#i think it was their last fish of the season party or something

[baldurs-gate-official]

When you live in a cold region and playing BG3 both qualifies as entertainment and also as a mini spaceheater

[improbable-outset]

📂 '𝐓𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧

Miguel O’Hara x Fem!Reader

𝐀𝐎3 | 𝐌𝐲 𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐬 | 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 2.8k

𝐓𝐖 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐖: Fingering, Bratty!Reader, Miguel humbling you, innuendos, finger licking, orgasm denial. This can be read as fwb or established relationship 🤭 I kept it vague here but I prefer the former

𝐀/𝐍: Okay, a seasonal special fic even though I don’t celebrate Christmas myself lol. This is more smut heavy than festive. I had fun with this one though icl

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: It’s the holiday season and for some reason, you thought it would be a good idea to rile Miguel up more than you usually do. That was until you were taken back to his lab and he gained the upper hand over you.

He couldn’t remember how he even allowed something like this to happen in his sanctuary. Something so unnecessary, so tedious. A waste of time really.

Initially, it was Peter who came up to him and asked about throwing a party in the Spider Society cafeteria.

Immediately declined.

His flamboyant demeanor and exasperated tone only added to Miguel’s accumulating annoyance. But the following day, you approached him to ask the same question but this time around, he was very hesitant to say no.

But he didn’t accept it so easily either. Not without enough persuasion and coaxing from you. He didn’t need to think too deeply to know that you both definitely discussed this beforehand and planned on how you were going to approach him.

How insufferable. Reluctantly he gave in.

Now here he was, leaning against the far corner of the cafeteria with the place far too festive for his liking.

He gripped in vexation onto the plastic cup that was half-filled with booze in his hand, crinkling the plastic. He took a prolonged sip, hoping he could drown himself with enough alcohol to blur out the scene that was folding in front of him right now.

The room filled with the sounds of laughter and banter from the Spider People that surrounded him.

Even with some of them greeting him, he still felt disconnected from it all, like a fish out of water. Everyone’s ease at each other’s company made his own solitude more apparent.

He could be back in HQ in the familiar confinement of his office. Even if he didn’t like looking at the monitors and watching the multiverse all day, at least he was comfortable.

The only reason he was here right now was because he could use this as an excuse to admire you. Why did he have to give in to you like this? Why were you his biggest weakness? Your persuasive nature, while it can be irksome at times, held a strange allure and he hated that it had him on a chokehold.

After roaming his eyes around the crown, he finally caught sight of you. As expected, you were engaged in a hearty conversation with a group of Spider People, including Peter and Jess.

You always drew people in like a magnetic force and though Miguel hated being too social, he still found you captivating. As you graced through the room, you left a trail of laughter and sweetness behind you.

Your gaze eventually fell on him, where he stood in the corner of the room before you glided your way to him through the maze of the crowd, carrying the warm air with you.

“I know this isn’t your type of scene but you don’t need to be sulking in the corner like that.” You quipped as you leaned against the wall beside him. You had your spider suit on, just like everyone else, in addition to a few red and green tinsel around your wrist and your hair that shimmered under the cafeteria lighting.

“I’m not sulking.” He resorted back, giving you a sideways glance to maintain his eye contact, instead of turning to fully face you. The last thing he wanted was to be caught staring at you.

You wavered your hands in response, almost dismissing his comment. “Right, right. Observing, brooding — same difference.”

“What are you trying to get out of this?”

“Nothing— you think I’m that cruel that I’d try to prod something out of you.” You said, moving from your position so you were standing in front of him, leaving him no choice but to look down on you. “You can let loose a little, you know. You might enjoy it.” Even with the aroma of various food from the buffet lingering in the air, Miguel still caught a whiff of your scent that overshadowed it all, which triggered a sudden rush of heat to reach his cock under his digital suit— but not enough to give him a hard on, thankfully.

“I find enjoyment in…other things. Not festive gatherings.” He countered, attempting to maintain his composure despite your subtle teasing. The way you were leaning in wasn’t helping his case.

“Shame. I’d assume you’d loosen up especially since it is the holidays,”

He only recoiled in response. “You’re relentless.”

You were more than that. The past few days before this event, you’ve been progressively trying to push his buttons; it only gotten worse each day.

It started off when a new recruit joined the Spider Society and you volunteered to be his mentor and give him private sessions. He knew you only did it to flicker the flame of jealousy within him.

Fortunately he managed to keep his shit together and was nonchalant about the situation, knowing it would disappoint you to see no reaction out of him.

But then you would resort to being more physical with your teasing.

You would squeeze past him and ‘accidentally’ brush your ass against his crotch. At first he thought it was a coincidence until you tried to do it again.

“Mhmm, guilty at charge. Tell you what, I'll let you stay here and sulk in the corner for a little while and then we can go back to the lab later and I’ll take the ugly Christmas sweater off of you.”

Shocking hell, please do.

You were killing him but he wasn’t going to let you get to his head that easy.

“Thanks for the privilege…” he mumbled lowly into his cup he had been nursing, before taking another swing.

You flashed a smile in response before mingling back into the crowd. Miguel could only chew on his lower lip to suppress the amusing smirk that tugged on his lips.

The next few hours felt stretched out. But finally, he was back in the privacy of his lab with you. The door closed behind with a quiet click before Miguel instructed Lyla to lock it.

It was easy to tell that the decor in the lab was a reflection of Miguel’s personality: equipment was stringently organised with no additional decorations, showcasing his no-nonsense approach to his work. The room ambiance was a testament to his preference for efficiency and purpose, with low lighting for his sensitive eyes.

Miguel lifted you up from the waist, his muscles flexing briefly, before placing you on one of the empty countertops.

“You know, if I had to take a wild guess, I’d say you were purposely sulking just so I could save you back there,” you commented, a daring tone in your voice. A coy grin played on your lips as you watched him intently. Miguel overlooked your tease and leaned in until he was eye level with you.

“You realise I can see right through you. I noticed your behaviour over the past few days and how bratty you’ve been acting.” He was staring intently at you to catch any falter in your expression. Even if you did have the upper hand over him the last few days, this was all still amusing to him, watching the way you acted.

“Oh, should I dial it down for you?”

“Well, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy it”

He drew himself closer until his lips were close enough to brush against yours. His hands glided along your sides before grasping your waist to pull you close.

He wasn’t going to kiss you, not yet. If he was going to get you back for teasing him, he was going to drag this out for as long as he could, just to throw you off and see how long you’d last.

The ghost of your exhales from your parted lips fanned against his before you pulled your face away completely and slipped from his grasp and got yourself down from the desk, leaving him perplexed.

“Do you want some empanadas?” You asked, holding up a paper box stacked with napkins before flashing him a sugary smile.

Miguel had to blink a few times before he lost his composure. It took him a few heartbeats for him to fully process what just happened.

You seemed to have completely snapped him out of the sensual mood you were sharing.

“What?” His voice gave away his confusion.

“I got them from the cafeteria. I know you love them, so I got enough for both of us.”

He couldn’t tell if your sudden change of behaviour was to mess with him or if you genuinely just wanted to share some food with him. But knowing you, he had a strong sense that it was the former.

“You went from nearly eating my lips to offering empanadas in a span of two seconds.”

“I’m hungry.” You pouted before opening the box to reveal the steaming empanadas inside and held it out to him. “They’re still warm, you know.” You prodded, gesturing to him to take one.

There had to be a catch from this but nevertheless he took one of the pastries from the box. The savoury scent was too good to resist.

You helped yourself to one before you settled yourself back on the desk. He watched you to see if you had anything else planned or if you were going to dial up your seemingly bratty behaviour before he took a bite out of the pastry. You kept your gaze at him and watched him eat.

“Something you want to say?” He asked. You finished off the empanada in your hand before you spoke.

“I think chicken empanadas are better.” You stated.

Miguel couldn’t tell where you were going with this but for now, he played along.

“The beef ones are definitely better,” he replied, finishing his own empanada in his hand before wiping his mouth with a napkin.

“But the chicken one is more tender,”

“That doesn’t make it better. It’s about the flavour not texture,” he further added to his argument.

For a moment, he dismissed everything that had just happened a few minutes ago and now fully concentrated on debating on which empanadas are more delicious. This was a hill he was prepared to die on and he waited to see what you’d say next.

He didn’t expect you to lean in closer from your seat but he didn’t break eye contact with you just yet. You took another empanada from the box and held it near his mouth.

He cocked an inquisitive brow at you in response. The aroma was filling his senses again and he was getting tempted as you moved your hand closer.

“Bite,” you simply commanded. He gave in and bit down on the empanada you provided for him. He chewed carefully before looking back at you again. “It does taste better when you’re being fed by your girl though,” you teased.

“Now you’re just gloating. But I do have to agree it does taste better this way,” he said before taking another bite. The steam from the filling of the pastry wavered around his nostrils.

There was the last bit of the empanada still in your hand, small enough for him to finish off in one bite. As he took the bite, his lips lightly grazed against your fingertips. The touch was subtle but enough for you to freeze up in your seat.

It wasn’t intentional but after seeing your reaction, he couldn’t help his lips from curling up to a satisfied smirk.

He noticed there were a few flaky crumbs of the pastry on your fingers still. Before you could regain your wits and say something, he reached out and started licking the crumbs from your fingers.

He kept his eyes on you to see your reaction, watching your face fall even more.

“What are— what are you doing?” You stuttered out.

“What does it look like? I’m just cleaning up the mess on your fingers.” He continued lapping up your fingers, dragging his tongue slowly over each digit.

You couldn’t do anything but watch in astonishment. At times, Miguel had the upper hand over the two of you and would do something that would leave you speechless, just like now.

You stifled out a low moan and clamped your legs together. Miguel picked up on your body language and his breathing became shallow.

“Someone’s enjoying this more than they should…” He placed a hand on your thigh while lapping up the last flake from your thumb.

You seemed to be drawn back to the present now as your gaze was glued to his hand on your thigh. His hands glided to your inner thigh and stopped at the crease where your thigh meets your torso.

He leaned in to reach the back opening of your suit with his lips feeling the pulse on your neck increasing alarmingly fast.

His ears filled with the subtle swooshing sound of your suit now as it stretched and adjusted to its removal. After a few tugs and pulls, he finally got the suit off you.

He pulled off your panties immediately after to reveal your slick cunt.

“Shocking hell,” he let out a low chuckle at the raw sight of you.

“Be quiet-” you grunted

“Or what?” He slipped a finger through your slick and into your folds, causing you to jolt in surprise.

Your walls fluttered before squeezing around him as he dragged his fingers in and out of you. You grasped onto his biceps and rested your forehead on his shoulders, a low wimped slipping from your lips.

“Mig-” you whimpered.

He continued pumping his fingers in your heated core, feeling how desperate you were for him. The way you rolled your hips in sync with his fingers got his own body responsive.

He felt the familiar heat that rushed to his pelvic area, making his cock twitch desperately under his suit.

The room filled with the squelching sounds from his fingers that was overshadowed by your low moans and it served as a fuel to his perverse delight.

He learned every crevice and every micro expression you made as you frantically tried to reach your high. And he knew how your body responded to all his touches.

He recognised that you were reaching your peak the way your walls tightened even more and how your body shuddered, preparing you for the overwhelming relief. However, just at the very last second, Miguel withdrew his fingers, immediately halting the sensation you were experiencing.

You pulled yourself away when you could feel his fingers anymore, your face dropped in shock.

“Miguel, why?” You croaked out, your voice hoarse from the bliss.

Miguel’s finger was glistening from your wetness. He used his other hand to hold your chin as he spoke.

“You really think I’m going to let you finish after the way you’ve been behaving over the last few days?” He said, almost growling now.

“You can’t be serious…”

“I’m dead serious, muñeca.”

You huffed out in frustration and Miguel felt a surge of satisfaction growing in his chest. He finally had the upper hand after being tormented by you for so long.

But he wasn’t going to do anything that would purposely hurt your emotions. This was just to give you a taste of your own medicine. You gazed back up at him.

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry for my behaviour. Now could you please let me finish…” you begged.

“Promise me.”

“I promise, please…” your voice was becoming more frantic now and it only made his cock twitch even further, making it harder for him to deny you even more.

He knew that if he was going to let you release now, your orgasm would be more mind shattering and intense from built up tension from the delayed climax.

He slipped two fingers in this time, feeling the warmth of your walls immediately contracting in response. Your muscles were like velvet and steel at the same time— soft and pliant yet having a vice-like grip on his fingers.

Your eyes followed his hand movement but Miguel lifted your chin with his other hand again so you would look back up at him.

“No me quintes los ojos de encima muñeca.” He instructed. You obeyed.

He watched as your face warped and your brows furrowed as you were lost in the heat of your pleasure while he let his fingers do the talking.

It didn’t take long for your walls to squeeze tighter around him along with your moans becoming more frantic, a familiar trance of your impending release.

Your body convulsed as you unraveled and his fingers were bathed from the sweet nectar of your arousal.

Miguel pulled his fingers out of your heated core, both digits now slippery and sticky from your natural lubricant.

“Be good to me and I’ll let you cum on my cock next time,” he kissed your forehead.

You, on the other hand, we’re still breathless from your bliss. You gulped before you opened your lips to speak. “Thanks for the privilege…”

Icl, I kinda ate with the dialogues here 🤭🤭 God bless c.ai otherwise I would’ve never written that empanada scene

[wilwheaton]

Do you play online games?

Whether it be like proper console gaming or basic games on your phone

I am so old, my formative experiences with video games were all single player. When multi-player online arrived, it was text-based MUDs (I helped run one, when 28.8 was fast) and that was all the social interaction I ever needed.

Put another way, I prefer my gaming to be quietly alone, or couch co-op with one of my kids. I have found every single online multiplayer gaming community to be so toxic and unwelcoming to new players, I honestly don't know how anyone can endure that shit to get to the good stuff, but like I said, I'm old.

For the last year or so, I've split my time among:

NHL 22 Create a Pro. Blaine Gretzky is in his 8th season of a game that was never intended to be an RPG, but EA vastly underestimated how far a weird nerd will go to make that happen.

Baldur's Gate 3. I'm in the final battle of my second play through because there is no such thing as too much Karlach. But I took a break because I loved the Fallout TV series, so...

Fallout 4 has been my jam for about a month. I loved New Vegas so much I have played all of it I think three times, plus I did all the DLC in a weekend awhile ago. But I never played 4, because I was playing RDR2 or something when it came out, and I never got around to it. I've been playing the hell out of it, and I'm completely obsessed. The world is so much bigger than I expected, and I love building, maintaining, and putting disco balls into all my settlements. I have no idea how far into the story I am, but every night something new and fun happens when I play.

And, finally, Stardew Valley. I am years late to the party, but I wanted something gentle, slow, and meditative for the change of pace from all those other things. I actually came to it because I wanted something like Animal Crossing that wasn't Nintendo-exclusive, and it was like 4 dollars on Steam. I think I have 40 or so hours in it. I'm about to start my first Fall season, and I fucking FINALLY caught a fish. I love how it forces you to pick one or two things to do each game day, so I'm like, "Well, we're clearing trees and rocks today, then I'll water the garden and go to sleep. Tomorrow, I'll take gifts into town." And so on. It shouldn't be as satisfying as it is, but it just works perfectly for me.

Thanks for asking. It's always fun for me to talk about stuff like this long after everyone has lost interest.

