#first toza helps them

[sammys-magical-au]

Star Wars headcanons that just ✨make sense✨ PART 3!

IT’S HERE Y’ALL!!! I’m doing another one because I have an ~obsession~ 🙃

It takes Rex a really long time to make the transition from calling Anakin by only “Sir” or “General” to his actual name. He’s a creature of habit and Cody finds it adorable.

Cody on the other hand easily made the switch to calling Obi-Wan and the other Jedi by their names.

Obi-Wan has two left feet. Not many people actually know this. Obi-Wan hates this about himself and is really embarrassed about it but Lionel finds it endearing

Rex has ✨freckles✨ and they’re absolutely precious

Fives and Echo would both do anything to hear an embarrassing story about Anakin or Rex. Lionel has plenty of examples for the former and is a little too eager to share them

I think about Padmé and swimming so fucking much it’s actually my Roman Empire. She has a swimmer’s build, not skinny at all, she’s all muscle under those flowy dresses and is very strong for her size. Anakin thinks this is incredibly hot.

Ken-Té gives T’a’ffi little kisses between his montrals. Once the Forbidden Triad adopted Toza, ‘Té started doing the same to her 🥹

Lionel started off as the tallest of the OG Chaos Trio, and ended up the shortest. They are not happy about this at all.

Ahsoka and Rex are FUCKING 👏 BESTIES 👏 and no one can convince me otherwise. They absolutely confide in each other about their respective crushes - something they won’t talk about with ANYONE else (for good reason ofc, but you get my point, their level of trust is that high)

Cody can make pretty much any outfit work, the man is ✨GORGEOUS✨ in everything and he knows it

Lionel and Obi-Wan have five Tookas

Ahsoka not only got taller after Barriss left her but she also got a hell of a lot stronger too. The transition from seeing ‘Soka as a relatively skinny girl about the same height as her to a 6’4” New Order Jedi built like a brick shithouse gave Barriss whiplash but in the best way possible, she LOVED IT

I headcanon that Togrutas in general are just built tall and muscular, T’a’ffi would absolutely be considered a Bear🏳️‍🌈 if he was human

It was actually Obi who wanted to have kids first, meanwhile Nelli was the hesitant one - they’d spent most of their childhood looking after their little siblings so they were understandably looking for a break from that responsibility

Cody and Padmé both had Lionel and Obi-Wan figured out before even they themselves realized that the pining was mutual. Padmé would seek out Cody during any events Obi-Wan was invited to and gossip about it with him when Obi wasn’t looking

Obi-Wan is a giggly mess when he’s drunk and it’s fucking adorable

After joining Anakin’s Order and becoming a Knight, Ahsoka took on a young Mirialan named Ralaince as a Padawan because they reminded her of Barriss 🥺

Once the war ended, Cody and Rex travelled the galaxy together for a bit, just experiencing the beauty of each planet they visited without worrying about the next battle that would destroy all of it. It was very cathartic and healing for both of them

Anakin chose to wear dark colored robes because he has mild sensory issues and lighter colors kind of hurt his eyes in direct sunlight. Also burgundy is his favourite color 😊

When she became Supreme Chancellor of the Republic, Padmé founded a program to help properly educate the children of the Lower Levels of Coruscant and to mitigate the extreme poverty of the Coruscant Underworld. Lionel cried of joy when they learned of this.

Lionel occasionally gets phantom shocks as a side effect Palpatine’s Force Lightning attack. They also startle more easily than they used to, experience near-constant tremors, are much more sensitive to touch, and occasionally seem to have mildly psychic premonitions, despite still testing negative for Force-sensitivity

Barriss sometimes uses Ahsoka’s lekku as pillows

Lionel insisted on doing a photoshoot when Benjamina and Jinn both got their lightsabers

Obi-Wan has always loved the name Ben/Benjamin - thus, when they had their first child, Lionel modified the name to Benjamina so they could use it for their baby girl

Rex and Ahsoka do the Star Wars universe’s equivalent of Tik Tok dances. They’re both really good at them

I went on a tiny bit of a rant not too long ago (read: like 20 minutes ago) about Echo having vitiligo and I stand by that, I like it, it’s going in the headcanon folder

I’ve talked about Anakin being autistic but that headcanon fits for Cody to me as well. Also Obi-Wan

Anakin also has ADHD

I know in canon the little marks on Mirialan’s faces are called “tattoos” but I like to think of them as freckles because the idea of diamond shaped freckles is kind of adorable to me 🥹

Anakin and Padmé do the fruit-floating thing they did in AOTC every time they have breakfast alone together

Ken-Té is Anakin’s favourite person to do lightsaber training with and continues to practice with him even after he left the Order

[avatar-state-kate]

Okay so @old-and-new-friends I did see you comment on this post and I initially was going to respond with a reblog but the more I thought about it the more I felt it deserved its own post.

I hadn’t noticed this before, but I do agree with you that it is the Mako defence squad that will bring up poverty lok, and thinking about why that I’ve come to a chicken and the egg conclusion where I’m not sure if it’s an awareness of poverty that makes Mako more likeable or if liking Mako leads to fans to pay more attention to the role of economic class in characterization.

Either way I think that poverty is integral to Mako’s character, and so for people to hate Mako (not just dislike, or not jive with, or not make the cut of top 5) you need to ignore the role poverty has had.

The best example of this is with the love triangle. Mako anti’s love to point to the love triangle as proof he’s a fuck boy/bad person. And while a lot of Mako stand will point out that he’s a teen in his first relationship and just doesn’t know what he’s doing (which is also true) I think a lot of his decision making is perfectly logical if you consider money

Mako is shown to be aware of every yuan he has to his and Bolin’s name- he knows when his pay is short he’s budgeted every yuan, the error is only because Bolin took money without asking - blowing they’re entire budget. That one impulse purchase can ruin an entire paycheck shows just how precarious the financial situation is.

Knowing this the line of dialogue; “It makes more sense for me to be with Asami” while callous is true- Asami is the possibility of a whole new life, not just luxury but security, for him and Bolin.

It goes against modern sensibilities to choose for money- you marry for love and whatever. Which is a pretty privileged mindset. Like ideally sure, but if your current girlfriend is in control of your career, your livelihood (which Asami as the fire ferrets sole sponsor was), there is no way in hell I would want to dump her, or upset her. Hence mako’s people pleasing tendencies.

Mako antis will also point to the kiss, even if Korra initiated it he should have deterred her more (? Would love to know how), and he should have told Asami. Well if he upsets Korra too much she might quit, which puts mako and Bolin back on the streets. If he tells Asami and upsets her she might break up with him and stop funding the team, putting mako back on the streets.

If you’re not considering poverty (for mako antis this is greed, he just wants to be rich, wants wealth) then this is petty drama. If you remember that a wrong move could mean Mako and Bolin (which adds so much pressure like this is also your brothers life- you could be giving him everything if you just suck it up and stay with Asami) then the stakes are much higher

Again, it’s callous - this is an explanation of motivation not a defence- but once Asami’s money is off the table with her fathers arrest Mako is stuck “not knowing who to choose” he knew who he wanted but in the first half of season 1 being with Korra would have been the selfish thing, it would have been putting his feelings over providing food and a home for Bolin.

Korra and Asami were not yielding their power over Mako, but that doesn’t change that they had it. Or that someone who grew up the way Mako did, in a way that made him mistrustful, would be acting base on the belief that the worst is going to happen- because the worst has happened for him in the past, always.

