#'the only thing the world needs is redemption. and i'm gonna do it every day. no matter how many people get hurt or how badly it goes

[aparticularbandit]

thinking about zerxus ilerez and makoto naegi.

thinking about zerxus as a redemption paladin to the extreme.

thinking about zerxus and the understanding that everyone can be redeemed but not realizing that doesn't mean he can redeem everyone.

thinking about makoto naegi inviting junko to leave with them after the killing game.

thinking about defeat equals friendship and makoto's hope used as a source of redemption for the remnants.

thinking about zerxus ilerez and how he ended up.

thinking about zerxus ilerez and makoto naegi.

[arainywriter]

this is going to probably be the longest post of my life, and i HATE getting into fandom discourse which is why i don't usually write anything about fandom discourse, but i just want to address some things about our favorite rat grinders so if you want to read, click below

as someone who loves the rat grinders as nuanced antagonists who are also teenagers, i think the rat grinders before they ever joined in on porter and jace's plan were assholes.

i think they were the quiet bullies, the mean people who you never notice until they are mean to you, the ones who seem nice and respectable up close, but talk shit about you the minute you're gone.

i think most of them (kipperlilly in particular) were looking for a reason to be bad. and i know we might not ever get this confirmation, but based off kipperlilly's file and other moments with the trg, i think it's possible this is correct.

they were assholes who needed a reason to be even bigger, more dangerous assholes and most of them took it. and yes, it was either that or be dead, but i want you to know that sometimes that's not even a question. sometimes you don't even care about the other option, you just want to rage.

i think the one time all of them or maybe some of them even thought that what they were doing could be was when lucy died. and that's when i feel bad for them. they had to lock in right there because they all had made a decision, and they all needed to continue it. that's the manipulation.

i know they are kids. they are just teenagers. i work with teens, and guys, let me tell you, some teenagers are assholes. and i don't mean say a funny mean joke asshole, i mean literally going to grow up and be a shitty person asshole. i think some of the rat grinders were those kind of teens.

did they deserve to be redeemed? i think some of them do. i think buddy has a big shot at being redeemed, and i genuinely hated that he died in the last stand and had to make that decision. i think ally is going to try if they can. i think mary ann might be redeemed.

but also, you guys have to remember that this is dnd. i don't think many of you have played dnd before, or if you have you're just really conscientious about everything you do. because as a dm who has played dnd and has made nuanced antagonists, your players are gonna straight up kill them.

brennan knows that. i'm 100% sure he knows that. this isn't scripted. the intrepid heroes aren't thinking about what the fans want every time they play. in dnd, ESPECIALLY in brennan's dnd, it's kill or be killed.

the rat grinder's weren't going to use non-lethal attacks. they were going to kill the bad kids, and they were going to be UNNATURALLY happy throughout it all. they were going to spit in their faces and roast marshmallows on their bodies. they were going to not feel guilty.

sound familiar?

i think the bad kids have been nice to the rat grinders since day one. not kind, nice. they've been polite and nice to them, not going all in until this fight. if this fight happened before the finale, i think the rat grinders would have had more time to be redeemed (ex. see Ragh in season 1 who def would have died in the finale battle if the bad kids hadn't fought him earlier). but the bad kids are stressed and done.

there is no time to be polite and nice when the world is going to end.

i know you liked these characters. i did too. i'm sad to see them go, but even when someone is nuanced and could be redeemed, the person they were a piece of shit to doesn't have to be the one to redeem them. they don't have to be the one to keep them alive and make sure they only get taken the police instead of dead. cause trg would have gone to jail.

aelwyn did. so would they.

people you've wronged don't owe you forgiveness or redemption. trg didn't wrong tbk that bad, but they made them angry, they tried to kill them, and they're probably almost close to ending the world.

i'll miss you rat grinders. you guys were perfect narrative foils, but it was always going to end like this.

now stop being absolute assholes to the intrepid heroes just cause they didn't play how you wanted.

love this fandom, and yeah, d20 get shit wrong sometimes. always make sure to critique your favorite piece of media.

but at the end of the day, this isn't your table to play dnd at. this is theirs and they are having fun. why don't you go and play as the rat grinders in your home game and give them the ending they deserve, or make fanfiction about it?

put your anger into that.

[ckret2]

To be honest, it seems so impossible to picture billford actually happening right now. I trust you! But it's hard to envision the path ahead.

I'm not gonna lie the reason it took me months & months to commit to taking the fic that route is because I didn't want to go "no yeah I'm doing this" until I was sure I did have a path, and it is hard to envision lmfao. It's a very twisty and very narrow path that they're only gonna just barely squeeze through.

Without giving any spoilers, as far as I see it, any reconciliation between Ford & Bill—platonic or romantic—requires three things:

a reason for Ford to stop fearing Bill

a reason for Ford to stop hating Bill

a reason for Ford to like Bill.

We don't need anything on Bill's side, he's all prepared to like Ford as soon as Ford likes him. All he has to do is, y'know, give Ford all of those reasons.

#3 is the easiest one! Ford already has reasons to like Bill: they're all of the reasons he used to like Bill. He's an alien with infinite knowledge. That's great. But Bill could give Ford a million reasons to like him and they won't do a bit of good as long as Ford hates him. If you stab someone in the gut and give them a flower, you stabbed them in the gut. If you stab someone in the gut and give them an entire field of flowers, you still stabbed them in the gut. It's actually more insulting to get flowers than it would've been to just get stabbed. Gotta do something about the stabbing.

#1 was also pretty easy to figure out. All it takes is trapping Bill in a scenario where he's forced to demonstrate he no longer wants to kill the Pines, in a way that makes it impossible to think that it could have been an act or a lie. Easy.

#2 is the only hard part. Ford has a lot of very good reasons to hate Bill forever. Why would he even want to stop hating Bill? And that's the key:

4. a reason for Ford to WANT to stop hating Bill

The hardest and MOST IMPORTANT part. A reason for Ford to go, fine. One last shot. If you want me to think anything is different, then show me—and no more chances to slip up. He can still hate Bill at this point! Bill still has to climb that mountain. But now Ford's simply standing at the top of the mountain glaring at Bill with his arms crossed, waiting to see if he can make it to the top, rather than using a long stick to shove Bill back down every time he gets close.

Let's talk about redemption arcs!

There's a thing I believe about redemption arcs and redemption in general, which is that saying "they shouldn't get a second chance unless they deserve it" is impossible. "Deserve it" means they're good now, "deserve it" means they've already done the work to improve themselves and make amends for what they did wrong. But in the real world, somebody needs to give you a second chance BEFORE you deserve it in order to have space to work on yourself and become worthy of it.

That doesn't mean Ford, of all people, owes Bill a second chance. He was never gonna be the first to offer Bill a hand. He couldn't be, he shouldn't be. And nobody owes Bill a second chance—but in order for it to be possible for Bill to have a redemption arc at all, SOMEBODY had to give him one anyway. The whole fic is the result of people extending a hand to Bill so that he can become worthy of the help he was offered. He wouldn't be alive if the Axolotl hadn't given him a second chance. He'd still be curled up in the corner of the attic day after day waiting to die if Mabel hadn't given him a second chance. Over and over he's gonna get chances he doesn't deserve, from people who have no reason to offer them, when he regrets nothing, when he's apologized for nothing—and that's what will save him.

SOMEBODY ELSE had to offer Bill an unconditional second chance first. But—once Ford has seen that Bill might have potential—he can, if he wants, offer Bill a limited, conditional second chance. I just have to get him to want to.

After that it's smooth sailing. Get the two of them as far as "okay we can attempt having a positive relationship again" and past that it really doesn't matter what kind of positive relationship it is, platonic, romantic, sexual, whatever. "Do you think they might wanna bone or not?" is a much less important and much less difficult question than "What would it take for Ford to stop despising the triangle who ruined his life?"

Personally, I want 'em to make out nasty style. But that's far and away the least important part of this whole arc, because it was important to me that that not be a motivating factor in their reconciliation. Like I've said, I'm deliberately playing on hard mode here, and "I'm kinda sorta motivated to forgive him because I'm attracted to him" is a cheat I'm not allowing. I'm too ace to tolerate that kind of plot unless it's in a story about the frustrating folly of desire. The attraction can only come after reconciliation; and it also won't prevent them from continuing to have the kind of ongoing issues you'd expect out of two guys with a long history of heartless betrayal and murder attempts.

[padfootscoldleathers]

ladies, gents, bents, non-conformants!

welcome welcome one and all to me posting about my fic and welcome to my mailbox if you want to send me stuff you'd like to see in the fic (i will consider them even if they dont make it to the fic)

this is a band au for the marauders era BUT the original marauders are not the band. let me explain. also i want to preface by apologising because i just jump from character to character w the povs so

Moths to a Spotlight: Sirius, Peter, Marlene, Dorcas (no band name yet so shoot your shot if you want to)

the marauders era characters have a LOT of different roles here. Regulus and Pandora are ballet dancers, Mary and Peter grew up together & met Remus in highschool in America and did music but now Mary and Remus are like what billie is to finneas? (also i made Remus southern) Alice is a ball of whimsy and the next artist of our time painting only in vibrant and swelling colours BUT has one singular monochrome painting and i'll explain later. Evan manages Mary and Remus and MINERVA, queen that she is, is basically the band's mother/manager. fluffy black brothers!! oh, and andromeda is dead. whaaaat who said that

i know what you're thinking "where the fuck is james?? lily?? barty??" heh heh WELL you're not gonna like this. lily is the villain here and not in a good way. it was a VERY toxic marylily and lily is the Casual girl (chappell roan) ANYWAAAY you're gonna see a LOT of that BUT she does have her redemption arc. i think. maybe.

barty broke up with sirius right before they went on tour, a couple months before the beginning of the fic. they grew up together, its very bittersweet, might give you heartburn. AGAIN redemption arc.

