#because she wanted to be able to use her bending to defend herself and her loved ones and also the world

[sadesluvr]

hi! I was wondering if I could request something angst/fluff where the reader defends Mike to his aunt Jane and the custody case worker about how he gives his all to take care of Abby by himself? I wish someone could have advocated for him during the scene where they discuss the case and his aunt talks down on him a lot :’( thanks so much for sharing your writing!

A/N: Hi Anon, thank you for the ask and being patient! My inbox was a little crazy…It wasn’t specified what relationship they have, so it’s neutral, and can be read platonically or romantically. I hope you like it :) 

When Mike had asked you to accompany him to a meeting with Abby’s safeguarding officer and their she-devil of a relative - Aunt Jane - you’d said dropped your things without hesitation. You knew it was going to be rough, as the woman had been on him practically since the day their mother had been buried, but you never expected to be blindsided. Still, from the moment you’d walked into the room and seen the catatonic man with a briefcase clutched to his chest, you knew it wasn’t going to be good.

“Just look at my nephew — It's not even 10:00 and he can barely keep his eyes open!” 

That’s because he can’t sleep properly. He’s literally on prescription pills, but you wouldn’t know that, would you?

“And this degenerate is who they trust with the wellbeing of a mentally ill child?”

Degenerate was such a strong, vile word. You’d visibly flinched at it, both in disgust and agitation. Mike hadn’t seemed to react, but you knew that deep down he was internalising each and every word that was leaving the woman’s mouth. 

Abby is not mentally ill, she’s just introverted. All kids are different. 

“You’re the doctor, and you're making me feel like I'm the crazy one - and after what he did to that poor man…”

Oh, of course it was time to break out the tears. Luckily no one - bar herself - was buying it, instead producing a deep collective sigh shared between yourself, Mike and Valerie. Even though the display was all fabricated, you knew that there was a darker side to her behaviour. She’d probably grown up entitled; being able to cry her way out of things so she could mould her victim and bend those in her path to her will. You were livid, and you were sure Mike was too.

“I have tried to play nice - but I have to think about Abby now…Enough is enough - Doug —” 

The click of the briefcase and a rustling of papers brought the final blow. She wanted custody, and there was a high chance that - should the case go to court - she would get it. From the corner of your eye, you cast a glance over at Mike, watching as he let out a sigh and straightened his back as he came to terms with what was in front of him. His hands trembled slightly, and he bit his lip, mind likely racing to find the appropriate words. With a cocked brow he looked up at you, and you ran your tongue over your lips before pursing them. 

You didn’t want to hold back anymore.

“Pardon my language, but this is bullshit,” you spoke, and Jane seemed amused by your sudden aggression. Valerie looked at you with wide eyes, but subtly nodded her head for you to go on. “Mike is a good carer, and he has been for the past few years,”

“Have you not listened to anything at all?” the blonde woman scoffed. “Abby is sick. She’s not progressing like her peers,”

“Obviously, sickness runs in the family,” you said pointedly. “We’ll all be damned if Abby has a fraction of whatever you’ve got going on up there,”

“Are you implying that I’m some sort of sociopath? It’ll say a lot when a judge grants her to me instead of him,”

“Can you stop using Abby as some kind of bargaining chip?” you said, rolling your eyes. “She’s a human. A growing girl who’s lost her family at such a young age, and Mike is the only real person she has left! Yes, he’s made mistakes, but what parent hasn’t?”

Mike’s heart swelled slightly at the flippant use of such a strong word. He was always the ‘older brother’, forgetting that he was basically two things.

“Mike was barely an adult when your sister died, but he’s done a hell of a job becoming one. He’s never missed a doctor's appointment, spends half of whatever shit salary he earns on keeping clothes on her back, and he’s even sitting here silently, not acting out because Abby means just that much to him– ” you spat, feeling your heart race as it pumped blood furiously around your body. Pausing, you loosened your jaw and dropped your shoulders. Your voice had certainly escalated, and the last thing you needed was to be detained.

Mike’s brown eyes were wide, and there was a small smile that lay hidden under his flushed face. He didn’t need to say anything for you to know that he’d really fucking needed that.

“--- Take it from someone with experience…You don’t separate those two. They’re a package deal.” you said softly, glancing over at him again, reminiscing on the moment you’d met them. Being close to the pair, you’d seen it all; the good, the bad and the frequently ugly, but you’d never once doubted Abby’s love for her brother. It was evident that your speech, in the grand scheme of things, didn’t mean much, but you knew you were going to fight like hell beside Mike to make it a small part of a larger story.

They were going to get their happy ending.

[heartilywrites]

enemies to lovers with korra and a blue firebender reader🌚

،، 𝓢tanding Next to You ; Korra

request guide | masterlist

resume: where you, a Triple Threat Triad member, meet the avatar on her first day at the city... and she tries to take you down.

content warning: comfort ; fluff ; a little bit of angst ; Korra x blue firebender!reader ; I THINK I didn’t add any pronouns, but I did this with a fem!reader on mind ; triple threat triad!reader ; taking place in s1 ; reader takes Mako's spot in a lot of things !! ; description of eye color ; no use of y/n

wc: 4.2k

a/n: this has to be my longest fic by far and I feel that to cover good this dynamic I should do a series, but I'll think about it 😋 i loved writing this one ENJOY !!!!

“ One touch and I brand newed it for ya.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Whose fucking boots are these!?” your voice resounded in the Triple Threats' base, at not receiving any quick answer you were fast to burn them. “Ugh, they smell like shit, it's disgusting.”

You made your way to the group's reunion salon, being met with four sets of eyes. An ironic smile appeared in your lips before doing a small bow.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “To what I owe the honor of being called by our leader?” you asked, both your hands behind your back.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “I need you to go and collect our money for us.” Zolt talked. “Viper and his men will go with you.” you frowned.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Why? I can do it alone, they will only hold me back.” you were quick to defend.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Because I say so, idiot. Now go before I change my mind.” a nod was received from your way, holding yourself to not roll your eyes at him and leaving after the three men.

You knew it was going to be a long journey. You've been part of the Triple Threat Triad since you had memory, just as your former friends: you arrived to the group as an orphan. Unlike the Fire and Earth brothers, you stayed in the group feeling that it was the only place were you could be safe, surrounded by criminals. It was all you knew: breaking the law and being a criminal.

It wasn’t like the Triple Threats cared for you because they basically raised you, on the contrary, you were the only known firebender to create blue flames in the modern age, your predecessor being princess Azula back in avatar Aang's time. So it was clear to them, blue flames: stronger fire: an unstoppable firebender and only a bunch of idiots would let a prodigy firebender go, no?

You were behind them all after getting told they would handle the money, looking around if anything caught your eye. Distracted by a necklace stand, the sound of Mushi hitting the ground got your attention back at the same time he screamed your name.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “T–The Avatar!” he exclaimed with somewhat fear in his voice, your eyes were fast to locate the girl when she effortlessly threw Ping to a close-by store.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Now that's a woman.” you whisper to yourself before running to help, taking advantage of her distraction you threw fire at her, she became alert once more.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “You can make blue fire!?” she gasped after defending herself, you smiled big at her the second you both stood still. “How did you do that!?”

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Family secret, want me to tell you?” your hand made the expression asking her to come closer.

But the girl wasn't going to fall that easy to you it seemed.

A very heated –pun intended– fight happened between the two of you, Korra wasn't going to cease at any moment and you weren't about to give her the satisfaction to win so easily.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “I gotta say, Avatar,” your voice sounded shaky at the movement, but you were able to make her trip on her own feet and get on top of her with one leg on each of her sides. Both your hands grabbed her wrists in an attempt to not give her the chance to bend. “I thought you were going to give a better fight.”

The avatar growled, there was no way you were winning, she would not let you win without giving a good fight, using her strength she was able to change positions to now being the one on top. Your eyes widened for a second before a flirty smile appeared on your lips, your teeth caught your bottom lip.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Yeah, well, we can test that if you like.” even if the girl was threatening you, your gold eyes sparkled with emotion.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Oh, I would love to–” a man's voice screaming your name followed by a 'WE'RE LEAVING!' made you sigh. “But I believe we need to reschedule our date, how about next week?”

The southerner opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by a head bump provided by you, hard enough to make her loosen up her grip. You pushed her to the side so you could stand up and run, instead of jumping in the vehicle you used your fire to propel yourself a couple of meters ahead and take a different route so the avatar had to figure out who to follow and to your bad luck she targeted the three men.

Once back in the base you presented yourself to the leader to tell him everything that went down while getting the money and after a couple minutes of not hearing news from the men you two concluded that they got captured.

Days passed after that and you had almost forgot about your failed mission with the trio, but the girl was impossible for you to forget. You found yourself thinking about her while walking late at night in the city's streets, how was she? Where did her Avatar duties took her? Your questions were about to stay as unsolved until one of day you saw a flyer about a probending match and on the picture you were able to recognize the girl along with your two ex co–workers.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “The destiny smiles at me once more.” you spoke to yourself before making your way to the stadium.

You sneaked into the gym with such caution of not getting caught, before entering the practice room you were able to hear something about some money for some competition, you didn't know, you were there to make a call on the girl. Once the older man left the room you walked in, seeing how Mako was leaving a little smile appeared on your mouth.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Hey, fellas, is this the meet and greet for the fire ferrets?” you asked walking with your hands behind your back. Both remaining benders turned to you and you were met with an excited Bolin and an annoyed Korra. “Well damn, calm down, no running.” you joked, Bolin was quick to walk over to you.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “I can't believe it! You're here!!” the earthbender hugged you with a little bit of strength, making you complain about the limited air in your lungs. “Sorry, I'm just excited. I thought I'd never see you again!”

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Now you have me here!” when your feet touched the ground again you smiled with warmth his way before looking back to Korra. “Miss Avatar, good seeing you again.”

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Wish I could say the same.” she spat with discontent, her feet moved her to look for her stuff. “I'm leaving, Bolin, I need to take care of some things. Catch you later!”

Your eyes followed the southerner with curiosity, she didn’t say goodbye to you, but you sure yelled goodbye to her. Not a single word back, she rolled her eyes even if you didn't see it.

You turned back to Bolin and smiled again.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “So, Bo, I heard you're in need of some money.” you said tilting your head to the side. “I have a security project and we need an earthbender as skilled as you.”

The young man shuffled uncomfortable for a bit. “Yeah, uhm, Mako said I shouldn't get near you guys...”

Your eyes rolled at that statement. “Well, if you need the money in a short time-frame let me tell you that no honest work will get it.” you said, from your jacket you handed him a wad of money, his eyes widened and mouth opened with surprise. “It's yours, think about it and if you want to take the job you know where to find me.”

After that you said goodbye with a tiny hug and walked back to the base. At night a couple of minutes before leaving, Bolin presented himself in the place and you couldn’t be more happy. You'd be lying if you said you didn't miss the brothers by your side, after all you three grew together, so it did hurt a little bit when they left.

You used the opportunity to catch up with the earthbender and to ask about the Avatar without appearing invasive, you had to hide your interest for her as you weren't alone with the boy.

Everything was going well until the group got jumped by the equalists, everyone gave a good fight but the chi blockers were faster and got the group. They made sure to have you neutralize well after seeing your blue fire and got hit to unconsciousness when tried to fight even tied up.

Your body hurt since the very first second you got back into consciousness, trying to move you were able to distinguish how your wrists and ankles were tied up. Scared you woke up completely to see how you were in a stage, Bolin to your left, a large group of people in front of you and Zolt fighting at your right.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “What's going on?” you asked the earthbender, he was shaking with fear. “Bolin...”

The sound of lighting got your eyes back to your leader and what you saw shock you in an indescribable way. You saw on first hand how his bending was taken away and when he tried to defend himself again but was met with nothing, your heart stopped.

Your eyes started to tear up with fear and cold sweat rolled down your face, this couldn't be happening, not to you.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “The so called fire prodigy.” Amon said while looking at you, an electric feeling shook you. “Just as your shitty colleagues, I'll let you fight for your bending right. Prove you are deserving of the name, prodigy.”

One of the chi blockers forced you to stand up, took the ropes from you and pushed you to the center.

The masked man stood still in his place while you prepared yourself. You needed a miracle, something to help you get out of there alive and with your bending. The first attacks his way were insecure, Amon laughed at you and that got you the anger necessary to give him a good fight. The leader was backing up and that had you smiling for a second, you were sure you were about to win until he caught your ankle in one of his hands and your eyes widened.

Amon threw you against the floor with such strength that you let out a hurt moan. You tried to get him off by throwing fire at him and a couple of lightnings, but at the end he was quick to grab you by your shirt collar. And just by seconds, an explosion coming from machines startle everyone and fog began to fill the room. That was your chance, you took Amon's hand that was almost touching your forehead and threw him to the stage floor, using the steam you lost yourself in it so he couldn’t followed you.

