#Hope I did the readmore right

[skyberia]

Hi, I read your about on Nephos and I'd really love to hear more about his companion quest! Like, she lied but is the curse 1. not a curse, 2. a curse used to leash a powerful sorcerer, or 3. A curse that was put on her that she transferred to him. Also: How do the other companions react to things as more is learned through his quest line? You've drawn romantic things with him and Astarion, so does he have more/different reactions to companions who are just friends?

And finally: What is the end game of his quest? Is it just revenge or no revenge, with no real way to fix it? Is it a situation where you can fix it or he can accept his death and each has their own sacrifices? If it can be cured, do the tendrils covering half his body remain as permanent scars? Or will they fade in time?

Anyway I love your sorcerer have a nice day.

these are fantastic questions. thank you so much. i wrote out a whole thing under the readmore (basically the rundown of the entire quest as i envision it lol) but given how it's Really long and i don't expect anyone to want to read through all that, here's just the answers to your questions. a TL;DR if you will

it is very much a real curse, just not the ~mysterious~ affliction he thought he was born with. it's actually dark magic concocted by his "mother figure" and placed on him as a way to use him (so your option 2 is kind of right!) but the true point of it is to basically channel his lightning magic in such a way so that it can be used to power one of her inventions... basically turning him into a humanoid battery. so it's not really a death curse in the way he thought it was, but only because it's a "fate worse than death" curse i guess. lol

due to (waves hands) reasons it takes them a Long time to tell the others about their "condition" and everyone else takes it differently... i guess most interestingly it changes their entire dynamic with karlach, where she goes from begrudgingly tolerating them (because they're a huge asshole when they first meet) to sympathising with them and then to just truly bonding over essentially having the same fate. she still thinks he's kind of a dick though. because he is kind of a dick

when he figures out what was done to him, he rallies everyone into taking his "mother figure" down (for revenge, but also like. prevent part of the fate worse than death) you fight her, but before you deal the final blow she starts pleading. promises that she can reverse the curse, but only if you let her live. if you spare her, she'll get to work on a cure.… allegedly. if you kill her, néphos is stuck with the curse and everything that implies, but at least no longer under her control or threat, and free to spend however long he has left in whatever way makes him happiest.

(^ bffs forever or until we both die shortly)

anyway. here's like 1.6k words about how néphos' companion quest goes down. if you're interested in rambling

his companion quest (named "The Eye of the Storm", because he's a storm sorcerer with a plot significant eye. this isn't really relevant to anything i just think it's fun) has one key player in it: that being the "mother figure" character, the one who "saved" them and who they think quite highly of due to, being convinced that they kind of owe their life to her. Néphos knows her to be an old halfling cleric named Hosana Stillwater.

in the years since she left due to her poor health after using all her power to slow down the progress of his curse, he has kind of kept in contact with her through letters but has not seen her personally, with the reasoning that she's too sickly to have visitors. fair enough. he doesn't want to cause her more grief than he already did.

anyway jump ahead to the events of the game. after a frankly ridiculous amount of time (somewhere around act 2), they finally come forth and admit to their companions that their blacked out eye and the "tattoos" they have on their face are actually signs of a curse, and it's getting worse a lot faster than it was previously, almost as if it's having a reaction to the tadpole. So It's, Uh, Not Looking Really Great For Him

it takes a while for them to come forth to the others with this info (despite being badgered about it all the time) because he, sincerely, had a firm belief that this was none of their business. something about Néphos is that he spent basically his entire life turning away from others and only establishing connections if he saw some sort of benefit or reward that could be earned from it. entirely transactional stuff, never saw a point in "friends" and never understood the idea of doing things for others, what, out of affection? … until being abducted by a nautiloid and having a worm shoved into his eye and forced into an actual adventuring party.

(by this point he's starting to form actual relationships with the others and it's making him question Why he ever thought like that in the first place… but anyway)

they're not convinced that there's any way around the curse. his quest doesn't suddenly become "we need to look for a cure!" because he's very much deadset on the idea that there isn't one. he spent a good few years trying to find one and only found that nobody can even tell him what it is, so it would be a complete waste of time to run around looking for curse experts, specially when they all have Bigger Issues to deal with.

However, through basically interrogating them over their backstory and what they do know of the curse, strange things start to jump out to them. info that doesn't really match up or make much sense. doesn't this whole story about him being rescued by a good samaritan who just happened to be capable of slowing down his mysterious curse seem too good to be true? and about the good samaritan, there's so much about Hosana that he doesn't actually know and never questioned that seems weird now…

So in act 3, when the party reaches baldur's gate, he requests that they try to find Hosana's whereabouts so he can finally talk to her and maybe clear some things up. going to the house of healing he always sent his letters to, they all find that… nobody knows of an elderly halfling cleric named Hosana Stillwater. nobody by that name ever stayed there for any period of time. by all accounts, she doesn't even exist.

Néphos is in disbelief over this. sure, he last saw her, like, 40 years ago, but he remembers her! he spent time with her! she took care of him! and he sent letters to her here! and he got responses! after pressing some of the employees over it, they spit out that someone else came to collect those. one of the benefactors of the house, a rich elf lady named Alodie Aello.

the next steps are finding out more about this woman so maybe SHE can explain what the fuck's going on here. eventually you all find where she lives (it's like, a mansion) and infiltrate it. she's not there currently and security's not that difficult to take down, so there's plenty of exploration that can be done.

on the surface, she doesn't seem at all connected to Néphos, nothing that indicates her even being able to know of their existence. seems she's an inventor of sorts, her place's littered with pretty magic-powered machines and other types of devices, but there isn't anything particularly revolutionary.

but they all keep looking. and eventually they find that she has a hidden, secret room or basement. and THAT'S where you find the real shit. there's a huge machine that nobody can figure out the use for, and around it there's plans and documents and journals and letters (that look a little familiar…) that are ALL about néphos and the curse. there's so much and a lot of it is just straight up incomprehensible or gibberish, but this shit is basically detailing his entire life story, including shit he did not know about.

in summary: she had been on the lookout for people who had some aptitude for lightning magic. she found Néphos when they were basically a baby, which was perfect. they were the child of a poor drow woman who'd just ran away from the underdark on her own, so getting rid of her to get access to the baby was Really easy. and then she cursed them with dark magic of her own creation.

(so nobody he went to was able to figure out what the hell the curse he had was because it was specially made to fuck him, specifically, over. really fun for him)

through those documents you learn that the point of it was to concentrate his lightning magic over time so she could basically turn him into a battery for her greatest invention. at its final stage, it would have essentially rendered him a vegetable, only capable of channelling power out and nothing else. so he would've been as good as dead, except not. his soul would be stuck in the mortal plane for however long she managed to keep him.

additionally, she documents having done something Else to him: she basically magically conditioned him to have certain behaviours: stay in baldur's gate, avoid connections with others unless beneficial, work to improve his magic. this is because after a few years of trying to raise him in secret in disguise as Hosana (it's possible that kidnapping a child and cursing them in order to use them for your own means could be generally looked down upon in high society) she got sick of it and decided it was more productive to just let him loose, essentially let him raise himself. So that's why he is the way he is.

(it's possible that the tadpole, though it worsened the curse, managed to cut this specific "feature" off.)

as you're all processing this, enter Alodie stage left. she's finally home! Néphos is Not happy, but she's willing to talk. unfortunately all she has to say is excuses that are pretty easily disproven by all the info you just learned. when she finally realises that you all know Everything and she can't talk her way out of it, you fight.

but before the final blow can be dealt, she stops and starts pleading for her life: she's the only person who understands Néphos' curse, so she's the only one who can reverse its effects! if you kill her now, you lose all chances of finding a cure. and she'll find a cure if you spare her, she promises!

Néphos refuses. obviously you can't trust anything she says, you know what she did to him, what she wanted him for! there's no way she's actually going to cure him. but she has a point, doesn't she? as the person who put all this together, she's the only one who can figure out a cure. it would mean Néphos would get a real shot at actually living…

if killed: Néphos continues being cursed. there can be talk of trying to find specialists to look at Alodie's documents, to see if they can reverse engineer a cure from that, but they still don't have much hope about that. it's bittersweet, but they are overall very grateful. even if they die a lot sooner than they should, they'll die free and knowing they're around people they trust. they won't be used for their magic. they'll die happy.

if spared: she'll thank you. she Promises she'll keep her word, even though she doesn't have a cure right now she'll start figuring one out immediately. Néphos on the other hand is Really Not Happy. implies he'll see this adventure through, but after the elder brain's destroyed they're done. they don't care if they're cured, they're leaving baldur's gate and getting the hell away from Alodie as soon as they can.

(but: Alodie insists on keeping him for the evening, swears up and down she'll do him no harm, it's just something she wants to try and see if it'll ease the effects of the curse for the moment. the next day, Néphos isn't much different. curse's still the same, still visibly there, but they're much calmer. it's almost like he completely forgot what he said the day before... if you bring it up, he just waves it off and says he was just being dramatic, he didn't actually mean any of it. he sees exactly where you were coming from and thanks you for making him see what was best for him before he did something so drastic………. :) )

#néphos #page stretcher #i don't actually go into their relationships w the others under the readmore at all. apologies #would've gotten SO long if i did or if i even talked abt how they all felt about *waves hands* the developments #and i'm not subjecting you OR MYSELF to that ................................. right now #maybe later. maybe ask me later #anyway i hope this is . comprehensible. thank you

[mothmvn]

i wish i could feel like ukrainian language was truly something mine i wanted to reclaim. it'll never be 100% authentic or genuine; i'm a grown enough man to admit that i dont feel a drive to speak ukrainian over russian, i rather feel embarrassed to even bring up speaking russian in front of "proper" ukrainians who do feel this Ukrainian Desire to speak ukrainian or whatever, which is a hell of a way to feel about the place you grew up and the language you grew up speaking in that place. even though russian is just a fucking language, and has been passed from parent to child in my family for 3+ generations, NOT first and foremost from State to Servant. if i spit at russian the language, it doesn't land on russia, it lands on my grandparents, my parents, my aunties and uncles, my friends. and the rhetoric around adopting ukrainian is often abandoning russian, often with a lot of hatred and anger (duh), and i dont want my parents or grandparents to feel that im giving up the vessel they've only ever used to love me. i DON'T want to walk away from the tools they've always used to love me — i wish it were only bullies or putin and I could make it out to be a foreign aggressor language to me, but it's the fabric of my family and I'll never not love it in my mum's voice or in my grandma's letters. there's no closer language for me.

maybe ill switch at a time when it feels different, less high-stakes (especially because my family and non-family aunties and uncles to me — who are generally russian speakers — keep fucking dying lately). I recognise this is a me problem to therapise away. for now it just feels like a sad truth that i won't feel fully comfortable in UA until this gets resolved inside, because i dont want to stop speaking russian to start speaking ukrainian, but that's kinda how it shakes out, innit, if everyone (except me who is broken) discovers an innate Ukrainian Desire to switch to ukrainian.

I'll never be a truly native speaker in my home country again. that's a thought

#personal #not reblogging the post that prompted this. + readmore. i wish i didn't feel the need to hide my own thoughts & feelings for fear of #being a tool for propagandists who want stories of russian oppression (that's not whats happening; i'm in full support of ukrainisation #laws and regulations passed to enforce UK as the sole legal language) #imagine having to caveat your vent post so it's not used to justify your own murder :) #and shouting into the void with the knowledge that ukrainians who see this are all the 'right' kind with the 'right' language in heart #im not on social media and im a hermit and i avoid this topic so idk if this internal turmoil gets discussed from THIS side #lots of people writing about it who have already 'taken the leap' but that's... not helpful lol that's a different page 2 be on #'just cut off your arm! i did it. hope this helps :)' #ugh #i want someone to mourn with me but people only write about how theyve moved on and see it as violence now #why did we skip ОТНЯТЬ язык у россиян? reclaim? руська мова опять же. а уже ведь поздно. или/и еще непомерно рано. бля

[delcakoo]

txt’s reaction to you being asked out ⋆˚｡⋆↯˚

requested <3

PAIRING ! txt x f!reader

WC ! 4k

GENRE ! fluff, crack

WARNINGS ! jealousy, slight insecurities, strangers asking u out

a/n: the readmore cut actually worked for once a tear rolled down my leg . ty for the req nonie hope u enjoy !

// CHOI SOOBIN !

DISPLEASED. EXTREMELY DISPLEASED AND ON HIGH ALERT !!

soobs doesn’t find himself getting jealous often

he trusts you more than anyone in the world and basks in the knowledge that you’re just as whipped for him as he is for you,,,

something super big would have to happen for him to genuinely get upset

and so when he does..

oh boy

good luck dealing with a clingy sulky baby :(

everything was going SO well today too

soobin was very proud of himself for organising the beach date you were visibly enjoying to the fullest <3

you’d spent all day making a giant sandcastle, playing around in the water, having an intense game of volleyball that soobin complEtely dominated and it’s not because he’s good. he’s just ridiculously tall and barely needed to jump

and of course !! getting ice cream !!! the highlight of a very hot day

you were both still dripping saltwater, but soobin put on a t-shirt over his swim trunks while you decided to stay in your bathing suit due to the fear of getting your clothes soaked too

while you waited in line for the ice cream truck, your boyfriend was busy trying to fix his hair when you feel someone poke your shoulder

of course you turn around to investigate,,

just to see some random guy around your age holding his phone opened to a new contact, a confident smile on his face as he continuously glances you up and down

bro wasn’t even trying to be subtle with the staring >:[

“hey, so i was just wondering if i could get your number, i think you’re gorgeous.”

THE SPEED IN WHICH SOOBIN TURNED AROUND

he doesn’t even say anything, just completely awestruck that this asshat couldn’t see him right there?!?

yeah, okay maybe u could pass as friends since he wasn’t much for pda, but too bad!!

he should’ve known and now soobin has the biggest pout on his face as he stares daggers at the man, waiting for you to deal with the situation yourself unless the time comes for him to step in

you just blink in surprise, “oh, me? thanks, but i’m here with my boyfriend.”

finally, he follows your finger to meet soobin’s eyes, gulping at the way he has his arms crossed and face sporting a please-dont-actually-try-to-fight-me-but-i-hate-you glare

personally you think he looks like a cute angry fluffball

but clearly the guy is slightly intimidated — perhaps by his height and built biceps — judging by how frantically he shoves his phone back in his pocket

“oh, my bad. sorry bro,” he apologizes, jogging off before he could embarrass himself further

as soon as he’s far enough, soobin starts murmuring under his breath, wrapping a big arm around your shoulder

sulky soob activated T-T

expect him to be extra clingy and show lots of affection in public for the rest of the day regardless if he’s feeling better or not about the situation

which is SO not like him

the grip he has on your waist even makes yOu nervous

“m’ not your bro. who does he think he is? seriously. looking at you like a piece of meat, i’ll- i’ll punch him!”

you snicker knowing damn well your boyfriend wouldn’t even hurt a fly

amused, you watch as he begins tapping his foot, clearly thinking way too deep into the situation, “couldn’t even ask if you had a boyfriend first! do i not look boyfriend-y enough?” his heart shaped lips form a frown, showing off his dimples unintentionally

“love, you’re the most boyfriend-y guy here, okay? did you forget how that guy nearly shit his pants when he saw you?”

a childish grin sports soobin’s cheeks at that, pride flowing through him and making you chuckle in return

“now c’mon big baby, what flavor are you getting?”

yeah you’ve made him feel a bit better about it

but don’t expect him to be anything but attached to your hip all day <\3

even when you go to the washroom he’s standing outside the door like a guard dog

constantly on the lookout as if that guy is plotting to randomly show up and steal you away !! he has to be sure :( !!

when you tease him though,, he of course gets all defensive

“ay, you wouldn’t be laughing if it was some girl trying to ask me out! you don’t understand.”

when you tell him that he’s right and that you’d be pissed too, he feels a bit better n’ goes back to having only a sliGht pout

but pssst secret

some cuddles and kisses when you get back home should fix him right up <3 !!

// CHOI YEONJUN !

the most atrocious yet blank stare imaginable

he wouldn’t even process what’d happened for a few seconds like

huh 🧌 that’s. that’s my girlfriend what do u mean. doesn’t everybody know she’s mine what no how could this happen plea

at the same time junie isn’t really a fan of confrontation and y’know

calling someone out

but in this situation IF he isn’t busy being the real life version of the standing man emoji HE WILL SPEAK UP !!

when something like this actually happened, it was originally a very chill day for you and jun <3

he invited you to come grocery shopping with him for the dorm

and man oh man he looks so boyfriend with that plain white tee and half his hair in a lil’ ponytail T-T

you tried not to ogle him the whole time

but clearly you weren’t doing well considering he already caught you staring twice …

“yah, cutie,” yeonjun barks with a teasing look on his face, “stop drooling and go get soobin’s bread. i’ll be in the ramen aisle.”

you roll your eyes but listen anyway, making your way two aisles over to find the bread section containing a man who’s carefully glancing at his phone, then back at the display with a lost expression

as you get closer you quickly realise he’s having trouble finding the bread on his list, so of course you decide to help him out like a good citizen

“is this the one you need?”

the man whips his head up at your voice, a grateful smile on his face as he nods and acceps the loaf carefully

“yeah, thanks. you’d think being so tall i could find things easily but..” shyly, he looks away, ruffling his bangs habitually

you chuckle while grabbing a loaf of soobin’s favorite bread, feeling the guy watch closely from beside you

“i uh, actually recently moved here and i was thinking,” he swallows, “would you want to help me find a good place to eat? on me, of course.”

you blink

was he asking you as a friendly gesture of thanks or as a date

you honestly couldn’t tell

“well i’ll have to ask my boyfriend, he’d probably wanna know the details and stuff. or maybe he could come with us?”

“oh, that isn’t really—“

just as he opens his mouth to reply, a familiar pale arm wraps around your waist and pulls you into a sturdy chest

“hey princess,” yeonjun aggressively pecks the top of your head, a gesture that has your stomach swooning, “who’s this?”

obliviously, you smile, “oh, we just met here and he was going to take me to—“

since you were in front of him, you didn’t get to see yeonjun’s cold stare that caused the man to quickly put his free hand up in surrender

“oh, no no, nevermind that! sorry— uh, thank you again.” he barely even finished his sentence before turning around and storming off, ears bright red

you begin to question why he was suddenly rushing, but you’re snapped out of it by none other than your boyfriend swivelling you around to face him

yeonjun just stares at you for a moment

looking carefully at your features before cupping your face and leaning down for a kiss

his lips were always so plush n’ soft and you desperately wanted to keep feeling them but

it couldn’t be too long as you were still in a grocery store after all

but even once you pull away yeonjun grabs your hand tightly

“i leave for five minutes and other guys are already hovering around you like flies,” he complains, duck lips turning down cutely

“now you know what it’s like,” you snort, rubbing his knuckles with your fingers laced through his. “you know i’m only yours, ignore them.”

he looks down at you, a fond yet playful gaze in his pretty eyes

“oh really? what are you? i think i forgot, say it again~”

“yours, dumbass,” you can’t help but smile at his antics ^^

“that’s right, mine. mine. all mine.” with each word, yeonjun gives your head another loving smooch <3

// CHOI BEOMGYU !

now this one ..

hate to break it to you but gyu may start laughing and mocking the guy as soon as he’s gone

he finds you rejecting other men hilarious, especially watching the way their face falls in defeat :)

butttt sometimes he gets a little irked out,, especially when the guy has pretty much anything better than him whether it be height or just neater hair

n’ even though you reject those kinds of guys just as quickly as any other, his insecurities tend to eat away at him

so make sure to reassure your boy !!

you and beomgyu decided to bus downtown for a day at the cat cafe that recently opened

things were going better than expected considering going on a weekday apparently meant not many other customers would be around ^^

plus the amount of lockscreen-worthy photos you got of gyu with kittens was astronomical HOW WERE YOU GONNA CHOOSE!!

out of the corner of your eye though, you couldn’t help but fidget at the feeling of the employee staring daggers at you

and at first you worried you were doing something wrong, but all you’ve been doing thus far is play with a grey kitten, laugh at gyu, and take a million pictures

“this one really likes me. i think we should take him home,” beomgyu declares, holding up a small white kitten to demonstrate

but when you don’t reply, he sends you a concerned gaze, “you okay?”

“yeah.. just, that guy won’t stop staring at me.”

when he looks to see who you were talking about, a frown pulls onto beomgyu’s lips

the man was even taller than him and had soft, neatly parted black bangs that somehow rested perfectly by his eyes

don’t even get him started on the uniform he attired being pulled up a bit to reveal tight muscles against his arms, what’s a guy like that doing working at a cat cafe of all places?

beomgyu turns to you, placing the white kitten back onto the floor, “want me to go tell him to stop? i can be very intimidating~”

you watch as he wiggles his eyebrows and snort, “it’s fine. i wanna go ask him about this grey kitten anyway, she’s cute.”

immediately, gyu stands up along with you, “well i’m coming too.”

what? he didn’t want that guy talking to you one on one >:[

as you make your way over to where the employee stands behind a counter, a smile quickly rises to his face when he catches you approaching

“hey there, can i help you with anything? would you like a drink?”

the whole time he never takes his eyes off of you, and beomgyu crosses his arms at the realisation that this man was totally ignoring him! the audacity!!

so of course he opens his mouth, “yeah, actually. i’ll get a latte, please.”

finally, the man turns to him, and his expression falters for a second before he nods and gets to work

you give beomgyu a strange look that he ignores

“you don’t even like lattes,” you murmur with furrowed brows

he simply nods to the kitten in your arms, a defensive glare on his face, “yah, don’t forget what we came here for.”

just in time, the man turns back to you while finishing up the latte and sliding it over to your boyfriend, who emits a barely audible ‘thanks’

a smile quickly returns to his face as he takes you in, along with the kitten you’re holding, “anything for you, pretty girl?”

what

what’d he call you

beomgyu’s jaw DROPS touches the ground even

that is HIS nickname for you!!!

he immediately frowns, a competitive gleam in his eyes as he reaches down to pat your head

“she is pretty, isn’t she?”

apparently the guy didn’t get the hint as he quickly agrees with a cheery ‘of course’ 👎

you seem equally confused but you quickly cough and speak up, “i— uh, i was just wondering what breed this kitten was.”

with another cheesy smile that has beomgyu gagging, he replies, “that’s a british shorthair. we actually have a new litter of shorthairs arriving next week. if you decide to stop by i could give you a personal introduction.”

the man winks, sending another surge of fury through beomgyu, “along with a coffee on the house, of course.”

… it honestly wasn’t a bad deal

but judging by the way beomgyu grabbed your hand and dragged you towards the exit, you assumed it was a no

“sorry, thanks for the offer!” you barely make out before the cafe door slams closed

“along with a coffee on the house, of course,” beomgyu mocks the man’s deep voice, face scrunched up obnoxiously while you groan next to him

“don’t let him ruin our nice day baby, c’mon,” you reassure the boy, smoothing out his frustrated wrinkles with your thumb, “i’ve already forgotten what that loser looks like.”

beomgyu’s snickers, relief taking over his features as he stares down at the sidewalk

“mkay. you think i’m better looking, right?”

“he isn’t even competition next to you.”

he gets giddier by each word, slowly going back to his regular self whilst a small :> rises to his lips

“and you’re all mine, right?”

“yeah,” you bump his shoulder, smirking playfully, “and you’re mine?”

his smile grows, “obviously.”

gyu mostly stays positive like that through the remainder of the date, but later you may find him sitting and staring off into space, once again reminiscing on what could’ve made that guy think you weren’t taken, if he wasn’t good enough, etc

but don’t worry! as long as you’re ready to offer words of affirmation and big spooning, he’ll be back to you in no time ^^

// KANG TAEHYUN !

not a very big reaction

it’s terry we’re talking about !! our unfazed king

he knows you’re his, what’s there to worry about ^^

honestly he might even chuckle at whoever had the confidence to try and ask you out rigHt in front of him

he lets you deal with it yourself unless it escalates in any way,, in that case oh boy is he ready

mans can finally put those hard-earned muscles to use <3

anways so you and tyun were having a nice lil’ outing at a cafe for lunch

being seated by the window, you spent every few seconds pointing at random things outside like literal cats <3

at one point a squirrel ran by and you immediately pointed at it going ‘you’ THEN TYUN DID HIS CUTE GIGGLE

he was in one of his cute moods and you could swear his eyes held the whole world when he smiled at you like that :(

that kinda changed when the waiter came though,,

you were a bit oblivious, but taehyun quickly caught on to the way the young man’s gaze would linger on you each time he handed you something no matter it was your drink, a napkin, absolutely any reason he could use to stAre at you

and despite him not being a very confrontational person, he makes sure you’re fully aware of what he sees

“ that guy totally wants you,” he comments as if it was something as simple as the weather 💀

meanwhile you nearly choke on your drink, “that— what? who?”

