#guess who just got a lecture from a politician

[sleepycloudia]

Friends dont let friends abuse human rights

- NZ Green Party Co-Leader Chlöe Swarbrick

[wangxianficfinder]

Fic Finder

Oct 25th

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1. Hi. I’m looking for a fic and I don’t have a ton to go on, so here’s hoping someone knows which fic! I’m looking for a canon divergence, possibly a fix it or time travel fix it. It’s NOT the dynasty fic where WWX is WRH nephew and he disappears from the lectures. The specific scene I have in my mind is WWX avoiding the arriving sects at night less city, no one knows he’s been with the dafan wen or I guess where he had been. I know it makes a point to stress he’s dressed with care and in robes that are much nicer than he ever had with the jiang, I know they are using wen yuan to distract him bc he’s nervous about madam yu and the jiang arriving, I know wen Qing gives him an aggressive supportive pep talk in an inner courtyard while he basically is sitting there catastrophising. I can’t remember who is meant to be the wen sect leader, whether it’s wen Qing, wen Ning, or popo or maybe WWX?? I don’t think HE is the sect leader. LWJ might know he’s there and anticipating the sects arriving as well because he’s nervous how people will react seeing him there. I can’t remember if when Qing and wen Ning are time travelers. It’s KILLING MEEEE. I’ve been hunting thru my bookmarks and all the tags I can think of and I’m not finding anything. I know it’s complete and most likely over 20k words. (I’m wondering now if it’s that one he uses a talisman to make a lightning trap to save dafan village from a legendary beast??? And there’s flooding?? And LWJ and JWY happen upon him afterwards Idk I could be wrong) @takemitchyleaps

FOUND? We'll Build A Dynasty (one the heavens can't shake) by One_eyed_God (T, 66k, WangXian, canon typical Jiang family dynamics, BAMF WWX, Canon JC Characteristics, POV Outsider, Hurt/Comfort, Pre-Relationship, WWX is a Wen, Sect Leader WWX, Genius WWX, The Casual Intimacy of Hand-Holding, Minor XuanLi, Not JC Friendly, Time Travel Fix-It)

FOUND? Cultivating immortality by KizuKatana (E, 231k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Rogue Cultivator WWX, Mutual Pining, BAMF WWX, BAMF LWJ, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, unreliable narrator, Found Family, First Time, novel canon relationship dynamics) Is this the one mentioned in #1 parentheses

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2. Hello ! I was searching for a fanfiction where WWX was under Lwj care who spanked him and punished him but also took care of him . It comes in series... Lwj master in CR. In one series LWj beat Wwx so much that he himself got punishment in ancestral hall. I remember reading it a few years back but can't find it now

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3. Hii!!! Can you help me find a fic where wwx dies in guanyin temple and promise lwj that he will return. Then wwx is reborn in the modern world where he is a scientist and a politician son. He sometimes remember lwj through dreams. He also has a girl best friend who helps him. Later he makes a machine to return to lwj in cloud recess and they reunite.

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4. Hello! i'm not entirely sure if i've mashed two together in my head or if it really is just one fic but here it goes: Lan zhan and wei ying are neighbors. a-yuan is wei ying's son, lan zhan works with a class of students on music cultivation. wei ying and a-yuan are actually hiding out from the wen's and the culminating scene has a-yuan possessed and needing to be cleansed and lan zhan and his students helping. I believe it was a multi chapter fic too. thank you so much!!

FOUND? Hear a song this deeply by so_shhy (T, 87k, WangXian, Modern Cultivation, Kind of academia AU, Music, Kid Fic, Canon-Typical Violence, Action/Adventure, To An Extent, canon-typical JGY behaviour, Original Character(s), Slow Burn, Fluff and Angst, we love us some tragic backstory, Happy Ending, for wangxian at least, [slaps fic] this baby can fit so much plot in it)

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5. Hello, I'm looking for a fic I've read before. Wei ying is at the lectures in CR and sees that Lan Zhan receives presents from people but rejects them. He was befriending him and thinks that lan zhan won't reject his present ..so he gives him a jade pendant. But lan zhan crushes it and WY gets mad about it and starts to avoid lz.

It was completed and I think just one chapter. Thanks in advance @smarti1997

FOUND? For you by 10thNoNamePerson (T, 16k, WangXian, Cloud Recesses Study Arc, Cloud Recesses Shenanigans, Canon Divergence, No War AU, Teen Wangxian, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Jealous WWX, Soft WangXian, No Sunshot Campaign)

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6. good day! so i was reading this wangxian dimension travel fic and i suddenly remember that one story; a student from modern world lost her way in the forest and kinda met wwx who just became yiling patriarch. i think her name is lily? or something close to that name. i know that i bookmarked it before and i dont know why but i cant find it (not sure if im using the correct tags or what) pls help me find it. thank you for ur help! 💙

additional info:: i think her bag is color yellow? she also went with wy to kill wen chao and thats how jc and lz met her. theres also a scene where she stopped wy during "the soup" encounter with jzx and she got hurt. @httpskaixx

hello! actually, the "i told u when i came i was a stranger" was the story i was reading when i submitted my ask. i followed the note and search it with "isekai" tag and i found it!! the story i was looking for is "wait a minute!" thankyou so much!

NOT FOUND! i told you when i came i was a stranger by Caramelized (M, 50k, OFC/LXC, minor WangXian, Isekai, Transmigration, Fix-It, Canon Divergence, Amateur cartography, Butterfly Effect, Sunshot Campaign, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, No Golden Core Transfer, Dimension Travel, Politics, LXC the politician, Self-Insert, Foreknowledge, Angst with a Happy Ending) If not, the requester might want to search "isekai" for The Untamed or Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù on AO3.

FOUND! Wait a minute! by Anonymous (T, 45k, WangXian, World Travel, Dimension Travel, Canon Divergence, Transmigration, Crack Treated Seriously, Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Fluff and Angst, Attempt at Humor, I've Been Told That OC has Kagome From Inuyasha Vibes, Isekai)

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7. JGY kills nie huasaing and delivers his saber to NMJ which reveals what actually happened to him so now Wei Ying, with the help of Lan Zhan, must resurrect NHS (at NMJ’s “request”) wen Ning style before NMJ kills like everyone. I’ve been looking on AO3 but the fic might have been on tumblr or cross posted. @i-cant-think-of-one-meh

FOUND? Digging Graves by nirejseki (Not rated, 13k, NHS & NMJ, WWX & XY, wangxian, Revenge, Broken Moral System, Non-Graphic Violence, the masterless sabers)

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8. Hi! I'm looking for a fic where Wei Ying is an ex-model who had an iconic magazine photoshoot (inspired by Burt Reynolds apparently), and a younger Lan Zhan is a big fan of him. Lan Zhan encounters him on a coffee run and they get together. I vaguely remember Wei Ying shouting that he's a cougar. I guess the title is along the lines of "came for the coffee" but I'm not sure anymore since I really can't find it. Thank you so much!

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9. Hi I’m looking for a fic that might have been deleted but I’m really hoping I’m just missing it. It was a one shot on the longer side, ABO dynamics, where LWJ turns WWX into an omega when they end up quarantining together over the pandemic. It used to come up pretty high when I sorted by kudos, so hopefully someone’s heard of it :( thank you so much!

FOUND! the twisting of secondary genders by HeavenlySkyfarer (E, 7k, WangXian, Modern, A/B/O, Non-Consensual Secondary Gender Modification, Extremely Dubious Consent, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Forced Heat, Baby Trapping, Questionable Use of The Quarantine As A Plot-Device For Questionable Porn, Dark LWJ)

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10. hii!! i've been looking for this specific fic thats on ao3 for a while.. the jist is lan zhan and wei ying are living together post-canon as a happy couple until they go night hunting together to figure out this pattern of suicides in a town or something? they don't really find much and head back home but it turns out lan zhan has gotten cursed and is now slowly declining mental health wise-- he pulls away from wei ying (to which wei ying is very sad about) and eventually tries to leave on bichen in the middle of night to go commit suicide, but wei ying catches him, realizes he's cursed, and helps him and then yay happy ending? thank you! @hyperizzation

FOUND! What lies beneath the bones series by seachronicles (E, 104k, WangXian, LSZ & LWJ, LXC & LWJ, LQR & LWJ, Hurt/Comfort, Heavy Angst with a Happy Ending, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied Childhood Sexual Abuse, Childhood Trauma, Trauma Recovery, Rape Recovery, PTSD, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Disordered Eating, Survivor Guilt, Grief/Mourning, Canon Divergence, WangXian Get a Happy Ending, Suicide Attempt, Implied/Referenced Sex, Hurt LWJ, LWJ Needs a Hug, LWJ Whump, POV LWJ, Character Study, LWJ is Not Okay, Mental Health Issues, Post-Canon, Sad LWJ, Depressed LWJ, Self-Esteem Issues, Canonical Character Death, LWJ-centric, Touch-Starved LWJ, Case Fic, Night Hunt, Ghosts, Curses, Suicide, conversations about suicide, Past Sexual Abuse, Past Child Abuse, only referenced, WWX Takes Care of LWJ, Soft WWX, Hurt WWX, but differently, Guilt, WWX gives him the hug, POV WWX, Self-Harm, nothing too graphic, Established Relationship, Mystery, Hair Washing, Wound Tending, WWX is So Whipped, wangxian literally live their cottagecore dream, WangXian in Love, Secrets, LWJ has a secret, Vulnerability, Drunk LWJ, Protective WWX, Miscommunication, Soft LWJ, Eating Disorders, Suicidal Thoughts, Recovery, LWJ needs therapy, he gets that therapy, LXC Tries, LQR Being an Asshole, Dad LWJ, Chronic Pain, Dissociation, LWJ Has OCD, Sex between Wangxian, Dubious Consent, because they don't know how to communicate, They Learn, Happy consensual sex, Mild Smut, Eventual Smut, Aftercare, Fluff and Smut)

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11. Searching really hard for a fic where wwx adopts a-yuan without telling anyone but lwj thinks a-yuan is wwx's bf, so when wwx finally asks him out and kisses him , lwj refuses and tells he never knew wwx was the kind of guy to cheat. He apologizes to wwx later when a-yuan visits him in university, I think. @maskdmafia

FOUND?🔒 breathe in the air, the last of its kind by wereworm (T, 27k, WangXian, Modern, assumed cheating, Miscommunication, gc transfer modernised as hand-wavey illness (referenced/implied), 5+1 Things)

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12. I read a fanfic awhile back where child Lan Zhan meets child Wei Ying while Wei Ying is still on the streets as an orphan. Lan Zhan gives him something, I can’t remember if it’s a toy or food. Then for the following years Lan Zhan spends time trying to find Wei Ying to check up on him using musical cultivation. There’s a woman who he calls to find him, one day she does find him. I believe it’s around the time Wei Ying and Jiang Cheng arrive at the cloud recesses.

I also think, and I might be combining two different fics here but hopefully I’m not, but the following plot is them falling in love while Wei Ying comes to term with the horrific and graphic abuse that Yu Ziyuan put him and other servants through and they end up investigating, finding proof, and she faces punishment. Pretty sure it’s an A/B/O fanfic where Yu Ziyuan forces Wei Ying to hide he’s an omega(?) for some reason. I think a chastity belt is involved that Yu Ziyuan put Wei Ying in. Jiang Cheng’s father resigns as sect leader when her crimes come to light.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, this has been a thorn in my side for the past few weeks. @staykookedsuga

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13. Hello! I have an ask for the fic-finder 😅

It's been a long time since I read this one, so it's an older fic (at least more than 3-4 years ago). It was centred around MDZS as a story with Jiang Wanyin as the MC and YLZ as the villain. Our main characters had a whole fandom around it, where LWJ is a famous author and WWX a not-very-popular artist who drew fanart of the most hated character in the book "Yiling Laozu" (I think he was an artist, could also be a fellow writer).

I remember there was lot of fandom discourse about WWX and his choice of character to support and how YLZ was always jealous of JWY and did actually maliciously cause everything he was accused of in this alternate MDZS canon. Then, suddenly, LWJ + WWX end up pairing up for a fandom event (a big bang or smth similar), and WWX has the idea of a story where canon divergence occurs and YLZ is a good person instead (like actual canon) and LWJ agrees to write for it.

This was as far as I had read for it. From I remember it was a WIP. Thanks <3 @indelibleme

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14. Hello :) I could use your help to find a fic: Modern AU, LWJ is an epidemiologist, at the start LWJ finds A-Yuan alone at a train station and waits with him until WWX shows up, WWX and A-Yuan move in with LWJ, A-Yuan locks himself in the bathroom and LWJ kicks the door in to get him out, WWX reenters Uni to finish a degree, LWJ sort of punishes him so he concentrates on work?, LWJ starts the process of adopting A-Yuan, WWX and LWJ confess in the bathroom during a family party. Thank you so much! @die-or-worse-be-expelled

FOUND? 🔒 Lost Boys by raitala (E, 115k, WangXian, LSZ & WWX, LSZ & LWJ, Modern, Kid Fic, Gen or Pre-Slash, hints of wangxian, finding your found family, A-Yuan is a sweetie, Emotional Baggage, LWJ is on the Asexuality Spectrum, Neurodivergent LWJ, Hurt/Comfort, sugar daddy LWJ, LSZ is the bestest boi, LWJ is trying his best, WWX needs a hug, background societal homophobia, Grief/Mourning, Under-negotiated Kink, Dom/sub Undertones, Mild Painplay, Sharing a Bed, Family Feels, Nice LQR, Adoption, Oral Sex, Anal Sex, Spit Kink, Slow Burn)

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15. Heyy. Just wanna start of by saying your account is an absolute life saver. Thank you so much for the hard work you guys put into getting fanfiction.

I need help finding a fic: Jiang Cheng, blaming Wei WuXian for soemthing he did (can't remember), finds a magical array to erase Wei WuXian from this world. Only to find out they loose the Sunshot Campaign without Wei WuXian and his demonic cultivation so he works together with Lan Wangji to bring him back and save everyone in this universe.

There's alot of angst and family bonding as well as feels. I remember that the heirs of the great sects were taken prisoner in the world Wei WuXian was erased and that's when Jiang Cheng wants to solve his mistake.

FOUND? The Way It Wasn’t by KouriArashi (T, 72k, WangXian, XiYao, Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fix-It, (eventually haha), Slow Build, Family Feels, Moral Ambiguity, Eventual Happy Ending)

FOUND? Not This Time by Marinelifeclub (M, 93k, WIP, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Time Travel, Angst, Dark LWJ, Protective LWJ, YLLZ WWX, Resentful WWX, Established Relationship, POV Alternating, Sunshot Campaign, Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Smut, Minor XuanLi, not for jc fans, eventual 3zun, Kid Fic)

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16. Hi! I’d love your help in looking for a fic on AO3. I can’t remember if it was a long one-shot or a series, but here are plot points I do recall:

- Lan Wangji stays behind at Yiling with Wei Wuxian

- the Lans don’t hear from him for a long time, until people report sightings of him in Yiling

- Lan Xichen and Lan Qiren take a few other Lan disciples with them to investigate

- They almost don’t recognize Lan Zhan because he looks different - he is happy. He now wears a painted symbol of a cloud on his forehead, and allows the village children to braid his hair with beads. He is considered pretty, and either a deity/god or just someone special by the villagers.

I hope this rings a bell, I’ve been trying to find it for ages and I’ve had no luck! @ogfangirl93

FOUND!🔒Unpack Your Heart by Terri Botta (Isilwath) (T, 22k, wangxian, Romance, Everybody Lives, Canon Divergence, LWJ Has Feelings, Protective LWJ, Burial Mounds Settlement Days, LWJ Stays at the Burial Mounds, Burial Mounds Ensemble as Family, Wangxian in Love, YLLZ WWX, Lan Clan Elders are Assholes, Minor Transgender Character, Qiongqi Path Divergence, LWJ loves his bunnies)

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17. Hello! I’m looking for a fic, I can’t remember a lot of it and some of the plot points might be off but here’s what I remember; WWX dies but is approached by the previous wielder of the sword that was in the xuanwu of slaughter’s cave and they say smth I forgot and then wwx is back in the past and he can wield said sword and then I can’t remember anything else. Thanks for the help!

FOUND? Did I Not Explain Why the Sunset Turns Red? by 3988Akasha (E, 110k, wangxian, time travel, canon divergence, Canonical Character Death, Soulmates, Demonic Cultivation, Original Female Character(s), Emotional Constipation, Minor Character Death, Hand Jobs, Sexual Content, Bathing/Washing, Idiots in Love, Poetry, Mild Gore, Anal Sex, Angst, Rimming, Blow Jobs)

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18. Hello! For Fic Finder, please! I am looking for a canon au where some people were shapeshifters and during the Sunshot Campaign Wen Ruohan was poisoning the shapeshifters and forcing them under his control. I remember one scene in particular where a Wen dire owl was shot down and it ended up being one of these kidnapped/enslaved shapeshifters. I think the poison was some kind of dust that had to be inhaled? Thank you for your help! @gloriousclotpole

FOUND! 🔒 Unstoppable by Netrixie (T, 150k, WangXian, LXC & WWX, Canon Divergence, Eventual Happy Ending, Unreliable Narrator, Slow Burn, Minor Original Character(s), Cloud Recesses, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Canon-Typical Violence, Canon-Typical Angst, Wolf-shifter WWX, Resolved Sexual Tension, Resolved Romantic Tension, Fix-It, Werewolf, Shapeshifters, Sunshot Campaign, Translation Available, Russian, Canonical Lan arm strength)

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19. Hi. I am looking for a fic where Baoshan Sanren knows about Wei Wuxian’s fate. She can’t interfere directly so she trains Mo Xuanyu as a cultivator. Mo Xuanyu joins the jin sect and has a good relationship with Madam Jin helping protect jin Ling. He leaves the sect and the cultivation world to write the ministry exams for the imperial family. But he is assassinated before he can write the exams. Instead, Wei Wuxian, who wakes up in Mo Xuanyu’s body writes the exams and rises high. Soon enough, he catches the eye of the emperor because his genius and tendency to modify talisman. The emperor then finds out what happened in the cultivation world and gives them an eye opener. Mo Xuanyu’s ghost also appears and reveals Baoshan Sanren’s plan and his agreement to go along with it. Lan Zhan, then finds out that Mo Xuanyu is Wei Wuxian, leaves the sect to go live with him on his lands outside the cultivation world. @darkshadowgrief

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20. I'm looking for a fic where Wei Ying babysits A-yuan for Lan Zhan? I think it was Modern AU but that's all i can remember maybe he taught him art?

