#I really meant to write a mako fic for

[tinydefector]

So ther was this Australian show that was called h2o just add water and another show called mako mermaids that was featured in the same universe. In the show the mermaids/ mermen had powers and can go from human to mermaid as long as they stay dried. But I’d like they get splash by liquid even something as small as dropping a glass of water on themselves. They had seconds before they transformed into their mermaid selves. Question is if this was a concept that could happen with the future pups or in another version of a merformer au?

These were two of My favourite shows when I was younger outside of the movie Aquamarine.

1. I'm not planning on the mers having powers outside of what the outliers already have and I'm just modifying it so it fits more for underwater. Such as Rodimus can withstand lounging in underwater Volcano's, Skywarp can blip himself further through water, Mirage can go full invisible and uses it to hunt very efficiently. And such on with the outliers in transformers.

2. I'm not a big fan of the oceanides being able to shift into humans, the closest thing they would look like if they were to shift would be the amphibian man from shape of water, humanoid but not the same, and they would be much taller than humans. But I'm not really branching into that side in Marine Centre, might be a cool idea if someone wants a shape of water type fic later on becuase I'd be all for the oceanides shifting into a creature like that, still needing the water to survive but having the ability to walk from pond to pond. Or a crude version of a Näcken.

3. For the pups in Marine Centre I'm sticking with they still look very much like the oceanides with jsut a few different features, such as their eyes are more human like and their vocal range is much better with talking than the main oceanides due to skull stucture. And that also adds into their bone structure. I do like the idea of once the pups get older in their tails you can clearly see the outline of what was meant to be legs but they didn't develop. I might actually have to do some drawings of the bone and cartilage stucture of the mers at some point for people. But I'm keeping with they look pretty much the same as the oceanides outside of a few little changes.

But I'm not aposed to writing tadpole like pups later on for another fic becuase at this rate I'm pretty sure Human Effects, Labratory logs and Marine Centre are my three most request fics.

[symphonic-scream]

I might start writing another fic at the same time. One I've meant to write for officially two years now.

Remember my first ever Persona Au?

No? Well

Once Again it's the triple Okujima SmackDown

It's a combination of three different "trope" ideas in one fic

It starts with the "already dating". Of awkward, lonely first year Makoto and Haru meeting and becoming friends, and in August they kiss for the first time and start dating. And, they keep it hidden and just for them. Being gay isn't really something they want everyone to know, cause, the judgement. They're both related to important people,,

Then, their second year, Haru has to tell her girlfriend she's been arranged to be married. This happens in March, at the end of their second year, right after their second Valentine's and White day and. They don't break up but Haru gets busier and as StuCo Prez, Makoto doesn't have the free time to really see Haru at lunch.

So. They text unsaved numbers and delete the messages and it fucking hurts

And then Makoto becomes a Phantom Thief

She doesn't tell Haru. No, she doesn't even think to check if Okumura or Sugimura have palaces. Instead, the next school day, she rushes up to the roof during lunch and kisses Haru, before offering to help her with her plants, and maybe resume their old lunchtime "dates"

They share a room in Hawaii and they share a bed for the first time and even have a date watching the sunset (and the other Thieves are Totally not watching from a bush) (they are) and. Makoto considers the poll. Haru's impending marriage. Them.

And she, turns to her girlfriend and just

"...do you wish the Phantom Thieves would steal your dad's heart?"

The answer is no, of course. Haru thinks she can manage herself, but she thanks Makoto for her concern. They have a romantic little kiss and the Thieves are all like "damn" and it adds more to that debate over whether they actually do the Okumura Palace

The whole Beauty Thief interaction goes differently too. Originally I was gonna have them still pretend but I think, now, Haru would recognize her Mako-chan immediately and lose all her gusto. She'd be doing the thing where she talks about each of them and when she sees Queen it clicks and she falters and just

Morgana doesn't flee from the Thieves. They all run from the enemies together, and outside, he goes to tell Haru they're leaving, but she urges him to hear them out

They still don't tell the others they're a thing

But from here it goes to the next installment

Haru moves in with the Niijima sisters!

It happens from night 1. They take her back to Leblanc, but she doesn't go home. She goes with Makoto, who has to explain to Sae that her "friend" has been being abused and she can't let her go home, please

And it just doesn't end. The spare futon in the room isn't used. Sugimura tries to come after Haru exactly once and a restraining order is threatened. Both of their Social Links are pretty much the same I'd say? But no romance flags

The final bit is still a cut to them breaking abuse cycles and having a healthy, happy family, but I'm adding one extra kiddo. It's the twins I tend to do (Keima, boy, and Nonoka, girl) and lil Hirohide (boy)

But yeah I'm. God I'm writing three fics at once for Makoto and Haru I'm rather gay

[creampuffqueen]

Trying to get my mind off unpleasant thoughts, and turning to my coping mechanisms which is fandom haha. Specifically Wuko. I really enjoyed Likewise, and I would really like to hear what inspired you to write it. Was there anything in particular that gave you the overall idea for the fic? What was your writing process? take this ask as an invitation to infodump about your Wuko fanfic, headcanons, etc!

oh i very much feel the same about getting my mind off things. so thank you so much for this ask!! i'm really happy that you enjoyed the fic!

as for what inspired me to write Likewise... uhhhhhhhhh

honestly i spent so long writing it i can't remember the exact train of thought that led me there haha. but i do know that i wanted to explore more of Wu's backstory, which led to me developing my headcanons about him and his family.

i knew he needed to have a minimum of four other family members besides the queen, as she's his great aunt. grandparents and parents. while developing Wu's parents i was definitely inspired by another fic i read. i can't remember it right at this second but it was posted during Wuko week and in it Wu's father was a jeweler! i really loved that and promptly added it to my own headcaons lol

and then going off everything we know of Wu from canon, it's clear to me that his great aunt had a really big impact on his life and his self-esteem. if his parents were around i don't think that impact would be quite as prominent, so Wu's parents had to go (sorry Wu :( )

and then from there the headcanons grew. Wu kept moving further down in line as i made the family tree more complicated, eventually settling on having him as tenth in line for the throne.

i imagine Wu's mother, Cida, as being this sort of... Princess Diana-esque person. She was a bit of a rebel in her youth, always chafing under the instruction of her parents, aunt, and older brothers. She got a degree from Ba Sing Se University (which i imagine is pretty rare for royalty) and then married a man she was actually in love with (also pretty rare for royalty). as i mentioned in the fic, she was really popular with the general public as well! i ended up becoming very attached to her as i wrote the fic, which is funny considering she is uh. dead

some of Wu's other family was mentioned in the fic, but not all of them. He has (had) 2 uncles, 2 aunts (the ones married to his uncles), 2 older cousins, 4 younger cousins, and 1 cousin once-removed (his older cousin's daughter)

and Wu's family was never close to each other. it didn't get mentioned in the fic, but despite the fact that they all lived in the royal palace, they avoided each other as much as possible except for once a month, when the queen required a mandatory "family dinner" for appearances' sake. because the family wasn't close, after Wu's parents died, his uncles didn't particularly care to take him in. this meant that Wu was mostly "raised" by the queen, who handed most of the childcare off to nannies and tutors but checked in on him pretty frequently to make sure his education was going to her standards

so that's the quick and dirty rundown of Wu's family relationships

as for Mako...

while writing, i also worked out his family tree as well! i... apparently don't have anything better to do lol. i can't even name how much family he has off the top of my head, just know it's a lot. i will be eagerly awaiting the Mako comic to maybe continue adding to this tree

i was actually going to have Mako talk a bit about his family, specifically his dad's side, but the story ended up not going in that direction. Instead i had him focus on the family part he and Wu had in common: dead parents :(

several people in the comments actually requested i touch on Wu and Mako's families again, so i do have a potential fic idea that includes Mako's family in it! we'll see where that one ends up going haha. the basis is pretty much: Wu learns what it's like to be a part of family that doesn't hate each other

overall my writing for Likewise was inspired by me wanting to know more about Wu's family, and ended up with me giving him and Mako some very similar trauma. whoops

again, thanks so much for the ask!!! i love chatting about my fics and this was a lovely way to get my mind off certain events for a bit, so i hope reading it is the same for you!!

[kingwuko]

25,21,20

for wu

25. What was your first impression of this character? How about now?

🏳‍🌈

Listen, when I first watched season 4 of lok, it was SPECIFICALLY after I learned about cannon korrasami. I literally only watched because there was a canon wlw couple. I had heard so much about it, it was such a big deal.

And then Wu walked on the screen.

I was completely taken aback by Wu's rapport with Mako and just how... well homoerotic it was. I literally was thinking "Everyone told me about Korrasami, but NO ONE warned me about this guy and whatever gay thing he has going on with Mako!"

NOW? same basically. But I appreciate him a lot more, I really like his character growth in Ruins of the Empire.

21. If you're a fic writer and have written for this character, what's your favorite thing to do when you're writing for this character? What's something you don't like?

AAAAhhhh I love writing Wu. I think when I write him, I really enjoy balancing his silliness with his insecurities. I like getting in his head, having him say or do something ridiculous, and have the internal monologue be a lil heartbreaking and self depreciating? I don't like hurting Wu's feelings. But sometimes it must be done for plot reasons.

20. Which other character is the ideal best friend for this character, the amount of screentime they share doesn't matter?

It's Pabu hands down! Oh wait you probably meant HUMAN characters. In that case I actually do think it's Bolin. Bolin and Wu are really similar, I think they'll get along swimmingly although there may be Antics and Hijinks and Mako will certainly regret facilitating that particular friendship.

[jade-of-mourning]

okay sorry hi I know I just sent you an ask about my cat being alive but you’re like,, my favorite internet stranger so I thought you should know. I calmed down a little bit and read your response to my fourteen page ask

IM SO HAPPY I HYPE YOU UP‼️‼️ I love being peoples’ hypeman and you’re like,,, awesome so that’s super cool. don’t rush yourself but if you’re feeling pumped to share I will be your #1 fan. I’m probably gonna finish a little 4+1 thing and post it to my blog as a little grand reveal as snailon if that’s cool :3

ALSO I’m so happy you posted the cat thing on ao3 it was really nice and super well written and thank you for the suggestion! the cat is being washed thoroughly right now and I am on guard duty of the bathroom door. he was (we guess) stuck in the sewage of the construction sight beyond the wooded area behind our house.

SO MORE LOK THOUGHTS

you exactly caught my vibe (again) when you mentioned the insane repression mako and bolin are doing in canon. I honestly think there’s nothing more than elevator music behind bo’s eyes in canon because if the creators allowed anything else it would solely be The Horrors and they needed someone on that godforsaken team to be emotionally available and somewhat happy. and try as he might, mako will always be uncontrollably feral. I know by b4 he just has an all out brawl every morning fighting to get his hair presentable. give up and be the scraggly, strange detective that somehow knows everything that you were always meant to be.

which, for the record, is not to say I like his hair. I want him to grow it out more so he stops looking so fucking dumb with his stupid pointy ass hair (I really really really hate mako’s hair) but I also think it would grow out kind of wavy/curly which. yeah. I will be coming back to this later when I yap about avatar mako btw.

also PLEASE PLEASE PLEASEEE write mako absolutely losing his shit he 100% so much deserves that. he cries maybe once yearly and it is scheduled so I think he should get to murder y’know. just a little bit. he’s just a girl (insert sad coquette hamster)

makos hand being fucked up is the Vision. you understand so much. the gloves are so suspicious (the same way the shirt-on-at-the-sauna is in the comics. i see you, you little transmasc) and going off the logic of the last ep that with enough charge/consistency, lightning output can scar/mangle the exit point of the bender so. mako learning to use his bending mostly on his own fucking up and rocking his own shit until zolt shoves someone over to go clean up the rookie cause finding someone new is a pain. of course it’s a patch job (as you mentioned everything for them would be) so I imagine it’s like. pretty mangled. like stuff just slightly out of place, lots of raised skin and discolored patches and generally like uncomfortable to look at. I’d bet (like you said) bolin is really the only one he’d trust to see his hands unless makorrasami became like. a thing.

also if you have any,, fic recs,, I would be very not opposed,,,,,

OKAY OKAY SO AVATAR MAKO THOUGHTS. I’m actually going insane about this au.

so for 1: this idea was mostly a silly little ha-ha but imagine raava gets really fucking confused being in their first ever mixed kid and just. skips right back to air after mako. would that not be the funniest shit ever. like the earth kingdom would already be pressed that their go was a mixed kid who was a criminal firebender for the first bit of his life, but imagine how the FIRE NATION feels having their avatar “skipped over” because mako (again, CRIMINAL FIREBENDER) was technically a fn avatar.

and this keeps happening. more mixed kids. mixed kids out of the cycle ordered pairs become avatar. raava gets fucking lost. everyone loses track of whose element is next and world leaders everywhere are sobbing. mako would be so very pleased with himself. he and the half-avatar water tribe person would be clinking together glasses of alcohol in heaving and watching it all go down.

