#i thought we were just playing :3c

[the-owl-tree]

Thoughts on Tallstar’s Revenge?

i think i've talked about it before but i find tallstar's revenge to be an unsatisfying mess of ideaa. the plot really feels like a train track of just uuhh this needs to happen don't think about why

why does tunneling need to go? to cause conflict! who are the strangers why is windclan so chill with them? because tallstar needs to go elsewhere that's why! why is shadowclan is so weirdly aggressive the entire time??? who gives a fuck, we need conflict! what are they even fighting about? who gives a fuck, the book sure doesn't

sandgorse is a shining example of fathers who can literally abuse their sons throughout a book only to be redeemed at the end as a stand up guy who meant well and literally no one holds as much venom against him as they do similar characters or even characters who don't deserve it.

the book was hyped up on its release, i remember at the time i wasn't sure if i wanted to buy it and the OG forums said yeah it's sooo different and good than the others and it SUCKED ASS!!!! didn't like when i first read it and i still don't!!!!!! jake and tallstar's relationship is hyped up as if they don't know each other for a WEEK then literally fuck off from one another so jake can go make some protag/antag babies. what a romance!

the entire book is devoid of any real thought than The Plot Needs This To Happen. it's bad and it sucks because there's so much potential! literally just gimme a windclan civil war between moor runners and tunnelers, it literally fits so well in tallstar thinking he's united his clan only to cause ANOTHER civil war after he dies.

[shirogane-oushirou]

finished two ren pics yesterday that i'd been sitting on for a while, started TWO craft projects today (making a cheap DIY bobbin lace bolster pillow + making a ren doll (or two???)) AAAAAND i just found a program that lets me use my ipad as a tablet for my laptop and bought CSP 3.0 on sale. >:333333c Beware.

[elfarons]

OKAY BUT DAD!REN WALK WITH MEEE

cw: gn!reader, fluff, body insecurity, lowkey just a mashup of dilf ren teehee

it took a while to get ren to open up, but you stayed persistent and got them to rely on you for their more vulnerable moments. ren confessed he never saw himself with kids, or worthy of being a parent with you, but after years of just the two of you, you both decide to raise a child.

ren had no more time to overthink the small things because his family was top priority, what with all the late nights taking turns rocking the baby to sleep, staying consistent on feeding and nap times, and everything that comes with raising a human.

as time went on, he would indulge his little family with anything they wanted. going to all his kids school plays, or going to drop off lunch for you at work. all the movie nights of buckets of popcorn or eating all the junk food when out somewhere with you guys.

you guys were his world.

---

but sometimes ren forgets that he's in this together with you.

while in the line for a ferris wheel at an amusement park, you notice him zipping up his jacket and glancing at some of the other younger couples, "i thought you said it's burning hot?"

"i just think the outfit looks better like this dont'cha think?" he ruffles your kids hair when they nod at him, but you know it's deeper.

you pry a bit more and eventually ren relents, "it's just... i look so different from when we first met, and i'm just wondering if i'm still attractive to you..."

you felt guilty for not noticing ren becoming more self conscious and how they didn't wanna burden you with it.

you reassure them that you accept them no matter what, and honestly all you noticed was how good of a dad he's been! you barely noticed that his stomach is a bit more round, his arms a bit bigger, and the hair that now covers nearly all of his skin

but you are IN LOVE WITH IT!

he can easily carry a baby in each hand, he keeps you all super warm in your sleep as the family's heater, and he just looks so adorable fussing over your small children when he's basically a walking mountain.

he's just an amazing parent and his body is physical proof of his love.

---

on a normal day, you would wake up and cook breakfast because you can't trust ren. but one day, you wake up to the sound of ren and your spawn in the kitchen.

wait, ren is cooking?!

you bolt out of bed and run down the hallway to the kitchen, and once you turn the corner, you're.... confused?

ren is sitting on his heels with his head down and letting one of your kids scold him, "papa, i told you a billion times to only use one-four cup, not a full cup! are you trying to kill mama?!" ren shakes his head in shame and puts his head on the floor, going along with their antics, "i am sincerely sorry, sweetie. please do not speak of this to your mom."

you stifle a giggle and walk away to let him handle it, hearing the exchange eventually end with your kid taking over the kitchen and ren as their assistant.

when you finish your morning routine, you go back to the kitchen and ren gives you a special version of their pancakes, with your favorite toppings and your favorite drink.

"you two are so sweet! what is this for?"

the smaller copy of ren smiles wide, and excitedly says, "i watched papa makeyour favorite! he said it's because you make him feel better about himself."

ren nods and adoringly gazes at you, "you helped me through all my problems no matter how small, so i wanted to show you how much i appreciate you"

you kiss both of their cheeks and you all start digging in, ren and the head chef high fiving under the table when you point out how delicious it tastes.

ren thought he'd never make a good parent, but it comes so naturally. you love them even more for it.

author's note: ok hi i literally made this in like an hour bc we talked about him for literally like 10 mins and im CRAZY i need him so byad,, but i hope you guys like this mess :3c

ty kami + cybele for the inspo on the cooking part !!

dividers by @/enchanthings

[bug-bites]

batfam beach episode?? real not clickbait no glue no borax??

cw: nothing! pure vacation beach fluff (p≧w≦q) also barely proofread,,,

pairing: gn!reader x batfam (NOT ALL AT ONCE.)

characters: dick grayson, jason babygirl todd, cassandra cain, tim drake, damian wayne (all intended to be interpreted as either romantic or platonic unless its damian. ik in some comic runs he's like an adult but hes like permanently 12 in my head and i dont fw that :/)

a/n: im back with a new dc obsession tee hee (soz to everyone who wanted more abt the cod guys or spiderverse im comicsmaxxing and redhoodpilled) will probably make a part 2 w/ bruce, babs, steph, and duke eventually :3c

Dick Grayson haha dick

oh he loves the beach so much

the sand beneath his feet make him feel nostalgic from when he would practice tumbling with his parents in the circus ring i think there's sand in circus rings right? I dunno someone fact check me on that one

the victim of being buried in the sand, always asks for a mermaid tail but ends up with something like massive sand tits (courtesy of either tim or jason), he laughs it off anyways

somehow gets the worst tan lines. He wore a swim shirt one time and never again because the tan lines looked SO BAD which is a total shame because he tans gorgeously

will beg to do play shoulder wars i have no clue if this is the right name, again fact check me for this thing where you get a piggyback ride from someone and you try to knock someone whos also getting a piggyback ride over in the water

you’re on his shoulders since bro is strong asf and you square up against tim and damian

obviously you lose because hello that's damian wayne we are talking about but at least its fun!!

cass and jason are forever the undefeated champions of shoulder wars though, that goes without saying

Cassandra Cain

shes always seen beach episodes in animes that damian practically dragged her into watching so when she gets to actually go to a beach she is so excited peak sibling bonding is dragging your siblings into your interests

loves building sandcastles and writing things in the sand, watching it get washed away, and then do it all over again

hold her hand and jump over waves together on the shore and she will be the giggliest and happiest human being alive on planet earth

but out of all the beach activities she loves beach volleyball

shes actually scarily good at beach volleyball for someone who has never played volleyball before

dick thought it would be fun to teach her and have a friendly match between him and bruce vs you and cass

yeah bruce and dick were COOKED. huffing and puffing like they have a vendetta against the three little pigs at the end of it while cass is like “this is so fun, lets go again!”

ends the day with a little sunset stroll along the shore i need her so bad you do not understand please bbyg ill treat u soooo well

Jason Todd

beaches are fun on paper for him, in person not so much

PERSONAL HC INCOMING! He gets migraines after the lazarus pit so he can only have so much fun before needing to lie face down with his head covered with a beach towel to make everything less overwhelming or he wears sunglasses the entire time

he brings a book to read at the beach and stays in the shade the entire time yes he is that bitch

usually at home in the comfort of his little library he likes to read things that have an impact on him or just stuff that makes him want to analyze deeper. think books like frankenstein, lord of the flies, all quiet on the western front, just generally heavier stuff

but his vacation books? totally different. usually something super light, maybe a shitty romance book that you find in walmart which are clearly just results of book packaging, or a some booktok recommendation he got for shits and giggles because it just was so laughably bad, maybe even a childhood feel-good book like percy jackson or the little prince (mostly just books he would not grieve over if sand permanently got in between the pages)

he tried reading a colleen hoover book once and honest to God wanted to toss it into the ocean HE WOULD HATE HER BOOKS AND I WILL DIE ON THIS HILL

but out of everything he likes watching you enjoy yourself, his book wasnt that important anyways. show him that funky sand dollar you found or that really cool piece of seaglass, he’s probably gonna bring it home with him. a little keepsake along with the millions of grains of sand that never seem to go away

Tim Drake

Burns so easily

At first its kinda cute, like hes asking you to help him get that spot on his back he just cant seem to reach and its just a little sweet moment between you two as you rub the sunscreen into his sore muscles

But then it happens again. And again. And again to the point when he goes up to you, you automatically reach for the tube of SPF 100+ 

I just know his vitamin d deficiency goes crazy

Leaves the beach looking like a lobster, sunburnt, a crazy bump on his head from getting hit with a volleyball, and some god awful sunglasses tan lines

Overall, beach activities are not really his thing bros job is NAWT beach

Enjoys the boardwalk a lot more than the beach itself, likes the touristy stuff but still goes to the beach because dick loves it and he loves his older brother :(

Damian Wayne

i feel like he wouldn’t care too much for typical beach stuff. like at every beach that has sand and decently clean water you can do most beach activities

one thing that is never 100% consistent at all beaches is what lives on the beaches. this boy will spend hours staring into tidepools 

bruce was lowk concerned because his son did not gaf about normal beach activities that kids do but eventually he reached a point where he was like "i mean at least hes having fun and being safe"

i feel like talia would always show him books of sea creatures when he was little but he never ended up being able to see them in their natural habitat someone take this boy to an aquarium now

tells you fun facts about each creature you come across

will scold you if you take a shell from the beach, definitely says some shit like “how would you feel if someone ran into your house and just took your bed?”  based though, leave shells at the beach yall! taking them is like bad for the ecosystem

brings his notebook around and has little sketches of the sea creatures

even though typical beach activities arent his favourite, he doesnt hate it. he likes that he can catch a break from all the vigilante stuff and spend time with his family as a family and not just as a team

loves scuba diving. idk it just somehow makes sense and i think he would look really stupid in a wet suit

also i feel like he would never mention it but in his mind hes fully thinking "this is just like a beach episode" but he would rather die than say it out loud FUCKING NERDDD

[loose-angel]

Kitty, Kitty | Neteyam

Pairing: neteyam x human!reader Notes: hes basically a cat :3C w/c: 646 w/n: im on a major writers block so i hope you guys enjoy this one T v T

“Y/N! Wake up!” Spider bangs against your door. You hear a loud shush, followed by the screeching of your old metal door. 

“Y/N, the Sully kids are here and they want to see you,” Norm says quietly as he rubs your little back. You slowly open your eyes, nodding tiredly. You follow the older man out of bed, rubbing your eyes as the two of you walk down the hallway into the main area of the lab. 

Spider is already fooling around with Lo’ak and Kiri, but there’s another na’vi present. 

All of the ‘kids’ are a bunch of years older than you but they insist on hanging out with you so you don’t feel lonely. Plus it’s boring just hanging out with the adults in the lab. 

“Hello Y/N.” Kiri greets, swooping you into her arms. You giggle lightly, wrapping your arms around her neck. You hang with Kiri the most. She has a calming aura and is the only one who can properly speak English for you. 

“Who’s that?” You ask, pointing over her shoulder. She turns around, “Oh, that’s my older brother, Neteyam.” The na’vi sounds out for you slowly. You nod, eyeing the boy curiously. He’s a lot taller than his other siblings, a little quiet and shy looking, but friendly looking nonetheless. 

“Do you want to say hi? It’s his first time here so he's a little shy.” You nod again. You wiggle out of Kiri’s arms and she lets you down. You pitter-patter towards the tall boy. If you thought Kiri and Lo’ak were tall, he must be like a titan. You stop a few feet away from him, just staring. He looks down and meets your gaze, tilting his head in curiosity as well. He crouches down so he’s somewhat your height. Kiri had warned him to be gentle with you, you were a little smaller and fragile compared to Spider, who was rough-housing with Lo’ak every second possible. So he keeps his hands to himself. Neteyam wasn’t very enthusiastic about coming to the lab, it was never interesting to him, but Jake had insisted that he goes with his siblings today. 

