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cal-flakes · 10 months

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╰┈➤ mean!rafe’s confession

warnings: swearing, mentions of violence, underage drinking, drug use.

summary: this was a request, courtesy of @sublimepenguinpeach-blog. <33

the kook prince, rafe cameron, was the human epitome of a stone in your shoe. no matter how many times you think you’ve got rid of it, it just keeps coming.

living in outerbanks and growing up on an island seems like paradise to outsiders, but it wasn’t any different than living on the mainland. the social divide between pogues and kooks was the worst amongst the young adults and teenagers living there. it it was that same divide, that brought their friendship to a dramatic end.

y/f/n and rafe cameron were inseparable through childhood, true partners in crime. where one went, the other was never far behind.

they were two peas in a pod. they explored every inch of the island together, they hid their first sip of alcohol together, their first cigarette together. that was until highschool.

in tenth grade, y/n met a boy called pope heyward, who introduced her to a group of pogues. unsurprisingly, they were nothing like rafe had said they were.

but thats where things became a bit rocky between her and her bestfriend. she started hanging out with pope and his friends a lot more, she went fishing with them, got stoned with them.

she didn’t see the issue, they were good, kind people, albeit a little crazy sometimes, but it matched her own craziness completely.

little did she know, there was a deep, burning hatred growing in rafe cameron’s chest, ignited everytime he saw her with them. it wasn’t hatred for her however, but the pogues. he felt like they had stolen something that belonged to him, ripping it away from underneath his feet before he could notice.

with this, rafe threw himself into the full kook life, collecting all the traits of a typical asshole as he claimed his rightful place in the pecking order. he was the prince, without a princess.

it wasn’t until the annual bonfire that she completely snapped.

y/n and the band of pogues gathered around the edge of the bonfire, laughing amongst themselves as thick clouds of burning cannabis smothered them.

she was wrapped in a blanket, facing the fire, while she nursed a can of beer. she loved the bonfire, the one time everyone on the island came together, leaving behind their prejudice thoughts of eachother.

she never claimed to be either a pogue or a kook, she danced across the two, having friends in all corners of the outerbanks.

hoots and hollers erupted from the rocks above them as the kook trio arrived, sneering down at those situated below them.

rafe, topper and kelce were the worst of the worst, or so john b had once said to her. she didn’t believe him however. well, that being said, y/n did not like topper and kelce at all, she thought they were bad influences on rafe. although, she’s sure he’d say the same about the pogues.

she couldn’t help but feel a tug on her heart strings as she watched the three boys, eyes landing on rafe.

he didn’t seem himself, his once neatly gelled head of hair was now dishevelled as it fell into his face. and the constant furrowed brows a sign he was holding a lot of stress.

a snigger caught her ear just before pope let out a yelp, an empty beer can having hit him in the shoulder.

she glared between the can, now on the floor, and rafe. she knew exactly who’d done it, yet the reason why was unknown.

the anger inside her was passed it’s boiling point, and this was her chance.

her chance to find out what the hell happened to her rafe cameron, the boy that used to make treasure maps with her and hide sea glass around the house for her to find.

she removed the blanket around her furiously, shoving it into pope’s hands as she leapt from her crouched position.

y/n disappeared through the crowd of bodies and made her way to the top of the rocks from the back. stomping through the mess littered on the ground, she shoved rafe from behind.

an orchestra of ooh’s filled the air between them as he turned to face her, jaw clenched. “what the fuck are you doing?” he spat, looking down at her as she squared up to him. “no rafe, what the fuck are you doing? what the hell is your problem?”

as he went to answer, topper intercepted, puffing out his chest as he stood in front of the small girl.

she broke into sarcastic hysterics at his demeanour, somewhat flattered by his attempt to intimidate her. “is this supposed to scare me?” she mocked, gesticulating towards him.

toppers ego deflated slightly as rafe pushed him back towards kelce, knowing who’d come out on top if his friend was to go for her.

y/n was feisty, she had never once backed down from an altercation, no matter who it was. rafe could remember a few of the countless times he’d had to pull her away before she could lunge at the unlucky victim.

he blamed himself for that sometimes, he was the one who had taught her to defend herself. they’d play fight and wrestle in the garden all the time, not stopping until both had tapped out atleast twice.

“top, take it easy man, i got this..” rafe spoke in a chill tone, dragging her away from the large numbers of people watching the argument.

she struggled against his grip as he pulled her further into the trees, out of sight from everyone else.

“so are you going to tell me?” he sighed, a hint of cockiness on his tongue. “tell you what, asshole?” she seethed.

“tell me what the fuck your problem is!” he shouted, closing in on her. “my problem? you really wanna know why my problem is?” she shrieked, eyes crazed. “yes! please, enlighten me y/n, what the hell is your problem?”

she had reached the end of her tether with rafe, he dropped her out of thin air, leaving her behind to wonder what she had done that was so god awful, for her to deserve such horrible treatment from her bestfriend.

“my problem…” she whispered, gathering courage. her hands shook violently as she met his prying eyes. “my problem rafe, is that you, my bestfriend in the whole wide world, could treat me so awfully out of the blue, that you could cause me so much pain and heartbreak and never tell me why, that you could take out your hatred for pogues on my friends, infront if me!” she wailed, hot tears cascading down her cheeks.

his glare softened, watching as the tears on her face fell, or more specifically, fell for him. he never bothered to think about how she felt, having been blinded by such hatred for her friends, he never considered what he was doing to her.

“i-i…” rafe stumbled over his words, struggling to get them out as they rushed to the back of his throat.

“spit it out then!” she snapped, waiting impatiently to finally hear whatever crime she had committed.

“because i fucking love you!” he yelled, causing her to freeze. “i fucking adore you y/n! and i always have! and-and those pogues took you away from me, my y/n, they turned you against me when i wasn’t looking!” he rambled, the words falling out of his mouth before he could catch them.

a shaky breath escaped her as she stared at him. “ please don’t say something you don’t mean rafe..” she whispered, wiping away the tears with the back of her hand.

her heart paced rapidly, she’d never have seen this coming, yet it’s what she’d wanted to hear for so long.

“i do mean it! why would i lie? y-you think I would’ve gone out of my way to find the prettiest sea glass for you when we were 13? you think i would’ve brought you flowers in ninth grade when you broke your arm? do you think i would’ve done any of that for you if I didn’t absolutely worship the fucking ground you walk on?” he bellowed frantically.

before he could continue, she placed a soft finger to his lips, shutting him up.

“wh-what are you doing?” he pleaded, preparing himself for the final blow.

“kiss me, rafe” she sighed, tears having dried away. his brows furrowed once more, looking at her as though he’d misheard.

groaning in anticipation, she balance on the ball of her foot as she leaned up to meet his lips, pulling him down to meet her halfway.

their lips connected with such passion, it was almost forceful, each had waited so long for this, yet the other never even knew.

his hand reaches into her hair, tangling his fingers as the other roamed her waist, yearning for closeness.

she smiled breathlessly into the kiss, pushing him backwards into a tree before he grabbed her thighs, hoisting her up. she cupped his face as neither wanted to let go, the kiss so frantic and desperate.

pulling away, a string of saliva remained between them as they beamed at one another.

“you have no idea how long i’ve wanted to do that..” he chuckled, out of breath.

“you’re telling me!”

#rafe cameron x reader #rafe cameron x fem!reader #outer banks #rafe cameron #dom!rafe #obx #outerbanks rafe #rafecameron #rafe obx #rafe smut #mean!rafe #soft!rafe cameron

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in-g-major · 3 months

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ATLA Unpacked: Ty Lee's Potential

One of the many things we missed out on from ATLA Book 3 was a Ty Lee character arc. Of Azula's trio she's ultimately the least explored and most auxiliary, which is sad. The possibilities were certainly there: a girl who seems too good-natured for the ruthlessness of the Fire Nation, coerced into helping Azula, seemingly naive about what her nation is doing or perhaps too timid to voice her concerns. Gee, all that sure rings a bell doesn't it? So, here are some things that I think could have been done w/ Ty Lee given what we know about her. 1. Friendship with Zuko and eventual Redemption Arc Canon screwed this one up during "The Beach," but there's no reason it had to be that way. Ty Lee should have been the person Zuko warmed up to the most given that they're both more caring people than Mai and Azula. With Ty Lee and Zuko, you have two sheltered and privileged teenagers who don't quite fit the mold of what Fire Nation children are *supposed* to be. As a result, Zuko is banished and Ty Lee leaves her aristocratic home life behind. Zuko's banishment and journey across the world helps him realize that the Fire Nation's war is wrong. Ty Lee, who was part of a traveling Fire Nation circus and eventually traveled the Earth Kingdom with Azula, could have easily come to the same realization. We never even get her perspective on the war in canon! Just imagine Ty Lee and Zuko bonding over martial arts, theater, and collecting pretty sea shells. They bring out each other's best qualities and motivate each other's redemption. 2. Standing up to Azula This has been commented on before, but Mai being the one who defies Azula instead of Ty Lee during "The Boiling Rock" is not a satisfying emotional climax. Mai happily left her boring life behind in "Return to Omashu" as soon as Azula gave her an opportunity, and she openly defied Azula's orders with no fear of retribution at least once. What Azula represented for Mai wasn't fear. Azula was the metaphorical "devil" on Mai's shoulder, distracting her from her lack of emotional fulfillment with fun and thrills. The one who was genuinely afraid of Azula, and abandoned her passion out of that fear, was Ty Lee. Ty Lee standing up to Azula and emerging victorious is far more emotionally and narratively satisfying given their dynamic. It also gives Mai a more character appropriate choice to make in the situation. Which leads me to my third point 3. Mai and Ty Lee marsreds made a fantastic commentary I read years ago. I'll link it in the comments, but her point was that throwing Mai into an awkward and uninteresting relationship with Zuko took the focus away from her relationships with Azula and Ty Lee and made her character arc about a boy. It's a pretty damning commentary on the sexism that seeped into the way ATLA's female characters were written, and how that became the norm for the franchise by the time of the comics. Anyway, a hugely missed opportunity for Ty Lee and Mai was their relationship with each other. Even though I am pro MaiLee, I won't make this ship heavy. Ultimately the writing has to come first, but Mai and Ty Lee do have a fun and touching dynamic. Ty Lee is even more playful and affectionate with Mai than she usually is, and Mai shows genuine care and empathy for Ty Lee. When they reunite in Omashu, Mai asks Ty Lee what happened with her joining the circus. Then, during "The Beach," Mai is the only one who stands up for Ty Lee, telling Zuko to back off and figuring out the root of Ty Lee's desire for attention. We never see Mai this invested in someone else's feelings and well-being with anyone else. The character appropriate choice for Mai in "The Boiling Rock" wasn't betraying Azula for teen love. It was choosing between the friend who encouraged her better self (Ty Lee) or the friend who kept her from growing as a person (Azula).