[thewriterg]

𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐭

pairing(s): earth 42! Miles Morales x fem!reader, Miles Morales x poc!reader

summary: Overworked and burnt out was an understatement everything was going so well with your internship until you were forced with schedule you could barely handle and Miles is there to take pressure off your shoulders

word count: 1.1k+

request: hi! if requests are open can i pls get one w earth 42 miles who he’s comforting after a long shift they had??

warning(s): Miles is about 18 senior in this, rusty spanish, reader is ready to drop dead, mentions of blood work, child labor?, pet names, kisses, and language

A/n:—GIFs; @lekeyeh24 & @jthmstims—

You stood outside the door of your apartment taking your badge and putting it against the door when you didn’t hear the usual ‘click’ you did it once more the line of thin rope it was on from the retractable keychain until you finally noticed you were home

It was very rare to get the internship you got as high schooler you’d been hoping for since your freshman year and when you application got accepted to work in a phlebotomy lab to get your CPT and make very decent money to be a senior you along with everyone who knew you personally was ecstatic

Your mom and dad had threw a celebration party on your rooftop inviting a few good friends, family members, and of course Rio and Miles the boy couldn’t be more proud of you showing you with more than enough gifts to last you until holiday season

The sudden urge to bash your head against the door was very prominent as you realized you were home and not at the lab as you fished through one of your many unnecessarily full bags to grab your keys unlocking your door one of the biggest gifts Miles gifted you had been the apartment he saw you looking at over your shoulder one day switching between the housing app and your Pinterest board for home inspiration

You deemed the second biggest gift both of your parents allowing you to move in together as high school seniors even if you were legally adults

But thankfully Rio and your parents agreed after much pleading and convincing that it would be a good thing for the both of you and the start of your adulthood even if they threatened you with everything under the sun if you made them grandparents

As you entered your home Miles was up from his position on the couch taking your bags from your hands and arms scolding you as he shut the door from behind you with a grunt

“¿Por qué no me llamaste? Te hubiera ayudado. Give me these” You would gladly let him knock himself out as you took off your work shoes which were just an older pair of Jordans beside the door not having enough energy to put them on the rack before going to sit down on your couch you just needed to sit for a few minutes

You suddenly were aware that your scrubs were on your brand new couch causing you to groan before you put your head in your hands screaming at yourself internally to disinfect the whole thing when you were to get up

“What’s wrong mi vida? Nah uh uh, we’re not doing that, what’s wrong with my baby?” He crouched in front of you now his hands were on your arms his braids falling to his shoulders dismissing the excuse as you hit him with the ‘nothings wrong’

“Its just hard handling school and work and then the family is still up on me about the move and making sure I finish school I’m just ready to quit” Miles knew you weren’t just talking about your new job or school he’d liked to think of himself as a bit brighter than that as he rubbed his hands up and down your arms

“This is our last year, I know you’re gonna finish out strong ‘cause that’s just you. You’ll complain and whine ‘bout it but I know you’ll find a solution to… accommodate everything. Eres súper mujer mami” Miles stated carefully trying his hardest to not come of too insensitive never taking his hands off you before you finally uncovered your face he was quick to wipe under your eye before a tear could escape it muttering something below his breath that you barely caught

“Too pretty to be cryin’ over this shit”

“And tell them to lay off you ‘fore I have to come up there and kick somebody ass” That caused a chuckle to slip past your lips while Miles face broke into a beginning of a small smile

“Go get in the shower aight’? I got the rest.” You sighed before coming to a stand Miles did the same giving you space to move around the half decorated unfinished living room giving you creative freedom to do whatever the hell it was you wanted to the apartment with a simple ‘you do you princesa’

The toffee skinned boy began to order takeout over his phone as you walked further into your home not wanting to worry yourself with cooking anything for the either of you making sure to add a little extra of everything when he heard the water turn on he grabbed his car keys out of the bowl that sat by the door on the decorative table before slipping out the house into the streets of New York

💌💌💌💌

Miles wasn’t the least bit of surprised when he heard the water still running as he returned to your home he made the run as a quick as he could in New York traffic one hand full with two Chinese takeout bags and another with some of your favorite flowers trying to make sure not to crush them as entered through the door

He sat down the flowers on the dining room table before unloading all of the food from the bags and sitting it on one of the trays you had got on a trip to the thrift store and when he questioned what the hell the wooden mini trays were for he was in for an ear full that summed up one statement

“When we’re not eating at the table nobody’s fucking up my couch”

“Oh Miles” Fifteen minutes later you we’re finally out the shower treading back to the living room before you were stopped in awe looking around your living room some of the candles that were placed in various places were now lit, there was food on the table, Corpse Bride one of your favorite movies was paused at the beginning on the Tv, and your boyfriend stood presenting flowers in his hand to you

Without another word you pressed a kiss to his plump lips before engulfing him which he returned with a small chuckle pressing a kiss to your forehead

“Haré cualquier cosa por ti eres mi mundo lo sabes” He pressed one more kiss to your hairline before he urged you to sit making a mental note to put the flowers in a vase as you both made your way to your couch you picked up one of to go boxed along with a pair of chopsticks that Miles didn’t know how the hell you ate with before playing the movie

A little while later You looked up to see the boy beginning to massage your legs and feet as you went to protest about him needing to eat he brushed you off shushing you

“Let me take care of you mami” And so you did

💌💌💌💌

short and sweet domestic earth 42 Miles because I said so 🙀

I’ve deleted like 90% of request from my request from my request inbox

I just need a little creative freedom right now

you’re still welcome to request because I will get to it eventually just not as fast 😊

stay safe writers!

[m1ckeyb3rry]

── THE GLASS PRINCESS // FIVE

Series Synopsis: You wake up in a strange room with no memories, broken glass at your bedside, and a prince named Zuko as your only chance at figuring out who you really are.

Chapter Synopsis: You visit Ember Island with Jia-Li and grow closer with her and her brother. Everything comes to a head, though, when a party on the island goes wrong.

Series Masterlist

Pairing: Zuko x Reader

Chapter Word Count: 7.4k

Content Warnings: complicated relationships (strangers to friends to lovers to enemies to strangers to lovers to enemies to lovers), amnesia, alternate universe, lots of secrets and lying and mystery

A/N: would you guys believe if i said i thought we’d already know reader’s real identity this many words into the fic?? anyways enjoy the fun times while they last folks because trust it will be getting angsty at some point probably

Dear Zuko,

I’m sorry for whatever I did that made you angry with me. Please forgive me. I don’t want you to be upset.

Sincerely, Ursa

P.S. Destroying Chan’s house was wrong, but since it was him, I won’t chide you. Jia-Li and I also participated a bit, so it would be hypocritical, anyways.

P.P.S. I’m not friends with Ruon-Jian anymore. 

Though you had been at sea for quite a bit of time now, you still had not grown bored of staring at the ocean. Jia-Li had sat back down under the shade of the silk canopy a while ago, eating a bowl full of ice cream and watching you in amusement as you stood at the prow and peered down into the water.

“It’s so beautiful,” you said.

“You’ve said that like a hundred times,” Jia-Li teased you.

“I know, I just…I just can't get over it. I’ve never seen anything quite so blue,” you said, though this was somewhat a lie. That blue from your memories, it resembled this water in depth, though not in texture — the water was clear and lucid, whereas the blue you remembered was harsh and matte.

“I guess I should be glad that you’re enjoying yourself already! Just think about it — you haven’t even gotten to Ember Island yet, and you’re having so much fun. Imagine how much better it’ll be once you’re there!” Jia-Li said.

“I can’t wait,” you said dreamily. “As long as we can go swimming, I’ll be happy.”

“Of course,” she said. “We’ll swim every day! My brother wrote to me, he said that the tides have been forgiving this season. Maybe I can convince him to teach you how to ride the flying dolphin fish. He always shoos me away whenever I ask, but it’s impossible to hate you, Ursa, so he’ll definitely say yes.”

You had been growing accustomed to that name. It still felt like an alias at times, but it was a familiar one, said around you so often that you barely even hesitated before responding to it.

“It’s fine if he doesn’t,” you said. “Though it would be nice to learn something like that…”

“Maybe you should ask him!” Jia-Li said. “There’s no way he can refuse then!”

“I wouldn’t want to be imposing,” you said immediately, shaking your head. “He shouldn’t have to do something just because he’s too guilty to say no.”

“No, I was more thinking along the lines of ‘you’re pretty and he doesn’t say no to pretty girls’, actually,” she said. “He’ll be happy to oblige you, but if it’s a request from his little sister, he’s likely to say no just to be contrary.”

“We’ll see,” you said after ruminating on it for a second. “Also, thank you for the compliment.”

“It’s just the truth,” Jia-Li said. “But since we’re on the subject — I know you don’t have memories, so you can’t answer about your past life, but what about recently? Have you had a crush on someone before?”

“A crush?” you said.

“Yeah! I mean, have you ever liked anyone?” she said.

“I like a lot of people,” you said. “For example, you and Ty Lee.”

“No, silly, not in that way. I mean liking someone romantically,” Jia-Li elaborated. “I know a few of the boys in the Royal Fire Academy for Boys have been talking about you, so I was just curious.”

“Oh!” you said, covering your face with your hands so that she could not see the embarrassment blooming on it. “I didn’t know that they were.”

“Sure, of course they are! They talk about a lot of us, so it makes sense, and anyways I wasn’t lying when I said you’re pretty. They’re all too scared to actually talk to you, but I’m sure that if you went to the market alone and met one of them, they’d propose on the spot,” she said.

The academies for girls and boys had separate campuses, but they were run conjointly, so that your breaks aligned and your events were held in tandem. Though you tended to avoid attending sporting matches, you had gone to one or two in your time as a student, so you supposed that must’ve been when you had become a viable prospect for whatever nonsense Jia-Li was spouting.

“I don’t talk to any boys,” you pointed out. “Even if any of them like me, I don’t know them, so I can’t say I like them back.”

“You talk to the prince a lot,” she said.

“What?” you said.

“Did you really think I didn’t notice how often you send letters to him via Bian?” she chided. You coughed uncomfortably.

“Um, well, he is my benefactor, so I have to keep him updated with my day-to-day activities,” you said. “It’s, er, part of my scholarship, you know.”

It was not, but Jia-Li seemed to buy the lie readily enough, nodding sagely, though not without a dramatic pout.

“That does check out, but it’s not nearly as exciting as a secret love affair or letters written out of pining and sent with longing, stamped with your heart’s greatest desire for a man that can never be your own!” she said.

“Sorry?” you said. “I don’t think any of that fits the situation, though.”

She sighed. “It’s okay.”

“What about you? Do you have any crushes?” you said, recognizing that this was the logical next step in the conversation. Jia-Li blushed and looked at the wooden paneling of the deck, using her fingers to twirl the hair which escaped her ponytail to frame her face.

“Yes,” she said. “Kind of. But it’s someone who I shouldn’t like, and who would never like me back, so I’ve never said anything.”

“Who?” you said. “Your family is pretty influential, isn’t it? I can’t imagine most anyone rejecting you. Unless you like Prince Zuko and are projecting your ‘heart’s greatest desire for a man that can never be your own’ onto me?”

“No way!” Jia-Li said. “It’s more complicated than him being of a higher ranking than me.”

“Then what is it?” you said.

“He’s my brother’s best friend!” she said, all in a rush, her entire face in flames at the confession.

“Oh,” you said, cringing in empathy. “I see. He would not approve?”

“Definitely not,” she said. “But there’s something worse than him not approving: marrying this boy would mean having Kaho as a sister-in-law!”

“Oh, Agni,” you said, slapping your palm against your forehead. How had you forgotten? It was the only reason Jia-Li was somewhat exempt from Kaho’s reign of terror, despite her association with you: her brother and Kaho’s were best friends. But if she liked Kaho’s brother, then what would that mean?

“That’s the scenario,” she said. “And to top it all off, he’s notoriously popular with girls. He probably wouldn’t even look at me twice. I’ll always just be Ruon-Jian’s annoying little sister to him.”

“I doubt that that’s true,” you said as you approached the docks. “Really, Jia-Li, I don’t think that's the case. You said his family will be on Ember Island at the same time as us?”

“Yeah,” she said quietly. “Although Kaho mentioned not being able to come — something about volunteering as a scribe for some official meeting that the Fire Lord will be hosting over the weekend.”

“Perfect! That’ll be our goal, then,” you said.

“Huh?” she said.

“We’re going to get you noticed by your crush! Who cares about the consequences? Kaho and your brother can just deal with it, and if they have something to say, then they can talk to me,” you said.

“That’s nice of you to offer, but what would you even do?” Jia-Li said.

“I don’t know,” you said. “Talk to them, I guess. Kaho already doesn’t like me, so it’s not a tragedy if she hates me more, and I don’t know your brother that well, so if he and I don’t get along after that kind of conversation, it won’t be a great loss.”

“Do you really think we can do something like that?” she said.

“We have to try,” you said. “You deserve it, Jia-Li.”

“Thank you,” she said, swallowing. “You’re a really good friend, Ursa. If you ever change your mind and decide you do like Prince Zuko after all, just let me know—”

“Jia-Li!” you warned her, though the threat fell flat, as she only laughed in return.

Jia-Li’s home on Ember Island was close to the docks, and it was right on the water. She told you as you walked up the seashell-lined path that that stretch of sand was actually a private beach that belonged to her family, so you wouldn’t have to worry about anyone bothering you while you were there.

“Sometimes my brother goes to the bigger beach a little ways away, though,” she said. “They like seeing other people our age and hanging out with them and whatnot.”

“Maybe when I’m a little more confident, we can try it,” you said. “For now, I’m just glad we have our own space where I don’t have to be worried about embarrassing myself in case I drown or something.”

“I wouldn’t let you drown,” Jia-Li said. “But I’m fine with that plan. It’s not like I have some huge desire to be on a massively crowded beach with the others, so it’s not heartbreaking for me if we just stay here the whole time.”

“Now, now, not the whole time,” you said. “We have to leave the house at some point so we can meet this guy you like!”

“I’m still not so sure about that,” she said, pulling out a key from her pocket and using it to unlock the front door. “Now hush, I don’t need my brother overhearing us. We can talk more later tonight or something.”

“On it,” you said, pretending to seal your lips shut. She rolled her eyes before motioning you after her. Carefully, you stepped into the grand foyer, scuffing your shoes on the welcome mat to rid them of the sand. Jia-Li smiled in approval, presumably at your politeness, and you smiled back at her.

“Mother, father!” Jia-Li shouted. “Ruon-Jian! Ursa and I are here!”

Jia-Li’s mother peeked her head around the corner, nodding demurely at the two of you, though it was deeper and more reverent when it came to you. She looked exactly like Jia-Li, only a little older, her features aged, the cut of her face sharper.

“It is good to meet you,” she said. Her voice was musical and quiet, carefully controlled — it was the culmination of years of training as the wife of a high-ranking Fire Nation official. It was what you and Jia-Li and Kaho and Ty Lee would one day sound like, once you had graduated from the academy and were ready to enter society properly.

“And you as well, madam,” you said, clasping your hands, bowing your head slightly. “Thank you for welcoming me into your home. It is greatly appreciated.”

“You are so polite,” Jia-Li’s mother said, the slightest traces of happiness flickering over her face. “I am glad Jia-Li has such an exemplary friend to look up to.”

“Nice to see you, too, mother,” Jia-Li said. Her mother laughed, opening her arms.

“Come here, then,” she said. Jia-Li brightened, racing into her mother’s arms and hugging her. You looked away, feeling like you were intruding on the moment and wishing you had your own mother to embrace like that.

“Where’s father?” Jia-Li said. Her mother sighed.

“He and Admiral Chan were called back to the palace for some important meeting, so they’re not on the island for the moment,” she said.

“It must be the meeting Kaho is scribing for,” you said.

“Most likely,” Jia-Li said. “Do you think he’ll be able to come back before I leave for the academy again? I haven’t seen him in so long.”

“I’m not sure, darling,” her mother said. “If he is still in the capital by the time your boat leaves the docks, I will send him a message to stay in the capital and receive you before he returns.”

“Thank you,” she said. “What about Ruon-Jian? Where is he?”

“Oh, that boy, he’s being as troublesome as ever. I believe he’s locked in his room at the moment. Ruon-Jian! Please come downstairs and say hello to your sister and her friend!” her mother said. It was strange — even yelling, she sounded soft and polite, which should not have made sense but somehow did.

“Why?” a deep, grumbling voice said. There were heavy footsteps on the stairs, evidence that Jia-Li’s brother was on his way but wasn’t exactly happy about it. “I don’t wanna meet Jia-Li and her stupid friend — woah.”

Her brother was tall and willowy, with shaggy brown hair that fell into his face, giving him an effortlessly cool appearance. His eyes were the same color as Jia-Li’s, but that was about where their similarities ended. If you had seen him outside, without introduction, you wouldn’t have been able to guess that they were siblings in the first place.

“This is Ruon-Jian,” Jia-Li said when it became obvious that her brother wasn’t going to introduce himself. He was far too busy staring at something, his jaw dropped and his eyebrows raised, though when Jia-Li spoke, he was able to pull himself together, running his hand through his hair and then smirking.

