#I know they're only pretending to be a BA but

[discordiansamba]

six months after discovering the truth, lee takes his family to visit the fire nation.

it's his first time leaving ba sing se, the part of his brain that lies to him says. he's never been to the fire nation before, it says. lee treats it as the lie it is, but he can't help but feel excitement at the prospect. it's true that he's never left ba sing se since becoming lee- and he's never been back to the fire nation since effectively being rewritten.

he lets izumi and meiko choose the destination. they pick a place called ember island. lee regrets letting them choose- ember island is expensive. the tea shop makes a good profit, but it takes quite a bit of budgeting to actually make the trip a reality- at least until fire lord iroh casually invites them to stay at the royal family's villa there.

...he almost turns him down, until jin points out that by all rights, it's lee's villa too. right. fire lord iroh- and he still can't quite bring himself to call the man uncle- assures him that he will have the place cleaned before their arrival. he says it with a bit of a wink, so lee can sense by 'clean' he also means 'hide any childhood portraits of prince zuko'.

all lee ends up needing to pay for is transportation. he purchases boat tickets for his family, springing for a slightly larger cabin. it's his first time on a boat, his lying brain tells him- even as it's immediately contradicted by getting his sea legs much faster than the rest of his family. right. prince zuko would have spent three years living on a ship. he guesses the muscle memory is still there.

the villa is a spacious one, as befitting of a royal villa. izumi and meiko are thrilled to have their own rooms. fire lord iroh has even thought to have a crib brought over for zhu to sleep in, but the villa itself is otherwise empty of any servants, which lee is grateful for. he's not sure how he'd deal with being waited on hand and foot.

they stay on ember island for two weeks.

izumi and meiko love it.

and lee... he's enjoying himself too. he's always felt like he kind of stood out back home in ba sing se- and now he realizes that's because he's been fire nation this whole time. he tries dressing in fire nation reds, and while it doesn't feel quite right on him, no one so much as bats an eye in his direction.

(he can't say the same for jin- or meiko, who looks like her mother.)

they make friends with an older couple while they're there- noriko and noren. they're also there on a vacation with their adult daughter, kiyi. he feels oddly drawn to noriko in a way that he can't quite understand, and briefly wonders if he'd maybe known her as zuko-

-before quickly shelving the idea. after all, he doesn't even feel the same way about his uncle.

noriko and noren invite them to have dinner with them. they end the night at the theater, where the local players are putting on a performance of love amongst the dragons, a fire nation tale. he can't discern if his brain is lying to him or not when it tells him this is the first time he's ever seen it. he can't shake the feeling they're not doing it right, though.

noriko and noren depart for their home village of hira'a the next morning. lee tells them they're welcome to visit the lotus blossom if they ever find themselves in ba sing se. he'll make them a free cup of tea. his own family spends a few more days on ember island, during which lee learns many things about himself.

he and izumi discover they both like spicy food. lee makes sure to visit the market to pick up some authentic fire nation spices before they leave. jin tells him she will divorce him if he starts making all of their meals spicy. he laughs, and promises he won't.

he tells his daughters he's a firebender.

he only lies to them a little. they have fire nation ancestry, as it turns out. he didn't even know about it- or his own firebending- until recently. meiko is excited at the prospect of sharing this with her father. he pretends to bow to her, and asks for her teachings. it makes her laugh. the sound makes lee smile.

he's already making plans to come back when they leave.

thinking about the bad end variation of the lee from the tea shop au again. thinking about how iroh has long since resigned himself to the fact that his nephew is likely dead. he held out hope for as long as he could, but he is certain that if his nephew were alive, someone would have found him by now. azula likely knows what happened to him, but she refuses to talk.

then he receives a letter from sokka, telling him to come to ba sing se.

iroh makes the trek. he does not know what to expect when he gets there. what he gets is a grim-faced sokka, holding a pair of logbooks. he tells him he's found a lead on zuko, and that he needs to read this. he warns him that it's not going to be an easy read- and that he's sorry.

he's right. they are not an easy read.

iroh is an old man now. he was old when he took the throne, but he is older still now. but reading the logbook still stokes a fire in the old man's heart- a simmering rage that makes him want to return to his old ways as a general and burn this wretched city to the ground.

he does not do that, of course.

"the person who did this is dead," sokka says, "-if that's any comfort."

it is not. iroh would have liked to do it himself.

"...i know where to find him," sokka also tells him, "-if you... if you want to meet lee."

iroh does. very much so. sokka directs him to a tea shop called the lotus blossom, in the middle ring. lee runs it. iroh removes his crown headpiece and dons humble robes of earth kingdom brown, styling his hair in earth kingdom fashion. it is enough to disguise him. the tea shop is a modest one- not as fancy as the jasmine dragon had been, but certainly an improvement over pao's.

he is greeted by a young woman with braided hair and a sleeping infant swaddled on her back and is guided to a seat. he asks for the owner's favorite blend- and one of these scrumptious looking fruit tarts, if you do not mind. she returns with them, and iroh drinks deep the scent of jasmine tea.

he always hoped zuko would drink more of it.

there are two young girls sitting at an empty table near him. the eldest is reading a book. the younger is kicking her feet impatiently. iroh can see the fire nation in them, plain as day- as well as in the sleeping infant. he asks the young woman if he might have a chance to speak to the owner. the tea is delicious. he would like to pay his compliments.

she smiles, and tells him she'll fetch her husband right away.

iroh tries very hard not to stare when his nephew emerges from the kitchen. he wears his hair long and braided, concealing his scar with his bangs. he wears the green robes of an earth kingdom man of modest income, and a starched white apron over that. he is taller than he remembers, and carries himself in a different manner entirely.

"dad!" the youngest of the two girls rushes him. "i'm bored. can I go play with my friends?"

his nephew laughs and ruffles her hair. he tells her she can, and asks the eldest- izumi- if she doesn't mind walking her to her friend's place. izumi sighs, but she soon leaves with her younger sister, holding her hand. iroh would place them at around ten and six, if he had to guess.

his nephew greets him with a smile. there is no recognition in his eyes. iroh had anticipated it, but it still hits him like a hard blow. he shows none of this on his face, instead complimenting him on his tea. his nephew thanks him, but is soon pulled away by another customer. iroh watches him out of the corner of his eye.

...it's true. his nephew is a different person now.

but he is alive. he is alive, and he is happy. he has his own family. a successful tea shop. given how long he has resigned himself to zuko being dead, this seems a kinder outcome. iroh lingers in the lotus blossom until closing, simply watching his nephew. he contemplates his next step. sokka has told z- lee the truth, so he could reveal himself.

he could also leave without saying anything.

his nephew has a happy life here. does he really have the right to complicate it even further? and yet... iroh cannot help himself. he has mourned zuko many times over these past two decades. he must speak with lee, or he does not think he can ever let zuko rest.

he lingers past closing time. he knows it is rude behavior, but lee is patient in a way zuko never was. once he is the last person left in the store, iroh stands up and asks lee if he might speak with him again. he removes the five-pronged crown from where he has hidden it, and slides it into his top knot.

"i am told," iroh says, "-that this is where I might find the man who was once my nephew."

[thatiranianphantom]

Ahem....

Yoohoo, Desperate Anon?

I hear tonight was the night! The night BA would have their first real kiss! Go on their romantic car date! Confess their feelings! Begin their forever!

[piftamere]

satoru ending (wc : 1.6k ; cw : hospital room, brief description of the crash, mentions of death)

in your hospital bed, you feel small, you look small too. you're paler than usual, dark circles surround your tired eyes. you broke your left arm and now a cast envelops it.

“never scare me like that again” and a couple “i love you”s can be read on the white bandages, written by yuuji and kugisaki. flowers, ballons and a teddy bear decorate your room.

the doctor came by earlier, you're going to be okay. you should be out of the hospital in a few days. the police came too but megumi told them to come back tomorrow. you’re thankful he did.

megumi, yuuji and kugi look exhausted but they're smiling, you don’t have the heart to ask them to leave so you can rest. their presence is comforting, you’ll sleep later.

your ribs hurt when you breathe and even worse when you laugh, but you still reward yuuji’s poor attempts at lightening the mood with a chuckle. you can tell he needs it, you all need it.

when you recognized the driver as satoru’s former assistant, your heart missed a beat. you asked her to stop the car, but she started ranting to you, accusing you of ruining her life, of using people then discarding them.

you were so scared, you really thought you were going to die in that car. she kept speeding while not focusing on the road. going on and on about how you were a terrible person. and when she swerved off the road to avoid another car, you saw your life flash before your eyes. you saw the faces of everyone you would never get to see again. satoru’s face.

you’ll never forget the fear you felt when the car flipped over.

your thoughts are interrupted by frantic knocks on the bedroom door, megumi invites them in.

satoru walks in, he looks like a shell of himself, his hair is messy, his eyes are red.

“we’ll leave you two alone.” megumi says to you, his hand on your shoulder, before gesturing for everyone else to leave the room.

he sits down in the chair next to your bed, panic still evident in his eyes. “how are you feeling?”

“better now that you’re here.” you give him a soft smile, taking his hand in yours. you see him visibly relax.

“are you in pain?”

“a little, but i’m okay don’t worry.”

“i’ll always worry about you.”

“i know.” you say with a small smile.

“i was so scared.” the words hang in the air, raw and vulnerable. he’s staring down at your joined hands. “it’s my fault it happened. i never thought she’d take it this far, i’m so sorry.”

even if it hurts to speak, you need to say this. for him.

“how could you have guessed that your ex-assistant was insane to the point of stalking me for months and pretend to be my uber to confront me, or kill me i don’t really know what was her plan… that she would lose control of the car and that we’d have an accident. even a psychic couldn’t predict that satoru.”

hearing it out loud, it sounds ridiculous. satoru chuckles halfheartedly, wiping off a stray tear, but he stays silent.

“do you know why i was in that car?” you say barely above a whisper, squeezing his fingers to get his attention. he turns his head to look at you, you can clearly see the tears in his eyes now. he shakes his head.

“because you had an interview?”

“it’s funny because i was doing the interview, answering the same old questions and i started talking about my love for music, how it’s my passion and the only thing i want to do in life, how i feel like it’s what i was born to do you know?” he nods along, “but while i was rambling on and on, something felt wrong, it was different from all the other times i’d given that same speech. because all i could think about was you. that’s how i feel about you too. i love you, and i’m tired of pretending i don’t.”

his eyes widen, bottom lip quivering as he starts full on crying, tears streaming down his face and you panic, trying to wipe them away.

