#I had a lot of fun in the server ty to everyone for being there through my realtime breakdowns over reading the novels lmao | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

vyeoh · 3 years

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this is your chance: wax poetic about an Empires or DSMP character of your choice to a fan who is new to both. Explain why I should love them. I need guidance in this new and meme-populated land.

okok this is a lot of pressure haha. Spoilers for EmpiresSMP and DreamSMP below, obviously. I wrote a lot so prepare yourself, anon

I watch a lot of empires POVs but the ones I most anticipate every week are Scott and Sausage.

c!Scott (I'll call him Smajor for the sake of simplicity) starts off the series chilling, not really getting involved with the rest of the server, and staying aggressively neutral. After all, he's an elf. He has lived far longer than most of the other rulers already, and will most likely outlive them for many years. So, the best thing is to stick to his mountains and not get invested in the dealings of mortal affairs, maybe sometimes causing problems on purpose and dipping because what's life without a little spice right.

But then, this demon comes to the server, Xornoth. He's going around causing havoc and wants to send the world into an eternal winter, but he doesn't bother the kingdom of Rivendell much so Smajor stays tentatively cautious but ultimately unbothered. But then, the puzzle pieces start falling together. The first thing that the audience noticed was was Xornoth sounded like Smajor, but we mostly thought that this was just due to cc!Scott voicing both of them and there was nothing more to it. However, then, the people the demon starts possessing start chanting in elvish. The demon hates mortals, and the elves are conveniently one of the two confirmed not fully mortal races in Empires.

This culminates when Smajor stumbles across a cave that contains the backstory of the patron god of Rivendell, Aeor. Basically, there's two opposing forces, Aeor and Exor, and both have a champion. In a previous life, those champions were two brothers, where Aeor eventually prevailed and banished Exor. In this life though, the champions are - you guessed it - Smajor, and the demon Xornoth.

So now Smajor is like. Well fuck. It's my literal god-given destiny to be responsible for defeating this demon who is technically my brother, and if I fail the server gets plunged into an eternal winter. And I have no fucking clue what is happening because I've just been here on this mountain actively trying to stay out of the issues outside my kingdom. We watch him panic and teeter on the verge of spiraling for an entire episode, and when the followers of Xornoth go to the End to kill the dragon, releasing Xornoth's full powers, he fails to stop him. Smajor is a character who was used to being the smart one, the prepared one, the one who has the least deaths on the server. But he's also a character who runs away from his problems and ignores them. Before and during the dragon fight, we hear the desperation in his voice, as he's thrown into a situation he is wholly unprepared for, and it's bigger than him going to the Cod Empire to kill their king, or assisting in other people's plans to kill the codfather. He can't run from this. cc!Scott plays this scene so well as well, as I've said before, one of the best parts of Scott's acting is how he's never super dramatic, but he's so effective in the little things like inflection to make you feel, viscerally, the panic and dread.

So after the dragon fight, Smajor realizes, I can't do this on my own. I've tried and failed. So he gets allies. We watch him, someone who has so strongly been an isolationist, learn the benefits of allies and watch him learn to trust others and watch him learn how to get that trust in return.

My favorite thing about Smajor's characterization is that he's an incompetent protagonist, but not in the way of the "plucky young adventurer". He's capable skill-wise, and fairly jaded and very pessimistic. However, his issue is that up until recently, he did not care about the rest of the server at all, and by the time he learned to, it was way too late.

Also, in 3rd Life, cc!Scott and cc!Jimmy were canonically married and they reference it sometimes in Empires. Like, Scott goes over to the Cod Empire every so often both in and out of character to kill and/or flirt with Jimmy, the ruler of the Cod Empire, which may develop as a secondary plot into the future who knows. So ty Scott for giving the gays what they want o7

Now onto Sausage: his is a story of Icarus, his hubris and ambition being his downfall. He's one of the two followers of Xornoth, who promised him endless power in exchange for his servitude. He started the series being eccentric, but not outright unhinged, but slowly gets more and more extreme as the series progresses, as he gets brought more and more to Xornoth's side.

One of the best parts of Sausage's character, in my opinion, is how his gradual corruption affects the people around him. Initially, he got into a conflict with the Cod Empire and was allied with two other people in the Witherrose alliance. They were allies, but also close friends. The fandom liked to joke that the three had sibling energy, and I'm pretty sure the ccs played to that even more lol.

It was painful to watch the other two members, Gem and fWhip, watch Sausage get corrupted right in front of them, and see them desperately clinging on to this old idea of Sausage in their head because if they faced the truth, it would mean that their friend was gone. Eventually, they do finally cut him out of the alliance, leading him to fully commit to the side of the demon. Sausage felt very clearly betrayed by this, and declared the remaining two Witherrose alliance members to be enemies.

He gets more and more possessed, and we even see the other Empires, his enemies even, slowly realize that something is very wrong with the ruler of Mythland. He starts doing more and more evil things, like killing people more, making sacrifices to the demon, and eventually helping to kill the dragon to free Xornoth. So things are good for Sausage, for a bit. He won, and is more powerful than ever. Then he finds out: he's going to die. Xornoth's possession is slowly killing his soul, and eventually, his body going to be fully taken over and he himself is going to be trapped in the spirit realm. So how do you react to this? Over the next few episodes, we watch Sausage struggle between "the demon is literally killing me" and "the demon has given me so much, and I love it", all while Xornoth takes over more and more of him. We hear him exclaim that "don't worry!! I'm still about 15% there!" while trying to downplay every time Xornoth completely takes over his body. We watch him willingly oppose anyone who is trying to end the thing that is killing him.

My favorite thing about Sausage is that he is undoubtedly evil and proud of it, but he's also undoubtedly human. If you like to watch evil characters go absolutely feral, he's the guy for you. He makes the deal with Xornoth in the beginning, knowing and fully embracing the evilness of the demon, but at the same time he knows what he's doing is detrimental to both himself and everyone around him, but he's gotten in way too deep at this point, and to be fair the demon has held up its end fo the bargain, right?

Also, I would be damned if I don't talk about cc!Sausage's editing. Every one of his videos is like a movie. The way he does camera angles and uses music is so skillful- every lore scene feels like something out of a high fantasy action saga (think: LotR). Every big lore event I always wait in anticipation for Sausage's ep because his editing truly takes lore to another level.

I'm just generally very excited to see where this series goes. Empires is such a good mix of talented builders and good lore. Part of the reason why the series is so immersive for me, beyond any other lore smp, is that they have the settings to back it up. There is a certain charm to the DreamSMP's objectively terrible builds (with a few exceptions) but in Empires, the settings help sell the plot so much.

Another part of why I love EmpiresSMP is how much the ccs are involved with the fan community. I'm sure you've seen the memes about Scott being on tumblr, and Sausage regularly goes through the EmpiresSMP fanart tag on Twitter and likes art, even ones not related to Mythland. Most of the ccs, in fact, have brought up tumblr content on stream at some point or another. Like, several ccs have said that they read tumblr lore theories and hcs and stuff and sometimes take inspiration from them. Fun fact: Rivendell's church was inspired by my pinned drawing; confirmed by Scott Smajor himself. It's just such a good cycle of ccs and fans being excited about each other.

As for DreamSMP, I'm gonna be honest here, the only person I really am invested in in Technoblade. I started watching when he joined the server, and he's the only person whose lore I keep up to date with.

Techno's fun to watch because he's like the Deadpool of DreamSMP. Virtually unkillable, very skilled and scary, but consistently cracks jokes and breaks the 4th wall during plot. His POV is just fun. Like, he does wild plans and gives speeches and some of the stuff that happens to him should be called deus ex machine if it wasn't for the fact that Technoblade is the one who's doing it, and all the stuff is grounded in the fact that cc!Techno is just that good at the game.

However, the fact that he rarely takes anything seriously makes the few times Techno is 100% serious so much more impactful. His whole character has a basis in being perceived as inhuman and being treated as such, and therefore in return trying to hide his humanity. So, when he shows that humanity, whether that's fear, anger, or genuine love for his friends, it really makes you go "oh shit."

Techno's often said not to have character development, but I'd argue that while he remains steadfast in his moral code, he develops leaps and bounds as a person. Like, at the beginning, he's brought onto the server to help Wilbur and Tommy overthrow a government; them knowing he's 1) an anarchist and 2) very very powerful. His character was more of a plot device at that point and was treated as such in the canon. Wilbur and Tommy straight-up lie to him about their plans to establish another government after they overthrow the current one, while he was led on to believe that they were abolishing all governments in the area. But he isn't a plot device. He's a person, as much as he only shows the terrifying, blood god side of himself.

After the establishment of New Lmanburg (the new government its a long story), his friend Phil joins. And for the first time, we see him be fully human with someone and we see someone treat him like a human. Like, we saw glimpses before, with Wilbur and Tommy in Pogtopia, but Phil is the first person we noticeably see he trusts 100%. Then Doomsday happens, and Techno essentially retires to the tundra. During this time, we see Techno learn to be more human, first with Ranboo, then Niki when he establishes the Syndicate. In fact, the two of them, along with Phil, canonically throw him a birthday party, which is a far cry from his treatment in Pogtopia.

Techno's development is one of a god learning to be human, and I just think he <3

#vio.ask #empiressmp #empires smp #dreamsmp #scott smajor #smajor #smajor1995 #mythicalsausage #mythical sausage #technoblade #to be clear i am not an apologist for any character #i fully realize that they are doing wrong and I like to watch it happen #minecraft roleplay got be in full character analysis mode #long post

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league-of-thots · 4 years

Text

Quarantine Fun

Pairing: Hawks x reader

Warnings: sensory deprivation, ropes and bondage,

Word Count: 3.6k

A/N: This was part of another lovely server collab that i was so fucking excited to be a part of!! I FINALLY got to yoink my favourite boy hawks and was fucking pumped to write for him so I hope you all enjoy! The masterlist with the rest of the fucking LOVELY writers is right here: COLLAB LIST

It was day three of the quarantine when you finally reached the end of your tether, and as a loud crash came from the other room in your shared apartment, you heard a small tinkling of glass shattering. You feel your pulse beating through your temples in pent up anger and frustration.

“Keigo Takami I swear to GOD! What did you do?!” You throw your phone down on the couch beside you as you angrily speed over to see what your boyfriend had done now in his boredom. You enter the other room and see him sheepishly grin up at you from the floor where he’d somehow managed to end up tied in an awkward position and had knocked into the table, sending a photograph off of it and thus the shattering you’d heard.

“What the fuck?!” you exclaim, grabbing a broom and dustpan to clean away the dangerous glass pieces. “Why are you tied up? How did you even get in that position?” You knew you boyfriend was a man of many talents, but his best talent by far was the ability to get himself into stupidly strange and unnecessary situations.

He just laughs at your questions and as you return with the broom and pan, he’s practically howling on the floor at your expressions. Well, as much as he can with his chest restricted by ropes and hands behind his back, legs at an awkward angle on the floor.

“I’m glad you’re finding this funny.” You harrumph and ignore him, starting to sweep up the glass pieces that make more delicate sounds as you work.

“Aw, babes, don’t be like that!” he gets out as his laughter starts to die down. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to bother you; I’m just going stir crazy in here!”

“I can see that,” you scowl a bit, the confines of your apartment, and the stress of the whole situation starting to really make you grouchy. Luckily, it was a rather small photo, so there wasn’t too much glass for you to clean up. Your boyfriend was now sitting where he’d fallen, trying to cheer you up while you worked, managing to wheedle a couple smiles and chuckles from you, as he always does.

After you finish throwing out the shards, you go back towards him, and stand in front of him with your hands on your hips. He’s trying to get the ropes undone, but with the angle he was in, and how they’d tightened when he’d fallen in a heap, was making no progress. It was amusing to see, and he looked so cute with the pout on his face and the sharp ruffles of annoyance through his wings.

“So, are you going to tell me what you were trying to accomplish with, ah- all of this?” you gesture towards his entire body, looped with rope and patterns. You have an idea of what he was doing, but still unsure as to why. To your surprise your usually unrufflable boyfriend flushes slightly under your attention and mumbles something out. You give him a pointed look so as to say ‘Speak up’ and he clears his throat.

“Well, I was bored, and I know you’re stressed so I was thinking of fun ways that we could fix both of our issues, if you catch my drift.”

“… So you did it on yourself?”

“Just to practice! I hadn’t done sexy rope tying before, only y’know, actual hog tying of villains and stuff.”

“If you refer to this as sexy rope tying ever again, I won’t have sex with you for a month Keigo.” He lets out a protested squawk at that, saying it wasn’t that bad.

“I am stuck though, so ah- babes if you would help me out of these, I really would appreciate it.” He gave you a pleading look and you can’t help but laugh a little at him, rolling your eyes and going to untie him. He reaches up to give you a quick kiss when his hands are free, they’re quick pecks, but energetic as he starts kissing all around your face with your head in his hands. You can’t help but giggle as he distracts you from your mood and worries.

“What exactly were you planning on doing with me though, Keigo? Your whole body is somehow almost all tied up.” You couldn’t even fathom how he’d managed it, maybe with his feathers? Were they that nimble? He stands up moving behind you to massage your shoulders gently.

“Well I was reading up on things and saw something about how sensory deprivation in small doses can made people less stressed and anxious. I was thinking it might be an interesting idea to try out, especially because you’re on edge.”

“You’re just horny because you have so much extra energy with the quarantine being in effect.” You say sharply, though you’re touched by your boyfriend’s idea. He was pretty great to you.

“I’m not going to deny that either.” You can practically feel his smirk from behind you. “How can you blame me though when there’s such a hot woman in front of me 24/7 because of this quarantine?” he smacks your ass and you let out a shocked noise, not having expected it.

You lightly swat his hands away, but he slouches on top of you, clinging to you and cooing into your ear.

“The one good thing about this quarantine, is that at least we can finally spend some time together. Even if I drive you up the walls sometimes.” He hums, his fingers starting to tease the waistband of your shorts. “I wish it was less of a complete break, and more of a less busy work schedule, but beggars can’t be choosers.” His hands have gone down your sleep shorts now and started teasing your folds, never quite going where you want them too. He starts kissing your neck, nipping at it and licking it over, humming with happiness. Even though the quarantine was a lot of stress for everyone, you were happy to see Keigo finally getting the rest he needed, the bags under his eyes had started to disappear and he had more life to him.

You whine as he continues his teasing, knowing he loves making and watching you squirm. You’ll let him for now, letting him have his fun because you know by the end of your night, you’ll be screaming his name in bliss.

“So, do you trust me enough to let me try some things, Y/N? I’m really thinking it’ll be fun and let us blow off some of the stress and boredom.”

“You already bought everything for it, didn’t you?” You’re palming his slowly hardening member behind your ass.

“If you said yes, I wouldn’t have wanted to wait at all, can you blame me? I think you’re going to look so fucking hot all tied up and completely in the dark about what’s going to happen to you next.” A groan slips out of you at his words, his fingers finally giving you some relief as they finally breached your wet folds.

“God, yes, I’m so excited to see what you have ready for me Keigo. You know I trust you more than anyone else, so bring it on.”

“You remember the safe word though?”

“Of course.”

“Good, then we can get started love-dove.” You groan at the pun but you don’t really have time to say anything as he whips you up into the air, laughing, carefree for once. He catches you, kissing you as you giggle at his playful energy, it’s been so long since you’d seen it from him.

You lose track of how long the two of you stand in the hallway, you in his arms and his hands on your ass. He bites at your lips, begging to be let inside in his own way, and you respond as you always do, opening your mouth for him and nipping back, making it interesting for him.

He slowly starts walking down the hall with you in his arms, still keeping his lips connected with yours as he kicks open the bedroom door. Pulling back he smirks a little and tosses you back on the bed, his eyes glinting with glee and barely contained lust.

“Clothes off babes, I want to see those pretty tits of yours.” You follow his instructions, practically sliding out of your clothes as if you’d somehow turned into liquid. His watchful eyes never move off of you body as he stands at the foot of the bed, arms crossed. He licks his lips and catches your eyes after that with a smirk as he quickly worms out of his own clothes. You notice that he’s already half hard, but seems to be completely ignoring it as he heads over towards the closet where he must have hidden his new toys.

You feel excitement running through your veins, as you hear shuffling of fabrics and the unzipping of a bag. Keigo was right, this would be a fucking terrific way to end the boredom that the quarantine had brought. Although you’d never admit that out loud of course, he didn’t have to know the extent of how much and how easily he affected you.

He comes back with a grin as big as the sun itself which is at odds with all the things you can see him carrying, and you feel your eyes widen. That seems to amuse him as he sets the goodies at the foot of the bed and crawls up towards you. His eyes are bright and they take your breath away, you truly understand how his gaze makes people feel as if they were being hunted, the way he’s looking at you now makes you lose your breath, makes you feel as if he’s about to devour your entire being.

He cages you in with his wings, but rather than fear, all you can feel is arousal as he surrounds you, breath heavy despite the lack of action from either of you.

“You have no idea, no fucking idea, how good you look like this.” His hands move to play with your pebbled nipples as he straddles you, leaning down to capture your mouth with his. You let out a small cry that’s easily swallowed by him as he pinches your nipple. You lightly punch him in the side.

