#i love yue and i feel like she’s found her match

[suzannahnatters]

My final Love Like the Galaxy reaccs!!! the tl;dr:  I loved it and it's the sort of show that probably demands to be seen twice because TWISTS and HINDSIGHT so IDK, one day maybe! Anyway it's either on Viki or on YouTube for anyone who wants to see what happens when Jane Austen comedy of manners meets The Count of Monte Cristo, but, like, in Ancient China, featuring an epic romance between a naive sledgehammer engineer girl and the terrifying murder general who cannot help looking utterly besotted with her every time she drifts past: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZZZLpfFwcBprNI6msl3NWt3pdX6F-eGs And now: for the reaccs for episodes 43-56, including the famous Murder Party (TM), check under the cut!!!

If Yang Yang ends up with Smug Scholar instead of her sweet little marquis I WILL throw things (thankfully, the sweet little marquis is getting actual screentime with her)

oh I LOVE this: the Empress apologises to Consort Yue for stealing her husband, and Consort Yue points out that if it's anyone's fault it's the Emperor's, and why should the Empress apologise? it's the little things, you know?!

I love that in amongst all this scowly strategising and betrayal and people's families in mortal danger…there's a whole running joke about whether the armour Niao Niao made her beloved makes him look more like a chicken or a mandarin duck

cdramas asking the real questions

wow they really kept like 90% of the action budget for this episode and money well spent say I

once again murder general is rushing off to save our girl, only this time he guesses precisely where she is and what she's doing, and knows she's probably doing a great job of it :')

GASP we are suspicious of Elder Brother Snacks now???

I've got a bad feeling about him and the crown princess turning out to be bad eggs - almost as though we're building up to a BIG BETRAYAL between our babies

Wan QiQi swaggering into prison in a wedding dress is the energy I aspire to

Hmm… Lou Ben feels very very foreshadowy of an obsessive man making a self destructive choice to grab what he wants no matter how it hurts the woman he loves

All the foreshadowing is REALLY mounting up now - Snacks still caring about NN but not wanting to see her after what she's done, NN observing of another couple that they were birds on the same tree but flew apart when trouble came

Anyway we are all headed for a heck of a third act breakup aren't we

is zisheng,,, allergic to almonds

what an absolutely bonkers twist

poor little Wang Ling! how terrible does her family have to be that she is trying to save her murderous traitor of an elderly husband, just because he treated her better than anyone else in her life?

"he even had a flower garden planted in my courtyard to please me, although he has life-threatening asthma! which means that he can't visit me very often! he's the best husband, Niao Niao!" okay Mrs Charlotte Collins

"Cheng Shaoshang, it seems you really don't know anything about Ling Zisheng" OOOOOOHH

Smug Scholar: a voice of reason. a stickler by the rules. an indefatigable drama queen who is quite ready to beg murder general to go right ahead, be his guest, do crime, because then Smug might get to marry Niao Niao instead

torture is always wrong, revenge kids! that said, it's very funny that murder general has been busy with hot iron and boiling oil all night and found out nothing, while NN has put herself fully abreast of the situation armed with nothing more than…a conversation with a female acquaintance

"wait - all that stuff you did in my name was ALSO in pursuit of your revenge plot? who are you really?" this show keeps serving the best stuff

matching bite marks on the arm is a way cooler idea than matching tattoos tbh

why are you not telling her, zisheng, she already knows!!!

she's sworn up and down (with bitten arms!) that she won't mind, it's keeping this from her that she can't forgive, get a clue!!!!!

ooooo - we have been cordially invited to a MURDER PARTY love the gearchange from Jane Austen Romcom to Jacobean Revenge Tragedy

OK LET'S GO, WHERE'S THAT MURDER PARTY I WAS PROMISED

Glad that we were given this scene of Marquis Chengyang being delusional and Chunyu being Justly Terrified that the young man obsessed with revenge has finally agreed to come to his father's birthday party, it doesn't quite explain how nobody realises this is Very Bad News but at least lampshades it

Since filial piety is the norm in this society, I guess it's hard for the elders to realise just how at risk they are from someone unfilial!

I LOVE that Chunyu (sp? the stepmother) gets a whole speech to point out the hypocrisy of HER continually bearing the blame of "climbing into the master's bed" after so many ppl in the show have ridiculed her for it as though it wasn't a decision made by the marquis

oooooooooooohhh this is amazing: Yang Yang is disturbed that NN's farewell before the wedding sounds like she doesn't ever intend to return home. and from NN's response, she KNOWS murder general is about to do something crazy and is fully prepared to suffer the consequences alongside him

it's…really amazing that during the stretch of the cdrama when the male lead traditionally starts Machinating and Scheming and lying to the female lead about it, THIS show keeps the heroine's agency intact, she sees right through his lies, she is still front and centre. Chef's kiss.

she knows where it's happening; she knowns when it's happening; she's sending someone for news. she's amazing and so are these writers.

meanwhile: murder general refusing to enlighten the marquis as to his true identity is Irene of Athens-level pettiness and I love it

the way this show keeps this whole episode focused on the story's main character even though she has little to do with -

oh wait never mind she has decided to involve herself anyway!!! now we get the entire Cheng family charging into battle? with NN at their head on a black horse? EPIC?????

well THAT was the best of Jacobean revenge tragedy

shocked to discover that Zisheng has Always Known who was really behind the fall of the lone city - he's just been quietly, methodically working through the destruction of all the perpetrators, COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO style

I love a protagonist who holds cards so close to his chest that not even the audience knows what's going on

more than that, it really adds nuance to the show's themes about revenge. Sometimes the system is broken, & even in a good system people will sometimes get away with murder. What to do then?

I can't support the vindictiveness of the leads (& I'm not sure I'm meant to) but as revenge plots go, I like the weightiness of the themes - how to fight for yourself in a world where laws and manners tell you you shouldn't? - better than Dumas' more superficial take.

where did these two henchmen come from, because they are NOT being paid enough to be part of this absolute disaster

also WHEE Niao Niao gets to swoop in and save HIM for once! Well done our girl!

oh what an idiot. what an absolute peanut.

I was pulling for you, murder general, but I'm not sure how you'll manage to come back from doing the One Thing (abandoning her) she asked you not to do

she's still calling him by his false name T_T

something something she only ever knew him by his false name and identity not his true one

moment of silence, please, I'm experiencing an emotion

well, duh - of COURSE Third Prince is here to collect NN to go help him plead for murder general, who has obviously been quietly helping him all along. even better: we don't know if NN is just figuring this out now or has known it for months but she understands it perfectly, just like we do, the moment she sees Third Prince's face

!!! murder general has been deceiving everyone in so many other ways too???????

it's not just that he knew all along who was responsible for the lone city's fall and has just been working silently to gather evidence on them: he ALSO has been playing four dimensional speed chess with palace politics, supporting a totally different faction to the one he was supposed to be aligned with?

IT WAS HIM IN THE PAGODA ALL ALONG????

I just love the sort of character who plays certain things SO close to the chest while also being utterly open and vulnerable about certain other things. like, as long as we trust their judgement for hiding the certain things and know it's not for purposes of control. and while NN does interpret his secretiveness as control, due to her upbringing, it's also easy in hindsight to see things from zisheng's POV: he is playing not one but several high stakes political games, treading a tightrope between the prince he is supposed to be supporting versus the prince who would clearly be a better choice, and now suddenly thrown into the middle of all this is a naive and well-meaning sledgehammer fiancee who is an absolute force of nature but who is not yet quite insightful enough to see and understand where the deep waters run; she's simply driven by personal loyalty to protect her empress' son. and she keeps forcing choices on him: protect her, or serve the Third Prince? and he makes tremendous sacrifices, as with the Tiger Tally, to save both of them. so is he going to take the risk and tell her and trust in her, or is he going to keep her in the dark just about this, until the game is over (it's so close to being over) and he can be as candid about these things as he can be about everything else?

but at the same time, he was so frustrated with her for not being candid with him, for not telling him when the mean girls tried to KILL her, for lying to him about choosing to help the crown prince - he should have known better than to reproach her about this when he was doing exactly the same things to her all along.

I love that the show just doesn't support him in this. for two people who both say they want to work as a team, these two both spend an awful lot of time keeping things from each other. and it's only after going away and thinking about it that I start to see his side of the story at all, because she is so totally front-and-centred in the way the story is told.

oh wow - now she gets a whole speech and thesis statement about how just because she's a woman she shouldn't be shut out of her husband's confidence, and ends: "Ling Buyi is my most beloved person in the world. But I am still me."

I love this show so much

It's really wild that murder general, who everyone knows went on a murderous rampage to kill the entire Ling clan, goes from being condemned to death to the apple of the emperor's eye based on his surname changing

no doubt it's historically accurate and murder uncle, at least, deserved it - but for me it's just another sign of how irretrievably this system is broken, that bloodline so clearly outweighs right and wrong.

I'll be chewing over the question of whether this last-minute aversion of filial impiety ("it's ok! he was doing it to avenge his REAL father!") undermines NN's previous point about the right to filial reverence depends on a parent's conduct, or whether it's an author's saving throw to secure a HEA

"but I can never forgive him for abandoning me - he even swore it was for my sake" aha! How To Critique The Break Her Heart To Save Her Trope (Without Actually Using The Trope??????) this show didn't HAVE to hunt down and kill every bad Asian drama romance trope like this but is that stopping it? no

Empress telling NN that whatever decision she makes, she will support her in - hits like a punch because the only person who's told her this till now is murder general. On the other hand it is comforting, and underlines the themes of NN being a whole person without him, bc she still has love and support!

as an aside, I also like how the show has handled NN's terrible parents. by the end of the show, she's fought for, and won, their respect and support, & has come to understand the pressures they are under. but she will never love them the way she loves the Empress, bc they haven't earned that love. I feel this consolidates the filial piety critique.

we finally get to hear murder general's side of the story - and it's fascinating to hear him say that he failed. he did everything to bring ling yi to justice - and couldn't. the murder party was his failure.

I'm finding the murder party less problematic at this point than the Censorate beating

whoah, the empress is sailing in to admit that she spoiled her children until they were useless, so she's not upset about the crown prince being demoted? seems a rather unfortunate theme if children are only ever bad because of bad parenting

NN still taking absolutely no prisoners in the romance, though: "oh, I understand you perfectly. the problem is that you never understood ME" that's quite a burn

The Empress is now requesting to be deposed, and it's a complicated scene - is she blaming herself, or voicing regrets? I think she's regretting not fighting for herself: as she points out, her accepting a menage a trois has not spoiled Consort Yue's life so much as it has spoiled her own chance at love.

while the show has sometimes been finger-wagging, it's saved here bc she also blames the Emperor for going along with the flow, too, and tamely accepting a three-way marriage.

meanwhile at home, everyone's like "Niao Niao is so mature now!" and I'm sitting here like NO SHE'S NOT, SHE'S HAD ALL THE HAPPINESS CRUSHED OUT OF HER and…….along comes Not-Quite-So-Bad-Mum to say that precise thing, and confess to having been wrong all along???? This show just keeps hitting.

Love that NN's 3rd brother is completely on her side at this moment. he understands the assignment ("break up with murder general and send him away with a flea in his ear") and executes it with prejudice.

oh…mum has repented too late. I'm not sorry for her, but I AM sorry for the way NN chooses to spend the next forever - when there were so many things she wanted to see and do!

and now: five years' worth of mutual pining in excruciatingly aesthetic slomo, thank you

meanwhile everyone in the Cheng family is getting married? Yang Yang is getting married? Mum's warrior maid is getting married? Good for you warrior maid!

Smug Scholar, otoh, has remained UNmarried for our girl, and I actually love the choice he's presenting her - NN doesn't much care who she marries if it's a business arrangement; she just won't marry the man she loves knowing he was willing to lie to her and abandon her

is it really weird that I suddenly want to write the story about the coldly pragmatic fake marriage of convenience between NN and Smug Scholar

!!!! she IS going to get engaged to him??? murder general is going to come back from five years of picturesquely scruffy suffering to find her engaged to Smug Scholar??!?!?!!!??!

oh this will be GOOD

"thanks, but I can ride without stirrups these days" I love that this show is allowing the heroine to establish a life of her own apart from the hero - they have to be complete on their own before they can be good for each other.

and now: a break from reality for an absolutely bonkers carriage chase, which, because this is a cdrama, comes complete with one of the parties trying to extort a proposal of marriage from the person chasing them

I swear this is the third time this exact same cliff has cropped up in this show, one would think that people would know better than to gallop madly down the DEAD END CLIFF ROAD

Empress pays her last respects to the emperor: "I know that if it wasn't for Emperor Li's tyranny you would have asked nothing more than to live a simple life" LIESSSS this man requires a constant stream of drama to live, how would he have survived as a gentleman farmer?

"if you are truly filial, don't exchange your life for mine. Live well." while this show has come down in the end in favour of filial piety, I think that for the most part it keeps filial piety where it belongs: subordinate to ethics - and that's something I can get behind.

With NN decided that murder general is not the man for her and murder general determined to accept her decision, I really don't see how this will get believably sorted out in the next…3 eps. Bc she's absolutely right, he had his chance and he blew it. That said, I was really worried the show would blame her for being unreasonable, but only the recent antagonist has done that

even NN's mother is now telling him: we don't need you to perform guilt for us, we also had our chance with NN and blew it, now we can only defer to her conscience AND YOU SHOULD TOO

so, I guess we're headed for an "undeserved grace" ending, and I hope they make it a convincing one and not cheap, bc it's too late to show him doing any work to prove his repentance.

oh I love this scene: she tells him she forgives him but cannot trust him, and he without defending himself, vows to live well and take care of himself (because quietly protecting the people she cares about is the one last thing he can do for her)

and he won't ever tell her that he's been doing this because he knows it would only make her despise him more!!!

time for the bad family to apologise, the grandmother in particular for trying to control her children, and Niao Niao to decide no longer to carry resentment, but to dwell on the people who love her instead

I love that the themes have largely to do with resisting control, even when it's from family members, and fighting for yourself. Even more, I love that the highest expression of this theme comes in the trust there's supposed to be between husband and wife. Sometimes, lack of communication IS an attempt at control - although on thinking it over I'm not sure it always has been that on murder general's side. but if there's one thing the past five years must have taught him, it's that he's going to have to be be particularly open with this particular woman, because her family HAS tried so hard to be controlling in the past, and she can't take even the appearance of it from him.

somehow, yet another of NN's old enemies has an overly complicated plan to kill her sigh

loving how murder general jumps into this trap and promptly becomes useless and it's time for the lil henchmen to save the day

stop shouting his name and figure out how to open the trapdoors Niao Niao, smoke inhalation is no joke

murder general looks amazing for someone who was just blown up

TEARFUL RECONCILIATION SCENE

ahaha Snacks has fallen in love with his wife, we love to see it

Smug Scholar, meanwhile (exact words): are you all done flaunting your love?

EXPLODING PICKLES

flailing I love it NN is deploying her secret weapon….the family Cheng

"you can't be in two places at once, General!"

maybe not, but wifey and he can

"i'd like to see who interferes with my best granddaughter's marriage!"

*smash cut to the emperor having a hissyfit because he can't interfere with the marriage *

it's over? pokes couch cushions for spare episodes

OK I LOVED that murder general's grand gesture in the final ep comes in the form of a dilemma. should he go rescue his beloved as everyone is telling him - or should he stay on task, submit to everyone's ridicule for not protecting his woman, and risk her thinking he's abandoned her again?

his answer shows that at last, he has come to truly understand her (five years after she told him he'd never understood her). it's not physical abandonment she truly fears. what she fears is not being trusted & allowed to act as his equal. So he leaves her to protect Guo village while he stays on HIS task. His grand gesture, after so many rescues, is not to rescue her at all.

SCREAMING at that moment when Third Prince is like, seriously, mate, you'd better not abandon her! she needs help!!! go on I'll be fine!! and Zisheng VISIBLY WAVERS and then pulls himself together and shouts GUO VILLAGE HAS NIAO NIAO! GUO VILLAGE WILL BE FINE!!!

since the root of the contention between them was always him not treating her as an equal, this is probably the best proof of change we could get in the screentime. and the show is very insistent to tell us that if NN bends to take him back, it's because it's what SHE wants, not bc she can't survive without him.

the show does give her that moment of fright during the explosion to rush her past her abandonment issues, but since the real issue was always about control, I can make my peace with it. Similarly, she taught him a 5-year lesson about not consulting her. He knows - & her family makes it explicit - that he can never pull something like this again.

final overall thoughts: I have rarely seen such a well done romance in Asian drama, especially cdrama. The show was long & got repetitive, especially in the 2nd half, even though it had some of my favourite stretches as NN starts fighting for respect & equality within her marriage.

The themes about family, state, and fighting for oneself got fingerwaggy at a lot of points, many side characters were brutally humiliated and many of the numerous female characters became nonsensically villainous just to give NN antagonists. So, I would say the show is quite flawed.

that said, what this show does well, it does SO WELL. I was absolutely invested in this romance to an extent that is very rare for me. I was delighted by the way the show critiques asian romance tropes, there's a wonderful Dumas-level revenge plot, the fight scenes while rare are terrific, the show remains laser focused on its female protagonist all the way to the end, and if you are not delighted by the utterly besotted looks murder general serves up five times per episode, I don't know what to do with you.

#love like the galaxy #lltg #ling buyi #cheng shaoshang #cdrama #asian drama

[heavensenthearty]

“I. Love. Her!”

Rating: T Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender Relationships: Sokka/Suki Tags: POV Third Person, Post-War, Past Sokka/Yue (Avatar), Moon Spirit Yue (Avatar), POV Suki (Avatar), Established Sokka/Suki (Avatar), Suki-centric (Avatar), Suki Needs a Hug (Avatar), Good Friend Katara (Avatar), Sokka is a Good Significant Other (Avatar), Fluff and Angst, Grief/Mourning, Romantic Fluff, Romantic Angst, Romantic Gestures Summary: “Yue,” Sokka said, aloud. He lifted their joined hands. “This is my girlfriend, Suki. I know you are watching; I can feel it. That doesn’t sound like it will help my case now, but I do. I know you’ve been watching all along. I know you know I am in love with Suki. There is no one else I’d rather be with. I don’t have to choose between you two, because it is not fair to compare you, but Suki is everything I ever needed. It was thanks to her that I turned into the person you fell in love with. I love her and I love that I get to spend my life with her because she makes me better every day—every minute that I am with her. I. Love. Her. And if you were here, I know you would be happy for us.”

For @creativepromptfills. Prompt #1083.

Political meetings were boring at best and bothersome at worst. Suki thanked the Heavens that she only served as the Firelord’s bodyguard most of the time. Still, there were some others—like this one—when she performed as an emissary of Kyoshi Island; the situation with her island was complicated due to its history and location. It was a Water Tribe settlement that reached Earth Kingdom land, and they couldn’t be represented by other world leaders because, well, they were quite literally a no man’s land. They were in negotiations to make the island an independent state.

In her opinion, it was crazy that she didn’t learn her own island’s history until a few years ago.

Cutting the elders some slack, with the War going on, they had other things to worry about.

The ferry broke through the water until it honked, pulling her back from memory lane. They had arrived at the North Pole. She needed to appeal for the independence of Kyoshi Island in front of Chief Arnook.

(They had to appeal their independence in front of the Water Tribe Chiefs and in front of Earth King Kuei). (She wanted to believe she had the support of the last two, but she was cautious). (Yes, she was well-guarded when it came to work).

Putting on her coat, she stepped onto the deck. The North Pole was exactly as beautiful as Sokka had described. All the buildings made of ice looked like they were made of diamonds and the snow was so pristine white that it seemed like the town was glowing with a halo of its own.

“Suki!” Both Southern Siblings were waving at her from their own ship, with matching smiles. (Sometimes she found it creepy that they weren’t twins).  

She beamed and rushed off the ship to hug them both. The two of them were at a race over the snow where Suki was the finish line-slash-prize. One second, Katara took the lead, then it was Sokka. They switched a couple more times before Sokka reached Suki and hugged her tightly. (The power of love at its prime).

“Suki!” It felt like he was about to lift her if it wasn’t because his parka and her coat made it difficult to move.

Katara simply stood aside while their hug continued. Sokka seemed unwilling to let go, so his sister looked impatient.

“Sokka, it is impolite that I haven’t greeted Katara yet.”

“Five more minutes,” he grumbled into the curve of Suki’s neck, tickling her.

Katara gagged. “Spirits, you are in public!”

“Oh, you are still here?” Sokka asked, not without his usual sarcasm.

Katara started tickling him to make him let go of Suki.

“C’mon, Katara, I’m sure you can fit in here.”

She stretched an arm to open space, Katara scooted into the hug, and then everything was right in the world.

“Look at the three of you, together again.” That was Chief Hakoda’s voice.

He was walking over to them, not sprinting like his not-so-adult children; his smile and body language were affable. Suki never imagined somebody so laidback-looking could have such command.

When the Southern Siblings allowed her, she greeted the Chief while keeping a mild distance: “Hello, Chief Hakoda.”

She bowed. Part of her wanted to hug him, but she still felt too much of an outsider to the Southern Chieftain Family to do so.

“You know you don’t have to be so formal,” he replied.

Suki only chuckled.

Katara hooked her arm around hers like when they were younger. “Enjoying the North Pole so far, Suki?”

“Yeah, it’s very pretty.”