and uh the jegulus here will just slap you in the face

OR. Mary and Sirius break up with Lily and Barty respectively and have to figure out how to clean up the mess from here only to be slapped in the face with new love interests. Mary joins Sirius' band as an opener for the european leg of their world tour and along the way finds that to love someone isnt pouring all of yourself down their drain hoping they'll eventually be satisfied but to be respected, remembered and cared for. While Sirius slowly falls head over heels for an oblivious Remus who joined Mary on the tour. At every stop it becomes more and more obvious until finally Sirius, a rockstar, ends up performing a sweet love song completely different from his music style as a love confession with help of Peter.

ch. 1

don't worry guys, every couple shall get their minute of fame

basically the journey of their lives together. they find love, they find FRIENDSHIP, they find beauty in the little things, they find laughter and peace and passion. this entire fic for me was to discover all the little things, the day to day things that makes life what it is. the shitty things people do and how they can come back from that. it's filled with jokes and family and bittersweet memories, pain and heartache and stretched silences. its all those moments you weave into stories to tell when you're old on a porch swing or young in a rocking chair. its their life.

ships & sexualities (let me cook)

alice - aroace bi

peter - asexual bi

mary - bisexual

pandora - pansexual

remus - bisexual

sirius - the gayest man to ever gay

regulus - transmasc gay

james - demispec pansexual

dorcas - lesbian

marlene - demisexual lesbian

lily - "not a lesbian"

barty - aroallo

evan - transmasc ace bi

mary x pandora = bitterhope/pandamary/ rosemary (my roman empire)

pending* peter x alice = palice (most beautiful qpr to ever qpr in the marauders era)

sirius x remus = wolfstar

regulus x james = sunseeker

dorcas x marlene = dorlene (they need something cooler)

evan x barty = rosekiller (gonna happen eventually though i kinda just dunno how)

i'm going to post in snips on this blog until i figure out the ao3 tags etc. main blog: @morallyundefined

@moonyswarmsweaters @sspadfoot @thingthatoncewastruee @babygirlsteddie @probs-reading

@labyrinthhofmymind @percabeth-trash @drunktayloratthevmas @cheekyboybeth

@starving-marauder-lover @yourlocalbadgerscales @taleofapart-timepoet @mirrs-ball

@tea-blankets-andstars @where-is-vivian @amberlink @wastingawayinmyroom @ashes-to-ashesxx

@equippedtolove @moon-girl88 @starregulus @siriusly-insane @jamespotterbbg

[disneyanddisneyships]

Me Too

Summary: Charlie found another way to do group bonding time for the hotel patrons and workers! By taking them to the most popular dance studio in pentagram city where Alastor's ex works, owning the studio herself.

Warnings: tension. I won't elaborate what kind. Alastor probably being ooc. Not proofread.

Pairings: Alastor x Butterfly!OC, a bit of huskerdust if u squint. Chaggie ofc.

Taglist: @gyubby99

..........

Charlie jogged down the stairs excitedly, holding back a squeal as she skipped into the lobby to find all her friends, happily doing nothing in silence.

"I have a new redemption exercise for us!" She announced with a large smile plastered on her face.

Angel groaned.

"Charlie, we're all tired. I'm sure you can take a break from the trust exercise crap for one day," he complained as he fell back onto the couch, his phone in his hand.

"Angel you're gonna like this one I promise! I made a call, and one of the overlords is allowing us to use her dance studio! She's gonna help us with a dance that we have to work together to pull off!" Charlie explained.

"'Overlord'? Angel repeated, putting his phone down and sitting up straight. "Does this happen to be the Butterfly overlord?" He asked.

"Yep! Overlord of love! The best dance studio in pentagram city!" Charlie stated.

"Oh yeah. She and I go way back," angel stated before chuckling. "Say, is Mr creepy deer gonna come with us?" Angel asked.

"Yep! Everyone has to do this! Why?" Charlie tilted her head.

Angel snorted. "I'd hold off on telling him where we're goin,"

Charlie shrugged.

.........

"And where, pray tell, are you taking all of us, my dear?" Alastor asked with his usual smile, not entirely paying attention to his surroundings and the road they were on.

Charlie only smiled.

"Oh don't worry, strawberry pimp. Ya gonna LOVE this," angel spoke up with a smile so wide it reached his eyes.

"Please never call me that again," Alastor stated with a sneer, even though his smile remained in tact.

As the group walked on, alastor began to recognize things. Areas he had only been to with-

"Ta daaa!!!!" Charlie exclaimed as she stood in front of the dance studio that read:

Aponi Wings~

Dance studio

Alastor's eyes widened and he gripped his cane tighter, his teeth clenching and jaw locking.

"What in the world are we doing here, my dear?" Alastor asked, his smile straining as he tried to keep his voice steady.

"Thiiiiiis is our new trust exercise! I got the owner of the studio to help teach us all a dance! I was reading articles on how to help people be more of a team and it said dancing was a key way to do that because-" as Charlie chatted on, alastor stopped listening, flashbacks entering his mind of his last serious relationship.

"I'm afraid I will need to sit this one out as I do all the others," alastir interrupted.

"Hahahaaaa no can do! Thus is for the hotel! Cmon Al, please?!" Charlie begged as she looked up at him.

Alastor's eye twitched. He hated how he was beginning to.... care.. for these ridiculous people. Although he'd never admit he cared.

"Very well," he stated at last, telling himself in his head that the only reason he was doing this was because he wanted to see what a failure his ex had become after she dumped him.

Even though he knew the truth.

As the group walked into the lobby, Charlie couldn't help but squeal at all the dancers there. A few who recognized Angel as a regular.

"You've been here before?" Husk asked as angel waved to a few dancers.

"Eh. I know the owner a bit personally. She and I were great friends when she used to work for Valentino," Angel explained with a shrug.

"She used to work for Valentino?" Charlie asked.

Alastor scoffed. "'Work'.... more like abused every day," he stated with a scowl in his eyes at the various memories of her coming home to him with bruises and cuts.

"How would YOU know?" Vaggie asked as she picked up nifty to sit on her shoulder.

Angel smirked. "Oh him? Well he and Aponi were-"

Alastor cut angel off with a glare, his eyes turning into radio dials. Angel only rolled his eyes.

Charlie walked up to the receptionist in the front lobby, who pointed her down a hallway to where Aponi was teaching a class.

As the group walked, alastor took a breath. He hadn't seen her since they seaperated.. and regretted to say he was still very much in love with her despite what happened.

As the group opened the door to the studio, alastor saw her immediately.

Oh dear... she was as beautiful as the day he lost her....

But the pumped up music drew his attention away from her and more to the dance she was doing.

As always. Her moves were calculated, but free...and she looked truly confident in herself. Something alastor really never had the chance to witness.

As she danced she spotted the group and smiled at them before her eyes landed on alastor, a smirk playing on her face as she danced, her eyes never leaving his.

Alastir listened to the lyrics of the song.

Hoo boy.... he was going to be in for a lot of yelling.

As the music ended and aponi and her dancers struck a pose she let out a breath.

"Alright everyone, take a 10 minute break today! Go stretch and drink water! You all did so well!" She exclaimed with a smile as she walked over to the group, specifically alastor.

Angel smirked, the everknowing best friend of the overlord in front of them.

"Well well well. If it isn't the radio Demon," Aponi smirked as she leaned forwards, her eyes lidded. "You came all the way here huh? What did you miss me?" She asked.

Alastor scoffed. "Hardly. I was simply lead astray," he replied.

"Lead astray? Hm. Not the first time, deer boy," she stated before booping his nose. Alastor's eye twitched.

"I'm sorry I'm confused. HOW do you know each other so... intimately?" Vaggie asked with a look of mild disgust.

"Hm? Oh he didn't tell you?" Aponi asked before standing up straight and taking a drink of water. "He and I were engaged a few years ago," she finished.

"I'm sorry WHAT?" Charlie asked, her eyes wide as she looked from alastir to Aponi.

"Quite right! I even gave her this studio! I. Made. Her," alastor smiled smugly. "The only reason she's so popular is because I gifted her thus studio!" He exclaimed, attempting to get underneath aponi's skin.

"Hm. And the only reason people know who YOU are now is because of me.... thanks for the leg up on my popularity, radio boy," Aponi winked.

"I'm sorry. Wait. Hold on. YOU, dated HIM?" vaggie asked in utter disbelief. "WHY?"

Aponi shrugged. "I was desperate," she smirked, looking over at a fuming alastor.

Angel chuckled.

Oh this would DEFINITELY be fun.

[ravenkinnie]

Do you have any thoughts on good/bad/worthwhile Cassandra Cain storylines? Her introduction/origin years ago was uhh not good (i.e., mega-racist even by Batbook standards), but I figure a bazillion lesbians can't be wholly wrong (except about TSwift and maybe The L Word).

here is the thing, if you wanna read about a character of color in comics you gotta accept it will be a little to very racist. I'm pretty sure being racist is just a requirement to be a comics writer, like they make you take a racial bias test and only hire people with highest scores. and hilariously I can't guess which introduction you mean because I realise that her og-og origin also falls under some racist stereotypes but new52 was just a full on massacre jsnsjsj

