue their way out. "Goodnight."

A reply is heard faintly when they close their eyes, traveling through the neural link, and opening them to the sight of the pod's padded insides.

No one is in the lab still. They make sure to turn off the pod from the control room, not even remembering how they turned it on in the first place.

Jake is still there on the bed when they return to the room. He seems to not have moved at all.

They watch him, studying the bags under his eyes. If they'd been asleep three days, they were sure he hardly slept at all. At least from how tired he looked.

The silence didn't bother them now, having been calmed down by friends. Enough for their mind to deem it safe and exit combat mode.

They find the stack of yogurt cups in the fridge, smiling to themselves. Jake could not have filled the tiny fridge by himself. Not with three days worth of food. Nine meals.

They counted the cups which were arranged in neat lines. Norm's doing, no doubt. 23 yogurt cups.

The sight reminds them of hunger and it is as if the thought triggers their body, their stomach rumbling.

The first doctor who opens the room early in the morning is met with a strange sight. A marine sleeping in the hospital cot. The patient sleeping in a wheelchair, resting their head on the bed. And multiple cups of yogurt stacked by the bedside.

Grace and Norm visit when the news spreads that they are awake.

"You had us scared for a second there kid," Grace says warmly, even while watching the nurse who is trying to stick a needle into their vein for a blood sample. Her piercing gaze making the poor guy tremble.

Jake had also glared when he saw the needle, but someone called him out. They heard something about Quaritch.

Norm speaks up, also glaring at the nurse. "I'm surprised you aren't still sick. How did you eat 23 cups of yogurt in one go?"

"I was hungry." They shrugged with one arm, trying to keep the other still. "And I like yogurt."

"Never doubted that second part."

"How was your little rendezvous yesterday?"

They look up at Grace, who smiled. "You don't think we have cameras in there? How else will I know if anyone spits in my coffee?"

They smile slightly. "It felt okay. The body's fine. I had a few wounds but I'm getting the bandages removed tomorrow." They left out Zeyko and Tsu'tey, and Tsu'tey's words about the palulukans being a warning.

The three nodded, listening intently.

"What else?" Norm asks when they don't continue.

"What?" A pause. "I have a scratch on my right arm- or left. Right, I think-"

"He means your other injuries."

Another pause. "What injuries?"

The two look at each other, and Norm decides to explain. "When we brought you here you were in really rough shape. You had deep gashes in your back. I thought I could see your spine."

"What else?"

Grace replies this time. "A broken left arm. Shattered your wrist almost completely. You had a linear fracture on your skull."

"Is that bad?"

"Not fatally, but you should have been closely monitored."

"I think I was," they said. "Zeyko said she checked on me often."

Grace nodded, looking thoughtful. "That's nice."

"But-" Norm intervened "you're saying you only have scratches now? How is that-" He paused, realizing they all knew how. "Is that possible? Physically?"

They all turn to the nurse who has finally finished drawing the blood. He seems to realize they are asking him. "It's- it could be. With a regular human, no. But since it's your avatar and it's..."

Not regular, they assumed.

"It's possible especially since the Na'vi have stronger bodies."

Norm nodded, which the nurse took as a cue to go, leaving quickly and almost dropping the blood vial.

Another doctor came in soon after, declaring the fit to leave. Their avatar had taken all the injuries anyway.

Grace lead the way to the lab and Max hugs them upon their entrance. "They didn't tell me they were saving their yogurt cups, I only found out yesterday so I could only get two."

They smile. "It's fine, thank you."

"It's not fine," Norm said, standing beside Max. He stage whispers, "they ate all the yogurt as soon as they woke up."

"I did not."

Norm raised a brow.

"It was a little after I woke up, technically."

Max only chuckled, patting their back and prepping the pod. "Doctor cleared you for this?"

"'Course she did." The familiar feeling of gel padding immediately relaxing them. "They think I'm indestructible."

They don't miss the concerned glint in his eyes when they say that.

"But I have a feeling if I ever start a pod unauthorized again Grace will put that to the test."

Max continued pressing more buttons, grinning. "And Selfridge would be furious if he found out. Guy's been extra insufferable lately."

"An asshole's gonna be an asshole."

He smiled as the lid closed, and then their eyes were opening again.

They get up, shaking their head lightly. The light is shining through the gaps again. Morning light.

It took longer to take the doctor's clearance than they thought. They spotted the bed beside them, empty. Perhaps Tsu'tey got tired of waiting for them to wake again.

When they open the tent flap, they gaze upon an unfamiliar part of hometree. Somewhere secluded. Of course, they thought. A sick skyperson can be nowhere near the people.

Even so, they take a step outside. The moss under their feet feels like home. The sunlight on their skin.

The animals way below, their calls making it to their ears, which twitched as they tried to pick out specific sounds.

The forest looked welcoming, but they settle for the branches, not wanting to stray too far.

They lay on one of the branches. Breathing in. Breathing out. Watching the light filter through the leaves.

Like that, they could forget the blur of memories they couldn't quite remember.

When they stayed still long enough, it felt like they could hear it. Feel it. The energy that connected everything. The power. Each breath borrowed. Each life tied to an end.

It felt nice to fill their head with such thoughts and feelings, instead of war or injury.

As if out of spite, a shot of pain rips through their leg. It makes them shoot up and grab at it. But it is gone as quickly as it appeared.

A reminder, they think.

"There you are."

They turn, seeing Mo'at approaching them. They stand, bowing and greeting her.

"Oel Nga'ti Kameie, Tsahik."

She returned the gesture. "You are walking so soon after your injuries, does it not hurt?"

"No."

"And yet I saw you hiss as if in pain just now."

Their eyes find the ground. They didn't lie but they had yet to explain anything about her condition to any Na'vi. Not Mo'at or Zeyko or Tsu'tey or Neytiri. No one.

"It is different, I am well."

Her piercing eyes study theirs. "If you say so. Sit, we must talk."

Oh, they think as they follow her words and sit back down. She's here to talk about the warning.

Just as they think it, Mo'at confirms.

"Eywa has told me of your bravery in response to her warning. She has talked to you."