#atla #atla meta #ty lee #mai #azula #anti maiko #mailee #g major writes #g major meta

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comradekatara · 4 months

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hello, I’ve been thinking about Sokka in the finale and was wondering about your take I suppose? Or perhaps I just need to express this.

Sokka being a tactician rather than a warrior is a wonderful way to end his arc. Trusting two women who are, objectively, stronger in combat, while also being a guide & leader wow great love it.

And it’s great how he protects Toph. But I also think about how at the beginning Sokka is primed to die for Katara, and at the end he’s in the same self-sacrificial position. I don’t think this is bad writing but it kinda sucks for him lmao. His most triumphant moment is still one where it’s his job to die first.

It’s also interesting how this mirrors Zuko, who also self-sacrifices as a part of the completion of his arc. The way they’re both so willing to die is part of what makes Zukka compelling to me. But also! I wonder if Sokka would be jealous of Zuko being able to almost die for Katara.

I don’t think Sokka would think of it that way, but I can imagine his self-hate for almost letting Toph die, and then look! He wasn’t even there to die for Katara! Someone else had to do it! And maybe Zuko is a fine option if it’s not Sokka, but I don’t think its would be easy for Sokka to accept.

I don’t think he would know why he was angry, either. He’d just be mixed up with frustration and helplessness and probably concern for Zuko, too, and irritation at how stupid it was for Zuko to challenge Azula to an Agni Kai. God I hope they don’t break up over it.

okay, wow. a lot of interesting points here. i'm gonna try to respond to them in order (and number each paragraph so you can follow each point better).

1 while i would of course say that suki and toph both have unique strengths as fighters, i wouldn't discount sokka's skill either. yes, he is first and foremost a tactician who uses strategic maneuvering to win battles, and learning to prioritize his brains over his brawn is a huge facet of his arc, but crucially, he learns this first from suki, whose technique is all about strategic maneuvering against stronger opponents, and toph's fighting style is also about finding creative uses for her earthbending, instead of relying on feats of strength like the other earthbenders we see throughout the series. i would say that in this sense, toph, sokka, and suki are all quite evenly matched. they each have skills the other does not (arguably toph's skills are the most impressive, but sokka's accuracy with a boomerang and suki's little flippity flips – i.e., her abs of steel – in "the boiling rock" deserve acknowledgment).

of course, it's valuable that sokka trusts toph and suki entirely, and not solely because it reflects his implicit respect for girls as warriors (because like, we covered that at the very beginning of the series), but because it means he can overcome his control freak tendencies to delegate and trust others to be competent and succeed, which also means trusting that if they fail or choose to sacrifice themselves, it's not directly his fault (something he learns in "the boiling rock"). and of course toph and suki are probably the two people (who aren't directly related to him) he trusts, loves, and admires the most, which is what makes their team-up as a trio in the finale so lovely.

2 i actually think there's something really beautiful and poignant about the circularity of sokka's arc. as you say, it's a near-identical situation. sokka is faced down by fire nation soldiers, the only person in a position to fight back, while responsible for the safety and life of his little sister, and even though he puts up a valiant effort, he still must be saved by a third party who swoops in at the very last moment to save him before he bites it. in "the avatar returns," sokka's choice to die a martyr (in his mind) will finally fulfill his existential goal of protecting katara (which, again, in his mind, means doing for her what kya did), whereas now his existential goal is ending the war. either way, he is dying for his cause. the thing is, when aang returns to fight zuko, suddenly a new cause motivates sokka: to help the avatar. but now that the war is over, sokka's goals become less concrete. he must suddenly live past the end of his myth, which as we all know, is a perilous thing.

and as i've talked about before, i think this would motivate him to try and do everything he possibly can, because he no longer has one singular defined path, so to prove that he is worthy of existence he must now exercise control over everyone. as much as he trusts toph and suki and katara and aang and zuko (to an extent), i think his control freak tendencies would nonetheless be exacerbated by the end of the war, because instead of just imposing control on their little group to make sure they stay on schedule etc. etc., he now has the opportunity to impose control over the entire world. postwar sokka is kind of a nightmare i'm afraid.

3 i think it's important to remember that sokka doesn't really get angry, he gets guilty. unlike katara, zuko, or even aang, sokka only really gets angry if he thinks someone is incompetent and/or evil. but mostly, when he internalizes his emotions, he doesn't lash out with rage, he points that anger inwards, feels as if he is the one at fault, even if the situation was not remotely in his control. i don't think sokka would be remotely mad at zuko for what he did. he might think zuko was stupid for what he did ("couldn't katara have just run out of the way?"), but he'd also be infinitely grateful. i think sokka would be furious at zuko had the reverse happened and katara been injured in any way – oh, then he would tear zuko to pieces. but zuko risking his life for katara (although i think in zuko's mind he expected he'd be fine and that he could just redirect the lightning in midair, but he'd never admit that to anyone ever, so.) would only make sokka feel guilty that someone else had to perform his duty.

i think a big problem for sokka after the war would be that now that he has all these different paths to follow, he cannot be in every location at once (being a man means knowing where you're needed the most, but what if you're needed everywhere??? what then???), and he cannot know every single piece of information implicitly. the fact that he had to be at the airship fleet meant that he had to trust that zuko and katara would be successful in their mission. and he clearly does trust them, but i imagine there's also a part of him wracked with fear over their fates the entire time that they're split up, especially because if katara isn't okay, that means that he failed and he wasn't even there. so yeah, i think he'd feel a mix of gratitude and guilt that zuko performed his big brother duties in sokka's place. but i don't think he'd be angry at zuko.

4 sokka's self-hate for almost letting toph die is so real though. yeah "the boiling rock" teaches him to let himself rely on others and not take every single failure so personally, and suki is especially significant in that regard for how she represents someone who is sokka's peer who can rescue him but also be rescued by him. and all that, thematically speaking, is very important and lovely. but he still hates himself for not doing more. which is of course crazy, because he literally used a boomerang and threw his sword with only one working arm and a broken leg while basically hanging off a falling ledge in the sky to kill two men, but sokka is crazy, so there's no way he's satisfied upon being told that he did all he can do. his limits are his failures. and if he can't even protect his best friend, then what is he good for?

i actually think that if toph hadn't been there to ground him, he would have been less concerned with staying alive, that he only held on for so long because he wanted to keep toph alive. when sokka tells toph that "it looks like this is the end," toph, understandably, starts to cry, but sokka only really seems sad at the idea that toph is about to die. he's not crying, why would he be? this is probably how he's always imagined his own death in his wildest fantasies (yes, if katara fantasizes about revenge, sokka fantasizes about dying, you know it's true). if sokka is crucial to helping toph recognize and accept her own vulnerability, toph helps sokka stay grounded to his humanity (and obviously aang and others perform these function for both parties as well, but sokka and toph's friendship is a really beautiful, special thing). and that means that sokka is excited to be saved by suki specifically because it means that she also saved toph. but there must also be a part of sokka after the war that's thinking "in the end, zuko saved katara, suki saved toph, some giant spirit creature saved aang........ what am i even good for?" because if there's one thing sokka's brain loves to do, it's reinforce his own worthlessness.

5 "god i hope they don't break up over it" was pretty funny to me, because i honestly think that if they ever get together (and jury's still out for me on that tbh) it would take a good decade. but also i recognize that the way i "ship zukka" is different from how everyone else feels about/imagines them, so that's not really relevant here.

#would it surprise you that i do in fact think about this all the time #you guys rly love enabling me huh #asks #dejaentends #put it under the cut even though i have way longer posts i didn't add readmores to. im unpredictable im crazy idk #sokka #toph #suki #zuko #katara #katara&sokka #sokka&toph #sokkaxsuki #sokkaxzuko #(kinda)#analysis #GODDDDD..... i love.........psychoanalyzing sokka...... peeling the onion....... he has LAYERS DONKEY!!!!!

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pimosworld · 5 months

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Moonshine

TLOU x Triple Frontier crossover AU

Pairing-Joel Miller x f!reader x Francisco Morales

CW-18+,MDNI,NSFW, alcohol consumption, angst,fluff,oral male receiving,cockwarming, canon typical violence, kidnapping,protective Joel,protective Frankie, minor character death, comfort

Chapter summary- Things come to a head when Joel leaves the QZ. Cain’s greed boils over into all your lives and the boys put their skills to use.