“i didn’t want to make you cry! i’m sorry satoru! i take it ba-” before you can finish your sentence, he places his hand on your mouth.

“don’t even think about taking it back.” he sniffles, melting into your touch, your hand still on his cheek. “i’m just a little emotional today, i’m fine. i love you too, more than you can even imagine.” he takes his hand off your mouth.

you exhale deeply, relieved to see he stopped crying. “okay, good…”

he takes both of your hands in his, looking into your eyes as he speaks. “i know it’s probably not what you want, given how much you love what you do and how hard you worked for all of this, but i need to say it. if this was the one thing that makes you want to quit, i get it. because a part of me wants to convince you to quit too. i don’t think i could stand losing you, these past few hours have felt like a living hell, and i would give up on everything if it meant keeping you safe, next to me. so just say the word, now or in 5 months, and i’ll leave it all behind, for you. If you’ll let me, of couse.” he looks down where your hands are joined, his voice trembling slightly. “but if you choose to keep going, i swear to protect you, i won’t let anything like this happen ever again.”

you take a deep breath, feeling the weight of his words and the sincerity in his eyes. “i’ll think about it,” you say softly. “i’m probably going to take a break but i don’t want to quit. i’m not saying i’ll never change my mind, but i love what i do too much.” you give him a reassuring smile. “and how likely is it that i’d get stalked twice, right?” you chuckle, attempting to lighten the mood.

he shakes his head, a faint smile tugging at his lips but worry still clear on his face.

“i’ve never seen you so serious ‘toru. come on, smile.” you say with a pout, poking his cheek where his dimple usually is. his smile grows a bit but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. still, it’s good enough for now. your voice hoarse, you say warmly, “oh there it is.”

you scoot over to the side of the bed, tapping on the covers to invite him to join you.

“come. you can’t say no, i almost died today.”

“i wouldn't dream of saying no.”

he climbs on, careful not to touch your cast, he wraps his arms around you, gently, like he’s afraid of breaking you.

in his embrace, the tension that has been gripping your body since the accident begins to ease. the steady rhythm of his heartbeat calms you down. you finally feel safe, for the first time since the crash. the hospital room and the pain fade away, and all that remains is the warmth of his body against yours.

you close yours eyes, his fingers trace soothing patterns on your arm.

“can i tell you a story?” his voice is soft, gentle.

you nod, “sure.”

“do you remember when we met?”

“yeah,” you say, a chuckle escaping despite the pain. “i thought you were an asshole.”

he coughs, clearing his throat awkwardly. “well, i was… but…”

“but?” you ask, curiosity piqued.

“but,” he continues, “the moment I saw you, I knew you were going to be someone important to me. you had this fire in your eyes, this determination. even though you were giving me the cold shoulder, i couldn’t help but be drawn to you.”

you tilt your head, gazing up at him. “really? i always thought you just enjoyed getting under my skin.”

he laughs warmly, the sound a comforting wave against your back. “maybe a little. but that was just my way of trying to get close to you. i remember watching you from across the room that first night, thinking, ‘i have to get to know her.’ there was something about you, something that called me.”

the memory of that night comes back to you. “you were so cocky, acting like you owned the place.”

he chuckles a bit sheepishly, a whine escaping his lips, “i’m sorryyyy, i was trying to impress you and it backfired. i really didn’t want to make a fool of myself…”

“and yet you did.” you tease lightly.

“and look where that got me.” he grins, tightening his hold on you.

there’s a moment of silence before he speaks up again, “so… am i your boyfriend now?”

you hum, “hm if you’d do me the honor yes.”

“and you’re my girlfriend?” he whispers into your neck, you can feel him smile against your skin.

“that’s usually how it works yes.” you mumble as you drift off to sleep in his arms.

fun facts :

satoru's the one who changed his contact name to "my pest"

they moved in together a few months after the accident

satoru's already thinking about proposing after one year together and yn has to keep reminding him that they don't have to rush it

megumi and yn still see each other often despite not living together anymore, and they keep working together too

author's note

ignore if some things dont make sense :3

satoru got his happy ending, megumi and maki are next dw !! 😗😗

⋆⭒˚｡⋆ tugging on heartstrings ⋆⭒˚｡⋆

as an aspiring solo artist, you dream of making it big in the music industry. With your talent and unwavering determination, you find yourself entangled in a web of romantic pursuits amidst rumors and betrayal. Will you emerge unscathed and manage to navigate your love life in the chaos of fame?

Part thirty-eight - the end

rbs and interactions are highly appreciated <3

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[sapphic-agent]

Rewriting the Gaang in LOK

Basically how I would have written the adult Gaang. Pretend the comics as they are don't exist.

Katara: Breaks up with Aang sometime post-finale to do some soul-searching. Travels the world on her own and sees how people are struggling after the war. After talking (beating) some sense into a few government officials, she realizes that the best way to help people post-war is through politics. She becomes an (unofficial) ambassador, helping and negotiating aid for small villages that tend to get overlooked and does this for a number of years. She joins up with Zuko and Aang after they found the United Republic of Nations and becomes Councilwoman Katara, representative of the Southern Water Tribe. She eventually gets voted chairwoman due to her passion to improve the lives of the citizens (and because her fellow council members are too scared to vote against her). She heals on the side when she needs to, but only out of obligation since she can't stand to see people suffer; she puts much more effort into getting raising funds for a hospital full of healers. A few years later, Haru moves to Republic City and is just as awestruck by her as he was the day they met (the pornstache has been removed by divine intervention). They meet up a couple of times; for drinks after work, walks around the city, and they even attend a few galas together. They eventually start dating and get married two years later. They have their first daughter Kya (who's an earthbender), a son- Tyro (who's a nonbender), and another daughter Suma (who's a waterbender). They live a happy, peaceful (if you could call Katara stopping the occasional criminal before the police peaceful) life together where their children are well-loved and as part of the Southern Water Tribe as they are the Earth Kingdom. Aang's death hits their family hard, but they all come together and support each other. Katara personally mentors Korra, even convincing her family move to Republic City so that the Avatar knows the people she's meant to protect (the White Lotus protests, they fail❤️). She teaches Korra Waterbending, but also teaches her empathy and appreciation for other cultures (and that sometimes, selfish world leaders need a good punch to the face, a lesson Korra took to heart even though she absolutely wasn't supposed to see it).

Aang: Is torn up after Katara breaks up with him. He's hurt and confused and doesn't know what to do with himself. He retreats to Ba Sing Se where he talks with Iroh and learns that he unfairly pushed his feelings onto Katara. Wracked with guilt at hurting someone he cares about so much, Aang realizes that he has a lot of growing up to do. He focuses on his job as the Avatar, working closely with Zuko, Kuei, and the other leaders to heal the world after the war. The first time he sees Katara again is when she arrives to help with the United Republic of Nations. He apologizes to her and Katara forgives him, promising they'll always be best friends. His role in Republic City is more or less the same, though at some point he develops feelings for Toph. But he fears doing to her what he had done to Katara, so he tries to ignore them. But Toph, never one to beat around the bush, point-blank asks him if he's ever gonna man-up and confess to her. They start dating, and Lin comes a few months later as a surprise. They have their hiccups- Aang especially needing to reconcile with the fact that there's a chance she might not be an Airbender- but they manage to resolve them. Lin is an Earthender, of course, but Aang loves his little girl to pieces (which is good, because Toph would kill him if she suspected otherwise). Tenzin is born three years later, an Airbender, and Su Yin is born two years after that as an Earthbender. Lastly there's Bumi, a nonbender. There's always the urge to favor Tenzin, but Aang knows he can't. They're all his children and they deserve to be treated as such. So he teaches them all about their culture, takes them all on trips. The kids fight, but Aang is always quick to help resolve it (as it turns out, getting Lin and Su to stop fighting is a lot harder than getting the four nations to get along, go figure). Aang loves his wife and kids and wouldn't trade any of them for the world. He dies peacefully at age 66, surrounded by his children and the love of his life.

Sokka: Fucking hates politics. He'll leave the negotiating and speeches to his sister, thank you very much. If the room of government officials isn't a war room, he wants no part in it. After the war, he spends most of his time in the Southern Water Tribe. He works with his father to rebuild and relearn their culture, and writes frequent letters to his sister. Though, something about his life in the south is unfulfilling. Maybe he misses Suki, but there's something about inventing that calls to him. He can't do much of that in the south pole, so he leaves for the Earth Kingdom, helping villages struggling with heat, agriculture, transportation, etc. In the United Republic of Nations, he becomes lead engineer of the city, utilizing bending to make quick technological advances. He and Suki reunite in Republic City where Suki becomes the police chief. They get back together and have a daughter, Lian. The three of them live a simple life together, until Suki gets gravely injured in the line of duty when Lian is twenty. They decide to retire to the Southern Water Tribe where Sokka takes over for Hakoda as chief and prepares Lian to take over for him.

Toph: When Toph hears that Twinkle Toes and Sparky finally started that fancy new city, she thinks it's the perfect opportunity to cause a little chaos. Closing her metalbending school, she decides to relive her days as the Blind Bandit by founding pro-bending (thanks @ecoterrorist-katara for the idea!). Zuko's a hater and tries to shut it down because "safety," but finds no help in Aang who really, really loves the idea. He goes to every one of her matches and Toph feels both smug pride and... Something else. But she tells herself it would never happen, Twinkle Toes likes girls like Sugar Queen and she was the furthest thing from that. But she isn't totally oblivious, she can feel his heartbeat pick up when he's around her and how he's started to stutter when he's talking to her. So she bites the bullet and they start happily dating. But the arrival of Lin uncovers issues she didn't even know were there. Lin cries loudly and for Toph who relies heavily on her sense of hearing, it's hell. She was also unprepared for how much her body would change. She finds herself not wanting to be around her daughter. But Aang realizes this and urges her to talk to someone. After some arguing, she does. Aang is attentive, so Toph can take breaks when she needs to and Katara and Suki are always ready to get her out of the house when she's overwhelmed. Things with Lin get better and when Tenzin comes around she doesn't suffer nearly as much. Su Yin is similar. It's hard with Bumi because she's older, but Aang and her friends are there to support her. Toph can be distant with her children- her closely monitored childhood always present in her mind- but sees how Aang can be doting and allow their kids freedom. She follows by his example, trying to find a balance between hovering and absence. Aang's death is the worst day of her life- she was there, she felt his heart stop- and she retreats into the swamp for a while to grieve. But she returns to Republic City when Katara begins to mentor the new Avatar. Not to be outdone by Sugar Queen, she becomes Korra's second teacher. It's hard to be around Korra sometimes, but she likes the girl's spunk and attitude, even if she is a brat.

