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soleilnomoon · 2 years

Note

nsfw where y/n accidentally eats an aphrodisiac but zoro doesn't understand what's going on and he just wants to train in peace (but in the end he gives in please)

ahh so sorry this took forever, ty ty for your patience 😊💛 i do love disrupting zoro's peace with nonsense & i had fun writing it; i hope you enjoy <3

2.7k words, fem reader (no pronouns), nsfw, 18+, mdni; a bit of angst, there's some fluff if you pretend that zoro not choking her is fluff, smut shenanigans; feat. zoro being a lil mean (he's a petty bitch when he's jealous im sry), reader being dense and pouty and ridiculous, a wild sanji appears! other cute things like: pussy slapping, oral (f receiving), fingering, yk the vibes.

the last thing you remember, is a small, obnoxious voice in the back of your head saying don’t do it; but the thing is, once you’re told not to do something, you feel that much more inclined to see it all through. it’s sound logic in your opinion, one that you employ whenever — and, more importantly, wherever — you can.

except this time around, you fuck up in a slightly irreparable way.

from an outdated catalog, you order what you assume is an herbal tea to help with sea sickness among other various ailments. and while you can’t exactly pronounce or read most of the names on the ingredients list, you assume that it will be remotely harmless. it’s tea, after all. so, imagine your surprise — once the water is boiled, once the bag has been steeped, once the hot liquid settles in your stomach — when it feels like everything has stared to slow down around you. something shifts inside of you, suddenly it feels as if your body’s been transformed into a gelatinous thing, your organs bouncing against one another, your legs nearly give out when you try to stand up.

naturally, you feel a little off.

it starts again with a small itch underneath your skin; no matter what you do, no matter where you scratch, the itch remains — spreading all over your body, making you wholly too sensitive to touch, which is a fucking shame as your crew mates are always touching one another in some way. you’re not exempt from that, although today you do your best to keep your distance, finding it rather difficult to let anyone’s touch linger for longer than a moment. in the middle of the day, during your quest to avoid your crew mates, you run into sanji — or collide more like — and he reaches out to steady you, as if it’s a regular occurrence for him. which, it is, but that’s not the damn point right now.

you’re in the middle of a crisis.

he grips your shoulders firmly, lips set into a straight line as he checks you over; once he’s satisfied, his playfulness comes back. “where are you running off to?” you choke out a small laugh, one that makes you look less panicked and more like your usual self. he has absolutely no idea that you really do need to run away from him, and you maybe feel a little bad that you’re lying to him — however, in your defense, you’re certain that if you don’t find a way to alleviate that bothersome ache in between your legs, you’ll riot. now, normally, that extreme way of thinking would be cause for concern, but given the circumstances, you’ll forgive yourself for this transgression.

sanji raises a brow at the way you can’t seem to stop fidgeting, your snap your fingers quietly, almost as if you’re trying to ground yourself. he’s unsure why you would feel the need to do that, but he doesn’t press the issue. “i haven’t seen you all day.” his words are harmless, you know that, but he carefully drizzles them onto your skin — slow-moving, honeyed, potentially life-ruining — and they bring an inescapable heat to your body. your self-preservation is practically nonexistent right now; and you know that if you’re not careful, you’ll cross a line and may not survive in the end.

you’re sure this must be some punishment for a crime you committed in a previous life, because it makes absolutely no sense why his hands sliding down your arms makes you want to—

“nowhere,” you blurt out suddenly, cheeks deeply flushed as you shimmy out of his hold, “i’ll… talk to you later.” your words are rushed and jumbled, but you’re beyond caring; you work your legs as fast as you can, hoping sanji won’t think to follow after you. if you had better sense, you wouldn’t have drank the tea without properly investigating it first; but you’re foolish, so very, damn foolish.

something hot rolls over you, making it difficult to think straight; without realizing, your feet take you to the very last person you should be around right now.

everyone knows that when zoro’s training, he’s not to be bothered unless absolutely necessary; yet there you are, disrupting his focus. typical. you pop up behind him breathless, throat dry, chest heaving as if you can’t quite catch your breath — everything about you is clumsy and loud, so he sighs when he turns around to face you.

“what is it?”

you blink slowly and absently lick your lips; his question lingers in the air and circles around you — a solemn vulture, ready to tend to the dead. while normally a lush, vibrant place, your mind goes blank. zoro narrows his eye at you and your newfound silence. it’s suspicious, really — you’re a chatterbox, one that he constantly tells to shut up, albeit this is mostly done out of affection from him — so he’s unsure if this is a trick on your part, but he refuses to participate.

“make it quick, i need to get back to training.”

despite knowing that he really does want you to hurry up, you can’t bring yourself to say anything. not out of fear of upsetting him, but because you’re not sure how he’d react to you telling him the truth. clenching your teeth, you consider your options, rocking a bit on your heels as you look around; again, he thinks you’re being strange and refuses to beat around the damn bush any longer.

“spit it out,” he says gruffly, annoyance buzzing around inside of him. he’s trying to remain as patient as he can, but you’re taking too long and if he lets you have your way, he’ll be standing there all day waiting.

“okay, okay,” you squeak, voice lowering as if you’re afraid of someone hearing you, “there’s something wrong with me.” the words tumble out of your mouth faster than you can manage, making you stutter over them, further confusing the thick-skulled swordsman before you. his frown deepens, and he prompts you to repeat yourself. slowly.

it's his turn to blink at you stupidly. “why would you drink it without knowing what it would do—”

you let out a strangled noise, frustration piling onto your chest the more you talk about this. “i get it, i messed up, can you just help me out?” the flush hasn’t left your cheeks if anything it burns so badly that you refuse to keep eye contact. because the longer you stand near him, the more you struggle with keeping your hands to yourself; the longer he looks at you, the more you want him to see all of you. with a sigh, you explain all of the things that happened to you — in detail, since he insisted and you’re too wound up to fight him on it — which leads him to understand that the tea you drank contained an aphrodisiac of sorts.

why else would the idiot cook even seem remotely interesting to you if that wasn’t the case?

it’s not out of jealousy, he tells himself as he places his swords down carefully; but maybe a part of him likes that you came to him instead of anyone else. he refuses to give it a name and won’t think about this any harder than he already has; he has a feeling that if he lets it fester, it’ll turn him into a lovesick fool — like sanji — and there’s no coming back from that.

somewhere in between his sly smiles and teasing comments, zoro’s presses you against the wall, mouth every bit as sinful as it is disrespectful when he drops a playful kiss on your lips. he’s testing the waters — to see how much you can take before you implode; unfortunately, his experiment is short-lived, you’re already pulling him back, annoyed with his games. you almost tell him to fuck off, but you need him — and you refuse to keep on suffering like this by yourself. your lips are on his rather quickly, soft and eager, tongue flicking against his bottom lip before slipping inside of his mouth.

kissing zoro is a risky endeavor; it’s all-consuming, dizzying, and electrifying at the same damn time. if anyone were to ask you what year or century it was, you wouldn’t have an answer for them. not one that makes any sense, at least. when he slips a hand into your shorts, you turn into putty. your panties soaked, arousal clinging to your skin when he pulls the fabric aside. you should feel mortified at the startled cry you let out when he strokes down your slit, fingers thick and rough, hips rolling forward as you try to tell him to hurry it up. he chuckles at your impatience, which only makes him want to tease you more, but he understands that you’re in a precarious situation — one he’s set on solving right away.

“i know,” he says against your ear, goosebumps prancing along your arms when his fingers rub circles on your pussy, “don’t worry, i’ve got you.” you want to ask him what he means by that, but by the time the question forms in your head and travels to your mouth, zoro’s pulled off your shorts and panties before boldly thrusting his fingers inside of you. with trembling legs, you cling onto his shoulders, press your face against his chest as he thrusts his fingers in and out of your tight hole. the moan you let out is loud enough to rouse the dead —which only encourages zoro to pump his thick fingers faster. he enjoys the way you can’t stop whimpering, and the way that you squeeze around his fingers; that level of desperation arouses him, but he ignores the growing bulge in his pants to take care of you first.

something tells you to keep your voice down, but with how fast zoro’s fingers are fucking you, it’s damn near impossible. and when you place a hand over your mouth to silence yourself, he slaps your pussy in retaliation. you stare at him incredulously, stumbling over your words, hating the way your hips bucked from the force of the slap. zoro, in turn, gives you a dark look, one that fizzles out whatever smartass remark you were ready to give him.

you’re not sure what possesses you, but when he thrusts his fingers back inside of your pussy, thumb rubbing firm circles around your throbbing clit, your head spins, making you say something ridiculous. “s-sanji would’ve nev—” he swallows the rest of your words when he kisses you roughly, teeth tugging on your plump lip. his tongue is commanding, stroking yours with such familiarity that you have to remind yourself that this is real. the kiss is more sensual than necessary, making you forget your point altogether. he knows the only reason why you mentioned the cook is to rile him up, and while it did work, he refuses to let any it fuel his jealousy. he has things to do today, after all.

“if you wanted the damn cook so bad, why did you come to me?” his voice is gravelly and husky, a dangerous combination for you given your current state. you want to tell him that you don’t want sanji, that you want him, but you’re also quite childish and petty at the most inconvenient times. you know, you know, you know. you’ll work on it one day. possibly. he doesn’t expect an answer out of you, especially when he drags his tongue down the length of your neck, nipping and biting your soft skin. you know that once he’s through with you, you won’t be able to face the others for a while.

by the time he inserts a third finger, your skin is littered with dark red marks and his hand is coated in your slick arousal; it trickles slowly with some of your wetness spilling onto his wrist. and since he’s so damn chivalrous, he holds you steady as you thrash against him, hips bucking wildly as you moan his name loudly. you’d forgotten that you were committed to keeping quiet, but with zoro you tend to be louder than necessary. he loves it though; his smirk is proof enough. he pulls his fingers away, much to your disappointment; you pout, grab onto his arms, and ask him why. grinning slyly, he tells you to watch your mouth and kneels before you.

zoro grabs your leg and drapes it over his shoulder, his tongue running flat along your slit, giving your pussy a long lick before dipping inside. you thread your fingers through his short, messy hair, grab the strands roughly, moaning louder, breath coming out in shallow puffs as he devours your pussy. you’ve never known zoro to be a messy eater in general, but the way he messily slurps and licks, flicking his tongue against your clit hard, making you tense and shriek. you’re sure everyone’s heard you by now, but you’ve lost the capacity to care — not while zoro’s eating your pussy like it’s the only meal he’ll consume for a long time. he should probably ease up, and almost considers it until he remembers that you brought up sanji and what he wouldn’t or would do with you.

he slips a finger inside of your needy hole as his tongue circles around your clit. you know you won’t last longer at this rate — it’s a miracle you lasted this long anyway — but he starts sucking on your clit hard and you lose the remainder of your sanity. the orgasm claims most of your life, and your voice is incredibly hoarse by the end of it. zoro works you through the orgasm, finger pumping in and out swiftly, his tongue flicking your clit repeatedly, which only prolongs things. your wetness drips onto his chin, some of it landing on the floor. you’re so embarrassed by it all — by the shameless way you rode his face, by how needy he makes you feel without even trying — and you’d hide your face if zoro wasn’t so busy ruining your life.

“zoro,” you say softly, feeling weak but you still manage to yank on his hair hard enough to catch his attention. when he finally does pull back, he takes a breath and licks your arousal from his lips. he knows that sooner or later he’ll have to take care of his erection — it presses against the front of his pants painfully, and it takes everything in him to just walk away from you — but he’s not done training and he’s wasted enough time as is. you know you shouldn’t ask for more, but the desire to seek him out later grows stronger by the minute. you watch him for a moment, admire the broadness of his shoulders, the thickness of his arms, until you remember that you’re half-naked and that anyone can come in and see you like that.

your embarrassment nearly triples as you trip over yourself trying to get dressed again; your hands shake and your legs can barely hold you up, but you can’t let him see just how much he affects you. you whisper a soft, thank you before taking off. you still feel his lips and hands on your body, and you feel like you’re being burned alive. despite finally finding relief, a different ache plagues you, crawls around your lower abdomen and throbs so much that you decide to sleep the rest of the day away.

with his back turned, he can pretend that he’s composed, even though he’s everything but — he knows there’s no way he can go back to training after he had his fingers and mouth in your cunt. if he were the poetic sort, he’d say it was the highlight of his month, but thankfully he’s not. still, it doesn’t stop him from looking over his shoulder, watching the way you scurry off, hips swaying, ass even more appealing the longer he stares at it. when you’re finally out of sight, he lets out a defeated sigh, internally berating himself for getting too carried away. if he had more discipline, he’d have been able to resist you more — or, that’s the lie he’s going to tell himself until he starts believing it.

#fic request #one piece imagine #one piece smut #one piece x reader #one piece x y/n #roronoa zoro #roronoa zoro smut #roronoa zoro x reader #roronoa zoro x y/n #zoro smut #zoro x reader #zoro x y/n #zoro is a menace 2 society *sues him*

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estelle-skully · 1 month

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Ramshackle tickle headcanons

Ohh god

oh goodness

its time

gadies and lentlemen, I now present to you, my ramshackle t-word headcanons (but just for the main three bc idk enough about any other characters yet)

First off: Vinnie!

she’s like 90% ler, doesn’t despise being tickled but she sure as hell will get revenge no matter what; she adores wrecking people because she thinks seeing people being tickled to pieces and laughing their asses off is some of the funniest shit ever

Girly pop is the kinda person to hear someone snort while laughing and point it out- same for people who blush a lot

she loves pissing people off and getting em hella flustered, again because she finds it funny

on occasion she gets really intense ler moods and will target whoever is closest to her

sometimes when she sees Stone being extra angsty she will wreck him

Skipp often goes to her when he is in a lee mood and she always teases him about it (“You know, for someone who lives on the streets, it’s pretty funny that you actually enjoy something as childish as tickling! How adorable!”)