I was also thinking about this half-avatar playing a role in mako’s journey. They would be roughly fifteen years younger than the gaang, so it would make sense for them to still be alive (since raava could return to aang and still maintain them well enough) during mako’s era. do you think they could take on a mentor or distant relative role for mako? maybe being half-avatar would make them the world’s only dual bender, and they would understand mako’s struggle with wielding more than one element in a way no one else would be able to. bonus points if the styles they maintain are either earth and fire or the ‘opposite’ elements (like air+earth/water+fire—water+fire would be good to use to teach balance and that fire is not only to harm but to nurture, and that water parallels it as not only to nurture but to harm)

and that brings me to my third thought; both avatars followed in series have had a conflict or struggle with their bending. aang had to learn the other three types of bending—his conflict was finding teachers. korra needed to find it in herself to flow with the winds of airbending. but copying korra would be lame. so what’s mako’s conflict?

there’s where my pitch comes in (and kind of the point of the half-avatar); mako figured out how to use air, earth, and water as well as he uses fire (if with less refinement) within maybe a week (if that) of being discovered as the avatar. he’s a scraggly street kid used to clawing at what he can get and holding on tight: being discovered means he doesn’t have a particular reason not to make use of the other elements if need be, so he figures out how.

but the key words there are if need be. he absolutely can lift a chunk of earth five times his size, or entirely soak a full grown adult in pond water, or slap someone around with a strong gust of wind or power a building for a month with a bolt of lightning. will he be doing any of this? no. not unless his or bolin’s lives or livelihoods are threatened. mako’s struggle is that outside of life-or-death combat? he’s about the same as a nonbender. because bending has always been a risk—a life threatening and life ending risk—and one he isn’t willing to take unnecessarily. his journey is learning that bending can be used for more than harm or to enforce fearful order.

fourth and kind of final thought for avatar mako for now—he’s the earth avatar in this, but he looks very fire nation in canon (at least, my understanding of ‘fire nation’ v ‘earth kingdom’ features) so I was thinking, the avatar represents the four nations (kind of five now if we’re counting republic separately) (oh my god new thought what if there was an rc avatar ‘whose avatar is it’ ‘air by my guess’ ‘nah it’s republic city’s turn now’ ‘how does that even make sense? their blood is of the four nations.’ ‘I don’t make the rules man. ask the spirits, they’re right there.’) but they always look like the nation they’re from so. what if all the avatars look a little mixed but just lean heavy into native. so mako looks like a mixed kid already (though I’d make him more ek—will specify in a sec) but then just gets more mixed from. everywhere. but it’s not even generalized like,,, he looks like he’s from specific subcultures the last avatars came from. earth part looks kyoshi even though his dad wasn’t from the island. fn part looks like caldera city even though mom wasn’t. air—less noticeable, but he looks like aang, in a way. very temple-kid-y and less nomad-y. if that makes sense. and I’d say water part is kuruk but there’s also the ‘avatars look like their past life’s lover’ so. katara (ADDING TO THE PARALLELS IM GOING INSANE)

so this is the part where I elaborate on the ‘more earth kingdom’ part of mako’s design in my head. this also is part of the avatar-looking-like-lover thing. so ek complexions are pretty ranged, but a good deal of them are darker skinned. mako’s pretty fair, but I propose as a kid whose dad is white-brown (he’s an Italian farmer boy who tans heavy and he looks brown) and is also white-brown when I spend too long outside (ten minutes) in the summer; mako who tans so quick into a more typical dark ek tone. also bolin is darker because he deserves melanin. he gets to keep gold eyes cause they’re cool but I propose.. heterochromia!!! green/gold, could be some grayish/blue? js an absolute melting pot in there. then I associate ek with less pronounced but boxier facial structure, so either his face stays like,,, long, and is softer or stays sharp and is boxier like bolin’s. honestly prefer the first one but both are neat. also hooked nose. I don’t make the rules. katara also has a hooked nose btw it’s real I saw it.

also mako and katara have the same glare (sokka told me) and they scrunch their faces up like little carbon copies of each other when they’re focused. by the way I love to parallel the shit out of katara and mako can you tell,,

I just realized I wrote a longpost length ask. I’m so sorry.

I think I had something else to say but it’s getting late and it’s a school night 4 me so I’ve gotta get to sleep.

rest well! your favorite anon,

🐌

ah hello sorry for the extremely late response snailon!

I honestly think there’s nothing more than elevator music behind bo’s eyes in canon because if the creators allowed anything else it would solely be The Horrors

tbh you're so correct about this. let bolin have Feelings, 2024!!! (i find it so interesting that the general consensus is that bolin is more well-liked by the lok fanbase, but mako's fans are deep in the trenches whereas it's a lot harder to find active bolin fans. i stay forever respectful of the even fewer of them out there. not entirely sure how to articulate it, but yeah. bolin deserves better both from canon and the fanbase and one day i'll have to deconstruct his entire existence because he's just a fascinating creature who represents sort of a paper cutout of a stereotype

which, for the record, is not to say I like [mako's] hair. I want him to grow it out more so he stops looking so fucking dumb with his stupid pointy ass hair (I really really really hate mako’s hair)

HAHA that's valid. tbh i'm pretty neutral towards it; i like s1-s3 hair better than s4 hair because while i think that mako's poor attempt to comb himself into some semblance of Proper Society is pretty accurate to his character, i'm just not a big fan of it (though the fact that it looks bad is probably a further testament to his character never finding proper integration into society)

he’s just a girl (insert sad coquette hamster)

again. coughing at the essay i'll never finish writing on this. (okay off topic but i really really love transfem mako so much but also just fem mako in general and i need to put this out into the world. early lok fandom was on a seriously good kick when they were all drawing and writing lesbian makorra is my confession. mako being a girl makes my brain whirr)

also if you have any,, fic recs,, I would be very not opposed,,,,,

fic recs list i've written up but there's a lot of other good ones out there. immediately off the top of my head, people whose writing on mako i really like in general include slacktension (incredible author & artist from original airing with a mako voice of all time and great character dynamic exploration), rockingthegraveyard (best mako & bolin dynamics), wastetimeandtype (i especially like their casual ship fics and they made me an accidental fan of huan/mako), deerstalkerdeathfrisbee (wuko author but their mako voice is impeccable), bobtailsquid/steinbecks (another author from original airing whose writing style is just so poignant and accurate to character), themanofmanyhats, and velkynkarma. idk how you feel on makorra specifically but i confess, i accidentally really do like them and there's a lot of good stuff on ao3/ffn for them that i could share :P and i too am a fan of makorrasami but tragically, there's not a lot of that out there; however, all of old_and_new_friends' makorrasami works are fantastic. they're a multishipper who writes a lot of mako and very well, and while while i haven't read a lot of their fics because not all the ships speak to me, the ones i have read are all great. so yeah i'd suggest you take a look to see if there's anything there up your alley!

raava gets really fucking confused being in their first ever mixed kid and just. skips right back to air after mako. would that not be the funniest shit ever. like the earth kingdom would already be pressed that their go was a mixed kid who was a criminal firebender for the first bit of his life, but imagine how the FIRE NATION feels having their avatar “skipped over” because mako (again, CRIMINAL FIREBENDER) was technically a fn avatar.

okay this is actually so funny what LMFAO i didn't take into consideration that the avatar of the generation being from your nation is probably generally a point of pride and that mako's general existence is like,, the greatest possible insult to that in all the ways khsjdfbhfhsdbh i might have to casually include that in some outsider pov because the sheer comedy potential oh my god

do you think they could take on a mentor or distant relative role for mako?

i realize i probably didn't word it very explicitly in my initial explanation of this au, but what i actually meant was that raava couldn't leave the non-aang host entirely until their death because her presence was vital to their living. it's casually playing off the theory that yue was meant to be the water avatar, and so she was born sickly because of the absence of spiritual energy her destiny had intended for her — that raava's presence plays a role in the sustaining of her host's life. to sum up what i mean: raava is the vital life juice infused in the destined avatars. (roughly. it's been a while since i looked at this theory lol) therefore, while they continue to live independently of aang's actual death, raava can't move onto the next avatar until this not-avatar also dies. so they are very much dead as mako's immediate predecessor. but it's a great idea and i love that your brain thinks this way!

mako’s struggle is that outside of life-or-death combat? he’s about the same as a nonbender. because bending has always been a risk—a life threatening and life ending risk—and one he isn’t willing to take unnecessarily. his journey is learning that bending can be used for more than harm or to enforce fearful order.

oh interesting take. i can see that. in planning this au, i was thinking more among the lines of him only viewing bending other than fire to be a risk, and that he only ever figured out earthbending up until the point of where the story starts, but yeah i didn't really consider which element would be his block. he's honestly a pretty versatile guy in my opinion — i feel that he moves in a very airbender way (read: korra's spiral-motions in a leaf in the wind are meant to demonstrate her picking up mako's style of deflection, evasion, and waiting to strike), but his mannerisms are very earthbender in his stability in reality/rooted nature despite his lack of general stability in life. obviously he's got the firebender in him; i think he has a lot of pent up emotions and he generally represses them very well, but when it does get unleashed then he has a very typical-firebender explosive sort of manner. (i'm still adamantly against the take that he's a hotheaded no-thoughts raging firebender man though LMAO i don't understand how it's such a thing. sorry for the tangent. i'm resigned.) and for water, i feel it's adjacent to air in being less about head-on motions, and it's pretty reflective of mako's tendancies of roundabout-ness when it comes to matters of the heart. i don't really know how to articuate it but he has the most waterbender vibe. it's the katara so what i'm saying is that i don't really see him struggling with any of the elements in the way aang struggled with earth and korra with air, and you pose an interesting point. i'm not sure if your proposal would be in line with my current planning of this au, but it's still a really interesting idea that i'll mull over! it's a neat segway into the whole amon/equalists arc that i'd never cover but would still be set in the near future and i like the concept. thank you for sharing :)

but he looks very fire nation in canon

oh yeah i agree LOL i've seen edits of switching mako & bolin's eye colors (+ that iconic screencap from s1e2) and as much as it doesn't suit him i still stand by that he SHOULD'VE had green eyes and bolin gold. it's a small detail i've seen randomly included in a couple fics from way back when and it always makes my heart happy haha. i agree that lok dropped the ball in terms of portraying all the mixed families that exist in the series and that there was so much potential there, both with mako & bolin as main cast characters and background in the kataang kids (plus by proxy the airkids) — not just in the crossover of cultures, but just physical character design as well.

(also katara & mako parallels actually drive me crazy too lhfdhgksfjd)

(gonna be real dude by the time we finish feeding off of each other we're going to have oc-ified mako so much that he's not even from the legend of korra anymore)

i really love receiving your asks!! <33 but yeah this was a long one so it took a while to find the time to sit down & deconstruct into halfway cohesive responses. i'd love to chat about mako with u more in greater detail but it's a little bit tough with these longass askbox exchanges </3 i'll just put it out there — if you're comfortable, feel free to reach out to me from your main and we can talk through dms! and if not i'll always be happy to receive you in my inbox; just know that my responses will tend to be delayed because i have a lot going on in my life haha. it's lovely to hear from you again :)

[puff-cat]

Coming soon to my AO3...

Here’s a preview of my next fic! And let me tell ya, writing these hockey scenes really took me out at the knees. Enjoy a sneak peak!

“Okay, so Domino is playing…. Oh! Saitama, they’re the ones in green and white, obviously. Domino’s wearing navy and black since it’s a home game.”

The slap of a puck being fired rang out through the rink and the crowd cheered as the Domino goalie blocked it, dropping to the ice with quickness that Seto wasn’t expecting for a man wearing so many pads. 

Mokuba cheered along with the crowd. “Nice! Mako’s a really good goalie, don’t piss him off though, or he’ll let you have it!” As he spoke, Mako passed the puck out to one of the defensemen, who sent it forward to his teammates. “I think they have their reserve lines playing right now, you’d see Yugi, he’s always the smallest one out there…”

her had meant. The shortest player was unmistakable as Yugi, wild hair mostly contained under his helmet save for the strands sticking out the bottom. The two taller players flanking him quickly bumped fists before taking off, and Seto had caught just enough of a glimpse of blond hair to recognize - 

“They’re back out! I know you know Yugi and Jou, Honda is their other wingman.” Mokuba glanced at Seto, who shrugged at him. 

“I know of them, Mokuba. But we’re hardly acquaintances.” He pointedly ignored the low muttering of his brother that sounded suspiciously like ‘they could be if you’d let them’,  in favor of watching the game. 

Saitama had just failed an attempt on goal, and one of the defensemen - Valon, Mokuba helpfully supplied - returned the puck to Honda, who’d begun his own charge on his opponents goal. He was quickly set upon by a duo of Saitama players, and he was only able to outmaneuver one of them before they blocked him from going any further. In a desperate attempt to keep the puck from getting back into his defensive zone, he sent it soaring down the ice. 

Luckily, Yugi must’ve seen it coming, because he was already racing toward the wayward puck. Seto admitted that he was at least a little bit impressed by his speed, figuring it had to be due to his tiny stature. But no sooner did he have the puck on his stick and turn toward the goal was he knocked hard into the boards by a Saitama player, sending him staggering, but not fully down to the ice. Seto heard Mokuba suck in a breath next to him, and he wondered how many hits like that Yugi was able to take in a game. Still, though, it was a barbaric sport, and the crowd roared their disapproval as the ref let the play continue.