While looking for a way out somehow you ended up leaving through an alley, bumping into the Avatar and the brothers fighting with one chi blocker who carried shocking sticks. On a quick move you planted yourself between then making a fire column in just a second.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Leave now, Avatar, before they emerge like cockroaches!” you screamed at her, the southerner was already on her polar dog. You shot lightnings near him to scare the man and buy them some time.

Korra hesitated before coming closer to you and order for you to jump behind her, without a second thought you did what she told you and after you Mako jump on.

The dog was quick to leave danger and both firbenders were looking back every now and then to make sure no one was following you, once the dog stopped everyone got down.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Thank you for saving me.” you called for the girl's attention with your voice. “I know I'm not your favorite person, but I'm really grateful you didn’t leave me behind.”

The southerner looked at you serious for a moment before sighing. “I did what I had to, anyone would've done the same.”

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “I don’t really think anyone would've saved someone from the Triple Threats.” you shrugged. “Alright, pretty girl, I need to find a new home now that my old one will be drowned in chaos. See ya!”

Korra watched you walk a couple of steps away before calling you. She knew your name, you smiled big. “If you want, you can stay in Air Temple Island...”

You turned quickly over your heels to her. “Does this means you like me?”

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “It means you need to hop on or I'll leave you in the streets.” obedient to what she said, you got back in Naga's back.

Convincing the master airbender was hard, he knew about you and how you were part of the Triple Threats so it was pretty normal for him to distrust you. It took a bunch of pleading from you and Korra telling him how everything in the equalists rally went and how you helped them for him to accept you on the island.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “But make one wrong move and I will not hesitate to have the authorities involved.” he finished, you nodded with a little smile.

The man left to his own chambers, telling the avatar how he will talk with the council first thing in the morning. Now it was only the two of you.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Soooo...” you talked taking a deep breath. “Are you planning on taking down Amon? Because I want in.”

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “I got this, I don’t need your help.” Korra started to make her way to her bedroom, you follow since yours would be close.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “I mean, I'm a pretty good firebender if you ask me and I think it would be best if you have all the help.” you tried to convince her. “Listen, Korra, I know we didn’t start with the right foot–”

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “That's an understatement, you got me arrested.” she interrupted, you hold back a little laugh.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “No, that was you alone,” you saw her brow frown. “but I think I could be of great help.” you saw Korra's head shake before she started to walk faster. “I can help you improve in firebending.”

Now she stopped on her own feet, a couple seconds after she turned to you.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Who knows, maybe you can be the first avatar to produce fully blue fire.” her eyes sparkled with curiosity and there you saw a little bit of hope. Korra wasn't going to lie, she was intrigued about your peculiar color of bending. “I know you have Mako already in your team, but he's only good with lightnings. I can help you be the best at firebending.”

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Fine.” she said after moments of silence. “But I still don't trust you.”

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Understandable, pretty girl.” you winked at her and the avatar only turned back around to keep walking, hoping that by the low amount of light in the place you weren't able to see her face blush.

The next events went by quick, Korra had put her guard down around you enough to trust you after a couple of training sessions. You taught her everything you knew about firebending, alongside she taught you different moves from other nations adapted to function for firebenders. The time spent with each other didn’t go to waste, Korra finally saw in you what Mako and Bolin did: a good person doing what was needed to survive.

And when Korra was taken away, the most restless out of the group was you. The brothers knew you well and they could confirm that they had never seen you that way with anyone before, when the girl was found you never left her side in the next days.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Hey, stranger.” her voice called for your attention, you turned your head her way while putting your plate of... whatever was given to you down. “You're busy?”

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Not really.” you answered with a little smile. “You needed something, pretty girl?”

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Come with me to fight Amon.” she was direct, taking a seat beside you. “I don't really want to go alone...”

You blinked surprised at her, before straightening your back. “The guys didn't want to go?”

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Didn't ask them, I want you to go with me.” for a second, the avatar's tone was shy, but she got the courage to look you in the eyes and not divert her gaze elsewhere. “I believe I need a fire prodigy with me to defeat a crazy asshole.”

Your face started to feel hot, so you look away for a second to control yourself and got back to her. “Alright, let's do this.”

A tiny farewell happened, everyone wishing you two good luck. The plan was to infiltrate and reveal Amon's real history to everyone in the arena, once dressed you follow every step made by the avatar mostly staying by her side as reinforcement when needed.

Everything was going well, she had freed the airbending family when both of you jumped into stage to fight for them and got to distract Amon, but he wasn't going to give up so easily. Using his bloodbending he got the two of you out of the hiding spots you were, it was the worst feeling you've had to the moment.

He managed to pin you down and control the avatar at the same time. “Wait, no! Korra!” you exclaimed with difficulty, there wasn't much you could do other than watch.

Your heart stopped when you realize how he was able to take away the avatar's bending of the elements, the same fear you felt when Zolt got stripped away from his firebending if not more prominent.

A second male voice got everyone's attention, Amon's right hand was there. You took advantage of his distraction to focus, a deep breath in and a breath out by your mouth, a grunt vibrated on your throat when he made you get up. Looking up at him you were sure he was about to talk, but your plan interrupted him. A blue fire breath from you made him take a couple steps back annoyed and then you attacked him with lightning, he was grunting and took him a minute to let you go, but when he did weakly you stood up and shot him with a new lightning to send him all the way back before creating a fire circle arouns him to hopefully keep him occupied while you ran to take Korra in your arms and leave.

Your mouth was mumbling random stuff at the same time your feet made the desperate sound against the floor of you looking for a way out. Again that horrible feeling stopped you so abruptly that the girl fell from your grip, your body hit the roof and then the floor a couple of times leaving you numb for some time, not letting you think of a defense plan. Your eyes forced themselves to focus on the silhouette of the southerner on the floor, you whispered her name and got interrupted with a growl at the feeling of your head being forced to throw itself back.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “I'm impressed.” hoarsely he spoke to you. “It's almost a shame to take away the bending of someone so talented, don't you think, prodigy?”

Panic began to run in your veins seeing again his hand looking to touch your forehead. Korra's voice resounded and both the masked man and you flew because of an air blast, he rolled way farther than you did. Your eyes widened and looked at the avatar who was just as surprised, but also was quick to attack him again with her new discovered airbending.

You let her take care of the man while trying to compose yourself and standing up with a little of slowness since your body began to hurt for all the bloodbending against its will. You were getting ready to attack the northener again when your eyes caught how Korra was being bloodbended again, but she got the power to resist and kick him out of the building.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Such a woman.” you said again to yourself, walking slowly her way and being able to see the whole spectacle of the city finding out how 'Amon' was really a waterbender. When he submerged himself back into the water, you shot blue fire blasts his way wanting to hit him with no luck whatsoever.

Heavy breathing was heard both from you and the avatar and before you could say anything more, her arms hugged you by the shoulders. You both were about the same height, so your hands slipped to her waist and your head turned to face her, she was smiling differently this time.

The whole group had accompanied the girl to the South Water Tribe in looks of getting Korra's bending of the other elements back, but were met with a dead end when Katara said how she wasn't able to regaing the avatar's connection to the other elements.

Leaving everyone inside you follow the southerner when she went outside, winning Mako's spot as he made the movement to follow her. “Hey, Korra!” you called for her making her feet stop.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Not now, I need to be alone...” she said resting one of her hands on Naga's seat. “I'm not the avatar anymore, there's no need for you to continue here.”

One of your eyebrows raised with curiosity. “Why would that be? I'm not here because you're the avatar, I'm here because I care about you.”

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Stop pretending! We all know everyone is here because of me being the avatar, well that's no more, you can go and make your life in the city without me.” she sounded frustrated, you took the remaining steps to be near her.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “I don’t want a life without you,” you began to say in such calm tone. “I got so use to you that when you were taken away I nearly went crazy...”

Her blue eyes looked back at you with compassion, one of your hands looked to rest in her face, feeling how the cold in her skin was fast to be replaced by the warmth you emanated.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “We may had our difficult start, but...” you stopped for a second, gathering strength again. “But I love you, Korra. I want to be with you, avatar or not, I love you by you.”

The southerner was taken back by the sudden confession, she excused herself and jumped on the seat to get away from there. You hid your face between your hands. “We need to be patient with her.” Tenzin spoke to your side making you jump a little bit. “It will take time for her to accept what has happened.”

You looked back at him and smiled with warmth, he reciprocated the action your way. “Thank you for letting me stay on the island, Tenzin.” you said taking advantage of the situation. “I will always be grateful with you for that.”

He shook his head. “It's what we do.” a small and soft pat was given to your shoulder, he never stopped smiling.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “I'll go to make sure she's okay.” the bender nodded and made his way back to the tent.

You took your time walking to the southerner, mainly because the cold air hit you way more if you walked faster and you hated that, but also because you wanted to give the girl her time alone before you arrived to call her back to the group.

When you arrived to her, your fire breath stopped suddenly at the sight of the girl in the avatar state bending the elements. Your eyes were bright with excitement and pride for her, when her feet touched the ground again she looked back and her eyes caught your presence, just like her, you smiled big.

Korra ran your way, not letting you talk by pressing her lips with yours on a sweet kiss. “I love you too, I want to be with you.”

More than happy your answer was giving the girl another kiss while hugging her by the waist to get her as close as anatomy would allow you both to be, she hugged your shoulders delighted with the closeness, happy to be in the moment and grateful to the destiny for making both your ways find each other.

‍ ‍ ‍ ‍‍ “Your nose is cold, pretty girl, how can you live like this?” you asked between kisses with a fun tone, making her laugh and stop the actions.

[cartoonrival]

I ALWAYS GET SO SAD WHEN PPL USE THE DECLARATION OF WOMANHOOD EP AS PROOF AKANES CISHET. Like i get that they wanna defend ranma from akane saying transphobic shit throughout and attacking her at the end, but i'm begging them to rewatch and consider her pov: up until that point she had been able to tell herself "i'm not REALLY bi because ranma's not a real girl" and now suddenly that excuse is pulled out from under her and guess what? She's STILL very clearly attracted to ranma and she panics bc she's 16 in japan in the 90s. she'll insist ranma's a boy one minute and then buy her an expensive dress and take her to get ice cream the next. she's literally not even mad at ranma for being a girl when she chases her at the end, the thing that sets her off is ranma dismissing her when she's worried about them not being able to get married as girls. homegirl did not handle it smoothly bc she was also going thru it hardcore

look man. ive talked about this episode before. i know its widely adored but i personally strongly dislike it because ranma acting so wildly out of character really annoys me even though the ice cream shop conversation is objectively revolutionary. because ranma acts so ooc throughout that whole episode i consider it to have very little bearing in terms of tgirl ranma support. but that episode is BIBLICAL for bisexual akane. the staunch refusal by fans to see anything from akane's perspective is fucking nuts. from akane's pov the PLOT of that episode is essentially EXACTLY what you said: ive been using "hes not ACTUALLY a girl as my excuse for being in love with him this whole time but now suddenly it seems like he IS actually a girl and it turns out im still very much in love with him, and im terrified to face what that means". also honestly i think akane was also annoyed that ranma was acting cowardly... bisexual or not it is true that this isnt really the person she fell for. because ranma was acting weird. so i think we should give her a little credit for that reasonable frustration as well. but in that ep she so very clearly thinks girl ranma is really cute and pretty and wants to do stuff that makes her happy and see her in pretty dresses and to be quite honest that bit at the beginning where boytype ranma is trying on her clothes and getting frustrated and dysphoric that they dont fit her right, and akane says "they dont fit me right either" makes me a little craaaazy that solidarity between cis and trans people wrt body image.... anyways everyone wants to hate akane so bad and read her in bad faith but for some reason insists on bending over backwards to read shampoo as gay

[mugentakeda]

okay more runaway fire fam hcs

-zuko gets gift giving as a love language from ursa. ursa loves to go to the market after work and parooze. she loves finding shit that she thinks the kids would enjoy. knick knacks and shit. she has a fondness for earth kingdom jadeite.

-ursa gives zuko and azula little potted plants from the florist and tasks them with the assignment of taking care of them as long as they can. competition comes second nature to them, and its gonna be hard for her and lu ten to shake that off, but for now, maybe ursa can make a compromise by having them compete in nurturing. hopefully, what they learn from that will stick.

-when azula and zuko arent nosing around the town, theyre messing around in the surrounding forest. one day zuko wants to see if he can cross the water and explore air temples, but for now hes gonna scout the area. the amount of trees are good for practicing stealth, even if he doesnt have his dao.

-zuko finds a baby sparrowhawk-lynx with azula. they agree to take him home and work together to convince mother and cousin lu ten to let them keep him.

-ursa is dismayed at the idea of having any kind of furry animal around the house and getting fur on their clothes and rugs. she also swears that feline type animals all smell strange. lu ten is dismayed at the idea of having a lynx around the house because they get fucking huge. (he never makes the point that its a wild animal, and not a toy- because zuko and azula do have the discipline to care for an animal. and lu ten can trust azula to be able to defend herself and zuko if something goes wrong when he isnt around)

-they keep the sparrowhawk-lynx.