“waiter guy.”

“and at first you smile, “aww, you jealous?”

but of course ,, big mistake

“of what? you’re in love with me, aren’t you?” HE’S SO GRHRRGFH

you do that classic pouty pout and taehyun secretly wishes the table wasn’t there so he could lean over and kiss it away because aWww <3

bUt after that incident things were running smoothly, and since the waiter hadn’t returned for a while, taehyun figured it’d be a good time to run to the bathroom

well

apparently he couldn’t get a moment of peace because as soon as he waddled back to where you were seated, waiter guy had his elbow on the table, writing something on a sticky note while murmuring something that taehyun could only catch a few words from

“—can always call me if he messes up, i’ll be waiting.”

OOOHH yeah no he’s shaking in fury on the inside but stays cool on the outside

the sound of your sweet voice telling the man you weren’t interested and that something like that would never happen manages to cool him down a bit, but tyun still makes sure to bump the man’s shoulder extra hard while pacing back to his seat

“what’d i miss?” your boyfriend’s voice is so calm as usual,, but also somehow scary and cold n’ even yOu get nervous!!

“i- uh, enjoy your meal.”

taehyun SCOFFS as the man wobbles away with his tail tucked between his legs, “how pathetic,” he frowns

ouch…

you reach over to his knuckles which instantly softens up his tense muscles, watching as he sighs

“see, you’re just too gorgeous. it gets bothersome,” as usual, his voice is calm, but this time laced with a hint of dramatic playfulness, making you giggle shyly

you’ve gotten better and better at reading and understanding your boyfriend’s speech habits and tones, which is something not many could successfully do ^^

that’s pretty much it though

he might bring it up another time as almost a little inside joke between you guys, but he prefers to say that the guy was too irrelevant to bring any more attention to !!

but also

on the bill..

taehyun reattached that sticky note he tried to hand you and wrote something on it

unfortunately he folded it so you never got to see, but judging by the nervous stutters the waiter let out while handing him the receipt, you guessed it wasn’t too polite

your mind is taken off that real quick though when his larger hand is cupping yours :D

“c’mon princess,” with the gentlest forehead kiss ever, “we won’t be back here, that’s for sure.”

// HUENING KAI !

does that thing where his head just frantically shakes between u two like O-0

nervous chuckles awkward foot movements

starts inwardly panicking like fUck what should a boyfriend do in this situation SHOULD I BE PUNCHING THAT GUY

because lowkey

he doesn’t care that much,,

he trusts you fully n’ knows that guy is getting rejected

by the end of the whole fiasco he may end up having a nice conversation with the stranger as if they’re besties

they’ll be discussing how awful the weather’s been in the past week while you just stand there utterly gobsmacked

..he’s hyuka what’d you expect

however

do note that your boy may become unusually clingy after it’s all over

and if you question him he may or may not gaslight you into thinking everything’s normal out of embarrassment <3

anyways SEGWAY GOES HERE (coughs. so smooth)

being the rock-paper-scissor loser that you were

your co-workers left you alone to close up the local convenience store for the night (boooo tomato tomato)

closing was in a mere five minutes, and you were more than ready to book it out the door n’ spend your remaining waking hours watching anime with kai

AND all his plushies of course ^^

besides that NOBODY else was invited

not even soobin despite how he usually loves watching anime with you guys :(

kai insisted it was his very much needed alone time with you

so when the bell above the door jingles, a smile already makes it’s way to your face, expecting to see your boyfriend there and ready to drive you home

well.. not exactly

a man that looks around your age runs in, quickly sprinting over to the grocery section

and you’re just like well. shit.

if this is a robbery you’re fully prepared to sacrifice everything in the store

what’d they expect paying you minimum wage ??

but before you even raise your hands in surrender, the man has already made his way to the cashier, panting and huffing as he drops his basket onto the counter

“sorry, i know you close in a few minutes but if you could ring me up it’d be really, really great.”

you blink

“oh. yeah, sure. sorry, i thought you were a thief this whole time.”

watching you scan his items, the man giggles, “my bad. it’s.. a long story.”

“clearly, if you’re buying energy drinks at this time of night.”

again, he chuckles, leaning his palms on the table. “hey, you’re quite cute,” just as he speaks up, the doorbell rings again, “could i get your number?”

meanwhile you lift your head to see kai, who is now awkwardly staring between you both with a nervous smile on his lips

facepalming inwardly, you clear your throat, “uh- sorry, my boyfriend is- um, right there.”

when the guy turns to face him, kai just coughs with a barely audible, ‘hi’

“shit, that’s embarrassing. my bad— again.” you almost feel pity as the man fumbles to put his card back in his wallet, grabbing his bag and speedwalking to the door

but right before he can leave, kai speaks up out of nowhere, “where- where’d you get your jacket?”

you give him an odd stare, matching the guy who backtracks in confusion, “uh, i dunno. why?”

“i think i have the same one, that brand is super underrated,” kai grins nervously, and honestly, you’re starting to feel like a proud mom watching her kid make their first friend at pre-school

after the stranger gasps and brings up how he’s never met anyone else who knows it, they ramble for another few minutes before he eventually checks his phone, apologizing and saying that he needs to leave

nOt without exchanging numbers with your boyfriend of course

when kai turns around to see you shaking your head in disbelief, he bursts into a fit of screechy dolphin laughter

“he came for your number and ended up with mine instead!”

you smack his shoulder, countering the endeared smile growing on your lips, “god, you’re insane. who the hell makes friends with a guy who asked their girlfriend out minutes prior?”

grabbing your bag for you, kai throws it over his shoulder and wiggles his brows, “your boyfriend does, cutie. i personally think i handled it great.”

“yeah, whatever. go watch demon slayer with him instead.”

he pinches your cheek, cooing mockingly, “aw, no need to be jealous! i only wanna watch with my pretty girl~”

he’s acting all cocky right now

but right as kai starts to gets sleepy, he begins mumbling on about how much he doesn’t like when others try to steal you from him, and that he’ll do anything to be the one staying by your side permanently ^^ <3

if you enjoyed, reblogs n’ feedback is always appreciated + motivating for me to post more!

© delcakoo on tumblr. all rights reserved. do not rewrite, cross-post, translate, copy, etc.

perm taglist: @duolingofanaccount @strawberry-sunset-skies @scented-morker @koshinene @boowoowho @sultrybaby @yunjinlvrr @kynrki @yujiecho @monstaxdirtywonk @dekusgirl @taejays @luvhyun3 @yjjungwon @miou45 @rosie-is-everywhere @yenqa @rosenatorfirst @millsielovesgyu @syrxiee2 @ily-cuz-i @soobin-chois @wtfhyuck @hoonvrs @gyuuberryy @bucketofhiros @xtra-cheese

#delcakoo #delcakoo requests #txt imagines #txt x reader #txt soft hours #txt fluff #txt scenarios #txt fics #yeonjun fluff #soobin fluff #beomgyu fluff #taehyun fluff #hueningkai fluff #tomorrow x together #txt reactions #txt fic recs #txt fic #yeonjun x reader #soobin x reader #beomgyu x reader #taehyun x reader #hueningkai x reader #txt soft thoughts #txt fanfic #yeonjun imagines #soobin imagines #beomgyu imagines #taehyun imagines #hueningkai imagines #kpop imagines

[tgcg]

ms paint. you know her. u used her age 8 to make loads of rainbow ovals all over the canvas and then scramble it with selection tool. now u will know her true powers with my handyrandy tips under the readmore. some will be pretty basic and others are very special.

this post has 8 cool trix to learn for you. enjoy and i may do another in the future if i remember/learn more stuff

some of it might be common knowledge. but its got some deep cuts. all tips have gifs to show process easily.

🙂 enjoy and i hope this encourages you to fuck around in mspaint more

soundtrack for this post (loop it while you learn for advanced learning experience)

TIP 1) the right click trick

left and right mouse click correspond to col1 and col2 respectively, which u can see in the top bar. this applies to all brushes and the fill tool like above. when using shapes col2 will be the fill colour (if you have solid fill selected). right clicking with shape maker will reverse the colours use on the shape.

TIP 2) right click eraser

this one is extremely helpful for lineart or add shading. the eraser always uses col2. so your eraser can technically be any colour. but here's where you get powers: right clicking with eraser will only erase onto col1, with col2.

TIP 3) transparent selection change a guy destination

the beloved transparent selection tool works based on what is selected as col2. so long as you have the correct colour as col2 you can make any image transparent and put it on top of anything else. and yes this works with photo bg as you can see.

TIP 4) the gradience

this one is a little more complex. you want to start off with any canvas size, and make as many diagonal coloured bands as you want. (protip: holding down shift makes a perfectly diagonal line with line tool)

then you need to resize the canvas to a width of 1px (make sure you resize by pixels, and do not maintain aspect ratio). then resize again back to its original width (or a different width i cant stop you). you will have your lovely gradience.

TIP 5) superimposter

so. you got a cool gradient and wanna put a guy on it. heres what i do:

i open a 2nd mspaint with same canvas size and draw whatever i want on there. i then pick a completely unrelated colour to my entire piece, and set that as the bg. you could use white, pink, geen, whatever you want as long as it doesnt appear somewhere else in ur drawing. copy the guy.

go back to your gradient tab. ensure that col2 is set as that bg colour you picked (lilac for me). have "transparent selection" enabled. paste your guy in. cue fanfare

TIP 6) advanced superimposter

the great thing about this method is u can put multiple gradients in multiple areas of the image. this is where it gets all japanese printmaking type of shit. ukiyo-esque

all you need to do is make another canvas with a new gradient, ensure col2 is set as the colour you want to replace, then paste your original piece onto the new gradient. now my guy has a soft fade. you can do this as much as you want. (you could even make a canvas with a texture or photo and paste your drawing onto there)

TIP 7) "sketch layer"

so as you now know, col2 is what is removed when you click "transparent selection". which means you can also remove any instance of a colour from ur drawing. which means you can have a unique colour for sketch layer and remove it from the drawing later. i admittedly dont do this but it is a great trick to have.

now combine this with lowering your dpi for smoother lines. may seem obvious but it helps. its like a free stabiliser whenever u want.

TIP 8) rainbow art

now this is where you can get dizzee rascal "bonkers". check out my small and shitty rainbow trick. you can select anything and hold down shift, then drag with left mouse, to turn that selection into its own brush. i even did it with a guy. and you can of course do this with a photo as well.

🙂well that it for now. hope you liked it thanks for reading now back to your regularly scheduled tgcg programming

#randytime #mspaint guide #ms paint guide #tutorial #ms paint tutorial #mspaint tutorial #ms paint

[myuminji]

Just a comic about two people catching up again [Angel AU]

[ID: A Trigun comic of Wolfwood after his death in Trigun Maximum.

Abbreviated ID: Wolfwood is now an angel with wings and a halo tied to his grave. He cannot be seen or heard by others, but Livio visited his grave and mostly filled him in on the finale, and Wolfwood waits for Vash to show up. When he does, Wolfwood is stunned and worried by his black hair, though he deems Vash fine when he pulls out drinks for them both.

Vash pours the drinks and talks. He confesses that he killed someone and calls himself a coward and the worst, apologizing for being selfish and not saving Wolfwood. Wolfwood angrily shouts that everything was his decision, and Vash is an idiot for blaming himself.

He says that Vash has done so much for Wolfwood and for others, and he calls Vash brave. Vash falls asleep with tears in his eyes, but he seems lighter when he wakes up. Vash leaves, promising to return, and Wolfwood says that he'll "watch him from afar... again." The title is "#1 'What happened to your hair?'". Full ID below readmore in 21 paragraphs.

The comic starts with a dark, noise-filter panel of the Punisher being used as Wolfwood's gravestone, with the quote "Nicholas D. Wolfwood has died" written over it.

Below that is Wolfwood, who has wings and a halo. He sits pensively and narrates, "At least, that's what everyone has come to believe, including me. Yet here I am, still roaming on this damn barren planet... But I wouldn't say I'm quite alive anymore. Since I couldn't feel hunger or thirst like I used to." He thinks, "'Ghost,' like those horror stories was it?"

He narrates over sketchy panels of himself frowning while floating next to his grave and yelling at Livio. "There, are other things I found that fits the term, like how I can't bring myself to far too far from my grave, or how others can't see me at all." We see Livio tearing up and saying "Nico-nii..." while Wolfwood furiously waves his arms and shouts, "I am!! Here!!!!"

Livio is shown speaking with a teary smile while Wolfwood leans against Punisher and listens. Wolfwood says, "Livio is the first and only person I've met so far. And luckily, he was quite a storyteller. I was able to get a grasp of the situation, and its aftermath. And what happened to him in the end."

Livio smiles and says, "It's been three months ever since... But even if we couldn't get ahold of him now, I'm sure he'll come back to you someday." Wolfwood narrates, "—And knowing that idiot, he probably would."

A close-up of Vash's coat in the wind as Wolfwood narrates, "So it didn't come as a surprise to me when he visited my grave. I'd even thought up of things to say when we meet again. Everything was thrown out of the window when he appears, of course. I could vividly remember the one question that burns in my head..."

Wolfwood looks shocked as Vash, hair fully black, waves cheerfully, "Yo! It's been a while, hasn't it? Wolfwood." Below the two floats the question: "#1 'What happened to your hair?'"

Wolfwood sweats, "Spikey, your hair. Doesn't it mean... Are you okay???" Vash smiles sheepishly, "Ah, I hope you're not mad I didn't come sooner, don't haunt me please..." Wolfwood shouts, "That's not the problem right now!!" Vash pulls something out and exclaims, "But look what I got for you!! Alcohol!!!" Wolfwood shouts, "What sort of person do you see me as!?"

Vash excitedly pulls out a bottle and two shot glasses. "It's not the only reason why I'm late, but it did took me a month to hunt this down... I recall you said you wanted to try them, right?" Wolfwood buries his face in his hands and says, "Where the hell are your priorities... You know what, yeah. I'm not gonna ask anymore since you look fine."

Vash smiles a bit tiredly and says, "Hmm,, I'm glad this place hasn't turn to ruins yet~ I've still got lots I need to tell you that's happened out there! And I thought it's better to talk about it with drinks on the side…" He clinks two glasses together. "So, cheers! ..."

He and Wolfwood are both awkwardly silent, and Vash sweats and frowns nervously. Then he pours a glass onto the ground, and Wolfwood furiously shouts, "D'ya really expect me to drink off the ground!? Stupid needle noggin!!!!!"

Vash laughs sheepishly, and he speaks via empty speech bubbles while Wolfwood listens, drinking with a small smile. Vash says, "... And when that happened I..." He drops his gaze and says between long pauses, "I..... When that happened......" Wolfwood watches him seriously as he says, "... Say. Wolfwood, is this how you've felt all the time?"

Vash looks down sadly. "You I see, I... killed someone in the end." He laughs, eyebrows drawn in. "I guess you're right. I am bound to choose someday." He takes another sip, then downs it and falls backwards. "Isn't it funny? That I've called you a coward once for killing... But guess who's the coward now~? It's always been me, isn't it?"

Vash lies on his back and laughs. "... Haha. I wonder if you're laughing too. I really am the worst, aren't I?" Wolfwood looks down as Vash continues, "You've done so much for me, but all I've caused you are troubles. I was selfish, always chasing after my own goals... That you couldn't ask for my help. That I couldn't save you. Just what kind of friend am I?"

Vash scrubs his eyes with an arm and says shakily, "Sorry... Wolfwood... I'm so sorry..." A close-up panel of his mouth shows Wolfwood saying, "... Just so you know--" Expression unimpressed, he exclaims, "There's no way in hell I'm accepting that lousy apology! You drunkard!"

He stands up and seems to kick Vash, who's still on the ground and mostly out of sight. Wolfwood demands, "Why are you even sorry for something like that, huh?? I chose my own path. It was all my decision! How many times do I say it to get it stick in that thick head of yours? Stop. Blaming. Yourself. For the things. You've not done. Idiot! Stupid spikey hair!!"

Vash's face is cut off, but a tear in his eye can be seen as he weakly says, "... oof.. wood..." Wolfwood looks tired and sighs, "... Ha... Don't feel bad about me. Until when will you realise just how much you've done for us? You've done more than enough for me, Needle Noggin."

The perspective zooms out to focus on the sky and two moons, including the fifth moon. Wolfwood's wings and the Punisher can just be seen at the bottom. Wolfwood says, "And you're brave, to go against what you've been taught your whole life. You're not a coward. You faced them until the end. So don't sell yourself short like that next time, okay?" We see Vash's face, smiling with tears in his closed eyes. Wolfwood concludes: "I'll get mad."

Wolfwood narrates, "—He passed out right after for the whole night on the cold ground. I realised how little I could help in the situation." He tries to drape his coat over Vash, sweating, and wonders, "Wouldn't it just pass through ...?"

Time passes, and Vash gets up with a sneeze and rubs his eyes. Wolfwood watches him with his eyebrows raised, and Vash laughs quietly and a bit nervously. Wolfwood narrates, "As if he'd heard my voice, a burden seems to be lifted off his shoulder when he woke up. That, or maybe he'd forgotten what happened last night. He was quick to take his leave right after.

"And so, Vash the Stampede went on a journey with a promise." Vash waves goodbye, turning to leave with his bag in hand. "I'll be sure to bring back more stuff next time!! See you later!" Wolfwood concludes, "While I watch him from afar... again." Wolfwood sits below the Punisher and waves back, saying with bemusement, "Has he never heard the phrase 'do not disturb the death?' He really throws me off..." The title is named, and it says "/ END." End ID]

[link to Image ID reblog post!]

#''if you can't go to see the world I'll bring the world to you instead'' post trimax vash who often comes back to ww bringing things he foun #and it piles up. alot. #i have up to 8 chp of these tho idt i can draw them all haha #vash the stampede #nicholas d wolfwood #trigun #trigun maximum #trimax spoilers #trigun maximum spoilers #vashwood #centric #/p

[magneticflower]

When is it not raining in Ketterdam?

I got rather inspired and wanted to draw Kanej since it had been a while. It snowballed into me also writing a little thing to go along with it. I hope you enjoy both sjsj. The rest of the writing will be under readmore~

 It almost feels like old times, being out on the streets of the Barrel in the wee hours of the morning instead of at the Crow Club to meet her. Almost. Except he wasn't making his way through the Barrel to scout out a target or to discuss intel without the risk of being heard with her, and they weren't teenagers anymore. He was heading towards the docks for a goodbye. It wasn't the first time he had done so in the last five years, and provided her Saints kept watch like she said they did, it wouldn't be the last. 

He made his way down to berth twenty-two and could already see her waiting for him at the railing on the side of her ship, her familiar figure silhouetted by what streams of moonlight could make it through the smoggy sky that encased the Barrel most evenings. He preferred the times when she was silhouetted by the sunsets that only seemed to be visible when she returned, but he couldn't begrudge her for leaving to where she was at her best. He just hated how he felt in the hours leading up to and after her departure. Kaz pulled himself together just fine after, but he had never entirely managed to shake himself of those hours. Maybe one day.

"Punctual as always, Kaz," she said as he made his way to stand in front of her along the railing.

"I know how you like your sleep. I won't keep you long."

"I don't mind losing some sleep, not if it is for you. Saints know I have done it plenty of times before."

"I distinctly remember several instances of you grumbling about that."

Inej rolled her eyes, "Are you trying to keep this brief because you've got somewhere you would rather be, Kaz?"

No, there wasn't a place in the Barrel that he would rather be than right here, right now. Perhaps only his office, but only if she was there with him. "I am trying out being considerate."

"Not what I asked."

Kaz exhaled through his nose, "You know the answer to that, Inej."

Luckily for him, she wasn't keen on being as obstinate as he usually was, so instead of insisting on a real answer, she simply asked, "Then why are you so far?"

He eyed her momentarily, "How could I be closer than I already am while on the dock?"

Inej's eyes looked down and his own followed suit. "Are you telling me you want me to climb up those crates?"

She looked back up, "Well, I may or may not have had my crew leave those right there for that very reason. Come to whatever conclusion that gives you."

"It was raining earlier. They're wet."

"When is it not raining in Ketterdam?"

"Right now."

"Kaz." She gives him a familiar look that tells him she is done with the back and forth. He either does it or doesn't. Of course he does it.

"If I fall on my ass climbing these..." he muttered as he made his way up the boxes to fulfill her request to come closer.

Inej laughed, "If you do perhaps you'll gain greater appreciation for what I used to do for you. At the very least you will leave me with a great memory to reflect on during the less than favorable nights when I'm gone."

Kaz was too busy making his way up to give a retort. It wasn't as if these were particularly difficult, they were just a few measly crates, but his leg never liked this sort of weather and it was proving to stand by that.

"Now that wasn't so bad was it?" She said once he fully made it up, no unceremonious fall to be had.

"It wasn't particularly good either. We're not teenagers anymore," he countered, shifting his weight to better accommodate his leg.

Inej rested her arms on the railing so that she could lean closer to him, a grin on her face. She still had to look down at him even though he stood on the crates now. Regardless, they were closer, just like she wanted. He had wanted it too.

"You're only twenty two, Kaz, you're hardly ancient. Besides, you are the one that declines to simply come on the ship when we say our goodbyes. I know you said it is because it might wake the others, but one day you will have to oblige me, since you are giving being considerate a chance." He knew the last sentence wasn't just a request to come aboard for goodbyes. One day she wanted him to come with her. Maybe one day he would.

"It would be louder. I am not the Wraith."

"No, I suppose you are not. You're just the crow that keeps coming by because she didn't have the good sense not to feed him," she retorts, leaning forward a little more.

"I don't recall you giving me any information recently, Wraith."

"I suppose not," she said as she moved her hands down to place them on either side of his face to prompt him to lean up as she leaned closer to him as well, "Give me a minute to think of something," she finished as she closed the gap between their lips. It was soft and slow. perhaps because the two knew that this was where the goodbye started.

Almost as if Ketterdam couldn't handle the silence of their moment, Inej began to hear the pattering of the beginning of the rainy morning ahead of her. She pulled back, though only enough to stop the kiss, but not enough to let the rain hit his face. Not enough to ruin this.

"Kaz, it's raining."

"When is it not raining in Ketterdam?"

#six of crows #crooked kingdom #kanej #kaz brekker #inej ghafa #six of crows fanart

[medium-rare-bimbo]

Through though Thoughts

♡masterlist♡

MINORS DNI

Warnings: dark characters, noncon/dubcon,

༺*:ﾟ･✧･:*:ﾟ･♡ readmore ♡･ﾟ:*:･✧･ﾟ:*༻

♡ Scummy manager eddie !!! Who fucks you in the supply closet letting everyone hear you!! He bends you over the grill/fryer not caring about the danger he'll give you a pay rise if you let him cum inside

♡ Vampire eddie tricks you into becoming a vampire by letting you fred from him "c'mon I feed from you all the time it's only right for you to do it from me, maybe I'll understand why you complain so much be as rough as you want" he doesnt understand why you complain because his pants are now ruined

♡Eddie fucking the angel of heavens gates to get a free pass in

♡ Demon eddie fucking angel reader 

♡ Did someone say heather au?? JD!eddie x veronica! Reader 👁👁 kurt + ram! Billy and steve 👁👁

♡ priest! hopper fucking his favourite nun after she was almost seduced by eddie/steve/billy

♡ barista! Reader asking what milk theyd like in their coffee only to get the response of "yours"

♡ line cook! Eddie who has a favourite server (you<3) he always makes you food when you're hungry and isnt scared to go out and insult customers who make you cry

♡ hopper + dmitri/enzo fucking guard! Reader to escape ???!?!?!?!!

♡ porn director! Murray pairing his favourite actress (you<3) with the fan favourite hopper, hopper always messes up on purpose just so he can get round after round out of you

♡ Robin is horrible at sexting she can only Express her desires speaking whether that be on the phone or to your face she tries her best but jesus christ "humps humps humps dirty talk hump hump inserts strap thrust thrust spank spank thrust thrust degradation dirty talk thrust cums cuddles"

♡ nancy finds the cutest lingerie for you both to wear she makes you so flustered when she complements you, your legs spread infront of a mirror with your back against her chest. Pretty girls doing pretty things

♡ I know I did a cryptid girlfriend for eddie but I feel like everyone deserves a creepy girlfriend!!

