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maddiebiscuits · 3 years

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Personal Opinions on FFXIV Villains (in general order of appearance)

As a note, I will not be including any pre-A Realm Reborn villains (as I did not play the original Final Fantasy XIV) nor will I be including any one-off primals, raid bosses, etc. I will be trying to focus on villains as they appear in main or side storylines, in cut scenes, that have some over-arching influence on the story they participate in with something akin to a clear presence - Garleans, Ascians, and so on. Also SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS.

Rhitahtyn sas Arvina

Rhitahtyn gets the shaft out of Gaius’ three main players in A Realm Reborn. A conscript from a Empire-conquered land who rose to power and respect, directly honored by Gaius himself, and possessing an even temper and noble ambition really helped to level out Nero and Livia’s general nonsense. Unfortunately, Rhitahtyn is provided almost no screen-time, development or exploration, and as years have passed, his in-game 8-man trial can now be completed in a regular synced party in mere seconds. He deserved a lot better than what he got, yet remained too sidelined to really leave me feeling invested in wanting to see what sort of story this character could be used to tell.

Livia sas Junius

When first playing through A Realm Reborn my feelings on Livia were...tepid, but optimistic. Of Gaius’ three main players, Livia was easily the most active and ruthless, lacking the shady “long game” and self-serving ambitions of Nero or the more honorable, measured personality of Rhitahtyn. Suffice to say, the dawning (and then confirmed) realization that Livia’s sole motivation seeing the plan of the man she loved through to completion by any means, to the point of tunnel-visioned, murderous intent, was...disappointing. Add to that Livia was raised by Gaius in her backstory, the man being a father figure to her, and the romance motivation becomes even more unhinged (especially since it is largely considered to be a reciprocated romance, at least physically, by Gaius - barf)

Nero tol Scaeva

Nero has become a fan favourite character over the years, thanks to his continued development into Cid’s boyfriend foil rather than outright villain of the main storyline. This development was easy to spot early enough though, as it was clear Nero’s fealty to Gaius was largely self-serving. He didn’t care much about conquering Eorzea or felling primals/eikons - he just wanted to show that he possessed the brilliance to build weapons capable of doing so. His speech/squabble with Cid during the Praetorium sequence paints that picture even more clearly if the players missed the not-so-subtle implications for Nero’s character already. The man lived, breathed and seethed with inferiority when compared to Cid, and in the end he did ultimately prove his engineering mastery, even if the Warrior of Light took it (and him) down. Ultimately though, Nero serves as a much better supporting and “redeemed” character than a villain, so I do have to rank him pretty low.

Gaius van Baelsar

Aside from whatever...weird...thing was going on between him and Livia (again - barf), Gaius in A Realm Reborn was a pretty solid villain, with clear-cut motivations that I actually understood, and begrudgingly agreed with to a small extent. As legatus, Gaius was still the tyrannical arm of the Garlean Empire, but a level-headed one who was more interested with the purging of the primal/eikon threat from Eorzea than subjugating other peoples. Further development of this character into something of an anti-hero and glimpses of how other characters viewed him in flashbacks in later expansions ends up providing his A Realm Reborn rendition with more strength in retrospect. The heads of the three city-states deciding to accept Gaius off to willingly join the Empire is a pretty good sticking point for the validity of his plan as well. Ultima Weapon is...you know, pretty impossible for Ul’dah, Gridania and Limsa Lominsa to face down if they refuse, but more enticing is its ability to, indeed, single-handedly defeat primals/eikons - something the city-states desperately need at their disposal, having been plagued by such threats constantly, for years and years.

Gaius cuts a pretty direct swath to the truth of the Twelve as well - they’re no different than the primals/eikons he seeks to eradicate, and the more stock Eorzeans put into them, the more empowered they become should someone ever try to summon one, making Eorzeans no better than the beastmen and their ‘gods’. Join the Empire and have protection from such powers, and put faith into the leadership of man, versus that of fictional deities that can be given terrifying form...in the world of Final Fantasy XIV, that’s not a terrible proposition. But it would still subject thousands of people to the Empire’s tyranny, so even if Gaius has the oft-coveted ‘Point’ that most villains wish they had, he still must be stopped. Eorzea will simply find other ways to endure the primal/eikon threat rather than bend the knee, and I like that defiant angle the Warrior of Light represents to counter Gaius’ character. Also, Ascian meddling and Hydaelyn shenanigans, sure, but I don’t feel that takes away from the core conflict that Gaius presents. He was a good villain, and I’m happy to see him return and go through the motions of penance for his past deeds and aid the supporting cast now, elevating him even higher into a good character, in general.

Lahabrea

I admit I have a soft spot for Lahabrea, only because he seems to be a universal punching bag for heroes and villains alike in Final Fantasy XIV. He lacks the more subdued, long-term planning of Elidibus or the explored nuance and sympathy of Emet-Selch - he’s sort of the odd one out between the trifecta that make up the unsundered Ascians. Just a blindly-tempered zealot of Zodiark, seemingly more enthused by the ancient primal’s return than the promise of the world being set back to how it was before The Final Days. Even the other Ascians don’t seem to like Lahabrea that much - Elidibus seems keenly aware that Lahabrea has gone off the deep end, constantly needing reminders and wrangling-in to keep the plan in motion. But I will admit, he serves his purpose well enough, and the additional side-story that reveals that Lahabrea was a brilliant scholar unmatched in the Amaurotine field of ‘phantom creation’ was a nice touch to explain why he’s pretty dang good at getting people to try and summon primals and conjuring or corrupting monsters himself. By no effort of Square Enix themselves, I sort of feel bad for the guy. He really was just Doing His Best, and getting no respect for it. His end was also anti-climatic, but by the time it happened, there were far more interesting characters and stories to tell, and he was unnecessary - it was just better this way, Lahabrea.

Nabriales

This one-bit player served one substantial purpose, and it was to see an Ascian get obliterated permanently and thus provide the means and understanding to battle Ascians in the future. Except that the cost to do so was a throw-away villain, a throw-away damsel-in-distress 8-man trial, and turning Moenbrya, a character with a lot of potential to be great, into a throw-away character who has to make an untimely sacrifice because the script says so. Nabriales you’re boring, you’re bad, you’re a waste of time and your mutton chops are dumb as hell.

Ilberd Feare

You know what, I like this villain. I absolutely want to punch his face in, but I figure getting that sort of rise out of me on sight is intended, since, you know: villain. His motivations aren’t bad either, even if his methods are deplorable. The speech he gives at the very end of A Realm Reborn to rile up Raubahn is pretty effective too. Despite both being refugees of Ala Mhigo, Raubahn fought his way to wealth and status, and Ilberd was never afforded that chance, or at least never quite managed. Raubahn pledged himself more to Ul’dah and the Immortal Flames with his new privileges, however, and Ilberd was perhaps right to resent that, with Ala Mhigo still under the yoke of the Empire, and so many refugees left to flounder in The Black Shroud and Thanalan both, Raubahn seemingly unwilling to step in. Ilberd saw the opportunity to change the status quo and took it, and proceeded to rally others to reclaim Ala Mhigo. If the city-states would not help, then they would be forced to help, and for all his dirty tactics, punch-able face and Shinryu-summoning finale, Ilberd’s plan did work: he forced the hand of the city-states to fight against the Empire to reclaim Ala Mhigo, and did indeed remind Raubahn and other passive Ala Mhigans that there was still an important job to do. So, good job Ilberd. Gold star. Now perish.

Teledji Adeledji

I thought the politics at the very end of A Realm Reborn were intriguing, and Teledji’s heel-turn pretty fun, since of all the Monetarists, he seemed to be painted as the most reasonable. Though I found his game plan a bit...suspect. Yes, a poisoned goblet assassination attempt on the Sultana that he could frame on someone else, while usurping control of the Crystal Braves so he could make a bid for full Monetarist control of Ul’dah (with him at the helm) makes sense on paper, but I’m not sure why he sought to frame the Warrior of Light for it, and implicate the Scions either. While it’s true that the Warrior and the Scions would be an obstacle and want to investigate the death, and would prove tenacious foes, if you think about the scenario a bit more, it seems unnecessary. The Warrior and Scion efforts were likely going to start swinging towards Ishgard and the Dragonsong War, to better embellish the northern city-state’s relations with the Eorzean Alliance, nor are the Warrior or Scions people you’d want to make an enemy, especially with the Warrior being one of the only people who can defeat primals (a very active threat in Thanalan).

Framing Lolorito would have been a wiser idea, as he was already disliked and untrustworthy in the eyes of many, powerful and dangerous to compete with though he is. If Lolorito had been framed, Raubahn and the Scions may not have questioned it, and Teledji could have enjoyed planting himself in the eye of the power vacuum that was to come while the Warrior of Light focused their energy up north. Instead, Teledji bet on the wrong chocobo and paid dearly for it - his plan fell apart (and so did he) in more ways than he could anticipate, but on the whole? This was a pretty intriguing and entertaining storyline, I enjoyed it.

Lady Iceheart / Ysayle Dangoulain

I debated putting Ysayle on this list because by the first act of Heavensward, she’s not a villain - but, she certainly was in A Realm Reborn and going into Heavensward, so we might as well just keep representing how good Heavensward is and include her here. Aside from Minfillia, this is one of the only ever characters you meet early(ish) who shares The Echo with the Warrior of Light. Unlike Minfillia or the Warrior, though, Ysayle doesn’t really adhere to the call of Hydaelyn. Instead, her powers allowed her to hear and learn the truth of Ishgard’s history: that it was a lie, and that King Thordan broke the peace in a bid for power for Ishgard, turning Nidhogg to rage and setting the Dragonsong War into motion. Having witnessed Ishgard’s cruelty at a young age when her home was destroyed by snow and ice after the Seventh Umbral Calamity, and knowing what she knew and maintaining close bonds with dragons throughout her life, it’s sort of easy to see why Ysayle would be set upon the path she is. She wishes to end the war much like how Thordan does: ending it, with the dragons as the victors.

Her slap in the face is when she confronts Hraesvelgr though, her bid to sort of not only take the form of Saint Shiva but embody her memory being dismissed as a pale imitation. Saint Shiva wished for true peace, whereas Ysayle demands it through bloodshed - she realizes this, and changes her current course. This is why I debated to list her as a villain, because her gradual change into a supporting character and hero is a logical conclusion as she and Heavensward’s story develops. She starts a villain and dies a hero.

Igeyorhm

Full disclosure: I completely forgot this character existed. And I still don’t actually know why they exist. They’re a second to Lahabrea during the events of Heavensward, and is easily shut down by the Warrior of Light before being annihilated permanently by Thordan. Despite this, I don’t find their existence as offensive as Nabriales’, so...that counts for something.

Archbishop Thordan VII

When I first encountered Thordan (”pope grandpa”, if you will), I thought “oh, he’s evil”, because “church bad” isn’t exactly and uncommon trope and it’s apparent that Ishgard is a broken and unjust society, with this man sitting at the highest seat of power and consorting with Ascians. Yet to my surprise Thordan was...pretty reasonable. At least to start. He makes his audience with the Ascians known and seems unaffected by them and their schemes, is polite and cordial to the Warrior of Light...he doesn’t seem so bad. But the gut feeling remains, and slowly builds as Thordan’s true plan is revealed, becoming a primal-esque deity. And much like Nidhogg, I do get his motivations. Trying to broker peace with the dragons, to him, is just not going to happen - in fact, it’s insulting to ask dragons and Ishgardians both to make a bid for it, when so many people have died and live with the burden of hatred and grief. His solution is more direct: end the war entirely, by winning it for Ishgard.

After assuming his new form and powers, him and his Heavensward have the power to thwart any dragons that oppose them, perhaps even Nidhogg himself if the dreadwrym were to re-appear. Fueled by the generations’-worth of prayers from the Ishgardian population, Thordan was set on ending the war and ousting the dragons from the land, ushering in peace and prosperity. But the Ishgard he sought to protect and defend was built on a history spun of bloodshed and lies, and the dragons were not the true enemy and did not deserve to be put to the sword. Thordan’s plan would have worked in the way he envisioned it, and he made a good argument for it, even if it was ultimately wrong, and that’s a good villain.

Nidhogg

Having come to Final Fantasy XIV from World of Warcraft, a giant, scary black dragon that rants on and on about suffering and misery and pain and vengeance was something of a red flag for a Very Bad Story. Imagine my surprise when Nidhogg was given the screen-time to be properly fleshed out and explored, his motivations and hatred more sympathetically-human than his giant dragon body would have one believe, his presence menacing and well-paced, and his overall being representing the true, dark heart of the Dragonsong War: the cycle of hatred. For dragons, centuries are like days, and the pain Nidhogg feels is no less than what he felt when the Ishgardians brutally broke their pact. Because of this, with each re-emergence of him and his brood, the wheel of suffering turns anew, breathing new hate-filled life into the ongoing Dragonsong War, generation to generation. Time has no effect on his turmoil, and his existence ensures that no other Ishgardians will ever be able to move on from the war either, even as generations continue on.