Vinnie isnt really the kind of individual to deny being ticklish, but if someone asks then she’ll instantly reply “are you?” Without giving a clear answer; you pretty much have to figure it out yourself

she gets pretty violent when shes being tickled- theres a very high chance that you’ll get kicked or maybe even bitten 😭 she doesn’t actually intend on hurting anyone, its all instinct

speaking of violence, she also swears a lot and will throw every threat in the book your way

all in good fun tho <3

teehee next is Skipp

This little shit is a lee leaning switch- 60% lee, 40% ler

Even though he loves when he’s the lee, he also really enjoys pretending to be a tickle monster or some shit because it embarrasses his friends

mostly he goes after Stone because the tickle monster thing mostly works on him (also partially because one can’t really tickle Vinny for more than like ten seconds before she pulls a fucking uno reverse card 😭)

Skipp is the only person who can tell when Stone is in a lee mood (more on that later 🤭)

He isn’t embarrassed in the slightest about being ticklish but he is usually shy when he’s in a lee mood, hates straight up asking to be tickled so he usually drops little hints, which his friends quickly catch on to

he isn’t very mean as a ler, usually he’s more playful than relentless and occasionally will make little comments but doesn’t tease often

but as a lee

cutest little fuck EVER

he doesn’t try very hard to stop the tickles so he’ll either just kick his legs or do a lil happy stim of some kind

his laughter is all giggles and it’s just the sweetest ever

sometimes when he gets extra flustered he’ll cover his face with his hands

and he loves tickle hugs or cuddly tickles; prefers that over being obliterated, which is why sometimes Vinnie goes easier on him

Oki lastly, Stone!!! (My pookie!)

for him I dont actually know, he’s giving big switch vibes so i think i wanna say hes like 50-50

like I mentioned earlier, Stone is sometimes tormented by lee moods, which he is immensely embarrassed by. Skipp almost has a super power to sense lee moods in people though, so even though Stone is good at hiding it, the lee mood inevitably is relieved by Skipp, and sometimes Vinnie, which he’d constantly deny but he really appreciates it

lil bro secretly doesn’t mind being tickled because he’s pretty touch starved, and in general he doesn’t really get to laugh/smile often because he usually isnt in the mood.

again, he would rather drink gallons of rat poison than admit that, though

he tried his best to hide his ticklishness from his friends the first few months they knew each other, keeping the secret like his life depended on it

of course, they found out eventually, though

(do yall want me to write a fic with the “trio finding out stone is ticklish” scenario because id love to)

most of the time his laughter is very loud, and like Vinnie, he swears at his ler, too

but a certain thing one might notice while tickling him is that he doesn’t really do much to fight back at all

that’s probably the biggest giveaway that he actually enjoys the tickles

buuuut also, if one were to get him in one of his less ticklish spots (like his belly and sides or something) he giggles and its SOOOOO CUTE

if you want to get him flustered, then comment on his giggling- he cant stand it

He also goes crazy over compliments and cute nicknames (call him pretty boy and he will die)

and also his face will go bright red (which im pretty sure is canon when he’s embarrassed, by the way- remember that scene in the thesis film, where the three fell through the clothesline and Stone was in the maid dress and Vinnie smirked at him? His face went BRIGHT red and he looked so pissed 😭)

when he’s in a ler mood, though…

bro is fucking terrifying

somehow he’s able to guess someone’s worst spots almost instantly and uses that against them

On occasion he will start something with Vinnie just to get tickled by her but its actually shocking how he can successfully get her pinned down, so their tickle fights are actually pretty equal

Any time Skipp shyly approaches him and does whatever it is he does to hint at his lee moods, Stone can’t help but be a bit envious that the guy can even give hints- he’s to embarrassed to give any indication whatsoever

but yeah sometimes he’ll tease Skipp a bit, but he wouldn’t dare tease Vinnie because she knows EXACTLY what makes him flustered and is not afraid to use it against him

he can say the dreaded t-word most of the time, but not when he’s in a lee mood. Cant stand hearing it either

andddd thats all i got!!! Man i love these three pests (compliment) so much they have my whole heart

#sfw tickling community #tickle fluff #tword community #sfw interaction only #tword content #ramshackle tickles #ticklish!stone #Ticklish!vinnie #Ticklish!skipp #Tword headcanons #Struggling to think of anything else :p #Meowmowrrrrrraow

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spotsandsocks · 9 months

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🍁Inspiration Saturday🍁

Tagged by lovely lovely Rae @monsterrae1 @disasterbuckdiaz

look I’m trying new mood board style (took far too long and not that good but there you go I’ll get better 😊) feeling autumn vibes for this fic for some reason)

Anon if you’re out there hope you’re smiling because I’m having thoughts because of you 😘

Tags if anyone wants to share @shortsighted-owl @rogerzsteven @the-likesofus @bekkachaos @hippolotamus @honestlydarkprincess @thewolvesof1998 @wikiangela @housewifebuck @thekristen999 @mysteriouslyyounggalaxy @elvensorceress @spaceprincessem @buddierights @like-the-rest-of-la @loserdiaz @giddyupbuck @wildlife4life @cowboy-buddie @alyxmastershipper

Inspired by this anon

I believe Eddie is a goner when buck plays with his hair (so is buck). I mean like when he has his head on bucks lap and buck gently brushes through it with his fingers, eddie falls asleep so fast he thinks bucks fingers might be magic

to write this under cut and now I might just build on it…

Imagine if it started by accident- Buck’s reading on the couch, his arm out across the back. Eddie sitting as close as he thinks he can get away with and suddenly fingers touch the back of Eddie’s neck and Buck’s fingers start to brush through his hair. Eddie freezes, heart hammering. He knows Buck’s not really playing attention to what he’s doing, it’s an absent minded gesture and he has no intention of breaking the moment. He stays as still as he can planning to enjoy the feeling for as long as he can.

Meanwhile Buck becomes slowly aware of what he’s doing and that Eddie doesn’t exactly object. He keeps it casual for now but plans to see how far this can get him.

The next time they watch a film together he sits down and pretends Eddie has something in his hair, takes his time ‘removing it’ and then straightening Eddie hair again. He doesn’t fail to notice how Eddie goes loose limbs and his eyes flutter closed as his fingers roam.

The next time it’s a headache- Eddie’s got no resistance to Buck as he offers a head massage which then becomes Eddie’s head in Buck’s lap and soft fingers running through his hair until his the pain is forgotten but he’s not moving anyway.

It becomes a habit neither mentions because neither of them want it to stop.

Buck comes up behind Eddie while he’s sitting at the table reading and his hand automatically winds itself into the soft strands at the back of his head. Eddie leans into it and can’t help the quiet hum of satisfaction the sensation give him. His breath slows and Buck finally feels brave enough to acknowledge what they’re doing isn’t typical.

He says something like your hairs so soft in a whisper. Eddie reaches up and holds his wrist and pulls his hand down there’s a moment of panic as Buck thinks he’s ruined it and then Eddie presses a kiss to his wrist and then his palm.

Another whispered breath and Buck says your lips are too.

Eddie stands looks him in they eyes and says

Are yours?

Buck smiles and let’s Eddie find out….

#buddie #911 fox #eddie diaz #evan buckley #buddie wip #buddie fic #911 on fox #911 fic #911fic

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mrsnancywheeler · 3 months

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Ok I’m back with the songs 🫡

I can’t remember if anyone else has mentioned this, but finnick/sweet girl are very much giving this is me trying by miss blondie herself

——————

I've been having a hard time adjusting. I had the shiniest wheels, now they're rusting” “And my words shoot to kill when I'm mad. I have a lot of regrets about that”

This reminded me a lot about their recent argument at the end of chapter 6, where sweet girl called him a liar and accused him of purposely playing mind games with her :(

——————

“And it's hard to be at a party when I feel like an open wound. It's hard to be anywhere these days when all I want is you. You're a flashback in a film reel on the one screen in my town”

THIS MIGHT JUST BE FINNICKS ENTIRE INNER MONOLOGUE AFTER THEY BROKE UP #IDK !! OR !! HIS THOUGHTS DURING READER’S GAMES! How he has to keep up appearances and his playboy persona to make sure his sweet girl gets sponsors, but he’s actually feeling so much grief and stress.

——————

Another song they remind me of is Wasteland, Baby! But specifically:

“I’m in love, I'm in love with you. And I love too, that love soon might end. Be known in its aching”

Just reminded me about how they’re meant to go through tragedy :((

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BONUS SONGS!

we can't be friends (wait for your love) by Ariana Grande’s SCREAMS young!reader going through the breakup with Finnick :((

——————

“We can't be friends, but I'd like to just pretend. You cling to your papers and pens, wait until you like me again. Wait for your love”

Just her initial reaction to the breakup and how she still loves him :((

——————

“I don't like how you paint me, yet I'm still here hanging”

“Me and my truth, we sit in silence. Baby girl, it's just me and you. ‘Cause I don't wanna argue, but I don't wanna bite my tongue, yeah, I think I'd rather die. You got me misunderstood, but at least I look this good” This reminds me of when Finnick was saying all those things he didn’t mean about his sweet girl, and although she’s hurt by it she still loves him (and deep down she knows he doesn’t mean it!)

——————

And Comfort Crowd by Conan Gray is so them coded like PLEASE mainly about how reader keeps rejecting any comfort because she doesn’t feel like she deserves it + how she was afraid to voice that she wants said comfort during her hijacking

——————

“Wellin' up in tears as I lay upon your belly. Telling you, ‘I’m fine I don't really need nobody,’ But you say through a sigh that I said that lie already”

Need I say more.

——————

“And even if I cry all over your body. You don't really mind. Say you like your shirt soggy.”

This could go for both Finnick and Reader! About how they both feel guilty for receiving comfort from the other person (Finnick bc he wants to give comfort too, and Reader bc she feels like she doesn't deserve it)

——————

I hope this isn’t too long hehe but these were my #thoughts. I’m a yapper at heart <3 lmk what you think!!

BUT SIDENOTE I SAW HADESTOWN FOR THE FIRST TIME LAST NIGHT W JORDAN FISHER AND !! His performance was fr giving me finnick vibes bc he was really giving that obsessed yearner vibe IDK HOW TO EXPLAIN IT LOL but it was so good!!

-🦅

buckle up folks because I love a lot to say 🫡❤️

this is me trying is so them, like very heavily

they're both really at their core such sunshiney people who've been so broken down and used by the world that they've really been dulled. and reader is always quick to bite back, especially when she's scared or frustrated or doesn't want to reveal her emotions, she doesn't have a complete grasp on reality yet, she's scared of being left behind, scared that finnick will die, scared of being alone and frustrated that he broke his promise to her so she lashes out.

110% to both of those, like he's so broken up, aching for her, in pain, blaming himself for everything, but he has to be what's expected of him. some drinks, laughing, flirting, smiling, when all he wants to do his curl up in bed crying as he holds into some remant of hers that he held onto all this time.

in the context of the most recent chapter "I just wanted you to know that this is me trying" is so very much both of them for different reasons

finnick says the things he does and does what he does because he wants to help her get better, to be delicate with her, keep her safe, keep her protected from the dangers of the time and her mental state. he's trying his hardest even if he doesn't always handle it in ways that bode well.

reader is trying to be herself again, she just wants to be treated normally regardless of how that affects her. once she's her she'll be less paranoid, more trusting, she's trying so hard to replicate that so she can get there and feels like he's not letting her. that her attempts are being shut down.

they are the tragic lovers, so in love, so obsessed, and constantly fated for hurt after hurt. all I'm saying is to watch moulin rouge and think of them because it's so finnick and his sweet girl in another life.

LITERALLY THOUGH if she could've she would've followed him around like a lost puppy dog, it would have fed into the narrative about her, but she's so desperately in love that she would have waited so patiently. in a way she did, but if he'd told her he was breaking up with her for other girls she was so young and so already achingly in love with him that she would have kept trailing around waiting for him to come baxk

(side note, finnick is really the love sick puppy, but reader reminds me of a stray cat who picks someone to love, always waits to be fed by them. given a little bit of attention and now will be attached for the long run. I thought googles description was really funny because it's just so her "With time and patience, a stray cat may trust you and want pets consistently. If you have grown close to a stray cat, it may feel upset or distressed if you suddenly leave it." so yeah she's a stray cat who finally got some love before being suddenly stranded again)

ANYWAYS yes, the way he talks about her and paints the portrait of their relationship is so hurtful. she totally cries about it consistently because to her he's perfect, and although she largely wants to believe what he said when they broke up and trust he still loves her, a part of her can't help but feel so stupid for letting herself be lead on by someone who's been said to be a playboy anyway. it makes her so insecure, so much more guarded, but she doesn't hate him, no she could never. she's in love with him. no matter what he says or does she's long placed her roots and won't tear them up.

that's literally the most them interaction to have never ever interacted, some of her tears have welled up, she's choking on pushed down sobs, and insisting that she's okay even though Finnick can read her like a book. he's softly scolding her for lying while she continues to try and insist until she's completely broken down into sobs.

reader could have the roughest day ever and still insist that she's fine, comfort finnick, love on him, hold him, and he spends the time hating that he's enjoying the loving when she's so obviously lying, masking everything. it's such a paradox. meanwhile she feels terrible for aching comfort because of things she does, she wants to suffer, but the lure of giving into finnick's arms is too much sometimes. especially knowing that he loves her so much and so well. she just has to let herself take what she needs even if she hates herself or it later.

ofc this isn't too long pookie, I love hearing y'all's thoughts no matter how long, yap to me endlessly pookie, I'm a yapper too. ❤️

YAY EXCITING I would love to see Jordan Fisher as Orpheus, he's so talented. I'd die, and yes it's just so Finnick 😭💕

#wanda 💋#finnick odair x reader #finnick odair x y/n #the lakes #finnick odair #the river #finnick odair fluff #finnick odair angst #finnick odair x reader fluff #finnick odair x you #🦅 anon

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princelylove · 7 months

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Have you ever written anything with Abacchio? I feel strong yandere vibes from him. Controlling and mean, not ready to compromise type of vibes. Obsessed yet detached. Would you be willing to share some headcanons with us? Thank you!

I think I did write for him once, but not a lot. In my head Leone and Guido are roommates, and Bruno, Pannacotta, and Narancia live together somewhere else. Bruno’s all “These are my sons.” but Leone and Guido see each other more like a “guy who I happen to live with, mutual trust.” kind of thing. Leone’s a bit of an outsider (Absolutely no one in Team Bucciarati likes cops, even if Leone is an ex-cop.), I think I’m still working out how I’m interpreting him.

Leone is a cold, mean man. He acts disinterested in you, he might even pretend you just don’t exist. But is that really how he wants to be? I think Leone’s temperament depends on how badly his depression is affecting him, whether you’re in public or private, and how comfortable he is with you in general. He’s… a bit moody, pun not intended.

A totally comfortable and reassured Leone would treat you like his savior. But he’s just too prideful to really admit that, especially if you’re not in a relationship, so he keeps that to himself. Those are his private thoughts, ones he won’t express until much later on in your relationship. You’re the only thing keeping him going, the thing that gets him up every morning. I said this in that alphabet ask request I did, “Leone loves to just sit and watch you. He gives you space, careful not to step on your metaphorical toes, and just sits quietly to watch. He won’t look away if you look over while he’s giving you that stupid, lovestruck stare. He’s so lucky he gets to witness you.” and I really do hold firm on it. When you’re alone, Leone’s face changes so much, if he’s in the mood to show you how utterly obsessed he is. He doesn’t mean to get in your way, please, continue what you’re doing. Don’t mind him.

And Christ he’s obsessed. Leone’s addicted. He doesn’t really… need to stare or even just interact with you, since he can just replay it. He pretends you’re annoying him, he wants to just sit there and listen to Monteverdi, what could you possibly have to say that’s more important than a classical genius? Shut up and eat your food, have Guido entertain you if you’re really that bored. The second you’re gone, though.. Leone’s all over his stand. He’s such a degenerate that he’ll get under the table just to see how you position your legs. God, you’re gorgeous. He’d kill to kiss your real ankle, or to drink from your glass at the same spot you did…

But Leone’s not at all ready to talk to the real you, so he won’t. He holds himself over for as long as he can this way- with placeholder you. He feels disgusting for it- piggybacking off of Narancia’s jokes and pretending your laughter was at what he had to say, holding ‘your’ hand over the table and pretending you’ve been in love forever, sitting in the place of whoever you were cuddling up to just to feel what it would be like… He really has no hard limits, Leone would replay you sleeping if he could find a safe way to do it. Does the guilt keep him up at night? Certainly. Will he stop? Never.

Quick digression, isn’t that such a horrifying stand in a captor/victim situation? You can’t hide anything from him since he can just use his stand and replay you doing it. I’d hate him as a yandere, I love to argue. I hit him with the old reliable “I didn’t say that.” and he replays me, in fact, saying that. That’s my Hell.

And what happens in the meantime, before he’s ready to be a giant mush to you? He’s a cunt. A total dick. He’s physically present (Always physically present, for a man that “hates” you…), but emotionally distant. He doesn’t want to be seen with you in the slightest. He goes out of his way to drive you away- he doesn’t want you to engage with him at all. If you sit down next to him he’s knocking his drink onto your lap. Won’t even apologize, unless the glass breaks. Then he’ll just snap at you to stay still. Doesn’t want the glass digging into that gorgeous skin of yours… huh? He didn’t say anything. He’s glaring at you because he thinks he missed a piece, don’t get all worked up. (He’s staring, actually. He just looks mean.)

It’s a constant game of push and pull. Incredibly mixed messages. How are you supposed to take it when he bumps into you with enough force to knock you back (When he clearly had room to go around), but also puts his arm around you so you don’t fall while taking the train? Leone has the audacity to directly command you, but not the confidence to consistently speak to you. He wants you, badly, but can’t handle speaking to you for more than a minute- and that’s generous. Once you finally crack him it’s like he’s an entirely different person. Doting and attentive, just not very verbally affectionate. He’s very handsy.