♡ cryptid! Girlfriend who finds steve in the woods looking for dustin as hes supposedly ran off again (he didnt he was in his room the entire time) only to stumble across the creepy little weirdo whose bathing in the river water. He ushers you out and wraps is jacket around you (you have no Idea why) and is panicking into the black square thing that makes noise. Obviously none of the kids can take you in so he has no other choice but to take you back to his. Hes desperately asking you questions trying to find someone to call and hoping it's not an upside down situation however you seem to care more about his fluffy hair than anything else

♡ crytpid! Girlfriend who shows up in Nancy's room, who scares the life out of her, who refuses to leave her alone despite the items she throws at her (she pockets it them and keeps them)!! You're so creepy and nancy hates it!! You also dont understand boundaries as your practically under her skin 24/7 if you could fit in her pocket you would

♡ cryptid! Girlfriend who Robin finds you on night shift at the video store wandering in the back alleyway of the store doing god knows what. At first robin thinks you're lost and tries to ask you questions only to get completely ignored and naturally follows you around to try and figure out where you came from. You run off at some point but come back the next night bringing gifts, and the next night, and the next until you've successfully courted your human wife

♡ argyle who finds you after almsot running you over, he was trying to deliver pizza until you ran into the road he immediately gets out and tries to talk to you but once again you ignore him. He feels bad about almost killing you so gives you a pizza completely forgetting about the customer. He somehow befriends you and often dees you hanging out by the side of the road and his window

♡ johnathan captures you on camera and thinks you're a ghost, he goes back to where the photo was taken to try and replicate it to see if it was true only for you to sneak up behind him because you like the flash from the weird thing in his hands. You follow him home despite his protests and now he keeps you in his room because how in the world would he begin to explain why a girl with weird pupils is in the house???

♡ cryptid! Girlfriend who breaks into hoppers cabin and refuses to leave. He kicks you out even threatening to shoot you but you always come back, sometimes baring gifts and pretty little rocks. He feeds you from his porch sometimes watching you eat whatever he gifts you. He dozes off one afternoon and wakes up to you huddled up next to him, he feels bad and now let's you stay with him but hes not happy about it (that's a lie)

♡ cryptid! Reader who befriended the kids long before billy was around whenever hes mean to them she scares him straight. It's the same routine and last for only about a week until billy is conditioned to not bully children, he thinks hes going insane until he goes to pick up max only to find the girl that's been harassing him for months playing their dumb game. They just stare at eachother until billy ushers max to the car and quizzes her on who the hell you are. Hes creeped out by you but would 100% hit that

♡ I love my dentist so heres some self indulges on my part, dentist! Hopper who makes you suck on his fingers which then evolves into you sucking his cock!!!!

♡ teasing eddie with a fleshlight and cockring, you've been going at it for hours and hes whispering and begging for relief but you're having so much fun

♡ karen wheeler and joyce byers having a night together with pregnant! Reader they say it's to congratulate you and give you one last night of "freedom" before you give birth but they're playing such mean games!! They're practicing toys on you, making you cum so many times

♡ chrissy practices kissing with you but you get such a kick out of it, you hate jason wholeheartedly and love the fact that you get to kiss his girlfriend

♡ speaking of jason 👁👁 imagine being the only thing jason and eddie can be civil over, they just put all the hate towards eachother into fucking you

♡ party girl! Reader getting punished by hopper after she tells him "I fuck harder than I party" she was trying to seduce him into letting her go but hopper doesnt like brats

♡ vecna using his freaky tentacles on you!! Its absolute torture and he mocks you through it all

♡ you, eden, nancy, robin and chrissy having a sleepover together where you all discuss how much guys suck and how they're all the same!!! Idk gangbang me

♡ feel like eddie would look like pete Davidson with a buzz cut

♡ Eddie, steve and billy sorting out their differences by fucking me dumb <3

♡ I dont care what anyone says I could treat mrs wheeler better, I'll be her good baby. Make her cum in my mouth

♡ feral and primal 001 breeding me <3

♡ getting arrested and fucking jim hopper to be let go

♡ personally I think argyle would have a thick juicy cock

♡ if I had the opportunity I would carry Steve's children, all 6 of them. Firm believer of breeding-balls-Steve

♡hopper dressing you up in bunny ears and making you bounce on his cock for easter, he making you collect those vibrating eggs and seeing how many you can fit inside you

♡ tattoo artist/piercer! Eddie x tattoo/piercing-virgin reader

-your friends always come in bringing you as a plus one, always dressing up in nice clothes to hopefully get his attention

-none of it works as he always flirts with you no matter how done up your friends are

- eddie teases you about never having a tattoo or piercing before and says he'll pop your cherry

- after he secretly adds his number to your phone and starts suggesting piercings, you finally walk in for an appointment without your friend hes so surprised when you choose the nipple piercing

- you're shaking like a leaf when he does it and he asks if you have anything to calm you down with, you say you have a stress ball in your bag when eddie finds something better hidden in a small pocket.

- a bullet vibtator, you're so embarrassed but when he slides it inside you quickly find pleasure in the needle sliding through your flesh

-here he has you laying down on the table, nipples puffy and sore from the piercing, pounding into you cunny as if his life depended on it

♡ sex pollen all the time every time I love it so much, horny fuzzy brain yummy yummy yummy

♡ being fucked in the locker room before cheer practice I dont care by who I just want cock

♡ steve, eddie, billy, Nancy, Robin gangbang me pls

♡ 001 getting getting turned on by blood <3<3<3<3<3 any blood? Paper cut? In his mouth, nose bleed? Wiping it with his finger then boom in his mouth, period sex? Absolutely!!! Blood and cock perfect combination for him

♡ eddie x succubus reader !!!!!!!!! Soulmates <3<3

♡ eddie getting dressed up for DnD only to cancel in favour of fucking eachother dumb

#stranger things x reader #eddie munson x reader #billy hargrove x reader #Steve harrington x reader #Robin Buckley x reader #Nancy wheeler x reader #chrissy Cunningham x reader #murray bauman x reader #enzo x reader #jim hopper x reader #hopper x reader #joyce byers x reader #jonathan byers x reader #argyle x reader #001 x reader #henry creel x reader

[m1d-45]

i need MISERY and SADNESS and ANGST !

reader absolutely sobbing to bird xiao. i mean fucking wailing, man.

our birdie was going about his usual business, peeping around, looking for any possible dangers, maybe bring back a nice acorn. once he’s done, he’ll fly back to us, glad to report — (chirp a few times) — that the area is safe.

but instead of finding you eagerly awaiting him with an outstretched hand, he finds you curled in on yourself, stifling sobs.

he lands on the ground in front of you, worriedly hopping past the squirrels and deer nudging various forest tributes to you. he peeps once, but you don’t respond. he peeps a second time, and this warrants an answer.

you weakly unfurl yourself, willing your head upwards.

xiao now notices the state of your clothes. tattered, dirty, and dampened with what he hopes is just a peculiar blue juice.

he then meets a pair of reddened, glossy eyes. your cheek was scratched, and your now visible hands badly scraped. he chirps in concern, flapping his wings and hopping closer to your face.

that same face scrunches once again, as you curl your head back into your knees. as another sob escapes, you only wordlessly produce a few almonds from your pocket. you only whimpered an apology as a deer laid at your feet.

the almonds were not what he wanted. he did not need an apology for- what? a lack of attention? no, none of that. he only wanted you to be happy. how had he failed you again? he was a disgrace to the adepti, he was surely deserving of avid punishment. perhaps the loss of a finger would serve well. or two, after all, he had been too selfish and ignorant to save you. why was he even aIive? why was he ever even born? such a faiIure should never have been —

his inner monologue was cut off by an offering of a hand instead. you shakily nudged him with your index finger, making him release a squeak.

“hey.. i said i’m fine, right? please eat. you’re always so hungry.”

you sniffled.

“i can find some plants, and-“

but the sobs only continued.

“and fix it..”

your hand went limp as your cries shook your body. you didn’t even bother to weep silently anymore.

the squirrels chittered, the approaching raccoon held a rock in its small hands as an offering. a deer sniffed your head as you curled into fetal position again.

“i didn’t want this- i- i didn’t want to—”

i was just having fun, why did- how did it come this far?-”

a rabbit hopped closer.

“i want to go home. i miss my mom, i miss my dad, i miss their hugs-”

the deer at your feet nudged your leg.

“why can’t i just die aIready?”

xiao squealed, flapping his little wings furiously. he chirped and chirped, trying to bring you back to your senses.

he’d seen this thing time and time again- the form taken by relinquishment. once the thought was spoken, it could only end in misfortune.

he knew this was only a psychological effect, of course. to lose a battle when a small part of you wants to. to become careless and fall asleep on a thinly frozen lake. or, to intentionally cause one’s own end.

but that would not stop him from bringing you charms of good fortune in the following days. talisman to ward off draining spirits, necklaces and bracelets he personally imbued with evil-vanquishing power.

it did not stop him from distancing himself from you, in fear his karmic binds had effected you. that they were having the same effect on you as his siblings- as himself.

he had to protect you.

it was his duty.

-owl anon RAAAHH

i’m sorry this got so long, my thumbs go *taptaptaptap* on my keyboard while i just watch

oh…. you get it.

(under the readmore because my fingers tend to go)

xiao blessing small pebbles with adeptal energy, ignoring how it stings his hands as he wraps it in a leaf. as the one enchanting the stone, he’s granted a small amount of grace, but protection charms always tended to hiss at his karma.

he picks it up with his claws, flapping up and into the skies of liyue. he always brings you small gifts, and he knows you keep them, at least for a little while. he’s not sure if the magic is absorbed into you, if it fades, or if you simply lose them—some small part of him is satisfied at the image of mountain shaper being repelled by a simple stone—but he brings them to you faithfully. you always greet him the same way, and anticipation begins to bubbles under his skin at the thought.

he loves seeing you.

…but not like this.

your tree is more crowded than usual, various small wildlife surrounding you. nothing big, nothing threatening—the deer hesitate at the treeline, huffing and pawing at the ground—but worrying for certain.

he gives his same warning cry he always does, but you don’t step out to greet him. he has to duck beneath the leaves, and he sees you… crying.

he freezes, dropping a few inches in his shock, but quickly recovers.

(he can’t hesitate. he can’t pause. there’s no time for his own problems when you are in pain-)

he lands on your arm, bumping his head to yours and giving you a small chirp.

(please be okay. please be okay. please let the teal grass around you be lighting, or his bird eyes. please.)

another bump. another chirp. he reaches and pulls a leaf from your hair, turning to drop it away, and when he looks back you managed to lift your head.

he can’t stop the way he jumps, flapping to regain his balance at the smear of blue across your face.

“oh… hello there, little friend.”

he can’t even bring himself to be as happy as he normally is at your voice.

you take the wrapped rock from your claws, both you and the leaf unfurling. the blue stone glitters, and you smile slightly. from his new perch on your wrist and your shift in posture, he can’t help but notice more and more tragic details about you.

a slash across your waist, the cloth of your shirt clinging to your skin. the dirt across your skin, the tracks of tears down your cheeks.

“th-“ you cough, and the stone in your hand pulses outside of your view. “thank you, pretty bird.”

some part of him hopes that the stone brings you some joy. that you can absorb some of his magic- hell, he’d enchant it again if he needed to, expending every drop of energy he had of it meant you didn’t have to cry.

but not even the beauty of the earth can mend the tragedy of betrayal.

if anything, you cry more, curling up again in an attempt to hide from the world that wanted you dead. concerned cheeps slip from his beak as easily as the rabbits and birds around you hop closer. none dare to get as close as he, but acorns and river stones and pushed towards you, a ring of offerings surrounding their god.

“sorry,” you stutter, your voice choked, and he wonders why you’re apologizing. “i- i still-“ another sob. xiao feels like crying himself.

(he has no right to be distraught. not when he’s the blade you fear)

“here,” you manage, offering up a shaking handful of crushed almonds. you still have him your food, you still went through the strain and effort of crushing them so he could eat them in this form- even after the adepti had injured you, you still found it in yourself to help him?

(you didn’t know he was an adeptus. he was still lying to you. he hasn’t even taken any serious action, he couldn’t even try and help you when you still helped and cooed over and loved him-)

“do- do you-“ your voice hitched and broke, and he chirped, hopping up your arm. how he wished he could comfort you properly. how he wished he wasn’t a coward, that he could do more. “i know it isn’t enough, i-“ fresh tears welled in your eyes, and he had the feeling the pain ran deeper than your skin. “i’m sorry.”

you were sorry? why? he didn’t need an apology, he- if anything he should apologize. you deserved his offerings and apologies, you deserved his effort- and he couldn’t even give you that. he couldn’t even do what he was meant to, he wasted air with every breath, he spent his time protecting the citizens that hurt you. you shouldn’t be giving you his food, he should be giving you his blade, his armor, his mask, his- his faith.

he didn’t deserve to cry. but when he took a look at his own actions, he couldn’t help but think that he should be the one with blood on his skin, with ragged clothes and heaving breaths.

(he should be dead for what he allowed to happen to you.)

“please eat,” you sobbed, nudging him with the hand holding the almonds. “i can- i’m- you can trust me.”

(you shouldn’t trust him.)

“please…”

he hated seeing you cry. he hated hearing your sobs and knowing he was indirectly part of the cause. he hated that he was too much of a coward to take any serious action, he hated that he still stood besides your enemies, he hated that some of your blood fell on his hands, hated that every ounce of strength he had was one that you didn’t, and it was his fault. at least partially.

(entirely.)

your cries took words, pleads to the wildlife for a world they didn’t know, people and names you begged to carry you from your position.

“i just wanted to have fun.” you should be. you should be dressed in gold with jewelry of silver, you should be smiling and dancing with the ones you had blessed, traveling nations not as a fugitive, but as a god. “i never meant to come here. i never meant to be a problem.”

he hates that he knows you’d be safer in your previous world. he hates it. he hates it. he hates the adepti, he hates the millelith, the knights, the matra, he hates every blade that dared to cross your skin.

(he hates himself. he hates that he’s never done enough. he hates that he’s still so much of a coward he can’t take any action, not even against himself. he should turn his spear on himself, for allowing such heresy.)

you sniffled, harshly wiping at your eyes.

“god, why can’t i just die?”

ice frosted xiao’s veins.

he would understand if you were angry. he would understand if your tears were of frustration, if you beat at the ground instead of your aggressor’s bones, if you wanted to shout and take out your anger on the sky. he’d offer himself for your wrath—at least then he could finally be of service—but for you to wish to offer your life?

for you to be convinced that the death of a god was the only solution for the falsehood of another…

how long had this thought been in your head? how long had you offhandedly thought of letting yourself be captured, be slain, of giving up what you had blessed upon so many? how many times had you debating letting a wound get worse, of allowing infection to rid you of the thorns of this world?

xiao hopped up your arm, cooing sadly and curling into your neck.

he wished he could do more. he wished that he could hold you with human arms, he wished he could give you faith in your own creations, he wished he could whisk you away and take on the world himself, that he could fight on your behalf, that you would remain safe and if anything, he would be the one to die.

“don’t cry,” you said shakily, awkwardly reaching to pet over his wings.

how could he not, when his god had forsaken everything, including themself?

#m1d : [chats] #m1d : [secrets] #bird!xiao shenanigans #fuck t all the bird xiao stuff is now under this tag #we ball baby #owl anon #ALSO. THE COLORS IN THIS ASK. I AM GIVING YOU A KISS ON THE FOREHEAD AND TUCKING YOU INTO BED BTW. #hhrrrrrrrr me when colors #i should make a bird xiao tag. hm. #eh but they’re on the masterlist who cares

[etoilesbienne]

had some thoughts that aren't as serious and nothing to do with the allegations but i want to talk about them before theyre irrelevant for the rest of time so i will readmore them ok

i really really hated it back when the marriage proposal happened and everyone made it out into this cutesy romantic thing 😭 that shit was so uncomfortable. like if you want a deranged forced marriage thats cool i had nothing against that! but every take that was like "they have a fake wedding to kill forever and then everyone just takes it as a real marriage and calls them husbands" and i was like wow thats horrifically fucked up i hope that doesn't happen jesus christ. i would hope their friends wouldnt do that to either of them?? like murder wedding? cool! forced marriage? cool! acting like bbh would want a marriage and not be miserable? nnnnnooo???????? genuinely a nightmare? this drove me insaaaane during the wedding thing i just did not get why people wanted 4halo to be this cutesy romance like dawg i saw people comparing it to pissa and wanting that for them. i did not want pissa that sounds like kinda horrific given 4halo's history?

anyway besides that during the election arc i was always annoyed with the accusation bbh wouldnt let people vote if they were okay with skeppy being added. and then he clarified he would let people vote to approve whoever his new addition was. but then literally no one else had to do that? nobody else gave a fuck about the other islanders voting for a new addition? for the record i would not trade bagi for skeppy. skeppy would not be logging on much at all and bagi is by far such an active and fun character. it was just the fact that was a point of contention that only ever applied to bbh that pissed me off

ok and finally: forever using dapper who was at the time missing to get information out of bbh about the kidnapped worker was extremely fucked up and people taking it as a romantic gesture was fucking weird as hell. like first of all who gives a shit about a worker why would you /EVER/ use someone's missing child you have NO INFORMATION ON to lie to get information out of them. THAT SHIT WAS FUCKED I DO NOT GET HOW PEOPLE SAW IT AS CUTE AND ROMANTIC?

also forever's voting system sucked it got nothing done except ban furniture and literally no recommendations to improve it were ever taken into account. and he wasn't even online enough during his presidency to like actually do anything with it. bbh was right about how to do the voting system and tubbo independently coming up with a similar voting system suggestion to bbh's when he saw it was wildly vindicating

#discourse #neg #crit #qsmp crit #posts from the aether

[jeredu]

Time for some FFXIV x Tales of the Abyss

Honestly, just go scroll through my media tab on twitter because there are so many.... SO many doodles and lore bits at this point.

Anyway Cato Nocivus. All-knowing bringer-of-harm. Jade wakes up sometime after the end of the world in an unfamiliar child's body, in an unfamiliar land.

Coerthas, before the calamity.

Rather, a child wakes up one day with a lot of memories he didn't have before. Most of them belong to a man named "Jade," and some of them belong to a younger man named "Ascella."

Jade wins out, Jade has several decades more life experience than the rest of them combined. He chooses a new name, leaning into his half-Garlean heritage with bitter irony. He can't use magic. Or, he can't use magic yet. Thankfully, this child has befriended an outcast dragonet. The two of them eventually leave Coerthas in search of answers (and Cato begins to micro dose on dragon blood in an attempt to circumvent this particular aetheric handicap).

He has yet to find a single other person who remembers a place called "Auldrant."

(Things happen, plots unfold, he ends up back in Coerthas and finds a frozen hellscape. The eastern highlands are gone. He finds a body in a dark alley and picks up a sword nearly as long as his spear. He pulls Haurchefant away from danger, but not quickly enough to save his arm.)

He ends a war.

He travels to another world.

He takes in FAR too much light for his soul to contain.

(more art and spoilers for endwalker beneath the readmore)

Cato: I suppose it is appropriate… I chose this name with eyes fixed upon the past, and so created a self fulfilling prophecy.

Y'shtola [thoughtful]: Nocivus. Injurious.

Urianger [firm, scoffing]: Thou bringst 'harm' as the root breaketh barren earth.

He joins with yet another fragment of himself.

He learns the truth about Lorelei)

He sees the end of the world again, through the lens of the past. A different end, swifter and violent, barely averted.

He is thrust out of his body. He leaps into the lifestream to wrest it back, and in so doing meets its keeper again. Hades. Hades chooses to escort him, lest the final hope for this world die with him.

He is tasked with slaying the most ancient god. He fears that doing so will bring destruction, but letting it live certainly WILL.

He travels to the past. He confronts a truth he has held within himself.

He is not the right person for saving this world.

But he is the one who is here.

(did Azem know? Did Themis? )

#tales of the abyss #jade curtiss #ffxiv #haurchefant greystone #fray #ardbert #azem #lorelei #elidibus #au: shards #cato nocivus #jeredu art #there is so much art for this AU #But it's mostly on twitter #final fantasy xiv

[knockknockknockingonhootysdoor]

ok so i've had these saved for a bit but here's just a big doodle dump. its got everything! noceda siblings! raeda!! (part of which i censored bc i got too embarrassed!!) darius!! more raeda and darius! but with added complicated relationships with perry and alador! and of course some amity and gus friendship <3 they listen to kpop together and dance!! IDs and captions are in the ALT Text, as well as the captions in the readmore below!

Page 1

Hunter: Okay! One of you had strawberry and dragonfruit. They did not have dragons in stock. Luz and Vee: Thanks Hunter! Hunter: Now hold on! I gotta take taxes out! NOOOOOOO! Sluuuuuuurp! Luz: YOU'RE THE WORST!!! Vee: MUTINY!! Hunter: Done! :)

Page 3

Darius: Are you sure it's safe for me to keep an eye on him? Lilith: Oh yes, Hootsifer is very safe. Plus he promised to behave. Just make sure you feed him on time. Hooty: I AM A BIRD OF MY WORD.

--

Hooty: YOU ARE SOOOOO HANDSOME! I HOPE YOU KNOW YOUR HEART IS HANDSOME TOO ♥ Darius: Thank you?

--

Hooty: Y'KNOW IM JUST GLAD RAINE AND EDA ARE GETTING ALONG. Darius: It is weird to see them fight. They were glued at the hips as kids.

Page 4

Luz: PLAY WONDERWALL!! King: YEAH PLAY WONDERWALL!!

(Pointing at King) His ass does not know what Wonderwall is

Camila: C'mon Eda, this laundry won't fold itself. Eda: They're so good with the kids. <3 <3 <3 <3

--

Darius: The only reason I have not put you two under 30 metric tons of Abomination Goo is for our children's sake. Until we find our kids, do not utter a word to me. Perry and Alador: Oh no he's still hot...

--

Eda: For real?? Darius?? You know he's gone on Blight, right? Perry: Don't remind me.

--

Darius: I thought you were my friends! How could you do this?!

Page 5

Amity: WHAT DID YOU TWO DO?!?! Gus and Hunter: NOTHING!!!

--

Amity: So.... is that one Jeff the Killer? Hmmmm (Pointing to Gus) Drawing MSPaint art with a mouse

--

[They are listening to Sticker by NCT127]

Amity: (Thinking) For Johnny... (aloud) SO GOOD! Gus: (Thinking) For Mark Lee... (aloud) LOVE THIS SINGLE

#the owl house #toh #hexsquad #raeda #luz noceda #amity blight #gus porter #vee toh #hunter toh #eda clawthorne #lillith clawthorne #raine whispers #perry porter #darius deamonne #alador blight #my art #sketchbook #FUCK THERES TOO MANY CHARACTERS #i just want it to be noted that op is not a kpop listener this is inspired by his cringe ass boyfriend (me) #so before u say anything. this is my fault. #also i (not op) spent a lot of time on the alt text so i hope it suffices but im learning how to do it better every day #its a lot of sketches but its nice to do it! #ok well for some reason the alt txt for all 5 pages. is not showing up on mobile so im very mad. im so sorry i will see if it can be fixed #idk what went wrong its there on desktop

[rosanna-writer]

Love at First Sight's for Suckers (3/5)

Summary: [A Feysand Newsies AU] Rhysand had a reputation. A big reputation. But fortunately for Feyre, a newsie selling papers on the streets of Velaris, tabloid gossip about the handsome, charismatic, hard-partying war-hero of a High Lord's heir means business is booming. That is, until the city's newspaper magnates get greedy, Feyre finds herself an unwitting labor leader at the center of a strike, and Rhys becomes an unexpected ally... Warnings: None

We're back with our favorite Santa Fae <3 HUGE thank you to @itsthedoodle for continuing to beta my gift for @the-lonelybarricade!

Ch. 1 - Got a Feelin' 'bout the Headline | Ch. 2 - Beautiful. Smart. Independent. | Ch. 3 Guts and Glory

You can read the third chapter Here on AO3 or under the readmore.

That night turned out to be the longest of Feyre's life. There was barely time for a few hours of fitful sleep; instead, she was rousing newsies and mobilizing them to get the word out about the price increase before morning.

She started with Lucien. Then Bron and Hart and Alis and Les and Davey, newsies who she'd befriended and who'd listen to her. Once they learned that the marching orders came from the High Lady herself, the rest of the newsies of the Rainbow agreed to the strike readily.

And to Feyre's surprise, they also agreed to fan out across the city, spread the news, and cajole the rest of the city's newsies into striking alongside them. They looked to her for direction, and Feyre found herself dividing up the territory among them—Bone and Salt, Thread and Jewels, Hoof and Leaf.

But no one wanted to take the south side of the Sidra. That was Nesta's turf.

Given the choice, Feyre would rather fight a Middengard Wyrm than cross the Sidra for her sister's help. Any other newsie would probably feel the same; the south side fae were big and unflinchingly loyal to Nesta, who ran her side of the city like a well-oiled machine.

Nothing got past Nesta, though. Before Feyre even had the chance to summon up the courage to go see her sister, a note appeared out of thin air and fluttered down into Feyre's hands.

Waiting on proof that you won't fold at the first sign of trouble — N

That wasn't an outright insult, so Feyre supposed that was the best she could have hoped for. Even if it stung. For all her faults, though, Nesta was true to her word. Feyre pocketed the note and didn't bother with a reply; in the morning, she'd prove to her sister that the newsies of the Rainbow weren't backing down.