“That’s right,” he said. “The name’s Ruon-Jian.”

“That’s what I just said,” Jia-Li said.

“What about you?” he said. You looked from side to side, wondering who he was talking to, and then you realized it was you, which meant that the thing he had been staring at was also…

“Ursa,” you said. “I’m Ursa.”

You weren’t sure how you felt about the attention. Maybe you liked it, or maybe you didn’t. It was strange and fluttering and unfamiliar in the pit of your stomach, and behind your back, you wrung your hands nervously.

“Ursa,” he said. “Great name. It’s as pretty as you are.”

“Um, I guess if I knew who my parents were, I’d pass along the compliment,” you said.

“Wicked,” he said. “So, what are you doing on Ember Island?”

“She’s my friend, idiot. My roommate from the academy,” Jia-Li said.

“Shh, Jia-Li, I’m trying to get to know her better! Stop talking and interrupting her,” Ruon-Jian said. You exchanged bewildered looks with Jia-Li’s mother, while at your side, Jia-Li fumed, the air shimmering from the heat she gave off as a Firebender.

“She’s right,” you said. “I’m her roommate back at school. She’s one of my greatest friends.”

“Sick,” he said.

“I don’t think I am,” you said, puzzled.

“It’s slang,” Jia-Li said.

“I understand,” you said, although you didn’t, not fully. This way of speaking was entirely foreign to you, but you figured that if you had Jia-Li with you to translate, you’d probably be alright.

“Who’s your family, Ursa?” Ruon-Jian said.

“I don’t have one,” you said.

“Word?” he said.

“He’s asking if that’s the truth,” Jia-Li whispered. “It’s like saying ‘really?’”

“It is the truth,” you said. “I have no memories. I am the girl that the royal family sponsored to study at the academy after I was rescued from the Earth Kingdom.”

“No way!” Ruon-Jian said. “That’s so cool!”

“Not really,” Jia-Li said. “She doesn’t remember anything. Including her family. Idiot.”

“If I could forget you, I’d do so in a heartbeat,” Ruon-Jian said.

“Well, I’d do the same!” Jia-Li snapped. You cleared your throat.

“I’m just grateful to Prince Zuko for saving me and ensuring my future,” you said. “He, and the rest of the royal family, are likely the reason I’m still alive and standing before you today.”

“Word,” Ruon-Jian said.

“I am not lying this time, either,” you affirmed.

“No, that was more of an expression of agreement,” Jia-Li said.

“I am a little confused,” you said. “But I shall trust you on this one, Jia-Li.”

“Do you have plans for the week?” Ruon-Jian said.

“Jia-Li is going to teach me to swim,” you said, beaming at Jia-Li, who gave you a high-five in return. “Beyond that, no, not really.”

“We were going to ask you if you could teach her to ride the flying dolphin fish,” Jia-Li said. “I know you’d never teach me, but—”

“Definitely!” Ruon-Jian said, cutting Jia-Li off. “I’ll teach you anything you want, Ursa.”

Heat rushed into your face, and you bit your lower lip, shifting from foot to foot nervously. Glancing at Jia-Li, who shrugged, you trained your attention on the ground instead of looking at Ruon-Jian when you responded.

“I think that that would be fun,” you said.

“We’ll get started tomorrow,” he said.

“Ruon-Jian, usually I’m joking when I say it, but you really are an idiot! How can you teach her to ride flying dolphin fish if she doesn’t even know how to swim?” Jia-Li said.

“The day after tomorrow, then!” Ruon-Jian declared. “See you around, Ursa!”

With that, he bounded back upstairs, taking the steps two at a time, leaving you, Jia-Li, and her mother standing in the foyer, somehow even more confused than before.

The next day was somehow sunnier and brighter than the previous, which was a relief, as it was the day you were supposed to learn to swim. At present, you were wearing one of Jia-Li’s sets of swimming clothes, your towel spread out on the sand as you looked at the ocean with furrowed brows.

“You ready?” Jia-Li said.

“I think so,” you said.

“Let’s go!” she said. Without waiting for you, she charged into the water, flopping onto her stomach once it was deep enough for her to do so. Not even taking a second to think, you sprinted in after her, and when the water rose to the level of your thighs, you didn’t second-guess yourself. Using your legs to push off, you dove into the water, jetting through it, forcing your eyes open and laughing soundlessly as you wove amongst the flowing bubbles and colorful fish that decorated the ocean.

It was many seconds later that you pushed your way to the surface, taking a deep breath, your legs churning the water so that you stayed afloat. Some ways away, Jia-Li had done the same, though she was busily scanning the shore for where you might be.

“Jia-Li!” you called out. “Over here!”

“Ursa!” she said, clapping her hands in delight. “I guess you do know how to swim!”

“I guess so!” you said, overcome with a rush of euphoria at the weightless feeling the water afforded you. Jia-Li paddled over to where you were treading, doing the same beside you so that you two could talk.

“That means you can learn to ride the flying dolphin fish sooner rather than later,” she said slyly. You lowered your eyes.

“Maybe,” you said.

“I knew it!” she squealed. “You have a crush on my brother!”

“No!” you said, far too quickly to sound convincing. “I mean. No.”

“You do!” Jia-Li said. “I can’t understand why you’d ever have a crush on him, but I guess there’s really someone out there for everyone.”

“I don’t even know him,” you said. “Sure, he’s cool and all, but I don’t know the first thing about who he is as a person. How can I say for certain that I have a crush or anything?”

“That’s why you have to get to know him,” Jia-Li said, poking you in the forehead. “Right?”

“True,” you said. “Then I can tell you for certain how I feel. What about you, though?”

“What about me?” she said innocently.

“When will I get to meet this mysterious crush of yours? You can hardly expect to pursue him if you never even go to see him!” you said. She splashed you with water.

“I’m not about to just go visit his house for no reason! It would be weird,” she said.

“Maybe a little bit,” you said. “But there has to be a way for you to accidentally run into him! And when I say accidentally, of course it won’t be an accident at all, but it’ll appear to be one.”

“Just forget about it,” Jia-Li said. “It’s not a big deal. If it’s meant to be, something will come up.”

“If that’s what you want,” you said. “But you have to promise me that if something comes up, as you say it will, you’ll really try your hardest.”

“Okay,” Jia-Li said in determination. “If there is some opportunity for me to talk to him, I’ll do it.”

“That’s the way!” you said. “Now, let’s race. I want to see how fast I am, too.”

“First one to that bit of driftwood wins?” Jia-Li said, pointing at a smoothed-over log floating in the distance.

“You’re on,” you said. “Three, two — hey, I didn’t say go yet! Jia-Li!”

You could not remember ever having as much fun as you did during that time on Ember Island. You and Jia-Li spent hours lazing around on the beach or swimming in the water, eating whatever her family’s chef prepared for you, drinking fruit juice that was sometimes sweet, sometimes sour, oftentimes both. At night, you would stay up until the moon was high in the sky, giggling and exchanging secrets and stories, making fun of your classmates and the boys in the Royal Academy for Boys.

“You know, one of them has a shrine dedicated to Kaho,” Jia-Li told you one night. You howled with laughter.

“No!” you said.

“Yes, he really does! He found a portrait of her and leaves money and food in front of it every week,” she said.

“You’re making that up,” you said.

“Nope, I found out during one of the sporting matches,” she said. “I was a little disgusted, but now that I see the humor in it, I confess I’m entirely amused by the entire thing.”

You would sleep late into the day, sometimes missing the morning entirely and only waking up for the afternoons. Jia-Li’s mother never scolded you two for it, saying that she was happy you were catching up on your rest, since dark circles were not comely on a woman or something along those lines.

Sometimes, Ruon-Jian would spend a few minutes with you both, but for the most part, he was off with Chan, his best friend and Kaho’s older brother. When he was with you, he was usually sitting at your side, making fun of his sister and complimenting you all at once. And even though you barely knew him, you had to admit that it was nice to have someone paying such close attention to you for once, treating you as if you were worthy of his time and entirely normal, the way he was, instead of tiptoeing around you and your lost memories.

“You ready, Ursa?” Ruon-Jian said, plopping down on the bench beside you as you and Jia-Li ate breakfast — or was it lunch, at this point?

“For what, Ruon-Jian?” you said, batting your eyelashes at him. From across the table, Jia-Li pretended to gag.

He elbowed you in the side. “To learn to ride flying dolphin fish, of course!”

“Yes!” you said, shooting to your feet. “I thought you’d forgotten!”

“How could I forget about you?” he said. “The currents just haven’t been right for a beginner recently. You should’ve seen how badly Chan wiped out the other day!”

You glanced at Jia-Li. She mimed falling over, and you gave her a discreet thumbs up.

“You didn’t fall, though, did you?” you said. Ruon-Jian beamed and flexed his arms.

“’Course not. I’m way better than Chan,” he bragged.

“Very impressive. Then there must be no one in the Fire Nation more equipped to teach me,” you said.

“Not a single person,” he agreed.

“I can’t bear to watch any more of this,” Jia-Li muttered to no one in particular. “You guys have fun. I’m going to collect our clothes so that they can get washed, Ursa.”

She left without another word, though as she walked away, you thought you caught her saying something about how you could do better. Ignoring it, you followed after Ruon-Jian towards the beach behind his house, struggling to keep up with his brisk stride.

“There’s a pod of flying dolphin fish that visits our beach pretty regularly,” he said. “We should be able to catch a ride there.”

“Okay,” you said. “Is it safe?”

“We’ll ride the same one, so I can look after you, but on the whole, flying dolphin fish are very docile, so as long as the waves are gentle, it’s fine,” he said. “That’s why I’ve been waiting to take you out.”

“That sounds good,” you said. He whistled.

“That’s how we call them. Now, we just have to wait until they come,” he said, pulling you forward to stand beside him.

“Then what?” you said.

“It’s a surprise,” he said. “Just kidding! Then we swim out and find the friendliest one and get on.”

It took a few minutes, but eventually, in the distance, there were splashes. Ruon-Jian whooped in delight, grabbing your hand and dragging you after him before you could protest.

“They were fast today!” he said. “Let’s go before they decide to leave again!”

Ruon-Jian was a little faster than you at swimming, though you had been faster than Jia-Li. You didn’t feel insulted, though; he spent much of his time in the ocean, so it was to be expected that he was better than both you and his sister alike. The end result was that he reached the flying dolphin fish before you, and had already mounted one by the time you swam up to its side.

“How do I get on?” you said.

“You don’t,” he said, using his legs to hold onto the body of the flying dolphin fish and then bending over to pull you out of the water and set you in front of him.

“Thanks,” you said, suddenly very aware of how close he was to you, how he held onto your waist and rested his chin on your shoulder.

“Just rest your hands on its head,” he said. “Like that. Good job! I’ll do all the steering and stuff with my legs, so don’t worry about that for now. All you have to do is focus on your balance.”

“Got it,” you said.

“Then let’s get going!” he said, clicking at the flying dolphin fish, which took off with a push of its powerful tail, propelling itself through the water. Its speed was breathtaking, and as the wind rushed against your face, tears gathered in your eyes, tears of joy and freedom and also of regret. When was the last time you had felt like this? When was the last time you had been so happy? Why didn’t you endeavor to be so more often?

Suddenly, the flying dolphin fish took off into the air, and then you were soaring. Everything faded away, the rest of the world and Ruon-Jian and the flying dolphin fish and even you. It was all nothing. You were all nothing. There was only the sky and the sea and the smell of salt on the wind, blue taking over your vision and almost, for a second, reminding you of something else.

Then you were slamming back into the water, the flying dolphin fish not even slowing its pace as it went from air to ocean. The spray that hit your face from the impact was enough to wake you up from the daze, and you were reminded of where you were and who you were and what you were doing.

“That was so fun,” you said as you and Ruon-Jian re-entered the house, still dripping with saltwater despite the towels wrapped around you both.

“It’s sick, right? I knew you’d like it,” Ruon-Jian said. “Speaking of things you might like…my friend Chan is holding a party later tonight. You wanna come?”

You perked up at the name Chan, knowing he was none other than the object of Jia-Li’s affections.

“Yes, but only if Jia-Li can come, too,” you said.

“Aw, no way! Chan never leaves her alone, and I don’t want my best friend bothering my little sister. It’s so odd!” he said.

“It’ll be really lonely for me to be at a party where I don’t even know anyone,” you said with a small frown.

“That’s fair,” he said.

“And she’s my friend, so it’ll be more fun for me if she’s there,” you continued. “That’s why I’ll only go if she can, too.”

“Okay, okay,” Ruon-Jian said. “Fine. She can come, too.”

“Yay! Thank you so much!” you said, clapping. “It’s going to be so much fun.”

“Sure will be,” he said. “You should go get ready, though. There’ll be a lot of influential people there, so you should try to look your best.”

“Of course,” you said. “See you soon!”

Luckily, Jia-Li had been right in assuming that you and her would be the same size. You had been wearing her clothes for the entire vacation, and tonight was no different, as she picked out something nice for you to put on for the party.

“Ursa, I’m convinced you’re a miracle worker,” Jia-Li said, shaking her head. “Seriously! How is it that you managed to get us invited to one of Chan’s parties? They’re super selective.”

“Simple. Your brother invited me, and I told him I’d only go if you could, too. He was initially a bit reluctant, since he seemed to think Chan wouldn’t leave you alone, but he came around,” you said.

“You’re the best,” she said.

“I honestly might’ve just said no from the get go, but I heard that Chan was hosting, and I knew we had to attend. This is literally the sign you were waiting for!” you said. “What are the odds that your brother would invite me to a party hosted by the man of your dreams?”

“Pretty high, considering he thinks you’re really attractive and the so-called man of my dreams is his best friend,” Jia-Li said. “But I know what you’re saying, and I agree. Enough about that, though. The only thing left is for us to do our best to look amazing!”

Because Ruon-Jian and Chan were best friends, you arrived at the party before anyone else so that you could help Chan set up. His house was enormous, according to Ruon-Jian, and he had said it would be greatly appreciated if you all could lend a hand. With a meaningful look at Jia-Li, you had accepted.

“I made sure that Chan knew what food you like, Ursa, so that he could serve it,” Ruon-Jian said, his arm tossed around your shoulders. “I want you to have the best time!”

“Aren’t you so romantic, brother?” Jia-Li said dryly.

“Thank you, Ruon-Jian,” you said.

“Anytime,” he said with a smirk.

“Ruon-Jian!” a tall, muscular boy said as he opened the door to the mansion. “I thought you’d never get here.”

“Jia-Li took forever getting ready, dude,” Ruon-Jian said. “By the way, Chan, this is Ursa. And Ursa, this is Chan.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” you said.

“Pleasure’s all mine,” Chan said. “Did you say Jia-Li? Is she here?”

“I am,” Jia-Li from where she was hiding behind you and Ruon-Jian. “Hi, Chan.”

“Jia-Li! It’s been ages since I saw you last. How have you been?” Chan said, yanking her by the arm and into the house.

“Quit flirting with my sister!” Ruon-Jian shouted, though he went ignored by both Chan and Jia-Li. You patted him on the arm.

“It’s okay,” you said. “She doesn’t seem upset about it, so you shouldn’t be, either.”

“It’s just so freaky,” he said with a shudder. “Jia-Li’s my baby sister. She shouldn’t have guys interested in her, let alone guys that have been my best friend since I could count.”

“She’s grown up now,” you said. “She can make her own decisions. You should just support her.”

“If you think that’s what’s best,” he said reluctantly. “You’re pretty mature, you know.”

“It’s funny, I feel like I’ve heard that before, though I don’t quite recall who might’ve said such a thing,” you said. “It doesn’t matter; either way, thank you.”

Jia-Li and Chan were too busy talking with each other, and Ruon-Jian was too busy fixing his hair in the mirror, so the brunt of the party set up fell to you. You didn’t mind, though, liking the act of working, and you were so efficient that everything was ready right around dusk.

“The place looks great, Ursa,” Ruon-Jian said when you rejoined him in front of the mirror.

“Your hair does, too, so you can stop fiddling with it,” you said. He pulled you in by the waist, flashing a peace sign in the mirror.

“Don’t we look so good together?” he said. “It’s like…like you were meant to stand beside me.”