And if people want to claim I’m exaggerating the stakes here, firstly I would like to say that only the avatar and Asami, the most compassionate people in the world, would be gracious enough to let an ex live with them. There is no reason Mako shouldn’t be assuming that a break up means he and Bolin are back on the street. And 2, in season 3, after his apartment is presumably destroyed from the spirit battle and he’s broken up with Korra Mako is homeless- he’s living under his desk. What he was trying to avoid in season 1 happens even in the best circumstances (and they are the best because Bolin can stay on air temple island and be safe; if he had to take Bolin with him I think he would have stuck it out)

You also noted how Bolin stand do not similarly notice the socioeconomic implications of lok, which at first glance seems strange. He and Mako come from the same exact background so you would assume that our two fan communities would have a similar awareness, but honestly it makes sense that we don’t as Bolin is the sort of poor person archetype that isn’t meant to challenge our system but comfort middle class and upper class viewers. He’s happy go lucky- see money doesn’t buy happiness. Because of Mako he’s taken care of, we don’t have to actually worry about him, it’ll all work out; he just wears hand-me-downs he’s not in any real danger. And finally, he’s a good, a himbo, no one who is actually smart and hardworking would be stuck in poverty like him, they’d be like Asami, or Varrick, and pull themselves up by there boot straps and ascend to a higher class. Bolin confirms what we already do believe about class in America. But Mako is smart, he solves the bombing case in season 2, and he works hard, he lives at work; but despite this Mako stays poor.

[hollypunkers]

reasons Mako is really really great and should be appreciated so much for how he raised Bolin coming from just watching Republic City Hustle:

He made robbing people fun. It was a necessity, and clearly a dangerous way to live but their only choice, so he not only clearly picks a target that isn’t a threat but turns it into a game where Bolin can play the Good Guy and fool around, be a hero, and have fun.

In that same vein, with almost every chance he gets he compliments Bolin (“nice grab little brother” etc. a trait he continues until adulthood with people he cares about, it’s stilted and awkward later but clearly Mako’s trying) this is probably why Bolin’s confidence is basically through the roof.

Bolin recognized Toza and calls him his “hero” indicating he has been to pro-bending matches before, later we see them both working at the match while Mako has to remind Bolin he is working too. Mako also doesnt recognize Toza on sight. I think it’s safe to imply Bolin working with Mako is new (some evidence for that later as well) and Mako would normally work while letting Bolin have a fun night watching the matches.

Bolin is sad to see his hero lose, Mako tries to reiterate a lesson that basically boils down to “they wouldnt help us, why should we care?” It’s a lesson that rings true for Mako, the caretaker, but doesn’t for Bolin because Bolin always had Mako and knows what it’s like to be cared for.

When Shady Shin threatens to send them back to the streets Mako’s first instinct is to give Bolin a reassuring pat on the back and tell him not to worry.

While Bolin is doing his antics we always see Mako just behind him, watching and keeping an eye out. The only time he isn’t is when it is implied Mako was doing some work on his own (after Bolin got mad) and Bolin snuck away, after which Mako immediately finds Bolin the moment he’s in danger to save him.

Bolin wants an adorable pet, Mako immediately tells him “No. The last thing we need is one more mouth to feed.” Again, Mako as the parent having to juggle being the good guy and the bad guy, taking all the responsibility of caring for them on his own shoulders. And he has a point. Mako is clearly struggling just to keep Bolin and himself fed (“We didn’t eat anything yesterday.”) and the last thing they need is a pet.

Bolin begs Mako (typical kid stuff wanting a pet “aw he’s so cute!” “Ple-ease??”) and is suprised it doesn’t work and sad when Mako tells him to toughen up. Bolin begging is interesting because it tells us it often probably works, Mako giving Bolin what he asks for; and in this instance Bolin is very much acting like any normal child while once again Mako is the (reasonable) parent.

From what I inferred earlier where Bolin helping with the work being new, Mako has just started to get Bolin into this criminal world with the Triple Threats and is clearly worried Bolin is too soft for it, while at the same time interestingly never brings up how Bolin is five years older than Mako was when Mako started taking care of them. I think one of the arcs of this series was Mako realizing Bolin, because of who he was and how sheltered he’d been, couldn’t survive in the same environment Mako was. Mako has earned the respect of Shady Shin, meanwhile Bolin can’t even handle this one job. (Mako, a pragmatist, realizes by the end that if Bolin stayed in this work he’d have to become more like Mako, and so Mako takes the out Toza offers.)

Bolin. Is. An. Optimist. Bolin grew up living on the streets, hungry and poor, and he’s an optimist. Why? Just jump back to the scene with Shady Shin where the moment things seems scary Mako immediately reassures Bolin. Mako is hypersensitive to Bolin’s emotions, even when chastizing him he falls back to a kind voice and explains why, so it’s no small leap to say Bolin always thinks things are going to turn out okay because that’s what Mako has told him his whole life.

“Maybe I’m not as mean as you! Maybe I just can’t turn my back on people when they’re down!” Bolin calls Mako mean and uncaring, and Mako.... sighs. He doesn’t respond, just takes it in, lets Bolin have his emotions and even say cruel things to him and just internalizes it and leaves it alone.

Mako weirdly knows exactly how to handle a dangerous snake. I don’t know what this means. Either he has experience or it’s pure Mom Instinct where he sees Bolin in trouble and just wrangles a dangerous snake and flings it back into its cage in seconds.

Mako relents on the Pabu business right after Bolin puts himself in danger to save the animal and Bolin gives him puppy dog eyes (also after Bolin called him mean). Maybe he thinks having a pet can teach Bolin responsibility, or maybe he doesn’t want Bolin to think he’s mean, either way, Mako knows it’s not a great idea to have a pet but still gives up, apparently not able to say no to Bolin twice.

Bolin never apologizes or is asked to apologize for calling Mako mean and uncaring. In fact, considering the sequence of events, Mako is the one who apologizes by letting Bolin keep Pabu even though by all accounts Mako was right not to want a pet. When Mako does admonish Bolin it’s only in ways Bolin needs to act in order to survive, otherwise Mako seems unwilling to defend himself or make Bolin change in any way. (Mako models this type of forgiveness despite being the wronged party which interestingly, Bolin shows later throughout LoK and it is something people love about him, but the origins are here, coming from Mako.)

“You really have a habit of getting in stupid situations” Mako tells Bolin, indicating this type of behavior, Bolin getting in trouble and Mako coming to save him, happens a lot. (Even in the end, Mako finds out Bolin bet all their money on a fixed match, like c’mon Bolin.) Bolin just says “I know” and Mako leaves the conversation at that without rubbing it in. A surprising amount of maturity for a fifteen year old.

Bolin can’t keep his mouth shut and gets them in trouble, shouting and excited during the match; as Mako looks embarrassed and worried, another indication that this, Bolin being present with the Triads, is a recent development and a clear indicator Mako was right telling Bolin to toughen up or he wouldn’t survive, as they instantly find themselves running and fighting for their lives.

“Can we, Mako? Mako, can we? Mako, please!” Mako is so explicitly the parent to Bolin it’s sad. He is fifteen, he’s been on his own with Bolin since he was eight and literally witnessed his parents die, and throughout the series we see him comforting Bolin, suppressing his own emotions, and being a parent over and over again. Meanwhile Bolin acts like a child, who had a normalish childhood, who plays games and laughs and is optimistic and confident and wants a pet, so despite everything they went through, and how hard it was, Mako was clearly a very good parent to Bolin.

Shady Shin miscalculates in the end by telling Mako “don’t go soft on me”, the same thing Mako was telling Bolin; which goes all the way back to my earlier point that Mako knows Bolin won’t last as a Triad and needs something else. “I do have to take care of my brother, and I think this is what’s best for him.” There, explicitly, the only reason they become pro-benders is because Mako thinks it’s right for Bolin, ‘what is right for Bolin’ is the basis of all his choices, what is right for Mako isn’t considered because what Mako wants is for Bolin to be happy.