But it was more than just Nesta who doubted them. The responses came in one by one from the rest of the city, and they were all the same: they'd back up the Rainbow newsies…but only if Nesta did it first.

This would be a test. Feyre was sure of it, all the way down her bones, as the sky lightened in the east and stacks of papers were readied for distribution. For now, the newsies of the Rainbow would be standing alone.

Though on some level she'd expected it, Feyre's heart still sank at the sight of scabs lining up to buy papers to sell that morning. She wasn't the only one—a fight had nearly broken out immediately. Tensions might have boiled over if Feyre hadn't put an arm out to stop a newsie from charging right at them.

"Listen," she said, gentle but firm enough that the unionized newsies quieted as she spoke to the scabs, "I'm sure you were paid handsomely for this. But it isn't right. You've heard how they speak to us—if you ask Pulitzer, we're all gutter rats willing to stab each other in the back. There's no shame in being poor or lesser fae. We all deserve a fair deal. Every single one of us. So, please, I beg you…throw your papers down and join the strike."

By the time she finished speaking, even the fae passing by and going about their business stopped to listen to her. Feyre hoped the churning in her stomach didn't show on her face. For a few long moments, a heavy silence hung over the square.

One by one, the scabs dropped their papers.

The rest of the stacks of papers at the distribution window sat untouched after that. There hadn't been time to make banners or signs, but it was clear enough that the newsies of the Rainbow fully intended to ensure that every single paper went unsold. After all—by the end of the day, they'd be too out of date to be of use, anyway.

By noon, Feyre supposed, the message was received. She was already thinking ahead to votes and negotiations, demands they could make beyond just lowering the price of papers back down to what it had been originally. The strike might actually succeed.

And then a group of High Fae in identical police uniforms rounded the corner, and Feyre's hopes sank all at once. But she didn't panic, just gritted her teeth—she'd vowed to prove to Nesta that they wouldn't fold at the first sign of trouble, and trouble had arrived.

So Feyre marched forward to meet them. Head held high, she returned their stares and didn't bother glancing back to make sure the newsies of the Rainbow followed her.

The cops might have already been reaching for their nightsticks, but Feyre decided to make one attempt at resolving this peaceably. "Good afternoon," she said evenly, letting her voice carry. "Is there—"

But the thwack of a nightstick colliding with a newsie's jaw cut that short.

Feyre's hands curled into fists, her arms moving up to protect her face on instinct. Around her, the square erupted into chaos—shouting and newsies running in all directions. Something struck her in the side. She cried out in pain, too stunned to make herself incorporeal.

She scrambled backwards, glancing around for a flash of Lucien's red hair. If Feyre had to run, she wouldn't leave without him. All around her, newsies were fleeing or being dragged and winnowed away by police.

A shadow fell over the square, cast by a massive wingspan. An Illyrian warrior—what in the bottomless depths of the Cauldron was he doing in Velaris?—landed with his back to her, unsheathing a sword strapped along his spine. His wings flared out as if to shield her.

A vicious growl escaped the Illyrian. "Touch her again and you die," he spat at the cop, and Feyre recognized the voice. Not just any Illyrian warrior— Rhysand.

With a single deft movement of his wrist, Rhys used his sword to knock the nightstick out of the closest policeman's hand. It clattered to the pavement and rolled towards Feyre.

"What are you doing here?" Feyre hissed, picking up the nightstick.

"I told you I'd publicly support a strike, didn't I?"

There was no time to demand an explanation, not when Lucien was still nowhere in sight. Feyre threw herself into the fray. Hands grabbed at her, but she knocked them away with the nightstick before anyone could winnow her.

If they caught her, she'd end up in the Prison. Once, Feyre had nearly found herself trapped on that barren island of rock on the western shore. She wouldn't let it happen today, either.

She called Lucien's name, searching for any sign of him. There was none, but perhaps he'd already gotten to safety…

No, there he was, all the way across the square. Feyre called his name as she launched herself towards him. A cop was charging at Lucien, ready to strike or winnow him away.

Feyre reached for Lucien. So did the cop. But Lucien didn't see—he'd turned his head at the sound of her voice, and the officer was on the side where his missing eye narrowed his field of vision.

And Feyre wasn't fast enough. Her fingers closed around empty air. Lucien was gone.

Not just gone—taken to the Prison, with no hope of escaping that island full of monsters. Feyre choked back a sob.

Something tugged in her chest, urgent and insistent, as Rhys's voice filled her mind. Get. Home. I'm holding them off for you.

Feyre didn't need to be told twice—if she stayed any longer, she'd end up in the Prison, too. She faded until she was little more than a ghost, slipping from shadow to shadow until she was back at her tenement.

The Rainbow's High Lady should have been assessing the damage, getting a count of how many newsies had been arrested, and making sure any injured newsies who'd escaped found a healer. But Feyre was tired.

At at the sight of Lucien's empty bed, she finally let out the sob that she'd held back before running away. She'd never felt like a bigger idiot; going up against Pulitzer had been massively stupid, and now her best friend was paying the price. Dreams of a better world were just that—dreams. Nothing more.

So Feyre lifted the floorboard and gathered what she'd saved of the money Rhysand had tipped her. It was long past time to buy that one-way ticket to the Continent.

***

The force of his father's power knocked through Rhys's mental shields like a battering ram. House of Wind. Now.

Rhys sheathed his sword, glancing around the rapidly-emptying square. Feyre had disappeared safely into the shadows, and his work here was done. But the feral instinct to protect his mate hadn't disappeared with her. Rhys shot into the sky, hoping to clear his head before he misted anyone who looked at him the wrong way.

As he flew, Rhys shifted himself out of his leathers and back into a tunic—whatever explanation he gave his father, it would be better received if he looked less Illyrian. Less like a threat, if he was being honest.

But really, the only thing that would quell his father's anger would be telling him that Feyre was his mate. Rhys refused to take that option; his behavior might be excused as protectiveness typical of a mated male, but that wasn't worth exposing Feyre to pressure to accept the bond. She'd resent him for eternity for that.

So Rhys just steeled himself for whatever punishment his father would mete out. He'd endure anything if it meant Feyre had a choice.

The High Lord was waiting on the balcony of the House of Wind, and even from the sky, Rhys could see darkness swirling around him in furious, pulsing waves. He schooled his expression into careful neutrality as he landed.

"Would you please explain," the High Lord said, the mild words no less an ice-cold threat, "what exactly you were doing attacking a police officer in the middle of Velaris just now?"

"Preventing a bloodbath," Rhys said, just as coolly.

For a moment, night rippled between the High Lord and his heir as they stared each other down. Then Rhys's father turned on his heel and strode back into the House of Wind, clearly expecting Rhys to follow.

He hadn't yielded—Rhys knew this tactic well. He matched his father's long strides and awaited the dressing down that was meant to be overheard,not behind closed doors in the High Lord's study.

"A bloodbath might have been just the thing we needed, but everyone saw you protecting their ringleader. Do you understand the chaos that could cause in Velaris? A direct challenge to my authority, from my own heir. I won't have you starting riots, Rhysand."

Servants and courtiers alike scurried out of the way as they walked. Rhys made sure to keep his head held high.

"What they were doing….it wasn't right, High Lord." His father's title tasted like ash on Rhys's tongue.

" Right doesn't matter, keeping the peace does, especially in Velaris. I have half a mind to send you to Illyria if you're so intent on seeing this city burn to the ground."

Rhys nearly stumbled in shock—sending him to Illyria was the closest his father could manage to banishing him. Perhaps though, he shouldn't have been surprised. If the laws of Prythian had allowed it, Rhys suspected his father would have killed him before Rhys had a chance to ever challenge him for the throne.

"Velaris is my home now."

"You aren't acting like it. Undermine me again and I'll order Devlon to strip you of your rank and put you on border duty in the coldest corner of the Steppes."

A warning was more generous than Rhys had any right to expect. Though in truth, he suspected it wasn't mercy so much as his father's desire to keep a close eye on him that was allowing him to stay in the city for now.

"Thank you, father," he said with a curt nod.

They reached the High Lord's study, and the door slamming in Rhys's face was dismissal enough. That was fine. Feyre was probably off somewhere marshaling the newsies that hadn't been arrested, and Rhys would give her time to handle that before checking to make sure she'd gotten some safely.

Gods, he wanted to see her though.

To pass the time instead, Rhys began making his way down to the library to brood. But the sound of Mor calling his name made him freeze. A faint note of panic in her voice nearly had him reaching for his sword.

"Thank the Mother you're still here. I was just at Ressina's," Mor said.

Rhys stilled. "The theater?"

"There was some artwork I bought from her. And you should go there now because I saw—" Mor cut herself off then glanced around, eyes going wide. Rhys understood; privacy wasn't always a given in the House of Wind. Dropping her voice lower, she added, " You know who is there, talking about leaving for the Continent tonight. Go get her."

Rhys didn't need to be told twice. He set off at a sprint toward the balcony, snapped his wings open, and took to the sky. Once he'd climbed above the wards, he winnowed straight to the theater.

Feyre was alone on stage, painting mountains on a backdrop and looking as peaceful as Rhys had ever seen her. The beauty of it stopped him in his tracks halfway down the center aisle. She'd captured the majesty of the craggy peaks in Illyria—but with a hazy, otherworldly quality as if she'd seen them in a dream.

"What do you want, Rhys?" she said without turning around.

"An explanation."

"Of what? Why the strike was a colossal failure?"

"Of why you're planning on running away."

At that, Feyre spun on her heel, holding the paintbrush as if it were a javelin to throw at him. Her blue-grey eyes flashed as Rhys climbed the stairs to the stage and got closer. "Mother's tits, my best friend got dragged to the Prison today . I'm not putting anyone else at risk."

"I didn't take you for a female who backs down from a challenge."

For a moment, Rhys was sure she was about to strike him. And he probably would have deserved it. Feyre just sighed and went back to her painting.

"I tried sending a note to Lucien," she said quietly, "but he was too beat up to even send an answer back. If he doesn't make it…"

Rhys's eyes drifted to a crumpled piece of paper at her feet. "Then what's that?"

"A message from Nesta, saying next time we can count on the south side newsies. Easy for her to say when there won't be a next time."

It had been a while since Rhys had seen anyone with this sort of bitterness in their voice and defeated slump in their shoulders. He recognized it all the same—from his time in war-camps after lost battles. The drinking and partying that the gossip columns loved to write about so much had been his way of getting sights like that out of his head, to chase away thoughts of what might have happened to soldiers captured by Hybern.

He'd never expected Feyre to look broken that way.. But Rhys had commanded a legion; he knew what to do.

"Get your head on straight, Archeron," he said, a note of command creeping into his voice. Feyre stiffened for a moment, but kept painting. He pressed on. "You're winning, and don't be stupid enough to throw it away now. Pulitzer called on my father for support because you had him scared. And after what happened in the square, all of Velaris knows it. So keep moving forward."

For a long moment, Feyre said nothing, just kept adjusting the shading on one of the mountains. Rhys began to wonder if she was determined to ignore him until he left—she was certainly stubborn enough.

"Why do you care? You're a prince. I don't see why this matters so much to you," she said eventually.

Rhys couldn't tell her that the thought of an ocean between them was already ripping his heart in two. But he didn't have to lie, either.

"Because I'm Illyrian. I spent seven years breaking the news to families that they'd lost a loved one because High Fae bastards like my father think of my mother's people as cannon fodder and nothing more. Most of the newsies are lesser fae, and you can't tell me Pulitzer doesn't see you the same way. There are enough camp-lords who hate my father enough that they'll lend their support if you ask for it, and with Nesta on board, that's a powerful coalition."

Again, Feyre said nothing. But he watched as she dipped a new brush into silvery paint and slowly added three stars atop the mountain in the center of the backdrop. That was answer enough.

She turned and studied him, and Rhys had never felt more exposed than he did under the weight of her gaze. Feyre had a way of seeing right to the center of him, and when she'd drawn his portrait, it was as if she'd reproduced it on newsprint for the whole world to see.

"Does that mean you're in this with me? All the way to the end?"

Not for the first time, Rhys wondered if she knew what they were to each other. There were times—like now—that he felt the bond so acutely that every breath seemed to pull on a cord tied to his ribs. If he were a worse male, he would have slid past her shields to see if her question meant what he suspected.

But that wouldn't change his answer. "You have me. Everything I can give, for as long as you need, Feyre."

She set the paintbrush down. "Then let's get back to work."

#feysand #acotar secret santa #love at first sight's for suckers

[peony-pearl]

Homestead

Here is the fic in it’s entirety without all the readmores; thanks again to everyone who kept up with this! This fic wasn’t meant to happen at all and was all written from the top of my head the moment I included Niwa and the kids lmao, so if anything consider this a rough draft for Ozai and Niwa’s story. It’s not perfect and there are some inconsistencies but I’ll tend to those as the main story begins to develop more ^^

****

A healed Azula having her first violent outburst in years after finding Ozai in his hiding spot in the Earth Kingdom. She has him pinned, aiming her hand that is popping with charged lightning right at his heart.

‘Beg for my forgiveness.’ She seethes as Zuko panics behind her.

Ozai remains calm.

Years have passed, long enough to realize what he did to them.

He does not deserve to even beg. He closes his eyes.

Azula’s own eyes are overcome with tears. The lightning is at its zenith.

But she is not her father. She releases the lighting into the air with a curse.

****

Azula trembles. She could hit him; she could hurt him, but she remains frozen. Fire and lightning boil within her blood. She feels Zuko grab her arm, pulling her away clumsily before she can hurt him - or herself.

“Let go,” she hisses softly to her older brother. Ozai remains still, only moving to open his eyes and to heave a sigh, releasing his pent up breath and muscles. There’s an added layer to his relief, one that he dreads them learning - he must convince them to leave. “What I did to you-”

“Don’t,” Azula snarled. “Don’t you dare say a word. What do you know? What do you know of what you did to us?! Do you even care?!”

Ozai swallows; his gut turns. Azula is finding her footing again. She is no longer the girl that cowered at his raised voice. Nor is Zuko the worried, wet-behind-the-ears Fire Lord. They have both grown in stature and demeanor, and have left all traces of Ozai’s influence behind, leaving two grown royals in place of Fire Lord Ozai: a deplorable, angry warlord trying to live up to a legacy larger than the ego he boasted.

An ego he himself had shed - but it was the ego that had bruised, burned, and shunned these two children.

Zuko tried to keep Azula from growling into Ozai’s face, looking every inch like a dragon. The first daughter born to the Fire Nation Royal Family in three generations had more fight in her than every male that preceded her.

“I hope you rot,” Azula spat. “I hope you die alone,” she said, smoke billowing from her mouth.

Zuko, trying to keep Azula from doing something she might regret, hears a twig snap; he turns around.

Ozai’s stomach plummets as Azula continues to berate him.

“Chen?!”

A voice cuts through Azula’s train of thought; she realizes Ozai is grimacing and looking away from all of them. Azula turns, seeing that Zuko is already frozen in place.

A woman stands in the path leading from the wooded area. Small in stature, with thick brown hair and olive eyes. She carries a basket full of finds from the land around them, pears, apples, mushroom and herbs. A swathe of cloth wraps around her chest to carry something snug against her chest; wisps of a baby’s hair peek out of the bindings.

Next to her, a small girl stands, holding a jackalope that is poised to be that night’s supper. Despite her small stature, she bears an expression that is very similar to Ozai’s when he is aggravated; she has the woman’s thick hair, but it’s black like Ozai’s.

The woman puts the basket down on the ground, supporting the baby bundled against her.

“Chen, who are these people?!”

Zuko and Azula stare at Ozai, whose face has become a nauseous green.

****

“Chen?”

The name blurts out of Azula’s mouth as Ozai doesn’t meet her eyes. Instead, for the first time since their reunion, Ozai uses force, but only to move past Azula so he can meet the concerned woman, who rushes forward to touch Ozai’s shoulder. “What is happening?”

“It’s alright, Niwa,” he says.

Niwa looks at the visiting siblings cautiously. “I don’t buy that.”

“It’s fine; I promise. Come on; let’s get the kids inside and start dinner and we can sort this out.”

Niwa stares at him, concern written in her brow. “Chen.”

But Ozai offers her a smile before gently cradling the wispy hair of the newborn strapped to her chest. Ozai looks to Zuko and Azula. “Niwa is a skilled cook; her roast jackalope is the best this side of the Earth Kingdom. You’re welcome to join us.”

Azula’s lip curled. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Zuko remained silent. He turned to the small girl slowly making her way towards Ozai and Niwa, holding tight to the jackalope in her hands. Her eyes don’t deviate from Zuko; despite her timid demeanor, she does not back down. Once she walks past Zuko, she rushes towards Ozai, who allows her to cling to him.

Azula bristles.

“Come now,” Ozai announces, nodding towards the house. “Let’s talk about this over a good meal. Or if you don’t have the time, perhaps you can visit again sometime soon.”

Azula watches as Zuko joins her.

They watch Ozai’s hand gently lead the small girl into the home.

Azula stomps forward towards the house.

****

It was tense inside. The small girl bustled in the kitchen without a word as she skillfully prepared all of the smaller ingredients for dinner. Ozai had taken the jackalope outside to butcher it. Zuko had all but held Azula in place to keep her from going to find where Ozai kept butchering materials - she had half a mind to gut her father.

Niwa returned from hers and Ozai’s bedroom, having taken a few moments to nurse and change the baby. She joined her daughter in the kitchen as Zuko and Azula sat at the table.

Zuko noted Azula’s anger at boiling point. He knew it was time to make peaceful engagements.

“… I’m sorry for any concern miss… Niwa?” He said. Niwa turned to look his way and she nodded, still on guard.

“Do you two know Chen?”

Azula’s frown deepened.

Zuko folded his hands, shrugging.“Yeah. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen him.”

Niwa folded her arms, leaning back against a counter. “Then maybe you can tell me why I met him in the sorry state he was in. Beaten and blacked out and half drowned in the forest out there. We’re a ways away from a town, so I wasn’t sure exactly how he got here.”

Zuko pondered for a moment. “That I can’t tell you.”

Azula’s laser-like gaze pierced through Niwa. “Looks like you’re not complaining that he’s around.”

Niwa met Azula’s glare. “No; I suppose not. I helped him get back on his feet, but for a while he couldn’t do much; whatever happened to him really took it out of him. When he recovered, he helped me rebuild my gardens that I’d used to feed both of us. It’s only been me for years so suddenly having two people took a bite out of my reserves.” Niwa smiled. “But then we became three, and now four.”

“Are you married?” Zuko asked. Niwa laughed.

“Not officially. Things just kind of happened; we’ve never really talked about it. When I realized I was expecting,” she said, patting her daughter’s head, “he just kind of said ‘all right then’ and stayed with me. He just… accepted it. He farmed when I couldn’t, learned how to cook, hunt, fish, butcher; he likes to stay busy. I’ve noticed when he doesn’t have a list of chores he becomes distant. When Chiyo here was born, we’re so displaced that getting a midwife was almost impossible for when the time came; and yet he never panicked; it’s like he runs on that chaos. Even so, he’s the one who’s put both of our children into my arms when they’ve arrived; he was the same way when Katsu arrived three weeks ago.”

Azula stood with a furious scrape of her chair, which clattered to the floor. Niwa jumped, but quickly moved to stand in front of Chiyo; but Azula wasn’t interested in moving towards them. Instead, she headed for the door that led outside, slamming it so loud that the trio still inside waited to hear if Katsu would begin crying.

“What did I say?!” Niwa asked as the pressure in the room deflated. She looked to Zuko. His eyes told her there was something he knew about this situation.

“You know him, don’t you?”

Zuko took a deep breath.

“My name is Fire Lord Zuko.”

Niwa’s mouth went slack as Zuko continued.

“That was my sister, Princess Azula.”

Chiyo held tight to her mother. Zuko thought he saw a smaller version of himself clinging to Ursa, who now resided back at the palace with her husband, Noren, and daughter, Kiyi. Zuko was slowly taking it in that he had more siblings.

Zuko looked to Niwa. “Chen isn’t his name.”

Becoming rigid, Niwa braced herself for more information.

“How do you know?”

Zuko felt a twist in his heart, almost as though he was cursing her with this knowledge she hasn’t asked for. “Because your children’s father is also my father; and my sister’s father.”

Niwa held tight to Chiyo. If her the man in her life was the father of the current Fire Lord, then…

The air escaped Niwa’s lungs as she stumbled back, holding onto the counter; out of her mouth escaped his true name: “Ozai”.

****

The door to the shed slammed open. Hanging on the walls were multiple hides, furs, and horns that had been harvested from the game in the woods.

Azula had no more tremble in her. Now she was painfully still as she loomed in the doorway. Ozai looked up as he quartered the jackalope for cooking.

He didn’t cower.

Azula walked inside, her eyes darkened with hatred as she approached his work table.

“I think you’ll like jackalope,” Ozai said. “It’s robust and sweet; but it takes a good hand to cook it or else it gets tough. It’s not as forgiving as komodo chicken.”

“I’m not here to talk about the stupid jackalope,” Azula grumbled. Ozai continued working.

“I figured. I just thought I might make conversation. Did you speak to Niwa?”

“Niwa? Your perfect little happy ending? With your perfect little babies?”

Ozai didn’t speak as he masterfully carved silverskin from a slab of meat.

Azula’s hands became fists. “It must be nice to just forget everyone you hurt when-”

“You think I forgot you and your brother?”

“You left!”

“You left me in that prison.”

“You were going to destroy the Earth Kingdom!”

“And you were going to be Fire Lord under my rule.”

“You used me.”

“You’re my child. I was giving your instructions.”

“You were going to make a CHILD the Fire Lord!”

“Funny… Zuko is only two years older than you and he’s Fire Lord. By the way, how is your uncle?”

“Don’t change the subject. Uncle has nothing to do with this.”

Ozai dunked a cleaver into a pot of water. He wiped his hands on a towel as he looked towards Azula as she continued. “You left your cell and found a whole new family.”

Ozai sighed, slinging the towel over his shoulder.

“You’re right. I did.”

Azula’s eyes flared, and she rushed forward to pin Ozai against the wall, multiple horns and antlers clattering down onto the floor.

“WHY WEREN’T WE GOOD ENOUGH?!” Azula screamed. “WHY WEREN’T-”

“I LEFT BECAUSE EITHER I DIED IN THAT CELL AS OZAI OR I DIED A DIFFERENT MAN.”

Azula’s screams withered. She stared at Ozai as he finally showed an emotion beyond indifference.

“I never meant to find what I have. I never set out to replace you and Zuko. That’s not the point of my life now. Niwa found me, and I… I had planned on leaving. I had planned on learning how to hunt and gather effectively before I struck back out on my own. But it… never happened.”

Azula’s grip on Ozai’s collar loosened.

Ozai felt the hand that had scarred Zuko tingle.

“… I found a life beyond the one that I carved from my desire to appease my father.”

Azula stepped back. Ozai finally looked to his daughter.

“What I felt the moment Chiyo was born, when my hands brought her into this world and all I wanted to do was protect her… it’s what I should have felt for you and Zuko. Back then I wanted to be a good father; but now I know that my own definition of a good father back then was something I never want to be again.”

Ozai stood up straight, ready to make his case known.

“Azula; I’m sorry.”

The words struck Azula’s heart like bramble.

“I’m sorry that I… I put so much pain and fear onto you. I owe you and your brother more words than I can ever say, and yet words don’t matter for what I’ve done. I’m sorry.”

Azula glowered at the former Fire Lord as he poured his heart out. She was all too aware of his false words to be convinced.

“I don’t forgive you,” she seethed.

Ozai’s expression remained neutral; he did his best to blink away the small, dewy tears forming on his eyelashes.

“A wise choice,” he said, his voice pitifully rough with the emotion he couldn’t hide. Azula watched as he returned to butchering the jackalope.

“I’m getting Zuko and we’re leaving,” Azula said. “We’re not staying for dinner, we’re not going to play nice. Whatever this is… I hope Niwa wakes up and realizes the mistake she’s made. I hope she takes those kids far away from you.”

The knife in Ozai’s hand finally fumbled as Azula spoke. He took a deep breath, letting her speak.

“And I hope everyone you meet from here on out sees you for who and what you truly are. A sad, pathetic excuse for a man.”

The silence that fell between them was nearly as suffocating as when Azula spit her barbed words. Ozai continued his chore as Azula turned away to leave.

But the door opened before she could reach it. Niwa stood, staring inside as Ozai peered up to her.

He could tell something was wrong.

“Niwa?” He asked. She stepped inside, looking at Azula.

“I’m sorry, may I speak with him in private?”

Azula shrugged. “You can do whatever you want with him. I’m getting my brother and leaving.”

“Wait, please-” Niwa reached for Azula but the princess avoided the woman’s grasp.

“Ask him. Ask him why we’re here-”

“I don’t have to.” Niwa said, looking at Ozai. “Your brother already told me.”