They don't remember anything like that, but somehow they know the answer is yes.

"The warning, she cannot say what of. It will impact our future too strongly if we know."

They nod along. Were they enough to have that big an impact?

"She has told me something else."

They look up at her, and she is watching them with a softer gaze. She says something that shocks them. Halting their thoughts. Like the information got stuck between the cogs of their brain.

She leaves with a smile. They don't know how long it is until they stand and make their way back to the tent. But her words ring in their mind.

"Unbelievable", they think aloud.

"What is?"

They look up. Tsu'tey stands in front of the tent, two bowls in his hands.

"Nothing. Is that for me?"

He nods, motioning them into the tent. There he tells them to sit down and hands them a bowl. Talioang meat. Their favorite.

"I've been told you haven't been hunting lately."

Another flash of embarrassment. Brief, but clearly there. "I did today."

They nodded, taking the carved husk and gratefully scarfing down its contents. Tsu'tey ate carefully in contrast.

Still, as soon as their mind wandered they were pulled again to those words. Mo'at had really surprised them. They went to tell Tsu'tey when he spoke first.

"I would like to show you something today, if that is fine."

What could he be planning to show them? They obviously hadn't seen everything the forest had to offer, but what was so new that he had to ask to show it to them?

"Sure, that'd be nice."

They ate in silence, Tsu'tey taking the bowls after. Just as he left, the flap was opened, and in came Jake, grinning. Sweat stuck to his skin and he breathed heavily. It was clear that he ran from one of Neytiri's lessons to check on them.

He kept his questions quick, looking like he kept a mental count of the seconds to know when he should head back. And he did after around two minutes, calling out a "just wait! I'll get my clean kill in no time!"

Zeyko arrived just a little after that, all soft smiles and lilting laughs. She carefully unbandaged them as if they were gravely ill, inspecting their back to make sure the wounds were healed. Then she excused herself, talking about a direhorse accident that needed to be attending to.

When she left, they exited the tent again, going back to the branch they'd previously laid on. Maybe they should've felt restless, having had three days of deep sleep. But all they felt was tired.

It scared them to sleep. Maybe they would go back into a coma if they did. Was that how those worked?

Even so, as they stared up at the leaves drifting with the wind, they found themselves falling asleep.

This time, Tsu'tey found them. Sleeping on a patch of moss bathed in sunlight. He almost didn't want to wake them. But they woke without him doing anything.

Eyes blinking open and brows furrowing in confusion when they see they are outside.

"You should not be sleeping here, you could fall." He extended a hand. "It is a long way down."

The two began the walk back to the tent in silence.

They brushed the sleep from their eyes, shaking their head as if rattling their thoughts back into place. After a while, they realized they would have already passed the tent, looking around and seeing that they were being led elsewhere.

Tall ferns brushed against their arms, getting thicker and thicker as they went.

Tsu'tey kept to a small track, woven through the plants with care, looking back every so often to check that they still followed.

It felt familiar. And they realized it was. They had taken this path once before, hadn't they?

They were about to ask when they nearly bumped into Tsu'tey's back.

"Sorry."

He said nothing and stepped aside to show a particularly large fern leaf, then he pulled it aside to reveal an alcove.

An indent in the tree. Wide and deep enough to lie down comfortably.

He guided them to it, and the two sat there in comfortable silence. After three days, they could finally continue their daily activity. Watching the eclipse take place.

Darkness slowly but surely enveloping the forest. Casting its shadow over everything.

There is a moment of true darkness. A short moment, before the world lit up again. A light of its own. Scattered colors shining and almost twinkling.

An entirely different world in just a few seconds. All from the comfort of the alcove, which shielded them from the cool night air.

They had a lot of questions but voiced none of them. Silence felt fitting. They didn't understand the significance of the alcove, but they felt like he had shown them something intimate. Like he had told them something that he had never told anyone else. And they wondered why he would do that.

Because they saved his life?

No that wasn't it. There was something else.

They don't know why. But something in them is reeling to talk. To finally tell someone what they are.

Maybe because of Mo'at's words and how, if they didn't tell anybody now, telling them later would be more of a betrayal. What were Mo'at's words? Prepare yourself, you wil soon have your iknimaya.

"Do you remember when Zeyko asked why I bleed so much?"

He glanced at them, confused by the sudden question, but nodded anyway. "You said people do not enjoy hearing why."

"They don't. It's not - it isn't something they understand easily."

This seemed to pique his interest.

They begin to wonder if they should say it. But if they didn't, and what Mo'at said would happen happened. Without anyone knowing that they were unnatural. Only shipped to Pandora for the barest chance of them being useful in keeping the Na'vi in line.

So they do say it. Starting from the beginning. From how they were made from DNA of fallen soldiers. To how they were raised in a bunker, exposed to experiments that burned information into their head. To how they were freed, only to end up in a larger cage.

How the RDA bought them like a piece of equipment. Right off the government's hands. Hoping to make use of their knowledge in the fight starting on Pandora.

How they built them an avatar and locked them in it for days to experiment on their human body, and vice versa.

All the horrors of their past.

How they all lead to them on Pandora to fight against the people, not learn from them as they had been doing.

When they finished, they went quiet. Allowing him time to process. Preparing themselves for the chance of him pushing them over the edge to get rid of another annoyance.

This was selfish of them after all. To share their sob story and tack in the addition of them being a possible weapon against the people.

"You should not have come to my aid."

They balk. What? It's as if he hears the question and continues.

"I am a warrior. A warrior should protect, not be protected."

They don't protest, too confused by his words.

"You said you are a warrior, you are not. A human child cannot be a warrior." The words come with a frost to them.

He stares ahead now as if he is still replaying the sunset and eclipse in his mind. Turning back time to that moment in the forest with his arrow against their chest. Maybe he imagines he lets go of the bowstring, and the pain is eradicated then and there.

"It is hard to believe. You are all smaller, softer, and yet violent and cowardly. Hiding away in metal contraptions." Oh. They understood now. "How can a skyperson, a child, risk their life for another? If it was that easy-"

His words were confused. Anger and confusion. Anger and sadness. It all led to this. The teaching. The begrudging acquaintanceship. Skypeople had taken too much from him. Too much. And yet they dared give him something in return. They dare save him.