In conclusion, if you hate Mako and love Bolin, I think you need to take a step back and remember who raised Bolin.

[rax-writes]

Worth The Wait

Fandom: Legend of Korra

Characters: Mako x Reader

Warnings: Smut

Notes: Y’all... I truly don’t know what it is about these LOK boys that is making me write again after two fucking years. But here we are. I hope you all enjoy this as much as I’m enjoying the will to write again. // Also, shoutout to my dear friend @henrysmorgan​ for prompting me with the trope: “friends training together but the sexual tension can be cut with a knife, and when one gets pinned under the other, they make out.” // Please feel free to send in requests for Mako and Iroh II if you’ve got ‘em! As per usual, I don’t guarantee that they’ll be written, due to my weak creativity / will to write, but I’m hoping some requests for them will help inspire me.

After meeting Mako and Bolin when you and the eldest brother were both twelve, you formed a close bond with the boys, the three of you all living as orphans in the streets of Republic City. You didn’t really have any friends before losing your family – none close enough to stick with you after you were forced into homelessness, that is – so their companionship was more than welcomed, and greatly appreciated. Being that they’d been at it longer than you, they taught you all kinds of ways to steal, trick, and hustle to make money, and they were always looking out for you – Mako especially. He had always been the most protective over you. He never failed to stand in between you and anyone threatening you (which happened relatively often, considering how often you guys stole stuff), he beat the crap out of your boyfriend that cheated on you when you were sixteen, and you’d never forget how he threw an absolute fit when you said you wanted to join them in working with the Triple Threat Triad. You were both twenty now, but his protectiveness remained the same.

The way Mako watched over you really did not help the crush on him that you’d harbored since the day you met him, but you constantly forced those romantic thoughts into the back of your mind, always telling yourself that he saw you as nothing more than a good friend.

Little did you know, the broody firebender felt the exact same way about you.

Coincidentally, it was Mako’s aforementioned protective nature that led to your current situation: standing together in Toza's gym, practicing your fighting skills.

“Remind me again why you’ve forced me to be here, in the morning on my day off?” you whined, adjusting the fingerless gloves on your hands.

“Look, I know this isn’t exactly the best way to spend a Saturday, but it feels like the world is getting more and more dangerous by the second. You’re a great bender, but you never got much practice with hand-to-hand, and it can come in handy sometimes, so I want to make sure to get you brushed up on it.”

“I never got much practice with it because you always fought everybody for me,” you quipped, crossing your arms and staring accusingly at Mako.

The white tank top he wore was quickly becoming your favorite attire of his. It kept his muscular arms free for your viewing pleasure, and the tight fabric clung to his toned torso. The slight sweat he’d worked up during your sparring session shone on his forehead, although he quickly wiped it away with the back of his arm.

Spirits, you really needed to stop thinking about your best friend like that.

“You know I’ve always got to protect my best girl,” Mako retorted, shooting you a small smile.

Well, he certainly wasn’t helping.

“Now, get into your fighting stance again,” Mako ordered, and you did as he bade you, fists up and ready.

The two of you stared at one another for a few moments, standing a few feet apart, unsure of who would be the first to make a move. Mako had been the first to initiate all of your previous scraps today, so you quickly decided to be the first to do so this time. It caught him a little off guard, as you’d hoped, as you swung at him. Nonetheless, Mako managed to miss your attack, moving to the side to dodge your fist, before swinging at you himself. You dodged that too, and took his outstretched arm as an opening, sweeping his legs out from under him with your foot. He landed on the mat with a loud thud and an “oof,” and you immediately began to laugh triumphantly.

“Ha! You’re a damn good fighter, Mako, but you have to admit –”

The sly devil used your own tactic against you before you could finish your gloating, using his leg to knock you off your feet, causing you to crash down on the mat just as he had, and he immediately straddled your waist and pinned your arms above your head.

“Admit what?” Mako inquired, his tone cocky as could be while a smirk formed on his lips. Honestly, you were too floored by the position you two were currently in to give an equally-witty comeback, as you normally would, so he continued. “Always make sure your opponent is actually down for the count. There’s a difference between knocking someone down and knocking someone out, and that difference could cost you your life if you’re not careful.”

“Got it,” you managed to respond, and you desperately hoped that he hadn’t noticed the breathlessness in your voice.

The sparring session had come to a close, and the conversation was over, but… Mako didn’t move. He remained situated above you, staring down at you with those beautiful amber eyes of his. His face was expressionless, as per usual, and although you could typically still read him, you found yourself unable to at that moment. You simply continued to stare at one another, and before you could speak, Mako suddenly leaned down and kissed you.

Stupefied beyond comprehension, you froze for a half second, before returning the kiss with fervor. It was equal parts passionate and sweet, and although you’d dreamt of this moment for nearly a decade, it was somehow better than you could have ever imagined.

Mako broke the kiss, leaning up a bit so he could look at you. Your eyes met again, and you noticed that this time, his pupils were dilated, and the way he stared at you seemed to be awe mixed with hunger.

“I’ve wanted to do that for a really, really long time,” he admitted.

“Me too. What took you so long?” you teased, and Mako grinned a little.

“I could ask you the same thing.”

“I was terrified of ruining our friendship if you didn’t return the feeling. Decided it wasn’t worth the risk,” you explained, and Mako nodded.

“That was what stopped me too. But I guess you never noticed all the times I failed miserably at hiding how I felt,” he stated, and your brows furrowed together with confusion. You definitely hadn’t ever noticed anything like that. “I couldn’t ever take my eyes off of you whenever you had to wear a skirt or tight slacks for work. My face would always get really red whenever you’d heal some of my wounds from pro-bending. And all the cold nights I’ve offered for you to share a bed with me wasn’t just out of kindness; it was honestly more so for selfish reasons.”

“Well… I guess you never noticed how I practically drool over you when you’re in your police uniform, or how it’s even worse when you’re wearing your workout clothes,” you retorted, sparing a glance down at his white tank top. “Also, I’m usually lying whenever I whine that I’m cold; I only do it because I know you’ll let me cuddle with you. And, while we’re making confessions: I didn’t insist on healing every little cut and scrape of yours because I was worried about you. That was just an excuse to touch you.”

“You’ve never needed to have an excuse to touch me,” Mako responded, and you noticed that his voice had gotten lower.

“Then unpin my hands and let me.”

With no hesitation, Mako did as you asked, and moved his hands to rest on either side of your head instead of on your wrists. In the blink of an eye, your hands darted into his hair and pulled him into another kiss. This one was far more hungry and desperate than the last, and after a few minutes, Mako rolled onto his back, pulling you on top of him in a position that mirrored his previous stance. With your legs on either side of him, you leaned down, your chests pressed against one another, and you held his face in your hands. His hands rested on your waist, before trailing up your back and into your hair. Impulsively, you pulled his bottom lip between your teeth for a moment, and the action caused him to grip a fistful of your hair at the base of your scalp, earning a loud moan from you.

A low growl came from deep in Mako’s throat upon hearing you, and he tightened his grip on your hair in an attempt to elicit another such sound from you. You instantly moved your hands to his shoulders, digging your nails into them as he pulled your hair, and you could feel a small smirk form on his lips. He flipped the two of you over again, except this time, he was situated between your legs, your thighs resting on his hips. Mako’s hand remained in your hair, cradling the back of your head, and his other hand gripped your waist. Opting to give him a taste of his own medicine, you tangled your fingers in his hair once again, before gripping his black locks to turn his head to the side and trail kisses and light nips down his throat. This earned a groan from him, and he couldn’t help but instinctively grind himself into you, the sensation causing you to gasp in pleasure.