I find Estinien being consumed by Nidhogg’s rage very thematic as well, Estinien truly embodying the countering hatred the Ishgardians feel towards the dragons, and it makes the final trial with Nidhogg bittersweet. He defeats Hraesvelgr, because as long as Nidhogg exists even the brightest hope for peace will be squashed under the cycle of malice and war. The Warrior of Light must put him down because he cannot be saved - but Estinien still can, and can choose to move on and pursue the peace that Nihogg strived to prevent and Ysayle died to see come to fruition. And he does, and it’s touching, and Heavensward is SO FUCKING GOOD I LOVE THIS EXPANSION.

Quickthinx Allthoughts

I don’t care much for timey-wimey storylines, but I found the Alexander plot easy enough to follow, and the timeloop it creates to be manageable. The truth about the Enigma Codex and the journal Quickthinx has isn’t exactly hard to figure out though once time travel becomes a part of the plot, and beyond beind a fun goblin with a cute kitty cat friend...there’s just not much in the way of compelling character writing here for this gobbo.

Diabolos

Big ancient demon is revived and wants to wreak havoc. Uninspiring, but its also not necessary for Diabolos to be anything more than what he is either. The heart of the Void Ark storyline is the tribulations of Cait Sith, the sky pirates and the history of the Mhachi, Diabolos just being an excuse to explore those characters and lore.

Regula van Hydrus

Regula deserved better damnit. This is the last Garlean villain with nuance and humanity before Stormblood turns everyone who is so much as associated with the Garlean Empire into a cartoonishly-evil, absolutely twisted, reprehensible confusing mess of a person.

Fordola rem Lupis

Stormblood has a lot of story, pacing and character problems. A lot. It has its moments and some people love this expansion, but I do not and its villains are a very large reason why that is. Fordola, for example, had the potential to be quite interesting. She was raised to believe in what her father did: that Gaius and the Empire were not all bad, and then watched her father die trying to protect her from angry, almost barbaric Ala Mhigans who decided that pelting a little girl with rocks because her parents were Empire-sympathizers and supporters was an okay thing to do (as the Garlean soldiers just watched on and let it happen without intervening because they didn’t feel like it - a fact that Fordola knows and remembers). You would think this event would have a sort of polarizing effect on her, feeling betrayed by both her people and the Empire her father believed in, feeling caught in the middle, in need of finding her identity and sense of self. Instead she...basically throws her entire stock in with the Empire, deciding that if she’s a good little soldier for the Empire, then Garleans will have to change their minds about Ala Mhigans and respect them because, see, look: an Ala Mhigan is a respected Garlean asset.

Except this backfires over, and over, her Ala Mhigan team nothing more than vicious dogs that never bite the hand that feeds them, turning their teeth on their own people instead. Fordola is constantly belittled and ridiculed for her heritage and even her gender by the Garleans, and at no point does she ever stop and go “wow maybe the Empire sucks hot ass and I’ve been terribly wrong about my motives this whole time”. And yet, no...Zenos offers her power in some magitek-aether experiment, she kills her own Skulls team, she finished the expansion jailed for her crimes, believing until the very end that the Garleans will win (they did not). She utilizes her anti-primal abilities once, and vanishes from the plot entirely, only to re-appear in a bad side-story where the Immortal Flames have her hooked up to some penalty-of-death submission collar so she doesn’t act out so they can use her synthetic Echo abilities to fight a re-summoned Ifrit.

Bad character, bad writing, and a waste of her new, game-changing anti-primal abilities.

Grynewaht pyr Arvina

This is such...a stupid character. His design, his voice and dialogue...I can’t tell what Grynewaht is supposed to be. Is he comedic relief? Because he’s not funny. Is he a character that you’re supposed to pity or despise? Because I felt nothing towards him. Is he supposed to be a rival? Because...no. I had to look up what his name was. The only thing I can clearly remember about him is that he was the final boss of the Doma Castle 4-man dungeon. That’s it. If you removed him from the plot entirely, nothing of value would be lost.

Yotsuyu goe Brutus

Between the two female villains of Stormblood, Yotsuyu is the more popular. It’s easy to see why: she has a cool design and a lot more screen-time and development, with a big 8-man trial to finish things off. But like Fordola, something is just off about her writing.

I don’t understand her motives or how she even came to feel the way she does about Doma, specificially. And anything bad that could happen to her, has happened to her. She suffered an abusive childhood under her adoptive parents, was sold off to an abusive husband, then sold off again to a brothel after her husband died to repay his debts. She later became a spy for the Garleans, rose in rank and was appointed acting viceroy of Doma, to keep the masses terrified and under her heel. At first, it seems pretty reasonable for her to turn against Doma, and lash out as she does on its people - her Doman upbringing left her used, abused and powerless, and with the Garleans she found power and strength. But this reading falls apart when you quickly realize that Doma was already occupied by the Garleans during the course of her upbringing, her family obedient to the Empire and her suffering just as much the fault of the Garleans. There’s an argument to also be made that not enough time was really spent portraying Doma as the disgusting place Yotsuyu sees it, as from the onset of Stormblood’s story journey into the Far East, Domans are only ever portrayed as a terrified, broken people, scared of the Garleans and Yotsuyu. I also don’t personally care for “character was abused, so now they’re sadistic and crazy” clichés either.

What does work well for Yotsuyu is the theme of power and control. Yotsuyu is a woman who lived a life not her own, weak and frail, until she obtained power. Now that she has it, her drive is to do anything to maintain it and survive - yet for some reason the story is written in such a way as to downplay this much stronger theme of her character, and play up this slightly confusing, all-consuming hatred for Doma instead. Her transformation into Tsukiyomi is also a bit odd (though decently thematic, with her ‘cold, uncaring and distant as the moon’ comparison), with not enough time paid to explore her understanding of Doman deities and why the mirror would trigger this change (and why would she even keep Doman deities in her mind, with her supposed hatred of Doma?)

I also take some issue with her “Tsuyu” arc, where she reverts back to the last time she was ever truly good or innocent, and has the personality of a child while still being an adult woman (and suffering amnesia). I find these infantilizing tropes pretty offensive, especially when Yotsuyu’s arc here is largely just to reinforce and reiterate what cartoonishly terrible people her family were, and provide Gosetsu with some development instead. Aside from killing Asahi and having a cathartic death herself, everything about Yotsuyu just baffles me. Every time I think I like something about her, athe bad writing twists it around.

Zenos yae Galvus

I don’t like Zenos, he’s a bad character, and I hate that Square Enix decided this limp-haired sullen-faced clown was going to be their poster-boy villain for Final Fantasy XIV.

What is the appeal of this character? Yeah, some people find him attractive. I don’t, but I also didn’t find Sephiroth attractive so, okay, whatever - like what you like I guess. But what else does Zenos have going on besides people seeming to think he’s their buff bishonen thicc daddy or whatever the kids are saying these days? His entire character can be summed up in one sentence:

“While the Warrior of Light was practicing empathy, Zenos studied The Blade.”

He’s a Garlean lordling with a bland and cold upbringing who likes katanas and blood sport. That’s it. He’s a sociopath, finding no joy or meaning in life for whatever reason: he just wants to collect Cool Swords and push his bizarre love-hate fight narrative on the Warrior of Light. Because they are opposites, you see: the Warrior of Light is a cardboard cut out of a Good Guy and Zenos is a cardboard cut out of a Bad Guy. He’s not even entertaining about it. He doesn’t want to watch the world burn, he just wants to fight the Warrior because the battle will make him Feel Something. Meanwhile, all I feel whenever I see him in-game, either in a cut-scene or when I’m locked in an unskippable “survive the drawn-out battle!” sequence with him, is a groan coming on. And sometimes villains who are evil just for the sake of it can be fun! But Zenos is not fun - he’s dull, he doesn’t get me hyped up for a fight...I feel nothing.

When he died after using his uber-synthetic Echo to possess Shinryu by taking his own life I thought, “well, at least that’s over” and I felt relieved. And then he came back, bigger and worse than ever! Yippee! I love confusing, unrelatable, boring villains who are recurring. Whatever Square Enix wants to do with Zenos, they need to hurry up and get it done. I care so little about him and just want to explore other stories and characters. I’m assuming he’s going to like, possess Zodiark or something, and then the Warrior will possess Hydaelyn, and there will be some big anime light fight showdown where Zodiark and Hydaelyn both shatter for good and Zenos dies and the Warrior lives another day and uuuugggghhh. How the hell did an expansion like Stormblood follow up Heavensward? Who let this happen?

Asahi sas Brutus

Bowl-cut twink hates his sister because he’s a Zenos fanboy and is angry Yotsuyu got all of Zenos’ attention instead of him. Filled with spite and piss, cartoonishly evil just like everyone associated with Yotsuyu or the Empire in Stormblood. Rest in pieces you little shit.

Varis zos Galvus

I’m lukewarm on Varis. He’s a better villain than Zenos, but that’s like saying a flat three-day-old glass of soda is better than sewage water. The bar is set very, very low. He’s ruthless, but not entirely unfair in his thought processes. Hell, he doesn’t even seem to like his own son (and really, if Zenos was my kid, I wouldn’t like him either). But Varis is a bit too...static, in my opinion. He doesn’t feel like a major player, and his batshit “let’s all just burn so the world resets and we can stick it to the Ascians” is pretty asinine and plays so transparently into the Ascian’s hands. I was originally bummed that Zenos killed him pretty unspectacularly, but...like with Lahabrea, it was probably better this way.

Omega

I don’t have much to say about this villain, really. The heart of the Omegascape storyline hinges on Cid, Nero, Alpha and the abstract concept of free will and accepting imperfection. It’s almost hard to say if Omega really is a villain, simply acting out a series of programs and statistics in a cold, robotic way, not really with malicious intent, so I think where Omega sort of shines is just as a being to build this sort of story off of, and provide a lot of fun boss fights as well.

Ran’jit

I had no strong opinions on Ran’jit for a long time, so I guess he improved for me as I now have An Opinion of him. He’s fine. He’s an okay villain. His Zenos-esque “survive the timer” encounters are annoying, but I find his persistence and presence more inspiring than any time crummy ol’ Zenos showed up. The biggest issue with Ran’jit is the lack of time devoted to developing him. This is a man who lost his home in the Flood of Light (which was the First’s equivalent to the Source’s Far East), and has essentially trained and raised numerous Minfillia reincarnations to battle Sin Eaters, just to watch these poor girls he saw as his own daughters die and die and die again. That cycle of loss would break down anyone, and make Vauthry’s postulations of paradise in Eulmore until the end finally comes appealing. Ran’jit pursues the Scions and Minfillia/Ryne not because he’s resolute in following orders, but because he just wants to bring this one psuedo-daughter back and keep her safe - something he could never do for the others who came and went in his tenure.

Naturally, this protectiveness leads to giving in to Vauthry’s nihilistic promises and stifles Minfillia/Ryne as a person. Thancred eventually learns to let the Minfillia he knew go so that Ryne could floruish into her own person - she was not ‘his’ Minfillia and it was terrible of him to ever impose that upon her. But where Thancred can move on and let Ryne develop into the wonderful person she is, Ran’jit cannot. And I’m disappointed this aspect of his character couldn’t be more at the forefront of his narrative.

Vauthry

If you ask me, this is more in line with how I figured Zenos might be. Vauthry lived a life or privilege and power, a child born of divine providence with no true regard for life, just his own desires. He’s spoiled and unreasonable, but his nihilism isn’t really nonsensical in the world of the First. All but a fraction of the world is destroyed, and Sin Eaters are a constant, devastating threat, so why not just relax in luxury, in the safety of Vauthry’s control over the monsters, and live in peace until the world truly ends? The battle against the Sin Eaters is exhausting and has no hope of victory anyway (until the Warrior of Light/Darkness arrives, that is). Even without the meol subplot, it makes sense why so many would flock to Eulmore once Vauthry takes over. Goofy as he can be, I do think Vauthry’s embodiment of just giving in to nihilism, hedonism and annihilation stands as a good thematic contrast to Shadowbringers strong themes of stubbornly striving for hope in even the darkest, bleakest hour. His trial is also fun and a slight swerve. All the Light Wardens up to that point had been monstrous, and Sin Eater transformations the thing of nightmares (Tesleen), so to see Vauthry take on the form of Innocence (ironically appropriate, as he truly believes he is blameless in all he has done) and become a golden-haired, angelic being of beauty - how he likely has always seen himself - is very entertaining, and defeating him feels great.

Emet-Selch / Solus zos Galvus / Hades

Ah yes. The Big One. Most people like Emet-Selch and his involvement in Shadowbringers. He’s sardonic, he’s entertaining, he’s honest, he’s explored, and he’s even sympathetic. The revelation of how Zodiark (and Hydaelyn) came to be, Amaurot and The Final Days is truly tragic. Emet and the rest of the Convocation were trying to save their world, and the cost was staggering - the lives of so many of their own, their minds, and eventually even their own world in the Amaurotine schism that followed. Being able to see a shadow of what Amaurot and its people were like really helps drive home the sorrow of it all, and Emet himself admits that he did try to learn to appreciate what the fragmented world had become. He’s also one of the most “successful” villains in Final Fantasy XIV - his intertwined association with death and masterful ability to raise up and lead empires like the ancient Allagans and modern Garleans to their self-destructing, Calamity-inducing downfalls (of which he was almost successful did with Varis and the Black Rose in the latter’s case) is pretty impressive as far as villainous plans and activity is concerned. Being forced to work alongside him in Shadowbringers because your goals are aligned while attempting to guard yourself from his inevitable schemes - which he’s pretty blunt about admitting he has - is an interesting way to develop him as a villain too. He spends most of Shadowbringers actually helping you rather than outright antagonizing you.