"Don't look at me like that. I'm busy, find someone else to play with."

#I'm still figuring out how I want this pretentious bastard to sound #yandere leone abbacchio #yandere leone abbacchio x reader #yandere team bucciarati #request granted

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spectres-fulcrum · 10 months

Text

Some Palia crumbs and gut feelings I need to type out

Okay so I met the last “villager” I had left to meet yesterday(as I fell asleep while typing this). Tamala. I didn’t even like her in the promo art, and I had to go to her cause she never comes to town. I knew from promo stuff, she was an adult, a potion maker, and Hassian’s ex, so I was willing to be like some of my initial ick was jealousy. She just gives me SUCH bad vibes.

Like vililan vibes. And I’m intrigued but she grosses me off. Then my mind goes “If all magic is bad then does she even do dark magic if ALL magic is dark? And all you know now is that she does beauty and youth-ew, we will get there- potions.”

But she gives bad news vibes like sirens. Like there’s a reason she’s forced into the northern parts of Bahari Bay and none of the villagers dare to go to the north. Not even Hassian or Hodari who live in the Bay.

And we know it wasn’t always like that-Hassian and Tamala. They were lovers. And he’s a young adult. How young? Idk. I feel like 23/24ish. He feels like middle of the young adult age group characters. Kenyatta and Nai’o feels like the youngest, and Jel and Reth seem the oldest to me. Tamala is classified as adult and looks, idk, 30s, early 30s, and probably spun a web, but I saw in Discord she referred to an event 40 years ago, so she’s what, 45? 50? 60? Like how old was she 40 years ago is the question. (They clearly classified her by her appearence, smart)

So she;s idk how old and seduced the young hunter from the village-red flag. And she uses potions to hide her true age-red flag. And in our daily chat she was like, charming potions are so nice. They compliment you so much/hang onto every word you say/smth. And I’m just like. Angry. Cause is that what you did with Hassian, Tamala? Potioned him into “loving” you? Cause That’s so fucking noncon. Crosses so many lines. And it’s just like-Disguising.

If my gut feeling is right. That whatever they had was dressed up in potions of youth and charm and was never real at all but felt real-felt real enough. Like I grew up on Speak Now enough to know when to say “Alexa play Dear John.” Ow. I can see Hassian and Sifuu having a falling out over this gorgeous woman in the “my mother accused me of losing my mind but I swore I was fine.” Because they’re both so much more… fire…. Than Taylor and Andrea. Like full blowout argument, they don’t talk for weeks. Until Hassian realized it was all pretend and he’s broken and going home and mom doesn’t say I told you so like he’s picturing, but just has hugs and cuddles when the tears comes and it feels likes it’ll never be okay again but that’s…

And Reth once told me Hassian plays cards with Auni? Why? To keep an eye on him? So she can’t sink her claws into a child next? How often does Hodari thank the dragon that Najuma would never have any interest in witches promises beauty and love potions? Is part of why Jina can’t move the red tape an inch because Hassian accidentally moved them and touched magic too intimately?

Idk. Just theorizing some gut feelings and crumbs. I don’t expect the game to delve into any serious shit like this-doesn’t mean we can’t. Also it’s not going to anger as many people cause it’s younger man/older woman vs the other way around. I’m very well aware of that. Doesn’t mean it doesn’t gross me out.

So now I’m like. Tamala will clearly move the plot forward and I want to know what I can gleam from her. And my character doesn’t know about her and Hassian or anything. She just knows her as the recluse who makes potions in north Bahari Bay and she doesn’t like her but is also intrigued. I’m intrigued but enraged and I don’t like how she is. I also don’t like how Taylor put Mean after Dear John on Speak Now. Fucking whiplash.

We’ll see. I just needed to get this out. I am thrilled to write it though but as a game character I do not want to interact with Tamala. And there’s people who romance her??? Well, I imprinted on Hassian and I don’t typically like the goth witchy types so…

#palia #hassian #tamala #going to be so much fun to write though #but she’s a witch #in my mind i take kenyatta or jina or nai’o when i cross into her land

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seal-writes-stuff · 1 year

Text

Word count: 2.2k

Warnings: graphic violence, kidnapping, one mention of frequent hospital visits, vague allusions to The Victory Project and everything that comes with it, Trauma

Summary: Alice Warren is a lot of things and you happen to love every single one. After she mysteriously disappears one day, it’s the only thing that keeps your rage and fear laser-focused.

A/N: Dear followers, today I offer you headcanons that nobody requested with a weird poetry vibe. Tomorrow? Who knows. Also I might’ve taken some liberties with how the simulation works, but hey. Hope you enjoy!

Alice is compassionate.

The first time you meet her, you aren’t looking for it – you aren’t looking for anything at all. Weeks after weeks of hospital visits have exhausted you completely, worn you down to the bone. You’re sitting in a cheap plastic chair in a long, bright corridor, not a single thought in your head; all you want is just to curl up in your bed and sleep for fifty years straight. Maybe you’d still wake up tired.

That’s when you hear her sweet, concerned voice, asking you if you’re okay.

You’d assume a surgeon working a long shift wouldn’t be the one to chat, but surprisingly, you’d be wrong. She really wants to know if something’s the matter. People rarely come here for some happy reasons, she tells you. Whatever you’re feeling, it’s okay.

You cry in her arms for what feels like hours – in the arms of a complete stranger who keeps reassuring you, never once noticing how you stain her work clothes with tears.

Alice is a good friend.

It’s been a few months. You can’t remember the time when she wasn’t your friend, can’t imagine a life that wouldn’t include her. You meet as often as you can, talking about nothing and everything, sharing the things you wouldn’t share with anyone else. It’s like you’re on the same wavelength all the time; you simply get each other.

You keep reminding Alice that she doesn’t have to see you every other day. After all, it’s hard to imagine a job more demanding than hers – you’d understand. And every time Alice tells you that it’s fine. That she loves what she does and she loves spending time with you.

“I’d go crazy sitting at home all day,” she laughs.

Alice is loveable.

You collect the moments you share like you’d collect rare flowers, saving them between the book pages for later. Alice pulling you in a dance in her living room, giggling as you end it with a twirl. Alice showing you her new sundress, asking for your opinion about it with casual intimacy. Alice clinking glasses with you, stars in her eyes.

You think your friend is beautiful. You don’t allow your thoughts to go further than that.

Alice is valuable.

The last time you see her, Alice is venting about her boyfriend – all valid things, you must say, you’d be venting too. Your advice to dump him becomes less and less humorous every time you repeat it. Anyone can fall on hard times - not everyone turns into an entitled leech over that. She tells you it’s okay. Deep down he’s a really good guy, and fights happen. That’s just a part of life.

You think that “deep down” must be quite deep indeed, but you don’t voice it. She clearly loves him, and if she chooses to give him that love then he must deserve it on some level. Either way, it’s not for you to decide.

That night, Alice is wearing her favorite skirt and a big striped sweater. A description burned into your mind as you have to repeat it over and over later.

Alice is gone.

It happens overnight – nobody knows where she went and nobody knows what might’ve happened.

No, she didn’t have any enemies.

No, she wasn’t acting any differently than she normally would.

No. Yes. No. Thank you, that means a lot.

You put up posters with her face every day and cry yourself to sleep every night.

Her boyfriend is standoffish. He’s never liked you and sees no need to pretend otherwise now. You’ve always hated him, didn’t you? You never believed in him. All you wanted is to see them, true star-crossed lovers, apart.

Time and time again, you try to mend that bridge just so you can have the hope of ever finding your friend, but her boyfriend isn’t having any of that. You chalk it up to his wounded pride at first, never denying him the right to resent you. Yet something bothers you about it nevertheless.

Something is off. That’s all you can say and that’s all that you really need

Alice is nearby.

It takes time. It takes effort. It takes an ungodly amount of unimaginably awful podcasts, but you finally get the full picture. It’s terrifying, it’s impossible and it doesn’t make any sense, but it’s the only option.

After a few days of rehearsing the whole things in your head, you follow Jack – you’ve finally managed to learn his name – to what used to be his and Alice’s shared apartment. For someone trying to conceal a brand new human right violation, this man is incredibly careless. He’s so assured in his invincibility that he doesn’t even bother with varying his routes.

You know what you’re doing is illegal, but it doesn’t matter at this point. Doubt is a luxury you can’t afford, not anymore. The law has failed Alice and her boyfriend has failed her too; you aren’t about to do the same.

The door has three locks, yet they’re so shitty that you manage to bypass them all with a few tweaks here and there – you’re lucky today. Jack must’ve gotten sloppier with time. Or maybe he never cared in the first place. Who knows.

Doesn’t matter.

You pass through the hallway and enter the bedroom.

Alice

right

there.

It’s a first time you’re seeing the device in action and, for a moment, you forget how to breathe. Gasping, you will yourself to look away from her, from what this despicable stain on humanity has done to her, and stare at Jack instead. He hasn’t entered the simulation yet, but he’s about to do it.

For just a moment, he stares back with fear and confusion in his eyes, and that gives you more than enough time to lunge for his throat.

You fly into a blind rage – one that you’ve never felt before and will never feel after. He tries to fight back, tries to crawl away, tries to plead, cry, scream; you can’t hear any of that. It’s all just noise, buzz in the air. You tear into his flesh with your bare hands, pulling it apart like a rabid animal. His hair is a perfect length to be wrapped around your fist.

You drive him face-first into the floor a few times before his body goes limp. You then do it some more.

You haven’t fought anyone since kindergarten.

You sit up and press your back to the bed frame, gasping for air. Your face burns and you can taste the metal – he must’ve landed some blows. Could be better, could be worse. You’ll live.

Alice.

With the shaking hands, you – gently, ever so gently – you take off her bounds and tie Jack up, just for good measure. It’s okay. They aren’t a part of the device anyway, not really. Those things that keep her eyes open, however, sure are.

What would happen if you just took them off? Would it hurt Alice? Would she survive? Would it cause some type of horrible, irreparable damage to her you can’t even imagine right now? You don’t know. Frank was careful to keep the details away from the general public – the only thing he, unfortunately, was kind of right about. His followers never questioned the inner workings of it all either.

So no way out but through.

Without hesitation, you put the second pair of these nightmarish goggles on, you stare at the changing pattern on the ceiling, you feel your mind go numb. It suddenly occurs to you that, as much as you’ve planned ahead, you really have no idea what you’re doing right now. You aren’t even sure if you’ll keep your memories or come out of this alive.

But there’s no point in wondering. Knowing the answers wouldn’t change anything. You’d try to save her anyway.

“Alice!”

She stands in the middle of a little-too-clean vintage living room, eyes wide, staring at you in numb horror. You realize that you must still be covered in blood – or maybe you aren’t, you’re so agitated that there’s no way to tell. Maybe you look perfectly normal right now. Maybe she’s simply scared of you because you’re a stranger in her perfect house, a stranger who snatched her perfect husband away.

You’ve thought that your tears have dried out completely months ago. For the first time tonight, you’re proven wrong.

“Do you… Remember me?” you ask in a shaking voice, stepping closer carefully. Alice is frozen in place, a weirdly vacant expression on her face. “Do you remember me at all?”

No response. You have no way of knowing what she’s thinking about, but at least she’s there. You’re grasping at straws, trying to come up with something, anything to say. Something that would convince her to let you help.

“Let’s get out of there. Please,” you plead. “If- When we get out of there, you won’t have to speak to me ever again. But please, let’s just-”

You don’t get to finish. Alice wraps you in a tight hug and you start sobbing into the crook her neck.

In a minute you’ll find out that Alice knows a way out – she’s had her own investigation while you had yours. In two minutes you’ll find out that at least one other woman here knows what’s really going on, always did. In five, you’ll leave this awful place behind, chased by a squad of things you aren’t sure are even human.

But right now, this very moment, is just for the two of you.

Alice is safe.

Time crawls at a snail’s pace, but after one day inevitably comes another. Both of you start therapy. Jack gets arrested – for some miraculous reason, you don’t kill him that night after all. The Victory Project comes under investigation; the details are kept under wraps, partly for “the benefit of the survivors’ mental and physical well-being”. You’re sure as hell there isn’t a thing in the world that can damage your mental and physical well-being even further, but there’s nothing left in you to fight this decision. This isn’t even an argument. It’s better to let it go.

You spend every night with Alice and she spends every night with you. You pour your hearts out to each other like never before. In a way, your friendship has changed fundamentally; in a much deeper way, however, it stayed the same. You cook Alice dinner when she comes home after a long day and she lets you sleep in on weekends. For a long time after the whole thing is over, she resents anything resembling housework. You can’t hold it against her.

One night, when you’re watching some endless TV-show - you’ve carefully curated your watchlist to avoid anything 50s-themed - Alice asks you point-blank if you regret it. The violence, the pain, the fear. If you regret hearing about him so much before everything went down, hearing Alice defend him as he was planning to take her life away.

Of course you know the answer. You’ve always known it: no, you don’t regret it at all. You’d go through it all a hundred more times if it meant setting her free. You’d search for months and years and decades if it meant finding her in the end. You’d beat this pathetic excuse of a man again and again, until there was nothing left of him anymore, if it meant letting her choose her own path.

And it’s not her fault that a person she gave all her love to never appreciated it. That’s on him. And Alice deserves none of his shame.

“But what if I left you?” she whispers, some unspoken urgency coloring her tone. “After… Then what?”

You look at Alice and she looks at you, her face illuminated by the TV. There’s a familiar, heartbreaking fear in her eyes that she can’t quite shake; worst of all, a completely understandable fear. You take her hands in yours.

“I’ve meant every word,” you whisper, brushing her knuckles with your thumb. “If we never spoke again, I wouldn’t do anything differently. I mean, I’d live a way sadder life, but that would be my problem.”

Just as the last word leaves your mouth, she kisses you as a promise to stay, to commit to you freely and without force. And you kiss her back, fervently, with endless yearning – as a promise to always find her, to always be there. To love and be loved generously, to love on purpose and to stay by choice.

And after what feels like forever, finally, Alice is home.

#alice chambers #alice warren #alice chambers x reader #alice warren x reader #alice chambers imagine #alice warren imagine #florence pugh x reader #florence pugh imagine #don't worry darling #seal writes

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abbatoirablaze · 3 months

Text

Deal With The Devil, Chapter 3

Word Count: 2.2k

Warnings: slight angst, mentions of aggression/violence, throwing things at people.

“Well, Stark…it sounds like you have a deal!” Steve smiled, downing his own drink. The two men shook hands and Inez huffed from the bar.

“So, what now?” she growled, “we get married by a JP or have a big gigantic wedding where everyone pretends to get along?”

Steve looked at his soon-to-be bride from across the table and he shrugged, “it depends…how do you feel about premarital sex?”

“Steve…” Tony growled, his tone becoming a warning one.

“I’m joking, Tony…come on…” Steve grinned playfully as he clapped his soon to be brother-in-law on the back, “I’ll take her virginity after we get married. I’m not an animal!”

She sneered at him, “you’re disgusting.”

He chuckled and crossed his arms over his chest, “you take things too seriously, Inny…”

“Don’t call me that,” she hissed, her nose scrunching up at how he so easily called her by the nickname that Tony had given her when they were children, “you don’t get to call me that, Rogers.”

“Ohh, the last name,” he chuckled sarcastically, “you know, you’ll be a Rogers soon. Calling me by my last name to distance yourself won’t do much, Inez.”

“Trust me…there’s not enough distance in this planet…”

“Maybe we should let Steve and Inez get to know each other…” Pepper suggested, “have them go out on a few dates bef-“

“Pass!” Inez sneered, cutting Pepper off, “seriously? Can’t I just marry Peter? I mean it’s not like he’s your brother. He’s your cousin. There’s no relation between him and I. It’s not like we are brother and sisters-in-law.”