WK-6k

A/N- This is it folks and then the epilogue. Thank you for all sticking around. We are saying goodbye to this beloved trio…for now.

Character link

[Series Masterlist][Main Masterlist]

Not beta read

Final Chapter-Speakeasy

Joel could be extremely stubborn, but it seems you were going to take the cake in that competition. It’s been two days since Joel told you he needed to leave the QZ for supplies. He swore to you he would never put himself in danger again. Your best option at keeping him from leaving at this point was the silent treatment and it seemed you were determined to hold true to that despite today being the day he is supposed to leave.

“You gonna stomp around all day or ya gonna talk to me?” Joel tries to cage you in against the counter but you slip out of his grasp and stomp towards the bedroom.

Frankie sends him an apologetic look as he waves him off.

“This isn’t the first time she’s been pissed at me and it certainly won’t be the last.” Joel resumes drying the dishes you left in the sink as Frankie looks towards the hallway where you disappeared.

Joel turns to him when he’s done with a look more stern than his normal demeanor. He’s nervously rubbing his hands together and Frankie fights the urge to tell him to stay. He wants to tell him everything you’ve expressed over the last few days. He wants to tell him that he has all he could ever want inside these walls…but Frankie knows that’s not true.

Things are different now. It’s not just about their survival. People relied on Joel to take care of their families and his last few runs have come up short since he wasn’t the one overseeing it. Things were ‘stolen’ or people went missing. Much like his brother Tommy, Joel was growing tired of sitting idly back without getting his hands dirty.

“I’ve been meanin’ to talk to you about something before I go.” He sets out two glasses from the cabinet and grabs a bottle from under the sink that Frankie’s never seen before. His eyes aren’t focused on the glass but he pours all the same.

“Before you start… just know I’m not going anywhere.” Joel flicks his eyes to Frankie briefly before swallowing it down in one gulp.

“If something happens to me…”

“Nothing is going to happen to you!” You emerge from the hallway fuming.“You don’t have to go.”

Frankie winces at the sight of your bloodshot eyes. Tears streaming down your face as Joel crosses the room to pull you into his arms. You try to push him away but he’s much stronger than you as his hold on you tightens.

“Stop fightin’ me Shine.” He half shouts into your hair as you pound your hands on his chest.

“I don’t want you to go.” Your inaudible sobs are breaking Frankie’s heart. Joel has been your security blanket since you arrived in Boston and you can’t fathom a life without him.

“You know I have to go.” He rocks you slowly in his arms and rubs your back as your breathing comes back to you in shallow sobs. You nod your head against him and he tilts your chin up to face him. “Shine.”

“I know.” You feel a warm presence behind you pressing into your back and large hands come between you and Joel to caress your front.

“I’m gonna be here for you no matter what hermosa.” Frankie sounds like he’s on the verge of tears and it breaks your heart to think he doesn’t understand how much you appreciate him.

“Shit Frankie I’m sorry.” You turn around burying your face in his neck, inhaling his scent you’ve grown so addicted to. “I didn’t mean to…”

His lips are on yours in an instant, all the feelings and desperation he’s trying to convey in this one kiss is enough to silence you. You kiss him deeply, your tongue licking into his mouth as Joel’s lips find your neck. Your soft moan almost stifles the quiet words whispered against your lips.

“I love you.” Frankie hears your sharp intake of breath and Joel’s hands stilling on your waist as the moment hangs in the air. “I love you both.”

You don’t think your heart can take the simultaneous feel of it swelling and breaking all at once. Frankie loves you…and Joel, he finally decides to tell you both. Maybe as a last stitch effort to get him to stay. Or maybe he truly does love you and he realizes this may be his last chance to tell you while you’re all in the same room.

He’s waiting for a response for what seems like an eternity and the feeling of worry and guilt start to creep over him. He can see the look in your eyes like he’s holding your heart in the palm of his hands and Joel who refuses to meet his gaze. He can sense his mistake, much like yours of trying to ignore Joel these last few days in a final triumphant tantrum to get him to stay.

But this is not that. He’s loved you for months, just afraid to tell you and open up a part of him he thought long dormant before him and the boys made their trek to Boston. You came barreling into his life, not taking no for an answer and challenging him every step of the way. Joel surprised him from the beginning, turning out to be quite the opposite of the persona he lets on. He may be hard around the edges but inside he’s soft and sweet and just needing to be loved all the same.

“I’ve felt this way for a long time, I wanted to tell you the other night but after you said you were leaving it just didn’t feel like the right time.” Joel finally looks up then and smiles at him and Frankie knows maybe now was not such a good time either but he couldn’t wait any longer.

“We love you too Francisco.” Joel gently kisses the back of your head. “This one was pretty eager to tell ya’ months ago but I didn’t want to push.”

Joel closes the small space between him and Frankie as his lips tenderly meet his. It’s short and sweet yet you know it still holds the same weight of his words.

“You know I still gotta go.” Frankie rests his forehead against Joel’s and nods once.

None of you speak for a while and you think if you keep your eyes closed maybe you could stay like this forever.

****

Joel doesn’t say anything as you feverishly pack his bag full of stuff he knows is probably too much to carry but it’s not worth it right now to tell you to stop. It’s adorable the way you mutter under your breath about needing to keep warm and hydrated. He’s sitting on the bed against the pillows trying to burn this memory in his brain…just in case.

If he waits any longer to leave he’ll be late to meet the few others that he’s making the short trip with. Some older locals he knew he could trust wanted to gather some more supplies before winter. They also knew how to handle a gun in case they ran into any trouble. Which he assumed may happen since his last few scouts he sent out for supplies came back with little to nothing and seemed downright spooked to even tell him.

He couldn’t afford to send any of the boys, he needed all hands on to run the bar and make sure his presence was still known. Charity would likely never forgive him if he sent Santiago and he would never put his family in any unnecessary danger. He needed Francisco to stay for obvious reasons and part of him just wanted to prove to himself that he hadn’t forgotten what it was like to be out there.

Tommy always lingered in the back of his mind as he lived his quiet and relatively peaceful life. He wanted that so badly for him but Cain had other motives and he couldn’t convince his brother to leave that life behind. Ultimately that cost him his life and so Joel swore to you he wouldn’t put you in a position to mourn anyone else.

“Shine I think that’ll be enough to last me a few weeks. I’m only gonna be gone a few days.” He stills your hand as you try to zip his pack. He places a kiss on each one of your knuckles and then a final on your palm. “I’ll be back in a few days, I promise.”

“Don’t promise.” You look up to him with tears streaming down your face.

“I’m gonna promise anyway.”

****

The bar is not open today so that leaves you with nothing except your thoughts running wild. Frankie follows you around like a lost puppy as you try to find new ways to clean and organize the same space. You know he’s trying to be supportive but you just wish he would do something…anything really besides follow you around the house.

Frankie can see you’re wound tight. He knows all too well the feeling of wanting to be in control of something you have no control over.

You need a distraction

“Did you say something?” You turn to Frankie as he leans against the wall in the hallway.

“I said…you need a distraction.” He takes a few steps towards you and holds out his hand waiting for you to accept it. “I promise I won’t bite…unless you want me to.”

“Okay.”

He smiles at you as you take his hand. He says nothing as he leads you from the hallway to the living room. The early sunset peeking through the blinds is all the light you can see as he sits on the couch. He positions you between his legs as he looks up at you with those brown puppy dog eyes. You’re already feeling better and thoroughly distracted as he rubs his large palms up and down the back of your thighs.

“So…what do you want to do?” It’s a pleasant nervousness thrumming through your veins as he sits back and you try to keep your eyes level with his face and not on the stretch of his pants as his legs relax.

“Whatever you want to do Mi Luna.” His face reads calm and collected but his hands are fidgeting at his side and you realize he’s struggling just as much as you are with Joel being gone.

“Whatever I want.” Your teasing tone as you start to pull your shirt over your head has him equal parts worried and excited.

You weren’t expecting to put on a show today so you’re feeling a little self conscious in your basic panties and bra but the way Frankie is looking at you like he wants to devour you makes you want to prolong this a bit.

You drop to your knees in front of him and lean forward to pull on the waistband of his sweatpants. He lifts his hips slightly to help you as you let the fabric pool at his feet. You can’t help the look in your eyes when you see how turned on he is already. The way his breathing picks up as you splay your hands on his thighs and dig your fingers into the muscled flesh.

He curses under his breath as you take him in your hand and pump him a few times. You place your other hand on his stomach as he tries to keep his hips still. “I’ve barely touched you.”

“Fuck I know.” It’s more of a response to himself than it is to you.

You move your hand briefly before your lips are wrapping around the tip of his cock. Teasing with your tongue at first until you sink down slowly enveloping him in your mouth. You don’t stop until your lips meet the base of his cock and you still there for a moment before swallowing.

“Holy fuck.” You’ve never taken him this far before and Frankie’s brain short circuits when you start to bob your head up and down his cock, the lewd sounds coming from your mouth spur him on as your other hand still firmly on his stomach presses down. An unfamiliar groan leaves his lips and he has to bite down bordering on painful so he doesn’t finish embarrassingly fast.

“I’m close hermosa.”

You swirl your tongue again and come off with a pop as you lean back on your heels to catch your breath.

“I need your shirt off Francisco.” He rips his shirt off, his hat clambering to the floor somewhere behind him as you take off your bra and panties.

You settle your thighs on either side of his hips as you hover over him. You haven’t told him he can’t touch you but he follows your silent instruction as his hands nearly tear the fabric of the couch with his grip. You reach down and line him up with you as you sink down slowly.