Another Saitama player swooped in behind his teammate to scoop up the puck and pass it away from their offensive zone, but was intercepted by Jounouchi, who caught it cleanly on the tape and peeled away from the boards. Controlling the puck carefully, he passed it back to Honda before his opponents got too close. As soon as his friend had received his pass, Jounouchi exploded forward toward the goal, snow flying as his blades gouged deep valleys into the ice below. 

[faejilly]

2020 Fic Masterpost

I started and ended the year with my beloved #7kpp, which I know doesn’t mean a lot to most of you, but the thought makes me smile. ❤ I also posted a lot of Shadowhunters, (so many fairy tale riffs), a couple bits for BioWare (including the ten-years-in-the-making finale of my Adelaide Hawke/Sebastian Vael ficlet collection), and even one entirely new-to-me fandom in a The Old Guard gift!fic. Whee!

Most of them are very short, ficlets and flash fiction, which wasn’t the goal going into this year, but... this year broke a lot of people’s plans, didn’t it? And there are some lovely words in there, (hopefully short & sweet!), so... All in all, not that terrible for a year of apocalypses.

The Old Guard

Until The Time... (Nile & Family & Music) [tumblr / ao3]

7KPP

Chaperones

Woodly/Court Lady [tumblr / ao3]

Yvette & Emmett [tumblr / ao3]

Falon & Hana [tumblr / ao3]

Hana of Jiyel

Ink-stained fingers [tumblr / ao3]

Shade [tumblr / ao3]

Theodora of Arland

Rise [tumblr / ao3]

Renown [tumblr / ao3]

Surrender [tumblr / ao3]

Hidden [tumblr / ao3]

Nathalie of Revaire

Harsh Whispers [tumblr / ao3]

Gold [tumblr / ao3]

BioWare

Dragon Age

Adelaide/Sebastian: for comfort (cuddling prompt) [tumblr / ao3]

Adelaide/Sebastian: Adored Finale [tumblr / ao3]

Merribela: Tentacletober (how many of those are there?) [tumblr / ao3]

Mass Effect

OT: Kaidan & The Beacon [tumblr / ao3]

Andromeda: F!Ryder/Jaal (Not Just Loyalty) [tumblr / ao3]

Shadowhunters

Coda-Fics/In-Universe

prequel (Jace & Izzy) [tumblr / ao3]

01x02 (Dorothea) [tumblr / ao3]

01x03 (Alec) [tumblr / ao3]

01x04 (Magnus) [tumblr / ao3]

*Trust Your Heart (01x04 Jace aftermath) [tumblr / ao3]

01x05 (Izzy) [tumblr / ao3]

03x10 (Magnus) [tumblr / ao3]

03x22 (Alec & Clary) [tumblr]

*Ashes of Angels (during the epilogue time-skip pt 1) [AO3]

*Ashes of Roses (during the epilogue time-skip pt 2) [AO3]

Psithurism (Inquisitor Lightwood-Bane) [tumblr / ao3]

Clizzy

tug-of-war [tumblr / ao3]

before the beginning [tumblr / ao3]

Pandemonium (again) [tumblr / ao3]

back-to-back [tumblr / ao3]

Criminal Minds Fusion

School Teachers [tumblr / ao3]

Star-Gazing [tumblr / ao3]

There’s Only One Bed [tumblr / ao3]

Lydia & Alec [tumblr / ao3]

Maia & “Hunt” [ao3]

Clary & “Family” (free space from bingo!) [ao3]

Misc AUs

*ask the always impossible of me (Cinderella) [ao3]

*Our Souls Inhabit (Snow White... ish) [tumblr / ao3]

a lean wind flays (Jack & the Beanstalk... even more -ish) [tumblr / ao3]

transient (Sleeping Beauty) [tumblr / ao3]

mer!Alec AU (of an AU) [tumblr / ao3]

Reticence (Persuasion AU) [tumblr / ao3]

Priest!Magnus/Demon!Alec [tumblr / ao3]

omegaverse PWP [tumblr / ao3]

Into the Labyrinth (Inception Crossover) [tumblr / ao3]

Let’s Go Steal Some... Magic? (Leverage Crossover) [tumblr / ao3]

I am for you ch 17 [tumblr / ao3]

[wakatoshislovebot]

Hey fren, *aggressive winkwonk* now you wouldn't mind if you did a fic where chuck actually doesn't die. I cried in Macca's yesterday because I read this too detailed fic.... Please- I ugly cry.

I really need that angst then omg your alive.. please it's hurtful just thinking about rewatching the movie.

And here. Oh and if you could make the reader Fem please :D

How It Should've Been

a/n: HI! sorry this is so late, but omg the crying over a too detailed fic is so relatable. this also gave me a reason to rewatch pacific rim even though i've seen it a million times so i appreciate it. i really hope you like it! it made me a teeny bit sad writing it because i miss chuck so much. i made the title "how it should've been" because i'm petty hehe and he should’ve lived. also thank you for requesting<3

~cw: language, a small bit of angst but with a happy ending

You were really hoping Chuck wouldn’t have to fight after his dad broke his arm. After all, he can’t pilot Striker Eureka alone. However, your heart sank a little when he got the order to suit up. He tried to assure you that he probably wouldn’t have to go but then the Marshal came out suited up. You grew quiet, even Chuck joked about never hearing you be so silent before. How could you speak? This was supposed to be the last mission and arguably the most dangerous mission Chuck had ever been on. What if he didn’t make it? 

This had always been your fear since Chuck became involved in your life but this felt different. This mission was to end the Kaiju attacks forever and it was a risky plan. Before he would always promise to come back for you. This time he didn’t, he couldn’t. It was written on his face that not even he knew if he would make it back. When Herc and yourself were sending him off you had to try your hardest not to cry. It was futile because as soon as Hercu said “I just don’t want to regret all the things I never said out loud” you lost it. You turned around and started petting Max so they didn’t see you cry. You could hear Chuck’s voice tremble and him sniffle when he replied, it certainly did not help your worry about him not coming back.

Max started looking up at him and whining so he kneeled down to say goodbye to him. That’s when he saw you, “Hey no crying, Max will take great care of you ‘cause I told him to.”

“Max won’t need to, you’ll come back, and then we can move far away from any water.”

“Ah yes, we will live in a desert and I’ll get to make out with ya all day long.”

You got silent again and said really softly “Please come back.”

“For my girl? I’ll try my hardest.”

That’s where it left off between you two, he didn’t promise to come back but he said he would try. There was no way you could’ve said more without completely breaking down. He started walking away after he told his dad to take care of Max. You could hardly watch him leave especially after Herc said to the Marshal “Stacker. That’s my son you got there. My son.” You really wished he didn’t make it seem like a final goodbye. This meant there was no chance of him coming back. Sure he probably wanted to be safe rather than sorry but still, it felt so wrong. After he got into Striker Eureka you immediately made your way to the LOCCENT. 

You were sure you made Tendo a little annoyed because of how on edge you were listening and observing what was happening with Striker but he never said anything. After Newt and Gottlieb came in explaining how they could enter the breach you became more concerned. Then a category 5 Kaiju appeared to top it all off. The mission seemed to complicate more and more by the second. 

Everything went to shit when you heard Chuck say the hull was compromised. Both Kaijus started targeting Striker and the Marshal told Raleigh not to come and aid. Your heart stopped. The Marshal was speaking to Mako you couldn’t make out what he was saying everything around you became quite fuzzy. The tears from your eyes began to fall you wanted to scream. They were planning on sacrificing themselves so Gypsy could go to the breach and destroy it. 

When you heard “Well my father always said: he said if you have the shot take it! So let’s do this” is when things started setting into place. You were gonna lose your best friend, the love of your life, someone you thought you were gonna spend the rest of your life with. You had to get out of there, you told Herc “I’m sorry sir but I can’t stay for this. I just can’t.” He nodded his head and then handed you Max’s leash because he knew you needed Max a lot more than him right now. 

As soon as you got to your room you held Max close to you and just sobbed. There is no way this was happening. He was supposed to come back like always. He was supposed to kiss you, pick you up then spin you around and say “See I told ya I’d come back,” like he always did. After a good hour of crying, you fell asleep. You dreamt about being in a strawberry field with Chuck. You both looked so happy, there were no Kaijus just him and you. You don’t know how long you slept but at some point, you woke back up. 

The gravity of the situation hit you again and you didn’t feel like standing. There was a knock on your door, but you didn’t answer. It was probably someone to tell you something you already knew and you didn’t need to hear it out loud. The person outside your door spoke, it was Herc, “Hey, they closed the breach. We won’t have to worry about Kaijus anymore. Uh, also you might want to check the med bay.” 

You wondered why he said that, as much as you loved Raleigh and Mako you were in no mood to see them. Max got up and pawed at the door, encouraging you to let him out. He started running toward the med bay and you chased after him. When you got there you didn’t see Raleigh or Mako lying in a bed. It was Chuck. 

“Are ya gonna stand there gaping at me or come kiss me?” he said very raspily.

You ran to him and you did kiss him, probably harder than you ever have in your life. 

“You’re a fucking asshole you know? I can’t believe you put me through that.”

“I’m sorry princess I didn’t know I would make it either. I’ll make it up to you I promise.”

“How are you here right now? Not that I’m disappointed you are but you and Pentecost were planning to blow up Striker last I heard.”

“We were, I thought we were but then the Marshal told me to eject last minute. I told him he was crazy but he said I had someone at home I should return to. After that, I ejected and I guess the Kaijus didn’t notice the life pod floating to the surface.”

You don’t know what came over you but you started crying again.

“Hey hey, what is it? I’m back, why are you crying?”

“You scared me, I thought I lost you I’m not over it.”

“I know, I’m sorry but now that I’m here you can start house hunting. No oceans remember? Look on the bright side!”

“I really hate you sometimes”

He chuckled and pulled you closer. You got lucky, you got him back and in one piece too. Now you could continue your life in peace and not constantly worry about him dying every time he left for work.

[atlabeth]

hey! i love your zuko fics so much and was wondering if you’d like to write this, because the idea just popped up: maybe a zuko x reader fluff that takes place before/during LOK? maybe they’re reminiscing about their past adventures w the Gaang while helping out the new Team Avatar? idk it’s just that every time I see old zuko it makes me soft and emotional 🥲🔥❤️ anyways, much love! (and don’t feel pressured to do this at all, I was just thinking abt who I could submit this request to, and obvi my first choice was you 💕)

reminiscence - zuko x fem!reader

summary: just because you and your husband are retired doesn’t mean you don’t have amazing advice for the new team avatar.

a/n: this is so cute omg!! thank you so much for requesting this and thank you for much for your kind words i'm honored <33 im so sorry this took so long

sorry im posting so much lately im trying to stop slacking and publish things that have been wips for over a month sdkjfh

wc: 1.3k

warning(s): none bc i choose to ignore the news of zaheer’s plan right after this scene

-

Retirement was… nice.

You had spent your childhood fighting with the Avatar to end the Hundred Year War, a feat that was only made more difficult with your Fire Nation roots and connection to the banished prince. But all that’s well ends well, and you ended up getting your happy ending together — you had to fight hard for it, though.

You married Zuko at nineteen, three years after he ascended to the throne, and spent the subsequent years balancing your duties as Fire Lady and taking care of your daughter. Ruling the Fire Nation was a lot, but you knew you could get through anything with your husband at your side.

When he told you his plans to abdicate the throne, you were more than supportive. One of Zuko’s biggest fears was becoming his father, and by giving up his position willingly to Izumi, it guaranteed that he wouldn’t fall victim to the power-obsessed ways of his ancestors. It also gave him a well-deserved break after decades of being Fire Lord, and you were more than ready to get out of the world of Fire Nation politics. You had sat through enough meetings to fill multiple lifetimes.

But just because the two of you weren’t as involved in every day affairs of the world didn’t mean that you were completely out of it. No, that was far from the truth. You and Zuko were still some of the most important people in all of the nations, which meant it wasn’t a rare occurrence for your husband to be called off on some sort of mission.

One such mission was stopping the Order of the Red Lotus for the second time; Zuko had been part of the team that stopped them from kidnapping Avatar Korra as a child, so it was no surprise that he had been called to help for a second time. You knew even in his old age that your husband was powerful, but you couldn’t help but feel concerned about everything he was doing.

This concern was ultimately what led you to join Zuko on his trip to meet with Chief Beifong and Chief Tonraq in the Misty Palms Oasis. He had originally been against your involvement, claiming that the Red Lotus was far too dangerous, and he didn’t want to risk you getting injured in any way. You, of course, weren’t having it. “The Avatar’s in trouble, and I’d like to think I know a few things about getting out of trouble.”

One thing was certain after you arrived — it had been far too long since you had ridden on the back of a dragon. You truly adored Druk, and you felt bad for everyone that would never have the opportunity.

After conversing with Lin and Tonraq inside, you all exited to greet the new Team Avatar. If what you were told was true, then they had been through quite a lot since leaving Zaofu. For as long as you had been involved in foreign affairs, you had never met Avatar Korra nor her friends, so you didn’t know what to expect — an awestruck boy that could barely speak wasn’t at the top of your list though.

“Oh my gosh. It’s Lord Zuko and Lady Y/N. I can’t believe it!” He stared at the two of you with wide eyes, his voice getting higher and higher as he whimpered. He looked like he was going to fall over until another black-haired boy pulled him out of the way, his tone apologetic.