I need to caveat that the storylines in her solo will have art so racist it will make your eyes water sometimes, that's why it's so hard ro recommend it sjsjsjks but I genuinely think the first few arcs from it are great, even though it's funny as fuck that they realised cass not speaking at all was either a lil racist or not very good for carrying a solo and they magicked her the ability to speak but it DID lead to the shiva arc and that was fucking crazy amd i haven't seen a batfam mf go this hard since then. on the flipside some of the later arcs and the annuals are.... oh girl. apart from racism even, they are just choppy and messy and nothing was ever gonna go anywhere because dc hated my girl and wanted her gone so she's not allowed to have any meaningful storylines connected to batfam or yk. anything really

and its only worse from here, like the whole evil cass arc after that leading to batgirl redemption is straight up infamous because of how stupid it is. it's pointless and it brings nothing and was never gonna be resolved because every man at dc secretly imagines their wife is deathstroke when they fuck so it's not like cass will actually get her dues at the end of all that. it was literally her death and the maidens and that shit sucked even less somehow

and that was the good era <3 n52 outsiders was okay, not very preboot cass accurate and shiva wasn't that in character necessarily but its not physically painful to read. but her introduction was fucking batman and robin eternal and I think whoever thought of this panel in particular

needs to be in fucking prison for the irreperable damage this did to fanon. and also whoever came up with tim saying because she can't talk she must have the mind of a chuld - oh if I got my hands on tynion for this. oh bitch

rebirth doesn't even deserve a mention because it was just boring. now we have batgirls as her main comic and I hate that fucking thing with my entire heart like I would pay a turkish witch to curse everybody involved in making this. the way they said they wrote them to be about 14 I'm gonna have a fucking heart attack just remembering it. from newer stuff the only things I would say are worth attention is her story in the asian heritage month special - not crazy good but its okay - and spirit world but it's not that focused on her. still a fun read tho

also, preboot, there are some REALLY good one off issues with her that you would never think to read because they are buried in other runs. my faves are gotham knights #2, dc presents batgirl vs joker, gotham secret files and origins, and batgirl secret files

tldr: if you want to stan cass you have to accept you will suffer. there's no joy to be found here, even in the good arcs. thankfully, I'm delusional and love pain so the potential they never made her live up to is enough to drive me crazy for eternity and one day I will suck off a dc editor so good they will let me write a cass solo with full creative control and jh williams on art and I will have my revenge. and they will all be sorry

[borreloadsavagedragon]

8 and 12 for the ask meme 👀

oh my god I reblogged that ask game knowing I am not a mean person AT ALL, so this is gonna push me to my LIMITS

(if you stand by anything in here, you’re cool as hell and I'm glad you interact with media, I am simply over sharing about fictional card game nerds like always!!!)

8. common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about

I had to sit and stare at this one forever to come up with one because I am just so in my own little corner that I never really notice other people's interpretations of characters, like I have my bachelors and ph.d. in the ones that matter and I write my silly little fanfics using my deranged thinking, that's it, roll credits

BUT there is one thing I've seen a few times now across a couple of months in random liveblogs or opinion pieces that I kind of wanna touch on it

And that's that Kaito wasn't held accountable in Zexal.

I think a topic like accountability and atonement in fiction is going to differ very strongly between person to person and what they feel is the proper amount of justice to someone given their crimes, I understand that, but I just want to throw my own hat in the ring for why I disagree respectfully but wholeheartedly

Here's where I write about it in my analysis(WHICH IS 8K+ RN AND STILL GOING, GOD HELP ME)

"This is one I’ve seen a few times and I wanted to make an entire separate point for it because I do think it's a very interesting conversation to have in regards to the moral playground that a lot of the YuGiOh rivals in general have(with Ryoken Kogami from YuGiOh Vrains sitting as the reigning king in the topic of questionable ethics by some fans, but he’s another character study for another day), but the focus isn’t where I think it should be. I think it’s more fascinating that Kaito’s the character I see called out the most for his work as a Number Hunter compared to other fan favorites in the cast, especially when all we saw from Kaito since his actions in "The Seized Emperor's Key! Showdown, Kaito vs Shark" was his own form of accountability. We’ve known since the very scene following his introduction as the primary antagonist for the first half of Zexal I, Kaito despises the job and his employers based on how he can’t even look Mr. Heartland in the eye when he reports his progress and how his eyes drop to the floor when the premise of taking souls is brought up. He has a special distaste for those with Numbers because of what he was led to believe since we also learn later on he’s been fed almost nothing but lies about the Numbers so the times Kaito might have become far more conflicted with his circumstances sooner were always ripped away from him. In his mind, he's trapped and following orders is his best option right now, but if it means the only thing that matters most to him, his little brother, is ok, then he'll be the worst person in the world. And that's just the explanation for why he did it all. Because even with the truth, he doesn't excuse it.

Following Zexal I, Kaito continues to involve himself with the struggle against the Barians, and while most of it is with the understanding he's avenging the damage done to his family, it’s also in part avenging the damage he did to Yuma, Ryouga, and the many other people he’s laid a hand on. The idea that a character or a person needs to wear their guilt and redemption on their sleeve at every second is unreasonable. I also think it’s important to recognize that atonement isn’t just justice or forgiveness; Kaito, for example, never once asks for forgiveness, nor apologizes verbally. Instead, he shows up. He's there when he has to be and does exactly what he needs to do, because his actions are going to be worth more than his words are going to be. Kaito has always been and is always going to be someone who is going to act, not speak. Zexal I Kaito isn’t showing up to help handle the gang in the first few episodes of Zexal II. Zexal I Kaito isn’t taking Yuma’s place against Mizael in the duel in the sphere field. While Kaito continues to have alternate and additional motivation for his own newfound focus, he does not do these things for his ambition’s sake only.  Anytime accountability and Kaito’s treatment of his allies is brought up, I think it’s also very telling when some things are excluded, like how he pivots the entire project with Chris in the Arctic into getting Yuma sent to Astral World instead of them in order to reunite with Astral is largely overlooked. Another example is his complete turnaround behavior towards Gauche and Droite both in Spartan City, going as far to recognize how strong of a duelist and person Droite is when Gauche is possessed by Alito and that Droite is the only person suited for that duel despite him being seemingly such an asshole towards her in Zexal I. Hell, Kaito’s treatment of Ryouga is far different in one half to another, he goes from reducing Ryouga down to a waste of his time and just another punk who wants a piece of him to respecting him in his own weird little way where he has to pick a fight with him. We've all seen Zexal I, we've seen how Kaito truly treats people he doesn't like. --- I like to look at Kaito through the lens of rejection because loneliness is such a key portion of his character. I feel like focusing on those wrongs doubles down on the theme that’s in place. Kaito has hurt people. But he recognizes that, verbalizes it when he calls himself hell bound even, so he will continue to do better by those people."

THIS IS WHY IM HIS BIGGEST APOLOGIST

I just think he's so interesting, I wanna talk about him being a piece of shit because he IS, how mean he was to Yuma in I says a lot, but he's not THAT much of a piece of shit by the end, his development isn't overwhelmingly apparent, much like most rivals in the franchise, but it's VERY there

12. the unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them

SPECTRE!!!!! I LITERALLY HAVE PIECES FOR HIS WIG AND HAVE HAD THEM FOR A YEAR NOW!!!!!!!!!!!

I was AMAZED once to find out that people didn’t like Spectre because Spectre is so standout and fascinating. I HATE how he's boiled down to being creepy or "what happened to Aoi in their duel"-

Before it plummeted to hell, I got a tweet on my Twitter fyp from an rp acct that was like “like this if you hate spectre” and it had ~35 likes so I had to be cheeky and tweeted "what's it like to have bad taste" gjdsakldgskajg My one time with a mean streak..........

Genuinely though, what’s it like to not have taste, he's a freak, it's on purpose, I'd die for Spec

[lizardlicks]

I said this on discord already so I'm gonna copy and paste most of that here with a little editing:

despite being really, really good, especially for it's era, genre, and target demographic, AtLA is by no means above reproach, and rebooting it could provide an opportunity to improve on what's already there with clarity of hindsight.

it's not impossible that netflix could have honored the spirit and heart of the original show while improving on the basic ideas, but it has become increasingly unlikely with each new change they've anounced and the reasoning they've given behind those changes. It has the distinct stink of corpo story telling by the numbers which we've seen in mass in adapted properties. Here, watch.

To run with the Sokka sexism example: the sokka is less sexist thing is potentially good! It's been a sticking point with a lot of indigenous fans that the instances of the most overt sexism we see in the original show are perpetuated by the watertribe-- the nation who's aesthetic is based heavily on circumpolar native peoples-- when historically those societies were far more egalitarian than the societies of the other cultures that the show pulled from in that time period. So doing away with the clunky 2000's era unsubtle sexism could have been a great direction... If they replaced it with a more nuanced character exploration and an eye for sensitivity.

But the reasoning we were given is that they wanted sokka to be more likable. Which means they've potentially completely over looked that his misogyny in the original show is an expression of his anxiety over his own masculinity, his identity as a protector and provider, his worth to and place within his family and tribe, and ultimately his place in the world itself. Instead of replacing the sexism with something more interesting and nuanced they've just. flattened out the character. to make him more likeable. more digestible for a broader audience. They want the cracks and edges to be smoothed out completely instead of being reshaped.

And what about the arc for the Northern Watertribe? If they only care about Sokka being more likeable, have they done anything to meaningfully address the criticisms of the original show and the way it painted the Watertribes' culture?

We keep seeing this reflected with every announcement of a creative divergence they've made to "improve" the story. Aang is no longer a bouncy kid that needs to grow into his role as a hero but a visions possessed wonder prodigy. Zuko gets more screen time, pushing his family issues to the fore front early on, while swapping out some of his more overtly egregious moments with Zhao (kyoshi Island, specifically, that we've already seen from the preview). Zuko's internal struggle, heel turn, and redemption is to this day largely considered one of the best told stories of it's kind. He doesn't need to be softened and made more sympathetic.

Every change has been accompanied with this same kind of reasoning. Stream line it, flatten it, take out the gritty bits and follies and not-so-niceties. make it agreeable, make it swallowable make it sweeter going down so it can be spoon fed to a larger audience. all while touting this is supposed to be a harder, grittier reboot? Something enjoyable for old and new fans? the only thing in there for old fans that will be left is names and easter egg references. New fans are going to get a paint-by-numbers as told by studio heads who only care about dollar signs. which is EXACTLY how the movie fell short.

Is being critical at this stage not giving the Live Action show a fair chance? Maybe. But nothing exists in a vacuum, and I think it's perfectly justifiable, especially with mass media, for people to look at past actions of the studio, the general trend of show production we've seen recently, and apply previous experience and critical thought to the types of changes advertised and marketing tactics that have coming out of netflix in regards to NAtLA.