I'm number 20 in the recent fic finder and I don't think paint smears is the one I'm looking for, not sure about the other since it's been deleted but I remember Wei Ying actually babysits A-yuan in his house or at least teaches him art at his house in his play room? And lan zhan is still at the house he just lets them be I think. I remember them learning about colors or painting something and also that lan zhan wanted to offer Wei Ying a permanent job as A-yuan's private art teacher and offered more than his regular job.

FOUND? Light travels faster than sound by Anonymous (E, 25k, wangxian) wwx is an artist commissioned to make musician!lwj's album cover, than to give a-yuan art lessons), but I think the author deleted their works?

NOT FOUND! 🧡 paint smears on sunny days by SnowshadowAO3 (E, 53k, WangXian, Comfort, Fluff and Smut, Everyone Is Alive, Modern AU, Dadji, Mutual Pining, Happy Ending, Brief Alcohol Mention, Masturbation, Blow Jobs, Hand Jobs, Accidentally co-parenting with your son's art teacher, Fatherhood)

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[x-authorship-x]

Jokes aside the idea of Shisui smartly winning a place as Fugaku's right-hand man and using Mangekyō fuckery against ROOT is so cool? Also Fugaku doesn't strike me as someone who would be a super bad Hokage- would he be the best? No. But would he be the worst? I don't think so, especially with Shisui at his side

And who knows?

Maybe with time things will get better and Konoha will accept Fugaku as their new Hokage. I know I would 🤭

- Koto-anon

It depends on how you judge success/badness/goodness specifically towards leadership in Narutoverse!

Disclaimer! This is all my opinion! I don't want to be lectured! I'll keep deleting bullshit!

I'm gonna try really hard not to start spiraling into historical analysis of power structures and perspective bias etc etc but knowing me that's what's going to happen anyway so let's just get into it 🤣

So, fandom usually looks at Hokage candidates by their raw strength which makes sense, considering all the talk of "Strongest in the Village" and looking at who we have in Canon:

Hashirama was the God of Shinobi

Tobirama was a genius with Jutsu and assumed to be a good policy maker too

Sarutobi was 'the professor' and was pretty spry against Orochimaru even as an old man

Minato was a genius sealing master and the 'fastest man alive'

Tsunade could crush mountains and perform healing miracles

Kakashi is a (you guessed it) genius and the man of a thousand Jutsu

Naruto is literally the Jinchuuriki Favourite Child of "God-God" Sage

But, honestly, discounting Tobirama... Who here is actually fit to be a leader and not just...a glorified general?

We need to understand what the Hokage actually does. Jokes about paperwork aside, how does the mantel of Kage fit within the broader sociopolitical framework, what role do their advisors and council play into the system?

So let's make some assumptions.

From examples across time and space, we know that Generals can be just as much in power as a civilian politician or the biological heir to a dynasty. I'd recommend looking at the Hokage as a hodge-podge of these:

The Hokage are all connected to each other. Hashirama-(brother)->Tobirama-(student)->sarutobi -(student's student)->Minato-(sensei's teammates/saru's other student)->Tsunade-(predecessor's student)->Kakashi-(student, sensei's son)-> Naruto

They're military leaders and the power structure of the villages are based on this Shinobi prowess

They are also in control of their civilian population (if there is a civilian council, I doubt they report to anyone but the Hokage) and they mediate with Daimyo etc.

Hashirama was the Senju Clan Head, a mantel that maybe passed to Tobirama but more likely passed to Hashirama's mysterious children.

Tobirama was, at the very least, his brother's closest advisor. That's some political practice, right there.

Sarutobi, we assume but then...maybe not!, was the pretty important to the Sarutobi. And there seems to be a fair few of them looking at that one panel of them all breathing smoke and shit (assuming that they're not just a huge pack of brothers but most are part of their own family unit)

I don't think Asuma has a dozen brothers. Maybe he does but, frankly, I'd be disappointed if they all didn't have daddy issues with the Sandaime as well.

I'm going off tangent🙃

MY POINT is that Sarutobi possibly had some experience with bureaucracy before becoming Sandaime. Maybe Tobirama punished them all with paper pushing, idk

Minato.... I don't know what to tell you but I'm tempted just to...skip... him because frankly his term of office was so short he probably hadn't even redecorated or got the smell of smoke out of the furniture yet! Regardless, being smart with seals doesn't mean he's a good judge of politics, economics, or social welfare! He gets brownie points for being a thinker, tho

(Does Konoha function as a welfare state? Surely with the injuries on a regular basis, as well as the crazy working schedules and the turn over of retiree veterans, they've got to have some impressive infrastructure- No, don't get me started-)

Tsunade. Right, listen, she's a doctor yeah but this woman really had no clan left to learn leadership for and she's been wandering the continent for a decade in a drunken stupor. I love her but there's a reason she's smashing desks and it's because she's been confronted with problems she can't pummel or resuscitate. Tsunade didn't get a medical degree (did she????) just to have to study MORE bullshit. She's frankly wasted here but better her than some of those fuck-wits.

Kakashi. 🥹 Leading the Hatake? No. ANBU? Does Captaincy really count as anything but even more field experience. Result: Why (i love you but SEND THE MAN TO THERAPY AND GO TO THE SPA)

Naruto. Well... They wouldn't let him jump from Genin to the Hokage. Is this because they know he's so uneducated and needs to go back to school or is this purely because you HAVE to climb the pecking order in order to hit the top. Both? Both is good

So there's just... A lot here. And I can speculate to fucking hell and back but there's very little actually elaborated on in Canon. What do they even do in the Hokage Tower? Is it just all mission paperwork or does Konoha function more like... Idk a principality? What is the involvement of the Daimyo?

This is where fanfiction reaaally takes the reigns and I love that for them ✨😤

So what would make a "bad" Kage?

Danzo.

Danzo is a SHIT Kage and not just because I hate him. We're looking at someone who poisoned the previous - relatively successful - leadership, worked with foreign powers to manipulate other nations as well as his own village, orchestrated and then ordered the slaughter of thousands of Konohan citizens, kidnapping and experimentation, sabotaging political rivals (whether they considered themselves rivals is a different matter all together), bolstered social conflict and international tensions, bloodline theft and forming a private army who were indoctrinated and sealed to his will-!

So if that's the "shit" end of the scale, where do the other Hokage line up?

Hashirama: congrats on building the village! However, it's really contested whether you actually met your new allies on equal standing and it's left a lot of social pressure that will explode down the line 🥺 you get points for spirit but the execution (whoops) might prove a bit wobbily

Tobirama: congrats on being the best of an....interesting bunch. You seem to have had a good head on your shoulders and, pre-founding antics aside, you've committed to the bit. Unfortunately, you have an evil student :/ oh, right, and those social issues? You're probably making them worse

Sarutobi: well. You sat there. Congrats on living so long, I guess. You taught a few loose canons big names, you signed your name on the top of the exam, you held onto peace for a good while by the skin of your teeth. Unfortunately any good you mightve done or process made has been massively underscored by allowed your live-in nuclear-weapon-child to be abused and reviled, your students have either fucked off or were chased out after performing atrocities against the population, your teammate tries to get the last student of your (brief) successor to kill you... Yeah. It's a lot. Oh, also your own son flipped you the bird for a decade to go live in the Capitol instead. Oh, yeah, and you must either live in a bubble of ignorance (ignoring that crystal ball you've got going on) or you're wilfully ignoring Danzo squirreling funds to his private army ;/ all in all? Not great signs of leadership control, you rotten motherfucker

Minato. Is it even fair to list him when he martyred himself before anything could happen? All i can say is... Yikes. Also congrats on dying so quickly that you were immortalised as the faultless golden hero of the village ☺️ all in all, Minato is just lucky to be here

Tsunade: um. She fucked off for decades, loudly proclaiming her disgust/revulsion of Konoha and how stupid anyone would have to be to become Hokage, and hasn't exactly been graceful or pleased since being strong armed into taking the job. I'm not saying I don't sympathise but at the same time... Not a good start. Idk about anyone else but if my (dictator?) leader loudly hated the job and the village and had also gone AWOL for years living it up whilst the village was kinda imploding... I would be pretty resentful. Girl Power can only fly you so high 😔✊

Kakashi: I'm sorry that they made you do this 🥹 you are smart and you've seen a lot of shit but... He might be long-suffering for his duty but, like with Tsunade, you've got to weigh up if they'd be better elsewhere. Kakashi is high on the list of Hokage we've got to work with, however. Well. If you ignore that he was hated for most of his life, first for his father and then for being a little brat, and then for being an "eye thief", and then for being a Friend Killer, and then for being a Pervert- well. His reputation abroad is much better but there's a reason most leaders have, at least loosely, a cult of personality (Narutoverse is bad for this, btw). He has similar problems to Tsunade but he wins out on loyalty.

Naruto. I'm not going here because it's Boruto territory and that's a hard pass.

So what makes a bad Hokage? The usual things, I'd imagine:

pathological power grabbing (war mongering isn't good for your own minions and it's not good for international friends)

ignoring the wants and needs of the wider population (revolutionaries 🤷)

Inconsistency (people watch their leaders extremely carefully and so do their enemies)

lack of attention (^^^)

lack of control (you're running a military dictatorship, commit to the bit)

too much control (Danzo, I'm looking at you)

selfishness (it always bites in the ass)

pure ignorance (Sarutobi, I'm looking at you)

a focus on the brute side of things instead of the subtler arts (Sarutobi isn't brute strength but, unfortunately, he's on the other end where appeasement is making things worse)

So, looking at this, what makes a good Hokage?

Someone who knows what they're doing? 🥴

Someone who wants to be there or at least has dedicated themselves to the roll in its entirety without going on a power trip or burning out in a short period? 💀

Dedication

sensitivity

an awareness of social pressure and tensions (literally read the room)

a firm hand to the law (you gotta keep the minions in line)

support for both the backbone of society (Shinobi and Clans) as well as attention to the majority and minority (civilians hold a lot of sway in the every day realities of Konoha, don't let the Jutsu fool you) and knowing when to invest so neglect doesn't bite you in the ass (or rip everything up by the roots - ROOT, lol)

You need intimidation/respect (they are mercenaries after all) abroad as well as devotion and reverence at home (good old propaganda to keep the masses contained)

looking at the various downfalls of previous Hokage, you gotta deal with threats close to you with scary efficiency.

Another disclaimer: this is a profile for a leader in Naruto. I don't want to hear shit about me promoting aggressive foreign policy or totalitarian ideology, omfg

So! Bearing all this in mind, and incorporating an awareness of canon context... Would Fugaku be a good or bad Hokage?

I think he'd be a very important and decisive one. Good? That's a little more nuanced. Let's get into it-

Fugaku has the "good" qualities:

He's Clan Head, so about as much experience as any of the others had, but then he's also Police Chief (ACAB, whoops) so we're dealing with someone with intimate knowledge of the letter of the law, navigating Konohan crime and punishment as well as legal bureaucracy, and he's already a direct authority within the village and - get this - with the civilians.

Fugaku didn't personally want the Coup but he's a leader listening to his clan and they're getting desperate (and, therefore, more explosive). He's managed to hold his own against all these influences around him. Should he have completely shut them down? Maybe, but then what if they tried to usurp him? The Uchiha Clan can't exactly afford to split into fractions

He's called Wicked Eye for a (mysterious Mangekyou) reason. The fact that his skills aren't discussed in canon only gives us even more leeway to make him a total BAMF. He could also, apparently, go head to head with Golden Boy Minato. Am I sensing a badass? I think I am

He's surrounded by trustworthy BAMFS. Hashirama had Mito and Tobirama (Madara too, not to incite commentary, lets stay focused). The others struggled with this: Tobirama's successor is a little bitch and Danzo was devil spawn, Sarutobi was trapped between Danzo and his wild-card/war criminal students, Minato's Kushina died with him and everyone else doesn't seem on the level, Kakashi's bestie is literally a major antagonist, Naruto is (BORUTO REDACTED). Fugaku, however, not only has a bamf Clan who seem pretty devoted to him as a leader (we don't see a lot of dissent) but he's got Itachi and Shisui right there. They had a problem with the Coup, not necessarily with Fugaku himself although I think (looking at their characters) interpersonal strife would be set aside in favour of the bigger picture. All in all, there's a reason why he was thought of as the 'father' of his Clan (but what if you have daddy issues 👀)

Does Fugaku also show signs of being a bad Hokage?

Well, the timing might prove deadly against him. A revolution when the wider population is so anti-Uchiha would tear Konoha in two. But... That's if you're thinking that a Coup would be... Well, what you'd imagine. But if it's performed by Uchiha, the masters of genjutsu and manipulation? Taking liberties with Fugaku's Wicked Eyes and possible OC Uchiha characters, who knows if it would be a seamless transition? (In a fic, maybe Shisui's use of Kotoamatsukami on Danzo and ROOT would be the tip of the iceberg on what happened in the Uchiha Revolution. The Sandaime deciding to united the fractions of Konoha with Fugaku as his successor....?)

Fugaku isn't power snatching and, if he was, it wouldn't be directly for himself like Danzo's is. Danzo might sugarcoat it as an ideological difference, a variation in his vision of Konoha compared to others, but it's really all about him. Fugaku feels... vindicated.

Fugaku wouldn't be unwilling, uncomfortable, under qualified, or underpowered.

Personality-wise? He'd be like Tobirama, who i think was the best previous Hokage. Would this turn Konoha into a police state? Wasn't it always that in some form, anyway?

Overall, I think Fugaku would be a good Hokage, if he was extremely careful and played his cards right (and, considering his dedication and shrewdness, there's no reason to think he wouldn't be)

[dicapiito]

Leftists really feel like the person who’s always miserable so you avoid them at any and all costs because all they bring to the table is depressing shit 24/7. Its like if the results are not there on their own personal timeline then everyone else and everything else is at fault.

They’re actually really neoliberals but now they’re called leftists I guess and frankly, each and every leftist just feels like such a Debbie downer. I can’t believe how many fans these guys still have after so many years of saying the same miserable thing and this hope that ‘ someday will get better’ as long as it’s the promise of things improving so they can skirt by on being lazy themselves and only caring about that they got theirs.

Just like how I think it’s always going to annoy me when politicians are on social media like The Squad, White Board Katie, Ro Kanna, and a few others I’m missing; leftists who grift off of lies are just depressing shitheads that I actually would’ve thought that would’ve worked a lot of nerves.

I just don’t get the leftist grift because all it feels like is one depressing lecture from people who won’t do shit to improve anything because they’re filled with doom and they need to feed off of making others feel so much dread. Like fuck man, life is hard enough but they just feel like those podcast dudebros who cry about ladies for a few hours or YouTubers who will make a 2 hour rant about a movie they really didn’t have to see in the first place. They sell depression and despair and it’s a shame so many people still subscribe to their bullshit

[storiesofsvu]

A Redemption Earned Ch 2

Becca nearly surprised herself when she actually showed up at Firefly the following week. The restaurant was what she would call casual chic, by the look of their social media she had expected a lot fancier. It was inside of a converted high rise, from the outside it was nothing fancy, but the interior had been redone and you could tell there was a certain standard adhered to. She checked in at the host stand and had to wait a minute until they figured out where she was going, and she was escorted to the rooftop patio where the private party was being held.

She let out a soft sigh, her eyes scanning the patio for her mother, pausing to swipe a signature cocktail from a server on her way through the crowd. Heather had been right, while it was a business oriented event, there was a decent amount of casual wear around the place, but she was still glad she’d opted for a sundress, dark jean jacket thrown overtop since it wasn’t quite warm enough yet, she felt more comfortable, and like she was putting the accurate version of herself out there.

Finally, she found Heather standing at a high top table near the railing of the patio, it appeared she was wrapping up a conversation with someone around Becca’s age, a business card handed over before a handshake was exchanged and the boy wandered off. It left her the opportunity to approach, managing to sneak in before someone else walked up, avoiding any awkward introductions.

“Hey.” She greeted with a small sigh, fidgeting with the sleeve of her jacket for a moment while Heather’s head turned in her direction.

“Becca!” She swiftly placed her drink down and there was an awkward moment where they both stepped closer to one another, unsure of what the appropriate greeting was at this point. A shift between nearly going in for a hug, faking out to maybe going for a handshake and landing on Becca giving a little wave and a smile while Heather’s hand softly squeezed at her shoulder, “I’m glad you could make it.”

“Thanks. Uh… me too… not really what I expected, but… it’s better than having to be little miss perfect around grey haired stuck up politicians.”

“You’re telling me.” Heather mused over the rim of her glass and Becca let out a small chuckle, opting to distract herself with her own drink before returning her gaze to her mom, who frowned for a moment as she took in her expression, “hey…” she started softly, “you know you didn’t need to come today. Did your dad not want you to, you two get into it or something?”

“What?” She glanced up, her brow furrowed.

“You look upset…”

“I guess just… nervous?” she shrugged, “I was never as good at putting on a face as you were.”

“Are you sure? Your eyes are glassy like you were crying earlier.”

“Oh.” Becca let out a snort of a laugh, “uh, in the sake of blank slates, I guess complete honesty is probably a good idea?” Heather nodded, “that’d be the joint I smoked before coming to help calm the jitters.”

“Weed?” Heather raised a brow and Becca held back an eye roll.

“Can you save the lecture?”

“I wasn’t going to.” She held up a hand in submission, “as long as it’s only weed, and you didn’t drive yourself.”

“God no!” She let out a small laugh, “Dad dropped me off.”

“How is you father?”

“Good.” Becca crossed her arms over her chest, leaning against the high top table, rocking up on her toes, “he’s cut the hours in the OR, spends much more time on his research and checking in at the facility. He wants to make personal connections with as many patients as possible, remind them that there’s people out there who give a shit about them. Even if their family or friends abandoned them over the addiction, that someone out there’s always going to have your back. You should stop by sometime, check it out, I think you’d be really proud.”

“I wouldn’t want to step on any toes.”

“He was the one who invited you to join us last week.” She shrugged, glancing up at her, “and he was very encouraging that I come today. Said he’s got good word that you’ve put in a lot of work and are making the right changes.”

“Well, my therapist did come on his recommendation.”

“Isn’t there some kind of confidentiality thing?”

“There are always ways to talk about the unspoken.”

“So you didn’t make your therapist sign an NDA?” Becca smirked up at her, the familiar gleam back in her eyes as she teased, and Heather playfully rolled her eyes.

“Unless it’s needed for work, those days are behind me.”

“Good.” She murmured over another sip of her drink, letting out a breath as she glanced around the terrace, “so…what is this thing? I thought you said it was work related? But the vibe I’m getting is some kinda sugar meet up…”

“What?” Heather laughed.

“I’m just sayin, there are plenty of kids my age and younger who look middle ish class, and a bunch of people your age and older who look rather well off.”