Zuko: Zuko struggles after the war. The obligations of the Fire Lord are crushing and daunting and the fear of turning into his father feels like it's constantly looming over his head. Mai doesn't understand why he's struggling so much and he can't figure out how to explain it to her, so they break up. She goes to Kyoshi Island to spend time with Ty Lee and figure out what she wants in life. Stressed, burnt-out, and heartbroken, Zuko asks Aang to kill him if he ever starts to act like Ozai, but Aang steadfastly refuses, berating him for even suggesting it. Aang assures him that he'll never turn into his father and that he has his friends to rely on. He follows after Aang to Ba Sing Se, working in his uncle's tea shop as a much needed break. He opens up to Iroh about his fears and Iroh affirms that even having these worries proves that he'll never be Ozai. He spends time in Ba Sing Se working in the tea shop and negotiating with the Earth King when he meets Jin again. She's as carefree as she was back then and Zuko is both envious and in awe of it. But he knows he can't have a relationship with her, he can't burden her with his problems. But Jin is gently persistent, lending an ear when he needs one and assuring him that he isn't burdening her. When she asks him if he wants to be with her, he confesses that he does- more than anything- but also admits that he has no idea how it'll work. She tells him that if they want to be together no one should stop them. A year later, they're married and she's crowned Fire Lady Jin. There are some protests to their relationship from traditionalists, but Ambassador Katara (Zuko is so sure that she was never actually given that title, but he can't prove it) is quick to shut them down citing that the Fire Lord marrying an Earth Kingdom girl is a sign of unity. They have their daughter, Izumi, and she's Zuko's entire world. Zuko's greatest fear is that his children will end up like him and Azula, so he refrains from having more kids. Jin respects this, but urges him to talk to Azula. So he does; his sister curses him out, but seems to enjoy his company in her own way. They'll never have a good relationship, but Zuko doesn't want her to feel alone so he makes time at least once a week. It's shortly after Aang's death that Zuko relinquishes the title of Fire Lord to Izumi, his grief over his lifetime friend far too painful. Eventually, though, Katara and Toph bully him into training the new Avatar. It's not a role for a retired Fire Lord, but Zuko knows that the world needs Korra to be strong and it's his responsibility to make that happen as much as he can. And so, he becomes Avatar Korra's third teacher (if you told him 60 years ago that he'd become the Avatar's most sane instructor, he'd think you were high on cactus juice. But with Katara punching dictators in the face and Toph breaking every rule ever written, someone has to be a good influence).

Occupations if you missed them:

Katara: (Unofficial/Self-proclaimed) Ambassador of the Southern Water Tribe, United Republic of Nations Councilwoman and later Chairwoman, Healer (on the side), Waterbending Master to the Avatar

Aang: Avatar, United Republic of Nations Councilman

Sokka: Engineer and Inventor, Chief of the Southern Water Tribe

Toph: Pro-Bender, Manager of the Pro-Bending Arena, Earthbending Master to the Avatar

Zuko: Fire Lord, Firebending Master to the Avatar

Suki: Police Chief of Republic City (I'm sorry I didn't make a detailed background for her I got lazy, I promise I don't love her any less😭)

Defending my ship choices:

Harutara: Come on, y'all know what I'm about at this point. They're my everything, how could I not have them together? Plus, there's something really poetic about Haru falling for her as an adult the way he did as a teenager: watching her inspire those around her. I headcanon that he's enamoured with the sound of her voice because it's the voice that liberated him and his people and he attends all her speeches

Taang: I actually wasn't sure about this one. I'm not an active Taang shipper, but I do think they'd really balance each other out. Toph is the hard ass Aang needs to challenge him and Aang would bring out the softer side in her. Toph would never let Aang favor one kid over the other and Aang wouldn't let Toph neglect their kids. So looking at it like that, I felt them being together would be best for the story

Sukka: It's not as perfect in canon as people make it out to be, but I still love them. I wouldn't want any different for them

Jinko: This one actually made more sense than I would have thought. Jin is very different from Mai, so I can really see her being what Zuko needs considering where he would be mentally. I like Mai, but I feel Maiko really made her way more one dimensional so her living with Ty Lee and finding herself feels like a better end for her (and if they start dating, that's no one's business). And we've already seen Zuko go out of his way to make Jin happy so it's not like we're getting another Kataang situation. I'm happy with this for them

The Kids:

Yes, I purposely made Kya an Earthbender. And yes, Katara still gives her her mother's necklace. Because that's her firstborn daughter no matter what element she does (or doesn't) bend. One thing I hate is that Bryke made the Kataang kids primarily part of the culture that they bend. That's such a slap in the face to biracial kids, not to mention poor Bumi who doesn't seem to belong to either for some reason until he ends up an Airbender. So yeah, all of the Harutara kids are part of the EK and SWT. Suma is a name I made up because it sounded pretty

I know it's weird to think of Lin and Tenzin as siblings, I felt so odd writing it. But I love them both so I couldn't just not write them. I made Bumi the youngest so he could be spoiled because he deserved better in canon. Su and Lin have a better relationship, but they still butt heads because they feel the need to one-up each other due to them both being Earthbenders (and later Metalbenders). Lin still becomes a cop, but their big fight never happened because Su was never neglected to the point of becoming a criminal. All four kids are taught Air Nomad culture and traditions and taken on trips because Aang is a decent father

I named Lian partly after Yue, since Yuèliàng means moon in Chinese. One of my gripes with LOK is that Katara and Sokka's family are meant to be the leaders of the SWT. Kya or Bumi should be the chief in canon, but Bryke just... Didn't do that for some reason. So fuck it, Sokka's daughter is chief now

Nothing really changes about Izumi, although I'd say she's a little friendlier. I contemplated giving Zuko more kids, but I actually think his decision not to have more kids was one of Bryke's better choices. It makes sense, so I didn't feel the need to change it

Other notes:

The Gaang teaching/helping raise baby Korra is something I live for

The Red Lotus is swiftly dealt with by Katara, Toph, Zuko, Suki, and Sokka when Korra is a kid. They never stood a chance. I was actually going to have Sokka still die during the attack in the SWT and Suki kill Zaheer in revenge, but eh I decided not to off Sokka

The Civil War still happens, but differently. I don't have the patience to go into that, just know that Katara is HEAVILY involved

Welp, that's everything in my brain

[jo-gakky]

Can you express how much you love Nezha? I’d love to read about your rambles ❤️

WAAAAAAAAA this is such a flattering ask to get! 

I'm really bad at expressing myself when it comes to things I love, but I LOVE talking about and pointing out the little details about my favorite little guys!!

(also a quick note! I tend to describe things using examples/scenarios. If it gets a bit confusing, please don't be afraid to ask me about anything <3)

Nezha, specifically the LMK version of him, brings me a kind of stability and comfort that no other character really does/ever has. The comfort derives from sort of a combination between his general presence/movement, ideals and actions.

Have you guys ever met someone who just OOZES stability? They're dependent, and manage situations with grace, even despite their own troubles?

That's the kind of guy I read Nezha as! He's a noble guy with a stable moral compass, and he's self-assured in his actions and his righteousness, however, he's not afraid to admit his own wrongs when they pop up. He's stubborn, sure, but not to a fault. Despite knowing of Wukongs reckless behavior, he entrusts the responsibility and himself to Wukong’s plan(s). And to be honest, what deity in this show is NOT a bit stubborn?

Nezha is everything I'm not, and I ADMIRE that so much. There is something comforting in watching him whenever he comes on screen, because he is what every other deity pretends to be. He is just an honest guy, and honestly what's better than that? 

He's just the type of guy you could trust wholeheartedly!

Again, I could be reading his character wrong. Rewatching LMK always makes me notice new things about characters that provide a new context to them, and Nezha is no different. 

But that's absolutely okay with me, because that means I get to re-explore all these characters over again!

But for my current impression of Nezha, I read him as a stern guy with a heart of gold!

I could imagine, even if he was on duty, he'd be the type to help out if someone asked him for a hand. He'd probably hesitate, but only because leaving his post probably feels like sacrilege to him, but in the end he can't neglect a person in need of a hand. He's a generally kind, nice and reliable guy, but betraying that trust would make him incredibly doubtful of whoever slighted that trust, for a long while. His trust is preserved for those who deserve it. He seems to be a good judge of character, and wont give his full trust to those who are suspicious.

I also just feel like he's the stern type, that actually hides a side that's more cheeky, but in fear of becoming a joke or looked down upon, he represses that side of him.

I don't know how to really express exactly what I mean with all of this, but I generally just love him so much for being such a stable, kind, responsible and grounded character!

Something about him screams safety, and I'm genuinely so sad that I didn't pay him much mind on my first watch.

Aside from his general character, his design also just SCREAMS comfort and happiness to me!

The Pretty pinks and teal speaks to his calmness and general kindness and goodness, while the bright reds give a hint of his ferocious battle skills and power. And perhaps his temper, but I don't really think he has much of a temper. He gets a bit annoyed, but if i'm being honest, i would get a bit irked too if someone who could help wasn't taking something, possibly dangerous, seriously.

Beside his pleasing color scheme, his general shape-language is GORGEOUS and i love it so much! His hairstyle specifically makes me so happy! It's so beautiful!

He's also just generally really fun to draw, which adds a lot when it comes to a character's appeal for me.

This is just a minor detail, but I thought I'd add it anyway : His english voice BRINGS ME SUCH JOY! His voice is such a perfect fit for the kind of person he is! (tbh all the english voices are perfect, but specifically Nezha's voice strikes a chord with me.)

Um

yeah

That's just the basics!

TL;DR : I really like Nezha bc he's very cool and nice and awesome and responsible! <3 He makes me happy :)

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

Some of these zutara takes I regularly see are along the lines of "I can excuse genocidal colonialism, dictatorship and forced displacement but I draw the line at misogyny!"

Apparently the Fire Nation having women in prominent roles and equally participating in the brutal murder of other tribes means that they are not an evil force to be reckoned with.

