#its not complete but there is certainly some great material in there!

[yugocar]

Disputed Histories // Vahida Ramujkić

"With the breaking up of Yugoslavia during the '90ies wars and with the formation of the new states consensus about collective history has also fallen apart. Different versions of history textbooks started proliferating in the same geographical area where once, during Socialism, only one version served as a reference and stood as 'unquestionable truth'. Revisions of official historic curriculums show us historic narratives as powerful tools in engineering collective (national) identities and maintaining power positions in the new liberal-capitalist order. These revisioned histories now designed from national perspectives (Serbian, Bosnian, Croat, Slovenian, Macedonian, Montenegrin and Albano-Kosovar), are not only different from the previous Yugoslav version, but also they are differing from each other, so prolonging the situation of conflict or inciting new ones. Aim of this project is to through creative practice examine the shift that took place in conceiving the official historic narratives from the position of personal histories and identities and open a space for thinking new position(s) from where more consequential official historic narratives could be told (and identities concieved), beyond national perspectives."

Today I'm sharing with you an amazing project by Vahida Ramujkić which has collected an abundance of history textbooks and contributed incredible research based on said textbooks. An invaluable resource for anyone interested in the topic of revised histories in the countries of former Yugoslavia. The website itself is in English, as well as some texts on it, but all the scanned textbooks are in the languages from their countries of origin. I would like to thank @balkanica for inspiring me to look for this resources I thought I lost.

#basil archives #another contribution to the archives!! <3 #im so glad i found this #its not complete but there is certainly some great material in there! #balkan youth have always outlived evil times #on the question of art #balkan art #we do not judge the object but what it tells us #vahida ramujkic

[azaleaniath]

~ NETEYAM X FEM! AVATAR! READER ~

Night Witch

summary: After waking up from a long coma after the war, you meet Jake's kids. While spending time with Neteyam especially, you develop more than just a great friendship with him.

includes: fluff, physical contact, kissing, falling in love, mentions of death, grief, blood, war, coma, jealousy

SFW

9k words

(Inspired by the Song 'Night Witches' fron Sabaton and the female heroes, the Night Witches themselves.)

_____________________

The massive bloodshed had begun.

Eywa had heard Jake's desperate call for aid. And yet, everything seemed so hopeless. Screams filled the air all around. Fire, as far as your vision went. The earth was ablaze. Machine guns and bombs almost ripped your ears apart. Blood and smoke blurred your sight. "Rogue 1 is hit. Sorry Jake."

Trudy's voice echoed from your headset through your brain. Your eyes widened at the sound. A loud shatter followed through her mic.

"Trudy?! Trudy! Where are you?! Trudy!" With a hesistant grip, you activated your mic as well.

Desperate cries for her didn't make her answer. Soon the connection broke.

"Trudy!" Your eyes filled with tears, they rolled over your cheeks and down your throat. "Fuck! Fuck fuck fuck!" Your entire body froze, yet your grip around your weapon tightened so much it felt like your hand would fall off. As your vision blurred, your focus got lost in the massacre.

The winged creature beneath you cried out loud, it's shriek made you squint your eyes, even more as it lowered its height uncontrollably fast.

"Eluri! Stay with me!" you screamed, until you felt your tsaheylu fail. Your ikran had been shot, pulling you into certain death with itself. There was no way out.

A last grip to the unmute button of your headset. "Jake, we're going down..." you mumbled in tears, as your whole body started to tense up and shiver at the same time as you saw the distance of the earth and you shortening rapidly with each blink of your eye.

"So, that's it... Eywa, be with me... "

~~~

Your entire body felt so heavy. The voices around you caused your pointy ears to twitch. "She's awake! She's back guys!"

"(Y/N), can you hear me?"

"Let me through! Now!"

"Dad, what's going on?"

"Ma Jake, let her wake up at least!"

These voices were not just english, but also Na'vi.

Someone lifted your eyelid, you tried to squint lightly at the unpleasant touch.

"Mmh... Jake? Neytiri?"

The few words you mumbled were merely a whisper, but the people around you seemed to be cheering happily about it.

As some strength came back to you, you blinked a few times. Once your eyes focussed after a few seconds your weak gaze met the faces of Jake, Neytiri, Max, Norm and a few younger, unfamiliar Na'vi.

Jake pulled you into a tight hug right away. Neytiri knelt next to you, observing you with a wide smile. They all looked as if a ton of bricks had fallen off their chest.

As Jake lifted your upper body into his embrace, Norm placed some blankets and pillows behind your back. Once Jake had let go, you leaned into the soft supporting material, almost sitting up fully.

"You're safe. Everything is safe." Jake spoke softly. "Quaritch is dead, but the battle isn't over yet."

Neytiri touched your face gently, as you looked down at your hands and body; you were still inside of your Avatar.

"Your human body didn't make it, you had a heart attack when your avatar crashed down. However, for some reason, your Avatar made it. It survived your crash." Max announced in a low volume.

"Eywa watched out for you."

Neytiri said in a gentle voice while tucking some hair strands behind your ear.

"It's a miracle, truly... I'd say you guys haven't changed, but damn..."

They had certainly all aged.

"You have been in a coma for..." Norm didn't manage to bring it out completely.

"I've recorded some brain activity about two days ago. I called Jake immediately as I saw you twitching."

"It's been 13 years."

Jake finally spit out.

Realization hit you. 13 long years had passed. You had missed so much time yet nonetheless, seeing these people lightened your eyes up.

"I have to see Grace and Trudy! They'll be so happy to see me after all that time!"

The following silence in the room felt like thick air.

"(Y/N)... They both died. Don't you remember?"

The pictures flashed back into your head. It felt like a torn, distant memory. These were some of your last memories. All the blood, the sound of heavy machinery, the screams, Trudy's last words. It was all back in your head.

Neytiri was the one to embrace you now, trying to calm you with soft pats over your hair. "They are with Eywa now."

After Neytiri had let go of you, your eyes scanned the room. Just now you truly noticed these younger Na'vis.

You blinked a few times, shoving your memories far away to the back of your head. A joke would certainly lift the energy in the room.

The children looked at you, a bit confused and yet so interested. One of them wore a headgear you remembered from flying Ikrans.

"I see you already gave up on me, getting some new apprentices there to do my job, huh?"

They all chuckled and looked at the children again.

"I want to introduce you to our children. Hey kids, come a step closer and say hello to our good friend."

You tried to get closer and gathered some strength to sit on the edge of the bed, then reached a hand out to his children.

"I know I am not one from the sky people anymore, but back on earth, we used to shake hands as a greeting" you said in Na'vi with a friendly smile on your face.

One of the boys made the first approach. He was wearing a head gear. His ears twitched as he lowered his head a bit and stretched his hand out to you, shaking yours gently. "I'm Neteyam. It's a pleasure to meet you."

He seemed so mature for his age, it amazed you almost.

"Hello Neteyam. Your parents chose a beautiful name for their- hmm, eldest son, right?"

He nodded with a smile and stepped aside. "Well", you added, "if you're their son, you're going to be a strong warrior one day."

"He already is. He will be next Olo'yektan." Neytiri's words were filled with pride.

Next up was his brother. He also shook your hand with a light smirk on his face. "I'm Lo'ak. Your Na'vi is really good!" he even spoke english.

"My my Lo'ak," you answered in their mother language, "that's impressive! But so is your engli-"

"I'm Kiri!" A sweet girl chimed in. God, she looked so much like Grace. She could've been her reincarnation.

"You've known my mother?" she asked with a hopeful look.

You swallowed and shook her hand as well.

"It's a long story. But yes, this is Grace's daughter. I'll explain everything later." Jake interrupted as he noticed your surprised visage. You took a deep breath.

"Kiri, is it? Well Kiri, your mother was a good soul and a wonderful teacher. You look alike, a lot."

"I have so many questions-"

"Kiri." Neytiri called like a warning, so she stepped back frowning.

The youngest of them hid halfway behind Kiri.

"She doesn't bite, Tuk. She's our friend." Neytiri encouraged her, making you giggle.

She hesitantly came forward and shook your hand too. As she realized that you were not as scary as she thought, she even smiled.

"Tuk is your name?"

"Tuktirey." Neytiri explained.

"But my friends can call me Tuk!"

You tilted your head with a slight grin. "That means I can call you...?"

"...Tuk!" She answered after a second, her smile warming up even more by now.

Norm left to fetch you something to drink while Max checked the machines that were still attached to you.

"See? No reason to be scared." Neteyam threw in and Kiri patted her head.

"But mom and dad said she was a ruthless hunter?"

"Against sky people. Ironic, isn't it?" Neytiri nodded at your clarification.

Jake held one arm around your shoulders, then looked to Neteyam, as his oldest son leaned over to his brother. "What was her name again?" he mumbled, but everybody heard.

"Oh god, you all told me your names and I still haven't formerly introduced myself, hah!

I am (Y/N). Your father and I met here through the program. The humans tried to create avatars for younger people too since they adapt better. I was 16 during the great battle."

Everyone was thrilled about your biography. Even the older people around you still couldn't help but be amazed that a 16-year old human girl in her avatar was so skilled with weaponry or even getting used to the ways of the Na'vi. But here you were.

It was clearly visible how happy and relieved your friends were. Although it was Jake who looked the most relieved. Suddenly, Neteyam's eyes widened in both realization and shock.

"Wait, you're the unseen rider who took a rocket launcher onto her ikran and took out countless RDA units?!"

Jake nodded. "She took out more helicopters than me. Many Na'vi know her name."

Lo'ak gasped.

Neteyam grabbed his brother by his shoulder and turned Lo'ak to face him. He gulped as they looked at each other.

"Bro...", Lo'ak swallowed before they looked back at you again, as Neteyam, wide-eyed, almost whispered

"You're the Night Witch."

~~~

It didn't take long to for you to get used to living amongst the other Na'vi. The entire Sully family gathered for dinner. Neytiri had prepared the most delicious fruit bowls for everyone, including you since you were somehow a part of them again.

Since you've woken up from your coma almost a year ago you had decided to stay in the forest with the Sullys, eventually checking in on Max' laboratory for some health checks.

Hungry as everyone was, you all charged at the food, yet a pair of arms kept everyone away from the bowls.

"Uh-uh, no. Kids, what do we say before we eat?"

Jake said in an almost sarcastically calm tone.

Loak rolled his eyes, Tuk sighed.

As usually, you all formed a circle around the food, sat down and closed your eyes.

Each and everyone grabbed their neighbour's hand. On your right side was Tuk, who swung your hand rythmically. With a smile you peeked over to the other side too, seeing Neteyam sit next to you. He caught you peeking at him and copied your facial expression while fishing for your hand.

With a lovely smile you took his hand and his fingers firmly wrapped around yours.

Shortly after, Neytiri cleared her throat to speak. "Thank you, great mother, for this nourishing meal."

Once she was done with her short prayer, everyone finally dug into the food. "Man, I've been hungry all day!" Neteyam exclaimed while shoveling the food into his mouth.

"How many times have I told you to eat properly before spending all day on your ikran?" Jake sighed with a shaking head.

Lo'ak sight-eyed his brother a while, his full mouth turned into a grin. "One day you'll grow some wings on your own, bro." He spoke even before swallowing. There was no time to lose when it came to joking opportunities.

"Hey, no talking unless your mouth is empty!" Kiri brought herself into the conversation as well, but Lo'ak just rolled his eyes a bit.

"Kids, we can talk after eating."

Some time later, as everyone was done, you all stacked your bowls.

"It's Kiri's turn to do the dishes!" Tuk exclaimed, yet Kiri just crossed her arms. "Actually, Lo'ak owes me one."

"How come?" Jake asked, holding his youngest son by his wrist as he tried to sneak off.

"He lost a bet to Kiri." Neteyam explained with a grin.

"What bet?" Jake furrowed his brows.

You were the one to speak up now. "That I couldn't beat Neteyam's flight time of 6 minutes and 25 seconds."

Kiri gathered all infos for Jake at once while triumphantly smirking at the younger brother.

"I guessed she would beat him in a race. It took (Y/N) 10 seconds less."

Jake held out his hand to high-five you, which you did.

"Well done. Looks like it's really Lo'aks turn then." Neytiri watched the situation in awe. This was her family. This was all she ever needed.

"Your new ikran is very strong, (Y/N). Fast and agile. I see you two are training very hard."

Jake looked at you and Neteyam. He couldn't have wished for a better friend for him. Someone that was full of potential, someone worthy.

"So, uhm... Jake, can I talk to you?"

He expected that already, so he got up and gestured you to accompany him on a walk.

A bit deeper into the forest, you followed him with slow steps. The ground beneath your feet glowed brightly with every step.

"What is it, sweetheart?" he asked, pacing through the bioluminescent plants slowly. They started to light up at his gentle touch as well.

You cleared your throat lightly before you spoke. "It's been a while since we've had time to sit down and have a few minutes to talk."

"That's your own fault if you're spending all day flying around with Neteyam. You know you can always come to me, alright? You're like a daughter to me."

His words made you smile.

Your eyes followed a couple of bearded dragons fly by before you answered.

"I know, but..."

"Yeah, you rather stay out there with Neteyam. Training your flying skills. You're a wonderful support to him and us, you teach him so much. And you're not as bad of an influence as Lo'ak."

Both of you giggled before Jake climbed up a tree with a few skilled movements, then he reached his hand out to you, so you followed. From up here, even if it was just a few meters above the ground, the wildlife seemed even more incredible.

"Lo'ak is trying hard to be like him, don't be so hard on him. They are your sons, Jake. Not Marines."

Jake huffed.

"I hope some of that good influence of yours does get into Lo'aks thick skull too. Maybe you should spend more time with him."

Somehow, the thought of spending less time with Neteyam felt unpleasant, and it showed in your face. The man noticed straight away, a grin appeared on his face.

"You don't have to spend less time with Neteyam. Maybe just take Lo'ak with you next time? Or do you want to be alone with him?"

Slightly perplexed, you blinked a few times, feeling your heartbeat quicken.

"What? No- huh? How do you even-"

"Hey, calm down, we don't have to talk about it."

"Good, good..."

Damn, this was embarrassing. Of course you liked spending time with his eldest son. The two of you were bonding extremely fast and well. You learned from each other and sometimes even stayed up late at night because he loved listening to your stories.

"But, do you like him in any specific way?"

"Eh? I-I..."

He just laughed it off as he saw how shy you got all of a sudden, unable to speak without stammering, ears twitching.

"Change of topics?"

"Y-yes, please."

"Alright, sorry, my dear."

A few seconds passed in silence before the man suddenly became all serious.

"Was it scary to be in the air again for the first time after...?"

A lump built up in your throat that made it almost even hard to breathe.

"The first time I flew alone, yeah. But luckily, Neteyam let me fly with him on his ikran before."

"Wait, what? I didn't know?"

"You weren't supposed to. I was pretty insecure about it."

"You, the famous Night Witch? Insecure about flying?"

It was hard to believe that even you could be weak. He had known you as a young but brave warrior.

"Jake, part of me died when my ikran was shot. Literally."

One of his hands rested on your shoulder.

"But you're back. In full power and with a new ikran. Have you chosen a name already?"

It took you a deep breath to answer without your eyes tearing up.

"Rogue One."

When he realized, it also made him very emotional. It was not a Na'vi name, but it had a special meaning.

"You named it after Trudy's helicopter?"

"Uhuh..."

He nodded approvingly, also taking a deep breath.

"She would be so proud of you."

"I think, this is the only thing I haven't come to terms with yet. All the other wounds healed."

"You'll get there too. If there is anything I can help you with, talk to me."

You and Jake both noticed someone coming closer, so you decided to cut the conversation here. It relieved you somehow to talk about everything that had happened.

The man grinned, hit your arm with his elbow gently.

"Look, your future husband~" Jake quietly mumbled as you both saw that it was Neteyam who came closer.

"Oh shut up, Marine." you growled while rolling your eyes before you climbed down from the tree.

Landing right next to Neteyam, you gestured a traditional greeting towards him, and he copied with a flashing smile.

"I've been looking for you already, you've been missing for longer than expected."

Ah, how much you loved the accent he had adapted from his mother. That alone made you feel warm around your heart. His voice was so pleasant to you and it calmed you down every single time.

"Been missing your (Y/N)?" Jake teased, still sitting in the tree.

The face you sent towards the man was deadly, but he just chuckled.

"Uhm..." Neteyam needed a moment to think of what to say, so he just chuckled awkwardly, trying hard to keep his tail calm.

"Actually I wanted to talk to you, dad."

"What a coincidence. Come up here, my son." Jake gestured him to climb up, but before he did so, the younger man looked back to you.

"Hey, you still wanna hang out later?"

The smile he gifted you was so genuine. You felt your cheeks burn everytime you looked at him.

He definitely had a special place in your heart.

"Sure thing."

"Great, I'll come to your place then after this."

While Neteyam then climbed up to his father, you shot a daring glare up to Jake. You hoped his son's english wasn't good enough for him to understand.

"I'll turn your wife into a widow if I should find out that you tell him about that awkward convo."

The man mimicked zipping his mouth and throwing the key away, so you gave a small nod before turning to leave.

~~~

While Neteyam and Jake were talking, you stayed in your tent and and went through some old pictures. Norm had brought them over after he had found them in your old RDA locker.

Completely drowned in your memories, you looked at them, tracing over the faces of your dead friends softly. "I miss you..." you mumbled with a cracked voice. Many times you would just look at them to keep them in your memory, especially since Trudy was human and you couldn't connect with her through Eywa.

As you skipped through further pictures, the corners of your lips curled up. One of them showed you in your RDA clothes. A white tank top and camouflage pants combined with some thick black boots.

Yet, it didn't show your avatar, but your human body.

"I can't even imagine you being so tiny and... not blue."

Neteyam's voice suddenly emerged from behind. He crouched next to you and carefully took the picture out of your hands to get a closer look.

"How did you know this was me?" You asked flustered, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear.

The young man just looked at you with a deadpan face.

"Even if you are not in your original body anymore, you kept your features."

"Especially the eye color" you joked, bringing some more emotion into his face again.

"Your skin was so different then."

He sincerely took his time to observe every little detail about the picture over and over again.

"You don't like it?" you mumbled quietly, to which he clicked his tongue.

"Oish! It's just not like it is now but I still like it on you."

While he was busy taking in all these little details you took a look at the other pictures.

As he glanced over to the ones in your hand he stopped you for a moment.

"That's Kiri's mother, right?"

With one finger, he pointed at the ginger haired doctor. She leaned against her desk with a cigarette in her hand while you sat on her chair with a book about Na'vi language in your lap.

"Yeah that's her." You explained, pulling up the next picture.

Neteyam leaned a bit closer to get an even better look. While he inspected it closely, you noticed how near he actually was to you right now.

You swallowed as you watched his features glisten in the low light.

"How tall were you?" he asked and sat back up again, facing you. He himself noticed that your face was right in front of his so he pulled away with twitching ears. In awkwardness, he looked back at the photos, unable to hide a shy smile.

"Compared to now, I was a dwarf. I was probably smaller then Tuk is now" you explained, slightly flustered yourself.

"I could've just picked you up with one hand!" he giggled at the thought of you being so tiny in comparison.

"Can I see the other ones too?" Neteyam pointed at the photos, so you just handed them to him.

Once he got a hold of them, he got them close to his face to see them better.

"Is that your first ikran?" His index finger circled around the image of a beautiful, rather small ikran. He knew that these animals came in many colors, but he had rarely seen one this dark.

"Yes, this is Eluri. She fought with me, carried me safely, so many nights and days. It was so practical that she was smaller than most ikrans, so she carried less weight. It made her faster and more agile. Due to her dark color, it was impossible to spot us at night. That's when we mostly attacked."

Neteyam turned his head and listened to your explanation. There were only few things he preferred to do in his free time over listening to you.

His entire body relaxed, even his tail and ears stopped twitching around.

Another picture showed you in the home tree, when Grace had proudly snapped a few shots during your first time meeting the clan.

"There's dad! And mom, and grandmother too!"

"Mhm, exactly. That day was my first time visiting the home tree."

He huffed.

"Dad looks a bit scared, did he think grandmother wouldn't accept you?" "Take another look at it."

He tried to understand what you meant, until he noticed.

"You went in there with a fucking automatic weapon?! Are you crazy?"

"Hey man I forgot to take it off okay? Force of habit."

Once more he huffed, and it turned into a soundless giggle.

"Did you leave your brain in the connection station that day?"

"Hey, careful!" you laughed, picking on his ear for a moment.

"Argh, (Y/N)!" he tugged your tail with wide eyes and a grin, causing you to gasp.

Just as he leant in closer and was about to pull on your hair strands playfully, you heard someone getting closer to the tent. It was Lo'ak, who had been sent to pick up Neteyam. Their tent was merely a few meters away.

"Uh-hum..." Lo'ak tried to catch your attention. As you both looked up to see him, he could barely keep a straight face.

He crossed his arms, keeping one hand to his chin. You could see him biting his lip in order not to grin.

"Yo bro, you uh... you coming? Or are you like, busy?" It had cost him a lot of strength not to laugh seeing his brother falling for you with every passing second. The way he still was so close to you was painfully funny for him to see.

"'Cuz if you're staying with (Y/N) tonight, you better tell mom and dad personally. And maybe you should close the curtains." He rubbed his lips with one hand to hide his facial expression which got more and more hard, the longer he watched the two of you sit on your mat, hands on each other.

Neteyam got even more flustered at his brother's comments, yet it rather turned into anger. He pursed his lips while you sighed quietly.

"I'll deal with him... " he murmured beneath his breath but you shook it off and wished them both a good night. He tried to give you one last smile before he got up and stomped over to his brother, his tail whipped in fury.

Neteyam grabbed him by the back of his neck and dragged him back to their tent while quietly hissing at Lo'ak, but you couldn't understand what exactly he said.

"These idiots..."