“I suppose so,” you said, though you weren’t sure if you would go so far as to say all that. Still, it was nice to know that someone thought you belonged with them, so when he began to lean in, you did not move away.

Right when his lips were about to brush against yours, there was a knock on the door. He drew back in irritation.

“Who is here this early?” he said. “Whatever. Where were we again?”

The moment was ruined, though, so you pretended to be preoccupied with straightening your clothes, your head tilted downwards so that he could not even catch your eye.

“These are some really punctual party guests,” you said. “No one else is here yet.”

“Yeah, punctual’s one word for it,” Ruon-Jian said, clearly taking the hint you had given him and hopefully not being too miffed about it. “Wait, it’s that group we invited when we were on the beach earlier! Should’ve known they’d be the type.”

“On the — Ty Lee?” you said.

The first one to enter, Ty Lee turned in search of whoever had said her name. When she noticed you standing beside Ruon-Jian, one of his arms still around your waist, your posture clearly still set towards him, her jaw dropped.

“Ursa?” she said. “What are you doing here?”

“I feel like that’s a question I should be asking you,” you said as she cartwheeled over to drag you away from Ruon-Jian and into a hug so tight you temporarily stopped breathing.

“We were just hanging out on the beach when we got invited to come by Chan and Ruon-Jian!” she said. “I can’t believe you’re here, too.”

“Ruon-Jian is Jia-Li’s older brother, and he’s best friends with Chan, so I think that my presence is a little more explicable than yours,” you said. “When you say we, though, who do you mean?”

“Me, Mai, Azula, and Zuko!” Ty Lee said, pointing at each of them in turn. Mai was sitting by a painting, glaring whenever someone tried to approach her, and the girl who must’ve been the infamous Princess Azula was talking to Chan while Jia-Li stood behind her, ostensibly shoved out of the way so that the princess could have her turn talking to the host.

As for Zuko, he was still awkwardly standing by the doorframe, though when he glanced over at you, his eyes widened. At first, relief filled them, but when he noticed your proximity to Ruon-Jian, a strange sort of malcontent settled over his expression.

“Zuko!” you said as he stormed over to you. Ty Lee looked at him and then back at you before promptly dashing over to Mai’s side, the only one who didn’t get glared at for daring to go near her. “What are you—?”

“Who is he?” he said.

“The name’s Ruon-Jian, dude,” Ruon-Jian said, holding out his hand for Zuko to shake. Zuko looked at it disdainfully before scoffing and then returning his gaze to you.

“He’s Jia-Li’s older brother,” you said.

“Right,” Zuko said sardonically. “That’s why the two of you are so close.”

“I’ve been staying at his house the whole time I’ve been on Ember Island, so yeah, it’s probably a contributing factor,” you said.

“I’m gonna go get some food, Ursa. There are some freaky vibes here right now that I don’t really approve of,” Ruon-Jian said, inching away.

“Do you like him?” Zuko said. You blinked, taken aback by the direct question. In his letters, he was so kind and tactful, so you had come to associate him with that sort of language. The elegance with which he wrote, the careful concern he always showed for whatever you said — all of it had caused a fondness for him to grow in you.

“He’s just my friend’s older brother,” you said. The way he was speaking now was as if he was accusing you and you had to defend yourself or face judgment, but what crime had you even committed in the first place? “He taught me to ride flying dolphin fish and invited me to the party. That’s all.”

“Of course,” he said. “He’s so cool, with his dumb hair and clothes and flying dolphin fish, so of course you like him. No surprise there.”

“Are you angry?” you said. “Why?”

“Am I angry?” he said. “No!”

“You sound a little angry,” you said meekly. “I just wanted to make sure.”

“Why would it even matter to you?” he said.

“I don’t know?” you said. “I was only asking.”

“Don’t ask questions for no reason, especially when you don’t care about the answer in the first place,” he said.

“But that’s not the case. I did care about the answer, or else I wouldn’t have asked,” you said.

“Well, next time, just ask that boyfriend of yours,” he said.

“Ruon-Jian?” you said.

“Yes?” Ruon-Jian said, appearing out of nowhere. “Here, this is for you.”

“You have such horrible timing,” you said under your breath, accepting the plate he handed you. “Zuko, have you eaten anything yet? There’s a lot of really good food out. I’m sure you’ll like it.”

“It’s all Ursa’s favorites!” Ruon-Jian said. “I made sure of it myself.”

“Oh, yeah?” Zuko said with a sneer. “What the hell do you know about her, anyways?”

“Yo, chill, dude,” Ruon-Jian said, holding his hands in the air. “Who even are you? I probably know more than you! Her and I are really close, you see.”

It was probably the worst thing he could’ve said. Zuko’s face darkened, and then, before any of you knew it, he was grabbing Ruon-Jian by the collar and throwing him into a nearby vase. You jumped at the noise before rushing over to help Ruon-Jian stand.

“I’m fine,” Ruon-Jian said, waving you off as he staggered to his feet. “What is your problem, dude?”

“Stay away from her,” Zuko said.

“Who are you to say that?” you said. “My benefactor? That doesn’t mean you get to control my life, Zuko! Why does it matter to you who I’m hanging out with? He’s from a perfectly respectable family, so it’s not like it’ll reflect badly on you. I don’t get what the big deal is!”

“Seriously?” Zuko said. “You think I care what family he’s from? Do what you want! It doesn’t matter to me. It’s what you’ll do anyways, so why should I try to stop you?”

“What happened?” you said. “Why has your opinion of me lowered so thoroughly? What have I done to offend you so greatly? I know that you are angry, and I know it is because of me, but I cannot understand why!”

“There’s a lot of things you can’t understand,” he said.

“I heard a crash, is everyone — who broke my nana’s vase?” Chan shrieked as he came back into the main room. Ruon-Jian pointed at Zuko. “You! I’ve had enough of you, alright? Get out of my party!”

“I was just leaving,” Zuko said, though not without one last glare at all of you.

“See you around, loser!” Ruon-Jian said.

“Jia-Li’s right,” you said as Mai, Ty Lee, and Princess Azula excused themselves as well. “You really are an idiot. Do you know who that was?”

“Some jealous loser?” Ruon-Jian said. You opened your mouth to argue before deflating, knowing that there was no point.

“Just forget about it. Let’s try to enjoy ourselves for the rest of the party,” you said.

Some time later, there was a knock on the door. Chan opened it, and then his face fell.

“Hello, Chan,” a voice that could only be Princess Azula’s said. “Thanks for inviting us earlier, but I have some unfortunate news to share.”

“The party’s over,” Zuko said, and then all four of them were in the room, sending bursts of fire everywhere, kicking the tables in half, swinging from the chandeliers and slicing up the paintings.

“What is going on?” Jia-Li shouted, covering her head with her hands.

“I have no idea,” you said. “Hey, what are you guys doing?”

Chan screamed as Mai threw a set of knives into a pair of antique paintings on the walls and the chandelier came crashing to the ground under Ty Lee’s weight. Jia-Li pulled you out of the way of a stray lick of blue fire from Azula, and you buried your face in your hands.

“This was a pretty terrible party,” Ty Lee said, dropping lightly to her feet in front of you. “You could say we’re showing our appreciation as guests!”

“By destroying his house?” you said as Zuko kicked an entire pillar in half.

“Yep! Wanna join?” Ty Lee said.

“No!” you and Jia-Li said in unison.

“To each their own!” Ty Lee said before springing away.

“Well…” Jia-Li said. “It would feel nice.”

“What? Why?” you said.

“I thought Chan was confessing to me on the balcony earlier, but it turns out that even though he does like me, he wants to live a free and unburdened life, without the commitment of having a girlfriend. He told me that the best he could offer me is a long-term arrangement in which he does what he wants and then spends some time with me whenever I’m on the island,” Jia-Li said.

“That’s horrible,” you said.

“And while I was out there, he told me that Ruon-Jian invited Mai and Ty Lee because he thought they were hot and he wanted a chance with them,” she continued. “So there’s that.”

You scowled, and even though you hadn’t been betrayed, it felt as if you had been. Naturally, you held no claim on Ruon-Jian, but the entire reason you had grown close to him in the first place was because you liked being someone’s priority. If you weren’t even that, then what was the point?

“Jia-Li,” you said. “Since it’s the prince and princess in charge of the destruction, you could consider it a royal order.”

“You could,” Jia-Li said, a grin creeping onto her face.

“And as students of the Royal Fire Academy for Girls, we are duty-bound to follow all royal orders,” you said.

“That we are,” she said.

“I think that means we have to participate,” you said.

“I think you’re right, Ursa,” she said.

“Of course, it’s not because we’re angry at Ruon-Jian or Chan or anything,” you said.

“Definitely not,” she agreed. “We’re just following in the prince and princess’s example.”

“That’s exactly correct,” you said. “After all, what are we but their humble and obedient servants?”

“Nothing, indeed!” Jia-Li said brightly. “All hail the royal family!”

With that, she ignited her hands and placed them right on a portrait of Chan as a child. You cheered before taking a steak knife and using it to cut up the curtains, tossing them into the fire she had started as kindling.

“I’m glad we’re friends, Ursa,” Jia-Li said.

“Yeah, I’m glad we’re friends, too.”

Ursa,

It wasn’t anything you did. I’m sorry; I was upset about something unrelated and took it out on you. You have no need to ask for my forgiveness — if anyone should be doing that, it’s me. Please, please forgive me for being so angry. I promise that I will make it up to you the next time we meet.

Yours, Zuko

P.S. I did not think that you and Jia-Li would join in, but I can’t say that I’m disappointed.

P.P.S. Ruon-Jian is ugly and his hair is terrible. You don’t need to be friends with him, anyways.

[follows-the-bees]

Stede Bonnet character study in 2x7.

What the audience sees and what Stede sees/feels/thinks are different, and I think that's a really important perspective to consider, especially with everything that happens in Man on Fire.

When Ed went to the party in 1x5, he was having the time of his life at first: dancing, making up stories, winning them over. And then when they turned, he had Stede. Stede came through using the "upper crust use cutting remarks" method.

In a direct parallel, in 2x6, this time Stede is getting recognition. His entire life he's been bullied, beaten down, laughed at and - just like Ed - he is having fun being the center of attention. This has never fully happened to him, even his crew - especially at the beginning - didn't fully respect him.

So, let's talk about Stede's perspective of Ed and his crew vs our audience perspective.

We know the crew loves Stede, he is their captain - for better or worse - but they continually choose to stay with him and use the methods he taught them to get through: the act of grace, Jim telling Fang the story of the wooden boy to make him feel better, the marooned crew continually to stick with him at Spanish Jackie's and saving money to buy a new vessel, using the safe space talk when the two new crews come together and the trauma makes them paranoid of each other. And of course, arts and crafts time to bring them together again as a crew but also to present Izzy the unicorn leg and welcome him unconditionally.

Out of all these instances, Stede only sees the act of grace and them sticking together and getting back to the Revenge.

Stede has been prioritizing his crew a lot more this season - even over his self interests (mainly, there is some stuff we can talk about how he immediately leaves after Ed is voted off the ship and then spends all day with him and brings him back.) But he kicks Calico Jack off, he saves the marooned crew from the island, and then for the Pirate Queen's ship, holding back his grief of Ed's death, only going to him after the crew is safe. And after he realized how much the curse was affecting him, he does ultimately give up the suit.

Now Ed. We of course see how much Ed loves him. I wrote a lot about Stede's perspective of Ed coming to his room after he kills Ed and how much that is a substantial moment for them. Not just because of the sex but because in the past Ed shuts down and leaves when Stede stands up (when he kicked Calico Jack off - Ed leaves, he doesn't do anything when Izzy challenges Stede to a duel, etc)! So Stede is afraid Ed will leave, but Ed doesn't, he shows up. He's there for Stede. Read that meta here.

But we also know what's going on with Ed's head, his insecurities coming back, his wanting to not be a pirate and seeing Stede become the biggest one right now. But Stede doesn't get it.

So everything spirals so quickly in 2x7, Man on Fire. As I mentioned previously, Stede is enjoying being the center of attention after a life of not having any respect from anyone.

And in his mind, him and Ed are partners. "But we're a partnership" it's already set in his mind, probably further cemented by them sleeping together and taking that next step. So he goes to Ed, realizing he's not by his side and Ed tells him he's leaving, already made up his mind, randomly mentions the fish - which Stede doesn't understand the meaning of - and then tells him that last night was a mistake. This has to be a mindfuck for Stede. Ed chooses to come to him and then immediately saying he regrets it - we know it's not the sex but the moving too fast - and is leaving, something that he was already afraid of happening and he thinks has happened in the past when Ed shut down. He tried to salvage it "well, you know, this can be whatever we want it to be."

So now, his boyfriend broke up with him and he's spiralling even more, and like Ed does when he is spiralling (hides under a blanket or in a blanket fort, or Stede's robe, getting comfortable and warm) Stede surrounds himself with people. His own warm blanket of loose acceptance.

But then he sees his crew getting supposedly poached. (I'm not sure if he actually knows anything about Olu and The Queen). And now everything comes crashing down again. Ed left him, his crew is leaving him, he doesn't think he's good enough. All those insecurities, things falling apart. And his self esteem issues are raging.

And then Steak Knife dies (I assume he is supposed to be dead) for him. Another person to haunt Stede's dreams.

Yes, you can read Stede challenging The Queen only as an ego trip, but in no way do I think that's all of what's happening. It is more of a frightened traumatized man at his wits end trying to save his family. "We've been through hell together."

Everyone is leaving him, he's got tears in his eyes, and he's doing something, anything to keep his family together. Even if it's something against an opponent he can't win against. Cause isn't it better to at least show his crew he's there for them again, than have to see everything he has built, he has loved, walk away from him?

[bededebop]

I've been listening to the lazytown podcast (created by Mark Valenti), and man when I tell you they have interesting behind the scene stories. I'm gonna list some of the things i remembered from each interview:

WARNING ENGLISH IS NOT MY FIRST LANGUAGE!

Magnus Scheving:

-Magnus is aware that people prefer LazyTown season 1, but he himself prefer LazyTown season 3-4,. Because he said the background in season 1 is shit, and he always talks about it with his team on how can we fix this.

-Magnus is aware that he is a 'Pain in the ass' for the crew, but Mark Valenti objects tho.

-Magnus once ride the same car Madonna rides in back then, he was in Mexico I think. The driver had guns he said. Once he was passing a poor Neighborhood, he saw a bunch of people dressed up as the whole cast of LazyTown. He told the driver to stop there, and the driver said that the area is kinda sketchy and they never go there, but Magnus insisted. Turns out it was someone's birthday party, and they were gonna do a whole play. He said the costume was actually well made, so he goes there and told them he was sportacus. And he ends up doing the play as well.

-The Latin America dub of Sportacus has a very deep voice, he said they might have been confused on his voice because Magnus's voice is very high pitched and Squeaky? (I don't how to spell that sorry) . (Also he said 'Hi guys! ' in a high pitched voice you guys need to hear that lmaoo)

-His favorite episode is literally every episode, but if he has to pick it would be "Robby's dream Team" because Stefan was just amazing in it. (Wait I think this is true I forgot what episode it is exactly, but it has something to do with stefan being amazing in it)

Jonathan Judge Interview:

-They gave Jonathan Judge a few weeks to try produce/direct lazytown (I forgot which one). And jonathan said Magnus made him in charge when they were filming a scene where sportacus is Buggy Jumping. He said Magnus's face was very purple from hanging upside down. After that, they loved him and would not let him leave.

-Stefan and his wife was very sweet and would invite them to his house to hang out, watch TV, and fishing! Jonathan and Mark went fishing with stefan, right next to his salmon farm. They fished cods, and Jonathan asked what Stefan's father does for a living and he said "Oh he's a whale killer".

-And on the final shooting, Magnus picked Jonathan up with his car and drive him around town. Magnus pointed at a KFC and said "I built that" (Because he was a carpenter).

