#oh honestly I know handling too many characters is difficult boy do I know it

[feralkwe]

Character asks: for Thancred, 25 and 8. And 25 for Elidibus as well.

yay! i love doing these! you've poked the stick in the great places here! this got very long, lol, so under a cut it goes!

thancred. my pathetic wet cat. my try-hard disaster bab. my unexpected third leg of my ot3.

8. what's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?

i can't think of any trend that i see that really irritates me, though part of that may be the corners of fandom i have tucked myself into. he has a lot of layers that i was too stubborn to acknowledge until well into the better part of shb, and i think sometimes fandom isn't forgiving enough after his growth arc, but honestly i'm really not too fussed because i think he skates through on hot white boy appeal in fandom at large. i think it's possible to appreciate where he started, where he wound up, and how he got there without excusing his many mistakes, but i also think it's important to talk about how he worked through it. so that's my answer: i think fandom is either too easy on him or too hard on him with no room for nuance. i keep saying i'm going to write an essay, but idk if thancred needs me to defend him. maybe someday i'll go feral and do it anyway.

25. what was your first impression of this character? how about now?

god i cannot stress enough how much i gave absolutely zero shits about him when i first met him. even given what happens with lahabrea, i wasn't really moved. he screamed 'bland white-haired jrpg protagonist' to me and i only cared because for some reason which wasn't clear to me until i read the short stories, minfilia gave a lot of shits about him, actually. and i adore her. i didn't care about his angst in hw, though he grew more personality and by the end of sb i at least went from indifferent to 'fine, i guess he's here, too'. then, like many people, i spent a good deal of shb utterly pissed off at him until it became obvious to me that he was, despite what i think a lot of people believe, trying his best while drowning in an ocean of trauma with almost no tools to handle it. by this time i'd read his short story content, and understood the context better. i was very ride or die for urianger from arr on, and yamisnuffles teased me that he 'comes with a husband' and i was determined to refuse. i couldn't tell you the exact moment, but sometime around going to the moon i suddenly gave a shit enough to select him as the scion who visits you in your suite at the baldesion annex. and, well, fuck off. i discovered i cared a lot, actually.

now i have a pathetic wet cat in my ot3. i affectionately call the eden raids 'kit's family camping trip'.

same question for elidibus. my ultimate angry murder and get murdered husband.

i have to start by saying that the ascians as villains compel me more than almost any villains in any media i've ever consumed. even accounting for recency bias, they utterly fascinate me, and i don't know if i've ever been so moved by villain motivations. the unsundered specifically strike me as so tragic that it makes me feral. even lahabrea, who i really find difficult to like. but that's retrospect after the entire arc of their part in ffxiv. after lahabrea and nabriales, elidibus came in with a different approach, and that intrigued me. of course i had no idea the larger role he'd play later, but the way he attempted to stand on a moral high ground really hit some buttons. again, i was really into urianger from the get-go, and their apparent partnership gave me a lot of OH NOES to latch onto. i think elidibus is the character that allowed me to really give emet-selch consideration beyond 'my bestie loves him' because he gave me an inclination that there was more to the ascians than had been revealed so far.

he piqued my interest, then enraged me because of ardbert, but the more i learned about his past along the way the more invested i became. the shb patches slowly killed me, and by the end of seat of sacrifice i was sobbing for him. he's just a little guy fighting for the all but forgotten souls of his people. he was pivotal in saving the world, driven to madness by it, and in the end, all alone as the last of the unsundered. yet there are characters within the narrative who lie about him and his motivations. i'm choking up a bit right now thinking about it.

suffice to say pandaemonium rewired my dna and entire brain. by the end of it i was devastated and so in love with him as a character it's almost embarrassing. he was kind, thoughtful, and gave of himself wholly to what he believed in. his connection to wol is so beautifully bookended by it, and the ways he winds himself with them throughout the entirety of the game just hits every character button i have. the very tragic wol/elidibus ship with kit wrote itself in my head from the moment you drop into elpis. i spent a lot of time wondering how he got from the careful man we meet to zodiark and beyond, which is what compelled me to write to the edge (and back again). now i kill him at least three times a week. it's fine. i'm fine. i'm very normal about the unsundered, and most normal about elidibus.

thanks for the asks! what a delight to get to talk about these guys!

#ask box memes #from the annals of my askholebox #theemperorsfeather #fandom asks #b plays ffxiv

[drunkonimagination]

Maybe it's because the TID/TLH lightwoods have a chokehold on me, but I wish we'd been given more scenes of them before and after Barbara died :( I know that TLH has a much larger main cast than the other TSC series, but they each have so much going on (James' heritage, Math's alcoholism, Kit's inventions, Tom breaking out of the 'kind one' box, Cordelia's desire to save her family, the parentification of Alastair, Lucie's necromantic adventures) not to mention their romantic entanglements (1/?)

anon.

from a lightwood family enthusiast to another all i can tell you is: you are right.

i would have loved to have more moments revolving around thomas's family, but, as you said, there's so much going on, so many important stuff that absolutely need to get sorted out/developed more and we have just one book left. and despite its quite huge it still remains one book. so, to be fair, i don't think we'll get too much focus on the minor characters (tid cast, eugenia, etc.) but still there's a tiny part of me that really hopes we'll get at least glimpses of tom and eugenia's dynamic and their relationships with their parents....also another thing im hoping for is a scene in which tom comes out to his family i know i know im delusional i just want so much to read about gideon, sophie and eugenia's reaction like....they already know? if not, are they surprised about thomas's revelation? what do they say to him? and what about alastair? what are their thoughts about him? of course they will adore the boy and instantly forgive him for the rumor issue, but i would love to actually read all of this jwksj

about tom and barbara, anon you said you're not a writer but that scene you just delivered is so good 😭 pls it was so tender, i loved it.

and yes. i would have very much liked more focus on the lightwoods tbh and i know, im biased, but i just love them so much, i can't help it!?! like, as you pointed out, learning more about barbara and her relationship with oliver, tom's opinion on him, the way he interacted with both of them.....and i can just imagine how difficult must be to handle so many characters at once for an author, but honestly i would have probably emphasized more on tom and barbara's relationship? and not just bc im a sucker for the lightwood-collins family, but also bc it would have given us definitely more context to understand better thomas's behaviour in choi and how much his sister's death affected him.

overlooking thomas and barbara's relationship, such as tom's suffering after her death, just enforce the idea that what he's going through is not that serious, it kinda minimizes the gravity of what he's living and makes the reader less sympathetic toward him and also contributes to reduce thomas's character to the other half of thomastair

and i don't care if he's a shadowhunter and got used to the idea of death, he's still a 18-year-old traumatized boy constantly terrorised to lose the ones he loves.

and this fear is so tangible if you linger on some aspects of his story. like his tendency to put his needs/desires aside and keep everything inside for the fear of losing more people (because saying he was in love with alastair at the time of the academy would have made his friends uncomfortable and pushed them away or simply going to james and cordelia's house because he couldn't face the possibility of eugenia's death all alone.)

all these things....they give immediately the idea of how much scared and broken thomas actually is.

and (imo) the fact that we haven't gotten the chance to properly grow fond of barbara and her relationship with tom, makes it difficult for us to understand the extent of the actual nightmare thomas is living.

oh

you asked me about the lightwood family and i ended up talking about thomas. what a clown. im so sorry i got carried away, but i hope i properly answered what you asked me in the first place help

#thank you so much for the ask anon!!! 🫂💘 this was very much appreciated <33 #thomas lightwood #eugenia lightwood #tlh #chain of iron #the last hours #sophie collins #gideon lightwood

[aeterna-auroral-avenger]

Hello again, another late update because I got distracted with some things. This ask is also super long, oops 😅

Anyway, I finished the second book when I said I would. Actually a day earlier, so Sunday (11th). It was good timing too because there was a three day movie marathon coming up and I didn't want to be thinking about plot twists of the book I'm reading 😂

I gotta say, I like this one a lot! I think I like it more than the first one and I don't mean that as an insult. There was just something about it that drew me in a little bit more. I think it's just one of those natural things where the more something continues, the better it gets. That's how it should go anyway lol.

I think one of my favourite parts was Watson teaching Charlotte how to 'fence' lol. I really liked seeing the two of them bond some more in general tbh. More Livia was nice too, I think she's a good sister. Oh and on the note of family, I loved when Charlotte stood up to her father. Certainly wasn't expecting her to have a gun with her. Way to go 👏👏👏

And as a more 'technical' thing, the narrator still did a good job. I decided to check and see if she narrates all the books, and apparently she does from what I can tell, so I won't have to worry about inconsistencies there.

So there's the really quick rundown of my thoughts for this one. I think what I'm gonna do now is read a physical book, then check out the audiobook for the 3rd Lady Sherlock.

As a completely random side note, what's your favourite Court Stevens book? The next time I go on a road trip, if they don't have any Lady Sherlock, I might go with one of Stevens' books. They're standalones, right?

I was also thinking of picking up Vicious, but I checked out the trigger warnings out of curiosity, and apparently suicide is a theme in it? That's a really personal trigger for me, so I gotta be careful with it. If it's not super graphic, I can usually find a way to handle it, but if it's graphic, it's a bit rougher and I need to be in a "good headspace" to read something like that. It might sound "weak" or whatever, but I'd rather be safe than sorry, you know?

-Book Anon

Hey Book Anon! It's good to hear from you! Thank you for the update; I'm so excited that you're still liking the series. That makes me really happy because I think it's such a good one. In fact, you and I discussing it makes me want to go through it again, but I have so many I want to get to that it's so hard to make myself choose. 😭😭😭

*sigh* The struggle of an avid reader. I need to be paid to read; that would be a dream job indeed!

Now then, my favorite Court Stevens book, now that's a difficult choice honestly. I haven't read her latest, so that's not in the running. I think it's probably a tie between We Were Kings and The June Boys. They're all wonderful, but I think those would have to be the top contenders for now.

If anyone ever told you that making sure you're in a good headspace for a certain media or avoiding something altogether for your own mental health and protection is weak is being ridiculous. It's the furthest thing from weakness. You've got every right to protect yourself that way, and I commend you for being careful about that kind of stuff.

Frankly, Book Anon, without giving too much away, the Vicious series deals with a lot of near death experiences because the two main characters decide to study them for reasons that would be too spoilery to share right now. And some of those are of a nature that is triggering to you.

For your own sake, I personally do not recommend the series if those things bother you. I am willing to divulge more information in as safe a language as I can if you want more information from me.

#tb responds #book anon #the lady sherlock series #court stevens #vicious #vicious series #books #reading #too many books #not enough time

[seyaryminamoto]

Underneath Starlit Skies: Sokkla Saturdays 2021

Day One: Happy Family

On FF.net // On AO3

"Well, goodness. I can't believe he actually pulled it off."

The building awaiting them inland had never seen more beautiful days, Azula had no doubts about that. Few people had seen the Ember Island villa in its previous prime, and only two people out of the many who would spend the week there had any notion of what it had looked like in the past. Yet the decaying estate that had seemed moments away from becoming uninhabitable had been part of yet another of many renewal efforts following the end of the Hundred Years' War: all the weed growing on the roofs had been removed, the rooftiles themselves had been replaced, the gold finish of the crests had been cleansed and renewed, the paint on the walls was vivid again, and the blocked out, old window frames had been replaced by elegantly patterned woodwork that crisscrossed over the glass.

Beyond that, however, Azula found the building itself had been expanded. Her childhood's vacation villa had seemed large when she was but a little girl, but it certainly was much larger now: the grounds around it had been terraformed in current times, allowing the villa to spread wider and larger, with a brand-new annex area that had been build to provide visitors far more rooms to choose from… a necessary luxury, Azula knew, for the countless guests the villa would soon host.

"Huh, so that's the place?" Sokka asked, stepping closer to where she stood, by the ferry's railing, and wrapping an arm around her waist. "Looks… cozy."

"Cozy?" Azula smirked at Sokka's deliberately arrogant declaration. He snickered as she elbowed him gently in the ribs. "Come on, it's practically a palace of its own."

"Maybe, but it's not that fancy once you get used to fancier…" he smirked: he pressed a kiss to the top of his wife's head, and Azula instinctively leaned into him. "You've spoiled me rotten over the years and you know it. I used to be so much humbler…"

"So, I ruined you, is it?" Azula asked, turning in his arms, eyebrows raised skeptically. Sokka snickered and nodded, prompting her to laugh again and shake her head. "You've never known any shame, and I love that about you far more than I should."

"Who says you shouldn't?" Sokka grinned: Azula took his bait, leaning in to press her lips against his…

"Mom, Dad! Ew!"

Their kiss broke off as Azula sighed, glancing hopelessly at Shun: the boy squirmed and stuck his tongue out at their blatant display of affection, as he always did.

"Guess now we know who says I shouldn't," Azula smirked, shaking her head at her son, who pouted stubbornly. Sokka, however, scoffed and waved a hand in Shun's direction.

"Never mind Shun, he's just grumpy I've got your attention for now," Sokka said, proudly. Azula laughed as Shun gasped in outrage. "You'd think he'd be used to it, he sees us doing this all the time, seriously, ALL the time…!"

"He's a stubborn one. Wait until he finds someone to kiss too, we'll return the favor tenfold," Azula taunted Shun, who blushed furiously while Sokka laughed proudly.

"Sounds like a plan," he said

"No! No kissing! I won't kiss anyone!" Shun determined, stubbornly.

"See? That's why your mom comes to me: if you won't even kiss her cheek, I have to make up for it," Sokka declared proudly: Shun was still far too young to learn how to navigate the waters of verbal fencing with his father and Sokka, unlike him, had countless years of training in the arts of how to turn someone's words against them. He had done it thousands of times to Azula… just as she had done it thousands of times to him. Shun, however…

"Ugh!" was the little boy's final, eloquent declaration before he stormed off, pouting irritably, on his way to the side of the ferry where his sisters were.

"Ah, sweet victory…" Sokka smirked, tightening his embrace around Azula.

She couldn't hold back her smile, comfortably nestled in his arms, as her eyes raked their ferry all the way to where the children sat: Hotaru had kept Yuuna distracted with wild tales of hybrid animals, an effective way of ensuring the young waterbender wouldn't do anything chaotic with her powers, such as accidentally building up waves that could disturb the progress of their vessel, or even breaking the hull by practicing her ability to freeze water. She had much to learn yet, but their youngest had a knack for choosing to learn it all at the worst possible timing: Sokka and Azula had taken turns keeping her busy so far, but Hotaru had graciously relieved them from the job at the last leg of their journey. Shun joined the two girls now, sitting on the floor before them, much more interested in listening to his older sister's stories than in watching his parents' relentless displays of affection.

"It feels like we set out barely a few minutes ago…" Sokka smiled, glancing back at the house with amazement. "I really hope our little vacation doesn't go by in a blur. It's been a while since we took any breaks…"

"It has. But now that things have calmed down a bit, I think we could afford doing this sort of thing more often," Azula said, with a weak smile. "Zuko did say he wanted to make this a yearly event, at the very least… he might have to make it more frequently than that, though. Some of our expected guests would surely appreciate taking breaks from the harshness of winter once in a while…"

"For that matter, he ought to rent the house to them in winter so they can flee from the nasty weather," Sokka suggested, with a smirk. "Which could mean we would get two vacations a year… that's a pretty good deal, I think."

"I think so too," Azula said, relaxing comfortably against his chest.

The sea's salty scent, the sun's bright glow, the beauty in the colorful scenery before them… all of it heralded good things, even if Azula suspected it painted a prospect far too good to be true. Even if the years had mellowed them out, she was quite likely to butt heads with her brother over anything and everything… and Sokka was bound to do the same with his own sister, whenever she arrived. Then, there was also the matter of having far too many children, of variable ages, running around within a single house… it was difficult enough keeping track of Yuuna and Shun most days, Azula hardly wanted to imagine how much more difficult it would be to handle their childish antics when combined with those of her brother's children, too… as well as all the kids that might just be part of their grand revelry. At this point, Azula wasn't sure who had confirmed attendance and who hadn't: for once, she had nothing to do with the organization of an event. Zuko had handled everything himself, therefore, she would have nothing to do but kick back and enjoy whatever madness this week had in store for them.

Even the dock, rundown and unusable as it had been the last time Azula had so much as glanced this way in Ember Island, had been rebuilt and strengthened by solid, beautiful workmanship into a magnificent pier: the manatee-whales carrying forward their ferry slowed right beside it, and the activity of the ferry's workers signaled to the children that the journey was finally at an end. As tame as she always was, even Hotaru couldn't hold back the bright smile and enthusiasm that rushed over her upon realizing they had reached their destination.

"Alright, time to reel in our three little storms," Azula smiled, clasping Sokka's hand and yanking him towards the kids, who had already leapt to their feet, beaming brightly.

"That's the house, Mom?" Hotaru asked, gold eyes bright with illusion. "It's amazing!"

"Well, it certainly is now," Azula smiled, nodding as she cast another glance at their destination. "Your uncle's done a surprisingly great job at making it better than it ever was."

"Do I get to pick my room?!" Shun asked, beaming brightly. Azula raised an eyebrow.

"I wonder about that. I mean, there should be enough room for everyone in there, if all repairs and construction were finished on time…" Azula said, tapping her chin. "But I wonder if Zuko has already decided on our sleeping arrangements, beforehand…"

"Like… a room for each family?" Hotaru asked. Sokka winced visibly at the notion.

"No… more like rooms for each set of parents, and the kids can all sleep in the same tiny room," he decided, smirking. Azula rolled her eyes and elbowed his ribs again, prompting him to chuckle… yet it didn't seem the kids were all that displeased by the idea.

"Maybe girls would share, and boys too…?" Hotaru said, smiling.

"Me and Hotaru!" Yuuna exclaimed, wrapping her little arms around her sister's leg. Shun pouted upon realizing he wouldn't be with his oldest sister too, but he crossed his arms over his chest and smiled shortly afterwards:

"That's fine, then! I'll be with Renshu and Iroh!" he declared.

"And Yuudai," said Hotaru, smiling weakly. "I guess he'll have to be in charge of making sure all of you behave yourselves?"

"Heh, I was just kidding around. Who'd have thought they'd actually like that idea…?" Sokka spoke quietly to Azula, who chuckled and shook her head.

"We'll see about all this once we're at the house, kids. Now, then…" she withdrew from Sokka's embrace most unwillingly, yet as disappointed as he was to let her walk away, he knew she meant to speak with the ferry's sailors, ensuring they would bring their luggage safely to the house.

Azula thought they hadn't brought excessive amounts of luggage but, considering the potential chaos that never failed to swirl around children – someone might spill juice over their clothes, any accidents could result in scraped knees or elbows, their possessions could be mixed up with those of their cousins, among countless possibilities –, they never could be too prepared. Each child had a small bag to carry themselves, as Sokka had taught them to pack essentials and carry them in a personal bag for any trip they might take, in case anything unpleasant happened. The two of them had bags of their own… though Sokka, as ever, was carrying his wife's. At this point, Azula was well past the point of trying to reason with him about the futility of letting him carry her emergency supplies, he'd make up any goofy excuse to continue doing it… and in the end, it was rather gallant of him to do so, anyway.

Once she had settled everything with the sailors, Azula finally returned to her family: the ramp that led to the dock had already been set down, and it seemed Shun and Yuuna were ready to race down to solid ground, eager smiles on their faces as Sokka held them back, by the scruff of their respective outfits.

"Ah, Mommy's back now, see?" Sokka smiled at Azula, and the kids grinned brightly too. "We're all stepping down this big ship together, alright?"

"As it should be," Azula determined, stepping up and wrapping an arm around Hotaru's shoulders. Her oldest daughter smiled at the gesture, watching fondly as her younger siblings put on an act of trying to run down the ramp, despite their father still held them back. "Though I have the feeling you three ought to climb down first, not sure Hotaru and I care to compete over who touches land first."

Her words wound up offering her children an idea she hadn't truly planned on giving them: Yuuna and Shun smiled viciously at each other, a telltale sign that chaos was about to begin, and Sokka only had time to yelp before the young waterbender raised a burst of water, hoisted from the sea around them, right into her brother's fistful of flames.

"Ack! No crazy bending, you…! Hey! Hey, now!" Sokka squealed: the resulting steam from his children's joint attack had seen him releasing them from his hold… and now the two kids ran down the ramp, laughing happily, while he pouted at them. "How dare you…?! I should have you grounded! Azula, can I ground them?"

"Asking me for permission to ground them isn't exactly productive when it comes to enforcing your authority, Sokka…" Azula smirked, as Hotaru laughed beside her. Sokka pouted before rising to his feet, hands fisted on his hips.

"Unacceptable! I am going to ground you, yes I will!" he declared, his voice cracking in the typical way it did whenever he was joking.

He strode down the ramp in an awkward gait, and the two kids, already standing on solid ground, only giggled guiltily as he approached them.

"Who'd have thought…? You two, little troublemaking rascals… you're always at each other's throats, but you're the best of friends whenever it's convenient, huh?!" he huffed, stepping down onto the solid ground at the end of the dock. "How shameless. Is this behavior acceptable for the children of Sokka, the great warrior of the Southern Water Tribe?!"

"Yeah!" Yuuna declared, shamelessly, as Shun laughed carelessly beside her. Sokka's eyebrow twitched.

"The fact that you're impossibly cute just… makes it so damn difficult to discipline you. Curse it," Sokka lamented himself, sighing and surrendering by dropping on his knees. "Azula! Make them behave themselves! I am hopeless!"

"What makes you think I'll do any better than you today?" Azula laughed, climbing down the ramp alongside Hotaru. "I have to save up my energies for arguing with my own brother, mind you…"

"And I have to save mine for my sister too," Sokka pouted. "No idea when Katara will get here, though, but still…"

"Aunt Katara!" Yuuna smiled, throwing her hands in the air: a light burst of water burst from the shore, accompanying her movement.

"Uncle Zuko is better!" Shun decided, grinning proudly. Immediately, Yuuna pouted and scowled at her brother.

"Aunt Katara!"

"Uncle Zuko!"

"Aunt Katara!"

"Uncle Zuko!"

Azula rolled her eyes over the pointless argument between the children, even if she did so affectionately, as Sokka rose to his feet again. Hotaru smiled awkwardly, stepping forward between her siblings.

"Now, now, no need to argue about that, you can both love Uncle Zuko and Aunt Katara, you don't need to pick either one…" her attempt to mediate, Azula suspected, wouldn't be all that successful, but the good-natured Hotaru had to try anyway.

"Uncle Zuko is in the house already, right, Mom?" asked Shun, beaming brightly before shooting Yuuna a mischievous smirk. "Race you there!"

"Oh! I'll win!"

"Hey, I didn't say you could get started yet…!"

Yuuna took off in a hurry and Shun wasted very little time following and catching up to her. As he was two years older than his little sister, his legs carried him forward much faster, no matter how short they both were.

"Hey! Slow down, you…! Oh, hell, who do they take after?" Sokka groaned, rubbing his forehead and shaking his head.

"Must be their uncle Zuko," Azula responded, matter-of-factly. Her husband smirked.

"And their aunt Katara," he agreed: both laughed at their devious shirking of any responsibility over the typical arguing between their youngest children. Hotaru smiled and shook her head as well, used to her parents' mischief, a much more contained form of mischief, yet still as entertaining as that of Shun and Yuuna.

As much as their youngest were as wild as ever, Sokka and Azula intended to enjoy this summer escapade as best they could, and that included basking in the mischief their children could weave. They walked the trail Yuuna and Shun had taken off on, with Hotaru in front of them, calling out at her siblings to be careful and sighing hopelessly upon realizing they weren't listening to her at all.

"Now, now, Hotaru… you're not responsible for your siblings' recklessness, we've told you so many times already," Azula said, and Hotaru smiled somewhat shyly at her. Sokka nodded sagely.

"Azula's right, as usual," he said. "Have fun and relax, kiddo. Your mom and I will prevent those two from setting the house on fire…"

"Or flooding it," Azula pointed out, at which Sokka grimaced.

"Zuko would lose his shit if they did, wouldn't he?"

"Now, don't say that or I'll actually want to see it happen…" Azula said, unable to convey her thoughts without breaking over a mischievous snort of laughter. Sokka gasped, though his outrage, as always, was a poor mask for his genuine amusement.

"Come on, now, Azula: play nice or it'll be obvious those two aren't taking after our siblings. Who're we going to fool if you keep laughing at that idea…?" Sokka scolded her playfully, leaning into her ear to speak through an awkward grin… fully aware, of course, that his laughing daughter could hear him, too.

"See why I have to keep tabs on them?" Hotaru laughed. Azula shrugged guiltily, and Sokka's attempt to play the straight-laced father crumbled into dust as he laughed against his wife's cheek. "If only I were half as good at it as Rei is, though… I wish she were here today."

"Hopefully she'll make her schedule work for it the next time," Azula said, with a fond smile. "There's a lot of people who should be here, really…"

"But they have to hold up the fort, right?" Hotaru asked. Azula nodded.

"We'll have to give them some downtime of their own, once we go back home," Azula said. Hotaru grinned and nodded.

"Maybe me, Shun and Yuuna could join them on their vacation too, while you and dad, uh…"

"Work?" Azula asked, amused. Hotaru blushed and shrugged.

"Guess that wouldn't be fair…"

"Oh, it'd be fine, totally fine," Sokka said, squeezing Azula's shoulder. "We'll just pretend we're working while they're gone, Azula, totally. Maybe we can redecorate everything in the silliest of ways, change everyone's belongings from room to room…"

"Well, that sounds hilarious, admittedly, and yet it's still too much work," Azula pointed out. Sokka huffed.

"Then we'll set up pranks! That should be more fun, even if it still takes some effort…"

"Now that does sound appealing…"

"Oh, Mom, Dad…!" Hotaru laughed, looking at them in disbelief as Sokka grinned shamelessly.

"Never underestimate your parents, Hotaru: we're dangerous in ways you cannot even begin to imagine!" Sokka said, menacing. Azula scoffed, shaking her head.

"She'll never believe that about her dork of a father, so you'll have to try a bit harder to sound convincing."

"Oh, but she'd believe it about you, then?" he asked, amused.

"Of course! I'm completely respectable, imposing. Everyone cowers when I amp up my authoritarian side…"

"Heh, I sure as heck don't cower before you."

"Because you lack common sense, obviously, but everyone who doesn't…"

"No, it's actually because, unlike everyone else, I can see right through every last bit of you…!"

"Hey, now. No naughty talk."

"Naughty why? I didn't mean that! Though, uh, now that you mention it…"

"Sokka!"

He laughed deviously again, though he knew better than to press their playful argument any further in that direction: while he and Azula weren't half as careful about their intimate time together as they definitely should be, it seemed they had safely preserved their children's innocence so far. Hotaru shot them a confused glance now, and Azula offered her a tight-lipped, guilty smile as the three of them continued walking in new silence: their eldest had yet to receive the famous 'talk', and Azula wasn't sure whether it was wise to continue putting it off or not. Hotaru stood on the verge of her teenage years as it was, and even if she hadn't developed much of an interest in anything to do with relationships, it was entirely possible her friends and acquaintances might talk about it far more often as she grew older. They'd have to do it sooner or later… but for now, Hotaru and her siblings were better off enjoying their childhood innocence as best as possible.

Yuuna and Shun had reached the building at last, but it was Shun who had climbed the steps faster and reached the front doors first. Yuuna pouted and stomped on the wooden floor in a typical childish tantrum, while her brother stuck his tongue out with a smug smirk.

"Got you!"

"No fair!"

"Gotta run faster next time," Shun shrugged carelessly, and Yuuna huffed, little fists tight: even at a distance, Sokka recognized the vengeful mood of his youngest daughter and rushed faster to the building to, hopefully, deflate the situation.

"Wow, wow, wow, you guys! We're all happy here, all friends, no need to give each other the stinkeye…!" he said, grinning awkwardly as he leapt over the steps that led to the front door. Yuuna huffed, folding her arms over her chest and turning away from Shun. "Oh, Yuuna…"

"I won, Dad!" Shun declared, proudly. Sokka grimaced.

"Yeah, and you're older and bigger than your little sister, so don't make fun of her or else, when she grows up too…"

"I will freeze your boogers!" Yuuna declared. Shun flinched, and Sokka snorted.

"Well, that's creative, but Yuuna, please don't do that," Sokka said: Shun instinctively covered his nose with his hands… then he huffed and lowered them again.

"Joke's on you, because I have no boogers today!" he said: drawing in a deep breath and enjoying the lack of friction between the air and his nose.

"Then I'll take out mine and…!"

"Yuuna…!" Sokka exclaimed, grimacing as he grasped his daughter's shoulders. The stubborn waterbender pouted at him – the hairdo she'd sported hours ago, a perfectly smooth top-knot, had already come undone and frizzed out in every possible direction. "You can beat your brother at something else later, I bet you can! But… wait, that's not even it! You shouldn't be beating him at anything, and he shouldn't beat you at anything either, because we're all family and we're all on the same side! Right, Azula?"

His wife had finally reached them, and to Shun and Yuuna's immediate horror, there was a humorless frown on their mother's face. They both winced, hands behind their backs, and Sokka raised an eyebrow upon realizing Azula had drawn her strongest hand already. Well, so be it…

"Aha. Looks like you're in trouble now, you two," he said to his youngest, with a proud smile. "So… what do we say when we do something out of bounds, or fight over silly things?"

"Sorry, Mom," the two kids chorused. Sokka's eyebrows twitched.

"W-what about me…?" he asked, softly.

Hotaru, behind him, snorted with poorly stifled amusement. Azula, however, stepped forward, still the pristine and perfect image of authority that often was the only thing that could get Shun and Yuuna in line whenever their sibling bickering seemed to reach dangerous heights.

"You are already aware of the terms and conditions for any arguments and conflicts that may arise in this family," Azula said, with her terrifying business voice. Her children winced, and even Sokka gazed at her warily upon hearing it. "Unless I expressly authorize you to resolve your conflicts by your own hand…"

"We must defer to Mom or Dad," Hotaru recited, smiling proudly. Azula nodded.

"Thank you, Hotaru. So… what do you have to say for yourselves?" she asked.

"Shun made fun of me because he won…" Yuuna pouted. Shun huffed.

"Yuuna tried to cheat!" Shun growled.

"If she tried to cheat and you still won, is that really a problem anymore, Shun?" Azula asked. Shun blinked blankly and lowered his gaze. "As for you, Yuuna… as tempting as it can be to pull tricks and pranks on others to get ahead, a victory gained through breaking rules will always be questioned. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Mom…" Yuuna pouted still. Azula breathed deeply.

"If you have anything else to say, this is the time for it," she said, ceremoniously. Sokka smiled, watching as Shun and Yuuna squirmed in front of her.

"Shun… doesn't have any boogers," Yuuna pouted. Shun huffed.

"She said she'd freeze them if I did," he mumbled. "She shouldn't threaten me, right, Mom?"

"Indeed, and you shouldn't goad her into threatening you either," Azula said. Shun pouted but nodded. "If that is all, then it is time I say my piece: as we're all aware, we'll be dealing with actual rivals and enemies once we cross that house's threshold next. It's a whole different world in there than the one we know, dangers of the sort we can't even fathom: our family must stand together if we're to face these threats. If we play pranks, it's on our rivals! If we make fun of someone, it's not of our family, but theirs! If we threaten them…!"

"We shouldn't threaten them!" Sokka scoffed. Azula blinked blankly and tapped her chin.

"Yeah, I guess that wouldn't be acceptable under most circumstances, huh…?"

Her last playful statements had finally broken the very strange tension in the air: both Shun and Yuuna laughed together at their parents' banter, and Azula smirked at them both as they gazed at her with hopeful eyes.

"Either way, just behave yourselves, you two," Azula said, leaning down to pull them in for a hug, one in each arm. Yuuna and Shun let their mother reel them into her arms, comforted and eased immediately by her embrace. "We're here to have fun, after all. We can do that without fighting too much, can't we?"

"Yes, Mom," they said in unison. Azula smiled and pulled back, caressing their soft hair gently… though she focused more on Yuuna's head than Shun's.

"And what did you do to your hair tie this time…?" she asked, with a sigh. Yuuna grinned widely.

"The manatee-whale took it!"

"The manatee-whale…" Azula repeated… then she sighed and shook her head as Sokka laughed, stepping around them on his way to the door. "And why did it take it? It didn't have any hair to tie up, did it?"

"For his daughter!"

"Ah, that makes sense! So very generous of you to share with the manatee-whale! Guess it's a good thing I brought a spare hair tie, then!"

"No! Mommy, no!" the child laughed as Azula snarled playfully and reeled her into her arms.

"Not just one spare, actually: I have about ten, hidden in each bag we brought on this journey! So, no matter what happens, you won't escape from me!" she declared, causing Yuuna to laugh and squirm, reaching for Shun in hopes he'd help her out in this difficult ordeal.

"She's just going to take them off, Mom," Shun said, grinning complicitly at Yuuna, whose wild smile matched her brother's.

"No, no, no! This reckless hair must be tamed! I will accept no other answer!" Azula growled playfully: Yuuna's legs wiggled as Azula held her and, at last, Shun reached out to grab his sister's hands, as though to help her out of their mother's grasp. If her duty as a mother was to become the common enemy for her children to join forces against in order to teach them how to get along, Azula would be all too happy to fulfill it.

Sokka smiled fondly at the silly battle waged between Azula and the two kids: Hotaru stood by quietly, no doubt relieved her siblings had set aside their latest conflict as quickly as they had. Azula typically left the more light-hearted side of parenting to Sokka, who never failed to make fun of himself if that was how he'd make his children laugh and forget their grievances, but whenever her playful side came to light, Sokka's heart could only ache with intense, heartfelt love for the woman he'd married.

Still, they weren't here to play around at the front door: Sokka turned to the twin crimson-and-gold door and reached for one of the knockers… then he smirked and reached for the other one, too. With a mischievous smirk, he swung one forward, pulling the other back and starting a wild, knocking rhythm that immediately cut across Azula's silly spat with Yuuna.

"What…?! Sokka!" Azula scoffed, as he continued to slam the knockers into the door with unnecessary power. "Cut that out!"

"Sorry! What did you say? Can't hear you with how loud this is!" he called back, still slamming the door wildly.

Azula rolled her eyes, setting down Yuuna at last – allowing the child to bask in her victory, with her hair still wild and loose – before marching towards Sokka. The two younger kids laughed loudly at their father's antics, as they always did, while Hotaru covered her face with her hands, giggling into her palms: Azula grabbed Sokka's shoulder upon reaching him, forcing him to spin around and wind up facing her, directly. The guiltiest, yet proudest of grins graced his handsome face.

"Really, now? You just can't see any doors like these without doing that, can you?" she asked, with her eyebrows raised. Sokka let out a goofy laugh before shrugging. "You do realize Zuko fixed this door recently? I don't even know if it's the same one, but whether it is or not, you could've done serious damage…!"

"Eh, I would've paid for the damages if I had to, but this is too much fun not to do, Azula," he said.

"I wanna try it!" Yuuna squealed, rushing up at her father. Shun, tailing her grinned just as madly as his sister did.

"Me too!" he exclaimed, and Azula raised her eyebrows meaningfully at her guilty husband.

"Look at what you've done now. Look at it and regret it for as long as you may live," Azula said, in a dramatic, threatening voice that, naturally, Sokka only took as a joke: he laughed with abandon as his wife shook her head, smiling weakly… and her eyes fell upon her flustered oldest daughter, who stepped closer while eyeing them with light amusement, and with evident bashfulness. "We're all embarrassing Hotaru, see?"

"Oh, come on, Hotaru could never be embarrassed because of me. I'm the coolest dad there is," Sokka declared, proudly.