“The fuck Keigo? That hurt,” you pout up at him as he snickers.

“I’m sorry its just, god everything was getting so serious babe, this is to blow off steam you know?”

“There are better ways to do that then pinching my tit you ass.” But at this point you’re grinning too, pecking him on the lips. “Are we going to get started yet Keigo? I want you inside me.” His mouth parts, eyes wide as you say that.

“Fuck, are you trying to make me rush through all of the special things I had planned for you babes? Patience Y/N, good things come to those who wait after all.”

“Yeah, yeah birdman. I want to see what you have already.”

“Yes ma’am.” He gives a little salute before backing off, going through the togs he’d bought just for you. “I’m going to start slow, ok? It can be shocking if you’re just getting started with this type of thing.” You nod your head in acceptance and he brings out a rather thick blind fold. He trails his fingers up your body, feather light touches that have you shuddering, as he brings his hands up to your face.

The fabric is cool on your face, and slightly heavier than you expected it to be, and it obscures all of your vision, even every bit of light that had been showering the room.

“It’s ok?”

“Yes, you worry-wart. Keep going please.”

“Good. God you look so fucking beautiful right now.” You can practically hear the expression he gets on his face when he thinks you can’t see him; all his features soften and are etched with love. Part of you wishes you could see it, but part of you is eagerly waiting for what he has next.

You hear the rustling of the sheets as he moves, feel the mattress dip as his weight crosses it, and without words he starts tying you up, first your wrists enveloped by a silky-smooth cloth, then they’re brought to your ankles. As he ties them you groan as you feel the cool air hitting your damp cunt, he hasn’t even really touched you yet and still you’re so aroused and ready for him to take you. Even though you know you’re likely going to have to wait a bit as he explores the new options that he has presented to him.

His lips make his way to yours as he sweetly kisses you. “You’re muttering again dove, are you sure you’re ok?”

“Yes, I’m just so fucking horny I want you inside me already.”

“Well I think I can help you a little bit with that in one minute, just one more thing for you ok? You’re being such a good girl for me.” You whimper a bit at that, with the position you’re tied in, you can’t put any friction onto your aching cunt and it feels like torture.

You feel a heavy set of what feels like headphones, though you can’t be certain without seeing them, cover your ears, the last thing you can hear is Keigo whispering he loves you until all the outside sound is blocked from you. All you can hear now is the thundering sound of blood in your ears and you shiver in anticipation, tied up and unmoving, unable to see or hear, waiting for your lover to fucking touch you already.

Goosebumps rise on your skin as Keigo starts slowly stroking your hipbones, his touch still light but you’re so taken by it because all you can do right now is feel. You whimper as a feather comes up to play with your breasts, the touch almost ticklish but in your aroused state, it only serves to make you more sensitive as you mewl out for him to touch you more.

He listens, as his fingers come to your sensitive areas and you moan loudly in relief as two of his fingers enter your heat up to the first knuckle, his lips starting to kiss and suckle bruises into your sensitive skin. You think you’re being really loud but you can’t tell, the moans and noises you’re making seem magnified because they’re all that you can hear. You feel Keigo muttering words onto your skin but you can’t tell what he’s saying, all you know is that he’s stopped moving his fingers and it’s driving you insane to have something in your heat but not providing any form of relief from his teasing.

“Keigo, please move!” you plead with him, desperately trying to move your bound body to provide some sense of friction, some sense of deeper penetration as you wail in frustration as he keeps himself deadly still.

Your breaths are heaving as your legs begin to shake with the strain of holding them up because of the bondage. As soon as you think he’s going to leave you there waiting for a long time, he suddenly thrusts deep into your cunt and you clench around him with a surprised shout. It doesn’t take long for him to build you up to that edge, your body so needy and responsive to his touch, as you praise him, tell him how good it feels. It’s so easy to get lost in the sensation of him pounding his fingers into you as he frantically starts rubbing your clit. You feel yourself clench around him, and he shifts the angle of his fingers a little bit to hit your sweet spot.

You swear you see lightning in the darkness of your blindfold, your back arching up sharply as you come undone around his fingers with a lewd moan. He keeps pushing in, helping you ride yourself through it, but doesn’t stop. The sensations feel so much more potent than usual, and you try to squirm away from the added stimulation but you can’t. You whimper as he once again brings a feather up to play with your tits as he adds a third and then fourth finger into you.

You can practically hear his teasing, “but baby, you asked me to touch you, you said you wanted me inside you. That’s all I’m doing babes.” Even in your head he’s smug and deliciously torturous and you cry out again as you feel the tips of his fingers crashing into that spot deep within you, over and over and over again. You’re tightening up once more, hanging onto the feeling of being finger fucked when its all you can focus on, all that you can actually feel happening.

You can feel yourself about to cum when suddenly you’re empty. “NO! Keigo you fucking bastard! I was so close!” You shout out to him, even though you know you won’t hear a response. You feel tears welling up in your eyes at the desperation you feel in your groin, you were so fucking close.

Seeing this must stir something in your boyfriend though, because soon enough you feel the weeping head of his cock at your entrance. You wiggle as much as you can, your body ready and waiting for him. With no warning, he sheaths himself inside you completely, and you blissfully feel full again, the curve of his cock pressing into you just right, the vein on the right side scraping your walls amazingly.

You can feel drool dripping down the side of your face as he pounds into you relentlessly, unable to form any completed thought much less coherent words. You can hear yourself mumbling and groaning out mixtures of praises and his name repeated like a chant. You feel his body shuddering against yours, the excitement and arousal you feel mirrored by him as he leans down and bites at your collarbones, marking you again and again as his, only his.

You feel yourself clench down on his cock, your release sneaking up on you as his rhythm starts to become more irregular.

His pace gets quicker, your mouth dropped open in a silent scream as he frantically pounds into you with almost manic energy. You can feel him shuddering and you know he’s approaching his own end. You clench down on his dick, squeezing him to get him to release inside of you and he comes down with a final bite on the inside of your shoulder. You feel the warm liquid fill you inside, and it feels amazing, and good god how much of it there is. He must have been loving every second of teasing you and every second of pleasing your body.

He pulls out slowly, kissing softly at the bite that you can feel pulsing and oozing a bit of blood. It feels so much emptier than it usually does, and you can’t help but whimper, you wouldn’t mind him just staying sheathed within you. You feel him murmuring against your skin, and you can feel the love from him in the care he takes with your shaking body, slowly bringing you back from your high and bringing you back into a world where you have all your senses back.

He starts by cleaning up the mess between your thighs, the touch of the towel rough but relieving to you, the cum already cooling down and starting to stick uncomfortably on your skin. After that’s complete, he begins to untie the nots, with a gentleness so at odds from how hard he’d been pounding into you beforehand. He strokes your skin as he undoes the bondage, kissing your skin and making sure that he hadn’t cut off any blood flow, that you were perfectly safe.

God how you much you loved him.

After he was finished with that, he brings you into his arms, having you sit on his lap as he strokes your back. You squeeze his torso and stay pliant in his arms, feeling absolutely pampered and safe. There’s no better feeling than that, you think. He was right though, you do feel completely relaxed, some of the stress leaving your body.

He lifts off one side of the noise cancelling muffs, and everything sounds so much louder, despite not having your hearing taken for very long.

“You alright dove? You didn’t use the safe word, but you seemed pretty far gone for a moment.”

You hum. “It felt amazing Keigo, but good lord, you’re such a tease you know that?”

He chuckles softly at that. “I’m sorry but you look and feel so good when you’re all flustered and riled up. I love it.” All his motions are slow now, relaxed as he slowly gives you back all the senses you’d been missing; the other side of the muff coming off when he thinks you’ve had ample time to recover.

When your blindfold comes off, you see his wrecked hair and red cheeks and you’re so grateful for the time you’ve gotten to spend with him during these trying times.

You softly kiss him. “Bath time?”

“Of course, Y/N. Let’s get us both cleaned up then love.” The two of you get up, holding hands, and you don’t let go even in the large bathtub until you actually have to, to get cleaned up.

For the first time in a while, the two of you are both spent, relaxed and completely happy, and if there’s any better feeling in the world; you’d probably never find it.

#bnha x reader #hawks x reader #smut #jays writes #discord collab

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carmenxjulia · 3 years

Photo

I put together a transcript of the 1 hour Q&A Interview the Carmen Sandiego Discord did with Abby Trott (Ivy) and Rafael Petardi (Chase Devineaux). All of the questions were submitted by server members. You can read everything below the break!

PizzaHorse:

Hello everyone! Please welcome Abby Trott and Rafael Petardi to our Q&A today.

Abby Trott:

Hiiiiiiiiiii!

Rafael Petardi:

Hello Bonjour!

PizzaHorse:

Let's get started. How did you get started as a voice actor? Was there anything that inspired you to pursue it as a career?

Abby Trott:

Oh MAN. Long story.

Rafael Petardi:

Mine is very short. I'm an actor and my agent started sending me on voice auditions and eventually I booked some!

Abby Trott:

This is a novel so I started typing it ahead of time, haha. I was an acting/theater major, and when I graduated from college I moved to Japan on the JET program to teach English because I wanted to travel so freakin' badly. I had never even been on an airplane. I was placed in rural Akita, (inaka), and absolutely LOVED it. The only problem was I wanted to be and actor/singer… womp womp. At that time, I also started to mess around with characters and voices - I would record voice memos and conversations with myself while driving around. One day, a friend was in the car and my phone was on shuffle and one of my "scenes" started playing - I was absolutely MORTIFIED. But that moment solidified for me that I need to move to the big ole city if I wanted to really pursue acting. I ended up heading to Tokyo, where I performed in children's musicals, and did other gigs here and there. That's where I started doing VO professionally! I was able to do some character voices for the shows I was in, and some other side projects. I realized how much I loved VO, and eventually decided to move back to the States to pursue it, since most English VO for games and animation is produced here.

When I moved back, I started searching online for VoiceOver opportunities, and stumbled across a contest hosted by Bang Zoom! Entertainment. I BARELY got my entry in on time. The contest took place over several months, and in the meantime, I moved to NYC and started taking VO classes. For the finale of the contest, they flew me to LA. I ended up winning! Still can't believe it. (O-O) I got to dub my first anime "Miss Monochrome," and realized that if I wanted to work in games and animation, I should probably move to LA… and the I DID.

THE END

PizzaHorse:

What do you think are the best and worst things about being a voice actor?

Abby Trott:

Oooh. The worst things? Job insecurity... constant rejection...

Rafael Petardi:

The incredibly talented and cool people you meet and work with.

What Abby said

Abby Trott:

The best things? Working with amazing people, AND it's so much fun - even auditioning is fun!

PizzaHorse:

How did you land your role on the show?

Rafael Petardi:

I auditioned

Got the job

pretty boring I know

Abby Trott:

I auditioned through my agency, and got a callback. I went to the callback and their note was "more Boston." Then I had a second callback and their note was "even MORE Boston." So I went WICKED BOSTON and got the job

PizzaHorse:

What was your favorite/the most fun thing to record (episode/scene/line)? Any least favorites?

Rafael Petardi:

For me, the funnest scenes to record are the ones I got to play opposte the incredibly talented cast.

The least favorite... did not have enough scenes with the Wonderful Abby Trott

Abby Trott:

Awww Rafe! Singing was the MOST FUN! The Karaoke Ep, and the choose-your-own adventure one, where we got to sing the theme! Mikey (Zack) was cracking me up constantly.

Least favorite was the last ep because I didn't want it to eeeeeend

PizzaHorse:

Were you allowed to suggest lines to be said by your character, or improvise the script at all if you thought something would add to the scene?

Abby Trott:

YUP! And Mikey and I definitely did, hahaa. It was encouraged. Always fun to see what they keep...

Rafael Petardi:

Yes we were. I improvised mostly sounds and noises. Words once in a while but not very often. Thank God for Duane

PizzaHorse:

What was the hardest part of voicing your character on Carmen Sandiego? Was there a particular episode that was difficult to record?

Rafael Petardi:

Keeping the consistency episode to episode of the Chase's accent, pitch and energy

I did not want hime to sound different ever

Abby Trott:

I think the hardest part was keeping up the EXTREME Boston accent. But it was also SUPER fun...

PizzaHorse:

What traits do you share or have in common with the character you play?

Rafael Petardi:

I am like Chase in the sense of a Dog with a Bone. If I get pasionate about something, I go to extremes. Abby Trott has scene this for example in my bread making endeavors

Also, I'm an idiot in life too sometimes

Abby Trott:

Ivy and I are both... from Mass! we both have brothers who we argue with but really do love when it comes down to it. We love chocolate, aaaaand... I think we're both brave. (brag?)

Can confirm Rafe is v. passionate about bread. And and idiot.

Rafael Petardi:

All True

PizzaHorse:

What character on the show would you voice if you had the chance?

Abby Trott:

Chase

Rafael Petardi:

I would love Maelstrom

Abby Trott:

Jk... Coach Brunt seems SUPER fun

PizzaHorse:

If you could meet a character from Carmen Sandiego in real life, who would it be and why?

Abby Trott:

Carmen! she is the coooooleeest. I'd ask her to teach me some tricks

Rafael Petardi:

Julie Argent. She's cute

PizzaHorse:

Which character do you think you are most like or that you most identify with?

Rafael Petardi:

CHASE

I think that's partly why we're doing the roles we do

Abby Trott:

I think Ivy, for real! Casting was ON IT. I can be serious when I need to be, but I'm a giant goofball (if you couldn't tell from my latest tweet/insta post...)

PizzaHorse:

Who is your favorite character, other than your own?

Abby Trott:

Mime. Bomb.

Rafael Petardi:

Other than my own? Hmmm... uuuh... mmmm. tough...

Abby Trott:

Seriously, I think Mime bomb is hilarious.

Rafael Petardi:

Yes Mime Bomb!

PizzaHorse:

Do you wish your character had more interactions with another character in particular?

Rafael Petardi:

Yes, I would love to interact with Ivy and Maelstrom

I think the interaction would be odd and awkward and funny

Abby Trott:

Yes. I would love to see how Ivy handles the specific VILE members... I would love to see IVY try to go to VILE academy...

PizzaHorse:

Are there any themes or lessons from the series that you would want people to remember?

Rafael Petardi:

yes, don't jump to conclusions and be an idiot

Abby Trott:

Yes! That! also, don't be evil. ALSO also, be loyal to your friends.

PizzaHorse:

Do you ever look at fan content?

Rafael Petardi:

yes all the time. It helps when I'm tagged rafaelPetardi on Instagram

Abby Trott:

Yes! I look at fanart sometimes, and see what cosplays are happenin'

Rafael Petardi:

I've posted many as well

Abby Trott:

Haven't read much fanfic... but I know it's out there.

PizzaHorse:

What did you think about your character's development and arc throughout the series?

Rafael Petardi:

I absolutely loooooooved Chase's arc

Love redemption stuff

he was just misguided

just was alway his thing

Abby Trott:

I love Ivy's journey - she really grew up, from a troubled kid to an adult, accepting responsibility and accepting new challenges. Donning the hat, if you will.

Rafael Petardi:

*justice as always his thing

PizzaHorse:

How do you feel now that Carmen Sandiego is at its end?

Rafael Petardi:

sad. miss evrybody so much

we will have to have a cast reunion when this pandemic thing is over

Abby Trott:

SAD! But grateful. It was THE MOST fun to record, and I wish it could continue forever.

Rafael Petardi:

I'm grateful too. yes

Abby Trott:

and YES reunion!

PizzaHorse:

Yesss can't wait for that group photo to pop up on social media!

Were there any moments in the series that had you legitimately emotional?

Rafael Petardi:

yes ofcourse

losing Julia was tough

Abby Trott:

A lot. But one that stands out for me is after Carmen gets stuck out in the snow, and is reunited with her crew. (:_;). Also the stuff with Shadowsan and his brother... and anything with baby Carmen...

Gah. So many...

PizzaHorse:

Did you enjoy how the show ended? Is there anything you would have changed or would have liked to see more of?

Rafael Petardi:

I loved the way the show ended! I think Duane did a fantastic job tying loose ends and bring the story to a satisfactory close for all characters

I do hope for an ACME Ivy, Zak, Julia and Chase spin-off

Abby Trott:

I love how it ends. I think it wrapped so well considering the number of eps - the writers really got it done. I WISH Ivy and Zack could follow Carmen forever, but she has her own story to unravel it would seem.

And Ivy does look good in that suit let me tell ya

PizzaHorse:

Can you share a favorite behind the scenes moment?

Abby Trott:

Mikey. Is. So. Funny. Hard to choose one moment - he would make me laugh harder than anything. Especially when we were singing. Or any time he had to gag...

Rafael Petardi:

OMG!

That singing stuff we had to do together was hilarious

we could not stop laughinh

PizzaHorse:

What, in your opinion, are the best pizza toppings?

Abby Trott:

Cheese. Caramelized onions. Roasted garlic. Spinach. Mushrooms.

Rafael Petardi:

buffala mozzarella and tomatos period

oooooo fancy Abby

Abby Trott:

Rafe why aren't you as obsessed with pizza as you are with bread? And can you be?