"You lie and you steal and you cannot be taught. But a child-" He shakes his head slightly. "Why is a child a warrior? Why does a child risk their life?"

They dare let a child save him. A child, of all things. After all of it, they dare send a child to soften his heart.

And maybe he felt angry at himself, too. For needing to be saved. For being caught by surprise. And for letting their little ploy work. For feeling scared for the skyperson, as if their people hadn't killed his without mercy.

This is why he hated any sort of relationship. They always had to be complicated by love or hate or anything.

Granted, this surely presented itself as an outlier in its complexity. The next Na'vi to lead the people growing to care for the one the enemy with an inkling to destroy them.

The people he hated so much. The one he tried to treat like a sibling after many months of resistance, thinking that after those months they are different.

But they are not.

They are the same.

They are worse.

But in his moment of betrayal, he thinks of the night before.

When they woke up, he stayed to watch them go back to sleep before leaving. Walking to the tree of voices.

He talked to Sylwanin there. About the dreamwalker. About how he had grown to care for them and felt conflicted. Like he had betrayed the people.

She comforted him, but when he asked for advice she gave her usual words. That others wiser than her still lived. But she said something else.

"Children are children because they are growing. Grace Augustine told me that, it seemed so obvious." She laughed softly. "Perhaps your skyperson can grow to be one of the people. A child should not be blamed for what they were born to be, do you not think?"

He looks at the child beside him. A child. He had been thinking of them as a child the whole time, why did he suddenly think differently when they told him? As if they intentionally deceived him. And the People. The Tsahik. The Olo'eyktan.

"A child should not be blamed for what they were born to be," he says, repeating her words in the cool air, "or for what they have endured."

Tag list:

@rebeccao03 @eywas-heir

#avatar #james cameron avatar #avatar fanfiction #avatar reader #jake x reader #tsu'tey x reader #dad tsu'tey #injury tw #blood tw #they're going through all the stages of a typical slow burn romance #introduction #acquaintanceship #a litte more than acquaintanceship #and now betrayal #except it's all familial #norm spellman #grace augustine

[silentreigns]

The Shield ultimately costing Roman his historic title reign is the long term story telling that I've grown to adore. I love pro-wrestling

#also love how wwe storylines make more sense now #the feeling is restored #wwe #roman reigns #seth rollins #10 years and roman hasn't gotten over seth's betrayal #i love you wrestling yaoi #rolleigns

[ghostbsuter]

Jazz isn't the biological daughter of Jack.

It was before their marriage. Back in her league days, Maddie was simply the best of the best. She was the demon's daughter second in command, heading her call any moment and her most loyal subject.

That's how it was, to the people.

Behind closed doors she and the demon daughter were more.

But those are old times, after she betrayed the league, fled and created plans to continue living in relative peace.

That was how it was supposed to be.

That was not how it played out.

During her 3rd year with a man called Jack Fenton, did she receive news of a child, a daughter of her own with Talia. One she created in a lab, trained to follow their footsteps and ran from the league at the perfect time and needed to hide.

So maddie took in her daughter, trained her, and showed the ropes of a civilian life.

Jack loved her as if she were his own. It led them to finally marry and later on have Danny.

Jazz knew of the pits, of the meaning they had, and how much knowledge the leader of the league possessed.

Now she is 17, recently orphaned with her 15 year old brother and on the run because Danny is currently the only living person in this world who knows more of the pits than the current user.

And Ra's really wants that knowledge.

#dcxdp #dpxdc #dp x dc crossover #fic prompt #writing prompt #dc x dp prompt #jazz is a trained assassin that ran away #just like her mother maddie #talia ia jazz other mom #the assassins killed maddie and jack for betrayal and knowledge #now Ra's wants danny because he is the only one who knows of his parents study #the fentons studied.the ghost zone which is connected to the pits #jazz doesnt know.much she rather stayed out of it #all of the papers and drives are destroyed #danny is the last living human with the knowledge #now jazz has to go back to fleeing with her little bro #she might go to gotham cuz dami is her half brother #danny has no idea whats going on

[essektheylyss]

The tragedy of Bor'dor is that he could've been deradicalized, and wasn't. And not only that he wasn't, but that there wasn't time for it. In isolation, his death could've been avoided, with time, but that isn't something that the Hells have right now. They have been well-outfitted, have many allies across the world fighting on their side, and have made enough of an impact to buy them a few weeks, but even that came at a great cost, given the loss of life we've seen in Uthodurn and here with Hevestro's circle.

And there are so, so many individuals among the Ruby Vanguard who are probably just like Bor'dor, who could be talked down from the ledge they've been egged upon by Ludinus's manipulations. We know this, actually, because the Nein did that for Essek, with, frankly, very minimal actual ideology—they did it by being nice and acting as someone else who listened.

But it's years too late for that, because there is now an army of those individuals, and they cannot be taken in isolation. They have passively caused significant loss of life across the planet by altering this solstice, and encouraging more through their ideological shoving, as in Hearthdell. There's no time because the war is already well underway—only the Hells have arrived in the eleventh hour. So the Hells can pity and mourn him, but Orym's assessment was right—they're at war, and the nature of this war is that it must be fought and won in order to even think about the future and rehabilitation.

The tragedy is that Bor'dor could've lived if there was time, but that time is already long gone.

#anyway orym going 'we're at war' will be living in my head rent free from now on thx #honestly really do want to do a more thorough comparison of war and betrayal and mercy between c2 and c3 #but also that would require explaining the differences between war of attrition/political war and war of the existential threat kind #cuz lord knows a lot of people have not grasped that #critical role #cr spoilers #cr meta #bor'dor dog'son

[chaoticcomposition]

"Oh, Vierna. My heart sings to see you."

lolth tells athalia she wants to speak to vierna to reestablish a connection, vierna complies. I don't think lolth knows what personal space is

#dungeons and dragons #dnd #d&d #drow #wizard #lolth #the spider queen #dnd oc art #drawerings #ocs #vierna aurellyn #betrayer god sexy #that's just my betrayer god tag now #exandria #wildemount #dumaran #digital painting

[luna-lovegreat]

So... Warriors

It is obvious by now he's not ok. He's irritable and tense.