Her eyes gravitated towards Sokka, but he was looking into the horizon. He was staring at the city like it was someone he used to know. Of course, it was; Suki was well aware that he would never forget Princess Yue, and yet she couldn’t help a stab of pain. The little she knew about the late princess was that she had ascended as the Moon Spirit, and she was the reason Sokka had been so overprotective and hesitant when the two of them reunited.

Katara, ever the perceptive, squeezed her arm in a comforting gesture. Suki felt reassured, she never met someone as understanding as Katara.

“C’mon, guys, Chief Arnook must be waiting for us.”

“Sokka!” The Chief dropped all formalities and hugged the Water Tribe Warrior as soon as he caught sight of him.

Sokka returned the hug earnestly and with a nostalgic look in his eyes.

The scene was all the more astonishing since they were at the Ice Palace, in the throne room, but Suki seemed to be the only one curious about the exchange. Not even the guards escorting the Chief spared them a second glance.

Chief Arnook was another affable-looking man who looked just like he could have children around Sokka and Katara’s age, too. The light inside the room complimented the shade of blue in his eyes. The Palace itself was as regal as all the others Suki had seen but the fact that it was all made of ice accentuated its allure. In that sense, it was like nothing she had seen before. 

“It’s been so long, Chief Arnook,” Sokka said when they separated.

“It has.” The Chief was looking at him with a peculiar glint in his eyes.

Once again, Suki thought she understood the situation, and blamed herself for not anticipating her feelings.

Chief Arnook proceeded to hug Katara next, so at least the favoritism wasn’t limited to Sokka. He only showed a semblance of conventionalism with Chief Hakoda.

“It’s been so long since our last meeting, too, Chief Hakoda.” He bowed.

“Time flies by for us, Chiefs.”

They both laughed like it was the funniest thing in the world. Suki was sure she was watching Chief Arnook licking all the Southern Chieftain Family’s boots.

“By the way, Chief Arnook.” Sokka put an arm around her shoulders. “This is the Kyoshi Island emissary we were telling you about, Zhìhuì Suki.”

Only then did the Northern Chief notice there was someone else in the room with them. He tensed and turned in her direction, and she was just sure his expression hardened when he saw Sokka’s arm around her.

She knew Sokka had talked to him and he had already clarified their relationship, she hadn’t been shortsighted enough to not ensure a transparent, smooth meeting, but she didn’t anticipate the coldness in the Chief’s eyes as they measured her every inch like he was listing things to disapprove.

She was disrupting whatever dynamic he had with the Southerners until now.

Suki felt sympathetic and insulted. “Nice to meet you, Chief Arnook.”

She bowed respectfully but he only gave her a curt nod. “Shall we get to business then?” he asked.

Fine.

The meeting was different from many others, but only because it was so awkward! Granted to Chief Arnook, he remained professional throughout Suki’s exposition of the island’s case; it was the way he kept staring at her so intently that gave away his resentment. His blue eyes were just as cold as the ice that built the Palace.  

Despite the unwanted attention, Suki had never felt so overlooked. Most people feared and respected her position as the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors. Sure, some looked down on her, but they were pretentious, random politicians who didn’t affect her people. This time, the future of her island was at risk because of a personal matter that wasn’t even her fault to begin with!

Her fist clenched at the realization.

At last, Chief Arnook agreed to support Kyoshi Island’s independence—right after Hakoda vouched for her. Of course, Suki was merely a prod for more bootlicking.

“Well, that went well.” Sokka shook his legs after spending hours sitting.

“It went better than expected but it didn’t go ‘well’.” Suki took a glass of water.

They were left alone in the conference room. After the meeting, Katara and Chief Hakoda went to visit Master Pakku while Chief Arnook continued with his appointments of the day.

“What do you mean?”

“Chief Arnook doesn’t like me,” she muttered with the glass to her lips.

“What are you talking about? He invited us to dinner.”

“He invited you to dinner,” she insisted. “I knew it wasn’t a good idea that I came for this, but I didn’t want it to look like I was allowing my personal life to interfere with political stuff. Gods and Spirits, I’m such an idiot!”

“Hey, hey, calm down.” He took the water away from her and set it down before she could spill it.

He had to physically turn her around and hold her to his chest. “Listen, you did great today. You scored the support of two world leaders for your people. And you did it all on your own. Whatever is happening between… It is all in the past, it has nothing to do with this, and you didn’t let it get to you. You took care of everything like a pro.”

Suki returned the hug feeling warmth spreading inside her, from her chest to the rest of her body. She hadn’t noticed how in need of comfort she was. 

“You are right. You are right, sorry.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for.”

They remained in each other’s arms for a long time, Sokka still acted unwilling to let go of her for the world, and Suki finally admitted she needed some comfort right now. It wasn’t like her to feel insecure about… It wasn’t like her to feel insecure, period.

She could never allow herself to feel insecure when so many people depended on her.

Thank goodness that nobody entered the conference room while they were in there. She’ll be damned if she let anyone other than Sokka see her crumbling down like that.  

By the time, her arms finally gave up a little, Sokka said: “C’mon, you’ll feel better after eating something.”

Well, the dinner was a whole new kind of awkward.

Chief Arnook only kept talking about the first time the Southern Siblings visited the Nort Pole, and how sorry he was that Yue and Sokka could never live their ‘epic love story’ to the fullest.

Katara and Hakoda just watched on. Suki barely touched the food since they sat down. (She may have felt better after eating something but she wouldn’t be eating from that table).

“I’m truly so sorry for contributing to your love’s doom, Sokka.” The Chief looked at the glass of wine he had been mixing for a few minutes. “I should have let Yue choose her partner. Let her live a happy life until her destiny came.”

“Thank you, Chief. But Yue was meant to be so much more than what any of us knew. And well, life has been kind to me, too.”

Sokka squeezed Suki’s hand. She appreciated it but still felt his wording was somewhat lacking. And from the looks of it, Chief Arnook wasn’t too pleased either. She sighed.

“I don’t doubt it,” the Chief said. “I am glad you got to meet my daughter, though. Your love was truly inspiring.”

Suki sighed again.

“Suki and Sokka’s love story is also inspiring, Chief Arnook,” Katara interrupted. It was the first time she spoke that night. “All of our mutual friends admire them.”

“You do?” Sokka asked.

His sister glared at him.

“I don’t doubt that either.” Chief Arnook took another gulp of wine. “Epic loves aren’t always meant to be admired. It takes a certain kind of bravery to love like—”  

Suki sprang to her feet and walked away.

“Suki, wait!”

Sokka took less than a second to call after her, but that only inspired her to walk faster. As background noise, she heard Chief Hakoda taking the wine away from Chief Arnook.

She exited the dining hall but it would be a few rows of stairs before she could get to her assigned bedroom. Great. Maybe she could sleep on the ferry that brought her there.

“Suki! Wait, please!” Sokka ran after her while she ran for the stairs.

“Leave me alone, Sokka,” she said, almost without inflection.

“Can we please talk? Please,” he pleaded, following her.

“Talk about what?” she replied while looking forward, jumping over the steps until she reached the second floor. Then she finally turned around to say it right in his face. “About your ‘epic love story’ with Princess Yue? I don’t want to hear about Yue! Listen, I know that you settled down for me as a second choice, and I—”

“What are you talking about?” he cut her off, which never happened before. He looked positively furious and horrified at the same time. “Settling down, what in the world? And ‘epic love story’, what even is that? This is not some predestined soulmate shit or fate or whatever. I love you all on my own. Because you're awesome and because I want to.”

“Well, couldn’t you say that to Chief Arnook down there?”

“Is that what you want? Because I will,” he said. “Heavens, I’ll tell Yue herself that I am in love with you.”

“What—”

He took her hand and dragged her to the nearest window, it had a perfect view of the full moon in the dark sky devoid of stars.

“Yue,” Sokka said, aloud. He lifted their joined hands. “This is my girlfriend, Suki. I know you are watching; I can feel it. That doesn’t sound like it will help my case now, but I do. I know you’ve been watching all along. I know you know I am in love with Suki. There is no one else I’d rather be with. I don’t have to choose between you two, because it is not fair to compare you, but Suki is literally everything I ever needed. It was thanks to her that I turned into the person you fell in love with. I love her and I love that I get to spend my life with her because she makes me better every day—every minute that I am with her. I. Love. Her. And if you were here, I know you would be happy for us.”

Suki stood there, watching and listening to him talk.

They heard an echoing giggle. When they looked down from the window to the shadowy snow, there was a girl standing under the moonlight.

She looked sixteen and she wasn’t wearing a parka or coat, her white dress revealed her shoulders and her long white hair flowed easily with the wind. She smiled.

Suki gasped, covering her mouth.

The girl waved her hand as a salute and disappeared when a cloud passed over the moon, blocking its light.

Suki looked at Sokka.

He shrugged. “Yeah, she does that sometimes.”

After the events of the night before, Suki was ready to sleep for days, but they still had to wait for the Earth King’s arrival.

“Warrior?”

She lifted her eyes from the scroll she was reading. (Passing by the Palace’s library to learn some more Water Tribe history sounded like a good idea to kill time).

Chief Arnook was the one calling her.

“Yes?”

“I…” the Chief hesitated. “I apologize for the behavior I displayed last night. I was too carried away by the informal setting and drank too much. I swear it isn’t a common habit of mine. And I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable during your stay in the North, especially not about your relationship with Sokka. I admit I haven’t coped with my daughter’s passing in the healthiest way. I do feel guilty I didn’t allow her to love freely, even when I anticipated what would happen. That was my mistake, and no one else has to carry its burden. For whatever it is worth, Sokka would do nothing but write praises for you during our correspondence.”

Suki giggled. “Thank you, Chief. Worry not, I completely understand.”

“And, please, don’t be mad at him for whatever I said last night. He already scolded me for it, and last night, in my drunken state, I had a dream of my daughter berating me for it, too.” He chuckled. “It must have been a sign.” Suki tried to cover her grin with the scroll. “Yeah, maybe.”

#sukka #sukka fanfic #angel writes 🖋

[raine-kai]

Novel Wen Ziduan Has Issues

As you might know if you have seen anything I have posted here or written lately or talked about in the past month or so, I like Third Prince, or Wen Ziduan, from Love Like the Galaxy quite a lot.

What you might not know is that even though I liked him before I read the book, based on the drama alone, I like him even more that I read the book.

Let me be clear: novel Ziduan is a disaster.

For one thing, Yuan Shanjian's tendency to neg Shaoshang at every possible opportunity? That was Ziduan in the book. YSJ is a lot less directly offensive in his behavior toward Shaoshang, which makes him a lot more likable in the book. They still argue a lot, but he doesn't go out of his way to try to make her feel bad about herself. Meanwhlie, Ziduan only goes through one scene where he outright starts negging Shaoshang in the drama—and to be fair, this is episode 49 and he was having a really bad day that day, after having had a terrible day the day before as well—and she tells him off pretty well for it. He has a reason to talk to her that day, but otherwise he seems to mostly ignore her, or roll with whatever else is going on in the scene. Ziduan in the drama comes off as a foil of sorts to Shaoshang. They both care deeply for Huo Buyi, but while Ziduan has power in theory, he can do nothing to help Huo Buyi and is losing his mind (he behaves more erratically, more angrily and snappishly in that episode than we ever see him before or after) after the revenge. Shaoshang might not have power, but she has the keys to exonerating Huo Buyi, and she is exceedingly quiet and calm as she makes her case—both to Ziduan for her right to personhood, and to the court for Huo Buyi. By the end of this scene, we see Shaoshang share a warning with Ziduan, who bows to her and promises to bring Zisheng back, and make him apologize to her.

This is a far cry from the behavior of novel Ziduan, who takes every possible opportunity to point out how inferior Shaoshang is, especially relative to Zisheng.

He does eventually come to terms with the fact that Shaoshang and Zisheng are going to be together, in his own way... But not before being absolutely delighted to betroth Shaoshang to Yuan Shanjian, only to be deeply upset when Zisheng returns and wants her back. There's a whole scene where he demands to know why nobody told him that he would want her back, and rants about how poor of a match Shaoshang is for Zisheng, who deserves the best...even though he is just as dumb as she is, he admits toward the end.

I cannot articulate enough how much novel Ziduan comes across like a comphet gay boy trying to justify why he's mad that his best friend is dating someone by making it the girl's fault. Somehow.

I ship OT3 in the world of the drama, but I don't see how that could work in the novel world unless ZIduan does one hell of a lot of soulsearching.

The other day, I found the novel extras, and there was one for Ziduan, and OH BOY, I did not think this shit could get even funnier.

First off, this man is a misogynistic mess from the moment we get into his head. He says there are two kinds of women: virtuous and unvirtuous. And then he proceeds to list all the women in his life as various shades of unvirtuous. Empress Xuan? Very unvirtuous. His mother, Consort Yue? Extremely unvirtuous. His aunts and sisters? Never heard of the word virtue in their lives—except Second Sister, she's ok. (I have to assume this assessment is pre-time skip, because post time-skip Second Princess had apparently become less ladylike or something.) Xiao Yuanyi is also ok. Cheng Shaoshang is just the absolute worst.

So he sort of...has to approve of their betrothal (again) because it's what will make Huo Buyi happy and as we know, Ziduan really just wants Huo Buyi to be happy. (Although in this universe it's buried underneath so much negative vibes directed at Shaoshang that it can be easy to forget that.)

Shaoshang comes to talk to him, and she uses flattery over his dedication to justice over family (a love language between all 3 of them, I swear) to undercut his usual pattern of berating her. It works, until she's about to leave.

And then this happens:

The prince was very moved, and his tone could not help softening: "I am not afraid of being criticized by others, but only hope that the people of the world will live and work in peace and contentment, free from natural disasters and man-made disasters, so I will live up to the trust of the ancestors."

Originally, he wanted to scold the girl, but at this moment, the crown prince could not swear much, so he simply waved his hand: "Forget it, you can go back, take a good rest, and serve Zisheng carefully after marriage. Sigh, Over the years, Zisheng has really suffered a lot, you, you should treat him better."

Shaoshang agreed sincerely, and hurried out of the door. When she reached the courtyard, the prince suddenly called her to stop. Shaoshang looked back in a daze, and saw the prince raised his right hand, and then her shoulder hurt slightly, and when she looked down, it turned out to be a small stone. She was tongue-tied, and looked at the prince in disbelief—he, he, he, he, he, he, he, he, he actually threw stones at herself! The majestic crown prince actually threw stones at her!

The prince's brows and eyes are firm and resolute, and the perennial solemnity is swept away, as if he is ten years younger and suddenly returned to his naughty and troubled boyhood. He laughed heartily: "Okay, let's settle the matter now, you can go back and happily prepare for marriage!"

Shaoshang stamped her feet angrily, turned her head and left.

HE THREW A ROCK AT HER.

HE THREW A ROCK AT HER AND WAS HAPPY ABOUT IT.

And then after this scene, Ziduan's immediately thinking to himself about how he has to double their wedding gifts and hope they have a daughter he can marry to a son of his own.

THE AMOUNT OF DISASTER GAY ENERGY HERE IS STAGGERING.

Oh, about his wife--he does have a concubine. A cousin of his, selected by his uncle. He agreed to marry her because his uncle said so, and then the moment he stopped and thought about it, he realized how unvirtuous his wife is. She actually wants him to LIKE her, the gall of her!

Anyway, this man is a complete trainwreck and I adore it.

Mostly because the drama version exists as essentially a fix-it.

Speaking of which, who was it who decided to take Ziduan's "you-stole-the-man-I-am-not-aware-I'm-in-love-with-and-I'm-mad-about-it" energy and dropped it onto Yuan Shanjian, of all people? He's actually supposed to like Shaoshang... That might be the strangest adaptation decision, imo 😂😂😂

#love like the galaxy #third prince #wen ziduan #disaster gay #is this another meta #idk #im supposed to be sleeping btw #yes I love this misguided idiot #i want to put him in therapy

[whaleofatjme1920]

Red string of fate event

Lynx (ill be writing as Quill, i feel like thats obvious), SCP, she/her, in my twenties

To whomever this may concern

Wait no that's too professional, i dont really have any correction tapes with me at the moment and i dont wanna scribble over the letter so whoops

I dont really know what to write? Dr. Tjme told me to write a letter to a chinese deity and i think thats neat but without a person to write too its kinda confusing

Forgive me if you think i talk too much, i drank a 5 hour energy and i haven't slept for 24. Besides that im sure who ever you are, you'll be great! If this letter is even real...

I just hope who ever my soulmate is can handle me... Idk ive just had lovers in the past and one of the prominent things ive found out about them is that they cant keep up with me, saying im too annoying or im too loud, i totally get it but yeesh man yknow? But i just want someone to hold me and tell me im loved (ew, lol)

Frankly this whole thing has me confused, i just hope this works! And if this is an office prank, well then screw you! You made me spill out my heart and love life secrecy onto this letter

Mwah

- Dr. Quill

Along with the letter, Quill decided to leave an assortment of fruit along side as the offering

[Disclaimer: The Red String of Fate event is a special event I'm running from August 12th, to whenever I feel it necessary to end - right now, I'm giving it to the first week of September! Check out rules HERE]

Long are the nights of wistfully yearning for someone. Long are the mornings wishing for someone to hold you in their arms. As you twist and turn through a restless night, a god sleepily reads over your letter. He smiles as the moonlight clouds around your words and the offerings you've left him. He's especially pleased by the oranges. As he snacks upon the fruits and checks over the people in your immediate life, and those who exist within your circle but are yet to come into contact with you, his cat moves around in his dwelling. He knows you want someone patient, some one kind and understanding but who still can push you to greater heights.

The sound of soft, subtle purrs bring to his attention a man that is also resting, or at least trying to. The sweet old feline hums away, pouncing softly on the floor before bringing back the God's favorite spool of red thread, dripping with crimson zircons and rubies. He takes a piece and ties it to your pinky, the right, and then looks to your soul mate. He chuckles as the thread winds through the streets, over the tops of trees and curls around the earthly clouds themselves.

Yes, Yue Lao thinks as he ties the thread over the man's left pinky, this will be a very auspicious match. And just like that, the God tethers the two of you together, his lips curled into a tired smile before he allows his cat to cut the thread binding soul mates from the spool. He places it down gently, calls his cat to his side, and rests.

In the morning, the man rises. His dark hair curls over his eyes before he tiredly brushes his back. He's unaware of the thread that's placed along his pinky, too tired to even recognize it's tug. His eyes are not yet opened to it like yours are. He goes about his morning before heading off to work, still unaware of its pull.

You wake with a start, feeling the warmth, like a hug, of the red string along your pinky. You gawk at it, amazed that the thread is so bright and glows with every movement from who you assume is your soul mate. You try not to think of it too deeply as you move about your home and get ready for work, following the string alongside your routine. You're vaguely amused that it seems to be leading to a coworker.

Mornings at the Foundation are odd, sometimes busy, but other times quiet. Depending on the task forces being sent out, if there were any breeches, the state of the place, the mornings can be quiet, and almost peaceful. You barely greet the ladies at the front desk as you sign in, flashing your researcher status to them as you follow the twisting string.

The closer you get to him, the more your heart flutters. You realize you're reaching a string of offices. These are some of the higher ups, aren't they? You feel heat rise to your cheeks as the thread glows brighter, a brilliant shade of passion as you draw nearer and nearer. Your right hand is held in front of you as a guide.

And you see it, the office of the man that's your soulmate. Your stomach fills with butterflies as you read the name, barely able to contain the excitement and odd bout of anxiety that's sprouted within you. This is who Yue Lao thought would be your soulmate?

You use your right hand to knock on the door and pull it open when a gruff voice allows you entrance. As you pull it open, you're greeted to his slightly surprised expression that his left hand has been jerked forwards. His emerald like eyes widen as he finally takes notice of the thread. He sees you bathed in a rosy color, unsure of what the hell was going on but the butterflies have come alive in himself as well.

"Good morning, Dr. Kondraki," you breathe, waving your right hand at him.

He waves back with his left. "Dr." He mirrors in an unsure tone. He invites you to sit in front of him, and hesitantly you do so. The two of you stare at the thread linking your pinkies together, then back up at each other, small, almost knowing smiles gracing your lips.

You've never really spoken to Dr. Kondraki before, but there's better time to start than now.

#red string of fate the event #scp x reader #dr kondraki x reader #dr benjamin kondraki x reader #kondraki x reader

[atlabeth]

everything happens for a reason part 6 - zuko x fem!reader

The thing about forever is that it's a fucking lie

part 5 | masterlist | part 7

a/n: you all know whats coming lmao i got nothing to say for myself

wc: 3.5k

warning(s): pakku's usual sexism, typical siege of the north stuff, mostly angst but a lil bit of fluff in there

chapter title comes from forever is a lie by bea miller!

“I can’t believe that your tribe doesn’t teach waterbending to women!” Katara fumed, the snow beneath her feet packed tightly from her continuous pacing. “I mean, how can they even do that? Master Pakku’s all about ‘his culture and his teachings’ but his teachings are completely sexist!”

Y/N just nodded along as she listened to Katara — Master Pakku had refused to teach Katara, and after a disappointing healing lesson she had found Y/N to rant. “Yep. It’s unfair, but there’s not much we can do about it.”

Katara frowned and stopped in her tracks. “Don’t you want to learn how to fight too? I love being able to heal and help people, don’t get me wrong, but healing isn’t all I want to do.”