Rafael Petardi:

I am

Abby Trott:

Rafael Petardi:

I just don;t like to share pizza

PizzaHorse:

Here's a specific question for Rafael. Did you sometimes get mad at your own character for the way he behaved towards Julia earlier on in the Series?

And one for Abby. As a Massachusetts native, how did you feel about voicing a character from Boston with the iconic accent?

Rafael Petardi:

I did not. I always felt, however misguided Chase was, he was always on the path of turth and justice no matter what was in his way. It's the same principals that led hin to see the truth about Julia

*principles

Abby Trott:

I think it's so cool, and kind of an honor, in a way. I was worried about it being too much, and people saying it's over the top. Turns out comedy wins, haha.

PizzaHorse:

Were you familiar with the older animated series when you started work on the Netflix original?

Rafael Petardi:

I never heard of Carmen Sandiego before I did this series

Abby Trott:

Yes! I had seen a bit. I also remember watching my brother play the game. Someone gifted me a mini arcade version of the game this year, and I'm excited to play :slight_smile:

Rafael Petardi:

Which I think helped when I had to say the iconic line

"Where in th world..." there was no pressure

LoL

Abby Trott:

LOL

PizzaHorse:

Okay, last question. Do you have a favorite quote from the show?

Abby Trott:

"La Femme Rouge!"

or Mime Bomb's classic "..."

Rafael Petardi:

"the game is over!"

PizzaHorse:

Woohoo!

Abby Trott:

Hooray!

PizzaHorse:

Thank you so much Rafael Petardi and Abby Trott for joining us today! I hope everybody had a wicked awesome time.

Abby Trott:

Thanks for having us! What a pleasure.

Rafael Petardi:

It was great! Thank you to all the great questions.

Abby Trott:

Thanks for watching the show! Great questions. I'm sure I'm going to think of more quotes as soon as I log off... haha.

Rafael Petardi:

See you all soon!

Abby Trott:

Stay safe, take care, and see you all on various social media platforms!

#Carmen Sandiego #Ivy #Chase Devineaux #CS Crew #Rafael Petardi #Abby Trott #Carmen Sandiego Discord #Carmen Sandiego Discord Server #Interview #Transcript

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10millionyearsdungeon · 4 years

Text

One Night in Miyagi

A/N: Another month, another collab~. This one is for the Lovesick Discord server. September’s prompt was The Yandere Purge. Featuring the Karasuno Bara-daddy Officer Daichi Sawamura, we proudly present...One Night In Miyagi: A Purge Story. ===============================================

The pulsating in your ears was a taiko drum solo your body played by rope; it was a familiar environment you knew you could react in. Muscle memory was your friend when it came to tying tourniquets and starting IVs for fluids. It was your life, after all-- after working several years after graduation at a trauma center in downtown Tokyo, your hands were responsible for saving and soothing so many lives. It only made sense that you would volunteer for this. Out of the back of a repurposed van and a ragtag crew of off duty police officers and nurses, you all agreed to be above the collective who engaged in the chaos about to ensue with the setting sun. “You’re sure about this?” The strapping young officer crossed his arms over his broad chest, dark eyes squinting into the sunset as you piled another heavy trauma kit into the back of the van next to the folded stretcher. You nodded and patted your hand on his beefy shoulder, offering him a small smile. “Sawamura, I’ve never been more certain. It’s not my first purge night.” He didn’t appear to be convinced by your reply, but shrugged and loaded his own gear into the van next to your loaned equipment. “Besides, with the hospitals closed and the rest of the first responders forced to take the night off it’s not like we had anything else better to do.”

The way his eyes lingered on your delicate wrists and trailed up your forearms made you shiver. Sawamura was always one of those friendly faces you looked forward to seeing when he brought a drunk and disorderly patient into your department. In another life you could see yourself fall for him and his bravery. If only you knew just how far he would go to protect you…

He didn’t like the idea of you putting yourself in harm’s way. From the moment he first laid eyes on you after taking a nasty hit during a call he knew you had to be his. It was your gentleness that won him over as you readied his eye for repair. It was a nasty blow to the head and he could barely see. It was like only yesterday when you stitched him up and picked out the remaining glass fragments from the broken beer bottle, only to leave his bay to scold and dish out your own legal form of justice on the drunken fool who dared attack an on-duty police officer.

Maybe it was your strength that attracted him so. Perhaps it was the quiet way you would smile before selecting the largest angiocaths on your problem patients to help them understand the error of their ways. He found himself thinking as you carefully held the split skin of his face together with delicate fingertips that you were something small, precious even. After that night, he made more frequent appearances, noting your schedule and asking around for you when you flitted from one patient to the next. It surprised you how often you bumped into each other. As a professional courtesy, you bought him a cup of coffee on your break and he nearly fell right then and there. In the ugliness and rot of your shared world, you stood above it all as a paragon of true goodness in his eyes. Somehow untarnished, that tiny nurse who didn’t take no for an answer when it meant it would benefit her patients captivated him. So driven, so pure, you needed to be protected and saved from the filth. He grew bolder, even going so far as to ask for your number one night when your department was emptying out. His request took you aback, but you endeared him further by tucking your hair behind your ear and scribbling your digits on a bright pink post-it note. It started out innocently enough. He’d send you the occasional text to see if you were working and drop by with a much-needed boost whether it was coffee or a touch of kindness and insight only another member of the fold could bring to your hellacious shifts. You never noticed just how close he would get when your back was turned, how discreetly he would lean in to catch a whiff of your perfume from your neck or how his hand would linger at the small of your back just a few seconds shy of being uncomfortable. It was nearly six months before you called him by his given name, and when you did he never wanted another person’s name to fall from your lips. It came as a minor surprise to you that he volunteered for the ride along with you. But Daichi knew it would be easy to get you alone. The Purge was the perfect excuse to be close, to work with you, to protect you from the ensuing violence. You closed the heavy doors and hopped inside with a soft grunt, the sound striking him to the core. “Y’know, there are easier ways to get my attention,” he teased. You grinned and crouched along the stretcher, the cool metal bars digging into your thighs. You adjusted the securement straps on your equipment, really a collection of mismatched bungie cables and zipties, and sighed through your nose. As you did your final checks, Daichi raked his eyes along the curves of your body in silent admiration. Shaking himself from his reverie, he climbed to the front of the van and murmured something to the driver you couldn’t quite catch. They turned on the scanner and the van purred to life as it pulled out of the empty lot. Your night was about to begin.

You hung out in the back of the van as the driver pulled into another ambulance bay to pick up your second medic, a quiet young man with sharp brown eyes and dark red hair. As he loaded up, a feeling of unease washed over you and you swore you could smell gasoline on his clothes. You pushed your thoughts to the side and helped him secure his equipment, all under the watchful eye of Officer Sawamura. The feeling he got off the newcomer made him recoil in revulsion. He narrowed his gaze at him as the redhead smiled slyly at you and held out his hand for you to shake. “Saito Tendou,” he chirped with a fox-like grin. “Y/n,” you replied, tentatively taking his hand in a brief shake. Revulsion consumed Daichi over the harmless touch. How dare he touch you? Did he know you didn’t belong to him? As Daichi swallowed his rage, he smiled warmly and offered Tendou a thermos of hot coffee, which the newcomer gratefully accepted. Your crew was complete; pulling out of the lot, the van began slowly patrolling the streets. Daichi kept his sidearm close and loaded as he scanned the streets for any unfriendlies. It was early, and the rougher the area became, the more apparent it was that the designated time frame for Purge Night was merely a suggestion. Fires erupted from storefront windows, people in crudely made masks looted and carried their prizes brazenly down the narrow streets. Women, scantily clad in fishnet and plastic wrap sashayed down the sidewalks looking for a few Johnnies to make their Purge Night a lucrative one to remember. Tendou’s gaze lingered on the hookers in their sparkling heels and garish makeup, all the while still wearing that same smirk. “It’s a shame we can’t go out and have a little fun, too, huh, Y/n?” Your cheeks flushed with the implication of his statement and you chuckled nervously. Daichi turned around to watch you tuck your hair behind your ear and again felt that beast in his belly attempt to claw its way to the surface. “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean,” you murmured, eyes thoughtfully trained on the gutters and storm drains as you passed. Daichi flexed in his seat and chuckled darkly, a sound you nearly missed over the chorus of screams pouring from a burned out convenience store Tendou’s grin fell and everyone in the van could feel the tension rise. The driver, with his heavy-lidded eyes and stoic expression breathed out a soft curse as you readied your pack. Daichi opened his door and was the first out of the van. You followed closely behind; it was an unspoken agreement you had when you both signed on for this-- he would take point, and you would stay close to him. You held your medic pack close to your hip as you traced Daichi’s steps. The burly officer had his 9mm handgun trained at the door, moving silently through the trashed aisles. Corn chips and hard candy crunched underfoot along with broken glass and debris. As you trudged through the building behind your dedicated lawman, you gasped when the screaming suddenly stopped. All you could hear was the pounding of blood in your ears and the slowing of Daichi’s breathing. “Y/n,” he whispered, unmoving as his flashlight revealed bloody trails leading down the back of the store to the walk-in cooler. It looked like someone was dragged forcibly into the chilly space, their handprints smeared against the heavy door. He glanced down between his boots and shuffled forward. “I don’t think you need to see this, Y/n.” It was almost a warning, one he knew you wouldn’t heed as the unknown victim’s fingertips rolled under his steel-toed boots. Severed neatly at the knuckle, he pushed forward with his muzzle trained on the door as you skirted to his back. “Don’t look down.” “I--...Officer Sawamura, I-” “I said don’t look.” Your blood ran cold when the door swung open. The convenience store manager huddled in the corner of the cooler, clutching her hands to her abdomen. Her eyes went wide with terror as Daichi shined his light into the space. He almost felt bad for her- hair matted with blood and gore, shivering from the chill that had sunk into her bones. The puddle she sat in reeked of congealed blood and excrement, evidence of her fight soaking into her torn clothes and stained apron. Your feet rushed you to her side before the officer could stop you. You knelt down and whispered kind words, stating you were there to help her. She flinched at your touch, terrified that you were there to bring her more harm. Daichi continued to stand watch, turning his back to guard the only exit. If she was still alive, chances are whoever decided to loot and maim the poor girl would come back to finish the job. “Ma’am, I need to clean the blood off so I can assess the extent of your injuries.” You dropped your pack to your side and knelt as you worked, pulling bottles of sterile saline to wash the blood and urine from her hands and face. Her fingertips were severed cleanly, but to the bone. It didn’t leave much for you to work with, but you persisted. The body was a miraculous thing. As you continued to murmur hushed words of encouragement, of genuine concern and care for the clerk, Daichi felt himself swell with pride and jealousy. You were too good, too sweet for this disgusting world. It was everything he could do to keep you safe. By the time you finished wrapping up her hands and sewing the deeper defensive wounds on her arms and chest, Tendou was sauntering into the storefront with a strange wobble to his gait. You kept your focus on your patient and helped her to her feet, gently reminding her that it was going to be okay, that she was safe. Daichi aimed his gun at the redhead as he drew closer. “Oh, Officer, how nice to see you.” Daichi’s finger gripped the trigger slowly as Tendou walked into the light. He pressed the muzzle of the gun into his own chest and grinned that sly, loaded grin, daring the cop to release the safety and pull the trigger. He leaned over Daichi’s shoulder and watched as you helped your patient out of the cooler. “Does our little lamb need assistance?” “This little lamb is fine, Tendou. There’s a safe house not far from here. Run there and don’t get caught. And don’t stop until you get there. Tell them Mercy sent you,” you ordered the frantic woman. She nodded and pushed past the two men on unsteady legs. “That was sweet of you...but I doubt she’ll get far.” “What do you--” The redhead drew closer as the woman pushed passed him and out of the cooler. Daichi trailed behind her, if only to ensure she didn’t need cover-fire as she made her escape. As the police officer’s footfalls retreated from the store, Tendou grinned and inspected the bloody scene. “Injured lamb, blood loss, the scent’s in the air and the sharks are circling the block...it’s only a matter of time before she’s had, Y/n.” You steadied your breathing and glared up at him. “It was sweet of you to give her a chance, though...Mercy.” He whispered your codename with a smirk, his heavy-lidded eyes drinking in your soured expression with interest. “How do you know that name?” He canted his head, expression unchanging and drew closer so you could smell the coffee and liquor on his breath. He turned only slightly, noting the white light flooding the storefront and creeping into the walk-in in broad, sweeping strokes. Taller than you by a head, he leaned into your body, caging you against the frosty metal of the back of the fridge, his hand clapped tightly over your mouth. Your eyes darted up to meet his, a harshness you were unfamiliar with dancing in them like fire threatening to engulf you both. You understood his wordless plea-- stay quiet and still. Voices, slurring and rough called into the store from the street. They paused only to taunt Officer Sawamura, a mistake met with gunfire and tires squealing into the night. You could hear him make his return, but Tendou held fast to you, hiding you from view. “Are they gone?” You asked quietly when Daichi made his return. Your eyes widened at the shadow that crept over your living shield. The ringing in your ears muffled the rapid sprinting of your heartbeat as hot blood and gray matter sprayed across your face and neck like an explosion of organic stew. Bone fragments caught in your hair with the softer tissues of your former partner. Eyes wide with terror, you stared at Daichi. Your scream caught in your chest as you hyper-ventilated, frozen against the steel wall. He casually stepped over the redhead’s limp body and he reeked of gunpowder and brain matter.

The world and its mindless noise seemed to slow down with the slumping body of your partner. Daichi lowered his weapon and returned it to the holster on his hip as casually as one would slip shoes on. He moved quickly, surprising considering his size, and gripped your jaw with a beefy hand. With your mouth covered again, all you could do was pant through your nose and tremble at the scene. He worked quickly to rifle against your clothes, all the while pinning you to the wall by your face with that single strong hand. When he found what he was looking for, you whimpered quietly into his palm. Daichi drank in your fear and watched you quake against him as he brushed along your hips with measured interest. “If you scream, I can’t promise your protection.” Your throat bobbed with another scream swallowed in fear. It was one thing to see the aftermath of a murder, but another entirely to be an accessory to one. Tendou’s eyes were glassy, pupils blown and fixed as he stared up at your writhing futilely into Daichi’s iron grip. The officer leaned into your ear and you could feel him grin as he fanned your skin with his hot breath. “He was attacking you, Y/n. What kind of person would I be if I didn’t protect you?” The glimpse of Daichi’s true nature shone through as he curled two fingers into the meat of your thigh, his free palm gripping your buttock with enough force you knew would leave you with bruises. You’d be his-- he’d make certain of it. Daichi would keep you safe even if it meant he had to drug and shoot every warm body with a pulse in the entire country. He’d burn the prefecture to the ground if it meant you’d be his to protect. As realization sunk into your bones with the slap of his fingertips against your clothed core, a new feeling of helplessness washed over you that made your insides clench and twist in on themselves. Caught in his trap, Officer Daichi Sawamura ensured it was a Purge Night his night nurse would never forget.

#yandere purge #daichi sawamura #yandere daichi sawamura #lovesick #lovesick collab #tw:molestation #tw: gore #tw: gun violence #tw: amputation

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tiphansia · 2 years

Note

hallow !! whn the server was active/summer was one of the best times of my life, and quite literally kept me alive. ty 4 being apart of it

🥺 Thank you so much! Glad I made something that helped you! I had a really good time too and when I had to leave I thought about the server the whole time I was gone because I missed you guys. Without everyone there, the experience could have been pretty different and I wouldn't want it any other way! Sorry I lost the world file, it would have been really fun to defeat the ender dragon together and have some closure :-( Hopefully sometime in the future (maybe in a year or so) I can start a new server.

I'm guessing this is Joey, and if so then I want to say that I like being your friend. Thank you for forgiving me, and I'm glad things turned out the way they did or else we might not be friends today. I appreciate you a lot and I like hanging out with you! On Minecraft or anywhere. :-)

🥂 cheers to our now and future friendship!

#asks #🥺

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ill-skillsgard · 4 years

Text

Good Manners - Henry Deaver x Mistress

Warning: 18+ smut/mentions of cheating/mature themes/strong language/spousal conflict. **Dominance, some bum stuff and mega fluff in this part**

Note: I kind of hate to say this, but I think I will retire HxM after a couple more parts. I’ll tie it up nicely, and answer all the burning questions before I do so, but I just wanted to warn you guys now instead of springing it on you without notice. I just have so many projects I want to get underway and tying up some stories is necessary for me to direct my focus. Don’t hate me! I know we’ve had a lot of fun with this series, but I see it winding down, and I hope you understand!

Read past Henry x Mistress imagines here > Masterpost

Henry threw open the door, taking long strides as he shed his jacket, dropped his keys on the kitchen island and zipped through to the living room where he found her channel-surfing in her pyjamas. From the corner of her eye, the tall man's sudden appearance startled a gasp from her.

"Henry! I didn't expect you home so quickly. How did it go?" She said, sitting up straight.

"It doesn't matter," he muttered.