I've had thoughts and ideas on this for awhile, so I think now's a good time to speak them. Very important detail at the end.

There are some really big and some small things adding to his stress

The drama with the sword. Wild went against the agreed plan, and lashed out in anger fear for twilights injury. From things Jojo said, Wars is mad about it for a while.

I have said this in other posts, but based on things Jojo has said and some details, I do not think Wild likes wars. He has not really gotten close to him, which adds on to the negativity between them

But Wars... is a captain. This journey is different, and he's doing amazing at setting aside expectations of how to work with rank. But that is still a clear stressor- to him that was unacceptable in battle

^this is one big thing we watched go wrong and has clearly been upsetting since

Another thing is

Wars has been taking on too much. We've seen him break up a fight at the inn, comfort Time (time!), and tell him he'd take care of the others.

Twice he said "let them", and "let him be"-making others have space they needed. He asked Four what was wrong and followed up with helping with smithing.

^^These are all small things. None of these are huge- practically tiny tasks. But they add up- all the attention to others feeling but not his own

... and

Wars has not smiled. Yes, he smiled, but it was not his smile. Since Twilight went injured to the inn, there has only been smiles in a way expected, but not much beyond when he found out his friend wasn't dead. (And when he helped Four at the blacksmiths)

In the updates, I have seen others saying how cool/pretty he looked. Which he did! But emotion wise, I only thought he looked angry. Even when teasing Twilight...

^Not his smile

But here's the biggest thing that I believe is bothering him...

I've wanted to point this out for awhile. The thing is, Wars was really hurt when he found out Twilight didn't tell him about Wolfie

It's small details. A few sentences and facial expressions. But they add up over the chapter, and I don't think he felt trusted or trusting when he found out

He tried to find out who else knew

And why he was one who didn't

*read the blurred words:

"No one said anything to me, I'm just left out of the loop. Who else knows? Just us?"

Wolfie being secret wasn't necessarily about trust, but wars took it personally. He really didn't understand or want to accept that Twilight would have told some of the others but not him...

Wars is distinctly closer to the ones his age, who the younger ones often turn to. And as someone who's been through war, who bonds closest with those he feels he works with best?

Twilight having a major secret he didn't share with Wars, but did with others,

Felt like a knife to the (back?) chest.

And it hurt him

Look at his face when saying "we couldn't do a thing for him". He's looking away, directly after asking four and wild if they knew. I don't think he felt trusted. Or trusting. From thinking someone wasn't who he thought he was, and maybe was closer to others...

^^this is what I think is perhaps the biggest stressor- yet most unnoticeable

Wars never spoke to anyone about his feelings. He pushed it aside and went and helped.

This is ok. Between people so close, anything can be worked out. This is very revealing of how much Wars cares about twilight and the others

As far as Warriors pushing aside his needs and focusing on others... it's hard.

But I can confidently say this: Warriors would never want to not help all he could, when the others needed him

Here's this screenshot that makes me laugh (and somehow sky is just chill with this?)

Wars: oh my god my friend just came back from a wolf what the Hylia who can I even trust I'm having an invisible crisis

Sky: oh yay the sword helped he's back :)

Twilight: I'm fine *currently dying*

Wars is stressed right now. He's taken on too much, he's probably still mad at Champion, and... he feels betrayed (god wars should never have to feel betrayed) and untrusted

Like literally everyone ever others, wars deals with his hurt. Sometimes he can't deal with it alone, and sometimes he can. It will all work out, and I love how much he loves his brothers.

But nothing, I repeat nothing

Will be ok

IF HE DOESNT START WEARING THE DAMN SCARF SOON CMON WE HAVENT SEEN IT IN LIKE TEN UPDATES

PUT ON YOUR EMOTIONAL SUPPORT SCARF CMON MAN

Ok I'm calm <3

.

Art and comic by Jojo @linkeduniverse :D

#petition to bring the scarf back 2024 #linked universe #linkeduniverse #no hate towards any for accepting Wars help #they were all overextended. now for recovery #my fanfic authors know what I'm talking about with trust and betrayal #he's not ok #I cannot make a post only exploring the dark sides of relationships #with love strong enough to hurt- how is there not beauty to be found there? #I only like the scarf to want it back. but. I have given up. have at it wars simps #Lu wars #I feel like some of my wording was too harsh- perhaps from just discussing an uncomfortable topic #but if I have said anything offensive let me know I want to learn :D

[goldenpinof]

Dan got hit on at the nightclub

#dan and phil #daniel howell #amazingphil #phil lester #dan and phil games #danandphilgames #my edits #dnpgames #this gifset is basically for myself? that's why it's messy as hellll #sorry #nobody giffed this moment #what a betrayal! #so i kinda had to do it myself #Dan and Phil are Dating Boys #11:05 #the next phrase out of context is so bizarre though. “now Phil. for those exact reasons-” bro? skipped the party story? #it was Ben's bday party #rosie and isabelle were there #ben

[a-flickering-soul]

the single hand at the back of her head. how this frame is indistinguishable from a kiss. im inconsolable.

#adventure time #bubbline #flickerthoughts #okay NOW i'm done. prommy. lied. #o my beloved enemy. o my tender betrayer. o the stake at my chest. o the teeth at my neck.

[thethiefandtheairbender]

as a lifelong ATLA fan who narrowly had ATLA dethroned as my top show by The Dragon Prince steadily over the past 5 years, the similarities between the two have very little to do with the surface level parallels that get regularly drawn between them.

Like ATLA, TDP has Books for seasons and chapters for episodes, but unlike ATLA, which only touched on storytelling sparingly as a theme, TDP is obsessed with interrogating storytelling and history and the presence of unreliable, biased narrators throughout many of its episodes (most notably 2x05, 2x06, 3x06, 4x04, and 4x07 among them). Half of what you learn in the 1x01 intro ends up being a lie once you reach S3, with more being steadily deciphered.