“It is a work thing.” She insisted, “it’s a luncheon they do every couple of years for law students, pre-law and those who are thinking about going into the legal world. They invite a bunch of alum from the schools and the industry from various types of practice to talk with the kids so they can get a better grasp on what they’re getting into and what they might want to specialize in. I figured something more social with more distractions would be a good idea.” She shrugged, taking a sip of her drink, “and, as you said, there’s a handful of people around your age. Who knows who you could meet?”

“Mom…” Becca rolled her eyes, “I’ll accept that on a friends only basis.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. Sarah. I think you’d like her.”

“A girl from work?”

“No, school.”

“Oh. You’ve been together a while then?”

“A little over a year.” Becca rocked up on her toes again, nearly swinging from the table, “I went back for my masters. On track to graduate with honors.”

“I’m not surprised.” Heather smiled over at the girl, “congratulations. I would say I would love to meet her but I’m sure she’s heard a lot of bad things.”

“No, actually… I just said I didn’t really talk to you anymore, you lived outta state and the divorce was messy. Never really got into it. But I’m sure she would still take some warming up to the idea anyhow.”

As Heather began to reply, the conversation was interrupted by a couple of prospective graduates and Becca slunk a little bit into the background as she watched her mom slip back into professional mode. While the crowd mingled around a bit, Becca hit up the buffet, grabbing plates filled with appetizers and small bites, refilling her drink at the bar before returning back to the table with Heather. She engaged in some small talk with a handful of the conversations, exchanging numbers with one of them, and accepting a drink from another an hour later when hers was empty. The plates stayed relatively bottomless of food while they picked over them, and eventually they were left alone at their table again.

Becca sunk back some of her drink, surveying her mother for a moment, not only was today a different style of even than she had expected, but she also hadn’t missed how Heather had swapped to soda water after one drink. While she was still put together and looked the right part, she was more relaxed, open to happily talk to strangers and actually giving support to the up and comers. She began to wonder just how much there was that she didn’t know about her mom, especially the good stories and what she’d been up to over the past six years.

“What?” Heather mused with a grin, raising a brow in Becca’s direction. She hadn’t expected today to go as smoothly as it had, it was honestly a surprise that Becca even showed up. So whatever was now on the girl’s mind certainly piqued her interest.

“Can I ask you something? Though… I get if this isn’t exactly the right setting to do so, so feel free to say no… or to say later…”

“What is it?”

“Was… is? Dad the only guy you’ve ever been with?” Becca blamed the three drinks on her suddenly brazen question, but was also genuinely curious, this type of question was the starting point to understanding why Heather had done everything she had.

“I…” Heather let out a hefty breath, glancing down at her glass of sparkling water before taking a sip.

“I’m not gonna tattle if you order another drink to get through this.”

“I’m allowed to drink.” Heather laughed, “I just figured keeping a clear head would be a good idea today, but I can’t say I expected you to ask that.”

Becca smiled, waving down a roaming server to grab a couple off cocktails off their tray, picking up a few other snacks from another’s to replenish their plates. She patiently waited for her mom to take a couple sips before she glanced down into the glass, sighing lightly as she answered the question.

“Yes.” Heather shook the hair out of her face as she looked back up, “we were high school sweethearts. We were in love, our families loved us together. There were jokes and teasing of when the wedding was before we’d even graduated. You have to remember, this was in the time where it was drilled into your brain as a young woman that you finish school, settle down with a nice boy, have a couple kids, get a dog and set up shop with a white picket fence. The only adjustment being that our parents understood how important careers were for both of us.” She sipped at her drink, “and I really did love him. I know how incredible he was to me… I’m still not sure if it just faded over time, or if we just weren’t on the same page.”

“And you’re sure it’s not just a gay thing?” Becca asked bluntly and Heather’s eyes widened, “I’m just saying…. If he’s the only guy you were ever with that means any affairs were with women. Or was it that women are easier to control?”

“I… I’m not sure.” Heather leant against the table as she pondered the thought, “I will say that the romantic love was still there with your dad, even up until the end.”

“If your next thought has anything to do with you and dad’s sex life, I do not need to know.” She warned and the other woman laughed.

“No, no. And I have thought about it--the sexuality thing--it’s still something I’m trying to figure out, things for me are a lot different from your generation.”

“What’d’you mean? Aside from like…being accepted in society?”

“Well for starters things were black and white for me. It was one gender or the other, there was no middle ground, bisexuality was a hush hush subject you didn’t talk about. Now there are so many different identities, somedays I struggle to keep up with it all. When I started to realize that maybe my marriage wasn’t what I really wanted, it felt wrong to break up my family, and I was worried about my career.”

“Okay I get the family thing, but your career? I mean… Jackie’s been proudly out the entire time and she’s literally sitting in the White House as we speak.”  Heather let out a huff of a laugh, her gaze dropping to the plate in front of her before slowing returning to Becca’s.

“There are a number of differences between myself and Jackie…” she started, and quickly held up a hand as Becca’s mouth fell open, “and before you start with the sassy remarks… let me finish?”

“Okay, okay.”

“Prior to Tasha, Jackie was never married. She’d had a couple of public and substantial relationships, but was more of the perpetually single, married to the job type. I knew my kind of divorce in the public eye would cause a scandal no matter what. And… it’s worthwhile to remind you that while I know you think Jackie and I are part of the same generation, we’re not. We’re close enough, but there were a lot of different standards we were held to, she has very supportive parents.”

“You’re saying gramma wouldn’t have been okay with you liking women?”

“We are talking about my mother, right?” Heather laughed, “you’ve met the woman.”

“She had your back after all the affairs leaked…” Becca suggested, “she knew everything the public knew and was still there for you after Jordan…” She let herself trail off, the subject was still touchy for everyone, but she knew it must be even touchier for Heather, who let out a low breath, sucking back her drink as she did her best to keep those emotions at bay.

“If by ‘had my back’ you mean bark at housekeepers to keep the food incoming and remodel the backyard in the days I couldn’t even get out of bed… scolding me for doing so. She was so insistent on getting the property back into shape she couldn’t even bother to see what I wanted or needed. Two days after the funeral Maria knocked on my door saying I should go downstairs to check on mother, I was so deep into a bottle of scotch I couldn’t be bothered, I barely even remember her doing it. Turns out mom hadn’t just been nitpicking my house staff, she’d hired her own disposal crew and cleared out the entire guest house.”

“Wait… what?!” Becca shot up from leaning against the table, her eyes wide.

“Yeah.” Heather nodded, her shoulders drooping the slightest bit, “her reasoning was that if I had nothing to remind me of Jordan, it would be as if he was never there to begin with. That I could move on. Everything he had out there was gone. Forever.”

“Okay, I know she’s family and all, but she’s a fucking cunt.” She lowered her voice on the last few words considering their location, though the crowd had lowered in the past bit. “Did she not even think that maybe anyone else had shit out there?”

“I don’t think she cared. We got into a huge fight over it, and I kicked her out, told her to go back home where she wasn’t fucking up anyone else’s life but her own. Thank God she didn’t manage to clear out the main house, I got to keep a couple of things.”

“Jesus…”

“I mean… what’s the saying? The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree?”

“Are you seriously saying that if I had a kid who died you’d focus on renovating the house over taking care of me?” Becca raised a brow,

“Six years ago? Probably. Which is something I regret immensely. Now? Absolutely not. Not a day goes by that I am thankful that your father, Maria, your stubbornness,” a pause for brief laughter, “whatever it was made you break the cycle of toxicity. If you had turned out to be a little mini me, I would have failed you as a mother even more than I already have.”

There was a brief pause at the table, the spring breeze warmly blowing across them as Heather’s words sunk in. Becca’s hand slowly slid across the table, squeezing at her mom’s arm, the two of them exchanging warm smiles.

“Guess I’m glad I’m a little bitch then.” She teased with a grin and Heather let out a huff, “have you talked to gramma since?”

“No. And I don’t want to. I knew that day that I wanted nothing to do with her anymore. A few days later I finally saw Doctor Todd and for the first time in ages, things started to make sense.”

“Where were you?” Becca asked, a reasonable question for a mother forced away by her family.

“French Alps.” She replied over a sip of her drink, “for the first year. I was still stubborn headed and thought that was enough time spent doing nothing, lounging around while every second day was a zoom therapy meeting. Sometimes every day.”

“But you came back? Nat saw you, said you mentioned a firm or something in the city?”

“Yes.” Heather sighed, “I thought I could handle it, I mean, how hard could returning to life be? But after a month or so… Dr Todd pointed out that I was starting to slip already. It was too hard to stay away from politics when I was in D.C, and everything was made worse by watching Tasha and Jackie in the White House. Not that they don’t deserve everything they have but being this close to all of it made me politically hungry again. So, we decided that I needed to move forward somewhere else, give myself more of a break, even if it meant being further away from potentially reconciling with you and your father.”

“Please tell me you were nowhere near gramma.”

“Of course not! I was only in Baltimore. Far enough to be disassociated, but close enough if anything happened, I’d be back in a flash.”

“Are you back for good now?” Becca asked cautiously, and for once, not because she wanted her mother out of her life.

“I think so. At our session last week, we talked about how where we belonged was where we felt most at home, where we had the most ties. And if I can at least attempt to repair the roots I have with you and your dad, then I might have the support system to help me keep moving in the right direction, and able to stay where I feel right.” Heather felt herself let out a breath of relief, having said so much of what she needed to, thankful they hadn’t been interrupted while having this part of their conversation.

“Good.” Becca said confidently, grabbing her attention, “because despite everything it kinda has been weird without you. I know Dad’s got your back, aside from the whole affair thing, he always has, he wants to see you succeed and get better. And so do I. It’s still gonna take me a while to like… fully trust you again, if I ever will, but…I can tell you’ve been working on yourself. And all I want is to see you get better.”

“Really?” Heather glanced up, a very hopeful look on her face and Becca smiled.

“Yeah, duh. I know a lot of shit went down, but you’re my mom… we’re family. And family deserves a chance to prove themselves loyal. But… know you’re only getting one. This isn’t an unlimited affair.”

“Trust me...I know.”

“Good.” Becca’s phone suddenly vibrated on the table top, “oh shit.”

“Who’s your get out of jail free card?” Heather chuckled, raising a brow and Becca returned with a confused glance.

“What?”

“Who’s the person you had call after a specific amount of time in case you wanted out?”

“No one!” Becca laughed heartily, “it’s just dad saying he happens to be in the neighborhood in case I want a ride home.”

“Well, I can’t be one to restrict.” Heather stepped away from the table, “thank you for coming today.”

“Hey…” Becca smiled, slipping her jacket back on, “last time I heard, Dunbar’s didn’t let someone leave without walking them out?”

Heather laughed softly, this time her hand coming up to sweep away a piece of loose hair from Becca’s cheek, thankful when the younger girl accepted it. It only took a few minutes for them to head downstairs and back into the sunlight as Rob’s SUV pulled up.

“I’ll see ya.” Becca gave a little awkward wave, moving toward the car before she suddenly stopped in her tracks, glancing back at her mom before bounding back. “Thank you.” She murmured as she wrapped her arms around Heather. Who was so surprised it took a moment, glancing to the car and then to the top of Becca’s head before she wrapped her daughter in her embrace, leaving a soft kiss on her hair.

“I love you.” Heather nearly whispered, her arms squeezing ever so lightly before Becca slipped out of them. Glancing up with a warm yet tight smile she nodded gently,

“I know.” She turned back to the car, “I’ll text you when I’m home safe.”

“Thank you.”

Heather watched as Becca hurried down to the street, hopping into the car with ease, and gave Rob a friendly wave in return before he peeled off. She let out a soft sigh of relief, today had gone far better than she could have expected, now she could only hope that every day would continue on in this direction.

_________

@ms-calhoun @naturalxselection @yesterdaysgone @hbkpop @giftedchildturns40s40 @anya-casablanca @svulife-rl @borg-queerr @swimmingstudentchaos8911 @alexusonfire @jamiethetransns @natasha-danvers @oliviaswifeyy @mysticfalls01 @cmmndrwidw @bumblebear30 @svushots @yourtaletotell @cerberus-spectre @emskisworld @ex-uallyactive @addictedtodinosaurs @imaginaryoperagloves @multifandomlesbianic @annegilletteslostwh0r3 @bookpillows @drduckthief @whimsicallymad @mmmmokdok @ladysc @momlifebehard @mmemalwa @holycrapraewth @poisonedcrowns @wannabe-fic-reader @when-wolves-howl @dead-of-niight @fighterkimburgess @lannister-slings-and-arrowss

[ladyloveandjustice]

I watched the most recent Batman movie, and yeah, I wish I liked it more than I did.Some of the things the movie was trying to do were nice, and it definitely seemed to be pushing back against the edgelord vengeance interp of Batman and get back to the roots a little, but it really didn’t stick the landing. The attempts to be class conscious were like...it’s nice that it tried I guess? But it sure couldn’t follow through! Thoughts below!

I also just. didn’t buy the central romance mostly because of Bruce being such a tool, which was purposeful, but! The entire movie is him violating boundaries, pushing Selina  around and telling her what to do, and then he learns he's wrong, but then he goes back to telling her what to do, but this time it’s because he cares and he’s saving her from herself or whatever so that’s fine. Like honestly, I’ve mentioned I think the “let’s not kill” could be compelling and wonderful to bring back, but it needs to be implemented in a way that isn’t hypocritical and doesn’t suck, and of course they failed to do that. Even a small change like Bruce just saying to “you don’t have to pay” rather than literally ripping the gun out of her hand, him letting her make the choice rather than taking it away from her, would have made it better. It tried to call Bruce out on things, but still presented him being the person who’s Right and gets to make the decisions for you know, the lower income woman of color going after her abusive father.

I think there was supposed to be respect for Selina at the end with her going her own way and him being like “yeah”, but it was just too little too late imo. I like the actress, I liked the character, it’s just that the way she was denied agency at every turn except the end where she at least got to leave sucked, and Bruce being the one who denied it sucked. (also why can’t they just let Selina sometimes be a step ahead of Bruce or be a challenge for him in a fight, like she is in the comics, let her be that).

Plus, the point that this guy was going to walk if nobody killed him was never addressed. Instead they chickened out and had some non-Selina person kill him so Bruce didn’t have to deal with the consequences of convincing her to let him live. Batman not wanting to kill his is most effective when it shows how his decisions not to kill his villains can play out in positive ways. Like Harley getting better, that time the Riddler briefly reformed, or Two Face or Mr. Freeze or any number of villains being sympathetic. Like you can give him effective reasons to have this ethos! But when you don’t show that hope and instead have flat villains he gets spared only for the story to kill them two seconds later anyway, or don’t show Bruce having to actually do something to address the failings of the law, what’s the point? And that’s where the movie just kind of flounders.

(also its so undercut by Bruce clearly indirectly causing SO many casualties in that car chase and not caring at all like what the fuck, how do you have the right to lecture anyone)

It’s also just that Bruce being wildly unpleasant in ways I specifically find super annoying (being controlling and gross toward the woman he interacted with, not having much sympathy for the fact Selina’s friend was missing or for anyone much at all) just made it not something I’d want to rewatch even if the point was for him to get better.

So yeah, I liked what it was trying to go for but it was unable to really commit in ways that would have made it actually incisive or good. It just went with “actually turns out some politicians and cops are good so it will be fine” and didn’t really talk about ways Bruce or Gotham would have to do the hard work to change, nor did it have the courage for Bruce to actually step back and not be ultimately Right about what Selina should do with her life or whatever, which he would have needed to do to redeem how he treated her.

also it was just too long. Too many things going on, too much of a slog in the third act.

Also I liked the idea of going back to detective stuff, but then Bruce actually failed at solving the mystery in time so...I dunno.

And considering my ambivalent feelings toward ALL the live action movies it could be I just don’t care if Robin or Batgirl aren’t there, but no, I think I could. you just need to give me something guys.

[super-predictable98]

(Not) My Dream Girl | Princess Jellyfish AU

Warning: Strong language.

(Masterlist)

September 5th

Dear Diary,

WHAT A FUCKING DAY TO BE ALIVE!

Today I had the scariest moment of bi panic. Every time I tried to come out to my mother she said I was just confused, that I didn't actually like girls. Today I got proof that she's wrong. I definitely like girls, maybe more than boys after meeting this goddess.

She's an exchange student, I barely know anything about her. All I know is that she's a sophomore who came to New York to study fashion, her dad is some big shot politician back in Japan, and she's the most beautiful, the funniest, the sexiest girl I've ever seen in my life. Her name is Kuranosuke which probably means insanely hot chick in Japanese. If it doesn't, it does now.

I was walking down the hall, nervous as all hell (but then again, when am I not?). I was still thinking about what mom said when she found out what my major was: "Are you insane, y/n? How do plan to make any money like that? You think you're just gonna suddenly become Coco Chanel and get rich?" Yeah, God forbid I follow my passion, right? But then a voice pulled me away from my overthinking trance.

"I'm a little lost," she chuckled. What a vision, with her long blonde hair, bubblegum pink lips, slender figure with long limbs like a top model, and violet eyes. I never knew someone could have such gorgeous eyes.

Her outfit? Well, she was dressed like she just walked straight out of the cover of Vogue. And she smelled so good, not sweet or fruity, she smelled like... like... she smells like the feeling of watching a Broadway show for the first time, if that makes sense.

I helped her find the way to class, luckily we were going to the same place, that's when she told me the little bit of info I listed before. She was so friendly, I imagined a walking Barbie doll like her would be rude and self-absorbed, but it's quite the opposite. She's kind, she's dedicated and passionate in a way that makes you passionate too. The way she speaks, so... not worried, loose, like she has the world in the palm of her hand.

She must think I'm so shy, but I just couldn't find the right words to sound smart and captivating. Usually with boys, it's easier. You look at them and that's enough, but Suke is different.

When I asked her if I could call her that, she laughed again. She has a boyish laugh, that's probably what I like the most about her. That and her accent, it's absolutely adorable.

"I'm sorry, for an American it must be a little complicated to say my name. Suke is cute, I like it."

When she asked if I wanted to sit with her, I nearly had a heart attack. I just assumed she was being courteous after I helped her find her way, but she actually wanted to spend time with me and have a conversation? What sort of sorcery did I do to deserve her attention?

Needless to say, I barely paid attention to the lecture. I did hear some bullshit about the regency era and how the fact that period dramas have actresses wear corsets without a chemise is a crime against fashion, but I was mostly focused on the way Suke twisted her curls in between her fingers.

How she bit the end of her pencil while listening to our professor blabbing about something unimportant, and how sometimes she would look at me and smile as I tried to hide the fact that I was staring the whole time.

If I had to guess, I'd say Suke is pretty used to the attention, and why wouldn't she? A girl like her must have all sorts of admirers, she can pick whoever she wants. I feel like the song She's So High was written with her in mind.

I wonder if she's thinking about me like I'm thinking about her. I wonder if she thought about me at all after we parted ways.

