#but i feel like i'm finally rekindling that fire

[ryebunny]

Vent in tags because I have nobody to talk to but need to get some feelings out. Sorry. Just ignore please ♡

[littlelamy]

hiiii i love your writing!!! so ive been thinking about kook!reader who wasnt as close with the pogues but since they got stuck on the island together it changed but now that they are in obx reader cant help but run back to rafe but she doesnt want to hurt the pogues but they end up finding out when jj or pope and cleo see her on the boat with rafe🐬 sorry its long

a/n: it's not long! i love this idea but i'm wondering if i should do a part two! thank you for sending a request🐳

you had never really thought of yourself as one of them. the pogues—jj, pope, kiara, and cleo—were the island’s outcasts, while you had grown up in the world of the kooks. your life revolved around yacht parties and designer clothes, and you were always aware of the invisible line that separated your world from theirs.

but everything changed when you found yourself stranded on that deserted island with them. a sudden storm had swept through, forcing your boat to capsize, and the only ones who could help were the pogues. at first, it felt awkward. you remembered their initial glances and snickers, feeling the weight of their judgment hanging in the air. but as the days turned into weeks, something shifted.

one evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky with hues of orange and pink, you and jj sat around a small fire you had managed to start. the warmth enveloped you, but the real comfort came from the easy conversation that flowed between you. jj had always been the wild one, the joker, but in this moment, he was something more—a friend.

“you know, y/n,” he said, poking the fire with a stick, “if you ever want to ditch the kooks, you’ve got a place with us. we could go full kook just to hang out with you.”

you laughed, surprised at the thought. “you’d go full kook? really?”

“absolutely,” jj grinned, his blue eyes sparkling with mischief. “i’ll make sure all of us go full kook. we’ll get some designer clothes and start hosting yacht parties in no time!”

“you’d look ridiculous in those clothes,” you teased, nudging him playfully.

“i can pull it off!” he shot back, pretending to strike a pose. the laughter that erupted felt so liberating, and you found yourself savoring this moment, this connection with someone who had once seemed so different from you.

but once the storm passed and the rescue came, you were thrust back into your old life. the glittering parties, the luxury cars, and the kook lifestyle beckoned you back like a siren song. and yet, in the back of your mind, the memories of those days on the island lingered, especially your growing feelings for rafe.

rafe cameron was a part of your past—complicated, messy, and often toxic. you had known him for years, and despite his flaws, there was an undeniable chemistry between you. when you found yourself back in the OBX, it was like you were magnetically pulled toward him, even if it meant crossing paths with the pogues again.

you knew the risks. rafe was not the type of guy who came with a warning label, but the thrill of being near him was intoxicating. when you finally met up with him at a party, the old sparks reignited. he swept you off your feet, and for a moment, everything felt right.

but the tension hung heavy in the air. the pogues had watched you transform during your time on the island, and you knew that they wouldn't take kindly to your rekindling things with rafe. still, you couldn’t help yourself. late-night rendezvous turned into boat rides and stolen kisses, and every time rafe pulled you closer, you felt more alive.

one evening, you and rafe were out on his boat, the waves gently rocking beneath you. you felt free, escaping the pressures of your reality. it was bliss—until it wasn’t. from the corner of your eye, you spotted a familiar figure on the shore. it was jj, followed closely by pope and cleo. your heart dropped.

“oh no,” you whispered, panic creeping in. “they can’t see us.”

“don’t worry about them,” rafe said, his tone casual. “just enjoy the moment.”

but it was too late. jj’s eyes widened in realization, and you could see him start to shout your name. you tried to duck down, but it was no use. cleo’s shocked expression said it all.

the moment was shattered. you quickly pulled away from rafe, your mind racing. “we have to go back.”

“why? let them think what they want,” rafe replied, a mix of annoyance and confusion crossing his face.

“because they don’t understand! they don’t know what it was like on that island. they think i’m just another kook!” you exclaimed, your heart racing. “they’ll never forgive me for this.”

you turned the boat back toward the shore, the laughter and music from the party fading into the background as you faced the reality of your choices. you had hurt your friends, and now you had to confront them.

as you pulled the boat up to the dock, jj, pope, and cleo stood waiting, their expressions a mix of anger and disappointment. you could feel your stomach knotting at the sight of them.

“what the hell, y/n?” jj shouted, stepping forward. “we thought you were different. we thought you were one of us.”

“you know it’s not like that,” you protested, stepping onto the dock. “you don’t understand what it’s like to be pulled back into that world. rafe... he’s complicated, but he makes me feel something.”

“and what about us?” pope interjected, his voice strained. “we were there for you when you needed us. and now you just run back to rafe?”

“no, no, that’s not what i meant. i just—” you struggled to find the right words, but the more you spoke, the worse it felt.

“it’s fine,” jj cut you off, shaking his head. “go. if you want to be a kook, be a kook. but don’t expect us to be here when you decide you want us back.”

the hurt in his voice struck you harder than you anticipated. you opened your mouth to say something, but the words caught in your throat. instead, you turned back toward the boat, tears stinging your eyes. you felt like you were losing everything—your past, your friends, and maybe even a part of yourself.

rafe was waiting, but as you looked back, the sight of the pogues’ disappointed faces made your heart ache. maybe the island had brought you all closer together, but now, it felt like the distance was too great to bridge. you didn’t know how to reconcile those two worlds, and as rafe started the engine, you realized you had to face the reality of your choices.

the waves lapped at the side of the boat as you sailed away, feeling more lost than ever. the thrill of being with rafe faded, and the memory of the pogues’ laughter echoed in your mind, leaving you questioning everything. was it worth it? or had you really lost them for good?

taglist (comment below if you want to be added): @namelesslosers @princessslutt @averyoceanblvd @iknowdatsrightbih @starkeysprincess @sixrosberg @anamiad00msday @ivysprophecy @wearemadeofstardust0

[genericpuff]

From the standpoint of someone who doesn't even like LO that much. Reading through this gave me a strange sense of discomfort? I think. Something about the combination of the essays, and the digs at the author in a lot of posts, and making a community based on it, and the ranting. It made it feel a lot more group ragging on something than normal fandom re-writes. I can't help but want to say something on the subject (0/3)

Gonna respond to all your asks together if that's okay, from what I can glean there's a word limit on mobile (?) so it makes it very interesting to see who's able to put all their thoughts into one big ask vs. who has to cut them up into parts 😆

So I can understand that discomfort, it's actually one that I also initially felt towards the community when I discovered it. Though even more so because when I found out about antiLO being a thing, I was still a MASSIVE fan of LO and my thought was "wow, these people are losers" LOL but then a lot of what they were saying resonated with me more as I realized the story was going nowhere (it was around the trial arc when Eris was revealed to be the 'reason' for Persephone's wrath).

All that said, I don't think I was wrong to feel off back then even though I don't feel that way now. We have our own takes and ways of approaching certain subjects, and how we feel is how we feel.

I will say that I can't, in any way, take credit for 'creating' the community. AntiLO pre-existed me by years and I was simply welcomed in as my opinions of the comic changed. I was a lot more involved in UnpopularLoreOlympus when it was born around the S2 finale of the comic. So... don't give me any sort of credit in 'owning' this community or anything of that sort, I came in during a period when criticism of the comic was becoming more common practice. I'm just also someone who's very verbose and loud in their opinions which appeals to a lot of people in this community, so I get why people might see me as some kind of "pillar" within it or like I'm the loudest person in the room, but I promise you that doesn't mean I have any sort of ownership over this part of the fandom or that I feel my opinions carry any more weight than the people around me. It's just a community, after all, not a religion.

It's true that saying I'm not making money off Rekindled doesn't mean I'm not benefiting off it in other ways. But the 'benefits' are still kinda... nothing? in the grand scheme of things? like okay great I have loads of people reading my stuff every update but like, this is still just Tumblr lmao none of this is real and as soon as Rekindled is over, I might be lucky to bring some of the readers over into my next project, but I doubt whatever I do next will get as popular as Rekindled was. All the "benefits" I get are virtually the same as what people writing fanfiction get on AO3 get or what people doing redraw videos on Youtube get. It's fake Internet points for making fan creations.

And that's okay, because that's sorta just the nature of fandom in general, throughout any niche community. People will be naturally drawn to what's familiar and what I do here appeals to the people who are familiar with LO and the criticisms of it, often people who agree with those criticisms. The Zelda community has LinkedUniverse, Pokemon has Hanamusa, Attack on Titan has communities that are dedicated to loving the anime, hating the anime, and even dunking on people who don't 'get' the anime, Undertale has every single crazy rewrite and rewrites-of-rewrites that have been spawned from its fanbase. Did you know there's an entire community of people who discuss and argue over fire alarms? I didn't, but when I found out about it, it was after listening to a video on Youtube discussing all the interconnected drama of the fire alarm community. Like that's wild and seems so stupid and pointless... but it matters to the people who are in it, and my opinion of how they operate isn't going to change how it makes them feel to be a part of that space. That's kinda just human nature, we create our own little microcosms of things to bond over so for people within those microcosms, any amount of disagreement or discomfort will feel massive in proportion.

I guess the point of what I'm trying to say is that a lot of this stuff feels crazy loud but it's really only that loud because it's occupying a single room.

The reality is that Rekindled is still a very niche project dedicated to a niche webtoon that's a part of a niche medium. As loud as it is within here, it's still only because it's such a closed community. Anyone outside of the Webtoons community has zero clue what it is. The 'attention' that I'm getting is still from other niche people who occupy a very specific interest.

And that's not even exclusive to Rekindled, despite Webtoons attempts to sell LO as a 'worldwide phenomenon', a lot of people don't know it exists and couldn't care less. Does that mean my rantings about the comic and its creator matter any less to me or the people who are interested in them? Not really. Is it all pointless? Maybe, but not everything really needs to have some bigger point. We're all kinda just here spending time talking about something we both love and can't stand. What I say about LO and do with Rekindled is undoubtedly inconsequential and pointless to people who aren't in the room. That's fine. That's why I keep it all in my own house. There are definitely people who talk about it outside of the home but that's far from what I can control.

That said, I think LO also does fall into a very unique category where it's very easy to do rewrites and redraws of it simply because it, in and of itself, is a rewrite. Rekindled is far from being the first "fix it" fic, not only of LO but also of any piece of media in general, it's not really a new phenomenon (but again, when it's loud, it can be easy to go "well clearly YOU had to influence this"). People are drawn to retelling LO or 'fixing' it because LO is based on Greek myth. If it weren't for that, no, I don't think people would be as interested in doing so. It's because we literally have a solid foundation of reference material - the myths and original poems - that we can go "hey, why did LO do this? it should have / could have been xyz". You can't really do that as much with a purely original work besides wish fulfillment of "what if xyz happened" because whatever an original piece of work winds up being is clearly what it was meant to be. We have nothing to compare it against.