Yes, TDP has different magics with people living under those umbrella terms... for the elves. Humans are coming culturally at things from a completely different angle, and the elves' connection to their primal sources are discussed philosophically in detail, informing their practices and their culture first hand, including the way they chafe against humans, who are arcanum-less. Many animals in the world are also connected to magic, which influences both their design and which ones get hunted for humans' more 'clever' solution in dark magic, including each other.

The core issue of the Puppetmaster, down to being a coercive magic formed by someone deeply resentful of their imprisonment? Said puppetmaster is the main endgame antagonist of the entire show with all of S4 onwards being exploring the ethics of controlling people against their will in various methods, and the entire show itself being a thematic battleground of fate (imprisonment) vs free will for virtually every single character.

Where ATLA mostly concerns itself timeline wise with ending the war, very little thought is shown by any of the characters as to what they'll do after the war. This isn't a problem (as it reflects the sheer domineering scope of the conflict) but even Zuko being firelord is only ever really addressed with 2.5 episodes left till the finale. TDP, meanwhile, ends its 'war' in s3 and s4 opens up with dealing with the old wounds festering between people with centuries of history, the struggles that come when people aren't able to let go and believe they're safe or mourn in a healthy manner, and the religious/cultural clashes that may occur when trying to integrate different groups of people.

TDP also has an evil father with a devoted daughter and a brother who eventually defects, but it explores the reality of an abusive parent who loves/will sacrifice for you and your right to leave regardless, even if that means leaving the sibling you truly deeply love and who loves you in turn. Which means that when you and your sibling are on opposite sides of a deep ideological conflict, it actually really fucking hurts bc we've seen first hand just how much they love each other and also how and why everything fell apart not in spite of that love necessarily, but also because of it.

Is this to say that TDP is a 1:1 with ATLA or that it's better? No, not at all, and the latter is subjective. I prefer TDP, but I think they're about on equal ground when you look at each show currently as a whole (although TDP has two seasons left to go).

But TDP takes a lot of what ATLA was doing thematically with some of its most interesting beats and then builds or expands upon them further. It talks further and more consistently about the cycles of violence; in many ways, Jack De Sena's character, Callum, begins the series largely where Sokka had ended (and he's not the most like Sokka anyway; very much his own thing); we get Faustian bargains and centuries' long grief and fucked up people who are trying both succeeding and failing at not doing fucked up things. There are antagonists, but it is very hard to actually label anyone at this point a straight up villain. Moral greyness is where the show starts, and it just continues from there.

That's not to say the show is nothing but dark and depressing - like ATLA, there's a steady thread of hope and humour even as the show gets steadily closer and closer to its 11th hour point - but the show is usually emotionally heavier. There's more blood and potentially disturbing imagery with body horror and on screen death. There's so much foreshadowing you basically can't go more than 5 minutes into any episode without having something that's going to come back around or be referenced again like 3-5 seasons later.

Just to be clear - TDP is like ATLA, but it's like ATLA in interesting ways beyond the more shallow surface level that usually gets attributed to it, while still very much being its own show and its own thing. And that is why I tend to recommend it to people who like ATLA.

Thank you and goodnight

(Also, the fandom doesn't have any ship wars, and the show is queer as fuck)

#tdp #atla #the dragon prince #avatar: the last airbender #mine #parallels #analysis series #also betrayal. tdp talks a lot more about betrayal #now im trying to think if there's any character in tdp who hasn't felt or been outright betrayed #i. DON'T THINK SO?? #atla meta #tdp meta

[turtleblogatlast]

Don’t think I ever quite said what my LGBTQ+ headcanons are for the boys, so these are my current thoughts! Always changing of course but this is what I feel most strongly right now.

#rottmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rottmnt headcanons #rise donnie #rise leo #rise mikey #rise raph #donnie and leo’s sexualities being practically swapped was unintentional but it works way too well #same with mikey and raph tbh it was a happy accident #anyway I kinda hc raph as the type who doesn’t care about physical appearance just if you fight lol #Mikey’s more than happy with friends and family #Donnie is a BIG romantic but he needs time to sus a person out fully before he gets the hots for them #leo meanwhile isn’t keen on romance unless it’s with someone he grows to really really REALLY trust #I could go on and probably will later (knowing me) but it is late and I am tired haha #turtle art tag #curious as to what everyone else headcanons #the only one of these I’ll defend forever is Bi (female-leaning) donnie and trans leo #all the others can change over time but I really like where they’re sitting right now #I hope these are the right flags too because it was kinda hard to find them #went looking for transmasc flag in particular but I couldn’t find a solid agreed upon version 😭 #ngl a big part of why I hc mikey as aro is because of a pun #my phone often misspells aromantic as aromatic and- and you get it- because aromatic herbs and- and Mikey is a chef do YOU GET IT #note that while I hc leo as bisexual (male-leaning) I still think he’s prob closer to demi in that as well just not as far into the spectrum #if that makes sense #headcanons are fun and hard to narrow down at the same time alas #I made this in like an hour can you tell djjdjd #I drew them all from memory so if there’s anything wrong…shhh #and if you’re wondering for April and Splinter #Both are Bisexual (female-leaning) but April is also Panromantic #I almost wanna make Splinter demiromantic too so Big Mama’s betrayal hits just a bit harder

[darlingod]

It’s just… it is everything that Cardan thought Jude would notice his “SO OBVIOUS” exile riddle and thinks Jude to not hesitate to come back. Beside his certainty of her cleverness to piece the riddle together, he believed he was that clear about his feelings toward her; he had thought she absolutely ought to know how he feels for her.

Like oh buddy. BUDDY. Your wife had thought of the answer to your little riddle like you thought she would. But guess what? She has detrimental TRUST ISSUES. (Like… Ur super mean and hot, I can’t blame her.) Anyway.. it’s SUPER adorable of him to so wholeheartedly believe she wouldn’t question his trust. It reveals so much about his pov of thier relationship.

Jude thought Cardan’s (silly) trick was a (vile) trick, when it was simply a: “Im trying to impress/pay you back in kind with our romantic metaphorical sparring and eventually get you out of political drama for a bit,” trick.