His conundrum is sympathetic as well, if not entirely relatable. If you had the ability to bring back your world, your friends and loved ones, at the cost of countless lives that are trivial in the grand scheme of the cosmos and start again, anew, in a better world that could repair and rebuild, would you do it? Tempered by Zodiark or not, Emet would, and while I don’t agree with him, I don’t entirely blame him either, for feeling how he does. Similar to Ran’jit and Vauthry too, Emet is nihilistic: he clings to something long-gone and will burn the current world down to get it back. To him, the Rejoining and Zodiark’s return is inevitable, and people like the Warrior of Light/Darkness are futile, frustating obstacles that cannot understand not only his plans, but just how he feels. They don’t remember what they lost. Emet does.

And yet in his final moments, Emet seems at peace. He seems to realize, as he is fading into oblivion, that the Warrior of Light/Darkness isn’t just the reincarnation of Azem, but what Azem believed in that made Azem part from the Convocation. Fractured life is still life, and Azem believed that the world and its beings was worth learning about, loving and protecting, capable of great things even when faced with insurmountable odds. The last act of good will Emet can do after requesting that the Warrior not forget about Amaurot, is to free the Warrior from Elidibus’ binds so that the last unsundered Ascian can be put to rest at last. It’s a very emotional throughline for Emet’s character, rather than a more logical one, but it works very, very well and really helps push Shadowbringers into that amazing high its story can get to.

Elidibus

I never liked Elidibus all that much for the longest time. It’s not that his character was “bad’, per se - he’s polite, diplomatic, and enigmatic, providing a much more leveled, intriguing villain to counter-act Lahabrea’s more active plays and cackling. But Elidibus’ long game always left me sort of wanting: I was never really sure what he was trying to accomplish expansion to expansion and how it related to the Rejoining that would bring about Zodiark. His plans also seemed to just regularly...fall through. Sending the Warriors of Darkness to antagonize the Warrior of Light in the Source ended up bringing about the halt of the Flood of Light on the First entirely. Picking up Zenos’ body and squashing Garlemald uprisings while nudging Varis to make and use the Black Rose was promptly halted by the true Zenos making an unspectacular return. I don’t know, I just feel like any plan Elidibus sets into motion gets stopped before it really gets started.

My opinion of him did change, however, during the course of the Shadowbringers expansion. Being the heart of Zodiark, manifesting as the First’s...uhh, first, Warrior of Light, summoning them from across the other shards to wreak havoc and empower himself, only to finally be put out of his misery not just be the true Warrior of Light/Darkness, but Emet-Selch’s last act of will and revealing that he had been an over-working, sad youth who just wanted to save the world he knew was...well, sad. And his first (and last) real gameplay with the various hero summonings was a pretty amazing set piece too, though it also tells me how devastating Elidibus could have been earlier on if he’d taken a more pro-active approach, access to the Crystal Tower notwithstanding.

Valens van Varro

Much like how I wanted to punch Ilberd, because Ilberd is a deplorable person but an effective villain with decent motivations, Valens is just...I just want to punch him, in general. He’s just Disgusting On Purpose. And since we still haven’t shaken Stormblood’s insistence that Garleans are Evil So Evil Oh My God Evil You Guys they’re trotted out a demented borderline sex-offender who forces his child wards to brand subjects who are out of line with red-hot irons. Valens is...entertaining, I guess, in that regard. And Valens does serve as an appropriate counter-part to Gaius in this storyline, the themes of which seem to largely deal with fatherhood and penance for past misdeeds. I just...really miss Garlean villains with nuance.

Fandaniel

Oh god damnit Asahi is back. Square Enix stop doing this, stop bringing back bad characters. Though it is unfair to say Fandaniel is anything like Asahi. Oh sure, he’s using Asahi’s body (and therefore the Brutus’ family inheritance to fund his machinations), he fawns over Zenos, and he’s cartoonishly evil, but at least this go around there’s a certain...goofy charm to it. Fandaniel is a sundered Ascian - he doesn’t care about the Rejoining or Zodiark, he’s aware that he’s a broken being and he is, quite frankly, loving it. He lays his intent out pretty plainly to the Warrior of Light/Darkness: he’s evil, he loves destruction, and he’s doing it because that’s just what he feels like doing. Don’t reason with him, don’t try to understand him, just fight back and cry about it. On some basic level I appreciate that brutal honesty, so much so that I’m comfortable writing my thoughts about him now because I don’t think they’re going to change. What you see is what you get with Fandaniel, and he’s just having such a good time. He’s a terribly-written villain but gosh darnit I just can’t bring myself to hate him.

#don't @ me zenos fans or i will always win need rolls on mount drops by one point in your queues #ffxiv

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gloves94 · 4 years

Text

Sunburn [Prince Zuko] 27

Warnings: Rating: PG-13 Pairings: Zuko/OC Summary: “You have everything you’ve always wanted.” “No.” He said softly. “Not everything…” His golden eyes looked at her with a melting intensity she had never witnessed before. “I guess not.” She responded with glassy eyes as tears welled up threatening to break the dam of her eyes.

My fanfiction: M A S T E R L I S T

Zuko walked silently into his room directly after the meeting of the black sun. He closed the door gently behind him and moved over to his bed removing his headpiece, allowing his hair to fall messily around his face. It seemed to ease his headache slightly. He knew the day of the black sun was upon them. With a silent sigh he removed his armor and placed it on his bed beside his head piece then he turned and walked over to his desk.

He placed a sheet of parchment on his desk and used the two weights to smooth it out flat before sitting down and picking up his brush. With careful and delicate strokes, he began writing, his heart heavy in his chest.

He had everything planned out.

He sneaked out of his room like he had done countless of times and made way for the auburn-haired servant's room.

He stood outside of her door and raised a hand his nerves getting the best of him as he told himself to suck it up and just knock. He shook his head and simply walked in like had done several times before.

His eyes widened at what he saw inside the small room. Papers and scrolls were wildly scattered all over the room and it smelled like burnt paper and smoke. Tsai sat on a chair using the small desk as she burnt what looked like confidential information into a metal bowl.

Her eyes shot wide as she jumped from her chair and shoved a crumbled paper inside of her shirt.

"It's not what it looks like." She said in one breath as her brain racked thoughts of a believable lie to explain this awkward situation.

His golden eyes meeting hers. "You're the one that's been leaking out all the information."

"I knew it." He said softly.

She braced herself ready for his explosion. For the perfect prince to erupt in rage at her lies and betrayal.

"You're the one that left the scroll outside of my door," he said as the realization hit him.

She nodded slowly. Still waiting for the volatile reaction. For him to scream and maybe even immobilize her for capture as a traitor to his Nation.

"I know you're working with uncle. I've known since the beginning. You would never betray him. You would never betray everything you believe in unless he asked you. That's why you bowed before my father. Swore your allegiance to the Fire Nation." He finally managed to connect all the dots and see the bigger picture. It was as clear as water.

Her body was tense. She had been holding her breath. His expression was unreadable. Would he turn her in?

Their eyes met again. She didn't dare move a muscle. Only looked at him like a deer dog caught in headlights. His silence was killing her.

"Let's runaway." He proposed boldly.

She looked at him beyond confused at the bold suggestion. One of her eyebrows arched the other knotted making her bewilderment even more apparent on her face.

"Let's runaway together," he repeated holding her head in his hands. She was too stunned to react to his touch.

"We-We're both of marrying age.” He stammered. “We'll runaway. Get married. Start a new life somewhere where nobody knows us. We'll bring uncle! We've already done it once. We can do it again!"

She had stopped listening halfway through his spiel. Both of her eyes wide. All the blood rushed to her head. Her head was spinning, and she could swear her mind went blank for a moment. She feel forward almost comically feeling dizzy at the declaration. He caught her by the shoulders, and it took her a moment to regain consciousness.

"It's official!" She said stepping away from him cornering herself creating the most distance she could between the two of them.

Her heart had skipped an anxious beat. Face red as a beet.

"Do you hear yourself talk? You have officially lost your mind! We are SIXTEEN." She attempted to snap some common sense into him. "NOBODY is getting married," she spoke tensely letting out a nervous laugh.

"I'm leaving the Fire Nation and I am not leaving without you." He said his eyes blazing with determination.

She looked at him with a defiant glare. She wanted nothing from him. Not anymore.

"Of course… Unless you would rather stay here with my sister…" He added casually.

"When do you leave?" She caved. Not even thinking twice about it.

Little did the two of them know that a pair of prying eyes had been watching the prince enter and exit the servant's room with vile intent.

Xxx

Tsai awoke drenched in sweat at the memory. She heaved as she looked around restlessly. It seemed like it had been ages ago when in truth it had only been days… She breathed harshly looking around the camp and gazed up at the sky suddenly feeling very small.

Shaking her head, she sneaked off to the edge of a cliff where she sat burying her face in her palms in aggravation. It was so frustrating...

Sokka prodded the campfire with a nearby stick, watching the embers float up into the air with a grim expression. Around him, his sister and friends slept peacefully, unperturbed by the discomforting thoughts that had been nagging at him for several days. Sokka glanced over towards the ledge of the mountain cliff where sat had been sitting for most the evening since insomnia had greeted her in the late night.

Without much thought Sokka walked over and took a seat next to her also dangling his feet over the bottomless abyss before.

She didn't turn to acknowledge his presence instead kept her tired eyes facing forward pensively.

"You want to know more about her, huh?" Tsai finally acknowledge and turned to look at him. Sokka sat quietly and nodded his head as his thoughts drifted to Yue, his first girlfriend who had terribly perished…

"She didn't feel any pain… When it happened. And she's happy, I think," Tsai paused for a moment before she cracked a rare smiled which was accompanied by a small laugh. "She knows all about you and your new girlfriend. She thought it was sweet how you didn't kiss her that one night."

Sokka's eyes went wide, cheeks flushed a little red. "S-She told you that?!"

"Of course," Tsai was still laughing. "We're friends. We had a lot of catching up to do. Don't worry. She found it endearing. She really wants you to be happy. Sincerely," she said graciously.

Sokka was quiet and looked up at the moon which was perched in the night sky above them and he smiled knowing that Yue was watching over them. It was then that his thoughts swayed to his current love. Suki… He hoped that she was okay. Prayed that they would find a way back to each other. He was much too distraught to see the smile fall from the colonial girl's face. He turned to say something and then noticed the lost look in her eyes.

"You know you don't have to stay up and keep watch. I'm on guard duty tonight." He said encouraging to return to her sleep. Which as of the late, it seemed like an impossible task.

However, she remained silent and didn't move not wanting to admit to her insomnia.

"He's on your mind, right?" Sokka asked.

Tsai thought of her brother. The uncertainty of not knowing if he was well or not was once again consuming her. If she knew of his fate be it fortunate or horrible, she would've come to terms with it, but not knowing? This was even worse than last time. She cursed him for doing this to her. Making her bear such worry.

"The uncertainty. It's killing me, not knowing if he's well or not," she confessed.

Sokka let out what sounded like an insensitive snort.

"Don't worry. Knowing Zuko he'll be just fine. He's hard enough to get rid of," Sokka rolled his eyes at the thought of his enemy.

"Zuko?" She retorted confused. Right now, he was in a faraway place in her mind. She had bigger problems to worry about. Besides, she hated to admit it but Sokka was right. There was nobody as persistent or determined as the Fire Nation's Prince.

"I was thinking about my brother," she admitted and touched her naked neck suddenly aware that she was free no longer having to wear that humiliating dog collar. She missing her own necklace and found some comfort in knowing that her other half had a piece of her with him.

"I know what you're thinking," she said after a moment. "That I'm probably crazy you know… for dating him. I'm not on cactus juice or anything," she let out what sounded like a humorous huff.

"How could you have even dated that stupid, conniving, evil jerk?!" He asked his expression shocked and border lining in outrage. "Willingly?"He raised both of his eyebrows incredulously as he sat in disbelief.

She nodded with a small sad smile her heart still ached for him.

"We always thought it was some sort of hostage situation," he shrugged raising both of his hands up. "Go figure."

She let out a laugh at the idea. "No… Not at all," she smiled weakly. "He's not dumb at all, or conniving like his sister, or evil. He can actually be very sweet. Nobody makes me laugh like he does. And he has the kindest heart," she had a lazy day dreamy smile on her face as she spoke about the prince.

"Wow," Sokka's mouth was ajar in shock. He could've sworn he was about to barf his guts into the abyss. He wondered if this was this what girls talked about all the time?

'Zuko? Really?' He could not believe her words. 'She must've drank something stronger than cactus juice or something.'

"But he's so-" Sokka sought out for the proper vocabulary of choice. "He's such a dick." He settled. "He's so angry and overbearing and persistent and did I mention angry?"

He looked at her slightly dazed expression and realized that she wasn't kidding.

This was serious.

"He is all of those things too," she said rubbing the back of her neck nervously. Who was she to deny him his truths? When Sokka was right, he was right.

"You really love him huh?" He mused after witnessing the smiled grow on her pink face.

She felt a chill run up her spine and erect her hair in comically pointed stands at what to her sounded like a most seriously bold accusation. She felt as if she had been struck by one of Azula's lightning bolts.