I don't think I've ever felt like this before. That feeling like your heart might explode if you're not next to that person. And when you are, it races non-stop. Her voice has been haunting me, I can't stop thinking about the way she says my name or when she asked to see my notes because the professor was talking too fast.

"My brother told me I would have trouble," she shook her head with a small pout, leaning closer to me and my entire body nearly went up in flames.

Her arm went around my shoulders as she read my (probably very unhelpful) notes. "But I didn't believe him, he's soooo stuck up and annoying. Do you have any siblings? If you do, you know how it is, we love them and hate them at the same time. Thank you, honey, you're a lifesaver."

Wow, I must sound like an idiot, gushing over someone I just met a few hours ago, like I'm in love with her or something. That would be hilarious and ridiculous, pitiful really. I don't even know if she's queer (judging by her long nails, I'd be doubtful). All I know is that I can't wait to wake up tomorrow and see her again at fashion history.

[melanielocke]

An experiment with a Fairchild

Alastair goes to the Fairchild's house to visit Charles, but finds only Henry home, who is working on something.

CW for toxic relationship

Taglist: @foxglove-airmid @alastair-esfandiyar-carstairs1 @justanormaldemon @styxdrawings @ipromiseiwillwrite

I don't think this really adds up with the timeline since I'm not sure Henry was actually in London at the time but I don't care. It's somewhere during early Chain of Gold.

Alastair knocked on the door of the house in Grosvenor Square. The consul was currently in Idris and would not be home, and Alastair was fairly certain Matthew was someplace else with his band of bandits or whatever they called themselves nowadays. Charles’ father he wasn’t so sure about, but Alastair imagined he would have gone with her. He sincerely hoped Charles would be home. He’d missed Charles and hoped they could talk about his engagement. Alastair could make him understand, how unhappy it made him. They would work something out, Alastair was sure of it. It would be like Paris again, just the two of them. He could be happy, as long as he had Charles’ love.

The door opened, but it wasn’t Charles standing in the doorway, nor any of the servants. Instead, sitting in a bath chair, was Charles’ father. Henry Branwell, known for inventing the portal, although Alastair didn’t think he got the recognition he deserved. He didn’t know much about Henry beyond that, Charles was far closer to his mother than his father and Alastair didn’t think Charles really understood his father’s work.

‘Good afternoon,’ Henry said. ‘I’m not sure we’ve met? I’m Henry Fairchild.’

Alastair didn’t realize Henry used his wife’s name. He knew Charles’ mother had chosen to give him her last name instead of Henry’s because of her position as consul, which was an unusual decision, but he’d never heard of a husband taking his wife’s name.

Charles often claimed his parents hadn’t married out of love either, that his mother had married his father because she needed the support of a husband to advance her career. Therefore, it was fine he was marrying for political reasons and would never love his wife. But Henry Fairchild must love his wife very much, to have taken her name.

‘I’m Alastair Carstairs,’ Alastair said. ‘I’m here to see Charles, is he home?’

‘Right, you must be Charles’ friend. No, I don’t think he’s at home right now.’

‘Oh that’s too bad,’ Alastair said, attempting to hide the disappointment in his voice. ‘Do you know where he is?’

Perhaps he was at his club, Alastair thought. He’d been there once before with Charles, who’d wanted to introduce him to the club. Alastair had not yet managed to win much approval there, but he was determined to keep trying. Many high standing shadowhunter men were members of the same gentleman’s club Charles went to, and Alastair wanted so badly to fit in there. Even if deep down, he knew he never would, not really. Even with his hair dyed blonde, his skin was still too dark to pass for a white English man. At most they would accept an act he put on. Still, Alastair tried the best he could to be what they wanted and win their approval, especially Charles’.

‘No, I’m not sure. But I expect he’ll be home soon. Why don’t you come in and wait there. I am working on something fascinating.’

Alastair hesitated, but he guessed it couldn’t hurt to come in. If at any point Matthew arrived, he could always make his way out. He didn’t hate Matthew, not really. He thought Matthew was immature, and sometimes Alastair was jealous that it was so easy for Matthew to be himself, but that was all, and Alastair deeply regretted his behavior at school.

However, Alastair thought it was best for all parties involved if he stayed away from Matthew, who was clearly still mad with him. Who could blame him, honestly? Charles knew, of course, about the bad blood between them, but had chosen to believe Matthew had been a brat at school and did not blame Alastair for his behavior. While that was true to some extent, Alastair had been far worse. However, if he was to be accepted, he should not show such weakness, and the best course of action was to stay away. Perhaps coming here was a bad decision.

Henry retreated into his lab, and while Alastair waited with some tea provided by a servant, he felt very awkward. What were his duties here? He would have expected someone inviting him in to stay with him, although a conversation with Charles’ father would have been just as awkward. Where was Charles? Was he coming?

In the end, Alastair did decide to take a look in the lab.

‘Ah, there you are,’ Henry said. ‘You were taking your time with that tea. Do you prefer it colder?’

Truth to be told, Alastair didn’t like the way the English made their tea at all, but he reserved his complaints about the awful food and drinks of this country for when he was having tea with his mother and Risa.

‘It was quite hot,’ was all Alastair said.

‘After some deliberation I’ve decided to give the Phosphor another chance,’ Henry said. ‘It was unfortunately, a failed invention, but I still believe I could make it work.’

‘What is it supposed to be?’ Alastair asked.

Henry fell into a lecture of his work, how he’d wanted to invent a light source five times brighter than witchlights. So far the Phosphor had mostly resulted in fires, and Henry had abandoned the project in favor of the portal. Alastair noticed how passionate Henry seemed when he talked about his interests. He could be passionate too, but Charles said that was not a good thing. It was important that he appeared rational at all times, not clouded by emotion.

‘Nor did I like working with something so highly flammable while Charles and Matthew were small,’ Henry said. ‘It would be too dangerous with small and vulnerable children depending on me. But they’re growing up so fast. Charles will be married soon and move out with his wife.’

Alastair wasn’t so sure what Charles intended to do. He’d assured him the engagement was temporary, that he would not marry miss Bridgestock. But she was under the impression the marriage would take place. Then who was Charles lying to?

‘So now is the right time to give it another try?’ Alastair concluded.

‘Precisely. However, something is not right with my calculations, and I cannot figure it out. Do you have an interest in science yourself, Mr. Carstairs?’

Alastair had once, although not to the extent Henry did. He was good at math, at least, and fascinated by the theory.

‘A little,’ he said. ‘But I’m mainly interested in politics.’

Alastair glanced over the calculations Henry had written down. They were complex, but Alastair was good at math and at least this part of the inventing process he could follow along.

‘There’s a mistake here,’ Alastair said. ‘Maybe that’s why it’s not working.’

Henry moved over to look at the calculations, and Alastair pointed out the errors, working with Henry to fix the errors. Would it work now?

‘Are you sure you’re not interested in becoming a scientist or an inventor?’ Henry asked. ‘You’re quite clever. I think it is limiting, to think of shadowhunters only as warriors. Some are, and that’s fine, but there are more ways to make the world better than just killing demons. The experiments Christopher and I do all serve the purpose of improving life for shadowhunters, yet so few understand.’

Henry sounded resigned, had he accepted the way he was viewed? Alastair found it difficult to imagine. He knew what it was to be mocked, and he never wanted to experience that again. He didn’t think he could bear it, but perhaps Henry was simply stronger than he was.

‘That’s their loss,’ Alastair said. ‘There are many ways to improve the world beyond fighting. I’m not an inventor, but I hope I can improve the Clave by getting into politics someday.’

Alastair wasn’t completely sure it was what he wanted anymore. Even if he did succeed, he knew people would gossip. He could never be the perfect politician shadowhunters expected, not without a wife, and Alastair was determined that no matter how much he pretended to be something he was not, he would never pretend to love someone he could never have such feelings for. He admired Henry, for not caring what people thought of him. He wished he could be like that, be himself, and be appreciated, if not by society then by a smaller group of people who loved him. But Alastair didn’t think that was possible, because no one could love the real him, could they? After pretending for so long, he didn’t even know who the real Alastair was anymore.

‘Ah, like Lottie,’ Henry said. ‘I so admire what she does. I could never make people listen like she does. And Charles wants to be just like her. Truth to be told, he’s a far better assistant to her than I could ever hope to be.’

‘Charles is good at what he does,’ Alastair said.

Alastair hoped some day he would be too. He read all the books Charles recommended, he worked tirelessly on formulating his own ideas. But whenever he presented his ideas to Charles, he was met with laughter. As if his ideas were just a joke to him, as if he were far too young and silly to understand. It made him feel awful. Alastair usually tried to downplay it then, pretend he hadn’t been absolutely serious about these ideas. Because clearly if Charles didn’t take him seriously, his ideas weren’t as good as they’d seemed at first and he needed to do better. He’d convinced his mother that he could help their family’s social standing by succeeding in politics rather than marrying, but how could he if not even Charles thought his ideas were worth anything?

‘I must admit I don’t understand his work nearly as well as you must,’ Henry said. ‘I’m glad he has a friend like you. I have worried about him. Always so focused on work, he doesn’t have many friends and I worry he’s lonely. I think he finds it difficult to make friends. But you and he, you are good friends are you not?’

‘We are,’ Alastair said, suddenly terrified Henry would suspect he and Charles were not quite friends, but lovers instead.

He wasn’t quite sure what Henry meant about Charles not having many friends. Charles attended his club along with many shadowhunter men, and he seemed friendly with many of them. Of course, even then he mainly talked about politics and tried to build alliances to further his career. Alastair wasn’t sure Charles really cared about any of them, perhaps he was the only one Charles had former a true connection with. If anything, it made him feel more special to be the only one trusted and appreciated by him.

‘He’s lucky to have you,’ Henry said.

‘Father, what are you doing here with Alastair?’

Charles was standing in the doorway. He looked weary, and Alastair wanted to go to him, but he didn’t dare, not when Henry Fairchild was still here to witness them. Although strangely, he suspected if there were shadowhunters who did not condemn men like him and Charles, it would be Henry.

‘Ah, there you are, Charles. Your friend has been waiting for you.’

Charles sighed. ‘Please do not bother my friends with your experiments. I am sorry for this, Alastair. I was caught up at the Institute, you know how it is.’

Alastair was a bit shocked by the way Charles spoke to Henry. Compared to his father, Henry seemed kind, if only a bit absent minded. He knew Charles did not understand his father well, but it was quite rude to speak to him in such a manner. His mother certainly wouldn’t tolerate it if he spoke to her like this.

Henry didn’t say anything else, and Alastair left the lab with Charles to go upstairs, to his bedroom. As Alastair understood it, Henry rarely left his lab and there was little danger of him interrupting him.

‘Are you very tired?’ Alastair asked.

‘Just work,’ Charles said. ‘It’s becoming a bit much lately, but that’s alright. This is my chance to show my best qualities, after all. Exhaustion is a small price to pay. And I have you with me now, and that more than makes up for it. I could use some relaxation.’

And Alastair obliged, as he always did. Even if part of him was still upset with Charles, he knew that if he wanted to earn his lover’s affection and loyalty, he would have to be there for him when Charles needed him and give him what he wanted. At least now he could experience what if felt like to be loved, and Alastair knew love was supposed to hurt. It was better than nothing, better than being alone. Still, he wished he could be more like Charles’ father, doing what was right for him and being who he was regardless of what anyone else thought. But Alastair had lost himself a long time ago, the only time when he felt even remotely like himself was when he was in Charles’ arms. And even then, he still did not feel quite right and couldn’t figure out what was missing. He did not know who he was anymore.

[multifandomwriter56]

Filling in His Place

A/N: This was a request. Also it’s for @sdavid09​ Tale Teller’s 2020 Bingo Challenge.

Square Filled: Follower Prompt

Request by anon: Hey hun! I was wondering if I could request a Shelby!reader where she is Finn’s twin but she is treated the same way as him and she gets in trouble???? Xxxx (I hope this meets your expectations, love)

Summary: Tommy’s done with his sister’s antics and Y/n’s done with pretending her brother will ever be the same.

Characters: Tommy Shelby x Sister!Reader

Warnings: language, angst, spoilers for S4 and S5 (barely)

Word Count: 1,488

(Gif is by @el-cheung​)

Y/n loves being a twin. Always having someone the same age as her growing up has made being a Shelby much easier. Finn and her have always been troublemakers; and as they get older, they got into even more trouble.

Tommy used to be able to control the twins, but since he started playing politician, the responsibility fell onto their aunt.

Y/n does feel guilty for stressing their aunt out as much as they do.

The last time they trashed the Garrison, Polly had decided enough was enough and split them up for the time being.

Y/n, unfortunately, drew the short straw so to speak and was sent to the Arrow House.

She had only been there five minutes when Tommy had call her into his office and gave her a lengthy lecture on acting like an adult.

She almost left right then, but she decided spending some time with her niece and nephew would be good. Besides Lizzie, the two children hardly ever saw family;especially Charlie. When her brother and Lizzie would fight, Lizzie would take her and Ruby to Arthur’s place; leaving Charlie behind. 

***

One morning she decided she was done with staying in her brother’s mansion and decided to head back to Small Heath.

She stole Tommy's car and was planning on picking up her twin; but when she arrived, he was gone.

Apparently Finn was in London with Arthur for the day.

She thought about going back to the house, but she figured she might as well enjoy her freedom while she still can. She has a feeling, Tommy won't be so forgiving this time.

So she heads to the Garrison for a few drinks. Since John died, it seems like none of her family really goes to the pub anymore besides Finn. Even now, Y/n feels a sadness flow over her as she makes her way to the bar.

“Y/n?”

“Hey Harry, give me bottle of rum.”

“Sorry Y/n, I can’t. Tommy said-”

“Fuck my brother, give me the damn bottle or I’ll get two, and I’ll smash one over your fucking skull.”

Harry weighs in his options. Deal with an angry Shelby now or later. He decides to go with the former. He turns his back on the young woman before turning back to face her with the bottle in his hand. 

Y/n smiles sweetly but the man easily sees the sadistic nature in her eyes. Just like her brothers.

“Thanks, Harry.” 

Harry waits about ten minutes after Y/n left before picking up the phone. When he receives no answer, he tries the next best. 

“Hello.”

“Hey Arthur, I need you to give Tommy a message.”

***

“You’re fucking crazy, Y/n Shelby.”

Johnny Dogs’ words has the youngest Shelby giggling loudly, almost falling off the black stallion Tommy gave Johnny years ago. 

“I rather be crazy than fucking normal.” She tips the bottle back, frowning when she barely gets a drop. She slides down off the stallion. “We need more rum.” She announces as she throws the bottle in the air, smiling when it crashes to the ground, shattering into pieces. 

“Y/n Shelby!”

“Fuck.” Y/n whispers. She searches around the wooded area with her eyes to try and find the best place to hide. Her gaze lands on an amused Johnny and her eyes instantly narrow. “Did you fucking snitch?”

Johnny’s eyes widen as he shakes his head. “I-I’ve been with you the whole time.”

“Huh, that’s true.” Hearing footsteps getting closer, Y/n remembers she was trying to escape. 

She takes about two steps before a strong hand grips around her forearm. “Just remember I’m drunk, you can’t yell at me.” She giggles but immediately stops when her eyes finally meet her brother’s. 

Tommy grins at his little sister, the same sadistic nature clouding his own eyes. “You want me to wait until you’re fucking sober, eh?”

Y/n is regretting her words. “No, Tommy, wait!” She tries to pull out of her brother’s grasp as he pulls her towards the pond. “Don’t you fucking dare!” She shouts when Tommy pulls her up into his arms. She tries to grip his coat, but being in the drunken state that she is, she’s not able to grip the material tight enough.

The sadistic grin stays until Y/n stops cursing and calms down. Once he has her attention, he drops any sign of amusement and his eyes narrow. “Feel better?”

“No.” Y/n sasses before pulling herself out of the water. 

Tommy points in the general direction he came from. “Go to the fucking car.”

“Which one?” She taunts.

“Mine. The one you stole.”

“Borrowed.” She mumbles, but scurries away when Tommy takes two threatening steps towards her. She gets lost twice; the alcohol still running through her veins is making her brain fuzzy. 

She screams when someone taps her shoulder.

“Bloody hell, Y/n.” Tommy snaps as he motions for her to follow him.

***

The ride to her brother’s house is dead silent. 

Y/n tries to flee up the stairs, but Tommy quickly snatches her arm in a firm grip.

"Not so fucking fast, young lady." He growls in her ear as he pulls her into his office, pushing her just enough to force her to sit on the couch.

"Stop fucking pushing me around!" She snaps.

Tommy points a warning finger mere inches from her face. "Watch the tone."

Y/n bites her lip to keep herself from pissing her brother off even more.

Slightly mollified with her silence, Tommy drops the pointed finger. "If you keep on like this, Y/n, I'm locking you in your fucking room until I find a man to marry you off to."

Y/n's jaw slacks open, hoping she heard her brother wrong. "You're not picking who I marry, asshole. Yes, I would love your blessing when I want to get married; but, as of now, I'm happy being alone. I'm barely of age, still have a few years before I even think about crossing that bridge."

Tommy had instantly regretted his words. He didn't really mean them... well, he didn't mean the part of marrying his baby sister off. Locking her in her room seems to be his only option right now.

"I'm not a child, Tom."

"Then stop fucking acting like one!" He roars, the last string holding his temper snaps. "Fuck, Y/n, every time I see you now, you're in some kind of trouble. You and Finn aren't kids anymore."

"It's not my fault that the only time you want to see your kid siblings is when they're making you look bad!" Y/n snaps back; her hurt and anger from being ignore for so long spilling from her mouth. "You used to want to be around Finn and I. Now you only see us when Arthur calls about our behavior; or Aunt Polly threatens to send us to live with you." She huffs out a humorless laugh. "I thought the older I would get, the more I could be with you, helping you with the business. But I guess I was fucking wrong. I guess there's not much Finn and I can do for you except run errands and be your little messengers."

“So are you done with the childish acts?”

Y/n swallows the sob threaten to escape. She finally sees Tommy; the new Tommy. The one who only cares about getting to the top and proving he’s worthy to sit at the adult table. 

He wants her to pretend they solved the issue so he can focus on something more important than her. “Yeah, I’ll behave.” She stands to her feet. “I’m guessing you don’t want me leaving the house anytime soon?”

Tommy nods his head, glad his sister isn’t arguing with him anymore. “You can leave when Pol says you can come back to her place.”

Y/n nods, quickly making her exit from his office so he won’t see the tears freely flowing down her face. 

Tommy drops his head, fighting with himself on whether he should stop her. He knows they didn’t make amends, but he has other business in London to tend to.