Misunderstanding your reaction, Mako immediately pulled away from you to look down at you with worry in his eyes. “Is this okay? Just say the word and we can stop.”

“No, no. It’s more than okay,” you assured him, and he found his way to your lips once again.

Realizing that you’d daydreamed about something like this happening for years, you conceded that you should definitely take advantage of the experience. After spending so long admiring his body from afar, you began to run your hands down his shoulders and arms, feeling the strong muscles beneath your fingertips, and you couldn’t help the faint moan that escaped your lips as you allowed yourself to soak in just how attractive Mako truly was. Eventually, your explorative hands reached the hem of his tank top, and you tugged on it slightly, hinting at what you wanted but allowing him to decide if he was okay with it or not.

Taking the hint, Mako leaned up onto his knees and pulled that pesky article of clothing over his head, and tossed it to the side. You chose to follow suit, removing your own shirt, then your bra, and threw them away carelessly. Mako remained on his kneeling for a few moments, his hands on your thighs as you stared at one another with hungry eyes. The lights of the gymnasium illuminated his perfectly toned body, and you couldn’t help but stare. His fingers idly moved to grasp the hems of your pants and panties, but his eyes remained locked with yours, to gauge your reaction. When you gave him a small nod, he began removing the garments, and you lifted your hips up to allow them to be removed from your body and join the discarded pile of clothing nearby. Mako quickly stood and took off his sweatpants, leaving both of you completely naked aside from his boxers, before he rejoined you on the gym mat.

Mako returned to his previous position, on his knees between your legs. One arm wrapped around your waist to hold your body firmly against his, and the other hand cradling the back of your head, also enabling him to remain propped up on his elbow. He kissed you again, hard and urgent, and occasionally, your tongues met in the middle, which only made the kiss more desperate. Mako began trailing kisses down your cheek, along your jaw, down your neck, and finally, to your chest. He did all of this slowly, to allow you time to stop him if you wished, but truthfully, you only wished for him to pick up the pace. He then wrapped his lips around the sensitive peak of your breast, the hand that had been around your waist coming up to grope the other. You had half a mind to be embarrassed by the loud moan that fell from your lips, but the other half couldn’t be bothered to care.

After a short while of that bliss, Mako’s hand began trailing down your body as his mouth preoccupied itself with your other breast, palm flat against your skin, before it stopped on your hip, so achingly close to the spot you needed him most. He removed his lips from your breast to gaze up at you, curiosity and desire in his golden irises.

“Is it okay if I…?”

“Yes. Please. Yes.”

You didn’t miss the little smirk that formed on his lips, and your response was all he needed to move his fingers down to your sex, gliding through those lower lips before moving upward to your clit. Mako began rubbing small, precise circles over the sensitive spot, as your eyes rolled back in your head and you let out a long, low moan.

“You’re so wet, baby. Is that all because of me? You been craving this for as long as I have?”

His words brought you somewhere between cloud nine and a burning, raging inferno of desire. Mako had never referred to you by a pet name before, so that plus his dirty talking left you breathless. All you could do was moan once again, but it was cut off by a gasp as his fingers moved downward, and his middle digit sank into you.

Mako groaned and lowered his head to your shoulder. “Spirits, you’re tight.... You’ll be the death of me.”

You were immensely grateful that he didn’t expect a response from you, because you certainly couldn’t have managed one, as his finger began pumping in and out of you. Mako’s pace was slow at first, but he eventually added his ring finger, and all the while, you were rendered a whimpering, moaning, writhing mess beneath him. Eventually, you felt the tell-tale tension in your lower belly, and as you grew louder and your nails began to dig into his skin from their place on his shoulders, Mako put two and two together to determine that you were close to your climax. He moved his fingers even faster, curling them upwards slightly to reach that oh-so-special spot deep inside you, and you were done for. With a string of curses and moans, you came undone, and Mako allowed you a moment to come down from your high before removing his fingers from your core.

Your eyes were still shut as you tried to catch your breath, before you finally looked up and realized Mako had removed his boxers. His length was impressive, and not that you got around much, but it was definitely the best looking one you’d seen. Mako leaned down to bring you into a kiss, and you could feel his member gliding teasingly through your folds. He then grabbed your leg under your knee and held it against his hip, positioning his tip at your entrance, before breaking the kiss to look at you.

“I love you.”

His statement was simple, yet it left you in a brief daze. Right then, through all the heat of the moment, his eyes held nothing but love and sincerity. You had fallen for him a long time ago, and not once looked back, yet you never expected to hear him say what you’d always felt. Hell, you never expected the current events to be transpiring, yet here you were.

“I love you too, Mako.”

With that, he sank into you, and a deep gasp escaped you, as Mako let out a long, deep groan and dropped his head onto your shoulder once again.

“Fuck, you feel a thousand times better than I’d ever imagined,” he whispered, his voice a lower octave than usual, and deliciously rough. You realized that this meant he’d had perverse daydreams about you before, just as you had about him.

“Same to you,” you responded, and he let out a small, breathy chuckle against your skin.

Your mind was then immediately elsewhere, as Mako finally began to move, in slow, deep strokes. The hand beneath your head abruptly grabbed a fistful of hair, just as he began increasing speed, and you moaned incredibly loud, earning a soft groan in response from Mako. He moved both of your calves to his shoulders, and held them there by moving both arms to the back of your head, each grabbing their own handfuls of hair. You outright screamed then, your hands gripping his forearms desperately.

“Mako – fuck – yes, please, just like that! Don’t stop!”

“Anything you want, baby,” Mako said, and you could hear the grin in his voice without even having to see it. He began thrusting even harder, leaning down to lock you in a searing kiss, and the stretch in your thighs from it felt amazing.

True to his word, Mako kept at it, pounding you into the mat at a delectably swift pace. How he felt inside you was indescribable, and he was angled perfectly to hit your g-spot with every thrust. Just as his hands got another tight grip on your hair, you came once again, his name falling from your lips in a scream so loud it made your throat ache.

Mako’s release wasn’t far behind, seemingly aided by you screaming his name, as his hips began to stutter and he let out a growl, before he pulled out to finish on your stomach.

Mako flopped onto his back on the mat beside you, breathing heavily, just as you were. Still staring up at the ceiling, he reached out and held your hand, lacing his fingers with yours and giving it a squeeze.

After a couple minutes, when both of you had finally caught your breaths, Mako rolled onto his side to kiss you, before standing to throw on his boxers and grab a nearby towel. You held out your hand to take it from him, but he ignored you and dropped to one knee beside you, and cleaned his mess off of you himself. You smiled warmly at him, then he kissed your forehead, and gathered up your clothes and returned them to you. The two of you dressed in peaceful silence, before Mako pulled you into an embrace and kissed you tenderly.

“I love you, Mako.”

“I love you too,” he stated, his smile brighter than you’d ever seen.

“Want to go grab lunch?”

“Sure, as long as it’s somewhere quick,” he said matter-of-factly.

“Why?”

“Because I’m dying to do that gain,” Mako reasoned, jerking a thumb in the direction of the mat, where the two of you had been tangled together about ten minutes prior.

You laughed, despite the fact that he was clearly serious – and despite the fact that you agreed with him. So, the two of you left the gym in search of a ‘quick’ bite, hand in hand, both of you feeling far happier than either of you had in a long, long time.

[aangtheairbender]

Autistic Bolin HC / some ADHD HC

Did get diagnosed when he was little, but all that knowledge went out the window when his parents died.

Would have meltdowns and cry for hours when they were taken into custody by a adoption centre. No one really understood why they lasted so long or why it sometimes happened. They just thought it had something to do with the awful circumstances. Mako didn't know what to do either, but all of them saw that Little Bo was the most calm when they were together. And it wasn't like they were ever separated during that time.