"Me? What-lov-no-" She struggled with her words her tongue twisting her face burning from the embarrassment of her affections. She let out a huff and shook her head lightly. "I won't give that jerk the time of day, not after everything he's done."

Sokka snickered at her reaction. Without thinking she gave his arm a hard, playful shove which almost made him fall over the cliff.

"No!" She realized and pulled him back into a safer ground just as fast.

The Southern Water Tribe boy's face had turned white in fear at the close brush with death.

"Sorry," she apologized sheepishly with a small laugh.

xxx

Zuko folded his hands behind his head and stared up at the same moon contemplatively, his thoughts storming in his mind. As he thought of just how in the world, he was going to convince the Avatar's group to let them join them.

And just where where Tsai and his uncle? He hoped they had somehow found each other...

Xxx

"This is humiliating." Katara grumbled as she tossed a bag off to the floor in frustration.

Tsai spared her a look over her shoulder and shook her head ignoring her. It was known that both weren't on the best speaking terms. Tsai knew that Katara had a prejudice against her for being born in the Fire Nation which wasn't fair. Her discrimination wasn't cute. Tsai hated how she would walk with this air of superiority pretending to embody a moral compass of goodness when she did ignorant things like this.

Sokka glanced over at his sister amused despite his sore limbs "You mean getting thoroughly spanked by the Fire Nation or having to walk all the way to the Western Air Temple?" He teased as he walked next to her.

Katara glanced at him contemplatively for a moment then answered with dry humor, "Both."

"Sorry, guys." Aang said to the siblings from where he was walking at the back the group and he reached out to scratch Appa's cheek affectionately, "But Appa gets tired carrying all these people."

"It could've been worse," Tsai the eternal optimist offered.

The group continued their trek up in an exhaustive hike to the Western Air Temple. Laments were felt as they mourned their missing people. Bickering and some healthy ramblings were exchanged as several group members (Sokka. It was Sokka) complained about having blisters and walking the long way. Before they reached the temple.

Xxx

Zuko tied the rope he'd brought with him to a rock and tossed it over the side of the cliff before using it to slide down the cliff. He turned slowly to face the cliff and stared at the massive statue of a female Airbender. He swung forward slightly then jumped, landing in a crouch on the platform the statue was on. Zuko straightened and stared up at the statue, remembering the last time he'd been at this temple.

At the time he had been younger, more foolish, more naïve. He was blinded by his ambition of regaining his father's respect and recuperating his honor. Then again, he had only been a child. Having only been thirteen at the time.

"What else would I expect to hear from the laziestman in the Fire Nation?" Zuko whirled around and snarled at his uncle furiously. Iroh sighed and bowed his head while his nephew turned away from him, "The only way to regain my honor is to find the Avatar, so I will."

The memory stung him. Waves of disappointment and regret washed over him as he wondered just how he could've treated his uncle in such a way. He let out a heavy exhale and closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.

The familiar rumbling growl of the Avatar's sky bison suddenly flew above in the air, followed by even more familiar laughter. Zuko jerked his head to the left, towards the sounds and gasped in surprise. He quickly darted towards a nearby pillar and ducked behind it, crouching down and watching the Avatar's sky bison soar him past before disappearing behind another of the upside-down pagodas.

He waited a few more moments then stood up and backed away from the pillar without taking his eyes away from where he'd seen the sky bison. Shaking his head, more than determined Zuko spun on his heel and raced towards a flight of stairs.

Xxx

"You guys go ahead, I think we need to talk about some things." Katara urged some of the other people that had escaped the Fire Nation with them. Tsai had no idea who they were nor did she have any interest in knowing.

She had greater things to worry about… Like her brother, her family, Iroh and well Zuko… She prayed they were all well. She- however didn’t want to think about her father. She flinched slightly as his cold eyes flashed in her memory. And what about her being the Sun Spirit? She didn't even want to open that Pandora's box of unanswerable questions.

Aang looked at Katara in confusion, "Why can't I go?" He protested.

"We need to decide what we're gonna do now." Katara replied with a small frown "And since you're the Avatar, maybe you should be a part of this."

Aang huffed and walked over to a piece of a broken stone pillar. He leaned his staff against it and sat down, crossing his arms grouchily in front of his chest, "Fair enough. What's the plan?"

Katara, Toph and Zokka followed him, each sitting down on another piece of the broken pillar.

It was then that Katara noticed the red head that was sitting alone a couple of feet away with her feet grounded. She hugged her knees as she starred off into the distance lost in thought.

She cleared her throat loudly. "I also meant you Tsai," she basically growled out.

The other turned her narrowed eyes at her with an angry expression in them.

"What?" She let out a scoff.

"We are about to discuss some important things in private and I think it would be best if you left." She explained.

"Why don't you want me here?" She stood up shoving her hands in her pockets approaching the group. "Because I'm Fire Nation?"

Katara glared with intense dislike.

"I'm not going to apologize for being born on the wrong side of the pond," Tsai stood her ground. "I can't change who I am and I won't. Just like I wouldn't ask you to change even if you were born in…" She paused for a moment and fought the urge to clap back with a petty insult.

It took every ounce of patience in her not to say. 'Born in some teepee in a snow wasteland in the middle of nowhere.'

"In the Southern Water Tribe," she finished eloquently in a strained voice.

"Katara, Tsai is part of the group now." Aang defended. "She helped me escape the Pohuai Fortress. Remember?"

"Yeah! For her own benefit! After she asked you to surrender! And after she kidnapped you in the Earth Kingdom and then betrayed us back in the Crystal Catacombs." The loopy haired girl barked back aggressively. “I saw you attack Iroh!”

"I think what matters is that I'm here now," Tsai raised both of her hands as a peace offering her eyebrows too feeling beyond irritated. "And willing to help."

Katara grumbled something under her breath. Aang let out a frustrated sigh.

“But if this helps,” she whipped out the White Lotus Pai Sho chip that Iroh gave her what seemed to be a lifetime ago. She held it between her middle and index fingers. “I don’t know if this means anything to you, but I’ve been helping the resistance for months now.”

The group let out a confused “huh?” in unison. All of them taken aback.

“Hey! I have one of those too!” Sokka noted pulling out his matching chip.

“Where do you think you got all of those Fire Nation maps, diagrams and military plans from? I was the one sending the fire hawks to the Resistance.” She put her chip away and nodded feeling a huge weight being off her shoulders. “Iroh and I agreed it was best if people didn’t associate us. Which is what you saw that day in the Catacombs. I would’ve sent more information about the day of the black sun, but got captured and tortured that day… Which is when you found me.” She couldn’t help but be proud of her brave accomplishments. It hadn’t been an easy thing to do, but it had been the right thing.

Tsai was officially Sokka’s hero. Aang was grateful. Toph thought it was a cool story and wanted to ask about the torture intrigued. Katara on the other hand was boiling with anger, her prejudice showing.

Without further continuation the Fire Nation girl was welcomed into the group and took a seat opposite of Katara sitting between Toph and Sokka.

Now that that was over with…

Sokka rubbed at his chin thoughtfully for moment then shrugged, "Well, if you asked me, the new plan is the old plan!" He grinned widely at Aang, "You just need to master all four elements and confront the Fire Lord before the comet comes."

"Oh, yeah, that's great." Aang drawled sarcastically and he picked up a pebble off the stone, tossing it into the air and catching it nonchalantly, "No problem, I'll just do that." He rolled his eyes and laid down on the broken pillar, flicking the pebble away from him with a scowl.

She was about to chide in how she had broken his nose-

"Wait," Tsai interrupted. "You still haven't mastered fire?" She raised an eyebrow looking at him judgmentally. "My brother was just with you. He's a great bender. What have you been doing all this time? Goofing around?" She accused as she felt her back knotting in stress.

"I-I didn't want to learn from him." Aang confessed after a moment.

Aang remembered the short lived time they had spent with Tsai's brother, Mecha, and he had been- well... He was troubled.

His sister blinked twice in surprise. As far as she remembered her brother was an adequate fire bender. Yeah, maybe he was childish and could be lazy with his training but he could've still taught Aang the basics.

"Your brother he.. He spoke about vengeance and about hurt and suffering. I hurt Katara once and swore I was never going to fire bend again in my life." Aang explained. "He just wasn't the teacher for me."

That didn't sound like her brother...

"So, you put your own selfish interests before the fate world?" She rose to her feet.

This was unacceptable.

How on Earth had these children managed to outsmart both the Fire Nation and Prince Zuko for more than a year? Having been raised under the stern hand of a governing family Tsai had always been taught never to slack off. Less when others when in peril. Less when your people were in danger.

"Gee, it's no wonder you and Zuko were together," Sokka mumbled under his breath. Both of them had a stick up their asses when it came to these things and the same nasty temperament.

Katara was about to say some snide remark when the girl beat her to it.

"You know what-" Tsai shook her head with her eyes shutting for a moment. "I'll teach you." She said clapping her hands together at the grand idea.

The room looked at her with dumbfounded expressions on their faces.

"Umm.. Can you even fire bend Chili Pepper?" Toph asked in a bored tone giving the girl a new nickname. Aang would've laughed if the current situation wasn't so serious.

"No," She dead panned. "But I've seen my brother do it my whole life." She offered. "Hey, it's better than nothing and beggars can't be choosers." She grumbled before leaning against one of the wall pillars cooly and crossing her arms over her chest. "I'll call it non-firebending!"

That was a terrible idea. Sokka slapped a hand over his face and he pulled it down in exasperation.

"Well, it's not gonna even be possible!" Aang exclaimed, leaning back on his elbows and staring at Katara questioningly turning his attention towards her, "Where am I supposed to get a firebending teacher?"

Katara's brows furrowed as she thought then she grinned excitedly, "We could look for Jeong Jeong."

"Yeah right." Aang scoffed and laid back on the bench, covering his eyes with an arm, "Like we'll ever run into Jeong Jeong again."

"Who's... Oh never mind." Toph mumbled and crossed her arms irritably, "If it's important, I'll find out."

"Touché." Tsai added.

Aang abruptly leapt to his feet and grabbed his glider, "Oh well, guess we can't come up with anybody." He grinned and jumped over the stone block Sokka was sitting on, "Why don't we take a nice tour around the temple?" He snapped his glider open as he ran towards the edge of the courtyard then leapt off, Momo following after him a moment later.

"Aang wait!" Tsai called as she stretched out her hand. She couldn't believe how not seriously the Avatar was taking all this.

"What's up with him?" Toph asked drily.

"He's just having a hard time right now. Give him some time." Katara said protectively over Aang.

Tsai hadn't been here long, but she figured Katara's motherliness attitude would get old fast.

Sokka tapped his chin, "There's gotta be someone who can teach him firebending." He looked over at Tsai and eyed her thoughtfully.

"What?" She retorted. "I already offered to show him how to non-bend fire."

"Know anyone?" Sokka asked her.

xxx

"Hello..." He raised a hand with an uncharacteristic smile.

"Zuko here, but...I guess you probably already know me, sort of." He winced and rubbed the back of his head nervously, looking off to the side as he let his arm fall back to his side, "Uh...so, the thing is I have a lot of firebending experience, and I'm considered to be pretty good at it. Well, you've seen me, you know, when I was attacking you…"

His eyes widened and the smile disappeared from his face as he pressed his fingers against his forehead in embarrassment, "Uh, yeah...I should probably apologize for that. But anyway," He shook his head and waved an arm to the side dismissively, "I'm good now. I mean, I thought I was good before, but I realize I was bad and that I hurt a lot of people," He fidgeted uncomfortably and his shoulders slumped dejectedly.

"But-but anyway...I think it's time I joined your group and taught the Avatar firebending." He straightened with a sincere expression on his face.

The badgerfrog perched on the log in front of him croaked loudly. Scowling, Zuko leaned forward with a frustrated expression on his face, "Well?! What's your answer?"

The badgerfrog hopped onto his head then jumped away and Zuko hung his head with a sigh.

"Yeah, that's what I'd say too...How am I supposed to convince these people I'm on their side?" He muttered and he straightened, grabbing his head in despair. He paused and stared thoughtfully at the ground, "What would Uncle do?"

Pacing a few steps, Zuko pretending to stroke an imaginary beard as he imitated his uncle's voice,"'Zuko, you have to look within yourself, to save yourself from your other self.'" He turned and paced in the opposite direction and pretended to be lecturing himself, "'Only then will your true self reveal itself.'"

Sighing, Zuko pressed his hand against his forehead and shook his head in exasperation, "Even when I'm talking for him, I can't figure out what he means. What would Azula do?"

"'Listen, Avatar, I can join your group,'"Zuko drawled in a high-pitched voice and he crossed his arms arrogantly, "'Or I can do something unspeakably horrible to you and your friends. Your choice.'"

He groaned and covered his face with his hands before letting them drop to his sides, “Tsai had done it before. How had she managed to do it?”

"'We have to work together to defeat the Fire Lord!'"He spoke in a different high-pitched voice as he imitated the girl's blinding optimism. "'We have something he doesn't have, something worth fighting for!' We can have tea after!'" He scoffed at himself in frustration and sat down on the ground heavily, "I guess I'm not that good at impersonations..."

He stared in surprise when the badgerfrog leapt in front of him and croaked loudly. Zuko rubbed his temples then hung his head dejectedly.

xxx

"So Chili Pepper, huh?" Tsai asked as she sat on the edge of the fountain in the courtyard. Toph sat next to her dipping her fingers on the water.