And if she keeps her word and behaves; he won’t have to worry about her, or Finn for that matter, every second of the day. He needs to stay sharp; his mind can’t be wandering back to his siblings’ whereabouts. 

Y/n wipes away the tears as she hears children laughing. She smiles when two kids run to greet her.

“Aunt Y/n, we missed you!”

She hugs them both. “Oh, I missed you too.”

She silently promises to her niece and nephew that she will do what her brother wishes as long as she can; just so she can be near them. They need a father; but she’ll do her best to fill in his spot. 

Forevers: @beautycinders​ @desiredposion​

[impossiblelibrary]

Today's rant brought to you by: Queer Eye Japan, can we all just try to be as kind as they try to be?

After watching the Queer Eye Japan super short season, I wanted to google to see the overall reaction to the show, make sure that my western eyes were correct in seeing the care that was given to the culture. Were cultural taboos, other than being outwardly gay, crossed? So I find this article in the top results and other than the perspective, why tho? Tokyoesque.com had an article with a higher reading level, with surface level appreciation but at least better written.

I can't get over this hate article though. Unfounded, dumb, wrong and incorrect. Do not go forward unless you like that blistering kind of anger from me.

But the reasons just get weaker as the article extends: "Hurts the country it set out to save?" Looking for white savior much? They did not go to save Japan, they gave some free shit to like 4-5 people, think smaller.

Their culture guide wasn't gay enough.

You want to suggest any lgbt insta models or celebrities, use your platform to raises some up?

"There is a growing sexless culture in Japan for married and unmarried people, and it is perilous watching Queer Eye present this without any context behind what is driving this behavior."

Sexiness is what the fab 5 embrace, unfortunately and it was probably discussed behind the scenes of how much talking about sex was allowed or polite and the conversation of not having sex is closer to the tip of the tongue rather than the feeling of sexiness. The West is not the ones blasting that information. It is across multiple Japanese printed newspapers and online stories by now and the "context" is still being discussed and debated amongst Japanese. So I don't think any outsiders should be weighing in or "explaining" this phenomenon. We can repeat what we have been told but guessing at the reasons is not our place. The reasons illustrated by the author of the article seem lacking, a take but not the only one, but who am I to speak on that being in a sexual relationship with someone who pulls from that culture?

Kiko begins to lecture Yoko-san on how she “threw away her womanhood” (referring to a Japanese idiom, onna wo suteru) by going makeup-free and wearing drab, shapeless clothes.

The mistranslation by the subtitles fixed by this author was necessary information. But Kiko didn't lecture her on it, it was brought up by Yoko before any of them arrived, that was her theme, that was what she had decided to focus on. Meanwhile, if you watched Jonathan, he understood there was no time to spend on makeup and skincare so provided her a one instrument, 3 points of color on the skin to feel prettier. That and the entire episode being the 5 treating her like a woman on a date, not trying to hook her up, which is what they did in American eps.

"In teaching a Japanese woman, who already struggles to find time for herself, how to make an English recipe, Antoni is making great TV and nothing more."

So Antoni shouldn't have taught her apple pie because it's too exotic for a Japanese woman. (Can you smell the sexism?)

He didn't make an apple pie, altho Yoko did mention her mother made that for her when she was a kid. He made an apple tartine after going to a Japanese bakery who makes that all the time. Then highlighted the apples came from Fuji in true Japanese media fashion. Honey, American television doesn't usually highlight where the ingredients come from. A Japanese producer told him to do that. So all worries handled within the same ep. She got Japanese ingredients, had the recipe shown to her and then made it for her friends in her own house. Did the author actually watch this show or nah?

"beaten over the head with his western self-help logic. “You have to live for yourself,” he says."

The style of build up the 5 went for was confrontational but in a "I'm fighting for you" way. It's hard to describe, but the best I can say is, a person has multiple voices in their head, from parents, siblings, society, and maybe themselves. By being loud and obnoxious, American staples right there, they are adding one more voice. You deserve this, you are amazing, you are worth it. I know this is against most Japanese cultural modesty, but maybe it shouldn't be.

Sarcasm lies ahead:

Apparently: mispronunciation is microaggressions, not just someone who had a sucky school system. Yea okay, They're laughing at the language not at how stumbling these monolinguals are with visiting another country. Mmhm. Japanese don't say I love you and don't touch and that should stay that way instead of maybe, once in awhile, feeling like they can hug. Yeah, let's just ignore Yoko's break down that she had never hugged her lifelong friend after hugging strangers multiple times. Maid cafes are never sexualized in Japan ever, just don't go down that one street in Akihabara where the men are led off by the hand sheepishly blushing. Gag me. And Japanese men love to cry in front of their wives and would never break down once the wife leaves. I have never seen a Japanese movie showcase that move. Grr.

"I identify as many cultures."

So you're a Japanese man when it's convenient for you to get an article published? Are you nationally Japanese or just ethnically or culturally?

Homeland is an inherently racist word?

"After the Bush administration created the Department of Homeland Security after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, a Republican consultant and speechwriter Peggy Noonan urged, “the name Homeland Security grates on a lot of people, understandably. Homeland isn’t really an American word, it’s not something we used to say or say now.”

Yes, let's use a Washington Post article rather than a etymology professor. Yes, the google search results increased after 2001 Homeland Security was used but the word has been around since the 1660s and I've read multiple turn of the century lit on white people returning to their homeland, i.e. the town off the coast they were born in.

"But" is not disagreeing. I think the repeated offender for the author is the not acknowledging the makeover-ees feelings. But, that is how LGBT have decided to deal with the inner voices that invade from society. They are just that, not our own, they are the influence of society, and we can choose, we have to choose, to be influenced by someone, anyone else.

Karamo can't speak about being black when an Asian is speaking about being Asian, even though the Asian gay man was feeling alone. It's called relating bitches, and I'm done with people saying that is redirecting the conversation, it's extending the conversation. That's how we talk, the spotlight is shared, especially when someone's about to cry and doesn't want to be seen as crying, time to turn the spotlight.

The gay monk wasn't good enough, you should have invited the gay politician.

Yeah, causes I'm sure a politician has all the time in the world for a quick stint and cry. They picked a Japanese monk who travels to NY because they had a guest who travels to the West too. Did you want him to stop traveling back and forth? Did you want a pure, ethnic and cultural Japanese gay man who has no ties to the west to talk to this Western educated young man? Seriously?

This is just not how it works in Japan.

Being in a multi-cultural marriage between two rebels, discussions on facets of culture are plenty in my household. Culture should be respected enough to be considered but not held on a pedestal like we should never adjust or throw some things out. LGBT being quiet and private for instance. "Being seen" was Jonathan's advice, and a good one especially for a Japanese gay man that was called feminine since he was a kid. Some gay men can hide, but as Jonathan said, he couldn't hide what he was, he couldn't hide this. So fuck it. Don't hide. It's actually more dangerous for a feminine man to come off as anxious rather than gay and proud. It makes you more of a target if they think you won't fight back. Proud means, Imma throw hands too, bitch.

This is also from the civil rights playbook going back to Black America: never hold a protest or a fight without the cameras, without being seen. LGBT have found the more seen they are, in media, in the streets, the better off we are. When LGBT Americans were being "private" about our lifestyles, we died, a la 1980s. They won't care if you start dying off if they never saw you to begin with.

And hence why I think the author's real anger is from these 5 being seen dancing flamboyantly in Shibuya, in Harajuku, afforded the privilege of doing this safely because of their tourist status, cameras and very low violence rate in Tokyo, loud and obnoxiously. Honestly, they wouldn't have been invited or nominated if they didn't want that brash American-ness coming into their home, just for a taste, at least.

Here's my real anger, my own jealousy: Japan's queer community currently does not have marriage or adoption rights. US does, so we have progressed further. But we are also not that many years from being tied to cow fences with barbed wire, beaten with baseball bats and left for dead overnight. If things are so bad over there, maybe take a few pages from the civil right playbook we took so much time to perfect and produced by the Black Americans who fought first. But so far, I only hear loss of jobs and marriages, which we still have here too. Stop trying to divide us, we are one community, LGBT around the world and we are here to try to help. Take it or leave it, it's not like we're going to go organize your own Pride parade for you.

Rant over? I guess. Is this important enough to be put in the google results along with his. Hell no, anyone with half a mind can see he's reaching more than half the time. And any argument about: this wasn't covered! There are a shit ton of conversations that are not covered in the 45 min they have. They are not a civil rights show, it's a makeover show, doing their best in that direction anyway. Know what it is.

Next blog post, what research I would guess was happening behind the scenes for each of the 5? I'm pretty sure I saw Jonathan doing Japanese style makeup there...

[these-are-the-first-steps]

I'm not doing great. Last Friday I literally met a High school level bitch girl supervilain at University. Like seriously Mean Girls Regina George levels of awful.

This is a long one, prepare yourself:

TLDR: have a bad group project going on....

What it was is that I have to work on a group project for Social Sciences, but this one girl in the group literally ignored EVERYTHING I said. There were two other girls (one of which was her "friend") but she only ignored me. The first thing I said was "I like your earrings!" she ignored that.

I actually did the work we had to do before meeting our groups and I had ideas that even the lecturer thought were good and interesting.

But this girl, she literally said "I won't do the work unless it's something I'm interested in" like firstly what the fuck it's a GROUP project. Secondly this personality of hers didn't improve for the whole hour.

So anyway, my idea for the project was to compare mature students to non-mature students (because I am one) and this girl said to MY FACE "I'm not interested in mature students"

So I said with a smile "You're going to be mature one day"

And then she said in a dismissive tone: "Well I'M not going to still be a student" like I was stupid because I'm still a student.

Like the bitch's friend SPOKE for her sometimes like "oh yeah she literally doesn't care" when I was trying to talk. 🙁🙁🙁 THEN AND YOU WON'T BELIEVE THIS. After we had to choose the topic SHE wanted because she "won't do the work unless it interests her"

She had the audacity to say "You better do the work, I got a first last year, I'm getting one this year" LIKE WHAT THE FUCK

Also, this bitch wants to be a POLITICIAN in the future. I spoke to the Lecturer at the end and she's trying to get me to change groups but I don't know if that is possible.

Aside from all that she only asked the other person in the group things if she (the Great Evil) wanted another person to disagree with me; like I suggested email surveys because they're quick and easy for people to do, and straight away without even talking to me she turned to her friend and said "remember when we did sociology at school and surveys were the worst ranked, do you remember that [other girl]?

I had never even MET this girl before and she hated me on sight. I don't even look old (I'm only 24)

SO ANYWAY. you can post this or not, I just needed to share the actual evil archetype I met

Hi there friend. I'm sorry it's taken me awhile to reply but I wanted to be at a real computer to do so, because I know what you're going through.

If it's ok, I'd like to propose some advice and courses of action, because dumb bitches like this need to be put in their place.

Firstly, ignore her. Ignore her so hard that she speaks and you hear and see nothing. Don't even look at her. You did all you could by reporting it to the teacher but it sounds like the teacher didn't do anything so the ball is in your court now. Cut her off from this project (which she will probably love anyway) and do not include her in anything. You tried, she refused. The end. That's your story, a very simple story, you will tell your teacher on presentation day.

Do the project, and only include the names of the people who actually contributed to it. If you are the sole person who does any of the work, guess what? You are the only name going on the project. The end. It's that simple.

This may sound scary or against the rules, and the teacher may say something about it, but here's the thing: This is training for the adult world, and the adult world has zero chill for this shit. If the teacher doesn't want to be the adult, you will be. Which means being cold, emotionless, objective, and to the point.

To win this problem with your teacher, keep the explanations simple and free from personal opinion. The shorter and more concise, the better. "We asked for her help many times. She did not want to participate. We did the work without her. Because she did not do the work, her name is not on it." <- Just keep saying this over and over. Because that's all that needs to be said. Even if the teacher tries to 'discover' some personal disagreement, just repeat that again. Give them nothing but those facts. Let the girl whine and be emotional and dig her own grave. You know your story. You've said it. It's all you're saying. The end. If the teacher tries to damage your grade, go to the teacher's superior/boss. Tell them the exact same thing. Keep going up the ranks until someone gives you the grade you deserve. This is how things get done.

I'm real sorry you're going through this, and I hope the above helps at least a little. Remember that girls like this want you to get upset, they want you to have a reaction, and they want you to cave. The worst thing you can do to them is be calm, have no reaction, ignore their antics, and just cut them out of the activity coldly and maintain the cut-off (they don't get to cry and bargain their way back in, fuck that shit). Take care, friend!! <3

[retvenkos]

chasing // oliver queen

Arrow (Season 1 or 2) - Oliver Queen x Reader, fluff, slight angst

requested

A/N: the anon’s request was pretty detailed, so i hope i got everything you wanted! i had a lot of fun writing this, and it got me wanting to watch arrow again, so i might just finish the show!

Summary: You stopped him before he could go too far. “I can’t decide what’s worse - the fact that you’re a masked vigilante or that the Arrow is such a dork in real life.”

As a reporter, you were always chasing something. A story. A lead. An inspiration. A good night’s sleep.

You hadn’t found that last one in a while, but you figured that once you caught up with your latest fascination, sleep would follow. For now, your sights were set.

The Arrow. The masked vigilante - hero, in your opinion - had caused quite the stir in Starling City, and it hadn’t taken him long to catch your interest.

From day one you had been intrigued by the mysterious archer that seemed to come from nowhere, a clear vendetta against those who had changed your city - mostly for the worse. You had been the first to publish a story about the Arrow when he arrived, and since then you had kept up a steady streak - the first to get to the scene, the first to type an article, the first to know what the archer had done and why, occasionally conjecturing who might be next.

That last bit had given the vigilante a few hard times in the past, but he made your work hard, too. It was returning the favor, at this point.

All of this, and you still had yet to find out who the Arrow was, and why he had chosen this life. It had to be a burden; these midnight deeds had to be heavy - the kind of weight that hangs on your conscience and doesn’t let your heart rest.

Plenty of your friends had chastised your so-called “obsession” with the Arrow. You defended yourself vehemently, though, claiming that your interest was mostly professional. But everyone had their vexations, right? It’s what made life livable - a mystery that left you in anticipation of what would come next and excited for tomorrow, despite such mundane promises.

Oliver Queen was especially exasperated with your stubborn interest in a vigilante “who didn’t even do much, in the grand scheme of things.” You had told him on numerous occasions that one day, he would understand. He just needed to find something that intrigued him - something you felt inexplicably and inextricably tied to, despite not knowing why. He’d seem far away, then. But with the blink of an eye, it was gone. He relented with a sigh, but that look always stayed with you.

Did Oliver have something like that? You let the thought ruminate in your mind, lying there for hours afterward. Sometimes you didn’t know why you let yourself wonder. If there was one thing you knew about Oliver Queen, it was that he was more of an enigma than the masked figure you ceaselessly chased.

Gravity seemed to pull at Oliver like it had been created just for him. You could see it in those intense eyes - a story hidden in their depths. A secret, perhaps. You figured it was that island. Being alone, surviving…

You had chased that story, once. But when you fell too hard, you knew you had to pull away. That’s when you found the Arrow. It felt like fate was pulling you, leading you to something else - a story just as compelling but without the risk of falling in love.

Because whoever the Arrow was, he was just a mask. You couldn’t get in too deep when it was just a persona - a shadow of someone else.

But Oliver Queen was an ocean, and more and more, you found yourself drowning…

Gasping for air…

Your hands wet and grasping…

Gunshots hurt.

You figured it had to do with the speed at which the bullet hit you, tearing apart your abdomen, precise in the damage it wrought. You were no stranger to pain, you had been hurt plenty of times before - broken bones, black eyes, cuts and burns from being too confident while cooking - but this was different. Maybe it had to do with the intention behind the shot. Maybe it was because guns had been designed for the mutilation of human beings.

Maybe you’d write a story on that, one day. A story about pain. A story about gunshots. A story about chasing something and getting hurt in the process. Maybe. One day.

Preferably when you weren’t in a hospital bed, recovering from a bullet wound.

There had to be some kind of irony in the fact that you had been shot when working on a story that wasn’t about the Arrow. You had been questioning some politician or another when a group of thugs came, shooting up the place and demanding their needs be met. Your superiors had put you on this story because it was supposed to be safe. They figured that the less you focused on the Arrow, the less danger you would be in, and, by extension, the less they would be responsible if something happened.

You wished you could see the look on their faces now.

Maybe later, though, when you didn’t look terrible. Shootouts weren’t kind on appearance. Neither were hospitals.

“Hey,” a voice cut through your thoughts (which were surprisingly coherent, after everything that had happened) and you turned to look at the door.

Oliver Queen, his hands in his jacket pockets, searched you with his eyes, checking to see what damage had been wrought. His eyes carried that intensity again, that look that hinted at what horrors he had seen on Lian Yu - that look that betrayed him. He opened up his mouth to speak, but you were quick to cut him off.

“I’d prefer it if you kept your comments until after I’m out of the hospital.” You grimaced at the thought of Oliver lecturing you on safety again. You figured you deserved a break - at least for the moment. “Besides, I doubt there’s anything you could say that you haven’t already told me - and that was before I got shot.”

Oliver nodded his head, a sigh building in his chest. “I guess we know how effective that was.”

You started to laugh, but your wound had other ideas. Oliver’s brow furrowed and you shot him an unconvincing smile. “In my defense, I wasn’t chasing after the Arrow, this time.”

His expression turned dark, his shoulders falling slightly. “I know.”

“You did?”

“I, uhh…” Oliver suddenly took interest in his hands, the sounds of the hospital filling the sudden silence. You called in name softly, and it took him a moment to look back up at you. He studied you for a moment, his eyes full of deep secrets that felt heavy on his shoulders. “I have a secret, (Y/n).”

You wanted to scoff and say ‘tell me something I don’t know,’ but there was something in the air that made you unable to catch your breath and speak.

“I’m the Arrow.”

“You…” you trailed off, your brain too full to focus on speaking; your mind was racing, pulling together every bit of knowledge you had on the Arrow and cross referencing it with Oliver, the pieces falling into place too neatly. To think he was right in front of you, the whole time, listening to you ramble about himself. You were going to scream.

“You LIAR, Oliver Queen!” You took the pillow that laid by your side and swung it at him, the pillow falling just short of him. “You let me believe it was some idiot in a mask this entire time?”

The tension in the room dissipated with your smile, and you saw Oliver’s eyes soften with mirth.

“You know how many times you’ve told me the Arrow is a criminal that isn’t doing anything for this city?” Oliver took a few steps closer to you and picked up the pillow you had discarded. “You’re terribly self deprecating. We’re going to have to fix that.”

“I didn’t say anything that wasn’t true, (Y/n).”