"Really, now?" Azula asked, smirking.

"Of course! I'd win every belching competition, that's cool as heck!"

Shun and Yuuna laughed harder after that, while Hotaru shook her head and gazed at Azula hopelessly. Azula smiled, reaching out to clasp her shoulder.

"The only one of us with a shred of common sense. What have we burdened you with, my poor child?" she said, reeling Hotaru in for a one-armed hug the girl accepted gladly.

"With laughing myself to tears, apparently," she admitted, hugging her mother back. "It'll be great to see everyone, but I'd never get bored even if it's just the five of us."

"That's great to hear! Means we can start a comedy troupe if we're ever short on money, Azula," Sokka declared, beaming. Azula snorted and shook her head, squeezing his forearm gently…

Just then, the front door swung inwards: the two younger children gasped in delight when a dark-haired girl, close to Hotaru's age, poked her head out the door with curiosity.

"Ah! Uncle Sokka, Aunt Azula!" she exclaimed after an instant, beaming. "I thought, w-well…!"

"That it was a battering ram? Yeah, well, that's what your uncle is like, as you already know," Azula answered: her niece couldn't help but laugh at her explanation regarding the wild knocking, as she pulled the doors fully open, welcoming them inside. "You look lovely, Zi."

"So do you, Aunt Azula!" the girl exclaimed, reaching to embrace her visiting relatives quickly: she started with Azula and moved to Sokka next.

"Look at you, little Zi! Though you're so tall by now that I'm not sure I'll be able to call you that forever," Sokka smiled, embracing his niece tightly. Zi chuckled as she pulled away.

"I doubt I'll ever be taller than you or my dad, though," she said, turning her gaze to her cousins next. "It's so good to see you guys!"

"Hi there, Zi," Hotaru smiled warmly, accepting her own embrace gladly.

"Hey! Hey! Is Uncle Zuko inside?!" Shun exclaimed, jumping excitedly in front of his cousin. Zi let go of Hotaru and smiled at him next, leaning in to hug him far more briefly than she'd hugged the others so far.

"Of course! He's working in the kitchen right now, and he'll be thrilled to know you've arrived!" she said. "He did say you'd likely be impossibly punctual, and he was right to say so."

"I would not stand for anything else. My family keeps its every appointment and sticks to schedule…" Azula declared in a playful, haughty tone. Sokka chuckled, as Zi moved to hug Yuuna next.

"I wonder if Zuko has a whole itinerary planned out for this week, actually…" Sokka said, stroking his stubble thoughtfully.

"It's likely he does. The real question is if it won't get derailed at some point through the week…" Azula pointed out, to her husband's amusement.

"You're so cute, Yuuna, adorable as always!" Zi said, beaming as she smoothed her youngest cousin's hair: Yuuna offered her a toothy grin, and Zi gasped in delight. "Look at that! You have so many teeth now!"

"They grow out! Like trees!" she declared, and Zi laughed at the comparison.

"Well, your smile definitely is the prettiest I've seen," she said, beaming as she rose to her feet… and turned to Hotaru, brimming with excitement. "Mari's been waiting for you, though! She said you have to join her at playing fire kuai ball! Come, come!"

"Oh, fire kuai ball? Uh, sure?!" Hotaru grimaced, glancing at her parents with uncertainty as Zi grabbed her wrist and yanked her inside the house.

Azula's placid mood froze over at that sudden shift in the conversation, and Sokka raised his eyebrows. It was Shun who spoke first, though, yanking at his mother's hand.

"What's 'fire kuai ball'?" he asked.

"Probably something I invented and patented…" she admitted, prompting Sokka to look at her questioningly – though with amusement. "Though I have no idea if that's what they're trying to do, and even if it is, I'm not sure they should be doing it at all. Hell, and here I thought our kids were the wild and crazy ones…"

"Well, just you wait: Mari's totally going to be crushed by Hotaru at this game, you'll see!" Sokka declared proudly, to his children's delight. "We should go in now though, shouldn't we? Bet Zuko will want to know who brought a battering ram on his perfectly refurbished door…?"

"And I bet the battering ram in question is so very pleased with himself over what he did, isn't he?" Azula said. Sokka only smirked proudly, prompting her to smile and bump his flank gently with her shoulder as they entered the house: Shun clung to Azula's hand, while Yuuna held onto Sokka's. "You're incorrigible."

"And you're beautiful."

"That's neither here nor there, but thank you."

"Huh, and here I thought we were just flinging compliments at each other."

"Incorrigible isn't meant to be a… oh, never mind, you're just happily proving it further," Azula finally surrendered, and Sokka grinned most proudly anew upon defeating her at their careless argument.

The inside of the house, Azula found, was simultaneously familiar and utterly unrecognizable: Zuko had supervised the work during his downtime, whenever his duties allowed him to visit the beautiful island. While Azula hadn't been completely sure of what to make of his determination to renovate their family's old, rundown villa initially, now she found herself smiling at the finished result: the polished wood on the floor, the luxurious carpets, the beautiful, new décor, replacing the old, sober – or perhaps, somber – paintings…

"So, what's the verdict?" Sokka asked her teasingly. Azula smiled and shrugged.

"Surprisingly good, I'd say. I'd thought there would be too many unpleasant memories in this place, but… if anything, it looks like it's ready to see new memories made in it, instead."

"Sounds ideal, then," Sokka grinned, pressing a kiss to the side of her head. "If you don't think it's bad, we can come here all the time, from now on! Not like Zuko can stop us anyway, he's not moving here permanently, after all…"

"He's not," Azula laughed. "But we do have enough things to deal with that I doubt we can have too many escapades to Ember Island, anyway."

"Do we have a playroom?" Yuuna asked. Sokka turned his smile to her.

"Pretty sure you'll have something bigger than that: there's a whole beach waiting for us to have the time of our lives in it! You can build sandcastles, you can bury your cousins in the sand…!"

"Swim all you want, sunbathe if you think you can handle the heat…" Azula continued, and Shun grinned brightly.

"And chase turtle-crabs too, if you dare," Sokka said, eyeing Yuuna meaningfully: the young girl gasped with excitement over the prospect of seeing hybrid animals she had never encountered before.

"Yes! Let's go now!" she said, pulling at her father's hand: Sokka laughed as Azula smiled too.

"We have to greet the rest of your uncle's family first, Yuuna. And we can take you all to play after everyone's here, alright? Shouldn't be long before everyone arrives," Azula said, gesturing at a long, open corridor ahead.

The kitchen was at the other end of the corridor, which ran along a large, beautiful stone courtyard with a functioning fountain at its center. Where it would have been, however, a beautiful location to admire in any other circumstances, it was difficult to focus on the architecture of the courtyard when it seemed to be the place where Mari's odd fire kuai ball game was being developed.

"Look, look!" Mari was telling Hotaru: she held a strange ball, crafted out of what appeared to be some form of metallic thread: there was a second ball within the first, made of flammable material, and the four newcomers happened to enter the corridor by the courtyard just in time to see Zuko's oldest daughter setting the inner ball on fire.

Hotaru gasped in amazement: Zi had clearly seen the trick before, and she giggled at her cousin's reaction. Their two younger siblings, Iroh and Kerra, had launched into full-blown celebration over the lighting of their ball, as Mari tossed it in the air and took to bouncing it off her body.

"Gotta see how long you can handle the heat before it's too much!"

"Oh, wow: they really are about as crazy as ours. Good to know," Sokka said, as Azula's jaw dropped.

"Mari! I told not to play that way: you could get hurt!"

Suki's voice seemed to thunder across the building: Yuuna, Shun and even Hotaru seemed to freeze upon hearing their aunt's fierce scolding… yet while Zi flinched, and Iroh grimaced, Kerra and Mari only seemed perfectly content to continue testing their mother's patience.

"Oh, relax, Mom! I've got this!" Mari laughed recklessly: Azula ran her fingers over her hair, watching the scene before her in utmost astonishment.

"Well, safe to say that's NOT the kind of fire kuai ball I would play, but…"

"What did you do, then?" Sokka smirked.

"Set a regular ball on fire, of course…"

"That's still crazy dangerous!"

"Oh, don't fret, I only did it to finish off the opposing team and nobody got hurt," Azula said, waving a hand dismissively at her disbelieving husband. "I mean, yes, they probably had to buy another net, and another ball, but still…"

"I love all the stories of your childhood dearly, you know that?" Sokka said, prompting Azula to laugh and shake her head. "A powerhouse since before you learned to walk and talk, as far as I can tell…"

The sounds of their conversation served to alert the two adults in the kitchen that their newly arriving guests – whom Zi had checked on – had been exactly who they had been expecting: Suki stepped outside the kitchen with a fearsome scowl, and it seemed that was far scarier than her earlier shout: Mari caught the ball and snuffed out the fire quickly, smiling awkwardly at her mother.

"I know, I know! I'll play the nice and boring way! It's okay!" Mari laughed nervously: Suki rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Play with your cousins and don't cause trouble with your wild firebending ideas, you hear me?" she said, shaking her head before glancing at Sokka and Azula, her stern scowl morphed into an apologetic grimace. "Goodness, I swear they're not trying to hurt your kids, I do…"

"We believe you," Sokka laughed, as he and Azula stepped forward to greet Suki.

"I suppose that's what we have to look forward to, in the future?" Azula smiled, casting a glance at Mari: the oldest among the children so far, she always seemed to take a role of leadership with her siblings and cousins, all of whom flocked to her naturally. "The teenage rebellion stage…?"

"Oh, Mari's been there from the moment she was born, as far as I can tell," Suki smiled, finally reaching her sister-in-law and offering her a warm embrace. "So good to see you both, Azula, Sokka."

"Same here!" Sokka grinned, hugging Suki next. "I'd compliment you and Zuko for all your work with this place, but I actually have no idea what it used to look like before…"

"Oh, you don't want to know," Suki laughed, shaking her head as she pulled away from him. "All manner of leaks in the roofs, weeds sprouting EVERYWHERE: it was madness. But, admittedly, the house was still less rebellious than Mari… I sure hope you two aren't causing your parents any trouble, Yuuna, Shun!"

They smiled guiltily and shook their heads: Suki shot them a knowing grin and rose to her full height after leaning down to address the children.

"I have the feeling you two have your hands full with these two as it is, though," she said. Azula laughed and shook her head, as Shun tugged at her hand.

"Can we go see the game too?" he asked, beaming. Azula let go of his hand and caressed his hair gently.

"Be careful," she warned him. "And don't be too competitive, alright? I know winning's fun and all…"

"But I should enjoy the game and not just focus on winning, yeah…" Shun sighed, marching off towards the others without another word: his nonchalance upon reciting those words suggested, quite strongly, that he had no intentions of abiding by them.

Unlike him, Yuuna didn't even wait or ask for permission to take off: she released Sokka's hand, yanking hers from out of his, and raced her brother – this time without even issuing the challenge verbally, though he took it up without needing her to do so – all the way to where the other children had been playing. Iroh, Zuko's only son, smiled brightly and ran up to Shun, while Yuuna and Kerra were quick to reach each other as well, the two youngest, and the most mischievous of the two sets of children – albeit sometimes it seemed Mari might outdo the two young, unexpected benders with her inventive, wild ideas.

"Zuko will probably be surprised to learn you're trying to teach Shun not to be so competitive…" Suki smiled. Azula sighed and shook her head.

"He and I are a lost case, everyone knows that," she said, with a shrug: Suki laughed at her direct, blunt delivery. "But if I can keep those two little rascals from being as prone to fighting each other as Zuko and I were, I'll certainly try… though they're quite adamant to become exactly like that, somedays."

"Oh, come on, now: you've literally come up with a thousand strategies to make them stop going after each other and redirect their energy to something more productive. You're doing great," Sokka smiled, wrapping an arm around his wife's shoulders.

"Literally, a thousand? No, it's only been about nine hundred, don't exaggerate…"

Suki laughed at their silly exchange, unsurprised to see the camaraderie between the two spouses only ever seemed stronger whenever she saw them again. Whatever they might worry about, the truth was that they, and their children, were one very happy family.

"Well, if you really have cooked up all those strategies, we could certainly use the advice: Kerra and Iroh are taking after you and Zuko a bit too much lately too…"

"Oh, of course," Azula sighed: Suki had turned to the kitchen again, and the two of them followed her. "It's like a curse in this family, isn't it?"

"Oh, come on now, Katara and I weren't much better," Sokka laughed: Azula offered him a worried grimace. "What, you think that makes it worse? You really think this sort of stuff is hereditary?"

"Two generations, four sets of siblings, boy and girl, only with a small age gap between them, all of them butting heads over ridiculous and genuine matters alike: do you really think there isn't a pattern here?" Azula asked. Sokka bit his lip and shrugged.

"Well… maybe we're all just prone to bonding through bickering."

"And through threatening to freeze each other's boogers in their nose, too…"

"Oh, spirits: Yuuna said that?" Suki gasped, once they reached the threshold of the kitchen. Azula smiled awkwardly.

"I'm pretty sure she must have found out they could be frozen the last time she caught a cold, and… well, you know how she is. Everything weird, everything unexpected, everything anyone else wouldn't think of, all of it is just second nature to her…"

"Sounds like she's the perfect blend of her parents to me."

Azula's smile gained a dangerous glint upon hearing her brother's voice, once they entered the kitchen: he smirked right back at her, hard at work with the meal he and Suki had been preparing for the first day of their week in Ember Island.

"Who was trying to tear down the door earlier? Bet it was Sokka," Zuko said, sharply: his brother-in law only smiled proudly.

"You're smarter than you look, after all!"

"And you're not," Zuko retorted, prompting Sokka to gasp in outrage as their wives laughed at their typical banter.

"Why, you…! Huh, that was a pretty solid exchange, Zuko: you should join us, then! Azula and I, we're totally going to start a comedy troupe to make some more money on the side, it was all Hotaru's idea…!"

"It was your idea, don't pin this madness on her," Azula said, smiling and shaking her head. "And besides, you said we'd do it if we were short on money, which we aren't, so…"

"Now, now, Azula, I know you need some convincing, but think about it! The audience will laugh plenty at our jabs at each other, but they'll laugh even more when Zuko takes everything seriously and plays the humorless guy to all our funny banter! It's perfect, just like it was right now, see?"

Azula smiled dryly before glancing at Suki.

"Just out of curiosity: where did you stash the lychee wine?"

"Azula!" Sokka gasped, as Suki chortled and laughed too: even Zuko was unable to hold back a chuckle at his sister's bold question. "You're the most ambitious person I know, how can you close your mind to the possibilities?!"

"You're impossible," Azula smiled, shaking her head and burying her face in her hands.

"Guess he's already practicing for the comedy act?" Suki smiled. Sokka huffed proudly.

"And I'll get lots of practice for the rest of the week, you betcha!"

"What have we signed on for?" Zuko groaned.

"Well, now, you did decide to invite us: you knew exactly what you were signing on for," Azula smirked, stepping forward. "Want help with any of this?"

"Woah. Can either of you be any help with cooking?" Zuko asked, puzzled, stopping on his motions while molding a rice ball.

"I don't see a top-of-the-line cook around here… guess you forgot to hire one," Azula said, gazing across the kitchen with a knowing grin. "Thus, I expect we'll have to work together to keep all our children stuffed with healthy food and taking enough naps so that we, in turn, can actually relax at some point or another in this trip…"

"Heh, well… you do have a point," Zuko smiled, shaking his head. "They're already a handful on their own, but putting all seven together… playing with fire is the simplest thing they would be likely to do."

"And they already did that on the first day of these vacations. Hell knows what else they're bound to do while we're not paying attention," Suki sighed, gazing wistfully at the courtyard from the kitchen's door.

The children seemed perfectly happy to meet again, for the first time in many months. As usual, the youngest four seemed to flock together as the older three did the same: Mari smiled as she handed Zi the ball before hugging Hotaru, who returned the embrace gladly.

"It's so good to see you!" Mari exclaimed. "Hope you've been doing well! Well, you and all of your family, of course…"

"Everything's okay," Hotaru confirmed, with a gentle smile. "Well, other than Yuuna and Shun butting heads all the time, but…"

"Oh, I say let them: same thing I say about Iroh and Kerra," Mari smirked: Zi sighed beside her and shook her head. "Maybe we should have the four of them in an all-out bending brawl! Don't you think that would be cool?"

"Why don't you ever have a perfectly peaceful idea…?" Zi asked her sister, with an awkward smile. Mari scoffed, taking the ball from Zi's hands.

"Because that wouldn't be as much fun! Come on, live a little, Zi!" she snickered, tossing the ball in the air and bumping it higher when it bounded on her head. "We should just practice for the real kuai ball games later, we're totally going to do some sort of family brawl after lunch, Hotaru!"

"We are?" Hotaru asked, puzzled. "But I've never played…"

"Oh, no need to worry! All you have to do is make sure the ball won't hit the ground!" Mari grinned, doing exactly that: she passed the ball to Hotaru, who caught it quickly. "Well, not by catching it, exactly…"

"You have to keep it rolling," Zi explained. Hotaru hummed, raising the ball gently and tossing it at her, "W-wait, not at me…!"

Zi raised her hands defensively, and the ball bounded in the wrong direction, falling on the ground.

"Zi! You shouldn't be such a scaredy-cat!" Mari laughed, grabbing her sister's shoulders. Zi pouted.

"I don't like that ball! It's cool for your tricks, but it hurts! Right, Hotaru?" Zi asked, looking at Hotaru's hands, hoping to confirm she, as well, had been hurt by the metal string that composed their ball. Hotaru, however, smiled awkwardly and shrugged.

"Must be because I hit it myself and nobody flung it at me… sorry," she said. Zi sighed, and Mari rolled her eyes.

"Oh, fine, then! We'll get the regular soft ball for now, but we're totally doing at least one round of fire kuai ball later by the beach, alright?!"

"But I'm not a firebender, I can't do that!" Zi grimaced: her sister smirked deviously as she turned to Hotaru again.

"Come, we have a normal ball upstairs! It's in our… oh wait! You guys don't have rooms yet, right? We should help you pick them!"

"Ah, we were talking about that earlier," Hotaru smiled. "How many rooms are there…? And how many people will come?"

"Dad invited lots of people, but one of them already said he can't make it. He can't travel down here from the Northern Water Tribe all that fast," Mari said, with a shrug. Hotaru raised her eyebrows and nodded. "Kat-Kat and Aang should be here, though… guess they might be running a little late."

"I think some of my mom's friends are coming too," Hotaru said, smiling a little.

"Then it really is a lot of people," Zi said, eyes wide.

"Do you think that means we'll have to share rooms?" Hotaru asked, glancing between both her cousins.

It surprised her to see that both Mari's golden eyes and Hotaru's violet ones would gleam brightly at that notion: the sisters exchanged a joyful smile before Mari clasped Hotaru's shoulders.

"You have to share with us!" she said.

"I wanna be with Hotaru!" Yuuna suddenly blurted out, running up to her sister and wrapping her arms around her leg.

"I gotta be there too," Kerra decided, stomping hard on the stone floor, and a light tremor shook the courtyard. Zi flinched.

"Hey, Kerra, Dad said no bending indoors, okay…?"

"This isn't indoors," Kerra said, smugly. "You can see the sky here!"

"It's still part of the house!" Zi grimaced, urgently.

"You don't even need to bend in protest at all, though: of course you can stay with us! We'll have a slumber party, all five of us!" Mari declared, proudly, and the other four girls smiled brightly at her.

"Yeah!" Kerra exclaimed: Yuuna danced happily in place, still clinging to her older sister's leg.

Naturally, the two boys in the courtyard couldn't join in on the enthusiasm of their siblings. Iroh pouted, glancing at Shun with uncertainty.

"Do you want to share rooms too…?" he asked. Shun shrugged.

"If you want," he replied, smiling. "Would be fun, I think…"

"Yeah!" Iroh responded, his mood immediately improved. "We should tell Dad, then…!"

"He should join us," Shun laughed, though Iroh smiled and shook his head.

"He'd bring Mom if he does, and then it wouldn't be a boys' room," Iroh said, yanking Shun to the kitchen area with him. "Come on, let's ask if it's okay…!"

"Sure! I haven't even said hi to him yet," Shun smiled, tagging along with his cousin as they made for the kitchen, where the four grown-ups had huddled up while the kids talked in the courtyard.

It seemed Sokka and Azula intended to help, yet Zuko and Suki had a tight system in process already, and most the work was well and truly done: Azula slapped Sokka's hand away from the finished tart pie intended for dessert, and he giggled guiltily at her when the kids stormed in.

"I'll be good, Azula, I'll be… oh, hey! Good to see you, Iroh!"

"Hi, Uncle Sokka," Iroh said, smiling reverentially at him: Shun's own admiration, however, was reserved for his own uncle, elbow deep into washing dishes in the sink.

"Ah, Shun," Zuko smiled upon catching sight of the young boy. "It's good to see you, kid."

"It's good to see you too, Uncle Zuko!" he exclaimed, smiling. "Iroh and I, we want to share rooms!"

"You… you do? Why?" Zuko asked, puzzled: his eyes shifted towards his son, who smiled and shrugged in his direction.

"The girls want to share, too," Iroh said. Zuko's eyebrow twitched.

"Which girls? All the girls?" he asked, puzzled. Iroh shrugged again. "Are they nuts? There's like twenty rooms now after all the expansion, and renovations…! And they just want to share?"

"Guess it's because it's a special occasion," Suki smiled at him. "Just remember what they were like back in the day, when Mari and Zi had to share a single room…"

"They were so thrilled to have rooms of their own when they finally did, and now they're all bunking up together?" Zuko sighed, shaking his head. "Well, I guess we'll have to think on how they could do it, not sure there's any rooms big enough for five beds. You two should be fine, though…"

"Yeah!" Shun grinned, throwing a triumphant fist in the air when Zuko addressed his final sentence at him and Iroh. "Thanks, Uncle Zuko!"

"Such a nice, obedient boy, so respectful with his uncle…" Sokka recited with a small voice, a skeptical smile on his face. Azula smirked, nudging him with her elbow.

"You love to make a fool of yourself for his amusement, don't pretend otherwise now," she said softly: Sokka could only laugh guiltily at her assessment.

The knocking sound by the front door resounded in the large house once more, though it wasn't quite as wild and reckless as Sokka's previous knocking. Zuko glanced at him meaningfully, gesturing in the door's direction with his chin.

"Heard that? That's how normal people do it."

"Boring people, you mean," Sokka declared, proudly. Azula laughed and shook her head, reminded of Hotaru's previous claim that she'd never be bored with their family.

"I guess someone else is here, though…?" Suki said, fiddling with her apron's fastening to take it off.

"Or it could be our ship's sailors bringing our luggage, heh…" Azula smiled awkwardly. "We can check on the door if you want, you guys should stay here."

"You would? Oh, thank you," Suki smiled: she stopped attempting to unfasten the apron, only to struggle fastening it in place all over again, an awkward smile on her face.

"Heh, sure thing," Sokka smiled as Azula pulled him with her through the door. "Oi, Shun! Don't cause any trouble for your aunt and uncle, alright?"

"I won't!" Shun stated, proudly: his eagerness to gain Zuko's approval seemed to ensure he'd stay on his very best behavior, so both Azula and Sokka could trust he'd obey whatever orders Zuko might give him.

Once again, Sokka and Azula walked hand in hand, with Sokka swinging their arms carelessly: his wife smiled fondly at him, slipping her fingers between his as they marched to the door, the sounds of their daughters' upbeat conversation with their cousins following them all the way across the corridor.

"It does seem to be a much nicer place than it ever was," Azula admitted, smiling as she gazed about herself. "Though I am curious about these expansions Zuko did. This place should have been big enough for at least our two families, though with however many guests we might have, I wonder if it will be big enough, in the end…"

"Well, with the kids being so eager to share rooms, I don't think we'll have to worry about having proper privacy at night, huh?" Sokka said, smirking at her and wiggling his eyebrows. Azula smiled, squeezing his hand gently.

"Is that the main thing you're thinking about, really?"

"Well, it's always at the top of my priorities, if you must know…"

"How utterly shameless of you," Azula said, playfully. Sokka sighed and shook his head in fake penance. "And here I thought it was at the very top of them, at all times…"

"Ah, I disappoint, then?" he asked, amused. Azula laughed and yanked him close, pecking his lips quickly before they finally reached the door anew.

"As if you could ever let me down," she said, offering him a much more earnest answer than Sokka had expected. He smiled warmly at her as Azula pushed open the door they'd closed earlier… to find, as predicted, the sailors with all their belongings. "Ah, I'm sorry the door was closed…"

"Oh, no matter!" said the sailor in charge, smiling broadly at her. "We've brought everything as requested! We'll be taking off now, and we'll return in a week, as agreed?"

"Please do," Azula nodded graciously.

"Another ferry's coming in now, too," said another sailor, already picking up his bags. "We're going to try to get out before they dock in, give 'em more room to maneuver."

"A good call," Sokka smiled, stepping among them and hoisting some of the bags himself. "I'll give you a hand, then, we should be done faster this way."

Azula relinquished her hold on Sokka's hand most unwillingly, despite knowing his help would certainly speed up this process. She watched and directed the sailors, ensuring they stashed the bags inside without obstructing either the way upstairs or the corridors that led deeper into the first floor of the large building. Within five minutes, everything had been set down on the vestibule's corner and the sailors had returned to their manatee-whale-led ferry: Azula and Sokka watched them from the front door, with Sokka waving in the sailors' direction. Azula cocked her head to the side, studying the creatures as they turned around and took the ferry into the sea again.

"Looking for Yuuna's hair tie, even now?" Sokka asked, amused.

"Just wondering where it's keeping it, you know? Since it has to bring it back to its daughter and all…" Azula said, smiling and shaking her head. Sokka laughed, reeling her in for another hug.

"The other ship's over there, though," he said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "Think it's the last one to arrive?"

"Possibly. I think the other guests would come here with your sister and Aang," Azula said: her arms snaked around Sokka's waist, and she pressed a kiss to his bare skin, left exposed by his sleeveless, wide-necked shirt.

"Well, now…" Sokka smiled, looking at her with a devious smirk "I know we're alone for the first time in what feels like forever, but are you really looking to have some fun right now?"

"Are you opposed to it?" Azula asked innocently, her eyelashes fluttering exaggeratedly, bringing Sokka to laugh as he cradled her face in his hands.

"You could ask me to conquer the world with you and I'd just ask when do we start, Princess," he said: Azula's eyes narrowed at his familiar taunt, but his lips were on hers before she could rebuff it.

Which, come to think of it, was exactly what she'd wanted, so, as much as the urge to retaliate had surged, she set it aside quickly enough, wrapping her arms around his neck, letting him pin her to the frame of the open door as his tongue slithered past their lips, seeking hers.

It wasn't as though they never were free to act on their passion, their three kids would always fall asleep soundly, so the depths of night were always theirs for the taking. Yet the more they worked together to ensure their children grew up as healthy and happy as possible, the more their mutual passion would surge and rise… and the less chances they'd have to let it unwind, as even in their downtime they had to deal with Shun's typical complaints whenever their parents were far too affectionate in his presence. Their respective duties also kept them too busy on most days, so unless they took a break casually at the exact same time, they'd seldom be free to kiss at will, to hold each other, even to make love wherever it suited them… though they certainly didn't intend to go that far right now. This was just a quick release of joyful passion, that was all it was…

Or all it should be, anyway.

"We… have to keep our heads level, now…" Azula managed to say, between frantic kisses she pressed upon Sokka's face. He laughed at her request, as his hands carelessly traveled over her light outfit – she didn't expose much skin yet, but she'd likely change into a bathing suit later and… oh, the mere thought made his heart race wildly.

"Kinda tricky… you're making it tricky," he chuckled, kissing her voraciously again. Azula moaned heartily, embracing him tightly.

"My fault? It's totally… not my fault…" she whimpered: her hands slipped down his back, to his rear, squeezing it gently…

Sokka groaned in a throaty way, and Azula leaned into his ravenous devouring of her neck, head thrown back, a blissful smile across her features: her eyes opened, though, and she noticed, with remorse, that the next guests were just docking in.

"They're going to catch us doing this… and then they'll never stop teasing us for it, right?" she sighed remorsefully. Sokka hummed, raising his head: his face was covered in her shade of lipstick, and Azula laughed as she took notice of it. "Well, even if we stop now, this makes matters obvious enough, doesn't it?"

"So, why stop at all?" Sokka asked, with a mischievous smirk. "Why should we hide from anyone anymore, Princess?"

"Keep that up, Sokka, and you're really going to get it…"

"Am I?" he smirked. Azula laughed, pulling him closer: her golden eyes bore into his, but her desire was abloom, much as his own was, goading them both into succumbing further into their passion.

"You asked for it, then: come and get it," she hissed, her lips hovering a breath away from his: he cut the distance in an instant, following fit with her challenge.

Finding them in the midst of such heated exchanges was no surprise for most the newcomers, though it was fortunate that the youngest people in the group had lagged behind: Haru laughed at the shameless display of their friends while Ty Lee hooted in the distance.

"You guys sure are in the mood to party! This vacation's going to be a blast!"

The sound of her voice broke off their wildest kiss yet, though Azula groaned as she broke off the contact most unwillingly. Sokka chuckled, pressing his lips to her forehead one more time:

"We'll continue later, don't you worry," he said. Azula smiled, raising a hand to wipe off the many stains of lipstick on Sokka's face.

"I'm not worried at all. Just looking forward to it, as I always am," she said. Sokka grinned, venturing one more devious kiss to her lips before turning to greet their friends.

"Hey, guys! Been a while since… WOAH!"

Sokka was always one for exaggerated reactions, Azula knew as much… but when she turned her head to the side, she was tempted to let out an exclamation as loud as his:

Ty Lee, clinging to Haru's arm with the most enthusiastic grin possible, sported a prominent pregnancy belly, starkly noticeable, as she was already clad in her beach attire, unlike most everyone who intended to change after lunch.

"Are you… are you for real?!" Azula gasped, looking at Ty Lee in amazed disbelief. Her friend giggled guiltily, leaning into Haru, who smiled widely at their friends.

"Remember that the last time we met she'd had some strange cramps, and food didn't seem all that tasty to her…?" Haru said, with an innocently soft voice.

"I told you. Oh, I told you what it was, Mai told you what it was, and you didn't listen!" Azula laughed, stepping forward as Ty Lee squealed, stepping forward and wrapping her arms around Azula once her friend reached her.

"Okay, okay, I know I should've had it checked out, you guys said so, but then I didn't, and I thought I was just sick and then I started to put on weight, and…! Well, here we are. I can't believe we're joining your group now," Ty Lee sighed, with a wistful smile. "I so enjoyed being the free-spirited, childless aunt…"

"Well, you enjoyed it because you loved the children in question, and you're going to love this one too," Sokka smiled, stepping up to hug her too. "Congratulations, you guys!"

"Thank you," Ty Lee said, with a high-pitched voice. "Oh, I really don't know if I'm excited or horrified, even now…"

"How far along are you?" Azula asked: Haru and Sokka had shaken hands by now – or forearms, rather –, and the earthbender stepped forward next to hug the royal.

"About four or five months, it seems… oh, it's been a whirlwind, but I'll wrap my head around it eventually, I will," Ty Lee said, with a sincere laugh.

Azula smiled fondly as Haru stepped back anew, placing a loving hand on his wife's belly. It was no secret Haru was open to having children, but he had never pressured Ty Lee on the matter. They had been married for a fairly long time, with a rhythm of their own, and it didn't seem likely that they'd try to have children… but Azula highly doubted they'd tried this time, either. This was, in all likelihood, the consequence of a short period of carelessness, and while it seemed Ty Lee might be deeply uncertain of how to raise a child, she'd have more than enough people to offer her plenty of support and help when she needed it.

The person with the most experience on the subject had hiked up the road after Ty Lee, followed by her own husband and her two sons: it was hard to believe Yuudai was already a proper teenager, yet time hadn't passed them by in vain. The young man looked much like his father had, back when Azula, Mai and Ty Lee had first met him in Ember Island: Ruon Jian no longer sported the same luxuriously stylish hair from his youth, but it seemed his son had taken after him fairly well in that department.

Their second child, however, was the odd-one out in a family as restrained, proper and ideal as Mai and Ruon Jian's was: Renshu was a chubby boy of Shun's age, with short brown hair and large eyes. His main similarity with his mother was the blank, unreadable expression on his face. But where Mai always seemed to be observing her surroundings, judging situations and weighing her choices with perfectly subtlety, Renshu simply watched for the sake of it, and was perfectly happy to convey his thoughts with absolutely no restraint or consideration of the circumstances. Out of so many chaotic children in the villa right now, Renshu was a particularly odd one, yet he seemed perfectly content exactly as he was.

"You seem very surprised, all things considered, Azula…" Mai pointed out, with a smirk, upon reaching the front door. "Here I thought you'd just laugh in Ty Lee's face for not listening to either of us."

"Maybe I still will, though probably after we have a couple of drinks," Azula smiled. Ty Lee pouted at those words. "Uh… yeah, we'll drink your share, too."

"That's the part that sucks the most about being pregnant. Got to forsake so many fun things…" Ty Lee sighed. Haru chuckled and shook his head.

"You'll go all out with everything again right after this is over, okay?" he said. Ty Lee grinned and nodded.

The new arrivals greeted each other gladly, and many friendly hugs were exchanged. Sokka compared Yuudai's height with his own, finding he already reached the level of his shoulder, and the shy but proud teenager smiled for it.

"Dad thinks I might outgrow him, but I don't know…" he chuckled. Sokka patted his shoulder firmly.

"Keep on eating the right way, and having a healthy life, and you might do just that!" he told him: Yuudai smiled and nodded proudly…

And then a small hand reached out to tug at Sokka's trousers.

Renshu's clear amber eyes met his mere instants before the boy blurted out:

"How many rooms are there in this house?"

Sokka blinked blankly before crouching down and smiling awkwardly.

"Not entirely sure, but probably about twenty? I guess?" Sokka said. Renshu cocked his head sideways.

"There are fifty-seven in the Palace," Renshu said, matter-of-factly. "That I know of. Maybe there are secret rooms that I don't know of. Do you know if there are hidden rooms here?"

"Not particularly. Looking to build one, are you?" Sokka asked, amused. Renshu shook his head.

"I don't have a shovel," he said. Sokka heaved out a disappointed breath, punching the air before him.

"Well, damn. I bet there's some sand shovels in the house, but they're probably not good enough to build a big secret room, sorry to say."

"I don't need to build one. I was just curious," Renshu said, bluntly and simply. He still didn't show any sign of amusement, remaining as inexpressive as ever. Sokka smiled and patted his head.

"Well, good then. Keep being curious, I guess…?"

"I would say 'don't encourage him' but I doubt it'll make a difference," Mai sighed, leaning down near Renshu. "Did you greet your Aunt Azula and Uncle Sokka properly?"

"No," he said, simply. Mai's eyebrow twitched.

"Didn't I ask you to do so earlier?"

"You did. But I didn't do it," Renshu responded, matter-of-factly, as always. Sokka couldn't hold back a chortle as the boy turned his attention to Azula next. "Is Shun here?"

"He's inside, yes. In the kitchen, the last I knew…" Azula said. Renshu glanced at his mother.

"I will go see Shun," he declared: without even waiting for Mai to give him permission to do so, Renshu slipped between Azula and Sokka and entered the house, as though he knew it by heart despite it was his first visit.

"I… want to get mad. I do. I want to discipline him, so he actually learns to greet people the right way, at least," Mai said, eyebrow still twitching. "But… I just can't do it. He just asks me why he has to do the things I ask him to, and it's exactly what crossed my mind when I was his age, and then I end up with an existential crisis while he goes back to drawing on the walls, or whatever he's up to…"

"Well, fortunately Yuuna's easier to reel into control than that," Azula smiled awkwardly. "Though she has a knack for questioning things very similarly."