But with LO, we know what it could have been because we know what it was trying to be since day 1 - a retelling of the Abduction of Persephone. That's not to say we always knew exactly what Rachel was planning on doing with it, but it's not hard to be disappointed when we see certain mythical stories being established in LO - such as the tale of Eros and Psyche, the Titanomachy, etc. - only to see them get dropped or completely mishandled.

On the one hand I could use HADES and Stray Gods as examples of popular media that don't get 'rewritten' the same way LO does because while they have their own unique interpretations of the myths they're based on, they still feel like properly thought out stories that appreciate the source material. LO, by comparison, feels like it's written by someone who hates Greek myth.

But on the other hand, those rewrites may absolutely exist and I'm just not aware of them because I don't occupy those rooms! The world is only as big as we perceive it to be.

That said, it's always sort of ironic to me when people say Rekindled is "riding off the coattails of LO" because while I can understand their sentiment - because obviously it's a direct re-creation of LO - that opinion seems to operating from the assumption that LO was ever not riding off Greek myth's coattails to begin with.

And no, I don't think my criticizing of LO on an LO-focused blog should in any way be conflated with "media isn't allowed to be bad". I've said this before and I'll say it again, I'm into loads of bad media. I'm also fully capable of enjoying a piece of media but also shit-talking it without actually feeling any sort of vitriol towards it. House M.D. is one of my favorite TV shows but goddamn some of the plots are just so dramatic and out-of-this-world that you can't help but laugh at them (and that's why we have spaces like /r/okaybuddyvicodin LOL). One of my favorite games growing up was Starfox Adventures because I had never played the original Starfox games but I had played loads of Zelda and Adventures was basically Zelda but with Starfox, and I know there are plenty of people who will go "but puff, that game is ass!" and I know! But I love it regardless.

With LO, it's not a matter of "bad media shouldn't exist!" it's a matter of observing what makes it so bad and why that's had a negative impact on both the audience it attracts (primarily teenagers and children) as well as the culture it's taking its ideas from. If LO was just some "so bad its good" webtoon that was easy to enjoy but also poke fun at, I would have zero issue. It's the fact that it's blatantly problematic in its writing and intentions but still hailed as the #1 webtoon on the platform (webtoons in and of themselves being a medium that I've lived in for over a decade so it's virtually impossible to get away from whatever is influencing the culture as a whole) while winning all these accolades for being "brilliantly written" and its creator is given a voice over Greek culture when she herself is not Greek or even well-read on Greek culture in any capacity - that's the issue and why I've spent so much time talking about LO. And if it wasn't me, it would be anyone else, because the problem has been around for ages and people have been trying to get the word out about it for years.

I don't necessarily think every 'fix it fic' is built equally. I think it's a case by case thing. A lot of people are deadass just doing it for fun and to be a part of a community, and I think that's wonderful. There are also people who try to do this but ultimately disrespect whatever the creator was going for by somehow implying that their own original ideas were inferior just by existing, or using their fix-it fics as a way to deliberately harass the original creators (ex. whatever the fuck 'art lore' is on TikTok, based on what I've seen it seems purely made for bullying budding artists and talking shit which is... gross af, but I don't think it's anywhere near the same as readers of LO calling out its highly successful award-winning creator for having zero clue what she's doing with her comic lmao). I don't think a blanket statement of "fix it fics are bad" accomplishes anything because it depends on a variety of factors like the person's intentions and what they're trying to accomplish. Many fanfictions in general could be called 'fix it fics' even if the creator 100% loved the source material with zero issue - because they're still saying "what if xyz happened instead"?

Me, personally? I'm someone who loves Greek myth and who used to adore LO. I was very discouraged and upset when I saw it turned into what it became, and I wanted to try my own hand at creating something new out of the rubble that could give me closure. It's what I choose to do with my time and other people seem to enjoy it as well. I'm sure there's loads to criticize and speculate on regarding my 'intentions' in creating it, but at the end of the day I'm sorta just doing what I want to do with my time because I have a lot of thoughts and ideas I need to get out of my head and many of them are thoughts and ideas that other people like reading about.

If you feel uncomfortable by the amount I talk about it here and the way I talk about it, that's fine. Those are your feelings. There are loads of other antiLO-themed blogs to read that might not give you that same vibe. Even I have certain icks towards certain opinions within the antiLO community, I've seen some people be genuinely shitty and I'm sure that's ironic to hear considering you're describing your own discomfort towards my stuff, but we all have different tolerances towards different things at the end of the day.

I do my part to keep things in my own house of a neighborhood that's really small in the grand scheme of things. It just feels like a big neighborhood if you don't travel. There will inevitably come a day where I'll pack my boxes and move elsewhere, talk about new things and write essays about other topics. That's obviously not today but I definitely don't want this to just be like, my entire identity or the rest of my life LOL it's just something I've chosen to spend my free time doing and I'm content with that. Maybe a year from now I'll feel differently, who knows? At the very least I'm hoping to one day finish Rekindled because no, I don't want this to actually be my identity for the rest of my life, change is a good thing LOL but what that change will bring is, for now, a mystery. Here's hoping wherever I end up at least brings its own uniquely good times like I've had here :' )

Sorry, that was a very long response with a lot of sorta aimless muddling over the topic at hand, but thank you for the opportunity to discuss it regardless ! because I do think it's important to find that 'grounding point' when it comes to stuff like this. because as much as I get riled up over LO, yeah, at the end of the day, it's just a dumb webtoon and I don't wanna go soiling myself over it LOL but I'm also just like... running a Tumblr blog with my personal thoughts and ideas, no more or no less. Even the "attention" I get is still only 200-400 notes per new episode of Rekindled, which pales in comparison to any real metrics of "success" imo LMAO again, it just feels loud because this is a niche community made up of a lot of the same names and faces; step outside of it and no one gives a shit LOL

[northern-passage]

You and Lea have boarded yourself up in a pathetic ruin of a cabin, just barely making it off the road and finding the place through pure luck. It's shit, but at least it's a roof over your head, and while the whole place seems to be sagging sideways, it's secure, and closed off from the icy cold outside.

You had to carve out a space in the dirty fireplace, but you've got a fire going, and you've been falling in and out of sleep for a while now, bundled up on the floor with your gear, resting your feet after a long day of walking.

Lea, of course, is pacing in front of the door.

"Lea," you sigh, shifting against your bag and looking up at them.

"We should have brought the horses," they huff in response, ignoring you.

"Lea, just sit down," you say.

They still ignore you, pacing back and forth. After a few more minutes they suddenly stop in front of the door, fidgeting with the doorknob. Then they force the door open, straining against the build up of snow, the wind immediately howling through the opening, flurries of snow swirling through the small cabin.

"Lea!" you hiss, jumping to your feet, the fire flickering and all but extinguishing before you can reach the door. You shove Lea out of the way and slam it closed, your ears ringing in the silence, nothing but embers glowing in the fireplace now, the entire room enveloped in the cold dark.

You turn on Lea, but they have their face in their hands.

"Sorry," they mutter, dropping their hands then and stepping back from the door.

You can see them in the dark, though you doubt they can see much of you. They don't say anything else, just turning away and walking over to tend to the fire. You take a deep breath, exhaling through your nose, a shiver crawling up your spine as the cold starts to needle through your clothes.

Lea manages to rekindle the fire pretty quickly, and you just go back to your spot on the floor, sighing loudly.

"I really wanted to get back home tomorrow," Lea says suddenly, not looking at you, still prodding at the fire. "I'm just... tired."

You stare over at them, watching the fire grow as they continue to feed it, the bright light making your eyes burn.

You sit up, sliding over and joining them in front of the fire, pressing a steady hand to the small of their back. They glance over at you, and you can see the exhaustion in their face, dark circles under their eyes. You reach out, cupping their face in your other hand, and Lea closes their eyes, swaying towards you on their knees.

"I know," you say softly, brushing your hand along their jaw. "You should sleep. I'll keep watch."

"You kept watch last night," Lea says, pulling away from you then. They're still mad about that, clearly. You never woke them up for their shift.

You purse your lips, watching as they stand back up and begin to pace again.

You're not sure what it is about this particular job that has Lea so stressed out - if it even is something to do with this job at all. They won't talk to you. It's still hard for both of you to talk about these things.

You stand, too, stepping into Lea's path, reaching out and putting a hand on their shoulder. They don't look at you, and for a moment you think they're going to shove past you, but then they turn and lean into you, taking a deep breath and sliding their arms around your waist.

You let them pull you closer, pressing their face into the crook of your neck, and you wrap your arms around them, one hand on the back of their neck, gently entwining your fingers through their hair.

"I'm sorry," Lea says, their breath whispering over your skin, and you just comb your fingers through their hair, holding them against you, swaying in place in front of the fire.

"It's alright," you say, and you can feel their arms tighten around you.

The two of you stand like that for some time, and you can feel Lea growing heavier and heavier, until you finally pull back, looking up into their face.

"Come on," you pull them over to your rucksack, both of you sinking to the floor, curling up on your makeshift bed. Lea tries to fight it, glaring into the fire, but again they start to slouch sideways, their eyes fluttering closed, and eventually they're laid back on your bag, snoring softly. You pull your cloak off and drape it over them, before sitting back down beside them, their back pressed against your side, feeling the steady rise and fall of their breathing.

You keep watch.

[marabarl-and-marlbara]

hi i wanted to know if u have any good book recommendations? they can be about anything rlly i just want to become smarter

hi anonymous;

you:re as smart as you need to be, and really: you should read books out of passion (and fun) in lieu of pure raw erudition--mostly cause i think that is a fast way to burn yourself out by forcing yourself to read through dry garbage you don:t really want to read (this sounds loaded, but countering what i:m saying: if you are suddenly passionate about pursuing Pure Mathematics and want to just dive into math textbooks: then pursue that passion :-)) );

i do have recommendations, though! but i don:t think they:ll make you smarter; my favorite book as a kid was Howl's Moving Castle (hated the movie, garbage), it:s just a very fun fantasy book and it rekindled my love for reading after a long stint of trying-to-be-smarter by pursuing philosophical trash;

i really really really loved Squee! and Johnny the Homicidal Maniac as a kid, too; my dad sent them to me as a gift when i was really young & probably one of the only things he sent me that i deeply loved; i wish i still had those books, i:ve really been wanting to re-read them;

read Crying of Lot 49 this year and it moved me a lot--made me really interested in Pynchon as a whole; I'd rope a handful of American authors into this actually: Shirley Jackson's We Have Always Lived in the Castle, Flannery O'Connor's A Good Man is Hard To Find, Cormac McCarthy's Outer Darkness were all amazing surprises to me that just made me really appreciate American authors (sort-of doofy but I really did just appreciate this southern tradition of writers in an inspiring sort-of geographical way, like: I know these lands! I am soaked in this dust! I have this same odd bigotry in me!) -- but I think all of those works/authors are great and you probably can't go wrong with anything any of them have wrote;

I'm currently reading My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante and really enjoying it; the cover/name makes you think of some harlequin romance novel but it's basically a femcel manifesto on hating someone so obsessively that it is indistinguishable from love; I'm currently listening to Stephen King's Duma Key and enjoying it--I'm listening through a lot of King books, just finished From a Buick 8 (loved it) (I'd rope King into the 'loving American authors' thing, cause he was a part of my culture growing up, you know? as doofy as it is, I'm kinda happy to have grown up alongside his career and output and it's been fun to finally delve into his stories);

also finished Nabokov's Pale Fire recent-ish -- if you like stuff like House of Leaves you might like it (it sounds sinful to compare that book to Nabokov but it's pretty apt, too); it's one of the few books I've read that actually made me laugh, and Nabokov is a beautiful writer, and Pale Fire is a book with enough depth that I think a reader could go through it several times and pluck out something completely new each time.