“Hello,” he sounds out, his accent heavy. 

“Hi,” Your hands are already running over parts of his arm, fingers connecting the little white dots that scatter his body. “Neteyam.” You spoke slowly, looking up at him for some confirmation that you said it right. 

He nods, a small smile crawling up over his lips. His knowledge in English words is limited, so your conversation doesn’t go beyond this point. The large na’vi boy eventually sits on the ground, letting you climb onto his lap. 

“You’re really nice,” You smiled, “How old are you?” Neteyam stays silent for a while, just looking at you. 

“I’m eleven.” 

“Hi eleven!” You joked, but the na’vi boy merely looked at you. “Oh, you don’t know jokes?” He remained quiet. You remembered Kiri’s words and decided to not try and pry words out of the eldest Sully. 

“Well I’m eight years old turning nine,” your hands touch his ears curiously, the organ twitched at contact. “You’re like a cat!” You exclaimed, he still did not know what you were talking about. 

After a while, Kiri approaches you and Neteyam, ears bombarded with you talking Neteyam’s ears off about something called ‘cats’. You remained in Neteyam’s lap, your small fingers fiddling with the na’vi’s braids and ears. Unbeknownst to him, he had started nuzzling into your touch.

“Tsmukan, we have to go now.” Neteyam nodded and nudged you off his lap. 

The Sully siblings take their leave, leaving you and Spider to play.

“That kitty girl. . . what is her name?” Neteyam asks his sister, trailing behind Lo’ak who was already speeding through the trees. 

“Kitty? That’s Y/N.”

Neteyam nodded, trying to figure out this fluttery feeling in his stomach.

[bunnypeew]

my sweetheart- Cooper x Fem!reader

okay so i’ve wanted to write a one shot of The Ghoul cuz he’s so funky I love him!!!! so this is an attempt to writing something that isn’t hazbin hotel heheheh :3c

the surface was something else, and for a vaultie like her it was terrible but she’ve been out and about for at least a decade now so she knew her way around. She had her fair share of partners sure, but finally after years she found the one, the perfect person for her. Coop was a ghoul, a pre war one too and for those 200 years he hadn’t found anyone after Barb, no one at all, but something about her changed his heart forever.

they met during a bounty hunt, long before the Wilzig one,, and they just so happened to bump into each other in Filly, it was definitely not normal to see a ghoul there so she got curious, she said sorry for bumping into him, tucking her hair behind her ear out of slight embarrassment

''Don't worry, I'm not gonna crumble after a slight push,,

he says smirking, lit cigarette in between his lips, takes a puff and looks back at her

''say do you by any chance know where I can find this fella here?,,

he says showing a drawing, of what seems to be a wanted poster, she looks at it carefully only to not recognise the guy and biting the top of her finger looking at the ghoul

“sadly no, but i can help you find him! i’ve had a few bounty hunts in my time,,

she says, kinda proud of herself since she hadn’t been doing that for long, and she thought she was pretty good at it

the ghoul looked her up and down, not in a rude way but it was the fact she was still wearing her vault suit, after years of not being in a vault she was still to attached to it and couldn’t take it off, of course she tweaked it a little bit with patches where holes where and some armour on top so it wasn’t in its original state

“sorry sweetheart but i don’t think a vaultie like you would ever take on of my bounties,,

she seemed a bit taken aback by his sentence but tried not to show it, she strikes a bit of a pose, hand on her hip and the other one takes the poster from his hand, gently of course

“well, try me!,,

the ghoul smirks again, taking a last puff from his cigarette then making it fall on the ground and stomping it with his boots

“sure thing,,

that was the day they met,, and since then they’ve been inseparable.

now in the present they would take bounties together all the time, but now was one of those days where they stayed home, they got a little cottage in the middle of nowhere, near enough vegetation to grow their crops

they were relaxing on their bed, she was playing on her pipboy while he was reading a book, suddenly he plops down his book and looks at her being concentrated on her game, he starts kissing the back of her head with soft little pecks making her shiver a bit but still playing the game

“hun get off your pip boy and come cuddle with me for a lil, huh?,,

he says now kissing her neck, so she decided to turn off the pipboy and give her man attention.

she turns around and gets under his arm cuddling in, then looks him in the eyes

“how lucky i am to have you Coop,,

he chuckled and looked at her kissing her nose

“I think it’s the other way around my sweetheart,,

this is a short one!! but i like it!! WE LOVE THE GHOUL RAAAAAH

[bigassmoth]

Marcille cleans you up after youve helped Falin

(2nd pov Reader x Dragon dick Falin and Marcille thweesome :3c overstim)

Falin had been struck with an unprecedented erection- you had pressed your chest against her arm to point to a bird-shaped patch of moss and the beat of your heart against her skin sent the blood straight to her cock. She was embarrassingly hard, and after a few more paces you took notice. You two were on a brief walk for firewood and other essentials, Marcille would usually be the one to assist Falin but the elf was now a 20 minute walk away. Falin was looking at you in a lustful haze, eyes drawn to the intimate parts of your body with unrestrained interest. You offered assistance, knowing what it entailed.

45 minutes later you were exactly as destroyed as you anticipated being- the thick slaps of Falins hips was the loudest noise in the area- with the wet squelch of her cock against your hole being a close second. Her hands were firm but gentle as they held your waist, she nuzzled her nose into the back of your neck, and her pace became erratic. Her body stilted against you, letting out a few more hard thrusts into you as a gush of warm cum filled you up. You could only claw at the mossy ground and groan with relief. Both of you panting, Falin slid out and gently eased your lower body to the ground. The amount of cum leaving your hole is absurd, it feels hot and is already forming a thick sticky coat on your thighs, ass, and public mound. Falin rolls you onto your side and peppers you with gentle kisses. She guides your waterskin to your lips and you take a few deep gulps until she pulls it away. Her touch is tender and warm, the rough skin on her hands rising goosebumps along your skin.

"Ah-ha. I thought this is what happened." Marcille spoke, jarring you out of your post-dragon dick stupor.

You sat up and began to explain-only to be pushed back down. Falin adjusted so you were in her lap, smiling down at you serenely.

"Hey..." Marcilles face pops in front of your own, she is on top of you now- sandwiching you between the two. "Dont push any out until I say you can." Her face carries a heavy blush and her eyelids are lowered in desire. Her hands have found your sticky thighs and holds them apart. Her touch is fleeting but poised, using the tips of her nails to press into your skin. Meanwhile Falins hands come to fondle your nipples, rubbing them into sensitive stiffened red peaks.

Falin kisses the side of your neck while Marcille lowers herself between your legs. When Marcille begins to lick up the cum around your hole you flinch. The overstimulation is painful but erotic and addicting, your hips squirm with discomfort which creates tiny pricks of pain as Marcilles nails leave indents.

"We have been watching you for a while..." Falin speaks softly in your ear, "youre even cuter like this than usual." You whimper and just barely manage to gasp out-

"Please, its too much- I need to recover." But your body betrays you as your hips buck into Marcilles mouth and your chest quivers in Falins hands.

"We just want to take extra special care of you. You are so brave, helping me." You can feel Falins cock twitch against your back.

"Cum." Marcille commands harshly and as your eyes meet you see the desperation in her face. She presses her entire mouth against you, teeth scraping your already raw skin. Falin pinches your nipples so hard the tips go white. You cum hard, already fucked raw by Falin and now mercilessly squeezed and licked you have no choice. Marcille moans and swallows the cum with loud gulps, making you shudder. She licks at your sex despite her heaving breaths, keeping you twitching and crying. Despite cumming from overstimulation, they continue to play with your body. It isnt until you are unable to see, just flashing white taking over your vision, that they relent. Your still-jolting body is held between them with hands running through your hair and praises being murmured in your ears.

Their affection soothes your nerves as you are promised more comfortable and prepared 'next time'

[grif-hawaiian-rolls]

RARE PAIR WEEK DAY 3: "...and they were roommates!"

Normal Fantasy Dude Tucker x Divine Donut for the alt universe prompt :3c

Writing for the au below the cut!

Lavernius Tucker was not entirely sure how he got here, but he couldn’t be mad about it. He wasn’t a pious man. He wasn’t exactly the most devout follower of the gods. Honestly, he suspected the only reason he was allowed into the temples, into the inner chambers, was because of the sword he carried. Just his luck he found the damn thing, right? Right. Luck.

“Tucker? Is everything okay?” The Oracle asks, and Tucker grins. He may not be a religious man, but he is a damn lucky one. Evidence? Right here- the Oracle himself, divine figure of fate and fortune, the one who strikes true and sees through time itself. One of the fucking gods.

“I’m good, Donut,” Tucker answers, because fuck yeah he was on a casual name basis with a fucking god. Then he leans in, and presses a warm kiss to the side of Donut’s mouth, because he was also the god’s lover. Suck on that, everyone who said he’d never amount to anything. 

“You sure? If we need to stop-” Donut fusses, because that’s what he does. Over ten feet of pure divine power, and he worries like a sheepdog over kittens.

“I know our watchword, Donut,” Tucker says, stealing another kiss. Donut’s hands are warm around him, and they’re not really doing much (this time, at this moment, at least) but the gentle brush of Donut’s fingers against Tucker’s hair make it really hard to focus on anything except relaxing into that touch. Donut hums with a pout on his lips and Tucker shifts his weight so he’s kneeling as he leans up to wrap an arm around the back of Donut’s neck. If he asked, Tucker had the excuse of playing with the long hair that floated around Donut like a halo. But it turns out, the god of fate and fortune had a hard time reading people. All of time and space? Sure, no biggie, like reciting a story you’ve heard your entire life. But people? Their expressions, their body language? Donut was utterly blind to it. It was endearing, in a very strange surreal way. It made him so…well. Human. Tucker runs his fingers through the thick locks of Donut’s hair, watching the small motion ripple out to the ends where it faded to soft gold. 

“I was just thinkin’, ya know? About how lucky I am,” Tucker grins wider, and Donut looked some awkward mix between curious and embarrassed. He thought he was sooo subtle. “Lucky to survive some of the shit I’ve seen, lucky to find this sword, lucky to be assigned to your temples…” 

Tucker pauses and lets his other hand slide down Donut’s shoulder, over the soft silk-like fabric of his tunic. Donut’s good eye, the one that witnesses the present world around him, follows the motion as best it can. When he can’t watch Tucker’s hand, Donut turns his attention to watching his face.

“Right…lucky,” Donut repeats, and Tucker loves watching the blush creep up into the god’s pointed ears. He just makes it so easy!

“Mhm,” Tucker is leaning in again, Donut watching him intently, but he isn’t done talking just yet. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think someone with some strings to pull was watching out for me. Nudging things to go just so, yeah? Making sure I’d end up in the right place, at the right time,”

“Would it bother you? If that were the case? Cau-cause I’m sure if it was- and I’m not saying that it is- I’m sure he-I-they’d only have your best interests at heart. But if you wanted them-him-them to stop-” Donut stumbles over his words, and Tucker lets him, for a beat, before he laughs.

“I don’t mind. I like having luck on my side, after all. Best kind of company there is, from what I heard. Besides, Luck is pretty damn cute, especially when he gets all flustered,”

“I- you- Tucker!”

Lavernius Tucker was not a devout or pious man. He was, however, a damn lucky one.

[albatris]

Snippet Sunday......

snippet sunday? :3c?

“Hi!” Nat said. “I just, um—I wanted to thank you for helping me out before. With the Larsons. I really appreciate it.”

“Don’t sweat it, amigo,” Ripley said. Then she frowned, thoughtful, serious. “Hey,” she said. “Hey. Are you up for an adventure? I have some errands to run and I just had a killer idea for what we can do after.”

“What kind of idea?” Nat asked warily.

“The office was closed when I finished my ghost tour so I had to take all the equipment home with me,” Ripley said. “How about we go on a little hunt?”

“You mean… you mean a ghost hunt?”

“Duh. Come on! It’ll be fun!”

“Ghost hunts usually happen at night, don’t they?”

“I know some sick abandoned buildings we can explore. Trust me, it’ll be plenty spooky,” she assured him. “Plus, we’re vampires. Daytime is kind of our nighttime, right? The sun’s pretty scary, right, Nat?”

Nat made a wishy-washy hand motion.

“But first—grocery shopping,” Ripley announced. “You’re coming with me.”