"I think he sees her as a kindred spirit because of that, actually," Ruon Jian laughed. "He says he spends more time with Shun because Yuuna doesn't like him, though."

"What, really?" Sokka's eyes widened. Azula smiled awkwardly.

"Bet she told him so, blunt and clear, to his face," she said, rubbing her forehead with her fingertips.

"And Renshu apparently wasn't bothered by it one bit," Ruon Jian laughed. "But I guess I'll keep an eye on him as best I can, so he doesn't end up angering her somehow…"

"A wise call," Azula smiled, gesturing at the house. "Well, now, you have more people to greet inside, right? And Ty Lee probably ought to sit down, or maybe go to the bathroom…"

"Joke around all you want, I do have to go…" Ty Lee whimpered: Haru wrapped his arms around her and ferried her inside, only slowing down to ask Azula for directions to the nearest bathroom.

The house had been empty for years, vacant of all brightness and enthusiasm… but Azula, who had seen it in its previous glory, was sure it had never been quite as bright and beautiful as it was now. The chatter of cheerful voices, the laughter, the sounds of children playing… back in the day, it had been her, Zuko and their parents, with a handful of servants to provide for them. Today, it was a gathering of friends and family, of many people she valued dearly, and her heart could barely keep up with the delightful feelings this new atmosphere elicited inside her.

Countless greetings were exchanged, so many it was hard to keep up with them: upon poking their heads in the kitchen again, Azula and Sokka were delightfully amused to find Zuko had the three young boys, Iroh, Renshu and Shun, working together making rice balls with unusual discipline and determination, while most the girls had taken to practicing bouncing the kuai ball between themselves – they were deliberately lighter on Yuuna and Kerra, but the two spirited young girls would strike the ball as powerfully as their arms and legs allowed them to, anyway.

Merely ten minutes before the meal was finished and served, the last arrival finally flew in through the stone courtyard itself, causing the girls to stop playing and start cheering at the sight of the massive sky bison. Appa roared a greeting at the whole group, and Aang waved at everyone, as spirited as ever, beaming while Katara nestled comfortably on the saddle – she held the twins in her arms, each one glancing outside the saddle from over their mother's shoulders.

"Hey, guys!" Aang grinned: Mari rushed towards him quickly, though she leapt to hug Appa's horn first.

"Appa! It's been forever since we last met!" she exclaimed, dramatically. Aang, of course, laughed at her emotional greeting.

"We literally visited you guys a month ago!" he said. Mari stuck her tongue out at him, unable to stifle a grin.

"That feels like forever to me!" she declared: Aang airbent himself off his seat on Appa's neck before hugging the young firebender.

"You're still as feisty and fun as ever, aren't you? Hope you're keeping your dad on his toes still!" he grinned. Mari smiled broadly and nodded. "Great!"

"If this were about anyone else, I'd tell you not to encourage her… but yeah, keep messing with your silly dad, Mari," Katara laughed from the saddle.

Aang smiled and stepped closer to the bison's body, creating small gusts of air with which he brought the two toddlers down to his level. Katara was free to climb safely by herself then, leaving it to Aang to hold their children, and his smile couldn't have been brighter as he regarded the sizable crowd around them.

"Hey, everyone!" he exclaimed: Katara stepped forward, greeting each child happily, smiling at the cluster of people who remained inside the house's corridor. "Hope we're not too late for lunch!"

"Just on time, if anything!" Sokka called back, grinning at them and waving. "Hope the journey was okay for your little clouds!"

The children in question, mostly identical, glanced at Sokka from a distance: he couldn't quite tell apart Tashi, the boy, from Tallah, the girl, while they were so far away. As much as Aang had a duty to see to the recovery of the Air Nomads, he and Katara had taken their time before starting their own family: as ready as they had hoped to be, however, Katara had been taken by surprise upon sensing two new heartbeats inside her, two sources of new chi, rather than one. Their two babies weren't as much trouble as many others could be… at least, so far. Tashi did have a penchant for crying for attention, but he was easily soothed by either of his parents.

Katara greeted Sokka with a tight hug, as ever, once she reached him. Sokka squeezed her tightly, causing Katara to protest by smacking his arm gently.

"I know, I know, nobody likes an annoying older brother," Sokka grinned shamelessly, to his sister's amusement.

"Well, I do know someone who likes my annoying older brother, somehow," Katara smirked teasingly, turning her attention to Azula: she sighed dramatically, with a leisurely shrug.

"What can I say? A goofball like him has his charms," she said: Sokka snickered, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively in her direction, and Azula laughed as Katara stepped forward to embrace her too.

"Well, being a nasty younger sister usually makes you immune to those charms, as you well know," Katara laughed. Azula nodded sagely.

"Indeed, someone likes my annoying older brother too. Utterly inexplicable," she rebuffed playfully as Katara pulled away, smiling. "How are you faring? The twins still keeping you up at night?"

"Oh, yeah," Katara grimaced, though she smiled soon enough again. "They're adorable, of course, but I can't remember the last time I got any sleep."

"And you won't remember it anytime soon, guaranteed," Sokka declared, at which Katara only sighed in defeat.

"This just makes me feel bad about our parents. Were we all this much trouble all along, really?" Katara asked. Sokka offered her a tight-lipped smile and a nod.

"Probably worse, even," he determined. Katara shook her head, laughing as she covered her face with her hands.

"Then the next time I see Dad I'm going to apologize for all the hardships I gave him… as should you, Sokka," she said: he scoffed, waving a hand in her direction.

"You're still trying to win more points with him, after all these years…? I'm onto you, see? I'm so onto you," he said, making a gesture with his hand to ensure Katara knew he was watching her. The waterbender rolled her eyes, glancing at her sister-in-law in disbelief.

"Those are the charms you fell for, huh?"

"Irresistible like no one else I've ever known," Azula said, gesturing at Sokka dramatically: by then, Sokka's playfulness broke at last with laughter, and his wife and sister followed him into it shortly.

The playful banter would have continued on, even if Sokka's goofier side seemed to have receded slightly by then: Katara was just explaining Toph had been unable to join them, for she was too busy these days – she had claimed she needed to know about this big vacation six months in advance to find any room in her schedule for it –, when Suki's voice echoed through the courtyard, calling their many guests for lunch at last.

Once again, Azula was reminded of how much emptier the house used to be once everyone gathered at the large dining room to enjoy the meal: in the past, she, Zuko and her parents had eaten in that same room, and while those days had been far less unpleasant than the many years that followed, Azula had only realized how large the room truly was, and how empty it had felt, now that it was anything but: everyone crowded boisterously around the long table, the smaller children propped up on many cushions so they could reach their plates without much struggle. Dishes would be passed from one end of the table to the other, laughter bounced on every wall and smiles seemed to decorate every face… unless they were busy eating, of course.

Azula and Sokka made sure to help Yuuna with her meal, ensuring she took small bites rather than chomping down on everything on her plate, as she intended to. Then, Azula also had to reel in Sokka by dropping a fair share of vegetables on his meat-exclusive plate – he had done it to mess with her, she knew, but her retaliation saw them bickering playfully, picking each other's meal while Yuuna, sitting between them, watched their apparent fight with absolute delight. Hotaru and Shun, at the other side of the table, could only laugh between bites of their own, though they were easily distracted by their cousins and friends, too.

Once the food was almost fully spent and everyone was satisfied, however, Mari leapt to her feet, with a wicked smile on her face.

"And where are you going?" Zuko asked, following his oldest daughter with his gaze.

"To the beach!" she responded gladly: she didn't wait for her father to finish his next sentence before sprinting through the corridors, headed to her chosen room.

"You have to wait at least ten minutes after you…! Ugh, she's unreal," Zuko sighed, shaking his head. Suki smiled and squeezed his hand.

"With how long it ought to take us all to get ready, it should take her longer than ten minutes to get into the water. Hopefully our reckless girl will be fine, Zuko" she told him. He smiled back, though the sight of Kerra rushing off after her sister didn't reassure him much.

"Our reckless girls, you'll mean… plural," he raised his eyebrow, and Suki laughed and nodded.

"You did plenty of hard work as it is, dear. Don't fret much more than you already have. Your big meal was a success, your plans for the vacation have worked wonders… we're doing great."

"We are… but I'm exhausted, and it's only just started," he admitted, with a weak grin.

"Well, maybe we all can take turns cooking!" Aang suggested, surprising Zuko. "You know, each family can have a turn or so? How about it?"

"Huh… that sounds like a plan," Zuko smiled, glancing at the rest of the group… though his eyes slowed at Azula and Sokka, and his grin soured. "Though someone will have to be there for backup when it's their turn, huh?"

"Oh, they might just wind up doing something other than cooking if left alone in the kitchen," Ty Lee snickered, a hand over her mouth as though to block her words from being heard by the happily bickering couple. "We were on our way up the path to the house, you know, and those two? They were seriously DEVOURING each other against the door, just like that…!"

"Alright, you've convinced me: anyone can cook… except those two," Zuko decided, prompting those sitting near him to laugh at his decision.

He wasn't completely uncomfortable these days over his sister's blatant displays of affection with her husband, but he certainly didn't want to witness them at their most romantic… or their most passionate. Yet it was exactly what Zuko had unintentionally signed on for upon inviting them to his freshly refurbished beach house: even if Azula and Sokka had their kids to look after and think of, it didn't seem anyone could pry either of them off each other. They went everywhere together, either holding hands or embracing each other's waist, even as they checked on the rooms Zuko and Suki had assigned for them and their children. They carried the family's luggage upstairs with their children's help – Hotaru assisted them far more than the other two, who had to settle for either carrying smaller bags or carrying large ones together, which turned out to be a rather catastrophic choice since both wanted to outrun the other, again, even while making their way over a flight of stairs. In the end, though, once everyone's goods were properly distributed in their rooms, it was time to get ready for what the children looked forward to the most:

"Be careful when you go out to swim, alright?" Sokka told Yuuna, after Azula helped the child change into her one-piece swimsuit. "Remember what I've taught you… and try not to bend too much while you're there, don't freeze people even if they annoy you, all our usual rules…"

"Can Aunt Katara bend on the beach…?" Yuuna asked, raising an eyebrow. Sokka grimaced.

"Yeah, well, she's all grown-up so if she wants to do it, I can't stop her. I've tried to stop her from bending in awkward situations since I was littler than you are, right now, and she never pays me any attention," Sokka said, with a resigned sigh. "But that's neither here nor there… you are a good girl, right? So, you'll be good and do as you're told. Okay?"

"No!" Yuuna grinned: she ran out the door, hands in the air, laughing carelessly on her way downstairs again.

Her father, of course, was left frozen on the spot, an eyebrow twitching. Azula behind him, placed her hands on his shoulders before slipping them around his neck, offering him a gentle hug.

"We'll make sure nothing happens. Don't fret," she said, pressing a kiss to the top of his head.

"Sometimes I think we're the best parents ever, and then sometimes I wonder if we're getting everything wrong," Sokka confessed, glancing at her from his kneeling position, where Yuuna had left him. Azula leaned over him, smiling warmly.

"Well, you told me that your father said to you that there was more worth in growth than in perfection, right?" Azula asked, pressing her lips to his brow. "True wisdom right there. We may never be the perfect parents, but…"

"But we'll grow along with our kids and do it better every time?" Sokka finished. Azula nodded proudly, and Sokka grinned, leaning in to kiss her, no matter how awkward their position might be. "I love you, Azula."

"And I love you, Sokka… though I wish we could love each other quite a bit more freely than we can, right now," she said, with a lop-sided smile. "We have to change too, and, well…"

"We can't afford to do anything naughty because our kids might just freeze the beach while we're not paying attention?" Sokka asked, with a sad smile of his own. Azula laughed and nodded, helping him stand up.

"We'll have to save it for later, I suppose. If we still have any energy by then, that is," she pointed out. Sokka cupped her face between his hands, kissing her lips softly.

"I'll make sure to save my very best just for you and our nice and cozy little room," Sokka said, smirking deviously. "Though I guess, if the kids aren't much trouble, we can at least indulge in, well, enjoying each other's scenery, if nothing else?"

"Don't we always?" Azula smiled, pinching his asscheek and guiding him towards their room, out of Yuuna's shared one with Hotaru, by the two girls' design. It was entirely possible they'd go forward with Mari's wild plans for a sleepover in her large room, but their two daughters would keep their belongings here, at the very least.

While knowing they had very little time for privacy, Sokka and Azula still locked their room's door, helping each other into their respective swimsuits while trading no end of mischievous kisses and caresses. It seemed impossible that the two of them would truly make their way to the beach instead of surrendering to their urges, but against their instincts and impulses, they finally made up their minds, gathered their beach bags and ventured out of the house, hand in hand… or hand-on-rear, when they decided to tease each other, halfway down the beach.

The children were already playing loudly by the sand: Kerra, in particular, seemed thrilled to fling bursts of sand at her brother, while Yuuna splashed by the shore, laughing with her cousin at Iroh and Shun's protests over how their two younger siblings had joined forces against them. Hotaru and Zi stood with Mari, as usual, though her mischievous streak had been interrupted, it seemed, by Yuudai: the taller teenager stood with the three girls, talking animatedly despite it was quite clear, even at a distance, that the one who did the most talking was Mari, who frequently smiled, unusually bashfully, at Yuudai.

"Hmm… that's either Zuko's worst nightmare or his dream combination, isn't it?" Sokka asked Azula, as they walked together down the sand. "He did love Yuudai quite a bit, but…"

"He couldn't be more protective of his kids if he tried? Yeah," Azula agreed, nodding. "Well, they're all kids anyway. I say let them have their fun, as long as they don't get hurt or do anything all that stupid… though of course, if it's Hotaru who's involved in something stupid I'm definitely going to stop being as calm and collected, but she's not likely to be…"

"Mari's a wild one, but I hope both Zi and Hotaru can restrain her, to a fault," Sokka smiled. He and Azula had finally reached the playing grounds, and he raised a hand, placing it by his cheek in order to call for his children. "Yuuna! Shun! Hotaru! Did you put on your sunscreen before you ran out to play?!"

The three kids, each busy with their own groups, flinched and filed towards their parents, guilty grimaces on all their faces. Azula couldn't muffle a smile as they approached, beelining towards Sokka.

"Sorry, Dad…" Shun mumbled. Sokka harrumphed dramatically, setting down his bag and pulling out the sunscreen.

"Alright, those of you brave enough to try doing it yourselves, put out your hands!" Sokka said. Shun and Hotaru both did, while Yuuna showed plenty of sense, surprisingly, by not following suit with their example. "Oh, really, now? You're ready to apply your own sunscreen, Shun?"

"Yeah, I am!" he decided, beaming brightly. Sokka scoffed.

"Well, then, let's see how it goes," he said: he opened the flask with their best sunscreen lotion, pouring a small amount upon each extended hand… and upon Azula's too, as she leaned down right in front of Yuuna, ready to cover her body with it. The little girl raised her head proudly, eyes tightly closed as her mother ensured to cover every exposed bit of her daughter's body until the sunscreen blended perfectly with her skin.

Hotaru only missed a few bits, and Sokka instructed her about which ones, so she could cover everything properly too. Shun, however…

"You… think that's okay?" Sokka asked, with an awkward grin. Shun pouted.

"Well, I didn't get it wrong, did I…?" he asked.

"You have handprints all over your arms, your face is all covered in lotion, your back is mostly exposed…?" Sokka pointed out, rounding the little boy. Shun winced, cheeks reddening. "See? You're already getting sunburnt!"

"I'm not!" Shun cried out, the intensity of his blush strengthening, to Sokka's amusement.

"Come on, I'll handle your back. Spread the bits on your face more evenly, down to your neck too…"

Shun obeyed without much protest, still flustered: Azula smiled at him, and the boy withdrew his gaze from hers.

"Come on, Shun… no need to be so embarrassed," Azula said, reaching out to caress his long hair gently. "Is it you don't want your cousins to think you're being babied or something?"

"I-…! T-that's…! W-well…!" Shun couldn't seem to gather his thoughts, let alone when his mother laughed softly.

"Don't worry about it: look at them, they're an even bigger mess than we are," Azula said, smirking before gesturing at her brother's family.

Zuko and Suki had only just arrived too, and Suki had rushed to collect Kerra, who insisted she didn't need any sunscreen whatsoever: Zi apparently had applied hers all the way back in the house, and Mari kept claiming she had done the same thing, but Suki seemed to believe otherwise – Azula immediately suspected Mari had no interest in letting Yuudai see her applying sunscreen awkwardly, going by how disheartened she had been when the older boy had stepped away from their group, rallying with his family underneath an umbrella: Mai would never visit a beach without guaranteeing she'd have some form of shade, after all.

"Me next! Me, Mom!" Iroh called out as Suki covered a groaning Kerra with sunscreen.

"Yes, yes, you're next, Iroh…"

"I already applied it, Dad, you don't have to make me do it again, do you?"

"Well, if you already did it, a second coating can only do you good…!"

"Dad!"

Although his previous concerns had weighed heavily on Shun's mind, he now had no choice but to laugh at his relatives. Azula smiled fondly at him, pressing a quick kiss to the top of his head once Sokka was done patching up his uneven sunscreen work.

"Have fun in a reasonable way, alright? All of you. No crazy attempts to race with tiger sharks underwater or anything like that, Yuuna," Azula said, pressing a kiss to her daughter's hair too: Yuuna's eyes brightened.

"Are there tiger sharks in Ember Island?!"

"There aren't supposed to be, no," Azula smiled, shaking her head. Yuuna blew a raspberry and shook her head.

"Boring!"

"Oh, now, you have a whole beach to have fun in!" Sokka told Yuuna, leaning down and resting his weight on his knees. "Bet you can find something other than tiger-sharks, maybe a turtle crab, and…"

"And I'll bend it at Shun!"

"Wait, no! You shouldn't…!" Sokka gasped: Shun winced as his sister took off in a mad race towards the shoreline, laughing happily as she looked for any animals to toss at her older brother.

"Okay, I'm going to go hang out with Mari and Zi now…" Hotaru smiled awkwardly… only for Shun to grab onto her leg, still glancing in Yuuna's direction worriedly.

"Take me with you! She wouldn't dare attack you!" Shun whimpered. Hotaru laughed and shook her head.

"Oh, Shun…" she smiled, wrapping an arm around her brother's shoulders before glancing at her parents. "Is it okay, then…?"

"Sure, but if you go into the water try not to go too deep, alright?" Sokka advised her. "And take breaks if you do, once in a while. No need to go too crazy swimming all day long. And…!"

"Go, Hotaru," Azula cut him off, with a smirk: their daughter laughed at Sokka's heartfelt pout, as Azula wrapped an arm around his waist. "I'll keep your protective father in check, alright?"

"Sure thing," Hotaru chuckled: she guided Shun towards the others again, and the boy kept shooting wary glances at where his youngest sister now played with something or another that she'd found in the water. In all likelihood, Yuuna had already forgotten her previous intentions to mess with Shun, distracted by whatever unusual discovery she'd made, as ever happened with the innately curious girl.

Sokka released a deep breath, running a hand over his hair as he took in the good weather and the beautiful horizon. He turned a smile to Azula, whose eyes were set on him.

"Well, we can relax now. If just for a bit?" he said. Azula shrugged, dropping her head on his shoulder.

"Until we decide we have to join in the wild games just as well, I bet," Azula said. Sokka chuckled. "We could wind up racing each other in the water, you know we could…"

"I bet, but it might be better if we wait until the kids have had their fun first. Gotta keep an eye on them, even if we're giving them some space to go wild…" Sokka said, with an awkward smile. "Sometimes I think we worry too much…"

"Then Yuuna wants to play with tiger-sharks and, if anything, you start thinking you don't worry enough?" Azula guessed. Sokka laughed and nodded. "Same here, really. I suppose it won't be all that relaxing to watch them running wild, but at least we can sit down, talk, enjoy the sea air and the sunlight until we feel all dry and drained…"

"What a beautiful picture you paint, wife of mine," Sokka smirked. Azula chuckled against his chest, but he proceeded to do exactly what she'd told him they could.

Sokka pulled out a large towel and set it down on the sand: he meant to help Azula sit first, but she made him take his seat only to nestle on his lap, shameless and comfortably. Sokka groaned as he dropped fully on the towel, bringing her with him as he did.

"This is getting dangerous, Azula," he pointed out: she simply smirked, enjoying the feeling of his naked chest against her cheek. "We're too exposed for any naughty shenanigans, you know we are."

"I do, but you can't hope I'll simply sit away from you when I can be far more comfortable on your lap, Sokka," she said, sighing happily. "Though… come to think of it, isn't it our turn to apply the sunscreen?"

"That… will only make things worse," Sokka said, looking at her warily. Azula laughed, urging him to sit up with her. "Azula…?"

"We totally should have done this indoors, but what the heck. May we end up so sticky with lotion we won't want to touch each other at all later…"

"That is literally impossible: you could be covered in the contents of a swamp bog, and I'd still want to touch you."

"Aw, so romantic…" Azula's eyes fluttered in his direction in the most mocking manner possible, as Sokka smirked knowingly.

"You wouldn't return the favor, though, I know as much. Prude, prissy Princess…"

"How dare you!" Azula scoffed, feigning offense as Sokka laughed. "I absolutely would return the favor… while complaining the whole time about how disgusting it is, how bad it smells, how wrong it is for me to do it, all perfectly normal things…"

"Suits you just fine, yeah," Sokka smiled, leaning quickly to kiss her laughing lips. "You're too clever for me…"

"As you are for me. Sneaky Sokka," she said, narrowing her eyes. His own grin widened further. "You know I'm making you pay for all that teasing tonight…"

"And you know I'm looking forward to it, Princess."

She couldn't help but shake her head in disbelief as he grinned proudly: the first bit of lotion she poured on her hands landed smack on his chest as she chided him for his misdemeanors, and Sokka laughed even harder as their attempts to help protect each other with the sunscreen became a playful struggle they enjoyed delightfully.

Their playfight was mostly ignored by the children, and dismissed by the other adults, who each seemed to have found distinct, safe spots in the beach to set up their stations at. Everyone seemed ready to relax gladly… everyone except for the children, who were already playing in the water, laughing loudly, splashing everywhere, racing each other and coming up with whatever mischief might come to mind.

The natural ringleader of most mischief, Mari, rallied Hotaru, Zi and Yuudai with her, after some initial fun in the water. Her dreams of a kuai ball match only seemed closer at hand, now that all necessary preparations were properly finished.

"Do we have a net, though…?" Hotaru asked Mari, who shot her a clever grin.

"I made sure Dad bought one before we came here! I'll go fetch it, we'll set up the court and then…!"

"Then we'll play… against who?" Zi asked, raising her eyebrows. "I think Dad said it's usually four against four…"

"Oh, it can be less than that," Mari decided, grinning. "I have it all figured out, Zi! Just follow me!"

Zi sighed but did as her sister told her: the two sprinted back to the house while Yuudai and Hotaru lagged a few paces behind, uncertain of whatever Mari had in mind.

"Is she always like this?" Yuudai asked Hotaru, amused.

"Well, we don't get to spend that much time together, but… yeah, for as long as I can remember," Hotaru answered, grinning. Yuudai chuckled and shrugged.

"Guess I'll have to get used to it, then. Nobody in my family is that energetic…"

"Guess not," Hotaru smiled, glancing in the direction of Mai and Ruon Jian.

The pair seemed perfectly content to nestle together under their umbrella while their youngest son dug a hole in the sand, not far from where they sat. As strange as Renshu could be, their family, it seemed to Hotaru, was by far the calmest of the group… though Katara and Aang, the former of whom sat with her twin children near Ty Lee and Haru, weren't all that chaotic either, at least not so far. Once their children were older, though…

"Well… we could have even bigger games when everyone's old enough, come to think of it," Hotaru laughed quietly. Yuudai smiled and shrugged.

"Maybe, though if your little sister and your little brother get to play this game, I may be too scared to join in," he confessed. Hotaru chuckled, though she couldn't fault Yuudai for thinking so.

Fortunately, Shun and Yuuna were having too much fun, swimming in the shallow area of the shore while under Aang's supervision – the Avatar was a magnet for the younger kids of the group, and even Kerra was swimming with him right now, listening to his instructions on how to swim backstroke without sinking – she wasn't particularly proficient at staying afloat compared to the other three, though.

By the time Kerra finally started getting the hang of the swimming style, soaring between waves that Yuuna relished in, Hotaru, Yuudai, Mari and Zi had returned from their venture into the house: Mari and Yuudai shared the weight of the two tall poles upon which the net, carried between Zi and Hotaru, would be hoisted.

Every set of eyes turned towards them as they started setting up the game: Mari drew a large circle in the sand around the poles – when they seemed to be unstable in the sand, Haru gave the group a hand by strengthening the sand near the poles they were setting in place, ensuring they would remain steady in their spot. Once the net had been set up, the four oldest children in the group were finally ready to play, and Mari's grand scheme would finally unfold…

"Wait, what?! B-but I can barely play! I should be teamed with you!" Zi whimpered, reaching for her sister, who huffed and shook her head.

"Hotaru's going to be a great teammate for you! Come on, Zi…!" Mari said, nudging her sister, who pouted and grabbed onto her arm.

"But you two are the tallest in the group, we're going to be crushed…!" Zi grimaced. Yuudai smiled and stepped forward.

"She does have a point," he said to Mari, whose plans were suddenly derailed by Yuudai's words. "Don't worry: I can play with your sister, and Hotaru can be on your team. Makes sense, right?"

"B-but…" Mari's eyebrow twitched: Hotaru smiled happily at her, and she couldn't seem to protest against that. "Fine, then, fine… but I'll choose teams for the next game!"

Most eyes were drawn to their kuai ball court by then: even the children by the shore seemed to slow down on their swimming training – though Renshu continued to build his hole, with absolute determination. Azula and Sokka, happily cradled in each other's arms once more, watched with amusement as their daughter took her position with her cousin.

"Two firebenders against two non-benders…?" Sokka asked, raising his eyebrows.

"You're not about to say that's an unfair deal, are you?" Azula smirked.

"It wouldn't be, if the two non-benders weren't… Zi and Yuudai?" Sokka smiled, poking her ribcage lightly: Azula squirmed against him, drawing closer to his bare chest. "You know I can keep up with any bender I bump into, but Zi barely could handle her mom's Kyoshi Warrior training, if she even did…"

"Well, when you put it that way, I suppose we're about to witness… a bit of a massacre?" Azula asked, amused.

"Let's see if they surprise us," Sokka bit his lip: Mari had already raised the ball, flinging it into the air and slamming it hard with her hand.

Yuudai wasn't particularly athletic, but he kept up fairly well with his opponents. Zi, however, fell to shambles with every strong spike by either Hotaru or Mari. Yuudai attempted to receive their attacks, to pass the ball to Zi so she could hit it back to the other court… but by the time she seemed to get the hang of the game, she and Yuudai were down to a mere two points just before Mari kicked the ball powerfully for her final tenth point.

Another round saw only a mild improvement on the opposing team – though they kept the ball rolling for longer on each point. Still, Hotaru and Mari triumphed again, ten to six, and Zi appeared too disheartened to try playing any further. Yuudai took his loss more gracefully… but he still requested for a break, to Mari's utter chagrin.

"B-but… this was when we switched teams," Mari groaned, pressing her face to the ball. Hotaru sighed, patting her cousin's shoulder.

"It was very intense. Maybe we all can use a break now," she said, with a carefree grin. Mari pouted in her direction, but it seemed pointless to her to play against Hotaru alone…

So, she let her cousin go, and so she stood, alone on the kuai ball court she had been so determined to set up. She let out a groan, wondering if she should go for a swim for now, or if she should just wait until the others were ready for another round…

"Well, now… that's just rude. They ditched her? Unacceptable!" Sokka declared, brow furrowed playfully. Azula shrugged.

"It is a shame… but sadly most the other kids are way too young to play with her," she said: Yuuna and Kerra ran up to Mari, no doubt asking if they could play with her, but Mari only smiled and shook her head, responsibly declining to play so intensely with two kids who were about half her age.

"Well, who said only kids get to play?"

Sokka's words seemed to set off a strange switch inside Azula's head. She glanced at him with a raised eyebrow, and he smirked right back at her: her lips shifted into a smile, and Sokka knew she'd understood his intent right away.

"Besides… as far as I know, Mari thinks you and I are about the coolest parents there are. We can't let her change her mind, now, can we?" he snickered, nudging Azula again. She laughed, shaking her head… and making to rise to her feet.

"We really can't let her down. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if we did," she decided. Sokka snickered, pushing himself up to his feet as well.

Mari had successfully convinced the two younger girls to go back to Aang when she heard the footsteps on the sand behind her: she turned quickly to find her favorite set of aunt and uncle were approaching her kuai ball court… and her eyes gleamed when they stepped inside the circle she'd drawn earlier.

"Well, well… I can't pretend I know exactly how this game goes, but I think I caught the gist of it earlier," Sokka smirked: Mari's smile couldn't have been broader as she glanced between both Azula and Sokka. "What do you say about teaming up with us, then?"

"I…! T-that would be a dream come true, but…! Are you guys sure?" she asked, smiling nervously. Azula laughed and nodded, reaching for the ball her niece was still holding.

"I was known to tear kuai ball courts to pieces, in my youth…" she said, dramatically: Mari snorted and laughed, handing the ball to Azula. "Of course, I will try to be civilized today and not wreck your nice net. Looks brand-new and everything…"

"It is!" Mari exclaimed, beaming. "You guys sure, then? Though… I don't know who we'd play. Seems like everyone else wants to take a break…"

"Oh, pfft, there's no need to worry about that," Sokka smirked, glancing over Mari's head: he didn't doubt, not for a second, that their attempt to join Mari would go answered by other fully adult players… and he wasn't surprised to see exactly who would step up to the challenge.

"Hey, now… you guys are playing with Mari?" Zuko's voice reached them: he and Suki had stepped up to the edge of the kuai ball court, and Zuko stared at his sister skeptically. Azula simply answered him with a nonchalant shrug.

"Why, I don't see a problem with that," she said, wrapping an arm around Mari's shoulders: the girl smiled wildly upon finding her aunt was on her side, in every sense that counted. "You'll need one more team member to make things even, though… or, well, as even as can be."

Sokka snickered at Azula's very obvious taunt… the funniest part about it was that he knew, of course, that it would pay off perfectly: Zuko seemed to see red at Azula's insinuation that an even number of team players couldn't possibly suffice to defeat her, Sokka and Mari…

"Mari should be playing with us, if anything!" Zuko huffed: Mari chuckled and shook her head. "Y-you… hey! I taught you how to play!"

"I want to be on Aunt Azula and Uncle Sokka's team!" she said, proudly. Sokka laughed, throwing his own arm over Azula's, his free fist into the air.

"The girl knows two champions when she sees them. Can't blame her for that, now, can you, Zuzu?" he snickered: Azula couldn't ever help but laugh upon hearing her husband addressing Zuko with his despised nickname, and it was clear Zuko's patience was now at an end.

"Well, then, if that's how you three want it…!" he said, turning around quickly. Suki, beside him, sighed.

"You're sure about this? It is Mari…" she asked. Zuko scoffed.

"I'm fighting those two. I'll keep Mari out of it," he assured her, before his eyes fell upon his ideal final member for the three-member team. "Katara! Want to kick your brother's ass?"

"Woah!" Katara gasped at Zuko's sudden proposal. She had been talking with Ty Lee about her pregnancy, sharing stories about her own process, enjoying the previous kuai ball games just fine while they chatted, Tashi and Tallah nestled comfortably on her lap. The chi-blocker snickered, nudging her with her knee to join in.

"You can leave your two lovely kiddos to me and Haru, go on now!" Ty Lee said. "I'd join them myself, but as you can tell…"

"Are you sure?" Katara asked, with a weak smile. Both Haru and Ty Lee nodded, reaching out to hold one child each. Katara laughed and bowed her head in their direction. "Well… great. I guess I'm off to a new iteration of sibling wars, here…"

"Have fun!" Ty Lee called after her.

"Good luck!" Haru said, too. Katara smiled at the two of them, waving in their direction.

Aang, still in the water, watched as his wife approached the kuai ball court, slack jawed. Katara waved in his direction, so he shook his head and smiled brightly before cheering her on.

"You can do it! You can beat them, Katara!" he called out.

By then, though, the kids around him had rushed out of the water, delighted by the notion of the all-out brawl about to take place in the kuai ball court: the teams were assembled now, and the six players were ready to get going. By now, the three who had retired earlier seemed most eager to return to the game soon… but for the time being, Yuudai, Hotaru and Zi would sit with their younger siblings, watching the game from the sidelines – surprisingly, even Renshu seemed to stop digging his hole, and he sat on his brother's lap while watching the court intently, waiting for the match to start.

Each team had huddled up, and Mari's eyes brightened upon knowing she'd be a first-hand witness to her aunt and uncle's impeccable strategizing abilities today. Yet, when it came down to it…

"Well, team captain Mari… what do you think we should do?" Sokka asked: the youngest team member gasped, glancing between them in utmost confusion.

"I, uh… I'm the captain?"

"You're the one who came up with this idea. So… yes, I'd say you are," Azula smiled, nudging her gently. Mari giggled, biting her lip.

"Then, uh… I want to hear what you guys have in mind, first?" she said, too bashful to try and think of any strategies herself – she doubted she'd come up with anything on par with what either of these two could think of.

"Hmm, well… Katara and Suki are bound to be a problem," Azula pointed out, casting a glance in their direction. "As much as you're her daughter…"

"Yeah, Mom's not going to hold back with me. Not at all," said Mari, shaking her head.

"But your dad's another story," Sokka smirked: Azula mirrored the expression immediately.

"Therefore, I think the proper strategy as good as speaks for itself," she said. Sokka nodded "You should take a center-back position, Sokka…"

"I'll receive every ball I can," he said, with certainty. "And then I'll pass it forward, to either of you guys…"

"Oh, no. Not to either of us," Azula's smile gained an even more dangerous edge. "There's one sure-proof way for us to score, Sokka… and we're going to make the most of it."

"You sure?" Sokka asked. "Might be he'll catch on eventually… or the other two will."

"If they do, we'll still be so far ahead that we'll be practically guaranteed to reach the ten points before they do," Azula determined. Mari, beside them, chuckled.

"You guys are incredible. You take even this so seriously… uh, I take it seriously too, don't get me wrong! It's just, well… uh, never mind. So! What's the rest of the plan, exactly?"

Both Azula and Sokka shared another complicit smirk before conveying their ideas to Mari. The young firebender's eyes widened, as the most ironclad plan came together right then and there…

A mere minute later, everyone was ready for the game to start. Mari stood outside the court's line: she tossed the ball high in the air and kicked it powerfully towards the other side of the court.

Katara received the ball, impressed by the power it had packed: Zuko kneed it, giving the ball plenty of altitude for Suki to slam it hard with her hand…

But Sokka leapt forward just in time, stopping the ball from dropping in the sand. It hovered right above him, and Azula dashed forth, passing the ball to Mari, who was already mid-jump…

In the middle of the air, as she was, Mari smirked upon finding the exact place to slam the ball towards:

It wasn't as fast as the spike Suki had pulled off earlier, but this one landed on the ground, right in front of Zuko's unmoving form.

Both Suki and Katara gasped, finding Zuko hadn't made the slightest effort to receive the ball: meanwhile, the other team celebrated their first point quite rowdily.

"O-okay, sorry about that," Zuko swallowed hard. "I'll do better next time."