I don't think any of these would make you smarter; funny as it is: I think the KJV Bible is a beautiful read but I don't think I'd suggest it outside of attending church wholly because part of the poetry of the Bible comes from studying the context of a passage and all the lenses that come with it (I'd actually consider studying the 'academic biblical' analysis of the Bible as a church itself, not in contrast with church apologia); you can find a lot of odd inspiration in the works of prophets ala Mary Baker, Ellen White, various Catholic saints, Joseph Smith, Hubbard (wink, but sincere, I like Hubbard), etcetera--but I feel like inspiration or passion leads you to those works rather than some dull desire to soak up another persons passions in hopes that'll saturate you with something you've been missing. Ex: if you want to be a Christian Scientist: read Mary Baker; but likely if you wanted to, you'd already be reading--as circling as that sounds.

Take care, anonymous.

[thesakuragarnet]

My Eden

Summary: After casually seeing each other for weeks, Hawks is desperate to take things to the next level with Dabi... but the villain is desperate to tell him the truth.

~My, my, those eyes like fire~ ~I'm a winged insect, you're a funeral pyre~

(Inspired by Sleep Token's "Take Me Back To Eden")

THIS WORK IS 18+ ONLY! S3XUAL TAGS WILL BE HIDDEN BELOW THE KEEP READING BUTTON!

Non-Spicy Tags: canon-typical violence, DabiHawks, canon-ish timeline, swearing, fluff, smut, light angst, intimacy, alternate canon, making out, love confessions/confessions in general, (demisexual Dabi timeline of mine?)

Word Count: 2,867 words

AO3 link

Spicy Tags: virgin Dabi, sub top Dabi, flirty bottom Hawks, explicit s3xual content, grinding, quirk use during s3x, first time, praise k!nk, a n a l s3x, sweet/hot

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dabi can't take it anymore. He simply doesn't know what to do with himself. Every fleeting touch. Every light laugh. Every adoring glance. Hawks has been nothing but angelic toward him, and Dabi is utterly obsessed. Their first date was unnaturally natural...they were like two sides of the same coin. Dabi found himself wishing Hawks would never shut up; just hearing his voice was enough to make his heart flutter and his stomach fill with butterflies. Even though he tried to fight it, he's fallen in love with Keigo Takami all over again...his childhood friend turned enemy...turned partner as of a few weeks ago. Keigo had no idea...and, surprisingly, he hadn't seemed to make the connection yet. He'd rekindled his feelings by jumping headfirst, and Hawks seemed to return every subtle gesture with unmatched intensity. Dabi had never felt more loved in his entire life. He never thought he'd deserve this...he never thought someone could think about him in these ways before. He'd been biting his tongue with every passing second. He loved Hawks. There was zero doubt that he loved Hawks...but something inside him forbade him from voicing it aloud. He was afraid. Dabi's paranoia had a chokehold on him. Hawks was still a Pro Hero. Hawks could still be a traitor... Still...some part of him wanted Keigo to know the truth.

...

Typically, it was Dabi that would orchestrate meetings with Hawks...so it caught the scarred villain off guard when the Hero messaged him, requesting a rendezvous at their usual warehouse by the harbor on the outskirts of the Gunga Mountain Villa.

Dabi takes a deep breath as he straightens the collar of his leather jacket before pushing the sliding door and stepping into the darkness of the warehouse. Usually, it smells like dust and salt...but tonight, Dabi can smell faint jasmine and cinnamon. He raises his eyebrow. 

"Hawks?" Dabi calls out cautiously, his eyes adjusting to the darkness as he sees faint orange glows and shadows flickering off the walls. He walks down the aisle of boxes, turning through the maze until he gets to the alcove where they usually meet. His eyes widen. Hawks has laid out scented candles sparsely on the metal beams, and he leans against the back wall, seemingly impressed with his minimal efforts to set a mood. 

"What's all this?" Dabi mutters, feeling his heart race. Hawks smiles smugly. 

"Oh, it's nothing. I just...I wanted us to finally get a little alone time is all. I know it's hard with that Skeptic guy bugging the entire base. It's not like we can go to the movies either. You: one of Japan's most wanted. Me: one of Japan's most loved. We wouldn't get to enjoy it," Hawks rambles as he slowly struts up to his boyfriend, batting his long eyelashes up at him. 

"So you wanted to meet for some alone time? You don't wanna talk business?" Dabi stammers, a little confused. Hawks is wearing one of his tighter compression shirts, and he can see the shadows of his sculpted muscles through the flickering firelight. 

"I mean...it's our business," Hawks smirks, tracing his finger on the low neckline of Dabi's T-shirt. Dabi's face feels hot, and he gulps.

"You don't have some patrol you need to be at?" Dabi tries to make an excuse. He's not used to this tension. He's not used to wanting it to snap in a split second. Usually, he'd want to burn anyone who dares touch him...he even only limits Toga and Twice to five-second hugs. But...Dabi could let Hawks touch him until the world ended...until his brain dissolved into nothing. 

"You're more important," Hawks trills, golden eyes melting into cerulean as their gazes meet. Dabi feels like his chest is going to implode at the words. Hawks praises him so casually...it's all intoxicatingly alien. If his skin was his own, Dabi would be feeling goosebumps. 

"Please," Dabi rolls his eyes, trying to brush it off, but he can't hide the subtle want in his tone. Hawks picks up on it instantaneously. He walks his fingers up to the edge of Dabi's jacket collar, teasingly pushing at it. 

"Maybe we should lose these jackets...it's getting a little hot in here," Hawks grins, and Dabi feels his mouth dry out. He lets the hero slip off his leather, and the silver conductor cuffs resonate as the jacket falls to the floor. Without a word, Dabi helps Hawks out of his Hero jacket, absentmindedly tossing it to the side. Dabi sharply inhales as Hawks immediately traces the scars that run up his arms. He presses just hard enough to where Dabi can feel it, his manicured nails dancing delicately over the purple skin. Dabi can't take his eyes off of Hawks' biceps as they flex; it's like he's in a trance. 

"You know...I've been doing a lot of thinking," Hawks murmurs softly, making Dabi freeze.

"And...I think...I want to take our relationship to the next level, Dabi," Hawks breathes, leaning forward to whisper in the villain's ear. 

"Would you like that?"

Dabi can feel the grin on Hawks' lips before he presses them just below his ear, and, on pure instinct, he grabs him by the shoulders and shoves him against the wall. He hates how vulnerable he feels. He's supposed to be stoic. He's supposed to be untouchable. Dabi doesn't feel things... Touya does. The part of him that died all those years ago...consumed by too much emotion. He's felt that part of him awaken the more he interacts with Hawks. Touya...Keigo's childhood friend. Touya...the part of him that refuses to remain silent for much longer. 

"Sorry. Sorry. Forgot you prefer things slow," Hawks laughs light-heartedly, eyes twinkling in the darkness, and Dabi's grip slacks. He expects Hawks to fear him...maybe he should want Hawks to be afraid. Yet, he never is. 

"Let's just...see where...this takes us," Dabi admits, feeling his heart skip beat after beat. "I'm just...I'm still not sure if I trust you."

' I'm not so sure that I trust anyone, ' Dabi thinks to himself. It physically pains him to speak it aloud. He doesn't trust Hawks...he trusts Keigo . 

Hawks' gaze softens, and he gently reaches up, cupping Dabi's face in his hands. "Then...let me help you learn to trust me."

Hawks' eyes flutter closed, and he leans in. Dabi lets the darkness envelop him as he submits, letting the hero join their lips. Hawks' kisses are ethereal, and Dabi melts into every single one of them. The Pro Hero's hands travel past Dabi's cheeks, wrapping around the back of the villain's neck limply, and Dabi moves his grip to Hawks' waist, pulling him close. They drink each other in, completely losing themselves in the moment. Dabi feels his broken heart swell once again, and he shudders at the hero's touch. 

'Tell him...tell him...call him by his real name .' Dabi's head swims, and it forces him to break the kiss. 

"Something wrong?" Hawks cocks his head to the side, eyes scanning... calculating . Dabi breathes heavily through his nose, staring blankly at his lover, holding his tongue. Hawks drops his hands back to his sides as the hair stands up on the back of his neck. Dabi's mouth hangs open ever so slightly, words refusing to come out. Dabi regains his composure, shaking his head and digging his black, painted nails into Hawks' hips as he presses hungry kisses down the hero's jawline. Hawks leans into the touch, a pleasured sigh dripping from his lips as Dabi gently sinks his teeth into his neck. Hastily, Keigo shoves him away, frantic to return the gesture as he presses Dabi up against the wall, fangs biting into the scarred flesh on his neck. The sensation catches the villain off guard, and he speaks without thinking. 

" Keigo ," He sighs, and time stops. 

SHIIK. 

A feather blade is pressed to Dabi's neck, digging in ever so slightly right where Keigo's mouth was moments ago, and a chill shoots through the villain. 

"What. Did you call me?" Hawks growls, and when Dabi opens his eyes, the hero's amorous stare has been replaced with piercing fury. 

"K-Keigo, please-" Dabi croaks, voice straining beneath the pressure of the feather, but he's only met with hostility as Hawks presses the blade further, threatening to cut into his flesh. 

"SHUT UP! HOW DO YOU KNOW MY NAME?!" Keigo snarls, and Dabi's heart drops. He's never seen the Pro so feral before, and it's making a part of him regret everything. Blood beads between the staples beneath his eyes. 

"You really...don't know?" Dabi coughs, his throat clenching on nothing. Curse his fucking burned tear ducts. "You're smarter than that, birdie. Think about my Quirk for two seconds."

Hawks remains silent, gritting his teeth as his eyes bore into Dabi. Finally, the puzzle pieces click. 

