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aliceblossoms · 3 years ago

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A new world

Platonic! Boatem X GN! reader

Warnings: none

Synopsis: after Xisuma’s signal, you return back to earth after spending time in space with boatem. There you get faced with the new unfamiliar terrain as you search for traces of your fellow Hermits.

A/n: prefer this so much more to my last post, and I’ll try to keep up a good quality with frequent uploads! This is only my second post on this account however so I’ll have to try hard to keep it up, but i have faith. Hope you enjoy

As you had once left the earth with the rest of Boatem, you now arrived back on it. Scar was unsure as he piloted the vehicle, he had no clue where he had landed, or where the others would end up, but his voice wavered in nervousness as he was the only one to see the outside world first through the cameras on the outside of the spaceship, which lead straight to his control room.

Looking at your companions, you were to descend first onto the unknown land, outside the aircraft. The others wished you luck, watching you secure your helmet as you moved to the outside of the vehicle, outside their sight. They would follow closely behind however, as your feet reached solid ground for the first time in what had felt like years.

Grass poked through the grey suit Scar had given you as crewmember, and you could feel it brush around your ankles as you stood, taking of your helmet carefully. Scar had always been on the dramatic side, which left you to question why he had sounded so nervous, surprised even, earlier when he had declared your landing.

Your surroundings seemed normal, with a forest laid in the distance and a clear green valley laid out in front of you. The landscape contained more hills than what you were used to, though there wasn't anything truly unusual in sight.

Grian followed you out first, with Mumbo on his heels as both of them took off their helmets as well. Pearl stepped out after them, and behind her came Impulse as well. Scar was last to leave, and you needed to wait for him to leave his control room.

"It seems ordinary enough, did we land on the right side of the earth?" Mumbo shook his head, looking around as well as he spoke, "I'll be honest, I don’t think so, Xisuma ensured it would be safe to return, but I can't say I see him anywhere."

"Or anyone for that matter." Pearl spoke as she searched the horizon for anyone, or anything else from before the disaster. Impulse started walking around the rocket, curiously taking in all of the horizon as you could hear Scar come down from the ship in the background.

Impulse was the first to call for attention, as everyone gathered on the other side of the rocket, following his pointed finger to the horizon though it was barely needed to see what was going on.

A mountain range, though it lacked detailed from skilled hands with years of experience, sat comfortably on the horizon, though it was far larger and different than any natural terrain you'd ever seen before. Impulse seemed to think the same as he met your eyes, "no one should've been here long enough to create something of that style." he concluded as he tried to understand what had happened.

Scar joined your group outside, shrugging his shoulders as he agreed, "besides that, I'm pretty darn sure that's not anyone's style of terraforming either." Grian nodded along, it wasn't Bdubs' style, or Gem’s, let alone anyone else he could think of that wasn't already part of your group.

"We're bound to stumble upon it, eventually, while exploring." The rest of what once had been the Boatem community agreed, though especially without having found any of the other hermits, none of you were too keen on splitting up right of the bat.

Mumbo, despite his horrible chairman position that he had been appointed to what felt like years ago, took the organization upon himself, "I propose we split up to form a small base camp we can invite others to when we find them, nothing big, nothing fancy, just practical." he looked towards both Scar and Pearl as he spoke, "Please make the shelter not too complicated please. Grian, would you mind joining me to find some food and possibly sheep for beds, and Impulse, why don't you and Y/n go look around for a sign of the others?"

Everyone agreed to the task distribution and headed off in the formed pairs. You all decided to stay beside the rocket, and you and impulse took off towards the nearby forest. Gathering some blocks while you explored only proved necessary to climb over some of the small hills. The two of you occasionally split up to make it easier to find signs, though stayed between hearing distance of each other.

Through the dense maze of trees, you could see a small clearing in the distance, calling for Impulse as he followed the direction of your voice to where you were. First, you arrived at the clearing, and as you stood at the tree line, Impulse's voice came from behind you as he too arrived, in front of a massive hole in the ground that seemed to reach to the middle of the earth.

Your breath caught in your throat as you stepped into the clearing, cautiously walking towards the edge of the hole just to look how deep it actually went, "I've never seen anything like this before." your voice was a whisper as Impulse stood beside you peering down into the hole, a chuckle escaping his lips, "That is definitely new."

"Do you think we should go and tell the others about this?" you questioned, looking up to the sun to see it barely above the roofs of the trees across of the clearing. Had it truly been that long since you had gone out, how late did you even venture out?

"I mean... Probably? The sun is setting either way, so it's probably a good idea either way. I rather go back now that we can still find our way, wouldn't want to run into something like this in the darkness." you nodded along to his words as he gently tugged you away from the hole by your arm.

The darkness from dusk seemed to arrive first in the forest, as the two of you struggled more to navigate back out of the forest. By the time the forest edge came into view, the density of the trees had lessened, and you could see the glow of a campfire in the distance.

Any news had been forgotten as you were welcomed back under the large tent Pearl had set up with Scar and shoved a bowl with beetroot soup into your hands by Grian. New faces, familiar ones, sat around the campfire with their own bowls, smiles on their faces as they laughed and talked, almost as if nothing had happened.

Tango met eyes with Impulse and you, red eyes squinted in a laugh from across the fire as he raised his bowl to the two of you in greeting,

"Welcome to the new season!"

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apexqueenie · 4 years ago

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The Blood King (Bakugou x Reader, Medieval AU) Ch1

Synopsis: In fairytales, princesses like you got to marry handsome princes like your best friend Shoto, but you’re not living a fairytale. You find the harsh realities a punch to the face as you and Sho run away outside palace grounds and into the real world. But the harsh brings out the beautiful, and in your case, it took the form of the scarlet covered barbarian king, whose territory you disturbed.

A/N: This is the first long series that I’m writing, I hope you all enjoy!

Warnings: Swearing, a bit of violence (This is Bakugou lol), eventual smut (I’ll put a warning dw, totally skippable)

[Ch1]->[Ch2]->[Ch3]->[Ch4]->[Ch5]->[Ch6]

You didn’t know how much more badly a plan could go, but here you were, lost, wounded, and scared in the middle of the freaking forest, the sound of a very angry beast trailing after you. You tugged at the unconscious man on the floor, his head bleeding severely. He was losing too much blood and you couldn’t keep pulling him along without stopping the bleeding first. Your only option was to fight. How did this all start exactly? Well, it started when you decided to ditch your wedding.

***

In a daze, you pulled yourself from your slumber, rising to the sound of gentle knocks at your door. “Who’s there?” you mumbled, rubbing your eyes.

You shivered slightly and crossed your arms, realizing that you had kicked off your blankets in your sleep. Your best handmaiden, Ochako, barged in, not even bothering to answer the question.

“Good morning princess” she sang delightfully as she opened your large curtains, allowing the morning light to spill into the huge room. Ochako, although not being of royal blood, was a close friend of yours throughout the years. It was her job to serve you, but you loved her and treated her as your sister.

“Chako, I told you (y/n) is fine when we’re alone” you said with a yawn.

Ochako hummed as she walked to your wardrobe, sifting through it for the perfect dress. “Ah, but you see your highness, we aren’t alone.”

Before you could question her, a familiar face peeked around the door, heterochromic eyes glancing around the room. “Hi” he says before entering the room and closing the doors behind him.

“SHO!!!” You yelled, launching yourself out of your bed to give your childhood friend a big hug. You haven’t seen him since last summer.

The both of your fathers were Kings of kingdoms who traded with one another, meeting in person once a year to discuss the details. While they both enjoyed a bit of drinking and chess, you and Shoto ran around the gardens barefooted with sticks in hand for fake swordplay. They were always about knights and dragons, and since there were only two of you, you took turns being the dragon or the knight. Princesses weren’t taught to practice swordplay, so Shoto took it upon himself to be your mentor. He taught you what he remembered from his private lessons, insisting that if you were to meet a real dragon like in your games, you would be able to fight it off.

“But won’t you be here to protect me?” you asked, lowering your stick.

“Yeah,” he said, “but when we meet a real dragon, we’ll be protecting each other.”

Every year, you two would meet to run around the gardens, hiding from your handmaidens and butlers until meal time. Every year, you would shy a bit away from the games and start sparring for real, Sho providing the wooden swords to teach you what he’s learned from the top sword fighters across the continent. Every year your blades danced with his until the both of you could read each other’s movements with a single glance. And every year, you felt a growing affection for the boy that you were too afraid to bring up.

The two of you talked about your home lives often, sharing stories and complaints about being “perfect” and a “role model” to your citizens. Shoto’s father constantly pushes everyone in their family to their limits, causing the Queen to go insane and burn Shoto, leaving a signature red scar on his left eye. While she was locked in the medical housing part of the castle, Shoto started to understand why his mother lost her mind and silently started to rebel against his father. Your father was similar, always correcting you and forcing you to practice perfect mannerisms. You were his first born, you were supposed to be the perfect example of what a future Queen was to be, especially for your younger siblings; the second born son barely of age to train by sword. If you were anything less, you were to be locked in your room until you had time to “reflect”, your maids unable to speak to you in fear that the King would hear and throw them in the dungeon. Your mother, being too vain to involve herself with any of her children, never saw any of you until your birthdays. She opted to drown herself in self-pampering every other day. Both of your lives were royal hell until “The Meeting”, where the both of you could forget about being perfect for a day.

You wrapped your arms around Shoto’s neck and buried your face in the crook of his neck, the both of you clutching each other close. His body radiated its own heat, warming you more than the thin fabric of your nightdress could. You pulled away, realising he got even taller this year.

“I missed you Sho!” you smiled.

“Likewise” he replied, slinging his sword from his back, only there was another object wrapped in silk next to it. “Did...anything interesting happen this year?”

“Hmmm,” you pondered, walking to your vanity and grabbing a brush. “Well, Jinko is pregnant again.”

“Your mother?”

“Heh, she was never around enough to be a ‘mother’, she’s merely my birth-giver.” you snorted, combing your soft locks.

“So, is that the fourth…?”

“Fifth.”

“Well then.”

“Yep, and as soon as she’s done pushing it out, she’ll ignore it 364 days of the year. Hell, Ocha was there more for me than my mother ever could be” you say, earning a small blush from the girl.

Shoto sighed, taking a seat on the edge of your bed and placing his sword next to him.

“Anyways, what’s the meeting about this time?” you asked now moving onto cleaning your face.

“That’s… uh...well, I have to talk to you about something soon, but first, I brought you a gift” Sho said a bit awkwardly. He turned and handed you the silk wrapped object. You took it gently, afraid of breaking it, that was, until you unwrapped it. Your mouth dropped as you felt the silk fall off and onto the floor, completely forgotten as you held up the object in awe. In your hand was a long silver blade engraved with delicately curved patterns surrounding a single mother pearl at the center and down the blade itself. The hilt fit perfectly in your hands, the weight completely balanced.

You were damn near about to cry. “Sho...its-”

“Get dressed so we can try it out” he smiles and hands you the sheath.

Giddily, you sheath your sword and headed to the dressing curtain where Ochako waited for you with a big smile. She seemed to have known about this whole visit because she held up a bit more of a casual dress, one that wasn’t as long as it normally would be. You never understood why you had to wear dresses as a princess, but it couldn’t be helped, you had no control over your clothing choices. Ochako however, had the power to hem the dresses for you so you could run with a bit more freedom.

***

“Sho! I can’t believe you did this! How’d you manage to sneak this by your dad?” you ask once you are dressed. You moved to take the direct route to the gardens, but Shoto pulled you to a different route around. “Sho?”

“That’s the thing I have to talk to you about,” he said, peeking into all the rooms and hallways before entering, “I don’t want to run into anyone else right now.” He pulls you along swiftly until you reach the gardens, taking one last look around you before relaxing a bit.

“Hey, Sho, what the heck is going on?” you ask, lowering your voice.

The boy in front of you couldn’t look you in the eyes. He was worried about something, which was totally uncharacteristic of him. Trying to ease his nerves, you reach out and gently squeeze his hand, but he doesn’t respond back. Instead, he just sighs, finally about to say something.

“So...you know how we...always meet up every year?” he asks.

You nod, slightly confused at where this was going.

“Well, our fathers have been discussing…”

“Discussing what?”

“Something very.. special for next week-”

“My birthday isn’t for a couple of months”

“It’s not that-”

“Then?”

He turned his head and sighed.

“...Discussing our marriage…” he trails off.

“Sho! Oh wow, This-this is great!” you beamed. You always thought about the day you’ll have to marry someone. Your role as a princess was to marry a prince, and become a beloved Queen to your kingdom. You dreaded that it would be for trading purposes, that you’d have to marry some pudgy old man so that your father could share more land, but you had the option to marry your best friend! Anyone would be delighted at the thought...anyone but Shoto.

Your smile quickly faded as you studied his face. He expressed a mix of guilt, awkwardness, worry, and something you haven’t seen before…was that fear?

“What’s wrong?”

He shook his head, still unable to look at you, “I can’t do this-”

“Is it too early still? Because it’s ok, we don’t have to-” The words stung, but you couldn’t let that get to you.

“No! No, that’s not it, it’s just that I can’t”

“You can’t what? Tell me what so I can help you.”

“I… I love you (y/n), just...not like that” he says, furrowing his eyebrows.

“What? Wait, what do you mean?” you asked, stomach dropping.

“I just mean that I, I don’t see you like that.” he said.

“So, I’m not good enough?” you shook your head.

“-No-”

You could feel the tears stinging in your eyes, “so...there’s someone else?”

He lets go of your hand to rub his arm in a nervous manner, “No, that’s not it either, I just don’t know how to explain it-”

But he was lying. You knew Shoto was a bad liar around you. It was bad enough that he couldn’t look at you, but even worse that he was taking steps away from you, slowly inching backwards in the opposite direction. He wasn’t trusting you with something and you didn’t know why, but your anger took over, and suddenly, you didn’t want to know why either.

“Well then, I’ll leave it to you to inform our fathers that this wedding won’t be happening, Todoroki.” you huffed. You saw the hurt in his face when you called him by his last name, but you could care less right now. You turned around and headed back to the castle, back to your room, and back to Ochako so you could cry in comfort. You kept your eyes trained at the ground, a silent message to all your servants to leave you alone. However, the message was left unknown to someone who didn’t live in the palace, someone like King Enji.

You were cut off from the path to your room by the tall and heavily built man, his eyes cold and harsh staring at you from above. You stopped and immediately curtsied in respect, as you were representing your father every time you met with a leader of another kingdom.

“Good morning, King Enji.” you said, giving him a well practiced ‘princess smile’.

He only grunted in response, nodding his head to the sword strapped to your back. “I see you received my son’s wedding gift, do you find it satisfactory?”

“Oh-the sword, right! It’s beautiful, your greatness. I am so humbly honored to receive such a gift.” you bow. You had completely forgotten it was there after what happened with Shoto. It was supposed to be a wedding gift, a sign of his love for you, but he didn’t love you like you loved him. You should be throwing this thing away, you should feel disgusted...so why did those words come out so naturally? Why did the sword feel so familiar? Hopefully Ochako could help you answer those.

King Enji nodded in approval, motioning to some servants he had waiting out of your sight. “You have good manners, young one. Perhaps my son could learn a thing or two from you when it comes to respecting his elders.”

Two female servants took place besides you, awaiting further instructions from their King.

“Your father has agreed to allow me to provide the dress, courtesy of the profits he helped me make last year. My servants will be taking your measurements, as well as note your likes and dislikes for the preparations.” he says before walking off.

All you could do was smile now. You couldn’t make your father look bad, even in front of servants. You continued to hold back tears as the handmaidens escorted you to your chambers.

So much for spilling your heart out to Ochako.

***

The maidens were merciless, insisting that every measurement be as precise as possible. You tried to delay them, but your efforts were futile. They brought every bit of conversation back to the dress, and to the wedding plans you know you won’t have. Guards were installed in front to ensure no one came in or out until every inch of your body was measured to perfection. They measured your breasts and behind about five times over to ensure that “your best qualities were perfectly framed” for the wedding. Best qualities? Were you just boobs and ass for the future King? You sighed, still letting them continue their measuring. Shoto wouldn’t have cared…

No, he was Todoroki to you now, until he can give you an explanation.

But...do you even deserve one?

As King Enji’s servants gave you a break to bring out supplies for your fitting, you walked over to the sword your “fiance” gave you, unsheathed for its glory to shine on your bed. He knew how you liked it, designing it to perfectly mirror you. He took note of everything you loved, remembering your style interests from whenever you two would talk for hours on end. You traced the flawless engravings on the blade itself, almost tearing up again. Turning the sword over, you saw the engraving on the bottom of the hilt, small, yet beautiful nonetheless.

“Let’s protect each other from now on”

All the anger you felt before was gone, replaced by pure guilt.

He really did love you.

Just not in the way that you had hoped.

You were being selfish, and you needed to make it right.

Before you knew it, you were yanked back to the full length mirrors for more measurements.

Both the measuring and interrogations lasted nearly the entire day with the servants drawing several designs and re-measuring you for each one. Of course, they didn’t accept a “that looks fine” or “this one is good'', so they continued to create new ones, each more extravagant and beautiful than the last. Evening came, and the maidens packed their materials to head back to their own kingdom. You thanked them sincerely for all their hard work and rushed off to say goodbye to Shoto until he disappeared over the hill and into the forest, like you’ve always done...except you weren’t.

You arrived to meet your father, King Enji, and Shoto in the main hall a little out of breath while they said their last goodbyes. King Enji broke his attention away from your father to give you a polite nod, acknowledging your presence. Your father noticed this and turned to give you a big hug, laughing heartily.

“Can you believe it? You’re getting married in a week! I need to tell your mother straight away! She would be so proud.” he says, pulling strands of your hair behind your ear.

“Yes, I believe she would” you smile. You weren’t in the mood to explain that she’d only use this as an excuse to out-fashion you on your own special day.

Shoto hung his head in silence right next to his dad, still not making eye contact with you. You tried to pay him no mind and instead focused on building up your courage to ask something of King Enji in the politest way possible.

When you got the chance, you squeezed out every bit of bravery left in your system to say “Erm, King Enji, is it alright if Prince Shoto stays?”, twiddling your fingers innocently.

The red headed man looked a bit taken back by the question, but he didn’t seem opposed to the idea. He snorted, waving his hand to Shoto, who stared at you with an open mouth.

“Ah, young love,” your father chuckled, and went to see his comrade out the door.

Without a second to spare, you grabbed Shoto’’s hand and led him to your room, closing the door behind you quickly.

“(y/n), what are you doing?” he asked, watching you shove a chair underneath the handles of your doors. You had enough palace servants for today.

You turned around and immediately threw your arms around his waist. He stood rigid with surprise before hesitantly hugging you back with a light grip. He was still confused from the fiasco earlier, but didn’t blame you.

“Sho....I’m so sorry, I should have understood.” you whispered. “I hope you could forgive me..”

He gave you a slight squeeze, “Of-course, (y/n). I’m sorry too, I-”

“Stop. You don’t need to explain anything to me. All we need to do is get this wedding cancelled.” you interrupt, looking up at him. “Also, I’m glad you didn’t say anything.”