"You'd better," Katara retorted: Zuko scoffed at her. "You didn't call me here just so I'd wind up on a losing team, now, did you?"

"We're not going to lose, that's exactly why you're here! Just make the most of your chance to mess with your brother, as you always do!" Zuko grunted. Katara, despite herself, smiled at Zuko's words.

"Well, you can never go wrong with messing with your annoying older brother, that much is true…" she said, knowing Sokka, already in position again, heard her loud and clear: he stuck his tongue out in her direction, and Katara smirked as she readied herself to respond to this next service by Mari.

Again, they managed to keep the ball in play: it was Katara who dealt the spike this time, but while it was too fast for Sokka to react and receive it with his hands or feet, it bounced against his head and didn't hit the ground. Azula gasped as he rolled back on the sand, but she rushed to get the ball anyway, as it seemed to be about to fall out of the court.

With a powerful kick, Azula returned the ball to her last teammate: once again, Mari hit the ball powerfully, and this time it landed two paces next to Zuko.

"Zuko!" both Suki and Katara cried out: he flinched, knowing exactly why he was messing up… and suspecting why it was happening, too. He shot a wary glare at his sister, who had rushed up to her husband. Sokka had a groggy expression on his face, but he, of course, asked the one question Zuko expected him to ask…

"Did we pull it off?" he said, rubbing his forehead with his fingertips.

"Yup. Two to nil," Azula smiled, pressing a quick kiss to his brow. "You're impossibly heroic, even in friendly kuai ball matches."

"No idea how friendly it is: we're at war with our siblings, feels to me…" Sokka smiled, as Azula helped him to his feet.

"No need to worry… we've got this, Sokka," Azula said, smirking in the direction of the opposing team.

"Come on, Zuko. Get it together," Katara hissed again. He huffed, frowning.

"I will, I will. I know what to expect now…" he said.

But he was wrong, again: this time, when he prepared himself for Mari's spike, Azula spun in a circle and kicked the ball Sokka had sent her way, right into the sand. Katara lunged for it, but she couldn't stop the powerful kick before it landed.

"You guys are AMAZING!" Mari laughed, rushing in to hug her aunt and uncle, whose smirks couldn't have been more irritating for their siblings. Suki sighed at the obvious, rising competitive spirit of both Katara and Zuko, running a hand over her hair.

"Come on, come on, take it easy, you two," she said, patting their shoulders. "We can do this. Just… don't send it at Sokka this time."

"Sure thing," Zuko huffed. Katara didn't appear to enjoy that particular order, but she nodded in Suki's direction.

Upon the next of Mari's serves, Suki passed the ball to Katara, who slammed it hard close to the net. Azula's attempt to dig the ball failed, but she only laughed off her first lost point as the others basked in their success.

"Guess they were onto us much faster than expected," she smiled, as Sokka helped her up.

"I'll be more careful, then," Sokka said, eyeing his opponents warily. "I'll be ready to jump forward whenever I have to…"

"Be ready to do more than that, if need be," Azula said, patting his chest affectionately. "No one here's bound to have a more powerful arm than you. If you don't receive it, you might just be able to spike it…"

"Huh… you sure about that?" Sokka smiled. Azula winked at him.

"Trust me."

"Always," he responded: Azula smiled brightly at his answer.

Zuko served this time: he shot the ball powerfully at Sokka, unable to make the ball land anywhere else: Mari attempted to spike it at Zuko again, but Suki leapt in the way of it, flinging the ball upwards for Katara to set it properly and for Zuko to slam it again…

But this time, Azula and Sokka had changed positions.

She received the ball, rolling on the sand as a result: Mari watched in sheer awe as Sokka seemed to levitate, gearing up with an attack that none of the other team's members were prepared for.

The ball slammed powerfully into the sand, still spinning in place as Sokka dropped on the ground again, a proud smirk on his face.

"You guys just…!" Mari gasped, her hands over her mouth as she gazed at them in amazement.

A cheer broke from their many onlookers. Hotaru, Shun and Yuuna cheered for their parents' teamwork, while many of the others clapped at the way they'd obliterated the defense of their opposing team. Most of the audience wasn't surprised in the least to see Azula and Sokka gaining such an advantage over their opponents, though the opponents in question weren't all that pleased about it.

"Guess they're taking us seriously now, huh?" Zuko said, with a proud smile that waned quickly. "Though that may not be a good thing for us anyway."

"We're NOT letting them get a win so easily. We're fighting this, to the end!" Katara declared: it would be Azula's serve next, and they were ready quickly to receive the ball.

They did fight, and quite bravely: they managed a couple more points later on, though only after Azula's serve scored two more for their side. By the time it was Sokka's turn to serve, everyone was ready to receive a powerhouse of an attack… that wound up going too far, landing outside the court and leading his three opponents to sigh in relief.

"Ugh, damn it. Should control my power better…" Sokka pouted: Azula eased him by kissing his cheek.

"Being so strong and fierce may lose us a few points in the game, but it wins you quite a few of them with me, just the same," she declared, wiggling her eyebrows: his previous irritation was eased quickly by her teasing. "Come on, then. We're not that far from crushing them completely."

Katara's serve wasn't as powerful as her brother's, but strong enough to cause Mari to roll in the sand after digging the ball right on time. Azula passed it, Sokka smacked it… but Zuko dug it too, much as his daughter had. Suki was the next to spike, though Azula received it, handing it to Sokka, and Sokka set it for Mari…

Another spike, and another out-of-bounds blast.

"Oh, damn it!" Mari huffed: her parents cheered on the other side, and their little audience seemed to cheer for them as well.

"Calm down, calm down. We're still ahead, and we'll stay ahead," Azula smiled. "If things take a bad turn, well… we'll just have to take extreme measures."

"I wonder what that means," Mari glanced at her aunt, who smirked deviously.

"I have no choice but to hold back so far, is all… I'd rather not go the extra mile unless we really have to," she said. Mari gulped but smiled. "Sokka's holding back too, so…"

"You guys are terrifying… and you're also the coolest people ever," she laughed. Azula smiled, winking at her niece before Katara served again.

This time, Mari's showdown with her mother kept them stalled in a point for almost three minutes: Sokka swept in eventually, slapping the ball right past Suki, at such speed neither Zuko nor Katara could reach it.

"Yeah! One last point and we're done!" Mari cheered: it was her serve again, and she hoped to do it right…

Her father grimaced when she took her position: he loved his daughter dearly and wanted her to be happy… but he didn't want his sister and her husband to thwart his team. It was a troubling conflict of interests… but it was one that caused him to do his best, even when the ball his daughter served went flying right in his direction.

He managed to dig it, handing it to Katara, who passed it over the net immediately: Azula struck it, making it hover just long enough for Sokka to knee it higher yet… and then Mari swept in, kicking the ball towards her father anew…

Suki leapt in front of the ball, passing it to Katara. Zuko jumped over Suki, shooting her a complicit smile before spiking the ball… and Azula received it, hard enough and in such an angle that it bounced right into Zuko's face.

Suki gasped, but Katara rushed after the ball anyway. Azula grimaced as her brother found his bearings… and glared at her for making the ball rebound that way. She shrugged apologetically, but she had little time to repent: Katara had managed to save the ball, Suki was in position to spike it…

Mari dug it this time, falling face-first in the sand to save a ball that would have almost certainly left a sizable hole in the sand if it had touched the ground. Azula turned quickly, ready to set the ball… and Sokka leapt powerfully, right above her.

Azula smirked, passing him the ball just in time for him to smirk knowingly at her. With a blow as strong as that of his failed serve earlier, but from a much better vantage point, Sokka dunked the ball in the sand, just before the other three could jump quickly enough to reach it.

"We won! We… YES!" Mari screamed, leaping to her feet: Sokka had stumbled on the sand, dropping atop his wife as the two of them laughed over their victory, rolling under the net.

"Ugh! This is exactly why I didn't want them to win!" Zuko groaned, covering his eyes from the sight of his sister kissing her husband in the most shameless manner possible – Shun did the same thing among the public, while everyone else just laughed at their reactions.

"If that was how it was, you should've been smarter about receiving your dear daughter's powerful spikes," Katara smiled, patting his shoulder sympathetically. "We lost, but I'd say we were a pretty good team, though!"

"Better than expected, considering you'd never played with us before," Suki laughed, hugging Katara to thank her for the game.

"You guys are crazy!" Hotaru laughed, entering the court and approaching her parents. They were still locked in each other's embrace, laughing carelessly at their latest successful venture.

"What do you want us to say? We're just naturals at kuai ball!" Sokka grinned, raising his head to glance at his daughter. "Or, well, I am."

"It's just the first time you play, and you crushed the competition so thoroughly," Azula smiled fondly as she cupped his face. "We were always meant to be, Sokka, I knew we were…"

"Was there ever any doubt?" Sokka snickered, prompting Azula to kiss him one more time before sitting up, utterly proud of her victory.

"Thank you, guys," Mari smiled, stepping closer to her two teammates. "That was… the best kuai ball game, EVER!"

"Woah, really? We can't try to outdo it, then?"

Yuudai's voice startled Mari: she turned quickly towards him, her cheeks flushed. He smiled at her and nodded in acknowledgement.

"You're really good at this game, keeping up with two grown-ups in your team and three in the other one… maybe you should try to make some sort of professional career out of it," Yuudai suggested. Mari snorted and shook her head.

"Is there such a thing? I doubt it… though, if there is, I definitely have to think about it," she smirked, to everyone's amusement.

"Well, then… you up for another round?" Yuudai asked, with a shrug. "Pretty sure a lot of people want to join in now…"

He wasn't wrong: Zi was back on board too, inspired by the showdown between her parents and her sister. Hotaru seemed perfectly enthusiastic as well, so their previous group was ready… while Aang had rushed in to ask to be part of the game as well, delighted to test his ability to handle a game so different from the ones he used to play with his fellow airbenders. Ty Lee had spurred Haru to take part in the game too, in her place, and Ruon Jian had stepped up as well, despite admitting he hadn't tried his hand at kuai ball since a very long time ago. Out of those playing the last game, only Suki and Mari remained in the court: Azula and Sokka stepped out and joined their youngest children, who seemed all too thrilled for their victory in the last game.

"I want to play!" Yuuna insisted, once Shun darted off to watch the start of the next game. Azula smiled, smoothing the girl's disorderly hair.

"You're not quite ready to play against your big cousin just yet…" Azula said, but she smirked soon enough. "But we could start preparing you for that, someday."

"Yeah!" Yuuna grinned, clasping her mother's hands: Azula smiled at Sokka, who nodded approvingly.

"We've got a smaller ball in our bags. Want to practice with that one?"

"Yeah, bring it over," Azula said.

Yuuna couldn't have been more excited, though her enthusiasm dwindled when a boyish voice spoke up to Azula suddenly.

"I want to learn to play too."

Azula glanced down at Renshu: he stared at her with the same straightforward bluntness he ever exhibited, and Yuuna grimaced over his presence immediately. Azula smiled, though, and nodded at Mai's second son.

"If you want, sure thing. Might be the next time we come here, the four of us will be a great team," Azula said. Yuuna stuck her tongue out at the notion, just as Sokka returned to them, the new ball in hand.

They started in the sand, simply passing the ball from one to the other… but as Yuuna seemed unamused about having to pass the ball to Renshu, Azula and Sokka decided the child needed a new variant added to the game, to distract her from being cross with the little boy: they entered the water, making it so they stood in a square, with Yuuna and Renshu closer to shore, while the two grown-ups stood deeper in the water.

"Alright, then! Remember: there's no bending in kuai ball…" Sokka said to Yuuna, though Azula snorted.

"Well, now, I never heard of that rule…"

"Hey, now," Sokka eyed her meaningfully: Azula offered him a guilty grin before he tossed the ball at her. "Come on, start passing!"

The water slowed their movements, thus, it forced them to make bigger efforts to reach the ball. Even though the kids weren't all that deep in the water, the ball slipped out of their small hands a few times… though when it happened to Yuuna once, she bent some nearby water quickly to ensure the ball would return to her hands, hoping no one would notice she had broken the passing pattern. Yet, of course, everyone did… and one of them would never fail to point out whatever he'd noticed:

"You used your bending," Renshu said. Yuuna pouted. "It's not allowed."

"… Tattletale," Yuuna pouted. Renshu blinked blankly.

"I just told the truth," he said, simply.

Flustered and irritated, Yuuna responded to Renshu's accusation by tossing the ball at him when he didn't expect it. It bounced cleanly off his head, and both Sokka and Azula gasped at her choice: Renshu, however, didn't seem bothered by it at all.

"Yuuna! There's no need to do that, Renshu's a friend…!" Sokka said. Yuuna bit her lower lip, glancing at her parents apologetically.

"Sorry…"

"It didn't hurt. It's a light ball," Renshu said: it seemed as though he had no idea what was there to be worried about, altogether. Yuuna glanced at him with uncertainty…

Then, she used her bending again to have the ball float into Renshu's hands again. The young boy seemed puzzled when the ball returned to him… and then he smiled.

"Woah. W-woah…!" Sokka gasped, reaching for Azula's arm: his wife actually laughed at the sight of the boy smiling, for neither of them had seen it before.

"Thank you," Renshu said, still grinning at Yuuna before tossing the ball at Azula again.

Azula and Sokka remained amused and amazed by the boy's unusual display of emotion as the ball came back into circulation between them. They'd definitely have to ask Mai later if he'd ever reacted this way to anyone else… but for now, they cherished having witnessed such a rare sight with Yuuna, who had relaxed a little upon realizing that perhaps Renshu wasn't bad company after all. As awkward as she was around the boy before, now she seemed much quicker to smile in his direction whenever she passed him the ball.

In the meantime, two more games passed by in the kuai ball court: at first, it was a game with Mari and Yuudai, finally on the same team, paired with Haru and Suki. On the other team, Hotaru, Zi, Ruon Jian and Aang had done their best to win, but the Avatar's frequent, instinctive airbending had caused the game to stop, and for points to be annulled, because of the evident unfairness that Aang himself acknowledged as such between awkward, apologetic smiles. In the end, Mari was happily triumphant anew, though her streak ended when the next game saw the young players teaming up against the adult ones: even without airbending, Aang's height offered him quite an advantage over his opponents, much as Suki's agility did. Haru's quick digs saw him receiving even the most complicated balls, more often than not, and as much as Ruon Jian seemed to have no special skill of his own, he passed the ball to everyone who did, always ensuring they could take the points when the opportunity came up.

The defeated teenagers weren't all that discouraged, though: the grown-ups they'd been playing seemed too tired to continue, but Mari knowingly glanced at her previous partners, finding they were finally getting out of the water with the two children they had been playing with:

"Hey, Aunt Azula, Uncle Sokka! Want another round?" she asked, with a mischievous grin. Sokka scoffed.

"Aren't you exhausted yet, Mari? Goodness, what do your parents feed you that you still can go for another game…?" Sokka asked, running his hand over his wet hair. Mari snickered and shook her head.

"Oh, come on! You totally can take another game! Though I guess you'll need two more teammates… oh, I know! Dad, Kat-Kat!"

"Woah. Did she just…?" Sokka froze: Azula grimaced too as both Zuko and Katara, who had sat out the last two games, glanced at Mari in confusion.

"You can have your rematch: join Aunt Azula and Uncle Sokka to beat me!" Mari said, with a vicious smirk.

"Wait a minute…!" Zuko gasped. Katara scoffed.

"I wanted to beat them, not you, Mari!" Katara said, bluntly: her earnest answer amused Sokka and Azula, as Mari smiled and shook her head.

"Now you guys can try to work together to beat me and my team, then! Should be lots of fun!"

"Well, now… playing against Hotaru? That sounds so wrong…" Sokka said, glancing at Azula with uncertainty. His wife scoffed.

"You're not going to be as silly about that as Zuko was, now, are you? It's a game, not a battlefield…"

"As far as I can tell, every game is a battlefield of its own," Sokka smiled, as they entered the court. "But anyway, she's definitely trying to coax those two to join in because she assumes we're going to fail if we work together with them, right?"

"Right… and we can't give her the satisfaction, can we?" Azula asked, raising her eyebrows. Sokka snickered and shook his head, glancing at Katara.

"Come on, Katara!" he called for her. "I promise I won't kiss Azula every point we score…"

"That's something you ought to be promising this guy, not me," Katara smirked, pointing at Zuko, whose eyebrow twitched at her words. "You guys are for real? Us against them?"

"Well, why not? We're always at odds, the fun siblings and the boring ones…" Sokka said, with a melodramatic sigh.

"And after calling us that, you still think we're going to join in?" Zuko growled, rising to his feet.

"Well, now! I didn't say which was which, you jumped to conclusions all on your own!" Sokka grinned. Zuko huffed, kicking sand in his direction and shaking his head as he and Katara joined their siblings on their side of the court.

"I'm joining in, alright… but only because Mari wants me to," he said, proudly. "And we're going to lose, deliberately, so that she and Zi can be happy."

"Wait, wait, wait, that defeats the whole point of playing…" Sokka said, grimacing.

"Your daughter is on the other team too, how are you even questioning this?" Zuko asked, eyeing Sokka with uncertainty.

"Oh, our daughter will be fine if she loses," Azula smirked, glancing at Hotaru, who grinned and waved in her direction. "It'll just toughen her up, if anything…"

"Toughen her up…?" Zuko grimaced, glancing at Mari. "Not sure I want mine to be toughen-…"

His words seemed to die out in a sputter, his brow drawn together upon noticing Mari wasn't as attentive to him as Hotaru was with Azula and Sokka: instead, Mari's attention was completely enraptured by Yuudai, who seemed to laugh happily at whatever his unusually bashful daughter was saying to him…

"W-what is… w-what is…?" he asked, blinking rapidly as he raised a hand towards what was happening on the other side of the court. "Hey now, that's not… t-that's not allowed…"

Azula, Sokka and Katara glanced back at Mari: it only took an instant for all three of them to understand what was bothering Zuko so greatly all of sudden… and it only took another instant for a clever idea to transmit between all three of them, wordlessly.

"Well, well… maybe Mari had a reason to want to play with that particular team, huh?" Azula said, tapping her chin thoughtfully. Zuko's face seemed to spasm now, and Sokka could barely hold back the laughter that threatened to break him. Katara stepped up next:

"That's definitely flirty body language, yes," she said, supporting her weight by setting an elbow on Zuko's shoulder. "Oh, my, what a mess…"

"He's not… what the hell does he think he's doing?" Zuko asked, with a dangerous smile.

"Well, now… Mari's not bound to take it very well if you snap at her right now," Azula said, smiling at Zuko. "She's just being a teenager, after all. But the one you're definitely worried about is…"

"Him," Zuko finished. Katara smirked.

"And there's no better way to deal with this apparent threat… than by playing at your very best, isn't that right?"

"I…! I…!" Zuko huffed, releasing a small puff of fire with a hard breath through his nose. He turned quickly, his back towards the net as he snarled viciously. "I'm taking him down."

Azula punched the air triumphantly as Katara giggled to herself, just as bad at containing her amusement as Sokka was. Within moments, they'd huddled up, and their strategy meeting began.

There wasn't much to instruct Zuko over: his eyes shifted in every direction with concerned fury, and it was clear he'd do a much better job this game than he had in the previous one he'd played. They would take a different formation now, with Azula and Katara at either side of the court, Sokka taking the back, and Zuko standing closest to the net.

"Alright… brace yourselves!" Sokka called, as Mari readied herself to serve. Azula winked at Hotaru, opposite to her on the court, and her daughter grinned happily at her mother.

The ball flew powerfully, right into Sokka's ready arms: it bounced off Azula's palms next, in Zuko's direction…

The firebender leapt in the air, readying a spinning kick that he aimed flawlessly at Yuudai.

The young man stretched his hands out, trying to receive the ball, but it bounced wildly off his hands, slamming unevenly and bouncing out of the court. Yuudai winced, and Mari gasped, rushing towards him.

"You okay, Yuudai?! Dad! Take it easy!" she huffed: Zuko's eyes seemed to glower, and Mari flinched at the sight of it. "D-Dad…?"

"Oookay, Zuko! Nicely done! Good job!" Sokka smiled, yanking the firebender towards them: he still was seeing red, evidently. "Hey now, buddy, it's cool that you're taking it seriously but…"

"She… she just ran off to check on him, she…" Zuko huffed. Azula hummed.

"If you aim so that the ball doesn't touch him, she'll have no reason to worry about him, you know…?" she said. Katara and Sokka glanced at her in disbelief. "What? We should redirect his rage, not make him lose it. Not until we're at least five points ahead…"

"You're so competitive, you guys…" Katara smiled, shaking her head.

"Well, you can always let the rest of us do most the work and just be here to even our playing numbers, if you really don't care for victory that much…" Sokka said, nonchalantly. Katara's placid smile shifted into an irate scowl. "Or maybe not?"

"You… you're such a pain," she hissed, bumping him as they took positions again: Azula and Sokka exchanged a wicked smile before Shun came rushing back towards them, carrying the ball that had fallen out of the court earlier.

Azula served, Hotaru received it: Zi had very little confidence with spiking properly, so she set the ball for her older sister. Mari attempted her previous technique, hopeful that her father wouldn't be able to handle receiving this time…

Zuko leapt, arms extended in front of the ball. It bounced right back into her side of the court, and Mari gazed in shock at her father's disgruntled expression as Yuudai dove in to save the ball before their team lost another point. Zi hoisted the ball again, and this time it was Hotaru jumping, to spike…

Her father received it, grinning wildly at his proud daughter.

"Nice power there, Hotaru! That's my girl!" he roared: she blushed but smiled proudly as she returned to a defensive position.

The ball was Katara's to spike this time: sharp and eager to prove she was as fierce as the rest of her team's members, Katara mercilessly aimed her spike towards Zi's vicinity. The young girl squealed and shifted out of the way of the ball, and Katara's viciousness faded into remorse.

"Zi! I didn't mean to freak you out, I…!"

"Zi! Don't fear the ball, you should know better than that after all these games!" Mari stepped in, blocking Katara from view as she scolded her younger sister. Katara blinked a couple of times but sighed, guessing she'd apologize properly later.

"That's it, much better!" Sokka grinned at Katara, with a thumbs-up gesture. Katara sighed shaking her head.

"I'm letting you guys drive me crazy, aren't I? I really am…" she sighed, returning to position.

The next point lasted just two back-and-forth exchanges before the ball fell right into Zuko's hands: he slammed the ball powerfully at a corner near Yuudai, and he failed to reach the ball. Azula congratulated him for a better result now, but Zuko, clearly, wasn't satisfied… let alone was he when Yuudai himself blocked his next spike successfully, and Azula failed to dig the ball just before it fell within fair grounds.

"U-uh… I'm sorry?" Yuudai whimpered, face to face with Zuko's fearsome glare: Katara had to reel him back in, while Sokka took care to check that Azula was alright after lunging for the ball and failing to retrieve it.

"Don't mind him, don't mind him…" Mari huffed, hands on her hips. "I have no idea what's wrong with Dad right now, but… we did it! First point we've scored so far, you guys! Let's keep it rolling!"

And so they did: another mistake by Zuko resulted in a spike that collided with the topmost border of the net. Hotaru leapt in the air powerfully, kicking the ball with plenty of power, right beside Katara.

"Woah! You go, Hotaru!" Sokka roared, clapping as Azula nodded in her direction.

"Magnificent form, too. Nicely done," she said: Hotaru blushed, scratching the back of her head as she smiled shyly. Mari, beside her, huffed and shook her head.

"If only my parents were as cool as that…" she said: Zuko overheard her, and he gazed at her, stricken and distraught once again.

"Calm down, Zuko…" Katara warned him: he glanced at her in distress, though.

"Am I… losing her?! Am I losing them?! Is he going to…?!"

"To do what? He's sixteen!" Katara laughed, hands on her hips. "Come on, quit being such a dumbass about this, whatever it is. I know we thought it'd get you to do a better job, but you're actually doing worse now…"

"M-Mari hates me…" he whimpered. Katara groaned, shoving him towards the net before glancing at the other two.

"No more Zuko spikes or kicks. I think you guys broke him by accident," she said. Azula and Sokka raised an eyebrow, puzzled, but willing to abide by Katara's counsel.

Thus, the game became, by all effects, three-against-four. Zuko only seemed to pass the ball, leaving the other three to receive, set and spike together – even so, their physical superiority saw the opposing team, inexperienced and much too young, trailing behind by four points when they'd reached their eighth.

"Awesome work, Yuudai!" Mari exclaimed, rushing in to hug him quickly after he spiked and scored: Zuko's protectiveness reared its ugly head again at the sight, and he growled under his breath, waiting for the ball to reach him soon. Maybe Mari would hate him, but he couldn't let her throw her whole life away over some… some summer romance? Was that what this was? It couldn't be…!

The mere idea seemed to break what little sense he still had left: when Azula set for Katara, Zuko rushed in instead and kicked the ball powerfully, again at Yuudai… and this time it slammed right into his face.

"Yuudai!" Mari gasped: the ball dropped right in front of the net, and the young man flopped on the sand, a groggy smile on his face. Zuko scoffed.

"That's as far as this goes, Mar-…!"

"ZUKO!"

A sudden, thunderous, unexpectedly loud voice seemed to freeze the whole game. Zuko, naturally, was the most terrified one as Mari helped the still-groggy Yuudai up to a sitting position. The wounded teenager smiled awkwardly at his teammate… and then he glanced at his mother, who stood at the edge of the court, glaring fiercely at the fully-grown firebender responsible for Yuudai's many difficulties over the course of this game.

Zuko swallowed hard, eyeing Mai with utmost terror: he couldn't remember having angered her to that extent ever before… though it suddenly dawned on him that Yuudai was no common, random teenage boy. He was Mai's son, much as Mari was his daughter… and Mai would want his head on a platter after what he'd done.

"I… I… l-lost control…?" Zuko acknowledged. Mai's eyes glowered in the sunset, brighter than the last slivers of sunlight.

"You'd better not lose control again. You hear me?" she hissed. Zuko swallowed hard and nodded. "And even if you don't… this is not over."

Zuko gritted his teeth, watching as Mai stepped into the court, marching to check on her son – he seemed to be mostly fine, though he continued to smile awkwardly as his teammates talked to him. Yet, after convincing him of leaving the court to treat the unsurprising nosebleed that poured down his upper lip after a moment, Mai herself took his position. The three teenage girls watched her in sheer astonishment, and Mari gulped before bowing her head in their only adult teammate's direction.

"T-thank you for… filling in? Didn't expect that…" she admitted.

"I have to fill in for him. And I have a score to settle with your father," Mai hissed. Zuko gritted his teeth, shrinking in place: only one point remained, so perhaps Mai's motherly fury wouldn't reach him…

His hopes were unfounded: as soon as the ball was on her side of the court, Mai was merciless.

It hadn't really surprised Azula to find her friend could be quite so efficient and powerful upon setting her mind on something, but she couldn't remember Mai ever being a particularly impressive kuai ball player… and yet, all of sudden, she was the best one on the court. Her millimetric precision, her powerful attacks, her quick assessments on where to block, her leadership with the other girls… and her vengefulness at Zuko, too, saw the score slowly closing in until it stood nine-to-eight, even if still in favor of the team with the two sets of siblings.

"This is bad," Katara said, smiling awkwardly at her teammates. "They're going to kill us if we keep this up, so… you two? Got any big ideas in mind?"

Azula and Sokka glanced at each other: so far, the games had been nothing but entertainment. Taking them seriously would likely kill part of the fun – and admittedly, it had been fun for Zuko to cower under Mai's fury after his earlier outbursts. Yet neither of them liked losing, and they had no intentions of doing it now.

"Zuko," Azula said, glancing at her brother: his face, shoulders and chest sported a few circular red marks, where Mai's powerful spikes had struck him in retaliation for his cruelty with her son. "I'm going to need you to be ready to receive the next ball."

"But Mai's serving…"

"Exactly," Azula said, eyes narrow. "If we move fast enough, if Katara can toss it our way…"

"One of us can do it?" Sokka asked. Azula nodded.

"We can try to, anyway. We'll keep the ball rolling until the right chance comes, at least. But stick to receiving properly now, alright? No more blocking attempts, or spiking. Got it?"

Zuko nodded meekly, willing to do whatever was necessary to end his current torment: Azula clasped Sokka's hand firmly, and he smiled proudly at his wife.

"I have no idea what we're going to do to get this last point… so I guess we're going to wing it, huh?"

"Well, on some measure, yes," Azula smirked, shrugging. "We're going all out, though…"

"You sure? Won't set the net or the ball on fire if you do?" Sokka asked, amused. Azula shrugged.

"It's been known to happen…" she admitted, twirling a lock of hair between her fingers. Sokka chuckled and shook his head.

"Oh, I love you."

"I love you too," Azula retorted with a complicit grin, squeezing his hand before taking her position.

Mai served: as predicted, the ball soared powerfully towards Zuko, not intended to find purchase in the sand, but to smack the firebender's face. Zuko kicked the ball upon receiving it, and as much as it was a reckless move that saw the ball floating far too high in the sky, Katara still rushed towards it.

"Got it, got it…!"

Her eyes flickered down to Sokka and Azula, who exchanged a knowing look. To her utter confusion, Sokka gathered Azula in his arms, leaning down with her…

Katara tossed a high set in their direction, and just so, Sokka tossed Azula into the air.

She soared, startling everyone else in the court, even Mai, whose focus so far had been exclusively on Zuko: nobody was prepared for Azula to turn around in midair, packing a powerful kick of her own that saw the ball shooting at lightning speed, right back to the sand…

It sank in the middle of the opposite team's side with a burst of sand, as good as leaving a crater in its wake.

Katara gasped in amazement. Zuko blinked blankly, relieved, the four at the opposing team simply stared at the crater in shock, and the public froze entirely as Azula fell back again… right into her husband's waiting arms.

"And that's ten!" Sokka roared, hugging Azula tightly as they spun in circles. "We did it! You did it, Azula!"

"You're the one who threw me up there, you're the one who did it!" Azula laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck: by then, their public had launched into a loud celebration, the children squealing with joy – or simply clapping, in Renshu's case –, the grown-ups laughing at the typically unpredictable antics of the impossibly competitive couple who embraced willfully in the middle of the kuai ball court, with Sokka still holding Azula across his arms as he smiled proudly.

Hotaru watched them with amusement, letting a few chuckles tumble past her lips as she glanced at the sand crater near her, where the ball had been buried a good meter underground. Mari's own reaction was laughter, though she turned to Mai soon enough, thanking her for filling in for Yuudai, who now sat with Ruon Jian by the courtside, waving at them and letting them know they'd played brilliantly, a damp cloth under his nostrils.

"Mom! Mom, you flew like a bird!" Yuuna rushed into the court, jumping happily at Sokka's feet. "Like a dragon!"

"Oh, that's because we're a family of dragons, Yuuna, I always tell you as much," Sokka chuckled, pressing a quick kiss to Azula's cheek. "And your mommy is the best dragon of all!"

"Well, now, I wouldn't be half the dragon I am if you weren't the amazing wolf that flings me six feet into the air… or however many they were," Azula laughed, pressing a kiss to his lips. "We really are the best team there is, aren't we?"

"Always have been," Sokka grinned brightly, burying his face in her neck: Shun had joined them by then, but he grimaced at the displays of affection between his parents, sticking his tongue out at the sight of them, cuddled up together that way.

All wild tempers had flared at their worst during the games: a mere few moments after it ended, Zuko went over to apologize to Yuudai, who smiled awkwardly but accepted the apology graciously.

"I know I shouldn't have played so roughly, I just… got carried away. I was completely out of place," Zuko sighed, lowering his head in a heartfelt reverence.

"It's okay, really. It was just a game," Yuudai said, with a kind smile. Zuko grinned back and nodded.

"That's right, it was just a-… wait, what?" Zuko's brain seemed to short-circuit over the possible interpretations of Yuudai's words, but this time, Suki slipped nearby quickly and yanked him away from the teenager.

"Good job apologizing, don't mess it up now," she said, with a dry grin. Zuko scoffed.

"But he just said it was a game: what was a game? The kuai ball, o-or whatever he's up to, with Mari…?" Zuko whimpered. Suki rolled her eyes.

"Probably just the kuai ball game? Come on, Zuko, we raised Mari right, didn't we? That's what matters most. And Mai must have raised Yuudai right too, but, beyond that, picking a fight with him means picking a fight with her, and you don't want to do that again, now, do you?"

Zuko grimaced over the question: Mai's good-mannered smile at Yuudai shifted into a merciless glare upon realizing Zuko had glanced in her direction: yes, perhaps Suki was right.

"I'll… shut up now," he decided.

Suki smiled, nodding at her husband before turning to the rest of the group, all of whom were finally calming down after the intense game:

"So…! Dinnertime?"

Their last meal of the day wasn't served within the house: instead, they ate around a large fire, roasting food together, enjoying leftovers from lunch, as well as a few desserts that had been ready for the meal. The sky darkened gradually, and the stars were a beautiful spectacle to behold for everyone: laughter rang across the beach as stories of all sorts were shared, great anecdotes from the old days, tales that most everyone either held dear or found intriguing, as was the case for most the children who hadn't witnessed them directly.

By the time the last of the food was spent, several of the families retired to the house again: Ty Lee and Haru took off with Zuko and Suki's family, and Katara and Aang followed shortly afterwards, carrying both their kids. Mai slowed down next to Azula and Sokka before taking off with her own family, however, finding the five members of the self-proclaimed dragon-and-wolf family were quite comfortable lying on the sand, facing the sky, not too far from where the fire still burned.

"You'll take care of that?" she asked Azula, gesturing at the burning wood. Azula nodded reassuringly.

"Have a good night, Mai. Sorry we beat you," she smiled. Mai scoffed.

"You're not sorry at all, but I don't mind. At least you two were the ones who scored the final point," she smiled despite herself, raising a hand in farewell before taking off after her husband and two sons.

Azula closed her eyes, sighing happily against Sokka's chest: he had taken to sitting against a tall rock, and Azula had joined him there. Then Hotaru had taken her seat by Azula's free side and Shun by Sokka's: Yuuna had climbed their laps, sitting with one small leg over each of their thighs… and by now, the three children, so energetic as they had been through the day, were exhausted and drained after so much fun on their first day of beach vacation. They had fallen asleep gradually, but by now it seemed they were so deeply unconscious that their parents would likely have to carry them into the house later… but only later. For now, they basked in the peaceful feeling of sitting together near that fire, with a dark but beautiful horizon spreading before them, with countless bright stars gleaming above them.

"Well… that was quite the start for this vacation, wasn't it?" Sokka smiled, glancing at Azula with a heartfelt smile. She grinned back, pressing a quick kiss to his shoulder. "Think we can keep up the momentum if there's more games later? We should never lose at kuai ball, you and me…"

"Won't be long before they realize what the true challenge will be, for us…" Azula said, softly. Sokka gasped, in feigned outrage.

"What… making us play in opposing teams?! Now, that's forbidden. Absolutely," he scoffed: Azula only laughed, pressing another kiss to his shoulder.

"If you get away with that, then yes, we'd definitely destroy anyone who plays against us. It goes without saying," she declared, raising her head towards him. Sokka offered her a wild grin before kissing her lips quickly.

"You're my every dream come true, Azula. You know that, right?" he asked, smiling fondly at his wife. She raised her head to kiss him again, prodding his nose with hers.

"You're my every dream come true too, Sokka, though… right now, one particular dream comes to mind," she admitted, raising her eyebrows. Sokka hummed.

"What's that?"

"Well…" Azula started, glancing about herself with uncertainty.