“Touya?” Keigo whispers, dropping his weapon. He always thought there was a shred of familiarity in the BlueFlame wielder’s cold gaze, and, now, he understood why. Dabi goes into a coughing fit, gasping for air, unsure whether to be relieved or not as Hawks tentatively reaches up to touch his face, his fingers ever so slightly brushing up against the burn scars with newfound recognition. 

“You're alive?” Keigo breathes, a tear streaming slowly down his face.

"You could say that," Dabi snorts, catching his breath. "I didn't realize your real name was a touchy subject."

Hawks' lips curl into a deeper frown, and he sighs. He continues to gently stroke Touya's cheek, as if he's trying to memorize the exact texture of his skin. 

"Did...did I ruin the moment?" Dabi chuckles, and Hawks forces a small smile. 

"Please...just...don't tell anyone," He murmurs, and Dabi blinks. 

"I won't tell if you won't," He teases, trying to lighten the mood, and Hawks nuzzles into his chest. Dabi sighs when he feels his lover's lips gently pressing into the unburned flesh on his chest, pulling down his V-neck to expose more of his body. 

"So...this doesn't change anything?" Dabi huffs, and Hawks shakes his head as he pulls off the villain's shirt before removing his own. 

"Not a damn thing," Keigo whispers before he practically drags Dabi toward one of the ledges against the wall, coaxing him to sit down as he crawls into his lap, straddling him. A gasp bursts from the villain's lips as Hawks softly grinds against him, tilting his chin up with his finger and kissing him passionately. Touya moans softly into the kiss, eyes rolling back into his head as he feels Keigo's tongue gliding across his lip. His arms reach up, running his fingertips through Keigo's feathers and forcing low groans out of the hero as he pulls him even closer. He sharply inhales when he feels Keigo unbuckling his belt, sweet chills rolling underneath his skin as he hears the button on his pants unclasp and his zipper un-zip. His tongue eagerly meets his lover's, and his hands heat up ever so slightly, warming up Hawks' wings. Keigo cups Touya's face as he pulls back, a thin strand of saliva still connecting their lips. 

"You're so beautiful," Keigo whispers with a soft smile, and Touya becomes putty in his hands, eyes shimmering, blood slowly trickling beneath his eyes. 

"You lie," Dabi laughs so quietly that it's barely a whisper, but Keigo gently kisses his nose. 

"I'd never lie to you."

Those words shake Dabi to his fucking core. Oh, he's so far gone. He...he feels like Touya again. Vulnerable. Emotional. Catalytic. A ticking time bomb full of tears and joy and anger. Dabi shudders as Hawks' feathers rip away at the rest of the Pro's clothes, leaving him completely naked on his lap. Dabi leans his head back, eyes fluttering closed as Hawks delicately frees him from his boxers. A cold, slick sensation sends shivers down Dabi’s spine as the Pro gently massages lube over his erection. An uncharacteristically high-pitched whine leaves Dabi's throat. No one's ever touched him in this way before. He hasn't let anyone dare...not that anyone has wanted to in the first place. His body is so broken...it's a miracle that he's even able to feel any of this. In fact, for the longest time, he wasn't sure he was capable...yet Hawks...no...Keigo is proving him wrong. His heart is wrapped up like a present...all for this Pro Hero...and now...he's completely submitting himself to him. Gently, Hawks lowers himself down onto Dabi's cock with hitched breaths and fluttering wings. Dabi gasps, moans pouring from his throat as he feels himself bottoming out inside Hawks as the winged man sits flush in his lap. The sensations are completely new and intoxicating. His mind turns to jelly as his brain fogs with pleasure. 

"Shhhhh," Hawks coos, leaning forward to press a tender kiss to Dabi's forehead, his own words stuttering from the overwhelming feelings. "Fuck, you feel good inside me."

"So...goddamn tight," Dabi grunts, reaching up to wrap his arms around the hero, stroking his wings and sloppily kissing him. Slowly, Hawks begins bouncing up and down, creating exhilarating friction that makes Dabi whimper into the kiss. Keigo gasps as he breaks free from the kiss, mouth hanging open with heavy breaths as his insides squeeze around Dabi. Their eyes stare with heavy lids, caught in a war of love and lust and obsession. 

"God...," Dabi pants, feeling his Quirk prickle beneath his skin. He takes deep breaths, trying to calm himself as Hawks continues to ride him. 

" I love you. "

Dabi almost chokes, eyes widening simultaneously with fear and love as he hears Hawks groan those three little words with such genuine passion. 

"What?" Dabi grunts, part of him hoping that Hawks will act like he didn't mean to say anything, but Hawks just laughs between sighs of pleasure. 

"I...I love you, Touya," Hawks smiles, and Dabi's heart practically explodes; his cheeks burn and his eyes sting. He feels red trickling beneath the scars beneath his eyes. If his tear ducts weren't burned shut, he'd be sobbing. A choked gasp bursts from his throat as he clings to his Hero. He's lost. Oh, he's so fucking lost in his emotions that he doesn't think he'll ever get back to that cold, callous front he'd spent years crafting. 

"Fuck...I love you, too, Keigo," Dabi huffs, crimson streaks streaming down his face as he embraces Hawks as tight as he possibly can, feeling the dull tug of his staples straining under the pressure. "I love you so fucking much," He breathes out, panting heavily as he ruts up into Hawks with a fervor, forcing cries out of the bird. 

"Oh, Keigo ," Dabi moans, his raspy voice cracking as he feels something stir in the pit of his stomach. " Keigo...Fuck...Keigo...Oh God...Keigo ," He pants over and over, his voice laced with liquid lust and love. Keigo seems to whine louder every time Touya says his name; it's previous enraging effect has been completely replaced with intense devotion. 

" Touya , ~ah~," Hawks gasps, stuttering his lover's name repeatedly. The sounds of flesh smacking against flesh echo throughout the warehouse, interrupted by the sighs and cries of the lovers. 

" Kei. ..Kei, I'm gonna-I'm gonna-" Touya stammers, his thrusts becoming haphazard, and Keigo flexes his muscles, squeezing Dabi in all the right places. 

"Me too," Keigo whines, his voice hitching on a soft wail. 

“Oh, Touya. It feels so good. So good, ” Keigo sobs, tears pricking at his eyes as he lets his true emotions overtake him, his hero persona momentarily vanishing. They scream each other's real names in a simultaneous heated cry as they both release moments after one another. Slowly, they come down from their highs, and Keigo's feathers sweep away the sticky white splashes that cover Touya's exposed abs. The second Keigo pulls himself off of Touya's cock, the villain hurriedly zips himself back into his pants and pulls the hero into a loving embrace. Keigo's wings wrap around Touya, shielding him in a ruby red sea of soft vanes. 

"Fuck," Dabi's sigh dissolves into a content laugh, and Hawks grins, nuzzling into Touya's neck. "That was...amazing."

"You're not so bad yourself...for a virgin," Hawks teases, and Dabi rolls his eyes. 

"Not a virgin anymore, idiot," He snaps, only to be shut up with a kiss. He melts into his lover's touch immediately, tongues intertwining and satisfied hums bubbling in their throats. Dabi opens his eyes, seeing red from his bloody tears, and he hastily moves to wipe them away. Hawks kisses the scars beneath his eyes, gently caressing his face before pressing down on the scars with the pads of his fingers, keeping the blood from spilling out. 

“Here. Lemme stop the bleeding. Just for a minute,” Keigo whispers tenderly, and Touya gulps, nodding slightly. He gently strokes Keigo’s wings, holding him close as Keigo tends to his wounds. 

In this moment, they are no longer a villain and a hero. They are only Touya and Keigo.

[blue-sadie]

I Missed You

Obi Wan Kenobi x Old Friend Reader

Summary: seeing you again brings back the spark he lost

Warning: Bold = Lyrics

3rd person pov

His nose crinkled as he entered the full downtown club taking off the hood of his cloak, his eyes grazing over the crowd of people looking for the person he was sent for.

The bartender caught his eye as he waved kenobi over, obi wan weaved through the crowd making his way to the counter "the person you were looking for left you this" the bartender handed him a folded note before leaving to tend other customers.

Kenobi looked at the small note before opening and reading its contents 'couldn't make it but enjoy the show' Kenobis brows crinkled in confusion 'what show'.

I don't wanna go But baby, we both know This is not our time It's time to say goodbye

His heart stopped when he heard that voice, the people around him burst into cheers 'no it can't be' his mind trying to come up with every possible thing to say it wasn't true it couldn't be.

Until we meet again 'Cause this is not the end It will come a day When we will find our way

His eyes moved to the red curtains on the stage which slowly opened to reveal the truth, his eyes widened as he saw you more beautiful then ever.

Violins playin' and the angels cryin' When the stars align, then I'll be there

He watched as you moved lightly on the stage, your angelic voice capturing him in a daze he didn't even realize he was moving to the stage intill he was right infront of it.

Your eyes met his and you sent him a seductive wink which made him blush as you sang infront of him, your usals throwing money at you as you walked past.

It's been about 12 years since the last time you saw him after the order made him choose between them and you but sadly he choose them.

No, I don't care about them all 'Cause all I want is to be loved And all I care about is you

He was still stunned that you were here he always thought you would be somewhere nice but nothing like this.

You're stuck on me like a tattoo No, I don't care about the pain I'll walk through fire and through rain Just to get closer to you

When he finally regained consciences he started to listen to you to the lyrics.

You're stuck on me like a tattoo I'm letting my hair down

Were you talking about him, no you couldn't be, he watched you carefully and how your eyes always drift to him, your eyes would lock for a quick second before you look away.

I'm takin' it cool You got my heart in your hand Don't lose it, my friend It's all that I got

He shifted his stance as more people pushed forward to see you and a familiar feeling started to arise in his chest

Violins playin' and the angels cryin' When the stars align, then I'll be there No, I don't care about them all

He felt almost jealous that these people got to listen to your beautiful voice for days and he only found you today, but then another feeling started to rise.

Could he get another chance would you forgive him and take him back, he shook his head why would you he left you.

'Cause all I want is to be loved And all I care about is you

He moved his gaze to the floor his sadness that he's pushed down for so long finally showing, he should've chosen you.

A faint smile pasted on his lips as he began to think about if he did choose you instead of the order.

You're stuck on me like a tattoo No, I don't care about the pain I'll walk through fire and through rain Just to get closer to you

Would you have the kids you wanted or still traveling the galaxy like you both always planned, he always wanted a nice cottage far from any civilization so it could just be you and him with a little family.

You're stuck on me like a tattoo No, I don't care about them all 'Cause all I want is to be loved And all I care about is you

His heart started to beat faster and his hands became a tad bit sweaty he was debating two things, that he was gonna ask you out to see if he can rekindle the love you once shared or he would leave and never look back.