-Magnus said the people of icelandic belives in elf, Jonathan once asked a crew member if he believes in elf or not. The crew member said yes, he doesnt touch a certain part of his house because that's where the 'invisible people' lives (he meant elfs)

-Jonathan asked, "well are you an elf? ". Magnus was silent for a strange amount of time, Jonathan said it was like this one scene in twilight where this one guy reveal to bella he was a vampire (idk which scene that is lmao). And he was like 'is he gonna suddenly reveal that he's an elf?? '

Mark (Another Writer from LazyTown, also i forgot his last name im sorry)

-He said Magnus was very respectfull when it comes to writing. Unnamed crew once read his writing and told him it was crap, but Magnus never does that and only told him his vision of a certain things and that's it, he never really gave Mark a note.

-There was a director from Canada that Magnus have invited to dinner. She said the writing of LazyTown is very crappy and is ln the wrong track. And when she was rambling about how lazytown writing was crappy, Magnus just stayed quiet. But the he said something to catch her off guard, something about that at the end of the day LazyTown was his show that HE created and write, shoot on a studio that HE and his team build.

-Magnus likes to take his writing team on trips

-The crew member likes to have this activities together, they hike together and exercise together. But not all of them (including Mark Valenti) participates tho.

Ok so this part I wasnt from the lazytown podcast, it was from Chris Crow's interview from GetLazy.

So he interviewed David (The Voice Actor of Mayor Meanswell) and he was there when they shot the Lazy Dance episode. And there was this one scene where they're on the dance floor, and sportacus just lean on the wall like a sadsack (bc he doesnt know how to dance). And Stephanie was right beside him and she was very excited for the dance party, she was like 'oh! Oh! Sportacus hold my purse'. So sportacus did, and now he's sitting there with Stephanie's purse on his lap. David said it was funny because he looked like a husband waiting for his wife to finish her shopping. But David said Magnus didn't like that scene, and said this is not how he wants this character (Sportacus) to go. So Mark Valenti and the other writers set up some rule. Rule number one is to never show sportacus being weak.

Also one last thing, from the laytown podcast in stefan karl's interview

They won the BAFTA award because of the episode "Robbies Greatest Misses". And they we're quite suprised with the rising popularity of Robbie Rotten, and Stefan said they tried to 'die down' Robbie's popularity a little (Because you know, he's a villain you're support to make an example out of).

Also, Robbie Rottens make up quite literally ruins stefan's skin. And he have a specific step of skin care routine, so that his skin doesnt get ruined. But there were times where his body disagreed with him, the chin of Robbie won't stick to Stefan.

Man I am so going to draw a comic about that one scene in Lazy Dance episode

[idcbabyialreadylostmymind]

This is What Makes Us Girls

Pairing- Tsireya x reader

Pov- When courting season begins and suitors come around every corner, you realize your in love with your best friend.

A/N- also I restarted skins bc I saw an edit so I am gonna use a line from skins in this one cause 🤭 this is not prof read. I am also high right now as I was half way thru it so I'm am sorry if it is horrible

Warnings- underage drinking, kissing, drunk Neteyam and Y/N has to be a warning in itself

It was courting season the most dreadful time of the year. All the unmated men try to swoon the unmated women, if anyone asked you it was just an excuse for men to entrap women into marriage. But that just your opinion.

So you watched as young men brought flowers, asked father's permission, take strolls. All fake. And you thought you were safe from this hazardous part of the year. You weren't. Three guys surrounded you one holding a bouquet of flowers, one with a necklace his mother or sister made, and one holding a pile of fish, charming. "Hello Y/N." One of them said. "Hello Tu'val." You say stepping into a path that led to the ocean. "Here I made you a necklace." He said before another one I think his name was Rovn. "A necklace like she would want that here like a real man I caught you fish." He said obviously throwing shade at the other one. "Oh fish so special, a necklace, I picked these flowers just this morning for you." The last one said you didn't even know him.

You stop tired of their bickering. "Hello I appreciate all of these gifts but you may go give them to any other girl that is waiting to be captured into a unfulfilling marriage." You say before walking off from the three men.

And that's how it went, anytime a suitor stepped up you shot him down. It not like it's your fault that you weren't brainwashed by your mother to think the only thing that will make you happy is mating with a man. You stepped into the beach and your heart stopped for a second, that Lo'ak kid from the forest was giving Tsireya a shell, was he courting her? You couldn't help but feel this sickening feeling in your lower body, it made you want to kick, scream, and cry.

Tsireya had been your best friend ever since you learned to walk, you did everything together, from swimming, to hunting, fruit harvesting, you even had your first kiss together for experimenting purposes you told each other. So why, why did you get this feeling as if he was stilling something that was yours.

So the next few days you avoided everyone, stayed in your mauri. You were going crazy, Tsireya never told you anything about being courted this season, was she going to leave you. Leave, she wasn't even with you. You held the necklace she gave you the day you kissed each other. Though it was your first and only kiss it light a fire in you, she light a fire in you. And then all the pieces of the puzzle started to fit, you loved your best friend. You loved Tsireya.

The next day you walked out of your mauri and some people were shocked to see you, especially Tsireya. She walked up to you and gave you a big hug and your face flushed instantaneously. "Where have you been." She asked concerned. "Oh I wasn't feeling the best and did not want to get anyone sick." You lie. "Oh." She says eyes going to the ground. "Yeah." You whisper you felt bad for lying but you couldn't say that you were avoiding everyone cause you found out you loved her. "Well it is good you are okay, also a few of us are going into the first around us tonight and I was wondering if you would like to come." She asked. "Yeah sure." You replied without even thinking. She squealed.

"That is good, I wish we could spend the day together but mother wants to train me more so see you later." She says. "See you later." You say before she walks off.

You were freaking the entire day, you found out you loved your best friend and now your going to go to a party with her.

It was an hour past eclipse and you snuck out of your mauri and saw Tsireya she looked amazing. You walked next to her as she interlocked her arm into yours she smiled before walking into the forest. It wasn't long until you guys made it, it was deep enough to not be heard by the adults but not to far. "Oh there's Kiri I gotta ask her something." Tsireya says you only reply with a nod before you go get a drink wine it looked like, you take a sip and internally cringe at the taste before chugging it and getting two more cups.

You sit down on a stool someone left unaccompanied and it wasn't long until Neteyam sat next to you. "Hey Y/N." He said, "Looks like your having fun." He joked looking at the two drinks in your hand. You take a swing of one of them. "Yup," you say giving the cups a little jiggle. "So, you know my friend Tu'val," as soon as the words left his mouth you felt dread fill you, not this again. "He told me that you didn't want to be trapped in a unfulfilling marriage bruised his ego a bit." He laughed before taking a drink from the cup in his hand. "It is true I do not." You reply finishing up one of the drink already feeling fuzziness take your body, Eywa these drinks were strong.

"I get it, but you always deny any suitor that asks to court you, why?" He asked. You took a deep breath another drink, and then another should you tell him the reason why? That the reason is because you have fallen in love with your best friend and can't tell her. "Y/N." Neteyam's words pulled you out of your trace. You take one last drink you were to drunk to care what his reaction was to what you were about to confess.

"I like girl." You say his eyes widen, "No." You say again smiling eyes traveling to Tsireya. "I like a girl, no." You laugh bitterly. "I love her." You say eyes traveling to the sand, ashamed you look down. "So, who is it." He asks taking another drink looking at you. You pick your head up as fast as you can, he didn't care. "Tsireya." You whisper to him and he gasp before laughing. "Oh my fucking Eywa." He was drunk off his ass as were you. "Sh sh sh." You shush him before taking the last bit of drink from you cup and discarding it. "Go tell her." He blurts out making your eyes go wide as he finishes up his drink. "You are insane." You laugh at him.

"I am being serious." He says to you again. "Neteyam I can't what if she says no huh what am I to do then I'll be out of a best friend and have a heavily bruised ego." You say to him laying you head on his shoulder he lies his head on your head. "Y/N I know you are usually the one rejecting people and you probably have a deep fear of rejection but-" "hey-" you interrupt him. ''But,'' he continued. ''you should see how the girl looks at you as if your the most precious thing the great mother has and will make.'' Your ears perk at the words left the omaticaya boys mouth and it lessened your worries. ''No, no you are just saying that.'' You say as the fear of rejection he was talking of earlier sunk into me. ''I am too drunk to lie to you.'' He says draws his hand up in the air. you think, really really hard and then you begin to shake your head.

''Yeah cool cool I'm gonna confess.'' You hype yourself up as you pick your head up from his shoulder. "Hell yeah you are." He said hiccuping afterwards. "Who wants another drank?" Someone yelled, you stood up and started to walk to Tsireya. "Me!" You heard Neteyam yell back at the guy making you shake your head. And before you knew it Tsireya was in front of you smiling and you heart dropped to your ass. "Hi! Y/N can I take you somewhere private to talk." She said and to drunk to realize what you got yourself into you shook you head up and yes.

She guided your unwarranted movements feet dragging everywhere. Until you reached a secluded part of the forest just north of the party. "Y/N." She said pulling your eyes and focus to you. "I've know you for a really long time and you've been there for almost everything, first song cord, even first kiss," she said bashfully making your already flushed paint a deeper shade of indigo and she grabs your hands into her own. "And I wanted to tell you I love you, Kiri helped me get the courage to ask you to be mine." She says eyes averting to the ground next to you. It was silent for a moment as her words actually registered and a huge smile plastered your face. She looked at you confused as you wiped your face with your palm. "Oh Eywa yes, yes yes." You say laughing a little afterwards. She giggled at your drunken state. "Oh great mother thank you, oh Tsireya I've loved you for years." You say stumbling forward catching her lips into a kiss. Passion was in it, everything loved standed for was in the kiss.

She pulled away smiling, she looked into your low-lidded love blown eyes, and drunken smile. You hiccuped as you cupped her face. "Oh wow didn't know you had it in you Y/N." A familiar voice said in the distance. "Came out here to pee and I find you kissing good job." He smiled giving you a thumbs up. "Come on let's get the both of you home." Tsireya says guiding both of them back to the village. "But pee-" Neteyam true to go back to pee. "Nope." Tsireya pulled him back. At least she was yours now even though you would regret how you accepted her confession.

[chuplayswithfire]

thinking about ways i would change the pacing of events in season two to give them more room for breathing, while keeping to the same number of episodes that were available, this is probably what i'd have done:

Episode 1: Impossible Birds: add back in the missing cutscene with izzy and ed featuring ed throwing a knife past izzy, with tally marks - use that scene to explain that these tallies represent the number of raids they've gone on since the end of season 1. izzy is complaining about ed's blackbeard routine, ed snipes that he thought izzy wanted them to be pirates, well this is what pirates do. he's taking that record, putting blackbeard back on the map, isn't that what you wanted, iz? izzy acknowledges to himself that this is not what he wanted.

Episode 4: Fun and Games: right off the bat, i think they could have, instead of the crew voting Ed into a banishment that lasts a single day and which the crew are therefore pretty easily swayed on, they put him on probation in ep 4, with black pete suggesting the bell and frenchie and wee john the outfit, and stede pointing out that ed's very injured so it's not like they couldn't overpower him if something goes wrong. ed's annoyed about the whole thing and still half dead and fucked up from the gravy basket, and after hearing the terms, the crew says he has 12 hours to think about it before they're leaving this area. he takes off for shore, grumbling about it, meets the rabbit and then mary. meanwhile, stede and buttons follow to convince him otherwise and so buttons can explain the gravy basket. they still encounter anne and mary, they still do that whole thing, buttons changing is what convinces ed to do the probation, we end the episode with ed wearing the probation outfit and begrudgingly thumbing the bell. expand the scene where the crew are working on izzy's leg, just to have them talking in general a bit - oluwande is talking to jim about zheng, saying he misses her a bit.

Episode 5: Curse of the Seafaring Life: at the start of ep 5, we imply that it's been a few days to a week maybe, and ed is still on probation. he gives his corporate apology as part of his on-going efforts to show penitence and make up for what he's done, and we get a sense that he's been doing grunt work around the ship - repairing sails, fixing things that were damaged and broken - throughout. the crew's responses to the apology are pretty much the same as in the show, with some "it has been nice to have someone else doing all that shit though, right" about how he's been working. their acceptance of the apology is now equal parts because of the work he's done as well as a joke about corporate apologies working. Ed still feels frustrated about being on probation and stede has had more time to say he hasn't really felt like a captain, so he and stede have their captain voice exchange pretty much verbatim from the show. ed and lucius have been more or less avoiding each other all week, adding more nuance to ed living rent-free in lucius' mind, and ed offering to let lucius push him overboard. ed fishing with fang is part of him finally getting to meaningfully connect with another crew member again since the probation started, and is overall less about sitting with himself and more about him sitting in the moment, not just rushing to plan the next move, fishing is a great activity for having to be here, in this moment. the end credits stinger is the scene with zheng, ricky, and auntie.

Episode 6: Calypso's Birthday: finally, now on ep 6, probation has ended, we indicate that it's been a few weeks, someone mentions off-handedly that lucius and pete have been having a lot of all day marathon sex ever since they became engaged. when they head off to get party supplies, someone mentions maybe they should fetch them, and they all decide to leave the lovebirds to it. because of the added scene to episode 1, we've heard of ned low, and realize aw shit ed planted a seed of trouble back when he decided to go after that record. no other changes. meanwhile in town, olu sees signs of zheng's presence and that she's been here and laments a little about missing her, and wondering if maybe that's a good thing, if she's still pissed at him for what happened.

Episode 7: proceeds as happened in the show, that little bit strengthened by the passage of time, and also olu having actually been talking about zheng.

[hmspogue]

Outer Banks Season 3 Shot by Shot Trailer Rundown

I do not own any clips or screenshots, all rights to Netflix and the creators.

To say I'm still reeling would be the understatement of the century, let's get into it.

John B: "From the very beginning, it was always Kooks..."

Even though they're set on us prying this orange filter from their cold dead fingers, these first two shots are actually stunning?

"...and Pogues"

Holy hell, we know we have all the ohter Pogues reuniting with their parents after they get back home, so JJ being all alone at this house is actually so heartbreaking.

Jiara nation rise, it looks like Bracelet Touch™ takes place at the empty Maybank house I'm not well.

"Some people with everything..."

Why are season 3's always everyones haircut season in shows like what is the source of this phenomenon?

But Rafe and Barry with the key

This hiding job is on par with JJ throwing pew pillows over it in the church.

Although, kind of think this is them getting ready to try and melt the cross down (which makes me so beyond furious), because off to the side you see the lighter fluid and the muffin tins, then later there's shots of gold.

"...and some with nothing."

The DIVIDE. I actually love the dynamic of Kooks vs Pogues heating up and the two cultures that try and exist on a very small island together. Especially since this season seems to be Kiara centric, her whole identity being called into question about where she falls I NEED IT.

I cannot even begin to express how sad I am that we're probably going to get approximately 3 seconds of them hanging out on Poguelandia because look at them!!! Let them be happy!!!

"That's the way it's always been."

SDHCULAISUEHLWAG JIARA FISHING ISNT JUST A MONTAGE I REPEAT JIARA FISHING WILL NOT JUST BE A MONTAGE.

I LOVE HER SO MUCH YES BABE GO FISHING!!!

Pope and Cleo making a signal fire together. Looks like that scene from the teaser of them walking in the field was probably them trying to scout out a good spot for it.

Jarah B looking fine as hell John B I know that bandana is your father's but i cannot even begin to imagine how disgusting it is at this point I'm sorry-

IM BEING SO NORMAL ABOUT THIS!!!!

I feel like both this shot and the previous one are them being saved by the plane that lands.

(@whitetrashjj the mullet truther, your time has come).

"Until now."

This may be my favorite John B set up narration so far.

Also, like I said, them getting rescued by the plane. Kiara looks almost hesitant? Could be the same shot as above where her and JJ aren't too sure about this plane or the people on it.

MMMMMMMM VERY concerning JJ bike crash. Pope and Cleo (or maybe Kie?) in the back of the truck with a crate.

Okay this is SO intereting to me because Ward with blood all over himself (whatelse is new?), Rafe, and Sarah helping him? I can't tell what's in his hand. But the family dynamics this season are goign to be somehow even messier, I can feel it.

Kiara getting kidnapped and taken to wilderness camp, I'm so not ready for this like. It's for sure the Carrera house in the back, the two shirts say Kitty Hawk Adventure.