“Uh, forgive my brother,” he said as he put his fist against his open palm, his brother following suit. “We’re just really honored to meet you both.”

“It’s no problem,” you smiled as you and Zuko returned the greeting. It had been years since someone had reacted that way towards you, and you would be lying if you said it didn’t amuse you. “It’s a pleasure to meet you as well.”

The two boys straightened again as the taller one gestured to them each in turn. “I’m Mako, and this is Bolin. We’re Korra’s friends.”

“Ah, she’s got her own Team Avatar?” You inquired with a twinkle in your eye. “You know, I traveled with Avatar Aang years back along with my husband.”

“Of course I know!” Bolin exclaimed. “Oh, I’ve heard so many stories about your adventures, they’re all so amazing!” His eyes widened and you actually thought that he was going to fall over. “Oh, oh, could you tell us about some of the things you went through?”

“Bolin, we really shouldn’t bother them—” Mako started, but you laughed and waved it off.

“I assure you, there’s nothing to worry about. It’s not often I get to relive my journeys to such avid listeners. What would you like to hear about?”

He thought for a couple seconds then shot back up again. “What was it like when you escaped the Boiling Rock together? You guys were the first people to ever break out, right? That had to be amazing!”

You and Zuko both laughed as you shot him a look. “It was… interesting,” he said.

“By interesting, he means it was a complete disaster,” you corrected. “Everywhere something could’ve gone wrong, it went wrong. They had originally come there to rescue Sokka’s dad, but instead they found Suki and I. Then Zuko got found out and thrown into prison, our first escape plan failed, Sokka almost got found out, Azula showed up… it was honestly a miracle we made it out at all.”

“It wasn’t that bad!” he protested. “Getting thrown into prison was part of the plan, we wouldn’t have been able to get the cooler out if I hadn’t been found out.”

“I guess I can’t complain,” you chuckled. “I did get to punch you a couple times.”

“They are so cool,” Bolin whispered as the two of you went on in the background. He elbowed Mako in the shoulder and gestured towards the couple with his head. “Come on, ask them something! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity!”

“I’m not going to ask them something, Bolin—”

“Excuse me, my brother has something he wants to ask too!” Mako shot him a dirty look which quickly disappeared when you and Zuko turned to him attentively.  

“Oh, um…” He coughed and scratched his head. “I guess.. is there any advice you have for us? With this whole Team Avatar thing, I mean.” You smiled at Mako and took Zuko’s hand.

“The friendships you forge during your journey are the most important thing — they’re the things that will keep you going during your darkest moments, and they will last a lifetime. There will be mountains and valleys, ebbs and flows, but no matter what, you will hold an unbreakable bond.”

You felt Zuko squeeze your hand and turned your smile on him as you returned the sentiment then nodded for him to continue. “Never take anything for granted, and trust in fate. You’re where you are for a reason — everything will end up working out in the end.”

You grinned and kissed him on the cheek, humming in agreement. “It did, didn’t it?”

-

After a few more minutes of talking with the two brothers, they went off to join the rest of their group. It was strange being on the outside of it all after how intense your childhood was, but it was… refreshing not to have the weight of the world on your shoulders anymore.

“The world’s in good hands with them,” you murmured as you leaned your head on Zuko’s shoulder.

“They all have that same fire you had when I first met you,” Zuko chuckled. You watched the four of them conversing and a smile graced your lips.

“Oh? Then I think the world’s in very good hands.”

-

perm tag list: @dv0412 @siriuslyslyslytherin

[flameohotwife]

Do you like tlok

Hi anon! My answer is a very complicated one. Yes and no.

I like The Legend of Korra for giving me canon kataang, cloudbabies, and more of the characters I know and love from AtLA. I like some of the concepts they tried to tackle, and a lot of the new characters. I liked Avatar Wan, and seeing Iroh in the Spirit World of course, and I LOVE the airbabies. I am one of those people who gets SO into a world that I immediately need more of it when I finish the original piece of media, so it was lucky for me that my family and I watched AtLA for the first time during the pandemic so that we could *immediately* watch LoK after. We then bought and read all the comics (which I also have mixed feelings about, I admit). So for that reason, I am very glad that LoK exists so I could be fed.

HOWEVER (and I'm going to continue under a cut because this got long):

I don't like the way they made the cloudbabies (and other mixed-race characters like Mako and Bolin) all "pick a side." I could write a whole essay on this, and am slowly working on a fic about it but, as a mixed-race person myself, that didn't sit right with me. That's not how families or racial identity work. They would have grown up learning about and celebrating BOTH sides of their (nearly extinct!!!) heritage. They would have eaten foods from both nations, worn clothes with BOTH colors, etc etc. As the head of the modern Air Nation I can understand Tenzin's appearance, though I wish he had worn some small nod to his Water Tribe heritage as well (even just a bracelet or a blue sash/belt or something). Kya and Bumi's outfits bothered me though.

I'm not a big fan of the way LoK treated Aang, either. For what it's worth, I LOVE that every single one of the characters in AtLA were complex, multi-faceted, and nuanced. I love that no character was perfect, and that they all had (somewhat glaring!) flaws. However, given the gaps in age between the cloudbabies (and especially between Bumi and Tenzin), there is absolutely NO way that Aang didn't take the others on a family vacation *ever.* Aang would have had YEARS to bond with Bumi before any of his siblings were born, much less Tenzin, and Bumi would have been out of the house only a few years after Tenzin came into the picture. I have a much younger sister, and I know how that goes. I got lots of attention from my parents/grandparents for a while, and then I left for college and my sister got more. It's not favoritism it's just how families work sometimes. Obviously Aang would have had to spend an extensive amount of time with Tenzin to work on his airbending, on top of his Avatar duties, but that's different from just not taking family trips (and need I remind anyone that Aang is a NOMAD. I HC that he and Katara were still fairly nomadic when Bumi was born even and didn't settle down on Air Temple Island for a little while yet).

ALSO we were robbed of Aang mentoring Korra the way Roku mentors Aang throughout LoK (and the comics). Honestly I was wary of watching LoK because I knew it meant Aang had passed away and I was going to be sad, but I was looking forward to seeing him in that role, and then... it never really happened (other than that very brief "When we hit our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change" line.

I'm also not the biggest fan of how they changed the Spirits/Spirit World and the lore, but those things bothered me less than the character-centric issues. I know Nickelodeon messed with things, too, so I won't even get into the plotlines. Overall I'm glad LoK exists. I like it enough that I've seen it multiple times (at the request of my kids but still). It gave me canon confirmation that Aang and Katara got married and had babies, and that's all I really needed. I can (and do) fill in the rest with fic. Thanks for the ask, anon! Sorry it got long.

[wolf-pearl]

@aimeelouart I have finally finished writing the summary of that SSC au I mentioned on ao3.

This AU is based on the First's theories about Cloud. Basically, what if they were right with their assumptions? 

Zack is an early SOLDIER prototype and legendary 1st Class who got disappeared pre the Trio's time. His existence was completely erased. Zack was enhanced using only mako, no jenova cells. When the jenova cell infused mako treatment was found to result in greater enhancement than mako treatment alone, Zack was viewed as obsolete. 

Made obsolete by new j-cell SOLDIERS, combined with Hojo wanting to make way for Sephiroth to rise through the ranks, and fear that Zack's sway over the SOLDIERs would lead to mass insubordination in the event that Zack objected to ShinRa's immoral agendas became reasons for Zack to be disappeared and handed over to the science department. Zack was handed over to the science department by his own men, the betrayal resulting in his scorn for the SOLDIER program. 

Cloud was created to be a SOLDIER killer. President ShinRa, after seeing that there really wasn't any way to stop the SOLDIERs if they decided to turn against the company, orders Hojo to create some form of failsafe in the event that any SOLDIER turned against ShinRa. Cloud has been conditioned from day one to see SOLDIERs as highly dangerous combatants that will kill him if he can't neutralize them fast enough, and eliminating them is the job expected of him by Hojo and ShinRa. 

Zack was brought in at first to be Cloud's first real SOLDIER to kill. Problem was, Cloud was TINY at the time, and thus can't win that fight. Zack refuses to harm Cloud, because, you know, he's a literal child. So what was intended to be a fight to the death devolves into Zack giving Cloud pointers on his foot work and sword technique. Hojo sees the value in keeping Zack around to teach Cloud, as who's better to teach the boy how to fight SOLIDERs than an actual SOLDIER? On top of that, it has the added bonus of further instilling a distrust of SOLDIERS into Cloud. And so Hojo decides to keep Zack around for Cloud to practice fighting and to teach Cloud. (Don't be fooled, Hojo still absolutely plans on having Cloud kill Zack. He simply has moved that back as a potential final test before announcing Cloud as ready for deployment.) 

Cloud's actual name given to him by Hojo is Cumulonimbus. Upon hearing that, Zack declared that that was a terrible name for a kid, and started calling the boy Cloud instead. Cloud reacted poorly to the firsts calling him Cloud because that is Zack's name for him. Zack is the only person Cloud truly trusts, so the name Zack gave him is only for people he trusts. 

Cloud leveled his materia himself. They wanted him to have a full arsenal to take down rogue SOLDIERS. So, he's been using them since the moment he could. The fusion blade also belongs to Cloud. They put him through tests to see what all of his limit breaks are, and then designed the fusion sword to complement his final limit break, omnislash. 

Cloud was kept in the lab in Nibelheim. This meant that he was always in relative close proximity to Jenova. As such, Cloud has been subjected to Jenova's mind fuckery for his entire life. When Jenova first started reaching out to Cloud's mind it was simply to figure out what he was. Then she made Cloud's life hell. Cloud had to learn quickly how to block her out. This is why Cloud knows all the tricks to blocking out the crazy alien. This also means that Cloud has been getting visions of the future for most of his life.

Cloud wasn't meant to ever be in view of the public, or interact with civilians at all. The only people he was planned to interact with were his handlers and the SOLDIERS he was sent to eliminate. As such, there was no need to condition him to behave, hold his tongue, or be a poster boy like Sephiroth. The only behavior that mattered was following direct orders and returning to his handlers once his objective is complete.

Cloud recognizes the Buster sword because it used to be Zack's sword. It wasn't taken away from Zack when he was first brought in as they had intended to throw him into combat. After that he was allowed to keep it in order to further Cloud's lessons with him. Cloud knows how to tend to the Buster sword so expertly because he did so relatively often back in the labs. The scientists learned to use promises of extra time with Zack as an incentive for Cloud, and much of those bonus times were spent talking with Zack as they cared for the sword. Eventually the buster sword gets taken away from Zack as punishment for "bad behavior" - probably an escape attempt or attempting to interfere with one of the inhumane tests Cloud is put through. Zack assumes that it was melted down after being taken away. In reality, the Buster sword is given to Angeal. One of the last SOLDERS who served under, remembers, and still holds loyalty to Zack was the one who delivered the Blade to Angeal. The SOLDIER tells Angeal that the Buster Sword belonged to an honorable man who had no one to pass it onto, and that Angeal's dedication to dreams and honor reminded the SOLDIER of that man. Angeal was never told the name of the blade's original wielder.

Ribbon belonged to Zack. He had hid it from the scientists. Zack first gave it to Cloud after a nasty round of experiments involving status conditions. He had somehow braided it into Cloud’s hair. He gave it to Cloud permanently after the boy had clung to it like a security blanket. Knowing that the Ribbon was probably the first object that Cloud ever used as a security blanket, Zack vows that once they escape he will get Cloud an actual plushie. With ribbons of its own. 

During a time when Hojo is back in midgar, Zack breaks out of his cell, snags Cloud, and makes a break for it. They end up being forced to barricade themselves into a chamber that has a bunch of coffins. They find Vincent who takes one look at Cloud and decides that his sins can wait, there is a child right here who needs his help and he can help. Vincent and Zack tear through the scientists that are on site and scavenge what travel essentials they can from the lab along with the equipment that was made for Cloud, before making their escape with Cloud.

Somehow Cloud gets separated from Zack and Vincent, and decides to set out to destroy Jenova and burn the mansion to the ground. At this point Hojo is aware that something has gone wrong, and so Genesis is sent to Nibelheim, ostensibly to check an energy disturbance in the area. In reality he's been sent to retrieve Cloud, but he isn't told that. 

The outfit the Firsts find Cloud in is part of Zack’s old uniform. Cloud was pretty much only given hospital gowns and scrubs to wear by the scientists. When Zack and Cloud escaped Cloud’s clothes - which were nothing more than a hospital gown and scrub pants - got completely ruined. Zack wrapped Cloud up in his own outfit because while Zack was able to find extra clothes that fit himself in the lab, there wasn’t any kid clothes in the lab. Cloud ends up in Zack’s sleeveless turtleneck and pants, but Zack keeps the pieces that wouldn’t do Cloud any good for himself. This does mean that the outfit Cloud is wearing at the start is a little different than in ssc. Zack is smart enough to know that putting his massive steel toed boots on a small child is not going to do Cloud any good. So when Genesis finds Cloud the boy is not in a complete comically oversized ensemble with that skirt thing, the single shirtless sleeve, belts and all. Instead Gen finds a small bare foot child wearing a quarter turtleneck that's falling off his shoulders, a pair of already baggy pants that look like ufo pants on the kid, and a sword harness with an absolutely obnoxiously big sword. (Gen has a freak out when he sees Cloud standing in knee high snow without any footwear, because seriously how long has this kid been wandering around in below freezing temperatures barefoot, he could lose his toes.)