He looked relieved, giving you a soft smile. “Thanks, (y/n).” He pulls away from you and takes a seat on your bed next to where your blade still sat, unbothered. “But, I realized that if I were to tell my father, he’d assume it to be an insult no matter what I say, and end the friendship. with your people. Then he’d have me married off to someone else and make my life more hell than it already was. I’d rather be married to my best friend than a stranger.” he smiled.

You opened your mouth to say something, but the words escaped you. You were stumped. After all of this, it turned in your favor, but you didn’t want this anymore.

You huffed and stood up abruptly, heading to your drawers and searching through them.

“What are you-?” Sho trailed off, standing up with you.

Finally, you found an assorted set of bags you use to collect things on your trips to the forest. With most of your years being devoted to molding you into a perfect queen, you haven’t used these for anything more than bringing home a pretty set of rocks in hopes that your mother would pay attention to you. Now, you were finding the biggest ones, planning to fill them with essentials to help you survive the woods.

“We’re not going to do anything we’re forced to be into,” you said, “No matter what, our fathers won’t allow us to cancel this, but they can’t do anything if we’re not here.”

“(y/n), you’re not thinking of leaving are you?” he asked, worry apparent all over his face.

You handed Sho a bag, staring him straight in the eye. “I’m absolutely thinking of that.” You grabbed a bag for yourself and shoved the rest back into your drawers. “We both have siblings who can inherit the throne, right? And if we disappear together and write a note saying something like “oh this is going too fast and we decided to take a break together in the mountains”- neither of our fathers could blame each other, so-”

“Hey,” Sho laid a hand on your shoulder, “we don’t have to do this. I told you, I really thought about this, and as long as it’s you, I’ll be happy-”

“No, Sho,” you said, shrugging off the hand and looking through your closet for extra clothes, “you can tell yourself that, but that’s not going to be true. I want you to be just as happy, and that’s not gonna happen if we go through with this marriage. Look, I know Ocha’s grandmother lives in a small town East of here, past the forest. If we can get there, we can rest and figure out what to do, ok?”

You looked at him for confirmation, his brows furrowed and his lips spread into a thin line. For a few seconds, he contemplated the terrible outcomes of your plan, but he knew you would just do this yourself if he didn’t come with you.

Finally, he nodded before he could change his mind.

This probably wasn’t the smartest idea, but at least you were together.

#bakugou imagine #bakugou katsuki #bakugou katsuki x reader #mha medieval #bakugou #x reader #bakugou x y/n #bakugou x reader series #shoto todoroki

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yourmemoriesandminesu · 5 years ago

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My thoughts on suf

So the 4 part series finale happened and damn what a ride. Personally I liked the direction they went with the final episode and of corse I have my own personal nitpicks, so let’s start off there!

Nitpicks:

Not enough corrupted Steven and him rampaging through the streets. (That might just be my love of monster carnage talking) but having all the gems work together to get Steven into the water and make him cry to uncorupt him would have been amazing! Imagine the possibilities, every gem who was helped all coming together to ensure the safety of the townspeople and Steven!

Pink pearl hiding her eye SUGAR!!!!

His healing process was slightly hinted at, like mentioning his therapist. Throughout the series we kind of get implications that he’s gotten over his mother and who she was, but I always wished we could have gotten that inner peace shown better. The only close instance we see is volleyball and even then it’s both pearls coming to realize that pink was trying to change and become a better person, but we never get Stevens input on that. Along with the struggle between being a gem and a human, the main issue that seems to be somewhat dropped. Time constraints are understandable, but leaving the audience out of months worth of therapy was a tad disappointing for me as that was large part of his outbursts.

No after corruption scars, many people (me included) theorized that there would be some sort of ‘scar’ left behind as a sort of reminder of the emotional and physical toll the whole situation had. Very sadly he came out physically unscathed, which for a show about symbolism surprised me. You could argue that he does have scars, they’re just on his skeleton. (Or inside) perhaps I was just too invested in the idea of maybe a pink patch or eye (like a lot of imagery throughout the series) again this one is the most nit of the picky.

Things I adored!:

The diamonds (and everyone else) realizing just how bad they fucked up. Steven went through some shit with them when they still thought he was pink diamond. White reflecting on what a bitch she had been to literally everyone and everything. Greg finally standing up and saying no more running from gem stuff.

That fucking group hug killed me, it destroyed me. The moment of realization of just how many people were there for him and willing to show it ( the fucking cluster showed up and when it held his hand I just fudhetekhf) and of corse the Connie kiss. The good ol healing kiss not in the same way, but fuck it melted my stone cold void of a heart. Right after Steven corrupts he’s still crying, but this time everyone is there, his support system never truly left. They are all still there for him and it took turning into a giant Godzilla for him to truly see it. And the meltdown on lion, just... man I can’t bro. That cry, it hurt, but in a good way.

Steven leaves, but not on bad terms. Yes Steven leaves beach city to travel the states and eventually settle down but unlike his parents he’s keeping in touch with everyone, he’s not running away from his family or faking his own death. He’s going out and seeing the country (and I’ll bet you 50 bucks he’ll build a portal at his new home for the gems to visit his kids) he also didn’t leave immediately as its been months since the wormy boi incident. (I’m assuming he’s 18 at this point as Connie was talking about college) he gives everyone a goodbye gift, he tells everyone he’s leaving, and it’s bittersweet. Now I’m a sucker for bittersweet! I love it (and the ending to ymam actually has a planed bittersweet ending) so seeing him go out into the world and leaving the only home he’s ever known is really nice. But it’s also nice to know that he will most likely visit beach city, video chat with friends and most likely live stream tv shows with peri.

Stevens breaking point, oh that entire sequence just obliterated me. Everything he’s held in and been afraid of just BURST into the open. He pours his guts to everyone all in the midsts of a manic episode. We get to see Steven at his lowest point (before wormy boi) everything he thought to be wrong and he would never do. I never thought the series would go there, but they did. They went above and beyond with showcasing the effects of PTSD from a young age and damn it was done well. And Stevens diamond form, holy cow he was HUGE! And the diamond eyes! For so long fans have wanted to see Steven with the good ol diamond pupils and we finally get them. Just, yes!

All in all there are some things I would have liked to get more attention, but it’s ending was bittersweet with a good helping of an uncertain but hope filled future.

8.5/10

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crazyclownthanos · 4 years ago

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The 12 original dragons

Explaination on their heritage, their involvement in the XII bellum, breaking down each character and there purpose.

The Dragons origin

Dragons have been living since the beginning of time. Bringing good luck, offering protection, creating landscapes of eternal beauty. The home of the dragons was in another realm referred to as Nidhogg. A beautiful and enchanting land where the grass dances in the sun and the lake glows like pearls, tall and mighty wooden houses spread across the land, where everyone calls each other family ruled by the royal family.

Forms of Dragons

The citizens of Nidhogg were to have at least 2 forms max.

Jormungandr form. This form allows to have an apperance of a human but have dragon like features for example a tail sticking out or wings pointing

Dragon form. In full dragon, ordinary dragons with magic abilities based on their type of dragon

Who are the 12 original Dragons

The 12 Dragons of Nidhogg represted 12 elements that were told to create life. These dragons were immortal compared to a normal dragon lifespan being 6000 years. The royal family held authority over the 12 dragons, reasoning of how these dragons got given these titles is a ritual is called the dragon blood ritual, where a baby bathes in each blood of the five dragon kings, allegedly if the baby Grows it wings, develop its horns and flourish their tails the five dragon kings have successfully blessed the baby with their treasures.

Faffnir’s circle

Right outside the royal palace laid a circle of most importance, the circle had 5 layers decreasing on size. On the 5th/outer level had Latin words speaking peace. The 4th/2nd largest circle projecting Coptic language of generosity. The 3rd/middle layer showed the language of Sumerian projecting words of governance. The 2nd/second smallest circle displayed words from the Akkadian language of conquest. The smallest circle demonstrate words of the Sanskrit language of balance. The circle did not just carry fancy writing of ruined empires but held something that no mage could offer that was universal seeking. Faffnir’s circle was used to see other universes from their view from places of stone cold planets or worlds of shining emeralds.

History

The royal family proposed an idea of utilising Faffnir’s circle to its full extent of opening the circle big enough for the 12 original dragons to fly through and bless a planet as an experiment to their kind. This experiment came at a cost to open the circle they will need a sacrifice. The citizens of Nidhogg were wary of the experiments success refusing to volunteer. One dragon raised their hand, the kings daughter understanding what this experiment could bring to their land she took it upon herself to be that sacrifice. The princess walked along ripping her dress in a graceful manner throwing her crown into the deepest water the kingdom of Nidhogg witnessed history. As much as the king didn’t want to approve of this he did eventually gave in and had never felt more proud as a father. All the 12 original dragons stood on the fifth circle having a space for one of each meanwhile the princess stood in the middle on the smallest circle. The circle started to move like a ticking clock any form of symbols in Nidhogg started to illuminate, the five dragon kings blood poured faster than before. The experiment resulted as a success, the 12 original dragons made it to a bleak world where the circle of Nidhogg lies, sadly the princess had died fulfilling her purpose to the kingdom the dragons do not grieve but promise themselves and each other that the princess death would not go in vein and a bless a planet. Using there elemental gifts the 12 dragons shaped a world of misty meadows, blue skies, snowy mountains, animals to wander, deep waters of reflection, grassy hills and many others. The dragons would stay loyal and protect this world forever however the XII bellum provoked the dragons into becoming an opponent to the devils who wanted the worlds existence to be removed. the XII bellum came to an ending point when the spirits and the Midgard nomads get involved, their power was that overwhelming it sent the devils back to the underworld and the dragons forced to leave their physical dragon bodies in their elemental field though their souls had to wander searching for souls to entwine with for the day they return to Nidhogg.

Dragon Vessels

A dragon vessel is when a human soul and a dragon soul are entwine with each other. This process happens when a dragon soul finds a human who haven’t manifested an attribute yet meaning the dragon grants the human power to use their magic attribute, turn into a dragon and sometimes appear with dragon like features however these do come at a cost to maintain powers like these you will be reacquired to have a stable magic control, endless amount of training and connect with the dragon producer. Soul separation happens at the age of 6 this will be the year dragon vessels will eventually learn of the power and most importantly the person dwelling within them gaining this new ability the producer or vessel can soul separate however they like but they have limit on how long it goes for, the affects of soul separation are the vessel cannot do magic however the producer can use magic but cannot transform into a dragon. Due to their physical bodies being hidden away dragon producers do not appear having dragon like features appearing to look human. Dragons do use grimoire’s but instead of having a clover or spade at the front instead its a dragon symbolising the strong connection and a color scheme matching the dragons elemental purpose.

Each original Dragon

Ondaerrass

Burden dragon

Dragon vessel: Dove Holmes

Satus: alive (soul entwine)

Species: dragon

Gender: male

Affinity: burden magic

Age: 41 (human years)

Birthday: March 9th

Constellation: Pisces

Height: 197cm (human form), 23ft or 701cm (dragon form)

Eyes: purple

Hair: red

Likes: Jumping off buildings, baths

Appearance

Dragon form: Ondaerrass color scheme’s are black and dark purple. He possess illuminating narrow purple eyes whenever he opens his mouth illuminating purple smoke comes out. Two long horns sprouting out either side of his head. Ondaerrass has black scales all over his dragon body, some scales tend to be bigger and stick out. Protruding wings on the outer side it’s black and on the inner side it’s dark purple side the shape of the wings appear to have the look of ripped curtains very unsymmetrical. A long black tail with spikes pointing out at the end. Details to be pointed out are the smaller horns standing out, above his eye, on his nose, mouth and jaw.

Human form: Ondaerrass has a masculine body, dark skin, a tattoo of a serpent on the left side of his face, a griffin on the middle of his neck, tattoo of a wendigo on his right upper limb, mermaid on his nape, unicorn the left side of his lower back, centaur on the ride of side of his waist, a dragon showing on his abs,sphinx on the right thigh, werewolf on the back of the left knee, chimera on his left ankle, all purple. Narrow lilac eyes, long yet spiky red hair half up in a man bun with a few twigs sticking out. Ondaerrass hates wearing clothing pefers to let it all out though he gets force to wear a purple toned star pattern shoulder cape with a golden piece on the shoulder on the buttom he wears white stained dhoti pants and no shoes.

Personality

Ondaerrass has a chilled personality dosen’t take everything too seriously he tends to cracks up a joke or two in a meeting or tease one of the other dragons, being a big fellow he likes using his height to intimate others before showing off his signature laugh “Bojobojobojobojobojo” . In times of seriousness Ondaerrass does get more quiet and listens more, “shut up and listen to your gut” he would say to anyone making a hard decision.

Battle powers

Burden Magic: This magic attribute allows the user to use his magic as a way of misfortune taking the life out of any environment or creature

Dragon magic: Ondaerrass can transform into a dragon or appear to have a dragon like features (before XII bellum)

Rhaegal

Lava Dragon

Dragon Vessel: Rekka Marron

Status: Alive (soul entwine)

Species: Dragon

Gender: Male

Affinity: Lava magic

Age: 15 but appears to be 40 (human years)

Birthday: April 1st

Constellation: Aries

Height: 203cm (human form), 40ft or 1219cm (dragon form)

Eyes: Ember

Hair: Navy Blue

Likes: Chicken, Booze, nap time

Apperance

Dragon Form: The color scheme for Rhaegal protrays illuminating lava oozing through the brown surface. Wide eyes of hot orange and red illuminating no pupil called for as well as a tongue of steaming hot lava. Horns three sets of horn from smallest the biggest sticking out. Similar to the body of the dragon the wings also share the same flowing lava oozing out of the cracked brown skin. The tail is short and stumpy a brown tail. The snout has rocky features chipped sometimes when falling small specks of rock could fall down. Out of all the 12 dragons Rhaegal is the biggest meaning the more tired you will become after transforming into a dragon

Human form: Rhaegal shares the same body type as Ondaerrass of both being super masculine. He has fare skin usually can be seen wearing one earring pierced and have light pink scares from battle his most recognizable is the scar going vertically down his left eye and another scar horizontally across his face with a few navy blue beard hairs to add. Rhaegal possess ember eyes. His hair navy blue hair is uasually styled slick back with one piece sticking at the front. Clothes wise Rhaegal wears a medieval base open jacket with the collars standing straight, on the collar dark blue designs could been seen then a soft light blue covering the rest of the jacket (usually the sleeves are rolled up) on the bottom are light olive green baggy pants rolled up, for shoes it’s black boots.

Personality

Rhaegal values are drinking and sleeping he is quickly to get into other peoples face if he thinks of them as an opponent pulling a so called “scary face”. Rhaegal does have a heart of goal looking out for everyone in the Nidhogg kingdom and soon his own devil vessel often taking the time of babysitting him while the parents are off performing magic knight duties. Rhaegal isn’t short tempered and has shown be very paitent. In battle Rhaegal can break anything that stands in his way and once he has made up his mind on something he stays on that.

Battle powers

Lava magic: This attribute allows Rhaegal to create and manipulate lava. Rhaegal has shown impressive skills of manipulation even manipulating the mantle of the earth.

Dragon Magic: Rhaegal can transform into a dragon or appear to have a dragon like features (before XII bellum)

Ju-Long

Bliss Dragon

Dragon Vessel: unknown

Status: Alive (soul entwine)

Species: Dragon

Gender: Male

Affinity: Bliss Magic

Age: unconfirmed

Birthday: September 23rd

Constellation: Libra

Height: 167cm (human form), 15ft or 457cm (dragon form)

Eyes: Blue

Hair: White

Likes: Being on time, Strong cappuccino

Apperance

Dragon form: Ju-Long has the dragon form of any common dragon. His color scheme is shiny white with tints of grey. The color of his eyes are glowing blue that shines of diamonds along with blue mouthsmoke having the scent of pureness. One set of curved horns pointing upward moreover sets of horns in perfect form in sets of two scaling down the dragons spine. The scales have a look of a shiny white and at the end you can notice tints of grey. Ju-Long has a common dragon wings but not only one he carry’s 3 sets of wings on either side though from an angel you can see his wings be a little too big for his body. The white dragon posses multiple tails of atleast 6 tails all of them have horns sprouting out average size. Details can includes the goats beard dripping down his chin.

Human form: Ju-Long has a thin body type, light skin and has piercing blue eyes together with white hair that covers his forehead and sides of the hair shorter then the rest resting on his shoulder the rest of his hair is quite long and keeps a loose tie at the bottom. For the types of clothing he wears Ju-Long likes wearing ancient traditional clothing his favorite appears to be a traditional ancient Chinese kawaler robe colors consisting of bright red and gold yellow.

Personality

Ju-Long is a cautious individual who’s quick to scream in every situation leading to have little self control and always aiming to be a perfectionist. His main propriety are schedules and following the rules if he dosen’t achieve this he is quick to panic and end up in a emotional state. Whenever crowds ask him for battle strategies he dosen’t give a battle strategy instead an emotional talk of never giving up only making the other original dragons to sigh. Ju-Longs signature move the “tail whip” dosen’t necessarily work but it’s enough for Ju-Long to give himself a pat on the back.

Battle powers

Bliss Magic: This magic affinity grants the user to confuse their opponent into thinking their walking into a dream of eternal bliss but in reality it’s form of hypnotizing paralyzing the opponent

Dragon Magic: Ju-Long can transform into a dragon or appear to have a dragon like features (before XII bellum)

Alizeh

Sky Dragon

Dragon Vessel: unknown

Status: Alive (soul entwine)

Species: Dragon

Gender: Female

Age: unconfirmed

Birthday: June 3rd

Constellation: Gemini

Height: 175cm (human form), 20ft or 607cm (dragon form)

Eyes: Grey

Hair: light Pink with black chunky highlights

Likes: Winning, Yogurt

Apperance

Dragon form: Alizeh’s color schemes are are a mix of blue, green and white. For its eyes it carry’s green and mouthsmoke of white clouds. The sky dragon dosen’t have any legs for it has been told that dragon forever remains soaring in the sky. Unlike the other dragons who have rough snouts the sky dragon has a smooth snout along with thick single horns starting from the top of the head to the start of the tail. The scales aren’t normal dragon scales actually they are feathers of toned blue into green. The sky dragon possess angle wings to contribute of flying at a faster speed. The tail is pretty standard having fluff starting at the tail and ending at the point of the tail on both sides so not covering the entire tail.

Human form: Alizeh has an hour glass body type, tanned skin. Eye color wise she possess grey eyes however she covers her eyes with Golden silk cloth. Alizeh’s carry’s light pink hair with black chunky hair lights usually let out with no hair clip or hair ties. Clothing choices she wears a female warrior gladdiator outfit, Pieces of gold wrappped around her chest, elbows, wrist and a belt of gold dripping down not too low aside from all the gold she rocks a sleeve less top brown leather with some lace included for the skirt it’s upper thigh length brown leather skirt separated, shoes she wears female gladdiator sandlas length ending at her knees. A noticeable feature on Alizeh is that she’s always wearing a animal skull large enough to fit her head as a helmet

Personality

Alizeh assumes everything is a race to her, examples like who can clean the fastest or who can get to the door first. Quick to get competive and hates wasting time resulting her to be unimpaitent and unprepared not often caring about small details. Nobody knows why she wears the silk cloth over her eyes however Alizeh has stated that her eyes have magic of its own.