“Neither did I, Ollie. The Arrow - you, apparently - is a hero, and now that I know it’s you, I’m going to say it more often until I can convince you of it.” The shock of it all started to wear off, and you sighed. “But how did you keep it a secret? You were literally arrested for being the Arrow - and I can’t believe I thought that was ridiculous.”

“I’m not alone,” he shrugged. You opened your mouth to say something indignant and Oliver beat you to the punch. “I’ll tell you everything once you get out of here.”

His eyes flicked to the door and you sighed, fatigue creeping back in. “You promise?”

“Yeah,” and he was softer than you had seen him in a long time.

“You’re going to take me out to get hamburgers at Big Belly Burger.” Oliver smiled at the sight of it made a warmth spread through you. “And milkshakes,” you added.

Oliver nodded. “And milkshakes.”

You smiled and settled back into the hospital bed, satisfied with your arrangement. Your mind was still racing a mile a minute, trying to determine what you were going to do with this newfound information, and Oliver must have noticed, because she started to head for the door, intent to give you time to think things over.

You stopped him before he could go too far. “I can’t decide what’s worse - the fact that you’re a masked vigilante or that the Arrow is such a dork in real life.”

Oliver stopped in his tracks, and for a moment, you just stared at him, eyebrows raised slightly. Oliver turned to you, “Definitely that the reporter following me didn’t figure it out sooner.”

“Shut up.”

“Love you, too.”

And he was gone, leaving you to your racing heart and mind.

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[noonaduck]

Blood Moon pt.1

pairing: BTS OT7 x reader, ft. some members of GOT7 genre: just pure filth, smut, supernatural au. Warnings: language, semi public sex, oral (female receiving), wandering hands Words: 3458 A/N: I have sinned again, thisfic will probably be only two or three parts long put full of pure filth.  Summary: You really weren’t in the mood for clubbing, but your friend Jaebum had made you come and satisfy your hunger. 

[Gif belongs to it’s rightful owner]

The neon lights were sweeping the floor and faceless mass of bodies were grinding against each other along the beat. You looked down from the VIP areas balcony your eyes sweeping lazily the crowd. If you were truly honest you weren't in a mood of partying but need to feed has caused you to agree to hang out at your friends’ club.  Blood moon was a nightclub where human and supernatural being would find their safe haven away from judging eyes. It has been only five years when Vampires had revealed themselves to the world followed by werewolves and other creatures were soon to follow. You can guess what kind of  reception of supernatural world coming in to common knowledge has caused. It didn’t take long before some religious cults rose and begun to lecture the world about how those monsters were horrific and twisted how they could never be creation of God, the politicians kept arguing back and forth on TV how these dangerous beast would take over their world and turn them, in to their slaves. The thought made you snort. only thing that had changed was that people were now aware of the supernatural creatures existence and you were quite sure that majority of them weren’t interested in dominating the world. 

‘’What is so funny?’’ Jaebum, one of the club owners has came to stand next to you without you noticing and looking the people below you. You couldn’t deny that Jaebum was a beautiful man even your species standard. he had pale skin and a beautiful face framed by black messy locks. he had a small silver ring on left side of his nose and another silver ball piercing right below his eye on the same side. His eyes were black like a pool of water in night and when he smiled you could see them sparkling like they were holding stars. Jaebum was tall hovering right above you and his monochrome outfit made him look even taller.   ‘’Nothing really, I was just thinking about when supernatural world came out of closet.’’ You admit. ‘’Ah, it really would have been great that vampires would have asked our opinions when they revealed themselves.’’ Jaebum agrees. ‘’ Still there is some plus sides, for example amount of willing participants who are begging to be fed from. Speaking of feeding you look terrible.’’ Jaebum points the dark circles underneath of your E/C eyes. ‘’Gee, thanks you surely know how to talk for a woman.’’ You snort. ‘’If you wouldn’t been staring at people below you, you would have already noticed that there is group of men who had stared your ass for a while now.’’ Jaebum tells raising his brow. You had dressed in to tight red dress that barely covered your ass and black high heels that made your legs look longer than they actually were. The idea of your whole outfit was to make your hunt for the night much easier. really you didn't have to see so much trouble, even if you would have arrived the club in old baggy jeans and t shirt you would gain stares from both male and female population. ‘’Hmm, really, what kind of wristbands they are wearing?’’ You ask arching your brows. The club had made of rule of wearing different color wristband based on your species. Humans were wearing orange, werewolves blue, vampires had  red and there was even more colors which you weren’t that interested in making list in your mind. ‘’Mm’h I saw quite a mix, I think there was at least two werewolves, one vampire, and elf and even one human.’’ Jaebum smirks now that he had made you curious. ‘’I thought that werewolves and vampires doesn’t like to hang out.’’ ‘’Now look at who is relaying in old stereotypes.’’Jaebum chuckles and brushes a H/C lock behind your ear which has escaped from your bun and your eyes flashes quickly to his pink wristband. You roll your eyes and finally decide to look back to the VIP area. The VIP area has its own small dance floor, a bar and booths which you could cover with curtains for privacy. You spot a group of seven men sitting on nearby booth laughing and drinking their night away. Jaebum was right that they were looking at you, when you met eyes with a boy with bleached eyes he blushes and looks back to his drink. You smirk at yourself, you had to admit he is pretty cute. Jaebum notices your stare and urges you on. ‘’Go on and talk to them or I will go get Mark to whoop your ass.’’He refers to his friend who is working behind of the bar in VIP area. ‘’Oh no, anything but him.’’ You pretend to be scared and Jaebum lets out a low laugh. Mark has been your friend since your childhood and he was like a brother to you, a very protective one. If he would know that you had made yourself almost to starve he would definitely whoop your ass. ‘’Fine I go.’’ You sigh and head towards the table sending a small wave to Jaebum. When you near the table the laughter of the men quietens and they look with you with curious eyes. ‘’Hi, can I join you guys?’’ You ask flashing a small smile. ‘’Uh, sure.’’ The vampire who is first to recover tells and flashes a pearly white smile revealing his fangs. ‘’It’s going to be a tight fit though.’’ he adds glancing already full cramped space. ‘’It’s okay, I can sit on your friends lap if he doesn’t mind?’’ You suggest pointing your words to a werewolf who is sitting on closest to your spot in half moon shaped couch. The man’s eyes widens for your suggestion but he is quick to nod his head’’ Of course, take a seat.’’ he pats his leather covered thigh and you flash him a flirty smile when you sit on his lap. You had to admit that your seat was a nice piece of meat. He has emerald brown eyes paired with straight perky nose and chin so sharp that you could use it as a razor blade. ‘’I’m Y/N.’’ You introduce yourself when you are finally comfortable on your spot. The werewolf has a musky almost forest like scent which surrounds you as soon his hands finds your waist and he puts his head lazily on your shoulder. ‘’I’m Hoseok but people usually call me Hobi.’’ The werewolf tells with low voice which makes you shiver. ‘’Hi, I’m Jimin.’’ The boy next to the wolf introduces himself.  Jimin is pure mix of cuteness and sex, his hair is light pink color and styled to look like he just had woken up. he was wearing a loose white button up shirt the first two buttons left open and tight jeans revealing his defined thighs. His eyes are same color as his hair and when he smiles they turn into crescent moons. You can't decide do you want to fuck the man or squeeze his plump cheeks. ‘’Nice to meet you.’’ You tell to your eager conversation partner and flash cute smile making him blush and covering his face revealing a mint green wristband. ‘’A nymph?’’ You say surprised raising your eyebrows. ‘’Male ones are quite rare.’’ You tell in awe. Jimin blushes even more if it’s possible.  ‘’Ya, leave the poor man alone. I’m Seokjin but you can call me Jin or world wide handsome.’’ A man who is sitting opposite side of you tells sending you a wink. You don’t have to see his wrist to tell that he is an elf. Jin has blonde, almost golden hair and you can see pair of pointy ears peeking through. The man has beautiful almost heart shaped face, soft looking light pink lips, almond eyes and cocky attitude which you can always pair with elves. You can hear his friends to groan for Jin’s remark about his looks and you chuckle lightly. ‘’Don’t mind about Jin, he is always like that when he sees someone beautiful.’’ Hoseok whispers to your ear his lips brushing brightly to your earlobe. ‘’I heard that.’’ Jin complains and his friends laugh again. ‘’It was the whole point.’’ Hoseok smirk. The music blasting around you was enough to keep the group hearing your earlier conversation with Jaebum but because the supernatural hearing hearing someone to whisper in this proximity was quite easy. Jin looks at his friend with unhappy put and gulps rest of his drink down in one quick motion. ‘’Speaking of rare sights I have to admit that it’s my first time seeing a succubus.’’ The vampire speaks up and you turn your attention to him. The man has almost ashen colored skin and dark circles under his eyes but they make nothing to dull his handsome face,his eyes are black with small red dots and he has firm jaw and high cheekbones paired with blood red lips and straight nose.  He is tallest of the group and he has silver locks pushed backwards from his forehead. ‘’I’m Namjoon by the way.’’ The vampire adds quickly remembering to introduce himself. It was a known fact that succubus were rarer than incubuses when it came to your kind. Usually the male DNA overpowered female ones and only few females were born, it was actually quite opposite of what came to nymphs where the female gender was overpowering. ‘’Yeah, well you can consider yourself lucky then,’’ You tell sending a small flying kiss towards the vampire who flashes a flirty smile in return. Then you spot the man next to him who you had spotted at first place, his orange wristband being like a bright neon sign. If you didn't know better you could have swore that he was one of your kind, his beauty competing with Jaebum’s alluring looks. The man’s hair was reaching to his ears and curled slightly behind of them, his eyes were deep brown, almost looking like black and his skin was warm color of taffy. The man was sculptured like a Greek statue and you sighed dreamily. ‘’Tae, you got a new fan.’’ Namjoon teases you and pulls you from your daydream. ‘’How I could not fan over him, he is freaking beautiful.’’ You speak like he wasn’t in the room and then point your words to him. ‘’You are gorgeous.’’ You tell and cocky smirk rises to his lips. ‘’Thank you.’’ He tells with a lower voice that you were expecting. ‘’You aren’t bad either, I’m Taehyung by the way but you can call me Tae if you like.’’ ‘’Can you guys stop eye fucking each other.’’ A man who has been quiet this far perks up and your attention is instantly drawn to his horns poking out his pitch black hair. You feel so stupid, you had missed another demon on your table.You find it odd that he had decided not to hide his demonic features but you didn’t question his decision. You smile and mouth a quick ‘sorry’ towards him which makes him grunt. ‘’Don’t be so grumpy Yoongi.’’ the final man, the second werewolf tells and sips his banana milk, A quite odd choice of drink at the club if you asked me. The wolf had muscular body which would anyone feeling like mocking him to shut up and soft brown logs pulled under a black cap. He had also emerald eyes like Hoseok and rabbit like front teeth which were revealed when he took sip from his drink. ‘’I wouldn’t be if I could get a moment of peace.’’ The demon retorts back. ‘’Hyung we are at the club, why you imagine that you could get peace here?’’ Taehyung asks and makes the man in question to sulk in more. ‘’Don’ mind about Yoongi, even though he look grumpy he is actual softie.’’ Hoseok tells with small chuckle. ‘’So what brings you here tonight?’’ You decide to start a small talk. ‘’It’s actually Hoseok's birthday.’’ Jimin tells from your left side. ‘’Oh, I’m sorry if I would have known I wouldn’t have bothered you guys.’’ You feel embarrassed. ‘’I don’t mind. It's not everyday when a pretty girl wants to sit on your lap.’’ Hoseok huffs in laugh.’’In fact you had made the evening even better.’’ he adds peeking you rneck quickly in case you feel uncomfortable. ‘’I have to admit that you are making my evening better as well.’’ You admit enjoying the attention the wolf is giving you. ‘’Did you came alone?’’ Jin peeps in eager for your attention. ‘’Yes, my friends own the club and they begged me to come tonight.’’ You admit. ‘’I should have known, what makes more sense than succubus and incubus being friends.’’ Namjoon chuckles lightly and takes another sip from his drink. His mug is made of metal and you can’t see in to it but you are sure that it’s containing alcohol mixed with blood. ‘’Have you ever fucked with succubus?’’ Namjoon asks bluntly causing his friends to raise their brows. ‘’Dude, you must be really drunk.’’ Taehyung says and smiles awkwardly to you. Anything that Namjoon had made or said before didn’t imply even slightly that he had drank too much. ‘’In fact I have.’’You answer by everyone's surprise. ‘’What? I’m a sex demon, a small question like that can’t make me feel uncomfortable.’’ ‘’What is it like have a sex with a sex demon?’’ Jimin asks curiously leaning closer. ‘’Is it better than with other species?’’ ‘’Well to me it’s kind of boring, after all I can’t feed from another demon.’’ You answer honestly. ‘’So no chance for Yoongi then.’’ The werewolf who’s name you haven't caught yet smirks. ‘’Shut up Jungkook ,why you think I want any?’’Yoongi growls making Jungkook smirk satisfied from his outburst. ‘’I mean sex feels always good so I wouldn’t mind.’’ You shrug and you can seeing that small blush rises to Yoongi’s cheeks. ‘’What do you think about elves?’’ Jin asks and trying to smirk flirtatiously to you. ‘’They have big ego and mouth I enjoy making quiet.’’ You tell smirking which makes Jin’s eyes narrow slightly. ‘’She got you hyung.’’ Taehyung chuckles. ‘’Well I know something where I would enjoy putting your mouth to keep you quiet.’’ Jin barks back. You don’t have time to sassy back at him when you feel yourself getting dizzy. You touch your forehead and groan in discomfort. ‘’Are you okay?’’ Hoseok asks sensing your discomfort. ‘’Yeah, I just haven’t fed in long time.’’ You admit closing your eyes for a moment. ‘’Can we help you in someway?’’ Jimin asks worriedly. ‘’You could always fuck me.’’ You tell half jokingly and you can feel the moment when the lust fills the table and makes air thicker with scent of sex. ‘’All you had to do was to ask.’’ Hosek smirks and reaches somewhere past you pulling the curtain shut in front of your booth leaving your group in a small bubble.  By your surprise you feel Jimin's fingers reaching the hem of your dress and sliding between your thighs. You gasp when he finds your clothed heat and press his thumb against your clit. Hoseok won’t stay second to Jimin and angels your head in a way that he can kiss your lips. You moan when he bites your lower lip gently and suck it between his teeth. Meanwhile Jimin continues his adventure under your dress sliding his index finger along your pussy lips. ‘’Hyung lift her little so I can get this hem out of my way.’’ Jimin suddenly complains and Hoseok is fast to lift you so Jimin is able to pull your dress to your waist. A view that is granted to your clothed core makes the men groan around the table, still you weren’t able to focus on them for long after Hoseok demanded your attention pinching your left nipple on the top of your dress. ‘’You aren’t wearing a bra.’’ Hoseok smirks and reaches for the zipper on your back. ‘’Tell us if you want us to stop.’’ He adds and slides the zipper down making the dress pooling down to your hip. Now your breast are revealed for the audience and view of them causes the men make satisfied noises. You can feel all the eyes glued to your body and enjoy the sexual energy reeking out of them and helping with your growing hunger. Hoseok cups your breasts from behind and rolls your nipples between his fingers making you arch against him pushing your chest forward. ‘’Fuck, hyung.’’ Jungkook moans feeling himself hardening from the view. ‘’Y/N has indeed pretty nice tits.’’ Hoseok smirks continuing palming your breasts. Jimin feels jealous form the attention that you are giving to Hoseok and slips his index finger underneath the waistband of your panties finding your clit and rubbing it gently. ‘’Jimin.’’ You gasp and want to close your legs from the sensation but Jimin doesn't have any of that forcing your legs to stay open with a strength you didn’t know he was having. ‘’Stay still or I have to tie you up.’’ Jimin warns making goosebumps appear to your skin. Hoseok’s lips finds your neck and he leaves dark hickeys on his journey to your shoulder.

‘’Are you just going to make rest of us watch?’’ Jin finally breaks up and you force your eyes to him. ‘’Yup.’’ Hoseok’s lips leaves your skin and he smirks. ‘’Are you kidding me?’’ Namjoon growls and everything happens so fast that you don’t even realize how you ended up sitting on top of the table all the drink gon from it. You aren’t sure are your thighs feeling slick from your juices slowly pooling between your thighs or from the drinks that had been on the table, either way you didn’t mind and your hunger only grew. Hoseok growls to Namjoon and flashes his slightly larger canines than human to him and Namjoon snarls back making Hoseok to back of, the leader of the group was right the revealed to you. ‘’Will you let me eat you out?’’ Namjoon asks pulling you closer to him and spearing your thighs even wider. ‘’Ye-yes.’’ You shudder when Namjoon’s thumbs graces your thighs lazily. ‘’What a good girl.’’ Namjoon praises and even without removing your panties he just pulls them aside and plunges his tongue right in to your pussy making you moan loudly. Taehyung takes advantage from your closer seating reaches for your breasts and sucks your left nipple in to his mouth. The angle where he is coming from seems rather awkward but he doesn’t seem to mind. Namjoon keeps exploring your heat with his tongue spinning it around your clit and sucking it between his plump lips. ‘’Nam-joon.’’ You whine and try to wiggle away making his grip on your thighs turn even more tighter. ‘’Keep still or I might put Jimin’s earlier threat in to action.’’ he warns and you whine feeling unhappy. Soon you feel another pair of lips seeking your right breast and by your surprise you see Yoongi working on your breast. And there you had thought that he wasn’t into you. The thought slips quickly away when Yoongi bites your nipple gently making you arch your back. At the same time Namjoon plunges his tongue in to your quivering hole and starts fucking in and out your hole in quick space. ‘’Oh god.’’ You hiss and fall backwards, now your back fully laying against the table and making Taehyung and Yoongi lose your breasts from their reach. You can feel your peek nearing and your inner muscles spamming under Namjoon’s skilled tongue. ‘’I’m close.’’ You pant. ‘’Tell me what you need baby.’’ Jin demands with husky voice making your head turn towards him this time. ‘’Just kiss me.’’ You beg and Jin is happy to obey. His lips are soft against yours and his hands finds your shoulder keeping him hovering above you. Jin’s actions are full of hunger and he slips his tongue in to your mouth when one particular sweep of Namjoon’s tongue makes you moan. Jin’s tongue massages yours hungrily and his hands find your neck. he squeezes your windpipe and finally you come from the mix of feeling lightheaded from the lack of air and Namjoon’s skilled tongue. You are panting and coming from your high while Jin has removed his hands around your neck and petting your hair which has escaped from its bun long time ago gently. ‘’Princes are you ready for round two?’’ Jin asks when you finally come back from your high. Your eyes widen in anticipation and fear feeling eager to have anything that is given to you.