Finally Ozai’s calm shell fractured. He froze, looking at Niwa, who’s lips trembled. She opened her mouth to speak; a moment passed before she could find her voice.

“I’d had a feeling that my children were not your first, Ozai. But I could never really justify asking you such a personal question; even after all these years.”

Azula blinked; she stared at Niwa as Ozai realized he was caught.

Ozai cleared his throat. “… So now you know.”

Niwa’s eyes flooded with tears. “Your son’s eye.”

A painful silence passed before Ozai gripped the wrist of the hand that had caused that burn. “… Yes. I did that.”

But how? Niwa looked at Ozai, having seen what she believed to be every side of him over the past seven years. How he had cared for her, tended to her at her most vulnerable, made her believe he only had their childrens’ best interests at heart. How he held Chiyo and Katsu, and the ways he spoke to them and how Chiyo found true comfort in entrusting her father with her protection’; how Katsu was now beginning to recognize his father’s voice and had started to smile when he heard him.

But now she was learning that her childrens’ father was a man who continued the horrors of his fathers, passing all of that fear and hatred and pain onto his own older children.

“You told me your name was Chen. How long were you going to lie to me?”

“I never meant for it to be a lie,” Ozai quickly explained. “I… I was never expecting this to become my life.”

“… Are you happy here?”

“Niwa, of course I am. We have all of this, each other, our children; Niwa I’ve kept the name because I… I don’t… I’m no longer Ozai.”

“Camelephant dung,” Azula hissed. “Don’t even-”

“I’m not. That man is dead. I would bury him myself if I could.”

Niwa wrung her hands together. Ozai stepped forward.

“I would never hurt you, Niwa.”

Trembling, the woman looked up to him, unsure of what to believe. She opened her mouth-

“Chiyo! Chiyo!!”

The three in the shed jumped, turning towards the house as Zuko rushed along the path leading to the woods. Niwa bolted towards the Fire Lord, followed by Azula and Ozai.

“What happening?!” Niwa asked. Zuko pointed into the woods.

“Chiyo came outside to check on you, but then I saw her run into the woods; at first I didn’t think much of it since I’m sure she’s familiar here and I didn’t want to leave Katsu alone, but-”

Zuko pointed, and billowing from the trees was a ghastly blue mist.

****

Niwa wasted no time running into the wooded area to try and find her daughter - but just as soon as she ran inside, she came tumbling back into the clearing from between another set of trees. She realized what had happened and she darted back into the mist, only to emerge elsewhere in the clearing. She began to panic.

“Chiyo!!” She screamed as Ozai rushed to her. “Chiyo where are you?!”

No answer came, and Niwa turned to Ozai. “What… What are we going to do?!”

“Remain calm,” Ozai said, but Niwa’s fear quickly devolved into anger.

“You want ME to be calm RIGHT NOW, OZAI?!”

Ozai winced, getting used to hearing her say his real name. Zuko approached them, kneeling down to get a look at the mist.

“I’m guessing this isn’t a regular occurrence,” he said, watching the tendrils of smoke wisp around his hand.

“It’s not; this is the first time I’ve seen this,” Niwa said. Azula approached her, for once looking at her without the judgment of her father placed upon her.

“Do you have anything like a messenger hawk? It could fly above the trees.”

“It could, but how is anyone going to get through?” Niwa asked. Azula smiled.

“Again, they’re going to go over the trees.”

Niwa, confused, looked to Zuko, who smiled.

The town may have been a three-days trip on foot, but on an air bison, it was heavily reduced to twenty minutes. When Zuko and Azula had received information on the potential whereabouts of their father, it was Avatar Aang, along with his fiancee Katara, who had dropped them off and mentioned they would be back at nightfall if they hadn’t heard anything. Niwa offered parchment and a brush for Zuko to write to his friends.

Ozai appeared… nervous, to say the least, at the aspect of seeing the avatar again.

But at the rate things were going, it was possible that the only person who could fix quickly this was Aang.

The hawk took flight in the full, bright sunlight of the afternoon, and arrived as daylight became rustic and golden. The hawk was intercepted, and the letter was delivered to where the Avatar was staying - which wasn’t hard to find, as Appa was happily munching on some hay just outside of the parlor of an inn where Aang was conversing with the townspeople.

“Avatar Aang,” the delivery man greeted, “I have correspondence for you.”

Aang blinked, looking to Katara. “How does anyone know I’m here?” He asked, just as he unfurled the parchment. “Oh; it’s from Zuko.”

“Is everything alright?” Katara asked, immediately standing. Aang’s eyes continued to scroll through the letter.

“We need to go.”

Katara did her best to peel Aang away from his audience as quickly as she could. Within moments they were up in the air as the wind sifted through Appa’s fur. Katara scanned Zuko’s letter.

“Of all days for a spirit to show up,” she said.

“Good thing we stayed!” Aang smiled as they breezed through the atmosphere. They watched the forest canopy below them zoom by, and Aang shuddered.

“Yeah; something big is going on in there.”

“Look!” Katara pointed towards the mist streaking through the gaps of the leaves. “It’s some kind of smoke…”

“Let’s touch base with Zuko and Azula,” Aang said, flicking at Appa’s reigns to signal that they needed to hurry. Appa growled and quickened his pace, soon leading them to the small clearing where they’d dropped the royals off. They crested over the trees, seeing a small audience awaiting them.

As Appa landed, Aang and Katara joined Zuko and Azula, where a distressed Niwa’s fears were being subdued.

“Niwa,” Zuko started, “These are my friends, Avatar Aang and Master Waterbender Katara.”

Niwa sighed. “The Avatar, I can’t believe how lucky I am. I suppose being related to the Fire Lord has it’s perks?”

Aang looked at Katara, then to Zuko. “Related?” He asked. Zuko smiled nervously.

“So uhh; I need to tell you guys something.”

Azula peeked out from behind Zuko. “Our dad’s here.”

“O-Ozai?! Where? Is he the reason this is happening?!”

Niwa quickly intervened to quell the Avatar’s own worries. “No, no it’s not him! Please, my daughter; she’s lost in the mist!”

Katara maintained a hand on her waterskin. “Ma’am if Ozai is here then we need to consider him a threat; he escaped prison years ago and-”

“He’s my daughter’s father, he is NOT a threat!” Niwa snapped, her voice echoing over the livestock surrounding them.

Aang and Katara looked at Niwa, their jaws slack.

“The woods are usually peaceful. I’ve lived in this space my whole life. It was built and maintained by my great-great grandparents. I have never seen a spirit in my whole life. But for Chiyo to just run into the mist? I’m so worried; I’ve never had anything like this happen before.”

Aang heard the door to the house close. He became rigid as he recognized the form exiting the home.

Ozai.

The former Fire Lord walked down the path, holding something strapped to his chest. He noticed Aang, and even his own stride faltered.

Niwa turned to him. “Ozai! The Avatar is… Oh.”

It hit her that they had met.

Still, Ozai walked forward with Katsu wrapped against his chest. He looked at the younger man, now much taller. Nearly reaching Ozai’s own height.

“Avatar Aang,” he said. “If anyone can help, it’s you.”

Gripping his staff, Aang’s face darkened. “You’re lucky it’s a kid in there and not you,” he said, suddenly taken back by the fact that there was an infant strapped to Ozai’s chest as Katsu shuffled within the cloth.

Niwa, needing a distraction, took Katsu into her arms, holding him tight as she escorted Aang to the entrance of the forest. Along the way, he noticed some interesting carvings in some of the stones along the path.

“Those are airbender markings,” he said, noticing the swirl patterns. Niwa looked down, smiling.

“My grandfather laid this path after he married my grandmother. She started going blind after an infection, so he made a tactile path leading her around the grounds. Each path has a specific symbol. I didn’t know they were of Airbender origin.”

Aang opened his mouth to mention something, but he remembered there wasn’t much time to talk. Instead, he approached the entrance of the forest.

“I don’t know if any of the landmarks I know will be in there, but if you come across the well, there’s a compass at the base. It will help guide you,” Niwa said.

Ozai approached them, unwrapping the bindings used to hold Katsu. “I want to go.”

“Absolutely not,” Aang spat.

Niwa wrung her hands together as she pleaded. “Please, Avatar?”

“If anyone goes, it’s you,” Aang said.

Ozai frowned. “My son is too small to be without his mother for too long.”

“Can’t you change him?” Aang crossed his arms.

Ozai remained placid. “Of course; but I cannot feed him.”

Aang stuttered. “Maybe I should do this alone either way-”

“Chiyo will not recognize you,” Ozai said.

“Aang.” Zuko’s voice piped up. “I can go with you two.”

Azula stared at her brother in furious horror.

Aang wasn’t happy, but if Zuko was willing to back him up, he agreed to the situation.

“After this, you’re going back to prison, Ozai,” Aang announced. “I’ll see to it myself.”

Ozai looked into the Airbender’s stormy eyes; Aang then slammed his staff into the ground as his eyes and tattoo glowed an ethereal blue. With a wave of his hand, the mist opened, and the three men entered.

****

Azula, Katara and Niwa watched the mist envelop Aang, Zuko and Ozai. Niwa let out a shaky, bated breath as she gently bounced Katsu in her arms.

Katara looked to Azula, who seemed indifferent to the whole thing. Katara could notice the shielded way she stood and held her face - it was like when Katara had been reunited with her own father years ago, and the pain of his absence to fight in the war had resulted in her placing so much orphaned anger upon Hakoda. All of the feelings she didn’t have the time to sort through while helping to take care of the tribe, while traveling with Aang and Sokka and Toph and holding people together, she felt both displaced enough from Hakoda and trusting enough of her father to unload every negative, sour, complicated emotion she’d been harboring for years - and he didn’t push her away. The moment had allowed Katara to become more open with her father after the war, and the two were now on more even grounds than ever.

But a father that was absent for trying to help the world is different from being the soldier child of a man who held the whole war in his hands. Ozai may have only reigned for 6 years, but those 6 years were formative to Zuko and Azula. Sometimes Katara thinks about those months when Zuko chased her and Sokka and Aang, and she’s long-since realized that a parent burning their child for speaking out and then banishing them for an indefinite amount of time was cruelty beyond measure - but back then she was too young to understand, as was Zuko. But Azula herself had no idea the pressures and weights to being Ozai’s blessed favorite. Azula, having prided herself on the stature of Ozai’s talented, preferred child who held the burdens of her father so gracefully on her head, yet her own young mind, no matter how brilliant, couldn’t foresee how Ozai’s teachings would lead to Azula to sequestering herself out of paranoia before challenging Zuko to an Agni Kai while on the cusp of being crowned Fire Lord while Ozai was out demolishing what was soon to be the Old World, reducing it to ash to allow a New World to be reborn.

Katara noticed Azula’s detachment from the situation, and she approached the princess with caution.

“You don’t have to walk on eggshells, Katara,” Azula said without looking at her as she heard the decorative beads on Katara’s clothing rattling upon her presence.

“… I’m sorry. I just wanted to check on you.”

Azula’s face remained neutral, although Katara could see the effort being made to do so. Azula’s crossed arms tightened.

“I’m fine.”

With a nod that meant Katara knew she wasn’t going to get much more out of Azula, she backed away, thus moving to approach Niwa, but not before turning to look at the grounds. The house ahead of them was large, something she would expect to contain an entire family. Several other small buildings surrounded the area, like a shed nearby, a chicken coop, a barn for the lion-rams, every hybrid pig Katara had ever seen, and several ostrich horses. It was a handsome property; bright and colorful with flowers at the base of the mountain, and a ravine that wrapped between the land and said mountain.

Turning back towards Niwa, who bundled Katsu up in the wrapping blanket as twilight approached, Katara was taken back at the image of the woman as she lovingly spoke to her newborn. She also felt immense dread, wondering if this woman knew the extent of what Ozai had done to so many people. What if Chiyo and Katsu were just as doomed as Zuko and Azula? What if Ozai returned to his old ways of pitting his children against each other?

“… Miss Niwa,” Katara began, “how are you doing?”

Niwa sighed, holding Katsu up to her shoulder, gently patting his back. “Better than I was, but still… not knowing is the worst. I’m just… I’m so scared for Chiyo. I trust her knowledge of the woods; she’s played in them so many times before on her own, but this? I’m so scared of what this could do to her.”

Katara nodded. She looked at little Katsu, wondering if maybe he resembled Zuko or Azula when they were that age.

“I can’t help but ask… but… what convinced you to… to be with Ozai?”

Niwa closed her eyes. Azula’s eyes locked onto the other women as she maintained her distance.

“Nothing ‘convinced’ me. I found a man who needed help, thus I helped him. Things happened from there. He told me his name was Chen.”

“He lied to you as well?” Katara asked. Niwa shook her head.

“It’s not… it’s not like that.”

“He did.” Azula seconded. “He lied to you to protect himself. Look where it’s gotten him. A woman who will defend him and two new, perfect little children. Only this time he won’t mess up.”

Niwa’s already strained patience was waning. “You take me for a fool.”

“Oh you bet I do,” Azula scoffed.

Katara did her best to place herself between them, trying to maintain civility. “Let’s not get too riled up. We’re here to make sure Chiyo returns to safety-”

Azula finally stepped forward. “Which means removing Ozai.”

Niwa’s stomach dropped.

Azula maintained her stance. “At all costs.”

“No. I won’t allow it,” Niwa insisted. Azula pointed towards the forest.

“You’re so afraid of losing your children yet you’ll allow that monster near them?!”

“He has never hurt them!” Niwa shouted. Azula doubled down.

“You’ve seen my brother’s eye! He had no problem doing that to him and shoving him off! For THREE YEARS! And he had no problem raising me to believe that what he did to Zuko was justified! The war was one thing, but he pitted me against my family so I believed he was the only one truly on my side, and then what happened? He abandoned me! Do you know how long it’s taken me to understand what actual affection looks like? What it’s meant to feel like when my mother holds me so that I don’t think she’s using that as some kind of emotional bait??”

Katara was quick to act in intercepting Katsu as Niwa’s anger rose. Niwa handed her son to the waterbender as she stalked Azula’s way.

“And I am sorry, Azula. I am so sorry for what you two went through. I can’t imagine all of the pain and horror you must feel reliving what happened.”

“No.” Azula growled. “You can’t. You can’t imagine what it’s like to be so alone-”

“I’ve BEEN alone, Azula. Before I found Ozai I was alone for years! I’ve had family! I had a wonderful family! My grandparents, both of my parents, and guess what? They have all DIED! I have been here because it’s my home; it’s all I have. When I found your father I didn’t think to myself ‘oh look, I wonder if this man is former Fire Lord Ozai and I should leave him for dead’, no! I found an injured man here in a place of little threat and I wanted to help him, because that’s what my homestead is about! I never believed him to be Ozai!”

“Well now that you know, then you’ll understand when we take him back to the Fire Nation.”

Niwa didn’t budge. “Over my dead body.”

Katara stepped back. Azula’s mouth ticked a smile.

“Excuse me?” Azula laughed.

Niwa approached Azula with every word. “Over. My. Dead. Body. You are not taking Ozai. You are not touching him. When your brother and the Avatar return, I am giving you all my thanks in every way I can, but you are not removing him from my life, nor that of my childrens’ lives.”

“He’s a monster!” Azula shouted. Niwa shook her head.

“Azula; if you can change your perceptions, why can’t he?”

Feeling the back of her neck bristle, Azula stood rigid in furious horror.

Katara stood at the ready, holding a baby in one arm and keeping her other hand at her waterskin.

Azula’s lip curled.

“You want him so bad? Fine. Maybe I’ll talk Zuko into building a wall around this forest, so you all can stay locked up and so SO happy together.”

Katara shook her head at Azula, who ignored the waterbender. Niwa, her arms crossed, tilted her head.

“I thought you said you were different? That sounds an awful lot like an old Fire Nation tactic if you ask me.”

Azula’s fists shook. “… I’m… I’m not like that anymore. I’m not like him!”

“I know you’re not Azula; but in the same way, you’ve both changed,” Niwa said. “I just want you to understand that he’s come a long way. Just like you have; and I don’t intend to let him go after I’ve seen the man he’s become. I trust the man he has become. Just like Katara is here with you.”

Azula looked towards Katara. “What are you talking about?”

Niwa continued. “A waterbender here as a friend to the princess of the Fire Nation? After everything you’ve told me? You can change and build new friendships, but he cannot?”

Azula replayed the moment Katara chained her to that grate after besting her during Sozin’s Comet. But she said nothing.

But she didn’t need to as her charged posture diffused, and she stepped back, and away from the argument.

Katara waited and allowed Niwa to turn her way, taking Katsu back into her arms. The waterbender didn’t say anything at first. She knew enough about Ozai to hate him. She’d also once hated Zuko and Azula.

Katara herself was the reason Azula wasn’t crowned as Fire Lord. And yet here they were as… well… maybe not the best of friends, but by now they were on positive terms of acquaintanceship through Zuko, and through Azula’s continued work towards a healthier life. Today had been the darkest turn Azula’s mentality had taken in well over a year, and it worried Katara, but she also understood.

But she couldn’t help but wonder, as she watched Niwa defend Ozai - the man that Katara’s fiance defeated - maybe… if his children had achieved a life beyond the goals of the old Fire Nation… maybe Ozai had achieved that too.

Katara listened to Niwa talk to Katsu as he cooed.

“Don’t worry; daddy will be home soon with sissy. I promise,” she said, stroking her son’s wispy hair.

****

“Chiyo!!” Aang called out. “Chiyo where are you?!”

“Chiyo!” Ozai shouted, following Aang’s voice. “Come on! Let’s go home!”

Zuko felt something in the pit of his stomach as Ozai said that.

“Zuko, Azula! It’s time to go home!” Ozai would call as their feet were coated with sand and saltwater, and as they begged for more time to keep constructing their lopsided palace on the beach.

Zuko looked at his father’s expression as he waited to hear Chiyo’s voice. The concern knitted in his brow was something Zuko had never seen - or at least if he had seen it, time hadn’t done the memory much justice.

“Does she come out here often?” Aang asked. Ozai nodded.

“These woods have been peaceful since before Niwa’s time, from what I understand. Chiyo has played in here for hours on end without problem. I taught her how to swim in the fishing pond up ahead.”

Aang looked towards Zuko, who maintained a visage of neutrality. The Avatar fell back a bit, walking next to Ozai.

“… So Niwa found you in this forest?”

“That’s what she’s told me,” Ozai said. “I was traveling at night, through a forest near where we fought. Next I remember I was waking up in her home.”

Aang listened to the atmosphere around him. “There’s a lot of uncertainty around here. When we flew over, I could sense a large cluster of spirits.”

Ozai hummed; Aang could hear the concern laced within it. “I’ve always figured this place had… something within it. For as long as it’s been peaceful, even at night, I guess I rationalized it as some form of… guardian. Maybe I was wrong.”

“I don’t think that’s wrong, necessarily,” Aang said. “But, if there’s some kind of guardian, it’s being overpowered right now; and it feels angry.”

Zuko’s hands became fists, but not out of his own anger. “… You don’t think it’s here because of Azula and me, do you?”

Aang looked back, shrugging. “Spirits can follow emotions and intentions. I… I suppose it’s possible.”

Zuko felt a weight in his gut. He looked towards Ozai, who didn’t look back to Zuko.

Old fears resurfaced for Zuko; he hadn’t felt this wave of uncertainty around Ozai in years.

“Ah; there it is,” Ozai said as they approached the well. Aang stopped, getting a good look at it’s construction.

“That…that looks like one of the wells back at the temples.”

First the carvings in the rocks, and now the well’s architecture. Aang touched the stone, impressed with the craftsmanship.

Ozai looked out to the different branches that splintered off from the clearing. “Chiyo!”

Aang looked up from inspecting the well to look at Zuko. The young Fire Lord watched his father shout for his child, able to maintain a poise he once never thought possible as he yearned for scraps of his father’s approval. But he also felt guilty for potentially leading to this search.

“Dad,” Zuko’s voice broke through the ringing silence when no one answered his call. Ozai looked at his eldest child as he reached out, hesitating, but he still managed to touch Ozai’s shoulder. “We’ll find her. I promise.”

Ozai regarded Zuko with an air of surprise. The son who once told Ozai to his face that he was abandoning everything their family stood for and trained the Avatar in the ways of firebending just to dethrone his father was there helping him find a part of his ‘new family’.

The older man could see how much Zuko was truly beginning to resemble him, and it made his stomach turn as he remembered how much suffering he put upon Zuko for his supposed weaknesses - when those ‘weaknesses’ were traits he had inherited from his father. Traits Ozai wanted stamped out because of that very reason. If he had to let go of all of the tenderness in his heart to succeed in his endeavors, then Zuko had to do the same.

And yet it is Zuko that now sits upon the throne, having heralded a new start with care and compassion the likes the Fire Nation and the world hadn’t seen in a century.

And it took too many years and a new family for him to come to even begin to understand how much of himself he’d never gotten to know by denying himself tenderness with another person.

Ozai finally managed to answer his son by placing his hand over Zuko’s on his shoulder.

“Thank you,” he said, his voice gruff with overflowing memories and feelings. He cleared his throat, looking at Zuko, into his eyes that were no longer wide and pleading and unsure, but were now more sure than even Ozai was these days. He tried to smile for some levity; and for something he didn’t realize was important to say until the events unfolding. “You’ve really… You’re…”

The words couldn’t register You’re a good kid? You’ve come a long way? How so? The man who had bucked the mould Ozai tried to fit him into was now something completely different indeed. Would telling him he’d grown into a good man even mean something coming from Ozai?

Instead, Zuko offered another smile.

“It’s alright. We can talk about it later.”

Aang watched from behind, unsure as Zuko walked ahead.

“Aang,” Zuko said, “Can you sense anything from here?”

Aang closed his eyes, opening them as they began to glow. He slammed a hand onto the ground, and a glow of energy burst through the grass that only he could see. Zuko and Ozai stumbled back as the gust of wind nearly knocked them over, but Aang, as his eyes dimmed, pointed to a spot towards the north; as the glow dissipated, he found a set of small footprints.

“There! She’s gone north!”

But just as they prepared to take off, Ozai felt something grab his ankle. He fell onto his stomach as he was dragged backwards. Zuko turned to see his father being pulled by something he couldn’t see - while Aang saw a translucent hand reaching out, pulling Ozai away. A spirit that was hiding in the well was the culprit.

“We’ve found him!”

A cavalcade of noise deafened Aang; Zuko watched his friend try to block his ears as he winced.

“Justice!”

“Justice for our lands!”

“Praise to the Avatar for leading us here!”

“Now we need to remove the woman and the other parasite; then this land will be ours.”

Zuko rushed forward, grabbing Ozai’s hands to keep him from being dragged into the well. The two latched onto each other, and Zuko, for once, witnessed primal fear in his father’s eyes.

Aang found his clarity through the noise; he also darted towards the well, pulling Ozai out of the grip of the spirit.

“Avatar!!” It screeched. “Let us take this beast from this world!”

“No!” Aang shouted. “This isn’t the right way!”

“Your way didn’t work! Your human justice led him back here to infest this land!”

Aang and Zuko managed to pull Ozai to safety, and Aang created a barrier of spiritual energy around them.

“What is it you want?” Aang shouted. The spirits howled and screeched.

“On the day the comet painted the sky crimson, the Fire Lord set ablaze to our homes!”

“We have wandered countless eves since!”

“We nearly rid ourselves of him years ago! When we came across him wandering, just like us! We forced him to feel our rage! Our pain!”

“We have been trying to find him since, but something has kept us from entering this forest.”

“But we have managed to distract it by luring the older of the parasite’s children into the forest; He is busy keeping It safe.”

Aang, confused, looked around as the clearing continued to darken with encroaching spirits. “He?”

“His spirit feels much like yours. But regardless, Avatar. We are ready for our justice!”

“This isn’t justice!” Aang shouted. Behind him, Zuko helped Ozai to his feet. “This is revenge! And revenge only begets more revenge and bloodshed!”

“PERHAPS BLOOD IS WHAT WE WANT!”

As the sun set, the trees began to sway as the spirits convened, and they amassed together to create an amalgamation of rage and desolation, appearing in the form of a massive, armored spidersnake.

****

She turned towards the burst of energy that had erupted towards the south.

The other with her, carrying a lantern that glowed with a hazy, white fire, hummed to himself.

“Did you feel that, Chiyo?” He asked, looking at the small girl. She nodded, not looking to him; instead he watched her face where the energy was coming from, her little form frightened, but not shying away from the predicament. “He is here as well… I should go say my hellos. It’s been a hundred years, after all.”

Chiyo looked up to the older man, able to see the grass through his non-corporeal form; but after all this time of knowing him nothing about him frightened her.

“What happens if I don’t know what to do?”

“It’s alright, Chiyo. You won’t be alone. But we must make haste. Don’t worry. I will be right by your side.”