For a long time, we all thought this was going to be something they ended the season on, but now it seems like it'll be a plot point in the middle. Thanks to @sun-undone and her unhinged costuming documents, we know that this yellow halter top is after the Carrera anniversary party we got BTS from (with the Jiara gate fight and John B rocking Topper's shit and Mike's "see, this is what I'm talking about, JJ"). We know Kie is seen later witht he Pogues, so Blue Ridge may be a quick, one episode plot mid season.

If they've been holding Blue Ridge over her head the whole season, then John B beating the shit out of Topper at the party is sort of the last straw, I cannot een begin to imagine the fight that he and JJ will have about it????

JJ and Kiara INSIDE the Chateau and a fire being lit OUTSIDE? If someone's trying to burn the house down witht hem trapped inside there will be heLL TO PAY.

IF THE CHATEAU GETS BURNED DOWN IM COMING FOR THE PATES I STG DON'T DO THIS TO ME WHY DO I FEEL LIKE IT WOULD BE MY CHILDHOOD HOME BURNING KJDFLAIUDHFAL??????

I know that Cline talked about having to mentally take Sarah to some very dark places this season and this shot just confirms my theory that I seriously think Sarah's going to kill someone and deal with the emotional consequences of that.

I want this to be feral JJ so badly after Kiara's taken, but, sadly, he's not in the right outfit. Not the first time we've seen machete!JJ though.

We saw this shot in the teaser, but looks like they're climbing up an abandoned elevator shaft. They're in their clothes they have on get reunited with Kie. I think it's from the same abandoned hotel the Pogues (minus Kiara, probably because they're going to save her) are in front of in a different shot.

Andd here it is: the new plot of the season and confirmation they're going after fucking EL DORADO NEXT LIKE.

Important to note this is shot on a plane as well.

Oh the Twinkie, how I missed you.

oh look they remembered a mom besides Anna this season WHY MY EYES WET LIKE THESE REUNIONS ALSO WHILE JJ IS COMPLETELY ALONE. HEYWARD, ADOPT HIM YOU COWARD!

Kiara's relationship with her parents is so askjhfailsuh COMPLICATED because I think they really do love her. And she wants more than anything for them to understand her and they just keep missing each other.

"My father and me..."

This shot is very aesthetically pleasing to me. That's all I have to say about it.

YEAH OKAY AND THEN I STARTED FUCKING WEEPING BECAUSE THIS?????? I CANT BELIEVE THEY PUT BABY JOHN B IN THE TRAILER?????

If they only do baby Sarah and Baby John B I will do something so drastic-

"...the treasure was our way out."

The way he's looking at his father? Like the pride in his eyes? I know this relationship is going to sting so badly with the way the Pates have talked about John B having to reconcile the idealized version of his father in his head with the one that left him for gold.

This is a kid that hasn't been hurt by the world or his father yet and I wanna hug him.

(post will be continues apparently i can only up load 30 images at once)

[astraltadpole]

Could the Emperor be similar to an "elder brain" for the city of Baldur's Gate?

I've had an energetic and wonderful chat with @garlic-and-vanilla, and it's got me wanting to share some thoughts with you too.

Here's something to consider: what if the Emperor is leaning into the role of the "elder brain" of Baldur's Gate? Now not literally, I think they enjoy being an individual and seem to want to interact on a personal level with other beings. I refer to the function that they play, or could be working toward, either consciously or subconsciously.

Let's play with this idea a bit.

A standard illithid will live for a little over a century, and then it will offer itself to be consumed by the Elder Brain. All its memories and knowledge are uploaded to the brain in this way, and the brain itself is a living database, among the other roles that it can play.

The lore timeline is messy but it seems that the Emperor has been living as an illithid in Baldur's Gate for centuries. Between 300-450 years, potentially. Imagine the wealth of knowledge about the city that they might possess. Streets, blocks, districts, all sorts of establishments. Trade companies. Taverns. Entire guilds. Adventurer parties. Religious orders. Legislature. Plays and songs. The rhythms of the seasons. Agriculture. Fishing. Trends in consumption, trade, politics, public interest. Individuals, but also families, houses, lines. Stories of neighborhoods.

Not only are they intelligent and observant, but the Emperor can also read minds, and they consume the memories of their prey. They've got to know so much about the city. Encyclopedic knowledge, but also intensely personal. There isn't really a way for a typical individual humanoid to live like this or comprehend fully this way of being. Being an illithid isn't just being a flying tentacle person.

The Emperor is an outlier from standard illithid society, but they seem to still have the need for a social presence, or belonging. I like to look at the city as being their stand-in for "mind flayer colony" and their little tasks and schemes and plans all originate from that instinct. To me, they are operating as "the brain" for the city, and there are different possible versions for how this could play out.

As an interesting note, when a new illithid colony is formed, the founders of the colony will merge together to create the settlement's elder brain. What an interesting idea for Balduran.

This isn't the last time I'll write about this idea, and time permitting, I want to explore this in a story. If this seems fun to you, why not take this as a prompt for yourself to play with?

[dendrochilums]

little murderbot fic snippet I wrote inspired by the discord a while ago! it appears the cracker wrapper incident from rogue protocol left some lasting damage...

"Oh SecUnit! You're early!"

To be honest, Ratthi hadn't actually expected SecUnit to show up, but he was still pleasantly surprised to see it here. Since Gurathin's apartment on the station was too small for him to host his own birthday party, Ratthi had volunteered his own for the occasion. SecUnit had returned from its latest trip with the Perihelion quite recently, and Ratthi had figured that it would still be working on recharging its limited social battery, and unwilling to subject itself to even the small crowd that would be here. He gestured with an enthusiasm he hoped it would pick up on and said, "Come on in!"

SecUnit didn't reply verbally, but it sent an acknowledging ping to Ratthi's interface as it marched past him, followed by a small flock of its surveillance drones.

"I'm still getting some things ready in the kitchen, but feel free to make yourself at home," he called after it. SecUnit's idea of making itself at home involved more patrolling and hazard assessments than the average person's, but it was nice to see it feel comfortable here, in its own way. Ratthi hoped that the way he had arranged the decorations this time wouldn't get him another written notice about unsafe obstructions to the automated fire suppression system.

He closed the door, making a point to lock it behind him, and followed SecUnit down the hallway and into the kitchen, where he found it standing completely motionless, staring at his sink wearing the most appalled expression he could ever remember seeing on its face.

"SecUnit?" he asked. "...You okay?"

"There's a cracker wrapper in your sink," it said, pointing a finger at the offending wrapper. Its voice was flat, a striking contrast to its face, which now looked like it had when Ratthi told it that the newest season of Sanctuary Moon had been kind of boring.

Ratthi was too afraid to ask what kind of horrible security hazard could be caused by a stray cracker wrapper, but he carefully reached past SecUnit and fished the wrapper out of the sink and put it in the waste bin.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't know you were so tidy," he said, flashing a smile towards its shoulder. "I'll get things straightened up before the party starts, don't worry."

SecUnit was apparently too shaken to even acknowledge this. It kept its eyes focused on the now empty sink, which Ratthi quickly checked himself just to make sure there wasn't some insanely poisonous spider or something hiding there. Nope, nothing but some crumbs that he didn't think deserved this kind of horror.

The silence stretched on awkwardly. Ratthi broke it to say, "I'm just gonna--"

"I need to go check the perimeter. I'll be back soon," it interrupted, and it was out of the room before Ratthi could muster more than "Okay?" as a response.

Well, he supposed that everyone had their own eccentricities.

[thehollowwriter]

Summary: Poll winner. Some Silas and baby Finn fluff, with accidental angst (Lamentations' lovey dovey shenanigans have kept ya'll too happy)

Word count: 1982

(Pls reblog and leave a comment ❤️)

Pup

If there was one word to describe how Silas felt right now, it would he antsy. Tired, too. So so tired.

They had been out for three hours, drifting through the waters and ensnaring what prey they could find. There was a notable lack of fish compared to last season, and they were forced to swim further out.

Silas was exhausted. He didn't want to be here right now. He wanted to go home. He needed to go home. He was at home without him, he can't leave him at home without him-

Silas' fins twitched, and his tail coiled in discomfort. He sucked in a breath and tried to calm down, fearing the loud beating of his heart may alert their prey.

He needed to go home. Anything could happen without his presence there. Timo can't-

"-We can cover for you, sir."

Sleep deprived and distracted, it took Silas a few moments to process the fact that someone was talking to him. He blinked, then turned to face who had a spoken- a young member of his hunting party- with a frown.

"What?"

"You can go home if you want." The blue ringed octopus mer repeated. "We can cover for you. It's getting... late... and-" She faltered. "You... seem... anxious about... your..."

Silas stared at her as she trailed off and shrank into herself, avoiding his eyes. "If you want, sir."

Silas simply observed her a minute or so, watching her fins flick and quiver nervously. Behind her, the other four waited for an answer with wide eyes.

"...Don't come back empty-handed."

Silas was darting through the water towards home before any of them could respond. They would manage just fine. They were a talented group of mers.

"Anxious"? "Antsy"? Neither could even begin to describe the pit in his stomach and the weight on his chest, the sense of dread that hung over him like a dark cloud.

He's going to open the door to an empty, silent house. He's going to be met with the stench of blood. He's going to fail. He will be gone. He's going to be alone again-

Timo's surpised yelp when the front door burst open made Silas feel just a little better.

The cuttlefish in question looked at him in surprise, a hand over his heart and skin bright yellow with alarm.

"Mister Silas, sir, you're back early!" Timo exclaimed, his colours slowly turning back to normal.

Silas ignored him, continuing to swim anxiously down the hallway.

"Where's Finn?"

"Uh... asleep? In your room?" Timo's tone was quizzical, and he followed after Silas with an incredibly confused look on his face. "Is something wrong?"

Silas didn't answer. He simply swam into his room and towards the cradle crafted from coral and bone at the foot of the bed and peered inside.

A glorious feeling of relief flooded him, and the weight on his chest lifted.

Curled up around a clam on a mattress of seasponge, his son slept soundly, the rise and fall of his chest and the flutter of gills gentle and calm.

Finn was fine. He was breathing. His heart was beating. There was no blood. He was safe.

"How was he?"

Timo took a few moments to realise Silas was talking to him. "Oh! Yeah, he was great. He was a bit fussy and started chewing on me, but I got him the clam to play with, and he fell asleep just before you arrived."

"And his food?"

"Pureed shrimp and seaweed, like you showed me. He ate it all really fast. I think he's due to eat some more now, though."

Silas nodded slowly. "Thank you, Timo, I... I appreciate it."

Tino lit up like a light. "No problem, Mister Silas!" He said, making an awkward salute gesture. "I'm happy to help."

Silas sent a small smile the teen's way. "You can take a few extra madol and a few scallops and lobsters home. I'll see you tomorrow, Timo."

Surprise adorned Timo's face, and he nodded slowly, almost like he didn't believe what he was hearing.

"T-Thank you so much, Mister Silas! I'll see you tomorrow!"

'Swim safe.' Silas wanted to say, but the words would not leave his lips. He simply watched Timo disappear from sight and waited until he heard the door open and shut.

A comfortable silence settled over the house, and, finally alone, Silas reached into the crib to gently thumb at Finn's cheek.

His chest tightened when he got no response, but the sight of the tiny, beating heart through Finn's translucent skin made him relax once more.

"You're safe..." He murmured, moving his hand away to rub his temple. "Safe."

With that mantra repeating in his mind, Silas moved away from the crib to the large clam shell bed with sea sponge and seagrass nestled inside. He settled onto it and rested his chin on his wrists, gaziny at the cradle as if he feared it would vanish if he blinked.

However, finally relaxed and lying on something soft with his pup in sight and perfectly safe, his lack of sleep began to creep up on him. Before he knew it, his eyes slid shut, and he drifted into a state of unconsciousness.

A series of clicks, whistles, and squeaks shattered his peaceful sleep, followed by the sound of crying.

Silas sat up and tiredly dragged a hand down his face in frustration, growling to himself. When he fully registered what he was hearing, he shot off the clam shell and scooped Finn into his hands, clicking to let the pup know who was there.

"What's wrong?" He asked softly, cupping his hands to look Finn over carefully. He didn't seem hurt...

Finn simply cried and squeaked in response and coiled his tail around Silas' thumb. He began to chew on it, and tiny, glazed over eyes darted around as he tried to find his father.

"I'm right here." Silas murmured, shifting Finn into one hand and using his free hand to gently stroke Finn's back. "Are you hungry?"

Finn's subsequent bite into his thumb seemed to answer his question. Finn's teeth were brittle but still sharp, and little streaks of blood bloomed in the water before dissipating.

The scent hit Silas' nostrils, and for a brief moment, an overwhelming and primal sense of dread and panic washed over him.

'There's blood in the water,' Something in the back of his mind snarled at him. 'Hide.'

Silas cursed at himself but didn't move. He stayed frozen in place with pinpricks for pupils as that little voice continued to berate him.

'Idiot. Stupid. Foolish. They will smell it, they will smell you, you put yourself and your pup in danger with no one to protect you, and-'

Silas closed his eyes and took in a deep breath through his nose. He doesn't live in the abyss. Not anymore. Not for over twenty or thirty years. He lives inside a kelp forest, with a group of staff and a city nearby. It was fine.

It took Silas a few moments to realise Finn was still chewing on his thumb and to gently move him away. He could see the puncture marks and smell the blood, but he felt... nothing.

Finn squeaked at him and wriggled around, annoyed his chew toy was taken away and trying to find it again.

"It's alright, I've got something even better for you." Silas murmured. He snapped his fingers, and a tiny bottle the size of his thumb appeared in his hand.

"Shrimp and seaweed. Isn't that nice?" He asked, whistling a few times. He carefully pressed the teat of the bottle against Finn's lips, hoping the little pup would be as co-operative with him as he was with Timo.

To his relief, Finn grabbed at the bottle and started drinking the liquefied food as if he had never eaten anything in his life.

Silas sighed and smiled a bit as he supported Finn's little head with his finger and used his another to stop the bottle from dropping onto Finn's face.

"There we go. That's nice, right? Yummy yummy shrimp."

He wasn't good at 'baby talk', as it was called. He never knew what to say or how high his voice should go. Morrigan was far bett- no. Don't go there now. The dreams had just stopped tormenting him.

Finn finished the entire bottle in the span of about five or ten minutes and then pushed it away, chirping softly in content. Silas let go of the bottle and let it float to the floor. He could fetch it later. For now, his focus was entirely on Finn, who was now chewing on his own tail.

Silas gently moved Finn to the clam shell and silently observed the little one crawl off his hand and start curiously pawing and playing with the sea sponge.

Finn was so small. Only about the size of Silas' hand. He had frail bones and delicate skin and was completely blind. It would be so easy to kill him. Silas could curl his hand into a fist and crush him. Just a dash of magic could end him. Just a snap of teeth, and he could be eaten.

Silas was no longer in the abyss, but there were still threats lurking around every corner, from the alleys of the city to the wide plastered smiles of the citizens.

'At least most issues are dealt with if Leech keeps his word,' Silas thought. 'Perhaps I should speak to him abou-'

"Da."

Silas' train of thought came to a sudden stop, and he lowered himself down so his face was in front of Finn's, wondering if he had heard correctly.

"What did you say, my darling?"

At the sound of hus voice, Finn wriggled around and reached out to pat his face with a tiny, stubby hand. "Da."

Oh.

"Yes," Silas gasped, his voice barely above a whisper. "Da."

"Da!" Finn repeated. A delighted giggle left his lips. "Da!"

Silas sucked in a breath and bit his lip. That was the first time Finn had ever laughed.

Silas nodded his head, the long forgotten feeling of excitement lighting up inside him. "Yes. Yes, that's right, Finn. I'm your dad."

Finn squeaked and clicked in response, then shuffled away from Silas to play with the seasponge. Silas picked up a teething ring from his side table and placed it in front of Finn, still feeling elated.

"There, how's that? Something for your sore teeth."

Finn's hand closed around the familiar object, and he pulled it towards himself with a delighted coo. His teeth, sharp and monstrous, sank into it easily but didn't pierce through. He chewed on it happily , his tail flicking back and forth in quick succession.

Silas rested his head on the sponge bed and curled his tail to form a protective circle around Finn. He was tired but awake enough to watch his baby tucker himself out playing with teething ring and other toys Silas had placed on the bed.