“Oh,” Nat said. “Okay.”

At the supermarket, Ripley tore her shopping list in half and handed the lower half to Nat.

“Race ya,” she said, and with that the game was on.

Nat collected paper towels, oranges, cornflakes, risoni and sundried tomatoes. He hovered for a good five minutes at the shampoo and conditioner, since Ripley had left no further instructions—what was her vibe? What was her signature style?—before eventually plucking out some mango-scented colour-save bottles. Every time he ran into Ripley in the store, she was talking to someone new.

“Your outfit is so cute! I love your vibe!”

Or, “Is that Payton on your keyring? I love Quantumfish! Have you played the revamp?”

Or, “Hey, can you reach that couscous on the top shelf for me?”

Nat’s own interactions with strangers didn’t extend beyond the occasional customer eyeing him down suspiciously, and him shuffling out of their line of sight and into the next aisle. He’d been taking his medication religiously this week, but he still felt like he was being followed. What if it wasn’t Quinn who had eyes on him, but the Ethels, too?

How would they know you were driving that car?

He reconvened with Ripley by the self-service checkouts. She’d beat him there easily. They shoved all their items together; she scanned while he bagged.

“Insert cash or select payment type,” said the machine.

“Insert cash or select payment type,” echoed Ripley.

Nat nodded sagely. “Insert cash or select payment type.”

They piled back into Nat’s car and dropped the groceries home. Then they piled into Nat’s car once again, this time with ghost-hunting equipment in tow. Ripley directed him to Maud Street, Galaxy Gardens, to a dilapidated, long-abandoned department store.

“Ready to get your spook on?” Ripley asked.

Nat sincerely had no idea.

[actuallysaiyan]

76. “You know I’m holding back from fucking you over this kitchen counter, don’t push your luck.” from smite to reader mayhaps :3c

warnings: villain AU, reader is Smite's sidekick, breast play, dry humping, and now I'm realizing this is similar to the Enji one! sorry!| dividers: @adornedwithlight

Being Smite’s sidekick wasn’t easy. He could be rude, sullen, mean or just downright an asshole. It was even worse that he was completely in love with you, and you were in love with him as well.

Despite trying to keep things under wraps, you and Smite were so compatible. You two worked almost in complete and perfect sync. With your quirks working in tandem, nobody could beat you.

The real issue was Toshinori and his libido. It was always so damn high and it was always high in the worst situations. While you are his sidekick, you also maintain somewhat of a proper relationship with him as well. You do your best to make sure he stays healthy and happy.

This often means cooking meals for him, cleaning up after him and of course making sure he gets to sleep on time. When you’re not doing all of this or getting revenge for the death of Smite’s mentor, you and him are going at it like animals.

Tonight, you felt a little more worn out than usual. You were doing the dishes, feeling ready to head into bed after this. But your plans were changed the minute Smite walks in the door.

He smirks when he sees you in the kitchen. He’d probably never admit to how much seeing you doing something domestic turns him on more than anything else. The thought of making you his little housewife makes him so hard. He has to try and calm himself before approaching you.

“Pretty little thing,” he whispers in your ear.

You reach behind you to swat him away. “Not in the mood,”

He grunts in annoyance. You’re always in the mood! Why were you doing this to him right now? He had a crappy night out there, and now you weren’t going to give him what he wanted?

His large hands cup your breasts, kneading them roughly. You hated the way this was making you feel needy for him. He grunts as he begins to rut against your plump ass.

“Come on,” he growls in your ear. “I know you’re always in the mood for me.”

He turns you around to kiss you. He pulls your shirt off quickly, and Smite kisses you to quiet any protests you have for that. He’s not letting you be a brat tonight. No, it wouldn’t take that much for him to get you into the mood.

His hands are back to playing with your breasts. As he kisses you fiercely, he tugs on your nipples. Smite is enjoying the cute little noises you make when he’s got you all riled up like this.

“Really…can we at least take it to the bed?” you ask, whining softly.

He growls once more. “You know I’m holding back from fucking you over this kitchen counter, don’t push your luck.”

With this, he picks you up in his arms, kissing you deeply once more. While desperate to feel you, just this once he’ll let you get your way.

send me a prompt and a character and I'll write you a Drabble.

[obsessivecelestial]

Ahem ahem,,, I supposed I need to make a lil appreciation end of the year post :3

Imma try to get to as many people as I can, and if I forget you, it’s because I’m fighting off a sickness so I’m a lil out of it!

@stormbreaker-290 I don’t really know where to start, but you’ve genuinely brightened my year! You’re very funny and sweet and I always find myself smiling and literally kicking my legs whenever you post anything! You’re an amazing friend and I’m happy to have somebody to share my interests with!! Your art is also amazing and I adore it so much! I love when you show me little doodles you make :3

@bumble-the-sun-bee if it weren’t for you, I never would’ve ever met Storm of any of the people I now know! You’ve played the biggest part in this and I couldn’t be more grateful for you. You were one of the reasons I started experimenting with my art and why I’ve improved because of your silly little virus guy! You’re also just enjoyable to talk to and I love seeing all the art you make. It’s motivating and inspiring every time you post and I can’t thank you enough for introducing me to all of the people I know. You’re also very kind to me and I appreciate that!

@eternal-soup SOUP! You’re, again, so amazing! I really really love playing Roblox with you, and I really appreciate how you put up with my shenanigans and constant talking. You’re also so sweet towards me and others! Your voice is soothing to listen to as well and I thought you should know! :3c thank you for drawing things for me and being my friend for the months you have! And I hope we continue to be friends! You’re silly and sweet, and I find that you make me happy a lot!

@multifandomcutie13 we don’t talk a lot or interact to much, but when we do, you’re very kind! You seem like you’re a sweet person and I hope to grow our friendship through time!

@escapetheslaughters we also don’t talk a lot, but you’re still my friend! Your roleplaying is so entertaining to read and I can’t wait to interact and roleplay with you more! Your random posts also get giggles out of me, and I find joy in being apart of your blogs!!

@purplelordstudios hii!!! We actually haven’t properly spoken since Pinterest a few years ago! And I also have to thank you for being my friend back then and I hope we can maybe become good friends again now! You helped me through art and gave me some motivation for it back then, and now I enjoy seeing how you’ve grown and how your art has changed over the years! I hope to draw our OC’s together again! It’s been a while since they’ve last seen each other!

@jackamaryllis you know who you are to me, and I love you so so so much. You’re been with me my whole life, you’ve been my longest standing friend and I cannot thank you enough for that. You’re hilarious, you’re creative, you support and help me just as I do you. You’re one of the closest people in my life and I don’t ever want that to change. You mean the world to me, and I physically cannot imagine one without! I can’t wait to see you again and I can’t wait to cosplay with you again! You’re kind and you’re smart and you’re just the most amazing person I can ever ask to be in my life!

@compulsiveimpairment @bipolar-sad-and-ready-to-cry @bittyfromquotev @wonders-sunlight @pinkieglitterheart @redvelvetstars22 @animatronic-assistant @upsidedownapple @achickennamedcheese @kibblenoodlesnail

^

All of you are also so amazing, and I can’t thank you all enough for being in my life and being my mutuals! Some of you we don’t talk, but I still think about you and care for you all deeply!

I hope the new years treats every single one of you well and it’s a good year! You’ve all impacted my life in a good way and I thank you all for that. I love you all dearly /p

Happy new years (eve)!! 🫂🫂🫂

[lorelune]

o4o: extended author's note

🎀 masterlist 🎀

WOW!! i genuinely... genuinely cannot believe i finished this piece 😭 like truly. around a year ago, i was cooking up the idea for an a/b/o collab and to think... almost a year later i have finished my piece :3c

o4o was originally just supposed to be a one shot featuring beloved omega jing yuan and his heat, but the idea expanded into much more fleshed out world, reader and dynamic. i truly never intended to go explicit with the mommy kink but you Know. sometimes things simply occur and you gotta go with the flow!!

omegaverse is so interesting to me in so many ways... the social workings of secondary gender, biology, and the relationships characters can have based on secondary gender too. i've had this very clear vision of scent gland anatomy in my minds eye for literally two years and it felt sooo nice to get it down in part iii for folks to like see. the vision. in o4o there is also this element of queerness that like... cannot exist in the real world! which is very fun and fascinating to me as an author to explore. both reader and jing yuan are omegas and the dynamic they with one and other is inherently informed by their secondary gender, but they express that secondary gender in very different, complimentary ways.

when i was cooking up o4o, i wanted to try and lean away from the reading of a/b/o which boils down to "alpha = stereotypical man" and "omega = stereotypical woman". femininity and masculinity are socially-informed concepts, and thereby change by concept and time, and i really wanted to (and attempted to) keep some amount of like... liminality to their expression. though jing yuan is perceived an alpha by the xianzhou alliance at large (because he is large, strong, and has a commanding presence), this is like... mostly coincidence and fabrication on his part. he cannot help that he is large (a great deal of which is soft omega pudge anyways!! and a slow metabolism adds to it), he's strong due to his lifetime of hard training, and his 'presence' is something he's like... constructed and honed because it is convenient and serves him well.

reader is more genuinely stereotypically in their world (at least what we see of them!!). they're a bit of a weakling, a lot of a crybaby, and very easy to coddle!! more like an omega kit than a grown one to be so real (see why jing yuan takes a liking to you LOL). but there's like embers of reader that distinctly aren't this stereotypical omega. they traveled to the Luofu alone, and settled without a pack or family unit. in part iii, we get a peak into reader's family, and you get a glimpse of reader's family, which is very non-traditional as well. they want to claim bite jing yuan. there's like!! in general lots of playing with perceptions in this piece. it's been very fun. playing with the expected bounds and outside of as well!!!

i DO have a sequel planned, a fun little spanking fic from reader's pov that truly i have been dying to write hehe. getting to do a deep dive on kink like o4o is very fun and like... rewarding. playing the long game on a kink to set up the Brain reasons why the characters involve enjoy it is like... long and hard. but very!!! gratifying. i'm excited to revisit these two, as both crybaby reader and milfy jy have altered my brain chemistry in unknoweable ways <3

finishing this piece would truly. TRULY. not have been possible without the cheering and support of multiple beta readers over each part. my pal honey helped out on parts i and ii and sadly doesn't have a tumblr anymore, but their jy thirsting and thoughts were VITAL!! @harmonydove was such huge help combing through part iii for clarity and cielo (@aimfor-theheart) did a much-needed final read through despite not going to hsr. and. AND!! truly truly TRULY this fic could not survived, lived and thrived with the continued, in-dms support of beloved mermie (@ofmermaidstories). she read this fic as i wrote and listened to my many questions and anxieties as this piece grew and grew. forever grateful. to all of these lovely folks!!!

thank YOU reader. for immersing yourself in this story and its world, and enjoying. truly there is nothing more that i desire as i writer. enjoy this piece this holiday season and be well 💗 🎀 💦

— lore 🩷

[zerothejackal]

this may contain written spoilers for the murder of sonic the hedgehog

This is outdated and getting a rewrite

okay, this is gonna be one of those crazy theories full of headcanons i make on discord, except this time I'M POSTING IT!

Hypothesis: Barry is a chaos user

Now, I know what you're thinking

"there's no proof of that what are you on"

AND I'D SAY "its just my little headcanon with no evidence :3c" however maybe there's some evidence, what if the THINK minigames are...

somewhat more real than just "think of what sonic would do"

what if Barry's chaos power is a very weakened (due of not knowing of it) form of ESP, so hear me out, here's my proof

During every interrogation this happens

0) have Barry collect clues before the interrogation

1) Tails says he and Barry have formed hypothesis or Tails makes an accusation/unfounded argument

(to which Barry progressively wonders why Tails and people keep mentioning them before an interrogation)

2) we have to select the correct type of evidence, from Barry's inventory, to form an argument

3) play the THINK minigame so that Barry can order their thoughts

4) Tails explains the argument flawlessly and barry sometimes lags behind

"but that isn't proof of anything"

SILENCE!

Hear me out: Barry's power is not only some sort of ESP, but some sort of inspiration or enlightenment kind of telepathy!