Battle powers

Sky Magic: This sky attribute allows the user to partly manipulate the sky and air creating natural disasters like typhoons and not to forget control clouds

Cloud Creation: This ability does not require any form of water simply creating clouds

Dragon Magic: Alizeh can transform into a dragon or appear to have a dragon like features (before XII bellum)

Nereus

Water Dragon

Dragon Vessel: Nereida Silva

Status: Alive (Soul Entwine)

Species: Dragon

Gender: Male

Affinity: Water

Age: 15 but appears to look 30 (human years)

Birthday: August 15th

Constellation: Leo

Height: 180cm (human form), 24ft or 731cm (Dragon Form)

Eyes: Blue

Hair: Purple

Likes: Songs, Creating tools and landscapes or eternal beauty

Apperance:

Dragon form: The color scheme for the sea dragon are solid colors of blue, all types of blue. The head of the dragon is rather sharp a pointy nose and two small horns sprouting from the chin and two horns at the top, his eyes are a piercing pastel green olive shape as well as a mouth of sharp teeth the shines white also water sprayed out whenever it pleases. Fish like scales on both sides of the head and the top, smooth scales all over the body and right on the spines are enchanting water that flows on the top. Similar to the sky dragon the water dragon dose not possess legs. As for the wings they are a normal pair of wings good for thrusting in water quicker, they have a unique design to a turquoise color toned down to a dark blue of bubble designs and water whirls. Small details include dribbles of water popping out every now and then

Human form: Nereus is considered to be a decently masculine, long legs and pretty big biceps. Light skin and on his right arm you can see a patch of fish scales, Nereus has blue eyes nothing new and long purple hair usually tied up on a high ponytail with two strands as bangs. Clothing of choice Nereus wears a iron chest plate tightly fitted around his abs and chest attached to his chest plate right below his right hips and held onto by his leg is a sachel filled with tools and on the left side hanging is his hammer on the bottom he wears high waisted black pants with a few side pockets shoe wise he’ll be wearing brown boots.

Personality

Referred to as the sea god Nereus is one of the most popular original dragons having good social skills and is quite skilled on tool making and architecture known for his love of songs people made tales about him singing to restore the oceans calm. Nereus is very friendly and unless you offend you won’t be expecting an hammer to the face anytime soon.

Battle powers

Water magic: This attribute allow the user to manipulate and create vast amount of water

Sea domain: Reponsible for creating the oceans Nereus has taken upon himself of creating worlds of sea temples and unique people.

Dragon Magic: Nereus can transform into a dragon or appear to have a dragon like features (before XII bellum)

Srebrenka

Metal Dragon

Dragon vessel: Unknown

Status: Alive (soul entwine)

Species: Dragon

Gender: Female

Affinity: Metal magic

Age: unconfirmed

Birthday: November 5th

Constellation: Scorpio

Height: 179cm (human form), 26ft or 792cm (dragon form)

Eyes: Yellow

Hair: Black

Likes: Foreplay, Artifacts

Apperance

Dragon form: The Metal dragon have color schemes of shiny bright iron mostly because of the armor the Metal dragon wears because of how harmful the magic can be. The eyes are bright and large red eyes with grey mouthsmoke whenever the mouth opens specs of metal fall out. The Metal armour covers the head, chest and stomach to tell the difference between the scales and the armor is the touch, the arm stores heat and it’s used as a weapon to melt metals and use it as a weapon. Srebrenka’s horns on the top of her head are extremely pointy, the scales have a sharp texture even continuing onto the tail less then average size and has scales pointing upward. The wings are normal size though some area of the wings are so sharp they can pierce through the toughest of surfaces. Small details include the black teeth

Human form: Srebrenka has an hour glass body type, fare skin and an hour glass tattoo on the middle of her stomach along with pink glossy lips. Beautiful yellow eyes you can see mountains away to go with it big eye lashes. Long black hair tied up on low pig tails connecting the two pig tails by a hair tie at the end. Srebrenka usually wears a black coverage only sealing her nipples and a little of the side of the boob hanged on the buttom is a fluff belt attached to a belt hanging on the right side, for shoes she’s seen in black velvet upper thigh heels.

Personality

Srebrenka lives on attention, consentantly needing the pleasure of all men leading to the infamous nickname of the “alkali playboy”. Not afraid to show off her body and usually using it has her biggest weapon no one really knows how she got blessed with the blood of the five dragon kings. On the battlefield she’s known to have her strengths of studying her opponents and finding there weak spots from experience.

Battle powers

Metal magic: This magic attribute grants the holder to manipulate and create metal of every type and choose the boiling point

Compound magic: Using compound magic Srebrenka can use it to mix two metals resulting into creating a stronger met

Dragon magic: Srebrenka can transform into a dragon or appear to have a dragon like features (before XII bellum)

Bryony

Nature Dragon

Dragon Vessel: Unknown

Status: Alive (soul entwine)

Species: Dragon

Gender: Female

Affinity: Nature

Age: unconfirmed

Birthday: February 10th

Constellation: Aquarius

Height: 170cm (human form), 30ft or 914cm (dragon form)

Eyes: Green

Hair: Pink

Apperance

Dragon form: The Nature dragons color scheme are mostly green but there other colors including brown, pink and blue. It contains illuminating pink eyes like sakura’s and coming out of the mouth are birds flying out. The dragon has brown antler horns representing branches poking out. It dosen’t not wield scales instead the nature dragon significantly has a image of a forest imprinted on her body, on the body the inferior color is green representing the grass you can also see a somewhat a river curving her body, pink flowers on the ground. The dragon wings are curved having the same foresty look imprinted on. The tail is long and thin there is a noticeable green toned brown near the end of the tail. Small details include sharp wooden looking scales on the each of the 4 legs.

Human form: Bryony occupied a triangle body type with noticeable freckles all over her entire body. She owns wide green eyes that look like green apples and a hair color of a light shade of pink knee length always down parted in the middle topped with a flower of flowers from all over the world. Her clothing of choice is inspired by victorian fashion of a white long sleeve ruffle blouse and a high waisted skirt with two sets of buttons at the top to knee length a pattern consisting of flowers and twigs or she could be wandering the place in corset.

Personality

Bryony is said to be a kind sweetheart who offers help to anyone In need however she has days of when she’s off in her own world often spotted crawling around or getting afraid of her own shadow, she has shown high survival skills making last minute decisions on the spot, fighting against someone she uses her magic to trap their competitor before moving onto the next. Off the battlefield Bryony has shown an interest of doing new thing that won’t cost her life one of them are definitely baking and gardening often doing it while crawling.

Battle powers

Nature Magic: Allowing the user to manipulate and create new environment such as vines, trees, plants and flowers and use it as her main weapon to destroy her enemies being the mother of all environment related attribute being known be as the “Mother Nature”

Dragon Magic: Bryony can transform into a dragon or appear to have a dragon like features (before XII bellum)

Dagda

Earth Dragon

Dragon Vessel: unknown

Status: Alive (soul entwine)

Species: Dragon

Gender: Male

Affinity: Earth

Age: unconfirmed

Birthday: July 22nd

Constellation: Cancer

Height: 173cm (human form), 28ft or 853cm (dragon form)

Eyes: Red

Hair: dirty Blonde

Likes: Gambaling, blackmailing and shiny objects

Apperance

Dragon Form: Earth dragon has a color scheme of well the color of brown. The earth dragon is one of the many few dragons who share the same eye color as them both containing narrow intimidating red eyes but the left eye remains shut , mouthsmoke can be dust. There are horns scatted all over the earth dragon sharp and tall all different sizes making them one of the thickest dragons of the 12, some of the taller horns have white tips looking like mountains. Earth dragon dose not have scales but a rough surface like rocks people mention. The wings and tail share the same idea as the spine, rough and hard altogether with stubby legend of toe nails of grey stone. When flying the dragon can fly out dust to blind fly enemies from behind or taking a dump.

Human form: Dagda has a rhomboid figure, fare skin. Dagda wears a traditional Japanese clothing called the kataginu-hakama clothes for warriors, the solid color are the front is red though the white sleeves have been appeared to be ripped off, wearing straw sandals and carrying a fan ticking on the top of his belt

Personality

Dagda is a devious character has been appeared to get ahead of thinking and making silly mistakes like dropping plates on the floor. Dagda has known to be a master of blackmailing and for sure in gambling of blackmailing his rival some people call him a cheater but has his ways of good acting and getting away with those type of situations. On the battlefield Dagda likes underestimating his opponents leading into making them believe they gained victorious before getting brutally crushed, well known for his good team strategies.

Battle powers

Earth magic: This type of magic affinity allows the creator to create molds of earth and manipulate it to their advangtage with any mineral of earth or dosen’t matter. It can be manipulated

Dragon Magic: Dagda can transform into a dragon or appear to have a dragon like features (before XII bellum)

Lumina

Light Dragon

Dragon Vessel: Unknown

Status: Alive (soul entwine)

Species: Dragon

Gender: Male

Affinity: Light

Age: uncomfirmed

Birthday: January 20th

Constellation: Capricorn

Height: 150cm (human form), 18ft or 548cm (dragon Form)

Eyes: Light Grey

Hair: Blonde

Likes: Red velvet cake, tearing peoples ego

Apperance

Dragon form: Color schemes consist of illuminating yellow and white, the light dragon is the only dragon to be glowing. The head of the dragon has husks coming both ways out of the mouth, eye color is a glowing black and whenever opening it mouth a ray of shine is seen. Back to the husks out of the mouth there is a candle with even wax on the tip to complete it the look, horns are in a strange pattern some small some bigwith the same troop of candle waxing, scales on the other hand are pretty confusing having some point the flip side and some on the normal side. The wings have a bat form nothing special. The tail is pretty standard keeping the same line of weirdly shaped horns. A detail on the light dragon is red scar located on the stomach.

Human form: Lumina has a small stature and very little muscle despite training for so long. Skin details includes a red scar located on his stomach. His light grey eyes are sorta confusing making other think he only have small black eyes. Lumina’s blonde hair is in a style of a bowl cut topped with a golden black stripped hat with a Lilly spider flower as a decoration. Matching the top hat is a shimmering golden suit and black stripes underneath his coat appears to be white collar and a black tie, spotless black shoes despite having short legs he sits on a cloud controlling the cloud wherever he goes.

Personality

With his short height many believe Lumina as a harmless and innocent child when in reality he’s an aggressive boy. As the saying goes don’t judge a book by its cover. Lumina is known for picking fights with anyone and having a somewhat sociopath personality. Quick of making death threats giving the impression of a devil floating in this child. Inside Lumina cannot stand on his own and thinks of the other dragons as brothers and sisters often seeking comfort and warmth from them. On the battlefield he is maniac roaring in your face and going for brutual physical attacks over magic attacks.

Battle powers

Light Magic: Lumina can manipulate and create light in whatever area. Sometimes he can create spheres of light in unconscious hours the more spheres of light he’s having a dream less more likely he’s having a nightmare

Dragon Magic: Lumina can transform into a dragon or appear to have a dragon like features (before XII bellum)

Hestia

Fire Dragon

Dragon Vessel: unknown

Status: Alive (soul entwine)

Species: Dragon

Gender: Female

Affinity: Fire magic

Age: unconfirmed

Birthday: May 18th

Constellation: Taurus

Height: 187cm (human form), 26ft or 792cm (dragon form)

Eyes: Green

Hair: Orange

Like: Plumerias, hearing other people laugh or smile because of her cooking

Apperance

Dragon form: The fire dragon possess colors of red, orange and black. The head was big and looked standarded, eyes glow emerald green and whenever it opens it mouth fire comes prevailing paired with a tongue of ash. The red bumpy yet curved horns grew all over the dragons spine, tail and stomach, scales of different shades of red are view signifying the reflection of flames. The shape of the tail is long and at the very tip it was on fire. The wings are the most recognizable feature looking like they’ve been on fire the flames glowed of reds and oranges lighting up the dim sky. Small details include the red bushy eyebrows

Human Form: Hestia is a masculine woman and is tall compared to an average height of a woman, a dark women how wears her orange hair in cornrows. Skin details include the red multiple swirls covering both of her arms as well as a on her chest and on her back. Her emerald green eyes are quite big. Hestia has shown been seen in a Fijian tapa dress length below her knees and above her ankles with a straw sandals and she likes wearing a white plumeria flower behind her right ear.

Personality

Hestia is an awkard girl who finds social interaction as a pain and dosen’t understand the system of getting to know them and understand leading to her first meetings get awkard. The first time she met the original dragons Hestia would find it embarrassing to talk about anything with them soon she realized these dargon folk didn’t care how you acted as long as you have pure intentions. Some situations she would try and do something nice but would end up in flame literal flames. On the battle of war Hestia knows her surroundings well and picks up very fast, she isn’t scared of getting dirty or bloodied looks we’re not important it matters that you contributed.

Battle powers

Fire Magic: This attribute allows the user to create and manipulate fire whenever it blue or Orange it still has an affect. In dragon form Hestia’s wings would shine of blue flame

Dragon Magic: Hestia can transform into a dragon or appear to have a dragon like features (before XII bellum)

#White Clover #The 12 original dragons #dragon #joe biden #part 1

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themoonandotherslikeit · 6 years ago

Text

The Words We Say, and The Ones We Don’t

In an alternate universe when the world has all but ended, Jo and Dean await Sams arrival back from a mission away in an old RV.

Created for @spndarkbingo

Square Filled: Apocalypse AU

Rating: T

Pairing: JoxDean

Tags/Warnings: Murder, gore, language

Word Count: 1683

Creator’s Note: This is my first attempt for SPNDARKBINGO it’s not as dark as I would’ve liked, but baby steps!

Jo woke with a start. Dean slept with his head on her stomach, and his body between her legs. They both still wore their boots. She reached down and rubbed a smudge of dirt off of his nose. She blinked a few times, and searched her surroundings, forgetting, just for a second, where they were.

The inside of the RV smelled musty, like it’d be closed up for years. It probably had. The air was thick, but she didn’t dare open a window. She couldn’t let in what was outside, not while he was at peace.

Dean never slept anymore. It was all too hard. He was too strong. It was all on his shoulders, even more than it used to be. He still wasn’t hers, not really. He never would be. Sams words to her still rang in her ears.

“He thinks of you like a little sister. He wants to protect you, sure, but he will never want you like that.”

He didn’t mean to be cruel, but he was.

She wanted to move, to shift her weight. The gun on her hip was digging into her skin. She knew she’d have a bruise. What’s another bruise against her tattered skin?

Growing up, her mother always told her that monsters were people. The bullies in her school, the men who expected too much, the butt of a gun. “There’s nothin in your closet, Jo. There’s nothin to be afraid of here, go back to bed.”

She was wrong. It took almost two decades to prove to her that the monsters Jo was afraid of were real. She just couldn’t have imagined that they would be this way. She couldn’t have imagined that there were monsters that you could shoot that would just keep coming. She couldn’t imagine that nightmares would continue even when she was awake.

The only thing that made it a little better was him. The freckles on his cheeks. The way he slept with his mouth slightly open. The scruff on his chin, even though he had no good excuse to shave, he always did. He had aged a decade since it had all started. Wrinkles on his forehead and around his eyes. He wasn’t a young man anymore, but he looked even older than he was.

His muscles were tense, and his fingers were still wrapped around his firearm, like always. He was ready to strike at all times. Jo was convinced he was the reason they were alive. She couldn’t thank him enough for it, but no matter what she said he seemed so distant. He wasn’t really there, especially now.

He grunted and opened an eye. “Why’d you let me sleep?”

“Because if you don’t sleep you’ll die.” Jo said, looking down at him. He had bags under his eyes, she could tell even in the morning twilight. “You’re no good to me dead.”

Dean grunted and sat up. “Just don’t like letting my guard down.”

“I’ve been with you for five years, Winchester. I think I know what you’re like. You don’t have to explain”

He smiled a bit. “Maybe you can hold up the fort after all.”

“Nice if you to notice.” She smiled back at him.

“You heard from Sammy?”

“No.” Jo said slowly, with caution. He wasn’t looking at her face. He was checking the rounds in his gun. “He’s probably still on the supply run.”

“Yeah, of course.”

He was worried. He was always worried. Especially when it came to Sam.

Jo could hear the sound of the dead. They were more restless during the day. She wondered if it was the sun. The heat on their rotting flesh. Or if they remembered, in the daylight, all that they’ve lost. Perhaps that’s why they moved faster. Yowled louder.

Eventually they would all be like the dead. Aimless. Eventually they’d all die, and even then they would never stop. They’d never stop moving, but they would never have anywhere to go.

Jo knew that the moment Dean found out that she would lose him forever. She wasn’t ready for that. How could she ever be?

“Dean?”

“Huh?”

“What if the world was different?”

He frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Like... not this way. Sometimes I think about if it never happened. The disease. The death. I think about if the Roadhouse hadn’t burned down. I think about if my mom was still here. It’s just us, you know? Even then, most of the time I feel alone.”

Dean turned toward her. “You’re not alone, Jo. Yeah, this world sucks. It fucking sucks. All we do is fight. We fight to live. We fight for everything. We never stop.”

“It’s all never going to end.”

“It’s gonna end. It’s gonna end bloody. I always knew that. All we can do is fight for every breath. Me, you, and Sammy.” He reaches for Jos hand, squeezing it. “We’re family, and that’s what family does. We don’t give up. No matter what.”

Jo forced a smile. That’s what I’m worried about. “You’re right.” She stood up. “I’m gonna go get some fresh air.” She reached out and touched his cheek. “I’ll be back soon.”

“Be careful.” Dean said, watching her walk out of the RV. She latched the door behind her, her gun slung over her shoulder.

The door shut behind her and she walked. The leaves, and sticks crunches under her feet as she forced herself forward. She couldn’t hide it anymore. She went to the river and crouched. She dipped her hands in, splashing her face.

The sight of herself in the water was too much. She didn’t recognize the dirty blonde in front of her. Her own face had aged. She had a scar across her cheek. She wore no makeup. Her hair was dirty. She was crying.

Jo stood up and crossed the river, her boots and pants got soaked. She had to make it. It was time. There was no more delaying it.

She looked up at the sound of a twig cracking across from her. “Hi Sam. I can’t let you stay out here anymore. As much as I want you around... it can’t be like this.” Jo said, gripping the strap from her rifle.

Sam tilted his head to the side knowingly. He didn’t have to say anything.

“You can’t be here anymore. I don’t know what I’ll tell Dean. It’s just too fucking wrong. He will never be the same. This will break him, but I can’t keep putting off the inevitable. The truth is, you’ve been gone for awhile. No amount of stalling will change that.”

Sam moved toward her, tugging on the chains around his wrists. They were raw from tugging and pulling. Bloody drool rolled down his chin. He snapped at her, biting a bit. The open wound on his neck from his bite was oozing and covered in blood. He smelled like death. Flies danced around his open wound, but in his dead, empty gaze he didn’t seem to mind.