She had been in this beach, in this place, so many years ago. She had played with her brother, she had tried to gain more approval and attention from her parents here… yet even though time had colored the memories into much fonder recollections than they used to be, back when she'd lived them directly, she'd known no peace, no true happiness, in those days. Right now, gazing at her sleeping children, and then at the man she had raised them with, a spark of very familiar, overwhelming joy danced inside her chest, filling her with the certainty of having experienced, for as many years as they had been together, exactly what she had dreamt of, if subconsciously, since she was a child…

"I guess I always wanted to know what it felt like, being part of a happy family," Azula said, with a small smile. "Been ages since the question's been answered, of course… but in moments like these, it's like all the happiness is renewed and strengthened all over again. Doesn't matter how tired we are, doesn't matter how much trouble these three can get into… all of it is part of our happiness, just as well. I… I'm seriously proud of us. Of everything we've built, Sokka."

His affectionate smile melted her heart all the more, no matter how many times she'd seen it before: he pressed his brow to hers, and she released a breath, as though hoping to let out some of the overwhelming, blissful emotions that surged inside her chest that way…

"So am I, love," he said, softly. "I did know what it felt like, myself… being in a happy family, I mean. But this feels… it feels even better than anything ever did, in the past. Not just because of how much has changed, all over the world… but because I got to build this happy family of our own with you: there's no greater honor or happiness to be found in this world than that."

Azula smiled warmly, leaning in for another kiss that Sokka relinquished gladly. They'd head indoors soon, they couldn't stay out in this beach forever, before the flickering embers, underneath a starlit sky… even so, that moment they shared, the comfort of their embrace, in the company of their children, nestled in the ever-surging love that only strengthened further between them all, was but a crystallized instant of bliss that encompassed eternity.

#sokkla #sokka #azula #sokkla saturdays 2021 #sokkla saturdays #it begins! #my very common side ships are here #so I think it's more or less intuitive that if you read my other things #you should be fine with this one too :'D #... and yes like I say in the author's notes #I won't confirm or deny anything #this is a story #about a happy family :> #that is that :> #*evil cackling* #and about some very crazy kuai ball games too #oh honestly I know handling too many characters is difficult boy do I know it #BUT IT'S SO MUCH FUN ;_; #when your ensemble actually works well together man it's just bliss writing stories like these #(... as evidenced by the RIDICULOUS word count :'D)

[timbertumbr]

Wholesome Fun! (Kiyotaka Ishimaru X Reader)

Okay, I know Danganronpa is a fucked up and dark game but I'd like to make some wholesome fluff or anime-esque angst with the characters while (possibly) putting the darker aspects in the background or never appear at all.

Because of this, I've made it so you can skip without too much hassle. 

This oneshot is just wholesome with a side of confessions and romantic tension. Enjoy. :)

Kiyotaka Ishimaru, the Ultimate Moral Compass, your friend since childhood, your crush and last but not least, oblivious as all heck. 

You had invited him to spend the afternoon together at your place after he was done with his Ultimate duties at Hope's peak. And he actually had time this time! He can get very busy but always makes an effort to stay in touch or send extra messages if he can't make it.

You scrolled through the internet on your phone while waiting by a sign, having arranged this as your meeting place and hearing hurried footsteps before a booming voice made himself known.

"THANK YOU FOR WAITING Y/N!" You look up to see his stoic expression, a sly smile crossing your face.

"Ah ah, indoor voice Taka." You playfully teased, causing the boy to blush and apologetic.

"M-My apologies! It's quite difficult to break the habit after so long," Your smile softens, becoming one of genuine warmth.

"Hey, you're getting there. A bit more practice and you'll be able to switch from yelling to talking like you can read or write!" You encouraged, beginning the trek to your home with Taka right beside you.

"Indeed, practice makes perfect after all!" Taka replies.

"Exactly! Now, what do you wanna do when we get there?" 

"I'm not sure, I didn't exactly have anything planned since it was such short notice…" 

"Then we'll improvise! Not everything needs to be planned by the second after all," He nods in agreement as the two of you enter the home. You suggest playing some card/board games to start with, maybe watch a movie or something. Taka happily agreed.

You decided to play the Best Friend Game (which is an actual game you can buy) to just goof around.

"Okay, first card," You mutter as you grab a card from the deck.

"Ohoho! This is a good one! Who would be better at handling a hostage situation, you or me?" 

"Well, I think the most obvious answer would be me, considering I deal with Kokichi and other troublesome students," You snort.

"You'd lecture em to boredom and they'd be begging to be taken to jail," You teased, Taka huffs.

"I'll have you know my lectures have a great impact for every student I lecture!" 

"Even Kokichi?"

"..."

"That's what I thought, your turn!" Taka sighs and grabs a card from the deck.

"Ah, it says what is my bedtime, well that should be easy," You smirk, acting like you're thinking really hard about it.

"Is it… 7? No no, he'd never go for an odd number… 7:30 perhaps?" He playfully glares at you.

"Y/N," 

"Okay okay! Haha! It's 8, every day, even on weekends,"

"Correct!" You chuckle as you grab another card from the deck.

Oh! Oh this is going to be a good one… 

"Who do I have a crush on?" You ask with a smirk, his entire face slowly turning red.

"W-Well uh… you haven't mentioned anyone you've been fascinated with s-so…" He trails off, at a loss for what the answer could be.

"Oh I am wounded! You have betrayed my poor withering heart!" You exclaim dramatically, clutching your chest and falling over.

"How could you!" Taka stares at you before sighing.

"I'm… honestly at a loss, do I lose?" You sit back up.

"Nah, but it's going on the back burner until you figure it out," Taka furrows his brows, confused.

"But it doesn't mention that in the rules…" You smirk.

"Well I'm making my own rule! To make it more interesting," He sighs.

"Alright, if you insist," And thus the game continued, you trying and failing horribly to hint about your feelings for him. He is many things: smart, kind, emotional, understanding and many many more. What he isn't is a social cue expert, for any interaction, platonic, romantic, it's foreign to him. 

At least it was before he met some friends at Hope's Peak and those friends have been helping him with things he struggles with. If only they helped him with romance. :/ Taka pulls a card and his brows furrow.

"Well this is a concerning one, who do we like to make fun of? I'd never! It's morally-" He continued ranting about the card as you stared at him making wild gestures, what would it take for him to realize?

"Y/N? Are you alright? You've been staring for quite a while now…" He asked, muttering at the end with a concerned look on his face. You groan and put your hands over your eyes.

"Why are you so cute?!" You exclaim as you fall backwards… which was in your own head mind you, what you actually did was sigh and mutter the words you just thought. His face turns red in an instant.

"Wh-What? A-Are you teasing me again?" He was genuinely confused, baffled, like he'd never heard a compliment in his life. Welp, here goes everything. You gently take his hand in yours and look him in the eye.

"No, I'm not. What I said was the honest truth, Taka," 

His face got redder, you were looking at him so seriously. Then something in his head clicked and he spoke before he could process it.

"It's me…Th-The one you have a crush on is… me, isn't it?" You smile.

"Yeah, it is. It's alright if you don't feel the same, I want you to be happy so if you don't want a relationship, I'll understand," His heart felt like it was going to explode. He swallowed nervously and gently tightened his grip on your joined hands.

"N-No, I… I believe I feel the same way so… if you don't m-mind, could we… date? Each other?" God he's such a dork. You smile and bring your hands up to your mouth, giving his hand a gentle kiss which makes him stutter and mutter under his breath but, he would've told you if he didn't like it. That's one of the many things you loved about him.

"Yeah, I'd love that."

#danganronpa #danganronpa trigger happy havoc #thh #danganronpa ishimaru #ishimaru #kiyotaka ishimaru #kiyotaka x reader #kiyotaka ishimaru x reader #danganronpa kiyotaka #danganronpa kiyotaka ishimaru #x reader #danganronpa ishimaru x reader #danganronpa kiyotaka x reader #danganronpa kiyotaka ishimaru x reader #danganronpa x reader

[gredandforgesmischief]

after all - plus size lily x james!

title: after all

pair: james potter x plus size! lily evans

summary: lily never thought that a person like james could be sincere when asking someone like her out.

content: uhh idk what to put here but lily has anxiety/body image issues

word count: 2500

a/n: hiii everyone this is my first piece of writing on this account :)) i posted this headcanon on my tiktok a while back and people really wanted me to write about it, so i did! feedback is always welcome.

other characters/ships mentioned: dorlene, wolfstar, mary macdonald, marlene mckinnon, remus lupin, sirius black, minerva mcgonagal

_

“Oi, Evans, wait!”

Lily groaned as the bespectacled boy jogged towards her. Not this again she thought to herself. Despite her less than happy expression, James smiled kindly towards her. She nodded to him hoping that he would carry on and say whatever he had approached her for.

“Would you want to go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend?” Lily noticed that he was fumbling with his sleeve as he asked, and could tell that he was nervous. His anxiousness made her feel a bit bad about what she was to say next.

“James I-” She started, her lips pursing into a frown, but James already knew what she was going to say.

James smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck with his hand. “It’s no worries,” Lily avoided eye contact with him, as he began to walk away. “Just let me know if you change your mind.” James said as he continued down the corridor.

-

“Lily, I honestly don’t know what you’re on about. James asks you out every chance he gets,” Marlene said, glaring at the redhead as she plopped down onto her bed, “you just never accept his offers.”

Lily looked to Mary for help, but had little luck as Mary silently agreed with Marlene. The three had just come back from dinner and were painting each other’s nails.

“Why are we even talking about this, Mary was asking you about Dorcas. What does that have to do with James and I?” Lily pulled her hand away from Mary, smudging the nail that Mary was painting.

“So you agree that there is something going on between you and James?” Mary questioned, ignoring the fact that Lily had ruined the work that she had been doing for the last twenty minutes. Marlene laughed, noticing the flush on Lily’s face.

“We all saw you two today before potions, don’t be coy!” Marlene egged on. Lily got up from her position on the floor, rolling her eyes while doing so.

“I don’t know how many times that I have to tell you that James isn’t into me. Neither of you will ever get it. A guy like him wouldn’t want to date someone like me.” Mary glanced at Marlene, the air in the room starting to become a bit tense. Lily cleared her throat, hoping that neither of the girls across from her would press further.

Mary and Marlene were not unfamiliar to Lily’s harsh demeanor. At this point, they knew Lily like the back of their hands. They knew what she meant when she said “someone like me”. It was far too often the two consoled Lily when she cried to them about a cruel comment that someone had made to her about her weight.

Although Lily had been dealing with these comments all throughout her sixteen years of life, her insecurities only grew as she became a teenager. It was quite difficult for her to not compare herself to her thinner classmates, regardless of how much it hurt to think about.

“You are beautiful Lils,” Lily looked at Mary as she spoke, awaiting the rest of her sentence, but was met without any other words.

Marlene and Mary’s affection towards her was something that Lily had to get used to at first. Lily had never been comfortable with people complimenting her physical appearance because of the conditions that usually accompanied the compliment.

Nearly every compliment that Lily could remember was backhanded, until she had met her two best friends. Whether it was her aunt congratulating her on losing some amount of weight or the uncomfortable, “You’re pretty for a big girl.” Regardless of how hard she tried, the comments about her body never seemed to cease.

“Mary is right, Lily, you are stunning. You don’t have to go on a date with James, but give him some credit. He’s not a total arse.” Marlene said, trying to deescalate the situation.

Lily nodded, but even their kind words couldn’t soothe her anxiety. She looked toward the clock on her side table and noticed the time.

“I have to go. Head Girl duties call.” Lily quickly grabbed the robe on her bed, bringing it along in case she got cold while making her rounds. Marlene and Mary flashed sympathetic smiles at the redhead as she left the dorm, knowing she would have to go face James.

-

Surprisingly, James was waiting for her when Lily reached the bottom of the steps. Lily held back a laugh, noticing him struggling to attach his “Head Boy” pin onto his uniform. You would think someone as smart as James could figure out a simple pin.

“Let me help you,” Lily said, breaking James out of his deep concentration. He looked at her with appreciation before handing the gold pin her way.

Lily tugged the front of his robes slightly before attaching the pin onto it. She hummed in satisfaction before pulling away from him. As she pulled away she noticed James was staring at her quite intensely.

Lily flushed as they made eye contact. She couldn’t deny that James was attractive, but she didn’t let herself dwell on it.

“We should probably get going, I don’t want to be out all night.” Lily stated firmly starting to head out into the corridor, James following close behind her.

As the two walked around the castle, Lily distanced herself from James. She honestly did not want to deal with any awkward conversation. At this point, she had brushed James off far too many times to count, and it made her unbelievably anxious to have to do it again.

Just as they had turned the corner towards the middle courtyard, the pair heard a loud boom near the transfiguration classroom.

“Oh great, just what I need right now,” Lily thought to herself as she and James headed into the classroom. Just as they walked into the room, the door shut behind them quite forcefully. There had seemed to be no one in the room besides the two of them. The brunet grabbed the handle of the door quickly, realizing that it was stuck.

“You don’t happen to have your wand… do you?” The boy looked towards Lily with a concerned look on his face.

Lily patted the pocket of her robe before realizing that this was in fact not her robes, but rather Marlene’s. She huffed out a breath of air. “You would think I would notice the size difference” Lily silently cursed at herself before looking towards a confused James.

“This isn’t my robe, I must have grabbed Marlene’s before I left. Why don’t you have your wand? Kind of irresponsible, no?” Lily scolded, hoping that he was messing with her about not having his wand. After her conversation with Marlene and Mary, Lily was not feeling her best, and it became very apparent to James as she bit her nails anxiously.

“Hey, you also forgot your wand, but you don’t see me complaining.” James was joking, but when he looked at Lily once more, he noticed that her eyes were watering. “I’m just kidding, Lily, are you alright?”

Lily frowned at the brunet’s apology, she couldn’t stand him acting like he cared so deeply for her. The two were barely even acquaintances, and she didn’t feel like explaining all of her anxiety quirks to someone she hardly knew.

“Please don’t do that. Don’t act like you care.” Lily said forcefully, meeting eyes with the brown-eyed boy. The two had now moved away from the door and were sitting on the floor near the wall opposite to the door.

Once more, James looked at the redhead in confusion. He racked his brain to think about every interaction he had with Lily that day, before it dawned on him.

“Is this about me asking you out? I never meant to make you uncomfortable- you see I thought Hogsmeade could even be a group thing. Remus and Sirius would also come- wait I guess they’re a couple, but it doesn’t have to be a double date… you could bring Mary-” James went on, his cheeks a soft pink, before Lily cut him off.

“Listen, James, I don’t know if you get some sort of kick out of asking me out, but whatever angle you’re playing at I’d rather not be a part of it,” Lily was visibly distraught now, her jaw was clenched and a single tear was rolling down her cheek. For what felt like the hundredth time, James looked to her in genuine confusion.

James had nothing to say, and as he stared at her mouth ajar, she started up again.

“You could have at least picked a better joke. Asking out the fat girl is so overdone. I didn’t think that you of all people would be so awful,”

Lily was really crying now. “Marlene told me that you were sweeter than before, and I really gave you the benefit of the doubt...but here we are and you’re still laughing at me!” Lily didn’t mean to blow up at James, but at this point they had been stuck in the classroom for what had felt like hours.

Lily wrapped her arms around herself, her head hanging down. She knew that James was staring at her, but she couldn’t find it in herself to care. Maybe now he’ll leave me alone.

Both of the Gryffindors were quiet for a long minute before James decided to break the silence.

“Lily, I don’t know what I’ve said to make you think that I’m joking, but I promise you I’m not. I get it if you don’t want to go out with me, but I just need you to know that I would never ask you out as a joke. Why would you think that?”

Lily finally pulled her head up and looked at James. His brow was furrowed and the expression on his face was unreadable. She took a breath, calming herself down.

“What do you mean, James? I mean look at me.”

There it was. That feeling. It was unavoidable at this point. All of the insecurity that Lily had shoved down was threatening to spill out. It was infrequent that Lily really confronted her self-image, but her conversation with James forced everything to surface.

James could almost see the gears in Lily’s head turning, it was very obvious that she was thinking hard about something. He sighed, not wanting to press her further.

“Lily, I don’t know what happened to make you think that I was joking, but I would truly be honored to take you out.” James said cautiously. He couldn’t tell if this would upset her further. Lily was looking at him in speculation, but at some point she had stopped crying.

She was looking at him, not speaking, almost as if to tell him to keep going. For months she had thought James was playing some cruel prank on her, but they were alone now. There wasn’t some audience to laugh at her if she told James how she felt. And even if he was joking, the pair were by themselves, and Lily could deny accepting James' invitation for a date to anyone that James would tell.

As she looked at him, she noticed that James genuinely seemed horrified at her accusation against him. If she wasn’t completely sure that James was being sincere, she would not have said another word, but for whatever reason, Lily trusted James.

“I’m sorry for yelling at you,” Lily was sorry, “I don’t know what it is. There’s just something about someone like you wanting to go out with someone like me that seems… off.”

James frowned. He wasn’t oblivious to what Lily was talking about, but he really couldn’t understand why Lily was insecure. There weren't enough words to describe the beauty that Lily emitted.

“Lily, you’re the smartest person I know-”

“That’s what everyone says, James.” Lily laughed softly, watching James squirm at her words. She knew that he was nervous, but it was funny to see him care so much.

“Oh, so you do want me to be mean to you?” James’ tone was serious, but there was a lighthearted look in his eyes.

Lily rolled her eyes, “Haha, very funny. I don’t even think you could be mean to me. I think the last time I saw someone this nervous was when Marlene tried out for quidditch during second year.” The two laughed, James nudging Lily with his arm playfully.

As their laughter died down, James remarked, “Enough with the jokes, though. You’re actually the most beautiful person I’ve ever met,” Even after he was met with a glare from Lily, he continued. “You’ve been crying and you still look lovely, Lily.”

Lily sighed. First Mary and Marlene, now him? Lily felt embarrassed, but James was still staring at her, and adoringly at that. The soft rouge tint that marked his cheeks was still prominent.

“Well, you’re cute when you’re nervous,” Lily retorted, smiling as James flushed a deeper shade of red, “But I’m sure you get that often.”

James hummed, “Blimey, I don’t think anyone has seen me as nervous as I am right now, honest.” Lily apologized once more for assuming the worst in him.

The two small talked for a long while after that, simply basking in each other’s presence. James learned about Lily’s family, and Lily learned about what it was like at the Potter’s residence. Something about their dynamic felt natural.

Their conversation was halted as someone opened the door. There, standing in pajamas, was a distraught looking Mary and an annoyed Professor Mcgonagall.

Mary started, “There you are! You were gone for nearly two hours. After a while, I thought I should go check on you.”

“That’s enough, Ms. Macdonald,” Professor Mcgonagall said, “What were you two even doing in here?”

Before Lily could start to explain, James cut her off. “We were making our rounds down the corridor, when there was a loud noise coming from the classroom. When we walked in here, the door was jammed and neither of us had our wands.”

Mcgonagall looked skeptical at their story, but decided not to press the issue any further. With a gesture of her hand, the three Gryffindors started walking towards the common room.

Mary immediately went up to bed, exhausted from worrying about her best friend. Meanwhile, James and Lily had to have a quick word with Mcgonagall.

The Professor commented briskly, “Next time, please make sure you have your wand on you. You two are Head Boy and Girl after all.” Noting the nod of approval from the two teenagers, Mcgonagall went off to bed.

The pair walked into the common room, both exhausted. In spite of their tiredness, the two were radiant.

“Goodnight, Lily. I hope you sleep well.” Lily smiled, mumbling a quiet, “Goodnight James,” as she made her way up the dormitory steps.

As Lily settled into bed, she thought to herself, Maybe James would get that date after all.

#jamespotter #lilyevans #harrypotter #writing #jily fanfiction #lily evans #james potter #harry potter #this is my first imagine be nice #plus size lily evans #jily #wolfstar #flowerpott #marauders #marauders era

[whatifxwereyou]

Ashes Chapter 14: Calligraphy

Fandom: Mortal Kombat 2021

Pairing: Liu Kang x Reader

Warning: This chapter has SPOILERS and some upsetting content (character death) so brace yourself.

A/N: boy oh boy what have we here. smooches, folks. genuinely cried writing this chapter, but also had a ton of fun putting it together! hope you like it!

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You were early to meet with the others in the lobby the next day. You’d finally gotten some greatly needed sleep and felt more like yourself. There was still a cloud hanging over your head of mixed-up emotions but there was no helping that. You’d gotten good at hiding it anyway. No one was there to meet you in the lobby so you went back to the little restaurant attached to the hotel. As you were about to be led to one of the tables, you spotted Cole and Emily waving to you to get your attention.

You thanked the hostess but let her know you would be joining your friends and walked past her.

“Y/N!” Emily beamed and offered you a hug, much to your surprise. You returned it and then took the seat between her and Cole.

“Glad you came to join us.” Allison smiled pleasantly though she looked weary, as if she hadn’t gotten much sleep the last few nights. You imagined this was much more difficult with a family to look after. “We just ordered so if we can catch the waiter then you’ll be right on time with us.”

“Perfect.” You then asked politely how everyone was doing that morning. It was nice to listen to them talk. It was such a normal conversation. Something you’d taken for granted in the past. You’d run from normal conversation for a while there. You’d run from any conversation now that you thought about it. You didn’t have much to contribute to the conversation but that was fine since Cole and his family were happy to talk. Emily showed you pictures that she’d taken while out and about in Los Angeles the afternoon before.

The waiter returned and you ordered granola and yogurt but even as you thought about eating it, your gag reflex kicked in. You just weren’t hungry. In fact, you were a little nauseated at the idea of it. The food was fine and you shoveled it down anyway but weren’t happy about it. It didn’t sit right either.

After you finished eating, Allison and Emily excused themselves to the restroom leaving you and Cole alone and waiting for the check.

“How’s things?”

“They’re about the same as yesterday.” You shrugged.

“How’s nothing?” Cole gave it air quotes this time, a bemused sort of look on his face.

“Are you really bothering me with that nonsense already today?”

“I wasn’t planning to but then…” He pointed to you as though you gave him an obvious reason to. You searched yourself but didn’t find anything out of the ordinary.

“What? What is it?”

“I’m pretty sure that nothing left you a souvenir.” He made to push your hair away from your neck and you swatted his hand away. Was he serious? Or was he just giving you a hard time. Had Liu given you a hickey like some horny teenager marking his territory? There was only one real way to find out but any sort of reaction was going to give you away to Cole. Your silence had probably already done that. Cole was looking at you as if to say ‘yeah, nothing’ again. You narrowed your eyes at him. “Hey, I’m not judging.”

“Cole… It’s…”

“I know, I know. It’s none of my business.” He tapped a finger against the table. “Whatever nothing is? It seems complicated. I get that. I’m just trying to help you out before someone with less discretion points it out.”

You sighed heavily and pushed your chair away from the table. “We are going to have words later.” You left money on the table for breakfast. “I have to grab something from my room.”

“Sure you do.” Cole laughed as you walked away. ���You’re welcome!” He called after you. You walked into the lobby and found the restroom there, hoping to avoid Allison and Emily in the restaurant. You checked yourself in the mirror which was something you’d avoided doing the past few days.

Huh, funny, you were a little pale even though you felt much better. Maybe you’d hid in the temple too long after everything. You avoided thinking of the reasons behind the word ‘everything’. Sure enough, right on the side of your neck was the bruise-like mark that Cole had pointed out. An unmistakable sign that you’d been making out with Liu Kang. Oh the audacity of that man. After all the drama you had between you, after how complicated it already was, he’d given you a damn hickey.

You laughed, hands on the bathroom counter.

“Fuck.” You had to cover it up. So you went back to your room and covered the mark with makeup. You’d do your best to keep your hair over your neck but changed your jacket to one with a higher collar just in case. Then you made your way back to the lobby and to the restaurant where you found Cole, Allison, and Emily still seated. However, Liu Kang had joined them in the meantime. When you approached, he stood and grabbed a chair for you. Cole couldn’t have looked more amused. Liu bowed to you politely in greeting and then offered you the chair.

“Thanks.” You tried not to sound annoyed but you were annoyed. You couldn’t just yell at Liu Kang for giving you a hickey in front of everyone so you had to pretend you weren’t annoyed which was also annoying. You made casual conversation but you caught Liu throwing you a glance now and then. Eventually you chose to excuse yourself and joined Jax and Sonya in the lobby. Sonya was just as grumpy as you were that morning which was nice. At least it wasn’t just you. She was likely not looking forward to spending more time with Johnny Cage. Jax didn’t seem too keen on it either.

The others joined you in the lobby where Allison and Emily wished you luck and then left to go about their day. Then the group of warriors made their way to meet with Johnny Cage. It wasn’t a particularly long ride but it was long enough that the silence felt awkward. You wondered again why Raiden had sent you all there. There was something he foresaw as a possibility that you didn’t. There had to be. You could see why he would send you and Liu somewhere to sort out your shit but why everyone else?

When you arrived, you found that the house was surprisingly modest. A two-story bungalow standing alone on the side of the highway. Johnny met you out front and greeted you jovially but you checked out pretty quickly. The conversations with everyone were fairly circular. Too many hands in the pot. You enjoyed Johnny for the most part. He was quite funny.

The truth was that your fuse was short that morning and you were better off staying out of the conversation. To you, it didn’t matter how the conversation ended because if Johnny resisted then you were going with the backup plan.

Kidnapping.

A word that you had thought so many times the last few days it was funny. You kind of wanted to make it happen now. Could have been a fun change of pace.

That probably wasn’t healthy.

When you were restless the idea of causing trouble became tempting and this was one of those moments. It was something you could control in a world of things beyond your control. Kung Lao had kept you in check in moments like this. He’d allowed you to cause trouble without actually causing trouble. There was no one there to do that anymore. Except Liu. But causing trouble with Liu was exactly the kind of destructive thing you shouldn’t do.

“It’s beautiful, right?” Johnny beamed next to you, proud of the view of the beach from next to his house. You’d been walking alongside the fence. Where the hell was everyone else? Weren’t they supposed to be talking to Johnny? This was going great. “It’s part of why I bought this place. I know it’s old school for someone like me, but the view? Can’t be beat.” He continued on and on about the things that had drawn him to the house. The smell of the ocean. The moment he’d known it had to be his. The renovations that he’d had to do. It was nice to listen to him drone on, honestly. Had the others already managed to lose him? So much so that he was babbling about nothing to you?

Kidnapping.

You considered this would be a good moment to just knock him the fuck out.

“That’s a great idea. We’ll finish this discussion on the beach. The gate leads right down there.”

“What?”

“You talked me into it, Y/N.” Johnny patted you on the shoulder then walked over to the gate and hollered for the others to follow him. Weather worn wooden stairs led from the gate next to the house and down to the shore. You hadn’t said anything so you had no idea what he was talking about, but fine. The others were soon walking past you. Sonya was grumbling something to Jax who was laughing in response. Liu walked past them all and was the first person down the stairs. Cole stood by the fence, hands in his pockets while he waited for you to join him. He nodded toward the fence. You shrugged and then joined him. You and Cole trailed behind the others.

“Now, hypothetically, if I agree to go on this journey with you then when exactly were you thinking we’d head out? Still unclear how we’re getting there but plane tickets are expensive short notice.”

“Tomorrow. Don’t worry about the flight. We have that handled.” Jax was the sternest negotiator amongst you and had the highest tolerance for Johnny Cage. You thought that Liu was more qualified and understanding at one point, but he was unpredictable now. So Jax it was. He was convincing and for some reason you trusted him immediately. That was not something that often happened for you.

“Yeah, that doesn’t work for me. I’ve got things to reschedule. I’m a busy man, I thought I made that clear.” He went on and on. You were over it. Just knock him out already. You walked past them to an old dusty picnic table in the sand. You’d let the others sort it out. Jax seemed to have it under control for now. Cole joined you at the table.

“Is this about what you expected?”

“Do you think if we let him keep talking until he’s tuckered out then we might get a word in edgewise?”

“I think that motormouth could go on forever if we let him.”

“Well, alternatively, we could just knock him out. Then I’ll call Raiden. Boom. Done. I’ll just drag him.”

Cole chuckled and ran his fingers through his short hair, elbows on his knees. “If it comes to that then I’m happy to help with the dragging.”

“I was hoping.”

Cole clasped his hands together, tapping one foot impatiently. You couldn’t blame him. You’d been given the runaround since you and Liu got there and you were certain it had been more of the same before that. “It’s strange seeing the beach this empty.”

“Rich people.” You gestured to Johnny and Cole chuckled again. “Look at those clouds rolling in. Looks like rain.”

“I didn’t see any in the forecast. Weird.”

“Weirder things have happened.”

Jax, Sonya, and Johnny were arguing. About nothing. You could hear their irate voices from there. Johnny had offended them, apparently. Liu was quietly trying to diffuse the argument but it seemed to be going poorly for him.

“You sneak over there and knock him out. I’ll carry him.” Cole joked. You laughed but when you turned to watch the waves roll out your stomach sunk.

There was a familiarity that you couldn’t shake and you couldn’t turn your gaze away. You got up and walked closer to the water. Even your shoes in the sand felt familiar. You’d walked here before. You’d seen these waves before. Even the clouds were ones you’d seen. Cole was following you.

“What is it?”

“I know this place.” But why? Why did you recognize it? You didn’t know. You just knew that you did. That happened to you sometimes but it had been years. With the visions you’d suffered as a child and the ones you’d had after discovering your arcana it had been a common thing once upon a time. It had been impossible to decipher what was a coincidence or déjà vu without help.

But this didn’t feel right and the drop in your stomach made you concerned enough that you had to say something.

“Liu?” You shouted with some urgency and he snapped his head toward you, stopping the conversation with Johnny with a wave of his hand. He started toward you but before he could ask you what was wrong, what was wrong made itself apparent.

The dark clouds spread unnaturally across the sky and the ocean shrunk back from the shore and crashed against an invisible wall instead of rolling back. Green mist swirled beyond the waves and gathered in a spiral energy. Opening at its center was a mirror of fire and darkness. You could feel the heat of it from there.

Your vision from the roof.

Unlike your vision where there had been a wave of bodies rolling in from the ocean, there were instead monstrous warriors with fire beneath their skin that rushed out of the hellish void behind the dark mirror. Was this why Raiden had sent you all there? Had he foreseen something like this happening? You stepped back into a defensive position and Cole joined you at the ready.

“What the hell is this?” Johnny shouted, lumbering through the sand to your other side, fists in a guard position. You were all ready for a fight. From behind the monstrosities emerging onto the beach an imposing armored man stepped from the portal of fire and green mist. Bald, gray skinned, symbols on his forehead and dark lines traveling up from his eyes, he was intimidating. Power radiated from him.

The monstrous warriors he’d summoned were snapping at you, growling, some holding weapons, others armed only with claws. With a wave of his hand, the monstrosities rushed forward.

You were ready for a fight but stumbled backwards in the sand. The déjà vu left you dizzy. Jax was in front of you smashing the creature that had come for you. You would have rolled out of the way but you appreciated the assist. “Get it together, Y/N!”

You put some distance between you and the others. You could handle the fight but you were better off in the back given what you specialized in. Then it was pure chaos. This was what the vision had warned you about. There was fire and the crashing of metal. Blades sliced and projectiles were thrown. Fingertips turning black, you summoned your arcana into blades and spun them at the ready.

Fire roared from Liu as he fought nearby. Jax was plowing through enemies while Sonya fought back-to-back with Cole who had not yet used his arcana but was doing just fine without it.

One of the monsters came toward you and you ducked beneath its blow then stepped back strategically in the sand. It rushed you and you twisted your blade and sliced the grotesque creature’s face. It roared, spit flying past its lips, then lumbered toward you even as your blade cut through it. You twisted aside and sliced across its chest and the creature fell into a pile of ash but you lost your footing on the sand. What the hell was wrong with you? It was like something had pulled your leg right out from under you but there was nothing there. Johnny helped you to your feet.

The creatures were no match for everyone’s arcana. Even Johnny Cage put up one hell of a fight which you were glad to see. One of the creatures struck him and he faked left, slipped beneath the blow, and then struck it repeatedly then kicked it toward you. “Catch!”

You spun and sliced the creature gracefully, relieved your body was obeying you this time. With a yell, Johnny kicked the creature to the ground. He stepped back into his stance and you grabbed his arm to pull him out of the way of a creature coming from behind him. He stumbled but caught himself quickly. Your blade pierced the monster’s chest and Johnny struck the monster in the face but then shook out his hand in pain. Then with a yell he kicked the creature so it slid off of your blade.

“Chill out, man!” He then targeted the wound your blade left behind and the creature fell to the ground and burst into ash with a comical spin. “Hey, can you do that thing where you duplicate me?” Johnny had nothing but excitement in his eyes.

“Is now really the time?” You laughed, shaking out your blade. Doing so would mean you had to take a back seat to the actual conflict.

“Come on, Y/N! Double Johnny! That’s my next damn movie!” He assured you with a big grin. “It’ll be a hit. No one will know how we did it!” There were more of those creatures coming through the sand toward you.

“You had me at Double Johnny.” You tossed the swords behind you and they disappeared in a spray of ink. Bracing yourself in the sand, you drew Johnny out of ink and had him join him at his side. While you controlled the drawing, you backed up and watched the others to make sure that they were holding their own. Cole had summoned the armor and tonfa of his arcana and was absorbing blow after blow before redirecting that energy back at his attackers.

Liu wielded fire in a graceful dance, holding his own with ease. Jax and Sonya held the front line, trying to make their way toward the man who ordered the monstrosities toward them from the portal by the water.

He made eye contact with you and then a horrible ringing began across the beach. You kept your grasp on the drawing of Johnny but it took tremendous focus not to fall. It was fighting more like you did but it was still doing its job. You dropped to one knee in the sand as the ringing in your head continued. You focused only on your ink and tried to drown out the horrible sound as it deafened you. Then an arm slipped under yours and helped you back to your feet.

“What happened? You hear something?”

“You don’t hear that?” You shouted over the horrid screeching.

“No, just fighting!” He steadied you then let go.

“There’s this ringing!” You shouted.

“There’s no ringing, Y/N!” Cole swung the grip on his tonfa and leapt before you, knocking the creature coming toward you aside, then spinning back and piercing it with the sharp end.

“Fuck this.” You muttered beneath your breath and then, despite the ringing, you drew Cole to join him in battle and together they batted back the flood of creatures rushing toward you. You were going to drive these things back to wherever the hell they’d come from. You stepped further back and drew Liu to join him. There was a deep pain in your chest and you pushed anyway. If you had to sleep for the rest of the evening it would be worth winning the battle.

The ink staining your fingers spread over your wrists and up your arms. You tossed your jacket off and into the sand. You drew Jax and the screeching in your ears was muted by exhaustion. The creatures were falling back, overwhelmed by the duplication of your fellow warriors. You kept scanning the beach to help your creations mimic their fellow warriors. You made to draw Sonya to help finish them off but then something struck you hard in the chest. There was nothing there but the blow was enough to knock you several feet backwards.

As you fell into the sand, you didn’t crash but were instead swallowed by darkness. You tried to fight it but your limbs snapped together and it was like you were bound, floating in a sea of shadow. You could hear combat below you, the grinding of a saw blade, and a familiar voice. It was like someone was controlling your body, guiding you through the wall of shadow against your will. It was like water, you couldn’t breathe.

Then your heart stopped.

You heard Kung Lao.

He was screaming in agony. Screaming for Liu Kang. Your whole body went rigid.

Then you fought to get free. You fought harder than you had ever fought in your entire life. He was screaming in agony and you were in the fight pit, floating above it. Shang Tsung had Kung Lao in his grasp and right before your eyes, you watched the life drain from the face of the man that you loved.