The game doesn't show Barry telling Tails anything, yet Tails forms almost always a very strong argument from a piece of trash Barry found laying around

Sure, he comments on them beforehand giving the player insight on how to use the clues during the interrogation

And Tails is a really smart kid, [and while we know IQ tests are dumb, he might have an IQ equal to eggman's, if not higher] however; Tails is... still a kid, he's prone to making mistakes

proof of this is in the very game in Espio's accusation! where all his arguments are weak and we have to help him out several times

[and several other times in different canon where being an 8 year old has overcame his high intelligence] [see: Forces]

and let's also remember Tails' intelligence comes in the form of excelling at engineering, robotics, coding, and mechanics; but there's different types of Intelligence, and just because one is super intelligent means they'll be great at everything

Eggman excels at the same things as Tails, however he took more time to make functional replicas of the phantom ruby, whereas Tails was able to make a functional replica of a chaos emerald in way less time.

The point is, Tails somehow always has something to say about things during the interrogations, and somehow always involves Barry even though they're not often adding anything

what if Barry is constantly giving Tails the information, and Tails being surrounded by chaos users always doesn't think much of it

plus this game has a lot of dialogue detail, wouldn't it be more correct to have them at least be shown to discuss something before presenting the argument?

but nope, Tails always jumps right into action the moment Barry shows a piece of evidence and does the THINK minigame

sure, it could be the discussion is done DURING the THINK minigame, but the dialogue doesn't inherently imply that, Tails often just tells us to think how the evidence links to the unfounded arguments from the interrogation

but if you aren't yet convinced: there's also...

Barry was always able to find clues, while Tails ... didn't really, even though they were working as a team, Barry always found the clues; even if for them they didn't seem as clues sometimes

sure, Barry is the avatar for us, and the game being a point-&-click needs to present us with minimal things to be able to interact with

but what if in Barry's mind it was somewhat the same, what if the same things we were presented with as interactable objects...

were also somewhat highlighted in Barry's mind

I'm not gonna use the trashbin thing as proof since theres a reason Barry did it through the game, they even tell Tails about it

but they do find every piece of evidence that could support any argument Tails bould be beginning to cook...

"but maybe Tails just made an argument with the things Barry collected and just wanted to include Barry on the interrogations"

there's truth to that; however, my argument can coexist with that one, Barry could've "inspired" tails with some sort of ESP during their THINK Sequences, and Tails could've formed a stronger argument through that!

in fact it sorta makes sense

Barry organizes the thoughts Tails presents them with AND shares the information with Tails to form the argument

all during a mind link while we are playing the THINK minigames!

LASTLY, and the weak part of the argument that I'm presenting; but still a part I wanted to include,

why was the final fight a THINK minigame? because Barry was helping!

do you think, after being inspired by Sonic the hedgehog he would stand in the background and do nothing?

it's implied the other friends of Sonic were also attacking the train during that whole thing

what if Barry was doing something

what if, specifically, Barry was giving information to Sonic of the train's next moves and where to go in the rail tracks

so that Sonic could spindash right into the train's carcass for amy to deliver the final hit with her piko piko hammer

is there any actual proof to this one?

unlike the other two arguments? not really

but it kiiinda makes sense?

yes.

Conclusion: Barry is a chaos user, specifically has a weakened/dormant ESP ability!

[sergeifyodorov]

hmm i was scrolling through Twitter earlier and as the designated leafs blog in my mind, what are your thoughts on fraser minten? like he’s so interesting to me because in the narrative i’ve created of him he was tavares’ fifth child but then was our balanced by knies being better, but then wjc happened and he still couldn’t crack it. now he’s on the blades (one of the best whl teams i think??) very interesting

NARRATIVELY he's definitely The Tavares Child -- okayyyy so. Sew. this New Generation of leafs (imho starting at Knies and including Easton Cowan as well as minten) kind of... each parallel a member of the Core: Knies is Auston's child (Arizona boy, big strong forward), Cowan is Mitch's child (London Knight, small winger with endless energy) and Minten is JT's child (Captain anywhere he goes, known for maturity and intelligence)... william child + morgan child ->

anyHWAY the real life scouting report under the cut (not too long i don't think)

Minten's a high second-rounder, which is the type of player that's generally designated as an "upper maybe" NHLer -- by which I mean odds-on he'll get NHL games (as Mints has) but it's less likely he'll become a serious full-time player (although many a second-rounder can and does do so!) The most interesting thing about his draft position was that the Leafs, under Kyle Dubas, traded DOWN to get him -- we had a low first-rounder, then traded it to Chicago to get rid of the Mrazek contract and got the pick that would become Mints in return. Many a source says that Kyle wanted Mints anyway and would have taken him with the first-round pick.

The general consensus is that Mints tops out as a middle-six centre, a 3C on a good team or a 2C on a worse one (or a 1C on the Boston Bruins.) His ceiling is probably about 40 or 50 points, maybe more depending on how much power-play usage he gets.

However, it's also noted (and was pretty obvious to me, even watching him at the WJC -- which I'll get to in a second!) that his real value is not and will likely never be in point production. He's a natural centre, good-to-great at faceoffs (a skill that he learned in part from JT!!) and very good defensively. Because he's still a kid, plays a bit physically and tends to be involved in the play at both ends, he probably takes a few too many undisciplined stick infractions, but these things of course can be straightened out with time and wisdom. Also, he's a touch of a personality hire: he was the youngest A on the all-timer Kamloops Blazers last year and was pretty much immediately named C after the Leafs sent him home this year; he was named captain of the CANADIAN WORLD JUNIORS team with zero other experience playing for Canada on the national level. He plays the piano! He's smart, polite, doesn't cause a fuss, wise beyond his years. Takes a guy far.

Anyway, the WJC: just an absolute hackjob by the coach and one of those years that really demonstrates that Hockey Canada still thinks it can get ahead by being Canada (the ol' throw bodies at the wall shtick) and not, like, because of its actual quality of development. I think bowing out when they did was a bit unlucky, but they absolutely were NOT primed to win it all -- especially because the coach basically seemed to have no concept of... line construction? or anything of the sort? Like he just tossed players together from a hat once (1) and decided they were just going to play out the tourney like that -- no real concept of "x is the playmaker, y is the shooter, z is the forechecker" or "these three are the transition line that take d-zone draws and use their speed to create rush chances/o-zone draws" or even something so simple as "this defensively-minded, slower centre is perhaps not the best match for the winger notorious for being opportunistic and shooty." Also, not to put too fine a point on it but a player can have a bad WJC and it doesn't mean anything, or a good WJC and it also doesn't mean anything -- Jesse Puljujarvi rose his draft stock by a good chunk in 2016 by having a FANTASTIC WJC, and he's currently on an AHL tryout. It's a small sample size, mostly played with teammates they barely know and against competition about a half-step up from what they're used to. Weird statlines happen.

Back to MINTS because we're still talking about him. Yess currently he's on the Blades -- traded from the Blazers because the Blazers are garbage and they want to Do Right By The Player and put him on a competitive team (done for two reasons: one, because it can be demoralizing to be the best player on a bad team, and two, because being on a good team in juniors often means you get actually good-for-your-development linemates and usage). He was generally not expected to make the Leafs at ALL this season (I mean, 20-year-old second-rounder, right?) and cracking the roster out of camp, even though he only got three games and has a rather blank statline is SUPER impressive. I'm pretty sure this is his last year of CHL eligibility, after which he'll probably either get put on the Marlies for a year to keep cooking or he'll make the Leafs again and stick around. Either way, he's slid twice I think so we burn a year of his ELC.

and my opinion of the boy? I love him. Let's go baby leafs baby leafs forevar

[swiftsaltsweet]

Two Knives Chapter 6: Kyoshi- We Didn't Start the Fire

Characters: Rangi and Kyoshi (RoK characters tbh)

Pairing: Rangshi

Rating: M

Summary:

Things have been stressful for Kyoshi. First, she sang a poem and now the whole kitchen staff thinks it’s about Rangi, and is sure that there will be gossip. Then, Yun asks her to join him for the Fifth Nation treaty signing. Now Rangi’s acting strange. It’s becoming a bit much for Kyoshi’s small corner of the world.

(Canon Divergent AU- Kelsang wasn’t the one who heard the poem?….aka What if it took longer for them to realize Kyoshi was the Avatar?)

Other Sites: AO3 

A/N: I really like the song “We Didn’t Start the Fire”~! :3c

Slight spoilers for Legacy of Yangchen. The spoiler is a reference to a play in the novel. It’s very minor and not….really plot relevant. But I wanted to warn in case someone wants to go into Yangchen 100% spoiler free.

Hey, weird question. Y'all ever had an idea and thought 'lol this is fun/funny' then you got to it and like....now you're unsure but hey you're here now and it's everyone's problem? No reason, just asking for a friend hahah >x> *sprints away to the end notes*

And slight trigger warning for possible slight/mild homophobia. I left it up to interpretation tbh. 

_____

“Your mother’s gotten really fixated on hot squats recently,” Kyoshi mused as she held the firebender close. Her head rested on top of Rangi’s, carefully avoiding the pins on her head. The only sharp object on the girl at the moment. 

The spiked armor laying on the floor of the carriage. Thanks to the carriage, the two girls could be as close as they wanted without anyone bothering them.

Not like they had much of a choice to spread out in the carriage with all the cargo they had packed in there. But they would use whatever excuse they could use.

Kyoshi and Rangi were well on their way back from Hongcun Village, a village north of Qinchao Village. Iit was known for being a hot spot trading post as well specializing in weaponry dealing and repairs. They had to ride with another passenger to Hongcun, but on the way back they had the whole ride to themselves and they were making the most of it.

Rangi hummed thoughtfully. “I don’t know what’s gotten into her. She never cared that much about hot squats before, she was more of a horse stance fanatic.”

Kyoshi had seen Yun have to do horse stance a few times, but today it seemed like it was hot squat hell for him. Yun hadn’t had a chance to see them off, all thanks to Hei-Ran wanting to begin his training before the sun even came up. 

Kyoshi shuddered, thankful she never had to do either training exercise in her entire life, and was hopeful she never would.

Rangi suddenly laughed. “What’s got you all shaken up?”

“Just thinking about the nightmare of horse stance,” Kyoshi mumbled. It was a popular form for earthbenders, she used to see the villagers perform competitions for who could hold it the longest. It looked like hell.

Rangi detangled herself from Kyoshi, and readjusted in the seat so her head was laying on Kyoshi’s lap. “It’s not the worst thing ever.” Then she thought about it for a moment. “Ok, it’s up there.”

Kyoshi started to run her fingers through Rangi’s hair. “If it’s only ‘up there,’ then what’s the worst thing ever?” she chuckled.

Rangi looked at Kyoshi then turned her head and looked away, deeply troubled. She seemed to have taken Kyoshi’s question a little too seriously.

“Sorry, that's…..not something I want to think about.”

Kyoshi bit her lip, she had a distinct feeling of what might’ve been the source of Rangi’s uneasiness. The words came out before she could stop them. “Is this about Yun asking me to join as a companion?”

She cursed herself in her mind, she wanted to enjoy the day with Rangi, not upset her!

But instead of making her more upset, Rangi's tense face softened a bit, to Kyoshi's surprise. “In a way.”

“I won't do it if you don't want me to!” It had been what she wanted to say to Yun back when he first made the proposition. 

Rangi blinked, and then finally looked back at Kyoshi. Her eyes glistened with a far away look in her eye. Rangi wrapped her arms around Kyoshi’s waist, and buried her face into Kyoshi’s belly. 

Kyoshi did her best to hug Rangi back, considering the awkward angle. “I just want you-no, us to be happy. So, if you don’t want me to become a companion, I won’t do it.”

Kyoshi didn’t really need the glory of Avatar companionship. She was just happy in the section of the world she carved out for herself. If she had to wait for Rangi and Yun to come back every so often so that Rangi felt at ease, then it would be an easy trade.

They stayed like that, Rangi grabbing Kyoshi like her life depended on it. Kyoshi rubbing soothing circles into Rangi’s back.

Rangi let out a sound of air, it almost sounded like a laugh. “I’m not sure.”

Kyoshi blinked. “Huh?”

Rangi let go of Kyoshi and sat back up, she took one of Kyoshi’s hands and started tracing the lines of her palm. “I’m not sure….. if you should take him up on his offer.”

Kyoshi felt her eyes start to spin, the contradiction coming from Rangi overloading her brain. “I-I thought you were livid at the idea….” She distinctly remembered the firebender shaking with anger when it was first brought up.

“I was, but then he raised a good point.” Rangi took a breath. “It might be good for you to learn how to defend yourself. I’d rather you didn’t have to learn because you were becoming a companion, but….” She sighed.