It's giving this:

Meanwhile Darling Zuko and his people are actually the saviours of the damsel Katara, rescuing her from her misogynistic tribe and their customs. Literal coloniser propaganda.

We have no proof that the Air Nomads perpetuated misogynistic ideals, but because a 12yo did something dumb that means his entire nation were evil rapists who deserved to die.

Genuinely sick of these brain-dead takes!

Not to mention: we have no real evidence that the Fire Nation treats women equally.

It is a nation based on imperial Japan. Azula was going to be the FIRST woman to be Fire Lord (and even that would basically be the same as just "princess" once Ozai became Phoenix King). Mai and Ty Lee were not invited in the war meeting to plan for the day of the comic even though they helped basically end the war through the downfall of Ba Sing Se - Azula was the ONE girl there, and her friends only played a role in her mission because SHE chose to have them help. We mostly see women as guards, not as warriors going to the battles, indicating that they're not usually the first choice for these roles if they're prodigies/very high in their society's hierarchy. Ty Lee literally makes herself likeable to everyone, mainly guys, by PRETENDING TO JUST BE A DUMB, SILLY GIRL THAT IS EAGER TO PLEASE.

It is better than the Northern Water Tribe? Yes, but that doesn't make it a feminist utopia.

At least in the Southern Water Tribe we saw women warriors consistently through the flashbacks. We know that Gran-Gran fled south especifically because it was a more egalitarian place than her tribe. Katara wouldn't have even had to step up as a parent if nearly every adult hadn't died or left. Sure, we know for a fact that Sokka heard his sexist beliefs from someone, but the simple fact that Katara feels so comfortable shutting that shit down, on top of Hakoda never doubting her abilities as a warrior, shows that these beliefs were not held by the majority of the tribe before everything went to hell.

Where would Katara have a bigger chance of being treated fairly? In her tribe, that is sometimes sexist but not THAT sexist, or in a nation that on top of having an issue with sexism also doesn't see her as a human being in the first place?

And yeah, it's funny how Aang screwing up once means he's a raging misogynist and so was his entire culture, yet you constantly see Zutarians act like Katara has to "realize the Fire Nation is more complex than she thought" when the whole point of the show is "This country works under a system that is inherently unfair, violent and dehumanizing, and the whole world is paying the price for it."

[missstratford]

Apricity

chapter 2

A/n: I know I know it's been almost hundred years since I last updated and I KNOW this is not my best writing piece ...BUTTT I assure you that the next chaps will be worth it, So Enjoy loves!!!😊

Taglist:

@ssnapsaurus

@mafeperspective

”L/n!" You heard someone shout your name. You turned around and caught the eye of the vexatious blonde. You glared at him, swiftly turning ahead and continuing on your way. You felt a palm on your elbow and were dragged away towards the nearest broom closet. Malfoy shut the door behind him as he turned to you. "Open the door Right. Now" You whipped out your wand, pointing it at him. "Its important." He clenched his jaw. "I don't want anything to do with you anymore so open the door or move so I can do it myself." You seethed. You made to move around him but were shocked as Malfoy caged you in his arms, your back against the wall. "Why do you make it so hard for me?" He harshly whispered. The audacity he had to ask you this. "Are you that airheaded to forget that you dragged me here Malfoy?" You asked, voice coming out rather breathy. "I said it was important." He closed his eyes, trying to calm himself. "Someone saw us the other night in the class" He sighed. "And?" You asked, folding your arms, "please Malfoy, we hardly did anything worth a controversy." "Well, I've been getting these anonymous notes" He fished pieces of parchments from his pocket and showed them to you. "Keep threatening to 'spill your secret about the ravenclaw girl'" He watched you intently as you read the notes. "I still don't see why you demand my involvement. We didn't do anything for Merlin's sake! " You sighed exasperatedly. "That's not the only the only thing they're threatening me with." He mumbled so quiet you almost didn't hear it. "What else are they referring to?” you noticed few more parchment pieces tucked inside his pocket. " That's none of your business" He said, rudely snatching the note away. "I-it's just" He sighed as he caught you glaring. "It's something personal so don't snoop" He said, eying you warily. "All you have to do is pretend that you're my girlfriend for a while so he has nothing more to blackmail me with and we can go back to our peaceful lives." He said with finality. Ba-thump, you felt your heart drop to your stomach. "I-i'm sorry I didn't quite get that." You asked, your voice barely above a whisper. "Be my girlfriend for a while L/n, Merlin never realised Ravenclaws to be this stupid." He rolled his eyes. You stared at Malfoy thinking if you'd accidentally entered a parallel universe. "And why are you suggesting that?" You asked repulsively. "i explained that before." He spoke as if he were explaining a child. "What's in it for me?" You asked, coming back to your senses. "what do you mean?" Malfoy frowned. "Well putting up with you for more than a minute exhausts my patience so I do need compensation." You said matter-of-factly. "Oh please, I detest this as much as you." Malfoy played leaned against the wall "had Blaise not convinced me with this plan, I wouldn't even be here." He looked out the window. "How about 30 gallons?” he asked. "Do I look like a fucking slave to you?” You asked indecorously. You had had enough of him you decided. Shoving him aside, you made for the door. Malfoy immediately caught your wrist, pinning it next to your head. "Alright!" He said, pinching the bridge of his nose with his free hand. His breath falling your lips. "Whatever you ask, it will be provided." His eyes bore into yours. You were mightily aware of how close your faces were and had a slight idea that your face might have turned scarlet already. You didn't want Malfoy, of all people to realise what effect his position near yours had on you. You snatched your hand away from his and mumbled a 'ill think about it' and walked away. Alright, you could do this, the whole situation could definitely play to your advantage, right?

"Merlin, you look like you haven't slept for days." Vivian frowned at the sight of you as you filled your plate with breakfast. "Sleep? Define the word for me please." You asked, chewing on the eggs vigorously. You heard her chuckle and suddenly go silent. Looking up to see what had happened, you followed her line of sight. You noticed Malfoy walking your way with a rarity of a facial expression, a smile. "Good morning love." He grinned at you. What in Merlin's name ? "Uh? ” you asked as he sat down next to you, kissing your temple. " Just play along, you agreed remember? " He whispered into your ear as he pretended to kiss your cheek. "Y/n, a little explanation please?" You heard Vivian ask as you tried to process the events transpiring currently. "Um-w-well" You stuttered trying to put words together. "Me  and Y/n are dating of course. I thought you knew that already?" Malfoy smiled at Vivian but all you could focus on was the way your name sounded as it rolled out his mouth. "Oh It's time for potions" Malfoy said as he heard Blasie call him, "see you later love" He cupped your jaw, his fingers gently rubbing your cheek as he kisses your forehead. He certainly was a great actor.

[kawaiichibiart]

I was going to talk about them together, but I want to develop more stuff for Sun!Spirit Yue before I talked about her, so I'll just talk about Moon!Spirit Zuko for now (:

While Agni is seen as the Fire Nation's main/biggest spirit, they hold Tui and La to a high standard. They're also important to them. Because it's a Nation made up of islands, of course they'll take spirits that would affect them seriously, they're not all morons like Zhao.

When Zuko was born, Ozai noticed he lacked the spark in his eyes that firebenders had. He was ready to toss him over the wall until Ursa and some sages talked him out of it. He gave his newborn son until the next morning to gain the spark. If he didn't, they would get rid of him.

Once he left, the sages told Ursa that being born when he was, the chances of Zuko being a bender were slim to none. They also noted how his breath felt irregular, as if he was struggling to breath. And ultimately told her that she should say her goodbyes because that baby was not going to make it through the night.

And so, Ursa began to pray. She prayed for the spirits to answer her. To save her son. Give him a chance at life. And she did this for hours until exhaustion caught up with her and she fell asleep. Certain that when she would wake up, her baby boy would feel cold in her arms. And if he was still alive, he'd lack that spark and she'd still lose him.

So imagine everyone's surprised when they wake up to Ursa's cry and rush to her room. And they see her and her son. Ursa has yet to notice them, but they're all looking at Zuko. Alive and hair turned a silvery gray.

One of the sages announces that Zuko had been blessed by Tui. The moon had blessed him. And Ozai is less than pleased. He demanda Zuko be thrown out anyways, as he had said Zuko had to have the spark in the morning. But Azulon was able to override his decision. This had to be a sign. A sign that the tides would turn in their favor. That they would have bountiful feasts. They had the sun AND the moon on their side now. Why else would the moon bless Zuko?

Because of this, Ozai doesn't treat Zuko like his son. He pretends he's a bastard, and that Ursa had slept with a Watertribe Savage behind his back. When Azula is born and shows signs of being a firebender, he dotes on her and claims she's his only child. Which leads to a rather conflicting environment for her to grow up in. She's constantly told Zuko is and isn't her brother. That he's a Savage's bastard child and that he is his father's son. She's a prodigy and he was blessed by a spirit upon his first night of being born. She started bending at a really young age and he had to further prove how much of a bastard he was when he began to waterbend.

So Azula and Zuko have a weird relationship. One parent acknowledges both as their children and the other only acknowledges one. One of them was prodigious firebender and the other was a blessed waterbender. Ursa tries to get them to spend time together and Ozai keep trying to keep them apart.

And then comes the day Ozai decides to present Azula to his father and ask him to be his heir (and the next Firelord). He doesn't bother to present Zuko, and later on, admits he saw no need to present the boy. Why would the Fire Nation ever accept a waterbender as their FIRELord? Azulon is enraged by his son's disregard for the moon's blessing and tells him to leave. He'd inform him of his punishment in the morning.

While they aren't sure where they stand in terms of being related, Azuka still tells Zuko what she overheard. And asks if he had any idea what the punishment could be. The best they could come up with is Ozai taking Iroh's place and continuing the siege of Ba Sing Se. However, they never got to find out, because Ozai had lied to Ursa and told her Azulon ordered him to kill Zuko. She didn't believe him, knowing he didn't care for him. And he knew that, which is why he then told her he would have Zuko killed if she didn't help him kill Azulon and leave. Leave and give up her children. He wished he didn't have to keep Zuko, but too many people would notice the blessed prince if he was absent. And so, Ursa killed Azulon and fled into the night after saying what she believed would be her final goodbyes to her children.

Ozai immediately named Azula his heir and continued to ignore Zuko. He had him moved into the servants area. He claimed what he always did, that he was a bastard. A child born out of wedlock. That Zuko isn't his real son. And everyone knows this isn't true, but none of them dare say anything. They stay quiet and do their best to keep Zuko away from Ozai.