-they couldnt agree on a name for him so until they could they started calling him "Beast" in the meantime. unfortunately this ends up sticking so neither of them end up getting to pick a name.

-ursa takes all but two days to warm up to him because hes a cute little baby that likes to rub his head on her skirts. ursa is a weak woman to cute animals. she starts cradling him like a newborn and baby talking him. azula will not stand for both her AND zuko babying Beast. she keeps trying to train him to attack things or wrestle with her but he just crawls on her and licks her face.

-lu ten warms up to Beast as well but also treats him and talks to him like a human child. this is a problem because Beast is a sparrowhalk-lynx that can only understand basic words and not full sentences. so whenever lu ten tries to scold him for using their shoes as chew toys he just stares at lu ten blankly. pet idiot baby :(

-hot garlic chili oil and kimchi is something that has to be made in very large batches. theyve gotten used to the mild and savory flavors of earth kingdom style food but they also cant live without at least SOME spice. ursa is working on a whole section of her back garden that will be dedicated to just hot peppers so they dont have to keep buying it from the market

-nobody has a specific role or chore assignment in the house. they just do it as it comes. it doesnt matter who all does it, or how its done. azula likes washing dishes more than folding laundry, so zuko does the laundry with lu ten. but azula doesnt like doing dishes alone after curry dinners with their thick sauces that stick on the plates, so on those days, she splits it with ursa.

-lu ten has found the perfect spot in solitude to keep up azula and zukos training- up a tall rocky trail, near a cliff that faces where the sun rises.

-lu ten keeps azula and zukos lessons conjoined rather than doing it by skill level, because the ones lu ten took were different bending courses from the ones ozai had azula and zuko take, so its new material for them both. on top of that, lu ten has to also take the time to do life lessons with them too. instead of proverbs, lu ten prefers the approach of the way he best learns- making each lesson a group discussion. lu ten thrived in the court, and loved nothing more than waiting and listening, in order to dissect the natures of the councilmens hearts. open discussion is blunt and confrontational. lu ten likes proverbs, but doesnt see them as very effective when it came to foundational lessons. their vagueness leaves too much room for misinterpretation, and azula and zuko were never allowed to leave their parroting phase by ozai, so lu ten has to be very careful about what he says, lest he starts planting even more stupid shit in his cousins' brains without thinking.

[fallingskiesandrisingseas]

I rewatched the last Agni Kai between Azula and Zuko yesterday and then read the discourse and there are a few things that I feel need to be said here.

First of all, Azula wins that fight 100% if she's mentally balanced. Yes, Zuko has incorporated other styles into his bending, yes, he's more surefooted now, yes, he's outclassing her the entire fight and isn't even out of breath while his sister is panting. Even with all that, Azula is able to use fire in a much more instinctive way. She has shown feats unmatched by other firebenders when not under the comet, like flying with fire. She also has insane command over lightning, outdrawing Zuko and even Iroh. And her fire is blue, burning a hotter temperature then regular fire. A prodigy indeed.

Second, it is interesting that Azula cheats because she can't beat Zuko with lightning. We are told that lightning is a powerful firebending form only the royal family knows, and Azula does it better ( and earlier ) than most. But doesn't it require inner peace? What if, in that exact moment, lightning would no longer come to her, her talent failing her? What if that was the end? Would have made a for powerful breakdown of Azula as well. But she conjures lightning.

And I was wondering what the lightning was even for, conceptually. It shows us that Zuko now has full mastery of the hardest technique, and Azula knows -she knows, goddamn- that he can redirect. So why use it? And then it hit me. She uses it because a) she's been outclassed in every other fire bending attack, burning through her stamina while Zuko hasn't even moved, and b) she sees it as her best ability, something Zuko cannot emulate. She wants to hurt him.

Here we see Azula's tactical brilliance and cruelty. She decides in a split second to aim her lighting at Katara, a waterbender with no way of defending herself against this deadly force. This forces Zuko to make the sacrifice play, taking one of the pieces off the board. I don't believe she truly thinks that Zuko will make it, by the way. She expects him to let her die, which will make him angry, unhinged. More of a match. And even if he doesn't, she wins by taking Zuko out. Azula's strategy of divide and conquer indeed.

But this all comes from Zuko's provocation. This provocation is a mistake.

Because what is Zuko going to do when he redirects it? Kill her with it? Aang chose to spare Ozai, and in a world where Zuko keeps his cool and doesn't provoke it like that, she'll still use it, and he'll have no choice but to kill her. There could be no other outcome in an Agni Kai, not since Sozin. If Zuko wants to win, he will have to kill her. There is no way he can subdue her with fire, and she won't quit, we know that.

The provocation is not only a tactical error on Zuko's part, but it gives the writers a way out of having one of the siblings murder the other. . It is a fight that only has losers, a fight Zuko knows needs to happen but doesn't want to have. Azula also seems to care for her brother in some way still, telling Katara that she'd much rather "have him looked after by the family physician."

The fandom also moves past the fact that Katara is able to beat the strongest firebender of their generation with wits and sewer water. You know how insane that is? Sure, Azula isn't all there, but she is still an incredibly skilled opponent. And Katara outsmarts her. One of the best minds in the fire nation beaten by a water bender.

Which brings me to my next, and most important point. Azula can breathe fire. She is no more helpless in the ice than Zuko or Iroh is, both of whom have shown to be capable of escaping from ice. And yet she lets Katara chain her to the floor without a fight.

She shouldn't go down that easily. Not if she is all there. And I think this beautifully illustrates what happens in this fight, just as much as the crying after: Azula, the prodigy, the favourite child, the heir to the throne, cannot conceive being beaten.

She's been told she was special since the day she was born, she has witnessed the scarring of her brother, she has been emotionally abused by her family. She's all alone, in the end, no friends, no allies, and she's beaten when her bending is at her most powerful ( SHOULD BE at her most powerful, more accurately ). Beaten by a puny waterbender from the Southern Watertribe.

Now we understand why she doesn't act, merely moving her eyes as Katara chains her. At the most important moment, she fails, and suddenly none of the abuse she endured, the friends she has lost, the people she has used, is worth it.

No wonder she is crying.

[unlikelysaintdelele]

some interesting things i've noted during my ACOTAR reread Pt. 4 (ACOMAF edition)

*SPOILER WARNING for those who haven’t completed the series*

So lost, Feyre found herself content with the idea of never becoming Tamlin’s equal, but deep inside she knew that wasn’t true. The signs of her sense of self going down hill are only beginning.

“You clearly don’t know Rhysand.” Casual language, no titles used. Shows a closeness between her and Rhys as she’s so easily defending him, one of the only times she’s assertive. She gives in to the whims of Tamlin and Ianthe on everything, but her will doesn't bend on her opinion of Rhys. At least in this instance.

Feyre hasn’t laughed in so long that she doesn’t remember the last time she did… how busy and self-absorbed is Tamlin that he hasn’t even noticed? Why isn't he more concerned about her mind?

I just imagine the Disney Enchanted wedding dress as Feyre’s wedding dress:

Bitch, Ianthe and the red petals! As mentioned earlier, Feyre has been giving in or complying with what everyone else wants. One of the few things she expressed for herself was "Not red." A firm statement with no room for compromise.

The kidnapping scene, itscomingitscoming. “As inescapable as the vow I was about to make”. The wording is so revealing of Feyre's true feelings after her describing her fear of feeling trapped, imprisoned. She’s not ready to get married. "Help me, help me, help me. Save me, please. Save me. Get me out. End this."

the night court was the most beautiful place Feyre had ever seen, straight from her thoughts. Just as Rhys was the most beautiful man she had ever seen!

Rhys: You look delicious today, Feyre darling~. This man has 1000% more rizz in his pinky finger than Tamlin has in his whole body. Love that his first time saying "Feyre, darling" in the book was when he was kidnapping her.

A new war is coming, from King Hybern. Rhys, the enemy, is the one who revealed this to Feyre. Not her fiance or her friends, the man who is seen as the enemy of those she loves.

Amarantha was an experiment, a test to see how long a territory could be kept. Hybern wants to reclaim the human lands.

Several untested high lords... ngl I forgot this piece of info in the later books. Broken courts with high priestesses angling for control like wolves around a carcass.

Feyre has a skill of catching the Suriel (always loved this detail), and she is the only hunter Rhys trusts

Feyre has the same signs that a high lord’s son might become his heir. Her powers could destroy her if she doesn’t learn to control them! This makes it so much worse that Tamlin isn't willing to teach her. He is harming her with his protection. Meanwhile, Rhys will teach her. The differences between the two males only grows.

"Tamlin won’t allow it." Like she needs his permission... Feyre also calls herself Tamlin’s subject. She doesn’t perceive herself as an equal. She's being brainwashed into submission. Rhys gets upset for her, "you are no one’s subject" as well as "Pretending you’re less than him, than Ianthe, than any of us." While Tampon expects her to accept a place below him, Rhys is pushing her to rise to her potential.

Rhys: “I know you, more than you realize.” HE DOES, HE REALLY DOES. he’s giving a voice to what she keeps pretending she’s not feeling, reminding her of the truth left and right. love him for that.

“Become a weapon.” Tamlin just wants her safe, guarded, and always inside. Rhys wants her to be capable and ready if (when) needed, he wants her strong.

Rhys placed Feyre in a room that was “so open”... because of her nightmares? so she’d always be able to have access to the sky, brightly lit by starlight? So she’d always know where she was when she woke?

AZRIEL WAS MENTIONED, AH!

Mor has control? of what? What games did they play and lose? Oh shit is it when Rhys went utm? what are they referring to!

Temple attacked, priestesses slain and trove looted. Def Hybern. What for?

Despite Feyre not being from the night court, and engaged to the high lord of spring, they are letting her hear the gruesome details of what is happening in theirs. They’re not shielding her from the truth like they do in spring.

“Great beautiful, brutal wings.” Rhys hates giving into his more beastly urges, but loves his wings, so it’s sweet that this is how she views him. Brutal, yes, but beautiful. She sees him as he is, past the monster he could be. He feels whole with the wings!

CASSIAN WAS ALSO MENTIONED. Apparently, he suspects it’s not Hybern but one of the Illyrian war bands as they “gleefully bowed to Amarantha.”

Winnowing~ no one had explained it to her before, she learns it from Rhys tho. Rare gift among the stronger fae. Without fail, what she should have been told by her friends, by her loved ones, she is instead being told by their enemy.

“Tamlin should know.” (this is about temples being attacked) that line sounded almost… betrayed. As if she’s realizing the severity of what is being kept from her. She does not like being shielded. It makes her feel, most likely, helpless. Powerless.

I know I'm shitting on him a lot, but I actually don't hate Tamlin. I understand every single one of his choices (doesn't mean I always understand his reactions, or even like either of them). We are told more than once why he's so suffocatingly overprotective and restrictive. The man is traumatized. Never again will he be powerless to protect his people, and he follows through (at first). I can respect that.

However, he is so blinded by his own issues, his own trauma, he has made himself incapable of truly helping Feyre. Over and over again, his choices reflect how he chooses to address his trauma over hers. There is no doubt he loves her or she loves him, but they are horribly mismatched for each other. If she had stayed, if Rhys never intervened, Tamlin would have destroyed her beyond repair. He almost did.

[ladymorghul]

They're basically turning this show into Rh*enicent vs the Patriarchy if all those rumors turn out to be true. So you've got these two women on two opposing sides fighting a civil war but instead of trying to win the war for their side all they want is to be with each other again but oh no they won't be able to succeed because all the evil men around them want to fight and will ruin their peace attempts. It's just nonsensical storytelling! Now of course like you've been pointing out Alicent is going to be the one to fully blame herself and her own side for everything and will be much, much more inclined to go to Rhaenyra and ask for forgiveness rather than the opposite but still. Even from Rhaenyra's POV it's just stupid is she's allowing Alicent to come and go to Dragonstone without taking her hostage so she can use her as a bargaining chip against the greens. And I can't imagine Rhaenyra asking for forgiveness at all, maybe except for B&C since she can fully blame Daemon for it by saying she never knew what he had intended to do.

Istg if they make Alicent throw Aemond under the bus…imagine if she tells Rhaenyra she will agree, in the name of peace, with whatever punishment she deems necessary for him as long as it does not involve his death? Maybe send him to the wall as punishment for kinslaying? I know it's stupid but surely Aemond and Alicent's relationship will deteriorate post Storm's End and B&C and with all this Rh*enicent bs I truly expect something like this from the writers because they can also use this as one of the excuses behind Aemond's future Riverlands arc & his madness, it will all hit him VERY hard if he knows his own mother is willing to sacrifice him for Rhaenyra in some half-assed attempt at peace.