~~~

The next morning you woke up around the same time as anyone else. The volume of the clan awakening, starting their days and chores always lifted you from your sleep. Yet you just shifted a bit and decided to stay down for a few more minutes.

"Good morning, (Y/N). "

Neteyams voice greeted you. Once you blinked and your eyes got used to the light, your sight landed on the future Olo'eyktan, sitting in one corner of your tent. "What are you doing here?" you asked in a hoarse, sleepy voice.

He held up your pictures with one hand. "I wanted to take another look at them again."

But his face told a different story.

As you sat up slowly he put the pictures aside, there was a violet, dark blueish tint across his face, from one ear to another.

"And I wanted to apologize for what my stupid brother said yesterday." You clearly remembered his words, and yes, they had made the situation as awkward as possibly imaginable.

"That is not your fault. It's alright."

"That was not okay though."

One of your hands went through your hair.

"Neteyam. Stop taking the blame for your brother. You don't have to apologize for anything."

He had a hard time looking you in the eyes, nonetheless you got up and pulled him onto his feet.

"Fuck it. Just don't bother. How about we go for a quick morning flight, huh? There's nothing that gets you out of bed like a fresh breeze of air."

Without hesitation, the Na'vi agreed, so you made your way over to the edge of the cave together, calling your ikran loudly. He copied and soon, they both arrived.

While making tsaheylu and mounting your ikran, you agreed on another race. Loser had to take on winner's chores for two days. Both of you took off at the same time, chasing each other down over and under the countless floating mountains.

The wind in your face, as promised, took all sleepiness away at once. You could feel your ikran's heartbeat, it's breath and every flap of their wings through your bond. With a roaring sound, the creature beneath you guided you over Neteyam and his companion and onto the other side of him.

A quick grin at him was enough to lighten another spark inside of him.

"Come on, is that all?" You laughed out loud, leading him to guide his ikran closer to yours rapidly so the wind would cast you away gently.

His expression showed how much he enjoyed riding with you, he looked more than happy to collect more shared memories.

You decided to show him another trick, so you guided your ikran above his and made your winged companion turn upside down. Neteyams eyes widened in adoration and surprise as you flew over him, still upside down, so close that you could even tip your hands on his head. Never before had he even seen such a thing.

Once your ikran turned again, Neteyam tried to get past you with a few skilled tricks. He was an amazing ikran rider, just like you.

The finish like was already in sight, so both of you gave another challenging look before heading down to the tree of souls.

"A tie!" You shouted once you both dismounted, still panting from the headwind.

"Damn, I was so ready go let you do my chores!"

His smile went over his full face.

"That move was crazy! Do mom and dad know you can do this?! It was unbelievable!"

His words made your stomach turn, in a good way.

"They sure do."

Neteyam watched you with an open mouthed smile, still being pretty mesmerized by your talent.

"I have never seen anything like this... It's hard to believe you once belonged to the sky people." The smile on your face just fed on his compliments.

With blushed cheeks you grabbed his hand and led him to the tree of souls, not far from where you had landed.

He intertwined his fingers with yours as he followed you, his heartbeat heavy in his chest.

As you gently guided him through the strings of the enormous tree, your free hand brushed against the glowy strings. Right now, it was just you and him here, nobody else was around.

Neteyam and you both lowered yourself onto the ground, sitting across each other. Your free hand reached out for your queue, and so did he.

"Who are you hoping to see?" he asked in a gentle voice.

"Grace, mostly."

With that, you connected your queue to the tree, breathing in deeply at the created bond. Neteyam did the same, all while still holding onto your hand.

Just hearing the voices of your old friends, people singing and dancing, children laughing and playing, it almost made your eyes tear up every time. It was always a special moment to do this.

Between these voices, you could also hear him. And as you guessed by his face, he could hear you too.

You got to hear and partially see too how he grew up into that young smart man he was now.

Neteyam could see into your avatar back then as well. "(Y/N)... I can hear and see you." he whispered with closed eyes.

A few more moments passed before you emded the connection. You had seen enough. Enough to make your eyes dwell.

As he noticed, he disconnected just like you. His big eyes met yours soon. It felt like they could see right into your soul.

In the light of the soul tree, he looked even more stunning than usual. The glowing spots on his face seemed more intense here.

His ears jerked when he noticed how you mustered him, completely taken away.

He squeezed your hand with a lovely smile while you thought back to the talk you had with Jake the day before.

There was a strong connection between you and him, it was easy to see. Was it friendship? A childhood crush? Or even Eywa's will?

Your heart began to pound in your chest as you watched his tail behind him whip around nervously.

As you noticed his sensitive ears tilt and turn as well, a giggle escaped your lips.

"What's so funny, huh?" he chuckled, giving your hand another squeeze.

Instead of pointing out his restless features, you just shook it off. His fangs flashed as he smiled from ear to ear.

"You're better not laughing about me! Do you know who I am?" he joked, trying to fake a serious face, but his smile triumphed.

"Do you know who I am?" you copied in a mocking voice.

He still mustered your face with a wide, yet shy smile.

"Who could have guessed that I would one day fly side by side with the Night Witch?"

"Who would've thought that I'd fly with the future Olo'ekytan one day?"

Neteyam came closer to you, his free hand reached out to trace over the glowy freckles on your cheek.

The moment he touched your skin felt  heavenly.

His voice got a bit softer and even more calm as you moved closer to one another.

"When I'm with you I can be more than that..."

It was nothing new to you that his parents, Jake especially, wanted him to be the perfect son. He had to do as told and was expected to make only right choices. Be strong, be brave, be smart. When could he ever just be himself? He knew his parents loved him and yet, sometimes all he seeked was some time off from clan leader duties, maybe a hug or someone who understood.

All of that, he had found within you.

You lost yourself in his amber eyes with each passing second.

"Neteyam... " you whispered softly.

His hand traveled down your neck and to your shoulders, then down your arm.

"I see you."

The grip around his fingers tightened ever so carefully before you placed your free hand over his heart, feeling it beat heavily.

"I see you, (Y/N)" he answered, guiding your hand he held up to his face. With closed eyes, he grazed his cheek against your hand a few times.

Anytime you two were alone, he turned into the biggest softie. He could finally be vulnerable without judgement.

The beat of his heart jumped as all of a sudden, Jake's voice appeared from his earpiece. "Neteyam? Wherever you and (Y/N) are, I need you back right now!"

The young man jerked at the sudden voice of his father, as did you.

"Thanks Jake, fucking mood killer... " you mumbled in english before taking a deep breath and detaching yourself from Neteyam.

His eyes looked truly apologizing for ruining the moment before he sighed and answered.

"What's going on? Did anything happen?"

"Humans. I need you for this mission, both of you, is that clear?"

"Yes sir." you two answered, before going back to your ikrans to fly home as soon as possible.

~~~

Much to your dislike, Jake had assigned you and Neteyam for different tasks apart from each other.

"We are a good team, why don't you let us work together?" you asked Jake while Kiri finished up your war paint.

Once she was done, you thanked her with a genuine smile and followed Jake to his ikran.

"I need you up there, as an active airforce unit. Neteyam and Lo'ak will be scouting. From afar. They only report to us."

"Neteyam can fight too! You want him to prove himself, then let him come with m-"

Jake turned to you abruptly.

His face was all serious.

"I'm not doubting Neteyam, I'm worried about Lo'ak doing some stupid shit if nobody takes care of him. And now, I don't need (Y/N) out there. I need the Night Witch. Do you understand?"

You understood what he wanted to tell you. Set the emotions aside and stay focussed. That was the only way to survive out there. Once you get carried away by emotions, you were most certainly dead. After all, this was what had caused your human body to die a long time ago.

"Alright, airforces; take-off in two minutes! Get ready!"

Jake yelled across the cave while you loaded your automatic weapon with a sigh.

"Where have you been earlier?" he asked with furrowed brows as he saw his kids coming up behind you so everyone could say goodbye.

When you noticed the others approaching you, you just waved it off.

"Lets talk later."

"Sure, once we're all home again."

Tuk hugged your leg tightly as she saw you in your fighting gear with the war paint on for the first time.

"Show them, (Y/N!)" she cheered.

"Right up their asses!"

You felt a cold stare in the back of your neck, coming straight from Neytiri for talking like this in front of her youngest daughter. She too called her ikran.

"Come back safely, will you all?" Kiri looked at her brothers and you with a worried face, so everyone agreed as Neteyam rubbed her head. "We will all be back soon."

"Yo, (Y/N)", Lo'ak started while holding a fist out for you to bump it,

"You better take good care. We don't want Neteyam to cry, would we?"

As you bumped his fist, Jake's voice echoed through the cave.

"One minute until take-off!"

You sighed at Lo'aks comment, so you just grabbed his shoulder and pushed him away gently.

"I'll be with you in a bit." Neteyam called out to his brother who already mounted his ikran.

Kiri gently led Tuk back to the tent, explaining that you and their eldest brother probably wanted to be alone for a second.

Together you both walked to the edge of the cave too and called upon your companions as well.

"You sure you know how to handle this thing?" Neteyam mockingly pointed at your machine gun, causing a huff to leave your lips. With a wide smile you tugged at his tail. Gasping, he stared at you, attacking our sides with tickles.

Neteyam's smile started to fade away.

"Alright big boy, once you're done scouting and reporting-"

"There is no need to worry about me. My task is far less risky than yours. You're in the middle of this shit."

His hands grabbed onto your shoulders. He pulled you close, resting his forehead against yours.

"Be careful out there, (Y/N)."

His voice was so quiet and yet so easy to determine in between all these noises from around.

"I will, I promise."

He pulled away to kiss your forehead gently, carefully holding your head in both hands.

Your heart raced at the gesture. While he stroked your cheeks with his thumbs, you gifted him a warm smile and he copied right away.

There was not much time left, so you hugged him tightly for merely two seconds. His tail wrapped firmly around your wrist. He pressed your head against his chest before he finally had to let go. Even if it was just a short moment, it meant the world to you.

As you both went to mount your ikrans, you saw how Lo'ak stared at his brother wide-eyed.

"Bro, get a room!" he hissed in a low volume, before looking over to you as you mounted your ikran as well, weapon in hand.

"Shut up you little-"

"War party, take-off!"

The mission was fast and easy, only few people got hurt. You had helped to clean up the battlefield and get everything back to base before you actually returned home.

It filled your heart with joy to see everyone alive and back in their tent from afar, but as you also spotted Mo'at, you knew someone was hurt.

With fast steps you hurried towards the Sully tent only to see that is was Neteyam who got treated by his sister and his grandmother.

"How did this happen?" you asked worried as you knelt down in front of  Neytiris oldest son. While you checked his body for bruises and other injuries, Neteyam's eyes stuck to his brother.

"It was my fault..." Lo'aks cracked voice emerged from a dark corner where he sat. "Next time, you better listen to dad." Kiri said while seeing to Neteyam's back injury.

"I'm sorry okay?! I didn't want anyone to get hurt, especially not my brother!"

"Enough now!" Mo'at announced.

After Jake and Neytiri were done with their conversation, the clan leader came up to the tent, gesturing you to follow him, out of hearing range from the others.

Neteyam's eyes did not lose you out of his sight for a second. And Kiri too noticed that he was far less whiny about the process now that his eyes were all on you.

"Well done out there, (Y/N). I see, you're giving 100%. You haven't changed a bit."

While taking off your gear, you offered a light smile.

"No wonder my son can't take his eyes off you." he huffed, which urged your freckles to shine brighter instantly.

"So...", the man crossed his arms, "where did you go this morning?"

Your held your tail behind your back to keep it from twitching.

"The... the soul tree."

His eyebrows rose lightly as he heard your words. He blinked at you with wide eyes. The soul tree was a sacred place to all Na'vi.

"You should give him some time off. And you should be a bit less strict. Like this, you're only putting pressure on both your sons."

"Did he say that?"

Neytiri joined your conversation.

"More or less. Leave him some space to be vulnerable. You can't expect him to be strong all the time."

The woman understood.

"He is still our child after all. You're right. I'm happy my son feels comfortable to share this with you."

"I'm happy too he opens up to me."

Neytiri gave an approving nod.

"They've been to the soul tree this morning." Jake explained to her, getting the exact reaction from her that he had given to you.

"Our son is in good hands with you, (Y/N). It seemed like a very touching moment for you two when you said goodbye earlier. " Jake exclaimed, remembering the conversation you lately had.

"Jake, not this topic again..." you mumbled with dark violet cheeks, averting your gaze.

"Hmm, okay. He probably already told you everything about our father-son-talk anyway."

Your ears twiched at the sound of that. Did he know more than you?

Unable to react, you only stood there, completely perplexed.

With that, Neytiri patted your shoulder gently before she and Jake went back to their tent, leaving you there with tinted cheeks and an empty gaze.

~~~

"Close your eyes." Max said as he attached a few sensors on the temples of your head.

"Today will be the last check-up so far. Your body seems to be completely fine, even after all this time."

Norm sat next to you and tipped around on the display you were connected to. The three of you went through some basics before you layed down almost flat on the bed." I'm gonna let this run through twice. Just to make sure we're really not missing anything."

"How long does this take then?" You asked as Max took out your earpiece since it interfered with his systems. He took your communication collar off as well.

"Probably like 2 hours. I need these reviews to be over a longer period of time."

"Damn..." you mumbled and sighed.

"As long as I'm back for dinner, or Neytiri is gonna send my blue ass back to earth."

Max and Norm smiled at your comment before they got everything ready for the medical check.

You tried to relax, thinking of something pleasant so the time would pass by faster.

Immediately, Neteyam came to your mind. The way he held you close before the mission a few days ago. How he kissed your head gently.

"I think there's a mistake..." Norm turned to Max and pointed at the display besides you.

The scientist furrowed his eyebrows anf checked the system.

"Hmm, weird..." Max mumbled as he observed you, trying to figure out why it showed such a high blood pressure and a quick heart beat.

"(Y/N)?" Norm crossed his arms and you peeked at him with one eye. He had figured it out.

"Could you think of something else? It interrupts the studies."

With tinted cheeks, you looked up to him and swallowed. "Come on, get that guy off your thoughts for the check. It's important we get clear results."

You giggled shyly, have him a nod and closed your eyes again.

"Then get started."

Once you were done and Max gave green light, you returned to the village. There was something in the air, you could sense it clearly.

As you saw the Sully kids all crouched up next to their tent, you joined them silently.

"What's going on here?" You asked as you knelt down next to them. When Neteyam's eyes landed on you, he pulled you into a tight hug. He sighed in relief, happy to see you unharmed after what happened.

The young man pressed you against his body, thanking the great mother silently for being able to see you again. You did not understand what had happened, until you heard Jake and Neytiri argue inside of their tent.

Only hearing the name of Quaritch in their discussion sent shivers down your spine.

So it was all for nothing?

Neteyam released you, only to get up and lead you away to your tent.

Not knowing where to start, he decided to sit down with you first before he explained what had happened.

You cursed yourself for being absent during all of this. How much you desired to kill that man, especially now after he had almost killed your family.

Neteyam reached out for your hands and intertwined his fingers with yours. The coming words felt like stones in his chest.

"(Y/N), we're leaving. Tomorrow morning. And we cannot return..."

A lump formed in your throat.

"All I seek is your safety. I-"

"I'm coming with you. Wherever you go, I'll be by your side, Neteyam."

With wet eyes, he looked into yours, pulling you closer.

"The people here will need you. They will need the Night Witch."

He almost sounded like his father.

A weak smile formed on your face as you let go of his hands, instead cupping his face.

"And yet I know you need me the most. You can't change my mind. I'd go through hell and back with you."

Neteyam gifted you a relieved smile. It was almost unthinkable for him by now to live without you.

"I'm gonna keep you safe, ma (Y/N)."

Tired and exhausted, you leaned your upper body against your ikran's neck.

"We're almost there." Jake announced as he saw your posture.

All of you neared a group of isles, heading straight at them. You looked over to Neteyam who gave a reassuring smile. He was sure that as long as you all sticked together, you would find a way.

Before you landed, the reef tribe was already alerting your arrival with loud calls. They gathered along the shore once your ikrans met the sand.

While dismounting, some of the curious villagers took a closer look at your family.

You stayed close to Neteyam as one of the clan members circled you, making fun of your bodies which looked very strange to him. As he reached out to point at Neteyam's tail, you turned your face, sending a devilish glare and showing off your fangs without even intending to. The foreign boy just grinned back, entertained by your reaction.

While it was decided whether you could stay or not you felt all these icy stares in the back of your neck. It made your skin tense up in the worst way possible, so you reached out for Neteyam's arm, holding it ever so slightly. These looks were more than uncomfortable.

Tsireya, the chief's daughter, lead you to your pod once the permission was given. As you all got comfortable around your new home, you too picked a place to put your belongings to.

"Tsireya seems really pretty and sweet." you mentioned as Lo'ak passed by. He immediately blushed, his ears turned, but he didn't react immediately. Neteyam grinned at you and giggled in silence, as did you. You finally had something to tease him about since he was visibly attracted to her from the first moment he had layed eyes on her. But Lo'ak came back at you.

"I'm sure her brother would be enlightened to get to know you. You're not dating Neteyam, are you?"

It was true, you and Neteyam had never talked about it. By now it was obvious how much time you spent together, often close to each other. And still, neither of you had ever taken the word 'love' into their mouth.

"That ugly ass fish lip? Never. I'd rather die again."

Lo'ak chuckled at the image of you and Tonowari's son.

"Aw, you should give him a chance~"

His words didn't bother you that much, yet they had sparked something inside of Neteyam.

You rolled your eyes and shook your head. Just the thought of his face wanted to make you puke.

"I'll fuck that bitch up if he keeps shit talking us."

"Ooh, I'm sure he'd love that~"

You punched his upper arm at the comment, which he just laughed off.

Neteyam knew that his brother was just joking, but he had seen how this guy had looked you up and down. It took him every fibre of his entire being not to charge at him and scratch his eyes out. You belonged to him. End of discussion.

"Fucking disgusting..." you made a choking sound. With that, Jake had heard enough and gave everyone a mini-briefing to behave.

It was late at night when you rolled around on your mat, restless and unable to sleep.

The sound of the waves combined with your homesickness made it almost impossible to sleep.

You decided to get up and sit on the edge of the woven pathway in front of the pod.

Merely a minute later, you heard someone else get up from their mat and join you. You've expected it to be Jake, telling you to try to sleep, but as you looked to the side you faced none other than Neteyam.

"Can't sleep either?"

"Hmm... The waves are just so damn loud."

He nodded slowly and leaned his head against your shoulder.

One of his hands rested on your thigh. The touch alone had your tail whipping in an instant.

He had apparently warmed up to physical touch.

Your head rested against his for a while, enjoying the closeness of each other. His tail wrapped around your waist while your hand traced up and down his arm softly.

His entire body started to vibrate at some point as you gently rubbed your head against his.

Was he... purring?

As you listened closely, your guess got confirmed. Slowly but surely his head  turned slightly, his lips traced your skin gently until his head sunk into the crook of your neck. He listened to your quickened heartbeat while his arm wrapped around your hips.

"Ma Neteyam..." you whispered into the dark night as your hand moved to rest on his shoulder.

You felt him huff ever so softly, then he inhaled your scent deeply.

His soft touches and purring was far more valuable than any answer.