Henry swept her off the couch, attacking her mouth with his to stifle any further questioning. Fresh with anger and the residual adrenaline of finally admitting he had taken a mistress during the downfall of his marriage, Henry had grown tired of explaining himself. He was hungry and eager to display his dominance—the dominance that evaporated in Mary's shadow no longer.

When he was with her—his true love—there was nothing he wasn't allowed to do, no act she forbade. If he wanted to take her hard and fast, she welcomed the rush. If he wished to have her take care of him, that was also permitted. Tonight he wanted nothing more than to make her moan and squeal, proving to himself that he wasn't a pawn in a grand-scale game of manipulation. Henry was powerful, and it had been too long since he acknowledged his prowess.

"Oh my gosh, Henry. Where is this all coming from?" She asked, breathless as Henry toted her to the bedroom and tossed her onto the king-sized bed.

"Quiet. No more questions," Henry said as he unbuttoned his shirt and pulled the fabric from underneath his belted trousers. "Tonight, you're mine. Your body is mine to do with what I please.

"Yes, sir."

He took hold of her chin, smiling. "Oh, yes. That's exactly what I want to hear. Yes, sir. More, sir. Harder, sir. And anything I ask for, you'll provide."

She nodded as he shed his undershirt and undid his belt. The glint of the buckle in the light caught her eye, and Henry noticed the way she squirmed and bit her lip. He looked down at the leather in his hand, and instead of discarding it like he usually would, he folded it in half, snapping the material together with a crack. She flinched.

"What? Does the thought of getting whipped with my belt make your pussy wet?" He asked.

"Yes, Mister Deaver, sir," she said, turning about and bending over.

"I bet everything I do makes that pussy wet."

She smiled, wiggling her hips until Henry climbed onto the bed and pulled her bottoms up, cheeks peeking out from under the flimsy material. Henry tapped one cheek and then the other with the folded belt, a light warning of undeserved but wanted punishment.

While Henry teased her skin, she thought about what might have happened with Mary to set him off. He wasn't the type to take control without significant reason. The first time Henry had dominated her had been in his office after a day of training and mutual teasing. She remembered it clearly; everyone had gone home, leaving the floor empty. Yet even as high up as they were, she got off on the thought of someone seeing them through the window, an intern walking in to ask Henry a question, or an after-hours janitor happening upon them in the throes of ecstasy.

Henry wedged the material of her bottoms even higher, leaning over to first kiss the area he meant to slap. Then he raised the belt and whipped her. It wasn't a harsh blow. He could have hit much harder, but she still mewled and thanked Henry.

"Good manners," Henry praised, yanking the bottoms down around her knees. "And I see no panties. Only bad girls forget to put on their panties. Are you a bad girl?"

"Yes, sir. But I want to be a good girl for you," she said.

"You're well on your way, darling. Hold still."

She yelped from the firm smack of the leather across her bottom. An angry red welt rose, spanning both cheeks. Even Henry winced as he ran his hand over the reddening mark, feeling the warmth radiating from her skin.

"That was a good one," he said, chuckling.

"Thank you, sir," she whispered.

Henry dropped the belt and got on his knees before the edge of the bed. Framing her rear, he licked one half of the most recent strip of buzzing punishment, and then the other, providing cooling relief with his saliva. He pulled back, simpering and admiring the fullness of her ass, the disciplinary marks and the moan that left her when he trailed his tongue close to her openings.

"Do you remember the first night I fucked you? How much fun we had at the bar before I invited you up? Gosh... It took me so many drinks to find the balls to ask you. I thought I'd be too drunk to perform when I finally got you naked. But you looked so hot that night. Even in your little server's uniform, the white button-up blouse... Your hair all twisted up in a bun where you used to stick your pencil. I had already imagined fucking you so many times before then, too."

Henry kissed the crease between thigh and cheek, then gave her a satisfying smack. Grabbing her thigh, he guided her legs open, and her pussy came into view, but he wasn't ready to touch her quite yet.

"Even though I wanted things to work out with my wife, every morning I saw you, I wished I'd gotten the divorce underway so I could pull you onto my lap and squeeze all your beautiful curves. Some nights I'd argue with her, then come into that café just to get a glimpse of a woman who smiled every time she saw me. Such a little thing shouldn't have been so erotic, but it was, and God, I just wanted you so bad. I even masturbated to the thought of taking you at that bar long before you and I ever hooked up."

Henry's admissions made her cheeks turn pink, and her heart raced. She dropped her tailbone, encouraging him to touch her, but he only slid his hand up and down her ass, petting her while he spoke.

"Let me ask you something, gorgeous... Did you ever think about fucking me?"

She scoffed, not from embarrassment but from the absurdity of Henry not realizing how much she flirted with him during the times they had been strangers. "Of course, I did. How could I not? You always came in looking so handsome. I thought you were a model. And you were the kindest gentleman I'd ever met. I wanted to serve you much more than just coffee and scones," she giggled.

"Really?" He asked, kissing the small of her back as he squeezed her cheeks again.

"Yes, sir. Even though I knew you were married, I still thought of having those big, strong hands touching my body."

Henry chuckled under his breath. "And what else?"

She blushed. "Well, sir... I often wondered if you were as nice as you looked. Most of the men who dressed like you were entitled, rude... But you always smiled at me, and I couldn't help wanting to kiss you. I wanted to climb on your lap in the middle of that café and ride your cock. Sometimes, I even snuck away just to touch myself a little after you came in. I'd watch your hand gripping your pen, watch you purse your lips when you were lost in thought. Once, I even dropped something on the floor near you just so I could bend down and hope you were staring at me."

"Oh, that's naughty. Have you always been such a naughty girl?" Henry asked.

"Yes, sir. I think so. But you help bring it out of me," she said.

"I do, do I? I make you want to be bad?"

She nodded her head. "Yes, Mister Deaver. Can I tell you something else?"

Henry purred as he popped the button of his pressed trousers and pushed them down his thighs, readying himself to tease her even more. "You may."

"I had a feeling you were married. That first night, after you asked me to go upstairs with you to your room... You weren't wearing your ring, but I saw it many times before. I knew you must have had a wife, but I chose to play dumb because I wanted your cock so badly. It didn't even matter to me. I thought we'd just fuck once to get it out of our systems... But you were so amazing. I knew right after that I'd come back for more. I wanted to be mad at you for being a bad man, but I couldn't help myself."

Henry's groin roiled with excitement, blood shooting down to harden him. He disrobed and climbed onto the bed behind her, goading her pussy with the head of his swollen cock. "There's no other pussy in this world I'd ever want to be inside, baby. You're so perfect for me. My nasty little girl."

Playing confessions helped ease away the panic gripping Henry's heart. The reworked settlement and Mary's promise to drain him meant nothing as he pushed inside of her. The private investigator—if what Mary said was true—following them around to catch them in a lover's embrace only strengthened his need for her. He wanted to be seen touching her, kissing her. Henry looked down at the woman groaning from his penetration and bristled with affection.

"Oh, Mister Deaver, your cock feels so good inside me," she languished.

"Fuck, I love you, baby. I love your tight little pussy. Your beautiful face. This gorgeous body. Mm, I'll never get enough of you. My perfect girl."

She bent her spine, pressing into his hips until she completely enveloped him. Henry clutched her thighs and began pumping into her, picking up speed until she whined from the harsh punctures.

He ground his teeth, unable to stifle his pleasure. "Fuck, I love your cunt baby. Love when it makes my cock all soaking wet. It's so much tighter than hers. You're absolutely perfect."

"Thank you, sir," she murmured.

Henry pressed his chest to her back, snaking his arm around her collarbone to bring her close. "You belong to me. You're all mine. This pussy right here? This sweet little hole belongs to me. Only me."

Each thrust knocked a bit of air from her lungs until she gasped. Henry touched her clit with two fingers, rubbing it sparingly as he pinched her nipples with the other hand.

"I fucking love you, baby. You know that? Not an hour goes by, I don't think of being with you, being inside you... I want you forever."

"I'm yours," she said.

"Do you love me?" He asked.

His strong pulses knocked the words out of her until he sat back on his haunches, bringing her with him to stir his hips. She moaned from the change in sensation.

"I love you," she whispered.

"Yeah? You really do?"

"Yes, Henry. I love you more than anything."

His hand squeezed gently around her neck as he leaned in close. "That's good, baby. I'll never tire of hearing you say that."

She smiled as he touched her clit again. His body pressing against hers made her feel small, chest and long arms enveloping her top half as he worked himself inside. Henry must have felt powerful that day, for he pulled out and toppled her onto her back, knocking her legs apart to hone in on her slick opening. He towered above, throwing her legs over his shoulders and driving her into the bed with his entire weight.

"Fuck, that pussy is so goddamn wet for me," Henry said with a gasp. "Can't believe all that delicious pussy juice belongs to me."

"Mm, can I taste it?" She asked.

Henry cocked his head as he continued slamming into her. "What?"

"Pull out and fuck my throat."

It took Henry a moment to reconcile with her request. Any other day, he might deny her, or cower from the idea of shoving his cock in her mouth. But today was different. She wanted him in all the ways Mary never did. The delight in her eyes still surprised him, and he gave her what she wanted because it was what he wanted, despite all the times he'd fashioned himself as too gallant. Too long were his intimate perversions denied that when he met her, he couldn't believe she languished in being treated like a plaything.

As he used her mouth and moaned from the swirling of her tongue, her hands travelled up his thighs and didn't stop until she gripped his cheeks. The pad of her thumb met the expanse of skin underneath his balls, and the sweet pressure caused a stirring of sensation that was still foreign to him. He shuddered, dropping his chin to find her staring up at him with an evil glint in her eyes. Henry nodded.

"Oh, fuck yes, I love it when you do that."

His encouragement lit a fire beneath her. All this time, she assumed Henry only humoured her when she wanted to play extra dirty and touch his ass, but he secretly loved the feeling. The tension against his prostate ignited hundreds of dormant nerves that lit the way toward a powerful orgasm. Henry recalled the first time he allowed her to finger him, how nervous he'd been and how intense the sensation felt when she penetrated him.

Careful not to intrude too hard or too fast, she circled his hole a few times, assessing by the magnitude of his moans it was okay to press a little further. If her mouth weren't full of his cock, she'd ask, but Henry didn't flinch or whine the way he had the first time.

He opened his legs wider and sat back on the digit teasing his entrance with a low, lustful groan.

"God, yes, baby, finger my fucking asshole while I fuck your throat. That's what I like."

The duelling pleasures had Henry bucking fast and coming faster. He didn't want the bliss to end, but her expert fingers and well-versed tongue pushed him to the edge and didn't stop there. Henry unsheathed his cock from her throat and spilled an impressive amount of cum over her chest. She even pulled him back in to drink the lazier stream of fluid that followed the many bursts that had him writhing and singing his pleasure.

"Jesus... You're such a dirty girl. I love it. Fuck, I love watching you lick up all my cum." Henry collapsed beside her, then gasped when he realized she hadn't orgasmed. "Oh, fuck! I almost forgot about you."

"It's all right, darling. How about you just rest and you can do me later? You look like you need a break."

Henry wanted to decline, but she was right. His ears rang, and his fingers and toes were numb from the recent climax. All he wanted was to hold her close and kiss her face while he came down.

"That was so good. You're amazing," Henry murmured.

"Feel better now?" She asked.

"So much better," he sighed. "But I have a question I need you to answer before we do anything else."

She propped her head up, disregarding the stickiness still dripping down her chest. "Oh, yeah? What's that?"

Henry took in a long, steadying breath. He blinked a few times until the haze in his vision subsided, then looked at her with seriousness burning in his mismatched eyes. "When we finalize this divorce, and I'm no longer married to that evil fucking succubus of a woman... Would you marry me?"

"What?" She gasped. "Henry! You can't be serious."

"I am serious. Very serious."

"You want to get hitched right away?"

"Baby... I've known for a long time that I want to marry you. It just seemed so... distant, impossible. Like it would never happen. But I promise, if you marry me, I'll be the best husband ever."

She hugged him close, squealing into his neck. "I know! I know you'd be the best husband."

"The moment I walk out of the court, I want to marry you. It's not enough to just be your boyfriend. I want to put a ring on your finger and have a wedding and go on a honeymoon. I want it all. Ever since I was young, I wanted to be a husband and—"

Henry bit his lip. She pulled back and searched his eyes, still gripping him tightly.

"And?" She pressed.

"A father. I want to be a dad so badly."

Tears sprung in the corner of her eyes. When he saw the watery pools reflecting him, a similar wave of emotions overtook him. She blinked, and two streams fell down her cheeks. Henry pulled her close, kissing her as his own tears fell. When he pulled back, she was smiling.

"Is that okay? Is that... too much?" Henry asked, voice trembling.

She shook her head. "It's not too much, Henry. I love you. God, I love you more than anything. You deserve to be happy. And of course, I'd marry you. I want nothing more than to be a good wife to you."

"Really?" He asked as more joyful tears washed out his vision.

"Yes!"

"That's wonderful," he whispered, pulling her close again.

She rested her cheek on his chest, feeling the thumping of his heart as he sniffled and wiped the tears from his face.

"Henry?"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"I know you’ll be an amazing father."

#henry x mistress #henry deaver x mistress #Henry Deaver #bill skarsgard fanfiction #bill skarsgard smut #bill skarsgard imagine

131 notes · View notes

yamagucji · 4 years

Text

a series of thank you’s i’ve been meaning to give for a while now. please note i couldn’t get everyone bc im smol brained and im forgetful :(( also its vedy long so i added a readmore link but if it’s okay then i can remove it!

i would’ve preferred to go to your inboxes/dm’s but im scared t🤢umblrs going to glitch on me if i do it again a ha ha

@doublemoons

i remember you sent in my first ever request and i was SO happy like🥺 my account had no visibility on week 1 but then you somehow found my blog and since then you’ve been supporting me. i love the aesthetic of your blog and i always look forward to your rb’s because they so cute and insightful !! ik we haven’t talked much but i definitely perceive u as a gentle person here’s 1k hearts for you and you only <3

@insanityqueen

please i was *intense squealing* and *happy noises* when you said you wanted to be mutuals :’) im definitely uhhh way too immature for u but you still stick with all the caps and !!! i send you😭 you’re such an interesting, talented person. day 1 you got me HOOKED with your art and im gonna say this again,, i have never seen skin look soo s o f t painted. im really grateful for your company and all your cats and the hinata art you made me🥺 i am not still thirsting over it i swear and then you sent me pieces of your writing and i def expected hc’s but then BOOM🧍‍♀️ im so amazed by your writing. also you are vv pretty i hope you know that

@zephyrria

matching heart memes matching heart memes😾 i don’t talk to you as much but our main form of communication is literally exchanging heart memes w/o a word,,, if that isn’t true love idk what is :// anyway i love our little convos so much it always brightens my day! and omg lets not forget when you made me a drabble back😳 like wha- HUH !! i was so touched i rlly went boom boom woosh bc no ones ever written me one back and i!! that yamaguchi gives me so much comfort. you give me sm comfort, thank you bub <3

@beanst0ck

hehe my first tumblr crush😼 as soon as i deactivated my reading account to my a writing blog i was like “ok bean is on my top to-follow list” like i thought you were so cool and i was vv shy to interact with you🥺 and YOU STILL ARE COOL!! your works are really amazing and i am vv much still in love w my matchup w suga :’)

@killuababie

HHHH GRR BORK BORK I LUB U B NEVER GONNA STOP LOVING YOU BHH💓✨ bro,,,, when we switched over to insta it was WILD like— our sense of humor? matched. immaculate. please i love seeing all the memes u send me it makes my day so much like u don’t understand😭 and our convos really go chaos sometimes gkfjdj i love it. u need to pull up and play among us w me sometime 😡

@bewwybun

m-my first spouse🥺 even tho it was a joke the first time and i said sike fkdjdjdj but you still accepted my dino chimken nuggie ring hehe <3 bub your are literally the CUTEST HHHHH LIKE,,, cuteness overload !!! i love talking to you sm and our little exchange of heart memes make the butterflies in my tummy go ✨

@mei-writes

may🥺 imy bub i hope you’re doing well and taking good care of yourself. still very grateful for that time you pulled through to check which of my links weren’t working. and there’s a LOT. like the fact that you took time out of your day for me still baffles me. anyway im lomve you ik we don’t talk as much but you’re still a valued moot to me. im offering u free headpats hehe

@kozsma

hi maria👉👈 you’re so wonderful and rlly amazing w your smaus. absolutely smitten over our chaotic conversations fkfjd we haven’t talked in a while but if you see this just know that i’m here for you <3 take some self care okay? hope you’re doing good bub

@tsukkeisimp

dalia, you wondering being💞 please what did i do to deserve your love >;( we don’t talk much but we have exchanged heart memes before and you’re always out here supporting me whenever you can and like!! tysm bub. i hope you’re feeling better from the last time we interacted, and please do take good care of yourself!

@satorispup

can’t believe you made a reputation of having a piss kink. what power. what energy >>> anyway it’s fun seeing your chaotic energy on my feed/tl. sometimes i won’t even look at the user and say yeah💔 that’s hero alright gkfjdj also you’re so cute what the heck😡😡

@tobiokvgs

[ insert 100 hearts ] this for u bub. im still going crazy over your tsukki lipbalm piece like i was so FLUSTERED you really did that huh😭 you’re so nice and sweet, ty for giving me headbonks as well im really glad to get them😌 hope you have an amazing day bub, and take care!!