A shaky sigh fell from her lips and she shrugged, adjusting her position on the platform of ice she had made to sit on. “Well… yeah, I guess. I know a couple of martial moves, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to know more. But Katara, I—”

Y/N was silent for a moment as flashes of the past played behind her eyelids. “I’m not like you. I’m not the kind of person to challenge the rules. Not anymore.”

Katara shook her head, already back to her pacing. “I think you’re selling yourself short. I saw your healing during your class — you’re really talented, Y/N, and I know that skill will transfer over to fighting.”

“Thank you, but— but it doesn’t matter how good we are. Master Pakku is just as stubborn as he is talented, and I think he’d rather die than be a decent person. It’s a shame though. I’d really like to see someone knock some sense into him.”

“Yeah…” Katara sighed. “Hopefully Aang is having a better time than I am.” She looked up at the sky then fixed Y/N with a wry smile. “Speaking of Aang, I should probably get back to him and my brother. Sorry for talking your ear off the whole night.”

Y/N waved her hand around nonchalantly. “Don’t worry about it. You have my permission to rant to me any time you want while you’re here.”

Katara grinned and offered her hand, which Y/N took with a small smile as she got up from her ice platform. With a slight movement of her hand she bent it back into the ground, and the two girls began their walk back to the city. “I just wish I knew how to get Pakku to let up.”

“You’ll think of something,” Y/N reassured.

-

Katara did indeed think of something. Y/N’s wish of Pakku getting some sense knocked into him was granted when Katara challenged him to a fight, which was quite possibly the best thing that Y/N had ever witnessed. Though she ultimately lost, he still decided to take her on as a student — and in a move that Y/N would forever be grateful for, Katara had gotten Pakku to take her on as well. Katara made history that day, and she felt a shining sense of admiration for the girl for shaking things up.

And now, her days consisted of early mornings spent training, afternoons in classes, and nights doing homework, as well as fitting in time to hang out with Yue — it was a miracle she had any free time at all.

Lately though, it seemed like all Yue could talk about was Sokka. She liked him just as much as he liked her, but Yue was good — no matter how much she cared for someone, her tribe would always come first.

(“Did I hear that you and Sokka have a date later tonight?” she teased. “Aren’t you moving a little too fast?” Yue was silent at her attempt at humor and Y/N frowned. “Yue, are you okay?”

Silence lingered in the air for so long that Y/N almost thought she didn’t hear her, but finally the princess spoke as she pulled down the collar of her jacket to reveal an engagement necklace. Y/N gasped.

“It’s from Hahn,” she said quietly. “He proposed an hour ago, and I accepted.”

“You what?” Y/N cried, prompting a slight grimace from Yue. “Hahn— you can’t stand him!”

“Y/N, please,” Yue sighed. “He’s not that bad — he’s handsome, I guess. And he’s the son of a noble, and he’ll be really good for the tribe.”

“Yue, you’re the one who has to deal with him. He proposed to you, not the tribe — Spirits, half the boys in this tribe like you, why him?”

“It’s best for the tribe,” she repeated, her words an attempt to convince Y/N as much as herself.

“But what’s best for you?” Y/N countered.

Yue hadn’t answered, and had made up some half-baked excuse that she had to be somewhere. She had watched her go sadly, hoping that she would figure something out with Sokka.)

And it’s not like she wasn’t happy that her friend had found someone, it was just…

Y/N was upset that someone wasn’t her. And she didn’t know how to deal with that revelation.

But one morning, while making idle conversation with Katara as their lesson came to an end, a matter much more pressing came to hand.

Black snow. Soot raining down from the sky, tarnishing everything it touched.

A feeling all too familiar brewed in her chest as she met her friend’s eyes, and one thing was clear.

The Fire Nation was coming.

-

The air was even more frigid than usual with the knowledge of an imminent invasion, and Y/N had parted ways with her friends once they reached the town hall to be with her grandparents. The tension in the air was thick as Chief Arnook stepped up to address the people.

“The day we have feared for so long has arrived — the Fire Nation is on our doorstep. It is with great sadness I call my family here before me, knowing well that some of these faces are about to vanish from our tribe, but they will never vanish from our hearts. Now, as we approach the battle for our existence, I call upon the great spirits. Spirit of the Ocean! Spirit of the Moon! Be with us! I'm going to need volunteers for a dangerous mission.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Sokka stood up. “Count me in.”

Her eyes widened as she met Katara’s from across the room, and she looked equally surprised. “Sokka…”

“Be warned: many of you will not return.” Several other men stood up after Sokka, including her grandfather. Despite his age he was a skilled fighter, but that was no comfort to Y/N. She reached up for his hand and shook her head almost desperately, but he smiled sadly and squeezed her hand, a sentiment to express words unsaid. “Come forward to receive my mark, if you accept the task.”

As he walked forward to join the line, she found the only solace she could in her grandmother’s open arms, burying her face in the fur of her jacket. “He will be okay,” she soothed. “He’s just as strong as he is brave. You have to have faith.”

She hoped that her grandmother was right. She couldn’t handle another loss.

Once all the men had received their marks, they left to confer about the battle plan. Y/N found her way up to the stage where a tearful Yue sat. It pained Y/N to see her in such a way, and when she sat down and offered her hand the princess immediately took it.

“I saw that your grandfather volunteered,” she said after a beat of silence. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry too. For Sokka.” Y/N adjusted her position so their shoulders were touching, and she sighed heavily. “I can’t stop thinking about my village. My father.” She met Yue’s eyes, her own beginning to tear up.

“What if it happens again?” she whispered, her voice cracking. “I can’t— I can’t do it again.”

Yue let go of her hand to wrap the girl in a hug, the warmth of the embrace managing to chip away at some of their hopelessness. “You won’t have to do it again,” she stated, the reassurance seeming like the truth when coming from her. “You’re not alone this time.”

She finally pulled away from the hug as she wiped the tears off her face, and Y/N nodded. Yue somehow always knew exactly what to say. “What would I do without you?” she asked, her voice slightly watery.

“You’re never going to know,” the princess smiled. “Because whether you like it or not, you’re stuck with me.” That got a laugh out of Y/N and the two of them stood up as Yue gestured outside with her head. “I think I saw Aang and my father out there. It’ll help to talk with them — I think you need some fresh air anyways.”

Y/N nodded and the two girls walked out hand in hand, a small reprieve from carrying the weight of the world.

-

Things were so much worse than she had been anticipating.

After a short talk outside the hall with Katara, Aang, and the Chief, Yue had been transported somewhere safer as Y/N steeled herself for the front lines. After all, as a student of Master Pakku, she could fight damn well — it was just a matter of putting it into action.

But a line of warriors and children alike were no match for the strength of the Fire Nation from afar, and the first few fireballs had done their job at disrupting both the fighters and the wall — Seeing her home get destroyed hurt nearly as much as constantly getting thrown around.

After Aang had taken off on Appa and Chief Arnook took a section of his soldiers off for a different plan, the work on the ground began. The fleet of ships seemed endless , and the same went for their artillery — the fight went long into the day as Y/N worked with various other waterbenders to stop fireballs and repair broken parts of the city’s infrastructure, but just as the full moon began to show, the attacks stopped coming. Limbs heavy with exhaustion from their work in the field, Y/N and Katara met up with the princess back at the balcony of the palace.

“They’ve stopped firing,” Yue noted as they all gazed off into the distance.

“Thank the spirits,” Y/N muttered as she worked out a knot in her shoulder. “I don’t know how much longer I could’ve kept going.”

Just then, Appa came into view and a grin spread across Katara’s face. “Aang!”

He landed below them and the three girls hurried down to meet him. Aang landed on the ground, exhaustion clear in every part of him. “I can’t do it,” he muttered as he placed his head in his hands. “I can’t do it.”

“What happened?” Katara asked as she ran up to him, Yue and Y/N close behind.

“I must’ve taken out a dozen Fire Navy ships, but there’s just too many of them!” His large grey eyes were full of hopelessness, and Y/N’s heart ached for the boy. “I can’t fight them all.”

“But— you have to!” Yue pleaded. “You’re the Avatar.”

“I’m just one kid,” Aang countered wearily. He buried his face in his arms and Katara kneeled next to him in an attempt to comfort him. Y/N could almost forget about the pain in her body at that moment, feeling an odd responsibility to this boy as she looked down at him.

“Aang,” she muttered, following Katara’s example and kneeling next to him. “You’ve already done so much for us. Just by being here, you’ve inspired hundreds of people — you’re a beacon of hope all on your own! We don’t expect you to take out this whole navy by yourself. As long as you’re here, fighting with us? You’re helping us more than you know.”

He managed a slight smile at that and he took her outstretched hand, getting pulled back to his feet with her help.

“We’ll have a better view from up there,” Katara noted, pointing back up to the balcony. “You can help us keep watch, Aang — in case they start attacking again.”

He nodded and the four of them began the walk, the Avatar in slightly better spirits.

“The legends say the moon was the first waterbender,” Yue said once they had reached the balcony, all of them gazing at the sky. “Our ancestors saw how it pushed and pulled the tides and learned how to do it themselves.”

“I’ve always noticed my waterbending is stronger at night,” Katara mused, causing Y/N to hum in agreement.

“Our strength from the spirit of the moon, our life from the spirit of the ocean,” she said. “They work together to keep balance.

Aang’s expression brightened at her words as he popped up from the ground. “The spirits! Maybe I can find them and get their help!”

“How can you do that?” Y/N questioned.

“The Avatar is the bridge between our world and the Spirit World,” Katara explained excitedly. “Aang can talk to them!”

“Maybe they’ll give you the wisdom to win this battle!” Yue exclaimed.

“Or maybe they'll unleash a crazy amazing spirit attack on the Fire Nation!” At that, all three girls met him with strange looks. Aang coughed and straightened his posture. “Or wisdom. That's good, too.”

“The only problem is, last time you got to the Spirit World by accident,” Katara said with a frown. “How are you going to get there this time?”

Yue’s eyes lit up and she looked at them with a smile. “I have an idea. Follow me.”

-

A few minutes later, they were standing in the Spirit Oasis, the most spiritual place in all of the North. Yue, Y/N, and Katara all shed their coats as Aang walked around, marvelling at the beauty.

“I can feel… something,” Aang said as he sat down, getting into a meditating position. “It’s so tranquil.”

Soon enough, after a few moments of silence, Aang’s eyes as well as the arrow on his head began to glow.

“Is he okay?” Yue gasped.

“He’s crossing into the Spirit World,” Katara reassured. “He’ll be fine as long as we don’t move his body. That’s his way back to the physical world.”

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Y/N whispered, astonishment etched into her face. For as much as she had been taught about the ocean spirits, she wasn’t well-versed in the Spirit World as a whole — she was thoroughly fascinated by every part of this.

“Maybe we should get some help,” Yue suggested, still on edge as she took a few steps away from the gate.

“No, he’s my friend. I’m perfectly capable of protecting him. Besides, I already have some help here.” She smiled at Y/N, a sentiment that she returned happily.

A deep voice, almost mocking, broke the silence as it echoed throughout the oasis. “Well, aren’t you a big girl now? Even got yourself a little student.”

The three girls all whipped around to find the source of the voice, and Katara’s whole body stiffened. “No…”

“Yes. Hand him over and I don’t have to hurt you.”

Y/N immediately eased into a bending stance along with Katara as the princess fled to get help, but her confidence faltered when she took the time to focus on their assailant.

She almost didn’t recognize him — it had been nearly four years since she had last set eyes upon the boy, but it was as if he had become a completely different person. His head was shaved completely save for a ponytail, and blues and reds marked his skin in various cuts and bruises. His eyes held an anger she had never seen before, an expression only heightened with the addition of a large red scar across his left eye.

“Zuko?” she breathed, her chest tightening up beneath the weight of the revelation. Katara stared at her in bewilderment — she had no idea that Y/N knew the prince that had chased them halfway across the world, but Katara supposed that she had no reason to ever suspect she did.

His eyes flashed with recognition as they ran over her, and it seemed as if he had a similar epiphany as he staggered backwards. “I… I thought you were dead.”

“You’re with them,” she muttered, blood turning to ice. “Your nation is invading, and you’re helping them— you’re after the Avatar? What are you doing, Zuko?!”

The momentary surprise was replaced by steely determination as he shifted his weight forward and kicked up his leg, sending a blast of fire that she barely managed to dodge. “You know nothing!”

Y/N fell back into position next to Katara, but the newfound knowledge was like a fog over her mind. “Whoever he was when you knew him, that’s not him anymore!” Katara yelled as she bent water out of the pond and blocked his following attacks. “He won’t hesitate to hurt you, so you can’t either!”

“O-okay!” she stammered. This was the moment she had been waiting for, wasn’t it? After training with both Katara and Pakku, her martial skill had increased tenfold, and she was desperate to try it out — she only wished her first opponent didn’t have to be him. But another fire blast snapped her out of her paralysis, and she jumped into action.

The two girls worked impossibly well together, one stepping forward when the other fell back, the bending between them nearly seamless. Any fire that the prince sent their way was quickly extinguished, and with two against one on home turf, Y/N and Katara were able to hold him off with relative ease.

Y/N bent another jet of water up from the oasis and shot it at Zuko, the force of which knocked him several feet back. Katara took the opening and froze his feet to the ground, then began to move her arms about as she formed a ball of water around him — one more movement and it was frozen solid.

“You little peasant,” he growled. “You’ve found a master, haven’t you?”

The orb of ice began to glow, the air around them becoming hotter and hotter until it melted around him. Blasts of fire were flying at them as soon as Zuko hit the ground, and they were forced to retreat back towards the oasis as they grew more intense.

Y/N drew up a shield of water, extinguishing the flames on impact. Zuko dodged around them, his fingers inches away from Aang’s collar. Y/N propelled the water already at her fingertips towards Zuko with a grunt of effort, which sent him flying into the shallows on the other side of the oasis. She conjured up a large wave and sent it towards the prince, sending him up the side of the wall and trapping him once Katara froze it.

She breathed a sigh of relief and let her arms fall, a part of her wondering how they were still connected after the tediousness of the earlier battle. But this, one on one in a fight with real stakes? It was as exhilarating as it was nerve wracking, and she had never been so thankful that Katara had gotten her in with Master Pakku. Y/N felt intensely guilty over the pain she had inflicted on Zuko, but she tried her best to push it out of her mind — like Katara said, he would’ve done worse if she hadn’t fought back.

“You fought well,” Katara smiled. “I told you that you were talented.”

She chuckled and shrugged, cheeks heating up slightly at the praise. “It’s not exactly my first fight, just… the most intense.” It reminded her of the early mornings and late nights spent sparring with Zuko, a memory that only twisted the dagger in her heart even more.

The two girls smiled at each other as they began to walk back over to Aang — it seemed the boy was undisturbed by the fight by virtue of his glowing tattoos and closed eyes — when Y/N found herself squinting from the rays of light filtering in.

“Huh,” she mumbled. “The sun’s out. The sun’s out— Katara!”

Y/N turned to find the prince free from the ice, and the pair barely had time to draw water from the pond to shield themselves from the impending flames. But it was too little too late, and the power of the blast sent them back several feet. They slammed into either side of the gate, the force of it immediately knocking Katara out.

Y/N gasped in pain as she tried to push herself up, but the fight combined with the impact of her landing had taken a toll on her and she collapsed once more against the gate. When the smoke from the fire cleared, Zuko was there with Aang’s collar in his grasp.

“You rise with the moon,” he muttered, his face tinged with the slightest bit of guilt as he met her eyes. “I rise with the sun.”

The last thing she saw before her consciousness faded out was the boy she loved escaping with the Avatar.

-

why did i make yue and y/n like this when i KNOW what i have to write next omg i hate myself

perm tag list: @dv0412 @siriuslyslyslytherin @maruchan77

ehfar: @chandies-sideblog @persica27 @anzanity @randomthingssss @escapingthoughtsandsecrets @shanksfav @shephard17895 @ilovespideyyy

atla: @marianne1806

#zuko x reader #zuko x you #zuko x y/n #zuko x reader fic #zuko #zuko fic #avatar #atla #avatar the last airbender #atla fic #avatar fic #avatar the last airbender fic #avatar x reader #sadie writes #ehfar #i already had this chapter half written so thats why its out so soon lmao #SOMEONE doesnt know how to hold their chapters and wants to release them as soon as she finishes them #its me. im someone

[narutakijune]

About ATLA Relationship Arcs

So, this is me, finally trying to write some meta after lurking in my little tumblr corner for months! Hi!

Although I’ve tried to tag properly, if you are a Kat*anger and just want to enjoy your favourite couple in peace, this might not be the post for you. I am not trying to bash characters but I do have a lot of critical stuff to say about the writing.

Anyway, you have been warned and here is my story about my personal first Atla experience: I watched the show this year for the first time, and after the end of Book 1 I decided to look up spoilers, because after what happened to Yue, I wanted to make sure that Zuko and Iroh would be ok. So I knew what was going to happen: Kat*ang endgame and absolutely no Zutara at all. Still, by the end of Book 3, I was convinced that I had read wrong - that there would be an epilogue with a different ending or at least that Aang would only get together with Katara post-show- in that Korra series or something - because anything else wouldn’t make sense- right?

….

After I got over my shock and surprise, I went online and found out about that decade-long aggressive passionate ship war and how even the showrunners got involved.

And then I really worried that I might have missed a few points. Apparently ”Aang and Katara were the DNA of the show”, according to the creators themselves, and “Zutara could never have happened”.

Another popular anti-ZK argument I found was: Why do you always go on about Katara and Zuko? Just look at Zuko and Aang! They are the hero/ anti-hero and each other’s foils, their relationship is much more meaningful!”

So I tried to find out what it was that I apparently couldn’t see.

(Another disclaimer: I love analysing stories (like many Zutarians apparently) and this will get long and rambly. If you get bored to tears when people start talking about “narrative structure” you will probably not like this.)

Talking about narrative structure, I do believe that, in order to let your story, your characters and their relationships really shine, a good basic structure is important. There should be a recognizable development and individual parts of the story that build upon each other and lead to consequences and change, until there is a completed arc - because it is all about the journey that takes you to a satisfying ending, right? So that’s what I tried to do, with my personal Kat*ang vs. Zutara take, I tried to look at the structure and development of their relationship arcs.

The argument that threw me off track for a while is that compared to Aang and Zuko, Zuko and Katara’s relationship is not supposed to be that relevant for the plot. After all, Zuko is the foil, the anti-hero, the deuteragonist to Aang, who is the hero protagonist.

This is all true of course. But then why is it that in every finale, Zuko’s main opponent (and later ally) is not Aang but Katara? Why is it that their sun/moon, red/blue, fire/water dichotomy is so obviously highlighted?

I think one reason why Zuko and Katara are paired off so frequently in the story - as opposite elements, as opponents and as allies - is that they BOTH are Aang’s deuteragonists. While Zuko also acts as antagonist and Aang’s foil/mirror, Katara takes over the more traditional deuteragonist role of confidant / best friend/ narrator.

Protagonist Aang is what connects them, although they are on opposite sides: Both need Aang because he represents their hope to save their world. Very simply put, Katara protects him, so he can make the world a safer place again, and Zuko wants to capture him, so he can go home and be safe again. That rivalry between them is already established in the first episode, even before they meet each other: Katara, who hopes that the Avatar will return (as she tells everyone in the intro), and Zuko, who seems to be obsessed with finding him for more sinister reasons.

And just to make sure, I am not talking here about the characters’ feelings and emotions! This is just about the abstract roles they have been assigned within the narrative.

When regarding Zutara’s special connection to Aang and their rivalry with each other, it makes absolute sense to stress their “same but different”ness as well, visually and metaphorically: Red and blue, fire and water, sun and moon, arguably Painted Lady/Blue Spirit, and, when you put into account their story arc, also Oma and Shu.

With this basis, which puts them together and sets them apart simultaneously, their relationship already becomes very dynamic and interesting, even before you consider any romantic potential.

And here’s another thing, Zuko and Katara also have their own story arc within the main plot. Although they don’t have many scenes together before Zuko joins the Gaang, when they do meet there is always a new shift in their relationship and in quite a few cases their interactions are important for the main plot as well. If you just look at their “end fights” at each book’s finale, there is an obvious and consequential build-up, like any decent story arc should have:

Book 1 starts with Zuko as the powered-up enemy and Katara as the weak newbie waterbender. Both are battling over Aang. At the end of Book 1, they are finally established as equally powerful fighters but still fundamentally different (You rise with the moon, I rise with the sun!)

In CoD at the end of Book 2 happens the next step: they realize that they are not different at all! But Aang still doesn’t represent the same for them and they end up on opposing sides of the war again.

In the Book 3 finale, when Zuko has completed his own (anti-) hero's journey and Aang represents the same “hope” for both of them, they do not only join forces: Their “same but different”- traits make them such a uniquely suited match that they are even able to save each other’s lives during their fight with Azula (who in turn happens to be Katara and Zuko’s antagonist/mirror/foil).

And in addition to their own story arc they even get an individual recurring theme, which also appears in every book whenever their relationship status changes: The lost mothers, especially Katara’s mother.

In Book 1, Katara’s necklace (the symbol of Kiya) plays not only a major part in two of Zuko’s capture attempts, it is the reason for their very first one-one one encounter in the story.