How did Cloud even get separated from Zack and Vincent, and how did he make his way back to Nibelheim from wherever they had fled to? Simple: don't ask me questions I don't have an explanation for yet.

Zack and Vincent are desperately trying to find Cloud. The First Class trio don't realize that they are being hunted down by two very protective, skilled, and enhanced individuals who are hell bent on getting Cloud back.

Because this AU removes (most of) the time travel aspects, Cloud’s reasons for being afraid of Sephiroth are different. One cause of Cloud’s fear of Sephiroth is that Cloud has been having nightmares and visions of the future for basically as long as he can remember. On top of this, Cloud also has been conditioned to think that the greatest threat he might ever have to fight is Sephiroth, as he’s the top SOLDIER. Hojo drove this point home by forcing Cloud to fight simulations of Sephiroth, and would punish Cloud if he failed to beat it. Hojo also constantly forced Cloud through intense experiments and enhancements to “bring his capabilities up to be equivalent to Sephiroth”, inadvertently causing Cloud to associate any mention of Sephiroth and/or Sephiroth’s continued improvement with being subjected to another barrage of experiments. However, Cloud probably won't be as afraid of Sephiroth in this AU as he is in SSC. Yes Cloud would still be afraid of Sephiroth, and yes Cloud would still be more afraid of Seph than he is of Genesis or Angeal. However without the time travel aspect from the original fic, Cloud just won’t have enough reason to be as afraid of Sephiroth as he is in ssc. In this AU Cloud’s more afraid of what Sephiroth represents (the visions of the future, the ultimate threat Cloud may have to face, and further experimentation) than he is of Sephiroth as a person.

Sephiroth could earn Cloud's trust through showing Cloud that Hojo had hurt him too. Sephiroth understands what it means to be hurt by Hojo. 

You still want time travel elements? Well you’re in luck because I have three options for that.

1) Cloud time traveled version 1: In the first time line, he escaped with Zack, but Zack ultimately got killed. Cloud takes Zack’s outfit to remember him by, and stays out of the reach of ShinRa, builds a life for himself as a mercenary. At some point during the years during mercenary work Cloud stumbles upon the Buster sword on a cliff in the midgar wastes. As Angeal had no protegee, he had neither a student to order to cut him down or anyone to pass the Buster sword onto. Angeal died while leaning against the flat of the blade that he had struck into the earth in an attempt to keep himself propped up. Cloud recognizes the Buster sword and takes it with him. He doesn’t learn how the Buster got on the cliff after it was taken from Zack. Cloud spends his years as a mercenary drifting to wherever his jobs take him, and for the most part ignoring the events that shake ShinRa such as the Nibelheim incident and the mass defections. He stays far away from anything to do with ShinRa up until he takes a job from AVALANCHE. From there Cloud follows an altered version of cannon events. When Cloud time traveled, he got sent back to when he was a kid in the labs with Zack, the only things he brought back from the future are his rare summon materia as well as his Master Materia, those really being the main equipment he got after the labs. This would mean Cloud being small doesn’t necessarily have to be because of Jenova.

2) Cloud time traveled version 2: Zack escapes with Cloud pre crisis core, but ultimately gets apprehended by Sephiroth, who was sent to recapture “escaped experiments”. Sephiroth kills Zack, and Cloud is returned to Hojo (this gives an alternate reason behind Cloud calling Sephiroth “murderer” in chapter 3). Cloud continues to be experimented on and is sent on his first mission during the events of crisis core to go after the SOLDIERs who defected with Genesis. Cloud is eventually sent after and successfully takes down Genesis and Angeal. Cloud doesn’t recognize them after time traveling at first due to how advanced their degradation was when he fought them on top of his memories of that time in his life being unclear. Cloud does recognize that the sword Angeal has is the Buster sword and takes it with him. All Sephiroth learns about the deaths of his friends is that they were taken down by “a classified project designed for this exact type of scenario”. When the Nibelheim incident occurs, Sephiroth was sent with a random SOLDIER first. Cloud was sent to investigate to see if the accompanying first went rogue after the team sent to Nibelheim fails to report in and ShinRa hears of a disturbance in the area. Cloud arrives to find the village burning and the unnamed First (along with everyone else) killed by Sephiroth. Following orders to eliminate any rogue SOLDEIRs along with recognizing Sephiroth as the person who killed Zack, Cloud kills the silver General. Hojo is furious when he arrives, demanding why Cloud would kill Sephiroth, to which Cloud retorts that he followed his orders as given to him by ShinRa and the Professor himself. His orders were to eliminate any rogue SOLDEIRs, and Sephiroth had gone rogue. Hojo takes offence to this, and as punishment he tries to experiment Cloud into oblivion for 4 years. Hojo leaves Cloud in a mako tank after the creations of the Sephiroth clones, and he reasons once Sephiroth returns there will be no more need for Cloud. Cloud escapes, equipping himself with his gear from his time as ShinRa’s SOLDIER killer but opts to wear Zack’s outfit that was kept in the lab’s storage after his death. Cloud makes his way to midgar where he joins up with AVALANCHE, and from there the story follows along an altered version of the cannon events. As a side note, I’m not entirely sure how this one would work out with the time line and character ages, so this one may require some fudging of the characters ages to make sense? Idk, I really don’t understand the timeline of FF7. I think that using Cloud’s canon age would make him 14 maybe 15 when he takes down Genesis and Angeal. Considering that Hojo sent Sephiroth to Wutai at around the same age, it could work. 

3) Zack is the time traveler. In the original timeline, Zack doesn’t manage to escape the labs and ends up dying before Cloud gets to see. Zack ends up following Cloud around as a ghost and is powerless to do anything as Cloud struggles through his time as ShinRa’s SOLDIER killer, and then dealing with the events of meteor fall, geostigma, etc. the Planet ultimately cant recover, so it Sends Zack back in time to prevent the disasters from ever happening. Zack is sent back to early on in his time with Cloud in the Labs. Zack makes a point of reiterating how dangerous Sephiroth is to Cloud, and this time succeeds in escaping the labs with Cloud by enlisting Vincent’s help (Zack learned of Vincent through waiting over Cloud as a ghost). While Zack was sent back in time to save the planet, He acknowledges to himself that his real motivation behind doing this isn’t to be a hero, he just wants to take care of his Cloudy. Zack absolutely freaks out when he gets separated from Cloud. He’s on a warpath to get his adoptive son back. When Zack catches up to the three Firsts Cloud’s probably going to have to talk Zack down from outright eviscerating them for daring to touch Cloud. 

[sourmochii-v2]

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Hahaha how crazy would it be for someone to write a short Kyalin fic where Kya is actually the one who’s scared to get emotionally attached because throughout her years of traveling, everytime she’s gotten attached to someone, they’d leave or she’d go to another place hahahaha how crazy...

Hahahaha...

How crazy....

Would that be....

Yall....

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CW: Drug use and sexual content

  Words: 3,148

     The lights were bright and colourful, and the music was loud. "I can't believe I let you brats drag me here." Lin said to Korra and her friends. "Come on, Lin, it'll be fun!" Korra said. "I doubt it." Lin folded her arms. "And look at how good you look!" Asami gestured to Lin's outfit. She wore a dark green button up with the sleeves rolled up. The shirt was tucked into a pair of black jeans. She kept her metal boots though. "You know what would make it better?" Asami said to Korra. Korra raised an eyebrow, then watched at Asami unbuttoned the first two buttons on Lin's shirt. "Hot damn, you're right." Korra looked Lin up and down. "Can I go home with you tonight, Chief?" Korra joked. Lin scoffed at the two before looking around at the scene. "Ooh, Opal! Let's dance!" Bolin said. "Be careful." Lin said at they walked past her. "Oh, ease up, Aunt Lin. We come here all the time." Opal said.

     Lin maneuvered her way through the crowd of people, trying to find Mako to take her home. She hated being out like this. Instead of Mako, however, she ran into a woman who was taller than her, spilling her drink all over her. "Oh- uh- I'm so sorry, I was just uh-" "It's cool! It happens all the time." She bent the water out of her shirt. Lin locked eyes with the woman. "Kya?" Lin said losing her breath. "Oh. Lin!" Kya said nervously. "How- how long have you been back in-" "Please don't tell Tenzin." Kya said. "Oh my spirits, Kya.. are you high?" Lin asked. "Uh-" Kya rubbed her arm. "No?" She said. "Your eyes are red, Kya. Don't lie to me." Lin said. "How long have you been back?" Lin asked. "A month or so now. I've just been kinda living here, staying away from the family." Kya said. "Kya, are you coming out back?" A guy asked from behind her. "Yeah, I'll be out in a minute." Kya waved him away. "Sit down, let's catch up." Kya lightly grabbed Lin's hand. "I was actually trying to find Mako to take me home.." Lin looked away. "Lin," Kya squeezed her hand tighter. Lin looked back at Kya and sighed. "Alright." She said. They sat down in a small booth, and Kya asked one of the many people she knew at the club to bring them a couple of drinks.

     "So.. were you gonna tell us you were back?" Lin asked. "Oh, of course. I was just waiting. I didn't want to have to listen to Tenzin's bullshit at eight in the morning as soon as I got here." Kya giggled. "We're you gonna tell me?" Lin asked. Kya's smile faded a bit as she looked down at her drink. "Yeah. Eventually. I've missed you a lot." Kya said. "Yeah well, all the letters you wrote to me sure proved it." Lin said sarcastically. "Lin.. listen, I-" "It's not a big deal. I'm just being a bitch." Lin said with a smirk. Kya nervously giggled. "Don't you have friends waiting for you outback?" Lin asked. "Oh! I do, don't I?" Kya said with a smile. Her and Lin stood up from the booth with their drinks in their hands. "Hey, how about you come out there with me?" Kya smiled. "Not to jump to conclusions but, wouldn't they just run when they saw me?" Lin asked. Kya let out a laugh. "Lin, you're practically unrecognizable without your uniform on." Kya lightly grabbed her hand. "And you look pretty damn good without it too." Kya looked at Lin's attire. Lin tensed up before letting Kya drag her through the crowd.

     They walked into the alley behind the building where, sure enough, was Kya's group of friends, standing in a circle, passing around a lillyweed joint. "Kya, there you are." One of them said. They all seemed younger. Older than Korra and her friends, but younger than her and Kya. Kya put the joint to her lips. "Really, Kya? Right in front of me?" Lin said in a whisper that only her and Kya could hear. "What are you gonna do, arrest me?" Kya asked with a smile. They talked with each other some more, and soon Lin felt a nudge on her shoulder and the joint in her face. "Oh- uh- no thanks." Lin said. Kya reached over and grabbed it. "What, you don't wanna loosen up a bit? I know how stressful your job can be." Kya said with a smirk. Lin took a deep breath in, looking between Kya, and that joint she was holding. "Alright then." Lin said. Kya smiled before handing it to Lin, letting her take a hit.

     Kya and Lin sat on the sidewalk in the alleyway. "Lin?" Kya looked over at her. "Hm?" Lin looked back at her, making Kya bust out laughing. "What's so funny?" Lin asked. "Your eyes are red." Kya smiled at her. "Yeah, well, so are yours." Lin let out a light laugh. "I never thought I'd see the great Chief Beifong stoned." Kya said. "Enjoy it while it lasts, cause it's not happening again." Lin chuckled. "Trust me, I'm enjoying it." Kya said. “Remember the last time I got you high?” Kya asked. “Yeah.” Lin chuckled. “Oh to be sixteen again.” Lin said. “Spirits, that was.. what? Thirty something years ago?” Kya said. “Thirty Six.” Lin said. Kya chuckled before looking at Lin. "You're pretty when you're high." Kya smiled lightly. Lin's face became red as she struggled to look for a reply. How is it that a single woman can make the Chief feel like this? And how it is that the Chief has been able to hide her feelings for decades? It's simply eating her up inside. So much that she couldn't stop herself from leaning in and kissing the water bender. Kya pulled away in shock, and looked at Lin. "Did you.. did you just kiss me.." Kya asked in disbelief. "Yeah.. I hope that's alright." Lin scratched the back of her head nervously. "That's- that's fine." Kya said. Kya's nerves were through the roof. Her hands were getting sweaty. "Can I kiss you again?" Kya froze in place. Can I kiss you again? Is that what she said? Kya looked back over at Lin, and nodded her head. Lin leaned in and kissed her. It started easy, but it became heated within a matter of seconds. Lin pulled back slightly and laughed. "Spirits, I'm so bad at this." She chuckled. "No you're not." Kya reassured her. Lin leaned back in, connecting their lips. Kya could feel Lin's smile against her lips.