He’s always a stretch but he usually gets you ready…on his fingers, his tongue for as long as you’ll let him. You don’t have the patience today and you’re loving the control. His eyes are squeezed shut as you moan into the feeling of pleasure as you’re fully seated on his cock.

“You can touch me.” Your voice quivers a little as his hands grip your hips. He starts to lift you slightly when your hand goes to his shoulder to stop him. “I just want to stay like this for a minute.”

“Okay.” His voice barely above a whisper.

His hands loosen slightly as you lean forward, eating your head in the crook of his neck. He smells like your lavender body wash and sweat and you release a breath you didn’t know you were holding.

You shift a little as you wrap your arms around him and he pulses inside you. A soft whimper leaves your lips and his hands tighten their grip on you again. “Is this okay?”

You can feel him nod his head as he places a kiss to your cheek. “More than okay.”

“I love you Francisco.”

“I love you too Shine.”

****

The last few days at the bar have been hellish. The business has helped you keep your mind off Joel so you’ve enjoyed the chaos.

You can tell Frankie’s been on edge. A similar look in his eyes to when you first met Joel. He’s not sleeping and barely eating. You talked to Ben before starting work today and he assured you he’d check on him when things started to wind down for the night. It didn’t seem that things would be winding down anytime soon though.

Joel didn’t discriminate in his bar, any patron was welcome. Whether it be a tired mother getting off her shift in the kitchen or a FEDRA officer unwinding after a day of carrying out questionable orders.

His only rule was no fighting in his establishment.

As quiet as you tried to keep his absence, people talked. It was evident with all the rowdiness of the night that people knew he was gone. The boys were intimidating to most but they were new. Joel’s name held weight and with him being gone it provided opportunities for challengers.

You and Charity did your best to keep up with the high demand as the boys tried to keep the patrons in line.

You told Frankie early on in the night to help his friends. You could see him grappling with making sure you were okay and standing by on the sidelines trying not to feel useless.

“Go, I'll be fine.”

The nagging part of your brain that tells you, how long can he put up with being your glorified babysitter. The part of your brain that tells you he’s going to get sick of you. It’s the devil on your shoulder that tells you he needs something else to do or he’s going to leave eventually.

“Are you sure?”

Frankie shouldn’t listen to you. That part of his brain keeps telling him you’re going to get sick of being treated like a child. You survived just fine before he got here so why shouldn’t he go be with his friends. Eventually you’re going to get sick of him just watching over you.

If the two of you would’ve just got out of your heads you could’ve avoided this whole situation.

****

Your head is pounding and your throat is dry. Your neck hurts from being stuck in the same position for god knows how long.

It’s like waking up from a nap and you have no idea how you fell asleep or where you are. As you blink your eyes open you see a room much like your old apartment above the bar. It’s clearly daytime as the sun peeks through the dark curtains. The last thing you remember was being behind the bar….last night.

Your hands are poorly tied behind your back as you sit in a small wooden chair in the middle of this room. It’s well kept and smells of a cheap heady cologne. You can just barely feel a loose thread between your fingers as you start to pull on some of the loose rope.

“Well look who's awake.”

Joel is going to be pissed

****

“Tell me again…from the beginning.”

“Listen Joel, it happened so fast-.” Joel holds up his hand to stop Will from speaking.

“I want you to tell me.” He points to Frankie who hasn’t let his eyes leave the floor.

Frankie’s been silent since Joel walked into the bar this morning. They had been up all night trying to figure out what happened to you.

****

“Frankie just go, Will looks like he could use the help.”

Frankie looks to Will, struggling to break up a fight between two men. Santi is at the front door helping Benny handle another situation. He can’t just sit by and watch, he needs to do something. He looks at you one last time as you take someone’s order before heading over to Will.

He couldn’t have been gone for more than a minute.

He’s seen these guys here before…together. These were the guys harassing you a few weeks ago. He’s not sure why they’re having a disagreement but Will has it handled by the time he’s made it over to them.

They leave of their own accord thankfully and it seems whatever disgruntled patron Benny and Santi were handling left also.

Frankie returns to the bar but you’re nowhere to be found. He asked a woman who was seated at the end… a regular, where you went. She waved her hand off down the hall and mumbled something about you running off after some people. She was no help as drunk as she was, most likely not even aware of her surroundings.

Frankie takes off out the back to the alley, his heart is pounding in his chest as he runs to the street. No sign of you or any life for that matter this late at night. He doesn’t care how much trouble he gets in for waking the neighbors as he yells your name.

Santiago runs out to him on the street and takes in his frantic state. Not bothering to ask and further piss Frankie off.

He had one job and now he has no idea where you are or even where to begin to look for you.

“We need to close the bar.”

“I’m on it Fish.” Santi disappears inside while Frankie stands helpless on the street.

****

It’s been hours…

The FEDRA officers didn’t take too kindly to the boys telling them to drink elsewhere if they didn’t turn a blind eye to the curfew hours so they could search for you.

Will has a sneaking suspicion that you couldn’t possibly have gone far without being seen, but no one seems to know anything.

The sun is starting to come up as they make their way back to the bar, Ben’s guilt ridden face has nothing on the way Frankie feels at this very moment.

The situation isn’t much better once Joel arrives taking in their disheveled appearance.

“Y’all look like shit.”

Ironically enough Frankie thinks Joel’s seen better days and he’s back much sooner than anticipated. He already looks pissed and he doesn’t even know what’s happened to you.

****

“Are you stupid Cain?”

“Sweetheart, I'm a lot smarter than your bodyguards.” He comes into your view with a smug grin on his face.

Whatever idea he’s got conjured up in his brain you’re sure is not thought through. The only thing you know for certain is Joel is going to kill him.

“You know Joel is going to come get me.”

“That’s the plan, Sweetheart.” He crouches low in front of your chair, tilting his head side to side.

“He’s going to bring reinforcements.” You know he’s not easily intimidated but he knew next to nothing about the boys.

“I’m countin on it Shine.”

He laughs as you spit in his face, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe his eyes. “You don’t get to call me Shine.”

“You’re not really in a position to give orders are ya?” He tugs on the restraints around your legs as you try to lunge at him.

“So what’s your plan? You just gonna keep me tied up here forever?” He’s too cocky to not tell you what his motives are. You know you can get out of this poorly tied rope around your wrist, all you need to do is bide your time.

“You know you could’ve just accepted my offer to let you work here. You may even change your mind about me when Joel doesn’t have a bar for you to work in.” He stands and gently strokes your cheek. “The cavalry is gonna come lookin for you, and my men will be cleaning him out for everything he owns.”

Stupid, what a stupid plan.

Cain never was one to think ahead. He always underestimated Joel and that bothered him. It’s why he took Tommy under his wing. The only way to manipulate Joel was to hit him where it hurt.

Some people just couldn’t leave well enough alone. The world ending brought out the best and worst in people and knowing Cain you could guess it wasn’t too far of a push to become one of the worst. His greed will always be the driving force to what makes him tick, but it will also be the reason for his demise.

****

“I know where she is.” Joel sounds oddly calm for everything they just told him. “I should’ve killed that son of a bitch a long time ago.”

“Who?” Ben looks to Joel but it’s Frankie who speaks first.

“Cain.” Joel nods his head as Frankie clenches his fist. The thought of him even laying a finger on your head has his blood boiling.

Pope and Will wanted to take him out months ago but Joel didn’t want to disturb the peace. He can see it written all over their faces now. Cain was not someone who deserved peace.

“So let’s go kill him then.” Joel chuckles at Ben’s enthusiasm as he lays out a glass and puts himself a whiskey.

“Since you’re so eager to help, here’s what we’re gonna do.”

Frankie doesn’t like the idea of Joel going alone but he insists that this is the only way this plan will work. Joel was more than confident in your skills and he knew it wouldn’t be long before you got yourself out of whatever predicament you were in.

Santiago takes Charity to Joel’s place so he won’t have to worry about her.

Joel knew Cain would be sending his men to the bar to case and destroy the place. He ran into some trouble on his way back into the QZ when two guys tried to ambush them. By the time Joel had them tied to a tree they were begging for their lives. He let them live in return for information on who hired them. Cain had been intercepting his supplies for months, but it still wasn’t enough for him. He got greedy.

Greed is a bottomless pit

****

One of Cain’s men had been pacing outside your room, when you finally stopped hearing footsteps you got to work on the rope.

Next time I’m using zip ties

You try to clear your head of the thought. The first time Joel tied you up and timed you. You were out of it before he could get started.

You feel one of the ropes loosen around your sore wrists as you shake the hand free. It’s a relief to be able to move your shoulder. With the help of your free hand the rest is done in now time. You lean forward stretching your back as you undo the ropes around your ankles.

A sudden creak in the floorboards has you pause your movements. You hold your breath for what feels like an eternity and start slowly moving again. Your chair makes a similar nose beneath you and you let out a sigh of relief knowing the noise came from inside the room.

You make your way over to the window and thank your lucky stars there’s a fire escape. The sun is just starting to set as you crawl out and sneak down to the alley below.

****

Joel takes one deep breath before he opens the door to Cain’s place. He doesn’t miss this side of town, the way it smells, the way it looks all just remind him of how he was before. It’s time to finally close that chapter of his life and move on.

“Well look what the cat dragged in.” Cain is sitting in the middle of the room. The inside hasn’t changed much, except for the dingy chairs and tables that almost resemble Joel’s. “Where are your lap dogs.” He claps his hands together as Joel takes a seat across from him.

“They’ll be here shortly.” Joel’s pistol is situated in the back of his jeans but he makes no move to reveal it.

There’s a man in the corner he notices is armed.