@bunnyuuji

cutecutecutest bean ever🥺 you have such wonderful works and im truly in love with your writing😌 also you’re so SWEET WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE U GKFJDJ literally you weren’t obligated to stop by my ask and check in but u did >:(

@yanderepunkin

hehe ik we haven’t interacted in such a long time but im including you!! bc i appreciate you!! i know you’ve supported me a lot especially when i just started this blog and im really thankful for it. also uhhh im still not over accidentally turning off anon when i was- yeah😿 i wish you all the love in the world, and please do take gentle care of yourself 💓

@ahkaahshi

frannn👁👁🤲 yes im gonna start with how big brained you are. your passion for textiles and improving the environment is vv cool to me. and then there’s the fact you write these hq characters so well. yes i am absolutely still living for your character analysis. i am thriving off of them!! here’s me manifesting kita and/or sakusa to show up in your dreams hehe

@sachirou-senpai

i hope you dont mind me sending u stuff every now and then! anyway im in awe of your writing and art skills. you brought a realistic yamaguchi and i ascended😳 i genuinely think you’re such a cool person but also please take breaks!! ik it’s such an overused phrase but i genuinely mean it. i care u <3

@kenmakodzu

you’re so sweet and you do really be sending me back some heart memes😳 i go BOOM BOOM yaya that’s more to my collection;) also you and your hq anon interactions go WILD omg it really does make my day more interesting whenever i see them😂 also i do be seeing some of ur chaotic energy on my dash and i am HERE for it

@tsukkisbean

hemlo clara🥺 d-do you remember me gkdjshsjs i think its been a while since we interacted. you’re so sweet and AHH lmao did u know we were in a poly with wiss😔💔 yeah❤️ n e way i hope you’ve been alright these past few weeks, and if not, please get some break!

@atsunflower

miya twin supremacy😡 can’t believe you made me swerve over to osamu’s lane because of your amazing writing. how could you. the mf audacity. i rlly do fell in love with that piece do so THAMK U and that also goes for the support you’ve given me💗

@lespaghetti

ozzy👁👁🤝 ngl our conversations have been top tier im glad i got to uhmm,,, get some of these *thoughts* out of my head. you’re such a sweet little bean!!! that art/sketch you did with the purple (?) themed uniforms was really cute. im glad to have u as my moot and *cough* my vip reader *cough*

@sleepykarabou

our heart meme streak was strong until school happened😔 but i really enjoy them tho!! it’s very calming talking to you (fun, but also vv calming idk that’s how i feel) loving the brainrots we give each other of our favs from time to time :’) also omg OSRRY im barely active in the server please spare me😿 im lomve u

@nerdybreadcollaborative

gee!! AHHHH KGFJJD GRRR u sweet bean oh my goodness. where do i start- ??? i’ve already gushed so much abt your writing but here we go again; i love your writing so much and your attention to the little details is so great. they flow so well and i hope u get more visibility bc it’s what u deserve!! also please take care of yourself and don’t work too much u nerdy bean

@nishinoya-is-baby

ely my plant kinnie, my spouse (?) and also the blog that i dump my h word thots on😭❤️ ahhh im lomve you, you’re amazing. from your writing, to your makeup skills, and your room, the talent really ✨jumped out✨thank you for supporting me so much, i genuinely appreciate it. i hope we can stay moots despite me being busy gkfjdj anyway take care bbie don’t work too much okay?

@art0saurus

TATE😤 the amount of hq brainrot you’ve fed me is astronomical. idk how you keep coming up with such good ideas but im all for them!! i love your writing so much and the plots are so *chefs kiss* (yes im still gushing over mermaid!bokuto). thank you so much for sending some bits of positivity into my life, im really grateful for it :’)

@dorkyhaikyu

EL!😼 you sweet bean. wish i could bombard ur asks but school is saying no </3 you’re such a sweet mutual and your writing is absolutely amazing. still kinda hurt over that angst u made💔 but anyway i loved it sm. also please wear safer shoes next time on big events so u dont get any more BLISTERS kgjdjdh jkjk

@chickenwingspiker

nashnashnash🥺👉👈 wth you’re so cute and even cuter with the little emoticons u put in my asks. i really appreciate you taking time out of your day to check in on me. i think your works are really heckin cool, im still very into that sock agenda one and the akaashi fic AHH i love them sm. i hope that u have better experiences with online learning and i really wish you all the best on ur art journey <3

@miyastrology

did u forget abt our walk to the strawberry field😿 jkjk heyyy atlas!! im lomve your theme and your writing. i have the urge to say you’re as sweet as strawberry bc im unoriginal like that💔 let’s just pretend i put something kute :’( n e way u are vv cute, make sure to take care of yourself ok!!

@derpeedoo

your rb’s and comments on ppl works... i just... my heart is full. im complete. i go absolute doki doki for you. you’re such a genuine person and you give people so much love❤️ here’s an unlimited supply of my love to you bc you deserve it. ty for all the cute questions btw🥺

🕊 anon - still wondering if ur one of my already-moots or not😳 but anyway dove anon i have a lot to say,,, like how ?? do u go “ok let’s check in on aaron today hehe” like am i interesting??😭 i feel kinda bad ngl you really don’t have to talk to me. but nevertheless im really appreciate of all the support you’ve given me. i genuinely think you’re a cool person and you do all these fun stuff like photography which is amazing. here’s the biggest THANK YOU i could ever give <3 ps. your art is CUTE and AMAZING @bee-kins

@simping-for-tendou

do i??? spam your feed??😭 you’re always liking my posts and i feel so sorry for spamming but also vv appreciate of all the interaction i’ve had with you!! im very glad i got to ask you qotd and stuff because i got to know that you like plants as well!! thank you for sharing plant facts with me, it really made my day. i genuinely think you’re such an awesome and big brained person for knowing all those facts🥺👉👈

@wissaaltje

ngl i was very intimated by you bc of all your angst and really good works which is probably why i never reached out to you sooner😿 ur my uhhh third spouse <3 but anyway your CHAOTIC ENERGY is thru the roof i love that sm and your writing is so mf beautiful i wish more people got to see it😡 i will gib you flower soup and muddy pie to make you feel better ;) jkjk but you’re very amazing and i hope you know that!

@smolbludandelions

hehe you’re in here😼 thank you ???? for supporting me even tho you’re not obligated??? like wh- i- bub🥺🤲 you have all my heart and i rlly rlyy want to stop by your inbox and give you heart memes but me why >;( i hope you have the most amazing day(s) of your life because you deserve it SO much.

@tadashi-simp

FINALLY someone i can simp over yamaguchi with😭 ik we haven’t talked much but AH i love the conversations we’ve had so far and all that insight you gave me about the new wanda film (truly a blessing bc i was so genuinely confused gkfjdj).

@oikaw-ugh

just. JOLLIBEE. can’t believe one of our first interactions was u sending me chain mail smfh i cannot believe you😭 anyway po i appreciate you so much na kaka tawa ako sa mga msgs mo and all the good vibes u radiate. mag bisaya unta ko nimi pero baka mag nosebleed ako😿 im losing my native languages it’s not even funny anymore but when i got to talk to u in my mother tongue, i felt a bit more at home. thank you bub <3

@makemealive

hihi👉👈 idrk what we first talked about, i think it was spending vacation in the galapagos islands??😭 riding turtles??? what a great way to start our friendship :’) i rlly think you’re cool and i just,,,, admire u from afar- yeah. sorry this message is too chaotic but anyway u might not have a green thumb but look at you growing potatoes accidentally😌 anyway i think you’re cool i just haven’t said it before because im s Hy

@lostsealscreams

seal, bub, i genuinely care about you. you’re such a sweet person. i know we haven’t interacted much but im looking forward to more conversations with you!! please find little fun things to do... maybe do some self appropriation if you can, bc you deserve it. maybe even treat yourself... or any self care tasks that make you feel better. i care about you a lot, im just an ask/dm away if you wanna talk about anything at all💕💞✨

@hqgardenia - jkjk this is my spam account idk why i put this here but here probably bc im dumb as fuck

#cupid; talks!#queuepid

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n3s0 · 3 years

Text

hi i’m going to discuss the doomsday war streams and overall the conclusion of what i’d consider season 3 of the dream smp because hyperfixation go brrrrr

(for clarity sake: season 1 is from when l’manberg defects from the dream smp to when wilbur decides to host an election. season 2 is from swag2020 vs pog2020 to the manberg vs pogtopia war on nov 16th. season 3 is from the start of tubbo’s presidency to the jan 6th doomsday war.)

tldr: i definitely think the cc’s can look on what happened this season and improve greatly. that’s not to say this wasn’t a good season, there are a lot of things they’ve improved since season 1, but there are also things they can improve on in the future. this season was lacking a connecting thread or goal and it made it feel disjointed and left character’s in limbo. a way to fix that could be either scripting the story more strictly, fixing communication problems and/or making the plot into more self contained but slightly overlapping stories.

i think my biggest problem with this season was the fact that it felt so disjointed. one of the best things about the first season is the consistent plot line: l’manberg is trying to win independence. you had eret’s betrayal, dream’s tyranny, wilbur and tommy’s whole dynamic, and an underlying subplot with the disc war, but it all ultimately connected to l’manberg’s fight for independence. it’s what makes the first season so good and that kind of consistent plot is missing in this season.

even the second season had the main plot of taking back manberg. there was wilbur’s insanity, but that tied back to the elections. there was tension between tubbo and tommy, but it tied back to the elections. even the badlands tied back to bad, ant, skeppy, and sam deciding they’re done with manberg AND pogtopia and deciding to stoke the fire. it all tied back and character’s had weeks to slowly develop with the setting.

this season you had techno retiring, ghostbur reconciling with fundy, tubbo’s presidency, whatever was going on with schlatt and quackity?, george is king?, el rapid mexican l’manberg that whole thing, tommy’s exile, el rapids fighting dream smp/eret’s kingship?, the butcher army, techno UNretiring and teaming with tommy, tommy using techno to get his discs back, techno using tommy to destroy l’manberg, the prison, the bloodvines, and probably more im forgetting. there was a LOT going on, even techno and wilbur have ooc acknowledged this. and in my opinion it was just too much. character’s weren’t given enough time to develop naturally and the pacing had to go fast enough to fit all the plot into it, leaving little time for the character’s relationships to develop with the plot.

most notably this is a problem with character’s like niki, fundy, ranboo (though not too bad with his character) and eret. eret had worked hard on a redemption arc and then had to go back to being king because george didn’t want to be involved (then changed his mind which...okay) which really fucked up all of the development he spent a LOT of time on during the second season. niki had to jump from siding with tubbo and tommy against wilbur’s insanity to suddenly tubbo’s president and her character just...can’t know that wilbur is dead for some reason? and now she needs content so she has to scrap together an anti-hero plot for herself. fundy’s works a little better i feel, with his lowkey insanity arc he’s having as of now, but the problem with him is he didn’t get enough lowkey plot moments to show his character’s devolution from neglected to vengeful. ranboo was thrown head first into the plot and while he’s doing an AMAZING job of keeping himself afloat, he just hasn’t had enough time to make his character’s mental decline seem believable, at least to me. not enought has happened to his character for it to work out, due to pacing. all of these character’s are AMAZING concepts but the fact that they feel so inconsistent can be related back to the fact that there really wasn’t any time given to let character’s slowly develop and change, and instead they had to cram all of their character development into the first 30 mins of a plot important stream.

and i will offer a counterargument here of the fact that season 3 is when wilbur’s writing stopped and also was when it really started catching a large audiences’ interest. so naturally more people wanted to be involved and due to the nature of the way this story is told, where each character is an actual CC who needs content and can’t just be a background support character, there HAS to be a lot going on for everyone to get their slice. and i think that’s the ultimate downfall of using this medium to tell a story. you NEED those background characters, the characters that don’t have to be 3 dimensional, the characters that don’t need to be there for everything and get their lines in. so i can’t fault them for having a clunky story when it has to be that way to be fair.

ultimately i still really enjoy the story, and i hope this doesn’t sound too nitpicky. it’s downfall, of everyone having to be an important character, is also what makes it so good! don’t like the “main character”? go watch someone else, who’s the main character of their own POV of the story. every single character is incredibly complex and has their own unique set of motivations, goals, and traits. it works really well with the running theme of history, and how not only does it repeat itself through miscommunication and ignorance but also how the opinion on events changes from who’s telling the story. the fact that you can tell every CC genuinely cares about their character also really does show in the acting and writing and just everything about the server and story. the flaws of the story are very easy to look over because of just how much time and care all of them put into this server and it really helps the story. an okay story written by passionate people with always be better than an amazing one written by apathetic storywriters; and the smp’s story is definitely more than just okay, at least to me.

i didn’t want to write this just to complain and then offer no solution, so i do have a few ideas on how i’d like to see this fixed or at least improved. they actually already somewhat do this, but i feel like they could start breaking up the plot more. similarly to how there was the bloodvines plot going on at the same time as tommy’s exile plot, i feel like they could take a chunk of say 5-10 members and they each have their semi-contained plot. especially with l’manberg now destroyed, the thing that way tying a lot of the members together, it would be easier to do this. there can be connecting threads through the stories, like how tubbo and fundy would see the bloodvines or bad would visit tommy in exile, but ultimately not every character has to be involved in everyone else’s story.

say you have tubbo, tommy, quackity, fundy, ghostbur, and dream for one plot of trying to get the discs back and making dream revive ghostbur. at the same time you can have techno, phil, ranboo, dream, and sam dealing with the prison and techno or someone being put in the prison with dream manipulating ranboo through his memories. bad, ant, sam, puffy, and skeppy can continue with the egg. eret, fundy, niki, and ghostbur work through the trauma they’ve gained from everything with l’manberg and their interpersonal relationships. similarly to how karl is doing the tales of the SMP right now, these storylines are self contained but characters can overlap and therefore so can relationships.

my other solution would honestly be to just work on the seemingly lack of communication. make sure everyone is getting the content they need (with people having to understand that not everyone is going to get the animatic worthy lines every stream, and not everyone gets to play a huge part in each event.) however this entails having a much more concrete script, which highkey removes the charm of the smp. it also means that inevitably someone is going to not be getting good content, or content at all, and that’s not fun or good for anyone. ultimately i’d like to see an improvement on the communication for the plot (niki feeling excluded, george and eret not being told about important events, communicating when people are trying to have genuine canon important speeches and not BMing them (cough cough tubbo at niki about her taxes cough cough techno during tubbo and tommys reunion)) and that doesn’t necessarily have to mean a fully fleshed out script.

in the end, what everyone on this server has managed to do with this storyline is something that’s genuinely impacted me! it’s opened my eyes to new ways stories can be told and this fandom is the first big one i’ve been in since probably fucking voltron or homestuck in the mid-2010s. i love what the CCs have managed to do, and while i think this was a healthy amount of criticism for the story i in no way want to demean just how much passion and effort the CCs put into this server. none of these people are professional story writers or actors so the amount of talent we’ve seen is astonishing. this is simply me expressing what i think the problems are, because every story has problems, especially one that’s being made with such a unique medium like improv roleplay streaming. if you have anything you wanna add please feel free to add to this post or reply! i’d love to see :) thank you for reading if you made it this far lmao

#posts #dream smp #mcyt #mcytblr #doomsday war #jan 6th stream

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twstwonderlandstuff · 4 years

Text

Jamil with a doting and loving little sister

why the fuck does this exist- i dont fucking know

Spoilers for Scary Halloween Event ahead!

“Karin!” A young girl with long, dark hair yelled. “Please don’t run!”

“Eh? But aren’t you excited to see your big brother, Aniq?” Karin shot back, her loose, white hair flitting through the air. “I can’t wait to see what Scarabia’s doing for Halloween this year~!”

“I am too, but...” Aniq forcefully pulled Karin back, leaving Aniq to pout. “I can’t have you ruining the Asim family name looking like that.”

“Eh? But I’m the 12th, it’s not that important.” Karin dragged out, dramatically walking back towards her right-hand (wo)man/best friend. Pouting, she reluctantly let Aniq tidy her appearance- carefully tying the whit turban back in place, tugging the aqua-blue sleeveless top so it covers her decently, making sure the matching colored parachute pants reach her bottoms and shining the golden jewel that rests on her sandals it’s Jasmine.

“There, much better.” Aniq gave her a once over, satisfied at the appearance. “Wait, let me do yours too!” Karin insisted, roughly cleaning Aniq’s image.

“Ah, don’t-” Aniq gave up, letting the girl do as she pleased- well, it’s not like anyone can see them, right? Just in case, Aniq gave the room they were in (Karin’s room) a onceover, glad that nothing was amiss.

In contrast to Karin, Aniq wore a very simple black cloak that draped gracefully over her shoulders and a collared, midi-length, grey dress that has buttons running its entire length. For a pop of color, orange, curly-toed shoes line her feet (it’s a witch)

“There~ you look better, see?” Karin grinned. “Now we can both look good!”