His hair was grimy from lack of washes, and blood. He still towered over her by a lot. If it were in any other circumstance Jo would’ve been proud that she could subdue Sam, but there was no pride in this.

She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. She moved her gun to her shoulder. “I’m sorry, Sam.”

He tugged a little harder. Maybe he knew it was the end. She glanced down to take off the safety. In the second it took to release it, Sam broke through. His gray skin hung over, limply, his pearl white bones showing through his rotting flesh. He stumbled forward, unbelievably fast. She pulled up the gun to see him a foot away from her. She screamed out, and pulled the trigger sending a buck shot through his chest.

Sam stumbled back groaning loudly before lunging forward again, going straight for her throat. She was caught off guard, and his clammy, rotting hands connecting with her chest sending her falling backwards.

He was on top of Jo. She could feel the bloody drool drip down his chin onto her cheek, her neck, as he snapped at her like a turtle. Her gun was just out of her reach, and she kept Sam at an uncomfortably close distance with her arms, her palms against his chest. “Sam stop!” She cried, knowing it wasn’t him. She shouted even though she knew he wouldn’t understand, even though she knew it was over.

She kicked him away, and turned to crawl for the gun, but his bony, rotten hand grabbed her ankle and pulled her toward him. Her fingers dig into the mud, the grass, her nails scraping at anything, anything that could save her.

She felt the wetness of blood, and drool through her jeans. She felt the wetness before the pain. Before the sting, the ripping of her flesh, his teeth tanking through the fabric and meat of her leg. She cried out, as the poison, the disease, coursed through her veins. It was over.

A shot rang out through the air, and she felt a heavy weight against her lower half. She opened her eyes, the world spinning in front of her. When it stopped twirling, her eyes landed on a familiar pair of brown boots.

Dean squatted down in front of her, his head tilted to the side. “He’s been dead this whole time.”

It wasn’t a question.

He reached down and held her chin, making her look at him. “You should’ve told me.”

“I know.” She whispered, as he pressed the barrel of his gun between her eyes.

She could see the light disappear from his smokey green eyes. The man she’d known was gone. He died there with Sam.

He pressed his lips together. “Shouldn’t have lied, Jo. It could’ve all been different.” He whispered, as he pressed on the trigger. With an echoing, deafening shot her head fell face first into the mud, her eyes still open, watching, and waiting for the words he would never say to her.

#spndarkbingo #dark!Spn #AU #Apocalypse #Supernatural #SPN #DeanXJo #Dean Winchester #Sam Winchester #fanfiction #writing #mine #Jo Harvelle #Not my GIF

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wasanut · 6 years ago

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Love and Loss: Preface

This is a bit of destiny fanfiction that I'm working on. However, most of it is pretty far removed from the actual story of destiny. It takes place within the world and has minor interaction with established characters, but that's about it. _______________________________________________________________________ (Copy and pasted from my own Reddit post.) So a Long while back, a friend and I developed a concept for a pair of exotic hand cannons meant to be dual wielded. Love and Loss. (Each would have a five round mag and sport the Eyasluna archetype. Love would heal a small amount of health on a successful hit, although it would not start health regen. Loss would add a very minor damage stack on successive hits. (up to 5) The full stack would be lost on a miss. You are incapable of looking down sights due to the left trigger being used for a second gun. The reload and exotic perks are independent of each other.) I really loved the idea of these guns, so I started to write down something of a story to serve as the lore cards. And thus I began my descent into the rabbit hole. So the story I will be telling revolves around three guardians: Onyx: An Exo Hunter that is so good at killing things out of nowhere, that the Fallen basically treat him like a mythological nightmare come to haunt them. He uses his light exclusively to enhance his ability to use the weapons at his disposal, and his natural agility. (His friends think he is a gunslinger, but they can't know for sure as they haven't ever seen him use a golden gun.) Still alive and yet to be rebooted when granted the travelers blessing, He has yet to actually die. This is quite fortunate since an old injury rendered Onyx's ghost "Spark" incapable of resurrection.As a gunsmith, he was the creator of Pearl and Jaden's primary weapons, the hand cannons that would later be known as Love and Loss. (Yes. he's quite the romantic) Pearl: An Awoken warlock Who invented the Void/Ark subclass of Matter Weaver. Basically what I mean by that is she was smart enough to figure out how to use Void and Arc light to brute force transmat things into, and out of, existence. Pearl thinks herself a healer and she uses her abilities to do things like materialize a brand-new leg out of nowhere directly onto a patient. Thankfully, her terrifying intellect Is sharply contrasted by her gentle nature, exemplified by the fact that she prefers to avoid direct combat and simply heal her comrades. (Just don't piss her off. She is entirely capable of dematerializing you out of spite.) Jaden: A Human Titan who is basically just a walking natural disaster. He once brought down a Fallen Ketch simply by throwing himself at/through its engines. It seems as though he was a soldier before he was a guardian as a lot of that mindset appears to have carried over. He is a natural tactician and understands logistics and intricacies of war more than most guardians. He Can't decide between using the Arc abilities of Striker, or the Void abilities of the sentinel, and he often switches between them the mid-battle. Frankly, he doesn't care, as long as It gets in within arm's reach of the enemy. _______________________________________________________________________ Copy and pasted from my text editor. Authors note

This story was developed in a pre D2 context. At the time, many things were still up in the air as to the nature of many in-universe mechanics. So as such, I made the following assumptions for the sake of telling this story.

Chanel ambient light from the traveler as well as it’s own to it’s guardian

Resurrect it’s guardian when necessary.

Note: A ghost can only resurrect its own guardian, although it can receive assistance.

Manage guardian inventory and transmat.

Note: Similar functionality is easily possible without a ghost.

Wielding the light without a ghost Is theoretically possible under the right circumstances.

Resurrection is possible without a ghost, but not without light. (E.G. Sunsinger)

Light does not dissipate quickly, and can have lasting effects on its surroundings.

Guardians can use the light without a ghost, even if only to a limited capacity. However, the loss of direct light from the ghost can temporarily debilitate a guardian.

That being said, each of the MCs set unique precedents, and that’s kinda the point. They are all supposed to be exceptional. “Well if they are all so amazing, why haven’t I heard of them?” Well, that’s exactly what this story is about. (Also, guardians are all undead demigod space wizards with protagonist powers. Everyone is special. That, and our mute Guardian doesn’t exactly ask a lot of questions.) Preface: Scars that don’t Fade

“He is known to the Fallen as the Old One. “Guardians, they fight, they die, they fight again, as they have for generations. The Fallen may fear death at their hand, but only in the same way that one might fear death in the face of an oncoming storm. In fact, some find solace in besting one of the curse’ed light bearers once or twice before their inevitable defeat. “But the Old One… he does not fight. He does not die. He kills. Many of the Fallen’s most skilled hunters, warriors who survived battle after battle with you guardians, have been judged and been found wanting, without ever seeing the crimson glow of his cold eyes.”

- Verriks

“The Vanguard has heard a few passing references to what seems to be a Fallen boogeyman in their radio chatter. not like Taniks, whose stories are told to scare fallen children, but a living reaper whispered in hushed tones when dregs think their captains can’t hear. Of course, as this mysterious entity was only killing our enemies, Zavala saw no reason to devote precious resources to perusing the matter. (No matter how curious Cayde got.) “it’s killing Fallen. Let it kill Fallen. We have more pressing concerns” Zavala would say. all they knew is that whispers of the “Old one” had been circulating since the Fallen first entered the system. “but not one to ignore a potential threat, or neglect a potential ally, I tasked my hidden with determining the nature of the Fallen’s apparition. As it turned out, the “Old one” was a guardian, and had been a consistent thorn in the side of all of our enemies. The main reason the fallen in particular made mention of him was simply due to the fact that our other adversaries are unlikely to notice a difference from one guardian to the next. The news I received next was particularly pleasant, because when I inquired as to the identity of this Guardian, I was struck with an unexpected pang of familiarity.

“most simply believe him to be a myth. Those that know the reality of his existence fear him. But those of us who call him a friend simply leave him in peace. In truth, he is much less mysterious than many would have you believe. Just an old Exo hermit who happens to be one of the travelers chosen. He fights against the darkness just like anyone else, he just does so on his own terms.

“After losing his fire-team in an unfortunate battle many years ago, my friend, a reclusive Exo hunter named Onyx, begin throwing himself into his work. There is a certain satisfaction that comes from exercising ones mastery over their chosen craft. But while once his imposing skill set was paired beautifully with that of his companions, he was now stripped of anything else that gave his life meaning. All that was left was the the lonely assassin, honing himself and his abilities, becoming increasingly more deadly, as there was nothing else left for him to become. Time now stretched out before him endlessly, empty of purpose, but at least he had an equally endless supply of targets to take it out on.

“As a gunsmith, Onyx always had a knack for designing weapons that matched any desired combat style perfectly. When it came time for his dear friends Jaden and Pearl to get married, that old softy designed matching hand cannons specifically for each them. Each one tailored in a way that reflected what they meant to each other. Additionally, as conduits of light, these weapons became increasingly effective as they used them. Their signature abilities eventually became ingrained in the functionality of the weapons themselves. Understandably, Onyx became proud of the weapons he had created for his friends. Each passing battle serving as a testament to their ability to keep his friends safe.

“But now he patrols the system solo, his only company being the shadow of severed bonds and the weapons he crafted to keep them. Each weapon echoing with the power of the ones he once called Family. He spends his days alone, wielding the memories of a time when he wasn’t. “To make matters worse, I must live with a truth that, for his sake, he must never know. If only to save the poor man's spirit from potentially being broken beyond repair.” - Ikora Rey

#destiny the game #story #fanfic #love and loss the story

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wrightworthmakesmylifeworthwhile · 7 years ago

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fantasy au shit

ok so to celebrate 1000 followers im posting more of this fantasy au shit i posted the first part at like 400 followers so if you haven’t read it part one here

Consciousness dawned sluggishly, resting on Phoenix like a thin blanket. As he peacefully grew more and more aware, he could hear a faint voice quietly chanting over him. Another few seconds, and he could understand the words.

“Revera, revera…” A woman’s voice intoned, using a spell Phoenix recognized to slowly revive him.

Unfortunately, the world was not so patient. “Hey! Spikey-guy! Wake up!” Another voice screamed into his ear.

Phoenix jerked awake. He nearly bumped heads with the person who had screamed. She was a teenager, no more than seventeen, with black hair bundled into a little topknot.

“Maya, stop that.” Mia chided from nearby. The baker looked to pinpoint where the woman was, in the process recognizing the inside of his own house.

How did I get here? How did they get here?

The leader, the one who had been chanting, leaned down to look over him. “How are you, Phoenix?”

“I… I'm not alright!” The baker could still feel a burn in his chest, ruling out the possibility of the events before being a dream. He didn't dare to look at the heart shaped mark the pendant left. It would surely scar.

“Dollie hurt me! Why would she do that?” Phoenix searched for answers in the leader’s face. “ Wh-Why would she hurt me?”

He could feel treacherous tears welling up, and turned away before the others could see them fall.

The leader sighed heavily. “...It isn't your fault. If anything, it's ours. Dahlia Hawthorne is an estranged member of the Fey clan. Throughout the years, there have been many of us who have used their powers for nefarious purposes. Dahlia was one of those, and after much deliberation the clan agreed to take her powers away. Her magic was stored in the bottle of that necklace,” she gestured at Phoenix’s burn.

“Dahlia would only ever be able to have her powers return if the necklace was given to her voluntarily by someone not in the family.” The woman met Phoenix’s eyes. “...I guess she talked you into doing that?”

The baker nodded miserably. That does make this my fault.

“Um, Mystic Misty?” A quiet voice piped up “I brought the object that you wanted…” The speaker was a tiny, seven year old girl with mousy brown hair twisted into strange loops. She held a candlestick.

“Thank you, Pearly.” The leader, Misty, took the candle from her, and little girl retreated. “Phoenix, do you mind giving us some light?”

“What?” Phoenix pushed away his tears. “Oh. R-Right.” He touched the candle and closed his eyes. He frowned.

The flicker of fire on his fingertips that had come to him so easily throughout his life was nowhere to be found. No matter how hard he strained, he couldn’t produce any fire. “I can't!”

“I was afraid of this.” This time, it was Mia who spoke. “You're cursed.”

“C-Cursed?”

“Dahlia couldn't take revenge on those who took her powers away from her, so she did the next best thing she could; she stole away your magic powers. Do you remember her casting any spells like that?”

I can't use magic, I can't use magic… The loud, destabilizing mantra rang around in Phoenix’s head, making it hard to think.

“Of course not.” The baker chuckled in disbelief. “There has to be some mistake! She can't take away my powers! That's dark magic!”

“Dahlia’s not the person that you thought she was, I'm afraid,” Misty said grimly.

Everything slowed. He could feel the blood rushing through his ears, the thoughts swirling in his head. What am I supposed to do without magic? It's all I've had. It's everything I've worked for! What about my family line? What about my business? I’ve never had to bake without magic! If I can't bake… if I'm not a mage, what am I?

“I have to have magic! I’ve just got to!”

Mia’s surprisingly sympathetic voice cut through his panicky haze. “Phoenix. Think back. Try to remember what she said to you. Did she say there a way to reverse this?”

The ex-mage took a deep breath. He tried to focus. “Uh. She did say something… b-but I don't remember what! Oh Dollieeee!” This time, the tears did spill over, flooding down his cheeks.

Mia’s sigh sounded suspiciously close to “of course.”

“We’ll have to figure it out together. You're our responsibility now,” Misty said.

“What?” Maya squawked. She fell off the foot of Phoenix’s bed with a loud thud, startling Phoenix. He'd forgotten the girl was there.

Pearl directed an inquisitive look at Misty, gnawing on her thumbnail.

Phoenix sniffled pathetically. “Really?”

“Really?” Mia said flatly.

Misty nodded. “I'm sorry, Phoenix. Dahlia has already been on our radar for years. If we had been more careful, this could have all been prevented. This is a Fey matter. You never should have gotten caught up in it at all.”

The ex-mage gaped, wiping his runny nose on the hem of his sleeve.

“We’re honor bound to help you get your powers back.” Misty bowed.

Mia groaned quietly.

“This is going to take forever!” Maya hopped up from the floor. “No offense,” she added, glancing at Phoenix.

Just because you say that, doesn't mean that the hurt goes away...

Pearl didn't say anything at all. She stared at Phoenix as if his soul was laid bare before her. It was kind of unnerving, really.

The leader huffed. “It won't take that long. We keep the most of our powerful magical artifacts stored in the castle. Odds are one of them will have a solution to your little dilemma.”

“In the…” Phoenix blinked and wiped away the last of his tears. “Wait, does that mean…”

Misty grinned cheekily at him, “Ever been inside the King’s castle?”

The Kingdom did not have the most fanciful of castles. Quite the opposite. Very much like the King himself, the castle was square, robust, and practical. That was where the similarities ended. The castle was otherwise unremarkable. Gregory Edgeworth, by contrast, was remarkable among rulers: known throughout the realm as a just leader who cared about his subjects.

Despite Phoenix living only half a day’s travel away from the castle and having seen the King on public occasions, it had never been in an individual setting. It was fair to say that Phoenix was a tiny bit nervous.

Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods…! What do I say to him? What do I do? I've got to bow, right? But how low? What are the Feys going to do? Maybe I can do what they do?

“Hold,” Misty called, putting her hand up. The Feys stopped. Phoenix bumped into Pearl.

In front of the leader was a stony lamp post. It held no light and seemed to serve no purpose. The only out-of-the-ordinary thing about it was a swirling mark with a star on it etched in the stone at about chest height. A rune.

Misty traced the spiraled rune with a finger. Sparks flew up in the wake of her fingertip. There was a grinding sound and all of a sudden, the drawbridge of the castle was down.

Misty turned and met eyes with Phoenix, grinning. “I always love that part.”

The Feys turned and started to cross the drawbridge as if nothing unusual had happened at all. Mouth hanging open, Phoenix looked at the castle with new respect. Clearly there was more than met the eye.

Briefly, he tried to run his finger over the rune in a vain hope, but nothing happened. Phoenix hurried to catch up with the others on the bridge.

By the time he had drawn even with the Feys, the King had already arrived. Gregory’s countenance brightened upon seeing the company. He strode over to them, stopping just short of the eldest Fey.

“Misty,” he greeted with a genuine smile, unlike any Phoenix had ever seen. “It's been far too long.”

“I agree,” Misty hummed, eyes alight with amusement.

The two stood looking at one another for another moment before Misty broke and launched herself at the King in a hug, laughing.

“I missed you, you cretin.” Misty pecked Gregory’s cheek quickly.

Phoenix's jaw dropped. Did she just call the King a cretin? And kissed him? Does she want to get herself killed?

To his endless astonishment, King Gregory didn't even slightly mad. If anything, the man was flustered.

“...I’m glad to see you too.” The King managed at last. “You didn’t write. How long do you think you'll be staying?”

“Probably not very long, unfortunately. We’re here because we have a little situation to fix.” Misty glanced over at Phoenix.

One of Phoenix’s hands entangled itself in the hair on the nape of his neck as the King’s full attention turned to him. Gregory seemed just as uncomfortable as he did at having been seen in a moment of unprofessionalism.

“Ah. Of course,” the King cleared his throat. “I wish you luck with your… situation.”

“Thanks, Your Majesty,” Phoenix grinned sheepishly. I can’t believe I’m talking to the King of the whole realm! “I really appreciat-”

“That reminds me,” Clearly Mia didn’t realize what a big moment this was for him. “We should get started. The sooner we fix this mess, the sooner we can catch Dahlia.”

“Dahlia?” King Gregory’s tone was one of worried surprise.

“I’ll explain it all later,” Misty promised.

“Sis’ got a good point! Let’s go use Nick as a spell-dummy!” Maya grabbed Phoenix by the arm and started to tug him across the courtyard.

Spell-dummy? “Wait, no!”

“We’re not going to do it like that, Maya.”

“You’re no fun.”

“Nice to see you again, Sir King Gregory!” Pearl chirped.

The King smiled gently, kneeling down to her height. “It’s very nice to see you as well, Pearly. I’ll dispatch a messenger to tell you three when dinner is ready.”

“Thank you!” The little girl turned and skipped after the playfully quibbling sisters and the protesting Phoenix.

The afternoon went by quicker than Phoenix could imagine. At first, he couldn’t help but be stunned by the castle’s immense collection of magical objects. But eventually, even the most legendary of artifacts seemed to blur together as Mia, Maya, and Pearl all took turns harnessing the power of ancient potions, rings, goblets, hourglasses, statuettes, scepters, mirrors, and tomes in an attempt to cure him. More than once Mia had to reverse a carelessly cast spell (usually one of Maya’s) to ensure that something didn’t go horribly wrong.

”Hey, this one says it can turn anything into ash!” Maya held up a crystal skull with far too much eagerness. Phoenix’s stomach turned.