“I don’t think it would be a wise decision to do anything rash with your bride upstairs.” He snaps his fingers and the man disappears down the hall. He can faintly hear him climbing the stairs, Joel’s focused on counting his steps as Cain drones on.

“Now…she can live here with me. Or she can die with you. The choice is yours Joel.”

The footsteps have stopped.

“We could’ve continued to coexist in peace. Despite the fishy circumstances of my brother's death.”

One set of footsteps resume

Cain chuckles under his breath. “It was fishy wasn’t it? If I hadn’t shot him in the leg the clickers would’ve got me too.”

If Joel was certain you were gone and safe he would’ve shot him between the eyes right then and there but he needed to be sure.

The floorboard creaks in the hallway

Cain ducks his head as Joel raises his pistol to shoot. Hitting the man square in the chest as he rounds the corner. He wishes he could frame the look on his face when you don’t appear in the hallway.

****

The cold stinging your face as you run through the streets is a welcome feeling. Your lungs burn and your feet are screaming at you to take a break but you can’t stop until you reach home. The full moon lights your way as each passing landmark starts to look more familiar.

The light is on in the house as you look up at the window. You can’t climb the stairs fast enough as the door is already being flung open. Frankie looks worse than you do, his hair is a mess and his eyes are bloodshot.

He almost knocks the wind out of you as he pulls you into his arms. “Don’t you ever scare me like that again.” You're shivering in his arms now that your adrenaline has worn off. “I didn’t know where you went.”

“Let the girl come inside Frankie.”

He laughs and steps aside as he wipes his eyes. Charity is standing in the living room looking just as worried as him but still smiling.

“I told you she’d come straight here.” She holds out a blanket for you and pulls you into a warm embrace.

Frankie has a seat at the dining table, probably for the first time in over a day. “I still don’t know how Joel was so sure you’d make it out.”

“Because Cain is first and foremost an idiot. He never thinks things through.” He gestures for you to come to him and you take a seat in his lap. “Wait…you said Joel…he's back?”

“Oh ya…he came back early, Shine.” Charity gives you that look. The look that tells you he’s finally handling it. “The boys are just tying up some loose ends and then they’ll meet back here.”

Frankie lets you go barely enough to turn and face him. You gently brush his curls out of his face and he sighs as he closes his eyes. “I take it I missed quite a bit.” You say as he narrows his eyes at you.

“Why did you run off like that?” His tone comes off more worried than accusatory, and that makes you feel that much worse.

“I saw someone run off without paying, and you guys had your hands pretty full.” He raises his eyebrows at you but stays silent. “ So I chased him down the hall…and he went out the back, and now that I’m saying it out loud it sounds pretty stupid.”

“What are we gonna do with you?” He looks at you incredulously and kisses your forehead.

“Hon you must be hungry.” Charity is in the kitchen pulling out a pot and your stomach grumbles at the thought of not having eaten in so long.

“I should probably shower.” He sniffs you and makes a face as you playfully swat his chest.

“Don’t get lost on your way.”

“I promise I won’t.”

****

“Listen Joel.” Cain looks at his henchmen bleeding out in the hallway. “We can come to some sort of agreement.”

“Oh I’m sure we can.” Joel shoots him in his kneecaps and he keels over in pain.

“Are you fucking crazy?”

Ben, Will and Santiago enter through the back, Joel gestures at the man dead in the doorway. “Take him down to the basement.” Will and Ben drag him off down the hall as Santiago approaches Joel.

“Crazy is thinking you can take what’s mine and get away with it.”

Joel and Santi carry Cain to the basement to join his dead friend. It’s cold and dingy, the dead body isn’t going to help the smell much and he didn’t have any supplies down here it seems. The poorly built ones are often flooded in the winter, he can tell by the mold creeping up the wall that this particular basement probably does.

They toss Cain on the ground as the man tries and fails to stand.

“What the hell are you gonna do Joel, you can’t just leave me down here.”

“Ya he’s right, you should at least give him some food.” Will chimes in, the obvious sarcasm dripping from his voice.

“He’s got food right there.” Ben points to the dead man’s body and they all laugh amongst themselves.

They file out one by one leaving Joel last to close the door. “I’m giving you a better chance than you gave my brother.” He takes one last look at Cain before slamming it shut.

“Lock it up boys, we’re going home.”

****

You’re finally all nice and cozy, freshly showered and fed. You’re nestled on the couch between Frankie and Charity when you hear footsteps and soft chatter coming from the stairwell.

Joel comes in with the boys in tow as they all drop their bags at the door. You bolt off the couch and run to him practically knocking him over. “I missed you too, Shine.” He cradles your head in his large palm as he breathes you in. You smell fresh like the lavender soap you use and he knows he desperately needs a shower but he wants to relish in this a little longer.

“I want everyone to stay here tonight if that’s alright with you.” He lets you go as you take in his appearance, he’s seen better days but he’s still your Joel. Just a few more wrinkles, his eyes don’t seem as sad.

“Of course it’s alright with me.”

“Why don’t you get everyone situated while I shower.” Joel winks at Frankie before heading down the hallway. You know they’ll say their proper hellos and I missed you’s later.

You look around the room at Will and Benny laughing about something. Santi swaying by the couch with Charity singing something sweet in her ear. Frankie is looking at you, probably thinking the same thing you are. It’s a relief to have all his favorite people under one roof. Safe

“Well.” You clap your hands together. “You and Santi can have the spare room. Will and Ben can flip a coin for the couch. I have an extra cot and some blankets I can bring in.”

“I’m sleeping on the couch. I'm the older brother.” He ruffles his hair as Ben swats his hand away.

“That’s fine I’ll just sleep with them.” He gestures to Frankie and comes over to lift you up bridal style.

“It’s not that kind of sleepover Ben.” You pat his cheek and mouth a silent sorry as he puts you down.

“Fine, but if I hear any noise coming from either of your rooms I’m coming in.” You give him a thumbs up as they roll their eyes at the younger Miller.

****

It doesn’t take long for the house to quiet down. Everyone is exhausted from the last few days' events. You’re exactly where you want to be, situated perfectly between Frankie and Joel. His hair is still wet from the shower as you run your fingers through his curls. Frankie’s chest is warm on your back and his arm is draped over the both of you.

It’s too late to talk about anything that transpired and you’re not sure if it will ever get addressed. All you know is Joel hasn’t looked this peaceful since you’ve met him.

The last thing Frankie said before he drifted off the sleep was ‘I love you’ , something he wanted to be sure he’d be able to say to both of you in the same room again.

You think maybe Joel is asleep as he mutters something under his breath. He looks down at you, his eyes just barely visible in the dark room, dimly lit by the moon.

“Hmm?” He tilts your chin up and kisses you slowly.

“I said I’m never leavin you again.” His kisses grow sleepier by the moment as you feel Frankie’s grip tighten on you.

“You promise?”

“Ya Moonshine, I promise.”

Love you guys so much thank you for showing this story so much love. 🤍

Comments and reblogs are much appreciated

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101flavoursofweird · 11 months

Text

Emerald Trio Week: Day 2 - Inspiration

Spoilers: Minor spoilers for Watching and Dreaming regarding Hunter’s new…talent.

Set: After Watching and Dreaming. Hunter is attending Hexside with the others.

Warnings: A reference to the Titanic movie is made… Gus doubts his artistic skills… Contains more Huntlow and Gustholomule— glad I can tag them now!

Note: Again, thanks to @loosescrewslefty for the prompts.

Resting on his stomach above his bedroom rug, Gus squinted at the sketchpad in front him. He gnawed on the end of his pencil like a hungry echo mouse.

Legend had it that human pencils used to contain lead , which was poisonous for humans—

Stop getting distracted!

Gus shook his head and returned to the issue at hand: Matt’s birthday— tomorrow.

Gus could have (should have) gone out and purchased Matt a gift, but, never one to pass up a challenge, Gus had decided to create something instead.

Illusions were too easy. Matt had received plenty of illusions from Gus, and by this point, Matt was proficient at casting his own illusions.

Matt would be expecting something better from Gus. Something Gus had worked hard on. A challenge!

So, Gus had decided to take a page of out of Matt’s book. Gus was going to draw him a picture…

It sounded childish when Gus put it like that. No— he was going to produce a portrait. Paint the canvas. Compose an artistic masterpiece!

…As soon as he could figure out what to draw.

Think, Augustus, think…

No thoughts manifested. His brain was completely empty.

“Uuuuuugh!” Gus groaned and dropped his pencil. “Guys, what should I draw for Matt?”

So engrossed was he in his art that he’d almost forgotten Willow and Hunter were there with him.

They had come over an hour ago to start work on a project for History class, which only Hunter was still invested in now.

“Not sure…” Hunter replied without looking up from his books on Gus’s desk.

Willow made an ‘ I dunno’ noise from Gus’s bed, where she was watching a professional flyer derby match on her scroll.

“Thanks, you two!” Gus said flatly. “Such helpful, reliable friends I have—“ Willow tossed a pillow in his direction.

Gus gasped and moved his sketchpad aside. “Willow! You’re gonna wreck my canvas!” He chucked the pillow right back at her.

“Ha!” Willow caught the pillow. She placed the pillow at the end of his bed and planted her elbows on it.

“You can draw me!” she suggested with a smirk. She held her chin in her hand. “Draw me like one of your French girls!”

That made Hunter’s head turn. Willow pursed her lips at him.

“Ew! No!” Gus protested, poking his tongue out. (Why had he insisted on watching Titanic with them in the Human Realm? He’d thought it was a documentary…! ) “You two can just leave if you’re going to be all lovey-dovey!”