Liu Kang was running to him but it was too late. Anguish radiated from him but as he opened his mouth to scream, you heard nothing but that ringing again. In his last breath, Kung Lao froze. Then, quickly, the scene rewound before your eyes and you were forced to watch it play out again. You couldn’t breathe, you couldn’t think. You tried desperately to get to him, but you were trapped.

“You couldn’t save him.” A deep voice whispered, fading from one ear and into the other. “And you won’t be able to save them either.” You wanted to scream, to fight, but you could barely move, could barely breathe. The scene rewound again and you shook all over in terror. Darkness swallowed you and you tried desperately to close your eyes to it, to get away from the screams of the man you loved at the last moments of his life.

You tried to summon your arcana, to lash out like you used to in a panic with spears of ink.

In a burst of energy, you fell through the shadow, limbs free of where they’d been bound. You collapsed in a heap onto something hard and solid but it wasn’t the beach. You weren’t anywhere. You didn’t care where you were. You grasped your hair desperately, sobbing hysterically. Why? Why?

You hadn’t ever wanted to see that!

You didn’t want that in your head!

His last moments alive captured and replayed. You couldn’t help him. You pulled your hair, tried to get a hold of yourself but you couldn’t stop sobbing, couldn’t catch your breath. You were hyperventilating, shaking.

Footsteps approached you but you didn’t get up to greet them. You were helpless, sobbing and curled up on the ground. Whoever it was approaching you stopped right in front of you and crouched. You froze.

It was Kung Lao. You didn’t have to see him to know it was true.

He wrapped his arms around you and you sobbed against him, grasping onto him desperately. He felt so real, warm, and comforting. He was there. But you knew it wasn’t real. He wasn’t real. You could see the last moments of his life repeating in your mind’s eye. His lips brushed against your forehead, one of your fondest memories, something you were sure your subconscious was repeating to comfort you.

“They need you, Y/N.” He whispered. His voice was so familiar and comforting that you clung even tighter to him, your sobs catching in your throat. It hurt. To hear his voice so clearly in your head and know it wasn’t real. “Breathe, please.” His strong hands brushed down your arms to try and soothe you. You nodded and shakily took deep breaths. Even if it was just your subconscious, it felt so real that you took comfort in it.

He left that kiss on your forehead again.

“I didn’t… I didn’t, Kung Lao… I didn’t want to see you die, I… I can’t… I couldn’t… I’m sorry.” You sobbed, covering your mouth. “I miss you so much.”

“I know. I know you do. But you have to wake up, Y/N. I need you to wake up.”

“I don’t know how. I don’t know where I am, I don’t know… I don’t…” You wiped your eyes furiously but couldn’t take your eyes off of him. This was how you wanted to remember him. Not rotting away. “I can’t do this without you.”

“Yes, you can, Y/N. You have to wake up.” He tilted your chin up and just as his lips brushed against yours in a kiss, he was gone and you were alone.

Gasping for breath, you opened your eyes to the tumultuous skies over the beach. Liu Kang was pulling you from the sand and into his arms. It was chaos. There was yelling you couldn’t make out all around you. Green smoke engulfed the beach and your fellow warriors were falling back. Liu scooped you up into his arms but you fought him and he stumbled.

“Y/N! Y/N, don’t! We have to go!” Liu grasped again for you but you fought to get away from him and fell into the sand.

“He’s right, we have to go!” Cole argued and tried to help get you back up. Johnny stopped him.

“Let her do what she needs to do.” Johnny knelt next to you. You were shocked by how much he had chosen to trust you. Now you felt a little bad about the kidnapping thing but you were too emotionally raw to even be sarcastic. The monstrosities were rushing toward you, barely kept back by Sonya’s arcana.

Getting back to your feet, you focused on your arcana. Even if it took every bit of the strength that you had left, you would make them pay. You were furious. The last thing you’d remembered before you fell were the eyes of that man. He’d made you watch Kung Lao die again and again. He had imprisoned you in somewhere dark and he would pay.

You would do this for him.

For Kung Lao.

The ink covered your hands again and spread up your arms. You imagined the world as your canvas, the whole beach your art. You drew around the creatures running toward you and it felt to you that they moved slower than your arcana did. The stone walls that you drew on either side of them popped into existence and then slammed into the sand. They were huge, towering above the creatures. You collapsed to your knees in the sand but Johnny slipped his arm under yours and helped you back up. You made eye contact with the leader of these horrible creatures. He was scowling behind his warriors and then he turned and stepped back into his portal.

With a yell, you slammed your hands together and the stone walls crashed together, crushing every single one of the monstrosities that had come through the portal that was closing behind your arcana. The sound of the ink slamming together was deafening and the ground shook beneath you. Your ears were ringing now for a different reason.

Exhaustion.

You dropped into the sand, only kept upright by Johnny Cage. You sat back on your heels. The ink walls disintegrated and poured like rain into the sand, staining it. The creatures within had fallen to ash. Dark clouds grumbled overhead.

All that remained was the inky silhouette of a man.

Kung Lao.

Vision blurred by tears, you commanded the drawing of him to brush his fingers over his hat in victory. Then he disappeared into nothing. You let your weight fall back against Johnny Cage. He was talking to you but your head was spinning and everything was muted. Liu crouched in front of you and took your hands to help you up. He was talking but you were struggling to even read his lips. You blinked your eyes closed to try and focus. You swatted Liu’s hands away and then pushed Johnny off of you too.

You took deep breaths and regained yourself before getting to your feet. Then there was silence. None of you were sure what had prompted the attack or who had even been behind it. The only thing any of you were sure of was that it was not good.

You were still furious.

“Okay.” Johnny broke the tense silence. “I’ll clear my schedule by the end of the week and we can go. No more questions… well, about that, at least. I have lots of other questions.” He looked to each of you. “That okay?”

“End of the week? Did you see what just happened? We are at war.” Jax argued. You got to your feet and walked a little away from them to let them talk. You shouldn’t have but you didn’t have it in you to listen to them arguing about something that seemed so trivial to you in the moment. You knew it wasn’t trivial but nothing else mattered to you right now.

Sonya joined you closer to the water. “That was impressive.” The blond had her arms folded over her chest. She was scraped up and looked weary but you weren’t worried about her. Sonya had more than proven herself as a warrior.

“Thanks.”

“Couldn’t have done that earlier?”

“Draining.”

“What made you do it?”

“I’m furious.” You didn’t offer any further explanation. The last thing you wanted was to talk about it. You didn’t even want to think about it. But it wasn’t like you could get it out of your head. Who was that man who had done that to you? What were his motives? What good did he think would come of it? Why show you that? Why taunt you? To break you?

“I’d hate to be the one who made you that angry.” Sonya attempted to joke with you but you had zero sense of humor right now.

“I wouldn’t recommend it either.”

Sonya offered you a pat on the back. “Take it easy after that.”

“You too. Clean that up.” You gestured to Sonya’s arm. At least Sonya wasn’t treating you with kid gloves like the guys sometimes did.

“It’s just a scrape.” Sonya assured you. Liu joined you on your other side. The others were close behind now.

“We need to get back to Raiden.” You turned to Liu only for a second. You couldn’t look him in the eyes right now. You could only picture the anguish on his face in those last moments. “They weren’t from Outworld. They were from somewhere else.” Liu was watching you in alarm.

“End of the week is the best I can do.” Johnny spoke over anyone else who may have had something to say on the matter. “It’s only two days away. After that? I’m all yours.”

“That’s fine.” You agreed before the others could argue. If they disagreed then they could argue with you later. You were ready for a fight at this point. You didn’t care what their opinions were on the matter. Johnny had stood by you when you’d needed help even when he didn’t have to. You’d step up for him too. “It’s only two days. He’s right. By then Nightwolf should be up to speed and already training. With any luck it’ll be the leg up we need.”

“Nightwolf? Sounds like a Nordic death metal band or something.”

Sonya swatted Johnny on the back of his head inciting a laugh from Cole.

“Fine. Two days. That’s it. But we’re leaving first thing Saturday morning and if you don’t show up, then so help me, when we find you…” Jax continued to threaten him. Johnny insisted that his word was solid. You didn’t care what either of them said. If Johnny bailed then you would drag him kicking and screaming to China. But you had also accidentally bonded with Johnny Cage and trusted that he would do as he promised. You stepped away from the others, getting closer to the waves.

The ink had faded and so had the ash. The only signs of the battle that had taken place was the dug-up sand from the fighting. You felt Liu walking toward you before he was at your side. His energy was tangible and so uniquely him.

“What is it?” He whispered, voice nervous. “What do you know?”

“I know that I need to talk to Raiden.” You felt heavy, like another version of you sat on your shoulders. Grief. “I don’t know exactly what it is I know. I just know that it’s bad. That man… he’s trouble.” You knew that was vague but you had no other words to describe him without explaining what had happened to you. You knew so little other than a feeling. He had been trying to manipulate you. If that was his intent then he clearly knew nothing about you. All he’d managed to do was make you angrier.

You supposed it had beaten you down but you wouldn’t let it keep you down.

Kung Lao was still alive even if only in your head

Living enough to have comforted you when you’d needed it. The strength that you’d used to crush those creatures had been all because of him. You silently thanked him for watching over you as you admired the waves recovering from the magic of that horrible man.

“I can call Raiden. The others can meet us in China on the weekend.” Liu was terrible at hiding his worry.

You considered his offer but your gut was saying to stay in Los Angeles until you were all leaving. Raiden had to have known that something would happen. He had known you had to be there. Why? You hoped that he could shed some light on the truth of what was happening. This war had become more complex than any of you could have imagined. “No. I think we should wait. But I’m worried, Liu.”

“Yeah, me too.” Liu folded his arms over his chest. The tension in the air couldn’t have been more different than the last time you’d stood together on the shore.

“Are you okay?” You turned to give him a cursory glance. He was covered in soot. No surprise.

“I’m fine.” You felt the smile on his lips. “You’re gray again.”

“Well, I crushed an army.”

“Still.” He wiped the soot off of his shirt fruitlessly. “We should go.”

“I need a minute, Liu.”

“Okay.”

“You can go, Liu.” You didn’t necessarily want him to go but you didn’t want him to sit there worrying about you pointlessly either. You would be okay. Probably could use a nap but you would bounce back from that just fine. It was the rest of what had happened that no one else had seen that would stick with you. Liu bowed his head respectfully but didn’t leave you alone. You had plenty to discuss but you had no words. Cole joined you moments later.

“You okay?” He asked casually and you were grateful that he wasn’t nearly as concerned as Liu was.

“I’m fine. You good?”

“I’ve had worse.” Cole smirked, arms folded over his chest. “You saw something back there, huh?” You supposed that of all the people you owed an explanation to, Cole was pretty up there. He’d been there when you’d realized what was happening and that you’d seen it before.

“Yeah. That happens sometimes.” You weighed whether or not you should elaborate. Later. It wasn’t the time or place.

“Good to know.” Cole offered you his arm. “Come on. We’re heading back. No one feels safe here now.” You took his arm and then started slowly with him back toward the steps leading to the beach house. Liu followed behind you. Your mind was buzzing with anger. He would pay. You would make that man regret putting those visions in your head.

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#liu kang x reader #self insert #reader insert #liu kang #mk liu kang #slow burn #mortal kombat movie #mortal kombat 2021 #ludi lin #liu kang/reader #liu kang x you #liu kang/you #fanfic #fanfiction #angst #romance #death #tension #grief #beauty through ash #arcana #female reader #mortal kombat fanfiction #mk fanfiction #mortal kombat fanfic #mk kung lao #max huang #johnny cage #cole young #sonya blade

[xsugarysweetsx]

Alrighty,~ Congrats again on 2k!! You produce awesome content, so you deserve every single one of those followers, as well as all the love you get ^_^ 

I would still like to request Option 3 for your event if it's not too much to ask. ^_^  For a BC character, please 🙏

Appearance: I'm 5 ft 7 (170 cm) and I would describe my body type as lean (long limbs, B cup, a bit of muscle, lightweight). I have green eyes, blonde hair that reaches just below my shoulder blades. I like to wear a lot of darker colors (black, dark red, navy, petrol green). And I don't like to wear make-up. 

Personality: I'd say that I'm a fairly assertive person (but if I'm proven wrong, or otherwise know that I'm wrong, I become relatively meek). I do like giving people advice or help if I can, and while at work I do like being productive. I have been told that I can seem "scary" because of the aura I portray though, but suppose that just comes with the "assertiveness" 😅 I like to think that I have a long temper and that I'm an understanding person, but I can be very stubborn; especially when it comes to following my own goals. 

In terms of likes: serenity (overall; as an atmosphere, but also as a quality in people). I like knowing what I’m doing, or at the very least, I like to know which I certainly don’t know. (Which in the grand scheme is very difficult, yes.) I also like allowing myself some time to breathe and unwind. Good food, good people around me; life’s simple pleasures. But I do also like to be out there, trying different things and activities, even if it’s only for one time.

Hope that's enough ^_^ 💕

*******************************************************

I match you with Fuegoleon! Unironically, I think you guys have a lot in common and I can honestly see you together so please enjoy~

A/N: thank you so much I hope you like this!

******************************************************************

“Come on Y/N I know I can do better! I can handle more!" Leo called to you as you stood up straight once again from the attack. It was training day and Fuegoleon wanted you to help out Leo on attacks.

"Leo you know we're only training on building your strength for now. Once you get the hang of it we can move to something more, come on let's take a break" you wave him over and he came whining, wanting to continue his training.

Coming to your side you ruffle his hair as you walk over to where your boyfriend was. You were lucky enough to be dating Fuegoleon Vermillion. He was much more than his title as a royal or as a captain. He was a gentleman, kind, and strong, and so many other attributes you loved.

"Good work today, both of you. Leo I can see your improvement and Y/N you're a wonderful teacher, as expected" he complimented you both

"Thank you, brother!"

"Thank you dear" you smile giving him a peck to his cheek. "so how was the-"

"Captain Fuegoleon~" oh boy here she came. Yeah recently got new recruits into your squad. And unfortunately, you had a new girl with a little crush on your boyfriend. She wasn’t subtle about it either she was very outspoken about it and has even hinted at them dating.

Now for someone who was a very intelligent man but when I came to this he was a bit dense. He simply replied with “I’m flattered by your feelings but I am currently in a relationship already, sorry."

you appreciate the effort but you still get annoyed by her. So at this point, you simply just stand up and go over to Fuegoleon and put on some PDA for her. Standing behind him you wrap your arms around his shoulders and rest your chin on top of his head. You make sure to look at her with a nice smile just to get the point across

"Yes, what can I help you with?" he asked

"Well, I...um...," she tried to concentrate on him but "n-never mind I can figure it out on my own" and with that, she was on her way back

"Y/N, I think you're scaring off the new recruits..." Leo pointed out

"huh? Me? Scary?" you ask confused

"Yes, you can sometimes have a very intimidating aura just like our sister," he explained as a chill ran down his spine.

I took your head to the side to believe him right now. You always try to perceive yourself as a nice person, or maybe you did have sort of a scary aura. It was the word is and powerful than any, some like Leo compare you to his sister. Huh, maybe that's why she liked you so much...

"Y/N, may we take a walk please?" Fuegoleon offered, standing from his seat. You nod with a smile and take his hand in yours. he took him to the direction of the gardens where a small walkway with available. It was very peaceful with many flowers, shrubs, trees. In fact, this is the same spot where he asked you out on a date. Only this time he was a bit more dazed out than usual. Like he was thinking but also hiding something.

"You alright there? You look a little zoned out," you ask him

"I'm fine, just thinking is all." he reassured you with a smile "although, I did want to speak with you. Nothing big, just a conversation with you."

"Oh? And what would that be?" you asked intrigued by his secrecy

"Just thinking back to when we first met was all. You had challenged me saying you could bring me down in 2 minutes or less. Little did you know I'd take you down in mere seconds," he chuckled "You know what I thought after I beat you?"

"Oh goodness, what? That I was a fool?" you chuckle

"No anything but that. I thought you were...cute." he admits "The fire in your eyes and how determined you were to prove you had what it took. And I found it very endearing, you truly are a wonder Y/N"

Bringing you to a fountain he sits with you on the edge and gazes down to the water. You take your seat next to him and gaze down as well.

"Awh Fueggy, you're so sweet." you smile

"I'd like us to marry" he said casually

"W-what?" you were shocked to say the least. That was something else you loved about him, but it also made you laugh. He was blunt and sometimes the sweet talking thing wasn’t his strongest suit.

“Was that not the appropriate way of asking?” He asked you confused “I had asked Yami and Nozel how to bring up the question and they told me to simply ask you.”

Sigh, poor baby “Fuegoleon, those two are the last ones you want to ask for romance advice. The way you would want to ask if just fine with me.”

“Oh alright then.” Standing up and closed his eyes and concentrates his hands dance in front of him as he writes Inter he ground with elegant fire “how about this?” He asked

In the ground he had wrote “please, be my wife?” Standing up you walk around the message and to him and peck his cheek “now this is more like you, but are you sure? There are plenty of eligible royals and girls of wealth”

His warm hand comes up to cup your cheek with a soft smile “why should I find them when I have you? I’m sure if it, I want to marry you….”

“Alright then, I will marry you, Fuegoleon” a loving, but passionate kiss was shared between you both in the garden.

*******************************************************

I hope this was okay! ♥️( it most likely wasn’t :( )

#fuegoleon vermillion x reader #fuegoleon x reader #black clover anime #black clover fuegoleon #black clover x reader #anime #anime x reader #fanfiction #fuegoleon vermillion #submission

[oikadori]

Comforting Stressed S/O Part II

⇢  Pairings: oikawa x f!reader ; atsumu x f!reader

⇢  Genre:  fluff...idk

⇢  WC~ 1,5K 

A/N: So I made one for Akaashi but i kinda liked this situation asjfohhddlkdjk so I couldn’t  help to make it for Oikawa and Atsumu. How can someone be that obsessed with 2D characters? Thank you ♡, enjoy!

Oikawa is not fond of how immersed you are on your assignments 

If you’ve spent too much time on your computer he will start pouting and whining at you. He is just a  big size bb

He loves cuddles, so he needs his cuddle sessions with you. Oikawa will try to snuggle up with you while you’re working

If you don’t let him, after many pouts, he will get tired eventually and stops distracting you.

 If you let him, he’ll talk nonstopping about his day, trying to amuse you 

Oikawa loves to spoil you, he’ll get you all sorts of treats and gifts to cheer your mood 

He is pretty smart so he is always happy to help you 

He’ll be so smug about it  that he won’t stop teasing - he’ll brag about it the whole week 

“(Y/N)-channnn!” Oikawa wines from the living room while the TV  shows the intro of Star Wars “Come on, the movie is about to start” your gaze lift from your laptop to spot your boyfriend with the cutest smile he could possibly show to you, alongside his pleading brown eyes staring at you. 

“Tooru like I told you an hour ago, I have to finish a math assessment” you sigh, trying to show yourself annoyed by him- even when all you want to do is cuddle with him- “Maybe later”

“Yeah, I know, I know but you need a break too” Oikawa looks at you with concern, he moves on the couch, making space for you  “At least come here, sit with me” he pats the new spot next to him, inviting you. “Pleaseee” you roll your eyes, giving him a little smile. 

“You are very annoying, you know?”

When he sees you walking to the couch, his eyes glimpse in amusement, “Couldn’t resist me, could you? I can’t blame you” a cocky smile adorns his lips as ypu sit nect to him.

“Shut up” Oikawa can’t help to chuckle as he lays an arm over your shoulders and kisses your cheek. Your eyes focused on the screen, you keep working as the movie start.

//

“No, no, no!... You are fucking kidding me!” your voice raises over the sound of the Tv, your eyes staring blankly at your laptop. Oikawa quickly turns to you before noticing the tears that are forming on the corner of your eyes.

“(Y/N)...What happened?” he pauses the movie and observes you expectantly, your eyes watering as your lips begin to move slowly “(Y/N)?”

“My laptop froze and the document closed itself and ... I can’t find it.”

“All of the work I made during the week...it’s gone” the stress accumulated breaks through and tears run down your cheeks, you start sobbing uncontrollably.

“Princess..., please look at me” Oikawa turns off the Tv and places one of his hands over yours while the other cups your cheek “Please don’t cry. There’s got to be a backup copy... or something” Oikawa frowns as he moves his hand to his chin, thinking.

“Can I have a look?” you nod, handling him your laptop, he places it con his lap as his arm pulls you to his chest. “Don’t worry, babe, we’ll find a solution” his reassuring voice makes your sobs to slow, he kisses the top of your head, brushes your hair soothingly. 

//

“There it is!!!” you cry out in relief. After almost an hour, Oikawa finally found it.

“Here you go. I’m the best boyfriend, aren’t I?” he takes off his glasses,  smirking  proudly

“You mean, you are slightly tolerable...” 

“Yet you’re still with me, aren’t you?” you can’t help but giggle. 

 “God, I love the way you laugh.” his features softens as he reach your hand to kiss it tenderly. “So, is there any payment for the technical assistance given to this beautiful lady?” he raises his eyebrow looking at you teasingly. 

You kiss him slowly, wrapping your arms around his neck, making a soft grumble escape from Oikawa’s lips “My hero...thank you, Tooru” you whisper and press your lips on his cheek making Oikawa blush.  

“Now, what about we get a dessert from that  store you like so much, princess?” And just like that you knew that no amount of stress would change the future but a look at those chocolate eyes was all the reassurance you need.    

Atsumu genuinely doesn’t understand why you stress about school assignments

Like, he will tease you about it...until you tell him to STFU. Only then he notices how stressed you are

I think Atsumu has 0 experience in comforting people. But when it comes to you he tries his best 

Atsumu won’t be helpful as Akaashi or Oikawa - Sorry Tsumu but, I get the feeling he’s just like Hinata and Kageyama when it comes to school 

Probably will take you out, regardless of your complaints, making an improvised date. 

Any compliment coming for this guy will boost you like 1000% up, knowing how blunt he can be with others 

Like Oikawa, he’ll spoil you but not as often, but when he does, this boy gets a little carried away

He’ll show how much he cares for you, staying with you all the time like even if you aren’t in the same place he’ll start a call and won’t end it until he knows you’re going to sleep.

“Atsumu, could you please turn that off?” you ask your boyfriend, who is sitting next to you watching volleyball videos while you make some Physics exercises - yes, he has homework too but he doesn’t care. 

“I can’t, I’m sorry. It’s a very important match” you huff and move away from him trying to concentrate, but with that much noise, you find it difficult. 

He glances at you, watching your reactions, as the time passes he notices you haven’t advanced much “Homework, huh?” Atsumu asks a little insecure and you lift your head a bit surprised.

“Yeah, Physics...but I can’t solve them” you murmur. You rest your head in your hands, letting out a sigh and some curses. The whole week was full of assignments and you were exhausted. 

Atsumu slowly walks to you, shaking his head and smiling smugly. 

“Why such an intelligent and beautiful girl like you worry so much about a little thing like that?” he moves gently your hands away from your face and caresses your cheek with his thumb. “Come on let’s get out of here” he takes your hands and pulls you up from the chair, you blush looking at the wide smile con his face. 

“But I haven’t fin-” 

“It doesn’t matter. I promise we’ll get back soon, but let’s have some fun, shall we?” he leans down, kissing your lips softly. 

//

After strolling for a while in the mall, hands connected. You walk in front of a Music store that has the new album of your favorite singer.  Atsumu trails your figure curious to see what caught your attention. 

Your eyes are so focused in that special edition  Album that you don’t t notice Atsumu entering the store.

“Tsumu, what did you bought?” 

“Oh! I just got the new Album of my favourite singer” he shows you smugly the album. You giggle and place your hands in your hips. 

“Really?... I didn’t know you liked Taylor Swift, Tsumu” He laughs loudly with his eyes closed, motioning the little box to you. 

“This is expensive...why did you-?” 

“I only wanted to see my girlfriend loosen up a bit” you can’t hide how overjoyed you are by his gesture. You jump to kiss his cheek, throwing your arms around his neck. Atsumu places his hands on your waist, lifting you up and then placing you down again.

“Glad you like it babygirl” his fingers run up and down your back gently. You place your head in his chest as he wraps you with his tall figure. 

 “You are one of the smartest in the class, it isn’t right that you are stressing that much... I really don’t understand why do you do but...” his voice sounds a bit irritated, your eyes look at him with uncertainty , and you notice Atsumu frowning.

 “...you can count on me. Always. I’m sorry if I didn’t give you that impression” Stirred by his words you stare at him, eyes open widely, making Atsumu blush deeply a little embarrassed by his own word.

Your heartbeat rises at the thought of Atsumu Miya saving his sweet side only for you. 

At the sight of your house, you bring Atsumu’s  hand to your lips and kiss it lovingly, stealing a gasp from Atsumu lips. 

“Thank you, Tsumu” you hug him tightly and he kisses the top of your head.

“There, there, babygirl. I’m yours” he pats tenderly your head before walking through your front door.  

While you were speaking, smiling foolishly, Osamu looked at you dubiously. You proudly spoke about how the Miya Atsumu managed to comfort you last night, making you joyful by his presence,his gift and ultimately his sweet words.

The Oikawa scenario was based on a true story but without the happy ending...F in the chat for my math internal  assessment 

Honestly, I’ve never cried that much for a school work.

Hope you enjoyed it! Thanks everyone for reading!

If you want to drop suggestions or only chat I’ll be more than happy!! Byeee (・ε・)  ∴ Master List ∴

#oikawa tooru #haikyuu oikawa #haikyuu headcanons #haikyuu!! #haikyuu fics #oikawa headcanons #oikawa x reader #oikawa x y/n #atsumu x reader #atsumu scenarios #oikawa imagine #oikawa scenarios #atsumu headcanons #hq oikawa #hq atsumu #hq headcanons #atsumu x y/n #atsumu imagines #oikawa fluff #atsumu fluff #stress #my writting #cutiekawa

[not-close-to-straight]

Random Wanda Vision Thoughts--

Episode 1: I am an emotional bitch crying at Wanda and Vision saying “i do” at the end of episode 1, like can these babies please catch a break? they just want to be happy. 

Also Agnes and the 70′s show mom are my favorite wtf. 

STARK TOASTERS I SEE YOU. 

WHO IS WATCHING THEM WTF 

Episode 2: 

Dottie should die, she seems like the type who needs gently run over by a bus

WHO IS IN THE RADIO

Elizabeth Olsen is so cute in this, absolutely adorable 

IS THAT DAVID SCHWIMMER PLAYING THE PIANO

Vision is drunk from getting gum in his gears, I’m actually cackling right now. 

Tiny bit culty with the “for the children” thing, huh? Yikes

BABY BUMP! 

Some creepo decides to get in on their world and Wanda literally went “i think the fuck not, let’s try this again and this time in technicolor” 

is that the cop who asked out Ant Man on the radio?

The difference in “sitcom” Wanda who is happy in her world and “real life” Wanda when she realizes something isn’t right is honestly astonishing and Grade A Face Acting. See what happens when they let women do more on screen then walk around in tight clothes with full lips parted in a sexy pout? 

Episode 3: 

Seventies Vision’s hair is ENDING ME, I can’t even deal with that. 

IT HAS TO BE DAVID SCHWIMMER except he looks like “russ” from friends instead of “ross” 

Poor Vision is not handling impending fatherhood well 

COMIC BOOK NAME DROP BILLY AND TOMMY I LOVE IT 

Poor pregnancy fritzing Wanda. DID WANDA JUST GLITCH A TIME ERASE AND NOT MEAN TO? Listen, I did not expect to love them as a couple this much. EW HER WATER BROKE OMG 

A STORK 

Oh Wanda, poor baby she’s so afraid, I write way too much fan fiction about how all these characters are secretly terrified to go through life alone to be okay with this. 

Why did I start crying immediately when the babies were born, I’m too emotional for this. She is so beautiful and Vision is so soft meeting his son as himself, oh my gosh. THE TWIN SCREAMS while the other twin comes omg this is Grade A Sitcom bullshit. 

The doctor knows something is Up and so do Herb and Agnes. *don’t be suspicious, don’t be suspicious*

...have we actually seen Ralph and I’m just blanking on it? WHY DON’T THEY LIKE GERALDINE? WHO IS SHE?

Oh no i’m crying again over pietro and the sokovian lullaby. Don’t let me watch this while I’m PMSing wtf this is torture. GERALDINE KNOWS ABOUT ULTRON

OH SHIT WANDA IS PISSED LOOK AT THAT DANGEROUS LADY. that head tilt is fucking lethal. 

I love agnes oh man. I know because of spoilers she’s something of a bad guy? but I love her

WHAT HAPPENED TO GERALDINE OMG DID WANDA KILL HER

Oh no, not dead. Just kicked tf out of the bubble. I just realized the symbol is for Sword. Is this some sort of experiment to keep Wanda contained post Endgame? I should have read more spoilers, I’m fucking confused. 

Episode 4: OH HOLY SHIT IT’S MONICA RAMBEAU AND IT’S POST EG SNAP OH MY GOSH SHE HAS NO IDEA SHES BEEN GONE FOR FIVE YEARS MY HEART IS BREAKING MY HEART IS BREAKING I CAN’T TAKE IT 

It IS the cop that hit on Ant Man! WHAT DO THEY MEAN WESTVIEW DOESN’T EXIST 

Oh it’s Darcy! Damn straight it’s Dr. Lewis. How very shocking, a woman was the one to show a room full of Ridiculous Men what’s going on?

ZOMBIE VISION OH MY GOD “no we can’t” oh man she is starting to CRACK and Vision knows something is wrong OH NO 

At this point I should point out that I am 1000% surprised at the quality of the show and 1000% pleasantly surprised by how much I’m enjoying it. The bar for Wanda’s character development was literally subterranean, but this is has been frankly sort of amazing?? 

Episode 5

Agnes asking about “taking it from the top” WHAT. I love so much the way the characters “break character” it’s so interesting and well done! WHY IS WANDA LYING TO VISION. 

WHERE IS RALPH

oh my god the babies are children now?? why isn’t agnes noticing?? THEY’RE SO CUTE I COULD CRY ALL OVER AGAIN 

I do not. trust. hayward. Why is he asking about Wandas nickname? Monica knows whats up-- she knows Wanda is grieving and hurting. 

THE VISIONS CORPSE WHAT? WHAT IS WANDA DOING OH MY GOD SHE STOLE VISION. Vision has a living will? Don’t you have to be human for that? Are you telling me the woman that loved Vision would straight up ignore his wish to not be turned into a weapon after his death? I have a hard time with this. 

Oh no Vision is starting to worry me. He’s onto Agnes, he’s noticing Wanda getting careless...the boys are adorable though. Good on Agnes for not even flinching. 

DAMN RIGHT WANDA COULD HAVE TAKEN OUT THANOS LETS HAVE SOME RESPECT PEOPLE. Also, why is Monica being sketchy about Captain Marvel? 

EMAIL ALERT EMAIL ALERT “none of it is real.” oh my god what is happening?!?!

“Is this yours?” OH MY GOD. “This will be your only warning” she is so unafraid and I love her for it. I love her accent coming back when she breaks characters LOOK AT HER TURNING ALL THOSE MEN AROUND I LOVE HER. 

“Fix the dead” oh my god the shock on her face. The absolute irony of her trying to tell her boys there’s rules when she’s writing the playbook as she goes. Oh my god. “Can’t I?” Jesus, then the credits start rolling because she wants the episode to be over but Vision won’t let her OH MY GOD. My heart is breaking

WHAT DOES IT MEAN SHE DOESN’T KNOW 

SHE RECAST PIETRO

Episode 6

OOOOH look at the classic costumes! Pietro is slaying me. I mean, it’s the wrong pietro but its still very funny. The way Vision calls her out and then plays it off is.... spooky. She is fully aware thats not her brother. “Be good.” holy shit. 

Look at me not liking Hayward again. “which one is the sassy best friend” i feel like that’s....racist. “don’t use the last five years as an excuse to be a coward” DRAG HIM SIS 

Listen Uncle Pietro being a little shit head is my favorite. I use the OG Pietro in my fics but this one is hilarious. 

Vision lied about being on duty? Yikes. The one house where people are stuck in a loop? YIKES. Its crazy how everyone is starting to be super aware of Wanda pulling the strings--MAGIC CHILD OMG. 

Whats past ellis avenue? Is that the limit of Wanda’s powers? I don’t super understand how Vision has his powers if he’s technically dead. HE DOESN’T KNOW WHAT THE AVENGERS ARE she really just gave him enough life to exist just barely. Agnes knows he’s dead so she wasn’t snapped??

Agnes’s witchy laugh while dressed like a witch is legit awesome. We call that FOREEEEEEEEESHADOWING! Oh and there’s Ellis Ave. Got it. 

Monica’s blood is changed?? Idk how to feel about Black Character willing to die for White Charaxter? I mean I know Wanda should be Jewish but still. Uncomfortably close to icky tropes but maybe I’m reading too far into it.

YIKES where was she hiding the kids till now? How’d she do all this? “I’m not a stranger or your husband” YIKES.

OH MY GOD DEAD PIETRO

OH MY GOD VISION STAY IN THE BUBBLE SOMEONE SAVE HIM SAVE HIM OMG BILLY CAN HEAR HIS DADDY DYING SAVE HIM

“The people need help” oh Vision you are truly Worthy

She literally expanded her world to save him omg

DARCY WHERED YOU GO geez look at power of this girls mind it’s about damn time we got a glimpse at just how intense her powers are

Season 7

Ok is this like a reality show? Oh man she is GLITCHING.

Oh no it’s just Wanda not Wanda vision cos she feels alone? So sad. She really is losing it isn’t she and not in a “lol how awkward” sortnof way but in that truthful hard to watch way that so many of us feel when we’re at the breaking point

“I actually did bite a kid once” I literally ugly laughed right there

I KNEW I COULDNT TRUST HAYWOOD

It’s so nice to see Darcy used in a real way. Her character was totally wasted in Thor

The way Wandas little interviews get more and more sad :(

Uhhh what does that mean Agnes is quiet on the inside? Again with the Ralph thing. I’m starting to think there’s no Ralph at all??

LOOK AT THIS GIRL WITH HER SPACE ROVER . She’s got that same look of determination her mama had. WHAT IS HAPPENING TO HER WHY ARE HER EYES BLUE

“....soooo Wanda killed me?” I’m ugly laughing again and I shouldn’t be but the comedic delivery is excellent. The whole “office” vibe with the cameras is making an otherwise devastating episode fairly funny

LOOK AT THIS GIRL STANDING UP TO WANDA we love a sharp cheekbones beauty

“Maybe I already am” I mean, I would have loved to hear that post Ultron when for some reason everyone blamed Tony for everything?? But hearing it now is just horrifying and I hate it

Oh vision deciding to go get to his wife is beautiful.

WHERE ARE THE BABIES WHERE ARE THE BOYS OH MY GOD IM FREAKING OUT WHAT BASEMENT THATS NEVER GOOD

Uh hey what the fuck is up with Agness creepy basement of horrors??

AGATHA HARKNESS OH MY GOD

This song is a BOP wtf she deserves an Emmy for this shit

Snoopers gonna snoop what?

Episode 8

Of course it’s Salem, where else would a witch story start

“They simply bent to my power” What a queen

lmaoooo THAT ACCENT COMES AND GOES Agatha really said what we’ve all been thinking

Wait so Wandas power drew Agatha in? I thought maybe Agatha trapped her here?? SHE DOESNT KNOW WHAT WANDA IS

THE BABIES

Oh ouch this trip down memory lane is gonna hurt me isn’t it?

Oh no her mama I’m dying inside send help. The TV sitcoms. Oh my god is this her last memory before her parents died. HELP ME I CANT WATCH THIS

Oh my god, she had powers when she was little?? SHES NOT AN EXPERIMENT???