While you placed a soft kiss onto his hair, his fingers traced along your waist.

You completely lost track of time. You could've been sitting here for a few minutes, maybe an hour even, you didn't know. Around Neteyam, time did not feel the same.

As he rubbed his head against the crook of your neck, you cupped his head carefully.

He pressed his face against your skin, you could feel his lips nibbling on your neck.

Spreading gentle, barely noticeable kisses along your skin, you felt your ears twitching and turning from his gentle affections.

Seeing the chief's son grin at you, making fun of you, it was the last tiny bit that sent him over the edge. A weird feeling had spread in his gut just at the thought of someone else eyeing his precious (Y/N).

He had to make his move, it was long overdue already.

The trail of kisses along your neck set your skin on fire. It burned  passionately. Neteyam's hands traveled to your neck as well, his fingers tracing ever so gently over each spot he had kissed.

As he finally found the courage to meet your eyes you have him the sweetest smile.

Your heart nearly exploded through its own heavy beating. Seeing that his affections did not make you shy away helped his confidence a lot.

His eyes fell onto your lips, just the thought of kissing you tilted his ears in shyness.

"(Y/N), can I kiss you?" he finally managed to whisper, his eyes half-lidded.

The smallest nod was enough for him to claim your lips into a loving kiss. His body shivered, it felt even better than both of you had imagined.

He captured you in a soft hug while taking in the full magic of your lips on his. Your hands rested against his chest, rising and sinking with his deep breaths.

The kiss went on for what felt like an eternity. With burning lungs, you backed up a bit, catching your breath quietly.

Both of you got pulled out of your trance by Jake who cleared his throat like a warning.

"Go to sleep. Now."

Neteyam's eyes almost shot open at the voice of his father.

"Yes sir." he answered with tinted cheeks before getting up, reaching a hand out to you to help you get up as well.

Soon you both layed down on your mats again. Neteyam silently tried to sneak up closer to continue cuddling with you. His breath hit your  shoulder before you felt him hugging your waist to pull himself closer to you.

Goosebumps covered your entire body as he nuzzled his face into your hair. "Ma (Y/N)..." he whispered as quiet as possible before he soundlessly got comfortable against your back.

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[streamingcolors-gvf]

Skin Deep

Moodboard created by @jakekiszkasleftnutsack, story edited by @garbagevanfleet

Credit to @kiszkasun for providing the wonderful edits of the guys for inspo 🖤

The amazing Tattooartist!Jake moodboard created @pennylanefics that sparked this idea weeks ago 🖤

Pairing: Josh Kiszka x f!reader x Jake Kiszka

Word count: 12.3k

A/N: @asparrowofthedawn planted this idea in my brain, and I couldn’t function until I wrote it out. She’s been such a gem giving input and support throughout the week. It wouldn’t have been brought into existence if it wasn’t for her ❤️

Also, this is a smut fic with the twins, so if that is not your thing- please keep on scrolling. It’s my first one, so I’m nervous about that. Feedback and thoughts are always welcome and my inbox is open!

**Disclaimer: As someone with multiple tattoos, I tried to make this as realistic as possible. That being said, it’s not going to 100% accurate of the tattoo experience. Please don’t come for me**

Warnings: cursing, alcohol consumption, sexually explicit material a MINORS DNI!! (Unprotected penetrative sex, oral m!receiving, oral f!recieving, fingering, biting, slapping, dirty talk, spit kink, sitophilia - food/drink play, praise kink, soft!dom, teeny bit of restraints if you squint, let me know if I missed something!)

Masterpost

You pull open the door to the shop, greeted instantly by the chime of the tiny bell that alerts the staff of your presence. Looking around, it appears to be like any standard tattoo parlor, with its walls covered completely with framed pictures of flash art and leather-covered bench seats lining the waiting area. It’s dead quiet aside from the music playing over the speakers from the back room, and there’s no one to be found. 

Confused, you pull your phone out to check the time. 

11:48. Lunch time. 

You chew at your lip, waiting a few seconds before deciding to turn back to the exit, only to be interrupted by the sound of a man’s voice.

“Hello!” 

It’s friendly and upbeat, making you spin around on your heels to find the source. With a name like, ‘The Edge of Darkness Tattoo’, your mind has conjured up some interesting characters, so you’re more than shocked when a young man walks out from behind a curtain -  heavily tattooed as you’d expect - to find his place behind the counter.

 His laughter is muffled into the paper napkin that he wipes across his mouth. “Sorry about that, I was just eating some of my noodles and wasn’t sure if I heard the door open.”

“Hi,” you respond, letting your nervousness shake through your voice as you take small steps forward. You’ve had a few negative experiences with tattoo artists in the past, so you’re not ready to give up the apprehension just yet. “And that’s okay. I didn’t realize what time it was. I can come back later-“

He cuts you off with a wave, and displays a warm, reassuring smile, “Don’t be ridiculous. What brings you in?”

“I-uh. I have a t-tattoo design.” You stumble over your words, but you clear your throat and start over. “I’d like to make a tattoo appointment.”

“Fantastic! I can certainly set that up for you.” He wiggles the mouse to the computer in front of him and starts tapping away at the keys. “Artist?”

“I’m sorry?”

“Did you have an artist in mind?” When he realizes you’re still a few feet away, he ushers you forward,  “Come on up here! I promise I won't bite.”

You shuffle forward with nervous laughter escaping from the corners of your mouth, “I don’t know any. This is actually my first time here. My best friend was the one to recommend this place to me.”

“Perfect! I love having new clients. So, here’s what we can do. I can look at the design you brought in and then we can discuss the artist that would be the best match for what you’re looking for. Sounds good?”

A smile forms on your lips as you start falling into the rhythm of his energy. “That’s great. It’s on my phone though. Is that okay?” 

“Of course! Honestly, you should see the crazy stuff that people bring in sometimes. I’m pretty sure someone doodled their idea on a Mcdonald's napkin for me once.”

Now that you’ve left your once-looming anxiety at the door, and shuffled a bit closer, you’re able to take in the details of his appearance. The sides of his hair have been buzzed, leaving his tousled curls to rest at the top of his head and down the back of his neck. His ears are exposed, showcasing the thin golden hoops in each lobe, as well as the industrial bar through the right. The sharp angle of his jawline leads your eye to the trimmed goatee on his chin and mustache framing his full lips. The vibrant floral tattoos on his neck peek out above the collar of his cream-colored crew neck with the sleeves pushed up to the elbows, allowing you to look at the artwork that filled every inch of space from his bare forearms down to his knuckles. Admittedly, you’re a bit surprised to see that his face is mostly clear from piercings other than the tiny metal hoop on the left side of his nose.

God, he’s cute. Like really cute. 

You try to shove away your attraction for him by unlocking your phone and tapping on your photos icon to pull up the pictures of your design in question. Even though your shaking hands are causing you to fumble with your phone, he waits patiently for you.. 

“Here it is,” you mumble under your breath when you find the right picture, and you turn it around to show him. 

“Wow! That’s a big piece!” 

“Uh, yeah. Is that okay?”

“Fuck yeah!” He leans in closer to get a better view, blessing you with the musky scent of his cologne that’s layered with sweet notes of vanilla. You don’t even realize how close you’ve been leaning in to chase it until you smell the mint from his gum. He coos softly, coating the words with a slight raspiness, “Ooh…that’s sexy. I fucking love floral pieces like this. Where are you wanting it?”

“I was thinking about the upper thigh and hip area,” you explain, pointing to the area on your body in a general motion of your hand.

“That’s going to look fucking sick.” He reaches forward, cupping his hand around yours to get a better look at the image on your screen. You’re in denial with how flustered he’s making you, distracting yourself from the warmth of his hand on your fingers by looking up at his face. Your eyes are captured by the fond smile tugging on his lips as he zooms in and out of the picture with his index finger and thumb. “Man, as much as I would love to do this for you — and as much as I hate to say this —  I think Jake might do a better job.”

You’re entranced in his aura, only mere inches away from his face, sucked into the gravitational-like pull he has. Somehow, you manage to ask in a quiet voice, “Jake? Does he do pieces like this?”

He straightens to a standing position, breaking the closeness between you. “Yeah! Well, he will fight me on it, but he tends to do more black and gray. Actually…hold on. Lemme pull out the books.” He leans down behind the counter and lifts two leather-bound books that are similar appearance to photo albums. He opens one that has “Josh” written in gold script across the front, and starts flipping through it. “See, I’m more of a lettering and bold line work guy myself. A little more color than Jake does.” He hums to himself and shrugs. “Flowers like the ones you want aren’t out of my comfort zone though.”

You are in awe of his talent as you watch him flip through each page, “I see that. It’s really beautiful work, and I’m guessing you’re Josh?”

He flashes an award-winning smile, revealing the tiny gap between his two front teeth and the dimple on his left cheek. “The one and only.”

It earns him a bashful smile and a soft giggle from your lips, creating an undeniable moment of tension between you. Your heart flutters wildly in your chest, causing your eyes to drop down to your hands while he grabs the second book to open and flip through. He’s pausing on each piece, giving you the time to study Jake’s portfolio of work. You wish you could say you were paying attention at first, but your eyes seem to act on their own, drifting up to Josh’s mouth instead. Deep in concentration and unaware of your shameless gawking, he plays with the ball of his tongue ring against his teeth and lips while flipping through each laminated page. 

Your eyes never stay on the artwork for long before they flick back up to Josh, and as if the universe is playing a cruel joke, he catches you the last time. Embarrassed, you quickly avert your eyes to anything else in the room, but before you can, you catch a glimpse of the grin forming on his lips.

You’re positive a telltale blush shows on your face as a wave of heat rises from your chest, and your train of thought is completely derailed. 

After sitting in a too-long moment of silence with the only sound filling the room is the pop! of his gum, he shuts the book, and clears his throat before asking, “So, what are you thinking?”

“Huh?”

An airy laugh flutters from his throat. “Which artist would you like to book with?

“Oh!” You consider your options, even if you're afraid to disappoint him by ultimately taking his initial advice. “I think I agree with you on picking Jake.”

“Solid choice. I promise I’m not offended.” He nods and shoots a playful wink. You stiffen and scramble to come up with an explanation, but he cuts you off before a word leaves your mouth, “Hey, I’m just playing with you. Relax, mama.”

The gentle touch to your arm and term of endearment makes your head spin.

“Okay. So, let’s look at his next availability. Which seems to be…hold on.” He clicks his tongue over his teeth as he scrolls on the mouse. His eyes light up and meet yours, “I think you lucked out! Looks like he has an opening next week, but it’s the last booking of the day. Is an evening appointment okay for you?

“Yeah, I think so. What time does the shop close?”

“We aim for eight depending on who’s working that day, but Jake likes to stay late and fit people in when we can.”

“Will you be here?” You blurt out the question before you can reel it back on your tongue. You’ve found a sense of comfort in his presence and taken the chance it might put your mind at ease to know the answer. 

As if he can see the gears in your head turning, he adds, “I will. Don’t worry. Jake is one of the best artists here so trust me on this, but he’s also booked for the next six weeks, unfortunately. And besides, having the shop to yourself is always great, and you won’t have to stress about anyone else popping in.”

You’re beginning to understand why he’s working the front counter here; his beautiful smile and kind eyes can probably sell you anything. Hell, he could pitch an offer for the giant glass bowl filled with mints that are sitting on the counter and you’d take him up on it. You didn’t need much convincing because this tattoo has been something you’ve wanted for months and months. He just happened to whisk away any morsel of doubt that had been lingering over your head. 

You hum in thought despite the fact that your mind is already made up. “That’s true…okay, let’s do it.”

He reaches out and gives your hand a tight squeeze. “Fuck yeah! Let’s get you set up.” 

Josh spends the next ten minutes discussing the details of your design and quotes you on a price based on the time and space required for the piece. You fill out paperwork as he takes a deposit, reserving your appointment for the following week. He suggests emailing your ideas and images to Jake directly and hands you one of the business cards that has his information on it. 

You flip the tiny rectangle-shaped cardstock in your fingers. “Could I have yours as well?”

“Sure!” He reaches over and plucks his own card from the stack and hands it to you. “If you have any questions, concerns or if something comes up and you need to reschedule, please don’t hesitate to call or text me. You can call the shop too, but good luck on getting someone to pick up.” 

You giggle at the thought and start making your way toward the door. With your back pressed up against the glass, you wave with a farewell. “Thanks for everything, Josh. Guess I’ll see you next week, then.”

He gives a final smile and waves back as you push the door open. “See ya around.”

A week later you’re back in the shop thirty minutes before your scheduled appointment time. You frown when Josh isn’t standing behind the counter, but you wait for someone to greet you, checking out the selection of jewelry in the glass display case as well as the flash albums sitting on the counter. You hear the faint sound of music and footsteps coming from upstairs. 

Maybe they didn’t hear me come in. 

You walk towards the stairwell and call up to the second floor, “Hello?!”

A male voice echoes back, “I’ll be down in a second!”

After a few minutes, you hear the shuffling of feet coming down the creaky stairs. You see the worn black vans first before you’re greeted by the rest of the man wearing them. Once he comes into full view, he says in a friendly tone, “Hey there!”

He closes the distance between you and extends an open hand for a shake. He’s another young man like Josh, dressed in dark wash jeans that are cuffed at the ankles, and an almost entirely open chambray button-up, rolled up to the elbows to expose his tattooed arms and chest. 

How many cute guys work here?

“Hey!” You offer a hand and ask, “So, you must be Jake?”

He accepts it, wrapping his other hand around yours, encapsulating it in his warmth, and flashes a smile that seems a little too familiar as he answers, “That’d be me. You’re my eight o’clock?”

You nod, making him release your hand and shift a little on his feet while he sweeps his fingers through his long chestnut brown hair. “So, uh, I’m just wrapping up some of the finishing touches on your design, but it should only be a couple more minutes.” He gestures to the stairs behind him. “You can follow me upstairs to wait on the couch… if that’s more comfortable for you?”

You suppose you are a little earlier, so the extra wait doesn’t bother you. “That sounds great!”

You follow him when he leads the way up the wooden staircase, stopping to admire all the artwork covering the narrow walls. To your surprise, the second floor opens up into a large open space. A subdued glow coming from desk lamps illuminate the room, casting everything in a brooding, gothic feel. The wood flooring brings out the richness of the emerald green painted walls, and in the center, there is a dark, studded leather sofa that matches the wall color. Framed artwork and oddities fill the space. Your eyes scan over a variety of things like flash, band posters, mounted bugs, taxidermy pieces, swords, a vast collection of records with a turntable, dried flowers, and everything in between. Looking around, there appears to be two main work areas set up in opposite corners, with the furniture breaking up the space in the middle. 

Turning to you slightly, he gestures to the couch with an open hand. “Go ahead and make yourself comfortable. It shouldn't be longer than a few more minutes.”

You sit down, dropping your purse by your feet to settle into a more relaxed position, anticipating that you might be here for a while. You pick up one of the tattoo magazines off the coffee table and start flipping through it to pass the time. Glancing over the pages, you see Jake sitting at a desk working away on an iPad. It’s deathly quiet except the music that’s set at a low volume playing over a Bluetooth speaker. 

You try not to stare, but you can’t help watching a talented artist at work. His long hair has fallen from his shoulders, causing the wavy, slightly-knotted tendrils to frame his face as he looks down at his work. You’re mesmerized by his graceful beauty, noticing little details like how his full, bottom lip pouts out from him being so hyper-focused. His hand sweeping across the screen with the pen being held between his fingers is the only thing pulling your attention. At one point, he becomes annoyed with his hair being in the way, and combs it back in a loose bun, securing it with the hair elastic that was wrapped around his middle digit. The way he's bent over, gives you a view down his chest from his shirt being so open, but you’re too far to make out any of the tattoos covering it. 

When it seems like he’s about ready to finish drawing, you try to busy yourself with anything else but him, so he doesn't catch you as Josh had done a week prior. You end up scrolling aimlessly through your phone, flipping through several apps until you hear a chair being pushed out across the floor. At first, you are startled by the scraping sound of metal against wood, but the reaction shifts to excitement when you look up to see Jake walking over to you. 

By the expression on his face, you can tell something is bothering him. “Sorry about that. The last guy took longer than I expected and — uh, never mind, you don’t want to hear about that.” He shakes his head, shooing away the thought. “Honestly, I really just wanted to make it perfect for you.”

“I appreciate it! And it’s okay, I didn’t mind waiting.”

He sits on the couch next to you and hands the tablet over with the design displayed on the screen. “What do you think?”

The amount of raw talent he has blows you away, exceeding every expectation you could have, like he’s plucked the vision straight from your brain. You gasp in awe, zooming in and out of every detail. “It’s so beautiful!”

A prideful smile forms on his face and he settles a few more inches, getting close enough that you can feel the warmth of his body as his leg presses up against yours. The proximity allows you to smell the teakwood notes of his cologne and the cinnamon candy that he’s rolling around in his mouth as he talks. “You sure? If there is anything you want to change, I would be more than happy to do that.”

You swear you’re able to feel his breath fan against your neck. “I think it's perfect.”

He leans in more, pointing to the different details of the design with the pen, “See, I thought that this part would be a nice touch, right?” He pats your knee before giving it a gentle squeeze. “I think it makes it unique to you.”

The way he emphasizes the last word with that low gravelly tone to his voice sends a chill through your spine. You squeak out while handing the tablet over, “I love it.”

“Okay, great. I’ll go ahead and get the stencil ready then. We can go from there to see how it fits in the spot you want.” He stands to his feet with the tablet in hand, and disappears into a hallway out of your sight, leaving you alone on the couch. 

Another door on the opposite side of the room opens and closes, and a trail of footsteps follows it, growing louder and louder as they approach. You hadn’t seen Josh yet, but you weren't aware that anyone else was here in the building. You twist around on the couch and see a recognizable face presented in front of you. 

He’s dressed differently tonight, wearing a white t-shirt that showcases more tattoos than before, jeans, and a pair of scuffed white vans. The things that haven’t changed are his welcoming eyes glimmering in the light when they meet yours. He chimes across the room in an upbeat voice, “Hey, you!”

“Hey, Josh.” You keep your voice light and casual, hiding the embarrassment from how he’s already making you feel.

He stops in his tracks and turns towards you with a pained expression on his face. “Okay, now I feel bad that I don’t remember your name.”

You wave him off through your giggling, “I don’t think I gave it to you.”

He rolls his eyes, albeit playfully. “That doesn’t change the fact I’m the dumbass that didn’t ask.”

You give him your name and hear it called back to you in his voice. To avoid feeling flustered like you did the last time you spoke to him, you dare to change the subject. “Ya know, you and Jake look like you could be brothers.”

He huffs a boisterous laugh, throwing his head back with a hand placed over his chest. “It’s funny you say that. We’re actually twins.”

Your mind connects all the dots, comparing their similarities and differences the second the words hit your ears. You allow a grimace to spread across your features when you realize how awkward it was for you to say they were related just now. “Oh shit, how many times a day do you hear that?”

He shrugs as walks over to the couch you’re sitting on and props his elbows on the back of the furniture. Leaning forward, he teases you with that cheeky smile, “Don’t worry, you have plenty of time to come up with original material.“

You scoff and just as you’re about to face away from him, he reaches out and taps your shoulder. “Can I tell you something?”

“Shoot.” Your heart starts racing with the possibilities running wild in your mind.

The smile on his face shifts to a nervous one and his eyes drift up to the ceiling for a few seconds before they fall back to yours. “I’ll be honest, I half-expected you to cancel tonight.”

“You thought I would wuss out?”

His eyes widened from the implication, afraid that he offended you. “No! No. Nothing like that.” He pauses, searching through his mind to find the right choice of words, “It’s…you just didn’t seem all the way committed to getting it when we talked last week. Like I was pressuring you into it or something.”

You didn’t realize you were being that obvious about it. 

Your eyes drop to your hands as you pick at the cuticle on your thumb. “I guess I am a little nervous.”

“Yeah? That’s pretty normal for a big piece like this.” He shifts back on the heels of his feet and brings a hand up to his neck, rubbing the muscles, “I still get nervous sometimes.”

“I heard it was in a painful spot too?”

“Yeah, it can be with any sensitive spot and anywhere you don't have a lot of padding over bone is going to be a bitch. But don’t worry, you’re in good hands. Jake is a gentle lover.” He suddenly makes a displeased face, giving away that the last part accidentally slipped out when he forgot that you were still a client. 

You control the smile that’s threatening to show on your face as you unwrap the mint that you’ve taken from the jar downstairs, popping it into your mouth, “And what about you?”