“Very well…” Willow sniffed loudly. She rolled to the left side of the bed and slowly slipped off. “But I promise I will… never… let go—“

Hunter snorted. When Willow’s hand sank weakly out of view, Gus wheezed with laughter too. Hunter joined him, clutching his sides as he rocked back in Gus’s chair. Willow popped up from behind the bed, chortling.

“This really… isn’t funny!” Gus gasped, after a minute. “The Titanic sinking was a real disaster in human history—“

“Kind of like our History project?” Hunter hummed.

“—and so is this!” Gus thrust a hand at his blank sketchbook. “How am I going to impress Matt? How?!”

“Why don’t you draw a beach?” Willow supplied, actually being helpful this time.

“Not a beach in the Boiling Isles… ” Hunter mumbled. Gus glanced at him. Hunter glanced away, rubbing his lip.

Willow said, “Maybe a beach from the Human Realm would be better?”

“Yeah…” Gus agreed. “ Yeah— that could work!”

One sunny day during their stay in the Human Realm, Camila had driven them all to a beach, where the sand was soft and the sea didn’t boil. They could actually swim in the water, without fear of burning…

Witches still had to wear sunblock. (Amity, especially…) But it was definitely worth it for that beautiful sunset.

Gus pictured it in his mind— the sand, the sea, the sunset— and he projected it as an illusion the size of a crystal ball.

“It was great,” Hunter said, smiling at the memory.

“Who needs photos,” Willow quipped, “when we’ve got Gus’ power?”

Gus grinned, grabbed his pencil and his sketchpad, and started to draw the scene. It was much easier when he had the memory in front of him.

The beach had been bustling and bright with colour: The sapphire waves, the golden sand, the pink and purple sky…

Gus had the outlines of the beach, but it was bland and grey with pencil.

Gus frowned. Should he try shading? He gently rubbed a pencil mark with his fingertip and winced at the mess he made. “I need colours— right now!”

“Paints or crayons?” Willow asked, shooting to her feet

Paints would be too messy… “Crayons!”

“You’re a witch,” Hunter reminded Gus. “Why don’t you just—? ”

“‘’S’cuse me!” Willow shoved past Hunter to reach the desk. She pulled a pack of colouring crayons out of a blue pencil pot, and passed them to Gus. “Here you go!”

“Thanks…”

Gus coloured in the lines he’d drawn, but when he was finished, it still looked… wrong. The crayons were too waxy, too artificial, and they didn’t blend together.

A baby could have done better than this!

“I’ve ruined it!” Gus moaned. His illusion-bubble popped. He threw his sketchbook away and flopped facedown on the rug.

“No, you haven’t!” Willow went to pick up his sketchbook

Still on the rug, Gus turned his head to Willow as she crouched beside him. She held the picture up to him, hoping he would see it in a different light.

“See? It’s fine, way better than my doodles—“

“Fine isn’t good enough,” Gus huffed.

Hunter said, “Why not?”

Rubbing his wrist, Gus sat up. “Because… Matt’s a really, really good artist. I just wanted to draw him something— something I put a lot of effort into…!”

“You did put a lot of effort in, Gus,” Willow assured him. “Of course Matt will see that, but if anyone doesn’t, who cares?”

“You can’t please everyone,” Hunter muttered, sympathetically. Willow offered him a reassuring smile.

Gus looked between the two of them. He took the sketchbook back from Willow, staring at his picture .

“But,” Hunter added, with surprising optimism, “do you know what would jazz it up even more…?” He stood up and pulled a small carving knife out of his apron pocket.

“A… palisman?” Gus guessed. “But Matt already has…”

Gus trailed off as Willow made a rectangle with her thumbs and index fingers. Closing one eye, Willow moved the rectangle over to Gus, as if she was snapping a photo of him.

“Oh!” Gus gasped.

Matt ripped the wrapping paper off the box. “You got me… a hunk of wood?”

“No !” Gus sighed. Carefully, Gus removed the hand-carved panel of wood and flipped it over, revealing his picture inside the frame.

Matt’s eyes widened. “Wait— you made this?”

Gus wasn’t sure if Matt was referring to the picture of the beach or the frame or both, but he nodded shyly.

Matt snatched the gift off him. For a horrible second, Gus thought Matt was going to throw the framed picture away, but then, Matt held it up for all of his party guests to see.

“Everyone— look at this! Look at THIS! The first of many masterpieces from Augustus Porter! And it’s all MINE…!”

Gus blushed and beamed at Matt’s adulation.

He glanced back at Willow and Hunter, who were both watching behind him. Willow gave him a thumbs-up. Though Hunter looked a little tired, he was smiling.

Gus mouthed, “Thank you—“ but he was cut off as Matt caught him in a one-armed hug.

Hunter smiled at Gus and Mattholomule.

He hadn’t gotten much sleep last night— between woodcarving and their history project— but it was worth it to see Gus and his friend/rival/crush(?) so happy together.

Rubbing his eyes, Hunter wondered how much longer he would have to stay at the party…

Mattholomule wouldn’t mind if Hunter left, would he? He and Hunter weren’t really close (Hunter was more familiar with Matt’s brother, Steve), and Hunter didn’t have a present with him…

An arm wrapped around Hunter’s shoulder. Willow pulled him down so her mouth was level with his burning ear.

“You can take credit for the frame,” she whispered. “Gus won’t mind…”

“Nah…” Hunter chuckled. “I’ll let him have this one—“

“That’s sweet of you…” Willow hummed hopefully. “Could you make me a photo frame— when it’s my birthday?”

“S-sure…”

To make sure it was absolutely perfect he’d have to start preparations immediately— finding the right wood, marking the measurements…

Willow pecked him on the cheek, interrupting Hunter’s plans.

“Thanks, Hunter.”

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prodogg · 2 years

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Soooo I was reading again and I recognized Suki is very often very negatively against Azula or has a healthy suspicion of her, which is good but I was asking myself is that really true for Suki. You are probably asking yourself if I have drunk some cactus juice but hear me out. We see Suki be very quickly friendly to Sokka after beating his ass for sexist remarks and seeing her get along with him, then we see Suki be very fast accepting of Zuko after a half assed apology at the boiling rock for attacking her and burning her village.

Then we come to Ty Lee, who was part of the trio that took down the Kyoshi Warriors and it’s for me implied that she took down Suki as well. At the boiling rock Suki was focused on Ty Lee only and don’t even bat an eyelash towards Azula.

You see, after the war Ty Lee was accepted into the Warrior’s, yes Ty Lee got along with them before hand in prison but Suki is the leader and has to nod it off. So, again Suki is being quickly forginving to somebody.

In all cases we can see Suki was forgiving and accepting after the person showed Suki they are better, it could be argued that she was tolerating Zuko at first but this is not important right now. Now we come to Azula who was just like Ty Lee a part of the trio that beat her and the Kyoshi Warrior’s, we know that Ty Lee beat her so the hurt pride and anger for that is directed at Ty Lee so where are we now, Azula was only responsible for putting Suki in prison, which makes it not even a personal problem Suki has with Azula. So because of this I’m just confused when Suki is mostly so negative in fics and holds a grudge towards Azula because I think Suki is a very forgiving person imo based on the above mentioned points, ofc Azula has to do something that would give Suki the nudge to forgive her for putting her in prison but I don’t see her as this always negatively person toward Azula. I didn’t consider any Comics for this post and oriented myself on atla show events. Of course this is my opinion. I would be interested in what you think about my take that Suki is a quickly forgiving person and please excuse any mistakes because it’s 1 am, I’m tired and don’t want to edit.

#Suki #suki #atla suki #suki atla #suki meta #I guess #azula #I think Suki is a quickly forgiving person #avatar #avatar the last airbender #atla #pd talks #that Sokka gif is hilarious af

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duxbelisarius · 5 months

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Euron's Götterdämmerung

Warning! Spoilers ahead for A Dance With Dragons, A Feast For Crows, and ASOIAF in general

Alternate Title: The One Where Euron Pisses Off the Volcano

Back with another analysis/theory that I happened upon while reading on break; this time our subject is Mr. Nihilism himself Euron Greyjoy, and his likely endgame in TWOW. My argument for this theory is two-fold: 1) The Iron Islands sit atop a dormant, partially submerged volcano, the caldera of which is formed by Great and Old Wyk; and 2) Euron will sound a 'kraken summoning horn,' aka The Hammer of the Waters, to pulverize Oldtown and the coast of the Sunset Sea, causing the Wyk volcano to erupt and setting the stage for a second Long Night.

A huge shout out to Company of the Cat and her video about the Iron Islands being volcanic (skip to 9:37 of the video for her explanations), which inspired me to pursue this theory. To summarize her arguments, everything about the islands from their rich ore deposits, the mythology of Nagga the Sea Dragon, the prevalence of fire in Ironborn culture and imagery despite being a sea-faring people, and the similarity of Great and Old Wyk's shape to the known volcanic islands of Marahai in the Jade Sea, point towards the islands being volcanic. A past eruption could also explain the Ironborn mythology surrounding the Drowned God's conflict with the Storm God; to Dawn Age observers, the collapse of the volcano's caldera combined with volcanic lightning within it's ash cloud (which may be referenced by the arms of House Kenning of Harlaw) could have been explained as the Storm God casting down the god of the Islands, giving rise to the legends of the Drowned God.

This brings me to my second argument; from where things stand at the end of ADWD, Euron's plan seems straightforward: Euron wants to rule the Seven Kingdoms and intends to marry Daenerys, bending her dragons to his will with the Dragon Binder horn he allegedly found in Valyria and crushing all those who stand in his way. But as anyone can attest that has read "The Forsaken," an excerpt of an Aeron Damphair POV from TWOW, these may only be a cover for his true aims:

He showed the world his blood eye now, dark and terrible. Clad head to heel in scale as dark as onyx, he sat upon a mound of blackened skulls as dwarfs capered round his feet and a forest burned behind him.