Kyoshi’s eyes stopped spinning, the contradiction was unraveled and solved.

She turned to Rangi and gave her a lopsided smile and jokingly said, “But I have you to protect me.”

She expected Rangi to roll her eyes and push her, maybe even make a disgusted noise like she did when Kyoshi said something similar after the jar incident. But instead Rangi shook her head with a saddened expression as she looked at the ground. “But what if I’m not there to protect you?”

Kyoshi moved her hand so Rangi wasn’t playing with it anymore, but to hold it instead. “What do you mean?”

Rangi sighed. “Well, what if I go on the mission with Yun, and someone attacks his home? What if you got hurt because of that?”

Kyoshi squeezed Rangi’s hand and laughed. “That wouldn’t happen.”

“But how can you know that?” Rangi looked at her with a worried expression.

Kyoshi didn’t. “So you want me to join you on your adventures so that won’t happen?”

Rangi shook her head. “No, that's……more terrifying. The Avatar has to confront some of the worst people and situations imaginable, I don’t want you near that.”

Kyoshi sighed. “So you just want me to learn how to defend myself?” She could do that, within reason. But she wondered how it would fit into her schedule. Kyoshi had a feeling more sleep would be sacrificed.

“If that isn’t too much trouble……”

“Are you going to train me?”

Rangi raised an eyebrow. “I’m not an earthbender, Kyoshi.”

Kyoshi shook her head. “No I-.... I don’t think earthbending is in the cards for me. But maybe some hand to hand? To start off? Then I’ll look into what I can do about my earthbending.”

Rangi tilted her head and closed her eyes in thought for a moment, then opened them. “I suppose that could work. But what is it with you and earthbending? You always avoid it.”

Kyoshi sighed. She avoided the topic for the past two years, it was about time she explained herself. At least of all her secrets and issues, this one wasn’t that hard to talk about.

“I can’t really……bend….well.”

Rangi snorted. “I figured as much when you refused to stop the jar from falling!” She gave Kyoshi a playful shove. “I’ll have you know, your little stunt almost gave me a heart attack. You really know how to make a girl fall for you.”

Kyoshi stared at Rangi surprised, Rangi’s joke sailing right over her head. “Wait, you’ve liked me since back then?!”

Rangi's face fell in horror. “Kyoshi!”

A grin grew across Kyoshi’s face. “Just kidding!” She pulled Rangi into a hug before the firebender could get back at her. Kyoshi had pieced together that Rangi had liked her as far back as that. She just wasn’t sure exactly when the firebender had fallen for her. 

The jar…. Come to think of it, that was the same day I sang that poem. 

“I can’t bend small objects,” Kyoshi continued as Rangi struggled against the snuggle. “I can only, uh, ‘go big’?”

Rangi stopped struggling and looked at Kyoshi. “Isn’t that a little backwards?”

Kyoshi nodded.

Rangi thought about it for a moment. “No, I don’t think that’s the best way to describe it. You just need to learn control. Sure, that level of control needed might not be common, but everyone needs to learn control regardless. You just…. need it more than others!”

Kyoshi never thought about it like that, she just thought she was a lost cause. Leave it to her super talented bender girlfriend to make it easier to digest.

Kyoshi hugged Rangi harder as the firebender cuddled in closer. “That being said,” Rangi started, “I feel like you exercise a bit too much control in some aspects of your life.”

Rangi pressed her hand to Kyoshi’s chest, and proceeded to trail it down the length of Kyoshi’s body, searching for the opening in Kyoshi’s robes. When she did find it, she planted a warm kiss on Kyoshi's jaw as her fingers raked soft skin. Rangi’s fingers were warm on Kyoshi’s bare skin.

Kyoshi groaned at the sensation. She lowered her body down the length of the seat so Rangi could climb on top of her. She needed more of the firebender's contact on her. “Trust me, I don’t want to exercise any control when it comes to this.”

“And yet you do,” Rangi hummed, her lips making her way to Kyoshi’s neck.

Kyoshi responded by grabbing Rangi by the hips and grinded hard against the firebender. Rangi let out a moan into the crook of Kyoshi’s neck, causing them both to press in harder against each other for more friction. 

“It’s not me, it’s the people who keep interrupting us,” Kyoshi forced out in low gasps.

Rangi snaked her free hand to Kyoshi’s hair and gave it a tug, making Kyoshi expose more of her neck’s pulse point. “Well it’s a good thing we’re alone now, with a lot of time until we arrive back at Yokoya.”

Kyoshi squirmed delightfully when Rangi’s lips made contact, warmth radiated through Kyoshi’s body with each pulsing beat. She was going to enjoy every moment of this bumpy carriage ride. She was just thankful that the road had smoothed out for the last few minutes. It was so smooth, it was like they weren’t even moving at all!

Wait…..

“Rangi, stop,” Kyoshi forced out the words she would never want to say. She had a bad feeling.

Rangi did as she commanded, but she gave her a disapproving look.

“Are we still moving?” Kyoshi asked.

Before Rangi could answer or question, there was a knock at the door and the driver’s voice could be heard. “Misses? I’m sorry but we need to st-”

The look of fury that Kyoshi saw flash across Rangi’s face could’ve melted a volcano. Like a flash of lightning, Rangi quickly straightened her clothes, grabbed her armor, donned it, and ripped the door open before the driver could finish his sentence.

“WHY?!” 

The driver flinched, not expecting such a reaction. Kyoshi would’ve felt bad for him if he didn’t just interrupt a possibly life changing moment for Kyoshi…. And if she wasn’t so preoccupied with staying out of his line of sight and readjusting her clothes to look presentable again. 

“T-the, uh, the spokes-I mean the wheel? It’s busted we need to replace it-”

“Again?! This is the second time! Just replace it and don’t bother us!”

“Second? Oh, that was a different carriage! I-I mean! It will be! It’ll just take a few hours to get the part. In the meantime, we’ll be in Qinchao Village while we wait-”

Rangi slammed the door shut. Took a few breaths. Then turned to Kyoshi with the saddest deer puppy eyes Kyoshi had ever seen.

“I think the universe hates us.”

Kyoshi laughed, in a sense relieved to see Rangi was just as frustrated as she was. She finished straightening up and took Rangi’s hand. She gently rubbed the top of it with her thumb. “Let’s try to not make the driver hate us too.”

_____________________________

Qinchao Village was a strange place. Most residents belonged to the Chin Clan, which made most people feel like outsiders as they walked through the same-faced streets. They had strange holidays not celebrated anywhere else in the Earth Kingdom, and made it known their loyalties lied with the village over the Earth Kingdom as a whole. Only their wealth allowed most to overlook its strangeness.

Kyoshi had only been there once before, with the other maids on a day off. While Master Jianzhu had told them to be careful, nothing bad had happened and they got home safely. However, Kyoshi couldn’t help but shake a strange feeling of dread she had the entire time she was there.

And the same feeling started to overcome her as she and Rangi crossed the threshold into the village. She looped her arm around Rangi’s, and pulled her close as she did.

“Everything alright?” Rangi asked. 

Kyoshi sighed and whispered. “Master Jianzhu warned us this place can be a bit…..interesting. I just can’t shake the feeling that these guys are just waiting for an opportunity to burn me alive.”

Rangi snorted. “I’d like to see them try.” Right, Rangi would probably redirect the flames back at the village if they tried to burn either of them. Still didn’t mean they shouldn’t be careful.

The dread subsided a bit upon seeing how relaxed Rangi was, but it still hung deep within her being. It most likely wouldn’t leave until the girls left the village. 

The two decided to wander the village. Enjoying various wares at the bazaar. Enjoying tea at a nice teahouse. They even watched a small puppet show of an old story called ‘The Lost Slipper’ that was in the central square. The group of children let out an uproarious cheer when the hero was revived at the end and the evil minister had to dedicate his life and fortune to repent.

Rangi took Kyoshi’s hand as they left the crowd, heading back to the carriage to see if it was ready yet. “You know, legends say that Yangchen herself changed the ending to that play.”

“Really?” 

“Yup, apparently she hated the original ending, so she boo’d it.”

Kyoshi giggled. “Hard to imagine an Avatar such as herself doing such a thing.” Kyoshi tried to imagine the perfect, holy Avatar booing a puppet play and throwing a tomato at the stage.

Rangi laughed back. “I know, right?”

“So what was the original ending?”

Rangi pursed her lips. “I think the hero dies? So the hero’s life is traded so the evil minister can be taught a lesson? I don’t remember, the original ending is only survived by word of mouth nowadays, but it’s not very popular anymore.”

Kyoshi grimaced. “I can see why, doesn’t seem like a pleasant ending. Not a fair trade.”

Rangi nodded in agreement. 

They kept walking hand in hand, ignoring the stares they got. Kyoshi wondered if it was because she was holding hands with Rangi, an act that didn’t seem out of the ordinary for two girls to do. Or if it was because they were obvious outsiders in the village. 

As they rounded a nearby corner, something collided with Kyoshi's side. Kyoshi’s stumbed a bit as someone was knocked to the ground. “Gah!”

“Hey! Watch where you're going!” Rangi yelled at the person who ran into Kyoshi.

Kyoshi looked down and saw a square-faced boy with a sullen expression.

“Rangi, it's ok,” Kyoshi pulled Rangi behind her, still not letting go of her hand. Kyoshi then held out her other hand to the boy. “I'm sorry about that. Please be careful, you could hurt yourself.”

Kyoshi tried giving him the kindest, softest expression she could muster. Regardless of how kind her face may look, people tended to assume she was overly aggressive just based on her height alone. She tried to overcompensate to not scare the boy.

The boy looked at Kyoshi's hand that was extended, then at the one that was still being held by Rangi. From where he sat, the boy took his wooden sword and slammed it into Kyoshi’s shin. Kyoshi let out a high pitch noise. She released Rangi's hand as she clutched at her shin and bounced on one leg.

“Quick, Chin! Let’s get out of here!” one of the other boys called after the one with the sword.

The boy named Chin scrambled to his feet as he ran off, yelling about how he’d conquered a giant. She had a feeling her stature wasn’t the cause of his outburst, but that he was just spoiled brat.

As he ran away, a part of Kyoshi couldn’t help but think his name was stupid. Did those kids just call him Chin, when they’re also part of the Chin clan? Or was Chin his first name? So his name was Chin Chin? The strangeness of it all was about to give Kyoshi a headache. 

“Hey! Get back here!” Rangi yelled at the boy, but Kyoshi grabbed her by the shoulder. Partially to keep Rangi from making a scene, but mostly for Kyoshi to keep her balance.

“Rangi, it’s fine. Don’t leave me here alone,” Kyoshi said pitifully. 

Rangi sighed, annoyed, and helped hobble Kyoshi over to a nearby bench. “You know this is just reinforcing why I’m afraid to leave you alone. First Earth Kingdom peasants can out bend you. Now random eleven year olds with wooden swords are ready to take you out!”

Kyoshi grinned. “Oh no! Looks like I’m just going to need to be glued to you at the hip at this rate.”

“I bet you’d enjoy that,” Rangi smirked at her. “Wait here, I’m going to get some ice.” Kyoshi gave her a pitiful look in response. “Really, it’ll only be a second, I’m going right through this door.”

Kyoshi sat on the bench, trying to block out the pain of the welt forming on her leg. She looked around, and had a distinct feeling villagers of the village were staring at her. Among groups, from their stalls, and even through their windows. So many eyes, hidden in various crevices. And they felt like they were multiplying.

We should get out of here…..soon. Kyoshi thought. She didn’t have scopophobia, but most people started to develop some anxiety similar to that the longer they stayed in the village. 

When Rangi came back into view, Kyoshi’s worries didn’t ease as much as she thought they would upon seeing the firebender. If anything, she got more anxious. Afraid of what they could do to Rangi.

Rangi held some ice wrapped in cloth. Without being prompted, Kyoshi began to roll up her pant leg, a nasty bruise started to form, it hurt as badly as it looked. Rangi knelt down and gently pressed the ice to Kyoshi’s leg.

“Tch, that brat, why I-”

“Rangi, it’s fine,” Kyoshi tried to soothe. It really wasn’t but…. she really didn’t want either of them to get into a fight with a child. Especially if it got back to Jianzhu and Hei-Ran.

Rangi moved the ice around, trying to find the best angle that would cover most of the wound. “I have half a mind to drop him into the ocean……”

“Rangi…..” Kyoshi bemoaned. “Dropping people into the ocean is bad.”