“Inez…you’re going to marry Steve,” Tony sighed as his hands started rubbing his temples, “I’ve already explained this. You marrying Steve will allow the three remaining original families to keep the peace in our boroughs while those idiots murder each other. I’m doing it to ensure the safety of our people. So please don’t make this harder than it has to be. Please.”

“I have to be at the club…few meetings tonight, so I can’t do any ‘dates’ per se,” Steve shrugged, “but I could move her into my place immediately…she could get the lay of the land, before I lay with her…”

“Excuse me?”

“What?” Pepper asked, “Move her in with you? Tony-“

“What did I just say about the sex jokes, Rogers?” Tony sighed.

“Don’t take it personally, or do, I don’t care,” Steve shrugged before looking at Inez once more, “but I feel like if I let you out of my sight after our lovely little engagement idea tonight, you’ll hop on the first flight you can to hide from me, my little bird. Flighty little thing…that’s the vibe I get from you!”

Tony chuckled, knowing from the look in his sister’s eye that she had been thinking exactly that. But she tried to hide the expression from her face as she shook her head at Steve, “What? That’-That’s crazy. Who would do something like that?”

“I’m good at reading people, Inez…” Steve said simply, giving his future bride a knowing look, “I helped one of my best friend’s sisters disappear because of a particularly brutal engagement. I don’t need my pretty little wife doing the same because she doesn’t like the way I speak.”

“I’m not your wife…”

“Not yet,” he admitted with another simple shrug, “but you will be. I intend on getting you to that altar…and then doing the dirtiest of things behind closed doors once you are my wife.”

She grimaced.

And Steve smiled.

Tony’s glass nearly cracked from the amount of pressure he was putting on it, trying not to reach across the table and punch the man who was talking about doing things to his sister.

“We can have Inez’ stuff packed up and sent to your home so that by the time the two of you are finished with your night out on the town it’s there,” Pepper said softly, putting her hand over Tony’s, “we can all make this work with a little effort…right?”

“Yeah…sure…”Tony grumbled.

Inez looked away from her sister-in-law, and brother, towards the man that she was going to be marrying. Steve puckered his lips and teased a kiss.

She looked away from him and to the ground, a tear slipping down her cheek.

“Sounds good to me. Thank you for all of your generosity, Tony…as promised, I’ll make sure that none of my men are involved and that Brooklyn stays out of whatever fight happens between Staten Island and The Bronx.” Steve said quickly, standing from his spot at the table. He walked over to where Inez was sitting and lifted her cheek, wiping away the lone tear, “don’t cry, Inez…you are not a caged bird. And I will not harm you. You’ll see that I can be a very good husband. All joking aside, I do have some decorum.”

“You’re a self-righteous ass, Steve Rogers.”

“And soon enough I’m going to be your self-righteous ass, Inez,” he said softly, his fingers trailing down her cheek, before falling away from her face. He gave her another soft smile, before holding his hand out to her, “come on…we have to get back to the club. I have other meetings to attend to, and I want to get you settled first.”

“Are you alright?” he asked once more as another one of his generals left his office, “I could get someone to bring you a drink…or some food. I know that we didn’t have a chance to grab dinner before-“

She gave him another frown as she crossed her arms from the large couch behind and off to the side of his desk, “does it really matter what I say that I want, Steve?”

“Of course it does,” he answered with his own frown, “you’re going to be my wife, Inez. I want you to be taken care of. All jokes aside, I mean that. I really do.”

“Then don’t make me marry you…stay out of whatever war is going to happen because it’s the right thing to do.”

“But if I do that, Tony and Peter will cut me out of whatever territory doesn’t get carved up by the fighting,” he noted, “keeping you by my side ensures that they keep me in the fold. After all, you should know that. You don’t leave family out in the cold, hungry and alone. You and Tony seem close.”

“We are…”

“And it’ll stay that way,” he reminded her, “don’t be mad at your brother for what he’s doing. You know he probably could have done worse.”

“I’ve heard of you,” she admitted softly, “well, your father.”

“My father was a ruthless asshole,” he admitted with a frown, “but his results weren’t anything to be laughed at.”

“Your territory is small.”

“Small but effective…”

She nodded and gave him a guilty look as her stomach grumbled, “I-I might be a little hungry.”

“I can have the kitchen whip something up for you.”

“You aren’t going to eat?” she asked softly. Steve nearly dropped the phone that he’d picked up as he looked back at her. His brow raised and she pulled her arms tight around herself, “Wh-what?”

“Since when did you start caring about me?” he teased playfully with a scoff.

She frowned, and her cold exterior pushed back out into the room, “I don’t.”

“Says the girl who just asked if I was going to eat too.”

“As far as I know you haven’t eaten today…I mean, I didn’t see you eat anything…” she shrugged dismissively, “I was trying to be nice…dick.”

Steve chuckled, enjoying the back and forth ever so slightly, as not many in his inner circle had the audacity to be a little rough around the edges with him.

“I haven’t.”

“Well, you should…” she said simply, as though that would end the conversation, “eat I mean…”

“You know…people don’t normally do things like that for me…remind me to eat or-“

“Well, they should…mob boss or not, you’re still a human. And you still need to eat meals to survive, Steve.”

“Be careful…I might start to think that you care about me…”

“I don’t…”

“What do you want to eat, Inny?”

“Don’t call me that,” she grumbled softly, looking away from him. Steve continued to watch her for a moment, and she sighed, mumbling under her breath, “pizza…”

“Not a salad?”

Her head shot up, and her brow raised.

Steve could feel the tension lighting up the room, “if you’re one of those guys…you can cut the bullshit right now!”

“One of what guys?”

“I don’t spend my days eating nothing but salad and doing fad diets,” she hissed as her arms wrapped even tighter around herself, “and if you insinuate that I need to-“

“I’m not,” he said quickly, laughing as he cut her off, “just…most women don’t have real appetites around me…it’s refreshing…”

“You’re eating it too!” she huffed, “I want pepperoni.”

“Yes ma’am,” Steve chuckled as he called downstairs, telling them he wanted a pizza and a few cokes, “anything else, my queen?”

“You could drop the sarcasm!” she commented dryly.

“Have someone pick up something that’s chocolate and extremely sweet…I think the wife might be hitting her time of the month.”

Steve almost didn’t dodge the heel that was thrown at him as he hung up his phone.

Sam wasn’t so lucky as it managed to catch him in the thigh as he opened the door.

“You have horrible aim!” Steve laughed, smirking at her.

“Well, I don’t exactly spend my time throwing things at assholes!” she growled.

“Steve, stop riling up your future wife!” Sam frowned, rubbing his thigh, “she throws those shoes really hard.”

“I’m sorry!” Inez frowned, feeling bad over hitting one of Steve’s men, when the shoe had been meant for her fiancé.

“It’s okay, sweetheart,” Sam shrugged, “I understand that Steve can be a lot sometimes…trust me. I grew up with him. I’ve seen women throw a lot of things at him.”

Steve frowned as Inez giggled, and he didn’t like the fact that Sam had developed such an easy back and forth with her.

“Is there something you needed, Sam?”

“Barnes has been messaging me. There hasn’t been any movement in their territory.”

Steve shrugged, “so?”

“He doesn’t want to spend any more time out there than necessary.”

“Fine,” Steve sighed, “have him pick up the pizza I ordered from downstairs and across the street for me and Inez.”

“Pizza?” Sam questioned his friend and boss, “since when do you eat pizza, boss?”

Steve frowned his brow furrowing as he answered Sam, “I eat pizza.”

“Steve, I’ve worked for you since I came up. We grew up together and I’m your second in command,” Sam chuckled, “and not once have I’ve never seen you eat anything unhealthy…let alone eat pizza.”

Inez smirked and crossed her arms, “you eat salads all the time, don’t you?”

“Steve’s diet is drinks and the occasional fruit that comes in them!” Sam chuckled, “that or the meal prepping that Barnes does for him. He’s gonna be pissed that you’re eating pizza.”

“That punk will get over it,” Steve shrugged, “have him pick it up. And I guess he can meet Inez too…all of you need to be aware of who she is and that it’s your jobs to protect her just like you’d protect me.”

“If they hate you, you’re just giving them a reason to hate me too!” she frowned.

Steve gave her a sad look as he turned to glance at her, “are you insinuating that my people don’t like me?”

“I don’t…and I’m apparently ‘your people,’ so….”

“Correction, Inez…you’re my wife. You’re not ‘my people,’ so you don’t count!”

“Correction!” she mocked, shaking her head at him, “not yet…you know you settled into the idea of being married to me pretty quickly, Steve…I guess I’m not so ugly after all.”

Sam couldn’t stop his laughter and Steve gave him another firm look, “did you need something else, Sam?”

“Oh no…I’m good,” Sam chuckled, putting his phone into his pocket after he texted Bucky about the food, “but this…this is comedic gold, right here. Your future wife is gonna keep you in line for sure.”

“You can go, Sam…thank you!” Steve frowned.

Sam gave his boss another nod before leaving the room, and Inez threw her other shoe, albeit a little softer.

It did hit Steve this time.

Right between his shoulder blades.

He turned from his chair and looked at the barefoot woman curled up on his couch. She gave him an innocent look.

“What?” he asked, slightly irritated with her.

“I’m tired…”

He huffed before taking off his suit’s jacket and tossing it beside her on the couch, “use your arm as a pillow…I’ll wake you up when the food gets here.”

“There’s no pillows or blankets, or-“

“You know, you’re awfully needy for someone who doesn’t want me or anything to do with me.”

“Yeah…well you’re-“

“I’m what…”

“I don’t know,” she huffed with a frown, “I’m tired and hungry…and not sober…leave me alone.”

“Take a nap, Inny…”

“I told you to stop calling me that,” she mumbled, curling up under Steve’s jacket. He chuckled as she yawned, and she pouted from behind closed eyes, “stop laughing at me, jerk.”

Chapter 4

Tag List: @teambarnes72, @prokey16, @lohnes16

#deal with the devil #marvel #marvel au #the avengers #steve rogers #captain america #mob au #mafia au #tony stark #chris evans characters #iron man

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nerdyenby · 2 months

Text

DRS2 reactions (spoilers)

Ep 1

Ras at the shadow dojo???????? Who woulda thunk

New intro?!?!!!?!! Idk why I wasn’t expecting that, actually

The public including Pix with the missing ninja my beloved

Gosh, big Riyu will take some getting used to

Wait… is that a curious george reference??

I don’t know if I’ve heard someone outright say something isn’t good for their friend’s mental health in a cartoon before, it’s really refreshing

Casual Frohicky and Sora/Arin interactions my beloved <3

Omg Kai explaining Shang to Zane is such season one vibes

Lloyd having open and honest conversations with his students about both his and their wellbeing is so important to me

Ok, hear me out: au where baby Wu didn’t age back at an enhanced rate and gets lost at somepoint and Arin is teenage Wu

Dang it, Cinder’s kinda funny

Ep 2

I legit started happy stimming so hard at that opening shot, I’m really invested in Euphrasia’s story already and nothing’s even happened yet lol

Percival out here making the gen z solarpunk dream a reality!!!!

Lloyd calling it what it is — a panic attack — soothes something in me

Sora did really bad graffiti of cats when she was young, that’s adorable and kinda tells you everything you need to know about her

MY GIRL!!!!!!!

Euphrasia using a cane!!!! Hell yeah mobility aids!!!! (Even though it’ll probably be gone in two episodes lol)

I kid you not, I was 100% expecting Suetonius to say “resurrect… the Great Devourer” lmao

I love that the gang is (mostly) all together, but it’s a bit too many characters for a conversation, I get why they like to split them into groups

Nya grounding Lloyd :(( /pos

Kai boasting about a fight that he won a decade ago when Cinder probably doesn’t even know Ash is endlessly amusing to me

Ras is so dramatic I can’t really take him seriously

Damn, they’re letting characters get hurt, it’s kinda refreshing but it’s scary

Ep 3

Wait I didn’t see Euphrasia get captured :((

WHAT THE HELL?!???? /vpos

Strength, motion, energy, and life?!??!!??

AYOOOOOO?!?!????

Kai comforting Wyldfyre <333

We know this takes place after the mech shorts, so why hasn’t anyone mentioned Cole? He was also seen in public, so why did that conspiracy guy say he’s still missing?

Why do they keep leaving Zane behind?? He’s in his housewife era fr

Kai making sure Wyldfyre’s taken care of :((

This show is so unserious, I love it

I wasn’t feeling people calling Kai Wyldfyre’s dad after season one but…

No… Sora took Arin’s thing from him… she didn’t mean to, but he feels like he’s not special anymore :(

I’m going to pretend that was a believable amount of parts to make a mech that big

Kai getting moments with Arin and Sora my beloved

Kai’s “hey kid, nice of you to drop by” is giving the same energy as when Lloyd and Arin first met during the merge

THE WALLS ARE MOVING, REPEAT: THE WALLS ARE MOVING

These nightmare sequences are going so hard

Nya being the first one to realize it isn’t real when her nightmare is reality, I’m screaming

Riyu comforting Wyldfyre <333

Nya best sister award when

Ep 4

My boys!!!!!

THE found family of all time

IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO MY CHILDREN I WILL RIOT

Seeing Kai and Nya fight so smoothly together is so special after how much they and Lloyd were tripping over each other when they first reunited

Basketball?!??!!??!!!

Autistic Arin real and true

I love Bonzle so much

Geo is such a lil bastard actually /pos, makes more sense why he and Cole are a thing, knowing Cole’s taste in men

COLE!!!!!!

Cole will never stop being overpowered, it seems, he deserves it tbh

Censorship pog /hj

“Not funny, Wyldfyre” “Not joking, Sora” the sheer cousin vibes in this interaction are too much to handle

Lloyd PLEASE just mention being 1/4 dragon, it will almost certainly get Egalt on board, I am begging

Glacier reunion!!!!!!!

Ep 5

I wanted a more emotional reunion, but they’ve probably seen each other off screen (or I’m just forgetting a scene from the shorts)

Zane, why are you still carrying that doll like it’s your child??

Bonzle my beloved, she’s says that so deadpan I don’t actually have any questions

Wyldfyre my beloved

I would die for Bonzle

Cole and Geo holding hands 😭😭😭😭😭

Is Egalt the motion source dragon?? Probably not tbh but I’d believe it

Man’s spitting facts, flatearthers are going to lose their shit

“Little fire man” IM DYING OH MY GOD

Wait when does this take place? My first instinct is while the ninja were in the Never Realm but idk if we’ll actually find out

“Friends can become like family?” “Definitely” IM SOBBING ON THE FLOOR

Letting Arin be angry is so important

Cole shutting down Bonzle’s suicidal thoughts without hesitation “no, you are loved and needed. We will find a way to protect you” <333

The physical affection in DR is so dear to me

Human sacrifices???? In MY lego show?????

Ep 6

Wyldfyre struggling with her body’s limits is really relatable as a young disabled person

FOREHEAD TOUCH :((

Plot twist: where the other ninja are right now is Mysterium and they have that tua meme of two cars passing each other moment

Damn, that exchange hit hard as a former gifted kid. Sometimes having someone believe in you hurts. You’re not just letting yourself down, but them, too

Nya just fucking bodyslamming Kai, Egalt didn’t know what he was getting into pitting the world’s most competitive siblings against each other

“The Finders are like my family” *looks at Zane* “My other family” screaming, crying, sobbing on the floor

Oh no

Wait yeah, why are they thirsty if Zane can just make ice for them to chew on? At least Cole and Jiro, idk if Bonzle needs water

The nonbinary pirate!!!