“The bleeding star bespoke the end,” he said to Aeron. “These are the last days, when the world shall be broken and remade. A new god shall be born from the graves and charnel pits.” Then Euron lifted a great horn to his lips and blew, and dragons and krakens and sphinxes came at his command and bowed before him. “Kneel, brother,” the Crow’s Eye commanded. “I am your king, I am your god. Worship me, and I will raise you up to be my priest.”

“Never. No godless man may sit the Seastone Chair!”

“Why would I want that hard black rock? Brother, look again and see where I am seated.”

Aeron Damphair looked. The mound of skulls was gone. Now it was metal underneath the Crow’s Eye: a great, tall, twisted seat of razor sharp iron, barbs and blades and broken swords, all dripping blood.

Impaled upon the longer spikes were the bodies of the gods. The Maiden was there and the Father and the Mother, the Warrior and Crone and Smith … even the Stranger. They hung side by side with all manner of queer foreign gods: the Great Shepherd and the Black Goat, three-headed Trios and the Pale Child Bakkalon, the Lord of Light and the butterfly god of Naath.

And there, swollen and green, half-devoured by crabs, the Drowned God festered with the rest, seawater still dripping from his hair.

...

The dreams were even worse the second time. He saw the longships of the Ironborn adrift and burning on a boiling blood-red sea. He saw his brother on the Iron Throne again, but Euron was no longer human. He seemed more squid than man, a monster fathered by a kraken of the deep, his face a mass of writhing tentacles. Beside him stood a shadow in woman’s form, long and tall and terrible, her hands alive with pale white fire. Dwarves capered for their amusement, male and female, naked and misshapen, locked in carnal embrace, biting and tearing at each other as Euron and his mate laughed and laughed and laughed …

As indicated Aeron Damphair's Shade of the Evening dreams, Euron aspires not merely to kinghood but godhood. This makes sense with George building-up towards a second Long Night, as Euron makes obvious parallels to the Bloodstone Emperor who was responsible for the first Long Night in Yi Tish mythology. They both came to power by murdering their elder sibling (Balon Greyjoy, the Amethyst Empress), and have committed similar atrocities. According to TWOIAF, Bloodstone "practiced dark arts, torture, and necromancy, enslaved his people, took a tiger-woman for his bride, feasted on human flesh, and cast down the true gods to worship a black stone that had fallen from the sky." While Euron has yet to marry a Tiger-Woman or raise the dead, on all other accounts he is emulating Bloodstone: he uses blood magic; we know from Aeron's POV that he tortures foes; he sells his captives from the Shield Isles into slavery; he forces the Qartheen warlocks he captured to eat their dead companion; and it is made abundantly clear that Euron is a godless man bent on destroying the existing organized religions.

With Euron set-up as the one who will unleash the second Long Night upon Planetos, the question remains as to how he will do this; for a concise account of how the first Long Night happened, I recommend consulting David Lightbringer's videos that I linked in my previous ASOIAF theory. Some have suggested that Euron means to sound the Horn of Winter, aka the Horn of Joramun, which may be in Sam's possession in Oldtown, but I find this very unlikely. For starters, Jon in ACOK and Sam in AFFC both describe the horn found by Ghost as being old and cracked, suggesting that repairs or magical intervention may be needed to get it to work if it is the Horn. There's also the problem of Euron being at the opposite end of the continent from the Wall; if the Horn is indeed used for lowering and raising the Wall (as suggested by Cat in her video about magical horns in ASOIAF), it would be a massive liability for it to be capable of doing so from anywhere in the world.

I believe a clue for how Euron will trigger a second Long Night is Aeron's first vision quoted above, in which Euron blows a horn and caused dragons, krakens and sphinxes to bow to him. As Company of the Cat argues in her magical horns video, a 'kraken summoning horn' most likely refers to the Hammer of the Waters and/or similar objects. We know that Krakens are drawn to bodies and blood in the waters, as mentioned in both Fire and Blood and Arianne's TWOW sample:

"It was said that the waters between the islands were so choked with corpses that krakens appeared by the hundreds, drawn by the blood." (Fire and Blood, Reign of the Dragon: The Wars of King Aegon I)

"And krakens off the Broken Arm, pulling under crippled galleys," said Valena. "The blood draws them to the surface, our maester claims. There are bodies in the water. A few have washed up on our shores." (TWOW, Arianne I)

From what TWOIAF has to say about the breaking of the Arm of Dorne, the Hammer of the Waters could also account for the dragons and sphinxes:

"And the old gods stirred, and giants awoke in the earth, and all of Westeros shook and trembled. Great cracks appeared in the earth, and hills and mountains collapsed and were swallowed up. And then the seas came rushing in, and the Arm of Dorne was broken and shattered by the force of the water, until only a few bare rocky islands remained above the waves." (TWOIAF, Dorne: The Breaking)

If we assume the sphinxes to refer to the statues that flank the gates of the Citadel, these would likely be destroyed by the earthquakes and tsunamis of the Hammer, 'bowing' at the command of Euron. High magnitude earthquakes would lead to volcanic eruptions, thus accounting for the dragons answering Euron's command. In addition to Wyk erupting, we'll likely see Dragonstone erupt as well, esp. in light of Melisandre's talk about 'waking dragons from stone.' Based on Jon and Tyrion's recollections in the eighth chapters of ADWD, an eruption at Hardhome can also be expected:

"Only the brightest stars were visible, all to the west. A dull red glow lit the sky to the northeast, the color of a blood bruise. Tyrion had never seen a bigger moon. Monstrous, swollen, it looked as if it had swallowed the sun and woken with a fever. Its twin, floating on the sea beyond the ship, shimmered red with every wave. "What hour is this?" he asked Moqorro. "That cannot be sunrise unless the east has moved. Why is the sky red?"

"The sky is always red above Valyria, Hugor Hill."" (ADWD, Tyrion VIII)

"Hardhome had been halfway toward becoming a town, the only true town north of the Wall, until the night six hundred years ago when hell had swallowed it. Its people had been carried off into slavery or slaughtered for meat, depending on which version of the tale you believed, their homes and halls consumed in a conflagration that burned so hot that watchers on the Wall far to the south had thought the sun was rising in the north. Afterward ashes rained down on haunted forest and Shivering Sea alike for almost half a year." (ADWD, Jon VIII)

The symbolism and imagery surrounding Euron strongly implies that he will use the Hammer of the Waters; as already noted, a volcanic eruption on Wyk may have inspired the mythology of the war between the Drowned God and the Storm God. Euron is heavily associated with the Storm God, starting with his murder of Balon Greyjoy:

"The Storm God cast him down," the priest announced. For a thousand thousand years sea and sky had been at war. From the sea had come the ironborn, and the fish that sustained them even in the depths of winter, but storms brought only woe and grief.

...

Better to be scorned by Balon the Brave than beloved of Euron Crow's Eye. And if age and grief had turned Balon bitter with the years, they had also made him more determined than any man alive. He was born a lord's son and died a king, murdered by a jealous god, Aeron thought, and now the storm is coming, a storm such as these isles have never known." (AFFC, The Prophet)

"Oh, and Balon was the third, but you knew that. I could not do the deed myself, but it was my hand that pushed him off the bridge." (TWOW, The Forsaken)

Euron's title is Crow's Eye, while his personal coat of arms feature ravens, further tying him to the Storm God:

He had no love of maesters. Their ravens were creatures of the Storm God, and he did not trust their healing, not since Urri. (AFFC, The Prophet)

"Crow's Eye, you call me. Well, who has a keener eye than the crow? After every battle the crows come in their hundreds and their thousands to feast upon the fallen. A crow can espy death from afar. And I say that all of Westeros is dying. Those who follow me will feast until the end of their days." (AFFC, The Drowned Man)

There's also the matter of House Goodbrother, an Ironborn house situated on Great Wyk who draw their wealth from their mines. Not only is their sigil is a warhorn while their house seat bears the interesting name of Hammerhorn, but Euron is compared to Urrathon IV Goodbrother ("Badbrother") in ADWD:

"Torgon Greyiron was the king's eldest son. But the king was old and Torgon restless, so it happened that when his father died he was raiding along the Mander from his stronghold on Greyshield. His brothers sent no word to him but instead quickly called a kingsmoot, thinking that one of them would be chosen to wear the driftwood crown. But the captains and the kings chose Urragon [Urrathon] Goodbrother to rule instead. The first thing the new king did was command that all the sons of the old king be put to death, and so they were. After that men called him Badbrother, though in truth they'd been no kin of his. He ruled for almost two years."

...

"Badbrother had proved to be as mean as he was cruel and had few friends left upon the isles. The priests denounced him, the lords rose against him, and his own captains hacked him into pieces." (ADWD, The Wayward Bride)

TWOIAF claims that Hrothgar of Pyke possessed a kraken-summoning horn during the Age of Heroes; assuming that this was the Hammer of the Waters, it's possible that the horn fell into the Ironborn's hands during their raids into the Riverlands, since we know that the Greenseers of the Children congregated at the Isle of Faces on the God's Eye lake when they called upon the Hammer to break the Arm of Dorne. It also makes sense that Euron would not reveal the Hammer, given the subtle hints George has given that Euron intends to sacrifice his fellow Ironborn in pursuit of his goals:

“Why would I want that hard black rock? Brother, look again and see where I am seated.”

...

“Your victories are hollow. You cannot hold the Shields.”