His mind was clouded with thoughts but when his gaze shifted to you they all disappeared he never forget a single thing about you, everything about you was engraved in his mind, your smile, they way you smell or even how you like your coffee.

He even mistakenly makes it your way then his own well he kinda perfers your way to his but he'll never admit that.

You're stuck on me like a tattoo No, I don't care about the pain I'll walk through fire and through rain Just to get closer to you

Your eyes met again but this time neither one of you looked away, he could see that the light inside you has changed, when he was there you were bright and bubblely with stars in your eyes but now there's only a light shimmer

You're stuck on me like a tattoo All I care about is love Oh, oh, oh All I care about is love

His heart clenched as he watched you slowly move backwards as the music slowly started to become low and like a flash the curtains closed.

Does he have the courage to go after you or is he gonna be a coward like he was when he chose the order instead of you.

You're stuck on me like a tattoo

[monster-slut-memoirs]

{{ MINORS DNI -- Monster Fucker Smut }}

US AND THE ELKMAN

AT THE CABIN

It's our seventh anniversary, and we've well and truly hit the fabled "seven-year slump." 

We love each other, I'm sure of it. But we're stuck in a rut. We don't talk to each other anymore. We bury ourselves in work, and at the weekends we do endless house and yard work to avoid the topic of maybe going on a date. God forbid we have to talk about what's weighing heavy on us. 

The days feel long, and the nights are short, but the passion is still there, and the sex is still incredible—it's the only way we seem to communicate. When we don't know what to say, we fuck. But... We've been to the doctor, and no amount of fucking is going to get us pregnant. Maybe that's why we're not talking—our hearts are still broken. We always dreamed of kids—a little tribe to call our own.

We're heading up the mountain for the week—a little getaway. Hopefully, we can reconnect and get back on track. That's what I'm daydreaming about while staring out the window of Erron's truck. He's driving, hands at ten and two on the wheel, with the radio on. We've been on the road for four hours. We're both tired, and I can tell by Erron's face that he's exhausted. Between work, our last fight and this drive, he's beyond worn out. I can't wait to get a fire going in the cabin and fill up the giant freestanding tub with bubbles for a long soak. Maybe the atmosphere at the cabin will help rekindle the spark we've lost, and it'll be like old times and he'll join me in the tub, we can unwind together. Once the stress has melted away and circled down the drain with the bath water, we can finally talk.

We've turned off the road now and are heading down the dirt track towards our cabin. My hand is tucked in his. The moment we got under the cover of the trees, Erron's shoulders relaxed, and he reached for me. His gentle smile warmed my heart. 

Once we got inside, the first thing I did was build a fire. Erron brought in the firewood for me. I unpacked all of the groceries into the kitchen, and Erron brought our bags in and took them into the bedroom.

"Honey, d'you want me to start filling the tub?" I ask on the threshold of the bedroom.

"Sure. I'll go get you a glass of wine." 

Before he can pass me by, I place my hand on the centre of his warm chest, "Can you unzip my dress?"

His large, work-worn hands slowly pull down the zipper at the side of my dress while I make light work of the pearl snap buttons on his flannel shirt. "What's this?" 

"I thought we could jump in the tub together?"

"I figured we'd do that…" Erron mutters, peeling my dress off my shoulders and lets it drop onto the shelf of my hips. "I mean this…" His fingers brisk over the lace of my new bra, and my nipples stiffen under his familiar touch. 

"Don't you like it?" I ask, doe-eyed. Meanwhile, I feel over his muscular chest, enjoying how my fingers comb through the hair that coats his chest. He's my bear—a six foot two dream, burly and muscular from his labour. He's funny, he's smart, and he's good in bed. He's reliable and honest—a good man. My man and my hands enjoy wandering over him, down his stomach, to his belt buckle. The metal clinks as I unfasten it; Erron doesn't flinch, not even as I pull down his fly and start to shimmy his wranglers off his hips. 

"Hmmm, I like you in it…" Erron says he's unfastened my dress some more so it drops off my hips and into a pile at my ankles. Beholding the matching lace panties I'm wearing, he grins sinfully. With one hand massaging my breast through the lace of my bra, the other reaches to rub through my panties.

Breathing heavily, I can barely concentrate on the massaging I'm doing; I've got my hand down the front of his jeans, rubbing my hand over his gradually hardening cock through his boxers. God, I already can't wait to suck it!

Erron takes hold of my hair before gently tugging my head backwards so that he can devour me; he's so close to my lips that I can feel his breath on mine. "Fuck baby, you're so damn hot." 

Now our lips are slapping together passionately—we won't be doing any talking for a while. His tongue dancing over mine is stifling my moans. He's pinching my peaked nipple and rubbing my clit, firmly in tantalising circles. 

Pulling down the front of his boxers, I take Erron's cock into my hand; it's so thick that it fills my grip. The tip is already slick, and he hisses into my lips as I focus my attention on it, rubbing with my thumb. 

"Ngh, that's it. Make me ready for you. I'm going to fuck you so hard, baby." Erron growls into my ear. When he pulls away, he tugs my head back again and licks up my neck until he takes my earlobe into his mouth, nipping and sucking at it. 

Wrapping an arm around my waist, I'm hoisted up his body. Instinctively, I wrap my legs around him. Sitting us on the edge of the bed, I straddle his thighs, but we don't let our change in location interrupt the mood. He's back at it; but switched hands, groping my other breast vigorously and going back to rubbing my pussy with the other. I'm already wet and aching to have his fingers buried in me. 

"Mmm, please, please put your fingers in me, Erron," I whine, squirming against his touch.  

"My impatient little slut." Erron chuckles darkly, nipping at my jaw, and then kisses me roughly. "Stick out your tongue." 

Obediently, I do, and he sucks my tongue evocatively. Even though he'd teased me, he gives in to my wishes, too and slips his hand down my panties. Skimming over my clit, I whimper, but what I want most comes next; he presents two fingers between my lips. 

"Erron…" I whine again when I realise he's not putting them in. 

"Ride them,"

LOVE ME HARDER >>

[bisexuallsokka]

Hi jo! Fluff dialogue prompt: “I feel safe with you.” and “where's my goodnight kiss?” With zukka, please :)

It’s written all over Zuko’s face. Maybe not to someone who doesn’t have as much history with him, but to Sokka it’s clear as day. The bags under his eyes slightly more pronounced than usual, the worried crease in his forehead, the tightness in his smiles and posture...

If he had known, he wouldn't have spent the first two hours of the party avoiding Zuko. As soon as they make eye contact, though, Sokka's feet take him to Zuko without hesitation.

“Zuko,” Sokka frowns, and his resolve almost crumbles at the way Zuko wilts just slightly. They're in a large room in the palace that they only use for gatherings like this, and Zuko looks around quickly before grabbing Sokka by the elbow and leading him closer to the wall to give them a little bit of privacy.

“I didn’t want to worry you,” Zuko says quietly.

Sokka shakes off his hand. “Fuck that. When was it?”

Zuko sighs, looking around again. “Two weeks ago.”

"Zuko—" Sokka starts again.

“I would rather tell you in person. Besides, it’s safer that way.”

Sokka knows he’s right, and he’s glad he’s here now, but he’s not happy with it. He doesn't get to dwell on that now, though. With Zuko’s back to the rest of the room, he’s letting down the mask of a perfectly happy and healthy Fire Lord, and Sokka has a feeling this assassination attempt was really bad.

“It was close, Sokka. Too close,” Zuko says, reading his mind, and he looks scared like Sokka hasn’t seen him in a long time. Fear freezes his chest, but he pushes it down, the familiar urge to always be the strong one rising up instead.

“Can we get out of here?” Sokka asks, suddenly anxious that they are in such a crowded place. He glances around and finally notices the extra security, most of them disguised, but it doesn’t help his nerves much.

Zuko nods, looking grateful, and Sokka doesn’t leave his side as he goes to talk to a guard, who nods. It’s not the smartest idea, the two of them leaving such a crowded party side by side. It’s sure to rekindle a rumor or twelve, but Zuko doesn't seem bothered by it for once, so Sokka allows himself this considering it's taking everything in him to resist giving into the urge to hold Zuko’s hand.

They’re met by more security in the hallway, following them all the way to Zuko’s rooms. Sokka doesn’t recognize them, but Zuko must trust them to see them together and to stand guard outside his rooms once they make it there. There’s not a question about it, Sokka follows him inside and closes the door behind them.

Zuko’s hands are shaking, and when he turns to Sokka in the privacy of his room, he immediately rushes into his arms. Sokka holds him tightly, reassuring himself that Zuko is okay, that he’s alive.

"I almost—"

“You didn’t,” Sokka says firmly. “You’re okay. Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not right now. I just want you to stay,” Zuko says softly. “I feel safe with you.”

Sokka nods immediately. “Of course.”

When they pull back, Sokka realizes how exhausted Zuko looks. He can barely keep his eyes open as he pulls out his head piece, and Sokka wonders how much sleep he's gotten in the last two weeks. Wordlessly, they agree that Zuko just needs to rest, and Sokka sits down on the bed and pointedly turns away as Zuko changes out of his stuffy Fire Lord robes, fingers twitching with the desire to help him. He doesn't, and when Zuko is done he sits down next to Sokka, keeping some distance between them.

"Thank you for being here," Zuko says softly.

"Of course," Sokka says, giving him a tight smile. "I'm always here for you. Zuko, I-"

Sokka nearly jumps out of his skin when the tension is broken by a nearby thud, but Zuko just grabs his hand. "It's just Druk," he reassures him.

It's just my ten foot dragon isn't as comforting as Zuko thinks it is, but Sokka doesn't say anything, just moves out of the way as the dragon crawls out from where he had apparently curled up under the giant bed.

"He's been sleeping in here since the attempt," Zuko explains, looking slightly sheepish. "I'll just..."

He stands, leading Druk to another door in the room, because knowing Zuko, Druk has his own personal suite for occasions like this when there are guests in the palace. Before closing the door, though, Zuko pets the top of the dragon's head and leans down to kiss the top of it, saying, "Goodnight, Druk."

When he turns back to Sokka, the two of them actually alone this time, Sokka blames the fondness in his chest for the words that slip out of his mouth. “Where’s my goodnight kiss?”

At the weighted look that Zuko gives him, he processes what he just said. He doesn’t take it back, though. He doesn’t say anything, just watches as Zuko walks up to him, stepping between Sokka’s legs and forcing Sokka to tilt his head up to maintain the intense eye contact. He moves slowly, giving Sokka every opportunity to stop him.

Sokka doesn’t, his eyes falling shut as Zuko's lips finally meet his.

[epickiya722]

🌙 🐇 THE RABBIT DUO 🐇 💚

I just thought about this thinking about my BotB AU because I have a side story planned for it.

Anyways!