I’m fucking laughing wow these delusional ass children I fucking love them.

#IM JUST NOW REALIZING I SPELT THEIR WRONG AND IM SO EMBARRASSED #at least it was the right their😭😭 #THEYRE SO REAL LMFAOOOOOO #like they both were so hot ofc they constantly questioned the validity of each others feelings #if the last part didn’t make sense I’ll explain #she knew he had tricked her into exile and when Jude was like ‘can I pardon myself?’ she thought it was another trick to humiliate her #like girl it was to do THE OPPOSITE of humiliation #HE WAS SENDING YOU TO SAFETY UNTIL YOU COULD COME BACK AND FLAUNT UR NEW POSITION #but basically it revealed that he loved like Jude loves #that they have the same heart #(he’s not like the reg folk. he grew up around so many mortals as she did the folk) #but he’s a faerie so he doesn’t take caution to being unpredictable #Jude even knew: the folk could be humanlike but they (the folk) inevitably would do something to remind her that they STILL ARE folk #though she had too easily assumed that the folk acting like the folk meant betrayal #he thought the whole marriage thing had meant she fully trusted him #because he knew how hard it would be for her to give up her power over him #and he thought because that she had given up her ability to command him(comma) that she couldn’t doubt trusting him any longer #queen of nothing #the cruel prince #the wicked king #Jude Duarte #jurdan #cardan greenbriar #tfota #I’ve known them since I was 13 they’re much older in my stubborn pov #also me using the semi colon as if I’m sure that it’s proper grammar LMAOOOOO #confidence is key

[leathfaic]

I've been sitting on a headcanon for over a year now because I know that once I put it out I will want to expand on it.

But fuck it what is one more writing project?

I want Ghost to be fucking paranoid about Laswell finding out about him and Johnny. Not even because she would necessarily tear them apart but because she would absolutely use it. To her advantage and thus potentially against them.

Send them out on a dangerous undercover op for months under the guise of having left so they could be together. Infiltrating some dubious PMC perhaps that doesn't quite care, they're getting the Ghost and his Sergeant after all, if they just look the other way. What a fucking deal and how dumb the government is to let those 2 become mercenaries just because they like to fuck each other. One wrong step one wrong word and they might both end up dead.

But far more than physical harm just the threat of keeping them apart if they don't comply. Days that easily spin into weeks and months that they just keep missing each other, mission beginning before the other gets back from his current one. Until Laswell pointedly asking if they are going to behave this time is "graciously" giving them another chance to work together.

Because really, there's nothing they can do, right? They could be dishonourably discharged for fraternisation and instead Laswell is "only" using it to twist their arms.

Price, even if he knows can't really help them either because again, any kind of ruckus about this and it could end so much worse.

Soap probably has a little more faith in Laswells morals, although I'm sure the more they work together the more that quickly fades and he understands Ghost's caution. That woman got to where she is in life for a reason.

So they are still close with each other when she's around. Would be weird if they stopped all of a sudden, bound to draw her attention too. But always minding a careful line. Keeping it to the "brothers in arms". Never giving away too much. And sometimes that stings even more. When Ghost sees Johnny's need for physical contact and can't do more than give him a manly pat on the shoulder. Torn apart by the need to hold him.

When Soap notices that Ghost isn't sleeping on an op, knowing he should be there and talk him through the night until the bad dreams fade and Ghost gets at least a few hours of shut-eye. Nothing he can offer but empty phrases and a dumb comment about Ghost clearly needing to get laid.

They both know of course. What they really mean. It's still grating.

Better than it could be if she knew though. Worth to keep what they have safe.

#please dont get me wrong i love laswell so much #i just think this is an interesting way to think about her and how far she is willing to go for “whats right” #and the things shes willing to sacrifice #and ghost having dealt with so many kinds of betrayal from superiors is just immediately wary of her #like he clearly states that he doesnt fully trust her in alone #because he doesnt really trust anyone but price when it comes to upper brass #idek the idea has been haunting me for a while now #ghostsoap #soapghost #simon ghost riley #john soap mactavish #cod mwii #johnny soap mactavish #cod #cod mw2 #ghoap #cod hc #kate laswell

[sewermageboy]

Thinking about the relationship between Joker and Kaidan.

How they've both been there since the beginning, how their first scene is them sitting together in the cockpit of the Normandy, teasing each other. How Joker sticks by Shepard's side the entire time while Kaidan doesn't. How Joker judges Kaidan for not coming to fight the Collectors. How Kaidan blames Joker for causing Shepard's first death. How Joker knows Kaidan is right to blame him. How they're both back on the Normandy in the end, saving the galaxy. How they can both lose the person they love (Shepard and EDI) to save everyone else.

#i wanna sink my teeth into their relationship #how do you move past all that? #how do you reconcile all that betrayal and blame and guilt? #i've some exploration of their friendship/relationship in fics that made me think and now i can't get it out of my head #kaidan alenko #jeff joker moreau #joker mass effect #mass effect #mass effect legendary edition #shenko #mshenko #edi mass effect

[mellowthorn]

Do you all ever think about how Fitz must have felt immediately after the Fool's Fate breakup? Like, before he begins properly courting Molly and using that as an escape, back when he still lives in Buckkeep? He largely speeds through this era in his narration, but how was it actually like for him, living through it day by day?

Waking up in the bed of Chade's workroom, expecting to feel the Fool's back against his, but then realizing that no one's there. Listening to nobles and servants gossip about Lord Golden and when asked, having to come up with some sort of an explanation, all the while trying not to show just how much even the mention of him hurts.

Walking past the door to Lord Golden's chambers and resisting the urge to try to pull it open, just in case the Fool might still be there (even if he knows that it would be impossible). Reciting the poem the Fool left him over and over in his mind, searching for any clue that might hint to his return, yet finding nothing. Drinking apricot brandy alone.

For the first time since he was a boy, having to live without either his Wit-bond to Nighteyes, or his Skill-link to the Fool. All by himself, entirely disconnected from the two beings who made him whole.