"It suits you," The blind girl shrugged. "Hot-tempered like one and spicy, just like the Fire Nation."

"Isn't that a little stereotypical?" Tsai laughed. "Not all Fire Nation people eat spicy food. I do prefer sweets myself, but I do love me some jalapeño poppers-" She realized that Toph wasn't listening to her. "But I guess it is fitting. My hair is red like one too."

"I don't know what that looks like," was all Toph responded awkwardly making reference to her blindness. Tsai sweated nervously had she offended her? Befriending this group was going to be harder than it looked like.

Aang landed besides the fountain and snapped his glider shut, grinning at his friends as they jumped off Appa, "Oh, and the all-day echo chamber, you guys will love that!"

"What's he talking about?" Tsai was about to ask. Unsure of what was going on. One moment Katara and Sokka went to get Aang to try and persuade him to change his attitude in regards of mastering fire bending.

"I think that'll have to wait." Toph commented seriously and the others looked at her quizzically. She turned towards Appa and pointed behind him, just as the sky bison shuffled to the side, revealing a shadow.

"Hello," Zuko said awkwardly and he raised his arm in greeting, "Zuko here."

Tsai felt her heart jump to her throat her eyes wide in disbelief at the surprise. He looked at her too. Surprised to have found her here out of all places and with them. The group immediately shifted into an offensive stance their eyes menacingly glaring at the Fire Nation's Prince.

"I heard you guys flying around down there, so I just thought I'd wait for you here." Zuko replied and he shrugged slightly. Appa stepped towards him with a growl. Zuko took a cautious step back, covering his face with his arms. He grunted when the sky bison proceeded to lick his back happily.

Aang stared in surprise and lowered his staff slightly, watching as Zuko lowered his arms and Appa licked his face affectionately.

"Ick." Zuko grunted again and wiped the slobber off his face with his arm then he looked at the group before him, "I know you must be surprised to see me here."

"No, not really." Sokka snapped and he let go of his boomerang, "Since you followed us all over the world."

"Right..." Zuko coughed uncomfortably and glanced to the side, "Well, uh...anyway, what I wanted to tell you about is that I've changed, and, I, uh, I'm good now."

Zuko's eyes met Tsai's light brown ones. He looked at her with worry. She hadn't said a single word since he had arrived. Her judgement weighing heavily on his pride and honor as a man. He couldn't read the look in her eyes. Was she upset that he had left without her? Still angry at what had happened in Ba Sing Se? Or with Mai?

He cleared his throat and looked away from her as he continued to addressed the Avatar apprehensively, "Um, and, well, I think I should join your group. Oh, and I can teach firebending...to you. See, I, uh..." he stumbled upon his words nervously.

"You want to what now?!" Toph interrupted sharply while the others just stared at Zuko in dumbfounded disbelief, Aang lowering his staff even further in confusion.

"You can't possibly think that any of us would trust you, can you?" Katara demanded angrily and she glared at the prince, "I mean, how stupid do you think we are?"

Triggered that's where Tsai drew the line. "Guys!" She pleaded stepping over in between Zuko and the Avatar and his group. "I don't think you're being fair." She glared at Katara.

"Fair?" Sokka scoffed and then frowned. "Tsai! You're being biased. All Zuko has ever done is try to hunt us down and capture Aang!"

"Yeah and you were there to help him all alongside the way!" Katara added.

The edge of her eye twitched in frustration.

"I've done some good things." Zuko replied defensively and he took a step forward now standing next to the red head. He gestured towards Appa with his arms, "I mean, I could have stolen your bison in Ba Sing Se, but I set him free. That's something." Appa rumbled and licked his back again, much to Zuko's surprise. It was then that he looked at his friend and offered a weak smile just like he had that afternoon when they fed the turtle ducks together. She did not return the smile.

Toph tilted her head slightly, "Appa does seem to like him."

Katara and Sokka looked at her in surprise then turned back to glower at Zuko again.

"He probably just covered himself in honey so that Appa would lick him." Sokka stated and he swung his arm out, "I'm not buying it."

Zuko closed his eyes and bowed his head for a second then looked at the five friends remorsefully, "I can understand why you wouldn't trust me, and I know I've made some mistakes in the past." He looked to the side and closed his eyes in shame.

"Like when you attacked our village?" Sokka snapped then he threw his arm out "Or when you burned Kyoshi island?"

Katara took a step forward and clenched her fists, "Or when you stole my mother's necklace and used it to track us down and capture us?"

Zuko flinched and looked over at the Tsai, her eyebrows were twisted in worry. It was true he had done many mistakes in the past. As had she. There was nothing else to do but to own up to them.

"I admit that I've done some awful things. I was wrong," He hung his head and pressed his palm against his temples, "I was wrong to try to capture you, and I'm sorry I attacked the Water Tribe. And I never should have sent that Fire Nation assassin after you, I'm gonna try to stop him-"

Tsai turned to look at him with her eyes wide and she face palmed.

'Oh Dear…' She thought. When had he even had a chance to do that?

Sokka unsheathed his boomerang and pointed it threateningly at Zuko, "You sent Combustion Man after us?" He exploded.

"Well, that's not his name but-"

"Not the point," Tsai whispered through gritted teeth rubbing her temples. Zuko’s social skills or lack of them always seemed to amaze her.

"Oh, sorry." Sokka growled sarcastically, "I didn't mean to insult your friend!"

Zuko reeled back and shouted in frustration, "He's not my friend!"

"That guy locked me and Katara in a jail!" Toph snapped angrily and she pointed an accusing finger at the prince, "And tried to blow us all up! Twice!"

Zuko closed his eyes and sighed softly as he opened them a moment later. He turned his head towards Aang, who had remained silent the whole time, "Why aren't you saying anything? You once said you thought we could be friends." He watched as Aang looked down and stared at the ground. "You know I have good in me."

Aang frowned and glanced towards his friends. Sokka glanced at him and shook his head slightly.

Turning his head, Aang stared at Zuko with furrowed brows. He then looked at Tsai who looked concerned as she looked at him with large eyes. "There's no way we can trust you after everything you've done. We'll never let you join us."

"You need to get out of here." Katara spat, "Now."

Zuko looked at them in surprise then closed his eyes for moment. When he opened them, he stared at them with determination, "I'm trying to explain I'm not that person anymore." He raised both arms in frustration and he walked towards the group, but Sokka took a step forward and pointed his boomerang at him warningly. He flinched and took a step back, a shocked and dismayed expression on his face.

"Either you leave, or we attack." Sokka threatened grimly.

"Sokka please!" Tsai pleaded with him. "Be reasonable. He's owned up for all that he's done. He's more than sorry."

He glared at her and ignored her pleading words.

Zuko closed his eyes, "If you won't accept me as a friend, then maybe you'll take me as your prisoner." He kneeled and held his arms out with his head bowed submissively.

Katara scowled viciously and bended the water from her canteen, launching it at Zuko with a furious shout, "No, we won't!"

Zuko grunted when the water struck him, knocking him back a few feet. He lay face down on the ground in a puddle of water for a moment then slowly rolled onto his back, propping himself up onto his elbow.

"Hey!" Tsai snapped defensively facing Katara. "Was that really necessary?" She growled out. Tensions already riding high between her and the waterbender.

"You took me in without question before you knew I was helping the resistance, and I've done at least half of the same things he's done to you!" She shot back.

"The only reason we took you is because Aang insisted!" Katara barked back. "I don't trust you anymore than I trust him! I don’t care for however many fire hawks you did or didn’t send." She whipped some of the water that was left on the ground and got ready to strike the girl in front of her.

"Aang?" She turned to look at the Avatar with pleading eyes.

Zuko 's eyes were fixed on her and he stretched an arm forward approaching her.

"Get out of here!" Katara suddenly barked cracking the water whip before him menacingly. She then crossed her arms as she stood between the two parties, "And don't come back. And if we ever see you again...Well, we'd better not see you again!"

Water dripping from his hair, Zuko looked away from the furious waterbender dejectedly. He closed his eyes bowed his head in defeat then he pushed and walked away, Aang and Katara watching him go with irritated expressions.

"Zuko wait!" Tsai rushed over to him. She reached for his arm with worry and was about to ask if he was okay, but he brushed her hand off his person.

"Tsai, don't-" He turned to look at the group that was glaring at him maliciously. It wasn’t the time or place.

She let him go. Her sad eyes tailing after his back as he descended down the steps.

xxx

"Argh!" Zuko growled and grabbed his head as he paced around his camp in the forest on the cliff above the air temple, "I can't believe how stupid I am! I mean, what was I thinking?" He slapped his forehead and shook his head, horrified at himself, "Telling them I sent an assassin after them? Why didn't I just say Azula did that? They would've believed that! Stupid!"

He groaned and slapped his forehead again. The badgerfrog sitting on the log in front of him croaked and Zuko slouched forward. He dropped to his knees in front of the log and bowed his head, groaning in frustration.

"I am such an idiot..."

xxx

"Why would he try to fool us like that?" Katara ranted as she walked into the pagoda that led to the hourglass fountain courtyard "I mean it doesn't make sense!"

"Obviously, he wants to lead us into some kind of trap." Sokka stated as he followed his sister with another sleeping bag while Aang walked after him with some other supplies in their arms.

Tsai glared at all of them judgmentally. Her blood was boiling as she sat with her jaw clenched unable to even look at Katara or say a word to the others. Katara turned towards her brother, "This is just like when we were prison together in Ba Sing Se. He starts talking about his mother, and making it seem like he's an actual human being with feelings."

"He is an actual human being with feelings!" Tsai snapped irritably as she stalked past Katara.

"Oh, you go right ahead and defend your boyfriend!" Katara whirled around to face the girl from the Fire Nation with an angry expression.

"Listen-" She growled out. "I'm sick and tired of your prejudiced attitude towards us! We are not all heartless monsters. I spent almost a year abroad with him. Months stuck alone with him and his uncle in a raft lost in the middle of the ocean and I can vouch for him he's human he-" She suddenly went quiet when she looked at Katara's judgmental expression. Her arms were crossed over her chest as she glared. She wasn’t going to change her mind.

"You know what?" She finally snapped her lips growing into a thin line. "I'm not going to waste my breath." She angrily tossed the sleeping bag she had been holding in her arms and stormed away. She didn't need to announce just where she was headed.

"How Typical," Katara glared.

"Tsai! Come back!" Aang called with worry. He then turned to look at Katara. "Katara you need to be kinder to her. Like it or not she's part of the team and she's going to help us take down the Fire Lord."

"Really?" Katara arched an eyebrow. "Doing what? Making tea?" She rolled her eyes dramatically and raised her arms up.

"She's the only human to have ever walk through fire and actually strike the Fire Lord and survive to tell the tale. So as of now she's the only one that actually stands a chance fighting him." Aang explained.

Katara crossed her arms childishly and turned away facing her brother and Toph.

"You were saying?" she motioned to her brother to continue with a scowl on her features and a propped hand on her hip.

"As I was saying-" Sokka continued. "No, no, no." Sokka chided and the two girls turned to look at him.

Tsai continued her trek up the mountain in the darkness. The bickering and fighting growing dimmer and quieter the further she advanced. Some moments later she was in the forest. She looked down at some footprints with her squinting eyes and luckily was able to track Zuko's camp down in the middle of the wilderness.

xxx

Zuko slept quietly beneath the war balloon's tarp he'd tied up between a couple of trees as a makeshift tent, a campfire blazing a few feet in front of his shelter. Soft rustling filled the air and he awoke with a soft groan, groggily pushing his upper body off the ground and peering out behind his campfire.

"Who's there?" He called out then he swung his arm out, sending out an arc of fire, "Stay back!"

"Hey," Tsai called out weakly as she popped out from behind some green shrubbery. It pained her to see him, but was still relieved that he had escaped the Fire Nation's grips.

Zuko watched in horror as his flames circled around the girl and struck her. "No!" He shouted in horror as he bent over backwards stumbling on his feet and clumsily rushing to her side. "No! No! No!" He thought in horror at the realization he hurt the person he loved the most.

"Tsai!" he reached her and engulfed her in a rough hug which made her collapse back to the ground. She landed on her behind and looked at him confused before awkwardly patting his back.

"Are you okay? He was frantic. He pulled away and looked at her arms, her neck her face as he sought out any sign of burn or injury. His breath was hitched. Heart racing. It was then that he realized she was perfectly unharmed.

"How?" He asked in disbelief as he slowly retreated kneeling besides her. Her heart hurt, but she couldn't help herself.

"You're cute when you're worried," she said humorously and poked his chest playfully before letting out a weak laugh. He did not return it.

"It's not funny," he rose to his feet and walked away. "I was really worried." He admitted upset.

She frowned lightly and rose to her feet as well following him to his camp.

"I'm fine," she said with an edge of unease to her voice. Her voice hard and tense at the cocktail of mixed emotions she was feeling. She shouldn't be here not after everything he had done to her. She was still wounded.

So, it had really happened. It hadn't been a lucky shot of divine intervention. She really could walk through fire. Part of him thought the spirits had intervened or that he had hallucinated the whole thing.

"I'm the Sun Spirit." She said casually.