You know what else I find appealing about the idea of Miruko being Midoriya’s mentor during the Work Studies?

Her learning from him.

Listen, listen, hear me out.

Look, the majority of us find that Miruko could have been just as good as a mentor for Midoriya because their fighting styles is so similar. I mean, truth be told it did make more sense for Midoriya to have trained under Gran Torino because he works with speed and kicks. He even learned a new trick from him.

(And as iffy a lot of the fandom feel towards Gran Torino, take note he trained All Might who later became Midoriya’s mentor, who initially Midoriya was using similar punching moves from. When you think about it, Midoriya was already learning from Gran Torino before even meeting him. Hm. But I digress!)

So no doubt, Midoriya would have progressed just as much under her guidance like he did with Endeavor.

But! Let's consider the other way around!

I'm not talking powering up or anything adjacent.

I'm talking about morality, character and values. Those sort of things.

Miruko is all about working alone, right? She's brash, she's fearless, she speaks her mind. She goes in fighting with the instinct to end things right then and there.

Opposite of early!Midoriya who was more timid and insecure about himself. By the time, Work Studies came around, he was a lot less so. But who is to say he still couldn't learn to be more confident in his abilities under Miruko?

And it could work in reverse!

Here's something I noted about Endeavor during the Work Studies when it comes to Midoriya.

He gains empathy and even respect towards Midoriya. Even before that Midoriya serves as a catalyst to the Todoroki Family's changes in their relationships. Shoto would probably still wouldn't learn to hone his fire powers, pursue rekindling his relationship with his mother and probably would have became more cruel. With Shoto changing, thus a chain of events within the Todoroki Family happens.

That is just an example of how Midoriya can affect people, make them realize something about themselves they haven't recognized before.

They learn from him. We seen this with plenty of characters.

Miruko would be no different.

With Midoriya, she could learn to be a little bit more compassionate. She would have grown attached to him and soften up because who doesn't? It's Midoriya!

Also, self reflection.

What I don't think what's realized is while she shares personality similarities with Bakugou, she holds a lot more similarities with Midoriya.

I already wrote a post about their similarities and I just mentioned their fighting styles, so let me just note the one other similarity they have.

THEY DO NOT KNOW WHEN TO QUIT IN A FIGHT.

They both hold their drive to win, not because they have this ego to win. But because they don't want to have regrets. They get reckless.

Miruko herself says she fights for the greater good, regardless of her condition in a fight. She wants to get the job done because there are people who need saving. Even if that person is stronger than her, she doesn't give a damn and continue on until she can't. It took her to pass out to not fight anymore.

JUST LIKE MIDORIYA.

Both have got into fights where they disregard help, but don't mind assisting others. They're selfless and selfish.

They're practically immune to pain at this point. They improvise and are attentive.

With that, when it comes to bettering yourself, changing your flaws and whatnot who is the biggest influence into doing that?

Yourself.

You can have other people in your life change who you are and make you realize your character, but it starts and ends with you.

And sometimes, it takes someone who is a lot like you to finally see those flaws.

Midoriya is just a taller, male version of Miruko with a nicer personality, green curls and eyes and freckles.

If Miruko, who does pay attention to others, stood on the sidelines and watch Midoriya in a fight, she will probably see those similarities. She will have that self-reflection because she's looking straight into a mirror.

She will learn her flaws from him because she feels them.

Let's be honest, it's how a lot of us recognize our own issues. By seeing the same ones in someone else.

So, in my opinion, Miruko training Midoriya during the Work Studies, hell, just being his mentor in general would have been great. Maybe even better.

Midoriya could have still learn how to handle his powers with her guidance, learn some more skill sets from someone who shares a similar fighting style. But also Miruko could learn from him, see how she is as a person, built that connection.

And really, they could have been this (the current in story) generation's Nana and All Might.

[axofluff]

The man in the mask || Fem!Reader x Simon "Ghost" Riley Part 2

Part two of: The man in the mask || Fem!Reader x Simon "Ghost" Riley Part three here: The man in the mask || Fem!Reader x Simon "Ghost" Riley part 3 ・❥・Part of the previous story: Conflicted feelings

・❥・Tags/Warning: 18+, NSFW, Sexual themes, Blowjob, Fingering, Vaginal sex, Protected sex but no mention of condom used, Reader is assumed to take birth control. Reader is virgin, Body worship, slight mentions of Ghost's trauma, Ghost is dom but mostly a big softie. Guides reader through everything. Aftercare, cuddles and mostly smut/fluff. No angst ・❥・A/N: Tumblr hates me for this

“G-ghost~” Your breath hitches, trying to keep yourself together. Ghost moves his head from your neck and looks at you.

“Yes baby?” He murmurs back, his fingers getting a little faster and you wrap your arms around him, pressing him closer to you.

“Can you remove your shirt?” You desire to feel skin to skin contact, just wanting to rub your hands along his chest. He nods and pulls away, the fire that Ghost started whines from the lose of pleasure.

He takes his shirt off and you are greeted by his chest full of scars. His body is toned and he looks down at you again, looking almost sheepish.

“You’re so handsome.” You reassure Ghost, knowing he's insecure about his scars. “Your scars just add to your beauty, Simon. I’m so lucky to share this moment with you…” You kiss him deeply and he wraps his arms around you and pulls your body to his chest, your nipples rubbing along his chest. He breathes softly against your ear, it tickles your neck and he kisses your temple. You trace your hands along his chest, feeling his muscles and his scars. Being careful not to push anything. The way the light shines against him, its enough to take your breath away as your fingers dance along his skin. He breathes softly against you as you do so, trailing your hands up and down from his V line to his neck.

Although he’s still wearing his mask as you know that he still isn’t comfortable with showing his face and you respect that. He’ll show you in time.

After a few minutes of basking in each other he finally speaks up.

"Mmmm...god...I...I know I said I wouldn't hold back but...you make it so hard for me not to be gentle with you. Look at you, small and fragile...I can't help but just want to be slow and pleasure you in the right ways. I'm so scared...so scared of hurting you...y/n..." Ghost breaths. "I'd feel like I could just break you with one small movement."

"I love you so much Ghost..." You kiss him deeply, running your hand along his hair. He groans in response and he kisses you hard, your bodies becoming entwined. You take this to grind your cunt along his hips. Feeling his cock hit your inner thigh each time. Ghost groans and he lifts your waist up higher. Dipping his fingers into your core again, rekindling the flame that was already burning from earlier. He fingers you with more lust, knowing he needs you just as much as you need him. You grind into his hand, meeting his fingers half way and Ghost groans.

"You're doing so well...god...." He praises, bringing his thumb to rub your clit. You know you won't be able to last long as you feel your high build with each movement, your hands clenching on Ghost's back. Scraping your fingernails along his skin. He notices this and thrusts his fingers deeper into you harder.

"I think I'm~" You groan loudly, he removes his fingers and he looks down at you.

"Not yet baby...can you hold out a little longer?" He kisses your jaw as he begins to slip his pants off. "I want you to cum on my cock...as I fill you." He sucks on your neck and he kicks his pants off, placing his hand on your side. He climbs more ontop of you and you feel his cock rub alongside your thigh. Your pussy is begging for it at this point as you try and hold back.

"I think your ready...I promise you baby I'll go easy...just let me know if it hurts to much ok?" He begins to align the head with your entrance, lifting your hips lightly before getting on top of you fully.You nod your head and wrap your arms tightly around him, burrowing your face in the crook of his neck. He takes a  deep breath and he push's forward and the tip of his cock burrows just inside your entrance. You let out  a small moan as he does so and he stays still for a while, letting your walls stretch slowly to accommodate his size."You ok y/n?" He says huskily, rubbings his fingers in small but delicate circles on your thighs. You look up at him and you cup his cheek. "Y~yes...It feels fine...just...don't stop, Ghost." You whimper as you feel your cunt beg for more. He just nods and edges in deeper till he's halfway. You gasp and moan as the feeling is enough to make you shake. He feels so good inside you as you finally get what you've been hungry for. His dick pulsates inside as you feel it jerk and throb. The way your pussy contracts around it like a cobra with its pray, almost clamping down like a bitch in heat "F~fuck...the way you clamp down on me like that feels so fucking good...God your tight little cunt feels so...so good." He pushes deeper inside you, holding your hips still as he slowly begins to thrust half way. Each stroke fills you to the very core with pleasure, your moans becoming more and more frequent as his hips rock back and forth. The bed squeaks with every movement and you suddenly realize your fellow task members  might hear. "Oh shit...the others-" His lips suddenly stop you."I don't care...let them hear...I want them to know who's fucking you...I want them all to know that you belong to me and only me..." He growls possessively as he kisses you roughly as he begins to fuck you harder. Each thrust more sensual than the last.  You look into his  eyes and they meet yours, you feel completely submissive for him and at that moment it just feels like only you and him. The way his dick pulsates and throbs inside you, filling you to the brim with pleasure. This whole new sensation makes your eyes see stars and your body quiver from the pleasure “I’m gonna go harder…ok?” His hot breath blows against your neck and plants a kiss on your shoulder. He sucks and nips at it, his teeth leaving marks.“Okay~” Is all that you can breathe out and he takes this as a sign. He suddenly slams into you with his full length. You gasp and moan as it hits the back of your cunt. Grabbing your hips and thrusting into you till you meet his hilt. At this point nothing can stop your moans. “Your moans are like the angels singing…god…you feel so fucking good around me.” He chuckles and catches a moan as he kisses you roughly as he continues his hard thrusts. His hips slamming into yours, driving him to go deeper and deeper into your tight pussy. You feel your climax clawing at you, wanting a release as he works his hips. 

[nalyra-dreaming]

Hi. I'm about to watch S1 again and want to feel all the Loustat feelings for the first time all over again. Plus I love positivity ❤ So how would you describe what Loustat are to each other and what their love is like for each other and about their happy ending? :)))

Hey nonny!!

Oh have so much fun!!!

Hmmm, that is quite the deep question :) (Alright, sticking to positivity only then!! 😅)

I would say... in one word?

They are necessary to each other.

They don't really live without the other. They exist. They meet, and Lestat falls fatally in love and Louis... only realizes later how badly he's fallen. Louis is home to Lestat, he is the one all his journeys, all his thoughts always return to Louis. Louis is his conscience, his anchor, his companion, his lover. And Louis... worships Lestat. And he resents that quite a bit, but he admits to it later on *laughs*

They are two sides of the same coin, with their character journeys inverted. Louis is the one who knows what Lestat cannot say, Louis is the one who Lestat reaches for. Louis literally is the one to hold Lestat's hand. Louis is the one that even Akasha does not dare to touch. And Lestat... To Louis Lestat represents the freedom he would like to have, but that he just is not shaped for (totally apart from the show changes). Lestat is the wild fire, the level 8 hurricane, the black tar heroin :)) The one to (literally) challenge the heavens.

