#because her dream at every turn is like soulmates! love! romance!! and she's like. kay anyways

[tricos-here]

Unrolls a list of questions for Jessamy but it's like a CVS receipt long:

👻 GHOST - do they believe in ghosts? what are their "ghostly experiences", if any?

🍧 SHAVED ICE - do they still have any objects from their childhood? what significance does it have to them? what would their reaction be if they lost it?

🌱 SEEDLING - what is their most vivid memory from childhood?

🔪 KNIFE - how do they react to injury / misfortune befalling their loved ones (significant other, family, friends)? do they put themselves at blame?

🌟 GLOWING STAR - what do they think about when they look at the night sky? is there someone they want to star gaze with?

👻 GHOST - do they believe in ghosts? what are their "ghostly experiences", if any?

Considering how commonplace ghosts are in Tyria, it'd be hard not to believe in them. She hasn't had any noteworthy ghostly experiences really, they all kind of blend together after a while and they're more often than not just a nuisance to her work, though she does sometimes feels a pang of sympathy towards the ones that are seemingly stuck in a loop of distress

🍧 SHAVED ICE - do they still have any objects from their childhood? what significance does it have to them? what would their reaction be if they lost it?

She still has a bud from the Pale Tree, worn as an amulet and given to her by her mentor in the Grove when she was still a sapling. She's not a particularly sentimental person so if you'd asked her personally what its significance is, she'd just say it's enchanted and that it helps her with her magic, among other things, which is true - but between you and me, it has some sentimental value to her as well, if not for being a gift from her first mentor then because of the nostalgia and the memories it invokes, considering how long it's been since she's been at the Grove properly

She'd admittedly get frantic trying to look for it if she'd lost it, even if she wouldn't let others see that, and certainly feel sad but resigned if she couldn't find it, though she wouldn't linger on it long

🌱 SEEDLING - what is their most vivid memory from childhood?

I think, besides her Dream, that'd be raising her first minion, it was one of the last things she learned to do as a necromancer, both because her mentor wasn't a big fan of minions, just as she'd turn out to be, and because she had trouble raising them. So finally being able to raise one properly was an obstacle she was proud to overcome, even if she then proceeded to never really use them in combat again

🔪 KNIFE - how do they react to injury / misfortune befalling their loved ones (significant other, family, friends)? do they put themselves at blame?

Implying she has loved ones lmao Her first reaction would be to lash out onto whatever had caused the injury / misfortune, after of course making sure they're alright and won't y'know, bleed out while she's going feral, in the case of an injury. She may at times blame herself, likely often was responsible in some way anyways, but she'd wave it off, not one to linger on what has been and instead just forge on ahead - surely she can fix everything later anyways right

that said, that is likely to change in the future 🏃‍♂️

🌟 GLOWING STAR - what do they think about when they look at the night sky? is there someone they want to star gaze with?

She's actually quite enamored and fascinated by the night sky, she'd awakened in dusk, just as the stars were starting to shine through, and with the crescent moon in her Dream she'd often find herself looking at the night sky. Often, while on field missions, she'd forego a tent and sleep under the sky instead, studying constellations - it is curious to her that there's seemingly more information about the vastness of the Mists rather than their own sky and stars

Certainly hasn't thought of stargazing with someone in that way yet, the only concept in her mind is looking at the sky with other Whispers Agents or Pact Soldiers while gathered around a campfire or in an academic way

[tiredcath]

Zukka Fic Recs

after atla came back into pop culture i found myself falling back in love with zukka which resulted in me reading (almost) every zukka fic on ao3 and here are my favorites

Transference by The_Quatermasters (146k)

In a modern AU, Zuko has to deal with settling in a new school after expulsion, dealing with an angry ex and an abusive father. Maybe his new found friendships and growing closeness with Sokka will help him make it through. 

Borderlines by The_Quatermasters (73k)

Three years after the war, the work still isn't quite done and the Gaang is scattered across the continents in their efforts to help the world recover. When Aang and Katara pay visit to the Fire Nation where Zuko is Fire Lord and Sokka acts as Ambassador for the Water Tribe, sparks fly between the siblings over Sokka's life choices.

Ashes Inside When You Finish Your Song by Muncaster (47k)

Sokka writes lyrics for his sister’s band. Zuko plays piano and is unnecessarily nice. Fellas, is it gay to write love songs about your friend and his golden eyes?

(AKA, a modern band AU featuring The Gaang, crappy software equipment, homoerotic lyrics, and the realization that maybe, if you think about a guy every night before you sleep, you just might be in love with him.)

sirens & sleepless nights by Satirrian (54k)

Life can be pretty hard living in a city under a totalitarian regime. Between adhering to the ridiculous curfew, keeping himself from being gunned down by a passing patrolman, and paying his unnecessary tolls to the state for, say, breathing, Sokka has his hands full just getting to work. Add aiding a resistance group on top of that, and Sokka should really be getting paid for this.

Then, one night, Sokka finds an injured patrolman collapsed in the street, who tells him with blood on his lips, “If the patrol finds me, I’m dead.”

 Real Slow by surveycorpsjean (21k)

“I see.” Zuko closes the scroll. “Is the Water Tribe sending a replacement?”

“Uh yeah,” Sokka gestures to himself dramatically. “You’re looking at him.”

 First by HoneyBadgerMole (20k)

Zuko has been nurturing a crush on the jock in his AP Psych class but he has been too scared to talk to him until they get paired up for a project.

the benefits of getting a flat tire by LesbeanLatte (64k)

Zuko makes an impromptu decision to run away from home after a disturbing conversation with Azula. Unfortunately, some plans are better when they're actually, well, planned. Zuko isn't counting on getting a flat tire almost as soon as he's far enough away from the city to really be in the middle of nowhere.

Sokka is immediately taken with the stranger he and his friends find stranded on the side of the road during an afternoon joy ride. However, he has no idea what he's getting involved with and a kind attempt to help a fellow teen in need turns into a massive coverup for a missing person who just so happens to be the son of the mayor of Ba Sing Se.

Azula was just trying to help her big brother - in her own way - by telling him things she thought he deserved to know. Now the situation has gotten wildly out of control. Did she enjoy seeing Zuko upset and afraid? Of course. Had she intended to endanger his life? Not necessarily, but of course, her idiot brother overreacted to everything and that's what happened and now she doesn't know how to stop the chain of events she's indirectly put in place like dominoes.

Operation Leverage by snowandfire (50k)

Sokka's instincts are onto something great. Zuko just wants to serve tea and brood in peace. Ironically, Toph is the only one who can see what's really going on.

 The Stingray by Smediterranea (24k)

“You’re not carrying me.”

“I don’t mind,” the lifeguard says easily.

“I can just hop over.”

“On sand?”

Zuko will never admit it, but being carried feels pretty nice. The lifeguard sets him down and eyes him warily.

“Are you really all by yourself?” he asks in a worried tone. “No friends in town you can call to check on you?”

“No,” Zuko confirms. Tears are forming again with alarming speed; his foot throbs painfully with every passing second.

“What kind of burrito do you want?”

“You don’t have to —“ Zuko repeats.

“I’m getting al pastor. You like al pastor?”

 AU: Zuko falls for Sokka, the super hot lifeguard who helps him after an unfortunate encounter with a stingray.

 it's the illusion of separation by argentoswan (110k)

Sokka takes a job washing dishes at the new tea shop in town. It's a great gig, until he finds out his only coworker is his old high school bully. Sokka really should quit, but he also really needs to afford rent.

Also, Zuko is kind of hot now.

 People like to think war means something by trying_to_spell_both_our_names_at_once (21k)

Sokka was the first to leave.

Somehow that hurt the most. . . . Not long after Zuko becomes Firelord, forces gather in the South and next thing he knows he's thrown into a civil war with almost no one by his side. Maybe healing is longer and more complicated than it needs to be, but with the right people by your side it is always possible.

 a way that will destroy you by anothermistakemade (14k)

In the wake of Ozai's death, Zuko begins to fall apart. Sokka will do everything in his power to make sure that doesn't happen.

-

or, zuko might be losing his mind, but he also might just be really sad & traumatized

 Those Who Favor Fire by CSHfic, VSfic (30k)

After a failed attempt on his life, Sokka fakes his death, dons a disguise, and infiltrates the would-be assassin's ranks in an attempt to bring them down from the inside.

Zuko learns of his husband's tragic death, mourns, and vows revenge.

 Words Mean More at Night by DaisytheDoodleDog (28k)

Even ten years after the end of the war, rebellions rise and risk the balance of the nations. Sokka was willing to do anything to protect his people, which is perhaps why he's leading an army against the rebellion, attacking only as a last result. But Sokka's unwinding, it's taking a toll on him, and the only thing keeping him grounded are the letter Zuko and him exchange late in the night when no one can see the messenger hawks. But as they say, nothing's fair in love and war.

another word for wanting by eurydicees (23k)

Sokka begins to dream of his soulmate when he's eleven years old, and it just gets harder from there. Or, 125 moments soulmates share, and none of them come easy.

(In which your dreams are your soulmate's memories, and Sokka dreams of an all-consuming fire, growing and eating at his soulmate until it burns up the connection between their souls. In which they find love anyways.)

 It Has Only Just Begun by Kirazalea (39k)

There is a bitter triumph in crashing when you should be soaring

Zuko had now chosen the path his uncle had been trying so hard to show him; he had someone who believed in him, who maybe loved him; he was travelling with the Avatar and they apparently had a plan to end the war. By all accounts, Zuko should be smiling.

But Uncle was gone (captured by Azula, and Zuko didn't think she would kill him, but he didn’t, couldn’t, know for sure). The Avatar was barely breathing (he could still die at any second and there was nothing any of them could do about it). Azula had conquered the last Earth Kingdom stronghold (all those innocent people who were now at her mercy). It seemed like, for every step Zuko took forward, the world sent him back three more.

But he was determined to push forward anyways. He needed to make his uncle proud, even if it was the last thing he ever did.

aka: zuko joins the gaang at the end of season 2

 Nightmares and Reveries by HisMomoness (20k)

Zuko doesn't sleep because when he does, he's haunted by nightmares. Sokka worms his way into a job and makes it his mission to get Zuko to relax. Lots of head pets and one vacation to the South Pole later, Zuko might just be getting the hang of it.

Cue pining, some fluff, and eventual romance.

 The One Who Stopped Time by ohhihoney (66k)

All hope was lost to Zuko until one day, his uncle asked a random person at the Jasmine Dragon to tutor his nephew. Gritting his teeth and embarrassed beyond the point of no return, Zuko gave the blue eyed boy his number.

Little did Zuko know how much Sokka would change his world.

 Rubbed Off Stars by ohhihoney (2k)

Sokka wasn't going to just sit and watch the boy at the back of the bus cry while trying to rub off pride flags off his cheeks.

--------------

WIP

Ozymandias, King of Kings by Think_of_a_Wonderful_Thought (168k)

After that fateful Agni Kai, Ozai makes a different call. Branded as a traitor and banished to a prison camp, Zuko learns how cruel the Fire Nation can be to its citizens. Three years, a water tribe raid, and an unexpected meeting with a gang of over-enthusiastic idealistic children puts Zuko back in the spotlight. The revolution is coming and it wants another poster boy, but Zuko is not willing to lend his face to the cause.

 Another Brother by AvocadoLove (312k)

It was a mission of revenge. There weren't supposed to be any survivors, but Chief Hakoda couldn't bring himself to kill the Fire Nation boy. Against his better judgment, he brought him home. A Zuko joins the Water Tribe story.

--------------

BONUS : zuko x jet

Something to Hold Onto by Wildgoosery (122k)

Since the day the walls of Ba Sing Se fell, the Freedom Fighters have struggled to protect what remains of the city and its people. Jet and his second command, a mysterious boy named Li, have spent the summer piecing together an army, hoping for a chance to take the city back for good. But Li is also Zuko, and the time for that secret is quickly running out. Soon, he'll have to decide exactly who he is, what cause he's going to fight for, and where his heart lies.

[salvatoreschool]

Every The Vampire Diaries, The Originals, and Legacies Ship Ranked

53. Daroline (Damon Salvatore and Caroline Forbes)

Our first ship is our worst ship because we can't find literally anything nice to say about Daroline. Consent issues, mind-control, and death threats are not exactly the stuff of great romance, and Damon should thank his lucky stars Caroline forgave him for this abominable period when they were together.

52. Calaric (Caroline Forbes and Alaric Saltzman)

Ew. Gross. No. Kill it with fire. We've got no idea what The Vampire Diaries was trying to do with this ship, but we hated every second of it, and we're not ashamed to say it. We don't care that years had passed since Caroline was his student or that there were weirder ages gaps on the show, trying to ship a student-teacher relationship feels wrong no matter which way you slice it.

51. Klenevieve (Klaus Mikaelson and Genevieve)

Klenevieve was a blink and you'll miss it kind of ship on The Originals, but it still technically counts. Ultimately though, Klaus and Genevieve's connection was mostly physical, and there were far too many double-crosses and manipulations on both sides of this relationship to give it much credit.

50. Parkwood (Liv Park and Tyler Lockwood)

Liv and Tyler's love story kind of flew under the radar on The Vampire Diaries, but that's probably just because there were like 18 insane storylines happening at once in Season 6. This ship was actually pretty cute, and the only thing keeping it from a better ranking is the fact that Tyler, you know, killed her with his bare hands to activate his werewolf curse.