There undoubtedly are people who are being overly critical at this juncture because AtLA is something that they have enshrined in the vaults of their nostalgia as unimpeachable, but not all, certainly not even most (that I've seen anyway). Most of us are just. Sick to death of film studios picking up and hacking apart existing properties for a fast cash grab that they can write off regardless of if it's a flop or a critical darling. And we're seeing the writing on the wall rn for Netflix's treatment of the source material of AtLA doing that again.

Edit: Yes, the original Sokka sexism arc is great and important. But we don't live in a world where the live action show runners decided to include it in the same form. So:

Unpopular opinion time: Sokka unlearning sexism isn't actually a large part of his character arc--it literally only takes the opening episodes. And removing it COULD be a sign that the live action is taking seriously the complaints I've seen from native fans about the original show runners deciding to make the Water Tribes that sort of sexist to begin with. Sokka's actual character arc is about gaining confidence and leadership skills, and they have the opportunity to focus on that MORE if they change the Kyoshi episode to focus on Suki as a fellow teenager forced into a leadership/protective role in her community and rocking it rather than using her as an object lesson on sexism for a male character to learn from. Whether they will ACTUALLY do that is on them, but it took me less than ten minutes to think up, so I sure hope someone in the writers' room actually cares about using the live action to expand on new angles of the characters. Big ask, I know.

Now the real question is: did they also remove Uncle Iroh's unwanted physical advances on a literally paralyzed Jun, and all of Zuko's snipes about girls? Because THOSE are the actually "iffy" sexism parts in AtLA, not Sokka's five minute arc.

[ben-talks-art]

Wanted to talk about Random Chat a little

"Random Chat" or "The Girl From Random Chatting" is one of my favorite webtoons as well as one of my first webtoons.

It has a lot of themes and ideas that I find really interesting and that I feel get explored in equally interesting ways that I don't often see in other media, so I felt it would be nice to show a little of my appreciation to it by discussing what's about, who are its characters, the messages, and what I like about it.

The basic premise of the story is that a boy named Joonwoo suffers from depression, insecurity, social anxiety, and low self-esteem and tries to deal with all that by spending his time on a random chatting app that allows him to talk with strangers.

One day he ends up finding a stranger who he really gets along with on the app and they start to develop a bond, only for Joon to later discover that this stranger is in fact one of the girls in his class.

Using this newfound information, Joon decides to use the app to find out more about the girl so help her out in dealing with her problems at home, school, and in love, and basically be some sort of hero that attends to her every need as a way of showing his gratitude for being his friend online.

Now... Just from this premise, you're either going to think "Wow, that's really sweet! I bet they're gonna become great friends and maybe even more!" or you're going to think "Wow... Like... WOW!! That's creepy as hell! He's basically stalking her, manipulating her, and taking advantage of the fact he knows who she is while she doesn't! That's messed up!!"

Yeah... There is no way around it, what our main guy is doing is basically catfishing, acting like he's some stranger online while he's in fact right next to the girl in class as she shares with him a bunch of personal information about herself to someone she assumes lives on the other side of the world.

The story is fully aware of how messed up our main lead's behavior is, but unlike other series where they try to paint the situation as "oh, he's just sad and misunderstood and in need of a friend" to try to forgive these actions, here we just have him get called out on his actions multiple times and realize over and over again that what he's doing is wrong.

While we do see Joon helping out the girl on multiple occasions with things like bullying or stalking, we also never ignore the fact that his interference in her life is nothing more than a form of entitlement, as if he thinks he knows what's best for her because he knows her more than anyone.

And as the series progresses, we see that the girl is getting so comfortable with her secret app friend that she starts to develop an unhealthy dependency on it, to the point where she basically can barely live without it, so much so that when Joon does try to cut ties with her through the app so she'll get less attached to it she goes insane trying to find him again.

A lot of the series is focused on characters trying to look at their own actions and realizing if what they're doing is right or wrong, and I'm always a big fan of that.

I always respect when a series has their characters receiving a reality check and realizing that they need to stop and think about what they're doing and if they should continue with it. It's why I like Battle Of The Labyrinth, why I like John from Unordinary, why I like Zuko.

Reality Checks are one of my favorite tropes in storytelling, right up there with redemption arcs.

And the reason why I like it and respect it so much is because, as you keep seeing more stories in different types of media, you start to see that a lot of authors have trouble calling out their main leads on their errors because they are afraid the audience might not like them. They want us to think they're flawless and deserve to be rooted for by never addressing their flaws.

When you do a "reality check" story you're actually addressing these flaws and exploring how you can build a better message by actually showing that your character has problems they need to work on and that they can grow from it, and I love character growth! It's one of my six favorite traits in a character.

What sold me on Random Chat isn't just that it was a reality check story about a guy realizing the errors of his actions, but it was also the fact that these errors were built on the concept of entitlement, which is always something I feel needs to be talked about more.

One of the earlier arcs of the series is about Joon dealing with a stalker that's following the girl using her social media to find out where she lives, and we have a brilliant scene where once they confront each other, Joon realizes that he's basically no better than the stalker and even starts to see himself in him.

And this is all the way back in chapter 12! The series actually called itself out and said "I know my main lead is horrible. Don't worry."

I was so relieved when I saw that because it was then that I realized the story was in good hands and knew not to mix character favoritism with morality.

But that's not the only focus of the series. We also get tons of other arcs focused on basically every possible danger that could come from the use of social media, miscommunication, obsession and dependency, public image, judging people, bullying, and several other themes that are super relevant for every teen to know of.

And these themes are always discussed in fun and engaging ways. It's not like the author just goes "Today we will be talking about bullying! Next arc, we will be talking about harassment!", it actually knows how to keep the story going with a good pacing, charming characters, and some really solid dialogue.

I really like when these people just talk to each other and exchange ideas about their opinions on certain topics and I like how they actually seem to be evolving and maturing as the comic goes on.

It's not perfect, of course, there are some topics where I'm going "I don't think we needed an arc to focus on that" or "I feel like this could have been handled better", but for the most part I just really enjoy many of the things they do talk about.

One of my favorite scenes is where one of the characters who was framed for a crime he didn't commit and ended up being labeled as a delinquent by society realizes that everything could have been solved if he just swallowed his pride and actually tried to talk to his friend, but he then realizes that it was too little too late and that the damage was already done and he keeps having visions of a life that he could have had, days filled with bliss hanging out with his friends and just laughing at stupid stuff, all gone forever because he just wouldn't take two seconds to clear things up properly over a misunderstanding.

The series also has a surprisingly solid romance between the main guy and this grumpy gamer girl who acts like his conscience, always trying to make him think about his actions and ask himself if he's really on the right path.

I just love that! I love how the love interest isn't just a fangirl that agrees with everything the main character says but actually tries to challenge his ideals and his behavior. She's legitimately trying to help him become the best version of himself that he could be because she sees potential in him.

There are just so many things about this series that just click with me... That thankfully help me overlook most of its flaws.

It's definitely not a perfect series. Sometimes the artwork can be really stiff with characters looking like they're posing for a picture and other times the proportion feel a little off, sometimes the attempts at making characters look evil by making their eyes glow while having a dark background looks a little too silly, there is way too much focus on action and dealing with members of gangs, and sometimes it feels like the main lead is learning a lesson that he should already be aware of.

Stuff like that can turn some people off, it turned me off a little as well, but the commentary and discussion of different topics that the comic tries to bring and explore is always at the very least interesting to think about.

While I don't think this is for everyone, I still think this is a very good series to at the very least check it out and see if it might be your thing.

[raysources]

𝐓𝐇𝐄  𝐁𝐀𝐃  𝐆𝐔𝐘𝐒  𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄  𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒     —     a collection of one - liners taken from the 2022 animated film,  the bad guys.   slightly edited for clarity.   change pronouns as necessary.      spoiler  free !

❛  would  you  please  just  drop  it ?  ❜ ❛  i  mean ,   come  on ,   everybody  loves  birthdays !  ❜ ❛  now  i  know  the  exact  moment  our  friendship  died .  ❜ ❛  i  am  the  villain  in  every  story .  ❜ ❛  these  are  the  cards  we’ve  been  dealt ,   so  we  might  as  well  play  ‘em .  ❜ ❛  out  of  all  the  people  in  the  world ,   i  hate  you  the  least .  ❜ ❛  i  believe  that  deep  down ,   [ name ]  is  a  kind  and  generous  soul .  ❜ ❛  the  only  one  i  self - loathe  is  you .  ❜ ❛  i  thought  we  weren’t  supposed  to  make  things  personal .  ❜ ❛  there  is  a  flower  of  goodness  inside  all  of  us ,   just  waiting  to  blossom .  ❜ ❛  she  and  i  will  need  to  get  up  close  and  personal .  ❜ ❛  they  say  that  art  reveals  more  about  the  viewer  than  the  artist .  ❜ ❛  even  trash  can  be  recycled  into  something  beautiful .  ❜ ❛  i  will  not  hesitate  to  take  you  down  with  me .  ❜ ❛  i’m  alive ,   thanks  to  you .   ❜ ❛  you’re  such  a  good  boy .  ❜ ❛  i'm  having  a  baby !  ❜ ❛  let’s  make  like  a  wolf  and  get  the  pack  out  of  here .  ❜ ❛  ah ,   wordplay !     . . .     i  don’t  get  it .  ❜ ❛  being  good  just  feels  so  good .  ❜ ❛  when  you’re  good ,   you’re  loved .  ❜ ❛  not  everyone  gets  a  second  chance .     make  the  most  of  it ,   [ name ] .   ❜ ❛  welcome  to  the  first  day  of  the  rest  of  your  best  life .  ❜ ❛  that  cat  is  obviously  defective .  ❜ ❛  you’re  volunteering ?     you’ve  never  volunteered  for  anything !  ❜ ❛  i've  been  waiting  my  entire  life  for  this  moment .  ❜ ❛  don’t  you  ever  get  tired  of  lying ?  ❜ ❛  don’t  do  it  for  them .     do  it  for  you .  ❜ ❛  this  is  a  chance  to  write  your  own  story .   ❜ ❛  it’s  just  a  shame  that  you  have  to  carry  all  that  baggage .  ❜ ❛  i  don’t  waste  time  thinking  about  stuff  that’s  never  gonna  happen .  ❜ ❛  it’s  crime  time ,   baby !  ❜ ❛  i  was  hoping  you  were  gonna  ask  me  to  dance .  ❜ ❛  figured  it  was  time  i  got  comfortable  in  my  own  fur .  ❜ ❛  i  think  i  like  the  new  you .  ❜ ❛  change  is  impossible .     you  should  always  judge  a  book  by  its  cover .   ❜ ❛  i'll  kill you !     you  hear  me ?     you’re  dead !  ❜ ❛  our  life  was  perfect  until  you  decided  to  ruin  it .  ❜ ❛  nope !     i’m  still  the  best .  ❜ ❛  i’m  not  okay .     i’m  very ,   very  un - okay .  ❜ ❛  i’m  still  me .     i’m  just  me  on  the  right  side .  ❜ ❛  that’s  not  really  your  color .  ❜ ❛  that  was  very  cute ,   that  thing  we  just  did  there .   ❜ ❛  we  stole  it  fair  and  square !  ❜ ❛  my  friend  was  sad .     i  was  just  cheering  him  up .  ❜ ❛  what ?     i’m  sentimental !  ❜ ❛  [ name ] ,   you  feel  like  a  girls’  trip ?  ❜ ❛  i  don’t  have  any  friends !  ❜ ❛  i  love  you  too ,   buddy .  ❜ ❛  i’m  really  a  big  fan  of  redemption  arcs .   ❜ ❛  i  got  you  to  admit  how  much  you  care  about  me !  ❜