Would also have meltdowns on the streets, because noting is constant or stable there. Mako who didn't know how to handle their new life, would get frustrated and yell at him to stop or behave or leave him alone. But after a while, he would comfort him and try to get Bolin to speak or calm down. It was hard for them both.

Could be so exhausted from it all, that he just needed a day to rest at the current home they had. Mako would always hide him well when he went out for food or needed to leave him alone for some time.

Also, on the streets, he could have hours or sometimes a day or two where he was mute. Selectively mute. Those happened more when he and Mako spent the first few years on the streets, before they learned to survive better. They doesn't really happen when he becomes an adult.

Does have texture issues regarding food (especially) and some clothing fabric. Likes soft food the best, which is why dumplings is a big fave and noodles comes on a close second. Rice works if it cooked the way he likes. Is less energetic regarding crunchy food like fresh vegetables and rice crackers. Has learned to push through it tho, because of his hard childhood. They couldn'r really be picky, but there have been times were he has had meltdowns because of food and even gotten sick because he tried to force food down that clashed with his texture issues.

He is able to ignore some of them most of the time. They do eat a lot at the Island or their dad's side of the family. He learned early on that he couldn't afford to be picky with food, so he is able to force food down if he must. Mako sometimes is sneaky and takes the food he knows Bolin can't stomach on his own plate and rolls a dumpling or two back on Bolin's plate.

Stims a lot with his hands. He either plays with his fingers or flaps them. Especially if he's nervous or really excited. Also bonuses his knees a lot or shake his ankle a lot when he is doing mundane things like sitting down and writing etc. Also walks in circle whenever he is really stressed.

When Toza gave them a home at the Arena, he decided that the best way to cope with Bolin's endless amount of babbling and energy, was to just exhaust him with pro-bending practice and daily task reguarding taking care of the Arena when it was closed.

Doesn't really know that he is autistic, is kind of just the way he is. Mako doesn't know either; he just learned to handle Bolin so he wouldn't have meltdown and got used to his reactions to things he liked and didn't like. Or what set him of and what didn't. It was just how Bolin was.

His hyper focus have come in great use through his lifetime. He went through a small phase were he wanted to learn sewing, because it helped him and his brother out, and focused entirely on that for a while. Same with some food recipes he has perfected while he wanted to be better at cooking. Have had his fare share of earth bending exercises where he has just almost spent every waking minute trying to workout.

When he tried to learn lava bending, Mako would usually have to get him out from whatever mountain or forest he was practicing in or drop off some food. He would have spent the whole day there if it wasn't for someone interrupting him and telling him it was time for rest.

Dose get some periods and days were he has a really hard time focusing and stimulating himself, so he struggles a lot with work and just comes off as too over the top for everyone else and too energetic. They tell him to clam down a notch or two- but he can't really help himself. It exhausting for everyone, but worst for Bolin.

A little bit too talkative sometimes and too overbearing without knowing it.

Is pretty great at masking.

Finds people confusing most of the time, since he can't really read a room or people for that matter. Tries to mimic other people, but it doesn't really help him. Likes Varrick for this reason, since he is most of the time straight forward about the tasks and stuff he wants to do or wants other people to do.

Army was also easy for him to adapt to, since they did follow a fairly monotone working schedule the first years in regards of change in the weekly plan. Likes also that officers and people up in the higher rank just tells him what to do, without giving him much choice to do otherwise.

I think Lin would actually pick up on it. Maybe even Asami and Opal too. Lin would pick it up when Bolin worked as an officer under her. There would be other neurodivergent workers in the department, and it's important that they know stuff like that because it can interfere with their work in regards on how they need to work to function and the reaction they will have during certain circumstances.

She would just observe him and kind of just pick up the clues here and there and it kind of just clicks the longer she observes him on work and off work. Since he hand't mention it, Lin ask one time and Bolin just gives him a blank stare.

Bolin goes to Mako and asks him about it, and Mako doesn't really have any clue what he is talking about- since he doesn't really know a lot about stuff like that either. Lin talks about what she has observed and Mako kind of understands that is more to Bolin than he though. Bolin just gets more confused.

Mako borrows a few books from the Island and reads up on the matter and a lot of the behaviour and things alike matches his brother behaviour. Also ask Opal about it, and she tells him that she kind of though it was something underlying, but didn't want to be rude to just ask it straight out. And Bolin had never once mentioned, so she just thought she was just looking too deep into something.

Mako feels kind of shitty since he didn't pick up on it sooner. Which was impossible for him since he didn't even know what it was. He just wishes he could make Bolin's life easier.

When Bolin actually get the diagnosis, he is both relieved and has a little crisis because he never understood while he did thing like he did. Mako tells him he will help him figure more of this out.

[fruitlicense]

Why Mako and Bolin are initially (and arguably continually) shit at relationships

Okay, I’ll preface this by admitting that I love both Mako and Bolin. I know some of you absolutely hate Mako and while he did do some dumb shit, I don’t think we’re at the level where bemoaning the fact that he didn’t die violently is necessary. Is he problematic? Yeah, but he’s also redeemable, and a little thought about his and his brother’s backstory goes a long way to explaining why he was so shitty to begin with.

The big question is this: where did Mako and Bolin get their understandings of what a healthy romantic relationship should be?

1. Their Parents

Assuming that San and Naoki had a loving relationship, which I’m assuming they did because they look pretty happy in this (fuzzy, sorry) picture and also because of Yin’s description of what San’s letter home said (“It says he married a beautiful girl from the Fire Nation, and had two wonderful sons.”), they were Mako and Bolin’s first understanding of what a healthy romantic relationship should be.

As parents, San and Naoki should have exemplified and taught what was okay and what wasn’t. Unfortunately, they died when Mako was eight and Bolin was six - not really ages at which you’re gonna get into discussing the nuances of romance with your kids. They probably got the basic consent stuff that people see in day-to-day life (always ask before you just take something, share your toys, don’t handle other kids roughly, etc.) but I doubt they were taught much more than that. As for the stuff they learned from observing? Childhood memories can get hazy, and they were relatively young at the time. Chances are they didn’t understand much, since they just didn’t have the context for it.

2. Media???

This is an admittedly shaky point, but since they live in a society that has books, newspapers, radios, and (later) movers, Mako and Bolin probably picked some stuff up about romance just by living in the world. There are definitely some romance novels out there that probably shouldn’t be used to dish out romantic advice, as Jinora and Ikki proved in Book 1, Episode 5.

This is just a (fuzzy again, sorry) screenshot of the episode transcript from the Avatar wiki so you can get a more specific idea, but my point is, getting romantic advice from a book in the Avatar universe is about as helpful as it is in our world - it’s a toss-up whether or not you’re going to get something remotely useful. I can’t say for sure if Mako and Bolin had access to books and radio shows with romantic plotlines before the start of the show (apparently according to the wiki, Mako read some of Jinora’s books after he broke up with Korra, it’s in the trivia section), but it’s worth speculating to cover my bases.

3. The Triple Threat Triad

This is the big one, folks. If Mako and Bolin’s parents died too early to teach them about healthy romantic relationships and there’s no guarantee what they were able to pick up from the media... that means that Mako and Bolin spent their early teenage years learning everything there was to know about romance from the Triple Threat Triad.