Cole CANNOT escape the performing arts fr fr

Ep 7

Bonzle is giving transgender

That is the most Jay and Cole thing I’ve ever heard it, it’s so in character it almost feels out of character

Arin and Sora going through the exact same thing and trying and failing to not take it out on each other :( it’s ok tho, the real ones are the ones you can be snippy with and love regardless

Wyldfyre referring to the ninja as “Kai’s friends” honey, they’re your friends too, I promise

Anyone who calls Wyldfyre dumb can fuck off, she’s so perceptive and intelligent and is really good at connecting others when she truly wants to

Bonzle’s mom <33333

Bonzle’s smile when her mom compliments her name <3333

Who you calling stolen equipment bitch?????

Lil Kai and Nya!!!!!!

Nya’s so proud of him!!!!! I could cry

Kai being the first to achieve it because fire is an element under motion’s domain methinks

Oh you bigoted son of a bitch

Zane why are you considering it????? Honey

What the fuck did you do to Jiro??!?!!!

JAY?!?!!???

Ep 8

NOOOO 😭😭😭

There’s literally a nindroid agent right there????

The og musical cue playing when Jay comes back <3

Jay on his Euphrasia arc, this is highkey breaking my heart though

I’m counting this as a fakeout death and you can’t stop me

Are you kidding me???!!!? How many times is Jay going to be one room away from the ninja

Lloyd SHUT UP /aff

“And cursed!!” She says cheerfully, this lady is an icon

The subtitles keep calling Cole Kai, what is this, season one??

Ep 9

Aww, baby Ras (trying desperately to not care about him)

Oh ok, he’s making my job easier

Poor Wyldfyre :(

I love this trio so much, their banter is so good

Lloyd honey, fighting it is making it worse

Nya holding him through his panic attack :((

I was expecting Cole to deny that it was him, the earth is going through it

The disco toaster!!!!!

Heck yeah Riyu!!!

I love them so much it’s not even funny

“What’s your elemental power, imperviousness to sarcasm?” She just called him autistic in 13 languages (I’m autistic, dw guys)

“First time driving?” “Believe it or not, no” Bonzle and Arin my beloved

I’m a touch disappointed Wyldfyre’s perfectly fine now as someone with chronic pain, but I’m glad it was handled as well as it was and it’s a really important lesson for younger audiences that pushing your body while it’s in pain only makes it worse

The silent exchange of Cole suggesting Zane takes the parrot potion is endlessly funny but also sad considering it’s probably the closest well get to talking about the Falcon

Cole turning into a puppy who cheered?!???

“At least you’re adorable” “I’m always adorable” get a room /aff

Tournament of elements flashbacks

The workplace gossip omg, Cinder really out here beefing with a 16 year old

Don’t you even fucking dare

MY BABIESSSSSS

Ep 10

Arin mistaking Lloyd and Nya for his parents hurts :(

Oh no… I mean, it was obviously coming but it’s still very bad

WYLDFYRE POPPING OFF!!!!! THIS GIRL NEEDED HER ENRICHMENT

Let Euphrasia do stuff 2024

Wyldfyre jumping in front of Kai and protecting him

The basketball practice coming in handy lol

The fight cinematography in DR is fucking superb

KAI D: (he’ll be fine, I believe)

Nya!!!!!

BONZLE MVP!!!!

I was prepared for Rontu and Egalt to stay dead, the breath I let out when the stone cracked was unparalleled

Are we legit not getting Kai back????

Cole and Lloyd hug!!!!!

RAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH

Oh no… that lie is going to hurt when it comes out

Kai and Bonzle!!!!

Not like Master Wu says, like Lloyd says ;-; /pos

#ninjago #ninjago dragons rising #dragons rising spoilers #caps #cw caps

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skittlewaffle · 11 months

Text

Different Flavors of Daycare Attendants (WIP maybe ??)

PLEASE NOTE that I do not read fics a lot and certainly don’t know everything. These are just general headcanons about the Daycare Attendant placed into categories! Personally my view is a mix of a good handful of every category

But yes this was all made for fun because I have brainrot. I’ll keep adding to this post or make a part two if this is something people enjoy, and I’m happy to accept any help! I know there are plenty more headcanons that I don’t have under categories yet.

… Some sections were rushed because I just wanted to post this before Ruin comes out and the Biblically Accurate section gets muddled.. haha. JUST,, enjoy !!!

Canon

Sun

Unhinged

Potentially partially virused, though it’s generally assumed not

Theatrical antics

Probably overdramatic on purpose / playing his theater role but in a child care setting

LIGHTS ON!!

Overbearing, offputting, and loud

Stickler for rules and cleanliness

Keeps daycare clean and organized, but not himself or his room

Might not be restricted to daycare out of frame, but implications are present that he may be lonely

It’s unclear if he and Moon have a connection in their headspace, but it is sometimes assumed they don’t

Probably unaware of Moon’s virused state

Moon

Silly gremlin

Fully virused

Theatrical antics amplified; evil stage persona is more literal

Naptime protocol amplified; what feels to him like putting people to sleep is actually killing people

Childcare and entertainment programming still seems functional

Creepy

Loves to stalk, dance, and play pretend

Shares Sun’s obsession with rules and cleanup

Strong enough to knock out a Glamrock

Seems quite lightweight

Sounds like he has a built-in, broken music box ??

* HEADCANON: Has a different mode meant to reflect the gentler character he appears to be in the Moondrop candy advertisements, instead of his theater villain role

Anxious boys

Sun

Restricted to daycare, refuses to take even a single step out

Doesn’t know what he’s doing

Scares or hurts the kids on accident, proceeds to freak out over it

Weak to compliments and praise; he just wants to do a good job

Needs affirmation, stat

Will 100% fall in love with anyone who is consistently nice to him

Acts like a kicked puppy when spoken to sternly, lectured, or yelled at

Lets people walk all over him

Constant fidgeting

Stutters a lot

Stressed OUT

Constantly at his breaking point; help him

Moon

Self-conscious about his naturally creepy looks and mannerisms

Bad first impressions

Often keeps a distance, watching from afar

Uses few words

Wishes to be liked

A kid likes him? His child now.

Sad to see them go :(

Rather graceful, slow movements that give him eerie vibes

Tends to word things in ways that sound like red flags (like offering candy in a shady area), but doesn’t quite realize it

False reputation amongst patrons

Many complaints from parents for his bad vibes

Heavily misjudged; really means no harm

Wet napkin

Likes to dance on his wire; keeps him busy when he can’t socialize

Will perform many tricks for people who do become his friend

Never forgets anyone who is kind to him in even one instance

Confident boys / high experience DCA

Sun

Practically built for childcare; knows what to do in pretty much every situation

Loved by all the children

Social towards everyone, no matter how stubborn or closed off they may be

Manages to put a smile on all faces

Really not afraid of drawing attention or being embarrassing if it means making a child happy

Always knows just what to say

Very helpful to new employees

Might step outside the Daycare from time to time

Reads faces very well, in adults and children

Capable of disobeying protocols for more serious reasons

MUCH more observant than you think

Roasts Karens lol

Moon

Is both the Naptime Attendant and a nighttime security bot

Many children want to cuddle with him during nap time

Has a ton of patience

Especially loves getting to hold babies

Very protective of the little ones

The most feared security in the entire Pizzaplex

Takes his job as security bot very seriously; loves his job as a childcare worker

High Tech

DCA has many upgrades

Still very versatile and could be upgraded more

AI advanced enough to be considered eligible for human rights

Movements, speech, and feelings are very realistic, almost not robotic at all

Can experience human senses (smell, touch, etc.)

Softer casing to simulate a more human feel

Can blush and cry tears, but not bleed (unless it’s oil in their machinery)

Feels pain and temperature, and is ticklish

Can get overstimulated and feel disgust at certain textures

Has certain mannerisms that could classify them under certain diagnosable human conditions or mental disorders (which they technically aren’t; the diagnoses are worded for us humans to better understand and relate to)

Cannot get sick and doesn’t need to eat or breathe, but can pretend to

Has eyelids, lips, tongue, and movable facial features to emote better

Acts sleepy or drunk when low on battery, and genuinely feels like that

Has a simulated heartbeat and breathing

Waterproof

Multipurpose

Perfectly capable of obtaining a PHD

Seems to have built-in tools for almost anything, mostly for human health and first aid purposes

Might need some recovery time after P&S visits, similar to pain after human surgery (tight screws, rearranged wires, etc)

More capable of fighting viruses and defending themself and others

Low Tech

Basically a stereotypical cartoon robot

Still sentient and can learn, but still operates mostly on programming

Still have the basic qualities of Sun and Moon’s original personalities (cheery and loud; calm and quiet)

States what they’re doing out loud (processing, downloading, initiating protocol, etc.)

States warnings and errors out loud (low battery, update failed, null object reference, ERROR!!)

Static smile

Uses prerecorded lines often; new lines sometimes sound broken like AI or TTS

Might not understand certain topics

Might mishear you

Sometimes treats other everyday machinery like they are alive, mostly holding grudges, fearing them, or being jealous of them

Cares much more about the feelings of others than their own

Less capable of fighting viruses or preventing other unwanted actions towards them

Whores

Aimed towards the more mature side of the fandom

Bastards / smug / absolute sluts (affectionate or derogatory, whatever you feel lol)

Wear suits, ties, suspenders… fancy stuff

Shirts are often only partially buttoned, ties loose or just draping over

Also may wear feminine clothing, depending on the type of storyline

Can drink and smoke somehow

More laid back and flirtatious

Occasionally / casually threatening

Might have cool hats

Sometimes have guns / some kind of weapon

AWOOGA

Often involves suggestive implications

Call you nicknames you probably love but your Y/N often hates

Plot involving high stakes and serious danger

Simp material

We are attracted to any red flag they may have /hj

Animalistic

Sun

Dog

A big dog who thinks he’s a lap dog

Probably fell in love with you immediately

Separation anxiety / abandonment issues

Loyal; will always wait for you no matter what

Whines if you’re gone for too long :(

Misses you sooo much

Begs a lot

Head tilts

Extremely attentive, affectionate and excitable

Might tackle you

Loves playfighting

Always weak to praise and cuddles

Is a good boy, the best boy

Full of energy; loves to play

Rays fold backwards / retract when guilty, angry, or defensive

More apologetic than really necessary

Would probably be very sorry if you called him bad, even if he did nothing wrong

Easily excited / distracted at particular things or favorite items

Highly possessive of favorite items

Hides his favorite items in random corners of your house

Gets the zoomies (and may or may not accidentally break something from jumping over / running into furniture and stuff)

Very aware of people

Likes to sunbathe

Got muddy and needs a bath .. again

Has stim toys, many of them squeaky

Doesn’t sit on the couch right

Wants to protect you

Loves the outdoors and going for walkies

Always sleeps on your bed / somewhere in the same room

Wakes you with a complete ONSLAUGHT of smooches

Moon

Cat

First meeting was likely him hunting and pouncing at you

Still likes to stalk and prowl for fun / as a game

Likes to rest in elevated places, including the top of your fridge

Loafs

Hisses

Interested in silly / shiny little trinkets

Gremlin; knocks your stuff down on purpose and runs away

Has claws, could be retractable

Eyes dilate / shrink

Might flinch when touched, but still leans into it if he wants the attention

Slinks away from touch when distracted by something else

Likes to fall asleep on you; you can’t move (he is aware of this)

Likes laser pointers and dangly thingies

Enjoys sneaking up on you

Purrs (or has some robotic equivalent of purring, like whirring or broken music box)

Gets 3AM zoomies

Elegant s t r e t c h

Changes from bipedal to quadrupedal when he feels like it

Likes the window

Hates water, but likes to keep clean and tidy

Movements are fluid; he is liquid

Tries to fit into small spaces, twists his animatronic body to do so

Has favorite hiding places

Territorial

Hunts pests in your home if he’s bored.. might even bring them to you

Stares at you. Slow blinks. Affection.

Head bonks while sitting next to you

Lazy / sleepy bitch disease

Prefers to stay inside, but likes to explore occasionally and go for nighttime walkies

Always curls up beside you at night

You wake up to him kneading at you or rubbing his face on you

* DCA may have tails and / or beans

Brothers

Mostly tends to be a separate bodies view

Inseparable either way

Chaotic duo

Quite the opposite in a way they still have a close bond

Lots of playfighting

Sometimes actual fighting

Care a lot for each other, but have a sort of friendly rivalry

Never one without the other

Not afraid of speaking their mind plainly, to their benefit or detriment

Great teamwork on their better days

Immature pouting / silent treatment on their worse days

Do most everything together

Often competitive

Disagreements are most often more comedic than serious

Their fights are childish and silly; you can’t help but laugh

Sometimes complains about who the “big brother” is

Get into the silliest shenanigans; it’s trouble, but endearing all the same as they love having a story of adventure to tell

Know each other better than anyone else can

Look very closely after each other, especially when someone else gets close

Favorite colors are what the other wears most often / is themed after (Sun: blue; Moon: yellow)

Applies to their eye colors, especially if chosen by them for upgrades

While both are very different, both also exhibit certain behaviors that directly parallel / mirror the other

Lovers

(NOT brothers at the same time. Fuck off)

The most wholesome shit you’ve ever seen

Fluff, comfort, cuddles, words of affirmation… the dream

Tons of celestial nicknames, phrases, and metaphors

Very poetic; immerses you in calm, dreamlike scenery, like a storybook

Emotional support partners

Each often doesn’t take care of themself until the other notices and helps them

The cutest little dates (tea parties, art sessions, and sleepovers are common)

Still prone to angst, but has a happy ending

I hope

AUGHH

That is all for now; I hope you enjoyed!! If we have a continuation of this, I have category ideas, such as a Cartoonish DCA, a DCA with very very many features, Sun and Moon as enemies, or any other types of DCA you have in mind! Thanks for reading :D

#sundrop #moondrop #fnaf #fnaf security breach #fnaf sb #fnaf sun #fnaf moon #daycare attendant #k rambles #k’s writing #???#man it’s 2:38 AM

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youknowwhoiamassbutt · 4 months

Text

Shanks and Buggy give off sad girl vibes

There are two songs with very similar vibes (sad girl vibes) that I think summarize the differences between Buggy and Shanks’s perspectives on themselves and their relationship really well.

The song that I think very accurately (don’t worry, we’re about to get into it) encapsulates Buggy’s perspective is Intrusive Thoughts by Natalie Jane. The song that I think encapsulates Shanks’s perspective really well is Locksmith by Sadie Jean.

Now to get into it:

Let’s do Buggy first since his song was the first one I knew. Intrusive Thoughts is inwardly focused, focused on the artist’s perspective about themself instead of the relationship. Buggy is a very inwardly focused individual, he doesn’t think about other people’s perspectives or experiences, he is completely focused on what he wants and how he feels. This is why he’s never been able to reflect on how he hurt Shanks and only how Shanks hurt him. How SHANKS betrayed HIM, and never how HE betrayed SHANKS.

The song reflects on the artist’s fears of never finding love, or, more importantly, having love and messing up due to insecurity. This is exactly what Buggy did, and I think he fears that he’ll never get past that mistake and, put in the same circumstance, would make it again.

The song reflects on the artist’s fears of dying before getting to express their true feelings, dying before self-actualization, something I think Buggy fears but is too afraid to actually confront. I think Buggy has always hoped that he and Shanks would reunite, that by the end of their lives, they’d be together again, but he’s too full of pride and anger to make that decision.

The song also discusses the fear that love isn’t something the artist can achieve successfully, another thing I think Buggy fears. He avoids love because he doesn’t think he can do it without messing it up or getting hurt, or messing it up so that he won’t get hurt.

The song talks about craving love, but hiding it, something Buggy desperately craves but pretends he wants nothing to do with.

Here are the lyrics, feel free to skip:

I’m historically heartbroken,

Drowning in my own emotions,

One minute away from breaking down.

I’m always leaving emptyhanded,

No one wants a heart that’s damaged,

Only know a love that lets me down.

Staring contest with the walls,

I’m giving in to my intrusive thoughts.

What if I never find anybody to love?

Or I finally get the chance and I fuck it all up?

Cause I can’t get hurt if I’m the first one to leave.

What if I get to heaven and it’s not even real?