#i got carried away imagining this and now im very very very sad #but for real. we know how badly fitz handles losing the people he loves #we saw how he reacted to nighteyes and molly's deaths and to chade briefly abandoning him in AA and to burrich and molly's 'betrayal' in AQ #yet this is the one 'mourning period' he refuses to describe at all. and it happens immediately after he regains his full emotions #so it really can't have been good #rote #realm of the elderlings #rote spoilers #fool's fate spoilers #fool's fate

[jtl-fics]

Fluent Freshman - Part 40

PREV

The Winter Banquet.

Where the Spring Championship announcements happen for Collegiate Exy. A formal event meant to allow the ERC to showcase how their stars weren’t just brutes on the court. Look at how beautiful and handsome they all were. Look at how they danced together. Look at the smiles and laughter and-

Wait.

No.

Put that down.

Who had the great idea to put the Jackals next to the Terrapins? Things have been tense between the teams since the Captain of the Terrapins stole the Captain of the Jackal’s date during the Fall Banquet!

I thought we all agreed that there would never be any more steak knives! What was the point of paying for all the pre-cut tenderloins if we’re just going to give them steak knives?! 

Really gotta find an intern to pin this fiasco on.

Oh great the Foxes are leaving! Did we even get a picture of Kevin Day in his suit? Fuck it’s going to be a two intern firing kind of day isn’t it.

Someone get an eye on the Ravens before they try and grab some hapless idiot and sacrifice him to revive Riko Moriyama. If there’s even one more damn tabloid with a blurry photo of ‘Riko Moriyama’ to prove that his death was faked then heads will roll.

Honestly, the biopic that some Edgar Allan Film student is making about him seems pretty interesting. The ERC just wishes people would stop taking pics of the ‘lead actor’ and sending it to tabloids as proof that the King hadn’t died.

Fuck, the Foxes left before we got any decent pictures.

Well just great.

You’d think that after all these years of the Foxes leaving early they’d have learned that getting pictures as they arrive is the most important thing. 

Oh thank god it looks like the Trojans are starting to mediate the fight. You can always count on good ol’ Jeremy.

Fuck.

A Raven got too close to Jean Moreau and now Jeremy Knox has punched a Backliner. Great. The Trojans have formed ranks around Moreau but the kid’s just too damn tall. Someone has hit him in the head with an especially saucy meatball, he’s not injured, just confused. The Trojans are acting like it’s a gunshot he just took to the head.

The refreshment table just seemed to collapse in on itself and god wasn’t that just an allegory for this entire damn evening.

Anita Flores sighs as she watches yet another banquet go down in a riot. Honestly, she doesn’t know why they think these will end up differently. She finds herself often missing when she used to coordinate banquets for football teams.

She sighs and thinks about her least favorite interns.

Alex had been getting a bit too cocky lately. He’d make a good sacrifice.

***

(Three hours earlier)

The Palmetto State Foxes were on their way to the Winter Banquet. From what FF understood it was categorically always a 90% chance of a shitshow. Honestly FF was surprised that the percentage was that low.

There was a general tenseness in the air surrounding it that went beyond the Banquet’s propensity to become a fight. 

This year the Winter Banquet was going to be held up at the Binghamton Bearcat’s stadium. The nation knew the story from the news and FF knew the story from both that and from the Foxes themselves who were there at the time in bits and pieces.

Captain Neil had been kidnapped from this stadium and then he’d been tortured. FF hadn’t even been on the team when it had happened and he was anxious about Captain Neil going anywhere near the stadium.

“He was just…he was just gone.” Matt had said, “Neil was gone and Kevin said that he was probably dead when Andrew got back with his phone.” He continued as the two of them sat up late in the living room of the dorm one night back in early October.

“I thought Andrew was going to kill me y’know.” Kevin had said bottle in hand as FF tried to help him up the stairs because apparently he would 100% guarantee vomit if he was in the nausea box. “I thought that maybe I deserved it, since I didn’t help Neil. I just let him walk to his death.” He said and despite assurances that he wouldn’t puke FF’s shoes did not make it through that journey unscathed.

“We called…we called everywhere.” Nicky had stared up at the ceiling of his hospital room, “Andrew was adamant that he was still alive even though Kevin kept saying he was dead and that dead was the nicest thing he could hope for. I thought that was a terrible thing to say.” Nicky curled up closer to him.

“I told you, Andrew dragged me like I was nothing to get to Neil. I don’t think he even noticed the guns.” Wymack said to Abby as the two sat on the back porch during Aras’ going away party. “His eyes were on Neil.” he gestures towards where Andrew was watching Captain Neil wrestle with Matt.

“He looked like shit.” Aaron had said unable to stomach a diagram of different degrees of burn in his medical book. “At least he was alive.” He adds.

“A hero.” Andrew’s voice had been what could be considered teasing from Andrew, “Someone who looks like her.” he had said touching Captain Neil’s burn scars as they drove away from the stadium after coming back to pick FF up.

Captain Neil had come to him the day before they were set to drive out, “Take me somewhere no one will find me for an hour.” FF hadn’t quite understood what Captain Neil meant, he never hid anywhere. People just failed to realize where he was.

“Ok.” he says instead of trying to explain because being unnoticed means no one hid codes from him.

The roof of the Library wasn’t that much different from the roof of the Tower, only that it was taller and bigger. Captain Neil had shut his phone off after texting something, likely to Andrew, and then put it into his pocket.

FF settled on the roof, sat with his back against a heating vent to stay warm. Captain Neil settled next to him and they sat in silence. It felt like back at the start of this where Captain Neil and Andrew would come find him and just sit in silence. 

It was nice. He had missed-

“They act like the stadium is the thing that kidnapped me.” Captain Neil says.

Oh okay, quiet time is over apparently.

FF doesn’t say anything, figuring that nothing he could say right now would be the right thing and maybe Captain Neil just needs to talk through some stuff.

“That stadium is where I thought I’d have my last good memory.” Captain Neil explains, “I’m not scared of it and yet Andrew’s acting like I’ll die if I’m left alone for more than 2 seconds while we’re there. Every time we go there they all act like the most important thing in the world is that I get on that bus at the end of the night.” Captain Neil explains.