49. Malaric (Meredith Fell and Alaric Saltzman)

Talk about ships that flew under the radar. Alaric and Meredith Fell shared a brief tryst in Seasons 3 and 4 of The Vampire Diaries, but this relationship always felt like it was built to move the plot forward instead of the other way around. Kind of too snooze-worthy to deserve a good ranking.

48. Menny (Matt Donovan and Penny Ares)

We're not going to pretend like we cared even a little about Matt and Penny's romance on The Vampire Diaries. However, we're also not going to pretend like the scene where Matt hallucinates her ghost and begs her to take him with her after his car crash was anything other than devastating emotional torture that came out of nowhere and has stayed with us to this day.

47. Jolaric (Jo Parker and Alaric Saltzman)

Jo and Alaric really got the rough end of the stick as far as TVD ships go. They'd only just started to find their groove when Jo found out she was pregnant with twins, forcing them into a shotgun wedding that ended in tragedy. If these two had been given the time to start their family together the way they should have, we have no doubt they could have become one of the show's best duos ever. We'll have to settle for them creating one of the best duos ever -- Josie and Lizzie Saltzman!

46. Rizzie (Rafael Waithe and Lizzie Saltzman)

It's hard not to ship all of the Legacies kids with each other considering the great chemistry that cast has, but Rizzie is one we just never loved. Lizzie seems too intense for Rafael, and Raf doesn't exactly seem like the kind of guy that would give her the level of attention and devotion she requires. This ship was kind of a flop in Sesason 1, and we'd prefer it stay that way.

45. Debekah (Damon Salvatore and Rebekah Mikaelson)

Damon and Rebekah shared one night of tearing ballgowns and tuxes off each other, and then it was never really spoken of again. It's hard to properly rank a ship that basically came down to "that one time we had hate sex," but hookups like this were what The Vampire Diaries was built on.

44. Haylijah (Hayley Marshall and Elijah Mikaelson)

We really wanted to rank Haylijah higher on this list, but all the passion and angst in the world can't distract us from the cold hard truth: Hayley and Elijah had issues. Major issues. Not the least of which being that he killed her in the final season of the show. Whether you consider their love story to be one of the best or worst this shared universe ever created, at least you can comfort yourself with the knowledge that they gave it all they had.

43. Klaurora (Klaus Mikaelson and Aurora de Martel)

For as long as we've known Klaus, he was always teetering on the brink of insanity, which is kind of what we loved most about him. Aurora, on the other hand, has been batshit crazy her whole life and it's so not a good look on her. This weird, obsessive, "let's see who can out-crazy the other" romance was not to our taste at all.

42. KymG (Kym and MG)

We can't claim to be huge fans of the romance between Kim and MG on Legacies, though their names fit together so perfectly for a ship name that we almost demand they be endgame based only on that. Unfortunately, the show never really gave them the screen time they needed to get us invested in their love story before Kym decided she'd had enough superantural shenanigans and left Mystic Falls.

41. Elijah Mikaelson and Antoinette Sienna

On every TV show, there are ships that just make us shrug, and Elijah and Antoniette are definitely one of those. They don't even have a ship name, that's forgettable this tryst was. Even with memory loss, hidden pasts, and romantic pinao duets, this couple was kind of just meh.

40. Sizzie (Sebastian and Lizzie Saltzman)

Sebastian and Lizzie may have had potential, but in the end it turned out to be wasted. Their chemistry was off the charts, but like many teenagers swept up in romance, they never really took the time to connect or learn about each other. Maybe that's why they ended on such a sour note. Still, at least Sebastian went out a hero?

39. Jicki (Jeremy Gilbert and Vicki Donovan)

You know, we were really rooting for Jeremy and Vicki when The Vampire Diaries first started. They had that whole, rebels who are too cool for school, but not too cool for love thing going on. Ultimately though, we don't think Vicki would have ever calmed down enough for Jeremy, who was really only pretending to be a wild child to deal with his parents' deaths. This ship just wasn't to be.

38. Maroline (Matt Donovan and Caroline Forbes)

You know those Season 1 ships that you know are never going to make it, but every time you look back on them they make you nostalgic? That's what Maroline is for us. A cute relationship between two characters we love dearly that just never quite fit perfectly together. That being said, if there had been no vampires or life-or-death scenarios in Mystic Falls, Maroline absolutely would have been endgame material.

37. Stalerie (Stefan Salvatore and Valerie Tulle)

Stefan and Valerie had one of the weirdest love stories we've ever seen, but there was still a small part of us that was rooting for them. In a world not besieged by curses and vampire hunters and prison worlds, these two could have really been something! Sadly, Stefan has like five more appealing ships, which is probably why they never really made it that far.

36. Hafael (Hope Mikaelson and Rafael Waithe)

Legacies made a solid attempt to recreate another brotherly love triangle, but we weren't really feeling it with Rafael, Hope, and Landon. Raf and Hope have a great friendship going, but it's probably best left there considering how much more fans seem to prefer her relationship with Landon.

35. Marcille (Marcel Gerard and Camille O'Connell)

Remember when Marcel and Camille were a thing for a hot minute? Neither do we! Sorry to Marcille fans, but though these two had decent chemistry, they just never got a lot of attention as a couple, and so their love story kind of faded into obscurity.

34. Jasie (Jade and Josie Saltzman)

The Vampire Diaries universe sure does love its enemies to lovers ships, doesn't it? Josie and Jade started off on opposing sides in Kai's prison world, but after Jade turned her humanity back on, things started to change between them. At least the sex dreams they started having about each other did. Jade and Josie might be perfect for one another, seeing as they both understand having a dark side that's hard to deny.

33. Carenzo (Caroline Forbes and Enzo St. John)

While Caroline and Enzo never made it past the friendzone, we wouldn't have hated it if they'd had a thing. There was a lack of "epic love story" vibes between them, and when Enzo was at his worst, Caroline brought out the light-hearted, carefree side of him. Plus, all things considered, he really was her type - morally scrupulous Brit, who would burn the world down for the people he loves -- why does that sound familiar?

32. Mizzie (M.G. and Lizzie Saltzman)

Every day we go back and forth on whether MG and Lizzie are soulmates or whether they're the perfect best friend duo of all time. Could they possibly be both? Sure, Lizzie takes MG for granted sometimes, and MG can be a little thoughtless sometimes, but that doesn't mean these two aren't connected in a deep, meaningful way that most people can only dream of.

31. Noralise (Nora and Mary-Louise)

Though we only got them for one season, Nora and Mary-Louise had us from the moment they said hello. We do love a bad girl, and two bad girls together? We're toast! Our favorite thing about this ship is that while it was clear Nora and Mary-Louise didn't care about much in this world, they cared about each other, and that was more than enough for them.

30. Klayley (Klaus Mikaelson and Hayley Marshall)

When The Originals first premiered, we were sure Klaus and Hayley would eventually fall in love and live happily ever after with their precious loophole baby, but ultimately these two just weren't meant to be anything more than one really hot night. That being said, watching them as co-parents just proves that not all ships need to be romantic to work.

29. Rope (Roman Sienna and Hope Mikaelson)

Roman and Hope's sweet, timid flirtation on The Originals was like a breath of fresh air after some of the intense, life-changing, epic love stories we'd been getting for five straight years. Rope -- whoever came up with that ship name was having too much fun that day -- would have ranked higher if the whole relationship wasn't just Roman's ploy to get close to Hope's family.

28. Stebekah (Stefan Salvatore and Rebekah Mikaelson)

The Vampire Diaries had the best flashbacks on TV, hands down, partially because when your characters have lived for centuries, you can really mix things up. One of said mix-ups was the revelation that Stefan and Rebekah had been an item back in the 1920s, and while their romance is probably best left in the age of prohibition, it was always one of our favorites.

27. Hizzie (Hope Mikaelson and Lizzie Saltzman)

Hope and Lizzie would definitely have that whole "enemies to lovers" thing going for them if they ever decided to take the plunge together. The bond we've seen these two develop over the course of Legacies has been so wonderful to watch, and while at the moment we prefer them as badass besties, we wouldn't hate to see them head towards romantic territory someday.

26. Janna (Jeremy Gilbert and Anna Zhu)

When The Vampire Diaries first paired Jeremy and Anna together, we thought our little vampire-loving hearts would give out. They were both so damaged and dark and alone in the world that they somehow fit perfectly together. Not even multiple deaths could keep them apart! Losing this one was hard, but at least ghost Anna came back to hang out occasionally.

25. Datherine (Damon Salvatore and Katherine Pierce)

Call us crazy, but even through all the craziness and manipulation, there seemed to be a spark of something between Damon and Katherine that was just undeniable. Maybe it was the fact that they both put up a dark and diabolical front to mask their real feelings about the way their lives turned out. This wasn't a ship for the ages, but it certainly was a pairing we'll remember forever.

24. Kennett (Kol Mikaelson and Bonnie Bennett)

You know a fandom is strong when it can build a ship of dreams out of like 2 episodes and 10 lines of dialogue, but that's about all Bonnie Bennett and Kol Mikaelson ever shared. And yet somehow, Kennett is always going to feel like the one that got away in terms of ships that totally should've happened but never did.

23. Klamille (Klaus Mikaelson and Camille O'Connell)

Despite their messy ending, Klaus and Camille's relationship showed us sides of each character that we otherwise would never have seen. Though it was missing some of the passion usually found in The Vampire Diaries and The Originals ships, it was still absolutely heartbreaking to watch Klaus lose a woman who meant so much to him when Cami died.

22. Jandon (Josie Saltzman and Landon Kirby)

This short-lived romance between Josie and Landon may not have been super popular with fans, but it was perfectly in character for both these self-sacrificing loners to find their way to one another. It may not have been a romance for the ages, but it was an age-appropriate and utterly endearing one, and that's good enough for us!

21. Kolvina (Kol Mikaelson and Davina Claire)

As one of the few ships that managed to make it out of The Originals series finale alive, we have to give Kol and Davina props. Their love story survived multiple deaths, body-swaps, and that pesky problem of Kol accidentally murdering Davina that one time. We want nothing more than peace and happiness for eternity for these two crazy kids.

20. Jalaric (Jenna Sommers and Alaric Saltzman)

While some believe Alaric's love life is cursed, those of us who watched the early years of The Vampire Diaries know better. Alaric will simply never find someone as perfect for him as Jenna Sommers, which means he's destined to fall in and out of subpar ships forever. Poor guy, it's rough when your soulmate dies so early on in the first of three sequential shows.

19. Klefan (Klaus Mikaelson and Stefan Salvatore)

This one's another ship was never technically canon, but as far as we're concerned that was a GRAVE mistake. Klaus and Stefan had chemistry coming out of their ears, and you're seriously trying to tell us that nothing happened between these two during their days of debauchery in the 1920s? Yeah right, you're not fooling us!

18. Jayley (Jackson Kenner and Hayley Marshall)

Jackson and Hayley may not have had the passion and the fire that some of the best TVD ships boasted, but they had something that very few other pairings had: A rock-solid friendship built on trust and understanding that grew organically into true love. Considering how crazy their world was, they both needed a relationship like this to keep them sane, which is maybe why we ended up loving it so much?

17. Kalijah (Katherine Pierce and Elijah Mikaelson)

Katherine and Elijah only shared maybe a handful of scenes together over the entire course of The Vampire Diaries, but they're somehow one of three ships we would have watched an entire spin-off about. Their love stood the test of time and somehow overcame hybrid-sized grudges, and that's about as romantic as it gets.

16. Rebel (Rebekah Mikaelson and Marcel Gerard)

Though we love Marcel and Rebekah (especially when we think about the day they both take the cure and grow old together), this couple had one major problem... One of them wasn't on the show all that often, which meant their romance faded to the background every time Rebekah left town -- which was a lot. We'll put this in the category of ships that were done dirty by logistical, behind-the-scenes stuff.

15. Bamon (Bonnie Bennett and Damon Salvatore)

The Bamon saga was one of the most topsy-turvey things to follow on The Vampire Diaries, but we loved every minute of it. From shipping them a little bit in Season 1 to hating everything about it in Season 3, to watching them grow into best buds in Season 6, Bonnie and Damon went on a journey unparalleled by any other ship in the TVDu. Do we kind of wish they'd given romance a try? Sure. Are we going to let that invalidate how awesome their story was? No way.

14. Gialijah (Gia and Elijah Mikaelson

We're probably going to get some hate for this, but if we had to pick between all of Elijah's ships, Gialijah would probably win out. Sure, they weren't star-crossed lovers or centuries-old flames, but if you're looking for a healthy dynamic (of which Elijah was sorely lacking) with great chemistry and some awesome scenes, Gialijah is the ship for you.

13. Handon (Hope Mikaelson and Landon Kirby)

Hope and Landon are kind of the Stelena of Legacies. Not a pairing that we think will be endgame (no matter how heartbroken that will leave us), but integral to the DNA of the series nonetheless. We're content to enjoy this sweet couple strive for their happy ending, and we'll even root for them most of the time as they grow up together and figure out this crazy supernatural world.