And I die before telling you how I really feel?

Cause it feels like hell and I just can’t help but think,

That maybe love’s not for me?

If you don’t look too closely,

You can’t even tell I’m lonely,

Even though it keeps me up at night.

I try to keep myself distracted,

But I’ve got all these awful habits,

Of listening to voices in my mind.

Staring contest with the walls,

I’m giving in to my intrusive thoughts.

What if I never find anybody to love?

Or I finally get the chance and I fuck it all up?

Cause I can’t get hurt if I’m the first one to leave.

What if I get to heaven and it’s not even real?

And I die before telling you how I really feel?

Cause it feels like hell and I just can’t help but think,

Maybe love’s not for me?

Now let's move on to shanks:

Locksmith is focused on the relationship, yes it is from the perspective of the artist, but it is focusing on the relationship as a whole rather than the exclusive experience of the artist. Shanks is pretty good at taking in others’ perspectives and seeing other people’s experiences, I mean, he has to with the empathy powers of Observation Haki. While he did mope around for a while and let himself feel his individual pain over the relationship ending, he had enough perspective to understand that if this was what Buggy needed, he had to respect that and let Buggy move on.

The song discusses the need to move on with life and move past the past with a sad reminiscence, but an openness for the future, something Shanks did very well. Shanks let himself move on, let himself discover his own path while still orchestrating his father figure’s legacy from the background. He has bittersweet feelings for the past, he appreciates his time with Buggy but is sad that it’s a time long gone, but he still has love in his heart and a willingness to invite Buggy back into his life if given the chance.

The song talks about how the relationship was so far in the past, but the artist’s feelings remain the same, and this is perfectly Shanks. No matter how long it’s been since he’s seen or heard from Buggy, his love will never change or fade, Buggy is a part of him and he always will be.

The song is a promise of eternal love, a promise that no one will ever hold the space in the artist’s heart that that person held, there’s no further explanation needed, this is just Shanks, Mr. eternal puppy dog love.

The song speaks about premature love, the participants were too young when they embarked on their romance but hopefully in the future they will be in the right place for each other. Shanks and Buggy were too young, they made promises they couldn’t keep, they were changing too fast. They had different paths to go down and didn’t understand what that meant. It was a classic “right one at the wrong time”. Shanks has always hoped that if he waits long enough, they’ll finally be in the right time, they will have found themselves enough to come back together and be right for each other.

The song talks fondly of the separation providing room for exploration, and how that exploration allowed for a deeper appreciation for that original love, and talks about reserving love. I mean, I know a lot of people have a different opinion about Mihawk, but personally, I can’t see Shanks’s relationship with that man being anything but sexual. I don’t think he has romantic room in his heart for anyone other than Buggy, but that’s not for lack of trying.

Just like the song, Shanks respects Buggy’s request for space, that’s why he never reached out, but he has a want for Buggy to reach out.

Here are the lyrics:

This is the last song I’ll write about you.

I need to move on, I think you do too.

You were all that I wanted, you know that you still are,

Cause I’ve been alright yeah, but you showed me better.

I know that we’re changing, but nothing feels different.

I’m breaking the silence to say;

If in ten years time, I’m still on your mind, would you call and, say you want this?

No matter where we are, you still have my heart, cause I locked it, and I promise,

You’re the locksmith.

We said forever, and said it too soon.

At least now I know nobody feels like you do.

You were all that I wanted, you know that you still are,

I’m breaking the silence to say,

If in ten years time, I’m still on your mind, would you call and, say you want this?

No matter where we are, you still have my heart, cause I locked it, and I promise,

You’re the locksmith.

You’re the one that I can see me growing old with,

Build a house, I see it now, you plant me roses.

And everything we dreamed about came into focus,

Here’s to hoping.

If in ten years time, I’m still on your mind, could you call and say you want this?

No matter where we are, you still have my heart, cause I locked it, and I promise,

You’re the locksmith.

In summary, Buggy’s song is about regret and fear, Shanks’s is about hope and gratitude.

#I obsess over songs #sorry #shuggy #shanks and buggy #buggy x shanks

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lurkingshan · 1 year

Text

The Eighth Sense 9&10

Gosh Jae Won looks so sad

Yesssss therapist call him out. Avoiding Ji Hyun is not helping anyone. Hurting and confusing someone because you want to avoid hurting and confusing them - this logic never holds up.

Joon Pyo calling him narcissistic 🤣 You’re right though, Ji Hyun

Ae Ri giving such good advice you truly are a queen👑

Ji Hyun has the best friends. They’re kind, empathetic, supportive. He’s lucky to have found them so quickly.

No Ji Hyun don’t let Eun Ji get into your head!

The hands!!! I am screaming

Yoon Won really feels clueless sometimes, geez. Can she not see that her friend is traumatized? Why is she making him relive the trip? And yeah clearly she is going through her own stuff but ma’am look outside yourself. Even in the state he’s in, Jae Won sees her pain and responds and I wish she could do the same for him.

Jae Won please stop letting this girl hang all over you, she is so manipulative and you must know exactly what she’s doing. Also pretty disgusted with her trying to get him into bed when he’s in this state. She’s despicable.

Oh poor Ji Hyun, that was awful

Yes Jae Won you are being cruel to Ji Hyun at this point. Sit with it, process it, do something about it. That little smile when he stops in front of Ji Hyun’s restaurant - that felt like him making a decision.

Detective Joon Pyo!

Ji Hyun giving him a camera and a sketch 😭

Time to dump her, Jae Won! Yesssss I knew it

She really was a cheater, huh? I’m not surprised.

I like that Jae Won has snapped out of it and now recognizes that allowing himself to slide back into things with Eun Ji was him actually being out of his mind, whereas being with Ji Hyun was real.

LOVE Jae Won going to boss lady for advice. He seems so much lighter just having ended it with Eun Ji.

Not Ji Hyun flashbacks my heart can’t take it

IS THAT CONAN GRAY OMG THIS SHOW IS TRYING TO KILL ME

Omg I’m crying he went to him!!!

THAT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL

This bed montage… how am I supposed to recover

Aww Ji Hyun is still scared

Jae Won reassuring him so clearly, these boys have communicated

Joon Pyo gave them the room for the night, what a great pal

They’re so cute how do I live how do I function

Jae Won looking at Ji Hyun with naked adoration, teasing him about using banmal, putting his jacket on him… I may never recover

I love Ji Hyun asking for clarity, and them talking so openly about why they’re happy. Healthy kings!

Aww yay, glad something good happened for Yoon Won.

Not Ji Hyun admitting he doesn’t actually care about surfing 🤣 and calling Jae Won out on pretending to need a lighter 🤣🤣

Ji Hyun is low key a little scared to part from Jae Won and I get it

Yes Ae Ri put it together!!! I love her, she is officially my favorite woman character in a bl

Jae Won looks so much better. Just putting an end to denying himself Ji Hyun has done wonders for his mood.

This asshole is actually asking for an apology from Jae Won? Get fucked, Tae Hyung

Ahh Jae Won you need to cut this toxic friend out of your life. But we can’t expect him to change his entire personality in a day. And I do like this explanation for why Jae Won keeps him around - he is comforted by his lack of filter and mask. He always knows where he stands with him, and maybe admires a little that he’s so open.

Jae Won openly smiling at Ji Hyun in front of everyone, we love to see it

They gotta figure out when their day one is, this is very important in dramas!

Yesss Bit Na drag him!!!!

Jae Won if you did not actually mean to come out to Yoon Won you need to be more subtle than that 🤣

Yoon Won and Joon Pyo… I’m picking up a vibe

Jae Won is so much kinder to Eun Ji than she deserves

“I want to be alone with you” 👀

Ji Hyun’s endless list of cheesy couple stuff he wants to do is honestly so cute

Hahaha I knew it

“I have no time to think about anything but you”

Ji Hyun, gracious in victory. Not totally buying Eun Ji suddenly being this chill in defeat, though.

T8S is unfortunately doing the very common kdrama thing of giving shitty characters unearned redemption at the end. Tae Hyung and Eun Ji deserved to be cut off, not receive forgiveness they absolutely did not earn.

Ahh that ending was nice. Ji Hyun coming into his confidence - emotional and physical - is such such a great place to leave that character.

I absolutely loved this show. Episode 9 was the peak for me - that was such excellent emotional catharsis and every moment of it felt earned. The final episode was not perfect - some annoying kdrama tropes reared their heads and I thought tonally it was a little too celebratory - but overall I am ending this series feeling fantastic. What a great ride.

#the eighth sense #gotta go back to work now and pretend to be normal #pray for me #shan shouts into the void

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inlovewith-icecream · 26 days

Note

the gleejack brainrot continues but god rachel and finn give me diane and mr peanutbutter vibesss lmao. damn also brittana kinda alskjfslk just whatever couple i dislike i guess lmao

"Your age of stagnation is when you stop growing. For most people, it's when they get married, settle into a routine. You meet someone who loves you unconditionally and never challenges you or wants you to change, and then you never change."

But yeah like the golden retriever partner that falls into the toxic positivity mindset and or doing these grand gestures that prove they dont actually know their partner at all alkfjslkd at least diane never had a sex tape released thank goddd but mr pb sure af didnt know when to keep personal private things personal and private (their engagement for one)

Gleejack brainrot forever <3 no but seriously though yeah I do see the thing with Mr Peanutbutter/Diane actually, I’d also add “You know sometimes I feel like our marriage is like a magic eye poster…and it’s messy. And at first glance, it doesn’t seem to make any sense. And it’s hard to figure out. But sometimes if you squint at it just right everything lines up and it’s the most perfect, beautiful amazing thing. But, I’m so tired of squinting”

Though as for comparisons…idk, I’d say Brittany and Santana fit the theme much better than Finchel? And this is drearily painful to say as a fan of Finchel hatred (akshajajak) and Brittana but idk they just give off that “toxic positivity let’s pretend it’s all okay” vibe a bit more.

If I were to compare Finchel to anything…I’d say more BoJack vibes? And yeah it’s a much more gloomier(?) dynamic (and ofc as much as I hate Finn I am obviously aware he’s not a BoJack level piece of shit aksdjgksl) but its kind of just. That whole ‘yeah I can be terrible and we are terrible but we’ll ignore it and it’ll be funny and endearing until there’s one day and then it’s not anymore’. (Idk how else to best describe it :/). Overall I’d say BoJack/Wanda is the best comparison; not toxic to the point it’s triggering (ahem BoJack/Gina) but it’s still toxic positivity in a way, and idk I think the “we’re just two lonely people using each other to feel less lonely” is actually kind of applicable here (actually PCJack!finchel something to think about) because she’s ambitious but she gets slushied walking down the hallways / he’s the popular quarterback but that doesn’t mean he knows who he is.

And it’s so funny because; “When you’re looking through rose-colored glasses, all the red flags just look like flags.” They both have that thing the other wants (Status/Ambition) and that makes them ‘perfect’ to each other but at the end of the day that’s no foundation for a relationship and perfect to each other doesn’t make them perfect for each other (but also BoWanda also gives off the same Brittana vibes because laugh off the problems and they don’t exist until one day they do and astgjsfshh BH what have you done to me), and most of all “First you didn’t know me, then you fell in love with me, and now you know me.” :/ the incompatibility and idolization issues whyyy

But uhhhh back to Diane/PB (and I guess Brittana) yeah they fall into that “Yeah this isn’t right, and we can’t really see eye to eye on it, but we’re us so it’s okay.” And it’s like. Yes it’s squinting but you’re so used to squinting that, yeah whatever it’s not healthy but it’s what you know and you’re visions being replaced by ruby quartz so the red flags just look like flags and the lilies look like romantic roses. I mean its literally golden retriever x dark haired traumatized gal lmao, but yeah the ‘age of stagnation’ I’d say it applies pretty well, because I’m sure they love each other genuinely but the unconditional love aspect is just…only really beneficial to them at most, and even then it’s detrimental, because sometimes you need a little push as well as the pull, someone who’ll actually keep you in check.

And there actually is still the pushing, yet still not in the right direction, more in the “I know what’s good for you and us so I’ll do it” and…that still relates to the ‘age of stagnation’ thing; you push these boundaries and it’s not okay but it’s what you have done and you continue doing, so what’s the end result if you don’t push each other to or want to change? You continue pushing right past those borders and you don’t even care about reinforcing those boundaries. And over time and time again, you keep having conversations then keep doing things, you keep never changing and never being motivated to change, and suddenly one day you may just find yourself incompatible by the end of it.

(Though to be more critical, on whether that dynamic would lead to some sort of implosion like with Mr Peanutbutter and Diane eventually…I actually wouldn’t say so? Dont get me wrong, it’s still. Not a healthy dynamic. But I just kind of think they’re more…settled into it? I mean it’s been like that since they were teens, and it tied them to each other, and especially when you’re younger those roots are hard to dig out and pull free from, especially when you both seem pretty content and accepting of that being your dynamic actually).

Gah, why do all these BoJack asks end up being so long aksjakdhjsksjdjak

#glee #can I tag this as meta as this point #actually yeah it’s probably not deep enough to be meta but alas #anti brittana #anti finchel #asks #angelhummel #bojack horseman #sorrry I took a week to get to this alsajajaj fuck exams #okay well I still have exams buutttttdkajdjsjajs #from now onwards unplugging until june for me </3 #glee meta

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comradekatara · 2 years

Note

Your mention that Azula thinks she'd win the hunger games left me intrigued. How would the gaang strategize in the hunger games and who would actually win?

the second I alluded to this I knew someone was gonna follow up and on one hand I feel like I could map out how this would go but on the other hand it’s inherently a very sad and fucked up AU so like... read at your own discretion. at first I was just gonna do bullet points like usual but then this turned into... something else.