[wallstoothin]

A Bouquet Instead of a Goodbye

fixed up one of my fics

Akechi Goro’s body was eventually found, it was tucked away in some bush near the diet building. His eyes wide, broken, and very very dead. A proper autopsy showed a bullet hole on his forehead and a matching exit hole at the back of his head. There were also small cuts and bruises all over his body, their origin unknown. Some speculate that the detective was held hostage and eventually killed due to the lack of cooperation from the police department. Others said that it was from an old grudge from a case he did long ago. A situation like these happens in movies all the time. Who's to say it can’t happen in real life.

The one who found him was an ordinary gardener, the bush was growing wild and it was about the time to trim it. Based on the news the gardener ran all the way to the police station unable to utter a word and completely forgetting about the phone in his pocket, dragging the poor rookie all the way to the body. It was said by some sources that the young man almost threw up on the dead body.

The world mourned before they started pointing fingers because that’s what society does best. But the search for the culprit ended as soon as it started. His father, the disgraced politician  who had abandoned his son long before his birth, has admitted in prison that he had plans of killing him. The news ate it up. 

Akira found out from the comfort of his home, watching the evening news as he brushed Morgana’s hair. He could only stare at the dead body on the screen as his phone rang beside him. The news censoring the blood and gore as an announcer talked about Akechi. Later announcing that there would be a short thirty minutes special celebrating the life and accomplishment of Goro Akechi coming soon. There will also be a live funeral for him, his remains would be going under Shido’s family tomb for the sake of tradition. No one cared over the fact that it was Shido who ruined the young man’s life and set him up for a path of self destruction and ruins. And the fact that Akechi would most likely protest. But no one heard him, he’s dead after, and the dead don’t speak.

He can feel Morgana’s paws clawing at his shirt trying to get his attention, his phone just as whiny as his feline friend was also going off. Akira let out a sigh, reaching towards the remote and turning off the television with a small ‘click’ from the power button. He ignored Morgana’s questions of ‘Are you ok’ and the constant calls and messages from his friends. He stood up and brushed off any lingering cat hair that stuck to his pants and legs making a mental note of vacuuming sometime later before he get in trouble with his parents and head to his room.

He needs to do some research.

Akira has never attended a funeral before, he’s been invited to a few sometime during elementary and middle school but he never went. He wondered if his sister in heaven hates him for never going to hers. Akira also wonders what Akechi would think when he told Morgana and everyone else that he has no plan of turning into Akechi’s public funeral or when he decline the invitation Sae-san send him through email an hour after. 

That funeral is for the detective prince, a mask that Akechi wore in order to feel some semblance of love. But in the end that love was too distant for the dead man. Akira can see it right now, thousands of young girls watching as the black car pass by as they cry, some holding on to their handkerchief while others scream their confession out loud for the world but not Akechi to hear. Akira feels that he would not be able to stand going to a funeral like that. From what he heard, Haru and Futaba also decline going to the event. He hasn't heard from everybody else but he suspects that Ryuji might skip as well. 

He let out another tired sigh as he stared at his old laptop screen, he still had things to do. But at this rate he’ll be up all night. Akira can hear the rant Morgana have in store for him later but maybe if he play his card right he should be able to stay up late. He later watched Morgana eat his fatty tuna, his wallet clutch in his hand. His wallet was looking slightly lonelier but at least he got what he want.

A week passed and life went on as usual. The public forgot about the incident until the funeral where the name Akechi Goro is once again trending on the net. On the day of the funeral Akira left the house at five am, making sure to leave a note behind for Morgana to read. No need to leave anything for his parents. 

The walk from his house to the train station was long but he was unsure if the bus even operate at this time and like hell is he going to leave his bike near the station. Even in the city there are times where the train comes few and the buses fewer so he can’t really complain about it being just a ‘countryside problem’. He have no choice but to take the long route.

 It gave him even more time to reflect. Since he’s been back in his sleepy hometime that’s all he can do without being given a strange glance or an ugly look. Everything was quiet in his hometown even during the afternoon where everyone would be out of school and shopping around but it would still be quiet, no sound this town could make would ever compare to the Shibuya crossing and for some reason it irks him. Which led to a new habit of wearing headphones around his neck in case things get too quiet around, of course another good substitute is Morgana who enjoys chatting about the things he sees or other small topics that he demands Akira pay attention to. 

By the time he made it to the train station the sky had turned from a murky blue to a bright and sunny one. The train station was empty save for the workers and a few people in suits. It was still early after all. Had Akira decided to leave the house two hours later the station would be filled with people and many more inside the train. He did not want to be seen today. Akira checked his phone to look at the time. He still have another two hours before he reaches Shibuya, still a lot of time to spare. It was probably best to check the group chat before the rest of the gang do something stupid. 

Akira:

I’m alright guys don’t worry

The replies he got were all the same asking if he was really alright and if he need someone to come over. He’s been offline for days and now that he gets a good look at his notification he can see that his messaging app has over a few hundred unread messages.

 He softly smiled, the feeling of warmth covering his chest. He loved his friends. They cared for him more than anyone else in his life and he will do anything for them. 

Akira:

I’m sorry for not answering all you calls

And texts. My family has been busy.

He added a cute frowny emoji for good measure.

Akira:

I won’t be online for the rest of the day

Sorry! Talk to you all later

He felt bad lying to his friends. But today he’s on a solo mission. He doesn’t want anyone else to be with him. He hopes they can understand. Akira slips his headphones back on and lean back in his seat, his hand reaching out and pulling the blinds so they fully cover the window and for the rising sun light stays out of his eyes. His destination is still a long way. A quick nap before then couldn’t hurt. 

===

The news mentioned him once today. It was more of a passing comment from a news channel that barely talked about him when he was alive treats him just the same dead. The big screen on the building creates white noise behind the already loud Shibuya. He knows he shouldn’t dawdle, who knows how everyone will react if he takes too long to answer back. He doesn't want to worry them ever again. 

An aggravated sigh escaped his lips. Today is not about him. He shouldn’t be selfish today of all days. He needs to quickly transfer trains before someone spots him and distracts him from his task. 

He reaches into his pocket expecting his train pass to be in there, he doesn't have any money in the card at the moment but it should make entering and leaving the station much easier as soon as he refills it.

And his pocket is empty. 

Guess in the end he has to buy a ticket. Yippie. 

Putting paying extra aside-he still have some metaverse money that he split evenly between the team long after their last heist and a short while before his departure. In the end everyone received a good amount of cash and after a long lecture from Makoto went mostly to saving so wasting five hundred yen for a round trip shouldn't hurt his bank account at all. 

The train in Shibuya is much busier than the one he took from his hometown. He scoffs, Of course it’s busier everyone here is always busy doing their own thing and living their own lives. It was almost disturbing to see how quickly city folks move from one topic to another especially after seeing the public’s one track mind on the Phantom thieves and Akechi but that was all due to the influence of the false God. Now that everyone is free, everything went back to the same boring way it was before. 

The city charm has long died out somewhere along his journey. But it was better than the countryside for sure, as a third year he now have to worry about college and future plans. Whatever it is he hopes he can do it by his friends’ side and not alone. 

There was a soft melody on the overhead, that must be his train. He stepped aside as the people leaving rushed out, and as soon as the last person exited he made his move. He quickly glanced around the cart, there’s no empty seats how unlucky considering he’ll have to stand for another thirty minutes . The train was filled with sleeping salarymen and bored elderly. He knows he’s not getting a seat anytime soon. He pulled out his phone and opened the music app. He never liked the waiting game but hopefully music can make time go by faster.

-

Akira also dislikes being squeezed to the point he can feel his ribs but being in Tokyo comes with a price. The train was not that packed compared to the early morning rush that he dealt with every morning for the past year. But not being able to pull out his phone to change the song, has made the trip much longer than expected, when Akira pushed his way out of the train he let out a huge sigh in relief. It was a good thing he decided to buy the supplies on this stop, the last thing he need is to feel the glares of fellow passengers over spilt water and crushed petals all over someone’s over expensive suit.

A sponge, a small box of incense, small candles along with two canned coffee . He ignored the sad look the cashier passed him as she was ringing him up. Did he have everything he needed? He thinks he does but if he did forget something then there are sure to be a convenience store nearby. He still have some time before the next bus comes, maybe he can buy a triple seven chicken and gobble it down. 

As he step out of the store he paused in his step. Flowers ! How could he have forgotten about the flowers especially since he was complaining about it earlier. He open up his metaverse free navigator. It was still too early but there should be one place that’s open right? He grin widely after finding out that yes there is a place nearby that’s already open. A small family run store instead of the big corporate one that he worked in once before. Hopefully they can help him pick up the perfect bouquet for him. 

An hour later and a few thousand yen emptier, Akira finally reach the grounds.

The hike up the hill was just as stressful as the trip getting there, he nodded to the monk who was sweeping and headed over to the sink and grabbed one of the available pail filling it with water and started making his way up the hill. It took awhile for Akira to find the right grave, he did not have an exact location and it was not like the monk at the entrance knew each place by heart, so Akira had to walk pass each individual family grave until he found one that was covered with dirt and weed. 

Here it is. Abandoned and left alone like the people who’s spirit left there. He put down the bucket gently on the floor and reach for the sponge making sure the sponge took up as much water as possible before reaching toward the grave, the name which was hidden after years of abandonment shine in the sun. He smiles as he dip the sponge in the water again. 

--

Cleaning the grave back to its former glory took about an hour, cleaning around the graves like pulling out the weed and disposing of old flowers took about half. By then Akira was covered with dust, dirt and sweat and in need of a good soak. But it was far from over, setting up the candle and incense shouldn’t have been a problem. He done it many times before, but it took a few broken one and a sip of water before he was satisfied with the white smoke in the air. Akira then reached for the flowers and carefully placed them in their placeholder. ‘Done’ he thought to himself. After seeing his parents prepare the family grave each summer he thought it would be easy but it was a lot more work than what he expected. It must be the heat.

He then took out the canned coffee already lukewarm from staying in the heat the whole time and placed it right under the engraved name. Akira then put his hands together, closed his eyes and talked. 

When he opened his eyes again it was already dark and his neck was burning from standing outside for too long. His voice was hoarse from talking too much but it was not like he talked much in the first place. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a tie that was frayed and wrinkled with the lack of proper care.  

Akechi’s body was long gone. His ashes spread over a name he hated all his life. By spreading the last part of him to a place where he wanted to rest would make him happy, right? He pulled out a lighter and slowly moved it towards the tie.

Akechi loved his mother didn’t he? So Akira should do this one last favor and help guide him to her. But- his hand shake as the fire slowly touched the end of the tie. He quickly turned off the flame before it take more of the tie than it already had. 

He can’t

Akira bit the end of his lips internally scolding himself. This is not about him, this is about Akechi. He shouldn't be selfish . It was selflessness that saved the world before, the options he had before when he was allowed to be selfish would have ended up in ruins. Even now after defeating the false gods, the golden rule still applies. He should hurry up and burn it up already !

He drop the lighter on the floor and clutch the tie in his hands tightly. One day, one day he’s sure that this decision is going to bite him back. It might even haunt him for the rest of his life. But it was unfair, he was still a kid, he should be allowed to grieve the way he wants to. He stare sadly at the grave in front of him. Akechi is probably mocking him. A sentimental fool. He wouldn’t mind hearing him sneer one last time. 

Akira let out a wet chuckle and wiped his eyes erasing any evidence of tears that was forming in his eyes.

“I’m sorry, I’ll try to visit again soon.” He said as he stood up, making sure to grab the bucket and sponge, leaving no garbage behind as he walked back down the hill and back home. 

A03 Link : https://archiveofourown.org/works/24458830

[stannyramirez]

𝓯𝓻𝓲𝓮𝓭 𝓰𝓻𝓮𝓮𝓷 𝓽𝓸𝓶𝓪𝓽𝓸𝓮𝓼: 𝓹𝓪𝓻𝓽 ½

❝Yes, ma’am, how ya doin’?❞ ❝I’m gonna be late ‘cause I’m lost out here.❞ ❝Why did you tell me to turn right 10 miles back there?❞ ❝God, you got a negative sense of direction.❞ ❝Bless her sweet, little ol’ heart.❞ ❝Don’t you look pretty!❞ ❝I guess it’d be better if you wait out here for me.❞ ❝Well, if you think it’s best.❞ ❝Don’t you pitch a fit like that!❞ ❝Did you ever hear of one of them fleet enemas?❞ ❝How anybody could’ve thought she murdered that man is beyond me.❞ ❝I beg your pardon?❞ ❝You sit and relax a while. I’ll tell you all about it.❞ ❝Oh, now, let’s see…❞ ❝I remember the day they pulled that truck up out of the river.❞ ❝She is gonna ruin my wedding!❞ ❝You’re gonna be the most beautiful bride.❞ ❝Your papa has spent every last nickel he has just to make you happy. Now, you try to act a little grateful, you lady.❞ ❝[Full name]! This is your mama! You come down here right now. Do you hear me?❞ ❝C’mon down, little bit. There’s no firin’ squad waitin’ for you.❞ ❝You look awful nice in that.❞ ❝She looks like a monkey.❞ ❝Take it back! Take it back!❞ ❝I’ll get you for this.❞ ❝Looks like you got yourself up a tree, little bit.❞ ❝I’m sick of people makin’ fun of me.❞ ❝So you’re gonna stay up here all day long?❞ ❝The hell with them.❞ ❝What if God made a mistake?❞ ❝The way I figure it, God never makes mistakes.❞ ❝He [God] made sure you got the best looking, most charmin’ brother in the world.❞ ❝You look beautiful.❞ ❝You’re just the one I’ve been lookin’ for.❞ ❝Are you thirsty? Let’s go visit someplace else.❞ ❝Come a little closer. I wanna give you something.❞ ❝It’s alright. I got it.❞ ❝Get out of there.❞ ❝You got to go back to the house.❞ ❝You have to be strong.❞ ❝You know, a heart can be broken, but it keeps a-beatin’ just the same.❞ ❝Oh, well, I enjoyed talkin’ to you, honey.❞ ❝What is the first thought that comes into your mind?❞ ❝Do we really pay for these lectures?❞ ❝My god, people can see you!❞ ❝You’re livin’ in the dark ages.❞ ❝I need one of these.❞ ❝Why don’t you come in and sit down at the table… and have dinner with me?❞ ❝Why you so dressed up?❞ ❝Honey, don’t get in the way. Scoot over a bit.❞ ❝How’s my dumplin’?❞ ❝Hi, sugar.❞ ❝You’re meaner than a damn snake.❞ ❝I’m glad you’re feeling better.❞ ❝Get back in bed.❞ ❝Hey. I was hopin’ you’d be here.❞ ❝Funny what you miss when you’re away from home.❞ ❝I miss the smell of coffee… and bacon fryin’.❞ ❝Oh, what I wouldn’t give for a plate of fried green tomatoes.❞ ❝Like they say, God never shuts one door without opening another.❞ ❝I must say you are lookin’ mighty fine today.❞ ❝You a politician or does lying just run in your family?❞ ❝Is that why you wanted to see me?❞ ❝Maybe this isn’t such a good idea.❞ ❝Oh, it’s got to work.❞ ❝I’ll do just fine, thank you.❞ ❝You ain’t got nothin’!❞ ❝Maybe I do and maybe I don’t.❞ ❝Put your money where your mouth is.❞ ❝Well, look what the cat drug in!❞ ❝I came to talk to you.❞ ❝You’re gonna have to wait. I’m busy.❞ ❝I’ll make you a rich man.❞ ❝You’re just bluffin’ again, as usual.❞ ❝Where the hell you goin’ with my money?❞ ❝Who are you to boss me around?❞ ❝Now, get in the car.❞ ❝I’ll leave when I want!❞ ❝I don’t know how you can break your mother’s heart like you do.❞ ❝I’m not doin’ anything to my mother.❞ ❝Your mother was so worried, she thought I might be able to talk some sense into you.❞ ❝You’re too busy being selfish!❞ ❝What are you talkin’ about?❞ ❝Turning your back on your family is not gonna help.❞ ❝What’s he got to do with anything?❞ ❝If you give me a chance, a chance to get to know you, maybe it’ll be fun!❞ ❝Fun?❞ ❝Just spend some time with me. Please?❞ ❝Suit yourself.❞ ❝You sure you don’t wanna back out? It’s not too late.❞ ❝We’ll get along just fine!❞ ❝Boy, did we luck out tonight.❞ ❝Ooo-ooo! Look at all this!❞ ❝The fun just started!❞ ❝You alright?❞ ❝Are you crazy?❞ ❝Don’t say ‘never’ to me.❞ ❝Does this hurt?❞ ❝We better get you to a doctor. Shit!❞ ❝You’ll never be able to carry me that far.❞ ❝I know, never say never.❞ ❝I’m not carryin’ you. You’re walkin’.❞ ❝Thank you. I owe you one.❞ ❝Aren’t you ready yet?❞ ❝No matter what happens, don’t move.❞ ❝What are you gonna do?❞ ❝Here you are, madam. This is for you.❞ ❝Why did you do that? You could have been killed.❞ ❝I got it just for you.❞ ❝It’s alright. I do it all the time.❞ ❝Don’t be mad at me.❞ ❝I’m not mad at you.❞ ❝No foolin’?❞ ❝Is it bad, what I did?❞ ❝I thought I might be crazy or something.❞ ❝I’ve just never seen it done… before today.❞ ❝Here, you want to taste it?❞ ❝Tonight we’re gonna have a real party.❞ ❝Drink this… and then, we’re gonna play some poker.❞ ❝I don’t know how to play poker, and I never drink. But thank you anyway.❞ ❝I’m gonna take another crack at it.❞ ❝I have never had so much fun in my whole life.❞ ❝You know, poker isn’t half bad.❞ ❝What’s your mother gonna say when she sees both of us drunk?❞ ❝You gotta stop worrying about what people think.❞ ❝You’ve always done the right thing.❞ ❝You gettin’ married?❞ ❝This is the best birthday I ever had.❞ ❝Do you find this threatening?❞ ❝Do you have a problem with your sexuality?❞ ❝Those classes I’ve been taking aren’t helpin’ us one bit.❞ ❝What do you think about it?❞ ❝I’m just getting used to it being quiet around here.❞ ❝All the guys must be wild about you.❞ ❝Don’t say it so loud.❞ ❝What happened to you?❞ ❝Where’d you get the shiner?❞ ❝You’re not gonna do anything.❞ ❝I’m gonna kill him.❞ ❝I’m gonna have a conversation with him about pickin’ on somebody his own size.❞ ❝You’re not gonna do anything, understand?❞ ❝if you care about me, if you really do, you’ll turn around and leave this minute. You understand?❞ ❝Will you dance with me?❞ ❝I will not dance with you, and I will not marry you.❞ ❝You’re just a goofy girl.❞ ❝Who’re you callin’ a goof?❞ ❝Stop that before I get mad and hurt ya.❞ ❝Oh, yeah? You try it.❞ ❝You give up?❞ / ❝No, I’ll never give up!❞ ❝I never seen anybody with so many hats.❞ ❝What the hell is going on here?❞ ❝Don’t you touch her!❞ ❝Let go!❞ ❝You bastard!❞ ❝Don’t you hurt her!❞ ❝I wouldn’t do that if I was you.❞ ❝If you ever touch her again, I’ll kill you.❞ ❝I sure as hell scared him, didn’t I?❞ ❝Yeah, you sure scared him.❞ ❝I think I’ve had enough learning for the time being.❞ ❝There was no reason for you to be so rude to me.❞ ❝Get away from me, you fat cow.❞ ❝What did you call me?❞ ❝Beat it, you old bitch.❞ ❝Why are you being so mean to me?❞ ❝I don’t understand!❞ ❝Now, you tell me what’s botherin’ you, sugar.❞ ❝I just feel so useless. So… powerless.❞ ❝I can’t stop eating.❞ ❝I hide candy bars all over the house.❞ ❝I can’t help ya on that one.❞ ❝I’m too young to be old, and I’m too old to be young.❞ ❝Maybe I’m just going crazy.❞ ❝How did you know?❞ ❝Really? Is that all?❞

[lobster-tales]

Power and Control - Zutaraang Holiday Exchange

This piece is a gift for @ithinkicanwritesometimes ; Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Available here on AO3. 