[child-of-peace]

this is an ask filled with my reactions as i read the latest chapter.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

i would definitely read a matilda's pov for every episode fic

edwin? is this a poe party ref? (i love it)

i forgot brom's last name is van brunt because i was so used to calling him bones so that was a shock

"Unless it were Brom’s own wedding, there would be no reason for him to tell Edwin about it." whoops

"At least there hadn’t been another fire." i need to hear this story.

"Edwin had never seen his usually good-tempered son so bitter." this actually fits in really well with my adhd (and/or autistic) brom headcanon.

"Brom only had to live up to the same expectations that Edwin had." i'm sorry but i'm liking this dad less and less by the line. that's an insane amount of expectations

"God, Edwin could only imagine what his contemporaries were saying about his absence." is this dad... more concerned with the LOCAL NEWSPAPER than his son's happiness?

also can i use the name edwin for his dad in a fic eventually

"He couldn’t understand why Brom was so eager to talk to the Bishop girl. It’s not like they were friends outside of Kat. Oh. Maybe Matilda was arranging Kat’s funeral."

can i punch edwin

your son is a grown man with his own life and his own job and his own friends and you weren't there for possibly the most important moment of his life so stop assuming things about him!

"Not a pet then." probably the only valid question edwin has raised so far.

All he really wanted was some alcohol and a quiet night to process everything. my hatred for this character is growing by the word. YOU NEED TO SORT OUT YOUR PRIORITIES SIR nope he doesn't deserve that sign of respect

"“Oh my god, Ick. Did you run all the way here?” Brom fussed, pulling out an inhaler from who knows where and handing it to his friend." this radiates dad vibes that i entirely agree with. brom would make a great dad. especially considering the one you'd given him he'd do a great job by being the opposite of edwin

"Edwin could tell from experience that his son was physically restraining himself from hugging the young woman." i expect that he tried to hug you but you always refused that's why you're so well-versed in that expression huh edwin

"And in an instant, Edwin was reminded that she was only twenty-seven. It can’t have been easy for her losing her best friend so young. His previous animosity for the witch faded with his realisation." probably only good thing he's said in this whole thing. and only thing of his i agree with.

"His son had always been a better man than he." not that it's hard

"She was that strange girl who’d shown up out of nowhere one day and moved in with the Bishops." I forgot Verla exists pre-canon in your world. whoops. but it makes for an interesting outsider view!

okay i stopped quoting because this is so great. I LOVE HOW YOU WRITE THEM

"And, having observed them all morning, smiling and joking with Ichabod and Verla, Edwin could see it made perfect sense." edwin is starting to redeem himself in my eyes. still an arse but an arse who wants the best for his son (though he doesn't always know what it is)

"[...] who cared? Certainly not Edwin. In fact, he’d never felt so proud of his son. Brom had done what Edwin never could. He’d broken the cycle, shattering the expectations set against him." edwin redemption arc? he has existed for a few paragraphs and i already have strong feelings about this character. that's a sign of good writing.

after reading the note it makes so much sense. loved this chapter.

(also i just realised i forgot to kudos when i was logged in so i'm off to do that rn. you deserve all the kudos you get)

This ask was so sweet! I almost cried whilst reading it and some of your responses were hilarious! I’m gonna try to give you a reply to each of your comments:

1. THANK YOU!!!

2. I’m glad to hear that! It’s definitely something I’m interested in writing, but it really depends on my headspace after I finish this fic. I have a lot of ideas though!

3. Short answer: yes. Long answer: I was looking up Dutch names and I came across the name Edwin and I took the opportunity to also reference Poe Party!

4. 😂 I get that!

5. Lol yup!

6. This was actually a reference to Kat’s episode 1 line “don’t let him near your gas stove” when she introduces Brom to Ichabod!

7. Love to hear it! As an autistic person myself, I can totally see that!

8. Ikr! I had the poem This Be the Verse by Philip Larkin in my head when I wrote Edwin. I really wanted that idea to bleed through!

9. Pretty much!

10. Gopher it, mate! I look forward to reading that fic!

11. Yeeeee

12. Sure! Maybe it’ll help him realise what a wonderful son he has!

13. Exactly!!!

14. 😂 Agreed!

15. Lol

16. Yup! Brom loves so deeply and loyally, he just radiates dad energy.

17. Mmhmm! When Brom was a boy (until the age of 12) Edwin would hug him behind closed doors, but in public he would tell him it wasn’t proper. When Brom got older, he stopped hugging him at home too. He’s making progress, but he’s got a long way to go.

18. Oh yeah!

19. Accurate!

20. Lol yeah! Since we were given so many different possible Verla backstories canonically, I figured I’d just come up with my own!

21. Thank you!!!

22. 😂 That’s what I was going for! A redeemable arsehole!

23. Oh my gods, thank you! This is definitely the beginning of a redemption arc for him!

24. 😂 Glad to hear it!

25. (Thank you, I really appreciate it!)

[wasabito]

thank you to @sparkexplosive and @vs-redemption for beta reading it for me! merry christmas & happy holidays everyone ♥️

➽ synopsis: being a member of the royal guard is a grueling and thankless job, so you decide to remind katsuki a little of what it’s like to be young again—what better way to do that than with some healthy competition.

➽ word count: 1.7k

➽ tags: fluff, budding romance, royalty au, childhood friends

➽ author’s note: i had a ton of fun participating in my first ever secret santa!! this is my gift-fic to the lovely @katsushimaa​ hope you enjoy, yssa!

"So, this is where the hell you've been hiding?"

His voice tore through the midday stillness like a blade, equal parts raspy and gruff. He sounded irritated and mildly fatigued. Not that Katsuki Bakugou would ever admit to being anything less than a hundred and ten percent. He climbed off his steed, heavy boots crunching under the weight of his feet, and secured his horse against the stump you were leaning on.

You flipped the page of your book, not sparing the man even a cursory glance. You would prefer to keep your attention occupied by fictitious worlds, warriors, and battles fought in the name of love and justice.

It was much easier to allow yourself to become the bearer of fictional hardships, because at least they could be solved through a well-constructed plot with each turn of a page, as opposed to the realities of your actual life, a slow spiraling disaster in comparison.

Bakugou stood in front of you, vein ticking on his throat with every clench of his jaw. His arms were crossed tight over his chest, red gaze pinned on your hunched form. He wasn't at all the kind of person anyone could easily ignore. His very presence demanded attention and drew eyes like a magnet.

Case in point, no matter how much you tried to ignore him, you simply couldn’t.

"Please tell me you aren't going to stand there the entire time. Take a hint will you." You went to turn another page, but Bakugou reached over and snatched the book from your hands with deft fingers and speed you couldn't hope to match.

"Give. It. Back."

"Nah, I don't think I will just yet." He sneered, thumbing through the pages. "I was told to bring your dumbass back to the estate, so that's exactly what the hell I'm 'bout to do."

You blew a puff of air from your lips, eyes blazing with a kind of defiance that only burned harder the more you glared at him. "Then I guess you'll just have to drag me back kicking and screaming."

Bakugou only smirked, teeth spread in a feral grin that sent a chill down your spine.

That had always been his intention.

Almost an hour later, you stood before your parents, clothes dusty, creased, and smudged from having been manhandled like a sack of flour before promptly dumped in front of your waiting audience.

A frown marred your delicate features as they began their lecture.

Your mind drifted elsewhere the more they reminded you of your lineage and that you were royalty and how it was imperative you behave as such. You’d heard it all before, known this for as long as you could remember. As the King and Queen of your home country, your parents never failed to emphasize the importance of keeping your every move in check because of the reputation you had to uphold.

Katsuki stood somewhere behind you, and although he stayed mostly silent, you could almost hear him grinding away at his molars. The King and Queen were taking turns subtly digging into him as well, implying that his incompetence was a stain upon the royal guard perfect record of achievements. If he couldn't keep you in line, what was the point of holding rank?

They annoyed him way more than they did you, but he dare not voice it, not if he wanted to keep his head attached to his shoulders. Far be it from him to send himself to the guillotine

You both were in for a long night.