Listen I generally think telling a story retroactively is lazy writing? Just give us a well developed story the first time?? But this is BRUTAL and brutally well done.

SHE SAW HERSELF IN THE MIND STONE???

Would it have been so difficult for them to give us even a PEEK at this version of wanda vision in CACW? Marvel has the worst habit of just popping up like “oh hey these two love each other all the sudden with no real reason for it” but this is wonderful. So much character development.

Oh listen to this woman begging to be able to bury her husband omg. WAIT SO SHE DIDNT BREAK IN AND TAKE HIM?? WHAT ARE THEY DOING TO VISION?? DID HE PUSH HER INTO THIS PSYCHOTIC BREAK?? HE TOTALLY PLAYED HER INTO RECREATING VISION SHE JUST WANTED CLOSURE. He literally showed her visions dismembered corpse and said “say goodbye” I will kill this dude wtf

“I can’t feel you” guys I have to pause this so I can cry for a minute

“I can’t feel you” and then she leaves. Totally alone in the world. My heart is an empty husk.

Why the house though? Why west view?

OH FUCK ME UP ARE YOU KIDDING ME VISION WAS GOING TO BUILD THEM A HOUSE I CANT TAKE THIS ANYMORE

It’s not even real vision? Just the projection of her broken heart? “Welcome home” I am broken. Physically broken.

CHAOS MAGIC

SCARLET WITCH

I CANNOT

OH MY GOD WHITE VISION??? NO NO NO

#WandaVision

[crystalstar8]

Knights of the Night (ch 14)

Chapter 14

Ch 1, ch 2, ch 3, ch 4, ch 5, ch 6, ch 7, ch 8, ch 9, ch 10, ch 11, ch 12, ch 13, ch 14

https://archiveofourown.org/works/29139240/chapters/71536491

pairing: Jungkook x oc

genre: vampire au, college au, twilight, romance

word count: 

warnings: blood (obviously), kidnapping, child kidnapping, needles, France

notes: vampires, vampire au, college, college au, so many twilight references, blood, needles, kidnapping, children, homelessness, dance, ballet, flashbacks, romance, slow burn, probably no smut, idk yet tho, France, French things, attempted genocide, inaccurate French history, bisexual main character, @strawberriewithchocolate-blog @mozy-j  @daechwitad-2​ @zobadak​​

summary: Catalina starts college in a small town all the way across the country. She doesn’t know anyone and isn’t exactly looking for friends. She just wants to focus on dance. But when she meets fellow dance major, Jimin, and adventurous, fellow freshman, Jungkook, Catalina ends up discovering a whole new side to the small college town; one that is dangerous but oh so enticing…

(smut is alluded to in this chapter, so I apologize to any family members who may be reading this👀)

              Once everyone had arrived at the mansion, Taehyung called them all into the dining room, where he had laid out a beautiful Christmas feast. There was a beef roast on one end and a ham on the other end. Between the two were potatoes, greens, fresh bread, fruit garnishes and jams, and an assortment of other sides.

              “Tae tae! You really outdid yourself today!” Hoseok exclaimed as he pulled a chair out for his mother. His mother was in her seventies, a tiny and soft-spoken woman. Hoseok’s sister sat beside their mother. Catalina was only briefly introduced to them, only to learn their names and thank his mother for the necklace, so she made sure to sit across from them. Jungkook took the seat beside her.

              “I want to ask them if they know anything about Hobi’s past,” Catalina whispered to him. He nodded.

              “That’s a good idea,” said Jungkook. “He’s always been a bit suspicious to me. I mean, we’re surrounded by these ancient vampires who had no problems telling us about all the people they’ve killed in the past, but I’m honestly most worried about him. If Yoongi could tell his story, why can’t Hoseok?”

              “Exactly,” said Catalina. “That’s what I was thinking.”

              Once everyone was settled at the table and most of the dishes had made the rounds, Catalina looked over at Hoseok’s sister, whose name was Jiwoo, she remembered.

             “So, I heard Hoseok’s been telling you two about us,” said Catalina. “I hope all good things.”

              “Of course, all good things!” Jiwoo laughed. “He’s been gushing about his new friends non-stop. Every time he visits, he tells us about some new adventure. He said you and Jimin are really good dancers.”

              “We’re really good at ballet,” said Catalina. “But Hoseok tried to teach us his style and we kind of sucked.”

              “I’m sure he didn’t fare any better in ballet,” Jiwoo said.

              “Not really,” Catalina said with a wide smile. Then she leaned in and lowered her voice. “So, I’m curious. How much has Hoseok told you about how he was turned?”

              Jiwoo pressed her lips into a thin line, then said, “Honestly, not much. I know the entire experience took a huge toll on him and he had to drop out of college because of it. We’ve asked him about it many times, but he never seems to want to talk about. I think it’s painful for him to bring up the memory.”

              “Oh,” Catalina looked over at Hoseok, who was laughing hysterically at a story Jimin was telling. She tried to imagine what he went through that made him so unwilling to share his story.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

After dinner, the party retired to the ballroom, which definitely was a room Catalina didn’t know existed until now. She wondered how big this house actually was. She dreamed of just wandering around and exploring one day. Yoongi was sat at the grand piano at the end of the ballroom and began playing. Catalina knew he didn’t eat at dinner, she wondered if he was just waiting to come in here and play piano.

The ballroom wasn’t huge; it was the perfect size for a party like this. Crystal chandeliers lit the room and the music filled the air. Namjoon, his professor friend, Jiwoo, Jimmy K and Jin sat at the lounge in the corner of the room to chat, Jimin pulled a giggling Taehyung onto the dancefloor to dance, and Hoseok pulled his mother onto the floor to dance.

“May I?”

Catalina turned around. Jungkook was holding out his hand, a smile on his face. Catalina grinned and took his hand. He led her out to the dance floor and took her waist, pulling her closer.

Even after two dates and several weeks of officially dating, Jungkook still managed to make her blush when he held her close like this.

“I love this dress on you,” he said as they swayed to the music.

“Thank you,” said Catalina. “I had some inside information on you when I bought this. I heard you have a thing for red.”

“I do,” he said as he led her into a spin. “Did Jimin tell you?”

Catalina nodded and leaned in close to whisper in his ear.

“Just wait until you see what I’m wearing underneath.”

She heard his breath catch before he pulled her even closer. They glided across the floor, turning and swaying to the beat. When the song ended, Catalina felt a tap on her shoulder.

“Mind if I cut in?” Jimmy K asked Jungkook.

“I did promise to save him a dance,” said Catalina. She knew Jungkook wasn’t the jealous type, so she wasn’t surprised when he laughed and said, “Sure, why not?”

Jungkook left with a smile and a lingering hand on her bare back. Jimmy K swept her into a waltz as the next song began. She watched Jungkook take a seat by Namjoon, eyeing her with a dreamy smile on his face.

“You’ve got that boy completely wrapped around your finger,” said Jimmy K. Catalina giggled.

“I know,” she said. “Well, he’s got me too.”

“I can see that,” said Jimmy K. “I saw the little gift you left on his neck.”

Catalina laughed loudly at that and said, “You know what he said to me? He said, ‘you should get a collar for me next time’.”

Jimmy K raised an eyebrow and said, “Oh, that would make things interesting.”

“Certainly,” said Catalina. “I have my work cut out for me.”

“You can handle it,” said Jimmy K. “You’re a very capable woman.”

“Jimmy K, if you keep flirting with me all the time, you’re going to turn Jungkook into a jealous mess,” said Catalina. Jimmy K chuckled.

“I can’t help it,” he said. “I just have a flirty personality I guess. But I will stop if it makes you uncomfortable.”

“I just find it flattering,” said Catalina. “You’d have to ask Jungkook about it.”

“I saw you interrogating Hoseok’s sister at dinner,” he said, changing the subject abruptly. “I’m assuming you were trying to get some information on that suspicious bugger.”

“Yeah, ‘trying’ being the key word there,” Catalina said with a sigh. Jimmy K lifted his arm to spin her, then led her into a gliding sidestep and turn. “She barely knew more than we do. The most useful thing she told me was that the experience was supposedly very difficult for him and its painful for him to talk about.”

“Well, he could have just said that,” said Jimmy K. “Here I was thinking he was some kind of spy or he had some kind of murderous backstory.”

“Yeah, same here,” said Catalina. “It still doesn’t answer any questions, but at least it takes a little bit of suspicion off of him.”

“Well, if he ever goes off the rails and takes a nasty turn on you all, just give me a call,” said Jimmy K.

“What, are you some kind of vampire slayer?” asked Catalina, letting him drop her into a dip. “Why do you know so much about vampires and their history and stuff?”

Jimmy K winked and said, “That’s for me to know, darling, and you to find out.”

Catalina smirked and rolled her eyes.

“Ah, the mysterious, ruggedly handsome Jimmy K,” Catalina said, pretending to swoon.

“That’s right,” Jimmy K said with a smirk.

As the song ended, Catalina and Jimmy K parted ways. Catalina joined Jungkook at the lounge, sitting on the armrest of his chair. She draped her arm over his shoulder and gazed down at him. He was listening to Namjoon and Dr. Carlisle talk, but looked up at Catalina when she sat.

“What are you guys talking about?” she asked. Jungkook just smiled up at her and shrugged.

“I don’t really know,” he said. “Something scientific. How was your dance?”

“Heh, let me tell you, Jimmy K is a very mysterious individual,” she said, then leaned down to whisper in his ear. “I’ll tell you what he said later.”

“Please Yoongi-hyung! Do it for me!” Taehyung’s voice caught their attention across the ballroom. He was sitting on the piano bench beside Yoongi, begging him with big eyes and interlocked fingers. Yoongi seemed to let out a deep sigh, as his shoulders continued to sink for several seconds. That seemed to satisfy Taehyung, whose face lit up. He leapt from the bench and went to the wall where he adjusted the lighting to be a bit dimmer. Jimin watched all of this from the center of the dance floor as everyone else cleared away, retreating to the lounge.

Catalina’s eyebrows rose as Taehyung laid across the top of the grand piano. Yoongi began playing and Catalina recognized the tune immediately. To her surprise, Taehyung’s singing voice somehow fit the song beautifully, serenading an overly dramatic version of “A Thousand Miles”. Jimin doubled over laughing as Taehyung serenaded him, sliding off the piano and miming holding a microphone as he approached. Taehyung grabbed Jimin’s hands and led him into a dance as best he could with Jimin laughing so hard, face beet red. Taehyung’s smooth voice led the dramatic, slightly silly performance through the rest of the song. Once it ended, everyone stood up and applauded, Taehyung taking his bows. Jimin stood beside him, covering his face and still giggling.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dr. Carlisle left, along with Jin, Jimmy K, and Hoseok’s sister and mother. Catalina didn’t let them leave without trying to return the necklace, but she told her to hold onto it until next time. After thanking her profusely and watching them all out the door, the group went to one of the bigger lounges. Taehyung served coffee and tea and Hoseok and Namjoon brought in gifts – two thick envelopes decorated with bows.

“You guys didn’t have to get anything!” Jimin exclaimed.

“It’s nothing big,” said Namjoon. “Just tokens really. We haven’t had many friends outside of this house in a long time.”

“But we don’t have anything for you guys,” said Jungkook.

“You guys are broke college students!” Hoseok said. “Save your money!”

They laughed and finally let Namjoon hand a big envelope to Catalina.

“This is kind of from all of us,” he said. “It’s for you and Jungkook.”

Catalina opened the envelope and pulled out several things. A packet of paper depicted pictures of a beautiful forest in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, with waterfalls and trails. It advertised a beautiful cabin, rustic and modern. After reading the front page, she realized what it was.

“Reservations?” she said. “What is this?”

“Look what else is in there,” said Namjoon.

There were two other slips of paper behind the packet. Round trip plane tickets. To Detroit, Michigan. For the week of Christmas. Catalina’s jaw dropped. Jungkook took the packet from her and flipped through it with wide eyes.

“Namjoon, this is too much,” Catalina said.

“Well, it’s from all of us,” said Hoseok. “But it was mostly his idea.”

“The reservation is for the week after Christmas,” said Jungkook.

“So you can spend the first week with your mom,” said Namjoon.

“Oooh! That’s why you asked me if I was spending the holiday with my family,” Jungkook exclaimed.

“You’re not?” Catalina asked. Jungkook shook his head.

“I mean, my brother is coming home and we’re having dinner with my parents a few days before Christmas,” he said. “Which you’re invited to, if you want. I know we’ve only been dating for a short time but…”

“I’d love to go,” she said. “We’ve known each other for a while now and I’ve only seen your parents in passing. I haven’t even met your brother at all.”

“And then it looks like the day after our dinner, we would leave for this,” said Jungkook.

“Namjoon, all of you, thank you so much,” said Catalina. “This is so generous.”

“Yeah, this is really awesome,” said Jungkook. “Thank you.”

“It’s really no problem,” said Namjoon.

Taehyung then handed the other envelope to Jimin and said, “Open mine next, Jiminie.”

Jimin opened the envelope and gasped.

“It’s not until summer, and I understand if you don’t want to, because I know you’re wary around us, as you should be, but I’ve always wanted to try camping and I hear it’s really pretty there…”

“Taehyungie,” Jimin interrupted. His eyes were glittering with tears. “I would love to go with you. This looks beautiful.”

“Really?” Taehyung said. “You’re not afraid to travel with me?”

Jimin shook his head and stood up to hug Taehyung tight. “My lovely Taehyungie. I could never be afraid of you.”

When they broke apart, both of them wiping their eyes, Jimin sat back down and said, “Can’t say the same for the rest of you. Jungkook, Cat, I’m talking about you too.”

Everyone laughed and Jimin said, “Haha, yeah laugh it up. You guys are insane. Sneaking into a vampire den without telling anyone. The fact that you made it out alive is an honest to God miracle.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After cleaning up the party, Taehyung invited the three humans to stay the night if they wanted to, since it was already past midnight. Catalina and Jungkook explored a bit before choosing a guest room on the third floor, far away from everyone else. When Jimin asked them where their room was, Jungkook threw him an exaggerated wink and nothing else. Jimin had almost fallen over laughing.

Their room was big and dark. Thick blackout curtains covered the huge window against the right wall. The four-poster bed looked antique, with twisting posts and sheer curtains around it. The thick carpet was a relief under Catalina’s feet once she took off her heels.

“What did you and Jimmy K talk about?” Jungkook asked as he toed off his own shoes.

“Oh right. He asked about my conversation with Jiwoo,” said Catalina. “I told him what she said, and then Jimmy K insinuated that he may be some kind of vampire slayer.”

Jungkook’s eyebrows shot up. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah, he said something like, ‘If Hoseok ever hurts anyone, just give me a call’,” said Catalina.

“That’s so mysterious,” said Jungkook. “He knew about Alexandria the Annihilator too, which means he’s more familiar with vampire history than any of us.”

“Exactly,” said Catalina.

“Hm… well, we don’t have to talk about Jimmy K anymore,” Jungkook said, sidling closer to Catalina. “Thinking about what you’re wearing under this has been keeping me distracted all night.”

~ ~ ~ ~

The next morning, Catalina woke up before him. She went to the big window and opened the curtains, letting the sunlight stream into the room. The golden rays fell across the bed, bathing Jungkook in the morning light. Catalina admired her work from where she was standing; hickeys decorated his neck, chest, and thighs, and lipstick still stained his skin. His hair was tousled and his face was peaceful. Gorgeous. He was absolutely beautiful. Catalina couldn’t believe how lucky she was.

He said he loves me, Catalina thought with a dopey smile on her face, recalling the way he mumbled it into her skin last night, half asleep. I love this boy. So much.

#bts #bts fanfction #knights of the night #kim namjoon #kim seokjin #Jimmy K #min yoongi #jung hoseok #park jimin #kim taehyung #jeon jeongguk #namjoon #rm #jin #captain kirk #suga #jhope #hobi #jimin #taehyung #v #jungkook #crystalstar

[littlefoxwithbighat]

Hi! This is talking about the plot of the dream smp in a meta sense and its a bit negative. The person behind this blog wants to remind you that you can skip if it's not for you and they still love the SMP. :)

ALL DISCUSSION IS ABOUT CHARACTERS. DON'T ATTACK CCS OR I WILL STEAL YOUR KNEECAPS.

I can't lie; I'm really annoyed and worried at the way the writers are handling Tommys character at the moment, and am increasingly concerned about it messing up the plot.

I wasn't very happy with the finale. I don't think that means all is lost, I think they can pull it back but it's going to take some work. I was worried about the way that things were handled before but the green festival was actually very well handled, so my worries were mostly assuaged. But yesterday? I don't know.

The fact nobody lost a cannon death is kind of disappointing. The weight of blowing up an entire city/ (country?) brutally is somewhat lost if there is no human loss. Nobody was hurt physically and the only people this had a big mental impact on was Tommy and Tubbo, everyone else wasn't very attached to L'manburg or had gone rogue, or were detatched from the while situation. And maybe it's the fact it's happened to them before or that they still have each other or that it seems odd/ frustrating that they still care so much about this place or that it was always a losing battle and they knew it, but I dont find myself really pitying them like I probably should. And I think that comes down to character growth or lack thereof, which I'll discuss later.

Niki and Fundy have started a villain arc, or at least a violent nihilism arc, and I actually don't mind it, in fact I'm a fan but it wasnt really foreshadowed, or really just showing them cracking as much as it should have been. I would guess this has mostly been started for both of them to tie Niki into the plot and I can't blame her for wanting that. Fundys acting is very good, and I REALLY hope the writers handle this well. For Fundy, regarding the fact that his father is going to be resurrected and that Fundy is following in his footsteps... If the writers don't realise that connection and make this a big step in Fundys narrative I will scream. Also Funboo bros are very interesting character foils and I hope their relationship is maintained so that they can play of off each other and also man I just really want them to keep being friends, it's a generally positive healthy relationship that makes both characters sympathetic and we need that right now. As for Niki, her character motivations seem to be mostly centered around Tommy and on the one hand I'm like ehhhh, because Tommy's character already gets a disproportionate amount of attention in terms of narrative, and I get it, but recently he's been a bit TOO much of the protagonist for a multi-person POV improve server... and I'm apprehensive. However on the other hand this has potential for a nice confrontation between Tommy and Niki. If that happens I want Tommy to be aware that this is going to happen and not talk over Niki, and I don't want it to be brushed over. I think it would be best if it was just the two of them. This also gives a nice chance for Tommy to examine his trauma with Dream and explain his motivations and Niki to get her anger out. I also want it to end positively, because it absolutely can and lack of communication when the viewer knows how to fix it is OK as a plot device sometimes but incredibly frustrating if it keeps happening (cough, Tommy and Techno).

Ranboo is reacting to the plot amazingly and I have as usual only praise for him, go, you funky enderman boy, go.

Wilbur is getting resurrected which is a thousand percent because Will wants the plot back and honestly I don't really mind, I think he'll do a good job. However I really hope he speaks to everybody about their characters, particularly Fundy, Ranboo and Niki because I don't want their characterisation and arcs to be thrown away.

Tubbo is doing very well, and I don't have many complaints to be honest. I hope he continues to get in with the acting with no shame, because he's an amazing VA when he wants to be, but sometimes he undercuts serious moments a little too much by laughing. Same criticism for Phil actually. But both are doing good.

On the theme of that, while I don't mind tension relievers or humour in serious moments there are sometimes too many. It was a lot worse about a month back and it was improving, but it seems to be creeping back in and ehhh. It's kind of Marvel-esque and not in a good way? I think it has a lot to do with bloopers and for some reason there are loads at the moment? Like Wilburs arc had almost none and this arc there's at least 2 every moment. Which isn't always their fault but maybe they need to take more steps to prevent them.

Techno is doing OK, he's quite a meta character so I'm not too mad about him undercutting serious moments but sometimes he does do it too much or in the wrong place. Like making jokes about Connor completely over the top of Tommy and Tubbos reunion, you know an event which has been foreshadowed for yoinks, prevented them from getting a proper flow going and kind of ruined it. And that made the reunion really dissapointing, which is a shame because it could have been so cool. However his characterisation is consistent and dedicated, his goals and relationships are clear and he's getting humanised more which is nice, and his monologues are great. I'm curious to see what he does now NL'M is gone but I have total faith in him.

Now Tommy. Oh Tommy. His character is such a mess at the moment, which is a shame because there were moments I saw people doubting his character choices and I was behind him.

Firstly the relationship with Techno fell apart. That was inevitable. Tommy didn't care about anarchy and Techno didn't care about the discs and both of their goals would impede the others. But the way Tommy talks about Techno is so... No? And now I understand that Tommy is going to have a biased perspective on the whole situation, and that's fine and good, but his character is so wrong about Techno it feels weird and painful? Like even from his perspective it went down differently to how he talks about it. They don't listen to each other and it's like watching two people scream at a wall.

The issue is the relationship was fairly well developed. I struggle to see Tommy saying he saw Techno as a friend but Techno never saw him as a friend because hold on, what? Techno, here's a respiration helmet because of that one of thing you told me about your trauma, a disc because those make you happy, plus top tier armour and weaponry, plus I'm going to spend time with you, calm you down from panic attacks, hide you and protect you from Dream, let you wander around L'manburg and achieve your own goals and help you plan things out Techno and Tommy didn't get ANYTHING from that? Plus after Techno opens up about his goals and his trauma, do the one thing that would hurt him the most, (use and then betray him) and then directly oppose his goals after he helped me? Ugh. It just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I know he would never let Tubbo get hurt and thats fine, but there were ways around that. If you're framing this character as the protagonist, then he needs to be sympathetic or at least grow and Tommy using Techno again without remorse and then refusing to listen to his perspective or show any gratitude for anything makes it difficult for viewers to empathise with him in my opinion. Have him betray Techno and then listen to Techno when he explains why Tommys betrayal hurt him and apologise, fine. Have him listen to Techno and try and find a way to keep Tubbo safe regardless, fine. Have him betray Techno but apologetically and still trying to avoid Techo getting crushed or killed, fine. But THIS? Im sympathetic towards Tommys character but this throws away so much potential character development for Tommy, where at least he saw Techno as a person, and not only that but a nice person who despite everything has set aside everything to help him? And then for him to be exactly where he was at the end of season 1, both literally, and emotionally ? I understand this is a child soldier with trauma but this is supposed to be our protagonist and if he doesn't grow, and isn't sympathetic and destroys someone we care about, how can we root for him?

Now all of this could be forgivable, not great, but forgivable, if Tommy had moved on from the discs. The Goddamn Discs™. And the worse part is all the dominoes were lined up to suggest he had! We had his moment of "he watched me" where he realised Dream was the villain and controlling him, "I've become worse than everyone I hated" good, amazing, I see where this is going, "The discs were worth more than you ever were!" and then he retracts and apologises and you think horray! Tommy has realised the discs were being used to control him and if he doesn't care about them, they hold no value! Now he's going to realise that his friends are more important and he's going to stop going after the discs. His new character motivation can be killing Dream and protecting his friends, especially Tubbo. It's clearly angled this way, and this way the plot progresses and Tommy with it. What marvellous character development. Look at him go.

And THEN, after everything that's happened he says the most important thing is the disc and I want them back!?!? EH !!? Why... Who... Who gave the OK on that writing decision? That's so static and boring and unsympathetic! And then he's back to asking people do fight for L'manburg? What?

I'll be honest I was kind go hoping either Tommy or Tubbo would die with L'manburg. I didn't mind it they didn't, there are a thousand ways to make the plot work without them dying, but this was not a great one.

PLEASE let Tommy have some growth. Yes he's had some from not caring about L'manburg to fighting for it in season one, but that was ages ago and he doesnt seem to have changed since then in any way that really counts. And I know this is harsh and he's traumatised but you have to understand I am talking about this in a sense of characters and narrative and NOT in terms of real life. Tommy needs to be better and dynamic because he is a charcacter and I want him to be a good one.

Having said all that, here are my thoughts on the future of the SMP.

Firstly, I am worried that becuse it is such a good source of content, especially for Tommy that they will never ever kill his character and leave him fighting with Dream for eternity. And I love the Dream SMP but I've seen stories that get dragged out for plot or content, and however much you think you want it to never end, let me tell you, yes you do. It will get stale and repetitive and I want the dream smp, or at least Tommys arc to go out with a beautiful and brilliant and fabulous plot ending instead of being dragged into the dirt. And then maybe new characters take the spotlight. Just please god give it a goode ending.

I also really hope they don't throw other things away to make Tommy the centre of attention, especially if it's destructive to the plot, or kind of weird and obnoxious.

Secondly, I am intrigued about the prison and Schlatts book to Dream and Technos favour and the egg and what that entails and I hope they really think through those plot points carefully and make them work, and don't forget them or throw them away.

Thirdly, I am intrigued for Wilburs return and hope that he manages to fix it cohesively without too crazy a change of pace and style and keeping characters (especially Ranboo and Fundy and Niki) consistent.

I hope they prep for the future and think things thought and communicate with each other.

It might be interesting to see other countries finally discussed but I don't know how much that would intefere with other plot points so we'll see.

That's all! Reminder that this is about characters and plot and this is just a few criticisms. I love the dream smp, but there are somethings I wanted to get of my chest. Please be respectful and feel free to discuss in the notes. Also, again, no hate to any CCs!

#mcyt #mcytumblr #dream smp theories #dream smp analysis #dream smp #dream smp spoilers #dream smp meta #tommy mcyt #negativity #negativity tw #dream smp plot

[yacoka]

the journey back

iii. haunting sovereignty

character(s) — tsukishima kei, matsukawa issei, hanamaki takahiro

pairing — tsukishima kei x reader (and matsukawa x hanamaki if you squint a little)

genre — royalty!au, reincarnation!au, soulmate!au

warning(s) — none

beta(s) — @/doughnuts-5ever

masterlist

“It’s been half a year and you still get lost on campus,” Tsukishima teases as you flop into the seat beside him, dumping your bag onto the table with a heavy thump.

“Shut up,” you groan, slumping onto his shoulder. “This class is on a whole nother side of campus, and I’ve never been here before.”

Tsukishima doesn’t say anything, opting to respond with an aggravating hum and an unnecessarily loud sip of his coffee. Eight o’clock classes weren’t good for you, especially if you hadn’t had time to drink any form of caffeine. Leaning more of your weight onto him, you stare down at the table, eyes crossing in and out of focus...

“Alright class, get into your pairs!”

You jerk away from Tsukishima, eyes wide as you watch the class shift around. “What’s going on?”

Tsukishima straightens up from his position, rolling his right shoulder back. “Your head’s heavy.”

You shoot him a glare, and he sniffs, tilting the screen of his laptop towards you. “We have to do research and present on the history of Japan’s monarchy. The teacher assigned us to the Forgotten Years. It’ll be a difficult topic to cover, but I figured we’d be able to handle it.”

“The Forgotten Years?” You furrow your brows in confusion. “Honestly, did you even open the textbook to read?” Tsukishima sighs, and explains. “They’re the years that the majority information of the ruling sovereignty at that point of time was lost. Hence, Forgotten Years.”

Nodding, you read through the project brief. This might be a challenge to research on, but lost things always called out to you, and this was no exception.

“You know, my grandmother used to tell me her grandmother’s grandmother had sovereign blood in her, though I think she just wanted to say she had royal blood in her,” you muse, grinning at Tsukishima. “You think you could have royal blood? You certainly have the looks for it, and that haughty personality to complete it.”

He starts, a light blush spreading across his cheeks as he processes your hidden compliment. “Well, you definitely don’t have royal blood in you. I doubt royals are ever late, nor would they walk around with a toothpaste stain on their collar.”

Glancing down, you do indeed find the red stain of your strawberry toothpaste on your collar. You frown, rubbing at it furiously until it goes away.

“Shut up.” You grumble, glaring at the offending collar as Tsukishima snickers.

“You’re welcome, Princess.”

You slump into the sofa next to Issei, curling up into his side as he and Makki argue over dinner. Without missing a beat, Issei wraps an arm around you, and you watch in amusement as they continue to yell.

“We had that last time, and the time before that, and the time before that time! It’s my turn to choose, and I’m choosing the ramen store on the corner of the street!”

“Oh, you’re just choosing that ramen store because of that cute delivery boy,” Issei sneers, tossing a pillow at your now-pinked face friend.

“Wha-shut up, no I’m not,” Makki splutters, tossing the pillow back.

You grin, pulling out your phone and placing an order for pizza. They were never going to settle on dinner, not tonight at least. A text from Tsukishima comes in, and you reply to him, tuning out the two idiots as their argument progresses.

“Y/n, back me up- what are you doing?” Issei frowns down at you, snatching your phone away and squinting at it. “Is that a boy? Are you texting a boy?”

Makki yelps and bounces off his seat, practically landing in Issei’s lap. “She’s what?”

You scramble for your phone, trying to wriggle out of Issei’s death grip. “He’s just a friend, we have a few classes together.”

“Just a friend?” Makki says incredulously. “Do you give all your just friends emojis like his?”

You flush and jab Makki in his side. He squeaks, jerking up in Issei’s lap. Issei wraps his free arm around Makki’s waist. “Dude, don’t bounce around like that. Your bony ass doesn’t feel good.”

“Then get her royal highness not to assault my sides,” the pink-haired man argues back, going as far as to elbow Issei’s stomach.

“If Princess wants to attack you, then attack you she shall.” He winks at you. “I am merely her servant, here to carry out her wishes.”

“The Princess wishes for her phone to be returned.” You shoot them a pointed stare.

“Here to carry out most of her wishes,” Issei amends. “Sorry Princess, but we gotta see who this mysterious boy is.”

“His name is Tsukishima Kei, and he happened to be from the same prefecture we lived in.”

“Tsukishima Kei? His name sounds familiar…” Makki scratches his chin thoughtfully. “Show us his photos.”

You hold your hand out, staring them down. “I’ll need my phone back for that.”

Issei returns your phone reluctantly, and you go to his Instagram, flashing them brief photos of him.

“Oh! I remember him, he was one of the volleyball players on Karasuno. Defeated us in our final year of high school, remember that Mattsun?”

Issei glares at Makki, their third year still a touchy subject. “So what’s he like?”

“What do you mean what’s he like? Didn’t you just say you knew him?” You shake your head incredulously.

He waves a hand dismissively as he rolls his eyes. “Yeah, as a volleyball player, not as a person. Besides, you didn’t see us hang around others much did you?”

“Mmm, that’s fair.” You sink back into Issei’s side as Makki rolls onto the ground, resting his head on your leg. “Well, he’s..., he’s a nice guy I guess?” You shrug helplessly.

At their prodding glares, you scrunch your face up and continue. “He’s smart, he has nice handwriting… oh, he has a mean streak, but it’s kinda funny I guess. He likes provoking people, and it’s quite funny to see people get worked up because of his comments. He gets this really pleased look when he successfully riles someone up, it’s kinda adorable.”

The duo stares at you in disbelief and you shift uncomfortably as the silence drags on.

“Someone has a crush,” Makki waggles his brows.

“Someone has a very, very big crush.” Issei corrects, his thick brows rising so high they almost meet his hairline.

You flush deeply and smack them both. “I do not! You asked me what he's like and I told you.”

They exchange incredulous looks and turn back to you in unison.

“Did you even hear what you said and how you sounded?”

“It’s okay Mattsun. You know what they say, denial is the first step to acceptance.”

“I do not have a crush on him, he’s just a friend.”

The doorbell rings then, and you jump up. “The pizza’s here, I’ll go get it.”

You silently thank the delivery boy for his fortunate timing, stuffing a little more than what’s necessary into his hands.

“Wait, when did you order pizza? I thought we were getting ramen!”

The delicate flower crown sits atop your head, a beautiful mixture of red, orange, and yellow wildflowers intertwined with each other. You wear it with pride and love, a bright smile shining at every stranger that walks past you in the cafe. Issei had made it for you this morning, with flowers he had illegally plucked from the park he jogs at.

It doesn’t take long for Tsukishima to arrive, perpetually in his cool composure and signature headphones. He usually greets you with a nod, but today all he can do is stare at you, stunned.

“What?” You touch your face self-consciously. “Is there something on my face?

The blond shakes his head, pushing his glasses up slightly.

“No, you just- you look pretty.” A light blush coats his cheeks, and you can feel an answering flush creep down your neck.

“Thank you.” You aren’t quite sure how to respond, having never received such an outright compliment from the snarky blond before. It brings to mind the conversation you had the other day with your boys, and your flush deepens at the maybe-not-so-outlandish idea of you having feelings for Tsukishima.

“Crowns suit you,” he says offhandedly as he settles down in the seat opposite you.

(Your heartbeat definitely does not speed up even more at this. Not one bit.)

“I bet you’ll look good in crowns too! Flower crowns in specific.” You send a wink his way, relishing in the blush that creeps down his neck and past the collar of his shirt.

(You definitely do not enjoy that blush of his, especially since you caused it. You just like seeing him ruffled, that’s all.)

Flower crowns must be special, as despite the flustered expression he sports, Tsukishima replies steadily, “I look good in many things, but I doubt I’d pull off this look as well as you do.”

Your mouth drops open at his smooth reply and he leaves you no chance to gather a retort before he gets up to order your drinks - he has long memorised your order at this cafe.

He returns with your orders and sets your drink down. It has a little flower doodled on the side, with a large loopy ‘Princess’ scrawled beside it.

(Tsukishima, of all people, you scream internally. Tsukishima Kei.)

#tsukishima x reader #tsukishima kei #haikyuu #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu tsukishima

[stranger-who-writes-fiction]

Ya know what these self-indulgent Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow posts need? Self-indulgent banner art, that’s what.

Spoilers for issue #4!

Let’s start this off right with CREATOR CREDITS. Issue 4 of Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is titled “Restraint, Endurance, and Passion.” Written by Tom King, Art by Bilquis Evely, Colors by Matheus Lopes, Letters by Clayton Cowles, and Edited by Brittany Holzherr. (w/ Assist. Editor: Bixie Mathieu & Senior Editor Mike Cotton)

THE STORY: 

Right, so this? This issue? Best one yet.

Also the bleakest of the bunch thus far; even though we don’t always see the brutality of the space pirates that Kara and Ruthye are following, there’s...the suggestion of it. The aftermath. And how Kara responds to it.

Okay, getting a little ahead of myself. BASIC PLOT SUMMARY: Ruthye and Kara continue their pursuit of Krem, who has taken up with Barbond’s Brigands.

The Brigands basically just. Murder and terrorize people, for profit.

Each planet they visit brings new horrors, as well as people who need Supergirl’s help.

And help she does.

KARA-CTERIZATION:

I yell a lot about the art on this book, and have, in fact, openly admitted that I’m primarily here for Evely and Lopes.

Well, that wily son-of-a-gun King went and wrote some of the best ‘Super’ stuff I’ve ever read and dang it, dang it, now I gotta yell about the words too. XD

Specifically, I wanna yell (in a good way!) about some words that occur towards the very end of the book.

Kara and Ruthye have Seen Some Things; things like genocide and mass grave sites and horrible violence, and upon reaching a planet where peaceful monks were slaughtered, Kara’s had enough, and needs to leave because if she screams, she’ll destroy what little is left of the monks’ monastery.