Their first friendly connection in COD in Book 2 happens because they start talking about their mothers. And in Book 3, their final reconciliation (sealed with a very cathartic hug) happens after their life-changing trip which is, of course, all about Katara’s mother.

Again, I am not even trying to analyse their characters and motivations within the story - there are many metas that have already done that much better, more detailed and with screenshots. This is just dry structure and tropes and themes. But I think people recognize and connect with a well-structured arc, even subconsciously, which is one of the reasons that makes Zutara such a compelling couple. They complete and contrast each other, their relationship dynamic constantly changes, builds up, falls apart, reconnects. Such a setup is the perfect playground for a lot of creative takes on what-ifs and alternative scenarios and of course, shipping them romantically is extremely tempting - think of all the possibilities! It’s no wonder that the Zutara fandom is still so active decades after the end of the show. And it’s also no wonder that the Zutarians are known for “over-analysing everything”. You can only over-analyse if there is anything that gives you enough food to analyse to begin with. Which brings me to

KAT*ANG

I just go right to the top and take the quote from Br*yke themselves:

Kata*ng was in the DNA of the thing from the start…. [Zutara] was just dark and intriguing.

If you read this quote and then start watching the show, I would (grudgingly) agree that:

Aang and Katara understand and complement each other really well. Aang gives her the chance to have fun and go on adventures and in turn, Katara is his fiercest supporter from the very beginning, something that he really needs after he lost all his people AND has to find out that the world thinks the war is sort of his fault. In turn, the journey to the North Pole is as important to Katara as it is to Aang, because it is her dream to learn waterbending properly. That’s what she literally says when Sokka & Co try to banish Aang: (Sokka: Where do you think you’re going? Katara: To find a waterbender. Aang is taking me to the North Pole.) In that way, they are friends who give and take equally and are equally taken care of. They even have the last Airbender/ last Southern Waterbender status that connects them. The few times they have a fight, Aang does something in the end to redeem himself (perform some heroic feat) and Katara sees that she is right to believe in him.

Aang has this very sweet crush on her and it will be very sweet and wholesome when Katara will return his feelings at the end of their adventure after he has hit puberty. On the other side, there is also some heavy shipbaiting with Zuko: I save you from the pirates. The betrothal necklace. June and her excellent shipping taste. But in the end they are enemies, they barely know each other and, come on, it would be too dark and intriguing! There is no real threat against friends to lovers Kat*ang, the soft heart of the story. It’s very straightforward and there are a lot of simple “the hero saves the day” scenes for Aang but that’s fine! It’s not really my kind of ship but that’s not the point, it works for the story they want to tell.

End of Book 1.

In my - probably harsh- opinion, everything you really need to know about the Kat*ang relationship has been told by this point. If you want to be really mean, already by Book 1, episode 3.

That explains maybe why many (not all! but many) pro-KA arguments sound as if their shippers have not watched Book 2 and 3 at all. The Book 1 synopsis also perfectly sums up Bry*ke’s quote above. But then Book 2 and 3 are still there and I don’t know what happened but it seems as if they somehow decided that the Kat*ang story does not need any new and lasting input. Maybe because they were afraid that too much new development and change would stray too far away from their original Kat*ang vision. But there are still 2 more books and more adventures and Kat*ang somehow has to be kept apart until the finale.

So the tension in their potential romance is based largely on the question whether or not Katara will return Aang’s feelings. In general I don’t have a problem with that will-she-won’t she-technique. It works well in books where the love interest is not a POV or in shows/ movies where the love interest is not one of the main characters. But Katara is not only the female lead but also arguably the narrative voice of the whole story! As a result, this kind of writing makes Katara look as if she doesn’t have any agency in their relationship, which is not surprisingly a very popular anti-KA criticism.

Additionally, since her dream - learning waterbending - has been fulfilled by the end of Book 1, the relationship work becomes a bit one-sided. Of course Aang is the hero and his journey is the heart of the story. But in order to highlight their special connection it would have helped to give Katara another personal agenda, which Aang could have supported in some way. She is still the last Southern Waterbender and he the Last Airbender but this is not really explored in the Kat*ang relationship. And her other personal agenda, her mother, is already reserved for the Zutara arc.

Instead, in Book 2 and 3 the Kat*ang story is somehow all over the place. Of course there is new conflict and a few romantic scenes as well. But obstacles are either introduced too late or just dropped when not needed anymore, conflict is not resolved and their flirty, romantic moments never lead anywhere- and if they do, they lead to more conflict that is not resolved (yes, I am looking at you, EIP Kiss!).

Take for example Katara’s very sudden argument that they cannot be together now because there is a war going on. We hear her saying that for the first time in the very last episode (EIP) before the 4-part finale. That is too late to have any impact! That she has these kinds of thoughts was never even alluded to before. Not once.

Or the pattern Aang runs away/ is flaky - Katara is upset - Aang comes back and does his hero thing - Katara is relieved. In regards to their relationship arc, nothing changes here between Book 1 and the finale, only the stakes for Aang’s heroic performances get higher.

Or Katara being the one who is able to calm Aang down when he cannot control the Avatar state (which, in my personal opinion, is neither romantic nor healthy). This is also connected to the problem with the seventh Chakra, that Aang needs to let go of his attachment for her. I will be angry forever with how they wasted this for a possible relationship development! That Aang has to decide to either do his duty or save his forever girl (because let’s be fair, he did try to let go and only ran when he had the vision of Katara in danger) - that’s a fantastic setup!

But no, it doesn’t have any real consequences for Kat*ang at all. Instead there were only half-baked attempts – Aang does lie about his failed practice with Guru Pathik but the ultimate reason why his chakra is blocked is Azula, not his decision to run. Aang does try to let go of Katara for a little bit but then Azula shoots him. Nothing in Book 3 shows any change in his feelings that could have been a result of his instant let-it-go. If anything, he gets weirdly obsessive - which could have been used as a side effect of his blocked chakra but – again, no, nothing happens.

I suspect the whole thing was just introduced to create temporary drama for poor Aang, but it is never explained why Katara holds him back, what aspect of the attachment is blocking him or what would happen if he did let her go. Maybe they tried to make a statement about how love is more important than Avatar rules – which would have been fine but it’s also never properly explored. Instead, as soon as that plot point becomes inconvenient it’s simply dropped like a random rock™.

Compare all that to the Zutara arc, where both characters’ feelings about each other are always very much in the open, and where every interaction causes lasting effects in their relationship. Yes, it is unfair to compare that to Kat*ang, because up to the end of Book 3, Zuko and Katara almost never meet, while Aang and Katara spend almost every episode together – of course they cannot do meaningful things all the time. But on the other side, with Kat*ang, there would have been a great chance to show a subtle, gradual build-up instead.

It also doesn’t help that the Zutara arc seems hellbent on sabotaging every romantic moment Aang is allowed to enjoy:

There is Kat*angs first maybe-kiss in the dark before the background of the Oma and Shu legend. But it does not lead anywhere. Instead, Zuko and Katara almost reenact the legend itself in the Book 2 finale as two real enemies to almost-friends, including a glowy rocks-backdrop and the right costume colours, just so nobody misses the message.

In Footloose The Headband, Aang and Katara have a really sweet dance together, and everybody can see how they almost intuitively know each other's moves. This could be a great hint on how well they will fight together in the finale. But is it plot-relevant? No, because the final tag team is Katara and Zuko! While Aang gets paired off with random rock™.

Then there is Aang’s riding off to battle- kiss in DotBS, which Katara is not even allowed to enjoy, because keeping her feelings vague is apparently more important than character development at this point. It is the only romantic moment that gets mentioned again, but in a way that sinks the former cute and wholesome ship into the deep ocean, and the reason is - Aang is jealous of Zuko!

If all of this was only done for the sake of shipbaiting, then it really went out of control at some point.

In the end, the showrunners still had their reasons to choose Kat*ang, maybe because that corresponded more to their own vision, and there are still enough people out there who agree with them. Which is absolutely fine! In the end, what matters most is how you personally connect to the characters and nobody needs to defend their personal taste. But the typical anti-ZK claim, that all the Zutarians with their crazy analysis and rambling meta essays are reaching and delusional and that they desperately try to construct something that isn’t there, is not only a very lazy argument but simply not true.

And I’d claim that in spite of the canon choice, Zutara is technically the better written relationship. By far.

#zutara #antikataang #anti kataang #anti-kataang #atla critical #atla writing critical #long post #atla meta

[goggles-mcgee]

Too Late: Master Fu (commission for miner249er)

Chapter 7 of the commission for @miner249er

Previous Work

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Summary: Living for so long, it's hard not to just hide in a pattern and want to live in the past, even if the best thing is moving forward.

Wang Fu was no stranger to failure and mistakes, and though he liked to believe he had grown past those failures and mistakes, that he had learned and healed past them, now was not one such moment. He wasn’t a man of technology but he did own a television, not at first, but when Adrien and...and Marinette started out as Ladybug and Chat Noir he thought it would benefit him greatly to have an eye out for them. The best way he could do so in his age was the news, he would know about an akuma before his young heroes got to the scene so he would be prepared just in case Marinette would need to come over and borrow a Miraculous. Watching the fights filled him with dread but he would do it because it was one of the only ways he felt he could be useful to Marinette and Adrien, he couldn’t transform anymore, well he could, just not for long. Not long enough to be any real help. Maybe that’s why he ignored the signs.

The signs that screamed at him that something was wrong with Marinette, with her and Chat Noir’s dynamic, that something was desperately eating at her. They say ignorance is bliss, but Fu wasn’t so sure about that, it could be, maybe, in the moment when one is ignorant, but when reality comes crashing down you would have wished you had not been so blind. That is where Fu had found himself lately, trapped in that thinking time and time again. The news reports about Marinette had not helped that in the least, and they way the spoke about her enraged and saddened him all at once and though he was thankful that Hawkmoth was no longer a threat so he was able to be mad and sad, he could not find delight in the villain’s “disappearance” since it cost him the closest thing to family he had.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Fu had never thought he would get so attached to someone, he had never done so before, so it surprised him how easily Marinette squeezed herself into his heart. He hadn’t even had to think about who he would pass down the title and responsibility of Guardian to as soon as he got to know her. Even picking her as a hero had been easy, her soul was pure and it sang with creativity and love. When they got to interact with each other more, Fu began to care for her more and more as the days passed, he fully expected her to only visit for Guardian related things but to his delight and surprise, Marinette paid him many visits. From coming simply to see how he was doing, to bringing him some of her family’s pastries, each visit was a treasured moment for Fu.

Her kindness knew no bounds. If she knew he was having a bad day, pains and aches wise, she would bring him some tiger balm that her mom had bought. He had expressed his concern that her mother would notice and get mad with Marinette but Marinette had only laughed and told him that her mother has so many containers of tiger balm around the house and she always buys new ones even though she has, in Marinette’s words, ‘literally a million others.’ That memory brought a smile to his face and a pang to his heart nowadays. He remembered fondly how Marinette would come over and ask for Mandarin lessons since she only spoke Yue and she wanted to surprise her mother’s uncle next time he visited. Fu had been all too happy to assist her. He loved getting to pass on his knowledge and Marinette had been a great student. He even got to teach her how to brew tea.

For all her kindness, she never let it blind her, she let it lead her. She saw the good in people and strived to be the good they could strive to be as well. Wang Fu had admired her kindness and tried his best to live up to that level, where Marinette’s kindness was a strength, Fu’s became a weakness. His kindness blinded him. That was the only conclusion he could solidly come to after everything had changed. Before Marinette was...was akumatized. How else could he have missed the way that Ladybug, that Marinette, had looked during each battle on TV when Chat Noir would joke around...no when he would flirt and distract her from the fight. How stressed she seemed to get after each battle, after each patrol, how she would subtly try to bring up Chat Noir during their visits. Fu had thought nothing of it, or maybe he really did notice and had just willfully ignored everything.

Adrien Agreste was much like Wang Fu. Maybe that’s why he also turned a blind eye towards everything or why he didn’t notice other things. Adrien was a boy trapped by a role he never wanted, or a role he tricked himself into wanting and, or liking, much like Fu had done when he was taken from his family and taken to the Temple of the Order of the Guardians to train as a Guardian. Leaving his family had torn Wang Fu apart, he could have no trace of them in the Temple, not even his name, that too had been stripped from him along with any personal belongings. Truth be told he had forgotten his original name, time and the Order did that and it caused him so much sorrow. He remembered trying to write his old name anywhere he could get away with as a way to remember. He was always caught. So he stopped fighting and fully embraced being Wang Fu, Guardian of a Miracle Box, though at the time he never would have imagined being the Guardian of the most important Miracle Box in the Temple.

So it was easy for Fu to sympathize with Adrien, to him, Adrien joking and flirting around as Chat Noir was in a way the same as Fu trying to write his given name. Adrien just wanted to be free and Fu could understand that all too well. To live under strict rules that made you feel like you were doing anything but living, it was suffocating. So he had been soft on the boy, and that was another mistake for Wang Fu to add to his list, but he would put it up with causing the destruction of the Order of the Guardians and not fighting when he had to “leave” his family. Only because it seemed to be the catalyst to the whole butterfly effect that set everything that had happened into motion. Maybe if he had just spoken with Adrien, had been firm with him, maybe Adrien would have strived to become better rather than just be content with the freedom he had and not thinking of the consequences.

He should have strived to be better, a better man, a better hero, a better Guardian. For as much as Fu spoke and thought and remembered his hatred of the Order and their rules he didn’t try to improve upon them when he fled. No instead he followed those rules that had shackled him and kept him prisoner for as long and as brief as they had. Maybe if he had not lived in fear and guilt maybe he would have been strong enough to tell Adrien he was being unreasonable and maybe he would have told Marinette that she needed to take breaks more often and to just focus on one thing at a time. The kwami also had a lot to learn and that was on him for not teaching them and communicating with them. He should have made it clear that teenagers, no, that people in general, have changed. You can’t be too laid back, sometimes your holder will need guidance. Don’t be too positive and try to enforce that positivity on someone, positivity can become toxic and telling someone they always have to be happy or they always have to be the bigger person is not helping as much as you think it was.

Tikki, Plagg, and him had had a very long discussion at his house about that and about their mistakes in general. Both kwami were displeased with Fu and how he handled everything and honestly he didn’t blame them, but he could tell they took his words to heart as well. Plagg...Plagg hadn’t been eating as much since he was back in Fu’s possession, ever since he was taken from Adrien, and Tikki...Tikki hadn’t spoken a word after their talk. All she did was watch the TV and all the news channels, anything that was about Marinette she would watch, and undoubtedly she would get angry or sad and all the plants in Fu’s house would grow exponentially. All the other kwami tried to comfort her and get her to talk or even just rest inside the Miracle Box for a bit, even Plagg had tried, but the kwami of Creation did not budge. Now Fu could say he understood but that would be a lie, although he and Wayyz were compatible and they enjoyed each other's company, the two of them were not a true match. Tikki and Marinette on the other hand...those two were a true match, two souls connected and bonded, and for a kwami to lose one was said to be unbearable.

In Tikki and Plagg’s silence and sudden mood change, Sass and Longg had been more talkative and desperate than he had ever witnessed before. The snake and dragon kwami had explained to him exactly what their holders had been doing and had done their best to apologize to Tikki, but she had yet to acknowledge their efforts. They were similar to Plagg, their holder may not be a perfect match with them but they were close, so close, so to lose them was painful to them too. They had desperately tried to convince him to give them back to their respective holder, and again they had pleaded with him to do so today as he took a walk to get some air. He had brought them with him so that Tikki and Plagg could get some peace and quiet back at his house, and plus he felt like the two elder kwami needed the time alone. Fu just hoped they could help each other since he and the other kwami were struggling to do so.

“Masster, I undersstand your hessitancce, but I will assk once again, give Luka and Misss Kagami another chanccce. Their heartss were in the right placce.” Sass stated once more, though this time he was hiding himself in Fu’s shoulder bag as he went on his aimless walk.

“Sass is right, Master. I will admit, our holders were hasty in their quest for justice, but in the end their actions were done out of love and loyalty and a wish to help.” Long added.

“I understand that. Know that I do you two, but also acknowledge the fact that Hawkmoth is gone. The reason for the heroes is gone. What reason is there for you to be given back to those children?” Fu replied not unkindly, just with the facts that had been staring at him day after day.

“Masster...you don’t believe that. Yess, true as it may be that Hawkmoth iss gone, we never know when danger comess. Besidess, we don’t know where Miss Marinette iss...I know you want to find her, and Luka and Kagami want to find her too. They can help and they know how to use Longg and I’ss Miraculouss.” Sass replied after a while, and though Fu was reluctant to admit it, the kwami had a point.

“We don’t even know where to begin to look...but you do raise some good points Sass.” Fu muttered, he was grateful for today’s technology as it looked as though he was merely speaking into a Bluetooth speaker, a gift from Marinette, one of many. She had explained it was a good way to speak to the kwami without anyone getting suspicious. Truly the girl was a creative soul, and very smart.

“And, if I may say so Master, this world is not the one of old. The rules made for then do not apply to now, at least that is what myself, Sass, and other kwami believe. The traditional rules demanded our power not be used unless there are other Miraculi active or if the world we inhabit is well and truly on its way to destruction.” Long began after a moment of silence. “Even the word hero has changed, it became a role we never anticipated. I think it is time we change the rules and our views, otherwise, we stand no chance in this new world Wang Fu.”

Fu found himself short of words. Long was right, in all the years he had been alive he had watched the world change, it was a beautiful frightening thing to behold. Yet, in all those years of change, he never thought to change himself along with the world. He had been so stuck in guilt and fear that he mentally trapped himself in a prison of his own design, a prison shaped like a temple that had been lost long ago. There was no excuse really, the truth was plain and simple, Fu was scared. Scared that if he broke the rules that were trained into him from a young age then there would be no redemption, there would be no point in his survival. But the world had changed and maybe Fu did too and could change for the better, because even if the threats to the world weren’t imminent, they were persistent and prominent.

Change was good.

“You believe this change we need is to stay active?” He asked after a while.

“I believe that is a step, yes.” Longg responded and Fu could hear the smile in his voice. “This world needs help and we...we need help too.”

“Longg iss right. You were correct in giving all of uss involved a talking to. At the time we didn’t want to lissten, but the factss are we kwami no longer know how to connect and coexisst in this world with humanss.” Sass admitted, and it was another shock for Fu but at the same time, what they were saying was convincing and true. All of them, not just the kwami, Fu included, had been sheltered away from the world. It was not the advantage Fu or even past Guardians thought it was.

The sounds of children’s laughter brought Fu out of whatever reply he found worthy to give Sass and Longg, he kind of wished Wayzz would give his opinion on the matter but he understood why the kwami was letting his brethren speak their mind. Fu looked around to see where his walk had taken him and felt a pang in his heart and his breath stolen from him for a moment, he had walked to the park next to Marinette’s home. For a while all he did was stand there and take it in before he gave himself a wry smile and decided to take a seat on one of the benches near the fountains. It was a spot Marinette had told him was one of her favorites to sketch at. Sitting there brought fresh tears to his eyes, tears he thought were all cried out.

“I think you two are right, but we will not rush into this. We need to be smart about this.”

“I believe that is the wise thing to do, Master.” Wayzz finally gave his opinion along with a small discrete nuzzle to Fu’s cheek.

“As do I, my friend. As do I.” He chuckled in response.

After that the kwami let him sit there in silence and just reflect and remember. Truly he was grateful for that. He needed some quiet to himself, not the quiet of his home, that was a tense quiet that put an ache in his bones. No he needed this quiet, the quiet of being alone in your thoughts while hearing the noise of everything around you. Sass and Longg both had great points and though he loathed to admit it, if something did happen he wasn’t sure he would be able to do anything or at the very least get help. Fu didn’t like to think about his age much, he didn’t even celebrate his birthday before Marinette, because his age showed how long he had run from his guilt and it showed him his limitations. It would be best to have a team on standby just in case, and besides maybe they could help with just regular crime and disasters too. Yes a team really would benefit them all, but the who of it was where he was struggling.

He already decided he would not give out Tikki and Plagg...they weren’t ready to be out again and he couldn’t imagine giving the earrings to anyone but Marinette. He feared what Tikki’s reaction would be if he even considered the idea. No, it was best that those Miraculi stayed in the box, along with Duusuu who was still healing from being damaged and misused. He would consider Mlle Tsuguri and M Couffaine again as heroes, after all he was intimately familiar with making a mistake, and they made a mistake but they were trying to do the right thing. They were also Marinette’s most trusted friends, she trusted them with her secrets and her friendship, that was enough for Fu. Though he would still test them to see if they could handle being heroes once more. Adrien...Adrien he didn’t know what to do with. With everything that happened he had no way of knowing if their talks did anything. He hoped beyond hope they did because he truly believed that Adrien was a good kid at heart.

“Look who’s here guys! Timebreaker! What are you doing here? You going to bully us until we disappear too?” Fu heard and he immediately looked up to see a young girl with pink hair surrounded by a couple of other kids her age. He recognized her...ah yes, Alix Kubdel, Marinette had spoken of her a couple times when she told him of her friends and school.

“Careful guys, I wouldn’t touch her, what if we vanish if we do?” One of the girls in the group said with anything but fear in her voice.