Pearls bit her thumb, “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” She already had her hands full healing a welt on Phoenix’s arm from another one of Maya’s “good ideas.”

“He’s called Phoenix,” Maya shrugged. “I dunno, maybe he has to be turned into ash for the rebirth of his magic powers or whatever.”

“No.” Mia vetoed, not bothering to look up from her tome.

Thank you.

Grumbling, Maya turned away, making as if to put the skull away. But at the last minute she whirled around and cast a nasty-looking spell straight at Phoenix. The baker shoved Pearls out of the way, then jumped hard right to dodge it. Behind him, where the spell hit, a shelf of important looking magical texts started turning to ash before their eyes.

“Look. Are you sure there even is a cure?” Phoenix said, panting and doubled over his knees.

“Of course. Any magic that’s done...” Mia strode forward and, with the wave of her hand, returned the texts to their original form. She gave Maya a meaningful glance. “Must also be able to be undone.”

But after another few hours upon hours of spell upon spell with no results, all four of them were beginning to get tired and discouraged.

“I knew Dahlia was a feared mage, but I had no idea how powerful her dark magic was,” Mia muttered to herself.

Evening fell outside the castle windows and the group had to abandon their task halfway through for dinner. As they made their way down a winding staircase, Phoenix felt a tiny hand touch his back.

“Don’t worry, Sir Nick,” Pearl said. Although Maya’s nickname for him had taken off, the girl felt a need to add a level of respect to it. “I’m sure we’ll find out how to fix you!”

“Thanks, Pearls,” Phoenix muttered, feeling vaguely humiliated that he had to be reassured by a seven-year-old.

The four emerged into the large arched dining hall. There was one very long banquet table with only a few seats. On the table Phoenix was shocked to see that there wasn't much food.

Really, he wasn't sure what he was expecting. Probably plates filled with more mouth-watering meats than a butcher’s shop, delicate little sugary cakes and pies, and exotic spices that cost more than his entire home. For a castle, this banquet was shockingly ordinary.

Maya noticed his confusion. “The King said something about not wanting to live a life of plenty while some peasants live out there with so little. Y’know.”

“It's about class in-ee-qual-itty,” Pearls bit her thumbnail.

King Gregory himself was at the head of the table, an empty chair on his right and Misty on his left. The others Feys started to file into their seats. Phoenix followed suit, and found himself sandwiched between Maya and Pearl, sitting across from a strange man that he didn’t know.

“Oh, there you are! Any results?” Misty called out to them.

“Nothing’s working yet,” Mia said, sounding as dismayed as Phoenix looked.

Gregory frowned in sympathy, “I’m sure there’s a cure somewhere in there.”

“We’ve collected hundreds of magical artifacts over the years,” Misty chimed in.

“Yeah, and we’ve blown through half of them in one afternoon!” Maya said, sneaking a bite before she was supposed to.

“That still means there’s half of them to go!” Pearl chirped, far more optimistically.

I hope you’re right, Pearls.

Silence fell over the table as they waited for the last member to join them, and fill in the empty seat so they could begin the meal. Maya smuggled a few more furtive bites before Mia nudged her.

“He’s late,” the strange man across from Phoenix barked, breaking the silence.

“I’m sure the Prince is busy attending to his duties.” King Gregory said.

Before the man had a chance to respond with something nasty, the King continued. “Phoenix, I suppose you haven’t met. This is Manfred von Karma, the my advisor and second-in-command.”

Phoenix studied the Royal Advisor. He was an older man in a jeweled robe with long white hair. His face was etched in a permanent scowl.

“...Nice to meet you,” Phoenix lied.

Manfred’s eyes narrowed at him. “Who are you? Why are you here?”

“Uh, I—”

“I’m sorry I’m late.” A younger man swept into the room, closing the door behind him with a loud thud. He wore a red tunic with interwoven with an elaborate gold design. He bore an air of regality, and his prematurely gray hair just added to his distinguished aura. Phoenix knew immediately that this must be the Crown Prince.

“I was reading,” Prince Miles said. He took his place on his father’s right. He met Phoenix’s eyes and smiled at him.

“Reading what?” King Gregory sounded excited. Everyone at the table started to eat.

“Hmph! You let this boy get away with far too much, Your Majesty.”

Prince Miles’ attention swiveled. “Sir Manfred,” he greeted diplomatically. “If you're dining with us tonight, that must mean you have some news.”

“Fantastic. Just what I want to talk about at the dinner table. Politics,” Misty groused.

The King squeezed her hand and smiled apologetically. “It won't take long, dear.”

Manfred cleared his throat, rather self-importantly, Phoenix thought. “Yes. I come bearing news from the south-east.” He leaned forward, as if he was sharing a secret. “Your Majesty, there was another attack. They suspect the cause was rooted in magical extremism.”

Mia snorted with derision.

“Those damned mages have been at it for weeks! I recommend military action, Your Majesty. They must be stopped before they wipe the rest of us out!” Phoenix jumped as Manfred slammed his fist on the table to illustrate his point.

King Gregory looked uncomfortable. “My guards are stretched too thin right now to even consider military action. And, please, Manfred, I ask that you keep present company in mind when you talk about issues of magic.”

The mood at the table had shifted. Pearls and Maya picked at her food, keeping their heads ducked down. Mia was openly disgusted, and though Misty seemed more composed, her eyes were blazing.

“Of course. I apologize for my insensitivity.” He seemed more satisfied than sorry. “I am merely saying that there are some dangerous people out there. We need to take action soon so we don't find ourselves regretting inaction later.”

“Have you possibly considered,” Mia cut in, voice dripping with irritation, “that vilifying an entire group for the actions of a few is not only baseless fear-mongering, but also completely counterproductive and stupid.”

“...I have a headstrong daughter as well,” Manfred said in a deceitfully calm voice. He turned to look at Misty. “The difference is that I taught her respect.”

“Learn some yourself,” Mia snapped. “Excuse me.” She stood from the table and stormed off.

Wow.

Misty took a sip of her wine, but Phoenix swore he saw her grinning behind her goblet.

Not to be outdone, Manfred stood up and strode out of the room.

Those that remained at the table were silent for an unbearably lengthy moment.

Maya sprang up and hastily began stuffing rolls into her hood. “Well, looks like dinner’s over! Let’s go, Pearly!” She grabbed her cousin’s hand and practically sprinted from the room.

King Gregory blinked. The poor man had been caught in the middle of cutting his steak and been stuck that way for some time. “I suppose she's right. It does appear that dinner is over.” He set down his utensils, suddenly looking very old and tired. “I'm inclined to agree with her. Magic has been a huge asset to this kingdom, and making broad generalizations rarely does anyone any good. ...But that’s a discussion for another time. I’m going to retire for the evening. Good night, everyone.”

Misty followed him out, leaving Phoenix all alone with Prince Miles.

I wonder what he thinks of all this.

Phoenix studied the Prince’s face, but it was unreadable.

“...You must be Phoenix Wright.”

“That’s Wright,” Phoenix said immediately. He mentally kicked himself right after the words left his mouth. Stars, Phoenix! He’s a prince! You can’t just say stupid things like that to a prince!

Prince Miles frowned, “That was bad.”

Phoenix laughed and rubbed the back of his neck, desperately trying to alleviate his own idiocy. “Good thing I’m not a court jester, huh?”

“I don’t think you’d last very long in the profession.” He smiled and gave Phoenix a short bow. “My name is Miles Edgeworth. I’m prince of the realm.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Your Highness!” Phoenix stumbled over himself to bow in return. Prince Miles steadied him.

“There’s no need for that. Call me Miles. You’re our guest here. Ah, speaking of that...” The Prince trailed off, looking awkward. “You’ve come at a bit of a bad time. The Feys already occupy most of our guest rooms, and our last remaining one is under renovation. You’re to room with me. I’m hoping that’s not an issue...”

“Y-You would just let me—”

Prince Miles looked away, “It’s not ideal, but it isn’t completely unheard of. Mystic Misty and my father frequently share a chamber in order to leave other rooms free.”

Phoenix nodded quickly. “It’s not an issue for me.”

Silence lingered for a beat. The Prince’s gaze lingered on Phoenix’s face, expression still inscrutable. Finally, he seemed to realize that it was his turn to say something.

“Ah! But I’m being a poor host.“ Prince Miles coughed into his fist. “Would you like to see the royal gardens?“

Me, in the royal gardens?

“I’d love to!“

“Fantastic. I’ll show you the way then.” Prince Miles pushed open a door that lead outside, leaving Phoenix to follow.

Outside, evening had fallen and the stars shone bright overhead. Everything was quiet as the two walked through the castle's’ garden. Waist-high, neatly-trimmed hedges lined the path, interspersed with brightly colored flowerbeds. Magnificent trees with purple leaves looked on in the background.

Prince Miles kept walking, but Phoenix lagged behind, trying to take it all in.

“These gardens are gorgeous!”

“Thank you.”

“...Is dinner always that crazy?”

“Not typically. When Manfred is over, though...” The Prince paused, waiting for him to catch up.

Phoenix snorted. “He seems like a real piece of work.”

“He can be harsh, but he’s a brilliant man. That’s why Father keeps him around,” Prince Miles crossed his arms defensively. “He’s taught me a lot.”

“Sorry.” Phoenix wasn’t, really, but he didn’t need to go out of his way to insult the Prince’s tutor. Maybe there was more to the old coot than he knew.

Prince Miles unfolded his arms and looked curiously at Phoenix for a long moment. “Not that it’s any of my business, but what exactly is it that you do for a living?”

I can’t say I’m a mage. Not anymore.

“Oh, um, I’m just a baker.”

“I have to wonder,” The Prince said, glancing sidelong at Phoenix. They walked by a golden statue of a hooded woman bearing a seven pronged sword. “We’re not hiring at the moment. What’s a baker doing here at the castle?”

That’s really not something I want to get into.

“Sorry, but that’s on a knead-to-dough basis.”

Prince Miles groaned. There was a long pause, then, tentatively, the prince ventured, “That was a… crumby joke.”

Coming from the always-serious Prince, the pun surprised Phoenix. He burst into laughter. Prince Miles laughed too, albeit much quieter. He quickly coughed to try and cover it up. Phoenix wished he wouldn’t. His laugh was probably the best thing Phoenix had ever heard.

They fell silent as they reached the end of small garden, basking in the glow of the other’s presence. Phoenix followed as the Prince started to climb a grand, double-sided staircase.

“Miles, what were you reading earlier?” Phoenix asked.

“I’m sorry?”

“The book that made you late to dinner. Must’ve been interesting. What was it?” Phoenix rambled, “Y’know, maybe I’ve read it or something.”

“You’re literate?”

“Hey, you don’t need to sound so surprised!”

Prince Miles huffed, flustered. “Well, it’s not as if most people are.”

“Yeah, well, I need to be. How else would I know how to...” learn new spells and read tomes. “read recipes,” Phoenix finished rather lamely.

“Of course.” The Prince sighed, “If you must know, it was about government. The delicacies of running a country.”

“It must be a lot of pressure.” Phoenix frowned sympathetically. Just thinking about all those people relying on you... And he’s my age!

He shook his head in wonderment. “Candidly, I don’t know how my father handles it.”

“Sounds like you really admire him.”

“My father is a great leader. I have a lot to learn from him.” A light had sparked in the Prince’s already stunning gray eyes.

Phoenix smiled warmly at him. “For what it’s worth, I think you’ll do a great job.”

You seem like a good man. Just like your father.

Prince Miles’ cheeks turned pink. He muttered a “thank you” before hastily turning back towards the castle doors.

“W-We should head back inside. It’s getting late.”

Before following him, the baker turned to look back at the other wing of the castle. In the moonlight Phoenix could see Misty and King Gregory standing close together up on the balcony of the castle’s main tower. They looked happy.

#ace attorney #wrightworth #My writing #fantasy au #i'd like to say that this was primarily written when i was 16 i only added a little tiny bit here and there but not edited it #i've just been trying to power through getting a first draft #it's already well over 100 pages on my google doc #i want to finish entirely before i post it #and i hope to finish the first draft at least in this summer #please guys i've been writing in a void for 3 years im starving for feedback

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pulitzerpanther · 6 years ago

Note

╳

@sanguinehope doesn’t think they’ve been through enough || “You Slay Me”

Oh, it’s not good.

Cat doesn’t need a prognosis or a doctor to tell her that, eyes unfocused as she slumps against awall she’d built, once, with determination and talent, alone. Unfortunately, a sea of glass doesn’t do much for hiding blood and a trembling curse leaves lips, body moving slower and slower by the second. It was hard enough trying to hide on the trip up.

The world is shaking around them—literally—the sound of yetanother apocalypse bringing the world to its feet, Supergirl an indomitable pinnacle of greatness, unshakable andstrong that cannot bow. The sister and the Legends arealready clamoring up the stairs to the highest peak to stop some form oftemporal distortion—some black hole fromanother universe that’s apparently disrupted their own—and their part of this little mission is important and clear. So important and clear that, halfway down thestreet half an hour prior, Cat finally had a chance to put those acting classes she’d taken withDiane Keaton to use when a piece of shrapnelof all things embedded in her side.

She’d known, then—she’d known—butit’s a little heavier when she’s so aptly faced with it, hands clawing at adesk that isn’t hers, anymore, to tryto put in a combination, eventually smacking it open to pull out a smallcrystal of gold that apparently wasn’t supposed to exist. But does.

Now, anyways. Timelines apparently were more fragile than anyone cared to think about.

(Cat, for once, hadn’t troubled herself with particulars when the Legends showed upat their doorstep a few hours ago; they’d simply once more tasked themselveswith fixing the world)

They don’t have time (literally) for Kara to notice, but the girl does. Kara notices. Kara always notices.Cat stumbles in her box of glass and the moment an alien is knocked out with aswift punch Kara is there before she has time to shakily expel a breath, skin pale as weak fingers aim to push anindomitable force aside, struggling to get to the balcony so that Kara can leave with the damn thing.

Can save theworld.

But knees give out the moment they make it outside, the painoverwhelming and suddenly, without amission—without a purpose—Cat’s body sees fit to crumple like wet paperunderneath trembling knees, strong arms wrapping around a pitching waist before knees can give out completely. And she hears it—she does—she hears the panic. The alarm.

That hurts worse than the wound does.

Kara’s lost so much, already. Cat hadn’t planned on adding to the list.

Fingers curl desperately in the fabric of a suit—and the redfrom her fingers blends with the red of a smooth cape and, oh, Cat feels a hintof remorse because it’s so difficult toget blood out, if peroxide isn’t applied immediately, and it’s not like Kara cantake her Supergirl Cape to the cleaners; Maybe Cat can give her hercleaner’s name, or she could take her—

Take her next weekend.

Carter and Adam could—

Next weekend—

Dancing, strongfingers brushing through hair as a lawyer’s hands brush along cheeks, tuckingup a chin, grass green and bright–

An owlish blink, mind unfocused as the pain sears, trying to gather herself—her surroundings—whendid she wind up on the ground of a balcony, the sea of stars highlighting Kara’shair in a halo of gold-dust? When did Kara slump so desperately in front ofher, looking like the weight of the world has finally taken its toll andsnapped a spine in two? When did fingers cup cheeks—did they guide Cat upwardsto meet a tearful, desperate gaze.

Kara–oh, Kara, I’m sorry she might say if her mouth wasn’t so full of cotton.

Another blink.

Focus. Focus.

Cat doesn’t want to die.

There’s no peace in this, this restless anxiousness—in thisfear crawling up her throat and settling in a warm pain through her chest, underneath the scar from a bullet and nextto an arm that had been broken; next to a heart that’s so rebellious, even nowand a body that fights. Fights untilits last drop. The world didn’t riditself of Cat Grant so easily—and suddenly she’s petrified.

But she doesn’t want Kara to know that. Oh, no, she wants…shewants Kara to sleep, tonight—

Who will brush fingersalong the high rise of a shoulder; dip a nose along the curving line of a back whenshe tenses; settle a palm against a quick-beating heart like a promise—

“I’ll…be okay.” Cat lies to Kara for the first time and doesa pretty damn good job about it, fingers slackening in the curving rose petals of cape like she’s tracing fingers along the red rims of a funeral pyre. She won’t goout in fear. She won’t run away from this—she’ll face it head on, fearquivering her knees and love settlingin her gut. “L-look—look at me, shh—" Cat struggles to move sluggish arms upwards to cup cheeks, green glassy and dulling, lips parted, and it’shard—it’s so hard—to get the words out, “You…will fight. You will fight, Kara.Always…always.” A quivering breath, “You will leave here…and fight. I don’t—I don’twant to see you, wherever I’m going for…for a long time. There is nothing Iwant more than for you to—to live and—and oh, I’m…I’m running out of–Oh God—”

Eyes close and she can’t feelit, anymore, the wetness on her cheeks. The warmth of Kara’s breath. Thecool air whipping through their hair. The fires above and below them. She canbarely hear the sirens or the screams or the roaring. All she can feel is the pain and the way her own throattrembles like the roar of earth opening up between mountains, but when her eyes open, they’re resolute and resigned, both, a carefully-craftedpoem of contradictions until the end.

“You heard…Lara Croft,” Somehow, Cat had enough sense tohold onto the small little gold trinket with the last hints of her life. “Ifyou…fix the timeline, all of this will…will cease to be. We’ll…all meet a…particularlydaunting fate. One way or another.” A hint of a broken laugh, dry humorsettling at the gallows, “It’s philo…sophical, really. What will happen to us…whenwe cease to be. Mine is…mine is just…a little less fortunate of an ending. Youcan’t let them wi—ah-ah, no. No, this is my…my…don’t interrupt a girl who’s–” The hand along Kara’scheek trembles and, oh, she can still feel Karafor the moment, underneath caked lines of red. “You can’t…let them win. Oh…Oh, Kara.” It quivers and shakes—rattles likea thin window facing a merciless onslaught of wind, structure weak and hinges quivering at the edges; glass ribcage frail and thin—and when herfingers paint red along the line of a jaw, Cat knows. She can feel it.

(Cat’s painted her like some form of macabre finger-painting and that’s likely why she should have left the canvases to the girl in front of her.)

No. No more lies. Kara deserves a chance to say goodbye.

“So…so it seems I’ve…I’ve come to my last stand, Kara.” The handwith the gem falls, fingers still tight around it, “I’ve roused you from…fromdeath so many times I’m…I’m starting to realize I’m—I’m a fraud. A…hypocrite,”There’s a hint of a laugh, dusty—pained, “What a…a horrible thing to be. For ajournalist. At least I’m not…going out a Republican.” Quieter, searching seas like Odysseus setting upon the rocking tides, “I’ve told you to fight somany…so many times,” Fingers dip to curve around the wrist that raises—that triesto shush her–groaning as a body shifts against rough cement, body slumpinguselessly against the wall. “Never let you rest, but this…oh, this is it. Thisis it.” Another rallying breath and it’s so dulled,realizing arms are around her fully, now. “This is it….”