His mouth falls open, but no words come out. Instead, he decides to watch the way you roll the candy around on your tongue.

“Okay, let’s go ahead and see how these look-“ Jake’s voice echoes from the hall, but he cuts himself off once he sees you and Josh staring at each other. It only takes a second for a knowing grin to spread across his lips. “Am I interrupting something?”

Josh clears his throat and pushes himself off the edge of the couch, fighting back the smirk that’s creeping up with each passing second. “No, just chatting.”

You notice that Jake’s changed from the button-up into a comfortable black t-shirt, showing you the extensive work that covers both of his arms. He turns to face you, offering you a warm smile and a gesture of his hand over to the mirror. “Shall we?”

You leave your stuff where you are while he gathers his supplies and follows you to the full-length mirror set up along the wall. 

Standing before it, you remember the area you’ve chosen for your tattoo, and ask, “Should I take off the thong too?” 

You thought it was a reasonable question, but you second guess yourself when he coughs loudly. A heat of embarrassment flushes in your chest when you watch both of Jake’s brows raise as he swallows harshly, “Uh, well, no... I-I don’t think you need to do that. Just lifting the dress will be fine.”

He gathers a disposable razor and a plastic squirt bottle that’s filled with a light green solution in his gloved hands and crouches before you. You pull up your dress in your hands for him, bunching the fabric up in your fists right under the band of your bra to reveal the black lace thong you’re wearing. 

“May I?” He asks softly, and you nod in approval. You feel anxious, jittery even, like every inch of your body is buzzing with nervous excitement to the point you think you’re shaking uncontrollably. 

A shiver rolls through you the second the squeezes the bottle of green liquid onto your skin. “That’s cold.”

“Sorry,” he chuckles, while he wipes away the soap solution that’s running down your legs with a paper towel. “Guess I should have warmed it up for you.” 

You blush at the thought, watching him in the mirror while being completely transfixed by the simple action until his next question whips you back into the present. 

“Is it okay if I move this strap?” You glance down to see his large, dark-chocolate brown eyes looking up at you. 

“S-sure,” you mumble back when you process the fact he’s referring to your underwear. 

He hooks his thumb under the lace band and lifts it over your hip bone, moving it away so it won’t get wet. The stream of water ventures further into your inner thigh and the valley of your hip. Satisfied, he begins to glide the razor in precise strokes across your leg, pressing into your skin every so often with his fingers to get a close shave. It feels wildly intimate to have him do this, even if you’re convincing yourself that it's standard for his occupation.

You peek over your shoulder to see Josh staring at you, hands folded lifelessly in his lap across the screen of his tablet. His eyes are fixated on your backside, making you realize that your ass has been on full display for him the entire time. You’re thankful that you chose to wear this set tonight, especially the panties because of the heart clasp where the straps meet in the back. His gaze climbs up the curves of your body until it finally meets your eyes. He’s far enough away, but you swear you see a blush pinkening his cheeks. 

You cock your head to the side, silently calling him out. His dumbfounded expression shifts into a devilish grin, but Jake interrupts his thoughts before he can say a word.

“Hey man, could you give me a hand over here?” Jake calls out over his shoulder as he dries you off with another paper towel. 

Josh stands from his chair and pads over, well, nearly skips over to you in a matter of seconds. “What’s up?”

“Can you grab that stencil for me?” Jake asks him as he peels the gloves from his hands, pointing to the table, Josh hands them to his brother and walks behind you. He flips through them, and says, “So, I blew this up to a few different sizes.” 

Josh’s fingers ghost up the small of your back to collect the parts of your dress that have slipped from your hold. You catch the pitchy breath that wants to escape your lips, but you can’t suppress the arching of your back to press your ass into him. 

“You like that?” He whispers inches away from your ear, sending a shudder down the length of your spine. 

Jake holds up the largest stencil to your leg for you to look in the mirror, walking you through the process. “I think this one is the best because of how it fills out the space here.” He wraps his now bare, yet steady hand around your hip, pressing softly into the supple flesh to rotate you slightly. He turns his head to the mirror as the pads of his fingers graze you, trailing across the sensitive skin of your upper leg with a barely-there touch. 

“Black?” Josh taunts in an amused hum, quiet enough for only you to hear, “I definitely took you for a pink or red kind of woman.”

Your breath hitches in your throat, and for a moment, you worry that your knees might buckle under you as Jake goes on explaining as though Josh isn’t practically purring in your ear. “It just flows perfectly with your curves here.” He meets your gaze directly with the darkened pupils and his bottom lip tucked under his teeth, giving your hip a deliberate squeeze. “Whaddya think?”

“He’s right, y’know? Your body was made for this.”

Jake’s crooked, half-smile causes you to believe that he might have heard his brother. It’s a miracle that you haven’t melted into the cracks of the floor beneath your feet. The ability for you to concentrate on anything is thrown out the window with Josh’s warm breath cascading across the back of your neck with his twin kneeling before you, but somehow you’re able to release a shaky sigh, “I think it looks amazing.”

He nods and looks up over your shoulder. “Josh?”

Josh hums in thought as he peers over you and down at the reflection of the stencil held up to your upper thigh. “I agree with that placement. It’s gonna look fucking sick.”

He’s so close that you can feel the tip of his nose against the shell of your ear. “Might have you bend over the table so I can double-check his work from the back.”

Your face flushes with heat and you clench your thighs together in need just as Jake sets the stencil on the table. He claps his hands together in excitement with a pleased breath of laughter to himself. “Fuck yeah. That settles it then.”

You catch the cool scent from his mint when he asks, “Still need my help with your dress?” 

You don’t need to respond. He already knows the answer. 

Jake gloves his hands again, taking his time to clean and prepare your skin with an antiseptic soap. He proceeds to spray a solution to the area and begins the process of laying down the stencil. You’re able to keep the strap of your thong out of his way with Josh helping you hold up the back of your dress. With a careful touch, Jake presses the thin transfer paper to your skin in its chosen spot and starts smoothing it across your leg with gentle sweeps of his palms. 

He slowly peels it away to reveal the dark purple outline of your design, giving you a little preview of your new tattoo. He releases a heavy sigh of relief once the paper is completely off, “We even lucked out on only having to do the stencil once.” 

“Don’t miss me too much.”

Just as quickly as it all happened, it was over. You’re left standing alone, feeling flustered and in disbelief that it even happened in the first place. As you question the grip you have on your sanity, Josh saunters off back to his work desk while Jake escorts you over to the table he has prepared for you. 

“Go ahead and lay down on the table here. Get as comfortable as you can, but I know that’s easier said than done on those fucking things.” 

You crawl up on the Saran-wrapped vinyl furniture that resembles a large massage table. It’s padded enough, but you can tell that it’s going to cause your muscles to ache after a few hours. 

Once you find a relaxed position that’s mostly laying on your left side, you lift the bottom of your dress so that it’s cleared away from your hips and legs. 

Jake’s back is to you as he sets up his station, and asks over his shoulder, “What kind of music do you like?”

You blank out for a moment, forgetting everything you’ve ever listened to, which makes him chuckle under his breath. “Think about it while I get this set up. I’ll have Josh play whatever you want on the Bluetooth speaker.” 

You let nervous laughter flutter from your chest. “I saw you had a record player and a collection?”

He spins around in his chair with his face lit up, beaming with enthusiasm from your observation. “We do! We use it a lot when we aren’t in the middle of a session. It just really sucks having to get up and flip it over.” He lifts his hands to show you the tight black latex covering them. “Gloves and whatnot.”

“Oh, I gotcha.”

The next ten minutes go by quickly as he explains the process to you, step-by-step. While he rambles on, you look around the spacious room as he goes onto the next steps of wrapping his work area, and machine, filling tiny ink capsules, and gathering all his supplies together. 

Once he has everything laid out in front of him just the way he likes, he scoots in close and flips on the machine, firing it to life. “Ready?”

You sigh through a weak smile. “As I’ll ever be.”

He pats your leg in reassurance, “The first few lines are the worst, but it gets better…well, until the very end. Just let me know when you need a break, okay?”

You reply with a final nod.

He’s right. The needle puncturing your skin is a hot thrumming scratch as if a pissed-off bee has stung you and decided to drag its ass across your flesh. It’s painful, but not unbearable. Soon, your adrenaline and endorphins kick in, and it subsides into a dull sensation after a few minutes — just as Jake predicted. You’re thankful he doesn’t have too heavy of a hand, and that he works quickly starting from the bottom portion of your thigh. 

Josh has put on the music you requested before he starts to clean up around the space, assuming it’s to close up the shop for the evening. He doesn’t hold your attention long when Jake engages in some small talk, asking you mostly about your family, friends, and work. 

When your answers begin to trail off and shorten, he picks up the slack in conversation. He talks about his passions outside of tattooing, which you find out are music and cooking. You learn that he’s a confident guitar player as he tells you about the band he’s formed with his brothers, including Josh, as well as Sam, who you find out is the shop’s piercer, and that they happen to play local gigs on the weekends. 

You listen to his soothing voice over the harsh buzzing roar of the tattoo machine, allowing your eyes to close as you find the calm space tucked in your mind. As the minutes turn into over an hour, it becomes harder for you to stay in that place. He checks in on you a few times, but you’re adamant to say that you’re fine and that you don’t need the break he suggests. 

You’re fighting your body’s signals, struggling to stay still on the table while he works. When a low groan of discomfort escapes you, he suddenly lifts the needle away from your skin, noticing that you’re grimacing in pain with your face buried into the crook of your elbow. He taps your shin instead of bringing the machine back to your leg, and you pull your arm away now that it has become damp from your hot tears.

You prop yourself up on your elbow, and the confused look you give him makes him take a deep breath and push away from the table. He looks at you with an expression that’s filled with concern like he’s tossing around the thoughts in his head for what to say. “So, here’s what I’ll do-“ He pauses when you stiffen, but holds eye contact. “We’ll get through this outline tonight and then I think I’ll have you come back in a week or so to do the shading and color.”

Come back in a week. 

A pout slips through and tugs at your bottom lip. 

He laughs softly through a joke to reassure you, “No charge of course.” 

“You just want an excuse to see me again,” you quip back, allowing a weak smile to break through your disappointment.  

He gives a half-hearted shrug with a nod. “That might be true, but it’s clear that I’m hurting you right now.”

You try to save face with a joke of your own, “Isn’t that what they say? ‘No pain, no gain?’”

His shoulders fall and he gives you a look of defeat. “Why is it always the pretty girls that say stuff like that?” He scooches the chair on its wheels, close enough that he’s almost hovering over you. “Listen, It’s only going to get worse and I can't in good conscience — torture you for the next couple of hours just to get it all done tonight.”

You’re a little upset at yourself for giving him the impression that you can’t sit through an entire tattoo, releasing a deflated sigh from your lungs, “…Okay.”

Sensing the instant shift in your mood, he adds, “Hey, you’re doing great, okay? I do not doubt in my mind that you could power through this with no problem….but I’m also not gonna lie to you and say it’s not killing me to see you cry.” A playful smile makes an appearance when he mumbles softly, “…at least like this.”

Your jaw drops and hangs open, making him laugh and raise his hands defensively. 

He straightens and huffs, “Oh I’m sorry, is Josh the only one allowed to flirt with you?”

“I heard that!”

Jake’s eyes stay locked on you as you both smile at each other, and while completely ignoring his brother, he asks, “You’re okay with that plan?”

“I guess so,” you say through a heavy sigh. 

“You’re killing it.” He sets the machine down and stretches his muscles while still sitting in his chair, wincing in pain. “Although, my back is fucking killing me.”

“Because he’s a bitch that doesn’t stretch as much as he should!”

You giggle at the brotherly banter, craning your neck to look for Josh. Jake lowers himself and whispers, and you nearly moan at the feeling of his breath hitting your skin, “Don’t listen to him. He complains more than anybody here.”

“Somehow I believe it.”

“You have no idea.” The scent of cinnamon hits your nose with how close his face is to yours. He doesn’t linger long before rolling back to his position by your legs to rinse off the area. “So, let’s take a fifteen-minute break and knock out the rest of this outline.”

You were hopeful that the short break would help, but it hasn’t. Your skin is so raw and sensitive that each pass of Jake’s steady hand feels like a white-hot knife being dragged across your leg. 

Your hands are balled into fists as you desperately try to find your calm, happy place deep in the folds of your mind. Despite your best efforts, whimpers of pain and discomfort start leaving your mouth more freely.

You don’t notice Josh walking up to the table until you barely hear his voice over the machine. “Nice. It’s looking great already.”

Their voices seem distorted and far away like you’re stuck in a type of lucid dream state. 

“I’m trying to wrap this up for her. She’s fucking over it, poor thing.” 

Josh hums in agreement. “How long?”

Jake clicks his tongue a few times, wiping over the area with a paper towel that feels like eighty-grit sandpaper. “Hmmm…I dunno, maybe thirty if she’s got it in her.”

Josh grabs a chair, settles in on its cushion, and pulls it right behind the head of the table. He gently taps your arm, getting your attention, and coos softly, “You doing okay, sweet girl?” 

You nod, sniffling back the tears. 

He rubs your arm that’s still draped across the middle of your face. “You’re doing great. You think you got another half an hour in you?”

“Yeah,” you answer, muffling the sound of your voice into your forearm. 

“Atta girl.” You can picture the smile on his face as he says it, making your heart skip a beat. 

Josh hooks his left arm under your head to hold your right arm while rubbing circles across your shoulder and down your back. At first, you flinch and lock up, making him say, “Try to relax for us, it hurts the tenser you are.”

You welcome the embrace, melting into his comforting touch. He adjusts with each deep breath you take, and you find yourself nuzzling your nose into his bicep to smell his cologne and the fresh linen scent of detergent off his t-shirt. 

You feel his breath hit your temple, “You’re such a badass. It’s gonna all be worth it, I promise.”

The next thirty minutes feel like a blur thanks to Josh distracting you from the pain. Although, the way you’re melting into his body with Jake’s arms pressing against your thighs stirs a unique feeling between your legs. 

“Okay,” Jake says finally, shutting off the machine. The blanket of quiet calmness that drapes over you feels like a blessing. “I think you’re done for the night.”

Josh mumbles into your hair, “You fucking did it.” He loosens his embrace and slips his arms out from you. 

Jake takes extra care in rinsing off your leg with the same green solution as before and dries it with paper towels. As soon as he feels you’re cleaned up enough, he offers a bare hand. “Wanna take a look?”

You’re pulled to a sitting position with his help, and you take a minute to stretch out your stiff muscles. Your feet hit the ground like you’re a newborn baby deer, almost toppling over if it isn’t for Jake holding onto your hands. He walks you to the mirror and your jaw drops to the floor when you see your reflection. 

The mixture of emotions you’re experiencing hits you like a freight train. You’re not sure whether you should cry, laugh hysterically, or stand in complete shock in front of the mirror for hours — perhaps a combination of all three. 

“Holy shit! Oh my god! This is incredible!” You take a few steps closer to the mirror, turning your leg side to side to see how the new addition of ink looks on your body. 

He’s standing behind you, peering over your shoulder when he asks softly, “You like it?”

“Like it? I love it!” you squeal in excitement, turning around to face him. You’re not sure what comes over you at this exact moment, it could be a mixture of desire, tension, or even fatigue with some leftover adrenaline, or maybe it's just pure attraction to him that motivates you, but you reach out and cup his face in your hands. Bringing him forward, you smash your lips into his in a more aggressive kiss than either of you anticipated. He must not have expected it from how he flinches back slightly, but only for a second before he reconnects the kiss, deepening it. 

He brings his hands up to weave into the tresses of your hair and snake around to the nape of your neck. The hours of build-up from sweet praises and gentle caresses are making you feel bold, and you flick your tongue across his lip in a hungry need for more. 

His full, pouted lips part without a second of hesitation, and he slips his tongue across yours. You’re both trying to be mindful of the massive, fresh tattoo on your right thigh, but your impulses take over for a few seconds longer than they should’ve. You tug him forward with a hand around his hip, and for a fleeting moment, you feel him harden beneath his jeans when he presses up against your left hip. 

Jake is the one to break the kiss through a low groan, eliciting a whine of complaint from you. He doesn’t let go, however, but instead smiles against your lips, releasing a breathy laugh, “Whoa. Hold on, dove.” The pad of his thumb sweeps over your cheek as the spiced, smokiness of his breath fans across your lips, “Trust me when I say we wanna fuck you, but I need to wrap your leg up first. Can’t go destroying my best canvas, can we?”

You’re not sure if you hear him correctly, so you pull back, confused, and mumble, “W-we?”

He cocks an eyebrow and licks across his bottom lip. “Oh, I just thought Josh here was making it painfully obvious how bad he wants you.”

You glance over Jake’s shoulder to see Josh sitting in the same chair as before, now with a leg crossed over the other and his hands locked behind his head. The expression he’s wearing on his face is a smug one, and he only responds to your questioning look with a playful grin and a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders. 

Your knees are wobbling for an entirely different reason as you walk the short path back to the table. The air is heavy to breathe, thick from the borderline-ferality between the three of you. Jake places a kiss on your lips while you lift yourself on its edge, and scoot back enough for him to wrap your leg. 

The next sound you hear is the chair behind pushed out from under Josh’s legs as he stands to his feet. 

He leans in on his extended arm placed behind you, and lowers himself to whisper in your ear once again. “I’m impressed. I was beginning to think you were just gonna walk right out of here after all that teasing.”

You want to say something back, but all you can do is mewl from the relief of cool water from Jake’s bottle rolling down the sides of your leg.

Josh nips the soft spot below your ear, causing you to lift your hips and clench your thighs before Jake places a firm hand on your belly. He breathes in a deeper voice that makes the wetness pool between your legs. “Are you gonna be a good girl? You’ve done such a good job for us tonight.”

He follows it with a sultry growl vibrating against the shell of your ear. “I bet that pussy is so fucking nice and wet, isn’t it? How bad do you want two cocks tonight, sweet girl?

Jake snaps at his twin, “Josh, would you cut it out? She’s squirming all over the place and I’m trying to lay this fucking Saniderm down.”

Josh huffs an irritated laugh, but behaves to the extent that he’ll settle for placing wet kisses on the path between your shoulder and your ear. 

It takes all of Jake’s attention for him to apply the giant cling-wrap-like bandage to your tattoo with delicate precision. And knowing what’s about to transpire, he takes extra caution and adds a second gauze sheet over it for padding, securing it with black, medical foam tape. 

Josh cheers the second Jake finishes wrapping you up, “Finally! I think it’s about time that we fucking celebrate. Wanna smoke?”

As much as you love to share a cigarette with him, you decide against it and shake your head to turn down his offer.

Without skipping a beat, Jake wheels his chair over to his work desk. “I have some whiskey that I only break out for special occasions. Want a drink instead?”

Josh places an open-mouth kiss on your neck as you are about to respond, causing the sound to come out more like a pitiful moan than a real word, “Sure.”

While his brother digs around the cabinets of his desk for the bottle of liquor, Josh walks around the table to stand in front of you, holding his open hand out for you to take, “C’mere, sweet girl.”

The staggered walk over to the couch is interrupted by Josh kissing you like he’ll never get the chance again. You can’t help but note how it’s completely different from his brother, how it’s not gentle or paced, but rather a clashing of tongues and hungry nips to your lips. It’s an insatiable type of hunger you’re not familiar with, but find that you’re craving every second of it.

He balls up the fabric of your dress and yanks it over your head in a swift motion, tossing it somewhere behind his back. He grabs a generous handful of your ass, squeezing it into his palm before sliding both hands along the curves of your body. His dull nails drag up the length of your back until his slender fingers meet the tiny clasps of your bra. With a flick of his tongue across your teeth paired with a precise pinch of his fingers, the garment is free from your chest. 

He doesn't break the kiss as he guides you to the couch, laying you across the shined, leather furniture on your back. Slotting himself between your legs and propping his weight above you, the frenzied kisses finally leave your lips to trail across your jaw, to the sweet spot of your ear, and down the side of your neck. They’re wet and sloppy, touched by the warmth of his breath through each heavy pant against your tacky skin. The soft hairs of his mustache tickle you, turning you into a writhing mess as his lips explore the intricate details of your body. Acting from your desires, you hitch your left leg around his waist as he rocks his hips into you, catching his concealed erection against your lace-covered pussy. In the passion of tangled limbs, he’s still careful of your freshly tattooed leg draping off the side of the couch. 

His lips graze from the hollow point of your throat, feeling the erratic beating of your heart against his mouth, down between your breasts until he wraps them around one of your bare nipples. Your hands fly up to find his face, and you let your fingers feel across the plush, buzzed hair along the sides of his head before they dive into the loose curls. 