Fu frowned and pushed himself up to stand, he couldn’t stand the way the group laughed and seeing as no one else was going to interrupt, he would. “What is this? École?” He paused and saw a girl with long blonde pigtails and a parasol and another with a bob of black hair. He recognized them too, the weather girls from TV that Kaalki liked to watch, Aurore Beauréal and Mireille Caquet.

“Oh back off Aurore.” One of the boys of the group of teasing teens scoffed.

“How about you back off Jackson,” Mireille said which seemed to surprise the lot, “You’ve seen what words can do. We all have.”

“Mireille is right.” Aurore announced, her voice demanding attention. “We are lucky that Hawkmoth is gone, but that does not mean you get to treat people like place mats. Any of you. Just because your victims can’t turn into puppets of a madman to get revenge on you anymore doesn’t give you the right to act like crétins. Shame on all of you.”

“If you insist on acting like children in école, maybe we should just call your parents and let them know how you are behaving. I’m sure they would love to know.” Mireille said with an innocent looking smile.

Fu smiled when the group grumbled and walked away from Mlle Kubdel, he watched as the two weather girls looked her over and spoke to her before the young girl shouldered past them both and ran. The girls looked devastated but all Fu could think of was how heroic it was for them to step up like that. “Heroic indeed…” He mumbled to himself.

#miraculous ladybug #miraculous tales of ladybug and chat noir #marinette dupain cheng #master fu #adrien agreste #alix kubdel #aurore beauréal #mireille caquet #ml class salt #slight adrien salt #slight tikki salt #literally just like a pinch of salt for this chapter #revolt of the akuma #rota #angst #ml tikki #ml plagg #ml sass #ml longg #ml wayzz #angsty feels #ml salt fic

[comradekatara]

omg do you have any ideas for the gaang + room decor (in a modern au ?? perhaps ??)

ok so aang wouldn’t really have that many material possessions, especially nothing flashy (though he probably has some art and assorted knickknacks) but his spaces would always have really warm vibes. like i picture his childhood bedroom walls being painted a kind of friendly, mustard yellow, and there being candles and blankets and pillows everywhere like when you’re in aang’s abode you just feel welcome and cozy and at peace

and then coupled with katara’s vibes, when they move in together as adults, it’s just extra warm and lovely and the walls are painted a light beige and there’s lots of indigenous art on the walls and seashells they’ve collected over the years on the mantle and on the coffee table and they’re both obsessed with candles which sokka claims is a fire hazard

katara’s childhood bedroom is entirely blue and purple because those are her favorite colors and she refuses to display anything in her rooms that does not match her particular colorscheme. she has lots of posters hanging on her walls, like she has a karl marx quote next to a picture of some boyband she’s obsessed with next to a poster of sea turtles she got at a climate change rally. also she would have one of those cutesy little landlines that is also purple and she twirls the cord around her finger while telling aang about her day, even though he was with her the whole time they still call each other every night just so she can twirl her phone cord around her finger

sokka’s room is extremely clean, like freakishly so, except for his desk which is an absolute fucking mess. he wouldn’t even know how to begin organizing it so he never bothers. half his closet space is dedicated to katara’s clothes (even tho she has her own closet) which he’s fine with because he only wears like three shirts, or just wears suki’s clothes anyway. he has a bunch of posters with science puns, and a periodic table poster, and a poster of uranus which is his favorite planet (everyone thinks it’s his favorite planet because he thinks the name is funny but it’s because he thinks it’s cool that it has a 98 degree axial tilt! she’s so unique.... so mysterious...) and also he has a really fluffy bright blue rug in the middle of his room that yue always insisted on lying down on even though the bed would have been objectively more comfortable. she liked sitting on the floor and getting lint all over her white sweaters, which her mother couldn’t stand. sokka gives the rug to katara after she dies because it reminds him too much of her looks kind of childish. katara had been eyeing that rug all her life (it’s fluffy and blue??? sign her tf up!!) so it actually worked out pretty well... all things considered. 

the only things toph wants in her room is things that her friends have given her that remind her of them. otherwise she hates material possessions of any kind (reminds her too much of her evil bougie family) and thinks furniture should exist to be comfortable, and that’s it. if she couldn’t fit everything she owned into a small backpack, then she wouldn’t be toph. 

zuko keeps everything because he gets sentimental over literally any object. no azula you can’t throw out that old leaf!!!!! he found that leaf in the park and it had a little caterpillar bite taken out of the side and don’t you see that leaf symbolizes him???? if he threw out that leaf it would be like parting with a piece of his soul!!!!! sokka’s like “oh so you’re a hoarder” which makes zuko even angrier because how is HOARDING if every object MEANS something even marie kondo would claim that if it sparks joy then it must be kept!!! and sokka’s like “....this empty sprite can sparks joy??” and zuko, deadpan, is just like. “IMMENSE joy.” katara hung out in his room one time and the clutter was so stressful for her that she just invited him back to her house every single time after that day. at one point mai just straight up says to zuko “maybe your weird little trash collection isn’t the problem, you just like feeling like you have some semblance of control over yourself and your life” and zuko immediately bristled at such a ridiculous, unfounded accusation and then refused to speak to her for three days, yknow, for no particular reason. 

no one knows where suki lives (though the most popular theory is that she was actually raised by wolves) so no one, including sokka, has actually seen the inside of her bedroom. they’ve seen the inside of her pickup truck, though, which is basically the same thing. it’s filled with empty chip packets and loose joints and underwear that is not hers and sports gear that is mostly hers. it smells distinctly of girl sweat, and the same playlist of indie rock angry sad girl bangers is always on in the background. she knows the words to every single song that comes on when in her car, and she isn’t afraid to sing along to them, which most people find endearing, but katara absolutely cannot stand. she enjoys driving with no destination in particular in mind, and she and sokka like going to secluded areas and lying in the back of her truck and getting high and stargazing, an activity which might resemble a date to the untrained eye, but is in fact, totally not a date, because that would mean they’re dating and they’re definitely not, okay??? 

azula, naturally, is all about the minimalist rich bitch aesthetic. her apartment as an adult is so cold and uninviting sleek and modern that people are amazed that she’s not depressed just living there (and honestly. isn’t she?). there just is so much empty space and modernist architecture, not even a single carpet or piece of art on the walls. normally people who are into modernism would at least have some modern art, or something, but azula doesn’t actually understand modern art because it’s too abstract and mystical, and all art, really, is some froufrou nonsense for people like zuzu who gaze into wells all day instead of knowing how to get ahead and make bank. most of her bookshelf is just books that look good on a bookshelf, her old law textbooks, the art of war, and of course, ayn rand. lots and lots of ayn rand. 

ty lee shares a living space with so many other girls that attempting to carve out her own distinct space for herself would be a fruitless endeavor. instead she makes a bunch of interior decor dreamboards for herself that comprise an inexplicable mix of gothic cathedrals, iconic 80s/90s teen girl bedrooms, cottagecore, and french rococo. yes, she knows it’s not aesthetically cohesive; sue her. 

mai really really hates her parents’ style of mcmansion with just enough diluted japanese influences that it somehow makes them seem more assimilated. she wishes her room had yellow wallpaper just so she could peel it. as an adult, she makes sure to hang art she actually likes on her walls, but her taste in art is strange and offputting to pretty much everyone. she’s like grunkle stan in that one scene. whatever. everyone is a bunch of filthy aesthetes; they can’t handle the real shit that actually says something. also she has a giant terrarium for her lizards that takes up like a quarter of her living room. what i’m basically saying is that she is the coolest girl in the world and also fundamentally undateable. 

when mai and ty lee ultimately move in together all of their stylistic interests clash with one another but they don’t care because their home is just filled with things they like, so it doesn’t matter. ty lee thinks that mai’s offputting art is amusing (mai’s like no it’s supposed to be DEEP but ty lee has a really twisted sense of humor so it’s just funny, the same way that horror movies are funny) and mai likes how eclectic ty lee’s tastes are. anyone who walks into their home only need to look around for 3 seconds maximum to be like “ah yes........... lesbians live here” 

#the gaang and #modern au #i got rly into this one lmao #i love these kinds of asks #just rly fun #asks #mrsmiroir

[sunleaffe]

Lanterns

Xiaolumi (Xiao x Lumine)

A/N: this is like the first fic ive ever written OTL so forgive me if im just garbage at formatting. idk the rules of fics so im just throwing it out like this ahaha

He sat there, alone, feeling the light breeze carry with it the scent of mortal delicacies and faint traces of laughter. The lanterns that filled the sky before him would have been thought to be a subject of his scrutiny. After all, he had told that naive traveler that they were nothing but trash filling the sky, bound to fall back to the earth and clog the waterways of Li Yue. Still, as he sat there, bent slightly and hugging his knee close to his chest, Xiao revered the sight of the thousands of lanterns floating higher and higher as if to touch the moon. How many ancient legends flowed through his mind in that moment, one could never be certain. The tales of Skybracer and the other adepti, all of whom were being celebrated as the night stretched on. He had a pit in his stomach at the thought of the celebrations never being meant for him, and yet he felt a certain lightness and childlike wonder at the spectacular sight. 

He noticed one lantern begin to float closer, which at first he brushed off as a change in wind direction, but it soon hovered close enough for him to reach out quizzically and bring it down to the grass. Who was releasing a lantern this far outside of the city? Even if Li Yue Harbor was within full view from where Xiao was perched, it was still bizarre for any civilian to trek or climb their way up here to release a lantern. Besides, who would ever wish for him, Conqueror of Demons?

Xiao’s curiosity was too much to contain and he decided to retrieve the piece of paper rolled up inside of the lantern, being careful not to blow out the flickering candle that kept the lantern lit. He removed the plaustrite ore as well, so he could set the lantern down on the grass carefully. 

As he read the handwritten note, Xiao almost scoffed to cover up the burning sensation creeping up on his ears. Whoever had written this clearly had no formal practice in Li Yue calligraphy. The red ink was messy and the strokes were too harsh in some spots. Still, the words etched on the small piece of paper caused Xiao to flush slightly, something he quickly forced down and tossed the paper away with another scoff. 

“Traveler, you really are not slick,” he muttered, looking away, knowing that Lumine was hiding in the bushes behind him. He should have known it was her who sent the lantern up to him. No one else would have been so foolish to scale bare rock like she was. There was a rustling sound followed by Paimon’s telltale giggle as Lumine walked over to where Xiao was sitting. 

“Surprise!” Paimon exclaimed, waving her hands excitedly. 

“Hardly a surprise at all, knowing only two fools out of the whole of Li Yue would be so keen to disturb me,” Xiao muttered. Paimon pouted and turned to Lumine who wordlessly took a seat next to the adeptus. He watched her as she made a gesture at Paimon, which only deepened the floating child’s pout, probably to wave her away, which she did so indignantly. 

When the two were alone, Xiao observed Lumine warily. She tucked her knees close to her chest as if to mimic his position and sighed, her voice light and airy yet weary. 

“I thought you two were going to go to the festivities down in Li Yue,” Xiao said. He could see the reflection of the lanterns in Lumine’s golden eyes. There was a wistful nature in her expression as she watched the lanterns float by. 

“We were,” she admitted. “But even with all the lights and crowded streets, it still felt lonely.” All sarcastic comments that Xiao had been thinking of throwing at the naive traveler suddenly died in his throat. Seeing her sitting there in an almost fetal like position, talking like that...it made him wonder if the two of them weren’t so different after all. 

“You know,” she said quietly. “That was the second lantern I released.”

Second? Xiao watched as she slowly turned to him and smiled sadly at him.

“Watching those lanterns fly away with everyone’s wishes and desires made me feel as if I was the only one whose wish wouldn't be answered,” Lumine said. There was a slight tremor in her voice as she spoke. “I understand what it’s like to feel alone.” Her eyes now grew misty as Xiao realized with a start that there were tears in them.

“I used to have someone very dear to me, just like you.” Her voice was now barely above a whisper. She extended an arm as if to reach for the lanterns as if they were a fleeting sense of salvation. “My brother, who I could always turn to, who was always by my side. We would travel for days or months and never feel alone because we had each other.” She curled her fingers as her lip trembled. “But I can’t seem to find him, no matter how far or near he may be. Sometimes it gets hard to even remember his face.” Her arm fell limply to her side as Xiao saw tears glisten on her cheeks. 

“I know you’ve lost someone as well,” she continued after a moment. “You must have cared about him very much.”

Xiao glanced down at his gloved hand and then to the mask that hung on the belt around his waist. His hand hovered briefly over it before he stopped himself. 

“Yes, I did.” He, like her, could hardly remember what that god looked like now. His kind face, his smile, or the hand he had held out to him all those centuries ago. Rex Lapis had given him a name and a purpose in this life, and now he was gone. The sight of the dragon tumbling from the heavens still caused Xiao’s jaw to clench. How could a spark of divinity ever depart Li Yue? How could he have left Xiao behind after everything he had given him? Xiao looked to Lumine as she sat there, crying silently. In such moments of weakness and vulnerability, he yearned for human touch, to have that sense of reassurance without corrupting them. 

“Lumine,” he said. She looked up at him and he felt a strange sensation travel through his chest at the sight of her sitting there. Disheveled, a mess, drowning in her own sea of tears. And yet, the sight struck him as...tender. 

“You will find your brother. The fates will align one day and you will see his face again,” he said, surprised at how much he meant his words. Never had he been so honest and truthful to another. Never had he cared so much for another’s happiness. Lumine’s smile sent another wave of emotion through Xiao. 

“I didn’t know you had it in you to be so soft,” she teased weakly, sniffling and wiping at her eyes. Xiao scoffed, but this time his tone was light. 

“Even I don’t take kindly to sniveling messes sitting so close to me.” He waved her comment off, but he meant it to match her teasing tone.

Lumine laughed now, the sound sending shivers down Xiao’s spine. “You know, meeting you made me realize something.”

“What?” Xiao was keenly aware of her leaning closer to him. She hesitated before their shoulders could touch. 

“Even if I never find Aether, the least I could do is stay and learn from Teyvat. I could try to make a difference in this world. I could learn to love and cherish those around me,” she said. Xiao looked down at her, at her blonde hair blowing slightly in the breeze and the flowers that were tucked behind her ear. The white ribbons on her outfit seemed to wrap around the two of them and pull them closer. 

“I want you to know that you aren’t alone, Xiao,” Lumine said quietly. Xiao’s ears burned at these words as he quickly looked away, just as she looked up to meet his gaze. “If you ever need someone to turn to, I’m here.”

How odd it was, for someone to repeat Xiao’s own words back to him. If you ever find yourself in need of assistance, speak my name, he had told her when he had shooed her away hours earlier, adamant that he had no care for the Lantern Rite Festival. 

“Well, I return your sentiment,” he managed to muster, feeling Lumine brush up against his arm and go still. Sighing, he finally turned to look back at her, but to his surprise, found her slumped onto him in a peaceful slumber.

Did all of that crying tire her out that easily…? He wondered. He had no idea if Lumine was truly human or not, but as he examined her peaceful expression, he knew his karmic bonds and energy would not harm her in the way they did to mortals. So perhaps, he could indulge in this little moment for a little bit longer.

Xiao found himself smiling softly at the notion and he leaned down to brush her hair out of her face. He placed a soft kiss on her forehead. 

“Sweet dreams, traveler.” 

He reached over to retrieve the slip of paper containing Lumine’s second wish. 

“I wish for the Conqueror of Demons to finally realize he is not alone in this world.”

#xiaolumi #xiao x lumine #xiaolumi fic #genshin impact #xiaolumi fanfic #genshin impact fic #genshin impact fanfic #xiao #lumine

[reinerispretty]

beneath the moon. (sokka x f!reader) pt14

hiii i hope u are having a wonderful day! this is our lovely reader’s tale of ba sing se episode :) + more!

pt1

pt13

pt15

(Y/N) swallowed uncomfortably. He gave her a smirk as she approached. “I see you’re not wearing the necklace,” He said.

“I gave it away,” She said quickly. He blinked at her, obviously surprised. “I found someone who needed it more than I did. Really, thank you for buying me the necklace. I can pay you back but I wasn’t lying when I said I didn’t need it.”

As much as she didn’t act like it, (Y/N) had grown up as a princess. Respect had always been given to her, automatically. And while things changed slightly when she had joined Team Avatar, the reputation of traveling with Aang had surpassed her. Most of the time, when they arrived at new places, they were greeted with welcoming smiles and treated with kindness. But things were different in Ba Sing Se. 

She had been treated like a child before, yes, but she had never felt so undermined and disrespected than when she was within the city’s walls. Their guide, Joo Dee, ignored all of her questions and requests about the city and acted like (Y/N) hadn’t said anything at all. (Y/N) didn’t like a lot of things, and not being taken seriously was one of them. She had left home to be in charge of her own life, after all, and being treated like a little kid when she had probably done more daring things than any of the Dai Lee combined infuriated her. 

And she could not spend one more second cooped up in the house with her friends. Of course, she loved them with all of her heart, but being around Sokka so often irked her incessantly. Every little thing he did, every comment he made, infuriated her. It wasn’t even because she was mad at him! She was mad at herself, for liking him so much, and her anger directed itself toward him. She knew she wasn’t being kind to Sokka, but (Y/N) had realized over the years that she would always be the complete opposite of her sister. If Yue was a gentle snow, (Y/N) was a thunderstorm. 

So she resolved to take the day to herself. As (Y/N) thought about it, she hadn’t really had a moment alone since leaving the Northern Water Tribe, and she was someone who strongly valued her alone time. She called over her shoulder to her friends that she was going out and then she went to the streets of Ba Sing Se. 

Their place was in the Inner Ring, where royalty and aristocrats of the city lived. The only way (Y/N) could describe her scenery was beautiful. Buildings towered over her, intricately and ornately decorate in wooden and gold embellishments. There were still peddlers in the streets, but all of their goods seemed expertly made and wonderfully handcrafted. She slowed her pace as she walked by them, marveling medals and dazzling jewels. 

“Would the beautiful Water Tribe lady like a necklace?” Asked one woman, offering (Y/N) a silver necklace with dangling teardrop sapphires. (Y/N) stared at her, surprised. 

“Oh, no thank you,” (Y/N) said, smiling at the woman. “It’s too nice for me.” As beautiful as it was, (Y/N) knew that it wouldn’t last long during her travels. She had already lost most of her painting supplies and sketches when they were in the desert. She didn’t want to risk losing anything else. 

“Are you sure? I can give you a discount!” The woman was very insistent, but (Y/N) shook her head. 

“I’ll buy it for her.” (Y/N) turned to the source of the voice. At her side stood a boy, probably about her age, with shaggy brown hair and brown eyes. He was lanky and tall, her head just barely coming to his chest. Despite herself, (Y/N’s) face heated up. 

“No, it’s really okay,” She insisted, but the boy was already handing the woman his money. He dropped the necklace into (Y/N’s) hands. 

“Sometimes, pretty girls deserve pretty things,” The boy told her. (Y/N’s) lips tightened into a thin line. 

“I don’t need it,” She said, taking him by the hand and dropping the necklace into it. It looked valuable. (Y/N) bet he could get more than what he paid for it. 

“Come on, you’re Water Tribe! It matches your whole outfit perfectly.” 

“I don’t really care if it matches my outfit,” (Y/N) said, scrunching her nose at him. “Thank you for the offer, but I really don’t need this necklace. I’d just lose it.” 

“Alright, how about you hold on to it for today, and I’ll meet you here later to see if you’ve lost it? If you haven’t, you get a necklace, and if you have, you buy me dinner. Deal?” He shoved the necklace back into her hands and disappeared into the crowd before (Y/N) could protest. She rushed after him, trying to keep up with his quick movements, but she couldn’t. She hadn’t meant to, but somehow she had gotten swept up in the crowds of Ba Sing Se and ended up in the Middle Ring, far from where she had begun her walk. 

Slightly annoyed at herself for not paying attention, she leaned up against a stone building and sat on the ground. She stared at the necklace in her hands. It was beautiful. It looked like something Yue would try to get (Y/N) to wear at one of her birthday banquets. She could almost hear her now: “Come on, (Y/N)! It’ll look so pretty with your eyes.” (Y/N) pocketed it, squeezing at the fabric of her dress until she could feel the outline of the stone. 

(Y/N) had almost decided to head back to her friends when a little boy ran up to her, his eyes wide in panic. His head was shaved and dirt was matted onto his face and clothes. “Are you a waterbender?” He demanded, gesturing to the blue of her dress. (Y/N) furrowed her brows, but nodded in response. “I need your help!” He grabbed her by the hand and tugged her to her feet. (Y/N) stumbled to keep up with his fast little legs. 

“Wait, who are you!” She asked as he brought her through alleyways and underneath make-shift bridges. The kid was leading her to the outskirts of the Middle Ring, where makeshift huts and houses were made from straw and mud. She frowned as they came to a stop. 

“My name’s Li,” The little boy said to her. “When the soldiers came back, they marched through our part of town and got mud and dirt all in our water. We can’t even drink it anymore!” To punctuate his statement, he opened a barrel to show her murky brown water. “You’ve got to help us.” 

(Y/N) didn’t hesitate to act. “I need another container to put the water in once it’s cleaned,” She said. He picked up a large tin pail and dropped it at her feet. 

“Will that work?” He asked. (Y/N) shrugged, rolling her sleeves up to her elbows. 

“I guess we’ll find out.” (Y/N) stretched out her fingers, lifting one arm over the other as she drew the water from the mud. She tried to imagine the dirt particles separating as she placed the water in the metal pail. When she had finished, she looked at the job she had done. The water was so clear that it showed the bottom of the pail clearly. (Y/N) smiled to herself. 