12. Jaiden (Josh Rosza and Aiden)

Oh, Josh and Aiden... the ship that was too pure for this world. Literally. Though both these characters bit the dust before all was said and done on The Originals, their love story was super sweet, and, hey, at least we got to see them reunite in the afterlife!

11. Beremy (Bonnie and Jeremy)

If any of you ever had a crush on your older brother or sister's friends, you'll understand our undying love for Beremy. There was something so cathartic about watching Bonnie realize that Jeremy had grown up to be a sweet, sexy, utterly dateable guy instead of Elena's annoying little brother. Even though the didn't end up together, they deserve a high ranking in this list of epic ships.

10. Posie (Penelope Park and Josie Saltzman)

Considering how few episodes of Legacies Penelope was in before she bounced, it's remarkable that so many people fell so deep in love with the Posie ship. We guess there's just something intoxicating about a bad girl who will do bad things for the girl she loves. If you come for Josie, Penelope will come for you!

9. Steferine (Stefan Salvatore and Katherine Pierce)

Is it weird that we always kind of thought Stefan and Katherine would end up together when all was said and done? Don't get us wrong, that relationship was toxic at best, but when they were on screen together, you just couldn't pull your eyes away from them. It was like watching a really sexy, complicated train wreck in action.

8. Forwood (Caroline Forbes and Tyler Lockwood)

Considering how often Caroline and Tyler were separated (by distance, evil hybrids, or opposing loyalties), it's pretty impressive that they were still one of the most memorable ships from The Vampire Diaries. It some mixed the sweetness of Maroline with the passion of Klaroline, creating a happy middle ground for fans to enjoy.

7. Freelin (Freya Mikaelson and Keelin Malraux)

Did we really understand the term OTP before Freelin existed? We doubt it. Freya and Keelin had their ups and downs on The Originals, to be sure, but through it all, there was never a doubt in our minds that these two strong, smart, sexy women were absolutely made for one another. Knowing they're living out their happily ever after in New Orleans with a cute little baby named Nik is the only thing that gets us through the day sometimes.

6. Steroline (Stefan Salvatore and Caroline Forbes)

Considering how many ships exist in this universe, it's shocking that Steroline is one of only a handful to make it down the aisle. Poor Stefan seemed doomed to be forever locked in a love triangle with his brother until Caroline Forbes entered his life. Not only did he no longer have to deal with love triangle BS, he got to marry his best friend, who he knew would support him through thick and thin. If only it hadn't taken them so long to figure out how awesome they could be together.

5. Benzo (Bonnie Bennett and Enzo St. John)

Sometimes it's hard to ship characters that are thrown together at the end of a series as opposed to the beginning, but that was not the case with Bonnie and Enzo. One minute they were two characters who'd never really interacted much, and the next they were epic loves who built a strong relationship built on trust, compassion, and a lot of laughter. Honestly, they fit so well together even we were surprised by it!

4. Stelena (Stefan Salvatore and Elena Gilbert)

Of all the ships to ever grace our screens over the years, there was something truly special about Stefan and Elena. Maybe it's because we associate their love story with some of the best years The Vampire Diaries ever had, or maybe their connection really was just too epic for words. Whatever the case, Stelena was one for the history books, and we dare you to say different.

3. Hosie (Hope Mikaelson and Josie Saltman)

It might seem weird to put a ship that's not, technically speaking, canon (yet!) so high on our list, but we absolutely won't apologize for it. Putting aside the obvious fact that these girls are definitely, majorly, into each other, Hope and Josie have proven over and over again that they not only understand each other on a deep, intimate level, they also care enough about one another to go to the ends of the earth to keep each other safe and happy. That kind of devotion when paired with a healthy, supportive dynamic is a killer combination.

2. Klaroline (Klaus Mikaelson and Caroline Forbes)

Klaus and Caroline never really got the timing right, but maybe that's what makes this ship one of the best in the history of The Vampire Diaries universe. They were enemies, they were lovers, and they were kind of even friends for a minute there, and the fact that they never really got a chance to be together only makes this ship more EPIC. Plus, it's kind of impossible not to swoon when a guy declares he'll be your last love.

1. Delena (Damon Salvatore and Elena Gilbert)

Was there ever any doubt that this list would end here? Whether you loved Delena or not, there's no denying this couple was iconic, and a large part of The Vampire Diaries' success was built on their love story. Sure, we would have preferred for them to not have different versions of the same fight for four seasons in a row, but that doesn't mean we don't still get major chills whenever we rewatch their first kiss or their series finale happily ever after.

[empanator]

Portia Appreciation Week Day 2: The Sea

@portia-appreciation-week 

This is some kind of mermaid/soulmate AU. I just went with it for a little fun, but bit off way more than I could chew... I had to cut a lot of content to avoid digging myself too deep lol. 

Summary: A princess casts a bottled message into the sea. It is enchanted not only to locate her most compatible partner, but also with a power that will enable said partner to retrace the message’s path back to her. But what happens when her “true love” turns out to be a mermaid?  Pairing: Portia (Pasha) Devorak x Nadia Satrinava (The Arcana)  Rating: Safe for Work  Length: 1,927 words (4 pages) 

“To whomever may be the deserving recipient of this message, the power of sight has been bestowed upon you. Come find me. May we share in our truest of love.”

She felt a thrum in the atmosphere, a hardly perceptible tug towards an unknown destination. The tips of her fingers wrinkled in the dry air to which her body was unaccustomed. This letter, a tightly rolled sheet of elegant stationery housed in a glass bottle, had drifted into sight no more than a few hours prior.

At first glance, she brushed it off as a passing piece of material waste from land dwellers. As she approached it, intent on its proper disposal, it gained speed in a straight line towards her, enough so that it sailed past her with bubbles rising in its wake. She whirled with a stifled shriek, turning and grasping at the water around her as the bottle seemed to chase itself in circles. Finally, with a dull clink, it found its way into her hand. When she saw what was enclosed behind the tightly sealed cork, her curious nature took hold, eager to see what kind of gossip she could glean from the humans.

But then, sitting in the sand with the sensation that someone is out there in the world, pulling as though their souls are endowed with magnetism… Was… was it really meant for her?

“I shall be waiting each day for you. I trust that my spell has not led me astray.

My warmest regards,

Princess Nadia”

It must be. She knew a bit about magic and spells, and a princess in a royal court would surely make use of only the most reliable mages. She whispered to herself, “But what if—”

“Pasha?” She spun quickly at the sound of her name. It was her brother, Ilya, emerging from the water and beaching himself beside her. “Pasha, you can’t stay out of the water too long! You know I always tell you—”

She crumpled the letter with a gasp, trying to shove it back through the narrow bottleneck before Ilya got any closer, but to no avail.

“Pasha, what is that?” He poked his head left and right to see past her every twist and turn as she shielded the contents of her hands from his view.

“I-it’s nothing!” she stammered, clutching the bottle against her chest. “And quit being so nosy!”

Ilya sighed and backed off with his hands upturned defensively, knowing his sister would be more than willing to tussle (and more than likely to win) if he pestered her any longer. “Okay, okay. Just ah… make sure you don’t dehydrate up here, will you?”

“Speak for yourself,” Pasha smirked just before flicking her tail up from the water to splash her brother in the face.

~~~~~~~ 

It had been a couple of days since Pasha first received the message. She’d spent the first day in complete bewilderment, and the following days were much of the same. At least once per day, Ilya asked passing questions of anything that might be new in his darling sister’s life, trying gently to pry for information. Of course, he was met with sarcasm or blatant changing of the subject every time. She wasn’t entirely sure how to feel about all this yet anyway; why get anyone else involved?

In secret, Pasha’s excitement mingled with uncertainty as she pondered the same question over and over: Was this truly a serendipitous set of circumstances, or a case of mistaken identity? But the slight tug she felt on that first day grew steadily by the hour, it seemed, into unmistakable vibrations like a physical tinnitus she could feel in the water. The “power of sight” crept into other aspects of her daily life. Her dreams became infused with whorls of magic, recurring visions of a woman with smooth, brown skin and fiery eyes. The depictions, vivid as they were, were always of the same scene—the woman, perched on an old, wooden dock, staring out over the sea. She was hopeful. Lonely. Waiting. And with each of these nightly visions, though she began to lose sleep much to her brother’s concern, Pasha’s heart grew fonder. She, too, became hopeful, and decided to follow the pull that the spell had granted her.

Nearly a week after she first received the letter, she awoke at an hour early enough to swim away undetected. Pasha gave one final look around the rock and coral walls that comprised her home, and left.

~~~~~~~ 

It had been hours before she finally spotted a city in the distance, and dusk was fast approaching. Shallower and shallower now, Pasha was approaching a shoreline. She knew she was close, because the vibrations grew stronger so long as she maintained her course in the right direction. Vesuvia. She had heard of this land from some traveling merfolk she knew, but she had never traveled much outside her own sea village. Suddenly, the “sight” that had guided her all this way came to a halt. Not far in front of her, she spotted dark, hard-wood posts rooted into the seabed, supported by columns of stone.

Hidden behind an offshore rock, Pasha took a peek around its side, and her heart skipped as she saw a vision of great familiarity to her: The woman, sitting silently, serenely upon old wood, fixated on the horizon as the sun dipped lower in the sky. But this time, it was not merely a vision. The woman, Princess Nadia, was real. And she was beautiful.

Pasha swam cautiously closer, but remained under the water’s surface. She was afraid to emerge and be confronted by the reality—or possible reality—of the situation. What if the letter was wrong? What if she was holding out hope for a romance like the ones she heard in stories, only to be rejected? All the details of the week’s events fit together and culminated into that very moment, but Pasha could not shake her uncertainty.

She circled back around the rock a few times, and finally hung her head as her worries weighed on her shoulders, her mind, her heart. Defeated, she swam, casting a long, backwards glance at the wooden posts of Vesuvia’s port that grew hazier in her vision the further she swam. Shutting her eyes with a sigh of resignation, she drifted onward—until, with a jolt, she collided with something blocking her path.

She looked up, stunned. “Ilya?!” Confusion overtook her expression as her brother floated before her, arms crossed and a scornful frown on his face. “Ugh…” she scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Of course you followed me.”

“I’ve been worried! You wouldn’t tell me what’s been going on, and I heard you leave right before your catfish Pepi decided to dive-bomb my face.” He gestures wildly, then grows serious. “But… I think you forgot something.” He produced a bottle from under his arm.

“How did you…?”

“The lid to your clamshell was open, and I found this lying right in the middle of the bed. It’s a little wet inside, please ignore that.” His eyes shift down towards the sea floor.

“Ilya… did you read my letter?!”  

“Okay, yes!” He winces. “I only followed you because I thought you might have needed it. You didn’t have to keep this a secret from me; I would have understood and given you space.”

“You would have followed me either way.”

“…Yes.” His embarrassment crept onto his face in the form of an obvious blush. He handed over the bottle, and Pasha accepted it with a sigh.

“Thanks. Just, let me handle my own business from now on, ‘kay?”

“Noted.” A grin spread across Ilya’s face as he waggled an eyebrow. “Now, get back there and woo the woman of your dreams!”

Of course, Ilya had no idea just how right he was about the dreams. Pasha could only punch him playfully in the arm before heading back towards the dock.

~~~~~~~ 

Gathering her composure, Pasha broke the water’s surface to reveal herself, a flash of her tail flicking out as she steadied herself. She looked up at the seated woman and addressed her with a bold greeting. “Are you Princess Nadia?” She held up the bottle. “I believe this was your message.”

Surprise flashed across the princess’ expression, hardly noticeable before being quickly replaced by something more peaceful. “A… mermaid… I see.” She shifted to get a more comfortable view. “Of course I have heard rumors of a sea-dwelling race off our distant shores. I had believed them to be no more than fantasy, yet here you stand—or rather float before me,” she said with an amused smirked.

This might not be a good thing, Pasha thought. “So, I wasn’t who you were expecting to get your message, huh…”

“Well, I had certainly expected my message to travel across the sea. If only I had known you were from the sea I may have dressed more… appropriately to join you down there.” She leaned forward to rest her chin in her palm, never breaking eye contact, grinning as Pasha sunk a little below the waterline to hide her growing blush. A moment of quiet turned to uncomfortable silence as Pasha only shifted her gaze away with a furrowed brow.

“Something appears to be troubling you, my friend.” Nadia’s voice was sweet and backed with genuine concern. “If there is anything amiss, you are free to speak your mind.”

Pasha’s eyes widened and snapped back to meet Nadia’s. She rose from the water just enough to expose her mouth and began to voice her concern. “Well… I mean, how did you know someone would obey your message? I saw you in my dreams every night, in this exact spot, waiting for an answer.” The pace of her words increased as if she had opened a faucet, unable to stop the rush flowing forth. “It’s like, what if you never received an answer? What if this bottle chose the wrong person? How do you know I’m really the one who deserved this message? I can’t help but wonder if I’m really supposed to be here or if it only felt right because the spell made me believe so.” Nadia listened, delight shining subtly in her eyes as her new acquaintance showed no more restraint or hesitation.

Once Pasha was finished expelling her thoughts, Nadia smiled softly. “I have made no such choices for you. Any desire you felt to come find me… that, dear, was purely your own. The power of sight was merely an aid, should the recipient choose to accept it.” She maintained an even tone, warmth and understanding filling her words. “And even so, if my spell found your hand by any mistake in this world,” she offered an outstretched hand towards the water. “How fortunate am I to be met with such a charming and quizzical being such as yourself?”

Pasha’s face flushed once more, but this time, she did not try to hide it. She inspected Nadia’s hand and reached up, droplets of water plinking along the shimmering stillness of the sea below. Their fingertips brushed together, a touch gentle as the land breeze, carrying with it the merging of their two worlds.

Nadia lowered her lips to meet the back of Pasha’s hand, the warmth of her kiss somehow coursing a chill throughout the mermaid’s body.

It didn’t matter whether there was such a thing as fate. But a choice, a bond, a desire—only these things had the power to determined their future. 