“Why should I want to hold them?” His brother’s smiling eye glittered in the lantern light, blue and bold and full of malice. “The Shields have served my purpose. I took them with one hand, and gave them away with the other. A great king is open-handed, brother. It is up to the new lords to hold them now. The glory of winning those rocks will be mine forever. When they are lost, the defeat will belong to the four fools who so eagerly accepted my gifts.”

...

The dreams were even worse the second time. He saw the longships of the Ironborn adrift and burning on a boiling blood-red sea. (TWOW, The Forsaken)

Euron seated himself and gave his cloak a twitch, so it covered his private parts. "I had forgotten what a small and noisy folk they are, my ironborn. I would bring them dragons, and they shout out for grapes." (AFFC, The Reaver)

Clearly, Euron's ambitions exceed those of his fellow Ironborn, and this makes Aeron's vision of longships adrift on a boiling sea particularly ominous. At the end of "The Forsaken," Aeron Damphair, Euron's pregnant saltwife Falia Flowers, and a collection of holy men and women kidnapped by Euron are tied to the prows of his ships. With a naval battle looming between Euron's forces and the ships of the Hightower and Redwyne fleets, Euron's plan seems to be to use this naval battle in the Whispering Sound alongside his captives as the sacrifice required for the Hammer.

The evidence that Euron will sound the Hammer of the Waters is very strong IMO, as is the evidence for Wyk erupting. Firstly, we have Daenerys' visions from the House of the Undying in ACOK:

"From a smoking tower, a great stone beast took wing, breathing shadow fire. . . ." (ACOK, Daenerys IV)

The smoking tower most likely refers to the Hightower at Oldtown, while a 'great stone beast' that breathes 'shadow fire' sounds an awful lot like a volcano. That the beast takes wing and appears to fly can be seen as a reference to Euron's crow/raven symbolism, as well as his obsession with flying:

"When I was a boy, I dreamt that I could fly," he announced. "When I woke, I couldn't . . . or so the maester said. But what if he lied?"

...

"Perhaps we can fly. All of us. How will we ever know unless we leap from some tall tower?" The wind came gusting through the window and stirred his sable cloak. There was something obscene and disturbing about his nakedness. "No man ever truly knows what he can do unless he dares to leap." (AFFC, The Reaver)

We then have Melisandre's vision in ADWD:

Then the towers by the sea, crumbling as the dark tide came sweeping over them, rising from the depths.

...

"If it comes, that attack will be no more than a diversion. I saw towers by the sea, submerged beneath a black and bloody tide. That is where the heaviest blow will fall."

"Eastwatch?"

Was it? Melisandre had seen Eastwatch-by-the-Sea with King Stannis. That was where His Grace left Queen Selyse and their daughter Shireen when he assembled his knights for the march to Castle Black. The towers in her fire had been different, but that was oft the way with visions. (ADWD, Melisandre I)

Many of the theories I've seen about this vision identify the towers as Oldtown, and while I agree that the Hammer will devastate that city, the description doesn't quite add up. The Hightower and the Citadel are the only real towers associated with the city while House Costayne's seat of Three Towers, at the mouth of the Whispering Sound, was only briefly mentioned by Sam as the Cinnamon Wind approached Oldtown in AFFC. There's also the issue of Oldtown's location well inside the Whispering Sound and many miles from the sea. The Iron Islands fit the description quite nicely, in particular Ten Towers on Harlaw and Pyke itself:

Ten Towers had always felt like home to Asha, more so than Pyke. Not one castle, ten castles squashed together, she had thought, the first time she had seen it. She remembered breathless races up and down the steps and along wallwalks and covered bridges, fishing off the Long Stone Quay, days and nights lost amongst her uncle's wealth of books. His grandfather's grandfather had raised the castle, the newest on the isles. Lord Theomore Harlaw had lost three sons in the cradle and laid the blame upon the flooded cellars, damp stones, and festering nitre of ancient Harlaw Hall. Ten Towers was airier, more comfortable, better sited . . . but Lord Theomore was a changeable man, as any of his wives might have testified. He'd had six of those, as dissimilar as his ten towers. (AFFC, The Kraken's Daughter)

As it happens, Harlaw is situated right next to Old and Great Wyk; but the tower imagery is even more pronounced with Pyke:

The Greyjoy stronghold stood upon a broken headland, its keeps and towers built atop massive stone stacks that thrust up from the sea. Bridges knotted Pyke together; arched bridges of carved stone and swaying spans of hempen rope and wooden planks.

...

Greydon left him when the sun was up, to take the news of Balon's death to his cousins in their towers at Downdelving, Crow Spike Keep, and Corpse Lake. Aeron continued on alone, up hills and down vales along a stony track that drew wider and more traveled as he neared the sea. (AFFC, The Prophet)

The shore was all sharp rocks and glowering cliffs, and the castle seemed one with the rest, its towers and walls and bridges quarried from the same grey-black stone, wet by the same salt waves, festooned with the same spreading patches of dark green lichen, speckled by the droppings of the same seabirds. The point of land on which the Greyjoys had raised their fortress had once thrust like a sword into the bowels of the ocean, but the waves had hammered at it day and night until the land broke and shattered, thousands of years past. All that remained were three bare and barren islands and a dozen towering stacks of rock that rose from the water like the pillars of some sea god's temple, while the angry waves foamed and crashed among them.

Drear, dark, forbidding, Pyke stood atop those islands and pillars, almost a part of them, its curtain wall closing off the headland around the foot of the great stone bridge that leapt from the clifftop to the largest islet, dominated by the massive bulk of the Great Keep. Farther out were the Kitchen Keep and the Bloody Keep, each on its own island. Towers and outbuildings clung to the stacks beyond, linked to each other by covered archways when the pillars stood close, by long swaying walks of wood and rope when they did not. (ACOK, Theon I)

What became of Valyria is well-known, and in the Iron Islands, the castle of Pyke sits on stacks of stone that were once part of the greater island before segments of it crumbled into the sea. (TWOIAF, Ancient History: The Coming of the First Men)

What remains of Pyke today is a complex of towers and keeps scattered across half a dozen islets and sea stacks above the booming waves. A section of curtain wall, with a great gatehouse and defensive towers, stretches across the headland, the only access to the castle, and is all that remains of the original fortress. A stone bridge from the headland leads to the first and largest islets and Great Keep of Pyke.

Beyond that, rope bridges connect the towers one to the other.... Beneath the castle walls, the waves still smash against the remaining rock stacks day and night, and one day those too will doubtless crash into the sea. (TWOIAF, The Iron Islands: Pyke)

Earthquakes, tsunamis and a volcanic eruption would more than suffice to submerge Pyke beneath the waves. Such a cataclysm striking the Iron Islands would also fit with Aeron's vision of Ironborn longships adrift on a bloody, boiling sea; while this could refer to Victarion's Iron Fleet and it's close proximity to Valyria and the Smoking Sea, we know that the ships of the Iron Fleet are larger than the normal longships of the Ironborn, and I believe it further points towards a disaster befalling the Ironborn as a result of Euron's schemes.

The final and most blatant evidence for Wyk erupting comes from Victarion, who offers this account of the Doom of Valyria while stopped at the Isle of Cedars near Slavers Bay:

On the day the Doom came to Valyria, it was said, a wall of water three hundred feet high had descended on the island, drowning hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children, leaving none to tell the tale but some fisherfolk who had been at sea and a handful of Velosi spearmen posted in a stout stone tower on the island's highest hill, who had seen the hills and valleys beneath them turn into a raging sea. Fair Velos with its palaces of cedar and pink marble had vanished in a heartbeat. On the north end of the island, the ancient brick walls and stepped pyramids of the slaver port Ghozai had suffered the same fate.

So many drowned men, the Drowned God will be strong there, Victarion had thought when he chose the island for the three parts of his fleet to join up again. He was no priest, though. What if he had gotten it backwards? Perhaps the Drowned God had destroyed the island in his wroth. His brother Aeron might have known, but the Damphair was back on the Iron Islands, preaching against the Crow's Eye and his rule. No godless man may sit the Seastone Chair. Yet the captains and kings had cried for Euron at the kingsmoot, choosing him above Victarion and other godly men. (ADWD, The Iron Suitor)

This passage is what sold me on this theory being more than just tin foil, as the elements it employs fit a Wyk eruption scenario perfectly. We have a massive volcanic eruption accompanied by tsunamis, along with Victarion's musing on whether the disaster was a punishment from the Drowned God. This fits perfectly with the idea of the Drowned God being a submerged volcano, as it's subsequent eruption could be seen as divine punishment for placing a 'godless man' upon the Seastone Chair.

Even more suggestive is the description of the wave's height, and how some Velosi spearmen survived due to being in a stone tower atop a hill. The Hightower of Oldtown is said to be as tall as the Wall or over 700 feet tall, with it's base being constructed from fused black stone similar to the Valyrian roads. Even more telling, the island on which the Hightower sits is called Battle Isle, which is similar to another name for the Isle of Cedars:

The girlish maester Euron had inflicted upon him back in Westeros claimed this place had once been called 'the Isle of a Hundred Battles,' but the men who had fought those battles had all gone to dust centuries ago. (ADWD, The Iron Suitor)

In the event that Euron attacks Oldtown, I expect him to make a bee-line for the top of the Hightower, and not so he can see the Wall and bring it down with the Horn of Joramun. Rather, it's because the top of the Hightower might be the only relatively safe place for miles when he sounds the Hammer of the Waters and unleashes a 'black and bloody tide.'

#euron greyjoy #euron crowseye #ironborn #iron islands #asoiaf #asoiaf spoilers #asoiaf speculation #asoiaf meta #house greyjoy

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