A pull of his locks between your curled fist sends a raspy groan from his mouth onto your skin with his nose pressing into the supple flesh of your breast. He laps his tongue over the sensitive bud, rolling it into the intoxicating heat of his mouth.

As much as he wants to stay here worshiping your naked chest for hours with no end in sight, he’s too impatient to finally taste you. His tongue leaves your overstimulated nipples to trail down the center of your abdomen, across your navel, and down to your left hip. He sucks a splotchy pink love mark on the thin skin, soothing the sting of it with a delicate lick of his tongue. 

You couldn’t care less from the way his breath fans across your body, clinging to the wet lace of your thong between your thighs. He’s only inches away from where you want him most, and he’s making sure to keep you on edge as long as he can. 

Between chasing the feeling of his mouth, and him sinking to the floor on his knees, you are now sitting upright against the back cushions of the couch. You’re in a special kind of daze, pulled under the current of your circumstances. You don’t even notice Jake’s presence until you feel his weight shifting across the leather next to you. 

You watch as Josh leans back on his heels, and tugs his white t-shirt from his body. Your blurry, out-of-focus eyes start at his beautiful smile, scanning to his floral tattoos covering his neck, and down over where they connect to his chest piece where two sparrows are placed among a bed of flowers, one on each side. He takes away the chance for you to look farther down when he brings his lips to your inner thigh once again. 

“I hope you didn’t forget about me, dove,” Jake croons in such a delectable voice that makes you feel like you’re vibrating from the inside out. His fingertips trace across the softness of your jaw just as Josh eases your thong carefully down your legs. 

“No! No… not at all — oh my god!” You cry out the second Josh licks a languid stripe over your once-hidden clit. Somehow, you have forgotten about the existence of the piercing until he presses the tiny metal ball to your bundle of nerves, making you nearly leap in the air. 

“Fucking show off,” Jake curses under his breath, causing Josh to chuckle with his face buried between your legs. 

Feeding off the spark of jealousy, he guides you into a heated kiss with a hand around your neck, cupping your chin in his fingers so you feel the cool metal of his rings. It’s different from the first he had given, and as you fight in this sinful dance for dominance, it’s clear to you that he’s winning. Maybe it was meant to distract you from his brother, or maybe it’s due to the fact he’s no longer holding back like he was before. 

He sucks a mark of his own beneath your ear, one that will be sure to turn a lovely shade of purple by tomorrow morning — another thing to remember him by. The sensation of Jake’s teeth raking across your throat as Josh rolls deliciously slow circles over your clit, overrides your brain’s basic functions. Every thought and every one of your senses is consumed by them, even to the point where the throbbing pain of your tattoo ceases to exist in your mind. 

“Feeling a little thirsty?” Jake hums into your cheek as he caresses a middle finger from your throat and down the center of your chest. 

“Mmhmm.’” The whimper you give is pathetic at best, just as he likes it.

An expert flick of Josh’s tongue makes you roll your head back and clench your thighs around his head, but the soreness in your muscles makes you wince. “Careful now, dove.”

Through your fogged vision, you peer through half-closed lids to watch Jake take a swig from the bottle. He leans in, placing his thumb on your bottom lip, signaling you to open for him. You’re eager, allowing him to spill the shot of whiskey into your waiting mouth. It burns in the best way as you swallow it down, feeling the warmth in your belly, with his palm resting around your throat. The grasp tightens right as he licks across your mouth, wiping away any of the liquor that has spilled from your swollen lips. He hovers right at your ear, sending the growl straight through you, “You do exactly as you’re told, don’t you?”

The way Josh is sucking your clit, babying it, nurturing the building orgasm in the safety of his mouth like no one has done before causes the bindings of your composure to untether without anyone there to save you.

Pleased with the sounds rattling from your chest, Jake taunts the two of you, “We can’t leave Josh out, can we?”

The mention of his name causes his eyes to open and flick up to meet yours. The lust-blown pupils are almost black with unbridled desire, abandoning that playful, rich-toffee color you admired earlier in the evening. Now that you are taking in the sight of him more clearly, you see his right hand wrapping so tightly around your leg, that his fingertips are pressing hard enough into the thickness of your thigh to leave little indentations. You’re able to make out the tattooed letters on his knuckles now that he has your focus, reading the letters, “L O V E” on each finger.

Jake brings the lip of the glass bottle to your sternum and tilts it slightly to pour the amber liquid onto your smooth skin. It drips down your belly in cascading streams, causing you to suck in a sharp gasp between your teeth from the sensation. Before you can react, Josh rushes to leave his spot on your clit, lapping up all the spilled alcohol that tries to trickle down your sides. Jake huffs an amused laugh that drapes across the sticky skin on your neck, “Another one of his party tricks.”

You’ve now brought a hand up into Josh’s hair, using the loose, messy curls as reigns. The smooth, undoubtedly-expensive bourbon mixing with the taste of you, and the way you’re yanking on his hair has flipped an internal switch. The movements of his tongue are no longer gentle and delicate, because he’s devouring you as if his life depends on it, and the lewd noises he’s creating should’ve embarrassed you if you weren’t too bothered to care.

Your eyes are clamped shut so tightly that bright splotches of color begin to burst behind your lids as the impending orgasm twists in your belly with each passing second. Jake is already taking note of the signals your body is giving, telling him that you’re close; watching how your cheeks and chest flush a vibrant pink shade, the raggedness of your breathing as your lungs ache for air, to the way you’re clawing at the top of his thigh and fabric of his shirt. Enamored by the sight of you, he leans in and bites at the tender flesh of your neck, sucking a pattern of marks over your breasts while he plays with your hardened nipples between his fingers.

Jake breathes in a sticky voice like it's coated in golden honey, “You enjoying yourself, sweet dove? I bet you taste fucking phenomenal. I gotta make sure to have you all to myself next time.”

Another pair of fingers tease around your entrance, causing a pathetic plea to rip its way from your lungs, “Josh…please!” 

The teeth of his perfect smile press against you as he considers making you beg again since your voice sounds so pretty saying his name, but he decides to give in by slipping his fingers inside. The warm, wet strokes of his tongue paired with a coaxing curl of his two longest digits along your sweetest spot almost cause you to unravel in that very moment. The hard bridge of his nose is nestled right against your clit when he starts to thrash his head back and forth, not caring that you’re nearly ripping his hair out from his scalp. 

It’s merciless. 

The passion at which he throws you into the wall of your first orgasm is unprecedented. You could have been coming for three seconds or three hours on his tongue, but it made no difference in the end. You might’ve even blacked out, but you’re not entirely sure about that either. He stays there, regardless, with a clamped hand around your leg, licking you up until the point where overstimulation starts to take over. 

When you finally regain the ability to open your eyes, you look down to see him smiling at you with the bottom half of his face drenched in your arousal. The shine on his lips glistens in the light, and it almost makes you sad when he starts to wipe it away with his hand. 

“Now it’s my turn to play,” Jake declares into the humid air as he starts to shift his position on the couch.

You shake your head, and before he can ask why, you place your hands firmly on his chest and push him back toward the arm of the couch. He tumbles on his back, taking you with him. He doesn’t complain nor resist in the slightest from you taking charge. Returning the favor, you lick and bite your way down the vulnerable skin of his throat, feeling his adam’s apple move beneath your lips. Kissing your way along his jawline to his ear, you roll the silver hoop decorating his lobe along your tongue. He grabs you by the waist, rocking you over his lap while a whiny moan from him echoes in the room. 

Breaking away from his neck, you sit back on his thighs and start pulling the embossed leather strap through the large buckle, trying your best not to get distracted by the outline of his cock hidden beneath the dark-wash jeans. 

You whip the belt through the loops with an aggressive yank of your wrist and toss it somewhere across the wooden floor, hearing the metal clank against its surface. Once his jeans are unbuttoned, you slip your hand beneath the denim as well as the cotton of his boxer briefs. The exposed band of stomach showing beneath the bottom of his shirt quivers from your gentle touch. Your fingertips run around the warmth of his body, passing over the trimmed hair beneath his waist until you feel the suede-soft skin of his cock. You glance up to see his eyes fixed on your hand as tiny puffs of air leave his open mouth. There isn’t much room for your hand to move in his pant leg as you reach farther down, but you’re shocked by his length when you feel only him. Through an arguably smug laugh, he lifts and helps push his pants down enough that you’re able to release him from the restriction of his clothing. 

With the sheer weight and size of him in your hand, you can’t help your eyes from widening in unfiltered awe. You begin stroking him, watching the beads of precome leak out and catch the light as they drip down. You settle on the couch, lowering your body across his legs in a more comfortable position. 

Right as you’re about to bring the head of Jake’s cock to your waiting lips, you catch the sight of Josh walking past you with the zipper of his jeans opened, stroking himself in lazy pumps of his hand. He doesn’t let your eyes linger more than a second or two before he’s out of your line of vision. 

I guess they really are twins.

Jake’s fingers sweep the fallen hair from your face to get a better look at you. You look up through your lashes just as you flick your pointed tongue along the underside of his length, watching as his eyes roll back behind his heavy lids. 

It might be your only chance of the night, so you jump on the opportunity to tease him. The combination of barely-there brushes of your lips and kitten-licks of a soft tongue is making him shift and squirm beneath you. It’s obvious he’s fighting the urge to take control as his fingers fidget on his lap in building anticipation for what’s to come. 

“Come on, dove. You know I’ve been thinking about those pretty lips wrapped around me all night.” His voice is thick, laden with pure eroticism.   

The confession disguised as a praise  sends a wave of aching need for more. Without wasting another second, you guide him along your flattened tongue, swirling it around every inch of his length. Adjusting to how he fills your mouth, you bob your head slowly with your hand stroking what your lips can’t reach. 

Your attention is drawn away from Jake when you feel the weight of Josh’s knee pressing into the leather as he climbs on the couch behind you, but you still don’t stop the movements of your head. His fingertips are the first thing to touch you, making your back arch from the feeling. They dance across your spine, tracing down the finer details which causes a pitched moan to vibrate around Jake as he nudges the back of your throat. A firm hand kneads your ass, and you swear you can hear his breathing start to quicken over the sound of Jake’s. 

You’re startled when his open palm cracks against it from a forceful slap without warning. It stings as the blood rushes to the surface to leave a reddened print, making you clench your thighs together.

It’s when those fingers roll over your overstimulated clit, that you gasp, gagging on Jake’s cock. The sound and feeling cause a curse to slip from his parted mouth, followed it a loud groan, “Fuck! That dirty little mouth of yours.”

If the tears welling in your eyes that coated your lashes didn’t cloud your vision, you would be able to see Jake’s head whipping forward with his thick brows pinched together when he pushes your head down on him. 

With his hand wrapped around the thick base of himself, Josh taps the head teasingly on the swell of your ass a few times. You wiggle your hips, chasing him as he inches closer and closer before his twin takes notice of his intentions. 

Annoyed with him, Jake scoffs, “Why do you get to fuck her first?”

Josh huffs a dry laugh, quipping back, “Because I do everything first, you prick. I’m five minutes older.”

“That’s a stupid fucking rea-Ah! Oh, fuck!”  A certain lick of your tongue as you ignore their banter causes him to grunt the curses mid-sentence, stopping the thought in its tracks. He pauses to collect himself, gripping your hand as he warns through shallow breaths, “Slow down, baby, or else you’re gonna make me cum soon.”

Josh takes the cue and glides himself into your pussy with a deliberate push of his hips. A ragged, borderline-primal growl rips from the back of his throat the second he bottoms out. The position of his hands slips from your hips down to your waist with a roll of his body with his cock buried deep inside. 

He whines, succumbing to throes of pleasure already, “Oh my — fuck! Fuck, you feel so so good, baby.”

The feeling elicits a similar reaction from you, making you crane your neck so you can watch him slowly retreat from you. His eyes are fixed down at himself being coated with you, slick from your arousal. The unhurried push back into you causes his eyelids to flutter closed. The lean muscles of his abdomen, ones hidden beneath the tattooed skin, flex, and twitch with each stroke. The image of the two large roses on each of his hips, placed on the curvature of his slender stomach, snags your attention the longest before Jake’s fingers hook your chin. 

The slow, subtle grinding of his hips transforms into powerful thrusts, knocking the air from your lungs and causing Jake to slip from your mouth. With your face resting on the softness of his tummy, the strokes of your hand are listless at best. Your cries mix with the distinct sounds each time Josh’s ink-decorated thighs connect with your ass. The broken phrases from him are incoherent, but by the way his movements are starting to stagger in rhythm, he’s closer than you expect. 

Suddenly, with his hand gripped tightly around your waist, he pulls himself from you. You might have complained about the empty feeling you’re left with if you didn’t feel his knuckles brush across your skin with each frantic stroke of his loose fist. His trimmed nails scratch along the small of your back as he falters through a violent shudder, and spills his warm release over the curve of your ass with a breathy string of curses tumbling from his lips. 

Breaking the silence between you, Josh mutters in a strained voice as he pats the other cheek, “Don’t move.”

He stands to his feet, collecting himself through steady breathing as he walks across the room completely naked without a care in the world. Jake takes the moment to tip your chin up and lean down to place his lips to yours, persuading you into a sensual kiss. You don’t dare move an inch as you feel Josh’s release dripping down the back of your leg. Thankfully, he returns within the minute, bringing a warm, damp towel to clean you with. 

After his brother is done taking care of you, Jake bolts upright on his knees, sending you crashing into Josh’s chest, pinning his brother beneath you against the opposite arm of the couch.

You erupt into a fit of giggles as Josh curses from the new position you’re both in. You’re wearing an expression of shock, but Jake only reciprocates with an amused raise of his left brow. “You really thought I was gonna be patient all night?”

Just as Josh had done minutes beforehand, Jake reaches back between his shoulder blades, and rips his black t-shirt off, throwing it somewhere onto the floor into a crumpled pile.

It’s the first time you’re able to see his bare torso so close to your face. Even so, your eyes can’t seem to focus on one thing in particular with the lack of lighting, but what you’re able to see is the distinct outline of a skull with a sword through it in the center of his chest, surrounded by roses and plumes of smoke. It would take you hours of tracing over every line, every inch of the art-covered skin to fully appreciate it all. 

He looks above you, locking eyes with his twin through a silent exchange as if they communicated in an unspoken language. Josh hums in approval, and rubs his hands down the length of your arms before wrapping his long fingers around your wrists. He lifts your hands, and folds them over each other to pin them both behind your head. 

Jake’s eyes find yours for a second, and you swear you can see darkness swirl within the irises like the unforgiving waters of a rough, uncharted sea. His gaze floats down from your face, pausing on your rising and falling chest before it eventually settles between your legs. He wraps his arm around your left thigh, leaving your right untouched, and pulls you up onto the tops of his legs. 

He slips the head of his cock over your clit, causing it to shine in your wetness. With a nudge of his fingers at his base, he guides himself in a teasingly slow pace down to your entrance. You’re impatient and desperate, lifting your hips to take him in. He bites his lip through his intense focus, finding that he doesn’t even have to push, and lets the release of your muscles do the work for him. He slides in effortlessly, stretching you inch-by-inch to the hilt. You both exhale through a strangled gasp, and he stills for a minute, feeling the tightness of your walls clench around him. 

His eyes close just as his head rolls forward with a breathless laugh escaping his chest, “I fucking hate when he’s right, but oh my god your pussy is incredible.”

Josh sings into the tresses of your hair, “Like heaven.”

The skull on his hand stares back at you when he places his palm on your belly while he thrusts deep and slow in each calculated roll of his hips. The added pressure on your stomach as the head of his cock brushes against the special spot with the pad of his thumb rubbing over your clit drags you off the edge into your second orgasm. 

Your upper arms ache as they strain through each flexing muscle you have to endure. It seems rather inconsequential because you don’t even feel like you're present with your physical body with time itself feeling irrelevant. Sounds become muffled like you’ve stuffed balls of cotton into them, even if at one point you’re sure you were screaming.

Jake’s not far away from that place himself, catching up quickly as he rides through the crashing waves of your climax. You wish to have each sway of his tangled hair or how a thin sheen of sweat has coated his body burned into your memory. 

You can see the internal battle he’s fighting with his temptations from the look in his eyes that are hidden behind his furrowed brows. He hisses through clenched teeth when reluctantly pulls out from you, and because of the timing, it doesn’t even take a full stroke of his hand before the ropes of his warm come splatter across your stomach. You flinch at the feeling, and Josh releases his hold around your wrists so you can relax them by your sides. 

The three of you take the following minutes to come down from the collective high as your breathing starts to calm down to a normal level. No one has said anything for a while, so you decide that you’ll be the one to break the tension first, “So… do you take credit cards?” 

Josh barks out a hoarse laugh, “Shut the fuck up.”

Jake adds to the laughter, and runs his fingers through his hair, pushing it back from his face. He slowly maneuvers off the couch to a standing position beside you. “I think it’s safe to say this one might be on the house.”

Tucking himself back in his jeans while simultaneously looking for the washcloth, he turns to his brother and instructs, “Josh, go ahead and disinfect this couch again.”

Josh groans in annoyance while falling back against the arm of the couch, pushing his sweaty curls from his forehead. 

You’re given a new towel to wipe the evidence from your stomach as Jake collects your dress and underwear off the floor and hands them to you. “Here, dove. The bathroom is down the hall and to your left if you want to clean up a bit.” He then looks to Josh, addressing him directly, “Let’s lock up so we can get her back home for round two.”

You feel like you’re weightless, floating across the room, and only making it halfway to the bathroom when you hear Josh blurt out, “Round two?!” 

I think we have something here. 

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#gvf fic #gvf smut #josh kiszka #jake kiszka #fanfic #josh kiszka fanfiction #josh kiszka smut #josh gvf #jake kiszka x reader #josh kiszka x reader #gvf fanfiction #josh kiszka x you #jake kiszka fanfiction #gvf twin fic #gvf twins #gvf tattoo!au #josh tattoo #jake tattoo #gvf tattoo #tattoo au #gvf tattoo shop

[mysoullanguage]

#0013 rx planets in your chart

rx planets will indicate what unfinished business/lessons you have in this lifetime. the more rx planets you have, the more lessons you are urged to complete. your rx planets may be difficult to cooperate with and may bring out some of your most challenging traits. look towards the sign, planet, and house. the sun and moon can never go rx. energy is directed inwards instead of projected outwards like it should.

mercury in rx — you will need to learn and appreciate the value of communication and verbalizing thoughts and feelings into concrete facts. there may be issues with general communication or the aiblity to express honesty. inability to confront; there is self-sabotage and self-criticizing. repetitive thinking patterns, especially negative, are prominent. while mercury rx indicates someone with great intellect and an ability to process information on a profoundly innate level, you may struggle with overthinking/having too much to think about. you are a reflective person but this often gets the better of you because you tend to isolate yourself from others for no specific reason.

mars in rx — great difficulty with confrontation and settling on one ambition to take action towards. you seem to want everything and nothing at all. you may express anger very aggressively but only after letting it boil inside you for a very long time; you may experience "dull anger", a type of anger that sits inside you, instead of having a clear projection outwards. you can be very passive-aggressive and only take action when you feel forced to. you cannot stand up for yourself, though you feel the great need to be dominant. one of your lessons will be to take charge in life instead of sitting on the post waiting for someone to do it all for you.

venus in rx — you have trouble opening up and letting people see you for who you are. romantically speaking, you have trouble committing because you fear depth, not because you are a cheater, although this can indicate some promiscuity as well. with others, you may have a harder time socializing because you like isolation more than the outside world. you may be lonelier than most. any friends you have are most likely friends from childhood or just very long-term friends. you may have a hard time loving yourself. so, one of your lessons will involve loving yourself and letting others love you. we accept the love we deserve and certainly, you accept love that is not what you really deserve

jupiter in rx — one of your lessons will include having your own set of beliefs instead of following other people's. it will involve establishing a personal constitution/morals/values you abide by. unconcerned with material wealth, you may focus on spiritual wealth to the point of total rejection of the real world. your gambler attitude may get tested also. personally speaking you may be reclusive and not have the brightest social life, but you definitely have a lot of luck, despite being in rx. in fact, this rx can breed a type of luck that puts you in disadvantaged scenarios designed for growth, but the type of scenarios that guarantee you will make it out the other side!

saturn in rx — confrontation may be a fear for you. you self-isolate, are very controlling, and feel the need to constantly micromanage. inwardly speaking, you are very nervous and have a lot of insecurities, especially with your body and personal wealth/success. in this lifetime, you will have to learn the proper discipline to achieve the goals you want out of life. you may want a lot but lack the ambition or direction in getting there. you may also be rebellious and not cooperative in relationships because you can't seem to take them seriously. additionally, you will learn to let go of control and let the universe take its course. you cannot always know what is best for you.

neptune in rx — this is a heavy dreamer planet, and can breed someone lazy and totally incapable of caring for themselves. while your imagination is insanely creative, you tend to have your heads up in the clouds too much. you struggle with being in reality for long. you may be gifted with the ability to dream or have a very strong connection to your spirituality, but you don't know how to express it, and it leaves you feeling restless most of the time. you are lonely and often misunderstood. you require a lot of time for yourself. you self-isolate more than be with others.

uranus in rx — you may be afraid of new beginnings because you are comfortable with what memories, nostalgia, and predictability do for you. there is happiness in the known and you may repel any sort of expression in fear of other people's judgment. there is a strong calling within you that urges you to be who you are, but you don't know how. to others, you may seem conventional, but inside you really are not. you have views and beliefs completely opposite to what impression you give off. your social life may lack or be very unpredictable. you may struggle to have solid friendships or maintain your own identity in friend groups.

pluto in rx — this is one of the most challenging rx placements because your struggles are experienced on the inside and have no expression on the outside. what this means is that you go through emotional/mental/spiritual turmoil that manifests in depressive moods or anger issues instead of being healthily channeled. you are very controlling and micromanage all the time. one of your lessons will be to let change be and to stop avoiding what needs changing. part of your inner turmoil is just layers of your soul shedding to embrace new sides to your personality. you have a very powerful presence and certainly love power but you hate any situation that puts you in a powerless state.