“Thank you Miss Water Tribe!” Li exclaimed. “Can you help my friends with their water too?” (Y/N) nodded. 

“Of course!” 

That was how (Y/N) had spent her day. She had cleaned the water of everyone who brought it to her and then she asked Li to take her to the nearby houses to see if anyone needed more help. Some of the people she saw were parents of young children or the elderly, people who couldn’t manage to carry their water to her. She cleaned their water as quickly as she could and then moved onto the next house. 

By the time she finished her work, (Y/N) was exhausted. She hadn’t realized just how much energy waterbending would take out of her, but she was happy to have helped. Li walked with her back to the wall of the Inner Ring. He knew a spot to get her back in without needing to involve any guards. 

“Thank you for today, Miss Water Tribe,” Li said as they walked. His hands were in the pockets of his tattered pants. (Y/N) shrugged. 

“Thank you for letting me help,” She said. “It’s rude that those Earth Kingdom soldiers ruined your water and didn’t do anything about it.” Li bit the inside of his cheek.

“Don’t tell anyone I told you this, but they’re kind of jerks to the people down here. They think they’re better than us because they live close to the Earth King.” He looked at her, his green eyes curious. “What are you doing in the Inner Ring?” 

“I’m staying with a friend,” She said. She wanted to be honest with him, to tell him about Aang, but a part of her liked that someone didn’t know who she was. That they treated her like a human being and an equal. 

“Oh,” Was all Li said. He stopped at the wall, pulling at the rusty metal grate. It gave way with barely a screech, giving (Y/N) access to go back inside. She crawled through, crouching so that she could see Li’s small frame. 

“I want to give you something,” She reached inside of her pocket and pulled out the necklace. It glimmered in the moonlight and Li’s eyes widened at the sight of it. She placed it in his small hands. “That should take care of you for a little while. I wouldn’t sell the whole thing at once, someone might get suspicious. Take the stones out whenever you need to buy something.” 

Li looked at the necklace and then back to her. He seemed stunned and a little suspicious that she had just pulled a probably very valuable necklace out of her pocket. (Y/N) smiled at him once more. 

“I won’t be here for long,” She said. “Hopefully that helps you for a lot longer than I have.” With that, she left, walking back onto the pristine streets of the Upper Ring of Ba Sing Se. She was exhausted, but the thought of a warm meal, a hot bath, and sleep kept her going. 

The boy she had met earlier that day was waiting for her where she had lost him. (Y/N) swallowed uncomfortably. He gave her a smirk as she approached. “I see you’re not wearing the necklace,” He said. 

“I gave it away,” She said quickly. He blinked at her, obviously surprised. “I found someone who needed it more than I did. Really, thank you for buying me the necklace. I can pay you back but I wasn’t lying when I said I didn’t need it.” 

The boy smiled. “I suppose you owe me dinner then.” (Y/N) shrugged, crossing her arms over her body. 

“You can walk me home. I’m sure my friends have made dinner already. And don’t try to kidnap me or anything because I’m a waterbender and I can slice you in half.” The boy laughed in surprise as they started walking. 

“A waterbender, huh? I met a waterbender a long time ago. Maybe you know her!” 

“There are two tribes of us, I honestly doubt it.” The boy hummed in acknowledgement. 

“Okay, so which tribe are you from?” (Y/N) glanced at the moon that was rising in the horizon. 

“The Northern Water Tribe.” The boy whistled. 

“You’re a long way from home,” He said. “I heard rumors that the Fire Nation attacked them a few months ago. Were you there when that happened?” (Y/N) nodded, not trusting her voice enough to answer. That night hurt to talk about, still. “I’m sorry,” He said, his voice soft. “The Fire Nation attacked my village when I was little. They killed both my parents.” 

(Y/N) glanced at him. “I’m sorry for your loss.” 

“I’m sorry for yours, too.” She looked at him, surprised. “I’ve seen grief enough in the mirror to know what it looks like.” 

“The Fire Nation didn’t kill her directly, I suppose. They killed the Moon Spirit, which had saved my sister’s life when she was a baby. She gave her own life so the Moon Spirit could live on.” 

“I’ve heard about you,” He said as they reached the steps of her house. “You’re the Runaway Princess.” (Y/N) raised an eyebrow at him. 

“I hardly ran away. My parents knew where I was going.” 

“From what I’ve heard, there’s been some challengers to your father’s position as chief. Since he has no more heirs-” Before the boy could finish what he was saying, the front door flew open. Sokka rushed down the steps. 

“(Y/N)! Where have you been all day? I looked around the entire Inner Ring but I couldn’t find you anywhere.” 

“I told everyone I was going out earlier today,” She muttered, holding herself back from snapping. Sokka looked to the boy at her side, his gaze immediately turning harsh. 

“What are you doing with Jet?” Sokka’s voice was laced with venom, his tone harsher than (Y/N) had ever heard before. 

“He walked me home,” was the only explanation (Y/N) offered before she stared at Jet, her lips set in a frown and her expression serious. “Tell me what’s going on in the North.” 

“I’ve heard from a lot of refugees that a civil war is inevitable,” Jet said. “If the Fire Nation figures out that the North is weak, they’ll attack again.” 

(Y/N) had never imagined that she would feel such a twist of pain in her heart at his words. The place she had grown up despising and wanting nothing more to escape was on the brink of disaster. Because of her. 

“Sokka?” Katara asked, stepping out of the doorway of the house, with Toph and Aang trailing closely behind. Katara’s demeanor changed just as quickly as Sokka’s, but the only difference between the two siblings was that Katara was ready to fight. She took the water from the pouch at her hip to form a water whip. 

“Woah!” (Y/N) exclaimed, walking up the steps to stop Katara. Aang grabbed onto her arm. Katara’s waterbending didn’t waver for a second. 

“What do you want, Jet?” She demanded, her voice having the same edge of roughness that Sokka’s had. The two were more similar than (Y/N) had ever noticed. 

“I was walking your friend home,” He said. “I didn’t know she lived with you guys, honestly. She didn’t tell me.” The group of four looked at (Y/N), Sokka and Katara’s expressions riddled with anger. 

“I don’t even know who he is!” She gestured down at Jet. “We met earlier today, in the market.” 

“Is that who you spent your whole day with?” Sokka snapped. (Y/N) whirled on him, her eyes blazing with fury. 

“Not at all,” She said, her voice low and threatening. She didn’t know why his anger had been directed at her, but she wasn’t going to have it. “If you really must know, I spent my day in the Middle Ring, cleaning their water.” 

“I saw her walking home by herself, I just wanted to make sure she got back safe.” Jet looked at Katara earnestly, but the girl scoffed at him.

“How very gentlemanly of you,” She sneered. “I don’t remember you being this kind when you tried to drown a village full of people.” 

“What?” (Y/N) nearly shrieked. “What is going on here that you guys aren’t telling me?” 

“It was before we met you,” Aang said. “Jet tried to drown a village of innocent people just to kill the members of the Fire Nation that were there.” 

“Listen,” Jet said, lifting his hands up defensively. “I know I did some bad things in the past. But I’m a different guy now! I came to Ba Sing Se to start a new life. And now that I’ve found you guys, I have to tell you. I overhead some guys talking about moving an air bison. I’m assuming it’s yours?” 

“You know where Appa is?” Aang’s voice was so full of hope, of promise. Jet nodded. 

“I followed them around and they led me to a barn. I saw Appa inside.” 

“We have to go!” Aang leapt into the air, landing beside Jet. 

“What if it’s a trap?” Katara asked, narrowing her eyes at the tall, lanky boy. 

“That’s a chance I’m willing to take to get Appa back.” Aang stared at his friends. “I’m going, and you can either come with me or stay behind.” And although (Y/N) was exhausted, could feel it weighing down her limbs, she walked down the steps to stand beside Aang. He grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze in thanks. (Y/N) squeezed back. 

Toph walked down to stand beside them and soon a disgruntled Sokka and Katara were following along as Jet led them back into the Middle Ring. (Y/N) slowed her steps so that she could fall in stride with Katara. Her face was turned down into a frown. 

“What happened?” (Y/N) asked. Katara sighed. 

“On our way to the North, we ran into Jet and his group. We thought they were a steal from the rich, give to the poor type of people, until Jet was going to use blasting jelly to destroy the dam and flood a town entirely full of people. If Sokka hadn’t warned everyone, they would’ve all died.” 

“Sokka saved them?” (Y/N’s) eyes went to the boy who walked in front of her, exchanging casual conversation with Toph. His ponytail bounced with each step. 

Katara nodded. “I thought that Jet was a great guy when I first met him. But now, I just don’t trust him.” 

“He told me something, about my tribe.” (Y/N) inhaled a deep breath. “He said that he heard my father is being challenged for his position as chief since he doesn’t have anymore heirs. He said that there might be a civil war in the North soon, and if the Fire Nation finds out about it, they’ll attack again.” 

Katara placed her hand on (Y/N’s) shoulder, squeezing it tightly to provide some sort of comfort. (Y/N) wasn’t one for physical affection. “As soon as we get the Earth King on our side, we can fly back to the North Pole to make sure everything is okay. It’s all rumors; it might not even be true!” (Y/N) nodded and thanked Katara for her advice, but she had a feeling deep in her stomach that what Jet had told her was, in fact, true. 

---

This had been one of the longest days of (Y/N’s) life. They hadn’t found Appa, but had been told that he had been shipped off to Whaletail Island. Just as they were devising their plan to fly there, their group ran into two of Jet’s friends, who claimed that they hadn’t seen him in days. Jet denied this, but the inconsistencies in his story were suspicious enough that they locked themselves in the house Jet was squatting in until they could figure out what was happening. 

As much as (Y/N) wanted to participate in what was happening, she sat in a chair at the edge of the room, her eyes heavy and her stomach rumbling uncontrollably. She hadn’t eaten since she left that morning and after an entire day of waterbending, she felt ravenous. She leaned against the table, her chin in her palm, thinking of all the foods she would eat if they ever went back home. 

Sokka wandered over to her, taking a seat at the chair next to her. The rest of their group intensely discussed their options of what to do with Jet. “Checked out for the night?” (Y/N) tried to nod but her head felt so heavy that she wasn’t sure if it moved or not. 

“I didn’t eat lunch or dinner and I was waterbending all day today.” Sokka looked over his shoulder at the others and then stood, looping (Y/N’s) arm through his. “What are you doing?” She asked, her nose scrunching in distaste but she made no move to stop him. 

“I’m going to take you home and we’re gonna get some food in you and put you to bed. We can’t fight bad guys if you’re falling asleep.” He told the rest of the group their plans and then led (Y/N) out into the night. 

She wasn’t meaning to be leaning on Sokka so much, but she was too tired and too focused on how good he smelled and how nice it was to be this close to him. They walked in silence for the first few minutes before Sokka spoke. “I heard what Jet told you.” The sinking feeling returned to (Y/N’s) stomach. She had forgotten about what was going on back in her tribe for a few hours while she focused on not falling asleep, and she felt ashamed because of it. 

“It’s all my fault,” (Y/N) said with a sigh, but there was no emotion to her voice. It was like she had accepted her statement as such a plain truth. 

“It’s not,” Sokka insisted. “You couldn’t have known that this would happen. And you said your parents were supportive of your decision.” (Y/N) had hummed. She had said that, yes, and in a way she was right. Her father had given her a sack of so many coins that she was still far from having spent it all. She figured that had been his way of expressing that he approved of her leaving the tribe. 

“I know that I wanted to leave, but I still feel guilty. I feel like I owe it to them to be there.” 

“You deserve to be happy. You don’t owe anyone anything.” 

“I feel like I owe it to her, sometimes.” She looked up at the moon but Sokka remained silent at her side. “She was good, to everyone. She wasn’t moody and uncontrollable and the servants didn’t say bad things about her behind her back. Do you know what it’s like to live constantly comparing yourself to someone else?” Although it was a rhetorical question, Sokka answered. 

“Of course I do. I compare myself to people everyday. My dad, Katara, Aang, you.” 

“Me? Why me?” 

“Yeah, you’re moody and uncontrollable and kind of scary sometimes, but you’re passionate. You put all of yourself into the people around them and inspire them constantly with your strength.” He cleared his throat, looking away from her. “At least, that’s how I see it.” 

A smile taunted the edge of (Y/N’s) lips. “I don’t think you should compare yourself to me. You’re much braver and kindhearted than I’ll ever be.” 

“You’re both of those things, you just don’t let people see it all the time. I like to think that I was starting to, but...” He shrugged, giving her a bright smile that crinkled the corners of his eyes. 

“I know I haven’t been very nice to you,” She said quietly. “And I’m sorry. Sometimes it feels like it’s smarter to keep you at a distance.” 

“Why?” They stopped. They had reached the steps of their house. Lanterns were lit by the door and moths fluttered in their light. 

(Y/N) opened her mouth to speak, but realized that the explanation that could possibly come out of it was a declaration of affection. She smiled up at Sokka. “I’m sorry for not being a good friend. I’ll do better, I promise.” She ran up the steps of the house, trying to put some distance between them. “Are you hungry? I might make some soup before bed.” She rushed inside, her heart pounding against her chest.

---

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#atla #lok #sokka x reader #sokka #zuko x reader #zuko #aang x reader #aang #katara #toph #azula #iroh #suki #avatar #the last airbender #momo #appa #writing #fanfiction

[jaceyneedsabetterusername]

I’ll Never Be The Moon

Pairings: Sokka x Reader

Summary: It’s hard to get someone to notice you when you’re competition is the moon but Aang’s always there to make you feel better.

Warnings: Talk of death, Aang says ass

Word Count: 2000

_________________________________________

Every night, there was always a little pocket of time when the camp was uncharacteristically silent and Sokka was sitting to the side, staring up at the night sky instead of cracking jokes and telling stories. It was your least favorite time of night because it was a constant reminder of what you’d never be. Katara, Aang, Toph, and you all usually talked amongst yourselves, used to this routine. Everyone knew why Sokka got like this, though, so nobody bothered him about it. Not even Toph. There were just some things that you didn't joke about and Yue’s death was one of them. 

But on some nights, like tonight, it got to you. Every single night, you watched the man you’d been crazy about for so long stare up at the moon, yearning for a lost love. He looked up at the moon like it held all the love and beauty in the world. He looked at you like you had mud on your face. 

You sighed and pushed yourself up from your seat by the fire amidst a story Toph was telling, “I’m getting warm. I’m gonna go get some air.” You excused yourself, ignoring the little comments of acknowledgement from the group. 

The view was beautiful here in this little piece of the Earth Kingdom. Camp was set up on the edge of a large pristine lake that was surrounded by a thick luscious forest. The mountains on the opposite side of the lake were reflected perfectly on the still surface of the water through the moonlight. 

Beauty always came back to the moon. 

You spotted a fallen log on the edge of the shore and found a home on it, just far enough away from the group to be allowed to have your own thoughts. But from here, you could see Sokka sitting there on the ground, his arms wrapped around his knees as he gazed up at the celestial being, mesmerized by her beauty.

“I’ll never be the moon…” You mumbled to yourself sadly. 

“Everything okay?” Aang’s voice asked from behind you. You spun around to see the boy walking up the path you took. 

“Hm? Yeah, I’m alright.” You lied, tucking your knees in and resting your chin on it. 

Aang walked around and moved to sit on the log beside you, “Are you sure? You said something about not being the moon?” 

You chuckled sadly. That must have sounded either psychotic or pathetic to him. “It’s nothing. Just talking to myself.” Were you even trying to not sound crazy? 

“About being the moon?” He questioned with a hint of humor in his tone. You didn’t know how to respond. All you’d done was make yourself sound dumb and you already felt inadequate tonight as it was. You weren’t exactly eager to continue that so you only responded with a shrug. “This is about Sokka, isn’t it?” Aang put the pieces together. But honestly, it wasn’t that hard to tell. Your crush wasn’t blatantly obvious or anything but if you paid attention, like Aang had found himself doing for the past few weeks, the signs weren’t difficult to see. 

You looked over at Aang with pleading eyes, “Please don’t tell anyone.” 

“Your secret is safe with me,” He crossed his fist over his heart with a confident smile. But when he saw that you were still down, he shrunk down to match your demeanor, “So I’m guessing it’s Yue, since you’re talking about the moon, right?” 

You nodded, cheeks squished up against the palms of your hands as you leaned over onto them, “I never had a chance compared to her. She was a princess! And she was absolutely beautiful and kind and selfless. I’d never seen Sokka so entranced by someone. I'm just me. A girl from a poor family in a small Earth Kingdom village. Sure, I can fling rocks but it’s nothing compared to being a beautiful princess. And who would want the Earth when you could have the moon?” 

“Y/N, you are beautiful, kind, selfless and more! And I really don’t think Sokka liked her because she was a princess. Yue wasn’t better than you; you two are just different people and that’s not a bad thing.” Aang comforted in his honest way. 

Crickets began to chirp around the two of you in the clearing. “I don’t know… I just… I know I’ll never be her.” 

“Why would you want to be her?” Aang asked, “I like you as you.” 

“Because she has Sokka,” You started before you chuckled and a small smile appeared on your face despite your down mood, “But thank you, Aang.”

Aang leaned back on his arms against the log, “Well, I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but she doesn’t really have Sokka anymore. I mean, she’s the moon. It’s kind of hard to date the moon.” He pointed out the obvious observation. 

“That’s what I don’t understand! I know how bad that sounds. But… she’s gone.” You finally allowed yourself to say that dark little point (well, honestly, it was a pretty big point). Gosh, why did you feel like such a monster for saying that? “I know how terrible that sounds but when it comes down to it, Yue is literally the moon now. They can’t be together unless Sokka pulls some stupid hero stunt and gets himself blasted into the spirit world too but that seems pretty unlikely. I completely understand that her dying doesn’t take away his feelings for her or the hurt that came with losing her but it just hurts. It hurts me to see him hurting but it also hurts me to see him pining for a girl he fell in love with after three days when I can’t get him to give me a second glance.”

Your gaze fell on where the moon was reflecting in ripples on the water and followed its light back up to its large celestial source with a small sigh, “Even in death she’s beautiful. No wonder he’ll always love her.” 

Aang stood up with a sense of finality, “No,” He crossed his arms before grabbing your hand and forcing you to stand up, “I won’t allow this. You don’t get to think you’re worth less than someone else just because she was a princess or part moon spirit. Come here and look in the water.” He led you to the shore and leaned over the water with you until you saw both of your reflections. “Now what do you see?” 

Your face twisted as you made eye contact with your reflection, “Me? You? Us?” You guessed, not sure what he was getting at. 

“No, I want you to look at you and tell me what you see.” Aang insisted, pointing at your reflection. 

This time, you really tried to see what Aang wanted you to see. Though the reflection was dark from the limited light, you could still make out enough of your image. You just looked like you. Your hair was actually in place for once, which you attributed to not flying on Appa for the last few hours. You did have a smudge of ash on your cheek that you must have accidentally swiped across your face after moving a burning piece of wood back into the fire pit earlier. A small splice at the tail of your eyebrow was healing up but still visible, a "trophy", as Toph called it, after a run in with some Fire Nation soldiers the other day. You wore a green top that covered your shoulders and crossed around the front, held together with a tan tie. The top of your dark brown pants were visible but those looked a little ragged too. The wrappings that started around your thumb and went around your forearms, up to your elbows were getting dirty as well, more tan than off white now. Coming from the outer villages that were run by Earth Kingdom "soldiers", if you could even call them that after all the extortion, it wasn't exactly like you joined the group with super nice clothing to begin with. 

"I see a girl with a busted eyebrow, a dirty face, and clothes that she needs to wash tomorrow." You huffed a little, beginning to pull away before Aang pushed you back to stay where you were. 

You rolled your eyes before he started talking, "I see someone who fights for what she believes in, someone who didn't come from much but is going to help change the world. Someone that doesn't need to be a princess to be awesome or beautiful. Sure, you got a little scuffed up and you got ash on your face but who cares? I know Sokka sure doesn't. Besides, Sokka needs to do his laundry tomorrow too… he’s starting to smell kind of bad." You snorted as you stifled a laugh. Aang wasn’t necessarily wrong though. 

Before he continued, he looked over your shoulder to make sure you two were still alone. When he ensured it was still just the two of you in ear shot, he leaned in close, putting his arm around your shoulders and whispered, "And between you and me, Sokka was practically drooling over you when you took out those Fire Nation soldiers the other day. He thinks the badass thing you've got going on is super attractive." 

You turned your head to him with a skeptical look on your face, unsure if he was just saying that to make you feel better but when you thought about it, you didn't think you'd ever actually heard Aang lie before. That probably meant he wasn't lying now, though. "Really?" 

Aang nodded, "Yeah, but don't tell him I told you. He'll kill me." 

You couldn't help but smile at your friend. All he ever did was try and help people, even it was just dumb stuff like making a friend feel better about a boy. "Thank you." You reached over and pulled him into a side hug. 

When you pulled away, you looked back over to camp to see that Sokka had returned from his nightly mourn. He now sat on top of his sleeping bag, a stick in his hand, as if he'd been poking the fire, but instead of doing that, he was actually looking at you. It was only for a brief moment that your E/C eyes locked with his brilliant blue ones because he quickly looked down at fire, a tint of pink rising in his cheeks.