After about twenty minutes, Finn lost interest in the toys and went still. A moment or two passed, and he put his hand in his mouth and looked around nervously.

"Da?" He called, following the word up with a click. There was a tremble to his finns, and he sounded like he was about to start crying. "Da?!"

"I'm here, I'm here." Silas said quickly, gently placing Finn onto the palm of his hand and bringing him close to his chest. "I'm here, precious."

Finn didn't make any further sound. He relaxed and curled his tail around Silas' finger, and then he was asleep.

Silas smiled at his lovely, wonderful, precious pup and leaned forward and gently kissed Finn's forehead. He didn't move, deciding that it was alright if Finn slept with him tonight.

"Sleep well, my treasure."

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

A/N: I hope you all enjoyed! It was fun writing this, even though I'm too happy with the ending and don't think it's one of my best. Ah, well, I'll blame it on school.

BONUS:

Here's what Finn's squeaks sound like:

https://youtube.com/shorts/u_r7WwfZlFQ?si=QRFUlTUDQKROE9yZ

Tagging: @distant-velleity @theleechyskrunkly @cyanide-latte @cynthinesia @the-banana-0verlord @jovieinramshackle @oya-oya-okay @officialdaydreamer00 @krenenbaker @skrimpyskimpy @boopshoops @kitwasnothere @krenenbaker @casp1an-sea

@br3adtoasty @rainesol @galaxies-and-gore @elenauaurs @am0nline

@1dont-really-know @kazumify @minteasketches @ramshacklerumble @elysia-nsimp

@skrimpyskimpy @casp1an-sea @offorestsongs @skriblee-ksk

[vulpes-fennec]

A Return to Autumn's Roots (1/3)

Summary: Eris Vanserra, the new High Lord of Autumn, has extended a Solstice ball invitation to Elain Archeron and Gwyn Berdara. Will a Court frozen in perpetual change break the stagnant mating bond between Elain and Lucien?

A lil @acotargiftexchange present for @sunbrightheart! I hope you enjoy this as much as I've enjoyed writing this for you! 🎄

Read on AO3

***Winter Solstice | Location: Velaris***

Elain managed to time Feyre’s cake perfectly, leaving at least an hour to get ready before the Solstice party started. It was chilling in the icebox as she took a hot bath in her suite. The warm water soothed her tired hands, hands that had been busy putting up finishing decorations and baking the last 24 hours. 

She washed her hair carefully with sweet-smelling soaps, and climbed out of the tub wrapped in a soft pink robe. As she waited for her curls to dry, Elain placed her presents in the basket for Rhys to hold onto. A sleek onyx fountain pen for Rhys, three pots of shimmering paint “dust” for Feyre, and a knitted cap with bear-shaped ears for Nyx’s first Solstice. An embroidered ribbon bookmark for Nesta, wool scarf for Cassian, a gold-embossed mystery classic for Emerie. Gold hooped earrings for Mor, perfume for Amren, special treats for Varian’s pet fish. Azriel would be receiving an exfoliating scrub for calluses, Gwyn a seasonal assorted chocolate basket. Elain hadn’t felt like giving Azriel a gift, and felt even more ill at ease when it came to choosing Gwyn’s.  

Elain had never given everybody presents before. Something curdled inside her when she looked at the final present. Buying everybody a present was the excuse for this particular gift. It was a fox plushie for Lucien, awkwardly wrapped because of its shape.

She picked it up and placed it into the basket. It was such a stupid present. Grown males had no need for stuffed animals. She barely knew Lucien, so it was difficult to think of something for him. 

Elain had mainly gotten the stuffed animal because it was something that could keep him company. Her note had said, “So you’re never truly alone.” She’d loved playing with dolls when she was young, would bring her stuffed bear into the garden and imbue it with its own personality to feel less lonely. 

Maybe she was making a mistake…Lucien was closely associated with foxes, but he’d been stuck with a fox mask for 49 years…perhaps he didn’t like foxes so much anymore. Drat. She couldn’t not give him anything now. Maybe she could replace the fox stuffed animal with something else in her room. Elain scanned the shelves, which were filled with small plants and trinkets. 

But the basket was gone. Rhys must have thought she was done and whisked it away. Elain sat down on her bed, fighting the urge to cry. Did Lucien feel this stressed when he was deciding which present to give her last year? And the year before that? If he didn’t like the fox, or worse, if he laughed at her, she’d truly cry. 

Glancing at the amount of time on the clock had her wiping the tears away. There were only thirty more minutes until the party, and crying would only make her eyes red and puffy. Elain sat at her vanity and carefully applied some color to her eyes, cheeks, and lips. She enjoyed using orange and reddish colors to bring out the different hues in her brown eyes, eyes that were more warmly colored compared to her sisters’ blue-gray. Though, looking at orange and red makeup only seemed to remind her of her mate’s home court. She sighed. 

After twenty minutes had passed, Elain was satisfied with how she looked. Her lilac-purple dress had flowers embroidered with silver threads, staying in-theme with the winter color palette. It hugged her bodice well, but flared out gracefully with long sleeves and a floor length. She’d purchased it two weeks ago specifically for Solstice. Her soft curls lightly cascaded down her back. Elain was always a little vain when it came to her hair; she liked it long and loose, and felt it looked best that way. Again, so different from Feyre and Nesta, who preferred to have their more golden locks up in braids or buns. 

Elain padded downstairs in her silver heels. Mor, Amren, and Varian were already in the large sitting room, drinking wine. “You look so pretty!” Mor exclaimed. Elain blushed. A compliment from the glamorous Morrigan always made her feel special. “Care to have some wine?” 

“No thank you, maybe later,” Elain declined. She sat down next to Mor, facing the doorway. The door opened, revealing Rhys with Nyx in his arms. 

“Feyre is still getting ready,” Rhys explained. There was a knock on the front door down the hall. Elain sat up a little straighter. If it was Lucien…

Her hopes were dashed when Cassian and Azriel bustled into the room, both Illyrian warriors wearing black. “Nyxie!” crowed Cassian as he ran towards Rhys, his arms outstretched. “Your favorite uncle is here!” 

Azriel only rolled his eyes as Nyx let out a burst of bubbling laughter at Cassian’s goofy expressions. Elain noted that the shadowsinger’s black shirt was cleanly pressed, his shoes polished clean. Interesting. And Azriel’s shadows, always wreathed around the top of his wings, were on full display tonight. They always unnerved Elain a bit, even as he offered the group on the couch a small smile. 

It was five minutes until 7 in the evening when the door knocked again. Elain snapped her head to the hall, holding her breath. But her Fae ears picked up three sets of feet walking towards the living room, and she tried not to appear too disappointed. 

The Valkyries. Nesta was wearing a holly red dress that matched Cassian’s red Siphons. She had her arm hooked around Gwyn and Emerie’s arms, as if to provide assurance, for it was Gwyneth’s first time meeting the Inner Circle.

Gwyneth’s coppery red hair shimmered in the warm faelight. It was long and straight, almost like Lucien’s…except Lucien’s hair was a more vibrant, ruby red. Two small braids framed her face, which was freckled and pale. The teal dress she wore almost matched the shade of her round, saucer-like eyes. Elain glanced at Azriel. He was standing across the room, holding Nyx, but looking at Gwyneth with admiration and a hint of pride. 

“Everybody, this is Gwyn,” Nesta announced. 

Varian politely shook Gwyn’s hand, and Amren gave the priestess a rare smile. Mor beamed, “Hello Gwyn, please call me Mor. I’ve heard so much about you!” 

Gwyn’s smile was charming. “I’ve heard so much about you as well, it’s nice to meet you.” Her slightly nervous gaze turned towards Elain. 

Elain struggled to find her words. “Hi,” she began lamely. “I’m Elain…Nesta’s younger sister.” She felt self-conscious. Did she have a judgemental look on her face? 

“Hello Elain. It’s good to meet you at last,” Gwyn replied with a shy smile. Elain returned the smile nervously, wondering how much Gwyn knew about last year’s tension between her and Azriel. 

Gwyn and Nesta moved on to talk to the Illyrian warriors. For once, Elain paid them no mind. Her stomach was making somersaults as she glanced at the clock. It was time for the party to start, and Lucien wasn’t one to be late. She tried to engage in the small talk with Amren, Varian, and Mor, but found it hard to concentrate on the topics at hand.

It was usually this way whenever she anticipated Lucien’s arrival. Elain would pretend not to know when he was coming, but would always closely track the time. The fated mates would glance at each other quickly, then avert their gazes. Thus began the dance of avoidance, where Elain and Lucien, acutely aware of each others’ positions in the room, would navigate to be furthest away from each other. The heavy awkwardness would drag on and on, until Elain or Lucien decided to take their leave. 

Tonight, however, she felt strangely giddy with anticipation.  

At ten past 7, Feyre breezed in, looking magnificent in a rich navy gown and tiara. “Sorry I’m late, darling,” she said, pressing a kiss to Rhys’s lips. 

“Happy birthday!” everybody exclaimed. Feyre’s eyes grew bright with emotion. 

“Thank you, thank you,” she said, clapping her hands. “I love each and every one of you all. Let us have some cake before dinner, shall we?” 

“Oh!” Elain blurted suddenly. Everybody in the room swiveled their heads to look at her. “I-I think we’re missing someone? Lucien?” 

“Elain, I’m so sorry I didn’t have a chance to tell you this earlier. Lucien sent a message saying he wasn’t coming,” Feyre looked at her apologetically. 

Elain was stunned. “Oh…Did he say why?” Feyre shook her head. “That’s alright. I just…I just wanted to make sure before we cut the cake. In case he didn’t want to miss out…” she felt herself rambling so she quickly closed her mouth. 

As everybody bustled into the dining room, Elain couldn’t help but feel hollow inside. And worried. Lucien wasn’t coming. Surely he was not in any grave danger if he could send Feyre a message…which meant he probably didn’t come because of…her. And Azriel. Though, judging by how closely Azriel drifted to the young priestess, there was nothing for Lucien to worry about. Nearly everybody in the room had found the people and place they’d belonged with…except for her. 

***One year later | Location: Forest House, Autumn Court***

“Oh!” Elain let out a small gasp as the door swung open to reveal a shirtless Lucien lounging on a bed. For a split second, he was a creature of myth: eyes half-closed with rest, molten-red hair, his angular face soft with the kind of rest that only privacy could bring. Lucien sat up immediately, his eyes wide. Elain quickly averted her eyes from the broad, dusty brown expanse of his bare chest, her heart galloping fast as a horse. 

“I-I’m sorry!” she stammered. “I forgot which room was mine and I was testing the spelled locks and I—” She stole a look at Lucien’s tight-lipped expression. “I didn’t mean to intrude,” she finished.

“No need to be sorry, my lady,” he said quietly, his voice low and stiff. Lucien quickly pulled a shirt over his head, and the sudden urge to pout at the loss of his sculpted body left Elain reeling. But how could she think such scandalous thoughts in the midst of this social blunder? 

She stepped back into the long hallway, unsure of how to extricate herself from the situation. It was her first time in the Forest House, first time in the Autumn Court, really. It was the Autumn Court’s first Winter Solstice under its new High Lord, and Eris Vanserra had invited both her and Gwyn Berdara for the Winter Solstice. Gwyn, because her grandfather hailed from Autumn. Elain, because she was Eris’s supposed sister-in-law. 

Eris had also invited Helion Spellcleaver. The revelation that he and the former Lady of Autumn were mates, and the fact that he was Lucien’s true father, sent shockwaves throughout all of Prythian. The gossip was still going strong after all these months—every time Elain went to the market, there was always someone chattering about it. Lucien Spellcleaver, Elain had whispered to herself whenever she was alone. Lucien Spellcleaver. Her mate’s true name. 

Lucien had arrived with Jurian and Queen Vassa in tow last night. Aside from a swift look and cordial “my lady” that sent Elain into a flushed mess, Lucien had not interacted with her since. And now, she had stumbled into his room. 

Lucien eyed Elain’s flushed cheeks warily. She was in a simple cotton dress of plain yellow, her brown curls pulled back with a sage green scarf, and yet she was still the most beautiful female he’d ever seen. 

Lucien had scoffed when Eris informed that he’d invited Elain Archeron to the Autumn Court’s Solstice Ball—his brother was being his usual meddling self. What shocked him more was that Elain had accepted the invitation. 

Now that he thought about it, she was much more present during his short visits to Velaris this past year, even going so far as to initiate small talk. And the way she’d openly stared at him last night seemed promising…but Lucien didn’t want to get his hopes up. 

He decided not to mention that this was not just some random room he’d been assigned; this was his old room in the Forest House. A room that he’d carefully spelled to allow only him through the threshold. It was likely that the wards recognized Elain as his mate, recognized the imprint of his soul on hers, and let her in unexpectedly. She’d likely have an aneurysm after hearing that, so he kept his mouth shut. 

“Would you like me to accompany you to your room, my lady?” he offered.

“It’s alright, I don’t want to impose…” she trailed off, biting her bottom lip subconsciously. Lucien glanced away quickly, fighting the urge to kiss her on the mouth and take that plush bottom lip between his teeth. Touch her, smell her, taste her, his instincts urged. 

“It’s not an imposition. I’m taking Helion on a short tour of the forest in ten minutes anyways.” Lucien hoped it didn’t sound like he was pressuring her into spending time with him. 

“Actually, I am supposed to meet your mother for tea in the Maple Room and I’m not too sure where it’s located,” Elain said softly. After a moment of hesitation, she added, “you may call me Elain.” 

“Do you dislike it when I say ‘my lady’?” Lucien asked. 

“No, no, I do!” She blinked rapidly, flustered at her admission. The tips of Elain’s pointed ears turned pink. Oh, she definitely likes it, Lucien thought to himself with a satisfied smirk. “I just feel it’s too formal.” 

“As you wish. I can take you to the Maple Room, it’s on the way to Helion’s guest quarters.” It was still hard to refer to Helion as “his father”, Lucien thought. Over the last few months, he’d become more familiar with Helion’s boisterous, joking side. And Helion’s affectionate side that came out with him and his mother, as if to make up for 400 years of lost time. But…father? No, that was a term more closely associated with Beron. 

Elain kept a measured distance from her mate as they walked down the Forest House’s corridor. Acorn-shaped glass sconces filled with faelight cast a golden light, the hall was padded with soft burgundy carpet, and the walls were tastefully decorated with wood carvings and oil-painted art. 

“How’s it going with your father?” she ventured after a few moments of silent walking. 

“What do you think of the Autumn Court?” Lucien asked at the same time. 

“No, you go first,” they both said in unison. Elain and Lucien glanced at each other, doe brown eyes meeting mismatched amber and gold, before chuckling softly. It eased some of the tension between them, softening the tightness in Elain’s chest and making the corners of Lucien’s eyes crinkle. 

“Ladies first.”

“So I get my question answered first,” Elain prompted with a small smile. 

Lucien sighed, with somewhat of a dramatic effect. “It’s going well,” he said. “Helion is…he makes my mother happy. And he’s been good to me, but of course the bar was always low with Beron in the first place.” 

“You just call him Helion? When you’re with him?” Elain was taken aback by how directly she was speaking to Lucien, given how short and tidy their previous exchanges were.

“No…I call him ‘Dad’ but it feels strange in my mouth.” Lucien shook his head. “I don’t know what a normal relationship between sons and fathers should be. To be honest, I don’t think any of us do.” Elain’s fists clenched, as if readying to fight a long-dead and buried High Lord for the pain he inflicted upon her mate. She trembled slightly, reminding herself to calm down and take some deep breaths. 

“It’s only been a few months,” Elain said softly. “Relationships take time.” Our relationship has been in a gray area for almost three years, she realized. Lucien must think I’m wretched for saying that to him.

If he thought there was an underlying meaning to her words, he did not show. “Well, what do you think of the Autumn Court?” he asked again, switching the subject. 

“It’s beautiful, I wish I had more time to explore the woods,” Elain replied. As much as she’d tried, she couldn’t keep Lucien out of her mind when taking in everything. She walked the halls imagining how his younger self would have roamed, touched the trees so similar to the ones he saw every day, savoring the constant chill he would have felt on his skin day in and day out. Did he jump into piles of leaves? Play hide and seek behind statues? “Everybody has been very kind. I was expecting…something worse. More stiff and traditional.” 