When Iroh returns from his journey in the Spirit World, it's to his father being dead, Ursa missing, Ozai as the Firelord with Azula as his heir, and Zuko basically disowned and living in the servants quarters. He watches as his nephew fades into the background, as he learns his new place in the palace. He tries to pick up where Ursa left off in terms of helping Zuko and Azula connect as siblings, but Ozai sends her away to a prestigious all girls school and immediately takes over her lessons when she returns, thus making it impossible for the two to bond, and further sinking in the idea that Zuko is, in fact, a Savage's bastard child.

And then comes the day of the war meeting. Iroh enters and sees his nephew serving tea to the men there. Another servant is there as well, hands empty watching as Zuko likely does his first job. They begin to discuss things and how to further advance in the war. And the plan involving the 41st is brought up.

And just like in canon, Zuko speaks up against the plan. Only this time, because he isn't a firebender, because Ozai doesn't acknowledge him as his son, because he's not worthy of it, Ozai doesn't make Zuko fight in an Agni Kai. Why would he forsake a firebending duel so a waterbender could fight in it? Why bother giving him a chance to show his loyalty to the Fire Nation when he clearly doesn't have any. And before everyone in the room, he burns Zuko's face. He warns everyone not to say a word. That no one was to know of Zuko's permanent banishment. If anyone asked, he was simply sent away for protection.

He left, and just as he did, he told Iroh to inform Zuko that he would have until sundown to pack and leave. And Iroh is furious. He doesn't bother acknowledging his brother's words. He just carries Zuko out of the room and packs their bags while some of the servants do what they can to help the young boy.

At sundown, he leaves the palace with Zuko, refusing to let his nephew be banished alone. He's glad one of the servants was able to help him get a ship and a crew that was willing to leave the Fire Nation behind.

The first few weeks of Zuko's banishment were agonizing. From fever induced nightmares to Zuko's sudden fear of fire and needing a flask of water he could play with to calm down, it was a hard time. Iroh held his nephew when he told him he was banished from the Fire Nation with no way to return. While not a waterbender himself, he still taught Zuko. He isn't good, but he can do some things now. He helps Zuko get over his fear of fire and first chance he gets, swears to sends a message to Pakku asking him to train Zuko.

But before he can get that message sent, they're caught up in a storm. It's powerful and knocks them off course by several days. In fact, they're closer to the Southern Water Tribe now. And while, the chances are slim, Iroh decides they should see if any waterbenders survived and would be willing to teach Zuko.

They head towards the SWT when a large beam shoots up in the air. They think nothing of it, Iroh waves it off as likely an old flare, having learned that not all the FN ships had returned from prior raids. Since they were old, chances are they had little to nothing left of use and there was no point in finding it. It was likely that someone animal set it off by mistake.

They arrive and are met the remaining members of the SWT. They're weary of them and as soon as they lower the plank of their ship, one of them (Sokka) charged forwards with a spear.

But before he can even step onto the plank, the snow under him moves and makes him fall. He immediately blames Katara for this, because who else would do it? He charges forwards again and gets disarmed and beaten by one of the soldiers. The only one who's not wearing red, but rather white, only his golden eyes visible.

And then comes the question. Do they have any waterbending masters around?

Why would they ask that? Did they think more waterbenders had been born after the death of his and Katara's mom? Did they suspect she lied and just waited until now to get back at them? They deny having any waterbenders and say that even if they did, they would never tell them.

And that's when Aang shows up, knocking the soldier who had beaten Sokka earlier to the ground. And it's just:

Aang: Looking for me?

Zuko, getting up, hood knocked down, masked lowered: You're a waterbending master? You're just a kid!

Aang:...no? I, I thought you were looking for the Avatar!

Aang: and you're just a teenager!!

Katara: YOU'RE THE AVATAR?!

Meanwhile Sokka is having a crisis because oh sweet Tui and La, he's so pretty- (rip him when he arrives at the North Pole and experiencies it again with Yue)

But Aang still wants to know why they need a waterbending master. He also feels foolish for admitting to being the Avatar and wonders if he can play it off as him pretending when he sees the boy he'd knock over play with a ball of water.

Oh...

OHHH!!!

He was looking for master for himself!! Well, he made the offer to Katara, he could make it to this new kid as well. And so he does. The boy, Zuko as they learn from the older looking man who called him that, hesitates before agreeing. He leaves, saying he was going to get Appa, it'd be faster and more fun that way. But before he can, Katara says she's also going with him. To make sure nothing happens of course!! Of course.

He gets Appa and returns, happy to see Zuko and Katara seem to be getting along and talking about finally learning to bend from a master waterbender. The two of them and Sokka (who's reluctantly joining them) get on Appa.

The older man from before introduces himself as Iroh, Zuko's uncle. He thanks Aang for helping his nephew and let's him know that they'll be tailing them from a distance. Zuko has a map where Iroh had marked neutral ports they would dock at if they ever needed anything. Once they reach the NP, Iroh will lead the FN ship towards the Earth Kingdom and head towards Ba Sing Se. He'd appreciate it if he helped his nephew get there once they finished.

And the four head off. It's awkward and tense for a while before Katara asks Aang about being the Avatar and he tells them his story. How he never wanted to be the Avatar. But because he doesn't want to get further into it, he deflects her question to ask Zuko about being a waterbender and if he's from the Fire Nation.

And they learn, that not only was Zuko from the Fire Nation, he was the prince once. He told them how his mother had told him about his blessing, how surprising it was that Tui answered her prayers. How the man who was supposed to be his father claimed to only have one child, his younger sister and how as soon as the old Firelord, his grandfather, died, he immediately removed Zuko from the line of succession and moved him into the servants quarters.

He learned very early on that his father hated him and he hated him more once Zuko began to bend. How he'd tell him he was weak for being afraid of his own element after he almost drowned and frozen the water around him in his panic and managed to climb out. He wasn't allowed to bend so he always did it in secret and only really began to do so when he got banished. They had originally been planning on heading to the Northern Water Tribe so he could finally get proper bending lessons.

It certainly did explain his appearance anyways.

And now for some bullet notes:

Zuko doesn't go through his redemption arc in this AU. Because Ozai's made his stance perfectly clear, Zuko knows there's no point in trying.

For a while, Katara and Sokka think Zuko is the child of a waterbender and a FN soldier.

Ozai knows he can't actually disown Zuko, considering his blessing was made public. But he can send him away for safety, the public doesn't have to know he was injured already and might die from his injuries and will never return.

Katara and Zuko become friends a lot earlier. They bond over not having a master to teach them and having to teach themselves.

Azula's memories of Zuko definitely conflict with what Ozai tells her. She has memories of her mother with a silver haired boy by the turtleduck pond, urging her to join them. She remembers her mom insisting the boy was her brother. But...he looked so different.

Because his hair stands out so much, Zuko tends to hide it. Whether it's a hood, a scarf, so long as it's hidden.

Ozai ordered Zhao to see to it Zuko was actually dead. When news reaches them that the Avatar has returned, he tells him to capture him and bring him back to the FN, so Zhao is the one chasing Team Avatar.

Sokka joining reluctantly is all because of Gran Gran, who told him to go so he could keep an eye on the three. He's basically their babysitter and he's not really happy about it (he gets over it).

Because he spent some years living and learning from the palace servants, Zuko will help Katara do chores, which endears him to her enough to be claimed as her new best friend.

I'm going to leave there for now, next time I update about this AU hopefully I have a lot to say about Sun!Spirit Yue (:

[bengiyo]

I Told Sunset About You Rewatch Ep 3 Stray Thoughts

It's time for the tension episode. This is where things come to a head. Let's just go.

This boy really liked Oh-aew so much that it rewired his sense of smell. It's really incredible how much Billkin was willing to be unattractive in this show. This team understood that to be truly beautiful, there needs to be a little ugly.

I'm really glad they took time for us to see Teh thank Hoon for the plane ticket.

I forgot we started with Oh-aew in the tub. The girlies were not ready.

Of course Teh is up at 4 am for Oh, but he wouldn't get up for Tarn. That poor girl. Look at Tuty in the background watching this gay shit go down.

Teh asking Tarn to go off with his friends while they all watch silently from behind the screen is still one of the best scenes in the e fire show. Will also never get over PP making Billkin cry for accidentally hitting him too hard during the horseplay.

See, even Tarn knows that Teh is making exceptions for Oh he wouldn't make for her.

They just love letting Billkin play Teh being awkward. The cut to Oh falling behind Bas? Incredible. Bas always knew what was going on and was so powerless to do anything about it.

Teh is actively flirting and confusing everyone!

"I'll be with Bas, then," but looks directly at Teh? Both of these boys need to stop using Tarn and Bas as a way to one-up each other.

This going back and forth between them, Oh-aew? Heart wrenching.

Truly, how much money have PP and Billkin made from Lays because of this scene on the deck?

Poor Bas. Puts his heart out there and gets crushed. Oh knew what agreeing to that New Year's date would mean. At least be has enough class to let Bad down.

This couch scene is great because it almost feels like it could be from a multi-cam sitcom.

Hammock scene my beloved. Oh-aew is so brave. He breaks the subtext of all of their interactions and pushes Teh directly. Lets him know as they're literally on top of each other that Teh is the source of his confusion about Bas. He asks Teh the question in a way that doesn't let him deny it. Teh knows it's coming and pretends like he doesn't. "I think you know. You really don't? But I think you do. Or you really don't? But I do think you know?" Teh can't help but ask, "Since when?" And can only answer "I don't know." And admit his desire for closeness when Oh leans forward and pushes.

And now Skyline. It's out in the open now. They may not have moved much, but everything shifted.

Oh, Tarn. I need you and Bas to get a scene like Lennier and Vir in Babylon 5 where they commiserate about Delenn and Londo.

Oh shit Teh is wearing the shirt. It's about to go down.

I get it, Teh. Oh-aew is just so alluring. This man is on the floor inhaling the paper. Mess of his face. He is so gone.

Skyline really is undefeated. The amount of control Oh exerts over Teh with just his presence is just so incredible to watch even still three years later.

"Why do you have to think so hard about it? Forget about it. Do whatever you feel like. There's no need for an answer, if there's no answer." This is what I'm saying!! We get so caught up in the warring over labels. They're just tools to help us think about ourselves. Oh knows intrinsically that these two are drawn to each other and it's stronger than what he's ever felt for Bas. That feeling is what matters. He offers Teh the time and patience of "secret" to let him figure it out. You can see Teh instantly relax at that and try to fall back into the flirtatious studying they've been doing.