“Well, I guess... thanks.” Aniq replied, twirling around. “Well then, my lady, shall we go?” She teasingly asked, offering Karin an arm.

“But of course. We can’t have our brother’s anxiously wait for our arrival, can’t we?” Karin answered in kind, looping her arm in hers.

“They don’t even know we’re coming, how are they supposed to wait?” Aniq sighed. “I wonder if this is really ok...”

“It’s fine, chill. My dad already said ok, and I forced your parents to take you with me!” Karin casually replied, stepping out of the room. A glare from Aniq made her soften her voice.

"You and your abuse of power...” Aniq sighed. “If my parents knew I told you to...”

“Hihihi... ahh, just relax already! We’re going to have fun, and you are prohibited from being anxious, do you understand?! This is a command straight from the master herself, okay?!” Karin commanded, booping Aniq’s nose.

“Hai hai~” The two of them laughed good-naturedly, chatting light-heartedly about other things.

"Woah!” Karin exclaimed. “Is this what NRC looks like when it’s Halloween?! It looks so cool...!”

“I know right?!” Aniq noticed a man with what seems like bandages, but made into clothes on him. “Oh, there’s a guy sitting there- let’s ask him for the directions of the Scarabia dorms- oh wait, isn’t that the dorm leader of Octavinelle?”

“Hmm, maybe? I think I remember someone looking like that when we came here last year.” Karin hummed, walking placentally towards the guy. “Excuse me, do you know where the Scarabia venues are?”

"Oh, welcome and happy Halloween. Yes, they are located in the Mystery shop.” Azul explained. “Do you have anything else to add?”

“No, that’s all. Thank you, and happy Halloween!” Aniq replied, flashing him a quick thank you smile before leaving with Karin.

“Eh, you remember the way?”

“Duh~ I mean, do I not have good memory?” Aniq flexed lightly, grinning.

“Oh yeah, you helped me cheat on that test one time-”

“Ahhh shaddup don’t talk about that!”

“Eh- but you’re the that brought up the topic!” Karin argued back.

“No, you did! I didn’t say a word about tests!”

“Oh yeah.. ahaha...”

“Ah, what am I going to do with you?” Aniq sighed, shaking her head and smiling.

“There they are- oh...” Aniq’s spirit dissipated after seeing to long, long line that stood in front of the Mystery Shop. “H...how are we supposed to find big bro and Kalim-san now...?”

“Ahh, I don’t know...” Karin echoed, sighing sadly. “But I’m so lazy to wait in line...”

“I’ll wait for you, you go do something else.” Aniq suggested. “I think we passed a haunted house or something. You love those things, right?”

“Yup, thanks Aniq! Karin playfully teased, pressing her lips on Aniq’s cheek. “See ya!”

Aniq blushed deeply, but managed to wave her off. “Honestly, that girl...!” She grunted under her breath, a little bothered. “She’s way too affectionate...”

Aniq aligned herself in the queue, looking around. It certainly is more crowded then last year. I wonder why- oh, right, because of that picture of the ghosts and the cat. Ahh, I kind of want to see the cat... it looks so cute! She thought, smiling at the thought. And the cute girl too... I wonder why there’s a girl in NRC? Ah well, I can ask big bro, can’t I?

She grinned happily at the thought and accidentally overheard the chatter of a few people.

“Ahh, I wonder what angles I should take for the waffle?” Girl A pondered, asking her friend.

“I think from up high is good because the lighting is better. That way, the post will definitely get more likes.” Girl B answered, concluding Girl A’s response.

“Hey, are we going to actually eat the waffle? No, right? It’s so annoying to walk around holding this around...” Girl A sighed, hesitantly looking at the waffle store.

“But it says not to throw it here...eh, I’m sure its fine since everyone is doing it too!”

“Right, right!” The two continued chattering, but Aniq’s eyes went straight for the trash can.

She glanced at the pile of waffles and containers surrounding the trash can. Ahh, I don’t think big bro is going to enjoy that... She spotted several caterpillars and slugs on the trash can and sighed. Most definitely not.

Silently, quietly, she muttered a spell: Spread your wings, and turn the ugly to good.

After a few seconds, the pile of trash became a flight of butterflies, which quickly dissapeared and flitted into the air, along with the caterpillars and slugs.

“Woah, the trash just dissapeared! Is that the way they clean the trash?” Girl A gasped, shaking Girl B by the shoulders.

“So pretty! Let’s throw some more trash so we can see it again! Maybe if we put it on Magicam it’ll become viral!” Girl B added.

That’s not what I meant to do! “Don’t-” The word slipped out before Aniq could stop herself. The two strangers in front of her glared at her.

“Have you been eavesdropping on us? That’s rude.”

“Ah- I’m sorry, but I couldn’t help it when you said that you’d continue littering.” She countered calmly.

“Why not? It doesn’t hurt anyone, right?”

“Well, there is a sign clearly indicating that you shouldn’t throw trash, but if you ignore that, then yes, the actions you did obviously have no impact at all.” She chastised sarcastically, pointing towards the sign.

“Ahh, so annoying! Let’s just wait for the waffles another time. I’m tired of waiting in line anyway.” Girl A said, shooting a dirty glance at Aniq, which she subtly ignored.

“Yeah.. oh, let’s go to Savanaclaw! Maybe the rumor that...” The 2 customers walked away, letting Aniq take their place.

2 people away from my order... come on, hurry up! Aniq thought impatiently. Ah, shit, where’s Karin?

She hurriedly pulled out her phone and called. After precisely 3 rings, Karin’s cheery voice rang from the other side.

Hello?

Is everything okay on your end?

Ehh, are you worried~?

When am I never worried? Aniq deadpanned.

That’s true, yeah. I’m okay! I took a picture with THE Malleus Draconia, can you believe it?! I mean, there were these people who tried touching him, but I got a brain, so I didn’t do that.

Heh?! Really? Woah, they have some guts! Aniq replied in surprise.

“Next.” She stepped forward one step, noticing that the server had some wolf ears attached to them. Hmm, I don’t remember Scarabia students having animal ears... it’s probably for the costume.

Oh, and I found the cute girl in the picture you were talking about!

Eh, did you find the cat and the ghosts too?! Send me the pictures ya! Aniq reminded her.

Yup, will do~ Karin replied fleetingly. They were swarmed with people haha! I pitied them, so I just... watched as the throng of people overwhelmed them. The people were saying something about the Malleus Draconia challenge, or something.

Eh, really? What’s it about?

Like, they have to film them touching him. Isn’t that crazy?

Well, more like moronic but yeah, I guess. I heard a few people talk about Magicam here too. ‘Let’s upload the waffle pictures! It’ll definitely get a lot of likes!’ then they throw it away! So stupid, right? Karin snorted.

...Are there people in the area-

Oh shit-

Oh my god you dumbass- Aniq could hear her friend laugh. Well, order some waffles for me, okay? I’m headed over there right now.

Aight then, bye!

Bai bai~

Click.

“Next, please!” The Scarabia student called, prompting Aniq to eagerly step forward, happy to see her big brother-

“Oh, is that you, Aniq?” Kalim cheerfully asked, prompting Aniq to quickly bow.

“Ah, Kalim-sama!” Kalim laughed.

“Raise your head up, jeez! I told you over and over you don’t need to do that, ya know~” Kalim lectured playfully, resulting in a quiet giggle from Aniq.

“Yes, master!” She inclined, using her left hand as a salute. “Can I take a picture- after I order, of course!”

“Sure!” Kalim agreed. “So, what do you want?”

“2 NRC waffles, please.” Kalim cringed at the word. “You’re going to actually eat it, right~?”

“Of course! What’s the point of buying food you’re not going to eat?” She casually answered back.

“Don’t be so casual, Aniq.” Jamil’s voice floated through the booth. She grinned once she saw him.

“Big bro!” Jamil was quick to give her a head pat, which she radiated from. “Aha, sorry... it slips out sometimes.”

“Hmm.” Jamil replied. “Kalim, the residents of Scarabia are asking for your help. Can you handle it by yourself?”

Kalim nodded, putting a thumbs up. “Leave it to me!” He then left to help with whatever needed to be done.

Aniq eyed her big brother. “Oh, you’re donned in a costume too, big bro.”

“All vice-dorm leaders and leaders are required to wear the costumes.”

“Oh, did you make it, big bro?” Jamil shook his head.

“No, Vil did- Pomefiore dorm leader.”

“Ahhh, you mean the pretty guy in charge of the mirror of chambers?” Jamil nodded. “I saw it on one of the flyers plastered on the walls.”

"Ah, that makes sense. Ah, Aniq.”

“Mhmm?”

“Can you guess the theme of our dorm venue? I’ll add in a special treat if you guess it right.” Jamil teased, watching his sister’s eyes light up.

“Really?! Well, um...” Her eyes quickly darted to take in the surroundings. The ragged carpet draped across the trees and roofs, with lanterns hanging from the trees. “Well, it’s very LHS (Land of Hot Sands)… oh!” She gasped, clicking her fingers. “Is it recyclable material? The carpets are made out of rags, and the lanterns out of reusable plastic.”

Jamil hummed, genuinely pleased. “You’re right.” Aniq beamed at the praise. ““I assume you’re with Karin?” He questioned.

“Mhmm, but she’s in the haunted house, or wherever Malleus Draconia is in. ”Oh, by the way, bro, what’s with the trash piling in front of the station? Are people really just buying the waffles to take pictures on Magicam?” Aniq asked, watching his eyebrows furrow.

"Unfortunately.” Jamil sighed. handing her the cones. "We tried telling them off, but they wouldn’t listen. They also bugged with Kalim’s tail.” Jamil smiled smugly, giving her the scones back. “Oh, and thank you for the trash.”

“Ah, you saw, big bro?” She asked happily. Jamil shook his head. “You shouldn’t be using your UM so casually.”

“I know, I know, but it did help, right?” She grinned, but before she could continue, someone behind her whispered: “Oh my god she’s taking so long!”

“Oh, right!” Aniq quickly realized. “Um, chocolate for me and Mint choc-chip for Karin.”

“Of course.” Jamil got right to it, taking the wrappers from their containers.

“How’s everything going, big bro?” Jamil raised an eyebrow at the question. “You know what I mean, with Kalim-sama... and everything.” Aniq asked, staring straight at her brother, who sighed deeply.

"Don’t say that out in public.”

“But I’m worried! You’re doing okay, right?” Aniq frowned.

“It’s been... decent. He still treats me like a friend, no matter how many times I shrug him off. It’s annoying.” Jamil hissed, putting more force then usual when putting the waffles. “I’m just thankful nobody- except you- knows about this back home.”

“Ahaha... Kalim-sama is always like tha-” Her phone rang, interrupting her talk.

Hell-

ANIQ SOMETHING HAPPENED!

Jamil, well understanding the circumstances, quickly handed her the waffles, mouthing ‘For free.’ Aniq grinned in thanks and waved goodbye, walking away.

What happened?!

I found this cute guy, and- Aniq wanted to slap her.

Oh my god, I thought you were in ACTUAL trouble you dumbass!

Hehe- anyways I found this really cute guy and he’s got ears and- OH MY GOD HE’S COMING MY WAY- oh nevermind he’s walking away...

Aniq couldn’t help but laugh at her friend’s simping level. I’ll be there right away. Maybe we can get you to score a date with him.

so basically lads

Aniq (which means classy in Arabic haha see what I did there): Jamil’s younger sister

Karin (a play on the Kalim’s name): Kalim’s younger sister

also they cute Karin’s just rlly affectionate

#kalim al asim #kalim twst #twst kalim #jamil viper #jamil twst #twst jamil #oc twst #kind of oc #twst #twisted wonderland #lads immmm #once again simping FOR THAT KALIM SPRITE OF MY FUCKING FOD #immaculate #vertical-align: inherit;#<font style=><font style=>my writing</font></font>

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entity9silvergen · 3 years

Text

We Dance To Fast Music (ATLA Fanfiction)

Summary: Zuko didn’t like to dance. Neither did Mai. But Ty Lee did and they’d do it for her. Fortunately for them, Ty Lee cared about how they felt and wanted to show them just how wonderful music could be. All Zuko and Mai knew were slow dances, the things of ballrooms and romance. Ty Lee only knew the dances of friendship, freedom, and fun.

Fandom: ATLA

Characters: Zuko, Mai, Ty Lee, Sokka, Suki, Aang, Katara, Toph

Relationships: Ambiguous relationships, Katara/ Aang, Zuko & Mai & Ty Lee, Gaang & Mai & Ty Lee, Zuko & Mai & Ty Lee & Suki &Sokka

Other Tags: Ambiguous Relationships, AroWriMo, Dancing, Dancing Dragon, Tsungi Horn, Wedding, Platonic Relationships, Music

Warnings: None

Word Count: 8K

Chapter Count: 1 (Oneshot)

Author’s Note: This was written for Aromantic Writing Month 2021 Week 2. The prompt is Freedom & Music. It is not explicitly mentioned if characters are aro in this story. The main focus is on friendships and platonic relationships being valued equally. You can decide which however you want to interpret each character’s romantic and sexual orientations.

It also does not explicitly state if any characters are in relationships (except Aang and Katara) so you can read into it however you want. I played around with Mai/ Zuko, Mai/ Zuko/ Ty Lee, Suki/ Sokka, Mai/ Zuko/ Ty Lee/ Suki/ Sokka, or them all just being platonic friends but none of it stuck. There is emphasis that these relationships are not strictly romantic but you can interpret any of them as qprs or romantic relationships.

Also I’d like to say I know nothing about music or dance so sorry if those bits of the story don’t make sense or if their dances are really ugly.

I own none of the dances in this story. The first one is the Dancing Dragon from the cartoon and the last two are inspired by “the beginning of a new and brighter birth” by aloneintherain on Ao3.

You can also read this fic on Ao3 and FFN.

=============

Part 1

It all began at Katara and Aang’s wedding.

It was a nice wedding, it really was, and Zuko was happy for his friends but did they really have to invite so many people? Aang and Katara had a lot of friends all over the world but half these people Zuko had never even met. He was pretty sure they were all political officials. He supposed he couldn’t really complain, the Avatar’s marriage was a pretty big event for all four nations, but it was stifling to have so many people in one space, however open.

He supposed the one advantage was that no one could see if he was dancing or not.

The ceremony was lovely and Zuko meant that genuinely. Aang and Katara had danced afterward in a beautiful mix of Water Tribe and Air Nomad styles and now the floor was open to the guests. There was a live band of… Zuko wanted to say they were Air Acolytes but they may have been one of King Kuei’s bands from Ba Sing Se. Or maybe it was both. It was probably both considering they were playing a plethora of tunes from different nations and regions. Everyone seemed pretty pleased by the music selection and had taken to the dance floor with their partners.

Zuko was hiding in the corner with Mai and Ty Lee.

Zuko knew as the Fire Lord he would be expected to dance at some point. Not by Aang and Katara, they’d never do that to him, but there were so many strangers here and there was probably some important person here who would start whispers that the Fire Lord had insulted the Avatar by not dancing at his wedding and they needed to start war preparations again. Zuko didn’t know anything about weddings but he was pretty sure that was a thing. Probably. Maybe. And for peace’s sake, he’d dance. Probably. Maybe.

It was just that he didn’t want to? It wasn’t even entirely because he didn’t know how to. He didn’t really have any problems with dancing. He’d dabbled in some of the cultural restoration efforts that involved dancing directly. It just didn’t seem appealing in the slightest. Earth Kingdom officials and royalty were swaying their partners, Water Tribesmen were spinning each other around, and Air Acolytes were leaning against each other, all in tune to the gentle melody. It was nice but he and Mai just weren’t like that.

“Come on,” Ty Lee complained for the umpteenth time, tugging on their hands. “You have to come dance!”

“We don’t have to do anything,” Mai responded, leaning even further into Zuko as if to prove a point. Zuko didn’t complain.

Ty Lee frowned, her grip on both of them slackening a bit. “What’s wrong with dancing? I mean, I know the Fire Nation never really allowed dancing much but we used to do it all the time at home. And in the circus! It’s fun.”

“This looks like the farthest thing from fun,” Zuko commented and gestured vaguely at the mass of men and women before them. “It’s all so… slow. And romantic.”

“And boring,” Mai added helpfully.

“And boring,” Zuko agreed.

Ty Lee pouted for a moment before a look of excitement flashed across her face. “Wait here. I’ve got an idea.”

She was gone before Zuko could protest. Zuko reached out with his newly freed hand and called after her but she’d already vanished into the crowd of people. He frowned a bit and slumped against the pillar he and Mai were hiding by. He didn’t really want to dance but that didn’t mean he didn’t want to be around Ty Lee. She was a constant presence in his life these days and it felt odd to not have her around, even with Mai there.

“Should we go after her?” Mai asked, plucking an hors d'oeuvres off a passing server’s tray to pop into her mouth. She immediately made a face. “Ew. Vegetables. They’re not even cooked.”