You're also totally right about the Alicent poisoning Aegon theory. They're fully capable of doing it! I'm also thinking they're going to have Alicent at Dragonstone so she can witness, along with Aegon the Younger, when Aegon will order his dragon to burn and eat Rhaenyra so she'll be even more motivated to poison him in the future.

these writers are annoying because the actual first crack in aemond & alicent relationship should have been alicent toasting rhaenyra, saying she will make a fine queen despite still no consequences for what happened to him and even ewan underlined this, that a crime went unpunished and that aemond's world became unbalanced because of this and then you have alicent being like 'forget all that, rhaenyra you will make a fine queen'. and if the trouble was only between aemond and luke, you could make a case for it but rhaenyra further tried to gaslight everyone in the room, tried to make viserys hurt alicent and her kids for 'treason' and asked for aemond to be interrogated as he lay there, eye sitting on the goddamn table. i always said this, but if i was aemond... that would have not sat well with me at all.

and while we don't know exactly what will happen, i do agree that this rhaen*cent agenda will continue to be pushed in more stupid ways. i do hope it's nothing as ridiculous as you've described because i do not want to see that but who knows atp. they certainly have a different vision than me so what do i know?

i could understand much of alicent's actions from the pov of a woman who was wronged and who cares for her children and does what she can to protect them, (after all, she was fully aware a war will start the moment she crowns aegon, book page or not, because she knew neither rhaenyra nor daemon will publicly bend the knee to aegon). so to then turn on your own children like that? for what? that would be something i could not defend. especially for a woman who was only a bad friend to her.

[notawheelwalker]

I feel like the “context matters!!!” People that defend Rhy UTM also need to give Tamlin the same consideration. Ignoring the fact that he was willing to doom his people for Freyre not once, but twice, think about what he saw and experienced UTM.

Y’all forget that the abuse that Rhys suffered (and willingly walked into for rights and privileges, which doesn’t diminish it, but call a duck a duck ya know) is what Tamlin was resisting giving into. That was eventually going to be his future enslaved UTM, because he wasn’t actually going to be able to “resist” once his oppressor decided to stop waiting for his consent. You’re mad he “just sat there” UTM? Literally what was he supposed to do to protect Freyre? He already did everything in his power when he sent her away and was willing to doom all the high fae courts to eternal slavery. He doesn’t have rights and privileges to move freely UTM like Rhys did, he’s kept on a short leash.

In this time, he watched what Rhys claims he did to “protect” Freyre. Like, imagine watching someone that you have a gnarly personal history/bad blood with going out of their way to drug, grope, and humiliate the woman you love. That had to feel like retribution. Rhys pretty much admits that the only reason he didn’t r*pe Freyre while she was drugged was because he didn’t want to fight Tamlin.

Side note, I know Tamlin didn’t know this, but do y’all remember that Freyre described Rhys pinning her to the wall so hard she felt her bones grinding? She described the kiss as him forcing himself on her and washed her mouth out 3 times afterwards. The music Rhys sent to Freyre only cheered her up because it made her think of Tamlin.

So, after they get out of UTM, he discovers that his enemy used his partners imminent death from infection to force her into a bargain with him? After UTM, why wouldn’t he be scared of what Rhys would do in private considering what he did in front of all the courts?

It definitely seems like Rhys went out of his way to humiliate him with the dramatic entry into their wedding. If I were Tamlin, I’d wonder why he hadn’t fulfilled his part of the bargain to take Freyre for one week during the 3 months prior to the wedding.

He also has his full powers back after 50 years. Freyre is described as shattering doors and bending cutlery unintentionally, is it really that unbelievable that he would not have full control of his powers immediately again? When he destroys the study, he wasn’t directing an attack at her. He immediately is trying to make sure she’s okay afterwards. He’s guilty and it’s clear it wasn’t intentional. Have you ever felt overwhelmed in a fight with your partner? Imagine if you had untold power that was tied heavily to your emotions and think about how hard that would be to keep contained while you’re feeling overwhelmed in a fight with your partner that’s going nowhere.

In ACOTAR, Tamlin isn’t shown to be a very well spoken person. He isn’t shown to be someone that has an easy time talking about feelings or hard topics. If Freyre wasn’t bringing up her PTSD or talking about it, why would he feel comfortable broaching that subject? He seems to want to get “back to normal” asap, which is fucked up, but I can’t blame him for that.

When he sent her away for her own protection, she disregarded his effort for her safety and ended up UTM trying to “save” him. He watched her get tortured for months because she disregarded him trying to protect her in the past. Freyre had a savior complex that can’t be denied. She doesn’t know what’s going on in the world, which he could help her understand, but she’s also fucking 19. Genuinely what would she have done other than get in the way or martyr herself again? She doesn’t understand war, isn’t educated, and doesn’t even fully understand the fae yet. Why wouldn’t he ensure she stay in place for her own safety?

It’s fucked up, don’t get me wrong, but not so fucked up that Freyre doesn’t turn around and do the same shit to her own sister in ACOSF.

If you’re willing to bend over backwards to consider the context and motivation of a 500 year old man abusing and manipulating a teenager, then consider the motivations of a man who was willing to betray his entire country to protect her. Because why the fuck wouldn’t he see Rhys as a threat to Freyre safety after UTM?

[helpistolethesecharacters]

Love Conquers All

Zuko x Male Reader

Word Count: 1856

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

Y/n could understand where Zuko was coming from, but he knew he wouldn't be surprised if it didn't go as well as he had perhaps envisioned.

It was all very well and good that he had finally found his way, but he had hurt the Avatars group a fair bit before finding his way. Y/n also knew that as someone who had been a part of Zuko's attempts to hurt them, he had no leg to stand on in helping smooth the situation over. He hadn't been as single-minded in his focus on capturing the Avatar, but he had only cared because Zuko cared.

He didn't think that would matter to them, but then, Y/n didn't particularly care one way or the other how they felt about him. The only person who mattered to him was Zuko. Well, and Iroh, but that was a given of anyone who had met the calm old man.

When they made it to the kids campsite Y/n hung back, staying by the exit. It wasn't that he didn't trust them not to ambush him and Zuko, oh wait, it was that. Never mind.

Y/n watched the exchange carefully. He could feel it in the air mere seconds before she struck.

Faster than their eyes could follow, Y/n moved. By the time that everyone had caught up with the events, Y/n was standing in front of Zuko, sheathing his sword after having deflected Katara's water whip.

Silence reigned for a single heartbeat. Then Katara shrieked in outrage.

"How dare you!"

Y/n was sure she was still speaking, but he had a habit of being selectively deaf when it most benefited him.

And then, with almost no warning she was throwing water at him with increasingly wild movements.

It was no match for Y/n's technique.

It wasn't common knowledge, in fact, he had hidden it for most of his life, but Y/n was an airbender.

Yeah, literally the biggest lie in their world was that there were no more airbenders. The Air Nomads had had the practice of removing non-benders from their society and giving them to the other kingdoms.

What they didn't know was that all it took was for the right circumstances to happen and suddenly you had airbenders in the descendants of those non-benders.

It didn't change much ultimately, they were so few that they wouldn't ever be considered a threat to anyone, not that the Air Nomads had been when the Fire Nation had attacked them a hundred years ago.

What it all came down to, was a confused child suddenly developing powers that no one was able to control anymore.

Luckily for Y/n, the only person who had been around the first time he had bended was Zuko. As secrets tend to do, it had bound the two closer together than anyone would have thought ever since that day.

It was a loyalty that had seen Y/n stowing away on the ship Zuko had been banished on, and one that had been returned by Zuko had never once considered that the apparently Fire Nation child could be the reborn Avatar.

What it came down to, was that Katara was having no luck besting Y/n. Much as he wanted to put her in her place properly, Y/n knew that what they were trying to accomplish here would be hurt by that. From the looks of things though, they might have lost that chance.

Y/n stayed on the defensive, letting her tire herself out instead of outright attacking. He was worried about the look the Avatar was giving him though. That wide eyed expression couldn't mean anything good for his secret. He had always known that it would come out eventually, but he had hoped it would last longer than this dammit!

"Katara stop!"

The kid was trying to get in between then now, but the water tribe girl was apparently past the point of caring. She was just not backing down.

"Wait, I wanna talk to him!"

"No! They need to get out of here and never come back!"

Y/n was sure that her words might have been more intimidating if she weren't so clearly out of her league. He decided to ignore the voice in the back of his head that whispered that if he had used even half of his abilities properly before this they might have caught the Avatar long ago.

The element of surprise couldn't be taken for granted after all, and judging from the kid's reaction just now, all they would have had to do was show him Y/n's powers and he probably would have stayed on the ship that first day.

Y/n pulled himself out of his thoughts with a shrug. It was a bit late for that right now.

The Avatar had managed to get between Y/n and Katara, and seemed to be trying to talk her down from her rage. Y/n watched, only mildly interested. This wasn't how he had thought today would go.

He turned to Zuko, who was still standing behind him.

"Are you okay?"

He just looked Y/n over, head to toe looking for injuries.

"I'm fine, but are you sure it was a good idea to show them that? I could have taken a few hits. I've had worse before, you know that."

Y/n clenched his jaw at the reminder.

"I know. I'm sorry. You know how I feel about you willingly putting yourself in danger though. You didn't even try to defend yourself. Don't think I didn't spot that."

Y/n leveled a flat stare at Zuko.

He at least had the good grace to blush in shame and hide behind his fringe.

Y/n turned back to the group of kids gathered in front of them.

He gave them his best blank stare. He had nothing more to say to them, this was about Zuko teaching the Avatar firebending after all.

Besides, he was sure that anything he said would be twisted around and spat back at him by the water tribe girl.

"You're an airbender!"

Y/n refused to give up his secret that easily.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

The little blind girl perked up.

"You're lying. You are an airbender? I thought they were all wiped out."

Y/n stubbornly refused to respond. He could see the water tribe girl's eye narrow at his silence. She was just about to explode on him again when Y/n felt a shift in the air. Less than a second later he felt Zuko's hand on his shoulder.

He slumped slightly. Damn Zuko's soft heart.

"Yes. I can bend air."

The shout of pure joy that the Avatar let out was enough to make Y/n feel slightly guilty about keeping it from him the whole time he had been after him.

"I'm not alone! There must be more, right? Some of the monks survived and hid right? Please tell me!"

Man, this kid was excitable, and as happy as he was, Y/n didn't want to be the one to tell him that he was wrong. He couldn't take the soft option of letting Zuko tell him though, they would probably turn on the both of them and Zuko wouldn't be able to fulfill his destiny.

"No."

"No you're not going to tell him?"

That girl was really starting to get on Y/n's nerves.

"No, they didn't survive."

That shut her up.

It also made the kid tear up, but there was no point building a lie just to make him feel better in this moment. That would be more cruel than the truth.

"The only reason that I exist right now is because of your ancestors though. Your people had a practice of testing their babies for airbending potential."

The Avatar was nodding along. Good, this wouldn't be a surprise to him.

"Well, when they showed to be non-benders your people gave them away. They were sent off to the other kingdoms, not welcome in, nor considered to be, a part of the Air Nomads."

"Air Nomads are airbenders, so if they aren't airbenders they aren't Air Nomads. That's just the way things are."

Y/n grit his teeth. It was an old hurt, but it still stung. He pulled in a deep breath and the only thing that stopped him from screaming about the injustice of it all was Zuko's hand that was still on his shoulder lending him the strength to continue.

"Your people were wrong. Occasionally their methods would be wrong, and they would let a bender slip away into another kingdom. But more than that, its in our blood, in the thing that makes us who we are. When enough of your ancestors were born from the Air Nomads, no matter whether they could bend themselves or not, you have the possibility to end up as a bender."

The Avatar's jaw was hanging open as he stared in horror at Y/n.

"But, they couldn't possibly have known that! If they had, maybe they wouldn't have done what they did."

Y/n's eyes shone with a dark light. This was something he would ultimately have to give up, but it was worth planting the seed if he could.

"So your saying that the only possible use non-benders have is the possibility of benders being born from them?"

The Avatar stopped cold and stared at Y/n in horror.

"What? No! Of course not!"

"Then what? You had no problem with the idea that they would be thrown away like yesterday's garbage up until now. The only thing that's changed is this piece of information."

Y/n pulled back as he saw the tears form in the Avatar's eyes.

"Think on that for a while. You have a non-bender in your group. Do you consider him to be useless?"

The kids all looked like they had been hit over the head.

Y/n was sure that this would be the end of their interaction for the day.

"We'll come back tomorrow. Maybe then we can talk without resorting to violence."

He turned back to Katara who looked like she was getting ready to unleash whatever thoughts had been happening in that head of hers.

"Before you put your foot in it, consider this. We have two things you want. One you desperately need, the other, something you desperately want. Have a good night."

Zuko turned and walked back the way they had come, with Y/n bringing up the rear. He didn't trust them not to attack them from behind.

Y/n hoped that with the reminder that they needed Zuko to teach the Avatar firebending, they would be more open to meeting the next day. If that weren't enough, then there was the added bonus of Y/n being the only other airbender that they knew. He was sure that the Avatar wouldn't be able to resist the pull to be around someone who was like him for long.

Either way, they still had a long way to go to convince them that they didn't want to hurt them and that this wasn't a trap.

'Oh well,' Y/n thought as he lay sleepily beside their fire, 'things always look better in the morning.'