(also please note I have not read this book since its release; I read it in one night, was like “that was kind of heavyhanded and the prose could use some work, but as far as kids’ dystopian commentary goes, its not too bad” and then never read the sequels, though I have seen a couple of the movies... so, my memories of the nuances of this world are extremely fuzzy...)

katara gets selected at the ceremony, and obviously, immediately, sokka volunteers as tribute. katara tries to protest just out of sheer shock and horror, but sokka won’t take no for an answer. he’s always known that if katara was chosen he would volunteer in her place; at that point it’s not even a question for him. unfortunately this means that since they now have a boy tribute, they need another girl from their district, and that girl happens to be yue. and sokka can’t volunteer twice, so.

they head to the capitol together and yue tells sokka that she knows she has no chance of winning, so he shouldn’t even bother trying to protect her. he needs to focus on his own survival, because he needs to be there for katara—he volunteered for her in the first place. sokka knows that she’s right, but he’s also utterly heartbroken. yue suggests that they make the most of the time they have left together, and sokka reluctantly agrees.

their PR coordinator is very intent on pushing the “‘they're childhood sweethearts they’re so in love how absolutely beautiful and tragic’ angle,” which sokka and yue absolutely cannot stand because they don’t want the most intimate details of their lives being publicized as spectacle for the entertainment of their oppressors (you know, more than it already is). it would be one thing if they were manipulating the media for their benefit, but they actually are in love, so it just feels gross.

yue is very beloved by the audience due to her ethereal beauty and soft-spoken charm. she’s just self-aware and acerbic enough, without being too alienating. sokka responds to every question he’s asked with bitter sarcasm, which some people find amusing, but most find offputting due to his “bad attitude.” he couldn’t give less of a fuck how he’s perceived by these people, though. he just wants to make it through so he can go back home to katara, and he doesn’t care about anything or anyone else.

suki complicates matters by being friendly and flirty with him, and since he recognizes that she’s also a good person trapped in a shitty situation, he is friendly enough with her while also trying to keep her at a distance. he doesn’t want to make alliances in the arena, because any hesitation on his part could cost him katara’s safety and he can’t afford that.

but, he does have a soft spot for the blind twelve year old who knows exactly how to work a crowd’s sympathies and is secretly witty and sharp and hilarious. his heart also aches for the tiny bald kid who keeps establishing that he is a staunch pacifist and will not compromise his principles for anyone. sokka knows that even if he doesn’t want to have to look out for anyone else out there, he’s probably going to end up taking toph and/or aang under his wing regardless. but suki seems like she can fend for herself, so sokka pretends like he doesn’t care about her inevitable fate. he’s already grieving yue as it is.

as far as the other tributes go, sokka gets distinctly bad vibes from azula (too intense, seems almost happy to be there?), ty lee (too cheerful, what is she hiding?), and jet (too slimy, just rancid vibes, ugh), but otherwise doesn’t consider anyone else particularly memorable. the guy who came with suki has a pretty terrible mustache, but sokka doesn’t think that means he deserves to die.

unfortunately, that’s not his choice to make, so as he’s left in an arena with a bunch of other kids, he grabs the first weapons he sees and then runs off into the woods, in the opposite direction of all the others, making sure he doesn't leave an obvious trail. he hides underneath the thickest foliage where he’ll have cover. he pretends it doesn’t matter to him that he doesn’t know where yue’s gone as he stores up food for later. he finds a tree to take shelter in and waits.

meanwhile, aang is on the other side of the arena, desperately hoping that if he hides somewhere and waits it out for as long as possible, maybe he’ll survive. he knows it’s unlikely, but it’s the only choice he has. toph tries to follow aang, which is difficult because he has the lightest footsteps, but she feels an urge to keep him safe, and she knows that he’s not gonna defend himself if anyone comes for him.

when azula volunteered as tribute upon zuko’s selection, it was partially due to the fact that she knew that zuko would never make it out there, and mostly due to the fact that she’s always wanted the chance to win one of these things. it’s the ultimate chance to prove herself, to test her tactical skills in a perfectly fair fight. and the glory she’d receive upon winning is only a perk. zuko is horrified, and grateful. while azula smiles and smiles, he throws up into the sink all night. when asked about his sister, zuko scowls and responds, “azula will be fine. it’s everyone else i’m worried about.” no one knows whether or not he means it.

when mai is selected, ty lee has no choice but to volunteer. mai is all soft and gooey inside, like a burnt marshmallow; ty lee simply can’t let this happen. so she does the unthinkable: she risks her own safety for love. mai doesn’t know whether to kiss ty lee or kill her herself. ultimately, she doesn’t have time for either, as ty lee is whisked away on a train headed to the capitol.

sokka spends the night watching faces he barely knew projected into the sky, waiting for yue’s face. but she isn’t there. she’s still alive, for now. despite being on edge the whole night, he manages to sleep without external disturbances. no one has found him, yet. he wakes up the next morning, marveling at his uncharacteristic luck. he isn’t aware of the bloodbath occurring on the other side of the arena.

suki doesn’t know how many people she’s had to kill, only that they swarmed her and she used necessary self-defense. but she finds herself at an impasse with ty lee. she’s too quick, too agile. suki’s sure that if she wasn’t fighting for her life right now, ty lee would have already beaten her. they’ve run off from the central crowd, using trees as cover and branches as weapons, but neither can seem to get an advantage on the other. finally, ty lee concedes. “truce?” she asks, holding out a palm filled with small red berries.

suki rolls her eyes. “girlie we both know those are poisonous.”

ty lee shrugs, “it was worth a shot,” she says. “you don’t know how many guys have already fallen for that.”

suki is startled to find herself laughing. nobody can help being disarmed by ty lee. they decide to form a tentative alliance, if only because they both know that they could’ve been friends, maybe even something more, if they weren’t both stuck in this damn arena. they tell each other about their home lives—what does it matter anyway—and that night they take turns on watch while huddled for warmth.

sokka hears footsteps approaching and is immediately on alert. today, only one person tried to attack him, and he subdued the guy easily, with a merciful knife to the throat. he’s counting on his good luck running out any minute now. and he’s right. it’s yue, covered in blood, although, she assures, not her own. “there have already been so many close calls,” she admits. “it’s sheer luck that I’m still alive now.” sokka doesn’t tell her that he killed someone today. instead, they kiss because they still can. “I realized something,” yue tells him. “if im going to get killed in here, I want it to be you who kills me.”

sokka can’t believe his ears, suddenly ringing. his hands feel numb. “I can’t do that,” he tells her. “you know we agreed to only kill in self-defense. and.... I can’t. I just can’t. are you crazy? I’m not doing that. no. absolutely not.”

yue smiles at him, and takes his hand. “we agreed that I wasn’t gonna make it, sokka. this is the only way I want to go.” even as sokka asks if this is, somehow, a trick, he knows she means it. yue would never lie to him. she genuinely wants him to do something utterly unthinkable.

sokka adamantly refuses. he simply cannot do this. “what if, instead, we keep each other safe until the end, and then you kill me? then you can go home and look after my family. you get to live, I get to die, and my family will be in good hands with you. isn’t that a good plan?” there are tears in his eyes, but he finds this proposal all very logical. after all, yue is without a doubt the best person he knows. she deserves to live more than anyone, and he doesn’t even really want to live anyway. it’s not like life’s so great, especially if he can’t have yue by his side.

she looks at him so sadly, with something disgustingly close to pity. “okay,” yue agrees softly. “that’s a good plan, sokka.” she kisses his forehead, shifting closer to him so that they can sleep. she promises to keep watch for tonight so that sokka can get some rest, and he trusts her so implicitly that he actually lets her.

yue lies there for a very long time, taking in the sounds around her. everything feels so alive in a way she hasn’t let herself notice in years. even in this artificial hellscape, she can feel the roots of the tree pressed against her back, the buzzing of insects, every blade of grass poking through her fingers. and of course, sokka beside her, who snores like an old man and mutters incoherent nonsense in his sleep. as quietly as possible, she extricates his knife from his boot, and points the tip of the blade to her heart.

sokka wakes up with the distinct feeling of something having gone terribly wrong. he is just alert enough to witness the moonlight glinting off his knife as yue makes the plunge. he is helpless to stop her. he bites his tongue from crying out, and holds her as she fades. “why?” he asks, his voice hoarse and desperate. “I could have protected you. I would have—“

“get home safe,” says yue. “for katara, okay? i love you.”

“no. no. yue. don’t go.” sokka blinks back tears as yue coughs up blood.

“goodbye sokka. i will always be with you.”

distantly, a canon goes off.

sokka just holds her. he doesn’t know for how long. her body feels unnaturally still. he remembers prying katara off their mother’s corpse as she screamed. he takes three small strands of yue’s hair and braids it, tying both ends with string from the frayed edges of her shirt. then he takes his knife and cuts her braid, pocketing it. in the coming weeks, he will bring it to her father, his head bowed as he apologizes profusely. arnook will put a hand on sokka’s shoulder and thank him earnestly, and the bile of guilt and shame that has been steadily rising in sokka his whole life will threaten to burst.

sokka is still holding her when a hovercraft descends to retrieve her body. he throws a rock at the machine’s vulnerable underbelly, and it crashes into the ground. he doesn’t know what they do with their dead bodies, but if it’s anything similar to the apathy with which they treat them alive, he doesn’t want her in their hands. perhaps they send them back home, for a proper funeral. but that’s not a risk he’s willing to take. he’s going to hold her a funeral right here, before another hovercraft comes.

he doesn’t exactly have the time or resources to dig a ditch, but he supposes that he can at least let her sink to the bottom of the lake. he would give her a viking funeral, but he doesn’t have time to build a raft, and anyway he doesn’t know if he can stand to watch her burn. he takes as many rocks as he possibly can and slides them into her shirt, tucking the hem into her pants afterwards so that they won’t fall out. then he picks all the flowers he can find and fashions it into a bouquet, folding her hands over her heart with the flowers nestled between.

sokka carries her still, leaden body into the deepest part of the lake he can reach, almost neck deep, before letting her sink. some flowers rise to the surface in her wake.

back home, katara watches with tears in her eyes, more furious than she ever has been in her entire life, and that’s saying something. she’s never watched the games before, of course she would never be complicit in such a brutal and gratuitous ritual, but she has an obligation this year, to her brother who stupidly sacrificed himself for her because he’s stupid.

she had known yue ever since they were children, back when she was just sokka’s best friend. their mothers had died a year apart; while katara’s mom was murdered, yue’s had passed away over the course of a slow, unyielding illness—but they both died at the hands of the system. yue was her sister, and more than that, she had meant everything to sokka.

watching the factionalism and cultic madness that the other side of the arena had quickly descended into had made katara sick, but not nearly as sick as watching sokka slice open the throat of a teenage boy like he was making quick work of dinner, sighing resolutely and closing the boy’s eyelids, fashioning his body into a coffin-ready position and putting a stone over his ribcage, before picking up his shit and walking away. not nearly as sick as watching two twelve years old run through the woods, one blind and the other so painfully gentle. not nearly as sick as watching sokka hold yue, cutting back to the bloodbath, and then back to sokka, still in the same pose, the same grief etched on his face.

katara had never watched the games before. as helpless as she was to stop them, the least she could do was not endorse the violence with her tacit gaze. she watches them now. she makes a silent and resolute vow to end them.

once the funeral is over, sokka just sits there, staring out into the distance on a nearby rock, letting himself dry off slowly without the aid of a fire. he’s not crying. he feels too numb to cry. he doesn’t know if it’s been minutes or hours when he hears a rustling from a nearby bush.

“DON’T COME NEAR ME RIGHT NOW,” he yells without moving. “I DON’T WANT TO HAVE TO KILL YOU.”

“woah, it’s just me,” suki says, approaching with her arms up. “i’m not gonna hurt you.”

sokka relaxes slightly. he’s still in indescribable pain, but at least suki isn’t a threat. she walks over to the edge of the rock he’s sitting on and tilts her head. he nods, which she takes as permission to sit with him.

“so this is where you’ve been hiding,” suki says admiringly. “I think everyone just assumed you were dead.”

“why would they have assumed that?” sokka asks, slightly offended. so far, staying alive has been the easy part.

“well, you didn’t form any alliances,” suki explains. “pretty much everyone was either team azula or team jet.”

sokka wrinkles his nose. “ew. why?” he finds it concerningly easy to fall into banter with her, like the love of his life didn’t just die because of him.

suki laughs. “at least in an alliance you had people who had your back. anyone who didn’t pick a side got killed fast. of course, the azulas also killed the jets and vice versa. it was a whole bloodbath.” sokka wonders if he should be disturbed by how unfazed she seems by it, but maybe she just hasn’t let herself actually process it yet. every time they interact, it feels like a respite. only a few days ago, this fact used to worry him, but right now it’s a comfort.

“so whose side were you on?” sokka asks. he recalls both azula and jet, and can’t decide which name he’d rather hear.

“neither,” suki says. “i’m just hard to kill.”

admittedly, this impresses sokka. “if we tried to kill each other, who’d you reckon would win?” he asks.

“i’d probably let you kill me, if it came down to it,” suki says nonchalantly. “but if it weren’t for your whole ‘sacrificing yourself for your sister’ thing, i’d kick your ass.”

sokka groans. “so you know about that,” he says.

“uh, yeah dude. it’s a core part of your whole deal. sacrificing yourself for your sister, only for it to turn out that you’re actually a sarcastic asshole who hates everyone.” she smiles, but sokka misses that she’s attempting to pay him a compliment.

he stares at her incredulously. “maybe i’d be nicer to everyone if we weren’t all trying to kill each other in some fucked up death game reality show, but forgive me for being unsatisfied with my circumstances.” he stares out at the lake once more. “and I don’t hate everyone,” he corrects.

“trust me, I don’t blame you,” responds suki. “the way you talked back to all those stupid bitches in the capitol was hilarious.”

sokka rolls his eyes. “well it’s a relief to know that I could play the jester before entering their coliseum.” he doesn’t even care anymore, is the thing. he just wants to see katara again.

suki looks around at all the hidden cameras. "do you think they're watching us now?"

"honestly? i don't care," sokka replies. "anyone who willingly watches this shit is subhuman. their voyeurism matters as much to me as, like, being watched by mosquitos."

"what about your loved ones?" she asks. "don't you think your sister is watching?"

sokka laughs. "katara would never violate her principles like that," he says. "not even for me. not even for yue."

"not even after you sacrificed your life for her?" suki asks. "isn't she grateful?"

sokka smiles for the first time in weeks. "grateful? please. she was furious."

"seems like a great sister."

"she's the best." it's the most earnest thing they'll ever catch him saying.

"so you've never watched the games before?" suki asks. "because your strategy has been impeccable so far."

sokka rolls his eyes. "my 'strategy' has just been to kill anyone who gets in my way."

"really?" she asks. "how many people have you killed, then?"

sokka makes a big show of counting on his fingers. "one... and a half."

"half?"

"well, technically she committed suicide, but it's my fault. i should've stopped her."

suki thinks about what brought her here, to sokka, to the games. she thinks about ty lee, telling her that she also has lots of sisters. none of them cared about her the way suki's did when she boarded the platform. only mai had cared, and mai has zuko, which is. well. it's better than nothing, right? suki doesn't know who zuko is, but she nods sympathetically. technically, azula cares too, but she cares more about winning. ty lee doesn't really care about winning. she cares about not dying. or at least, she did, and then she watched a blind twelve year old girl shatter an extremely tall wannabe cult leader teenage boy's ribcage with a sharp, jagged rock, his lungs slowly collapsing in on themselves, and she thought maybe dying on her own terms wouldn't be so bad. she cuts her handful of berries in half, handing some to suki. "in case you ever need an out," she tells her. "or run into some gullible boys." then she puts the rest in her mouth, chews, and swallows.

"yeah," agrees suki. "i know what you mean."

mai didn't cry when she watched ty lee kill herself. it felt too much like a twisted joke she would play on her friends; she'd always had a fucked up sense of humor. but now that the other girl, suki, is acknowledging it, even if only slightly, it suddenly sinks in. everything feels real again, like it hasn't since that day she got selected.

zuko is at her house, even though they technically live in different districts, to watch the games with her. after all, it's not just her best friends in the games, but his sister. they sit on her bed in front of the tv, mai occasionally offering zuko a chip even though it's clear that he has no stomach for it. mai only sort of gets it. yeah, she's sort of nauseous herself, but she could always go for junk food.

she cries now, at first only slightly, then mouth covered in snot, shoulders shaking, muffled sobs into zuko's chest. he'd have thought she was too numb for this, but he's secretly pleased that now she can't fault him for crying during yue's funeral. "you don't even know her," mai had said, as if that had mattered.

sokka and suki sit in unbroken silence for so long that the tv cuts back to the other side of the arena. zuko's stomach sinks in disappointment, and lower still when he realizes who he's back to watching. of course she'd still be alive. he no longer knows whom to root for. it's not like he wants azula to die, but she's not the only one who sacrificed herself for her sibling.

now that the others have been eliminated, she’s tracking down the ones who managed to escape. the bald boy and the blind girl have light footsteps, but they’ve still left a trail to follow. indents in the mud and slightly crushed leaves lead azula to where aang and toph are sitting under the shade of the tree, playing some sort of game with their hands.

they’re both laughing, which is good. it means they’re off their guard. as long as aang doesn’t see her and toph doesn’t hear her, azula can finish them both off without breaking a sweat.

“okay, now how many fingers am I holding up?” aang asks.

as usual, toph has no idea, but she’s suddenly alert. “aang, watch out, I think there’s someone h—“

azula’s knife plunges into aang’s back before he even has time to turn around. toph can hear his weak cry and the sound of a blade piercing flesh, before azula takes the knife out once more and aang slumps over immediately.

she lunges for toph next, but toph is faster. she jumps out of the way, picking up the bloodied rock she’d previously used to kill jet that she’s been carrying on her as a weapon. she swings the rock around so wildly that it knocks the knife out of azula’s hand by sheer chance. she’s shocked, but doesn’t let this deter her. toph is tiny and blind, it’s not like she stands a chance against azula.

what? everyone's thinking it.