“Air Nomads are vegetarian,” Zuko reminded her softly, though he probably didn’t need to. His brow furrowed a bit as he glanced back at the crowd, worried. Should they look for Ty Lee? She’d told them to wait here so maybe she would be back. How long was too long? She wasn’t in danger or anything but-

Zuko didn’t have the chance to finish his thought. Ty Lee barreled past them with the speed of a cat mongoose and the power of an elephant gorilla. She snatched up both of their hands, catching them both off guard, and dragged them both across the venue toward the dance floor.

Zuko stumbled a bit but found his footing quickly and made a noise of surprise. “Ty Lee!”

“Was this your master plan?” Mai said, her voice dripping with sarcasm, when they came to a stop and Ty Lee freed them of her grip. “To grab us when we weren’t paying attention?”

“No, silly,” Ty Lee giggled. “This was my plan.”

Nothing happened for a moment, prompting Mai and Zuko to look around in confusion. They were just kind of standing in the middle of the crowd, people dancing around them. Slowly, the song came to an end and Zuko opened his mouth to ask Ty Lee what was happening but was distracted by the most strange noise.

It was a tsungi horn, he knew that much after having played for years, but he’d never heard it make a noise like the one the band was drawing out of it. It was… hard. Not soft like most music was. And the horn’s toots were coming out sharp and abruptly, accompanied by the melody of some kind of flute. Combined with drums, some stringed devices, and some other instruments Zuko didn’t recognize, they made the strangest tune Zuko had ever heard.

“What is this?” Zuko asked, looking at Ty Lee. “And what are you doing with you hands?”

“I’m dancing!” Ty Lee said with a beaming smile. She put her hands up in the air and twirled herself around as if to prove a point. “I thought you might like this music more.”

“I don’t know if this is music,” Zuko responded with uncertainty as Ty Lee began wiggling her shoulders, “and I’m not sure if what you’re doing is dancing.”

“Isn’t music usually slower?” Mai said as she watched the people around them become inactive. Some were moving like Ty Lee, seemingly happy with the change, but most of them seemed as confused as Zuko. “Don’t you usually, I don’t know, hold your partner and shuffle around?”

“No, silly,” Ty Lee replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “You don’t have to dance with a partner! That’s just the fancy stuff. Most people just dance with their friends.”

“With their friends?”

“For fun!”

“For… fun?”

“I’ll show you,” Ty Lee said cheerfully and took both their hands. She pulled on them, more gently this time, and kept moving her body. Zuko and Mai exchanged a glance, unsure what to do, but shrugged and decided to indulge their friend. Ty Lee was moving fluidly but it didn’t have any structure to it like most dances Zuko knew of. She was just… rolling in tune with the music. It was a few minutes that Zuko realized the rhythm had traveled down her arms to their joined hands and he was mimicking her movements. Ty Lee looked thrilled. “That’s the spirit!”

“This is… not horrible,” Mai said as she allowed her free arm to join in the other half of her body. Without Ty Lee’s influence, her movements were a bit more awkward but it didn’t look totally ridiculous. Ty Lee looked equally excited by her efforts and began shaking her arms around with a bit more energy than she had before.

“I thought you’d like this more,” Ty Lee said, her voice a bit quieter. Zuko’s heart softened a bit when he noticed the nervousness fading off her face. He usually brushed off her exuberance but she really wanted them to have a good time. Affection for his friend welled up inside of him. “I don’t really like slow music myself. I don’t want to slow dance with some random guy. I’d much rather dance with you two.”

“What’s different about this music?” Zuko asked, trying to warm up his body a bit so he looked less like a flailing pig chicken. “How come everyone’s dancing differently now?”

“Fast music is more freeing,” Ty Lee said without a tone of doubt and lifted up both her arms so Zuko and Mai could spin her around. She leaned back dramatically, trusting them not to let her fall. “There aren’t any steps and you don’t have to worry about stepping on anyone’s feet and you don’t have to worry about who you’re with. You can just let the music take over and let your body move.”

Zuko smiled a bit as Ty Lee bounced back up from her dip. He’d never seen three people dance like this with their hands joined but Ty Lee was somehow rocking it despite his and Mai’s hesitation. He’d gladly accept some discomfort for her.

“Looks fun!” a familiar voice said, breaking the awkward jig the three of them shared, and Sokka was suddenly on Zuko’s back. “Can we join?”

“Get off,” Zuko complained good naturedly and shrugged Sokka off him, the other man careful not to accidentally choke the Fire Lord while unhooking his arms from their place around his neck and shoulders. Sokka grinned at him bashfully and Zuko noticed Suki not far behind him. “You two know how to dance?”

“Sure!” Sokka replied. “The Fire Lord’s advisor and guard go to a lot of fancy events, don’t we? We know all kinds of dances!”

“I don’t think what you do counts as dancing,” Suki commented, looking amused. Sokka stuck her tongue out at her and began dancing with a look in his eye telling the world he was ready to prove her wrong.

Sokka’s dance was… different from Ty Lee’s. He moved his whole body, shoulders to hips, in a rippling motion like a wave was going through him. It looked odd. Zuko wondered if it was a Water Tribe thing but judging by the Water Tribe spectators’ stares, it was not.

“You look stupid,” Toph said, pushing past a group of young Earth Kingdom governors who were dancing nearby. By Agni, they were dancing so much better than Sokka. “My feet could see it all the way across the room.”

“We’re outside,” Sokka responded but didn’t let her snipes kill his spirit. In fact, it seemed to only encourage him and his arms joined in. “Come on, guys! Don’t leave me hanging.”

Ty Lee took up his offer in a heartbeat, letting go of Mai and Zuko’s hands, and began dancing in a similar fashion, though she looked far better doing it. Zuko shared a look with Mai and Suki before joining. Mai and Zuko were a bit slow and awkward but Suki didn’t say anything and matched their energy without hesitation.

The music picked up a bit and even Toph joined in, though her movements looked a bit too much like earthbending forms for Zuko to feel safe calling it dancing. The others certainly noticed because Sokka and Ty Lee exchanged a glance and began mimicking water and firebending moves. They were far from accurate, much flashier and they lacked power, but Zuko had to admit the fluidity and spunk they performed them with made them look like real dance moves.

“I now understand why Katara used to be so obsessed with doing this stuff,” Sokka said as he wiggled his arms like a current before swooshing them to one side. Zuko was pretty sure that wasn’t a real waterbending move but Sokka looked too happy for him to care.

Ty Lee gave a few punches before shifting her feet into the footing of a firebender and arching her hands up and spinning around. “I wish I was a firebender. It would be so fun to dance while firebending! Ooh, I wish I had fire like Zuko! Imagine how pretty it would be to dance with rainbow fire swirling around you!”

Zuko opened his mouth to explain that wasn’t how it works but was interrupted by Toph.

“Aang and Katara are coming over,” Toph announced after a bit as the dancers around them parted a bit for the bride and groom.

“Damn right we are,” Aang said good naturedly. He and Katara had changed out of their wedding attire and into something simpler and loose-fitting. “You guys are dancing without us?”

“Maybe!” Ty Lee responded cheekily. “I was just saying how cool it would be to dance with rainbow fire like Zuko’s!”

“Oh that would be cool!” Aang said, eyes lighting up. “Zuko, you should do it!”

“First of all, it’s not rainbow fire. It’s just multicolored.”

“Rainbow,” Sokka said through a cough.

“-And second, I don’t know how to dance, let alone with firebending.”

“What do you mean you don’t know how to dance? We learned the Dancing Dragon together!” Aang exploded without even a pause. He gasped loudly. “We should do the Dancing Dragon together! Katara, can I do the Dancing Dragon with Zuko?”

“You don’t need my permission,” she said with a smile and a step back. “Knock yourself out.”

“Not literally,” Suki piped up, feeling the need to clarify which was probably a good idea in front of someone as knuckleheaded as Aang.

Zuko swallowed nervously and glanced at his friends. Mai shot him a smirk while Ty Lee gushed out her excitement. Sokka just gave him a thumbs up and the next thing Zuko knew, he was standing beside Aang.

They started on one foot, arms spread apart and palms facing the sky. Zuko could feel the sun’s warm rays spark something deep inside him. He took a deep breath and took a step away from Aang.

Both of them shifted into a lunge, pivoting quickly in a circle. With their breathes, ribbons of colorful fire came to life, twisting around their arms with each step. Zuko flet them licking his bare arms as his sleeves rode up with the steps but the fire didn’t burn.

Then came a sharp punch and a wide sweep of the arms. The fire followed the motion and rolled off him like a wave. The heat was oddly comforting on his tight shoulders.

A final thrust of the hand and the two met at the end of the circle, arching sideways to let their fists touch. Colorful fire burst from the contact, briefly engulfing them both before dying down with a few well controlled breaths from either side.

Zuko hadn’t even noticed the spectators until the clapping began.

He jerked upright in a motion unbecoming of a Fire Lord and scratched the back of his head awkwardly. When had all these people gathered around? Had he really gotten that caught up in the dance? It was so easy to lose himself in his firebending.

People from all nations were applauding, even Fire Nation natives. They were a bit slower but the twist of distaste was merely an echo on their faces. They seemed proud. It was oddly validating, though Zuko didn’t want it to be. Maybe this was a good thing.

Aang was suddenly hugging him. “That was awesome! We need to do that more.”

Zuko couldn’t help but smile. “We do. We really do.”

Part 2

“I’m bored.”

“I know.”

“Let’s do something.”

“I’m working.”

“So?”

It was about a month after the wedding and life in the Fire Nation had returned to normal at the palace. Zuko was far less busy than he was when the war initially ended but he and all his friends were still pretty busy. Over the past few years, more and more of his companions had taken jobs with him in Caldera City. Suki and Ty Lee were here because the Kyoshi Warriors now served as guards to the throne, Mai was here because Zuko and Ty Lee were here but her sharp mind for politics quickly landed her a position as advisor, and Sokka had taken the role of Southern Water Tribe Ambassador before deciding he liked it here and took a more permanent position at Zuko’s side.

Zuko liked having his friends around but also that meant he didn’t get nearly as much work done. They were fantastic but they were equally distracting.

At the moment, Mai was leaning against the doorframe of Zuko’s office. To be honest, she kind of reminded Zuko of an outdoor cat-owl, drifting in and out as she pleased. It was a nice change from Ty Lee’s happy polar bear dog personality, Sokka’s badger falcon-like drive when he wanted attention, or Suki’s… speaking of which, where were they? He’d just spent nearly two hours working uninterrupted. Normally one of them would’ve come to bother him by now.

Sighing, Zuko rose from his seat. “Fine. Did you have anything in mind?”

Expectedly, Mai just shrugged.

“Let’s go find the others,” Zuko decided and Mai didn’t protest.

Dramatically, Zuko offered her his arm like a lord would to a court lady. Mai just snorted and flicked him in the side of the head. Zuko laughed and the two began floating down the palace’s halls at a leisurely pace. Both were familiar with it from their childhoods but it had changed a lot since that brief time they returned during the war. With Azula and Ozai gone and new friends in their place, it felt much more like home. Still, sometimes it was nice to walk down these red clad halls and remember the good times, however rare they were.

They found their way to the courtyard. It wasn’t the same one with the fountain Mai and Zuko had fallen into as children nor was it the one that Zuko had spent countless hours feeding turtle ducks. No, this one was marked by memories of sparring. Not with Azula though, with Sokka and his sword, Suki and her fans, and Ty Lee with her acrobatics. And now, apparently, with dancing.

“What are you doing?” Zuko asked as he and Mai came to a halt at the entrance. “Is that one of Aang’s staffs?”

“Yup!” Ty Lee said and swung the staff around to demonstrate, forcing Sokka and Suki to duck to avoid being boxed in the head. “Ooh! Mai! We were just going to come looking for you. We need your knives.”

Mai already had them out. “What for?”

“So you know how it was super fun dancing at Aang and Katara’s wedding?” Sokka asked, toying with his boomerang absently. Zuko suddenly noticed Suki had her fans out too. What were they doing with weapons? And why did they need so many? “We were just talking about it and Ty Lee mentioned she got her hands on some scrolls awhile back with some dances so we decided to look through them and give ‘em a shot.”

“And what do you need me for?”

“I found this dance the Avatar used to do with his teachers,” Ty Lee explained, grabbing Zuko’s interest. “It’s this dance that combines all the elements. It looks really fun so we’re trying it!”

“Wait, then wouldn’t you need me for that?” Zuko asked, confused. “Since, y’know, I’m the Avatar’s firebending teacher?”

Ty Lee giggled. “No, silly. We’ve only got firebenders in the palace. You can’t do a dance with four elements if you just have fire.”

“Which is why we decided to try it with weapons instead,” Suki said, flipping her fans around. She shot Zuko a teasing look. “See, nonbenders can do everything just as well as benders can.”

Zuko matched her look, not missing a beat. “You know I use swords, right?”

“Oh hush.” Ty Lee shuffled him off to the side and rolled out the scroll for Mai to look at. “See, look. Everyone kind of does the same dance but everyone represents their own nation. They bend their own element in their own style but then when the music changes, they switch to another style.”

“So that’s why you have Aang’s staff? We’re going to represent each element with weapons instead?”

“Yup! The only problem is that we don’t have any music.”

“We’ve got that covered,” Sokka said and shot Zuko a look the firebender couldn’t quite catch the meaning of. Zuko stared back and tipped his head slightly, confused, before he noticed Suki pushing something across the courtyard.

“Where did you get that?” he spluttered in surprise. “How did you get that? And who told you about that?!”

“Your uncle,” Suki purred in a teasing tone. She leaned on the instrument casually, careful not to put too much weight on it, and smiled with the same look on her features that Sokka had. Zuko suddenly understood it’s meaning. “Last time we visited him, he said you’re good on the tsungi horn. When we got back, I just had to find one.”

“No, no, no. No.”

“Yes.”

“No…”

“Yes…”

“Come on, Zuko.” Ty Lee looked up at Zuko, hands clasped behind her back, with the most endearing look on her face she could muster. “Please? It’ll be fun!”

Zuko felt himself caving. By Agni, he was so weak. “Fine…”

“Yay!” Ty Lee sprang up and clapped happily while Sokka and Suki whooped and clapped their hands in victory. Zuko found himself smiling. He could stomach some embarrassment to make them happy for a little while.

He tried not to sigh as he settled down on the stool next to the tsungi horn and prepared to play. It had been a long time but the feeling was familiar and the tune came to him easily. Plus, he was a much better firebender than he had back when he’d played for his crew on the ship so he could hold his breaths much longer and steadier. It wasn’t perfect but it passed as music and that was enough for Zuko.

He played a tune his mother had taught him. She’d been a beautiful singer, he remembered. Noren had told her she loved musicals back when the two performed together. Zuko hadn’t particularly liked her musical instruction as a child but now he looked back and wished he’d been a bit more keen to spend those moments with his mother. Music was one of the few connections she had to her time in theatre and those hours spent with Zuko were her way of showing him her old life without revealing the truth.

He should visit her soon. He wouldn’t bring a tsungi horn but maybe he could teach Kiyi some of his mother’s favorite songs, if she didn’t know them already.

Her favorites were always romantics. Ballroom dances for young lovers, songs from dramas telling the tale of two lovers, melodies to play in the background of celebrations- He understood why but none of them felt appropriate for the moment. He wished he knew more songs. Those songs were all he knew so his choices were limited. Still, he played.

Ty Lee, Sokka, Mai, and Suki began dancing. They were slow, getting a feel for the dance. Occasionally, their eyes would flicker back to the scroll. They couldn’t read it from that distance but Zuko could see the heistance on their faces. None of them were dancers, except maybe Ty Lee, but they were warriors so with weapons in hand, they didn’t hesitate for long.

Zuko had long suspected Ty Lee had some Air Nomad heritage with her grey eyes and flighty movements. Right now, holding Aang’s glider, he had no doubt. She was light on her feet, toes barely skimming the ground as she leapt. She didn’t seem terribly familiar with the glider and she treated it more like a bo staff than anything else but she quickly found the opening mechanism and soon the glider was paralleling her airy motions.

Sokka was normally a truly horrible dancer but he always danced with boldness. That didn’t waver with a boomerang in hand but right now, he looked a lot more confident and peaceful than Zuko had ever seen on the dance floor. His movements were fluid, his boomerang spinning out of his hand with an easy flick of his wrist. He turned and caught it with his other hand like he was born to do it.

Suki always fought with sharp, aggressive movements and this dance highlighted that part of her training. Her golden fans gleamed in the sunlight and her heavy steps kicked up dust. Where Sokka’s arms were loose, hers were tense as she jutted her fan out in a way that would slice an enemy’s throat clean open. Zuko thought she never looked more beautiful.

Mai had even less time to prepare than the others but she looked just as stunning. Her knives flipped through her fingers with lightning speed as she shifted into new stances, punching her arms out as if driving her knives into an imaginary foe. Her feet moved with the steadiness and skill of a firebender, never losing her balance, as she weaved around the others in perfect harmony.

It was kind of hard to watch them all while he was so focused on his song. They danced in a circle, mostly not bumping into each other. Zuko guessed the Avatar would normally be in the middle but they looked perfect with just the four of them representing the Avatar cycle. Their brows were furrowed in concentration but they looked like they were having fun and Zuko suddenly realized how inappropriate this song was for something like this.