[ijwrsmff]

Hello there

This one is a bit lengthy but can i please get headcanons of the straw hats reaction to an admiral reader(gender neutral please) who quits the marine to join them, and is at first is distrusted but does something to gain theirs trust

I hope it's not too much trouble

It's no trouble at all! I really like this idea, it was a ton of fun to write! I hope you enjoy it ^^

Luffy:

He found you during a fight with the marines

He noticed...you were so much stronger than the marines you were fighting with

Maybe not strong in comparison to Luffy...but he was extremely powerful so comparing to him isn’t fair

He saw you deal what should have been a finishing blow to his crewmates…

But for some reason you never hit them hard enough to kill them

Down them, sure...but never kill

He makes quick work of the other marines, and approaches you with a smile

“Join my crew!”

You looked at him baffled

“Quit the marines and throw away all my hard work to become an admiral because some...kid thinks I would be a good match for his crew? No thanks.”

Luffy left it at that, but knew he’d see you again soon

You encountered him once more at a nearby island

“Is...is that offer still on the table?”

He grinned wide and pulled you by your hand to his ship

He couldn’t put his finger on it...but something was special about you

He just knew the crew would love you

After they get over their initial distrust that is

But Luffy? He trusted you already

No hesitation, he knew you had a good heart and that’s what really mattered

Zoro:

He didn’t trust you...at all

He would go silent when you talked to him, giving you the silent treatment

He didn’t trust the marines...how was he supposed to know you weren’t there as a spy?

You tried to talk to him a couple times...but he just pretended he was sleeping

One day, he was up in the crow’s nest training and you walked in

“Mind if we spar? It’s been a while since I was able to.”

Since you left the marines

He huffed but gave a firm “sure”

He didn’t go easy on you, which surprised him when you handled yourself fairly well

You parried his attacks, and gave a few good jabs of your own

He respected your strength

He still won...but he expected to beat you within seconds

Not minutes, nearly half an hour of sparring

From then on, he’ll make small talk with you

Every once in a while he’ll go to take a nap and he’ll pull you down to lay beside him

He also sits next to you at the dinner table, even helping you fend off Luffy when he tries to steal your food

Overall...he respected strength. And if Luffy chose you...you were here to stay

Once he starts to trust you, he’ll protect you at all costs

Nami:

She trusts Luffy’s decision...but that doesn't mean she has to trust YOU

She won’t go out of her way to be mean...but she won’t help you if it means bending over backwards

She interrogates you, wanting to know why Luffy had chosen you

After days of interrogation on and off...she thinks she sees why

You were unhappy in the marines

Sure...you managed to become an admiral...but the happiness you had hoped to feel just wasn’t there

She discovered that in the short time you’ve been on this ship, you’ve felt happier than you ever did in the marines

She’ll be nicer after that, slowly building up her trust in you

“Want me to show you how I chart the islands we go to?”

Even if cartography wasn’t your thing, you figured it would help get you closer to Nami

After that, you would spend hours upon hours with Nami

She can be very...very protective

So once she trusts you, any comments about you that weren’t warranted she’d defend you

She wants to get closer to you, and spends the majority of her time with you

Either sitting on the deck or working on her maps

She even tells Sanji off if he starts to bother you, making the hearts in his eyes break

She’ll protect you...and she knows in her heart you’d protect her too

Usopp:

He is so...so scared of you at first

You were an ADMIRAL

How could you just give up that position to join a crew?

Doesn’t trust you for a good long while

He’s convinced you’re a spy

He lets his imagination get to him, and that drives a wedge between you two

You don’t blame him...the situation is sketchy, but you were genuine

You would spend all the time needed to get the crew to trust you

After only being with them a short period of time...you trusted them with your life

And that’s never happened before

In the marines...people wouldn’t go out of their way to save another if it meant getting hurt in the process

During battle, you stepped in front of Usopp and took a harsh blow, forming a long slash across your chest

After that...he’s significantly nicer to you

He visits you in the infirmary and looks...troubled

“What’s wrong Usopp?” You give him a concerned look

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why did you save me...you’re hurt now. Because of me.”

You smiled at him...so he did care

This was a good first step

Maybe eventually you can become even closer

Sanji:

He’s reluctant to trust you at first, but Luffy seems to see something in you…

Just like he saw something in him

So he tries to get closer to you, even going so far as to not flirt with you

Not until he got to know you better

The first time he really began to see the trust between you building was a regular day

Nothing particularly special about it, except you went into the kitchen while he was cooking

“Mind if I help?” It was your attempt to get closer to him

“Of course! Here, I need this mixed.”

You cooked together in relative silence, small talking every once in a while

Overall it was...nice

It was a bonding experience and he cherished it

That day, he sat next to you at the dinner table

You gave him a wide smile, which he returned

He would defend you to anyone who spoke ill of you after that

He could be quite protective, and it showed

Especially to Zoro, who made comments about your being a spy (which only made Usopp and Chopper panic more about the situation)

“Hey marimo! They don’t deserve the bullshit you’re throwing at them. Back off.”

“What are you gonna do about it, shitty cook?” A smirk formed on Zoro’s face

Oh dear...it looks like they’re fighting again

You went to speak up, but Nami stopped you

“They get like this sometimes. Though it’s impressive how quick Sanji was to take the bait this time...I think he likes you.” She gives you a wink and your face flushes

Who knows what the future will bring...all you know? Is that you made the right choice to join this crew

Chopper:

He wants to trust you...he really does

But the nagging fear of you hurting his crew is at the back of him mind

He avoids you, not wanting to risk getting hurt

Once you get injured in battle...he realizes how unfair it was that he did so

“I’m sorry y/n...you’re hurt. Please follow me to the infirmary.”

He keeps it relatively formal, only talking when he needed to do something to check on you

“Would you...come back in a couple days so I can check on the wound and how it’s healing?”

You gave him a smile “yes doctor! Thank you!”

“Hehe you don’t have to thank me I don’t deserve your thanks I was just doing what I’d do for any of our crew!” He swayed back and forth, his paws on his face as he smiled

You could swear you saw flowers around him…

After that, he invited you to play games with him, Usopp, and Luffy

While Usopp was still reluctant, Luffy was 100% on board

“Come on y/n! Play with us!” Chopper smiled up at you and...well...there’s no way you could say no to his adorable face

So you joined in

It was fun...more fun than you thought possible to have

You laughed as Chopper tagged you, and you spun around picking him up in a hug

“Chopper...thank you.”

He smiled and laughed, “for what? Tagging you?”

You shook your head, putting him down

“No...for being a good friend.”

And he was, he was your best friend. You grew closer to him in the days following and you were certain you made the right decision

Robin:

She knows what it’s like to not be trusted by the crew initially...but at least with her it was one pirate to another

You were a marine

And not just a marine...but an admiral

She is reluctant to trust you, but will give you the benefit of the doubt

She spends a lot of time with you, gauging if you’re a threat to her crew or not

She would sacrifice herself for any one of them...you’re no exception

She almost thinks its her JOB to determine if you’re a threat or not

It wasn’t until your first battle together that she finds she trusts you

You give her a look, and she knows to use her devil’s fruit

You both coordinate perfectly together, and it shows your trust

She has only battled so flawlessly with her crew...which means you’re entirely one of them now

She will defend you from that fight forward, and stands up for you when the others express their doubts

“Y/n? Would you like to read with me?” She pats the spot next to her and smiled at you

“Of course! What are we reading today?”

The two of you grow closer and closer, spending hours upon hours just...enjoying each other’s company

She looks at your smile and knows...she would do anything to keep that happy smile on your face

Franky:

He doesn’t trust you...but he doesn’t...NOT trust you

He’s reluctant to get close, but finds it’s really easy with you

He’s newer to the crew, but he trusts Luffy’s judgement

So he doesn’t have any reason not to give you a chance

He’ll spend time with you, requesting you sit in his workroom as he works on a specialized weapon for you

Over that time, you make a lot of small talk

It brings you closer together

“Y/n! What do you think?” He’ll say holding up your now finished weapon “Pretty super, right? Don’t you just love it?” He has a look of pride on his face that makes you grin

You take the weapon into your hands and feel the weight is perfect

Not light, but not overly heavy either

“Thank you Franky!” You jump up to hug him and miss seeing his face turn a dark crimson

“O-of course! Anything for a crewmate!” He hugs you back, lightly as if he’s afraid he’ll break you

This makes you laugh, “Franky...I was an admiral remember? I won’t break from a hug!”

“Well then...take this!” He lifts you up, spinning you around in circles

You both laugh, pulling each other closer and closer

Once he sets you down you see the fleeting color of pink on his cheeks

You were sure your face mirrored the same color

He knows in that moment he would protect you

Even if you didn’t need it

Maybe...protect isn’t the right word

It sounds so...one sided

“I’ll protect you...will you protect me?” He looks sheepish, almost as if he hated asking

You lean up and kiss his cheek

“I’ll protect you Franky. I’ll protect all of us...this crew...it’s special.”

He nods, knowing exactly what you meant

“Then we’ll protect each other.”

And it was settled

Brook:

As soon as you stepped onto the ship he approached you

“Your name is y/n...correct?”

“Yup! That’s me!”

He leaned down so your…”eyes” were level with each other

“Can I see your panties?”

SLAP

“...is that a no?”

It’s safe to assume...he doesn’t judge you for being an admirable

Though seeing some of the crew be distant from you...it only motivates him to speak to you more

You looked tired after playing with the crew on deck, so he approached you

“Would you like me to play you a song to help you sleep?”

You stared wide eyed, not knowing he was the musician on the ship

“Sure! Would you...maybe be able to teach me how to play an instrument?”

“Which instrument would you like to learn?”

You hummed, “I’m not sure. I’ll get back to you on that.”

And so he played you a song

It put not only you, but Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper to sleep

He would have grinned if he could, and looked over his crewmates with love

As he finished the song he looked at you once again

“Sleep well y/n...I’ll see you tomorrow.”

[backhurtyy]

if the stranger things characters [whichever ones you feel like talking about] were in the atla universe, what kind of bender would they be If they were a bender? nonbenders? do any of them have avatar vibes?

OOOH I LOVE THIS QUESTION OKAY!!! starting with my most beloved blorbos and then moving into the rest of the fruity four and the kiddos. the rest are under the cut, because i couldn’t stop talking about them :)

steve harrington: nonbender. steve is… okay. i just feel like his love for everyone, his determination to protect them, goes beyond any element. he just gives and gives and gives so much of himself to everyone. even in situations where he doesn’t think he really has anything to contribute, he gives everything he has. and also he’s so understanding and caring and kind, that being a nonbender would put him in the position to connect with everyone— with benders (with his kids), he can believe in them when they don’t believe in themselves. with nonbenders, he can help them realize that they don’t need to be able to bend to stand up, or to protect, or to be brave— they just have to care, and he helps them care.

eddie munson: airbender. he is at heart a lover, not a fighter. he would rather defend himself than attack anyone, and he’d really prefer to avoid ever getting to that point. he is warm and kind and lighthearted, and he brings a sense of lightness and joy to everyone he talks to, even in the most serious of situations.

dustin henderson: nonbender. a little like teo and sokka, dustin reshapes the world with his hands and his brain. his friends may rely on their bending to get them through, but he’s always there to get them out of situations with nothing more than his own intelligence, his tools, and his hands.

el hopper: she would be the avatar, 100%. like even outside of her role in the show, which is the superpowered child with the world on her shoulders, she just has that vibe. like she is kind and compassionate, and she wants to protect people, and she’s also willing to do whatever it takes to keep the bad guys from winning. she spends a lot of the show trying to find balance, so… avatar.

will byers: airbender. see will is interesting because while el would be the avatar, will is a bit more like aang. like he’s just a little kid, shoved into something so much bigger than he is. and he tries to hand onto his youthfulness and joy and innocence, but he can’t quite ever shake the fact that he’s had to grow up so much faster than he should have. anyways, beyond his similarities to aang, airbending just fits him. like he’s the mediator, he tries to avoid conflict, he’s focused on his friends and family, he’s focused on the offense…

mike wheeler: earthbender. he’s a stubborn asshole.

lucas sinclair: waterbender. lucas is always sort of the most underestimated, the most understood. but he’s always there, watching and thinking and jumping ten steps ahead of everyone else, using their own ambitions and weaknesses against them to save those he cares about. he’s very fluid too, willing to see things from new perspectives when everyone else gets stuck in their own minds. he’s just… he’s a waterbender through and through.

max mayfield: FIREBENDER. EASY. she is hot headed and unyielding, but she’s also determined and compassionate. she’s alway fighting to find peace within herself, like a lot of the firebenders we see.

nancy wheeler: earthbender. nancy is very grounded and sturdy. where everyone else gets caught up in everything going on around them, she always keeps her head on straight and her eye on the prize. she’s strong and steady, just like the earth.

robin buckley: firebender. she’s not as hotheaded, but she’s bright and vibrant and passionate, always moving and jumping feet first into things. she’s energetic, but balances that out with shrewd intelligence.