     "Chief?" Lin heard behind her. Her and Kya stopped in their tracks. Lin turned around and saw Mako. "Oh- uh.. hey, kid." She said nervously, avoiding eye contact. "I'm gonna go wait outside." Kya whispered to Lin. Lin nodded her head, and Kya walked away. "Who's that?" Mako asked. "Just an old friend." Lin said. "I came to find you to ask if you wanted me to take you home. I know big public places like this aren't really your thing so-" "Actually I'm going home with my friend." Lin said. Thank Raava for the dim lights. I really don’t need Mako seeing me in this state. "With your- your friend?" Mako said. "Yeah. Is that a problem?" Lin asked. "No, not at all, Chief. I just didn't expect this kind of thing from you." Mako said. "Spirits, Mako, I'm not going to hook up with her." Lin rolled her eyes. "No no! That- that isn't what I meant- I- I know you're not that kind of person! I just-" Mako became flustered. He stopped for a second and took in a deep breath. "Just be careful, Chief. And call me if you need anything." Mako sighed. "Thanks, kid." Lin said before going outside. "Ready to go, Chief?" Kya asked. "Yeah. Are you okay to drive?" Lin asked while they walked to Kya's Sato-Mobile. "I can drive perfectly fine when I'm high. I do it all the time." Kya said. "I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that." Lin said.

     "Apartment, sweet apartment." Kya said as they walked into her place. "This is nice." Lin said. "Thank you." Kya said. "The bedroom is nicer." Kya said. Lin started getting nervous as she followed Kya back to her room. Lin sat down on Kya's bed as Kya lit an incense. Kya flipped the light switch, then used a remote to turn on the two lamps on either side of her room, both lighting up red. Kya stood in front of Lin and placed her arms around Lin's neck. Lin smiled nervously at her. "Everything okay?" Kya asked. "Yeah, everything's fine. I've just uh.. I haven’t done this kind of thing in a minute." Lin chuckled. Kya smiled at her. She leaned down and kissed Lin a couple times before pushing her back and climbing on top of her. "Trust me, Lin." She smiled at Lin before kissing her again. Lin let her hands glide under Kya's shirt to rest on her bare sides. Kya slowly unbuttoned Lin's shirt as she kissed down her neck.

     Kya unbuckled Lin's belt after leaving a trail of kisses down her stomach. Lin sat up on her elbows and watched as Kya pulled Lin's pants off her legs. Kya kissed Lin above the hem of her underwear, and started sliding them off. When Kya looked up and made eye contact, she smirked, and Lin's breath hitched. "You're obviously really nervous, Lin. Just relax." Kya said in a low voice that sent shivers down Lin's spine. Kya tossed the last piece of Lin's clothing down on the ground.

     Kya placed a hand on Lin's shoulder before pushing her back down on the bed, kissing her in the process. Lay back, Lin. Relax." Kya said. She kissed up Lin's jawline and lightly bit down on her earlobe, "Let me make you feel good, Chief." Kya whispered in Lin's ear. Lin felt Kya's hand slide down her stomach as Kya kissed and sucked on her neck. "Kya.." Lin breathed out when she felt two fingers inside her. "Yes, Linny?" Kya teased. "Don't- don't stop." Lin's breath started becoming faster. "Oh trust me, I don't plan on it." Kya said with a smirk before pumping her fingers faster. Kya saw Lin biting her lip to keep from making noises. Kya pulled her fingers out, causing Lin to gasp. "Why'd you stop?" Lin asked, breathless. "Don't sound so needy, Beifong." Kya said in a low voice in Lin's ear. "I'm just taking my time. You're so easy to get worked up. I love it." Kya chuckled and dragged her fingers along Lin's inner thigh while she sucked on her nipple.

     Lin lightly gasped when she felt Kya's tongue in between her legs. "Ah~ spirits, Kya.." Lin moaned quietly. "Don't be afraid to get vocal, Chief. I'd love to hear it." Kya said as she inserted her two fingers again. Lin almost lost her breath feeling Kya's mouth around her bud, and her fingers inside her working together. "Kya!" She moaned louder. Lin tangled her hand through Kya's hair, her breathing pattern rapidly increasing. She was close, so close. "Kya.. I'm- I'm-" Lin heard a sinister chuckle come from Kya. Kya curled her fingers inside Lin, then started pumping faster. "Ah~ ah~" Lin now how a grip on the handful of hair.  Kya's tongue moved faster, a smile forming on her face as she heard the small moans Lin made while she finished. Kya leaned up and roughly kissed Lin, a hand still tangled in her hand. Lin kissed her back, moving her hand from the back of Kya's head and to the side of her face. "I never would have took you for the hair pulling type, Beifong." Kya remarked. Lin chuckled before flipping Kya over. "There's a lot of things you probably wouldn't have taken me for." Lin said as her hand slowly wrapped around Kya's neck, squeezing the sides.

     Lin came out of the bathroom in a pair of sweatpants and her sports bra. "Are you sure it's okay that I wear these?" Lin asked. "For the last time, Lin. Yes, it's fine." Kya said with a smile. "And you're sure it's okay that I stay tonight?" Lin sat down on the edge of the bed. "Yes." Kya laughed a little. Lin didn't say anything after that. It was quiet for a couple minutes before Kya spoke up, "Is everything okay, Lin?" She asked. "Yeah, everything's alright. I just feel like things are awkward now." Lin chuckled. "Why? Because we had sex? We're things awkward with your other sexual partners?" Kya asked. Lin slightly tensed up a bit. Lin wasn't the kind of person to just go out and hook up with people. She chuckled. "All of them but one." Lin said. "Well, lay back, and relax, cause I'd like to be number two." Kya said. Lin looked back at Kya and saw her smiling. Lin smirked a bit before moving next to her and leaning back.

It was five in the morning. Lin was trying to get her clothes on as quietly as possible, trying not to wake Kya. However, "Lin?" She heard a quiet voice from behind her. "Uh- sorry for waking you." Lin said. "No don't be, it's okay." Kya sat up a bit. She still didn’t have clothes on from last night. "Do you want some coffee before you go?" Kya started to get up. "Oh, no, no, no. I don't need coffee. Lay back down and get some more sleep." Lin sat down on the bed next to her and stopped her from getting up. Kya laid back down and pulled the blanket up to her chin. Lin couldn't help but stare at her. "What?" Kya asked in a raspy voice. That voice. "Nothing." Lin said. "I'm gonna go." Lin said softly. "Mhmm okay." Kya was almost half asleep. Lin went to get up, but she paused. She looked back at Kya, who's eyes were closed. She leaned over and gently kissed her forehead, then left.

Two weeks later

They haven't spoken to each other since that night. Well, Kya hasn't. Lin, on the other hand, had been trying to message her and get ahold of her. But since she's had no luck for the past two weeks, Lin went to her apartment. She was worried about Kya. What if something happened? What if she isn't okay? Did I do something to upset her? Did she only want me for that one night.. Lin's mind raced with thoughts. That was until she saw Kya's surprised face open the door. "Lin, what're you doing here?" Kya asked. "Making sure you're okay, given that I've been trying to get ahold of you for the past two damn weeks, Kya." Lin pushed her way past Kya. "I'm fine." Kya said in a monotone voice as she closed the door. "That's not the point, Kya. I-.. I was worried about you.." Lin said that last part quietly, hoping maybe Kya wouldn't hear her. "Well, stop worrying about me." Kya said. "I didn't hear from you for two weeks. I'm allowed to worry about you. Why weren't you talking to me?" Lin said. Kya shrugged her shoulders, no expression on her face. "Damn it, Kya, I want and actual explanation-" "Because, Lin, I fucking like you, okay?" Kya said.

Lin had to admit, she was sort of taken back by Kya's sudden outburst. She never yelled.. at least not at Lin.. "Well... I like you too." Lin said. "I know that! That's why I refused to talk to you." Kya said. "Why? Why do you have to stop talking to me?" Lin asked. "Because if I don't, then I'm just gonna like you more, and then you're gonna leave me." Kya said. "What're you talking about, Kya-" "Everyone I've ever been in a relationship with has ended with her leaving, or because of my traveling." Kya had tears in her eyes. "I have been left time after time, Lin. I can't handle anymore leaving!" Kya said. "Kya.." Lin said in a soft voice. She grabbed Kya's hands gently and sat her down on the couch. "I don't want you to leave me, Lin." Kya sniffled. "I'm not, Kya. I'm not gonna leave you." Lin said. "I care about you too much to do that to you." Lin said. Kya sniffled again, but this time a little laugh came out. "I never thought I'd see Lin Beifong talk about feelings." She said. Lin chuckled and she leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees.

"Lin?" Kya said quietly. "Yeah?" Lin looked at her. "What if I decide I wanna go traveling again. Then what?" Kya said. Lin looked down at the floor. "Would you.. would you wait for me?" Kya asked, causing Lin to smile a bit. "What's so funny-" "Kya.. I've waited thirty six years for you." Lin said, her eyes still focused on the floor. "There'd be no harm in waiting a little longer." Lin said. "Do you really mean that?" Kya asked. "Of course I do." Lin said. "Kya, if you don't want to be in a relationship, then we won't be, and I'll leave you alone. But if you do.. just know I don't plan on getting into it just to leave you." Lin said. Kya leaned over and kissed Lin's cheek. Lin's eyes widened slightly and her face became red. "You're too sweet, Beifong." Kya said. "Don't go telling people that. I like my rookies scared of me." Lin joked. They were quiet. Neither of them knew what to say to each other. "I um.. I should probably get going-" Kya pulled Lin into a kiss. Just a short one. "Don't go." Kya said when she pulled away. "Do.. do you want me to stay?" Lin asked. "Yeah. I do." Kya said. "I want you to stay for awhile." kya said. "How do you mean?" Lin asked. "I want a relationship, Lin. I'm willing to give it a shot.." Kya said. Even though Lin tried to hide it, she was smiling. "Are you smiling? You know how to do that?" Kya joked. "That's it-" Lin stood up and walked towards the door jokingly. "No, Lin, wait!" Kya laughed as she ran to Lin and wrapped her arms around her from behind.

     They laid in Kya's bed, wrapped up in each other. "Are you gonna put clothes on?" Lin mumbled into Kya's neck. "I might." Kya chuckled. Lin took a deep breath, inhaling Kya's scent. Kya pushed Lin away from her a bit and kissed her. "Thank you for giving me a chance." Lin smiled at her. "Well after that, i'm glad I did." Kya smirked. Lin chuckled before kissing Kya, running her fingers through Kya's hair.

[sokkas-honour]

An unexpected but welcomed visitor - Mako x kyoshi!reader

summary: for the lovely @biqherosix ‘s makyoshi writing challenge and the prompt used was Grandma Yin

word count: 2k

taglist (always open): @biqherosix @draqondance

notes: no tw here i believe, just a girl not knowing what the hell to name a fic and it’s unedited so my apologies

You stared out of Mako’s apartment window, watching the clouds slowly move across the sky above Republic city. You sat on the couch wondering when your boyfriend would return from his little rendez-vous with Kai on Air Temple Island. He’d promised the young boy that he’d help him set up a picnic for Jinora which was an absolutely adorable idea. Mako being close with the airbending monster, considering all the time they spend together arguing about obscure subjects. In theory, he did seem like the perfect choice to help him, you would have disagreed though considering he has a horrible track record with his romantic attempts going smoothly, which added to his charm in your opinion, but you hoped that he’d prove useful to Kai.

You had let yourself into the apartment what seemed like an hour ago. Bolin was visiting Zaofu with Opal which meant that his place was free for a date night hosted by the firebender, well more like a date afternoon but he still hadn’t shown up. He had promised to cook dinner for you and then you’d both play a game of pai sho with lots of cuddling and relaxing in between. You’d both had pretty busy schedules in the last couple of days with his job keeping the streets safe and your Kyoshi duties so a whole afternoon of just pure escape sounded amazing.

The sound of the door to the apartment slowly opening scared you at first but you quickly jumped out of your spot on the couch in excitement. 

“You’re finally here!” You exclaimed as you quickly ran to the bathroom to make sure you looked presentable. You called out to who you thought was your boyfriend from the washroom. “What took you so long Mako? Is Kai ready to absolutely blow Jinora’s socks off without airbending?”

When no one answered but you heard footsteps advancing into the apartment you closed the door to the bathroom and went to grab the closest thing to you to use as a weapon. You looked at the counter but only found someone’s toothbrush and since Bolin wasn’t in the city it meant it belonged to the firebender. As disgusting as it felt to use your boyfriend’s toothbrush as a weapon, you needed something fast. Before getting ready to exit the room to face whoever was outside you spotted someone’s comb and planned to use it as some sort of boomerang. With the toothbrush in close proximity, the comb in one hand, you went to open the door when an elderly voice emerged from the other side.

“Mako? Is that you? I hope I’m not too early. You might want to rethink the idea of leaving your door unlocked, stupid Mako, you take that after your dad.”

Your eyes widened as you opened the door, guard down at the voice that belonged to someone’s grandma. You still kept the comb in a tight grip as you opened the door. The newcomer made a sound that made you jump and throw the comb as you intended too. The now empty hand quickly went back to grab the toothbrush and you emerged from the bathroom when you heard a little yelp.

“My, my, Mako, where are your manners?” And then it hit you, you knew that voice, it belonged to Mako’s grandma, Yin. She looked at you with wide eyes and a shocked expression. “You’re not my Mako are you?”

You shook your head, surprised that she didn't recognize you. You had met when she was staying at the Sato estate and Wu had to hide during the whole Kuvira problem.

“No, I’m his girlfriend, we’ve met before.” You smiled slightly, cheeks turning a bit red when her gaze landed on the toothbrush that was in your hand. You shyly put it on a nearby shelf. “I was one of Wu’s bodyguards, we met when he was staying with you for a short period of time?”