What was it that Ty Lee had said at Katara and Aang’s wedding? By Agni, that felt like a long time ago. Fast music was freeing. Slow music was romantic but fast music was supposed to be fun. Something you could dance to with your friends.

The Fire Nation had never been a country of creatives, not now and not in Zuko’s youth. They were always traditional and taught their young to stick to those traditions flawlessly. But now, in this moment watching his friends float together in such a wondrous way, Zuko felt the overwhelming urge to deviate from tradition and make the song his own.

The spark of creativity pushed him to take shorter breaths. The tune came out louder and the notes were faster. His feet moved, adding the soft sound of his boots hitting the earth in rhythm with the song. It drifted away from a slow romance to something livelier and more spirited.

His friends seemed confused by the change in music but didn’t let it stop them. They shifted their stances, somewhat surprising their musician. Ty Lee had said earlier that the benders in the dance would change their style. Zuko wasn’t really sure what she meant by that but he was glad he hadn’t messed up their dance by changing his manner of playing.

Ty Lee became less bouncy and more flowy. She stopped skipping around and kept her feet on the ground. She snapped the glider open and began twisting it overhead, letting it ride the air like a boat on the ocean’s waves. Her muscles seem more relaxed and she let the music guide her.

Sokka’s movements became more rooted. He stopped throwing his boomerang, instead wielding it more like an axe. He stomped, like Suki had before though he wasn’t as aggressive as her. He was passionate, like a Water Tribe warrior, rather than fierce like a Kyoshi Warrior.

Suki’s dancing gained more of an edge. Swipes and stomps were replaced by kicks and punches. Equally powerful blows, just different. She closed her fans, wielding them more like blades before snapping them open to arch widely over her head, and lashed out with sweeping kicks.

It was strange seeing Mai move like Ty Lee but it suited her. She shifted onto one foot, balancing carefully, and she waved her knives. They still looked just as deadly as she jutted them out but the motions leading up to them were a lot more relaxed and less conformed.

Smiles had appeared on their faces, making that flitter of nervousness in Zuko’s chest melt away. He hadn’t even noticed it was there until it was gone. Knowing that he was doing something right, Zuko put more of himself into the tune.

Ty Lee’s feet fit the ground, hard and flat. She let her arms spread far apart, muscles rippling in a way Zuko rarely saw. The glider, for the first time, looked like a true weapon. It closed and began moving erratically with each step its wielder took, like it was ready to box someone’s nose in.

Sokka seemed to swell up like a flame as he became more explosive. He wielded his boomerang like an extension of himself, flipping it quickly between his hands. His feet slid across the surface of the ground, leaving slick prints in the sandy earth, while he swung his arms with the power and grace of a komodo flamingo.

Suki became more nimble and she waved her fans the way a court lady might to cool herself rather than like a sharp edged weapon. For the first time in the whole dance, she leapt and let her feet leave the floor. It was almost like she was skipping on chunks of earth, which she had done before with how much Toph liked flinging things around with her earthbending. Mai began flipping her knives again but this time it flowed through the air alongside her movements rather than sliced. She toed the ground seamlessly, steady in her motions, and seemed to drift alongside the others like a piece of wood in the sea.

If they were benders, this probably would’ve been harder for them. They were dancing in the styles of their opposite elements: Ty Lee like an Earth Kingdom native, Sokka like a Fire Nation man, Suki like an Air Nomad, and Mai like a Water Tribe warrior. Inexperienced and a bit unsure of themselves, they were still a bit awkward but no more than they were in the previous element of the cycle. It was still balanced and even in a way that benders could never hope to achieve. Something could be learned from this but Zuko didn’t dwell on it. It was time to change the music again.

Zuko tried to focus on the harmony he saw before him. His beloved friends, the four people he loved more than anyone or anything in this world, were representing the four elements as one. Truly, it was beautiful and brought warm feelings to his chest. He didn’t have the skill to wander from his roots and lessons too much but he took a few liberties and tried playing in a more foreign style, mixing in notes he knew traditionally came from other nations’ songs.

Ty Lee took to a Fire Nation style easily, swinging the glider like glades and crouching into elegant yet deadly poses. It looked kind of odd to see someone normally so sweet poised in such a manner but it suited her well. Her grip on the staff changed and she let the wings flare at the peak of each jab.

Sokka’s leaps weren’t nearly as graceful as the others with his heavier, stockier build. He let his boomerang fly far with each jump and landed neatly each time, never failing to catch his beloved weapon.

Suki waved her fans, open this time, in a way mimicking the current. She spread her arms wide, fan in each hand, and walked backwards, synced with the rhythm. She never tripped, trusting the flow of the others to guide her.

The heels of Mai’s shoes left deep imprints in the ground with each step she took. The aggression of this new gait suited her. She was always cunning and she really seemed to be owning it right now. She fisted her knives, thrusting her hands down in unison with her feet, and showed off the power in her body that she rarely had the chance to display.

Zuko slowed down a bit, the tsungi horn’s noise becoming softer and quieter. It wasn’t slow or sluggish but it was still steady and strong. His friends changed their style for the final time. Ty Lee once again became light and airy, Sokka became fluid and flowy, Suki became bold and aggressive, and Mai became sharp and ruthless. They’d returned to normal but they’d proven normal wasn’t all they are.

The song ended and Zuko lifted his mouth from the instrument to take a gasp of air, letting glorious oxygen fill his lungs. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to go for that long, even with the lung capacity of a firebender, but it was worth it to see the dance come to an end and his friends break their formation to cheer and hug each other.

“How’d we do?” Sokka asked, turning to Zuko. He padded over to him and sat on the ground in front of him. Zuko suddenly noticed how out of breath he was and that his sweat had plastered his clothes to his skin. Who knew dancing could be so tiresome? Not Zuko. “I know I slipped up a few times there but I feel really good about it!”

“You guys did well,” Zuko said, matching the other man’s smile, and he meant it. Yeah, none of them were dancers. Their dancing wasn’t elegant and it wasn’t smooth and they looked lost sometimes but in Zuko’s eyes, they were perfect. “You adapted that dance so well. It’s hard imagining what the original was supposed to look like.”

“I think the scroll said it was supposed to represent balance,” Ty Lee said, looking around for the discarded scroll. Suki found it first and picked it up for her. Ty Lee blinked gratefully and took it from her. “I bet it looks really pretty with all the fire and the water and the earth and the air and everything all mixed together!”

“It looked, um, pretty with the weapons,” Zuko told her, stumbling over his words a bit. He wasn’t used to complimenting people but sitting here with so much affection in his heart, he couldn’t bear to hold back. They deserved to know. “Maybe even better. I know the nations are usually remembered for their bending but I think it’s important to remember nonbenders are just as important. It really shows you guys understand the different countries if you can change the way you use your weapons.”

“It does, doesn’t it?” Sokka said boastfully. He shuffled on the ground a bit so he was leaning against Zuko’s knees. Zuko let his hands rest in Sokka’s hair. “Man, wait until Aang sees this! Who needs the Avatar when you’ve got us!”

Suki and Ty Lee laughed while Mai smirked. She looked a bit thoughtful. “Maybe it would be beneficial for the four nations to see a dance like this. With bending. Maybe we should revisit the Fire Nation Dance Restoration Movement.”

“Really?” Zuko exclaimed, jostling Sokka slightly as his back straightened. “You of all people are interested in dance?”

Mai shrugged. “You think it’s a bad idea?”

“No. I’m just surprised. I thought you didn’t like dancing.”

“I don’t,” Mai responded and sat down beside Sokka. “I just think… The dance is really beautiful. And I think it would be a lot more beautiful of the people who were actually meant to do it used it for its intended purpose.”

“And if those people weren’t a bunch of amateurs,” Suki added, getting down to her level so she could knock shoulders with her. She reached out with one arm and knocked Zuko’s stool out from under him, making him fall with a yelp. “You better get on that, Fire Lord!”

Ty Lee caught him before he could hit the ground. “Don’t bully him into making him do stuff for him!”

“Yeah. Don’t bully me!”

“Being nice is a much better way to get him to do what you want.”

“Hey!” Zuko complained but didn’t protest when Ty Lee plopped him down next to Sokka and threw herself onto their laps.

“It’s true,” Sokka said, shifting so his knees didn’t dig into Ty Lee’s back. She’d done this before, they were all used to it and even welcomed it at this point. Maybe she was the most catlike of the group. Mai never did anything like this. “You let all four of us get away with everything.”

“Better not let your enemies know your weakness!” Suki cracked, playing with Ty Lee’s hair absently.

“Yeah, well, if any of my enemies find out my weakness, they have to get through you guys before using it on me.”

“Touché.”

“Do you think the other nations were like this once?” Ty Lee asked, reaching up to poke Mai in the cheek. She didn’t look amused but the quirk of her lips betrayed her. “Like us, I mean. Right now.”

“Maybe,” Mai responded. “I hope so. This is nice.”

“It is,” Zuko agreed. He looked around at his friends, all curled up together, and knew he’d savor this moment forever. “It really is.”

Part 3

When Zuko had played the tsungi horn and watched Mai, Ty Lee, Sokka, and Suki dance, he’d thought they’d looked beautiful.

How could he not? He loved them and he’d always think they were beautiful regardless of how practiced their dancing was or how much they slipped up. But what had stood out to him was how they’d mastered the Avatar’s Cycle dance. Even as nonbenders, they’d captured it’s true essence. The dance was about balance and taking another nation’s style and making it your own and they’d executed it brilliantly.

But as much as Zuko respected their spontaneity and adaptations, it really didn’t compare to the real deal.

They had to still change a few things of course. Aang’s airbending teacher wasn’t present and Aang didn’t really want the dance to focus on the role of the Avatar which meant it was just the four of them dancing in a ring like their nonbending friends had.

Ty Lee and Sokka had looked so excited when they proposed the festival to Zuko and Aang. That was months ago and finally it was all coming together. Mai, Ty Lee, Sokka, and Suki had put so much time into organizing this event and Zuko, Aang, Katara, and Toph had spent so much time perfecting this dance. Now it was time for the nations to see the fruits of their labor.

The festival was held in one of the former Fire Nation colonies on the Earth Kingdom mainland. It was a neutral ground that welcomed visitors from all three countries. Zuko had been nervous people weren’t going to want to travel all this way but right now, looking out at the crowd gathered around the stage, he wondered how he ever could’ve believed such a thing.

Aang stepped out of the shadows first, addressing the audience in his usual, endearing way. He joked a bit, got a few laughs, before sobering up and properly addressing them. “As you guys know, we’ve been trying really hard to restore some of the dances the Fire Nation had in my time but today I’d like to share another dance. One not claimed by any nation. It’s called the Avatar’s Cycle and I’ll need my teachers for that.”

That was their cue to move. Toph didn’t hesitate and stepped up to join Aang in a heartbeat. Zuko and Katara lingered a moment longer, exchanging a glance of mutual reassurance, and followed her to their places.

The music began and they began to move.

Zuko started with firebending forms. They were adapted a bit to seem more rhythmic and visually appealing but they still worked. Flames sprung to life around him, just as he sensed the others’ elements join them, as he took a big step and let himself be swept into the cycle.

A long time ago, rage was the fuel for his fire. Now it was passion. Love, respect, and understanding. That was what the dragons had taught him and what he’d carried with him all these years. Every day he felt the sun rise, anytime he felt a candle light flicker, anytime he saw the spark of life in someone he cared about, every breath he took- These things were his universal truths.

These truths made his fire bloom with beautiful colors as he lashed out in fierce punches and kicks. That couldn’t be helped, firebenders were quick to fight by nature. The breath was what was important though. With steady exhales, Zuko’s flames spiraled and twisted around him, occasionally mingling with Toph’s earth and Aang’s air on either side of him, as he danced. The burning was intense but not hostile. It found tranquility alongside the other elements. Zuko hoped the spectators would understand how meaningful the colors of his flames and its unity with the rest of the cycle was.

The Fire Nation was so angry and that anger was paralleled in their flames. Zuko was once like them, maybe angrier, but now it just seemed so distant. Joy filled his punches and the sweeps of his leg, not rage. The music guided his steps, not hate. His fire was still as strong as any of theirs, maybe stronger.

The music shifted and so did the four benders. Fire became air, air became water, water became earth, earth became fire- Though not literally. Zuko was still bending fire but he was firebending like an airbender.

He tried to think of freedom. He focused on the music and tried to let his mind go blank. It was hard for someone with roots so deep in the Fire Nation to forget tradition and conformity and let go but the music helped. It was fast and upbeat, easy to move to.

Zuko’s fire became a little less controlled as his feet began to touch the ground less. The fire moved alongside him rather than because of him and he let it come a little bit closer to his body than he usually did. He knew he wasn’t going to burn himself so he let the fire do as it pleased.

He took deeper breaths. He could feel his inner flame grow and shrink with each one. The tendrils of fire matched his breaths, swelling and deflating like it was alive as well. It probably was. Fire was just an extension of himself, after all. A part of him not limited to a physical form.

The next element in the cycle didn’t come easily to any of the benders, except Aang but that wasn’t surprising. Fire was supposed to be sharp, heated, and brilliant. Water was rounded, mysterious, and relaxed. But both elements had a hunger and wildness to them that couldn’t be satiated and those similarities were easy to draw on.

Zuko’s movements became more fluid as he mimicked waterbending forms. His fire wobbled a bit but not nearly as much as Katara’s water or Toph’s earth. Uncle’s lessons in learning from the other elements had done Zuko well. He tried to recall the steps in redirecting lightning, taking control of the chi flowing directly through his body. His fire began moving in the same pattern. Instead of surrounding his hands, it trickled like a stream downward before he pulled it back to trickle down again.

Water was one of Zuko’s favorite elements. Not in his youth, of course, but he’d grown to appreciate it over the years. It was steady like earth but also adaptable like air yet it still had some of fire’s spirit. Waterbenders could heal but they could also turn water into jagged, frozen weapons. The diversity and variety was astounding. It’s potential to help or hurt and the delicate balance of its nature made it beautiful in Zuko’s eyes.

He tried to think of change. How he’d changed. Once young and innocent, then young and angry, now aging and filled with adoration for his friends and for his people. The fire followed his hands, flowing like his chi inside of him, and rippled like the surface of the sea.

This was the hardest part of the dance and all four dancers had to slow a bit. The cycle continued but the buzz of concentration surrounded them as they used forms their element was not built for. Then came the next element and ease washed over them once again.

Zuko had to admit he understood why Toph loved throwing rocks around so much. It was fun to stomp and roar and throw weight around. Zuko’s fire seemed to think so too. It seemed to flake off him, embers sparking each time his foot hit the ground and spraying from his hands with each thrust.

Earth was supportive and grounding. Zuko tried to think of the people who had inspired those kinds of feelings for him. His uncle, the Gaang, his friends, his advisors, his mother... Just the thought of them made him feel full. His fire filled out a bit more and, still spitting embers, followed his heavy steps without fault.

They reformed to their initial styles of bending as the song began winding down. The fire sprang back to life a bit more as Zuko’s movements became familiar and seemed to burn a bit brighter. Everyone else seemed happy to regain full control of their elements and they stepped through the last motions of the dance.

The four benders struck a final pose, each breathing hard, and the crowd exploded into applause.

Zuko, Katara, and Toph stepped back to let Aang address the nations. Beforehand, Aang had asked if Zuko wanted to say anything as the Fire Lord but Zuko was happy to leave the speeches to the Avatar.

“This dance once symbolized the unity between the four nations and the friendship we share,” Aang explained once the clapping died down. “I think that’s important more now than ever which is why my friends and I wanted to share this dance with you. The war is over but there are still barriers between us. In my time, music and dance went beyond borders and I hope today’s festival can teach all of you what I’ve always known deep in my heart.”

The crowd cheered again and Aang turned to his friends with a look like a weight had been taken off his back. Katara embraced him. “You guys did great!”

“Can’t compare to the masters’ though,” Sokka called from where he was sitting in the back with Suki, Mai, and Ty Lee. He slung his arms over his shoulders and shot Aang a cheeky grin. “Nonbender gaang rules!”

Aang laughed. “Do you guys want to get out there and show some nonbenders your moves?”

He immediately blanched. “No way.”

Ty Lee giggled at his reaction. “How about you four? You guys going to get out there and teach some people how to dance?”

“Nuh-uh. I’m sitting down and taking a nap,” Aang declared. “Scoot over.”

Suki and Sokka laughed as Aang tried to push them down on the bench. Katara sighed and shook her head while Toph joined in, pushing Ty Lee and Mai on the other side. Zuko couldn’t help but smile. “Maybe we should find a better place to rest than the stage? I think we planned on some of the bands playing from up here.”

“Ugh, fine,” Toph said, giving up much to Mai’s appreciation. “Lead the way, Fire Lord.”

“Gladly,” Zuko responded with a chuckle and dragged the others off the background of stage, despite their whines and groans. It’d been a good day for the nations and hopefully it’d get even better but for now, he just wanted to spend the afternoon relaxing with his friends.

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Author’s Note: I know the nonbenders should have performed as well but I didn’t want to be repetitive. Hope you enjoyed.