Beyond the trees, they could hear the screech of the spirits as they engaged in a heated confrontation with the Avatar, the Fire Lord, and the man responsible for displacing them.

“AVATAR! YOU WOULD DEFEND THIS BEAST? AFTER YOU PROMISED HE COULD DO LONGER CAUSE DESTRUCTION?”

Aang dodged one of the spidersnake’s piercing legs as it jammed into the ground.

Aang faltered with an answer as he landed on one of the spirit’s legs.

“I won’t stand for acting on vengeance when the other hasn’t committed any other crimes!”

“HE IS COMMITTING A CRIME BY BEING HERE! YOUR MORTAL SENTENCING DID NOT WORK! YOU ALLOWED THIS CREATURE TO ESCAPE HIS CONFINES AND INVADE OUR LANDS! AGAIN!”

Ozai dodged one of the legs as it prepared to slice him upon impact.

“Let me speak!”

“IT WILL ALL BE LIES!”

Another leg stabbed the ground. Ozai looked towards Zuko, who was unsheathing his swords; even as a master firebender, he found comfort in bringing these weapons along with him.

He turned towards Ozai.

“Dad!” He shouted, tossing one of the swords Ozai’s way.

“YOU WOULD CAUSE MORE BLOODSHED!!”

“Just the same as you!” Ozai barked. Aang, from up high, began to panic, and he descended towards the others.

“No! Wait this isn’t the way!”

“Then what do you want us to do?!” Zuko hissed as he tried to keep his eyes on the massive spirit.

Ozai lashed out, slashing at a leg that passed by them, trying to stab it where the armor was weak.

“OZAI!” Aang shouted.

“WHAT?! MY FAMILY IS IN DANGER!”

“THIS HAPPENED BECAUSE OF YOU!”

“I’M WELL AWARE OF THAT!”

“YOU CAN’T KEEP TRYING TO USE VIOLENCE, IT WON’T SOLVE ANYTHING!”

Ozai glowered at Aang. “Really? Maybe you should have killed me when you had the chance, boy. Then maybe this wouldn’t be happening.”

Aang’s mouth bobbed, but he quickly became furious. Zuko looked between the two. He had once insisted to Aang that he would need to kill Ozai; it would be the only way to truly stop him. But Aang didn’t, citing the importance of his heritage and views of mercy. But… Ozai had indeed escaped his prison sentence, and he had returned to the Earth Kingdom, and now the spirits of the lands that were scorched by his fire were seeking their retribution, and an innocent family was in danger.

Well; mostly innocent family. Zuko wouldn’t lie about how he wondered how Niwa could care for his father; how he wondered what kind of man she found within him.

“Zuko! Behind you!”

Aang blasted a gust of air towards the spirit before it could slam a sharp leg down upon Zuko.

“ENOUGH!” The spirit shrieked. It doubled down and charged at Aang, flinging him into the tree canopy. It turned towards Ozai. “You have chosen this land, and thus the bones of you and your family will decorate it!”

Ozai held onto the hilt of the sword with a grip that turned his knuckles white. “You won’t touch my family.”

The spirit cackled. “Oh? Let’s make things interesting.”

A leg slammed down, catching the fabric of Zuko’s tunic. The spirit rounded, tackling Zuko to the ground, and it reared back to bite down into Zuko’s ribs. The Fire Lord screamed as the pincers buried into his abdomen; the poison seared and stung his flesh and exacerbated the wound.

Ozai watched as Zuko howled.

Yet he never called for his father, who was right there.

“Papa!”

But another voice did.

“Mama! Papa!”

Chiyo’s voice was heard over Zuko’s screams.

“ZUKO!” Aang’s voice entered the noise as he returned to the fray; and Ozai once more grabbed the sword Zuko had lent him… Zuko had lent him a means of protection - which Ozai now needed to use for him in return.

“ZUKO!” Ozai screamed along with Aang, and he charged after the spirit. “Avatar! Give me a lift! I’ll-”

“No! I won’t let you kill it!”

“IT’S KILLING ZUKO AS WE SPEAK!”

Aang faltered, but Ozai didn’t. He reeled back and, with all of his might, he sliced through one of the spirit’s legs. It screeched in agony, finally releasing Zuko. Aang was quick to Zuko’s side as the spirit stumbled away from him. Ozai grabbed Zuko’s other sword, slashing at the spidersnake, eagerly cutting any tender part of it’s body.

Zuko fought for air, his mouth rendered dry from the effects of the poison. Aang was quick to pull some water from the well, and with techniques Katara had taught him, he began trying to heal the wound.

“VILE CREATURE! YOU BRING MORE PAIN!” The spirit screamed as Aang heard another leg thud to the ground.

“AVATAR! YOU ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN! YOUR BLINDNESS AND BIAS LEAD TO MORE DESTRUCTION!”

“No!” Aang cried out. “You chose this path! You have chosen revenge to deal with your pain!”

“MY PAIN BROUGHT ABOUT MERCILESSLY BY ONE OF YOUR OWN HUMANS! I ASK RETRIBUTION AND I RECEIVE PAIN!”

“You threatened me and my family!” Ozai shouted.

The spirit wobbled; seeing no other way to end this scuffle, it’s body rattled with determination.

“Perhaps it should no longer be a threat. You will know my pain.”

Even missing two legs, the spidersnake charged towards the home.

“NO!!” Ozai screamed. He looked towards Aang and Zuko.

“Zuko still isn’t healed!” Aang said. “I’ve removed the poison but-”

Ozai rushed forward, removing his shawl and pressing it against the wound.

Zuko lay bleeding; but Ozai’s family was in danger…

But Zuko was Ozai’s family… As much as neither were ready to admit it in full just yet.

Ozai’s face twisted; his method hadn’t worked. It had only hastened the problem.

“Go, Avatar. Please; help my family.”

Aang nodded, taking to the sky and flying back towards the homestead.

In the enveloping silence, Ozai was panicking; he had to get back, but what about Zuko?

“Zuko; can you hear me?” Ozai asked; gently jostling the Fire Lord. Zuko moaned; the poison had taken every bit of energy out of his body.

“He needs this.”

Ozai jumped as a voice made itself known from behind. A cloaked man… another spirit, judging by the way Ozai could see through him… he offered an herb to Ozai.

“What do I do?” Ozai asked, accepting it.

“Extract the oils with your palms; it will also warm it up, activating it; then apply it to the wrists, throat, chest; it will absorb and help him.”

Ozai quickly took to smashing the herb between his palms; in time creating a medicated-smelling oil, and he began dabbing as instructed.

“Do you know this man?” The spirit asked. Ozai felt how Zuko’s scar had even wrapped around to the back of his neck as he administered the oil.

“…This is my son.”

“I see,” the robed man said. “Quite a nasty scar on his eye.”

Ozai didn’t look back at him; instead he massaged Zuko’s wrists, hoping the herb would take effect soon.

“That must have hurt. Did you find the man who did it?”

Ozai stopped; he looked back to the cloaked man-

Who was gone.

A groan; a grimace.

“Dad?” Zuko asked. Ozai jumped, pulling Zuko to sit up.”What happened? Did we fend it off?”

Ozai shook his head. “No; can you stand?”

“I… I think so.”

“If you can stand, then I can help you.”

****

Aang flew as fast as the currents could take him. He kept tabs on the spirit as it charged towards the homestead; he hoped the others weren’t too close to the entrance of the forest.

He found a strong wind current, and he charged through the sky, able to see the clearing as he bypassed the raging spirit. He crested the canopy, and found Katara, Azula, and Niwa waiting nearby.

“GET OUT OF THE WAY!! GO TOWARDS THE HOUSE!!” Aang screamed; but it wasn’t long until the spirit burst through the trees.

Katara was quick to act, and she used the nearby ravine to create a wall of ice to contain the spirit. Azula shoved Niwa towards the house and ran to join Katara and Aang.

“Where’s Zuko?” Azula asked Aang as he landed.

“He’s in the woods with Ozai-”

“YOU LEFT HIM WITH OZAI?! ALONE?!” Azula screeched as smoked poured from her mouth. Aang winced, but he was distracted by the scraping sounds of the spidersnake’s sharp legs clawing at the ice. Katara continued to add layers of ice to the wall, but the spirit was chipping away too fast for her to keep up.

“It’s going to escape!” She shouted. Aang looked back to Niwa, holding Katsu as she watched in fear, and he bent giant split in the earth to keep the spirit from reaching her. Niwa watched in awe as her land was broken in half, and water from the ravine crashed into the gap.

“Okay,” Katara said, still adding layers of ice. “What’s the plan?”

Aang joined her, also layering on to the wall as Azula joined them at the ready. Aang nervously laughed.

“Uhh that’s a good question.”

“You don’t have a plan?!” Azula asked. Aang pouted at her.

“Oh like you two have been making one while we’ve been in there?!”

Azula pouted back and crossed her arms, remaining silent.

“I don’t want to kill it,” Aang said. “It’s suffered enough; but harming others won’t fix it’s suffering.”

“What does it want?” Katara asked.

“It wants Ozai and his family dead,” Aang said.

Azula hmm’d. “I don’t see the problem with that.”

“Azula!” Katara admonished, but Azula was quick to snap back.

“Do you know what it’s like?! To have gone through so much because of him and suddenly he’s so much happier without you around?!”

Aang helped add another layer to the ice wall as the spirit screamed in frustration.

“I don’t think that’s what happened, Azula.”

“HE NEVER WOULD HAVE HELPED ME IF I WAS IN THIS SITUATION! AND YET HE’S IN THAT FOREST LOOKING FOR HIS NEW PERFECT LITTLE BABY WHILE WE DO ALL OF HIS DIRTY WORK FOR-”

“OZAI STAYED BEHIND BECAUSE ZUKO’S HURT. I’M DOING MY JOB AS THE AVATAR, OZAI IS HELPING YOUR BROTHER.”

Azula went silent, but she appeared as though she could shoot lightning from her eyes.

“Azula,” Aang said; “Would you let a woman endure the pain you felt just to make yourself feel better? I know you wouldn’t; you quit that cycle a long time ago. You have to live it now. And not giving in to the pain you’ve endured sometimes hurts more than the memory of it.”

Azula turned her head, tears in her eyes.

“Think about Kiyi! You have another little sister and brother! If you put that same harm on them, what would that say about everything you’ve learned? And if Ozai has learned how to stop acting out on his own anger, then why be mad at that?”

“Because Zuko and I suffered!”

“But it’s not Niwa’s fault; nor is it Chiyo’s or Katsu’s. Your suffering isn’t your fault,” Aand said, looking at the spirit, “But enacting on that anger to hurt others out of justice… sometimes it’s only revenge; and the cycle continues. And one day they’ll see it as the right thing to keep hurting other. Is that the legacy you want, Azula? After everything you’ve been through?”

For a moment, the only sounds were Katara and Aang adding water to the ice wall to contain the spirit.

Azula took a breath. “So… what should we do with this?” She asked.

Aang looked to Katara. “We can’t just keep holding it… we have to do something to stop it.”

“And at what point do we put it down?” Azula asked, stretching her arms as her hands began to sizzle.

“… We don’t.”

Azula sighed. “Katara he’s impossible.”

Katara smiled towards her fiance. “Yeah; I know.”

The ice finally broke, and the spirit lunged forward. Aang leaped into the air as Katara used the water to skate out of the way. Azula bent a wall of fire to try and herd the spirit away, but it was almost too fast, and it kept up with the blaze as it extended. Azula cursed and focused her powers on her feet, and she burst forward, using her flames to hover and move quickly.

Niwa watched in horror as part of her homestead was lit ablaze. Even from her distance she could feel the heat from the fire. Her livestock bleated and clucked and screeched in fear as she held tight to Katsu.

She wondered why only Aang had returned from the forest; until she saw two figures at the entrance of the trees.

Ozai helped Zuko stumble along, the two of them taking in the sight of battle.

Zuko tried to stand, but he was still too weak. Ozai helped him sit as he he could see Niwa and Katsu were safe.

But there was still no sign of Chiyo.

Holding tight to Zuko’s swords, Ozai pondered his best course of action.

“Dad,” Zuko said, and Ozai knelt down to listen. “You should go back in and try to find Chiyo while it’s distracted.”

Ozai stared at him. “And leave you here?”

Zuko laughed. “It wouldn’t be the first time. I’ll be fine.”

The words stung Ozai, but he was right.

“Besides,” Zuko said, “I’m a better solo fighter.”

“And yet you’re here with all of these people who care about you,” Ozai said.

Zuko smirked. “I lucked out. They helped me realize how much worth I had when I was blind to it.”

Ozai’s throat tightened. “I’ve… gone through a similar situation recently.” Ozai said. “I just didn’t realize it until today.”

Zuko shook his head, weakly pushing his father.

“Then go; go find her,” he said. Ozai stood, and Zuko gripped Ozai’s hand on one of the swords, ensuring he had a good hold on the hilt. “Don’t fail another one of your kids. Or I’ll make sure you see that prison cell again.”

Ozai nodded. “As his majesty commands.”

Ozai rushed back into the woods, and Zuko weakly tried to stand, but his legs weren’t strong enough. His presence caught the eye of Katara.

“ZUKO!” She shouted, skating his way with her water ribbon. She landed in front of him and crouched down. “Where is it?” She asked, preparing her water as he showed her the wound. She was quick to begin healing it as he wrapped an arm around her for support.

“I told dad to go back in and look for Chiyo while you have the spirit distracted.”

“You haven’t found her yet?”

“No. I’m starting to worry.”

“… Do you think he’ll find her?”

Zuko looked back to the fight raging in front of him. “I want to hope so; for all our sakes. I don’t want to think of my father’s bloodlust going against this spirit’s. If we led this thing here and something’s happened to Chiyo, I don’t think we’ll have seen the last of my father’s anger.”

****

He raced through the woods, feeling a panic he wasn’t used to. Even when Chiyo and Katsu had been born, he wasn’t this afraid.

Only upon seeing Zuko and Azula and the reflections of the man he used to be, and now Chiyo’s sudden disappearance did Ozai feel his eyes grow hot with tears as his frustration built.

So many emotions seemed to pile on top of each other, one after another.

Perhaps he wasn’t meant to be a father; he was barely even a good son. But he tried so hard…

‘All I wanted was for you, my father, to love me!’

Zuko’s words pierced his mind, as did the image of Azulon’s emotionless face.

Ozai shook his head and he continued back down the path.

“CHIYO!” He screamed.

What if he never found her? What if she was gone?

‘Spirits can follow emotions and intentions-”

Aang’s answer to Zuko’s question earlier rang in his mind. Ozai had displaced those spirits… if they’d arrived following any animosity from Zuko or Azula, or even following the Avatar’s power…

‘I’ve taken away your bending-”

Ozai’s defeat at the hands of Aang had caused him so much grief… and yet his time here with Niwa, away from the palace, away from the place that had created his anger and self-loathing… She had given him something new.

The early days when she expected nothing back from him for saving him, and he stayed because he just… didn’t have anything left. But he did find her. And soon they had each other. He often found himself thinking about Ursa; and the guilt he buried to keep himself sane.

And then Chiyo was born; the physical manifestation of his new life as Chen, as Niwa’s other half. Years ago, Ozai waited for his children’s arrivals from a distance as Ursa was confined to special quarters. He was then fetched to be brought to his tired wife and a clean, swaddled baby, to which he was pleased; and yet Chen helped to guide his children into the world, containing his composure in contrast to the work and pain Niwa endured. His hands - the hands that shaped, raised and burned everything from the world around him, including his own children, now delivered new life.

It didn’t hit him until a moment passed after Chiyo’s birth and she hadn’t made a sound, until she finally began to wail. That sigh of relief Ozai breathed was something he hadn’t forgotten. The way Niwa smiled as she gathered up their daughter into her arms.

The way Ozai felt compelled, hours later, to take Chiyo outside; all clean and bundled and happy with her first meal, as he introduced her to her home; his own new home. How he told her it may not seem much at first, but it had welcomed him and had helped him become a new man, and now how Chiyo was just as welcome to this new home; as she was created by a land that brought two souls together.

“CHIYO!!” Ozai shouted, his heart feeling the strain with the passing of the hours full of worry.

But thankfully-

“Papa!”

Ozai whipped around, hearing the voice. He heard some foliage rustle, and clamoring out from behind a lilac bush was Chiyo as she ran into her father’s arms.

“Papa!!” She cried as Ozai fell to his knees. “Papa I’m sorry!”

Ozai kissed her forehead. “It’s alright, rosebud. I’m just glad you’re safe.”

“I didn’t m-mean for al-all of this to h-hap-ppen,” Chiyo sobbed. Ozai looked to her in confusion.

“What do you mean?”

A soft glow rounded the lilac bush, and Ozai saw the robed man from earlier, holding a lantern flickering with an eerie-white flame.

“You,” he said. The spirit smiled, approaching them before he knelt down.

“I’m happy that you’ve finally found each other. Chen, or… I suppose Ozai… I’m afraid I’m the one that may have set things into motion today,” he said. Ozai stared at him.

“Who are you?”

The robed spirit chuckled. “I’m actually an old acquaintance of Avatar Aang’s. My name is Khospa.”

Ozai’s jaw went slack. “You’re Niwa’s grandfather.”

Chiyo sniffled, wiping her nose with her sleeve. “I got scared earlier when that lady kept getting angry. I saw Grandpa Khospa in the woods and wanted to talk to someone. He always gives good advice,” she said, reaching out to let Khospa take her hand as he chuckled.

Ozai’s eyes widened.

“Always? Wait… this isn’t the first time you two have spoken?”

“No,” Chiyo said, finally smiling. “Grandpa Khospa helps me find mushrooms and the best berries! and told me I’d be a good big sister!”

Ozai remembered when Chiyo was a little less than optimistic when she learned about Katsu’s impending arrival; then one day she started proclaiming about how she was going to be the best big sister.

Khospa chuckled. “She can be a little spitfire at times, eh?”

Ozai smiled, unable to hold back his relief.

“But I think she’s ready to tell you something, right Chiyo?”

Ozai looked between the two, and Chiyo, nervous, held tight to Ozai’s collar as she leaned in to whisper something in his ear.

His slackened jaw almost hit the ground.

“You can… you can what?”

The sounds of a shriek pierced the night. Ozai jumped as he recalled what was happening outside of the forest.

Chiyo wriggled out of Ozai’s grip.

“Come on, Papa! We have to go help them! I have to help Aang!”

“I will help you find your way out,” Khospa said, holding his lantern out to guide them out of the forest. Chiyo eagerly held tight to her father’s hand as they rushed through the woods.

Ozai, looking down at Chiyo and her determination, now felt more strongly than ever about returning to find Zuko and Azula - and to ensure their safety.

Zuko who, as of right now, had been healed in full by Katara. He stood, still wobbly, but he no longer ached as he stretched in anticipation of fighting. In the distance, Aang and Azula had kept the spirit contained by dodging it’s advances and using their elements to herd it away from each other.

“We can’t just keep making it go in circles,” Katara said. “But Aang wants it to stay alive.”

“It’s angry. I just don’t know how we can quell it’s anger in a way that will satisfy it.”

“Zuko!”

Zuko and Katara jumped as Ozai caught up with them. They gasped as they saw Chiyo with him, and Zuko smiled. “Hey Chiyo! You’re back!”

Nodding, Chiyo looked out to the great spirit as it fought.

“Look, Chiyo,” Khospa said, pointing to Aang. “There he is. I think he could use your help.”

Nodding, Chiyo rushed forward much to Zuko and Azula’s horror as Ozai ran after her.

“Chiyo wait!” Zuko shouted.

“It’s not safe for you!” Katara insisted. “Ozai stop her!”

“I can’t,” Ozai said. “This has to happen.”

Chiyo approached the spirit, and Aang, floating above, watched in horror as the spirit caught her in its sights. It turned towards her, and Chiyo stood still, but not out of fear.

Zuko screamed at Ozai to intervene; Katara readied her waterbending-

But just as the spirit reeled a leg back to smash down upon Chiyo-

A gust of air rustled around her clothes, and she leapt into the air, high, high up… until she was face to face with Aang as the spirit’s claw came crashing into the ground.

Ozai watched, unbelieving, as his daughter took to the sky; Zuko and Katara’s shouts went silent.

Aang, wide-eyed watched this little girl hover for a moment as their wind currents collided. She smiled at him.

“You’re… You’re a…” Aang’s throat was dry.

“Avatar Aang!” Chiyo grinned. “My Grandpa Khospa says hi!”

“Khospa?” Aang echoed. He looked towards the entrance of the woods, where a figure stood with a lantern.

The memory of an Air Nomad, still struggling to get his tattoos, but was a beloved shepherd of young airbenders, came to his mind.

“Khospa?!”

“ENOUGH!” The spirit screamed. It reared back on it’s snake body to reach upwards, flailing it’s legs towards Aang and Chiyo, who fell back down to the ground. Aang caught himself, but Chiyo was poised to land - until Azula made a grab for her little sister, who knocked the wind out of the older princess as she slammed down. Chiyo looked to see Azula and she smiled nervously.

“Thanks, lady.”

Azula pushed her off without hesitation. “Just what we need, another cloud-brained airbender.”

With a screech, the spirit prepared to strike again, but Chiyo stood to join Aang as she poised herself against the beast.

“HOW DO YOU FEEL, LITTLE ONE? TO KNOW I WILL DECORATE THIS LAND WITH YOUR FLESH?!”

Chiyo didn’t let her nervousness invade her mind; she’d seen spirits before, but this was the angriest one she’d ever met.

She stepped forward, her hands clasped together. “Why are you mad?”

“I HAVE NO HOME. YOUR FATHER SAW TO THAT MANY YEARS AGO.”

Chiyo turned to look at Ozai, who closed his eyes out of shame.

“Papa, is that true?”

Ozai looked to her, and he nodded.

“It is true. This… isn’t the worst thing I’ve ever done. I’ve committed many wrongs. Against this spirit, the world… your brother and sister.”

Azula and Zuko looked to each other as Ozai spoke.

Chiyo turned back to the spirit. “What is it that you want?”

“YOUR HOME IN RETURN. WE SHALL CLEANSE THE LAND OF THOSE WHO LIVE HERE AND MAKE IT OUR OWN!”

“You don’t have to do that!” Chiyo begged. She stepped forward as Ozai and the others made grabs for her to not step too close. “If you need a home, we are more than willing to let you live on this land.”

“WE WANT VENGEANCE!”

“Your anger is justified! But I can’t let you harm my family, or anyone else. But I can let you choose to live here. I don’t want you to suffer; but I don’t want anyone else to suffer. Please?”

The spirit looked upon Chiyo; and without warning, it reeled back to strike down upon her with it’s piercing leg. The others shouted, ready to remove her, but Chiyo didn’t budge; and just as she was about to be skewered-

The claw halted, just inches from her face.

Chiyo reached out to touch the armored claw, and the spirit shuddered.

“It’s okay,” she said. “You’re safe here; you can make this place your home, and you’ll always be safe. I trust you.”

The spirit trembled.

Aang stepped forward. “You have my word. You have his word as well, right Ozai?”

The spirit looked to Ozai, as he looked an absolute wreck as he watched Chiyo’s actions; but he and the spirit locked eyes.

“My Niwa opened this land to me when I needed a home. I took yours away; I now invite you to stay here, and make this land your own; with one condition.”

“… And what is that?”

Ozai placed his hand on his daughter’s hair. “That if you find anyone that is lost, you protect them. Beyond that, you’ll find Khospa; he will be glad to keep you all company.”

The Spidersnake backed away, and upon multiple parts of it’s body, light began to shine. The spirit allowed itself to come apart, and countless streams of light burst into the air, descending down into the ground, where the battered earth regenerated. Grass regrew and flowers burst forth.

“Thank you… ” They heard the whispers of thousands of voices. “I will abide by your condition, so long as you keep your own promise, and maintain the earth around you.”

Ozai looked to Aang. “I promise.”

Aang closed his eyes, passing the message along in spirit; and a cool breeze rustled the trees, playing melodies from nearby windchimes.

****

Niwa watched Aang return her land to one piece as Katara redirected the water that rose with the slab of earth. Niwa then rushed forward, holding Katsu tight as she embraced Chiyo.

“Oh Chiyo! Sweetheart!” She cried out, pulling her daughter into a tight bearhug. Chiyo hugged her mother back, eager to return the embrace.

Ozai watched them, and he tried to not be obvious as he turned to look at Zuko and Azula. Zuko sat on the ground, exhausted after his injury as Azula was staring Niwa’s way. She made eye contact with her father, and Ozai could almost feel the searing heat of her glare; he turned back towards the family in front of him.

“Mama, we kind of invited some people to stay in the woods.”

Ozai chuckled. He knelt down and looked to Niwa. “Well… we both did. But Chiyo did most of the talking. All that spiritual Airbender stuff, you know?”

Niwa still couldn’t believe it. “My baby is an Airbender.”