The one to finally, in the end, set up a place where they both get what they want, together. A place with lots of books, and sofas, and fires and stimulating company for Louis. A place with entertainment and variety for Lestat. A place that is so history laden it tethers Lestat, when nothing else could, and allows them to go on romantic little trips to Paris with each other, often.

Their love is one that has, when the books leave us, passed the test of time, has been reforged, and renewed. It's a helpless love, too big to address at times, and beyond the rational mind. It's what Lestat alludes to when he says they're connected.

Their hearts are beating in sync.

It's a love that is obvious, for everyone around them.

And I love how the show foreshadowed the dance in the end, the dance that is a statement, just as the already shown one was - one for the mortals surrounding them... and the other... for the vampires.

Only this time Lestat says it out loud, too.

But not before holding Louis for a moment, and then kissing him and telling him low in French that I loved him and always had.

Let me just close with this cute quote from The Vampire Lestat here, though Lestat cannot bring himself to say it out loud then. But it is this that enthralls them, because everytime they meet... this love is rekindled, renewed. With heat.

And I had always loved him, hadn't I, no matter what happened, and how strong could love grow if you had eternity to nourish it, and it took only these few moments in time to renew its momentum, its heat?

It's quite beautiful.

(And I, personally, adore their love, as difficult as it may be. But it's worth it.)

[genericpuff]

Hey, I've worked a bit in animation and just wanted to point out that shows very often get pitched and bought out, and can sit in the back burner for a really long time depending on the market! Seems like with all the strikes and post covid lag, and a market thats already saturated with greek mythology atm (think percy jackson live action coming soon, youtube series, other webcomics, etc.), lore olympus is probably floating in the air atm until the time is right. These kinds of things can take years to happen, even 10+ years! Some of the most popular animated shows were pitched years before they were picked up and sent into production. Hoping in the time its on hold, they get some really good writers to clean up the story. I don't mean to disregard your post, but just a lil bit of info on how that nature works in animation. I love lore rekindled too, keep it up!

Oh hey thanks for your input! So I do actually have a diploma in animation (though I never ended up working in the larger industry) so I know a bit about how things like that can happen. Nimona's a great recent example, it was bought in 2015 by 20th Century Fox but never made it through development because of Disney purchasing them and bringing the project to a crawl due to it being LGBTQ+, then they shut down Blue Sky and that kept the project in limbo until it got picked up by a new studio and brought to Netflix. So it took well over 10 years for that one to finally hit the screen.

That said, most of that post is addressing the fact that if LO is going to get a TV show (I'm really strongly believing it isn't at this point, esp not with JHC but that's me) then stalling it out for 10 years or however long probably won't be the best move. Especially not with how things are going with animation at large.

While LO is the biggest on the WT platform, the platform itself still isn't as prestigious here in the west as say, DC or Marvel. Its platform and its comics just don't have that sort of longevity out here. LO is also undoubtedly nearing the end of its run and it's struggling to stay relevant as it is - so to make a show years down the road when it's long gone out of everyone's minds (which it will be as soon as it ends and WT starts shilling the next big thing) just sounds like a missed opportunity. It could rejuvenate interest, sure, but it could just as easily flop due to its fanbase having moved on/lost interest/etc. LO is pretty much reliant on WT's advertising at this point, it's not a good sign that WT has to keep putting notifications to read LO everywhere on the app. WT loooves the "strike while the iron is hot" methodology and now with the show they just drag it out? It feels less like striking the iron while it's hot and more like trying to get a fire going, period.

Like, when Nimona got its movie, it was like "omg Nimona's finally getting a movie!!!" but I can't help get the sense that if LO goes through that same treatment, the response is gonna be, "that gross comic with the underage girl and old man billionaire is still getting a TV show??" Maybe that's a mean assumption to make but if LO is struggling to stay relevant and in a positive light now, god knows what that's going to be like years from now if and when they do release a show.

Especially when it comes to comics like LO which generate so much criticism, I feel like it's going to go through the same thing Twilight did, where people adored it during the peak of its run but as soon as the series was over and the hype left everyone's brains it gave people room to actually reflect on it and realize how icky it was LOL (and if it goes the full way of Twilight, people will read it as a joke over how bad it is).

There are also theories in the community that a lot of what WT is doing with LO rn (paying for Rachel to be in the top billing spot at NYCC, getting her a second Eisner, etc.) could very well be them trying to "shop it around" for investors or a new network, by putting Rachel in the spotlight and going "see! look at how successful this comic is! buy it!" That's just a theory of course, but it really isn't a good look when LO wins awards and people ask why. It feels like WT's is trying to throw money at a problem without realizing what's causing the problem in the first place. It winning an Eisner or being hinted at a TV show or getting a top billing spot at NYCC won't give it legitimacy because the comic they're advertising is still garbage, they're trying to convince people it has merit when it doesn't. If anything, it'll make LO and WT lose even more credibility because it makes people wonder why the fuck a comic like LO is winning those awards and why it's being given more attention and opportunities over other comics on the platform that are far more deserving.

Anyways, this post is kinda all over the place, but that's my two cents, my point really is that if there is a show happening, it's definitely not happening soon (in spite of Rachel saying "yeah it's happening!") because there's no clear timeline or progress that's been made or even team in charge of it at this point - and if it happens down the road, its only chance of doing well will be if it gets a major overhaul in its writing IMO because the comic is way too much of a mess rn for television LOL

That said, I'd love to genuinely believe that the show will happen someday, but I feel like the best time for it to happen has passed, especially with the comic losing the quality and prestige it was sold to JHC for since then. That's just me though.

[bari-the-witch]

Steddie Fic rec PART I

Some of my personal favorites I could read over and over again. You can all find them on AO3:

The shire is NOT on fire by kissesforcas (50k+ words, Rating E)

The kids convince Steve to take them all to a Renaissance Faire and LARP event. Steve has more fun than he admits. And then Steve has a LOT more fun than he admits.

Comment: One of the first Steddie fics I read, love it!

Wouldn't it be nice (if we could wake up) by kissesfarcas (100k+ words, Rating E)

Steve finds his pulse. He carries Eddie out of the Upside Down, he keeps his heart beating until they get to the hospital. And then the government intervenes, that shady part of the government? With Sullivan? And he and Eddie wind up locked up, together, in a cell. There's one bed, and glass walls, and it turns out that he and Eddie? Might need each other more than either of them thought they might.

Comment: It's Kas Eddie, what more can I say?

this is what fallin in love feels like by plutoelegies (50k+ words, Rating M)

“For the sleeping thing- I get it. I really do. So you’re gonna get in my car and you’re gonna sleep in my guest room until you look more like a person and less like a Night of the Living Dead character.” Steve said, a tone of finality in his voice.

“Steve, man, I couldn’t ask you to do that.” Eddie said.

“Good thing you’re not asking. This is what we do, we take care of each other. Because if we don’t, nobody else will.” Steve said.

Or: Eddie has nightmares, Steve has a sexuality crisis, and while they’re busy co-parenting some freshman kids, their unlikely friendship begins to turn into something more.

Comment: Season 4 Fix-it with nightmares and a good old-fashioned sexuality crisis

The Adventures of Eddie Munson, Cheerleader by bookworm1805 (20k+, Rating E)

The moment the basketball players walked into the gym, all hell broke loose. 

Curses were spat. Teenagers whispered in scandalized tones as their nikes squeaked over the polished wood floor. Prayers were chanted. Somewhere across town, a baby probably cried.

Eddie Munson grinned. 

or

Eddie borrows Chrissy Cunningham’s spare cheerleading uniform as a prank. The ensuing chaos tips his entire world on its head, for the better.

Comment: This is so funny (and hot!)

Steve Harrington's Guide to Planning a Party (Without Blowing Up) by Anonymous (80k+ words, Rating T)

In a way, Steve was kind of grateful for the swift intervention. He knew now, after all, that most people in the world didn't have the ability to pick out people's emotions, and in a town like Hawkins he wouldn't have lasted long if he commented on every feeling he encountered. It was the reason why despite everything, he had turned out normal, despite all of life's attempts to turn him into something other than a popular somewhat dim-witted jock.

Comment: I'm a sucker for Steve has Powers! It's so so good and well-written.

Must Have/Can't Stand Checklist by deludez3 (60k+ words, Rating E)

Steve decides to move to Chicago for a fresh start after everything is settled with Vecna. Three years later, he returns to Hawkins for the kids’ graduation and rekindles some feelings he discovered years earlier for Eddie.

When Eddie offers his apartment for Steve to crash at to stay longer in Hawkins, Steve can’t say no. Sure he was supposed to drive home on Sunday, and sure he was supposed to work that week, but how could he say no to those chocolate button eyes?

Comment: Eddie and Steve become temporary roomates - hot shenanigans ensue.

someone else's favorite song by fastcardotmp3 (100k+ words, Rating E)

“Not sick, not sick,” he slurs, and Eddie wants to see his face, wants to hold it in his hands, wants to look him in the eye when he says, “just sad. Sad. Fuck��� fuck, sad.”

“Why are you sad, big guy?” Eddie asks.

Steve laughs again, but it’s sharper this time, it doesn’t last as long, because as soon as the words slip out of his mouth— “My mom’s dead—”

—it walks that treacherous line between the two sounds and morphs straight to a broken sort of sobbing that reaches directly into Eddie’s chest and drags out his heart.

- A friends-with-benefits relationship goes complicated when who Steve and Eddie are to one another shifts with the coming of a new sort of tragedy.

Comment: This is the best piece of Steddie fanfic I've read out there, I swear. MUST READ

Sanctuary by SpicedSage (40k+ words, Rating E)

After Steve Harrington goes missing, Eddie Munson gets exposed to the secret dangers of Hawkins, Indiana in 1985 instead of 1986.

Will a different first meeting lead to a change in his fate?

Comment: Eddie helps Steve after he got captured by the Russians post Season 3, the characterization is so so good in this one.

More will follow :)

[sankta-starkova]

LETTERMAN

010; the tech rehearsal

previous chapter | next chapter | masterlist

summary: the one where ej and andy reunite after years when they're cast as love interests, finally rekindling their friendship and maybe getting something else out of it as well

wordcount: 1.5k

After Thanksgiving break, Andy and the rest of the drama club walkes into the theatre, gawking at the destroyed theatre.

"Oh my God, what happened?" Nini questioned, looking around at the mess.

Miss Jenn stood there, looking at the horrified teenagers as she reassured them that everything was okay.

"It's okay, nobody was hurt. There was a small fire in the theatre over the holiday and the sprinklers did their job," she explained with a sigh.

A firefighter walked out, looking around at the damge and then at the kids before turning to Miss Jenn.