~~~~~~~

(Bonus note: Nadia partnered with Asra to draw out her untrained magic with his own and bind the message’s spell to herself. Ilya absolutely did not go home after giving Pasha the bottle. He was cheering her on from a distance.) 

[peeterparkr]

Laces of Illusion|t.h.|h.o.

pairing: harrison osterfield x reader x tom holland

soulmate au (only you au)

summary: for a hopeless romantic like you, it would be ideal to know who your soulmate is, how long will it take for you to discover true love doesn’t exist?

prologue (including the teaser.) 

word count: 2.9k

warnings: ouija board, divorce, some swear words, 

IF YOU READ THE TEASER SCROLL AND YOU’LL FIND A ‘-’ and then the new part starts. 

series masterlist next chapter

Prologue-The name that keeps popping up.

And they lived happily ever after.

Every single fairytale seems to remind you that dreams indeed do come true, it makes you forget the big agony and the big bitch life can be. And for a six year old girl, the dream was just the beginning, there wasn’t yet any utter realization that life wasn’t easy. Y/N was a love enthusiast, she grew up believing in soulmates since she was younger, and by younger, I mean a girl who believed in the concept since she was 3. The innocence of a child is a magical journey. Not to be mistaken with their naivety, that’s a whole other problem. Children need to believe the world isn’t as bad, and she didn’t. She believed that there was hope, let’s call it, faith, trust and pixie dust. That really isn’t a problem. Is it?

In this case, it was a big problem. With her eyes fixed on the false stories with happy endings, that was what would clearly be her downfall, she hid herself under a lie, under a pink world that would be soon crashing above her. She dreamed of a life as a princess, and with a love life of a romance movie. She was a hopeless romantic.

For her, there was no greater adventure than finding someone with whom you would spend the rest of your life and live, of course, happily ever after. She didn’t know that the greatest adventure she wanted to have would be nothing compared to the real story. The road to a new life.

And it all started when she was six years old. Sometimes children are a little naughty, she was no exception. Y/N never had her doubts and after having seen for the umpteenth time a romance film in which they ended up married and ‘happily ever after’, y/n decided that maybe it was exactly the moment to believe even more. Her parents had just divorced and she was watching a movie with her older brother, Marcus, and her older sister, Robin. It was just the day after the papers had been signed, but of course they hadn’t lived together in a while.

The oldest sister was trying to get y/n to focus on everything but the divorce, and she knew her little sister was a fan of the so called chick flicks. It was fine. But their parents were downstairs, discussing some further arrangements. Eh, she knew y/n wasn’t the real problem.

“Maybe mummy wasn’t right,” y/n said just as the movie finished, she hadn’t really watched it, she had decided that she would just use it as a background for her thoughts. “Maybe daddy wasn’t her soulmate.”

“Oh, you’re going to start with that crap, y/n?” Marcus rolled his eyes, earning a glare from Robin. “What? Aren’t you going to say anything?”

“Don’t be harsh, Marcus,” Robin said.

“How can I not be? Did you listen to her? Starting with that soulmate crap, good lord, she’s so stupid!” It’s needless to say Marcus wasn’t the best of brothers, then again he was a teenager, 13, to be more exact. We can’t blame him, we all are a pain in the ass when we’re 13.

“Marcus,” Robin hissed.

“Well, we don’t know it,” y/n continued. “Maybe mummy was supposed to get married with a prince!”

“Ah, c’mon,” Marcus mocked, as Robin nudged him. “Well, explain, y/n.”

The oldest sister, who was now 20, just stared at them both, eager to listen to theory of the 6 year old.

“Well, I think there’s someone meant for us, and maybe dad and mum weren’t for each other, but we could find out who really is!” Y/N continued with a grin on her face. “Is there a way, Robin? To find out who we truly belong with? Our soulmate!”

“I bet we could find a way to know,” Robin smirked, knowing she could well involve her brother as well, to make them forget about everything else. “But let’s try, you know, instead of finding mum’s, we can find yours!”

“Mine? But, okay! How do we… how do we do it?” Y/N’s smile had brightened up her whole face, her eyes were shimmering as she had hopped of to crawl over to her older sister who was on the edge of the bed, who received her with a hug.

“I’ve…got an idea,” Marcus smirked. “There’s this thing…called the Ouija board.”

Robin glared at her brother. “And we won’t do that.”

“What’s a wee–gee boawd?” Asked y/n. “Is it magic?”

“Yes!” Marcus laughed.

“No,” Robin cleared up. “No, y/n, I mean, maybe… you’re meant to marry…hmm prince Eric, perhaps?”

“Don’t be silly,” y/n giggled. “Eric is Ariel’s soulmate.”

“Ah, I was wrong!” Robin followed along. “Then, see? There’s not really a way to know!” She kissed her sister’s head and then turned to her brother. “Don’t bring that up again.”

And they didn’t, not with Robin at least. Because Marcus knew he wouldn’t get his way around their oldest sister. So, just at midnight, Marcus decided it was time to play a little joke on his sister.

“So, how does this magic work?” the little and absolutely clueless y/n asked, looking down at the board, as they had their fingers on a bottle water top over the scribbled ouija board Marcus had made.

“Sh!” Marcus glared at her. “Be quiet, kay?”

“Okay, okay,” the girl whispered now on the floor of her brother’s room, as she stared down at the paper. “So we just ask who my soulmate is?”

“Yes, and it’s not magic���It’s a ghost who answers,” Marcus explained for the fifth time.

“A ghost?” Y/N blinked looking at her brother. “Mawcus I don’t think this is right.”

“Don’t be a sissy, y/n,” Marcus frowned. “Don’t you wanna know who is your meant to be?”

“I…I do,” y/n answered skeptically, and now basically terrified.

“Now, okay, ask away, my y/n.”

y/n grimaced, the top of the lid had moved around the board, and y/n giggled nervously, mostly because she was terrified, and that was her way of coping with fear.  

“What’s the name of my soulmate?” She asked anxiously, as she watched the bottle lid move around the wrinkled paper.

“H…. A….R…..R… double r?” Y/N was looking at the letters as they fled away, it was taking her a lot of time to read, she was only six, for godsake.

“Y/N pay attention!”

“Right, sorry…. I….S…O….N…Harrison? Oh, it continues! O….S…T….E…R…F….I thought it would say oyster, sorry!…I…E…L…D? Ha…rri…son, Harrison Ostewfled? Os..”

“Harrison Osterfield, idiot, that’s your soulmate.”

Harrison Osterfield, that sure was going to be a name that would be stuck for the rest of her life. 

-

There are different type of children, you see. There are the dreamers, and there are the realists. When you’re young, the realists are mostly called the suckers, oh and they’re the worst. Luckily, Tom was one of the dreamers too. He had a great vision in sight, he was convinced he’d end up somewhere great. He wasn’t wrong, the kid would go places.

So while y/n was learning her soulmate’s name and almost being caught by her mum, Tom was having so much fun.

Not too far from those events, the equally young Tom Holland was up to his own shenanigans, and you’d guess where, and if you haven’t, for the sake of this story, it’ll remain as a mystery. Tom and the now named Harrison Osterfield, who, for now, will be held into another panorama, because he deserves his own introduction and not being a secondary character, were hanging out at their friend’s, Ben, house. Ben had an older brother, and they were playing a pleasant prank on him.

Ben’s brother, John was also what we’ve called before, a pain in the ass. He was 13 too, and a very dear friend of Marcus, but I’ll get onto that later. Ben was getting tired of being picked by his older brother. Somewhere at school, they had learned that if you put someone’s hand in cold water while they were sleeping, they’d instantly piss themselves.

But you see, the prank didn’t finish there. So, while John was snoring, the three friends sneaked into the room, trying to keep from the giggles that were coming from them. Ben had a feather, Harrison had the whipped cream and Tom had the cold water. A really complicated plan for 3 six-year-olds. Well, technically Ben was about to turn 7 but that was a whole different story.

So, the plan went simple. First, Tom got John’s hand in the water, then Harrison was going to put whipped cream and then Ben would tickle his nose. Foolproof.

No, they failed it. Things had happened way too fast, and the only thing Tom remembers was letting the recipient fall to the floor, while John was screaming and Harrison turned the lights on.

This story is irrelevant to the story, but it’s a good anecdote Tom likes to remember every now and then, specially because he’ll always remember that night as the day his story was doomed. Not because of that particular water event, though.

Now, we know what was happening.

Let’s jump to a few years later.

After the divorce, y/n and her older brother, Marcus had the worst life. Not because it was actually bad, just very tiring. Robin had to stay for university so she had no trouble, but now, Y/N and Marcus had to move out of town, mostly because their mother didn’t want to be near their father. So mostly, they’d spend some weekends with their father, and some summers, Christmas was the worst, because they had two of them. 

So cut to one of the summers, y/n’s 13th birthday. Seven years later from learning the name of her soulmate, y/n’s father decided that since she was the youngest and the only one who he and her mother could actually fight for her attention, he decided to get her to travel to New York as a birthday present.

Of course, Marcus couldn’t stay behind and had to join them for that summer trip, because he didn’t know what else he could do for the summer, he did have a lot to do, but it was his sense of charity for his little sister.

He didn’t stop bothering her, that’s for sure. So, y/n wasn’t as eager when she found out her brother was coming along. It was a good trip to New York.

Here’s the deal, that summer, y/n wasn’t the only one in New York.

Faith, trust and pixie dust, and a little bit of magic and Tom was there for that summer too. Keep that in mind, for later.

Coney Island was crowded and y/n was struggling to find her way with Marcus who was really bored with the whole surrounding people. It was getting late at night, and y/n was getting hungry, her father and her decided to eat a corndog as they were watching Marcus stroll his way around with a girl he had met that day. So, y/n was glancing around at all the people her age, and this brown haired boy caught her attention. He was followed by two other guys, probably a little younger.

He just stared at her and dedicated a charming smile, causing y/n to blush and look down at her corndog. Her father noticed her behavior and realized that perhaps he wasn’t doing the best parenting job by being glued to his thirteen year old daughter.  

So he let her be. And she started to walk away just to find her brother being rejected by the pretty girl with beautiful hair. y/n laughed as she walked over.

“Huh, found out your true self?” Y/N asked with a sinner look.

“Shut up,” Marcus hissed back. “No,” he sighed as he laughed. “I… well, may have screwed up.”

“You? But you’re prince charming,” Y/N answered with sarcasm, earning a glare from her older brother. “I’m joking, but what happened?”

“Well, she wanted to go to that fortune teller woman and see the future, and I told her it was only crap,” Marcus shrugged. “Because it is indeed crap.”

“I don’t think it’s crap,” Y/N shrugged. “You never know, destiny is a funny thing.”

Marcus pinched the bridge of his nose as he laughed. “You can’t be any serious.”

“What can I say? I still believe in happy endings,” y/n smiled at her brother who shook his head.

“So, you think that everything is written somewhere?” Marcus asked. “I don’t, I believe we build up our own destiny.”

“We build it up, but the path is already made,” y/n explained. “I think that every person we bump into, means something to us.”

Just in time, the guy who had smiled at her before was passing by. They just locked their sight and he was the one to blush now, he was handsome.

“I forgot who I was talking to, Miss Dreams do come true,” Marcus mocked her as he looked down at her. “I’m sorry I can’t follow with that nonsense, I’m not Robin to encourage it either.”

“C’mon let’s go to that fortune teller,” y/n suggested. “The girl is over there, you might be able to win her back.”

“So you want to be left alone, then?” Marcus smugged. “Saw the look you gave to that guy, you fancy him?”

“What?” Y/N was thrown back. “No, no, of course not.”

“Fine, fine, let’s go to that fortune teller then,” Marcus gave in as they walked their way over, he had the widest smirk on his face. You know, he was still a huge pain in the ass, maybe it wasn’t only because he was 13.

y/n tried to walk into the place where the fortune teller was but Marcus insisted on going alone and y/n waited outside. The woman that had been hanging out with her brother stared at her, and y/n just gave her an awkward thumbs up.

The guy who had smiled at her was now behind her, and she stiffened as she looked at him. He was blushing and the two guys who he was hanging out before were looking at them both. They seemed almost identical. They probably were twins.

“Hello,” the boy greeted her embarrassed, he had a thick British accent like hers.

“Oh, hello,” she grinned to them. “Another brit, huh?”

“Oh, you’re---you’re--” The boy couldn’t finish the question, because Marcus was already out the carp, intimidating the boy. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” y/n shrugged. “My idiot brother, this is Marcus and I’m y/n and you’re-?”