She frowned, analysing you from your head to your toes, making you feel very on the spot and somewhat self conscious. She had a very puzzled look on her face as she just stared at your face in confusion.

“His majesty, prince Wu, only had Mako and some beautiful girl in a warrior’s uniform as a bodyguard. You don’t look like you’d be a bodyguard.”

“I am that warrior girl though, I’m a kyoshi warrior, I’m just out of my uniform.” Now it was your turn to be slightly confused at her words, you remembered not wearing makeup the one time you met so wouldn't she be able to recognise you?

“Oh, that’s very possible though you are very muscular for a woman.” She stated very bluntly and you suddenly regretted just wearing a simple tank top and casual pants for your date, not that you expected to see your boyfriend’s grandmother before even seeing him for the day.

“Uh, thanks?” Your thanks sounded more like a question, unsure how to respond to what you thought was a compliment from the elderly woman. You watched as she slowly made her way back to where you were sitting just a couple of minutes ago.

“Come, sit.” She looked at you with a smile and patted the spot next to her on the couch, inviting you to sit down. You made your way to your previous resting spot and took your place next to her.

“Please, tell me about my Mako. I haven’t seen him in a while and didn’t know he had a girlfriend, I’d love to hear about you two’s relationship.” Her warm, inviting smile made you relax which made you realise your shoulders were a bit tense from wondering what she’d say.

“Oh, well Mako and I met working for prince Wu-” You had barely started before she interrupted you, taking you aback.

“I don't want to know about how you two met, that's just boring. Tell me about a moment that makes you smile whenever you think about it, tell me how he makes you feel.” She stated as if it was the most obvious thing ever and made you feel a tad bit stupid for wanting to start at the beginning.

“Oh well, there’s this one time a couple of weeks ago that I’ll never forget.” You started with a smile on your face as the memory of the story you were about to tell came to you. You continued, a slight euphoric feeling was laced with your words which Grandma Yin most likely picked up on. “I’m sure you know that Mako and Bolin used to be a part of a pro bending team, their whole lives revolve around it for a while. I didn't meet the brothers till long after their pro bending careers had met but they’ve always told me stories about how exhilarating their matches were. I’ve only ever heard them through radio and they never really interested me until I found out the guy I loved the most used to be a part of a pretty reputable team before traveling the world with the avatar. So, Mako decided that as a surprise, he’d take me to see a pro bending match, it was the Laogai Lion Vultures versus the Ember Island Eel Hounds.”

You paused for a second to see if she seemed at all interested and to your surprise, she looked as if she was listening intently so you proceeded to continue your story. 

“Mako knew this guy from the Laogai Lion Vultures, their earthbender Ruohar, and managed to get him to let us see the match from the best seats in the house, the last spot where players go before being brought to the main platform. We had a direct view on the game. Before the match started, Mako told me a couple of stories of Bo and him, what they’d do before a game, a time they both messed up that they found hilarious, their old member Hasook. It was just so nice to see Mako smiling fondly at memories and just opening up about his past. Neither of us are great at that but seeing him just being nostalgic and saying absolutely everything that went through his mind just made my heart warm. Anyway, the game started and I could barely hear what the commentator was saying because of how much Mako was yelling at both teams. You couldn't go two seconds without him screaming ‘You had that!’ or ‘I could beat them in my sleep!’ and everything in between. Every once in a while hed realise what he was doing and would turn to ask me if it was bothering me and of course it wasn't, seeing Mako being passionate about something just brings me so much joy, he’d even show me how’d he do a play differently when he was really mad at the Lion Vulture’s execution. When the match was finally over and we’d congratulated the Lion Vultures on their win, he gave me a tour of the arena, showed me where he used to train, where he used to live and just let every single one of his memories come back. I’ve probably already said this but just seeing Mako be so open and just so giddy about his stories and anecdotes really made it a date to remember.” You finished, a pleased and content grin graced your features as you still felt stuck in your memory, finding it hard to get yourself out of that moment.

“That sounds absolutely delightful my dear, it makes me happy to see that my Mako is making you so happy.” She looked at you with a soft gaze.

“I have another fun story if you’d like?” You volunteered to tell another story, maybe even multiple if she wanted to because of how much you enjoyed just being able to gush about your partner and to your luck, she nodded eagerly.

You told stories that jumped to your mind from when Mako and you first went on a date, your last date together and everything in between. Before long, you heard the door open again as the sun was slowly setting out the window but you were both so engrossed in the story that you were telling that you failed to notice whoever entered the apartment.

“Y/n? Grandma?” The newcomer just so happened to be the subject of your tales and he seemed very confused as to why his grandmother and his girlfriend were in his home.

“Oh Mako! It’s so good to see you! I came by to tell you something but it seems like I’ve forgotten. I won’t keep you two lovebirds for too long.” Yin was the first to greet him as she stood up to hug her grandson who returned the gesture happily.

“Y/n, it was lovely to meet you, hopefully we can do this over tea sometime?” She suggested and you eagerly nodded, excited to share more stories of your stupid boyfriend and hopefully you’d learn a thing or two about his father if you stuck at it long enough.

You bid each other goodbye and watched as she closed the door behind her before turning back to your boyfriend.

“I’m just going to assume that something went wrong with Jinora and Kai. You can tell me all about it while you make that dinner you promised.” You said smugly, giving him a hug as he groaned, realising he’d forgotten all about your date.

“Shit y/n, I’m so sorry, I completely forgot about tonight. I was gushing about Jinora and Kai with Pema and got caught up, I’m so sorry.” You simply smiled, having forgiven him as soon as his grandmother and you started talking. 

“What happened between my grandmother and you? You both seem extremely happy.” He asked, suspicious of what embarrassing things you might’ve told her but you simply shook your head and teased. “What happens with Grandma Yin, stays with Grandma Yin my dear.”

He rolled his eyes, setting his head on your forehead as you both stayed in each other’s embrace as his eyes trailed around the room and found some misplaced toileterry.

“Hey, why is my comb on the ground and why the hell is my toothbrush on the bookshelf?”  

[kingwuko]

Wuko in the comics

Welcome to my first post discussing Wuko in the LoK comic books!

This first post will be discussing Turf Wars- which unfortunately does not feature Wu. But there are lots of excellent Mako moments, and there are some major plot points that carry over into the next comic trilogy.

Turf Wars is the first LoK comic trilogy released after the finale. Though it was released two and half years after the finale aired, it picks up right where we left off. While the creators confirmed after the finale aired that Korrasami was canon, the last moments of the animated series were a little ambiguous (on purpose, since this was a time when queer representation was just not considered "acceptable" in children's media-it was truly the only way they could get away with it). The comics definitively remove all ambiguity. Turf Wars features multiple frames of Korra and Asami kissing, holding hands, and coming out to their friends and family. 

The overarching plot of Turf Wars is a conflict over the land upon which the new spirit portal sets. There is also conflict between rival Triad gangs, the Triple Threats and the Creeping Crystals, over turf in Republic City following the chaos of Kuvira's invasion. These two sets of turf wars overlap when a business tycoon hires the Triple Threats to secure the spirit portal for him by driving others off. The new Leader of the Triple Threats, Tokuga, is attacked by a spirit defending the portal, causing him to gain a dragon-like appearance and a new agenda-seizing control of all Republic City. In the midst of all this there is a refugee crisis, a presidential election, and Korra and Asami trying to navigate their new relationship once they return to the real world with all their responsibilities.

Notable plot points and character developments:

Korra and Asami canon is confirmed (repeatedly)-They come out to family and their friends

Business owner Wonyong Keum, who owns the land upon which the new portal sits, demands everyone vacate so he can turn it into a tourist attraction for profit-prompting Korra to enter the Avatar state to temporarily drive him away.

An unhappy spirit requests Korra closes the portal to prevent exploitation of the spirit world.

Bolin joins Mako as his rookie detective partner.

Zhu Li is running efforts to care for refugees who lost their homes during Kuvira’s attack and teams up with Asami to begin rebuilding homes for everyone displaced.

Tokuga is introduced as the leader of the Triple Threats, fighting for control of the streets with Jargala, the leader of the Creeping Crystals.

Kya reveals she is queer and gives us a history lesson on the context of LGBTQ+ history in the world.

Tokuga is attacked by the afore-mentioned spirit and his right arm and half his face become dragon-esque.

Raiko is a colossal idiot. He is way too focused on getting reelected and making his decisions based on what his campaign advisor suggests, rather than just, you know, governing his city. He calls the military to occupy the portal, prompting the Airbenders to peacefully protest.

Zhu Li runs against Raiko for the presidency. She rallies more protesters to protect the spirit portal while her husband films her for his newest project- a “docu-mover” which he presumably uses to influence the election. 

Asami and Keum are kidnapped by Tokuga and forced to make a poison gas device bring the city under Tokuga’s control.

The Krew manages to save the day of course, thanks to Asami’s wit, Korra’s unstoppable stubbornness, and back-up from Bolin and Mako. Except Mako, bless him, says he’ll “take care of Tokuga”, and then promptly loses him.

Tokuga mysteriously disappears into the spirit world.

Zhu Li wins the presidency.

Korra and Asami share a lovely, romantic moment where they exchange their first “I love you”s at the conclusion of the comic.

Mako scenes

There is no Wu in the Turf Wars comics (Unless you count one line of dialogue where it is mentioned that the Earth Kingdom is sending supplies to help the refugee situation) - however, there is plenty of Mako! Mako’s primary role in this series is as a detective trying to find and stop the Triads from waging their turf war in the city.

Our first scenes with Mako shows him back to being a detective- and his brother is his partner. He doesn’t seem super thrilled to be working with Bolin, but I think it’s just because he knows how his brother is- not that he doesn’t want to spend time with him. They are trying to track down the new leader of the triple threats and control gang activity. Mako’s arm is still in a sling, he’s got his usual brooding grumpy facial expression, and his hair is spiky again! He and Bolin arrest two-toed Ping and try to interrogate him. Two-toed Ping is weirdly proud of Mako and Bolin for rising up from being “nobodies” to a couple of “bigtime cops”.

They catch up with Korra and Asami, and the four of them are alerted by Jinora that the Triple threats are attacking the Airbenders that were meditating at the portal. Asami gets hurt in the battle and she and Korra share a kiss in front of everyone:

Look at Opal’s sweet face. She looks like she’s barely containing her excitement and is maybe squealing a bit, and she’s looking directly at Bolin which I think is a sweet moment to show their relationship. Bolin calls dibs on the first double date.

Mako probably needs time to process the information....

Mako and Bolin do some detective work to try and find Tokuga. There is an interesting scene where they are questioning Scoochy (We saw him in the first season, he’s the kid that told Korra and Mako the Bolin went to do some work for the triple threats before getting captured by equalists) Bolin tells Mako they should do “good cop, bad cop”, with Bolin being the good cop. Mako gets annoyed, and Bolin asks if he’s grumpy because his exes are dating. Mako insists he’s cool with it- though he’s got a distressed look on his face. They catch up to Scoochy and Bolin actually loses his temper and is rather menacing. Mako pulls Bolin back and genuinely connects with Scoochy- relating to his past, pushing him to do the right thing and help others. I really liked this moment because it shows how much character growth he’s had when you compare the way he treated Kai in season 3. (They are ultimately unsuccessful and Scoochy’s tip leads them to a room rigged with explosives- but I don’t think Scoochy knew that, I think he was fed false info).

There’s another touching scene, after Asami is kidnapped, where Mako notices how upset Korra seems as everyone is trying to form a plan to stop Tokuga. He steps aside to check in and see how she’s feeling. He comforts her’ empathizes with her, and reassures her that they are going to find Asami. At this point he seems to have fully processed that they are together and seems to fully accept it and is very supportive. Not easy considering the awkward position he’s in as both their exes. In this scene, Mako also informs Korra that he can’t firebend with his injured arm.

Mako and Bolin helps Korra to find Asami by requesting help from Jargala- in spite of the fact that Chief Beifong told them not to… They show up for Korra and Asami even if it means risking their jobs. They team up and fight the bad guys together, just like the old days.

We see many examples of how bad the damage is from Mako’s injury in the Colossus. He can’t bend with his left arm, it’s in a sling almost the whole comic, and he really doesn’t seem to be at the top of his game. He told Bolin he would take care of catching Tokuga, but apparently couldn’t and lost him. Mako’s injury is pretty bad and it’s probably really frustrating.

At the end, Bolin decides to quit the force (surprise. The guy loves to hop from calling to calling!). He makes a big dramatic speech to Mako, talking about how it’s time they go their separate ways. Mako is like “Um I’m going to see you at home in like two hours”, so it sounds like they are living together.

What all this might mean for Wuko

So now I’m going to try to tie things back into how all this affects the potential of Wuko- whether that’s for headcanons or fics or whatever- and just try to give you an idea of what this comic means for Wuko shippers.

Wu is governing in the Earth Kingdom right now. It is mentioned by Zhu Li that the Earth Kingdom sent supplies, so one can assume Wu has taken his place on the throne and the Earth Kingdom is in a stable enough position to be sending supplies to aid another nation. Nothing is mentioned about efforts to transform the Earth Kingdom into a democratic nation (we’ll get to that in the Ruins of the Empire comics).