Here’s the text in full, because my gosh. It’s so good:

“What I write next I write based on my observations in those long-ago days at the side of the greatest warrior in the history of this august reality we all call home. It is important to note that my assertions do not rely on anything Supergirl said. It was not a subject we ever discussed or even approached, but nonetheless I believe it to be as true as the turning of worlds. You see, what is not well understood about the daughter of Krypton is that her power was not one of action but one of restraint, endurance, and passion. She did not choose to fire a beam from her eyes, or have breath of ice, or run faster than a speeding bullet. Or any of her other well-documented miracles. No, she held back her heat vision to look you in the face. She warmed her breath to converse with you. She slowed herself to walk by your side. Ever moment of every day, she suppressed the forces churning inside of her. All of the energy of a dead world that strained against her many barriers, eternally demanded to be released. I believe this effort hurt her. I believe she lived her life in pain. But I reiterate again, for I think it important enough to repeat--These beliefs are based on my time at her side, watching her as she moved through strife and sorrow. If you were to have asked her, I have little doubt she would have claimed that such as assertion was absurd. She would say she felt fine and well and then she’d as you if you needed any help.”

A long chunk of words, I know (this comic is DENSE!) but like. This is it. This is one of the defining attributes of the Supers--all that raw power at their disposal and they choose to help people, to be kind, to suppress that power for the benefit and safety of others.

HNNNNNNNG.

Hope, Help, and Compassion for All.

Whole lotta folks claimed at the outset of this book that King did not understand Kara, that he was a bad fit. And that may be so, I suppose--there’s a whole other discussion about like. The violence and swearing and ‘does that belong in a Supergirl book?’ But the characterization? Getting that Kara and Clark are just good people? 

King gets it. He got it in Superman: Up in the Sky and he gets it here, in Woman of Tomorrow.

Other things King gets! Kara is stubborn! Kara is passionate! Kara is going to fix things, even if the effort of doing so hurts her, physically, emotionally, and mentally!

(Fuuuuuuun fact for the crowd saying that Woman of Tomorrow is vastly superior to the CW show: TV Kara is ALSO all of those things! King isn’t pulling this stuff out of thin air. It’s almost like...gosh. I don’t know! Both the show and Tom King are pulling from the character’s comic history, or something!!!! HOW NOVEL.) 

Like, seriously. There’s a lot of overlap. Stop pitting Karas against each other!

Anyways!

I promised art, so here is art!

Oh, right, forgot to mention, Kara literally THROWS HERSELF INTO THE SUN to express her grief and anger, so as to not cause that unnecessary destruction. She gives new meaning to the phrase: Set yourself on fire to keep someone else warm. 

More art yelling: GOTTDAMN, the way Evely draws Kara just colliding with the surface of the sun and then the way Kara’s hair like...becomes the flames...

I am FEELING FEELINGS. HOW DARE.

Also, props to King and Cowles; King for deciding to have that initial scream, Cowles for the way the letters burst forth from the point of impact on the sun, and then back to King who decided that it would just be...devastating silent screaming from Kara, for the remainder of the scene. 

Back to the characterization, I just wanted to highlight something I mentioned...earlier on, I think? In these posts? But haven’t brought up recently, and that is how this book has not once brought up Zor-El, and I think Superman only got a quick mention in issue 2.

Honestly, I think that’s gotta be some kind of record.

It’s so refreshing. Not because I think there should never be mentions of Clark, or anything--I love that boy--but because so much of modern Supergirl comic drama is mined from the same like, angsting over her place compared to Clark, or her crazy sometimes-a-supervillain dad. 

There is no Clark and Kara drama here, no manufactured friction, because it’s just. A cool Supergirl story! 

Gonna keep going, but let’s do it with some more...

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRTTTTTTTTT!!!!

Once again, Mat Lopes is all over the dang place with his palettes, it’s marvelous.

Each new planet gives Evely the opportunity to go hog wild on the worldbuilding and design, and similarly! Each new locale is an opportunity for Lopes to set the tone with colors. Like, here, towards the beginning of the book, we’ve got a planet bathed in this warm, pale yellow/orange light. 

(Quick note: “Sure, yeah, I get it. We all have our duties. And it’s mine as a neighbor to do what I can to help you with yours. Please.” A+ Kara content. We love to see it. And then locating the remains of the alien’s daughter, so that they can go visit the grave site and have some emotional closure???? It’s just. So. Touching.)

Anyways, back to colors.

Like!!!! LOOK AT THAT JUMP. From the soft, almost pastoral feel of the delicate oranges and yellows to HARD GREEN, PINK, AND PURPLE. (Difficult colors to pull off in print, I might add.) 

(This is also an interesting scene, character-wise, because I think it helps re-contextualize some earlier stuff with Kara. Like, I’m mostly thinking that incident on the bus, where she was swearing at the passengers as the space dragon was about to destroy them. Here, we see Kara kind of...goad this alien woman into releasing her pent up emotions by yelling at her/getting her to fight, and you can clearly see at the end of it that Kara did not mean the things she said, because check this out:

She goes and gives her a hug once the woman is able to finally cry.

It’s not ‘Kara is being mean, Kara is swearing at her’, it’s, ‘Kara has an unorthodox solution to a problem, and she’s gonna FIX that problem, NO MATTER WHAT.’

Circling back to the bus thing--again, that could be an instance of ‘unorthodox approach to a weird situation that Kara is going to handle because lives are at stake.’)

But also, DIG THAT KIRBY KRACKLE, BAY-BEEEEE!

And a little Strange Adventures easter egg! The Pykkts! 

(I think those guys are unique to the Black Label series, rather than deep Adam Strange lore, but don’t quote me on that.)

Moving on to YET ANOTHER PALETTE, one I’ve dubbed, ‘Treasure Planet Purple/Grey’

Love Ruthye’s snoozing against the door, waiting for Kara.

Also, just as striking as the colors of the environment, are the colors used on Kara. 

If you compare this page with the previous one, Kara’s eyes are a paler shade of blue, and the red-rimmed look on her eyes here is not as intense as the red-rimmed look we saw back in issue one, when she was confronting Krem. 

All of which to say! There’s a pale, haunted quality to both the linework and the colors. Like. We know Kara has Seen Some Things. But she’s shoving all that stuff down to protect Ruthye, to save Krypto, and to stop these monsters, and you get all of that WITH COLORS AND LINES ON A PAGE.

I love it, I love it so much.

OTHER BOOKS WISH THEY HAD THIS LEVEL OF CHARACTER ACTING, I TELL YA! THEY WISH THEY HAD THIS BEAUTIFUL ALCHEMY OF INKER, COLORIST, AND WRITER WORKING IN SUCH TIGHT TANDEM!

Ahem. XD

Alright, last bit of art, lest I just. Post the whole issue in here. (Which I’m honestly always tempted to do but Strong Feelings about Piracy hold me back.)

JUST HECKIN’ LOOK AT THAT BLUE, MAN. JUST LOOK AT IT. S’BEAUTIFUL.

And more stunning character acting from Evely. Like. Bottom middle panel. The expression, the tilt of her head and the shadows on her eyes...

*insert silent flailing here*

Oh, also, KRYPTO LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVESSSS (for now). 

I’m never right about these things, so I’m glad the one time I’ve correctly read a thing is when it involves Krypto not, ya know. Being dead. XD

Also absolutely love that Kara’s instinct is to send Ruthye home to protect her--once more leaning into that whole, ‘I’m going to protect you, even at great cost to myself’, though of course we know that she can’t send her home, not here, not now, just halfway through our journey. 

ERRRRRRGH, so mad we’re not getting twelve issues of this! CURSE YOU, POOR SUPERGIRL TRADE SALES! CURSE YOOOOOOU!

That said, King’s pacing? Has been phenomenal. I feel like Strange Adventures and even Mr. Miracle kinda...I’m not gonna say dragged, that’s not quite right. But it is more build up, I guess. Takes a while to get to the payoff.

Here, I think King is pushing things steadily along as he doesn’t have the benefit of an additional four issues, so he has to get to the point, so to speak. Keeps everything moving.

SOME FINAL, MISC. STUFF:

I’ve sort of glossed over the darker stuff from this issue, and I just wanna note that like. This is a book that features a bad guy getting stoned (in the death sentence way, not the drug way) on panel. Like. I can’t recommend this to children.

I can’t even really recommend it to some other Supergirl fans, because I know that the King elements will be too off-putting. 

It never feels like the book is going too far, though. At least in like an...exploitative way? If that makes sense?

The violence is handled with discretion, I guess is what I’m trying to convey. This could very easily tip over into like, gross shock factor territory, if not handled well, but I think the creative team pulls it off.

...Still wouldn’t hand this book to kids, though. XD

As mentioned, we’re halfway through this series! Can’t wait to see where it goes--every time I think I have this book figured out, it surprises me. So, like. Bring on the Dinosaur planet! With no sunlight! I wanna see how Lopes handles THAT. XD

(But Oh, OooooOOooh, we gotta wait until NOVEMBER.)

(Hhhnnnnng!)

(Then again, maybe that’s good; we’ve got the TV show in the meantime, and then once it ends we can pick right up with new Supergirl content just a few weeks later.)

(...Aw. Made myself a little sad, thinking about the TV show coming to an end.)

:C

So as not to end on that sad note, here once again is tiny, smushed Kara:

Give ‘em the ol razzle dazzle.

#stranger speaks #supergirl: woman of tomorrow #supergirl: woman of tomorrow spoilers #dc comics #comics talk #comics opinions #comics thoughts #long post #are those the right tags? I can never remember #gif

[sxveme-2]

blueberry pancakes // bucky barnes

MASTERLIST

Description: A single mother. Juggling being a mom, a full time pediatrician, and a difficult ex who believed now would be the best time to finally be a father. A soldier ripped out of time. Ex-assassin turned superhero. Learning how to balance a new domestic life with handling demons of his past, while facing the trials of the future. a love story began over something as simple as chocolate chip pancakes with hidden blueberries.

Disclaimer: I do not own any original Marvel characters! All canon plots and canon characters belong to Marvel Comics and Marvel Studios. This is an original work. You may not publish it anywhere else

Status: Edited

Note: Takes place after endgame. I have elected to ignore Tony's death and Steve's leaving. Did not happen. Quick Reminder! My works are only published here, AO3 and on Wattpad, thank you.

Chapter Sixteen: The One With the Parents

Warnings: N/A

Word Count: 3029

        "Oh!" a familiar voice called as Bucky opened the door, "Well hello there. who are you?"

Lily's eyes blew wide as she jumped up from her seat on the couch, readjusting herself before rushing forward from the living room, startling Joey. Coming to a halt, beside Bucky, Lily gave a nervous smile as she came face to face with her parents. Alicia and Abel Osborne, two of the most notorious environmental scientists in the country. And some of the most down-to-earth and relaxed people you could ever find. So how they had an uptight and perfectionist daughter like Lily? Well, no one could really explain that.

"Mom? Dad?" Lily questioned, a small laugh trailing behind her words, "It's like eleven o'clock. What on earth are you doing here?"

"Well your father is never good with timing but that doesn't answer my question," Alicia Osborne hummed, handing her coat to her husband, "Who is this?" she smiled, pointing her finger up and down the man.

"James Barnes," the man introduced, reaching his flesh hand forward, "Please, call me Bucky. It's lovely to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Osborne, Lily has told me much about you."

"How sweet. we haven't heard anything to do with you. Other than what everyone already knows about the famous Winter Soldier!" Abel commented, shaking the man’s hand that was outstretched. One that lasted a second too long.

Blunt. A very notable characteristic of the Osborne parents. Due to their intelligence, they seemed to have failed in the social department. Neither knew when some of the things they said could come across as hurtful, yet somehow managed to say these things in sweet and loving tones. It had a tendency to be a detriment to the three children of the two, seeing as when they didn't like someone they brought home, they would say it. Not to Lily. Not to Rose. Not to Cedar. To the other party. They always said sugarcoating was a waste of time, and that honesty was something that was vital.

"Where's Hunter?" Alicia asked, continuing to eye Bucky.

"As I said. it's eleven at night. He's asleep." Lily sighed, leading the rest of the party into the kitchen, "I wish you would have called me to tell me you're coming. I only have one spare room."

"Oh, that's fine. Bucky can sleep with you." Alicia stated, opening up her daughter’s kitchen cupboards, searching for lord knows what.

Lily stared wide-eyed at her mother as she took a seat at the dinner table next to Bucky. Hiding her face in her hands, Lily shook her head. This was one of the main reasons Lily never introduced most people to her parents. Especially her mother. She recalled the many times that Lily had brought home a potential boyfriend, only to have them scared off by Alicia's harsh and straightforward remarks.

"Lily you need to go grocery shopping, you have no food." Alicia sighed, "Come on Abel let's head to bed now."

"Yes, dear...and you two. Keep it down tonight, the spare room is right next to Lily's." Abel commented, chuckling as Lily dropped her head down onto the table and Bucky let out a deep and hearty chuckle.

And as quick as they came in, Lily's parents were gone upstairs to the spare room. Leaving Lily and Bucky alone in the kitchen again, wondering what the hell had just happened. mostly Lily, Bucky seemed to find the entire interaction quite comedic. Seeing Lily get flustered must have made him smile because lord knows the comments were parents made wouldn't.

"Well then...shall we get to bed, doll?" Bucky cooed, leaning towards the blonde and placing his hand gently on the small of her back.

Lily shot the man a glare, but yet, still followed him as they wandered up towards the bedroom Lily slept in every night. And the one she'd be sharing that night.

“Keep it PG, Barnes.”

-----

The gentle feeling of fingertips ghosting against her skin sent a shiver through Lily's body. Her deep green eyes peeled themselves apart, only to hum at the sweet feeling of touch. Her body tensed at first, her mind not comprehending who it was who was caressing her pale skin. But soon it caught up, and her heart began to beat at a rapid pace. But she didn't move. didn't flinch. She cooed gently at the feeling of his calloused fingers tracing small patterns into the smooth skin of her arm. The dim sun of November pierced through the thin curtains of Lily's bedrooms, and she eventually figured she would pull herself from the tranquillity of the moment.

"Mornin' doll." a gruff and raspy voice cooed from behind the blonde, resulting in her rolling onto the other side to come face to face with a stubbly Bucky Barnes.

"Morning," she purred as his fingers returned to her arm, "I should go get Hunter up."

"It's Saturday. let the kid sleep." Bucky replied, inching himself forward. Their noses were millimetres away, and Lily could barely catch her breath.

A grin placed itself on the man’s lips. Leaning forward, the brunette caught the young mom’s lips in his own. Their lips moulded into one another as though they had been perfectly sculpted for the other. His large hands found their way down to her waist and he gently gripped at it, resulting in a breathy noise escaping Lily's lips before he quickly swallowed it with his lips once again. His hands were rough, yet his touch was gentle. The callouses and years of wear and tear against the milky smooth skin of Lily's waist were that of heaven. But she came to as his hands wandered down near the stretch marks she was left with from those years ago while pregnant with the young boy just down the hall.

"Wait," Lily whispered, hands dropping from the man’s hair down onto his hand, averting it from the marks that she still had yet to find comfort in.

Bucky gave her a knowing smile. His warm eyes pouring into hers as he sat up, moving the comforter and sheet from both of their bodies. She watched intently as his hands fiddled with the hems of the white shirt she wore. The blonde sucked in a breath but didn't halt his movements. The tall man gave her an affirming peck on the cheek before lifting the bottom of the pyjama top a smidge. Just above the bottom of her torso. Lily immediately averted her forest green eyes, not wanting to see the pale peach marks along her body. But Bucky's flesh hand gently caressed her chin, beckoning her to turn her head to watch again.

"Lily you are one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen," he cooed, leaning his head down to press a gentle peck against a mark on her hip, "and these only make you more beautiful," he continued, further littering gentle kisses along her stomach, "you created one of the most amazing kids I've met. These are marks to show that strength you had."

"That's one way of putting it," Lily whispered, reaching her hand forward and running it through the dark tresses atop Bucky's head.

"You're gorgeous." Bucky hummed, kissing up her navel before attacking her face with the same gentle kisses he had just pressed to the marks that made Lily wish to never put on a bikini, resulting in a sweet and harmonious giggle to sing from Lily's throat as she thrashed her head around playfully.

When their lips finally met again, the two sunk into one another's touch. Lily hadn't felt so...seen in a long time. The way he kissed her was something she only experienced in her wildest dreams. But having it happen, having his hand, flesh and vibranium, on her and making her feel special...no dream could capture that. The kiss heated up subtly, both gripping the other as though they were each other’s last lifeline. Only to once again, be interrupted by a knock at the door. This time though, the person on the other side didn't both to wait.

"Oh!" the sound of her mother’s voice echoed through the room, causing Joey to pop his head up at the end of the bed, "Well I suppose that's my fault. I should have waited."

Bucky chuckled at the woman's words before ducking his head down into the crook of Lily's neck, giving a shake of his head. Lily groaned and leaned her head back, gently shoving the bulk of a man off of her, sitting up and turning her attention back to the woman who stood in her doorway. Her mother was dressed in a pair of beige cargo pants, a navy blue button-up shirt, and a fishnet cardigan. A signature Alicia Osborne look. And it always managed to work so well with her? Honestly, Lily aspired to be like her mother.

"What can I do for you mum?" Lily smiled, tucking a golden strand behind her ear.

"Well, your dad and I want to go see Gen and Rose! So why don't you two finish up and then we can head down to Gen's cafe, yes? Lovely. Also isn’t morning sex just the best? See you in half an hour!" the blonde cooed, sending a wink towards Bucky before shutting the bedroom door once again.

"Your mom's quite the character."

"Oh, you haven't even seen half of it yet."

-----

A series of chuckles radiated through the group as Lily, Bucky, Hunter, and her parents arrived at the slightly hectic cafe that her best friend owned. Hunter had made a joke that caused Abel to laugh so hard he had stumbled, resulting in him bumping into the back of his wife. Overall, it was a light-hearted mood within the family of Lily Osborne. Though there was a looming presence that each person avoided. And that was the topic of Cedar. The currently incarcerated youngest Osborne child. For a crime, he did indeed commit, but the motive? Still unknown.

When seated, Abel was the first to speak. But not what Lily was hoping to hear.

"Hunt why don't you go see auntie Rose and aunt Gen in the back?" the man hummed, sending his only grandchild off from the booth, leaving the three Osbornes and a Barnes seated. All of them knowing what came next, "So...we did come down for a reason. To talk about, well, Cedar."

Lily tensed up at the sound of her younger brother’s name. The only images playing in her mind were that of the boy’s face when she was brought in to try and question him. A deeply troubled and forlorn look that had made Lily uneasy. As though there was something much bigger at play here, instead of simply that her brother had tried to break into her ex-husband’s apartment. If she could turn back time, she would. And pry the answers out of Cedar if it killed her. She needed to know why the boy was at the apartment, and what he wanted from Scott.

"Now, James. We know you were initially the one to reprehend our son. Which we totally get, he was committing a crime. And you're, well, you," Alicia continued, "But we came down to New York to help question Cedar. And we just want to know everything that happened."

Lily's face began to heat up. Her breathing quickening as she tugged at the dark blue cardigan she wore. Everything around her grew larger as she felt herself shrink. Just thinking of the night that everything happened made the blonde want to hide away from people forever. But it wouldn't go away if she avoided it. The pain that was caused that night wouldn't mysteriously disappear just because Lily chose to ignore it. Despite her constant efforts to do so. And she knew that the time would come where she did in fact have to talk about the night. But what Lily was worried about, subconsciously, was why her parents had kept Bucky here for the conversation. And why on earth they kept referring to him as his first name, despite him being evident on preferring the nickname that everyone used...and Lily wanted to test the waters.

"Buck, why don't you go see Hunter in the back?" Lily hummed, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder, the cool metal feeling pushing through the thin cotton of his shirt.

"No." Abel stepped in, "No, we need Sergeant Barnes to stay."

Both parties, Lily and Bucky, looked at the brunette man across the table with confusion in their eyes. Lily slightly understood the use of James, but not fully. Seeing as it was his first name. However, hearing the words that laid printed on Bucky's dog tags tucked underneath his shirt caused her to straighten her spine slightly. Lily's hand reached under the table to rest gently on the man beside her knee, running smooth circles along it with her thumb.

"...Okay," Lily stated, nodding along hesitantly with her father, "Why?"

"Well he was witness to what happened," Alicia hummed, smiling as a waitress brought out the group each a coffee, "We also trust his memory a tad more than yours, flower. He is a super-soldier after all!"

Lily cocked an eyebrow at her mother’s words. The tones of her parents seemed to fluctuate, and it would have gone unnoticed by those who hadn't been raised by the pair. It only ever happened when both seemed to be on edge or nervous about something. Though Lily tried to convince herself it was merely because their youngest child and only son had been arrested for attempted breaking and entering. But Alicia and Abel Osborne weren't known for their nerves, especially when it came to Cedar. But once again, Lily convinced herself it was most likely just because of that. Hell, if she was in their position with Hunter? She may have already gone mad.

"Did you see anyone else there, that night?" Abel picked up, sipping his coffee, "Any unusual faces? Not just police?"

Both Bucky and Lily shook their heads, but it was the former who spoke, "Not that I saw. But we were at the front of the building. And I'm sure the police did a sweep of the perimeter to ensure there weren’t any other people. So to sum it up, it was just Cedar."

The two nodded along. But there was a new sense of unease settling over the table. It set Lily's nerves on edge. The way her parents fidgeted and shifted. She'd never seen them act so...uncomfortable before. The night before, they were making slight sex jokes with their daughter and Bucky, not a single care in the world. But now? Talking about whether or not there was another person involved in the event seemed to be their least favourite topic of conversation, despite being the ones who had initiated it. The only time that they acted this strange was when Scott had asked their permission to marry Lily, and they said no. But he went along with it anyway...and well, everyone knows how that ended up.

"And Cedar, was he acting weird? Confused, dazed?" Alicia asked, tracing her finger over the hole in her mug, "fidgety?"

Bucky nodded, "Yeah he seemed confused. I didn't get a good look at his face but he kept looking around and panting. He seemed paranoid about something. We've dealt with a few people who have maybe been on substances doing this sort of stuff. Typically on a larger scale though...y'know. trying to take over the world and all of that super fun stuff I call work."

Lily's eyes sat trained on her father. The two always had a close relationship. They were two peas in a pod. Though Alicia tended to be more outspoken, Abel sat back and observed most of the time. But now he was the first to strike up a conversation. Something Lily wasn't used to. What she also didn't like was how he avoided her gaze. He'd sneak a glance every few minutes but immediately turn away when he saw how Lily analyzed him. The shifting in his seat, the paranoid glances. Similar to what had been described for Cedar. A new sense of fear almost. Lily felt an uneasy ball rest in the pit of her stomach, and she tapped on Bucky's arm.

"Can I talk to you outside?" she whispered. When he nodded in agreement, the two excused themselves and pushed open the doors of the cafe out into the chill New York air, "Buck I don't like this. They're acting weird. Something is going on here."

Bucky gave her a gentle smile, before placing his hands on her shoulders, "Doll they're just a bit freaked out because of what's going on. I mean imagine if it were you with Hunter."

"I know! I know I would have lost it by now but I know my parents," Lily insisted, shaking her head, "There's something going on with Cedar and with them. There's something not right about all of this. First of all, Cedar cried whenever I killed a spider. Second of all, he would never want to cause any sort of pain for Hunter, he loves him so much. And third of all, my parents are acting very differently. I've seen them under considerable stress, and my father never speaks first. Bucky I need you to trust me. Something is happening."

He must have picked up on the shake in her voice. For when she finished, he tugged the smaller woman close to his chest, pressing his lips to the crown of her head. Her breathing was rigid and he cooed to her softly. He agreed he'd trust her, and that he'd keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. Kissing her forehead once more, the man lead her back into the cafe. When they returned to their seats, Lily watched carefully as Bucky leaned forward. The gears were turning in his head and Lily could see it. He was formulating something. And then he spoke.

"Cedar was arrested a month ago and questioned. Why are you here now? A month late."

#bucky barnes #bucky barns fanfiction #bucky barnes x female oc #james buchanan barnes #bucky barnes fluff #original female character #female oc #OC #oc tag #oc x canon #marvel #marvel fanfiction #the winter soldier #the avengers #fanfiction #fanfic #tfatws #single mom #sebastian stan #fluffy #romance #comedy #james bucky barnes

[keyofjetwolf]

Hi would you like some rage about She-Ra season 5?

If the answer is no, please don’t click below. For real. Really for real. I’m not looking to piss in anyone’s Cheerios. I think if you were satisfied (or better!) with the show, that’s fantastic and I envy you. As I have always said, love what you love. My opinion is mine and means precisely nothing beyond that. If you think you may be even a little bummed reading about how someone didn’t like it, skip this post and go on with your day, I promise you’re not missing anything worthwhile.

IN A SIMILAR VEIN: If -- before, during, or after reading -- you feel inclined to argue with me, I am begging you to please not. I cannot begin to tell you how much I don’t want to be argued with on this right now. I’m still extremely disappointed and cranky, and I’m not much in the mood to have a measured, reasoned debate about my feelings. Much as my opinion has no bearing on you, your opinion has no bearing on me, and as I’m giving you the option to opt out, I’d appreciate the same courtesy. If you want to write your own post on your own blog, go nuts! Just please leave me out of it. I PREFER TO BE CRANKY AT TELEVISION SHOWS THAN PEOPLE.

The rest of you, come on down. I don’t promise coherency, but I DO promise a lot of stuff said in all-caps!

---

Hello! Thank you for joining me! We watched the remaining few episodes of She-Ra last night! I hated them! Yaaay!

What did I hate? OH HO HO MANY THINGS FRIENDS MANY THINGS. It’s not just stuff from the final couple of episodes either, I want to clarify. It’s the entire final season, settling on last few episodes like the freshly fallen snow on your front lawn that some frat boys decide to pee their names into. By the time we’d gotten to these last episodes, there was really nothing left for me but confirmation of all the shit I’d come to hate. SO THANKS I GUESS FOR PROVING ME RIGHT

Which isn’t to say there was nothing to enjoy in the final episodes! There was!

5. She-Ra’s Triceps. GET BUFF GIRL. I LOVE how Adora and She-Ra look similar, but very much not identical. Adora’s no slouch when it comes to physical stuff, but they go the extra mile to show us how She-Ra is that much more. HOW RARELY DO YOU GET TO SEE A WOMAN WITH MUSCLES. I’ve been nothing but impressed by the ways the show drew the line between Adora and She-Ra, and however I felt about its handling of other elements, it didn’t let me down here.

4. Sometimes A Family Is A Twink, A Lizard, And Their Imp Baby. I don’t have further commentary on this, and I need none.

3. Welcome Home, Daddy. THIS WAS SO SPECTACULAR. Glimmer had, I would argue, the most realized arc in the story. It was so gratifying to see this as a culmination, not just of her own struggle with her magical power and ability to harness it, but her willingness to do what needs doing, however personally difficult. That was a stumbling point Angelica could never overcome, continually trying to micromanage and protect Glimmer rather than trusting her and recognizing her for the asset she was. Also though, more succinctly: YESSSS BITCH

2. A Shanty! THIS WHOLE SCENE WAS PERFECT NO NOTES. Just the right blend of silly and sincere, a genuine delight as even brainwashed Mermista had had enough of Sea Hawk’s shit, AND so much more clever than it seemed at first glance. THIS IS THE ONLY VALID HETEROSEXUAL RELATIONSHIP IN SHE-RA I AM NOT TAKING QUESTIONS AT THIS TIME

1. Shadow Weaver. SHADOW FUCKING WEAVER. What a complicated, fascinating character, bar none the most interesting in the entire series. I do think they pulled their punch right at the very end with her, but I AM capable of remembering I’m watching a kid’s show, so I can only get so disappointed about it. Mostly, she remained a beautifully morally complex character, and she was one of my greatest personal delights from beginning to end*.

(*) Boy did this show have one single solution for mommy issues though.

THAT WAS ABOUT IT. So let’s get to why we’re all really here, and that is MY SCREAMING OH MY GOD WHERE DO I BEGIN

Nah, I know exactly where to begin.

GLIMMER AND BO JESUS MCTRISKET I AM GOING TO EXPLODE AND SHOWER THE UNIVERSE IN THE SHRAPNEL OF MY HATE

WHY IS THIS HAPPENING

WHERE DID IT COME FROM

HOW CAN I SHOVE IT BACK IN THE HATEFUL SPEWHOLE THAT SIRED THIS BULLSHIT

WHY WHY IS THIS HERE WHY IS THIS IN MY FACE WHERE MY EYES HAVE TO SEE IT FUCK ME SIDEWAYS THIS IS THE MOST UNNECESSARY SHOEHORNED IN HET ROMANCE FUCK A DOODLE NONSENSE I HAVE EVER HAD THE MISFORTUNE TO BEAR WITNESS WHAT IS IT DOING IN THIS OTHERWISE EXPONENTIALLY GAY CARTOON

WERE YOU PANDERING TO THE STRAIGHTS

WHY ARE YOU PANDERING TO THE STRAIGHTS I ASSURE YOU WE ARE COVERED BOTH HISTORICALLY AND FICTIONALLY

ALSO NEED I REMIND YOU THAT YOU HAVE ALREADY ACHIEVED HETEROSEXUAL PERFECTION

NO MERMISTA NO WE ARE NOT ALL JUST LIKE OKAY WITH THIS

Oh my FUCKSTICKS, I could’ve rolled with so much more that angers/disappoints me about She-Ra’s ending if every single thing I feared about this hadn’t proved true.

AND. IT. WAS. SO. UNNECESSARY.

What exactly did pairing off Glimmer and Bo do for the story? For their characters? THIS IS THE PART THAT’S STABBING ME IN THE DELICATE WEBBING OF MY TOES. Because -- COME WITH ME A MOMENT SWEET ANGELS -- because I was under the impression that, oohhhh, I dunno, FRIENDSHIP WAS A HUGE FUCKING IMPORTANT PART OF THIS PASTEL HELLSCAPE

Is it, She-Ra? IS IT REALLY???? When not one but BOTH of your childhood friendship pairings end in romance? When you close out your five seasons with romantic relationships so painfully and specifically sown across the character landscape like an overzealous gardener turned loose on the world?

You know what you have at the end? DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID

THIS ISN’T A BEST FRIENDS SQUAD IT’S A DOUBLE DATE THAT NEVER MERCIFULLY ENDS

And again I ask, Why?? What was it about Glimmer and Bo’s relationship that needed them to become romantic? What was LACKING that this was the solution?

THIS IS WHAT MAKES ME LOSE MY GODDAMN SHITTING MIND I AM SO FUCKING DONE WITH THIS INSIPID MYOPIC TRASHBAG OF A CONCEPT

I believed She-Ra’s entire premise about friendship, I believed it wholeheartedly, and I’m so PISSED that at the close of day, narratively, it swept it all the bin. AND YES, YES IT DID, otherwise, WHY IS IT THERE. It serves no story-based need, it serves no character-based need, it has no NEED at all. So is it meant to be a “reward” to Bo and Glimmer for winning the war, as if their lifelong friendship were not reward enough? Is it meant to show they’ve walked through the flames and emerged with stronger, deeper bonds, because of course a relationship can only go SO deep without fucking. There’s no avenue to Romantic Relationship that doesn’t simultaneously point to something lacking in Platonic Relationship, AND I AM FURY PERSONIFIED

I am so tired of this. I’m SO TIRED of this.

And it didn’t need to be there. They didn’t even TRY to give us a good reason. That may be the part that makes me the angriest. Of COURSE they hook up romantically, of COURSE their platonic love would grow into “more”.

Fuck YOU, She-Ra. I thought you were better than that. YOU WERE SO CLOSE TO BETTER THAN THAT

THEN THERE WAS CATRA

I get it, I guess. I mean, I think it’s shittily written, but I GUESS. Honestly, end of day, I just don’t care about Catra enough to really get too angry about it, particularly when as I’m so fucking incendiary over something much more important to me. But it’s also the show’s greatest creative failure, and even if I HADN’T gotten angrier at other choices, it would’ve still cut its own legs out from under it.

Catra’s “redemption” was weak and sad and did a disservice to her and everyone involved. She started self-centered and shitty, and she ended just as self-centered and shitty, only we’re fine with that now. She learned nothing and changed nothing, but also nobody ever demanded it of her, so I can only lay so much at the character’s feet. The problem is ultimately creative, where I think Noelle Stevenson got lost in her own love of the character, and somewhere along the way forgot that if you take them out that far, you have to be willing to walk them the long road back. Compare to poor Glimmer, for fuck’s sake, whose greatest sin was being desperate enough to be manipulated by the character whose entire fucking DEAL is being THE manipulator. How much shit did she get for that? How long was she punished? Meanwhile Catra becomes THE Big Bad for a while, nearly unravels all of reality in a fit of supreme lesbian angst and self-pity, directly leads to the death of the planet’s ruling monarch who also happens to be GLITTER’S MUM and DIRECT FRIEND TO THE SHOW’S HEROES, but that’s fine, you did one sorta good thing one time and even though it was also wrapped in a thick film of self-pity and a final fuck-you at Adora, all is forgiven!

Speaking of, Adora suffers just as much from stunted growth. From the beginning, her thing was control, unable to free herself from the responsibility of everything and everyone. What did we have at the end? Adora as the only one who could save everything and everyone. Yeah, they kept asking what it was SHE wanted, BUT THEN SHE NEVER ACTUALLY GOT TO CHOOSE. NOT activating the failsafe wasn’t an option for her, and while she wound up not having to die to do it, even that wasn’t her choice in the end, it was Catra’s. (Don’t even get me started on her nth hour “You love me?” fuckery when it wasn’t once for one single second shown to be a question of such life-turning importance.)

All of which could be interesting! That Catra and Adora went through all this, came so far to wind up right where they started? AWESOME. LOVE IT. FUND IT. But really all that happens is nobody minds now that Catra’s a self-involved little shit and tee-hee another Best Friends Squad Mission being bullrushed by Adora within five minutes of ending the last one isn’t that funny?

I can’t even dig much enjoyment out of Adora and Catra as a trope subversion (if one of them was a male, their romantic involvement wouldn’t have even been a QUESTION), because the show lost its fucking mind with romantically pairing everybody off in the final five minutes. WHICH BRINGS ME RIGHT BACK TO MY PREVIOUS SCREAMING SO I’LL STOP THERE.

There was other stuff, of course. I think it was a TERRIBLE decision to spend the last season with the focus split between the two groups of rebels, and writing half the cast into brainwashing. I think the Nettossa and Spinnerella stuff was wasted and lacked any punch at all because the show for some reason or another couldn’t be bothered to let us spend any time with them to care. The waste of Scorpia and Mermista especially (to people named Jet Wolf who are me) was fucking CRIMINAL. Speaking of Scorpia, wouldn’t her showdown with Bo have been so much more poignant if they’d had really any kind of interaction before that moment to build from? (Sure, it’s Scorpia, so if you’re going to sell the lack of context with anyone it’s her, BUT ALSO.) Hey, remember Huntara? No? NEITHER DID THE SHOW.

All my details aside though, MY MANY MANY MANY DETAILS, what kills/rages me most about She-Ra was how so much potential from the first four seasons was just flushed away. Whether it was the creative team shooting itself in the foot or corporate pressure and rushing from Netflix, I don’t know. I don’t CARE. This is the show I was given, so this is the show I have, and that kind of fall after that kind of potential doesn’t just irritate me, it makes me SAD. I wouldn’t be this disappointed if I didn’t think it could have been -- WAS -- so much more.

Time will tell if I can separate out the final season from how much I loved those that came before it. I like to hope so, because I did love it intensely and loved whenever I got the chance to really dig in and talk about it.

WHATEVER ELSE I SUPPOSE I WILL ALWAYS HAVE THIS

Again please remember that I am not at present looking to argue or debate my feelings and opinions. I get to just be angry and disappointed, as a treat!

#jet wolf watches she ra #a novel by jet wolf #ANYWAY THAT'S ENOUGH ENERGY SPENT ON THIS CHILD'S CARTOON FOR ONE 24 HOUR PERIOD