Her voice is practically a gasp, now, trailing off at the edges, andwhen Kara whispers along the edges of an ear, it sounds like the ocean, bracing familiarity and sun-heatedwarmth against the rough edges of a beach. She can’t understand a word of it,but it sounds so lovely—

Singing. A dance of words trilling along the wind—the sightof blue catching balls of sunlight in glints like a sunrise along that ocean.Beautiful—endless—a horizon that Cat can’t trace with quivering fingertips ofaching promises resting against her chest like a weight.

“For me. You’ll…fight. You’ll win. I belie…” A swallow, full ofcopper and blood and the pain makes a body curl in on itself without a mind’sinput. “…eve in…in you. Kara.” The pain dulls along with the panic when she realizesthe noise she’s hearing is…

The wind.

The mountains.

A smile, proud and strong and familiar—she’s spent so manyyears tracing his face with restless fingertips that when she curls into Kara,she thinks she might feel him, now–

Kara. Kara would like to paint it, Cat thinks.

Blinks again.

“I’m….” A hint of a sad, frightened smile that buries itself in love like a casket in the ground, the knowledge settling that she won’t be alone for long, not if Kara wins. Not if Kara loses.

But she’ll win. She always does.

“Oh, it’s not…it’s not…so scary, after all,” A hint of adesperate laugh, slumping a little further, continuing a quiet conversation instaccato beats of her stuttering heart, watching the way the world burns starlighton her lover’s cheeks in glistening paths of gray. “I do.” Eyelashes flutter,the fear fading to…something else. Something quiet—calm—the feeling of largefingers brushing through her hair and Kara’s hands pressing against the wound. “Inever…I never expected it. You. I never knew…what it was like. To really…toreally love—I…do. I…I lo—”

Young fingers curlalong the edges of a railing, wood smooth underneath a clapping palm as a largehand curves along a shoulder, the snow-capped mountains never melting, the yurtnever settling as the wind dances songs along their shoulders.

You never could just rest, could you, Kit.

Oh, Daddy, I’ll sleep when I’m dead.

You? Die? Way toostubborn for it.

Hey–

The hand slumps fully inbetween them, palm up as her griploosens along a small pearl of gold, a sea of red between them, a forest ofdulling green and browns fading into a shadow.

Send ╳ for my muse dying in your muse’s arms.

#penuymbra #questions #{ тρ : α υηιqυє ƒℓσωєя αмσηg мιℓℓισηѕ αη∂ мιℓℓισηѕ σƒ ѕтαяѕ }#{ ᵛ : ᴵ ᵈᵒ ʰᵃᵛᵉ ᵃ ᵖʰᵒⁿᵉ ʸᵒᵘ ᵏⁿᵒʷ }#//this is so long but i couldn't even read it through bc like feels so #//you get what you get #q proof pile #tw: character death #tw: blood #tw: death #tw: not ok #tw: long post

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kdinthecity · 7 years ago

Text

Confessions of a Teenage Sugar Queen: Soulmates

Zuko retrieves his laptop bag from his room and heads for the kitchen table. I linger in the hallway, trying to focus long enough to make sense of his mom’s article, but the words are blurring together.

Damn you, tears.

I take a minute to collect myself before joining Zuko in the kitchen. He fishes something out of his pocket and places it on the table while he types in his login password. It’s a tube of chapstick, and I would be lying if I said I haven’t noticed that slight bulge in his pants before. He must carry it with him all the time.

I’m so wrecked. If I don’t kiss Zuko soon, I might die of thirst. I don’t like the taste of his particular brand of chapstick, though.

I figure this moment is yet another lost opportunity when he snaps the cap off, but it isn’t chapstick at all.

It’s a USB drive. Oh, yeah. He was going to show me something. Right.

When it loads, I can’t help but say the name out loud, “Ursa.”

“These are my mother’s files I found on my father’s—“ Zuko presses his lips together like he always does when he’s said too much. His hand is shaking when he double clicks on the disk icon.

I read through the folders, silently this time. “Anthology… Articles… ENG101... ENG110… Grades… Lectures… Notes… Painted Lady…”

“What’s in the Painted Lady folder?” I ask, ignoring the lump that has formed in my throat.

“I can’t open it. I’ve read through everything else on this disk, but that folder is password protected.”

There is only one other folder, “Pictures,” and it piques my curiosity. “What’s in there?” I point at the screen.

A deep sadness passes over his face, making the scar seem more pronounced than ever. He obliges and opens the folder to reveal one single image entitled “Beach.” It’s an artfully composed silhouette of a woman and a child walking along the beach at sunset. I can only assume it is Ursa and Zuko, but the figures are too shadowy to tell.

“That’s it?” Surely he has more photos of his mother somewhere.

“There were at least a hundred photos in that file. But that’s when the data transfer was interrupted. That’s when… I got caught.”

This is the story of the scar. I just know it. But I have no idea what to say next.

I don’t get a chance before he redirects. “Katara, I’ve tried every password I can think of to open this file—my name, Azula’s name, our birthdays, Mom’s nicknames for us, and all of that in every combination. I was wondering… what if the file came from your mom? What if… do you know of a password she might use?”

It is too much. I am suddenly my nine-year-old self sorting through a box of Mom’s stuff that Dad has refused to touch since she died. All I ever wanted was something like this—a collection of her writing, notes, and pictures. Instead, all that came back from the coroner was assorted jewelry, cosmetics, and other typical items from a woman’s handbag.

“Katara? Are you OK?” Zuko breaks through my reverie.

No, I’m not. I can’t do this right now. “It’s getting late. I should go.”

His shoulders drop in disappointment, but when our eyes meet, we come to a silent understanding. It’s the tide pool scene all over again but with our roles reversed. The impact of the triggered memory hits me hard, and it is easier to choose distance and distraction over the pain of pushing through it. I no longer blame Zuko for his reaction that day.

I also acknowledge that he did try to talk about it. And neither of us has to bear our burden alone. We have each other.

I tell myself that only this moment is lost, not everything—not yet. And then I leave.

I refuse dinner and hull up in my room. I can’t exactly describe what I’m feeling—confused, yes, and maybe a little angry. Or perhaps I’m just jealous that Zuko somehow ended up with access to my mother’s work when all I’ve ever gotten is my father’s gruff response, “Katara, just let it go.”

I’ve read all of her articles in back issues of The Modern Times, of course. Gran Gran secretly gifted me with an online subscription last year. Dad makes comments like, “It’s old news anyway, so we need to focus on moving forward.” Sokka says that Mom’s writing will probably always represent suffering and loss for our family.

Sometimes when I feel… like I don’t know what to feel, that is when I write. But that hardly seems like a therapeutic option right now given the circumstances, so I decide to watch Netflix instead. I really should catch up on Crossroads of Destiny because the new season starts later this month. I don’t want to miss out on Uncle Iroh’s premiere party.

When did I start referring to him as Uncle?

This episode is about Phaethon, son of Helios, the sun god. As his tragic story unfolds, I wonder if this is the plotline Zuko had confused with Icarus. The boy certainly tries to prove himself to his father and to the world, but only brings fire and destruction, eventually falling from his chariot in the sky to his untimely death. I can’t handle the images of scorched landscapes and dried-up riverbeds in my fragile state, but before I turn off the show, the earth goddess says something that strikes me.

“Help us, great Zeus! Is this the end of earth? Even the heavens are burning. The past turns to ashes, and the future is fire!”

The future is fire—the slogan for Ozai’s company. I don’t even know what Future Fire Technology does, despite Azula’s constant bragging. She asserts it’s the “way of the future,” whatever it is. So, I look it up on my phone. They make virtual reality components such as headsets, gloves, and even a full exoskeleton for an “immersive experience.” The website is vague on what their products are actually used for, though.

I regret leaving Zuko. I should have tried to help him with the password instead of freaking out. Our mothers are obviously connected somehow, and he put himself at risk just to get those files. Mom took all kinds of risks to get information in her line of work. I never wanted to be a journalist, but I do want to be like her.

Before I even realize what I’m doing, I’m pulling the box of her things out of my closet. I used to look through it nearly every day, but I haven’t now for a few years. I wipe the dust from the lid and carefully lift it to reveal an odd collection of treasures. I hold up a pair of pearl earrings, and a shaky sound escapes my lips, almost like laughter, but not. I remember begging Dad to let me pierce my ears so I could wear them. He said I had to wait until I turn 16. Here I am, almost 16, and I don’t really care about that anymore.

Next, I run the pad of my thumb over a necklace I had also hoped to wear someday. The pendant has a wave carved out of whalebone, attached to a blue velvet ribbon. Dad gave it to Mom when they got married, and I’ve always figured it would be too painful for him to see it again. Maybe I could ask him.

Maybe I could ask him if he knows Mom’s password, too. I will have to explain that I’ve found a file of hers, and he might not like that. I understand if he doesn’t want to dwell on the past, but surely he doesn’t want to forget everything?

Finally, I pull out a tube of bright red lipstick, and this is when I lose it. It was her “power paint,” she called it. When I pretended to be a warrior princess as a young girl, she would paint the Aleut symbols on my face and tell me stories of our people.

“Katara, are you OK, dear?” Gran Gran calls from the doorway.

I sniff and wipe my face with Zuko’s sweatshirt. Yes, I still have it. “I-I-I’m fine, Gran Gran.”

“Can I make you some chamomile tea? Or run you a relaxing lavender jasmine bubble bath? You’ve been working so hard lately.”

“No thanks. I’ll just… go to bed early, I think.”

“OK, dear. Just let me know if you need anything.”

“Thank you, Gran Gran.”

“Oh… and Katara? Your mother would be very proud you.”

I wait until she leaves before fully releasing the tears I’ve been holding back. I suppose a good cry is long overdue. I throw myself on the bed with Zuko’s sweatshirt balled up like a pillow. I don’t realize that I’m still clutching the lipstick. The cap pops off which means I’m probably making a huge mess on my sheets, but I don’t care. Besides, I’m a laundry expert. Mom even used to call me Moonpeach.

I wake up the next morning drowsy and disoriented. Strands of my hair are stuck to my face and my throat is raw—this is why I hate crying. I stand up and brush the wrinkles out of yesterday’s clothes. Mom’s lipstick falls to the floor with a clank, and I say out load to no one in particular, “OK, I’m awake, I’m awake!”

I groan when I look at my phone. Zuko will be here in thirty minutes to pick me up. I scoop up his sweatshirt and laugh. At this rate, he’s never getting it back. I give it a squeeze, a pathetic part of my morning ritual these days. As I scan the room for my shoes, a glint of silver catches my eye.

No. Fucking. Way.

Mom’s lipstick is a USB drive, too. All this time I never knew.

I am cursing our old school computer for how long it takes to boot up. My stomach churns so violently with nerves that I consider calling in sick today. I even taste bile in the back of my throat when the icon “Kya” shows up on the screen.

I don’t know where to start. The “Pictures” folder? There is one called “Fiction,” too. Did my mom write stories like I do? There is also “Case Files,” and that one scares me a little. My hand hovers over the mouse, paralyzed by indecision.

Then, I see it. “Blue Spirit.”

And after years of wishing I had all the rest of these files and only weeks of knowing Zuko, that is the folder I decide to click on first.

Of course. Its contents are encrypted and require a password.

“Zuko is here, dear!” Gran Gran calls from the entryway.

Shit. I can’t process any of this, so I quickly eject the disk and secure it in the zippered part of my bag. I haven’t even changed clothes, but at least I’m in uniform, so it’ll have to do. Both Gran Gran and Zuko eye my disheveled appearance with some concern, but I simply brush past them and head toward Zuko’s car.

I don’t talk to Zuko right away, and he respectfully heeds the silence. He probably thinks I still need my space after yesterday which is partially true. I’m actually dying to tell him what I found, but I’m also reeling from it. His mom has one of my mom’s files, and my mom has one of his mom’s files. What does this mean?

After I fix my hair into my usual braid for the day, I text Dad to ask him if he knows Mom’s password. He confirms what I already suspect—that it should be derived from my name, nickname, or birthday just like Zuko suggested.

I cast a sideways glance at Zuko who unsurprisingly has a death grip on the steering wheel and laser focus on the road. He always does that when there is something left unspoken between us. Is he this easy to read to everyone… or just me?

“Hey Zuko?”

Predictably, he lets out a huge sigh of relief since I finally broke the tension. “Yeah?”

“Can you come over after work today?” I ask.

“Sure.” He stares straight ahead, but a smile tugs at the corner of his lips.

I look down at his lap to confirm he still has the chapstick in his pocket. No, I am not ashamed of this in the least. “Great. And can you bring your laptop?”

He tilts his head in my direction and nods, but I don’t acknowledge this because I am still groping him with my eyes. OK, I may have a problem.

My problem is that I’m a fucking waterworks these days. I cannot stop crying! The bus driver keeps looking at me like I’m a dam about to bust.

Depending on the outcome of Zuko’s little meeting, I’m gonna bust someone’s ass for sure.

I can’t believe he’d agree to go meet with his sister! Ever since I connected the mysterious Ursa files with Zuko’s scar, I don’t trust the Kasai family at all. Except for Iroh, of course. Wow, how did the apple fall so far from the tree? In my Google search last night, I read an article about corruption within the company when it was an arms dealer under Zuko’s grandfather, Azulon.

Zuko says he will call me later. I text back that he should just come over. To pass the time, I read through a few of my mom’s short stories. Hers are not fantasy like mine, though. More like melodrama… and more than I can take right now. I pace between the kitchen and living room. Gran Gran gives me worried looks. I imagine Azula stabbing Zuko with skewers, and Ozai using him as a punching bag. I cry some more. I double check the freezer to make sure we have icepacks. Of course we do. Sokka lives here after all.

Dammit. I even miss Sokka, the big oaf. When we were younger, I had a stuffed penguin, and he had a stuffed otter. If I were crying at night because I missed Mom, he would put on a show to cheer me up—The Adventures of Otter Penguin!

I’m in the middle of composing a text to Sokka, complete with otter and penguin emojis, when Zuko calls.

“Hey, sorry it’s so late.” He sounds very tired.

“Are you OK?” I sound very motherly.

“Um, yeah. Mostly.”

Hmm, not the answer I wanted to hear. “What did Azula want?” I growl.

“She offered me a job at Future Fire. She said things were… how did she put it? Heating up. She could use the help… or something like that.”

Oh no. “Did you—“

“No, Katara.”

“OK, good.”

“It’s not good. I told her I’m happy at the Marine Center, but Azula doesn’t want me to be happy. I told her I’m already doing what Dad wants, but if she thinks I have his favor for any reason, she’ll fix that. She’ll report some bullshit story back to him. He’ll come by the Marine Center to check up on me. I’m so fucked.”

I can’t stand how defeated he sounds, so I deftly change the subject. “Hey, about that password…”

“Yeah? Did you think of something?” His tone changes completely—thankfully.

“Well, you could try Katara082800 or maybe KataraAugust2000 or something with my name and birthday which is August 28, 2000.”

“OK. Just a minute.”

Soon I hear his furious typing in the background. “No luck.”

“You could try Sokka’s, too. His birthday is September 6, 1998.”

I wait for what seems like forever. His frustration mounts with the continuous beating of the delete key.

“What about a nickname, Katara?”

I was afraid he’d ask this. “Don’t laugh, OK?”

“I won’t.”

“It’s… Moonpeach.”

A pause.

“Shit. Holy shit. Katara! That’s it!”

The silence that follows is deafening.

“Zuko?”

“Sorry.”

“Is it… stuff from my mom? In the file.” Because, dude, I’m dying over here.

“It’s uhhh—“

I have an epiphany. “Zuko, what’s your nickname?”

“What?”

“What. Is. Your. Nickname?”

“Oh, umm. Turtleduck.”

“Turtleduck?” I laugh but only because it sounds like a creature that would fit perfectly in my fictional world.

“Hey, I didn’t laugh at yours!” he whines. “It’s because I loved that Christmas song when I was a kid but called it a turtleduck instead of a turtledove, OK?”

I’m half-listening because I just typed “turtleduck” for the password, and the “Blue Spirit” file on my mom’s disk is now accessible.

Seriously, what does this mean?

“Zuko, if I can access my mom’s files with your mom’s password, and you can access your mom’s files with my mom’s password, do you think… were we supposed to find this together?”

Were we supposed to find each other?

Zuko doesn’t answer.

We should be doing this together.

“Zuko, can you come over?”

“I… I’m not sure if that’s a good idea.”

“What? I think… it was meant to be! How else would you explain it?”

“It could just be a coincidence. Maybe they used each others’ passwords to ensure no one would find out ever. Maybe we’re not supposed to know any of this.”

I don’t know what this is because I haven’t read anything, yet. I realize I want him here with me because I’m scared.

“Zuko, please…”

“Even if our moms wanted us to know, my father absolutely doesn’t. It’s too… dangerous. I shouldn’t… you should stay away from me.”

Another epiphany.

“Zuko, did your dad hit you because of me?”

“No! It was… I broke curfew.”

“You’re lying.”

Zuko lets out a noise of frustration, something I’ve never heard him do before. “ARRRRRRGGGGHHH. He just said it was a reminder. To not dishonor the family. He’s a fucking psychopath, Katara. Just let it go.”

I hate that everyone keeps saying that!

“No! I think… Ozai knew that our mothers were working on something together. Something big. A scandal perhaps… maybe it involved your father. So when he found out you were seeing me, he forbade it. And then beat you as a reminder.”

“Katara, have you read any of your mom’s files, yet?”

“No.”

“OK, so read them. And we’ll talk in the morning.”

Chpt. 1 | Chpt. 2 | Chpt. 3 | Chpt. 4 | Chpt. 5

#zutara week #zutara week 2017 #zkweek #zkweek2017

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kiradillinger · 7 years ago

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Lotus Breeze, chapters 15-18

AO3 - http://archiveofourown.org/works/10698618?view_full_work=true

15.

Peridot, tired of fucking conferences and seminars, which for three days was so much that there was no time to eat, wants only one thing - to hug Lapis and not to let her go for at least half an hour.

Steven, deadly missing his roommates, also wants a hug.

But for some reason it seems to both of them that no one will let them sit comfortably in the kitchen, drink tea and talk. The woman on the threshold looks extremely unfriendly, and it costs a huge effort to Peridot to pull a smile on her face and ask "do you want something?".

"Does Lapis Lazuli live in this apartment?" the woman asks in an icy tone, and for a second Peridot thinks that she is from the University, and she came to expel Lapis, but then remembers that Lapis passed all the exams, leaving no debts (for the first fucking time).

"Yes ... And you are?.." Peridot unlocks the door, letting Steven in and holding the door for the woman.

"I'm her mother," she says shortly, passing into the apartment.

Lapis, joyfully came to meet everyone, freezes with an expression of horror and guilt on her face, and Peridot, already stepping towards her, wants immediately push the woman out of the door.

Lapis wears her T-shirt, not the one Lapis gifted to her, another, sky-blue with white spots-clouds, and Peridot, if it were not for strangers, would say "it looks wonderful on you, better than on me." On Lapis in general, everything looks wonderful (and the lack of clothes too).