Rangi gave Kyoshi a deadpanned look. “Not for me.”

Kyoshi needed to come up with something to distract Rangi. Lest her girlfriend spent the nights delivering sweet justice to annoying children as the local boogeyman. 

Kyoshi looked down at the injury on her leg and started to laugh.

“What’s so funny?” Rangi asked.

Kyoshi took her injured leg and tapped Rangi lightly with it. “Hey look, we match,” Kyoshi laughed.

“This isn't something I want to match,” Rangi pouted. 

Kyoshi ignored her. “It’s the same leg and even the same spot. The only difference is that you’re the one on your knees this time.” Kyoshi couldn’t help but smirk a bit at her little innuendo at the end, waiting for Rangi’s reaction.

Rangi bit her lip, as if biting back a smile. “Ok, I’ll admit, I do like seeing you on your knees.”

“Is it because it makes you feel taller?” Kyoshi couldn’t help but joke. Rangi lost her fight and smiled, then she smacked Kyoshi’s good knee.

“Though, I do wish we were in your room doing this. I kind of like this new angle of you.” Rangi tilted her head to accentuate her point. Kyoshi watched as the angle moved the dark tressels of her hair to the side, and revealed her smooth, pale neck. Almost like she was offering it to Kyoshi.

“Oh?” Kyoshi inquired. Pleased to see where this conversation was going.

“It makes me want to try something,” Rangi batted her eyelashes at Kyoshi. She placed one hand on Kyoshi’s knee, to onlookers it looked like it was an act to steady herself as she remained squatted down. But she let her thumb wander farther in to graz Kyoshi’s inner thigh.l

Kyoshi’s face blazed a glowing red as she stood up suddenly, ignoring the pain in her leg. She was excited to find out what it was. “Will the carriage do?”

Rangi’s smile grew. “It’s a little cramped but maybe we can make do? I’m sure we can find something else to do if it’s not possible.” 

Kyoshi grabbed Rangi’s hand, and the two hurried back to the carriage. The pain in Kyoshi’s leg quickly became an afterthought.

_____________________

“Kyoshi, your hands are…. so…. warm!” Rangi moaned into the crown of Kyoshi’s head as she gripped Kyoshi’s hair tightly, pushing the maid’s head harder into her chest. Kyoshi was thankful the firebender removed her armor again, it was a lot more pleasant for her to have face shoved into Rangi’s soft chest rather than a metal plate.

Unfortunately for the two of them, the carriage was too packed to try what Rangi wanted to do. But Kyoshi had found she was able to continue where she left off from the night prior. Which was a good trade all things considered.

And that’s how they got into this new position. Rangi straddling Kyoshi’s lap, and Kyoshi’s hand down Rangi’s waistband. Trying to keep the firebender anchored was about as much of a struggle as keeping her quiet.

The carriage hit a bump, which caused fingers and other body parts to slam into new spots, and shift a little harder than the rhythm was previously established. Rangi let out another moan, this one much too loud.

Kyoshi made a mental note of where her fingers were, so she could try to recreate that again at a later time.

“Rangi,” Kyoshi pulled her face away just enough so words could be heard and formed. “You…. need to be…more…quiet…. Or the driver might stop us…..again!”

She felt Rangi’s chin bob up and down, but Kyoshi had a feeling she wasn’t really listening. Kyoshi should probably change tactics before they had another close call. 

If the small sane part of Kyoshi was keeping track of time correctly, and she probably wasn’t, they were about an hour away from Yokoya. Which meant…..they had an hour to look presentable again. Which meant….they should stop. 

With a forlorn sigh and great difficulty, Kyoshi removed her hand from Rangi’s pants.

“Don’t stop!” Rangi whined, and Kyoshi almost complied. She felt Rangi pull away and lift Kyoshi’s face up to look at her. “Please, don’t stop.” As she spoke, a small puff of steam escaped her lips.

Kyoshi gazed at Rangi revantly. Rangi’s eyes were soft and melting like liquid honey, her hair was loose and coming undone, and her face had a light sheen from sweat and steam that she had been creating. She looked like a mess, and Kyoshi loved it. 

“You’re a mess,” she smiled, breathless. 

“Only because you made me like this,” Rangi whispered back. 

Kyoshi forgot what she was supposed to not do, and leaned up to kiss Rangi. Rangi met her halfway with a steamy, open mouth kiss. It felt like they were exchanging the steam between them. Exchanging their heat. If Kyoshi had the ability to think at that moment, she would’ve wondered how she could be matching a firebender’s warmth like that. 

The kiss broke when the carriage hit another rough bump, sending Rangi almost flying. Kyoshi snagged her around the waist and kept her anchored with one hand, and used her other hand to stop one of the stacked packages from falling on them with the other. And then had to repeat the process when the carriage hit another bump.

“He could make the ride a little smoother,” Rangi grumbled as she shifted off of Kyoshi.

Kyoshi laughed as they began fixing themselves up. She leaned over and drew the window curtain back and opened the window to let the heat escape. 

“Maybe we should open the door too? Just a crack?” Rangi proposed as she tied one of the knots on her armor in place. Then she started fanning herself.

Kyoshi did as she asked. “What? Can’t take the heat? Then why do you generate so much?” Kyoshi laughed.

Rangi blushed. “I-I don’t know, I’ve never emitted this much before. Not even when I was angry.” 

So Rangi was like this because Kyoshi had that effect on her? Well that was some of the best news Kyoshi had heard in the past month.

Kyoshi finished propping the door open. Just as she opened her mouth to tease Rangi some more, she felt her body fly back from the sudden jolt in the carriage as it started barreling down the road. 

Kyoshi threw herself over Rangi as packages started to fall, the door to the carriage flinging open and closed until it finally stayed closed from a stray package falling in front of it. 

The vehicle felt like it was out of control, or maybe something worse.

“What’s going on?!” Rangi bellowed to the driver. Kyoshi hoped the man was still at the helm

“D-daofe!” He screeched.

Kyoshi felt Rangi throw them to the ground, or really on top of the sprawled out packages. There was a twump on the seat they were just sitting on, and Kyoshi looked up to see an arrow poking through the seat. 

“Kyoshi, whatever you do, do not leave this cart!” Rangi whispered in Kyoshi’s ear. Then she twisted around, threw her leg forward, and kicked the carriage door back open before jumping out before Kyoshi processed what was going on.

Before Kyoshi could decide if she wanted to follow Rangi’s order or not, the carriage took a hard turn and flew her to the other side away from the door. She caught a long box that landed on her stomach. The carriage kept moving side to side, flinging Kyoshi all around, until the feeling of weightlessness hit her. 

She and the packages started to float and then gravity kicked in. The cart and everything inside slammed to the ground, Kyoshi becoming sandwiched between the cart and multiple packages and crates. 

Kyoshi felt the carriage wobble left and right. It wasn’t going to remain upturned for long. When the carriage started to tip towards the door, she threw herself out of it, taking some of the packages with her. 

Kyoshi hit the ground with a hard thump, the long package that she caught earlier falling out of her arms next to her. Not long after she hit the ground she heard a crash. Kyoshi looked up and saw the carriage a splintered mess against a boulder and a tree. 

Kyoshi tried to sit up and found herself extremely dizzy. She felt something warm running down her neck and put a hand to her head. It was wet. 

Not good. She thought as she pulled her hand away and saw the red on her hand.

The sound of a tree branch snapping caught Kyoshi’s attention. Her head whipped around to a treeline, hoping to see Rangi. Instead, a tall tattooed man brandishing a bagua dao sword stepped out from between the bushes. 

The daofei grinned wildly when his eyes fell on Kyoshi. Dread shot through Kyoshi, not because a daofei was approaching her, but because she saw him wipe blood off of his sword. 

Where’s Rangi?! She screamed in her head, trying to strain her ears for the familiar blast of fire being combusted through the air. But all she could really hear was the ringing in her head. 

“Well look what we have here,” the daofei snickered as he approached Kyoshi. Kyoshi was able to get into a sitting position, but she was in no shape to stand just yet. 

The man raised his sword above his head. “I’m going to have fun with you.”

Kyoshi quickly grabbed the long box that was near her, and held it above her head with both hands. The sword came down and the box stopped it with a metal clang!

“What?!” the daofei yelled. And then he proceeded to let off a series of swings at Kyoshi. Kyoshi tried her best to block each one, fairly easy since the barrage came down at similar angles. As if he was just playing with her, wanting to tire her out. But each hit was met with another metal clang, and the blade never slashed through whatever was blocking the sword. 

The man stopped, breathing heavily but with a smile still on his face. Kyoshi felt her grip on the package slipping and realized he’d decimated the box completely. She tried to regain her grip on the box, but cut her hand on the object inside, causing the box to drop on her lap.

She looked down, and saw Tagaka’s iconic green jian sword. Kyoshi’s eyes widened as she realized this must’ve been what Jianzhu made Rangi drop off the day prior. He wanted it to be looked over by the expert smithies from Hongcun. 

Kyoshi began to pick the sword up by its hilt as she crawled away. She was going to need more space if she was going to have a chance of standing up to fight back.

The man let her crawl away while laughing, it was obvious he didn’t see Kyoshi as a threat. She stood up and held the sword out in front of her.

The daofei’s laughter grew more boisterous as he saw her ready the sword, and slowly started walking towards her. “Aw, that’s cute. You think you can fight back?”

He quickly rushed her and swung his sword at hers. She barely had to move to block the oncoming attacks, he was hitting her sword on purpose. After a few hits, Kyoshi understood why. The vibrations of the metal hitting each other were too foreign and numbing for her as it radiated through her arms. She wasn’t going to be able to hold the sword for much longer.

“You’re holding out longer than that firebender!” the daofei jeered gleefully at Kyoshi.

Kyoshi felt a surge of fury rise through her at the mention of Rangi. She slammed her foot down to anchor herself, and pushed with the sword. “What did you do to Rangi?!”

To the man’s surprise, he started to be pushed back, but only a little. While Kyoshi had height on him, he had more muscle than her.

The daofei’s smirk became strained. “Oh the firegirl? Don’t worry, you’ll see her soon. We’re all going to have a lot of fun-argh!”

Kyoshi’s eyes felt like the sun glared right into her eyes, and a surge of strength hit her as at that instant. She threw her whole weight and strength against the man and flung him back.

She went to pursue the man, to follow up her attack, but when she put her other foot forward, her leg buckled. It was the leg she’d injured earlier. 

She caught herself by stabbing the ground with Tagaka’s sword. Her legs bent into a deep stance as her arms gripped the sword for support.

The daofei picked himself back up, but instead of readying his sword, he dropped into a stance himself. “I like a girl with a little fight in her!” He thrusted his arm forward and a large boulder soared through the air at Kyoshi.

Kyoshi felt the sun’s blinding light hit her eyes again, and the surge of strength hit her once more. She took one hand off the sword’s hilt, and thrusted a palm outward. She felt a push as she made contact with her natural element, stopping the boulder midair. 

“Geh?! What?!” the daofei yelled, unable to budge the earth she now controlled.

Kyoshi clenched her hand into a fist, and with the last of her strength, twisted her torso and the rest of her body downward, her fist colliding with the ground below her.

The boulder slammed into the ground with ease, and soon sank into the pit that was created by a fissure that appeared in the ground. A fissure that started at Kyoshi’s fist, and branched outward as the earth shook. 

The daofei screamed in terror, and scrambled to get out of the way of the growing hole. She watched through blurred vision as the man ran off into the forest. Kyoshi wanted to find Rangi or go after the man, but she felt her body slowly sinking to the side. Exhausted. 

As her vision started to waver further, she saw fur Water Tribe boots walk into the corner of her vision.

“Don’t worry, kid,” a gentle, deep voice with a thick accent spoke to her. “Everything’s going to be just fine. Rest.”

Kyoshi lost consciousness just as she was hit with intense déjà vu.

_________

A familiar brown ceiling came into view as Kyoshi opened her eyes. Déjà vu.

She felt warm, warmer than usual. Déjà vu. 

But it wasn’t the air, this time it felt like it came from the weight of something on top of her. Multiple blankets. Not déjà vu. 

She turned her head to find someone familiar sitting there. Déjà vu. 

But it wasn’t Rangi this time. Not déjà vu. 

“Kyoshi!” Kelsang cried as she turned to him. He looked like he’d aged since she last saw him. Strange….. He looked better this morning.