Chiyo nodded. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier. I was… kind of scared.”

Niwa held her daughter’s hands like lifelines. “Oh baby; I’m so sorry if there’s ever been anything I’ve done to make you scared about telling me this.”

Chiyo, however, shook her head. “It wasn’t you. I guess I just got scared about it in general; there aren’t a lot of Airbenders so I thought maybe something was wrong with me. But then I met Grandpa Khospa! He helped me, and he told me he was one too!”

Niwa’s jaw dropped. “You… you’ve seen Grandpa Khospa?”

“Yeah, and he’s real funny! He helped me stay safe from the spirits today.”

Niwa looked up to Ozai, and he nodded that she was telling the truth.

“He’s actually over there, talking to Aang! They lived in the same temple!” Chiyo said, pointing towards the entrance of the forest. She could see Aang heading that way to greet Khospa. She couldn’t believe what she was looking at.

Ozai touched Niwa’s shoulder. “You should go see him.”

Niwa’s eyes glossed over, and she held Katsu tight before Ozai gently relinquished her grip of the boy, cradling him against his chest. Ozai stroked her cheek, and she answered with a touch on his hand, still looking towards the spirit of her grandfather.

“Go on,” Ozai whispered, finally convincing her to go.

As Niwa slowly made her way over, she could see Aang and Khospa strike up their conversation.

“It’s good to see you, Aang.”

With happy, but tearful eyes, Aang looked upon Khospa, unable to believe he was with one of his brethren.

“Khospa; I can’t believe it! But… you’re so old… I mean you’re- you’re dead but… look how old you got!”

Khospa laughed a raspy, hearty chuckle. “I… I was lucky. I managed to escape just as we noticed the Fire Nation descending upon us. I was using my glider at the time, so I had a means to escape. I tried to get my bison, Kooka… but she had been…” Khospa shook his head, overcome with emotion.

Aang’s heart dropped, remembering Kooka, a sweet, apple-driven bison, who was the sister of Appa’s mother. She was beloved by weavers as her fur was one of the softest of all of the bison; her fluff was worn by countless Air Nomads.

Khospa cleared his throat and continued: “But… I was still able to escape. I hid in the Earth Kingdom and made a new life. I joined the army, but had to hide my Airbending, or risk being found by the Fire Nation. Unfortunately I lost one of my legs, and couldn’t fight anymore. That was when I met my wife, who’s family lived here and maintained this homestead. It used to be a whole community; but the war took it’s toll,” he sighed heavily, looking upon the still-beautiful land. “I took to the Spirit World before my death so I could be with this land, and my descendants.”

“I’m so sorry, Khospa. I shouldn’t have run away… I should have been there when the Fire Nation attacked.”

“Aang… I’m not sure there would have been much you could have done. You were so young, let alone untrained.”

“I could have done something!”

“And what if they’d killed you too? Then the world would have had to wait anyway for the Avatar to appear again; and with the way the Fire Nation ravaged the Water Tribes? Aang…”

Aang felt the warmth of Khospa’s ethereal hand rest on his shoulder.

“Aang, you may not be proud of it, and it may not have been a brave decision… but the decision you made saved the world. And you still stood to right your mistakes, and you put an end to what destroyed our people.”

Aang smiled, wiping his eyes.

“Thanks, Khospa.”

With an embrace, Aang felt so much of the guilt that he had been carrying begin to ease. He noticed Khospa look up; Aang turned to find Niwa approaching, wringing her hands together emotionally.

“Hi Grandpa,” she smiled. Khospa beamed.

“Hello, Rosebud.”

As they watched from the field, Chiyo found the courage to approach Zuko and Azula.

“Are you feeling better, Zuko?” Chiyo asked.

Zuko nodded, patting her head. “Yeah. I think I’ll make it.”

Chiyo looked up to Azula, who held her hand out to stop her. “If you want to ask me anything, you will call me Azula. Not lady.”

Zuko leaned forward, whispering to Chiyo. “Call her lady, I’ll vouch for you.”

Chiyo giggled, but she simply regarded Azula with big, stormy eyes. “I… I heard you’re my brother and sister.”

Zuko nodded. Azula made a hand gesture indicating that ‘maybe’ they were siblings as she wobbled her outstretched hand.

“I’m so excited!” Chiyo danced. “I thought all I had was stinky Katsu.”

Azula smirked. “Funny; I used to think the same thing about Zuzu; but then we found out we have another sister on our mom’s side, and now I can actually say I have a favorite sibling,” she grinned.

“Hey!” Zuko feigned a hurt tone. “I’m not stinky.”

“Uhh that time we fought each other after you’d been on the run for weeks? Nasty; you smelled like Uncle”

“And who’s fault was that?!” Zuko shouted. Azula looked over her nails.

“Hmm; couldn’t have been mine.”

Chiyo’s eyes lit up further. “Uncle? I have an uncle?”

Zuko nodded. “You sure do.”

Azula shrugged. “He’s alright.”

“Uhh, he’s the best?” Zuko responded. Azula wrinkled her nose.

“Eh, he’s okay.”

Chiyo turned around. “Papa! I have an uncle!!”

Ozai’s face winced as he wondered what else the kids were telling Chiyo… but who was he to stop them from telling her everything he’d held from her? He turned to see Niwa speaking to Khospa, and he hoped their conversation was everything she’d needed after being alone for so long.

Ozai looked to Katsu in his arms as the babe slumbered. He knew it was time to tell Niwa everything. To finally confront the name he’d abandoned to save his own hide years ago. He owed it to her, and to his children. To all of his children.

Niwa gave the final blessing for the new spirits that had taken refuge in her forest. She told Khospa that, to let them know she was thinking about them, she would make a birdcall he had taught her when she was little. As she gave the signal a trial run, whistling out a perfect mimic of a songbird, the forest slowly erupted into a chorus of whistles.

Khospa hugged his granddaughter. “I won’t be far, Rosebud. And I will continue to keep watch over Chiyo and Katsu, and any other grandchildren you might bless me with.”

Niwa didn’t want the embrace to end, but before she could say another goodbye, she realized he was gone. Niwa laughed, wiping her eyes as Aang touched her shoulder. “He hasn’t changed.”

She and Aang returned to the crew as he checked in with Katara, who was visibly exhausted, as well as the others.

“You’re all welcome to stay with us for the night. I have plenty of hay for Appa, and my house has enough rooms for everyone.”

Aang and Katara were eager to take her up on the offer; Zuko nodded as well, but Azula seemed… less than excited. But she finally relented.

As she ensured everyone had a good meal (unfortunately the jackalope meal had to be discarded after being left out for hours), Niwa escorted everyone to their rooms and tucked Chiyo into bed.

“Goodnight, Rosebud,” she whispered as Chiyo was quick to fall asleep after the day’s trials. Niwa kissed her daughter’s forehead as Ozai did the same, holding onto Katsu as he looked upon her. He had so many racing thoughts; for so long he had wondered if she might have become a Firebender. But instead, something he never could have dreamed had happened.

Ozai felt Niwa’s hand on his back, and he stood to join her as they retired back to their room.

So many events that day… the two simply changed into sleepwear and Niwa tended to Katsu, settling him into the crib set up in front of the bed.

“Goodnight, Starshine,” she whispered. Ozai sat on the bed, still too wired to close his tired eyes. Niwa joined him, sitting back as she sighed. A few moments of silence passed before Niwa spoke.

“Okay. I need to know,” she began. Ozai, nervous, looked her way. “What am I calling you from now on? Chen or Ozai?”

Chen was the man that Niwa had met and fallen in love with. But he no longer existed; he was a farce to begin with. Ozai was the man that Chen replaced in Ozai’s own mind - but Ozai was still alive - both physically and in the memories of his older children, the Avatar, and the world.

Chen never existed. Ozai remains; despite how much Ozai himself wishes he could move on. But he already has, but that didn’t mean his children had moved on. Their pain was still evident. The pain of so many was now evident after an entire colony of spirits had found him and were willing to destroy everything that had brought out the best in him.

He sighed and took Niwa’s hand.

“… Ozai. My name is Ozai. I’m sorry.”

Niwa shook her head at him, finding a smile through the situation.

“Whether you’re Ozai or you’re Chen; if you plan on remaining here as though nothing happened today… I will call you whatever you wish.”

“Then just call me ‘my love’,” he grinned, pulling Niwa closer as she laughed.

“Let’s not get too embarrassing,” she said as Ozai leaned in to kiss her.

The night passed into a bright, sparkling morning. A blue, cloudless sky that lit the dewy earth in a twinkling, golden glow. A cool breeze wafted through the home, and Aang was the first to awaken. He decided to tiptoe outside to perform some katas, and as he passed Chiyo’s room, he noticed her peeking out of her doorway.

He smiled and motioned for her to join him. As Niwa woke up, she could hear the Avatar speaking outside. She looked out of her window to see Aang happily instructing some Airbending moves to Chiyo. She watched both of the realize they weren’t alone, and their forming bond was already unbreakable.

As the morning progressed, Zuko awoke as well, and he got dressed and prepared to potentially wake up Azula, but she was already awake, sitting on her bed just waiting.

“Are we leaving?” She asked. Zuko closed the door behind him.

“No, Niwa’s cooking breakfas-”

“I’m not eating.”

“Azula.”

“I’m not spending any time with them. I will leave this room when we leave this prison.”

“It isn’t a prison.”

“I don’t care,” Azula grumbled.

“Chiyo will want to say goodbye,”

“She can come in here and do it.”

Zuko sighed. “Alright. I can’t make you do anything.”

“Exactly.”

Breakfast was cooked and served; Niwa did her best to cater to Aang’s needs as a vegetarian. Chiyo asked reluctantly if she had to let go of meat to be an Airbender, to which Aang fumbled as he looked into her sad gray eyes.

“I mean… if you’re an Airbender already and you’ve been eating meat I don’t see why you should HAVE to give it up. It’s all personal preference!”

Chiyo’s eyes happily lit back up and she eagerly tore into her pig-chicken slice much to Aang’s dismay.

Notably absent from the table was Ozai, along with Azula.

“Where’s Papa?” Chiyo asked Niwa.

“Papa is… he’s watching Katsu while we eat. Katsu’s been… a little fussy and he doesn’t want to… to interrupt breakfast.”

Aang chewed his food slowly, looking at Zuko, who could also tell something was amiss.

“Oh okay,” Chiyo accepted as she chomped into her rice. Niwa looked up at Zuko, signaling that wasn’t exactly the case. As they concluded breakfast, and Niwa insisted everyone leave their dishes for her to clean, she escorted Zuko up to Azula’s with a tray of food for the princess.

“I hope this is alright,” Niwa said. “But… I want to have a talk with you two before you leave.”

Azula listened to the door open, and she bristled as she saw Niwa at the door. Even with a tray full of food, she struggled to trust the woman. Zuko entered behind her, and Niwa placed the tray at Azula’s feet before she knelt down to the floor.

“… There’s something I want to talk to you two about.”

Azula was quick to try and stand, but Zuko urged her to sit back down. Grumbling, she did so, and Niwa looked to the siblings in earnest.

“… Ozai told me everything this morning.”

Zuko looked to his sister. “Everything? As in…”

“As in the case of your mother, Ursa. About… About Azulon. About his death. About what Azulon wanted done to you, Zuko. About your Agni Kai, about your banishment. About you, Azula, and his beliefs that you were superior to Zuko, because Zuko, you reminded Ozai so much of himself. He told me everything.”

Zuko gripped at the fabric over his pants with a trembling hand. Azula frowned and she stood once more.

“If he wanted to say something he should say it TO us!”

“Azula, wait please!” Niwa stood to grab Azula’s hand, but Azula quickly yanked herself from the woman’s grip. “I promise you; this isn’t me trying to pass information along. This is me asking you if all of this is true.”

Zuko blinked. “Wh-why?”

Niwa held herself. “I want there to be honesty. Even if I have to go behind his back to make sure it’s there. If what he’s told me is wrong, then… I won’t keep him here. But if what he’s told me is true…”

“Don’t tell me you’d keep him anyway after everything he’s told you,” Azula sneered. Niwa held herself tighter.

“I would, Azula. I would because he’s not hiding it anymore. He’s not running. He told me this to make sure there were no secrets anymore. He told me all of that this morning. There’s more, too, if you want me to go further in depth. The Phoenix King? Lashing out at Zuko on the Day of Black Sun? Sending you after Zuko multiple times?” She ended the questions looking at Azula.

Zuko nodded. “Those are all correct.”

Azula turned away. Niwa approached her slowly.

“… I know you were both affected by him; terribly. And I know what it must look like to see someone give a chance to a man who didn’t give one to either of you. But… if there’s anything I can promise you in full honesty: He’s not that man anymore.”

“That doesn’t mean a damn thing,” Azula hissed, turning to face Niwa.

“And I understand that as well. But I come here both asking for your truth, and to let you know his own that he entrusted me with. That he’s not running. That… he hates what he did, but he knows you both have every right to not want to see him. Every right to hate him. There are no words for what has been done. But he does see now. And he is sorry.”

Niwa looked to Zuko, her hands folded in a gentle plea. “He’s sorry to both of you. I know that only goes so far coming from me. But… I wanted you both to know he’s stopped hiding. And if you wanted to confront him yourself, he won’t run. If you need to speak to him, he will be there.”

Niwa placed a hand on Azula’s shoulder, catching the princess’ attention as she turned, trying to force her trembling lips to become still.

“And I will be there too,” Niwa said, reaching forward to wipe a tear from Azula’s cheek.

Azula stared; emotional and still seething, but she didn’t retract herself from Niwa’s hand until she finally took a deep breath and returned to her bed, plopping down to grab the bowl of rice.

Niwa looked to Zuko, who nodded to her; and Niwa smiled before turning to leave.

As Aang saddled up Appa, Niwa stepped outside to watch Chiyo play with the bison.

“Mom! Mom!! Can I get a bison?? Please please PLLEEAAASSE?“ She begged. Niwa laughed as Chiyo bounded into her arms.

"We’ll talk to Papa about it. That is… if there are any other bison out there…”

Aang tightened Appa’s saddle. “We’ve seen clues of colonies! There have to be more out there.”

As Aang helped Katara and Zuko toss the packs into the saddle, Azula joined them outside. She passed Niwa, but not before hesitatingly reaching out to touch her shoulder.

“… Good meal,” she said before stepping away. Niwa beamed, finally getting something positive from the princess.

Back at the door of the home, Ozai stepped out. He lingered back as everyone said their goodbyes until Chiyo noticed him.

“Papa! Come say goodbye!”

Niwa turned to see Ozai; he faltered, but didn’t want to fail Chiyo; nor the promises he’d made to Niwa that morning. Azula stood rigid. Zuko was at ease as he watched his father approach.

“Fire Lord Zuko,” Ozai began. “Princess Azula. You are always welcome at our home.”

“Thank you,” Zuko said. Ozai looked to Azula, unsure of what to say as she refused to look at him.

Ozai continued. “… Have a safe trip home. Give your mother my regards.”

More silence. Ozai stepped back a bit to signal they were free to go.

Zuko looked down to Chiyo, who seemed to become confused at the cold nature of their interaction.

Anger begets more anger; and Zuko knew where he stood in that cycle. He remembered doing his best to change and how he hoped to be accepted by others. He knew the pain of rejection on both sides.

He stepped forward.

Everyone watched as the Fire Lord reached in-

and embraced Ozai.

It was tight. It was suffocating. Much like everything they’d felt leading up to that moment.

Ozai felt his son’s arms hold him, his fingers digging at his back. He trembled, tears falling from his eyes.

Zuko as well couldn’t hide his own tears. His entire body screamed at him. Fear and anger and the still constant pain of rejection was still so loud in his mind; but he hadn’t feared his father in years; and despite the uncomfortable embrace, Zuko buried his face into his father’s shoulder.

Perhaps this was both the ultimate way to prove how much they both had grown, that Zuko no longer feared Ozai, and that Ozai could now possibly begin to accept his own shortcomings without fear of retribution. Zuko was not like his father… and Ozai didn’t have to be like his anymore. He’d already proven that.

Zuko pulled away from the hug, and the two looked to each other quickly before the Fire Lord turned towards Appa in silence.

Azula gaped at her brother as he tried to compose himself. She looked to her father, but couldn’t bear to look at him much longer. Instead, she walked over to Chiyo; pulling the flame-shaped hairpiece from her topknot.

“Hey… this is for you.”

Chiyo lit up. “Really?”

“Yeah. I want you to have it. You’re part of the Fire Nation Royal Family after all.”

Chiyo giggled, and she leaped forward to hug Azula so tightly. “I’m so glad I have a big sister.”

Azula fought her own tears, and she hugged Chiyo. “Don’t forget to write, okay kid?”

“I’ll write every week!” Chiyo answered. Azula ruffled her hair and she stood, looking to Niwa, who offered a smile to the princess. Azula gave a ghost of a smile back; but as she peered Ozai’s way… she just couldn’t look at him… but she struggled to leave.

“… Write a letter sometime. Maybe I’ll read it.”

Ozai sniffled. “Yeah. I will.”

“Just so you know I’ll probably burn the first few. But if you keep trying.. one of us is bound to read one.”

Ozai chuckled. “Then I guess I’ll just have to write every day.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

“I’m not promising,” Ozai said. Azula finally looked his way as he nodded to her. “I’m going to do it.”

Azula’s expression dared to falter. “I don’t forgive you.”

“I don’t want you to,” Ozai said.

“… Then… I guess that’s something we both have in common now.”

“Hey. It’s a start,” Ozai said, his voice rough as he subdued his emotions.

Azula lingered one more moment before she turned towards Appa and was helped up by Zuko.

Niwa held Ozai as they watched the bison take to the sky. She heard a coughing sob escape from Ozai’s chest as he watched, and Chiyo rushed forward to wave to the team.“

"Byeee!!” She called out. “I hope we have more fun when you visit again!!”

#atla #atla fanfic #Ozai #Azula #Zuko #Aang #Katara #atla oc #Niwa #Chiyo #Katsu #my writing

[blinkpen]

i've seen actually a few different people/users leave comments or tags about wanting to check out scavenger's reign after seeing my glowing praise of it, but also being very nervous to do so, because they're excited for a lesbian who looks like them (azi), but despite my gushing, i keep mentioning how the show is full of body horror, brutal deaths and characters having a bad time;

this is a very valid concern to have, given how a character like azi might be treated in another show, i was going in with tempered caution as well

without spoiling too much, you can lay those worries down. the show treats her very well.

if you'd like some more elaboration, i've put it under this readmore!

azi is put into stomach-churningly dire "an alien is about to eat you/do a big big body horror/assimilate you" situations the least of any of the characters, and not even because she's being given a lack of stuff to do/experience in the plot!

i think we only see her get "afflicted" by something the way sam does once, and its very mild compared to everyone else (basically she gets a really bad itchy rash after successfully prying some weird would-be paralytic puffballs that get stuck to her) and even this one instance is quickly resolved by other fauna, in a very nice sequence of scenes that is clearly a healing/relaxing experience for her.

while she is put into danger and is trying to survive like everyone else, she gets tossed about in action setpieces she makes it through with minimal injury, more than enduring The Horrors;

she gets to have better luck because more of her narrative screentime is, by design, already dedicated to emotionally bonding with her robot buddy, levi, as they suddenly and rapidly attain self-awareness, and levi encourages her to find the beauty and harmony in this nightmarish nature documentary they got marooned in.

this helps her lighten up just in time, too, because she is, very understandably, stressed almost to her breaking point by the point the show starts, having one of the better crash landing sites of any of the survivors, and i bet the other survivors all wish they had a robot tagging along to help, but being stranded and lonely and trying to not lose hope of rescue. she misses her girlfriend, and is feeling increasingly vulnerable (negative) and afraid, especially when situations occur where she gets reminded she does need help. azi starts the series being kind of mean to levi, and having to balance her confusion, worry, and then awe of levi's transformation, and let herself accept she does need that help.

azi is not the gruff grr nothing phases me nothing hurts me the writers dont have to try giving me depth i'm just the badass butch who exists to fill the death quota later so a lighter/more fem character can survive;

her vulnerability reveals itself without much fuss, and is eventually tended to both by herself and others. we get flashbacks that show she was naturally introverted, but clearly wanting to overcome that in order to socialize and get closer to someone (girls...)

she goes through it for other reasons, but i promise you, the show treats her very well, i feel. she and levi are probably-nah, definitely, my favorite characters in it, and the show would not have blown me away the way it did without them here

SR has 3 main story threads; Azi and Levi, Sam and Ursula, Kamen and The Hollow. of the three, Azi and Levi's is the heart, and is the most romantic, in multiple senses of the term. i might right a breakdown of what i love most about all three threads? but yeah

now, if you still need the "okay but does she or her gf die" y/n:

.

.

.

.

azi and her girlfriend both survive the events of the show, and reunite in one piece! they may or may not throuple up with the robot.

i sure hope they do.

you can't tease us with scenes like this and Not

OH: also, when a new antagonist shows up later in the form of a lethally pragmatic blonde woman named Kris who tries to boss azi around, i did get nervous, but Azi soured to max on her and spoke exactly what i hoped was the intent at the exact moment i felt it was critical to avoid me going "hrrmmm don't like these Implications" (the Instant azi detects blondie is trying to haze her into being a new teammate to be bossed around, azi immediately gets rightfully pissed and rejects it, and schemes to get the tagalong kid to see this also and on azi's side in the long run, which plays out and kris gets rapidly shuttled out of the plot and then pretty damn well humbled in the only blatant Sequel Hook present. i Appreciated that. Would have loved to love you Kris I love evil women but then you pulled That Stunt and now you can go wither alone in the corner

#scavreign warbling #azi and levi my beloveds....

[riallasheng]

Good day, Sheng I hope you've had a lovely day!

I was curious to know if you had any information on what the TB TOS boys studied and specialized in? Were they awarded with anything?

Hello my lovely anon! I apologize for the delay, but I was out visiting friends until late yesterday. ^^ I'm home again, which means I can dig through my novels and comics to answer this as best I am able!

Of the various sources, the official bios (there's at least 3 versions there of), the TV21 comics, and the Fleetway comics are the ones that are most likely to give the answers. There are also bits and bobs scattered around the various canon sources. Overall, I'm pulling mostly from the Fleetway for this, as it actually went the most into depth for what you're asking and while Fleetway / complete Thunderbirds Story DOES have some continuity / canonicity issues the education and specializations parts overall are solid.

Going in my preferred age order (because there's actually more than one XD )

This got long, so readmore deployed! ^^

Scott:

Given the ages involved, Scott skipped grades to one degree or another, because he seems to have graduated high school at 16-17 rather than 18. (Spoiler Warning: Gordon is the only Tracy that didn't skip grades. TinTin and Brains skip grades too, although Penny did not)

Scott seemingly went to a 'normal' college / university for ~2 years (Fleetway puts it as Tracy University, where Scott specialized in astronautics and got his astronaut wings, which at minimum DOES explain where / when Scott GOT his astronaut wings, which he DOES canonically have as all his official bios mention he is a trained astronaut and he is one of Three's canon pilots with a fair amount of knowledge / skill in space) as he doesn't start Yale until 18

At 18, Scott went to Yale for 2-3 years and finished his formal education at Oxford for 1-2 years (these numbers bounce around a bit in the various bios/mentions - though it being ~4 years in total is constant across all of them) and graduated top of his class - though not valedictorian or salutatorian, simply in the top 10 / top 5 - specializing in aeronautics / aeronautic engineering, mathematics, and navigation. We know he does have SOME education / degree in engineering as he the one that helps in designing / engineering / etc alongside Virgil. We also know he was heavily involved in the design of Thunderbird 1 and 2, with some refs to him being the primary designer on One. Scott definitely has a Bachelors and might have a Masters in one / two / all of his three degrees, but there's no indication that he has a Doctorate in anything. He seems to have had aeronautics / aeronautic engineering as his primary.