“Leaving,” Marcus answered, crossing his arms. This wasn’t the first time that Marcus acted all brotherly with her, and she didn’t like it.

“Marcus,” y/n hissed.

“Marcus and y/n…. Wait, are you John’s friend?” The boy asked. “I mean it would be such a small world if-”

“I’m friends with a John,” Marcus answered. “Why?”

“Does he have a younger brother? Ben?” The boy kept asking.

“Y/N go inside there, I already paid the lady,” Marcus turned to his sister.

“Well, I’m sorry,” y/n rolled her eyes and then smiled at the young boy, just as she walked into the carp. It was covered with blankets, and all types of drapes, and it had a funky smell, that y/n was trying to decipher. It was dark, and the woman had something on top of her head.

Her hair was red, and her eyes were surrounded by a thick black eyeliner, adding to the mystery she already was. Her hands were full of rings, and her red lipstick combined with her red long nails. Her hands were standing on top of a crystal ball, one which y/n was looking at.

“Take a seat,” the woman ordered, before yawning and as she reached down her table to turn on the light of the crystal ball. Y/N pursed her lips as the lady eyed her down. “Your brother was just in, right?”

Now, consider this. 13-year-olds are easily manipulated, and the fact that she started by knowing her brother was the guy who had just been there impressed her. Y/N wasn’t brilliant at that time, she was so naive, because given the situation, of course, the lady did know because her brother had already paid her. But, let’s not ruin her the situation.

“Yes!” The girl answered excitedly.

“So, what do you want to know?” The woman asked. The smell of cigarette could now be perceived and it was obvious she had been smoking.

“Well, I don’t know… the usual, I guess?” Y/N blinked several times as the woman kept staring. “My destiny.”

“Fine eh, let’s see…” The woman looked at the ball and started chanting. “I see… I see a name.”

“Oh, what...what’s the name?”

“It’s Harri…. Harrison… Harrison Osterfield,” The woman said, and y/n felt like her heart was going to jump out of her mouth. She opened up her mouth and brought her hand to it, gasping.

“Oh my god,” y/n whispered as she stood up, trying to get off the carp. The lady stopper her.

“You make your own destiny, y/n,” The woman warned her.

Harrison Osterfield. If that name had already been stuck until now, it would surely never leave her mind.

-

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masterlist

[fresh-outta-jams]

Masterlist!

Admins: Mo (BTS, Astro, BlackPink) and MoRo (Monsta X, EXO, VIXX, NCT, iKon, B.A.P)

Groups We Write for Currently: BTS, Astro, BlackPink, NCT, Monsta X, EXO, VIXX

Rules: We don’t write smut, self-harm, abuse, or cheating.

Request Policy: Requests are always open, but we delete the ones we don’t like to keep the rotation fresh.

Other Info: Admin Mo has an Army Amino account that she posts fics on also, so if you see some fics that look familiar, they’re not plagiarized, they’re just from her Amino page. Admin MoRo has a Wattpad account so if any of her fics look familiar, they’re just from her Wattpad account.  

BTS

Kim Namjoon

Tale as Old as Time - Prologue - 1

Status: (Ongoing) | AU: Disney

At the hands of an evil enchantress, Prince Namjoon has been struck with a beastly curse. Love is the only way to break the spell, but who could ever learn to love a beast?

Plastic Heart - Prologue, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, Epilogue

Status: [Complete!] | AU: Toy Story

When you get the highly-anticipated BTS dolls for Christmas, your life takes a turn in a way you never could have expected.

Signed, Sealed, Delivered - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, Epilogue

Status: [Complete!] | AU: Soulmate

You’re in college when your soulmate tattoo arrives: an address. It couldn’t hurt to send a letter, right?

Exam Cram - College!AU, friends to lovers, fluff

While studying together for your finals, Namjoon seems to have something else on his mind...

The Boy Next Door - Fluff, best friends to lovers au

Namjoon has been your best friend forever. You know you have to do something when you can’t get him out of your head...

Creatures of the Night - Fluffy Fluff, Fantasy!AU, Werewolf!Namjoon x Reader

Mated Under Moonlight - Sequel to Creatures of the Night

Namjoon, the world’s clumsiest werewolf, finds himself in quite the pickle when he meets a special vampire in his Creatures of the Night class. And though she doesn’t know it, she holds his heart in her hands.

Kiss and Cry - Fluff, Soulmate!AU, Namjoon x Figure Skater!Reader

Go for the Gold - Sequel to Kiss and Cry

All of his life, Namjoon has had a name etched into his wrist, (Y/N) (L/N), a Winter Olympian on Team America. Tis the season to finally meet her, with the Olympics in Pyeongchang. 

Makeup Joon - Namjoon x Makeup artist reader, where they fall in love through English/their smarts

Kim Seokjin

Of Spells and Spinning Wheels - 1, 2, 3, 4, Epilogue

Status: [Complete!] | AU: Disney

Jin is the prince of a neighboring kingdom, your betrothed and one of your dearest friends. It feels like your happily ever after has been written since the day you were born. But everything changes when Jin is cursed on his 21st birthday...

RJ the Snowman - Christmas Drabble, fluff

Giving Fate a Push - FLUFF, Soulmate!AU

Pulled By Fate - Sequel to Giving Fate a Push

With all of his brothers matched with their soulmates, Jin is more than ready to finally meet his. And with his cravings getting stronger and stronger, he knows she must be close.

Pink Camellias - FLUFFFF, Fantasy!AU, Merman!Jin x Reader

Red Carnations - Sequel to Pink Camellias

Kim Seokjin, the most handsome merman to lay foot- er, fin- on Magus’ Campus, has found himself hopelessly in love his best friend, the daughter of Persephone. So much so that he’d be willing to give up anything for her, even his voice.

My Pink Princess- Jin and reader living the domestic life while he’s on break from his schedule, fluff

Min Yoongi

So Far Away - Fluff, liiiiitle bit of angst if you squint, Soulmate!AU

The Man of my Dreams - Sequel to So Far Away

Yoongi has a pretty good idea of his dream girl, given he literally sees her in his dreams every night. But can their picture-perfect romance translate to the real world, or will it turn out to be a nightmare?

Cat Got Your Tongue? - Fluffy fluff, Fantasy!AU, Warlock!Yoongi x Reader

A Girl Made of Stars - Sequel to Cat Got Your Tongue? 

Yoongi, a talented warlock and potion-brewer at Magus University, feels pretty confident in his abilities...until a spilled potion proves to have some unseen side-effects...

The Daughter of Yoongi - You and your husband Yoongi have a child. It’s a girl! Your adventures with him and your daughter and the adventures of Yoongi taking your daughter to different things with him like fan signs, music awards, photoshoots and the other boys playing with her.

Jung Hoseok

Morning on the Han - Fluuuuuuuuuuff

Early one morning, Hoseok decides to take you to see something beautiful...

Santa Baby - Christmas Drabble, fluff, Husband!Hoseok

Down Here - FLUFFFF, Fantasy!AU, Leprechaun!Hoseok x Reader

Fun-Sized - Sequel to Down Here

Jung Hoseok, perhaps the shortest person on Magus’ campus, given that he’s all of six inches tall, has always been a believer in true love. But confessing his love proves near impossible when she’s ten times his size.

Rainbow Connection - Fluff, Soulmate!AU

Living in Vivid Color - Sequel to Rainbow Connection

Hoseok, a brilliant and bubbly boy has been living in a world of gray, waiting for that one person who’ll bring his world into full color.

Park Jimin

Carol of the Bells - Christmas Drabble, fluff, slight angst, Guardian Angel!Jimin

The Voice in My Head - FLUFFF, Angst with a happy ending, Soulmate!AU

So Glad You’re Mine - Sequel to The Voice in my Head

Forever, she’s been a voice in his head, an ocean away. But tragedy strikes and time is running out for Jimin to find the love of his life in person.

The Beginning of Forever - Fluffffff, Fantasy!AU, Fairy!Jimin x Reader, Arranged Marriage AU

To Love the Sun - Sequel to The Beginning of Forever

Park Jimin, the fairy prince, has been betrothed to (Y/N) (L/N), the elven princess for his whole life. It’s always seemed like a curse. Everything changes, however, when he finds her on campus.

Beach Date - Fluffy Jiminie, Beach date with Jimin while he’s on a break! 

Kim Taehyung

Red Ribbons - FLUFF, Soulmate!AU

Red Ballet Shoes - Sequel to Red Ribbons

Taehyung has always wanted to chase the red string tied to his finger. As it turns out, the fateful ribbon leads to LA of all places...

All I Want for Christmas - F L U F F, Christmas, Fantasy!AU, Elf Taehyung x Reader

I’m Allergic to my Girlfriend - Sequel to All I Want for Christmas

Kim Taehyung, the North Pole’s sweetest elf, finds himself in love with his own personal Christmas Angel.

Midnight Adventures - Fluff

Adventures with Tae in the cover of night

Jeon Jungkook

Here We Come a Wassailing - Christmas fluff, Christmas drabble

Since Forever - FLUFFF

Part 2

No Idea - Fluff, Werewolf!AU, Werewolf JK x Reader

Jungkook is your best friend, but you two are polar opposites in more way than one...

As You Wish - Fluffy fluff, Slight angst, Fantasy!AU, Genie!Jungkook x Reader

Inside the Dragon’s Heart - Sequel to As You Wish

Five hundred years in a lamp will give you a real crick in the neck. Jungkook should know. He’s been cramped up in one for a very long time. However, it seems the next person to give his lamp a rub has no intention of using her wishes, a very dangerous promise to say the least...

Two Bodies, One Soul - Fluff, Soulmate!AU

A Tale of Tangled Souls - Sequel to Two Bodies, One Soul

Jungkook is pretty convinced he doesn’t have a soulmate...until he switches bodies with her...

Tattoos and Tutus-  You get a call in the dead of night, “Y/N-ah….I need you…please…It’s Ji Ran…” And you thought you were just his daycare provider who’s day ended when the last child left but you were sorely wrong.  Single Dad! Jungkook x reader, Fluff with some slight scare

Tattoos and Tutus Part 2 - Fluff with some slight angst but then fluff makes up for it

Astro

Jin Jin

Coming Soon!

MJ

Coming Soon!

Eunwoo

Baby, It’s Cold Outside - Christmas Fluff, drabble

Imaginary - Imaginary Friend!Eunwoo x reader, fluff, angst

Part 2

Your imaginary friend was someone you hadn’t thought about in a long time. Little did you know he hadn’t ever stopped thinking about you...

Moonbin

Pizza Boys and Penguin Pajamas - Pizza Boy!Moonbin x Reader, fluff, Christmas

Snowed in, your friends decide to order pizza with an extra cute delivery boy on the side.

Rocky

Coming Soon!

Sanha

Coming Soon!

BlackPink

Coming Soon!

NCT

Taeyong 

Library Love - There’s this one boy in the library who is always there. You slowly become friends with him but without ever speaking a word to him. What happens when you finally talk to him? 

Johnny 

Can You Hear Me?- 1 , 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

You were unconcerned about soulmate things because getting it was the end of your final year in collage and time was counting down until graduation. But what happens when your soulmate suddenly appears right before your finals exams and it turns out he’s been there for much longer than you knew? Having your soulmate in your head was not something you needed but the more you get to know him, the more you appreciate him being there. College!Johnny x reader

Status: (Complete!)  

Mark 

Cat & Mouse -  Being the youngest mob boss in the history of Underground Seoul is rough but your inner circle, the “Dreamies”, makes life easier... except there’s this one “Dreamie” who gives you goosebumps and makes you feel like you’re in a complex game of cat and mouse. Is he hiding something or are you just being paranoid?  

iKON

B.I

Life With Hanbin - Fluff and living with Hanbin

Monsta X

Jooheon

Jooheon’s Girl  - Jooheon x Reader, fluff, helping in the studio 

Cuddle Me? - Jooheon x Reader drabble, fluff 

EXO

Kai

Soft Kai, Warm Kai, Little Dancing Machine - Fluff + steamy makeout sessions

Chen

What’s Going On?  -  You thought you were dating a normal guy who worked a 9 to 5 office job and worked lots of overtime. You were so unbelievably wrong.  (Part of the Exodus Mafia Au) 

VIXX

Coming Soon!

B.A.P

Yongguk

She’s in the Rain - This entire fic was inspired by the song “She’s in the Rain” by The Rose when a certain line hit me. You and your husband Yongguk were expecting a baby when you tragically had a miscarriage. As you struggle to cope with the death of your unborn child, Yongguk is by your side all along the way, never letting go. Angst, mentions of miscarriage, mentions of suicide(but no death), depression BUT THERE’S A HAPPY ENDING I PROMISE.

[raisindeatre]

drench yourself in words unspoken (Zutara Soulmate AU)

I don’t need luck, Zuko says to Aang as the blizzard howls around them, as they take shelter from the ice and the wind. I don’t want it. I’ve always had to struggle and fight and that’s made me strong. That’s made me who I am.

He turns and, like, he knows the kid is in some Avatar Spirit-World trance or whatever, but he can’t quite quash the spark of irritation he feels at the sight of Aang’s sleeping face. He wouldn’t be the first person to doze off during one of Zuko’s monologues (that honour goes to Uncle Iroh, and then… to basically every sailor on the boat Zuko has called home for the past three years) but it’s still affronting. Honestly.