“Honestly, this kind of behavior is unbecoming of someone of your status. What will our countrymen think if they see you roaming about unattended like a vagabond?” Your father stroked his beard as if waiting for a response. But everyone in the room knew he really just liked to hear himself talk.

He was no better than a machiavellian swindler in expensive robes. A puppet if you would.

The real leader of the land was your mother. After all, she had only married into the family, having been the daughter of a mere advisor with no royal blood. She spoke little, but her glare was more than enough to convey just what she was thinking.

By the end of the lecture, you felt like all of your energy had been sapped from you, but thankfully your parents left you to retreat into your bedroom for the remainder of the day. Bakugou escorted you, following close behind.

“You’re gonna do it again, aren’t ya?”

You paused, foot nearly catching against the carpeted floors of your bedroom. Fiddling with a piece of your hair, you shrugged. “...maybe.”

“You’re a huge idiot.” Bakugou shook his head with a low laugh.

A tiny smidgen of a grin danced on your lips as you considered him. He was your childhood friend. No one knew you better than he did. And he was also the guard most assigned to watch over you and keep you safe from harm.

Despite that, you’d come to notice how much he’d changed. He wasn’t the same Katsuki you grew up knowing and you missed him dearly. Occasions like this, where a part of his guard was let down, were becoming few and far between. There had to be something you could do.

“Let’s make a wager. If you can manage to find me, I’ll do one thing at your command.”

“Challenge accepted.” He reached into the folds of his uniform, pulled out your little novel, and slapped it right into your open palm. "No matter where you run off to, I'll find ya. Trust me on that, princess."

His eyes were like candles in the night, ignited by a spark of passion. Not a single lie could be detected.

"I won't make it easy on you, Katsuki, just so you know."

"Heh, you better not." He sniffed, tucking his hands into his uniform pockets. And with a final half-wave, he was gone.

In and around the capital city, winter had completely lost it's bite. The weather was tepid, swinging a mild breeze that coasted through the countryside. It was the sort of winter where one felt as if woolen clothing were worn more for comfort than necessity. In what should have been the chilliest part of the year, Bakugou found himself traversing one of the many beaches that hedged the southern peninsula.

After a full week following the challenge issued in your bedroom, Bakugou realized you were entirely too good at evading him or any of the other guards at the kingdom’s disposal, for that matter.

Day in and day out, he spent his shifts searching tirelessly for you, just to stumble upon you in the most random of places and only when you had wanted him to find you. The running score was six to five in your favor, but he was determined not to lose to you again.

And there you were, standing at the very edge of the shore, as if a mere thought had manifested you right before his very eyes. Your loose billowing dress of soft satin waved to him like a white flag of surrender in the air. He'd finally found you.

"Not gonna run off this time?"

"Nope! You won this round." Your cheeks creased in a smile.

Given the boots he'd worn, it was no surprise that his feet kept sinking into the sand. You said nothing as he toed off his shoes and socks, bare feet settling into the depths of warm, grainy sand.

He couldn’t help but feel more relaxed. Over the past few months, he’d found himself losing sight of his goals, caught in the dredges of the mundane and routine.

The cool waters lapped at both his and your feet, fizzing and bubbling, leaving behind traces of salt. You went further into the water’s touch, your back to him as the tides licked at the your calves. Even he had to admit, the view was a beautiful one, possibly even more so with you against the backdrop.

“I’m glad you found me,” you called over the cry of seagulls. “For a second, I was worried you’d lose this round.”

Bakugou rolled his eyes. “Tch, as if I’d ever lose to you, princess.”

“Naturally.” You laughed.

“What the hell are we doing out here anyway?”

He knelt to roll up his pants, a mere moment away from following after you like always.

“I... really just wanted to show you the view. Do you remember when we used to come down here as kids? Remember how we used to dare each other to see who could go the farthest into the ocean?”

Of course he remembered. Those were some of his most cherished memories of his time spent with you before duty to the kingdom took precedent.

You reached a hand out to him, an open invitation. “I just thought you needed a little reminder of what that was like.”

For some reason, Katsuki was determined not to meet your gaze, scowling at some point on the horizon, until you came over and nudged him with your elbow. “It wouldn’t kill you to admit that I’m right.”

With a sigh, he reached over and tugged you into a hug. You snuggled close to his chest, gripping the back on his uniform. It may have been your imagination but you could’ve sworn you felt the soft press of lips against your temple.

“Thanks... you know... for everything.”

Beaming, you leaned back to get the full view of his heated cheeks.

“Of course, of course.”

There was something earnest in his eyes that told you no matter how far you went, or however far you traveled, he’d always be a step behind you. It sent your heart hammering in your ribcage. You were suddenly all too aware of the way he held you secure against him like he would never let go.

“What are you thinking, princess?”

You blinked owlishly, taken over by your feelings and mumbling a hushed. “Oh, nothing.” The two of you were just a royal and a guard, bound to one another by duty.

If there could be anything more than that...well, only time would tell.

[villainsandvictimsalliance]

Man, I'm sorry you're getting hate Shan, you don't deserve that shit.. But imo? It's kinda funny.. Like I think they just look at your url, and that's it, not your content which has a lot of explaining why villains should have a second chance. Like I understand why they shouldn't, but at the same time, the world turned it's back on them. Heroes nor anyone else was ever there for them. Society turned them into what they are now. I think it's fair that SOME (not all, like Muscular and others) should get a second chance at life.

I don't know why people want so bad for the UA students to kill the villains? That's not gonna benefit the kids, nor the villains, and it's gonna make things easier only for the people in power as a perpetuation of the corruption of the hero system.

And like you said, I'm not talking about every single villain getting redeemed. And redemption doesn't mean forgiveness, it doesn't mean forgetting either, but it means that instead than only punishing people, they can also help them get better and become better persons, so they can someday have a healthy happy life while also paying for the crimes they committed.

You can't compare Muscular and Tomura, for example, because you need to count the HEAVY abuse Tomura has suffered. The thinking process, the psychological damage, the isolation, none of them is equal in both cases. You can't compare Toga, who is around 16-17 years old, to Overhaul for example, who is a 31 years old man and a chuild abuser. You can't compare Dabi, with all the trauma and abuse both psychological and physical, to AFO or Doc Ujiko. Not all of them CNA get redeemed, but the heroes need to try. That's why Lady Nagant saved Overhaul. He was a criminal, a very bad one, but it was not her job to decide if he should live or die.

I think Shouto would feel a lot better saving Touya and not, you know, straight up killing him, for example. Heroes enjoy saving lives, they enjoy helping other enough to devote their lives to doing it. Do they think Deku would feel better killing Tomura? Most OFA vestiges were happy to know Deku would try and save Tenko. And do they think Ochako would also enjoy killing Toga? We're talking about the girl who wants to make people smile, the girl that is not cruel nor violent if she can avoid it.

You know what? It doesn't matter if they like the villains or not, if they can empathize with them or not. The villains shouldn't be treated like animals, it doesn't matter how bad they are. They captured AFO and sent him to jail. AFO. If AFO got that treatment, then why villains who have done far less in far worst scenarios should get killed? Being a villain doesn't mean you can't be a victim and being a victim doesn't excuse you from being a villain. You can be both and you should answer for your crimes, but you also deserve treatment for the abuse you've gone through.

Sorry for the rant but your ask really inspired me and yeah, I wish those anons would at least read a little more my blog or get the time to understand what I defend. Thank you so much for the love and I hope you know how much I appreciate you 🥺🥺🥺 you're really some wonderful mutual. Love you so much, hope you're having a nice day.

[bokuroo-squeals]

Of rough time, marriage and fears

Daichi x reader

Genre: Requested angst to fluff

Summary: After a year of being happily married, trouble seems to appear at paradise when Daichi starts growing distant.

Note: This is not the best, and I don't think I took it the right direction but it was fun to experiment with this. Let me know if there's any orthographic or grammar mistake ,and thank you for reading!!

Marriage is more than a pretty wedding and golden rings, more than a cozy house with nice plants to water. Marriage is way more than all that, so it's not surprise to have though days, fights and disagreements are not a foreign concept, but nothing of this was enough to break you and Daichi. Or so you thought.

One year into your spouse life started like a dream. Even when the road had potholes in the way, you two were mature about it and faced them together. Every morning you woke up next to the love of your life, and he held you close as if you were the most valuable thing in the world, and for a while, you thought you were to him. But months gone by taught you otherwise, because now the space between you was unbearable, like ice left too long on skin. And how it started you don't know, but you wished you did.

The first sign was Daichi growing distant, the second one was him getting in contact with an old friend, a past 'almost something' he knew since high school. And then, it was him spending more time with friends, with her, and you left alone at home to play the loyal housekeeper, the cute spouse that cleaned and cooked but couldn't enjoy dinner with the husband. So it hurt, the feeling of being left behind was slowly filling your lungs until you couldn't gasp for air normally, until the sensation was too much to handle.

The night was as normal as it could go, with you sitting on the couch, waiting for Daichi to come back home from work. Dinner had grown cold, and the clock's hands had moved so much for you to remember how long have you been waiting. Alone in a house meant for two, you couldn't help but feel lonely without Daichi, and you stop to thing briefly, maybe it's your own fault.

It's almost midnight when you hear the door open, then the shuffle of his shoes against the floor. He comes to through the frame, notices your figure and walks your way with heavy steps, Daichi's weight pulling him down in every movement of his legs shows how tired he is.

"It's late, you shouldn't have wait for me. I was out with Suga and the rest after work" he explains briefly after he collapsed next to you on the couch, finally giving into exhaustion.

The conversation ends like that.

Next time is not as peaceful

"Where are you going?" You asked again, the third time already on the week. You're tired, tired of not feeling like you still matter to him, exhausted of feeling him escape through your fingers even when he is right there in front of you.

"Another class reunion. Yuna-san..."

Your blood rushes with anger and you don't let him finish, you can't. It's too unbearable, the feeling of fury.