#astro notes #astrology #astro observations

[haitianhistory]

On Haiti's 220th anniversary

Two hundred and twenty years ago, former slaves and free people of color accomplished the seemingly impossible: defeating one of the most formidable European armies of the day and establishing a new state where bondage, as it existed before 1791, would be forever abolished.

For those who have followed this blog since 2013, you know that I (admin A) have rarely allowed myself any sentimentality when discussing Haitian history. I have tried to present a nuanced portrait of Haiti’s past by addressing the weight of the many isms that have plagued its history (colonialism, racism, neoliberalism…) and by taking a critical look at the role of Haitian leaders throughout all these episodes.

Two hundred and twenty years after the unthinkable, Haiti finds itself without a president, grappling with what seems to be a permanent problem of armed gangs, little security, renewed multifaceted tensions with its Dominican neighbour, and on the brink of a new UN occupation through a Kenyan mission. The young woman who started this blog a decade ago would have said that there are little reasons for us as Haitians to celebrate—not because of a difficulty appreciating the great shoulders on which we stand, but because, at twenty-two years old, I didn’t believe in what I felt was useless romanticism binding us to a distorted past while also blinding us to the reality of the disastrous present.

Today, it’s not so much that I find much to rejoice in given the current state of affairs. It’s that I realize, what is the point of all this if there is no hope? Why this blog, why study the history of Haiti at all, why care about the country? For those of us with family there, why not temporarily send money in the hope of helping them relocate here, there, and anywhere except Haiti? Why not congratulate the complete erosion of Haitian sovereignty, as post-1986 Haiti, and especially Haiti of the last two decades, has shown so vividly the complete utter failure of its foreign-backed governing class?

I don’t know what hope is supposed to look like in this situation. Hope for what? Hope for a change under what conditions, under whose authority? On what would this hope be grounded? Perhaps, despite the best efforts of my twenty-two-year-old self, I am becoming as naive and sentimental as the people I silently criticized then...

Perhaps, however, I recognize that Haiti does matter. Even the most cynical among us would admit that there is something profoundly radical in breaking the bonds of slavery, in affirming that people of African descent could not be stripped of their humanity, that there is something poetic in saying “no” in the face of impressive odds. Newly independent Haiti did not live up to some of the promises of its complicated Revolution. The 1825 French imposition of an indemnity severely affected freshly formed Haiti (beyond the 19th century), but it does not excuse the incompetence of Haitian governments, then and now. Haiti could, may have, and I certainly hope, will change, will remember what 1804 ought to have meant.

Perhaps, especially for the people who currently live in Haiti, particularly the women of all ages who face the constant threats of sexual violence, Haiti has a responsibility to itself, to its unprecedented idealism, to all of us.

Given all these reasons, I find it necessary to maintain a guarded optimism, acknowledging that ideas hold significance and possess the potential to materialize into reality.

#haiti #haitian revolution #history #in my opinion #off topic

[legionofpotatoes]

All other criticisms of modern Star Wars aside, the thing that gets me the most is how every single story is being written to fit into some Avengers-level grand finale that just isn't laying a solid enough foundation to make it worth the wait. Regardless of whether the individual stories are good or bad, what makes them fall so short, imo, is that there's usually no real payoff within their own runtimes (unless you count cheap callbacks or loose promises of More, which you shouldn't)

Like, I already knew halfway through Ahsoka that we were in for a cliffhanger and it's just like...alright, guess we'll see how this ends in about 5 years? Even Mando, which had a great first season and was poised to stand on its own two feet and ride off on a rootin' tootin' bounty huntin' adventure, has ultimately become yet another dusty path on the road to the current Big Plot with an indeterminate due date. That's not deliciously addictive media, it's a dry-ass carrot on a spindly little stick, lol

Of course, this is a problem that many franchises are happily getting cozy with lately because everybody wants to have their own Infinity War / Endgame moment, but I guess it seems a bit more egregious with Star Wars because, ironically, it used to work best because it had less overall focus. Like, sure, we had concurrent movies, animated series, and games, but they were always happy to do their own things and tell their own stories with definitive conclusions. Now it all has to funnel into the Big New Plot and, man, I honestly just can't bring myself to care when it feels like an endless waiting game

I definitely need to get around to watching Visions at some point because, every time it pops up, it sounds like the lifeblood that Star Wars sorely needs atm

Yeah the setup-and-payoff a-to-b type dramatic clarity that seemed so entrenched into the very bones of cinematic grammar - up to around the emergence of streaming, wink wink nudge nudge - is sorely missed in star wars atm. sure maybe downsized writers rooms fidgeting with limited series formats instead of doing actual seasonal TV has something to do with it, but even that is probably such a small piece of the larger issue that spins all this longform storytelling bullshit ferry wheel around.

Another part is certainly chasing the MCU business model of it all like you said. Carrot on a stick is verbatim how I've often described these things myself, the endless promise of another promise of another promise instead of forming a complete thought with a beginning and an end. servicing the plot before story at all costs. another part still is reverence towards the aesthetic trappings of the source material instead of its themes, trying to nail the exact texture of tatooine's huts and dial in the perfect balance of lightsaber choreography and pay homage to a thousand iconic shots before articulating something true in the text.

And like it's an endless laundry list, this confluence of capital-I Issues both industry-scale and creatively-driven that seem to be flaying the skin off the bones of whatever star wars even "is" nowadays. no one can answer that in the context of billions of dollars made off toys and storylines centering around this one moment in fictional history about sons and fathers and empires and rebellions. so they just keep twisting in the wind filling in any gaps within that period. I don't know nonnie, it's all so bleak. ahsoka and obi wan and even mando tbh. as charming as season 1 was, it truly felt like it coasted on its incredible restraint to avoid muddying its aesthetic with cameos, and lucked into effective storytelling as a result of that utterly unintentional alchemy. that's obviously well and truly gone now as its true optics have reared head.

what star wars is by itself is such a pointless discussion, right? andor argues it's a perfectly functional heightened universe that can support incredibly nuanced and dramatically charged stories of grassroots rebellion and the bureaucratic strain of fascist regimes. visions argues it's a world beholden to the force, an endlessly mutable and elegant metaphor that can support infinite monomyths and fairy tales. both are equally fantastic at executing on their takes, despite being in diametrically opposite extremes of interpreting the source. so it's not really about that at all, why the other stuff sucks this bad.

they're just bad at the craft of it, that's really it. whether it's auteur worship or business decisions rotting that fish down, it still rots all the same. maybe the new writers' guild contracts can shift the winds a little, because I was so securely done with star wars and then the aforementioned 2 shows came and affected me. so, so profoundly that I'm back on the hook again. like a lil sucker!

#long post #anon #asks #boy howdy forgive me mister baby yoda for I have engaged in star wars discourse again #this will definitely not backfire on me as it never before has.

[marlynnofmany]

Tactical Artwork

I paused work with my hand tools in order to watch Glowing Coals buzz an intricate pattern into a small rock with his. He worked quickly, turning the rock like a gray Easter egg and completing the pattern without any flaws I could see, then setting it down and moving on to the next. The pattern for this one was just as complex, and just as freehand. He was easily the most talented at the table.

“How much practice did it take you to get so fast?” I asked, raising my voice to account for the breathing mask. Mine was pretty comfortable, but it muffled sounds a bit. Coals hadn’t complained about his, though he didn’t complain much in general.

“I had an artisan apprenticeship back home,” Coals said. His mask flexed a bit with the motion of his lizardy jaw, and was a stylish gold on top of his brick-red scales. “The creating was nice, but the people weren’t.”

“Yeah, I’ve had jobs like that.” I would have said more, but Painted Sunset finished an art piece and held it up for approval.

“Ta-da!” she said, displaying a three-legged shape made of sliced-up and reassembled mushrooms. Wait, two legs. That was a tail.

“Very nice,” I said. “How long do you think it will last without shriveling?”

Paint set it on the table. “Any shriveling will only add to its charm,” she said firmly.

I had a sudden memory of mushrooms that melted away into black goo instead of drying up, and was deciding whether or not to mention it when Trrili grabbed a fresh log and showered all of us in wood chips.

Paint shielded her mushroom doll; Coals ignored the shrapnel; I flinched, then sighed and gathered up a few bits to use in my own art. I was gluing together pieces of other people’s material into tiny sculptures. Maybe I could make a porcupine out of the flakes of wood.

Trrili was sure giving me plenty to work with. She attacked the log with all the intensity of a chainsaw carver in the midst of a painful breakup, and who also happened to have blade arms like a praying mantis. I wouldn’t have thought that those pinchers were exactly suited to woodworking, but the wood was soft and Trrili was angry.

She’d been there when the pirates stole our payment, and she hadn’t been able to stop them. Granted, I had too, but I wasn’t a large terrifying bug alien with a warrior’s pride. Her shiny black blade arms moved quickly, red patterns flashing like warning flares, and everyone gave her lots of room.

There was plenty of table space to go around — this was something like a local picnic area with one long table set on top of a low wall. Enormous chunks of crystal served as stools, which only some of the crew were using. Trrili certainly didn’t need them, though on the other side of her I could see that Mur had actually stacked two, to raise his squidlike body up to near table height. It looked like he and Captain Sunlight were both carving that horrible smelly soap into fanciful shapes. Hopefully the locals would take a liking to it in flower form. I was all for leaving the stuff behind whether they bought it or not. Nobody on our ship wanted it. It had been mislabeled at a market several planets ago.

This planet, as far as I knew, probably used soap. Probably. The locals were made of green-white crystalline material instead of any flesh I’d encountered before, so who knew? The air here was low-grade toxic. The social eating areas were strung out in long lines. The juvenile locals behaved more like puppies than children, with the four-legged frolicking and loud barking to match. They easily could have not used soap; there were stranger things about the place.

“Are you going to use those leaves?” Paint asked me, pointing at a stack of orange ones. “They’d make great scales for my little person here.”

“Sure, go for it,” I said. “There are more by that tree over there.” I jerked my head to the side, busy focusing on the porcupine body I was assembling out of acorns. Was it bizarre that this planet had people so alien, but plants so familiar? Yes it was. Maybe there was a reason for it — someone doing interstellar traveling to collect and relocate alien flora, or maybe some genetic engineering was at work, or sheer coincidence. I’d seen more unlikely things that that before too. And, as had become my mantra for this sort of minor curiosity, I’d either find out or I wouldn’t. We had higher priorities today.

Like making enough sellable art to unload at the market across the street and recoup at least most of the money we were out. The local guard force had promised to search for the pirates, with hopes of recovering what they’d stolen, but nobody seemed very optimistic about that. We hadn’t even seen what type of ship the pirates had, just their powerful hand weapons and full-body jumpsuits. My guess was that the species under all the pink and brown camo was something like the jumpy chipmunk people we’d met some time ago. I could easily have been wrong. So, there wasn’t much to go on. They were probably long gone already, the next best thing to anonymous.

Or, I thought at a flash of pink, They could be here hoping to exchange the local money for something easier to spend off-system. I leaned hard to see past Coals and into the crowd of crystal-green locals, where two very familiar shapes were walking from stall to stall.

With our bag of gemstones. Like the absolute rookie imbeciles they apparently were. They weren’t holding the guns; those must have been in the bag too.

They hadn’t even seen us yet.

I grabbed two of Coals’ rocks and bolted from the table. “Trrili! There!”

Trrili whirled at my shout, and was right behind me, but I was in range first. Just close enough to fling a rock with all the speed of a good ol’ Earthling throwing arm.

The thieves had turned at our approach, with the closer one reaching into the bag, but that was the one I blasted in the facemask first. He went down hard, taking the bag with him. The other dithered a moment between going for the gun and just running for his life. His bobbing around made my shot bounce off his shoulder instead of his face.

He yelped and ran for it, dodging between startled crystal people with Trrili in hot pursuit.

Locals were yelling for the guards. So was Captain Sunlight, behind me. And unless I missed my guess, so was the thief.

If Trrili had been on my heels, I probably would have too.

I picked up the rocks and stood watch over the groaning thief who probably had a concussion, though lucky for him, no crack in the faceplate. Captain Sunlight caught up and claimed the bag, pawing through it to check the contents. Mur came out of nowhere with a tentacle tackle that held the thief more immobile than I ever could.

“The guards are coming,” said Captain Sunlight. “You three go be tactful.” She pointed at me and at the Frillian twins just now jogging up, then in the direction Trrili had gone.

“Got it,” I said.

The twins nodded, and we took off. Crystalline locals gave us space. The yelling pirate gave us a trail to follow.

He didn’t sound injured yet. We might be able to calm things down into a capture-and-turn-over-to-the-authorities. Or he might deserve what he got. Or he could have another gun hidden somewhere. Or the guards might get the wrong idea and target us. Anything could happen.