I shouldn’t have to explain why Triad members are the literal worst people to learn any life lesson from (except maybe Ozai), but imagine this hypothetical situation: you are a thirteen-year-old boy with your first real crush, and the most approachable person you can go to for advice is a dude nicknamed Shady fucking Shin. No wonder Mako was a hopeless mess! Triad members seem like they’re predominately concerned with getting what they want (money, power, respect) and saving face, and none of that translates well to equal, respectful, honest, healthy romantic relationships. If you’re looking for people who’d condone or even encourage cheating on a partner, lying to a partner, and/or leading a romantic interest on (not to mention writing off women as crazy fangirls or potential girlfriends you can weigh the benefits of and pick as favorites), an organized crime syndicate will probably turn someone up. I don’t think that Mako necessarily believed in that stuff, but I think he internalized some of those examples, and when you throw the kid into a pile of emotional turmoil, he’s going to fall back on the stuff he knows, which in this case was some profoundly shitty stuff.

The Triad bullshit would probably also explain Bolin’s flawed flirting tactics - assuming that every girl you meet is into you (Korra, Ginger) and whatever weird exaggerated stuff was going on in the very beginning of his relationship with Opal (before she called him out on it) seem like things an impressionable kid might have picked up from some not-so-great role models. Luckily for Bolin, it seems like he did eventually understand why that stuff wasn’t cool and made an effort to stop. He’s a good kid at heart.

4. Other Pro-benders

We can hope that maybe Toza or another bending mentor got Mako and Bolin back on the right track once they started living at the pro-bending arena, but honestly, we don’t have much information on how connected they were to other pro-benders. We do know that they were in pretty deep with the Triple Threats, since Mako was learning lightning techniques from their leader.

My overall point is this: Mako and Bolin - but especially Mako - made some shitty mistakes regarding romantic relationships. I don’t condone their actions, but I can see how they might have picked up those bad habits from the few role models they had in their lives - especially since they’re only eighteen and sixteen at the beginning of the show (eighteen-year-olds and sixteen-year-olds are incredibly stupid. not many people are at their best in high school). I’m not asking anyone to forgive characters they don’t want to forgive or suddenly switch their stances on who they hate and who they don’t, but I do think that context can explain why good characters do shitty things and give them a chance to at least be redeemable.

I’m not trying to start any arguments either, just throwing some ideas out there.

-

A final quick aside: when San and Naoki died, Mako took on the role of “parent” for Bolin, which led to Mako becoming reliant on a sense of control. This isn’t super relevant to my overarching point here, but I wanted to mention it somewhere since it does provide some explanation (NOT justification) for Mako’s constant need to be in control and how that influenced his actions.

[graveyard-tales]

I have a lot of thoughts. *jesters awkwardly to this post*

I just want Toza more involved with the boy’s life. 

There’s a lot of fucking hcs in here too.

‘Cause I mean, Mako and Bolin had lived in some pretty toxic environments. It wouldn’t be a stretch that both of them picked up some bad habits. No matter how much Mako may have tried to shield it from Bolin, especially if he was picking them up himself.  And they just got off the street! They literally just started their road to recovery!

Imagine Toza. He’s not their dad, he doesn’t pretend to be and honestly he doesn’t want to be. But Bolin worked himself under Toza’s skin so fast and under all that venom, Mako really is a good boy. God damn he falls so hard so fast and just wants to protect these boys. So he is now their uncle.

Some asshole notified the police with their “concerns” about the rumor of two kids living in the probending attic. That was the first day that Toza saw their adoption papers that Mako so helpfully provided. Proof that their dear uncle, on their father’s side of course, adopted them after their parents passed. They’re father years before, a badger-mole trainer tragically mauled by his own moles. And they’re mother had fallen ill after braving the cold in a desperate hunting trip up north. She passed quiet, but tragically. Toza learned quickly that Bolin liked to embellish.

T: These papers look real. M: That’s the point. T: We’re you get them? M: Don’t worry about it.

Toza doesn't worry over the connections a 15 yr old former criminal might have, he doesn’t.

T: Where did that jacket come from? B: Oh, we were at the par- M: Don’t worry about it.

But Toza should probably talk to them about stealing before it leads back to him and gets them all in trouble.

Swearing is another matter that Toza doesn’t necessarily have a problem with, only ... they do it so much. Tiny, thin sailors, these boys. Mako makes an effort to scold Bolin for is language, ever trying to be the adult, the parent. But he’s the worst out of both of them. He’s good at holding his tongue around certain adults, figures of authority. Somehow becoming their “uncle” took Toza out of that category.

Finding out Mako could generate lightning nearly scare the life from his old body. He wasn’t ready yet, dammit. Toza was just dumping busted training dummy behind the building when boom, lightning. He’s kind of overacting. Mako wasn’t even near him and he was aiming at the water. Toza is just surprised a 15 yr old is the one behind it and is scary fucking good at it. But not as surprised as he is to find out that Mako’s the “boss’s pet project” he’s heard whispered when he was making deals the Triple Threats. He wisely doesn’t mention anything when Mako tells him Zolt taught him. 

Listen, they spent enough time around triad members to be on familiar terms. With some of, what seemed to be, their “top guys” too boot. Bolin and Mako are a little sexist. Mostly Mako. Not horribly so but more like ignorantly so. 

“”What do you mean I shouldn’t call a woman a doll/broad/skirt/babe/kitten??? (yeah I lightly looked into 20′s slang, i like to have a little fun as a treat)

They call a woman dame, maybe expect her to be girly and sexy but never underestimate their strength kind of thing. If they spent enough time around those guys to be familiar with, and grown up on the streets, they definitely interacted with the sex workers that “worked” for the triads. If not just seen them in passing.

Toza is an old bear that can still get it, but that’s not relevant. What is relevant is that he know a repressed bi teen when he sees one. Mako hasn’t been around a healthy relationship since he was eight and he’s been around mostly straight men. And no one has talked to him about anything. His “talk” was from a triad man with a woman on his lap, who was mostly out to tease/mock him. And no one ever mentioned men when they talked about sex.

So Mako pushed that shit right down. (Along with his attraction to women and his emotion’s honestly. Conceal don’t feel. Mako would be a big fan of Elsa I think.) It doesn’t help the load of self loathing the kid has. Toza is super casually gay around him but they don’t actually talk about it. (Hey he didn’t ask for kids, he literally doesn’t know how to tell Mako he needs to be kinder to himself and actually have him listen. He’s pretty sure he’d rather jump out of the building then try to think about how to approach Mako’s unhealthy need for control.)

Bolin has some issues with self doubt but Mako is surprisingly good at pep talks and reassurances. For Bolin only, Toza realizes, everyone else can fuck off he guesses. It’s mostly around his self imagine and his bending, Bolin doesn’t realize he’s a phenomenal bender for his age. 

Bolin just up and disappears one day and it’s the first time Toza see’s Mako lose his control. At first seems normal, tense and angry but not a far cry from how he usually is. But then he starts talking to Mako, asking about Bolin and he can just hear it in the kid’s voice that Mako is freaking the fuck out. Mako is just about to scour the city with Toza “reluctantly” tagging along when Bolin comes back.

He’s got a black eye and is cover in scrapes but has a good handful of coin and a bag of hot, fresh food. Apparently Bolin got dragged into a literally underground Earth Rumble and won. (Let’s be honest, Bolin would be the one to get dragged into a fight club.)

It’s the first time Toza see’s Mako actually yell at Bolin. So angry fire trailed his breath. Toza doesn’t cut in but he does feel bad for Bolin who just sits back and takes the scolding. Of course Bolin hug’s his brother the moment it’s done, apologizes for worrying him and they’re good literally the next minute.

It’s hardly the last time Bolin and Mako sneak into building all bloody and scuffed up. Mako is just much better at sneaking in then Bolin which is how he’s able to get to the lockers without anyone seeing him. Toza found him by accident honestly. Kids’s beat to shit but it’s not too bad. A little blood that needs to be cleaned up, some scraps that need to be patched. Says he’s had worst and Toza believes him. 