Zuko crouches down to study the pale blue arrows on Aang’s skin, and wonders if there are other tattoos that mark him. If it’s even possible for the Avatar, the great bridge between the human and the Spirit World, to have a soulmate.

Not that Zuko really believes in soulmates anymore. That kind of comes with the territory. Once you believe you make your own path, once you decide you don’t need luck or fate, soulmates - which are a bit of both - are pretty much rendered pointless as well. And, well. Just look at what happened with Mai.

So. What happened with Mai was bad.

They meet for the first time in the palace gardens when Zuko is only eleven years old. Zuko is bent over, throwing bread crumbs at a turtle duck swimming in the pond when a voice from behind him says, slow and clear, “Leave him alone.”

Zuko bolts upright, every muscle in his body held to attention. The words on his skin - the words this girl has just said, which can mean, which can only mean - seem to burn where they curve along his hipbone. When he turns to look at her, he sees a girl just a little shorter than him, all porcelain skin and dark hair and slanted cat eyes.

It doesn’t feel like a missing puzzle piece has fallen into place. It doesn’t feel like she’s singing a song only the two of them can hear. It doesn’t feel like anything those stupid romance scrolls (which, alright, Zuko reads sometimes when he’s bored) talk about. It feels strange and uncertain and heavy. It feels like one giant question mark. It feels like already? and you?

He opens his mouth, doesn’t say anything for a long time. It’s happened. She’s happened. He still can’t quite believe it.

Then, like an idiot, the first words out of his mouth are: “But this turtleduck is mine.” He hastens to add, “I mean, everything here is mine,” which doesn’t really sound better. He winces, rubs the back of his neck. “I mean, because I’m the prince.”

“I know who you are,” the girl says, and smiles at him, just a little. “I’m Mai.”

But this turtleduck is mine are not the words tattooed on Mai’s skin.    

Later, she will never really know why she did it. Even at nine years old, she knew as well as anyone what a soul mark was. She must have recognized the words running along Zuko’s hipbone for what they were, must have understood what saying them to him - the first words she would ever say to him - would mean.

But all she knows at the time is that Azula’s big brother is good-looking in a way that makes her heart skip in her chest. All she knows is that the boy in front of her in the garden, chin lifted and eyes bright, will be the Fire Lord someday. All she knows is that even at nine years old, her parents have begun to dream of their daughter becoming queen, the way they try to manouever her into Zuko’s way with the kind of subtlety any child could see through. I hear Princess Azula’s in your class, Mai. I think she would be a good friend for you to have, she and her brother. Perhaps you should spend more time up at the palace. Who knows what could happen, hmm?

So when she sees him bent over, his shirt rising up to reveal the words on his pale skin, Mai treats it as she would any other script, and reads them aloud. Mai will not learn to throw a knife for another four years. She will not yet know how it feels to send a blade singing through the air, but even at nine years old, she will know how to skewer the things she wants.

“So, do I like, have to marry her now?” Zuko asks at the table, and Ursa has to bite her lip to keep from laughing at the sight of her son’s face screwed up solemnly. Ozai arches a black brow from behind the official correspondence he’s reading, but says nothing.

“Gross,” nine-year-old Azula declares, throwing a handful of fire flakes across the table into her brother’s hair. “Can we not talk about things like that? I still can’t believe Mai’s your soulmate. She has the worst taste.”

“Obviously she does,” Zuko retorts. “She’s friends with you, after all.”

“Enough,” Ursa chides gently, as flames spark to life in Azula’s hands. “Nobody’s marrying anybody. Just take your time, Zuko. Nothing has to happen yet.”

Zuko nods, and wonders why the shivering feeling inside him feels like relief.

The only thing that puts a wrench in Zuko’s theory that his sister Azula - Azula, who kicks him under the table, who tells Ozai in dangerously sweet tones that Father, did you know that Zuko still can’t hold a flame for longer than a minute? - is actually a demon from the Spirit World is the soul mark she bears. (Well, that and the fact that Zuko has tried to exorcise Azula once. It didn’t work.) By definition, it must mean that Azula has a soul, difficult as that fact is to believe. 

Zuko’s soul mark curves around his hipbone, but Azula’s wraps around her wrist, like a bracelet, or like a manacle. Over the years, he’s seen his sister study the words with suspicion and disdain and - once, only once - with something like longing on her face.

I’m not afraid of you, her soul mark reads, and Azula tells him once, “That doesn’t make any sense.”

Years later, when Zuko is old enough to understand what she means, he will feel nothing but sadness. Perhaps Ozai’s worst crime wasn’t the scar he left on his son’s face, but the ones on his daughter’s soul, the ones that taught her to understand that fear is the heart of love.

(Years later, Azula will tell Mai, You should have feared me more, and she will not even know that what she really means is You should have loved me more. She will not even know that it isn’t Mai she is really addressing.)

When Zuko is thirteen years old, the Agni Kai happens, and his father’s punishment splits his world into before and after.

When Mai comes to visit him afterwards, his face fresh out of bandages, she makes the mistake of trying to touch his scar. He flinches backwards, his hands rising up in the air, and the flames that leap out from his palms scorch the sleeves of her tunic.

I’m sorry, he gasps, ashamed and angry and afraid, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, and reaches out to touch her arm only to see -

Mai has always worn her sleeves long. He’s never really paid it much attention, and he guesses that if he ever had thought about it, he would probably have attributed it to modesty, maybe, or the fashion of the Fire Nation. But he sees now that it was just to cover up her lie.

Mai’s soul mark creeps down the creamy skin of her arm. Zuko will not even remember, later, what it says, but what is unmistakable - terribly so - is that they aren’t what he said to her, that day in the garden. They aren’t his.

What is this? he says, demands, and Mai just stares at him, speechless.

The next day he gets on a boat with his uncle, and leaves the Fire Nation behind.

So when Zuko says he’s not interested in meeting anybody else who claims to be his soul mate, it’s not like he feels that way for no reason. He doesn’t have time to dwell on thoughts like these, anyway. The Avatar has not been seen for a century. If he exists - and Zuko’s mind skitters away from the possibility that he might not like the thought burns - he will not be easy to find. He lets the hunt consume him. He doesn’t believe in soulmates anymore, and even if he did, he certainly doesn’t expect to find her a thousand miles away from where his home lies.

But he does.

On a shelf of snow and ice, as the sea crashes against the shores around them, he bears down on the Avatar - who is really nothing more than a kid, all wide gray eyes - and is ready, finally, to take him prisoner, to go home -

- when he hears it.

“Leave him alone!” a voice cries, and the world around Zuko shudders. His vision fractures for a second, everything a thousand shades of blue and white and gray. Even against the bitter cold, his hipbone burns.

It feels right. When he sees the girl across the snow, it feels like finally and you.

But it also feels wrong, because this is not how it should be - this stranger facing off across him with fury written all over her face, as the Avatar hesitates between them. He should not be meeting his soulmate for the first time with an army at his back, with the frightened gazes of villagers all around them.

A reply springs to Zuko’s lips, but the reality crashes down on him. He was really about to do it. He was really about to say the words that would bind him to a stranger forever, and for a moment he isn’t sure which impulse fighting within him is stronger, the desire or the disgust.

No no no. Had he learned nothing from Mai?

So he swallows hard, presses his lips together. Turns his back on the girl like it isn’t the hardest thing he’s done in his sixteen years of life, and commands, “Fall back! Fall back now!”

Confusion flickers across the faces of his soldiers, but whatever else he is, he is still their prince, the Fire Lord’s son. They obey, pulling back in what they believe to be a tactical retreat.

Only Zuko knows the truth: that he is fleeing.

And Katara stares after him, feeling oddly dissatisfied.

They meet again and again after that, coming together and drawing apart as they clash in a thousand different ways. They dance back and forth amidst the steam as the thundering crash of waves and fire fill the air.

He never says anything to her.

“Cat got your tongue?” she asks him once, as she hurls a cloud of ice knives at him, as he whirls behind a tree and hears the thuds of the blades embedding themselves into the bark echoing throughout the clearing.

“Still giving me the silent treatment?” she says, as she dodges the fireballs he hurls at her, dancing backwards. He moves to push past her, to get to the Avatar, but finds himself rooted to the spot by the ice tendrils that have wrapped themselves around his boots, creeping up his calves. “Is this for when I wet your pants that one time?”

And once, when her arms are trembling under the weight of the wave she summons to hover above his head, as he turns his head desperately for a way out: “Why won’t you say anything?” she demands, and he thinks he can hear hurt in her voice, hurt and confusion, but then she releases the water, an icy cascade that leaves him drenched and gasping as she vaults onto the sky bison’s back and disappears into the clouds.

“Do you believe in soulmates?” Zuko asks his uncle once, as they stand on the deck. Iroh is leaning against the railing, eyes closed and expression inexplicably peaceful as he tilts his head up to the sun, as the sea spray soaks into their skin.

“I do not understand your question, nephew,” his uncle hums. “That would be like asking if I believed in the sun, or the moon. They exist. What’s not to believe?”

“I mean,” Zuko says, shoving a hand through his hair. “How can you believe in them, uncle? You don’t seriously think that just because someone says a random assortment of words, it means they’re the one. That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard in my life.”

“The Spirit World works in mysterious ways,” Iroh says, and Zuko shakes his head in disgust. The old man smiles at him benevolently, reaching out to pat his hand. “So what do you believe in, nephew?”

“I don’t,” Zuko says shortly. “Believe in things, I mean.”

“Too young to be so cynical,” Iroh reflects sadly. And then: “You know, my wife was not my soulmate.”

Zuko didn’t know that, actually. He’d never asked about Iroh’s soul mark, just because it’s kind of weird to think about your uncle’s love life. He doesn’t say anything, and Iroh looks up at the sky for a while before continuing.

“But she will always be the great love of my life,” Iroh says. “The mother of my child, my best friend. I miss her every day.” The old man blinks, long and slow. “You asked me if I believe in soulmates, nephew. I do. But I do not believe that they are, as you put it, the one. I know that’s how the great romance scrolls tell it. But I believe in soulmates, and I believe in romantic love, and nephew, I do not believe they are necessarily one and the same. I think your soulmate can be your best friend. Or your family. Not just your lover.”

“What does your mark say?” Zuko asks, and Iroh turns his palm over so Zuko can read the words curling across the skin: Nice to meet you.

“Nice to meet you?” Zuko echoes incredulously. “Uncle, that is the most generic mark I’ve ever seen. Your soulmate could be anyone!”

“I certainly hope so,” his uncle says happily. “Isn’t that the point? That they could be anyone, anybody out there. I do not pretend to know what role they might play: lover, friend, family. I only believe this: that they are someone who is meant to be in your life.”

Zuko isn’t sure how he feels about that theory, but there certainly does seem to be some credibility to the idea that Katara is meant to be in his life. What else would account for the fact that even after he has given up hunting the Avatar, she keeps turning up? Even here, the last place he would expect to see her: the crystal catacombs beneath Ba Sing Se, where Azula has thrown both of them.

The feeling seems to be mutual.

“Oh, great!” she says, her voice thick with disgust. “It’s you! I was just wondering if my day could get any worse, but I should’ve known you’d turn up sometime -”

Zuko is just about to snap back at her when he sees that somewhere in the fight with Azula, the necklace around her slender throat - and he’s held that necklace before, hasn’t he, he knows the weight and feel of it in his fingers - has shifted to the side. Against the warm brown of her skin, her soul mark is stark black, but what really makes him want to flinch is what it says: Sorry it took me so long. Exactly the sarcastic retort that is hovering on his lips, just waiting to spill out into the air between them.

The sight makes him close his eyes, turn away abruptly. He’d been so close. So close.

“You have no idea,” Katara is saying, unaware that he’s seen the words curving across her skin, “what this war has put me through personally.” Her voice breaks on the next sentence. “The Fire Nation took my mother away from me.”

And Zuko is so, so tired suddenly of everything. I believe in soulmates, and I believe in romantic love. I do not believe they are necessarily one and the same. And here is the proof, isn’t it, this ferocious girl in front of him who he has met time and time again, shaking as she turns away from him.

Katara does not love him, and Zuko - Zuko has no idea if he loves her, or if he can even begin to, if he can even begin to love anyone - but he feels her words echo in his bones like a hum. He feels the recognition shiver in the space below his ribs. Someone who is meant to be in your life. I do not pretend to know what roles they might play. Maybe in the end, this is all they can be to each other. Not a lover. Not a friend. Not even an enemy.

But instead a mirror. A reflection.

So when he forces the words out between his teeth, the first words he will ever say to her, they are wrong, but they are also strangely right.

“I’m sorry,” he says. “That’s something we have in common.”

It feels like such a heavy loss when he says that, something scraped out and hollow in his chest. He can never take those words back. He can never say them again for the first time. Katara’s hand rises to her throat, almost unconsciously, as if she isn’t even aware of the way her fingers brush against her soul mark.

But Zuko also feels strangely free.

He will not feel that way for a long time afterwards.

He returns to the Fire Nation in glory, his crown and his honour restored to him, Azula by his side smiling sharp and bright as a knife. Ozai looks at him and says the two words he’s been starving for the past three years: Welcome home. And then he says the two words Zuko’s been starving for his whole life: My son. 