I’ve got customer-service diplomacy and two good throwing rocks, I thought as I ran. Bring it on.

~~~

The ongoing backstory adventures of the main character from this book. More to come!

#my writing #the Token Human #humans are weird #humans are space orcs #haso #hfy #eiad #humans can throw #art for everybody

[coffeeandjournaling]

Project Ecco

A solo roleplaying game by Elliot Davis

Materials

game manual

a planner, new or used

a coin/d2 and d6

materials to destroy your planner

further into play: additional coin and die, standard deck of cards, tarot deck

Premise

A mysterious agency, an even more mysterious entity feeding on time itself and smack-dab in the middle: You. As an extension of the Agency, you are tasked with uncovering the truth about “ECCO”, the Entity of Chronological Consumption and Obfuscation. Navigating the chaos of days flying by with the aid of a simple coin, will you complete your mission to the Agency’s satisfaction straightforwardly or will you travel down a road not yet taken, peeking behind a curtain of lies? Who is really on your side? Or, perhaps more importantly, on whose side are you?

Mechanics

In Project Ecco, you progress through time and the game using a regular planner and a variety of different time travel tools. While you might be tempted to use a brand new, untouched planner for this, a used one will do just fine and might even make the game more personal and varied, since existing notes or special dates can be incorporated into play. Keep in mind that your planner will end up at least partially destroyed by the Entity, then again the level of destruction is completely up to you. Scissors are certainly an option, but a good opaque paint marker achieves the same effect with less confetti.

Your tools of choice are in essence a set of game oracles: prompts decided by dice, playing and tarot cards determine how far back or ahead in your planner you travel and which challenges you encounter along the way. Time travel can be quite random, so don’t be scared when you land on the same day more than once. At least as long as you have your trusty coin, the only thing that will keep you from slipping in-between time and experiencing some truly harrowing events. How you respond to these prompts is up to you. Write, draw, use planner stickers; the only limit is the space your planner gives you for the date you are currently on.

During your travels, you tally up the times you either make it back to the Agency or get uncomfortably close to the Entity. Entity encounters in particular are interesting because they prompt you to destroy random dates in your calendar, possibly forcing you into a timeline divergence later on. Completing six encounters either way triggers the endgame – but not necessarily the end of the journey…

Thoughts and Examples from my Playthrough

I had a lot of trouble trying to summarize the game in the above paragraphs. Project Ecco is a very meaty, complex (but not necessarily complicated) game and is more of a five-course meal than an afternoon snack. Consequently, reading the setup instructions can be a little intimidating for someone who has only started dabbling in solo play. Everything is explained thoroughly without being exhausting, however, and on top of that I found myself really interested to read about the different tools and mechanics. In fact, I had to stop myself from snooping too much so as not to spoil my first playthrough.

Your game can last you several sessions over a couple of days. Don’t worry, though, all the cool time travel tools make for a fresh and exciting experience. Special dates, timeline divergences, personal notes and Agency/Entity encounters also serve to keep you on your toes. Whenever you feel like you have seen it all, a new prompt throws you a curveball, altering your perspective on the world and its inhabitants. It’s also great for replayability purposes, as your first playthrough can influence how you go about the challenges on your second round. I usually don’t care much for replay value (my time is limited and there’s a lot of games to try out), in this case, however, it’s so on theme that it’s almost a crime not to play again.

When you have the general cycle down, the game is a breeze. Have I mentioned that I love the time travel devices? Each and every one is unique in the way it lets you progress. As soon as you pick them up during the game, you can switch freely between them. Either you are very strategic about it to avoid repeat visits to certain dates or you embrace chaos for some interesting results. In the beginning, I dreaded losing my coin and experiencing timeline divergences. The closer I got to the endgame, the more I revelled in the wild and unpredictable element they brought to the game and the story that unfolded.

At this point, it shouldn’t amaze me that much how game designers manage to achieve this impeccable level of worldbuilding with just a bit of flavour text and a handful of prompts. From the agents’ designations being real world dates to the time travel tools with clear retro vibes, Project Ecco lets you dive into an 80s sci-fi flick with you as the protagonist torn between your fragile loyalty to the Agency and the conflicting discoveries you make about the Entity. I suppose if there was one thing you wanted to knock, it could be that this is not a very character-driven game. A lot of journaling games focus on the character you create, often as a stand-in for yourself, dealing with their emotions and feelings as they react to the events thrown at them. This is more of mystery thriller focused on plot than a character exploration game. Character creation is as simple as picking your agent designation and, if you’re using a personal planner and are very meticulous in adding dates specific to your character, weaving in details during the game. That being said, I did manage to spin this into a tragic queer romance…such is the nature of solo roleplaying. Hence, others might disagree on this with me, and that’s totally fine.

My attention span has been wavering lately, so I honestly didn’t expect to stick with this. But everything about Project Ecco drew me in. I love the manual that looks like a genuine little agent handbook and the details of the understated illustrations. A solid white-black-and-red colour scheme is always a classy choice. The prompts are descriptive enough to give you guidance and bits of lore without limiting you to a specific path. It’s simply an overall round and well-thought-out experience through and through. I’m a little peeved I didn’t get the Temporal Spread – Samantha Leigh was a guest writer for this specific time travel tool and I’ve been dying to get into their other games (especially Outliers, which seems to deal with adjacent themes), so I was looking forward to get a peek at their writing here. Alas, my agent just wasn’t destined to have it…perhaps the next one will.

I wonder how well this would hold up with a digital planner. Mostly, I am an analogue player when it comes to journaling games. I like how tactile it is and that you're creating an artifact of play to keep on your shelf, something very unique and often verging on if not being outright artistry. But the analogue format does (perhaps intentionally) limit your word count and thus keeps journaling rather short and to the point. I suppose a digital format would allow for more character development, if that is your goal. It would also extend your playtime – which is already significant as is. Still, certainly an interesting option, especially when you plan on playing more than twice.

This might be your cup of coffee if...

you revel in a good time travel mystery.

you prefer to play longer games with more complex mechanics than the average journaling game.

you enjoy some solid worldbuilding and lore to add onto over time, possibly in multiple playthroughs.

you are not afraid to mess up some prime stationary. Seriously. If you love your planner? Do not use it for this. Bullet journaling queens and kings, beware!

You can get Elliot Davis’ Project Ecco HERE on itch.io or as a physical copy available at the online sources linked in the description of the game. Make sure to check out Cassi Mothwin’s flip through of the game and take in the incredible actual play episode by the My First Dungeon podcast crew that I enjoyed immensely and proves that this game supports a more light-hearted tone, as well. In case you are the creative type, Davis is currently still running a game jam for supplements for and games inspired by Project Ecco on itch.io that lasts until March 1st. Plenty of time left to get your head in the game. :)

#indie ttrpg #solo rpg #review #journal #sci-fi #mystery #dice #tarot #cards #coins #mid #advanced players

[thekingofwinterblog]

So i haven't seen anyone on this site do a full on dive on what little material we do have of dreadwolf. For a title that's gonna come out next year if its not delayed, there's shockingly little that's actually out, and what there is can be divided into two.

In game images, and artwork.

For this post i wanna focus on the art.

The most famous of the art is of course this piece. Solas in both his Elf guise and True form, both reaching for the red lyrium idol Hawke and Varric found in DA2.

First things first, before we got confirmation through Urthemiel's concept art, this was the first rock solid proof that the Evanuris were the Old Gods. 7 were sealed away, 2 yet remain, just like the orbs we see here so clearly connected to the taint through the red lyrium idol.

Now a couple of things about this idol.

1. It keeps regenerating. Inquisition did not in any way tell us about this, but this idol keeps regenerating regardless of what happens to the original.

Meredith's lyrium body was hollowed out from the inside out, and the lyrium had used her internal parts to remake itself, where it was taken by certain expanded DA universe characters.

Thats how its back despite being made into a sword, then infecting meredith.

2. The way this picture frames it, this seems to be the key to Solas goal of ripping down the veil, entering the Fade in the flesh and remaking the world.

That's not really the interesting part. No the interesting part is that this isn't the first, or second or third, but fourth completely separate object Solas seems to theoretically be able to use to undo his great work.

In the most recent trailer, we see him use a seemingly completely different artifact to try to do the job, but given the fact this is likely going to be the opening introduction of the game, whatever he's trying to do with this artifact is most certainly going tk go wrong somehow, and might tie into the main character of the game's strange ability to summon magical weaponry out if nowhere.

Maybe a sorta repeat of what happened in the inquisition? His great ritual is interrupted and derailed by some random schmuck that absorbs it's power and becomes his arch enemy?

That would explain how this random thief leader guy that this game is supposed to be headed by, becomes able to defeat Solas.

Assuming this is correct, this means that after this ritual fails, his eyes will instead turn to the red lyrium idol.

Also as i said, that would bring Solas artifacts that could be used to accomplish his plans to backtrack on the veil to a total of 4.

The first was The Mask of Fen'harel, from Redemption, an artifact that was clearly meant as a possible failsafe, given it had the capacity to rip down the veil even in the hands of a mediocre mage, nevermind Solas as he is now.

The mask was destroyed in that series, before Solas even woke up, forcing him to try to rely on his second option, his orb, his Foci, which was also destroyed in Inquisition.

Thirdly there is this strange, green, wand thingy, that seems likely to fail in some way.

And fourthly there is the red lyrium idol, which was the source of all red lyrium that has since plagued the world.

And speaking of the blight...

There are two remaining old gods, and we know how Urthemiel would have looked like in his uncorrupted state through his statues.

This is another of the old gods, uncorrupted by the taint, though which of the Evanuris this is i have no idea. A true eldrich abomination.

Regardless, while Solas is the main villain, we'll be fighting at least one more Elvhen God in this game, which assuming the other one is not fought and/or killed, means there will be one more at the game's end.

One more potential blight.

Or not as we'll see below.

From what very little we have seen of the main character, they seem to have the ability to summon a magical energy weapon. If i had to guess, this seems to be a concept art piece for that.

It also seems to be set at the final area of tresspasser(wherever that is), and the fade seems to be really powerful here at this moment, given those gloating rocks.

Not too enlightening, except for the fact there are Two archdemons in the background who may, or may not be blighted.

Guess all the evanuris as waking up in this game after all.

Shockingly enough given the last two old gods will awaken in this game, we'll get one, final dig into the deep roads before they become irrelevant as a setting.

There's some concept art for what is clearly companions, but i wanted to highlight this one along with the big one im ending this speculation post on.

The three figures from the wall aren't too interesting looking(I think the foremost guy is the pc), but the guy on the far left seems to be a avaar, given his Hakkon helmet.

Apparently we're gonna get water diving in this game, either as a cutscene, or in game play.

The guy with the mustache seems to be Dorian, though it could be a new companion rather than a returning one. The lady on the left looks like isabela, but given the glowing, magical knife, i think this is concept art for the female version of the pc, before they settled on the whole summoning the weapon.

Also the fact we're finally getting sea levels, hopefully means we get to see and possibly fight the last of the important lore monsters, the Cetus.

Seriously, if this series ends without us even getting to see the gigantic, electrical sea dragons of the Northern ocean depths, i will be so mad.

The anderfels, likely Weishaupht, the only place we know for a fact that we'll visit in game, given our only glimpse of gameplay so far takes place there.

Again, this game will likely be the final time the grey wardens are relevant, so of course we're visiting the great Warden fortress, and taking a look at what the hell's going on there.

Alright, so one of the first pieces of art we ever got, and it seems to be the companions of what is likely going to be the last dragon age game.

Left to right, i think the lady on the far left is the lady with the mask from the big battle scene artwork. If so, probably an antivan crow with a mask and a rapier.

Next is a Qunari, though what class is hard to say.

Next one is definitly a rogue, though seemingly male.

Looks like the Inquisition's horse master to be honest.

Next is who I'm assuming to be dorian.

And after him, there is the most interesting part of the piece, a figure with either a thick hood, or thick white hair, holding what is very, very clearly a gun.

Which is not too surprising. Gunpowder has been on the verge of being cracked since awakening, and the Inquisitor discovered the recipe in tresspasser, so guns being invented in the meantime makes perfect sense.

No clue about the next two, but the final one is very, very clearly related to the Navarran death mages, though wheter it's a mortalatasi, or a spirit bound to a body by them is hard to say.

Regardless they all seem to be a ragtag bunch compared to Inquisitions group. Which would fit with the idea that they are supposed to be a bunch of thieves and such that'ss forced into a battle for the world.

#dragon age #dragon age dreadwolf #meta #speculation #dorian pavus #tevinter #anderfels #grey wardens #evanuris #old gods #arch demons #concept art

[sketch-shepherd-art]

Alright so I’ve finally finished all of Make Your Mark on Netflix (I have no interest in Tell Your Tale) and, well… I certainly have thoughts. Unfortunately I felt MLP G5 (even including A New Generation) was pretty weak. I don't HATE G5 of course, but it certainly has problems. Not counting the ton of continuity errors and plot holes and retcons from G4, most of the episodes + specials on their own I found flat and boring.

And yes I KNOW that G5 deserves to be its own thing and shouldn’t rely 100% on G4’s popularity but come on… a sequel series still needs SOME connection to its predecessor, and G5 has so little of it?? And the worst part is that the super sparse FIM references were for legal reasons, which makes me even wonder why bother setting it in the same universe as G4 instead of just making a complete reboot. And yes I’ve heard that the G5 comics actually go deeper into the lore, but important worldbuilding details should be included in the show proper, not in supplemental materials. 

So yeah, that only inspired me to make even more changes for my MLP next gen AU. Starting with a bunch of different ideas I have for Opaline. More details about my revamped design and backstory for her under the cut

First off, her canon design is way too gaudy and takes away a lot of her intended scare factor, so I redesigned her with multiple variants. For all versions I removed her blue eyeshadow and the braids around her ears (too ridiculous-looking and difficult for me to draw), and made her hair a bit more asymmetrical. 

As for my version of her backstory, rather than Opaline being over a thousand years old and having known Celestia and Luna when they were fillies, I made Opaline a former student of Twilight who became her successor as the next Alicorn Princess. Only Opaline didn't do a great job as a ruler which caused Twilight to drain her of her magic and banish her to the outskirts of Equestria.

But after Twilight died of old age (don't ask me why Twilight didn't find a new successor, still working that out) the magic shield locking Opaline outside Equestria faded and allowed her back in. So she was the one who caused disharmony between ponies all over again (yeah kind of a repeat of the Nightmare Moon situation but), and additionally kidnapped Misty as a filly to use her as a spy and do tasks to help Opaline get her powers back, including her wanting to steal dragon fire to become a fire Alicorn like in canon.

Made this change for two reasons 1) the whole “ancient villain who knew Celestia and Luna back in the day escaped now and is planning to wreak havoc on modern Equestria” has been done a hundred times already in FIM, let a new villain form literally during Twilight’s reign 2) it would keep the rejection aspect of Opaline's canon backstory but give her more personal beef with Twilight which is why Opaline targets her

so my AU wouldn't just have all ponies restore unity and then have Opaline just come as a threat right after like A New Generation + Make Your Mark did. Achieving harmony between pony AND non-pony kind would be done over the course of a series and not just one movie, with Equestria being restored + Misty being freed after Opaline's defeat. The Unity Crystals still play a role in my AU, with Twilight having created them as a new alternative to the Elements of Harmony rather than just a macguffin to stop Opaline specifically.

Also if it were up to me I like my #3 redesign the best, the blue hues would probably fit the best for a fire-based villain (fire being blue when it's hottest and all) but that depends on if/when I wanna draw my AU Opaline in the future

#my art #mlp sketchverse #mlp g5 #opaline arcana #mlp opaline #mlp make your mark #my little pony make your mark #redesign #mlp redesign #mlp au #my little pony g5

[seafoamreadings]

week of may 14th, 2023

aries: lucky jupiter does leave your sign this week amid a mercury retrograde ending again, but do not despair! along with a taurus new moon in a few days it all spells the beginning of positive financial/material changes for you.

taurus: although your sign is not known to be a fan of changes or being busy, uranus having been in your sign so long has warmed you up to the notion a bit. this is a week of changes. they are all fortunate ones, so don't be afraid.

gemini: all in all it's a good week for you. mercury retrograde comes to an end, which can be chaotic but IS the light at the end of the tunnel if it's been a tough one. jupiter pops into your 12th house, which is a big spiritual blessing, and by the end of the week, gemini season kicks off.

cancerians: you got used to pluto oppositions when it was in your sign. now it's in aquarius. mars is leaving your sign this week to oppose pluto from neighboring leo. maybe not a great time for investments, but otherwise refreshing in a way; conventionally malefic planets, this would have been exhausting from your sign. here you are an outside observer even if you are indirectly affected.

leo: some career or status development occurs, which will be very positive but might effect a long term partnership in a way that seems less than desirable. most likely this is temporary and if it is not, it is for the best. then mars into your sign brings a very enthusiastic aura to you, even if you're not sensing it yourself.

virgo: if you've have a hard time thinking clearly in recent months it all clears up starting with this week and gets a major boost with the advent of jupiter in taurus. completely new realms are auspicious to you - learn something new, travel far away, apply to go back to school, etc.

libra: there's a distinct change in focus, from committing to sharing. they're certainly related concepts and yet different, telescoping one out from the other. it's now about the depth of the connection more than the definition of it. they may not match as well as one might think at first glance, for better or for worse.

scorpio: so much is about to go down in taurus. that's your relationships/partnerships house - it's mercury direct, then the ingress of jupiter, then a new moon, and then by the weekend taurus season ends. these are mostly all going to be favorable things! but they do mean letting go of something you've outgrown.

sagittarius: your ruling planet moves into taurus this week. it's an energy you may struggle a bit to access and yet it pays to intentionally build taurean structure and pleasures into your daily routine, as little life-boosting rituals that will end up making a big jovial difference.

capricorn: any romances or creative projects that seem to have stalled recently pick up pace again as mercury goes direct and then a series of auspicious taurean activities proceed. something you thought was over or gone returns. but for real, not in the ethereal way that is so typical of a mercury retrograde.

aquarius: if you've been thinking about moving, renovating, opening your home to a friend or loved one, or any sort of 4th house project, the next year or so is fantastic for this with jupiter transiting through taurus. maybe you've already started planning for it, but this week after mercury direct and with the new moon in taurus by the weekend, it's great to set intentions around those themes at this time.

pisces: having saturn in your sign can make the world seem less magical. and yet that material, solid quality is a form of magic in its own right, and don't you forget it. plus, nothing can overpower neptune while it is home in your sign. mars trines neptune this week for a boost of energy you might need, if saturn has felt too heavy here since its ingress.

#horoscopes #weekly horoscope #astrology #transits #zodiac #signs #aries #taurus #gemini #cancer #leo #virgo #libra #scorpio #sagittarius #capricorn #aquarius #pisces

[bl4nk-pag3]

— Dream in a dream.

synopsis: you loved the sea, you loved the beach, you loved the feeling of the sun in your skin. but you don't really have idea of what true love really means.

pairing: merman!gunwook × gn!reader

warnings: mentions of the beach, anxiety, insomnia, fear of deep sea, and it's implied that gunwook is a shark merman, but nothing explicit.

word count: 1.6k

a/u: if it feels that there's many openings, it's because there are hehe, I'm really considering turning this into a series, so I wanted to make it easy for me in the future... But let me know if you guys wanna see more of them! And if you want to read this while listening to something, I would recommend desert and time leap, both by onlyoneof!

The wind against your face was certainly pleasant, in a way few things in your life were anyway.

Summer vacation would always be your favorite part of the year no matter what happened in the intercourse, because being at that time of year meant you could see the sea, and only you could explain how much you missed it every time you were in the city looking out the window of any large building, looking out over the metropolis and just being able to imagine what it would be like to feel your feet in the sand and the smell of the salty air invading your nostrils.

Now it wasn't just his imagination playing tricks on you, sending shivers all over your skin just by think of the water pressing down on your body in such a comforting way. No, it was there, right in front of you, in its immensity just staring back, as if welcome you in a familiar way.

Smirking, a sigh escaped from your lips, clutching your bag of painting supplies before finally making your way back to the low stones with your goal more in focus after all the philosophical detox.

It was peculiar that the beach was so quiet for the time of year, but in as remote a part as your parents always stayed, and with it being so early in the morning, it wasn't all that unusual for just you and a few ladies to be taking walks along the shore, even that you were sure that they would not venture into the rocks and natural caves like you. Not that you would judge any old lady who did, it was just a preference for being alone and secluded when you were in such an intimate moment with your paintings.

You had already started a few paintings the night before. With inspiration running like a marathon through your veins, it was simply impossible to lay still and just let it go. But nothing would ever compare to painting the sea with it in front of you.

Sliding down the rocks carefully so as not to get hurt, you soon managed to face your private paradise.

It was a rocky cavern with its great mouth open to the sea, and with it high and calm as it was, you could already feel the small waves touching your fingertips almost tickling. When looking deeper into the cave, it was possible to notice that it was not so dark, having several skylights along it that illuminated it completely from the inside, making some beautiful effects against the stones full of salt that sparkled with the weak morning sun making the entire Completely aesthetically pleasing place for someone like you to just enjoy.

Going deeper into the cave without needing a flashlight due to the light that the natural windows provided, it didn't take long to reach your favorite part: the natural pool of salt water at the back.

Looking at it was a little frightening and you couldn't deny it to yourself, it was dark and deep, but no amount of fear could stop you from sitting so close to its edge, caressing the water that was as deep blue as the sky at night, and as starry as such, sparkling with not only the crystalline formations it had within it, but also reflecting all around it that shone like precious stones.

You took out the paintings you had started the night before and left them resting beside you, soon taking out your materials and canvases as well until the bag was completely empty, which you folded and set aside, giving you room to start painting with nothing to disturb you. Raising your head to look around, you thought you should start with the pool, but it seemed a waste to paint so early when you could wait for the sun to go down a bit and get all that orange glow in contrast. Then you turned your back, facing the open sea and the mouth of the cave, and it was a sight almost as beautiful to paint.

Time passed differently when you were painting, even more so in a place you loved so much since you were a little toddler. It was as if being there consumed the minutes and hours faster than any other activity, and even though it was your passion and noticing anything beyond the brush strokes was difficult, ignoring your stomach was impossible.

Lifting your gaze from the half-painted canvas to the entrance, you could see by the position of the sun that a good two hours had already passed, which made you understand the hunger. Turning to where you'd left your purse, you momentarily focused on something that wasn't there before... Or rather, someone.

It should have been strange enough for another person to enter the cave without you noticing, but what was even stranger was that the boy was in the pool, completely wet and holding yout painting like it was the most precious thing he had ever put his eyes on.

The sight was peculiar to say the least, but you allowed yourself to stare it for a second, tilting your head to the side and noticing the raven-black hair, the naturally tanned skin, and plump yet extremely mature features, the pout in his lips when looking at the painting seemed to just belong there, as if it were a custom of the unknown boy... But the most particular was certainly further down, right on his throat, something that if you weren't too crazy, for sure were gills.

Approaching almost unconsciously, you had never been so grateful for someone being so absent-minded as not to notice your presence, after all, getting close like that, you could see that the side of his face seemed not as more natural as before, but full of scales... And before you could look any further, your vision was exchanged for a pair of dark, round eyes that seemed to peer deep into your soul.