"Yuna-san? Another reunion? Daichi, please. You're rarely home this days, please, can you just stay with me this time?" Is not easy or possible for you to mask how exasperated you are at this point. Your husband notices the trembling of your body, coming closer to you with a tired sigh.

"We talked about this. Don't do this tonight, Y/n" with how hard he mutters it, it comes out like a warning, one that you're willing to ignore in favor of your feelings. This time is different, any patience or consideration have been thrown to the drain by you, and you are finally ready to explore.

"No! We haven't talk about this, we never talk, and that's the problem! Is always just you asking me to drop it, to leave you alone, to swallow everything inside me, and honestly, I'm not doing that anymore" He stares at you with brows knitted together tightly, a clear sign of him not approving what he takes as a tantrum for his attention.

"We'll talk when you have calmed down. Until then, I'm going out" Daichi turns to walk out, about to leave the scene like nothing, like your marriage was nothing.

Tears you didn't know were there start falling out of your eyes, dramatic style out of a lame romantic movie.

-

For him, it started with jokes and teasing from the team, making fun of him for a few laughs. It wasn't anything too malicious, a few comments here and there over his marriage life, how he was an old man now and how they were getting ready to not see him anymore at reunions or parties. Daichi could handle that, even laughing along with them, until Yamamori Yuna arrived back into his life.

There was a school reunion that he decided to attend after months of being stressed by work, just going out for some drinks and catch up with their past classmates, a night to refresh those records left in their memories from their youth. Everyone was chatting animatedly, the same jokes Daichi was used to were repetead, which he responded with an equally happy laugh. But the girl next to him frowned, her hand discreetly sneaking in a smooth motion all over his arm to get to his shoulder.

"Doesn't it bother you, Sawamura-san? They're making fun of you. " The seemingly troubled expression on her face was enough to cut his laughter.

"It's alright, I'm having fun out of it too"

"Well, it's not fun for me as your friend. Ever since the wedding you have been so engrossed on your partner, that it looks like have forgotten to be your own person, and now you're the joke of your friends". Yamamori's frown deepened even more, her pretty face painted with fake consern. She was so immersed in the little act, in her own selfish intentions, that every word sounded like authentic worry.

That conversation stays engraved on his mind more than it should've.

It's not like he doesn't love you, because he does. The band on his finger is the proof of his adoration towards you, but the fear of losing himself is powerful and big enough to overthink. Daichi starts going out more, because after thinking about it, he was closing off his friends, going out less, not answering texts, missing calls and updates from his friends.

Yuna seems to have all the answers for the questions plaguing his mind, so naturally, he hangs out more with her and his friends. Getting loose and enjoying himself with other people that's not you, because he thinks it what he needs.

He's told you before that she's hanging out with the boys and him lately, he's talked about her when you ask where he was or what was he doing. It's not like he's hiding the fact that he's been in contact with her, yet you still feel like trash when the ghost of doubt makes it's way on your heart.

-

When he returns, he doesn't expect you to be awake, thinking that you'd be on your shared bed, passed out after calming yourself. But you're as awake as you could be, with bloodshot eyes and dry tears over your sad features, and his heart pants with pain at the view. Is heartbreaking, seeing you as equally heartbroken, and us even more heartbreaking knowing he was the cause of your suffering. So he holds you, close to his heart to comfort a little what he has hurt.

"You don't love anymore. You're gonna leave me for her, Yuna" your words are tainted by anguish. An uncomfortable affirmation from your part, one that's not even close to the truth. His breathing stops and for a moment, he swears his heart does too.

"Don't say that, don't you dare say that again. I love you so much, you don't even understand." He opens up his heart with you.

Fifteen minutes is how much it takes him to explain to you all what has gotten to his mind ever since the first reunion. How he was afraid of not being him anymore, of being forgotten by his friends, of hovering over you too much.

"I'm awful, I'm the worst. My selfishness is the worst. I know, now I know. But please, you're the only one for me, I'd never cheat or leave you. The only one on my mind is you. At this point, you've ruined everything for me; love, sex, even religion. No-one can come close to whatever you do, to whatever you make me feel, I can't be tempted by anything that isn't you".

You belive him, you do. The way words spill so easily, flowing like water, can't be faked, neither can be the sparkle in his eye which you hadn't seen in weeks.

-

Daichi's path to redemption begins with being home early after work. Coming to your arms as soon and fast as he can, welcoming your warmth deep in his soul. Once again in your embrace, is hard for him to think just how much has he been missing out.

Is the kisses and hand holding, is your voice and your love what makes Daichi feel safe.

"Daichi, you have to shave" you tell him between giggles, his facial hair caressing the skin on your neck making you itchy.

"Later" he murmurs while he inhales your scent. It calms him down, it relaxes him.

Right now, he has to hold you close, love you as much as he can to make up for the bitter days he had made you suffer. Right now, you feel as safe and as happy as possible, between his arms that are your real home, beside him where you belong.

Marriage is more than just a pretty house and golden rings. Marriage is failing and hurting, with the promise of fixing whatever it needs to mend together.

[coloredgirlfan-fiction01]

The warm morning sunshine was the first thing you felt as you woke from your sleep. The bright light stung your rested eyes but with a few blinks it was manageable.

Looking over at your bedside table, the digital clock read seven sixteen. You had wanted to set the alarm to wake up earlier, but Michael always complained that the sound it made was annoying and gave him headaches.

So you had to learn to wake up early so Michael could get his beauty sleep, not that he really needed it.

Said blonde was still fast asleep on his back, arms on each side of his head and soft pink lips slightly parted as he took shallow breaths. His long eyelashes fluttering ever so gently on his cheeks as he dreamed, something good you hoped.

He was dressed in the red silk pajama suit you picked out for him last night, the first three buttons of the top undone which exposed the smooth skin of his chest.

He was so beautiful, unlike most men he was soft and loved to be taken cared of. There was nothing anyone could say or do that could make you any less in love with him, and he loved you just as much.

You protected him and never judged him for the way he was like those in his past had. They were so focused on what he was and what he was destined to do, that they never stopped to ask him who he really was outside of his father's dark shadow.

As you watched him sleep a fond smile crept across your lips, you leaned over the blonde and gently kissed the top of his exposed chest.

"Michael, it's time to wake up." You whispered placing another kiss just above the previous one.

You felt him stir and let out a soft groan as you began to kiss his neck.

"Five more minutes." You chuckled at how childish his whine was.

"Come on puppy, it's time to get up." You watched as his eyes fluttered open, ocean eyes seemed to almost glow as the sunlight hit them.

"Morning.." He greeted with a smile. You reached out you brush a few strands away from his face, enjoying the smoothness of his skin and the happiness in his eyes.

"Did you sleep well?"

"I dreamt about you. We were at the bottom of a clear blue ocean. I was lying on your lap, you were humming a song and running your fingers through my hair as I fell asleep. It was beautiful, peaceful."

He always had such strange dreams. Sometimes he had nightmares that were so vivid even you got chills whenever he'd talk about them, but you always loved the ones he got that made him smile in the morning.

"Your too cute for your own good sometimes you know that?" You kissed him and got out of bed to stretch your arms above your head to rid your body of any excess tiredness.

The grey T-shirt you wore to bed lifted as you did, exposing your upper thighs and ass which Michael gawked when he sat up. He couldn't help but think how sexy you looked wearing his shirt and nothing else.

Your skin always had a sort of glow when the sun washed over you. Every curve, your hips, your breasts, your long legs, your natural hair that framed your face made you look like a goddess in his eyes.

He'd never thought that after everything that went went in his life, all the blood and bad choices that he would find redemption and safety in the shape of you.

You were the first person to treat him like an actual human being with feelings and emotions instead of just the antichrist that was destined to destroy the world and remake it in his father's image. That part of him died the moment he gave himself to you.

"Are you going to stare at me all day, or are you gonna' get up and get ready pup?" Blush dusted his cheeks and he averted his eyes to stop from staring. He got out of bed and helped fixed the bedding before joining you in the shower.

After that you guided him downstairs to the kitchen and began to make a healthy breakfast for the both of you, while Michael sat at the counter and watched you.

French toast, eggs, sausages and a pot of freshly made lemongrass tea was on the menu and you took pride in the fact that you only took twenty minutes to make everything.

"So what do you want to do today pup?" You asked serving him his share. Since you didn't have to go into work on Saturdays, you always let Michael choose how you'd spend the day together. You owned your own business and it took up alot of your time, so you dedicated a day just for Michael since he hardly gets to have you for himself.

"I was thinking we could go to the park today, the weather's nice maybe we can have a picnic?"

"That sound like a g-" The loud ringing of your cellphone cut off the conversation and drew you away from the kitchen counter to retrieve your phone from upstairs.

Apparently one of your employees made an error at work and they needed your help to fix it before it caused problems for the software. You inquired about the error and thanked the heavens it wasn't something that you needed to leave home for.

"Michael I'm going to be in my office for a few minutes, finish your breakfast and watch some TV until I'm done OK?" You called out and got an 'alright' as his answer.

About an hour has passed and Michael was getting bored of watching TV. They were showing some low budget show about vampires and he was in no mood to sit through it.

What was taking you so long? You had said a few minutes and it's been an entire hour and you haven't left your home office.

He hardly gets to spend any quality quality time with you and now your work was getting in the way of his day. He wasn't happy.

Deciding he's waited enough, Michael clicked off the TV and marched up the stairs to the see what was taking you so long. He decided not to knock and just barged in ready to demand your attention but stopped himself as he saw you typing furiously on your laptop and talking sternly at whoever was on the phone.

"There is absolutely nothing you can give me as an excuse right now, this could completely crash the servers and we can loose Gigabytes of data because of this."

You always looked so fierce when you were pissed off about something. Your usually calm and collected demeanor was replaced by one of dominance and authority that always made his knees weak. Just the sound of you scolding your employee made him hard and made him want your attention even more.

He closed the door behind him and walks over to you, fully determined to get what he wanted despite knowing he wasn't allowed to disturb you during work.