Man, what is it about Teh? If Teh tells him he can't quit, Oh always finds a way to dig deeper.

Jesus, Skyline remains undefeated.

"As promised." It gets me every time.

I tell ya. It's always queer boys and their moms.

I don't know what went wrong with the original translation scene or the final scene from this episode when they were in post, but what we got was so good from the reshoots that I legit never want to see the discarded takes.

I still can't believe they filmed this while surrounded by tourists. The translation scene is still my favorite confession in BL. Oh knew what was happening. He knows Teh is flirting through these Chinese lessons. It's absolutely incredible. It's just so much. Teh connected the series that helped him find his purpose to his feelings for Oh. Just omg.

That's right, Tuty! Regulate!! You can smell the sexual energy! Don't let nothing gay happen on your watch!!!

Notice that the leg touching begins as soon as Tuty leaves? She lost focus and now look at us.

Oh is so careful, he mentions being tired from walking before touching Teh's leg. He's giving Teh another way to ease in by framing it as normal help. But the score knows. Oh's hand on the inside of his thigh knows.

Oh's shirt literally says sunset, and Teh is wearing the branded shirt. They wanted us to know how this was really the climactic moment of the show. That's where his head is still at.

JFC Teh pushing Oh's face to say he's not ready for that. Look. I need to pause for this one. So many of my young encounters did not begin with or ever involve kissing. It's just too much. We can rub each other's legs and grope all night, but there's something about kissing when you're in the closet that makes it too much. Oh made it clear it's what he wanted, Teh couldn't give it to him, but they can still touch.

"What if there are two male protagonists?" I was holding my breath at this point in 2020.

It's the way Teh can't stop moving as he pulls Oh onto his chest. He just can't stop touching. The breathing gets heavy. We know where this is going. And then he stops at Oh's chest and the spell is broken.

The hot, bothered, and devastated look on Oh's face is the most impressive single expression I've seen in all of BL.

The silence at the end is deafening, and then we go into PP singing Skyline? I remember this week breaking us.

What an incredible episode. All of the games. All of the rituals. All of the safety valves. All of the blinders. All of it just to have Teh bail in the moment because he faced the physical reality that Oh wasn't a woman. He once again made Oh think he wasn't enough after pouring it on thick all episode. Goddamn.

[brandwhorestarscream]

Generally, in our crossover posts, we use only one or two characters to be transported.

But what about a whole team?

Like (using our version) Tfa Megatron, blitzwing, lugnut, BA, Shockwave, starscream, blurr, jetfire and jetstorm going to Tfp and meeting the Tfp decepticons?

I mean. They'd all probably die, knowing this group's penchant for mischief and shenanigans and TFP's Megatron's unwillingness to put up with any bs that isn't his and Starscream's weird bdsm foreplay

So lemme turn it around on you and ask, how do you feel about TFP being crossed over with itself >:) everyone gets a surprise twin from another dimension that looks exactly like them, but they're from shattered glass. Evil autobots pretending to be good in order to dupe their counterparts, and goodie two shoes decepticons trying sooo hard to be mean and evil while being laughably bad it

[mr-laveau]

"You are a breath of fresh air in my life just by virtue of being unapologetically yourself."

-Lasko Moore

"Oh I can be very pleasant, just not usually with you."

-Aaron

Allow me to be that bitch, and share with the class ANOTHER totally-not-a-self-indulgent poly Lasko/Aaron listener OC, Carter Wilde, a.k.a [Casanova], the bratty telepath.

*Just pretend I actually knew how to spell Casanova above when I first made this.

The Deets:

Carter (he/him) is a human born telepath and currently, a professor* at D.A.M.N for Advanced Telepathy Studies, Fire Elemental Magic 101, Intro to Warding, Electro Magic II and Basics of Illusory Magic.

*he used to be a part-time sub and worked with Aaron before he changed career paths and started working full-time for the academy

Carter is Afro-American/desi and grew up in Chicago before moving to Dahlia for work while getting his teaching license. Was working with Aaron before he got a full position at DAMN but as far as Aaron knew then, Carter's teaching some accounting/management classes at a college.

Very much the professor with a fun but unorthodox way of teaching*–he once made his class write up and direct a short film to teach them how to consider different variables in manipulating their illusions properly with magic like they did when making their films. His time with Aaron taught him to be more relaxed about his students.

*Damien "strongly disliked" his ass for a while because he didn't like his methods, and Carter fed into it to mess with him before he arranged a separate syllabus plan for Damien to tackle while the class did their thing. They get along now but Carter will sometimes subtly remind Damien about the MANY "nicknames" he overheard Damien calling him during class.

Did not handle inversion well, his magic was a bitch to maintain inside the ward and everyone's thoughts didn't make the situation any better. Had to tell Aaron about his magical status a little bit after since keeping it all in didn't make things better and it was the only way to really explain what happened then after he initially told Aaron he'd been handling a trip out of the city. The conversation pretty sad but they made it and wrangler Lasko after his Aftershock vid w FL for a group care session. They're all in therapy :)

"Could you tell this was the first cutie design?"*.

*This isn't a lie, this was the first Cutie design and Carter was initially going to be a journalist who worked with Sama and dared Geordi, however I scrapped it and moved onto another design I liked. This was also the first Smartass design but as Lexi can attest, I found something else I liked.

Met Lasko when he first started subbing for Intro to Warding (very early in the timeline). Their dynamic fits the non-canon listener dynamic he seems to have with them in BAs/HBWs/HBSs. Carter loves to tease him just to poke a reaction out of him but is entirely sweet about taking care of Lasko otherwise since he doesn't often do it for himself. Will often drop in before Lasko's classes to give him sweets/gum/mints.

Very much the personification of "crackhead" energy outside of work. Aaron keeps him on a leash but will act on the first devious-not-so-devious thought that crosses his mind. To his benefit, Carter does know how to restrain himself for the sake of not pushing buttons, but more often than not will poke at people just for fun.

Will sometimes read Aaron's thoughts just to peek at what annoys him that day in order to turn it around and get him to laugh. It works despite how much Aaron thinks it doesn't.

Aaron and Lasko are also dating each other in addition to dating Carter. Aaron was initially rough around the edges when it came to interacting with Lasko and getting to know him but with a good conversation, they both managed to work things out between them. Now they both take turns making sure Carter doesn't burn something down on a whim.

That's all folks!🧡

[poetry-protest-pornography]

This scene is really important.

They have their cute little guitar lesson, where Rak pretends to buy that he needs to sit in Dino's lap to learn a D chord (ba-dum- tss), and Dino refuses to pretend to be chill about Rak being in his lap

But they're not just using figurative language -- sorry Dino-- they're establishing the understanding of their boundaries.

Dino hasn't been subtle or shy about staking his claim on Rak, but he has been kind and gracious about it, he's let Rak set the rules. And here, he gives Rak a chance to voice that he knows that. That he knows that Dino wants him, but only in whatever way he's willing.

Rak isn't prey, Dino isn't a predator; Rak isn't in danger, Dino is safe.

And then this

It could be read as mean (and the PayuRain parallels write themselves), but Rak just kind of half rolls his eyes and says "let me go" with zero effort to get up, and when Dino says "no", he continues to sit comfortably in his lap, and have a conversation. Because he knows he can get up whenever he wants to, the rules have been established.

And that conversation?

"Do you love me yet?"

Another chance for Rak to set a clear boundary, and Dino to easily and happily accept it.

"I'll tell you when I'm ready"

"Okay"

And that earns Dino this unbearably soft, pleased look

Dino continues to be a whole forest of green flags, and I love him.

[ask-ozai]

Iroh once claimed that before Zuko, his father, grandfather and great-grandfather all searched for the Avatar.

I know about Sozin's search, but could you please tell us more about your own and Azulon's searches?

They're state secrets and no one has ever known too many details about the expeditions, but that's Zuko's problem now. And since he just caused an hyperinflation, probably he is too busy to even notice if people start talking about it.

Firelord Azulon was the same age as Zuko when he left to find the Avatar, fourteen, but he was very different from Zuko. At fourteen, my father had already fought and won four Agni Kais, and he never knelt and begged for mercy like a coward. He was the pride and future of the Fire Nation, trained and educated from his earliest age to be the perfect Firelord.

His quest to capture the Avatar led him to the most logical place to start, the Northern Water Tribe, where he was greeted with fear and apprehension given Sozin's recent history with the airbenders. But my father had the gift of persuasion and charisma, much needed in his role as Firelord and world conqueror. They reached a non-aggression agreement with the Chief, which lasted until the last day of my father's life and is the reason why the war barely affected the Northern Water Tribe in a hundred years. My father knew that they couldn't conquer his natural enemies until they conquered the Earth Kingdom first, so he gave them a false sense of security. Better to keep them out of the war for the moment.

He met my mother on that trip, Ilah.

Now, unfortunately, I never knew exactly the circumstances of how they met, nor much about my mother at all. The mere reminder of her existence (and absence) was enough to ignite my father's ire for whole days. No one was allowed to talk about my mother when I was a child. Neither the court, nor the servants, and much less me. The little I know is from Iroh, but he didn't talk much about her either. She was a complete taboo.

But yes, my father fell in love with my mother on that trip and returned home quickly to tell his father that he had found the perfect bride for himself. Sozin refused, for some unknown reason (other than that he simply didn't like women very much, I guess), so my father had no choice but to challenge him to an Agni Kai to fulfill his will to marry. Iroh says that Sozin was dead for two minutes when my father threw him a lightning and won the Agni Kai. Sozin must have been proud. When the healers managed to restart his heart, of course.

I don't have much more to say, because my father's trips were rather brief and sporadic. He and my mother married two years later, when he was sixteen, and remained married for fifty years until my mother's death when I was born.

Once my father organized another search, with Lo and Li in charge this time, who went to look for the Avatar in Omashu, hearing that King Bumi had once been friends with him. It is said that Lo had an affair with him and there is even talk of a secret bastard that they had to hide, but nothing was ever confirmed.

My search for the Avatar was a different matter. I was sixteen years old, and the time had come to show my father my value. Evil tongues will tell you that it was just an excuse to get rid of me, but they were Iroh supporters so their opinion don't count.