“i’m sorry about your girlfriend,” says suki. she may as well say something.

“mhmm,” sokka hums. he’s still not ready to talk about it. he doesn’t know if he’ll ever be.

suki tries to lighten the mood, because she doesn’t know what else to do. “i never had any luck with dating,” she says. “one girl dumped me because i was ‘too intense,’ and another girl dumped me because i ‘never took anything seriously.’” sokka looks at her. “yes, the irony is not lost on me.”

“i didn’t say anything.”

suki smiles, thinking about how sokka is funny but intense too. she knows he had a girlfriend regardless, but she can’t help but picture the life they could’ve had together, outside of the games. it’s a lovely impossibility.

sokka is so, so tired. “if i fell asleep right now, would you kill me?” he asks suki.

“no,” she answers honestly. “i can keep watch for us if you want.”

“thanks,” he says, falling asleep on a rock as if that’s remotely comfortable. a little package descends from the sky with a knife in it. suki picks it up, frowns, and pockets it. who do these game designers think they are?

he wakes up a few hours later. “thanks for not killing me,” he says. “we can swap now.” suki boldly rests her head in his lap, but he doesn’t protest. his pants are still slightly damp from submerging himself fully in the lake earlier, but she decides not to question it. he sits there for hours, thinking about how just last night, he had lost yue. he won’t let that happen again.

suki awakes with the light. "good morning,” she says.

“when did you get that knife?” sokka asks her. it hadn’t been there yesterday.

suki unsheathes it. “oh, this?” she asks. “the game designers gave it to me while you were sleeping. i think they thought it would incentivize me to finish the job.”

sokka laughs, pulling out a shiny new knife of his own. “what a coincidence,” he says. “they gave me one too.”

suddenly, they both hear a rustling, so quiet it’s almost imperceptible, but distinctly human. they grip their knives tighter.

a little girl covered in blood walks into the clearing, holding a rock like a weapon.

sokka and suki beam at each other. “toph!” sokka cries, running straight towards her and pulling her into a hug. she is so surprised that she drops her rock for the first time in days, and hugs him back.

“hi, toph,” suki says, realizing that she can’t see her.

“so, is this it?” toph asks. “you’re the only people i’ve run into since i killed azula. are we the last ones left?”

“you killed azula?” suki asks.

“don’t act so shocked,” toph replies. “i killed jet too.”

“what happened to aang?” sokka asks. not that he particularly wants to hear the answer.

“azula snuck up on us and killed him,” toph says matter-of-factly, like she hasn’t been crying on and off all day. “so i bashed her head in with good old rocky here.”

“impressive,” says sokka. “do you want a knife?” he asks her. “it might be more practical. and we have extra.”

“you’re really offering me a weapon?” toph asks. “when you’re gonna have to kill me, and we just established that i’m more dangerous i look?”

“well i wouldn’t kill you unless you tried to kill me,” sokka says. “and in that case, i’d want it to be a fair fight.”

toph bursts into tears again, collapsing to her knees. sokka sits on the ground and holds her as she cries. suki leans against sokka’s other side, reaching her arm across sokka’s shoulders to rub toph’s back. they just sit there while toph cries, occasionally saying things like “it’s not fair” and “i don’t want to kill you” and “i don’t want to die.” it’s not fair. i know. it’s not fair. i know.

after toph is all cried out, at least for now, they begin to discuss logistics. “we’re the only ones left,” says toph. “I’ve been counting.” suki agrees. sokka hasn’t been counting, but he does now, thinking back to every time he heard a cannon fire. yep. 21.

“fuck,” sokka whispers. “so what do we do?”

“we decide who deserves to win,” suki says simply.

“by what metrics?” sokka asks.

“lowest kill count?” toph offers.

“that would be sokka,” says suki, since she knows that toph has killed at least two people, and she’s killed far more than that. and they’ve all only killed in self-defense, as far as she knows, so that factor is negligible.

“nope,” says sokka. “i’m not letting you guys die for that. out of the question.”

“what about who has the best reason to live?” toph asks. “im already rich, so being rewarded by the capitol wouldn’t help me at all, considering i’d still be under the thumb of my controlling parents who are fundamentally ashamed of me. i may as well die here.”

“my sisters would miss me, but they could also make it without me,” suki says.

sokka says nothing.

“it has to be sokka,” toph says. “right?”

“right,” suki agrees.

“once again, NOPE,” sokka says. “absolutely not letting you guys die. no fucking way.”

“don’t think of it as you letting us die,” says suki. “think of it as us letting you live.”

sokka laughs. “that’s so stupid,” he says. suki and toph join in his laughter. god this is stupid. what a dumb fucking situation to be in.

it occurs to sokka then that there’s no way people aren’t watching them. there’s no one on the other side of the arena to draw focus away from them, no plausible deniability that the cameras are not trained on his face and his words. if he speaks now, the capitol will listen.

“it’s crazy how everyone watching this is so fucking numb and desensitized to the capitol’s violence that they are just allowing this to happen,” sokka says, uncharacteristically slowly enunciating his words with deliberation as he knows he must. “they’re letting two teenagers and a child debate who must commit suicide right now, for the entertainment of the state. and no matter what i do or say right now, no one watching this will care. anyone watching this is already too numb, there’s no point in trying to appeal to their sense of basic fucking decency. we should all kill ourselves, right now. that way there’s no victor. there’s your fucking entertainment.”

“yeah,” suki agrees. “you’re right." she digs around in her pocket. "here, i have some poison berries ty lee gave me. i’ve been saving them in case it came down to this. we can all chew on them at once.” she separates the berries into three sections, and hands two to sokka and toph respectively. they signal to each other, and place the berries in their mouth.

before they can begin to chew, they hear the blades of a helicopter whirring above them. “spit those out,” a voice from the sky commands from a megaphone.

sokka, suki, and toph all firmly hold their ground. none of them chews, but they don’t spit them out either. they’ve suddenly found a bargaining chip.

“spit those out and we won’t have to kill you,” the voice repeats.

sokka raises an eyebrow. suki smiles in amusement. toph’s eyebrows furrow, trying to figure out what they even mean by that.

suddenly, another voice from the sky, bigger this time, louder and cheerful, congratulates them for winning the hunger games. sokka and suki exchange a look, confused. it can’t be that easy, right? a ladder descends from the helicopter. “climb up,” says the other voice.

“keep the berries under your tongue,” sokka whispers. “don’t spit them out until you’re 100% sure you’re safe.” toph and suki nod.

sokka and suki help toph up the ladder. a man they vaguely recognize is sitting in the chopper, smiling although he is clearly irritated.

“congratulations,” he says to them. “now spit the fucking berries out.”

they refuse to comply, only finally spitting out the berries once they’re back in their room in the capitol. their weapons were removed from them immediately, but sokka is careful to keep yue’s lock of hair in his closed fist before they can take it from him.

the room itself is disgustingly lavish. “this room is usually reserved for the victor,” says the man, “but under these circumstances, you can share it.” they nod at him, still silent as a reminder of what they could swallow at any moment. only once he leaves the room, and sokka leads them into the fancy shower in the bathroom, does he give them the signal to spit the berries out.

he turns the water on, and lo and behold, the water pressure is extremely strong. “this shower is probably bugged too,” sokka whispers, “but it’s our safest bet.”

“did we really win?” toph whispers. “or is this a trick? just another layer of the arena?”

“i don’t know what to think anymore,” suki says. “but i do know that as long as we all have these berries, we’re untouchable.”

“we have to promise to look out for one another,” sokka says. “right now with the right leverage we can all stay alive as long as none of us exploits the other. no matter what they say to tempt us, we have to stick together.” toph and suki nod. obviously.

“okay, now, i actually need a shower,” toph says. “i’m covered in some disgusting dried substance i’m 99% sure is blood.”

sokka and suki stand guard outside the shower while toph washes off, and then they switch. when it’s sokka’s turn to shower, he hands suki yue’s lock of hair. “hold this for me?” he asks. she nods silently with a small smile.

when they leave the bathroom they notice fresh clothes for each of them laid out on the bed. but they’ve already decided they’re not going to wear anything the capitol tries to put them in. they stay in their disgusting clothes caked in blood and grime, thank you very much.

a woman with no tongue leads them out to a stage, where the charismatic host ushers them to sit down on a modified couch, now able to fit three people. the lights are blinding. “so, how does it feel winning the hunger games?” he asks them. the crowd goes wild.

“fucking awful,” says sokka, in his usual fashion. “you ought to be ashamed of yourself, asking that.”

the host winces imperceptibly, then forces a laugh. “touche, sokka, touche,” he says, warmly, brilliantly. sokka could kill him.

“i for one am grateful for my opportunity to not be dead,” toph says sweetly. “it really is an honor and a privilege.”

“i couldn’t think of a better way to spend my sixteenth birthday,” suki says. the audience awws. (it is not, in fact, her birthday.)

he asks them each a few more questions, ridiculous and innocuous. then they are ushered off the stage, and met by their handlers. apparently it’s time for their victory tour. they are placed in front of various crowds, who all cheer wildly. then they board the train that will take them through the rest of the districts.

they meet the families of their fellow tributes. sort of. one of ty lee’s sisters finds suki and sobs in her arms. once she finally leaves, mai takes her place, quietly walking into the room. “ty lee volunteered for me,” she tells suki. “the funny thing is, i would have done the same for her. and now she’ll never know.” suki, who stayed strong for ty lee’s sister, crumples now. she runs over to mai and hugs her. “im so sorry,” she whispers, over and over again.

toph never had friends before. her parents wouldn’t allow it. but aang had so many friends. and it’s clear they all loved him so much. but of course they did. who wouldn’t? “thank you for looking out for him,” they say. “thank you for taking care of our boy.” toph tries to say strong, but she thinks about the cry aang let out as azula sliced through his spine like butter, how she was helpless to stop it, and she sheds silent, useless tears as they hug her. a whole sea of children who know her pain. who knew aang, toph’s first ever friend.

in azula’s district, her brother surprises sokka by telling him that she also sacrificed herself for her sibling. sokka nods warily. “im glad you’re the one who made it out, though,” zuko tells him. “if azula had won, so would the capitol. but if you play your cards right, you might have the ammunition to end the games for good.” by the time sokka has gotten over his shock, zuko has walked away.

“you killed my sister,” zuko tells toph.

“your sister killed my friend,” toph replies.

“i know.”

it’s not exactly an apology, but it's an understanding.

in toph’s district, no one recognizes her except for her parents and their staff. they didn’t even know the beifongs had a daughter. toph’s mother hugs her and sobs and sobs. her father thanks sokka for taking care of his daughter. “i’m pretty sure she took care of herself,” sokka corrects him.

in suki’s district, her sisters swarm her, fret over her, take turns hugging her. they brush the tangles out of her hair, and tease her for her obvious crush on sokka. they offer her her favorite pie, and stay by her side until it’s time for her to leave again. she lets herself cry in their arms. she promises she’ll return soon as she boards the train again.

finally, in sokka’s district, katara runs into his arms. they hold each other for so long they begin to feel numb. katara calls him every insult under the sun in an attempt to express her affection. sokka laughs, because he’s never been able to cry in front of her. then he goes to yue’s house, and offers arnook the last remains of his daughter, a single woven braid.

zuko and mai finally reveal themselves. they had stowed away on the train without anyone noticing, but zuko sees his chance now and takes it. he awkwardly introduces himself to katara. “your brother did for you what my sister did for me,” he says. “i think it’s time we return the favor.”

“i couldn’t agree more,” katara says. she has already been organizing the first traces of a rebellion, but she knows she’ll need more than what she’s got so far to make a real difference.

the six of them sit around a table in gran gran’s house. “so how do we do this?” toph asks. “how do we make sure this isn’t a death sentence for all of us?”

“we play it smart,” sokka says, looking at zuko. then he looks at katara, who is looking at him with a look that is wholly unfamiliar to him. it’s the kind of look she used to give their mother. “we can’t afford to be sloppy. that means taking it slow. sowing seeds of disruption. maintaining the capitol’s attention span for longer than five fucking seconds. we broke some rules and got rewarded for it. let’s find a way to break some more.”

“i like the sound of breaking rules,” toph says, which is really her way of saying, i’ll follow you no matter what. “no offense zuko, but i think we need to do for aang what paul and those other guys did for jesus. he’s an unimpeachable martyr. he can be our avatar of the resistance.”

“none taken,” says zuko, slightly confused, as katara says, “you’re right. aang and yue. too good to live, now we fight in their name.”

“that’s good,” mai agrees. “ty lee was also a martyr, though. we shouldn’t leave her out.”

“that’s true,” says suki. “not to mention she was extremely beautiful. her big, innocent eyes. she makes a good face for our cause.”

“aang for toph, ty lee for suki, and yue for me, then?” sokka asks. “is that what we’re doing?” he feels disgusted. how can he expected to use yue's memory like that, when it's his fault she's dead? she had a future. they had a future together. and he's here, back in his house with his sister and his grandmother (and his father still alive in prison somewhere, maybe), but she's gone. he knows it is what he must do. he knows now better than anyone. so why does it feel so wrong?

mai shrugs. “pretty much,” she says. katara and zuko nod in agreement. then toph and suki nod too. they can do this.

"excuse me," says sokka, making a beeline for the bathroom. he throws up in the sink, retching so forcefully that his bile splashes against the mirror. he stares into his reflection as he wipes it off.

when he returns to the dining room where they're all gathered, gran gran is there too. "you're back?" he asks her. she must've left work early.

"you're back," says kanna, tears in her eyes. she brings sokka in for a hug, and then katara too, even though katara and sokka already hugged for a good ten minutes. kanna and katara cry, and so does zuko for some reason, but sokka just stands still as his family surrounds him. he still feels like he's being watched. 21 new pairs of eyes overseeing his every move.

eventually they sit back down around the table.

“so,” katara says, “how do we end the hunger games?” the answer is obvious, and oh so complicated.

“I remember the first hunger games,” says kanna. “barely.”

“how did people just let it happen?” suki asks.

“they said, you don’t have to watch it if you don’t like it. and we didn’t.”

“but surely people fought back,” she protests.

“we did,” shrugs kanna. “anyone who posed a serious threat to the capitol was taken away. eventually, there was no one left to fight back. we were tired. we just wanted to live.”

“so you’re saying it’s hopeless,” toph says bluntly.

“i’m not saying that,” says kanna. “something’s shifted now. something different, that sets a new precedent.”

sokka sighs. “it was an accident.” he never actually thought they’d let them get away with what they did. he never actually thought they’d all be alive right now. if he had, maybe he could’ve convinced yue not to...

“that’s not how the people see it,” says kanna.

katara nods. “you’ve given us hope again.” she catches sokka’s eye from across the table, brimming with optimism, as if sokka is some kind of hero. he can’t meet her gaze.

katara wants to lead a revolution. sokka just wants to keep her safe. he's always admired her reckless idealism and overflowing emotions, as much as they've also caused him endless frustration. so when she becomes the voice for the people, fighting tirelessly for a better world, he will always have her back. and suki and toph will have his.

in the difficult years ahead, he sometimes wonders if the games were the easy part. (he immediately hates himself for thinking that. nothing about what happened to yue was easy.) but he keeps fighting, because katara keeps fighting, so he has to. he's grateful for the friendships he's made. he loves them all: mai's dry wit, zuko's unyielding heart, suki's inner strength, and toph's utter brilliance. but it is katara's heroism, her hope, her righteous fury, that eventually organizes the people into a movement effective enough to produce results. that day sokka was first whisked away on a train katara decided that she would end the games no matter what, and she always keeps her word.

every year on this day, sokka sits by the lake near his home at night, watching the full moon reflect its silver light over the still water. the handful of flowers he picked drift over the surface, glowing ever so slightly under the night sky. he rests in silent contemplation as the sun rises above him. it's a new day.

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