"Told you," Aang hummed, "He's been looking over at you for the last few minutes."  

A small glimmer of hope rose up in your chest but it felt tainted somehow, "Maybe he just zoned out…" Defeat already laced your voice, "I mean, if he likes me, why doesn't he say anything? He's never been exactly subtle with girls he's liked in the past." 

Aang stood up and walked around the log to the other side of you, "I think he just feels conflicted. A part of him still loves Yue even though he knows he can't have her, but he really likes you too." He put a hand on your shoulder, "I'm gonna head back to camp. But just give him a little more time, okay? I have a feeling that things are actually going to work out between you guys and my feelings are almost always right." He gave you a wink with childish confidence. 

Your gaze followed Aang as he jogged back to the camp, ready to follow suit, figuring the gang would start pestering you about being moody if you didn't return soon. Though you started watching Aang, you couldn't help but allow your eyes to flick over to Sokka again, just out of curiosity (okay, fine, maybe just because you really liked to look at him). Sokka's bright blue eyes were already trained on your firm when you glanced over but this time, instead of pretending to be burning a stick, he made a big show of reaching behind him to grab his boomerang, trying just a little too hard to look 'natural (if you could call it that). A warm smile crept up on your face and you giggled to yourself as you finally stood up from the log to make your way back to camp. Maybe Aang's feeling could be right after all. 

#sokka #sokka x reader #sokka imagine #sokka blurb #Avatar The Last Airbender #atla #I'll never be the moon

[whaleofatjme1920]

[Haley, Creepypasta/MH, She/They, 19, Romantic]

My name is Hal and I am giving you this letter, a bag of many tiny bells (collected for who knows how long), an amethyst crystal I used often as a child to chase away bad dreams, and a kind of rose tea (though I am not one for tea I liked both the symbolism and that it would round out to 3 offerings excluding my letter) as offerings in hopes that you will help me find my match.

I would describe myself as a very sarcastic person who loves to make jokes, dress in a frilly poofy way (often wearing heels to make myself at least 6'1), and someone who likes to do fun fantasy escapism type activities (going to renfaire, playing DnD and RPG video games,etc.). Peoples impressions of me range from cute and quiet to a straight up golden retriever. I am a pretty sedentary homebody most of the time though I can be more outgoing and confident when I am with people I know and usually are some brand of nerd (theater, Gamer, etc.) I also draw, make clothes/costumes, and love to create stories and characters, only some of which I actually use, a sad amount just sits in a box after it's made. I have my issues, mainly with procrastinating, forgetfulness, and the need to be able to be fully independent when push comes to shove because unexpected things happen but I have always been the romantic daydreaming type and over time I have matured and am tired of new historical events making me more and more tired, I just want to find my person to do all of the things good, bad, easy, and hard with. I just want to make a home with them and be in their world. - Haley

P.s my love language is acts of service and words of affirmation, I didn't know where to cram that in so here we are. I blame my ADD.

[Disclaimer: The Red String of Fate event is a special event I'm running from August 12th, to whenever I feel it necessary to end - right now, I'm giving it to the first week of September! Check out rules HERE]

There's just a hint of a smile on Yue Lao's face as he hears the bells you've given him ring in the passing breeze. It's something soft and sweet, like a little lullaby that rings through the night. The amethyst crystal has found it's way to one of his many bookshelves, acting as a lovely addition to his home. The faint scent of rose tea rests strongly on his porch as he sips it, a quiet hum leaving his lips from how good it is. Bao rests near the teapot, purring quietly at the warmth and the sweet scent.

It admittedly isn't that hard for him to find a match for you. The thought comes almost instantly as he reads over the things that make you happiest, the things that you enjoy creating, and a name pops into his head as loud as a whistle: Alex Kralie. Now, that's not a name anyone would ever expect, really, but achieving ultimate balance, the god is of the belief the two of you would work fantastically. He's admittedly of the belief that you and Alex have a wonderful creative streak that would only grow in each other's presence, and his practical nature would mesh well with your more fantastical essence. Opposites, but similar.

Bao returns to him with a spool of thread in her mouth, the color of fresh summer roses and smelling just as sweet as them. She purrs softly at the names he whispers to her before he ties the string to your pinky, and then moves around to Alex's. The thread glows brightly, reflecting in his moonlight covered eyes with a shine that makes him laugh happily. What a brilliant glow, and a strong match that this will be. Looks like Alex is still in college, working on some silly student film. Perhaps silly is the wrong word, but it makes the god smile all the same. He watches with a dreamy, far off look as you watch the string materialize on your finger while sitting in your dorm.

You're up from your dorm almost instantly, following the string like it's the only thing you've ever cared about. There's a small bout of wonder in your eyes as it leads you across campus to one of the building on the far end side. You recognize it as the college of arts. It leads you up the stairs to the second floor, where a bulletin board lays covered with ads, flyers and whatnot. There's one near the bottom right, kind of obscured by the many other papers but you read it clearly: Marble Hornets, auditions Friday - Sunday! Held on the third floor, room 315.

You glance down at your string with a deep gut feeling telling you that's the exact same place your soulmate lies. You rush up the stairs, hardly noticing as Brian and Tim pass by you until Brian gets your attention.

"Evenin' to you too," the blond haired man chuckles as he watches you practically sprint up the stairs.

"Oh, hey, Brian, Tim," you shoot over your shoulder.

He snickers and continues walking down the stairs slowly with his friend who shoots you a small wave in response. "Going for Alex's audition?"

You hold up your left pinky and smile. "Looks like I am."

The two men share a look and wish you a good luck, watching as you disappear upwards. You feel like you can't breathe as your heart beats faster and faster, anxious to meet who you know is your soulmate. You can feel a tug from his end too, and rounding the corner into the room. Alex is there, sitting in front of a camera seeming to just clean up and looking over notes when he feels his hand tug.

He looks over his shoulder, and you swear it's the first time you've ever seen him smile.

#red string of fate the event #alex kralie x reader #marble hornets x reader

[arigatouiris]

do you forgive me? // todoroki x reader

Author’s Note: A self-indulgent Todoroki domestic fluff fest, ya’ll. After season 4 of BnHA, I started to like the character growth Endevour was getting—and it gave me a LOT OF ideas. 

Once again, this is my opinion and my thoughts, so please understand that I don’t support abuse in any way, having been raised by abusive parents, I understand that we share a complicated relationship with them (especially if they see the wrong they’ve done). Forgiveness doesn’t come naturally, but it does help in letting go of baggage. Hope ya’ll like this fic!

Word count: 3605 words

Pairing: Domestic AU! Husband! Todoroki Shoto x Wife! Reader

Warnings: fluff, slight angst, domestic au, meta stuff i think

As a growing teenager, Todoroki Shoto was a tad bit indecisive. He’d struggle to figure out what he wanted to eat for lunch on most school days, and the worst part only came during the night—when there were far too many options for dinner. Shoto would often glance at what his friends were eating but usually, making a small decision such as this was difficult for him. 

Things changed however, when he bucked up and confessed to you on your second year of High School—just as the year was ending. You were the exact opposite on the level of decisiveness; you could make quick decisions on what you wanted to eat, but on bigger things such as your hero name or if you wanted to be a hero at all (despite being in the hero course), you’d falter and look at him with doe eyes for assistance. Basically, the two of you made a rather strong couple, sometimes clueless, sometimes bizarre, but mostly you two loved each other with a passion that could hinder anyone from thinking either of you was decisive at all to begin with.

As a husband and father, however, Shoto was different. Decision making became one of his strengths, especially when it concerned your children. When the doctor admitted that you were carrying twins, Shoto was slightly terrified; of course, anyone would be, with no prior experience in fathering anything at all in the past. 

You were his strength as he was yours, you helped each other along the way until your kids—Yue and Yuu—were born. 

Upon first glance, it was clear that your children were going to have their father’s quirks split into either of them. Yuu, the older twin brother, was going to have the fire quirk and Yue, the younger girl, was going to have the ice quirk. Their matching heads indicated that Todoroki’s genes were superior, not that you were complaining at all. 

Yuu resembled his father in personality. Quiet and mellow, he smiled at soft things when he found them amusing and wasn’t too much of a troublemaker. He believed himself to be a dragon though, much to your annoyance, because this left him leaving scorch marks on things that mustn’t have scorch marks at all. Apparently, Yuu was marking them as his own, a thing dragons must do.

This was alright, because a soft scolding from you and a sweet smile from his father left Yuu an apologizing mess, who refused to use his quirk for mild amusement ever again. However, the real trouble was your daughter—whose personality did not resemble either of yours; she was very much like Bakugou, which scared Shoto the most, wondering how in the world she grew so feisty while being a small 4-year old with a quirk that was supposed to leave her calm and collected. Yue would use her quirk to move around, throw tantrums when her father took her with him to grocery shopping, freezing her brother’s legs while he was asleep—Yue was uncontrollable. And Shoto was a terrible strict father because the moment his baby girl made your signature doe eyes at him, all was forgiven and it’s alright if Yuu’s legs were frozen, it’s like training to use his own fire quirk anyway.

However, it was in the middle of hero work when he got the call from his children’s play-school. Something terrible had occurred, and his first instinct was to call you. You were a hero too, but when you didn’t pick the call right away, he understood that you were in no position to do so. He could see you fighting a low-level villain on TV from the convenience store, which was near him, and he let out a sigh. 

He had to deal with his daughter’s disastrous tantrum on his own.

     “Hello, this is Shoto—”

     “Todoroki-san! Y-Your daughter needs your help—”

Shoto’s eyes widened, “What’s happened?”

When the pre-school teacher explained to him that Yue’s quirk had lost control, he couldn’t understand how bad it could be right away. Ice was far more easier to control when compared to fire, but that was not the point here at all. Apparently, Yue had frozen the entire classroom, along with herself inside it, and the pre-school teacher could only remove the other students in time. Now, the little girl was stuck inside, crying for her parents, alone.

Shoto got there as quickly as he possibly could, noticing the pre-school teacher stand outside the school, the students huddled all around her. He spotted Yuu’s red head, looking terrified at the blocks of ice coming out of the windows. Shoto froze when he saw how much ice there was—wondering how in the world a 4-year old could manifest so much from her quirk. 

Yuu noticed his father and ran to him, hugging his legs. Shoto placed a loving hand on his son’s head before ruffling his hair.

     “Are you alright?” 

Yuu merely nodded, “Yue’s scared... She... She wasn’t doing anything, I promise! She sneezed a lot and it... it became cold, all of a sudden and I—”

Shoto picked his son up and smiled at him, shaking his head. He knew his son wasn’t defending his sister, but merely describing what he had seen. Putting his son down, Shoto turned to the teacher before nodding once, heading to where his daughter currently was. Upon entering the classroom, he noticed how much of a mess the girl had made, his heart breaking at the sight of his baby girl, sitting at the corner, behind a desk, covering her face with her hands and crying her heart out. 

     “Yue,” Shoto said, as softly as he could, “Are you okay, princess?”

Yue’s eyes snapped to see her father’s loving gaze before crying harder at his arrival. Shoto used this chance to head over to her, placing himself next to her, behind the desk; Yue quickly hugged her father, but her feet were stuck to the ground because of the ice. Shoto used his left hand and melted away the ice that had kept her grounded, before pulling the girl to his lap and placing her there. He didn’t want to move until his child was calm, and he rubbed her back up and down to ensure it happened.

     “I’m a monster...” He heard her mutter and Shoto froze.

     “Who told you that?”

She shook her head, “I just am... I did this...” 

She was shaking and Shoto bit his lip at how unsure he was to approach a matter that was this sensitive. He thought of how you would handle this situation, your inherent softness would easily diffuse this situation without any effort. With no proper parenting of his own, Shoto was clueless. But on such occasions, he recalled what you’d tell him to do.

Just think of what you would want to be done to you, Shoto. 

     “Yue, sweetheart,” Shoto cooed, pushing her a bit so that he could see her face, “Do you want to know how I learned to control my quirk?”

Her eyes shone a bit, but he was certain that was mainly because of her tears. She nodded softly, looking all over her father’s face.

     “Up until a point, I couldn’t use my fire side. I was scared and thought it made a monster too,” Yue’s eyes widened at the choice of his words. “You know Deku?”

     “Pro-hero!” 

Shoto chuckled before booping Yue’s nose, “He spoke me into using my fire side. And...” He recalled a fond memory, his eyes growing soft, “...Mama helped more than anyone else.”

     “Is that how you fell in love with Mama?” 

Shoto hummed, “Not exactly. I think,” He was picking the best words, “I think it happened a little after that.”

It was not surprising when you came over and asked Shoto if he wanted to spar. You two occasionally sparred with one another, since he told you he wanted to improve his quirk use—especially the fire quirk. With your agility, he was certain that hurting you would be difficult, and he was confident only when he was around you.

One of the strangest things was how you made him feel like he could do literally anything and be okay with it—it was strange because Shoto wasn’t used to this unblemished confidence that radiated within him. 

     “Ready?” You asked, coming to your stance.

Shoto nodded before the two of you started off. You rushed toward him and jumped over him, your feet landing on either of his shoulders. Shoto instantly used his fire quirk to brush you off, but you were faster than he was and you landed behind him, shooting a kick to his back, sending him stumbling forward.

Clicking his tongue, Shoto tried something different. He blazed fire all over his arm and shoulder and slammed into you, causing your eyes to widen; if you had been even a second slower, you were sure you’d have been burned. But, this wasn’t something only you noticed. Shoto did too, and his eyes widened, his body froze, before backing away from you—hands shaking, body quivering. You knew instantly what his thought process was going to be like, but you desperately wanted to stop it. 

You rushed to him and grabbed his face, with him trying to shoot you away, but you stayed, your hands planted firmly on either of his cheeks. 

     “I almost hurt you—”

     “Shoto,” You forced him to look into your eyes, “You didn’t hurt me.”

Tears welled in his eyes, “I—I’m a monster, (y/n), I... I can’t—”

     “Shoto, you’re not a monster. You’re going to be one of the best heroes this world has ever seen. Stop selling yourself short for a slip I had during training. You did not hurt me, Shoto. You will never hurt me. Believe that, okay?”

He could not tell you how hard his heart was beating right then. Shoto smiled fondly at that memory, still feeling his heart race a bit at the sincerely lodged in your eyes right at that second. You really wanted him to believe that he wouldn’t hurt you, and you stayed on, making him believe, day in and day out. Your patience was astounding, and your resolve was the strongest he had ever seen in his life. It was safe to say that Shoto learned a lot from you. 

Turning to Yue’s mesmerised eyes, Shoto chuckled before booping her nose once more. The way she scrunched her face melted Shoto’s heart. He wondered if Yue was calm enough to leave, but he liked sitting there—the adversity and all—and speaking to his baby girl. Not that he never got the time to do this before, his kids were a package deal; this was perhaps the first time he was alone with just his daughter, and it made him feel warm inside.

     “How did you ask her to marry you?”

Shoto’s eyebrows raised. Yue was four years old and she was already thinking of marriage? He needed to speak to you about this, he wasn’t exactly sure if this was normal.

     “Did Mama look like a princess when you asked?”

Shoto hummed, “Mama always looks like a princess,” Yue giggled, “How I asked her...” He chuckled, confusing Yue more.

     “What?” She frowned.

     “I asked her when she was asleep,” Yue let out a ‘ehhh’ sound of disapproval. “She didn’t hear me, but in the morning she woke up and I was just... I couldn’t not ask her. Mama looks very pretty after she wakes up.”

Yue nodded, “She snores a bit though.”

Shoto chuckled, “It’s cute.”

Yue giggled at her father’s admiration for her mother’s cuteness. Of course, she knew her mother was cute. But, she wouldn’t admit it, but her father was far cuter.

     “Mama told us that when we were born, Jii-chan helped out a lot.”

Shoto knew of the incident Yue was talking about, and he didn’t know how to feel about it. Sure, Endevour was acting like a regular grandfather to his kids, which was rather odd—but, it wasn’t as if Enji didn’t know of his past mistakes. There were a lot of gaps that Enji was still contributing to fill, and there was still forgiveness to be earned. However, the effort that Todoroki Enji made as a grandfather to both Yue and Yuu was commendable. 

It had been six years since his mother decided to live with his father again. He couldn’t understand this decision, but she chose to forgive him while Shoto clearly hadn’t, and even if Enji told his son that it was alright that he was taking so long, Shoto wasn’t even sure if it was ever going to happen. 

Ever since his mother and father moved back in together, Enji’s efforts have been rather blatant and visible. After Shoto’s kids were born, his father was there for you, whenever Shoto wasn’t, Rei would help out as much as she could (she practically lived in the hospital with you), while Enji would be the one who would run to the store if at all you needed anything. The man had retired a few years ago, and that made it all the more easier for him to live a regular life, with no demands.

When your water broke, Shoto was in another city—returning home. He was with Yaoyarozu and Kaminari, who both had missions with him, which wasn’t common at all. Shoto didn’t want to go, but you weren’t due for another two weeks. So when he heard that your water broke, and he wasn’t there, Shoto’s calm exterior vanished.

And when he learned that Endevour was the one who took you to the hospital, and when he noticed Endevour in the waiting room, Shoto wanted to yell at his father. But, before he could do so—

     “Go inside, she needs you.”

Shoto’s eyes widened before rushing inside, grateful he hadn’t missed the birth of his children, confused that his father was outside waiting for him and helping him, heartbroken that he couldn’t feel a regular emotion of happiness at rejoicing.

     “Jii-chan isn’t so bad.” He heard Yue say a second later, bringing him out of his reverie.

Sure, jii-chan wasn’t so bad, but as a father, Endevour was a bane in Shoto’s existence. But, he would be blind if he didn’t see the effort Enji put in—and if his mother could forgive him, Shoto wondered what was actually going on. 

     “Yue, love,” Shoto picked up his girl before standing up, “We need to go home now. Mama will be worried.”

Yue looked at her father with a frightful expression, “Am I going to be in trouble?”

Shoto shook his head, “Only if you promise to let baa-san help you with your quirk.”

Yue puffed her cheeks, “Why can’t you help?”

     “Because I have hero work.”

     “Papa,” Yue tugged on her father’s sleeve, alerting his attention, “Do you forgive me?”

Shoto’s eyes widened at her words. 

      “Of course, sweetie.”

Yue smiled a second later, “Thank goodness!”

*

You were already at home when Shoto brought in both Yue and Yuu. Upon laying your eyes on your children, you rushed to them, ignoring your husband who stood there, blinking.

     “Are you okay? Yuu, you’re not hurt, are you? Yue, honey, is everything—”

     “Papa helped!” Yue said, gleefully, causing you to sigh in relief. 

You looked up at Shoto and shot him a smile, which he returned, before you took his arm and laid your head on his chest.

     “I was so worried when the teacher called me! She told me that you were already in there and when I couldn’t even do anything—”

     “Shh,” He placed a warm hand on the back of your shoulder, “You were fighting a villain, I saw.”

     “She’s our baby—”

     “And you’re a hero. It’s alright. She’s fine. I’ve already told my mother about this, she’s coming over today to help Yue out.”

You sighed with relief once more, feeling the burden leave your chest. Your kids ran off inside to their rooms, before you looked at Shoto with a questioning glance. He tilted his head before asking you what was wrong.

     “What’s on your mind?”

How did you know whenever he was plagued with something? It was almost creepy.

     “Yue... Yue seems to like her grandfather a lot.”

You hummed and nodded, “He does spoil her quite a bit. Both of them, actually.”

Shoto scoffed, “I don’t know if this is some sort of twisted repentance—”

     “Shoto,” You placed a calm hand on his cheek, “It is repentance,”

His eyes widened at your words.

     “He’s trying, Sho. He’s still very awkward with them at times, because he’s new to this too. I’m not saying he deserves your forgiveness, I’m saying, don’t hide away his attempts, okay? He knows what he’s done.”

Shoto nodded. He was aware. But, he still needed time and he wasn’t sure how much longer he would need.

     “Being a father is not easy,” Shoto froze at your words, “Especially if you’ve not been a good one.”

That evening, Rei and Enji arrived at their doorstep. Upon glancing at her granddaughter, Rei instantly rushed over to her, picking her up in her arms, making an airplane out of her.

     “Baa-san! I missed you!”

     “I missed you, my little butterfly! Your papa told me what happened, honey. Are you okay?”

     “Papa told me I had to learn from you now.” The girl said, bashfully.

     “Come on, sweetie. I’ll show you something really cool.” Rei shot Shoto a wink before taking her out to the courtyard. 

Shoto noticed Yuu plop on Enji’s lap and begin narrating something about being a dragon. Ah yes, Shoto recalled, Yuu thinks he’s a dragon. He noticed how Enji just sat awkwardly, a gentle hand supporting his grandson on his lap.

     “I’m a dragon, jii-chan!”

     “Ah, I see—”

     “Isn’t that great?!”

Enji gulped, “Y-Yes. That’s remarkable.”

Shoto wanted to laugh at how uncomfortable his father was, but what he didn’t notice were fresh tears in his eyes. He turned away before anyone could see, but you were a national level spy when it came to your husband and his spilling emotions, but you were going to let him be for now. You wondered if Enji could have been the father Shoto deserved, if only he wasn’t wallowed with his own insecurity back then.

But, all that you wonder would remain just that. All you needed to do now was appreciate and acknowledge the effort he put in, whether he’s received forgiveness or not.