[innocentimouto]

Katara in “The Waterbending Scroll”

Okay I was saving this for a much longer post about how the narrative negatively affects Katara, but I just couldn’t hold it.

Remember "The Waterbending Scroll”? Remember how Iroh, who’s literally never interacted with them until that point, gets a line in that blames Katara?

Even though Zuko was only there because of Iroh? Because Iroh lost a tile piece to a game. Somehow it’s her fault Zuko showed up.

So why did Katara steal the scroll? 

The episode seems to push it’s because she’s solely interested in herself. Conveniently ignoring how this is a nearly extinct part of her culture. To her knowledge she’s the last Southern waterbender alive. Her mother died for her to survive. It belongs to her people. This is her right. Aang has never bent water outside of the Avatar State before this, not even in practice. And after this episode she’s actively bending in combat. 

If she didn’t take it, she wouldn’t have been able to last at all against Pakku. And since Aang was goofing off most of their time in the North, that would mean he literally would not master waterbending because Katara wouldn’t be able to teach him.

Need I also mention that Sokka can’t fight off anyone the whole episode while Katara does a few times through her bending? (He gets in one when the guy isn’t looking.) There were actual benefits to this.

Next they use Sokka to demonize her.

“It doesn’t matter. You put all our lives in danger just so you could learn some stupid, fancy splashes.”

“I’m sorry, but you deserved that. You’ve been duped. She’s only interested in teaching herself.”

“I don’t believe it. She took the scroll. She’s obsessed with that thing. It’s only a matter of time before she gets us all in deep---”

Why does Sokka get validated by the narrative when in his first scene he’s actively mocked bending? Mocked her bending? And has consistently complained and mocked Aang for his bending also?

What do you mean obsessed? Of course she is! She grew up believing she may never get a chance to learn this part of her. Literally how do you separate waterbending and Katara? It would be akin to separating Aang from his airbending. 

That’s ignoring how Sokka doesn’t even consider what Katara’s doing for their people, how her existence is straight up defiance against the Fire Nation. We can say he’s insecure, but culturally, I think he’d be more supportive.

At the end, Katara says she still owes Aang an apology and mentions how she put them all in danger. For something that she couldn’t even predict? She had no knowledge Zuko would be there. The same way Iroh didn’t know they were there. Why don’t we blame him more, since Zuko didn’t even want to be there?

Then this is only ever done to Katara. The blaming of putting all their lives at risk--- no one else faces this. The closest thing to this is episode 1 and 2 where Aang is blamed for the Fire Nation finding them (he had to defend Katara though).

At Kiyoshi Island Aang wants to have fun and shows off to Katara. He almost dies and then they get ambushed and are almost thrown to their deaths until Aang proves himself. Aang takes the blame here, but no one else blames him. One apology, and then it’s forgotten.

Katara says they can’t stay for too long and warns him not to let the praise get to his head. He does. She’s annoyed. She asks for help with some chores. He declines and wants her to come watch him to have fun instead. Which she then has to explain this is for their trip that they need to continue.

Besides Katara, none of them seem to realize the Fire Nation is hunting them and they need to move. Sokka conveniently forgets this now that he’s busy learning women are people. (Sorry, I like Sokka, I’ve just seen the excuse for him being he had to unlearn sexism, and I’m like good for him, but he’s not getting much sympathy from me when it comes to that.)

Aang apologizes for the argument, almost dies, Katara saves him. The village gets burned, Aang blames himself, Katara reassures him.

No one else blames Aang. Not Sokka, not Iroh. No one on Kiyoshi Island. He feels guilty and is treated respectfully by the narrative even though this is exactly what Katara was trying to tell him from the beginning.

Sokka was sexist and apologizes. He’s not only forgiven but gets training, allowed to wear armor from a group of honored warriors, and earns a kiss from a pretty girl. Katara doesn’t get a single line against him even though she’s been on the receiving end of his sexism.

Aang takes them to Omashu for no reason besides having fun and then they destroy some houses and get in trouble with the king. And then they get put into what they believe is prison chambers, then Sokka and Katara believe they’re going to slowly die of suffocation. And then Aang fights a very dangerous battle against a master earthbender.

And not one line against Aang. No one blames him. No apologies. They don’t even apologize for destroying the homes.

Cartoons do this a lot, mainly because the adventures are intended and it’s meant to be lighthearted. So, y’know fine. Except whenever the boys mess up, they apologize and it’s forgiven. When Katara messes up, everyone needs a line in and she has to apologize so many times and her actions are selfish and are  treated realistically in terms of consequences.

In Haru’s episode, it’s not so bad. Katara blames herself for Haru being taken but that’s a normal reaction. Ironically this is the one episode where I wish she got blamed, just so we could get more character from Haru’s mom and it would be organic and reasonable.

When they get chased in the colonized village, Sokka gets one line about no one listening to him, but no blame is put on anyone. Even though Katara was initially against it while Aang didn’t see an issue and pushed for it. And they got chased, and look at that, their lives were put in danger.

Aang burns Katara, apologizes, which is not accepted by Sokka. In the end though Katara has no issues. She doesn’t blame Aang for not listening to her once again, and that’s it.

When Aang hides the map, Sokka and Katara don’t forgive Aang, they get attacked, they win. Aang doesn’t apologize again, doesn’t have the moment that Katara had at the end of “The Waterbending Scroll”, even though this was much more personal. He gives Katara her necklace back and earns a kiss, which conveniently leaves out how this was Sokka’s episode, and that Sokka was the most hurt by this, and that Aang would have given Katara’s necklace back anyway.

The point is not to demonize Aang or Sokka. The point is that the show for the most part treated actions that led to trouble as just part of life and gave brief, if any apologies, until Katara did something.

I have no problem with Katara sinking to jealousy and having to apologize. Good character moment from both Aang and Katara. But everything else, no. 

Katara gets much harsher treatment for “selfish actions” when in reality, we can give a lot of reasons for her taking the scroll, and a lot less reasons for Aang endangering them in many episodes.

And this is only in Book 1.

[sokkastyles]

People usually says that Katara and Aang are best friends, but I really don't see this. Katara and Aang never shared any deep conversation or understanding, I mean, Katara does understand and protect and cuddle Aang, more like a mother would do, but Aang never does the same. Actually, I think he disrespected here more than just a couple of times. On "Southern Raiders" Katara even said that she knew Aang would never understand her. Best friends are supposed do be supportive, understanding and Katara knew that Aang wouldn't be able to do this for her. I don't think that Katara goes to Aang to share her burdens because she is constantly protecting him and he probably wouldn't be able to handle it. I do think they are friends, but never best friends. Katara gives and Aang just takes.

I'd like to hear your opinion.

I think it says a lot that Katara tells Aang in "The Southern Raiders" that she knew he wouldn't understand this part of her. Katara is always trying to protect Aang from anything, including herself and her darker emotions. That says to me more than just feeling protective of Aang, it says that she feels like she can't be her true self around him. Like when she yells at him in "The Waterbending Scroll," she immediately apologizes and is afraid of hurting his feelings. When she is praised for her bending skills in front of Aang, she deflects and says that Aang is the Avatar. Whether or not Aang actually does understand Katara (and I think it ALSO says a lot that he claims he understands but then completely misunderstands at the end of the episode, and is wrong about his assumption about what Katara would do) it is clear that KATARA thinks Aang wouldn't understand this aspect of her personality, and that's true not in just what she says in TSR but in the way she hides the darker or more selfish parts of herself when she is around him. Like how she waits until she is alone with Zuko to finish her threat to him. Or when she breaks down in the catacombs (again while alone with Zuko) because she has to always keep it together for Aang and the rest of the group.

If you look at that scene in TSR, Katara didn't even want to tell Aang where she was going.

Katara: I need to borrow Appa.

Aang: [Jokingly.] Why? Is it your turn to take a little field trip with Zuko?

Katara: Yes, it is.

Aang: [Slightly surprised.] Oh. What's going on?

Katara: We're going to find the man who took my mother from me.

Zuko: Sokka told me the story of what happened. I know who did it and I know how to find him.

Aang: Um ... and what exactly do you think this will accomplish?

Katara: [Shakes her head in dismay.] Ugh, I knew you wouldn't understand.

I mean. Look at the way Katara approaches this situation. She's not asking Aang's permission, they're already packed. She doesn't open with telling Aang where they are going and why or bring up her mother to appeal to what he already knows about her trauma. She just tells him she needs to borrow Appa. She's already decided that he's not a part of this, she doesn't want him to see this part of her, and she already knows Aang won't understand.

And Aang's response in the face of Katara's seriousness is to joke about it. And he's totally surprised when he realizes how serious she is. I'm supposed to think that these two people have a deep and intimate connection?

Moreover, Katara becomes even more defensive in response to Aang's levity. Her dialogue changes from "I need this" to "WE are going to do this." Meaning her and Zuko. Because she feels unsupported by Aang. She's already decided that Zuko will support her in a way Aang won't, and she hated Zuko like five minutes ago! But she trusts him more than she does Aang, the supposed wholesome option, her supposed best friend.

Another very interesting thing is that when she says she knew Aang wouldn't understand, it is to refute Aang's dismissal of what Zuko said. Zuko is speaking in support of Katara after Aang's initial dismissal of her, Aang is dismissive again, and Katara says what she said to Aang not only in response to his tone, which makes it clear that he doesn't take what she wants to do seriously, but she says it to defend Zuko. It is, like, hilarious when people use this episode as evidence that Katara and Zuko are toxic together because what they just did right there was support each other instantly, while Aang and Katara bicker with and talk past each other.

Katara could have said something like "Zuko says he knows where to find him and it's the only chance I have" or something to indicate that she didn't really trust or want to go with him, because she hasn't forgiven him yet, but she doesn't do that. Instead she lets Zuko explain the situation to Aang, who should know her better and who she should feel more comfortable with than a guy she only recently stopped hating.

The thing that gets me is that there were multiple opportunities to use this episode as a bonding moment between Katara and Aang, even as its purpose is to establish a bond between Katara and Zuko. Aang could have apologized to Katara for not understanding or used it as an opportunity to learn about her. Instead he assumes she'll do what he thinks she should do and is totally wrong, makes an assumption, and Katara's look of guilt when Aang says he knew she'd "make the right choice" is so painful. That look says so much. Because I believe Katara wished Aang understood. I think she wished she could show the more hurt side of herself to him without fear of judgement. It's the same look she gets when she overhears Sokka talking about how he thinks of her as a mother figure. And whether or not it is Aang's - or Sokka's - fault that Katara feels this way, the reality is that she does, and that is so sad.

It's sad that a fourteen year old girl feels that much pressure to be perfect, to not show anything that might be interpreted as ugly or uncomfortable for the people around her to deal with. To take care of other people to the point of feeling guilty for her own emotional needs.

What annoys me a lot of the time about this conversation is that a lot of people center Aang and how good of a person he is and how he "deserves" Katara, how dare you say Aang did anything wrong, etc etc. The problem with this - other than that no one deserves a relationship based on how good they are - is that it's not necessarily about what Aang did wrong, it's about Katara's needs not being met. And the show weirdly went out of its way in one of its last episodes that focused on Katara and her relationships to show that Katara's emotional needs were not being met in her relationship with Aang.

[miraculouscontent]

Who wants more sad statistics~?

Because say hello to the color-coded guide to Marinette blame/mistakes! Obviously there’s some room for debate (even I struggled with how to color an episode from time to time), but it should be mostly accurate.

Blue = "Marinette wasn't really blamed for anything notable and didn't really suffer from Adrien" Cyan = "Marinette was blamed for something unrelated to Adrien that she didn't do/she shouldn't be made to feel bad for" (this one is probably the most subjective) Green = "Marinette was blamed/made a mistake but it had nothing to do with Adrien" Yellow = "Marinette doesn't technically make a mistake or get blamed, but is negatively impacted by her crush on/relationship to Adrien" Red = "Marinette either was blamed for/made a mistake that related to Adrien."

"Negatively impacted by her crush on Adrien" could mean generally anything, but it leans towards Marinette embarrassing herself in front of Adrien, characters making snippy/unnecessary comments about her crush, and things that wouldn't have happened if her Adrien crush didn't exist. In the case that Marinette makes a mistake/is improperly blamed for something not about Adrien (cyan/green) but also is negatively impacted by her relationship to him (yellow), whatever is given more attention will take priority. There could've easily been a lot of cyan+red episodes had I allowed myself to use two colors.

Now look at all that red, which is easily the most frequent color, and then try and tell me that Marinette's crush isn't just a tool to humiliate her and force her to make mistakes in order to fit the "Marinette makes a mistake" quota.

I've put the explanations below on my decisions for each episode, as well as the tally for everything together:

Season 1

"Stormy Weather" (red) - Marinette blames herself for leaving Manon, and they're only at the park in the first place because of her Adrien crush.

"The Bubbler" (red) - Marinette uses Lucky Charm explicitly to stop Chloe and Adrien from dancing together.