He looked at her unsure if he had heard her speak correctly. "Huh?" He retorted confused. "It's a long story," she said nervously. She feared how he would react to it. Would he think she was some kind of freak?

"You're the first person I tell."

His eyes never left hers, he remained silent and she continued explaining.

"The day of the black sun," she began. "When the eclipse began, I blacked out for that same duration and in my absence Yue- do you remember her? The Northern Water Tribe Princess who turned into the moon? It was so weird because when I met her, I felt like we had this connection and so did she and then we spent the whole day together and-" She paused for a brief moment when she realized she was straying away from the point.

"Right," she apologized and cleared her throat nervously. "She came to me and told me I was the Sun and that she was the Moon and explained that's why we were connected."

"How… are you the Sun Spirit?" He asked confused as he came closer to her.

"I-I'm not sure. I don't know. I don't think even my own family knows," she said in a bewildered tone as she remembered both her father and brother's looks of surprised as she walked through fire and lived to tell the tale. "Your sister had me chained up like a dog. After that I woke up, we got in a fight and she tried to roast me alive and I simply walked through her fire. My brother was there too. He stayed behind to hold her back and I don’t know what happened after…" She said rubbing the nape of her neck pinching a stressful nerve. She then remembered plenty of other similar events that would've made her spiritual connection to the sun more apparent.

Zuko was staring at her in disbelief. He felt even guiltier now about what had happened to her brother. He wasn’t strong enough, fast enough to spare her this and many other pains.

"I'm sorry," he said sincerely.

She looked at him surprised. "For?" She blinked twice confused.

"For everything." He said apologizing for what seemed like the first time.

"I'm sorry about what my father did to you. "

"I'm really proud of the way you stood up to him." She commented as they both now sat by the fire conversing. Crickets chirped in the wooden surroundings.

She listened attentively for everything that he had to say. He told her about the confrontation with his father. About how he looked for her all over the palace and prison. How he went to look for Iroh but couldn't find him either…

"I'm sorry," he apologized for what seemed to be the hundred time now. He lowered his head in shame. "Again, I apologize for everything I have done and taken from you. All the pain I caused you and my uncle. I really wish I had been a better man. I regret everything that happened in Ba Sing Se and after." He explained sincerely. "Mai…"

He was silent for a second and noticed she tensed up at the mentioning of the onyx haired girl.

"The things I said in the Crystal Catacombs... I was angry. I didn't mean them. I believe in you. In your dreams."

He didn't dare look at her judging expression. This was the moment when she ran for the hills and as far away from him as possible.

Again silence.

"You were right," he finished looking down at his hands in shame. "About everything."

He kept his head lowered and closed his eyes before he felt a warmth engulf him. She had taken him into her arms and embraced him tightly.

"That's all I wanted to hear," she laughed lightly. Still there was some sadness clinging to her voice. He wrapped his arms around her hugging her tighter as if she would run away from him. He buried his face in her shoulder hiding his face. He would never allow her to see the tears that had formed in the edges of his eyes as he held her even tighter terrified of the thought of losing her again.

She pulled away from the embrace and his eyes caught hers. Their noses accidentally brushed. In that moment. Magnetized as if in a bewitched trance. He reached for her face fingers caressing over her skin. They both leaned in. Their lips grazed against each other for only a moment. His fingers tangling around her hair. She could feel sparks. She felt herself sitting up-

"I think I'm going to be sick!" A childish voice called out from the bushes.

Both teenagers jumped at least ten feet apart from each other at the intrusion on their intimacy. Both of their faces a matching shade of vibrant crimson red. The kind of shade that seemed to almost glow in the night.

"TOPH!" Tsai roared ready to murder the earthbender.

"Where you eavesdropping?!" She asked still attempting to compose her cool. Her heart hammering against her rib cage violently at the shock.

"You two are SO sappy," she let out a laugh before picking out at some dirt that was hiding behind her ear. "It's not hard to eavesdrop when you two are so loud. And then it got awkward and I simply didn't know when to leave or if I should say something."

"and you chose that moment?" Zuko grumbled in frustration slapping a hand to hide his painfully embarrassed expression

Toph grinned wickedly. "Don't worry Zuko, I won't tell anyone you started crying." Toph laughed.

He looked mortified. Tsai looked at him with a small smile feeling somewhat touched.

"I-I didn't!" He butted in refusal his face growing a darker shade.

"Sure," Toph laughed and kicked herself a seat made out of Earth from the ground. " I just came here to tell you that I believe you. And like it or not Aang does need a firebending teacher. I'm sure anything you can do is wayyy better than Chili Pepper here teaching him how to non-bend fire."

"...What is that?" He asked her confused.

She was quiet for a moment. "I was going to imitate you and Mecha- you know throw some punches, screams and kicks…" Her voice trailed off sheepishly.

Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose. "That is not how fire bending works" he groaned at the painfully ridiculous idea.

"The group is biased but you should try again tomorrow." She nodded. "I don't think they have much of a choice and I don't think you have much of a choice but to accept our conditions" she crossed her arms over.

"I'll do whatever you say," he nodded determined.

"Toph's right."

"Also Tsai also doesn't really count as a Fire Nation person. Considering she has no bending powers and what not," Toph said blatantly.

"Hey!" She protested. "I can still do a lot of damage!" She pouted. She then looked down at her naked forearms her hidden blades long gone and forgotten in the Fire Nation. "Or at least I used to…" She said sadly.

"But Toph's right," She repeated again bouncing back with that blind optimism she was famous for. "Nobody's as determined as you. Don't give up!" She touched his arm and smiled at him lightly.

"Gross," Toph stuck out her tongue. She had never met a mushier more gross couple. "I'm leaving. See y’all tomorrow." With that she turned and left.

"Wait Toph!" Tsai called after her in panic. She couldn't be alone with him. Not after all the lingering tension in the air. Specially not after that. She had to have a little bit more self respect. She wasn't about to stay and give him the time of day after everything he had done. Yeah sure, everything was forgiven, but not forgotten!

She began walking away and felt a possessive pair of arms wrap around her from behind holding her back.

"Stay," He said against her ear and she felt a chill run up her spine.

She slapped his hands off her body and jumped away from him he looked at her perplexed.

"Do you not remember what happened earlier today? They already pin us both as their enemies. If I stay here it will only make things worse. This won't help your case." She explained flustered.

"Come on," he insisted and pulled her close burying his nose in her hair.

"No," she groaned and snaked out of his embrace once again. He looked at her with what looked like a small frown. She looked- angry?

"Everything is forgiven, but not forgotten. I'm still angry at you. The thought of everything you've done- it- it" She used her hands to speak allegorically. "It makes me livid!" She snapped balling both of her hands.

"What? But we were just about to-!"

"Shhh!!" She shushed him rudely her face burning and raised her hand up.

"I am still upset." She declared. "So, don't for one second think I'm going to be all- all- warm and welcoming.”

She let out a "hn" back of her throat and and with her nose sticking up she walked away leaving the sixteen-year-old dumbfounded and feeling more than frustrated. He stood there for a good minute pulling at his hair dumbstruck still processing what had happened. It was then that he suddenly heard a croaking sound.

Turning around he saw the badgerfrog perched on a log croaking at him

"Tell me about it," he said to the frog. "Women."

xxx

AN: Brief update. Sorry Zuzu looks like you've got a lot of making up to do. Also *gasps* we are almost at the end of our story.

Thoughts?

xxx

FIRST https://gloves94.tumblr.com/post/621142853126602752/sunburn-prince-zuko-1

NEXT https://gloves94.tumblr.com/post/621886885346885632/sunburn-prince-zuko-28

PREV https://gloves94.tumblr.com/post/621610303421022208/sunburn-prince-zuko-26

CHAPTER MASTERLIST

#prince zuko #zukoxreader #Zuko x oc #Zuko x you #zuko #avatar #avatar the last airbender #avatar fanfic #avatar x oc #avatar fanfiction #atla #atla fanfic #aang #korra #oc #fanfiction #fan fiction #fanfic #fanfic writing

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yuelaotzu · 4 years

Text

The cast of BFB as things I’ve heard at my school.

8-Ball: Sorry, I don’t speak Minecraft enchantment table.

Balloony: I’d rather burn alive than have this scent linger in my nose.

Barf Bag: Despite popular belief, Heaven is a real Hell.

Basketball: Hello, and welcome to thank you. How you would you like today?

Bell: Yes! Thank you! I am so pumped for this! I can already hear the stock market exploding!

Black Hole: Don’t worry, it’s not rocket science. Just kidding, it’s totally rocket science, we’re building a spaceship.

Blocky: I’m telling you, if we just imploded the volcano, we’d be able to move on with our lives.

Bomby: This is horizontally delicious.

Book: We’re demons; we can worry about kindness later.

Bottle: Is salad a verb? Can you aggressively salad?

Bracelety: I just- emotions? Why? Must I feel thee???

Bubble: There’s nobody in here! This voice is a prerecorded message!

Cake: Rice Krispie? You’ll live your whole life.

Clock: Congratulations, you figured out the puzzle. Would you like a cookie and a star perhaps?

Cloudy: You put a stranger you found in a field inside of your bed?

Coiny: A watermelon does not make that much noise.

David: Do you wish to perish?

Donut: Please don’t change the file name to something that would cause me physical pain to pronounce.

Dora: Welcome to the tall people with pointy hair club.

Eggy: This building is clearly telling us to die.

Eraser: Die, you orange peel!

Fanny: Oh look, a Walgreens. I hate this place.

Firey: Direct me to the room that is the most heat resistant.

Firey Jr.: Why do you want people to get in bed with my mom.

Flower: Oh, you’re sad? Bitch, me too, you ain’t special.

Foldy: Don’t touch him, he has the nose and hand disease: Mitochondria.

Fries: Does that mean I can sue someone now?

Gaty: Don’t you just love it when you take a nap and when you wake up whoops, you’re in Russia now.

Gelatin: Whatever floats your Titanic. Revenons à nos moutons.

Golf Ball: I may have stolen it from my home country, but that’s hardly the point.

Grassy: I love everyone! Except you, you can burn.

Ice Cube: I’m coming for you. Coming for those knees.

Leafy: Drop the guitar and we can solve this like adults!

Lightning: Don’t worry, the kids aren’t mine. Neither is the Lamborghini.

Liy: If either of you make it back alive, I’m charging you with attempted assasination.

Lollypop: By the way, you look ridiculous. Ciao.

Loser: What Earth am I on?

Marker: You’re in luck; I’m a professional distraction!

Match: To be honest, I’d act the same way if I had your search history.

Naily: Why won’t you just shut up and let me get sniped?

Needle: Good news, it appears that you have one less hate crime to worry about!

Nickel: Do people normally fall through your windows?

Pen: So I cut up this old hanger and now the pumpkin is trying to kill me.

Pencil: I’m not legally allowed in this building but whatever.

Pie: May the heavens forbid your carbs.

Pillow: You can’t just throw people you don’t like into the dumpster every time!

Pin: Elevators don’t have hearts, dummy.

Puffball: Humor is broken. Existential Pain Butter.

Remote: How are you speaking in different fonts; this is a live conversation.

Robot Flower: I regret ever trying to reason with you.

Roboty: The least you could do is discard of the body in the proper receptacle.

Rocky: This gremlin is filthy; I’m taking him to the incinerator.

Ruby: Like a seven legged spider with a rose growing out of it’s ass.

Saw: I can sense that my grandma is spying on us, we need to shut up.

Snowball: Fuck off, I need to start practicing my guava ocarina.

Spongy: Did this bitch just say that Venus is a country-

Stapy: Why yes, I do have the proper noodle.

Taco: Look deep into the emotionally-wrought depths of my eyes and tell me if I look like I have the capacity to give a damn about that.

Teardrop: Sorry, I don’t speak mortal.

Tennis Ball: No, you fucking pranoid libraraian. Go back to reading 50 Shades of Grey.

Tree: He was behaving very badly, so I put him in the time-out bubble.

TV: Let’s make a porn of the meaning of life.

Woody: I am afraid of being afraid of fear.

Yellow Face: What’s the square root of lemon?

Four: And I’m going to keep doing it until I start pissing in the quadratic formula.

X: So basically, the baby is me.

#BFB #BFDI

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aftermathdb · 4 years

Text

DEATH BATTLE Review: Winter Soldier vs. Red Hood.

Our second Live-Action DEATH BATTLE, and we have a big one!

Winter Soldier′s Preview.

So, we open up on the usual commentary that these comic book superheroes get.

With Boomstick pointing out just how often the whole “Dead parents, strong sense of justice” trope has been used.

It’s times like these that make you appreciate All Might for just wanting to help people.

But, as the hosts go on, Bucky… Eventually perished.

Or, so we thought. See, comic books… Actually yeah. Just that.

Bucky got resurrected as the Winter Soldier.

He got equipped with all sorts of things, like all sorts of training, and the Infinity Formula, which gave him some extra boosts in most areas, and basically was a knockoff supersoldier serum.

Downside: all the brainwashing meant that he clashed with his old mentor, Captain America.

After a bit of overview on how deadly he is, we go into an animated segment that talks about his arsenal.

After emasculating Wiz on his robotic arm, they go over just how powerful the arm is.

Unlike the movie version, which is made up of Vibranium, the canonical metal arm isn’t as impressive. But it’s still a powerful weapon. As mentioned earlier, it’s equipped with all sorts of additional weaponry, and is likely made up of a similar alloy as the Iron Man armor.