"H-hello, Mom," Lapis chokes out of herself, depicting at least some, even fake-looking joy. "How do you…"

"I came to the dormitory, but there they told me that you were kicked out for smoking six months ago. Why do I know about this only now?" the woman frowns, spitting out the words, and Lapis unconsciously takes a step back.

Peridot never saw her so frightened.

"The fact that we don't have time for video conversations with you doesn't mean that you can do everything you want with your appearance. Piercing, blue hair? What's next? Tattoo? We send you money not for this childishness.”

Lapis, who can easily punch someone in the face for insulting her, now looks like she might burst into tears. Peridot throws the bag into the room and stands beside her, looking straight in the woman’s eyes.

"And you live with another girl and some teenager. Moreover, in your dormitory they told me that you are... one of "these". We brought up a normal daughter, not this... trash."

Peridot weakens the tie, which she decided not to take off after the last conference, and takes a deep breath.

"Now, Mrs. Lazuli, let me speak, and don't interrupt. You are standing on the threshold of MY apartment, and you didn't even bother to introduce yourself and find out who I was, you didn't begin the conversation with a normal greeting so that we could safely go to the kitchen and drink tea. You started talking shit about Lapis without even taking your shoes off. What mother does this? And don't tell me "don't get into our business", I'm worried about ALL problems that concern Lapis, especially in my home. Either tell me directly the purpose of your visit, or get the hell out of here.”

Mrs. Lazuli loses the gift of speech, and she opens and closes her mouth like a fish, indignantly trying to say something. Lapis can't believe that this "cute little nerd" just issued such a speech in her defense.

"This girl lives on our money, and I have every right..."

"You've got fucking nothing" Peridot snarls. "She's twenty-two. You can't tell her what to do. Money? Well, don't sell her anything, she won't even notice it. And before you ask "where will she find money?", I'll tell you that she has enough charisma and mind to earn them herself, and literally two days ago I was invited to work in such services, of which the whole world knows, because I, with a lot of desire and time, can hack NASA. I'll tell you again - either get out, or say directly what do you need.

Mrs. Lazuli throws a withering glance at Lapis.

“And what, you don't say anything? Your mother was just insulted by this petty...”

"Don’t you dare," Lapis hisses, and grasps the Peridot's palm like a lifeline. "Don't you dare say anything about her, or me, and you heard everything yourself. I'm loved here and accepted the way I am, and you just locked my identity somewhere deep inside. I'm not going to listen to you anymore. Enough of me. You can think that I don't exist.”

The woman chokes in her own indignation, barking "you just lost your family, Lapis," and leaves the apartment, slamming the door behind her.

"I didn't," Lapis laughs, looking at Peridot, who is smiling triumphantly. "I didn't know that you are capable of such a speech."

“Well, I didn't know that I can... But she forced me. And you lived with her all the childhood? What a nightmare.”

"Yeah ... Thanks. For defending me." Lapis feels that she begins to cry, and Peridot immediately rushes to hug her. "Now I have only you."

Steven, standing all the time behind the door to his room and decided not to interfere, politely knocks on the doorpost, drawing attention.

"If you are all over, can I also get my dose of hugs? I missed you two."

Lapis smiles through tears, drawing her hands to him, and Peridot murmurs "half an hour hasn't passed, she's only mine."

16.

Lapis runs her finger along the long, neat scar, from knee to ankle, and Peridot shudders, watching closely Lapis' every movement. The scar, though it is old, is noticeable and stands out on the skin like a thin white line, and Peridot recalls with a grin, how much money and labor was invested in making it so neat, not torn, as was a wound. Lapis leads her fingers to her hip, touching small but also noticeable white marks.

Peridot hates these scars (as well as her whole body), but doesn't feel discomfort from Lapis' touching. It feels... Nice, even if the skin in those places isn't as sensitive as on the rest of the body.

"You never told me where they came from..." Lapis says deeply, as if from a loud sound Peridot can be scared, like a kitten, and would pull the blanket to the very top of her head. "I never even saw them."

"And why do you think I wear closed clothes?" Peridot grins, remembering how terrible and disgustingly it looked at first, how she wanted to just put on three layers of clothes, so that nothing could be seen. “Absolutely uninteresting story about a teen-idiot who didn't notice the red light, and a couple of years of rehabilitation and residual scars. Even simple scratches will turn into scars on me. Hell, that's why I don't have a cat...”

Lapis takes her palm and looks closely, carefully studying fingers and wrists. True, barely noticeable thin scars are visible, while remaining completely intangible when touched. Lapis smiles and puts the palm to her cheek, and Peridot shudders again.

"Why are you so good today?" Peridot tries to pull herself together and not melt, to which Lapis just rubs her nose against the palm and covers her eyes.

"I was just thinking about how good it is that I have you..." Lapis smiles, but after a second a familiar grin replaces this smile. "Well, you know... Not everyone has their own evil dwarf."

Peridot chokes with indignation and hurls a pillow at Lapis. And it seems as if the moment is spoiled, but Peridot doesn't feel angry, although, of course, she promises to push Lapis off the bed and force her to sleep again in a hammock (Lapis shows her tongue and regrets nothing).

And everything is fine, exactly until Steven comes to them and with a joyful smile says that his relative comes to visit him for a couple of days.

"Don't say it's..." Peridot prays, clutching the pillow.

"Pearl!" Steven smiles.

17.

Lapis can't understand in any way, because of what Peridot has a mute hysteric, and why, as if bitten by someone, she rushes to help Steven arrange the things in the room so that you can safely walk without stumbling. All this running around lasts almost half an hour, after which Peridot freezes with the book she wanted to put on the shelf in her hands and closes her eyes, fixing her glasses.

"When does she arrive?" She asks quietly, putting the book on the table.

"Tomorrow evening," Stephen says happily.

Peridot rubs the bridge of her nose, sighs and grins.

"Well, this is my house, why the hell there should be cleanliness for her. And! I'm no longer a child to jerk because of her. Let her come, let's see if she will stand me.”

Lapis still doesn't understand anything.

"And who is she again?" She asks, looking around her own room. The room is not perfect, but clean, paper butterflies are in their places, flowers on the windowsill are poured, books are neatly stacked on the table. “Your ex?”

Peridot swears, indignantly opening her mouth, but can't answer anything sensible for a minute, being interrupted by her own laughter and obscene phrases. She holds her hand against the wall and eventually moves along it.

“She's my former tutor in algebra and physics. That's how I met Steven, I came to Pearl to study, and he was there almost always.”

"Oooh, first love to the tutor?"

“Go to hell.”

Lapis laughs, looking at delighted Steven. Steven smacks the dust off the shelves, humming something under his nose, and Peridot quietly howls to him from her corner. Lapis wants to meet Pearl very much, at least just to say "thank you" for new reasons to tease Peridot.

The next evening, on the threshold of their apartment a tall beautiful girl appears, with a polite smile and a small lady's suitcase behind her. Lapis, expecting at least a middle-aged woman, stutters in greeting, and from this Peridot's heart strangely misses the blow. Pearl embraces Steven, who rushes to her immediately, and walks into the kitchen, sitting down wearily on a chair. Peridot notes that even after a trip in the probably disgusting bus, her movements remain smooth and feminine.

"Are you even getting old?" Peridot asks, pressing the button on the teapot. Pearl snorts, folding her arms over her chest.

"And you don't learn manners in any way. I'm only twenty-eight, and I would ask for some respect for the elders.”

"You sound like you're forty years old."

"And you sound like a teen. Seriously, I should've teach you lessons of good manners instead of physics."

If Steven didn't take this quite normal, Lapis would have thought that a quarrel was about to start, but Steven calmly pours tea and sits down next to them, and Lapis understands that everything, sort of, is in order.

"You should take an example from your girlfriend," Pearl says, as if nothing had happened, addressing Lapis a smile, and Peridot looks at Steven with the dumb question "what the fuck?".

Of course, he told her everything, probably even in details.

Lapis breaks into a smirk, the one after which Peridot usually starts yelling in anger. Peridot herself thinks that she won't survive till the moment when Pearl leave.

18.

Pearl and Peridot both like to get up early, and already on the next morning after "the arrival" Peridot stumbles on a cooking breakfast Pearl. It's six in the morning, and there is already coffee on the table (two mugs), and Pearl herself masterfully turns over the pancakes, throwing them over the frying pan. Peridot rubs her eyes under the glasses, grumbles sleepy "good fucking morning", and assures herself that all the time that Pearl will stay with them, she will carry Lapis to the university, so as not to leave them alone.

Peridot believes Lapis and believes Pearl, but the disgusting feeling doesn't give her rest.

"Will Lapis get up?" Pearl asks, glancing at the closed door to their room.

"In an hour," Peridot says gloomily, hiding her glance in the coffee mug. Damn, even after so many years Pearl perfectly remembers how much spoonful of sugar she needs.

Lapis, which is awakened to university as if the ceiling would now fall, aren’t happy at all. She planned to spend the day at home, with a book or talking with Pearl about everything, but Peridot pulls her into the university under a whole bunch of pretexts.

"No one will take me away," she snorts, and Peridot hisses through her teeth "it’s not about this", trying not to look in her eyes.

She isn't afraid that Lapis will leave her.

Well, she herself believes in this "I'm not afraid", although in fact, from one thought about it, her knees tremble. In comparison with Pearl, she is still worthless, and this thought gives her no rest, and sometimes she wants to just huddle in a corner and die.

Lapis, with the eternal desire to tease all around, a couple of days thinks that Peridot is just jealous, not noticing how, dammit, she is worried about everything, trying to stay in the usual mood for everyone around. Realization comes with a terrible sense of guilt, because of which she wants to punch herself in a face. It is also bad, because if Pearl hadn't poked her nose into it, by telling the whole situation, Lapis would have continued to think that everything is fine.

"What kind of idiot am I?" Lapis covers her face with her hands, sitting in the kitchen and glancing at her watch every five minutes. Peridot went to help Steven to choose a new guitar, and they are gone for about three hours, as if from a shop they went under the Connie's windows.

"It happens to everyone," Pearl smiles and puts a mug in front of Lapis. "And stop being nervous, Steven wrote that they will return soon."

And so it happens, in about five minutes, these two are tumbling into the apartment, wet in the snow, with smiles and a new guitar in a wooden case. Lapis shakes off the snow from them, listening to their excuses, that they decided to play snowballs, and then it grew into an epic battle, in which, of course, friendship won, although Steven still has much more snow behind the collar. Pearl grumbles that they will catch cold, gives Steven a mug of cocoa and calls to the kitchen, but Steven says that his song is almost ready and he wants to spend the rest of the evening with a guitar.

"Well, if Steven left us..." Pearl opens the lid of the pot, and everyone smells spicy cinnamon, citrus and cloves. Peridot raises her eyebrows questioningly.

“Is this…”

"Mulled wine," Pearl nods. "Since I'm leaving soon, and the snow outside the window... Everything is as it should be."

Lapis smiles and immediately suppresses Peridot's attempt to escape into the room, grabs her hand and asks to spend the evening quietly, and Peridot simply can't say "no". Lapis holds her hand almost all evening, absolutely doesn't care about everything, and Pearl looks at them like a proud older sister. Peridot for the first time in a few days relaxes, allowing easy degrees of mulled wine to turn her head. She puts her forehead against Lapis' shoulder and smiles broadly, holding her hand.

Pearl sends them to bed by midnight, when Lapis is already yawning and falling asleep, and Peridot with a laugh drags her into the room, helping to undress and lie down. Lapis nuzzles in her neck, leading her hands on the Peridot's back, kisses her lips and cheeks, and Peridot doesn't even think of stopping her.

"No one will take me away," Lapis whispers, falling asleep. “And I won't go anywhere"

"Even if it's very cool and beautiful girl?" Peridot snorts, covering them with a blanket.

"I already have one."

Lapis falls asleep before she hears a light sigh and a quiet "...you clod".

#steven universe #steven universe fanfiction #lapidot #lapidot human au #2 chapters till the end

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headquartersforlievmuses · 7 years ago

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► Zuko

Zuko is a firebending master, born as a prince in the Fire Nation Royal Family, who held the title of Fire Lord from 100 AG to 167 AG. Originally the primary enemy of Team Avatar, Zuko devoted three years to trying to capture the long-lost Avatar to end his banishment and regain his honor as Crown Prince of the Fire Nation. He is recognizable by the distinctive scar on the left side of his face, which was given to him by his father, Fire Lord Ozai, shortly before his banishment as a result of an incident in which he unintentionally disrespected his father by speaking out of turn and refusing to duel him.

With support from his paternal uncle, General Iroh, and after much internal struggle and turmoil, Zuko rejected Ozai and his model of the Fire Nation. He instead joined the Avatar's group to become Aang's lifelong friend and firebending mentor and was determined to end the war and restore both his and the Fire Nation's honor. While Aang defeated Ozai, Zuko, with the help of Katara, defeated his younger sister Princess Azula and took his place as Fire Lord, declaring the end of the Hundred Year War and the start of an era of love and peace.

At the beginning of his reign, Zuko had to overcome great difficulties and solve several crises, especially those caused by the Harmony Restoration Movement and the New Ozai Society. Nevertheless, he succeeded in maintaining peace and eventually became one of the founders of the United Republic of Nations. Zuko retired from his position as Fire Lord in 167 AG and became an ambassador of peace, relinquishing the throne to his daughter, Izumi.

When he learned in two weeks after Harmonic Convergence in 171 AG that the Red Lotus had escaped their prisons, Zuko once again set out to help the Avatar to protect the world.

Born in 83 AG, Zuko was the first born child of Prince Ozai and Princess Ursa. From a young age, he was disdained by his father, an animosity that began shortly after the prince's birth. As the infant lacked the "spark in [his] eyes" that is typical for most firebenders, the royal family was unsure if Zuko was a bender at all. Ozai, viewing a nonbender as firstborn as "shame", planned to cast his son over the palace walls. Only when Ursa and the Fire Sages intervened did the Fire Prince give his newborn son a chance.[16] Later on, it turned out that Zuko was a firebender, and peace returned to the young family.

Zuko's family made frequent vacations to Ember Island in the following years, and Zuko would later consider this time the only one when his family was "actually happy". When he was three, Zuko saw an eagle hawk attacking a turtle crab while playing at the beach. The little prince immediately rushed to rescue the crab, feeling the urge to help the weak. However, when he had the animal safely in his arms, Zuko realized that the hawk would die of hunger without its prey. Unsure which side he should take, the prince was eventually surprised by a wave and carried out into the ocean. Zuko almost drowned before he was saved by his father. The little prince spent the remainder of the day in the care of his mother, recovering from the experience while vomiting sea-water. Zuko and his family also often watched the play Love amongst the Dragons at the Ember Island Theater. Afterward, the prince and Azula usually reenacted the final duel of the play at the beach. To his frustration, Zuko normally had to take the role of the Dark Water Spirit, the evil antagonist. Nevertheless, Zuko happily recalled these memories many years later.

In his early youth, he was schooled by Piandao in the art of fighting with dual broadswords.

However, as they got older, Zuko and Azula eventually grew apart and he became the object of his sister Azula's manipulation, ridicule, and deception. Their mother, however, loved both but favored him over his sister;[9] especially when Azula let her brother feel her increasing animosity, as apparent when Ursa, Zuko, and Azula would walk in the royal garden around 94 AG. Zuko happily talked with his mother until the prince saw his sister burning a flower of the garden. He promptly told on her to their mother, as he thought that Azula's action was wrong. When Ursa scolded the princess due to this, Azula burned Zuko's bottom in retaliation. After sending Azula to her room, Zuko was consoled by his mother. Zuko tearfully lamented that he did not understand why Azula had "to be so mean", as he had just did what he thought was the right thing to do.

A few months later, Zuko and his family were eating together at the palace dining hall, when Azula soon began to brag about opposing their firebending teacher, Kunyo, calling his techniques "the dumb way" to firebend. After hearing this, Ozai agreed with Azula that the teacher seemed to be incapable and declared to send him to the colonies as punishment. When the princess expressed her satisfaction about this, Zuko objected. The young prince said that Kunyo was not "a dummy" and proceeded that the teacher just thought that good firebending has to begin with proper forms, but Zuko was promptly silenced by his father. Outraged about Zuko's behavior, Ozai scolded the boy about "[daring] to lecture" his sister on firebending. When his father angrily asked Zuko how many more firebending forms his sister had already mastered than him, the intimidated prince meekly answered that his sister had mastered fourteen more forms. Ozai continued to recount how he would have almost discarded Zuko because he thought that he was a nonbender when the prince was born. Finally, Ozai told Zuko that "[Azula had been] born lucky", while "[he had been] lucky to be born," leaving his son completely devastated.

Frightened, Zuko ran away while Azula stayed to watch. Later, he was in his room trying to sleep when Azula came in and mockingly told him that Azulon's punishment for Ozai is that Ozai must kill Zuko, as he wanted him to know what it felt like to lose a first-born child. Ursa, hearing the commotion, came in and took Azula away, declaring it was time that they talked. Zuko, left behind, chanted quietly to himself, "Azula always lies." Later, he was awakened again, but this time by his mother. She told her sleepy son that everything she had done, she had done to protect him, and instructed him not to forget who he was no matter how much things may change. The next morning, he immediately remembered what transpired the night before and ran frantically through the halls searching for his mother. He found Azula, who blithely told him that Azulon died the previous night and their mother was missing. As she played with his pearl dagger (a gift from his Uncle Iroh), she mocked him and noted their mother was not there to make her give it back. Eventually, he found Ozai in the gardens of the palace and demanded to know where his mother was. Ozai did not answer and he hung his head in sorrow. At Azulon's funeral, the Fire Sage conducting the ceremony named Ozai the new Fire Lord upon Azulon's dying request.

Two years later, Iroh allowed a persistent, thirteen-year-old Zuko into a war council with Ozai and some of his generals. The young prince was instructed by his uncle not to speak during the meeting; however, when one general outlined a plan to sacrifice an entire division of new recruits in a diversionary maneuver, Zuko fiercely spoke out against the general's suggestion, seeing it as a betrayal of the recruits' patriotism. The insubordinate outburst was seen as a grave insult and Ozai demanded the prince participate in an Agni Kai. He agreed, unaware that it was his father and not the general whom he had insulted. Upon turning to face his opponent, Zuko surprisingly found himself against his father; he immediately became penitent and fell to his knees, refusing to fight and tearfully begging for his father's forgiveness. Ozai declared his refusal a sign of cowardice and another display of disrespect, affirming that "[he] will learn respect, and suffering will be [his] teacher".

Ozai burned Zuko by permanently scarring the left side of his face, stripped him of his birthright, and exiled him from his beloved homeland, declaring that he could return only after having found and captured the Avatar, who had disappeared one hundred years prior. It was a fool's errand by all accounts, but one to which Zuko clung desperately as his only hope of regaining his honor and everything he had lost.

Zuko spent the next two years at sea, fruitlessly and desperately searching for the Avatar. He searched the four air temples, beginning with the Western Air Temple, and scoured the world, searching even the most remote locations for his prize. Iroh accompanied Zuko during his exile, and the pair spent more than two years at sea with a small ship and crew. They were not royal guards or special forces and may well have been banished themselves, or were foolishly intent on serving under the popular General Iroh. They were often unhappy under Zuko but obeyed his orders. Iroh often considered the search an extended vacation.