“W-he-” Kyoshi’s voice cracked. Dried out. Déjà vu. But she pushed through. “Where’s Rangi?”

Kelsang took a glass from nearby and helped Kyoshi drink it. Déjà vu. “She’s fine, she’s resting in her room. I’ve ordered her and Yun to stay out of here until you’ve recovered.”

Kyoshi felt her being lightened a bit, knowing Rangi was alright. Then her morale sank when she realized she couldn’t see the girl just yet. 

“I’m awake now, so can I see-”

Kelsang shook his head. “No, Kyoshi. We need the healer to look you over first.”

“Why? I feel fine!” That was a lie, she felt tired. Very tired. She was fighting a war against sleep and was losing. Stupid body, stay awake. You just woke up!

“Kyoshi, you’ve been asleep for three days!” Déjà vu.

Hasn’t this happened before? What’s going on?

“Kyoshi, what happened?” Kelsang asked. He placed his hand over hers in a soothing fashion. 

Kyoshi’s mouth started to speak before her murky mind caught up to her. “Our carriage was attacked by daofei? Rangi and I got separated. I was in a crash…. Then a daofei caught up to me, and we fought. I think I used a sword to defend myself at some point? And then we fought with earthbending. And I….I guess I used up too much energy?” 

Kelsang pursed his lips and nodded. “Do you know who made that fissure?”

Fissure? Kyoshi wracked her brain, but nothing came up. “The two of us? I’m not sure. A lot was happening really fast.” 

Kelsang nodded and smiled, then he stroked the top of her head. The sensation made her relax, but that relaxation made her slip more into sleepiness.

“I’m just glad you’re safe.”

Safe. Right, she couldn’t sleep until she saw Rangi. She needed to see with her own eyes that she was safe too. “Kelsang, please, I need to see Rangi.”

Kelsang’s smile grew a little sadder. “Kyoshi, I think even if I ran to get her right now, you’d fall back asleep before she’d arrive.”

Kyoshi shook her head, the energy it took made her eyes feel heavier. “No, I’ll stay awake. Please, go get her….”

“She’s busy at the moment, Kyoshi.”

Busy? But I thought you said she was in her room resting. Kyoshi could feel the world dizzying around her. “Bus-but….you said she was-” she slurred

“Shhhh,” Kelsang hushed. He pulled one of the blankets back over Kyoshi’s shoulders. “She’ll still be here when you wake up. Just rest for now, dear.”

The panic in Kyoshi’s being was taken alongside her consciousness, as sleep hooked its claws into both of them, and sunk them down to the dark abyss.

_______________

The people who were there when Kyoshi woke up were Auntie Mui, a Water Tribe woman, and, once again, Kelsang.

According to Kelsang, Kyoshi and Rangi were lucky that one of their visitors to the mansion had happened to be a healer. That was the reason Kyoshi didn’t have any major wounds when she woke up. He consoled her that Rangi had also gotten her own treatment as well.

The Water Tribe woman stated she couldn’t find anything wrong with Kyoshi, only that her chi had been diminished to a dangerous state the other day. Which is why she was unconscious for almost four days straight. 

So Kyoshi really had just exhausted herself. Considering she wasn’t a fighter, that alone explained itself.

Kyoshi spent the rest of the day in the infirmary, attempting to grill Kelsang and Auntie Mui about what had been going on while she was asleep.

The two remained tightlipped regarding most things. And they still wouldn’t let Rangi nor Yun come in and visit her. 

The only thing she got out of them was that because of the attack, they’d found out there were daofei skulking about the area much closer to home than Jianzhu was comfortable with. So he was out leading a charge to find their hideout.

Yun was training with Hei-Ran, or he was talking to the Water Tribe ambassadors that had come to visit for tips on waterbending. Kyoshi could only assume Rangi was either with Yun, or still in her room.

But now, Kyoshi had to sit in the infirmary, while she watched Kelsang and Auntie Mui play pai sho. 

“Did I do something wrong?” Kyoshi asked the two elders in front of her. She couldn’t help but feel like she was on house arrest. This entire thing felt like a punishment.

“Goodness! No! Why would you think that?” Auntie Mui comforted her.

Kyoshi’s brow furrowed. If Kyoshi wasn’t the one being punished then….. “Then, did Rangi do something wrong?”

The two went silent and looked at each other. Kyoshi could feel each individual hair on her skin prickle. A foreboding sneaking up on her. One that had been in the room with her for a good while, but she was only now fully realizing its presence. 

“No,” Kelsang said, resolved in his declaration. “No she didn’t, Kyoshi.”

 Kyoshi’s heart began to speed out of control. Something didn’t feel right in that statement. Something had been off in the estate for a while, and she just didn’t understand it yet. She still didn’t understand it. “Then, do other people think Rangi did something wrong?” 

Kelsang’s face faltered. “Well-”

“Why? What happened?!” Kyoshi made a move to jump out of the bed, but Kelsang put his hand on her shoulder and pushed her back in.

“She let the daofei go,” he sighed.

Kyoshi blinked, confused. “Why?” Rangi hated daofei about as much as Kyoshi did, it didn’t make sense she would let any of them slip by her. 

“To save you. She went to get help because she wanted to save you,” he said warmly, but there was some sadness in his eyes. “She chose to save a companion rather than exact revenge, or to save some meaningless cargo.”

“Not meaningless to some, unfortunately,” Auntie Mui grumbled. Auntie Mui slammed a tile down onto the pai sho board. “She saved two lives, but-” She didn’t finish her sentence, just let out a stream of grumbles as she massaged her temple. 

Kyoshi’s eyes widened. Two? “The driver’s ok?” 

Kelsang nodded with a warm smile. Kyoshi breathed a sigh of relief, then a wave of remorse flooded her. She had forgotten all about the man. 

Kyoshi’s hands curled into fists over her blanket. “I don’t understand, why is she in trouble?” Saving a comrade, or just anyone’s life in general, shouldn’t that be rewarded? Not punished?

Kelsang sighed. “She was assigned to protect the cargo first, and hunt down enemies second. Anything else was supposed to be ranked last in her duty.”

Kyoshi’s jaw flexed. She was angry. Angry at what Rangi’s duty entailed for that mission. And angry at herself, because she had caused issues for Rangi……

If only Kyoshi knew how to fight, then today might’ve gone differently. It most certainly was a wake up call for her. 

Kelsang put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “She’ll be fine. Just a little reprimand. If it makes you feel better, I’ll throw all this weight around just to make sure she gets off easy!” Kelsang stood up and swung his body side to side, making a show to grab at his stomach. 

Kyoshi and Auntie Mui laughed at his antics. And Kyoshi let the gnawing sensation subside. At least, until later.

_______________________________

That night, once everyone was asleep, Auntie Mui and Kelsang helped Kyoshi back to her room. Auntie Mui made a show to tuck her into bed, and told her if she needed anything to just knock on her door. 

Kyoshi went along with it, and pretended to fall asleep. She waited until they left, and she heard their footsteps disappear down the hall.

When she knew the coast was clear, her eyes flew open, and she hurried to get ready. If Rangi couldn’t come to her, then she was going to Rangi! She was going to try her own hand at sneaking to Rangi’s room.

Kyoshi flung her door open, and almost screamed as she almost barreled into someone in front of her.

Rangi took a step back in shock, her hand was raised to knock on the door. The same hand flew to Rangi’s heart as she gasped, “You scared me-”

Before Rangi could finish her sentence, Kyoshi grabbed the firebender by the tunic, and comically yanked her into the bedroom; right into a crushing hug. 

Kyoshi felt Rangi’s arms flail about for a moment as she buried her face into Rangi’s soft hair. Then once Rangi regained some of her footing, she returned the hug just as fiercely. She wrapped her arms around Kyoshi and clutched at her back.

“I’ve missed you…..” Kyoshi whispered.

Rangi’s response was just one sharp intake of breath, then her body shook. Kyoshi hugged her tighter until the tremors subsided.

“Kyoshi….” Rangi began, breathless. “I keep messing things up…..”

Kyoshi shook her head. “No, you haven't.” Maybe there was more than what Kyoshi knew what was going on, but she would fight anyone who made Rangi feel like she did anything wrong.

Rangi hiccuped out a sob. “No, I mean it, I-”

Before Rangi could finish her sentence, Kyoshi dipped her head down and silenced Rangi with her lips. It was wet, and definitely the coldest kiss the two had shared yet. But it didn’t diminish any of the comfort that it gave. 

Rangi returned the kiss as delicately as Kyoshi had given it, but then gently pushed Kyoshi away when she started sobbing into her lips. 

“You haven’t messed anything up,” Kyoshi reassured her. 

Rangi brought her forearm to her face, and tried rubbing the tears away. Her sobs were broken up with bubbles of laughter in between breaths, “I’m such a mess.”

“I don’t mind. I kind of like it,” she chuckled.

Another hiccup. “You deserve better.”

Kyoshi frowned, not that Rangi could see it. Kyoshi wasn’t sure if she even deserved Rangi. A ray of sunshine that did nothing but provide warmth and light for her. Better? How could anything be better than Rangi herself? 

“I don’t think there’s anything better, cause you’re the best!” Kyoshi said enthusiastically, trying to cheer Rangi up. 

Rangi let out a scoff so poignant, Kyoshi could visualize an eyeroll. “‘The best,’ what kind of best can’t even protect her own girlfriend?”

Kyoshi took one of Rangi’s hands and held it. “You can say the same about me,” Kyoshi laughed. “I was trying to make my way to you and I ended up snoozing on the forest floor.”

“You wouldn't have had to try to get to me if I wasn’t such a-” Rangi stopped herself. Kyoshi had a feeling Rangi was going to call herself a ‘failure,’ and that alone twisted Kyoshi’s heart into a knot. “Mess. If I wasn’t such a mess.”

Kyoshi raised an eyebrow. “You keep calling yourself that, why?”

“You don’t like messes,” Rangi mumbled. “You’re such a clean freak….”

“A clean freak?” Kyoshi asked with amusement.

“I like that about you. Your tidiness. It’s nice. Very orderly.” Kyoshi could hear a pout in her voice.

“Well, this clean freak still wants this mess,” Kyoshi giggled and kissed the palm of Rangi’s hand. “I still want you.”

Rangi finally pulled her face away from her arm and looked at Kyoshi. Kyoshi’s breath hitched. The tears had stopped but it left behind a sheen that made her face glow. The flush from crying painted her face with a pretty shade of pink, and it accentuated the darkness of her eyelashes. It was so unfair, having a girlfriend who was such a pretty crier. 

But behind the tear stained pretty face, laid eyes that were still unsure and full of fear. Kyoshi wanted to incinerate that fear off the face of the planet.

She placed Rangi’s hand over her chest so she could feel her steady heartbeat. To let Rangi know what she was about to say was the complete and whole truth. “I don’t care. I don’t care if you’re a mess. I wouldn’t care if you went and messed up the entire world. I love you, Rangi.”

Maybe she was jumping the gun on what this new feeling was. But Kyoshi knew deep in her being, what she felt for Rangi was love. It was new. It was reckless. It was foolish. It was raw. But it was true.

Kyoshi watched as the fear and anxiety left Rangi’s eyes like dust in the wind. Then she watched as her face melted into unbridled joy. And then watched as that same face disappeared into Kyoshi’s chest as Rangi wrapped her arms around Kyoshi in a tight embrace.

“Oh, Kyoshi!”

Kyoshi laughed as she hugged Rangi back, she felt almost like air itself. “Hey, I just poured my heart out, don’t leave me hang-”

Rangi pulled away and leaned her face upwards as she caressed Kyoshi’s cheek. Then she pulled Kyoshi’s face down into a deliberate, slow kiss. A smoldering warmth slowly but surely spread out from where their lips met to the rest of their being.

“I love you, Kyoshi,” Rangi whispered into Kyoshi’s lips when she pulled away for some air.

The smolder turned into a spark and quickly became a wildfire. Kyoshi quickly used the opportunity to deepen the kiss, spurred on even more with the way Rangi tangled her fingers into Kyoshi’s hair. The temperature in the room started to rise rapidly, and with it, each kiss felt like a hot brand. 

Kyoshi pushed Rangi up against the door, letting their bodies mold into one another. Kyoshi felt Rangi’s hands fumbling with the front of Kyoshi’s nemaki. Kyoshi took a step back, with one hand she helped Rangi with the obi, and the other found its way to the door’s lock. She didn’t want anyone interrupting them tonight.