"The Pharoah" (green) - Ladybug drops her schoolbook; relatively minor in the grand scheme of things, but seems to be why the show forces Marinette to awkwardly try to keep Alya in the museum instead of just having Tikki directly point out where to go.

"Lady Wifi" (green) - Marinette overslept while doing homework and was late for class

"Timebreaker" (cyan) - Marinette is blamed for not being home to give the cake to Nadja... who came early and thus Marinette shouldn't have been expected to expect her

"Mr. Pigeon" (yellow) - Marinette embarrasses herself in front of Adrien, with Alya making faces at her all the while

"The Evillustrator" (cyan) - Marinette is blamed for ditching Sabrina when she has an akuma to worry about, accused of "being like Chloe" (i.e: the person who Sabrina immediately goes back to anyway)

"Rogercop" (red) - Marinette, after being accused, states that everyone has the potential to be guilty, but sidesteps Adrien when someone suggests it

"Copycat" (red) - Marinette, panicked by an embarrassing confession she left on Adrien's phone (thanks to Alya), steals it to delete the message (also thanks to Alya)

"Dark Cupid" (red) - Marinette forgets to sign the love letter addressed to Adrien, which Alya laughs at her for

"Horrificator" (red) - Marinette is pressured/convinced to play Mylene's role instead when Alya throws out that she'd be kissing Adrien

"Darkblade" (cyan) - Marinette doesn't want to run for class representative because she already has enough on her plate (...what a monster?); both Alya and Alix make snarky comments at her for this

"The Mime" (green) - Marinette deletes a video on Alya phone and spends the rest of the episode trying to recreate it

"Kung Food" (cyan) - Marinette blames herself for defending her great uncle and insulting Chloe (again... what a monster?), which leads to Chloe sabotaging Wang's cooking

"Gamer" (red) - Marinette enters the gaming competition solely for Adrien

"Animan" (yellow) - Marinette offers to get Nino a date with Alya, an event that wouldn't have taken place if not for Marinette's crush (either there wouldn't have been a zoo trip at all or Alya wouldn't have been there); in addition, Alya tells Nino about Marinette's Adrien crush, which Marinette is distraught by

"Antibug" (cyan) - Ladybug is blamed for "not accepting help from others" (except she did at the beginning of the episode) and not listening to Chloe (who is a habitual liar)

"The Puppeteer" (green) - Marinette folds to Manon's "baby doll eyes" and gives her something that Nadja insisted she not have

"Reflekta" (green) - Marinette tries to steal Guiseppe's SD camera card so Juleka's picture will need retaken

"Pixelator" (red) - Marinette shirks her job as Jagged's gopher in order to get back to Adrien as soon as possible

"Guitar Villain" (blue) - Not much happens, just cool Marinette stuff; there are technically scenes of Marinette embarrassing herself around Adrien, but either no one else was there to witness it or there wasn't any significant reaction to it

"Princess Fragrance" (red) - Alya forces Marinette to go talk to Adrien, which results in Marinette tripping and losing Tikki

"Simon Says" (cyan) - Marinette... I guess is at fault for struggling to keep up with schoolwork and hero duties? That's what you get for wanting to help people, Ladybug

"Volpina" (red) - Marinette is mocked for being jealous, her following Adrien is presented as her doing it jealously (she literally says that she's going to warn Adrien about Lila stealing the book from him before Tikki stops her, but okay), and she yells at Lila as Ladybug, which is also presented as being "only about Adrien."

"Origins - Part 1 (Ladybug & Cat Noir)" (green) - Ladybug neglects to capture the akuma, having forgotten that detail

"Origins - Part 2 (Stoneheart)" (green) - The mistake from Part 1 carries over... the episode also may or may not blame Marinette for encouraging Ivan.

blue - 1 cyan - 6 green - 7 yellow - 2 red - 10

Season 2

"A Christmas Special" (red) - Marinette's "Adrien blindness" causes her to jump to conclusions and believe that a Santa Claus lookalike is an akuma

"The Collector" (red) - Marinette lies to Master Fu in order to protect Adrien, not able to believe that Adrien could be Hawk Moth

"Despair Bear" (red) - Marinette goes to Chloe's party for Adrien and is repeatedly mocked/teased for this

"Prime Queen" (cyan) - Ladybug "makes a mistake" in getting upset at Nadja for trying to pry into her romantic relationships and her potential romance with Chat Noir

"Befana" (cyan) - Marinette is blamed for "lying" to her grandmother about going to a birthday party with her friends (she didn't) and "not wanting to spend time with her" (she did, Gina is the one who neglected Marinette for literal years)

"Riposte" (cyan) - One of the more subjective ones, but going frame-by-frame, Adrien's saber bends first yet the episode calls Marinette "flustered" and "new to fencing" to say that she's wrong in her choice

"Robostus" (blue) - Mostly free of crush and mistakes, episode focuses primarily on the main plot of the akuma being caused (if I had a color for Marinette just normally being mocked/embarrassed though, it'd be here)

"Gigantitan" (red) - Needs no explanation: Marinette is embarrassed in front of the girls multiple times and the entire subplot causes the akuma that almost hits Gorilla

"The Dark Owl" (green) - Ladybug orchestrates a situation in which the Dark Owl could save her so as to not hurt his feelings, which ends in him being found out, humiliated, and akumatized

"Glaciator" (red) - Marinette is upset because Adrien didn't show up to get ice cream with her, which leads to her blowing up on Andre

"Sapotis" (blue) - Marinette goes largely blameless for everything; not much here

"Gorizilla" (yellow) - Multiple "jokes"/"mocking" about Marinette revealing skin/being in her pajamas in front of Adrien

"Captain Hardrock" (blue) - Surprisingly void of blame on Marinette despite her being depressed over Adrien; if anything, Luka apologizes for making a teasing comment when she was upset

"Zombizou" (cyan) - Marinette is blamed for being upset with Chloe for ruining her gift for Miss Bustier

"Syren" (cyan) - Ladybug is blamed for keeping secrets from Chat Noir (look at the Adrien stans for reference)

"Frightningale" (red) - Marinette is bothered by Chloe being Ladybug, but Adrien is involved so the fandom can easily put blame on her concerning her Adrien crush (see Marinette salters for reference)

"Troublemaker" (red) - Marinette's Adrien pictures are intentionally inflated/exaggerated to humiliate her more

"Anansi" (green) - I wouldn't argue if someone suggested that this is a cyan: Marinette "makes a mistake" in cheating Nora's arm-wrestle with Nino since Nora was being unreasonable

"Sandboy" (green) - Marinette agrees with Tikki that they should do something to help Nooroo without asking Fu

"Reverser" (cyan) - Marinette peeks at Marc's work and tries to help him work with Nathaniel (I see, so when Alya meddles to push Marinette past her comfort zone, it's fine, but--); she also embarrasses herself in front of Adrien over this

"Frozer" (red) - Marinette suffers because Adrien's an idiot and has tons of people in relationships to ask advice from, and he chooses to ask Marinette; Marinette appears to be "blamed" for either wanting to move on (due to the girls fighting) or agreeing to go with Adrien, along with a "bonus" (almost earning a cyan) due to Chat throwing a hissy fit over her rejecting him

"Style Queen" (cyan) - Marinette is blamed for thinking that the magic ladybugs would bring the miraculous back to Fu (see "Sentibubbler" covering for Chat for reference on how the narrative sees this)

"Queen Wasp" (cyan) - Carried over from "Style Queen"; Ladybug is blamed for losing the miraculous

"Malediktator" (red) - Marinette is made to feel bad for being glad that her bully of many years is gone (almost earning a cyan here, or even a yellow), and this is all due to Adrien; he also unintentionally convinces her to give Chloe a miraculous (her "mistake" according to future episodes), which sets off a slew of events that makes her suffer

"Catalyst" (cyan) - Alya not believing Marinette due to her Adrien crush carries over from "Volpina," almost earning this a red, but Marinette also lies about her gift for Heroes' Day. However, the fact that she is completely sleep-deprived from the night before and was being made fun of for only bringing macarons is largely ignored by the narrative and treated too much as her fault

"Mayura" (red) - When going to correct her mistake from last episode, Adrien throwing a pity party for himself makes Marinette go back on it

blue - 3 cyan - 9 green - 3 yellow - 1 red - 10

Season 3

"Backwarder" (red) - Marinette gives Adrien the wrong letter (due to each slip of paper she has conveniently looking the exact same but the episode clearly indicates it to be her fault); she's also humiliated over this

"Weredad" (cyan) - Marinette lies to Chat Noir in a panic to protect her identity. The fact that Chat Noir is an idiot who wonders why Marinette might be on her own darn balcony and that Tikki doesn't offer a better solution for the situation is given no attention

"Chameleon" (red) - Alya believing that Marinette is only upset with Lila over Adrien presumably carries over from "Volpina" and "Catalyst;" Marinette's relationship with Adrien also seems to make her more inclined to believe in what he says about doing nothing about Lila

"Animaestro" (red) - No explanation needed; Marinette's Adrien crush makes her more inclined to believe Chloe (remember "Malediktator" and "Zombizou"?) when Chloe claims that Kagami stole her seat next to Adrien, which convinces Marinette to team up with Chloe against Kagami, and this leads to Marinette being embarrassed over her crush

"Bakerix" (green) - Marinette makes a mistake in... I guess riling up her grandfather? (this one's pretty subjective and I wouldn't argue with anyone who says this should be cyan)

"Silencer" (blue) - Regardless of what "Crocoduel" says, Marinette isn't blamed in this episode for challenging Bob Roth

"Oblivio" (cyan) - Marinette seems to weirdly be blamed/punished for getting upset with Chat Noir if the smugness of Chat+Alya about the taken picture is to be believed (perhaps """explained""" in "Reflekdoll" about Chat having his role to play as the "sense of humor")

"Stormy Weather 2" (yellow) - Marinette spends a portion of the episode sulking about the little progress she's made with Adrien

"Reflekdoll" (red) - Needs no explanation: Marinette's anxiety is caused by Adrien and she's blamed for it despite Alya orchestrating everything

"Oni-Chan" (red) - Marinette chases after Adrien and Lila, which is made to be completely about Marinette's crush on Adrien despite Marinette telling Tikki about her actual concerns (which end up coming true as Kagami gets akumatized)

"Miraculer" (cyan) - Chat gets snippy with Ladybug for not telling Chloe right away (apparently assuming that Ladybug doesn't have other obligations to attend to like school; she even tells Chat that she "wouldn't have time that day"), and Ladybug was literally about to before the sentimonster and Miraculer show up

"The Puppeteer 2" (red) - Marinette repeatedly pushed and punished for liking Adrien, then punished again in front of Adrien (who she thinks is a statue) when she was actually just taking the advice that Tikki gave her

"Desperada" (red) - The guitar scene (i.e: "huh, who would've known that my wingwoman for Adrien was actually trying to wingwoman me with Luka one time!"), Aspik (i.e: "wow, the guy who I thought was perfect because that's what the narrative is always telling me actually doesn't fit what the narrative was telling me!"), and that's all I need to say

"Startrain" (blue) - Mostly mistakeless on Marinette's end; the focus is on other characters/plots (again, if I had a color for Marinette being mocked/embarrassed though, it'd also go here)

"Kwamibuster" (blue) - Marinette isn't blamed for anything; even though Master Fu isn't aware of the events at first, Tikki apologizes to Marinette in front of him later

"Feast" (yellow) - Marinette is briefly distracted by Adrien until Alya chides her so that she can show Marinette the information she might as well have hand-delivered to Hawk Moth

"Ikari Gozen" (red) - Marinette tries to sabotage her and Kagami to prevent Kagami from meeting up with Adrien

"Timetagger" (cyan) - Tikki notes Marinette's bad excuses (which are due to the sheer amount of akuma) to the point where Alya had replaced her as babysitter before Marinette explained that she couldn't show up (I wouldn't argue with anyone who said this should be blue instead)

"Party Crasher" (red) - Marinette tries to crash the secret boys-only party in order to spend time with Adrien

"Gamer 2.0" (cyan) - Marinette+Ladybug is blamed for being upset that they have no time for anything, with Ladybug in particular "making the mistake" of taking over and failing due to Chat constantly goofing off despite her urging

"Chat Blanc" (red) - Marinette is pressured/threatened by the girl squad (specifically Rose) enough that she decides to sneak into Adrien's house

"Felix" (yellow) - Marinette, after "finally" confessing to Adrien (for like--the fourth time), ends up running off and rambling in front of Luka (not knowing that he's there), which embarrasses her

"Ladybug" (red) - Alya's doubts of Marinette's hatred of Lila (implied in "Volpina" and stated in "Catalyst" to be about her crush on Adrien) carries over as Alya chides Marinette for blaming Lila, and had Marinette not listened to Adrien in "Chameleon," Lila may have been stopped early on and she wouldn't have gotten expelled (otherwise, the episode would've gotten a "cyan" because how dare Marinette be emotional at being accused of cheating and get angry at Lila)