"Y/n are you almost done, you promised that we'd spend time together today." He whined kneeling beside your chair. His big blue eyes looked up at you but you didn't even give his a side glance.

"Today is my day with you they get you every other day, can't you handle this later?" You shot him a serious glare that shut him up but it didn't deter him from his mission. Being ignored was one thing, but you brushing him off for your work on his day was the last straw.

You didn't question him when he crawled on the floor to get under your desk. You didn't even question when he spread your legs apart to make room for himself in the tight space.

What did get your attention was the sharp tug of your panties that made them snap when he tugged them with his finger. The pull was so strong it pulled you along with it.

He could be such a brat when he couldn't get what he wanted. You didn't mind it but your work couldn't wait.

You could tell he was getting impatient as you hardly reacted to his desperate acts for attention. The way his teeth nipped at your inner thighs and the wetness his tongue left in it's wake as he licked your folds with vigor.

You'd be lying if you weren't getting turned on by his efforts.

If there's one thing that Michael excelled at was pleasing you to the best of his abilities.

It took all of your will power not to moan into your phone as his tongue slipped into you, his hands wrapped around your hips to pull your lower half flush against his mouth.

"You do know there will be consequences for this, don't you?" You said into the phone while grabbing a fist full of Michael's hair, making sure that he knew she was talking to him too.

Absolute chills ripped through you as he moaned loudly against your sex. His hot breath against your dripping sex was euphoric and you could help but grind your hips into him to get more.

"Listen to me, today is my day off and I have business at the moment to take care of. I'll deal with you and your mistake tomorrow." You ended the call and threw the phone on the desktop.

You pulled away from Michael and yanked him by his hair to get out of the tight space.

"You can be a real brat sometimes you know that?"

"You were gone for so long, and I-"

"You know the rules about coming in here don't you?"

"I know. I- I'm sorry."

You sighed and gestured to him to get out from under the table and to lay down on the floor. You followed after him and took the position of straddling his hips.

He looked so adorable beneath you, eyes full of anticipation for whatever you were going to do to him at that moment, you almost felt sorry for him.

"How do you think you should be punished puppy?"

Usually you would spank him or put him on time out for disobeying you, but he was right. Today was his day and you broke your promise.

"How about I do something we'll both enjoy, but at the same time you get your punishment. And if you're good we'll get ready to go on that picnic right after, sound fair?" You asked, which he immediately agreed to.

You slowly began to ride on top of Michael, his semi erection perfectly positioned against your sex making the friction delicious between the two of you.

The hairs on your neck stood up as a wave of chills ran across your skin when Michael let out a desperate moan as you felt him grow harder under you. His brilliant blue eyes glazed over in desperation and pleasure that motivated you to move faster.

"Y/n, I.. I want more..~" He panted, gripping your waist and meeting your humping with vigor.

"I know you do puppy, but this is all you're gonna get."

[loopy777]

I'm gonna pick "Sokkla Makeout," just to learn if it actually is what it sounds like.

I'm not going to give away the game, but since it's already complete, I might as well post the whole thing.

Keep in mind this was written in response to a discussion on ASN, which was (surprise!) centered on Sokkla. I forget the full details, but it touched on the possibilities of Sokka and Azula being secret agents together and falling in love. Secret Agent Sokka was a thing in fandom, for a while, and is partially what prompted me to put him in a 'Bond Girl' role for the story where I wrote Mai as 007. (Zuko was the Bad Bond Girl, although not actually bad in any way. It's all about the dynamic in the story formula.) As alwasy, I couldn't avoid putting in my own thoughts of an Azula 'Redemption.'

Also keep in mind that I typically dashed these things off without trying to make them good. Looking at it now, I'm not satisfied with Sokka's characterization.

Anyway, here you go:

Torture is Kind of Like Pranking, Right?

He should have been enjoying his first chance to ride in the new Drake-class Rapid Transport Zeppelin (that he helped design, thank you very much).

If not, then he should have enjoyed being trapped in a tiny passenger cabin with a spectacularly hot girl.

If not, then he should have at least been able to get some sleep, considering that he was on his way to another dangerous mission to preserve world peace or stabilize the price of rice or something.

Instead, he was scared out of his mind for his life.

Azula shifted her gaze away from the small porthole to look at Sokka with those darned-perfect eyebrows raised. "You're shaking. Are you cold? I can heat the cabin a little, if it would make you more comfortable."

Sokka tried to scoot away from her, but since he was already pressed into the wall on the far side of the bench they shared, all this accomplished was to squeeze him further up the metal barrier. Azula was literally driving him up the wall. "No Firebending," he growled. "I see one flame, red or blue, and I'm having this thing turned around and telling Zuko that you tried to kill me."

Azula's brow scrunched up, perhaps in irritation but more likely in evil murderous rage. "I'm trying to be nice; the Socialization classes my dear brother is paying for taught me that the first step in forging bonds with people is investing in the well-being of others. Since we will be working together on this mission, it would be most efficient for us to find a way to 'get along,' and something akin to a working friendship would be the ideal solution."

Sokka's eyes narrowed. "What does that all mean?"

"It means," she hissed, "that there isn't a single reason for me to do anything bad to you, so would you take your accusations and keep them to yourself?!"

There was the gaze- that scary Azula Gaze, the one that said she was about to destroy the entire world just for the joy of watching good people suffer. Sokka tensed and readied for an attack, but it didn't come. Azula just huffed a breath -- a warm one -- and turned to look out the porthole again. There was nothing but clear skies and rolling green plains to gaze at.

Sokka continued to eye Azula, just in case. She was a little different since she got out of the crazy house, but Sokka thought that Zuko deserved to take over her old room there for actually putting his former attempted-murderer to work. Zuko was far too trusting, and relied too much on logic, when it came to his sister. Normally, Sokka was a fan of logic, but Azula was Evil, and Evil is never logical.

Still, she was different, no denying that. She had completed five of these dangerous, off-the-books missions for Zuko, and seemed to be loyal to him, for now. Right here in this cabin, she was wearing a simple red and black tunic, and hadn't put her crownpiece in her hair. The old Azula liked the fancy robes of Fire Nation royalty, and even when she wasn't wearing her crownpiece, she was still wearing it in spirit.

That Azula was different now just meant she had gotten more sneaky.

"Why are you so convinced that I'm out to kill you?"

Sokka's jaw dropped, He hadn't thought she was paying any attention to him. "Maybe because you've done it before, every single time we met? And don't tell me you're a different person now. I've seen Zuko do that whole Evil To Good thing, and you're not working any of that magic."

She shrugged. "Honestly, I don't invest much into the concepts of Good and Evil. Back when I tried to kill you, I served my father, and by extension the nation he ruled. Of course, that drove me to... my bout of weariness. In the time it took me to... return home, Zuko had taken over the Fire Nation, ended the war, and began transitioning our country into peacetime. The only way to make myself useful is to serve him, now."

"And it never occurred to you," Sokka barked with a laugh, "to kill him and make yourself Fire Lord?"

Azula looked at him like he was a spiderfly in the process of defecating in her dessert. "What kind of an absurd notion is that? I'm one of the most reviled people alive, both in the Fire Nation and especially abroad. Even if I could somehow oust Zuko and take over, he's completely reversed our economy and state of readiness. If I tried to restart a war for conquest, I'd be defeated inside of a week, and the Fire Nation would suffer for it. That would be the height of pointlessness. Better to let Zuko rule, since he's trusted, and do what I can to make sure he has a stable reign so that the Fire Nation can prosper. Dear Zuzu has decided that I'm most useful on these covert anti-terrorist missions, so that's what I'm doing to prove my reliability. Maybe one day he'll let me function as an adviser."

Sokka could only stare at her through the whole tirade. "Do you honestly expect me to believe that?"

"I honestly couldn't care less. You're the one who's been staring at me the whole trip. Either you're a paranoid moron, or you're 'checking me out' as the expression goes."

Sokka snorted in indignation, which cleared his sinuses too quickly and set him coughing. As soon as he recovered, he croaked out, "No! I'm scouting the enemy!"

Azula tapped a finger to her chin. "Well, you've misidentified the enemy, but scouting isn't a bad concept. Actionable intelligence is the key to a successful operation, and it's good to know as much about your allies as you can. Perhaps even more important than knowing your enemies. Especially considering the mission that's planned for us."

She said it so nonchalantly that Sokka was immediately suspicious. "What do you mean?"

"Didn't they give you the extended briefing? We're going undercover as lovers in order to infiltrate enemy territory. I was given a wardrobe that even Ty Lee would consider daring. I hope they taught you how to brush your teeth back in the Water Tribes, because we'll probably be exchanging quite a bit of saliva."

Sokka couldn't speak. He couldn't even breathe. He was getting up the energy for a good scream when Azula leaned over him with a predatory expression on her face. "Might as well practice, hm?" Then she grabbed him and kissed him.

Then again, 'kissed' was probably the wrong term for it. Sure, their mouths were connected, and probably their tongues, too, but the degree to which Azula was pressing her body against his, limbs entangling, definitely pushed things beyond kissing. Maybe it was even a few notches above making out, depending on your definition. It certainly had its own power, which is why Sokka failed to even try to break free. If he had to classify it, he might file it under those Magnetik Energies the Mechanist was currently playing with.

Whatever it was, it was heating the room like crazy.

Of course, everyone needs air -- even Firebenders -- so the Way More Than a Kiss ended with stereo panting as the two of them eased back to their respective sides of the bench. Sokka found his voice first. "What- you- we- I... I don't care how great that was, no way am I pretending to be your lover! You're evil!"

Azula sighed. "Relax. I was just joking. My Socialization class that says humor is a very effective way to lighten moods and create superficial connections between people who are otherwise having trouble bonding. I guess I'm no good at pranks yet. Perhaps I'll ask Zuzu for an additional tutor." She turned to stare out the porthole again, leaning her chin on her hands.

Sokka watched her very carefully for the rest of the silent, awkward trip. And it totally wasn't because he was checking her out.

END