Toza never finds out what happen just that something in Mako snapped that day. Just was dealing with too much at one moment and was unable to push it down. So Toza had sat with Mako until his ass was numb as he rubbed Mako’s back. And Mako curled around himself as tightly as he could and cried like, well, cried like a kid who lost everything too young and was force to grow up too fast while dealing with too much at one time.

It’s the only time he’s seen Mako cry but Toza figures he handled it as rightly as he could. Handled it perfectly as far as Mako is concerned as the kid will sit with him, close and quiet sometimes. With the only signs that it’s a day that’s been too much is shaky hands and sometimes red eyes. 

Bolin is a huger and Toza absolutely has no problems with it. Crying into his shirt and blowing snot all over it when the kid is being dramatic is another matter. Toza learned that it was okay to be annoyed with this, even with Mako around. When Bolin cried, really cries he was a lot more quiet and clinged so tightly like he was holding on for dear life. He never did this to Toza but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t seen it. He doesn’t think either of the boys noticed when he caught them. Sometimes even naps weren’t safe from nightmares.

Okay, shit, wait I wrote so much ... I have more but this post is already long enough sjdfhgajksd

I just realized how much I love Toza or rather who I personally imagine him to be since he’s a nobody in lok and there is not enough content for him. 

And I just like to imagine Mako and Bolin are kind of shitty at that stage in their life because they literally don’t know much better. It’s the shitty people who were the ones that were willing to use them enough to keep them alive. It’s just how they had to adapt. They’re not bad just ... morally skewed. 

[reclaiming-god]

hi toza! i love your blog and everything you reblog. i'm an agnostic/atheist but nowadays, i find myself hoping for more structure, hoping to find answers, hoping to find something more fulfilling than atheism. don't get me wrong, i'm deeply skeptical and horrified by most mainstream institutional organized religious beliefs (homophobia, misogyny, transphobia etc) but i'm also worried of believing in a god that hates the same things i do. part 1

 but i also 100% believe in everything you said in your ask on feb 12. my question is - can you talk about any resources or give me advice that’s useful? i just want to find out the truth but i also refuse to join any faith that denigrates the dignity of any human. i hope i made sense!! thank you so much for your help. part 2

Hello, dear anon!

First of all, I’m very honored that you have come to me for something so important. I will do my best to trying to answer in a satisfactory way!

I’m a Christian anarchist who has grown up in a very traditional Polish Catholic environment with little religious diversity so of course I’ll be speaking from the perspective of such a Christian (but I do encourage you to maybe send some asks to progressive religious blogs of different faiths on here if you’re looking into more than Christianity in terms of finding religious meaning).

I think many of us - as in, Christians who align more with progressive Christianity, non-mainstream beliefs, and liberation theology - have felt a very similar disillusionment with the bigotry and narrow-mindedness of the mainstream Christian status quo, so you’re in similar-minded company here! Unfortunately, it’s very hard to ignore these prevalent problems within the system, whose damage over the millennia cannot be easily undone.

The best advice I can give you is that religion, finding those “more fulfilling” answers, is all about introspection within yourself. Ultimately, it’s up to us to search within ourselves for the truth of God and the real nature of Them - and it’s never an easy journey. It’s confusing, it’s messy, there is so much doubt. And most of all, it’s hard; it’s hard to truly find God that’s not just an idol that believes all the same things we do and hates all the same things we do. So even if the established beliefs are this or that, it’s up to the individual to feel the divine nature of God within themselves and lead their lives accordingly. Religion is not something that’s entirely taught, it must also be felt.

Faith has led people down a path of death, degradation of human life, and bigotry, yes, but it has also led people down a path of selflessness and astounding love. You’ll often find that the former kind have been taught religion but not have done that feeling, the critical self-reflection, have not really looked into themselves and the world around them but rather follow beliefs that have been hammered into them by their environment, by the larger establishment, by centuries of conflicting history.

So yeah, hope that was at least a bit helpful! As for resources, I don’t really have many because I’ve been experiencing a low in my own religious beliefs lately, but I can direct you to @hymnsofheresy‘s blog if you haven’t been on it already! Their faith and constant search for truth within religion and the struggle with it is is really inspiring and insightful!  You’ll maybe want to look into liberation theology as well.

Followers, if you have any resources for anon, please share them!

I wish you the best of luck!

- Toza

[aangtheairbender]

Headcanons about Bolin and Mako

Bolin's fave food is steamed dumplings and Mako does like dango the most. Mako has the sweet-tooth of the two of them.

Both boys loves spicy food and could eat their whole family under the table. Korra and Asami can't stand spicy food, while they just shrug at them.

Grandma and the rest of their extended family have cooked and makes traditional Earth Kingdom dishes, and while they love the food- spicy food always wins

Bolin is undiagnosed autistic and ADHD. Or he was disgnoesed when he was little, but that kind of got forgotten when he and Mako was put into care under an orphanage and eventually escaped to the streets. Mako has lived with Bolin his whole life, and just thinks that is just the way he is and know how to make him comfortable and work with Bolin the best. Neither knows, but a few family members have their suspicion.

Both of them helps with house chores. Mako is quicker, just because he doesn't get distracted as much as Bolin.

Both brothers love to listen to the radio and music, especially. Bolin liked the regular radio programs and loves to follow some soap drama or romcom story. Mako likes to listen to music or just the news. He listen to whatever is on, but prefers some funky upbeat piece. Both brothers still listens to pro-bending matches during the season together when they can.

Asami did notice how they liked music so much, and gave them a record player plus some plates they could use. Mako and Bolin was very grateful and uses it at least once a day. While Mako likes pop, Bolin has more of a love for classical music.

Mako does love Pabu. He is a part of the family and he makes his little brother happy. But he does hate it when Pabu get sick on the carpet, because Bolin have given the poor animal too much human food or Pabu brings dead rodents home and hide them under the couch.

Their first apartment, was a one bedroom one. They would fold or hang up their futons every day and lay them out every night. They worked together about this. Like in the start, when Mako had just started working as a cop, Bolin would make both futons ready when he had a late night patrol. Or, when Bolin's pro-bending team flunked, Mako had the futons ready for Bolin to just rest up.

Toza thought them to cook easy foods and how to fold dumpling, steamed buns and onigiris.

Both liked physical touch and often sit shoulder to shoulder when they are just hanging out. Hugging and feeling the other brother close to them, is just a sign that the other one is alive and well. Something they fought to tooth and nail when they were little. So they do love hugging and just being close. Mako loved to ruffle Bolin's hair, while Bolin is more about side hugs.

Bolin was born roughly a month after the autumn equinox. That will be late October for us. Mako is born a few days after the summer solstice. That makes Bolin and Mako roughly two years and a few months apart in age.

[graveyard-tales]

Mako and Bolin were damn good benders. It wasn’t apparent at first and honestly, Toza wasn’t expecting much but they surprised him with their self taught skills. Well, mostly. Toza was able to pick up that Mako had someone showing him the ropes in the Triple Treats. Nothing formal and a bit underhanded, that’d certainly be considered dirty fighting. But he wasn’t stupid enough to thing there was such a thing as a fair fight on the streets. Bolin was all together something special in terms of bending. 

Kid didn’t know a lick of traditional earth stances and most of his moves started with “I came up with this while watching Mako”. Because of that Bolin was very light-footed, never standing firm. His movements included many somersaults and many times where his body left the ground. By any teacher’s point of view, Bolin was a bit of a disgrace to earthbending. And it’s what made his bending so fantastic. 

Bolin’s style made him hard to hit, made him unpredictable. He had a tendency to be a bit of a showboat and telegraph some of those unique movies but even so he was quick too. In the arena you couldn’t root yourself so firmly the way earthbenders were so accustomed too. You had to be able to move and quickly. But even having been a pro for so long, Toza couldn’t help but be a little impressed with Bolin. He couldn’t help but feel he’d do just fine in the pro-bending arena.