FF does remember how Andrew had grabbed Captain Neil after their October game up in Binghamton. How Captain Neil had complained bitterly but had gone after looking at Andrew.

“He’s dead!” Captain Neil exclaimed and FF couldn’t help but look over at the entrance and hoped no one heard them. “He’s dead! I watched him get shot! He can’t kidnap me again!” Captain Neil continued to yell and FF couldn’t help but worry that they’d be heard below, or worse bother a student trying to study below.

FF reached out and touched Captain Neil’s arm and bright blue eyes turned to him, “We’re on a library. Don’t yell.” FF said and Captain Neil looked at him incredulously.

Then he laughed. He laughed and laughed and FF was worried that he’d gone and broken his Captain.

He suddenly felt bad about his own bout of hysterical laughter a while back.

“Thanks Smith.” Captain Neil had said with a smile.

They had sat up there until it was dark and Andrew had started calling FF’s phone and Captain Neil took the call to say he was coming back.

Now they’re on the bus, dressed nicely, and on their way up to Binghamton’s stadium. Captain Neil and Andrew are hidden in the far back of the bus with Andrew looking far more like a watchdog than anything else the closer they got to their destination.

Captain Neil had seemed largely resigned to this treatment at this point. Eventually they were at the stadium and shown to their seats. They were sat across from the Trojans and it seemed like the rest of the team was quite pleased with that.

“Smith!” Captain Jeremy Knox is smiling at him, “Nice to see you again bud, nice name change too.” he says.

“It’s nice to see you too, Captain Jeremy.” FF says and doesn’t notice how Captain Neil’s head whips around to look at him.

“You two know each other?” Nicky asks looking between the two of them with excitement.

“Of course! We offered Smith a spot at the USC Trojans.” Captain Jeremy says and FF feels his stomach cramp at the memory.

That had been terrifying.

Coach Rheman and Captain Jeremy wanted to sit down to make their offer with his parents. He was still 17 and unable to sign anything legal without their permission. He’d tried to decline and move past them and Captain Jeremy had put the final nail in the coffin at the time for any thought that he could go to college on the power of his apparent Exy capabilities.

“I saw in your file that you have brothers! USC always gives a second look at student applicants who already have siblings in the university. You could go to school with your brothers!” he had smiled brightly like he wasn’t issuing FF one of the most terrifying threats he’d ever heard in his entire life.

He had given the firmest ‘No thank you, I’m not interested in playing Exy in college.’ he could and was running to his Grandma’s to breath into a bag for twenty minutes.

“I see you changed your mind about playing Exy in college.” Captain Jeremy said with the same smile that still feels like a threat.

“Coach Wymack and Captain Dan were convincing.” he says and looks to see if there’s any way he can move further away from Captain Jeremy’s attention.

“Can I ask what convinced you to be a Fox?” Captain Jeremy asks, “I’m always trying to see what support we should be offering. I found out last year that we missed out on Andrew because we didn’t offer spots to Aaron or Nicky. I thought since you had brothers that’d be the thing that got you.” Captain Jeremy leans across the table but stops when he notices the Foxes all tense. “Whoa, what’s up?” he asks.

Jean Moreau sighs from next to Captain Jeremy, “Not everyone wants to go to college with their family, Jeremy.” Jean says, “Did it not cross your mind that he changed his entire name?” he asks with a raised brow.

Jeremy blinks, “Oh,” he looks at FF, “I guess that wasn’t the right thing to offer.” he says leaning back in his chair.

“I guess I should thank you for offering that?” Nicky says wryly before turning to look at FF, “You look better in orange anyways.” he says.

“Thank you Nicky.” FF returns loyally.

The banquet gets started shortly afterwards. Food is served. The bar is opened. People are talking. FF finds himself relaxing the longer the conversations around him go on. Matt is talking with a backliner on the Trojan line named Todd in good cheer. Captain Neil, Kevin, and Jean are all talking about the latest updates with Ichirou in French with the occasional gesture towards FF. Jean Moreau looks at him with a raised eyebrow but gives him a single nod when Captain Neil explains what happened.

Jeremy is chatting with Jack and even Jack was finding it hard to maintain his usual level of rudeness in the face of such unbridled positive energy. Nicky was talking with Katelyn and Alvarez. Aaron was chatting with a fellow med student college athlete who was an offensive dealer. 

It was shaping up to be a good night.

MASTERPOST FOR ALL PARTS OF FLUENT FRESHMAN AU

NEXT

#Fluent Freshman AU #Jeremy Knox essentially threatening FF on accident #With a huge smile #Fucking kills me #Winter Banquet getting into full swing #Ya'll know where it's heading but not all the parts that happen #Foxes are on high alert #No one likes Neil being in Binghamton #There was definitely an all-hands meeting about how Neil is not allowed to go anywhere alone #That if a security guard approaches Neil you treat that security guard like an active threat #Nicky just thinks it's Andrew wanting an excuse to hold his BF's hand all night #Andrew: “Smith you're on covert operations. Keep an eye out for threats.” #FF: “Aye aye Captain.” #Neil: “OH SO NOW HE'S A CAPTAIN TOO? WHAT'S NEXT?!” #Neil is butt hurt about the whole “Captain Jeremy” thing #He could accept it for Dan #But JEREMY? #Neil's gonna need a lot of TLC to get over this betrayal TBFH #In adult news #My closing is next week Friday! #Wooo #I really speedran the whole owning property thing #Thank you bullshit luck #AFTG #AFTG AU #AFTG OC #Andreil #Wow 40 parts on this thing #Still wild #Thanks for joining me on this ride

[greeneyed-thestral]

#the way thorin turns when bilbo says his name #the last time he had heard bilbo's voice coming from behind him was when he learnt of his 'betrayal' #and now he can't believe it -- after all I've said and done to you you still came for me #the hobbit #hobbit #bilbo #bilbo baggins #thorin #thorin oakenshield #bilbo/thorin #thorin/bilbo #bilbo x thorin #thorin x bilbo #bagginshield #martin freeman #richard armitage #the battle of the five armies #battle of the five armies #botfa