Mako’s primary relationships that are explored are with his brother and with Korra. His relationship with Bolin is just as it always is. He loves his brother even if he is a little exhausted by his upbeat, enthusiastic attitude. We build up on his final interaction with Korra from the animated series and continue to firmly establish them as friends and amicable exes. Interestingly, we don’t get any meaningful Mako and Asami interactions. When he is comforting Korra, he relates to her by remembering how worried he was when Korra was kidnapped by Amon. He doesn't try to say “Yeah I’m really worried about Asami too”, which, to me is bizarre because he and Asami are friends too, right? I don’t know if we should read too much into it though- most likely it was just a writing choice that we aren’t meant to psycho-analyze- but it could also mean he is being careful with his words so that Korra doesn’t wonder if he still has feelings for Asami. The love triangle is completely resolved and Mako is out of the picture romantically with either of them and has no lingering romantic feelings. In other words, he is 100% ready available for a relationship with someone else.

The scene where Kya gives us a history lesson establishes how LGBTQ+ people are viewed in the world of LoK. In short, Korra and Asami are fully supported by their friends and family, and even their enemies acknowledge their relationship without any homophobic tones. The closest we get to homophobia is Korra's father, who, after expressing his happiness at their relationship, warns Korra to be cautious going forward because not everyone will be as understanding. Kya gives us a quick lesson on how same-gender relationships are viewed across the nations: The water tribe, being a patriarchal culture, expects discretion. The Earth Kingdom is not particularly accepting-Kya says that Avatar Kyoshi was bisexual but couldn't affect "real change" and that the earth kingdom is the slowest to accept change and is also militarily repressive (full disclosure I have not read the Kyoshi comics, maybe there is additional insight in those?). And in the fire nation, Sozin made same-gender relationships illegal when he took power (I hope Zuko undid all that when he became Firelord). The air nation is the only one that seems truly accepting-Kya paints a picture of total acceptance and says that Aang was supportive when she herself came out. Korra is worried that maybe her father was right, but Asami points out that a lot has changed over the years and everyone seems accepting, especially in Republic City. 

I think what we can take away from this as far as Wuko goes- is that in Republic City, same-gender relationships are not much of an issue, while in the Earth Kingdom it could be viewed negatively. One could make a case that Wu might have cause to be closeted, while Mako might not. (Feel free to reject this history canon and substitute your own. I’d just as soon say that no one in the avatar-verse cares if you aren’t cis or het).

In conclusion. Mako is just a guy trying very hard to be a good, supportive friend to his exes who are now dating each other. He loves them (platonically) he loves his brother, he’s kind and has matured a lot, but he still always has a grumpy look on his face so it’s time for him to move on and get together with Wu.

Well, that’s Turf Wars. I did cram the plot of three comic books into one post, so I certainly did not hit all the details. If you feel I missed something crucial, feel free to reblog with your own takes. Next I’ll discuss Ruins of the Empire, in which we get lots of Wu and potential Wuko moments, a sizable helping of angst and even some Wu & Korra friendship! RotE is a really fun comic trilogy and I’ll be breaking it down into multiple posts. Thanks for reading everyone!

Wuko In RotE part 1

Wuko in RotE part 2

[not-all-dead]

angstpril day nine: “I wish we had more time.”

+

alternative nine: so close, yet so far

CW: death, REALLY sad, like i actually cried writing this one sad

fic under the cut

Lin woke up to the sun shining softly through the thin curtains, the sounds of the city filling her ears. She opened her eyes sleepily, blinking slowing a few times to clear her vision. Kya smiled at her, already awake, and lifted her hand to tuck a strand of hair behind Lin’s ear.

There was a sadness to Kya that made Lin worry. Her eyebrows drew together and her smile faded as she watched Kya.

“What’s going on? Is something wrong?” She rasped, sucking in a breath when Kya’s hand moved back up to cup her cheek.

“No, love,” Kya said quietly, shaking her head against the pillow.

They fell silent, Lin searching Kya’s eyes. She knew something was wrong. She knew exactly what that something was, but she didn’t want to believe it. She felt a tear slip down her cheek, creating a tiny stain on the pillowcase.

“Kya,” She whispered desperately.

“I can’t-,” She let out a heavy sigh and closed her eyes.

“Shh,” Kya stroked Lin’s hair.

“Please,” Lin begged, the wetness in her eyes growing.

“I wish we had more time,” Kya’s other hand reached for Lin’s under the covers, gently intertwining their wrinkled fingers.

“Don’t say that, Kya,” Lin’s heart squeezed at the thought of losing her.

“Don’t go,” She said, looking away from Kya’s face.

“Look at me,” Kya whispered, lifting Lin’s chin with a single finger so she was forced to meet her gaze.

“I love you.”

“I- I love you too,” Lin stuttered, lips pulling into a frown.

“But Kya, I-,” Kya cut her off with a kiss.

Lin returned the kiss, their faces resting inches apart when Kya pulled back.

“I can’t go on without you,” Lin breathed, her face twisting.

Kya smiled sadly and wiped the damp from Lin’s cheeks.

“You can,” She reassured.

“Go to the estate. Spend the day there, with our family, our grandkids. For me,” Kya gazed at Lin, a peaceful look on her face.

“I’ve had my time, Lin. I’ve lived a long and happy life, a life I couldn’t have been happier sharing with anyone but you. I’m tired, love. I’m ready,” Lin let out a soft sob at Kya’s words.

Kya pet her hair, letting her cry herself out. It wasn’t long before Lin took a shaky breath in and held Kya’s eyes.

“I don’t want to leave you,” Lin murmured, bringing Kya’s hand to her face and pressing her lips to it.

“Please,” Kya twisted her hand to lock her fingers in with Lin’s.

“Go, and be happy. It would make me happy for you to be surrounded by our loved ones when it happens. If you won’t go for your own sake, go for mine,” Kya’s eyes were pleading as she spoke.

Lin paused before nodding slowly. She’d go to the estate, for Kya’s sake. And when she came home… She pushed the thought from her mind. Kya just needed a day to rest, that’s all. Kya smiled at her and pushed herself up into a sitting position, her movements slow and strained. Lin sat up after her, hesitating for a moment before getting out of bed. She walked around to Kya’s side, sitting and placing her hand lightly on her leg.

“For you,” She said, giving Kya a quiet smile.

Kya nodded gratefully and Lin moved to get up, glancing back at her as she pulled on a lazy outfit for the day. When she was fully dressed and ready to go, she returned to Kya’s side.

“I love you,” She said again, her voice gravelly and thick.

“I love you too,” Kya placed her hand on top of Lin’s.

“Go,” Lin nodded and stood, placing one last kiss on Kya’s forehead before walking from the room.

She dug her fingernails into her palms to keep herself from turning back.

For Kya, she thought.

For Kya.

She’d been at the old Beifong estate for several hours now, quietly entertaining Mako’s kids. They were slightly older now, less energetic and rambunctious than they used to be, much to Lin’s relief. They’d begged her to tell them stories of when their father had been younger and had listened excitedly when she had. They were nearly back to the temple when it happened.

Lin gasped and fell to her knees, her eyes suddenly pooling with tears. She hugged her arms tightly around her stomach, closing her eyes and letting out a sob. Mako must have seen the fall and rushed out, wrapping his arms under Lin’s and helping her up.

“Are you alright?” He asked, slight panic in his amber eyes.

She watched him for a moment, her breathing heavy and eyelids drooping with hurt.

“Kya,” She whispered before pulling him into a tight hug.

“Oh, Lin... I’m so sorry,” Mako breathed, rubbing her back as she leaned into him.

There was a long pause before anyone spoke again.

“Dad?” His eldest tugged on his shirt to get his attention.

“What’s wrong with grandma? And where’s nana?” Mako pulled slightly away from Lin to push back the kid’s hair.

He let out a sigh and smiled sadly at the two girls, waving them forwards.

“Come here, babies, come. I’ll explain later, alright?” The two girls nodded and scurried forward and crushed their grandmother and father in a hug.

Lin couldn’t bear to go home that night. Instead, she stayed in the guest bedroom at the estate, gratefully accepting Mako’s hospitality. He went with her the next day when it was time to go back, to collect Kya. The next few weeks were a blur for Lin, the loneliness sitting in her chest and an abundance of black clothing the only memories she retained. At some point during it all, her things had been moved permanently to the estate, Mako and his family insisting on her staying. She was quieter after that, her stories less animated, her manner more tired. She stayed that way for a number of years, her physical health along with the loss of her taking a toll on her more as time went on. Mako could tell she was fading, and did everything he could to make her comfortable, at least for the time she had left.

One night, he was bringing her an evening mug of tea , when he found her standing on her small balcony. He started to approach her before hearing that she was speaking, stopping where he stood to listen.

“... and I miss you, so much. I miss waking up to your sea green eyes. I miss your voice, how you’d sing to me sometimes. I miss your silver hair, and braiding it for you before bed. I miss the warmth of you next to me at night. I miss you, Kya. You’re so far from me now, so far… but I’m coming home. I’ll be home soon, I promise. You may be far for now, but I’m close. I can feel it. I understand what you meant now, about how it was your time. It creeps up slowly, but it comes nonetheless. I’m ready, Kya, I know I’ll be there soon. By Raava, am I ready to see you again. It’s been too long, sugar queen,” She took in a deep breath, savouring the fresh outside air.

“I’ll miss you too, son,” Mako’s eyes widened, having forgotten Lin could feel his every movement on the cold marble floor.

“I- I was just-,” He stuttered before taking a hesitant step forward.

“C’mere,” Lin husked, glancing back at him and nodding towards the garden.

He set the mug he held on her bedside table, walking out to stand on the balcony beside her. He leaned his elbows against the railing, mimicking Lin’s stance without realizing it. She turned her head to look up at him, an adoring look spread across her age-softened face. She reached her hand out, keeping herself propped up with her elbow, and took his hand in hers. He was fighting back tears when she spoke again.

“You’ve grown up, so much. I couldn’t be prouder of you Mako, I hope you know that. I know you’ll continue to do great things for the force once I’m gone, and for everyone you know. You’re so strong, Mako, you’re brave, and kind… you’ll be alright,” She squeezed his hand with what little strength she had left.

“Son, I need you to promise me one thing,” She turned the upper half of her body so she could face him more directly.

He closed his eyes and nodded, gripping her hand tightly as she spoke.

She took another deep breath before continuing.

“Promise me you’ll remember how much I love you,” Mako’s face twisted and a tear squeezed from his eye, barely a heartbeat passing before he crushed Lin in a hug.

“I promise,” He managed to whisper into her shoulder before he began to sob.

[ljf613]

Sokka for the headcanons!

Alright, I guess we’re continuing our theme of traumatized/protective older brothers (because Soren and Mako weren’t enough)! 

1) Sokka and Katara share the same birthmoon. He doesn’t remember actually becoming an older brother (he’s only a year older than her, after all), but he does remember that when he was finally old enough to understand what a birthmoon was-- and that Katara’s was the same as his-- he got super-mad. He had to share everything with her, why couldn’t he have one thing that was just his? His mom sat him down and told him that the reason Katara was born in the same moon as him was because she was meant to be his present. And Sokka took that seriously. 

2) He’s never admitted it out loud, but there’s a part of Sokka that always wanted a little brother-- a boy he could show the ropes to, someone who’d look up to him in the way that Katara (much as he loves her) never really has. 

3) Sokka actually loves sweet, sugary foods. They didn’t have anything like that in the South Pole. The first time he tasted a custard tart, he thought he’d died and gone to the spirit world. (He pretends he doesn’t though, because he’s a Tough Warrior and Tough Warriors don’t eat mochi.) 

4) As soon as he possibly could, Sokka made sure to read every single book, map, and scroll he could get his hands on (not there there were too many of those at the South Pole, either). (One of the reasons he changed his mind about leaving home so quickly was that he would finally be able to access more reading material.) 

5) Kya was the one who sparked his love of poetry. She loved making up poems-- any topic, no matter how silly or serious-- was a chance to throw out at least a verse or two. Sokka picked this up and ran with it. (Katara was never particularly interested.) 

6) After his mom died, Sokka broke the habit because he couldn’t stand the sadness that would come into Hakoda’s eyes everytime he did so. (He still makes them up in his head, though.) 

7) Sokka is very good at compartmentalizing. He knows when it’s fine to gush about *insert whatever specific interest he wants to talk about a given moment*, and when to focus. (This is why, for example, even though his inner geek was totally gushing at thought of a secret library with all sorts of hidden knowledge, he stayed more or less composed and focussed on finding the important information.) 

8) Sokka is totally that kid who got in trouble all the time who, when asked why he did *whatever it was that he probably shouldn’t have done,*  would generally answer with “because I wanted to see what would happen!” 

9) Sokka proposes to Suki when they’re really young-- probably only three or four years after the war. Suki totally freaks out, because, while getting married at 16-19 is totally normal in the Water tribes, it’s not nearly as common in the Earth Kingdom (see my headcanon on dating in various ATLA cultures). (Not going to say anything more about this here, because I plan on writing that fic someday, and I want to leave some of it a surprise.) 

10) Sokka’s oldest child is a girl named Yue. She’s got blue eyes, a cheeky grin, and the most beautiful laugh he’s ever heard. (She also happens to be an earthbender.)