As far as feats are concerned, they mostly cover who he’s fought, like Wolverine, Daredevil, Iron Man, and Captain America, of course.

But eventually, Cap used the Cosmic Cube to restore Bucky, and get him back on the side of the angels. The guy even took up the old Shield and Stripes when cap died for a time.

Even still, Bucky’s road to redemption is a tough one, and is filled with self-doubt. But despite that, his sheer resilience makes him a hero in his own right.

Red Hood′s Preview.

We open on a few notable sidekicks throughout history, such as Tails, Diddy Kong, Chewbacca, and Kazooie. After a bit of snark, we go to the classic, the original, the Boy Wonder: Robin. Dick Grayson.

But after their falling out, Batman needed a new sidekick.

Enter: Jason Todd, who was basically introduced to Bruce by trying to steal the tires off of the Batmobile.

The kid had a rough life, so Bruce thought that training him to be Robin would put him on the right path.

Unfortunately, as Boomstick put it, he was in a literal “Dick measuring contest” and didn’t live up to expectations. So, DC did something drastic. The fans had a choice:

Jason could live…

or die.

As history has taught us, Jason ultimately perished…

And then Superboy Prime came along, punched reality, and brought him back to life.

In the words of the great Boomstick “Take that, fanbase! Your contribution means nothing!”

Anyways, understandably pissed that the Joker was still alive, Jason decided to destroy Batman, in an attempt to prove that his merciful ways were more destructive than anything.

(Sidenote: Why hasn’t Gotham done anything about Joker? Like, what?- Does that old Diplomatic Immunity that he has keep him from getting the electric chair or something?)

Regardless, the hosts go over Jason’s arsenal and skills. He obviously has his cowl that’s his main thing.

On top of his usual guns, explosives, and knives, he also managed these… “All-Blades” to fight off the supernatural.

He also uses the same Venom as Bane.

After the typical joke of “Why is the Symbiote here?” and a jab at Wiz’s physique (or lack thereof) Wiz goes over the benefits, and the downsides of the steroid. Boomstick attempts to get superpowers by drinking it, but it’s something to inject, not consume. So… he barfs all over DUMMI.

Yeah, I kinda wish that it was a better segment.

Regardless, with this drug, he’s fought off powerful monsters, torn through alien tendrils, and even broke free of Supergirl’s grip.

He’s survived numerous things, dodged bullets, and lived through a ritual called “The Cleansing”

Be it because he was worthy, or because he was just plain stubborn, this proves that Jason is one tough SOB.

And they go over some impressive feats.

Still, Jason eventually managed to mellow out, and even teamed up with Bats and the rest of the Batfamily.

So, in the end, the best case scenario is that Red Hood has managed to land in that “Anti-Hero” sweetspot, and at worst, he’s a violent vigilante who takes the law into his own hands.

The Battle Itself.

Ismahawk is doing this battle live. Winter Soldier will be portrayed by Tyler Tackett and Red Hood will be portrayed by Tim Neff. Red Winter by John Scigulinsky, and audio led by Chris Kokkinos.

So, we get a really interesting story here, one that I assume would be an Ismahawk reference- I’d have to check out more of their channel to confirm, but basically Bruce calls Jason accusing him of gunning down some members of the League of Assassins, only for Jason to 1: Deny that it’s him, and 2:

Have some lunch.

Unfortunately, this is a DEATH BATTLE, and this season’s theme seems to be “This guy messed with my food, so I’m going to kill them” so Winter Soldier shows up.

After a brief firefight, Red Hood manages to retreat, and Winter Soldier is confronted with a battle.

After disarming his disarmed opponent, the two start doing some hand-to-hand, and they eventually take the fight to the kitchen.

We eventually go into a knife fight, and it is glorious. Like, really awesome choreography.

Anyways, Winter Soldier manages to get the Red Hood into a pickle, but the ex-Robin manages to push him off and disable his arm.

Minor complaint: That is clearly a wingding. They could have at least stylized it a bit better to make it look more distinct from Nightwing’s.

Anyways, with this brief advantage, Red Hood manages to get Bucky on the ground, but Bucky fights back with the ONE THING JASON SHOULD HAVE LOOKED FOR AND THROWN AWAY THE MOMENT HE SAW IT:

A Crowbar. Naturally, this causes some major strain on Jason’s psyche, and makes him lash out a lot more.

Anyways, the Winter Soldier takes a moment to recover his arm, while Jason picks himself back up and goes for his last trick: Venom… The drug, not the Symbiote.

And after roiding out, we get Winter Soldier’s only line in the actual fight:

So, Jason starts beating around Bucky for a bit, even managing to bring him down to the floor.

So, yeah.

Finishing blow in

5…

4…

3…

2…

1…

Verdict + Explanation.

Anyways, Wiz says the line of “This was an even match”

And to his credit… Yeah. It really was.

They were about even in all areas, and Jason’s only major advantage was stealth. But outside of that?- Bucky blew him out of the water.

Yeah, Jason had training from monks, assassins, and Batman, but Bucky’s trained with commandos, assassins, and Captain America. He took experience easily.

And when it came down to defense, Jason was out of luck.

A knife breaks when hitting the bionic arm, but the same attack cracks the Red Hood’s helmet.

Jason also had no real ways of stopping the arm for good. He could disable it for a time, sure, but it wasn’t going down so easily.

And as for breaking the grip from Supergirl?- Well, there’s a lot of context to that.

1: She wasn’t expecting the Venom. and

2: They weren’t fighting to begin with.

There’s no way that the Venom could actually match a Kryptonian’s raw strength.

Overall impression.

For the second Live-Action fight, I gotta say: That was awesome. I really did enjoy the lighting, and the choreography was really well-done.

I feel like there were some missed jokes here and there (For example, I would have enjoyed Boomstick making the comment of “Guess how I voted” when bringing up the vote to kill Jason), and the animated segment in Red Hood’s preview felt like it wasn’t informative enough. It was more of a joke that, in my opinion, fell flat.

As for easter eggs in the fight itself, like I said: I’d have to go back and try to find those for myself.

And the music felt a little muted. The first time I watched this, I was wondering if there was any music at all. Subsequent viewings does confirm this, but it really feels like the music was a bit muted.

And I gotta say: That Chekov’s Gun moment with Bucky’s actual gun was my favorite part.

9.3/10

Next Time…

Y’know, I’m glad we’re getting some Soul Eater and all, but…

Couldn’t they have at least made it Agent Venom instead? Switch it up a little, like c’mon…

Is there a fight that you want me to review? - Send an ask/request, and I’ll look into it!

Do you want to read my fanfic based around DEATH BATTLE itself? click here!

Thank you for reading, and I hope to see you next time for…

A duo two-on-two.

#Death Battle #Deathbattle #review

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mllemouse · 4 years

Text

Good morning, here is a non-job to do list I made over the weekend and have yet to make any real headway on. All of the half-finished boxes I did this morning.

Still feeling super bad about my living space, too much room is being taken up by broken down cardboard boxes I'm collecting for recycle but haven't put outside so as not to be that asshole who overwhelmed the pile, so much laundry, and perishable food I can't eat that the landlord gave me. I constantly feel behind on the cleaning even though I do some form of cleaning or tidying every day. Fred can't stomach the current bag of food well either so on top of everything he's been barfing lots, I can't wait to finish this bag and go back to the other food that he agrees with -- this has been a year-long process of elimination to see what he can eat.

Good news is I got notification that my little washing machine was delivered yesterday, and hauled it inside at 430 this morning when I received the email. I've done a couple loads of laundry since uhhhh 5am. It's not really less work/time commitment than hand-washing, but it agitates the clothing 1000% better than I ever could, and has an excellent little spin dryer. I do need to lift it to drain over the tub, but maybe that's just a good workout, as it's not super heavy even full of water. Or maybe I'll figure out some caster platform situation to roll it around. Either way, oh my god what a lifesaver.

Yesterday I felt terrible and did maybe like a hour of work. Today I am not more enthused about work and we have the staff meeting. Ugh.

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starkindustrics · 5 years

Note

I’d rather perish than drink your alien barf drink

❝ so toss it out if you don’t want the last of it. ❞ probably for the better, too. there’s plenty of pulpy sediment left over from the blending process that gathers closest to the bottom of the bottle anyway. ❝ just don’t come crying when pepper makes a case out of it, sport. ❞

#golddome #dont do it rich #just man up #drink the slushie

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chocoshua · 7 years

Text

…

#i literally feel like i wanna barf #cus i'm at a hotel rn and one of the girls i (was forced!!) to stay with is sick #and i CANT GET SICK bc if my mom catches it #and she probably would then she will get really stressed out and i don't want that #and it turns out she is sick bc she's been eating day-old perishable food for months??#I SAW HER DRUNKING A MILKSHAKE FROM YESTERDAT AND I FREAKED THE FUCK OUT #AND I SCREAMED AG HER LIKE NO DONT U KNOE THATS BAD BUT SHE DIDNT KNOW IT WAS BAD AND SHE ENDED UP THROWING UP AT THE RESTURANT #I GAVE HER #A BIG LECTURE AND I HOPE SHE DOESNT DO IT AGAIN I HONESTLY WORRY FOR HER N IM SO STRESSED #I LITERALLY CANT DEAL #also my spanish teacher is FUCKING MAKING ME TURN IN A PROJECT TOFAY SHE TOLD ME WAS DUE TUESDAY #IM FUCKINF DONE #like doesn't she understand i'm busy and i can't #and on top of that my ensemble i'm here for literally sucks #like the song sounds like trash and i can't concentrate in that room #so i had like three things of caffeine so i could focus #also i cried once because of spanish and it was awkward but at least my stand partner was nice #ugh i'm so stressed out like i know it shouldn't get to me but it DOES and i just feel like i wanna throw up but i won't #i've been having this feeling quite often now for like a month since winter break #i wonder if i'm developing some kind of mental illness or if it's just stress #i really need to get my shit together but it's so hard bYE #sorry i just needed to rant #i wonder if anyone read this #if u did like it ??#i will appreciate to know that u care haha but u don't have too but i'll love u forever fjeke bye #kait shut up