I took a ship, a small crew, and Zhao and Michi (the only companions I had even a modicum of confidence in) and we went to search for the Avatar. We traveled throughout the Earth Kingdom for two very long years. We had some adventures, naturally, but nothing worth mentioning until we infiltrated Ba Sing Se pretending to be circus performers. I can't give many details about what happened there, because Michi, Zhao and I swore an oath of silence. And as useless as Zuko is, he can still put Michi in a dungeon. Especially now that her daughter dumped him. And that wouldn't be convenient for anyone.

Let's just say the previous Earth King died under suspicious circumstances.

[obscurecharactershowdown]

Group D Round 1

[image ID: the first image is of Sparky and Whoosh. one of them is a blue ghost-like creature with fangs. the other is white and also ghost-like, with a frog head. 2 ear or antennae-like appendages emerge from his head. he's wearing a backpack and holding some sort of object with text on it, although only "--BA" is visible. the second image is of Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer, the first book in The Southern Reach Trilogy. it depicts the title, the author's name, and 2 green drawings, one of which can be identified as a dragonfly, the other some sort of plant monster. end ID]

Sparky & Whoosh

they're gamers >w< but umm they're ghosts who play frolf (frog golf) and also sparky (the dog ghost) is always playing his PlayBox Advanced(PBA) (obviously meant to be like a GBA) and is described as an action game expert! whoosh is a self-proclaimed RPG Ace i rlly rlly like them cuz idk ?? their dynamic is fun like they r always together but sparky doesn't speak @ all and whoosh does all the talking and is very talkative and outgoing and cocky and all that like. they're polar opposites but they r totally inseparable also their frog is named shakey! sparky never looks away from his PBA even while playing frolf, so you get gags where he accidentally hits whoosh with the frolf mallet also just a fun fact but you can buy the enemy's frog eggs to get that frog for yourself to use and anything you buy from sparky & whoosh costs 4444C and as this is a japanese game, 4 can be read the same as the word for death, so it's a silly fun lil ref to the fact they're ghosts <3 this games just rlly fun and i rlly like these 2 and their dynamic!!!

The Biologist

She's a BIG fan of the lie by omission (but eventually lets you know what's up); she's locked up in grief and rage at the climate crisis and the ill-treatment of the natural world; she spent some time as an ecoterrorist; she had to pretend she was under hypnosis and did it flawlessly; she inhaled a bunch of underground, word-forming spores and was never the same thereafter (but really they just made her more herself); she spent a gruesome time in a strange, mutating landscape and absolutely loved it, mostly, sort of, maybe not that much--but sometimes!; she is extremely isolated from other people, and doesn't mind that.

[aspenmissing]

𝚁𝚎𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙱𝚊𝚕𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚊 (𝙿𝚝 𝟷)

"We'll be arriving at the Balmera soon. Liberating these Balmerans from Zarkon's grasp will not me easy" Allura said as the spaceship is slowly makings its way to the planet.

"So, what's the plan? We go in there and just...pow, pow, pow! And free the prisoners?" Lance said while making gun gestures with his hands and pretends to shoot.

"What was that noise?" Keith said giving lance an unamused look

"Laser guns"

"No, lance I think you mean POW! POW!" hunk says and lifts his arms up showing his cannon

Both lance and Keith were giving hunk an unamused look, while Y/N and Soul were trying to contain their giggles.

"That sounds like fireworks" lance stated.

"Technically, they're more like... ba-choo, ba-choo, ba-choo!" Pidge said while holding her fingers in a gun gesture.

"Okay, enough with the bad sound effects. Besides, it's more like... blam, blam, blam!" Shiro said while on one knee. Y/N bursted out laughing.

"What?"

"You're crazy"

"No way"

"Wrong"

"Hey shiro, you sure your the oldest out of us" Y/N giggled while standing between Hunk and Allura.

"Paladins , focus" Allura said

"Besides, we can't just shoot at the Galra. This Balmera, it's, like, alive. And from what we've seen, it doesn't look very good." Hunk said with a sad expression

"Yes, it's an atrocity what the Galra have been doing to this grand beast. Stealing its crystals, its very life force, without ever performing the energy rejuvenation ceremonies to heal it." Coran said

"After seeing Shay's people enslaved, it made me realize how bad Zarkon really is. And we're the only ones who can stop him. " Hunk said.

"Okay, so we can't go into the tunnels guns blazing. Plan B. We figure out how to draw the Galra up to the surface and battle them out there." Shiro said.

"Wait, I know. If we attack all of this big mining stuff on the surface, the Galra troops will have to come out to defend it. Then we beat them up, head down to the tunnels, Voltron saves the day."

"But how will we know how many are left in the tunnels?" Keith said with his arms crossed.

"We can track the Galra and the Balmerans using Biothermal Life Indicator Point Technology." Allura said and showed us a hologram of the Technology.

"Oh, BLIP tech!" Pidge shouted while getting a closer look at the hologram. Allura gave her a confused look. "Its an acronym"

Allura continued, "One of you will need to fly around the Balmera and drop sensors into the shafts on each side. Then we'll be able to see where the Galra and the Balmerans are. There are already sensors built into your suits."

"I can do it. I just modified the Green Lion with the invisible maze's cloaking ability. I should be able to fly around unnoticed" Pidge said

"That's their main power generator. If you take that down, it will severely weaken their defences" Coran said and showed us a picture of the generator

"We'll stay in cloud cover and give tactical support. With the Castle's defences weakened from Sendeak's crystal, we won't be of much help to you." Allura said.

"I'll take out the power generator. Keith, Lance, Y/N and Hunk , you take out these big mining rigs around the area" Shiro planned.

"Yeah! Okay, let's do this! Let's go kick some alien butt!" Hunk shouted.

==

They all went to their lions as the ship made its way down to the Balmera. Y/N left Soul with Coran and Allura, knowing she'll be safer there.

"You think the Balmerans will have a parade for us after we've freed everybody?" Lance said over the comm.

"It's not about the glory, Lance. It's about freeing prisoners from Zarkon." Keith said.

"No, I know. I know. But still. When they -" Lance said but was cut off.

The lions shoot out of their hangers and they all flew down, out of the clouds. Galra stones started to shoot lasers at them, they dodged all of them.

"This is it. Get your heads in the game. Remember, the Balmera is a living creature. Make sure you pinpoint only the Galra installations and not its surface." Shiro said.

"Initiating cloak." Pidge says. The Green Lion seperates from the group and turns invisible. Lance, Y/N and Hunk destroy Galra weapons.

"How do I take this thing down?" Shiro asks as he flys towards the power generator. The Black Lion then displays a move on the screen of the cockpit "What's that? Jaw Blade? Okay! Let's do this!" Shiro pushes the Lion forwards and he uses the Black Lion's jaw blade to destroy the power generator. Pidge finishes dropping BLIP drones.

"All sensors delievered" A holographic map of the Balmera and all living lifeforms on it appears in the Castle of Lions. The power generator still has an active and massve laser cannon attacking the Red Lion. After dodging, the Red Lion fires its hear ray to melt through the cannon's tower.

"Whoa! Did you guys just see that? I got fire powers!"

"Hey! I want that!" The cannon tower begins to fall towards the Balmera's surface.

"Oh, no!" Y/N shouts.

"Hey, we can't let this thing hurt the Balmera!" Hunk struggles to hold the tower upright with the Yellow Lion.

"I think my Lion knows what to do!" Lance uses the Blue Lion's freeze ray to freeze the tower in place.

"Ha-Aw, snap! These rays are super cool, just like me!"

"Great job, team!" Shiro says. The Paladins wait for troops from the Galra Empire to appear. Nothing happens.

"Where are all the troops? They're not coming to the surface" Y/N says. Hunk sends Y/N a video transmisson.

"Yeah, I remember seeing a lot of Galra guys down in the mines" Allura is looking at a map of the Balmera. Soul points her tail to the screen and looks to Allura, who radios to the Paladins.

"We've located a hanger full of Galra fighters just below the surface. Someone has to take those out before they can launch.

"They're luring us down, but we have no choice. Keith, Y/N and Lance, you guys hit the hanger. Hunk, head to the prison to rescue Shay and the other Balmerans. Pidge and I will track down the Galra soldiers.

"Yes, sir!

"Ten-four"

"All righty"

"On it!"

"Let's do this!" The Lions fly off.

==

The Paladins drop their Lions at the bottom of mine shafts and navigate the tunnels with their speeders. Keith, Lance and Y/N scope out the Galra hangar.

"The entire hangar's only being guarded by a few Sentries" Y/N says. Keith redies his Bayard and prepares to attack.

"Let's go!" Lance and Y/N grabs Keith and pulls him back.

"Whoa, w-w-whoa, whoa! Cool your jets, Keith! Don't you remember all that stuff about this Balmera thing being a sensitive animal?" Lance says.

"Oh. Right"

"Yeah, so we can't just blow things up like a psycho" Y/N says.

"Oh. You two got a better idea?"

"I do. We sneak into the control room to shut down the bay doors. That'll trap the ships in" Lance says. Y/N and Keith look to Lance in shock.

"That-!...Actually...is a better idea" Keith, Lance and Y/N start sneaking towards the hangar's control room. The Castleship is tracking eveyone's movements. Keith, Y/N and Lance are breaking into the contol toom of the hanger from above. A Sentry stands at the controls.

"No, no. It's over here"

"I know what I'm doing" Keith uses his Bayard Katar to slice a hole in the ceiling above the Sentry. Y/N kicks the hole open, crushing the Sentry underneath its weight. The three enter the control room.

"You to keep an eye out for those guards. I'll see if I can find a way to shut the hangar doors" Keith and Y/N nods and they stand watch. Lance inspects the computer console "Uh...Hmm. Nope. Maybe. Uh...uh...Mm..." Lance presses buttont to no avail "Ah, I don't know what I'm doing here. It's all Galra gibberish"

"Let me try" Y/N inspects the console and presses more buttons but yet again to no avail "Nope"

"Let me see" Keith inspects the console and then puts his hand on the hand print, activating the bay doors and closing them.

"Whoa! How'd you do that?" Lance asks.

"I just put my hand on the hand print"

"Oh...well that seemed easy" Y/N says. Soul makes a noise and alerts Allura of the strange movement by the Galra on the Castleship's map.

"Paladins, are you there?" Allura asks "The Galra troops are moving down he tunnels. It looks like they're going down towards the center"

"They must be headed to the core of the Balmera. That's where they're holding Shay" Hunk rushes off to the Balmera's core. Shiro is still in his speeder.