"We're almost done in here, just have to finish up in the faculty room next," the firefighter said, handing a basketball to Miss Jenn, "Unfortunately, the show cannot go on,"

"What?" Miss Jenn asked, staring at this woman with shock as she delivered the heart breaking news.

They all stood there in silence at the realisation that their show had effectively been ruined.

"Fire ripped through half your costumes and the sprinklers ruined a bunch of your sets. I'm sorry but I'm gonna to red tag the backstage area for at least a month," she explained before walking off.

Andy stood on shock, wondering what they were going to do. Everyone else felt the same way, horrified that all their hard work had been for nothing. They waited for some solution.

"Listen up, take a moment and let's reconvene in the cafeteria after school to talk about out options," Miss Jenn announced.

Later that day, Miss Jenn walked into the cafeteria, "Wait, wheres Gina?" She asked as she realised she was missing.

"I think she's going through a family thing right now," Ashlyn said, sitting next to Andy and EJ.

They had all heard what had happened over the phone at thanksgiving, that there was a high likely hood that Gina wasn't going to be coming back.

"Okay. I'm not really sure what to say. You've all worked so hard but if we don't have a theatre, we don't have a show," Miss Jenn explained.

Everyone gasped, chatting amongst themselves about what was going to happen to the show.

"Come on Miss Jenn, we've got to do something," Carlos said desperately.

"I think we-" she paused, shaking her head, upset, "-I don't know, I guess we could consider other venues,"

Everyone nodded their heads, tryinf to think of somewhere else that they could go. They had to save the show.

"Oh, oh, what about the old Kingston downtown?" Ashlyn offered, Miss Jenn explaining that it was condemned.

"The Lucky Ducky Pupper Pavilion?" EJ suggested.

She shook her head, "I'm 92% sure that it's a massive Starbucks now," Andy stated, EJ sighing in defeat.

"How about the El Rey?" Carlos said and everyone agreed, a chorus of agreement echoing through the cafeteria.

"Any other ideas," Miss Jenn asked, everyone going quiet as they looked at the odd expression on her face.

Nobody quite understood why she had such a weird reaction the El Ray, it was perfect because it was where they screened the first film.

"Miss Jenn, I feel like you just had a weird reaction to what I just said," Carlos stated, narrowing his eyes at her.

"Sorry, what did you say?" Miss Jenn questioned.

"Carlos is asking if we can try and use the El Rey theater," Nini explained, Carlos nodding his head.

"My Uncle Ruben is the listing agent and the last thing they had in there was a fashion show like four years ago," Carlos said before walking off to call his uncle.

"I don't think we'll be able to get it in such short notice," Miss Jenn said as she saw everyone staring at the theater online.

Carlos spoke on the phone in Spanish before cheering, "We got it!" He said and everyone celebrated.

"Wildcats, lets grab anything that is still undamaged and load out," Miss Jenn said, everyone cheering as they rushed off.

Quickly afterwards, they started to unpack. Andy carried a box of props as she walked with EJ who was holding some weird red box.

Carlos stared at them, cutting their conversation off, "Maybe I should carry that," he said to EJ.

"No, I'm fine to carry it," EJ said and Carlos stopped him and Andy from moving.

"It's just a little bit sensitive," Carlos explained, staring at it.

"Are we still talking about the box?" Andy asked as she looked at him over the box she was carrying.

It was weird that he was so attached to the box and that he wanted it back but it all made sense when he explained it.

"It's actually Miss Jenns show file. Script breakdowns, set sketches, all of her audition notes," he explained.

"You mean this says why which people got which parts?" He questioned, his tone very suspicious.

Andy saw a dangerous idea jump into EJs head, his eyes going wide as she stared at the box in his hands, almost holding it closer to himself.

"No further comment, thank you," Carlos said before grabbing it from his hands and running away.

"Don't get any ideas Caswell," she said before shoving the box into his arms.

"Hey! What was that for?" He asked, realising how heavy the box she had been carrying really was.

"I was tired and you were thinking about doing something bad so you can carry it," she explained and he laughed.

There was something about his laugh that just made her face light up, the butterflies in her stomach going haywire.

"Fine, you wanna come round mine after school to practice lines before we go to the El Rey?" He questioned, looking over at Andy.

She nodded her head, "Sounds like a great idea to me Caswell," she replied.

He smiled at her, heart fluttering slightly. He had always thought Andy was cute when they were little but the way he felt now was weird and different.

Even just in a simple black graphic tee and jeans, he thought she was one of the most beautiful people he'd ever seen.

"Take a picture it might last longer," Andy said before starting to walk ahead, leaving a flustered EJ behind.

"I was lost in thought, don't let the idea inflate your ego too much," he yelled out after her, picking up speed.

"Come on, I am naturally alluring, no-one could blame you," She joked, putting the boxes down in the van.

He watched as she ran off, basically taunting EJ to follow. EJ put his box down, rolling his sleeves up.

He chased after her, avoiding the other cars in the parking lot as she weaved through them. Some of the other kids watched as the two laughed.

"Whats going on over there?" Big Red asked as he put the boxes down, watching EJ catch up to her.

He picked her up, arms around her waist to stop her from running off again.

She laughed, grabbing onto his bicep as he wrapped his arms around her middle. She threw her head back laughing, head falling onto his shoulder.

"I really don't know," Ricky said, narrowing his eyes at his best friend and the ex-boyfriend of his ex-girlfriend.

He didn't like it at all. He did not trust EJ Caswell at all and the thought of him breaking his best friends heart again made him dislike him even more.

EJ put her down, Andy panting as she realised how out of shape she was. "Good run Caswell," she said, giving him a thumbs up as she caught her breath.

She leaned over, her hands on her thighs as she caught her breath. He chuckled at the sight of her so winded.

"Well I was thinking about just letting you win but I have a reputation," he said, and she looked up at him.

"Okay, One: do you just enjoy me kicking your ass? And two: everyones watching," she said and they looked up, most of the group watching.

He looked over to them, a smile still on his face. He didn't care that everyone wad watching them, he just cared about her.

For the first time in a long time, he felt at peace and happy with himself. He was snapped out of his thoughts by Miss Jenns voice.

"Come on you two, we need EJs muscle to help pick up the boxes," Miss Jenn said, clapping her hands urgently.

She had a smirk on her face. She knew exactly what was going on between the kids and was actually encouraging it.

[mxtxfanatic]

I'm a bit confused about the difference between emotional energy and romantic tension LOL

I was having a discussion with someone about this related to MDZS and they were saying how JC and WWX had a lot of emotional energy with them serving as thematic foils to each other. Wangxian was told but not shown, which makes zero sense to me. Just because the major conflict is between two characters doesn't imply the existence of romantic feelings. I don't like misreading emotional energy as subtext because that never works out well especially if the author doesn't have the time to develop romance.

It kinda reminds me of the ATLA shipping war, which I didn't care for. I feel like you and your moots gave a good grasp of themes and characters, so I'm hoping you can explain this to me.

If I’m getting this right, you want 1) to know the difference (if there is one) between emotional energy and romantic tension, and 2) what the difference between chengxian and wangxian is, possibly with a discussion of subtext. I’ll answer these questions cause my brain is a little muddled at the moment.

So first up: emotional energy vs. romantic tension. For one, I’ve never heard of “emotional energy” before lmao, but on that note, emotional energy can be literally anything. You have emotional energy towards a parent that you love, or the really strict teacher whose voice you still hear criticism in, or that one asshole from your job you wish would get fired. None of that inherently opens the door to romance, and most people would balk at thinking of any of these relationships as romantic just because they’re relationships in which intense feelings are felt. Saying that feeling any intense emotion towards someone in which you are in a platonic relationship with = harboring (known or unrecognized) romantic feelings for them is ridiculous bullshit.

Now onto Wangxian vs. Chengxian. Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng have “emotional energy” because they are stuck in a relationship forged by Jiang Fengmian’s wish for his son to have a friend and maintained by the multitude of debts that the Jiang Clan pile on him via jfm and Madam Yu. However, a lot of these feelings are one-sided. Jiang Cheng feels inferiority, envy, and later on, hatred towards Wei Wuxian. Wei Wuxian in his first life felt a bond with Jiang Cheng that he seemed to feel for all his martial siblings: a bond of those learning under the same clan/sect. Later, that bond is replaced with debt, and in his second life, wwx only has mild pity left for jc. They mutually choose not to rekindle any relationship at the end, either negative or positive. Notice how none of these feelings are romantic. To say that Wei Wuxian harbors romantic feelings for Jiang Cheng is like someone saying you harbor romantic feelings for your childhood bully who you were forced to spend time with because his parents guilted you into being his only friend. Likewise, to say that Jiang Cheng harbors romantic feelings for Wei Wuxian is like someone saying you harbor a crush on the one kid that your mom always compared you to and said you’d never be as good as. Also that they may be your secret half-sibling and the reason your parents hate each other and your dad hates you, specifically. Also, jc is a canonical homophobe, so… For Chengxian, people can ship it all they want, but it is purely fanon not supported by any adaptation. Not every emotion is innately tied to love or romance, and throwing “subtext” around doesn’t give you legitimacy. Subtext is when a creator can’t or won’t explicitly name the thing but they drop enough clues for people to piece it together, anyways. Bubbline from Adventure Time is subtext for most of the show; we literally see then go on dates and blush around each other, but we only see them kiss in the finale and be a couple in the post-canon specials. The definition of “subtext” is not “these characters have a relationship, therefore I ship them romantically regardless of what the source material says about them.”

In the case of Wangxian, though, this is not subtext and is explicitly romantic. Wei Wuxian constantly thinks of Lan Wangji as the most beautiful man he’s ever met. He constantly wants his attention and to be in his presence as a teen. He daydreams about living with Lan Wangji on a little farm. In his second life, he actively flirts with the man, even after his cover is blown, and he is the one to kiss Lan Wangji during drunk shenanigans #2 and tip the boundary into having sex in drunk shenanigans #3. We don’t get a lot of Lan Wangji’s thoughts from wwx’s first life as it happens, but we see later that he always tried to stick up for wwx, kept everything wwx ever gave him (most of which were just offhanded objects wwx only used to tease him), he adopted the other man’s son. He tells his brother that he wants to bring wwx home to hide him in the exact mimicry of his parents most definitely not platonic relationship. None of this is platonic, none of it is subtext, and none of this is “only told.”

In short, tell whoever it is you were talking to—if you’re even still talking to them at all—that they don’t need to justify shipping by pretending that there’s proof of it being canon. We’d get a lot farther in these discussions if people just accepted that they like certain relationship dynamics over others instead of twisting a source to legitimize their likes/dislikes. Chengxian is not canon, was never meant to be canon and therefore will never be canon. Wangxian is the couple the book is written about. Don’t like the wangxian couple, don’t read the wangxian book.