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lokis-b1tch · 6 years

Text

Infinity War Conspiracy

Note: The following statements are sent to me by my friend. Feel free to then habe a mind palace discussion below.

~~~

*Prologue*

-The movie starts where the Avengers: Infinity War left off

-Everyone are reeling in shock about the loveones they lost

-Tony manages to operate Benatar(GOTG spaceship) along with Nebula off from Titan heading to Earth

-a mass Wakandan funeral pyre scene

-Wakandan officials elects M'Baku as a temporary viceroy of T'Challa to lead the country on the BlackPanther's absence

-World govts are trying to understand what tf just happened and summons the Avengers, only handful who have signed the Sokovia Accords were present to make a statement.

-Defense Sec. former Gen. Thunderbolt Ross blames the Avengers, Tony defends Avengers role in the aftermath of the Thanos Snap in national tv

-Tony learns Pepper is gone from Happy

-Tony breaks the bad news to Aunt May

-Tony finally reunites with Captain America for the first time, both were devastated and emotionally embraced.

-Nebula consoles the grieving Rocket Raccoon

-Thor plans to rebuild New Asgard in Norway, opens a Bifrost for the Asgardian refugees who have escaped Thanos' attack, this includes Valkyrie, Korg and Meik.

-Tony jumpstarts Avengers Initiative of SHIELD, re-establishing the new SHIELD under his leadership secretly funding peacekeeping missions of Cap's Secret Avengers. Cap gets his shield back.

-Col. Rhodes still a liaison to the Sokovia Accords.

- Secret Avengers led by Cap, along with Natasha goes on covert missions to keep the world safe.

-Cap orders Natasha(BlackWidow) in search of Clint(Hawkeye) who is MIA since the Thanos Snap incident

-Clint suffers nightmares every night replaying the incident of his family vanishing before his eyes during the Snap.

- to recover from that traumatic experience, Clint goes to Japan coping under the guidance of the elders and gets the identity Ronin, a dark version of Hawkeye.

-Tony establishes massive BARF(Binarily Augmented Retro Framing) tech centers across the globe to help families around the world overcome traumatic experiences from the aftermath of Thanos-Snap.

-Tony is obsessed on defeating Thanos and tries to learn the Infinity Stones using his memory, scanned thru his advanced version of BARF tech and he has help with his new young protege' Harley(the kid from IronMan 3).

-Tony learns more of Thanos via Nebula's memories using BARF tech. He also tries to figure out what did Dr.Strange mean in Titan.

-Tony realizes that the only way to undo the Thanos Snap is to possess the power of the Infinity stones.

-Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne still grieving to the absence of Hope Van Dyne(The Wasp), and Scott grieves for Cassie as well who both were victims of Thanos Snap.

-Hank Pym and Scott Lang(AntMan) goes to see Tony, and proposes the idea of getting the Infinity Stones from specific points of time in a parallel universe before Thanos had assembled the stones in the gauntlet via Quantum Realm access.

-Tony plans to create his own Infinity Gauntlet in order to harness the power of the stones.

-Thor rebuilt Asgard in Norway, making it a home to the Asgardian refugees and the grieving Rocket Raccoon who have alcohol problems.

-Rocket begs Thor to hunt Thanos down across the cosmos but Thor doesnt know to respond-- discouraged that he wasnt able to defeat Thanos, blaming himself for the Thanos Snap made him to refuse the plan.

-causing Rocket to break down, left New Asgard and travels to NY to convince Nebula join his crusade.

-in Wakanda, Cap arrives and knows that Shuri and Bruce were rebuilding Vision, here we learned that Shuri downloaded Vision's memories before he died in the hands of Thanos

-Thanos is now at peace on his Shrine he created in honour of her beloved step daughter Gamora, although years have passed he still mourned for her.

-Thanos constantly visits Vormir to commemorate Gamora's death.

-Thanos still possessed with the heavily damaged Infinity Gauntlet.The gauntlet is beyond repair and incapable of controlling the gems together but he can still use the stones one at a time.

-Hank Pym determined to get her daughter back as well as saving others who were victims of the Thanos Snap... proposes that if they harnessed the power of the Quantum Realm there's a possibility, that they will be able to open a portal to a parallel reality where Thanos hasnt yet gathered the stones.. In that way, they get the upperhand of getting the Infinity stones before Thanos does.

-as explained by Hank, Quantum Realm is a place where the concepts of time and space are irrelevant, hence molecular displacement in particular time periods to a parallel universe are possible..

-in Japan, BlackWidow tracks down Hawkeye who now identifies himself as Ronin.Natasha told him that Avengers needs him. Clint refuses to join, saying that all is lost referring to his family that vanished in the Snap, blaming the Avengers.

-BW later convinces Clint to join the team, when he told him that Tony plans to set everything right. The promise of getting his family back.

-Clint/Ronin, Black Widow, Cap, Rhodes/WarMachine, Bruce, Vision, Shuri and Thor meets Tony, Nebula, Rocket, Hank Pym and Scott in the Avengers HQ in the Upstate NY to devise the risky plan.

-Thor provides Tony and Shuri the schematics on how to create their own Infinity Gauntlet he got from Eitri in Nidavellir, calling it Stark Gauntlet.

-Hank Pym explains that in order for this Plan to work, each of the Avengers were given with Pym tech Quantum regulators they wear in their hands, so that in that way they retain their memories during their travel in the fabric of irregular space-time of Quantum Realm.

==Parallel Universe Quest using Quantum Realm==

-==Cap goes first in the Quantum Realm, and was spefically displaced back in time of World War 2, to ensure that Peggy and SSR(later SHIELD) gets a hold of Tesseract(Space Stone) from Hydra. Cap made the last dance with Peggy before going after the Hydra base of the Red Skull. Cap goes to battle Red Skull but escapes, and crashes again in the Arctic. (this ensures that Cap will be discovered by SHIELD in the Arctic and have the Tesseract)

-==Tony, Thor, BlackWidow, Ronin, Hulk, Antman, War Machine, Vision and Cap(who awakened from his icy slumber in the Arctic by SHIELD with his memory of the Main Universe) goes in the Quantum Realm to battle Loki in NY again.

-at one point, Cap weilds the Mjolnir to defeat Loki

- Loki was taken by SHIELD, Nick Fury interrogates him using The Scepter(Mind Stone), revealing Thanos being responsible for the Attack. Thor's agrees to imprison Loki in Midgard instead of being held in Asgard.

- while the Avengers deal with Loki..Thor travels back to Asgard to retrieve The Aether(Reality Stone) from the Vaults of Asgard. Odin seems to have the understanding behind Thor's actions and let his son have the Aether.( this averts the events of Thor: Dark World, the dark elf Malekith still in its deep sleep)

-Rocket and Nebula goes in the Quantum Realm to get the Orb(Power Stone) in Morag before Peter Quill retrieves it.(this caused for Peter Quill to be captured by Korath emptyhanded, the events in GOTG never happened but Quill managed to escape from the Kree by the help of Yondu)

-Meanwhile, the Avengers created a diversion to get the Tesseract(Space Stone) and Scepter(Mind Stone) of Loki knowing that SHIELD was infiltrated by Hydra already. They successfully got the stones. (this averts the creation of Ultron and the events of Age of Ultron to have never happened in this universe)

-Tony and Cap goes to Sanctum Sanctorum, meets Dr.Strange which already a Sorcerer Supreme by this time in this universe. Tony explains that they need the Time Stone. Dr. Strange told them that he is expecting to see both of them

-Somehow, Dr. Strange of the Parallel Universe communicates with Dr. Strange of the Main Universe peering thru the Eye of Agamotto(Time Stone) who was currently in Titan(as if the events of Avengers: Infinity War was about still to take place), checking 14,000,605 alternate timelines.(and this very moment, Dr. Strange of both realities sees that this is the ONLY way they can defeat Thanos, by making the Thanos Snap happen in order to have Dr. Strange INSIDE the Soul Stone). Dr.Strange realizes they have no way of getting that gauntlet off from Thanos hands but they have to destroy it from the inside.

-As they were speaking, the battle with Thanos in Titan takes place in the main timeline, events that happened in Infinity War.

-Dr Strange of the Parallel Universe awakens Dr. Strange of Main Universe inside the Soul Stone plane of existence. Dr. Strange of the Parallel Universe then provides Tony the Time Stone and a Sling Ring.

-Dr. Strange of the Parallel Universe also reveals to Tony that all those perished in the Thanos Snap are inside the Soul Stone in astral bodies trapped in an astral plane called Soul World.

-Here, also revealed that Dr.Strange puts a hex to the Time Stone and the Infinity Gauntlet so that by the time Thanos does the Snap, which Dr. Strange knew because Thanos himself told Dr.Strange what he will do once he gathers all the stones; if used together, the Gauntlet will break.

-==Back to the Main Universe using Quantum Realm==

- Avengers came back to Wakanda bringing Space, Mind and Time Stones respectively, Thor bringing the Reality Stone and Rocket with Nebula brought the Power Stone. 5 stones in all.

- Shuri completes the creation of the second gauntlet and struggles in placing the gathered 5 Infinity Stones except for the Soul Stone.

-Tony deduces that there's no way they'll sacrifice one of themselves in Vormir in return of getting the Soul Stone in the alternate reality although Captain America is willing to put forward his self as sacrifice. This caused a heated argument among the Avengers.

-Nebula instead put forward a plan to lure Thanos to Vormir for the Avengers to get the Soul Stone. Which they are doubtful if will work. Nebula who has a change of heart, tries to redeem herself with this act of sacrifice.

-meanwhile, Thanos learns that the Infinity Gauntlet in no time cant hold the Infinity Stones any longer due to the inflicted damage caused by the Snap and the stones arent working together properly to what he wishes..the stones powers were dampened Except for the Soul Stone. Thanos sensed that the Avengers must have been the reason behind it. Thanos orders for an attack, sending his fleet to Earth.

-Thor and Rocket proposes IF they will attack Thanos in his Shrine, the Earth would be render defenseless from Thanos armada. so Thor put forward a plan to gather a massive army, an alliance of sort, enough to repel Thanos forces that is coming to Earth. All agreed.

-Thor and Rocket travels the distant galaxies to summon an army using the Bifrost ability of the Stormbreaker, meets all Ravagers under Stakar's(StarHawk) leadership. The Ravagers joins them against Thanos.

-Captain Marvel receiving the Code Red distress signal coming from Nick Fury, alerts her.

-Carol Danvers were patrolling the Negative Zone, which she was tasked of guarding so that Skrulls-Kree war criminals will not be able to escape the dimension, which she use as their prison. Because of time dilation effects, Carol hasnt aged that much since the time she stayed in the Negative Zone.

-with the use of nega-bands, the device allows her to travel from Negative Zone to the main universe. Her having cosmic awareness 7th Sense ability, learns of Thanos and what he had done to the universe. Thor and Rocket met her along the way, joining allegiance to defeat Thanos.

-Avengers on Wakanda plans to enter the Soul World in order to contact Dr.Strange that is inside of it. AntMan proposes an idea to join Nebula on its way to the Shrine, to attempt on using his shrinking regulator to pass thru sub-atomic to enter the Soul Stone.

-as Thanos were about to go to Earth, he was put in a halt because of Nebula's arrival in the Shrine. Nebula tries to deceive Thanos telling him that she is giving her loyalty back and tries to convince him that there's a way to revive Gamora without undoing the Thanos Snap.(it was revealed that Thanos were trying to revive Gamora in the past but unsuccessful because the Soul Stone requires a sacrifice upon ressurecting someone -- "a soul for a soul").

-Nebula offers herself to Thanos as a willing sacrifice to Vormir in order to revive Gamora.Thanos dont believe her.

-Thanos uses the Mind Stone to read Nebula's mind, revealing the Avengers plan, and learns that its a trap. AntMan right away, uses his regulator to shrink sub-atomic to enter the Soul Stone. Thanos notices it.

-enraged Thanos, follows AntMan to the Soul World. Nebula's plan work, as Thanos astral body enters the Soul World he leaves behind his physical body vulnerable. Avengers(Ironman, Cap, Black Widow, and Vision) then sprint to action, hiding from the distance to get the Infinity Gauntlet off from the weakened, immobilized Thanos.

-meanwhile, Dr.Strange of the main universe awakens from dormant state inside the Soul World. He was contacted by his self from an alternate universe assisting Tony and Cap ensure they will win against Thanos. Dr.Strange then used his magic to locate other heroes like Spiderman, Mantis, etc in the Soul World. Mantis awakes all of these heroes.

-inside the Soul World, an astral plane inside the Soul Stone where trillions of trillions of souls trapped in hibernation. AntMan and Dr.Strange along with the rest of the vanished heroes meet. Antman gave Dr.Strange a Sling Ring provided by Tony. Thanos finds them and battles ensues. While this was taking place, the rest of the Avengers were battling the weakened physical Thanos in order to get the gauntlet.

-back on Earth, Thanos forces were about to enter the atmosphere but intercepted by the Ravagers, Thor, Rocket and Captain Marvel. in Wakanda, Bruce and Shuri were still working with the stones, placing them one at a time in the Stark gauntlet. Ronin and WarMachine watches from afar, ready to defend the Stark gauntlet at all cost from Thanos forces attacking Earth.

-Thanos inside the Soul World overpowers Dr.Strange, AntMan, The Wasp, Spiderman, BlackPanther, WinterSoldier, Scarlet Witch, Falcon, StarLord, Drax, Groot and Mantis. then Thanos realized it. He left his physical body vulnerable to attack and realized that this was all a diversion to get the gauntlet. Thanos hastily went back to his physical body.

-Avengers were unsuccessful to get the Gauntlet from Thanos. When the Mad Titan was about to use the damaged gauntlet, Dr.Strange unleashed the hex he casted in the Time Stone in their previous battle back in Titan. The hex caused disharmony among the stones. the Power Stone can no longer be hold into place, it exploded!!! Disrupting the Time stone, Reality Stone and Mind Stone while it caused the Soul Stone to broke off from the gauntlet.

-Thanos engages combat with the Avengers over the Soul Stone. Dr.Strange uses the Sling Ring to transport them out of the Soul Stone. They have now the fighting chance since Thanos cant use the other stones aside the Space Stone.

-with all of them together now, Cap finally said it "Avengers Assemble" and they fought Thanos with him using the power of the stones. Thanos still knock-out almost all of them. Cap is the last man standing facing the Mad Titan.

-Cap orders Dr.Strange to get them all out of here along with the Soul Stone. Cap tries to hold off Thanos so that they can escape with the Soul Stone. Dr.Strange opens a portal for all of them that lead them back to Wakanda. Cap left fighting Thanos and dies.

-in Wakanda, Bruce and Shuri places the Soul Stone in the Stark gauntlet, while the rest of the Avengers where wounded or knockout.

-Thanos teleports to Wakanda to stop them from using the Stark Gauntlet. Hawkeye and Warmachine attacks Thanos but they are no match. Thanos arrives in the lab but the Stark gauntlet is not there.

Clint stand up against Thanos for the last time with a ticking bomb arrow in his hand. Ronin dies.

-Thanos teleports himself to safety. Captain Marvel and Thor along with Dr. Strange fights Thanos. Bruce weilds the Stark gauntlet and inside the Soul World talks to his Hulk self. Bruce convinces Hulk to merged as one, ultimately becoming Professor Hulk.

-the rest of the heroes fights off Thanos in a epic brawl. Hulk finally comes out and has the intelligence of Bruce Banner. Finally, Prof.Hulk uses the Stark Gauntlet to get back to the moment Thanos wasnt able yet to do the Snap in Wakanda.

-the scene goes back to the time, the Stormbreaker hurled towards Thanos. This time, the Stormbreaker cuts of the left arm of Thanos, rendering him helpless and cannot use the Infinity Gauntlet.

-Cap gets the Infinity Gauntlet and uses it to end the battle. Thanos was exiled to a distant planet where he wished to live in peace as a farmer.

-Tony's wedding scene with Pepper, they have a baby named Morgan.

-Avengers petitioned to have the Sokovia Accords abolished. T'Challa declares the Sokovia Accords no longer valid in UN Summit, it infuriates Gen. Ross in some way.

-Clint got his family back, and abandons the Ronin identity.

-Scott reunites with Cassie and Hope. They lived happily with Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne

-Bruce lives with Natasha far from their troubled pasts

-Cap retires, gives the shield in the care of Bucky and Falcon.

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