"They're drawing us into an ambush, but we don't have a choice if we want to save Shay. We have to follow. Lance, Y/N, Keith, get to the core. I think we're going to need everyone together this firefight. Lance, Keith and Y/N are still in the control room. The bay doors finish shutting.

"Copy that. We're on our way" Y/N says. She damages the computer console; Lance damages the lock to the door so no one can access it and then they leave.

"Hey, team, be careful. The Balmera is very unstable" Pidge says through the communication channel. Later Lance, Y/N and Keith immediately run into a squadron of Galra Sentries that bombard them with laser fire. They take cover on opposite sides of the entrance.

"Their shooting is destroying the Balmera. We gotta do something" The Balmera is crying in pain.

"Well, we can't shoot back! It'll just make it worse" Y/N says. Lance looks around and devises a plan, trying to direct Keith and Y/N with motions instead of words.

"Huh?" Keith asks. Y/N and Keith do not understand at all, but Y/N looks around and figures out what Lance intends. She whispers to Keith and he nods. The two then climb a ladder to sneak above the Sentries. Lance then jumps out in front of them and waves his arms.

"Na-na. Na-na boo-boo!" Lance defends himself with his shield as the Sentries fire at him. Keith and Y/N jumps down from above and gets their bayards out; attacking the Sentries, destroying them. Lance gives Keith and Y/N a thumbs-up.

==

Hunk runs to the core of the Balmera and finds no one there but shay, muzzled and hanging from the ceiling.

"Shay! You're alive!" Hunk shoots Shay free and catches her as she falls. Shiro and Pidge then arrive from different entrances.

"Where are the Galra? If this is an ambush, they should be here waiting for us" Shiro says. Keith, Lance and Y/N arrive; the doors to the core suddenly all shut.

"Not an ambush. More like a trap"

"Whatever it is, keep your guard up" Y/N says.

"The Galra, they gained knowledge that you would return to the Balmera" Shay says.

"How?" Pidge asks.

"I know not. But they set this trap just for you. I was the bait"

"Who could have possible known that we were heading here to save Shay"

"Rolo! Those liars must have told Zarkon"

"We have to figure out how to get out of here" Y/N says.

"Wait! We have a giant Castleship hovering in the sky" Lance says "Allura, can you please come get us?"

"How do you expect her to do that, genius?" Keith says, sarcastically.

"I don't know, maybe they got teleporters or something" Allura, Coran and Soul are on the Castleship under attack.

"We're quite occupied at the moment. We're completely surrounded by Galra ships and we're taking heavy fire!"

"Princess, out particle barrier won't last much longer!" Coran says. Soul jumps onto his console to look at the ships outside.

"Paladins, you need to get out of there as soon as you can!" In the core of the Balmera, Lance looks dejected.

"This is it! We're going to die in here. I can say bye-bye to that parade" No one looks impressed

"Not now Lance" Y/N says.

"Get it together, guys. Allura, we'll get there as soon as we can"

"Perhaps my people can help us get out" Shay says as she places her hand on the Balmera's core "This is how we communicate. The Balmera senses out vibrations and sends a message to those in the tunnels.

"Are you sure someone will be able to hear your...hand from all the way down here?" Keith asks.

"The Balmera will deliver the message" Shay focuses and the are around her hand glows.

==

At the Balmera, A fleed of Galra fighter jets spit off from the ones attacking the Castle of Lions. Soul alerts Coran.

"They're heading down into the tunnels! They're going to steal the Lions!" He says.

"Paladins, the Lions are in danger! You must get back to them immediately!"

"Princess, something's locked onto us" A Galra warship suddenly appears and Soul cowers down under Coran's console.

"Paladins, do you copy? There's a battle cruiser locked onto us. If it fires with its ion cannon, I don't know if we can survive"

"We're trying, Allura. Shay's pressing her hand against the wall, whuch apparently sends vibrations to the other rock people, who vibrate back or something? Hand talking? I guess the answer to your question is, 'yes, we copy"

"Shay, are you sure the Balmera is sending your message?" Shiro asks. Shay focuses harder. Her family stands outside a doorway to the core and uses their hands to intruct the Balmera into crushing the doorway open. Rax and his family enter the core of the Balmera"

"Rax!" Shay says.

"We must make haste. We know a shortcut through the tunnels"

"Allura, stand by. We're on our way up" Y/N says.

==

Two fighter jets are using tracer beams to raise the Black Lion. Allura speaks over the communication channel.

"Paladins, hurry! They're taking off with the Lions!" Shiro launches his speeder towards the Black Lion, slipping through a hole in its force field to take control and free the Lion from the Galra.

"Guys, did everyone make it to the Lions in time?" Shiro asks.

"Come on, Shiro. Who you think you're dealing with, a bunch of amateurs-" Lance is not paying attention, causing the Blue Lion to run into a mining structure.

"Do you really want him to answer that?" Y/N asks.

"No"

"Let's go" The Palading fly their Lions at the large fleet of Galra fighter jets and engage in battle.

"Hunk, watch out!" Pidge shields the Yellow Lion from laser fire with the Green Lion's back shield.

"Got you covered!" Shiro uses the Black Lion's jaw blade to destroy the fighter jets.

"Phew! Thanks, guys!" Up above, the Galra warship prepares to fire.

"It's charging its ion cannon!" Coran shouts.

"Divert all shields to the bow" The Castiel of Lions focuses its particle barrier to take the brunt of the assult and struggles to survive the blast from the ion cannon "Paladins, I need you immediately! Five more ticks and we're finished!"

"Okay, team, let's form Voltron!"

"Yeah!" They all shout. The Paladins form Voltron and slam into the Galra warship, diverting its cannon from the Castle of Lions..

"Right now is out chance, Princess!"

"Full power on the blasters! Locked onto target. Fire!" The Castle of Lions blasts the Galra warship through, causing it to explode and destroy all surrounding fighter jets. Soul jumps back up onto Coran's console and dances around.

"Yeah!"

"Woohoo!"

"Yeah!"

"Nice shot, Princess!"

"Yeah! The parade's back on"

"Shut up, Lance"

==

Voltron lands on the Balmera. The Castle of Lions descends towards the surface.

"Mission accomplished" Keith says.

"And just in the tick of time. The Castle's defense are battered and will need a fully recharge" The Castle alarms start blaring.

"There's an unknown object incoming! It's about to crash into the Balmera!" A transport ship crashes into the Balmera.

"What the heck is that?"

"...Trouble"

[thatiranianphantom]

Okay, my thoughts on the new description.

(some under a cut because, you know, it's me and I share many opinions that perhaps I shouldn't)

In the style of @raymondebidochonlifechoices's hilarious recap of RAS' interview, though perhaps a bit less hilarious.

The seventh season of Riverdale goes where no season of Riverdale has dared to go before—the 1950s!

Wonder why we've never been there before. Not because it's fucking stupid, but because it took till now for Ted Sullivan to have this absolute brainchild that will revolutionize the show.

Picking up where last season ended, Jughead Jones (Sprouse) finds himself trapped in the 1950s. He has no idea how he got there, nor how to get back to the present. 

The writers: We watch our own show, what are you talking about? We remembered that plot point, didn't we! Aren't you proud of us? Huh? Aren't you?

His friends are no help, as they are living seemingly authentic lives, similar to their classic Archie Comics counterparts, unaware that they’ve ever been anywhere but the 1950s. 

Oh rats, because typically, they are an absolute bastion of support and assistance.

Archie Andrews (Apa) is the classic all-American teen, coming of age, getting into trouble, and learning life-lessons

S1-25 year old teen - absolutely insufferable Archie is back, and this time, he's even more unaware! Hopefully with less grooming, especially from a show that is convinced it's making a profound social statement.

Betty Cooper (Reinhart) is the girl next door, starting to question everything about her perfect life—including her controlling mother Alice (Madchen Amick)

Somehow, some way, we are still circling the same plot about abusive parents. And you know how this refrain goes, people. Alice is horrendously abusive, she cries, we are supposed to forgive her. Looks like something ripped straight out of s1 but peep the absolutely no implication of anything BA related.

Veronica Lodge (Mendes) is a Hollywood starlet who moved to Riverdale under mysterious circumstances;

California and not New York???!!!! So exotic! Very wow! What an incredible stroke of genius, Roberto! They have not been shy about pumping the Varchie up, have they? It also usually only exists in addition to another ship....

Cheryl Blossom (Madelaine Petsch) is the Queen Bee with a withering wit and a secret longing

I mean, Cheryl's plot has functionally never changed, so I don't know who's shocked at this, except for maybe the writers thinking it's revolutionary to recycle Cheryl's S2 plot instead of her S1 plot. Note that Mads and Vanessa's Instagrams are and have always been a pantheon of spoilers and it does look like they're doing a lot of filming together.

Toni Topaz (Vanessa Morgan) is an activist fighting for the Black students of recently integrated Riverdale High

.....I can see my brain. I can literally see my brain, my eyes are rolling so hard. How do we make an already insufferable (my opinion, stressing that here) character even more insufferable and pretend we are making a profound social statment, something we are absolutely incapable of making? Toni is an activist for integration!

(real talk, I think we'll see very little of this plot, as we'll see very little plot for the secondary characters)

Kevin Keller (Casey Cott) is a “square” crooner wrestling with his sexual identity

Kill me now, my dear followers. And hey, spec here, I feel like Kevin may be dating Betty?

Reggie Mantle (Charles Melton) is a basketball star from farm country

The one thing I hope is true. God, I hope my dear himbo Reggie is back.

 Fangs Fogarty (Drew Ray Tanner) is a greaser who’s destined to be an Elvis-type star

Seriously, what ammunition does Drew have on the writers that he keeps getting brought back? My thought is they're going back to Kangs though, if we're going the OG way.

It isn’t until Jughead is visited by Tabitha Tate (Erinn Westbrook)—Riverdale’s Guardian Angel—that he learns the cosmic truth about their predicament.

Just....one facepalm is not enough. Five hundred facepalms are not enough. Tabitha, a character that is to put it generously not well loved and has been around for two seasons, is the Guardian Angel???

We know that they resolve Jughead remembering by the end of the premiere, per RAS, so I honestly wonder if Tabitha's role in S7 is very light. If Jughead forgets, her role is essentially moot and we have seen very little of her in BTS.

Anyway, my dear fellow sufferers, let's get through this together, one last time before we are finally set free.