______________________________

Kyoshi laid in her bed a changed person. She was certain of it. She remembered how the other maids talked and gossiped about how sex, love and intimacy could do such a thing. And now Kyoshi was certain……….

Kyoshi was certain this isn’t what they had in mind.

“Kyoshi…..” Rangi’s voice whispered, a bit frantic. 

Kyoshi couldn’t move. She forgot how to move. She was feeling too many things at the moment, good and bad, euphoria and dread. So she just continued to stare at the ceiling, horrified. She could feel something gnawing at the corners of her mind, a realization she didn’t want to acknowledge.

“Kyoshi!” Rangi harshly whispered, a bit louder, as she shook Kyoshi. Kyoshi laid there, limply, still afraid to move.

“Kyoshi, look at me,” Rangi pleaded, gently placing a hand on Kyoshi’s cheek and forcing Kyoshi to look away from the scandal that laid above them on her ceiling. “What-”

“Rangi, please tell me that was you,” Kyoshi whispered. 

Rangi’s face relaxed, relieved to see Kyoshi wasn’t broken and could talk. Then she closed her eyes and sighed, a little exasperated. “Kyoshi, my face was down there.”

Kyoshi groaned. “Well….could it be some kind of…..special firebending technique?”

Rangi scoffed. “Like what?”

“I-I don’t know! Maybe you did something and firebended through me?”

“From down there?”

“Y-yes?”

“I’m no doctor, but I’m pretty sure whatever you’re thinking would’ve resulted in burnt innards.”

“But it doesn’t make sense! Y-you’re the only firebender here! Why is my ceiling scorched?!” Kyoshi cried, a little too loudly. Eyes flitted to her ceiling where a new black circle resided directly above Kyoshi’s head.

Rangi cupped Kyoshi’s cheek with her hand, and rubbed soothing circles with her thumb. “Shh, I know it doesn’t make sense…..” she trailed off. Possibly trying to figure out how to make sense of what happened herself. Apparently, she couldn’t come up with anything.

They laid there like that for a while. Kyoshi, too scared to move. Rangi, rubbing soothing motions along Kyoshi’s cheek. Finally, after gathering her thoughts, Rangi found the courage to speak again. “Kyoshi…..you…. You firebent!”

Kyoshi didn’t say anything. Kyoshi thought the thing she had to worry about coming out of her mouth most were moans, not fire! This wasn’t in any of ‘The Talks’ she had with Auntie Mui or the other maids!

“But….how?” 

Rangi inhaled. “Do you…. Do you know if one of your parents were firebenders?”

Kyoshi shook her head. “No, my father was an Earthbender, and my mother was an Airbender. I’m pretty sure there’s no firebending lineage in my family.”

Rangi looked at Kyoshi, shocked. “Wait, airbender?”

Shoot. Kyoshi had slipped up. This was a wound Kyoshi didn't like to acknowledge, nor was she in the mindset to open up about it yet. Especially not right now.

“Why haven’t you ever mentioned this before?”

Kyoshi looked away, ashamed. A secret Kyoshi didn't want to share. One she was comfortable taking to the grave.

Something in Kyoshi’s expression must’ve discouraged Rangi from pressing further. “Nevermind, we can discuss that later. First we need to figure out this whole firebending fiasco.”

Rangi rolled onto her back, her arm snaked its way under Kyoshi’s neck, and urged Kyoshi to cuddle into her. Kyoshi complied, nuzzling into Rangi’s neck. 

Rangi stared up at the ceiling, as if the scorch mark that she coaxed out of Kyoshi moments earlier would be able to tell her the answers. After a few moments, Rangi gasped. “Spirits above! Forget firebending. How is it you can both earth and firebend?!”

Kyoshi grew stiff. The nagging feeling that had been gnawing at her, had finally clamped its jaws down fully. 

“I….I don’t know!” Kyoshi forced out. 

No one in history had been able to bend more than one element…..except for one person. 

“Kyoshi I think you’re-”

“Don’t say it,” Kyosh nuzzled harder into Rangi. She could feel herself leaving the ground, and needed her girlfriend to be her rock.

“But then that means…..” Rangi didn’t finish the sentence, but there was a seriousness in her voice. Kyoshi could feel Rangi’s body tense as she gripped Kyoshi tighter. More secure. Then she rubbed small soothing circles into her back, as if she could feel Kyoshi’s anxiety rippling out of her. 

A lot of time passed before Rangi spoke up again.

“Come on, let’s get dressed,” Rangi said as she rolled out from under Kyoshi, and off of her bed.

Kyoshi stared at her bug eyed. “W-what? Where are we going?”

Rangi placed a hand on her chin, thoughtfully. “We’re going to…..do a little experiment.”

End Arc 1: The Poem 

Interlude: Rangi’s Side 

_____

A/N: Me, writing the phrase "firebending fiasco”: hey that kinda sounds like “fire sage fiasco”.......this was unintentional but I'm not gonna change it.

Y’know, it HAS been bothering me with the whole Chin thing…..esp after reading RoK. I always thought Chin was his first name, but then there’s the whole “Chin Clan”....so is it a Mario Mario type deal? Or do we not know his first name? I have so many questions u_u

………….. Oh that’s NOT what everyone wants to talk about? “Salty, was that a …fire orgasm? WHy?????” Eyyyyyyy gotta keep you on your toes! >:3c Bet you weren’t expecting this plot development/twist! jaksdfj Fiiiiiine. I thought it’d be funny. (ﾉ≧ڡ≦) (no come back I have a lot of legit serious reasons TT0TT/ but first…..)

Listen, everyone always uses “fire coming out of the mouth” for orgasms in the spicy Rangshi fics, so I decided to play it for a little dramady…… cause I have the humor of a high schooler I guess. TT0TT (in my defense, whenever I see it I tend to cackle cause I can’t really take it seriously dsiljfaklj *sobs* not to discourage from people from doing it, I get the intent and roll with it….but I also think it’s kiiiiiiinda funny)

“So why was this T before M?” Cause alluding to sex is “T” I believe, but then I needed to like…….build up to that moment….. And building up can easily cross it over into M territory (even if I didn’t feel like I was getting that graphic….at first…. u_u). Amazing how I could forget I should do such a thing! :’D Tbh the build up moments weren’t fully conceptualized until I was in the middle of writing so ummmmm yeah. 8U Oops. orz

I mean, I guess I could’ve just jumped to that scene after a “after a few weeks passed” but….that didn’t seem like it was good narrative build up….but I already committed to the twist, which mean slowly building up to that part TT0TT Which meant....~spice~ (I'm not used to writing spice TT0TT)

OK OK BUT FOR REAL FOR REAL! Other than it being kind of a humorous/unique/surprising way of finding out your the Avatar, and integrating it deeply with the Rangshi love story (which is the main focus of this fic, even more so than the other ones I’ve written imo). It was also one of the few ways I could see a reveal happening between the two without other witnesses around. So while I did all that, it was in service to the plot/characters for a reason.

*inhales*.......Ok time to see how much of a mess Rangi’s side is! ─=≡Σ ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

[paletigers]

Some Stardew Valley redesigns/reimaginings!! these pics were about a week apart from one another so theyre in two different styles lol

some explainations below the cut!

For Context: A lot of these headcanons are based off of my own personal lived experiences! They're also just my preferences for their characters in general. I have only romanced Sebastian in-game but looked at Alex's Wiki page for context on the background for his character. I don't really know much about him canon wise, I've only read fanfics with him in it LOL ANWAY!

Sebastian: -25 yrs old + Transman + Gay/MLM -I really liked how he had a motorcycle in-game but thought that there wasn't much to say about it, so I wanted to make it apart of his core as a character! He's a sport motorcyclist as a hobby. He loves high speed racing.

-He's still a programmer, but he's now a Game designer! This is mainly because my lovely boyfriend is a game designer irl and he's like my muse and I love cramming his traits into my favorite characters.

-He plays bass istead of keyboard in Sam's band. I dunno, I think keyboard is fun and all (i actually own two keyboards and played piano in hs) but like. cmon. Bass would suit him so much better.

-I gave him a battle jacket he wears over his normal hoodie. I feel like he has a couple of these from over the years that are DIY with his ever growing music taste. Battle jackets are such a staple in the alt music scene I felt like its a crime he doesn't have one in game. Sebastian you would love battle jackets.

-His motorcycle is a sportsbike instead of a standard/chopper. His helmet also resembles a cat, but definitely not on purpose! Definitely not.

-He has a LOT of scars. Some self inflicted (but he's recovering), others from surgery! He has top surgery scars designed to resemble spider webs, a phaloplasty skin graft scar on his left arm, and gnarly huge scars on his ribs down to his legs.

-He suffered a motorcycle accident resulting in his bike being damaged as well as giving him a limp. He's constantly fixing up his bike since then, wanting to ensure another wipe out won't happen again and that his bike is reall okay to ride again.

-HIS PIERCINNGNSSSSS he has a shit ton of piercings! Not shown, he has a Jacob's ladder piercing. :3c

-His personality doesn't really change much from in-game. I'd personally prefer if he was less bitchy and more just a rarely speaking type. The kind to keep his comments to himself. Bitching about your step sibling and your step dad gets stale, bro

Alex: (Sorry to any alex fans, I changed him a LOT)

-27 + Cismale + Closeted Bisexual

-An ex-pro hockey player (goalie). I don't really care for "gridball" since it's just a couple of sports mixed together (from my understanding) so I decided to just give him a real world sport to play. Plus, hockey just kind of suits him for some reason?? I dunno

-Moved back to Pelican town after the news of his Mother's condition worsening and his Father jumping ship. In my version, he got recruited straight out of highschool to go pro for hockey. He had reservations about leaving his Mother with his Dad, but decided it was the best solution to the shitty situation. This way, he'd have more money to help her medical costs since his Dad's insurance was shitty anyway. A few years go by with constant health updates from his Grandparents, when one day his Dad just calls it quits on caregiving, deciding he doesn't want to waste his life away caring for his wife, and leaves. Without physical support from his Father to help around the house and help his Mother, Alex makes the choice to move back home and become his Mother's caregiver. He struggles with the emotional weight of this job ontop of how extremely demanding it is, but does his best for his Mother. She dies, and now he's taking care of his Grandparents. -I really wanted him to be a caregiver to his grandparents because my family were caregivers to both my Mother and my Father's parents LOL we spent all 23 years of my life taking care of them, so i thought it would be fun to think about. I imagine Evelyn and George to be my grandparents and constantly give them their favorite gifts in-game. (mainly george. i love him) (hes not homophobic hes just OLD and STUPID i LOVE HIM !!!!!!)

-Alex is constantly worried he won't be the same after caregiving for this long. He's worried he won't be able to go back to pro-hockey without reliving the stress of his mother's death. He's been having trouble keeping asleep at night, often waking up every few hours and being completely restless. He'll decompress at the sauna at unbearable hours of the night just because he can't sleep.

-He's the town helper! I thought it would be cute if he's the guy the town usually went to if they needed serious physical help with something, like setting up festival decorations, fixing fenceposts, shit like that. He loves helping out the town and INSISTS sometimes to be the one to fix a problem. When the farmer first comes into town and starts being the more dependable one, he starts feeling hopeless and easily emotionally distant. It's hard being the one everyone depended on to suddenly not being needed anymore. (It's not all entirely in his head, but he gets really worked up sometimes about feeling useless)

-Still an arrogant little shit! Instead of dreams of stardom, it's kind of a "washed up" celebrity kind of arrogance. He thinks he's hot shit because he travelled the world playing games for a couple of years. This backfires in his face, he'll sometimes sit for too long on his "glory days" and spiral, getting depressed about not playing anymore and his role as a caregiver despite loving his grandparents immensely.

-This headcanon is just silly but i think he likes to fish. He's so arrogant that he thinks hes amazing at it but fish rarely bite his line and when they do, they drag him into the river or sand at the beach. It's even more embarrassing because he thinks he's fine and continues to fish despite having sand and dirt all over himself.

-He's covered in moles! I also gave him freckles in places where his skin sees the most sun. (He's also got chest hair bc yall know i love hair on a man LMAO)

anyway. Long post! My bad. I was thinking of writing some Stardew Valley fanfics while working on some other stuff bc I want to explore my versions of Alex and Seb, and also maybe they explore each others bodies???? Let me know if that's something you'd guys like to read/offer up suggestions!!!