It should feel like freedom. It should feel like a benediction.

But whenever Zuko closes his eyes all he can see is the Avatar falling as Azula strikes him with lightning. All he can see is the look of disappointment on his uncle’s face. Katara’s slender fingers brushing the soul mark on her throat.

He starts things up with Mai again. Why not? His soul mate is long gone, and in any case, he knows that after what he’s done Katara’s hatred for him must run fast and deep. Maybe this is the safest thing all around: somebody who never makes your heart jump in your chest, someone who will never make you feel uncertain and weightless.

The weeks slip by though, and eventually Zuko realizes that this isn’t enough. He’d thought the opposite of being weightless would be to feel centred, rooted. But all he feels is burdened. Some days he cannot even sit up in bed without feeling his bones groaning under the weight of the life he has surrendered.

But surrender is not a word that exists in Zuko’s vocabulary. I’ve always had to struggle and fight and that’s made me strong. One day he wakes up and decides that if he has given up a better life - he can damn well go and take it back. 

Someone who is meant to be in your life.

It should come as no surprise to either of them when after the Day of the Black Sun, after Zuko’s confrontation with his father, after the failed invasion - 

- he turns up again in Katara’s. 

Of course it’s not easy. When has anything in Zuko’s life ever been easy? (When he thinks that, he can hear his uncle’s voice chide him, Do not indulge in self-pity. Are you a woodstove, nephew? Do you think you can just sit in the corner and stew? and oh, he misses the old man then more than he has in weeks.) 

Every day he has to fight against the distrust he sees in their eyes. The wariness in the set of their shoulders. The way Katara makes sure to always stay near a body of water when he is around.

But it is worth it. When he sees them laughing around the campfire, the flames throwing cheerful orange light across their faces; when Sokka hands him a bowl of rice without saying anything; when Toph finally elbows him in the ribs the way she would any of them - it makes Zuko happier than he can remember.

 Katara proves harder to win over. 

No, that’s not true. He’s won her over once, hasn’t he? There in the crystal catacombs, the green light shivering over their features. I trusted you, and then you turned around and betrayed us. He studies the way she looks at him, eyes narrowed in suspicion, and is sad and guilty and remorseful, but not surprised. There are days when he thinks he should just give up, surrender to the fact that Katara will most probably hate him for the rest of her life.

But surrender has never been a word in Zuko’s vocabulary.

I do not pretend to be know what role they might play: lover, friend, family. Zuko knows he and Katara will never be any of those things. In the crystal catacombs, he’d thought all he could ever be to her was a mirror. But one night Sokka tells him about Yon Rha, and the next morning Zuko goes to Katara and tells her, I know who killed your mother, and I’m going to help you find him.

Perhaps this is the role he was meant to play. If nothing else, this is what he can be to her: a weapon in her hand.

He watches as she makes a soldier bend under her fingers, his muscles and bones jerking out of his control, and thinks in awe and fear: bloodbender. He watches as she bears down on the cowering Yon Rha, and feels the urge to do the same. 

Zuko is a prince. He has never in his life knelt to anyone. He has always been the one genuflected to.

But when Katara freezes the rain around them, a million crystal droplets hanging in icy suspension, he has to actively fight the impulse to drop to one knee. The sight of her fierce blue eyes and face drawn in anger sends something bright and electric crackling through his body like lightning. The adrenaline of terror, but also a feeling almost reverential.

Perhaps he is his father’s son, after all. Perhaps fear really is the heart of love.

But no. 

Because he feels that same electricity sparking through him even in scenes as far removed from battle as you can get: when she is kicking Sokka’s sleeping roll going, “Wake up, you big lump!” When he is helping her stir food into the cooking pot and their fingers brush for just a heartbeat. When she places a hand lightly on his shoulder as she relieves him for the next night watch shift. 

A hundred interactions, a thousand glances, a million ways the words on her throat never fail to catch his eye. The rhythm they fall into is so hard-won, but so unbearably sweet when they do.They become used to getting each other’s backs, exchanging eye-rolls over the heads of the others, the two exasperated caretakers in a horde of children. Get out of the bison’s mouth, Sokka, he says, before she can, and the way she looks at him when he does: appreciative, amused, affectionate -  Zuko lies awake the whole night thinking about it.

In battle Katara is electric. She is a whirlwind. She is a tsunami. She is the only thing in the world he can look at.

But he also feels the same way when she is combing her hair by the fire; when she is stroking Appa’s furry nose; when she laughs at one of Sokka’s jokes.

Fear is not the heart of love. Love is the heart of love.

I do not pretend to know what role they play: lover, friend, family. Maybe two of those three things isn’t so bad.

Zuko is honest enough with himself to know that he wants more. To recognize the longing in his throat for what it is. But they are almost at the end of the war, and every day could be his last, and if he dies tomorrow - he is also honest enough with himself to know that two of those three things isn’t so bad.

The night before the comet, Zuko goes to relieve Katara’s shift for the night watch, and pulls up short when he sees her shoulders shaking. She sees him and turns away abruptly, brushing her hand over her eyes, but it is very clear that she has been crying. 

“Katara?” he says hesitantly, and she says, “I’m fine.”

Zuko looks helplessly at Appa, but the sky bison just blinks slowly at him, flicking his ears. You’re on your own here, kid.

“No, you’re not,” Zuko says cautiously. “What’s wrong? You can tell me.” 

“It’s going to sound stupid.”

“I am never, ever going to think you’re stupid, Katara. Except for if you try to wake Toph up when she’s had less than eight hours of sleep. That’s not just stupid, that’s practically death-defying.”

She laughs at that, and he steps closer. For a moment, neither of them say anything, and then Katara tips her head up to the sky and admits, “It’s just… if we die tomorrow, I am never going to meet my soul mate.”

Zuko’s entire body jolts, and he’s glad for the darkness of the night around them, the way he knows it must obscure the guilt and shock on his features. “W- what?”

“My soul mate,” she repeats. “I know it’s stupid, but also… I’ve been thinking about meeting them since I was a little girl, you know? Doesn’t everyone?”

Zuko doesn’t trust himself to speak, not with the way his heart is jackrabbiting in his chest, so he just nods.

“I thought…” Katara laughs a little, self-conscious. “I thought for a while that it might be Aang.”

Zuko isn’t surprised - he’s seen the way the Avatar looks at Katara, seen the easy affection they slip into - but it still hurts, a knife twisting in his gut.

“I mean,” Katara continues, and she’s turning now, pulling her necklace aside so that he can see the words on her skin, the words he’s known for months now. The words he’d almost, almost spoken into existence. “My soul mark reads Sorry it took me so long. Wouldn’t that be just perfect if those were the first words Aang said to me? A hundred years missing, and he says sorry it took me so long.” She shakes her head. “But it’s not him.”

The wind rustles through the branches, shaking the leaves all around them, and into its whisper Katara says quietly, “And you know what? I’m glad it’s not him.”   

Zuko’s heart is jumping for a completely different reason now; caught up in the way Katara’s eyes are glittering in the starlight. They are very close now. He can see the pulse beating under her jaw.

“What does your mark say?” Katara says, her voice so soft. 

“It doesn’t matter,” Zuko says hoarsely, and she is tilting her head up to him and - 

Sokka comes into the clearing, arms wrapped around himself. “Hey, so I figured if this is the last night before we go out in a blaze of glory against Ozai, we should at least be together. I don’t want to be alone tonight. Hey, Toph, wake up! Somebody get Momo!”

Zuko turns back to look at Katara, but the moment is gone.

What does your mark say? 

Katara finds out eventually. 

The way she finds out leaves something to be desired though, and by that Zuko means: he would’ve preferred it if it hadn’t entailed excruciating pain. 

There isn’t much he remembers about taking Azuka’s lightning bolt. All he remembers is the blue light around them and the look in Katara’s eyes. The choice was death or watching Katara fall, and that wasn’t a choice at all.

When he wakes up - dragged from the dark into the light by the urgent thrum of Katara’s voice, the soothing coolness of the healing water on his skin - all he can do for a moment is blink, breathe, feel the just-awakened beat of his heart in his chest. Every bone in his body hurts, and he has never felt so drained, but the feel of Katara’s hands on his abdomen sends a different kind of lightning jolting through him.

She is gasping, breathless, her eyes glittering with tears as she presses her palms into his skin. “Zuko, you’re okay - you’re okay -”

“I’m okay,” he rasps, his throat sore and lightning-scorched, and she laughs, shakily. 

“You’re okay,” she agrees, running her hands over his skin, his abdomen, his stomach, his hips - 

His hip, where his soul mark is standing out in stark relief against his pale skin. He sees the way she studies the words, her hands freezing in place, her mouth moving silently. Leave him alone.

“I said this to you,” she says, and she sounds so young, suddenly. Behind them Azula writhes and sobs, the blasts of fire she’s exhaling lighting up their features in bursts of blue-white light, but Zuko can only look at Katara’s face. “These were the first words I ever said to you.” 

“Katara,” Zuko says, but doesn’t say anything more.

“These are the first words I ever said to you,” Katara repeats. “I - I don’t even know why I remember that. I don’t think I even chose to remember them - they’re just - I just know. I just know.” And Zuko flashes back to when she first said those words, back at the South Pole - the way the world had shuddered around them, his vision fracturing, the look of confusion on her face.

Her hand rises up to touch her neck. Sorry it took me so long, curling across her throat. “But this - this isn’t the first thing you ever said to me.”

“Katara,” he says again, softer. 

“How can that be?”

“I didn’t want them to be,” Zuko says. “I couldn’t let them be.” 

Confusion creases her brow, and later Zuko will tell her why: he will detail a million reasons for that decision back in Ba Sing Se. I didn’t want a soulmate. I didn’t need a soulmate. I didn’t want either of us to be chained to each other. Love must always be free. 

But for now all she says is, “It doesn’t matter,” an echo of the words he’d said to her the night before. And like an echo, like a dream, she is tilting her face towards him again, only this time it happens. 

Zuko kisses her.

Her lips are chapped, and the air is full of the smell of smoke and soot and ozone, and the pain in Zuko’s chest flares to life as he half-sits up, as he slides a hand into Katara’s hair, but he doesn’t care, he doesn’t care, he has been waiting a lifetime for this. 

As if she’s reading his mind - because it seems Katara is always reading his mind, she is always reading him, his echo, his mirror - she laughs against his mouth softly. The war is over, and they are alive, and his soul mate is smiling against his lips, and Zuko, oh, Zuko has never felt this content. “I was wondering if you were ever going to get around to doing that.”

Zuko pulls back, just a little. Smiles. Knows she will laugh even before she does, clear and joyful. And he says to her, “Sorry it took me so long.”

[het-reccers]

ship manifesto: jyn erso/cassian andor

Fandom: Star Wars: Rogue One Pairing: Jyn Erso/Cassian Andor Recced on livejournal by: sugangel7

What do you get when a headstrong, fiery rebel meets a cool, reserved captain?

ALL OF THIS:

He hadn’t known her, didn’t know her, of course. There wasn’t the time.

Credit to: http://cassianskywalkers.tumblr.com/post/155918947283/he-hadnt-known-her-didnt-know-her-of-course

I’m not used to people sticking around when things go bad.

Credit to: http://wrinchester.tumblr.com/post/155693213487/im-not-used-to-people-sticking-around-when-things

Credit to: http://jedileiaorgana.tumblr.com/post/155282010231/jyncassian-text-post-meme

Why write a ship manifesto for these two? Rebelcaptain stole my heart and then some. The one thing that soothes my soul is that there is a whole community of like-minded folks who have written tons of seriously beautiful fic that pretty much meets every single desire you had for this unwitting rebel and intelligence captain after watching the beautiful action-packed war epic that was the movie Rogue One. And you probably read the novelization too, which just whetted your appetite even more. (And let’s not forget about the official Star Wars Spotify playlist for Cassian Andor which just reaffirms their tragic, beautiful love story even more.)

I could’ve spent ages longer on this manifesto, and there are still some gorgeous fics out there that I have not yet read that I am dying to read, but I hope this serves as a somewhat comprehensive look at what the rebelcaptain fanfiction fandom has to offer. (Also look at the het-reccers tag, because a few of my favorites of theirs have already been recced). And check out the rebelcaptain tag on tumblr because there is so much good stuff to be found on there.

Rec #1: If you’re in the mood for some really well-done slow burn...

Title: semantics (it’s a series of one-shots!)

Author: katsumi

Link: http://archiveofourown.org/series/631220

Rating/Warning(s): Teen and Up

Word Count/WIP?: ~2000 words for each one-shot / four one-shots with perhaps more to come

Why This Must Be Read: This captures the careful hesitation on the parts of both Jyn and Cassian while all their friends just don’t quite get it while some of them do. Fluffy, humorous, and heart-wrenching by turns.

“How is sleeping not the same as sleeping?” K2 asks, and shit, this is not a path Cassian wants to go down with him. He closes his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Semantics,” he says, and he can hear the clink of bolts as K2 slumps a little. K2 has always been moody about that human tendency to say things that don’t mean what they’re supposed to mean, a tendency the droid finds “complicated” and “uselessly theatric.” “Oh,” K2 says, voice dripping with disdain. “I see.”