— You did this? — The huge pupils focused on yourself, for a moment, contracted, forming just a small line amidst an ocean of yellow that he carried in his irises, only to dilate again showing that his eyes were not dark and round as you initially believed.

Without any courage to pull away, or strength to do so, you just nodded your head weakly, almost feeling like you could pass out right there with so much confusion you felt. And despite fear being a present feeling there, seeing the gummy smile in your direction made a certain pride burn inside your chest, making you mimic the action of the other strange being in front of you.

— I've never seen such a thing... It's beautiful... Really beautiful... — He would turn the painting only to turn his head with it, and again turn it the other way, following it as if it would somehow change the content inside the paiting or his view of art, which was even cuter than could you describe.

— You can keep it, if you so desire... It's impermeable — What else could you say to the half-fish boy in front of you? Go away and take the painting he had loved so much? That wasn't like you, no matter how strange it was, you were still a kind and benevolent soul, it didn't hurt to give him a treat.

The smile the boy gave in your direction was almost disorienting, making you lose yourself for a few seconds even in what you had said, wondering if he would smile that way with any art, because to have that smile for yourself? You could give him all the paintings in the world.

— I can?! But what is imper... Imper... Mea?

His clear confusion seemed comical to you, after all who would live so close to water and not know what impermeable is? But you couldn't judge, if he was really there and it wasn't a hallucination in your head... He could only be a Triton, and even if that didn't explain anything, it still explained something.

— It means that water can't destroy it... But you can only keep it if you tell me your name. — You tried hard not to let the smile on your face look intimidating, but it was hard to control your own thoughts about having someone like him in your acquaintance, all to yourself, something you wouldn't tell anyone out of sheer selfishness and a willingness to get on with that secret forever.

The merman was silent for a few seconds, as if he had been caught off guard, watching you for a few moments and then returning to the painting, pressing his lips firmly together as if questioning whether that was the right thing to do.

— Do you promise that you will not tell my father about this? — That question really took you by surprise, making you laugh for a moment only to receive a scolding look that made the laugh stay on your throat, just nodding firmly. And only after that confirmation did the boy's heart seem to lighten, as if you had automatically become the most trustworthy person in the world. — Kim Gunwook, Prince of the East Sea, son of King Kim.

He said it with such pride that you could hardly take it seriously, Gunwook was genuinely adorable and you seriously questioned whether you had completely lost your sanity by treating it so matter-of-factly... You couldn't even be talking to a prince that casually and finding him cute? That didn't seem right, but neither did his existence, if you were being honest.

— It's a pleasure... Gunwook.

#zb1 #zb1 imagines #zerobaseone imagines #zerobaseone #gunwook fluff #gunwook imagines #zb1 fluff #zerobaseone fluff

[hooked-on-elvis]

"FOOLS RUSH IN (WHERE ANGELS FEAR TO TREAD)"

A song that grew on Elvis' liking, completely changing its rhythm before he decided to officially record it in the 70s.

Lyrics written by Johnny Mercer with music by Rube Bloom.

Elvis' version of "Fools Rush In" was first officially released on the album "Elvis Now" on February 20, 1972. Recording date: May 18, 1971. Released peak chart position: #43 Pop, #45 Country. RIAA status: Gold.

This is a 1940's popular song. It has been recorded many times over the years, including by Frank Sinatra, Julie London, Etta James, Brenda Lee, Doris Day, Dean Martin and many other singers before and after Elvis' recording in 1972, but the major hit was Rick Nelson's version, released in 1963. And here is where things get interesting.

You can listen to Nelson's recording below, which is pretty much similar to Elvis' cover on the rhythm and pace of the tune. I gotta say the echo on the voice channel in Nelson's recording doesn't please me much. It's a fair good recording, sure, but Elvis' one... it's dreamy! Like, I dare you not to fall head over feet in love with it.

According to "Elvis Presley: A Life in Music" book, by Ernst Jorgensen, Elvis was familiar to this song since the 60s, at least. And the best part is: He recorded the song back then during non-professional home recordings, on June 1966. Unfortunately the song is not fully sang but it's enough for us to see the rhythm is completely different from the official recording Presley came with in 1972. It's jazzy, soothing and peaceful, certainly inspired by one of the 40's versions of the song, such as Billy Eckstine recording released in 1947:

It was common for EP to decide recording his favorite songs, so it's great "Fools Rush In" came as a personal choice for his official recordings.

Chapter 10 - "1966: HOW GREAT THOU ART":

Singing and playing music with friends had always been a part of Elvis’s home life, but lately it had taken a new turn. Red West had bought two semiprofessional tape recorders for Elvis to use in producing demos, and Charlie Hodge had topped touring with country music veteran Jimmy Wakely and moved into Red’s Hollywood apartment to go to work for Elvis again full-time. Red was writing a lot of songs, and Charlie sometimes helped in overdubbing the demos he was putting together. They got Glen Campbell, then working as a session musician, and paid him twenty dollars to play guitar on some of the demos. Sometimes Red and Charlie would take the tape recorders over to Elvis at Rocca Place and the trio would lay down tracks, alone or with whoever else was around. Not surprisingly they turned often to their favorite gospel numbers — "Show Me Thy Ways", "He," "Hide Thou Me," "Oh, How I Love Jesus," or "I, John," another song Elvis would eventually record. Other times they simply tried anything that caught their fancy, from old standards like "Fools Rush In" and "It’s A Sin To Tell A Lie" to more contemporary material — "Blowin’ In The Wind," "What Now My Love," and "500 Miles." Often they dug into old country standards, and sometimes they even got Elvis to sing along on Red’s new tunes. In the intense yet comfortable atmosphere of collaboration with friends, Elvis had found an alternative to the endlessly tedious soundtrack recording process; at home he could work away at the music he loved, and that in its own rough way made a truer musical statement than anything he was likely to do under the employ of a Hollywood movie factory.

It's curious to me how Elvis leaned to Rick Nelson's 60s upbeat version of the same song himself sang in the 60s, instead of going with its more calm, 40s swing-era sound when he decided to turn "Fools Rush In" into an official recording of his own. In spite the fast-pace sound of the 1972 recording, Elvis carried the same passion in his voice he had on the 1966 home recording. Both versions sound like EP's pleading someone's love wholeheartedly. Probably his choice to go with the 60s version of this tune when covering it officially was a financial decision, thinking about the hit Rick Nelson's version was and also considering how the music in the 70s was no longer meant for "fools in love" confessing their deepest feelings in that fancy, elegant manner, more than it was better shouted from the top of its lungs for the whole world to hear - that's exactly how the 1972 Elvis version (inspired by the 60s version) sounds for me. Unafraid, prideful, rather than a secret spoken under one's breathes like the 40s versions sounds like (which I'm not complaining at all… it's beautiful anyway). Either a soothing ballad or a fast-pace tune, in general, "Fools Rush In (Where Angels Fear to Tread)" is a touching, encouraging, lovely song. ♥

I personally prefer the 70s version released by Elvis, but what about you? Which "Fools Rush In" version did you like best?

#“so open up your heart and let this fool rush in” #🥹🩷 #head over feet in love with this tune #elvis music #elvis now #1972 #70s music #rick nelson #60s music #elvis #70s elvis #elvis presley #elvis the king #elvis fans #elvis fandom #elvis history #Youtube

[maliciousalice]

Hii Do you have a fave Janeway out-of-uniform look?

Ohh this is such a hard choice! There are so many reasons I like her out of uniform-- A lot of the time it's because we get to see who she is behind the veil. That couldn't be more apparent than in Resolutions, she flirts, explores and relaxes while she struggles to maintain her identity. She has like, 5 costume changes in that episode, albeit modest in design, they are quite revealing in a sub-textual way. Funnily enough, I actually would like to catalogue each time she is out of uniform and break down how it relates to the narrative etc. I sometimes ponder about the choices that have been made with hair and costume. We don't actually know much besides a few articles and scattered pieces of media--Most behind the scene information is about set design, which in it's own right is cool, but sometimes feels like it’s highlighted due to the male audience and as a result the other artists aren't valued enough. In theory, I'd like to uplift them because their efforts transform the lack frontal, narrative-body of some characters- we consequently learn things such as the fashion of the era, character’s states of mind, setting, etc, simply through what they are wearing– Do I dislike that? No. Because I understand the format of Star Trek is limited by the nature of being a 24 episode per season show. Sometimes things appear rushed or incomplete but if you look in the right direction, the work that was produced is just as rich as most shows, if not more. For the most part don’t think audiences appreciate the conditions that this show was made under.

The whole show has certainly been more impactful on the cultural zeitgeist than others and I think the reason for that success goes beyond the surface level- It’s not just a simple miracle that it works as well as it does, talented teams of actors, writers and people in costume all combined their skills together to forge it. They did the best they could with what they were given, and I appreciate the costume designers and writers for attempting to provide some semblance of substance in the background. (On another note I wish Paramount had archived their costumes better. Evil that we only get high resolution photography when they're selling them to someone's private collection)

However, to answer your actual question, my favourite out of uniform stint is when Captain Janeway is modified to look like a Klingon in the Killing Game! The disguise worked so well for me that I didn't recognise her on my first watch through.

Interestingly in the brief scene with brainwashed Janeway, we see an acting side of Kate's that is pretty rare. She delivered a unique and entertaining performance. While she has had to get physical on a few occasions as Janeway, and even other roles, she has never had to go full feral mode and I love seeing her in a way that is untethered from all of herself, she yells, bares her teeth, barrels into others, and does somersaults without hesitation. It's delightful choreography, and It immediately makes us question what is going on. Who is this? Can’t possibly be our well-adjusted hero, because whoever this is, is brazenly-fierce and in Klingon attire! But yes we find out it is indeed her, arguably a repressed version of her mind but regardless Janeway is completely transformed both physically and mentally, and that’s shockingly fun. 

Lending to that idea of fun, is the juxtaposingly detailed presentation of the Klingon costume versus the Starfleet uniform. I love the overall shapes, matte qualities contrasting with the metal details, the decorative line-work that leads the eye around, and materials such as swinging chains and fur, that make it look good in motion. From what I’ve seen there is a difference in the female and male armour, with the breast plating and bodice design. The armour’s bulky top half with its shoulder pads deliver a signature look, and it looks great against the simplified bottom. Considering Klingon’s do a lot of close combat, my guess is that it’s design is more about manoeuvrability, and boasting intimidation, rather than heavy defence. Ironically after all that ducking and dodging, ho ho Janeway gets stabbed for leaving her guard down. If I looked, I am sure I could find something to back that up, since Klingons have extremely dedicated lore. 

The makeup on Janeway is really neat too, the orange tones they used on her face make her crystalline eye colour dramatically pop. There is also a delicious parallel to her styling and B'Elanna's mother from Barge of the Dead in the episode that I quietly indulge in BUT I DIGRESS.

Despite the unusual circumstances, I wish we had more photography done of Kate in the unique costumes she wore beyond a few on set pictures, because I want to ogle at a more editorial/detailed press presentation of each one and I believe that everyone should treasure all versions of Janeway.

Blah Blah Blahhhh haha

I feel a little vulnerable spreading my thoughts around but I really appreciate you asking me about them and getting me out of my shell <333.

#i have an interest in technical things because of my media background and i wish things were treated with a bit more care and respect #kate could wear a paper bag and it would look amazing and intentional #i love killing game so based for giving us unique wardrobe pieces #CRIES I love Janeway sm I just think she's neat tee hee #if you made it to the end of my rambling bless your heart #feel free to give me more questions it's fun to answer them #PENSIVE ignore the grammatical mistakes i actually have poor word comprehension / borderline dyslexia i can see ive left out words too #klingon janeway is such a little freak :3 #shes so dreamy hehe like all klingon females kinda sexy tho

[tokiro07]

Undead Unluck ep.24 thoughts

[It's the End of the Show as We Know It]

(Contents: reflection)

And with that, season 1 of Undead Unluck's anime comes to a close

I can't say it was everything I hoped it would be, but I can say it was a lot better than I feared it could have been. Strange usage of recaps, blinding color scheme choices at odd moments, and certain scenes composed in ways that sadly cut down their impact from the source material hampered it from being the next big thing, but unique interpretations and embellishments on the source material mixed with several moments of fantastic animation and great voice acting absolutely prevented it from being a cookie cutter, bland adaptation

And of course, keeping in line with the rest of the series, the final episode made sure to encompass every single one of the above aspects

Now, to its credit, almost all of the recap in this episode was in the manga, it's just very funny that a show that was like 10% recap concluded on a chapter that was, itself, 50% recap. Plus, what recap there was that wasn't originally in the manga was actually handled quite elegantly, being brief moments of establishing information rather than just replaying entire scenes - y'know, the way that a recap is supposed to be!

We still got the garish red gel over the final fight, but I think because we've seen it so many times now, I'm kind of used to it, and the action itself was pretty damn good. The addition of a meteor to the final stroke of Unluck made that final pass at Autumn a lot more visually impactful than it otherwise would have been, and Anno Un's death being an explosion of ink rather than just fading into dust added a nice bit of flair that I think makes their nature as an ink construct much clearer

Overall, a fitting conclusion given the rollercoaster of odd and pleasantly surprising creative choices, and naturally it ended with one final befuddlement. While the beginning of the episode cut the opening theme, we ended up getting it at the end of the episode, which would be pretty standard for a finale, if it wasn't immediately followed by the sequel hook which, itself, was both truncated AND followed by the ending theme! If they'd just cut at least the ending theme, we could have had the full scene of Juiz approaching Billy! Hell, if they'd cut the opening too, we could have gotten the full explanation for how Akira knew the future! Sure, that wasn't entirely necessary, but it could have helped, and getting it recapped at the beginning of season 2 will probably be completely out of place

This was a solid episode, I really enjoyed it, and I feel the same way about the season as a whole, but god damn was this a baffling experience from beginning to end. I will definitely end up looking back on this later as a quirky experience, a fun bit of trivia that we as a community will have a chuckle about and appreciate that it's not Promised Neverland Season 2, but until someone posts a deep dive explaining how those creative decisions came about, I'm probably just going to be obsessing over how it came together so strangely

Definitively, the manga is better; this adaptation does not in any way surpass or in my opinion even match the quality of the manga, but at the very least, it does not do it a total disservice. The goods were good and the bads were weird, and I hope the experience will convince newcomers to check out the manga, if not for the desire to see more, then at least for the curiosity of what spawned this madness

If you were able to stick with it the whole time, I hope you all enjoyed this season as much or more than I did. We're supposedly going to be getting some kind of announcement soon, hopefully for season 2 or a movie. I definitely hope that Yuki Yase won't be at the helm next time, but on some level I think I'd appreciate the consistency if he does return. I'd certainly take that over getting someone worse

Until next time, let's enjoy life!

#undead unluck #fouryearsandananime #uu anime #4y1a reviews

[vee-vee-writes]

I Need a Hero (Thorin x reader)

A/N: Potentially going to make this into a series if people are interested. Also I have finished a part 2 to Floral Arrangements but I am stuck away from my usual PC so it will be a week or so until I get it up sorry.

You’d heard tales of a lost prince trapped within his mountain home, guarded by a fire breathing dragon. Legend said that the one to free Prince Durin would be blessed by Mahal himself to eternal happiness and all the other joys a dwarf could imagine. It was then of no surprise to you that the remining Dwarf Lords sent their sons and daughters to free the dwarven prince. None were successful and no word had been heard from them since.

What shocked you was your Lord’s command, sending you to try to recover the prince. You were a member of the royal guard, but you certainly weren’t the most notable of the guard by any means. Going would be a death sentence but refusing your Lord’s request was treason of the highest degree. With heavy reluctance you undertook the two-day journey to Erebor.

You found yourself at the foot of the mountain, wondering if this place would be your tomb. A cold stone mausoleum. With your mule tied down you made your way to the makeshift rickety wooden bridge up to the entrance. The original stone bridge and much of the entrance had fallen away, whether to time or the dragon’s rampage you were not sure. From the size of the hole in the entrance, you assumed that the dragon had smashed through it on the day of the siege. To survive this, you would have to have your guard up.

Creeping forward through the entrance you began to survey the interior entrance, looking for some sign of where you should go. Your Lord had shown you an old map of Erebor from during its heyday. Amongst the litter of broken stones, melted metal, and scattered skeletal bones you saw what looked to be a large stone sign laying amongst it. Scanning around you saw no sign of life. Taking this as a sign you stealthily crept over to read it. MARKET. THRONE ROOM. GREAT HALL. LIVING QUARTERS. ROYAL WING – were all marked out on the sign. Your mental map of the mountain layout was somewhat correct, you would need to head down the left-hand tunnel to the royal wing. The entrance to the wing was further back in the room,

Heading to the left wing you began climbing over a pile of rubble to get through the entrance. The material was like nothing you had ever felt before, firm underhand and unshifting. It was not until the pile moved, letting out a chuckle that made you freeze in place. “Of all the witless fools who have entered my mountain, never have I had one practically walk into my jaws” the pile puffed in amusement. Scrambling off to the other side and tumbling to your feet in the hallway of the beginning of the royal wing you began to run. “Flee, flee, run for your life, there is nowhere to hide from my fiery death.”

The pile had not been a pile at all but the great dragon Smaug who had cloaked himself in shadows. Looking over your shoulder as you fled you looked on in horror as the dragon began to force his body through the doorway, cracking the stone to fit his bulbous body through. Facing forward once again, you squeezed your eyes shut and mustered all the strength and will within yourself to continue faster without looking back, skidding around corners without slipping over.

After an eternity of running, you came before a door at the end of the long corridor. You heard the dragon in the distance behind you, wriggling its body down the corridor like a great wyrm. Not wanting to take the chance that he may catch you, you pushed the great oaken door open and slipped in.

The golden torch light took you off guard, you hadn’t expected to actually find the prince let alone find him by mistake. A large spacious suite was laid out before you, completely untouched by the devastation you’d seen in the entrance way. On one of the couches staring at you in awe was a dark haired and bearded dwarf of substantial build and handsome profile. You were unsure of what to say to him.

It was he who broke the silence, “Sixty-years. Sixty-years I have not seen another living soul though I have heard the echoes of their screams. Thank you, I am indebted to you. Who may I call my hero.” Smiling warmly at the young prince you answered his query, “I am (Y/N) of (Y/K/N). I was sent by my Lord to recover you your highness.” “(Y/N)” he tasted the syllables of your name on his tongue, “a noble name.” Never had you heard of a noble of your name but for the sake of argument you agreed, you would need the co-operation of the prince if the two of you were to survive.

“Tell me (Y/N)” he paused, “how did you slay the beast?” A loud grumbling roar reverberated on the stone surrounding the pair of you, the dragon neared. Thorin stared at your slacked jaw in disbelief. “You didn’t slay the dragon! The prophecy says you are supposed to slay the dragon before you rescue me” Thorin snapped, “no, no, no, this is all wrong.” “We don’t have time for this your highness. We have to go” you pleaded motioning to the window, "or do you want to be stuck here for another sixty years." Pulling his lips back in a snarl Thorin grunted, “you’ve given me no choice. What’s your plan?” “Where does this window lead?” you questioned. “The courtyard after the entrance. It was built to wow our foreign visitors.”

“Exactly where we need to be. If that doesn't work, we head for the secret tunnel. That's our escape. We just have to avoid the dragon until we reach it. I doubt he knows of its existence.” You mused. “Secret tunnel?” Thorin questioned doubtfully. “Mmhm. Built by Thror when he founded your mountain home and kept secret from all but his heir. I’m surprised that he never told you of it. Though I’m sure when it came time, Thrain would have told you all the Kingly secrets of this place” you affirmed to Thorin, “come now, enough talking. Let’s tie the sheets together and escape your stone prison.”

The two of you worked quickly together knotting sheets, cloak, and shirt alike to make a long enough chain to escape the tower. You scaled the tower first, checking for any sign of the dragon before beckoning the prince down. Neither of you dared call out for fear of alerting Smaug to your scheme. Instead, you crept into the airy silence, staying low to the ground out of fear of being spotted.

The longer the two of you crept in silence, the more worried the two of you grew. It was the clatter of golden coins bouncing off the stone floor beside you that shook the two of you. Simultaneously your eyes met the prince’s, both wide as dinner plates, before gazing up to the dragon's belly above you as he slunk through the castle.

The two of you lay prone on the floor mapping out the course the dragon was taking. Crawling close to Thorin you pressed in against his side and leaned over to whisper into his ear, "We follow the dragon. Keep low, keep quiet. It's heading in the direction we need to go." Thorin nodded in response and the two of you headed off, crawling after the dragon.

You crept like that for what felt like hours, scared even to breathe too loudly, and alerted the dragon to your presences. Finally, the dragon stopped just before the gate, staring out over the nearby land, likely surveying for the two of you. Thorin nudged you and gestured at a cove of rock that the two of you could cover in. With a firm nod the two of you made your way over and got comfy, waiting the dragon out. It would be easier to wait him out than it would to make for the hidden entrance now.

Though it seemed that Thorin didn't quite have the same idea. Instead, the darrow grabbed a huge hunk of broken rock, vaulting it as far as he could back into the entrance way before quickly hunkering in with you. Smaug's head snapped around to the source of the sound and he began to stalk across towards it. Neither of you had expected was for the dragon to pause before whipping around and breathing molten fire across the entrance way debris. With a satisfied smirk he turned back around and stomped down the hallway, disappearing around the corner into the darkness.

"What now" Thorin whispered harshly. "We could have waited him out" you grumped with a pointed look, "but now we have to find another way up and out around the fire." Thorin sighed with a defeated look and nodded, gesturing for you to take the lead. "Move as fast as you can while still being quiet. The last thing we want to do is tip the beast off to our location, he's already suspicious of us" you affirmed before taking the lead out towards the flaming gate.

You scanned frantically around the entrance looking for a way around the flame. Thorin gripped your shoulder, "focus." Drawing a deep breath, you narrowed your focus. Homing in on the wall you found an old half rusted chain fixed to one of the walls. "That's our way out come on."

A tug on the chain caused it to groan but it stayed fixed in place. Signaling upwards you spoke to Thorin, "You first. I'll stay down here and keep looking out as you climb." "Let me get this straight, you want me, the crown prince, to climb an old, rusted chain up a forty-foot wall hoping that a) I don't fall and b) that I don't get spotted by a fire breathing drake that you failed to kill" Thorin huffed. Smiling sarcastically, you answered, "exactly. Now unless you want to be stuck here even longer, get up the wall. Besides there's no guarantee that the chain will hold two of us."

Rolling his eyes at you Thorin begrudgingly took the chain and began scaling the wall. On edge you clenched your teeth, scanning for any sight of the scaly magot. Groaning of the chain caused your breath to catch in your throat. While you wanted the prince out of the mountain and safe, you hardly wanted to be stuck within the mountain crawling around looking for another way out while the dragon stalked around looking for you. You leaned tensely against the wall, begging your body and mind to calm themselves for the sake of your survival.

The familiar clink of a coin hitting the concrete shot you out of your thoughts, though this time it bounced and rolled to land off to your side. Frightenedly, you cast your eyes upwards only to find Thorin at the top of the wall trying to signal he was ready for you to make your way up.  Grabbing the chain you began the climb, hauling yourself up your limbs groaning as the tension was forcefully stretched out of them. Higher and higher you climbed, stopping only briefly to steady your grip on the vertical drop. All the time you stared upwards to the top of the wall, meeting the prince's anxious gaze.

Nearing the top Thorin reached an arm down to you, helping you over and up on the top of the exterior wall. The two of you smiled briefly at one another as he helped you up to your feet. You watched his face change as he looked out over the remains of Dale and the changed wilds. Most would have turned their noses up in horror, but Thorin gazed on in wonder, the edges of his mouth turning up into an appreciative smile. He hadn't seen the outside world since the Sack you realised. You knew it was only a small gesture, but you laid a comforting hand on his, stroking his palm gently. Thorin looked at you tenderly, taking in the touch of another being and the sight of your hand within his. "Welcome back to the world Thorin Durin."

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