Summary: Superhero AU. Katara, better known as the superheroine Rivulette, has been missing for 24 hours. Aang, working as the superhero Avatar, and Zuko have finally found a lead, one that takes them to a new villain. Senator Zhao, a corrupt politician, has discovered that spirits are not creatures of myth, and he intends to use this information for a deadly purpose.

The thief’s feet skidded against the slick pavement as he turned, so fast he nearly lost his balance. He glanced back and saw blurs of orange and red, gaining quickly. The man gasped for breath as he ran, eyes flickering desperately across the silent shop fronts. He saw an opening and bolted for an alleyway.

Just as he entered the dark corner, his foot caught on a stray cobblestone, and he crashed to the pavement with a cry.

Before his body had stopped, two hands seized the front of his black coat, lifting him to his feet. The man grunted as his pursuer slammed his back against a brick wall.

“When I say freeze,” a low voice growled. “You freeze, thief.”

The man stared at the orange cowl, a sky blue arrow pattern curving over the hero’s skull and aiming down between the stormy eyes. A tremor ran through him, but the criminal snarled through his fear, “Let me go, Avatar!”

“Tell me where she is, Sang-jin.” There was an unusual coldness to the hero’s voice. Sang-jin had heard Avatar speak before from news clips, briefing sessions in murky basements. The superhero was a kid, a goofball, though Sang-jin and the others in his gang had been warned not to underestimate Avatar’s power.

The person pinning him to the wall now seemed like a completely different man. There was no trace of mercy in his eyes, no quips in his sneer.

Avatar pulled him back and slammed his body against the wall again. “Where is she!”

Sang-jin gasped and clutched Avatar’s wrists with his calloused hands. “I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

Another figure came into view behind him. The man was slightly shorter, his features illuminated by a flame blooming from his gloved palm. “Don’t make this harder than it needs to be, Sang-jin.” His unmasked eyes flickered in the light, his left singed with a scar the size of a fist.

Sang-jin frowned. “Hotman?”

“No, my name’s not- It’s Zuko, okay? Just Zuko.” The hero scowled. “Just- start talking.”

“Now.” Avatar lifted him against the wall so that his feet dangled above the pavement.

Sang-jin’s eyes widened as he stared down, glancing quickly between the two heroes. “I- I don’t know! He never told us-”

“Who is ‘he’?” Avatar said.

“I- I can’t,” Sang-jin sputtered. “He’ll kill me if I say anything-”

“And we’ll kill you if you don’t,” Avatar said in a low tone.

“You-you’re bluffing! You’re superheroes, you don’t kill people!” He looked to Zuko, who looked startled by Avatar’s statement.

“Avatar, wait-”, Zuko murmured, stepping forward.

Avatar ignored him. “That was before you kidnapped our girlfriend.”

Sang-jin blinked at him. “What do you mean ‘our’- Ahh!”

Avatar’s palms grew hot, scorching the fabric of Sang-jin’s coat. “Last chance, thief. Where is Rivulette?”

He yelled as the heat burned through his clothing and pierced his chest. “The docks! She-she’s at the docks! Pier 41!”

Sang-jin collapsed to the ground. He patted the edges of the flaming fabric, whimpering as Avatar removed a zip tie from his belt. “Now you’ll let me go?”

“We’ll let you live,” Avatar said, snatching the thief’s wrists and binding them together. “But you’re not going anywhere.”

The heroes left him beneath the streetlamp, hands and feet bound waiting for the police. The two launched into the air, soaring above Republic City. Avatar stretched out his arms in front of him, his body carried by the wind while Zuko was propelled by blasts of flame beneath his feet and hands.

The city moved beneath them, headlights from traffic streaming between the concrete buildings. They flew above the curved roofs, neon signs mingling to create a hue of pink and blue. Zuko looked past Republic City to their destination: the docks of Half Moon Bay, the sea stretching beyond in a black abyss.

He glanced to his left. Avatar’s form was rigid, his brown eyes focused and unwavering despite the circles beneath them. Zuko cleared his throat. “So, any ideas on who he’s working for?”

Avatar shrugged. “Don’t know. Guess we’ll find out.”

Zuko stiffened, training his eyes on the horizon. There was a long pause before he spoke again. “So are you… good?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Avatar asked, mouth sour.

“Just that you were kind of intense back there.”

Avatar said nothing. The wind whipped past them. A police siren echoed in the distance.

“I mean, you kind of threatened to kill that guy, Aang.”

He jerked at the sound of his secret identity. “I didn’t mean it. You know I’d never-”

“I know, but you were pretty convincing.” Zuko considered him. “So?”

“Well, it worked, didn’t it?” He glanced at Zuko, and when he saw his unyielding expression, Aang sighed. “I know it was intense, but I’m just…. Frustrated. I don’t get it, Zuko. No note, no ransom… Nothing. This is our first lead in 2 days.” His voice got quieter. “Anything could have happened in that time… Katara could be hurt, or worse, she could be-”

Zuko banked around to stop him mid-air, the two hovering in place. “Aang.”

Aang bowed his head with a grimace. “What?”

“You said you could handle it.”

“I can,” he said through gritted teeth. “I’m just-”

“Distracted?” Zuko raised an eyebrow at him. “I know you’re worried about her; I am too. But the best thing we can do for her is stay on track.”

“Okay, Zuko, you don’t have to lecture me,” Aang grumbled.

“I’m not lecturing you, I-” Zuko searched his tired eyes, attributing the attitude to his lack of sleep. Usually, Aang was the one reining him in; Zuko felt strange being on the other side. He sighed, asking, “Promise me you can handle this?”

“I already-”

“Promise.” His expression softened. “Please.”

Aang paused, then muttered, “I promise.”

Zuko reached for his hand, taking his limp fingers in his own. “Let’s go get our girl.”

Aang looked to their interlocked hands, relaxing slightly at the touch. He glanced up at Zuko. “Whatever you say,” he smirked faintly, “Hotman.”

“Oh, come on!” Zuko was too relieved at Aang’s return to normalcy to be angry, but he feigned annoyance anyway as they resumed their flight. “Not you too! I get enough from the news.”

“I think it’s good for you to have an alias. What about your secret identity?”

Zuko waved a hand over his scarred face. “What secret identity?”

Aang’s laughter was weaker than usual, but Zuko was glad to hear it after days of silence.

***

The heroes descended towards the boardwalk, gliding past the warehouses. “Pier 37…” Aang muttered to himself. “Up there!”

Their boots thunked against the wooden dock as they approached a door to the warehouse. Aang went first and examined the padlock. “Locked.” He sighed. “Katara never taught me how to pick locks.”

“She taught me.” Zuko stepped forward. “Move aside.”

Once Aang was out of the way, Zuko pinched the lock between his fingers. He let go of the metal, clenching his fist as flames erupted from his hand.

The small explosion caused both heroes to stagger back. There was a smoldering window of shattered door frame where the lock had once been. Aang’s mouth hung agape as he stared at Zuko. “She didn’t teach you that!”

“Nah,” Zuko said, wiping ash off his sleeve. “I just had to get you to move.”

“What if someone heard?”

Zuko shoved open the warehouse door. “Pretty sure we lost the element of surprise when you decided to wear orange.” He indicated the building’s interior. “After you.”

Aang grumbled and moved past him, igniting a small flame in his hands as he entered the darkness. Zuko followed, fire blooming from his palm.

The structure was held up by steel beams, the open concrete space holding nothing other than a few scattered crates. The heroes took a long glance around the room, before Zuko huffed. “Empty. Sang-jin lied.”

“Wait.” Aang knelt, fingers tracing along a line on the floor. His hand stopped at a small metal loop that rose from the concrete. “What about this?”

“They probably used it to tie down cargo or something. There’s nothing here; let’s get-”

Aang tugged on the loop, and the floor shuddered. Along the line, a door began to swing open, rising to reveal a staircase. The passageway led to a concrete hall, illuminated by strips of warm lights that ran against the tops of the walls.

Zuko pressed his lips together. “Lucky guess.”

Aang smirked and gestured to the stairs. “After you.”

They entered the passageway, cautious but curious. The labyrinthian path twisted left and right, finally opening up into a large, rectangular chamber. Rows of lab equipment, computers, and various other pieces of technology lined the walls, casting an eerie ultramarine glow from the screens. In the center of the room, a raised platform stood, surrounded by a circular drain below and a blue curtain from above.

“Hello?” Avatar called, tensed and ready.

“Avatar,” a man’s voice echoed from everywhere. “Welcome, I’ve been expecting you for some time.”

The heroes searched the room with their eyes, but saw no one. “Who are you?” Avatar asked.

The voice ignored him. “And Zuko: the prodigal son himself. Or should I say, Hotman?”

Zuko grit his teeth. “You shouldn’t.”

“Show yourself, coward!” Avatar snarled, no longer in the mood for games.

After a pause, the curtain shifted, and a man stepped into the light. His gray hair was pulled into a topknot much like Zuko’s, beard curving beneath his cheekbones and flaring out at the jaw. His muscles were visible even beneath the black suit, a red flame pattern embroidered along the lapel. He stood at attention, arms behind his straightened back, his face composed with an underlying smirk.

Zuko’s eyes widened. “Councilman Zhao?”

“Senator,” Zhao corrected. “I was elected into office last spring.”

When Avatar clenched his fists, a vibration rumbled through the stone floor. His brown eyes bored into Zhao’s as he said in a low voice, “Where is she?”

“Don’t get your cowl in a twist, Avatar; Rivulette is alive and safe.”

“Then show her to me.”

“You know,” Zhao said, ignoring him. “Kidnapping her was not an easy feat; any one of you pose such a threat that it would have been impossible to convince her…”

Six cylindrical nozzles dropped from the ceiling, hanging several feet above their heads. Six more rose from the floor around them to mirror the ones above, surrounding the heroes inside a hexagonal shape. The nozzles sparked with electricity, a loud zap resounding as lightning burst between the nozzles on the floor and the ones hanging from the ceiling. The power caused the heroes to collapse, falling to their knees. The jolts eased to create electric bars, trapping them in a cage.

A grin played on the corner of Zhao’s lips as he approached, gloating, “... but eventually she listened to reason.”

“What is this?” Zuko gasped, keeled over.

“It’s an electro-magnetic field, of sorts. While these bars resemble electrical voltage, they’re actually created from something much more... Unreal.” Zhao paced in front of the glowing cell. “You see, Avatar, I have been tracking you and your little hero squad since you started this endeavor ten years ago. After all, there are so few who have the genetic makeup to bend the elements, especially in these harrowing times. I’m especially intrigued with your ability, Avatar, to control all four. Alas, after several crime scene investigations, I was only able to recover one sample of DNA: Rivulette’s.”The corner of his mouth twitched into a sly smile. “Or should I say, Katara?”

Avatar and Zuko remained silent, their eyes glaring daggers into Zhao. The senator shrugged and went on.

“I’ve spent months researching her genes, trying to find what it is that gives her such raw power. I kept getting so close to the answer, but never was it in my grasp, until the day I decided to take a study break at the library.”

“Who takes...” Zuko muttered, “A study break… at the library?”

“It was there,” Zhao continued, ignoring him. “That I discovered the truth, the source of her incredible power, of all your powers.”

“And what’s that?” Avatar asked through gritted teeth, though he already knew the answer.

“Spiritual energy.” Zhao grinned menacingly. “I discovered information that you likely know already, that our world is not what it seems. There are spirits all around us, and long ago, we humans had a connection with these spirits that allowed us to tame the winds, move mountains, and calm the seas. But as time went on, we slowly realized that this spiritual link kept us from our true potential. We severed ourselves from the spirits for the growth of our kind. And yet, though the spirits have dwindled in number and power, many still exist today. Some of them have good or at best, neutral, intentions, but a great many more are in a perpetual state of vengeance. They are angry at the humans for conquering and subjugating this world, for building cities and empires on the graves of gods.”

Avatar listened to Zhao’s words. Nothing that the senator said was new to him, but his fury only grew as the secrets of the spiritual world were laid bare.

“I realized that if I could recover these existing spirits, I could redirect their power.” Zhao turned his attention to the electric beams containing the heroes. “In fact, this containment unit was only made possible with the help of a particularly vicious eel spirit.”

Avatar’s heart skipped a beat. “What are you saying?” he asked, terror creeping into his voice. “You’re… you’re killing spirits to steal their power?”

“Not killing so much as draining,” Zhao clarified, moving to the technology lined wall. He pressed a button, and the wall at the far end of the room, behind the raised pedestal and blue curtain, fell away. Avatar and Zuko stared up at the revealed aquatic chamber, where several creatures swam in lethargic circles. The drained ocean spirits swirled inside the chamber, their fins and spines grey with pallor.

Avatar’s eyes widened in horror. “You… you’re a monster…” He struggled against the weight of the energy, rising from the floor despite the force pushing his body down. “You have to stop this, Zhao... You’re messing with forces you don’t... understand.” Zuko moved behind him, also fighting against the voltage.

Zhao raised an eyebrow at Avatar’s strength. “Ah, you do know of the spirits; I thought so. However, I assure you that I understand them far better than you, Avatar, which is why I will use them to take control over this pathetic city, and then, the world.”

“You can’t!” Avatar forced himself to stand, hunched over while he panted through the effort. “Trust me, Zhao... the energy of the spirits... can’t be controlled! This won’t go the way you think it will!”

“Stay down and let me finish,” Zhao said, pressing another button. The electric bars thrummed more intensely, and both Avatar and Zuko cried out as their bodies were pushed to the ground once more. “I’ve run enough experiments with their energy to know that the easiest method of control is through a host. Not just any host, however, one who already has enough spirit energy to be manipulated.”

Zuko and Avatar exchanged glances, realization dawning on their features. They both turned and uttered, “No…”

“No,” Avatar said again. “You… you didn’t…”

Zuko growled, “What’s underneath the curtain, Zhao?”

The senator smiled arrogantly, savoring the moment. “Do you really want to know?”

“Show us!” Avatar yelled, fists clenched.

“If you insist.” Zhao lifted his hand and yanked on the curtain. The fabric fell with a whoosh, cascading down around the raised platform. In the center, a vertical cylindrical tank held Katara’s unconscious form. Her brown hair splayed in the water, mouth covered by an oxygen mask that wove towards the ceiling of the chamber. Wires plugged in to various places on her body, weaving over her torn, azure supersuit. A small monitor beside the tank blinked with every beat of her heart.

“Katara...” Avatar tried to hide his relief at seeing her alive, but his eyes flickered back to Zhao. “What have you done to her?”

“Nothing yet,” Zhao said almost gleefully. “I thought it would be best to wait for you two, to get a true understanding of her power.” He stepped back, behind the tank, and placed his hand on a lever. “After this moment, she will no longer be Katara, or Rivulette. She will be host of the sea spirits, a combination of their energy combined into one vengeful force. She will be-” He shoved the lever down. “Ayakashi.”

The ultramarine lights of the lab flickered on and off, sparks racing along the wires that connected to Katara’s body. A luminescent liquid flowed into the tank, and her limbs began to tremble. Behind her, the aquarium thrummed, the sea spirits picking up speed as they swirled in a panicked state.

Katara shuddered, fingers clenching and unclenching as the raw energy surged through her veins. She gasped and opened her eyes, the usual blue pupils holding a storm of flashing bolts. Katara lurched forward, hands pressing against the glass wall as she cried out beneath the oxygen mask.

Avatar and Zuko could only watch in silent horror; they tried to reach for her, forgetting that their limbs were still weighed down.

Energy continued to pour into the tank, obscuring her from view. A loud humming noise escalated in volume, louder and louder until the sound was unbearable. The glass of the tank began to crack. Only then did Zhao pull up the lever, but the power was too much for the small laboratory. The tank shattered, water pouring from the broken glass. The emergency system recognized the liquid, and the lights shut down. The room became enveloped in darkness, cold silence save for the water slowly spilling down the drain.

Avatar realized that their electric prison was gone, the bars evaporated in the blackout. His fingers felt along the wet floor until he touched Zuko’s elbow, seizing his arm and helping him to his feet. Before either of them regained the energy to ignite a flame, the backup generator sputtered on. Two dim crimson lights flared on either side of the doorway where the heroes had entered, casting triangles of light towards the floor. Two more lights activated beside the first, and more followed as the red glow traveled down the walls and toward the shadowed pedestal.

Soon, the room was faintly illuminated in a reddish glare, reflecting off the surface of the damp floor. A dark figure stood hunched in front of Zuko and Avatar. Two eyes opened from the being’s skull, glowing a solid ultramarine as the body stirred.

Zhao’s voice echoed throughout the room, and they both realized he had disappeared. “Now, Avatar, we’ll see who is truly in control.”

Ayakashi lifted her head, long brown hair hanging wet around her shoulders as her hands sparked. She took a lurching step towards them.

Zuko leaned towards Avatar, muttering, “Still think you can handle this?"

Blue electricity burned along Ayakashi’s arteries, her teeth bare as she pulled her arms back. Water from the burst tank stirred at her feet in violent ripples.

Avatar stood at the ready, hands lifted in front of him. “Nope.”

Her hands gathered the water into two waves on either side of her, energy flickering angrily as it zapped through the liquid.

Zuko widened his stance, flexing his fingers as warmth returned to them. “Me either.”

Ayakashi released an eerie scream, then attacked.