When Yue returned with Rei, she didn’t hesitate before pouncing on Endevour’s other leg, forcing the larger man to swallow the shooting pain at how heavily the child landed on his leg. He turned to Yue’s sweet smile directed at him, and Enji just gulped.

     “Jii-chan! I missed you!”

Enji’s eyes softened at his granddaughter’s blatant display of affection, before placing a gentle hand on her head, ruffling her hair. Shoto felt your hand slip into his, a second later. He turned to you, but you were watching your daughter with her grandfather, with a soft smile.

     “Can you even imagine Enji-san like that with anyone except Yue?”

     “He wasn’t even like that with me—”

     “Sho,” you scolded him for the dark joke. “Don’t be mean.”

Shoto chuckled before tightening the grip on your hand. 

*

That night, Yue and Yuu forcefully lodged themselves between their parents, wanting to sleep there. Shoto didn’t mind one bit, but you pouted, wanting some alone time with your husband after a long day. 

     “Jii-chan was right,” Yue said, “You two are the best parents ever!” 

Shoto’s eyes widened, just as Yue hugged him, burying her tiny face in his neck. Yuu cuddled up to you, before falling flat asleep in just minutes. 

     “Shoto?” 

He was lost in thought, but you wanted to know one thing; you knew that reminded Shoto of this one memory would perhaps help in moving past the memories he had of his father. It wasn’t as if you wanted Shoto to forgive Endevour, but you knew that the longer Shoto went with hate in his heart, the harder it was going to be for him to fully accept him as a part of his family. 

And with a family of his own, you knew Shoto deserved the peace more than anything else.

     “Yes?”

His voice was a mere whisper. You smiled softly.

     “Do you remember what Enji-san said when you told him you were going to marry me?”

Shoto remembered all too well. The second that memory played in his head, Shoto shut his eyes, leaning back against the pillow—feeling his daughter fall asleep in his arms. He thanked you inside in his head, before taking a deep breath and letting go. He was letting go of a lot of things that night. And for that, he was grateful.

     “I’m going to marry (y/n).”

What he expected was Enji to ask him what your quirk was, or if he was making a mistake—he even expected Enji to tell him he had a bride in mind for him, an arranged marriage waiting for him without him having known. 

But what he got was a broken smile from a broken man and words that he wished he had heard long, long ago.

     “I’m so proud of you, Shoto.”

And he would never miss the words that he swore his father had in his head, words that still ring in Shoto’s mind.

Do you forgive me?

Shoto’s lip quivered that night as tears leaked out of his eyes.

Do you forgive me?

“I guess it’s about time.”

Shoto slept for 9 hours that night. The best 9 hours in his entire life. You noticed him sleeping in, and let him be. Your husband deserved the world, after all. A few more hours of sleep is absolutely fine.

#todoroki shoto #todoroki enji #todoroki x reader #todoroki shoto x reader #shoto x reader #todoroki shouto x reader #todoroki shouto #endevour #todoroki rei #domestic au #husband todoroki #reader insert #bnha #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #domestic todoroki #deku #todoroki #shoto #shouto

[mostly-mundane-atla]

Do you think that traditional native face tattoos could have or should have been included in the series? How do you think it might have been incorporated if so? I hope this isn't an inappropriate or offensive question, it's just that I was reading an article about the revival of traditional Inuit face tattoos and the image of a water bending avatar with glowing tattoos popped into my head and I'd be interested to hear a more educated perspective than mine on such a concept.

I would have loved to see traditional tattoos in the series, but I think there was a practical reason they weren't used. I mean, it was likely just that they didn't feel like it, but it would have been a real strain on the animators as well. Aang's arrow tattoos are on skin that doesn't move much, but these traditional tattoos are close to the mouth and thus would have to be considered every time the characters talked. The fighting styles in the show are based on actual martial arts and so the animation was already very specific. Having to figure out how tattoos stretch with the skin when even just Katara, Sokka, and Yue talk would have been pretty dificult, but I can dream.

A good source for traditional tattoos among the Arctic Peoples is Lars Krutak's Tattoos of the Hunter-Gatherers of the Arctic. Here's a link. It's a fascinating read, but be warned: there's some sexual content that might gross people out (the story about the sun and the moon gets game of thrones real fast). While the Focus is mainly on St. Lawrence Island Yup'ik women, as they were the main group Krutak has experience working with, be sure to note that the practices mentioned about them aren't necessarily exclusive. My mother told me what her mother, a King Island Inupiaq woman, told her about the painful tattoos women in her village would get on their faces generations ago, very similar to the Yup'ik tradition. Inupiat, Canadian Inuit, and Greenlandic Inuit groups are also mentioned, as well as mummies found in the territories.

A lot of articles on the revival of these practices are really just pointing out that tattooing was practiced and now it's making a comeback. Krutak's article actually goes into historical descriptions of the tattoos and provides some (admittedly blurry) visual aids. It helps that he's a legit anthropologist specializing in tattoos and studied at UAF. Definitely give this article a good read through if that sort of thing interests you

Quick and dirty if not entirely accurate version, not guaranteed to apply to all cultures mentioned:

The V-shaped lines on a woman's forhead denoted her as a matron. She has taken on the responsibilities of a wife and mother. These are sometimes matched with lines that start at the nose and go along the cheeks.

Lines on the chin meant a girl was of age to consider marriage. The common design in the Bering Straits region where my family's from is a thick stripe at the center with a thin line or two at either side, but this is not the only design and many versions exist. Keep in mind that these were traditionally done by pulling a needle and thread through the skin in small stitches. The more the girl was able to sit through, the tougher she was understood to be

Tattoos on a woman's cheek could be just there to look pretty. There could be other reasons, but we love art and on our bodies we can carry it everywhere. The ones on the ladies hands and forearms were the same case. They might take inspiration from the landmarks around their home. Thighs were sometimes tattooed so that the first thing a baby sees when it's born is beauty.

Vertical lines going down the sides of the face were for a woman's fertility. Your kids would be the ones to specifically take care of you in old age, even if the community always kept you in mind, so you didn't want to be without.

Men might have tattoos near the corners of their mouths. These could mean skill in hunting and some could be to protect the man from drowning, especially if he almost did once already

"Helpers" were sometimes tattooed on the forehead. They look kind of like stick figures

Mourning or pallbearer tattoos may consist of dots at the joints (wrists, elbows, hips, knees, etc) so the spirit can't possess anyone they died near. They might also have designs on the face.

So if you wanna get the most bang for your buck with a tattooed Water Tribe Avatar, she'd be a woman, likely married (two husbands should make home life easier when she's away doing Avatar duties and can't fish or trap, espeically if they have their elderly mothers living there too) with children. Do with this what you will.

#response #atla #avatar the last airbender #eskimo on main

[yukippe]

wonder what she thinks of me

for @yuekiweek ​ day 3: reunions | word count: 2.3k | read on ao3

“you need to buy your books suki!!” sokka lectures through the phone. last year suki didn’t buy the books for any of her classes and she was fine. she isn’t actually planning on buying books this year either, except now sokka’s roped her into coming to his book club and she can’t lie and say she doesn’t like to watch sokka rant about something dumb while enjoying the baked goods that sokka will have convinced his gran gran and his parents to make for them.

unfortunatley, this means suki has to brave the bookstore during some fancy author signing to try to buy the book sokka’s demanded everyone read for next week. he’s still talking through the phone, though suki’s mostly tuned him out. she’s normally much better at listening to sokka’s rants, but the bookstore is packed with awkward high school students and suki would rather not, at the moment. she slips around a table of overpriced waterbottles and planners and weaves past a random grandpiano over to one of the computers with the bookstore directory. “sokka,” suki asks as she almost trips over a four year old holding a picture book. “why did you have to send me to this bookstore at this time?”

there’s a huff on the other end of the line and suki sighs deeply, “suki, please you should be thankful! they’re running a special discount if you buy a tote bag to go with the book this weekend!!” well. okay, maybe suki collects tote bags and sokka is probably being a good friend. but suki hasn’t been to this store before, having not bothered with buying her textbooks last year and getting anything for fun as an ebook. but sokka believes in the experience of a physical copy or whatever, so tote bags and author signings it is. 

suki puts her phone between her shoulder and ear as she sets her fingers onto the keyboard of the computer directory, “hey, what’s the name of the book again?”

“have you listened to anything i’ve ever said to you?” sokka asks her. suki can picture him in their apartment at his desk, doing something fancy with math as he coaches her through a bookstore, pinching the bridge of his nose out of frustration. suki doesn’t actually need him to tell her the name of the book, she just likes to rile him up sometimes. she types in the title. suki thanks him for his help, asks him if hes found his glasses yet (the same glasses she hid before she left) and hangs up with a smirk.

adaptation by malinda lo. there, young adult section. it’s supposedly sci fi thriller and sokka, though he lacks taste in most things, has always had solid book taste. suki looks around for the sign to section she needs and spots it, tucked behind a tech display and next to the little cafe. suki walks over, eager to grab her book and get out of the shop. she walks through the shelves searching for the author’s with the last name l. malinda lo. there, suki reaches out to pluck the book of the shelf, when the back of her hand brushes against someone else. 

suki steps back, book in hand, to look at the girl next to her. she has brown hair in a pretty updo and really cute heart shaped beaded earrings. she looks familiar, but suki isn’t sure where she recognizes her from. 

“hi,” the other girl says, her voice sounds like a princess. all bells and whistling wind. 

“uh,” suki coughs, smiling crookedly and titling her head. “hi!” 

the other girl giggles at her, but her smile is warm and suki finds herself settling. “i’m yue - so adaptation? what made you interested in it?”

“oh, my friend is hosting a book club and this is this months pick,” suki tells her. maybe she should have done a little more research on the book before she’d shown up. she hadn’t really pictured a bookstore as the spot to meet a cute girl. 

“oh!” yue says, surprised. “i have the same one assigned for my book club. do you want to grab something to drink and let me tell you about it?”

“sure,” suki says, her smile growing even wider. “that sounds great” 

yue winks at her as she grabs the same book of the shelf, “perfect, there’s this bubble tea place a block a way i want to show you.” yue turns on her heel, her hair falling onto her back as yue bounces in her steps. suki checks to make sure her flannel is neat and her docs are tied before hurrying after yue. 

the two of them wait in line one behind the other at the register and yue flips through the display before the register of pins and pens and bookmarks. a rainbow lion turtle eraser set catches suki’s eye and she lifts it up to her face to look at it closer. it’s the type of thing aang would like, so suki puts it on top of her book when she gets to the register. after she picks out the simplest canvas tote bad (most of them have obnoxious book puns katara would make fun of her for months about) and pays, suki finds yue waiting by the door peeling a sticker off of a sticker sheet suki remembers seeing on the display. 

“so,’ yue asks. “where do you want your sticker?”

suki blinks, “what?”

yue waves the - oh it’s a hello kitty sticker with fairy wings. suki blinks at it, “um. cute?” she gets a smile for her efforts and then yue leans in and grabs her wrist, turning suki’s hand around and carefully placing the sticker onto the back of suki’s right hand. 

“so,” yue says, after failing once more to steal a drink of suki’s boba. her mouth is screwed up in a light pout, but it feels teasing. “do you go to ba sing se u?”

only a little while later, they are wandering to nowhere in particular, still holding hands. yue keeps trying to steal a sip of suki’s drink even though when suki ordered yue had made a face at the idea of coffee boba. yue’s own drink is sweet like her. strawberry, reportedly to match yue’s nails which are done up in a neat mimic of the fruit. 

suki nods, squeezing yue’s hand and lifting her drink over her head, too high up for yue to reach, though that doesn’t stop yue from playfully batting at it. neither of them caring about what passerby might think as they wobble on the sidewalk smiling at each other full of silliness. “yeah, i’m majoring in gender and women's studies with a minor in literature and art.”

yue lights up, the way she’s done every time suki’s shared a fact with her. suki’s face feels flushed, yue makes her feel like she’s on her first date ever. “oh wow!” yue says. “i’m majoring in four nations politics with a minor in theology and spiritual studies but i would love to see what your classes must be like. i think i could be a student forever, you know?”

and then yue doesn’t let go of suki’s wrist. instead, she links their fingers together and suki watches their hands held together hang between them. she looks up and smiles at yue, stupidly happy for a moment. and really, suki doesn’t even know for sure if yue is into girls even if yue does seem to be flagging. for now, suki just lets yue tug her down the street as her phone buzzes in her new tote bag with texts from sokka she’ll ignore for now. 

“hm, not really, i think one degree is enough for me. but academics are cute,” suki says, watching as yue swings their hands back and forth as they walk. they’re both absolutely terrible at walking together, suki’s noticed. they can’t seem to walk in a straight line and suki’s almost fallen off the sidewalk twice already. it’s nice. suki’s finding that yue makes her comfortable everywhere. 

“oh?” yue asks, her eyes twinkling. “does that mean you think i’m cute, suki?”

“hmmm,” suki teases out, a trace of laughter in her voice as yue finally manages to dart forward to steal her drink, finally realizing her success would be increased if she let go of suki’s hand. suki doesn’t even mind that much, wow. “well,” suki settles, after a moment of false consideration. “yeah, i think you’re pretty cute.”

yue winks at her, the same way she did in the bookstore, and takes a sip of suki’s bubble tea. then she makes a completely disgusted expression shoving suki’s drink back at her. “suki! that’s so gross, tui and la, how do you drink that?” 

suki can’t help the laugh that spills out of her as yue sticks her tongue out and crosses her eyes, making a fuss that shouldn’t be as sweet as it is. well, suki’s always been a sucker for clowns. suki reaches out and links their hands back together and they both sip at their drink as they seem to stop together at the bus.

they make shy eye contact as a bus comes up to the stop. “so,” yue says. “i’ve got to go, i’m meeting up with a friend. but this was really fun, right?”

suki smiles, “yeah, it was really fun.”

“that’s great! i really liked talking with you!” yue informs her. then, yue leans forward and kisses suki’s cheek before turning around, and her earrings sparkle in the sunlight as she jumps onto the bus right before the bus doors close and it pulls away with the rest of the flow of traffic. suki blinks and watches it go, still feeling the soft touch of yue’s lips on her cheek.

when suki pulls her phone out of her bag to video call sokka he immediately points out the lipstick mark on her cheek and she resolves not to give him any details, no matter how much he pesters her 

-

two weeks later, after bemoaning to ty lee about how she was dumb and completley forgot to ask the cute girl she met at the book store for her number, she sees yue again. at sokka’s book club.

the members of the secret book club hadn’t been a surprise for the most part, consisting of sokka (obviously), aang (one of sokka’s only friends who wasn’t a gay girl), azula, mai, ty lee and suki (the gay girls sokka was friends with). sokka’s parents, hakoda, kya and bato, had baked with sokka all last night and prepared a whole table full of snacks that sokka had made her haul over to their apartment. suki thinks it’s a ridiculous amount of food for their handful of friends, and then she and sokka ate a good section of it before their friends even show up.

mai, sokka and azula are arguing over the finer points of the book already even though the meeting has yet to officially start. sokka and azula, to be fair, have actual opinions that they are fiercly defending from their spots on the floor as mai causes problems on purpose on the couch she and ty lee stole as soon as they stepped through the front door. 

there was only one person that had yet to arrive, and apparently only aang had met her before. azula had raised an eyebrow at the pronoun and asked sokka if he’d made friends with another gay girl. the answer had been yes, and suki who was looking for another chance at talking to a cute gay girl after flopping earlier in the month and failing at getting yue’s number or social media or anything, was looking forward to meeting the newest cute gay girl sokka was friends with. 

sokka had impeccable taste in cute gay girls (besides azula). so really, maybe suki shouldn’t have been so surprised to answer the door when the bell rang to find yue holding a tray of pastries. 

yue stands out in the hallway with its broken light, looking as pretty as the moon in the sky. her face breaks into a smile at the sight of suki, and suki’s sure her expression matches. “suki?!” yue asks. “wow, small world huh?”

suki nods back, her cheeks starting to hurt with how big she was beaming. “so,” suki says. “do you think i could make up for last week and get your number?”

laughter comes from behind suki, and suki knows her friends are probably making fun of them right now, but she’s too interested in yue’s answer to pay any attention. 

yue rolls her eyes, but she doesn’t stop smiling, “of course suki, now do you want to help me bring these in so i can program it into your phone? no excuses not to call me this time.”

“don’t worry,” suki says as she takes the sweets from yue. “i’ll be sure to blow your phone up more than sokka when he’s trying to prove a point.”

she’s rewarded with another kiss to her cheek (and teasing from her friends at another lipstick stain) and yue’s number in her phone saved as yue🌙💖😘. 

yue, through suki’s phone, texts something to herself and suki leans over yue’s shoulder to see what it is. 

omg yue you’re so hot please go out with me <3

suki bumps yue’s shoulder as best as she can with her hands full and raises an eyebrow. “so, yue?” suki asks. “will you go out with me?”

yue giggles, her lipgloss sparkles and suki wonders what it tastes like, “of course, suki.” 

a few seconds later, suki has her question answered and can confidently report that yue’s lipgloss tastes like mango. 

suki passes the tray off to sokka, who was helpfully waiting right behind her with the tried familiar expression of accidentally setting up his exes. then, suki tugs yue into the loveseat, kicking out aang who had been sprawled across it.

book club is much more fun than suki was expecting, though almost all things are improved, suki finds, when she’s hanging out with her friends and eating sweets and practically sitting in the girl she likes lap while yue braids her hair and teases sokka with her. yue winks at her as aang and ty lee stop azula and sokka from getting into a fistfight with mai and sticks another hello kitty sticker onto her cheek. suki leans over and kisses the same spot on yue. fair is fair after all. 

#atla #yueki #yue #suki #yuekiweek #r.txt #rey's writering #i love how i post before im finished bc im impatient and then i edit for days/j ;_; /

[mystic-kitten-writer]

They say butterflies are the reincarnations of passed relatives (At least that’s what my family believes). I feel like this is my best piece yet out of the other three submitted, however I hope they’ve all been nice for you and anyone else who sees this. I kinda picture Yue having time to herself on the off chance and just sort of thinking of her parents, again interpret as you will. Today’s been a shitty day since my toxic ass ex tried to get back into my life (the asshole cheated and i had to find out about it a year later from someone else as well as a bunch of other stuff like manipulation and pressuring me) and I deadass just told him “Nah stay outta my life” so this drawing felt kinda like a cathartic therapy with the tones and colours. Anyways that’s my usual rant of the fan art submission. Much love!

The next fanart is up, and with a drabble to match~

I hope you like it 🤭

A soulful appearance, eyes glossy.

The smile washed over Yue was bittersweet, her fingertips stretching upwards as the butterflies fluttered around her sitting frame. Her mind seemed distant, seemingly staring past the coloured butterflies. It wasn’t common to see Yue so melancholy. Her eyes dazed, and I found myself swallowing.

It was the manifestation of internalized pain, pressing a smile despite the storm raging inside.

“Did you know...that butterflies are our loved ones who passed on...telling us that they’re okay and happy...” Yue whispered, her voice light as it carried in the warm breeze.

I kept my lips tight, letting my eyes settle over her figure. How her hands gently dropped to her lap, fingers twisting the material of her red dress. The anxiety that was bubbling inside, nibbling on her lips till they were swollen.

“My mom used to tell me that...” Yue finished before letting her troubled expression met mine.

I cracked a smile, letting my hand rest over hers. Yue’s fidgeting stopped, taking a deep breath as I chinned the butterflies that danced around us.

“Well, I hope your mom is saying nice things about me. That she likes me at least,” I spoke, and right away, Yue let out a laugh.

A single tear rolled down her cheek despite the airy giggle—Yue’s soft hands gripping mine. The charming smile that finally showed light, not forced or fake.

It was a smile that caused her pearly white teeth to show, wrinkles to appear around her eyes.

“She thinks you’re okay.” Yue playfully spoke, tongue in cheek before her eyes widen.

My face twisted, startled by the sudden change in mood, and as I spoke, Yue rose her finger to her lips, hushing.

“On your head, Zuko-” Yue gasped, raising a finger to point above.

My nose scrunched, and it wasn’t until I looked into those doe-like eyes - how her eyes dilated, lashes fluttering - that I saw in the reflection of her golden irises what she was seeing.

A large blue butterfly, comfortably resting on my hair.

It was memorizing.

Despite studying the butterfly through Yue’s eyes, I could spot the intricate details of the wings. Each swirl to the ombre of blues. I held my breath, awkwardly still as the butterfly made no move to fly, making itself comfortable.

“She loves you.” Yue hummed, and my ears perked, confusion falling over me.

“What-”

“My mom, I guess she does accept you after all.” Yue smiled, skin glowing as she beamed with pride.

A smile of my own emerged as I playfully gazed upwards. “I don’t think I properly introduced myself...” I started, babbling nonsense.

The string of giggles that poured from Yue’s soft lips. How she laughed and blushed and cried - listening to how I bantered to the butterfly like an old friend - Yue’s mom.

Copyright © 2020 Mystic-Kitten-Writer, inc. all rights reserved. No reposting, modifying, or translations of any kind allowed. Thank you for your cooperation.

Disclaimer: I do not own any Avatar characters besides any original characters I have created. The artwork is not my own but gifted via submissions.

Cross-posted on Ao3/Tumblr/Quotev/Wattpad to discourage plagiarism.

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