After the Hundred Year War, Zuko was crowned Fire Lord and subsequently aided the Harmony Restoration Movement in order to move the colonials back to the Fire Nation. During the Earth King's official announcement of the plan to the people of Ba Sing Se, Zuko and his friends took a ride on Appa to watch the celebratory fireworks. While on the sky bison, the concerned Fire Lord asked the Avatar to make a promise: If Aang saw that Zuko was becoming like Ozai, as the Avatar, Aang would end Zuko's life. Initially disbelieving, Aang sought advice from Katara, who nodded in approval, and in seeing this, he hesitantly accepted.

Furthermore, Zuko began to actively change the Fire Nation government; he removed most of Ozai's loyalists from their offices, making only a few exceptions, including Ukano. Because of this and his policy of reconciliation, some in the Fire Nation and the colonies developed a deep hatred for him. Underground rebel organizations were formed in attempts to restore Ozai back to power, and several attempts on his life took place, though ultimately, all these attempts failed.

A year later, following five attempts on the Fire Lord's life, Kori, daughter of Morishita, Mayor of Yu Dao, broke into the Royal Palace to assassinate Zuko. Although she overcame the bodyguards, she was not able to defeat Zuko, who took her as a prisoner and learned the truth behind the attack. The Fire Lord traveled to her home colony to speak with the mayor; however, when Zuko explained that the movement was to bring peace to the world, Morishita reacted poorly and began arguing, using Ozai as an example of a Fire Lord who would not betray his people, causing Zuko to remember a visit he made to his father in prison. Ozai had warned him that he was going to return, as the young man would need help being the ruler of a nation that he could not handle on his own. The Fire Lord threatened Mayor Morishita, claiming that he was not like his father, and the mayor agreed: He was not like his father, who had many faults but was never a coward or a traitor. At this, Zuko ordered the mayor seized, but the guards were attacked by an earthbender, Mrs. Morishita, who asked the Fire Lord to forgive her husband for his statements. Zuko, surprised to see that she was an earthbender, as was her daughter, learned that the people had already been established in the city strongly enough to even form families between people from different nations. It was for this reason that Zuko allowed the Fire Nation colonials to remain in the city and announced his rejection of the Harmony Restoration Movement.

After Team Avatar heard about Zuko's withdrawing of support for the Harmony Restoration Movement, they traveled to Yu Dao, where Zuko was staying. Aang and Katara flew over the city's walls to meet the Fire Lord; however, some Fire Nation guards informed them that no one could enter without the Fire Lord's permission, not even the Avatar, to which Aang claimed that he just wanted to talk to him. The guards responded by attacking Aang and Katara with firebending. After the pair defeated all the guards, Katara was grabbed by Zuko, who admonished her for attacking his people. Aang, angry at Zuko's action, warned him to let her go, but he insisted that she first had to agree to stop attacking; Aang separated Zuko and Katara with airbending, prompting Zuko to retaliate, and Aang to enter the Avatar State. Katara, telling him that he would not be able to control himself in an altered emotional state, managed to calm him down. The Fire Lord agreed to talk and gave the couple a tour of Yu Dao, pointing out how heavily integrated the lives of the citizens were in the colony. At this, Katara proposed a conversation with Kuei concerning the matter, to which the Avatar and Fire Lord both agreed.

Conflicted about his actions, Zuko sought advice by talking to a painting of his uncle, Iroh. His monologue was interrupted when a soldier alerted him that the fleet had arrived on Earth Kingdom shores, prompting Zuko to dress for battle and leave to lead his army.

The Fire Nation forces reached the gates of Yu Dao at the moment the Earth Kingdom forces were given the command to start the assault. Right before the battle ensued, Toph disabled all of the Fire Nation tanks by metalbending all their screws out. While the Fire Nation troops were in disarray, confused about what happened, General How ordered his Earth Kingdom troops to enter Yu Dao and arrest the colonials, a move Zuko countered by commanding his ground troops to defend the people of the Fire Nation in the colony, causing both armies to clash.

Some time after the battle for Yu Dao, Zuko attended a meeting together with his friends and several government officials at the home of the governor of Yu Dao to discuss the future of the city. A professor gave a lecture on ancient Earth Kingdom philosophies regarding the four nations, though it was of little interest to him, as he slowly zoned out as the man droned on. However, he snapped back to attention when the professor mentioned the word "family". Not having caught the entire statement, he requested the man to repeat what he had said, and he listened attentively to how there is a comparison to be made between how one treats one's family and how one rules. He pondered over the words, and when Aang asked if everything was all right, he wondered what the banishment of his mother for years along with his own actions of putting his father in jail and his sister in an institution meant for his nation.

Inspired by the professor's words, Zuko returned home and placed his father and sister in adjoining cells in order to facilitate conversation between the two in hopes of gaining information about Ursa's whereabouts. When he was told by Suki that Ozai and Azula had not said a word to each other, he entered the room to bring tea in an attempt to ease the tension. However, Azula perceived his attempt at friendliness as a way to mock the fact that she was restrained and subsequently knocked him over by grabbing the tray out of his hand with her teeth, much to Ozai's amusement. Zuko tried to prevent Ty Lee from chi blocking Azula, though he acted too late. He called the two Kyoshi Warriors back and gently positioned a now paralyzed Azula back into her chair. He explained to her that he just wanted to bring them a little dignity by giving them some tea. His sister sent him off, however, saying that the only way he could really bring them dignity was to let them have a conversation in private.

Before escorting Ursa, Ikem, and Kiyi back to the Fire Nation Capital for the first time since Ursa's banishment, Zuko spent weeks searching the Forgetful Valley in hopes of tracking down his sister, though to no avail. While they were eventually under way to the capital, Zuko assured his mother that everything would be fine. However, he grew slightly embarrassed when she remarked that he always had that "sparky look in his eyes" whenever he was excited and waved it off, noting he was Fire Lord now. When Ursa grew distraught over Kiyi rejecting her, Zuko tried to comfort her, noting that everything was going to be all right, though failed to truly get through to his mother.

Some time later, Zuko noticed that Aang, Katara, and Sokka were preparing Appa to take off. Inquiring about their intentions, he was told that being back to the city would bring back many memories, which they needed to figure out as a family and bond over it. He agreed with the notion and thanked his friends for their help.

As they take off, Zuko noticed his mother stood by herself, tearful. Asking if she was all right, he was brushed off by a generic "fine". As she asked him if the others just left, Zuko apologized for not having come to get her to say goodbye, as he had not known she was still on deck. Noticing his mother's sad attitude, he inquires once again as to what is going on, though she merely brushed him off by saying she needed fresh air. Not letting it go, Zuko assured her that Kiyi would come around and figure out that Ursa is still the same inside despite having a different face. As Ursa admitted that she had actually been thinking about Azula, wondering if she was "safe, warm, and happy", Zuko said he searched the Forgetful Valley for weeks and came up empty-handed, which meant to him that Azula did not want to be found. He assured Ursa that Azula was safe, as she was a survivor, though confessed to not knowing what "happy" would mean for his sister. As he took his mother's hand, Zuko was startled by its coldness and promptly moved to take her below deck. However, they were intercepted by a messenger hawk from the Kyoshi Warriors, warning that the New Ozai Society was plotting to ambush him along the main road to the capital. When asked if something was wrong, Zuko noted that it was nothing he could not handle and vowed to do anything in his power to keep everyone, specially Kiyi, safe.

Zuko's commitment to allow the older Fire Nation colonies to remain in the Earth Kingdom and regulate the balance of power between them, rather than to forcefully remove them, eventually led to the creation of the United Republic of Nations with Republic City as its capital.

At some point in his life, he married and had a daughter named Izumi. In 134 AG, he also became a grandfather to Iroh, who grew up to serve as a general of the first division of the United Forces. Zuko and Aang remained lifelong, best friends, with Aang regularly turning to Zuko for advice. Zuko, in turn, would always trust the Avatar's instinct. According to his grandson, Zuko also remained a good friend and important ally of the Southern Water Tribe. During his life, Zuko also adopted and trained a dragon named Druk, who he would keep as a life companion.

In 158 AG, Zuko joined forces with Southern chief Sokka, Tenzin, and Tonraq to deal with Zaheer, Ghazan, Ming-Hua, and P'Li, four criminals who desired to kidnap the new Avatar, Korra. The group was able to defeat the four and send them to specially-constructed White Lotus prisons, which would serve to neutralize their bending abilities. Zuko collaborated with Northern chief Unalaq and ordered the construction of a top-secret prison in the western tundra of the North Pole, specially designed to hold the firebender P'Li.

Two weeks after Harmonic Convergence, Zuko learned of the escape of the criminals Zaheer, Ming-Hua, and Ghazan from their custody under White Lotus sentries and was particularly disturbed to hear that Zaheer had become an airbender. After sending a notice to Lin Beifong of their escape, he traveled to the Northern Water Tribe, where he and Chief Tonraq met with Desna and Eska, the new Northern chiefs. Zuko told them that they needed to check up on P'Li's prison in the western tundra. While riding the elevator to the bowels of the prison, Zuko explained that P'Li possessed the ability to create explosions with her mind and casually remarked that ironically he once sent an assassin with similar abilities to kill the Avatar, but that it did not work. Eska shared with Zuko her own experience trying to assassinate the Avatar after the latter spoiled her wedding.

Zuko soon scouted the area around the prison atop his dragon, Druk, and only found what he thought to be a snowstorm. When he pointed this out to Tonraq, however, the Southern chief recognized it as Zaheer's doing. The two groups clashed, with Zuko finding himself matched against Ghazan. The old firebender was able to dodge his opponent's attacks for a short while, but was ultimately knocked down by a large fragment of rock. Zuko was only left to watch as the fugitives made a successful escape with P'Li in tow.

After Kuvira had nearly stabilized the entire Earth Kingdom, Zuko traveled to Republic City with his daughter to attend Prince Wu's coronation as the nation's Earth King. However, after Kuvira was bestowed the Kyoshi Medal of Freedom for her service, Zuko bore witness to her declaration of usurping power in the Earth Kingdom, renaming it the "Earth Empire".

Well-respected as one of Republic City's founders, a statue was erected in Zuko's honor at the center of the plaza outside Central City Station in Republic City to commemorate his many accomplishments. However, his and Avatar Aang's creation of the United Republic of Nations earned the animosity of Earth Queen Hou-Ting and Kuvira, who both considered the state to be on illegally occupied territory.

During his exile, Zuko was a bitter, impatient, and complex young man, akin to a tragic villain. More than anything, he wanted his place as heir to the Fire Nation throne and his father's love. Zuko believed, or forced himself to believe, that capturing the Avatar would make these wishes come true, making him one of Aang's most determined enemies.

Zuko believed one becomes strong by struggling and fighting for what they want. However, he expressed contradicting mindsets; he did not want good luck because he felt he could control his fate, but also believed he was marked unlucky and that the world was against him. His reaction to the perception of the world always set against him is an iron-willed defiance and inflexible determination. He was clever, yet hot-headed, often letting his temper get the best of him. He seemed averse to the thought of harming others without any motive or benefit, having consented to Aang's request to spare the Southern Water Tribe in exchange for himself as his prisoner, and left the village unharmed. He rarely thinks his situations through, causing him to get in trouble; he captured Aang at the North Pole, but chose to make his getaway through the perilous tundra, and he casually took the Sunstone off its pedestal in the Sun Warriors' temple only to fall into a trap.[6] Said traits were criticized by his uncle, urging Zuko to try to control himself and think things through more often, which he managed to do over time.

Zuko had other contradictory traits, beliefs, and behaviors. He was domineering and controlling, a result of his upbringing as Fire Nation royalty, and disdained working with people he believed were inferior; yet he adamantly refused to view people as expendable. He believed it was wrong to sacrifice able-bodied and willing troops as a diversionary tactic. During his banishment, he displayed zeal in pursuing the Avatar, using whatever means he thought necessary. Although he had said capturing the Avatar was a greater concern to him than the safety of his crew or himself, he showed compassion to those close to him, choosing to rescue Iroh when he was captured rather than pursue Aang, and risking his own life to save a member of his crew during a fierce storm. When the crew spotted Aang, he ordered the ship and crew to safety instead of chasing the Avatar. Even after all the hardship he suffered at the hands of his sister, Azula, he was still willing to vouch for her, giving her several chances for them to work together in order to find their mother. He even went as far as to show brotherly affection for her, inspired by Sokka's actions toward Katara. He was liable to commit brash actions against his sister, however, despite his best efforts to stop fighting her, even going as far as almost throwing her off a cliff.

Zuko was able to show mercy, even to his enemies. When fighting an Agni Kai with Zhao, he decided to spare him unscathed, though Zhao had expressed every intention to hurt Zuko. Even after Zhao had arranged for Zuko to be murdered, Zuko offered his hand in order to save Zhao's life when the Ocean Spirit was about to drown him.

The prospect of returning home and earning forgiveness was Zuko's sole motivation. After losing his first chance at the Northern Water Tribe, he was filled with abject despair. He found himself in the most dire situation possible—being hunted by his younger sister, the ruthless and relentless Azula, while attempting to survive as a penniless fugitive in the Earth Kingdom. Apart from his ever-supportive uncle, Zuko had nothing. At first, he lashed out and turned to robbery, even stealing from those who were kind to him. After some time, however, partially in thanks to a talk from Iroh, he gained a more reasonable outlook. Theft was still necessary from time to time, but he refused to steal from needy people or people who showed him kindness. He defended an Earth Kingdom village against a group of thugs who terrorized its people. He became more patient, kind, precise, and calculating; said traits necessary to evade Azula's pursuit while staying incognito from local authorities. He set Aang's pet bison and primary mode of transportation, Appa, free from Dai Li captivity at Iroh's suggestion.

These traits became dominant after Zuko's fever dreams and hallucinations, as afterward he displayed an optimistic attitude toward life and the world. However, Azula successfully manipulated his desire for love and approval from his father, convincing him to betray Iroh and become her ally. He continued to insist that he had truly changed, but felt conflicted about his choices afterward, uncomfortable with his betrayal of Iroh, a father figure to him.

Eventually, Zuko came to realize that his emotional instability over his position as Fire Lord was not caused by the pressures of being a ruler or by the choices he made for Yu Dao, but due to his fear of ultimately becoming the same tyrant as his father was. However, he eventually came to terms with the fact that there was a side to himself and his personality that he could not understand.

During the search for his mother, and upon finding out that Ozai may not be his legitimate father, he realized that he might not be the true heir to the throne. Despite knowing that he must stay Fire Lord, Zuko felt the most hopeful and relieved in the group upon hearing the news. He believed that he could start anew and "gallivant" around the world helping people, as Azula remarked, much to Aang's dissatisfaction; he believed that Zuko must stay as the leader of his nation to continue ushering a new era of love and peace.

In his old age, Zuko displayed a more calm and wise demeanor, as well as a strong sense of protecting his family and the Avatar.

While growing up in the Fire Nation, Zuko showed no extraordinary skill in firebending. In his teen years, however, his ability began to develop significantly under his Uncle Iroh's tutelage, most noticeably during the last year of the Hundred Year War. He became able to fight on par with much more experienced firebenders, showing himself to be a late bloomer. Having continuously refined his skills, he has reached the point of becoming a firebending master, but despite his skill and fast development as a firebender, he has noted on more than one occasion that he is not as skilled or as powerful as his younger sister, Azula.

As a child, Zuko could only create small bursts of flame and was by no means focused or controlled in his bending, but by the time he was thirteen, he was confident enough in his abilities to readily accept a challenge of Agni Kai against General Bujing.

After the Siege of the North, Zuko's firebending became more advanced and powerful. At first, he was unable to land any blows against Azula, and was defeated rather easily. He fought somewhat better during the Confrontation at Tu Zin; in a three-way battle with Azula and Aang, he traded several fire blasts with his sister and kept the Avatar on the defensive. As his travels in the Earth Kingdom continued, however, he learned more advanced firebending techniques from Iroh, such as lightning redirection, becoming more efficient and refined. During a battle with the Rough Rhinos, he sent a small bolt of fire through Vachir's bow, breaking the string. He demonstrated the ability to fire multiple small blasts through two fingers, rather than his whole fist. During the battle in the Crystal Catacombs, he demonstrated how far his prowess had grown. His fire blasts were more powerful, and he charged his attacks before releasing them, creating enormous blasts of fire. He also demonstrated the ability to create two fire-whips. He battled evenly with Aang, even though he had skillfully used airbending and earthbending. After switching opponents with Azula, he battled evenly with Katara, a waterbending master who had the upper hand against Azula.

Aside from his bending, Zuko also developed masterful skill in swordsmanship, and he specialized in dual wielding swordplay, using a set of dao blades, skills he gained after being trained by the sword master Piandao. He would use these skills as his primary tactics whenever he was in his Blue Spirit disguise, unable to firebend, or when he needed to fight but also needed to conceal his firebending. He was able to defeat multiple foes using only his swords, including experienced firebending soldiers. He also dueled evenly with Jet and his dual hook swords until the fight was broken up by the Dai Li. Zuko was able to defeat several Earth Kingdom soldiers with minimal effort by employing his swordsmanship skills in combination with unarmed combat and, in the same confrontation, demonstrated the ability to combine his sword skills with his firebending, allowing him to deliver more powerful and destructive attacks.[9] His skill was such that his father, Fire Lord Ozai, opted not to face him during an eclipse, when neither of them could firebend. He also defeated Sokka, a very proficient swordsman in his own right and a fellow student of Piandao, with ease in multiple sparring matches.

He also had some experience with knives, being able to pierce a small object, like a horn, from a distance.

In addition to his firebending and swordsmanship skills, Zuko is highly skilled in unarmed combat, able to break apart oncoming spears with his hands and legs, and disarm, subdue or defeat opponents. Zuko was able to defeat several armed Earth Kingdom soldiers in rapid succession. Zuko is very physically capable, able to almost nonchalantly send a person flying with a single hand and smash through iron shackles with a single kick. He is also quite fast and agile, able to perform great acrobatic feats, such as running across walls,[6] doing mid-air twirls, scaling vertical faces with great efficiency and climbing speed, and jumping large distances to avoid enemy attacks with noticeable agility and free-running skills.

Zuko is stealthy and skilled in the art of infiltration, able to sneak into heavily defended fortresses and conceal himself effectively for long periods of time. His skills served him well while he was disguised as the Blue Spirit. Zuko is also a skilled tracker; he was able to track the airborne Avatar all across the world, something that his friends later acknowledged in their search for a missing Aang.

As a leader, Zuko has also displayed charisma and good public speaking. His speech to redeem the name of the Fire Nation at his coronation was warmly embraced, not only by his own people, but by people of the other nations as well. Despite a very tumultuous start, Zuko eventually came to be regarded as an excellent, benevolent Fire Lord, with his actions in helping create Republic City being recognized for many years.

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#Avatar: The Last Airbender #Avatar: The Last Airbender [Zuko]#Male Character #non mutuals #face claim: Ryan Potter

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