Rec #2: If you’re in the mood for some gorgeously romantic hurt/comfort...

Title: you will hope in something real

Author: tryalittlejoytomorrow

Link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/9119407

Rating/Warning(s): Teen and Up

Word Count/WIP?: 4590 / No

Why This Must Be Read: This is a brilliant character study of Jyn and is just soft, quiet, and utterly, utterly romantic.

Rain catches on his eyelashes, and she becomes fixated on that, too. His face is a blur but she sees the little drops so distinctly, can count them, and he's beautiful, she can't deny it, and she wants to kiss him all of a sudden, or maybe it's not so sudden, after all. Jyn's been wanting to kiss him since that long ride in the elevator. Wanting to kiss someone when you feel like you're about to die is not exactly the same thing as wanting to kiss them every day, in the aftermath, Jyn's painfully aware. She's never wanted that before. She can't say that she hates that her life is now divided between before and after Cassian. It's another warm, stupid feeling Saw never took the time to explain.

Rec #3: If you’re in the mood for a true action-heavy war fic...

Title: spes semper mihi adest

Author: rain_sleet_snow

Link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/9228242/chapters/20928818

Rating/Warning(s): Teen and Up, Major Character Death

Word Count/WIP?: 26945/ No

Additional Pairings: Chirrut Îmwe/Baze Malbus, Leia Organa/Han Solo, Shara Bey/Kes Dameron, Leia Organa/Luke Skywalker/Han Solo, Jyn Erso/Han Solo

Why This Must Be Read: I love this fic because it feels very much like the movie: Jyn and Cassian’s relationship is basically taken as a given with a lot of plot and action in a world where a war keeps on going, even as two people find themselves entwined in the midst of it. A poignant, engaging fic.

Cassian is half-awake. His clothes are bloody and partly shredded, and beneath them and the bacta Jyn can see scars that are healing and the distinctive marks of a torture droid, which are not. He looks thin and sunken and sick and he needs a shave. He also looks quite surprised to see Jyn; for a moment she isn’t even sure he recognises her. “Hello, Cassian,” Jyn says. Her tongue is crowded with words that won’t come out. She swallows them down. “Have a blaster.” She offers him the lighter of the blasters she stole, and he takes it with a familiar, easy grip that reassures Jyn that he’s still in there. “If this is a dream,” Cassian announces, swinging his legs off his bunk and staggering towards Jyn, “it is a beautiful dream.”

Rec #4: If you’re in the mood for a fantastic rendition of the soulmates trope...

Title: this is the fate you’ve carved on me

Author: Selkit

Link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/9372218/chapters/21217277

Rating/Warning(s): Teen and Up

Word Count/WIP?: 17465 / Yes

Why This Must Be Read: I’m such a sucker for the soulmarks trope, and this author manages to pull it off in a way that feels so perfect for these characters and this film. I appreciate the author stays true to the essence of Rogue One, but isn’t afraid to adapt the film’s plot for the purposes of making this trope work. It builds an added layer of complication to an already complicated relationship and boy does it make for some fun and suspense and angst.

It occurs to her, very dimly in the back of her mind, that it would feel right to reach out and trace her fingers along the curving script, to see what her words feel like on his skin. She doesn’t.

Yet she does feel an odd sensation steal over her, like the not-quite-unpleasant ache in her shoulders after setting down a heavy load. It’s not relief, not entirely, but it’s something close.

Rec #5: If you’re in the mood for a fix-it, bed-sharing fic because hey this is rebelcaptain after all...

Title: we were secrets to keep

Author: mollivanders

Link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/9352454

Rating/Warning(s): Teen and Up

Word Count/WIP?: 3270 / No

Why This Must Be Read: This fandom is chock-full of fix-it and bed-sharing fics but this is definitely one of the best. beautiful, flowing writing style that captures these two broken souls in such stark relief.

She's not sleeping, for one. Not sleeping well, at least, judging by the dark circles under her eyes and the way her shoulders are slumped.

His training also whispers to him that everything in her file suggests she's about to run, about to disappear, and he tries to shrug it off. (Still, the thought nags at him like an open wound.) So when she knocks at his quarters that night and slips inside, he doesn’t protest as she curls up next to him. She’s warm and solid against him, and he hasn’t been this close to her since Scarif. He doesn’t ask questions, and he drifts off listening to the sound of her shallow breathing, one pounding heartbeat at a time. (They’ll figure out the rest later.)

Rec #6: If you’re in the mood for a college AU...

Title: you might just go under

Author: andromeda3116

Link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/9780254

Rating/Warning(s): Mature

Word Count/WIP?: 8076 / No

Why This Must Be Read: This is one of the best college AU fics out there. It captures that instant attraction between the two in a realistic way, and it features the rest of the Star Wars gang in a super fun way that truly does justice to all the characters.

Walking into the apartment (where, she could not stress this enough, she was supposed to be meeting two or three people for a study group after being on her feet all day behind the bar) was like walking unfortunately back in time, to the English department parties at Northeastern -- complete with the now-dated Lady Gaga music playing. Bodhi heaved a sigh when they walked through the door.

“I tried to wrestle the playlist away from Kay,” he said. “But he’s stronger than he looks.”

Rec #7: If you’re in the mood for an epic, action-packed fic that features the entire crew of Rogue One...

Title: floating, sinking

Author: shuofthewind

Link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/9053302/chapters/20596522

Rating/Warning(s): Teen and Up

Word Count/WIP?: 135568 / Yes

Additional Pairings: Chirrut Îmwe/Baze Malbus

Why This Must Be Read: With alternating POVs, this fic is a beautiful homage to the entire crew of Rogue One. So if you want something that features Bodhi, Baze, and Chirrut in spades while still doing justice to the beauty that is Cassian and Jyn’s relationship, then read this. The action and plot are just as substantial and important as the romance. It basically reads like another movie, and runs through A New Hope.

Jyn looks at the bedspread. She’s still confined to the sickbay, even though she could walk. There are guards on the door, Rebels in helmets. She can’t make out their faces, but they stop her when she tries to leave. If she wanted she could take them both out and vanish, but Cassian is in the next bed over, still kept sedated, and Bodhi wanders in and out when he needs quiet in this noxious jungle prison, and Baze is—untethered, is the word she wants. Baze is untethered. Chirrut is still hovering somewhere between life and death, and Baze is lost in space for as long as the question remains. She cannot be their fixed point, not the way they want—she isn’t a leader, for all she dragged them into hell—but she sees no point in leaving when they cannot come with her yet.

Rec #8: If you’re in the mood for a hilarious modern-day take on the friends-with-benefits trope

Title: I’ll Be There For You

Author: caramelle

Link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/9422429

Rating/Warning(s): Teen and Up

Word Count/WIP?: 4215 / No

Why This Must Be Read: This is one of the best modern-day takes on Jyn and Cassian I’ve read. It’s quite funny with Kay and Bodhi acting as kind of intermediaries or peacekeepers in Jyn and Cassian’s evolving friends-with-benefits relationship. This is such a delight to read, and characterizes Jyn and Cassian’s dynamic so wonderfully with her insecurities and his patient waiting.

Jyn scoffs. "I mean, at this point, they might as well just come out and say it to my face, right?" She drops her voice into a low imitation of Chirrut's stately drawl. "'Jyn — no one cares about your feelings.'"

Cassian snorts. "Well, to be fair," he says conversationally, "everyone's still on the fence about whether you actually have feelings."

Rec #9: If you’re in the mood for a historical AU...

Title: Resistance is Built on Hope

Author: ChronicOlicity

Link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/9079141/chapters/20644807

Rating/Warning(s): Teen and Up

Word Count/WIP?: 117509 / Yes

Why This Must Be Read: This is the rebelcaptain WWII AU that you’ve been waiting for. The author has done a marvelous job of adapting all the elements and characters of Rogue One to this historical time period with great pacing, dramatic, action-packed scenes, touches of humor, and the most beautiful simmering romance between our favorite spy and unwitting rebel.

For Jyn, that was a measure of trust. A feral animal wouldn't let another see its wounds — Cassian knew that firsthand. Battlefield instincts powered Jyn, no question about it, fight-or-flight instincts drawn even closer to the surface than anyone else he’d seen before. Dangerous and unyielding and all the more compelling for it.

More than that, Cassian was beginning to see her hunger. Not the appetite that Kay was constantly complaining about, but a kind of visceral need, elemental and nearly irrepressible. Now and then he caught glimpses of it behind Jyn’s eyes, in the stubborn set of her shoulders, the flash of something — like the electric shock from a fleeting, triggered memory — when she was caught by a seemingly innocuous scene. A picture of a lone child. Two, three figures disappearing into the snow, without a backward glance. A plane taking off and vanishing into the sky. Pieces of a puzzle, and Cassian had them in his hands, but in many ways, Jyn Erso was still as much an enigma to him as she’d been the day they met.

Rec #10: If you’re in the mood for a glimpse of domesticity for these two...

Title: That Would Be Enough

Author: mosylu

Link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/9272258

Rating/Warning(s): Teen and Up

Word Count/WIP?: 782 / No

Why This Must Be Read: Cassian and Jyn rarely get quiet moments, and this is a short but sweet look into them enjoying something approximating domesticity in the midst of the war. Well-written dialogue and bed-sharing FTW!

On Echo Base, Jyn and Cassian shared a bunk. Or to put it more accurately, they both had a bunk that they could sleep in on the rare occasions they were planetside, and it just happened to be the same one.

The both of them planetside together, at the same time, for more than a few hours (days, Jyn had said, awed, when they compared schedules, at least two, multiple) was like finding a kyber crystal rolling around on the snowfield outside.

Rec #11: If you’re in the mood for an EU fic set 20 years in the future during The New Republic...

Title: the road that sets into the sun

Author: lyin

Link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/9268955

Rating/Warning(s): General

Word Count/WIP?: 5189 / No

Why This Must Be Read: This is a poignant look into what these two aged warriors would feel like in The New Republic. While it draws heavily on EU canon, it is not necessary to appreciate this beautiful rendering of how these two have given so much to the cause.

There are names written in the lines of his face. Jyn doesn’t even know them all, but she knows Cassian thinks they deserved to live more than him, that the universe plays games with the life of men. That Cassian has always thought he had a righteous cause, but has never thought himself a righteous man. That the cause is slipping from his grasp.

Rec #12: If you’re in the mood for a funny, fluffy one-shot...

Title: flight lessons

Author: ignitesthestars

Link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/9276590

Rating/Warning(s): Mature

Word Count/WIP?: 1044 / No

Why This Must Be Read: Jyn is all kinds of sassy, and it’s such a delight to read. This is a hilarious look at another mission that almost went wrong and some lovely Jyn/Cassian and all of their feelings to boot!

“Ah,” she says, and the breath turns into a shriek of agony as white-hot pain lances through her body, and really, dying doesn’t seem like all that bad of an option right now. Except for the part where it will probably piss off Cassian and make K2 happy, and there’s a lot that Jyn is willing to do just to ruin that droid’s day.

Rec #13: If you’re in the mood for some seriously beautiful angst...

Title: where my caution should be

Author: rosaxx50

Link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/9822866/chapters/22055765

Rating/Warning(s): Teen and Up, Major Character Death

Word Count/WIP?: 1237 / No

Why This Must Be Read: Poignant, heartbreaking, and oh-so-poetic. This shows the beauty of their connection post-Scarif while also demonstrating the natural consequences of war.

I am glad you're here with me, he says, or she says, or both. Their hearts beat in time, slow and restful.

The plans stream across countless stars. He chooses to believe, because she does, that somewhere, someone listens to the greatest difference he has ever made to the galaxy. Their names will turn to dust like their bodies, but this legacy will live on.

Rec #14: If you’re in the mood for sassy K-2SO...

Title: The Genre Does Not Support This

Author: nymja

Link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/8977609

Rating/Warning(s): Teen and Up

Word Count/WIP?: 990 / No

Why This Must Be Read: K-2SO being K-2SO while Cassian and Jyn must act like normal human beings without copious amounts of UST between them. Fluff and humor while everyone is still so in character FTW!

“I have decided to be proactive,” the droid responded primly.

“Proactive? For what?” Jyn leaned forward in her chair. “Sexual tension will increase mission failure by approximately 12.95%.”

Rec #15: If you’re in the mood for a tragic modern-day AU...

Title: Emergency Contact

Author: randomdreamer101

Link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/9541490

Rating/Warning(s): General

Word Count/WIP?: 3420 / No

Why This Must Be Read: Post-divorce, modern-day Cassian/Jyn is just as tragic and heartbreaking as you thought it would be. This is the last in a series, and I haven’t read the rest of the series yet, but this fic really captures brilliantly, how, even in a modern-day setting, Cassian and Jyn’s relationship has the potential to be very complicated and not at all easy.

“This is not exactly what I'd imagined meeting you again would be like," she says.

“What? You in critical care? Me holding back your hair while you vomit into a bin? What part of this scenario is lacking in romance?” Her mouth twitches. “The hair-holding was sort of romantic.” “Oh, I beg to differ," he says. “Well, I’ve always preferred life-threatening situations to flowers and chocolates.”

Originally Posted At: http://het-reccers.livejournal.com/1104941.html