“Good, good, that move is perfect if yer aimin’ to take a man’s head off.” An old friend by the name of Moha droned. “If you put as much effort into listening to me as you are in killin’ dummies you might have an ounce of potential.” Toza recruited him to give Mako some tips, teach him the rules a bit. A decision he was coming to regret. Mako ignored the older man, spinning into a jump and fire following his kick. With impressive force, fire hit and took a good chunk of the dummies head. With a sniff Mako looked back at Moha, his face mixed between challenging, defiant and completely apathetic. 

Clearly Mako didn’t take getting told what to do so well. To be fair it was hard to alter your fighting style at the drop of a hat and Toza should have considered Moha’s lack of patience in this. But Mako didn’t have to take each criticism as a challenge. Toza knew he could take orders well enough but in terms of teaching him bending Mako was a bit stubborn. He knew what worked for him and stuck with it. Unfortunately most of these moves of his were illegal shots in the game. Mako picked up on the rules but he kept slipping up in their little practice here. 

At first things were going perfectly well and the two firebenders were behaving civilly. But Mako got caught up in the training and made a handful of mistakes, each shot towards the dummy too long and high to be within the rules. Moha simply pointed out what Mako did wrong and that’s where things began to sour. Also is when Toza learned that Mako didn’t like to make mistakes let alone have them pointed them out to him, apparently. Mako started to get frustrated with himself which caused him to make more mistakes which made him more frustrated with Moha and Moha losing patients with him. It’s been a long hour. 

“Mako had a bad night.” Bolin said quietly beside him, Toza looked down and saw the uncertain look on his face. The younger boy began to fidget, hands grabbing at his side and twisting in the fabric. “He’s a real good bender, ‘n he’s real good at followin’ orders.” Bolin defended his brother and Toza realized, looking to Mako again, that the perpetual dark circles under his eyes did seem darker today.

Toza sighed, scratching the back of his head. Watching Moha and Mako silently glare at each other. “You two need to get out.” Bolin’s face quickly morphed from nervousness to panic, Toza raised a reassuring hand. “You boys have been held up in here for three weeks, go out, make some trouble in the city for a while.” Bolin relaxed and his brows raised in something akin to surprise. 

“You mean we can leave? Just, whenever we want?” Toza was silent for a long moment just staring at Bolin before his palm met his face.

“‘Course you can leave, you’re rentin’ the place not a prisoner” he groaned, running his hand down his face. 

“Well I don’t know! I’ve never rented a place b’for!”

“So what, you two just accepted never leavin’? No wonder you two are wound tight today if neither of ya have been outside the damn place in nearly three weeks!” Instead of answering Bolin looked off to the side. Snorting, Toza shook his head at Bolin’s sudden obviousness. So they have been out but they’ve been doing it sneakily. Looking over he noticed that Mako and Moha were now looking their way, drawn in by their exasperating little conversation. 

“Alright, get up outta my gym, the three of ya.” Mako wasted no time to begin walking towards the exit. “Once you’re clean I expect you three to meet me out front in ten minutes.” Mako stopped and looked his way, brow raised. Bolin and Moha looked equally confused. “Lunch, my treat.” As expected Bolin looked excited, Mako looked suspicious, and Moha just grunted how he was owed that for his troubles anyways. 

Toza just walked away grumbling about stupidly skilled kids and their strange notions about renting and being trapped. He grumbled even harder about how the kids have a strange power to make him care about them. With a sigh he made his way to the locker room to remove the padding of his training gear. All gear being pleasantly cleaned more frequently since Bolin and Mako were taken on board. Within his locker he took out his light wallet and sighed. Well, at least he knows he won’t have to worry Mako and Bolin complaining about the cheap street food they were about to consume.

[reclaiming-god]

Do you have any suggestions for being a spiritual leader? More and more I've found myself holding the position of spiritual leader between my partner and I (which they willingly let me do), but being female I wasn't taught how because it was considered the man's job. But should my partner and I get married, I want to be able to be a spiritual leader for them.

Hello! I’m honored that you came for advice to me.

I’m quite young myself, and have virtually no experience in relationships, but here’s what I can tell you about being a spiritual leader for others:

Find out as much as you can, from both a theological perspective of things and personal perspectives of others & reinforce and deepen your faith.

I know that probably makes little to no sense, so let me shed some light on this from my personal experience…

- “Find out as much as you can, from both a theological perspective of things and personal perspectives of others“

A while after I first realized I’m not straight, I began to really be pulled back into the subject of my religion, Catholicism. For a few years, I’ve been what you could call a …“heretic”, of sorts: religion class was a source of laughs and a center of ridicule for me, everything just sounded absolutely ridiculous. I would be bemused, and admittedly, a little angry. The concept of a “God” who was so hateful and “strict” was unbearable. This strong defensive reaction was largely due to me struggling with my not-so-straight identity, and the Roman Catholic Church’s extremely negative stance on “homosexuality.”

But as time went on, I noticed that there were quite a few “queer” theologies on the matter. So I took a dive into the deep waters of the internet, and began searching for affirmation of my identity – and eventually found the Jesus In Love blog, now known as qspirit.net. From there, everything just took off: I was reading everything possible on the matter, looking at original Bible texts, searching for LGBTQ+ affirming churches and religious organizations. I was looking for what others had to say on the matter, how they interpreted it. 

And at some point during this search, I started telling everything I’ve learned to my LGBTQ friends. Then to anyone who was doubting. Then to anyone who would listen to me. In my head, I formulated an argument and rebuked it with what I’ve learned.

A huge part of being a leader is knowing. Doesn’t mean you have to know everything – if you don’t, figure it out together – but know as much as you can possibly think of. To be a guide, you have to know the map.

     2. “Reinforce and deepen your faith”

This is the most difficult part, to do and to explain. Sure, you could know everything there is to know about something, but without dedication and personal meaning, it feels a little hollow. So know your religion, and dedicate yourself to it truly, with passion. With feeling.

I did all the research, I read the “indecent” theologies; I was really growing closer to God. But I was still distant, so very distant, and God – especially Jesus – felt distant too. So I read some more, about the Gospels, about His message, about the teachings. But it’s not enough just to read: you have to take the message to heart, to apply it to something personal, to your life. At some point, it happened so fast I don’t even know when, I realized that… wow, this makes me want to go and do good? This even further fuels my desire to be an activist for the LGBTQ community? Agh… this is so hard to explain but… what happened after happened slowly, but oh so surely: I began to love Jesus, and love God, because the teachings have gained such a personal meaning to me, and they were just so good. You can’t help loving Jesus, you know? He’s done so much good, whether you believe He was the Son of God or not. You cannot help but to love a person who taught such beautiful ideals as Jesus did. Then, I found people who… humanized Jesus. Who pointed out that He laughed like we laugh, that He cried like we cry, that He was angry like we are angry. That He had things He liked to do and food He liked to eat. I could see myself in the man that lived and died 2000 years ago, seemingly worlds away. That, above everything, was the final catalyst. My faith became absolute for me, so deeply personal, as deep as an ocean.

From there, every time I talked about religion with someone, my ability to convey the things I have learned just became so much better. Not so long ago, I held a two or so hour conversation about religion with a friend who is not so religious herself. And it wasn’t a one-sided conversation either – we both were exchanging views and highkey criticizing the Roman Catholic Church.

So yeah! I hope this advice-by-personal-example helped in some way. When you’re dedicated and/or passionate about something, that something is just so much more when you talk about it. And I think that’s what being a leader is, really: knowing, and inspiring others to know, to feel, from your example. Leading others.

I wish you the best of luck! God bless you!

– Toza