All of Scott's bios state that he served in the Air Force right out of College (so he would have joined at 22 to 23 years of age, then would have served 4-6 years). He was an officer, rather than enlisted, although his stated final rank ranges between Captain (of-3) to Colonel (of-6) so you likely can go with what you please there, although Scott IS referred to as a 'commanding officer' in the Air Force, which usually means Major (of-4), Lieutenant Colonel (of-5), or Colonel (of-6) though. We've no idea what his callsign would have been, though some fanon ones I've seen are Flyboy, Ace, Scooter, Falcon and Eagle. I use Mercury myself (Mercury Seven, and it refs his speed AND 'silver tongue'/communication skills)

There's multiple references to Scott serving in 'the War', although what War that is is VERY vague and hard to pinpoint. (Oddly, Fleetway using the 2020s timeline DOES make IDing the war in question easier... With Scott serving in his 20s, that would make the war in Fleetway the Global Conflict / WW3, which took place ~2010 and was how the Global Government / World Government formed.) For the most common 2060s timeline, it's really unclear what 'war' Scott would have been fighting in in the 2050s. outside of the confusion of 'what war', Scott was at minimum an 'ace' (5 kills in aerial combat / dogfighting), might have been an 'ace ace' (25+ kills) although that one MIGHT be a misprint where the word ace was accidently doubled, and there is a passing reference in either the novels or comics (I forget which ^^;; ) to him being 'War Ace', which is a title awarded to the 'best pilot / most skilled ace' in a war. So 'War Ace' is a potential accomplishment for him

He is officially a 'test pilot', and can fly pretty much anything / everything. It's mentioned he CAN fly the Tiger Moth so he can mange bi-planes, he apparently flew a stunt plane (so propeller), he's helicopter (and apparently helijet) certified, and he's flown a wide array of jets, rocket-planes, and space craft. (He has a pilot's license, helicopter / helijet license, and astropilot license). He has a Class-D (standard driver's) license, and he apparently knows how to drive a motorcycle so a Class-M license too. He might have a Class-B (farming equipment) license, and would have had a military license that functioned as a CBL (commercial) Class A/B/C license and might have gone through the work to get that again as a civilian. We do see Scott driving heavy equipment and the like when not 'IR' so he might have the commercial license. He has a non-commercial boating license, and miiiiight have a civilian submarine-craft license. Seems to have a diving license. Definitely has a sky-diving and paragliding license.

Scott somehow was given the Medal of Valor and quite possibly Medal of Honor as well. both are EXTREMLY difficult to achieve medals, almost always only given out in wartime, and we never are told what he did to achieve them

Scott retired in his 'late 20s' (probably around 28) 'with honors', which would mean an Honorable Discharge. That's right about when IR would be in the final set up stages / Tracy Island buildings and silos being built and the like.

It's strongly implied in the comics that Scott was a POW at some point, but nothing officially states it flat out. There's a vague refence to him having been shot down at some point in the comics as well. These have lead to the widespread fanon that Scott was a POW, usually in Bereznik. If this is the case, Scott would have a Purple Heart Medal and a Prisoner of War Medal. It also would explain why no one finds it odd that he retired as young / early as he did.

John:

Rather like Scott, John seems to have skipped grades, as he graduates High School at ~15 years of age (there's a VAGUE hint in TV21 that it might have been as low as 14. It's also implied to have been that low in Fleetway because John is only around 21 when he starts at Tracy University, AFTER finishing 6 years at Harvard).

While John has always been deeply interested in manned space flight and the heavens in general, his real passion (and career) is canonically in communications.

John starts attending Harvard University, and graduates as Valedictorian (he's top of his class, but there's a mention to him giving a speech at his graduation, which usually goes to Valedictorian) getting his degree in electronics and laser communications / communications in general. Since he wrote a thesis, he must have gotten a doctorate in ONE of these fields (likely communications)

John was HEAVILY involved in the design / building of IRs communications gear and might even have been the lead in it. both the 'listening in' and the 'communicating between each other' parts. He also seemingly was very heavily involved in the designing of TB5

He created a laser communications device that was 'revolutionary' and won him awards and accolades. (An achievement that was later stolen by Lt. Green in his bio... Spectrum bios had a VERY bad habit of stealing accomplishments of previously existing characters. In further example, Green also stole 'best communications officer / specialist WASP has ever had' from Phones, Harmony stole 'best pilot alive' from Scott, Grey stole 'back messed up and 4 months in hospital after a sub/high speed boat crash from Gordon AND 'first captain of the Stingray' from Troy, and Rhapsody stole quite a few of Penny's spy achievements)

John also located a previously unknown quasar, which became known as the Tracy Quasar System.

He's published at minimum 4 astronomy and outer-space textbooks, and at least 1 book on communications

After getting a doctorate in ~6 years at Harvard at 20-21 years of age, John then got his astronaut wings / became an astronaut. Fleetway puts him at Tracy University for this as well. (He might have been Valedictorian again, as he's referred to as being such for his astronaut training in... Countdown? I legit forget where the ref is. There's an implication that John was Valedictorian more than once, basically). All of the Tracys are genius level smart, but John seems to be the brightest star of them all

John worked on a civilian (or at least non-military) space station / space program for at least a few years. What group and station is debatable. It could be NASA, the World Space Program, etc. He further could have been on the International Space Station, Freedom Station, etc. The only things off the table are military groups, and he CAN'T have served in the World Space Patrol (Fireball XL5)

John has his pilot's license and space-pilot / astropilot license. He likely has a rocket-plane license (ie: a atmospheric craft that can escape the atmosphere and is space capable). He MIGHT have a helijet license, but he doesn't have a helicopter license. He has a Class-D (standard driver's) license, and he apparently knows how to drive a motorcycle so a Class-M license too. He might have a Class-B (farming equipment) license. He has a non-commerical boating license, and miiiiight have a civilian submarine-craft license. Seems to have diving license. Might have a sky-diving and paragliding license.

John also is a highly skilled athlete, having achieved many awards and records. We only know about him being involved in running, but WHAT KIND of running varies between sprinting (rare), long-distance (more commonly reffed) and cross-country (most commonly reffed), or trail or obstacle course (middling)

I'm not sure how John left his space career / stopped working on the space station without attracting attention, oddly he's the ONLY one that doesn't have an easy excuse for joining IR! Scott apparently had SOMETHING happen that gave him an honorable discharge and had no one questioning him retiring from the Air Force, Virgil apparently intended to work as an engineer FOR Jeff's company once he graduated, Gordon had the hydrofoil crash and an Honorable or Medical Discharge from WASP, and Alan was only 19 and hadn't really STARTED a career. TinTin either was just finishing her University education and/or like Virgil was working for Jeff's company as an engineer. Brains started working for Jeff at his company while Brains was still in college. John's the only one with a career outside of Jeff's company that DOESN'T have a coinvent 'stop working there' excuse.

Virgil:

continuing the running theme, Virgil seems to have skipped grades - more than Scott did, but less than John, graduating High School at 15-16.

Virgil started higher education at 16 at Denver School for Advanced Technology, but he's sometimes put in Yale or another Tech school. What his degree was varies. Fleetway has it as 'Advanced Technology', but he's also had Engineering / Nuclear Engineering listed in his official bios. He usually took art classes and music classes, and sometimes he has a degree in art or music mentioned, so he likely minored in art and/or music alongside his Advanced Technology / engineering major. He seems to have graduated at 20-21 with a Masters in Tech/Engineering and a Bachelors in art/music. There's no refences at all to him having a doctorate (only John and Brains have that), and while he seems to have been 'top of his class', there's no indication he was Valedictorian or Salutatorian. So, like Scott he would have been in the top 10 or top 5, but not the number 1 or 2 slots.

Fleetway claims that Virgil was on the Denver Football team and was a good player on it, but that is the only reference to it or sports in general. Something to remember is that Virgil is actually NOT the heaviest / buffiest in build of the brothers in TOS. He's well built, but Scott and Alan are both heavier /buffer in build than he is, as is his father. Virgil isn't LEAN, but he'd be a Middleweight, built sort of like Tony or tom Cruise or the like. Muscled, but not a brick house. Scott is consistantly referred to as 'powerful' in build, and is drawn as heavier / bulkier in muscles than Virgil. Heavyweight class or something like the traditional 'superman' build like Cavill or the like. Alan and Jeff are a bit more powerful / bulky in build than Scott, so upper end of the Heavyweight. Not modern day Body builder / the Hulk bulk, but say Hulk Hogan, Dwayne Johnson, Arnold in Terminator / Predator type build. Gordon is about Virgil's build / a swimmer's build. John is lean /lithe but not lanky. Built like a runner.

Virgil HAS sold art and had it on display at galleries, possibly even at a museum or two, which is quite the accomplishment. He's also played music semi-professionally, although I can't find or recall an refences to him winning awards or contests in music.

Like John, Virgil got his astronaut wings / went to a second school after his primary (Fleetway again puts this as Tracy University) and he seems to have gone to this second school when he was ~21. Fleetway has a fun incident where, while at Tracy U, he used his advanced technology degree to service a faulty space capsule during a training space-flight.

So far as I can tell, Virgil's plan was to graduate and work for Tracy Tech / Tracy Industries / whatever version of the MULTIPLE names that Jeff's company has you'd like to use XD upon graduation. He likely DOES officially work as an engineer for his Dad's company (his brothers as well) on top of IR duties.

Given when IR got started (September of 2065) and Virgil's age AND his graduation date(s), Virgil would have been working at Jeff's company for at least a couple of years before IR got started.

He has a Class-D (standard driver's) license, but no Class-M / motorcyle that we're aware of. He ABSOLUTELY has a Class-B (farming equipment) license, and has a CBL (commercial) Class A/B/C license. We know he has a pilot's license. While he has his astronaut wings, he might not have an astropilot license, but he would at least he have a 'limited' one - equivalent of a 'student driver' where he can be a co-pilot but not a solo. He has a helicopter and helijet license. Seems to have both a commerical and non-commerical boating license. Seems to have a civilian submarine craft license. Might have a diving license. Probably has a skydiving and paragliding license.

Gordon:

Only one of the brothers NOT to skip grades, as he goes straight from High School to WASP Academy at ~18.

Gordon was showing skill in swimming at only 3 years of age, and joined a professional swim team as early as possible (13 or so, though he would have been on school swim teams / training prior to that)

Gordon was one of, if not the, fastest freestyle swimmers in his prime. We know he won Gold in the Olympics for the Butterfly Stroke at 16 (Considering his birthyear, he might actually have been 17 given the years the Olympics fall on). We know he also got other awards / medals, but we can take it as fact that his only Olympic Gold was this. He might have gotten Silver and Bronze in other races. However given the 4 year gaps, this would have been the ONLY Olympics Gordon took part in - he would have been too young for the previous, and the ones after would be either after his hyrdofoil accident or IR.

Gordon went from high school straight into WASP. He probably was 18, buuuuuuuut there are hints that Gordon might have served in whatever War Scott and Phones and Troy and others in that age group fought in, so Gordon MIGHT have been able to sign up for WASP at 17 and basically before he graduated high school. To quickly explain, while you can sign up for the military at 17 with a guardian's permission for most branches… submarine service (and thus WASP) is not one of them, as it's strictly volunteer and 18+. You have to VOLUNTEER to be on a sub, and outside of wartimes you must be 18 or older. Thus IF, and only if, there was a 'War' on, Gordon could have joined WASP at 17.

Gordon was put in command of a bathyscape, which means he was an officer. You usually have to be 19 to become an officer / begin officer training BUT you can start at 18 during wartimes so... Gordon would have started his officer training at 18-19 and become an officer at 19-20. We've no mention of what rank Gordon was at his retirement, but to command a submarine, even a bathyscape, he has to have been a Lieutenant-Commander (of-3) minimum, but he can't have been more than a Captain (of-5) as he wasn't part of the admiralty. I make him a Commander (of-4) because I am an old geek woman and I love him having the rank level of 4 XD

While in WASP, Gordon came up with a revolutionary and unique underwater breathing apparatus... it's implied that the scuba gear we see used in Stingray are the ones that Gordon designed. Gordon later improved these for IR.

Gordon was in a high speed hyrdofoil crash (I know it says 400 mph, but I honestly would prefer it to have been going FAR slower... 400 km/h maybe XD ) that almost killed him, injured his back, and left him in a WASP hospital for 4 months (note that is his FULL TIME in the hospital, including his initial / in hospital Physical Therapy). The crash happened VERY recently, btw, like two years MAX before the pilot episode, but no less than a year and a half prior to the pilot, so it would have happened no earlier than Sept 2063 and no later than Mar 2064. A lot of fans give him lingering physical issues from this (heck I'm one of them), BUT it's important to remember that we see Gordon getting up to fairly normal physical activities in all canon material (even Fleetway where his accident is directly mentioned / shown), so he is not HEAVILY impacted by this. If he has chronic pain, it's mild for instance. If he throws his back out on occasion, it's rare and he recovers quickly, etc.

He has a military boating and submarine license, as well as a non-commercial boating license and civilian submarine-craft license. he miiiiiight have a commercial boating license, but he's never shown with commercial craft so *shrug emoji*. he ABSOLUTELY has a diving license. He has a Class-D (standard driver's) license. He might have a Class-B (farming equipment) license, and would have had a military license that functioned as a CBL (commercial) Class A/B/C license and might have gone through the work to get that again as a civilian. Likely has a piloting license, might have a helicopter and helijet license.

Alan:

Alan was interested in both car racing and space from a young age (and unlike TaG, it looks like he actually had a stronger interest in CARS than in rockets). He seems to have skipped grades, as he was in college by 15 years of age as he was far enough into his astronaut training to be in space at 16 as one of Alan's accomplishments is that he is the youngest astronaut / lunarnaut known, having been either in space OR on the moon (or at minimum he got his astronaut wings) at only 16 years of age AND he still holds the record for highest number of passes and holds the current record for graduating in record time.

It looks like Alan went first to college for his astronaut wings (Fleetway has it as Tracy University) and likely got a Bachelors, graduating at 16 years of age.

He then went to another school (Fleetway lists Colorado Tech / Denver Tech) and got a Masters at 17 (maaaaybe 18). WHAT he got it in varies wildly across canon sources though. He's got astronatical engineering, space travel, CAR engineering / design, and communications listed. So likely pick and choose as ye please. I personally go for Vehicular (car) and astronautical engineering. To be totally honest, I'd replace the Tech school with a Racing Academy and have it where Alan got a Bachelors in astronatical engineering at Tracy University at 16, and a second Bachelors in Vehicular Engineering & Design at a Racing School at 17, then went from there to join the World Space Patrol Astopilot Academy for 1-2 years before going back to his racing career for the 1-2 years before he joins IR

Alan then joined the World Astronaut Patrol Academy... aka the military branch that Fireball XL5 is part of. Alan was in the Astropilot program, but for unknown reasons in canon, he left WSP / Astropilot program before graduating when he was still 18. To solve this issue, I replaced one of the astronovices in the Fireball comic story 'The Astronovices' with Alan, as that would have given him a General or Dishonorable Discharge. Alan DOES hold the record for youngest Astronovice as he joined at ~17 or so, and he apparently was pretty likely to be one of the few to pass the grueling requirements and graduate (seriously, out of an intake of 200 potentials, less that 25 graduate for each 2-3 year training cycle).

Alan started his racing career while still in college, likely starting driving at 16-17 as it's said he's been racing for 'a few years' when he wins Pararola at 19/20. He probably paused the racing career for the 1-2 years he was in the Astronovice program, then resumed it at 18 when he left WSP (for whatever reason he DID leave). He apparently has a few wins / medals in racing under his belt and left a successful racing career to join IR, although he WAS young enough (only 19) that him deciding to join Jeff's company as a vehicle engineer who occasionally tests the vehicles the company makes likely wouldn't draw too much attention. (Alan was a 'champion' race driver and officially a car designer by the time he joined IR at 19.)

He ABSOLUTELY has a Class-D (standard driver's) license, and seemingly has a Class-M / motorcyle, and obviously has a SCCA (racing) license. He might have a Class-B (farming equipment) license, but that's debatable. We know he has a pilot's license. He might have a helicopter license, but we never once see him piloting a helicopter. He's a bit more likely to have his helijet license. He ABSOLUTELY has an astropilot license, even if he didn't get the military / Fireball craft license. Seems to have a non-commerical boating license and a civilian submarine craft license. Has a diving license. Probably has a skydiving and paragliding license. Certainly has a rocket-plane (aka astmospheric craft that can escape gravitational pull and is space capable) license.

If anyone wants, I'll do these for TinTin, Brains and Penny - I'll even try it for Jeff, Kyrano, and Grandma Tracy, although we have FAR less to go on for them

[enam3l]

I just want to see how Eddie would react to reader using the safe word and how he would feel

eep thank you for being my first request and my first smut attempt! i hope it's okay and you like it, i kinda got carried away

2k words / SMUT! / tw: idk like a teeny daddy kink and panic attacks

Eddie hated being called a freak, it had followed him for years. Maybe it wasn't said to him anymore since he'd left high school but he couldn't shake the memory. It was a tagline that belittled and dismissed his passions and interests. A punishment for being anything other than an all American cookie cutter athlete like Jason fucking Carver or a Tom Cruise-esque heartthrob like Steve, who now was one of Eddie's best friends but still... Eddie couldn't help but think Steve's hair was fair more ridiculous than his own long curls.

Being called a freak sucked... until you said it. At the beginning of your relationship as you began to intimately discover each other's deepest desires, after hearing Eddie whimper the word 'Mommy' as you straddled him, you put your soft lips to his ear and whispered the words 'Oh you really are a freak aren't you Eddie Munson?'

:readmore:

For the first time his heart did not sink at the words. This time his dick twitched. Because this time being a freak was okay. Because now you were a freak too. Now long into your relationship and more in tune with each other's bodies than you were your own there wasn't much the two of you hadn't tried.

The day had dragged on, spending your day being belittled and cross examined by men without your skill set but a salary nearly double yours. Everyday you were grateful to find a job doing something you loved but you couldn't deny that you were exhausted of being in a male dominated environment. You always struggled to feel comfortable around men until you met Eddie, he was the exception. His soft and beautiful heart disguised under his hard grunge exterior. Sometimes you joked he was the human personification of a dark chocolate with a caramel centre. He pretended to hate that comment despite your sweet words making him feel gooey inside, further proving your point. But your colleagues weren't like Eddie. They wore tailored suits to cover their icy cores which no matter how hard you worked, you could never chip away at.

After hearing a prolonged period of shuffling and jangling from beyond the front door, Eddie finally opened it. He had expected to find your there, what he hadn't expected was you looking up at him, small, tired and wide eyed. Your bag abandoned on the floor, it's contents turned inside out in an attempt to find your keys. At his beautiful face, warm and kind, your bottom lip began to tremble.

Gasping at his forlorn love, he was quick to gather you in his big arms

'Baby! Baby, my baby girl, what is wrong?!'

You snuffled your face into his neck, hands clawing at his sides to bring him closer even though it wasn't physically possible. You needed his scent to overtake you.

'Just really really glad t'be home, with you Eds'

He knew there was more, he always did but it was better not to press right now. Between delicate kisses to your temple and calming strokes along your spine he whispered

'Yeah baby, it's okay, you're home now. We're home. Come on, let me take you in.’

He guided your legs around his waist and carried you over the threshold, using one foot to shuffle along your abandoned belongings. It took you a little while into your relationship for you to admit you loved letting him baby you, having previously never let yourself become so vulnerable under the touch of a man. And my god was Eddie thrilled, upon meeting you, a primal urge to protect and worship you filled him. It was something he never felt with anyone before.

Eddie carried you through your home and once you were in the bedroom he gently placed you on the bed. Immediately your hands reached out to desperately grab for him again.

'Are we being my needy baby girl tonight? That's okay love, whatever you want'

He knew the score and was already halfway climbing onto the bed, always unable to resist your sad eyes especially. His head barely hit the pillow before you're buried back into his side and pathetically pawing at his t-shirt

'What do you need baby, I can't help if you don't say?'

Your fingers had breached his clothes and were now working up his stomach.

'You' you finally admit, your voice muffled from your face being pressed into him.

'Me?'

'Yeah Ed, need you to be inside me.'

Eddie chuckles at your need for intimacy but simultaneously he can't believe how much you love him, he never will.

'Anything for you,' he admits as he raises up to undress himself and then carefully do the same to you, freeing your body of your work clothes.

The second the last item of clothing is shed you latch onto him, desperate to feel your bodies together. Your mouth sucks at his neck as your hands roam his biceps and the little trail of hair from his navel to groin.

Eddie groans, blissed out by your need for him. He roles over, slotting between your thighs which you instinctually spread. He rests propped up on his arms so he can look at your face. He sees the need in your slightly teary eyes and is encouraged by your hands on his ass pulling him towards you.

He guides his thick cock through your folds, coating himself in your sweet wetness. It's hard for him not to melt at the way you whimper and eagerly nod him on to enter you. Finally he slowly slides in. His dick gently stretching you and filling the emptiness you'd felt all day. Seeing the bliss spread over your features and the way your expression instantly softened feeling him inside you, Eddie coos

'Oh my sweet girl. This is what you needed, huh? Needed daddy to look after you. S'okay you know there's no where I'd rather be.'

And it's true, you'd both often wished your bodies could merge as one. Constantly desiring a level of closeness not physically possible.

He peppers your face in gentle kisses as he begins to move. Each worry from the day squashed by each thrust of his hips. It's slow and intimate and everything you need. Your lips find each other, frantic to taste the other. As your kisses grow more desperate, Eddie's thrusts speed up in time. The only noise in the apartment is your wetness each time your bodies join. The way he fills you is both comforting and overwhelming and your kisses are broken up as moans escape your lips. Allowing yourself to be totally overtaken by the sensation of him pushing deep inside you.

Eddie can never believe the effect he's able to have on you, especially in such intimate and passionate sex. You make him feel loved and desired in a way he didn't know was possible.

His hand moves to your neck, wanting to angle your head so he just watch your beautiful face react to each pump as you both grow closer.

And even though his grasp around your neck is gentle, he's barely applying pressure, for the first time his hands around your throat did not feel comforting. He is barely restricting your oxygen but it still feels too tight and doesn't fill you with a giddy sensation like usual. The closing in of your vision to just your boyfriends face didn't feel beautiful either. For the first time it all felt suffocating, as if the walls were closing in and every gap was stuffed with cotton wool, not a corner to wiggle to.

Sex with Eddie was always fun, intimate and beautiful and yes sometimes a little weird but suddenly it was terrifying. Before your brain could even compute just what the problem was, your throat rasped out a word you'd never uttered before 'Melon!' Your safe word. You decided upon it after both agreeing it was the worst flavour for anything.

Eddie froze then quickly shot up and practically ran over to the other side of the room. Terrified at the thought he had been scaring or hurting you. But what terrified him more was he truly had no idea what was wrong, this hadn't been one of your more experimental moments. It was raw and passionate and love filled.

His face fell as he saw you recoil into yourself and your face which seconds ago had been the image of content was now crumpling. Tears trickling down your face as you looked up at him. Eddie couldn't help but well up at the sight of your distress. You both stared at each other, distraught and confused.

Slowly he walked back over to the bed, careful not to scare you. Fuck, the thought of you, of all people being scared of him was truly his worst nightmare.

'Sweetheart... I'm so so sorry. Are you okay? Can you talk?'

You blink a few tears away and nod. Your hand reaches back out to him as you shuffle on the bed, indicating for Eddie to get back in. He felt his racing heart gradually slow down knowing you still wanted him near.

Pulling up the quilt and getting under, he nudges you to do the same.

He stutters 'Can... can I touch you?'

Your heart breaks hearing how nervous he is, you feel awful for saying it, worse for still not being able to conjure the words as to why. Reaching out to hold him, you both settle into each other's arms.

'I'm sorry I scared you Eddie, I don't know what happened I just -' a sigh escapes your mouth as you try to process.

His little kisses across the crown of your head help calm you and you feel the pieces of your emotions fit together. Sitting up and taking his hands in yours, you look at him. With a sniffle you finally admit 'Work... it's been horrible Eds. I'm so tired of them. I'm so tired of feeling like the smallest person in the room. These men standing over me, talking down to me...'

He listens so intently, absorbing every word you say, his thumbs brushing back and forth over your fingers.

'It's just when you put your hand on my neck... god you weren't even choking me but it's like my brain decided it to freak out. And suddenly everything was too much? I felt like I was spiralling, like I couldn't breathe or escape. It was scary. I've never felt like that before. Like everything came crashing down at once.'

Eddie nods, he knows exactly what you mean and he's so glad you're not hurt and he's so glad you're not scared of him. 'Oh my baby. I think you had a panic attack? I've seen Will have them before. It's like your brain was already overwhelmed and on edge and there's just one thing that can tip you over and your body just reacts.'

You let out what feels like your first real breath in several minutes now you know what it was. A small smile starts to form as you think how lucky you are to have a boyfriend as empathetic as him. 'Oh... that makes sense. I guess just everything has built up inside me and that's how it decided to release.'

Eddie's hand reaches up to your cheek, his thumb stroking you softly, 'But promise me, baby, promise you'll say if I was hurting you? Are you sure it was okay, I definitely wasn't choking you?’

Pulling yourself into his lap, you take his hand and link your pinkies together, 'I promise you my pretty boy. I'd tell you and truly, you weren't hurting me. It was just this once, I swear, I won't break if you touch me.'

You both stay wrapped up in each other's arms under the quilt as the sky outside grows darker. No pressure to speak or move. Both of you feeling at home with the other. Knowing there's not one place in the world you feel more comfortable in than within each other's embrace.

#enam3l x eddie #eddie munson #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson x y/n #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson smut #eddie munson x fem!reader #eddie munson headcanons #Eddie munson blurb #eddie munson x afab reader