Lucien shrugged. “Eris has done a decent job of changing the atmosphere of the court with his leadership. How is Gwyn? She came here with you, right?” 

“Gwyn is off visiting her cousins…she’s very excited to meet them. She misses Azriel, but they talk every night through the scrying mirror.” Truth be told, Elain was a bit stressed that Gwyn had a full itinerary of plans during their visit. She’d grown close with the priestess, and was feeling overwhelmed at the prospect of interacting with Lucien’s family on her own.

“We’re here,” Lucien announced as they rounded the corner. A light brown door with a simple placard that said “Maple Room”. He knocked, and proceeded to open the door for Elain when Daphne Spellcleaver’s lilting voice beckoned them in. 

***

“Elain Archeron,” Daphne Spellcleaver greeted her warmly. The Maple Room, like all other rooms in the Forest House, was excessively grand. It was meant to be a sitting room, but the massive rugs, the vaulted glass ceiling, the literal maple trees growing in the corners of the room, and the plush furniture elevated it beyond just a sitting room. Unlike some of the other rooms, however, the Maple Room was filled with plenty of natural light. Two massive windows opened out onto one of the Forest House’s many gardens, filling the air with the smell of roses and dahlias.

“Lady Spellcleaver,” Elain murmured, dipping into a curtsy. It was her first time interacting with Lucien’s mother, the former Lady of Autumn. She had met Graysen’s parents before, but this felt different. 

“Oh Elain, no need for formalities. Please, call me Daphne.” Elain rose to see that Lucien had gone straight towards his mother for a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “My sweet boy,” Daphne murmured, ruffling Lucien’s hair as if he were a youngling. “Shouldn’t you be meeting with your father at this time?” 

Lucien grinned wryly, making Elain’s heart flutter just slightly. His demeanor had switched instantly, becoming more easy-going around his mother, all loose shoulders and shining eyes. “I was escorting her to you,” he replied. “I’ll be on my way now.” He stepped back, dipping his head towards Elain. “My—I meant—Elain.” Shit. There went another skip of her heart when he said her name. 

That russet and gold gaze met hers briefly, before he turned and left swiftly. 

“Let’s have some tea. Although I am no longer Lady of Autumn, old habits of welcoming dignitaries are still difficult to break. Especially when we are hosting the High Lady of the Night Court’s sister.” 

A female well-versed in court maneuverings, Elain noted. By regarding her as Feyre’s sister, Daphne had indicated she wasn’t here to talk about Elain’s mating bond with Lucien. Despite this formal acknowledgement, the genuine kindness in Daphne’s russet eyes putting Elain immediately at ease. It was easy to pick out what traits Lucien inherited from his mother: her red hair, obviously, her russet eyes, those high cheekbones, and the easy grace. 

The maple-flavored tea and selection of desserts were delicious, and Elain found Daphne exceedingly easy to talk to. They had a shared love for baking and fine clothing, which made for easy conversation. Daphne asked Elain questions about her human life, how she was adjusting to being Fae, what Velaris was like, and if she had anything interesting planned for the upcoming year. 

Elain was dying to ask Daphne about Lucien, but since Daphne did not bring up a single thing about her son, Elain was hesitant. Since Elain and Lucien’s mate status was a fraught relationship, it was possible that Daphne did not want to make her feel uncomfortable. Still…there had to be a way to pivot the subject…

“What was Lucien like as a child?” 

The Lady of Day smiled fondly. “He was a mischievous and observant child,” she replied. “Always running around, playing little tricks. Asking a million questions, chattering with anybody who would give him a minute of their time.” 

Elain found herself smiling as well. Lucien seemed to be that precocious boy who would ruffle her feathers at the formal events her parents used to bring her to. “I’m sure those played a part in how he became a courtier.”

“Oh yes,” Daphne agreed knowingly. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be talking about my son so much…”

“Oh no,” Elain reassured her. She smiled conspiratorially at the Lady of Day. “In fact, you should tell me about his most embarrassing incidents…”

Read Ch 2

[lesbianmaxevans]

no but timdale is going to happen. they have to.

so sesaon 1: dale was clearly interested in both of tim and helen, and in his fear of being rejected by his mother, he decided to romantically pursue helen. even tho he starts dating helen, he still has a bit of a flirty dynamic with tim, and tim confirms that he is gay as a way to test whether dale feels similarly. tim then made their unspoken attraction explicit by kissing dale, which dale reciprocates, but he then panics because of his relationship with helen. obviously things are really tense after that (especially after dale's botched reporting on AIDS understandably upsets tim) but dale still turns to tim as his safe person, trusting tim with a lot more details about his past than he gave helen. tim tries to help dale become comfortable with being open, but dale chooses safety and to conform.

season 2: dale and helen have been going strong for a year. upon gerry making it clear that he's interested in him, dale confesses that he had a moment with "a cameraman" to which gerry asks if he wanted things to progress further. instead of dale answering that, he pivots and says he wanted to be with helen, which in his mind meant going further was not an option. imo it's clear he still thinks about their kiss from time to time, but now that tim has left the network, in his mind it's definitely not a possibility. but when helen runs into tim and mentions his name to dale, he is clearly affected. maybe he's not as out of reach as dale thought. and tim is clearly affected by seeing helen too, as we see him watching the report with the aboriginal activists. tim then shows up to the office party bc??? I'm not sure why he came honestly. but dale is clearly flustered upon seeing him, and tim quickly comes by to check in on dale and offer congratulations on how far he's come the past year. gerry eagerly initiates a conversation with tim, and they're clearly talking about his interest in dale. and then gerry is clearly trying to push the two of them together, by inviting them to accompany him to a gay club. as soon as dale and tim are alone, he lets it slip that he's single, and tim is clearly very concerned, trying to get dale to talk about it. but dale is spiraling and feeling reckless so he pulls tim with him to the dance floor. tim goes along with it at first, but when dale tries to initiate something, tim refutes him bc he doesn't want to be a rebound or a mistake. he knows dale isn't in a good headspace, and if something is going to happen with dale it's going to happen for the right reasons, not just because dale needs an escape from his emotional pain. and then the finale?!?! that gossip columnist is fishing for details about dale and tim's relationship. of course dale is panicked again, especially after seeing how people are treating gerry now that he's been outed. so he calls up tim and asks tim if the columnist calls again to tell her that they just had a professional working relationship, and tim says he won't lie. dale again is choosing the security of conforming, but when he talks to the columnist himself, he never denies a relationship with tim. he just pivots and tells her that with his position as a newsreader, that it'd be more advantageous for her to work with him than to write this story that will take away his position.

anyway I really think that dale becoming the face of the network is going to lead to him getting all the things he dreamed of, but he'll realize the pressure of having to live in repression isn't going to be worth it. I honestly think that tim and dale needed time apart for dale to realize those feelings are still there. like he said to helen in 1.06 "everytime anything happened I'd tell myself that's it. it's the last time. it's out of my system." but a year of not seeing tim, and he still feels that connection just as strongly. dale's gotta get his shit together and accept this aspect of himself before he can have anything with tim.

[dirteater69]

here’s something that i wrote in february. its a segment of a fic i’ve been writing since last year, that i might post if i ever finish it. its about the killjoys ten years or so before the music videos, when they’ve just escaped battery city and are fighting in the analog wars as teenagers.

There’s a lot more waiting in war than Party expected.

That’s not to say that they expected much about war — they barely knew there was a war happening before they were dropped into it like oil in water, like a fish into a desert — but they had their ideas, set up by movies and assorted Americana folklore. This war is not much like those ideas. There’s no uniforms, for one, at least not on the side they’re fighting on. There’s no mustachioed generals walking around with sticks up their asses that yell at you if you’re not enthusiastic enough about killing other human beings. There’s no melodramatic longing for the home front, for the women and children only seen in photographs in lockets, because the war is taking place in the zones, which Party has come to know as their home whether they like it or not, and because women and people-who-are-practically-children go out and fight in it just as much as anyone else. Party’s yet to have a friend bleed out in their arms on the battlefield, which they’re very thankful for, but they do think that if they attempted that, they’d be gunned down before anyone could say the first word of a bleeding heart monologue.

Some things do line up with their expectations. None of Party’s closest friends have died yet, but that’s not to say that people don’t die, because they certainly do. There’s the direct deaths in the battles, but there’s also those who’ve died of festering infections weeks after they got the wounds, or of diseases, or amputations gone wrong — these are the kind of topics that come up when you try to have a conversation with your best friend who works in the medical tents. There’s those who took too much of what everyone takes to numb the pain, and passed out in a pool of their own vomit, and then never woke up. Some people just disappear: they might silently get out of their sleeping bag one cruel night and walk off into the stars, leaving only a memory and a pair of boots bound to get taken by someone else because, hey, who would waste a good pair of boots in a time like this; or they might get dragged off screaming on the battlefield by someone dressed in the whites and blacks of the enemy, one of the few unlucky chosen ones grabbed for rehabilitation in the big bad battery, or else turned into a masked and mindless weapon if they won’t comply.

There’s a lot of fear. Fear and worry, as well as rage and indignation, despair and nihilism. Impatience. Mania. Apathy. Hope. After a while, everyone’s grasping at straws to feel something, and not everyone’s sure they even want to.

The smell is bad. Party didn’t really expect that, but they can’t say it surprises them.

But they definitely didn’t expect all the waiting. Between the battles and attacks, you are obviously waiting for more battles and attacks, but you’re waiting for more than that. You’re waiting for news: partially reports from spies, strategy and intelligence regarding the elusive Other Side, but you’re also waiting to hear something exciting on the radio. Is there a party or a market happening soon? How shall we drown our sorrows tonight? If you’re Party, or another of the two dozen or so people in the zones like them, you’re sometimes waiting to be called to a strategy meeting. Party doesn’t really know shit about strategy meetings, at least they didn’t the first few times they attended them, but they got a feeling it made people feel better to think that they did, so they did their best to pretend.

Really, a lot of the waiting in war is like the seasons, like how you want it to be cold when it’s hot and hot when it’s cold. When nothing is happening, you want something to be happening; when something is happening, you want nothing to be happening. That’s how it is for Party, at least.

There is also waiting during the actual battles, though. If you’re pulling an ambush — like Party and those on their side like to do — then you’ll be waiting a while until you’re given a signal and get to actually start the fight. Even beyond that, though, there’s a lot of waiting in battle. Looking at it from the outside, it might not look like there’s any possible pauses, but it’s very different in the heat of the action. You’re always waiting for something: a new strike or shot to hit you, a new enemy closing up on you with hardly any time to retaliate, a new order shouted out barely audible over the gunshots, a new plan to form in your mind.

Party’s currently waiting for all of these. They’re crouched behind a car that has, at some point in the past ten minutes since the battle began, tipped over onto its side. They’ve never seen the bottom of a car before. Sadly, they won’t get much of a chance to look at it now, because they’re currently busy desperately reloading their blaster. They spent the final bits of their last battery pack making a couple of particularly rowdy Draculoids see the light of heaven, and now they’re hurrying to get back into the game before something similar happens to them. They fumble getting the handle open: they’re high on adrenaline and a few other things, and the roaring and blasting of the battle pulls their mind in all sorts of directions. They’d’ve thought they’d be used to it by now — or, at least deaf enough to ignore it better.

The handle of the gun comes open with a satisfying click, and they barely have to think in order to reload and close it again, pure muscle memory. This proves itself very useful when, as if on cue, a white-dressed BL/ind soldier jumps around the corner of the car with a glowing shotgun pointed at them. Party doesn’t get a good look at the soldiers face: they turn it into a mess of brain matter and burning flesh before anything else can happen. Ray gun wounds are messy.

Party scrambles up from their spot against the car to inspect the body, wearily glancing around themselves, the way you have to on a battlefield. They consider looting the body, but they don’t have the time; besides, this is just a toy soldier, and it’s usually only the Scarecrows or Exterminators that have good stuff on them. The shotgun could be worth taking, though, so they do. It’s heavy, and bright white — like most things BL/ind made. Their blaster’s still a little too hot to holster, but they do it anyway.

They crouch to protect their body as they creep around the car, taking in the battle. It’s what it always is. Something like a thunderstorm: car motors and shitty zone-made bombs create a sea of gray clouds; ray guns blast out neon lightning, beautiful and skin-scorching, always just a few inches away from hitting one vital organ or another. There’s people all around, Zonerunners and BL/ind troops shooting and stabbing and hitting and screaming. The shotgun is a little uncomfortable in Party’s hands, they’ve only used one a few times, but they’re good enough to take down a couple of Draculoids that they spot rushing at them. Four or five of the bastards down in fifteen seconds, max.

They run a sweaty hand through their hair and take a split second to consider the situation. There was a big strategy talk before this, they’re sure, but they can hardly remember any of it. This is a siege, right? A siege of a BL/ind base, somewhere in zone 2, definitely. Or zone 1.

The car behind Party shakes, and they stagger away from it, shotgun grasped tight. It’s caught on fire, the car — someone’s thrown a bomb at it, and now it’s tipping over. They bolt forward, still crouching like they have to. They glance around and spot a Drac and Zonerunner guy wrestling in the sand twenty or so feet away. Neither of them have their blasters, but they’re choking and punching and clawing at each other, and the Drac has got the Zonerunner under it with a hand on his neck.

Before Party knows it, they’re kicking the Drac of the Zonerunner, and then in the ribs a few times for good measure, until it’s no longer moving. Wordlessly, they hand the Zonerunner their shotgun — he clearly needs it more than them — and pull out their blaster to carry onwards.

Were they supposed to be doing something specific in this battle? They weren’t, right? They would almost definitely remember if they were. Almost. They comb through the mess of chemicals and fantasies that they call a brain and try to find any sort of mission, any sort of plan or direction, but they get nothing. Hopefully, the fact that they don’t remember anything important means that they don’t have anything important to remember.

There’s a loud blast behind them. It’s louder than the car falling over, louder than all the bombs around them combined, louder than anything they’ve ever heard. It’s like a gunshot and a punch in the face all at once. They spin around, and in the distance, beyond the metal fence of the BL/ind base — they were right, it is a siege — is a red form with glowing black eyes, two hundred feet tall. It’s made out of sand and smoke and carnage, with a gaping maw full of scrap metal teeth, and it’s lumbering towards the battle on four blurry but certainly real legs.

Their first thought when they see it is that the colors are all wrong. It’s supposed to be a black form with glowing red eyes, not the other way around, and surely something black can’t glow. But the black eyes of this monster are surely glowing. Their second thought is that they don’t know who it’s aligned with. They would know about it if it was a secret weapon of the Zonerunners, and it’s far too colorful of a monster for BL/ind to use, so the only other option is that it’s here to destroy all of them.

Their third thought is their about ray gun.

They look down at it, in their hand. Yellow-painted and nimble, freshly loaded. It’s taken many lives, this ray gun, but Party knows it would be ridiculous to try to defeat that giant with it. All of the weapons of the Zonerunners and BL/ind combined couldn’t take it down. It is going to eat Battery City and have the desert for dessert.

Still, it’s worth a try.

Party raises the blaster to the monster, but when they look up to aim, it’s gone. There is nothing but the battle, and beyond that the fence, and beyond that the sky. It’s gray. Too pale to be the night, too dark to be the day — is it evening or morning, right now?

Another BL/ind soldier charges at them from the left, blaster aloft and yelling, and Party takes her down with two shots. It’s a really dumb strategy to do alone, running at someone and yelling; especially when you have a ray gun that could just kill them from a distance. At least she had a flare for the dramatic, Party thinks, as they step over her corpse and look around the thunderstorm. She will be sorely missed, or not — if she will, it’s not by Party.

They start to run towards the direction that they saw the monster, for lack of a better plan. Maybe they’re looking for something. It’s unclear. A mean-looking Exterminator sets his eyes on them, and they fire off a series of shots at him. The sky remains a confusing gray.

Suddenly, when the fence is only fifty or so feet away, they start to feel horribly dizzy. It’s like all of reality has been flipped upside down, but they’ve been left still and hanging. They try to take a step forward. They’re not sure if they succeed. A convulsion strikes through their body. There’s a little vomit in their mouth, and the texture is weird. They can’t remember what they last ate.

Then, the world spins around them, and all they see is the uncaring gray of the morning-evening sky.