"Christmaster" (red) - Marinette lies to Chris (in the exact way that Alya does to Manon in "Stormy Weather" but sure) in order to protect her darn privacy so Chris doesn't find out about her chest full of Adrien gifts, which leads to Chris getting akumatized

"Heart Hunter" (red) - Ladybug neglects to detransform due to being distracted by Adrimi happening, which leads to long-lasting and overly harsh consequences

"Miracle Queen" (red) - Ladybug's mistake carries over from the previous episode

blue - 3 cyan - 5 green - 1 yellow - 3 red - 14

Total: blue - 7 cyan - 20 green - 11 yellow - 6 red - 34

[firelxdykatara]

ok but the problem isn’t that katara was a healer in lok--it’s that a healer is all she was allowed to be (and not a very successful one, at that, since the worf affect hit her hard throughout the series). that’s what we mean when we say she was ‘reduced to nothing but a healer’--because she was! she wasn’t allowed to be anything else! if you watched lok and had never seen atla, you’d never even know she was a fierce fighter and revolutionary warrior in her own right. you’d certainly never have any reason to believe it, since lipservice is paid to how she trained two avatars in waterbending but details are never given and she never demonstrates anything approaching genuine skill or passion for the art.

katara wanting to settle down as a healer in the SWT in her old age isn’t the problem--katara sitting on her ass and not lifting a finger to protect the people she loves when her entire family is in danger from zealots planning to kill them all? that is a problem. katara letting her people tear each other and themselves apart from the inside out without so much as raising her voice to make herself heard as an allegedly respected matriarch of the tribe? that is a problem. and her age isn’t an excuse, nor is the fact that lok wasn’t about the gaang, because the old ass men in the white lotus in atla were allowed to kick ass and take names when the situation warranted it!

even toph and zuko, who are just as old as katara and are also grandparents with families and lives outside of fighting (and who also had their share of fighting in their youths), are allowed to fight to protect their families (or at least fly off on a huge ass dragon to go do exactly that) while katara is... what, too old and frail to protect her children?

how could you claim to love katara in the original series and then think that she’d grow up to sit around while other people saved her loved ones from mortal peril? or that she’d watch her own people about to descend into civil war and not say a word about it? or that she wouldn’t bother attending the most important ceremony in her granddaughter’s life--the first air master ceremony to be performed since her own son’s????

people’s interests, passions, and inclinations can change over time, but you will never convince me that the katara i know and love from the OG series would grow up into someone who wouldn’t bother to lift a finger to fight when her own family and her own people were the ones in danger. maybe she didn’t want to fight in wars anymore, but this wasn’t a war--this was her entire family being directly threatened by a group of zealots who were prepared to kill them. katara could have at least tried to save them and still have been a healer who preferred a quiet life at the end of the day, but lok refused to let her.

that’s why people have a problem with katara being ‘just a healer’ in lok. because she wasn’t allowed to be anything else, even when the situation would absolutely have warranted it. (and even the things she allegedly accomplished are barely talked about, let alone at all relevant, in the show proper.)

the idea that katara was "reduced down" to just a healer in tlok is so sexist. she is old. she is a grandmother. she's had her share of fighting in her youth and now she's handed that to the next generation. she's always been motherly and she's always been a healer, even if not primarily, so who's to say she wouldn't want to settle down as a healer in the southern water tribe in her old age? people's interests, passions and inclinations can change over time, and it's perfectly in character for katara to want to be a healer. you guys just don't see a woman as strong if she doesn't go off fighting wars

[soundsgoodfeelslikeshit]

Jealousy, Jealousy

A few weeks had gone by and you hadn’t seen the Pogues since the morning after the argument with Kie. You didn’t speak to Kie, but you occasionally spoke with JJ and the others every so often. Kie would never realize but you felt like shit ever since her outburst and you weren’t sure why but you didn’t feel good enough to hang around the Pogues anymore.

Anonymous asked: Can i request where reader feels she's no longer good enough to be around the pogues because kiara doesn't like her and is jealous of how she is with them?

Summary: Kiara had always been jealous of Y/N, whether it be the way she looked, talked, carried herself, or the way she was perceived by the island. One thing Kiara could never get over was how she was with the other pogues. She had been around longer, leaving her closer to all of them making Kiara feel as though she was always missing some inside joke. After a night of drinking Kiara explodes, leaving an awkward tension between the group.

"Are you coming to the Boneyard tonight?" Joh B asked, breaking you from your thoughts.

"Uh, I'm honestly not sure. Promised I'd be home at a reasonable time tonight." You said with a slight laugh.

"Oh, come on what's one more day being out late?" JJ asked slinging his arm across your shoulders.

"J, you know how my mom gets when I break promises."

"Yeah guys, just let her stay home if she doesn't want to come. It's just one party." Kie said uninterested.

You shot a confused look to the guys and then looked at Kie.

"Don't sound so happy I won't go." You said with a laugh.

"No, no, no that's not what I meant at all," Kie said quickly.

"I'm just kidding Kie."

"But really, you should come if you can Y/N/N," Pope said as JB pulled into Kie's dock.

"We'll see."

..............................................................................................................................

"Y/N just let me know if stay at John B's tonight. I don't mind you going out, I'm gonna have an early night anyway." Your mom said.

"I will mom, I love you."

"Love you too, let us know if you need anything."

You nodded your head and headed to your room to change. You weren't exactly in the most party mood, so you just opted for a pair of sweat shorts and a swimsuit top.

By the time you had gotten to the Boneyard the party was in full swing. Everyone was drunk or having a good time with other substances.

You laughed to yourself as you went in search of your friends. Spotting JJ and Pope first you smiled and ran up to them.

"Hey, you made it!" Pope said hugging you.

"Yeah, my mom decided she was going to bed early, didn't want me to miss the fun."

"Well good, we're gonna have a bonfire after this back at the Chateau," JJ said.

"Alright cool." You said with a smile.

Your smile quickly vanished as your eyes laid on Kie, who was completely hammered and crying.

"Kie! What's wrong?" You asked quickly, helping the girl to sit.

"Like you don't know." She said with a bitter laugh.

"What?" You asked removing your hand from her back.

"Gosh you are so damn oblivious aren't you? You are what's wrong."

Your eyebrows scrunched together as you looked at your friends for help.

"Kie she didn't do anything." John B said coming to your defense.

"This is my issue! You all defend her and she has no faults does she?!" Kie screamed.

"Kiara, stop." Pope tried.

"NO! You can't tell me I need to stop! She's the reason you all make me feel like I'm missing something, some kind of inside joke. Little miss perfect everything makes me feel like I'm not good enough and never will be. I wish I could have the relationship she has with all of you, but that could only be accomplished by her having met you after me. Just another pogue born who met you guys first. I don’t like her.” She spat.

"Alright, I've had enough." You muttered turning to walk away.

"What? You can't stand to hear this because you know it's true? I'm sure you do it on purpose. You want the whole island to know of you like this cool, chill girl and that makes them think I'm stuck up because I'm not just like you."

"You sound so stupid right now! You don't have to be me, jealousy is a hell of a thing. If you listened at all while we were best friends instead of picking out everything about me that makes you feel terrible, you would know my life is far from perfect. I don't try and make you feel bad. Kie everyone has their struggles, especially with comparing themselves to other girls. This is by no means fair to just assume that you are the only one out of us who has them." You said and walked away this time done with the conversation at hand.

"Hey, where are you going?" JJ asked, running to grab your hand.

"I'm going home. I knew I should've stayed there. I'll see you guys tomorrow or something." You said with a sigh.

"No. She doesn't get to chase you off. She does not get the power. Let's go to the Chateau and lay down. I'm not letting you drive in this emotional state." JJ said looking at you worriedly.

He watched you carefully as your eyes filled with tears.

"It's fine J, go enjoy the party. My house is like 10 minutes away. I'll call my mom and have her watcha movie with me when I get home."

"I already know you were just going to sit in your room and ignore everyone for a week while you bottle up your emotions." He said taking the car keys from your hand.

You sighed and allowed him to help you into the passenger side. He gripped your hand after he got into the driver's side and began the short drive back to the Chateau. The conversation he tried to start quickly fell into an unanswered silence as you stared ahead at the road.

When your truck pulled into the Chateau's drive and JJ came and helped you out again even though you were more than capable of doing it on your own.

"Let's go get ready for bed." He mumbled against your ear, leading you to the spare room. You sighed when you knew the night would finally be drama-free.

"Want tea? Water? Beer?" JJ asked, causing you to shake your head in response.

You turned your back to JJ and unclipped your swimsuit top, bending down to grab one of his discarded T-shirts. Your shorts quickly followed suit of your top and you climbed into bed. Taking your phone you texted your mom to let her know you were staying at John B’s.

“Hey don’t shut me out,” JJ said reaching for your shoulder.

“I just don’t get it. I would never make Kie feel like that on purpose. I just I don’t know J.”

“Just try and get some sleep. We’ll figure it out in the morning. Sound good?”

You nodded your head despite knowing you would go home tomorrow morning.

..............................................................................................................................

You woke up and groaned. You didn’t want to deal with Kie or have to face the tension she created in the group. Tugging JJ’s arm off your waist, you stood up and looked around for some of your clothes. It was a mess of things thrown around on the floor.

“Hey what’re you doin,” JJ asked sitting up.

“Going home,” you replied.

JJ’s face contorted in confusion before he climbed out of bed.

“Hey. Look at me.” He said as he grabbed your chin.

“J I can’t right now, okay?”

“She doesn’t get this power of you. We can all make our own decisions.”

“I get that but I need to go home and see my mom. I’ll text you guys I promise. Can you help me find some clothes though? This place is a shit show.”

He chuckled and dug around before tossing you a bra and one of your shirts. You pulled out a pair of your panties and your shorts from the night before and headed to the bathroom.

Once you were changed you went to the kitchen to see John B leaning against the counter.

“Sup,” he said watching you.

“Hey.”

“Where ya going?”

“Home. My mom was expecting me home last night but J wouldn’t let me drive.” You said pulling your shoes on.

“Just so you know there are no harsh feelings towards you it’s towards Kie for acting like that.”

You nodded and looked at the floor. You felt him embrace you and you reluctantly hugged him back.

“I mean it, so stop beating yourself up for what she said and what she feels, okay?” He asked pushing you to an arm's length.

“Yeah, I got it.” You mumbled, “I’ll see y’all later.��

..............................................................................................................................

After being home for a while you went upstairs to be by yourself since you’d sat with your mom for advice and to watch a random show with her.

Your phone was seemingly vibrating to no end when you arrived in your room. Picking it up you were getting a FaceTime call from the boys.

Deciding to pick up you saw them smiling at you.

“We couldn’t get you to answer any of our texts we thought we were gonna have to bust in your house,” Pope said with a laugh.

“Yeah sorry I left my phone in my room while I was with my mom. What’s up?”

“We wanted to have the bonfire tonight since it didn’t work out last night,” JB spoke.

“I’m okay, invite Kie though. Sure she’d love to have you guys all to herself. Maybe she’ll even replace my friendship.” You said sarcastically.

“Shut up, you know she can’t, it’s a different friendship between us and you and us and her,” JJ said with a glare.

“Ye-“ you started but you were stopped by your mom calling for you.

“Gotta go guys, but yeah won’t be able to make it out tonight. Love you!” You said before hanging up.

You sighed knowing that you were just making the decision easier for them by distancing yourself. If Kie didn’t like you and didn’t want you around you would be busy when they wanted to hang out.

..............................................................................................................................

A few weeks had gone by and you hadn’t seen the Pogues since the morning after the argument with Kie. You didn’t speak to Kie, but you occasionally spoke with JJ and the others every so often. Kie would never realize but you felt like shit ever since her outburst and you weren’t sure why but you didn’t feel good enough to hang around the Pogues anymore. It was obvious none of the other Pogues felt the way as Kie, they would have booted you from the friend group long before, but there was just the feeling that you could not shake.

.............................................................................................................................

Your days were pretty normal, helping your mom run her shop, surfing in the evening or in the mornings, fixing up various parts of your house, and sometimes going to the beach to relax and tan. This day however was not relaxing at all, all of the Pogues decided to make an appearance, Kie included. You looked in their direction before picking up your stuff and beginning to head home.

You were beginning to walk over the dune when Kie called out to you, causing you to turn and look at the girl. Folding your arms you waited for the group to approach. Kie greeted you with a smile, which you glared at.

"Glad to see you're happy you got what you wanted." You sneered at her.

"This isn't what I wanted." Kie defended.

"Yeah, I'm sure it's not. I gotta go," You said and turned away from her.

Kiara grabbed your arm and you began to pull your arm away from her.

"Do not touch me," You seethed, glaring at the brunette girl.

"What is your issue?" Kiara groaned, looking to the guys for defense.

"You are my problem, sorry to use your own words against you. You made me feel like I couldn't come around my friends, the people I treat and call my family because I make you feel like shit! Now I'm the one left feeling like they aren't good enough. So congrats Kie, you got what you always wanted! Them to yourself." You stated and with that, you walked away.